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A44476 A tract concerning schism and schismatiqves wherein is briefly discovered the originall causes of all schisme / written by a learned and judicious divine ; together with certain animadversions upon some passages thereof. Hales, John, 1584-1656.; Page, William, 1590-1663. 1642 (1642) Wing H278; ESTC R2860 21,883 35

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which you desire to be informed thus much in generall evidently appeares that all meetings upon an unnecessary seperation are to be so stiled so that in sense a Conventicle is nothing else but a Congregation of Schismatiques yet Time hath taken leave sometimes to fix this name upon good and honest meetings and that perchance not altogether without good reason for with publique religious meetings thus it fares First it hath been at all times confessed necessary that God requires not only inward and private devotion when men either in their hearts and Closets or within their privaet walls pray prayse confesse and acknowledg but he further requires all those things to be done in publique by troupes and shoales of men and from hence have proceeded publique Temples Altars formes of Service appoynted times and the like which are required for open Assemblies yet whilst men are truely pious all meetings of men for mutuall help of piety devotion wheresoever and by whomsoever celebrated were permitted without exception But when it was espyed that ill affected persons abused private meetings whether Religious or Civill to evill ends Religiousnesse to crosse Impiety as appeares in the Ethnick Elusinia and Bacchanalia and Christian meetings under the Pagan Princes when for feare they durst not come together in open view were charged with foule imputations as by the report of Christians themselves plainely appeares and Civill meetings many times under pretence of friendly and neighbourly visites sheltred treasonable attempts against Princes and Common-weales Hence both Church and State joyned and joyntly gave order for Formes Times Places of Publique meetings whether for Religious or Civill ends and all other meetings whatsoever besides those of which both time and Place are limited they censured for Routs and Riots and unlawfull Assemblies in the State and in the Church for Conventicles So that it is not lawfull no not for prayer ●earing for Conference for any other Religious office whatsoever for people to Assemble otherwise then by publique order is allowed neither may wee complaine of this in times of incorruption for why should men desire to do that suspitiously in private which warrantably may be performed in publique But in times of manifest Corruptions and persecutions wherein Religious Assembling is dangerous private meetings howsoever besides publique order are not only lawfull but they are of necessity and duty else how shall we excuse Meetings of Christians for publique Service in time of danger and persecutions and of our selues in Queene Maries dayes and how will those of the Romane Church amongst us put off the imputation of Conventicling who are knowne amongst us privately to assemble for Religious exercise against all established order both in State and Church For indeed all pious Assemblies in times of persecution and corruption howsoever practised are indeed or rather alone the lawfull Congregations and Publique Assemblies though according to forme of Law are indeed nothing else but Riots and Conventicles if they be stayned with corruption and superstition ANIMADVERSION Eightly and lastly you take away all superiority from Bishop's when you say they doe but abuse themselves and others that would perswade us that Bishops by Christs institution have any superiority over other men further then of reverence Where although you intended onely to speake against the superiority of one Bishop over another yet you seeme to take away not only all power of one Bishop over another but of a Bishop over a Presbyter yea of a Bishop over any other private man I cannot here intending brevity enter upō the dispute about the power of one Bishop ouer another or of the power of a Bishop over a Presbyter The former of which is no doubt confirmed by a long continued Ecclesiasticall power the latter by an Apostolicall But that a Bishop should not have any superiority over an ordinary lay-man seemes strange to mee Certainely our Saviour intended some power and authority unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles when he gave them the keyes and wisht them to open and shut to binde and loose whose successors Bishops are and though some make question whether they succeede them as Bishops yet none doubt but they succeede them as Pastors of the Church and thus have they power over lay-men S. Paul wills Timothy to command and teach 1. Tim. 4. 11. and in another place willeth others to obey those who had the oversight of them Heb. 13. 17. Now where there is commanding on the one side and obeying on the other there must needs be superiority But I could not have imagined this had been your meaning but for your proofes which followe For we have believed him that hath told us that in Christ Iesus there is neither high nor low and that in giving honour every man should be ready to preferre another before himselfe which saying cuts of all claime certainly of superiority by title of Christianity except men thinke that these things were spoken only to poore and private men Where you consider not that you run into an Anabaptisticall humor and take away all superiority in the common-wealth as well as in the Church and entrench upon the Scepter of the King as well as upon the Miter of the Bishop But your proofes are easily satisfied For the first though we finde not those very words in Scripture yet I suppose you aime at that place wherein it is said Wee are all one in Christ Iesus Gal. 3. 28. where the true meaning of the place is that as wee are Christians we are all one that is wee have all equally and alike beene partakers of Christ by baptisme as he saith vers. 27. as many of you as have beene baptized into Christ have put on Christ So that as members of Christ we are all one all make but one body of Christ Yet as amongst the naturall members of our bodies so amongst the mysticall members of Christ though they be all one as members being compared with the head yet being compared one with another S. Paul tels us there are more honourable and lesse honourable members 1. Cor. 12. 23. Your other place that we should in giving honour preferre one another teacheth humility but taketh not away superiority But you go on and tell us that nature and religion agree in this that neither of them hath an hand in this heraldry of Secundum sub supra whereas in it they both joyne hand in hand Nature acknowledgeth this heraldry that shee may avoyd ataxie and confusion And religion also for did not our Lord and Master acknowledge a Caesar and commanded us to give unto him that which belonged unto him to wit obedience subjection And doth not his Apostle S. Paul command that every soule should be subject to the higher power Rom. 13. 1. where you see this heraldry of sub supra is put downe in expresse tearmes and pray let us observe the Apostles reason why wee should thus be subject to the higher powers for saith he there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God How heare I then that all this comes from composition and agreement of men amongst themselves But I spare to prosecute this doctrine any further least I should discover in it a very transcendent crime FINIS Lib. ad Her cap. 39. Artic. 20. Cap. 1. 2.