may justly fear that he will punish our Insolence and Presumption If you lay these things together you may find that what you call the Purity of your Ordinances is their defect That you have acted against the known Rules of Christianity in rejecting the laudable Customs of Antiquity and of the Church which you have deserted and that the way which you have forsaken expressing much more Reverence to the Almighty than that in which ye are now engaged is for that reason to be prefer'd before it As for outward Bodily Worship it is particularly forbidden by the Directory at one time and never so much as recommended at any time nor do I find that it is as much as permitted in any part of the Publick Service I know not whether kneeling be at all used in your Meetings but I have reason to think it is not much And yet you cannot be ignorant that it is a fit Gesture for Prayer and I suppose in your Family-Prayers you do not reject it But if this be so it may seem strange that you should think the House of your Publick Worship the only place wherein you would shew Irreverence to the Divine Majesty I need not here treat of all the particulars in debate between us but one thing I will not omit because it demonstrates to the Separatists the weakness of their Exceptions against the Ceremonies of the Church and shews the Irreverence that is us'd in your Meetings in a thing of very great moment What I mean is the Lord's Supper which in your way is appointed to be received Sitting But is there any Precept for this in Scripture Or if none can be found is it not against the Second Commandment Is it not an Idol That is the way of reasoning us'd by many Dissenters and this instance may shew them the folly of it To make up this matter Mr. Cotton gives us a reason for sitting at the Sacrament which is that it is of Symbolical use to teach the Church their Majority over their Ministers who if they be their true Pastors are over them in the Lord. He also tells us That Christ administred it to his Disciples sitting but the Learned amongst you will inform you that this is a mistake Others contend that a Table-gesture is to be us'd but neither hath this any ground in Scripture It is certain the matter is not decided there and if it were not determin'd by our Superiours the best way would be to enquire which Gesture would be most expedient for so great a Solemnity Now your Table-gesture being the same that you use at home in your own Houses seems very unfit for a Religious Feast at which we are entertain'd by the Almighty King the Lord of Men and Angels It argues a great piece of Familiarity with him which he hath no where approv'd He hath no where requir'd you to sit down but ye will do it without his Call And if this seems decent and respectful Offer the like to your Governour Will he be pleased with it or accept your Persons The Publican that would not so much as lift up their Eyes to Heaven but smote upon their Breast did that which was suitable to his Condition But your Behaviour at the Sacrament is very different for rejecting the several Gestures which are expressive of Reverehce you only admit of that which hath nothing in it of Respect and which you would not presume to use before a Governour without his express Command or Invitation As for the Gesture of Kneeling I think it is very proper for this occasion It is fit that we should be then in a Posture of Praying when we joyn with the Minister in the Petition That the Body and Blood of Christ may preserve our Bodies and Souls unto Eternal Life And since Christ is to be Worshipped surely it is very fit that we pay Him our Adoration when He comes to consign over to us the Inestimable Benefits of His Cross and Passion And now I leave you to judge with which of us this Ordinance is celebrated with greater Reverence or in a Way more suitable to the Dignity of so Venerable a Mystery Or which of us does most appear to discern the Lord's Body II. It hath been said That the Way of the Separation affords you Communion with a better People than those which you have deserted And not to enquire how justly this Comparison is made Partial as it appears but to make as short Work as may be I think we may agree in this That the Conforming Churches consist of a Mixture of Good and Bad Men. And since the last are not excluded the Question is Whether this justifies your Separation For if That be Sinful the Pretence of your joyning with a better People must fall to the Ground And so I might dismiss this Debate having said enough for the Decision of it before Yet to set the present Case in a clearer Light I shall further shew 1. That for Private Persons to withdraw themselves from a Church because Ill Men are tolerated in it and that they may form a Purer Congregation consisting only of Visible Saints as they call them is not according to Scripture but directly against it 2. If it were admitted it would be attended with great Evils 1. It is not according to Scripture which indeed gives us an Account of the Corruptions and want of Discipline in many Churches yet says not a Word to justifie a Separation from them but much for the Condemnation of it whatsoever might be pleaded in its Defence To give an Instance out of many In the Church at Corinth the Incestuous Man who had committed a Crime that was not so mnch as Nam'd among the Gentiles was tolerated and they mourned not that he might have been taken away from among them Besides him there were many others that were guilty of great Immoralities and the Apostle was afraid that he should have cause to bewail them as not having repented of the Vncleanness Fornication and Lasciviousness which they had committed He complains of their going to Law before the Vnjust Brother with Brother before the Vnbelievers He complains of their Irregularities in their Assemblies and Disorders in their Feasts of Love One he says was Hungry and another was Drunken And such were their Miscarriages even at their Meetings for Religious Worship that he declares their coming together was not for the better but for the worse Now here was a very sad Face of Affairs And what Remedy doth the Apostle apply on this occasion Doth he say That their Constitution was dissolv'd and they were no longer a Church Or doth he say That the better part should desert the worse and make up a Church by themselves consisting only of Visible Saints No such matter He considers them all together as a Society gather'd out of the World and Consecrated to God and addresses his first Epistle to them in this Style To the Church
Wolves who were wont to lie in the Woods were come out into the Sheepfold and did roar in the Holy Congregation And by another we are told That the Discipline of the Church was laid in her Grave and that the Putredinous Vermine of bold Schismaticks and Frantick Sectaries gloried in her Ashes Mr. Edwards declares That this Land was become in many places a Chaos a Babel another Amsterdam yea worse and beyond that And he says That more Damnable Doctrines Heresies and Blasphemies had been of late vented than in Fourscore Years before He also says to the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament You have cast out Bishops and their Officers and we have many that cast down to the Ground all Ministers in all the Reformed Churches You have cast out Ceremonies as the Cross in Baptism kneeling at the Lord's Supper and we have many that have cast out Sacraments Baptism and the Lords Supper You have put down the Saints Days and we have many that make nothing of the Lord's Day Mr. Edwards in the compass of a few Pages reckons up a vast Number of Heretical and Blasphemous Tenets published within the space of four Years And he says That Things grew every Day worse and worse and that it was hard to conceive them to be as bad as they were This Edwards is one that was not likely to be partial on the side of Prelacy For he tells the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament That With Choice and Judgment he had Imbarkt Himself with Wife Children Estate and all that was dear to him to sink or perish or come safe to Land with them And that he had done this in the most doubtful and difficult Times and in a malignant place amongst Courtiers IV. Church-Divisions have greatly encouraged Immorality And this Effect they had visibly in this Nation in the Times of the great Confusion The Disorders that were then introduced in Matters Ecclesiastical were attended with others in Things of Morality And if we may believe the Nonconformists themselves the many Heresies which were spread abroad were accompanied with a great Corruption of Manners over the Kingdom On which Occasion the Assembly of Divines said The Lord hath strangely made way for Vnion by the bitter woful and unutterable Fruits of our Divisions which have almost destroyed not only the Ministry but even the very Heart and Life of Religion and Godliness Others also of the Presbyterians crying out against the horrible Wickedness which did then abound ascrib'd the Growth of it to the Increase of the Sectaries as They call'd them But we may justly reckon the Accusers in that Number and leave a great share of the Matter in charge with them who by revolting from their Superiors and deserting their Lawful Pastors did break down the Fences and open a Passage to all Iniquity To come nearer to the present Time It is Notorious that since the last opening of your Meetings by the Toleration Impiety hath been gathering Strength and Profaneness hath made such Progress that it is become too hard for all our Laws It is not doubted but some New Law is wanting to suppress it And if that be obtain'd it may be fear'd that the Success would not answer our Desires as long as the Schism remains which is at the Root of this Evil and is the great cause why Immorality hath so much spread it self and boldly shew'd its Head in defiance of all Authority But what Affinity is there between Schism and Immorality or how is the last of these a Consequence of the former To which I answer 1. That Schism is a Means of depraving the Conscience 2. It inclines Men to Infidelity 3. It brings Religion into Contempt 4. It is destructive of Charity 5. It weakens the Ecclesiastical Discipline which was design'd for the Punishment of Offences 6. It hinders and sometimes frustrates the Endeavours of the Pastors of the Church for the Suppression of Vice and the Advancement of Piety 1. Schism is a means of depraving the Conscience and consequently of promoting Immorality For being the occasion of spreading of Errors which are inconsistent with Holiness the Practice which is govern'd by them when they have perverted the Judgment must be so too And when Men have been taught to call Good Evil and Evil Good their Actions will be suitable to those Instructions We are inform'd by Thucydides That in the Times of Sedition in Greece the Signification of Words was alter'd So that a Brutish Hardiness was accounted True-hearted Courage Provident Deliberation a decent Fearfulness Prudence a pretence for Cowardice In short says the Historian for Persons to be of a Kindred was not so near as to be of a Society on which account they were ready to undertake any thing without making any Disputes about it And thus when the Church has been divided the Dividers have changed the Names of Things And what in other cases they would have approv'd they suffer not to pass without a sharp Censure when it is against their Faction and what they would otherwise have condemn'd as a hainous Crime they consecrate into a Duty or an Act of Worship when it is done by themselves and for the Interest of their Party 2. Schism inclines Men to Infidelity and by degrees leads them to it Dr. Owen confesses That it constantly grows to farther Evil in some to Apostacy it self In some it hath this effect That they embrace one Errour or Evil Practice after another and being unstable and prepar'd for all Changes they usually grow worse and worse Thus some from declaiming against the Common-prayer Book as an Idol came to call the Holy Scripture a Golden Calf And many who have been accustomed to shift their Principles upon any New Occasion have turn'd Scepticks or Atheists at last and renouncing the fear of Deity have lived without God in the World 3. Schism brings Religion into Contempt and exposes it to derision The Doctor of the Gentiles saith If an Heathen come in and hear you speak with several Tongues will he not say that you are mad And certainly it is little better when Atheists and profane Persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary Opinions in Religion It doth avert them from the Church and make them sit down in the Chair of the Scorners These are the Words of the Lord Bacon And they have been confirm'd by sad Experience 4. Schism is destructive of Charity And from hence it is that Persons who provoked one another to Love and to good Works when they remain'd in the same Communion being divided have rejoyced in Evil and triumph'd in the Falls of one another Mr. Baxter tells us That he had great Opportunity in his Time to see the working of the Mystery of Iniquity against Christian Love and to see in what manner Christ's House and Kingdom is Edified by Divisions And says he of himself I thought once that all that talk about Schism
Times a Christian Travelling into any remote parts of the World was intitled to the Rights of Hospitality amongst other Christians Rights which anciently were held Great and Sacred and in times of Persecution were very useful and necessary He need but produce the usual Testimonials by which he might be known to be a Christian and to have liv'd in Conformity with the Church from whence he came and he was to be receiv'd and entertain'd by the Faithful in all places with such Tenderness and Liberality as if he had been a Guest of the most intimate Friendship and long Acquaintance A thing that Julian the Apostate could not see without Envy and Admiration If a Christian suffer'd Want other Christians were to consider him and provide for him as one that was of the Houshold of Faith or of the same Family with themselves And whether he was a Hebrew or Greek or of what Nation soever he was it was the same thing he was not to be neglected in such Ministrations It was also the same whether he was of this particular Church or another for if one Church was in Distress and not sufficient for the Maintenance of its own Poor others were obliged to assist it out of their Collections still remembring that as they were of the same Body so they were also Members one of another Lucian in his usual way scoffing at the Christians represents them flocking to his Peregrinus in Prison moving every Stone that they might free him performing diligently for him all Offices of Kindness and sending Messengers to him joyntly from the Cities of Asia to support and comfort him under his Sufferings It is incredible says he what Expedition they shew when such a thing is publickly known But to be short they spare nothing on such Occasions And whosoever is meant by this Peregrinus the truth is that if a Christian Brother was in Distress they gave him what Assistance they were able if he was Imprison'd or in Chains for Righteousness sake they were not asham'd of his Bonds but openly own'd his Cause and chearfully Ministred to his Necessities even when it expos'd them to the greatest Dangers This they did not as a Matter of choice which they might have omitted but as a necessary Duty and they did it so often and that without any regard to nearness of Blood or Habitation in the Sufferers that their Union was Visible to the Eye of the World and the Heathens who were astonish'd at it did then make no doubt whatever Men do now but that they were of the same Community It is farther observable that their contributing to the support of one another is never in the Epistles of the New Testament call'd A giving of Alms but Communion or Communication And I take the reason of it to be this That the Faithful had thus far at least all things in Common that the Wants of some were to be supply'd out of the Plenty of others as out of a Common Stock or Treasury in which they had a share as being Members of the same Society 2. The Faithful have every where a just Title to all the Common Ordinances and Priviledges of Christianity For instance Are they here admitted to Visible Communion in Publick Acts of Worship So they ought to be if they come to the remotest Churches upon Earth St. Peter said of the Gentile Converts Can any Man forbid Water that these should not be Baptized And so may we say concerning those who are Baptized and have done nothing to deserve Excommunication Can any Man forbid them the Publick Prayers that they should not put up their Requests joyntly with other Christians in any part of the World Can any Man forbid them to partake of the Lord's Supper when their demand of it is regular Now as St. Paul when he pleaded at Jerusalem that he was a Roman gave a sufficient Indication if it had not been otherwise known that he was within the Bounds of the Roman Empire So if a true Christian in all Churches where-ever he comes hath a Right to Communion with them and may plead that Right 't is manifest that they all make up but One Vniversal Church and are Members of One Body Diogenes the Cynick refus'd to be admitted into some of the Heathen Mysteries because in order to it he must have been made a Citizen of Athens which did not seem agreeable with his Profession of being a Citizen of the World And indeed if a Christian could only partake of the Holy Mystery as the Lord's Supper is sometimes call'd in a particular Congregation I know not how it could be said That he were a Member of the Catholick Church or that in strictness of Speech there is any such thing But since in all the Nations under Heaven where Christianity is establish'd he hath a Right to Communicate at the Lord's Table as well as in other parts of Worship this is a plain Argument that the Christian Society is the same every where and is not to be multiplied according to the Number of the Places where it is dispers'd Jesus Christ hath broken down the Wall of Partition which was between the Jews and Gentiles and permits not any thing amongst his Followers like the distinction which there was between the Proselytes and the Native Israelites There is nothing in his Gospel like that Inscription which forbad the Aliens to enter into the Inner Court of the Temple nor doth he esteem any to be such that submit themselves to his Discipline He gathers his Subjects out of all Nations governs them by the same Laws and gives them the same Charter the Benefit of which they may alike enjoy in Samaria or Jerusalem or in any other place as well as either This shews that living in a way suitable to the Dignity of their Profession they are in all places of the same Community And according to St. Peter where he speaks of them as distinct from the World and with respect to it They are a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People the People of God as Israel was formerly the Lot of his Inheritance 3. Any of the Faithful that are personally qualified to bear an Office in the Christian Church are capable of it or of being Ordain'd to it in all Churches and this also proves That they are all United in One Community The Cumani and others were but imperfectly United to the Romans when they could only serve in the Roman Armies but might have no Command in them and neither had any Voice in the Choice of Magistrates nor might themselves be chosen But according to Aristotle it is a principal Mark of a Citizen that he doth or may partake of the Judicature and Government of the City And since every Christian who is otherwise fit for it proceeding regularly may be advanced to a Sacred Function in any Country where
Secular Princes but I am sure I do them no wrong in asserting That they cannot make Schism to be Ecclesiastical Vnion or Vnion to be Schism or either of them to be a thing indifferent They cannot make Falshood to be Truth or Truth Falshood but each of these must remain the same that it was be their Edicts for it or against it They may not call evil good and good evil They may not put darkness for light and light for darkness VI. It hath been said That the use which you make of the Liberty which is now granted is not only lawful but your Duty 〈◊〉 And that having your freedom you ought to make choice of the way of the Dissenters because you conceive it to be better than that of the Church and to be prefer'd before it But the Foundation of this is already remov'd for I have prov'd that the Law hath granted you no such Immunities as you imagine and notwithstanding you are now possess'd of them yet is your Separation sinful as it was before It ought not therefore to be matter of your choice upon the prospect of any Advantages whatsoever We ought indeed to desire and seek after the most excellent things but we must do it in a suitable way What we are infinitely to value above other things is the Favour of God But we may not speak wickedly for God nor talk deceitfully for him We may not do evil that good may come Nor may any real good be expected from evil which can bring forth no such Fruit. In such cases the End cannot sanctifie the Means but the Means would pollute the whole Action and not only frustrate our hopes but bring on us a just Condemnation I come now to the Reasons mention'd before which some have given for preferring the way of the Separation before that of the Church They tell us I. That you enjoy it in purer Ordinances II. That is affords you Communion with a better People III. That it most conduces to your Edification All which Pretences are cut off by the sinfulness of the Separation it self to which those Priviledges are ascrib'd and therefore I might dismiss them without farther consideration But so much is built upon them that I thought fit to bring them under a distinct Examination I. It hath been said That in the way of Separation you enjoy purer Ordinances Ordinances that are freer from Ceremony and the addition of things not commanded that set you at a greater distance from Popery and are therefore the more to be esteem'd But the weakness of this way of arguing will appear if you reflect on the Absurdities which they fall into who would exclude from Religion all things not commanded and make the greatest distance from the Church of Rome the Standard of the best Reformation These Men tell us That the Churches built before the Reformation ought to be level'd with the Ground as Monuments of Idolatry That they can never be purged till they are laid in heaps as their younger Sisters the Abbacies were That they are Idol-Temples nay Idols themselves Execrable things to be demolish'd or avoided Unclean things not to be touch'd The Mark of the Beast not to be receiv'd That the Bells are to be broken as Popish Reliques and to be detested as Abominable Idols which the Law of God devotes to Destruction That Catechisms were to be rejected as Apocryphal things and that Psalms in Meter were to be rank'd with pleasant Ballads and that being song out of a Book either in Verse or Prose they are Idolatry That Books and Writings are of the Nature of Pictures and Images and that therefore the Holy Scriptures are not to be retain'd before the Eyes in the time of Spiritual Worship That Book-Prayer in that Worship is Man's Invention and a breach of the Second Commandment and that Prayer-books and stinted Prayers are indeed Idols Thâ—â— to look on the Book in the time of Singing and Preaching is Idolatrous and that if our Littaâ—â— were the best that ever was devis'd by Mortal Man yet being brought into the Church yea even into a private House and read out of a Book it would be as an Abominable Sacrifice in the Sight of God and even as a dead Dog That they that use the Lord's Prayer at the close of their own are gross Idolaters and that they that Uncover their Heads at the Lord's Supper are Idolaters also and joyn their own Posts and Thresholds with the Lord's And lastly that Idolaters are to be put to Death according to the Judicial 〈◊〉 of Moses which they say still binds all the Nations of the World So that the greatest Potentates on Earth cannot dispense with it but ought to execute the Will of God according to his Word These are some of the Assertions of the more Rigid Separatists which I have not produc'd with an intent to reproach you who I believe abhot them but only to let you see that as those Sectaries were deluded by this False Principle that whatsoever in the Worship of God is not commanded by himself especially if it has been abus'd by the Pipists is sinful and execrable so you are in danger of being led into grievous Mistakes if you entertain a Perswasion that that is the purest Church or Society which hath the lowest Ceremonies not enjoyn'd in Scripture This may easily be gather'd from the Influences already mention'd but I leave them to your own Application 'T is true and it is generally acknowledg'd by the Conformists that nothing is to be receiv'd as an Article of Faith that is not reveal'd in Scripture Nor is any thing to be admitted as an Essential part of Divine Worship that is not the Subject of a Divine Precept But external Rites and Circumstances of Worship are of another Nature and being not forbidden of God expresly or by consequence are not sinful For where there is no Law there is no Transgression But about this I suppose we are agreed And if you thought our Ceremonies which are innocent in themselves so great a burthen for their number that to ease your seves of it you must desert our Communion as soon as you had opportunity I intreat you to consider how very few were required of you as Private Men and how impossible it would be to preserve Peace and Order in the Church if for such things it may be divided and all be put into confusion In the Primitive Church as many Ceremonies were used as now are required by the Church of England and if they are now sufficient to excuse your Desertion they would have justified a Separation from the best Christians in the Purest Ages Even in the Apostles Days several things were appointed and practis'd and for some time were not to be neglected or omitted which yet were only Temporary Institutions and not design'd to be of Perpetual Obligation Such were the Feasts of Charity and the Kiss of Peace as also the Womans Veil by which
A DISCOURSE OF Schism Address'd to Those DISSENTERS WHO Conform'd before the Toleration and have since withdrawn themselves from the Communion of the Church of England By ROBERT BVRSCOVGH M. A. LONDON Printed for Tho. Bennet at the Half-moon in St. Paul's Church-yard And Charles Yeo Bookseller in Exeter 1699. A DISCOURSE OF Schism Address'd to those Dissenters who Conform'd before the Toleration and have since withdrawn Themselves from the Communion of the Church of ENGLAND The INTRODVCTION HAVING Compos'd this Discourse with a Design to do you what good I am able I may reasonably desire that you would afford it an Impartial and Candid Perusal and read it with a Resolution not to condemn any thing in it without a due Examination This indeed is more than I can expect from those amongst You who are byass'd with Prejudice or mov'd with a false Zeal or a Worldly Interest But there are many of You whom I consider under another Character and who I believe may be ready to abandon their Mistakes upon better Information You may remember who it was that said That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more And if you think it no Reproach to follow so laudable an Example but are willing to receive Instruction I assure my self that what I shall here offer to You may contribute something to your Satisfaction You are like to find nothing here that may give you any just cause of Offence Nothing but what proceeds from a Spirit of Charity And if this instead of convincing You should only raise Your Indignation I shall be sorry for Your sakes and yet have no cause to repent that I have endeavour'd with Meekness to bring you into the Right Way And I hope that GOD who knows the Sincerity of my Intentions and measures them not by the Event will graciously accept of them Upon what Terms the Rigid Separatists receiv'd You again as Members of their Congregations I know not But since they have been wont to accuse our way of Worship in the Churches of Popery and Antichristianism of Idolatry and Superstition they must needs look on You that once Conform'd as Partakers then in the same Crimes And if You resolve to do the like again upon the like or other Occasions they cannot but esteem You as Persons that would reconcile Christ and Belial or that make it an Indifferent thing either to come out of Babylon or to remain in it And according to their own Principles they may fitly speak to You in these Words of Elijah How long halt ye between two Opinions If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him If You will vindicate Your own Proceedings You are as much concern'd as the Conformists themselves to refute the Charge and Answer the Objections of those Men against our Liturgy and Ceremonies But that Work is well done already by Dr. Falkner and Others to whom I refer the Inquisitive Reader My Business at present is chiefly with You who think you may lawfully Conform with us and yet have deserted our Communion A thing indeed that is very agreeable to Flesh and Blood and which may make several Turns of Affairs more easy to You But Wise and Good Men would suspect an Opinion and Practice which are so much on the side of the World and not like the Truth the worse because of the Disadvantages that sometimes may attend it It is to lead you to the Truth from which You seem to be at a great Distance that I publish this TREATISE of SCHISM In which I consider Your Case and bring it to a fair Tryal But to prepare my way for this I thought it requisite to say something of Church-union of which Schism is a Breach For these two things being compar'd together may give some light to one another SECT I. THAT all Christians ought to be United together is very plain from the Holy Scriptures and it is a Matter of such Importance that we find our Blessed Saviour repeating the same Petition four several times within the compass of three Verses that his Followers might be One It is also observable that He pray'd That they might be made Perfect in One that they might be One as the Father and Himself are One. And nothing less can be understood by these Words than that He was desirous they should be One in the highest and strictest manner of which they were capable or that was possible for a Society of Men. St. Paul describes the Christian Church as a Building fitly fram'd together growing into a holy Temple in the Lord And as a Body fitly joyn'd together and compacted by that which every Joynt supplieth He saith also to the Ephesians and in them to all the Professors of Christianity I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the Vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness with long suffering forbearing one another in love endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace There is One Body and One Spirit even as ye are called in One Hope of your Calling One Lord One Faith One Baptism One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all The same Apostle writes thus to the Philippians If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like-minded having the same love being of One accord of One mind How pathetick how moving is his Language here How admirably does it set forth the great care and concern of his Soul for those things which are the matter of his Exhortation I must transcribe a great part of his Epistles should I produce all that they afford pertinent to my present Purpose But you grant I suppose in general that the Unity of the Church ought to be preserv'd and all the Question being wherein it does consist or in what things it ought to be maintain'd To this I answer That all Christians ought to be United I. in Faith II. in Love III. in Outward Worship and Communion I shall but just touch on the two former of these but more largely insist on the last in which the Controversy between us is chiefly concern'd I. All Christians ought to be United in the same Faith For there is but One Faith and we are obliged to contend earnestly for the Faith which was Once deliver'd to the Saints The Christian Doctrine is not calculated only for some particular Times and Places nor is it to be vary'd by them but ought to be kept entire and free from impure mixtures And when it is so it must needs be the same in all Places and upon all Occasions the same in all the Climates under Heaven and under Persecuting Tyrants the same as under Nursing Fathers and Mothers the same in the Heart and the same in
the Profession of all Christians for as we ought to think so we are oblig'd to speak the same thing II. They ought all to be United or as St. Paul speaks knit together in Love Notwithstanding they are call'd to Liberty yet they are bound to serve one another by Love to be kindly affectionate to one another in Brotherly Love and in honour to prefer one another A New Commandment says our Saviour Christ I give unto you that ye love one another And whether he calls this Commandment New because of its Excellence as the word is thought to signify where we read of a New Name and a New Song or whether He styles it so because He requires it in greater measure than formerly urging his Followers by his own Example when He was about to suffer Death for them to Love one another as he had Loved them manifest it is that the thing which He here enjoyns is most acceptable to Him But there is something more to be understood by these words than is commonly apprehended which is That our Lord having before taught his Disciples to love their Neighbour and even their Enemies He now gives them a New Commandment to love one another as they were his Disciples He had before instructed them to love all Mankind but now it was matter of a New and a Distinct Precept that they should love one another with a higher degree of Affection as being Fellow-Christians and testifie it all possible ways even to the hazard of their Lives Our Lord did not pray for the World as he did for those that were given Him out of the World Nor is it his Will that we should be alike affected to both We must exercise Charity towards all but with a particular regard to the Members of his Church As we have opportunity we must do good to all Men but especially to them who are of the houshold of Faith III. They ought to be United in Outward Worship and Communion And to this they are obliged both by their Faith and Love it being one of the Fruits which both ought to bring forth as worthy of them and which they must produce if they are sincere 1. Faith ought to shew forth it self in Good Works of which one is the Maintenance of Christian Concord And this is so much the Effect of it or hath such Connexion with it that the Christians Church is represented in Scripture as a Houshold of Faith They also that liv'd in full Communion with the Church are by the Ancients call'd the Faithful and distinguish'd by that Title from the Penitents the Hearers and Others who did in some degree belong to it but not being compleat Members of it they were not admitted to all the Prayers nor to the Lord's Table 2. The Love of the Faithful being duly exercis'd supposes them to live in Outward Communion and keeps them in it It is the Duty of every one of them to Love the Brotherhood and of them all to Love as Brethren That is they must Love as Persons that are Visibly of the same Family or Society under the same Lord. Thus is the title of Brethren to be understood in many places of Scripture and in an Apology of Justin Martyr as also in other Writings of the Fathers it is apply'd as a Name of Distinction to such as were perfect Communicants But not to insist upon the Limitation of it to that sense certain it is that the word was of such frequent use amongst Christians who signified by it their Spiritual Affinity or the near Relation which they stood in to one another that they were much noted and variously censur'd for it by their Enemies Lucian says their Law-giver perswaded them That they were all Brethren And Caecilius suggests that by some secret Marks they knew one another to be of the Fraternity Calumnies and Invectives may be grounded on some Truth or be mingled with it and the Truth is our Saviour said to his Followers By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one to another And this could not be a meer inward Love for that was not capable of being a Publick Badge of their Profession Nor could it be such a Love as would permit them to be broken into various Sects and Factions For it could not be gather'd from thence that they had the same Teacher But then only could they demonstrate to the World by their Practice that they were under the Discipline of the same Master in matters of Religion when dispers'd as they were over the face of the Earth they frequented Assemblies that were held in his Name every where professing the same Faith and Communicating in the Ordinances which were of his Institution When He pray'd that they might be One it was for this purpose that the World might believe that the Father had sent Him But the World would have discover'd no such thing if they had been divided into many Parties not enduring to have Communion with one another The World would then have been ready to conclude that if they had the same Instructer he had taught them different Religions or given them contrary Precepts and consequently that He was inconsistent with Himself and not much to be regarded But when they liv'd as Members of the same Body making it manifest that they were affected towards one another with the tenderest Charity and unanimously joyning together in the same Acts of Worship they then took the most proper way to raise in the Adversaries an Esteem of Christianity and to convince them that the Author of it who had such an Influence on the Conversation of his Proselytes was from Heaven For my part I see not what just cause there can be that they should be Divided in Worship who are united in Faith and Love On the contrary it seems to me most reasonable and I am sure it is agreeable to Scripture that they who are of one Soul should be of One Body that they who are obliged to be of the Same Heart and Mind should Speak and Do the Same things and so keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace To confirm this and to proceed in what I design'd I shall prove that the Church is a Visible and Regular Society and then shew that however it be dispers'd in the World it is one Political Body And if I make these things clear it will be easy to infer from thence that our Communion with it ought to be Visible and Regular or suitable to our Station and that the Unity of the Whole as well as of every part ought to be asserted and preserv'd I. The Church is a Visible Society and Persons are admitted into it continued in it expell'd from it and restor'd to it in a Visible manner Such things being openly transacted in this as in other Communities 1. Persons are Visibly admitted into the Church by Baptism
They are Baptized into Christ and at the same time they are Baptized into One Body The same thing makes them Members of Christ and of his Body and entitles them to all the Benefits of the Covenant of Grace 2. They that are admitted into the Church are continued in it in a Visible manner In the several places where they reside they are oblig'd to meet together for the Celebration of Divine Worship And accordingly we read of some of the first Believers whose Example others ought to follow that they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in Breaking Bread and Prayers The Christians in the Apostles Days as well as afterwards made use of several Outward Rites by which they testify'd their mutual Agreement Such were their Feasts of Charity at which the Rich and Poor did eat together as Brethren and the Holy Kiss or the Kiss of Peace as Tertullian calls it with which they saluted one another This indeed may seem a thing of little moment yet was it the subject of an Apostolical Precept and in the Primitive Times it was not esteemed a small matter to neglect a Ceremony which was then in use amongst the Faithful as a sign of their Union This Union is much more eminently set forth in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which is to be continued till his coming to Judgment and so must remain a visible mark and constant pledge of Christian Concord We being many says St. Paul are one Bread that is we are as that one Loaf which we see at the Lords Table and which is made up of many grains of Flower He adds that we are one Body and he proves it from hence that we are all Partakers of that one Bread It is plain then that our partaking of the same Bread is a manifest Sign of our being one Body But as St. Austin says very well Whosoever receives the Sacrament of Unity and does not keep the Bond of Peace he receives not the Sacrament for himself or his own advantage but that which is a Testimony against himself It is here to be consider'd that as by one visible Rite which is Baptism we were admitted into the Church and made Members of Christ So by another which is the Eucharist we do not only communicate with our Brethren but also with Christ himself For as they that did partake of the Table of Devils had Fellowship with Devils so on the contrary they that partake of the Table of Christ have Fellowship with Christ The things says St. Paul which the Gentiles Sacrifice they Sacrifice to Devils and not to God and I would not that ye should have Fellowship with Devils Ye cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of Devils Ye cannot be Partakers of the Lords Table and the Table of Devils And says the same Apostle The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ The Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Certainly it is as the words import nor is this to be doubted by any Christian 2. Offenders were expell'd from the Church in as visible a manner as other Criminals are disfranchis'd or depriv'd of the freedom of a City The Church dismissing them mourn'd for them as dead And the Persons ejected as well as others were sensible of this that they were no longer Members nor intitled to the Priviledges of the Society from which they were expell'd If they repented of their Enormities they were far from believing that their condition was the same that it was before the fall They esteem'd the Sentence pass'd upon them as indeed it was a sad anticipation of the future Judgment They spent the day in Lamentation and the night in Watching and Sorrow They put on the habit of Mourners and with Tears and grievous Cries they bewail'd their own folly They humbled themselves in Sackcloth and Ashes and mortified their Bodies with rigorous Fastings They threw themselves at the feet of those that went into the Christian Assemblies begging them with great importunity to intercede for them that they might be restor'd to the Peace of the Church without which they did not think themselves safe notwithstanding they knew the sincerity of their own Repentance 4. The Penitents were restor'd to the Peace of the Church in as visible a manner as they have been expell'd from it When St. Paul had given order to the Corinthians to put away the Incestuous person from amongst them he afterwards directed them to forgive him and exhorted them to confirm their love to him that is to ratifie it publickly by their reception of him upon his Repentance into their Society In the succeeding Ages the lapsed or such as fell into grievous Sins were obliged to pass through several degrees of a severe Discipline in order to their recovery But being approv'd after a long Tryal the Bishop and his Clergy laid their Hands on them and solemnly admitted them again to the Communion of the Faithful You have seen that the Church is a Visible Society and the profess'd Enemies of it sometimes saw this but too well For when Associations or â—raternities were forbidden by the Roman Edicts the Heathens thereupon persecuted the Christians as coming under that Prohibition And the Apolo-gifts for the Sufferers deny'd not that they were a Corporation but allowing this pleaded their Innocence We are a Body says Tertullian by the Consent of Religion the Vnity of Discipline and the Covenant of Hope He confesses that if their Meeting together were like those Seditious Conventions which were punish'd by Law it would justly come under the same Condemnation But says he We are the same being assembled as when we are dispers'd We are the same altogether as when we are taken singly and apart hurting no Man grieving no Man And when Vertuous and good Men meet when the Holy and Chast are assembled it is not to be call'd a Faction but a Court. II. The Church is a Regular Society It is not a confused or scattered Multitude but a Body fitly joyn'd together A Body consisting of many Members of which all have not the same Office Some are call'd to Preside and Govern and others to be under their Inspection and Authority and for the good of the whole both ought to be exercis'd in the proper Duties of their Places and Vocations Clemens Romanus endavouring to cure the Corinthians of their Schiâ—â— put them in mind that the High-Priests and the Priests the Levites and the People had each their peculiar Work allotted to them And lest Christians should think themselves unconcerned in that Instance he presently adds Let every one of you my Brethren within his own Station be thankful to God not transgressing the Canon or Rule which limits his Service After this he
shews That however Death was the Punishment of such as did break the Mosaical Constitutions yet as we are honoured with greater Knowledge than the Jews had been so we are liable to greater Danger That is if we pass our Bounds and raise Disturbances as they did Order therefore is still to be preserv'd in the Church and that more carefully than it was in the time of the Aaronical Priesthood In the New Testament we find that our Lord gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers He gave them for the perfecting of the Saints or as the Word may well be rendred for the compacting or joyning them together He did it for the Work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ And some such Officers are always necessary and must be continu'd Till we all come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Amongst the Officers of Christ the Apostles are reckoned as the first and were the chief And since all the Power that is purely Ecclesiastical and which ought still to remain in the Church pass'd through their Hands it may be very fit to consider what Authority they received from him for from thence we may gather what they transmitted down to Posterity for the Government of his Kingdom Now we find that the Apostles were the Stewards of the Mysteries of God and had the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven They were the Representatives of Christ on Earth and acted in his Name and in his Stead They were his Ambassadors and employ'd by him to reconcile Mankind unto God upon the Terms of the New Covenant As the Father sent him so he sent them into the World and accordingly having so high a Commission they went about and labour'd to bring all Nations under his Discipline When their Work increas'd they appointed some to serve Tables or to provide things necessary for the Sustenance of the meaner Proselytes Others they constituted not only to be Teachers but Rulers of the Churches And if they Rul'd well especially if they labour'd in the Word and Doctrine they were to be accounted worthy of double Honour or a double share out of the common Stock And thus a Government distinct from that of the Secular Magistrate and a long time oppos'd by it was establish'd in all places where-ever Christianity did prevail There is no need that I should here discourse of the Form of Church-Government having prov'd in another Treatise That this Government from the beginning was Episcopal and that the Bishops were Successors to the Apostles And this I have done by such Arguments as I verily believe cannot be answer'd if it be but granted That there is any such thing as an Evangelical Ministry I had almost said as a Christian remaining in the World and with those that would dispute or deny so evident a Truth whether Scepticks or Deists or whatever else they are I am not at present concern'd But were all Apostles or Bishops Were all Pastors and Teachers No certainly but there was a Faithful People distinct from them and under their Care and Charge and what the Duty of the People was may be gather'd from these places of Scripture We beseech you Brethren says St. Paul to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their Works sake 1 Thess 5. 12 13. Agreeable to which are these Words in the Epistle to the Hebrews Remember them which have the Rule over you which have spoken to you the Word of God Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls Heb. 13. 7 17. Men are generally averse from enduring any thing of Subjection but we are to consider that the Obedience which is prescrib'd in the Texts of Scripture which I have cited is to be paid by the Faithful to those that are over them in the Lord Over them for his sake and on his account The Apostles or Bishops of the Churches are said to be the Glory of Christ That is they are his Representatives in governing such parts of his Kingdom as are assign'd to their charge The ground of this Interpretation I have mention'd in another place and taken from 1 Cor. 11. 7. where we read That Man is the Image and Glory of God which words in the Judgment of Theodoret are not to be understood with respect either to the Body of the Man or his Soul but to the Domion that he hath from God over the Creatures In the same Verse we read That the Woman is the Glory of the Man The Wife is the Glory of her Husband She is says Theodoret as it were the Image of that Image and as such she hath power over the rest of the Family It follows that Bishops being the Delegates of Jesus Christ the Observance that is paid to them as bearing that Character is graciously accepted as done to himself who hath said He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me We have seen that the Church is a Body consisting of Governing Parts and such as are Subordinate to them And as on this account it is Regular in its Constitution so it ought to be in its Practice For this reason the Spirits of Prophets were subject to Prophets Either to the Prophets that had them or as I rather think to Superior Prophets But certain it is that even extraordinary Gifts were to be submitted to the Rule of Peace and Discipline and Men that could speak by Divine Inspiration might not exercise that power any farther than was consistent with the Precept of doing all things decently and in order The Word which is rendred Order often signifies a Regular Disposition of things or a due proportion of parts with respect to the whole and to one another And in this so much of the beauty and strength of things consists that St. Paul had great reason to rejoyce as he did when he beheld the Order that was amongst the Colossians For he knew very well that when they invaded not one another's Work but were employ'd in their own When they whose Office it was to Teach waited on Teaching and they that Rul'd did it with Diligence when they that were under Authority were submissive to it and ready to receive instruction by such a happy Concurrence they would adorn their Religion and fortifie it against the Assaults of Adversaries They would do what was most beneficial to themselves and acceptable to God who is the Author of Peace and not of Confusion III. The Church however dispers'd over the World is One Political Body For it is the Vniversal Church that
under the Peril of their Souls And did none of them discover what it was Did the Ancient Fathers speak such terrible things against it and none of them understand what they said Did they make no doubt to lay it to the Charge of the Novations and Donatists And might these be Innocent all the while Are the Scriptures so plain in their Directions about things that are necessary either to be done or avoided And are they so obscure in this that for the space of about Sixteen hundred Years neither the Learned nor Unlearned could find out what they meant till in this present Age One arose who made the Discovery But in this case the Novelty of his 〈◊〉 once it is a sufficient Argument against it and it is in effect an acknowledgment that the Independents wanted some New thing for the Vindication of their Practice which I am sure cannot be defended by the common receiv'd Principles of Christianity But because the Doctor is of no small Reputation amongst Dissenters let us consider a little the force of his Reasoning The Schism at Corinth was a Disorder in a Church and from hence he infers That a Separation from a Church is not Schism and that for the Separatist to be a Schismatick is impossible But can you really believe that one would do you wrong if he made a small Rent in your Garment and none if he should tear it in pieces That he would be injurious if be Wounded your Hand and Innocent if he cut it off Can you imagine that a Mutiny begun in a Camp or Kingdom is Seditious and that an open Revolt is not so But as well may you be persuaded of all this as that Faction and Disorder in a Church is a Sinful Division and to Desert it as unworthy of Communion is none Whether such a Desertion be expresly stiled Schism in Scripture is not material if it be a greater Division than that which is call'd by that Name For as I have always thought when any thing is forbidden as sinful others that are worse but of the same kind come under the same Prohibition Otherwise things that for their Filthiness are not fit to be Nam'd may be very fit to be done and Holiness may be consistent with the most detestable Pollutions 2. A farther degree of Schism is a causeless Separation from the Church For it is worse in its own Nature to renounce a Society with which one is obliged to live in Communion and ordinarily more tends to the Dissolution of it than it does to create some Disturbances in it as it also gives more Scandal in the Eye of the World 'T is true the Disturbances may sometimes be so great that the Desertion of those that raise or keep them up may be more desirable or a less Evil to the Church than their continuance in it but to the Offenders themselves it can be of no advantage but is rather an Addition to their Guilt and Misery I would says St. Paul to the Galatians that they were even cut off which trouble you or that unsettle or move you from your Stations And to be cut off doubtless he esteem'd a very great Judgment And yet under this the Sectary brings himself of whom the same Apostle says That he is Self-condemn'd Not that the Sectary confess'd his Fault nor that he had secret Convictions for it for these could not have been Ground of his Rejection or of Proceedings against him but by wilfully departing from the Unity of the Church he in effect inflicted on himself the Punishment which the Church useth to the greatest Malefactors and so was broken off from the Body of Christ I need not here enter upon the Debate whether Episcopal Ordinations and Baptism confer'd in Schism are valid it being sufficient for my present purpose that according to the Rule of Catholick Vnity which is grounded on the Scripture and was Universally receiv'd by the Faithful in the purest Ages Schismaticks persisting in their Separation can do nothing that can qualifie them for Communion with any part of the Catholick Church and therefore in that State they must be excluded from the whole Being wilfully divided from some they cannot be United to the rest of the Christian Society which are One amongst themselves and all Members one of another If they are not of the Body I do not see how they can be United to the Head Break off a Bough from the Tree says S. Cyprian and it blossoms no more Divide a River from the Fountain and it will be dried up And this in his judgment sets forth the Condition of those that cut off themselves from the Christian Church He adds a little after If a Person could escape who was out of the Ark of Noah then shall one escape also who is out of the Church But says our Lord he that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth And he that breaks the Peace and Concord which Christ hath established acts against Christ himself In like manner St. Ignatius a Disciple of St. John and Glorious Martyr of Jesus Christ tells us That he that is not in the Sanctuary is depriv'd of the Bread of God And of a Person that comes not to the Publick Assemblies he says That he is proud and hath condemn'd himself For it is written God resisteth the Proud Let us therefore not resist the Bishop that we may be the Subjects of God If you search the Scriptures you will find that to forsake the Christian Community was in effect to renounce all the Priviledges of it and openly to disown Christianity it self They went out from us says St. John but they were not of us For if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us St. Jude represents such Men under a very ill Character as being Mockers and wâ—â—king after their own Vngodly Lusts And says he These are they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit They pretended to greater perfection than others but their deserting the Christian Assemblies together with a vicious Conversation discover'd them to be Carnal and to be govern'd by no higher Principle than that of the Animal Life They that are truly Spiritual are of another Temper and as they walk in the Light so they also think themselves obliged to cause their Light to shine before Men and to keep up the Face of a Church not only when their Affairs are prosperous but also in times of difficulty For then it is that they are more especially requir'd To consider and provoke one another unto Love and unto good Works not to forsake the Assembling of themselves together as the manner of some is but to exhort one another and so much the more as they see the Day approaching 3. Schism sometimes proceeds beyond a Separation
he revolted from his Superiors and he was divided says the Chaldee Paraphrast or he divided himself that is he became a Separatist that he might make himself the Head of a Party and drew such vast Numbers after him that Josephus speaking of their Conspiracy thus represents it We have not known says he such a Sedition either among Greeks or Barbarians Korah pretended to have a great concern for the Liberties of the People and that he might gain the Priesthood to himself suggested that it was a Grievance to the Nation But God that knew his Hypocrisie and the Schismatical and Seditious Temper both of him and his Confederates made both of them Monuments of his Indignation By an early and dreadful Judgment on these Offenders he confirm'd his own Institution and he commanded that broad Plates for the covering of the Ark should be made of their Censers that in succeeding Times others might remember what these Men suffer'd and be mindful that no Stranger who was not of the Seed of Aaron might come near to offer Incense before the Lord lest they should be as Korah and his Company It is plain that not only the Leaders of the Faction but their Followers also were involv'd in the same Ruine And this being written for our instruction it may teach us to avoid such Practices as brought upon them so terrible a Judgment lest as some have done even in the Times of the Gospel we also Perish in the gain-saying of Korah 'T is true an end is put to the Aaronical Priesthood but Christ who is the Head of the Church hath his Representatives on Earth for the Government of it and to despise them is to despise him To usurp their Authority is to invade his Prerogative And if we are not Principals in such Actions against him but yet support and assist those that are so we partake with them in grievous Sins You your selves must needs see if you will judge impartially what intolerable Presumption it is not only to expel the Stewards of his Houshold but to substitute others in their places and new-model his Family Not only to affront and reject his Ambassadors but to assign him others whom he hath not sent Not only to lay aside his Officers as unfit to Govern but to appoint him such as have no Commission from him Such Proceedings manifestly tend to the Destruction of his Visible Kingdom and the Persons guilty of them do in effect declare That they will not have him to Reign over them Aristotle argues That when the Form of the Government of a City is changed the City it self ceases to be the same that it was before And whatever Exceptions this may be liable to as being affirm'd of a Secular Community it may be truly said of Ecclesiastical Societies That when they have Excluded their Lawful Pastors and advanced others into their places who have no Right to the Ministry they cannot remain the same under such Alterations They are no longer the Churches of Christ nor are their Teachers the Ministers of Christ They may deceive Men indeed by acting under a False Character but God will not be mocked He will not be impos'd on by the Boldness and Juggles of his feigned Stewards or by the Pageantry of his pretended Ambassadors It was for such and their Confederates that he created a New thing causing the Earth to open her Mouth and swallow them up And however such Instances of his Anger are not repeated yet this that I have mention'd ought to be a lasting Terrour to those that without a Lawful Call take to themselves the Honour of Priesthood or are Associates in such Profanations SECT III. I AM now come to your Case and give me leave to tell you that it very nearly concerns you to enquire I. Whether you have not contracted the Guilt of Schism in your Separation from the Church of England II. Whether you have not increased this Guilt by setting up Opposite Churches and Officers or joyning with them III. Whether your Pastors have any just Title to the Ministry I. It concerns you to enquire whether you have not contracted the Guilt of Schism by your Separation from the Church of England Was your Communion with it lately Lawful and have any New Terms been added to make it cease to be so Or was Conformity then a Duty and is it now become a Sin It is not long since we took sweet Counsel together and walked to the House of God as Friends With many of you we did partake of the Lord's Supper and thereby solemnly testified That we were all as One Bread all Members of the same Body And hath any just cause been given you of breaking off your selves from it Are you not Self-condemn'd by such contrary Practices Or can the Divisions which you have made proceed from that One Spirit whose Unity is to be kept in the Bond of Peace Deal but impartially with your selves in considering what I have offer'd to your Thoughts and I doubt not but you will be convinced that you have broken that Bond and that your present Separation is a Schism if ever there was any such thing in the World II. You may enquire whether you have not added to your Sin by setting up Opposite Churches and Officers or joyning with them and whether this hath not more alienated your Minds from those whom you had unjustly forsaken This I suppose is generally your Case and from hence it is that in abundance of Towns in this Kingdom we hear of an Old Church and a New Church the latter labouring to establish it self on the Ruines of the former But do you find any such Language or any such thing in Scripture Have not the Presbyterians inform'd you right That however there were such great Numbers of Christians in one City as made up many Congregations yet they were all One Church and are constantly call'd a Church because they were all under One Government What Right can you then have to establish Independent Congregations or to set up one Congregation against another in the same City Is not this a plain Breach of the Apostolical Rule And must it not be pernicious to Christ's Visible Kingdom If some part of the Christians in a City may shake off the Authority of their Lawful Pastors and form themselves into an Independent Body under their proper Officers may not a third Body in like manner be form'd out of that and out of the third fourth and so on And would there be any end of Confusions at this rate Would such a Practice be tolerable any where Or would it not be destructive of any Society whatsoever Deal 〈◊〉 now with your Consciences and reflect I pray you on what has been said with the same freedom of thought as if you had not been at all concern'd in the Controversie and I am persuaded you will be convinced that it is not unjustly that you have been charged with a high degree
are no longer the same with the Metropolis from which they came And much less can it be said that some part of the Citizens shaking off their Obedience to their Governours and advancing others into their places are united to those from whom they made the Revolt Now a Church hath this common with a City and with all Corporations that if some of its Members withdraw themselves from it and make up a Separate Congregation according to your Model they are not then of the Community which they have deserted It is evident that they are of a Society which is opposite 〈◊〉 it and to say that they are One when the contrary is so visible to every Eye is to renounce the use of Words and to affront the Common Sense of Mankind 2. The Pretence that the Unity 〈◊〉 Doctrine is sufficient to make us all 〈◊〉 notwithstanding ye are so Divided from us is inconsistent with Church-Government and being admitted would be destructive of the Church it self Pretences like that would never be wanting if they might justifie the Seditious and it is easie to perceive what sad Effects they would produce If such as are mutinous in an Army should lay aside their Officers and put into then places others of their own chusing they might say in their own Vindication That under their present Commanders they acted according to the same Military Rules as they did before and therefore 't is all One which they obey'd If in a Kingdom or Common-wealth some of the Subjects upon any discontent should depose their Magistrates and elect others in their stead out of their own Company they might make the like defence and say that they had still the same Laws as before the Change and lived according to the Ancient Customs only the Administration of Affairs was put into other Hands which was not material If in a House some of the Children and Servants should conspire against the Father and Master of the Family and take into it another Person to be their Governour they might also plead for themselves that they receiv'd the same direction for Business as they had before and that their Work was still the same and therefore it was all one to whom they paid their Submission But 't is obvious that such an Army must be put into miserable Confusions that such a Kingdom would be brought to Desolation that such a House cannot stand And 't is no less manifest that if the People may forsake their Lawful Pastors and at their pleasure heap to themselves other Teachers if some Members of a sound Church may make a causeless Separation from it and joyn together in opposition it this would make all Church-Government a precarious and useless thing it would soon weaken the Church and push it on to destruction And it will be a vain Excuse for Men to say That they are at an Agreement with the Church in Doctrine when by their Divisions they are tearing the Church in pieces 3. The Pretence that you are free from the Guilt of Schism because you are of the same Faith with the Conformists is inconsistent with the Notion of Schism as it is express'd in the Holy Scripture It is plain from the Scripture and it is granted on all Hands that there was a Schism at Corinth But this was not about an Article of Faith or Matter of Doctrine What was laid to the Charge of the Dividers here is That every one said I am of Paul or I of Apollos or I of Cephas There is no doubt but all these three did teach the same Doctrine but the People were Schismatical and made use of those great Names to give reputation to their several Parties It may seem strange that some are censur'd for saying They were of Christ But I take the meaning to be this they profess'd themselves to be Followers of Christ but it was in opposition to his Ministers as some may pretend to be for the King when they affront those that are in Authority under him or they would be for him as the Head of their own Faction But all these are condemned as Carnal and as Dividers of Christ And this may let you see that their Offence was great notwithstanding the plausible things that on the account of the Excellent Yeachers to which they laid claim might be said in their defence Clemens Romanâ—â— a Fellow-labourer with St. Paul makes such use of this Passage as is very proper for your consideration For says he in an Epistle to the Corinthians Take into your Hands the Epistle of the Blessed Paul the Apostle What is it that he first wrote to you in the beginning of his Gospel Of a Truth he spiritually admonish'd you that there were then Factions among you cancerning himself and Cephas and Apollâ—s But siding or making a Party in that case was a less sin for your Inclinations were towards Apostles of known 〈◊〉 and a Man approved of them But now consider who they are that perverted and diminished the Venerable Esteem of your Brotherly Love which was commended every where Shameful Brethren very shameful is the Report and unworthy of the Christian Conversation that the most firm and ancient Church of Corinth for the sake of one or two Persons should be seditions against their Priests And the Fame of this is 〈…〉 come amongst us but amongst those that are otherwise affected So that because of your Madness the Lord's Name is blasphemed and great danger is created to your selves 4. The Pretence that you are free from the guilt of Schism because you are of the same Faith with the Conâ—â—â—mists takes away the distinction of the Schismatick from the Approved as will appear by considering the Case of both as it is represented in the Holy Scripture 1. It is evident from Scripture that the Approved who are the Beloved of God add this to the practice of other Duties that they live in Conformity to the Church and are of a Regular Behaviour in it There must be Heresies amongst you says the Apostle that they which are Approved may be made manifest among you That is as I noted before as long as Mens Minds are deprav'd there will be Divisions as there were at Corinth about Matters of Discipline and the Almighty permits this for the Tryal of his Servants that by the avoiding those things their Sincerity may be known that having this mark of Distinction upon them it might appear to all with whom they were conversant that they were of the Number of the faithful 2. From hence it is plain that the Dividers and Disturbers of the Church however they agree with it in Doctrine are not to be reckon'd amongst the Approved But it will yet be plainer if they proceed to a Separation from those that are so These Words of St. John which I also cited before are remarkable and pertinent to our purpose They went out from us says he but they were not of us For
Establishment of Separate Churches under their proper Pastors in the same City Yet do I not reject this Opinion merely because it hath no good Foundation I shall produce such Arguments against it as being duly consider'd may help to determine this Controversie 1. My first Argument is taken from the Design of Christ for that was to Unite both Jews and Gentiles in one Body and to make of the Two one New Man And accordingly he made of Both One People prescrib'd to them the same Law and confer'd on them Equal Priviledges It is not therefore to be imagin'd that the Jewish Converts were to be drawn out from amongst the Believers of the Gentiles and gather'd into Churches apart by themselves Churches that excluded all Christians from their Communion who submitted not to the Law of Moses For this had been to Divide those whom our Lord had made One and to revive the Enmity which he had slain It had been to treat those as Forreigners whom he would have to be Fellow-Citizens and to expel them as Aliens who are his Domesticks and of the Houshold of Faith It had been to cast those out as Ismaelites whom he had call'd to be Heirs of Promise and to rebuild the Wall of Partition which he had broken down 2. According to the Mind of Christ St. Paul labour'd to restore Peace and Conformity between the Judaizers and other Christians that they might live together as Members one of another And to this purpose when some believed that they might eat all things and others being Weak did eat Herbs he shews that this difference should be no cause of a Breach of Communion amongst them For says he to the Strong who were apt to despise others Him that is weak in Faith receive to you Rom. 14. 1. That is notwithstanding the Scruples of such a Person about Meats and Drinks and other things of that nature admit him into the Congregation as a Brother He is not fit indeed to hear doubtful Disputations or to be engaged in them but he ought to joyn with you in the Publick Worship The Apostle himself leads us to this Interpretation in the following Chapter where having put up his Request for those that Dissented about the Mosaical Rites that they might with one Mind and one Mouth glorifie God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ he presently addresses his Discourse to them and says Wherefore receive ye one another For what end was it that they must receive one another He himself has given a sufficient intimation of it It was that they might glorifie God with one Mind and with one Mouth The thing then requir'd of them was that both the Weak and Strong both the Jewish and Gentile Converts should meet together in the same Assemblies and unanimously joyn in the same Prayers and Praises as if they had been Animated by one Soul 3. However the Apostle us'd great Tenderness towards the Dissenting Parties whether they understood their Christian Liberty and did eat things forbidden by the Mosaical Law or whether they did not Yet when the Judaizers withdrew themselves from the Communion of those that would not come up to their Rigours and labour'd to seduce as many as they could into the way of Separation he then treated them in another Style He represented them as Persons that corrupted the Gospel and pronounced an Anathema against them Speaking of them to the Philippians he says Beware of those Dogs beware of Evil-workers beware of the Concision that is of those that cut the Church in pieces And to the Romans he says I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learn'd and avoid them So far was this Apostle from approving or allowing of their Separate Congregations 4. We may gain farther Light into this Matter and what I have said of it may be confirm'd from a Remarkable Transaction which the same Apostle relates in these words When Peter says he was come to Antioch I withstood him to the Face because he was to be blam'd For before certain came from James he did eaâ— with the Gentiles but when they were come he withdrew and Separated himself fearing them which were of the Circumcision And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their Dissimulation But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel I said unto Peter before them all If thou being a Jew livest after the manner of the Gentiles and not as do the Jews why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews From hence it is plain 1. That Peter liv'd at Antioch after the manner of the Believing Gentiles using the same Christian Liberty as they did and not withdrawing himself from them before the Judaizers came thither from Jerusalem 2. When he struck in with the Judaizers it is not to be imagin'd that they had alter'd his Judgment or that he had received any new Illumination to direct him but the Change he shew'd proceeded from his Fear a Fear as we may well suppose that if he yielded not to those Obstinate Men they would renounce the Christian Faith 3. The Jewish Converts at Antioch were not of a distinct Church by themselves separate from the Gentiles Certainly they were not so before the coming of the Zealots with whom they comply'd not out of Conscience but Dissimulation 4. With their Dissimulation Barnabas was carried away and this intimates that his Concurrence with the Dividers was a new thing to him or a departure from his former practice Upon the whole he and the rest whom he follow'd in this Action may seem to have had a good intention which was not to provoke those of the Circumcision but to do what they were able to preserve them from Apostacy Yet in their Conduct there was more of the Policy of the World than of true Christian Wisdom and Sincerity Wherefore St. Paul seeing that they walked not uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel withstood Peter to the Face because he was to be blam'd and reprov'd him before all that they might see their Error who had been drawn into it by his Example And if Paul was so much against Separation when St. Peter himself was at the Head of it and when Barnabas an Apostle also together with the Multitude was engaged in it if he oppos'd it when it came with so strong a Torrent doubtless he resisted it with like Courage wherever he met it in any part of the World 5. The Jewish and Gentile Christians together at Antioch are stiled a Church and so are they that resided at Rome But to call them so if in the same City they had been divided into several Independent Congregations is not agreeable to the Language of that Age. Nor could they with any propriety of Speech be mention'd as one Society or Body if they were
separate and had no Communion with one another 6. In the time when this Division is suppos'd to have been between the Jewish and Gentile Converts single Persons successively govern'd the Church of Antioch and the like may be said of that of Rome as the Fathers inform us who liv'd near that Age. And it is well known that Cyprian Cornelim and Others did much insist upon this that of One Church or Diâ—â—ese there could be but One Bishop and we need not doubt but the Novatians against whom they argued would have reply'd That according to Apostolical Institution the Christians living in One City might have several Bishops over them had this been then believ'd But what was the sense of this Matter on both sides may be gathered from the Roman Confessors who had been for both but repenting of the Schism profess'd that they could not charge themselves with the Ignorance of this That as there is One God One Christ One Holy Spirit so there ought to be but One Bishop of a Catholick Church III. It hath been said That Jesus Christ hath declar'd That When two or three are gathered together in his Name he is in the midst of them and that you Assemble in this manner and are therefore assur'd of his favourable Presence But to this I need return no other Answer but what was given by St. Cyprian to the Novatians who objected the same thing These Corrupters of the Gospel and false Interpreters says Cyprian only lay held on the end of a Discourse and omit what went before Part they remember and part they craftily conceal As they are cut off from the Church so they would cut in pieces a passage of Scripture They forget that when our Lord would persuade his own Disciples to Vnanimity and Peace He said to them If two of you shall agree on Earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven And this he spake concerning his Church and to those that are in the Church he says That if they are of one Heart if according to his Command and Admonition but two or three of them are gathered together and pray unanimously they may obtain what they ask of the Divine Majesty Where two or three says he are gathered together in my Name I am with theme That is with the Sincere and Peaceable with those that fear God and keep his Precepts So that he that founded and made the Church doth not divide Men from it but upbraiding the Perfidâ—â—us with their Discord and commending Peace to the Faithful he shews that he is rather with two or three that pray in concerd than with the many that are at strife But what Peace do they promise themselves who are Enemies of the Brethren What Sacrifices do they believe they offer when they contend with the Priests Can they imagine that Christ is with them when they are Assembled out of his Church No tho' such Men were slain confessing his Name the blemish of Schism would not be wash'd off with their Blood IV. It hath been said That Paul rejoyced that Christ was Preach'd even by those Men who did it out of Envy and Strife and if the case of your Teachers were as bad as this as long as they preach Christ you have no reason to be solicitous about their Call nor we to be offended at their Work But to this I reply 1. That it does not appear that they who preach'd Christ out of Envy and Strife did take on them the Work of the Ministry without a Call to that Office And if they were lawfully admitted into it it only proves that Ill Men may be so and yet be useful to others but not that any may usurp the Sacred Function and how far this concerns your Teachers and their Followers I have shew'd before 2. Neither doth it appear that they Preach'd Christ to any other than the Infidels and this can never justifie your Pastors for gathering Disciples out of sound Churches or your selves for breaking the Bond of Peace in compliance with them It is one thing to add Members to a Church taken out of the Unbelieving World and for Members to withdraw themselves from it and joyn together in an Opposite Society 3. What the Apostle rejoyced at was the good that his Envyers did beside their intention The Benefit that did spring from the Evil they design'd and not the Evil that set them on Work So that notwithstanding this Example Envy and Strife are as hateful as ever and so are Church-Divisions and all things else condemn'd in the Gospel 4. What they acted out of Envy and Strife did no hurt to any but themselves 'T is true they were guilty of great Inhumanity and Cruelty towards St. Paul yet their Malice had no ill effect on him but rested on their own Heads How it was that they suppos'd that they should add Affliction to his Bonds is not so clear but that it hath given occasion to several Conjectures But to me it seems most probable that they emulated the Glory which he had acquir'd by many Conversions and judging of him by themselves they imagin'd it would be a grievous thing to him to hear that they shar'd with him in that Honour the Faith being propâ—â—gated by their Diligence Whereas iâ— was great satisfaction to him that when he was under Confinement they carried on the Work in which he himself should have been employ'd had he been at liberty Indeed their manner of doing it did exercise his Patience and Self denial yet even that was for his Advantage and he was assur'd that their Preaching would turn to his Salvation And as it was beneficial to him so it was also to the Church as being a means of gaining Proselytes and both to Jews and Gentiles as an Instrument of their Conversion But on the contrary Church-Divisions are prejudicial to all sorts of Persons to the Pastors of the Church and to the Flock To those that are within the Church and to those that are without This I might fully prove but I refer it to a more proper place and shall only here set down the Words of the Lord Chancellor Bacon who says in his Essays That Heresies and Schisms are of all others the greatest Scandals yea more than Corruption of Manners For as in the Natural Body Wound or Solution of Continuity is 〈◊〉 than a corrupt Humour so in the Spiritual So that nothing doth so much keep Meâ—â— out of the Church and drive Men out of the Church as breach of Vnity V. It hath been said That you are only return'd to those whom you had forsaken before and that you might do this since you had the Indulgence or the Liberty granted to you by the Law But if your Separation was sinful before you Conform'd your Return to it must be so too For the Law hath not alter'd the Case nor done
any thing that can make it innocent 1. We are therefore to enquire in the first place whether your Separation before you Conform'd was not Sinful and this may easily be resolv'd for it is clear from what went before that it was causeless and consequently Schismatical Perhaps it may be objected That many of you had never been Members of the Church of England and therefore could not be Deserters of it But to this I reply That if you only joyn'd with the Society that made the Revolt from it you were Partakers in the Offence They that went before you were as a corrupt Fountain and you 〈◊〉 the Streams that issued from it and the fame malignant Quality hath tainted both The Conformists in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth might say of the Brownists or your first Separatists as St. Cyprian did of the Novatians We departed not from them but they departed from us And to you that by Education were brought into the Community of those that Divided the Church we may say as Optatas did to the Donatists Your Ancestors committed that Crime and you labour to walk in their wicked Steps that what your Predecessors had done in the matter of Schism you may appear long since to have acted and still to act They in their Days did break the Peace and you do now banish Vnity To your Parents and your selves these Words may fitly be applied If the Blind lead the Blind they both fell into the Ditch When Manasses the Brother of Jaddus withdrew himself from Jerusalem and officiated as High-priest in the Temple as Garizin which was Built for him by Sanbaâ—et both he and they of his own Nation that concur'd with him acted what was highly criminal But the Matter did not â—â—st here for their Posterity grievously offended in keeping up the Defection which their Predecessors had begun and their Cause was condemn'd upon a fair Tryal before Ptolemaeus Philometer And thus not only they that are first in a Schism but their Followers and such as come into it in succeeding times contract the guilt of it The new Members that are added to the former Schismaticks are together with them of One Body as they that from time to time are added to the Church are of another One thing on which the Dispute between the Advocates for the Temple at Jerusalem and for that at Garizin did mainly turn was the Question on which side was the Ancient Succession of Priests but this was easily determin'd for the former And now if the whole Issue of the Controversiae between the Conformists and Dissenters were put upon this Whether of them have the best Title to a Succession of Lawful Pastors it would not be difficult to decide it For you grant I suppose and it is otherwise evident that such a Succession is continued with us But it appears from what has been said that in your way of Separation you neither had nor can have any such thing Indeed many of the Separatists had Episeopal Ordination but some of them renounced it and as in Mockery Ordain'd one another Others made no such Abdication as the former yet withdrawing themselves from their Bishops they exercis'd their Office in such a manner as is directly against their own Solemn Promise and Sacramental Engagement But none of them had power to constitute other Presbyters or in the Language of Epiphanius to give Fathers to the Church As for the rest of your Teachers they are meer Laymen and act under a false Character in Matters of the highest importance to the Souls of Men. So that you could be Followers of none of the Dissenting Guides without Schism and a breach of Obedience where it was due but with some of them you could not Communicate without bearing a part in their Impostures 2. If your former Separation was Sinful your Return to it must be Sinful also It must be so in a higher degree because a Relapse into Sin after Reformation is a greater Offence than the first Commission of it It had been better therefore that you had not known the way of Peace than after you had experience of it to forsake it Better that you had not come into the Unity of the Church than to break it again You are now become more inexcusable than you were before and thus far your latter end is worse than your beginning 3. If your Separation was otherwise Sinful the Law hath not alter'd 〈◊〉 Case or done any thing that can makâ—â— it Innocent I need say nothing of the Toleration which was granted to you by the Dispensing Power and drew you into the Snare For I suppose you ground your present Liberty on the Act of Parliament But if you 〈◊〉 not within the Intent of that Act it leaves you where it found you and can aâ—ford nothing for your Justification The Act it self will best satisfie you of this and upon perusal of it you will find that it was only design'd to give ease to Tender Consciences but yours are not of that Number Indeed we cannot penetrate into your Hearts but Charity obliges us to believe that you did not come to our Churches with Doubts and Fears upon you that your Conformity was unlawful but were generally well assur'd that it was consistent with your Duty and agreeable to the Holy Scriptures But this is the very thing which cuts you off from the Indulgence which you claim by the Law That being design'd only for Perâ—â—ns of another Character But what hath the Law done for the Scrupulous Hath it approv'd their several ways or set them all in the right That cannot be for they are inconsistent and contradict one another It only tolerates them and we may tolerate Pain and Sickness and other Evils from which we have a great aversion But they remain Evils still and so must Church-Divisions under any Dispensation whatsoever The Law says this for the Scrupulous that upon the Conditions to be performed by them they shall not be liable to any Pains Penalties or Forfeitures laid on them by some former Acts nor shall they be Prosecuted in any Ecclesiastical Court for their Nonconforming to the Church of England But this can never justifie their Nonconformity For if the Punishments against profaning the Lord's Day and common Swearing and other things of that Nature were taken off they would still be criminal as they were before and the like may be said of Schism As long as it is condemn'd in Scripture no humane Allowance or Permission can make it Lawful If Heresie and Schism were enjoyn'd by a Law which is more than an Allowance or Toleration of them they would not be freed from their Malignity or cease to be Sinful But to the Imposers of things so contrary to Divine Revelation and Institution we should have reason to say Whether it be right in the Sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye I am far from derogating from the Authority of
her Head and Face were cover'd in sign of her Subjection And if the Church had Power to lay aside such Rites so it hath power also to appoint others of the like Nature and is obliged to do so upon emergent occasions as Christian Prudence may direct Particular Ceremonies are liable to such alterations that when they have been expressive of respect in one Age or Country they become Instances of the contrary in another But there are Rules about them that are constant and certain in all Times and Places 1. It is certain that the Publick Worship of God ought to be celebrated with such Ceremonies as are suitable to the Dignity and Solemnity of the Work and agreeable to the general directions of the Holy Scripture 2. According to the Holy Scripture the Ceremonies that are us'd in the Church ought to be expressive of some Duty So were they that I produced from Scripture such were also the smiting on the Breast the lifting up the Hands in Prayer Kneeling on the same occasion and the putting on some New Garment at the time of Baptism All which things are recommended or alluded to as things approved in Scripture And one of these was a visible sign of Contrition and Indignation against Sin another of the elevation of the Mind to Heaven the third of Humiliation the fourth of putting on Christ or the New Man This may shew how weak the Objection is against our Rites that they are Symbolical for if they were otherwise they would be disagreeble to the Holy Scripture and signifying nothing they would be good for nothing but were fit to be rejected as useless and impertinent 3. The Holy Scripture directs us in general to do all things decently and in order To distinguish between our own Houses and the Churches of God To glorifie him with our Bodies as well as our Spirits and particularly it requires us to Worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker 4. That External Rites be significant and decent there ought to be some Conformity between them and the End for which they were appointed Yet for those that use them it is not always necessary to know the reasonableness of their Instituion They may take an Oath safely by kissing the Book who know nothing of the Original of that Ceremony nor are satisfied of the fitness of it Whatsoever it had at first Custome hath now impress'd a fitness on it and it signifies a Solemn Appeal to God the Searcher of Hearts as much as Words could do and is by the Law prefer'd before them 5. The significancy of Ceremonies and the Measures of Decency are to be taken from Custome which gives Rules not only for speaking but also for Actions Habits and Gestures Thus as by Custome the putting off the Hat bowing and kneeling are Marks of Reverence amongst Men so they are in our Addresses to God Indeed the Uncovering of the Head was formerly a Badge of Authority But Custome hath quite alter'd that signification and yet hath made it fit to be retain'd for another and I think you have no exception against our using of it at present as a sign of our Veneration and Subjection to the Almighty 6. The more early that a Ceremony was us'd and the longer it hath remain'd the more universally it hath been receiv'd and approv'd especially by good Men and the greater good it is expressive of the fitter it is for continuance And this may be said for the Sign of the Cross which hath been much oppos'd by the Separatists That in the next Age after the Apostles if not in their Days it was every where in use amongst the Christians who testified by it to the World that they were not asham'd of the Cross of Christ but rather gloried in it and were ready to suffer for it So that it was a compendious Confession of their Faith or a Visible Creed in which they declar'd to the Eye the same Truth and their Resolution to adhere to it that by Words they profess'd to the Ear. And if this last way ought to be approved the other may not be condemn'd nor was it by any but the Infidels or open Enemies of the Gospel From the Primitive Church it was transmitted down to our own and being freed by our Reformers from the Abuses which Superstition had added to it by the way it is prescrib'd in our Liturgy in the Office of Baptism as signifying the Dedication of the Baptized to him that Died on the Cross for them We have good reason therefore not to lay aside a Ceremony that is come to us thus recommended and is so suitable to the end for which it was employ'd As for those that cast it out as an Idol they must excuse us that we cannot comply with them in reproaching as Idolaters innumerable Saints and Martyrs that are now with God And that being no Enemies to the Cross of Christ we do not abhor the Sign of it 7. It follows from what went before that when things indifferent are against Custome they are also against Decency and to be avoided For a Man to wear Long Hair had no Moral Evil in it nor had the Scripture decided any thing about it yet the Apostle condemn'd it as shameful and against the Dictate of Nature Not as if it was forbidden by any Law of Nature strictly so call'd but the meaning is it was against Custome which is a Law in such cases It is no small matter then to oppose the Customs that have been universally receiv'd and long continued in the Churches as the Separatists have done whilst they have been labouring to advance their own Discipline which till of late was never heard of in any part of the World Charity would teach them not to behave themselves so unseemly But if they will not learn that Lesson nor cease to be Contentious but obtrude on us their own Novelties it may be sufficient for us to say That we have no such Customs neither the Churches of God 8. It also follows from what was said before that things which according to Custome are signs of Irreverence amongst Men are marks of Prophaneness and Contempt when they are us'd towards the Almighty If ye offer the Blind for Sacrifice is it not Evil And if ye offer the Lame and Sick is it not Evil Offer it now to thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person Saith the Lord Amighty Mal. 1. 8. And this may afford us very useful Advice for from hence it is clear that if we rudely rush into his presence without any thing of Ceremony if we refuse him all outward Respect when he speaks to us in the Assemblies of his People and will not bow the Knee when we put up our Prayers to him but call on him in the same Posture as we would talk to our Servants we affront him in such a Behaviour as we would not offer to our Governour and
of God which is at Corinth to them that are Sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints And he directs the second in like manner supposing them to have a Federal Holiness as a Church when of Inherent Piety there was so great a defect among them and when so many of them were guilty of great Enormities He labours to inform them and for that purpose he charges them to expel the Incestuous Man from their Communion He reproves the Vicious and threatens them with Ecclesiastical Censures He admonishes the Litigious to submit their Differences about things pertaining to this Life to the decision of some Arbitrator chosen amongst themselves He commands them to do all things decently and in order and warns them not to come irreverently to the Lord's Supper but to examine or approve themselves before they did partake of it All this while he says not a Word that might encourage any of them to forsake the Publick Assemblies on the Account of the Scandals that were given But on the contrary he requires them all to be compacted or knit together He puts them in mind that they were Members of the same Community and that there ought to be no Schism in the Body And says he to them with great Tenderness and Affection I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no Divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment 2. The Pretence of Separating from the Church because Wicked Men are tolerated being admitted it would be attended with great Evils What they are will better appear when I come to treat of the Consequence of Schism but the Consideration of some that relate to our present Case may not here be omitted 1. If this Pretence were allow'd it would lay a Foundation for perpetual Divisions For then any Party professing greater Sanctity how unjustly soever might withdraw themselves from the Church and say Stand from us for we are more Holier than you And then others might say the like to the first Dividers and a third sort to the second and so on as long as it was possible to make any farther Subdivision An Eminent Nonconformist has given us this Account of a Person who would reform his Bible in such a manner that he cut out the Contents Titles and every thing else but the Text it self believing them to be Humane Devices and consequently Idolatrous And agreeable to this Action was the rest of his Conversation For he would come at no Man nor suffer any Man to come at him But having shut up himself and his Children in his House Sustenance was brought to them and put in at some Hole or Window but he suffered no Man to come and Minister unto them no not when he and they lay Sick and in great Misery And when by Order his House was broken open two of his Children were found Dead and one of them had been so long unburied that the Body was corrupted and it did annoy the Room This Man lived up to his Principles and pursued them as far as they would go And his Example may teach us that if we think our selves obliged when the Law permits us to forsake the Church because it admits of a Mixt Communion and that we may joyn with a better People we should soon see the like occasion to desert these also And then we must seek out other Company and so go on till we are pent up within so narrow a compass that we could move no farther 2. This Pretente being admitted Men professing much Religion when they have little of the Sense or Power of it would be encouraged to raise and keep up such Disturbances as might serve the designs of their Ambition or other Worldly Ends. And whilst the Meek and Lowly would study to be quiet and do their own Business the Assuming and Arrogant would be New-modelling the Churches Mr. Baxter a Man of great Experience says That he never saw one Schism made in which Pride conjunct with Ignorance was not the cause and that to his remembrance he never knew one Person forward in a Schism but Pride was discernably his Disease Pride is so active a Principle that only by it cometh Contention And if it meets with great Encouragement as it does too often there is no doubt to be made of its readiness to furnish the World with Reformers in all Societies and Governments Reformers I mean that would condemn Miscarriages abroad and bestow bitter Invectives on them at a distance but cherish them at home Such Reformers were Korah and Absalom and many others Who to make themselves Heads of Faction or considerable in it have not spar'd to speak evil of Dignities and to cast Reproach on the best of Men that stood in their way whilst in the mean time with good Words and fair Speeches they have deceiv'd the Hearts of the Simple Not long after the Death of St. Paul there was amongst the Corinthians a grievous Schism a wicked and impious Sedition as Clemens Romanus calls it And this was kindled as he informs us by one or two mean Persons who were Rash and Confident such as had a high Opinion of themselves and despised others And the Incendiaries that have come after them have so constantly been of that Temper that to say any thing in their Vindication when their Cause will admit of no defence is to put Fire into the Hands of those who would burn up the Houses of God in the Land 3. This Pretence for Separation being admitted it would put Men upon a Work for which they are no way fit which is the Judging one another before the Time And in this the Uncharitable and Censorious the Envious and Malicious would have so great a stroke that it could not be expected but that they would be forward to condemn others that are better than themselves and that they would be most busie in gathering New Churches who were fit to be Members of none You pretend in vain says St. Austin to the Donatists that before the Time of Harvest you fly from the Tares which you say are mixt amongst us whereas you your selves are the Tares For if you were the Good Grain you would bear with that Mixture and not separate your selves from the Corn of Christ 4. Separation from a Church upon a Pretence of joyning with a better People casts a Reproach upon the Deserted And if it be an Offence to treat a Private Person contumeliously or diminish his just Reputation it must be a greater when the same is done to a Community You have need therefore to be very sure that you were in the right when you did forsake the Church of England as unworthy of your Communion and prefer'd before it the Dissenting Congregations It will not be sufficient for you to say That amongst the Conformists many
esteem'd Forasmuch says the Apostle as ye are zealous of Spiritual Gifts seek that ye may excel to the Edifying of the Church 1 Cor. 14. 12. There is no doubt to be made but the use of this Word Edification is taken from another Metaphor which signifies the Church For the Church being in Scripture call'd a House and the Members of it being said to be Living Stones the adding to it such Materials and the polishing and perfecting those that are in it are the Edification of it This House is already built and established upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone But it is not as yet finish'd nor will it compleatly be so till the end of the World And we shall be reckon'd amongst the Builders or Edifiers of it if we repair its Breaches if we enlarge it or raise it higher or contribute any thing to its strength or splendor That is if we bring new Proselytes into the Church or confirm those that are in it if we are instrumental in the Conversion of some or in advancing any in Knowledge and Piety in Faith and Practice Without Practice there is no true Edification but all that are duly exercis'd in Holiness are perfected by it and others are invited and drawn into the Church by their Example The Churches says St. Luke had rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria and were Edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied Acts 9. 31. The Church in many respects may be compar'd to a House but more especially for the Vnity and Order of Building But on both these I have treated before and what I shall add will only be farther to explain what is meant by Edification and to remove the Mistakes about it 1. Vnity is required in this Spiritual House and all the parts of it ought to be compacted like those of an Artificial Building or a Natural Body The more they are so the better they are prepar'd for Edification and Improvement in things Divine They are call'd to Peace in One Body and being knit together in it they increase with the Increase of God Coloss 2. 19. As Divisions are the cause of Weakness and Deformity in this Body so on the contrary Vnion helps to strengthen and adorn it Thus when the Schism which I mention'd before was broken out amongst the Corinthians The Vile or Ignoble on that occasion rose up against the Honourable Persons of no Reputation against those that were highly esteem'd the Foolish against the Wise and Young Men against the Aged For which cause Justice and Peace were far from them Every one did forsake the Fear of God and in his Faith became blind None of them lived according to the Rule of his Precepts or walked worthy of Christ But they all followed their own depraved Lusts having taken up an Unjust and Impious Envy by which Death entred into the World This is the Account that Clemens Romanus gives of them But he also acquaints us that when they were United Their Piety was wonderful their Hospitality magnificent and their Knowledge perfect That they were all of an humble Mind boasting of nothing more willing to be subject than to govern and to give rather than receive That they were content with the Portion which God had allotted to them and carefully attending to his Word That they had Hearts enlarged with Mercy and that before their Eyes they had the Sufferings of Christ That a profound and advantageous Peace being given to them they had an insatiable desire of doing good and that then there was upon them all a plentiful Effusion of the Holy Spirit That being fill'd with Holy Purposes they did with chearfulness and a pious Confidence stretch forth their Hands to Almighty God beseeching him to be merciful to them if unwillingly they sinned against Him That their care was Day and Night for the whole Brotherhood that through the Mercy of God and a Good Conscience the Elect might be saved That they were Sincere and Inoffensive and forgetful of Injuries and that all Sedition and all Schism was then abominable to them That they lamented the Faults of their Neighbours and esteem'd the Wants of Others as their Own That they were firm and steady in doing good and forward to every good Work That they were adorn'd with a Conversation altogether Vertuous and Venerable and did all things in the fear of God whose Commandments were written upon the Tables of their Heart By this and many other Examples it appears that the Unity of the Christians is highly beneficial to them And we may add That it also promotes the Edification of the Church by the strong Inducement it affords to those that are without to embrace the Christian Faith and become Members of the same Community They will see says Mr. Baxter that the Design and Doctrine of Christianity is good and excellent beseeming God and desirable to Man when they see it does produce such good Effects as the Love and Vnity and Concord of Manknd And it is an exceeding great and powerful help to the Conversion of the World in this respect because it is a thing so conspicuous in their sight and so intelligible to them and so approved by them They are little wrought on by the Doctrine of Christ alone because it is visible or audible but to few and understood by fewer and containeth many things which Nature doth distaste But the Holy Concord of Believers is a thing that they are more able to discern and judge of and do more generally approve The HOLY CONCORD of Christians must be the CONVERSION of the Unbelieving World if God have so great a Mercy for the World which is a Consideration that should not only deter us from Division but make us zealously study and labour with all our Interest and Might for the healing of the Lamentable Divisions amongst Christians if we have the Hearts of Christians and any sense of the Interest of Christ 2. The Church resembles a House in Order And Order is to be observ'd in all our Endeavours for the Edification of it This Living Building resting upon Christ and being fitly framed together groweth unto One Holy Temple in the Lord. And as an Organical Body being fitly joyned together and computed by every Ministring Joynt supplying something according to its Power in proportion to the other parts it increaseth to the Edifying of it self in Love Mr. Baxter says very well That Enemies both Spiritual and Corporal are deterred from assaulting the Church or any of its Members while they see us walk in our Military Vnity and Order In this posture every Man is a Blessing and Defence unto his Neighbour As every Soldier hath the benefit of all the Conduct Wisdom and Valour of the whole Army while he keepeth in his place so every weak Christian hath the use and
two things which I shall add for illustration of it are only Consequences of what I have already prov'd 1. It follows from that which was said before that what is against the Vnity of the Church is also against the Edification of it and consequently of the parts whereof it consists That which separates the Stones of this Building from one another hinders the conveyance of that Vital Spirit which would animate them all That which divides this Body weakens it and puts it into a Sickly Condition The Members that make a Schism in it throw it into dangerous Convulsions And they that make a Schism from it give it a grievous Wound and afterwards can neither grow up with it nor without it If therefore they that make Divisions could speak with the Tongue of Angels we ought to avoid them If in some things we might arrive at great Knowledge by their Instruction we must avoid them notwithstanding Such Knowledge would be apt to puff us up but it is Charity that Edifieth And Charity says Clemens Romanus Admits of no Schism Charity is not Seditious but doth all things in Concord All the Elect were perfected by it and without it nothing is acceptable unto God 2. What is against Order is also against the Edification of the Church and consequently of the particular Members of it That which justles the Stones of this Spiritual Building out of their places hinders it as much as possible from growing unto a Holy Temple in the Lord. That which diverts the parts of this Body from their proper Offices or puts them out of Joynt hinders the Nourishment abates the Strength and destroys the Comeliness and Beauty of it That which brings Confusion into my Society Ecclesiastical or Civil tends to the Ruine of it and fails not of doing Mischief to it To prevent this even they that were inspir'd from Heaven and had Psalms and Doctrines Tongues and Revelations and Interpretations by Miracle were yet limited in the Exercise of their Gifts and to restrain them these two Precepts were given by the Apostle Let all things be done to Edification Let all things be done decently and in order Decency and Order have such a connexion with Edification that what promotes Them advances This What is contrary to Them is contrary to This also It is no wonder then that St. Paul was so much concern'd when he heard that among the Thessalonians there were some that walked disorderly or did break their Ranks For as such Men might be useful in their proper Places so out of them they hinder the Edification of the Church and are wont to be Disturbers of the Publick Peace Many in the way of their Vocation might have excell'd who going beyond their Line intrenching on the Rights of others and assuming an Authority which did not belong to them have become great Incendiaries and Persons of that Character have been most pernicious to the best Societies When such Disturbers invade the Offices of the Church it is not enough to say That they Act the Part well which they have taken upon them when it is none of their own or that they have great Gifts and are well qualified for the Sacred Function when their assuming it is a meer Usurpation There were many doubtless in Israel who could have managed the Business of Sacrificing more deâ—trously than some of the Priests themselves But it appertained not to them and if they undertook it they incurr'd the Indignation of the Almighty And in a Christian Congregation there may be some Private Persons who are of better Capacity or much fitter for the Ministry than the Minister himself But having no Lawful Call to it it appertains not to them And if in Confidence of their own Abilities they set up for Spiritual Pastors they are so far from promoting Edification that they become open Enemies to the Church and liable as are also their Followers to a just Condemnation IV. The fourth Enquiry is Whether your hopes of being better Edified may justifie your Separation That is if I have stated the Matter rightly Whether your false Hopes may justifie a sinful Practice And this I think may easily be resolv'd It appears from what was said before that your Practice is against the Church as a Visible and a Regular Society That it is against the Vnity and Order of it and consequently that it is against the Edification which the Scripture requires as pulling a House in pieces is contrary to the Building it up and throwing it in Heaps is contraary to the adorning and reparation of it 'T is true the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church nor shall the Fury of Man be able to destroy it But to bring Divisions and Disorders into any part of it to Separate from any sound Members of it and to form Societies or be of those that are opposite to it is to strike at the Whole and to attempt the Ruine of it As it is also to act against Christ himself who hath purchas'd and cemented it with his own Blood SECT V. HAving examin'd the Arguments which have been offer'd on your part to excuse you from the guilt of Schism I am now to treat of the Consequences of it And these are so deplorable and of such a Nature that they induced many Antient and Modern Writers who had them in view to reckon This amongst the worst of Crimes Mark those says the Apostle which cause Divisions and Offences And he had reason to put these things together For Divisions having their usual effect become Offences and may well be esteem'd amongst the greatest Scandals I pretend not to give any compleat History of the Evils which Church-Divisions have produced Yet I shall briefly shew I. That they have hardned the Infidels in their Unbelief and hindred their Conversion II. That they have brought a Reproach on the Reformation of the Church and hindred the Progress of it III. That they have given occasion to the spreading of many detestable Errors in Matters of Religion III. That they have greatly encouraged Immorality I. They have hardned Infidels in their Unbelief and hindred their Conversion This says Clemens Alexandrinus is the Thing which they first produce against us We ought not say they to believe because of the Difference of Sects amongst you To the Corinthians on the occasion of their Divisions Clemens Romanus does thus address himself Your Schism saith he hath perverted many hath discouraged many It hath raised Doubts in many and Sorrow in us all And a little after It is shameful Beloved yea very shameful and unworthy of a Christian Conversation to hear that the most Firm and Antient Church of the Corinthians should by one or two Persons be led into Sedition against their Pastors And this Report is not only come to us but to those also who are disaffected and estranged from us Insomuch that by your Folly the Name of the Lord is