208 GROUND OF THE PRECEDENCE GIVEN TO ROME. those who acknowledge this did not avow it as a sufficient ground of pre-eminence,none admitted it for an argument of authoritative superiority. St Cyprian called the Roman see " The chair of Si Peter," and "The principal church ;" yet he disclaimed any authority of the Roman bishop above his brethren.' Firmilian took notice that Pope Stephanus " gloried in the place of his bishopric, and contended that he held the succession of Peter;"' yet did not he think himself thereby obliged to submit to his autho- rity or follow his judgment, but sharply reprehended him as a favourer of heretics, an author of schisms, and one who had cut him- self off from the communion of his brethren. The fathers of the Antiochene synod " confessed that in writings all willingly honoured the Roman church, as having been from the beginning the school ofthe apostles and the metropolis of 'religion, although yet from the east the instructors of the Christian doctrine went and resided there; but from hence they desired not to be deemed inferiors, because they did not exceed in the greatness and numerousness of their church."' They allowed some regard, though faintly and with reservation, to the Roman church upon account of their apostolical foundation; they implied a stronger ground of pre- tence from the grandeur of that city: yet did not they therefore grant themselves to be inferiors, at least as to any substantial pri- vilege, importing authority. If by divine right, upon account of his succession to St Peter, he had such pre-eminence, why are the othercauses reckoned, as if they could add any thing to God's institution, or as if that needed human confirmation? The pretence to that surely was weak, which needed corroboration, and to be propped by worldly considerations. Indeed, whereas the apostles founded many churches, exercising apostolical authority over them (eminently containing the episcopal), why, in conscience, should one claim privileges on that score rather than or above the rest? Why should the see of Antioch, "that most ancient and truly apostolical church,"4 where the Christian name began, where St Cypr., Ep. lv. 52. 2 Atque ego in bac parte juste indignor adbanc tam apertam et manifestamStephan stultitiam, quod qui sic de episcopatus sui loco gloriatur, et se successionemPetri tenere contendit, &c. Stephanus qui per successionem cathedram Petri habere se prædicat, &c.Firmil. apud Cypr., Ep. lxxv. 3 'lifta, t.Lì, yáp 9rá,. Q..lor.,aiav a i 'Papoafav éxxnrfav iY ror; ypápetaaary ¿,ao).áyouv, p¿Ç ár0oTÓeIY Pi0vr(or0p,,,,Y, xaÌ EVO'EßEÌEOÇ 1.,,rpÓ9r0xly i, de iç yEppyEY19(LfiVf7Y d1 xal i ËW ¿nl,í- pnefav aL?!7 ' 70; OÓytcaTO; É'ey'lraf O 9rará r0UT0 Ps rá Is sps7a pipsry f]e'so. Örl tss iceviAE1 ñ 9rl9EE ixx.1.%0'Ì¢Ç el,sOY,.s,, ç,s. Sot. iii. 8. ' T01; 9r soßurár%; xaì ivre.; d9r0travXmii; ixemoicq, &e. Ep. Synod. Const. Theodoret. Hist. L 5, cap. 9, p. 211. Qua; quantumlibet a Petro ante Alexandrinam fuerat insti-
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