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A49602
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Conformity of the ecclesiastical discipline of the Reformed churches of France with that of the primitive Christians written by M. La Rocque ... ; render'd into English by Jos. Walker.; Conformité de la discipline ecclésiastique des Protestans de France avec celle des anciennes Chrêtiens. English
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Larroque, Matthieu de, 1619-1684.; Walker, Joseph.
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1691
(1691)
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Wing L453; ESTC R2267
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211,783
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388
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according to the Flesh the Divinity remaining impassible that he was buried that he rose again the third day that he ascended into Heaven and that he will come in glory to Judge the quick and the dead to conclude I confess and believe that the holy Virgin is preperly and truly Mother and the Mother of a God which made himself Man Those who desire to be more fully informed of what I have now discoursed may Read the formulary of Nicetas whereof I have made mention on the 3 article of this chapter and in the place I marked After all 't is most certain the Catechumeny were instructed on all the articles of the Symbol which comprehend the principal points of Christianity and the essential and capital points of Religion the Catechisms of St. Cyrill of Jerusalem shew so much seeing he there Explains all those saving truths which those ought to know which fitted themselves to receive holy Baptism in effect they often heard mention made of God the Father and the Work of Creation with the Titles of Father of Almighty and of Creator which are given to him of Jesus Christ and of the work of Redemption with his quality of only begotten Son of God of the Holy Ghost and the Work of Sanctification they were taught there were three Persons in Unity of One and the same Essence that the second Person of the Trinity took on him our Nature in the Womb of the Virgin Mary by the Operation of the Holy Ghost to the end he might dye and by his death make Expiation for our Sins fully satisfie his Fathers Justice for us appease his Wrath and restore us into his Favour They often heard mention made of his Person of his two Natures Divine and Humane of his Imployments and Offices of the Misteries of his Incarnation the Wonders of his Birth the Holiness of his Life the Glory of his Miracles the meanness of his Cross the shame of his Sufferings the power of his Resurrection and the Glory of his Ascension and of his Triumph thence they proceeded to the Explication of the Article of the Holy Ghost whose Divinity and Operations were established Jesus Christ having sent Him from Heaven on the Apostles for the establishing his Kingdom and for Illuminating and Sanctifying those which he was effectually to call to the Communion of his Gospel To conclude they were made understand the Nature of the Holy Church which was to beget them anew unto God of the Graces he bestows on it in this Life and of the Glory he prepares for it in that which is to come All these thing are at large treated of in the Catechisms of S. Cyril which I have cited and they are seen more succinctly in the 7 chapter of the little Treatise of Theodulphus of whom I have also spake and in that of Amalarius Arch-Bishop of Treves Pag. 1151 Par. 1617 dedicated to Charlemain in the works of Alcuin Besides it must not be thought that in the ancient Church they satisfied themselves with explaining to the Catechumenies the things which I but now touched it was also necessary they should give an account in answering the questions put to them on each article according to which Eusebius makes mention in his Ecclesiastical History of a man Lib. 7. c. 9. which had assisted at the Baptism of those which had been newly Baptised and he said he heard their Questions and Answers St. Cyprian in his 70 Epistle speaks also of this custom when he saith the Question it self made at Baptism is witness of the Truth Firmillian Bishop of Cesaria in Cappadocia teaches us the same thing when speaking of a woman which boasted to be a Prophetess he saith that to give the more colour to her Delusions Apad Cypri Ep. 75. pag. 147. She Baptised several persons using the usual words which were wont to be implyed in the Interrogations to the end her Baptism should not seem to differ in any thing from the Ecclesiastical Rule seeing that neither the Symbol of the Trinity nor the usual and Ecclesiastical Interrogations was omitted by her It is to which doubtless the first Council of Arles had regard Tom. 1. conc Gal. pag. 6. when in the year 314 it appointed in the 8th of it's Cannons not to re-baptise Hereticks if after Examining them on the Creed one found that they had been Baptised in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost but only those amongst them who being interrogated answered not this Trinity that is to say to the questions made them touching the Trinity of Persons and unity of their Essence St. Pag. 86. Par 1631 Cyril of Jerusalem has not forgot this Circumstance in his two Mystagogical Catechisms no more than Optatus of Mileua in his 5th Book against Parmenian nor St. Jerom in the 5th Chapter of his Dialogue against the Luciferians nor St. Austin in the 20th Chapter of the 5th Book against the Donatists and he even tells us in his 23th Epist to Bonifacius that when Little Children were Baptised those which presented them answered for them to all the Interrogations which were made and the Author of the Book of Ecclesiastical Dogma's in the Appendix of the 3d. Tome of his Works establishes the same Custom in the 52 Chap. The Author of the Book of Sacraments in the 4th Vol. of the Works of St. Ambrose also observes this Custom in the 7th Chap. of the 2d Book And a great while before Tertullian in the 3d. Chap. of the Book of the Crown had made mention of the Answers of those which were Baptised therefore he could have wished they had deferr'd the Baptism of Children until they were in a state of being able to give an account of their Faith which opinion St. Gregory of Nazianzen seemed also to approve In the book of Sacraments of Gregory I. Pag. 73. it is demanded of the Party to be baptised Do you believe in God the Father Almighty maker of Heaven and Earth He answers I do believe Do you believe in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord which was born and suffered I do believe Do you also believe in the Holy Ghost do you believe the holy Catholick Church the Communion of Saints the forgiveness of Sins the Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting I do believe Do you desire to be Baptised I do Somthing to this purpose is to be read in the book of Sacraments whereof I made mention in the foregoing Section and in the place I noted Besides there 's great probability that St. Peter made Allusion to this practice when he said in the 3d. Chap. of his first Epistle that the Baptism whereby we are saved is not that whereby the filthiness of the Flesh is washed but the witness of a good Conscience in the sight of God the Resurrection of Jesus Christ The Greek Word which we have translated Witness signifies properly Interrogation I add for a Conclusion of these
present it only saith That 't is requisite there should several be assisting or that should consent by their Letters The 1st of the Canons attributed to the Apostles requires That a Bishop should be establish'd by two or three Bishops Thence it is that though according to the direction of most part of the Canons Three Bishops were usually employed for the Ordaining a Pastor nevertheless Examples are found different from this Custom Dioscorus Bishop of Alexandria was Ordain'd by two Bishops Tom. 3. Concil p. 539. nevertheless the Fathers of the Council of Calcedon acknowledg'd him for a Legitimate Bishop before his being depos'd and frequently term'd him the Most Reverend Bishop Hist Eccles l. 5. c. 23. Theodoret Writes that Evagrius was Consecrated Bishop of Antioch by Paulin only and by this means chose him his Successor before his death yet this did not hinder but Siricius and Innocent L. 7. c. 32. p. 288. the 1st Bishops of Rome and almost all those of the West esteemed him as a Lawful Minister Anatolius as Eusebius writes in his Ecclesiastical History received the Imposition of Hands by Theoteckna Bishop of Caesaria in Palâ—stine and in making him Bishop made him also his Coadjutor by reason of his great Age it not appearing that any other Bishop was present at this Ceremony although it had been easie to have called others to it it 's true this hapned before the 1st Council of Nice but besides that the other Examples we have alledged are after this Council it needs only to read the 4th Chapter of the 5th Book of Theodoret's Ecclesiastical History where will be seen sundry Instances of Bishops being Ordain'd by laying on of Hands of one Minister to which may be added the 19th Chapter of his Religious History and the 19th of the 8th Book of Zozomen's History which makes mention of two several Ordinations made or ready to be done without any great necessity by one sole Bishop a great while after this Council of Nice It is not then to be thought strange if our Discipline mentions but two seeing also these two do represent the Synod or Colloque which deputed them and that they do nothing but by virtue of the Power and Authority wherewith those Bodies has invested them and that moreover one alone may suffice for a due Ordination as we have just now proved But before ending this matter one difficulty which offers must be resolv'd to wit if Hands may be laid on two Ministers at once for it sometimes happens in our Churches that two are called together and some are in doubt and desire to know if one Minister can give them both Ordination at the same moment To which I answer That if one consider the Original of this Ceremony and the Nature of the thing it self one may safely agree to lay hands on two Ministers at once As for the Original and the Ceremony every body knows it comes from Jesus Christ or rather from the Patriarchs which practised it before their Children were Masters of Judea and 't is not to be doubted but Jesus Christ and the Apostles derived this Custom thence when they us'd it If it appears then that any of the Patriarchs blessed two persons at once in putting one hand on the head of the one and the other hand on the head of the other it seems to me one is sufficiently Authoris'd to give Imposition of Hands to two Ministers at the same time Now to know if the Patriarchs did so you need only read Genesis 48. where Jacob blessed the two Sons of Joseph purposely setting his right hand on the head of Ephraim which was the younger and his lest on the head of Manasseh which was the elder Brother But to remove all doubt and scruple it needs only cast an eye on the nature of the thing it self that 's to say on the Prayer which is indeed what is the essential part of these kind of Actions the imposing of the hand or hands being only a bare exterior gesture to design those for whom the Blessing of God is implor'd that it may rest upon them as one may so speak much after the same way as the hands do stay on their heads now no body does question but that one may pray for two as well as for one thence it is that in Eusebius his History there is mention made L. 1. c. 13. p. 34. to receive Prayers by the hand to signifie to receive the Blessing of God by Prayer and the laying on of Hands so that in effect 't is as if he had said To receive the Blessing of God by Prayer and the imposition of Hands as he speaks in Chap. 1. Book 2. To conclude The Ancients called this Ceremony which they practised on sundry occasions Tom. 7. l. 2. c. 26. de pecc mor. rem I say they called it Prayers by the hand or Prayers of the hand or hands Or as St. Austin explains himself in some of his Writings The Prayer of Imposition of Hands IX Those which are Elected shall subscribe the Confession of Faith settled amongst us and the Ecclesiastical Discipline as well in the Churches where they are Ordain'd as in those whither they may be sent CONFORMITY The former part of this Article which regards the Confession of Faith which those are to sign which are established in the Ministry of the Church relates in the first place to what was practised in the Primitive Church where when one received the Office of Bishop or Minister one was absolutely obliged to subscribe to the Confession of Faith of the Council of Nice and by consequence to what was determin'd in the three following Oecumenical Councils touching the Divinity of the Holy Ghost and touching the Person and two Natures of Jesus Christ Secondly It refers also to the mutual Letters which the New Bishops wrote to the others to assure them they were of the same Communion and that they had one and the same belief See here a famous instance and of the first Antiquity that is of the 3d Century whereof Eusebius has preserved us the memory in his Ecclesiastical History L. 7. c. 30. p. 282. in his preserving the Letter which the Fathers of the Council of Antioch where Paul of Samosatia was condemned wrote to all the Churches In this Letter amongst other things they give advice of the Ordination of Domnus into the Church of Antioch instead of a Heretick which they had deposed and they give this intimation That one may write to Domnus which was the lawful Bishop and that Communicatory Letters might be receiv'd from him St. Cyprian at the end of his 67th Letter to Pope Stephen Let us know saith he who has been setled at Arles instead of Marcion to the end we may know to whom to recommend our Brethren and to whom to write Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria advertises at the end of his 1st and 3d Paschal Letters all the Bishops of Egypt of the