ides, a lapsed bishop, “would have been extremely glad if the church would but have permitted him to communicate as a layman." fault clergymen were not deprived of their orders, but only according to the greatness of their crimes, and the aggravation of them, since I find that Maximus, a presbyter of the church of Rome, who had been deluded into the schism of Novatian, was, upon his submission, "restored by Cornelius to his former office."

But yet I suppose that for every

CHAPTER VIII.

1. Of the independency of churches. § 2. Of the dependency of churches. 3. Of synods, and the several kinds of them. 4. How often synods were convened. 5. Who were the members of synods. § 6. By whose authority synods were convened. §7. When convened, the manner of their proceedings, a moderator first chosen, what the moderator's office was. 8. Then they entered upon business, which had relation either to foreign churches, or their own; with respect to foreign churches, their acts were only advising. 9. With respect to their own churches, obliging. The end and power of synods inquired into.

§ 1. To that large discourse of the primitive discipline, which was the subject of the preceding chapter, it will be necessary to add this observation, that all those judicial acts were exerted in and by every single parish, every particular church having power to exercise discipline on her own members, without the concurrency of other churches; else in those places where there might be but

a Satis sibi gratulans, si sibi vel laico communicare contingeret. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 68, § 7, p. 202.

Maximum presbyterum locum suum agnoscere jussimus. Cornel apud Cyprian. Epist. 46, § 4, p. 105.

one church for several miles round, which we may rea sonably suppose; the members of that church must have travelled several, if not scores of miles, to have had the consent of other churches, for the punishment of their offenders; but there is no need to make this supposition; since it was decreed by an African synod, "that every one's cause should be heard where the crime was committed; because that to every pastor was committed a particular portion of Christ's flock, which he was particularly to rule and govern, and to render an account thereof unto the Lord." And so another African synod, that decreed the rebaptizing of those that were baptized by heretics, thus conclude their synodical epistle to Pope Stephen, who held the contrary: "Whereas we know that some bishops will not relinquish an opinion which they have embraced, but, keeping the bond of peace and concord with their colleagues, will retain some proper and peculiar sentiments which they have formerly received; to these we offer no violence, or prescribe any law, since every bishop has, in the administration of his church, free liberty to follow his own will, being to render an account of his actions unto the Lord.”

After these two synodical determinations, it might be thought needless to produce the single testimony of

a Statutum sit omnibus nobis, et æquum sit pariter ac justum, ut uniuscujusque causa illic audiatur, ubi est crimen admissum, et singulis pastoribus portio gregis sit adscripta, quam regat unusquisque et gubernet, rationem sui actus Domino redditurus. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 55, § 16, p. 142.

b Cæterum scimus quosdam quod semel imbiberint nolle deponere, nec propositum suum facile mutare, sed salvo inter collegas pacis et concordiæ vinculo, quædam propria, quæ apud se semel sint usurpata, retinere; qua in re nec nos vim cuiquam facimus, aut legem damus, cum habeat in ecclesiæ administratione voluntatis suæ arbitrium liberum unusquisque præpositus, rationem actus sui Domino redditurus. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 72, 3, p. 217.

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Cyprian, but that it shows us not only the practice of the bishops of his age, but also of their predecessors. Amongst the ancient bishops of our province," saith he, some thought that no peace was to be given to adulterers, for ever excluding them from the communion of the church; but yet they did not leave their fellow-bishops, or for this break the unity of the catholic church; and those that gave peace to adulterers, did not therefore separate from those that did not, but, still retaining the bond of concord, every bishop disposed and directed his own acts, rendering an account of them unto the Lord."a

Thus every church was, in this sense, independent; that is, without the concurrence and authority of any other church; it had a sufficient right and power in itself to punish and chastise all its delinquent and offending members.

§ 2. But yet, in another sense, it was dependent, as considered with other churches, as part of the church universal. "There is but one church of Christ," saith Cyprian, "divided through the whole world into many members, and one episcopacy diffused through the numerous concord of many bishops."b A particular church was not the whole church of Christ, but only a part or member of the universal one; and as one member of the natural

2

Apud antecessores nostros quidam de episcopis istic in provincia nostra dandam pacem mochis non putaverunt, et in totum pœnitentiæ locum contra adulteria clauserunt, non tamen à co-episcoporum suorum collegio recesserunt, aut catholicæ ecclesiæ unitatem vel duritiæ vel censuræ suæ obstinatione ruperunt, ut quia apud alios adulteris pax dabatur, qui non dabat de ecclesia separaretur, manente concordiæ vinculo, et perseverante catholicæ ecclesiæ individuo sacramento, actum suum disponit et dirigit unusquisque episcopus, rationem propositi sui Domino redditurus. Epist. 52, § 13, p. 118.

b Cum sit à Christo una ecclesia per totum mundum in multa membra divisa, item episcopatus unus episcoporum multorum concordi numerositate diffusus. Epist. 52, § 13, p. 118.

Body hath a regard to all the other members thereof, so a particular church, which was but one member of the universal, had relation and respect to the other members thereof. Hence, though the labours and inspections of the bishops were more peculiarly confined to their own parishes, yet, as ministers of the church universal, they employed a general kind of inspection over other churches also, observing their condition and circumstances, and giving unto them an account of their own state and posture; as Cyprian inspected that of Arles, giving this as his reason for it, that, " although they were many pastors, yet they were but one flock, and they ought to congregate and cherish all the sheep, which Christ redeemed by his blood and passion." And the clergy of the church of Rome thanked Cyprian that he had acquainted them with the state of the church in Africa; for, say they, "We ought all of us to take care of the body of the whole church, whose members are distended through various provinces." If the bishop of one church had any difficult point to determine, he sent to another bishop for his advice and decision thereon. As when Dionysius, bishop of Alexandria, had a critical cause to determine, he sent to Xystus, bishop of Rome, "to know his opinion and counsel therein." And so when there was some difference at Carthage about the pacificatory libels of the martyrs, Cyprian wrote to the church of Rome for their advice. For, said he, "Dearly beloved brethren, both common reason and love require that none of these things

a Nam etsi pastores multi sumus, unum tamen gregem pascimus, et oves universas quas Christus sanguine suo et passione quæsivit, colligere et fovere debemus. Epist. 67, § 6, p. 199.

b Omnes enim nos decet pro corpore totius ecclesiæ, cujus per varias quasque provincias membra digesta sunt, excubare. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 30, § 4, p. 67.

• Καὶ γὰρ ὄντως ἄδελφε συμβουλῆς δέομαι, καὶ γνώμην αἰτῶ παρὰ cou. Apud Euseb. lib. 7, cap. 9, p. 254

that are transacted here should be kept from your knowledge, but that we should have your counsel about ecclesiastical administrations." In these, and in many other such like cases, which would be needless to enumerate, there was a correspondence between the particular churches of the universal one.

§ 3. But that which chiefly deserves our consideration was their intercourse and government by synodical assemblies, that is, by a convocation of bishops, presbyters, deacons, and deputed laymen of several particular churches, who frequently met together to maintain unity, love, and concord, to advise about their common circumstances and conditions, to regulate all ecclesiastical or church affairs within their respective limits, and to manage other such like things, of which I shall more largely treat in the end of this chapter.

That which must be spoken of in this section is, the several kinds or sorts of synods, the most august and supreme kind whereof was, a universal or œcumenical synod, which was a congregation of the bishops and deputies of as many churches as would please to come from all parts of the world. Of this sort I find but one within my limited space of the first three hundred years after Christ, and that was the council of Antioch that condemned Paulus Samosatenus. Or if this will not pass for a general council, there was no such one before that of Nice, which was held anno 325; and so there was no one of this kind within that time to which I am confined.

But those synods, which were very frequent within my prescribed time, were provincial synods; that is, as many

a Et dilectio communis et ratio exposcit, fratres charissimi, nihil conscientiæ vestræ subtrahere de his quæ apud nos geruntur, ut sit nobis circa utilitatem ecclesiasticæ administrationis commune consilium. Epist. 29, p. 66.

Apud Euseb. lib. 7, cap. 30, p. 279.