CONFIRMATION OF BISHOPS UNKNOWN. 297 Cyprian in terms affirms: " When the see of St Peter, the sacer- dotal chair, was vacant, which by the will of God being occupied, and by all our consents confirmed,' &c. ; " To confirm thy ordina- tion with a greater authority."' To which purpose each bishop wrote epistles to other bishops, or at least to those of highest rank, acquainting them with his ordination and instalment, and making a profession of his faith, so as to satisfy them of his capacity of the function. 8. But bishops were complete bishops before theygave suchan account of themselves ; so that it was not in the power of the pope or of any others to reverse their ordination, or dispossess them of their places. Therewas no confirmation importing any such matter. This is plain, and one instance will serve to show it, that of Pope Honorius, and of Sergius, bishop of Constantinople, who speak of Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem, that he was constituted bishop before their knowledge and receipt of his synodical letters.' 9. If the designation of any bishop should belong to the pope, then especially that of metropolitans, who are the chief princes of the church; but this anciently did not belong to him. In Africa, the most ancient bishop of the province, without election, succeeded unto that dignity. Where the metropoles [mother cities] were fixed, all the bishops of the province convened, and with the consent of the clergy, persons of quality, and thecommonalty, elected him.' So was St Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, elected. So Nectarius of Con- stantinople, Flavianus of Antioch, and Cyril of Jerusalem, as the fathers of Constantinople tell us. So Stephanus and Bassianus, rival bishops of Ephesus, pretended to have been chosen, as we saw before. And for confirmation, there did not need any, there is no men- tion of any, except that confirmation of which we spake, a conse- quent approbation against [of] them from all their fellow bishops, as having no exception against them rendering them unworthy of com- munion. In the synod of Chalcedon it was defined that the bishop of Constantinople should have equal privileges with the bishop of Rome; yet it is expressly cautioned there that he shall not meddle ' Cum locus Petri et gradue cathedroe sacerdotalis vacaret quo occupato de Dei vo- luntate, atque omnium nostrum consensione firmato.Cypr., Ep. lii. adAnton. 2 Ad comprobandamordinationem tuam factamauctoritate majore, &c. Ep. xlv., ad Corn. 8 `ns i áaañç xai Fcóvnç tzspeetlixapsv re `Isp000xutammv xsrpamovnthie o+póESpaç oúarw yáv má i, lAouç aúmoü ouvoSszie p ixps Tor, vliv iSsl los'a. Syn. VL, Act. xii. 198. Nuvi Sl rczoúot.csv imaxóxou zahommmn mqç `Ispoaoxupwmrov, &C. P. Honor., ib. p. 198. Metropolitano defuncto, cum in locumejus alius fuerit subrogandus, provinciales episcopi ad civitatem metropolitanamconvenire debebunt, ut omnium clericorum atque omnium civium voluntate discussa ex presbyteris ejusdem ecelesi,e, vel ex diaconibus optimus eligatur. P. Leo, Ep. lxxxviii. The metropolitan being dead, when an- other is to beput in his place, the provincial bishopsought to meet in themetropolitan city, that by the votes ofthe whole clergy and citizens, out of thepriests or deacons of the same church the fittest person may be chosen."
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