their Councils abridged. óI S. 51. CI. An. 403, 404, &c. There were feven Councils in -Africk, againft the Donatifis, to procure Honorius to fupprefs them by the Sword, not as a Herefie, but becaufe they rote upby Fire andSword againft the Ca- tholicks, and abufed and killedmany. But when Attalus invaded Africk, the Emperour proclaimed Liberty for them, to quiet them ; which he after recalled. Another Synod was held againft them at Cyrta. One at Toletum about Ordinations ; and one atPtolemais to ExcommunicateAndros,;us, an oppreflingGovernour. 4.5i. CII. TheDonatifi Bifhopsheld aCouncil,decreeing,tbat whena fen- tenceofbanifhment was paffedon them,theywouldnot forfake their Church, but rather voluntarily die, as many did by their own hands: For they took themfelves to be the true Church and Bithops, and the reft perfecu- tingSchifmaticks. §. 53. CIII. The Concilium Diofpolitanum of 14 Bifhops in Palefiine ac- quitted Pelagius uponhis renouncing hisErrours. S. 54. An. 416. A Council at Carthage of 67 Bithops condemned Pela- gius and Calefiine ; whom the former had ahfolved. S. 55. CV. A Council of On Bithops at Milevis condemn Pelagius. The 22. Canon galleth the Pontificians : If Presbyters, Deacons, or other in. feriour Clergy, Jhall in their Caufes complain ofthe Bishops, the neighbour Bops fhall hear them and end the bufinefs being ufed by the confent oftheir Bifhops But iftheyfee taufe to appealfrom them alfo, let them appeal to none but to Afri- cane Councils, or to the Primates of their Provinces : But ifanywill appeal to any places beyond theSeas, let none in Africk receive them intoCommunion. In this Council was Aurelius,Alypius, Auguftinus, Evodias, and Poffido- nius, and thefe very great with Pope Innocent, one ofthe belt and wifeft Popes (who excommunicated Theophilus, Arcadian and the Emprefs, for Chryfoflomes caufe.) Yet did this pars then without contradi&ion. Can. iz. ofthis Council Liturgies weremade neceffary approvedby Coun- cils left any Herefie fhould be vended. S. 56. Calefiine and Pelagius being condemned by the Africans, efpeci- ally upon the Accufations of Lazarus and Herotes Bifhops, fail to be holy men ; Innocent joyned with the Africans, but after his death Pope Zo- fimas having a fair Appeal of Celefiine, &c. to him, abfolveth them both and condemneth their Accufers. He writeth an Epiftle, had the caufe been good , very honest againft rafh condemning innocent men , tel- ling them how greatly they were rejoyced at Rome to find themOrtho- dox; and what falle and bad men Lazarus andHerotes were : It was La- zarus cuftome to accule the Innocent, as in many Councils he had done Saint Britius a Bishop ofTours ; that he got by Blood into the Bishops Seat, and was the fhadow of a Bishop, while a Tyrant had the Image ofEmpire, and then his Patron being fain, voluntarily depofed himfeif. The like he faith of Herotes ; and that neither of them would come perfonally to Rome, but lay in Bed and feat fanLetters of Accufation : Therefore he zdmoniihcth the Africans (among whom was Auguilino) to believe fuch Al whi'rper
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