Affairs and according to the Discretion or Approbation of the Governors Civil or Ecclesiastical as it doth concern them All these things may be and yet the Church continue still the same as the Queen in a Vesture of Gold-wrought about with divers Colours Yea Church-Censures may go on and Persons be Excommunicated and yet unless they wilfully continue under Excommunication no Schism be made because they do not cut themselves off from the Church but are cut off by others and therefore are not as Schismaticks A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T◠3.11 Condemned of themselves as the Apostle speaketh Schism therefore is a wilfull breaking off of that outward Unity which one or more Members ought to maintain with the rest A Schismatick or Schismaticks are that one or those many Persons who do publickly refuse to act according to his or their just Relations as Members of the Church in the station wherein they are placed Or to speak more briefly a Schismatick is that Member of the Church which disowns and cuts it self off from the rest either contemning and rejecting the other Members 1 Cor. 12.21 as if the Eye shall say to the Hand I have no need of thee or again The Head to the Feet I have no need of you Or else encroaching and breaking in upon the Rights of other Members as if the Foot shall say V. 15.16 because I am not the Hand or not the Head I am not of the Body and will not be of the Body Or Lastly refusing to communicate its Office to the rest not distributing to the Necessities of the Saints not suffering and rejoycing with the other Members the Members not having the same Care according to their different places and capacities one for another 1 Cor. 12.25 according to the Expression of the Apostle To know therefore who is a Schismatick and who not it will be necessary to consider in some general Terms at least the Relations wherein Men may be and the several Causes or Pretences of separating with regard to such Relations declaring withal so far as in a short Discourse of this Nature conveniently may be which are unlawful and which are good and sufficient And First As there is an Unity in general which ought to be maintained by all Christian Churches throughout the World they being all reconciled to God in One Body Eph. 2.16 1 Cor 12.13 and Baptized into One Body and made to drink into One Spirit and being called One Body 1 Cor. 10.17 1 Cor. 12 2◠whereof our Lord is the Head Eph. 4.15 16. from whom the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every Joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh encrease of the Body unto the edifying of it self in love So there may be a Breach made of this Unity by any particular Church and thereby whole Churches may become Schismatical Whole Churches in respect of the whole Body of Christians have such Relation as single Members have with Regard to any particular Church They therefore as well as single Members of particular Churches may fall into Schism when either in express Terms or by necessary consequence they break off their Communion and Friendly Correspondence with the rest which may be done several ways 1. By professing a different Faith Or 2. Different Agenda or Morals 3. By different Church-Government either as to the Species or kind of Government or as to the manner of exercising of it 1. They may become guilty of Schism by professing a different Faith or appointing different Creeds in any Material Point from other Churches For Christian Communion doth not require but forbid us to have Fellowship with those who do not hold the Truth as to the Substantials of Christian Religion The Body of Christ hath but One Faith and considering that the main Points of Faith have such Influence upon our Lives and Actions and are of so high importance to every one of us we ought to Contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints Jud. 3. and to withdraw our selves from those who teach otherwise 1 Tim. 6.5 and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Tim. 6.3 and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness Not but that Christians may differ and dispute and err about Matters of less Moment or ways of explaining the True Faith not so clearly delivered without either actually separating themselves from the Church or deserving to be cut off from it except they do oblige Men to concur with them and to profess a Belief of their Errors For then we may and ought to depart from them it being not lawful for any one to profess he believes that to be true which at the same time he takes to be an Error even in a matter of the smallest moment 2. They may become guilty of Schism by making wrong Professions de Agendis or concerning Morals For none ought to concur with any Man or any number of Men in that which is immoral Concord is only commendable in that which is good not in that which is evil To profess an Immorality is not only to do an immoral thing the profession of it being a sinful Act but it is worse than doing the same immoral thing that is agreeable to such Profession It is a sin committed with deliberation greater than commonly precedes the Act of Sin it makes us persevere and continue in sin it tends to the seducing and destroying others in a more eminent degree than the Act. If any Man therefore shall teach Doctrines manifestly contradictory to any part of the Moral Law if a Man says instead of Honour thy Father and Mother Thou shalt not honour thy Father or thy Mother Instead of Let every soul be subject to the Higher Powers Let some men not be subject to the Higher Powers and maintains this Doctrine in Opposition to the Members of his own or other Churches he is a Schismatick But he that allows of those Precepts and knows not who is his King or who is his Father is mistaken in the Person not in the Commandment or at most he is only mistaken about the Laws of the Land which tho' they do oblige in Conscience when known yet it is not every Man's business nor doth lye in every Man's power perfectly to understand And an Error in these does not always imply a misunderstanding the Commandments of God He that errs in Explication of some Moral Points as in shewing How a Man must honour his King or his Father or in setting the Bounds and Measures of Obedience to them or in such a matter as I am now about in stating the Case of Schism is not presently to be esteemed guilty of Schism For a Mistake though professed in Matters less principal either of Faith or Morals unless it makes void the general Commandment or some plain Article of Faith
from those that are under them For there is no Place so high as to make a Man incapable of this fault Nor may Inferiors only be guilty of it in respect of their Superiors or Superiors in respect of one another but Superiors in respect of their Inferiors also The Head may say to the Feet I have no need of you as well as the Feet to the Head we have no need of thee Wherefore the Supreme Civil Powers if they shall set up and pull down Persons at pleasure encouraging increasing promoting Schismaticks deposing or highly discouraging those that are Orthodox Ecclesiastical Governors Bishops and Pastors if they shall do the like if they shall refuse to communicate with their Flock unjustly excommunicate them forbid them Communion in express Terms or by Consequence exclude them by unjust Impositions and unreasonable Terms of Communion are guilty of Schism 3ly Men are Schismaticks by disobedience to Power and that this may belong in some sort to any Member of the Church Pag. 13. yea or to any particular Church hath been observed already also that the Common People may have a share in and partake of the guilt of Schism in most of the Cases already mentioned is not to be doubted but I am taking notice only of what hath been as yet omitted and comes nearest to being peculiar to the Common People And that is Disobedience to their Lawful Governors in Spiritual Matters Yet not all Disobedience is Schismatical for then every Transgressor of Canons might be called a Schismatick but such as is Cum Rebellione quadam as the * Aquinas 22. Q. 39. Art 1. ad Zum School-men express it when Men design thereby to signify openly desert them 2. Tim. 4.3 and heap to themselves Teachers after their own Lusts having itching Ears when they disown and disclaim their Authority when they presume to invade the Bishops Priests or Deacons Office without being lawfully called climbing into the Sheepfold another way instead of entring in at the Door when they refuse to Communicate on reasonable Terms or separate themselves because they will not conform in Publick Assemblies to your Superiors Injunctions as to Ceremonies c. which last I see not how they can excuse from Schism except in two Cases only 1. That the Things commanded and appointed by them are unlawful in themselves in which Case without all question it is their duty to disobey them and rather to separate from them than to comply and concur with them in that which is sinful Or 2ly If they be not unlawful in their own Nature but indifferent as being no where forbidden yet if they are unlawful in respect of some Circumstances as if they should be so many and so extremely inconvenient as to hinder Men in their chief design of Worshipping God in their Assemblies and Men have no other way of getting themselves relieved But this some Improprieties of Speech or insignificant Ceremonies if not too many and frequent can never hinder Yea a few of them need not take off the least degree of Devotion in Men of Charity or Understanding Moreover if such excuses as these viz. having better words more significant Ceremonies or none at all were of any value they never would be wanting nor would there be a possibility of keeping Order Unity or Peace in any Church whatsoever Our blessed Saviour beside his Precepts of Love and Charity hath provided no means to prevent such Cavels as these are neither is it possible Mens Fancies never did never can agree in all these Particulars nor can any one perhaps at all times agree with himself And therefore I shall not here spend any more time upon them From what hath been said it appears that there are ways and those more perhaps than I have yet enumerated or can reckon up whereby Men may become guilty of Schism in all Estates and Conditions Whence it is not without cause that the Fathers when they are speaking about Schism do represent it so * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S Ignatii Epist ad Philadelph c. 7. It is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clement Ep. ad Corinth 1. cap. 47. Episcopatum autem tenere non posset etiamsi Episcopus prius factus a Coepiscoporum suorum corpore ab Ecclesiae unitate descisceret Cypr. Ep. 55. Qui se ab Ecclesiae vinculo atque a Sacerdotum Collegio separat Episcopi nec potestatem potest habere nec honorem Id. ibid. An esse sibi cum Christo videtur qui adversus Sacerdotes Christi facit qui se a Cleri eâ—â—s plebis Societate discernit Id. De unitat Ecclesiae Ed. Oxon. p. 116. Plebs obsequens praeceptis Dominicis Deum metuens a peccatore praeposito separare se debet nec se ad Sacrilegi Sacerdotis sacrificia miscere c. Id. Ep. 67. Ed. Oxon. variously sometimes as a Separation from the Bishop sometimes from the Priests sometimes from the Deacons and sometimes from the common People as doth S. Cyprian himself Whence we may see how little weight there is in that Saving commonly quoted out of his 66. Epist Scire debes Episcopum in Ecclesia esse Ecclesiam in Episcopo si qui cum Episcopo non sint in Ecclesia non esse as to the uses which have been lately made of it And in all the fore-mentioned Cases the Schism proceeds from one or more Members not having a due care and concern for the rest or from not having an equal Care according to their respective States and Conditions And therefore the Apostle in the place before quoted 1 Cor. 12.25 doth intimate that there would be no Schism in the Body if all the Members did take the same care one for another Lastly We may observe that every particular Schism is an injury to and a Schism in respect of the whole Church as every division of any one Member of the Body is by consequence against the whole Body which is not sound compleat and intire except it be so in every particular Member of it or if but one of the Members is broken Therefore as our Saviour says concerning the doing or denying any charitable Act Mat. 25.40 45 Insomuch as you did or did it not to one of the least of these you did or did it not unto me So we may say where a Schism is made in any particular Church In as much as you have made a Division in this particular Church you have separated your selves from Christ the Head and made a Rent in the whole Body But perhaps Men would not be so apt of themselves or so easily prevailed upon by others to Separate themselves from their Brethren did they duly consider how great a Crime of how ill and dangerous consequence to the Church in general to themselves and others this of Schism is which therefore I shall take some Consideration of and it is the second thing I proposed to speak to Wherein I do not design to
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