Form of an Ecclefiaftical Confiftory in the Primitive Church; wherein, had he affign'd to the feveral Members of it their respective Offices and Powers, as ingenioufly as he had represented the Thing, we fhould have found indeed a general Scheme of admirable Difcipline for preventing any long Infection of Vice or Herefie in the Church of God. But one would wonder to fee what ftrain'd Constructions he has made of a few plain Paffages in S. Cyprian again, to fecure to the Laity of the Churches their pretended Share in the Administration of that Difcipline.

Cenfure, and Absolution of Criminals, are without doubt the two principal Acts of Ecclefiaftical Difcipline; and to prove, that Cenfures pafs'd by the Votes and Suffrages of the People, as well as of any of the Clergy in the Church, he tells *us, S. Cyprian writes thus; Whoever was excom• municated, 'twas by the Divine Suffrages of the People. The Original Words he quotes, are în an Epiftle to his People indeed; but fo miferably pointed, fo miftranflated and mifapply'd here, that (to speak the Truth) I am furprized at it. S. Cyprian wrote to his People a zealous Letter against the Schifmatical Presbyters who had fided with Feliciffimus; telling them that by God's

Provi

Eng. p. 121. Secundum veftrà divina fuffragia conjurati. Ep. 40. ad plebem. Edit. Pamel. vel Ep. 43. Edit. Oxon. §1.

De Dei providentia, nobis nec volentibus, nec optantibus, imò & ignofcentibus & tacentibus, pœnas quas meruerant rependerunt, ut à nobis non ejecti ultrò fe ejicerent ipfi in fe pro confcientià fuà fententiam darent, fecundum veftra divina fuffragia, conjurati & fcelerati de Ecclefià fponte fe pellerent.

Providence they had met with the Punishment they deferv'd; for without my Knowledge (fays he) and beyond what I wifh'd, and even whilft I faid nothing, and excufed their Fault, thofe confederate and wicked Wretches, (fays he) not eaft out by us, have of their own accord turn'd out themselves; convicted in their own Confcience, they pronounc'd their own Sentence, according to your Divine Suffrages. What can be plainer here, than this? That neither S. Cypri an, nor his Clergy, nor his People, had any hand in this extraordinary Excommunication. 'Twas the Schifmaticks own Act and Deed, by a voluntary Separation, and nothing more in it. But what mean thofe Words of the Holy Bishop (you'll fay then) according to your Divine Suffrages? They plainly mean, as I just now faid, (and have prov'd before) what this Word Suffrage does almost always fignify in this Holy Father's Language; namely, that those Self-condemning Schifmaticks had done what the People very well approved of, and liked it fhould be fo. What fort of Tranflation therefore this learned Author gave us of this Paffage, and what a groundless Appli cation he made of it, I conceive is pretty clear; and how unintelligibly 'tis pointed alfo, to countenance that Application of it, the Reader may fee, by comparing the Enquirer's fmall Claufe of it, with the entire Tranfcript of the whole Period, which I have join'd together in the Margin.

J

This is all the Authority offer'd for the People's Judicial Power in the Cenfures of the Primitive Church. But then,

Secondly, To prove they could loose, as well as bind, he affures us, the Penitents apply'd themfelves to this Ecclefiaftical Court of his for their Abfolution. For, S. Cyprian (he finds) amongst other things tells us, that the Life and Demeanour of the Penitent was to be look'd into, (before he was abfolv'd) and therefore concludes, it needs muft be, that the Penitent Offender went to beg his Abfolution of the Confiftory; and if that Claufe, or any Context in the Place where it is, warrants fuch a Conclufion as that, I muft own 'tis a Way of Reasoning I cannot comprehend; and therefore fhall leave it to the more judicious Reader to make the most of it he can.

And by the fame Way of Reasoning again, he Supports all thofe pofitive and important Affertions of his, relating to this Matter; namely, that the joint Affembly of all the Laity and Clergy in the Church had the proper Right of

judging the Sufficiency or Infufficiency of a cenfur'd Perfon's Repentance; the Right of Sadmitting him by degrees into Part, or a full Communion with the Church; the Right of

continuing Offenders for a longer or shorter Time in the Penitentiary Station, and lastly a full Bight or Power to affoil or abfolve them; infomuch

* Enq. p. 130.

+ Infpectà vita ejus qui agit pœnitentiam. Cypr. Ep. 12. Edit. Pamel. or Ep. 17. Edit. Oxon. §.1.

II Eng. p. 126.

Ibid.

+ Pag. 129.

* Pag. 130.

much that the Impofition of the Bishop's and Clergy's Hands upon them, was a * meer Declarative Act, and no more than a barren Form of admitting them to the Church's Peace. Now, not to trouble the Reader with a Repetition of what has fo largely been clear'd before, concerning the Ufe S. Cyprian made both of his Clergy and People, as well in all Caufes within his own Private Confiftory, as in that eminent Council for Trial of the Lapfed Brethren (from whence all that is offer'd from him, upon these several Points, is taken and misapply'd again) I thall, once for all, fhew how very different that Holy Father's Judgment was from that of this learned Enquirer, in relation to all the main Points he here quotes him for. And,

First, The Enquiry tells us, that both Clergy and Laity were all of them Fudges in the Ecclefiaftical Court, and that the People as well as the Bishops bad each of them a Negative Voice. †S. Cyprian as exprefly says,there is but one Fudge in the Church at a time, as Chrift's Vicegerent there.

*

Secondly, The Enquiry tells us, the Confiftory Court did actually affoil or abfolve the Penitent. S. Cyprian fays, Abfolution was a Remiffion of Sins effelled by the Priests, and acceptable to God.

* Enquiry. p. 133.

Enq. p. 112, 113.

$ Pag. 117.

u 3

Thirdly,

Unus in Ecclefià ad tempus facerdos, & ad tempus judex vice Chrifti. Ep. 59. § 5. Edit. Oxon.

* Eng. p. 130.

Remiffio fata per facerdotes apud Dominum grata eft, Cypr. de Lapfis. p. 134. Edis. Oxon.

Thirdly, The Enquiry * fays, that Impofition of Hands by the Bishops and Clergy, was a meer formal Ceremony, Declarative only of an Abfolution pass'd by the Confiftory. S. Cyprian fays, The Hand of the Priest conduced to the purging of the Confcience; and where he defcribes the whole Courfe of a cenfur'd Perfon's Recovery, if he repents, (fays he) does good Works, and prays to God for it, God can pardon fuch an one, and what the Martyrs fhould request, and the Priests fhould do for fuch Perfons, might be accepted of him.

Fourthly, Whereas the Enquiry says, that bis Ecclefiaftical Court was to judge of the Reality of a cenfur'd Perfon's Repentance, and according to their Will and Pleasure they were to continue a longer or Shorter time in the Penitentiary Station; S. Cyprian

fays, it was the peculiar Part or Province of the Governors of the Church (exclufive of the LayBrethren, to be fure) to order ignorant or overbafty Penitents in that Matter; for to grant them (fays he) thofe things which would turn to their Deftruction, (that is, for those Governors to permit

* Pag. 133.

Ante purgatam confcientiam facrificio & manu facerdotis, pacem putant effe, - De Lapfis, p. 128. Pœnitenti, operanti, roganti, poteft clementer ignofcere (Deus,) poteft in acceptum referre quicquid pro talibus & petierint martyres, & fecerint facerdotes. Ib. p. 138.

* Enq. p. 126, & 129.

+Præpofitorum eft, properantes vel ignorantes infruere, ne qui ovium paftores effe debent, lanii fiant; ea enim concedere, quæ in perniciem vertant, decipere eft. Ep. 15. Edit. Oxon.