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works' sake, we must "highly honour them that have the rule over us;" it is the precept of St. Paul; and St. Cyprian, observing how curious our blessed Saviour was, that he might give honour to the priests of the Jews, even then when they were reeking in their malice, hot as the fire of hell; he did it to teach us a duty. "Docuit enim sacerdotes veros legitime et plene honorari, dum circa falsos sacerdotes ipse talis extitite." It is the argument he uses to procure a full honour to the bishop.

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To these I add; if sitting in a throne even above the seat of elders be a title of a great dignity, then we have it confirmed by the voice of all antiquity, calling the bishop's chair a throne, and the investiture of a bishop, in his church, an enthronization. "Quando inthronizantur propter communem utilitatem episcopi," &c. saith pope Anterus, in his decretal epistle to the bishops of Boetica and Toledo. Enthroning' is the primitive word for the consecration' of a bishop. "Sedes in episcoporum ecclesiis excelsæ constitutæ et præparatæ, ut thronus speculationem et potestatem judicandi à Domino sibi datam materiam docent," saith Urban'. And St. Ignatius to his deacon Hero, πιστεύω γὰρ εἰς τὸν πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὅτι δείξει μοι ὁ Θεὸς Ἥρωνα ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου μου, "I trust that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will show to me Hero, sitting upon my throne"."

The sum of all is this. Bishops, if they must be at all, most certainly must be beloved; it is our duties, and their work deseryes it. St. Paul was as dear to the Galatians as their eyes, and it is true eternally, "Formosi pedes evangelizantium," "the feet of the preachers of the Gospel are beauteous," and then much more of the chief. "Ideo ista prætulimus, carissimi, ut intelligatis potestatem episcoporum vestrorum, in eisque Deum veneremini, et eos ut animas vestras diligatis, ut quibus illi non communicant, non communicetish," &c. Now, love to our superiors is ever honourable; for it is more than amicitia' that is amongst peers; but love to our betters, is reverence, obedience, and high estimate. And if we have the one, the dispute about the other would be a mere impertinence. I end this with the saying of St. Ignatius;

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"Et vos decet non contemnere ætatem episcopi, sed juxta Dei Patris arbitrium omnem illi impertiri reverentiam':” "It is the will of God the Father, that we should give all reverence, honour, or veneration to our bishops."

SECTION XLIX.

And trusted with Affairs of Secular Interest. WELL! However things are now, it was otherwise in the old religion; for no honour was thought too great for them, whom God had honoured with so great degrees of approximation to himself in power and authority. But then also they went further. For they thought whom God had instrusted with their souls, they might, with an equal confidence, trust with their personal actions and employments of greatest trust.

For it was great consideration, that they who were 'antistites religionis,' the doctors, and great dictators of faith and conscience, should be the composers of those affairs, in whose determination, a Divine wisdom, and the interests of conscience, and the authority of religion, were the best ingredients.

But it is worth observing how the church and the commonwealth did actions contrary to each other, in pursuance of their several interests. The commonwealth still enabled bishops to take cognizance of causes, and the confidence of their own people would be sure to carry them thither, where they hoped for fair issue, upon such good grounds as they might fairly expect from the bishops' abilities, authority, and religion: but, on the other side, the church did as much decline them as she could, and made sanctions against it, so far as she might, without taking from themselves all opportunities both of doing good to their people, and engaging the secular arm to their own assistance. But this we shall see, by consideration of particulars.

1. It was not, in naturâ rei,' unlawful for bishops to receive an office of secular employment. St. Paul's tent-making was as much against the calling of an apostle, as sitting in a

i Epist. ad Magnes.

secular tribunal is against the office of a bishop. And it is hard, if we will not allow that to the conveniences of a republic, which must be indulged to a private, personal necessity. But we have not St. Paul's example only, but his rule too, according to primitive exposition." Dare any of you having a matter before another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? If then ye have judgment of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church."-Who are they? The clergy, I am sure, now a days. But St. Ambrose also thought that to be his meaning seriously: "Let the ministers of the church be the judges." For by least esteemed' he could not mean the most ignorant of the laity; they would most certainly have done very strange justice, especially in such causes which they understand not. No, but set them to judge, who by their office are servants, and ministers of all; but those are the clergy, who, as St. Paul's expression is, "Preach not themselves, but Jesus to be the Lord, and themselves your servants, for Jesu's sake." "Meliùs dicit, apud Dei ministros agere causam." Yea, but St. Paul's expression seems to exclude the governors of the church from intermeddling. there not one wise man among you, that is able to judge between his brethren? Why brethren, f bishops and priests were to be the judges; they are fathers. The objection is not worth the noting, but only for St. Ambrose's answer to it. "Ideò autem fratrem judicem eligendum dicit, qui adhuc rector ecclesiæ illorum non erat ordinatus." "St. Paul used the word brethren,' for as yet a bishop was not ordained amongst them of that church;" intimating that the bishop was to be the man, though till then, in subsidium' a prudent Christian man might be employed.

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2. The church did always forbid to clergymen a voluntary assumption of engagements in rebus sæculi.' So the sixth canon of the apostles, ἐπίσκοπος, ἢ πρεσβύτερος, ἢ διάκονος κοσμι κὰς φροντίδας μὴ ἀναλαμβανέτω· εἰ δὲ καθαιρείσθω. "A bishop, and a priest, and a deacon, must not assume, or take on himself worldly cares: if he does, let him be deposed "."

a 1 Cor. vi.

b In hunc locum.

c Vide etiam August. de Opere Monach. ca: 29.
d Can. 7. Latin. Vide Zonar. in Can Apostol.

VOL. VII.

T

Here the prohibition is general, No worldly cares.' Not domestic. But how, if they come on him by divine imposition, or accident? That is nothing, if he does not assume them; that is, by his voluntary act acquire his own trouble. So that if his secular employment be an act of obedience, indeed it is trouble to him, but no sin. But if he seeks it for himself, it is ambition. In this sense, also, must the following canon be understood. Κληρικὸς ἐγγύας διδοὺς καθαι pelow. "A clerk must not be a tutor or guardian," viz., of secular trust, that is, must not seek a diversion from his employment by voluntary tutorship.

3. The church, also, forbade all secular negotiation for base ends, not precisely the employment itself, but the illness of the intention; and this, indeed, she expressly forbids in her canons. "Pervenit ad sanctam synodum, quòd quidam qui in clero sunt allecti, propter lucra turpia, conductores alienarum possessionum fiant, et sæcularia negotia sub curâ suâ suscipiunt, Dei quidem ministerium parvipendentes, sæcularium verò discurrentes domos, et, propter avaritiam, patrimoniorum sollicitudinem sumentes *." Clergymen were farmers of lands, and did take upon them secular employment for covetous designs, and with neglect of the church. These are the things the council complained of, and, therefore, according to this exigence, the following sanction is to be understood." Decrevit itaque hoc sanctum magnumque concilium, nullum deinceps, non episcopum, non clericum, vel monachum, aut possessiones conducere, aut negotiis secularibus se immiscere ;" "No bishop, no clergyman, no monk, must farm grounds, nor engage himself in secular business." What, in none? No, none. "Præter pupillorum, si forte leges imponant inexcusabilem curam, aut civitatis episcopus ecclesiasticarum rerum sollicitudinem habere præcipiat, aut orphanorum, et viduarum earum quæ sine ullâ defensione sunt, ac personarum quæ maximè ecclesiastico indigent adjutorio, et propter timorem Domini causa deposcat.' This canon will do right to the question.

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All secular affairs and bargains, either for covetousness, or with considerable disturbances of church offices, are to be avoided. For a clergyman must not be covetous, much less

e Concil. Chalced. Act. 15. ean. 3.

for covetise must he neglect his cure. To this purpose is that of the second council of Arles, Clericus, turpis lucri gratiâ, aliquod genus negotiationis non exerceat." But not here nor at Chalcedon is the prohibition absolute, nor declaratory of an inconsistence and incapacity; for, for all this, the bishop or clerk may do any office that is in piâ curiâ.” He may undertake the supra-vision of widows and orphans." And, although he be forbid by the canon of the apostles to be • a guardian of pupils,' yet it is expounded here, by this canon of Chalcedon, for a voluntary seeking; it is forbidden by the apostles, but here it is permitted only with 'si fortè leges imponant,' if the law or authority commands him,' then he may undertake it. That is, if either the emperor commands him, or if the bishop permits him, then it is lawful. But without such command or license, it was against the canon of the apostles. And, therefore, St. Cyprian did himself severely punish Geminius Faustinus, one of the priests of Carthage, for undertaking the executorship of the testament of Geminius Victors: he had no leave of his bishop so to do, and for him, of his own head, to undertake that which would be an avocation of him from his office, did in St. Cyprian's consistory deserve a censure. 3. By this canon of Chalcedon, any clerk may be the oeconomus, or steward of a church, and dispense her revenue, if the bishop command him. 4. He may undertake the patronage or assistance of any distressed person that needs the church's aid. From hence it is evident, that all secular employment did not hoc ipso' avocate a clergyman from his necessary office and duty; for some secular employments are permitted him; All causes of piety, of charity, all occurrences concerning the revenues of the church, and nothing for covetousness, but any thing in obedience,' any thing, I mean, of the forenamed instances. Nay, the affairs of church revenues, and dispensation of ecclesiastical patrimony was imposed on the bishop by the canons apostolical, and then considering how many possessions were deposited first at the apostles' feet, and afterwards in the bishop's hands, we may quickly perceive that a case may occur, in which something else may be done by

f Can. 14.

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* Epist. 66.

h Vide Synod. Roman. sub. Sylvestr. c. 4. Concil. Chalced, c. 26. et Zonar. ibid.

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