dispose those things which were committed to their charge." Here they consulted about the discipline, government, and external polity of their churches; and what means were expedient and proper for their peace, unity, and order; which by their common consent they enacted and decreed to be observed by all the faithful of those churches whom they did represent.

He who denies this must be very little acquainted with the ancient councils, especially those which were held after the emperors became Christians. The reason why we find not more synodical decrees of the three first centuries comes not from that they judicially determined none, or required not the observance of them; but from that either they were not careful, or the fury and violence of the times would not permit them to transmit them down to their successors; or through the length of time they are lost, and scarce any thing besides the name of such synods are now remembered; and of multitudes neither names nor decrees are to be found; but yet there is enough escaped the fury of persecution, and the length of time, to convince us that those synods did decree those things which they judged expedient for the polity, discipline, and government of those particular churches that were within their respective provinces, and required them to be observed by all the members thereof.

Thus we find these following canons determined by several synods in Africa, viz.:

"That though a delinquent had not endured the whole time of penance, yet if he was very sick, and in danger of death, he should be absolved.”

a Ut per singulos annos seniores et præpositi in unum conveniamus, ad disponenda ea quæ curæ nostræ commissa sunt. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 75, § 3, p. 236.

b Statueramus- -Si periculum infirmitatis urgeret, pacem sub ictu mortis acciperent. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 54, § 1, p. 132.

"That at the approach of a persecution, penitent offenders should be restored to the church's peace."

"That penance should not be hastily passed over, or absolution be rashly and speedily given."

"That all lapsed and apostate clergymen should, upon their repentance, be only admitted to communion as laymen, and be never more. capable of discharging or performing any ecclesiastical function."

"That no clergyman should be a curator or trustee of a last will or testament."a

And many other such like synodical decrees relating to the discipline and polity of the church are to be met with in Cyprian, which were ever accounted obligatory to all those parishes who lived within those respective provinces, and had their representatives. in those respective synods; for to what purpose else did they decree them? It had been fruitless and ridiculous to have made frequent and wearisome journeys, with great cost and pains, to have debated and determined those things which they judged expedient for the church's well-being, if, after all, it was indifferent whether they were obeyed or not.

But that their decrees were binding is adjudged by an African synod of sixty-six bishops, held anno 254, "who sharply rebuked a certain bishop called Therapius, for breaking the canons of a synod, and absolving a certain presbyter called Victor, before the time appointed by that

a Censuimus-Pacem dandam esse, et eos ad prælium, quod imminet, armari et instrui oportere. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 54, § 1, p. 132. Ante legitimum et plenum tempus satisfactionis- -pax ei concederetur. Cyprian. Epist. 59, § 1, p. 164.

c Decrevit ejusmodi homines ad pœnitentiam quidem agendam posse admitti, ab ordinatione autem cleri atque sacerdotali honore prohiberi. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 68, § 7, p. 202.

a Statutum sit, ne quis de clericis et dei ministris tutorem vel curatorem testamento suo constituat. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 66, § 1, p. 195.

synod was expired." Probably the breaker of those canons was to have been deposed or suspended, or some other severe punishment inflicted on him, since the bishops of this synod speak as if they had moderated the rigour of the canons against Therapius, in that "they were contented only with chiding him for his rashness, and with strictly charging him that he should do so no more.”

So another synod in Africa decreed, that "if any one should name a clergyman in his last will and testament for his trustee, no sacrifice should be offered for him after his death." What the meaning of this offering of sacrifice after his death is, I shall not show here, since I must treat of it in another place. Accordingly, when Geminius Victor, bishop of Furnis, had, by his last will and testament constituted Geminius Faustinus, a presbyter, his trustee, Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, wrote unto the clergy and laity of Furnis touching this matter, wherein he informs them, "that he and his colleagues were very much offended that Geminius Victor had thus broken the canons of the synod; but that since he had done it, he hoped they would take care that he should suffer the penalty annexed to the breach thereof, that in conformity thereunto they would not mention him in their prayers, or make any oblation for him, that so the decree of the bishops, which was religiously and necessarily made, might be observed by them."

• Victori antequam pœnitentiam plenam egisset, temerè Therapius, pacem dederit, quæ res nos satis movet, recessum esse à decreti nostri auctoritate. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 59, § 1, p. 164.

b Satisfuit objurgare Therapium-quod temere hoc fecerit, et instruxisse ne quid tale de cætero faciat. Ibidem.

c Censuerunt ne quis frater excedens, ad tutelam vel curam clericum nominaret; ac si quis hoc fecisset, non offerretur pro eo, nec sacrificium pro dormitione ejus celebraretur. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 66, § 2, p. 195.

d Graviter commoti sumus ego et college mei, et ideo Victor, cum contra formam nuper in concilio à sacerdotibus datum, Geminium Fau

To these two instances we may add that of Martialis and Basilides, two Spanish bishops, who, for their falling into idolatry in times of persecution were deprived of their ecclesiastical functions, and adjudged never more to be admitted to the church's communion in any other quality than that of laymen, which rigorous sentence an African synod defends, "from the authority of a general council, who had before decreed, that such men should only be admitted to repentance, but be for ever excluded from all clerical and sacerdotal dignities."a

stinum presbyterum ausus sit tutorem constituere, non est quod pro dormitione ejus apud vos fiat oblatio, aut deprecatio aliqua nomine ejus in ecclesia frequentetur, ut sacerdotum decretum religiose et necessariè factum servetur à nobis. Ibidem. § 1, 2, p. 195.

a Maximè cum jampridem decretum est, ejusmodi homines ad pœnitentiam quidem agendam posse admitti, ab ordinatione autem cleri atque sacerdotali honore prohiberi. Apud Cyprian. Epist. 68, § 8, p. 202.

CHAPTER IX.

§ 1. Of the unity of the church, of schism, defined to be a breach of that unity. The unity of the church, and consequently the breach of it, to be differently understood, according to the various significations of the word church. 2. The unity of the church universal considered negatively and positively; negatively, it consisted not in a uniformity of rites, nor in a unanimity of consent to the non-essential points of Christianity. The rigid imposers thereof condemned as cruel and tyrannical. 3. Positively, it consisted in a harmonious assent to the essential articles of faith. The non-agreement therein called schism, but not the schism of the ancients. 4. How the unity of a church collective was broken; this neither the schism of the ancients. § 5. The unity of a particular church consisted in two things, in the members' love and amity each toward other, and in the people's close adherence to their bishop, or parish church; the breach of the former sometimes called schism. § 6. The breach of the latter, which was a causeless separation from their bishop, the schism of the ancients. In how many cases it was lawful for the people to separate from their bishop. 7. A separation under any other pretence whatsoever was that which the fathers generally and principally meant by schism, proved so to have been. § 8. Farther proved from Ignatius. § 9. Exemplified in the schism of Felicissimus and Novatian. § 10. An objection answered touching the schism of Novatian. How the schism of one particular church affected other churches. § 11. A summary and conclusion of this discourse concerning schism.

1. HAVING in the precedent chapters discoursed of the constitution and discipline of the primitive church, I come now in this to treat of the unity thereof, which I had a very great inclination to search into, since by the due understanding thereof we shall the better apprehend the notion of the ancients concerning schism, because that schism is nothing else but a breach of that unity, as will most evidently appear from the quotations that we shall be forced to make use of in this chapter.

Now that we may know what the breach of the unity of the church was, it is absolutely necessary first to know