Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n
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A90276
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Of schisme the true nature of it discovered and considered, with reference to the present differences in religion. / By John Owen D.D.
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Owen, John, 1616-1683.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing O780; Thomason E1664_2; ESTC R203088
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121,002
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281
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otherwise formerly paroecia being the care of a private Bishop Provincia of a Metropolitan Diocesis of a Patriarch in the order mentioned and hath pointed out which of his Churches shall be of those severall kinds throughout the world which that it will not be done to the disturbance of my principles whilst I live I have some present good security And Because I take the men of this perswasion to be charitable men that will not think much of taking a little paines for the reducing any person whatever from the errour of his way I would intreat them that they would informe me what Patriarchate according to the institution of Christ I who by the providence of God live here at Oxon doe de jure belong unto that so I may know how to preserve the union of that Church and to behave my selfe therein And this I shall promise them that if I were singly or in conjunction with any others so considerable that those great Officers should contend about whose subjects we should be as was done heretofore about the Bulgarians that it should not at all startle me about the truth and excellency of Christian Religion as it did those poore Creatures who being newly converted to the faith knew nothing of it but what they received from men of such Principles But that this constitution is humane and the distributions of Christians in subjection unto Church Officers into such and such divisions of Nations and Countries prudentiall and aobitrary I suppose will not be denyed The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Nicene Synod intends no more nor is any thing of institution nor so much as of Apostolicall tradition pleaded therein The following ages were of the same perswasion Hence in the Councell of Chalcedon the Archiepiscopacy of Constantinople was advanced into a Patriarchat and many provinces cast in subjection thereunto wherein the Primates of Ephesus and Thrace were cut short of what they might plead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for And sundry other alterations were likewise made in the same kind Socrat lib. 5. cap. 8. The ground and reason of which procedure the Fathers assembled sufficiently manifest in the reason assigned for the advancement of the Bishops of Constantinople which was for the Cityes sake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Can. 3. Con. Constan And what was the judgement of the Councell of Chalcedon upon this matter may be seen in the composition determination of the strife between Maximus Bishop of Antioch and Invenalis of Hierusalem Ac. 7. Con. Cal. with translation of Provinces from the Jurisdiction of one to another And he that shall suppose that such Assemblys as these were instituted by the will and appointment of Christ in the Gospell with Church Authority for such dispositions and determinations so as to make them of concernment to the unity of the Church will if I mistake not be hardly bestead in giving the ground of that his supposall 4. I would know of them who desire to be under this Law whether the power with which Jesus Christ hath furnished the Officers of his Church come forth from the supreame mentioned Patriarchs and Arch-Bishops and is by them communicated to the inferiors or vice-versa or whether all have their power in an equall immediation from Christ if the latter be granted there will be a greater independency established then most men are aware of though the Papalins understood it in the Councell of Trent and a wound given to successive Episcopall Ordination not easily to be healed That power is communicated from the inferiors to the Superiors will not be pleaded And seeing the first must be insisted on I beseech them not to be too hasty with men not so sharp sighted as themselves if finding the names they speak of Barbarous and forraigne as to the Scriptures and the things themselves not at all delineated therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5. The truth is the whole subordination of this kind which de facto hath been in the world was so cleerly an humane invention or a prudentiall constitution as hath been shewed which being done by men professing authority in the Church gave it as it was called vi◠Ecclesiasticam that nothing else in the issue is pleaded for it And now though I shall if called thereunto manifest both the unreasonablenesse unsuitablenes to the designe of Christ for his worship under the Gospell comparative noveltie and mischievous issue of that constitution yet at the present being no farther concerned but only to evince that the union of the Generall visible Church doth not therein consist I shall not need to adde any thing to what hath been spoken The Nicene Councell which first made towards the confirmation of something like somewhat of what was afterwards introduced in some places pleaded only as I said before the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 old usage for it which it would not have done could it have given a better Originall thereunto And whatever the Antiquities then pretended might be we know that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And I doe not feare to say what others have done before me concerning the Canons of that first and best generall Councell as it is called they are all hay and stubble Nor yet doth the laying this custome on 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in my apprehension evince their judgement of any long prescription Peter speaking of a thing that was done a few years before saies that is was done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 15. 7. somewhat a greater Antiquity then that by him intended I can freely grant to the custome by the Fathers pretended But a Generall Councell is pleaded with the best colour and pretence for a bond of union to this Generall visible Church In Consideration hereof I shall not divert to the handling of the rise right use Authority necessity of such Councells about all which somewhat in due time towards satisfaction may be offered to those who are not in bondage to Names and Traditions Nor shall I remark what hath been the mannagement of the things of God in all Ages in those Assemblies many of which have been the staines and ulcers of Christian Religion Nor yet shall I say with what little disadvantage to the Religion of Jesus Christ I suppose a losse of all the Canons of all Councells that ever were in the world since the Apostles daies with their acts and contests considering what use is made of them might be undergone Nor yet shall I digresse to the usefulnesse of the Assemblies of severall Churches in their representatives to consider and determine about things of common concernment to them with their tendencie to the preservation of that communion which ought to be amongst them but as to the present instance only offer 1. That such Generall Councells being things purely extraordinary and occasionall as is confessed cannot be an ordinary standing bond of union to the Catholick Church and if any one shall reply that though in themselves and
their wayes returned with little satisfaction so that at the last committing themselves and their cause to God they chose them Elders from among themselves and set them apart by fasting and prayer which was the foundation of all those Churches which for piety zeale and suffering for Christ have given place to none in Europe What was the way of the first Reformation in this Nation and what principles the Godly Learned men of those daies proceeded on how farre what they did may be satisfactory to our Consciences at the present as to our concurrence in them who from thence have the Truth of the Gospell derived downe to us Whether ordinary officers be before or after the Church and so whether a Church state is preserved in the preservation of Officers by a power forraigne to that Church whereof they are so or the Office be preserved and consequently the Officers inclusively in the preservation and constitution of a Church These I say with sundry other things of the like importance with inferences from them are to be considered to the bottome before a full Resolution can be given to the enquiry coucht in this objection which as I said to do is not my present businesse This taske then is at its issue and close some Considerations of the manifold miscarriages that have insued for want of a due and right apprehension of the thing we have now been exercised in the Consideration of shall shut it up It is not impossible that some may from what hath been spoken begin to apprehend that they have been too hasty in judging other men Indeed none are more ready to charge highly then those who when they have so done are most unable to make good their charge si accusasse sufficiat quis erit innocens what reall Schismes in a morall sense have ensued among brethren by their causelesse mutuall imputation of Schisme in things of institution is knowne And when men are in one fault and are charged with another wherein they are not it is a ready way to confirme them in that wherein they are There is more darknesse and difficulty in the whole matter of instituted worship then some men are aware of not that it was so from the beginning whilst Christianity continued in its naked simplicity but it is come occasionally upon us by the customes darknesse and invincible prejudices that have taken hold on the minds of men by a secret diffusion of the poyson of that grand Apostacy It were well then that men would not be so confident nor easily perswaded that they presently know how all things ought to be because they know how they would have some things to be which suite their temper and interest Men may easily perhaps see or think they see what they doe not like and crie out Schisme and Separation but if they would a little consider what ought to be in this whole matter according to the mind of God and what evidences they have of the grounds and principles whereon they condemne others it might make them yet swift to heare but slow to speake and take off from the number of Teachers among us some are readie to think that all that joyne not with them are Schismaticks and they are so because they goe not with them and other reason they have none being unable to give any solid foundation of what they professe what the cause of Unity among the people of God hath suffered from this sort of men is not easily to be expressed 2. In all differences about Religion to drive them to their rise and spring and to consider them as stated originally will ease us of much trouble and labour Perhaps many of them will not appeare so formidable as they are represented He that sees a great River is not instantly to conclude that all the water in it comes from its first rise spring the addition of many brookes showers and landfloods have perhaps swelled it to the condition wherein it is every difference in Religion is not to be thought to be as big at its rise as it appeares to be when it hath passed through many Generations and hath received additions and aggravations from the disputings and contendings of men on the one hand and the other ingaged What a flood of Abominations doth this businesse of Schisme seem to be as rolling down tous through the writings of Cyprian Austin and Optatus of old the Schoolemen decrees of Popish Councells with the contrivances of some among our selves concerned to keep up the swelled notion of it Goe to its rise and you will find it to be though bad enough yet quite another thing then what by the preâ—udices accrewing by the addition of so many generations it is now generally represented to be The great maxime To the Law and to the Testimonie truly improved would quickly cure all our distempers in the meane time let us blesse God that though our outward man may possibly be disposed of according to the apprehension that others have of what we doe or are our Consciences are concerned only in what he hath appointed How some men may prevaile against us before whom we must stand or fall according to their corrupt notion of Schisme we know not the Rule of our Consciences in this as in all other things is eternall and unchangable Whilst I have an uncontrolable faithfull witnesse that I transgresse no limits prescribed to me in the Word that I doe not willingly break or dissolve any Vnity of the Institution of Jesus Christ my minde as to this thing is filled with perfect peace Blessed be God that hath reserved the sole soveraingty of our Consciences in his hand and not in the least parcelled it out to any of the sons of men whose tender mercies being oftentimes cruelty it selfe they would perhaps destroy the soule also when they doe so to the body seeing they stay there as our Saviour witnesseth because they can proceed no farther Here then I professe to rest in this doth my Conscience acquiesce whilst I have any comfortable perswasion on grounds infallible that I hold the Head and that I am by faith a member of the mysticall body of Christ whilst I make profession of all the necessary saving Truths of the Gospell whilst I disturbe not the peace of that particular Church whereof by my own consent I am a member nor doe raise up nor continue in any causeles differences with them or any of them with whom I walke in the fellowship and order of the Gospell whilst I labour to exercise faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ and love towards all the Saints I doe keep the Unity which is of the appointment of Christ and let men say from principles utterly forraigne to the Gospell what they please or can to the contrary I am no Schismatick 3. Perhaps the discoverie which hath been made how little we are many of us concerned in that which having mutually charged it on