OF Christian Communion To be kept on In the Unity of Christs Church and among the Professors of Truth and Holiness AND Of the Obligations both of Faithful Pastors to Administer Orthodox and Holy Offices and of Faithful People to Communicate in the same Fitted for Persecuted or Divided or corrupt States of Churches when they are either born down by Secular Persecutions or broken with Schisms or Defiled with Sinful Offices and Ministrations In three Parts Printed Anno Dom. 1693. THE PREFACE Reader 'T IS a sad thing when any Kingdoms are divided about the Payment of their Allegiance and Civil Duties which must needs bereave vast Numbers of the Innocence and more of the Comforts and Quietness of Humane Life But it is still worse when this grows into a Division of Churches and Breach of Religious Communions For besides that Religion is the chief of all things which can concern us and whereon we must Build all our Hopes of Good in another Life Religious Exercises and Assemblies should be the properest Cordial to Revive our Spirits and the best and surest Refuge for us to flee unto in the greatest civil Distractions But such Division of Churches and Communions unsettles and distracts the Hearts of Good and Pions People about this and makes them at a Loss where to serve God and say their Prayers And this must put all who pretend to seriousness or a Religious Spirit on shewing Compassion and some on endeavouring Relief and on reaching out such things as may direct and be of use to them in a Safe and Conscionable Guidance of their Steps at such times And this is the Design of this Treatise Wherein my Business is not at all to Dispute the particular Titles to any Crowns or to examine the Claims of the several Pretenders to them In that I leave every Honest Mind to other ways of Informing and Satisfying themselves and of Forming such Judgments thereof as Truth and Justice shall happen to require in their particular Case But when by those Ways they are come to be resolved therein I endeavour to shew them what things lie most upon Conscience either their Pastors or their own as to Church Ministrations and what way they are to take about Religious Offices and Communion on such unhappy Divisions These Matters I Treat of not as they are State Points like one who seeks only to be a Stickler in Civil Differences or to help those who on such Breaches Study only to make a Bustle in State Parties But as they are Matters of Religion and concern all who would keep in the Favour of God and in the right Way to Heaven For my Design and Study all along is to shew how they who desire nothing more than to save their immortal Souls may keep free from Guilt and Eternal Danger in these particulars My great Care for them and for my self in these Matters being how we may truly and acceptably Serve God more than any Temporal Interest or the Cause of any Persons or Parties in this World And this I offer to the Conscientious who prefer Religion before Worldly Ends and Eternity before this Life And who in these Differences are Willing and Desirous to take the sure Way to Future Peace and Everlasting Bliss however the same may expose them here to Worldly Difficulties Uncomfortableness and Persecutions As for the Ways and Practices here spoken off I have given warning of their Gullt and Danger with planeness And this is necessary in all good Christians especially in Ministers who are not to call Evil Good or to give soft Names to ill things and to palliate Unrighteousness instead of exposing and exploding it which were to take part with Wickedness and to sew Pillows for the Bolstring up of Sinners I am sensible what need there is of Charity and Candor at all times especially on the Bursting out of Differences And how indispensable Christian Duties these are not only in Men at Ease but in Confessors and Sufferers for Righteousness towards their Persecutors If I keep not Charity though I give my Body to be Burned and Suffer Martyrdom it Profiteth me nothing 1 Cor. 13. 13. And when we see Men inapparently Wicked and Ungodly Ways or Unrighteous Things done 't is the part of this Charity and Candor to shew Favour and Easiness in Judging of the Dispositions of Mind wherewith they do them Ascribing them so far as it can find any reasonable Colour or Pretence thereof to the most excusable Principles As to their being Mislead by the plausible Arguings of Deceivers or to an Error of their Judgments rather than to their acting all the while against their own Belief and Convictions And to their being over-awed by Fear of Princes or of Popular Violence or being Forced by Worldly Wants and Necessities rather than to their doing the same willingly and of themselves or out of Malice As our Blessed Lord whilst he hung upon the Cross most Candidly imputes the Wickedness of his Crucifiers to their Ignorance Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luke 23. 34. It is also the Part thereof freely to encourage and Friendly to desire and endeavour their Return rejoycing to have them see their Folly rather than to see them suffer for it And without Upbraiding them with the Remembrance of former Errors Amicably to Welcome and carry on the Change when through the Blessing and Grace of God they are wrought upon by whatever Methods of Providence and begin to come to themselves But whist it is so Favourable in judging of the inward Dispositions of the Persons 't is no Part of this Charity and Candor either to think or to speak Favourably of the Ungodly or Unrighteous things themselves whch are set up or driven on at such Times The unlawful Practices themselves it censures with Justice being a Charity that is Pure and Pious and that is careful for God and for the Duties of an Holy Religion in the First Place Out of Love to God and Religion it cannot Favour Vices or softer and take part with any Sin Yea and out of Love to Men it cannot speak softly of destructive Courses or represent any ungodly Ways or Things as less Dishonourable and Offensive to God or as less Dangerous to Souls than in the End they will find them So that they are mightily Mistaken who think it any Part of true Christian Charity and Candor to befriend ungodly Practices or to minee and soften unlawful and unrighteous Things which were to conspire with Sin and Wickedness against God and Religion and to betray the Souls of Men instead of befriending them I am also sincerely and conscientiously srudious of Peace and to keep Men unreproveable in that is one intent though not the only one of these Papers And before open Breaches are made the Love of Peace will spend it self in endeavours to prevent them But if they are made already as they are to a great Hight when the Espousers of ill
are not only set up but justified 1. In some particular Cases especially of general Concern CHAP. IV. More of the Cases wherein Faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations THey are still more bound to this Ministration when 2. This Justification of immoral Practices is by eluding and vacating of moral Precepts opposite thereto by Doctrinal Salvo's Instances of these Salvo's How they vacate the respective moral Precepts Such Salvo's make a Change in moral Doctrine though Men still own the Duties under their general Names The Duty of Pastors to defend and bear up moral Duties against such Salvo's by their Ministrations shewn at large And this when such corrupt Salvo's are only the Doctrines of the Pastors not the Determinations of the Church They are more strictly obliged thereto if the immoral Practices justified by such Salvo's are 1. extreamly Scandaelous to Religion 2. Generally Preach'd up by Seducers Or 3. Come strongly recommended to carnal Passions and Interests chiefly if driven on by general Persecutions CHAP. V. Of the Obligations to actual Ministration which lie upon them in the foresaid Cases THese deduced from their Office and Characters as they relate 1. To God and stand in Place 1. Of his Messengers 2. Of his Ministers and Ambassadors The various Obligations laid on them thereto by this 3. Of his Co-workers 2. As they relate to Religion as they are Ministers and Stewards of its Word and Mysteries The Obligations arising hence CHAP. VI. More of the Obligations to actual Ministration which lie upon them in the foresaid Cases 3. AS they relate to the Souls of Men and are set over the Church 1. As Watch-men 2. As Overseers 3. As Guides or Leaders 4. As Pastors or Shepheards 5. As Doctors or standing Teachers of the Church As Lights of the World and the Salt of the Earth Their Obligations to such exercise in the foresaid Cases from all the foresaid Characters Different Degrees in this Obligation A Spirit of Love and Zeal to Christ and his Church which stand not upon strict Terms the Spring and Principle of this Exercise How this clears the Duty of deprived Bishops and Clergy as to this Exercise on such Revolutions Answerable to this Obligation of the Pastors to afford such Ministrations at such Times is the Peoples Obligation to adhere to them and attend on them for Participation thereof PART II. Of Deprivations by Civil States or Ecclesiastical Synods CHAP. I. Of the Force of State Deprivations in the foresaid Cases THE Plea of a Deprivation of State represented in Bar of their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases Concerning which 1. This is to be press'd only under a supposed Legal and Rightful State 2. It s Deprivation is no conscionable Discharge from their Spiritual Ministrations in the foresaid Cases This is meant only of pure Spiritual Ministrations Not 3. of any Temporal Accessions and Inforcements of those Ministrations over which the State has Power because it conferr'd them As also over some other Powers belonging to the Church whilst it kept separate which it gives up to the State during its Incorporation with it These it gives up 1. with a Salvo to the Interests of Religion and of Souls 2. Only whilst it continues protected not when the State puts True Religion under Persecution CHAP. II. Of the Kings Ecclesiastical Supremacy Received and Asserted by our Church It lies not in his being invested with or having a Sovereign Disposal of the Powers of Orders But 1. in retaining his civil Power over all Persons whether Lay-Men or Ecclesiasticks In Virtue of this civil Power over the Persons of Ecclesiasticks he can command them faithfully to discharge their Spiritual Functions 2. In the Subordination of Ecclesiastical Courts and Causes wherein Ecclesiasticks are content to act subordinately on the Score of their secular Mixtures and Jurisdictions And in holding all this 3. in Opposition and Bar of all other Earthly Dependance especially of all Forreign Iurisdiction and Appeals This Supremacy excludes not Spiritual Ministrations of deprived Clergy in the foresaid Cases This may be collected from their Adversaries Concessions CHAP. III. Remarques on the Preceeding Account of the Force of State Deprivations and Instances of Deprivations alledg'd to the contrary considered and cleared up THE preceeding Account of the Force of State Deprivations is not 1. To deny the civil Power the Cognizance of Bishops and Ministers in civil Matters Nor any Iust Power over Ecclesiasticks 2. Nor to set the Church above the State as the Papal Usurpations pretend to do Nor to mistake or overlook the Condition of an incorporate Church The Deprivation of Abiathar by Solomon considered and cleared As also the frequent Depositions of the Jewish High Priests by the Roman Governours And of the Greek Patriarchs by the Turks And of the Popish Bishops by a Commission of State pursuant to an Act of Parliament in Queen Mary's Days CHAP. IV. Of Deprivations by Synods in the foresaid Cases DEprivation of Bishops most fit and pr per for Synods Their Deprivation no Discharge from Ministrations in the foresaid Cases as shown by reasons And by the Practice of the Church This is meant when Synods deprive for the cause of the Truth not of other mere Personal â—rimes where the Injured must acquiesce till relieved by regular Sentence â—hat regard is to be had to the Decisions of Synods in these Cases PART III. Of SCHISM CHAP. I. Of the Nature of Shism And of the Schism of particular Members from their own Church in throwing off Subjection and Dependance on their own Bishops OF the Union of a Society which Schism breaks One way of Uniting Societies is by Uniting them under the same Heads These in Church Societies are the Bishops Union of particular Members to their own Church is in Keeping Subject and Dependant on their own Lawful Bishops And their Schism lies in breaking off from them especially in seting up Opposite or Anti-Bishops against them So 1. in such Oppositions the Anti-Bishop and his Adherents make the Schism if the former Bishop was Orthodox and is still Rightful Bishop of the Church Of George the Cappadocian and Athanasius 2. The Unity of the Church doth not go with the greatest Numbers What distinguisheth Meetings in the Unity of the Church from Schismatical Conventicles Schismaticks too oft the more Numerous Party Much less doth it go with Places of Assemblies 3. Therefore in pressing Ecclesiastical Unity Men must be press'd to keep United to their own Orthodox Rightful Bishop not to any Opposite Bishop The Gospel Precepts of Love and Peace c. all on this Side and not to be urged the other way Such a Schism not to be cared by the Recessions of the Suffering Bishops in the foresaid Cases CHAP. II. Of the Schism of particular Churches from other Sister Churches by rejecting Fraternal Communion therewith UNity of one Body to be kept up among all particular Churches This is chiefly by the Union and Accord
of the respective Bishops and Pastors thereof All Orthodox Bishops and Churches keep this up 1. By Receiving each others Members as if they were their own Members 2. And in like sort by refusing each others Schismaticks And Excommunicates And admitting each others Reconciliation and Re-union of Members Of Communicatory Letters fox those Purposes CHAP. III. Of just Grounds to break off Communion Particularly of making impious and unlawful Things or unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments the Terms of their Communion JUst Ground to break off Communion from any Churches 1. When they put impious or unlawful Things into their Sacred Offices Reasons hereof Faith and Worship spoke of as the great Ligaments which Bind us to any Church 2. More still if they admit none to Communion in the good Parts unless they particularly concur in the corrupt ones too 2. A Second Ground is if they make unrighteous Usurpations the Condition of their Communion CHAP. IV. Heresie a just Ground to break off Communion CHrists first end was to Publish a Religion Next to Incorporate â—â— into a Church or Society for the Profession of it Christian Doctrine the Foundation of Church Society and Unity So we are not Bound to Associate or Unite with any longer than they keep to this Doctrine but are discharged by their Heresie And on the Evidence of the Fact it self before Synodical Sentence This Liberty 1. For the People and Clergy towards their own local Guides and Bishops 2. For Clergy and People of one Church towards those of another And on Defections from grand and necessary Doctrines of Practice as well as of Faith Chiefly when the Ministerial Defence of either is no longer allow'd in their Communion Being thus set loose from their own Erring Bishops and Clergy they are free to Unite with others who are Orthodox And those others are free to receive them Canonical Rules against intermedling in others Diocess c. no hindrance thereto Rules of Unity not pleadable by such Defectors for vniting with them The Guilt of making the Schism lies on the Defectors Should their Brethren come over that would not Cure but make the Breach from the Catholick Church wider CHAP. V. Of the Communion of good Christians or with whom they are to joyn in Divine Offices under a Schism THeir Obligations to stick to their Orthodox Rightful Bishops and to stand off from the Anti-Bishops and their Adherents in the foremention'd Cases As reta â—â—â—ing their Baptism they may own the Schismaticks as Brethren but as being in a Schism they must stand off from their Communion A great Sence of the Obligations to shuâ— the Communion of Schismeticks and corrupt Teachers in the first Times This was most when Charity was at the hight This will bar Communion 1. with the Electors and Ordainers of such Anti-Bishops 2. With their Clergy and People or the Assemblies of their Diocess 3. With other Bishops and Churches who take their part and communicate with them 4. With the Bishops of a Province who turn over to an Anti-Primate or opposite Metropolitane Of Provincial Union and the Rules for Maintenance thereof 5. When Curch Divisions are made for opposite Ways of Worship and Tenets Men will Unite with such as are of their own Mind and hold Communion with those who are for the same way of necessary Worship and Tenets with themselves CHAP. VI. Of Ordinations of Anti-Bishops which tho' always Schismatical are not always Nullities OF St. Cyprians saying the Anti-Bishop is not Secundus but Nullus That Anti-Bishops are real Bishops and their Ordinations are not Null in themselves but were admitted in the Novatians by the Council of Nice In the Donatists by the Roman and African Councils The same shown in several other Cases Tho' Men have Orders yet they cannot exercise the same in Assemblies of the Faithful without the Communion of the Church Such Offenders Received sometimes to Clerical sometimes only to lay-Lay-Communion as the Church saw Cause The Case of the Anti-Bishops ordain'd by the Schismatick Meletius Ecclesiastical Laws and Discipline asserted or abated in such Receptions as was judged most expedent for the Church The Donatists made Schism to take away the Powers of Orders and are opposed therein by St. Austin How St. Cyprian and the Africanes of his Age seem to have done the same which St. Basil disliked in them Altho' their Nulling the Ministerial Acts of Schismaticks seems to be only in the Way of Asserting Discipline and Canons by denying Communion to them in their Churches not that they thought them Null in themselves How the Admission of Ordination of Anti-Bishops Consists with the Bishops being the Principle of Unity and is not against the Nature of the Spiritual Monarchy A Difference as to this between Secular and Spiritual Monarchies And of Local Limitations in conserring Orders CHAP. VII Of the Excusableness of the Peoples receiving Ministerial Offices from Men in Schism rather than live without any at all THis wants the Malignity of Schism The Excusableness thereof shewn 1. From the Nature and Importance of the things themselves Where of the great Importance of Publick VVorship or of Communion in Ministerial Offices 2. From the Abatements God himself has been willing to make on such Necessity in other like Duties 2. From the Practice of Gods People under the greatest Schisms This Necessity being thought to Legitimate it 1. Among the Ten Tribes whose Ministrations were all in a Shism 2. VVith the Schismatical Novatians in the height of the Arian Persecution 3. In the Schismatical Extirpation of Episcopacy among us in the great Rebellion 4. Under the Schism of Forreign Churches where the Protestants have no Bishops Of the Abatements the Church has made where it had great Reason in the Point of Shunning the Communion of Schismaticks and Excommunicate Persons especially before they were Sentenced by the Church The same Equitably Applicable to this Case How both a due Sence of the Criminallness of Schism and Exercise of publick VVorship is provided for by this Means CHAP. VIII Of Communicating in like Necessity where there are some Prayers Sinful in the Matter of them To concur or go along in any unrighteous Petition or Thanksgiving is most Unrighteous and Prophane Of mixt Prayers where the Mixtures are Idolatrous c. Or where some Immoral Petitions are added to a Service not exceptionable on any other Accounts Of Bearing such Immoral Mixtures whilst they do not particularly concur therein but express Dissent from the same and resorting still to the Assemblyes where they are used in Care of â—â—eping Peace and Union Of Bearing the same for the Necessity of having some Ministerial Offices in want of other Opportunityes Mere Presence at such Immoral Addâ—tions no interpretative Profession of Concurrence thereâ—n Chiefly if Dissent be shewn by some external Sign Of these Concessions of favour and ease All highly concern'd to take the Right way in the Points here Debated Unsofe should they take the wrong to trust to the Plea
a Wrong to Religion And there they must go on for the sake of Gospel-worship and doctrines which are Christs Cause though they would be content to suffer and sit still so far as it is their own And accordingly the Council of Constantinople entituled Prima Secunda excepts the Case of Heretical Prelates promoting or pushing on any Heresies when it requires Inferiors to stay for a synodical Cognizance before they break off dependance from their Prelates in all other Cases Though Synods therefore are the most Venerable Ecclesiastical Judicature here on Earth yet is all the Obligation and Authority of their decisions or sentences within this Compass They have no Effect or Force against the Truth as St. Paul says or against any for adhering to it So that they are to affect none who have Christ and his Truth plainly on their side Nor do their judgments and definitions bar those who are concerned to take Notice of them from examining and judging for themselves whether they strike at any part of Christian Truth and Religion before they pay Obedience to them I grant there ought to be great deference to their determination and all private Persons are to use great modesty and care in judging after them and need to look that the blow and destruction thereby made to any necessary Truth or Practice of our holy Religion be very plain before they over-look and disregard what they order But still judge they must because in all their belief and practice in these things it is not any implicit dependance on men or a blind obedience to any humane sentence or decision but observance of the Truth it self or of what Christ has appointed in his Word that must justifie them And therefore if on an humble and diligent examination and by plain evidence it appear that in their definitions of Articles or censure of Persons they strike at the Truth and seek the overthrow of any part of Religion their Acts are to be esteemed as of no effect and all concerned Parties both Clergy and People are to go on doing the same in Religious Ministration and Communion as if there were no such thing More just and authoritative Synods they will be like to seek and appeal from these in a regular way to others more general which in external way of humane judicature shall reverse their unjust sentences But suffering all in the Cause of Truth and Religion they will not desist in the mean time but go on notwithstanding any such synodical Anathema or Deprivation in true spiritual Ministrations and Communion PART III. Of Schism CHAP. I. Of the Nature of Schism And of the Schism of Particular Members from their own Church in throwing off Subjection and Dependance on their own Bishops BY what I have offer'd about the Authority and effect of State-deprivations yea or even of the depositions of Synods too I think it may appear how the faithful Ministers of Christ are not disabled or discharged by any such deprivations from the exercise of their spiritual Ministrations whereto they stand bound by so many Obligations in the forementioned Cases But besides the deprivation of State some think the maintenance of Unity in the Church when that is like to be broken thereby ought to stop them of that Exercise And therefore for a further clearing of their duty in those Cases I shall procede 2. Secondly to shew That the preservation of external Communion and Peace in the Church ought not to debar or put by their due discharge thereof Admit say some that it were their duty to go on in their Ministrations for the service of Religion and of Souls in those cases where this can be done in maintenance of Unity and whilst the Church continues one Yet what will you say if such Ministration must unavoidably make or keep up a Schism Do not we all own that to be one of the greatest Banes to Religion and a most sinful and mischievous thing And if otherwise they ought to be held on ought not such Ministrations to be let fall rather than a Schism shall be made or kept up in the Church thereby That there will be a Schism in the Church in such cases is most apparent And that Schism is most dreadful to the Church full of Guilt as it is both the Breach of Unity and the Bane of Charity and an In-let of continual miseries and disturbances is no less apparent But in pressing the consideration thereof upon particular persons or parties for prevention or redress it is to be enquired first who makes it That will shew who ought to mend it but if they will not it may be enquired next who else can cure it Or what the sufferers in love of peace and preferring the Publick before themselves should give up for the Cure thereof that they may duly prize external Unity but not over-value it Or if through the Error or inflexibleness which God avert of those who are the Authors thereof it be already made and cannot be remedyed all are to consider lastly how they are to carry themselves towards the Makers of it and with whom they are to hold Communion To Clear these Points I shall say something I. To the Nature of Schism to shew when a Schism is made and by whom II. To those things which may be a just ground to disunite and break off either from any Persons or Churches without blame of Schism some things not being to be born nor others to be parted with for the love of external Peaâ—e and Union III. To the Communion of good Christians under a Schism and how they are to carry it towards Schismaticks 1. First I shall say something to the Nature of Schism to shew when a Schism is made and by whom Schism lyes in Breach of Union or in Making two or many out of one Schisms says St. Cyprian which cut or break the Unity or tear and divide that which should be kept together as one Body By Schism as St. Chrysostom notes One Church is broken into many Churches and the Unity thereof is abolish'd Accordingly the Members are call'd upon to be joyn'd together in the same mind and in speaking the same things that there be no Schisms 1 Cor. 1. 10. Not to set up an Independance among themselves and act separately but with mutual dependance and conjunction that there be no schism in the body 1 Cor. 12. 25. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 schisms are usually render'd divisions as 1 Cor. 10. and c. 11. 18. This Union which Schism breaks is the union of a society For the Church is a society of men Associated and incorporated together for the work and purposes of Religion 'T is call'd a Family or †Household or City which are all words Expressive of Society St Paul Styles it the City of the living God Heb. 12. 22. And tells the Christians at Ephesus that they are Fellow-Citizens with the Saints Eph. 2. 19. This
are one Eph. 5. 31. because the Husband is the Head of the Wife v. 23. And so likewise of Christ and his Church that they are one Eph. 5. 31 32. because he is the Head of his Church v. 23. And one way whereby as St. Cyprian observes our Lord sets off the Uniting of his Sheep as one Flock is by uniting them under himself as the one Shepherd Joh. 10. 16. 'T is the joint-union and dependance on one Master of the Family which makes one House and on one General which makes one Army and on one KING which makes one Kingdom And so on one and the same Church-heads and Governours which makes one particular Church For the Apostle compares the Union of many Persons into one Church or Politick Society to the Union of many Members into one Natural Body 1 Cor. 12. Which Union is made by the adherence and dependance of the Members on the Natural Head For the several Members are no longer one Body nor one with each other after once they are cut off and parted from it As to the Unity we take a Body when the Apostle says there is one Body for that which is under one Head So that if there be but one Head there is but one Body saith St. Chrysostom The Union of the Church therefore as one particular Sâ—ciety which Schism breaks consists chiefly in keeping united to Church-Heads and Governours Church-Rulers are the Heads which make the several Parts one with another or as the Scripture sometimes speaks the Joynts and Ligaments which tye the respective Members and compact the whole Body together The whole Body of the Church saith St. Paul is fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every Joynt i. e. each Pastor or Church-Governour supplies Eph. 4. 16. And we are all the Body of Christ and Members in particular as he says again as we are under the same Governours which he has set over that Body having in the Church set as first Apostles so after them Governments viz. Bishops and Presbyters for the standing Governance and Administration thereof 1 Cor. 12. 27 28. More particularly the Heads of Union in any Church-societies are the BISHOPS in their respective Churches They are the Head of the Body of the Church as Presbyters and Deacons are as the Hands thereof as Zonaras observes on the 55 and 56 Canons of the Apostles For since the death of the Holy Apostles the Bishops are the chief spiritual Heads and the ordinary and standing Governours of Christ's Church They above all others are those Guides or Rulers whom the Members of the Church are call'd to remember and obey Heb. 13. 7. 17. The Angels of the Churches unto whom as the Heads thereof our Lord directs himself when he sends the several Letters to the Churches Rev. 2. 1 7 8 11 c. They stand to head the Members of Christ and to unite and compact them together under him the chief Bishop appearing at the Head of their respective Churches as his Deputies who represent his Person and supply his place acting in the Person of Christ as St. Paul or vice Christi in his place or stead as St. Cyprian whom we ought to respect as the Lord himself as St. Ignatius says So that for Church-members to keep the Union of any Church is to keep subject and dependant on him who is the lawful Bishop thereof Thus St. Ignatius makes mens return from Schism to the Unity of God to lye in their return to the subjection and consistory of their lawful Bishop They make the Church or one Body who hold on Communion and keep one with him and with those Presbyters and Deacons who adhere to him and officiate under him The Church saith St. Cyprian is a People united to their Bishop or a Flock adhering to their Shepherd Whence you may know the Bishop always to be in the Church and the Church to go along with the Bishop And they break off from the Unity of the Church who break off from him and they go to set up another Church if they go to set up another Bishop against him If any are no longer with the Bishop says the same St. Cyprian they are no longer of the Church And to consent to the setting up of another Bishop is the same as to consent to the setting up of another Church says he to those Confessors at Rome who had agreed to the setting up of Novatian against Cornelius Thus is the one Bishop at the head of his Clergy and People to unite and keep together a Christian Church all the Oblations whereof are to be in his Communion and with his Allowance as the one Altar among the Iews was to keep together the Jewish Church For they were to have but one Altar of Burnt-offering at Jerusalem whither all were to come for Sacrifice and were sorbid to set up an Altar any where else And because of his being set for the same purpose of Unity as that was therefore is the Bishop and his Communion call'd unum Altare the one Altar and making an Anti-Bishop is call'd setting up aliud Altare another Altar in the Ancient Language And therefore in pressing the great duty of Unity on the Ancient Christians the Fathers enjoyn them most strictly to stick to their Bishops This is done by St. Cyprian and before him by Ignatius that blessed Martyr and Contemporary of the Apostles Take care all of you says he to follow the Bishop wheresoever the Bishop appears to be there let the Multitude be with him Like as wheresoever Christ goes the Catholick Church goes too Let my part be with those says he again who keep subject to the Bishop yea let my Soul be pawn'd for theirs As many as are God's and Jesus Christ's keep with the Bishop says he in another place pressing them to Union and warning them against Schism And because the Church is to be but one therefore there is to be but one Bishop in a Church for the Members all to adhere to or for the Body to associate and unite with This was and ought to be the Ecclesiastical Rule as was affirmed by Cornelius saying there ought to be but one Bishop in a Catholick Church And as is also declared by the Great Council of Nice Now as the Union of any Churches lyes mainly in keeping united to the Bishops So Schism which is a breach of Union in those Churches will lye chiefly in breaking off unduly and dividing from them Especially in setting up of opposite Bishops or in making a second Bishop in a Church against a former Orthod x and Rightful Bishop yet living and claâ—ming which makes a most plain and consummate Schisin For in the same Church two opposite Bishops are two opposite Heads And two Heads will make two Bodies those who set up the New One against the Old as likewise all they who afterwards come over to
and private Claims and mastering all private resentments as mortifyed and most publick spirited Men they can make an end thereof by letting fall their own pretensions And why will many good Minds and sincere Lovers of Peace say should they not do this for the Love of Peace and for Religions sake and the Churches Their Adversaries indeed can not have the face to ask it And others who may move better therein would be modest in pressing liberality on Losers and not go too far in urging them who have suffered so much already from the Invaders as if they had not taken enough from them to fall upon themselves and throw them what remains Yet they think it would be a noble Pitch in Vertue full of Glory and Goodness if of themselves they would prefer Publick-Weal before private Passions and Advantages and be full of Care for others when that needs to be shewn in caring least for themselves Which Heavenly-mindedness and publick-spiritedness and Mortification to private Interests God and the Church they conceive must needs take most kindly at their hands But as to this the suffering Bishops can not take this way of Cure by giving up their Claims where they are bound in duty to insist on them And that they are bound to do as I have already shewn at large in the forementioned Cases By their quitting there they would surrender the Souls of their Charge to become a Prey to Wolves and Seducers and to be trained up in wicked and corrupt Doctrines Prayers and Practices And this is not to be true to their Pastoral Trusts 'T is not faithfully to discharge their Cure of Souls but perfidiously to throw it off So that be they never so mortified and negligent of themselves and zealously studious of Unity and the Churches Peace yet in Fidelity to Christ and to the People whom he has entrusted to their Charge they must hold on their spiritual relation I conceive and diligently discharge it the best they can at such times and not desert but stick to the Church over which the Holy Ghost hath made them Overseers Besides the exercise of their spiritual Ministrations is loudly call'd for in such Cases and bound on them and the suffering Clergy their Brethren by all the Powers and Characters of the Ministerial Office as I think may fully appear from what I have said on that point before And not only the continuance of their former Relation as the true Bishops still of those places but this very exercise must in consequence keep up a schism in the Church at such times For this exercise of their Ministrations must be in separate Bodyes The state incorporateing and espousing the Anti-Bishops and their Adherents will give them the Publick Churches And Depriving and Persecuting the other and their Followers will also be sure to keep them out thereof So their Ministrations if they go on Ministring at all as 't is plain they ought must be in separate places and Assemblies Yea and by different ways of exercise the spiritual administrations of one being purely spiritual in the way of a destitute and persecuted but those of the other being mixt in the way of an incorporate and endowed Church And therefore in all the foremention'd cases where the suffering Bishops are still bound for the interest of Religion and of Souls to insist upon their Episcopal Claims and their Relation to their Churches and with their brethren of the other Clergy still to go on in a faithful discharge of their Ministrations this way of Cure can have no place But as the Anti-Bishops by breaking off from them and from those Christian Principles and Practices whereto they stand firm have made the Schism so they alone by a Penitential return are capable to mend it It not admitting of Remedy in those Cases and under such state of things from any other hands And this may be sufficient as to the true and suffering Bishops and shew how little the Arguments from the desirableness and duty of Union will affect them in those cases When the Church is Rent by such a deplorable schism as the precedent discourse shews who make it so this I think is enough to shew who can mend it and to whom alone the lovers of peace and unity are to apply themselves for remedy at such times CHAP. II. Of the Schism of Particular Churches from other Sister-Churches by their rejecting of Fraternal Communion therewith BEsides this first way of Schism viz. of particular Members breaking off unjustly from the Unity of their own Church by throwing off their due Subordination and Subjection to their own Bishops There is a second as I observed above viz. of particular Churches breaking off unjustly from the Communion of other Sister-Churches And this is by rejecting Fraternal Communion with them denying to worship God in their Assemblies or to admit their Members to worship in ours or communicating with those who stand Excommunicated by them or have made a Schism from them Our Lord is not only for having the Christians of every Place of Country to keep Unity with their own particular Church but also as I noted before for having all particular Churches to keep up the Unity of one Body among themselves All his Sheep he has gathered into one Flâ—ck Joh. 10. 16. All the Assemblies both of Jews and Gentiles he has reconciled to God in one Body Eph. 2. 14 16. calling all his Followers to profess Christianity in one Body as St. Paul says Col. 3. 15. Accordingly Baptism which makes them all Christians lists or inrolls them all in one Corporation we being all baptised into one Body 1 Cor. 12. 13. And the Holy Eucharist which is the other Great Sacrament and solemn Undertaking of Christianity confederates them into one spiritual Corporation we being all made in that to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 13. and tho' many being one Body as partaking therein of one Bread 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. This Union of all Christians and Christian Congregations into one Society under Jesus Christ makes that Body the Church whereof he is the Head Col. 1. 18. which the Scripture sometimes expresses by one Temple Eph. 2. 21. or spiritual House 1 Pet. 2. 5. or one Family and Houshold Eph. 2. 19. c. 3. 15. as I observed above And which is that one Holy Catholick Church betwixt all the parts whereof the Communion of Saints is to be maintained as all Christians profess in the Creed This Union of all particular Churches as one Body under himself our Lord has appointed to be kept up by all the Members thereof as occasion is but chiefly by the Union and Accord of the Bishops and Pastors who are the respective Heads of those particular Churches This whole Church is made one Body by one Spirit Eph. 4. 4. so the Unity thereof is call'd the Unity of the Spirit v. 3. And one great means of the Spirits keeping up this Unity is by the Ministration of Pastors and
to spiritual Powers and to the Work of the Ministry in their own Churches For Ordination as well as Baptism is not only in respect to the Church of such a Place but to Christ's Church at large Limitations there are as to the Exercise of these Powers as may make for the preservation of Order and Union And in care of Unity and Peace Bishops and Priests of any Church must observe these in acting Episcopally or Sacerdotally whilst they converse in other Churches But having any where received a Lawful and Canonical Ordination they are to be owned as Ministers of Christ wheresoever they come and need no more to be Ordained than other Members need to be baeptised over again So that they are Schismaticks and break this Unity of the Body appointed to be kept up between all particular Churches and their Members who reject the Members or Canonical Ministers of any other Orthodox Churches As they do who Unchurch them or deny Communion to their Members unless they will submit to unrighteous Claims and Usurpations or joyn in unlawful Worship or erroneous Doctrines or who reject their Lawful and Canonical Ministers unless they will receive new Orders which are so many Breaches of that Brotherhood which Christ has Ordained among Churches and are the making of a Schism in the Catholick Church 2. All Orthodox Bishops and Churches are to refuse each others Schismaticks and Excommunicates as if they were their own Schismaticks or Excommunicates And upon their Reconciliation and Re-union to their own Churches to let them in and receive them again as if they had been immediately reconciled and re-united to themselves Which ways of mutually receiving or rejecting of priviledging or debarring Members make that Unity of Discipline which by Order of Christ and according to the Sense and Belief of the Primitive Fathers is one great way of compacting the vast number of Christian Societies into one Body or of keeping up the Unity of Christs Church All we Christians are incorporated or made one Body says Tertullian as by the Belief of the same Religion and the Covenant of Hope so by the Unity of Discipline And when any one Bishop or Church has done any thing We are all thought to have done the same by appearing associated and united in the same consent of consure and discipline say the Clergy of Rome to St. Cyprian 1. They are to refuse each others Schismaticks as if they were their own Schismaticks For as the holding on civil Communion with Traytors is judged Treason So is holding on spiritual Communion with Schismaticks judged Schism They must take part and keep one with the Church And so whilst the Breach lasts must disclaim and keep off from those separate Members who stand divided and broke off from it avoiding those that cause Divisions as St. Paul orders Rom. 16. 17. Accordingly St. Basil lets the Neocaesareans know when they seemed about to break and divide from him and from his Church of Caesarea that if any avoided or broke off from his Communion they would be broke off withal from the Universal Church which held Communion with him We ought not to have Communion in Prayers with any Heretick or Schismatick says the Council of Laodicea Nor ought they who are not of the Assemblies of one Church to be received or allowed to assemble in another Church says the Council of Antioch If he who is not to be received in one Church be received without commendatory Letters in another let both him who is Received and his Receivers be excommunicated say the Apostolical Canons Whosoever says St. Cyprian speaking of the Schism of Felicissimus who had schismatically broken off and divided from himself shall joyn himself to his Conspiracy and Faction may know that he can no longer communicate with us in the Church since he thereby voluntarily chuses rather to separate himself from the Church 2. They are to refuse each others Excommunicates as if they were their own Excommunicates For whatsoever is this way regularly bound in Earth our Lord declares shall be ratified or stand bound in Heaven Mat. 18. 18. Jo. 20 23. And if it is confirmed in Heaven it must stand good and not be thwarted or reversed by any of his Followers here on Earth When the Members among any Societies of Christians for their disorderly walking and not hearing of the Church are cast out thereof they are thrown not only out of the Church of that place but out of Christ's Church at large whereof all other Churches are Members or out of all Christian Churches into the state of Heathens and Publicans as our Lord says Mat. 18. 17. Accordingly Synesius Bishop of Ptolemais in his sentence of Excommunication denounced against Andronicus and Thoas and their Complices says Let no Temple of God be open to them but let every Religious Place or Chappel be shut against them And St. Basil bids the Neocaesareans take heed how they break communion with him because after once he should exclude them no other Catholick Churches which all owned him and held communion with him would any longer own or communicate with them Till they are regularly absolved and reconciled again all other Bishops and Sister-Churches are bound to refuse and repel such Excommunicates as they come to their knowledge Thus Synesius requires of all Sister-Churches and of all Christians to shun the communion of Andronicus and Thoas and their Adherents And 't is not lawful to communicate with Persons out of communion says the Council of Antioch If any either of Clergy or Laity is excommunicated by his own Bishop let none else receive him to communion till his own Bishop has received him again or a Synod has cleared him say the FATHERS of that Council again And concerning those either of the Clergy or Laity who are excluded from communion by the Bishops which are in every Province let the Sentence be valid according to the Canon which decrees That they who are cast out by some shall not be admitted by others says the Great Council of Nice Thus when any Persons or Churches are schismatically or by means of just Censure and Penalty out of Communion with one Orthodox Church by the Rules of Catholick Communion and Accord among Churches according to the mind of Christ and of the Primitive Church ought they to be out of the communion of all Orthodox Churches And if any either Christians or Churches will still hold on communion with such Persons by the foresaid Rules of Union and the Canons of the Catholick Church they are thereby made like unto them and turn makers of a Schism and are to lose the benefit of Communion themselves If any says Synesius in his Excommunicatory Sentence of Andronicus c. shall contemn our Church as being the Church of a small City receiving those whom it has cast out as if Observance were not due to it by reason of its Poverty Let
him know that he thereby makes a Schism in the Church which Christ is for having kept one And whether he be Bishop Priest c. he shall be the same to us as Andronicus himself is If any shall communicate wîth one out of communion he himself shall be shut out of communion say the Apostolical Canons If any Bishop or Presbyter receive to communion those who are deservedly cast out of the Church for their crimes he shall be lyable to like Punishments says the Council of Carthage And if any Bishop Priest or other of the Clergy appear to communicate with Persons out of communion the shall also stand excommunicate himself as one who confounds the Canons and Order of the Church say the Fathers in the Synod of Antioch The Reason of all this is because Christians as I said and as the African Fathers observe though dispersed over the most distant Places and Countries are but one Society and though multiplyed into the greatest Number of Assemblies yet all these make but one Body We ought to signifie to each other what is acted in any of our Churches says Alexander Bishop of Alexandria in his Synodical Epistle to all Churches upon his Deposition of Arius and his Adherents that whether one Member or Church suffer or rejoyce all the other Members or Churches may suffer or rejoyce with it or give mutual support and confirm each others Acts and Sentences And this because the Catholick Church is but one Body and we are commanded in the Holy Scriptures to keep up therein the bond of Uaanimity and Peace And Synosius threatning the Receivers of those whom he and his Church had put under Excommunication taxes them therein as I have observed for making a Schism in the Church which Christ is for having kept one The several Orthodox and Regular Churches of Christendom are all Members one of another And from that Communion which ought to be among Members of the same Body what belongs to one belongs to all and what is broke off from one is broke off from all The Canon says Balsamon speaking of the 2d Canon of the Council of Antioch which forbids the communicating of other Churches with those who communicate not with their own Church says all Temples and Oratories wheresoever they are make but one Church And therefore if any Person is cast out of the Church and regularly shut out of the Temples and Oratories of the Orthodox in one Country he ought to be shut out of the Temples and Oratories of all and not to be received to communion by the Clergy of other Countries And like Regard all particular Churches are bound to have to each others Reconciliation and Re-union of Members as to their separation and exclusion of them As in binding so also in loosing our Lord ratifies the Acts of his Officers and Vice gerents in all Churches Whatsoever you shall loose or remit on Earth the same shall be loosed or remitted in Heaven Mat. 18. 18. Jo. 20. 23. And in relaxing or remitting censures as well as in laying of them upon Offenders among their respective Charges Orthodox Bishops act in the Person of Christ as St. Paul says 2 Cor. 2. 10. or as Judices vice Christi Judges that sit in Christs place as St. Cyprian notes of them Till their own Bishop has received them or a Synod has cleared them no other Bishop must receive them to communion says the Canon of Antioch before cited And after he has once received them into his Communion no other Bishops must reject them from theirs They are then re-united again to the Body and are Brethren and Members and as such must be admitted to the Communion of Saints by all other Orthodox Members of the same Body and Brotherhood in all places And thus again they are Schismaticks and break that Unity of one Body which Christ has appointed among all Churches who unduly receive and associate with any other Orthodox and Lawful Churches Schismaticks or Excommunicates If they would keep one with all Orthodox Churches as they must look upon all who are duly united to them as united to themselves so must they look upon all who are duly seperated and broke off from them as seperated and broke off from themselves And to do otherwise is to break this one Communion which is to bind all Orthodox Christians into one Body and to make a Schism in the Catholick Church And in further care and provision for the maintenance of this Catholick Accord and Communion among all Churches by the Ancient Rule of the Church all Orthodox Bishops and Churches were to keep up an Intercourse by communicatory Letters Since the Catholick Church is but one Body and we are commanded in Scripture to keep up the Bond of Unanimity and Peace therein the consequence hereof is that we write or signifie to each other what is transacted in any of our Churches that all the rest as Members may bear their part in the same says Alexander Bishop of Alexandria in his Synodical Epistle which I cited before And Siricius of Rome and together with him the whole World is united in one Communion and Society with us by the Intercourse of communicatory Letters says Optatus of the Church of Africk as it stood divided from the Donatists By these Letters an Account was given to other Churches of any Bishops Advancement when he was Ordained Bishop of his Church or of his own Faith to shew that he and his Church were Orthodox and so duly qualified for Union with other Orthodox Churches and fit to be owned as Members of the Body and admitted as Partners in the Communion of Saints And of their own Members or Ministers their Schismaticks or Excommunicates that among all who should come to them from thence other Churches might know whom they were to receive and whom they were to reject as either of the same or of a different Body with themselves And also of any other Church-Acts or Concerns wherein they could either claim the ratification or desired the concurrence or needed the aid council or support or could bear the burdens help the wants or congratulate the well-fare or prosperity of one another Now as to these communicatory Letters certifying each others Members or Ministers Schismaticks or Excommunicates c. the Catholick Rule of the Ancient Church was That no Strangers or Forreigners should be admitted to the Communion of any Church without them If they who came were Clergy-men they were to bring commendatory Letters testifying their Orders Or if Laity pacifical and communicatory declaring they were in Communion with their own Churches No Stranger or Forreigner shall be received without pacifical Letters say the Council of Antioch And no foreign Bishops Priests or Deacons shall be received without commendatory Letters say the Canons of the Apostles If there come any strange or unknown Clergy let them not by any means be any where received
the Church For when they fill'd all places they would be met with in all places and intermix in all dealings And then not to have any Company or Dealings with such they must needs go out of the World which St. Paul gives as one Reason of Relaxation and Allowance in this Case 1 Cor. 5. 10. So that continuing still to shun Spiritual or Ecclesiastical Communion with such Makers of Schisms especially for the setting up of a sinful Worship and Unchristian Doctrines and Practices is so far from being a defection from the Apostolical and Primitive Charity that it is a keeping up to it and is only a retaining of their first Love which ought in all times faithfully to be kept on in all true Churches Now as to the Persons whom this will affect and whose Communion by this Rule is to be shuned in such Cases it barrs this Communion with those who set up and make the Anti-Bishops or who side and take part with them 1. It affects the Electors who chose the Men and their Ordainers and Consecrators who laid hands on them For these give Heads to the New Bodies and create the Schism Others may seditiously call for it or come in to it when once 't is form'd but their part is to give it a Head which formally constitutes and sets it up so that they are Principals therein 2. And those who own subjection and dependance on these Anti-Bishops in opposition to their Old Ones and as Members unite and incorporate under them Thus it is among the Pastors by whom their Authority is received and who thereby all break off from the rightful Bishop to whom in all their Ministrations they ought to keep subject and dependant The Rule of Communion for Priests and Deacons towards their Bishop is to do all Publick Ministrations according to his Allowance and Consent Let the Presbyters or Deacons do nothing without the Consent of the Bishop say the Apostolical Canons and the Council of Laodicea afterwards for 't is the Bishop to whose Trust the Lords People is committed and from whom an Account of their Souls will be required And If any will be for having the Offices of the Church without the Concurrence of a fitting Presbyter who officiates according to the Bishops approbation and allowance let him be Anathema says the Council of Gangra And If any Clergy celebrate Divine Offices in private Oratories or baptize not according to the Mind and Allowance of the Bishop but besides or contrariant to it let them incur Deposition say the Council in Trullo and the Council of Constantinople The Church is settled upon the Bishops and every Act of the Church â—ught to be governed by them saith St. Cyprian Let none do any of those things which concern the Church or publick Service without the Bishop says St. Ignatins that Holy Martyr and Contemporary of the Apostles But let that he reputed a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by those who keep under him or which is administer'd with his Leave And that a due Baptism which is with his consent or approbation 'T is necessary says he that ye should do nothing without the Bishop like as also ye do The Spirit adds he in another place hath preached this saying Do nothing without the Bishop Love Unity fly Divisions And they who continue to call him Bishop but yet do all things without him I think are not men of good Conscience because they do not celebrate their solemn Assemblies according to Christs Precept And to like purpose Tertullian St. Jerome and others And this way of administring all Offices with his approbation and allowance St. Ignatius declares is the way for them to keep Unity with their Bishops For says he as our Lord doth nothing without his Father being united to him not acting without him either by himself or by his Apostles So neither do you any thing without your Bishop and his Presbyters But when the Priests and Deacons of a Diocess turn over from their rightful Bishop to the Anti-Bishop they live in a slagrant Breach of these Rules of Communion They do all their Ministrations then without their Bishop putting in some things into Divine offices and putting out others and observing Days and other things belonging to their Ministrations not only without but quite against his consent and approbation and altogether by the Authority and jurisdiction of another who is set up against him Which is to separate as far as they can from him who ought to be their Principle of Union and to minister in a state of full and Flaming Schism And thus it is also in the Assemblies over which those Rightful Bishops ought to Preside or in the Churches of their own Dâ—oceses If they would keep in the state of Unity they should keep united to their Rightful Bishops who are the Heads of Union to their several Flocks and should stick to them and the Clergy of their Communion for Divine Offices Where their Bishop appears there let the multitude be with them Like as where Jesus Christ goes there the Catholick Church goes too says St. Ignatius But if they break away from all Dependance on them and from all recourse to their ministrations to Depend on the Anti-Bishops and to resort to theirs that makes them all Schismaticks For all these Assemblies of People and Pastors make the Schismatical Bodys whereof the Anti-Bishops are the Heads As the Bishops set up for the Schismatical Heads So the Pastors and People who turn over to them and assemble under them come in to be their Schismatical Members They Form themselves into one Church by erecting an Ecclesiastical Union and Communion among themselves And this is a Schismatical Church as Consisting all of a Party of Members broke off from their True Heads or lawful Bishops 3. Further it may also affect other Bishops and Churches who will take their Part and Communicate with them For Catholick Unity is to be preserved in the Church i. e. Unity and Communion is to be kept up among all Churches And this is by Rules of Accord and Correspondence which give the same Church Acts or matters the same effects in all places Of which Rules I have before discoursed more at large And these Rules will keep up Catholick Unity and the Communion of Saints between all Bishops and Churches since this way they all Communicate or all in Common refuse to do it with the same Persons And therefore if any Bishop of one Church would side and have Communion with Anti-Bishops or with the Schismaticks or Hereticks of other Churches He thereby broke the Rules of Union as well as they and became involved in Schism like one of them For he was as much obliged as others in care of maintaining Unity to keep off from the Communion of such Schismaticks Yea in care of Catholick Unity and Communion to keep off from the Communion of those who make
those who had been Ordained by them Besides all this instead of Anti-bishops being absolutely null and in reality no Bishops to heal and compose the differences of a miserably harassed and divided Church on such Competitions it has been sometimes agreed that whichsoever of them were the Right on the death of either the Survivor should be owned and the Church should have no other Bishop and so all the Ordinations and Episcopal Acts therein should pass through his hands and stand on his Authority whilst he lived Thus it was at Antioch where the Church was divided into Two Parts 〈◊〉 for the cause of the Faith which was common to them both but of the Bishops as Socrates says some owning and adhering to Meleâ—ius and others to Paulinus For to heal and close this lamentable Schism it was agreed which Sozomen calls an admirable Counsel and expedient that on the death of either the survivor should hold the See alone for his Life without being confronted and opposed by the Ordination of any other Person To prevent which an Oath was exacted of all in that Church who seemed to stand fairest for the Episcopate and of Flavianus among the rest that on the death of either of the Bishops they would not be Ordain'd Bishop of Antioch whilst the other survived Which Agreement and Oath being afterwards broke by Flavianus when on the death of Meletius he was Ordained Bishop against Paulinus cost him so much trouble and difficulty as he found to get himself received for the Bishop thereof both in Egypt Arabia and Cyprus and at Rome and among the Western Bishops afterwards Thus though Men in a Schism did ill in Ordaining others yet were not those Ordinations null in themselves but really conferred the powers of Orders which the Persons might exercise if the Church pleased And when once the Persons were reconciled and had satisfied the Church for their Schism they have often been allow'd to officiate in Virtue of that Ordination without being Ordained over again by the greatest Councils and through the early and later Ages of the Church And this shews that their Ordinations were not null in themselves For if such Persons had never received any Spiritual powers in their Ordinations they had none to exercise And had the Church been of this perswasion it would never have admitted them to exercise those POWERS which it believed were never Conferred on them But though these Men even after they had faln into a Schism or others who were Ordained therein had Orders yet was it in the power of the Church to deny them the Ministerial Exercise of their Orders Men must have the Communion of the Church as well as Orders before they can exercise their Orders and minister to the Faithful in any Religious Assemblies And though their Schism doth not utterly devest or exclude them from the Powers of Orders yet it doth from the Communion of the Church without which the Faithful who are not to seek but to shun the Ministrations of Schismaticks and Excommunicate persons must not partake with them in any Exercise of Orders And to this Communion after once they have justly lost and faln from it they are to be restored again in Degree more or less and to be received to the Communion either only of Lay-members or else of Clergy and to officiate according to their former Honors as the Church pleaseth And as to this Admission and Allowance to exercise their Orders in its Communion the Church has acted variously according as it saw cause When Ordinations have been made against the Rules of Unity though the Offenders thereby received Orders yet in care of these Rules and to assert and keep up Discipline it has at some times denyed as well as at other times granted its Communion to them for their Exercise of the same Where it judged that Rigor expedient on their submission it would receive them to communicate as Lay-men But they should not be allow'd the Priviledges nor permitted to act and officiate as Bishops and Priests in her Communion nor should other Churches receive them and joyn with them as such till moreover satisfaction had been first given to those Rules of Unity in Ordinations which had been broken in theirs And this it has done not only in case of this great Rule of not Ordaining a Bishop into a full Church but also in case of other Rules which are of less Account than it is Thus of Ordination into a Church already vacant if it is made without the Metropolitanes consent the Council of Nice and afterwards the Council of Antioch Deâ—rce That the Church shall not receive such an one for a Bishop And of Ordinations at large without declaring the appropriate Church or Place wherein the Person Ordained is to officiate the Council of Chalcedon decrees that they shall be invalid Not to mention or insist also on the Council of Nice's rejecting of the Anti-bishops Ordained by the Schismatick Meletius till they were confirmed by a more holy imposition of hands as their Synodical Epistle says because there was an incapacity more than ordinary for giving Orders not only to Anti-bishops but to any others in his Case which because it may be of use in this Argument I shall give an Account of Meletius was Bishop of Lycus in Egypt under the See of Alexandria and as Epiphanius relates was next in dignity and power to Peter the Bishop of Alexandria himself And he with his Adherents broke off from the Unity of the Church and set up a Schism separating from Peter the Bishop of Alexandria and assembling for Prayers and other Divine Offices by themselves and Ordaining opposite Bishops Priests and Deacons for the erection of opposite Churches in several places as Eleutheropolis Gaza and Aelia as Epiphanius says And these separate erections of Churches and opposite Ordinations he made after he had been justly deposed by Peter in a Synod as we are assured by Athanasius who had the best Opportunities to understand the Truth of these Matters and the most cause to inquire into them and also by Socrates afterwards And that too among other Crimes for his having faln in the Persecution to deny the Faith and to sacrifice to Idols Which Crimes when any Bishop or Clergy were once convicted of by the great Rule of Church-Discipline they were never afterwards to exercise any Clerical Powers or to officiate as Bishops and Clergy but upon their Reconciliation were to be received only to lay-Lay-Communion After such Falls says St. Cyprian 't is in vain for any to seek to usurp the Episcopacy since 't is manifest such Men can neither preside in the Church of Christ nor ought to offer Sacrifice to God Chiefly since it has been Decreed by Cornelius and by Us and by all the Bishops of the whole World concerning them that after such Offence they may be admitted to Penance and the Peace of the Church but must stand
of things and with the equitable allowances made by God himself on such Competitions It suits no less I conceive with the Practice of the Church and with the Concessions and Allowances thereof to take up with ministerial offices from one in a Schism rather than to live without any at all or when they cannot be had at the Hands of other men Albeit therefore to avoid the the Guilt of Schism men are to disclaim and stand off from the Communion of Anti-Bishops and their Adherents and not to Participate in their ministrations Yet is that strictly I think on supposal of Room or Opportunity to Participate more Regularly with others But want of other ministrations will be an excuse for the faultiness of seeking them from them and it will be allow'd I conceive to take up therewith from Schismaticks rather than to live without any ministerial offices at all And thus under the paucity or small number of the Rightful Bishops and Clergy their adherents and their insufficiency as is alledged for affording general opportunities especially in a Persecuting time which allows no freedom of open and promiscuous Assemblies will both a Due Conviction and Conscience of the criminalness of Schism and the Exercise of â—ullick Worship and Devotion be kept up and provided for in the Church of Christ. They will preserve a Conscionable sense of Schism by owning the Unlawfulness of Communicating with the Ministrations of Schismaticks where they can have others perhaps on all occasions however for the most part at least in competent measure though not in returns so constant as they wish they could yea and though in these cases they must be at some pains for these Ministrations or have them with Peril or Persecutions I say though with Pains or Persecutions For in such DIVISIONS we must not think it an indifferent thing which Assemblies we resort to for Communion nor hold our selves Free to go among those who are met in the unity of the Church in the Morning but to a Schismatical Congregation in the Afternoon Nor must any fancy themselves at Liberty to seek Religious Offices from men ministring in a Schism when that is necessary to qualifie themselves for some secular office or advantage or to serve a worldly Turn Nor when it is necessary to save their pains or to shun fleshly perils where they might have the same Religious Offices in the Unity of the Church but with Persecutions For in the abatements here pleaded for in the present case from Necessity I speak not of worldly Necessity or of abateing where it is necessary for our worldly interests and convenience or to prevent outward losses and sufferings But of Necessity for Religion and Gods Service for our Duty not for our Carnal ends Or of abateing of the strict observance of this command of keeping Unity where it is necessary to the keeping and discharge of other of Gods Commandments happening to stand in competition therewith which he sets more by And they will keep up the practice of Devotion and the publick Ministries and profession of Religion by admitting the necessity of some Ministrations for an excuse and so taking up with Ministerial Offices from them when they can not otherwise though with Persecutions be supplyed therewith but must live without any at all CHAP. VIII Of Communicating in like Necessity where there are some Prayers sinful in the Matter of them BUT in Communicating with Anti-bishops and their Adherents set up to head immoral Prayers and Practices as is set forth in the fore-mentioned Cases there is not only the Schismaticalness of the Assemblies but the sinful Matter of the Prayers to be considered There is a Fault in what they pay which is a corrupt and sinful Worship as well as in the Society where they pay it which is not in the Unity of the Spirit and the Bond of Peace but in Schismatical Congregations And though the Necessity of having some Ministerial Offices and the want of opportunity for any others will excuse the first faultiness viz. The Schismaticalness of the Assemblies What shall such People do to get over the second viz. the Unrighteous Petitions or sinful Matter of the Prayers which are offered up to God therein As to this to concur and go along in any immoral or unrighteous Petition or Thanksgiving is certainly an immoral and unrighteous thing as praying is most solemnly taking part with and endeavouring for them Nay to offer up these in Prayers and Religious Addresses is a most impudently and horribly prophane thing it abuses the Great and most Holy God by making him a Present of the most hateful Abominations it blasphemes and asperses him for an immoral and unrighteous God who can accept a Present of Unrighteousness who can be pleased or think himself honoured therewith or be entreated to become the patron and Maintainer thereof So that when such Prayers occur in Sacred Offices or when they have the accessional allotment and furtherance of set Days of Fasting or Thanksgiving no Man who would preserve any Reverence for God or Respect for Religion or Care of his own Soul must concur therein but instead of helping on all true Worshippers of God and Lovers of Righteousness as I conceive most utterly detest and abhor them But in mixt Prayers where some are holy and some are sinful what may be done by those who would pick and chuse and joyn with them only in the good but keep off from the evil Now as to this the sinful mixture may be of Idolatrous Worship or Prayers And not to discuss whether it may be excuseable in any Cases to resort to Churches where there are such Mixtures of idolatrous service I think however these are not on the same Level with others but that there is a greater bar to all Communion in Worship by such Mixtures For Idolatry doth more peculiarly and heinously affect worship In respect of it God declares himself a jealous God and so is less likely to accept of any worship in partnership with Creatures or in sacred Offices to admit of and go halves with Rivals And with particular respect to this St. Paul sets out the incompatibleness of communicating both with Christ and Belial and the Scripture-precepts of be ye separate and come out from among them do more directly and forceably affect this than other sins in Religious Assemblies Or the good parts of the worship which are intermixt with the evil may not afford them all that is necessary in Christian Worship or not in such a way as it is necessary they should have it And then there is a â—ar to Communion in such worship not only from the Mixture of ill Prayers from which the partakers in other parts would separate but also from the defectiveness of those good parts thereof which are to recommend it because they do not supply the Worshippers with all that is necessary in Christian worship Thus instead of whole they may administer half Sacraments sacrilegiously
withholding the Cup from the People which Christ has appointed to be received by all the Communicants as well as the Bread Or what good Prayers and Oblations they do put up to God may be all in an unknown Tongue which is not to pray in that way that is necessary for Christians who are to offer up a spiritual worship which is to be done by praying with understanding Or the evil parts which are intermixed with the good are indispensably to be performed together with them and he who would communicate in one must not be allowed to let the other alone As there can be no receiving of the Sacrament without worshipping it in the Church of Rome It imposing a complyance with its Corruptions as a condition to those who would partake in any sound parts of its Offices And these are such hindrances of Communicateing with that Church in the Mass which are not to be urged in Bar of Communion under all immoral mixtures of worship and devotions And much less is the allowance of some communion under such immoral mixtures to be extended for a justification of the same communion in the Assemblies of Jews yea or even of Mahometans on pretence of joyning in like manner only with the Good but standing off from the ill parts of their Offices For that church-Church-Communion which as Christians in our Creed we all profess to believe and seek is the Communion of Saints that is in the language of those times of Christians not any Church communion of Professed Unbelievers But suppose that in a Christian Church retaining all the Essentials of Faith or Articles of the Creed all that is necessary in Christian Worship is to be had pure and unspotted and in a Tongue which all understand but some immoral petitions or Prayers are intermixt therewith which people may be Tolerated to pass over and to express dissent from whilst they shew Concurrence with all the good Prayers which come along with them Are they barr'd from such Communion by such mixtures As to this it may depend much upon the degree thereof according as the evil passages are Tolerable or Intolerable I mean not to be done as if any man were to expect a Toleration to do a wicked Action but to be born on the point of this unlawfulness In care of keeping Union much would be bore withall for peace and in hopes of seeing a cure thereof whilst more modesty is shewn in these unrighteous and immoral petitions And in want thereof other ways for the benefit of Communicateing in some Ministerial Offices and publick devotion men would bear more If such unlawful and immoral passages were fewer in number and occurr'd more seldom in the service to shock and gall good mindes or if they are any ways uncertain and less Peremptory in signification and some way or other accomodable to an innocent and lawful sense Good people though they could not Concur in would yet more patiently endure them But they are less to be born when more express and unavoidable in signification and more grown in number So that as any Assemblies multiply these petitions they increase these difficulties and discouragements to those who for the sake of peace yea or on the setting up of a Schism after which they are no longer bound to maintain Ecclesiastical Peace and Union with them for the benefit of having publick Offices and Ministrations would fain meet at their publick service If once the Minglers of such immoralities in Prayers shall to this impediment of immoral mixtures add another viz. Of breaking the Unity of the Church especially by setting up of Anti-Bishops and forming a Elagrant Schism There is an end of beaning with these mixtures for the sake of peace and for maintenance of Communion with them For this peace and Union is not to be kept with Schismaticks as I have shewn the Scriptural and Ecclesiastical Rules being not to seek but to shun Communion with such Persons It is to keep United to those Bishops who are the Orthodox and Rightful Heads and to such as depend on them and adhere to them not to such Heterodox Dividers as break off from them So that this bearing with the irksomness of such mixtures for the sake of Union is a Reason of bearing only before the Formation of the Schism but is never to be urged that way more but has all its force turned another way when once that is done Or before such Formation of a Schism the immorality of those petitions may be so express and unavoidable the iniquity of them so staring and hainous or the repetitions thereof so numerous and the use thereof so flxed and setled that good people neither would nor ought to bear them could they have any opportunity of doing otherwise Indeed sin and wickedness especially in any plane gross and great instances thereof if once evidently made the matter of worship and put up in Prayers sets people at liberty in any Church as I have shewn to refuse them and joyn in others whose matter is pure and sinless When once therefore corruption gets into the matter of Prayers and sin makes a part of sacred offices it gives a liberty for people to withdraw from those Prayers though administred by their Lawful Pastors and if any Ministers Regularly empower'd will give them the opportunity thereof to change them for a pure and sinless service And still the higher and more open the iniquity of such Prayers or Clauses and the more numerous the Repetition of them is the more are they not only set free but forced and necessitated to this And the more answerably are the Orthodox and Faithful Ministers necessitated to afford them opportunities thereof Lovers of Peace out of an Ardent desire of Union may forbear a while so long as those Churches are more modest in their Corruptions or whilst there may be hopes of cureing them especially at the begining and of closing the breaches And this Allowance of forbearance for a time in Case of such Corruption of Worship is no more than we see is made in Case of Heresy which is a Corruption in Faith This Corruption of Faith as well as Corruption of Worship gives a discharge of Communion as I have shewn And yet Communion is not so discharged thereby but that it may be kept on for a time as I observed it was with the Arians in the beginings of that Heresy The Rule being not to reject an Hâ—retick from Communion whilst he may be thought sanable or not till he has had a first and second Admonition And thus it was judged and practiced by those Orthodox at Antioch who kept a meeting for some time in the Arian Assemblies under Leontius after their error and impiety was introduced into their publick Offices and Ministrations and was put up to God in Derogatory Doxologys In which Union of Assemblies these Orthodox were Headed and lead on by Flavian and Diodorus that admirable Pair of best Men as they
things have proceeded to set up Anti-Bishops which divide Church Societies till by pouring in Oil they can be Cured and Closed again one chief Business left then for the Love of Peace and Union is to see that Peace and Unity be kept with the Right Side And this I have here endeavour'd to assist the Children of Peace in the best I can For it would be a fatal Mistake indeed to have the very Love and Desire of Peace abused to the Maintenance of Dividers and to see well-meaning Men whilst at such Times they are designedly Labouring to avoid Schisms to run Headlong into them As they must do if they mistake their Side wherewith this Peace and Unity is to be kept and instead of the true Body take part with the Seditious and joyn themselves to those Members who are broken off on such Divisions Besides the Peace and Union which we are to seek in this World must be such as may give us Peace at the last It is not being at Peace in such Ways as will fill our Souls in the End with Eternal Horrors And therefore it is not to be sought by our Violation of any Parts of Righteousness nor by our consenting or giving way to the Suppression thereof or letting fall our Zeal for the same So that we must not seek to compass it by Neutrality and Luke-warmness for Gods Holy Commandments And much less by Treachery in giving up them and the Souls of Men whose Eternal Weal depends upon the Observance thereof as the Purchase of external Unity with any Society When Worldly Peace can no longer be kept together with Righteousness it is no Peace for Christians or for Men who would prefer the Peace of God and of their own Conscience before any false forced Shows of Peace Unity with any other Persons And these Endeavours to direct Men whose Care is to keep Peace and Unity with any Societies how they may keep them with the Right Side when they are broken into Parties and in such things and by such Compliances as will not intercept their Future Comforts Methinks should be acceptable to all sincere Lovers thereof who would be directed how they may wisely pursue what they love and â—ot miss of their own Desires and would fix at last on such a Peace and Union as will not Deceive them or End in Ruine In treating of these Matters I endevour to clear and confirm what I offer thereupon by the Authority of the Sacred Scriptures and from the Reason and Nature of the things Discoursed of And moreover from the Doctrine and Practice of the Primitive Church Shewing what the Holy Apostles and their Successors of the first and best Ages would have said to Men in the Cases and Breaches here proposed and how as I conceive they would have determined their own Practice had they been tryed therewith and placed in such Circumstances This I shew from their own Rules which they gave out to others and acted by themselves in their own Circumstances And it would be a strange and very Criminal Innovation for any now in our Days to sleight their Ways For we all know that our Holy Religion doth not begin with us and that we are not the First Christians but only their Successors and that too at a great Distance We all profess to be their Followers and should think we have best provided for our own Safety when we have taken the Way to be found in their Company In confirming any Points from their Doctrine or Practice I have given their own Words in the Margin that the Learned Reader having the very Words and Passages I Build upon before him may be the better Enabled and with more Ease to himself to judge of the use which I make of them and of the Inferences which I draw from them But in the Body of the Book I have only given the Translation or put the Sence or Purport of the same that the unlearned Reader may not be discouraged or hindred by the Intermixtures of an unknown Tongue but peruse the whole without Interruption Thro' the whole I am sincerely Careful so far as I am able to satisfie Conscientious and truly Religious Minds what Way they are to take for Sacred Offices and Church Communion on such unhappy Divisions And seeking their Satisfaction in these Matters I have offer'd the best I can to Resolve those Points which I thought they were most like to be unsatisfied in and to clear up those things which seemed to me most liable to mislead them and either to Answer or Obviate those Objections which are already made or so far as I can at present Foresee may probably hereafter start up in their Way to unsettle them about the same All which as I have labour'd in with an Humble Dependance on God's Grace and Assistance so I now humbly recommend to his Blessing Desiring nothing more than that he may Graciously Accept the same and Pardon all the oversights and well-meant Failures and Mistakes which shall happen to be found therein and direct and turn this Work Poor and Defective as it is to the Uses and Interest of Truth and Godliness and to the Edification and Service of his Holy Church THE CONTENTS PART I. Of the Duty of Pastors to exercise their Spiritual Powers and afford the People Orthodox and holy Ministrations CHAP. I. Of the Differences here Treated of and of the Schism consequent thereon SOme Grand Allegations of both Parties under the Differences here Treated of Of a State of Schism thereby When the Sufferers may and when they may not Remedy this by Receeding and Letting fall their Pastoral Claims and Ministrations CHAP. II. Of the Immoral Ways introduced by a wrong Payment of Allegiance UNder State Deprivations Bishops and Clergy still retain their Spiritual Powers To be inquired then whether they are still bound to exercise and make use thereof A Representation of the immoral ways which are brought in by a wrong Payment of Allegiance The same are incurr'd by Paying it to any as a mere King in Fact Of these Immoralities as appearing not only in Practice but in Worship and Devotions Of the Care to Nurse People up therein at such times CHAP. III. Of the Cases wherein Faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations THis they are bound to when there is need thereof in the Cause of Religion and for the Safety of Souls It lies on them to see the Faithful supplied and the Churches provided 1. With a Sinless and Unpolluted Worship This in Respect of Immoralities as well as of Idolatry and Superstition in Worship Though they cannot afford it free from the Company of immoral Practicers yet they ought to afford it free of immoral Prayers 2. With the Ministration of all necessary Truth not only in Faith but also in Practice More particularly 1. When dangerous and immoral Practices are setting up especially if like to become general 2. When they
and Devotions those few deprived Bishops and Clergy in any Kingdom who suffer for standing out against the same when the most run into them cannot but see Men generally Nursed up therein For as to the Practice of those Immoralities carnal Reasons and the course of the Times and the Terror of the present Powers will make them go down with most Men. And their Spiritual Guides will nurse and train them up therein if once they themselves are generally got in to go along therewith and to do the same Nay when a general Persecution is raised to drive on the unwilling and to force them to comply for external Interests they will then stand ready to carry on the same with regard to Conscience If any start or stand off when consulted they direct and perswade them to come in as they see they themselves have done and tell them it will be no matter of Guilt or of Spiritual Danger to them And when once they are got in they speak and Preach Peace to them that they may feel no Remorse for so doing nor Harbour any Thoughts of Returning And to take off all apparant Inconsistence from the Commands of God and the Duties of Religion about Oaths and Obedience to Governours and Common Justice and not coveting or invading other Mens Goods or Rights and the like that are ready to fly in their Faces and bear hardest on what they have done They start doctrinal Salvo's for all these Precepts to cover their own Ways from falling under the same and to prove there is no Sin therein notwithstanding all the seemingly plain and Literal Opposition which those Precepts and Duties bear to them And then as to these same Immoralities in publick Worship and Devotions if these ways should really prove Immoralities at such Times they are plainly Nursed up in them because they are part of the Daily Prayers and on Occasion are the fet Fasts and Thanksgivings in all the publick Churches and Assemblies The authorised and establish'd Guides and Pastors every where then observe and use them such States not Authorizing and Establishing but Depriving the Refusers thereof and put them into the Peoples Mouths if they will follow and say after their Leaders And this is to be train'd and nursed up in such Devotions in such sort as People are trained up in any Devotions by their Guides that is by being convened and call'd to them and in the publick Ministration lead on therein the Pastors part as to this lying in Leading as the Peoples doth in Following them So that the People in such cases are generally trained and nursed up in these Practices and Devotions Which if for want of Legal Right or Just Title in their New Governour and for the Continuance of the same in his Competitor they prove Unrighteous and Immoral Ones they would be nursed up in Immoral Practices and Devotions And what Obligation that would lay on the Suffering and Deprived Bishops and Clergy of those Countries for Pastoral Ministrations will appear by Considering 2. Secondly what Provision good and Faithful Pastors ought to make against such Dangers and Corruptions by the Exercise of their Ministry which shall be treated of in the Ensuing Chapters CHAP. III. Of the Cases wherein faithful Bishops and Ministers are bound to stick to their Pastoral Powers and Ministrations NOw if under such Revolutions for want of such Right and Title in the New Governor and for continuance of the same in his Competitor all the foresaid Practices and Devotions are unrighteous and immoral in themselves this Exercise of their Ministrations for provision and spiritual supply of all conscionable Adherers to Truth and to Morality in Practise and Devotions is to be expected of them from the reality and obligation of things If they think them to be so and they are such in their Judgments 't is to be expected from Men of their apprehensions and for them to act so is but to be true to their own Convictions If their Brethren own the ejected Prince to have Legal Right still or to be King de jure they ought to expect no other from them since that alone makes all the foresaid immoralities and they can do no less if they will act according to that Principle which is owned and professed by themselves The only Ground whereon in Truth they could be exempted from this Exercise and therefore on which alone it can with Reason be desired or expected from them is the Translation of the Legal Right which would remove these immoralities So that they can only blame them for this Exercise who believe the Translation of this Legal Right nor can they make it appear that they blame them with Justice but by clearing this Point and making Proof thereof Their Obligations to exercise their Powers and Ministrations at such times are to provide against the wants and dangers of the Souls of Men and against the corruptions of Religion And that which will be ready at the same time to be alledged against it will be the Inhibition and Deprivation of the New State and the appearance of rending the Church thereby which is then become united under other Pastors put into their place or of making of a Schism And therefore to give a clear Prospect and for making a truer Judgment of the Obligations which they stand under to this exercise on such Revolutions I think it may be of use to consider 1. In what Cases the good and faithful Bishops and Ministers of Christ are Bound to stick to their Spiritual Powers and Pastoral Ministrations and what Obligations they have to do so 2. Of what force a Deprivation of Estate or the Preservation of external Communion and Peace in the Church ought to be in debarring them thereof 1. First I shall consider in what Cases the good and faithful Bishops and Ministers of Christ are Bound to stick to their Spiritual Powers and Pastoral Ministrations and what Obligations they have to do so 1. I shall First speak to the Cases wherein they are Bound to stick to their Spiritual Powers and Pastoral Ministrations and are to go on acting as Bishops and Pastors Now this they are Bound to when there is need of it in the Cause of Religion and for the safety of the Souls of Men. For these Ministerial Powers are Sacred Trusts And the very end why they are intrusted with the Bishops and Pastors is that thereby they may take care of Religion and the Peoples Souls and provide for the needs thereof So that they are always to be trustily Exercised when these stand in Need of them or whenever the Souls of Men will be Endanger'd and Religion Damnified by the Pastors omitting such Exercise and Ministration in the places where they are concern'd I say they are bound then to provide such Ministrations For the Part of Bishops and Pastors is not like that of mere Lay Christians to communicate as they can in what is provided for them by others But as Pastors they are
which were to show themselves Silly Sâ—eâ—p indeed and prepared for Destruction but to run away from them not to give Ear to False-Teachers and False-Propâ—â—â—s but to keep-out of their Hearing and shut their Eaâ—â— against theâ— and lastly not to strike in with those that cause Divisions but to 〈◊〉 them as St. Paul teaches and as the Rules of the Church have still required Faithful Christians to do by the Makers of Schism Bid him not God speed nor receive the Briâ—gâ—â— of False Doctrine into your Houses 2 Jo. 10 11. Beware of False-Prophets as of Ravening Wolves Mat. 7. 15. Keep not Company with Disorderly VValkers who â—dhere not to the Tradition they received of us 2 Thes. 3. 6 14. Mark â—â—â—m which Cause Divisions and Offences in breaking off and going Contrary to the Doctrinâ— which ye have learned and avoid them Ro. 16. 17. These and such like are the Scripture Riâ—â—es in these Cases Which call the Servants of Christ to withdraw themselves from those who have first seperated and withdrawn themselves from his Worship and Doctrines and instead of them to Adhere to others who as his true Ministers and faithful Pastors stick true to the same and Administer them Pure and Uncorrupt to his Church whereof I shall give a further Account afterwards PART II. Of Deprivations by Civil States or Ecclesiastical Synods Chap. 1. Of the Force of State Deprivations in the foresaid Cases HItherto I have endeavoured to mark out the cases wherein the Bishops and Pastors of Christs Church are bound to exercise their Ministerial Powers and to proceed on duly in their Administrations And to set forth the great and manifold Obligations which are incumbent on them in those Cases And having thus laid out their Obligations I shall next consider the Restraints which at such times are most pleadable in these cases by shewing 2. Secondly of what force a deprivation of state or the Preservation of External Communion and Peace in the Church ought to be in Dâ—barring them thereof 1. First One great thing that may be alledged to silence Faithful Bishops and Ministers of Gods pure worship and Righteousness and to stop the course of their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases is a Deprivation of state when the secular Power by its Laws and interdicts forbids those Ministrations and removes them from their Sees putting others into their places For Bishops and Pastors as they are Ministers of Christ so are they also Subjects of the state And therefore as some think ought not to exercise their Ministry at least not among their Subjects nor in any Diocess of their Dominions in opposition to it And in Christian Kingdoms the Church is incorporated into the state And by the Benefit of this incorporation Bishops and Pastors have their spiritual Ministrations back'd with secular Effects and Censures as Excommunication among us makes lyable to Temporal imprisonment and incapacitates from carrying on any civil suit or Action in the civil courts They have also their jurisdiction extended thereby to some secular matters as the Bishops courts are to matters of Wills Marriages Benefices c. And are encouraged therein by Secular Benefices Honours and Freeholds Now all these secular Fortifications jurisdictions and encouragements in their Ministrations conferr'd on the Bishops and Pastors of an incorporate Church are the gifts of the state and are secular additions to what Spiritual Powers they received from Jesus Christ. And what the state gives the state when it sees cause may deprive them of So that incorporate Ministrations or Administring these Spiritual Powers in the mixt and fortifyed way of an incorporate Church may seem as some will argue more subject to the state to take out of some and to put into other hands Especially considering that in grateful return and commutation for the benefit of incorporation or for being made free of the state and having the secular accessions the Church by Compromise has parted with some of its priviledges to the Civil Power Thus since the incorporation has it in compliance given up to the state the Nomination of Bishops and Metropolitanes belonging anciently to the other Bishops of the Province or to the Clergy and People of the Church And that Rules agreed on in Synods shall be no Canons till they be approved and ratified by the Prince And that there shall be no Admission or Refusal of Clerks to Cures or use of Discipline but in consistence with and under Regulation of the Kings Pâ—erogative and the Laws of the Land and the like And by these Cessions they may seem as some think to have Cut off all Power of Contesting the States Nomination or Advancement to Churches or its Deprivation and Removal from them as having by their account given up these Priviledges in way of bargain and exchange to keep on the benefits and State enjoyments of an incorporate Church But as to this Regard which they ought to have to State deprivations in bar of the foresaid Ministrations I observe 1. First that this Regard is to be press'd only under a supposed Legal and Rightful State For 't is to their Rightful Prince that as good and faithful subjects they owe all their Obedience which is call'd for in these cases What Regard they are to pay as subjects must be to his Deprivation But not if they are deprived by an Usurper set up against him who really has no Regal Authority over them but only pretends to it and assumes a Power which is none of his own Especially if he should deprive them for their Adherence to their Lawful King As if Athaliah had deprived Jehojadah for adhereing to Joash his true Soveraign or as the Reâ—ellious Parliament did depose not only the Bishops and Episcopal Clergy those Faithful Adherers to the Crown but Episcopacy it self in King Charles the First 's time For then as there is no real Authority to bind on so neither would there be any Equity or Colour of Law to back such a deprivation or to oblige the sufferers to acquiesce therein The Law which still supports the Right of the Lawful King against his Usurpation must needs support the Rights of all his Adherents against the same And as still he would be the Legal King so would they not only be the real but in Eye of Law the Legal pastors not withstanding his Forcible Removal of them And therefore there is no room for this regard to a deprivation of State on the Plea of a King de Facto or on supposal of unrighteous usurpation The Legal Right asserted still by the Publick Acts on such Revolutions will give it place to go as far as it can But as for all those who give up the Legal Right 't is not for any of them and 't is well known how considerable a part they make among the writers as well as among the practicers in this point to urge the Authority of a deprivation of State in this question 2. Secondly a Deprivation of a Lawful
Church or spiritual city wherein Christians are incorporated into one Body is not only the Church of one place or Country wherein all the Members may Embody and Associate under the same Governors as the Church of Rome Alexandria or Antioch But the collection of all particular Christian Societys or the whole number of independant Churches Existing in all times and diffused through all places For all these our Saviour has ordained to be one Society or Spiritual Body Of them he speaks or of all that do or shall believe on him when he prays to his Father that they all may be one Joh. 17. 11. 20. 21. And of them St Paul speaks when he says both of Jews and Gentiles distributed into so many distinct Churches that by the Cross of Christ they are all reconciled to God in one Body Eph. 2. 16. And when he says of Baptism which being duly received in any Church makes a man free of all other Christian Churches that by one spirit we are all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles 1 Cor. 12. 13. And of the Unity of this Church or Collection of all Believers do those Scriptures speak which represent all that are in Heaven and all that are in Earth as one whole Family Eph. 3. 15. As one House-hold 1 Tim. 3. 15. and Gal. 6. 10. or as one City Heb. 12. 22. Whence accordingly all who are at any time in this world are said to have their Citizenship or Corporation in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. And all who are admitted into Christs Church here to be Fâ—llow-Citizens with the Saints and Domesticks with Prophets and Apostles and with all others who are gone to God before Eph. 2. 19. What is the one Body saith St Chrysostom on the words of St. Paul there is one Body 'T is all believers of every place saith he both those who now are and who formerly have been and who hereafter shall be And as to the Union of these Spiritual bodys or societies both the Members of each particular Church must keep Unity or make one society with their own Church And every particular and independant Church with its Members must keep Unity and make one society with all other particular and independant Churches The Members keep Unity with their own Church by due dependance and subjection or by keeping subject and dependant on their own Lawful Bishops And one particular Church keeps Unity with all other independant and sister Churches by Fraternal Communion or the Communion of Saints in the Holy Catholick Church profess'd in the Creed that is by their readiness to Unite with their Religious Assemblies to own their Members and to ratify their Church Acts as if they were their own or had been sped by themselves And this way of fraternal communion as well as the other of keeping under the same visible Governors by due dependance and subjection is a way to Unite them not only as a Sect who all hold and profess the same Doctrines and Opinions but also as a Society or as one Body For by this bond of fraternal communion they stand obliged not only to Unity of Doctrine as men of the same sect but to unity as of internal so of external society and incorporation as fellow citizens For such are the obligations of receiving mutually each others Member as their own free denizens of admitting of their baptismal claims and Church Priviledges of Ratifying of their Church-Acts and Censures of Associating with their Church services and Assemblies and of standing together as one body and brotherhood for the same common Tenets and Religious interests as if they were incorporated under the same External Heads or were the members of the same particular Church And this is to unite them in the great things of society particularly of a spiritual society which lyes mightily in communion in spiritual acts and offices And accordingly Uniting in the same Sacraments which are the Highest Acts of Church Communion is set out for a way of Uniting all in one body or corporation We being many are one body by being all partakers of that one bread 1 Cor. 10. 17. And we are all baptized into one body 1 Cor. 12. 13. So that all Christian Churches who under one common Father as Domesticks or under one Lord and King as Fellow-citizens are incorporated upon one Charter or New-covenant to live by the same Laws and out of the same Hopes and in enjoyment of the same Church-rights and Priviledges and have one common Form of Incorporation to Naturalize or Enfranchise them thereinto viz. One Baptism are to transact as one society by keeping up one fraternal Communion among themselves Now both this Union of subjection towards their own Church and its Lawful Heads and of fraternal communion towards all other equal and independant Churches all good Christians are bound to keep up unless some obstacles happen in either which are of force to put a bar thereto or give discharge thereof And such obstacles either in our own Bishops or in other equal and independant Churches are Heresy when once openly profess'd by them Or their fixing unlawful Terms of Communion puting sinful things into their sacred offices or not allowing any to Communicate with them without believing or professing some false Doctrine or partaking with them in some evil worship or thing Or Tyrannical Usupation on their Brethrens Libertys not admitting other Churches to their Communion unless they will give up their own rights and freedoms and become their Subjects When such exceptions lye against any Bishops or against any Churches they have lost their claims of union But all Church-Members are bound I conceive by all the numerous and earnest commands of keeping Unity to continue subject to their Lawful Bishops as all Churches are by the same to keep up Communion with other Churches if they cannot produce any such just obstacles in bar thereof Now Schism is a sinful breach of this union of Church Society Either in the Members of any particular Church when they unjustly break off their subjection and dependance upon their own Church Or in any Particular Churches when they unduly break off Fraternal Communion with other Churches denying to Assemble with them or Communicating with such as stand Excommunicated by or have made a Schism from them First One Great way of Schism is in respect of Particular Members when against the Gospel duty and Commands of Unity they unduely throw off their subjection and dependance upon their own Bishops and break off from the Unity of their own Church One way of Uniteing Societies or Bodys of Men is by uniteing them under the same Heads They are all one Body and Members one of another as keeping under and being United to the same Head and Governor Thus of the Association of Man and Wife which is the Original Society and makes a Family which is the ground work of all other Societies it is said that they two
Truths or Commands of Christ he is Christs true Bishop still in that Church and his faithful Peoples spiritual Head for all that unjust sentence For Christ stands by him who stands by his Doctrines and Precepts and unjust Depositions on these Accounts have no more validity in his sight than unjust Excommunications for the same Accounts have as has been already shew'd But if there is no Interposition of Synods but a mere Deprivation of State that will much less do it For there is a spiritual Subjection and Dependance of People to their Bishops especially to such as suffer for adhering to Christian Truths or Precepts which the civil State cannot break or dissolve Christ himself by his Institution has made a spiritual Relation between them and antecedently obliged his People to this Union and Adherence to them as they are vice Christi his Ministers and Vice-gerents as St. Cyprian says Kings and Civil States may come afterwards and tye this spiritual Union and Adherence faster on by temporal Dependances and Enforcements And what they lay on they may take off again But the spiritual Relation and Obligations do not depend on them but on Christ himself Religion lays them on and leaves it not in the Power of any Prince to cancel or discharge them They stood fixed whilst the Church was separate from the State before any secular Powers came in to protect it and will still continue if they turn all their Power to persecute and oppress it Nor has our Lord left it to their courtesy whether there shall be any spiritual Relation betwixt his People and their Pastors whether they shall keep up their spiritual Relation and Dependance and he shall have a Church on Earth or no as is before discoursed more at large The Learned Author of the Vindication of Their Majesties Authority in filling the vacant Sees owns the Advancement of George the Cappadocean into the place of Athanasius to have been Schismatical and an Usurpation and Breach of Catholick Communion The setting up of this Anti Bishop was by a Deprivation of State For Constantius took away the Churches from Athanasius and his Adherents which is the State-way of depriving Bishops and gave them to George the Anti-Bishop and his Adherents Nay he sends an Edict to the Senate and People of Alexandria requiring them on their Allegiance instead of sticking to him as their spiritual Head with the Affection and Dependance of Members with their united Force to persecute Athanasius And made it criminal in any Persons as Sozomen relates to harbour or conceal him And accordingly the Imperial Ministers and Praefects violently drove him and the Orthodox out of the Churches and by extream Force put George and the Arians in possession thereof And having placed this Anti-Bishop upon his Throne with all secular Cruelties and barbarous Usage compell'd the Clergy and People to acknowledge and submit to him It was also brought about by Deprivation of Synods For after the Sardican Synod which restored him Athanasius had been again deposed both by the Synod of Arles and afterwards by the Synod of Milan wherein besides a few from the East above three hundred Bishops of the West met as Sozomen says and condemned him And the setting up of George against him after this was in a Synod viz. the Synod of Antioch which declared the Uncanonicalness of his Restitution and Ordained George as a former Synod at that place had Ordained Gregory before to be Bishop of Alexandria in his Room These indeed as the Author of the Vindication suggests were Heretical Synods And Dionysius of Alba Eusebius of Vercelles Paulinus of Tryers and Rhodanus and Lucifer who at Milan protested against their Proceedings declared that thro' Athanasius the Emperor and the Arians his Enemies were striking at the Catholick Faith which the event of things and the Proceedings afterwards in the Synods of Ariminum and Seleucia verified as Sozomen observes But in way of external Judicature the Deprivation tho' of Heretical Synods must at least carry with it as much Plea as Deposition by no Synods can pretend to there being more shew of Ecclesiastical Authority in Acts of Heretical Synods than in none at all But for all this Deposition both by the Imperial Edicts and Synodical Sentences since the true Cause thereof was his firmness and constancy to the Catholick Faith Athanasius as the foresaid Author owns still kept on his spiritual Relation and the People their spiritual and Religious Obligations to and Dependance on him So that George as he says was an usurping Invader a breaker of Catholick Communion and a Ring-leader of a Schism in the Catholick Church when he set up against him And the same it would be in the case of any other Bishop deprived by the like Authority for his Fidelity and fixt Adherence to any other Truths or Laws of Christ. For his faithful Bishops must stick to him in all other Points of Christian Truth and Practice as well as in the Orthodoxy of the Nicene Faith And that against the Deprivations of all other States and Synods as well as of the Arians And their sticking to Christ in these Points can give no liberty to their Clergy and People to break off from them Their stedfastness therein must tye all faithful Members faster to them but can never be expounded as a conscionable discharge of their spiritual Obligations and Dependance on them If a Schism is made in a Church then by a defection from the rightful Orthodox Bishop thereof laid aside either by a Civil State or Ecclesiastical Synod only for his faithful Adherence to the Doctrines or Laws of Christ or by turning over to an Anti-Bishop set up against him 'T is plain the Anti-Bishops with their Makers and Adherents make the Schism They were all Members of the one Body whilst they kept subject and united to the Rightful Bishop who is the Head of it But when they broke off from him they divided themselves from the Body and formed themselves under an opposite Head into a new and opposite Body But he and his Adherents still preserve the Unity of the true Body The breakers off make the Division but they preserve their Union As those Branches do which still grow to the Tree when others are broke off from it and those Streams which still communicate with the Fountain when others are stopt and those Rays which keep connected to the Sun when others are interrupted Which Similitudes St. Cyprian makes choice of to set off the Unity of the Church and to shew that they preserve this Union who keep to the same Head and Origine What they do therefore in these Cases by sticking to each other as they did before when others break off is not to make the Schism but only not to follow and run into it And they are no more chargeable with the division for this than the General and his faithful Souldiers would be in an Army for
not going over to the Mutineers or than a King and his Loyal Subjects would be in a Kingdom for not turning over and submitting to the Rebels But as the Anti-Bishops and their Party make the Schism by departing from the lawful Head and true Body they must amend it by returning to it And they stand answerable to God so far as I see for all the Guilt and sad Consequences and Effects thereof if they refuse so to do 2. Secondly The Unity of any Church doth not go with the greatest Numbers but when a Schism is made by a defection of Members from their spiritual Head and setting up of Anti-Bishops the Schism is still the same how numerous soever the Members are that break off For breaking off from their rightful Head and Governour as I have shewn makes the Schism And then the greatness of the Number of those who do so can only make it a greater Schism Number in Schism or in any other ill thing may add Confidence and leave less Hope of reclaiming those who are engag'd therein For Multitude as the Antient Author of the Comment on St. Matthew printed among the Works of St. Chrysostom observes is the Mother of sedition and of contumacy and incureableness therein whereas Paucity or Smalness of their Number is the Mistress of Discipline But it doth not lessen the Guilt nor alter the Nature of it but Schismaticks are answerable for their Schism be they never so many of them That which makes any meeting of Orthodox Christians offering up a regular and establish'd Service to be in the Unity of the Church is their meeting under one who officiates therein according to their own Bishops approbation and allowance For the Unity of the Body lyes in keeping one with him And the Catholick and Canonical Rule as I shall afterwards shew of keeping one with them is by celebrating all Publick Offices and Divine Service with their allowance and approbation So that where any Presbyters or Deacons perform the establish'd Offices according to the mind of their own Orthodox and Rightful Bishops they officiate in the Unity of the Church though it be but to a few and to those met in Corners And where any others celebrate their Offices without the Licence and against the Approbation of their own Orthodox and Rightful Bishops they officiate in a Schism though it be among the fullest Congregations and with secular encouragements and in the publick Authorized Churches The having their Orthodox and true Bishops Approbation and Concurrence makes them no Schismaticks and their Meetings no Conventicles when Conventicle notes not a small or secret but a schismatical Assembly as it always doth when it is a Word of Infamy and Reproach The Canon counts it a Conventicle when any Minister in a private Oratory against the allowance and approbation of him who is chief Priest in the Country says Balsamon on the Canon forbidding Ministrations contrary to the Bishops mind and approbation And it has not been so strange a sight in the World as every good mind would wish it had to see Schismaticks from the Body make a more Numerous Party than those who keep united to it In the Division of Israel from Judah under Jeroboam the Israelites who fell off from the One Altar at Jerusalem to other Altars of their own erecting were guilty of the Schism Tho' they who stuck to that one Altar were but two Tribes and those defectors who broke off from it were Ten. The Arians as they were Hereticks for subverting the true Faith so likewise were they all Schismaticks by breaking off from the Communion of their Rightful Bishops as of Athanasius at Alexandria of Paulus at Constantinople of Lucius at Adrianople of Asclepas at Gaza of Marcellus at Ancyra c. and by enjoyning all every where to break Communion with them and to receive and communicate with those Anti-Bishops whom they had set up against them And in the Patriarchate of Alexandria more particularly the Meletians who before had made a Schism in that Church fell into their Party as Schism to maintain it self too often yea always says St. Jerom takes up with and ends in Heresie But these Arians who made the Schism were abundantly more Numerous than those faithful Christians who kept to the Unity of the Catholick Church the whole World at one time groâ—ning as St. Jerome says and admiring to see it self turn'd Arian Again the Donatists were notoriously guilty of the Schism made in the African Churches But yet when they over-run Africk they could glory and vaunt themselves in their diffuseness and in the greatness of their Number So that Schism is compatible with the greatest Numerousness of Adherents if that Number is of Men combined together against their Orthodox Righful Bishops and the Unity of the Church with the smallest Numbers if that Number is of Members that constantly adhere to them And this may likewise appear from those Similitudes of the Unity betwixt the Head and Members the Tree and Branches c. whereby the Ancients set out the Unity of the Church For be the Branches more or fewer which keep united to the Body they make the Tree And be the Members few or many which stick on to the Head or living Trunk they make the Body And so be their Numbers greater or less do the Adherers to the Orthodox Rightful Bishop make the one Church Indeed as the Root has the Branches so the Bishop has the Clergy and People virtually in himself That is as he gets Proselytes he can make them Christians and out of these he can Ordain Presbyters and Deacons So to Head a Body of Clergy and People professing Christianity which according to the sense of the Primitive Fathers is a Christian Church And thus a Bishop though appearing only with a few Members about him will make a Church and is qualified duly to spread it and to make it more Numerous As the blessed Apostles did when they set up at first to gather Churches and as the first Bishops did also who were taken out of the first Converts and Ordained at the Head of them to be Bishops of those who should afterwards believe So that the reduceing of an Orthodox Rightful Bishop to a comparatively little Number of Adherents will not hinder him and his Followers from making up the one Body and being the one Church And as such our Lord-will give ear to them as St. Cyprian observes though they be but two or three gathered together in his Name rather than to a greater Number of Schismatical Dividers To this Promise of his Presence with two or three or such small Numbers our Lord premises says he that these two or three be in the Unity of the Church and preserve the Concord of Peace And shews himself thereby to be more with two or three such Petitioners than with a great Number of Schismatical Dividers And if Number of Adherents will not much less
to officiate in another City without their own Bishops Letters commendatory says the Great Council of Chalcedon And the Granting of these Letters was reserved to the Bishops Without their own Bishops Letters commendatory is the Expression of the now cited Canon of Chalcedon And others under the Episcopal Order are restrained from granting them Even those Câ—untry Presbyters whom Balsamon on the Canon calls Protopapas and who as being in the Country where the Bishops were not usually at hand to write them had more pretence of granting them as Zonaras intimates And who else but the Bishops of the several Churches should be capable to grant these Letters For since the Church stands and is fixed upon the Bishops as St. Cyprian tells the Lapsi it is not for any without the Bishop to write Letters as they had done to himself in the Name of the Church But more especially was the Grant thereof reserved to the Primates and Metropolitanes who were to write and receive Synodical Letters and to keep up Communion between the Churches of several Provinces Thus St. Basil expresses his Communion with all Churches by all Churches sending communicatory Letters to him and receiving the same from him And on the Deposition of Marcianus at Arles St. Cyprian desires Stephen Bishop of Rome to signifie to him who was substituted in his place that he might know to whom he should send the Brethren and direct his communicatory Letters And this the Synod of Antioch gives us a Reason of their writing to Dyonisius of Rome and Maximus of Alexandria and to all other Bishops on their placing of Domnus in the See of Antioch upon the Deposition of Paulus Samosatenus Which say they We therefore signifie to you that you may write your communicatory Letters to him and receive the like from him So that none who were out of Communion with their own Bishops and Metropolitanes could be allowed to communicate any whereelse CHAP. III. Of just Grounds to break off Communion particularly of making impious and unlawful things or unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments the Terms of their Communion FRom what I have said in the Two preceding Chapters without inquiring further into any lower degrees and instances thereof I think it may competently appear what Schism is and who the Persons are that may justly be charged therewith either as breaking off from their own Church by unjustly throwing off and dividing from their own Orthodox and Lawful Bishops or as breaking off from other Churches by unjustly refusing Communion to their Members or by unjustly granting it to their Schismaticks or Excommunicates And more particularly that they are guilty of this great and dangerous Sin of Schism who unjustly turn Subjects or side with Anti-Bishops set up over them against their own Orthodox and Lawful Bishops Yea though such Defectors to the Anti-Bishops make the greatest Numbers or are set up by the civil State as the civilly establish'd or endowed Church And that all other Churches and their Members are guilty of the same who shall own and come in to them and admit them into their Communion and keep on Communion with them I say they are Schismaticks who by any of these ways shall break off from others unduly and without just Cause But some things are a just Ground to breako ff either Dependance and Subjection to our own Bishops or Communion with other Churches Some things as I come next to shew not being to be born nor otqers to be parted with for the Love of external Peace and Union And when these can be justly and duly alledged for standing off 't is always justifiable and commonly necessary to break Communions However to break off Resorting to their Assemblies though at the same we should still allow their Members to resort to ours For this later many times may be allowed longer where it can be done without scandal especially before the Church has proceeded judicially to censure and excommunicate the offending Parties as it was allow'd to the Romanists and accepted by them for several years in the beginning of Q. Elizabeths Reign and also to the Dissenters in later days And if there are such Pleas for breaking off either from any Persons or Churches there is no Breach of Gospel-Union nor Blame of Schism in such Cases And of these I shall now 2. In the Second Place give some Account That when we see any Persons or People breaking off either Subjection to their former Bishops or Ecclesiastical Concord and Fraternal Communion with other Churches we may understand where Schism is and where it is not to be charged and be more clear in several Matters of Importance in this Argument Now such just Ground there is for the Members of any Church to break off Communion either with their own Bishops or with other Churches when they can alledge either some things against the Terms of their Communion or others against their Persons and Doctrines 'T is a just Ground to break off from them if they make impious and unlawful things or unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments the Terms of their Communion Or though nothing of this can be alledged against the Terms if Heresie can be justly objected to their Persons These I say are just Grounds and give a Liberty to break off from the Communion of any Persons or Churches And I chuse rather to express it by this giving them a Liberty than by imposing on them a conscionable Necessity to do so For some Grounds give a Liberty to break Communion either with their own Bishops or with other Churches which do not in conscience necessitate Men as Unrighteous Usurpations and Incroachments when they are made the condition thereof For though Men need not submit to them yet if they are pleased to do it they ordinarily may do so without Sin and suffer such Incroachments in then own Wrong Besides the Duty of uniting with any particular Persons or Churches is bound upon us by certain Things or Qualifications in those Persons or Churches which oblige us to their Communion and Dependance And as the Being and Presence of those Things and Qualifications binds it on so doth the Failure thereof unbind the same and set Men at Liberty to go off from them I say to go off from them not to go off from all and hold on communicating with none For when they are no longer bound to communicate with such particular Bishops or Churches yet are they still bound thereto with others or under a general obligation to Communion I mean when they have opportunity for the same which is presupposed to all obligation of actual Exercise and Discharge thereof by this like as it is by all other Affirmative Duties The Communion of Saints professed in the Creed obliges us to communicate as we have opportunity in all Christian Offices with all true Christians who still retain those Qualifications I spoke of Though it leaves us free to stand off from any others who have
gives discharge from them Accordingly this the Clergy of Rome put the granting or denying communion upon in their Answer to Marcion Telling him they could not receive him to communion in their Church without his Fathers consent and allowance because his Father the Bishop of Sinope who had cast him out of communion was of the same Faith with themselves And this discharge such defection gives upon the evidence of the Fact it self before synodical Cognizance or judicial sentence and declaration thereof As for other Crimes which concern only the Persons or conversation of Bishops not their Doctrine or Ministrations they give no discharge to the Clergy or People who are subject to them before the offending Bishops are regularly deprived for the same by judicial sentence And if before synodical sentence any Clergy or People break off from their Bishops or Bishops from their Metropolitanes or Metropolitanes from their Patriarks on pretence of them they make a Schism and are censured by the Church for so doing If any Presbyter or Deacon says the Council of Constantinople on pretence of Crimes meaning such personal Crimes shall dare to withdraw themselves from 〈◊〉 Communion of their Bishop or Bishops from their Metropolitane or Presbyters Bishops or Metropolitanes from their Patriack before Synodical cognizance and perfect condemnation past upon him He makes a Schism and shall incuâ— the penalty of deposition But as for Heresie or any damnable corruptions of Doctrine or Ministrations they give this discharge as soon as the Bishop c. is notoriously guilty of them before any Synod has sate or Sentence has pass'd upon him Thus St. Jerome expounds that Passage an Heretick is condemned of himself Tit. 3. 10. 11. Which says he is therefore said of Hereticks because when other Offenders as Fornicators Adulterers Murderers are not cast out but by the Sentence of the Bishop or Church censures Hereticks on the other hand pass sentence upon themselves on their own accord receding from the Church which recession seems to be a condemnation of their own conscience As many as attempt any tâ—inâ— against those Constitutions of the Fathers which concern the Faith thereby without more ado incur and bring on themselves the Censures coâ—tained in the Canons says Thalassius Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia in the Great Council of Chalcedon When an Offence is only against the Canons of the Church the Desence of the Divine Canons we know is proper only to the Bishops but the Desence of the right Faith belongs not only to them but to every Orthodox Christian say the Holy Monks against the Patriark Anthimus faln to the Heresie of the Eutychians in their Libâ—l in the Council of Constantinople under Agapetus and Mennas Though no Synod has before condemned him yet he that has prevaricated and deserted the Orthodox Faith as Acacius he says had done by communicating with the Eutychians has enough for which he ought to be deny'd communion As also any one who before being a Catholick shall fall to communicate with any Heresie is justly thought to be thereby removed from our Society says Pope Gelasius Though in case of other Crimes they may not do it before Synodical Sentence yet in case of any Heresie condemn'd by the Holy Synods or Fathers they may depart and separate from the Communion of their Prelate say the foresaid Canons of Constantinople when once he comes to preach it publickly and to teach it bare-fac'd in the Church And then to withdraw from him before Synodical cognizance is not to incur the foresaid Canonical pains but to shew themselves worthy of that Honour which belongs to the Orthodox 'T is not to condemn Bishops say they but Pseudo-Bishops their Teachers not to rend the Unity of 〈◊〉 Church by a Schism but to study to free it from Schisms and Divisions So that in these Cases when the Defection of Doctrine and Worship is apparent and plain to their eyes and ears the People and Clergy may judge for themselves and withdraw from the Communion of such Heretical or Erroneous Pastors And accordingly the Apostolical Rules to the People are without staying for the declaration of a Synod if any turn a bringer of false Doctrine contrary to what they had delivered without more ado to hold him as Anathema or as one Excommunicate Gal. 1. 8. 9. and not to bid him God speed 2 Jo. 10. 11. By such defections then from Christian Doctrine or Worship the Ligaments of Union are broken towards the Governours of any Church or between one Church and another and there accrues a Liberty without any Breach of the Unity of the Church 1. For People to break off from their own Local Guides or for People and Clergy to break off from their own Bishops Tho' they were Apostles or Angels from Heaven they are to be held then as Anathema as St. Paul says that is not as Heads of Unity and church-Church-communion but as Excommunicate Men. If they cause Divisions from the Doctrines we have learned he bids the Church mark and avoid them Ro. 16. 17. The Peoples duty of adhering to and following them is no longer than they continue to be followers of Christ 1 Cor. 11. 1. c. 4. 18. But if they break off from his Truth and turn False Prophets however they come dress'd up in soft Pretences or in Sheeps-cloathing he tells us to beware of them and to fly them as Wolves Mat. 7. 15 16. to look to them and avoid them as St. Paul cautions against the Judaizers Phil. 3. 2. If they become bringers of False Doctrine bid them not God speed nor receive them into your Houses saith St. John 2 Jo. 10. 11. Thus when John of Jerusalem fell to erre in Point of Faith Epiphanius writ to the Monks as St. Jerom says that till he gave satisfaction in Point of Faith none of them should communicate with him And Ierom himself asks him where it is required that they should come under his Communion before such satisfaction were given And tells him 't is because of their difference in point of Faith that they may not communicate with him A People says St. Cyprian that would fear God and obey his Precepts ought to separate it self from an erring Prelate Such Persons if Metropolitanes are no longer to have neither any Authority over the Bishops of their Provinces nor the Communion of the Church as is decreed in the General Council of Ephesus They are to leave their Guides when they fall to misguâ—â— them and to stand off from their Persons lest they be corrupted with their Tenets And this is no more than is needful for them even in point of Caution being their keeping out of the way of Temptations which our Lord directs us to for a general Guard of all Vertues And standing off thus from Heretical Leaders they will approve themselves in the midst of Heresies by being stedfast in the Truth 1.
Souls endangered by such Salvo's it was the Duty of true Prophets and Priests among them and would be so in all other places on like occasions by their preaching and Ministrations to keep up sound knowledge among the People in these Points yea tho' such preaching and ministrations made a Breach between them and those defecting Teachers And it was the Peoples duty to follow any among them who would teach them better when they could have such Teachers as they had in our Blessed Lord and his Apostles Whatever Allowance under the favour of Necessity men may have to keep on with such of which Plea of necessity I shall say more hereafter yet where there is choice of others more Orthodox they are no longer tyed to such Pastors as openly and obstinately preach up damnable practices to disgrace Religion and endanger Souls Bear they may for a time in hopes of Reformation and because it is easier to prevent than to patch up Breaches wise Lovers both of Peace and Truth would not be hasty in coming to extreamities But if still they will persist and go on in such pernicious Ways and Doctrines good People and Pastors may withdraw themselves from their Communion as St. Paul says in the places already cited And the Reasons of breaking off on such defections from necessary points either of faith or practice are still more urgent if there is no Liberty left in any Churches for other Pastors to stand up ministerially or exercise their Ministry in defence of those necessary points whilst they continue with and adhere to them For then the Concealment and Suppression of necessary Truths is made a condition of Communion and other Pastors if they will hold on with them must suffer that good thing which has been committed to their Trust to be extinguish'd without standing up according to their duty and solemn undertaking to minister the same Which will make it necessary for all who will choose to stand by Christ and his Truths rather than by such his Apostatizing Servants and Corrupters thereof to depart from them When therefore the Bishops and Pastors of any Church fall off from ministring necessary Christian Doctrine or Worship and especially when they come to allow their Communion to none who will go on administring the same they thereby loosen the bands of Union and break that spiritual dependance and relation which the People and other inferiour Pastors ought to have upon them They are no longer the true Joynts to compact the Members nor the Head of Unity to keep together the Body of the Church And thus it was at the Reformation under Queen Elizabeth with the Popish Bishops whose corrupt Worship and Doctrine yea and rigorous exaction of complyance with both from all who expected to hold Communion with them had set their Churches at liberty to go off from them as I formerly observed and to seek more Orthodox Bishops in their room And so it would be in the case of other Bishops especially of those who espouse a Schism and communicate with Anti-Bishops in opposition to the true Bishops if they fall from ministring necessary Christian Truths whether of Faith or of Moral Doctrine and Worship as in the fore-mentioned Cases And when the Church is thus loosed of its dependance on their Persons by the defection of such erring Bishops It may be free to unite it self to other Orthodox Bishops Either to receive such an one for its own local Bishop as was done at the Reformation by substituting Orthodox and Reformed Bishops into the Sees of Popish Bishops Or till it can have that by receiving the Benefit of Episcopal and Priestly Acts from any other Orthodox Bishops and Clery as they can be met with It may fetch all Orthodox Ministrations and spiritual Functions from other places when it cannot have them from an Orthodox Pastor or in the Unity of the Church at home This it may do says St. Cyprian in this Case As well as the Mariners when their own Port is sanded or otherwise insecure may pass it by and put in at another Or as well as the Travellers when their own Inn is beset with Thieves may take up their Lodging at another which is more safe And as the People of such defecting Bishops and Pastors may seek out and unite themselves to others for all necessary Ministrations so may those other Orthodox Bishops and Clergy who are sought to be free to receive and supply them This is plain of both because the Church whereof the one are Members and the other are Bishops or Priests is a Catholick Church For being Catholick its Baptisms and Ordinations are Catholick and make as the one Christians so the other Bishops and Priests that must be owned for such over all the Christian Church and not only in some limited Parts or Districts thereof And betwixt the Members of this Catholick Church there is to be a Communion of Saints so that the one may receive as Members and the other administer all spiritual Acts and Functions as Pastors as there is opportunity and as need requires When the Orthodox Members of such defecting Pastors come to them considering the Catholicism of the Church tho' never so far remote in place they must own them as their Brethren and professing the Communion of Saints they must receive them to their Communion When shuning the Rocks in their own defecting Church they seek a more safe harbour in theirs 't is their part to receive them with a prompt humanity and to give them such reception as was given to him who had faln among Thieves in the Gospel not only to let them in but to take all due and needful care of them saith St. Cyprian Yea and as Christian Bishops they are to look upon this Reception and these Ministrations as one part of their Episcopal Charge For they are Bishops of the Catholick Church as well as of their own Sees and have relation to the whole Church as well as to their own Diocess The Administration he has received is not only for his own Flock but for the Church in common says St. Ignatius of the Bishop of Philadelphia And Christ has committed to you not only your own but the Universal Church says Eleutherius to the Gallicane Bishops And though as being more especially Bishops of that place they have more particular Obligation to look after their own Flocks Yet as Catholick Bishops they must be concerned for the whole Church and look on it or any destitute parts thereof as their own as occasion requires It behoves us all to extend our Care and watch over the Body of the whole Church whose Members are disposed through each of the varicus Provinces say the Presbyters and Deacons of Rome to Cyprian on his informing them of the Deposition of Privatus Lambesitanus the Heretick And unum Gregem pascimus though we be many Pastors yet we are to look upon all as one Flock says St.
Cyprian in this case Though holding it in Partnership we are several Bishops yet as there is but one Church so there is but one Episcopate says he again whereof every particular Bishop holds a part but holds it so as to stand obliged and answerable on occasion not only for his own particular proportion but as Partners in a Bond each of them pro Solido as the legal Phrase is or for the whole Sum. Thus Eleutherius told the Gallicane Bishops That for this very Cause Christ had committed to them the Universal Church that they should labour for all and not neglect to afford Help to any as their Needs should require And Simplicius of Rome told Acacius of Constantinople That to approve himself faithful in his Episcopate he must strive for Catholick Unity and the Decrees of the Fathers not only in that Church where he presided but wheresoever he could And Chrysostom says St. Eustathius Bishop of Antioch had well learned by the Grace of the Holy Ghost that a Bishop of the Church ought to take care not of that Church alone over which he is specially appointed but of the Universal Church through the World This general Care has appeared conspicuous in the Lives and Labors of Holy and Faithful Bishops as of Cyprian Alexander and Cyril of Alexandria Eustathius of Antioch and Chrysostom And of the Great Athanasius who took as much care of all other Churches as he did of his own as St. Basil says Nor ought they to be hinder'd from such Ministration and Reception of the Members of other Churches by any Canonical Rules for Unity in the Church For that Heresie or Defection from Christian Doctrine whether in Faith or Practice and from Christian Worship which sets aside the Obligations of Unity towards those defecting Bishops and Pastors must also of course therewith set aside those Canonical Rules which are for maintenance thereof So that the Ecclesiastical Rules of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. of Clergy and People doing nothing in Church-communion without the Allowance of their Bishop and of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. of ones not officiating or ordaining anothers Subjects or intermâ—dling in anothers Diocess are no Rules nor of Force towards such Persons And accordingly at Arles when Marcianus their Bishop was faln to the Novatians Cyprian thought it behoved him and other Bishops to see the Needs of the Faithful there supplyed That they might no longer be left a Prey for Wolves without all hopes after the Novatian Rigour of the Churches Peace and Communion after once they had faln And under the Arian Hereticks the Great Athanasius when out of his own District held Ordinations in other Churches as he passed through them as Socrates reports Even the Great Council of Constantinople in that very Canon which forbids Bishops to intermeddle either in Ordinations or in other Ecclesiastical Administrations without their own Precincts yet makes an Exception of those Churches that are in Barbarous Nations for whose Relief they might do this As Eminent Preachers when they went among them might still confirm those they had gained to the Faith in other Provinces according to their Custom Which though against the Canons the Council still allow'd say Balsâ—mon and Zonoras upon the Canon for the necessity of the thing And thus also Presbyters and People may hold Assemblies independant on their own Defecting Bishops or on any others The Apostolical Canons allowing Priests to have Meetings separate from their Bishops when they do it as condemning them of Impiety in Doctrine or of Injustice in Administration as deposing them for the sake of Truth or of a good thing c. And the Council of Constantinople though it forbids Inferiours before Synodical Sentence to cast off the Communion of their Superiour on pretence of Criminal Causes as Fornication Symony or Transgression of the Canons as Balsamon comments yet allows it in case of Heresie condemn'd by former Synods or by the Holy Fathers so soon as he begins bare-faced to teach it in the Church And the Council of Carthage when it Condemns Presbyters for setting up separate Altars from their Bishops makes this Exception unless they have against him a just Expostulation And an Allegation of False Doctrine or leading the Church wrong is such a just Expostulation as Balsamon observes upon the Canon These Rules for preserving Order and Concord among Bishops and Churches are binding towards any Bishops who are in the Unity of the Church and are Orthodox But if either they are faln to set up Unchristian Worship or Doctrine or as I observed before are turned Schismaticks or set up as Anti-Bishops in Christ's Church They bind none towards such Bishops They are no longer Heads of Union and so cannot claim the Benefit of these Rules for Unity which by their Schism or Defection is at an end towards them Thus doth Heresie or a defection from necessary Doctrine or Worship discharge Church Members from their Spiritual and Canonical dependance and union with their defecting Bishops and Pastors Priests are no longer tyed to such erring Bishops nor the People to either in such Cases So that a defection to sinful Worship and damnable Doctrine bereaves Men of all ArguÌ„ments from Scripture or Canons for their Subjects to depend on them or to unite with them If therefore in any division of a Church it can truly be Objected to one side that they are saln from holy and true Worship and Doctrine it is not for them to plead the duty of Union or to tell People of their Obligations to unite with them If before they were the true Heads and the Regular and Canonical Bishops of those places yet would their falling into those Unchristian Errors strip them of those Claims The Union taught by Christ and the Holy Scriptures and directed by the Rules and Canons of the Church supposes Men Orthodox but is not to unite with such defectors Nor is any Charity which they can pretend to in seeking to keep all others united to themselves the Charity which he requires For that Charity which is the end of the Commandment must be out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned as St. Paul says 1 Tim. 1. 5. It must be out of a pure heart and a good conscience and so is only a seeking to have them one with us whilst we go together in keeping the Commandments or in the practice of good things not like the Charity or Love of Thieves and Murderers that associates and binds them together in the practice of ill things as St. Chrysostom notes And it must also be out of faith unfeigned and so is a seeking to unite them to our selves not in dangerous Errors but only in Orthodox and Christian Doctrines Whereas the pains that is taken to bring all over to them in the Breach of Gods Laws and embracing of Unchristian
Doctrine or to be one with them in Error and Wickedness is not Charity but destruction to those who are seduced by them If such defection from pure Worship and Doctrine is their Case the guilt of making a division lyes plainly at their doors In such Breaches St. Paul notes the Dividers from the Doctrine as making the Schism and not the faithful Adherers to it who refuse to break off from it in order to their keeping on with them Mark those as causing the Divisions or Offences who go contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned saith he Rom. 16. 17. And divisions made by such defection are incureable by any thing but their own repentance and return to their former ways Their Brethren can not heal or close them by following them in their desection because that is to be false to Truth and to their own and others Souls which are all in danger of perishing by straying from the same Nay should they do as they desire and all come over that would only be a false and seeming Cure but really make the Breach wider For the whole Body of Christians from the beginning to the end are but one Church And those Christian Societies which make up this one Church are the several Churches of all times and places All true Christians which now are or formerly have been or hereafter shall be are all Members of one and the same Body as I formerly shewed So that the Unity which good Christians are to aim at is to appear of one Society and Communion with the whole Body of faithful Christians from first to last with all the faithful who have kept to this Unity and are now in Heaven as well as with all who either now are or hereafter shall be in earth doing the same Or to be found united and in the Communion of that Body or general Collection and Assembly of Saints who shall all appear together as one Body that has kept up the Faith and Unity of the Church in opposition to all Heretical or Schismatical Oppugners thereof at the last Day And they are lamentably out and take their Aim too narrow who look only at keeping an external Union with the Assemblies and Religious Societies of their own place and time though that be in breaking off from the Way and Communion of all the faithful Christians of other places at that time and of all that are gone before them and will make them appear separately from the general Assembly and great Collection of Saints at the last Day Now true Doctrine and Worship as I have shewn are among the chief Ligaments in this Body of Christs Holy Catholick Church And if even any regular Bishops or Metropolitanes with their respective Societies or Churches break off from any necessary Truths or Worship of Christ they break off at the same time from all this great Body of faithful Christians of all other other places and times who are all united and incorporated in them and stand upon them And if these defectors appear to make the Generality or great Number in their own particular Times and Countries yet are they but a handful compared to that General Body or Collection on the other side whom they have defected and broke from and who will stand all in one compact Body against them at the last Day viz. the Catholick Church of all Times and Places So that those few faithful among them who continue sirm and stand out against their defection do not go off from the main Body or greatest Numbers but stick to them the Catholick Church of all Ages and Countries which makes the vast Body and infinitly the greatest Number being in reality with them The Catholick Church consisting of our Saviour Christ of Apostles and Prophets Martyrs and Confessors and of all the truly Faithful who have gone before us are now or shall be after us when all is done will make the Body And those few Faithful Christians sticking to this when the numerous Defectors in those Countries start from it stick to the Body So that as the Council of Constantinople declares of those who break off Communion with their Bishops yea before Synodical Sentence when once they openly teach any Heresie condemn'd by the Holy-Fathers or Councils by so doing they do not rend the Unity of the Church by Schism but study to free or defend it against Schisms or Divisions So at such times they must bespeak their Brethren as St. Cyprian did the Confessors who sided with the Schismatick Novatian Because we can not leave the Church and come over to you which instead of patching up would be to break and divide the Churches Concord and Unanimity We beseech you by all the ways we can that you would return and come back again to your Mother the Church an̄d to our Fraternity By keeping then to the necessary Doctrines and Worship of Christ of the Catholick Church and of our own Church we keep united to them and so far as we break off from these we answerably break off from them And therefore the running in of more into such defection instead of closing up the Schism would increase it It would only make the more People guilty of dividing and standing off from Christ and from the Catholick Church as that contains all Orthodox Christians and Right Churches who are gone before us or are now or shall be after us Yea from all their Ancestors during all the Successions of them to their unhappy defection in their own Church And even from themselves in all their own best dayes whilst they stood true to their own pure Worship and Orthodox Principles Which is such a way of healing Schisms as Rebellion is of remedying Grievances that is instead of taking any off it brings abundance more upon us And this makes the Charge of Schism stronger and more aggravated in the fore-mentioned Cases where the Corruptions of Doctrine and Worship make them a corrupt Church as well as the setting up of Anti-Bishops makes them a Schismatical Church There is plainly a Schism in making of Anti-Bishops which is a setting up of opposite Altars But it is a more wicked and ungodly Schism when these opposite Altars are set up for wicked and ungodly purposes to head sinful and unchristian Worship and Doctrines That Schism is complicated with Heresie or other dangerous depravation of Religion It is not only making a Breach in the Church but withal it is forming a Party against Truth and Holiness It is giving Religion a second Blow to maintain a former and setting up one ill thing to secure a worse It seeks to confederate Men in the Breach of Unity that it may hold them fast in Breach of Piety or Moral Honesty And a Schism so set up to strike at Religion is more impious in the sight of God and of all good men and the Guilt thereof is more flagrant And besides 't is incureable by any but themselves For the Schismaticks run into such
a Breach to maintain a Quarrel against Truth and Righteousness And in that they must go by themselves for none who will take any due care of their precious Souls ought to bear them company So there can be no Re-union till they return from their wicked and ungodly Schism to the way of Truth and Righteousness which they had forsaken CHAP. V. Of the Communion of good Christians or with whom they are to joyn in Divine Offices under a Schism HAving said thus much to shew on any division of Churches whilst faithful Pastors stand firm to their Ministrations in the fore-mentioned Cases who make the Schism and who can cure it I now proceed 3. In the Third place to Treat of the Communion of good Christians under a Schism and how they are to carry themselves towards Schismaticks As for their Communion 't is plain in division between Right and Wrong both as to the Church-Heads and Religious Doctrines and Worship they ought to take the right side As they who are at the Head of that are the Canonical and Rightful Bishops they are bound to communicate with them For the Rightful Bishops being the true Heads of Union the Members must keep true to their Head and hold Communion therewith And this they are ty'd to by all the Gospel-precepts about Union which require their being one or one Body or keeping the Bond of Peace in Churches For this Unity and Peace of Churches must bind them to keep united and at Peace with their Bishops who under Christ are the Governours and Spiritual Heads thereof And by that grand Vertue of Charity so often and earnestly required of the Members and that above all things that they may edifie or build up one another into a spiritual Society For this Charity which is the Bond to bind the Members together not only in private Affections but into one common Body or Church must bind them all to these Rightful Bishops who are the Heads and Rulers of that Body that by keeping united to those Bishops they may keep one Society and not be broken into several Societies And accordingly St. Cyprian presses that Charity which St. Paul makes so necessary to the acceptance of all other Vertues even Faith or Martyrdom it self as indispensably obliging all good Christians to keep in the Communion of their true and rightful Bishops as I observed before And as these true and rightful Bishops are at the Head of necessary Gospel-worship and Doctrines when their Opposers fall off from them good Christians are yet more bound to hold to their Communion They are tyed thereto then not only for the rightful Bishops but also for pure Worship and necessary Truths sake For true Christians must seek to communicate in these And that must be by communicating in the Ministrations of those Pastors which hold to them Besides these in any competition arê Christ's true Shepherds and trusty Watch-men and faithful Guides and uncorrupt Teachers and faithful Ministers because they are the Men who faithfully minister his Word and give his Warnings and dispense that Food which is to keep those Souls alive whom he has given them the Care of And all these are no idle Characters but speak answerable Obligations in the People as I have shewn before to attend on their Ministrations and unite themselves to them And this the Scripture requires in those Precepts which command us in glorifying God to have one mind and mouth to be perfectly joyn'd together in the same mind and judgment and speak the same things and the like For this speaking the same is speaking the same with those who speak right not with those who speak wrong And this Union of minds and judgments must be in uniting with men of Orthodox minds or that hold all necessary Christian Doctrines For if any fall off from these we must not be of one mind with them but of different minds I add moreover that Association and Union of Church-Members under Bishops is for visible Profession and Ministration of pure Worship and Doctrine And therefore they must unite with those Bishops who profess and administer the same Yea their care of their own Safety no less than the love of Truth will make them fly to such Pastors As the Saylors do to the next safe Port when their own is sanded or the Travellers to the next secure Inn when their old one is beset with Thieves as St. Cyprian observes in this Case And as they are thus to hold Communion and unite themselves to those rightful Bishops who keep to pure Worship and Doctrine So are they on the other hand to stand off from those who make the Schism to maintain a sinful Worship or corrupt Doctrine I do not say they are to look on these Schismaticks and Defectors as quite faln from the Relation and Title of Brethren A Schismatical or Excommunicate Christian is still a Christian not an Infidel or Heathen And whilst they continue Christians they retain though not so much Claim as others yet some Claim to Christian Brotherhood albeit they have lost their Claim to Communion Have no Company or Communion with the segregated Man saith St. Paul yet count him not as an Enemy but admonish him as a Brother 2 Thes. 3. 14. 15. And Optatus calls the Schismatical Donatists Brethren tho' they would not call the Catholicks so or be call'd so by them And says that they can not but be our Brethren though they are no good Brethren because we and they have one spiritual Nativity Their Baptism which is the Christians Birth being a valid Baptism though administred in a Schism and the Catholick Church as St. Austin says thereby generating Sons uâ—to God which Sons must be our Brethren For Brotherhood they looked on as consequent on Nativity and going along with it but Communion as going with spiritual society and conversation Though at other times by Brotherhood they understood not only the spiritual Nativity but also the spiritual society and communion of Brethren And then Hereticks and Schismaticks were shut out from that Name and Salutation But though as not having faln from their Baptism and Christianity they may on the score of their common Nativity still admit them to be Christian Brethren Yet as being schismatical and defecting Brethren they must reject and stand off from their Communion They must disown the erroneous and schismatical Bishops and Ministers disclaiming all Ecclesiastical Dependance upon them And hold off from their Religious Assemblies and not come to joyn in their Prayers and Sacraments and sacred Offices Church-communion lying mainly in joyning in these Assemblies and sacred Offices as Excommunication lyes in the excluding and debarring from the participation thereof They are to avoid them as they are Associates or Adherents of Anti-Bishops and makers of a Schism For the Scripture-direction is to mark those which cause Divisions and Offences and to avoid them Ro. 16. 17.
a Schism from other Catholick Bishops as if they made it from himself And if still he will Communicate and joyn himself to them he violates Unity and joyns in a Schism as any other Man would do who should do the same And being found in the Schism with them he would have been treated as they were and have fallen from the Communion of all other Orthodox and Catholick Bishops whose Rule was to refuse and shun the Communion of Schismaticks and of their adherents and partakers Communicating with men out of Communion he himself would be put out of Communion as the aforecited Councils say And thus it was with Marcianus Bishop of Arles when he fell to Communicate and joyn himself to Novatian who was set up as a Schismatical Anti-Bishop against Cornelius the Rightful and Canonical Bishop of Rome Thereby says St. Cyprian he himself became separate from our Communion and from the Fraternity of Catholick Bishops because Novatian was so to whom he joyned himself The Bishops met in Council in Africk answering him when he sought their Communion that not one of them could communicate with him since he had set up Altar against Altar at Rome and made a Schism from Cornelius who before was Legally Ordained the Bishop of that Church 4. Besides for surer maintenance of Union and to compact several Churches together into a closer dependance there are other Heads of Union among the Bishops themselves Such are Metropolitanes and Primates as Titus I conceive was left by St. Paul at Crete where he was to ordain Elders or Bishops in every City and Timothy at Ephesus where he is Directed how he shall exercise jurisdiction and receive accusations against Bishops which Metropolitanes and Primates are to Unite and incorporate many Bishops and their Dioceses into one Province or several Provinces by their Concurrence into one National Church And such an Head of Union the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury is among the Bishops in the English Church And the Ecclesiastical Union to be kept up among us is a Provincial yea a National Union We are to stand united by our Articles and Homilies Liturgy and Canons And these unite not only the Christians of each Diocess or District to their respective Bishops as so many Diocesan Churches but likewise the Bishops and People of all Diocesses into the Provinces of Canterbury and York and those two Provinces into one National Church Accordingly those Articles and Homilies Liturgy and Canons which are the Rules of keeping Unity among us are Provincial and National Acts pass'd by concurrence of Convocations of both Provinces where the Bishops and Clergy meet in Union with and dependance on their respective Metropolitanes who are the respective Heads thereof Now in care of Unity and the Communion of Saints the respective Bishops of each Province or Country are to keep dependant and united to their Metropolitanes The Bishops of every Nation ought to know him who is their Primate and to account him as their Head say the Apostolical Canons It behoves every Man to know his own proper measure say the Fathers in the Council of Constantinople and that neither a Presbyter contemn his own Bishop nor a Bishop contemn his own Metropolitane And bating the case of Heresie if any Bishop on pretence of other personal Crimes shall depart from the Communion of his Metropolitane before Synodical Sentence pass'd upon him he is guilty of Schism and though there is nothing else against him the Holy Synod decrees him to incur a Deposition And so strict was this dependance upon the Alexandrian Patriark or Metropolitane of Egypt binding them in all things to wait for his Sentence to do nothing without him nor beside or against his Approbation that on the deposition of their Metropolitane Dioscorus in the Council of Chaliedon the Egyptian Bishops pray they may not be compell'd to subscribe Pope Leo 's Epistles before they had a New Metropolitane to head them and accordingly their subscription was respitted by the Council till they should have got one And for maintenance of this Union of several Diocesses into one Province by a joynt-dependance of the several Bishops on their Metropolitane and adherence to him it has been the great Rule of the Catholick Church that none shall be made a Bishop of the Province without him In Consecration of Bishops the validity of all that is done shall be reserved to the Metropolitane says the great Council of Nice and if any one is Ordained a Bishop without his consent it determines and calls it a thing altogether manifest that he ought to be no Bishop It has likewise been another Rule thereof for the same purpose that no Synods for the common Concern of the Province be held without them The Metropolitanes being to summon the Bishops of the Province and it not being lawful for any to make Synods of themselves without them who have the Metropoles committed to them as the Council of Antioch declares Yea that no matters of common concern to the Church in any Country or Nation be transacted without him The Bishops of every Country and Nation being in duty bound to own him who is the chief among them c. and to do nothing that looks beyond their own Precincts or Diocesses or referring to the common state of the Church without his sentence as is Ordained in the Apostolical Canons and repeated in the Council of Antioch And the more firmly to secure this regard and dependance which for maintenance of this Provincial Union is due from Bishops to their Metroplitanes they make solemn Oath at their Ordination to pay all due Riverence and Obedience to him as in our own Office of Consecration And as there is this Provincial and National Union of Churches which is thus secured by the dependance of Bishops on their Meropolitanes so may there be National and Provincial Schisms or Breaches thereof And such there are when Bishops and their Clergy and People break off from their Metropolitane not falling or receding from his Ecclesiastical Authority over them and create to themselves an opposite Primate whom they set up against him For then they will make ordinations and hold Provincial or National Synods and dispatch matters of common or National concern without him so breaking all the Rules Provincial or National Union and dividing themselves from their Head as he is call'd in the Apostolical Canons And when once an Anti-Primate or Metropolitane is made the Head of a Schism it spreads it into all Dioceses which will own him and profess to bear Canonical Obedience and Subjection or adhere to him So that in such a Schism all Dioceses of the Province come in who do not disclaim the Schismatical Head and stand off from him 5. Lastly when there is not only a setting up of Schismatical and opposite Heads but moreover this is done in opposition to pure worship and Doctrine and to support unchristian
Corruptions of both Then the way of worship and Tenets themselves are Formed into Parties Men are divided then in opinion and devotion and each way has a distinct body or society visibly to bear them up and profess them And when opposite Communions are thus set up for opposite Worship and Articles mens Communion must go according to their Opinion of the worship and Doctrine For in a breach made for these it will not be expected that men should Unite themselves to those of a contrary minde and keep off from those of the same minde but take part with those who agree with themselves We must Chuse the Church for the sake of the Religion and Unite to that as Christs True Church which sticks to the True Religion Church-Unity and Association always supposing and following True Christian worship and Doctrine but never tying any to go off and separate themselves from the same as I shew'd †before Such will be the effect of the preceding Apostolical and Ecclesiastical Rules for keeping the Unity of the Church and for avoiding Communion with the Schismatical breakers thereof and their Assemblies when a Schism is made by setting up Anti-Bishops to Head immoral or otherwise sinful worship Doctrines or Practices as in the foremention'd Cases The meeting or Communicating in a Schism has a Guilt and Criminalness of its own tho' the matter of all the Prayers were Good and the Preaching Orthodox which they were call'd to communicate in â—â— It alone were a Bar to Communion and would have the forecited Effects as I have shewn But 't is stronger when 't is set up for the Maintenance of Error and corrupt Devotion and when Men are 〈◊〉 into Schism to be drawn on to other Wickedness viz. to make 〈◊〉 of Moral Conscience and to prophane God by immoral-Prayers as they are in the above-named Cases CHAP. VI. Of Ordinations of Anti-Bishops which though always Schismatical are not always Nullities WHat I have said in the foregoing Chapter I think may be sufficient as to the Point of Communion with Anti-Bishops and then Adherents But I conceive it may not be amiss to add something further concerning their Orders since the validity or invalidity thereof â—â— of greatest Consequence and Importance to the Church at such Times One thing indeed is said by St. Cyprian about the Ordaining an opposite or Anti-Bishop against another in a Church already fill'd as when Novatiâ—n was set up at Rome against Cornelius viz. That the Anti-Bishop is no Bishop whence some conclude that in reality he has not the Episcopal Powers conferr'd on him Since after the first there cannot be a second Bishop says he or two Bishops at once in the same Church whosoever is Ordain'd after one is already in who ought to preside alone he is not really a second Bishop but no Bishop at all And if such opposite or Anti-Bishops receive or retain no Episcopal Powers 't is sure they can confer none And then they are really neither Bishops not Priests who are Ordained by them And so neither good Baptisms at least according to the Opinion of the Africanes nor good Sacraments which are of their administring As St. Cyprian and the Africanes answerable to this nulling of the Ordinations null also the Baptisms made by Schismaticks And then on every Ordination of Anti-Bishops against them there would be a new and indispensible Necessity for all the suffering and oppugned Bishops to insist upon their own Powers and Claims lest otherwise the Church should neither have Bishops nor Priests nor the People any valid Sacraments and Church Administrations For the Anti Bishops receiving no Power or Authority for these Administrations from their Ordainers their Ordination being null as he says They can not be impowered according to the Christian Rules of conferring Powers without a New Ordination The conferring of Orders or of Ministerial Powers is tyed by our Lord himself to a particular way viz. Imposition of hands by impowered Persons In point of Orders as of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist the effect is affixed to the Rite of God's Institution So that such Imposition of Hands must give them And if the former Imposition of Hands was null in these Competitions they can not have these Powers of Orders but by a New one The receding of the former Bishop or his ceasing to make any further Competition were they already vested with these Powers by their own Ordination would give the Anti-Bishops scope to exercise the same and to do it alone without any Rent or Division But such Recession is no Ordination nor gives them the Episcopal Powers if they had them not before Yea I add nor would any mere Allowance or after-Ratification of Synods confer the same as I conceive without such New and Valid Imposition of hands When Men pretend they have already received these Spiritual Powers meet Allowance admits of their Pretences But I see not how that alone should confer the Powers if before they wanted them Nor doth mere saying I allow thee to be a Bishop or a Priest without Words not only pre-supposing but actually and from that time conferring Authority upon the Persons seem enough to make them such Which in my Apprehension would make little of the Power of Orders and would be a very lax and cheap Salvo to make good the Usurpations which either now or at any time heretofore have been made by Sectaries upon the Priests Office Besides when they would empower Persons even Synods themselves or Bishops met there can not confer Orders as I say more than Sacraments by what way they please but are bound up as I apprehend to Divine Institutions and are not left to dispose of Ministerial or Episcopal Powers by way of Sentence or of Legislation but only by Imposition of Episcopal Hands But however it might be in the Opinion of St. Cyprian and the African Church of that Age the Africans carrying the effect of Schism farther than others to the Nulling of their Baptisms and Ordinations I think this nulling of all Ordinations of Opposite or Anti-Bishops or making them null in themselves is no Catholick Doctrine nor did the Church tye it self thereto or procede thereby in other Ages The two most Famous Schisms headed by opposite or Anti-Bishops in the Primitive Times and consisting of Men who retain'd the same Faith with the Catholick Church were those of the Novatians and Donaâ—ists But the Ordinations of Anti-Bishops were allow'd to make Men Bishops and Priests in both these Cases One was the Schism of the Novatians which I think presents us with the first setting up of Anti-Bishops in the Christian Church against other Bishops keeping to the same Faith that was profess'd by themselves and which is of the more Account in this Case because of this St. â—yprian himself speaks saying on Account of Novatian when he set up as an Anti-Bishop against Cornelius that the second Bishop is not really secundus but nullus not a second
but none at all This Ordination of Novatian against Cornelius intail'd a great Division and Competition of opposite Heads upon the Church And the Novatians as may be seen in Sozomen could produce a Succession of Bishops set up to head their Party against the Catholick Bishops in the great Churches But yet excepting St. Cyprian and the Africanes whom St. Basil Notes to have strained the Effects of Schism too far and to have out-shot the Mark in these Points though these were Anti-Bishops the Catholick Church did not look upon them and the Priests Ordain'd by them as meer Lay-men or null their Ordinations Baptisms or other Church-ministrations For on their Return to the Catholick Church the great Council of Nice Decrees That such of them as should be found in the Clergy should be in the same Order and Degree as they had been Ordained to in their own Party And that * having received imposition of Hands or being Ordained before So according to their Degree they should remain in the Rank of the Clergy So that in any City or Town if there were none else in Orders they still should be the Bishops and Priests thereof But if at the Time of their Reconciliation there should be a Catholick Bishop or Priest living there that then the Catholick should have Preference and the Novatian should be content with the Title of a Bishop without the Administration or with a Presbyter or Chorepiscopus's Place that there may not be two Bishops in a City at once Yea and before such Return or Reconciliation to the Church in great straitness or want of opportunities for Worship otherwise the Catholicks resorted to their Churches to partake of Ministerial Offices from them as Sozomen reports they did in the Arian Persecution under Constantius The Other was the Schism of the Donatists begun by Men professing the same Faith by the setting up of Majorinus as and opposite or Anti-Bishop against Caecilian the true and Canonical Bishop of Carthage This Schism set Africk in a Flame and quickly multiplyed into a Number of Anti-Bishops and their Abettors to confront the regular Bishops of the African Churches The Case of these Anti Bishops came about the Year of Christ 314 to be determined by the Synod under Melchiades at Rome And there to heal the Division Melchiades and the Synod as St. Austin relates declared their readiness to send Communicatory Letters to them even to those that appeared to be of Majorinus 's Ordination And decreed that wherescever by reason of the Breach there were two Bishops he should be confirmed who was first Ordained and that for the other another Church or Bishoprick should be provided Which St. Austin applauds as an innocent and perfect a provident and pacifick Judgment And afterwards in the Council of Carthage under Aurelius about the Year of Christ 419. whereas St. Austin himself was present concerning the Reception of the Donatists into the Church 't is decreed That the Donatist Clergy on their return to the Church shall be received in their proper Honours or Degrees of Orders like as 't is manifest they have been received in Africk in Times foregoing And when any People or Diocess are converted from Donatism if at the time of their Conversion they have Donatist Bishops who come over with them without Controversie say they in another Canon they may have them still Besides these famous Instances of opposite or Anti-Bishops the same may likewise appear of others Flavianus from a Presbyter of that Church was set up as an Anti-Bishop and Ordained at Antioch against Paulinus who had for a good while lived a Bishop of the Orthodox in that Church and by Agreement with his Competitor Meletius sworn to by Flavianus himself was to hold it alone without any New Opposition after Meletius 's Death This Paulinus moreover after the setting up of Flavianus against him was owned for the Bishop of Antioch not only by the Bishops of Egypt of Arabia and Cyprus but also by the Bishop of Rome and the Occidentals who directed their Synodical Epistles to him and none to Flavianus as is related by Socrates and Sozomen But yet Flavianus's Ordination was not judged null the great Chrysostom himself having his Priests Orders from him as may be learn'd from Pallqdius and whilst he was one of his Presbyters preaching such excellent Homilies as we have of his to the People of Antioch And without any pretence of Nullity in his Ordination on account the Church was fill'd by Paulirus at the time thereof after the death of Paulinus and of his Successor Euagrius without any New Ordination he was admitted to Communion both by the Bishops of Alexandria and Rome who had rejected him as a Schismatical Bishop whilst Paulisus and Euagrius were alive In the Succession of Bishops in the Church of Rome there have been numerous Ordinations of opposite or Anti-bishops which have made no fewer than 27 Schisms And some of them of long continuance that by the Ordination of Clemens 7th as an Anti-bishop against Urban 6th being reckoned to have lasted Fifty Years But neither these Anti-bishops nor those Ordained by them have been thought to want the Powers of Orders nor to make any breach of the continued Series and Succession of Apostolical Ordination in that Church Nor is it judged to do so by our selves we concluding our own to be a right and uninterrupted Succession of Orders and not difowing it in good part at least to be derived from them In the Arian Persecution of Athanasius and the Orthodox Faith numerous were the unjust Deprivations of Orthodox Bishops as of Athanasius at Alexandria Paulus at Constantinople Liberius at Rome Asclepas at Gaza Lucius at Adrianople c. These Bishops being deposed for their adherence to the Truth there was a Nullity in their deprivations as I shewed before and notwithstanding those deprivations they still fill'd those Churches and were the true Bishops thereof and accordingly were communicated with and received as such by the Western Synods And that because the depositions were not really for other Faults which were falsly fixed upon their Persons but for their holding the Nicene Faith as the Sufferers pleaded and upon Examination the Synods and the Emperour Constans found But on their depositions Anti-bishops were set up against them and obtruded on their seeral Churches * as Gregory and afterwards George were against Athanasius at Alexandria and Eusebins of Niconiedia and after him Macedonius were against Paulus at Constantinople and Felix against Liberius at Rome and Quintianus against Asclepas at Gaza not to mention others in other places And yet these Anti-bishops being for the most part Hen â—â—ul as well as Schismatical Bishops were not held to want the Powers of others nor if any of them left their Heresies and returned to the Faith of the Church was there any new Ordination required of them or of
removed from the Honour of the Priesthood and Clerical Orders Accordingly Basilides the Bishop after he had denyed and cursed Christ was very thankful as he says and looked upon it as a great Favour to him that he could be received to communicate as a Lay-man And likewise Trophimus the Bishop when he had sacrificed to Idols was admitted as he tells Antotianus only to communicate as a Lay-man not to usurp the Priests Office any more as some malicious persons had inform'd him which made Antonianus complain of the same to Cyprian as a Violation of this known Rule of Discipline And in Vertue of this being the known and received Rule of the Church the Donatists sought to invalidate and overthrow the Ordination of Caecilian against whom they had set up their Anti-bishop Majorinus at Carthage pretending that Caecilians Ordainers particularly Faelix of Aptisng had been Traditors in the precedeing Persecution or had faln from Christ and deliver'd up their Bibles to be burnt by their persecutors Which Charge had it been true as it was false would have been received and owned for a just Exception on both sides And the Catholicks would have rejected Caecilian till he could make out some better Ordination as well as the Council of Nice did these Egyptian Anti-bishops that had no better Ordainer than Meletius who stood guilty of the like Offence But it was rejected in Caecilians Case as being a malicious Forgery the Donatists thereby impudently laying their own Crimes on others hoping that would hinder men from inquiring after the same in themselves Indeed as Epiphanius relates this Matter Meletius made this Schism and Ordained these Anti-bishops not after he had sacrificed to Idols and had been Synodically condemned by Peter for the same but whilst he as well as Peter was a stout Confessor for the Faith against Idols and in his Zeal for the Discipline of the Church against Peters easiness in admitting the Lapsers who sought to them whilst they were together in Prison for the peace of the Church But Athanasius who was nearer to this Transaction and who after some others was chosen to suâ—ceed Peter in the same Church is more like to understand the Truth of this Affair than Epiphanius was Whom Baronius and Petavius look upon as mislead into this account by some false Acts or Histories of the Meletians who dealt injuriously with Peter and the Catholicks in Egypt like as the Donatists did with Caecilian and those Catholicks in Africk on whom they labour'd to fix the Crime of being Traditors whereof the Catholicks were free but they themselves were notoriously guilty Thus though their Orders were valid in themselves without which they could have been received at no time yet have they not always availed to Claim and obtain the Churches Communion without which the persons could not be received by the Faithful to exercise the same And this has been when the Church saw fit and expedient to insist upon the Rules of Unity in Ordinations and more vigorously to assert Ecclesiastical Law and Discipline And this it might assert or relax as it saw Cause Ecclesiastical Law and Discipline is not a Rule of indispensible Obligation to the Church but such as it may and oft-times has receded from on great reason and necessity What Rules the Church makes the Church may alter and go off from in particular Cases as need shall require and as may best serve those ends for which it made them Accordingly Rules of Discipline have not been one and the same in all Ages For to omit others the ancient Councils asserted the free Election of Bishops nominated here by the Prince to the Bishops of the Province And for bid the Translation of Bishops from poorer to richer Sees And the Attendance of Bishops about Courts of Princes the Council of Antioch confirmed afterwards at Chalcedon and in Trullo forbidding them to go to the Emperor without the approbation and Letters of the Metropolitane And excluded both Bishops and Clergy from intermealing and incumbring themselves with Secular Trusts and Administrations All which are otherwise in these latter Ages And such Rules of Discipline as have been observed more strictly have not had one equal and uniform Tenor of Observation but have been sometimes remitted and sometimes exacted and stood upon as the Church was driven thereto by prudential Reason Thus it has been with the Canons or Rules of Discipline about Ordinations Which as the Church has sometimes insisted on as I noted to vacate the Ordinations which any Bishops made against them I mean to deny the Persons its Communion without which whatever powers of Orders they had received they could not be received in any Assemblies of the Faithful to exercise the same So were they at other times relaxed and over-ruled by the necessities of the Church and the Persons on their reconciliation admitted to officiate in vertue of such Orders as I think may abundantly appear by the fore-cited instances And this very Reason is given for it by the African Fathers in the Synod of Carthage when they admit of the Ordinations of the Donatists which the Transmarine or Italian Synod had rejected telling Pope Anastasius that this Reception of them to the same Orders was for the great necessity of Africk for a †better provision for Catholick Unity and for the benefit and peace of the Church These instances and proofs I think may be sufficient to shew that Anti-bishops and others of their Ordination have Orders though being in a Schism the Faithful ought not to joyn with them in their use thereof Their Schism makes them Sinners in receiving and in using their Orders and shuts out others from communicating therewith But it doth not utterly destroy and null their Orders nor must it be said I conceive that by such sinful Ordination they receive nothing or that whatever they had formerly received they lose by falling into Schism so as that thenceforward they have no Orders nor are Bishops or Priests at all The Donatists indeed as St. Austin reports asserted this and taught that by breaking off from the Church though men did not lose the Baptism which they had received before yet they lost their Orders or the Authority and Power of Baptizing And on pretence thereof they re-baptized those who since the Breach had been baptized by any of the Catholick Clergy As to which he owns that whilst they continue in their Schism they sin in exercising their Orders They do not do right saith he in giving Baptism to others whilst they themselves are broken off from the Church And it is to their own destruction so long as they have not the Charity of Union The having Baptism themselves and confering it on others are both pernicious whilst they continue out of the Bond of Peace But though they ought not to use these powers till they have amended their Schism yet as he
says they have them if they will use them and the Acts of Orders are not Nullities which are done by them There is no Question now to be made saith he and it has been a thing discussed considered and established through the whole World that they who are broken off from the Unity of the Church do for all that retain both their Baptism and their Orders or Power of Baptizing When correcting the Error of their Schism they are received to the Unity and Peace of the Church if it seem needful or expedient to have them bear their former Offices their Prelates are not to be Ordain'd again but as their former Baptism so their former Ordination remains intire in them For their Fault lay in their Schism which is corrected by their being settled anem in the peace of Uâ—ity not in the holy institutions either of Bapism or Orders which wheresoever they are really are of validity Yea and when on such reception to the Communion of the Church it seems expedient not to admit them to the administration of their former Orders yet even there adds he is not the power of Orders withdrawn from them but remains still lodged in them Which also may appear from hence because on their Reconciliation they are not made to stand among the Penitents as other Offenders among the people are and there to receive penance and absolution by imposition of hands Which is omitted towards them not because it would be an injury to their persons Schism being as Criminal if not more Criminal in them than it is in others but because it would be an injury to their Orders which Orders therefore must be still inherent in them at that time to give them that Exemption For no person in Holy Orders as Bishops Priests and Deacons was lyable or ever made to do penance by the ancient Rules and Discipline of the Church And before them St. Cyprian and the Africanes of his Age together with Firmilian of Caesarea in Cappadocea carryed the effect of Schism so far as quite to set asi e all Ministerial Acts of Schismaticks And on that Account they equally null'd both their Ordinations and their Baptisms The powers of Baptizing and Ordaining and of doing other Ministerial Acts are powers of the Holy Ghost And by Schism in their Account the Schismaticks fell from the Grace of the Holy Ghost and having lost it themselves were no longer empowered to confer it on others either in Baptism or Ordination being thence forward as to these powers as meer Lay-men as St. Basil recites their Opinion But this St. Basil thinks was a straining things too far and others of Asia as he says were altogether of another Opinion So in his Canonical Epistle which was received into the Code of the Universal Church by the sixth Council in Trullo he admits those Ministerial Acts and Baptisms when done by Bishops or by others of their Ordination in a Schism Yea and even Cyprian and those Africanes who were for nulling these Acts and Baptisms of Scismaticks seem to have been for this only in regard to their own Communion or by denying Communion to them in their own Churches in way of asserting Discipline and Canons but not to have thought them naturally and essentially null in themselves And this I think is plain from hence Because though in care to keep up Discipline they null'd these Acts as to their own Communion in the case of any of their own Members Yet they declare that if any other Churches admit them they will not break Communion with them on account thereof We judge none nor will exclude any from our Communion who shall be of another Opinion says St. Cyprian at the Head of the Council of Carthage when they made this Determination And again in another Council when they writ to Stephen of Rome to concur with them in rejecting not only the Baptism but the Ordination of Men in Heresie or Schism and in receiving them when they returned to the Church only to Lay-communion They declare that if any of their Brethren who have imbihed another Opinion are still for sticking to their former Sentiments they are not forcing any nor for breaking Communion with those who are for preserving that Bond of Concord and Peace which ought to be upheld in the College of Bishops So that if any Persons of such Baptism or Ordination came to them with Communicatory Letters from any other Bishops they would admit them to all Acts whether of Lay or Clerical Communion in Carthage and Africk which they had been admitted to at home the denyal whereof as I shewed before had been to break Communion with other Churches which they disclaim And if they would admit them to communicate thus with them in their Churches they could not think either their Baptisms or Ordinations null in themselves For the Communion professed in the Creed is a Communion of Saints or Christians who are listed or made Christians by Baptism and Clergy-men by Ordinaetion and there is no admission of Un-baptized Persons to those Acts which are proper to the Faithful or of Un-ordained Persons to those Priviledges and Functions which are peculiar to the Clergy in the Church 〈◊〉 Christ. But against all this it may be Objected that there it to be but one Bishop at once in a Church as St. Cyprian alledges and as the great Council of Nice afterwards provides and that the Bishop in the Church is the Principle of Unity And that the admission of the Ordination of Anti-bishops will be against the Nature of the Spiritual Monarchy the Nature of Monarchy not admitting of two at once And as the Throne can hold but one so the Electors where the Monarchy goes by Election can chuse but one who being once chosen they can elect no more nor can confer the same powers on any other till the Throne becomes vacant again But as to the Bishops being the principle of Unity that respects the Peoples Duty of holding Communion with him his being the Principle of Unity to the Church binding the Church to depend on him and incorporate under him and to communicate with him And as to this the Members who are already subject to a rightful Bishop are not to admit of a second Bishop That is if such an one is set up they are not to unite themselves to him and turn over to his Communion as I think may sufficiently appear from what I have above discoursed on that Point but are to stand off from him as from one that makes a Schism And thus every Church as a Spiritual Monarchy is not to be possessed by two at once since all must adhere to one And though the second who is set up in opposition be a Bishop yet he is not their Bishop nor may any of them break off from their rightful Head to joyn in his Communion But though the Anti-bishop in any
Church can not oblige or hold all the Members thereof to himself as the principle of Unity yet may he have all that is of the essence of Episcopacy For to be an Head of Union in the Church is not of the essence of a Bishop It may be separate from the Episcopal powers as it is in all Bishops falling into Heresie or Schism For they are no longer Heads of Union since none are bound to follow them but all are to break Communion with them But yet they are Bishops still and do not thereby fall from the powers of Ordination nor on their Re-union to the Church need to be Ordained again 'T is true one main use of Episcopacy is to be a means of Unity But yet it is not so for this use as to be nnll or cease when it misses or fails thereof Even as Baptism or the Eucharist are for Unity We being all baptized into one Body and being one Body as partaking all of one Bread as the Apostle says But yet they do not always cease or fail of their effects when administred in breach thereof and Baptism as was held by the ancient Church and as we all hold now is still valid though performed by Schismaticks When they miss of this they have other uses As the Sacraments besides keeping Unity among the Members enter and ratifie the Covenant of Grace And Episcopacy besides the use of keeping the Church one and unbroken is for administration of the Word of Prayers and Sacraments and for Ordaining others to do the same And though all these ought to be exercised in the Unity of the Church and 't is a great Sin when 't is otherwise yet such sinful Exercises are no Nullities as if the Persons had no powers or as if the Administrations had no effect at all In the State Monarchy I grant that the Regal Powers and this use of their being a principle of State-Unity are more closely and constantly connected And that as he who has the Regal Powers is the principle of State-Union so he who is no such principle and to whom the People are not bound to unite has truly no Regal Authority or Powers And in Elective Kingdoms if whilst the Throne is full the Electors whose power of choosing is only in Vacancies pretend to choose another they really confer no Regal power nor make a King but an Usurper This is because secular powers are more limited to Territories and Precincts and because no King can be a King at large but must only be a King of such or such a Place or Countries But in the Spiritual Monarchy 't is otherwise For the Collation and Reception of the Episcopal Powers is not with precise Limitation to such a particular place or Diocess but indefinite or with respect to the Church at large Or expressed as it is in our Form of Ordination by receiving of the Holy Ghost for the Office of a Bishop for the Church of God Which makes any person not a meer Local but a Catholick Bishop or one vested with Episcopal powers and under no want of inherent Authority to exercise Episcopal Acts if as a Conscientious Lover of Unity he be not otherwise restrained by Rules of maintaining Unity and Order in any part of the World The first Bishops being chosen from among the first Converts were first vested with powers and then by gathering more Profelites were to get Subjects and inlarge Territories being Ordain'd Bishops of those who should afterwards believe as St. Clement says And the Holy Apostles who stood vested with all the Episcopal powers were not tyed to any place but by Christs Commission were left equally and indefinitely to the whole Church And till the great Council of Chalcedon which was held about the Year of Christ 451. were the Periodeutai or Circuitors so called as Zonoras observes because they were to go about hither and thither to keep the Faithful in their Duty not having any fixt Place or Chair of their own At the Synod of Laodicea about the Year of Christ 36â— 't is left to these Periodeutas to supply the want of Fixt Bishops in those places and Countries that were not thought considerable enough to have a Bishop fixed among them And afterwards at the time of the Council of Chalcedon mention is again made of them As of one Balentius whom being a scandalous Liver Ibaâ— is accused in the Council to have Ordained Presbyter and Periodeutes And of one Alexander who in the same Council is styled the most Reverend Presbyter and Periodeutes This great Council of Chalcedon indeed forbids any Presbyter or Deacon to be Ordain'd absolutely or at large i. e. without having and declaring the appropriate place or seat wherein he is to officiate and vacates the Ordinations which shall be made otherwise And the same has been done since by the Canons of other Councils forbidding any to be Ordain'd sine Titulo without a Title to some certain Place or Benefice But these Local Limitations or Appropriations of place in giving Orders come not in for the necessity and essence of Ordination And therefore some are excepted therein and allowed still to be Ordain'd without them whose Ordinations are notwithstanding as valid as theirs who are Ordain'd with them Thus Fellows and Chaplains of Colleges and Masters of Arts who have been able to live five years of themselves in the Universities c. are excepted by our own Canon and they who have Patrimony and Provision of Maintenance of their own other ways are excepted by the Canon of the Council of Lateran And if such Limitation of place were of the essence of Ordination they could be but once placed as they are once Ordain'd and not remove from place to place without a new Ordination But they were brought in for a prudent provision to keep the Clergy from being burthensome or to prevent more entring into Orders than are requisite for the Churches Needs or can live upon its maintenance as appears by the Canons themselves Moreover Bishops when for this purpose and for maintenance of Unity and Order they are tyed up to places in their Administrations besides the local relation of Bishops of such a place who are to have a more special regard for their own proper Division they stand also as I have already shewed under another relation of Cathalik Bishops or of Bishops of the Church at large who as there is need of it and as occasion is offered are to have a general inspection and regard too for all the rest The collection of all Churches as St. Cyprian says is but one Episcopate and those many People who are fed and inspected by so many Pastors make all but one Flock Whereof particular Dividends are so intrusted to every single Bishop as to make them stand obliged and accountable not only for their own rata pars that is their proper share or division but as Partners in
a Bond each of them pro solide i. e. for the whole sum These local Limitations and Appropriations of Precincts to have every Bishop the Bishop of some place and to have but one Bishop at a time in a City or Place are great and necessary Rules 't is true of Order and Unity And all the Pastoral Powers are most highly served by having them to direct their Exercise and would be mightily disturbed and hindred of their end by the want thereof So that they are conscientiously and carefully to be observed and maintain'd in the Church But their Necessity is for Order and Unity not for the Being of Episcopacy And when there are two Bishops heading seperate Churches at once in a place that duplicity must only prove one to be a Schifmatick but doth not prove him as I think may sufficiently appear from what has been here discoursed to be no Bishop Nay while this separation of Churches could be without the Guilt of Schism as it was in the first standing off of the Jews from the Gentile Converts and as the blessed Apostles themselves allow'd it should be for a time till the Jews could be brought to see the Lawfulness of communicating with Gentiles which was contrary to all their former received Opinions I say whilst such separation was to be tolerated without imputation of Schism to suit the necessity of the Church during their prejudices 't is very likely there were two Bishops set up in the same place by the Holy Apostles themselves Thus in the City of Rome 't is probable that at first there were at once two Churches one of Jews and the other of Gentiles gather'd there by the two Great Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul Epiphanius says of both these Apostles that at Rome they were both the first Apostles and the first Bishops And sets down the Bishops in the first Succession of that Church double Of the Roman Bishops this says he is the succession Peter and Paul Linus and Cletus Clemens Euirdstus Alexander Xystus and so on And this is thought to be the best Reconciliation of those various accounts of the first Successors to the Holy Apostles in that Church And the like may reasonably be thought of other Churches where Jews and Gentiles lived intermixed Epiphanius noting it as a thing extraordinary and unusual in the Church of Alexandria which was a place much inhabited and resorted to by the Jews and where the first Church was planted by St. Mark who was made Bishop thereof by St. Peter the Apostle of the Jews that it had never at any time had two Bishops in the same City at once like other Cities So that what the having of two Bishops in the same City at once strikes at is the Duty of Church-Unity But where it could be tolerated without imputation of Schism and was not destructive of the required Unity as it was not in those first beginnings of the Church when God was pleased for a time to tolerate the former separation between Jews and Gentiles till the Jews had out-grown their Prejudices against communion with Gentiles it was not destructive of or inconsistent with the Being of Episcopacy Thus is not the opposite or Anti-bishops Ordination but only his Communion excluded by having but one Bishop in a Church at a time and by the rightful Bishops being the Principle of Church-Union Because another is their rightful Bishop he can not be the Bishop of that place or Diocess since they can not have two Bishops at once And because that other is their principle of Union they are not to communicate with him as I have shewn at large in the preceding Chapters But though he is not their Bishop nor is to have the communion of the Faithful by reason of his Schism yet he may be a Bishop and have the powers of Orders by imposition of Episcopal Hands in his own Ordination So that among such Anti-bishops and their adherents we are to lament the loss of Unity and Church communion but not of all Orders and Baptisms as if by such Schism they were rendered utterly uncapable either to baptize or ordain and so were like to have neither Priesthood nor Christianity left among them CHAP. VII Of the Excuseableness of the Peoples receiving Ministerial Offices from Men in a Schism rather than live without any at all BUT under such Divisions the rightful Bishops and Clergy supposing the sufferers to be in the right may be too few to give general opportunities for all those good Christians who would keep to them to communicate in Ministerial Offices And in vast numbers of places for the People to shun communion with the Clergy adhering to the Anti-bishops or taking part with them will be to have no communion at all in any Ministerial Offices since they can not have them from any others I do not say it will be so with the Clergy themselves whose part and place being to afford Ministerial Offices they need not want them unless they please and if they can have any though but one or two to joyn with them therein they may minister in an Holy Assembly who have Christ in the midst of them as he himself says But though they will not fall under this necessity nor have such ground to plead the favour of this Case yet the People often may And supposing the Schism what is to be done by the People in this case If they are careful to shun these Ministerial Offices from the hands of Schismaticks in places where they can have them from others may they not without imputation of overlooking the criminalness of Schism have recourse to them as a Make-shift especially if they profess and give out that they do it only on that account where they can have none else or rather than live without any at all I hope they may and that the necessity of having publick Worship and Ministerial Offices will excuse the faâ—iltiness and obliquity of having it at the hands of one communicating in a Schism or out of the Unity of the Church To perswade this I observe that Schism is breaking the one Body into Parties or making sedition in the Church And the spirit of Schism or the malignity of having to do with a Sedition or Party is as it is an owning or espâ—usal thereof and that in opposition to the true Body But when in mere necessity men who live among them have to do with such and profess they take up with them only because they are in want of others whom as they ought so they gladly would associate and joyn with such profess'd serving of their own necessity and disapproving of the others Party is not to own and espouse them And much less is it to take their part and stand by them against the true body since this coming near them at all is only for want thereof and before they appear to oppose the right they should be put into the
Images but also in their Synagogues or High Places But now all this Communion of the good people among them was Communicateing with those who Minister'd in a Schism For the Altar at Jerusalem God himself had appointed as the only Altar whereon they should offer any burnt offering setting it up for the Principle of Union or as that which should compact together or keep at one all the Tribes of the Jewish Church and Nation And the New Altars at Dan and Bethel were set up by Jeroboam in opposition to the one Altar at Jerusalem As were also all those other Altars which the people set up and whereat they offer'd sacrifice and burnt incense in the usual places of their Religious Assemblies all the Children of Israel being required every Sabbath Day and at other set-times to hold holy Convocations in all their Dwellings Or in their High-Places where Jeroboam built him Houses for Worship at the same time when he set up his Golden Calves at Dan and Bethel and made Priests for them of the lowest of the people out of which Priests of High-places he took some to be Priests at his Altar at Bethel At which high-places when they were free from all Heathen Idols the people for their devotion and convenience were very prone and strongly bent to offer their incense and oblations as their Ancestors had done in the days of Samuel and also of Solomon before the building of the Temple And thus Prone they were not only in the ten Tribes of Israel but in that of Judah too where under great and careful Reformations of Religion in other respects we read so often of the peoples burning incense still and offering sacrifices in the high-places As under Jehosophat and Azariah and Jotham and under Mannasseh after his Repentance and Restoration to his Throne when though he reformed Religion nevertheless the people did sacrifice still in the high-places yet unto the Lord their God only So that the Priests in the ten Tribes offering all their sacrifices at one or other of these opposite altars set up altar against altar and call'd all the people to take part with new altars or to become guilty of a Schism Of the Criminallness and danger whereof they were admonish'd by Hezekiah who sent Posts and Proclamations thro' all Israel to invite and call them to come and keep the pass-over at Jerusalem according to what is written And this to prevent Gods further wrath and carrying of the Remnant away to Babylon whither for this among other provocations he had already carryed part of them Yet the necessity of some publick worship or ministerial offices Legitimated this Communion of good people in all lawful services with these Schismatical Ministers after the division when the Kingdoms being no longer one the people were stopped from going up to worship at Jerusalem 2. It did the same in Legitimating Communion with the Schismatical Novatians when the Catholicks were sore straightned by the persecuting Arians and at a loss for ministerial offices in other places The persecuting Arians were not for Tolerating opposite Communions but for forceing all others to Communicate with themselves Persecuting as Socrates relates not only the Catholicks but also the Novatians because tho' Schismaticks as to point of Discipline and Anti-Bishops they were Orthodox concerning the Nicene Faith But their greatest severities were against the Catholicks to whom as Sozomen sayes they left no Oratories treating the Schismatical Novatians something more gently to whom as Socrates adds they allowed three Churches even in the Royal City or Constantinople it self Now in this want of Catholick Oratories or of Ministerial Offices in adherence and unity with their own Bishops The Catholicks say Socrates and Sozomen resorted to the Novatian Churches and joyned in their Assemblies and Prayers And yet at that time when they did this the Novatians were Schismaticks who having an Anti-Bishop of their own distinct from the Catholick Bishop of that Church and being incorporated as a Distinct Body under him thereby kept up two Heads and two Bodies in the same Church which I think is plainly a state of Schism Yea and those Rigors of refusing reconciliation to those who had falln in persecution on pretence whereof they fell into this Schism at first by ordaining Novatian an Anti-Bishop at Rome against Cornelius they still kept on And by reason of this which they alledged and insisted on as their Original or Ancient Precept they refused as the aforesaid Authors testifie to come to a perfect Union And accordingly the Communion which they both mention as passing betwixt them is a Communion in Prayers because according to this Ancient Precept alledged the Novatians denyed the Communion of Mysteries or Sacraments which are the Seal of Remission which in the case of those who had fallen they would reserve as Socrates observes to God himself So that what Communion the Catholicks thought it excusable to hold with them in this Necessity or want of Ministerial Offices from their own Clergy was held with men who plainly Officiated in a state of Schism 3. It did the same in our own great Rebellion when our Bishops were all driven cut and Deposed with the King For then the Orthodox and Loyal-Adherents of the King and Bishops took up with the Communion of the Parish Churches and thought that for the sake of publick worship and ministerial offices they might do so where they had no Ministers of their own to Communicate with And yet what Assemblies were not only in a more barefaced and wicked Rebellion but also in a more Flagrant Schism than the establish'd and complying Churches and Assemblies of that time So that in the Opinion of those our Ancestors it was a good excuse for having Divine offices in such Assemblies when they could have better no where else 4. Lastly this necessity of having some Ministerial offices is generally thought to Legitâ—mate Communion in those Churches which have no Bishops Thus it is in some Forreign Protestant Churches who have no Bishops to Head and Unite them as our own Churches had not here at home in the days of the Great Rebelâ—ion And yet the people there must Unite with their ministrations because they must Unite with some They must have some Divine service and Religion And if they must have it they must resort to some who Minister it And if they can have no Ministration thereof in an Episcopal Communion they must take up with it from such other as they can have I speak of the case of the People in those Churches and it is not the Clergies but their Liberty of taking up with Ministerial Offices from the hands of Schismaticks in want of others which I am here discoursing of And in their case the necessity is full for their excuse For 't is plain they can not have those Ministrations in Episcopal Communion
unless their Clergy whom they can resort to for the same would receive Episcopal Ordination And since in the place where their Lot is faln they can not have Episcopal Communion they will be excused for wanting it Though worshipping God or communicating in Ministerial Offices is a natural duty yet the confining this to the communion of a Bishop is a positive Limitation And necessity though it can discharge no natural duties yet may sometimes excuse and supersede positives So that when they can not communicate in Ministerial Offices under Bishops they will be excused I hope for communicating in the same without them And as to the Clergy though I will not here discuss or determine their case yet is this necessity where it can be justly and fully pleaded thought by many to bid fair for excusing warranting them in Ministring without Episcopal Powers For at one time the Priest hood belonged to the First-born At first it was lodged in the Patriarks And thus we read of Abraham that he would command and instruct his Children and his House-hold after him in the true Religion Gen. 18. 18. And of him and Jacob and Job and other Patriarks offering Sacrifices And from the Patriarks it came to be vested in the First-born till the Levites among the Jews were appropriated and given to God in exchange for them Numb 3. 41. And this limiting it afterwards to one Tribe or Family as the Line of Aaron among the Jews or to men Episcopally called and Ordained as it is among the Christians were Limitations of positive institution And therefore necessity which supersedes or excuses the want of positives though it leave them still under the force of Naturals is thought to bid fair towards taking off the exactness of these latter Restraints and bearing men out in parting from them in those things where they can not avoid it so long as they still keep close to them in others where they can if they have this necessity honestly and fairly to plead for themselves Now if this necessity of Peoples communicating in Ministerial Offices will excuse their communicating with Ministers who have no Bishops I see not but it should do the same in point of communicating with Ministers who are broke off from their own Bishop For surely it is a more flagrant breach of Union to break off from Episcopacy it self than from any particular Bishop and a deeper Schism to cast off all Bishops than to cast off one And therefore that necessity of communicating in Ministerial Offices which is allow'd to legitimate and excuse the one will not be denyed to legitimate and excuse the other too 4. Besides this of Gods People having held and practised thus under the greatest Schisms of former times in further confirmation of this Liberty I observe Lastly how it has done the same to give Relief in some other compassionable cases about communion which have only like Plea for abatements as this case has For great purposes and what will be alleadged greater than preventing a total want of publick worship and Ministerial Offices the Church has abated in shunning the communion of Schismaticks especially before they are cut off by judicial Censures and of excommunicate persons For in abatement of this keeping off from their communion it has allow'd men to communicate with them at the beginning ere Schism yea or Heresie it self is fully formed and whilst it is capable of being prevented An Heretick St. Paul orders not to be rejected from communion before he has had a first and second Admonition So that till then in hopes of prevention they might Communicate with him And accordingly the Catholicks did for a good while Communicate with the Arians after the bursting out of that Heresy whilst by that forbearance and by the other parties seeking still in their definitions to come as near as they could to the truth they conceived hopes of remedy or cure thereof There being no breach of communion on account of their different judgements for some time but all Assembling together and joyning in the fame ministrations as Sozomen says Or after the Breach of Communion is made and different Churches are set up tho' we do not go to theirs it has allow'd them to come to our Assemblies in hopes to cure them Thus at the beginning of our Reformation after the division from their Church notwithstanding their Adherence to the Pope and all their Errors both in worship and Doctrines the Papists were allowed for several years under Queen Elizabeth to come to our Churches And the Dissenters from the Episcopal Communion among us are all Schismaticks but yet they have not been driven out thereof but allow'd to joyn with us in publick offices when they would come into our Churches as still they have been invited and encouraged to do if they were not under sentence of Excommunication from the Bishops Courts Yea though their offences were lyable to ipso Facto Excommunications by several Canons Such ipso Facto Excommunications being only sententia lata ab ipso jure a sentence pass'd by the Law which as the Canonists say needs sententiam latam a judiâ—e another sentence pass'd by the judge an ipso facto excommunication by any Canons not barring men from Communion till there be a declaratory sentence as Lyndwood notes Thus also they who in Heathen Persecutions fell to sacrifice to Idols were Segregated or shut out from Communion by the Primitive Canons And with men excluded it is made unlawful to Communicate by the Canons of the Apostles and others as I shew'd before And Gaius Diddensis and his Deacon were Suspended from Communion themselves for Communicating with Lapsers And yet in great need thereof and when there was hopes thereby to recover them when in prison the Egyptian Martyrs did in great Charity Communicate with them both at their Common Tables and in Prayers as Dionysius Alexandrinus reports In these and other Rules of Discipline where there are great Reasons for Favor and abatements the Church it self would have no want thereof In things that will not bear extremities or the Rigor of Law as the Fathers in the Council in Trullo and St. Basil also in his Canons say they are to Relax and make abatements according to Custom and the form received Thus on great reason have some equitable abatements of the Rigor of the foresaid Rules for shunning of Communion with men fall'n into Heresy or Schism or other depriving crime still been made in the Church and some reasonable liberties indulged in those cases It was thought reasonable to recede thus and to take these Liberties when put thereto to serve other peoples necessities must it not needs be to the full as much so when put thereto to serve our own It was allowable to serve the spiritual wants of the offenders Can it be less so to serve those of innocent men So that as it suits as I shew'd before with the reason
are styled by Theodorit speaking of this business and who first brought in the Doxology at the end of the Psalms which continues â—â—ll to be used at the reading thereof in our days But who whilst they shew'd Concurrence with the Arians in all the good parts of their Office thought fit to shew their standing off from them in their Corrupt and Derogatory Doxologys as oft as they came in the course of the publick service For when at the end of the Hymns the Arians Sung Glory be to the Father in the Son or as others Glory be to the Father by the Son in the Holy Ghost aiming by this change of particle to intimate dissimilitude and inferiority The Orthodox Sung Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost by that particle of Conjunction making the three Persons all alike in Receipt of this Glory or expressing their equality But whatever compliances may be made thus for a time yet as the sinful mixtures grow more fixed and the iniquity is more open and bare-faced when it greatly and evidently pollutes Devotions and corrupts mens Principles and Practices and is carryed on by all arts and endeavours to intrap and catch Souls there is more apparent necessity to stand off from them And then they are bound I conceive and as I think I have shewn to afford Gods faithful people more safe and salutary and Christian Administrations and the People without any hindrance from the Precepts of Peace and Union are to break off from the other and to joyn therein So that such unlawful matter in Prayers especially still as it grows more apparent and heinous and more firmly fixed therein is enough to carry people off notwithstanding their desires of Peace and Union from any Assemblies though they had not added Anti-Bishops to head their unlawful mixtures or made an open Schism in the Church As to this mixture of immoral Prayers then with such a service as is wanting in nothing else but has all that is necessary in worship if these additions might be let alone The desire of keeping Peace and Union in Assemblies or Churches whatever it may do for a while or in some cases will not alwayes get over them And if once the makers of immoral additions do moreover set up Anti-Bishops and make a Schism for maintenance thereof Unity is no longer in Duty to be kept but broke with them so that the desire of Unity will be no Reason to bear therewith but to do quite contrary after that time But there is besides another and a stronger ground of bearing viz. The Necessity of having some Ministerial Offices and Publick Devotion when they live under a want of better opportunities must take up either with these or none And this as it will excuse the Faultiness of Meeting with those who are in a Schism So I conceive will excuse men too in bearing with these corrupt matters and immoral Additions whilst they can be allowed sufficiently to signifie and express their Dissent from them They come then 't is true and as the forementioned Orthodox Christians did at Antioch under the Derogatoriness of the Arian Doxologies for the sake of many Good Prayers submit to be present at others whereby they will see Gods Worship prophaned and hear his sacred Name dishonoured and Libelled which is and ought to be a grievous Mortification to every Pious mind But they submit to be present at all this in the way of a Necessary Duty viz. attending on some Ministerial Offices And in want of all opportunities of having those more Pure in any other Places as was also the case of those Orthodox at Antioch where Constantius had refused to allow them so much as one Church And meeting it that way though they may see and hear it they are only aggrieved and wounded but not polluted thereby As Servants or any others are not polluted by hearing Gods Name Blasphemed or seeing other wickednesses committed which they are like to meet in the necessary duty and discharge of their attendance or stations who are not guilty of the evil that is uttered or acted especially if they are allowed to shew dislike and to be Reprovers of it So that when others are Guilty by concurring in these immoral Petitions he contracts no guilt by being present at them much against his will and in the necessary and due payment of some publick Devotion which he has no opportunities of paying any where else so long as he apparently singles out the Good and lets all the Bad alone Nor is his mere presence at these additional immoral Prayers an interpretative Profession of his concurrence in them 'T is too rigorous I think to make coming to any Religious Assemblies a profession of concurring in every particular which in any part of the ministration is professed or put up to God there Men are liable to have various apprehensions about some passages or other that may happen to be in the publick Service whether in the Professions which are made to God or in the Prayers which are put up to him And also about some Undertakings Events or Transactions of this World which may be brought as occasion is into the common Service and Devotion though all are not of one mind or belief about them And under this liableness to such variety of apprehensions about these matters we could never be able to keep up publick Communion especially to keep it up so fixt and constant and to keep all persons in one Communion as our Lord requires they should be kept upon these terms And they are more liable still to have the same variety of apprehension about Private Composures in Pulpit-Prayers which may be more Subject to the Tincture either of some particular opinions or expressions which all cannot Assent to or approve of Considering which it would be harder still to keep up such Communion under the Allowance of these Pulpit-Prayers of Private Composure which yet besides what they have been formerly or are at this time in other places are now allow'd of by our own Church In publick Fasts indeed or Thanksgivings where the very Meeting or Assembling is made significant of any purposes to be present at them is a profession of what is signified by them And it is insincere for those who abhor that Design which they are appointed to carry on to afford their presence or meet at them But I think it is not so with any particular passages and petitions in the ordinary Devotion at other times and that coming to Church Assemblies at such times which are for Devotion at large is no determinate and limited profession of concurrence in those passages from which though a man would profess to dissent yet might he still resort to the Assemblies for so many other purposes And of this difference betwixt these Two as to their being a profession of concurrence they who list may see more in a Book intituled Of Christian
of mistake and Ignorance Of Zeal against Popery alledg'd therein The Con 〈…〉 PART I. Of the Duty of Pastors to Exercise their Spiritual Powers and to afford the People Orthodox and Holy Ministrations CHAP. I. Of the Differences here Treated of and of the Schism consequent thereon REvolutions of States and Kingdoms when they have put them into the Possession of New Masters are wont to bring on New Oaths of Allegiance for Security of the New Possessors and also to bring on Alterations of Publick Prayers and Liturgies so far at least as concerns the Cause and Interest of the Governing Persons that Religious as well as Civil Offices and Ministrations may espouse and serve their Cause who have got the Power into their Hands These Impositions of such New Oaths and of such Alterations and Ordering of the Publick Worship pursuant to the Design thereof are usually followed with Acts of State for Deprivation of those Bishops and Clergy who Refuse and Stand off from the same and for Substituting opposite or Anti-Bishops and other Clergy that will conform thereto into their Places And when these are executed accordingly especially in much disputed Cases it may be an afflictive Sight to many good Christian Minds in just acknowledgement to the extraordinary and perhaps generally celebrated Merits of Some and in due Compassion to the hard Measure of all the Sufferers But it will be much more impressive and lamentable on the Score of that terrible Rent and Schism thereby like to ensue in such Churches which is so generally and deservedly dreaded and bewailed by all Sincere Promoters of Unity and unfeigned Lovers of Peace and of the Prosperity of the Church This Breach being thus made on One Side The Sufferers will be press'd to Submit in Regard to the Deprivation of the State And moreover supposing themselves injured they will be put in Mind of the justly magnified excellency of the Desirableness and Necessity of Unity and will be call'd upon as Good Pastors who prefer the Flock before themselves to give up Private Claims to Publick Peace and Personal Quarrels and Pretences to the Advantage and Edification of the Church And this Preference of Peace to private Interests they must own to be the Duty of all good Pasters and as becomes such profess to set these things above all Worldly Profits and Considerations being ready when call'd thereto To lay down even their Lines for the Sheep after the Example of the Great Shepheard And 't is not improbable but that at such times they may wish withal that their Admonishes had been as ready to follow this Advice as they are to give it and had like good and conscionable Christians reflected seasonably and seriously themselves upon these Duties of Peace and Unity before they had acted so much against them in rushing Head long as they may alledge into that Breach which in the End the generality see so great cause to lament but which the Sufferers have no Power to Remedy Or that in Just and Necessary Remorse for what they have done they would penitently return whence they are fallen and seeing their Error so unhappily over-looked before by coming into the old Paths re-unite themselves to then Brethren again But on the Other hand they will be ready to put their Brethren and Accusers in Mind that neither a State Deprivation nor a Synodical Deprivation had there been one can discharge a Bishop from standing up to keep off Damage and Danger to Religion and to the Souls of Men or from preventing their being nursed up in immoral Practices and Devotions And that True and Faithful Pastors are not so straightly bound to keep up external Unity and Peace as to keep up necessary Truth and Righteousness and holy and unpolluted Worship in the Church Their Charge is first To provide against all things that endager or destroy the Souls of Men and damnifie Religion and when that is done then to look how they may provide against all Schism or breach of external Unity with their Compastors or Brethren but never seek to salve and secure this by letting those alone Besides as to Peace and Union instead of carrying themselves off from Truth and Righteousness at such times or any good People off from them they will alledge that they oblige all who will make Conscience thereof and observe them as they ought to stick to them For the Unity which Christ requires is to keep united upon the Profession of true Doctrine and holy Worship not of any damnable Errors and Corruptions thereof And under our own Lawful and Canonical Bishops and Pastors not under any opposite or Anti-Bishops and Pastors Schismatically set up against them and violently intruding into their Places The determination of this Debate at all such times on all such Emergencies is both of highest account and of most general Concernment And the design of these Papers is to set down those things whereon in my Judgment the clearing of it must depend and by the help whereof Sincere Christians in such Divisions may be enabled to resolve both what is the Duty of the Sulfering Bishops and Clergy in those Cases and also what is the Peoples Duty and with which of the concern'd Parties Men who desire nothing so much as to please God and to keep a good Conscience ought to unite and joyn themselves As to the deprived Bishops and Clergy at such times the question is Whether not withstanding their Deprivation they are Bound still to go on in the Exercise of their Ministry Or sitting down under it and letting fall their Spiritual Ministrations they Should content themselves to keep United the Anti-Bishops and to their Adberents as Lay Communicants If it be their Duty still to insist on their Spiritual Powers and as they can and at their Perils to exercise their respective Ministrations those Churches are unavoidably left in a State of Flagr anâ— Schism For the opposite or Anti-Bishops are set up against them in their respective Churches as New Heads And if the Old Ones are not only still in place and Bishops of their Flocks 〈◊〉 and still bound to stick thereto and to act as Heads of those Churches each Church will stand divided between Two Heads which drawing opposite Parties and Members after them must unavoidably make two Bodies and roâ—d one into two Churches And besides one having the Protection and Countenance of the State and the other wanting it they must not by divided and separate Ministrations One in the way of an Incorporate Church encouraged by Legal Places and Preferments and foâ—â—â—fied by secular Laws and Priviledges But the Other in the way of a Destitute or Persecured Church stript of the Publick Churches and of secular Benefices and of all Temporal Aids and Methods directing and fortifying the Spiritual Jurisdiction in the Ecolesiastical Courts and left meerly to its Spiritual Powers When the State deprives them they must take up with what is independantly and originall their own and
not expect from it the Benefits and Assistances of any secular mixtures which were derived to them by Incorporation As to this point of Schism several good Minds may think that though by setting up opposite or Anti-Bishops against them in their respective Sees others have already made it yet may it be in the Power of the seinjured Sufferers by their Receding and Submission thereto to remedy and put an end to it And 't is like many Serious and hearty Lovers of Peace and of those Churches may at such times be apt to wish that for the sake of Unity they would do so Indeed where they may be free to do as they please that is when no part of Faith or good Practice is like to suffer by it nor the safety and welfare of those Souls committed to them is haâ—â—rded thereby much may be said to good Pastors not to insist too much on their Personal Rights and Privileges but to forego and give them up for the Peace and Tranquility of the Church Their Spiritual Powers are committed to them not as to Lords of Gods Heretage therewith to seek and serve themselves but as to Stewards that look after it for another or as Sheepheards thereby to serve and Benefit their Flocks Their Powers are all a Ministry to promote Religion and serve the Church by parting with any thing of their own for its good as their Great Master did not to please or aggrandize their own Persons being given them for Edification or wherewith to build up the Church not for Destruction or the pulling of it down Accordingly the Pastoral Spirit is a generous Publick Spirit Nothing is more opposite thereto than narrow private Aims and seeking of themselves nor more required thereby than neglect or denial of themselves for the Safety and Profit of their Flocks and Care or Sollicitude for others It lies as the Blessed Apostle saith in Naturally caring for the Churches In Seeking not their own things but the things which are Iesus Christs In not seeking their own Profit but the Profit of many that they may be saved In making themselves Servants to all when thereby they could Profit the State of Religion and their Flocks though it were by Incumbring and Prejudicing themselves becoming all things to all Men that by all means they may save some And therefore when it has only been a cause of their own Persons or Personal Claims but not of Religion or of the Interest of the Church Good and Holy Bishops have thought it became the Pastoral Spirit rather to receed and sit down under the Injuries than that for their Sakes a Fatal Schism should be kept on in the Church If this Schism be for my Sake send me away or I will depart whither you please and do what the People would have me that the Flock of Christ with the Presbyters over it may be kept in Peace Was what St. Clemens Romanus St. Paul's Fellow Labourer recommended to the Heads of Parties in the Church of Corinth and press'd by the Example of Moses who was* content to be blotted out of the Book of Life to save the Israelites and of those Kings who even among Heathens devoted themselves to Death for the Preservation of their own Countries We ought to endure any thing rather than hat the Church of Christ should be divided Yea 't is not only as Glorious but more Glorious in my Judgment to suffer Mantyrdom for keeping out Schism in the Church than for not Sacrificing to Idols saith Dionysius of Alexandria to Novatus on the division made at Rome If I am any way the cause of your Division I am not better than the Prophet Jonah Throw me into the Sea so that thereby the Tempest of those Troubles may cease from you Whatever you see needful to that end I chuse to suffer Tho' I am blameless and have been no cause of these Troubles yet for your Unanimity and Peace-sake I am content to be thrust out of the Throne and to be expell'd the City says Gregory Nazianzen in his Speech to the Synod on the contest of Maximus Cynicus for his See of Constantinople And we are ready to leave this Prelacy to whom you will provided that way the Church may continue one said St. Chrysostom when at Constantinople others as he complains had unlawfully ascended the Episcopal Throne and thereupon a Seperation was made from him But in Cases where the injured Sufferers are still bound to insist on their Powers and to stand up for Religions Sake and the Churches this way of curing a Schism by their receeding has no place And therefore this Obligation to exercise their Ministries I have fixed the Debate upon in the case of such deprived Bishops and Ministers For if they stand bound in Duty at such times to exercise their Ministrations though never so desirous of Peace and Unity they cannot oure that Schism which others have made by letting their Ministrations fall And besides it 's directly meeting that Pretence and fully answering it I think it plainest to be apprehended and more powerful to operate on the Minds of those who are to be directed and resolved in this Dispute CHAP. II. Of the Immoral ways introduced by a wrong payment of Allegiance THE Bishops and Clergy who are deprived by the State when they cannot comply with the foresaid Changes and Impositions on such Revolutions notwithstanding the deprivation of State still retain their Episcopal and Sacâ—rdâ—tal Powers That is they are as true Bishops and Priests as they were before They are still endowed with the Powers of Orders and their use thereof would be as valid tho' not as to secular Claims and Privileges which are the Gift of Princes yet as to the real Effects of the Covenant of Grace or to purely Spiritual purposes as they would have been had they not been so deprived For these Powers are not derived from the State nor from any secular Authority They are called the Powers and Keys not of any Kingdom of this World but of the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 16. 19. Iesus Christ was a Spiritual King disclaiming all secular Authority or Power of the Sword and declaring his Kingdom was not of this World nor to be upheld by his Servants Fighting with the Sword And he instituted all Church Powers yea these he instituted before the Church came to be Incorporated with the State and made no new Institution or alteration therein afterwards And when secular Powers turn'd Christians they became the Members of an empower'd Church and were let in by Ministers and privileged to claim Ministrations from Powers antecedently received from Christ and not at all needing to be received from them nor capable of being conferr'd by them as having never been confer'd on them Nor are these Powers to be held only during the Will and Pleasure of the State For then they could not be retained against its Mind And
with the Wheat till at the general Harvest they come to be seperated and Weeded out by the Angels as our Lord says Immorality whilst only in Practice tho' it Dishonour God and hinder the Effect of Prayers as to the Practisers themselves yet doth not affect Communion or stain the Devotion of others and intercept the Blessing from those good Practicers who joyn with them in publick Offices And this is the Error of those among our Dissenters who have insisted on the Plea of mixt Communions meaning thereby a Mixture of Persons or of good and bad Practisers in Gods Worship and Service which they pretend should be made up of Saints or of Pure and Regenerate Souls Church-Governours I grant in such Sort as may be most Medicinal to the Offenders themselves and to preserve Religion from the stain and the sound Members from the Infection of such Companions are to remove such especially when the Immoralities are Gross and Notorious from Communion by Church-Censurers so far as may be profitably and prudently done in Course of Discipline and as Times and Circumstances and the State of a Church in this corrupt and mixt World will bear But this will be no absolute Provision against them and after all the Church here will have a Mixture of Persons or good and bad to meet together in Divine Offices and 't is not for any to break Communion with it thereupon But though they are not universally to keep out Immoral Practisers yet they are to keep out Immoral Prayers from publick Ministrations For these are offer'd to all that come though only fit to Poyson not to Nourish them And are put up to God in the Name of the Congregation and so are a publick visible and professed Dishonour to him So that they who have the Care of publick Worship must take care to Purge them out of it It will be incumbent on them to supply the Church 2. Secondly With the Ministration of all that Truth which is necessary to be believed or Practised The Word or Preaching of these Truths is to bear up Religion and to save the Souls of Men. And the Ministry of this Word is committed unto them This Ministration must be of all Necessary Truth What our Lord intrusted with the Apostles and in them with the Bishops and Pastors of the Church to the end of the world is to Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded Where all things must needs take in all that are necessary Mat. 28. 20. And St. Paul in Discharge of his Cure of Souls pleads himself pure of the Blood of all Men as having deolared to them the whole Counsel of God which their Blood might any way depend upon and having kept back nothing that was Profitable to them Acts 20. 26 27. For in these Points if the People perish through the Watch-Mans being Dumb or for want of his giving warning the People Die indeed and are taken away in their Iniquity but their Blood will God require at the Watch-Mans Hand Ezek. 33. 6 8. As for inferior Truths which are not commonly necessary for Christians to know and to be instructed in but in their Nature are more indifferent They may be forborn for Peace as need requires and to prevent great Stirs and Divisions in the Church But Truths of Necessity and Importance must not be neglected or given up on such Pretences And it must be a Ministration of all that is necessary whether in Faith or Practice That which makes either to be a necessary part of their Ministration is because they are necessary parts of Religion and necessary to the Souls of Men. And this makes an equal Necessity of Ministring both For Obedience is as Necessary and indispensable a Branch of the Gospel as Faith And Practical Opinions are as much set by as Propositions about Faith and as much Dishonour may accrue to God and as much Danger to the Souls of Men by Practical as by Speculative Heresies Nay many times more since matters of Morality and Practice are more naturally imprinted on all Mens Hearts and are more easy and obvious to all Understandings They lye open to the Unlearned as well as to Learned Men. Yea the Ignorant and Unlearned oft-times continue to see them when the Learned overlook them a little Skill with a sufficient Degree of Honesty qualifying Men to discern these Matters and there not being so much need of Learning in those who would descry as there is in those who would pervert and mistake them And this makes the Mistakes of Men in these Points both more Dangerous to themselves and more Dishonourable to Religion For being so generally known or easy of Knowledge There is not like Room in them for Extenuation and Excuse of Error or Ignorance as there is in Speculations of Faith that are of harder Examination and lie further off which renders Practical Heresies oft-times more Dangerous And on the same Account the Dishonour to God and Religion thereby is more universally noted being more manifestly Apparant and more sensibly Disgusting to the Generality of Beholders Which makes them also more Disgraceful and Standalous And therefore they stand particularly bound to Minister the Word and give warning in these Points Both as what would oft-times more surely and irremediably shed the Blood of Souls and as what would prove more Scandalous in the Sight of all considerate Persons and make Religion more generally Despised Blasphemed and evil Spoken of Particularly it will be incumbent on them to supply the Church with the Ministration of Necessary Practical Truths 1. When Dangerous and Immoral Practices are setting up Especially if they are setting up generally and most People are in danger of being drawn into them As when they come dressed up with Appearances and Recommendations of Wordly Ease or Interests or are driven on by the Arm of Secular Power or by the Cry of a Time And undisturbedly as when they who are in the place of Reproving Dissemble and Connive at them and are Dumb not lifting up their Voices against them These Immoral Practices tho' the Immoral Things are only Practised but not Justified are most Dangerous and Destructive to those Souls who are involved therein And when they see Men in the Ways of Death the Watchmen are required at their Peâ—il to give Warning and to tell them what will be the End thereof If thou givest him not Warning nor speakest to warn the Wicked from his wicked Way to save his Life his Blood will I require at thine Hand Ezek. 3. 18 20. and cap. 33. 8. They are the Spiritual Weaknesses and Diseases of Souls their Strayings and Loosing of themselves in Wrong and Pernicious Ways And the Duty of Shepheards is not to stand off or to keep Silent when these Maladies have seized the Flocks but to shew their Pastoral Care and make Provision for them They are as God tells the Shepheards by Ezekiel to Heal that which they find to be Sick by applying
proper Remedies and to Strengthen that which is Diseased Feeding it with wholesome Doctrine or Proper Aliment as Grotious says upon it to bring again that which was Driven away and to Seek that which was lost if happily by seasonable and needful Warning and Admonition they may recover it Ezek. 34. 4. And if they take up with Feeding of themselves and Neglect by these ways to Feed the Flocks at such times he denounces Woes to them ver 2. and declares he will require his Flock at their Hand ver 10. I do not say Immoral Practices are a Cause for Pastors to Seperate Communions For Immorality whilst confined to Practice and Conversation and not crept into Worship and Prayers doth not hinder all Communion in Divine Service Nor are we to seperate from any Church in Divine Offices because of a Mixture of Persons or of their having Moral and Immoral Livers among them as I observed before But they are an obliging Call to them to Minister the Word to put a stop to them And if they cannot be allowed to do this in Communion with others they must do it however by breaking off from them and Officiating by themselves And such Breach to say nothing of other Grounds is consequential upon the Ministrations of the deprived Pastors on such Revolutions They are by their Deprivation Secluded from Ministring in the Authorized and Established Churches and so must act seperately and Minister by themselves if they are bound to Minister the Word at all 2. When ill or immoral Practides are not only set up but Justified And then ill Practices are turn'd into ill Principles and become Doctrines There may 〈◊〉 Defection from Duties in Practice whilst Men retain their Principles Their Love of this World and the Strength of Corrupt Passions carrying them too oft to act and do all against their Judgments But if their Opinion is brought over and in Judgment they are reconciled to ill Ways since all Judgment iâ—â—pon Principle that is by change of Principles Their Judgment then is perverted by ill and Corrupt Doctrines Which having imbibed to corrupt and alledging to clear and justifie themselves they will teach and propagate among others And when by venting corrupt Principles and Propositions False Guides set up for Teachers of ill Things 'T is high time for True and Faithful Guides to open their Mouths and to strive for Truth and Righteonsness against them They are ill Watch-Men if they are a sleep or silent at such a Time And ill Shepheards if they take no care to lay wholesome things before the Flocks and to drive away unwholesome when the Speakers of Perverse Things are endeavouring to Poyson them And Unfaithful Stewards and Dispensers of the Word if instead of dispensing it out they smother and suppress it when the Church is in the greatest need to be informed thereof Particularly they are obliged to this Ministration when the ill and Immoral Practices are Justified 1. First In some particular Cases especially if those Cases are of general Concern that draw in great Numbers of Persons And may prove of long Continuance to hold them on for a considerable Time in the Repetition of the same Immoral Practices Both which happen in Case of Injustice to dispossessed Princes and of turning Allegiance against them which concern all the Subjects of such Princes and will continue so to do till the Competition ceaseth Now these Immoralities in particular Cases are the Immoralities that will destroy Souls when those Cases happen It is in particular Cases that particular Persons are Guilty of them and liable to be condemned for them So 't is in particular Cases that they need to be warned against them and shew'd the Danger of them And the giving them this Warning in such particular Cases as they come is the Business of the Watch-Man For he is set to Watch particular Cases and against particular Occurrences and is to call out and give warning as oft as he espies any Harm or Danger approaching therein And if any perish in those Cases for want of his giving them Notice God tells him He will require their Blood at his Hands The Watch-Man must have both his Eyes abroad to espie these Dangers and his Tongue free to proclaim and give warning of them Being set to drive any approaching Evils away by giving the Alarm for People to Arm against them and to keep out of their Way And if like Men asleep they take no Notice of Vices when catching and over-runing their Flocks nor open their Mouths against them the Scripture brands and upraids them as it did the Prophets and Watch-Men of Israel with the Name of Dumb Dogs that cannot Bark It being the Office of Priests and Prophets to reprehend and open their Mouths against approaching Vices as it is of Dogs set to watch the House to open theirs and Bark against approaching Thieves as Grotius comments upon it Isa. 56. 10. It is the part of Stewards and Rulers of the House who are set to attend all particular Cases that may arise and concern the Family and still to Dispense and Deliver out what Portion of Food each Case or Occasion may make Needful or proper for the House-Hold It is the Office of Pastors and Shepheards to have an Eye to circumstances of Time and Place and to Watch over their Flocks in particular Cases The Needs of their Flocks their Sicknesses and Strayings lye all in particular Cases And as the Work and Duty of Shepheards lies in Feeding of their Flocks it will be their Duty to administer this Food when they need it and their Care and Provision must be for those particular Cases which are in want thereof Their Feeding of their Flocks must be by Strengthning them in any Case where they see them Diseased or Healing them where they find them Sick or Seeking after them when they are Lost and bringing them back at any Time when they are gone Astray or are Driven away as God tells the Shepheards of Israel Ezek. 34. 3 4. And if they Neglect by due Ministrations to feed them in these Cases where they are in so great want to be Fed he tells them they are no Shepheards but that his Flock is without a Shepheard v. 5. Or that they are such Shepheard as Feed not his Flock but Feed themselves ver 2 8. It is the Duty of Ministers of the Word who are to watch and mark Seasons and not to let the People want it in any Case when they need to be Warned and Instructed by it They are to Preach the Word and to be instant in it in Season yea and even out of Season 2 Tim. 4. 2. To see that none of the Family Starve or go astray for want thereof in a trying Time but that all have what Portion of it they need in due Season Luk. 12. 42. They are constituted Pastors and Teachers to Minister the Word for perfecting the Saints and for Edifying the Body of
are they true to the part of Co-workers if they withdraw their Ministrations and leave and let him alone to do all the Work himself They are also said to be Co-workers with him of the Peoples Joy or Consolation 2 Cor. 1. 24. This Joy can be had only in the Way of Holy not of polluted Prayers and of Maintaining not of vacating Gods Precepts and of humbly and industriously Seeking to approve themselves to God by Good not of justifying themselves in Unrighteous and Wicked Practices For in those Ways they have nothing to do with Joy but remorse and Shame and Sorrow are their Portion So that if the true Pastors are to be Ministers and Co-workers of their Joy and Consolation they must Minister and Co-work at such Times to keep up pure Worship and pure Precepts and Practices among them because else they would not have what they may justly Rejoyce and take Comfort in Again the Ministerial Characters may be considered 2. Secondly as they relate to Religion And here also they carry with them a plane Obligation to the foresaid Ministrations in the Forecited Cases With Respect to Religion they are styled Ministers of the Word We will give our Selves say the Apostle to the Ministry of the Word Act. 6. 4. Or Ministers of the Gospel or of the Now Covenant The Gospel whereof I am made a Minister Eph. 3. 7. Col. 1. 23. And God hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament saith St. Paul 2. Cor. 3. 6. Or sometimes lastly Stewards of the Mysteries Let a Man so account of us as of Stewards of the Misteries of God saith the same Apostle 1 Cor. 4. 1. Now as Ministers and Stewards of the VVord of God of Religion and of its Mysteries they stand intrusted with the Charge thereof The Part of Stewards and Ministers is to keep such Pearls of Price safe to supply what is wanting to them or improve them to advantage of their Fidelity and Care wherein they must give a strict Account to their Masters So that as Ministers and Stewards of Religion and of its Mysteries they stand obliged 1. To keep and preserve them They must see that they be not lost nor injured in any Part that the Word of God be not maimed or perverted nor his Worship adulterated and polluted nor his Doctrines and Precepts either denied in Terms or vacated by corrupt Glosses or undermining Propositions This is the First Thing which they owe to those good things wherewith they are intrusted That good Thing which was committed to thee keep 2 Tim. 1. 14. O! Timothy keep that which was committed to thy Trust 1 Tim. 6. 20. Hold it fast and in the Form of Sound VVords wherein thou hast received it 2 Tim. 1. 13. And Remember how thou hast received and heard and hold fast Rev. 3. 3. These things are a Depositum 1 Tim. 6. 20. a good Depositum 2 Tim. 1. 14. or most Sacred and Pretious Things Lodged in their Hands and left to their Keeping So that their first Fidelity to these Depositums must be the Fidelity of good Keepers They must see that they be no worse for being in their Hands that nothing be Spoiled or perish from them but that they have themto produce safe intire and uncorrupted when they are call'd for back again And this Keeping of these Ministers and Stewards must not lye merely in Keeping these things thus Pure and Perfect to themselves But 2. In Keeping them up so pure and perfect among others This Worship is to be a publick Worship and Christs Followers are to joyn in Common and concur therein And this Word is to be generally and publickly communicated and a true Sence thereof is to be born up and held fast in the Church of Christ. So that these Keepers of the pure and perfect Word and Mysteries of Religion must be Ministers to exhibibit and deal them out and Stewards to dispence them The Part of Stewards lyes in dealing of them out as good Stewards of the Manifold Grace of God Minister the same one to another saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 4 10 11. And the Part of Ministers lies in Administrations or in Ministring the Gospel as St. Paul saith Ro. 15. 16. To be Ministers of the New Covenant is to have the Ministration of the Spirit and the Ministration of Righteousness which is therein offer'd 2 Cor. 3. 6 8 9. That is to stand charged with the Administration thereof by Affording People the appointed Ways of Entring and Confirming it in Administration of the Sacraments and of being built up in the Duties and of Supplying and Fetching down the Grace and Blessings thereof in Administration of the VVord and of Prayers And thus the Scripture sets off being Ministers of the VVord by having the Charge of Preaching and Testifying it To make thee a Minister and a VVitness saith our Lord to Paul when he committed the Gospel to him Act. 26 16. And the Ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to Testific the Gospel of the Grace of God saith the Apostle Act. 20. 24. And they were then said to have fulfill'd this Ministry of the VVord when they had Preach'd it all about Act. 12. 25. As therefore they are obliged to purge out all Prophanation and polluted Matter from Worship and Prayers and all corrupt Glosses and vacating Salvo's from the Doctrines and Duties of Religion as their Faithful Keepers So are they obliged to exhibit the same thus purged and cleansed in their own Ministrations that they may keep them up among others as their Faithful Stewards and Ministers And they are very much wanting to Religion and its Mysteries if they do not acquit themselves both as their Faithful Keepers and Dispensers in the foresaid Cases And this Keeping and Dispensation of the foresaid unpolluted Worship and moral Doctrine where that can be had is to be in a regular and standing Church If there is a want of Pastors and People in any Defection to incorporate in the Administration and Profession of them 't is a Fatal Blow indeed to pure Worship and Doctrine in any Kingdom But if a Remnant is left both of Pastors and People who still Faithfully and Firmly adhere thereto their Way is as a Light set on a Candle-Stick or as a City set on an Hill by a visible Communion to profess them and to bear them out before Men. 'T is a Debt they owe to Religion and to Gods Holy Truth and Worship to appear to the World as a visible Church for the Maintenance and Ministration thereof For Religion ought not to stand on scatter'd Individuals but to be born up by Communions of Pastors and People or by regular Societies Our Lord has instituted a Christian Church for the Profession aâ—â— Support of Christian Worship and Doctrine And the Church is to be the Pillar and Basâ—s or Stay of Truth Or that which should support and bear it up and make it both more conspicuous and more
will also effectually put by all the Force of the Greek Manuscript in the Publick Library at Oxford or of the Collection of Instances of Injured Bishops resting under unjust Deprivations and keeping in the Communion of the new Intruders into their Places lately Translated by Mr. Hody For those Instances of Acquiescence and Communion are brought as the Author of the Manuscript several Times professes for Instances thereof only whilst the hitruders were Orthodox And so are no Instances for Acquiescence in the Cause and Oppression of pure Worship and Doctrine or of the Interest of Souls But only in Competition of Persons where the publick Offices to be administred the Doctrines to be taught and upheld and the Practices to be Pressed and Justified under them were the same under both And therefore there can be no pressing Silence or Cessation on the Deprived Bishops and Clergy at such times with any Appearance of Truth and Reason but by clearing those things which they stick at and which they see everywhere imposed on Worship and Practice of all Immorality and Unrighteousness Which on such Revolutions and Change of Masters they can never do who profess to transfer Allegiance and to do all on the Plea of a King de facto leaving the Dispossessed Prince to be still King de Iure By which in their own Account they are acting all the while against Right and against him that has it which is to be as St. Paul says of Stubborn Hereticks convict of their own Consciences or Self-Condemned Tit. 3. 10 11. So that all those Brethren who on such Occasions have profess'd this must condemn their own Principle and all the complyance they have paid thereupon before they can accuse the Deprived Pastors for holding on still in their Spiritual Administrations or can perswade them to forbear But that which alone can be effective to purge the things in Debate of this Immorality and Unrighteousness is the Clearing of the Legal Right which the publick Acts of such times I think are not wanting to Assert as the Ground of all that is then call'd for either in Practice or in Worship And the Discussion of this is no Part of my Design or Purpose in these Papers To conclude this Point of their Obligations to these Ministrations I only add in the last Place that if for keeping up pure Worship Doctrine and Practice Christ's Faithful Pastors are bound to afford these Ministrations in the forementioned Cases his Faithful People will in the same Cases stand bound to adhere to them and to attend on them for Participation thereof This Obligation will appear 1. From that Adherence they owe to the things themselves They are bound to Purity of Worship Belief and Practice that they may Propitiate and please God and Benefit their own Souls thereby As Christians or as Men Professing Christian Religion they are obliged to Unite themselves to these and to stick by them And that in Church Society and under Pastoral Administrations to keep up a Communion of Saints in such pure Worship and Professions And this must be under such Bishops and Ministers as retain and stand true to them when others fall off from them As Members of a Church 't is true good Christians stand obliged to adhere to their own Bishops For the Bishops are the Heads of Church-Societies and 't is the Duty of Members to stick and keep United to the Heads of their respective Bodies But this as I shall shew hereafter is only whilst they keep to those things wherein they are bound to head them that is to pure Christian Worship and Doctrines It is for the having these Administred that they are obliged to be under any Pastors or to adhere to them And so they must still adhere to such as do Administer the same Which if their own Bishops fail to do they are to stand off from them to hold on with such pure Worship and Doctrine and to have the Administration thereof from such other Bishops and Pastors as keep True and Firm thereto whereof I shall speak more at large in its proper Place 2. From the Duty on their Part in all the foresaid Relations For those Relations carry Duties on both sides and call as the true Pastors to Feed and Minister to the Church so all True Members of the Church to seek their Food from the Ministrations of such true Pastors As it is the Part and Office of the One to Administer them So is it of the Other to attend on their Administration for Participation thereof If they are Christs True Shepheards to whom should his Sheep adhere but to his Shepheards and know and hear their Voice and not give Ear to the Call and Voice of Strangers Jo. 10. 3 4 5. If they are the Faithful Guides of Souls to whose Ministerial Conduct and Direction should the People of God commit their Souls but to theirs who will lead them out and carry them on only in Safe and Right Ways If they are the Trusty Watchmen under whose Watch and Guard should Men who seek nothing but to save their Souls place themselves but under those whose Eyes are always open to see and their Voice lift up faithfully to admonish and warn them of their Dangers If they are the true Teachers to whom should the Schollers and Disciples of Christ Resort for Instruction but to them and attend as Obedient Learners on their Preaching and Exhortation If they are Christ's Faithful Ministers his People must keep close to their Ministrations and adhere to them as to his trusty Officers and Representatives here on Earth And if they are to be Fed with the Ministration of Holy Worship and Doctrines and to be instructed and bore up only in Righteous and Good Practices if they must take Care to be Warned and Guided Taught and Helped on only in these Things which are the things alone that are fit to please God and to save their Pretious Souls To whom must they Cleave and keep United for them all but to those Shepheards who daily provide them with this Food and to those Guides who conduct them in these Ways and to those Watchmen who fail not to give them 〈…〉 tain them with these 〈…〉 Supply them 〈…〉 in each they will see 〈…〉 to show them their own Duty as 〈…〉 their Ministers And how 〈…〉 so they themselves do to follow as the Priests are to Administer so are the 〈…〉 ly to Attend on them and to 〈…〉 to their Ministrations 〈…〉 foresaid Cases 3. From the 〈…〉 which they towards â—â— who call them 〈…〉 the People from 〈…〉 and from Good and Righteous to 〈…〉 and 〈…〉 the Scripture calls or comprehends under the Title 〈…〉 and Seâ—â—cers and Wâ—lves and makers of Divisions and 〈…〉 Prephets and False-Teachers and the like Now â—s the 〈…〉 good Christians not to associate themselves with 〈…〉 off from them not to follow Seducers but to beware of them not to run after the Wolves
Appeals particularly aimed at is that which was claimed here by the Popes of Rome They had wrested from the Crown the foresaid Soveraignty both over Ecclesiastical Persons and Causes For as to Ecclesiastical Persons they claimed an exemption for them as not answerable in Civil Courts but Cognizable only by themselves And as to Ecclesiastical Ministrations as back'd by secular benefices and Ecclesiastical Causes as mixt in the Ecclesiastical Courts with Civil Priviledges and Jurisdiction they disclaimed subordination to the Crown and asserted a supremacy to themselves therein For they made themselves supream here in investitures into benefices and preferments and to have the chief power by their Legates of calling our convecations of passing and ratifying all our Decrees Canons and Constitutions of granting dispensations from them of having their decrees take place of the Prerogatives of the Crown or of the Customs of the Realm of holding courts and of receiving Appeals from any of our spiritual courts and judicatures and the like All which civil powers over Ecclesiastical Persons and subordination of Ecclesiastical causes proceeding by the foresaid mixture of secular fortifications benefices and jurisdictions the statutes Articles injunctions and Canons of this Church and Realm about Supremacy abolish in the Popes and assert to the Crown to which they Anciently did and of right should belong So that this Soveraign Civil Power over all Ecclesiastical Persons as their subjects and this Subordination of all Ecclesiastical Causes to it because of the Concurrence and intermixture of the foresaid civil priviledges and juridictions therewith and that in opposition to the papal pretences in these points is the Ecclesiastical supremacy vested in the King by our Church and Laws The Popes spiritual Usurpation upon this Church was shaken off by asserting to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Brittish Churches Ancient and independant Primacy Which did Right to the King too it being against his Prerogative that any Foreigner who doth not own himself to be one of his Subjects should have any Power in his Dominions And his Civil Usurpation on the Crown in respect to Ecclesiastical Persons and Causes among its Subjects was thrown out by asserting of the Kings Supremacy But when the Supremacy speaks such a civil power over the persons of Ecclesiasticks as they are its subjects and such subordination of Ecclesiastical causes thereto as they are united to secular benefices and jurisdictions Yet at the same time as I have shewn doth it disclaim all pretence to meer spiritual powers or to the Soveraign Disposal of the Powers of Orders Of it self it can neither give nor recall them Nor stop the Ministrations thereof in any of those Cases where Christ requires them All it can do there is to withdraw its Civil incorporation from those who have these mere spiritual powers and are bound for the sake of Religion and of the Souls of Men to proceed in the exercise thereof But still that exercise and administration which hangs on anothers Commission will go on upon its own bottom and must be discharged as it can under the opposition instead of the former incorporation of state or under a civil Persecution And this continuance of such Ministrations in such Cases notwithstanding the deposition of state I think may fairly be concluded from the Concessions of those who have undertaken to plead for the Authority of state deprivations and to press them on the suffering Clergy at such times We are told by one from Mr. Mason that a state deposition of a Bishop is not by way of Degradation from his orders as if he had them not but of exclusion from the exercise thereof And that not absolutely as if he could exercise his office no where but after a sort that he should not do it as to their subjects nor in their dominions And by another that a state deprivation doth not concern the Character or Ecclesiastical Communion as an Ecclesiastical Deprivation doth but only concerns the exercise of his Episcopal Authority in any Diocess within the Dominions of that State or enjoying any Ecclesiastical Benefice in it Now since such state deprivation neither concerns the Character nor the Communion of the Church 't is plain he is a Bishop still notwithstanding their deprivation and such a Bishop as without any fault in Church Communion all good Christians may Communicate with And since his exercise of Episcopal Powers is thereby excluded only from the Dioceses and subjects of their dominions it is still the same it was as to all other places And what is the hinderance of exercising the same still in those dioceses and among that Kings Subjects One reason already cited is because he cannot exercise them in the incorporate way or in injoyment of any Ecclesiastical Benefice But besides another I conceive is suggested viz. Regard to state Authority or civil obedience Though neither the Faith nor the Communion of the Church is here concerned yet says the Learned Author last mention'd the Authority of the State is which obliges both the Clergy and Laity in these Cases So that although neither his powers are thereby vacated nor their dependance and communion with him is broken off on other accounts yet in Civil Obedience it seems by his account both Bishops and People on such state deprivation are bound to acquiesce But now if they are left in full Possession of their spiritual powers and of the communion of the Church 't is plain they cannot be debarr'd of their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases nor the people of their attendance on them in any regard to secular inhibitions or to shew Civil Obedience For we must never hear Kings against Christ or obey them when they bar us of doing what he bids us do And these Ministrations he requires and calls for in the aforesaid Cases as I have shewn and also for the peoples communion with and attendance on them And it matters not that they cannot Minister any longer in the incorporate way or under shelter of Civil Laws and enjoyment of benefices For true Ministers of Christ and of Souls must depise benefices and secular incorporations when they come in competition with his service and Minister his word and worship at their hazard and under persecutions Besides if as he owns such deprivation doth not affect the Communion of the Church it leaves the subjects of those dioceses still under the same Religious and Church Principles of dependance and communion with their Bishops as they were before it For though the state should not meddle therein the Church has Principles of this dependance and communion of its own Christ requires his Church should be one and that is by ahhereing to their Bishops whom he has made the Heads of Union And these it seems the deprivation of state doth not at all Cancel only the Authority of state as is said but not Church Communion being concerned therein So that such Bishops deprived by the state continue still to be Christs
Bishops and Heads of Union in those dioceses according to his Rules and Principles of Union And then how shall a mere command of state dissolve the tye made by him or break communion betwixt their Bishop and them Whilst Christ by conscionable obligations of Church Unity bids them adhere to their Bishop and keep one with him must they give ear to the state that bids them divide from him I think on second thoughts he will not make Church Union or the dependance of people on their Bishops so unsettled or precarious a thing as either to have no fixt and conscionable principles ingaging and holding all good Members thereto of its own or to have it in the power of a secular state when it pleases to set them aside and over-rule them CHAP. III. Remarques on the Preceding Account of the Force of State-Deprivations and instances of Deprivations alledg'd to the contrary consider'd and clear'd up FRom what I have said in the foregoing Chapters about the power of the Civil State and the effect of its Deprivations I think it may appear that the Bishops and Ministers of Christ continue still invested with their Ministerial Powers and can receive no discharge from the exercise thereof in the formention'd Cases by any State Deprivations And of this I observe from what has been hitherto discoursed 1. First That this is not to deny the Civil Power the Cognizance of Bishops and Ministers in Civil matters Allegiance 't is true is a civil matter and most nearly concerns the civil peace Indeed it is not only Civil but also Religious For when men are requir'd to Swear it and in all Churches to pray conformably to it Solemn Oaths and Prayers are most sacred and Religious Acts. And Allegiance in it self is a moral duty for due payment whereof all stand answerable to God in the last judgment as well as a civil or state-duty for which they are answerable to the state in judicatures of this world But it is such a matter of Religion I say as is also a civil matter subject to civil Cognizance or a point of State too And if this is refused to a Rightful state it is not only an offence against Morality and Religion which spiritual Judicatures and Synods may punish with Canonical Depositions But also an offence against the state which such Rightful state may punish by state punishments as it may all other state offences and in Ecclesiasticks when they are guilty thereof as in all other persons And among these punishments by Deprivation though not of mere spiritual powers the state having no Authority to take away those mere spiritual powers which it never gave yet of all that is Temporal in Church-Ministrations so as that such refusers shall no longer hold benefices and preferments or state endowments Yea and even as to those mere spiritual powers it may make them of themselves to forbear any further exercise thereof to keep state-favors and endowments to the Church when their deprivation is in a case that concerns only their own personal rights and priviledges but not the Truths or cause of Christ as was before observed But if at any time or in any Kingdom this should be refused to an Usurping State which has no Legal Right but which calls for this Allegiance Oaths and solemn Prayers and Religious services conformable thereto against him who has the Right Then such refusal is neither a Religious nor a Civil offence neither against God nor Gods Vicegerent Divine or Humane Laws but a due obedience to both And this brings on the Case of all the foresaid immoralities Damnifying Religion and endangering Souls wherein faithful Bishops and Clergy whatever they incur by standing to their Spiritual Ministrations must not let them fall â—n regard to any Deprivation of Usurping Powers Nay nor in regard to the most rightful States should they issue out against them state-deprivations to stop their Ministrations against any such like immoralities or other irreligious and endangering ways And this Limitation of the regard they ought to have to his deprivation is not to deny the Rightful Civil Soveraign any part of his just power over Ecclesiasticks But only to deny him such a power as would leave our Saviour Christ himself who is his Master as well as theirs â—o have no power over them Or such a power as should enable him to discharge them of what Christ has given in charge to them to take away what powers he confers or to loose what he has tyed on But under all this discharge of their foresaid Ministrations notwithstanding his inhibitions and deprivations it allows the Civil Magistrate as much Power over their persons to mulct banish or put them to death on just cause as they are his Subjects as over any others And to have power also over the mixt way of administrations so as to be able to deprive them though not of all exercise of their spiritual powers yet from holding or exercising them with Temporal jurisdictions effects and priviledges after the way of an incorporate Church And to have those other foremention'd Prerogatives of conveneing Synods passing Canons sending prohibitions to stop any process in prejudice of the Prerogative or of the Laws c. Which for the favor and continuance of those secular mixtures have accrued by incorporation and belong to Christian Kings And these things which are allow'd are as much as any of them can claim of Ecclesiasticks as they are Kings And on the other side those things which are denyed are such as they would abhor to challenge or desire who would own any subjection to Christ or bound their pretensions as Christian Kings 2. Secondly nor is it to set the Church above the State as the Papal Usurpation pretended to do But only to set Almighty God and his blessed Son Jesus Christ above it Not leaving subjects whether Laicks or Ecclesiasticks in complyance with any the most rightful state to disobey God Nor Ministers to let fall any Services and Ministrations of Religion or cure of Souls which Christ calls them to exercise yea not only when the state is consenting but when it gain-says it and doth all it can either to disable or discourage them from it he not having thought fit to stand to the courtesy of any civil state whether or no the Ministry of saving Souls should be prosecuted and whether he should be served and have a Church on Earth But at the same time it sets God and Religion above their Power it subjects all both Laicks and Ecclesiasticks to the same in other things Allowing every rightful civil state the chief civil power over all Ecclesiastical Persons And the chief civil power over all Ecclesiastical Causes so far forth and so long as they are mixed and compounded with civil benefices and jurisdictions And a civil power to compel Church Men by civil penalties to do the duty of their Spiritual Ministrations and to hold them under a necessity of not resisting by Arms but of
came under Roman Subjection of the Chief-priests by the Roman Procurators who made such frequent Changes among them sometimes Annual as Josephus notes In all these State-deprivations of Jewish High-priests I say there was only a change of Persons but Matters of Religion went on in every thing the same and Men were taught the same doctrines and trained up in the same Practices and held on in the same Prayers Sacrifices Temple Synagogue-Service under both And where it doth not affect the state of Religion or the interest of Souls but only their own personal Claims and Priviledges God's faithful Ministers may be free as has been observed to secure Protection and civil benefits to the Church by not breaking with the State but acquiescing under its deprivations But what voluntary deference were thus payable to a deprivation of State in a case which doth not touch Religion or the Souls of Men must not be expected in other cases which do touch and damnisie and endanger both And thus it is in the fore-mentioned cases wherein I have been asserting the necessity of holding on their spiritual Ministrations and not yielding to be stop'd thereof by any State-deprivations 3. And this also clears the Instance of the submission of the Greeks on the frequent deprivations of their Patriarks by the Turkish Governours The Benefits of Incorporation which they propose to secure thereby are not the most tempting lying not so much in being priviledged and beneficed by the State as in not being persecuted but tolerated under it And their submission for keeping on this State benefit such as it is is not without detriment to the Church tho' their breaking with the State they fear would be more detrimental the Turks as learn'd Travellers inform us making the new Advancements for Money to be levied on the Church by the New Patriark to the countenance and growth of Great Corruption and to the bringing of the Church in debt But as to the course of Religious Ministrations they are the same under both Patriarks Religion or the Word and Prayers and Sacraments are administer'd alike without Alteration and the Souls under their Charge are fed with the same Doctrines both of Faith and good Life and are nursed up in the same Practices and serve God in the same Prayers and publick Offices in both cases And therefore those deposed Patriarks are not driven by insisting on their spiritual Powers and Ministrations to break this partial Incorporation such as it is for the support of pure Faith Worship and Practice or for the Interest of Religion and of Souls as I have shewn true and faithful Pastors are in the fore-mentioned cases 4. The Fourth and Last Instance is of Queen Maries Popish Bishops deposed by a Commission of the Queens Council without a competent and lawful Synod and principally for a State-crime viz. refusing the Oath of Supremacy which was made a cause of deprivation by a preceding Act of her Parliament under Queen Elizabeth And of our Reformed Bishops coming into their Sees upon such deprivation during the others Lives As to this Case of the Marian Bishops or of other Popish Bishops under Edward the sixth Two Things are to be Noted in their Removal and Ejection out of their Dioceses One is from the Temporalities the Benefices and Preferments thereof And these temporal endowments as I have observed are directly subject to the temporal Power So that the Act of Parliament and the Proceedings of the Council and the Commission of the lawful State took away all Claim to the Temporalities and deprived them of their Bishopricks as they were Temporal Free-holds The Other is from the spiritual adherence and dependance of the People upon them as on Heads of Church-Unity and Communion for Religious Ministrations And this there was no need for the State to deprive the Popish Bishops of for they had already deprived themselves of it by their own Corruptions both in Doctrines and Devotions Adulterations of Religion and corrupt Ministrations of the Word of Prayers and Sacraments break the Ligaments which tye on People to this adherence to any Bishops or Pastors yea though they were Apostles themselves Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have Preached unto you let him be Anathema or accursed saith St. Paul Gal. 1. 8. Or instead of sticking to his Communion break off from it and have no more Religious Commerce with such than was to be held with those whom the Synagogue or Church had Anathematized or cut off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he elsewhere uses it and in the Ecclesiastical Style speaking one excommunicate for so we Christians are wont to call a Sentence against the speakers of impious things says Sâ—crates When therefore any Bishops and Pastors instead of Heading Christian Truths appear at the Head of Unchristian Errors the People are discharged from their obligation and dependance upon them and are to unite themselves as they can to others who still keep firm to that necessary Gospel-Truth and Worship which they have forsaken as shall be shewn more fully afterwards And this was done by the Popish Bishops who fed the People with false Doctrines and polluted Prayers and Ministrations which left no need of any thing more to deprive them of the Peoples Communion and Dependance these Papal Corruptions of Religious Ministrations being enough to discharge and drive them away of themselves So that the Reformed Bishops when they were set at the Heads of those Diocesses call'd none away nor made them break off from any just and due spiritual dependance on their former Bishops whose own Heretical Doctrines and Corrupt Ministrations had made the People cease from depending any longer in Conscience upon them They wanted only to be lawfully empowered and regularly ordained themselves by Episcopal Imposition of Hands as all those reformed Bishops plainly were and the People were free from any Obligations to the Old Ones because of their Errors and corrupt and dangerous Ministrations both lawfully might unite themselves to them and were in duty bound so to do And thus coming to Head a People whose dependance was broke off from others by their spiritual corruptions and depravations of Religion they were no spiritual Intruders And coming into Benefices and Temporalities made vacant by the deprivation of a Lawful State they were guilty of no civil Usurpation and Injustice And this is enough to justifie the Advancement of those first Reformers Tho' where Bishops are Orthodox and deprived for their adherence to Truth and Righteousness both in their private Practice and publick Ministrations the People are still left spiritually to depend on them and are not to be taken off by any deprivation though of the most rightful state as in the above-mentioned Cases 'T is true as to the Popish Bishops themselves they thought otherwise of their own Worship and Doctrines and took them for Christian and Gospel-ways and Truths
not for Anti-christian Corruptions And had they really been what they thought as they were not but quite contrary it had been their duty to go on in their Pastoral Cures and Ministrations with Persecutions for all their deprivations And so we our selves should have thought at least we all seem as if we should if by Gods Providence the civil State had gone on to deprive our reformed Bishops for sticking to the worship and doctrines of the Reformation and had set up Popish Bishops in their Places Notwithstanding which I suppose both our faithful Prelates and People instead of silently acquiescing would have gone on ministring and communicating in the reformed worship and doctrine of this Church But whatever they thought of these things or how consonant or disagreeing soever their Actings were to their own Apprehensions in this case it suffices for justification of our Reformed Bishops advancement to their Sees without their being deprived by competent and lawful Synods which is objected as a thing most exceptionable therein and as seeming most to deviate from Ecclesiastical Rule that in reality they were not Orthodox And that for this want of Orthodoxy without any need of recourse to the Authority of mere State Deprivations to take off people from a spiritual Adherence and Communion with their Bishops the People before they could have a Synodical Deprivation were loose from them and at liberty to unite themselves to the Orthodox Reformers in their Room CHAP. IV. Of Deprivations by Synods in the foresaid Cases ANd thus I think it may sufficiently appear how the manifold obligations which are shewn above to lye on Faithful Bishops and Ministers not to suppress but to exercise their spiritual ministrations in the foresaid Cases are not set aside or barr'd by any inhibition or deprivation though of the most Lawful Civil State They will do it with more ease and worldly encouragement when the State tolerates and much more when it fortifies and furthers them therein But they are not at liberty to give it off but must go on exercising the same when it is more troublesome and when the State gain-says and puts them under persecution for so doing And thus it is where the State will Act apart and proceed without a Synod in depriving Bishops and in discharging the Ecclesiastical Communion and dependance of the people Spiritually related and united to them But Deprivation of Bishops who are Spiritual Powers is more ordinarily by a Synod of Bishops who are a Spiritual Judicature Great Reason there is for the Deprivation of Bishops to proceed in this course The Civil-State indeed comes in by Reason of Civil Accessions and Endowments which strengthen and encourage the spiritual ministrations But these Civil Accessions are but Accessaries and Appendages and their spiritual powers are the Principal in their Ministrations and in Church Communion and dependance on them And therefore the removing of their ministrations and of the Communion and dependance of the Church thereupon is never so fitly and fully attempted as by spiritual judicatures who being spiritual persons have more directly to do with Church Communion and spiritual powers And accordingly this has still been the course of the most Pious Princes who have reserved the deliberations about Religion and Church matters and the Depositions of Bishops which so closely affects Church Communion to Convocations and Synods of Bishops and â—lergy And when these proceed to sentence it more directly affects the concerned parties Church Communion and Church Governors being more directly under the Church-mens Cognizance and not only indirectly and by the by as it may ingage the deprived persons when not bound to it otherwise to yield and acquiesce in voluntary complyance for civil interests But suppose a Concurrence of both these powers and that the deprivation of the Rightful State is confirmed by Synodical Concurrence Yet I observe in the last place that this Deprivation by Synods is not sufficient to bar or discharge Bishops or Ministers from the foresaid Exercise of their Spiritual Ministrations in the above mention'd Cases Bishops and Metropolitanes are not more subject and dependant on Synods than Presbyters and people are on their Bishops Our Lord himself and his Holy Apostles having appointed Bishops in his Church and call'd for our subjection and obedience to them But this submission of Priests and people to their Bishops is with a Salvo to their Holy Religion and its Articles and Interests And if any Bishops go against the Truths or Laws of Christ or against the interests of Souls and of True Religion we are not to follow them or to depend on them therein To stick to any necessary Christian Doctrines Worship or Practices Christs Faithful people and Ministers must break even with their own Bishops holding even them Anathema as St. Paul directs when they would lead them contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostles as I noted before and shall shew more fully afterwards And so must they with any other Bishops or Number and Synods of Bishops in like Case All Exercise and Administration of Church Authority and Jurisdiction is tyed to Rules Not only to Rules of the Churches own making or Ecclesiastical Canons but above all and in the first place to the Rules laid down by Christ himself And all the validity of Church Acts in way of external judicature in Synods or otherwise is so far as they go by them or do nothing against them Thus it is in Decreeing Rites and Ceremonies or Determining Controversies of Faith wherein though the Church has Authority yet is it thus limited and has no Authority as our Church Declares to ordain any thing contrary to Gods word Even general Councils are bounded by this Limitation and things ordained by them say the Thirty Nine Articles again as necessary to Salvation have neither strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that are taken out of Holy Scriptures And thus it is also in Matter of Censures or Ecclesiastical Sentences judicially past therein upon persons whether Laicks or Ecclesiasticks We in the Exercise of our Apostolical Power can do nothing against the Truth or in punishing and Censuring any for Faithful observance thereof but all our Power is for the Truth and to be exercised in its behalf by punishing and not sparing not those who stand to but those who defect from it 2 Cor. 13. 8. When the Church speaks to us in External Judicatures we must hear it as our Lord orders But we must hear it speaking under Christ never against him So that if it Excommunicates any for sticking firm to any part of his Holy Religion with whom for that very adherence sake he requires his Faithful Followers to hold Communion Or if it deprives or discharge any Ministers from Administring the same in any case where he has charged them to keep on that ministration Its power here is set up against him and its Acts have no Power to bind those who are concerned in them
Thus it is when it sha Excommunicate any for adhereing to any necessary Christian Doctrines Worship or Practices For all who would hold to Christ must Neglect such Censures and though any Church or Synod throws such persons out of its Communion they are joyfully to well come and receive them into theirs For when our Lord Arthorizes and gives validity to Church Censures saying they shall be bound in Heaven and bidding us look on all who will not hear the Church as Heathâ—ns and Publicans He limits this validity to those censures which pass upon men not for any parts of righteousness but for real offences If thy Brother Trespass against thee and will not hear thee tell it unto the Church So that some real offence or Trespass must still be the ground of the process Mat. 18. 15. 17. It must be for not hearing the Church when it calls us to his Truths and Precepts not when it sets up to carry us from them For there if it use censures it acts of it self and not by his Commission It opens or shuts by an Erring Key and must not expect that what is so bound or loosed on earth shall be Ratifyed in Heaven By such perverse Censures the Church only deprives it self of the Communion of Faithful Christians but doth not deprive them of Communion with Christ or with one another The unjust Excommunications of the Jewish Sinhedrim when they cast Christs Disciples out of their Synagogues only estranged or cut off themselves says Photius but brought those Disciples so much nearer to their Lord and Master And so now says he when the imitators of the Jews Excommunicate the Followers of the Apostles they thereby only Conjoyn and Unite them the more to those Divine Apostles to whom they are more closely and exactly knit both in Faith and Life by the Communion of sufferings But they miserably cut off themselves both from their Doctrine and from our Orthodox Faith And therefore instead of bemoaning themselves under such Excommunications and seeking to have them take off by Complying with the Church our Blessed Saviour fortifies his â—râ—â— followers against them and bids them not only patiently to rest under tâ—em but triumphaâ—â—ly to re oyce therein They shall put you out â— the 〈◊〉 ues says he to â—â—em and Cautions them not be offended thereat when it should happen or not to fall off from him or his ways to recover the Liberty of the Sâ—nagogues again Joh. 16. 1. 2. When they shall seperate you from their company by Excommunications and Anathema's and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Mans sake rejoyce ye in that day and leap for joy for behold Great is your Reward in Heaven for in the like manner did their Fathers unto the Prophets Luk. 6. 22 23. And thus the Holy Apostles and Faithful Adherers to Gods Truth and Worship and good Christian Practices did in all times when for such Adherence they fell under the Anathema's of Synods or the Excommunication of Churches during the Papal or any other former or later Persecutions They joyfully received such sentences and always owned one another and held Communion in Adherence to Gods word and ways among themselves when they were cast out of the communion of such corrupt and Apostatizing Synods or Churches And 't is the same when it shall deprive or discharge any Faithful Bishops and Ministers from supporting such necessary Doctrines worship and practices by their Ministrations as Christ requires For then notwithstanding such deprivations and discharge by Churches and Synods CHRIST'S Faithful Ministers must hold on Ministring and his faithful People must hold on Communicating and Adhereing to them therein Thus as our LORD Notes their Fathers had Separated and cast out the Old Prophets from Prophesying in their Company or Assemblies Who still went on Preaching and Ministring the Word which they were sent out to publish And thus the Sanhedrim that great Synod of the Jewish Church discharged the Apostles from Ministring Christianity or Preaching any more in Christs Name who told them they could by no means desist thereupon but must hold on their Ministration being to Ovey God rather than men Act. 4. 18 19 20. Thus also several Synods Deprived Athanasius and the other Orthodox Bishops who were the stout Asserters and Maintainers of the Divinity of our Lord against the Arians Such was the Synod of Tyre And such also was the Synod of Antioch whose Deprivations of Athanasius and the other Orthodox Bishops were a Blow made at the Nicene Faith though their Canons being good and according to Primitive Usage were by Orthodox Councils afterwards taken into the Book of Ecclesiastical Canons out of which several of them are repeated verbatim in the great Council of Chalcedon and are there among the Canons of others Synods taken in to be Canons of the Universal Church And such likewise were the deprivations of other Synods assembled in that Cause afterwards Now under these Synodical deprivations the great Business of those suffering Bishops was to shew that whatever other Immoralities or Personal Crimes were pretended against them as several were most impudently pretended against all Ground and Reason yet in reality and truth their deprivations were for the Cause of the Faith or for their firmness in maintaining the Divinity and Consubstantiality of Christ with the Father This Athanasius and Paulus plead for themselves teaching That their Depositions were not for any other Cause but for the subversion of the Orthodox Faith as is related by Socrates and Sozomen And what they made appear to the Emperor Constans was That they suffered not for the Crimes or ill Lives they were accused of as the sentence of Deposition did contain but for their thinking and teaching differently from the Synods their Dâ—posers about the Faith And when it was once clear to any Persons or Churches that they were deprived for the cause of the Faith they were not hindred by any Authority of external Judicature in the Synods their deposers but readily received and communicated with them as Christs true Bishops still in those places For notwithstanding these Synodical Deprivations Athanasius was all the while own'd and adher'd to by the Faithful Aegyptians as Paulus also was by the Faithful Constantinopolitanes And when they came to Rome on their giving full satisfaction in this Point Julius the Bishop of Rome received them to Communion Hearing the Cause of each says Sozomen and finding them all to agree in the Nicene Faith which he saw undermined and struck at by their Deprivers he received them to Communion as being of the same Belief with himself This Reception of Athanasius and others who stood deprived by the Synods of Tyre and Antioch c. to his Communion was before the Synod of Rome wherein the Orientals should have justified their Proceedings had acquitted and received them For before the Synod was held at Rome in
him making a New Body under him which apparently destroys Union and makes two out of one And thus we fee it doth in all Societies If an Opposite General is set up by a mutinous Party it divides the Army or if an opposite King is set up in a Realm it makes a Sedition and divides the Kingdom Or if the same is done in a College a Family or other Societies as well as in a Church opposite Heads do unavoidably make opposite Bodies and visibly destroy the Unity of any Society by breaking into two Societies or into as many as there shall be opposite Heads thereof Accordingly the Ancients place the Schism of Church-Members in breaking off from Rightful Bishops or setting up others in the same Church against them Thus in the Apostolical Canous the Schism of Presbyters of other Clergy or Laicks is express'd by their setting up another Altar and assembling separately in contempt of the Bishop So also the Council of Carthage declares concerning any Presbyters who should do the same after they had been sentenced and segregrated by their Bishops that therein they are Makers of Schisms And the second General Council rejects men as Schismaticks tho' they give out that they confess the Right Faith if they assemble and hold Congregations in opposition to their Canonical Bishops Hence says St. Cyprian come Schisms and Heresies because Men envy and contemn their Bishops They have risen and do rise from this viz. from some proud Persons presumptuous contempt of the Bishop who is one and presides over the Church Especially if they set up an Anti-Bishop and oppose a second Bishop to the first or to one Canonically Ordained already and rightfully possess'd of the same Church This was the Case of Novatianus whom the three Italian Bishops which he call'd to Rome for that purpose ordained Bishop of Rome against Cornelius who was already the Rightful and Canonical Bishop of that place This setting up of Anti Bishops St. Cyprian tells them is erecting an Adulterous Head a second Bishop being no more to be admitted to the same Church than a second Husband to the same Wife whilst the former lives and a spurious or adulterate Chair And bids them know that after once a Bishop is lawfully made and Ordained in any Church they can no ways set up another Bishop against him in the same place He calls it erecting unlawful Priesthoods and opposing against the True Altar and Holy Sacrifice a False and Profane Altar Sacrilegious Sacrifices And he aggravates the Novatian Schism by saying they had not only broke off from the Bishop and Church but had proceeded against the Ordinance of God and Catholick Unity to set up against him another Bishop an adulterous and contrary Head And on like setting up of Anti-Bishops after others were first in place Optatus Charges the Donatists with Schism afterwards These setters up of opposite or Anti-Bishops first break off themselves from their own Bishop before they can set another up against him And being broke off from their Bishop they are broke off from the Church which is in Episcopo as I shewed before or goes along with the Bishop those Members only making the true Body which adhere and keep to the Head and those ceasing to be any longer of the Body who are separated from the Head And therefore these opposite or Anti-Bishops and opposite Altars that blessed Martyr still says are foris and extra Ecclesiam and have receded ab Ecclesia that is are not within but without the Church Now from this Account of Church-Union in any particular Churches and of Schism which lyes in the unjust Breach thereof I shall observe these three Things 1. First That when a second or opposite Bishop is set up in any Church against a former Orthodox one who is still Bishop thereof the Anti-Bishop and they who set him up and adhere to him make the Schism For the other with his Adherents as the same Head and Members abide still where they were and are still the same Church But the Anti-Bishop and his Followers are gone out from them which Optatus gives as a plain Proof against the Donatist Bishops that the Schism lay at their doors They have broke themselves off and by erecting themselves into an opposite Head and Body make a new and opposite Church Consenting to set up another Bishop they consented therein to set up another Church as I observed before from St. Cyprian So that they rend that Body which by keeping wholly to one Bishop before was but one into several pieces and break one Church into two Churches This I say they do if the former Bishop is Orthodox For if he is Heretical Heresie as I shall shew dissolves the Union and cancels the Obligation of Adherence between such Head and Members They are bound to own him as their Head and to be one with him as his true and genuine Members whilst he is at the Head of Christian Doctrines and necessary Truths but not when he falls off from them into damnable Heresies and Unchristian Errors And if he is still the rightful Bishop of that Church If he voluntarily quits his Right and Relation to them and gives it up by his own Resignation they are no longer bound to adhere to him For these Unions and Dependances are contracted by the consent of Mens own Wills and are kept up betwixt these Heads and Members not by natural but voluntary Communications So that if a Bishop throws up his own Relation and will no longer preside over them as Head of a Church they are no longer bound to keep in Dependance and Subjection or to stick to him as Members thereof Or if he loses it against his Will by a just sentence and deprivation that also discharges the Members from their Union and Dependance and sets them free to receive and to unite themselves to another in his place But if neither Death has put an end to his Relation nor he has thrown it up by his own Resignation nor is deprived thereof by the finishing of a Regular Process and Synodical Sentence against him he is still the Bishop of his CHURCH and will bar and keep out any other Person from being Ordained a Bishop over them A Bishop can by no means be constituted in that Church whose own Bishop is yet alive and stands vested with his proper Honour unless of his own accord he renounce his Bishoprick And as to making a vacancy by deprivation it behoves first that the cause of him who is to be cast out of his Bishoprick be canonically examined and the Process against him be fully brought to an end And then after he is canonically deposed another may be promoted to his Bishoprick say the Fathers in the Council of Constantinople But if even a Synod of Bishops shall deprive an Orthodox Bishop of any Church for adhering to the
will any Places of Assemblies make such Members as are broken off from their Orthodox Rightful Bishops to have the Unity of the Body with them or to be the one Church For since the Anti-Bishop with his Followers are all Members broke off from their true and lawful Head they must needs be a Schism though they assemble in the most Authorised Places and Publick Churches And since in the Orthodox and Rightful Bishop with his Adherents we see the Members keeping united to their Head they musts needs retain that Unity of the Body though driven to seek shelter in the Wilderness or to meet in Corners Such little Flocks are still the one Church though like the first Christians in the Persecution raised against them by the Jews they are kept out of the Temple and all the publick Synagogues and must be content to celebrate Divine Service and hold their Religious Assemblies in upper Rooms 3. Thirdly Therefore in Pressing of Ecclesiastical Unity on the Consciences of Men the Preachers of Peace and Unity must press them to keep united to their own Orthodox and Rightful Bishop not to unite themselves to any other Bishop set up against him For the Unity which they are bound in Conscience to keep up is an Unity under him so Unity if rightly urged will bind all to him but rend none from him No Precepts occur more frequently in the New Testament than those requiring Love and Brotherly Charity and Peace and Unity among Christians And these are meant to tye them to each other not only in their private Capacity and Converse but as they are incorporated into a spiritual Society and as so many live Stones are to be cemented and compacted into one Holy Temple or as so many Members are to be knit together and built up into one Body Politick or Church They are call'd to Charity and Peace in one Body as St. Paul says Col. 3. 14. 15. And the Christian Charity is to be a Charity that keeps Unity of Society that edifies and doth not divide the Church 1 Cor. 8. 1. on which Account he says that where the Members are acted by the Virtue and shew the care of Charity there will be no Schism in the Body 1 Cor. 12. 25 26. It s Work is to compact and joyn together the Members the Body â—difying it self in Love Eph. 4. 16. And to do this or to keep them in united Corporations or Societies they must keep them united not only to one another but to their Orthodox and Rightful Bishops in the first place That Peace which must secure their Peace as an incorporate Society must first bind them to be at Peace with them And that Union which must keep them one Society must keep all dependant on and united to them and suffer none to break off or divide from them And that Love and Charity which is to be the Ligament of a Politick Body must bind the Members to the Head or the Subjects to the Governors and bar all Factious Combinations against them or Defection to any others And therefore the Scripture-Precepts of Love and Brotherly Charity and Peace and Unity must never be pleaded to draw men off from their own Orthodox Rightful Bishop but to make them cleave fast to him And to call men to unite with an Anti-Bishop is not to call them to keep these Precepts but to transgress them And thus 't is often represented by St. Cyprian He tells the Contemners of their own Bishops and Adherers to Opposite Bishops that they have none of that Charity which St. Paul requires and without which he declares to the Corinthians that they would receive no Profit by dying Martyrs because they have not kept to the Unity of the Church And gives the Setters up of opposite and profane Altars to understand that so they rebel against the Peace of Christ and against the Ordinance and Unity of God That they thereby break the bond of the Lords peace and violate Brotherly Charity and rend Christian Unity And to those Confessors at Rome who had sided with the Schismatick Novatian against Cornelius he suggests how therein they had separated themselves from the Flock of Christ and from his Concord and Peace So that the breach and overthrow of these Christian Duties of Fraternal Charity Peace and Unity must not be charg'd on any for adhereing to their true Head and Orthodox Rightful Bishop but are justly chargeable on the other side As to the first way of Schism therefore viz. in particular Members breaking off unduely from the Unity of their own Church and from their due Subjection and Dependance on their own Bishops to omit other Instances thereof 't is plain a Schism is then made when Bishop is set up against Bishop in the same Church And the makers thereof are the New or Anti-Bishop and his Adhâ—rents if the former Bishop is Orthodox and has not clogg'd his Communion with any unlawful Terms or with requiring a throwing up of Rights and Liberties and a Submission to Unrighteous and Uncanonical Usurpations Yea though such former Rightful Bishop stand deprived by an Act of State or even of a Synod if what he is deprived for be his firmness in sticking either to the Doctrines or to the Laws and Commands of Christ and what the other is set up for be his easiness in transgressing and forsaking them So that in Religion they are Schismaticks though the State espouse them and set them up for the civilly establish'd and endowed Church As the ten Tribes were in Israel though the civil State formed that Schism and the Arians when they broke off from their Rightful Orthodox Bishops albeit they had the Emperors to back them and the English Schismaticks when in the days of the Great Rebellion they fell off not only from their Bishops but from Episcopacy it self and were settled and upheld therein by the Usurpers of that Time and as the Anti-Episcopal Church of Scotland at this Day are notwithstanding all that Establishment the secular Arm has given them Yea and nevertheless Schismaticks though they can glory over the other in having by far the greater Numbers and in having sole Possession of the Publick Churches and Places of Assemblies And as the Anti-Bishop and his Party in such Cases make the Schism it lyes on them and they must be applyed to to mend it And the Gospel-Precepts of Charity Peace and Unity if they are truly press'd must be urg'd to make his own Adherents stick to the Rightful Bishop and to bring those Members who are broken off to return to him but are not truly enforced but corruptly misapplyed and perverted even to call for what they directly forbid if they are urged for uniting with the other side But whoever are guilty of making a Schism it would be a most pious and praise-worthy part in any that shall cure it And in the suffering side most of all if by over-looking their own personal
Teachers which he gave as Gifts for the edifying or compacting and building up all Christians into this Body of Christ v. 8. 11 12. To these Pastors the Spirit has given different Offices Rom. 12. 4. One having the Office of ministring another of teaching another of ruling v. 6 7 8. Or different Administrations 1 Cor. 12 5. setting some in the Church in the station of Apostles some of Teachers some of Governments v. 28. placing some in higher some in lower stations according to the measure of that Grace or Office the Word Grace being often used to express Ministerial Powers which he saw fit to commit to them Eph. 4. 7. 11. But all those different Offices are set for keeping all Christians in one Body Rom. 12. 4. 5. and all the Diversity of Ministries is to continue them the Body of Christ and to cement the Members who are many into one Body 1 Cor. 12. 27 28. v. 12. 20. and all the variety of Gifts i. e. of Offices v. 11. or distributions of higher or lower stations are for edifying or laying together the Members into this Body and for preserving the Unity thereof Eph. 4. 4 8 12. The Head of this Body is Jesus Christ himself And from Christ the Head all the Body is knit together says St. Paul by those joynts and bands which minister neurishment i. e. by the Pastors who are set to feed it Col. 2. 19. From Christ the Head says he again the whole Body is fitly joyn'd and compacted together by those joynts which make supplies according to their measure or according to their several stations in the work of the Ministry Eph. 4. 15 16. And on account of this use of their uniting all Christians under Christ the Head into this one Body or all the several Societies of Christians into one Church when this one Church is compared to a Natural Body they are represented as the Joynts and as the Bands or Ligaments which unite and compact the Members as they are by St. Paul in these places And thus it was in the Opinion of the Ancient Church who placed the Unity of all Churches in the Unity and Accord of all the Bishops thereof The Catholick Church which is one saith St. Cyprian is cemented or coupled together by the glue or joynt accord of its Bishops adhering mutually to one another All faithful People are joyn'd together into the solid Unity of one Body by the glue of this Concord And to fall from this Concord and separate from the College of Bishops is to separate from the Bond of the Church as he elsewhere says To keep up this Unity in the whole Church they believed all BISHOPS strictly obliged to keep Unity among themselves We Bishops who preside in the Church ought above all Men to keep firmly united that we may maintain the Episcopate it self one and undivided They looked upon the Bishops of all the several independant Churches to be as so many Members of one great Fraternity or College Optatus calls them the College of Bishops And before him St. Cyprian styles them the College and Corporation of Priests and calls all other Bishops his Collegues Particular Bishopricks are all Members one of another and all together as he says are to make but one Great Episcopate And among this Multitude of Bishops as there is but one Church so there is but one Chair And as three Persons in the sacred Trinity make up but one God wherein the power of all three is one and undivided So doth all the great Diversity of Prelates make up but one Priesthood says Symmachus Now this Unity the Bishops and Pastors keep up among several Churches not by the Subjection of all other Bishops to some one or more set up above all the rest Particularly not by the paramount Authority and Jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome which is neither to be found in Scripture nor is agreeable to the Accounts thereof nor to the Belief and Practice of the Primitive Church nor to the Universal Diffusedness designed for Christs Church under all the Divisions of Kingdoms and Interruptions of secular Accord and Correspondence here on Earth But by maintaining Fraternal Concord and Communion among themselves They cement into one Episcopate concordi mâ—merositate by their Concord under this Numerosity as we are told by St. Cyprian They are bound or coupled into one body by the glue of mutual Concord as he says again Which Ecclesiastical Concord and Fraternal Communion lyes in owning each other and all the Christians of their several Churches as Brethren and Members and in ratifying the great Acts of Society pass'd among them as if they had been pass'd among themselves And in having this Communion not Arbitrary and Discretionary which may be fixt at will upon their own terms and either kept up or rejected as they please But a Communion kept on out of bounden Duty and by Rules being to give account to Christ the chief Bishop for the breach thereof To this it is requisite that they profess the same true Faith and Christian Worship This is the Foundation of all other Communion among them The one Body being made up of those who hold to the one Faith Eph. 4. 4. and the Communion in this Body being required between those who communicate in this one Faith and Worship as shall be shewn more fully afterwards And among all Orthodox Bishops and Churches who profess the true Christian Faith and Worship the Rules of Communion and Correspondence required by Christ for keeping up this Unity of his Body are such as these 1. That all Orthodox Bishops and Churches receive each others Members as if they were their own Members All the Members of Christ's Church are Fellow-Citizens or enfranchised Denizens wheresoever they come and upon any new Change of Place or Christian Country have no need of a new Naturalization They ought to find a home in all Churches and may claim their Baptismal Priviledges or the benefits of the Christian Coporation or Society and can not justly be repulsed or denyed the same as being free of the whole Body For Baptism which makes them Members by the institution of Christ incorporates them all not only into those several Churches or Congregations where they receive it but into the whole Body or Fraternity We are all baptized whether we be Jews or Gentiles into one Body says St. Paul 1 Cor. 12. 13. And accordingly no Church must exclude them as Strangers or Forreigners but own and receive them as Fellow-citizens as Members as Domesticks as Brethren and of the same Family with themselves And this is necessary to maintain that Brotherhood which Christ has constituted among all his Members every Christian being Brother to another so that Brother is usually put to signifie a Christian in the Holy Scripture They must also own and receive their Orders when they have been lawfully call'd
faln from them and tyes us up no further to communicate with them 1. First 'T is always a just Ground to break off from them if they make impious or unlawful things the Terms or Conditions of their own Members or of others keeping on communion with them I do not say it is the only Ground having mentioned others but it is always a just Ground thereof And thus it is 1. When they put impiâ—us or unlawful things into their saecred Offices and mix sinful Matters in that Body of Prayers or Administration of Sacraments which they call others to communicate with What Allowances may be made herein for a generally corrupt state of the Church and how far in necessity and want of others good People may be at liberty still to resort to such I shall consider afterwards But such mixture of Sin and Prophanation in what they are called to communicate in I think sets People loose and leaves them no longer bound to them For the Communion which all Christians are obliged to seek in the Catholick Church is the Communion of Saints This Saintship though it be not always in Reality must at least be always in Profession The Persons must all be profest Saints whom we communicate with And the Things and Offices must all be of profess'd Saintship which we are call'd to communicate in And such those publick Offices are not that have any gross Sins or Wickednesses which are all so many Prophanations for the matter of them This Saintship wherein this Communion is to be held lyes more especially in Faith and Worship And where they fail in either of these we are not bound to communion with any Assemblies It is so plainly where they fail in point of Faith For Heresie which is a corruption of Faith will set us loose as I shall shew hereafter from the communion of any Persons or Churches And Corruptions of Worship are to the full not only as offensive but as openly dishonourable to God who is not more aspersed or provoked by a false belief and confession than by a corrupt and wicked worship So that among those whose business in Religious Assemblies is to see God honour'd and to seek that he may be appeas'd any gross Sins made the matter of Worship which are a corruption of Worship will do the same They not only set God's faithful People free to stand off from such corrupt Offices but oblige his faithful Pastors to standâ—up for him and to minister or afford better out of a just sense of the Peoples needs and jealousie for God's Honour as I shew'd before Besides our chief Obligations to unite our selves to any Religious Assemblies is as they are Assemblies for Worship We as so many live Stones are joyn'd together and built into a Spiritual House to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices as St. Peter says 1 Pet. 2. 5. Yea and as they are purely for Worship not partly for worshipping and partly for prophaning God there being Obligation enough on the Servants of God to meet together to see him publickly honoured but none to see him publickly profaned And therefore we are not obliged to make part of such Assemblies as put up sinful Matters and gross Wickedness in their publick Offices For Worship is a Profession of Honour and Reverence But Sin and Wickedness are Professions of Irreverence and Reproach and so are not Worship but Profanations So that the Obligations incumbent on God's Servants to meet there where Offerings are to be made that are for his Honour yea only such as are for his Honour will not bind them but if they can serve him any where else rather forbid them to meet there where these Prophanations are Thus is the Matter of Religious Meetings or the Worship and Service there performed the chief thing that carryes the Obligation to them I say the chief but not the only thing For we are Members of a Church as well as Professors of a Religion and as Christians are incorporated into a Society as well as instructed in a Doctrine And both these bind us to Religious Assemblies For as good Christians we ought to meet there to shew our Adherence to the Church as a Society or our Union to it as Members as well as to put up Prayers to God by JESUS CHRIST or to pay our Religious Worship and Service That is our Christianity obliges us to meet together both to present our Religious Oblations and Acknowledgments to Almighty God and to do it in dependance on our Lawful Pastors or in the Unity of the Church But this Obligation to these Meetings as thereby keeping Union with the Church as a Society is but a Secondary Obligation and that of paying truly Christian and acceptable Worship is the first and chief therein For the end why Christians were formed into a Society was to keep up the Profession and Payment of that Holy Doctrine and Worship which are necessary or peculiar to them as they are a Sect or Religion And the Members are bound to stick to it whilst it stands upon this Doctrine and Worship not when it starts off from it It is the Religion which recommends the Church And we are to chuse our Church or Assemblies for the Religions not our Religion for the Churches sake So that their falling off from pure Christian Worship and Doctrine which are necessary to the Religion to its honouring God or our acceptance by it loosens the bond of Union to any Assemblies and sets Men free to joyn with any others regularly empowered who stick faster to them Agreeably to all this we find Faith and Worship spoke of as the Great Ligaments that are to bind and unite us to any Church Of the Ligament of Faith I shall treat in its proper place And as for Worship which lyes partly in confessions of Faith but more especially in Prayers and Sacraments it is a Ligament too and Prayers and Sacraments are set off as compacting us into one Body or cementing us into one spiritual House Thus of Prayers St. Peter says we are set together as one spiritual House to send up spiritual Sacrifices 1 Pet. 2. 5. And of the Sacraments it is declared that we are all baptized into one Body 1 Cor. 12. 13. and that we are one Body by partaking all of one Bread 1 Cor. 10. 17. and by having been made all to drink into one Spirit 1 Cor. 12. 13. therein referring to the one Loaf whereof we all eat and to the one Cup whereof we all drink in the Holy Eucharist Now as that Faith which is to unite and bind us to any Churches or Assemblies is not any Erroneous or Heretical Tenets as I shall shew anon but the Orthodoâ—c and Right Faith So is that Worship which is to do the same not any sinful and prophane but a truly Christian and Holy Worship or such an Oblation of Prayers and Administration of Sacraments as Christ has instituted and appointed and will not reject and punish but
accept of It must be a Worship not only in Spirit opposite to the way of carnal Sacrifices and the Numerousness of Jewish Ceremonies and external Rites but also in Truth opposite to all false superstitious or otherwise sinful ways which really are not Worship but Prophaneness For in Christianity the true Worshippers as our Lord says are they who worship God in Spirit and in Truth Jo. 4. 23 24. Yea as he adds the Father seeketh such to worship him v. 23. And if he seeketh such Worshippers his devoted Servants who have no other aim but to find him and to be found by him must seek out such Assemblies where such Worship is paid to him And thus also St. Peter says of those Sacrifices the joynt-communion wherein is to bind us together into one spiritual House that they must be such spiritual Sacrifices as are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Pet. 2. 5. So that the Unity in Worship and Prayers which we are bound to keep with other Christians or Assemblies is only whilst they meet to put up Holy Prayers coming in among them as live stories to make part of their spiritual House whilst they offer up such Sacrifices as may be fit to find acceptance as we heard from St. Peter And thus the Peace which St. Paul orders us to pursue is with those who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart not with those who as the Gnosticks were like enough to do prophaned him by a sinful Worship or impure Petitions 2 Tim. 2. 22. And the bond of external Peace is where we may lawfully keep the unity of the spirit which is not to be kept in sinful Offices but only in pure ones Eph. 4. 3. or where in following after the things which make for Peace we may withal follow such things wherewith we may edifie not corrupt and ensnare one another Rom. 14. 19. Particularly as to the Pactors who are the Heads of those Assemblies one chief Character of theirs as they are set over us and chief ground of our Dependance and Obligations to keep under them is as they are Ministers of Prayers And that as they minister such Prayers as are fit to serve the necessary ends and purposes of all Prayer that is to worship and honour God and to benefit us or to bring down Blessings from him And if we who must seek out for Prayers are tyed to them as Ministers of holy and acceptable Prayers that Obligation towards them ceases when instead of administring such they fall to minister profane ones And thus there is a just Ground to break off or a Liberty of seperating from Assemblies even of Rightful Pastors for pure Christian Administrations Not for Purity from mere Defects or for Administrations more edifying which is the Pretence of our Anti-Episcopal Dissenters but for Purity from Sin and wicked Mixtures That is that they may have a Worship and Religious Service without mixture either of Idolatry or of Immorality That they may meet with nothing to reproach or dishonour God therein or to disturb and wound a pious Affection when they should be most helped and encouraged in exercise thereof being come to serve and worship him When they are thus barr'd out by any wicked mixtures unless necessity and want of better drive them to make shift therewith they are no longer tyed to resort to such Offices but are free to seek out for better at the hands of any other Regular and Authorised Pastors and ought to communicate in them if they can have them For sinful Prayers are a sinful Sacrifice as the Oblations of blemished of blind and lame and sick for Sacrifice were among the Jews Mal. 1. 8. Levit. 22. 19 20 22. Deut. 15. 21. And whatever Toleration it might meet with in want of better yet if any man hath in his Flock a Male or one fit to make a legal and perfect Offering cursed be he saith the Prophet that voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing Mal. 1. 13 14. But the Ground of this breaking off is higher still if 2. They do not only put impious and unlawful things into their sacred Offices or Confessions but admit none to communion in any of the good parts unless they particularly concur in these corrupt ones too The former sets men loose that they lawfully may and where they have opportunities of better ought to break off from them But this drives and necessitates them that they must do so and can not for the supply of any Necessities stay to associate and assemble with them And thus it is when any Bishops will admit no Members or when any Churches will admit no other Churches to communicate with them unless they will agree to believe or profess some false Doctrine or partake and go along with them in those particular and unlawful Matters or evil Worship wherewithal they have clogged and corrupted their Communion Now when this is the Case nothing can legitimate Communion with such Bishops or Churches For though it is the duty and ought to be the desire and care of all good Christians to keep up the external Unity of the Church both under their own Bishops and with other Churches Yet must not this ever carry them to unite or to go along with them in ill things To be one with them in these Matters is to partake with them in their Sins which is not the Unity and Communion of Saints or Christians but of the ungodly or of evil-doers In such Points the more united any Society is the worse it is Such is the Union of all Infidel Churches who unite in utterly denying and opposing the Christian Faith And of Hereticks who incorporate under their seducing Heads to undermine or pervert it Yea even the infernal Spirits are united Polities without which Satans Kingdom could not stand as our Saviour says being associated and knit together to despite God and all that bears his Image But all this Union or Agreement of Men in damnable Errors or Wickedness is only combining against God and their own Souls And our Blessed Lord came not to bind up but to break such Combinations which the World then was full of I came not to send Peace but rather Divisiâ—n saith he that is to call People to break off from Error and Wickedness and to divide from the Adherers to ungodly ways Luk. 12. 51. So that the lamentableness of Mens not going all one way is true here where the Generality go the right way But when they are going wrong in ways of Guilt and Destruction to unite in Sin and Misery is a deplorable thing and there 't is best when the most divide and stand off from them Nor may they be wanting to their duty in some Points to keep on united to them in others They must not purchase Unity by sinfull Omissions or buy peace with the loss of innocence And therefore as I observed the watchmen must not be wanting in giving
necessary warnings nor Faithful Ministers let fall their Ministrations in the foresaid Cases on pretence of preserving unity or preventing Schism in the Church 2. Secondly it is another just ground to break off from them if they make unrighteous usurpations and incroachments the Terms and condition of their Communion Both Bishops and Churches may turn Tyrannical and Arrogant Usurpers upon their Brethrens Liberties not admitting their own Members to their Communion without acknowledging and submitting to their unjustly and illegally assumed powers nor other Churches unless they will give up their own rights and freedoms and become their Subjects And when they will allow Communion to none unless they are content to purchase it at such rates good Christians may pass them by and unite themselves to other Churches where they will be more justly and fairly dealt with The Communion of Christians is a Commuuion of Brethren upon Brotherly terms not of Captives who must submit to any terms or bear what hardships and incroachments are put upon them by their Conquerors They are not bound to purchase unity by enslaving of themselves or any brethrens communion by receiving their yoke and giving up their own rights and liberties as the Church of Rome demands all other Churches both of the East and West should do to purchase hers And thus St. Paul declares he would not give up their liberties when false brethren turn'd invaders thereof viz. the Judaizers in their pressing the Circumcision of Titus to whom he gave place by subjection no not for an hour when they sought to bring them into bondage Gal. 2. 4 5. CHAP. IV. Heresy a just Ground to break off Communion THe last ground which I shall mention of breaking off or of being set loose from the Communion either of Bishops or Churches is though none of the foresaid obstacles can be pleaded against the Terms of their Communion if yet 3. Thirdly Heresy can be justly objected to their persons and Doctrines Church Members are not bound to keep dependant on the persons of their Bishops nor one Church to keep Communion with other Churches if once they defect from the true worship and Doctrine of Christ. This worship and Doctrine are the Ground and Foundation of Christian Society and unity The Church is a Body of Men Associated for them And must be one Society by keeping united under their Bishops or Associated with other Churches in them They must keep one in standing together upon this bottom not in going off or departing from it For clearing these matters it is to be observed that our Saviours first end in coming into the world was to publish a Religion I am come a light into the world saith he of himself Jo. 12. 46. I must Preach the Gospel for therefore am I sent Luk. 4. 43. On this account he calls himself the Way the Truth and the Life Joh. 14. 6. And tells Pilate that for this end was he born and for this cause came he into the world that he should bear witness unto the Truth Joh. 18. 37. And this Truth or Religion lyes in his Doctrine of worship faith and Practice Or in his Teaching all his Disciples what way they are to worship God what they are to believe concerning him or other things which concern their Eternal Salvation and what they are to do for him Now this Doctrine was like to be most advantageously profess'd and this Worship to be best paid if it were not left to single persons or to scatter'd Families to do it separately by themselves But had its several professors incorporated into one Regular society and united body for the joynt profession and performance thereof Such Regular society would hold it out by more orderly and effectual Ministration and keep men to it by the Authority of Discipline and be a common help and spur to excite and aid each other mutually and carry them on and a cover and shelter to back embolden them therein A Regular Society or Church incorporated for the Profession thereof St. Paul says is a Pillar and Ground or Stay to publish and support it Accordingly when Religion was left to be born out by smaller societies and sometime even by single families as in the Patriarchical Age we see it was sometimes almost lost and always made a very small progress But when a whole Nation was incorporated into one Church for the profession and payment of it as it was among the Jews it spread further in power and influence and gain'd more proselytes And lastly when all Nations as fast as they turn'd Christians were embodyed in one society for the same intent as a Light set upon a candlâ—stick or as a City placed on a hill it desplayed its force far and near and strengthen'd incomparably more hearts in it and drew more eyes after it And therefore our Lord intended and ordered in the next place that all who embraced this Religion should incorporate or unite together in one Church or Society for the Profession of it Accordingly he has made baptism wherein every professor takes upon him this Religion to incorporate him or enter him a member of this Church Baptism as St. Paul notes uniteing us all in one body and as many as are baptized into Christ are all one in Christ Jesus And requires of every professor of this Religion that he Keep on professing it in the unity of this Church And that all of his Religion pay this worship and profess this Doctrine not separately by themselves but socially in joynt Communion with others So that all who come to embrace the Christian Religion must perform the worship and profession thereof in Christian Society or in the Unity and Communion of Christs Holy Catholick Church But we are first to be all of this Religion and then to profess and perform it in the Unity and Communion of this Church The Doctrine and Worship I say which makes us Christians are the Foundation of that Society and Unity which is to be upheld in the Christian Church Thus on Peters Confession our Lord declares he would build his Church Mat. 16. 16 18. And the Uniteing of Christians into one Temple St. Paul says is by their being built on the Apostles and prophets i. e. On their Doctrines about worship faith and practice Eph. 2. 20. 21. And when our Saviour prays so earnestly ly for the Unity of his Church at what time he was about to leave it he limits it to this that they may be kept one in Gods Name Joh. 17. 11 and calls the Gathering or Uniteing together of Christians in Congregations wherein he will be in the midst of them their gathering together in his Name Mat. 18. 20. In his Name that is in his Doctrine or Profession of Faith and Worship Name with relation to Masters and Teachers being usually put for Doctrine As to bear my Name before the Gentiles is to bear my Doctrine Act. 9. 16. and teaching in
Christs Name is filling Jerusalem with his Doctrine Act. 5. 28. ver 41. And the Priests and Rulers forbidding the Apostles to speak to any Man in his Name is forbidding them any more to preach his Doctrine Act. 4. 17. 18. And so when our Lord prays to his Father that his Disciples may be kept in his Name to the end that they may be one he notes the necessity of continuing in his Doctrine to their keeping his so much desired Union Jo. 11. 17. Accordingly he adds that they may be one as we are viz. he and the Father For their Unity is by this way among others viz. by keeping to the same Word or Doctrine he teaching them what he had from his Father v. 8. And this is to be kept one after his departure as they had been kept one before as he continues to pray v. 12. For before they had been united in his Word which he gave unto them and which they had received and kept v. 6. 8. Thus also St. Paul tells us that the giving of Pastors and Teachers to Edâ—fie or compact us all into one Body of Christ is for edifying us in the Unity of the Faith and of the Acknowledgment of the Son of God Eph. 4. 11 12 13. And that the Church is to be one Body in holding to the oâ—e Faith Eph. 4. 4 5. And this has been the currant sense of the Christian Church The Vertue which keeps the Church together is Faith saith the Pastor Hermes as he is cited by Clemens of Alexandria We are constituted one Body of Christ and Members â—re of another by having the same Faith with him and with one another say the Fathers in the sixth general Council By the joyning of Charity and Faith Christ binds us up â—â—to one Body in himself saith St. Gregory the Great And we Christians are a Society says Tertullian incorporated on a Belief of the same Religion Or as he elsewhere expresses it confederated in the Fâ—llowship of the same Profession As to Points of Faith I understand this more particularly of those Points which are more important and call'd Fundamental and are all contain'd in the Apostles Creed These are the necessary and grand Points of the Christian Religion and the Belief thereof makes us Christians and accordingly they are all profess'd in our Baptism when we take this Profession upon us And this Faith is one necessary Bond of Union to keep Christians together in one Society Their first care must be to keep to this Faith which makes them Christians and in this Belief of the Christian Religion their next care must be to keep to any particular Society or Christian Church Other Points of Belief which are more remote from the Foundation do not so generally influence Mens Salvation nor so necessarily break off Communion but that Men may hold on joyning in the same Offices notwithstanding their embracing of some erroneous Opinions And under such Errors Peace and one Communion were pressed by the Apostles I conceive on the Churches in their Days But these being more necessary and essential to the Religion are more necessary also to the keeping of Society and Communion which is to be kept up among those who are united and agreed in this Religion And since all Church Association is to be on this bottom of Chrian Worship and Doctrine good Christians Unity or Dependance on their Bishops or one Churches Communion with other Churches is only to be whilst the Bishops and Churches themselves keep united to Christian Worship and Doctrines 'T is to their Bishops as to their Spiritual Teachers on whom they are to attend as obedient Disciples and so whilst they instruct and train them up in God's Truths not in ungodly Errors 'T is to them as they are Christs Ministers and so whilst they minister his Word not their own As joynts Eph. 4. 16. Col. 2. 19. And joynts are to compact or pin the Materials or Members together whilst they rest upon the Ground and Bottom viz. the Doctrine not when they start aside and go off from it And of an Heretick St. Paul says that he is turned aside or like a corner-stone started out of the Building So that the other Parts are no longer to be knit together into one spiritual House by him When People come at first to be Church-Members and to unite under their Bishops the Doctrine and Worship is first laid as the Ground-work for both the Head and Members to stand upon Thus we see it was in the first Formation of Churches and setting up external Union and Dependance under Bishops The Christian Doctrine was first taught and received which was the Foundation laid I have laid the Foundation says St. Paul when he had planted the Faith 1 Cor. 3. 10. And on the Foundation so laid a Church was raised and Bishops chosen out of the first-Fruits of the Converts as St. Clemens says and set over those that believed And ever since before Men receive Baptism to make them Church-members there is a Profession made of the Doctrine of the Apostles both in Faith or the Articles of the Creed and in Practice or the Commandments So that 't is Bishops heading of this Doctrine and Worship which bring Members to incorporate and unite under them And as their heading it brings People to them so their rejecting or defecting from it loosens the Tye and sets them free to go off again Their Fellowship with the Apostles and our Obligation to hold Fellowship with them is tyed to their keeping the Apostolical Declarations of what they had heard or seen 1 Jo. 1. 3. And in the Account of the Communion of the Primitive Christians the Fellowship of the Apostles and of the Bishops their Sucessors is linked to the Apostles Doctrine and to their breaking of Bread and Prayers Act. 2. 42. If a Bishop then defects from Christian Doctrine and Worship or falls into Heresie or Unchristian Worship that is a Discharge of his People from their spiritual Dependance and Relation and supersedes the Obligation of keeping Unity under him If we the Apostles or even an Angel from Heaven should preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have already preached unto you let him be Aâ—athema or Accursed that is have no more communion and commerce with him than with those whom the Synagogue or Church has cut off Anathema being the Word for one excommunicate both in the Scripture and in the constant Language of the Church Gal. 1 8 9. And this he says as St. Chrysostom notes not only against those who subvert the whole Gospel but against those who go a little beside it or overthrow any Parts thereof And if a Church defects from the same it sets other Churches loose in like manner from the Obligation of holding on communion with them Unity of Faith binds them mutually to observe the Rules of fraternal communion and defection in Faith
And if any man is disobedient and refractory to Church-powers which he is to the height who throws them quite off and sets up others against them to note that man and to have no company with him 2 Thes. 3. 14. And Schisms or Sedirions the Apostle reckons among Works of the Flesh which exclude from the Kingdom of Heaven So that they who would secure that must be careful not to joyn or partake with them Gal. 5. 20. 21. Especially if to the Guilt of Schism they also add that of Heresie which the Apostle also there ranks among the deadly Works of the Flesh or make Parties especially consummate them by setting up of Anti-Bishops to head destructive Errors or a defection from Gods pure Worship and Doctrines If any turn bringer of false Doctrines bid him not God speed nor receive him into your houses which were to be partakers of his evil Deeds says St. John 2 Jo. 10. 11. Thus St. Paul bids them look to the Judaizers and avoid them Phil. 3. 2. And St. John when he went to bath himself at Ephesus leaped out of the Bath unwash'd when he espyed the Heretick Cerinthus declaring he would not stay with such an Enemy of the Truth as Irenaeus reports from Polycarp Yea and Polycarp himself as he adds refused the Heretick Marcion any friendly commerce or fraternal salutation So studiously cautious says he were the Apostles and their Disciples of entring into any communion so much as of discourse with those who adulterated the Truth And of this Obligation to shun the communion of Schismaticks and corrupt Teachers Christians had a great sense in the first and best Ages of the Church Thus St. Ignatius that blessed Martyr and Contemporary of the Apostles when he bids the Sheep to follow the Shepherd and tells them they who are Gods and Jesus Christs will go with their Bishop to caution them against siding with any who set up against him tells the Philadelphians that if any will turn follower of him who makes a Schism he has no inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven And St. Cyprian is abundant therein When New or Anti-Bishops set up opposite Altars he is full of Zeal against the Impiety and Wickedness thereof 'T is adulterous says he 't is impious 't is sacrilegious whatsoever is so set up by the madness of men in violation of the Ordinance of God He who leaving the true Bishop sets up another Altar and presumes to celebrate another Prayer or Divine Service different from his bears Arms says he in another place against the Church and resists Gods Ordinance he is an Enemy of the Altar and a Rebel against Christs Sacrifice for the Faith he is persidious for Religion he is sacrilegious he is an undutiful Servant an impious Son an Enemy instead of a Brother And having set out these Schismatical Associates as so full of Sin and Provocation he warns all who would be careful of their own Innocence or safety to stand off from the Communion of such Men. A People that would fear God and keep his Commandments saith he must not mix it self or joyn in the Sacrifices of such sacrilegious Dividers Avoid those Wolves says he again who seek to separate the Sheep from their Shepherd warning against those five Presbyters who were then forming a Schism and soon after set up one of themselves viz. Fortunatus an Anti-Bishop against himself at Carthage If they will perish in their Schism let them be alone in perishing Let them remain alone without the Church who have broke off from it Let them alone be without the Bishops who have rebell'd against the Bishops But depart you from such Men and be not ye Partakers with them therein The Lord admonishes us adds he to depart from such Men. And If they are to be held as Heathens and Publicanes who only contemn the Church according to the Words of our Lord Mat. 18. 17. much more are the setters up of false Altars and unlawful Priesthoods to be held as such because they are plain Rebels and profest Enemies thereof And besides their shuning these opposite and false Altars and keeping firm to the true he tells them is necessary to give them the benefit of Christian Communion For whosoever assembleth otherwise saith he than under the rightful Bishop doth not get but scatter abroad If any are not with the Bishop they are not in the Church And 't is a vain flattery and self-deceit for any who have not Peace and Communion with their Bishop to fancy it is the same thing and that they may still have the Benefit of Ecclesiastical Communion by creeping in privately and being admitted by others set up against him Such was the sense which the Holy Apostles had instill'd and which the Primitive Christians had carefully retained of their strict Obligations to keep united to their own Orthodox rightful Bishops and to shun the Communion of all Schismatical Opposers of them or of Heretical Teachers And this shunning of such Communion must not be looked upon as the effect of Anger or Peevishness or as an Expression not of Religion but of meer human Passions which took place in the Church as Charity grew cold and wore off For this was most in the days of the Aposties themselves and of their Contemporaties and their nearest Successors as may appear from the fore cited Scriptures and Testimonies of Ignatius Irenaeus and Cyprian When Charity was the highest as it will be confest to have been in those times they were the choicest in their Communions and stood furthest off from all Schismaticks and Hereticks refusing them the Commerce not only of Spiritual and Ecclesiastical Ministrations but even of Civil Offices and Respect And this by the direction of those Apostles St. Paul and St. John who abounded more than any in pressing Charity not bearing to keep company or to eat with them as St. Paul to give them the common salutation of God speed or to receive them into their Houses as St. John who would not so much as stay in the Bath with Cerinthus nor his Disciple Polycarp give the Salutation to the Heretick Marcion as I observed from Irenaeus So that Charity when at the height was highest towards God for sustaining his Worship and Doctrine visibly bearing it up by the Church and in the Unity thereof But was not for being any ways wanting to a Church-Profession and Maintenance of them in tenderness and complyance to those who defected from them But Christians abated of these first Rigours in shuning all Commerce with such Persons as the first Charity and Zeal for pure Doctrine and Worship grew less and as they were driven thereto especially in point of civil Commerce by Hereticks and Schismaticks growing more numerous and through the lamentable Divisions of Christendom lying intermix'd in all places which render'd the former renunciation of civil Commerce as less adviseable so less practicable in
opportunity of siding and closeing with it So that where they can have no assemblies for right communion the making a shift with the other for that time speaks no opposition against them I grant to stand quite off from them and to have no communion or correspondence with them in their separate ways is the clearest disclaiming of any Schism or Sedition And this as it may be payd so is more reasonably exacted under the settlement of a right Government But under others when the disobedient have got all into their hands and make the number in all places this way of disclaiming by refusing all communion and correspondence admits of some relaxation and abatements It doth so plainly in the Civil State where some dealings and correspondence of the dutiful and well affected with the Rebels which would have been sentenced as Rebellion in better times will not then be reputed rebellious And under like prevalence of Schisms which leave no opportunities of communicating with any else I think such abatements may also find place in the Church too Especially considering the necessity of publick communion and Church assemblies the great defectiveness and scarcities whereof had almost dropped and lost Religion in the Patriarchical Age. And also considering the necessity which our Religion in particular lays upon Communion the Communion of Saints being one of the things professed in the Creed which may make it more reasonable to presume such abatements in favour thereof when there is no opportunity of Ministerial Offices by any others to communicate with But that the necessity of having some Ministerial communion will be an excuse in such case for the faultiness of having this at the hands of one ministring in a Schism when it can not be had from others seems reasonable to me from considering the Nature and Importance of things and the abatements God himself has been willing to make on such necessity with other like Duties and I think it was so held and practised by the Church and People of God when they could have no Ministerial Offices but from Schismaticks and also to give Relief in some other compassionable cases about communion which have only like plea for abatements as this case has 1. As to the Nature and Importance of the things themselves publick worship or communion in Ministerial Offices is a duty more of natural and essential Obligation to pay such publick worship being naturally incumbent on all men And withal it is so important in it self For Communion in Ministerial Offices or in common and publick Worship must both declare or testifie the sence which Mankind have of their common or publick Lord and also sustain or bear it up in the World It is the way for God who most justly claims and expects the worship and service of all his reasonable Creatures not to be left without Witness but even in a degenerate and rebellious World to have some always visibly standing by him and paying him his due honour and homage It is also the way for him to preserve alive a sense thereof among all his other Subjects and Children whom he as a common Lord and Father is concerned continually to make acquainted therewith and to try with the power and influences thereof For by this means he sets forth his worship and truths as a Light to shine out to all that are in darkness and sets this light upon a candlestick or collects the bearers thereof into a body or City and places this City upon an Hill as our Saviour says to make it conspicuous and that it may force it self upon the observation of all who are at a distance And if any are willing to pay this Almighty Lord his due honour and homage it will train them up dayly in the knowledge and observance thereof If they are unwilling and averse thereto it will serve to make them willing by degrees For such dayly representation of God's publick worship and homage before their eyes will be a dayly reproof of their ungodly Violations or Neglects thereof and make them uneasie therein and by degrees awaken and stir up those natural and innate feeds of Truth and Piety which God has planted in all mens Souls though under such Neglects or irreligious ways they lye dormant and seems as if they were buryed or almost quite lost in theirs Or if after all they shall obstinately shut their eyes against this Light so shining out upon them and persist in their wickedness and irreligion it will clear the Justice of an Injured God when he comes to punish them for the same and leave them wholly without excuse Yea this publick worship is necessary at least as to a great part of Men or as to the keeping them up in any considerable Numbers to keep up Religion and Devotion not only among others but in their own breasts For Devotion is to be upheld and improved in our Spirits by exercise which as they have Provisions for and are call'd to so all devout People are careful to comply withal on the constant returns of these opportunities But though we need to use this exercise to keep it on we need use none at all to wear it off our minds which by meer neglect thereof will sink into forgetfulness of what is good and into sloth and indevotion of themselves Their progress therein is like that of heavy Weights up hill which need a constant hand to raise and carry them on but when that is once off have enough in their own Weight to make them roul down again And this all may find by their own experience mens pious affection as any heedful Observer will soon perceive unavoidably decaying and going back back for want thereof Which makes devout minds justly to dread the want of such opportunities for Ministerial Offices as a starving of their Religious affections And for this Reason among others St. Paul is earnest in pressing attendance on Religious Assemblies and cautions them against for saking the same because that would endanger the loss of Religion it self Not forsaking the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is saith he to the persecuted Hebrews when he labours to fix them in holding fast the Christian Profession without wavering and to guard them against such things as would most dispose them to draw back and apostatize from it Heb. 10 23 25. 26. 39. And for these and such like Reasons publick worship is of so great account in God's sight that he has framed much of our Holy Religion with a particular eye to it and instituted several great and most important things for the sake of it Such is the Church it self which is instituted for joynt and publick worship The Society thereby introduced among us is to associate us in the common worship of that God whom we all confess and the Fellowship arising thence is to make us all Fellow-worshippers Such also is the Ministry which God has appointed for his publick Service or to minister unto
him either as his Mouth unto his People or as their Mouth unto Himself in publick Assemblies or Congregations Such likewise are those set and solemn Times for worship which he has instituted both among Jews and Christians and which are all design'd for publick worship in Joynt-Assemblies Yea even our Prayers which are the Acts of worship express communion and joynt-society being put up according to his appointment in the plural number he having taught us to say Our Father which art in Heaven and give us this day c. which speaks the communion and concurrence of more besides our selves And the Holy Sacraments those most eminent Acts and Instances of worship are ordained for Asts of society and partnership or of communion therein We are all baptized into one body And We being many are one bread and one body And The bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ and the cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ as St. Paul says And because by their institution they are not only to be Acts of worship but of publick worship or of joynt-concurrence or communion therein therefore doth our Church allow no Sacrament even to the Sick without three or two at the least to make a Congregation and condemns the private and solitary Masses of the Church of Rome which are eaten by the Priest alone Such is the natural obligation and such the necessity and importance of publick worship which is one of the greatest visible supports of Religion without which 't is to be feared it would sink and be in danger to fail in the Earth Whereas the paying of this worship in Church-Unity and dependance on a Bishop though it be a duty too yet is a duty more of positive obligation For to have Bishops and to pay all our publick worship in communion with them is no natural duty which always was incumbent on all men but came in with Christianity by positive Institution or particular Revelation And besides though important in it self yet in comparison it is of less importance not only the natural parts of the Ministration but the positive too as the Holy Sacranients c. being I conceive of more Weight And though the want of this Union under our own Bishops by the opposite Passions and angry Tempers which Schism introduces doe greatly eat out true devotion yet doth it not make so wide a breach and waste therein as the want of any Ministerial Offices at all would do Now in any competition of Duties the Rule is that things of positive obligation shall give way to things of natural obligation and positives of less importance to positives of more importance in those cases and times where we can not do both The natural there takes place of the positive and the greater sets aside the less Particularly as to the keeping up Religion and Church-unity and Association if in any case we can not maintain both but a competition happens to arise between them the care of Church-unity must give way to the care of Religion We must look then to keep up as much Church-unity as we may do in keeping up Religion which being once lost Church-unity and association signifies nothing And not begin the other way to content our selves with keeping up so much of Christian Religion as we do in strict observance of the Rules of Church-society and Union For Christs first and chief design was to plant and preserve the Religion And that Church-unity which is either valuable or desireable in the sight of God is Church-unity with true Religion not Church-unity without it and we are tyed to keep up Church-union for Religion's not Religion for Union's sake as I shewed before And therefore the duty and obligation to communicate in some Ministerial Offices will be a fair excuse for doing this out of the way of Church-unity or dependance on our own Bishops when both can not have place And thus I think the Scripture determines in such cases and that 2. These abatements are what God himself has been willing to make on such necessity in other like duties He has not required that men should stick so fast to those duties or parts of duty which are inferior or subservient or appendages unto others as that for their sakes they should drop other duties which are principal or superiour to them nor is he willing that in care of preserving their practice of lesser Vertues inviolable they should at any time let the weightier fall So that to think he will abate and relax something of the duty of Church-union when that is necessary to keep on the more important duty of publick Ministration and that he doth not the the People up to such strict care of communicating in the Unity of the Church as must drop and let fall all communion in Ministerial Offices when they are not to be had but at the hands of those who minister in breach thereof is only to think that he is ready to make the same equitable allowance on any competition in these as he doth on like competitions in other duties And that Almighty God is willing to make these abatements on such necessity and competitions I conceive may sufficiently appear by the following Instances Circumcision and Sacrifice and the Sabbath are all positive duties But Circumcision and Sacrifice being of more importance they were to take place of the Sabbath and whensoever it so fell out that they could not observe both men might be excused in breaking the Sabbath Rest to labour in Circumcision as they did whensoever the eighth Day of the Childs Age which was appointed for his Circumcision fell to be on the Sabbath Day or in Sacrifices with the labour whereof the Priests in the Temple continually prophaned the Sabbath and were blameless as our Lord determines And God himself declares I will have Mercy before Sacrifice which imports according to our Lords allegations and applications of it that Men should drop the duty of Sacrifice to attend the duty of Mercy when for the time they must let one fall and could not pay both So making the necessity of performing natural duties an excuse for the omission of positive and the necessity of performing more important duties an excuse for the omission of less important when there is a necessity of letting one fall Thus also it was a positive duty and rule among the Jews that the Priests should kill the Sacrifice according to what is said in the Law Lev. 1. 4 5. The People who brought it as it is there order'd were to lay their hands upon the head of the Sacrifice But it was left to the Priests to kill it as Josephus relates Whence the Priests were able to give the number of the Paschal Sacrifices at any Passover as they did to Cestius Gallus as the same Author testifies And this is the account of the Jewish Doctors
But under Hezekiah when by reason of the great and general defection which had been in the days of his Father Ahaz the Priests who had sanctified themselves were too few as the Text says to slay all the burnt-offerings rather than any of the Sacrifices should drop their Brethren the Levites slew them and helped the Priests therein till the work was ended and till the other Priests had performed their legal Cleansings or Sanctified themselves 2 Chron. 29. 34. And the same on a like want of the regular and appropriate Ministers to have recourse to for this Ministration was done again 2 Chron. 30. 17. Again it was a positive Duty and Rule that the legally unclean as Lepers or they who had touched Dead Bodies or any persons either Men or Women under any accidents or things which their Law judged Uncleanness should not eat of the Pass-over or other Holy things Lev. 15. 31. c. 22. 4 5 6. Numb 9. 6. But yet rather than lose the Pass-over at a time when there was the greatest Reason for them to partake therein they were allowed to let fall this legal Rite and the legally Unclean were admitted under Hezekiah When he came to the Throne his first and chief care was to set up a Reformation of Religion which had suffered so exceedingly in Achaz's Reign And in pursuit thereof he calls not only Judah but also Israel to the keeping of his first Pass-over at the House of the Lord at Jerusalem which he had cleansed and restored from the Pollution of Idols to the worship and service of the true God 2 Chron. 30. 1. And when upon his Letters not only they of Judah but several also of Israel were come that he might not baulk the beginning of the Reformation nor the People lose the end of their coming especially they of Israel viz. out of Ephraim Manasse Issachar and Zebulon who had never been there before since the dayes of Solomon they were admitted to eat in their legal Uncleanness without legal Cleansings rather than go without the Pass-over tho this was to eat it otherwise than it was written 2 Chron. 30. 18 19. And in so doing 't is said God accepted them v. 20. The like I may observe of the Christian Pass-over or of our Holy Eucharist This by a Positive rule among us or by our Blessed Saviours Commandement and Institution is to be Administred in Wine And 't is not lawful to Consecrate or Administer the same in any other Liquor but Wine or the juice of the Grape after it is perfected and purged by Fermentation But this positive Duty of Doing it in Wine seems to be meant strictly only whilst Wine can be had wherewith to keep up this Holy Administration and with allowance to those Christians and Countries who have no Wine rather than live without the Blessed Eucharist to Administer it in some other Liquor which comes as near it and is made as like to it as they can And Julius Bishop of Rome directed the Egyptian Bishops that in case of necessity where they could not have Wine for this purpose they should squeeze a cluster of Grapes into the Chalice and mixing some Water therewith use it instead thereof And like to this is done at this day by the Christians of Habassinia that large and potent Christian Kingdom in Africk who tho' they have good Grapes yet through the heat of their Climate or other causes can make no Wine thereof and also by the Coptiles in Egypt and by the Christians of St. Thomas in India who for want of true Wine all use Water infused on Raisins and fqueezed from them as we are told by those who have given the best accounts of those places 3. Thus the People and Church of God have held and practiced under the greatest Schismes of former times 1. It did so I conceive in the Schifm of the Kingdom of Israel or of the Ten Tribes The good people among them were not without Sacrifices and Ministerial Offices to be had in their Synagogues and High Places as well as at Jeroboams Calves And the Worship of the true God must needs have failed much more and much sooner in Israel than it did had it been otherwise In some Persecutions indeed raised against the Worshippers of the true God there were none left to Minister to them As it was in Jezabels Persecution when she cut off the Prophets of the Lord and when those Hundred Prophets whom good Obadiah saved were all hid and kept secret in two Caves 1 King 18. 4 13. So that Elijah knew of none who went about affording any Relîgious Ministratîons but himself and accordingly tells God that of all his Prophets he was left alone 1 King 19. 10 14. And then the Seaven Thousand Souls who as God tells the Prophet had not bowed the Knee to Baal but kept true to him all that time ver 18. could not resort to Ministerial Offices because they were not in the way of those who could afford them Or sometimes when the Kingdoms were not at Wars and when that would be connived at notwithstanding the Order of the Kingdom of Israel to the contrary made at first by Jeroboams wicked policy they might go up now and then to the Temple at Jerusalem As Tobit who lived under such failure of True Worship and Ministrations sayes he did at the Feasts carrying his First-Fruits and Tenths with him to give to the sons of Aaron Though in this going up he sayes he was alone when all the Tribes and the House of his Father sacrificed to Baal before they were led away Captive by the Assyrians But that way of keeping up Religion and the Worship of the true God in those Ten Tribes which was both General to the body of good People among them and Constant or a way of doing it in all times was the Ministrations of their own Kingdom or such Ministerial Offices as were performed among themselves That is by their own Prophets trained up in their own Schools or Colleges and by their own Priests who were to preach the Law and to minister Religious Offices These Priests and Prophets being in the place of Shepherds were bound to administer these Offices and are severely blamed and threatned by God in Israel as well as others were in Judah if instead of Feeding their Flocks they should only Feed Themselves And if he required the One to minister them since the Relative carriage and dependance ought alwayes to be reciprocal between Relatives he must in consequence allow the Other I think under this necessity to Resort to them For I conceive the Pastors can not stand bound to Preach to those who are bound never to Hear them or to Minister to those who are in no wise allow'd to partake in their Ministrations And these Ministrations those good People had to Communicate in not only at Jeroboams Calves where God was prophaned by the Worship of
Prudence 'T is true it will give some presumption of concurrence in these Petitions if they visibly manifest no dislike but whatever they are in their Hearts appear externally to joyn in them as much as they do in others And therefore I conceive it were not amiss as they come in the course of the Service by some external sign to shew they disclaim and stand off from them As I noted the Orthodox did whilst in the beginnings and as was hoped more sanable Age of the Arian Heresie before they broke communion quite off they met in the Arian Assemblies under Leontius at Antioch But there is no room or pretence for such presumption of concurrence and they would be strange presumptions that should be made in contradiction to express Declarations if we signifie the contrary by some external sign For none must presume or we are not answerable for it if they do that we joyn in such passages if by some external sign we protest to all that we stand off from them whilst by like visible signs we shew concurrence in all those good Prayers which are put up together with them I grant the Communion of Prayers should be an intire Communion and no Petitions of publick Assemblies should be the private desire of some but the joynt desire of all in common And where any thing is inserted which all cannot joyn in it makes a broken Communion But there the inserters thereof make this breach and others who are driven by Necessity to bear the same only suffer it as their misfortune And when they can have no other which they would embrace though with persecutions yea and it may be are illiterate and unable by Reading to carry on the Worship of God and the work of instruction in their own Families It is better I think to take up with a broken Communion than with none And though their wishes are to have one more intire yet till they can have their wish I conceive their way will be to communicate in most Prayers rather than in none at all Whilst they are careful then by some sufficient external sign to shew their standing off from these additional immoral passages the necessity of having some ministerial Offices and Devotions will bear them out I conceive when they can have no better in resorting to such mixt Service for concurrence in the body of other good Prayers But all this as I say is whilst such visible signification and refusal of the sinful matters will be allow'd òf For if all either in reality must or in external shew and appearance must seem to concur therein They ought not to be guilty either of Iniquity or Hypocrisie and so upon that account are utterly barr'd and shut out from such Communion And thus much as it is greatly needed so I have adventured to say on this Point concerning that liberty and allowance which in compliance with the love of Peace and the necessity of some Ministerial Offices may as I conceive be made in abatement of the strict Rules against Communion with Schismaticks I know all the use some are apt to make of such Concessions is instead of making them Relieve others only to turn them against the Authors and taking hold of them as Principles to try if thereby they can overthrow the main Cause I think this is very dis-ingenuous and a wrong way of Reasoning too For it is beginning at the wrong end in these matters These Concessions are not set up for main Principles much less as points to be held against them but as points of favour and ease that may be thought fairly and equitably consistent with them Which should it happen otherwise the Principles must stand firm unless they can be overthrown by Arguments intrinsick and proper to themselves and all that can be said as to these Concessions of Ease is that there is an end of them So by that course men do not so much oppose the Established Principles as themselves and what they show is that in consistence with Truth of Principles no Concessions can be made and that the Truth will not permit them to make such Approaches or to come so near to them as they fain would do But these liberties in the present case seem to me fairly Reconcileable on the grounds here given with the Reason and Reality of things and with the intent of the foresaid Principles And every man is left to judge for himself whether they are or no. And thus I think it may appear both how careful we ought to be in shunning the Communion of Anti-Bishops their Schismatical Adherents where we have other opportunities And â—â—w for the benefit of some Ministerial Offices we may be at liberty to take up with them when we can have the same from none else Yea for all they happen at any time to have made an addition of immoral mixtures to a body of otherwise good and sufficient Prayers if we openly and sufficiently express our dislike and standing off from them whilst we as openly concur and joyn in others And as it was before shewn who make the Schism in any Divisions of Churches and who can cure it in the foresaid Cases So having found who are to answer for the Schism this may suffice to shew what Communion may be held with such and how good Christians are to carry it towards both parties As to that exercise of spiritual ministrations then which Faithful Pastors stand so many ways obliged to notwithstanding any Deprivation of State yea or of Synods as I have shewn The Care of Preserving Unity or preventing Schism in the Church ought to be no stop thereto in the foresaid Cases Nay if to Head their immoral Prayers Doctrines and Practices the defectors shall set up Anti-Bishops and so make a Schism in the Church The Conscionable care of preserving unity will bind them fast to such Faithful Ministers who are their Rightful Pastors And the Conscionable and truly Christian dread of Schism will make them effectually keep off from the Communion of those defectors who by Erection of Anti-Bishops have set up Altar against Altar and Schismatically broke off from them And thus I have gone through those particulars which I thought sittest to be consider'd and of most force to clear up this Argument And from what has been offer'd in these papers I think it will not be difficult for honest inquirers to see what their duty is under any unhappy differences or divisions of Churches at such times I pray God neither the desire of Thriving nor the fear of Suffering may make men afraid to see it or to follow what they see they ought to do when they are tryed with such Cases It extreamly concerns all men who would shew any serious care of their immortal Souls at such times to discern the right way and to take it in these matters 'T is not for any to think lightly of these points of difference For 't is hard to say what things would