and the Persons engaged in it set up opposite Churches and Officers or joyn with them This is a degree of the Sin much worse than Separation considering it only as such without the addition of Immorality False Doctrine or Apostacy which are often mingled with it You are not to expect that I should give you Examples out of Scripture of Schismatical Churches drawn from Churches and establish'd under separate Pastors for I do not find from thence that Schism had made so great a Progress as to form Regular Societies opposite to the deserted Churches But if the Vniversal Church according to Christ's Institution be one Body to set up another Body in opposition to it or any sound part of it must needs be very Criminal This we find some were attempting in the Apostles Days and some Directions that are given by St. Paul are very useful on this occasion He advises Titus as you have seen to reject a Heretick or Sectary after one or two Admonitions And he writes thus to the Romans I beseech you Brethren Mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which you have learn'd and avoid them St. Ignatius who was instructed by the Apostles tells the Philadelphians that if any one be a Follower of the Schismatick he shall not inherit the Kingdom of God He also admonishes the Church of Smyrna That nothing in Church-Matters should be done without the Bishop and declares That the Eucharist is then to be esteem'd Valid when it is celebrated by the Bishop or a Person appointed by him But without the Bishop he says it is not lawful to Baptize or to keep the Feast of Love And he adds a little after That he that doth any thing in a clandestine manner without the Bishop's Knowledge serves the Devil St. Cyprian who flourish'd in the next Age and also died a Martyr as Ignatius had done says That he that adheres not to his Bishop is not in the Church and that they flatter themselves in vain who not being at Peace with the Priests of God creep about and think they may privately communicate with certain Persons when the Church which is one Catholick Society is not in it self out or divided but connected every where by the Vnion of the Bishops The same Author says That one Altar may not be erected against another and that a new Priesthood cannot be rais'd He that gathereth elsewhere scattereth Whatsoever is appointed by Humane Fury that the Order of God may be violated is impious it is Adulterous and Sacrilegious 4. A yet higher degree of Schism is when they that are engaged in it constitute Officers without Authority or take to themselves Pastors that have no Lawful Mission or Real Ordination Such Pastors may pretend to a Commission from God but having none and seeming to do his publick Work without a Warrant in the judgment of Presbyterian Writers They mock him to serve their own turns They profane the Sacred Function and make a trifle of the Sin They are Troublers of the People and the Subverters of Souls they take away the distinction between the Shepherd and the Flock and areVsurpers of the Broad Seal of Heaven They bring all to confusion and like so many Phaetons burn up the Spiritual World by presuming to govern the Chariot of the Sun According to Dr. Owen himself they that act in the stead of Christ and not by express Patent from him are plain Impostors But he more fully expresses his Thoughts on this Subject in these Words All Power and Authority says he whether in things Spiritual or Temporal which is not either founded in the Law of Nature or collated by Divine Ordination is Vsurpation and Tyranny no Man can of himself take either Sword To invade an Office which includes Power over others is to disturb all Right Natural Divine and Civil That such an Authority is included in the Pastoral Office is evident 1. From the Names ascrib'd to them in whom it is vested as Pastors Bishops Elders Rulers all of them requiring it 2. From the Work prescrib'd to them which is feeding by Rule and Teaching 3. From the Execution of Church-power in Discipline or the Exercise of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven committed to them 4. From the Commands given for Obedience to them which Respect Authority 5. From their appointment to be Means and Instruments of exerting the Authority of Christ in the Church which can be done no other way He farther shews That the whole Flock the Ministry it self the Truths of the Gospel as to the Preservation of them are committed to the Pastors of the Church who must give an account for them And nothing continues he can be more wicked and foolish than for a Man to intrude himself into a Trust which is not committed to him They are branded as profligately wicked who attempt any such things among Men which cannot be done without Impudent Falsification And what shall he be esteem'd who intrudes himself into the highest Trust that any Creature is capable of in the Name of Christ Whoever therefore takes upon him the Pastoral Office without a Lawful Outward Call doth take unto himself Power and Authority without any Divine Warranty which interests him in an accountable Trust no way committed unto him hath no promise of Assistance in or Reward for his Work but engageth in that which is destructive of all Church-Order and consequently of the very Being of the Church it self These are his words and you may do well to bear them in mind till a farther occasion In the mean time I desire you to consider how tender the Almighty is of his own Constitutions and what Punishments he hath inflicted on those who made Invasions on them Vzzah incurr'd his displeasure for taking hold of the Ark when he saw it shake and therefore might seem to be justified by a good intention But being no Priest or Levite on this account his Action which otherwise might have been laudable became sinful in a Person not qualified for it And however it had some appearance of Necessity and proceeded from a good End yet this could not excuse him but he suffer'd present Death for his Transgression If he was an Upright Man as he seems to have been we need not doubt but that he met with Favour and Happiness in another World But in this God made him an Example of his Justice and Severity that he might guard the Discipline of his Church from the Assaults of others and that he might teach Posterity says Palladius to abstain from the like rashness Long before this Korah with a high Hand affronted the Divine Authority and made bitter Invectives against the Government and Officers which were appointed by God himself It was Envy and Ambition that first push'd this Man into an Action so Impious and would not afterwards suffer him to retreat Being guided and mov'd by such restless Furies
benefit of all the Learning the Wisdom and Gifts of the Church The Hand the Eye the Ear the Foot and every Member of the Body is as ready to help or serve the whole and every other particular Member as its self But if it be cut off it is neither helpful nor helped O what a Mercy is it for every Christian that is unable to help himself to have the help of all the Church of God Their Directiont their Exhortations their Love their Prayers their Liberality and Compassion according to their several Abilities and Opportunities As Infants and 〈…〉 have the help of all the rest of the â—â—ises that are in Health II. I am now to enquire what you understand by Edification and whether you rightly judge how it is best promoted Now as far as I can learn from those that pretend to it for the Defence of their Separation you take that to be Edifying that 〈◊〉 in you some sensible Devotion that excites in you some Religious Affections such as Love Joy Fear or the like Other things might be added but I suppose you have these chiefly in view when you prefer the Service in your Meetings before that of our Churches The way of Praying in your Assemblies we are told is more Edifying because you can be warmer or more servent in it than in the use of the prescribed Forms The Preaching amongst you is more Edifying and Powerful than that of the Conforming Clergy because you feel the working of it more upon your Hearts and to argue against this iâ— to dispute against your own Experience Nevertheless I shall examine whether there are such Advantages in your way as are pretended and whether the things on which you fix so high an estimate deserve the Preference which you have given them 1. To begin with the way of Praying us'd in your Meetings give me leave to tell you That it may be the Effects of it are not of such a Nature as you conceive nor any Argument of its Excellency It cannot well be thought that a Person should commonly make better choice of the matter of Prayer or express it better or in fitter terms when he speaks with little Deliberation or none at all than he himself or wiser and better Men can in a Form of Words when they have long meditated on the Subject and employ'd many and serious Thoughts about it It must be therefore the Novelty of of his Expressions and probably something in the Tone of his Voice which makes his Performance so agreeable and has such an influence upon you But you are not to think that God is at all wrought upon by the Variation of Phrases or the Modulations of them Nor are these things apt to make any deep Impressions on the Nobler Faculties of the Soul but having done their Work in the Fancy or Imagination they seldom rise higher nor can they do it by any thing of Vertue in themselves Extempore Prayers may have more Power than Forms to produce in some Ill Men a kind of Extempore Devotion some Appearances of Religious Love and Fear and Joy But these being rais'd by Surprize when the Surprize is over they are gone And yet there are many that put great Confidence in such vanishing things Many that live comfortably on the reflection on those delightful Dreams esteeming them Realities and clear Evidences of their Sanctification Many have been famous for what they call the Gift of Prayer who have miserably deceiv'd themselves and been only as Sounding Brass when they were esteem'd as Oracles And many that have thought themselves much Edified by hearing the Extempore Prayers of other Men have been under the same Delusion In such cases I doubt not but both Speakers and Hearers feel such Motions within them as bear a resemblance of true Devotion And these they do not impute to Natural Causes as a little Philosophy would teach them but to Inspiration or the Effectual working of Sanctifying Grace And so they grow up into a strong Opinion that they are the Favourites of Heaven when they allow themselves in the practice of Injustice of Cruelty and Oppression and other grievous Sins I deny not that some Persons who have the Gift of Elocution may upon occasion express the Matter of Prayer in suitable Terms Nor do I question but to hear them when they do so may be of benefit to others Yet if they put too high a value upon this and if it brings them into a contempt of all Liturgies what they took to be a peculiar Priviledge becomes a dangerous Snare to them and instead of promoting cannot but hinder their Edification For my own part I think a well composed Liturgy has much the Advantage of your way of Praying and is much fitter in Publick Assemblies It best secures the Honour of Religion in the Solemnities of Worship and affords us the greatest help in the part that we bear in it In the use of it we have no occasion to be in pain or fear about the next Words that may fall from the Minister however he be a Person of mean Abilities nor have we cause to condemn those that before came from him or any need to revolve them in our Minds as being uncertain whether we may say Amen to them Having approv'd of all before we have nothing to do but to keep our Minds intent on the Matter as it comes before us and to exercise our Devotion as it directs us and then we may have a comfortable assurance that we perform a Service that is acceptable to God and agreeable to his Will As for our own Liturgy the Learned Dr. Beveridge hath very well shew'd the Excellency of it and its Usefulness for Edification And could I prevail with you to persue the Sermon attentively wherein he treats of this Subject I should hope it would give you much Satisfaction What I shall say more of our Liturgy is taken from a great Authority and express'd in these Words The Book of Common Prayer was compil'd in the Times of the Reformation by the most Pious and Learned Men of that Age and defended and confirm'd by the Martyrdom of many and was first Established by Act of Parliament in the Time of King Edward VI and never repeal'd or laid aside save only in the short time of Queen Mary's Reign upon the return of Popery and Superstition And in the first Year of Queen Elizabeth it was again reviv'd and Established by Act of Parliament and the Repeal of it then declar'd by the whole Parliament to have been to the great decay of the due Honour of God and Discomfort of the true Professors of the Truth of Christ's Religion And ever since it hath been us'd and observ'd in the best Times of Peace and Plenty that ever this Kingdom enjoy'd and contains in it an excellent Form of Worship and Service of God grounded upon the Holy Scriptures and is a singular Means and Help to Devotion 2. It hath been said That the
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
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