The True Way of Concord of All the Christian Churches, Part 3 · Chapter 12 – Chapter 13
CHAP. XII.
Excommunicating and Anathematizing in any of the foreſaid Caſes, is Schiſmatical, and not the way to Peace.
§ I. THere need not much more be ſaid of this; it is already proved, That Chriſt himſelf hath in his Law, made the terms of the Union and Communion of his Members: As the ſame Nature that formeth all our members in the womb, is alſo the placer and uniter of them: Therefore that which is contrary to Chriſts terms, yea, which is none of them, cannot prove the true terms and means of Concord.
§ II. Indeed no man ought to be Excommunicated otherwiſe than by Miniſterial Declaration and Judgment, how far he hath firſt departed from Union, and cut off or Excommunicated himſelf. An impenitent Fornicator, Drunkard, Perſecutor, doth cut off himſelf from the favor of God, and his part in Chriſt, and the rights of his true Church: Therefore the Paſtors may declare that he doth ſo. And if it become a Controverſie either de facto, whether he be ſuch an one; or de jure, whether this be true; the Paſtors are the proper Judges, ſo far as to reſolve the Conſciences of the Flock, whether they muſt avoid that man, or communicate with him. And this I think the Rational Mr. Hales would not have denied, though in his Treatiſe of the Keyes, he aſſerteth only a Declarative, and denieth a Judicial Power: For his Reaſons ſhew that he only meant, that the Church hath no efficient Judgment to cut off any man from Chriſt or his Body, further than he firſt cuts off himſelf. And far be it from any Friend of the Church to ſay, That it is the Biſhops Office to undo Souls, and to ſeparate any from Chriſt, ſave only by declaring and judging that they wilfully ſeparate themſelves; and therefore requiring the People to avoid them, and binding them over to anſwer their ſin at the Bar of God: The reſt is the Devils work, and the impenitent Sinners, and not the Paſtors of the Church.
§ III. And what is ſaid againſt the Magiſtrates unſeaſonable force, will moſtly hold againſt ſuch undue Excommunication. 1. If the perſon believe that he is caſt out for not forſaking his duty to God, he will rejoyce that he is counted worthy to ſuffer for righteouſneſs ſake, remembring that Chriſt ſaid, They ſhall caſt you out of their Synagogues: And this will bring no man to Repentance.
§ IV. And, 2. Then the Paſtors will fall under the imputation of Tyranny and Perſecution, and be taken to be Haters and Hinderers of Conſcionable men, and grievous Wolves that devour the Flock.
§ V. And, 3. The Parties Excommunicate, will think that this doth not excuſe them from the duty of worſhipping God; and therefore they will aſſemble by themſelves for ſuch worſhip; and there they will think, That they are a better Church than thoſe that caſt them out; and perhaps may Excommunicate their Excommunicaters, as the Biſhop of Alexandria and Conſtantinople have done by the Biſhop of Rome: Or, more likely, deſpiſe their Cenſure, and go on, unleſs the Sword be drawn to ſuppreſs them, (to which only ſuch Excommunicaters uſe finally to truſt:) And then what will follow, I have ſhewed before.
§ VI. And indeed we need no greater proof of the ineffectualneſs of Excommunication in ſuch caſes, than the open confeſſion of the Uſers of it; who, if they have not an Act for Horning (as they call it in Scotland) or to impriſon the Excommunicate, or puniſh him by the Sword, confeſs that their Sentence will be contemned: which is moſt true.
§ VII. Yet ſad Experience further aſſureth us, That Papal Anathematizings, yea, and thoſe of General Councils, have been no ſmall cauſe of Schiſm, Confuſions and Rebellions: The Hiſtory of this would fill a Volume. Alas! what did the Councils of Epheſus, Conſtantinople, Chalcedon, and many others, by their Anathemas? The ſtate of Syria, Egypt, and Abaſſia, &c. of thoſe called Jacobites and Neſtorians, tells us to this day: And theſe Thunderbolts have been the Popes great Engines, to beat down Kings, and batter Kingdoms. It is the admiration of the world, next to the ſucceſs of ignorant Mahomet, That a company of old Uſurpers (many of them ſucceſſively being notoriouſly wicked men, and ſo judged by Councils, and their moſt flattering Hiſtorians) ſhould conquer Chriſtian Kingdoms and Empires, by ſitting at home, and …urſing men, and telling them, [St. Peter is angry with them, and will keep them out of Heaven, if they be not obedient to the Pope.] But men that will be the Slaves of Sin, deſerve to have their Reaſon ſo forſaken, to make themſelves the Slaves of Subjects.
§ VIII. Yet we are far from thinking, That juſt Excommunication is of no uſe; God would not have the Church of Chriſt to ſeem no better than the world; it is a Society gathered out of the world by the ſanctifying Word and Spirit, and as holy devoted to the moſt holy God. And he would have the Church Viſible, to be viſibly the womb of the Triumphant Church, or the Sheepfold of Chriſt, containing ſuch as have a ſeeming or viſible right to ſalvation, however Hypocrites do intrude: And therefore the Keys of the Church ſhould be much of Kin to the Keys of Heaven, ſo that he that is taken in or ſhut out, may ſeem to the Chriſtian judgment of probability to be taken into, or ſhut out of a right to ſalvation. And therefore as impenitent wicked men ſhould not be deluded in vain hopes, by being received to Church Communion; ſo neither ſhould godly men, for pardoned or tolerable infirmities, be ſhut out of the Church, while God continueth their viſible Title to ſalvation; much leſs a Lay-Chancellor, or a Biſhop, Excommunicate Chriſts Members, for not paying their Fees, or for not kneeling at the Sacraments, or for not ſubmitting to unneceſſary Impoſitions, or for holding ſuch Things unlawful, or ſuch like. This way will never heal our breaches, or unite the Churches.
CHAP. XIII.
Any One Vnlawful, Vncertain Doctrine, Oath, Covenant, Profeſſion, Subſcription, or Practice, ſo impoſed as neceſſary to Communion, will be a dividing Engine.
§ I. THis is proved in what is ſaid before: For a Conſcionable Man will not wilfully and deliberately commit One Sin, to ſave his Liberty, Eſtate or Life; though many Sins be worſe: For he that wilfully commits one, virtually committeth many: And, as St. James ſaith, Breaketh the whole Law.
§ II. Yea, though the matter of the Sin ſeem little, a Believer will not think it a little Sin, to do it deliberately, and ſtand to it by Covenant conſent. The high places among the Jews ſeemed no great matter; but a good man would not have Covenanted never to endeavor any Reformation of them.
§ III. A peaceable Man will live quietly in a Church that hath many Sins and Errors; but he dare not deliberately own or juſtifie the leaſt. I ſhould communicate with no Church on earth, if I thought all the Miniſters or Peoples Sins, yea, all the Faults in their Prayers, or Doctrine, or Diſcipline, were made mine by it; I will live peaceably with a Church that hath a faulty Doctrine, Liturgy and Diſcipline in Things Tolerable; as if it were Lay-Chancellors power of the Keys, or Dioceſanes too large Churches (infi… ſpeciei:) But I will not profeſs, That I Aſſent, Conſent to, and Approve all theſe Faults, or any One of them; nor will I Covenant never to endeavor in any place and calling to reform them, nor juſtifie all that are guilty of them.
§ IV. If one ſin of Davids in numbring the People, was ſo ſorely puniſhed; and one ſin of Achans, of the Bethſhemites, of Uzzahs, of Uzziahs, of Joſiahs, of Ananias, and Saphiras, yea, at firſt of Adam and Eve; if one falſe Article of the Arians ſo troubled the Church of Chriſt; and one Error about Images in Churches, ſo corrupted the Church, and made ſuch ſad work in Councils and Kingdoms, a wiſe Man will not wilfully own one ſin.
§ V. And indeed Chriſt hath determined, That he that breaketh one of the least of his Commandments, and teacheth men ſo, ſhall be called the leaſt in the Kingdom of God, Matth. 5. As he that truly believeth God in one thing, will believe him in all which he knoweth to be his word; ſo he that obeyeth him truly in one thing, will obey all that he knoweth to be his Command, whoever be againſt it.
§ VI. And it is dangerous for a mortal Worm to ſet his law or will againſt his Makers, and deſtroy or puniſh a Man for obeying God; ſufficient means ſhould be uſed firſt to convince all Men, that the thing is evil, and that it is not God that doth command it; elſe it is a ſetting up ones ſelf above God, and againſt him, and ſaying, You ſhall not obey God, but me: But when death cometh, can you ſave either your ſelf, or him, from the juſtice of that God, whom both you ſhould have obeyed?