Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	call_v	church_n	name_n	1,518	5	5.1616	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43271	A treatise concerning schism and schismaticks wherein the chief grounds & principles of a late separation from the Church of England, are considered and answered / by Henry Hellier ...	Hellier, Henry, 1662?-1697.	1697 (1697)	Wing H1381; ESTC R20518	24,128	62

will not make a Man a Schismatick If it did considering how little some do understand how to explain the Articles of their Faith how apt those that have a competent understanding of them are to differ in their manner of explaining them how various Mens Notions are about several Points of Casuistical Divinity and Commentaries on Morals contained in the Commandments and how difficult it is to suppose that Men will be agreed in every Circumstance of them the Church would always abound with Schismaticks and there would be no remedy for it Such things therefore are to be born with in all Communions as being unavoidable in this Life where we are subject to Errors and our Knowledge is only in part unless the Doctrines be of very ill and dangerous consequence obstinately taught and earnestly press'd upon us and our Concurrence required in them as a Condition of Communion But what shall be interpreted Concurrence He that hears a Man preach false Doctrine in the Church or read an Homily wherein something is said against his Opinion or he that hears something in the Common-Prayers or in the Pulpit-prayer before Sermon which by reason of some Circumstances he does dislike cannot be said to concur in all Doctrines so taught or in all Prayers so put up And therefore it is not a sufficient Cause to make a separate Congregation that we dislike the Title given to the King or any other Person there mentioned nor are these immoral things in their own nature but on the account of Circumstances of Mens doing them against their Consciences c. And indeed I do thus far agree with our new Separatists That whosoever thinks the King to be an Unjust Possessor and to keep the Rightful One out of the Throne ought not to be so much as present at our Publick Fasts Thanksgivings c. whilst he continues under that Error because no Man ought to act against his Conscience But even such an one hath not sufficient reason to forsake our Communion altogether unless he be forced to give consent to something that he thinks unlawful offered up in the Publick Prayers which a Man 's bare presence doth not always imply For then almost all those things that I excluded in the beginning of this Discourse would produce a Schism We shall not have a Dispute about a Prince's Title a Civil War or War with a Foreign Nation or so much as a Suit of Law or Quarrel with our Neighbour or a Design thwarting his in the common Transactions of Human Life but there will follow also among us different Apprehensions and Opinions concerning the justice or injustice of them and consequently concerning certain passages in our Publick Prayers which relate to them and thereupon we may think it unlawful to say some words or at least to take them in the same sense that others commonly do and so make a Schism And when there is a Division of the Church whereby New Pastors and Governors are introduced and lay claim to the same Dioceses or Parishes how shall it be reconciled although the Differences that occasioned it should be brought to an end How many would our Divisions be if all the Factions that ever were in the State should have made a Schism in the Church also But these indeed are Matters which are not simply immoral in their own nature but only by reason of Circumstances relating to particular Persons neither do they tend to the Overthrow of the Churches Faith or Morals nor are they of long continuance but as particular Persons or their circumstances alter cease of themselves And therefore such Prayers if not very many and frequent ought to be tolerated even by those by whom they may not be said to avoid a greater Evil viz. The Destruction of the Church and lasting Depravation of Piety and good Morals the natural consequences of Separations made from the Church upon the account of them Much less may we separate our selves from all those who are any way guilty of immoral Actions as some * The Novatians Donarists c. Schismaticks pretended to do of old But I think we have had none such among us of late unless they may be esteemed of this Number who hold themselves obliged to separate from us only † See the Unreasonableness of the new Separation p. 1. because we have taken Oaths which they account unlawful A Separation from all bad Men is not only unreasonable but in this Life impossible Hence the Church of Christ is compared in H. Scripture to a Floor Mat. 3.12 on which is Wheat and Chaff Luc. 3.17 to a Net which receives Fishes good and bad to a Marriage Feast Mat. 13.47 48 to which many are called but few of them are chosen to a Fold having in it both Sheep and Goats Mat. 22.14 to a Great House wherein are not only Vessels of Gold and of Silver Mat. 25.32 33. but also of Wood and of Earth and some to Honour 2 Tim. 2.20 and some to Dishonour Wherefore we may not pretend to separate our selves from all those that do immoral things for then as the Apostle says We must needs go out of the world 1 Cor. 5.10 Nor if Men do such things must they thereupon be accounted Schismaticks or to have departed from the outward Communion of the Church But if they make them Terms of Communion or persist so long in them as to give a just occasion of Church-Censures upon them and wilfully remain under those Censures Lastly by Agenda or Morals I would not be understood to mean that only which is obligatory in its own nature but that also which obligeth on the account of Divine Institution as the Sacraments by diminishing from which or adding to them Men break the Unity of the Church of God and make it unlawful for others to joyn with them They trespass indeed against Faith and Morals also taking away from Men the Seals of God's Covenant the Tokens of his Favour the Pawns and Pledges of the Performance of his Promises appointed by himself for the quickening of our Faith and sacrilegiously robbing God of the principal and most memorable Part of his Worship whereby we declare in most Solemn Manner a Belief of his Promises and vow Obedience to his Commands whereby we put on the Badges and distinguishing Marks of our Christian Calling These are therefore the strictest and highest Bands of Union from which St. Paul in divers places infers the Unity of the Church We being many are one Body and one Bread for we are all partakers of that one Bread 1 Cor. 10.17 And again By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be Bond or Free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit I Cor. 12.13 And both these kinds of Schism namely such as are constituted by professing Errors in Faith or Morals do imply Heresie also and may be called by either Name

according to our different Consideration of them as they do imply false Doctrine in Matters necessary to Salvation obstinately persisted in Heresie as the are accompanyed with Separation from the Church or do give a just Cause of Separation Schism Heresie and Schism are seldom long asunder There are few Hereticks but will endeavour by separate Congregations to propagate their Heresie or Schismaticks but will frame to themseves some New Doctrine the better to justifie their Separation from the Church as * On. Tit. 3. St. Jerom observed The Apostle seems to use both these Words in the same Sense 1 Cor. 11.18 19. I hear that there be Divisions the Word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among you and I partly believe it for there must be also Heresies among you c And certainly every Heretick openly professing and maintaining his Heresie whether he is able to get a separate Congregation or not may be called a Schismatick and a Schismatick persisting in his Schism will be very apt to fall into Heresie according to the forecited Passage of St. Jerom. 3. Whole Churches as well as single Persons may incur the Guilt of Schism by their differences about Church-Government sometimes as to the Species or kind of Government and sometimes as to the manner of exercising it Sometimes by a different Species or kind of Government As for Instance When they do recede from Episcopacy and break wilfully the Line of Apostolical Succession For in so doing they cause probably great Disorders within themselves and in other Churches also by loosing the Bands of Union among themselves and hindering good Correspondence with other Churches by taking away the chief Pillars and Supporters of that Correspondence and tacitly disappointing their sort of Government tempting some of them to dislike it and to endeavour a Change for that which is likely to prove much worse instead of it as on many other accounts so particularly because it hath not the Examples of the best and purest Ages to maintain it But tho' Churches may sometimes be Schismatical on this account yet they are not always so in this Case For there may be a just Cause of breaking off that outward Succession where the Profession of the true Christian Faith and of good Morals must be otherwise utterly wanting the preservation of which is declared in the Holy Scriptures necessary to Salvation not the manner of Government so declared consequently this cannot be equally necessary to all People This in case of a general Corruption or sometimes on the Account of the Members of the Church being dispersed abroad perhaps cannot be had And must Men Continue in such Corruption for fear of breaking off Succession Or fall into a state of Damnation for not being able to preserve it What Uncertainties will some Mens Doctrine make all the Advantages we can receive from Christianity and finally our Salvation to depend upon Sometimes on the Goodness of a a King 's sometimes of a Bishop's Title and sometimes on the Regularity of Succession How unreasonably are Men condemned whom God hath not condemned and declared to be in the state of those that never heard of Christ even although they do perform all the Gospel Conditions Only because they have not among them a certain Order which is not absolutely necessary to the Being * What hath perished of the Outward From or Body of Government being lost without any fault or guilt of theirs their Infelicity which they could not prevent and not their Crime voluntarily brought upon themselves This sure will never be look'd on by God as any dangerous want of Order or as that which shall be any way chargeable upon them Order is required to the Well-being not necessary absolutely to the Being of a Church and orderless or secret Society of Brethren may be a Church still as any number of Converts in a City before the Apostle which was gone to some other City had yet placed any Governour over them Dr. Hammond's Second Defence of the Treatise of Schism Ch. 6. S. 11. but only to the Well-being of the Church It is no where commanded although it seems indeed to the approved of by our blessed Saviour in the Apocalypse ‖ ● Rev. ch 2. and is plainly enough made out to have been instituted by the Apostles and hath been found by Experience a very strong Band of Union in respect of the Universal Church and particular ones too where it hath had its just Authority Not but that the Succession in some places hath failed or been interrupted I do not except the Church of Rome it self which doth boast so much of it and may fail again or we may depart from it when it cannot consist with Succession of true Faith and good Morals without an utter and irrecoverable loss of the Advantages of the Christian Religion the Church of Christ or the ordinary hopes of Salvation And although no Man ought to assume to himself a Power of Governing the Church of God but stay till it is regularly conferr'd upon him yet where there is a general Deficiency and Apostacy from the Profession of the true Faith and sound Morals and they who are to confer this Right are themselves corrupted also and will not give this Power to any that are willing to reform it in such extraordinary cases of general Apostacy which how far it may possibly reach I will not here dispute Persons Priests at least who have Gifts and Abilities for it have a sufficient Call to interpose themselves and are not to be blamed but highly commended for making use of it Sometimes again there may be a Schism made by the ill Exercise of Church-Government by a Churches refusing to hold Communion with the rest or unjustly censuring and excommunicating them or disobeying General Councils the Representatives of the whole Church in matters which they have a lawful Power to determine by usurping too great Authority over the rest by assuming the Name of Catholick to it self in opposition to all other Churches by making such unreasonable Terms of Communion as that others shall not be able to communicate with it by encouraging and upholding Persons excommunicated or deservedly declared Schismaticks by other Churches by wilfully continuing in Faults and under just Excommunication incurred thereupon by refusing to keep friendly Correspondence with other Churches as in Communicatory Letters which are in order to the well governing of the Church and the like And it is about the Exercise of Church-Government that Schism is generally conversant All Schisms of particular Members of the Church considered as distinct from Heresies are about Church-Government and commonly about the Exercise of it being occasioned either 1. By Superiors contending for Power or 2. Misemploying their Power or 3. By Inferiors Disobedience to the Power 1. By Superiors Civil or Ecclesiastical contending for Power The Civil Governors usurping that which belongs to the Ecclesiastical or the Ecclesiastical that which belongs to the Civil or the Ecclesiastical Governors