Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…

§ 7. Anastasius a Cardinal, Presbyter of Rome, betook himself to the Emperor, soliciting him to depose Pope Leo the 4th, and to place him in his stead. The Pope hearing it, calleth him home to his charge, from whence he had been absent five years: but he would not return, nor appear, wherefore CCLX the Pope called a Council at Rome, which deposed him.

§ 7. Anastasius a Cardinal, Presbyter of Rome, betook himself to the Emperor, solliciting him to depose Pope Leo the 4th, and to place him in his stead. The Pope hearing it, calleth him home to his charge, from whence he had been absent five years: but he would not return, nor appear, wherefore CCLX the Pope called a Council at Rome, which deposed him.

§ 8. CCLXI. Ignatius the Patriarch of Constantinople, called a Council to depose Gregory Bishop of Syracusa; They desired Pope Leo's confirmation: He delaying it, dyeth. Gregory in the mean time prevaileth against Ignatius, who is cast out, and Photius put in, and a grievous Schism begun.

§ 9. CCLXII. An. 855. under Lotharius Remigius Lugdun. and 12 other Bishops, are called a Council at Valence, who made 23 Canons or Decrees, with great Judgment and Piety, and showed how much more venerable a Council of a few wise Bishops are, than greater Councils, where the most are weak. Their first work was against those that they called the Predestinatianos, where Cap. 2. they determine, [Non ipsos malos Deum ideo perire velle quia ⟨p. 265⟩boni esse non potuerunt, sed quia boni esse noluerunt. Cap. 3. Praedestinationem electorum ad vitam,¹ & praedestinationem impiorum ad mortem fidenter fatemur? In electione tamen salvandorum misericordiam Dei praecedere meritum bonum, in damnatione autem periturorum meritum malum praecedere justum Dei judicium: Praedestinatione autem Deum ea tantum statuisse quae ipse vel gratuitâ misericordiâ vel justo judicio facturus erat.—In malis vero ipsorum malitiam praescîsse, quia ex ipsis est; non praedestinâsse, quia ex illo non est. Poenam sane malum meritum eorum sequentem, uti Deum, qui omnia prospicit praescivisse & praedestinasse, quia justus est: apud quem est, ut S. Augustinus ait, de omnibus omnino rebus, tam fixa sententia, quam certa praescientiâ:— Verum aliquos ad malum praedestinatos esse divina potestate, videlicet ut quasi aliud esse non possent, non solum non credimus, sed etiam si sunt, qui tantum malum credere velint, cum omni detestatione, sicut Arausica Synodus, illis Anathema dicimus. The sum is, God's mercy goeth before Man's merit, but his Predestination to punishment is only on the foresight of their sin, which he decreeth not, because he causeth not.