394 DISCOURSE ON THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH. To act any thing " against the sacrament of divine ordination and catholic unity, once delivered, makes an adulterate and contrary head out of the church."' " Forsaking the Lord's priests, contrary to the evangelical discip- line, a new tradition of a sacrilegious institution starts up."' " There is one God, and one Christ, and one church, and one see founded upon Peter by the word of the Lord; besides one altar and one priesthood, another altar cannot be erected, nor a new priest- hood ordained. "3 Hence were the Meletians rejected by the church for introducing ordinations Hence was Aërius accounted a heretic, for meaning to innovate in so grand a point of discipline as the subordination of bishops and presbyters. VIII. It is expedient that all churches should conform to each other in great matters of prudential discipline, although not insti- tuted or prescribed by God; for this is a means of preserving peace, and is a beauty or harmony; for difference of practice alienates affec- tions, especially in common people. So the synod of Nice: " That all things may be alike ordered in every diocese, it has seemed good to the holy synod that men should put up theirprayers to God standing,"4 namely, between Easter and Whitsuntide, and upon the Lord's day. Thechurch is like theworld;--for as the world consists of men, all naturally subject to one king, Almighty God; all obliged to observe his laws, declared by natural light; all " made of one blood," and so brethren; all endowed with common reason; all bound to exercise good offices of justice and humanity toward each other, to main- tain peace and amity together, to further each other in the prosecu- tion or attainment of those good things which conduce to the welfare and security of this present life: even so does the church consist of persons spiritually allied, professing the same faith, subject to the same law and government of Christ's heavenly kingdom, bound to Contra sacramentum semel traditum divina dispositionis et catholica unitatis adulterum et contrarium caput extra ecclesiam facit.Cypr., Ep. xlii., ad Cornet. 2 relictis Domini sacerdotibus contra evangelicam disciplinam, nova traditio sacrilege institutions exsurgat.Cypr. Ep. xl., Plebi sues. 3 Deus unus est, et Christus unus, et ecclesia una, et cathedra una super Petrum Domini voce fundata; aliud altare constitui, ant sacerdotium novum fieri plater unum altare, et unum sacerdotium, non potest.Ibid. * A dash occurs here, as invarious other passages of the Discourse, indicating a blank which the author had intended to supply. En. 4 `Torip Toú gráema lv oráan orapotxiá óp4oíwç TáTTeota , loTZTaç 'Iaole Tñ ieyiá evvóad T,1g túxáç áoroatatvat 712; ®,I.Can. xx. ripóç T -eírue xáxeïvo erápeort eoeepáv, áç lv Tnxtxov', srpdypaame, xal Tataúmn atapmvíav eipxuv iomiv áAipuree. Const. M. inEp. adEccles., Euseb. Vit. Const., iii. 18.
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