believed by us to have bin heavenly inspired and the undoubted word of God and hence the settling of the Canon was no small sollicitude of the Primitive Church a point this of no small consequence for the attaining of Salvation to be believed yet not absolutely necessary since one may be saved without knowing the Scriptures and many were so before these writings * Nothing concerning Ecclesiastical Orders Ordinations Sacraments the Church'es absolving sinners inflicting censures prescribing publick Liturgies points fundamental and so called some of them at least Heb. 6. 2. in respect of the essence and government and unity of the Church tho not in respect of the Salvation of some member thereof Yet why not necessary to every person therein as having reference one way or other to their particular good * Nothing express concerning the obedience due to the Church and her Governours else why do so many deny it who confess the Creed and in it the Catholick Church and yet this a very necessary fundamental also in respect of Christian duties for ignorance whereof whilst especially they will not believe the Church in attesting her own authority how many deprive themselves of the help of her excellent rules not to name here the Evangelical Counsels of Celibacy and emptying our selves of our superfluous wealth recommended to us by her and her many injunctions sovereignly tending to the advancing of piety and bettering of manners which we will suppose here not to be contained in Scripture as frequent confession of sins to the Priest frequent Fasts hours of Prayer Communions which who knows not of how much moment they are for the abstaining from sin acquisition of Christian virtues and so consequently for our Salvation Now the obligation to know and believe these and such like Necessaries of this 2d sort varies according to several persons and conditions and according to the more or less evident proposal of them In this dispute as Dr. Potter acknowledgeth Char. mistak § 7. p. 242. of necessary and fundamental truths both truths and persons must be wisely distinguished The truth may be necessary in one sense that is not so in another and fundamental to some persons in certain respects which is not so to some others 1. * More points ought to be known and believed by one than by another according as more are made manifest to one than another by the Scriptures by the decision of the Church or any other way Where note that before the Church's determination of some points of faith one may have an obligation to believe them when another hath not if before this they be evidenced to him when not to another what I mean by evidence see before § 3. by what means or author soever it be he receives this evidence And after such evidence he that opposeth it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and heretical in God's sight even before that he happens to be declared so by the Church'es censure and is made yet more perversly erroneous after her definitions and such obstinate error again is more or less dangerous besides the sin of obstinacy as the matter of the error is of more influence toward our Salvation whilst mean-while others not having the like evidence of them are yet free to dissent or disbelieve them but then after the Church'es definition those also upon this stronger evidence shall I call it or authority will become obliged to assent to them Again * more points ought to be known and believed by one than by another according as one hath more opportunity than another by studying the Scriptures the Church'es exposition thereof and her decrees to find out and discover such truths Art thou a Master in Israel saith our Saviour and knowest not these things See Heb. 5. 12. There are those who are not excused in acquiescing in the tenents of their particular education but who are bound to examine the general traditions and doctrines of the Church the ancient Fathers Ecclesiastical Histories c. Again others there are of another condition who are not so far obliged And in the former sort if they either depart from the foresaid doctrines themselves or continue a separation first made by others it will be a damnable Schism when perhaps the simplicity of the vulgar their followers will remain excused if the error be not in a point absolutely fundamental or will be much lightlier punished Luk. 12. 48. Which common people we must leave to God's secret mercies in the same manner as we do all those others who have not believed because they have not heard which Heathens also I charitably think shall not suffer for want of that Faith of which they had no Teacher as that Faith mentioned Jo. 3. 36. but for want of that the sound of which hath come to all the world in all times mentioned Heb. 11. 6. compared Rom. 1. 20 21. Thus many truths are necessary to be known by the Pastors and the Learned that are not so by the illiterate people And in respect of some vulgar I conceive that form Quisquis non confitetur or non credit Anathema sit concerning the Creeds drawn up against several hereticks by the four first General Councils is not to be understood to be of force against a pure nescience of some Articles thereof for there are many subtilties exceeding vulgar capacities and which they need not distinctly know but against an opposition of them or denial or non-confession of these points when they come to know the Church hath established them and condemned the contrary for thus to oppose the Church is not to be ignorant of them but heretical in them Tho t is not necessary to Salvation that either they should know the Church hath determined such a thing or that such a thing is a divine truth if such knowledg be beyond the compass of their moral endeavors sutable to their capacity and their vocation in the search of divine truth See this matter more largely discussed in the Disc. of Infallibility § 15. Nay if the Learned also should I say not be ignorant of but err in some point of such moment that by consequence such error destroys some chief principle of our faith yet this being supposed and granted possible that having used their just endeavor in the search of the truth they are by no sufficient proposal convinced of it and that mean-while they contend for the principle with the same or more pertinacity than for it with a resolution to desert it if once appearing to them any way repugnant to the other such an error will no way hazard Salvation Upon such Supposition Tho the Lutheran is conceived from his new fancied Ubiquity by consequence to destroy the verity of Christ's Humanity Again the Calvinist is conceived from God's eternal predetermination of all our actions c. by consequence to destroy God's Holiness and Justice in making him the Author of all sin points highly fundamental yet are not these holding
be justly supposed by any therefore to justifie all their Acts Laws Injunctions or Censures whatsoever no more than from my peaceable obedience to my temporal Prince will any such thing be collected Suppose the Church pronounceth an Anathema on all those who do not believe her decrees yet can none hence justly conclude That every one that is in her communion believes them unless we are certain that every one doth what another requires who doth not quit all relation to him who requires it Neither have her Anathema's being universally pronounced more force upon nor are they more to be feared by one when he is now within than when he was before without her communion or than they are to be feared by all those who continue still without the further any one runs from the Church he the more justly incurring her censures Neither reasonably may those thro the Kingdom of France after the conclusion of the Tridentine Council who lived and died in the communion of the Roman Church or Father Paul the Venetian who writ the history of that Council dying also in the same communion be therefore presumed to have assented or subscribed to all the decrees thereof Doth the 5th Canon of the Church of England bind all tho Non-Subscribers to forsake or not to enter her communion who think some one thing she saith not agreeable with the Scriptures for fear of their giving scandal by being thought to believe such points Did the many false doctrines of those who sat in Moses's chair and ruled in the true Church of God therefore warrant the Samaritan discession from the Church Consider well Jo. 4. 22. Matt. 10. 5. We may not being in her communion openly gainsay the errors of a Church such as are not fundamental as all I think grant how much less may we quit her communion for them And if one may not leave that which he imagines the true Church for such faults or defects neither may he forbear to return to it And if a member of a Church may not disturb her peace in an open speaking against some things he supposeth to be errors in her but not fundamental now for erring in fundamentals the true Church of Christ is secure and in the Protestants opinion the Roman Church doth not err in any such upon this pretence because else some may be scandalized as if himself also held such errors why may not one likewise enter into the Church's communion without an obligation of declaring against her supposed errors for fear of giving such scandal And indeed upon such terms i. e. of fear of giving scandal no man may be of any communion wherein he thinks any one untruth is held and then by being of none shall he not give more scandal as if he denied there to be on earth a Catholick and Apostolick Church to which he may securely joyn himself He that may not pass over to another Church because she hath some in his opinion errors may not stay in his own if he imagines the same of her But mean-while he that takes such offence may perhaps too magisterially accuse a Church of errors who 1. first ought not hastily to conclude especially the decrees of Councils to be untruths unless he be infallibly certain thereof And if he be so yet 2ly ought he not to be offended at anothers submission to the Church that holds them unless he knows also that the other is infallibly certain of their being errors But yet 3ly from the others submitting he cannot indeed gather so much as that such a ones private opinion in all things is the same as the Church's doctrine is but only this that such a man's judgment is that he ought to submit as much as is in his power his contrary reasons or opinion to her wiser and more universal judgment To conclude No man may neglect a duty for fear of giving some scandal or of having his actions by some weak men misconstrued For t is only in the doing and forbearing of things indifferent that we are to have an eye to scandal Now our communion with that which we suppose to be the Church Catholick must needs be a duty and that a high one Of which S. Austin saith so often see 5. § That there can be no just cause of departing from her Therefore either she errs not at all in her decrees or else we may not desert her communion because therein are maintained some errors tho some upon these be scandalized that we still abide in it I add as no just cause of departing from her notwithstanding such errors so no just cause of not returning to her when she is willing and ready to receive him By Him I mean here as likewise in the rest of this discourse such a one as tho he scruples at some of her in his conceit errors yet is perswaded that that Church to which he desires to joyn himself is the truly Catholick Luk. 9. 59 c. And he said unto another Follow me But he said Lord suffer me first to go and bury my Father Jesus said unto him Let the dead bury their dead c. Another also said Lord I will follow Thee but let me first go bid them farewell which are at home at my house And Jesus said unto him No man having put his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. FINIS PART I. §. 1. 1. Concerning Faith necessary for salvation 1. Concerning the object or matter of Faith. §. 2. 1. Concerning the necessity of our belief of such object of faith 1. That it is necessary to our salvation to believe what ever is known by us to be Gods word §. 3. Where 1. Concerning our obligation to know any thing to be Gods word which knowledg obligeth us afterward to belief §. 4. §. 5. §. 6. 2. And concerning sufficient proposal §. 7. §. 8. §. 9. §. 10. 2 That it is not necessary to our salvation that all that is God's word be known by us to be so or in general known by us to be a truth Where 1. That it is necessary to salvation that some points of Gods word be expresly known by all 〈◊〉 points very few §. 11. §. 12. §. 13. Not easily defined In respect of these the Apostles Creed too large §. 14. 2. Other points only highly advantageous to salvation that they be known 3. Yet our duty each one according to his calling to seek the knowledg of them §. 15. In respect of these the Apostles Creâ—d too narrow §. 16. §. 17. 4. That the obligation of knowing these varieth according to several persons c. And the decrees of Councils not obligatory at least to some against a pure nescience but opposition thereof and not any opposition but only when known to be their Decrees §. 18. §. 19. §. 20. PART II. Concerning the necessary Ground of Faith Salvifical Whether Infallibility that the matter of such Faith is a divine truth
OF FAITH Necessary to SALVATION And of the NECESSARY GROUND OF Faith Salvifical Whether this alway in every Man must be INFALLIBILITY OXFORD Printed in the Year M DC LXXXVIII FIVE SHORT TREATISES I. Concerning Faith Necessary to Salvation II. Of Infallibility III. Concerning the Obligation of not Professing or Acting against our Judgment or Conscience IV. Concerning Obedience to Ecclesiastical Governors and Trial of Doctrines V. Concerning Salvation possible to be had in a Schismatical Communion Estius in Sent. 3. d. 23. §. 13. Utrum in haereticis vera sit Fides Articulorum in quibus non errant Quaestio est in utramque partem probabiliter a Doctoribus disputata Ibid. Fidei impertinens est per quod medium primae veritati credatur id est quo medio Deus utatur ad conferendum homini donum Fidei Ibid. Nihil vetat quo minus haeretici quamvis in multis errent in aliis tamen sic divinitus per fidem illustrati sint ut recte credant Courteous Reader THese Treatises by divers passages may seem to have been written before the Author was fully united to the Catholick Church So that some things in them are not so cautiously and clearly explained as had himself liv'd to publish them they would have been But we thought it our duty rather to represent them as he left them than to make any breach in the Discourse it self or to pull any threads out of so close and well wrought a contexture CORRIGENDA Page 8. Marg. such points very few p. 9. l. penult necessary besides the assent p. 32. l. 18. and is in some l. 38. some degree of incredulity Of Infallibility Pag. 15. l. 12. tho this can never p. 20. l. 1. pertaining to Faith methinks sufficient ibid. l. 9. in Doctrinals pertaining to Faith certain of truth p. 28. l. 17. But I say he shall never be so Of Submission of Judgment Pag. 30. l. 7. that it was generally practised Trial of Doctrine Pag. 21. l. 18. by most of differing p. 28. l. 5. He may be free l. 7. from the sin of Schisin and invincibly ignorant of the errors which are profess'd in his Communion he may attain in such a Church life everlasting because in desire he is hoped to be of the true Church l. 22. sufficient thro Godâ—s infinite goodness l. 23. crimes and invincibly errs in not-fundamentals errors unknown to them l. 30. we may hope Danger of Schism Pag. 3. l. 13. and if she deny it l. 14. which are accounted THE CONTENTS PART I. 1. COncerning Faith necessary for Salvation § 1. 1. Concerning the object or matter of Faith. 2. Concerning the necessity of our belief of such object of Faith. § 2. 1. That it is necessary to our salvation to believe whatever is known by us to be Gods word Where 1. Concerning our obligation to know any thing to be Gods word which knowledg obliges us afterward to belief § 3. 2. And concerning sufficient proposal § 6. 2. That it is not necessary to our salvation that all that is Gods word be known by us to be so or in general be known by us to be a truth § 10. Where 1. That it is necessary to salvation that some points of Gods word be expresly known by all Such points very few Not easily defined § 13. In respect of these the Apostles Creed too large 2. That it is highly advantageous to salvation that several other points of Gods word besides these be known § 14. 3. And our duty each one according to his calling to seek the knowledg of them In respect of which the Apostles Creed is too narrow § 15. 4. That the obligation of knowing these varieth according to several persons c. And § 17. That the Decrees of Councils not obligatory at least to some against a pure nescience but only opposition thereof and not any opposition but only when known to be their Decrees PART II. II. Concerning the necessary Ground of Faith Salvifical whether it must be in every Believer an Infallibility that the matter of such Faith is a Divine truth or Gods word § 20. Concessions § 21. I. Concerning the object of Faith that this is only Gods word II. Concerning the Act of Faith and the certainty which it may receive from the external motives of Scriptures Church Tradition § 22. That the Authority of Scriptures and Church is learnt from Universal Tradition § 23. Concessions concerning Tradition § 25. 1. That there is sufficient assurance in Tradition whether infallible or no to ground a firm Faith upon 2. That Tradition may have a sufficient certainty tho such Tradition be not absolutely Universal § 28. 3. That no one Age of the Church is mistaken in delivering any eminent Tradition § 29. 4. That the testimony of the present Age is sufficient to inform us therein § 30. 5. That Tradition of the Church is easier to be understood in some things expounded by her than the Scriptures § 31. 6. That the Church is a sufficiently-certain Guide to us in Doctrines proposed by her as Traditionary § 32. Digr 1. That all Traditions carry not equal certainty § 33. Digr 2. The difference between the Church's and Mahometan and Heathen Traditions III. Concerning the certainty which Faith may receive from the inward operation of God's Spirit § 35. Concessions concerning the Spirit 1. That it is always required besides outward means 2. That all Faith wrought by the Spirit is infallible § 36. 3. That sometimes the Spirit produceth evidence beyond science § 37. IV. That from these Concessions it follows not that all who savingly believe have or must have an infallible or such sufficient certainty as may possibly be had of what they believe § 38. Neither from the evidence of Scriptures § 39. Nor of the Spirit § 40. Nor of Church-Tradition § 41. For these following reasons § 43. Necessary Inferences upon the former reasons § 51. CONCERNING FAITH necessary to SALVATION AND Of the necessary Ground of Faith Salvifical Whether This always in every Man ought to be Infallibility SIR YOU have importuned me to communicate to You my opinion on these four Queries as being you say the chief subjects which are debated by our modern Controvertists and in which if one side should gain the victory there would follow a speedy decision of most other Theological Controversy The First concerning FAITH What or how much is necessary for our Salvation The Second concerning Infallibity in this Faith Whether it be necessary in every Believer to render his Faith Divine and Salvifical The Third concerning the Infallibility of the Church Whether this is at all or how far to be allowed The Fourth concerning Obedience and submission of private Judgment Whether this be due to the Church supposed not in all her decisions infallible For the two latter I must remain for a while your Debter On the two former I have returned you as briefly as
plenary Tradition or undeniable deduction therefrom it being agreed that all her proposals or decrees are not such A Quaere very necessary to be resolved for those if any such there be who affix obedience of assent only to infallibility and this infallibility again only to such decrees but a Quaere for all others me-thinks not of so much concernment I find the marks of such distinction set down in Bell. de Conc. 2. l. 12. c. thus Quando autem decretum proponatur tanquam de fide facile cognoscitur ex verbis Concilii semper enim dicere solent 1. Se explicare fidem Catholicam 2. vel Haereticos habendos qui contrarium sentiunt vel quod est communissimum dicunt Anathema ab Ecclesia excludunt eos qui contrarium sentiunt What then what if it be only Anathema iis qui contrarium dicunt aut docent Quando autem nihil horum dicunt non est certum rem esse de side Thus Bellarmin But note here that Bellarmin tells us not plainly whether something in Councils is proposed tanquam de side without any Anathema set to it only he doubtingly saith non est certum and those others again who build the Church'es inerrability on Tradition and the evident Consequences thereof tel us not whether some of those Decisions that are enjoyned with Anathema's are not sometimes some of those secondary consequences more doubtful ad quas colligendas studium aliquod scientia requiritur or which are made by the judgment and learning of the Bishops considering texts of Scripture the doctrines of ancient Fathers and modern Doctors c. As indeed t is likely some of them are Anathema's being added so frequently even in smaller matters and in the newest controversies And perhaps it can hardly be shewn by these writers that every Proposition in a General Council that hath an Anathema affixed to it is traditional to such a degree of evidence since some Traditions are much more universal and evident than some others that it amounts to infallibility not from the assistance of the holy Spirit but from the clearnes of Tradition In this distinction therefore of points de fide or necessary credends wherein the Church is infallible exactly from others I think these Authors cannot speak out so clearly because tho some points are of much more certainty and also of much higher concernment than others yet Councils seem not so punctual in severing them by a diversity of expression unless in very few perhaps a thing not possible to be done by them see § 3. See Dr. Holden 1. l. 8. c. acknowledging some such thing In tradenda doctrina Christiana nunquam audivimus Ecclesiam articulorum revelatorum divinarum institutionum catalogum exhibuisse vel composuisse quo separatim cognosci possint hujusmodi sidei divinae dogmata ab omnibus aliis quae vel Ecclesiasticae sint institutionis vel quae centae revelationi divinae haud immediate innitantur atque ideo omnia simul confuse indistincte semper docuisse tradidisse Yet the same Councils may and do require subscription and obedience to all their definitions as they being the supreme and unappealable Judge * authorized by Christ for the peace and unity of the Church to give the law to all men * abundantly assisted by the Spirit of Truth for all Necessaries even the obscurest and most unacquainted doctrines if you can once prove them necessary and besides this if in some other matters of less concernment they be liable to error yet how much less they than private men And therefore their submission of judgment to these remains still most rational as well as obligatory The chief note which I find for the distinction of these points de fide wherein the Church is infallible from other determinations or proposals is the affixing of Anathema's which are the same with Excommunication But 1. first several of these Anathema's if we do rely on their form may require not internal assent as looking meerly at faith but non-contradiction as looking perhaps in some points more at peace many running only si quis dixerit c Anathema sit But if it be said that the Anathema's only that are set upon a Si quis sentiat or credat are the Index of such points de fide for necessary credends then will very few decrees of Councils pass for such for example not above four or five of all those made in the Council of Trent I mean as to this particular Index of Credends viz. Anathema and doubtles many more of the decisions of Councils are contended to be such credends than those that can shew this mark of Anathema fixed expresly to dissentients of which see more in Church-Government 4. Part. § 79. Again this injunction of Non-contradiction or of keeping silence tho it be * such as opposeth the saying that the contrary to the Church'es determination is a truth or that the Church erreth in any such decision much more an open departing for such unnecessary matter for the Church errs in no necessaries from her communion yet perhaps it is not * such as opposeth the making or humbly proposing of any doubt thereof at least in a second convening of the same Authority See I pray you in the denouncing of her Anathema's the great warines of the Council of Trent in 24. sess 7. c. Si quis dixerit Ecclesiam errare cum docuit propter adulterium c Anathema sit noted by Soave in his History of it p. 755. Engl. Ed. to be done because she would not censure * some of the Greek Church who held the contrary opinion as likewise * some of the Fathers as S. Ambrose And surely this Council's affixing Anathema's sometimes to so many Lutheran errors some doubtles of smaller moment as they were gather'd here and there by some persons appointed to that purpose out of Luther's writings because they were opposite to the common doctrines of the Church shews that her Anathema sometimes eyed more the petulancy and contradicting spirit of the Author than the importance of the Tenet and was sent forth more to secure her peace than her faith What should hinder I pray since some questions possibly may arise in the Church undecidable clearly by Tradition and since no doubt of all questions now agitated among the Schoolmen or other Catholicks one side is not traditional for then how could so many Catholicks oppose a thing of such evidence again since it is the Church'es duty to provide for peace and unity among her children as well as faith and truth and lastly since sharp and vehement contests may arise in such new controversies to the great disturbance thereof what should hinder I say that the Church in such cases may not impose silence on both parties or secondly using her best search and going upon such Scriptures and reasons as perhaps some side urgeth declare her judgment and that under some penalty on the opposers and gainsayers
plus perturbat infirmos bonos quam corrigit animosos malos 3ly When such Separation may offend against some duty to which we are obliged either by the Divine or Civil laws As the children may not abandon their parents or the wife her husband on such pretence neither is it required where necessary commerce or natural or religious relations will not permit it This is clear from the Apostle's permission of the Christians commerce with the heathen and idolaters 1 Cor. 5. 10. yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world with idolaters c. for then must ye needs go out of the world So likewise when we cannot communicate in the publick or also private worship of God in the Sacraments c with the orthodox and godly with whom we ought without such a mixture of the impious and profane as is not in our power to prevent here no necessity of Separation from those impious and profane lies upon us for so must we needs go out of the Church or relinquish those from whom we receive much benefit The same it is for relinquishing near relations for so we must abandon our habitations But note always that at such times when such necessities theirs or ours do not force or exact from us such converse t is a far better practice if not a necessary duty to separate even for diet cohabitation discours c from the Schismatical in opinions or notoriously wicked in manners tho by their great numbers we are confined to much solitude Now to come closer to our matter in hand tho in some pretences which may be made here as of our selves being sufficiently grounded in truth and out of danger of seducement or infection and of our good purpose in our association with the Schismatical only for converting some of them for which our Saviour allows converse with publicans some of the reasons for separation contained in these Scriptures seem to be removed as that of avoiding infection and partaking of their sin tho give me leave to interpose here that in such conversation t is very hard to be so innocent that some compliances must not be made by one who would by no means be discovered what he is both in discours and actions some way prejudicial to the truth neither can there scarce be any Schismatical Church wherein some of their public practices prayers discipline will not be contrary to the conscience of one that is orthodox Tho thus I say some of the reasons for Separation be removed yet are there some other of those reasons remaining still of force As that we may not seem to countenance them in evil and that by our deserting them some of them at least may be ashamed when especially if it be in such a conjuncture of time wherein the foundations of a Schism are shaken our open profession of truth may startle those whom our discours cannot work on and our example in going before them perhaps be more effectual than our reasons in only directing them the way But in our continuing still in their Society tho our private instructions and reproofs may manifest to some that we countenance them not yet to most these cannot do so nor to any perhaps so much as we ought For whilst we pretend our fellowship with them to be only to reprove them how can we do this so fully and so far as duty obligeth when we are to reprove them chiefly in that also wherein we continue fellowship with them namely in their separated communion from the Church In which separation yet we bid or seem to bid them God speed so long as we also abide with them in it But besides these reasons of Separation the preserving our selves from infection from their judgments the discouraging of the offenders c touched in some of these texts yet some other of those Scriptures as 1 Cor. 10. 20 21. 1 Cor. 5. 5 13. 2 Cor. 6. 14 17. seem to lay yet a more special injunction upon us especially not to communicate with them in their Sacraments and publick Divine worship and this upon some other yet higher reasons namely the duty of the publick owning and professing our religion and the keeping it pure and unmixed with any unbelieving schismatical or heretical assemblies For the Sacrament being instituted as for a sacred instrument of our communion with the Deity so also for a publick testimony and mark of a strict league and amity between all those who together partake it neither will the honor we owe to God the Father who dwelleth in us and adopts us for his children 2 Cor. 6. 16 18. nor to God the Son whose members we are 1 Cor. 6. 15 16. nor to the Holy Spirit whose Temples we are 1 Cor. 3. 16 17. suffer us by such a sacred and solemn ty to link and unite our selves to any congregations that are estranged from him or disclaimed by him This is making fellowship between righteousnes and unrighteousnes mingling light and darknes 2 Cor. 6. 14. joyning the members of Christ to a Spiritual harlot by which they two become one body 1 Cor. 6. 15 16. For the Sacrament hath this vertue that those become one body amongst themselves that partake it See 1 Cor. 10. 16 17. and by touching the unclean we also become unclean Lev. 5. 2 3. and all those separations under the law of the corporally unclean from the congregation of the Lord because they were to be a sanctified people unto the Lord and holy as he is holy see Lev. 11. 43 44. were only types of the Separation which ought to be from notorious sinners which we here speak of to which the Apostle makes application of them 2 Cor. 6. 17. Be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing saith the Lord taken out of Esai 52. 11. And hence also taketh he strict order for the sudden separation and ejection of such persons out of the Church especially from communicating the Sacraments thereof as of Leaven from a lump unleavened that the Passeover may not be celebrated with such a meslange see 1 Cor. 5. 2 5 7 13 ejection or casting them out where the Church hath the power or her going out from them 2 Cor. 6. 17. where they have the power but still a separation there must be Else in consorting with them we provoke the Lord to jealousie 1 Cor. 10. 22. as if we are not true and loyal to him and entirely his Now tho some of the texts urged by us speak only concerning non-communicating with idolaters who worship not the same God with us nor use the same Sacraments which I grant is a much greater crime in any Yet 1. first they may be enlarged upon the same grounds namely the publick signification of the Sacraments that the partakers thereof are co-united in the same faith and charity to those congregations who worship the same God but not in that way he requires and who are any way opposite by a division of themselves
and not to transgress it Now if the Church hath in a lawful Council excommunicated and anathematized such congregations surely this is a sufficient prohibition to all those who will retain any relation to her to have no fellowship at least as to the publick prayers and sacraments with them For Excommunication being an expelling of such from being members any longer of the Church's communion a fortiori is a prohibiting any who pretends to be a son of the Church from becomming a member of their communion If we may not give the holy Sacrament to them where they submit to us much less may we receive it from them where we submit to them If she will not suffer us to be mingled with them in her society much less in theirs If when they happen to come single to us we must avoid them much more may we not where they are gathered in a body repair to them If we may not joyn with them where there is also other good and orthodox society much less where we have none but theirs Now not to examin here what later Excommunications of any particular hereticks or schismaticks have bin of which every one that professeth himself a son of the Church is carefully to inform himself I wil set down some ancient Canons c for any thing I know still in force expresly prohibiting such society Concil Laodicenum held by the orthodox in the times of the reigning of Arrianism before the 2d General Council approved by the 6th Constantinopolitan Council Conc. in Trullo where as it is decreed Non oportet cum Paganis festa celebrare 39. Can. and Non oportet a Judaeis azyma accipere 38. Can. so Non oportet cum haereticis vel schismaticis orare Can. 33. and Non oportet haereticorum benedictiones accipere Can. 32. Conc. Carthag 4tum Anno D. 436. a little after S. Austin's death Can. 72. Cum haereticis nec orandum nec psallendum Can. 73. Qui communicaverit vel oraverit cum excommunicato sive Clericus sive Laicus excommunicetur Here may be considered also * the cautious and scrupulous practice of the primitive times in their letters commendatory called Epistolae formatae which because of the Church's careful avoiding of all mixture with sectaries were procured by those who had occasion to travel from one Church to another without which testimony they could not be admitted to their prayers c. And also * the strict separation of the Catholicks that was made from that potent division of the Arrian sect who tho in many of their Councils they required subscription of no positive heresy but only omission in the Creed of some truth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see what is said hereof in Church-government 2d part § 40. c. yet were the orthodox tho much persecuted by the secular powers and tho by the banishment of their Pastors in some places destitute of the Sacraments strictly prohibited to come at the Arrian assemblies tho these having the same Sacraments with them and possession of the Cathedrals and other Churches and chose rather to relinquish their Temples to pray at home to live without the Sacraments nay to be without these in their sicknes and at their death than to receive them from the Arrians See Athanas. Epist. Synodica in Alexand. Concil Ep. ad ubique orthoxos Hilarii lib. contra Arrian Basil. Ep. 293. to some Egyptian Bishops Thus much of the Church's injunctions Now such a one as intends to have any relation and interest in her must know that besides our agreement in the faith and our being in full charity with the Church Catholick as being a body consisting of our fellow-members and brethren in Christ there is also a duty of obedience to be yeilded to all the injunctions and commands of the governors thereof as of our Spiritual Fathers in Christ which none that hopes to enjoy the priviledges of a son unless so far as he is by these dispensed with may without sin and great danger to himself on his own head disown and omit For what is this but as if a son should come and say to his temporal Father from whom he hath formerly run away that he embraceth him with all inward affection is sorry for any fault formerly committed will love and honour and do all the good he can for him but that he must excuse him if that for some reasons he doth not submit to or practise his commands except only that this our disobedience to spiritual Superiors is so much the more inexcusable for that all their commands are directed to the benefit of their children so that by omitting them out of this pretence of benefiting others such a one forgoes very much profit to himself None then can be a Son to the Church unless he render himself subject to her laws as well as affectionate to her practices Now of her laws the yoke of which if he reverence and bend to in some things he must not shake off in others non-communicating with Sectarists seems to be one and very considerable In which if some dispensations for good ends may be given by her yet none can be given by her for so far as the Scriptures have restrained us yet till such grant obtained from her he stands obliged to her commands Which grant from her if there were no other motive this is enough to obstruct that it is liable to be made use of instead of zeal to convert souls to many unworthy ends of serving our temporal interests and protecting a spiritual cowardise an avoiding of the cross and a not confessing of our Saviour before men contrary to Matt. 10. 27 32 37 38 39. See before § 8. n. 1. But laying aside this command of separating himself from schismaticks if he will be counted a Son he is to live conformably to all her other injunctions Now some and not a few of these are such as involve an outward communion with the Church And also many other of her injunctions see below § 14. which do not involve it if strictly observed by him wil quickly render him uncapable of any disguise to what party he belongs and bring the same jealousies and temporal inconveniences upon him which follow a publick reconciliation and which to avoid he yet stays out of the Church only with this difference that he shall incur likewise the odious aspersion of hypycrisie and dissimulation with which an open professor cannot be reproached And indeed setting aside any Church-command of such separation yet-a dissimulation or compliance tho it proceed not to the practising any thing in the matter of God's worship against our conscience yet that ventures so far as to use that sacred ceremony which is taken to be the greatest tessera and symbol of communion and by which all the world publish and distinguish their religions with those from whom he so much dissenteth and disalloweth I say a dissimulation that proceedeth so far seems to be