Selected quad for the lemma: diversity_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
diversity_n	body_n	member_n	unity_n	542	5	10.1952	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43271	A treatise concerning schism and schismaticks wherein the chief grounds & principles of a late separation from the Church of England, are considered and answered / by Henry Hellier ...	Hellier, Henry, 1662?-1697.	1697 (1697)	Wing H1381; ESTC R20518	24,128	62

A TREATISE CONCERNING Schism and Schismaticks Wherein the Chief Grounds Principles Of a Late SEPARATION FROM THE CHVRCH of ENGLAND ARE Considered and Answered By Henry Hellier D.D. Fellow of C.C.C. Oxon. LONDON Printed by Richard Smith for Jo. Crosley Bookseller in Oxford MDCXCVII A TREATISE CONCERNING Schism c. THERE have been many Discourses published about Schism since the late Revolution and most of them by Men averse to the present Government who have quoted divers Sentences out of the ancient Fathers which they say make against us although they will serve according as the case is differently stated either of one side or the other They call us who do approve of the present Government Schismaticks and themselves the Church of England who have separated themselves from it accusing us of Immoralities in our Prayers of all the mischiefs that are done in the Wars of setting up Anti-Bishops concluding that we are without the Church and that there is no Salvation to be had among us in the ordinary way Wherefore it can be no unseasonable work to enquire into the nature of Schism impartially and into the ways whereby Men may become Schismaticks in order to the clearing such as are innocent from this Offence and to the charging it in the right place and on the Persons that are truly guilty of it And seeing our Adversaries have taken so much liberty of Speech against us as after they have called us Schismaticks and said we are in a state of Damnation to boast of and print Catalogues of their Books unanswered It is but reasonable that any Man on our part should be heard also that hath a mind to speak without being blamed only for writing against them much less for indifferent stating of the case for they have given sufficient cause for both But this latter is the thing which I principally intend to do namely to give a state of the Case or to consider the rational part of the Subject which seems hitherto to have been most neglected although it is of the greatest use For if the nature of Schism in general and the ways whereby Men do become Schismaticks are once well understood it will be easie to explain the Sentences commonly quoted out of the Fathers and to make use of them if we please against our Adversaries or it will be lawful to reject them although there will be no need of that for there are none of them that I know of which after a Man hath duly considered of the Subject will seem to favour them Therefore to make a general Discourse on this Subject and also to include particular matters within as short a compass as conveniently may be I shall endeavour to shew 1. What Schism is and how the Members of the Church may become guilty of it 2. I shall speak something also of the sinfulness and inconvenience of it to the intent that we may avoid it 1. Let us consider what Schism is and how the Members of the Church may become guilty of it As for the word Schism it signifies properly the cutting or cleaving of a solid Body from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hence it is translated to denote diversity of Opinions and Professions in those that once appeared at least to be agreed in them for they that never were united cannot be said to be cut asunder And according to this metaphorical Acceptation Schism is a breach of Unity in any Society whatsoever But common use and custom hath applied it only to that which divideth the Unity of the Church Yet not the bare Separation but giving the cause of Separation makes the Schism Wheresoever a Schism is each Party is divided or separated from the other but each Party is not in a state of Schism that is doth not give the cause of Separation unless it so falls out as it sometimes may that both of them are in fault neither doing its part towards the maintaining of Agreement so far as is necessary to be preservation of Unity in order to one common end Now as many ways as there are for the Members of the Church to profess themselves united one with another with relation to matters concerning them as they are the Church and Congregation of Christian People So many there are also for one or more Members to become Schismatical by breaking off that Union in outward profession which is a Duty incumbent on them I speak of Union which relates to Matters concerning them as they are Members of the Church Whence not every passionate Heat not every Quarrel not every Suit of Law not every War not every Faction or Sedition among the People doth make a Schism I speak also of Union in outward Profession For tho' there is an internal Union and Communion of all God's faithful People in regard they have the same Faith and the same Hope and do practice the same Christian Virtues and in default of these or any one of these a Man in some sort cuts himself off from those faithful People and from the Portion which doth belong to them and so the secret Infidel and the secret Sinner may be said to be separated now for they are none of Christ's and shall hear that Sentence in the separation of good and bad Men hereafter Depart from me for I know you not Yet this is a matter not peculiarly belonging to Schism but common to it with every other Sin and therefore in that Sense I shall not now consider it but only as it is a Breach of external Communion and Separation as to outward Profession although this may be committed as well as any other Sin in the Mind also by a Man's intending or purposing to leave the outward Communion of the Church when perhaps he hath not as yet actually done it Now as the outward Unity or Communion of every Society appears in the apt Order of the Members one with another and Demeanour one towards another according to their respective States and Conditions as in one House one City one Kingdom So does the Unity of the Church consist in Mens acting according to their just Relations as Members of the Church in keeping fair Correspondence and retaining a due Agreement in Doctrine of Faith and Morals and in Discipline that is to say Church-Government and the things that belong to it as being requisit to the due Administration and right Management of it And this Unity is consistent with several things seemingly dividing Persons as Members of the Church and that partly even in the aforesaid respects with diversity of Spiritual Gifts and Functions with diversity of Opinions as to Matters of Religion with Ecclesiastical Disputes and Contentions with various Judgments and Resolutions as to particular Circumstances and Cases relating to Moral Actions with Canons and Constitutions of divers kinds with difference in Ceremonies or other parts of Discipline in divers Countries or divers Parts of the same Country according to the several Exigencies of