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.

The Great Council of Nice in the Sixth Cannon re∣serves to each Province its Rights and Priviledges, that one might not intermeddle in the Affairs of the other, nor usurp its Power, and Authority: To this Establish∣ment may be apply'd the Second and Sixth Cannons of the First Oecumenical Council of Constantinople, the VIII. of Ephesus, the 9 and 17 of Calcedon, the 12 and 15 of Antioch, the 19, 28, and 125 of the African Code, with the Letter of the Council of Africa to Pope Cellestin, in the same Code, in Number 138. St. Cyprian taught almost the same thing about 170 years before, as ap∣pears by his 55 Letter. Theodoret speaks the same in his 86 Epistle in the Third Volumne of his Works, and 'tis on this practice the Eastern Bishops grounded their complaints in the IV. Century against Pope Julius I. in that he had received St. Athanasius into his Commu∣nion, and some others whom they had Excommunica∣ted, Read what is related by Zozomen in the VIII. Chapter of the Third Book of his Ecclesiastical Histo∣ry;

Socrates II. Book, chap. 15. and Julius his Answer in St. Athanasius his Second Apology, to be perswaded of the truth hereof; for the Letter writ by the Eastern Bishops to Julius is not now Extant; that at present found in the first Volumne of the Councils being forg'd: and contains but a Collection ill put together of what the Authors I but now mention'd have writ.

It's true, our Discipline does except some cases of which one may appeal to the National Synod, after Judgment given by Provincial Synods, but 'tis even therein appears its Conformity with the Ancient, provided the time be carefully distinguished; before the Christian World, which was bounded in the Roman Empire, had been di∣vided after the Example of the Empire, into several Ec∣clesiastical Diocesses, each of which comprehended seve∣ral Provinces, the whole extent of a Bishops Jurisdicti∣on, how great soever it was, made but one Ecclesiasti∣cal Province; For Example, In St. Cyprians time, all Africa made no more but the Ecclesiastical Province of the Bishop of Carthage: And in the time of the First Council of Nice, Libia, and Pentapolis, made up that of the Bishop of Alexandria, and then 'twas requisite Affairs should be determin'd in the Provincial Synod without being permitted to appeal to the Synod of any other Province; It is what is depos'd by the Sixth Can∣non of Nice, which confirms to the Bishop of Alexan∣dria what Custom had given him Possession of, that is to say, the Metropolitical Rights only, although the Patriarchal Rights also may be inferr'd from the same Cannon, by lawful consequence, when he shall be in a state to exercise them, that is to say, when his Pro∣vince shall be divided into several Ecclesiastical Provinces, and that he shall have under him several Metropolitans, over which the chief of the Diocess,

and the Patriarchs had the same power, as Metropoli∣tans had over the Bishop•• of their Brovinces.

But after this Division into Diocesses, and of Diocesses into several Feclesiastical Provinces, each of which had a Metropolitan, had been made, which the first Uni∣versal Council of Constantinople began to Establish, or it may be but to One Muso••••••s in the Council of Rimini, as St. Jerom testifies in his Dialogue against the Lucife∣rians, chap. 7. where he observes this Musonius was of the Byzantine Province, but instead of Byzantine it should be Byzancene, which was a Province of Africa, wherein was the Diocess of this Prelate.

As for the care the President or Moderator of the Synod should take, to the end all things should be done in the Assembly regularly and in Order, the XI. Coun∣cil of Toledo, in the year 675 ordained in the First Can∣non, * 1.1 the same Observations which the Authors of our Discipline here prescribes, not forgetting those which derogate from the Laws.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Tom. 4. Conc. p. 820.