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A43343
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A brief enquiry into the true nature of schism: or a persuasive to Christian love and charity. Humbly submitted to better judgments; by M.H. Licensed Jan. 8. 1689/90
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Henry, Matthew, 1662-1714.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing H1474; ESTC R216726
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13,006
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36
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in three cases 1. If my own Conscience be not satisfy'd in the lawfulness of any terms of Communion impos'd as far as I fall under that imposition I may justify a separation from them and a joyning with other Churches where I may be freed from that Imposition provided that this be not done Schismatically i. e. With heat and bitterness and an alienation of Christian affection and I hope none that have the law of Christ written in their hearts will say that it is impossible truly to love those with whom I am not satisfy'd to joyn in all the Ordinances for the sake of some Ceremonies with which after all my Study Prayer and Converse I cannot be satisfy'd So if I be a Minister and as such oblig'd to Preach the Gospel yet kept out from the publick exercise of my Ministry by such Terms and Conditions Oaths and Subscriptions as I judge sinful in such a case surely it is lawful for me with Eldad and Medad to prophesy in the Camp since in my Judgment the door of the Tabernacle is made straiter than my Master hath appointed it to be made What should hinder but that as a Minister of Christ I may administer all the Ordinances according to Christs Institution to those who are willing to joyn with me and put themselves under my Conduct such as it is in those administrations If God have given though but one talent it must be traded with or else there will be an uncomfortable reckoning shortly especially when we look abroad and consider how the apparent necessities of precious Souls call for our utmost diligence in our Masters work and indeed there 's work enough for us all if God would give us hearts to be serious and unanimous in it In this also 't is always provided that my agency in a Ministerial Station be not made Schismatical by my Heat Passion and Bitterness but that I live in true Love and Charity with those whom by reason of the Impositions I cannot salvâ conscientiâ joyn with in Communion 2. Though I be satisfy'd in the lawfulness of the Terms of Communion requir'd and so when purer administrations are not to be had may rather than live in the total want of the Ordinances comply with them yet when I have an opportunity of enjoying those Ordinances in a way which I judge more pure and Scriptural or which I think more lively and edifying and more likely to attain the great end of all Ordinances and that contribute more to my Comfort and Holiness and Communion with God in such a case I cannot see but that I may lawfully have recourse to such administrations though thereby I may seem to separate from another Church wherein before I had joyn'd and for which I still retain a very charitable opinion and affection If the Magistrate should be so unreasonable as to impose upon me an unskilful Physician to be alone made use of in case of sickness I might take him rather than none But if there be another who I am sure hath more Skill and Will to help me I think I should be accessary to the ruin of my health and life if I should not make use of him notwithstanding such an Inhibition And is not the life and health and salvation of my immortal Sonl dearer to me than any other concern Is not Communion with God the sweetest and most precious of all my delights Is it not the Life of my Soul and the Crown of all my joys and are not those administrations most desirable in which I find my self most edifyed Must I then be such an enemy to my own comfort and happiness as to throw away all the opportunities which I might have of that kind only in a complement Amicus Socrates Amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas The Bishops are my Friends and the Ministers my Friends and I have a true Love for them but Charity begins at home especially when my precious Soul more worth than all the world lyes at stake This case is somewhat the clearer in those Parishes where the publick Ministers are either Ignorant Profane or Malignant 3. Nay suppose I am so well satistisfy'd in Communion with the Parish Churches in all administrations as not to desire better or not to expect better in the Dissenters meetings yet I cannot see what Schism i. e. what breach of Christian Love and Charity there is in it for me to be present sometimes in the Congregations of the sober Dissenters and to joyn with them who worship the same God in the name of the same Mediator read and preach the same Word and live in hopes of the same Inheritance and differ from me only in some little things which I think not worth contending for scarce worth the mentioning hereby to evidence my universal Love and Catholick Charity and that I am not of narrow Schismatical dividing Principles nor one that will Sacrifice Christian love to the petty trifling Fancies and Interests of a party The sober Dissenters are such as I have reason to hope have Communion with God in what they do and therefore why should not I now and then have Communion with them In every Nation be that fears God and works righteousness is accepted of him and why should he not be accepted of me why may not I have fellowship with them that have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 1 John 1. 3. To fancy Schism i. e. Uncharitable contention and a breach of Christian Love in this is very absurd Obj. But hereby I encourage a Schism and countenance them in their Separation from that which in my eye is lawful and good and doth not give just cause for such a Separation Answ. There must be grains of allowance for difference of apprehension Different Capacities Constitutions and Inclinations Custom and especially Education must be put into the scale and while I walk according to the light which God hath given me I must charitably believe that others do so too Whether the Dissenters Meetings be as to the constitution and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 esse of them looking upon them only as diversities of Communion Schismatical hath been consider'd already and found otherwise by Scripture-Light The common outcry is that it is the setting up of Altar against Altar which is not so for at the most it is but Altar by Altar and though I have often read of one Body and one Spirit and one Hope and one Lord and one Faith and one Baptism and one God and Father Eph. 4. 4 5 6. Yet I could never find a word in all the New Testament of one Altar except Jesus Christ Heb. 13. 10. The Altar that sanctifies every Gift in whom we all centre And if there be any of the Dissenters who are Schismatical i. e. Contentious Bitter and Uncharitable in their Separation let them bear their own burthen but by my presence with them I encourage that in them no more than I do too much of a like Spirit in too many of those who are call'd the Church of England men by my adherence to them To conclude By all this it is evident that Unity of Affection is the thing to be labour'd after more than Uniformity in Modes and Ceremonies We have been long enough trying to root Schism out of the Church vi armi◠by Impositions Fines and Penalties choking our brethren because their Throats have not been so wide as ours And it hath been found ineffectual even in the judgment of our Great Sanhedrim who have declar'd that giving ease to scrupulous consciences is the likeliest way to unite their Majesties Protestant Subjects in Interest and Affection what if we should now try another Method and turn the Stream of our endeavours into another Channel Hitherto we have been as it were striving which should hate one another most what if we should now strive which should love one another best and be most ready to do all Offices of true Charity and Kindness and bury all our little Feuds and Animosities in that blessed grave of Christian Love and Charity What if we should every one of us of each party as we have been too often call'd set our selves by our Preaching to promote and propagate the Gospel of Peace and by our prayers to prevail with God for a more plentiful pouring out of the Spirit of Peace that the dividing names of Baalim may be taken out of our mouths and that however it goes with Uniformity of Ceremony we may keep the Vnity of the Spirit and then I doubt not but we should soon see our English Jerusalem Establish't a praise in the midst of the Earth And yet I am afraid even Saints will be men there will be remainders even of those corruptions which are the seed of Schism in the best till we all come to the perfect man And that 's the comfort of my Soul that if we can but once get to Heaven we shall be for ever out of the noise and hurry of this quarrelsom contentious dividing world and the Church Triumphant shall be no more Militant but that happy World of Everlasting Light will be a World of Everlasting Love FINIS
be meant of any breach of Communion for it is said expresly v. 20. That they came together into one place and that into the Church too i. e. The place of meeting But the Schisms were Quarrels and Contentions about some little things relating to the circumstances of publick Worship and the quarrel seems to have been about the time of beginning their worship especially when they were to joyn in the Lords Supper or their Love-feasts it see as they did not come exactly at the time therefore the Apostle bids them tarry one for another v. 33. Those that came early quarrel'd with those that came late for coming no sooner and those that came late quarrel'd with the other for beginning before they came Some quarrels of this kind were the Schisms here spoken of 3. The word is us'd 1 Cor. 12. 25. That there be no Schism in the Body The Apostle is there carrying on a Metaphor betwixt the Natural Body and the Church and this clause clearly relates to the Natural Body for he doth not come to the Reddition of the comparison till v. 27. Now what he means by the Schism in the body is plain from the Antithesis in the following words but that the members should have the same care one for another So that when the members care not one for another when the Eye saith to the hand I have no need of thee v. 21. When there is not a sympathy and fellow-feeling among Christians v. 26. here 's Schism That 's Schism which breaks or slackens the bond by which the members are knit together Now that Bond is not an Act of Uniformity in point of Communion in the same Modes and Ceremonies but true Love and Charity in point of affection 'T is Charity that is the bond of perfectness Col. 3. 14. 'T is the Unity of the Spirit that is the bond of peace Eph. 4. 3. And Schism is that which breaks this Bond. Now from all this laid together I draw out this description of Schism which according to my present apprehensions is the true Scripture notion of it Schism is an uncharitable Distance Division or Alienation of Affections among those who are called Christians and agree in the Fundamentals of Religion occasion'd by their different apprehensions about little things This is the Schism which the Scripture makes to be a sin and by Scripture Rules it must be judged Schism as indeed the Root of all other sin we see lies in the Heart and Affections But the Tree is known by his fruits this bitter root bears Gall and Wormwood Let us therefore take a short view of those practices which according to this Description are Schismatical practices 1. Judging censuring and condemning those that differ from us in little things is a Schismatical practice as it evidenceth a great alienation if not enmity of the Affections Charity thinketh no evil 1 Cor. 13. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not reason evil doth not study to make sins but cover them and if they be made yet not to make the worst of them it puts the best construction upon words and actions Now to pass a censorious Judgment upon others and to put the worst construction upon what they say and do is certainly uncharitable that is Schismatical It is a practice often condemn'd in holy Writ Mat. 7. 1. Judge not that ye be not judged 't is construed a judging of the Law Jam. 4. 11 12. 'T is especially condemn'd with reference to the present case of different apprehensions about little things in that famous Scripture Rom. 14. 4 5 c. a Scripture which if well studi'd and liv'd up to would heal us all Judging the Heart is in my Eye one of the most uncharitable species of Judging Censuring the Principles and ends of an action which are secret charging those that differ from us with Hypocrisie which is a heart-sin If the shews be good and the outside justifiable when we conclude Hypocrisie is in the heart we step into the Throne of God 2. Laying a greater stress upon small matters of difference than they will bear and widening the breach about them As on the one hand to censure all Prayers by a Form or by this Form in particular assuperstition will-worship formality and the like on the other hand to censure all Extempore praying as babbling caning froth and noise as if God had not accepted his own People in the one as well as in the other The fastening of a Censure and passing of a Judgment upon a whole party and way if it be not very clear and well-grounded indeed will be likely to split us upon the Rock of Schism and Uncharitableness 3. Concluding hardly as to the spiritual state and condition of those that differ from us excluding them out of the Church and from Salvation because they are not just of our mind in every punctilio Witness that notion which excludes out of the Church consequently out of Heaven all those how orthodox and serious soever they are otherwise who are not in Prelatical Communion if no Diocesan Bishops then no Ministers no Sacraments no Church no Salvation Which is certainly the most Schismatical notion that ever was broach'd in the Christian world 4. Reproaching reviling and railing at those who differ from us in little things is another Schismatical practice fastning such nick-names upon them and loading them with such reproaches as carry in them all the odium that malice can infuse into them dressing them up in Bears-Skins and then baiting them doing what we can by calumnies and misrepresentations to alienate the affections of others from them 5. Making consenting to approving or executing of Penal Laws against those who differ from us in little things to punish them for such difference in their Persons Estates or Liberties is another uncharitable or Schismatical practice This is contention with a witness which aims at no less than the ruin of the person contended with in the dearest of his secular interests to beat out his brains because his head is not exactly of our size 6. Separation from Communion with those that we have joyn'd our selves to without cause give me leave to call it Separation for Separation sake without any regard had to any thing amiss in the Church we separate from or any thing better in that we joyn our selves to this is an evidence of an uncharitable alienation of affection and is consequently Schismatical When we quite cast off Communion with our brethren out of ambition animosity ot their persons affectation of Novelty and Singularity or the like This was manifestly the case of the Donatists the infamous Schismaticks of the Primitive Church Their Principles were that the Church of Christ was to be found no where but in their Sect and all other Churches were no Churches that true Baptism was not administred but among them and a great many barbarous outrages they committed in the heat of their separation 7. An affected strangeness or distance