13 PRINCES ALONE SHOULD CONVENE COUNCILS. present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to that covenant ;" and he took care of their execution, " making all present in Israel effec- tually to serve the Lord their God."' So alsoKing Hezekiah " gathered the priestsand Levitestogether," warned, commanded them to do their duty and reform things in the church. " My sons," said he, " be not now negligent; for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense."' Beside them none other can have reasonable pretence to such a power, or can well be deemed able to manage it. So great an autho- rity cannot be exercised upon the subjects of any prince without eclipsing his majesty, infringing his natural right, and endangering his state. He that at his pleasure can summon all Christian pastors, and make them trot about, and hold them when he will, is in effect emperor, or in a fair way to make himselfso. It is not fit, therefore, that any other person should have all the governors of the church at his beck, so as to draw them from remote places whither he pleases, to put them on long and chargeable journeys, to detain them from their charge, to set them on what deliberationsand debates he thinks good. It is not reasonable that anyone, without the leave of princes, should authorize so great conventions of men, having such interest and sway. It is not safe that any one should have such dependencies on him, by whichhe may be tempted to clash with princes, and with- draw their subjects from their due obedience. Neither can anysuccess be well expected from the use of such authority by anywho has not power bywhich he can force bishops to convene, to resolve, to obey. Whence we see that Constantine, who was a prince so gentle and friendly to the clergy, was put to threaten those bishops who wculd absent themselves from the synod indicted by him at Tyre; and Theodosius, also " a very mild and religious prince," did the like in his summoning the twoEphesine synods.' We likewise mayobserve, that when the " pope and western bishops," in a synodical epistle invited those of the east to a great synod indicted at Rome, these refused the journey, alleging a that it would be to no good pur- pose.'" So, also, when the western bishops called those of the east, for resolving the difference between Flavianus and Paulinus, both pretending to be bishops of Antioch, what effect had their summons? And so will they always or often be ready to say who are called at 2 Chron. xxxiv. 29, &o. ? 2 Chron. xxix. 4, 15, 20, 21, &e., verse 11. = 'r vrpaórnrr xai rávraç voúg 4anAsis Icpmuivovs ivixa. ó ßaorJ.aúç eaoNoroç rpav 'papa 70pó rávraç roúç ávApávovç 70úç ¿vrac [ri rñç yñsSocr. vii. 42. 4 Tñv árosnp0iav rapnrñoay.o ás only$x,voav zíp1,5.-Theod. v. S. 'Eypa4. J roi re, nai rparraváç ó ßaorl.aGÇ, ouyxa).oúvraç sic ,4» S íç,, roúç áró rñs ávarolñs irrozórovç S02. vii. 11. "Both they and Gratian the emperor wrote, calling the eastern bishops into the west."
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