The True Way of Concord of All the Christian Churches, Part 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
What are the neceſſary terms of Concord of theſe ſingle Churches with one another, in the ſame Kingdome or in divers.
§. 1. THat they be under the Government of a Chriſtian Magiſtrate is neceſſary to the well-being or great advantage of them, though not to the being, of which more in due place.
§. 2. That they live as neighbour Churches in Unity of faith and love, and avoid all things contrary, and to their power help each other according to need and opportunity, is their duty.
§. 3. It is neceſſary that they agree in all things neceſſary to the communion of men as members of the Church univerſal, mention'd before; and in all things eſſential to particular Churches.
§. 4. If any one excommunicated juſtly for hereſie, apoſtaſie, or impenitence, in any crimes, ſhall offer to defile and endanger any other Church by intruſion or deceit, the Church which caſt him out is bound by the Laws of Love and Concord, to ſend notice to ſuch endangered neighbour Churches of the perſon and his caſe, to prevent their hurt: And unleſs the Church that caſt him out have criminally forfeited their credit, other Churches are bound by the Law of Charity to take their ſentence as probably juſt, and not to receive the ejected perſon, till he have either proved his ſentence unjuſt, or profeſs repentance. Not that they are bound abſolutely to exclude him and deny him audience (though yet they claim no ſuperiority over the Church that excommunicated him;) but as neighbours and parts of the ſame Church univerſal, they muſt hear both ſides before they deny any Chriſtian communion that claimeth it; at leaſt when his allegations have great probability of truth, and ſeem to weigh down all that they have received againſt him.
And they may abſolve the Criminal upon a juſt profeſſion of true repentance, but ſuch a proſeſſion will not ſtand with a refuſal to confeſs in the ſame Church where the man ſinned, without ſome ſpecial probable reaſon; it being that Church which is moſt wronged by the ſcandal, and hath heard the cauſes.
§. 5. If any Church (in the ſame Kingdom or another) be accuſed of violating the Chriſtian faith, or of any crime which Chriſtians are bound to diſown by avoiding the criminal, it is the duty of the accuſed Church to be ready to ſatisfie the offended Churches, by anſwering the accuſation; not as to Rulers by the reaſons of obedience, but as to Chriſtian neighbours by the rule of common equity and love, and for the preſervation of unity and peace.
§. 6. If the charge be but general, (that the Church is guilty of hereſie or unſoundneſs in the faith) it is the duty of the accuſed Church to ſend to the offended the Profeſſion of their Faith and Religion, which need to be no more than this, which the offended ought to take as ſatisfactory.
We hereby profeſs that we ſtand to our Baptiſmal Covenant, fiducially believing in God the Father, Son and Holy Ghoſt, our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, and give up our ſelves to him accordingly in theſe Relations, Believing the articles of all the Creeds in which the univerſal Church ever agreed, and deſiring the things contained in the Lords Prayer, and conſenting to obey the ten Commandements as delivered to us in nature and by Chriſt; and we profeſs our obligation and Conſent, to Believe, Love and obey all that we do or ſhall underſtand to be the revealed word of God, even the ſacred Canonical books of Scripture, and in this common Belief, and Love and practice, to livein the Communion of the unniverſal Church of Chriſt: Renouncing the Devil, the world and the fleſh as they are enemies to any of this, and all doctrines, deſires and practices, contrary hereunto, ſo far as unfeignedly to endeavour to reſ…t and overcome them, and when we … and ſin, to riſe by true repentance; And all this in Hope of the Love of God the Father, the Grace of the Son, in our Pardon, Juſtification and Adoption, and the Communion of the Holy Ghoſt, and of the Perfection of theſe and of our ſelves with the Church in everlaſting Glory.
This may be briefly expreſt in Baptiſm and to preſent perſons that may receive our explications where they doubt of our underſtanding or ſincerity: But to diſtant ſuſpecting perſons or Churches, ſuch largeneſs is uſeful; and this is enough.
§. 7. But if any particular hereſie or crime be charged on a neighbour Church, it is not to be believed without proof, nor they to be diſclaimed till the charge be ſent to them, and their defence be heard; And herein they ought to offer ſatisfaction to the offended Church, 1. By denying the charge if falſe; 2. By explaining words and actions which are ambiguous and to be ſuſpected: 3. In controverted caſes, by renewing the foreſaid profeſſion of all that is neceſſary explicitely to be held, and promiſing to renounce any opinion or practice as ſoon as they perceive it contrary thereto; 4. And in all caſes of words or deeds expreſsly contrary to Gods doctrine or Law, or which they ſhall be convinced to be ſinfull, to confeſs the errour or crime, and humbly crave the prayers of the Church for pardon, and profeſs their purpoſe of future reformation.]
This is the means, and this is enough for the offenders ſatisfaction: And if the errour be no real and diſcerned denyal of any neceſſary article of faith, but an undiſcerned remote conſequential contrariety, with which the profeſſed holding of that particular neceſſary article which they ſeem to overthrow may ſtand, that Church (or perſon) is not to be rejected from Communion, or hereticated.
For inſtance, If a Church be accuſed to be Neſtorians, or Eutychians, or Monothelites, their anſwer ought to be [Mary is the Mother of Chriſt who is God, and in that ſenſe, of God, but not of the Deity, or as God]. And [Chriſts Na…ures, Wills, and operations, are two as diſtinct, but not two as divided.] But if they have not ſo much (eaſie) skill to explain themſelves, but ſay rudely as Neſtorius [I will not ſay that God was two or three months old] or as Cyril and Eutychius and Dioſcorus [Chriſts natures were two before the Union, but ſince One and not Two], if withal they proſeſs that they believe Chriſt to be true God and true man in one perſon, and do not deſtroy, deny or confound the Godhead and manhood or any other eſſential point of faith or religion, they ought not to be hereticated or rejected.
§ 8. No Church hath power or duty to deny any other Communion to another Church or perſon, but ſuch as they had power to grant them. But to remote perſons or Churches, never ſeen by them (as in other lands or Countries) they can grant them no Preſential local Communion but only Mental: Therefore they can eject them from none but mental: They cannot take from them what they never had nor are capable of: But we in London never had local Communion with them of Vienna, Paris, Rome, &c. nor ever ſaw them. All therefore that they can do is to account thoſe Hereticks or wicked or Apoſtates, whom before they accounted good Chriſtians, and to declare that they own them not as fellow Chriſtians, and would not communicate with them, did they live among them; and to warn others that are in danger of them to avoid them, and this not as an act of Government over them, but of common Chriſtian duty for the honour of our common religion and in charity to others. The juſt renouncing of mental or local Communion by equals, or neighbours, much differs from a Governing commanding excommunication, forbiding other Churches as their ſubjects to communicate with ſuch on certain penalties; which is the uſurpation of Popes, Patriarchs and ſome others who claim ſuch governing power without proof.