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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70371	The present separation self-condemned and proved to be schism as it is exemplified in a sermon preached upon that subject / by Mr. W. Jenkyn ; and is further attested by divers others of his own persuasion all produced in answer to a letter from a friend.	Jane, William, 1645-1707.; Jenkyn, William, 1613-1685.; S. R. To his worthy friend H. N.; Brinsley, John, fl. 1581-1624.; H. N.	1678 (1678)	Wing J454; ESTC R18614	63,527	154

what in another case he once said in his Sermon of the Saints Worth pag. 11. viz. If a man takes the Picture of another he will not take it of his Back-side Leg or Hand or the like but of his Face his beautifullest Part yet that you and others will observe it that the World be no more troubled with such Narratives as can serve to no good End but will effectually promote a bad which is to expose Religion and make it mean and contemptible For my part I could heartily wish that all Differences about little things were laid aside it being as he observes pag. 252. on Jude very unsuitable that a greater Fire should be employed in roasting of an Egg than an Ox and to be more contentious for Bubbles than Blessedness As for greater Differences I could as heartily wish they were composed that the Love of God did more encrease and that would be the encrease of Vnity For what he saith Vol. 2. on Jude pag. 630. is very true The preserving of our Love to God is an excellent preservative against Sectaries and false Teachers He who loves God will fear to break the Vnity and Peace of the Church I cannot conclude better As for the great Case I refer you to the Sermon it self by which methinks I could stand and fall as being confident that either that will justifie Mr. Jenkin or that he will be able to justifie that and so shall be impatient till you give your Opinion of it to SIR Your Servant H. N. THE SERMON JUDE ver 19. These be they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit IN the 17 verse Jude produceth the Testimony of the Apostles of Jesus Christ in confirmation of what he had before said In which Testimony I note five Particulars 1. To whom it is commended to his beloved 2. How it was to be improved by remembring it 3. From whom it proceeded the Apostles of our Lord Jesus 4. Wherein it consisted in a Prediction That there should be mockers walking after their ungodly lusts 5. To whom it is opposed viz. to these Seducers These are they who separate themselves In which Words the Apostle shews That these who separate themselves from the Church were Scorners and that these who were sensual and void of the Spirit did follow their ungodly lusts Or in the Words Jude expresseth 1. The Sin of these Seducers in separating themselves 2. The Cause thereof which was 1. Their being sensual And 2. Their not having the Spirit For the first their Separation Two things are here to be opened 1. What the Apostle here intends by separating themselves 2. Wherein the Sinfulness of it consists 1. For the first The Original word may signifie the unbounding of a thing and the removing of a thing from those Bounds and Limits wherein it was set and placed c. Or it imports the parting and separating of one thing from another by Bounds and Limits put between them and the putting of Bounds and Limits for distinction and separation between several things it being thus a Resemblance taken from Fields or Countries which are distinguished and parted from each other by certain Boundaries and Land-marks set up to that end and thus it 's commonly taken by Interpreters in this place wherein these Seducers may be said to separate themselves divide or bound themselves from others either first Doctrinally or secondly Practically 1. Doctrinally by false and Heretical Doctrines whereby they divided themselves from the Truth and Faithful who were guided by the Truth of Scripture and walked according to the Rule of the Word c. 2. Practically they might separate themselves as by Bounds and Limits 1. By Prophaneness and living in a different way from the Saints namely in all loosness and uncleanness 2. By Schismaticalness and making of separation from and divisions in the Church Because they proudly despised the Doctrines or Persons of the Christians as contemptible and unworthy or because they would not endure the holy severity of the Churches Discipline they saith Calvin departed from it They might make Rents and Divisions in the Church by Schismatical withdrawing themselves from Fellowship and Communion with it Their Heresies were perverse and damnable Opinions their Schism was a perverse separation from Church-communion The former was in Doctrinals the latter in Practicals The former was opposite to Faith this latter to Charity By Faith all the Members are united to the Head by Charity one to another And as the breaking of the former is Heresie so their breaking of the latter was Schism And this Schism stands in the dissolving the Spiritual Band of Love and Union among Christians and appears in the withdrawing from the performance of those Duties which are both the Signs of and Helps to Christian Vnity as Prayer Hearing Receiving of Sacraments c. For because the dissolving of Christian Vnion chiefly appears in the undue separation from Church-communion therefore this rending is rightly called Schism It is usually said to be twofold Negative and Positive 1. Negative is when there is onely simplex secessio when there is onely a bare secession a peaceable and quiet withdrawing from Communion with a Church without making any head against that Church from which the departure is 2. Positive is when Persons so withdrawing do so consociate and draw themselves into a distinct and opposite Body setting up a Church against a Church or as Divines express it from Augustine an Altar against an Altar And this it is which in a peculiar manner and by way of eminency is called by the name of Schism and becomes sinful either in respect first of the groundlesness or secondly the manner thereof 1. The groundlesness when there is no casting of Persons out of the Church by an unjust Censure of Excommunication no departure by unsufferable Persecution no Heresie nor Idolatry in the Church maintained no necessity if Communion be held with a Church of communicating in its Sins and Corruptions 2. The manner of Separation makes it unlawful when 't is made without due endeavour and waiting for Reformation of the Church from which the departure is and such a rash departure is against Charity which suffers both much and long all tolerable things It is not presently distasted when the justest occasion is given it first useth all possible means of remedy The Chyrurgeon reserves Dismembring as the last remedy It looks upon a sudden breaking off from Communion with a Church which is a Dismembring not as Chyrurgery but Butchery not as medicinal but cruel 2. The Sinfulness of this Schismatical separation appears several ways I shall not spend time to compare it with Heresie though some have said that Schism is the greater Sin of the two August cont Donat. lib. 2. cap. 6. tells the Donatists that Schism was a greater Sin than that of the Traditores who in time of Persecution through fear delivered up their Bibles to the Persecutors to be burnt A Sin at which the

jealous of your Hearts when Contentions begin stifle them in the Cradle Paul and Barnabas separated about a small matter the taking of an Associate 7. Beware of Pride the Mother of Contention and Separation Love not the preheminence Rather be fit for than desirous of Rule Despise not the meanest say not I have no need of thee All Schisms and Heresies are mostly grafted upon the Stock of Pride The first rent that was ever made in God's Family was by the Pride of Angels ver 14. and that Pride was nothing else but the desire of Independency 8. Avoid Self-seeking He who seeks his own things and profit will not mind the good and peace of the Church Oh take heed lest thy Secular Interest draw thee to a new Communion and thou colour over thy departure with Religion and Conscience Thus have we spoken of the first viz. What these Seducers did viz. separate themselves 2. The Cause of their separation or what they were in these words sensual not having the Spirit This I will onely give the Breviate of still keeping to his own words leaving it to his Commentary on Jude since printed By the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle seems to me to make their bruitish sensuality and propensions to be the cause of their separation as if he had said They will not live under the strict Discipline where they must be curb'd and restrain'd from following their lusts no these Sensuallists will be alone by themselves in Companies where they may have their fill of sensual pleasures and where they may gratifie their genius to the utmost The Apostle seems to add this their sensuality and want of the Spirit to their separating themselves not onely to shew that sensuality was the cause of their separation and the want of the Spirit the cause of both but as if he intended directly to thwart and cross them in their pretences of having an high and extrordinary measure of spiritualness above others who as these Seducers might pretend were in so low a Form of Christianity and had so little spiritualness that they were not worthy to keep them company whereas Jude tells these Christians that these Seducers were so far from being more spiritual than others that they were meer Sensuallists and had nothing in them of the Spirit at all c. Observations Obs 1. Commonly sensuality lies at the bottom of sinful separation and making of Sects Separate themselves sensual c. Obs 2. It 's possible for those who are sensual and without the Spirit to boast of Spiritualness Of these before Obs 3. Sanctity and Sensuality cannot agree together Obs 4. They who want the Spirit are easily brought over to Sensuality To his Worthy Friend H. N. SIR I Heartily thank you for putting me in mind of our late Discourse and for giving me so fair an opportunity to pursue it by the Sermon that you sent me which I greedily read and had no sooner run over but I bless'd my self to find that you should put the Cause upon this Issue and to appeal to that for the justification of the present Separation I look'd again and thought that you might be mistaken and had sent me a Sermon against Mr. Jenkin rather than one for him It was a Discourse that I do acknowledge my self not to be altogether a Stranger to and what I then retained some remembrance of but yet wholly to undeceive my self I sent for the Book which you say you compared it with and to my no small satisfaction found them as to what concerns the matter of our Dispute honestly to agree and that you may as well bring the one to vouch for the credit of the other as he himself may if there were occasion Mr. Brinsley's Arraignment of Schism from whence he hath borrowed the substance of this Sermon in the justification of what he hath said here upon that Subject And now Sir I am glad that I have brought you thus far for I desire no better advantage than what this Sermon will afford me and shall decline the Order that we observed in our Discourse on purpose to comply with it You may remember that I then undertook to shew 1. That the old Nonconformists did themselves hold Lay-Communion with the Church of England and accounted those that did not guilty of Schism as by their Writings yet extant doth appear 2. That the present Nonconformists who are Presbyterians did plead their Practice and use their Arguments against the Independents and others that did in the late Times separate from themselves 3. That Lay-Communion with the Church of England is the same in our Times that it was in the Times of the old Nonconformists and that the Church of England hath as much to say for it self now as it had then 4. That therefore the new Separation doth not in reality differ from the old and is truly Schism if either they or the old Nonconformists spoke true Now this I look upon as a very covenient Method to bring the Case to a Decision but because I will shew how willing I am to meet you and how confident I am in the goodness of my Cause I shall take that course which will more readily lead me to make use of the Sermon though in the pursuing of that I shall also say what will serve for the proof of the Propositions before laid down In the first place it will be necessary to shew what Schism is Now that as may be collected from Mr. Jenkin here is a perverse or undue separation from Church-Communion pag. 21 22. or a voluntary and unnecessary dividing and separation from a true Church pag. 31. And upon this Definition I shall proceed and shew 1. That the Church of England is a true Church 2. That there is a Separation from it 3. That this Separation is voluntary and unnecessary 4. That therefore the present Separation is schismatical 1. That the Church of England is a true Church But here we are put to it to tell what the Church of England is by the Author of Sacrilegious Desertion pag. 35. We are told saith he of Schism from the Church of England when I would give all the Money in my Purse to make me understand what the Church of England is I might here without any more ado refer him to Mr. Baxter for resolution of whom Mr. Hickman saith in his Bonasus Vapulans printed the same Year pag. 138. That he has Communion with the Church of England in all Ordinances who cannot but certainly know what that Church is or else how can he hold Communion with it But because there is so great a Profit like to attend it and in compassion to him that hath there raised so much dust that he cannot see his own way I shall for once tell him what it is by Wise Men thought to be viz. That Company of Persons in this Nation that doth joyn together in the Ordinances of God according to the Laws established amongst us

i. e. Mr. Burroughs will by no means allow but condemns as the direct way to bring in all kind of disorder and confusion into the Church This both Presbyterians and Independents then are agreed in That Edification alone is no sufficient Reason to forsake one Church for another and that a Persons own Opinion of his Case in that matter will not make that lawful to him which will be the unavoidable means of bringing in confusion to the Churches which he either leaves or joyns himself to But the Author of Separation yet no Schism thinks he hath sufficient Reason for his Opinion who doth thus argue viz. You call it a Crime because you suppose it is a transgression the Law of visible Communion with some particular Church But I say That the Laws of visible Communion with this or that particular Church are but positive and therefore subordinate to Laws more natural and necessary such is that wherein we are commanded to take care of our Souls and Salvation So that if Christians do shift particular Churches for the obtaining of very apparent advantages to their Salvation above what they have had where they were I see therein no Crime at all committed I grant indeed that positive Laws must give way to natural but then there must be a plain necessity that must intervene to make them inconsistent for otherwise both remain in force as I conceive they do in the Instance here given If indeed Salvation was inconsistent with or what we run the apparent hazard of in Communion with a particular Church then there is sufficient reason for separation from it but if it be onely that I conceive the increase of Knowledge or the engaging of my Affections may be better attained by separation from than continuance in its Communion this is far from a necessity and so no sufficient Reason to break it As it is in a Family If the Master takes no care to provide for his Children and Servants who of old were esteemed the Goods of their Master but that they must starve if they continue with him or if what he provides is such as will rather poyson than nourish them or what is absolutely forbid as Swines flesh under the Law in such a case they may shift for themselves and refuse to live with him till he mends their Condition But if what he provides is lawful wholesom and sufficient though not of so good nourishment as might be wished they are to content themselves and to keep within the bounds of Duty and Observance So it is here If we were in a Church that either denied us what is necessary to Salvation or that would engage us to do what will bring it into imminent hazard we have an unquestionable Reason to forbear Communion with her But when the means of Salvation that we enjoy are sufficient to it and what we deliberate about is onely the Degree and Measure what is better and fitter we cannot quit a Church without sin and our departure is unnecessary And that will further appear if we consider 1. That no further Knowledge or Edification is necessary than what we can attain to in a lawful way and what is otherwise lawful in it self by taking an undue course for it is made unlawful As Hearing Reading and Christian Converse are very fit Means for my Improvement but if I for it do injure my Family and neglect my Calling it is so far from being my duty that it is my sin So to edifie my self and to acquire a greater measure of Knowledge and Christian Vertues is a noble and most excellent End but if I for it break off Communion with the Church whereof I am a Member I make my self a Transgressor All which if well considered the falacy of our Author's Argument will appear For suppose I reason thus The Laws of particular Families are but postive and therefore subordinate to Laws more necessary such is that wherein we are commanded to take care of our Souls and therefore if I neglect the former for the good of the latter I see no Crime therein committed Would not this appear very conceited and imaginary And if it 's false here it is so in the Case that he offers The grounds of his mistake herein seem to be 1. That he was so intent upon the positive Laws of particular Churches that he had no respect to Church-communion in it self which is highly necessary by which means he did not consider that this Principle of shifting Communion for the expectation of further Improvement is what tends so to the dissolution of a Church that he that holds it is capable of continuing in no Communion whatsoever and what cannot be put in practice but confusion in and breaking up of Churches will most certainly follow This was what they of New-England had experience of and therefore provided against in their Platform of Church-Discipline cap. 3. Church-Members say they may not depart from the Church and so one from another as they please nor without just and weighty cause Such departure tends to the dissolution of the Body Just Reasons for a Members removal of himself are 1. If a man cannot continue without sin 2. In case of Persecution But not a word of a more profitable Ministry and greater edification Now if this be the necessary and constant Effect of this Principle it cannot be true 2. Another ground of his mistake seems to be That the notion of a particular Church led him to think that their separation into Societies distinct from our Church was no more than to go from one Parish-Church to another which is also the conceit of the Author of Sacrilegious Desertion This he insinuates pag. 66. But this is apparently false as I have shewed in part before and which will be further evident if you observe that their Agreement with us in Thirty six of our Articles makes them to be no more of us whilst they differ in the others that refer to our Constitution and which they separate from us for as they profess than that of the Independents made them one with the Presbyterians who in all matters of Faith did freely and fully consent to the Confession published by the Assembly the things of Church-Government and Discipline onely excepted as they say in the Preface to the Platform of Church-Discipline in New-England And much to the same purpose is that of the Congregational Churches met at the Savoy 1658. But yet for all this they neither of them think themselves one with the other and the Independents for their separation were notwithstanding accused of Schism by the other 2. This Course is unnecessary and so unlawful because even in the way in which a Person is whilst a Member of a true Church in the sense all along spoken of he may attain to all due Improvement The Author of Prelatique Preachers none of Christs Teachers pag. 31. to encourage People rather to sit at home than hear the Publick Ministers tells them That