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

§ 57. CCLXXXIV. An. 869, was that Constantinopolitan Council which the Papists (damning some other•) call the 4th. and the 8th. ⟨p. 276⟩General Council ended An. 879. in which but 102 Bishops condemned Photius and settled Ignatius, by the means of the Emperor Basilius and the Pope,¹ who had before restored him. Here in Act. 2. The Bishops that had followed Photius, took the old course, and when they saw all turned cried peccavimus and craved pardon, and themselves called Photius, such a villain as there had never been the like. (Bin. p. 882,) They said they sinned through fear and so were forgiven. Act. 3. Some Bishops that had turned, who were ordained by Methodius, were required to subscribe to a form proposed; But they told them that the late times had so vexed men with heinous subscriptions, that they had made a Covenant or Vow to make no more subscriptions but what they had done already,² and the profession of their faith (like Nonconformists) and desired to be received on such terms without their new subscription. Act. 4. The Bishops of Photius's party ordained by him were examined. And Act. 5. Photius himself, who would not enter till constrained, and then professed as in imitation of Christ to give them no answer to what they asked him; and is in vain exhorted to repentance. Act. 6. Many of the Photian Bishops repented and were pardoned: Others pretended that they had subscribed and sworn to Photius, where Zachar. Calcedon. showed that the Canons were above the Patriarchs. Here Basilius the Emperor made a notable speech to exhort the Bishops to repentance, offering himself to lay by his honour and to lie on the earth, and let them tread on him confessing his sin, and asking mercy. Act. 7