Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A34538
|
The kingdom of God among men a tract of the sound state of religion, or that Christianity which is described in the holy Scriptures and of the things that make for the security and increase thereof in the world, designing its more ample diffusion among the professed Christians of all sorts and its surer propagation to future ages : with The point of church-unity and schism discuss'd / by John Corbet.
|
Corbet, John, 1620-1680.
|
1679
(1679)
|
Wing C6258; ESTC R23940
|
125,145
|
296
|
those bounds Subjects may not by coercive power reform the publick State and change the Laws which is the work of the Supream Magistrate But let it be considered whether they may not have their voluntary Assemblies for Gods Worship when they are driven from the communion of the legal Churches by the imposition of unlawfull terms or unnecessary terms apprehended by them to be unlawfull For in this case they are forced either to hold such Assemblies or to abide perpetually without those Spiritual priviledges which are their due and the ordinary means of their Salvation There is a great difference between inimical Separation like Sedition in a Common-wealth and Secregation upon necessary causes without breach of charity And among the necessary causes this may be one that all sober Christians who for conscience sake cannot submit to the way of the Established Churches may be relieved and that none may be exposed for lack of that relief to be lead aside into the error of the wicked as Heresie Infidelity or any other course of Impiety Indeed here is some variation from the ordinarily regular bounding of Churches But the partition of one Church from another by local bounds is not of absolute necessity and invariable but naturally eligible from the convenience thereof when it may be had But the state of some Christians may be such as to compel them to vary from it The scope hereof is not to set up Churches against Churches but either occasional and temporary Assemblies or at the most but divers Churches distinguished by their several places of assembling or by diversity of external order as the allowed Congregations of Foreigners in London are distinguished from the Parish Churches If any object the inconveniencies that may follow the permitting of Church Assemblies besides those of the Established Order the answer is That the wisdom and clemency of Rulers in any Nation where this case may be supposed can provide that as few as may be should stand in need of that permission by fixing the terms of Church communion and Ministerial liberty to such a latitude as may comprehend all the more moderate Dissenters And after such comprehension Christian charity will plead that all tolerable Dissenters that is all who believe and live as Christians may be tolerated within such limits as may stand with publick Peace and safety That which is here proposed may make for the relief of many thousand serious Christians without breach of the external order which is necessary to be maintained and is not set up to the hinderance of things more necessary It is to be noted that the offenders expresly marked out by the Apostle in the Text Rom. 16. 17. were ungodly men that opposed or perverted the Christian Doctrine and being Sensualists and deceivers disturbed and polluted the Christian Societies and seduced the simple into destructive error and practice Wherefore the Text is ill applied to the rigorous condemnation of honest and peaceable men that dissent only in some accidental or inferior points of Religion for which the Apostle forbids Christians to despise or judge one another Yet not only false Teachers but all Schismaticks are here condemned under this description viz. those that cause Divisions and Offences And though they be not direct opposers of sound Doctrine yet being Dividers or Disturbers they practice contrary to the Doctrine of Christ which teacheth Unity Love and Peace But still it must be observed that the reality of Schism lies not in being divided or disordered but in causing the division or disturbance or in a voluntary violation of or departing from true Church-Unity They that cause Divisions are not excused from Schism by the support of Secular Power nor are others convicted of it meerly by the want of that Support The Magistrates power in Sacred things is accumulative not destructive or diminitive to the rights of Christs Ministers and People It takes not from them any thing that Christ hath granted them but gives them a better capacity to make use thereof CHAP. IV. Of the Schisms that were in the more ancient times of the Church and the different case of the Nonconformists in these times OF those parties which were anciently reputed Schismaticks as violating the Unity of the Church yet not Hereticks as denying any Fundamental point of the Christian Faith the Novatians and Donatists are of the chiefest note Forasmuch as both these are looked upon as the greatest instances of Schism it may be requisite for me to consider the true state of their separation from the main body of the Christian Church passing by accidental matters and insisting on the merits of their cause according to their main Principles and Practices As concerning the Donatists the breach made by them had this rise Donatus with his Complices vehemently opposed Cecilianus who had been chosen Bishop of Carthage in design to thrust him out of his Bishoprick They accuse him of being ordained by one that had been a Proditor and of having admitted into Ecclesiastical Office one that was guilty of the like fault This Cause was by the Emperor Constantine's appointment heard before several Councils and many Judges The Accusers still fail in their Proofs of the things objected Cecilianus is acquitted and confirmed in his Office The Party of Donatus failing in their design were carried in a boundless rage of opposition to a total and irreclaimable Separation from all the Churches that were not of their Faction and became very numerous upon a pretence of shunning the contagion of the wicked in the Communion of the Sacraments Their principles were that the Church of Christ was no where to be found but among themselves in a corner of Africa also that true Baptism was not Administred but in their Sect. Likewise they proceeded to great tumult and violence and rapine And a sort of them called Circumcelliones gloried in a furious kind of Martyrdom partly by forcing others to kill them and partly by killing themselves The Novatians took their name and beginning from Novatus a Presbyter first at Carthage afterwards at Rome who held that they who lapsed in times of Persecution unto the denying of Christ were not to be readmitted unto the Communion of the Church though they repented and submitted to the Ecclesiastical Discipline of Pennance He separated from the Roman Church and was made a Bishop by Bishops of his own judgment in opposition to Cornelius Bishop of Rome Cyprian gives a very bad character of him as a turbulent arrogant and avaritious Person But of what Spirit soever he was his Judgment and Canon was received among many that were of stricter lives and he himself is reported to have suffered death in the persecution under Valerian At the Council of Nice Acesius Bishop of the Novatians being asked by Constantine whether he assented to the same Faith with the Council and to the observation of Easter as was there derceed answered that he fully assented to both Then being again asked by the Emperor why
not lasting but by usual and easie changes their weakness is discovered To tie a People to certain little rules and methods in Church Discipline that are geâ—erally displeasing as the necessary terms of â—hurch Priviledges when the ends of Discipline may be as well obtained without them is at the best but the vanity of a needless trouble in doing that with much ado which might be done with less and it may occasion an incurable breach and the rejection of the whole Form of Government Narrow and uncertain boundaries of Church Communion and arbitrary and rigid rules of admission are contrary to that ample and fixed Church state which is necessary to uphold and propagate true Religion The Faith of Christ hath been propagated and perpetuated in large Kingdoms and Nations by incompassing under its external Rule and Order the multitude that made profession though they might faâ—… short of the New Birth and those things thaâ— accompany Salvation And it doth not rooâ— or spread in any sort considerable in a Region where the order of admission is set by the rigid and narrow principles of a small Party and the general multitude lies open as waâ—… ground for any to invade or occupy The strength and security of the Protestant Reformation came by the taking in of Kingdomâ— and whole Dominions within its compasâ— The external Kingdom of God must needs be much wider than the internal It is like the draw Net that gathered Fishes good and bad and like a Corn Field wherein Wheaâ—… and Tares grow together till the Harvest Moreover the increase of professed Christian makes way for the increase of regenerate Christians and Converts to the power of Godliness are generally made out of the mass of People of an Orthodox profession and few of them are turned immediately from Infidelity Popery or any Heresie CHAP. XXIV The Care and Wisdom of the Church in preventing and curing the evil of Fanatical and Sectarian Error AMong the Wiles of Satan whereby he depraveth the Spiritual excellency of pure Religion and mightily hinders its advance in the Kingdoms of this World Fanatical and Sectarian aberrations are not the least If these follies were but heeded by those that are most in danger before they are ingaged and drunken with errour it were in great part an antidote against this mischief For the well minded that are but weak and of easie impression are lead aside chiefly for lack of attention and observation Many are Children in understanding and many are passionate and inconsiderate and an innate levity and inconstancy of mind is very common It behoves the Guides of the Flock to possess the minds of the People with sober principles and to have a watchfull eye upon the first rising of any Pragmatick Fancies that feed on notions and novelties under a shew of a more discerning Spirit in Gospel Mysteries than others have Such being vanity puff'd up will be starting questions and multiplying slight exceptions against the received Truth and will please the itching ears and slight Spirits of some pretenders to Godliness who will become their hasty proselytes and join with them to unravel one thing after another in the texture of holy Doctrine And by the repute of their good parts and seeming Piety may stagger others of good intentions but weaker judgments And of this sort none are more dangerous than vain-glorious Teachers ambitious of leading Parties and by plausible indowments furnished for such designs These to raise their own fame and make to themselves a devoted People will become absolute Sect-Masters and those that close with them they hold with pleasing devices and serve their humours that they may serve themselves of them There is also in some Persons a right Sectarian leaven which is evermore to follow peculiar Opinions and some separated Party in Religion and they speak security to their own Souls by being of such an Opinion or of such a Party Against the Sectarian and Fanatick Spirit it concerns the Church to keep a continual watch and ward but not so as to imprison the truth to lock up the key of knowledge to stifle Godly zeal to detain a People in dead and dull principles that will not reach to the New Birth and Divine Life For this were all one as to prevent or cure a frenzy by causing a Lethargy or some other such like stupidity Moreover a Superstitious formal love and sensual way of Religion will in no wise be able to prevent or suppress this evil but will give occasion to its rise and growth except in times of profound ignorance and silence as in the depth of Popish darkness But whensoever the light breaks forth and the People see with their own eyes and the Ecclesiastical Governours will not admit a true reformation but persecute those that seek it then are many in danger of falling into this opposite extream For they are cast upon it both by the hatred of the present corruptions and by the weakness of their own judgment being not throughly instructed in the solid truth And so they â—un hastily from superstition and externalness into delusion and wild fancies from the common dissoluteness and remisness of those that call themselves Orthodox into a vain boasting of perfection from the usurpations of proud men incroaching upon Christs Prerogative and their false constrained Unity into Anarchy and confusion and from a wrathfull zeal and persecuting cruelty into a disorderly promiscuous and familistical love or indulgence towards all On the contrary a Church state that is agreeable to the Spiritual Ministration of the Gospel and truly Apostolical is the surest remedy against Sectarianism and Phanaticism truly so called When the Church abandons Romish Tyranny and Superstition and yet is settled in a regular and stable Polity when the publick Order throughly promotes the means of sound knowledge and incourageth real Godliness it satisfie the minds of them who justly expect in a Gospel Church and Ministry more than an outward Form even the manifestation of Truth and Spiritual Light and Life and Power anâ— it prevents their wandring to seek after it iâ— the devious paths of Sectaries It is of great moment that of the moâ—… learned able and judicious Persons of Orthodox profession there be many eminently Pious whose authority and reputation may bâ—… able to hold in those whose affection anâ—… fancy is apt to outrun their judgment likewise that the Pastors of the Church who aâ—… called the Light of the World do so walk iâ—… the Light as that there be no occasion oâ—… stumbling in them through notorious Pridâ—… Covetousness Self-Seeking inordinate sensuality or the vehement appearance of any gross evil For the weaker sort is commonly undone by offences And because seducers are very active and spare no cost nor travel but as they have done of old do compass Sea and Land to gain Proselites it behoves the Pastors carefully to keep their People and the People carefully to keep themselves out of the hands of these Hucksters The