Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	church_n	schism_n	separation_n	4,536	5	11.0940	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A44476	A tract concerning schism and schismatiqves wherein is briefly discovered the originall causes of all schisme / written by a learned and judicious divine ; together with certain animadversions upon some passages thereof.	Hales, John, 1584-1656.; Page, William, 1590-1663.	1642 (1642)	Wing H278; ESTC R2860	21,883	35

A TRACT CONCERNING SCHISME AND SCHISMATIQVES WHEREIN Is briefly discovered the originall causes of all Schisme Written by a Learned and Judicious Divine TOGETHER With certain Animadversions upon some Passages thereof OXFORD Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD for Edward Forrest 1642. A TRACT CONCERNING SCHISME HEresie and Schisme as they are commonly used are two Theologicall scar crows with which they who uphold a party in Religion vse to fright away such as making enquiry into it are ready to relinquish and oppose it if it appeare either erronious or suspitious for as Plutarch reports of a Painter who having unskilfully painted a Cock chased away all Cocks and Hens that so the imperfection of his Art might not appeare by comparison with Nature so men willing for ends to admit of no fancy but their own endeavour to hinder all enquiry into it by way of comparison of somewhat with it peradventure truer that so the deformity of their own might not appeare but howsoever in the common manage Heresie and Schisme are but ridiculous tearmes yet the things in themselves are of very considerable moment the one offending against Truth the other against Charity and therefore both deadly when they are not by imputation but in deed It is then a matter of no small importance truely to descry the nature of them that so they may feare who are guilty of them and they on the contrary strengthen themselves who through the iniquity of men and times are injuriously charged with them Schisme for of Heresie we shall not now treat except it be by accident and that by occasion of a generall mistake spread through all the writings of the Ancients in which their names are familiarly confounded Schisme I say upon the very sound of the word imports division Division is not but where Communion is or ought to be now Communion is the strength and ground of all Society whether Sacred or Civill whosoever therefore they be that offend against this Common society and friendlinesse of men if it be in civill occasions are guilty of Sedition or Rebellion if it be by reason of Ecclesiasticall difference they are guilty of Schisme So that Schisme is an Ecclesiasticall sedition as Sedition is a lay Schisme yet the great benefit of Communion notwithstanding in regard of divers distempers men are subject to Dissention and Disunion are often necessary For when either false or uncertain Conclusions are obtruded for truth and Acts either unlawfull or ministring just scruple are required of us to be perform'd in these cases consent were conspiracy and open contestation is not faction or Schisme but due Christian animosity For the opening therefore of the nature of Schisme something must be added by way of difference to distinguish it from necessary separation and that is that the cause upon which division is attempted proceed not from Passion or from Distemper or from Ambition or Avatice or such other ends as humane folly is apt to pursue but from well weighed and necessary reasons and that when all other means having been tryed nothing will serve to save us from guilt of Conscience but open separation so that Schisme if we would define it is nothing else but an unnecessary separation of Christians from that part of the visible Church of which they were once members now as in mutinies and civill dissentions there are two attendants in ordinary belonging unto them one the Choyse of an Elector or Guide in place of the Generall or Ordinary Governor to rule and guide the other the appointing of some publique place or Randevous where publike meetings must be celebrated So in Church dissentions and quarrells two appurtenances there are which serve to make Schisme compleat First in the choyce of a Bishop in opposition to the former a thing very frequent amongst the Ancients and which many times was the cause and effect of Schisme Secondly the erecting of a new Church and Oratory for the dividing parts to meet in publiquely For till this be done the Schisme is but yet in the wombe In that late famous Controversy in Holland De Pradestinatione auxiliis as long as the disagreeing parties went no farther then Disputes and Pen-Combats the Schisme was all that while unhatched but as soon as one party swept an old Cloyster and by a pretty Art suddenly made it a Church by putting a new Pulpit in it for the separating party there to meet now what before was a Controversy became a formall Schisme To know no more then this if you take it to be true had been enough to direct how you are to judge and what to think of Schisme and Schismatiques yet because of the Ancients by whom many are more affrighted then hurt much is said and many fearefull doomes are pronounced in this case we will descend a little to consider of Schisme as it were by way of story and that partly farther to open that which we have said in generall by instancing in particulars and partly to disabuse those who reverencing Antiquity more then needs have suffered themselves to be scared with imputation of Schisme above due measure for what the Ancients speake by way of censure of Schisme in generall is most true for they saw and it is no great matter to see so much that unadvised and open fancy to break the knot of union betwixt man and man especially amongst Christians upon whom above all other kind of men the tye of love and communion doth most especially rest was a crime hardly pardonable and that nothing absolves men from the guilt of it but true and unpretended Conscience yet when they came to pronounce of Schisme in particular whether it was because of their own interest or that they saw not the truth or for what other cause God only doth know their judgements many times to speak most gently are justly to be suspected which that you may see we will range all Schisme into two rankes First there is a Schisme in which only one party is the Schismatique for where cause of Schisme is necessary there not he that separates but he that is the cause of separation is the Schismatique Secondly there is a Schisme in which both parties are the Schismatiques for where the occasion of separation is unnecessary neither side can be excused from guilt of Schisme But you will aske who shall be judge what is necessary Indeed it is a question which hath been often made but I think scarcely ever truly answered not because it is a point of great depth or difficulty truly to assoyle it but because the true solution of it carries fire in the taile of it for it bringeth with it a piece of doctrine which is seldome pleasing to Superiors To you for the present this shall suffice If so be you be animo defaecato if you have cleared your selfe from froath and grownes if neither sloath nor feare nor ambition nor any tempting spirit of that nature abuse you for these and such as these are the

Errare possum Hareticus esse nolo indeed Manichanisme Valentinianisme Macedonianisme Mahometisme are truly and properly Herises For wee know that the Authors of them received them not but invented them themselves and so knew what they taught to be a lye but can any man avouch that Arius and Nestorius and others that taught erroniously concerning the Trinity and the person of our SAVIOUR did maliciously invent what they taught and not rather fall upon it by error and mistake till that be done and upon good evidence we will thinke no worse of all parties than needs we must and take these Rents in the Church to be at the worst but Schismes upon matter of opinion in which case what we are to do is not a point of any great depth of understanding to discover if so be distemper and partiality do not intervene I do not see that opinionum varictas opinantium unitas are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or that men of different opinions in Christian Religion may not hold communion in Sacris and both go to one Church why may I not go If occasion require to an Arian Church so there be no Arianisme exprest in their Liturgy and were Liturgies and publique formes of Service so framed as that they admitted not of particular and private fancies but contained onely such things as in which all Christians do agree Schismes on opinion were utterly vanished for consider of all the Liturgies that are and ever have beene and remove from them whatsoever is scandalous to any party and leave nothing but what all agree on and the event shall be that the publique Service and Honour of God shall no wayes suffer Whereas to load our publique formes with the private fancies upon which we differ is the most soveraigne way to perpetuate Schisme unto the worlds end Prayer Confession Thanksgiving Reading of Scriptures Administration of Sacriments in the plainest and the simplest manner were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient Liturgy though nothing either of private opinion or of Church Pomp of Garments or prescribed Gestures of Imagery of musike of matter concerning the Dead of many superfluities which creep into the Church under the name of Order and Decency did interpose it selfe To charge Churches and Liturgies with things unnecessary was first the beginning of all superstition and when scruple of Conscience began to be made or pretended there Schisme began to breake in if the speciall Guides and Fathers of the Church would be a little sparing of incumbring Churches with superfluities or not over-rigid either in reviving obsolete Customes or imposing new there would be farre lesse cause of Schisme or Superstition and all the inconveniance likely to ensue would be but this they should in so doing yeeld a little to the imbecillity of their Inferiors a thing which S. Paul would never haue refused to do meane while wheresoever false or suspected opinions are made a peice of Church Liturgy he that seperates is not the Schismatique for it is alike unlawfull to make profession of known or suspected falsehood as to put in practise unlawfull or suspected actions ANIMADVERSION Fiftly having trampled upon the Auncients you come now to the Church and levell that also with the ground It hath been say you the common disease of Christians from the beginning not to content themselves with that measure of faith which God and Scriptures have expressely afforded us but out of a vaine desire to know more then is revealed they have attempted to devise things of which we have no light from reason nor revelation Neither have they rested here but upon pretence of Church authority which is none or Tradition which for the most part is but fained c. I hath the Church no authority did not our Saviour giue power to the Church to punish excommunicate a notorious offendor when he saith goe tell the Church and if he heare not the Church let him be to thee a heathen or a Publican And did not his S. Paul give great power to the Church when he calleth it the Pillar and fortresse of truth It were easy here to enlarge my selfe and prove out of the Ancient Fathers did you not reject them that they attributed great powre authority to the Church But the Church of England whose sonne suppose you are and therefore cannot so well neglect her authority will tell you that the Church hath powre to decree rites or ceremonyes and authority in controversies of faith But here you would cry up the authority of the Scriptures that thereby you might decry the authority of the Church whereas these two are not opposite but subordinate one to another I meane the Church to the Scripture If therefore you will commend unto us the authority of Scripture you must also uphold the authority of the Church which is founded in Scripture but if you nullify the authority of the Church you must also neglect the authority of the Scripture which giveth the Church such power And let no man think the Roman Church will here break in upon mee for by Church I meane the truly auncient Catholick and Apostolicke Church from which the Roman Church is farre enough And as by Church so I meane by Tradition for where Tradition is fained none are to esteem of it but when it doth appeare unto us to be truly auncient Catholick and Apostolick it is not a little to be regarded Hereupon Vincentius would have us duplici modo munire fidem to fortify our faith two manner of waies primò divinae legis authoritate deinde Ecclesiae Catholicae traditione first by the authority of divine law then by the tradition of the Catholick Church Then he putteth that objection which you here and many others are used to make seeing that the canon of Scripture is perfect enough and more then enough sufficient in it selfe to all things what need is there that wee should joyne unto it the authority of Ecclesiasticall exposition Unto which me thinks he giveth a very satisfying answere Because all doe not understand the holy Scriptures by reason of the height thereof in one and the same sense but one interprets it one way and another a severall way So that there be as many minds and meanings about it almost as there be men For Novatus expounds it one way Donatus another Arius another Pelagius another c. Therefore it is very needfull by reason of so great and diverse errors that the line of Propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation be directed according to the rule of Ecclesiasticall and Catholick meaning So that true and Catholick Tradition is like unto a strong wall about the garden of holy Scripture which keeps it from the incursion of Hereticks or if they chance to get in it is a soveraine antidote to preserve us from the poison they suck out of these sweet flowers So that take the Church and Tradition in a right sense there is much to be attributed to them