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NAtional Synods shall be called once a Year, if possible may be, And this Rule shall be observ'd for the Con∣vocation, that at the end of every National Synod, a Pro∣vinte shall be chosen which shall have the charge to assign to the others, the time and place of the next Synod.
The Third Council of Carthage in the Year of our Lord 397; * 1.1 Ordains in the Hundreth Cannon, That the General Council of Africa be assembled once a Year, to which all the Provinces that have Primates are to send their Deputies, to the end nothing should be want∣ing to the Authority of such an Assembly. The Seventh Cannon also makes mention of such a General Coun∣cil, which was assembled once a Year, And the Eigh∣teenth of the African Code contains in substance the same Decree, And in the Nineteenth there is mention made of the Universal Council which was held every year. * 1.2 The Third Council of Tolledo which was thought was held in the year of Christ 589, was compos'd of all the Bishops of Spain and of Gallicia, that is to say, it was a National Synod; And as I conceive, it is to these sorts of Assemblies which the latter part of the Eigh∣teenth Cannon of the same place must be re∣ferr'd, And before that time Pope Leo the First in his Ninety Third Epistle speaks of the Celebration of a General Council in Spain; however it be, Our Disci∣pline which requires National Synods to be assembled from year to year, does nevertheless add this conditi∣on to its Ordinance, * 1.3 if it may be done; The Bishops of Africa which were wont, as has been shewn, to call yearly a General Synod of the whole Nation, or as they also term it, a Plenary Council, found in time, that it was a thing not to be done without giving too much pains and trouble to the Bishops; therefore they con∣cluded not to assemble it but in case of Necessity; that is to say, when the common Laws of all the Churches of Africa obliged them to do it. The Fourth Council
of Toledo, which was National, and which was assem∣bled in the year of our Lord 633, * 1.4 declares in the Third Cannon, That these National Synods should not be assembled, but when there was Question of matter of Faith, or of some other business wherein all the Chur∣ches of the Nation were concern'd.
The Article we examine demands yet another thing which we must not pass under Silence, to wit, That at the end of each National Synod, some one Province should be appointed to assign to the rest, the time and place of the following Synod, which amounts neer hand to what the First Council of Orange Ordained Anno Dom. 441, in the Twenty Ninth Cannon, * 1.5 That a Synod should not break up till they had assign'd another: The Eigh∣teenth Cannon of the Third Council of Toledo, of which we spake before, prescribes the same thing, and it may be also the 73 of the African Code, and it appears by the 95th Cannon that the Church of Carthage caused to be convocated the National Synods of Africa as oc∣casion required.
If there happens any difficulty in a Province, it shall take care to give notice of it to the Province that shall be en∣trusted with the care of making the Convocation, to the end that this calling the said Assembly, might also give notice of it to the other Provinces, that so by this means, every one may come to the Synod ready prepared to judge the matter.
It appears by the relation of Eusebius, of the Synods where Paul of Samosatia was depos'd, * 1.6 and his Heresie
Anathematiz'd, It appears, I say, That the Provinces gave each other Notice of the Affairs which should be debated in some of them, and which could not be de∣termin'd but in a Council.
And because it is difficult at this time, and even dange∣rous to assemble a National Synod in so great a Number of Ministers and Elders, it has been thought fit for the pre∣sent, and during such difficulties, that the Brethren assem∣bled in each Provincial Synod, choose two Ministers and two Elders, the most Experienc'd in Church Affairs, to send thither in the Name of the whole Province; and these Deputies shall come with sufficient testimonies, and bring good Memorials signed by the Moderator and Scribe of the Provincial Synod, and that no default might happen, three or four Pastors, and so many Elders shall be nomina∣ted, that if the first nam'd are hindred from making the Journey, there might be others to supply their place.
The Third Council of Carthage assembled Anno Dom. 397, reduces the Deputies to the number of Three in the Second Cannon. The Eighteenth of the Code of Africa, which is in substance all one with that of Car∣thage but now cited, speaks of Two Deputies, referring it nevertheless to the Liberty of the Provinces to send a greater Number; The 76th of the same Code makes mention in general of those which shall be chosen by the Provincial Synods to assist at the National Synods, * 1.7 but they agree all in one thing, that in each Province should be chosen those which were to meet at the National
Synod. As for the Memorials and Instructions the De∣puties were to bring along with them, there's frequent mention made of them in the Antient Discipline under the name of Communitorium, of which mention is made four several times in the Letter of the Council of Africa to Pope Boniface, and often elsewhere. The Council of Merida which I cited on the X Article, prescribes so, in the V. Cannon, and calls it Instructions.
To the Ministers and Elders Deputed to the National Synod, the Provincial Synods shall limit no certain time for their return, but shall permit them to stay at the said Synod, as long as occasion shall require, and the said Deputies shall travel at the common charge of the whole Province.
The Provincial Synods being inferiour to National ones, they cannot limit time to their Deputies at a Nati∣onal Synod, where they are obliged to attend till the end of the Assembly, which is very uniform to the An∣tient Discipline, according to which it was not suffer'd to depart before the Council brake up, as we have prov∣ed on the XIII Article of the foregoing Chapter.
At the beginning of National Synods, the Confession of Faith, and the Discipline shall be Read.
In the Antient Councils, * 1.8 was read and confirm'd the Confessions of Faith which was believed in the Church, so it was practis'd by the Universal Council of Constanti∣nople in regard of the Confession of Faith of the Council of Nice; the same Symbol was read in the first Action of the first Council of Ephesus, and the Council of Calcedon renews and confirms the Symbols of Nice, and Constan∣tinople, the Copies whereof was produced, and moreover approved all that was establish'd at Ephesus against Ne∣storius, in the year 431.
As for Reading the Canons which contained the Disci∣pline of those times, it may plainly be collected from the first Cannon of the Council of Calcedon, which appoints to observe all the Cannons which had been formerly made, * 1.9 and the 4th. of the 4th. of Toledo, Anno Dom. 633. do's formally command the reading of them. See what I have writ on the IX. Article of the First Chapter.
And to the End the National Synod be not amused about Questions decided by Acts of former National ones, the Pro∣vincial Synods shall be advertis'd carefully to read the Acts which the said National ones have passed before they make their memorials, and to send nothing but what may be com∣mon and general to all the Churches, or which shall not other∣wise merit the resolution of the National Synod.
The VIII. Council of Toledo assembled Anno Dom. 653, * 1.10 made a Decree much like this, by which it prohibited to reverse, to contradict, and oppose the execution and ac∣complishment of what had been established by universal Authority; this Synod confirming for ever as the Fathers speak, the general and universal Constitutions.
The National Synod may definitively dicide and resolve all Ecclesiastical matters, the Provinces having been before ad∣vertis'd by that which has the charge of assembling the Synod, as near as may be done.
This Establishment agrees very well with the Antient Cannons, for Example, with the VI of Nice, according to the explication given it by the Bishops of Africa in their Letter to Pope Cellestin, with the second and the sixth of the first Council of Constantinople, the eighth of the first of Ephesus, the nine and seventeen of Calcedon, the twelfth of Antioch, the 19, 28, 95, and 125 of the Code of Africa, those which desire further Light for the understanding this Article, may please to read what I have writ on the Tenth Article of the Eighth Chapter.
Resolutions shall be setled by the Deputies of Provinces, and if there are other Ministers besides the Deputies, they
may indeed propose what they think fit, but they shall not have deliberative, nor decisive voice.
The same Cannon of the Council of Toledo which I al∣ledged on the VI. * 1.11 Article, says expresly, that if in a Sy∣nod a small number, by ignorance, or contention, is of a different Opinion from the rest, they being warned before, must yield to the greater Number, or else de∣part with shame out of the Assembly, and they shall be Excommunicated for the space of one year. Since the 4th. Century, the great Council of Nice had referr'd the Decision of Affairs to the plurality of Voices, in the 6th. Canon, a Decree which the 19th. Council of Antioch re∣newed sixteen years after.
Those which appeal from Provincial to National Synods, shall be obliged to be there present, or to send full instructions, with lawful excuse of their absence; and in default thereof, the sentence of the Provincial Synod shall be confirm'd. The same thing is done in appealing from Consistories to Colloques, and from Colloques to Provincial Synods.
The VII. Cannon of the 3d. Council of Carthage con∣demns the Bishop who being accus'd for somthing for which he has not been clear'd in the Provincial Synod, * 1.12 don't appear at the National One, there to have the com∣plaint preferr'd against him finally judged.
The Deputies of Provinces shall not depart without tak∣ing along the Resolutions of the Synod, signed by the Presi∣dent, or Secretary; and a Month after their return, shall give advice to the Colloques of their Provinces, to the End they might send for the Acts of the said Synod; and this at the charges of the said Colloques.
What I have observ'd on the XIII Article of the 8th. Chapter is sufficient for the explaining of this; I will only add, that all those whereof the Synods were compos'd, subscribed to the Acts, as appears by the subscriptions of Antient Cannons; the which is prescribed by the 4th. * 1.13 Council of Tolledo, Anno 633. in the 4th. Cannon; and which is practis'd by the 11th. of the same place, and declares so much in the 16th. Anno Dom. 675, to which may be added, the 5th. * 1.14 Cannon of that of Merrida in Portugal in the year 666, being it enjoyns the same thing.
And to the End the Acts of Synods may be preserv'd, and that future use may be made of them for deciding Questions which may be propos'd in National Synods; the said Acts as well of the time past as to come, and all others which con∣cern the Synods, together with the Articles of Discipline, and confession of Faith of the conformed Churches, shall be left to be kept in Custody of the Deputies of the Province which shall be named for convocating the next National Synod, and
the said Province shall stand bound to carry them to the Synod.
We read in the 86 Cannon of the African Code, which is supposed to be of the Council of Mileua in the year 402, we there read a Decree much like Ours;
It has been thought fit by all the Bishops which have subscribed to this Council, that the Matricule and the Archives of Numidia, may be preserved in the Church of the first See, and in Constantinople, which is the Metropolitan City.
At National Synods, before separating, there shall an a∣micable sensure be made of all the Deputies, as well Ministers, as Elders, of that only which has hapned during the Session, and in general, of their Provinces; and the holy Sacrament shall be celebrated, to testifie their Ʋnion, provided it be joyntly with the whole Church, where they shall be assembled, the which to this purpose, shall have timely Notice to prepare themselves.
The Observations I have made on the VI Article of the seventh Chapter, serve as a Commentary on this.
Tom. 1. Conc. p. 710.
Tom. 4. Conc. p. 493. & 56.
Cod. A∣tric. can. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
T••m. 4. Conc. p. 582.
Tom. 1. Conc. Gall. p. 74.
Hist. lib. 7. cap. 27, 30.0.
〈◊〉〈◊〉 Afri∣can. p. 402, 403, 404
To. 1. conc. pag. 660. Tom 2. pag. 240. Tom. 3. pag. 337, 338 339.
Tom. 4. conc. pag. 583.
Ibid. pag 756, 757.
Tom. 4. conc. pag. 756, 757.
Tom. 1. pag. 910. an. 397.
Tom. 4. conc. pag. 583. 826.
Ib. p. 802.