erroneous or such as they perhaps as doubters may not with a good Conscience subscribe to and consequently 〈…〉 Conformists that think the sence erroneous while they 〈…〉 and shall affirm e.g. that Canons are made necessary to 〈…〉 matter cannot be proved by Scripture contrary to Art 6. Those that contrary to Art 8. say any thing in Athanasâ—â—◠〈…〉 be subscribed Such as Bishop Taylour that against Art 9. deny Orginal 〈◊〉 Those that say contrary to Art 10. that the Word 〈…〉 Common natural Power or maketh Nature to be Grace Those that write against our being accounted righteous only for Christs â—â—â—rits and say that another subordinate Righteousness is named many hundred times in Scripture contrary to Art 11. Those that contrary to Art 13. say that works done before the Inspiration of the Spirit may make men meet to receive Grace Those that with Dr. Hammond write for works that are not commanded but counselled and Free-will-offerings contrary to Art 14. All they that take Infants and new baptized Persons to have no sin contrary to Art 15. All that say that after we have received the H. Ghost we cannot depart from Grace given contrary to Art 16. Those that deny the Doctrine of Election in Art 17. Those that say any on Earth may be saved by diligent living according to the light of Nature without knowing the name of Christ contrary to Art 18. Those that contrary to Art 19. reject that Description of a visible Church which reacheth to such as our Resolver damneth All that contrary to Art 20. say that the Church may not enforce any thing to be believed for necessity to Salvation besides the Scripture even those that say it 's necessary to Salvation by avoiding Schism to believe that all imposed Tyths Covenants Practices and Ceremonies are not sin All that contrary to Art 21. say that General or other Councils may be gathered without the command and will of Princes and deny they may erre and things ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither Strength nor Authority unless 〈◊〉 be declared that they are taken out of Holy Scripture Those that deny Art 23. that those are lawfully called and sent into the Ministry who have publick Authority given them in the Congregation to call and send Ministers into the Lords Vineyard are chosen and called hereto for want of Canonical Succession Those that contrary to Art 24. would have Gods Worship performed to them that understand not the language to avoid the Schism of having many Churches in a City Those that take Confirmation or Penance or the other three for Sacâ—â—ments of the Gospel contrary to Art 25. Those that contrary to Art 26. would not have it believed to be the Peoples duty who know the Offences of Bad Ministers to accuse them All that contrary to Art 27. are against Infant Baptism as agreeable to Christs Institution All that contrary to Art 28. say the Body of Christ is given and taken and eaten in the Sacrament otherwise than in a Spiritual manner by Faith All that say that in some wise the wicked are Partakers of Christ in the Sacrament contrary to Art 29. All that contrary to Art 30. say There is other satisfaction for Sin besides Christs Blood All that say that Men justly Excommunicate may be reconciled and received by the multitude without open penance which is ordinary contrary to Art 33. All that contrary to Art 34. think that a General Council may ordain such Traditions or Ceremonies as shall in all places be one or the like and that every Particular or National Church may not abolish those Ceremonies or Rites which the General Council or Colledge ordained Many things in the Book of Homilies especially against peril of Idolatry are blamed by many Conformists contrary to Art 35. All that contrary to Art 36. say that the Book of Ordination wants some things necessary All that contrary to Art 37. think that Pope or foreign Bishops have any Jurisdiction by right in this Land And all that by mistake say the King hath not chief Power in all his Dominions meaning in France of which he professeth to be King and we so call him even in our Prayers to God All that say contrary to Art 38. that it is not their Duty liberally to give Alms according to their ability All that contrary to Art 39 think men in conforming may swear upon trust of their Superiours words without judgment and true understanding of Justice and Truth All these are already ipso facto Excommunicated by this one Canon and if they elsewhere worship God are called Separatists and Schismaticks in danger of Damnation as Adulterers and Murtherers are And how great a number are these 10. All are ipso facto Excommunicate by the sixth Canon who affirm that the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England by Law established are superstitious or such as now commanded men who are zealously and godly affected may not with a good Conscience APPROVE use and subscribe as occasion requireth That is all that thus mistake kneeling at the Sacrament on the reasons aforenamed to be against the second Commandment or that judge so of the Surplice or that think the Cross as described by the Canon and Liturgy hath all the Essentials of a humane unlawful Sacrament of the Covenant of Grace And all that are against the Rites of Godfathers that never owned the Child as theirs to be theonly Sponsors in its Name and to Vow its Christâ—â—â— Education when I never knew one living that so much as made the Parâ—â—â— believe that he intended it And all that think the words of the Liturgy making Imposition of hands an assuring sign of Gods Gracious acceptance make Confirmation a humane unlawful Sacrament and say so All these are cut off 11. By Canon seventh all are ipso facto excommunicate that affirm that the Government of the Church of England under his Majesty by Arch-Bishops Bishops Deans Archdeacons and THE REST THAT BEAR OFFICE in the same is repugnant to Gods word that is all Bishops Ministers Noblemen Gentlemen or People that say that it is against Gods word for Lay Civilians or Chancellours to govern by the Church Keyes excommunicate or absolve And all that think it unlawful for Surrogates that are not Bishops but Presbyters either as a Cryer proforma to pronounce all excommunicate or absolved who are so decreed by the Lay Chancellor or else for them or a Priest-Chancellour to govern a Diocess by the Keyes of Excommunication and Absolution being no Bishops and all that think it sinful for Archdeacons Commissaries Officials c. who are no Bishops to exercise the same Government by the Keyes over so many Pastors or Churches or for a Bishop to do his Office by others that are no Bishops any more than a Priest by those that are no Priests or for a Diocesan with his Lay Court to Govern many score or hundred Churches under him without any subordinate Bishop in those Churches
not common one mans Wife and Children are not anothers So the Bishop of London of Oxford c. must govern his Church for the good of the Universal but he is not the Bishop of Gloucester Norwich Paris Rome These are differences enow to constitute a numerical difference of Churches Paul distinguisheth the Bishops of Philippi Ephesus c. from others Do you yet see no Priviledges that one hath Proper and not common to all none that make a difference in specie but both numerical and gradual 1. All Churches have not Bishop Jewel Bishop Andrews Doctor Stillingfleet Doctor Sherlock to be their Teachers All Churches be not taught all that 's in this Resolver 2. All Churches have not men of the same soundness nor excellency of Parts It was once taken for lawful to account them specially worthy of double honour who laboured in the Word and Doctrine and to esteem men for their works sake Paul saith of Timothy I have no man like minded If those that heard not a Sermon in many years differed not from your Congregation why do you preach I am reproached in Print for telling the world this notorious truth That I lived till ten years old where four men four years hired successively were Readers and School-masters two Preached as it was called once a Month the other two never Two drank themselves to beggery After I lived where many Parishes about us had no Preachers The Parish that I lived in had a Church with a Vicar that never preached and a Chappel with a Parson eighty years old that had two Livings twenty Miles distant and never preacht His Son a Reader and Stage-player was sometime his Curate His Grand-son my School-master his Curate next that never preacht in his life but drunk himself to beggery One year a Taylor read the Scripture and the old man the best of them all said the Common-Prayer without book for want of sight The next year a poor Thresher read the Scripture After that a Neighbours Son my Master was Curate who never preacht but once and that when he was drunk in my hearing on Mat. 25. Come ye Blessed and go ye Cursed the saddest Sermon that ever I heard These things were no rarities Now my assertion is That the Church that had such as Austin Chrysostome Jewel Andrews and such worthy men as London now hath many had Priviledges distinct from these and many the like that I was in If you say that every Bishop and Preacher is as much the Bishop and Preacher to all other single Churches as to that which is his Title then 1. He must be condemned for not teaching them all 2. Then he may claim maintenance from them all 3. Then he may intrude into any mans Charge 4. Then no Church is unchurcht for want of a Bishop for any one Bishop is Bishop to every Church in the World and so ubi Episcopus ibi Ecclesia signifieth but that Church and Bishop are on the same Earth and Ecclesia est Plebs Episcopo adunata may be verified if there be but one in the World 5. And so Mr. Dodwell and such are self-confuted before you are aware Geneva Holland and all Presbyterians are true Churches for they have all Bishops e. g. The Bishop of London is Bishop to them all For if one man be no more a Member of one single Church than of another and so no more a Subject to one Bishop than to another then one Bishop is no more Pastor of one Church than of another 7. And how can you magnifie the Church of England for a Wise Learned Pious Clergy above other Churches if all Priviledges be common and they have no proper Pastors of their own 8. Do you think that the Church e. g. Of Hippo that was in Austins dayes was the same numerical single Church with that which is there now were there any or with the Diocesan Church of London if not then at least distance of time and change of Persons maketh divers Particular Churches and it 's no more against the unity of the Church Universal to have divers particular Churches in it in the same Age than in divers Ages In short Diversity of matter and form maketh a numerical Diversity as of Natural so of Politick Bodies of the same species But the Churches of Ephesus Smyrna Thyatira Philadelphia c. were of divers matter and form numerically Ergo they were divers Political Churches Sure God doth not commend Laodicea for Philadelphia's Church Virtues nor condemn the Church of Philadelphia for the other Churches Sins And if the Angels be Bishops why are some Bishops praised as the Bishops of such Churches and the Bishops of other Churches threatned But I confess this is a ready way to end the Controversies between the Bishops of several Churches which snall be greatest if they be all but one But I hope that when the Bishop of Rome and his Church was corrupted it is not true that every Bishop and Church fell with him or with any that hath turned to Mahumetanism To be no longer on this which I thought no Prelatist would ever have put me on if these men speak not notoriously against Scripture against the constant Language of Canons and Fathers Historians and Lawyers and all Antiquity and all Christian Countreys and Divines yea even those that at Trent would have had only the Pope to be of immediate Divine Right then I know not any thing by Reading And if poor Nonconformists must be put to defend themselves against such singularities and be Schismaticks unless they will differ from all the Christian World of all Ages there is no Remedy § 7. But p. 5 6. he tell us that a Church is made by a Divine Covenant-God only can constitute a Church Such Persons if there be any so absurd are not worth disputing with who dare affirm the Church to be an humane Creature or the invention of men And no Church can depend on humane Contracts for then a Church would be a humane Creature and Constitution whereas a Church can be founded only on a Divine Covenant 1. Who would think but this man were a Nonconformist that talks so like them e. g. Amesius in Medul Theol. against humane Church Forms But what then will Bishop Bilson and almost all other Bishops and Christians be thought of who affirm Patriarchal and Metropolitical Churches and many of the Diocesane to be but humane Constitutions and Inventions And if these be not worth the disputing with it seems that you differ from them more than Separatists do and then were not all these Schismaticks and then are not you a Schismatick if you communicate with them yea your Mr. Dodwel himself maketh Diocesan Churches to be a humane Creature and A. Bishop Bromhall much pleadeth for mans power to make Patriarchal Churches and so do such others 2. But is it true that humane Contracts make not a Church Ans. Not alone But I think that all Churches are made by mutual Contracts
some above the rest And if the Magistrate affix Baronies Honours Revenues or his own due Civil forcing Power and make the same Men Magistrates and Ministers whether we think it prudent and well done or not we must honour and obey them XVIII Some call these humane Accidental Orders forms of Church Government and affirm as Bishop Reignolds did and Dr. Stillingfleet in his Irenicon and many excellent men by him cited that no form of Church Government is of Divine Command Which is true of all this second sort of Government which is but Accidental aud humane but not at all of the first sort which is Divine and Essential to Christ himself first and to Pastors as such by his appointment so that the essential Government of the Universal Church by Christ and of each particular Church by Pastors specified by him if not of Supervisors of many as succeeding Apostles and Evangelists in their Ordinary work are of unalterable Divine right But the humane forms are alterable Such I account 1. The Presidency and Moderatorship and accidental Government of one Bishop in a single Church over the other Presbyters Deacons c. 2. The accidental Government of a Diocesan as an Archbishop over these lowest Bishops and Churches 3. And the Superiority of Metropolitans and Patriarchs over them so it be but in such Accidentals and within the same Empire not imposing a forreign Jurisdiction These tota specie differ from the Divine Offices XIX All these single Church being parts of the Universal are less noble than the whole and are to do all that they do as members in Union with the Whole and to do all as Acts of Communion with them XX. The General precepts of doing all to Edification Concord Peace Order c. oblige all the Churches to hold such correspondencies as are needful to these Ends And Synods are one special means which should be used as far and oft as the Ends require And if National Metropolitans and Patriarchs order such Synods I am not one that will disobey them But if on these pretences any would make Synods more necessary than they are and use them as Governours by Legislation and Judgement over the Particular Bishops by the use of the Church Keyes and will affixe to them or Metropolitans besides an Agreeing Power and the said Government in Accidentals a proper Church Government by making and unmaking Ministers or Christians excommunicating and absolving as Rulers by the said Keyes it may be a duty to disown such usurpations As the King would disown an Assembly of Princes any where met that would claim a Proper Government of him and his Kingdom Thô it were much to be wisht that all Christian Princes would hold such Assemblies for the Concord and Peace of Christendom XXI The Essentials of Faith Hope and Loving 〈◊〉 essentiate the Church objectively And these are all summarily contained in the Baptismal Covenant explained in the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalouge and all with much more even Integrals and needful Accidentals in the Sacred Scriptures which taking in the Law of Nature are Gods Universal Law XXII There is no Church on Earth so sound and Orthodox as to want no Integral part of Christian Religion Proved There is no man on Earth much less any multitude so sound as to want no Integral part But all Churches consist only of Men And therefore if all the Men be so far defective all the Churches are so It is not their Objective Religion Generally and implicitely received that I mean but their Subjective Religion and their explicite reception of the Objective The Scripture is our perfect Objective Religion in it self and as an Object proposed and in general and implicitely we all receive it But as a man may say I believe all that 's in the Scripture and yet be ignorant of the very Essentials in it so a man may explicitely know and believe all the Essentials and more and yet be ignorant of many Integrals All things in Scripture proposed to our Faith Hope and Practice are the Integrals of our Religion But no Christian understandeth all these proposals or words of Scripture Therefore no Christian explicitely believeth them all or practiceth all To hold the contrary is to hold that some Church is perfect in Understanding Faith Hope and Practice without Ignorance Errour or Sin that is not to know what a man or a Christian on Earth is XXIII Much less do all Churches agree in unnecessary indifferent accidents nor ever did nor ever will or can do XXIV The measuring out Churches by limits of Ground Parochial or Diocesan is a meer humane ordering of a mutable accident and no Divine Determination And if all were taken for Church members-because they dwell in those precincts it were wicked But if it be but all in those precincts that are qualified Consenters it is usually a convenient measure But such as in many Cases must be broken XXV If a Church with Faithful Pastors be well setled in a place first where there are not more than should make up that one Church it is not meet for any there to gather a distinct Church thô of the same Faith without such weighty reason as will prove it necessary or like to do more good than hurt 1. Because Love inclineth to the greatest Union 2. Because a Great Church is more strong and honourable than a small if the number be not so great as to hinder the Ends. 3. And the Ancient Churches kept this Union XXVI If Magistrates make such Laws about Church Accidents as tend to further the Churches wellfare or are so pretended and not against it we must obey them But if they will either invade Christs Authority or cross it by making Laws against his or such as are proper to his Prerogative to make or invade the Pastors Office and the Churches properright given by Christ or determine Accidents to the Destruction of the Substance the Church Doctrine Worship or Ends these bind the Consciences of none to Obedience but Christ must be obeyed and we must patiently suffer XXVII Self-interest Self-Government and Family-Government are all antecedent to Publick Government which Ruleth them for the Common good but hath no Authority to destroy them No King or Prelate can bind a man to do that which would damn his Soul nor to omit that which is needful to his Salvation All power is for Edification They are Gods Ministers for Good XXVIII As it belongs to self-government to choose our own Dyet and Cloaths and Wives and Physicians thô we may be restrained from doing publick hurt on such pretences And it belongs to Family Government to educate our own Children and choose their Tutors Callings Wives c. so it more nearly belongs to self-government to choose the most safe and profitable means of our own Salvation which no man may forbid us and to avoid that which is pernicious or hurtful and to Family-Government to do the like for our Children XXIX It is false Doctrine
Churches are in the same City and Diocess Of their agreement and dependance on the same Bishop I shall speak anon XXXIX 3. In case that in one City there be resident Stranges that are sent on Embassies or live for Merchandize or flee from Miseries and are the Subject of other Princes whose Laws and Customs they are under e. g. At Frankford Hamburgh Middleburgh Dantzick Constâ—â—â—nople there have been English distinct lawful Churches And in London there are Dutch and French Churches And if the King allowed a Swedish Church a Danish Church a Saxon Church c. with their several Bishops who is so weak as to need proof that this is lawful and they true Churches XL. 4. In case men of different Language are not capable of mutual converse by personal communion or help As Dutch French Italian Greeks Germans c. Grotius and Dr. Hammond oft in Dissert and Annot. do maintain that Peter at Rome had a Church of Jews and Paul a Church of Gentiles And that the like distribution of Churches of Jews and Gentiles there was at Antioch Alexandria and other places And by this they Salve the Contradictions in Church History about the Succession of Linus Cletus and Clemens And the Apostles setled not a sinful Church way XLI 5. Yea Grotius maintaineth that the Apostles setled the Churches at first not like the Jewish Priesthood but in the order of their Synagogues de Imper. sum Patest and in Annot. And that as there were divers Synagogues in a great City with their Archisynagogus and Elders so there were divers Churches in a City with Bishops and Presbyters XLII 6. When there are a greater number of Persons in one City oâ— precinct than can have any just personal Knowledge and Communion and more than any one Bishop with his Presbytery can perform the needful Pastoral oversight to it is lawful and a duty to gather another Church in that City or Precinct But this is truly the Case of many great Cities though wordly Wisdom have at Rome and other places oft denyed notorious evidence and experience He that will gather up all the duties that Dr. Hammond saith were charged on the Bishops in his Annotations on all the Texts that name Elders and Bishops if he can believe that any Bishop can perform the tenth part of them to all in the Diocess of London York Lincoln Norwich c. I will not dispute against him if he maintain a Bishops Uâ—iquity or that at once he can be in twenty places But if they say that what then was commanded them to do personally they may do by others I say that if they may change the Work they may change the Power that specifieth the Office and so it is not the same Office in specie instituted in Scripture And then Lay-men may have Power to preach and administer Sacraments and do the Office of Priest and yet be no Priest as Civilians do of Bishops which is a Contradiction Certainly if there be more Scholars in the City than one Master can Teach and Rule it is no Schism to set up more Schools and Schoolmasters but a duty And if the Lord Mayor on pretence of City Government should put down but as great a part of Family Government as those Diocesans do of Parochial Church Goverment who allow none under them to be truly Episcopi Grigis and have the power of their Church Keyes I think that it were no Schâ—m to restore Families so that the City might have more than one entirely XLIII 7. If the Soveraign Power upon Politick or Religious Reasons should determine that e. g. Dr. A and Dr. B and Dr. C. shall all be Bishops in London to such Volunteers of Clergy and Laity as shall choose each of them to be their Bishop and this without altering their dwellings no man can prove it sinful And of his reasons the King is judge XLIV 8. If the Bishop or Clergy of a City Diocess or Nation do agree by Law or Canon to admit none to the Ministry or Communion that will not commit a known sin deliberately as the Condition of his Communion it is a duty to congregate under other Pastors in those precâ—â—cts This is confest If they should not only hold any errour or practise sin but require men to subscribe and approve it and say it is no sin no man ought to do this nor yet to live like an Atheist and forsake all Worship because men forbid him if it were but to subscribe one untruth But alas this is no rare Case In one Emperours Reign all were Anathematized that subscribed not to the Council of Chalcedon and quickly after all that did or that would not renounce it The same division and changes were made by the Councils against and for the Monothelites de tribus Captrulis Images c. And when all Men living have many Errours and the Church of England disclaimeth her Infallibility and yet will receive no Minister that will not subscribe that there is nothing in her Books contrary to the word of God the Case is hard But when all the things mentioned in the Plea for Peace are proved lawful we shall be more yielding in this Case XLV 9. If true and sound Christians mistakingly think one or many things to be heinous sins as Perjury Lying Renouncing Obedience to God and Repentance c. which are things indifferent but of so great difficulty that most Learned and Godly and Willing Men cannot discern the Lawfulness and agree and yet are not necessary nor just conditions of Ministry or Communion and so it is the Imposer that entangleth them by difficulty in their dissent it is not lawful for these men therefore to forbear all Church Worship but miâ—â—t use it as they can XLVI 10. If any Church unjustly excommunicate such men or others they must not forbear all Church order and worship because men so excommunicate them No man must Sin to escape Excommunication and every man in the World is a sinner And therefore all the World must be excommunicated if all Sinners must be so As I before said the times oft were when almost all the Bishops in the Empire were excommunicated by one another Councils and Popes have oft excommunicated some for trifles and some for Truth and Duty And such must not therefore renounce all Church Worship and Communion The Church of England do by their standing Law ipso facto excommunicate all as aforesaid that affirm any thing to be repugnant to Gods Word or sinful in their whole Church Government Articles Liturgy and Ceremonies and so to stand till they Publickly revoke this as a wicked Errour Now many Lords and Commoners in Parliaments have spoken against some of these particulars and some out of Parliament Many Ministers have done the like when the King Commissioned them to treat for Alterations And many when the Accusations or demands of others have called them to give a Reason of their Actions Some have maintained that it is
because of their difference in â—â—â—ing Ceremonies c. from the Parish Churches tho it be the Bishops Church that he separateth from it is not as a Church nor from â—nything essâ—ntial to it e.g. Miles Smyth Bishop of Gloucester the famous 〈◊〉 and â—hief in our Bibles Translation declared and performed 〈…〉 he would never come more to his Cathedral because the Dean in 〈◊〉 time kept up the Altar Qu. Whether he separated from himself or his Church Vâ—i Episcopus ibi Ecclesia Who were the Separatists They that fellowed the Biâ—hop or they that separated from him and kept to the Câ—hedral The same â—â—ay of Williams Bishop of Lincoln that wrote against 〈◊〉 LXXV 25. If faithful Pastors and People are setled in concord and the higher Powers make a Law to depote and eject them without jast cause as Multitudes were in many Emperours dayes and Multitudes by the Interim in Germany in Charles the fifths time and Multitudes in the Palatinate by Ludoâ—icus and in too many other Countreys those that leave the Temples and Tythes to the Magistrate but cleave to their old Pastors in forbidden meetings called Conventicles supposing the Pastoral Relation not dissolved as the 〈◊〉 clave to Chrysostom do not thereby separate from the Catholick Church Had the Power been lawful that set up another way when Dr. Guâ—â—ng kept up his Meetings at Exeter House it had not been a Separation from Christ that he then made LXXVI 26. If the Law command all to take one man for his Pastor and a Parent command his Child or a Husband his Wife to take another and not that and the Child or Wife know not which should be obeyed and whether the choice belong more to the Domestick or the Publick Government it is not a separating from Christ which way ever such an one shall go LXXVII 27. Yea if I should think that self-Interest and self-Government bind me rather to choose a Pastor for my self than to stand to such a choice by Prince Patron or Prelate which I think intolerable as well as against their will I may choose a Wife or a Physician or a Tutor or a Book or my daily food this is not separating from the Universal Church LXXVIII 28. If owning the same Diocesan make them of one Church who differ more than Nonconformists and Conformists do then owning the same Christ Faith Scripture c. maketh them of one Catholick Church who differ less But c. Jesuites Dominicans Jansenists and all the Sects of Papists are taken for one Church because they own the Pope and Councils In England the Diocesan Conformists are taken for one Church thô some of them are as much for a Foreign Jurisdiction as Arch-bishop Land Arch-bishop Bromhall Bishop Gunnings Chaplain Dr. Saywell Mr. Thorndike Dr. Heylin and many more have manifested in their words and writings And some that subscribe the Articles of General Councils erring in Faith and against Heathens Salvation and against free will and for Justification by Faith only c. do shew that they differ in the Doctrines of Religion unless the sound or syllables be its Religion while one and another take the words in contrary sences Some are for Diocesans being a distinct Order from Presbyters some as Vsher and many such deny it Some hold them to be of Divine Right and some but of humane some think the King must choose them some rather the Clergy and People some hold them Independent others rather subject to the Arch-bishops and Convocation some think all that bear Office in their Church Government are lawful others think Lay-Civilians Government by the Keyes unlawful and so are ipso facto excommunicate by their own Canons some that promise Canonical Obedience to their Ordinary take the Judges of the Ecclesiastical Coâ—rts for their Ordinaries and others only the Bishopâ— some think they are sworn to obey their Ordinaries if they 〈◊〉 according to the Canons and so to pronounce all Excommunicate that he Canon excommunicates if commanded Others think otherwâ—â—e that they are judges themselves whether the Canons command 〈◊〉 honâ—sta some take the Pope to be Antichrist and the Church of Rome no true Church others think otherwise Many more Arminian and other such differences there are and yet all of one Church both Catholick National Diocesan and Parochial oft Much more are those Nonconformists that diâ—â—er from the Church in nothing but what the Imposers call â—â—different LXXIX 29. If one that prayeth in the Litany against false Doctrine and Schâ—â—m and â—eâ—deth the Conformists telling him of the danger of it should verily think that Dr. S. printeth and prâ—â—heth false Doctrine and such as plainly tendeth to serve Satan against Christian Love and Peace and to the most Schismatical dividing and damning of Christians should hereupon separate from him for fear of Schiâ—m and false Doctrine and go to a safer Pastor I think it were not to separate from Christ. LXXX 30. If a Bishop in any Diocess in London should openly write or plead for a Foreign Jurisdiction and we are told that none are true Ministers that depend not obediently on the Bishop he that for fear of the Law or of Personal or common perjury should separate from that Bishop and his numerical Diocesan Church doth thereby neither separate from the Catholick Church nor from the Church of England As if the Kings Army should have a Colonel that declared himself an obliged Subject to the King of France and bound to obey him the Regiment may forsake that Colonel Yea if the General of the Kings Army should give up himself in subjection to the Enemy or a Foreign Power and say I will take a Commission from the Turk and my Officers shall only obey me and the Soldiers obey them were not this an Army of Traytors or Rebels though none but the General took a Commission from the Enemy So if the Bishops should all take Commissions from the Pope or declare themselves Subjects to a Forreign Jurisdiction it were no separating from Christ to separate from them all in Loyalty to Christ and to avoid National perjury and Schism LXXXI 31. If a man think that he is bound to use all Christs instituted means of Salvation and live in a Church that wilfully omitteth any one of them e.g. either Infant baptism or singing Psalms or Praying or Preaching or the Lords Supper or all Personal care and discipline to exclude the grosly intolerable to resolve the doubting c. He that in Obedience to Christ goeth to a Church and Pastor in the same Diocess or City that omitteth none of these is no damned Schismatick LXXXII 32. He that is unjustly cast out of the Church and by its very Laws excommunicated ipso facto is no damned or Sinful Schismatick for Worshipping God in a Church that will receive him Nor any one that is denyed Communion unless he will sin Much more if they should prove half as many and great Sins as the Nonconformists have said they
in their Succession from Schismaticall Bishops at Constanâ— Alexâ—nd Antioch Jerusalem c. and in their excommunicating not only the Church of 〈◊〉 for a wrong cause the silioque but other Churches and for divers Acts of Schism 52. They must by their Principles Separate from the 〈…〉 and all the Eastern and Southern Churches that are called 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 For Councils and other Churches condemn them And they condemn the Councils of Ephesus and Calceden and all since And they must separate from and condemn the Churches of 〈…〉 c. beâ—ause they separate from others and are separated from 53. Their Principles utterly unchurch the Church of Rome 1. Especially because it is guilty of the greatest Schism on earth by setting up a false Church form and head 2. And because they Schismatically condemn and Uâ—church three parts of the Church on earth even all save their Sect 3. And for their many other Schismatical Doctrines and Practices 4. And as being condemned by the Greek Protestants and most Churches and separated from by the Church of England which they own 54. They separate in Principles from all or near all General Councils save the first as having separated from other Councils and condemned them and being again condemned by them 55. Some of them condemn and separate from all the Protestant Churches that have Bishops in Sweden Denmark Germany Transylvania c. because they had not their Ordination Successively from Bishops but Presbyters at the Reformation And because they have been guilty of Schism against others 56. The Principles of Mr. Dodwel and his Associates condemn the Church of England as Schismatical 1. Those that claim Succession from Rome whose own Succession hath been oft and long interrupted by incapacities and Schisms 2. For holding Communion with those Protestant Churches which these men call Schismaticks 57. They condemn and separate from all the Churches called Presbyteâ—ian in France Holland Geneva Scotland formerly and those in 〈◊〉 that have no Bishops Thâ— some would threat kindness on them by saying that they would have them and cannot And why cannot they 58. Their Principles make the Bishop of Oxford Brâ—â—â—l c. Schismaticks For their Dioceses are Churches taken out of Churches being 〈◊〉 parts of other Dioceses 59. And they condemn all the Parish Churches in England as Churches distinct from Cathedrals For they are all Churches gathered out of Churches At first the Cathedrals were the only single Churches Next Monasteries were gathered and next our Parish Churches And the Parish Church of Covent-garden is a Church taken out of a Church 60. Their Principles damn St. Martin that separated to the death from all the Bishops Synods and them that were near him save one Man because they perswaded Maximus to use the Sword against Priscillian 〈◊〉 and brought men of strict Religion under Suspicion of Priscillianism And sure the ruined persecuted Protestants here are more Orthodox than the Priscillians And they damn Gildas that told the English Clergy that he was not exâ—mius Christianus that would call then Ministers Do they not disgrace the many Churches dedicated to the Memory of St. Martin if he be a damned man I doubt they damn Paul and Barnabas for local angry separating from each other Whatever they do by Peter and Barnabas for the Separation blamed Gal. 2. 61. If all are Schismaticks that here conform not all those called Conformists are such that conform to the words in a false sence 62. They separate from all that obey the twentieth Canon of the Nicene Council And from all that obey the Councils that forbid communicating with a Fornicating Priest And from all that obey the Councils which nullifie the Episcopacy of such as are obtruded by Magistrates or not consented to by the Clergy and People And many more such Abundance more instances of their Separation and Damnation I might adde In a word I think their Principles are as I first said for damning and separating from all men living for all men living are gulity of some sort and degree of Schism that is of Errours Principles or Practices in which they culpably Violate that Union and Concord that should be among Christians and Churches Every defect of Christian Love and every sinful Errour is some degree of such a violation All Christians differ in as great matters as things indifferent And no man living knoweth all things Indifferent to be such And these men distinguish not of Schism nor will take notice of the necessary distinctions given in the third Part of the Treatise of Church Concord And soluâ—io contâ—nut causeth pain nor do they at all make us understand what sort of Separation it is that they fasten on but talk of Separation in general as aforesaid LXXXVII They seem to be themselves deceived by the Papists in exposition of Cyprians words de Vnit. Eccles. Vnus est Episcopatus c. But they themselves seem to separate from Cyprian as a Schismatick and consequently from all the Church that hath profest Communion with him and with all the Councils and Churches that joyned with him For Cyprien and his Council erred by going too far from the Schism and Heresie of others nulliâ—ying all their Baptisms Ordinations and Communions And for this errour they declared against the Judgment of the Bishop of Rome and other Churches and they were for it condemned as Schismaticks by the said Bishop And here is a far wider Separation than we can be charged with 2. And Cyprians words came from the Mind that was possest with these opinions and are expressive of his Inclination 3. Yet they are true and good understood as he himself oft expounds them the Bishop of Oxfordâ—iteth â—iteth some instances many more are obvious in which he opposeth the Bishop of Rome saying that none of them pretendeth to â—e a Bishop of Bishops and limiting every man to his own Province and saying that they were to give account to none but God with much the like But in what sence is Episcopacie one 1. Undoubtedly not as 〈◊〉 in the personal Subjectum Relationts One Bishop is not another if you should say 〈◊〉 is One none believe that one mans Relation of Paternity is anothers The Relation is an accident of its own Subject as well as Quantity Quality c. 2. Nor doth any man believe that many Bishops go to make up one Bishop in Naturals 3. Nor did ever Cyprian hold or say that all Bishops go to make up one Politick Governing Aristocracie as many go to make one Senate or Parliament that hath a power of Legislation and Judgment by Vote as one Persona politica He never owned such a humane Soveraignty But Episcopâ—â—us unus est 1. In specie all Bishops have one Office 2. Objectâ—â—â— As the Catholick Church is one whose welfare all Bishops ought to seek 3. And so sinaliter as to the â—emote End and are bound to endeavour Concord 4. And as effects all are from one efficient institutor As it may be
said that all official Magistracy in England is one 1. As from one King or summa potestas 2. As described by one Law and as Justices of one Species 3. As all their Cities and Counties and Hundreds are but part of one Kingdom whose welfare all are for 4. And as they are all bound to keep as much common Concord as they can if any mean more they should tell us what If any mean that all Bishops make one numerical Universal Government they are heinous Schismaticks and the Kingdom is Sworn against their Judgment And these Men daâ—n them in damning Schismaticks The truth is Cyprian de Vnitate Ecclesiae leaving out the Papists additions is a good Book and worthy to be read of all and take Cyprian's Description of the Episcopacy of the Church which we must unite with and the nature of that Union and we would rejoyce in such But if Cyprian had lived to see either Arians or Donatists the greater number or any Sect after call themselves the Church because that Princes set them up and had seen them depose Chrysostome and such other doubtless he would never have pleaded the Unity of Episcopacy for this but have judged as he did in the Case of Martial and Basilides nor did he ever plead for an universal humane Soveraignty LXXXVIII If we are damned Schismaticks I can imagine no pretended manner of Separation in which our Schism consists but first either Local as such 2. Or Mental as such 3. Or Local caused by Mental If Local as such be it All Christians are Schismaticks for being locally separated from others and absent from all Churches and places save one If Mental Separation be it either all Mental Division is such or but some only if all then all mortall men are Schismaticks as differing in a multitude of things from others If it be not all what is it is it all difference in the Essentials of Christianity we grant it and we are charg'd with no such thing Is it all difference in the Integrals or Accidâ—nts so do all 〈◊〉 that are not perfect Is it all 〈◊〉 of Love or all Vncharitableness to one another all on earth have some degree of it and those are likest to have most that do as the Bishops did against the Priscillianists bring godly people under reproach on pretence of opposing Heresie or that seek the Silencing Imprisonment Banishment or Ruine of men as faithful as themselves For our parts we profess it our great Duty to love all men as men all Christians as Christians all godly men as godly all Magistrates as Magistrates c. Is it for our separating in mind from any Principles specie necessary to Communion in the Church Universal or single Churches let it be opened what those Principles be We own all 〈◊〉 and all Ministry of Gods Institution and all his Church Ordinances We own Bishops over their Flocks let them be never so large so they be capable of the Work and End and alter not the true species and submit to any that shall by the Word admonish Pastors of many Churches of their Duty or 〈◊〉 or seek their good Nor do we refuse Obedience to any humane 〈…〉 up by Princes to do nothing against Christs Laws nor nothing 〈…〉 is in Princes power in the Accident 〈…〉 Is it because we disown any Nurâ—erical Rulers we own the King and 〈◊〉 Magistrates we own all that we can understand to be true Pasâ—oâ—s and iâ— we are in doubt of their Calling we resist them not unless obeying 〈◊〉 before them be resistance But our Accusers loudly profess that 〈◊〉 are not to be owned and if they go on the ground that he hath 〈◊〉 the Prince is for we would know whether that hold in Turâ—y in 〈◊〉 Spain France or only in England or where If it be where 〈◊〉 Oâ—thodox do they make all the People Judges of their Princes 〈◊〉 And we would know whether EVERY BISHOPS and PRIESTS right 〈◊〉 a trâ—e Minister called of God and set over us be necessary to 〈…〉 or known by all the People if it be wo to us that ever such men 〈◊〉 set over us whose right we cannot know What abâ—ndance of things 〈◊〉 make a Bishops or Priests right known 1. That he hath capable sufficiency 2. That he is a just Bishop that 's chosen by the King the Dean and Chapter obediâ—â—tly 〈◊〉 that the Clergy's and Peoples consent is unnecessary 3. That the Diocesan 〈◊〉 over multitudes of Churches without any subordinate Bishop is of Christ or lawful 4. That their work according to the Caâ—â— is lawful 5. That all our Patrons have right to chuse Patiors for all the 〈◊〉 6. That they are true Pasâ—ors over them that 〈◊〉 not 7. That if they prove worse far than Martial and 〈◊〉 and be owned by the Bishops as they were the people may not forsake them 〈…〉 which saith Cyprâ—ian 〈◊〉 most power to chuse or refuse Is every Christian bound on pain of Damnation to 〈◊〉 all these and then to câ—amine and â—idge Bishops and Priests accordingly or if they mistake one or more mens Commission do they therefore separate from the Catholick Church If so what a case was the East in by the difference between Chrysostâ—â—e and his Competitors 〈◊〉 and Iâ—natius and hundreds others and France about the Archbishops of Rhâ—â—â—s when he was put out that deposed 〈◊〉 4. and when an Infant was put in and oft besides What if the Alexandrians when 〈◊〉 was banisâ—ed by Constantine himself were half for him and half against him Or Basil at Caesarea was put down and hundreds more or when Tâ—codosâ—â—s first and second and Marâ—â—an and Valenâ—â—â—â—an and Zeno and 〈◊〉 and abundance more set up and puli'd down and set up again â—gâ—inst each other What I say if the People now mistooke who had the best Title Is this separating from the Catholick Church When the Inteâ—â—im cast out hundreds in Germany When Ludâ—â—ieâ—s cast out Multitudes in the Palâ—â—inate and half the People stuck to the ejected persecuted Pastor and the rest to the Magistrates choice which of them separated from the Universal Church Is every Priest the Vniversal Church or an essential part of it then it dyeth when he dyeth and Apostatizeth when he doth How many Ages in above 23 Duplicates or Schisms was the World uncertain which was the true Pope suppose e.g. Arthur Jackson Edmund Calamy and many such were placed in their Incumbency by the Bishops Patrons and Parish consent according to the Law of Christ and the Land and by a new Act of Uniformity they be all turned out the Flock not consenting nor any Bishop accusing trying or deposing them save in Legislation and some of the Parish think this dissolveth not their Relation to him and they cleave to him as before without any change save of Place and Tythes and others forsake such a one and follow the Magistrates choice may not both these be still of the Cathoâ—ick Church If not