Conformity of the ecclesiastical discipline of the Reformed churches of France with that of the primitive Christians written by M. La Rocque ... ; render'd into English by Jos. Walker.

CONFORMITY.

Old Age and Sickness being no lawful cause of depo∣sition, it is with good reason they here except them out of the Number of those things for which Bishops and Deacons are wont to be degraded, and to turn them into the Rank of Lay-men, from the which they were before distinguish'd; as for Old Age, it is certain, that in the Primitive Church, when a Pastor was well stricken in years, and that by reason thereof he could not perform all things relating to his Office, some other was chosen to assist him; but in continuing to him the Honour of his Office, and a competent Main∣tenance. * 1.1 It was so practised at the beginning of the 3d Century, in regard of Narcissus Bishop of Jerusalem, Aged 116 years; for there was by consent of the Neigh∣bouring Bishops, given to assist him in that weighty employment, Alexander, who had been Bishop in Ca∣padocia. It was for the same reason, that Theotecnus, * 1.2 Bishop of Caesarea of Palestine, Consecrated one Anatolius Bishop, with whom he divided the care of his Disocess, which they govern'd both together for some time: These are the two Ancientest Examples of Coadjutors of Bishops, as is spoke at this time; they were at first in∣troduced

for the ease of Ministers, who for their ex∣treme Age could not discharge the Duties of their Pastoral Office; but since that time, Favour and Am∣bition has had a much greater share in establishing these kind of Coadjutors, than Necessity; although the Council of Antioch in the year 341, expresly defends it in the 23. Canon, which practise St. Austin was a stranger to, when Valerius made him his Coadjutor, and designed him his Successor, as Possidonius observes in the eighth Chapter of his Life; where he takes, if I be not deceived, the Council of Antioch for that of Nice, the fourth Canon of which prescribes only the manner of Promotion of Bishops; whereas the 23. of Antioch absolutely prohibits a Bishop to establish himself a Suc∣cessor, and by the same means a Coadjutor.

I come now to Sicknesses, and other like accidents, for the which we do not think fit a Minister should be deposed; we do not indeed in the first Ages of the Church find any Rule on this subject, because in all likelihood, as yet none were found that would dis∣pute to a Pastor, (who by reason of Sickness could not discharge the Duties of his Calling) the name and quality of Pastor, no more than things necessary for his subsistence. In the time of Gregory the First, things having in all likelihood changed face in this regard, this Prelate made a Constitution which is yet to be seen in the 11th. Book of his Letters, Indict. 6. Ep. 7, & 8. by which he appoints that a Coadjutor shall be provi∣ded for the Bishop, who by reason of Sickness cannot take care of his Congregation, which nevertheless shall be bound to maintain him as before; it is much after this sort he deals by the Bishop of Rimini, who by his own confession, a great pain in the head rendered incapable of discharging his Episcopal Office, for

which cause he desired to be absolutely discharged, that another might be put in his place; which could not have been done without his consent, but only to have given him a Coadjutor. The Bishops of France did other∣wise in regard of Heriman, or Herman, Bishop of Ne∣vers, who was troubled with a mighty head-ach, but he stoutly resisted them; as also Ʋvemlen Bishop of Sens, his Metropolitan, for they would have put another in his place against his will; but having writ to Pope Nicholas the First, in the year 862, he disapproved what they did in the case, * 1.3 politickly avoiding the que∣stion they put to him touching the forged Decretal of Melchiades.

In the Appendix at the end of the Letters of Loup Abbot of Ferriers, of the last Edition, there's a Letter of Innocent the Third to the Archbishop of Tours, writ in the year 1209, whereby he will have the Bishop of Perigueux to resign his Bishoprick to another, because he was uncapable and unfit to discharge the Office; and that moreover he wasted the Treasure of the Churches; altho he judges the former reason sufficient cause for the resignation: But Innocent the Sixth in the sixth year of his Popedom, that is, about the year of Christ 1360, writes to Girlac Archbishop of Mayence, to appoint a Coadjutor to Salvian Bishop of Worms, by reason of his great age and sickness, without leaving the Coadjutor any hopes of succeeding him after his death; the Letter is to be seen in the same Appendix.

Mark, Patriarch of Alexandria, * 1.4 having demanded of Balsaman the famous Greek Canonist that liv'd in the Twelfth Century, If a man that had but one hand, or but one eye, were worthy the honour of Priesthood; and whether 'twere permitted to him that after Ordi∣dination chanc'd to be dismembered in any part of his

body, to celebrate Divine Service, or not? Balsaman after having alledged the 77, and 78 Canons of those which go in the Apostles names, to resolve the diffi∣culty proposed to him, adds, That those ought not to be established in Ecclesiastical Offices, which by rea∣son of their sickness and infirmities, are incapable of doing their Duties; but as for those which since their Ordination are faln into any mischance, he declares, That if their inconvenience don't hinder them from dis∣charging their calling, they are permitted to continue in it, and to celebrate Divine Service; but if the in∣convenience be such as that it hinders them, he will that they desist from doing the service, but that the honour and dignity be continued them, with the en∣joyment of things necessary for their subsistence. Ma∣thew Paris observes in his History of England, in the year 1095, that Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury, in a Synod he held at Westminster, Anno 1075, judged, that the not understanding the French Tongue in a Bishop, with the incapacity of not assisting at the King's Councils, was a just cause of deposition; and it was thereon he grounded that of Wolstan Bishop of Worce∣ster. Hereby let the Genius of this Prelate be judged; and let no body any further wonder, that the Doctrine of Transubstantiation, which he promoted with so much earnestness, made such progress in a time of such ig∣norance, to the prejudice of the ancient belief of the Church.

Moreover, the Reader may observe, if he please, that the ancient Councils did not put the inconveniencies of Lunatism, and of those tormented by the evil spirit, in the rank of those for which it was not suffered to de∣pose Pastors; on the contrary, they banished from Ec∣clesiastical Orders, all those as were any ways touched

with these things, and if they were already promoted, they were removed, as appears by the 29th. Can. of the Council of Eliberi in Spain, * 1.5 assembled in the year 305. By the 16th. of the first Council of Orange in the year 401, in the first Tome of the Councils of France, by the 13th. of the 11th. of Toledo, in the year 675. Tom. 4. Conc. p. 825. it is answerable to what Pope Gela∣sius the First writ to the Bishops of Lucania, at the end of the Fifth Century, Cap. 21. Tom. 3. Concil. p. 636. There might be added to all these Testimonies, Grat. 33. Distinct. Cap. 3, & 4.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Euseb. Hist. Eccles. l. 6. c. ••.
• * 1.2

  Id. ib. l. 7. c. ••2. p. 288.
• * 1.3

  Tom. ••. Cone Gal. Ann. 862. p. 87, 88
• * 1.4

  Apud Beaureg. Annot. in Can. A∣post. To. 2. Pandect. p. 37.
• * 1.5

  Tom. 1. Conc. pag. 235.