that they who take upon them the Power to Ordain having never receiv'd it from those that were vested with it do it in the wrong of the Lawful Possessors who alone could convey it and having np just Title to it they can no more Constitute a Minister of Christ than they can make dead Bones live 3. The Office which Timothy had was given him by Prophecy 1 Tim. 4. 14. or according to the Prophecies that went before of him 1 Tim. 1. 8. His Ordination therefore if the way of arguing much us'd amongst Dissenâ—â—rs be good must have been an Extraordinary thing and is not to be drawn into Precedent except in Parallel Cases But your Pastors I suppose do not pretend that they were markt out by Prophecy or distinguish'd by a particular Revelation and therefore they cannot here find any defence of their Pretences to the Ministry 4. The Dissenters by affirming that Timothy was an Extraordinary Officer and Evangelist cut off all the Succour which they would draw from this place for the Vindication of their Ordinations For according to their own Opinion here is no Example of Presbyters Constituting a Presbyter or a Fixed Pastor of a Church and then certainly there is none to be found in the Bible I know not what they can reply to this unless they would shift their Principles and confess that we have in Timothy an Instance of Episcopal Government or Standing Prelacy and if they would advance thus far towards us I may refer them to what I said before to prove that his Ordainers must have had Apostolical or Episcopal Authority III. Others claim their Title to the Ministry as being Ordain'd by the People But what Divine Precept what Rule have they for this What Example have they for it either in Scripture or out of Scripture in any part of the Catholick Church If they have discover'd in it so much as One Pastor of their way for above a Thousand Years after the Day of the Apostles I would demand as St. Austin did in another case Out of what Earth did he spring Out of what Sea did he arise From which of the Heavens was he dropt For my own part after all the research that I have been able to make I can find no such Person not so much as an Instance of One in all Antiquity 'T is true St. Paul did foretell That the Time would come when Men would not endure sound Doctrine But having itching Ears would heap to themselves Teachers after their own Lusts And Tertullian informs us of some Hereticks who impos'd on private Persons the Office or peculiar Work of the Priesthood But your Ministers I suppose will not insist upon such Passages as these for their Vindication and yet I know no other that can support their Cause The Assembly of Divines who have been the Oracles of the Presbyterians write with great assurance of this Matter For say they We challenge any Man to shew any one Text in all the New Testament for the Justification of a Popular Ordination To what purpose add they did Paul aud Barnabas 〈◊〉 from place to place to Ordain Elders Why was Titus left in Crete to appoint Elders in every City Might not the People say What need Paul leave Titus to do that which we can do our selves If this Doctrine were true the Apostles needed only to have Preach'd and to have Converted the People to the Faith and when they had done to have said We have now done our Work You may 〈◊〉 Elect and Ordain your Officers your selves the power of these things belongs to you But the Apostles did quite contrary c. They afterwards complain of a Generation of Men then risen up amongst them who disclaim'd all Ordination from Ministers asVnwarrantable and Antichristian and took it up from the People as the only way of the Gospel Whereas they tell us it hath not the least â—ooting in the New Testament nor in Antiquity but is in effect a renouncing of 〈◊〉 Ordinance of Christ as Antichristian and of all the Ministers and Churches in the Christian World A thing that would engage Men to be Seekers and to forsake all Church-Communion as many they say did in those Vnhappy Days Salmasius who was on the side of the Assembly and otherwise a Man of Prodigious Learning declares That the People have power to impose over themselves a King which may be true in some cases but they had never any to Elect and Ordain Presbyters and Bishops Calvin also affirms That not the Multitude of Believers but the Pastors only impos'd Hands on their Ministers And that they only ought to do so is so much the common Opinion of the Reform'd that in the Judgment of Blondel that Work was not ascrib'd to Laymen by any Protestant Our Separatisâ—s I know are divided about this Matter And however theâ— that call themselves the Vnited Ministers c. agree in this That it is requâ—site that a Person who is chosen to the Ministerial Office be duly Ordain'd They do not declare by whom or 〈◊〉 what manner he is to be so Nor could they declare it but they must have discover'd their Divisions which 〈◊〉 much Art they endeavour'd to conceâ—â— And now that I am upon this Subject I cannot but take notice that when the Heads of their Agreement were sent from the City into the Country to gather Subscriptions Amongst other Articles of that Union it was asserted that Ordination was to be perform'd 〈◊〉 Imposition of Hands but this was afterwards left out in the Printed Copy to the great Surprize of many Subscribers that had approv'd it And leaving you to judge of the Sincerity of the Managers of this Affair I shall think it no great Digression to make this Remark That there is amongst the Separatists a prevailing Party who would say aside a Ceremony which is of Divine or Apostolical Institution and which has been of constant use in all Churches But whether they reject it as sinful or whether they are sensible that their Ordainers have no Right to it or what other Inducement they had to discharge it I pretend not to determine I only urge them to prove by any good Authority that a Congregation may Ordain their own Pastor either without that Rite or with it If they are not able to do this it may easily be decided whether they have imitated the Pattern in the Mount which they would be thought to follow with so much exactness or whether they have not forsaken it in a Matter of the greatest Moment that they might establish their own Inventions I have now enquir'd what Title your Pastors have to the Ministry whether they pretend to it as being Ordain'd by Presbyters or by the People and can find nothing of Validity in it If they can demonstrate it to be good let them produce their strong Reasons for it But if no just Defence can be made of it Then according
They are Baptized into Christ and at the same time they are Baptized into One Body The same thing makes them Members of Christ and of his Body and entitles them to all the Benefits of the Covenant of Grace 2. They that are admitted into the Church are continued in it in a Visible manner In the several places where they reside they are oblig'd to meet together for the Celebration of Divine Worship And accordingly we read of some of the first Believers whose Example others ought to follow that they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in Breaking Bread and Prayers The Christians in the Apostles Days as well as afterwards made use of several Outward Rites by which they testify'd their mutual Agreement Such were their Feasts of Charity at which the Rich and Poor did eat together as Brethren and the Holy Kiss or the Kiss of Peace as Tertullian calls it with which they saluted one another This indeed may seem a thing of little moment yet was it the subject of an Apostolical Precept and in the Primitive Times it was not esteemed a small matter to neglect a Ceremony which was then in use amongst the Faithful as a sign of their Union This Union is much more eminently set forth in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which is to be continued till his coming to Judgment and so must remain a visible mark and constant pledge of Christian Concord We being many says St. Paul are one Bread that is we are as that one Loaf which we see at the Lords Table and which is made up of many grains of Flower He adds that we are one Body and he proves it from hence that we are all Partakers of that one Bread It is plain then that our partaking of the same Bread is a manifest Sign of our being one Body But as St. Austin says very well Whosoever receives the Sacrament of Unity and does not keep the Bond of Peace he receives not the Sacrament for himself or his own advantage but that which is a Testimony against himself It is here to be consider'd that as by one visible Rite which is Baptism we were admitted into the Church and made Members of Christ So by another which is the Eucharist we do not only communicate with our Brethren but also with Christ himself For as they that did partake of the Table of Devils had Fellowship with Devils so on the contrary they that partake of the Table of Christ have Fellowship with Christ The things says St. Paul which the Gentiles Sacrifice they Sacrifice to Devils and not to God and I would not that ye should have Fellowship with Devils Ye cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of Devils Ye cannot be Partakers of the Lords Table and the Table of Devils And says the same Apostle The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Certainly it is as the words import nor is this to be doubted by any Christian 2. Offenders were expell'd from the Church in as visible a manner as other Criminals are disfranchis'd or depriv'd of the freedom of a City The Church dismissing them mourn'd for them as dead And the Persons ejected as well as others were sensible of this that they were no longer Members nor intitled to the Priviledges of the Society from which they were expell'd If they repented of their Enormities they were far from believing that their condition was the same that it was before the fall They esteem'd the Sentence pass'd upon them as indeed it was a sad anticipation of the future Judgment They spent the day in Lamentation and the night in Watching and Sorrow They put on the habit of Mourners and with Tears and grievous Cries they bewail'd their own folly They humbled themselves in Sackcloth and Ashes and mortified their Bodies with rigorous Fastings They threw themselves at the feet of those that went into the Christian Assemblies begging them with great importunity to intercede for them that they might be restor'd to the Peace of the Church without which they did not think themselves safe notwithstanding they knew the sincerity of their own Repentance 4. The Penitents were restor'd to the Peace of the Church in as visible a manner as they have been expell'd from it When St. Paul had given order to the Corinthians to put away the Incestuous person from amongst them he afterwards directed them to forgive him and exhorted them to confirm their love to him that is to ratifie it publickly by their reception of him upon his Repentance into their Society In the succeeding Ages the lapsed or such as fell into grievous Sins were obliged to pass through several degrees of a severe Discipline in order to their recovery But being approv'd after a long Tryal the Bishop and his Clergy laid their Hands on them and solemnly admitted them again to the Communion of the Faithful You have seen that the Church is a Visible Society and the profess'd Enemies of it sometimes saw this but too well For when Associations or â—raternities were forbidden by the Roman Edicts the Heathens thereupon persecuted the Christians as coming under that Prohibition And the Apolo-gifts for the Sufferers deny'd not that they were a Corporation but allowing this pleaded their Innocence We are a Body says Tertullian by the Consent of Religion the Vnity of Discipline and the Covenant of Hope He confesses that if their Meeting together were like those Seditious Conventions which were punish'd by Law it would justly come under the same Condemnation But says he We are the same being assembled as when we are dispers'd We are the same altogether as when we are taken singly and apart hurting no Man grieving no Man And when Vertuous and good Men meet when the Holy and Chast are assembled it is not to be call'd a Faction but a Court. II. The Church is a Regular Society It is not a confused or scattered Multitude but a Body fitly joyn'd together A Body consisting of many Members of which all have not the same Office Some are call'd to Preside and Govern and others to be under their Inspection and Authority and for the good of the whole both ought to be exercis'd in the proper Duties of their Places and Vocations Clemens Romanus endavouring to cure the Corinthians of their Schiâ—â— put them in mind that the High-Priests and the Priests the Levites and the People had each their peculiar Work allotted to them And lest Christians should think themselves unconcerned in that Instance he presently adds Let every one of you my Brethren within his own Station be thankful to God not transgressing the Canon or Rule which limits his Service After this he
shews That however Death was the Punishment of such as did break the Mosaical Constitutions yet as we are honoured with greater Knowledge than the Jews had been so we are liable to greater Danger That is if we pass our Bounds and raise Disturbances as they did Order therefore is still to be preserv'd in the Church and that more carefully than it was in the time of the Aaronical Priesthood In the New Testament we find that our Lord gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers He gave them for the perfecting of the Saints or as the Word may well be rendred for the compacting or joyning them together He did it for the Work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ And some such Officers are always necessary and must be continu'd Till we all come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Amongst the Officers of Christ the Apostles are reckoned as the first and were the chief And since all the Power that is purely Ecclesiastical and which ought still to remain in the Church pass'd through their Hands it may be very fit to consider what Authority they received from him for from thence we may gather what they transmitted down to Posterity for the Government of his Kingdom Now we find that the Apostles were the Stewards of the Mysteries of God and had the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven They were the Representatives of Christ on Earth and acted in his Name and in his Stead They were his Ambassadors and employ'd by him to reconcile Mankind unto God upon the Terms of the New Covenant As the Father sent him so he sent them into the World and accordingly having so high a Commission they went about and labour'd to bring all Nations under his Discipline When their Work increas'd they appointed some to serve Tables or to provide things necessary for the Sustenance of the meaner Proselytes Others they constituted not only to be Teachers but Rulers of the Churches And if they Rul'd well especially if they labour'd in the Word and Doctrine they were to be accounted worthy of double Honour or a double share out of the common Stock And thus a Government distinct from that of the Secular Magistrate and a long time oppos'd by it was establish'd in all places where-ever Christianity did prevail There is no need that I should here discourse of the Form of Church-Government having prov'd in another Treatise That this Government from the beginning was Episcopal and that the Bishops were Successors to the Apostles And this I have done by such Arguments as I verily believe cannot be answer'd if it be but granted That there is any such thing as an Evangelical Ministry I had almost said as a Christian remaining in the World and with those that would dispute or deny so evident a Truth whether Scepticks or Deists or whatever else they are I am not at present concern'd But were all Apostles or Bishops Were all Pastors and Teachers No certainly but there was a Faithful People distinct from them and under their Care and Charge and what the Duty of the People was may be gather'd from these places of Scripture We beseech you Brethren says St. Paul to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their Works sake 1 Thess 5. 12 13. Agreeable to which are these Words in the Epistle to the Hebrews Remember them which have the Rule over you which have spoken to you the Word of God Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls Heb. 13. 7 17. Men are generally averse from enduring any thing of Subjection but we are to consider that the Obedience which is prescrib'd in the Texts of Scripture which I have cited is to be paid by the Faithful to those that are over them in the Lord Over them for his sake and on his account The Apostles or Bishops of the Churches are said to be the Glory of Christ That is they are his Representatives in governing such parts of his Kingdom as are assign'd to their charge The ground of this Interpretation I have mention'd in another place and taken from 1 Cor. 11. 7. where we read That Man is the Image and Glory of God which words in the Judgment of Theodoret are not to be understood with respect either to the Body of the Man or his Soul but to the Domion that he hath from God over the Creatures In the same Verse we read That the Woman is the Glory of the Man The Wife is the Glory of her Husband She is says Theodoret as it were the Image of that Image and as such she hath power over the rest of the Family It follows that Bishops being the Delegates of Jesus Christ the Observance that is paid to them as bearing that Character is graciously accepted as done to himself who hath said He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me We have seen that the Church is a Body consisting of Governing Parts and such as are Subordinate to them And as on this account it is Regular in its Constitution so it ought to be in its Practice For this reason the Spirits of Prophets were subject to Prophets Either to the Prophets that had them or as I rather think to Superior Prophets But certain it is that even extraordinary Gifts were to be submitted to the Rule of Peace and Discipline and Men that could speak by Divine Inspiration might not exercise that power any farther than was consistent with the Precept of doing all things decently and in order The Word which is rendred Order often signifies a Regular Disposition of things or a due proportion of parts with respect to the whole and to one another And in this so much of the beauty and strength of things consists that St. Paul had great reason to rejoyce as he did when he beheld the Order that was amongst the Colossians For he knew very well that when they invaded not one another's Work but were employ'd in their own When they whose Office it was to Teach waited on Teaching and they that Rul'd did it with Diligence when they that were under Authority were submissive to it and ready to receive instruction by such a happy Concurrence they would adorn their Religion and fortifie it against the Assaults of Adversaries They would do what was most beneficial to themselves and acceptable to God who is the Author of Peace and not of Confusion III. The Church however dispers'd over the World is One Political Body For it is the Vniversal Church that
is said in Scripture to be one Body and it is compar'd to an Organical Body because of the close connexion of the parts and that due subordination which as I have shew'd there is amongst them This may seem evident enough and yet the Question about Catholick Vnity hath been so intangled with various Disputes that I shall endeavour to set it in its proper Light And for this purpose I observe 1. That the Church is not said to be One meerly as professing a Subjection to One Invisible Head which is Jesus Christ but also because all the Faithful are united and compacted as in One Body For says the Apostle as we have many Members in One Body and all the Members have not the same Office So we being many are One Body and every one Members one of another All being knit together and fitly dispos'd for the benefit of the whole As there is but One Root so there is but One Stock from which indeed some Branches were broken off But many others were ingrafted into it and it is still the same The falling off of the Jews would have left an empty space but the Complement or Fulness of the Gentiles coming in it abundantly supplies the Vacancy And the Society which is represented by the good 〈◊〉 Tree is still the same notwithstanding it hath been under various Circumstances and Dispensations As there is but One Lord or Master so there is but One Spiritual 〈◊〉 or Houshold As there is but One Foundations of Faith so all the 〈…〉 and the whole Building must be 〈◊〉 fram'd together that it may grew up into a Holy Temple in the Lord. As there is One Shepherd so there is but One Flock and all that 〈◊〉 his Voice must be of the 〈…〉 As there is but One Captain of Salvation so there is but One Army that is said to be Terrible with Banners and which is never so formidable as when all that serve in it keep their Ranks and unanimously discharge their Duties in their several Stations As there is but One Governour so there is but One Holy City And as there is but One King of Saints so there is but One Kingdom and all must be Fellow-Citizens or Fellow-Subjects that own his Dominion or Sovereign Power As there is One Prince of Peace so he would have all his Followers to have Peace with one another Mark 9. 50. That is he would have them live not only as Persons that have Charitable Inclinations but in an outward and visible Agreement and Communion together as the Word signifies frequently in the Holy Scriptures and in the 〈◊〉 of the Fathers To the 〈◊〉 effect I suppose it is that he requires them to have Salt in or amongst themselves For Salt being sprinkled on the Sacrifices and Offer'd with them was a Sign of a Covenant with God 〈◊〉 being us'd amongst Men at their Entertainments it was also a Pledge or Symbol of their Concord and Friendship And our Lord probably alluding to such Practices would have his Disciples live as Persons that are united to himself and to one another in a firm League and a League that none may break and expect Happiness from him who hath drawn them into so strict a Confederacy In this Confederacy all the Faithful of whâ— Nation soever they â—â—e are alike concern'd for Jesus Christ who 〈◊〉 said to be our Peace 〈…〉 to thâ—se that were 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 thâ—se that were nigh He hath brought together 〈…〉 and Gentiles and 〈…〉 that was between them he made them One Of the Two he made One New Man So that they who were Strangers and Forreigners are 〈…〉 with the Saints and of the 〈◊〉 of God They that were at a great distance are now Reconcil'd to God in one Body But no longer than they are of this Body can they claim this benefit of that Reconciliation Nor may they hope for Spiritual Nourishment from the Head but as it is ministrâ—â— by the Joynts and Bands by which the Body being knit together increaseth with the Increase of God 2. To maintain a Catholick Vnity it is not necessary that there should be a Visible and Catholick Monarch or Vicar of Christ with Jurisdiction over all Churches and their several Pastors For Christ hath appointed no such Deputy nor hath he left any Instructions to inform us that there should be Oneâ— On the contraryâ— the Apostles 〈◊〉 have shew'd who receiv'd their Commission immediately from him were of equal Authority and so were their Successors None of us says St. 〈◊〉 maâ—â—s himself a Bishop of Bishops or by a â—yrannical Terroâ—â— compels his Collegues into a Necessity of Obedience This he spake in a Council at Carthage and with Reflection probably on Stephen Bishop of Rome who injuriously invaded the Rights and Liberties of his Brethren as in succeeding times many others have done who were possess'd of the Papal Throne But a just Account of their Usurpations would fill many Volumes and belongs not to this place 3. Neither to maintain a Catholick Communion is it necessary that there should be a standing Court for the Administration of the Government of the Catholick Church It is decreed by us all says S. â—â—prian and it is fit and just that every one's Cause should be heard where the Crime was committed So far was he and his Collegues from approving the Appeals of Offenders to any 〈◊〉 Country or Forreign 〈◊〉 'T is true in some Cases the Ancient Canons allow'd that Appeals might be made from a Bishop to a Provincial Synod and such a Synod might well decide Matters in debate within the Bounds of a Province But beyond them it had not the same Authority And as for General Councils they were only summon'd upon extraordinary Occasions and having done their Work they were Dissolved But that a General Council should always be continued for the ending of Differences and the Exercise of Discipline that there should be such a Perpetualâ— Council Establish'd in any place and that the last Resort should be made to it from all the Parts of the Christian World is not I suppose asserted by any It can neither be expedient in it self nor hath it any foundation in the Holy Scriptures But since the Catholick Church was not to be Govern'd by a Visible Monarch nor by a Fixed Senate since it is distinguish'd into many particular Societies the Governours of which are of equal Authority and not subject to one another the Difficulty still remains How it can be One as a Political Body For resolution of which I shall shew First That the Government of it is One. Secondly That the People under it are One also But what I say of both is to be understood of them so far as they agree to Christ's Institution For we can form no good Idea of Church-Government from the present broken State of Christendom I.
The Government of the Universal Church is One. According to St. Cyprian who understood this matter perfectly there is but One Episâ—â—â—acy And this is possess'd by the Bishops in such a manner that they are all legally One and every one of them is vertually all But both these Propositions may require some Explication 1. All the Bishops of the Universal Church are Legally One That is as a College in Law is One Person so they being a College in the Sense of the Ancients are One also They 〈◊〉 the Person of Christ and if Christ be not divided neither are they They are not divided I mean so far as they act according to his Will and the Rules of their Order But I meddle not with the particular Faults of any nor am I accountable for their irregularities 2. Every Bishop is vertually all or hath vertually the power of the whole Episcopal Order And so United he is with the other Bishops in the Administration of the Government that what he does in several Cases which I shall mention is as Obligatory to all the rest and of as much force as if it had been done by their actual Consent and Approbation For Example 1. A Bishop Ordaining Presbyters does it as effectually as if all other Bishops had assisted at it and his Act is as Obligatory to them all For the Persons so Ordain'd do not part with their Office when they change Climates but ought to be receiv'd in all Churches as bearing the same Character and be employ'd accordinly if there be occasion in the Work of their Ministry without a new Imposition of Hands This I know is contrary to the Opinion of some of your Brethren who are persuaded that a Minister is only so to his own Congregation and that if he Preaches to another he doth it not as a Pastor but as a Gifted Man And consequently if he takes a new Charge upon him he must have a new Ordination and this I consess is agreeable enough to their own System For their Minister being a Creature of their own and claiming his 〈◊〉 to the Ministry from their Election of him and upon such Terms as they prescrib'd to him all the supposed vertue of that Choice must cease when he is gone from them and cannot bind another Congregation that hath no dependence on them But how ever this is suitable to thâ—â—â— own Principles it hath no Ground in Scripture or the Practice of Antiquity Amongst the Hereticks indeed in Tertullian's time there was something like it for with them a Person was the Day a Priest and the next a Laymâ—â— But in the Church the standing Officers were so for Life 〈◊〉 in all places kept their Station unless they were Depos'd for their Crimes or advanced to a higher Dignity The Words of a Judiâ—ious Nonconfor mist which I shall here cite are very pertinent to my purpose If a Minister says he be only so to his own Congregation and not in other Churches Then are not the Churches of God One nor the Ministry One nor the Flock which they feed One nor the Communion One which they had each with others And I add That if a Minister as such be related to the Catholick Church if he may be remov'd from one part of it and take on him the peculiar charge of another without a new Ordination as the Presbyterians generally asseâ—â— Then are the Churches One the Ministry One the Flock which they feed One and the Communion is One as that of a Visible and Political Society 2. If a Bishop or other Minister appointed by him confers Baptism on Persons fit to receive it it is as effectual every where as if all the Spiritual Pasters upon Earth had concurr'd in that Act. It is that One Baptism which never ought to be repeated nor is there any need that it should for the â—ame being every where of the same vertue it both qualifies us alike in all places for Christian Communion and gives us a Right to demand it in any part of the World But of this more hereafter 3. When a Bishop Excommunicates Oftenders they are thereby cut off from the Communion of the whole Church We have been told by a Dissenter That whosoever will erect a Stated National Governing Church in England 〈◊〉 find us an Officer cloathed with Authority to Excommunicate from Michael ' s â—Mount in Cornwall to Carlile and Berwick But there is no need of such a Discovery to prove more than he demands To prove the Vnity of the Catholick Church it is enough that when a Bishop Excommunicates any Criminals of his own Diocese the Effect of his Sentence reaches every where and at the greatest distance it is Obligatory to his Collegues who being duly inform'd of it are â—o regulate their Practice by it and not admit those to Communion whom he hath Expell'd from it unless it be by his Câ—â—â—ent either expresly given or vertually contain'd in 〈…〉 of the Church And anciently it was a great part of the Business oâ— Episcopal Letters to declare what Offenders were Excommunicate that they might every where be avoided or treated as Persons that were Ejected out of the Christian Society This way of proceeding with them is a plain Argument that in the sense of these times Ecclesiastical Government was One however the Administration of it was in many Hands And it is also agreeable to the Holy Scripture which will not suffer us to believe that they who are cut off from the Body of Christ in one Country are Members of it in another They can gain no such Advantage by shifting Places Nor can it be thought that they are kept bound and loos'd on Earthâ— unless they may be Absolv'd and Condemn'd in Heaven at the same time 4. It follows that when a Bishop Absolves the Offenders of his Diocese from the Ecclesiastical Censures under which he had put them he thereby restâ—â—es them to the Peace of the Universal Church Thus it was generally thought 〈◊〉 the Primitive times and the Persons to Absolv'd having obtain'd from their Bishop his Communicatory Letters were then as much qualified for full Communion in Worship with other Christians in all parts of the World as if they had 〈◊〉 been Condemn'd All other Bishops to whom they apply'd themselves were obliged to râ—â—â—â—ve them into the Number of the Faithful and to act by the Sentence of 〈◊〉 Collegue as if it had been their own And this they did sometimes and thought it expedient when they were not well satisfied with his Proceedings 'T is true the Sentence of a Bishop either for Condemnation or Absolution might be revers'd or declared void by a Synod and it was fit that it should if it was Unjust or sometimes if it was only Irregular If it was otherwise he might withdraw it or he concluded by the Votes of the Synod and it was â—â—ch better in such Cases that One should submit to the
things shall not enter into the Kingdom of God Gal. 5. 19 20 21. The Word rendred Seditions signifies Schisms and it is us'd for Dissentions about Matters Ecclesiastical and Heresies in this place are Sects and Factions The various Sects of Orators and Philosophers were called Heresies And St. Austin speaks the Language of more Ancient Authors where he says That Aristotle even in the Time of his Master drew very many into his Heresie But the Christians living conformable to the Precepts of Jesus Christ were judged by their Enemies to be one Heresie and they were indeed of One Way He gave them all the same Rule and as long as they are Followers of that there cannot be such Differences amongst them as are usual amongst those that are of usual amongst those that are of separate Schools and under opposite Masters but they must all appear Unanimous in the Matters of Faith and Worship 'T is true that many professing Christianity became irregular and departing from their Duty did break the Unity of the Church Such were the Corinthians to whom St. Paul says I hear that there are Divisions among you and I partly believe it at which he did not wonder considering their Temper for he adds there must be also Heresies among you that those who are approved may be made manifest By Hereses we are not here to understand false Doctrines or obstinate Errors in the Fundamental Articles of Religion but such Contentions and making of Parties as disturb'd the Peace at Corinth The Apostle intimates that such there would certainly be by reason of the Pravity of Mens Minds but he condemns them as Carnal and speaks of them as things that are avoided by all that are approved And according to this Interpretation a Man that is a Heretick and who is to be rejected is the Sectary who draws Disciples after him or is of the Number of those that are seduced by him It becomes not me to pass Judgment on particular Persons whom we see engaged in Church-Divisions nor to determine what their final State will be To their own Master they must stand or fall And he only knows what merciful Allowances he will make for their Mistakes for the Prejudices of their Education or the like This hidden thing belongs to him and therefore cannot be the Rule of our Actions But since it appears from what he hath revealed that Schism is a Sin a hainous Sin a Sin that without pardoning Mercy as certainly leads to Perdition as any other I thought the greatest piece of Charity I can do you would be not to flatter you in your Way which I verily believe is Schismatical but to shew you the great danger of it and do what lies in me to rescue you from the Wrath to come In order to this I shall shew you I. What is the Nature of Schism II. What Grounds I have to apprehend that you are deeply concerned in it III. Examine the Arguments that have been offer'd on your part to excuse you from the Guilt of it IV. I shall represent to you the said Consequences of it and so proceed to the Conclusion And may Almighty God inlighten your Minds and dispose your Hearts to an attentive perusal of what I write for your Advantage I. Schism in the Notion of it that we are now upon is a causless Breach of Outward Ecclesiastical Communion Not but that it is sinful before it breaks out into Action when it is only form'd in the Heart or is only in design but that we cannot take cognizance or judge of it before it appears abroad in opposition to the Visible Church and when it does so there are several degrees of it 1. Sometimes there is a Schism within a Church 2. Sometimes from a Church 3. Sometimes it proceeds to set up Opposte Churches and Officers 4. Sometimes it goes yet further and Constitutes Pastors without any Lawful Authority or Ordination I know not how it can go higher but all these particulars may be aggravated with many Circumstances which do not come under our present consideration 1. Sometimes there is a Schism within a Church when its Outward Communion is in some Measure continued but shatter'd and broken so that it appears not with the Beauty and Strength of a Regular Society Thus it was amongst the Corinthians to whom St. Paul says When ye come together in the Church I hear that there are Divisions among you Being very Contentious they brought great Disorders into their Assemblies Being Factious and much given to sideing and making Parties One said I am of Paul another I am of Apollos The Apostle therefore reproves them as Carnal and beseeches them by the Lord Jesus Christ that they would all speak the same thing and that there should be no Divisions among them And in another place he puts them in mind that there should be no Schism in the Body but the Members should have the same care one of another But whereas Dr. Owen contends that the Notion of Schism is only to be taken from the Instances of it at Corinth and consequently that Schism is only a Division in a Particular Church but not from it it may seem very strange and is I believe of his own Invention He declares That he went out of the Common Road and would persuade us that he made considerable Discoveries What a Flood of Abominations says he doth this Business of Schism seem to be as rolling down to us through the Writings of Cyprian Austin and Optatus of old the Schoolmen Decrees of Popish Councils with the Contrivances of some among our selves concern'd to keep up the swell'd Notion of it But he pretends to have traced it to its Fountain and compares it to a dribling Gutter And whereas Protestants had been apt to impute it to one another he intimates that upon irrefragable Evidence he would acquit them all from their several Concernments in the Charge of it That as he speaks the whole Guilt of this Crime might be put into an Ephah and carried to build it an House in the Land of Shinar He confesses that in the Management of this Work he had the Prejudice of many Ages the Interest of most Christians and mutual consent of Parties at Variance to contend withal Yet hath his Project been approv'd by many And Lewis du Moulin says as in a Rapture of Admiration That the whole Christian World from the Apostles Times never knew such a Notion of the Nature of Schism till the Dr. taught it them Which I suppose is very true But he might have added as another Dissenter thinks that neither was it known to the Apostles themselves But is Schism a Sin Is it a thing even in the Confession of Dr. Owen himself That being unrepented of will ruine a Man's Eternal Condition And did no Body knew wherein it did consist Were all Christians careful to avoid it
and the Persons engaged in it set up opposite Churches and Officers or joyn with them This is a degree of the Sin much worse than Separation considering it only as such without the addition of Immorality False Doctrine or Apostacy which are often mingled with it You are not to expect that I should give you Examples out of Scripture of Schismatical Churches drawn from Churches and establish'd under separate Pastors for I do not find from thence that Schism had made so great a Progress as to form Regular Societies opposite to the deserted Churches But if the Vniversal Church according to Christ's Institution be one Body to set up another Body in opposition to it or any sound part of it must needs be very Criminal This we find some were attempting in the Apostles Days and some Directions that are given by St. Paul are very useful on this occasion He advises Titus as you have seen to reject a Heretick or Sectary after one or two Admonitions And he writes thus to the Romans I beseech you Brethren Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learn'd and avoid them St. Ignatius who was instructed by the Apostles tells the Philadelphians that if any one be a Follower of the Schismatick he shall not inherit the Kingdom of God He also admonishes the Church of Smyrna That nothing in Church-Matters should be done without the Bishop and declares That the Eucharist is then to be esteem'd Valid when it is celebrated by the Bishop or a Person appointed by him But without the Bishop he says it is not lawful to Baptize or to keep the Feast of Love And he adds a little after That he that doth any thing in a clandestine manner without the Bishop's Knowledge serves the Devil St. Cyprian who flourish'd in the next Age and also died a Martyr as Ignatius had done says That he that adheres not to his Bishop is not in the Church and that they flatter themselves in vain who not being at Peace with the Priests of God creep about and think they may privately communicate with certain Persons when the Church which is one Catholick Society is not in it self out or divided but connected every where by the Vnion of the Bishops The same Author says That one Altar may not be erected against another and that a new Priesthood cannot be rais'd He that gathereth elsewhere scattereth Whatsoever is appointed by Humane Fury that the Order of God may be violated is impious it is Adulterous and Sacrilegious 4. A yet higher degree of Schism is when they that are engaged in it constitute Officers without Authority or take to themselves Pastors that have no Lawful Mission or Real Ordination Such Pastors may pretend to a Commission from God but having none and seeming to do his publick Work without a Warrant in the judgment of Presbyterian Writers They mock him to serve their own turns They profane the Sacred Function and make a trifle of the Sin They are Troublers of the People and the Subverters of Souls they take away the distinction between the Shepherd and the Flock and areVsurpers of the Broad Seal of Heaven They bring all to confusion and like so many Phaetons burn up the Spiritual World by presuming to govern the Chariot of the Sun According to Dr. Owen himself they that act in the stead of Christ and not by express Patent from him are plain Impostors But he more fully expresses his Thoughts on this Subject in these Words All Power and Authority says he whether in things Spiritual or Temporal which is not either founded in the Law of Nature or collated by Divine Ordination is Vsurpation and Tyranny no Man can of himself take either Sword To invade an Office which includes Power over others is to disturb all Right Natural Divine and Civil That such an Authority is included in the Pastoral Office is evident 1. From the Names ascrib'd to them in whom it is vested as Pastors Bishops Elders Rulers all of them requiring it 2. From the Work prescrib'd to them which is feeding by Rule and Teaching 3. From the Execution of Church-power in Discipline or the Exercise of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven committed to them 4. From the Commands given for Obedience to them which Respect Authority 5. From their appointment to be Means and Instruments of exerting the Authority of Christ in the Church which can be done no other way He farther shews That the whole Flock the Ministry it self the Truths of the Gospel as to the Preservation of them are committed to the Pastors of the Church who must give an account for them And nothing continues he can be more wicked and foolish than for a Man to intrude himself into a Trust which is not committed to him They are branded as profligately wicked who attempt any such things among Men which cannot be done without Impudent Falsification And what shall he be esteem'd who intrudes himself into the highest Trust that any Creature is capable of in the Name of Christ Whoever therefore takes upon him the Pastoral Office without a Lawful Outward Call doth take unto himself Power and Authority without any Divine Warranty which interests him in an accountable Trust no way committed unto him hath no promise of Assistance in or Reward for his Work but engageth in that which is destructive of all Church-Order and consequently of the very Being of the Church it self These are his words and you may do well to bear them in mind till a farther occasion In the mean time I desire you to consider how tender the Almighty is of his own Constitutions and what Punishments he hath inflicted on those who made Invasions on them Vzzah incurr'd his displeasure for taking hold of the Ark when he saw it shake and therefore might seem to be justified by a good intention But being no Priest or Levite on this account his Action which otherwise might have been laudable became sinful in a Person not qualified for it And however it had some appearance of Necessity and proceeded from a good End yet this could not excuse him but he suffer'd present Death for his Transgression If he was an Upright Man as he seems to have been we need not doubt but that he met with Favour and Happiness in another World But in this God made him an Example of his Justice and Severity that he might guard the Discipline of his Church from the Assaults of others and that he might teach Posterity says Palladius to abstain from the like rashness Long before this Korah with a high Hand affronted the Divine Authority and made bitter Invectives against the Government and Officers which were appointed by God himself It was Envy and Ambition that first push'd this Man into an Action so Impious and would not afterwards suffer him to retreat Being guided and mov'd by such restless Furies
he revolted from his Superiors and he was divided says the Chaldee Paraphrast or he divided himself that is he became a Separatist that he might make himself the Head of a Party and drew such vast Numbers after him that Josephus speaking of their Conspiracy thus represents it We have not known says he such a Sedition either among Greeks or Barbarians Korah pretended to have a great concern for the Liberties of the People and that he might gain the Priesthood to himself suggested that it was a Grievance to the Nation But God that knew his Hypocrisie and the Schismatical and Seditious Temper both of him and his Confederates made both of them Monuments of his Indignation By an early and dreadful Judgment on these Offenders he confirm'd his own Institution and he commanded that broad Plates for the covering of the Ark should be made of their Censers that in succeeding Times others might remember what these Men suffer'd and be mindful that no Stranger who was not of the Seed of Aaron might come near to offer Incense before the Lord lest they should be as Korah and his Company It is plain that not only the Leaders of the Faction but their Followers also were involv'd in the same Ruine And this being written for our instruction it may teach us to avoid such Practices as brought upon them so terrible a Judgment lest as some have done even in the Times of the Gospel we also Perish in the gain-saying of Korah 'T is true an end is put to the Aaronical Priesthood but Christ who is the Head of the Church hath his Representatives on Earth for the Government of it and to despise them is to despise him To usurp their Authority is to invade his Prerogative And if we are not Principals in such Actions against him but yet support and assist those that are so we partake with them in grievous Sins You your selves must needs see if you will judge impartially what intolerable Presumption it is not only to expel the Stewards of his Houshold but to substitute others in their places and new-model his Family Not only to affront and reject his Ambassadors but to assign him others whom he hath not sent Not only to lay aside his Officers as unfit to Govern but to appoint him such as have no Commission from him Such Proceedings manifestly tend to the Destruction of his Visible Kingdom and the Persons guilty of them do in effect declare That they will not have him to Reign over them Aristotle argues That when the Form of the Government of a City is changed the City it self ceases to be the same that it was before And whatever Exceptions this may be liable to as being affirm'd of a Secular Community it may be truly said of Ecclesiastical Societies That when they have Excluded their Lawful Pastors and advanced others into their places who have no Right to the Ministry they cannot remain the same under such Alterations They are no longer the Churches of Christ nor are their Teachers the Ministers of Christ They may deceive Men indeed by acting under a False Character but God will not be mocked He will not be impos'd on by the Boldness and Juggles of his feigned Stewards or by the Pageantry of his pretended Ambassadors It was for such and their Confederates that he created a New thing causing the Earth to open her Mouth and swallow them up And however such Instances of his Anger are not repeated yet this that I have mention'd ought to be a lasting Terrour to those that without a Lawful Call take to themselves the Honour of Priesthood or are Associates in such Profanations SECT III. I AM now come to your Case and give me leave to tell you that it very nearly concerns you to enquire I. Whether you have not contracted the Guilt of Schism in your Separation from the Church of England II. Whether you have not increased this Guilt by setting up Opposite Churches and Officers or joyning with them III. Whether your Pastors have any just Title to the Ministry I. It concerns you to enquire whether you have not contracted the Guilt of Schism by your Separation from the Church of England Was your Communion with it lately Lawful and have any New Terms been added to make it cease to be so Or was Conformity then a Duty and is it now become a Sin It is not long since we took sweet Counsel together and walked to the House of God as Friends With many of you we did partake of the Lord's Supper and thereby solemnly testified That we were all as One Bread all Members of the same Body And hath any just cause been given you of breaking off your selves from it Are you not Self-condemn'd by such contrary Practices Or can the Divisions which you have made proceed from that One Spirit whose Unity is to be kept in the Bond of Peace Deal but impartially with your selves in considering what I have offer'd to your Thoughts and I doubt not but you will be convinced that you have broken that Bond and that your present Separation is a Schism if ever there was any such thing in the World II. You may enquire whether you have not added to your Sin by setting up Opposite Churches and Officers or joyning with them and whether this hath not more alienated your Minds from those whom you had unjustly forsaken This I suppose is generally your Case and from hence it is that in abundance of Towns in this Kingdom we hear of an Old Church and a New Church the latter labouring to establish it self on the Ruines of the former But do you find any such Language or any such thing in Scripture Have not the Presbyterians inform'd you right That however there were such great Numbers of Christians in one City as made up many Congregations yet they were all One Church and are constantly call'd a Church because they were all under One Government What Right can you then have to establish Independent Congregations or to set up one Congregation against another in the same City Is not this a plain Breach of the Apostolical Rule And must it not be pernicious to Christ's Visible Kingdom If some part of the Christians in a City may shake off the Authority of their Lawful Pastors and form themselves into an Independent Body under their proper Officers may not a third Body in like manner be form'd out of that and out of the third fourth and so on And would there be any end of Confusions at this rate Would such a Practice be tolerable any where Or would it not be destructive of any Society whatsoever Deal 〈◊〉 now with your Consciences and reflect I pray you on what has been said with the same freedom of thought as if you had not been at all concern'd in the Controversie and I am persuaded you will be convinced that it is not unjustly that you have been charged with a high degree
of Schism III. You may enquire whether the Pastors you have chosen have any Lawful Call to the Ministry Some of the Dissenters I know do not think themselves much concern'd about this For they tell us It is the Duty of every Gifted Man as such to exercise his Gifts that if he has receiv'd Gifts to teach publickly he must exercise them publickly and that he himself may be the Judge of his own Gifts But says Mr. Pool a Learned Nonconformist What can be expected but that this Doctrine should be a Trojan Horse whence the Adversaries of Truth may break out and destroy the City of God A Pandora's Box from whence all sorts of mischievous and foul poysoning Opinions may fly out and that without Remedy And say the Assembly of Divines This Opinion That any who suppose themselves Gifted Men may Preach the Word and Administer the Sacraments we judge to be the Highway to all Disorder and Confusion and Inlet to Errors and Heresies and a Door open'd for Priests and Jesuits to broach their Popish and Antichristian Doctrine There are some it seems lately risen up amongst us that are in expectation of New Priests and Prophets who will be alter'd they say by such a Visible appearance of Majesty in their very Countenance as may be call'd the Writing of the Father's Name upon their Foreheads as it was with Moses when he came from Conversing with God and with our Blessed Lord himself when the Clouds of Glory overshadowed him And this at present may be thought a harmless Opinion however there be no foundation for it But the Patrons of it we see can adventure upon Predictions and New Revelations without any such splendor upon them as they describe and how much farther they may proceed we know not As for your selves I suppose that there are few if any of you that ascribe the Call of your Pastors or their Distinction from other Men to a Miracle but you generally believe that to constitute them in their Office some Ordination is necessary or Expedient at least whether it be perform'd by a Bishop or by Presbyters or by the People For there are those amongst you who lay claim to their Ministry these several ways 1. Some of them I confess had Episcopal Ordination But since these must have solemnly promis'd that they would obey their Ordinary I would have you consider how the Blessing of Heaven can be expected on their Work as now it is managed when it is a continual Breach of that Engagement Yet if they had made no such Engagement their Separation from their Bishops to whom they owe Obedience and from the Church to which they ought to be united their passing beyond their Line and their drawing Disciples after them which belong not to them their gathering Churches out of sound Churches and opposite to them and their administring the Sacraments which are the Bond of Vnion in a dividing way are things highly Schismatical And however such Men may be eminent for their personal Abilities yet in their exercise of them if we may believe St. Ignatius they serve the Devil Before I come to examine other Pretences of your Teachers to the Ministry give me leave to put you in mind that the Elders and Messengers of the Congregational way who met at the Savoy confess'd That in respect of the publick and open Profession either of Presbytery or Independency this Nation hath been a Stranger to each way it 's possible ever since it hath been Christian And the like they might have said of all other Christian Nations The truth is neither of those Sects were anciently in being and then we are not like to hear of their Ordinations It is but of late that they appear'd and therefore we have the more reason to enquire whether there be any ground for their Establishment or what Right they have to make such Changes in the Church as they every where attempt If a Person should now profess that he was sent to Dethrone all Kings and to New-model all Governments he would have no cause to be angry if we propos'd these Questions to him By what Authority doest thou these things And who gave thee this Authority And if Men will be now endeavouring to Depose or Degrade all Bishops to abrogate their Office and overthrow their Chairs and to set up a Discipline which was unknown to all the Churches upon Earth they may not be offended if we desire a sight of their Commission The Prophet Jeremiah was set over the Nations and over Kingdoms to root out and to pull down to build and to plant That is he was not to make these great Turns of Affairs himself but only to Prophesy of them and to do this it was manifest that he was appointed of God But some would perswade us that they may act as great Matters as he was to foretell That they may destroy that sort of Government which hath been transmitted down to us from the Apostles throughout all succeeding Ages and was established in all Christian Nations and that they may introduce another that was unknown to Antiquity and for above a Thousand Years after Christ not receiv'd by any Church in the World We have therefore reason to demand of them a sight of such Credentials as make it plain that they are sent of God And since they have been so forward to make Invasions on an Order of Men which hath been in possession of Ecclesiastical Authority for above Sixteen Hundred Years they must pardon us if we question their own Title to it or say to them as Optatus did to the Donatists Who are ye and from whence did ye come I have nothing here to do with Forreign Protestants whose Call they say to the Pastoral Office was Extraordinary But my Business at present is with your Teachers who pretend to no such thing or if they do may be easily refuted They have taken upon them the Sacred Function in a New way a way that was never approv'd in Ancient times and therefore we may demand a sight of the Patent by which they would justifie their Innovations H. Amongst the Innovatom I doubt we shall find the second 〈◊〉 of your Teachers which I have mention'd and these are they who claim a Title to the Ministry as being Ordain'd by Presbyters They would be thought I know to be of very Antient Extraction and for this quote these Words of St. 〈◊〉 to Timothy Neglect not the Gift that is in thee which is given unto thee by Prephecy with the laying on of the Hands of the Presbytery And this Text of Seripture they take to be so evident are their fide that they urge it frequently and to comply with their Interpretation of it they wrest other Passages which make directly against them So that on this one place the whole Fabrick of their Cause seems to depend Yet is this place so far from plainly asserting the
two things which I shall add for illustration of it are only Consequences of what I have already prov'd 1. It follows from that which was said before that what is against the Vnity of the Church is also against the Edification of it and consequently of the parts whereof it consists That which separates the Stones of this Building from one another hinders the conveyance of that Vital Spirit which would animate them all That which divides this Body weakens it and puts it into a Sickly Condition The Members that make a Schism in it throw it into dangerous Convulsions And they that make a Schism from it give it a grievous Wound and afterwards can neither grow up with it nor without it If therefore they that make Divisions could speak with the Tongue of Angels we ought to avoid them If in some things we might arrive at great Knowledge by their Instruction we must avoid them notwithstanding Such Knowledge would be apt to puff us up but it is Charity that Edifieth And Charity says Clemens Romanus Admits of no Schism Charity is not Seditious but doth all things in Concord All the Elect were perfected by it and without it nothing is acceptable unto God 2. What is against Order is also against the Edification of the Church and consequently of the particular Members of it That which justles the Stones of this Spiritual Building out of their places hinders it as much as possible from growing unto a Holy Temple in the Lord. That which diverts the parts of this Body from their proper Offices or puts them out of Joynt hinders the Nourishment abates the Strength and destroys the Comeliness and Beauty of it That which brings Confusion into my Society Ecclesiastical or Civil tends to the Ruine of it and fails not of doing Mischief to it To prevent this even they that were inspir'd from Heaven and had Psalms and Doctrines Tongues and Revelations and Interpretations by Miracle were yet limited in the Exercise of their Gifts and to restrain them these two Precepts were given by the Apostle Let all things be done to Edification Let all things be done decently and in order Decency and Order have such a connexion with Edification that what promotes Them advances This What is contrary to Them is contrary to This also It is no wonder then that St. Paul was so much concern'd when he heard that among the Thessalonians there were some that walked disorderly or did break their Ranks For as such Men might be useful in their proper Places so out of them they hinder the Edification of the Church and are wont to be Disturbers of the Publick Peace Many in the way of their Vocation might have excell'd who going beyond their Line intrenching on the Rights of others and assuming an Authority which did not belong to them have become great Incendiaries and Persons of that Character have been most pernicious to the best Societies When such Disturbers invade the Offices of the Church it is not enough to say That they Act the Part well which they have taken upon them when it is none of their own or that they have great Gifts and are well qualified for the Sacred Function when their assuming it is a meer Usurpation There were many doubtless in Israel who could have managed the Business of Sacrificing more deâ—trously than some of the Priests themselves But it appertained not to them and if they undertook it they incurr'd the Indignation of the Almighty And in a Christian Congregation there may be some Private Persons who are of better Capacity or much fitter for the Ministry than the Minister himself But having no Lawful Call to it it appertains not to them And if in Confidence of their own Abilities they set up for Spiritual Pastors they are so far from promoting Edification that they become open Enemies to the Church and liable as are also their Followers to a just Condemnation IV. The fourth Enquiry is Whether your hopes of being better Edified may justifie your Separation That is if I have stated the Matter rightly Whether your false Hopes may justifie a sinful Practice And this I think may easily be resolv'd It appears from what was said before that your Practice is against the Church as a Visible and a Regular Society That it is against the Vnity and Order of it and consequently that it is against the Edification which the Scripture requires as pulling a House in pieces is contrary to the Building it up and throwing it in Heaps is contraary to the adorning and reparation of it 'T is true the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church nor shall the Fury of Man be able to destroy it But to bring Divisions and Disorders into any part of it to Separate from any sound Members of it and to form Societies or be of those that are opposite to it is to strike at the Whole and to attempt the Ruine of it As it is also to act against Christ himself who hath purchas'd and cemented it with his own Blood SECT V. HAving examin'd the Arguments which have been offer'd on your part to excuse you from the guilt of Schism I am now to treat of the Consequences of it And these are so deplorable and of such a Nature that they induced many Antient and Modern Writers who had them in view to reckon This amongst the worst of Crimes Mark those says the Apostle which cause Divisions and Offences And he had reason to put these things together For Divisions having their usual effect become Offences and may well be esteem'd amongst the greatest Scandals I pretend not to give any compleat History of the Evils which Church-Divisions have produced Yet I shall briefly shew I. That they have hardned the Infidels in their Unbelief and hindred their Conversion II. That they have brought a Reproach on the Reformation of the Church and hindred the Progress of it III. That they have given occasion to the spreading of many detestable Errors in Matters of Religion III. That they have greatly encouraged Immorality I. They have hardned Infidels in their Unbelief and hindred their Conversion This says Clemens Alexandrinus is the Thing which they first produce against us We ought not say they to believe because of the Difference of Sects amongst you To the Corinthians on the occasion of their Divisions Clemens Romanus does thus address himself Your Schism saith he hath perverted many hath discouraged many It hath raised Doubts in many and Sorrow in us all And a little after It is shameful Beloved yea very shameful and unworthy of a Christian Conversation to hear that the most Firm and Antient Church of the Corinthians should by one or two Persons be led into Sedition against their Pastors And this Report is not only come to us but to those also who are disaffected and estranged from us Insomuch that by your Folly the Name of the Lord is