The apology of the Church of England, and an epistle to one Seignior Scipio…

36. IN short, Victor Bishop of Rome, held a Provincial Synod at Rome, and Justinianus the Emperor commandeth, that ⟨p. 193⟩if need require, Synods should be held in each Province, and threatened, that if this were neglected, he would punish those that made default. Every Province (saith St. Jerome) hath its particular Manners, Rites and Opinions, which cannot easily be removed or changed without a very great disturbance. And why should I commemorate the most ancient Municipal Councils, that of Eliberis, Gangra, Laodicea, Ancyra, Antioch, Tours, Carthage, Milevis, Toledo, and Bordeaux, for this is no new thing. So was the Church of God governed before the Fathers met in the Council of Nice; for they had not presently recourse to a General Council. Theophilus held a Provincial Synod in Palestine, Palmas in Pontus, Irenaeus in Gaul, Bachilus in Achaia, Origen against Beryllus in Arabia; and I omit many other Provincial Synods which were kept in Africa, Asia, Greece and Egypt, which were most pious, Orthodox and Christian, tho the Pope had nothing to do with them. For the Bishops then, as necessity required, and as things fell out, presently consulted the Well-fare of their Churches in Domestic Councils, and sometimes implored the Assistance of their neighbour Bishops, at other, they frankly aided each other without asking, and if need were, did by turns help one the other. Nor did only the Bishops, but Princes of those times, think that the Concerns of the Church pertained to their O••ice; for to omit Nebuchadnezzar, who published ⟨p. 194⟩a Capital Edict against all that should blaspheme the God of Israel; and David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah, who did partly build, and partly reform the Temple of God. Constantius the Emperor, without any Council, took away the Worship of Idols, and put forth a most severe Edict, by which he made it capital for any man to offer Sacrifice to any Idol. Theodosius the Emperor, commanded all the Temples of the Pagan Gods to be razed to the Ground. Jovinianus, another of them, so soon as ever he was declared Emperor, made his first Law for the restitution of the Christian Exiles. Justinianus was wont to say, that his Care of the Christian Religion was as great as that of his Life. Joshua, so soon as ever he was made the Governor of the People, had Precepts concerning Religion and the Worship of God given him;