354 THE POPE'S POWER MAY BE FORFEITED. churches, either granted by Christ or established by the sanctions of general synods, he thereby deprives himself of all authority; be- cause it cannot be admitted upon tolerable terms without greater wrong of many others, whose right outweighs his, and without great mischief to the church, the good of which is to be preferred before his private advantage. This was the maxim of a great pope, a great stickler for his own dignity; for when the bishop of Constantinople was advanced by a general synod above his ancient pitch of dignity, that pope opposing him said, that " whoever affects more than his due, loses that which properly belonged to him ; "'which rule, if true in regard to another's case, may be applied to the pope; "for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again," Matt. vii. 2. On such a supposition of the papal encroachment, we may return his words upon him: " It is too proud and immoderate a thing, to stretch beyond one's bounds, and, in contempt of antiquity, to be willing to invade other men's right, and to oppose the primacies of so many metropolitans, on purpose to advance the dignity of one."' " For theprivileges of churches, being instituted by the canons of the holy fathers, and fixed by the decrees of the venerable synod of Nice, cannot be plucked up by any wicked attempt, nor altered by any innovation."' " Far be it from me that I should, in any church, infringe the de- crees of our ancestors made in favour of my fellow priests; for I do myself injury if I disturb the rights of my brethren."4 The pope, surely, according to any ground of Scripture, or tradi- tion, or ancient law, has no title to greater principalityin the church than the duke of Venice has in that state. Now, if the duke of Venice, in prejudice to the public right and liberty, should attempt to stretch his power to an absoluteness of command, or much beyond the bounds allowed him by the constitution of that commonwealth, be would thereby surely forfeit his supremacy, such as it is, and afford cause to the state of rejecting him. The like occasion would the pope give to the church by the like demeanour. 9. The pope, by departing from the doctrine and practice of St Peter, would forfeit his title of successor to him; for in such a case ' Propria perdit, qui indebita concupiscit.P. Leo 1., Ep.liv. Y Superbum nimis est et immoderatum ultra fines proprios tendere, et antiquitate calcata alienum jus velle preeripere ; utque unius crescat dignitas, tot metropolitanorum impugnare primatus, &c. P. Leo 1, Ep. lv. 3 Privilegia enim ecclesiarum, sanctorum patrum canonibus instituta, et venerabilis Nicenre synodi fixa deoretis, nulla possunt improbitate convelli, nulla novitate mutari. lbid. ° Absit hoe ame, ut statuta majorum consacerdotibus meis in qualibet ecclesia in- fringam, quia mihi injuriam facio, si fratrum meorum jura perturbo.Greg. L, Ep. ii. 37.
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