I 24. Church-Hitory of Bithops and pire, and being jealous of their new gotten Conquetts, were nearer the Bifhops, and kept them more in awe than the Emperour did. 3. And thefe Councils being fmall of a few Bifhops) had no fuch work for are rogancy and ambition, as the great General Councils had. 4. And the great proud pretending Patriarchs that fet the World in a continual War, were not here to Strive who á.hould be the greatest. The Pope himfelf was feldom mentioned in the Spanifh and French Councils, or the African. S. 67. CXLIV. One of thefe honest Councils is Agathenfe by the per- million of Alarieus, by 35 Bifhops, Cafarius Arelatenfes being chief: Where many Canons for the Clergy were made or repeated. The 3d Canon is, that if Bifhops wrongfully excommunicate any one, other Bithops (hall receive them. (Did the Popes obferve this with Acacias, Eu- phemiuw, &c.) Can. 63. if any Citix,ens on the great folemnities, that is, Eafler, the Lords Nativity, or Whitfuntide , fhall negleíi to meet where the Bops are, Geeing they are fet inCities for Benediflion andCommunion,) let them be threeyears deprived of the Communion of the Church. (Doth not this prove that the City Churches thenmet all in one place, and fo were but one Affembly at thofe times ? How elfe couldall the Citizens be with the Bithop at one time?) But even there Canons forbid Clergymen to fue any before a Secular judge, or to appear or anfwer at anothers fuit, Can. ;a. Otherwife both are to he excommunicate, Can. i7. It punifheth thofe that kill men, but with denying them Communion. Can. 5o. Only if a Bithop, Presbyter, or Deacon, commit a Capital crime, be (hall be depofed and put into a Mona¡lery, and have but Lay - communion. (WhenMurderers are hang'd, and Trayters alto quartered, this Canon is laid afide.) I thought a Monafiery had been a deferable place, and not bad enough to serve Traytors and Murderers instead of the Gal- lows. S. 68. CXLV.. A Council at Apanna under Sigifneund King of Bur- gandy, recited inch like Canons as the former fave that there is one duff inch as our Fanaticks in England would have made, who would not worth¡pGod in any Temple which the Papifts had ufed to theirMafs: fo faith Can. 3 3. The Temples (or Churches) of Hereticks, which we hate with fo great execration, we defp,fe to apply to holy ufes, as judging their pollution to be filch as cannot be purged away. Bat filch as by violence they tookfrom us we may recover.. This is juft Down with theIdolatrous Steeple- houfes. But if they would give the Nonconformifts in England leave to, Preach in fuchplaces they would bethankful, and think God will not impute the fin of others to us. S. 69. CXLVI. A Council at Sidon of So Bifhops, was called by the Emperour Anaflafus, where they agreed to curie the Council of Calce- don,,
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