OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

admitted, as a fundamental maxim of religious chap.

policy, that no bishop could be imposed on an_

orthodox church, without the consent of itsmembers. The emperors, as the guardians ofthe public peace, and as the first citizens ofRome and Constantinople , might effectuallydeclare their wishes in the choice of a primate;but those absolute monarchs respected thefreedom of ecclesiastical elections; and whilethey distributed and resumed the honours ofthe state and army, they allowed eighteen hun-dred perpetual magistrates to receive their im-' portant offices from the free suffrages of thepeople/ It was agreeable to the dictates ofjustice, that these magistrates should not desertan honourable station from which they couldnot be removed; but the wisdom of councilsendeavoured, without much success, to enforcethe residence, and to prevent the translation ofbishops. The discipline of the West was in-deed less relaxed than that of the East; butthe same passions which made those regula-tions necessary rendered them ineffectual. Thereproaches which angry prelates have so vehe-mently urged against each other, serve only toexpose their common guilt, and their mutualindiscretion.

ii. The bishops alone possessed the faculty „!; t £ n r ofof spiritual generation; and this extraordinary ti>e clergy,privilege might compensate, in some degree, for

1 All the examples quoted by Thomassin (Discipline del’Eglise, tom.ii, 1. ii, c. 6, p. 704*714) appear to be extraordinary acts of power, andeven of oppression. The confirmation of the bishop of Alexandria ismentioned by Philostorgius as a more regular proceeding (Hist, Eccles.

I. ii, 11).