A Search for the English Schismatic, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. The Parties Accuſed.
The Parties queſtioned are, I. The Papiſts. II. The Dioceſan-Militants, or Canoneers. III. The Paſſive peaceable Conformiſts. IV. The Meer Nonconformiſts. V. The Sectarian Church-Appropriators, and Cauſeleſs Separatiſts and Dividers.
I. THERE is no Sect of Chriſtians which maketh ſo great uſe of their pretence to Unity, and crying down Hereſie, Schiſm and Separation, as the Papiſts do; and yet are the greateſt Schiſmaticks and Dividers, as thus appeareth.
1. They have a ſelf-made humane univerſal Church, feigning the Pope to be the rightful Head of all the Chriſtian World.
2. They exclude all from Chriſts Chuch, who are not the Popes Subjects, though at the Antipodes, where he never came nor ſent.
3. They preſume to make univerſal Laws for all the World.
4. They Curſe men from Chriſt by Excommunications, who refuſe ſuch ſubjection and obedience to theſe Laws.
5. They have introduced many new Articles of Faith, on pretence of declaring and expounding Faith.
6. They have multiplied corrupting additions in the Chriſtian Worſhip.
7. Their regular objective Religion now conſiſteth in ſo great a number of the Decrees of Councils, as no Chriſtians can well underſtand, while they accuſe Gods Laws as unintelligible.
8. They can give us no certainty which of theſe Councils are obligatory to us, while they contradict each other.
9. They agree not of the Eſſence of Chriſtianity, or neceſſary truths; but reſolve all into the uncertainty of [ſufficient Propoſals].
10. They damn men as Hereticks that deny not all humane ſenſe, believing there is no Bread and Wine, when they ſee and taſte them.
11. They burn ſuch as Hereticks, and are for tormenting Inquiſitions to deſtroy them.
12. They bind Temporal Lords to exterminate all ſuch, and to ſwear to do it; and this on pain of Excommunication, Depoſition and Damnation: So that a Proteſtant Kingdom under a true Papiſt King, hath a King that is thus bound to exterminate his Subjects, if he be able; and profeſſeth to do it on theſe three penalties, his Salvation lying on it.
13. They decree the giving of his Dominions to another, and abſolving his Subjects from their Oaths of Fidelity, if he obey not.
14. They decree, that it's Hereſie to hold that a King hath the power of Inveſting Biſhops, and that he is not thus ſubject to the Pope.
15. They tolerate their chief Doctors to write, that a Heretick is no King, at leaſt if Excommunicate, and may lawfully be killed.
16. Their Canons exempt the Clergy from being Governed and Taxed by Kings.
17. They forbid the reading of the Scriptures tranſlated, without a Licenſe.
18. They ſay that we cannot well believe the Goſpel, but on the credit of their Church: As if we muſt firſt know that the Pope and Council are authorized by Chriſt, before we believe in Chriſt himſelf.
19. They renounce Repentance by pretending to Infallibility.
20. They cheriſh a numerous Clergy and Sects, to carry on all this in the World, and perſwade high and low, that to promote their Church and Cauſe, is meritorious of Salvation.
II. By the Paſſive Conformiſt, I mean both ſuch as go on the grounds of Mr. Sprint, and think a Reformation very deſirable, but Conformity lawful to eſcape ſilencing and ruine; and ſuch as like Conformity for it ſelf, and wiſh all others did Conform, but like not uncharitable cenſures, or ſilencings, or violence againſt conſcionable Diſſenters, nor the compulſions which have cauſed our Church-convulſions. Though the Nonconformiſts muſt needs judge theſe to partake in Schiſm, ſo far as they own the Schiſmatical dividing terms of Communion, which are the greateſt hinderance of our Concord, and will be ſtill inconſiſtent with it; yet as they reproach not Diſſenters as Schiſmaticks, ſo neither are they accounted Schiſmaticks by the Diſſenters, becauſe they are ſound and peaceable brethren, and deſire to live as ſuch with others, and Schiſm is not their diſpoſition nor predominant. We would live in greater Love and Concord with ſuch as theſe, than the differing Conformiſts have with one another.
III. The names of Sectaries and Separatiſts are of no fixed ſignification, but vary according to the mind of the ſpeaker. But I now uſe them for thoſe, 1. Who appropriate the Church to ſome narrow Sect or Party, which denieth all others to be true Churches, or to have true Miniſters and Sacraments. 2. And next to thoſe, that though they own others as true Churches or Miniſters, yet hold their Communion unlawful, when it is not ſo, and renounce Communion with them on theſe grounds.
Such beſides Papiſts, are too many Prelatiſts, that deny the Miniſtry, Sacraments and Communion of the Reformed Churches, which are not ſuch as they; yea of all Churches that have not an Epiſcopacy by uninterrupted Succeſſion of Epiſcopal Ordination from the Apoſtles, and that excommunicate all that do but ſay that there are any true Churches in England but their own. And ſuch are ſome Anabaptiſts, ſome called Browniſts, or Separatiſts heretofore, &c. And the Seekers are much worſe, that deny all Churches; and the Quakers and Ranters, who revile the ſoundeſt; and all true Hereticks, who ſeparate by denying ſome Eſſential of Chriſtianity. All theſe are Schiſmaticks in the judgment of all ſound and ſober Chriſtians.
IV. By Active Canonical Conformiſts, I mean thoſe that are for the preſent frame of Eccleſiaſtical Government, with the Liturgy and Canons, and the Laws which enforce them (who call uſually for the Execution of thoſe Laws).
V. By the meer preſent Nonconformiſts, I mean ſuch as are guilty of no other puniſhable errors or ſins, but ſuch as the Act of Uniformity doth eject and ſilence us for; and who declared openly their judgments about Doctrine, Worſhip and Diſcipline, in 1660, after a Common meeting at Sion-Colledge, and another at the Savoy, which is publiſhed in Print; That is, the Reconcilers, or Peacemakers, who then laboured and beg'd for Peace and Unity in vain; who tye themſelves to the judgment of none called Nonconformiſts heretofore, Presbyterians, Independents, &c. but to the Word of God, and the example of the true Primitive Churches, and are not for Concord only with a Sect, or a dividing-party, High or Low, but for that Catholick Church and Communion of Saints, which are in our Creed.
Schiſm being a culpable rending of Chriſtians from each other, hath a great number of degrees (as it is by Apoſtaſie from the Univerſal Church totally, or by denying a fundamental, by Hereſie; or as it is but by denying Integrals, or but Accidents; as it is but from a particular Church, a Church of Gods forming, or of mans; As it is from a Church, as if it were no Church, or a corrupt Church falſly ſaid, or only a leſs deſirable; as it is from a Pariſh-Church, a Dioceſan, a National, &c. As it is total or partial, or but in ſome accidents from that particular Church, holding Communion in all the reſt; As it is mental, or but cauſeleſs local; As it is from a Church, or only from ſome perſons in a Church-Paſtor, or others; As it is by driving men by ſinful Impoſitions from a Church, or too eaſie departing; with many the like differences elſewhere opened.) So that as all men have ſome degree of ignorance, pride, hypocriſie, &c. and yet are not to be denominated ignorant, proud hypocrites, where it is not predominant; ſo all are defective in Love and Union, and few Churches on earth are no way guilty of Schiſm, and yet are not to be called Schiſmaticks, where it is not predominant.
Almoſt all Churches on earth accuſe each other of Schiſm; the Papiſts ſo accuſe the Greeks, Proteſtants, and all others; the Greeks ſo accuſe the Papiſts and Proteſtants (as the Patriarch Jeremiah ſhews us), and both the Abaſſines, Jacobins, Neſtorians, &c. The Lutherans ſo call the Calviniſts, and they many Lutherans; the Epiſcopal, Presbyterians, and Independents ſo accuſe each other: Sober and peaceable men muſt confeſs that moſt are guilty of ſome degree.
Laying by the reſt, our Queſtion now is of Two Parties here, the Canoneer Dioceſan Conformiſts, and the Preſent meer Conformiſts, which are the ENGLISH SCHISMATICKS.