The bishops of Constans’s party[236] were greatly assistant to him in this work of persecution, and shewed more rage against their fellow-Christians, than they did against the very barbarians themselves. ----- Footnote 234: Plat. in vit. Honorii I. Footnote 235: Plat. in vit. Mart. Footnote 236: Act. 15, 6. Constant. Tom. Concil. 2. ----- [Illustration] SECT. VIII. _The third council at Constantinople; or sixth general council._ Constantine, the eldest son of Constans, cut off his two younger brothers’ noses, that they might not share the empire with him; but, however, happened to be more orthodox than his predecessors; and by the persuasion of Agatho,[237] pope of Rome, convened the sixth general council at Constantinople, A. D. 680, in which were present 289 bishops. The fathers of this holy synod complimented the emperor with being “another David, raised up by Christ, their God, a man after his own heart; who had not given sleep to his eyes, nor slumber to his eye-lids, till he had gathered them together, to find out the perfect rule of faith.” After this they condemned the heresy of one will in Christ, and declared, “that they glorified two natural wills and operations, indivisibly, inconvertibly, without confusion, and inseparably in the same Lord Jesus Christ, our true God, i. e. the divine operation, and the human operation.” So that now the orthodox faith, in reference to Christ, was this; that “he had two natures, the divine and human; that these two natures were united, without confusion, into one single person; and that in this one single person, there were two distinct wills and operations, the human and divine.” Thus, at last, 680 years after Christ, was the orthodox faith, relating to his deity, humanity, nature and wills, decided and settled by this synod; who, after having pronounced anathemas against the living and dead, ordered the burning of heretical books, and deprived several bishops of their sees; procured an edict from the emperor, commanding all to receive their confession of faith, and denouncing not only eternal, but corporal punishments to all recusants; viz. if they were bishops, or clergymen, or monks, they were to be banished; if laymen, of any rank and figure, they were to forfeit their estates, and lose their honours; if of the common people, they were to be expelled the royal city. These their definitive sentences were concluded with the usual exclamation, of, “God save the emperor, long live the orthodox emperor; down with the heretics; cursed be Eutyches, Macarius, &c. The Trinity hath deposed them.” ----- Footnote 237: Plat. in vit. Agath. -----