THE CHURCH ONE IN BROTHERLY CONCORD. 391 All Christians should hold friendly correspondence, as occasion serves and as it is useful, to signify consent in faith, to recommend persons, to foster charity, to convey succour and advice, to perform all good offices of amity and peace. "Siricius, who is our companion and fellow-labourer, with whom the whole world, by mutual commerce of canonical or communicatory letters, agree together with us in one common society."1 " The catholic church being one body, it is consequent thereto that we write and signify one to another," &c.a In cases of doubt or difficulty one church should have recourse to others for advice, and any church should yield it. " Both common charity and reason require, most dear brethren, that we conceal nothing from your knowledge of those things which are done among us, that so there may be common advice taken by us concerning the most useful way of ordering ecclesiastical affairs."' One church should acquaint others of any extraordinary trans- action concerning the common faith or discipline, requesting their approbation and countenance.` Thus the eastern churches gave account to all other churches of their proceedings against P. Samosatenus.Euseb. vii. 30. " Which letters are sent all the world over, and brought to the notice of all the churches, and of all the brethren."' When any church or any pastor was oppressed or injured, he might have recourse to other churches for their assistance, in order to relief. " Let him who is cast out have power to apply himself to the neighbouring bishops, that his cause may be carefully heard and dis- cussed."' Thus Athanasius, being overborne and expelled from his see by the Arian faction, went for refuge to the church of Rome. St Chrysostom had recourse to the bishop of Rome and to those of the west, as also to the bishop of Antioch. 1 Damaso Siricius hodie, qui noster est socius, cum quo nobis totus orbis commercio formatarum in una communionis societate concordant.Opt., lib. ii. p. 40. 2 `Evñç Owfcasog &ref 4h xaAoxm>is 1xxano1oe dzóxau9áv irr, ypá v :71 a5 ari cnpaaiVEry daaáxas, &c. Alez. Alecandrice; Soer. i. 6; Theod. 3 Et dilectio communis et ratio exposcit, fratres charissimi, nihil conscientise vestras subtrahere de his qum apud nos geruntur, ut sit nobis circa utilitatem ecclesiasticae administrationis commune consilium. Cypr., Ep. sais. ad Cler. Rom. 4 The practice of this we see frequently in St Cyprian's Epistles, particularly in Ep. 4, 15, 23, 29, 30, 42, 48. (P. Cornet.) a Quas literae per totum mundum missae sunt, et in notitiam ecclesiis omnibus et universis fratribus perlatas sunt.Cypr., Ep. lii. adAnton., p. 92. Scripsimus ad Cor- nelium collegam nostrum, &c.-Ibid. e Habeat potestatem is qui abjectus est, ut episcopos finitimos interpellet, et causa ejus andiatur ac diligenter tractetur, &c.-Conc. Sard., can. 17. Vid. Cod. Afr., can. 125.
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