onely meane to liue holily and as they should do, whom the spirite of God moueth, to take their delight and recreation in readyng his holy will. MarginaliaA good iudgement. And if others wilfully will go out of the way, cleauyng to the Sinagoges of false doctrine, they may at their owne perill: as for vs, we haue the most worthy house or congregation of Gods veritie, whiche he accordyng to his owne goodnes and nature hath geuen vs. And this also we wish vnto them, that with like participation and common consent, they may feele with vs the same delectation of mynde. MarginaliaOne religion from the beginning of the world. For this our Religion is neither newe nor newly inuented, but is as old, as we beleue the creation of the world to be: and which God hath commaunded to be celebrated with such worshyp as both seemed and pleased him. But all liuyng men are lyers, and are disceaued with diuers and sundry illusions. MarginaliaThe prayer of Constant. was fulfilled Thou O God for Christ thy sonnes sake, suffer not this wickednes agayn to take roote: thou hast set vp a cleare burnyng light, that thereby, as many as thou hast chosen may come vnto thee. These thy miracles approue the same. It is thy power that keepeth vs in innocency and fidelitie. MarginaliaEche thyng in their creation preach the very and true God. The Sunne & the Moone runne their appointed course: neither yet in rangyng wise wander the starres to what place of the world they list them selues. The dayes, yeares, monethes, and tymes, keepe their apointed turnes. The earth abydeth firme and vnremoueable at thy word, and the winde at the time (by thee directed) stormeth and bloweth. The streaming watery floudes, ebbe in tyme accordyng as they flow. The ragyng Sea abideth within her bounded limites. And for that the Ocean Sea stretcheth out her selfe in equall length and breadth with the whole earth: MarginaliaThe earth stayde vp by the power of God. this must needes be wrought with some marueilous workemanshyp of thine owne hand: whiche thyng vnlesse it were at thy will made and disposed, without all doubt, so great difference and partition betwene, would or this tyme haue brought vtter ruine and destruction, both to the life of man, as all that belongeth to man beside. Whiche for that they haue such great and huge conflictes amongest themselues, as also the inuisible spirites haue: we geue thee thankes, O Lord most mighty God of all Gods, that all mankynd hath not bene destroyed thereby. Surely, euen as greatly as thy benignitie and gentlenes, is manifested by diuers and sundry benefites bestowed vpon vs: MarginaliaWho they be that Constant. accompteth wise in deede. so much also is the same set forth and declared in the discipline of thy eternall word, to those that be heauenly wise, and apply them selues to the attaynmēt of sincere and true vertue. But if any such there be, that litle regarde or haue but smal respect vnto the consideration thereof: let them not blame or lay a fault in others that do the same. For that Phisicke wherby health is obtained is manifestly offered vnto all mē: MarginaliaExperience a tryall of the truth. now therfore let no man go about to subuert that, whiche experience it selfe doth shew (of necessitie) to be pure & good. Let vs therfore altogether vse the participation of this benefite bestowed vpon vs, that is to say, the benefit of peace & tranquilitie, settyng a part all controuersie. And let no mā hurt or be preiudiciall to his fellow for that thyng, wherein he thinketh him selfe to haue done well. If by that, which any man knoweth & hath experience of, he thinketh he may profite his neighbour, let him do the same, if not, let him geue ouer, and remit it till an other tyme. For there is a great diuersitie betwixt the willyng & voluntary embracyng of religion, and that when a man is thereunto inforced and coacted. Of these thynges haue I made a more larger discourse, then in deede, the scope of mediocritie requireth: specially because I would not haue my fayth (touchyng the veritye) to be hyd. MarginaliaConstantinus neyther for feare dissemleth hys fayth, neyther through policy defaceth Gods glory. For that I heare there be some, whiche complayne the old accustomed hauntyng of their temples, and that the power of such darknesse is cut of and taken away: whiche thyng surely I would take in better part, were it not that the violent rebelliō of flagitious errour, were so fixed in many mens hartes, wherby they thyrst after the vtter subuersion of the common weale and Empire.

Such was the goodnes of this Emperour Constantinus, or rather such was the prouidence of almighty God toward his Church, in styrryng him vp: that all his care and study of mynde was set vpon nothyng els, but onely how to benefite and enlarge the commodities of the same. Neither was it to him enough to deliuer the Churche and people of God, from outward vexation of forraine tyrauntes and persecutors.MarginaliaConstantinus compared to Moses in deliuering the people, & agreeing them together. No lesse beneficiall was his godly care also in quietyng the inward dissentions and disturbaunce within the Church among the Christian Bishops themselues, accordyng as we read of Moses the deliuerer of the Israelites, in agreyng the brethren together, when he saw them at variaunce. Exod. 2. No lesse also did his vigilant study extend in erectyng, restoring, & enrichyng the Churches of God in all Cities, & in prouidyng for the Ministers of the same.MarginaliaThe letter of Constantinus to Anilinus hys captayne. And therfore writyng to Anilinus his chief captaine, declareth his will and mynde to him in letters, concernyng the goodes which dyd before appertaine to the Churches of the Christians: that he should procure vigilantly for the same: that all such goodes, houses, and gardens, belongyng before to the right of Churches, should agayne be restored in all speedy wise: and that he therein might be certified with speede. &c.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Constātine to Anilinus. Moreouer, writyng to the sayd Anilinus in an other letter, signifieth vnto him in this effect:MarginaliaThe cōtempt of Gods religion, the chiefest decay of commō weales. that for so much as the contempt of God his reuerent Religion, is and hath bene euer the greatest decay to the name and people of Rome, as contrary the maintainyng and reuerencyng the same, hath euer brought prosperitie to all common weales: Therfore he in consideration therof, hath taken that order, and geueth to him in charge, that through that prouince, where he hath to do, whiche was in Aphrica where Cecilianus was Byshop, he should there see and prouide, that all such ministers and Clerkes, whose vocation was to serue in the Church, should be freed & exempted frō all publike duties & burdens: whereby they beyng so priuileged, & all impedimentes remoued, which should hinder their diuine ministration: thereby the common vtilitie of the people might the better florish. &c.

MarginaliaAn other letter of Constātinus to Miltiades byshop of Rome. Futhermore, the sayd Cōstātinus in an other letter writyng to Miltiades, Byshop of Rome, and to Marcus, declareth in his letters to them, how Cecilianus byshop of Carthage, hath bene accused vnto him by diuers of his colleages and fellow byshops. Wherfore his will is, that the sayd Ceclianus, with. x. Byshops his accusers, with. x. other his defendaūtes should repayre vp to him at Rome, where in the present assistaunce of the foresayd Militiades, Rheticus, Maternus, Marinus, & of other their fellow Colleages, the cause of Cecilianus might be hard, and rightly examined,MarginaliaThe feruent desire of Constantinus to peace and vnitie. so that all schisme and diuision might be cut of from among them: wherin the feruent desire of Constantinus to peace and vnitie, may well appeare.

MarginaliaThe letter of Constant. to Chrestus B. of Syracusa. Vpon the lyke cause and argument also, he writeth to Chrestus Bishop of Syracusa, so desirous to nourish peace and concord in the Church, that he offereth to him with his vnder Ministers and three seruauntes, his free cariage to come vp to hym vnto the Coūcell of other Bishops, for agreyng for certaine matters belongyng to the Church.

He writeth also an other letter to the forenamed Cecilianus Byshop of Carthage.

MarginaliaThe edicte of Cōstantinus to the rulers of the prouince of Palestina. To the prouinces likewise of Palestina and those partes about, he directeth his Edict in the behalfe of the Christians: for the releasing of such as were in captiuitie: and for the restoryng agayne of them, which had sustained any losse in the former persecutiō before, & for the refreshyng of such as heretofore had bene oppressed with any ignominie, or molestatiō, for their confessiō sake: declaring in the sayd Edict, how that his whole body, life and soule, and what soeuer is in hym, he oweth to God, and to the seruice of hym. &c.

MarginaliaThe letter of Constantine to Eusebius. Moreouer an other letter he writeth to Eusebius, for the edifiyng of new Christiā Churches, and restoryng of them which had bene wasted before by forreine enemyes. And after he had collected theMarginaliaThe Coūcell of Nice. Synode of Nice, for the study of peace and vnitie of the Church, he writeth vpon the same to Alexander and Arrius.MarginaliaThe effect of the letter of Constantine to Alexander and Arrius.
Ex Euseb. de vita Constant Lib. 2. In which his letters he most lamentably vttered the great griefe of his hart, to see and heare of their contention and diuision: whereby the peace & common harmony of the Church was broken, the Synode prouoked and resisted, the holy people of the Lord deuided into partes and tumultes, contrary to the office of good and circumspect men, whose duty were rather to nourish concorde and to seeke tranquillitie. And though in some small poyntes and light trifles they did disagree from other: yet as the exāple of Philosophers might teach thē, who although in some part of a sentence or peece of a question, some might dissent from other: yet in the vnitie of their profession, they did all ioyne as fellowes together. In like case were it their duty in such fruitles questions (or rather peeces of questions) to keepe them in the conceptiōs of their myndes, in silēce vnto themselues, and not to bryng them forth into publicke Synodes, to breake therfore from the communiō of the reuerent Councell. Declaryng moreouer in the sayd Epistle, the first origine and occasion of this their contentious dissention to rise vpon vayne and triflyng termes, vile causes, and light questions, and peeces rather of questions: about such matters as neither are to be moued, nor to be aūswered vnto beyng moued, more curious to be searched, and perilous to be expressed, then necessary to be inquired, magis puerilibus ineptijs, quam sacerdotum ac cordatorum virorum prudentiæ conuenientia, as he there doth terme them. Wherefore by all maner meanes he doth labour them, doth entreate thē, and perswade them, not onely with reasons, but also with teares and sighyng sobbes, that they