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.

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Title: 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.
Author: Larroque, Matthieu de, 1619-1684.
Publication: London :: Printed for Tho. Cockbrill ...,; 1691.
Rights/Permissions: This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
Subject terms: Huguenots -- France.; Church polity -- History -- Early church, ca. 30-600.
Link to this Item: http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A49602.0001.001
Cite this Item: "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." In the digital collection Early English Books Online Collections. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A49602.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 16, 2024.

Pages

XIX.

Those which have deserted the profession of the True Reli∣gion to embrace Idolatry, if they persist in this Apostacy after means used to return them to the flock, they shall publickly be declared Apostates, to wit, those who lately shall turn to be such, unless the Consistory shall think such a publication to cause some notable damage and prejudice to the Church, in which case no∣thing shall be done but by advice of the Provincial Synod. As for those which of a long time shall be revolted, the execution of this publication is refer'd to the discretion of Consistories.

CONFORMITY.

In the Primitive Church Idolatry and Apostacy were in several places excluded from pardon and absolution, * 1.1 during the two first Centuries of Christianity, as is made appear by the first and 46. Canons of the Council of Eli∣beri assembled Anno Dom. 305. and by the last of the first Council of Arles in the year 314, but it also appears by these same Canons, that bare Apostacy was not without hope of being pardoned by the Church, but only when it was accompanied with Idolatry, which the ancient Christians looked upon as the blackest of all crimes, * 1.2 and the most heinous of all sins: But the great Council of Nice removed this difference in the 11th. Canon, and made them all hope to find absolution in a certain time, as well Idolaters, as meer Apostates and Deserters; but this Decree was not so soon observed in all places, as may be gathered from the Writings of St. Pacian Bishop of Bar∣celona,

Page 168

who writ after the sitting of this Council; and it may also be said, that before the middle of the third Cen∣tury, bare desert••rs were not received into the bosom of the Church, but they were still left under the labour of Penance, without any hope of Absolution, no not so much as at the hour of Death; it was at least the practise of most of the Western Churches. Tertullian in his Treatise of Pudicity, * 1.3 and St. Cyprian in some of his Epi∣stles, suffers us not to call in question the use of this hard and severe Discipline, no more than the mitigation which was begun to be used in it at that time at Rome, and in Africa.

Notes

* 1.1

Tom. 1. Conc. p. 232, 236. Tom. 1. Conc. Gall. p. 8.

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* 1.2

Paran. ad Poen. Tom. 3. Bib. Pat. pag. 71.

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* 1.3

Cypr. Ep. 52. cum 14, & 31.

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