Church Concord, Question 3 – Question 4
Q. 3. What are the Terms on which Neighbour Churches, may hold Communion with one another?
A. What these particular Churches in the question are is shewed before.
The Communion in question consisteth, 1. In holding the same Faith. 2. In the same Worship of God, in the necessary parts. 3. In the same profession of Obedience to God. 4. In a professed estimation of each other as Brethren, and as true Churches of Christ. 5. And in a professed Love to one another as such. 6. And in such Communion and mutual Assistance, as tend to the preservation of the Church Universal, and the benefit of each other. The Terms therefore and means must be these following.
1. They must publickly profess the same Christian Religion, in all the Essential parts; which is no more, but [That we continue our consent to our Baptismal Covenant, with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, renouncing the Devil, the World and the Flesh: Particularly professing to believe all the Articles of the Ancient Creed, and to Desire all that is contained in the Lords Prayer, and sincerely to endeavour to live towards God and Men according to the Ten Commandments: Believing also the Sacred Canonical Scriptures to be true, and taking them for the intire Rule of our Divine Belief, and Worship, and Obedience.] And we renounce, so far as we can know them, all Heresies, Errors and Practices contrary hereto.]
This is all the Profession that is to be required of any person in order to the Catholick Communion of Christians as such; or of the Members of a particular Church, (besides their consent to their particular Church relation;) or of Neighbour Churches for their Communion with each other. Except when any scandal obligeth us to clear our selves (whether it be suspected Heresie or wickedness of Life) by a just Purgation or Repentance. And the requiring of larger unnecessary Professions, hath been the grand Engine of Church Divisions through many Generations.
2. Yet as there are Christians of divers degrees of knowledge, and soundness in the same Church, so there are Churches also as different: And though we must own them all as Christian Churches, which are such indeed, yet must we not judge them equally sound or pure; but must disown the gross corruptions of Doctrine, Worship or Discipline which are proved to be in any of them; and must specially honour those that are more faithful, pure and entire.
3. No one particular single Church must claim or usurp a Right of Dominion or Government over other Churches, as given them by God; seeing that all such true Churches are as Cities or Corporations in one Kingdom; which are all governed by one King, but are none of them rightful Rulers of the rest. Nor must any Men of their own heads set up such Forms of Government as of Humane right, in Conformity to the Secular Governments of the World, (and this as Spiritual in the Exercise of the Keys which Christ committed to his Ministers) tho' one eminent Minister may instruct and admonish many others, and have some care of many Churches) contrary to, or inconsistent with, the Orders setled by Christ or his Apostles, who were commissioned by him for the setling of all Universally necessarily Church Government, and infallibly guided therein by the Holy Ghost, Much less may the Unity and Peace of the Church be laid upon such invented policies, as it is by the Papists, who make their forged. Head, Pope or Council, a constitutive essential part of the Catholick Church, and seign all the Christian World to be Schismaticks, who will not be his Subjects.
4. But Love, and Concord, and Peace must be maintained among the equal parts of the Catholick Church. Seeing it is the strength of the Churches and their Beauty, and the Exercise and help of the Life and Holiness of all the parts: Therefore such correspondencies must be maintained among them, as tend to a right understanding of each other, and to a just furtherance of these happy ends: And as in particular Churches, the determinations of useful circumstances according to Gods general Rules, is no sinful addition to Gods Word or Ordinances, so neither is it here to be so judged, if Magistrates by Laws or Churches by consent, do determine of useful undetermined circumstances, for the ordering of these Correspondencies, and preventing Contentions, Factions and Divisions.
5. The ordinary means of these correspondencies, are Messengers and Synods, (or Councils) and Letters Testimonial or Certificates. If one Church be offended with another, upon suspicion of Heresie or scandalous Practices, they may by Messengers admonish them, and these may by Messengers make their Purgation or Confession. As also if they desire Advice or Help from one another; but if in common and weighty cases, there be need of more common and judicious consultations, or significations of Consent and Concord, Synods are the means thereto. And if one Member Travel into other parts, or remove his dwelling, or be to be received by other Churches; especially in Suspicious Times and Cases, Communicatory Letters and Certificates are the means, that Hereticks and Deceivers abuse not the Churches.
6. Whether these Synods shall be held at certain stated times, or variously as occasions vary? And whether they shall have a President? And whether he shall be mutable or fixed? And of how many Churches they shall be composed? And how oft they shall meet, and how long they shall sit; with such like, are circumstances left to Humane Prudence, under the general Laws of Christ. But the use of Synods is so ordinary and great, that in sound and peaceable Countreys, where Heresie or Church-Tyranny doth not turn them against their proper ends; and where State-Iealousies cause not Rulers to forbid them, the statedness and frequency of them will be of very great advantage to the Churches: But in the contrary cases it may be quite contrary.
7. Though no one of these Bishops or Pastors in Councils (nor many conjunct) be by Divine Right the proper Governour over the rest, and therefore as to one another their Canons, are Agreements for Union, rather than the Laws of Superior Governours, yet do they not by their Assembling lose their Governing Power over their Several Flocks, but meet to exercise it with the greater consideration and force: And therefore their lawful Determinations and Agreements may be truely obligatory to their several Flocks.
8. The largeness of these Councils should be suited to the occasion and necessity: As the Scandals, Heresies, Schisms or Contentions do require. But to make proper Universal Councils to be the ordinary Supreme Governing Lawgivers to a Body Politick called the Universal Church is a device of those who would do Christs work in their own mistaking way, and for the preserving of the Churches Unity, will desperately divide, corrupt and injure it. There is no necessity of it, Christs Universal Laws being sufficient, with the Civil Government of Princes, and the Circumstantial Determinations of the particular Churches: And it is pernicious, if not impossible: The many thousand Miles distance of the Churches, the paucity of the Pastors, and necessity of their presence in many Churches; the many years that must be spent in Travel; the opposition of Heathen and Infidel Princes whose Subjects they are, or through whose Countreys they must Travel; the Wars and Jealousies of Princes; the probability of the death of the ablest Pastors in such a Voyage; they being usually aged Men and weak; their diversity of Tongues, and unintelligibleness to one another; their long continuance in such Councils; their incapacity to meet and hear together in any one Room; the probability that the numerousness of the nearest Bishops, and paucity of the remote, will make a Faction go for the Council; the improbability that ever they will return to bring home the Decrees; the unsatisfiedness of the Churches in their Decrees, when a thousand, or an hundred Pastors who chuse one single Delegate, know not whether he will speak their sense or not; with many such Reasons, make it as pernicious as unnecessary. Nor have the Christian Churches ever had such Councils (the meetings of the Twelve Apostles being nothing to this purpose:) But as all Men know that the Roman Emperors had no power to Summon the Pastors who were the Subjects of other Princes; so the recorded Suffrages of all the Councils certifie us, that they were none such; but the Subjects only of the Roman Empire, (or those that had been such) with a very inconsiderable number of some adjacent Bishops, and that but very seldom: So that those Councils were Universal only as to the Empire of Rome (and that but very rarely, if ever) but never as to the Christian World.
9. If a plurality of Hereticks, Schismaticks, or ungodly Bishops or Pastors, should by the advantage of their Councils oppress the Churches or the Truth, the Sound and Faithful Pastors must hold on in the way of Duty, and not forsake the Truth or the Flocks, in Obedience to such Councils.
10. If any Church or Pastor be accused or defamed to the Neighbour Churches, of any Heresie, Schism, Scandal, or Injury, either to any Person of that Church, or to any Neighbour Church or Person, the general Precepts of Christian Charity, Concord, Humility, Submission, &c. do oblige such accused Persons, to tender to their offended Brethren (especially if it be many Churches) due satisfaction, and to hear their Reasons and Admonitions, and to acknowledge their own faults, and amend if they have erred; and in lawful things to yield to others, for Peace and Concord, and to avoid offence, where greater accidents make it not then unlawful so to do.
11. If any Pastors or Neighbour Churches, remain impenitent, under such proved Heresie, Impiety or Crimes, as are inconsistent with the true profession of Godliness, the Synods, or Neighbour Churches (after due Admonition and Pationce) should openly disown their sins, and if they be inconsistent with the Essentials of Christian Communion, should also disclaim Communion with them; and should send to the innocent part to exhort them to save themselves by Separation from the rest; or to forsake such Heretical and Impenitent Pastors: And should motion them to better Pastors, and send some to instruct them in the mean time, if they be accepted. But none of this must be done, in case of tolerable infirmities or failings.
12. A truely Ordained Minister of Christ, being called or accepted by a Church for the present time, to teach them, and guide them in publick Worship and Sacramental Communion, in the Sickness, or Absence of their stated Pastors, or in a vacancy, ought to assist them, and is to be esteemed as a Minister of Christ in those Administrations.
And when a Church is destitute of Pastors, it is (ordinarily) the peoples Duty, to desire the Faithful Neighbour Pastors, to assist them for supply; especially in the tryal of such parts of Pastoral sufficiency, which they are unable to try themselves; and to Ordain (by Approbation and Solemn Investiture) such a Person to the Ministry as they Consent to, if he be not before Ordained; or if he be; yet by Prayer to desire God, to Bless him in that special Charge.
Q. 4. What are the terms of Communion between the Churches of several Kingdoms?
A. This needs no more addition to the former Answer but this. 1. That their Communion in the main must be the same in Faith and Love and Obedience to God, as if they were under the same Civil Government. 2. But they must not busie themselves needlesly with the distant and unknown cases and business of others; Nor 3. Must they violate the lawful restraints of their civil Governours, nor disturb the Peace of Kingdoms, upon pretences of the Churches Privileges or Interest: 4. And if they are offended at the Doctrine, Worship or Practice of other Churches; they should send to them for satisfaction, and those Churches should send them the forementioned Confession of the Christian Religion, and either purge themselves from the Crimes of which they are accused, or confess them and forsake them.
But when the Pastors which in several Countries, have drunk in differing Opinions, shall expect that all others should speak as they do, in all controverted Points of tolerable difference; and by their odious imagined consequences, shall slander other Churches or Pastors, as holding that which they disclaim, or as denying that which in their publick Confessions they profess as their very Religion, and by their passions, unskilfulness and uncharitableness, shall make all differences (though but in words, or very narrow) seem more material, wide and dangerous than they are, and shall hereupon proclaim their Brethren to be heretical or blasphemous, and use to revile them, and renounce Communion with them, and would silence the Pastors if it were in their Power; These under the Name of the Ministers of Christ, do powerfully militate for the Devil against the Love and Peace of Christians; and are the pernicious Incendiaries in the Churches of Christ.