with which they agree in the Substance of Faith and Worship and from differing with Authority for the future about things Indifferent The Cause of the Separation as it is managed by themselves is so very Slight that one would hope they should be of themselves something afraid to venture their being Schismaticks upon it and consequently that they should be ready to consider what has been said to shew that there is indeed no Just Cause given them to Separate from our Church and that there is no Reason to call any thing Popery which they dislike in our Communion as some of them have done to the great disadvantage of the Protestant Religion since as much as in them lay they have made the World believe that the Cause of Popery is better than it is and that it doth not consist only of Opinions and Practices that cannot be defended but of some also that may And it is not the least kindness that the indiscreet Zeal of some Protestants hath done to the Church of Rome that they have inveighed against some things which may be easily justified as if they also were Popish Corruptions And the Learned Men of that Church have not been behind hand in making use of this advantage and that by straining their utmost Wit to represent the Protestant Religion under such Colours as if it stood in Opposition to Episcopacy and Liturgy and to all Ecclesiastical Canons and Constitutions And I am perswaded the Dissenters cannot do the Protestant Religion a greater kindness than by forbearing to give them this occasion for the Future For let a Cause be never so good in it self it is never likely to thrive in their hands who instead of pressing their Adversaries with what they can never maintain are still forward to deny what they are well able to prove As for the Papists amongst us their mistakes in Faith and Worship are so Gross and Foul that if they would give themselves a little time to Consider what has and what may farther be said to convince them I do not doubt but all of them that are endued with a Competent Understanding and an Honest Sense of things would soon feel those palpable Errors into the belief and practise of which they have been hitherto deluded by an unreasonable deference to the Authority of the Church of Rome and no longer stand off from the Communion of the Church of England The bigger any fault is one would think it should be more easily spied Now these Men Separate from us meerly because we have abandoned those wicked Doctrines and Practices which are of themselves a most necessary Cause of Separation from any Church in the World that should Impose them And therefore they of all Men are the most Notorious Schismaticks that can be imagined And I beseech God to open their Eyes to see it and to recover into the way of Truth all such as have Erred and are Deceived that those who have hitherto been obstinate may prove all things and that those who can be perswaded to Consider these things may hold fast that which is good Rom. 15. 5 6. And the God of Patience and Consolation grant us to be like minded one towards another according to Christ Jesus That We may with one Mind and one Mouth Glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Amen FINIS ERATA Page 18. line 18. for Term read Form p. 15. l. 31. for cppear r. appear p. 25. l. 27. r. l Cor. 14. Ad Antonianum Ep. 52. Ad Cornclium Ep. 55. Case on behalf of Diss P. 5. P. 17. P. 16. 17. P. 9. P. 20. c. Case on behalf of Diss P. 2. P. 3. P. 3. Case P. 29 30. Case in behalf of Dissenters P. 2. P. 3. P. 36. P. 3. Preface to the Liturgy Ad Januarium Ep. 119. Ep. 118. Ad Casulanum Ep. 86. Ep. 86. Ep. 119. Lactant. lib 2. De Origine Erroris Sect. 7. 1 Thess 5. 21.
THE DIFFERENCE Of the CASE Between the Separation of Protestants from the Church of Rome And the Separation of Dissenters from the Church of England LONDON Printed for Thomas Basset at the George in Fleetstreet and Fincham Gardiner at the White Horse in Ludgate-street 1683. The Difference of the Case between the Separation of Protestants from the Church of Rome and the Separation of Dissenters from the Church of England SInce the happy Reformation of this Church they of the Romish Perswasion have with their utmost Art insinuated that our Reformation proceeded upon Principles Destructive of all Order and Government in the Church and that it naturally tends to endless Separations To this end they have laid hold upon that advantage which the Divisions amongst Protestants have offered them and said that the Reasons upon which we ground our Separation from the Church of Rome will hold to justify the Separation of the Dissenters from the Church of England And the Truth is some of the Dissenters have been so Indiscreet to say no more as to alledge the same thing And I am very sorry that Men of the same Perswasion with us in Opposition to the Impious Errors and Practices of the Roman Church should give so much Countenance to that grievous Charge upon the Reformation as some of them have done The Papists are too much beholden to them for giving the Occasion of this Accusation but to joyn with them in the same Charge is too great a kindness in all Reason and indeed Destructive of the Common Cause of the Reformation by insinuating one of these two things either that there was no Reason for this Separation on either part or else that notwithstanding our pretended Reformation we are still as bad as the Church of Rome for otherwise they cannot have the same Reason to separate from us that we had at first to separate from that Church I shall endeavour with Gods help to shew in a short and plain Discourse upon this subject that the Cases are vastly different and that we have very good Reasons wherewith to justify our Separation from the Church of Rome and that the Dissenters who forsake our Communion cannot by any good Consequence from those Reasons warrant their separation from our Church In this attempt I am sensible that I have Adversaries on both sides and that it often happens to be a nice and hazardous business to determine between two Extremes But I hope there is no reason to apprehend great Danger in this Case since it is the same false Charge against the Reformation in which these Extreme Parties agree and it is of that nature that 't is all one whether I confute it against the Papists or against the Protestant Separatists for if it be disproved against one 't is shewn to be unjust in both This is our Case that as we Charge those of the Separation from our Church with Schism so do the Romanists Charge us of the Church of England with Schism too But with this Difference as we pretend that we have good Reason for that so have not they for this For Schism is a Causeless Separation from a Church And we think we may appeal to all Disinteressed and Judicious Christians that we have shewn our Separation from Rome to be grounded upon Just and Necessary Causes but that the Dissenters have shewn none such for their Separation from us And when all is done it should not incline any Man to think that the Truth is either with the Romanist or with the Dissenter because the Charge of Schism is laid by the Romanist against us and by us against the Separtist with equal Confidence unless he sees withal that it is laid with equal Justice For it was not indeed to be expected but that when some Protestants demanding a farther Reformation separated from our Church this pretence would soon after be set on foot both by those of the Church of Rome and by those of the Separation It lay fair for them both and right or wrong was likely to be taken up by both since it would serve exceedingly well to help a bad Cause and to give popular colours to the weak Arguments both of the one and of the other side The Romanist was not likely to forego such an advantage as the Separation of our Dissenters gave him to disgrace the Reformation amongst those that loved Unity Nor was the Separatist likely to omit that advantage which our Reformation gave him to commend his Separation from us under the notion of a farther Separation from Rome to those that abhorred Popery And therefore it will stand all Discreet persons in hand to weigh the merits of the Cause on both sides and not to admit any prejudice against our Communion in favour either of the Papist or the Sectary meerly because they both say that in justifying our Separation from the Papist we vindicate the Separation of the Sectary from our selves I must not in this narrow Compass pretend to enter upon a Discussion of the several Questions controverted between us and our Adversaries on both sides But shall take it for Granted that what has been said in Answer to the several Objections of the Dissenters against our Communion has been well argued against them And likewise that in charging the Church of Rome with those several Corruptions in Doctrine and Practice which have made her Communion Intolerable we have said upon each point no more than what has been well proved against that Church and which upon all fit Occasions we shall by the Grace of God be ready to make good again But my principal design is to shew that there is no manner of Inconsistence in the way we take to vindicate our selves from Schism charged upon us by the Church of Rome with those principles upon which we accuse our Dissenting Brethren of that fault who separate from the Church of England And that the Romanist cannot take our Arguments against the Separation of the Dissenters to condemn our Reformation nor the Separatist our Reasons against the Communion of the Romanist to acquit himself in forsaking the Communion of our Church This I conceive will be made to appear 1. by laying down the Reasons on both sides those by which we pretend to justify our Separation from the Church of Rome and those upon which the Dissenters lay the stress of their Separation from us 2. By Comparing them together that we may Judg wherein and how far these Cases agree with or differ from one another In laying down the Reasons on both sides I shall begin with the grounds upon which this Church separated from the Church of Rome and then proceed to those upon which the Dissenters separate from us 1. To the Church of Rome charging us with Schism we Answer in general That our Separation from her was necessary by Reason of those Corruptions in her Communion which we could not comply with against the Conviction of our Consciences More particularly we say
we are now taught Authority must not so much as meddle with them To this purpose we are told of the Pattern in the Mount of Strange Fire that was not Commanded and of the Unlawfulness of adding to or diminishing from the Law of Moses As if these places of Scripture made all impositions concerning the Order of Divine Worship as Unlawful as the express Word of God shews so many particular practices of the Roman Church in her Worship to be But leaving these attempts of theirs to be examined in the more particular Controversies Who sees not what a wide difference there is in the particular management and application of this general Proposition that we must not Communicate with any Church in Impurity between the Church of England against the Papists and between the Dissenters against the Church of England For we are secure against all just accusation from the Church of Rome if this one Proposition be true That it is not in the Power of any Church to dispense with the Laws of God or to absolve us from our Obligation to keep them But the Dissenters cannot avoid the Justice of our charge against them unless this proposition be true also That the Church hath no Authority in things of an Indifferent Nature to prescribe such in Divine Service as shall be thought most agreeable to the general Rules of Reason and Scripture and most Sutable to the great ends of Chrstianity Now if what we say in these things will hang well together that is if the former Proposition be true and if the Truth thereof shall not hinder the latter from being false then with very good Reason may we pretend that it was necessary for us to Separate from Rome for greater purity or for the avoiding of Sin But the Dissenters will have no just ground from our example to pretend the same in their Separation from the Church of England And I think the Difference is plainly enough confess'd by those of the Separation that hold occasional Communion with our Church to be Lawful that is who think it Lawful to Communicate actually with us upon occasion though they are all the while Members of Separate Churches For if our Communion is polluted with Sinful conditions how comes it to pass that this occasional Communion as they call it should be more Lawful then Constant Communion Unless they will say it is Lawful sometimes to break Gods Commandments but not Lawful to do it ordinarily But I know they will not say so And therefore when they say that they cannot without Sin become Members of our Churches though without Sin they can sometimes join in our Publick Worship they seem to suppose that the way of Worship in the Separate meetings is more perfect than ours in respect of those things which do not fall under any particular Law of God but may be ordered better or worse as Men are more or less prudent or as they take greater or less heed to the general Rules of Reason and Scripture concerning things Indifferent And withal that there is so much more gravity Decency Simplicity and Tendency to Edification in the outward mode of their Worship that it would be a Sin to let it fall or in practise to prefer ours before it But by this I think any body may see what a Difference there is between what we and these Men mean by the same pretence of refusing to Communicate where it cannot be done without Sin For our meaning is that there are such conditions of Communion in the Church of Rome that as the Case stands it would be a Wickedness to Communicate with her at any time But they mean no such thing against us since without Scruple they can sometimes Communicate with us only they suppose they have set up a more perfect Communion and they do not forsake our Communion as Unlawful in it self but they think it their Duty to prefer a better before it So that in this pretence for Separation these Men do not understand purity in opposition to Sin or breaking any of Gods Commandments but purity in opposition to a less Convenient or Prudent ordering of the outward mode of Worship That is they do not understand the same thing by Separating from the Communion of a Church for greater purity that we understand by it Nor can they urge that pretence for Separation from us as we do urge it against the Church of Rome And consequently our Reason of Separating from that Church for greater purity does not hold to justify their Separation from us Upon consideration of the whole matter I hope the Papists will find no Protestant of our Church easy and silly enough to be deluded by such Superficial Colours as these are You see say they what is become of leaving the Communion of the Church for greater purity The Protestants at first forsook the Catholick i. e. Roman Church for greater purity And do not the Presbyterians forsake the Church of England for greater purity And so do the Independents set up their Congregations for greater purity And the Anabaptists for the same reason depart from them And the Quakers from them All And there is no end of breaking Communion upon such pretences as these are which are as good against your selves as they are against us And therefore you may choose whether you will return to the Church from which you first brake away under pretence of Reformation or whether you will follow your Principle till you are Refined into Quakers or it may be into a more absurd and mad sort of People than the Quakers themselves are It is a lamentable thing to see Men of Common understanding couzened by such Palpable Fallacies as these are though it is not to be wondred at that the Agents of the Roman Church make the best use of them they can since a Foul Cause must be beholden to such Artifices as these to blanch it over But I pray might there not be such Corruptions in your Church that we with good Reason might pretend it necessary to forsake your Communion for one that was purer and yet there may be none in ours to give any Man Just Cause to leave us upon that pretence Is it impossible that it should ever be just and necessary to depart from the Communion of a Church upon the account of her Corruptions because every Man that has a mouth and can speak may say if he please that he Separates for greater purity though there be no reasonable Cause to say so Or does it follow that because our Dissenters are mistaken in Believing that we have given them sufficient cause to deal by us as we have done by you that is to forsake our Communion for greater purity as we have forsaken yours upon the same account that therefore we also must needs proceed upon mistakes in so doing What if some of them are Erroneously perswaded that they ought not to submit to Human Orders in the performance of Gods Worship if
whom they follow at present All that we beg of them is that they would not take every thing upon Trust that others tell them in these matters but hear what we also have to offer to them and not only hear but consider and weigh it with the best Judgment they have And let me say this to all those whom I now speak of whether Papists or Dissenters that if you set your selves with a sincere desire of being rightly Informed to compare our Reasons with them whom hitherto you have trusted some Advantage you will gain by it whatever the Success be For if the Truth be not on our side you will in all likelihood get this benefit by it to be Confirmed in your own way upon better grounds than you had before But if it be it is then to be hoped that through the Grace of God you will discorn it and entertain it for which blessing you and we shall have great reason to yield our hearty Thanks and Praises to the Father of Lights who giveth Wisdom to them that ask him But if you should be so unhappily Prejudiced on the wrong side as to miss this benefit yet let me tell you it will turn to some good account for you at last that you took Pains to be better informed and that you were not altogether wanting to your selves to come to a right Understanding of your Duty in these Particulars by disposing your selves to Impartiality and by Reading and Meditating and Praying in all this for the Illumination of Gods Holy Spirit And now I trust there is little need to tell you that if your Leaders discourage you from taking this pains it may justly make you suspect that your Cause will not bear the Trial. If they would keep up your Confidence by their own and all the while divert you from comparing one thing with another and from trying what is said on both sides you have sufficient Cause to Question either their Honesty or their Understanding And the more unwilling they are that you should examin what we and they say the more Reason do they give you to resolve that you will do so I have shewn how greatly different the Case of the True English Protestant is from that of the Papist on the one hand and that of the Separatist on the other And though the difference be so very notorious as it is yet we know the Popish Priests have represented our Reformation under such Colours as to make it look like Fanaticism and the Dissenters are made to believe on the other hand that our Reformation is but a better sort of Popery And some little popular things are said on both sides to make these pretences look like Truth But now I have brought these Colours into the Light and if you will but take upon your selves to use your own Eyes you may I think easily discern that you have been all this while abused At least I have given you Reason enough to make farther Inquiries and to Consider more particular Questions But if upon Reading this general Discourse you should resolve to keep where you are and to trouble your selves no farther I am Confident the true Reason thereof must be this that you are afraid to proceed lest you should be convinced and this is nothing less than Wilfully to bar up your minds against the Knowledge of the Truth For though I have no conceit of this performance as if I had done any great matter in it yet I am Conscious to my self that I intended honestly all along and I am sure I have Written plainly and have laid some things together that may give just occasion to any well meaning Papist or Sectary to Question the safety of the way he is in at present especially if he has never troubled himself to Consider these things before And now I do heartily desire you all for I cannot desire this too often or too earnestly that you would take the Word of God for your Rule and propound the Rewards of another Life for your end and set the Fear of God before your Eyes whilest you Consider and Examin these things It is our concern for the safety of your Souls as well as for the Welfare of this Poor Church so distressed with Adversaries on both sides that putteth us forward upon all occasions to lay these things before you Do not therefore Read these Books which are indeed publisht for your sakes as if they were Written against you There is not one of us I am Confident but is troubled to see you expose your selves to the penalties of the Laws of the Land that are against you But we are more sorry to consider that at the same time you do also incur the high displeasure of God We would sain have you to avoid both the one and the other And if you would hearken to us the worst you would get by it is to live with less Disturbance in this World but whether that should prove true or not you would walk in a more Safe and Plain way to Heaven than that which any of you are in at present And I hope you would not grudge that good which this Church should receive by your return to us when you would do your selves so much more by it If therefore you think our Importunity troublesom pray remember what it is that makes us Importunate and let no misconstruction of the Design of your Friends render their honest endeavours Ineffectual to your conviction We would have you understand the Truth and do your Duty And as this end is Charitable so you must needs grant those means to be Charitable also by which we are contributing towards it It is indeed our Concern that these means should take place but it is yours something more if you are under great and dangerous mistakes as I am perswaded you are But if you should be so prejudiced against us as to think that we Write these Controversies more in Concern for the Temporal Interests of this Church than for your Spiritual Good Pray will you make this profitable use of that hard thought as to excel us in this matter by being more careful not to mix any Carnal and Worldly affection with your Judgment in Reading these things then you imagine us to be in Writing of them Be as strict as you will in Examining what we say in behalf of our Church only be willing that Truth should Overcome and Consider that if that prevails against your Errors you indeed are the Conquerours and that the greatest Gain will be yours both in this World and in the World to come I have no mind to prejudge which Party it is that we may hope to win more of to the Truth than of the other being very willing to believe that there is no Cause of despairing to do good on either side As for the Dissenters methinks it should not be hard to disswade the most of them from breaking the Communion of that Church any longer