ART. refpect to the Bishops of that fee, which was supported XXXVII. and increafed by the eminent worth, as well as the fre De Unit. Conc. Nic. Can. 6. quent martyrdoms of their Bifhops; yet St. Cyprian in his time, as he was against the suffering of any causes to be carried in the way of a complaint for redress to Rome, so he does in plain words fay, that all the Apostles were equal in power; and that all Bishops were also equal; fince the whole office and epifcopate was one entire thing, of which every Bishop had a complete and equal share. It is true, he fpeaks of the unity of the Roman Church, and of the union of other Churches with it; but those words were occafioned by a fchifm that Novatian had made then at Rome; he being elected in oppofition to the rightful Bishop: fo that St. Cyprian does not infinuate any thing concerning an authority of the fee of Rome over other fees, but speaks only of their union under one Bithop; and of the other Churches holding a brotherly communion with that Bifhop. Through his whole epiftles he treats the Bishops of Rome as his equals, with the titles of Brother and Colleague. In the first General Council, the authority of the Bifhops of the great fees is ftated as equal. The Bishops of Alexandria and Antioch are declared to have, according to cuflom, the fame authority over the Churches fubordinate to them, that the Bishops of Rome had over those that lay about that city. This authority is pretended to be derived only from custom, and is confidered as under the limitations and decifions of a General Council. Soon Ep. 12. ad. after that, the Arian herefy was fo fpread over the Eaft, Greg. that thofe who adhered to the Nicene faith, were not fafe in their numbers; and the vcflern Churches being free from that contagion, (though St. Bafil laments that they neither understood their matters, nor were much concerned about them, but were fwelled up with pride,) Athanafius and other oppreffed Bifhops fled to the Bishops of Rome, as well as to the other Bifhops of the Weft; it being natural for the oppreffed to feek protection wherefoever they can find it: and fo a fort of appeals was begun, Con. Sard. and they were authorifed by the Council of Sardica. Can. 3. et 7. But the ill effects of this, if it fhould become a precedent, ftant. Can. Were apprehended by the fecond General Council; in which it was decreed, that every province fhould be governed by its own fynod; and that all Bishops fhould be at firft judged by the Bishops of their own province; and from them an appeal was allowed to the Bifhops of the diocefe; whereas by the canons of Nice no appeal lay from the Bishops of the province. But though this canon of Conftantinople Con. Con 3. ftantinople allows of an appeal to the Bifhops of every ART. fuch divifion of the Roman empire as was known by the XXXVII. name of diocefe; yet there is an exprefs prohibition of any other or further appeal; which is a plain repealing of the canon at Sardica. And in that fame Council it appears upon what the dignity of the fee of Rome was then believed to be founded: for Conftantinople being made the feat of the empire, and called new Rome, the Bishops of that fee had the fame privileges given them, that the Bithops of old Rome had; except only the point of rank, which was preferved to old Rome, becaufe of the dignity of the city. This was alfo confirmed at Chalcedon in the Con. Chalmiddle of the fifth century. This fhews, that the authority ced. Can. and privileges of the Bifhops of Rome were then conf-28. dered as arifing out of the dignity of that city, and that the order of them was fubject to the authority of a General Council. 101. et 105. The African Churches in that time knew nothing of Conc. any fuperiority that the Bishops of Rome had over them: Afric. cap. they condemned the making of appeals to them, and ap- Epift. ad pointed that fuch as made them fhould be excommuni- Bonifac. et cated. The Popes, who laid that matter much to heart, Celeft. did not pretend to an univerfal jurifdiction as St. Peter's fucceffors by a divine right; they only pleaded a canon of the Council of Nice; but the Africans had heard of no fuch canon, and fo they juftified their independence on the fee of Rome. Great fearch was made after this canon, and it was found to be an impofture. So early did the fee of Rome afpire to this univerfal authority, and did not ftick at forgery in order to the compaffing of it. In the fixth century, when the Emperor Mauritius continued a practice begun by fome former Emperors, to give the Greg. Ep. Bishop of Conftantinople the title of Univerfal Bishop; Lib. iv. Ep. Pelage, and after him Gregory the Great, broke out into 32, 34, 36, the most pathetical expreflions that could be invented Lib. vi. Ep. against it; he compared it to the pride of Lucifer; and 24, 28, faid, that he who affumed it, was the forerunner of Antichrift; 30, 31. and as he renounced all claim to it, fo he affirmed, that Ep. 70. none of his predeceffors had ever afpired to fuch a power. This is the more remarkable, because the Saxons being converted to the Chriftian religion under this Pope's direction, we have reafon to believe, that this doctrine was infufed into this Church at the firft converfion of the Saxons: yet Pope Gregory's fucceffor made no exceptions to the giving himfelf that title, against which his predeceffor had declaimed fo much: but then the confufions of Italy gave the Popes great advantages to make all new invaders 38, 39. Lib. vii. XXXVII. ART invaders or pretenders enlarge their privileges; fince it was a great acceffion of ftrength to any party, to have them of their fide. The Kings of the Lombards began to lie heavy on them; but they called in the Kings of a new conquering family from France, who were ready enough to make new conquefts; and when the nomination of the Popes was given to the Kings of that race, it was natural for them to raise the greatnefs of one who was to be their creature; fo they promoted their authority; which was not a little confirmed by an impudent forgery of that time, of the Decretal Epifles of the first Popes; in which they were reprefented as governing the world with an univerfal and unbounded authority. This book was a little difputed at firft, but was quickly fubmitted to, and the Popes went on upon that foundation, ftill enlarging their pretenfions. Soon after that was fubmitted to, it quickly appeared, that the pretenfions of that fee were endless. They went on to claim a power over Princes and their dominions; and that firft with relation to fpiritual matters. They depofed them, if they were either heretics themfelves, or if they favoured herefy, at leaft fo far as not to extirpate it. From depofing they went to the difpofing of their dominions to others: and at laft Boniface the Eighth completed their claim; for he decreed, that it was neceffary for every man to be fubject to the Pope's authority: and he afferted a direct dominion over Princes as to their temporals, that they were all fubject to him, and held their dominions under him, and at his courtesy. As for the jurifdiction that they claimed over the fpiritualty, they exercifed it with that rigour, with fuch heavy taxes and impofitions, fuch exemptions and difpenfations, and fuch a violation of all the ancient canons, that as it grew infupportably grievous, fo the management was grofsly fcandalous, for every thing was openly fet to fale. By thefe practices they difpofed the world to examine the grounds of that authority, which was managed with fo inuch tyranny and corruption. It was fo ill founded, that it could not be defended but by force and artifices. Thus it appears, that there is no authority at all in the Scripture for this extent of jurifdiction that the Popes affumed: that it was not thought on in the firft ages: that a vigorous oppofition was made to every ftep of the progress that it made and that forgery and violence were used to bring the world under it. So that there is no reason now to fubmit to it. As for the patriarchal authority, which that fee had over a great part of the Roman empire, that was only a regulation XXXVII. regulation made conform to the conftitution of that em- ART. pire: fo that the empire being now diffolved into many different fovereignties, the new Princes are under no fort of obligation to have any regard to the Roman conftitution: nor does a nation's receiving the faith by the miniftry of men fent from any fee, fubject them to that fee; for then all muft be fubject to Jerufalem, fince the Gospel came to all the Churches from thence. There was a decifion made in the third General Council in the cafe of the Cypriotic Churches, which pretended that they had been always complete Churches within themfelves, and independent; therefore they stood upon this privilege, not to be fubject to appeals to any patriarchal fee. The Council judged in their favour. So fince the Britannic Churches. were converted long before they had any commerce with Rome, they were originally independent; which could not be loft by any thing that was afterwards done among the Saxons, by men fent over from Rome. This is enough to prove the first point, that the Bishops of Rome had no lawful jurifdiction here among us. xxii. 14. The second is, that Kings or Queens have an authority over their fubjects in matters ecclefiaftical. In the Old Teftament, the Kings of Ifrael intermeddled in all matters of religion: Samuel acknowledged Saul's authority; and 1 Sam. xv. Abimelech, though the High-Prieft, when called before 30. Saul, appeared and anfwered to fome things that were objected to him, that related to the worship of God. Samuel faid in exprefs words to Saul, that he was made the xv. 17. bead of all the tribes; and one of thefe was the tribe of Levi. David made many laws about facred matters, fuch as the orders of the courses of the Priests, and the time of their attendance at the public fervice. When he died, and was informing Solomon of the extent of his authority, he told him, that the courfes of the Priefs, and all the 1 Chron. people, were to be wholly at bis commandment. Pursuant to xxiii. 6. which, Solomon did appoint them their charges in the xxviii. 21. fervice of God; and both the Priests and Levites departed 2 Chron. not from his commandment in any matter. He turned out viii. 14, 15. Abiathar from the High-Prieft's office, and yet no complaint was made upon it, as if he had affumed an authority that did not belong to him. It is true, both David and Solomon were men that were particularly infpired as to fome things; but it does not appear that they acted in thofe matters by virtue of any fuch infpiration. They were acts of regal power, and they did them in that capa-x. 8, 9. city. Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Jofiah, gave many chap. x. 2 Chron. direc- 8. to the end. 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, ART. directions and orders in facred matters: but though the XXXVII. Priests withstood Uzziah when he was going to offer incenfe in the holy place, yet they did not pretend privilege, or make oppofition to thofe orders that were iffued 17, 18, 19. Out by their Kings. Mordecai appointed the feast of Purim, by virtue of the authority that King Ahafuerus gave him and both Ezra and Nehemiah, by virtue of commiffions from the Kings of Perfia, made many reformations, and gave many orders in facred matters. 6. Ver. I. 14. : Under the New Teftament, Chrift, by saying, Render to Cæfar the things which are Cæfar's, did plainly fhew, that he did not intend that his religion fhould in any fort leffen the temporal authority. The Apoftles writ to the Rom. xiii. Churches to obey magiflrates, to fubmit to them, and to pay taxes: they enjoined obedience, whether to the King as Pet. ii. 13, Supreme, or to others that were fent by him: every foul, without exception, is charged to be fubject to the higher powers. The magiftrate is ordained of God, and is bis minifter to encourage them to do well, and to punish the evil doers. If thefe paffages of Scripture are to be interpreted according to the common confent of the Fathers, Churchmen are included within them, as well as other perfons. There was not indeed great occafion to confider this matter before Conftantine's coming to the empire; for till then the Emperors did not confider the Chriftians otherwife than either as enemies, or at beft as their fubjects at large: and therefore, though the Chriftians made an addrefs to Aurelian in the matter of Samofatenus, and obtained a favourable and juft answer to it; yet in Conftantine's time, the protection that he gave to the Christian religion led him and his fucceffors to make many laws in ecclefiaftical matters, concerning the age, the qualifications, and the duties of the Clergy. Many of thefe are to be found in Theodofius and Juftinian's Code: Juftinian added many more in his Novels. Appeals were made to the Emperors against the injuftice of fynods: they received them, and appointed fuch Bifhops to hear and try those causes, as happened to be then about their courts. In the Council of Nice, many complaints were given to the Emperor by the Bifhops against one another. The Emperors called General Councils by their fummons; they fate in them, and confirmed their decrees. This was the conftant practice of the Roman Emperors, both in the Eaft and in the Weft: when the Church came to fall under many leffer fovereignties, thofe Princes continued ftill to make laws, to name Bishops, to give inveftitures into benefices, to call |