aluable as recording certain high religious and
political principles prevailing in those early times, and still to
be cherished.

CORPORAL, _see_ Altar Linen.

COUNCILS. GENERAL or OECUMENICAL COUNCILS, or SYNODS. Assemblies of
Bishops from all parts of the world, to determine some weighty
matter of faith or discipline. Of such Councils there have been six
received by the whole Catholic Church, but the Roman Church
acknowledges several others. Of these six Councils the first four
are the most important:--(1) Council of Nice, A.D. 325, summoned
by the Emperor Constantine, against the Arian heresy. (2) Council
of Constantinople, A.D. 381, summoned by the Emperor Theodosius,
against the heresy of Macedonius. (3) Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431,
summoned by the Emperor Theodosius the younger, against the Nestorian
heresy. (4) Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, summoned by the Emperor
Marcianus, against the heresy of the Eutychians. The other two
generally received Councils are the Second and Third Councils of
Constantinople. (See _OEcumenical_.)

Besides these _General_ Councils, there are National, Provincial,
and Diocesan Councils,

COVENANT. A mutual agreement between two or more parties. In the
Bible, God is spoken of as entering into covenant with man, as in
Gen. xv.8-18; xxviii.20-22; and elsewhere. In an historical sense
it denotes a contract or convention agreed to by the Scots in 1630
for maintaining the Presbyterian religion free from innovation.
This was called the National Covenant. The "Solemn League and
Covenant," a modification of the above, guaranteed the preservation
of the Scottish Reformed Church, and was adopted by Parliament in
1643.

CREDENCE TABLE. A table or shelf near the altar, on which the bread
and wine to be used in Holy Communion are placed previously to
consecration. The word seems to be derived from the Italian
_credenzare_, a buffet, or sideboard, at which meats were tasted
in early times before being presented to the guests, as a precaution
against poison. It is used for the more convenient observance of
the rubric following the offertory sentences, "And when there is a
Communion, the priest shall _then_ place upon the Table so much
bread and wine as he shall think sufficient."

CREED. There are three Creeds recognised in the Catholic Church--the
_Apostles' Creed_, the _Nicene Creed_, and the _Athanasian Creed_.
The name _Creed_ is derived from the Latin _Credo_, "I believe."

The _Apo