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
A TREATISE CONCERNING Schism and Schismaticks Wherein the Chief Grounds Principles Of a Late SEPARATION FROM THE CHVRCH of ENGLAND ARE Considered and Answered By Henry Hellier D.D. Fellow of C.C.C. Oxon. LONDON Printed by Richard Smith for Jo. Crosley Bookseller in Oxford MDCXCVII A TREATISE CONCERNING Schism c. THERE have been many Discourses published about Schism since the late Revolution and most of them by Men averse to the present Government who have quoted divers Sentences out of the ancient Fathers which they say make against us although they will serve according as the case is differently stated either of one side or the other They call us who do approve of the present Government Schismaticks and themselves the Church of England who have separated themselves from it accusing us of Immoralities in our Prayers of all the mischiefs that are done in the Wars of setting up Anti-Bishops concluding that we are without the Church and that there is no Salvation to be had among us in the ordinary way Wherefore it can be no unseasonable work to enquire into the nature of Schism impartially and into the ways whereby Men may become Schismaticks in order to the clearing such as are innocent from this Offence and to the charging it in the right place and on the Persons that are truly guilty of it And seeing our Adversaries have taken so much liberty of Speech against us as after they have called us Schismaticks and said we are in a state of Damnation to boast of and print Catalogues of their Books unanswered It is but reasonable that any Man on our part should be heard also that hath a mind to speak without being blamed only for writing against them much less for indifferent stating of the case for they have given sufficient cause for both But this latter is the thing which I principally intend to do namely to give a state of the Case or to consider the rational part of the Subject which seems hitherto to have been most neglected although it is of the greatest use For if the nature of Schism in general and the ways whereby Men do become Schismaticks are once well understood it will be easie to explain the Sentences commonly quoted out of the Fathers and to make use of them if we please against our Adversaries or it will be lawful to reject them although there will be no need of that for there are none of them that I know of which after a Man hath duly considered of the Subject will seem to favour them Therefore to make a general Discourse on this Subject and also to include particular matters within as short a compass as conveniently may be I shall endeavour to shew 1. What Schism is and how the Members of the Church may become guilty of it 2. I shall speak something also of the sinfulness and inconvenience of it to the intent that we may avoid it 1. Let us consider what Schism is and how the Members of the Church may become guilty of it As for the word Schism it signifies properly the cutting or cleaving of a solid Body from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hence it is translated to denote diversity of Opinions and Professions in those that once appeared at least to be agreed in them for they that never were united cannot be said to be cut asunder And according to this metaphorical Acceptation Schism is a breach of Unity in any Society whatsoever But common use and custom hath applied it only to that which divideth the Unity of the Church Yet not the bare Separation but giving the cause of Separation makes the Schism Wheresoever a Schism is each Party is divided or separated from the other but each Party is not in a state of Schism that is doth not give the cause of Separation unless it so falls out as it sometimes may that both of them are in fault neither doing its part towards the maintaining of Agreement so far as is necessary to be preservation of Unity in order to one common end Now as many ways as there are for the Members of the Church to profess themselves united one with another with relation to matters concerning them as they are the Church and Congregation of Christian People So many there are also for one or more Members to become Schismatical by breaking off that Union in outward profession which is a Duty incumbent on them I speak of Union which relates to Matters concerning them as they are Members of the Church Whence not every passionate Heat not every Quarrel not every Suit of Law not every War not every Faction or Sedition among the People doth make a Schism I speak also of Union in outward Profession For tho' there is an internal Union and Communion of all God's faithful People in regard they have the same Faith and the same Hope and do practice the same Christian Virtues and in default of these or any one of these a Man in some sort cuts himself off from those faithful People and from the Portion which doth belong to them and so the secret Infidel and the secret Sinner may be said to be separated now for they are none of Christ's and shall hear that Sentence in the separation of good and bad Men hereafter Depart from me for I know you not Yet this is a matter not peculiarly belonging to Schism but common to it with every other Sin and therefore in that Sense I shall not now consider it but only as it is a Breach of external Communion and Separation as to outward Profession although this may be committed as well as any other Sin in the Mind also by a Man's intending or purposing to leave the outward Communion of the Church when perhaps he hath not as yet actually done it Now as the outward Unity or Communion of every Society appears in the apt Order of the Members one with another and Demeanour one towards another according to their respective States and Conditions as in one House one City one Kingdom So does the Unity of the Church consist in Mens acting according to their just Relations as Members of the Church in keeping fair Correspondence and retaining a due Agreement in Doctrine of Faith and Morals and in Discipline that is to say Church-Government and the things that belong to it as being requisit to the due Administration and right Management of it And this Unity is consistent with several things seemingly dividing Persons as Members of the Church and that partly even in the aforesaid respects with diversity of Spiritual Gifts and Functions with diversity of Opinions as to Matters of Religion with Ecclesiastical Disputes and Contentions with various Judgments and Resolutions as to particular Circumstances and Cases relating to Moral Actions with Canons and Constitutions of divers kinds with difference in Ceremonies or other parts of Discipline in divers Countries or divers Parts of the same Country according to the several Exigencies of
make Reflections on any one Party more than another but only to consider the nature of this Sin indifferently to whomsoever it may belong St. Paul who as I observed before useth Heresy and Schism promiscuously as did also the Primitive Christians for some time after him Gal. 5.20 1 Cor. 3.3 4 reckons it among the works of the Flesh Whereby he signifies that it is not commonly on a bare Mistake or Misapprehension of Things nor out of Zeal for Religion but upon some worldly Designs and Interests that Men do become guilty of it But whatever the Design may be a very dangerous and pernicious thing it is Unity is the Strength of all Societies Division the Weakness and Infirmity of them There is no readier way to destroy a Church then to divide it Every Kingdom divided against it self is brought to Desolation and a House divided against a House falleth Wherefore Schism lays the Axe to the root of that Church wherein it is bred and tends to the utter Ruin and Subversion first of it next if it be in a Protestant Church of the Protestant Religion which it hereby lays open to powerful Adversaries and last of all of Christianity it self Every particular Schism in some sort reacheth the Universal Church as I have already shewn So it is against the Gospel and against Christ Vide. Gregor Tholos Syntag jur Universi lib. 33. cap. 11. § 1. and is therefore Crimen laesae Majestatis Divinae as some do stile it It is against the design of our Saviour's coming into the World who came to make Peace not only between God and Man but also amongst Men. He gave the strictest Commands about it He contrived the firmest Bands to maintain it Schism violates these Precepts frustrates this Design breaketh these Bands makes our Saviour's Passion vain and the Cross of Christ to be of none effect It makes the Evangelical Writings vain for the Gospel was written to that intent which the Schismatick disappointeth St. John says 1 John 1.3 That which we have heard and seen declare we unto you that ye may have fellowship with us and truly our Fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ A good Shepherd gathers the Sheep together the Schismatick makes it his business to scatter them It gives Scandal to those that are without The Divisions of Christians in general do give offence unto the Jews and Pagans and make the name of God Blasphem'd among the Gentiles and the Divisions among Protestants to make our Reformation Blasphemed amongst the Papists It causeth Atheism and Infidelity when each part says there is no Salvation to be had in the contrary Part dissolute Persons perswade themselves that there is none in either And while some Men are crying Lo here is Christ and others Lo he is there such as might otherwise have a Mind to enter into the Church know not whither to come It makes all Virtues in general not to thrive so well in that Church where there are Divisions it disturbeth that Joy and Peace which are the Fruites of the Holy Spirit of God it takes off much from that comfort in Christ which should be the lot of every Pious and devout Christian Whence there is not only great Vehemence of Passion but admirable soundness of Reason in that earnest Exhortation of the Apostle to Unity Phil. 2.1 2. If there be any Consolation in Christ if any comfort of Love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any Bowels and Mercies fulfil ye my Joy that ye be like minded having the same Love being of one Accord of one Mind Whence * St. Augustine and S. Cyprian in divers places some have called it Sacrilege not only because it is a Violation of Divine Ordinances and Usurpation of Sacred Offices but because it seems to be far greater robbery to deprive the Church of the benefit of all these things then to take the Silver or Gold out of the Temple It shews want of Charity or Love as of God so also of our Brethren on such easy terms to divide our selves from them too hardly to Judge them too highly to Esteem our selves too little to bear with them to be too ready to grieve them not to have compassion on their Necessities and Wants in Spiritual matters not to be willing to give them our assistance as Members of the same Body should do to one another Wherefore the Apostle after having Described the Nature of Schism in the First Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 12. spends one whole Chapter more in praise of Charity and setting forth its Adjuncts and Properties doth touch upon those things which seem in the Schismatick to be more especially wanting 1 Cor. 13 v. 4 5 6 7. Charity suffereth long and is kind Charity envieth not Charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up doth not behave it self unseemly seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh no Evil rejoyceth not in Iniquity but rejoyceth in the Truth beareth all things believeth all things hopeth all things endureth all things But the Schismatick is not only Uncharitable and thereby injurious to his Neighbour but bringeth many and great Inconveniences upon himself by cutting himself off from the Church of God whence he is Condemned of himself as the Apostle speaketh Jude v. 19. and Separating themselves they have not the Spirit saith St. Jude They have not the kind Influences of the Holy Spirit whereby the Church is governed Whence not only all their Gifts but all their good works are utterly spoiled and come to nothing As a Part cannot retain its Sense and Life when it is cut off from the Body as the Branch cannot bear Fruit except it abide in the Vine John 15.4 as a Rivulet is soon dried up when separated from the Fountain as a Ray cannot subsist when taken away from the Sun St. Cyprian de unitate Ecclesiae So neither can a Schismatick Reap any profit from his gifts or good works when Separated from the rest of the Church of Christ The Apostle speaketh as to both of them in the beginning of the forementioned Chapter concerning Gifts Though I speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels though I have the gift of Prophesy and understand all Mysteries and all Knowledge and though I have Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have not Charity I am nothing Again concerning good Works Though I bestow all my Goods to feed the Poor and though I give my Body to be Burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing Some are not sensible that it is any great harm to go amongst them to pray with them or to hear the Gospel Preached But to joyn with them in those otherwise Holy Offices is the way to become partakers of their Sins Hos 9.4 Their Sacrifices shall be unto them as the Bread of Mourning all that eat thereof shall be Polluted Where two or three indeed are gathered together in Christ's Name Mat. 18.20 there is He in the midst of them but not when they are gathered against his Name and against the other Members of the Church Such Mens Prayers are not only Ineffectual but Excrable The Communion of Christ is but one Among his Disciples there is Peace We must not Communicate with those who break that Peace least we become partakers of their evil Deeds and make the Breach wider by Encouraging of them They are without the Church and we must not be with them For we cannot be within and without at the same time Mat. 12.30 He that is not with me is against me and he that Gathereth not with me Scattereth saith our Saviour Their Prayers and Preaching and other parts of Divine Worship being performed in Opposition to the other Members of the Church are turned into Sin and they come together 1 Cor. 11.17 as did the Corinthians in a Division of theirs not for the better but for the worse Thus we see how Schism is a work of the Flesh against Christ's Kingdom against the Gospel against the Protestant Religion against Virtue in general against all the Apostolical Rules of Charity very pernicious to the Church very hurtful to the Schismatick himself and of dangerous Consequence to all that go after him All things therefore are to be endured before we make a Schism even Immoralities themselves where we are not made to concur with them when it doth not belong to our Office to Reform them when it doth not lye in our Power to Reform them without breaking in upon other Mens Rights and doing Immoral Actions our selves And then certainly we are much more obliged to lay aside private Advantages not to seek our own to let fall particular Quarrels for the sake of the Church of Christ And if our Governours should deal hardly by us and require difficult things of us in Divine Worship not frustrating the main end of the Worship it self if some Words are improper if some Ceremonies are uncouth yet not hindring us from serving God with a pure Heart we ought to bear with them Charity beareth all things It is a large Expression taking in all things that are tolerable Surely these indifferent things And in a latter Schism here among us Men seem to be hard put to it to find a Cause of Separation when Protestants are forced to take up old Confuted Popery to ground it upon If they had never so just a State-quarrel on the account of a Popish Prince one would think they should scarcely part with the Principles of their own Religion for the sake of him To conclude then with the Apostles Words Phil. 3.16 Let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same thing Rom. 14.19 Let us follow after the things which make for Peace and thiâ—… wherewith one may Edifie another Eph. 4.2 3. With all Lowliness and Meekness with long Suffering forbearing one another in Love Endeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace Rom. 16.17 And let us Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which We have Learned and avoid them FINIS
his Judgment And this would be such another Immorality as the Authors of these late Books of Schism talk of in paying Allegiance to one whom Men might mistake to be their King But they wave the question about the King's Title as I said before and insist on the invalidity of a Lay-deprivation the next thing to be considered by way of answer to the second Objection This Deprivation does not take away the Power conferr'd on them in Ordination but only of having such and such Dioceses or parts of the Kingdom to officiate in which why the Supreme Civil Power whether lodged in one or more Men should not be sufficient to do is altogether unintelligible The distribution or division of a Country into so many Dioceses is not Jure Divino but depends on the discretion and determination of the chief Governors of the Church i. e. in a Christian Country of the Supreme Legislative Power to the Preservation whereof it is necessary to have them well marked out and fixed and to the well-being of the Republick Bishops are Subjects and Kings may demand Allegiance of them and in case of refusal if they have the whole Legislative Power they may forbid them living in any part of their Dominions Such Power is necessarily annexed to or rather implied in the Imperial Dignity from which our blessed Saviour by his Gospel detracted nothing nor designed to uphold his Disciples or Apostles against it for his Kingdom was not of this World And though the Church did subsist at first without the assistance of Heathen Emperors yet Kings when they embraced the true Faith became Members of the Church as well as any other Believers and are therefore as much obliged to act according to the Station wherein they are placed As did the Jewish Kings notwithstanding that the Church in Egypt and Babylon did subsist without them and as did the first and best of Christian Emperors And among the rest of those Powers that of depriving Bishops hath been one And this Power hath been exercised here among us with the Approbation of the Church of England and consonantly to the Articles Homilies and Canons thereof And among the Reasons of Deprivation the not acknowledging the Kings Supremacy in Ecclesiastical Causes was none of the least which yet is not so much as to deny his Civil Authority also which is the present * See the Vindication of their Majesties Authority to fill the Sees c. Case Indeed if we consider the Supreme Power only as having so much Authority as is absolutely necessary to preserve the Civil Government and to secure the outward Peace of the Kingdom we must own that it can judge also what shall be reasonable Security of any Subjects being true to the Government and that Ecclesiastical Persons as well as others for want of such Security given may be deprived of places of trust or places where they may have considerable influence on the People least they should pervert them to disaffection Cujus rei facilis est probatio c. Grotius De Imperio Summar Tot. circa Sacra Cap. 10. § 33. Hence follows a Power of removing Bishops from their Sees upon such occasions which that it belongs to the Sovereign Grotius thinks is a very easy matter to prove For he that hath power to banish a Man out of all parts of the Country or Kingdom hath by * Hoc enim illi inest aâ— cujus totum est in Potestate ejus in Potestate pars non esse non potest Idem ibid. Consequence a Power of forbidding him to exercise there the Episcopal Office This he can do as the same Grotius observes not only by way of Punishment but also by way of Caution if he finds the People tumultuous on the account of any Pastor though without the Pastor's fault And such Deprivation may be made not only without but even against the Consent of a Synod of whom Kings are so far from being obliged to ask the question whether they shall have their Subjects Allegiance or no that they are rather obliged especially here in England not to ask or enquire of them because it is a Violation of of the Laws of the Land and an injury done to the proper Judges of Allegiance And although in Cases of Heresy or Schism when there are matters of difficulty to be decided it is very fit and proper and agreeable to the most ordinary and usual practice of the Church to call Synods Yet even in those Cases they are to be convened only at the Sovereign's * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Socr. Proaem lib. 5. Doce quis Imperator hane Synodum jusseâ—â—… Congregari Hieron Apolog. adv Ruâ—â—iâ—â—â— lib. 2. appointment and when they are come together they are all of them under the same Circumstances of Obedience to the Civil Power as they were singly before obliged to the same Duties and liable to the same Penalties upon refusal of them How then can this be a matter of Ecclesiastical Cognizance or how can it belong to them to determine it Examples of Emperors deposing Bishops without as well as with a Synod are many and that even in the Case of Heresy which doth most properly belong to the determination of a Synod and which they are best able to judge of not but that in plain Cases or Cases before sufficiently declared Heresy this may be done without them even as Kings in the Old-Testament brake down the Images destroyed the high Places and put down the Idolatrous Priests by their own Authority which Kings under the New-Testament having the entire Legislative Power do not come short of Thus Christian Emperors have deposed Hereticks and their Power to do so seems anciently to have been generally acknowledged on all hands All Parties seem to have been sensible thereof Sometimes the Emperor threatned to depose them and sometimes put it in Execution without any ones gain-saying To him Bishops brought their a Theodorit lib. 5. c. 23. Complaints against such other Bishops as they desired to have deposed Him they sometimes b Leo. 1. Ep. 99. praised for using this Power His Power they c Flavianus in Theodor. loco citato acknowledged though against themselves In his Sentence though sometimes unjust they acquiesced d Socrat. lib. 2. c. 12. And this is more than to depose them on the account of State-Crimes or for default of Allegiance Lastly As this is agreeable to Antient Practise so it is the constant and concurrent Sense of all the old Reformers and till of late it hath been denyed I think by none but Papists and some of the worst and maddest of Enthusiasts And thus Men may become guilty of Schism by contending for Power Whereby we may also discern how Persons in other Relations according as they happen to be concerned in some of these Circumstances may become guilty of the same fault 2. They may be Schismaticks by misimploying their Power and so cutting themselves off