Which made them more sensible of the advantage of having these powers quietly and uncontestedly lodged in their own Hands These it might safely part withall during the incorporation as retaining still what it could not part with viz a Power of standing by all Necessary Points of worship and Doctrine and of doing what is necessary for the Souls of Men and as being also fitted all the time in the main with what is needful in Point of Discipline And its parting with them was in way of Compromise and Bargain as a grateful Return for the benefits and priviledges of its Enfranchisement and Incorporation or on consideration of its enjoying a Freedom not only of exercising spiritual ministrations but of exercising them in the way of an incorporate Church viz. in holding Benefices and in being back'd therein by secular Jurisdiction Laws and Priviledges And whilst these benefits of Incorporation are held on in favour of the Truth the cession of the Church in these Points is to be held on too and not to be resumed back again Protected and incorporate Bishops and Pastors must be content to claim Episcopal and Pastoral powers under the recessions and limitations of an incorporate Church Thus our Articles and Canons receive and assert the Ecclesiastical Supremacy of our Kings which contains the foresaid Church-Recessions And denounce Excommunication ipso Facto to those that Deny any part of our King 's Legal Supremacy in Ecclesiastical Causes or his having the same Authority therein as the Godly Kings had among the Jews or Christian Emperors had in the Primitive Church And accordingly in our Form of Ordaining Bishops they profess to think themselves call'd to this Ministration according to the Will of Jesus Christ and the Order of this Realm and promise to censure and punish the unquiet and disobedient within their Diocesses according to such Authority as they have by God's Word and as to them shall be committed by the Ordinance of this Realm But now all this giving up these or the like powers to the State for the sake of this Incorporation and in way of bargain and compromise or other abridgement of its own ministrations is 1. With a Salvo to the Interests of Religion and of the Souls of Men. They cannot give away any thing to make themselves wanting in any necessary service unto them nor part with their powers of ministring to Souls to build and nurse them up in pure Worship Doctrin and Practice These Powers are a Sacred Depositum which if they imbezzle or yield up in complyance they are false to God and to mens Souls and thereby betray both them and their own Holy Fâ—â—ction And their Acts also are nullities wherein they offer or promise to do the same For they are Acts against an antecedent Obligation which are wicked in the making as Herods Oath was to gratifie Herodias in the Baptists Death and the Jews Conspiracy and Oath to kill St. Paul But they are null as to the Obligation of performance as is agreed in the case of all contracts and promises to do unlawful things or things evil or forbidden in themselves They can neither discharge themselves I say nor receive any discharge from Princes of exercising these Powers where Christ requires they should exercise them for the Service of Religion of Souls as I have shewn he doth in the fore mentioned cases In Stewards it is required that they be found faithful in dispensing out these Ministrations as he orders not in suppressing them contrary to Order 1 Cor. 4 2. Necessity is laid upon me and woe be to me is here the Scripture denunciation if they preach not the Gospel or fail trustily to discharge that Ministry they have undertaken 1 Cor. 9. 16. No earthly Powers by confering on them the benefits of Incorporation get any Authority over Christs Ministers to discharge them of Ministring to their Master in these matters For this would be to give the civil power which ought to keep under Christ a power over him It would turn them from Nursing Fathers who by giving it a civil enfranchisement undertake to protect the true Religion into devouring Wolves who seek to make a prey of it It is expresly declared against by the Apostles who appeal to the common sense of mankind Whether they are not bound to obey God rather than men Act. 4. 19. 20. And would leave no ministrations of true Gospel Worship and Doctrin under any Christian state which should fall from any necessary parts thereof and begin to persecute them as the Arian Emperors did in the Persecutions they rais'd against the Orthodox and as Popish Princes did in like violences used by them at any time against our Protestant Brethren or Ancestors Than which nothing can be worse calculated for any Church of God but especially for the Christian Church which is to continue a Church in persecution and to bear up Christian Worship and Doctrin by due ministrations of both when any powers of this World fall from protecting most violently to bear them down And this in all times has been the Opinion and Practice of God's faithful Ministers when the State which by Incorporation should have back'd and strengthned them therein fell to discharge and bar them of their ministrations in these cases Thus God's Faithful Prophets and Ministers did in the Jewish Church who approved themselves glorious Confessors and Martyrs in administring God's Word and true Worship when the State fell to break in upon them and instead of backing and protecting them in those ministrations according to the purport of incorporation fell violently to discharge and drive them from officiating any longer therein Thus likewise Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria Paulus of Constantinople and other Bishops did in the Arian Persecution The civil State had then received the Church into it self endowed it with civil Edicts and enfranchisements And the deprivation and ejection of these Bishops out of their Churches particularly of the Great Athanasius was with State-Concurrence and for state-State-Causes or Pretences Among other Articles Athanasius was charged with Contumacy against the Emperour in refusing to appear upon his Edict at the Synod of Caesarea And with a Treasonable Design to stop the yearly Transport of Corn from Alexandria to Constantinople on which suggestion he was banish'd to Tryers by Constantine Not to mention the Accusation of his having impos'd on the Aegyptians a Tribute of Linnen Cloath and having conspired with one Philumenus against the Emperour and having Treasonably corresponded with the Traytor Magnentius and usurped the Imperial Prerogative by holding the Festival Dedication of the great Church of Alexandria without the Emperours Warrant and the like And his Deposition and Gregories and Georges Advancement to his See by Synods were seconded by Acts of State having the Approbation and Justification of the Emperors and the Assistance of Prefects as well as the ‖ Imperial Letters violently forcing one out of the
those who had been Ordained by them Besides all this instead of Anti-bishops being absolutely null and in reality no Bishops to heal and compose the differences of a miserably harassed and divided Church on such Competitions it has been sometimes agreed that whichsoever of them were the Right on the death of either the Survivor should be owned and the Church should have no other Bishop and so all the Ordinations and Episcopal Acts therein should pass through his hands and stand on his Authority whilst he lived Thus it was at Antioch where the Church was divided into Two Parts 〈◊〉 for the cause of the Faith which was common to them both but of the Bishops as Socrates says some owning and adhering to Meleâ—ius and others to Paulinus For to heal and close this lamentable Schism it was agreed which Sozomen calls an admirable Counsel and expedient that on the death of either the survivor should hold the See alone for his Life without being confronted and opposed by the Ordination of any other Person To prevent which an Oath was exacted of all in that Church who seemed to stand fairest for the Episcopate and of Flavianus among the rest that on the death of either of the Bishops they would not be Ordain'd Bishop of Antioch whilst the other survived Which Agreement and Oath being afterwards broke by Flavianus when on the death of Meletius he was Ordained Bishop against Paulinus cost him so much trouble and difficulty as he found to get himself received for the Bishop thereof both in Egypt Arabia and Cyprus and at Rome and among the Western Bishops afterwards Thus though Men in a Schism did ill in Ordaining others yet were not those Ordinations null in themselves but really conferred the powers of Orders which the Persons might exercise if the Church pleased And when once the Persons were reconciled and had satisfied the Church for their Schism they have often been allow'd to officiate in Virtue of that Ordination without being Ordained over again by the greatest Councils and through the early and later Ages of the Church And this shews that their Ordinations were not null in themselves For if such Persons had never received any Spiritual powers in their Ordinations they had none to exercise And had the Church been of this perswasion it would never have admitted them to exercise those POWERS which it believed were never Conferred on them But though these Men even after they had faln into a Schism or others who were Ordained therein had Orders yet was it in the power of the Church to deny them the Ministerial Exercise of their Orders Men must have the Communion of the Church as well as Orders before they can exercise their Orders and minister to the Faithful in any Religious Assemblies And though their Schism doth not utterly devest or exclude them from the Powers of Orders yet it doth from the Communion of the Church without which the Faithful who are not to seek but to shun the Ministrations of Schismaticks and Excommunicate persons must not partake with them in any Exercise of Orders And to this Communion after once they have justly lost and faln from it they are to be restored again in Degree more or less and to be received to the Communion either only of Lay-members or else of Clergy and to officiate according to their former Honors as the Church pleaseth And as to this Admission and Allowance to exercise their Orders in its Communion the Church has acted variously according as it saw cause When Ordinations have been made against the Rules of Unity though the Offenders thereby received Orders yet in care of these Rules and to assert and keep up Discipline it has at some times denyed as well as at other times granted its Communion to them for their Exercise of the same Where it judged that Rigor expedient on their submission it would receive them to communicate as Lay-men But they should not be allow'd the Priviledges nor permitted to act and officiate as Bishops and Priests in her Communion nor should other Churches receive them and joyn with them as such till moreover satisfaction had been first given to those Rules of Unity in Ordinations which had been broken in theirs And this it has done not only in case of this great Rule of not Ordaining a Bishop into a full Church but also in case of other Rules which are of less Account than it is Thus of Ordination into a Church already vacant if it is made without the Metropolitanes consent the Council of Nice and afterwards the Council of Antioch Deâ—rce That the Church shall not receive such an one for a Bishop And of Ordinations at large without declaring the appropriate Church or Place wherein the Person Ordained is to officiate the Council of Chalcedon decrees that they shall be invalid Not to mention or insist also on the Council of Nice's rejecting of the Anti-bishops Ordained by the Schismatick Meletius till they were confirmed by a more holy imposition of hands as their Synodical Epistle says because there was an incapacity more than ordinary for giving Orders not only to Anti-bishops but to any others in his Case which because it may be of use in this Argument I shall give an Account of Meletius was Bishop of Lycus in Egypt under the See of Alexandria and as Epiphanius relates was next in dignity and power to Peter the Bishop of Alexandria himself And he with his Adherents broke off from the Unity of the Church and set up a Schism separating from Peter the Bishop of Alexandria and assembling for Prayers and other Divine Offices by themselves and Ordaining opposite Bishops Priests and Deacons for the erection of opposite Churches in several places as Eleutheropolis Gaza and Aelia as Epiphanius says And these separate erections of Churches and opposite Ordinations he made after he had been justly deposed by Peter in a Synod as we are assured by Athanasius who had the best Opportunities to understand the Truth of these Matters and the most cause to inquire into them and also by Socrates afterwards And that too among other Crimes for his having faln in the Persecution to deny the Faith and to sacrifice to Idols Which Crimes when any Bishop or Clergy were once convicted of by the great Rule of Church-Discipline they were never afterwards to exercise any Clerical Powers or to officiate as Bishops and Clergy but upon their Reconciliation were to be received only to Lay-Communion After such Falls says St. Cyprian 't is in vain for any to seek to usurp the Episcopacy since 't is manifest such Men can neither preside in the Church of Christ nor ought to offer Sacrifice to God Chiefly since it has been Decreed by Cornelius and by Us and by all the Bishops of the whole World concerning them that after such Offence they may be admitted to Penance and the Peace of the Church but must stand
are not only set up but justified 1. In some particular Cases especially of general Concern CHAP. IV. More of the Cases wherein Faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations THey are still more bound to this Ministration when 2. This Justification of immoral Practices is by eluding and vacating of moral Precepts opposite thereto by Doctrinal Salvo's Instances of these Salvo's How they vacate the respective moral Precepts Such Salvo's make a Change in moral Doctrine though Men still own the Duties under their general Names The Duty of Pastors to defend and bear up moral Duties against such Salvo's by their Ministrations shewn at large And this when such corrupt Salvo's are only the Doctrines of the Pastors not the Determinations of the Church They are more strictly obliged thereto if the immoral Practices justified by such Salvo's are 1. extreamly Scandaelous to Religion 2. Generally Preach'd up by Seducers Or 3. Come strongly recommended to carnal Passions and Interests chiefly if driven on by general Persecutions CHAP. V. Of the Obligations to actual Ministration which lie upon them in the foresaid Cases THese deduced from their Office and Characters as they relate 1. To God and stand in Place 1. Of his Messengers 2. Of his Ministers and Ambassadors The various Obligations laid on them thereto by this 3. Of his Co-workers 2. As they relate to Religion as they are Ministers and Stewards of its Word and Mysteries The Obligations arising hence CHAP. VI. More of the Obligations to actual Ministration which lie upon them in the foresaid Cases 3. AS they relate to the Souls of Men and are set over the Church 1. As Watch-men 2. As Overseers 3. As Guides or Leaders 4. As Pastors or Shepheards 5. As Doctors or standing Teachers of the Church As Lights of the World and the Salt of the Earth Their Obligations to such exercise in the foresaid Cases from all the foresaid Characters Different Degrees in this Obligation A Spirit of Love and Zeal to Christ and his Church which stand not upon strict Terms the Spring and Principle of this Exercise How this clears the Duty of deprived Bishops and Clergy as to this Exercise on such Revolutions Answerable to this Obligation of the Pastors to afford such Ministrations at such Times is the Peoples Obligation to adhere to them and attend on them for Participation thereof PART II. Of Deprivations by Civil States or Ecclesiastical Synods CHAP. I. Of the Force of State Deprivations in the foresaid Cases THE Plea of a Deprivation of State represented in Bar of their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases Concerning which 1. This is to be press'd only under a supposed Legal and Rightful State 2. It s Deprivation is no conscionable Discharge from their Spiritual Ministrations in the foresaid Cases This is meant only of pure Spiritual Ministrations Not 3. of any Temporal Accessions and Inforcements of those Ministrations over which the State has Power because it conferr'd them As also over some other Powers belonging to the Church whilst it kept separate which it gives up to the State during its Incorporation with it These it gives up 1. with a Salvo to the Interests of Religion and of Souls 2. Only whilst it continues protected not when the State puts True Religion under Persecution CHAP. II. Of the Kings Ecclesiastical Supremacy Received and Asserted by our Church It lies not in his being invested with or having a Sovereign Disposal of the Powers of Orders But 1. in retaining his civil Power over all Persons whether Lay-Men or Ecclesiasticks In Virtue of this civil Power over the Persons of Ecclesiasticks he can command them faithfully to discharge their Spiritual Functions 2. In the Subordination of Ecclesiastical Courts and Causes wherein Ecclesiasticks are content to act subordinately on the Score of their secular Mixtures and Jurisdictions And in holding all this 3. in Opposition and Bar of all other Earthly Dependance especially of all Forreign Iurisdiction and Appeals This Supremacy excludes not Spiritual Ministrations of deprived Clergy in the foresaid Cases This may be collected from their Adversaries Concessions CHAP. III. Remarques on the Preceeding Account of the Force of State Deprivations and Instances of Deprivations alledg'd to the contrary considered and cleared up THE preceeding Account of the Force of State Deprivations is not 1. To deny the civil Power the Cognizance of Bishops and Ministers in civil Matters Nor any Iust Power over Ecclesiasticks 2. Nor to set the Church above the State as the Papal Usurpations pretend to do Nor to mistake or overlook the Condition of an incorporate Church The Deprivation of Abiathar by Solomon considered and cleared As also the frequent Depositions of the Jewish High Priests by the Roman Governours And of the Greek Patriarchs by the Turks And of the Popish Bishops by a Commission of State pursuant to an Act of Parliament in Queen Mary's Days CHAP. IV. Of Deprivations by Synods in the foresaid Cases DEprivation of Bishops most fit and pr per for Synods Their Deprivation no Discharge from Ministrations in the foresaid Cases as shown by reasons And by the Practice of the Church This is meant when Synods deprive for the cause of the Truth not of other mere Personal â—rimes where the Injured must acquiesce till relieved by regular Sentence â—hat regard is to be had to the Decisions of Synods in these Cases PART III. Of SCHISM CHAP. I. Of the Nature of Shism And of the Schism of particular Members from their own Church in throwing off Subjection and Dependance on their own Bishops OF the Union of a Society which Schism breaks One way of Uniting Societies is by Uniting them under the same Heads These in Church Societies are the Bishops Union of particular Members to their own Church is in Keeping Subject and Dependant on their own Lawful Bishops And their Schism lies in breaking off from them especially in seting up Opposite or Anti-Bishops against them So 1. in such Oppositions the Anti-Bishop and his Adherents make the Schism if the former Bishop was Orthodox and is still Rightful Bishop of the Church Of George the Cappadocian and Athanasius 2. The Unity of the Church doth not go with the greatest Numbers What distinguisheth Meetings in the Unity of the Church from Schismatical Conventicles Schismaticks too oft the more Numerous Party Much less doth it go with Places of Assemblies 3. Therefore in pressing Ecclesiastical Unity Men must be press'd to keep United to their own Orthodox Rightful Bishop not to any Opposite Bishop The Gospel Precepts of Love and Peace c. all on this Side and not to be urged the other way Such a Schism not to be cared by the Recessions of the Suffering Bishops in the foresaid Cases CHAP. II. Of the Schism of particular Churches from other Sister Churches by rejecting Fraternal Communion therewith UNity of one Body to be kept up among all particular Churches This is chiefly by the Union and Accord
of the respective Bishops and Pastors thereof All Orthodox Bishops and Churches keep this up 1. By Receiving each others Members as if they were their own Members 2. And in like sort by refusing each others Schismaticks And Excommunicates And admitting each others Reconciliation and Re-union of Members Of Communicatory Letters fox those Purposes CHAP. III. Of just Grounds to break off Communion Particularly of making impious and unlawful Things or unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments the Terms of their Communion JUst Ground to break off Communion from any Churches 1. When they put impious or unlawful Things into their Sacred Offices Reasons hereof Faith and Worship spoke of as the great Ligaments which Bind us to any Church 2. More still if they admit none to Communion in the good Parts unless they particularly concur in the corrupt ones too 2. A Second Ground is if they make unrighteous Usurpations the Condition of their Communion CHAP. IV. Heresie a just Ground to break off Communion CHrists first end was to Publish a Religion Next to Incorporate â—â— into a Church or Society for the Profession of it Christian Doctrine the Foundation of Church Society and Unity So we are not Bound to Associate or Unite with any longer than they keep to this Doctrine but are discharged by their Heresie And on the Evidence of the Fact it self before Synodical Sentence This Liberty 1. For the People and Clergy towards their own local Guides and Bishops 2. For Clergy and People of one Church towards those of another And on Defections from grand and necessary Doctrines of Practice as well as of Faith Chiefly when the Ministerial Defence of either is no longer allow'd in their Communion Being thus set loose from their own Erring Bishops and Clergy they are free to Unite with others who are Orthodox And those others are free to receive them Canonical Rules against intermedling in others Diocess c. no hindrance thereto Rules of Unity not pleadable by such Defectors for vniting with them The Guilt of making the Schism lies on the Defectors Should their Brethren come over that would not Cure but make the Breach from the Catholick Church wider CHAP. V. Of the Communion of good Christians or with whom they are to joyn in Divine Offices under a Schism THeir Obligations to stick to their Orthodox Rightful Bishops and to stand off from the Anti-Bishops and their Adherents in the foremention'd Cases As reta â—â—â—ing their Baptism they may own the Schismaticks as Brethren but as being in a Schism they must stand off from their Communion A great Sence of the Obligations to shuâ— the Communion of Schismeticks and corrupt Teachers in the first Times This was most when Charity was at the hight This will bar Communion 1. with the Electors and Ordainers of such Anti-Bishops 2. With their Clergy and People or the Assemblies of their Diocess 3. With other Bishops and Churches who take their part and communicate with them 4. With the Bishops of a Province who turn over to an Anti-Primate or opposite Metropolitane Of Provincial Union and the Rules for Maintenance thereof 5. When Curch Divisions are made for opposite Ways of Worship and Tenets Men will Unite with such as are of their own Mind and hold Communion with those who are for the same way of necessary Worship and Tenets with themselves CHAP. VI. Of Ordinations of Anti-Bishops which tho' always Schismatical are not always Nullities OF St. Cyprians saying the Anti-Bishop is not Secundus but Nullus That anti-Anti-Bishops are real Bishops and their Ordinations are not Null in themselves but were admitted in the Novatians by the Council of Nice In the Donatists by the Roman and African Councils The same shown in several other Cases Tho' Men have Orders yet they cannot exercise the same in Assemblies of the Faithful without the Communion of the Church Such Offenders Received sometimes to Clerical sometimes only to Lay-Communion as the Church saw Cause The Case of the anti-Anti-Bishops ordain'd by the Schismatick Meletius Ecclesiastical Laws and Discipline asserted or abated in such Receptions as was judged most expedent for the Church The Donatists made Schism to take away the Powers of Orders and are opposed therein by St. Austin How St. Cyprian and the Africanes of his Age seem to have done the same which St. Basil disliked in them Altho' their Nulling the Ministerial Acts of Schismaticks seems to be only in the Way of Asserting Discipline and Canons by denying Communion to them in their Churches not that they thought them Null in themselves How the Admission of Ordination of Anti-Bishops Consists with the Bishops being the Principle of Unity and is not against the Nature of the Spiritual Monarchy A Difference as to this between Secular and Spiritual Monarchies And of Local Limitations in conserring Orders CHAP. VII Of the Excusableness of the Peoples receiving Ministerial Offices from Men in Schism rather than live without any at all THis wants the Malignity of Schism The Excusableness thereof shewn 1. From the Nature and Importance of the things themselves Where of the great Importance of Publick VVorship or of Communion in Ministerial Offices 2. From the Abatements God himself has been willing to make on such Necessity in other like Duties 2. From the Practice of Gods People under the greatest Schisms This Necessity being thought to Legitimate it 1. Among the Ten Tribes whose Ministrations were all in a Shism 2. VVith the Schismatical Novatians in the height of the Arian Persecution 3. In the Schismatical Extirpation of Episcopacy among us in the great Rebellion 4. Under the Schism of Forreign Churches where the Protestants have no Bishops Of the Abatements the Church has made where it had great Reason in the Point of Shunning the Communion of Schismaticks and Excommunicate Persons especially before they were Sentenced by the Church The same Equitably Applicable to this Case How both a due Sence of the Criminallness of Schism and Exercise of publick VVorship is provided for by this Means CHAP. VIII Of Communicating in like Necessity where there are some Prayers Sinful in the Matter of them To concur or go along in any unrighteous Petition or Thanksgiving is most Unrighteous and Prophane Of mixt Prayers where the Mixtures are Idolatrous c. Or where some Immoral Petitions are added to a Service not exceptionable on any other Accounts Of Bearing such Immoral Mixtures whilst they do not particularly concur therein but express Dissent from the same and resorting still to the Assemblyes where they are used in Care of â—â—eping Peace and Union Of Bearing the same for the Necessity of having some Ministerial Offices in want of other Opportunityes Mere Presence at such Immoral Addâ—tions no interpretative Profession of Concurrence thereâ—n Chiefly if Dissent be shewn by some external Sign Of these Concessions of favour and ease All highly concern'd to take the Right way in the Points here Debated Unsofe should they take the wrong to trust to the Plea
hear them Mistaught by Seducers and instead of stopping their Mouths give way to Gain-Sayers whose Lips did not preserve and keep up Knowledge among the People but suppress and conceal it from them and who instead of Seeking shun'd the Seasons of Ministring the Word and of giving Gods People the Necessary Instructions How will they hope to approve themselves at that Day as having been the Lights of the World if they held this Light as Dark-Lanthorns ministring none to the World but letting it sit still in Darkness Or as the Salt of the Earth if by pure and wholsome Ministrations they did not season the Inhabitants thereof but suffer'd them for want of Seasoning to run into Spiritual Corruption and Putrefaction If they appear then to have been such Salt as did nothing to keep out Corruption they will be in Place of Salt without Savour as our Blessed Lord says or of Insipid Salt And such instead of being set by and carefully laid up he declares to be Good for nothing but to be cast out and troden under Foot Mat. 5. 13. So that all the Parts and Offices the Titles and Characters of their own Sacred Powers do most fully and lowdly proclaim to them the Duty of exercising their Spiritual Functions and discharging their Holy Ministrations in the foresaid Cases And let them but look to any of those Marks of Power and Care which God has put upon them or to any of those Stations wherein he hath placed them and they will effectually Remind them how much they are obliged to stir up the Gift that is in them when they see Religion wronged and the Souls of Men endanger'd by Immoral Worship and Doctrines or by other great Invasions on Christian Worship Faith or Practice Indeed the Necessity of supplying the Church with this Pure Worship Faith and Practice is thought by some to go a great Way in conferring the Ministerial Powers on those who otherwise would not have them And this is the Plea for the Collation of the Ministerial Powers by Ordination of Presbyrers without Episcopal Imposition of Hands in some Foreign Churches But not to examine that here whatever force and Effect it have in that Case of Conferring the Ministerial Powers on those who have them not it must needs be a sure Call to the Exercise thereof to those who have them and are Endowed therewith I do not say all Men are equally bound by the foresaid Characters to exercise these Gifts nor that the same Men are equally bound to it in all Places The Blessed Apostles had General Commissions and were sent out expresly to all Nations Mat. 28. 19. Other Bishops have a more limited Inspection and ought to be more especially Watchful over their own Diocesses having more particularly undertaken the Charge thereof But yet so as to be the Bishops of the Catholick Church and for the Preservation of the Catholick Worship and Faith who are therefore under Obligation of keeping these up as far as they can when they are Sinking and Over-Born in other Places Indeed in this Ministration they are not to stand on Punctilio's of Obligation doing no more than it can be proved they are bound to do in Rigor of Justice But they are to shew Zeal and Affection which doth not weigh Grains but thinks that a Call where it can do Religion and its Master any considerable Service and that the more of this it can do the better it is The Spirit of Love and Zeal is the Spirit which God requires in Pastors to direct and Influence their Spiritual Exercises and Administrations Lovest thou me says Christ to Peter repeating this to him Three Times when he charged him with the Pastoral Office of Feeding his Sheep and his Lambs Jo. 21. 15 16 17. By the putting on of Hands in Orders the Spirit which God hath given us is the Spirit of Love to Christ and his Church and of Power or Firmness and Fearlesness of what Evil may befal our selves in prosecution thereof says St. Paul 2 Tim. 1. 7. The Charge of Feeding the Flock or the Over-Sight which they take is not an unwilling Charge such as will go no further than it is compell'd but requires a VVilling and a Ready Mind that on any Call is free and prompt of it self to Discharge it 1 Pet. 5. 2. And this Spirit of Love and Zeal and Power which is the Principle of their Ministrations stands not upon strict Terms But being full of Care for Christ and for the Good of Souls and Fearless of what may thereby befal our selves doth more or less according as it's Measure and Degree is St. Paul had a great Measure thereof and according to the Degree of it's working in him mightily he laboured and strove Earnestly in the work of the Ministry that he might present every Man perfect in Christ Col. 1. 28 29. He disputed not nicely how far he was bound but would readily go beyond the strict Terms counting whatever were the Over-plus that it was to be expected from this Principle of Love and Zeal in his Master's Cause and would abundantly be made up by a surpassing Recompence If I do this thing willingly or beyond strict Command or Necessity says he speaking of some things in the course of his Ministration which he was not strictly bound to I have a Special Reward for so doing 1 Cor. 9. 15 17. And proportionable to the Degree of this Love and Zeal in others will the Measure of their Service and Ministrations be likewise They will still in any Places be more Active to keep up the Catholick Faith and Worship according as they are more perfect in this Ministerial or Pastoral Spirit And thus at length I think it may fully appear that Christ's Faithful Ministers are on many Accounts Obliged not to suppress their Ministrations but to supply the Church therewith when that is Necessary to prevent a Peoples being nursed up in Irreligious and destructive Ways like as are not only Idolatry and Speculative Heresies but also Immoral Doctrines and Practices and Immoral Worship and Devotions And therefore should those things prove Immoralities which on any Revolution happen to be justified in any Kingdom and are every where Press'd and Recommended to the Peoples Practice and are salved by the foresaid or such like new Doctrines and are brought into Prayers and publick Offices and Devotions in those Countries The deprived Bishops and Clergy in that State would be under all these Obigations to exercise their Functions and to Minister to the Church in those Cases And this would absolutely set aside the Argument from the forecited Sayings of Clemens and Dionysius and Chrysestom and Nazianzen for the cessation of Rightful Bishops to the intruding anti-Anti-Bishops For these Cessations are in a Cause that concerns only Personal Rights not that touches the Interests of Religion or the Salvation of Souls And without examining the Truth of the particular Histories wherein are Errors enough as others have made appear it
which were to show themselves Silly Sâ—eâ—p indeed and prepared for Destruction but to run away from them not to give Ear to False-Teachers and False-Propâ—â—â—s but to keep-out of their Hearing and shut their Eaâ—â— against theâ— and lastly not to strike in with those that cause Divisions but to 〈◊〉 them as St. Paul teaches and as the Rules of the Church have still required Faithful Christians to do by the Makers of Schism Bid him not God speed nor receive the Briâ—gâ—â— of False Doctrine into your Houses 2 Jo. 10 11. Beware of False-Prophets as of Ravening Wolves Mat. 7. 15. Keep not Company with Disorderly VValkers who â—dhere not to the Tradition they received of us 2 Thes. 3. 6 14. Mark â—â—â—m which Cause Divisions and Offences in breaking off and going Contrary to the Doctrinâ— which ye have learned and avoid them Ro. 16. 17. These and such like are the Scripture Riâ—â—es in these Cases Which call the Servants of Christ to withdraw themselves from those who have first seperated and withdrawn themselves from his Worship and Doctrines and instead of them to Adhere to others who as his true Ministers and faithful Pastors stick true to the same and Administer them Pure and Uncorrupt to his Church whereof I shall give a further Account afterwards PART II. Of Deprivations by Civil States or Ecclesiastical Synods Chap. 1. Of the Force of State Deprivations in the foresaid Cases HItherto I have endeavoured to mark out the cases wherein the Bishops and Pastors of Christs Church are bound to exercise their Ministerial Powers and to proceed on duly in their Administrations And to set forth the great and manifold Obligations which are incumbent on them in those Cases And having thus laid out their Obligations I shall next consider the Restraints which at such times are most pleadable in these cases by shewing 2. Secondly of what force a deprivation of state or the Preservation of External Communion and Peace in the Church ought to be in Dâ—barring them thereof 1. First One great thing that may be alledged to silence Faithful Bishops and Ministers of Gods pure worship and Righteousness and to stop the course of their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases is a Deprivation of state when the secular Power by its Laws and interdicts forbids those Ministrations and removes them from their Sees putting others into their places For Bishops and Pastors as they are Ministers of Christ so are they also Subjects of the state And therefore as some think ought not to exercise their Ministry at least not among their Subjects nor in any Diocess of their Dominions in opposition to it And in Christian Kingdoms the Church is incorporated into the state And by the Benefit of this incorporation Bishops and Pastors have their spiritual Ministrations back'd with secular Effects and Censures as Excommunication among us makes lyable to Temporal imprisonment and incapacitates from carrying on any civil suit or Action in the civil courts They have also their jurisdiction extended thereby to some secular matters as the Bishops courts are to matters of Wills Marriages Benefices c. And are encouraged therein by Secular Benefices Honours and Freeholds Now all these secular Fortifications jurisdictions and encouragements in their Ministrations conferr'd on the Bishops and Pastors of an incorporate Church are the gifts of the state and are secular additions to what Spiritual Powers they received from Jesus Christ. And what the state gives the state when it sees cause may deprive them of So that incorporate Ministrations or Administring these Spiritual Powers in the mixt and fortifyed way of an incorporate Church may seem as some will argue more subject to the state to take out of some and to put into other hands Especially considering that in grateful return and commutation for the benefit of incorporation or for being made free of the state and having the secular accessions the Church by Compromise has parted with some of its priviledges to the Civil Power Thus since the incorporation has it in compliance given up to the state the Nomination of Bishops and Metropolitanes belonging anciently to the other Bishops of the Province or to the Clergy and People of the Church And that Rules agreed on in Synods shall be no Canons till they be approved and ratified by the Prince And that there shall be no Admission or Refusal of Clerks to Cures or use of Discipline but in consistence with and under Regulation of the Kings Pâ—erogative and the Laws of the Land and the like And by these Cessions they may seem as some think to have Cut off all Power of Contesting the States Nomination or Advancement to Churches or its Deprivation and Removal from them as having by their account given up these Priviledges in way of bargain and exchange to keep on the benefits and State enjoyments of an incorporate Church But as to this Regard which they ought to have to State deprivations in bar of the foresaid Ministrations I observe 1. First that this Regard is to be press'd only under a supposed Legal and Rightful State For 't is to their Rightful Prince that as good and faithful subjects they owe all their Obedience which is call'd for in these cases What Regard they are to pay as subjects must be to his Deprivation But not if they are deprived by an Usurper set up against him who really has no Regal Authority over them but only pretends to it and assumes a Power which is none of his own Especially if he should deprive them for their Adherence to their Lawful King As if Athaliah had deprived Jehojadah for adhereing to Joash his true Soveraign or as the Reâ—ellious Parliament did depose not only the Bishops and Episcopal Clergy those Faithful Adherers to the Crown but Episcopacy it self in King Charles the First 's time For then as there is no real Authority to bind on so neither would there be any Equity or Colour of Law to back such a deprivation or to oblige the sufferers to acquiesce therein The Law which still supports the Right of the Lawful King against his Usurpation must needs support the Rights of all his Adherents against the same And as still he would be the Legal King so would they not only be the real but in Eye of Law the Legal pastors not withstanding his Forcible Removal of them And therefore there is no room for this regard to a deprivation of State on the Plea of a King de Facto or on supposal of unrighteous usurpation The Legal Right asserted still by the Publick Acts on such Revolutions will give it place to go as far as it can But as for all those who give up the Legal Right 't is not for any of them and 't is well known how considerable a part they make among the writers as well as among the practicers in this point to urge the Authority of a deprivation of State in this question 2. Secondly a Deprivation of a Lawful
Episcopal Throne and giving the other Possession thereof and barbarously enforcing submission and adherence to them from the Clergy and People as was done by Philagrius Syrianus and Heraclius to omit others But these Stateinhibitions and deprivations coming on him his Adherents not for any other Crimes alledged which were shameless Falshoods and assumed meerly as pretences but in reality only for his being a stout Asserter of the Orthodox Faith he still went on preaching and ministring the same and for all these State-ejections was stuck to therein by the faithful Aegyptians and by the Orthodox in all other places And thus also our own Ancestors continued to do on the States turning upon them and under Forfeiture of Incorporation and all the Penalties of a Bloody Persecution forbidding them to go on administring the Word and Worship of God according to the Reformation thereof made by King Edward in Queen Maries time For being to administer this Word and Worship in duty to God and in care of Souls they set light by the Benefits of Incorporation and civil Advantages and paid no regard to State-deprivations or inhibitions but went on faithfully to administer the same though at the â—eril of their Lives I Grant the desire of keeping on the publick benefits of incorporation may many times be a Reason for Bishops and Ministers voluntarily to rest under State-deprivations and inhibitions when 't is a Case only of personal rights and priviledges Such deprivations and inhibitions often affect persons only and not things when on the deprivation of one the same Ministrations would be kept up by others As was done in the depositions of High-Priests so common in later times among the Jews and of Patriarks so ordinary at present among the Greeks and may happen in other places In all which there is only a change of persons but no change in ministrations the Church being lead on in the same necessary Worship Doctrine and Practice under both And here to prevent a breach with the state and to keep on the way of spiritual ministrations with the benefit of Secular Accessions the Bishops and Pastors of an incorporate Church where it is not like to do the Church more hurt by an utter loss of its liberty in these points than the incorporation desired will compensate may think there is more cause for the Churches sake to rest under state-deprivations They may esteem it their parts to quit their own particular interests to advance the Churches and believe that the keeping on the publick benefits of incorporation will abundantly compensate for the wrongful encroachment made by such deprivation on a private person But in Cases which concern not only the personal rights and priviledges of Pastors but the substance of Religion or the safety of Souls and where Christ requires they should exercise their ministrations as I have shewn he doth in the foresaid Cases They must not let them fall in regard to any inhibitions or deprivations even of their Lawful Princes They must here slight all worldly benefit of protection and be willing if need require to undergo a persecution And go on faithfully in their ministrations as their bounden duty requires and as in these Cases Gods Faithful Ministers have done in all times 2. Secondly what is so given up by the Church for abridgement of its own power in spiritual ministrations is only whilst it keeps united to the state and receives protection not when it is separated from it again or falls under persecution Its recessions as I noted were on consideration of State benefits and as a grateful return for them whilst it was suffer'd to enjoy them They are all upon the score of its union and so cease when the State breaks off and turns it up to it self again For being made separate it is no longer under any former tyes of incorporation but acts again with the powers of a separate condition And thus it is when instead of protecting the State puts any necessary points of Doctrine or Worship or part of their ministration under persecution When it separates its protection it separates it self It drives out the Church when it drives out any of those things which the Church must stick to at all perils and when instead of incorporating or civilly protecting the ministrations thereof it falls to incorporate and to protect the ministration of error and wickedness in their place It disfranchises pure Worship and Doctrine when it enfranchises errors and corruptions contrary to them And by turning to persecute the necessary ministrations of pure Religion it breaks it self from them and thence forward they are no longer one but become two again So that whatever regard and complyance the Bishops and Ministers of Christ may shew to such deprivations and inhibitions of the State whereinto they are incorporated whilst it inhibits no necessary Ministrations to Religion or to the Souls of Men but in discharging all those they injoy the priviledges and protection thereof Yet are they not to be discharged thereby from ministring to the same in all the foresaid or other like Cases nor to be debarr'd of any of their spiritual powers after once the state breaks with them and instead of yielding them the benefits of incorporation puts them under persecution But then they must exercise these ministrations only according to what they have Received from Christ and from the Canons of the Church so far as they do not interfere with any innocent State Laws which restrain them as Good Subjects Not with any Civil fortifications and State Accessions CHAP. II. Of the Kings Ecclesiastical Supremacy Received and Asserted by our Church ANd all this agrees well with the Ecclesiastical Supremacy own'd by our Church and claimed by our Princes conformable to what was ascribed to and claimed by the Godly Kings among the Jews and the Godly Emperors in the Primitive Church Whose Ecclesiastical Soveraignty lyes not in their being invested with or in their having a Soveraign Disposal of the Powers of Orders But in retaining their Civil Soveraignty over all persons whether Laymen or Ecclesiasticks And in the subordination of Ecclesiastical courts and causes which are content to act in subordination on the score of their secular mixtures as in beneficiary matters censures c. And for Cognizance of either of these either of persons or causes in barring all Foreign Appeals 1. First It lyes not I say in their being invested with or having a Soveraign Disposal of the powers of orders For these our Kings do not pretend to have in their power or to be powers subjected and inherent in themselves But to be proper and Peculiar to spiritual persons Thus King Henry the eighth when he asserts his own Regal Supremacy over the Church leaves all proper spiritual powers and Functions to spiritual persons and in the statute for restraint of Appeals declares the spiritualty sufficient and meet to declare and determine all such doubts and to administer all such
under the Cognizance of their civil Courts as others are And this civil Subjection of Ecclesiastical Persons against the Papal Exemptions thereof is the main thing in the Ecclesiastical Supremacy claimed by our Kings In the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth and in the Canons of King James this Supremacy is called the highest Power under God whereto all Men within the same Realms by God's Law owe most Loyalty and Obedience afore and above all other Powers and Potentates in Earth Her Majesty say the Injunctions again thereby neither doth nor ever will challenge any other Authority than was lately used and was of antient time due to the Imperial Crown of this Realm that is under God to have the soveraignty and rule over all manner of Persons born within her Dominions of what Estate either Ecclesiastical or Temporal soever they be so as no other Foreign Power shall or ought to have any superiority over them By Supremacy or chief Government says the 37th Article of Religion we give only that prerogative which we see to have been always given to all godly Princes in Holy Scriptures by God himself that is that they should rule all States and Degrees committed to their Charge by God whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal and restrain with the civil Sword the Stubborn and Evil-doers And the Oath of Supremacy as King James the First declared only extended to the Kings Power of Judicature over all Persons as well Civil as Ecclesiastical excluding all foreign Powers and Potentates to be Iudges within his Dominions All which plainly make the Ecclesiastical Supremacy to lye mainly in having Bishops and Ministers or the Ecclesiastical State who were broke off from it by the Papal Exemption under the same common Obligation to the civil Soveraign with other Subjects or under the Tye of civil Subjection In vertue of this civil power over their Persons as his Subjects he can command them faithfully to discharge their Duties and Functions And that not only as Subjects in civil Matters but as Ministers in divine Offices For as he is the civil Soveraign the Temporal Magistrate is the Keeper of both Tables being to keep his Subjects in Godliness as well as in Honesty as St. Paul says And is to use the civil Sword for sins against Religion as well as for sins against the State and in his way to punish Ministers for Neglect or Abuse of their spiritual Functions as well as for Breach of the civil Peace Thus good Kings as Hezekiah and Josiah employed their temporal power to cut off corrupt administrations and to reform Abuses of Worship and Religious Offices in the Jewish Church As Constantine and other good Christian Kings and Emperors did afterwards in other Nations And the 37th Article of our Church declares That by his Supremacy the King with the civil Sword may restrain the stubborn and evil-doers whether Laicks or Ecclesiasticks And on this Account Constantine calls himself the Minister of God for the Coercion and Punishment of wicked Bishops And at his Entertainment of the Bishops tells them That God has appointed them the Bishops of things within the Church and him the Bishop of things without it and that it belongs to him as Bishop of Bishops to see they discharge their duties and be pious Thus the Emperors Theodosius and Valentinian say That God by setting them to reign had made them the Bond both of the piety and of the external welfare and security of those who are subject to them the connexion betwixt which two their study was to preserve inviolable And in this Kings saith St. Austin according as God commands them do serve the Lord as they are Kings when they enjoyn good things and prohibit evil things in their Kingdoms And that not only in Matters pertaining to humane society but also in Matters pertaining to our Holy Religion And thus by means of his civil Power over Spiritual Persons has the King the like Power over Spiritual Acts Functions viz. as he can require and by the civil Sword compel them whom Christ has empowered thereto in his Dominions to exercise the same I mean to exercise them according to the Rules of God's Word and of their own Spiritual Function his Power lying in calling them to do their duties not to any Neglect or Breach thereof As we see was observed not only by the Godly Jewish Kings but also by the Primitive Emperors whose civil Laws and Edicts in these Matters still followed the spiritual Rules and Duties and were a secular Enforcement to drive all Ecclesiasticks to keep them not to Transgress them Our Laws do not disdain to follow the Sacred and Divine Canons the civil power in these Matters enforcing that which the Church had first prescribed says the Emperor Justinian And accordingly in the Civil Law for Restraint of Excommunications we forbid our Bishops saith he to Excommunicate any without a just Cause be shewn for it We forbid all Bishops and Presbyters saith another Law to exclude any from the Communion before Proof of such a Cause for which this is commanded to be done by the Ecclesiastical Canons So by his Imperial Power over their Persons commanding their Ministrations and limitting them therein to their own Rules And thus the King like as the Jewish Kings and Primitive Emperors were is supreme in these spiritual Acts and Administrations as in his Dominions they are all to be sped and administer'd not by independant Forreigners but by his own Subjects or as having the supream earthly Command of Bishops and Priests who are bound in civil Obedience to him as their Temporal Soveraign to exercise them when he requires it And this way he can give Final Justice to all his Subjects in all spiritual as well as temporal Matters having Authority to command his Bishops and Clergy to do it in the one as well as his Judges and temporal Ministers to do it in the other And by this power of doing it by their Means or Ministrations is his Supremacy set off Thus in the Statute for the Restraint of Appeals the King is declared to be the one supream Head endowed with plenary Power and Authority to render Final Justice in all Causes because the spirituality or his Bishops and Clergy can administer and determine all that belongs to their spiritual Offices and the Judges and other his temporal Ministers can do the like for Tryal of Property and Conservation of civil Peace The Kings Supremacy in Ecclesiastical Matters doth not imply the power of the Keys which he has not but he may command those who have them to use them rightly says Mr. Mason This Supremacy is preserved if he take care that those who have the power of Ecclesiastical Censures do exercise them says Dr. Burhil He has plenary power to render final Justice that is to receive the last Appeal of his own Subjects without any fear of any
Naming of Bishops Conveneing them in Synods Ratifying of Canâ—ns Dispensing with them and the like after once a rightful state breaks the incorporation and puts the true Church from state-protection and endowments into a state of persecution For then the Church and State are divided again as they were in the days of the Ancient Canons and so they may be free as Bishops then were to exercise those powers by the Rule of those Canons as they can and as in prudence they shall see cause But whilst the protection and incorporation holds for the sake whereof it laid down its claim to those powers and suffer'd them to become the States-Prerogatives the Bishops and Ministers are not to pretend to them And so whilst the Church enjoys such incorporation our own Church by its Articles and Canons disclaims the exercise of these powers by it self and confirms them to the Crown as I formerly observed Thus are the Recognitions which Ecclesiasticks ought to make of the Supremacy of Princes and all the Regard they ought to bear to the incorporation of the Church fairly consistent with their Faithful discharge of their Spiritual Ministrations after the State has deprived them in the foresaid Cases They stand bound to Christ there to exercise the same by manifold obligations as I have shewn And no deprivations of Princes though they be Soveraign Governors of all their Subjects and have endowed and incorporated the Chuch can disable or discharge them from it And from this state of these matters it may be easy to clear and take off the Force of those instances which are brought of state-deprivations without the concurrence of Ecclesiastical Synods and to shew they are of no force in the foresaid Cases The instances chiefly insisted on are the Deposition of Abiathar by Solomon and the frequent sometimes Annual depositions of their High-Priests by the Romans when Judea fell into their Hands the depositions of the Patriarks of the Greek Church by the Turks and the deprivation of Queen Maries Popish Bishops by a commission of State pursuant to an Act of Parliament without a Synod at the beginning of the Reformation under Queen Elizabeth 1. First as for Abiathar whom for conspiring with Adonijah Solomon is said to have thrust out from being Priest unto the Lord 1 King 2. 27. it doth not appear that Solomon did remove him from the dignity and office of High Priest but only from the exercise thereof For after this sentence was passed upon Abiathar and after Joab the General also his complice and conspirator had been sentenced and suffer'd death and Benajah was made General in his place 1 King 1. 28. 34 35 Abiathar is still reckon'd as Partner with Zadock in the High-Priest-hood 1 King 4. For so in the reckoning up of Solomons Officers when Benajah the Son of Jehojadah was over the Host 't is added and Zadock and Abiathar were the Priests v. 4. And as for the debarring him the Exercise of his High-Priests Office that was the natural and inseparable consequent of his Banishment from Jerusalem to Anathoth for his Life For the exercise of that Office was local and fixed to Jerusalem and the Temple In the Temple were all the Priests tyed to officiate whose Ministrations he was to direct and in that was the Holy of Holies whereinto once a year he himself in Person and he alone was to enter and offer the Blood of Expiation and there was the Mercy Seat before which he was to stand with the Urim and Thummim to consult God upon occasion The Exercise of which Ministrations with others required his Personal Residence and could not be discharged by him living in another place So that the banishing him from Jerusalem by mere natural consequent without need of spiritual Jurisdiction excluded him from the Exercise of the High-Priests-Office And this Banishment Solomon inflicted on him as his civil Soveraign for his Trayterous Conspiracy with Adonijah and on like Cause any other lawful Soveraign may do the same And without doubt he not only consented to this Amotion but was thankful for it and that instead of being sent to Anathoth he was not sent out of the World as by Law his Fact deserved So that Abiathar had nothing to contest in his Case nor any mind to do it being justly lyable to suffer so much more at the hand of the civil Power than it was pleased to inflict on him And then as for Zadock who held the High-Priesthood in his Room and whilst he was living that doth not appear to have been by a New Creation For before this extrusion of Abiathar he had been created Partner Vicar or Suffragan with him in the High-Priests Office in Davids time Thus in the reckoning up of Davids Officers they are put together as filling this place Sheva was Scribe and Zadock and Abiathar were the Priests 2 Sam. 20. 25. And hast thou not there with thee Zadock and Abiathar the Priests says David to Hushai when in his flight from Absalom he sent him back into the City to defeat the Council of Achitophel 2 Sam. 15. 35. chap. 17. 15. And in carrying back the Ark into the City David gives command to Zadock the Priest about it 2 Sam. 15. 25 27. and the Text adds Zadock therefore and Abiathar carryed the Ark of God again to Jerusalem joyning them as Partners in this great Act of the Pontifical Charge v. 29. He also commits to Zadock the Priest the anointing and proclamation of Solomon which was another Act thereof 1 King 1. 32 34 38 39. And this is plainly asserted by Josephus who says That Zadock was first created High-priest in the Reign of David And therefore on Abiathars exclusion by Solomon that Zadock only came in to have the High-priesthood and to act therein alone He was then Sagan or Suffragan and Vicar to Abiathar as Grotius and Vatablus conceive When Abiathar therefore by his Banishment for Life in just Punishment of his Treason was incapacitated for any further Exercise of his High-priests-office on such debarring of his Pontifical Exercise there was no new Ordination of another into his Place But Zadock who had been created his Partner in the Priesthood before on his Partners Loss of this Exercise was to exercise the whole himself So that the Authority of a Deprivation of State to unmake one and to make another to be a Bishop in their dominions during his Life is ill-fetch'd from this Instance For neither doth Abiathar plainly appear to have been despoyled of the Honour of the High-priesthood tho' by Banishment for Life he was of the Exercise thereof by Solomon Nor Zadock to have been first advanced and created High-Priest by him but to have been Ordained thereto by the spiritual Powers of the Sanhedrim to whom that Ordination and Investiture did belong in Davids Time Besides 2. Secondly in these alledged State-deprivations of the Jewish High-priests either of Abiathar by Solomon or after they
Thus it is when it sha Excommunicate any for adhereing to any necessary Christian Doctrines Worship or Practices For all who would hold to Christ must Neglect such Censures and though any Church or Synod throws such persons out of its Communion they are joyfully to well come and receive them into theirs For when our Lord Arthorizes and gives validity to Church Censures saying they shall be bound in Heaven and bidding us look on all who will not hear the Church as Heathâ—ns and Publicans He limits this validity to those censures which pass upon men not for any parts of righteousness but for real offences If thy Brother Trespass against thee and will not hear thee tell it unto the Church So that some real offence or Trespass must still be the ground of the process Mat. 18. 15. 17. It must be for not hearing the Church when it calls us to his Truths and Precepts not when it sets up to carry us from them For there if it use censures it acts of it self and not by his Commission It opens or shuts by an Erring Key and must not expect that what is so bound or loosed on earth shall be Ratifyed in Heaven By such perverse Censures the Church only deprives it self of the Communion of Faithful Christians but doth not deprive them of Communion with Christ or with one another The unjust Excommunications of the Jewish Sinhedrim when they cast Christs Disciples out of their Synagogues only estranged or cut off themselves says Photius but brought those Disciples so much nearer to their Lord and Master And so now says he when the imitators of the Jews Excommunicate the Followers of the Apostles they thereby only Conjoyn and Unite them the more to those Divine Apostles to whom they are more closely and exactly knit both in Faith and Life by the Communion of sufferings But they miserably cut off themselves both from their Doctrine and from our Orthodox Faith And therefore instead of bemoaning themselves under such Excommunications and seeking to have them take off by Complying with the Church our Blessed Saviour fortifies his â—râ—â— followers against them and bids them not only patiently to rest under tâ—em but triumphaâ—â—ly to re oyce therein They shall put you out â— the 〈◊〉 ues says he to â—â—em and Cautions them not be offended thereat when it should happen or not to fall off from him or his ways to recover the Liberty of the Sâ—nagogues again Joh. 16. 1. 2. When they shall seperate you from their company by Excommunications and Anathema's and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Mans sake rejoyce ye in that day and leap for joy for behold Great is your Reward in Heaven for in the like manner did their Fathers unto the Prophets Luk. 6. 22 23. And thus the Holy Apostles and Faithful Adherers to Gods Truth and Worship and good Christian Practices did in all times when for such Adherence they fell under the Anathema's of Synods or the Excommunication of Churches during the Papal or any other former or later Persecutions They joyfully received such sentences and always owned one another and held Communion in Adherence to Gods word and ways among themselves when they were cast out of the communion of such corrupt and Apostatizing Synods or Churches And 't is the same when it shall deprive or discharge any Faithful Bishops and Ministers from supporting such necessary Doctrines worship and practices by their Ministrations as Christ requires For then notwithstanding such deprivations and discharge by Churches and Synods CHRIST'S Faithful Ministers must hold on Ministring and his faithful People must hold on Communicating and Adhereing to them therein Thus as our LORD Notes their Fathers had Separated and cast out the Old Prophets from Prophesying in their Company or Assemblies Who still went on Preaching and Ministring the Word which they were sent out to publish And thus the Sanhedrim that great Synod of the Jewish Church discharged the Apostles from Ministring Christianity or Preaching any more in Christs Name who told them they could by no means desist thereupon but must hold on their Ministration being to Ovey God rather than men Act. 4. 18 19 20. Thus also several Synods Deprived Athanasius and the other Orthodox Bishops who were the stout Asserters and Maintainers of the Divinity of our Lord against the Arians Such was the Synod of Tyre And such also was the Synod of Antioch whose Deprivations of Athanasius and the other Orthodox Bishops were a Blow made at the Nicene Faith though their Canons being good and according to Primitive Usage were by Orthodox Councils afterwards taken into the Book of Ecclesiastical Canons out of which several of them are repeated verbatim in the great Council of Chalcedon and are there among the Canons of others Synods taken in to be Canons of the Universal Church And such likewise were the deprivations of other Synods assembled in that Cause afterwards Now under these Synodical deprivations the great Business of those suffering Bishops was to shew that whatever other Immoralities or Personal Crimes were pretended against them as several were most impudently pretended against all Ground and Reason yet in reality and truth their deprivations were for the Cause of the Faith or for their firmness in maintaining the Divinity and Consubstantiality of Christ with the Father This Athanasius and Paulus plead for themselves teaching That their Depositions were not for any other Cause but for the subversion of the Orthodox Faith as is related by Socrates and Sozomen And what they made appear to the Emperor Constans was That they suffered not for the Crimes or ill Lives they were accused of as the sentence of Deposition did contain but for their thinking and teaching differently from the Synods their Dâ—posers about the Faith And when it was once clear to any Persons or Churches that they were deprived for the cause of the Faith they were not hindred by any Authority of external Judicature in the Synods their deposers but readily received and communicated with them as Christs true Bishops still in those places For notwithstanding these Synodical Deprivations Athanasius was all the while own'd and adher'd to by the Faithful Aegyptians as Paulus also was by the Faithful Constantinopolitanes And when they came to Rome on their giving full satisfaction in this Point Julius the Bishop of Rome received them to Communion Hearing the Cause of each says Sozomen and finding them all to agree in the Nicene Faith which he saw undermined and struck at by their Deprivers he received them to Communion as being of the same Belief with himself This Reception of Athanasius and others who stood deprived by the Synods of Tyre and Antioch c. to his Communion was before the Synod of Rome wherein the Orientals should have justified their Proceedings had acquitted and received them For before the Synod was held at Rome in
him making a New Body under him which apparently destroys Union and makes two out of one And thus we fee it doth in all Societies If an Opposite General is set up by a mutinous Party it divides the Army or if an opposite King is set up in a Realm it makes a Sedition and divides the Kingdom Or if the same is done in a College a Family or other Societies as well as in a Church opposite Heads do unavoidably make opposite Bodies and visibly destroy the Unity of any Society by breaking into two Societies or into as many as there shall be opposite Heads thereof Accordingly the Ancients place the Schism of Church-Members in breaking off from Rightful Bishops or setting up others in the same Church against them Thus in the Apostolical Canous the Schism of Presbyters of other Clergy or Laicks is express'd by their setting up another Altar and assembling separately in contempt of the Bishop So also the Council of Carthage declares concerning any Presbyters who should do the same after they had been sentenced and segregrated by their Bishops that therein they are Makers of Schisms And the second General Council rejects men as Schismaticks tho' they give out that they confess the Right Faith if they assemble and hold Congregations in opposition to their Canonical Bishops Hence says St. Cyprian come Schisms and Heresies because Men envy and contemn their Bishops They have risen and do rise from this viz. from some proud Persons presumptuous contempt of the Bishop who is one and presides over the Church Especially if they set up an Anti-Bishop and oppose a second Bishop to the first or to one Canonically Ordained already and rightfully possess'd of the same Church This was the Case of Novatianus whom the three Italian Bishops which he call'd to Rome for that purpose ordained Bishop of Rome against Cornelius who was already the Rightful and Canonical Bishop of that place This setting up of Anti Bishops St. Cyprian tells them is erecting an Adulterous Head a second Bishop being no more to be admitted to the same Church than a second Husband to the same Wife whilst the former lives and a spurious or adulterate Chair And bids them know that after once a Bishop is lawfully made and Ordained in any Church they can no ways set up another Bishop against him in the same place He calls it erecting unlawful Priesthoods and opposing against the True Altar and Holy Sacrifice a False and Profane Altar Sacrilegious Sacrifices And he aggravates the Novatian Schism by saying they had not only broke off from the Bishop and Church but had proceeded against the Ordinance of God and Catholick Unity to set up against him another Bishop an adulterous and contrary Head And on like setting up of Anti-Bishops after others were first in place Optatus Charges the Donatists with Schism afterwards These setters up of opposite or Anti-Bishops first break off themselves from their own Bishop before they can set another up against him And being broke off from their Bishop they are broke off from the Church which is in Episcopo as I shewed before or goes along with the Bishop those Members only making the true Body which adhere and keep to the Head and those ceasing to be any longer of the Body who are separated from the Head And therefore these opposite or Anti-Bishops and opposite Altars that blessed Martyr still says are foris and extra Ecclesiam and have receded ab Ecclesia that is are not within but without the Church Now from this Account of Church-Union in any particular Churches and of Schism which lyes in the unjust Breach thereof I shall observe these three Things 1. First That when a second or opposite Bishop is set up in any Church against a former Orthodox one who is still Bishop thereof the Anti-Bishop and they who set him up and adhere to him make the Schism For the other with his Adherents as the same Head and Members abide still where they were and are still the same Church But the Anti-Bishop and his Followers are gone out from them which Optatus gives as a plain Proof against the Donatist Bishops that the Schism lay at their doors They have broke themselves off and by erecting themselves into an opposite Head and Body make a new and opposite Church Consenting to set up another Bishop they consented therein to set up another Church as I observed before from St. Cyprian So that they rend that Body which by keeping wholly to one Bishop before was but one into several pieces and break one Church into two Churches This I say they do if the former Bishop is Orthodox For if he is Heretical Heresie as I shall shew dissolves the Union and cancels the Obligation of Adherence between such Head and Members They are bound to own him as their Head and to be one with him as his true and genuine Members whilst he is at the Head of Christian Doctrines and necessary Truths but not when he falls off from them into damnable Heresies and Unchristian Errors And if he is still the rightful Bishop of that Church If he voluntarily quits his Right and Relation to them and gives it up by his own Resignation they are no longer bound to adhere to him For these Unions and Dependances are contracted by the consent of Mens own Wills and are kept up betwixt these Heads and Members not by natural but voluntary Communications So that if a Bishop throws up his own Relation and will no longer preside over them as Head of a Church they are no longer bound to keep in Dependance and Subjection or to stick to him as Members thereof Or if he loses it against his Will by a just sentence and deprivation that also discharges the Members from their Union and Dependance and sets them free to receive and to unite themselves to another in his place But if neither Death has put an end to his Relation nor he has thrown it up by his own Resignation nor is deprived thereof by the finishing of a Regular Process and Synodical Sentence against him he is still the Bishop of his CHURCH and will bar and keep out any other Person from being Ordained a Bishop over them A Bishop can by no means be constituted in that Church whose own Bishop is yet alive and stands vested with his proper Honour unless of his own accord he renounce his Bishoprick And as to making a vacancy by deprivation it behoves first that the cause of him who is to be cast out of his Bishoprick be canonically examined and the Process against him be fully brought to an end And then after he is canonically deposed another may be promoted to his Bishoprick say the Fathers in the Council of Constantinople But if even a Synod of Bishops shall deprive an Orthodox Bishop of any Church for adhering to the
to officiate in another City without their own Bishops Letters commendatory says the Great Council of Chalcedon And the Granting of these Letters was reserved to the Bishops Without their own Bishops Letters commendatory is the Expression of the now cited Canon of Chalcedon And others under the Episcopal Order are restrained from granting them Even those Câ—untry Presbyters whom Balsamon on the Canon calls Protopapas and who as being in the Country where the Bishops were not usually at hand to write them had more pretence of granting them as Zonaras intimates And who else but the Bishops of the several Churches should be capable to grant these Letters For since the Church stands and is fixed upon the Bishops as St. Cyprian tells the Lapsi it is not for any without the Bishop to write Letters as they had done to himself in the Name of the Church But more especially was the Grant thereof reserved to the Primates and Metropolitanes who were to write and receive Synodical Letters and to keep up Communion between the Churches of several Provinces Thus St. Basil expresses his Communion with all Churches by all Churches sending communicatory Letters to him and receiving the same from him And on the Deposition of Marcianus at Arles St. Cyprian desires Stephen Bishop of Rome to signifie to him who was substituted in his place that he might know to whom he should send the Brethren and direct his communicatory Letters And this the Synod of Antioch gives us a Reason of their writing to Dyonisius of Rome and Maximus of Alexandria and to all other Bishops on their placing of Domnus in the See of Antioch upon the Deposition of Paulus Samosatenus Which say they We therefore signifie to you that you may write your communicatory Letters to him and receive the like from him So that none who were out of Communion with their own Bishops and Metropolitanes could be allowed to communicate any whereelse CHAP. III. Of just Grounds to break off Communion particularly of making impious and unlawful things or unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments the Terms of their Communion FRom what I have said in the Two preceding Chapters without inquiring further into any lower degrees and instances thereof I think it may competently appear what Schism is and who the Persons are that may justly be charged therewith either as breaking off from their own Church by unjustly throwing off and dividing from their own Orthodox and Lawful Bishops or as breaking off from other Churches by unjustly refusing Communion to their Members or by unjustly granting it to their Schismaticks or Excommunicates And more particularly that they are guilty of this great and dangerous Sin of Schism who unjustly turn Subjects or side with Anti-Bishops set up over them against their own Orthodox and Lawful Bishops Yea though such Defectors to the anti-Anti-Bishops make the greatest Numbers or are set up by the civil State as the civilly establish'd or endowed Church And that all other Churches and their Members are guilty of the same who shall own and come in to them and admit them into their Communion and keep on Communion with them I say they are Schismaticks who by any of these ways shall break off from others unduly and without just Cause But some things are a just Ground to breako ff either Dependance and Subjection to our own Bishops or Communion with other Churches Some things as I come next to shew not being to be born nor otqers to be parted with for the Love of external Peace and Union And when these can be justly and duly alledged for standing off 't is always justifiable and commonly necessary to break Communions However to break off Resorting to their Assemblies though at the same we should still allow their Members to resort to ours For this later many times may be allowed longer where it can be done without scandal especially before the Church has proceeded judicially to censure and excommunicate the offending Parties as it was allow'd to the Romanists and accepted by them for several years in the beginning of Q. Elizabeths Reign and also to the Dissenters in later days And if there are such Pleas for breaking off either from any Persons or Churches there is no Breach of Gospel-Union nor Blame of Schism in such Cases And of these I shall now 2. In the Second Place give some Account That when we see any Persons or People breaking off either Subjection to their former Bishops or Ecclesiastical Concord and Fraternal Communion with other Churches we may understand where Schism is and where it is not to be charged and be more clear in several Matters of Importance in this Argument Now such just Ground there is for the Members of any Church to break off Communion either with their own Bishops or with other Churches when they can alledge either some things against the Terms of their Communion or others against their Persons and Doctrines 'T is a just Ground to break off from them if they make impious and unlawful things or unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments the Terms of their Communion Or though nothing of this can be alledged against the Terms if Heresie can be justly objected to their Persons These I say are just Grounds and give a Liberty to break off from the Communion of any Persons or Churches And I chuse rather to express it by this giving them a Liberty than by imposing on them a conscionable Necessity to do so For some Grounds give a Liberty to break Communion either with their own Bishops or with other Churches which do not in conscience necessitate Men as Unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments when they are made the condition thereof For though Men need not submit to them yet if they are pleased to do it they ordinarily may do so without Sin and suffer such Incroachments in then own Wrong Besides the Duty of uniting with any particular Persons or Churches is bound upon us by certain Things or Qualifications in those Persons or Churches which oblige us to their Communion and Dependance And as the Being and Presence of those Things and Qualifications binds it on so doth the Failure thereof unbind the same and set Men at Liberty to go off from them I say to go off from them not to go off from all and hold on communicating with none For when they are no longer bound to communicate with such particular Bishops or Churches yet are they still bound thereto with others or under a general obligation to Communion I mean when they have opportunity for the same which is presupposed to all obligation of actual Exercise and Discharge thereof by this like as it is by all other Affirmative Duties The Communion of Saints professed in the Creed obliges us to communicate as we have opportunity in all Christian Offices with all true Christians who still retain those Qualifications I spoke of Though it leaves us free to stand off from any others who have
Cyprian in this case Though holding it in Partnership we are several Bishops yet as there is but one Church so there is but one Episcopate says he again whereof every particular Bishop holds a part but holds it so as to stand obliged and answerable on occasion not only for his own particular proportion but as Partners in a Bond each of them pro Solido as the legal Phrase is or for the whole Sum. Thus Eleutherius told the Gallicane Bishops That for this very Cause Christ had committed to them the Universal Church that they should labour for all and not neglect to afford Help to any as their Needs should require And Simplicius of Rome told Acacius of Constantinople That to approve himself faithful in his Episcopate he must strive for Catholick Unity and the Decrees of the Fathers not only in that Church where he presided but wheresoever he could And Chrysostom says St. Eustathius Bishop of Antioch had well learned by the Grace of the Holy Ghost that a Bishop of the Church ought to take care not of that Church alone over which he is specially appointed but of the Universal Church through the World This general Care has appeared conspicuous in the Lives and Labors of Holy and Faithful Bishops as of Cyprian Alexander and Cyril of Alexandria Eustathius of Antioch and Chrysostom And of the Great Athanasius who took as much care of all other Churches as he did of his own as St. Basil says Nor ought they to be hinder'd from such Ministration and Reception of the Members of other Churches by any Canonical Rules for Unity in the Church For that Heresie or Defection from Christian Doctrine whether in Faith or Practice and from Christian Worship which sets aside the Obligations of Unity towards those defecting Bishops and Pastors must also of course therewith set aside those Canonical Rules which are for maintenance thereof So that the Ecclesiastical Rules of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. of Clergy and People doing nothing in Church-communion without the Allowance of their Bishop and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. of ones not officiating or ordaining anothers Subjects or intermâ—dling in anothers Diocess are no Rules nor of Force towards such Persons And accordingly at Arles when Marcianus their Bishop was faln to the Novatians Cyprian thought it behoved him and other Bishops to see the Needs of the Faithful there supplyed That they might no longer be left a Prey for Wolves without all hopes after the Novatian Rigour of the Churches Peace and Communion after once they had faln And under the Arian Hereticks the Great Athanasius when out of his own District held Ordinations in other Churches as he passed through them as Socrates reports Even the Great Council of Constantinople in that very Canon which forbids Bishops to intermeddle either in Ordinations or in other Ecclesiastical Administrations without their own Precincts yet makes an Exception of those Churches that are in Barbarous Nations for whose Relief they might do this As Eminent Preachers when they went among them might still confirm those they had gained to the Faith in other Provinces according to their Custom Which though against the Canons the Council still allow'd say Balsâ—mon and Zonoras upon the Canon for the necessity of the thing And thus also Presbyters and People may hold Assemblies independant on their own Defecting Bishops or on any others The Apostolical Canons allowing Priests to have Meetings separate from their Bishops when they do it as condemning them of Impiety in Doctrine or of Injustice in Administration as deposing them for the sake of Truth or of a good thing c. And the Council of Constantinople though it forbids Inferiours before Synodical Sentence to cast off the Communion of their Superiour on pretence of Criminal Causes as Fornication Symony or Transgression of the Canons as Balsamon comments yet allows it in case of Heresie condemn'd by former Synods or by the Holy Fathers so soon as he begins bare-faced to teach it in the Church And the Council of Carthage when it Condemns Presbyters for setting up separate Altars from their Bishops makes this Exception unless they have against him a just Expostulation And an Allegation of False Doctrine or leading the Church wrong is such a just Expostulation as Balsamon observes upon the Canon These Rules for preserving Order and Concord among Bishops and Churches are binding towards any Bishops who are in the Unity of the Church and are Orthodox But if either they are faln to set up Unchristian Worship or Doctrine or as I observed before are turned Schismaticks or set up as Anti-Bishops in Christ's Church They bind none towards such Bishops They are no longer Heads of Union and so cannot claim the Benefit of these Rules for Unity which by their Schism or Defection is at an end towards them Thus doth Heresie or a defection from necessary Doctrine or Worship discharge Church Members from their Spiritual and Canonical dependance and union with their defecting Bishops and Pastors Priests are no longer tyed to such erring Bishops nor the People to either in such Cases So that a defection to sinful Worship and damnable Doctrine bereaves Men of all ArguÌ„ments from Scripture or Canons for their Subjects to depend on them or to unite with them If therefore in any division of a Church it can truly be Objected to one side that they are saln from holy and true Worship and Doctrine it is not for them to plead the duty of Union or to tell People of their Obligations to unite with them If before they were the true Heads and the Regular and Canonical Bishops of those places yet would their falling into those Unchristian Errors strip them of those Claims The Union taught by Christ and the Holy Scriptures and directed by the Rules and Canons of the Church supposes Men Orthodox but is not to unite with such defectors Nor is any Charity which they can pretend to in seeking to keep all others united to themselves the Charity which he requires For that Charity which is the end of the Commandment must be out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned as St. Paul says 1 Tim. 1. 5. It must be out of a pure heart and a good conscience and so is only a seeking to have them one with us whilst we go together in keeping the Commandments or in the practice of good things not like the Charity or Love of Thieves and Murderers that associates and binds them together in the practice of ill things as St. Chrysostom notes And it must also be out of faith unfeigned and so is a seeking to unite them to our selves not in dangerous Errors but only in Orthodox and Christian Doctrines Whereas the pains that is taken to bring all over to them in the Breach of Gods Laws and embracing of Unchristian
removed from the Honour of the Priesthood and Clerical Orders Accordingly Basilides the Bishop after he had denyed and cursed Christ was very thankful as he says and looked upon it as a great Favour to him that he could be received to communicate as a Lay-man And likewise Trophimus the Bishop when he had sacrificed to Idols was admitted as he tells Antotianus only to communicate as a Lay-man not to usurp the Priests Office any more as some malicious persons had inform'd him which made Antonianus complain of the same to Cyprian as a Violation of this known Rule of Discipline And in Vertue of this being the known and received Rule of the Church the Donatists sought to invalidate and overthrow the Ordination of Caecilian against whom they had set up their Anti-bishop Majorinus at Carthage pretending that Caecilians Ordainers particularly Faelix of Aptisng had been Traditors in the precedeing Persecution or had faln from Christ and deliver'd up their Bibles to be burnt by their persecutors Which Charge had it been true as it was false would have been received and owned for a just Exception on both sides And the Catholicks would have rejected Caecilian till he could make out some better Ordination as well as the Council of Nice did these Egyptian Anti-bishops that had no better Ordainer than Meletius who stood guilty of the like Offence But it was rejected in Caecilians Case as being a malicious Forgery the Donatists thereby impudently laying their own Crimes on others hoping that would hinder men from inquiring after the same in themselves Indeed as Epiphanius relates this Matter Meletius made this Schism and Ordained these Anti-bishops not after he had sacrificed to Idols and had been Synodically condemned by Peter for the same but whilst he as well as Peter was a stout Confessor for the Faith against Idols and in his Zeal for the Discipline of the Church against Peters easiness in admitting the Lapsers who sought to them whilst they were together in Prison for the peace of the Church But Athanasius who was nearer to this Transaction and who after some others was chosen to suâ—ceed Peter in the same Church is more like to understand the Truth of this Affair than Epiphanius was Whom Baronius and Petavius look upon as mislead into this account by some false Acts or Histories of the Meletians who dealt injuriously with Peter and the Catholicks in Egypt like as the Donatists did with Caecilian and those Catholicks in Africk on whom they labour'd to fix the Crime of being Traditors whereof the Catholicks were free but they themselves were notoriously guilty Thus though their Orders were valid in themselves without which they could have been received at no time yet have they not always availed to Claim and obtain the Churches Communion without which the persons could not be received by the Faithful to exercise the same And this has been when the Church saw fit and expedient to insist upon the Rules of Unity in Ordinations and more vigorously to assert Ecclesiastical Law and Discipline And this it might assert or relax as it saw Cause Ecclesiastical Law and Discipline is not a Rule of indispensible Obligation to the Church but such as it may and oft-times has receded from on great reason and necessity What Rules the Church makes the Church may alter and go off from in particular Cases as need shall require and as may best serve those ends for which it made them Accordingly Rules of Discipline have not been one and the same in all Ages For to omit others the ancient Councils asserted the free Election of Bishops nominated here by the Prince to the Bishops of the Province And for bid the Translation of Bishops from poorer to richer Sees And the Attendance of Bishops about Courts of Princes the Council of Antioch confirmed afterwards at Chalcedon and in Trullo forbidding them to go to the Emperor without the approbation and Letters of the Metropolitane And excluded both Bishops and Clergy from intermealing and incumbring themselves with Secular Trusts and Administrations All which are otherwise in these latter Ages And such Rules of Discipline as have been observed more strictly have not had one equal and uniform Tenor of Observation but have been sometimes remitted and sometimes exacted and stood upon as the Church was driven thereto by prudential Reason Thus it has been with the Canons or Rules of Discipline about Ordinations Which as the Church has sometimes insisted on as I noted to vacate the Ordinations which any Bishops made against them I mean to deny the Persons its Communion without which whatever powers of Orders they had received they could not be received in any Assemblies of the Faithful to exercise the same So were they at other times relaxed and over-ruled by the necessities of the Church and the Persons on their reconciliation admitted to officiate in vertue of such Orders as I think may abundantly appear by the fore-cited instances And this very Reason is given for it by the African Fathers in the Synod of Carthage when they admit of the Ordinations of the Donatists which the Transmarine or Italian Synod had rejected telling Pope Anastasius that this Reception of them to the same Orders was for the great necessity of Africk for a †better provision for Catholick Unity and for the benefit and peace of the Church These instances and proofs I think may be sufficient to shew that Anti-bishops and others of their Ordination have Orders though being in a Schism the Faithful ought not to joyn with them in their use thereof Their Schism makes them Sinners in receiving and in using their Orders and shuts out others from communicating therewith But it doth not utterly destroy and null their Orders nor must it be said I conceive that by such sinful Ordination they receive nothing or that whatever they had formerly received they lose by falling into Schism so as that thenceforward they have no Orders nor are Bishops or Priests at all The Donatists indeed as St. Austin reports asserted this and taught that by breaking off from the Church though men did not lose the Baptism which they had received before yet they lost their Orders or the Authority and Power of Baptizing And on pretence thereof they re-baptized those who since the Breach had been baptized by any of the Catholick Clergy As to which he owns that whilst they continue in their Schism they sin in exercising their Orders They do not do right saith he in giving Baptism to others whilst they themselves are broken off from the Church And it is to their own destruction so long as they have not the Charity of Union The having Baptism themselves and confering it on others are both pernicious whilst they continue out of the Bond of Peace But though they ought not to use these powers till they have amended their Schism yet as he
things have proceeded to set up Anti-Bishops which divide Church Societies till by pouring in Oil they can be Cured and Closed again one chief Business left then for the Love of Peace and Union is to see that Peace and Unity be kept with the Right Side And this I have here endeavour'd to assist the Children of Peace in the best I can For it would be a fatal Mistake indeed to have the very Love and Desire of Peace abused to the Maintenance of Dividers and to see well-meaning Men whilst at such Times they are designedly Labouring to avoid Schisms to run Headlong into them As they must do if they mistake their Side wherewith this Peace and Unity is to be kept and instead of the true Body take part with the Seditious and joyn themselves to those Members who are broken off on such Divisions Besides the Peace and Union which we are to seek in this World must be such as may give us Peace at the last It is not being at Peace in such Ways as will fill our Souls in the End with Eternal Horrors And therefore it is not to be sought by our Violation of any Parts of Righteousness nor by our consenting or giving way to the Suppression thereof or letting fall our Zeal for the same So that we must not seek to compass it by Neutrality and Luke-warmness for Gods Holy Commandments And much less by Treachery in giving up them and the Souls of Men whose Eternal Weal depends upon the Observance thereof as the Purchase of external Unity with any Society When Worldly Peace can no longer be kept together with Righteousness it is no Peace for Christians or for Men who would prefer the Peace of God and of their own Conscience before any false forced Shows of Peace Unity with any other Persons And these Endeavours to direct Men whose Care is to keep Peace and Unity with any Societies how they may keep them with the Right Side when they are broken into Parties and in such things and by such Compliances as will not intercept their Future Comforts Methinks should be acceptable to all sincere Lovers thereof who would be directed how they may wisely pursue what they love and â—ot miss of their own Desires and would fix at last on such a Peace and Union as will not Deceive them or End in Ruine In treating of these Matters I endevour to clear and confirm what I offer thereupon by the Authority of the Sacred Scriptures and from the Reason and Nature of the things Discoursed of And moreover from the Doctrine and Practice of the Primitive Church Shewing what the Holy Apostles and their Successors of the first and best Ages would have said to Men in the Cases and Breaches here proposed and how as I conceive they would have determined their own Practice had they been tryed therewith and placed in such Circumstances This I shew from their own Rules which they gave out to others and acted by themselves in their own Circumstances And it would be a strange and very Criminal Innovation for any now in our Days to sleight their Ways For we all know that our Holy Religion doth not begin with us and that we are not the First Christians but only their Successors and that too at a great Distance We all profess to be their Followers and should think we have best provided for our own Safety when we have taken the Way to be found in their Company In confirming any Points from their Doctrine or Practice I have given their own Words in the Margin that the Learned Reader having the very Words and Passages I Build upon before him may be the better Enabled and with more Ease to himself to judge of the use which I make of them and of the Inferences which I draw from them But in the Body of the Book I have only given the Translation or put the Sence or Purport of the same that the unlearned Reader may not be discouraged or hindred by the Intermixtures of an unknown Tongue but peruse the whole without Interruption Thro' the whole I am sincerely Careful so far as I am able to satisfie Conscientious and truly Religious Minds what Way they are to take for Sacred Offices and Church Communion on such unhappy Divisions And seeking their Satisfaction in these Matters I have offer'd the best I can to Resolve those Points which I thought they were most like to be unsatisfied in and to clear up those things which seemed to me most liable to mislead them and either to Answer or Obviate those Objections which are already made or so far as I can at present Foresee may probably hereafter start up in their Way to unsettle them about the same All which as I have labour'd in with an Humble Dependance on God's Grace and Assistance so I now humbly recommend to his Blessing Desiring nothing more than that he may Graciously Accept the same and Pardon all the oversights and well-meant Failures and Mistakes which shall happen to be found therein and direct and turn this Work Poor and Defective as it is to the Uses and Interest of Truth and Godliness and to the Edification and Service of his Holy Church THE CONTENTS PART I. Of the Duty of Pastors to exercise their Spiritual Powers and afford the People Orthodox and holy Ministrations CHAP. I. Of the Differences here Treated of and of the Schism consequent thereon SOme Grand Allegations of both Parties under the Differences here Treated of Of a State of Schism thereby When the Sufferers may and when they may not Remedy this by Receeding and Letting fall their Pastoral Claims and Ministrations CHAP. II. Of the Immoral Ways introduced by a wrong Payment of Allegiance UNder State Deprivations Bishops and Clergy still retain their Spiritual Powers To be inquired then whether they are still bound to exercise and make use thereof A Representation of the immoral ways which are brought in by a wrong Payment of Allegiance The same are incurr'd by Paying it to any as a mere King in Fact Of these Immoralities as appearing not only in Practice but in Worship and Devotions Of the Care to Nurse People up therein at such times CHAP. III. Of the Cases wherein Faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations THis they are bound to when there is need thereof in the Cause of Religion and for the Safety of Souls It lies on them to see the Faithful supplied and the Churches provided 1. With a Sinless and Unpolluted Worship This in Respect of Immoralities as well as of Idolatry and Superstition in Worship Though they cannot afford it free from the Company of immoral Practicers yet they ought to afford it free of immoral Prayers 2. With the Ministration of all necessary Truth not only in Faith but also in Practice More particularly 1. When dangerous and immoral Practices are setting up especially if like to become general 2. When they
and Devotions those few deprived Bishops and Clergy in any Kingdom who suffer for standing out against the same when the most run into them cannot but see Men generally Nursed up therein For as to the Practice of those Immoralities carnal Reasons and the course of the Times and the Terror of the present Powers will make them go down with most Men. And their Spiritual Guides will nurse and train them up therein if once they themselves are generally got in to go along therewith and to do the same Nay when a general Persecution is raised to drive on the unwilling and to force them to comply for external Interests they will then stand ready to carry on the same with regard to Conscience If any start or stand off when consulted they direct and perswade them to come in as they see they themselves have done and tell them it will be no matter of Guilt or of Spiritual Danger to them And when once they are got in they speak and Preach Peace to them that they may feel no Remorse for so doing nor Harbour any Thoughts of Returning And to take off all apparant Inconsistence from the Commands of God and the Duties of Religion about Oaths and Obedience to Governours and Common Justice and not coveting or invading other Mens Goods or Rights and the like that are ready to fly in their Faces and bear hardest on what they have done They start doctrinal Salvo's for all these Precepts to cover their own Ways from falling under the same and to prove there is no Sin therein notwithstanding all the seemingly plain and Literal Opposition which those Precepts and Duties bear to them And then as to these same Immoralities in publick Worship and Devotions if these ways should really prove Immoralities at such Times they are plainly Nursed up in them because they are part of the Daily Prayers and on Occasion are the fet Fasts and Thanksgivings in all the publick Churches and Assemblies The authorised and establish'd Guides and Pastors every where then observe and use them such States not Authorizing and Establishing but Depriving the Refusers thereof and put them into the Peoples Mouths if they will follow and say after their Leaders And this is to be train'd and nursed up in such Devotions in such sort as People are trained up in any Devotions by their Guides that is by being convened and call'd to them and in the publick Ministration lead on therein the Pastors part as to this lying in Leading as the Peoples doth in Following them So that the People in such cases are generally trained and nursed up in these Practices and Devotions Which if for want of Legal Right or Just Title in their New Governour and for the Continuance of the same in his Competitor they prove Unrighteous and Immoral Ones they would be nursed up in Immoral Practices and Devotions And what Obligation that would lay on the Suffering and Deprived Bishops and Clergy of those Countries for Pastoral Ministrations will appear by Considering 2. Secondly what Provision good and Faithful Pastors ought to make against such Dangers and Corruptions by the Exercise of their Ministry which shall be treated of in the Ensuing Chapters CHAP. III. Of the Cases wherein faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations NOw if under such Revolutions for want of such Right and Title in the New Governor and for continuance of the same in his Competitor all the foresaid Practices and Devotions are unrighteous and immoral in themselves this Exercise of their Ministrations for provision and spiritual supply of all conscionable Adherers to Truth and to Morality in Practise and Devotions is to be expected of them from the reality and obligation of things If they think them to be so and they are such in their Judgments 't is to be expected from Men of their apprehensions and for them to act so is but to be true to their own Convictions If their Brethren own the ejected Prince to have Legal Right still or to be King de jure they ought to expect no other from them since that alone makes all the foresaid immoralities and they can do no less if they will act according to that Principle which is owned and professed by themselves The only Ground whereon in Truth they could be exempted from this Exercise and therefore on which alone it can with Reason be desired or expected from them is the Translation of the Legal Right which would remove these immoralities So that they can only blame them for this Exercise who believe the Translation of this Legal Right nor can they make it appear that they blame them with Justice but by clearing this Point and making Proof thereof Their Obligations to exercise their Powers and Ministrations at such times are to provide against the wants and dangers of the Souls of Men and against the corruptions of Religion And that which will be ready at the same time to be alledged against it will be the Inhibition and Deprivation of the New State and the appearance of rending the Church thereby which is then become united under other Pastors put into their place or of making of a Schism And therefore to give a clear Prospect and for making a truer Judgment of the Obligations which they stand under to this exercise on such Revolutions I think it may be of use to consider 1. In what Cases the good and faithful Bishops and Ministers of Christ are Bound to stick to their Spiritual Powers and Pastoral Ministrations and what Obligations they have to do so 2. Of what force a Deprivation of Estate or the Preservation of external Communion and Peace in the Church ought to be in debarring them thereof 1. First I shall consider in what Cases the good and faithful Bishops and Ministers of Christ are Bound to stick to their Spiritual Powers and Pastoral Ministrations and what Obligations they have to do so 1. I shall First speak to the Cases wherein they are Bound to stick to their Spiritual Powers and Pastoral Ministrations and are to go on acting as Bishops and Pastors Now this they are Bound to when there is need of it in the Cause of Religion and for the safety of the Souls of Men. For these Ministerial Powers are Sacred Trusts And the very end why they are intrusted with the Bishops and Pastors is that thereby they may take care of Religion and the Peoples Souls and provide for the needs thereof So that they are always to be trustily Exercised when these stand in Need of them or whenever the Souls of Men will be Endanger'd and Religion Damnified by the Pastors omitting such Exercise and Ministration in the places where they are concern'd I say they are bound then to provide such Ministrations For the Part of Bishops and Pastors is not like that of mere Lay Christians to communicate as they can in what is provided for them by others But as Pastors they are
Review from Rome or at Rome for all Matters Ecclesiastical and Temporal Ecclesiastical by his Bishops Temporal by his Judges says Bishop Bramhall So that the Legal Supremacy of our Kings in spiritual Matters lyes in their power of doing them all without any Interposition of Forreign Bishops who are none of their Subjects by their own Bishops and Clergy whom they can command and compel to do their duties therein as their civil Soveraigns And this way the civil Soveraignty doth not drown or swallow up the spiritual powers of Ecclesiasticks but supposes them all the while peculiarly and immediately vested therewith But only retains its own secular power over their Persons as well as others whereby it can oblige them to a due discharge of their sacred powers according to the Rules of their spiritual Functions as occasion requires It lyes moreover 2. Secondly In the Subordination of Ecclesiastical Courts and Causes wherein Ecclesiasticks are content to act subordinately on the score of their secular mixtures and jurisdictions as in Beneficiary Matters Censures and other things of that Cognizance To give more leisure and encouragement to the Ministers of Religion in attending their spiritual Administrations the civil State has endowed their spiritual Cures with temporal Benefices or Preferments And to beget a greater Regard and a more general and aweful Observance of Ecclesiastical Determinations the civil power as I before observed is annexed and mingled with the spiritual in these Causes and a Concurrence is therein made of Temporal and Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions The Matters cognizable there are not only mere spiritual but some of them of a temporal Nature Such are all Causes Testamentary or about Wills the Causes of Matrimony and Divorces and those about Right of Tythes Oblations and Obventions the Knowledge whereof by the goodness of Princes of this Realm says the Statute for Restraint of Appeals and by the Laws and Customs of the same appertaineth to the spiritual Jurisdiction of this Realm And the Canons and Rubricks which are to rule all Proceedings are not only the Prescriptions of Bishops and Priests but Royal and civil Injunctions Like as also the Antient Canons were by the piety of the Primitive Emperors We decree that the holy Ecclesiastical Canons either those passed in the four General Councils or those confirmed by them be in place of Laws says the Emperor Justinian Our own Laws will have the Divine Canons not to be of less force or effect than Laws and what the sacred Canons forbid that also do our Laws coerce and abolish says the Code And as it was in the case of those Antient Canons under those Emperors so in case of ours too under our Kings the Judgments and Sentences upon them rest not in mere spiritual but draw on temporal Effects and Incapacites which effect the Sufferers in their Persons and Estates as well as in their spiritual Concerns As subjecting them to a Writ of Imprisonment rendring them uncapable to commence or carry on a Suit at Law or the like Now for the favour of this State-Concurrence in all these Causes that under the Union of two such different Powers there may be no clashing the Church submits to act in subordination and the King in all these Causes and mixt Jurisdictions is supreme That is no Synod of Ecclesiasticks is to meet for making Canons or Constitutions but when by his Writ he convenes them Nor are any Agreements of theirs when assembled to be publish'd as Canons or Ordinances till he approves or ratifies them Nor any of those introduced formerly to be executed and put in use further than they consist with the Kings prerogative Royal and with the Laws Customs and Statutes of the Realm All which are provided for in the Statute of Submission And when Canons are thus made by his Ratification it submits also that in certain Cases which are declared by other Acts they may be relaxed by his Royal Dispensation and that as in making Canons so also in granting Dispensations from them he shall be supreme That no Persons shall be elected Bishops of beneficed and temporally endowed Churches but who have the Kings Letters missive as is provided in another Statute or who are of his Nomination That when Ecclesiasticks sit to judge in their Courts by those Laws all their Proceedings in that Judicature shall be subject to the Kings Prohibition to stop their further hearing of a Cause which by Allowance or Custom is of another Cognizance or to his Commission of Review upon Appeals made to him after they have given sentence So that in these Courts there is a subjection and subordination to the King both as to the Laws they proceed by which are the Kings Laws as not passing or being introduced without his Approbation or Sufferance and as to the Judgments there passed according to them And because of this subordination of the Bishops and Clergy in their pure spiritual Jurisdictions for the Civil Soveraigns addition of such Temporal or State Concurrence the King is declared supream in all these Causes Thus much is declared in the Passages already mention'd from the Statutes settling the Kings supremacy And thus 't is said in another Statute of the Review of the Institution of a Christian Man that King Henry 8th set it forth as supream Head of the Church of England because he call'd the Convocation together to frame and publish â—â— by his Consent And thus in his Declaration prefix'd to the 39 Articles of Religion King Charles the First sets forth his supremacy over the Church by this subordination of the Church-men and because in making any Canons or Constitutions they must have his License for their Assembling and their Orders and Agreements confirmed by his Approbation and executed all with subordination to the Laws and Customs of the Land for preservation whereof they are subject to the Temporal Prohibition And in respect of both these parts of civil power viz Both in having this civil command of spiritual persons and this civil power over spiritual causes by reason of such secular mixtures it lyes moreover in having the same 3. Thirdly in opposition and bar of all other earthly dependance especially of all Foreign jurisdiction and appeals He is the one Supream Head of all both Spiritual and Temporal next under God saith the Statute for Restraint of Appeals And the claim of Supremacy in the Queens injunctions is so as no other Foreign Power shall or ought to have any Superiority over them And the Thirty Seventh Article of Religion the first of King James the Firsts Canons and especially the Oath of Supremacy doth most fully disclaim and exclude all Foreign jurisdiction herein And the extending of the Kings Power of Judicature over all Persons Ecclesiasticks as well as others thereby is for excluding all Foreign Powers from being Judges in our Kings Dominions as we heard from King James's Apology for the Oath of Allegiance The Foreign jurisdiction and
came under Roman Subjection of the Chief-priests by the Roman Procurators who made such frequent Changes among them sometimes Annual as Josephus notes In all these State-deprivations of Jewish High-priests I say there was only a change of Persons but Matters of Religion went on in every thing the same and Men were taught the same doctrines and trained up in the same Practices and held on in the same Prayers Sacrifices Temple Synagogue-Service under both And where it doth not affect the state of Religion or the interest of Souls but only their own personal Claims and Priviledges God's faithful Ministers may be free as has been observed to secure Protection and civil benefits to the Church by not breaking with the State but acquiescing under its deprivations But what voluntary deference were thus payable to a deprivation of State in a case which doth not touch Religion or the Souls of Men must not be expected in other cases which do touch and damnisie and endanger both And thus it is in the fore-mentioned cases wherein I have been asserting the necessity of holding on their spiritual Ministrations and not yielding to be stop'd thereof by any State-deprivations 3. And this also clears the Instance of the submission of the Greeks on the frequent deprivations of their Patriarks by the Turkish Governours The Benefits of Incorporation which they propose to secure thereby are not the most tempting lying not so much in being priviledged and beneficed by the State as in not being persecuted but tolerated under it And their submission for keeping on this State benefit such as it is is not without detriment to the Church tho' their breaking with the State they fear would be more detrimental the Turks as learn'd Travellers inform us making the new Advancements for Money to be levied on the Church by the New Patriark to the countenance and growth of Great Corruption and to the bringing of the Church in debt But as to the course of Religious Ministrations they are the same under both Patriarks Religion or the Word and Prayers and Sacraments are administer'd alike without Alteration and the Souls under their Charge are fed with the same Doctrines both of Faith and good Life and are nursed up in the same Practices and serve God in the same Prayers and publick Offices in both cases And therefore those deposed Patriarks are not driven by insisting on their spiritual Powers and Ministrations to break this partial Incorporation such as it is for the support of pure Faith Worship and Practice or for the Interest of Religion and of Souls as I have shewn true and faithful Pastors are in the fore-mentioned cases 4. The Fourth and Last Instance is of Queen Maries Popish Bishops deposed by a Commission of the Queens Council without a competent and lawful Synod and principally for a State-crime viz. refusing the Oath of Supremacy which was made a cause of deprivation by a preceding Act of her Parliament under Queen Elizabeth And of our Reformed Bishops coming into their Sees upon such deprivation during the others Lives As to this Case of the Marian Bishops or of other Popish Bishops under Edward the sixth Two Things are to be Noted in their Removal and Ejection out of their Dioceses One is from the Temporalities the Benefices and Preferments thereof And these temporal endowments as I have observed are directly subject to the temporal Power So that the Act of Parliament and the Proceedings of the Council and the Commission of the lawful State took away all Claim to the Temporalities and deprived them of their Bishopricks as they were Temporal Free-holds The Other is from the spiritual adherence and dependance of the People upon them as on Heads of Church-Unity and Communion for Religious Ministrations And this there was no need for the State to deprive the Popish Bishops of for they had already deprived themselves of it by their own Corruptions both in Doctrines and Devotions Adulterations of Religion and corrupt Ministrations of the Word of Prayers and Sacraments break the Ligaments which tye on People to this adherence to any Bishops or Pastors yea though they were Apostles themselves Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have Preached unto you let him be Anathema or accursed saith St. Paul Gal. 1. 8. Or instead of sticking to his Communion break off from it and have no more Religious Commerce with such than was to be held with those whom the Synagogue or Church had Anathematized or cut off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he elsewhere uses it and in the Ecclesiastical Style speaking one excommunicate for so we Christians are wont to call a Sentence against the speakers of impious things says Sâ—crates When therefore any Bishops and Pastors instead of Heading Christian Truths appear at the Head of Unchristian Errors the People are discharged from their obligation and dependance upon them and are to unite themselves as they can to others who still keep firm to that necessary Gospel-Truth and Worship which they have forsaken as shall be shewn more fully afterwards And this was done by the Popish Bishops who fed the People with false Doctrines and polluted Prayers and Ministrations which left no need of any thing more to deprive them of the Peoples Communion and Dependance these Papal Corruptions of Religious Ministrations being enough to discharge and drive them away of themselves So that the Reformed Bishops when they were set at the Heads of those Diocesses call'd none away nor made them break off from any just and due spiritual dependance on their former Bishops whose own Heretical Doctrines and Corrupt Ministrations had made the People cease from depending any longer in Conscience upon them They wanted only to be lawfully empowered and regularly ordained themselves by Episcopal Imposition of Hands as all those reformed Bishops plainly were and the People were free from any Obligations to the Old Ones because of their Errors and corrupt and dangerous Ministrations both lawfully might unite themselves to them and were in duty bound so to do And thus coming to Head a People whose dependance was broke off from others by their spiritual corruptions and depravations of Religion they were no spiritual Intruders And coming into Benefices and Temporalities made vacant by the deprivation of a Lawful State they were guilty of no civil Usurpation and Injustice And this is enough to justifie the Advancement of those first Reformers Tho' where Bishops are Orthodox and deprived for their adherence to Truth and Righteousness both in their private Practice and publick Ministrations the People are still left spiritually to depend on them and are not to be taken off by any deprivation though of the most rightful state as in the above-mentioned Cases 'T is true as to the Popish Bishops themselves they thought otherwise of their own Worship and Doctrines and took them for Christian and Gospel-ways and Truths
the Cause of Athanasius Pope Julius gave Notice of the time appointed for it to the Eastern Bishops who had been Deposing Athanasius at Antioch and substituting Gregory in his place writing to them to send some of their number to clear the justice of their sentence and proceedings in that cause This is plain from Athanasius who says it was held after the Letters sent by Eusebius and after both the Eusebians and he himself had been cited to appear at it And also from Pope Julius 's Letters to them on the Request and at the Conclusion of the Roman Synod wherein he mentions the return of his Presbyters Elpidius and Philoxenus who were sent with the former Letter and the answer they had brought him from Eusebius and the Orential Bishops But before this first Letter to notifie the time appointed for the Roman Synod to the Orentials Julius on plain appearance that their sufferings were not for any other pretended Crimes but only on account of the Orthodox Faith had embraced the Communion of Athanasius and the other Deposed Bishops For Sozomen relates that on his receiving them to Communion he writ that Letter to the Orientals taxing their unjust sentences and attempts upon the Nicene Faith and calling them to the Synod to be held at Rome there to justifie their proceedings against them And in the Letter which the Orientals sent back to him which he received as I have now shewn before the sitting of the Roman Synod and which was read to the Bishops therein Assembled they complain of his having Communicated with Athanasius and his Adherents which they said was a Reproach cast on their Synods and an Abrogation of their sentence So that his disregard of the Synodical Deprivations of Athanasius and the other Orthodox Bishops Deposed in the Synods of Tyre or Antioch was not on account of their having been regularly reversed by any Superior External Judicature But it was as having been of no force and effect in themselves because passing on Christs Faithful Pastors for their Fidelity and Firmness to the True Christian Faith Besides when the Synod at Rome sate in the cause of Athanasius and the other Orthodox Bishops and Synodically admitted them to Communion I do not see how in the Regular way of External Judicature this could take off the Deprivations by the foremention'd Synods For the Synod at Rome was inferior in Number of Bishops Consisting as Athanasius says only of about Fifty Bishops Whereas the Synod of Tyre besides the Egyptians who came along with Athanasius Consisted of sixty Bishops met there from divers places says Socrates and the Synod of Antioch which again Deposed him and the other Orthodox Bishops consisted of Ninty seven as Sozomen reports And moreover the Synod of Rome consisted of Bishops who lived more remote and further off and were Subjects of another Prince viz. Constans Whereas the Synods which deprived them Consisted of the Neighbouring Bishops some of them Comprovincials to the accused parties and were Subjects of their own Emperor viz. Constantius whose censure may seem more concluding on the Fellow-Bishops of their own Empire So that Julius and his Fifty Bishops in the Roman Synod could not reverse the Depositions of those former Synods in Regular way of outward Judicatures But yet finding whatever other things were pretended that in reality they had been deposed in those Synods for their Firmness to the Nicene aith in prejudice whereof there lyes no power of depriving in any Synods before any Superior or more general Council had reversed their depositions in Regular way of External Judicature they took part and Communicated with Athanasius and the other Deprived Bishops And this the Faithful Aegyptians both Clergy and People had done without any regard to the Deprivation of those Synods all the time of Athanasius's forced absence from them and are applauded by Pope Julius for the same For in his Letter to the Church of Alexandria after the Synod of Sardica on the Restitution of Athanasius to his See he extols them for their firm and constant adherence to the right Faith and to him their Bishop who had been so glorious a Confessor and Maintainer thereof all the while he was violently torn from them and another obtruded on their Church in his room And like to this has been the Practice I think of all times For still as Errors and Corruptions in Doctrine Worship and Practice prevailed and became general in any places on any considerable opposition made to them by Christs faithful Ministers to silence Gain-sayers they have had the establishment of Synods And these Synods have anathematized the Truth condemned and deposed the Preachers and excommunicated and cast out the Adherents and Practicers thereof But yet the Preachers and Ministers of God's Worship and Truth have still held on their Ministrations and God's faithful People have stuck to them therein And under all the depositions and excommunications of Councils or Churches they have kept Communion with one another in these necessary Truths and Ways of God which Corrupt and Apostate Councils have anathematized Or else under that power of Error which has so often tyrannized over the Truth more especially in the Arian Persecutions and in the several steps and advancements of the Papal Corruptions the pure Worship and Doctrine of Christ had perish'd and all Face of a true and unadulterated Church had long since failed from off the Earth This I say in case of Depositions or other Censures for the Cause of the necessary Truths or Worship of Jesus Christ. In deprivations for other things or on pretence of mere personal Crimes the Case I grant may be otherwise For in them though the Sentence be unjust it is a personal Wrong and affects the sufferers themselves And in private sufferings 't is reasonable to bear much for Orders sake and to be tyed up to ways of Order for Redress So that such sufferers shall be bound to rest under the judicial Injustice till they can have it reversed in like sort as it was laid on viz. in way of Judiâ—ature or by Regular Appeals And accordingly in all depositions for such private or personal Crimes this is required by the Antient Canons If a Bishop Presbyter or Deacon say the Councils of Carthage and Sardica and the same Determinations says Balsamon are to be taken as meant of Lay-men too be deposed on pretence of his Idleness and Neglects let him not dare say they to go on or to assert his former Right of Communion during the time of his Excommunication till his Cause has had a new Cognizance and Examination or been heard over again And if before such re-hearing he presume to do otherwise he shall be judged say the Fathers at Cartharge thereby to have given sentence of Condemnation against himself But in Depositions or Excommunications for doctrinal Truths and spiritual Ministrations there is not only a Wrong to themselves but
a Breach to maintain a Quarrel against Truth and Righteousness And in that they must go by themselves for none who will take any due care of their precious Souls ought to bear them company So there can be no Re-union till they return from their wicked and ungodly Schism to the way of Truth and Righteousness which they had forsaken CHAP. V. Of the Communion of good Christians or with whom they are to joyn in Divine Offices under a Schism HAving said thus much to shew on any division of Churches whilst faithful Pastors stand firm to their Ministrations in the fore-mentioned Cases who make the Schism and who can cure it I now proceed 3. In the Third place to Treat of the Communion of good Christians under a Schism and how they are to carry themselves towards Schismaticks As for their Communion 't is plain in division between Right and Wrong both as to the Church-Heads and Religious Doctrines and Worship they ought to take the right side As they who are at the Head of that are the Canonical and Rightful Bishops they are bound to communicate with them For the Rightful Bishops being the true Heads of Union the Members must keep true to their Head and hold Communion therewith And this they are ty'd to by all the Gospel-precepts about Union which require their being one or one Body or keeping the Bond of Peace in Churches For this Unity and Peace of Churches must bind them to keep united and at Peace with their Bishops who under Christ are the Governours and Spiritual Heads thereof And by that grand Vertue of Charity so often and earnestly required of the Members and that above all things that they may edifie or build up one another into a spiritual Society For this Charity which is the Bond to bind the Members together not only in private Affections but into one common Body or Church must bind them all to these Rightful Bishops who are the Heads and Rulers of that Body that by keeping united to those Bishops they may keep one Society and not be broken into several Societies And accordingly St. Cyprian presses that Charity which St. Paul makes so necessary to the acceptance of all other Vertues even Faith or Martyrdom it self as indispensably obliging all good Christians to keep in the Communion of their true and rightful Bishops as I observed before And as these true and rightful Bishops are at the Head of necessary Gospel-worship and Doctrines when their Opposers fall off from them good Christians are yet more bound to hold to their Communion They are tyed thereto then not only for the rightful Bishops but also for pure Worship and necessary Truths sake For true Christians must seek to communicate in these And that must be by communicating in the Ministrations of those Pastors which hold to them Besides these in any competition arê Christ's true Shepherds and trusty Watch-men and faithful Guides and uncorrupt Teachers and faithful Ministers because they are the Men who faithfully minister his Word and give his Warnings and dispense that Food which is to keep those Souls alive whom he has given them the Care of And all these are no idle Characters but speak answerable Obligations in the People as I have shewn before to attend on their Ministrations and unite themselves to them And this the Scripture requires in those Precepts which command us in glorifying God to have one mind and mouth to be perfectly joyn'd together in the same mind and judgment and speak the same things and the like For this speaking the same is speaking the same with those who speak right not with those who speak wrong And this Union of minds and judgments must be in uniting with men of Orthodox minds or that hold all necessary Christian Doctrines For if any fall off from these we must not be of one mind with them but of different minds I add moreover that Association and Union of Church-Members under Bishops is for visible Profession and Ministration of pure Worship and Doctrine And therefore they must unite with those Bishops who profess and administer the same Yea their care of their own Safety no less than the love of Truth will make them fly to such Pastors As the Saylors do to the next safe Port when their own is sanded or the Travellers to the next secure Inn when their old one is beset with Thieves as St. Cyprian observes in this Case And as they are thus to hold Communion and unite themselves to those rightful Bishops who keep to pure Worship and Doctrine So are they on the other hand to stand off from those who make the Schism to maintain a sinful Worship or corrupt Doctrine I do not say they are to look on these Schismaticks and Defectors as quite faln from the Relation and Title of Brethren A Schismatical or Excommunicate Christian is still a Christian not an Infidel or Heathen And whilst they continue Christians they retain though not so much Claim as others yet some Claim to Christian Brotherhood albeit they have lost their Claim to Communion Have no Company or Communion with the segregated Man saith St. Paul yet count him not as an Enemy but admonish him as a Brother 2 Thes. 3. 14. 15. And Optatus calls the Schismatical Donatists Brethren tho' they would not call the Catholicks so or be call'd so by them And says that they can not but be our Brethren though they are no good Brethren because we and they have one spiritual Nativity Their Baptism which is the Christians Birth being a valid Baptism though administred in a Schism and the Catholick Church as St. Austin says thereby generating Sons uâ—to God which Sons must be our Brethren For Brotherhood they looked on as consequent on Nativity and going along with it but Communion as going with spiritual society and conversation Though at other times by Brotherhood they understood not only the spiritual Nativity but also the spiritual society and communion of Brethren And then Hereticks and Schismaticks were shut out from that Name and Salutation But though as not having faln from their Baptism and Christianity they may on the score of their common Nativity still admit them to be Christian Brethren Yet as being schismatical and defecting Brethren they must reject and stand off from their Communion They must disown the erroneous and schismatical Bishops and Ministers disclaiming all Ecclesiastical Dependance upon them And hold off from their Religious Assemblies and not come to joyn in their Prayers and Sacraments and sacred Offices Church-communion lying mainly in joyning in these Assemblies and sacred Offices as Excommunication lyes in the excluding and debarring from the participation thereof They are to avoid them as they are Associates or Adherents of anti-Anti-Bishops and makers of a Schism For the Scripture-direction is to mark those which cause Divisions and Offences and to avoid them Ro. 16. 17.