Salvation our Baptismal Vow Hypocrites and Formalists are the first Rank of Dissenters and Schismaticks that conform not unto the Laws of Christ and Terms of Salvation 2. A conscientious walking after the Spirit Sensual Men that have not the Spirit are the notorious Separatists 3. A studious search into and keeping to the holy Gospel wherein we are taught as the way to Union 1. A setting up or rather acknowledgment of God as in all and above all 1 Cor. 3. 2. An Imitation of Jesus Christ Phil. 2.5 in Humbleness of Mind and Condescention 3. Unity of Mind in the Lord Phil. 4.2 1 Cor. 1.10 not contentious striving in Parties as if Christ were divided 4. By Charity which suffereth long is kind envieth not vaunteth not it self is not pussed up seeketh not her own is not easily provoked thinketh none Evil rejoyceth not in Iniquity but rejoyceth in the Truth By these Divine Effects and Properties of Charity we may lay our Divisions upon the Head of Uncharitableness Charity keeps all together as in a Bond of Perfectness Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly Love in Honour preferring one another Rom. 12.10 Rejoyce with them that do rejoyce and weep with them that weep ver 15. 1 Cor. 12.25 26. 5. By Self-denial This is the individual Property and Effect of true Faith and Love and by Consequence the necessary Qualification of a Disciple By this we seek God's Glory and not our own pray that God's Kingdom may come and his Will be done as if we had no Interest nor Concernment in this World but the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom nor Work to do but to do his Will Except we deny our selves we cannot condescend not seek the good of all but please our selves we cannot have a Care of one another as of our selves we shall not seek the things that be of Christ but our own This Factious this Schimatical Self must be denied or we can never be healed nor grow in one 6. If we would unite we must not aggravate Divisions nor multiply Schisms in our own Fancies Opinions and uncharitable Affections looking upon diversity of Opinions as hideous Errors upon Errors as damnable judging others as Deceivers and deceived and admiring our selves as if priviledged with a little Infallibility censuring our Brethren reviling reproaching suppressing and persecuting of them Our Union lies in a Point it is in the Head And they were counted Schismaticks who separated from the Catholick Church by Cyprian ad magnum c. August c. in the Essentials of Christianity of Faith and Worship and in Amen as the Sum of our Prayers An so Schism pernitious Schism lies in a narrower Compass than most Men I will not say would have it but than most do lay it in Schism is a Breach of Union but then it is a Breach of that Union which ought to be among Christians from the Nature and Laws of Christianity But according to some the weaker side is always the Schismatical And so I come to the last Head to shew wherein Schism lies or what Schism is It hath many Branches and Degrees but I 'll take the most authentick Notion of it from the prime Doctors and Fathers of the Church of England by which I dare say our Protestant Dissenters will be tried and judged Hear the Canon and let it be the Reed to measure our Schism by we may stand to their Rule who made our Canons Anno 1603. Can. ix The Title is Authors of Schisms in the Church of England censured Whosoever shall hereafter separate themselves from the Communion of Saints as it is approved by the Apostles Rules in the Church of England and combine themselves together in a new Brotherhood accounting the Christians who are conformable to the Doctrine Government Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England to be prophane and unmeet for them to joyn with in Christian Profession let them be excommunicated and not restored but by the Arch-bishop after their Repentance and publick Revocation of such their wicked Errors Here 's the Nature of eulpable Separation opened 1. It is a Separation from the Communion of Saints 2. Communion of Sains approved by the Apostles Rules 3. Combination in a new Brotherhood 4. The Reason of such Separation and Combination accounting the Christians who are conformable c. to be profane and unmeet for them to joyn with in Christian Profession The Nonconformists both of Denominations Presbyterian and Congregational do declare 1. That they believe and hold Communion of Saints 2. That the Apostle's Rules are the Rules of that Communion 3. That conforming Ministers and Christians are true Churches a true and excellent part of the Catholick Church 4. That they separate not from any Christians because they are or that are Christians conformable to the Doctrine c. There is not a conformable Christian in England or in the whole World but they that are sincere Christians among them do and must hold Communion with them in the Christian Profession The Reason of their Combinations is because of some Injunctions required of them alien from the Apostles Rules as we are Christians and keep to the Apostles Rules they do not judg us to be unmeet for Christian Profession with them As this is clear from the declared Doctrines of the Nonconformists so it is clear in the Practice of many of them as more than my self can testify who have had of them communicate in Prayer Preaching and Sacraments with us There may be some who ignorantly weakly and passionately upon Prejudice and Unacquaintance may be too far estranged from us but as many of these as are Christians dare not withdraw from Christian-Communion with us or judg us unmeet for Christian Profession with them these are to be pittied and rectified but if they believe with the Heart and confess with the Mouth Jesus Christ the Schism is verbal and oral but not fundamental and in the Heart A Man may be shy of another Man's Company through Unacquaintance and Suspition but if he will not keep the same Pace or the same Track in the way to Heaven I 'll own him for a Fellow-Traveller if I see him go on in the beaten Path of Christianity tho not hand in hand with me If he suspect me for a Robber I 'll assure him of my Honesty if I can that we have the Comfort of good Company There are not so many that declare themselves bound for Heaven that I must cut off them that do because we have some Jars and Disputations upon our Journey Let us learn Moderation from the highest Fathers of the Church in their days and learn this Canonical Notion of a Schismatick A Schismatick from the Church is He that separates from the Communion of Saints according to the Apostles Rules as from Christians unmeet for Christian Profession because they conform i. e. as from no Christians but prophane because they conform to the Doctrine Government and Ceremonies of the Church of England
confirming their Prayers and Thanks with saying Amen and other Divine Service than this they had none Pag. 636. We do not think that Basil or Chrysostom would take upon them to make a new Form of Church-Service if St. James the Apostle had done it before them From this Testimony it is clear that if Uniformity in one Form of Worship or Common-Prayer and Ceremonies be necessary for Church-Union then there was no Church-Union or Catholick-Communion in the Apostolical-Churches because there was no Form or Order of Divine Service set and prescribed But there was the most Christian and Catholick Communion in that Diversity therefore Catholick Union and Communion without one prescribed and set Form And hence the Dissenting Brethren have the Countenance of an ancient venerable Bishop of Winchester for them and to convince their Troublers for using a Worship different from the Liturgy of the Church of England Prophe-ying praying praising God are parts of God's Worship tho in differing Words and Method they are the same Divine Worship And who act nearest the Primitive Pattern of the Apostles and purest times they who worship God in Christ by the Spirit or they who will not suffer them Object But the Apostles and Teachers had the Guidance of the Spirit Answ They had but that Assistance which they had for performing the Worship of God was not extraordinary or peculiar to their Times because Gospel-Worship was to be performed in all After-ages of the Church Qâ—o in loco scil Jo. 20. ostendiâ— eum solum â—osse baptizare temissionem peccatorum dare qui habeat Spiâ—itum Sanctum Cyprian ad magnum and by Consequence the Assistance of the Spirit was to continue to all Ministers in succeeding Ages without whose Assistance we can do nothing And the Holy Spirit doth continue to give Gifts and Graces to his Ministers and People and if one Form were absolutely necessary for all Ages it is a wonder that the Apostles did not leave us one Form is but a mode and to be used or not used as is most for Edisication and they that use it not should not condemn them that use it and they who use it should not as I conceive judg them as Schismaticks that use it not but joyn one with another Object But it is a Disorder in the same Church and Government and not to be born it looks like a different Religion Answ The Romanists have often charged the Church of England with permitting different Religionsin the Nation But let the same learned Bishop answer for me In England the People Pag. 15. both strange and liege worship God the Father in Spirit and Truth according to the Gospel of his Son agreeing together in the Substance of one Faith and the right Order of Christ's Sacraments Only Strangers are suffered in their Churches to use their own Tongue and retain their own Ceremonies as be neither against Faith nor adverse to good Manners and therefore by St. Augustine's Judgment may go for indifferent and may be born in Christian Vnity without Offence or Confusion Oh! if this Doctrine were believed in our days the People of God might be said to rest at Noon And he was not singular In Doctrinâ Fidei Orthodoxae Professione discordia inter nos nulla saith the learned Crakenthorp of the Puritans Hac integrâ in Ritibus Defensione Eccles Angl. contra Spalat c. 43. p. 254. Disciplinsi discrimen ferendum utrique scimus Difference in Ceremonies and Discipline was tolerable in their Opinion but now intolerable The Champions of the Church of England in former days against the Papists were moderate when we know there was a different way of Discipline and Decency secretly practised If Doctrine be the direction of Practice to be moderate in Doctrine but severe in Practice and Execution is to put out the Candle and kindle a Fire to preach Charity but to shew no Mercy To draw towards a Conclusion Let us but truly judg of the elder Nonconformists with righteous Judgment 1. Before his Majestie 's wonderful Restauration in all Countries and Places where they lived and preached who did rebuke reprove exhort and fulfil all parts of Minsters more than they Who maintained Protestant Doctrines preached for Conviction Conversion Holiness and Righteouness more than they Who vindicated all Ordinances from some that pretended to live above them Others that denied the necessity and use of them and from the Profanation of sacred Things And who did more forwardly assist and concur to settle the Government upon ancient Foundations and in the Inheritor of the Royal Throne Who were more hated by impious Sects or that laboured more to convince and reduce them than they 2. At that time and since how highly were they placed in the King 's good Opinion as is fully expressed in his Royal Declaration 3. They did shew a Forwardness and Zeal to settle the Church denying their own private Opinions to lay down solid Foundations for a Comprehensive Church 4. When they quietly submitted to the Law of their Ejectment did they did any of them sow Sedition or ill Principles of Faction was their Exhortation of deceit or guile to incense their loving Auditors or oblige and conjure them to any thing inconsistent with the Gospel or unlike Men as going from the Pulpit to God's Tribunal to give him an Account of their Doctrine Faith manner of Life see any of their broken Notes and Farewell-Sermons printed much to their Disadvantage Testify against them who can 5. Except they had renounced their sacred Calling and silenced themselves who could have imployed their Labours with more inoffensiveness to Authority more Toil to themselves and more Profit to precious Souls and less Opposition to the publick than they did as will appear in Instances An honourable Member Sir H. C. Anno 1670 71 in full Parliament took notice of it that there were no Conventicles yes they took pains to preach when others were at rest in great Privacies and Solitudes And let 's be just who hath made any Observation of People and Assairs that will not say for one Schismatick we had had many had it not been for their great Industry and who for all that are Schismaticks but they See Mr. Allen Say to Archippus p. 23. scil your not p eaching will occasion Separation indeed c. It is not Thanks-worthy to keep poor weak Souls in the Faith and Truth except they turn Lay-men and all come up even to the Rails i. e. to the heighth 6. God and the King made their Assemblies so numerous and publick God by a tremendous course of Judgments yet remembring Mercy The King after 12 Years Experience of fruitless Severity sent out his Declaration of Indulgence Some of themselves have published the Providence of God but it is not worth the noting and they that are resolved on their way will not be hindred by making Observation even of the Works of God When God sent a dreadful Plague
Agreeable with this is that Description of Schism given us by that clear and very learned Dr. Barnaby Potter Answer to Charity mistaken Sect. 3. p. 76. Whosoever professes himself to forsake the Communion of any one Member of the Body of Christ must confess himself consequently to forsake the whole And therefore her Communion we forsake not no more than the Body of Christ whereof we acknowledg the Church of Rome a Member tho corrupted And this clears us from the Imputation of Schism whose Property it is witness the Donatists and Luciferians to cut off from the Body of Christ and the hope of Salvation the Church from which it separates I must confess when the Jusuit-Knot frames an Argument from this Description of Schism the Rational Mr. Chillingworth denies the Syllogism saying it is all one as to prove that because a Man hath a Feaver therefore he hath the Plague and makes this to be but one Property of a Schism But be it so if this be a Vindication of the Protestants from being Schismaticks because of our Separation from Rome it will as clearly vindicate our Protestant Nonconformists from the charge of Schism from the Established Church for they do not cut off from the Body of Christ and hope of Salvation the Church of England Indeed the Separation with which they are charged is not from it as from a Church but as Separation in a Church fundamentally and essentially the same but differing in Accidents and Modes which must needs be the lowest kind of Difference and not comparable to that in Corinth which our Famous Dr. Rainolds De Lib. Apocryphis Praelect 1. calls only Schisma nascens for the Conformists and Nonconformists are all one in Christ none of the Nonconformists have been ever heard to divide and cry I am of Paul and I am of Apollo c. Our imposed Accidents are the dividing things among us And certainly if the Nonconformists do sin grievously in refusing Communion with us in them agreeing in all the Parts of Christian Catholick Communion with us It will be a remarkable Act of Charity and Goodness in our Governours to deliver them from so great a Sin by reducing the fore-quoted Doctrine of our Church in the Homily of Fasting into Practice for those be the things at which they stumble it will be a Charity to take them out of the way Or if they will not remove them then I 'll conclude it is hard to call them Schismaticks who are all one with us as far as we are all one with all Reformed and Christian Churches remembring the Words of the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet Pag. 359. in his Defence of Arch-bishop Land Before the imposing Humor came into particular Churches Schism was defined by the Fathers and others to be a voluntary Departure out of the Church yet that cannot in Reason be understood of any particular but the true Catholick Church FINIS ERRATA PAge 1. line 10. dele to me P. 4. l. 22 after c. add which P. 5. l. 21. after Bishops add 3 and dele And P. 8. l. 32. del that P. 9. l. 16. del only l. 37. r. Church-Order Ib. 1. for P. 10. r. of the National c. P. 11. l. 18. after Country add they are unfit P. 15. l. 4. r. 1660. P. 24. l 40. for they r. we P. 16. l. 4. r. dispositive l. 29. r. Anti-reforming P. 31. Marg. r. are for is P. 39. l. 40. r. is P. 40. l. 15. r. Preachers P. 57. l. 10. after Order add 2. The Preface and some other Sheets the Author did not revise therefore the Printer desires the Reader to correct or pardon what Errata he finds therein