PRINCES ALONE SHOULD CONVENE COUNCILS. 247 what needed all this supplication or thisapplication to the emperors? Would not the pope have endeavoured to exercise his authority? would he not have clamoured or whined at any interruption thereof? Would so spiritful and sturdy a pope as Leo' have begged that to be done by another which he had authority to do of himself, when he apprehended so great necessity for it, and was so much provoked thereto? Would he not, at least, have remonstrated against the injury therein done to him by Theodosius? All that this daring pope could adventure at was to wind in a pretence that the synod of Chalcedon was congregated by his con- sent: for, " It has been the pleasure" (of 'whom, I pray ?) " that a general council should be congregated, both by the command of the Christian princes and with the consent of the apostolic see,"' says he very cunningly; yet not so cunningly but that any other bishop might have said the same for his see. This power, indeed, upon many just accounts, peculiarly belongs to princes. It suits the dignity of their state; it appertains to their duty; they are most able to discharge it. They are the guardians of public tranquillity, which constantly is endangered, which commonly is violated, by dissensions in religious matters (whence we must pray for them, that by their care " we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty"); they alone can authorize their subjects to take such journeys, or to meet in such assemblies; they alone can well cause the expenses needful for holding synods to be exacted and defrayed; they alone can protect them, can maintain order and peace in them, can procure observance to their determina- tions; they alone have a sword to constrain resty and refractory per- sons (and in no cases are men so apt to be such as in debates about these matters) to convene, to confer peaceably, to agree to observe what issettled. They, as " nursing fathers" of the church, as " minis- ters of God's kingdom," as encouragers of all "good works, ' as the stewards of God, intrusted with the great talents of power, dignity, wealth, enabling them to serve God, are obliged to cause bishops in such cases to perform their duty; according to the example of good princes in holy Scripture, who are commended for proceedings of this nature; for so King Josiah convocated a general synod of the church in his time. " Then," says the text, " the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem." In this synod he presided, " standing in his place, and making a covenant before the Lord;" its resolutions heconfirmed, " causing all that were ' Fortissimus Leo. Liber., cap. xii. 2 - in causa Sdei, propterquam generale conciliumet ex præcepto Christianorum principum, et ex consensu apostolicse sedis placuit congregari._4o. 1xi. 3 I Tim. ii. 2. 4 Isa. xlix. 23; Wisd. vi. 4; Rom xiii. 3.
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