ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



309 



EccUsiasti- 

 nl History. 



Extension 

 of the epis- 

 copal juris- 

 diction to 

 civil ques- 

 tions. 



Enn-nach- 

 mentsupon 

 the Civil 

 fxmr. 



the Master of the world condescended to reside, the bi- 

 shop of that city was clearly entitled to the first voice 

 in point of authority, and to all precedency in point of 

 rank. He had his claims as well as Rome ; his footing 

 was good, and his assurance strong ; and so satisfied 

 was he of his right and privilege, and so jealous of his 

 rival, that lie was the first who took the title of uni- 

 versal bishop. But whatever might be the claims of 

 the Byzantine church, these claims were not ultimate- 

 ly established. The bishop of the West was at one time 

 too powerful, and at another too cunning, for the East- 

 ern prelate. The Latin churches likewise united more 

 cordially and effectually, in supporting the pretensions 

 of their ecclesiastical head. And at length, Felix the 

 Second, a bold and resolute pontiff, summoned the pa- 

 triarch of Constantinople before himself, and a synod of 

 his Italian clergy, and after due consultation, solemn- 

 ly degraded him from his rank, and deposed him from 

 his office. It is true, the Eastern bishop laughed at the 

 impotent attempt of his lofty antagonist, and anathema- 

 tized him in his turn. But the Byzantine pontiff gra- 

 dually sunk into the second place ; and though his 

 claims were not relinquished, he found it necessary to 

 urge them only at favourable seasons, and with great 

 prudence. 



We are not to suppose that, even in the first century, 

 the power of the Christian bishops was limited to mat- 

 ters of doctrinal decision, or of ecclesiastical polity. It 

 comprehended a very great proportion of those questions 

 which now belong exclusively to the jurisdiction of the 

 civil magistrate. There is some countenance given to 

 this extension of the episcopal power in the sacred wri- 

 tings, and especially in the epistles of St Paul ; and it 

 was perhaps necessary, in the early and unsettled state 

 of the Christian communities. " If thy brother," says 

 . (Matth. xviii. 1.5.) " trespass against thee, go and 

 tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if he 

 hearthet, thou hast gained thy brother; but if he will 

 not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that 

 at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may 

 be established. And if he neglect to hear them, tell it 

 to the church, but if he neglect to hear the church, let 

 him be to thee as a heathen man and a publican. Veri- 

 ly I say unto, you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, 

 shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose 

 oil earth shall be loosprl in heaven." And in conformi- 

 ty with the spirit of what has now been quoted, the 

 apostle Paul enquires of the Corinthian Christians, why 

 they went to law " before the unjust, and not before the 

 saints? Is it so," says he, (1 Cor. v>. 5.) " that there 

 is not a wise man among you? No, not one that shall 

 l>e able to judge between his brethren ; but brother 

 .'oeth to law with brother, and that before the unbe- 

 lievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among 

 you, because ye go to law one with another." 



We do not stop to enquire whether these passages were 

 rightly interpreted or not. It is sufficient for our pur- 

 pose to state, that these and similar passages were long 

 supposed to sanction, in the most authoritative manner, 

 arid to the utmost extent, those encroachments on the 

 civil power, which characterize the ambition, and dis- 

 figure the annals of the popish church. By a little 

 management, almost every question w;is made to put 

 on an ecclesiastical aspect, and as such it was tried in 

 the episcopal courts. The parties concerned might 

 indeed belong to the laity, and not to be the clergy; but 

 the cause, considered a- distinct from the parties, was 

 pronounced to be of a different nature. Or justice had 

 been denied by the civil magistrate: and where had the 



poor man, injured and oppressed as he was declared to Ecclesi;isii- 

 be, an opportunity of making his 'complaint, unless cal l [istor y- 

 before the rulers of the church, the constituted guardi- " ~~V""" 

 ans of innocence, and the delegates of heaven? Or the 

 case was from the beginning of a mixed nature, and 

 belonged in its substance and character to the bishop 

 as well as to the magistrate. Or the feudal officers 

 were too fond of their amusements, too careless, or too 

 illiterate to interfere. From these causes, it grew into 

 a maxim, " that except in places bordering on the in- 

 fidels, a good lawyer makes a better bishop than a good 

 divine." Encroachment followed encroachment. The 

 clergy, while they exercised their functions as judges, 

 and in civil questions too, proceeded also to legislate. 

 The principles of the canon law gave an aspect and 

 colouring to those of the civil ; and the supremacy of 

 the Roman pontiff, in ecclesiastical matters, being ac- 

 knowledged, the ambition of the papal see appeared to 

 look forward to nothing less than a despotic sway over 

 the whole Christian world, in all its interests and con- 

 cerns. In addition to this, the pope was now raised 

 to the dignity of a temporal prince. About the year 

 7i>5, Pepin king of France, made over to him twenty- 

 two cities of Italy ; and in one part of Europe, at least, 

 the successor of the poor and humble Peter reigned un- 

 controlled in the exercise of the civil as well as the ec- 

 clesiastical authority, and united in his own person the 

 highest offices of king and of priest. In a succeeding' 

 age he laid claim to infallibility ; and in the prostration 

 of the human understanding, and presumptuous pleni- 

 tude of apostolical power, he "disposed of crowns and 

 governments at his pleasure. 



No sooner had Constantine the Great ascended the 

 throne of the Ctesars, than his attention was directed to 

 the Arian heresy. This heresy, which long divided 

 and afflicted the church, had many patrons and sup- 

 porters. It gave rise to many personal disputes, and it 

 broke and disturbed the peace which Christianity 

 might have enjoyed under the imperial protection. 



The heresy alluded to was propagated by Arius, a The Aritin 

 presbyter of the church of Alexandria : He was a man heresy, 

 of considerable learning, acuteness, and eloquence, and 

 his natural abilities were sharpened and improved by 

 the opposition which he met with, and the controver- 

 sies in which he was engaged. He maintained, in an 

 assembly of the Alexandrian presbyters, and against 

 the opinion of his bishep, that, in the sacred Trinity, 

 the Son was essentially different from the Father ; that 

 there was a time hid in the depths of eternity, when he 

 did not exist ; or, in other words, that he was really a 

 creature, produced or brought into being by the supreme 

 volition of the true God. He contended further, that 

 though a creature thus produced, the Father " had im- 

 pressed upon him the effulgence of his glory, and trans- 

 fused into him his ample .Spirit ;" that he was the fra- 

 mer of the world, and that he governed the universe as 

 the representative of the eternal and unchangeable Di- 

 vinity. In consequence of these tenets, Arius was pub- 

 licly condemned and excommunicated by Alexander, hi:i 

 bishop. He retired, however, into Palestine, where lit- 

 was received and protected. The number of his fol- 

 IOWLT> incri-ancd. The angry passions were awaken- 

 ed, and the controversy was agitated with the utmost 

 violence. Distant provinces and churches engaged in 

 the dispute. The combatants became every day more 

 and more warm; reproach took place of argument; 

 and the sacred scriptures themselves, and even the very 

 subject of the discussion, were forgotten amidst perso- 

 nal quarrels and mutual reviling. The contests of 



