Anastasius Bibliothecarius, upon the sixth Canon of the Seventh General Council, which enjoins all Metropolitans to hold provincial synods once a year: "Neither let it at all trouble thee (says he) that we have not this decree; seeing that there are some others found among the canons, whose authority nevertheless. we do not admit of. For some of them are in force, and are observed in the Greek Church only; and others again only in certain other provinces. As for example, the sixteenth and seventeenth canons of the council of Laodicea are observed only among the Greeks; and the sixth and the eighth canons of the council of Africa are received by none but the Afri

cans.

I could here produce various other examples; but these may suffice to show that the opinions and customs which have been received in one part of the Church, have not always been entertained in all the rest. Whence it evidently follows that all that is acknowledged as the opinion or observation of the Church, ought not therefore at once to pass for a universal law.

The Protestant alleges, for justifying his canon of the Scriptures, the council of Laodicea, before mentioned. You answer him perhaps that this indeed was the opinion of the Churches; but it was only of some particular Churches. I shall not here enter into an examination, whether this answer be well grounded or not: it is sufficient for me that I can then safely conclude from hence, that according to this account, before you can make use of any opinion or tes

* Nec te moveat, si hanc definitionem minimè nos habemus: cùm et earum nonnullas, quas inter canones habemus, in auctoritatem non recipiamus; sicut quasdam ex conciliis. Aliæ namque apud Græcos tantum, aliæ verò apud certas tantùm provincias in observantiam Ecclesiarum assumuntur: sicut Laodicensis concilii 16 et 17 regulæ apud Græcos tantùm servantur: et Africani concilii 6 et 8 capitula, quæ nulla provincia servare, nisi Africana, dignoscitur. —Anastas. Biblioth. ad Can. 6, Conc. 7 Gener.

also clearly demonstrate to us, what Ch it was; whether of the Church univer some particular Church only. It is ob the Protestants, that Epiphanius* test Church admitted not into the higher ministry, any save those that were vi fessed continency. Now to make goo tion, it is necessary that it be first pr Church he there speaks of was the Chu For (the Protestant will reply) as La seems, a particular opinion on the canon tures; possibly also Cyprus may in like had its particular resolutions as to the the clergy. The same may be said of part of those other allegations and opi ancient Church.

Now how difficult a business it will be matters, which are so full of perplexity; tinguish the writings of antiquity at thi tance of time, separating that which was what was particular, and that which wa from what was national, and what was n that which was universal-any man may imagine; but none can thoroughly unders he who has made the trial. Only conce selves a city, that has lain in ruins a tho nothing of which remains but the ruins lying all along confusedly here and there; being covered over with thorns and bushes then that you have met with one that wil to show you precisely where the public the city stood, and where the private o were the stones that belonged to the one,

* Epipha. Hær. 59, tom. 1.

Jཙ་པསgཅས

WALL

these confused heaps, where the whole lies all together, separate for you, notwithstanding, the one from the other. The very same task in a manner does he undertake, who thus endeavours truly and precisely to distinguish the opinions of the ancient Church.

This antiquity is now of eleven or twelve hundred years' standing: and the ruins of it are now only left us in the books of the writers of that period; which have indeed met with none of the best treatment in their passage through the several ages down to our time; as we have before shown. How then can we entertain the least hope that, amidst this so great confusion, we should be able yet to distinguish the remains, and to tell which of them honoured the public temple, and which went to the furnishing of private chapels only? especially considering that the private ones have each of them ambitiously endeavoured to make their own pass for public. For where is the province, or the city, or the doctor, that has not boasted of his own opinions and observations as apostolical, and not used his utmost endeavours to gain them the repute of being universal? Jerome allows every particular province full liberty to do herein as it pleases. "Let every province (says he) abound in its own sense, and hold the ordinances of their ancestors as apostolical laws."*

It is true indeed, that Jerome speaks in this place only of certain observations of things which are in themselves indifferent. But yet, that which he has permitted them in these matters, they have practised in all others. I shall not here trouble myself to produce any other reasons, to prove the difficulty of this inquiry, because I should then be forced to repeat a great part of that which has been already noticed.

* Unaquæque provincia abundet in sensu suo, et præcepta majorum leges apostolicas arbitretur.-Hieron. ep. 28 ad Lucinum.

difficult a thing will it be, to discover opinions were those of the particular Ch they lived, or else were the opinions universal in their age; the same thing obscurity in the one having as much o reason for doing the like in the other. would fully understand how painful ar this is, only read the disputations of th both parties on this point; where you w so many doubts and contradictions, and of opinions, that you will easily conclud one of the greatest difficulties to be met out the whole study of antiquity.

CHAPTER XI.

REASON XI.-It is impossible to know exactly wha belief of the ancient Church, either universal to any of those points which are at this day contr

us.

BEFORE we proceed to the Second Part tise, it may not be irrelevant to give the last advice, and let him know that, tho difficulties before represented were remov still be impossible for us to know certainl Fathers, what the judgment of the w Church, whether the Church universal, or siderable portion of it, has been, as regard ences which are now agitated in religion.

Now that we may be able to make the t proposition appear, it is necessary that we of all explain the terms.

We understand commonly by the Church, (especially in these disputations) either all those persons in general who profess themselves to be of the said Church, of what condition or quality soever they be; or else, in a stricter sense, the collective body of all those who are set over, and who are representatives of the Church; that is to say, the clergy. So that whether you speak of the Church universal, or of some particular Church-as, for example, that of Spain, or of Carthage-this term may be taken in either of these two senses. By the Church universal we understand either all those persons in general, who live in the communion of the Christian Church, whether they be of the laity or of the clergy; or else those persons only who are Ecclesiastici, or churchmen, as we now call them. For in the primitive times, all Christians that lived in the communion of the Catholics were called Ecclesiastici. In like manner, by the Church of Carthage is meant, either generally, all the faithful that lived in the particular communion of the Christian Church of Carthage; or else particularly, and in a stricter sense, the bishop of Carthage, with his whole clergy.

Now I do not believe that there is any man, but will easily grant me, that if we take the Church in the first sense, it is impossible to know, by way of testimony given of the same, what the sense and judgment of it have been in each distinct age, as to all the points of the Christian religion. We may indeed collect, by way of discourse, what has been the belief of the true members of the Church. For there being some certain articles, the belief of which is necessarily requisite for the rendering a man such; whosoever rightly understands which these articles are, may certainly conclude that the true Church, whether universal or particular, has believed the same. But now, in the first place, this does not extend to all the points of the Christian religion, but