298 SEVENTH PAPAL ASSUMPTION CENSURE. in ordinationof bishops in any province, that being left to themetro- politan. For a good time, even in the western parts, the pope did not meddle with the constitution of metropolitans,' leaving the churches to enjoy their liberties.' Afterwards, with all other rights, he snatched the collation, confirmation, &c., of metropolitans. VII. Sovereigns have a power to censure and correct all inferior magistrates in proportion to their offences; and in case ofgreat mis- demeanour or of incapacity, they can wholly discharge and remove them from their office. This prerogative, therefore, he of Rome claims as most proper to himself, by divine sanction: " God Almighty alone can dissolve the spiritual marriage between a bishop and his church."' " Therefore those three things premised," the confirmation, translation, and deposition ofbishops, " are reserved to the Roman bishop, not so much by canonical constitution as by divine institution."' This power the convention of Trent allows him, thwarting the ancient laws and betraying the liberties of the church thereby, and endangering the Christian doctrine to be inflected and corrupted to the advantage ofpapal interest.' But such a power anciently did not, by any rule or custom, in a peculiar manner belong to the Roman bishop.' Premising what was generally touched about jurisdiction, in refer- ence to this branch we remark, - 1. The exercising of judgment and censure upon bishops, when it was needful for general good, was prescribed to be done by synods, provincial, or patriarchal, or diocesan. In them causes were to be discussed, and sentence pronounced against those who had deviated from faith or committed misdemeanours. So it was appointed in the synod of Nice,' as the African synod, wherein St Augustine was one bishop, observed and urged in their epistle to Pope Celestine, in these notable words: " Whether they be clergy of an inferior degree, or whether they be bishops, the Nicene decrees have most plainly i Móir knxo,»,v,roç aaïç lxdvvv xaporodarg TOO &,wrázou &at!WSO'xóaas rñg ßaa:xioç, &c. Act. xvi. p. 464. 2 Vid. Conc. Aur., can. vii.; apud de Marc. VI., iv. § 8. 3 Vid. Gelas., Ep. xiii., p. 640. * Et ideo tria bacqueepreemisimusnon tamconstitutione canonica, quam institutione divina soli sent Romano pontifici reservata. P. lnnoc. III., in Gregor. Decret., lib. i., tit. 7, cap. 2. 5 Causes criminales graviores contra episcopos, etiam haresis quod absit, qua deposi- tione aut privatione digna sunt, ab ipso tantum summo Romano pontifice cognosoantur, et terminentur.Conc. Trid., less. xxiv. cap. 5. 'Eario'xoaraç xaBa,peî ar&vra xigpvxáv gm gora xaAarpéacaç, 5'?, O éariawoarou, /aóva¡ yap ebx oTl ,e. Const. Ap., viii. 28. "A bishop may depose any clerk who deserves it, except he be abishop, whom to deprive, one bishop alone is not sufficient." 7 Syn. Nie., can. v.
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