26o Churcb-Hiory of Bilhops and are better thanhe. But the Bithops did not give them this liberty , rill they openly asked them, whether theywould govern it as their ejected Brother did, ` or according to the will of God. They anfwered, that as far as God fhould ` enable them, they would govern themfelves and theirs according to God's will. `By God's'Authority. ( fay they) we warn, exhort and command, thatyou un- dertake it, and rule itaccording to the will of God.] So far Nithard § 147. You fee here'that k isno wodder that the Pope took upon him to fet up and take down, to make and unmake Kings, when the fubjeél Bithops did it by their greatetl Sovereigns. And you fee hereGod's jufl judgment on a rebellious Son, and the fhameful mutability of a temporizing Clergy. And how prefumptuous Bifhops have abufedReligion,the ufe oftheKeys and the Name of God, to the confufions and calamities of the world. But Lo- thariass after this Depofition reigned. § 248. All thefe times Images were cafl out in the Eaflern Empire, even all the Reign of Leo the Sth, and of Michael Balbus, ( however he recalled Theoelorus Studita from Prifon ) and of Theophilus that fucceeded him ; Pe- tavius li. 8. 'c. 9. faith, that Theophilus followed his Father in perfecuting the Worthipers of Images, but yet was a mot} tlri& requirer of",juflice, and cFrance reigning 12years and three months, died An. 842. the next year after the Taurínen_ death of Ludovicus Pius. He left his Son rluichael, a Child, Emperor,under fis fet theRule of his Mother Theodora. againft § 149. And now come up Images again by a,Woman, whichever fine a Image- WomanReign almoll had been call out; the ruled 14years , jufl as Irene worthip, and going did, and fped as. the ; for when her Son came to age, he depofed her. In to !tome, this time Methodius firii, and Ignatius after, were made Patriarchs of Conftan- &c. And tinople. And Bardas (madeCafar) depofed Ignatius, becaufe he wouldnot Jonas excommunicateTheodora whenthe was depofed, and fet up the learned Pbo- tech tins inhisplace, that came in as Neltarius haddone from theLaity, by fudden againft Ordination : one honoured even by the Papifls for his great learning, but re- turn, 2 viled for being againft them. of ghbsme § 150. CCLIII. An. 842. This Woman hall prefently fo much power Sentences on the mutable Bithops, as in a Council at Confiant. to turn them to be again ( too for Images, and as Theophanesfaith,, [Suddenly changing their judgment , they strong for eurfed thole that oppofed Images;] and Co after L2o years,rejection they were the An- reftored and the Nicene 2d Council owned without any great difficult fwerer,) ' 3' $re Y but in his And here all that were forImages accounted it Godlinefs, and called them Un- Preface godly that were againft it, and this Woman Theodora is oiled for it a. very profeifsth godly Woman, ( though the other called it Idolatry;) and fo while one fide never was. cryed down as Profane, and the other as Idolatrous; the poor Church felt read or to.its forrow, that Images were not taken for things indifferent. faw his Theophanes railingat john the Patriarch of Conant. faith, that [Seeing Book: fo ridden and unexpeéted a change, he that ruledimpioufly was ftruck withfuck y.as not a flupor and blindnefs o f mind, that he was ready to have killed himel tiis an Y ff i and excellent being the headof all the wickednefs, of an ungodlyjudgment, that had led the C.onfiAer? rrrpeters byÿes,"an l thruft, them into thehell of impiety, he was with igno- miny
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