THE CHARGE OF THE WHOLE CHURCH IMPRACTICABLE. 171 threw it into continual pangs, and at length brought it to ruin; for, " Then," says St Augustine, concerning the times of Pompey, " Rome had subdued Africa, it had subdued Greece; and widely ruling over other parts, as not being able to bear itself, broke down, as it were, with its own weight."' Hence that wise prince, Augustus Csar, himself forbore to en- large the Roman dominion, and in his testament advised the senate to do the like.' To the like inconvenieices, and much greater in its kind (tem- poral things being more easily ordered than spiritual, and having secular authority, great advantagesof power andwealth, to aid itself), must the church be obnoxious if it were subjected to the government of one sovereign, to whom the maintenance of faith, the protection of discipline, the determination of controversies, the revision of judg- ments, the discussion and final decision of causes upon appeal, the suppression of disorders and factions, the inspection over all gover- nors, the correction of misdemeanours, the constitution, relaxation, and abolition of laws, the resolution of all matters concerning religion and the public state, in all countries, must be referred. Tiç erpbç raüra ixavóç; [Who is sufficient for these things?] What shoulders can bear such a charge without perpetual miracle? And yet we do not find that the pope has any promise of miraculous as- sistance, nor in his demeanour appears any mark thereof ! What mind would not the care of so many affairs utterly distract and over- whelm? who could find time to cast a glance on each of so number- less particulars? What sagacity of wit, what variety of learning, what penetrancy ofjudgment, what strength of memory, what inde- fatigable vigour of industry, what abundance of experience, would suffice for enabling one man to weigh exactly all the controversies of faith and cases of discipline perpetually starting up in so many regions?' What reach of skill and ability would serve for accommodation of ' Tuna jam Roma subjugaverat Africain, subjugaverat Grinciam, lateque etiam aliis partibus imperans tanquam seipsam ferre non valens, se sua quodammodo magnitudine fregerat.Aug. de Civ. D. xviii. 45; Tac. list. ii. p. 476. 2 r1441)1. PE abaoTs Dams ra7s 2E orapavory iipzcd ;ivar, xai (.Enaa(Lws la-) .7-i ora.ûav oñv áp i,, ia'av;ñoar. iAc7.ñear Suepiaazráv 4E Vey 'ii"r ' ocoiai Zpn co;vo yQp xai aim-4 147G1 icci awe o í)o'yy p óvov, á)..lá xai fplio irripnoc srapóv ya ;v roli"ßapfaprza; rpaex- citeavAar obz ,idéxnec.Dian., lib. lvi.; Tac. Ann. i. "He advised them tobe content with what theyhad, and by no means to endeavour the enlargement of their empire; For,' saidhe, ' it will behardly kept.' Andthis hehimself observed, not in word only, but in deed; for when he might have got more from the barbarousnations, yet he would not." Ipsa nocet moles, ntinam remeare liceret Ad veteresfines, et meenia pauperis Anci, &c. Claud. de bello Gildon. The synod of Basil well describes the duty of a pope; but it is infinitelyhard to practise it in any measure.Conc. Bas., seas. xxiii. p. 64, &c.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=