INDEPENDENCE OF BISHOPS. 195 wont to be content with God for its only judge, and not to desire the praises nor to dread the accusations of another, yet they are worthy of double praise who, when theyknow they owe their con- sciences to God only as judge, yet desire also their actions to be ap- proved by their brethren thgmselves. This it is no wonder that you, brother Cyprian, should do, who, according to your modesty and native thoughtfulness, would have us not so much judges as par- takers of your counsels,' &c. Then it seems the college of car- dinals, not so high in the instep as they are now, took St Cyprian to be free, and not accountable for his actions to any other judge but God. That this notion of liberty continued a good time after in the church, we may see by that canon of the Antiochene synod, " ordain- ing that every bishop have power of his own bishopric, govern it ac- cording to the best of his care and discretion, and provide for all the country belonging to his city, so as to ordain priests and deacons, and dispose things aright"' The monks of Constantinople, in the synod of Chalcedon, said thus: " We are sons of the church and have one father, after God, our archbishop."3 They forgot their sovereign father the pope. The like notion may seem to have been then in England, when the church of Canterbury was called " The common mother of all, under the disposition of its spouse, Jesus Christ."' VI. The ancients held all bishops, as to their office, originally, according to divine institution, or abstracting from human sanctions framed to preserve order and peace, to be equal :5 for that all are suc- cessors ofthe apostles,all derive theircommission and power in the same tenor from God, all of themare "ambassadors, stewards, vicars of Christ," intrusted with the same divine ministries of instructing, dispensing the sacraments, ruling and exercising discipline; to which functions andprivileges the least bishop has right, and to greater the biggest cannot pretend. 1 Quanquam bene eibi conscius animas, et evangelien discipline vigore subnixus, et verus cibi in decretis ccelestibus testis effectus, soleat solo Deo judice esse contentus, nec alterius aut laudes petere, ant aceusationes pertimescere; tarnen geminata aunt laude condigni, qui cum conscientiam sciant Deo soli debere se judici, actus tarnen suos desiderant etiam ab ipsis suis fratribus comprobari. Quod te, frater Cypriane, facere non mirum est, qui pro tua verecundia, et ingenita industria consiliorum tuorum nos non tam judices voluisti, quam participes inveniri, &c. Cler. Rom. ad Cypr., Bp. xxxi. 2 "Exactov yáp Éar;ex,,roy i ouiíav Ëxslu .cjç koTOÛ crxparziaç, lLOrxs1Y za.réw 4 40 Éxáocá' 17rrßáaaauaav slX4f x,,, zai ,rpóvorav ansiv9ar ?ávnç 7172s xáwpaç 4pç ú,ró riry iau4oú aróarv; ¿ç zai xarporonîc tpcofv 4povç xai óraxóvauç, xai /csrá zpivsmç ixaa4a áraaap.távnv.Syn. Ant., Can. ix. 3 'Hp,g4 ÓÉ salt _rízcz ci; lzs anelaç Ëcpasv, as) `Iva ararípa (484¢ 4Óv ®8Óv, 4Óv ápxrcarla'zovrov ïxaposv.Syyn. Chaic., Act. i. p. 114. 4 Omnium nostrum mater communis, sub sponsi sui Jesu Christi dispositione.Ger- vas. Dorob. p. 1663, apud Tuísd., p. 72. a Vid. Ep. P. Celest. I., in Conc. Eph. Act. ii. p. 324.
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