PART 1. Chalcedon. can. 17. εἴ τις ἐκ βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας ἐκαινίσθη πόλις ἢ αὖθις καινισθείη, τοῖς πολιτικοῖς καὶ δημοσίοις τύποις καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν παροικιῶν ἡ τάξις ἀκολου θείτω. BINGHAM, Antiq. IX. 1. 7. 2 Abp. BRAMHALL, i. 130. 177. . By what process were these variations effected? A. It was unlawful1 for a Bishop to take any steps to obtain the elevation of his own see; but it was competent to a General Council, convoked by the Emperor, to deliberate, and decide, with the imperial sanction, on questions of this nature. 1 Concil. Chalced. 12. BINGHAM, XVII. v. 37. Q. It appears, then, that while the Episcopal Office is of Divine institution, and cannot, in its spiritual nature and ministrations, be affected by any human laws, the actual exercise of authority of Bishops, as Diocesans, Metropolitans, and Patriarchs, may depend, for its distribution and apportionment, upon various circumstances, and be subject to modifications, from time to time, according to the varying condition of Kingdoms and Churches. 1 A. Certainly. The history of the Church. affords many proofs and examples of this. By the order of God's Providence in the world, kingDan. ii. 21. doms are augmented and diminished, they are v. 30, 31. transferred from one sceptre to another, as He wills in His supreme wisdom and power; and the bounds of ecclesiastical jurisdiction have been usually modelled accordingly 2. 1 Concil. Constant. A.D. 381, can. 2. Concil. Ephes. A.D. 431, tom. iii. p. 801, Labbè. Chalcedon. A.D. 451, can. 12. Justin. Novell. 11, case of Justiniana Prima. 2 BARROW, Treatise on the Pope's Supremacy, pp. 171, 172, London, 1683, thus states the law and practice of the Church on this subject. Patriarchs are an human institution. As they were erected by the power and prudence of men, so they may be dissolved by the same. They were erected by the leave and confirmation of Princes; and by CHAP. XII. the same they may be dejected, if great reason do appear. No ecclesiastical power can interpose in the management of any affairs within the territory of any Prince without his concession. By the laws of God, and according to ancient practice, Princes may model the bounds of ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Wherefore, each Prince (having supreme power in his own dominion, and equal to what the Emperor had in his) may exclude any foreign Prelate from jurisdiction in his territories. It is expedient for peace and public good that he should do thus. Such Prelate, according to the rules of Christianity, ought to be content with his doing so. Any Prelate exercising power in the dominion of any Prince, is eatenus his subject; as the Popes and all Bishops were to the Roman emperors. Abp. BRAMHALL, i. pp 177, 178. ii. pp. 185, 186, ed. Oxf. In A.D. 1721 the Church of Russia, and in A.D. 1833 the Church of Greece, was detached from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Q. How does the practice or adoption of such ecclesiastical modification appear to be consequent on God's government of the world? Tit. iii. 1. A. Kings and Emperors would not be what Rom. xiii. God has made them, namely, His deputies and 1-5. vicegerents upon earth, and He would not be 1Pet. ii. "the only Ruler of Princes," if any of their sub- 13—17. jects, and, in the case supposed,-if the Ecclesiastical Persons of their Realm,-were under foreign allegiance, so that they acknowledged an external authority (such, for example, as that which is now claimed by the Bishop of Rome) as the source of their jurisdiction, and could be summoned by it out of their own country, and be deprived of their office by a power over which their lawful sovereign had no control. 1 TERTULLIAN ad Scap. 2. Colimus Imperatorem, ut hominem a Deo secundum et solo Deo minorem. OPTATUS, iii. 3. Super Imperatorem non est nisi solus Deus, qui fecit Imperatorem. S. CHRYSOSTOM ad Rom. xiii. 1. Every one is bound to obey the higher powers; κἄν τις ἀπόστολος ᾖ, κἂν εὐαγγελιστὴς, κἂν προφήτης—ταῦτα διατάττεται ἱε ρεῦσι, οὐχὶ τοῖς βιωτικοῖς (laicis) μόνον. PART I. S. BERNARD de Officio Episcoporum, ed. Paris, 1839, tom. ii. cap. viii. p. 1123. Intelligitis quæ dico: cui honorem, honorem. Omnis anima, inquit, potestatibus subRom. xiii. 1. limioribus subdita sit. Si omnis, et vestra. Quis vos excipit ab universitate? Si quis tentat excipere, conatur decipere. Nolite illorum acquiescere consiliis, qui cum sint Christiani, Christi tamen vel sequi facta, vel obsequi dictis opprobrio ducunt. Ipsi sunt qui vobis dicere solent; "Servate vestræ sedis honorem. Decebat quidem ex vobis, vobis commissam Ecclesiam crescere: nunc vero saltem in illâ, quâ suscepistis, maneat dignitate. Et vos enim vestro prædecessore impotentiores? Si non crescit per vos, non decrescat per vos." Hæc isti: Christus aliter et jussit, et Matt. xxii. gessit. Reddite, ait, quæ sunt Cæsaris, Cæsari; et quæ sunt Dei, Deo. Quod ore locutus est, mox opere implere curavit. Conditor Cæsaris Cæsari non cunctatus est reddere censum exemplum enim dedit vobis, ut et vos ita faciatis. 21. See further, below, Pt. iii. chap. v. CHAPTER XIII. PRIVILEGES IN THE CHURCH. Discipline. Power of the Keys. . We have spoken of the Word of God, and of the ministration of the Word and Sacraments; what other privilege must we next notice as possessed by the Church? A. That of Discipline'. 1 HOMILIES, Homily for Whitsunday, Part II. ed. Oxon. 1822, p. 428. The true Church hath always three notes or marks whereby it is known: pure and sound doctrine, the Sacraments ministered according to Christ's holy institution, and the right use of Ecclesiastical discipline. This description of the Church is agreeable both to the Scriptures of God, and also to the doctrine of the ancient Fathers, so that none may justly find fault therewith. On this subject the student may consult MARSHALL'S Penitential Discipline, Lond. 1714. Q. What is this power of exercising Church Discipline usually called? A. It is usually termed by Divines the power of the Keys', of which it is one main and primary part. 1 Abp. CRANMER'S Catechism, pp. 193-204, ed. Oxf. 1829. Q. Whence did it receive this name? A. From the words of Christ to St. Peter, and in him to all Presbyters: "I will give to thee the Keys of the kingdom of heaven.' CHAP. Matt. xvi. ." 19. Q. You say, "in St. Peter to all Presbyters1;" how does this appear? John xx. A. From the fact, that the power which our Matt. xviii. Lord here gave to St. Peter, He gave to all the 17, 18. Apostles, and to the Church3 generally; and 23. this is further apparent from the universal language and practice of the Church, according to which all Presbyters have ever used this power. 1 ORDERING OF PRIESTS, in the Book of Common Prayer of the United Church of England and Ireland. Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Priest in the Church of God, now committed unto thee by the Imposition of our Hands. Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained. And be thou a faithful Dispenser of the Word of God, and of His Holy Sacraments; in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 2 See below, S. CHRYSOST., S. AUG., S. AMBROSE, at the close of this chapter, and the beginning of the next, and Pt. ii. last chapter. S. AUG. in Joannis Evang. Tract. cxviii. Sicut in Apostolis cum esset etiam ipse numerus duodenarius, id est, quadripartitus in ternos, et omnes essent interrogati, solus Petrus respondit, Tu es Christus Filius Dei vivi: et ei Matt. xvi. dicitur, Tibi dabo claves regni cœlorum, tanquam ligandi 17-19. et solvendi solus acceperit potestatem: cùm et illud unus pro omnibus dixerit, et hoc cum omnibus tanquam personam gerens ipsius unitatis acceperit: ideo unus pro omnibus, quia unitas est in omnibus. S. CYPRIAN de Unitate Ecclesiæ, p. 106. Loquitur Matt. XVI. Dominus ad Petrum, Ego tibi dico, inquit, quia tu es 18. John xxi. 15. 17. PART I. Petrus, &c. Et iterum eidem post resurrectionem suam dicit: Pasce oves meas. Super unum ædificat Ecclesiam suam. Et quamvis Apostolis omnibus parem potestatem tribuat et dicat: Sicut misit me Pater, et Ego mitto vos, John xx. 23. accipite Spiritum Sanctum. Si cui remiseritis peccata, remittantur illi; si cui tenueritis, tenebuntur: tamen ut unitatem manifestaret, unitatis ejusdem originem ab uno incipientem suâ auctoritate disposuit. Hoc erant utique et ceteri Apostoli, quod fuit Petrus, pari consortio præditi et honoris et potestatis, sed exordium ab unitate proficiscitur, ut Ecclesia una monstretur. S. FIRMILIAN, Epist. apud Cyprian. p. 225. Potestas peccatorum remittendorum Apostolis data est, et Episcopis qui eis vicariâ ordinatione succedunt. CASAUBON, Exc. Baron. p. 377. Ecclesia semper credidit ex verbis Domini ad Petrum cuivis presbytero legitime ordinato hoc jus competere. 3 S. AUG. in Joannis Evang. Tract. cxxiv. 5. Quando ei dictum est Tibi dabo claves regni cœlorum, universam significabat Ecclesiam, quæ in hoc sæculo diversis tentationibus velut imbribus, flaminibus, tempestatibus quatitur, et non cadit, quoniam fundata est super petram,_unde Petrus nomen accepit. Non enim a Petro petra, sed Petrus a petra; sicut non Christus a christiano, sed christianus a Christo vocatur. Ideo quippe ait Dominus, Super hanc petram ædificabo Ecclesiam meam, quia dixerat Petrus, Tu es Christus Filius Dei vivi. Super hanc ergo, inquit, Petram quam confessus es, ædificabo Ecclesiam meam. Petra enim erat Christus: super quod fundamentum etiam 1 Cor. iii. 11. ipse ædificatus est Petrus. "Fundamentum quippe aliud nemo potest ponere præter id quod positum est, quod est Christus Jesus." Ecclesia ergo quæ fundatur in Christo, claves ab eo regni cœlorum accepit in Petro, id est, potestatem ligandi solvendique peccata. Q. In what respects are Keys an emblem of ecclesiastical authority? A. Keys are wont to be given to stewards, treasurers, warders, and other officers, domestic fea. xxii. 22. and civil, as badges of trust and power1. The iii. 7. xx. 1. proper use of Keys is to open, to admit, to shut Job xii. 24. in or shut out, and to re-admit: and so Christ Rev. i. 18. has given to His Ministers the power, in subordination to Himself, of admitting to the Kingdom of Heaven, of excluding from it, and of readmitting to it; and this is what is meant, when |