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A55303 A discourse of schism by that learned gentleman Edward Polhill, Esq. ... Polhill, Edward, 1622-1694? 1694 (1694) Wing P2752; ESTC R3219 41,361 113

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Magd. Cent. 6. cap. 8. Evagr. l. 3. c. 30. Aulicâ Sapientiâ usus banished some of both Parties aequale praemium veritas mendacium tulêre Truth and Falsehood were alike rewarded Hence it appears that the Unity of the Church doth not stand in Humane Laws the true Unity is founded only in Scripture These things being so I come to lay down the true Unity The Church may be considered 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in its internal Essence or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in its external Communion In the first consideration it hath invisible Bands to make it one in the second it hath visible ones The soul of the Church is as St. Austin speaks internal Grace the Body of it is external Profession and Communion Take the Church in its internal Essence so its Unity stands in the Holy Spirit and the Graces of it There is one body and one spirit Eph. 4.4 There are many Members in the Mystical Body of Christ but they are all but one Body and why so They are distant in place and time yet they are but one Body distinct Bodies have distinct Spirits but they have but one Holy Spirit which unites them not only to Christ the Head but one to another so they must be but one Body because they have but one Spirit to actuate them Hence St. Austin saith Non potest vivere Corpus Christi nisi de Spiritu Christi In Joh. Tract 26. The Body of Christ cannot live but by the Spirit of Christ It is the Holy Spirit that makes them one living Body Under the Spirit there are three Uniting Graces which make the Mystical Church but one they are Faith Hope Enarr in Psal 37. and Charity Hence that of St. Austin Si Fides nostra sincera sit Spes certa Charitas accensa sumus in Corpore Christi If our Faith be sincere our Hope certain our Charity kindled then are we in the Body of Christ Hence St. Bernard observes a triple Vertue in the Primitive Church De ascensi Domini Serm. 5. Magnanimity Longanimity and Vnanimity the first was from Faith the second from Hope the third from Charity Faith unites all the Members in the Mystical Body to Christ the Head and so they are one in Capite Love unites them not only to the Head but one to another and so they are one in Corpore Hope unites them to one center in Heaven and so they are one in Termino In these things stands the Unity of the Church in its internal Essence Take the Church in its External Communion so its Unity stands in the Holy Ordinances They continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers Acts 2.42 These are the golden Bands that tie the Church together As the Church mystical is made one by Graces so the Church visible is made one by Ordinances As the same Graces are all over the one so the same Ordinances are all over the other The same pure word is preached Com. in Psal 133. The Church saith St. Jerome Non in parietibus sed in dogmatum veritate consistit It doth not stand in Walls but in True Doctrines The Hereticks as the same Father goes on may have the Walls but the Church is where the Truth is The Arians boasted of their Unity Contra Auxent but as St. Hilary tells them it was but Vnit as Impiet at is an Vnity of Impiety The Unity of Truth is in the Church only there all have one Law one Charter all are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concorporated and copartners of the promise Eph. 3.6 No body of men hath such a Law or Charter as the Church hath The same Sacraments are administred These are Seals of the Churches Charter and Symbols of that Communion which we have with Christ as Head and one with another as Fellow-members In Baptism we enter into the Holy Society in the Lord's Supper we are Fellow-commoners and eat together as Members of the same Family Contra Faust Manich l. 19. cap. 11. St. Austin saith That in every Religion men are joined together aliquo signaculorum consortio by a fellowship in some Seals No Society of men hath such Seals as the Church hath The same Prayers in substance are made tho in the Primitive times there was no Common Prayer or Liturgy in the Church Ignatius Epist ad Magn. yet there was ever 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Common that is a Publick Prayer which in the mouth of the Minister is as it were breathed out by all the people that the Divine Blessing may come down upon the Word and Sacraments I shall here add nothing touching Ecclesiastical Discipline because the particular mode of it is not so essential to a Church as the other are To conclude Where there are lawful Pastors dispensing Holy Ordinances and a People meeting and unanimously joining in the use of them there is a True Church Hic est fons Veritatis hoc Templum Dei hoc domicilium Fidei as Lactantius speaks There is the Fountain of Truth the Temple of God the Dwelling-place of Faith These things being premised touching the Church and its Unity I come now to enquire into the Nature of Schism CHAP. II. Schism defined Seminal or Actual In the Church or from it There may be a Schism without Separation and a Separation without Schism The Characters of Schismatical Separation Voluntariness want of Charity Pride Error breach of Sacred Vnity for little or no Cause from the Catholick Church SChism is the Scissure of the Church visible a breach of the sacred Vnity of it without cause 'T is a Scissure of the Church De Unitat. Eccles a renting vestem Christi inconsutilem the seamless Coat of Christ as St. Cyprian speaks It was as St. Austin speaks signified by the breaking of the net Luke 5.6 The net at Sea brake Ibi Ecclesia in hocseculo hic in fine seculi figurata est Austin in Joh. Tract 122. propter significanda Schismata to note out the Schisms of the Church on Earth but the Net drawn to the Shore brake not John 21.11 to note out that the Saints in Heaven are in summâ pace in the highest unity No Schisms are in that blessed Region 'T is a Scissure of the Church Visible In the Church Mystical there are no Schisms It 's true the Flesh which in the Saints warreth against the Spirit is a Schismatick and makes such rents in their Souls that they are in a sort divided from themselves It is not I but sin that dwelleth in me saith Saint Paul Rom. 7.20 He distinguisheth his corrupt Self from his renewed Self But yet that Flesh cannot shall not totally finally rent them off from the Mystical Body They may fall into sins yet those Principles which tie them to the Mystical Body are not extinct the Spirit of Grace will not leave them but raise them up out of their Falls Hence St.
Ministerii he hath ordained the perfect means of teaching the Church and all other means are as none at all The Cross not teaching under him teacheth not truly and being none of his means hath none of his blessing If the Cross might be a true Teacher then the standing Images of Christ might be so too which though called by the Papists Lay-mens Books do yet but make men forget God Again the Sign of the Cross looks very like a Sacrament Baptism is a Symbol of our Christian Profession so is the Cross Baptism hath a word annexed to it I baptize thee in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost So hath the Cross We sign this Child with the Sign of the Cross in token that he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified Baptism points out Christ crucified so doth the Cross Baptism enters the baptized into the Church so doth the Cross We receive this Child into the Congregation of Christ's flock and sign him with the sign of the Cross As Baptism admits into the Church Catholick so the Cross admits into a particular Church Baptism dedicates the Infant unto Christ so the Cross dedicates him to the service of him that died on the Cross Can. 30. And what now is wanting to make it a Sacrament It is not vehicalum gratiae It 's very true it is not Neither can any Human Invention be such It therefore looks as like a Sacrament as any Human thing can do no such thing being capable of conveying Grace unto men In the next place the Ceremonies of our Church may be considered as terms of Communion with it That is there must be a Surplice or no preaching a Cross or no baptizing a kneeling posture or no Lord's Supper These things though they are very light to the Conformists are not so to the Nonconformists I shall therefore consider them in some particulars 1st The Ceremonies thus taken do seem to intrench upon the Kingly Office of Christ He is the one Lord and Lawgiver of his Church 'T is his Royal Prerogative to institute Sacraments This is confessed by the Papists themselves Pars 3. Q. 72. Art 1. Aquinas relating that some held their Sacrament of Confirmation was instituted in some Council and that others held it was instituted by the Apostles saith this cannot be because to institute a new Sacrament pertinet ad potestatem excellentiae appertains to the power of excellency which is in Christ alone De Sac. l. 1. c. 23. Bellarmin proves that Christ is the only Author of Sacraments It is a flower of his Crown to institute Ordinances no man may take this glory from him The Apostles the highest Officers in the Church were not Lords of it but Ministers and Stewards under Christ 1 Cor. 4.1 to do his pleasure They taught only what he commanded them Matt. 28.20 St. Paul preached 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing without Scripture Act. 26.22 He would not go beyond his Commission Tom. 2. fol. 722. Non debent Episcopi saith the Excellent Whitaker suas traditiones aut leges aut contra aut extra aut praeter Evangelium obtrudere The Bishops ought not to obtrude their Traditions or Laws either against or without or besides the Gospel That Gospel which is the Law of Christ is the Canon that must rule all their Canons Christ hath the full Royal Power the Church hath only a limited Power from him Christ may make Laws of Institution the Church can only make Laws of Execution or Disposition such as tend to the right and orderly disposing of those Ordinances which were instituted by Christ In legibus Ecclesiasticis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tantum spectatur Whit. Tom. 2.721 The Apostles did not institute any thing of Worship or Ordinances But they did take care that the Ordinances should be used in a way suitable to their dignity These things being so the only Question is Whether the Church hath any Patent or Commission from Christ to institute or impose mystical Ceremonies as terms of Communion In answer to this I take it the Church hath no such Power or Commission The Pattern of Christ and the Apostles is more to me than all the Human Wisdom in the world It is the observation of St. Austin That Chrst's Yoke being easy Aust Epist 118. he did Sacramentis numero paucissimis observatione facillimis significatione praestantissimis societatem novi populi colligare Tie together the Society of a new People with Sacraments few in number easy in observation and excellent in signification And who would depart from this simplicity I am sure the Apostles did not They delivered only that which they received of the Lord 1 Cor 11.23 De Or. Err. lib. 2. c. 5. Hoc fidei illorum er at officii saith Bullinger This was their faith and duty They did believe saith the same Author that Christ was the wisdom of God ne in mentem ipsorum venit it came not into their minds to add Ceremonies to Christ's Institutions The Primitive Christians continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayer Acts 2.42 There was nothing but the pure Institutions of Christ not an additional Ceremony to be seen among them Nay in Justin Martyr's time Apol. 2. we find the Lord's Supper used in pure simplicity and why should we make our additions to the Sacraments St. Cyprian contra Aquarios Epist 63. expresses himself notably touching the Lord's Supper Ab Evangelicis Praeceptis omnino recedendum non est We must not depart from the Evangelical Precepts And a little after Non nisi Christus sequendus est solus Christus audiendus est Christ only is to be followed Christ alone to be heard Again Human Ceremonies are not congruous to the pure light of the Gospel Tom. 7. fol. 727. Num Divinae Figurae sublatae sunt ut Humanae succederent saith Learned Whitaker Were the Divine Figures taken away that Human might succeed If the Divine Shadows under the Law did all vanish before the Sun the pure and Evangelical Light may Humane Vmbra's come and overcloud it Surely it cannot be It was the saying of a great Doctor once in the Church of England That in the morning of the Law the shadows were larger than the body and it will be a sign of the evening and sun-set of Religion if these shadows shall be stretcht out again and outreach the body If the Church may institute or impose two or three Ceremonies it may do more and more till men under the pressure cry out Epist 119. as St. Austin did Tolerabilior sit conditio Judaeorum The condition of the Jews would be more tolerable than that of Christians Moreover none but God alone can institute a Ceremony to signify a mystery in Religion he only hath authority over Religion he only can bind the Conscience he only can illustrate the mind he only can give a