The Kingdom of God Among Men, Tract 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Christian Unity and Concord.
ALl faithfull Christians are Members of one mystical Body, having all one Spirit, one Lord and Head, one Faith, one Baptism, and one God and Father of them all, one Hope of their Calling, and one Heaven to receive them all. Their Union and Fellowship being chiefly mystical and invisible, their Unity is far greater, than what outwardly appears to the World, and sometimes than what themselves can discern among themselves in particular, by reason of many inferior, yet very disquieting differences and discords.
Nevertheless it behoves them to provide, that it might appear as much as may be, what it is indeed, and that it be conspicuous and illustrious in the sight of Men, by their walking in love and peace. Unity is the Churches strength and beauty, the honour of the Faithfull, and an argument for the certainty of their most holy Faith. It makes Religion lovely, and draws forth blessing & praise from the Beholders of it, and wins the World to a love and reverence of that Piety, which makes the Professors of it to live in brotherly kindness and mutual charity. But Division is the Church's weakness and deformity, the reproach of Christians, and a scandal against Christianity, and an objection put into the mouths of Infidels against the Faith, and an occasion of stumbling unto many.
In the present divided state of Religion, each Party is apt to appropriate Godliness to themselves, or at least to carry it towards others, as if they did so. And they, that are loudest in accusing Dissenters of uncharitableness in this kind, are themselves as uncharitable as any others. It is true, that God hath a peculiar People, distinguished from all others by a peculiar Character, but it is not confined to any Party of this or that Persuasion or Denomination, that is narrower than meer Christianity. And all true Christians are to receive one an other, as God hath received them. Indeed the best Christians are to be best esteemed, and their fellowship is most desired. But if they should be severed from the universality and in a strict combination set up as divided Party, it tends to the Churches Ruine: For a Kingdom divided against it self cannot stand, and if the nobler parts of the Body forsake the rest, the whole must needs die.
Christian Concord doth not signifie an aggregation of things inconsistent, as the fellowship of righteousness with unrighteousness, the communion of light with darkness, the concord of Christ with Belial. To set up Unity against Piety, is a conspiracy against Christ, who is King of righteousness, and to pretend Piety against Unity, is to oppose Christ the Prince of Peace, whose Kingdom is the Reign of Love in the Soul: Holiness and Peace must kiss each other, and as inseperable Companions walk together.
It is the unity of the Spirit we are charged to keep in the bond of Peace: But concord in any external Order without fellowship in the Divine Life, is not the unity of the Spirit, which is to partake of the same new nature, and to walk together in the same holy way. This is far more excellent than the greatest compliance in matters of meer external order, and consequently much more regardable in our estimation and reception of Persons.
Though to meet in one place, be not of so great importance as to be joyned in one Spirit, yet it must not be counted a small matter. The unity of Faith and Love is much concern'd in the unity of Church Communion: it will be a matter of some difficulty for them to live together in Love, whom one Church cannot hold. Church divisions commonly divide affections, and draw men into Parties and divided Interests, and make them seek to strengthen their own Party, by weakening all others, to the great dammage of true Religion in general. For which cause the unchurching of Churches and renouncing of Communion with them that are sound in the Doctrine of Faith and Sacrament, and in the substance of Divine Worship, should be dreaded by all sober Christians, yea, all unnecessary distances should be avoided, least they lead to greater alienations, and direct enmities and oppositions.
Those Churches that cannot hold local communion one with another, by reason of differences that destroy not the essentials of Christianity, should yet maintain a dear and tender Christian love one to another, and profess their owning of each other as Churches of Jesus Christ, and should agree together upon certain just and equal Rules, for the management of their unavoidable differences, so as may least prejudice charity and common good, and least harden the ungodly and grieve the weak or dishonour God, or hinder the success of common, great and necessary truths upon the Souls of men, amicably promoting the common cause of Christianity, and every part thereof, in which they are agreed, and opening their disagreements to the People as little as they can.
Schism is an unwarrantable separation from or division in a Church, and without controversie it is a heinous sin, and to be detested both for its exceeding sinfulness, and wofull consequents. But it hath been so disguised, and the odious name hath been so confusedly cast abroad, and so unreasonably and maliciously misapplied, that it is too slightly thought of, where it should be sadly laid to heart: For it is common with the strongest Party, be it right or wrong, to call themselves the Church, and to have no better name for others than Schismaticks; And so the reproach is but contemned by them that suffer it, and the sin it self is too little feared on all sides.
But it is not a Temporal Law nor Secular Power, nor any prevalence of Strength or Interest, that makes a Church; and none of these things will excuse them from Schism, that act uncharitably against their Brethren, and obstruct the progress of the Gospel, and the increase of Godliness; Nor are they forthwith to be counted Schismaticks, who cannot in all points observe the Commandments of men, and cannot neglect to yield their help to the saving of Souls, that would otherwise want due means of Salvation, when God hath called them to that Service, with a woe unto them if they Preach not the Gospel.
For as much as all must dread the guilt of Schism truly so called, let it be well considered, that Ecclesiastical Superiors are as much concerned to take heed of Schismatical impositions, as the People are to shun Schismatical Recusancy and Disobedience: As well the Pastors Wisdom as the Peoples due submission, is here importunately called for. When Superiors know how to Command, and Inferiors how to Obey, things will go as well as may be hoped for in this our imperfect state here upon Earth.
As the Peace of a corrupt state of Religion is best assured by suppressing all conscientious inquiries into its Decrees; so the Peace of the true Church and of the sound state of Religion, is most secured by the most perfect exercise of sound Judgment and upright Conscience in all its adherents. That Church that claims to her self an infallibility, or challenges and obtains from her partakers an implicit Faith in her determinations, without further enquiry, needs not fear the breaking of the bond of her Peace, if she multiply constitutions and impose any devised Doctrines and Ordinances sutable to her own estate. On the other hand it is most evident that a Rational Conscientious and truly Pious Concord among such Christians, as know and care what they believe, can never be procured without avoiding the imposition of things unwritten and unnecessary, in which it is morally impossible for men of sound faith and good conscience generally to agree. But when necessary things only are injoyned, their weight and truth will soon be known, and owned of all honest minds, or at least are most likely so to be; and much sooner and easier than the weight, and truth of little and doubtfull things; and by this means they would more easily move with joynt consent in one Godly order, the matters of their difference being before hand taken out of the way.
This moderate course being held, the union of unseigned faith and love will become a sure foundation of true Christian concord with sound judgment and good conscience, and do that for the suppressing of Schism in the right state of Christianity, which implicit faith and blind obedience doth in false, corrupt and Antichristian State.
Here it is mainly requisite, that those things that most promote or hinder the New birth and Spiritual life, be by Pastors and people universally most regarded; and those that make little for or against the same, be looked upon as of little moment. And the truth is, when the greatest and weightiest matters are duely prized and most contended for, contentions about little things will soon expire. And if this course be taken, hypocrites will lose their advantages of seeming Religious by zeal for those things, wherein Religion doth not consist, and carnal designs and interests that now rend the Churches, and trouble all things, would be defeated and abandoned.
Moreover to maintain peace, they that Rule had need consider what mistakes and weaknesses are competible to true Believers, and sometimes to the best and choicest of them, that they might not bear too hard upon them. And they that are ruled must consider that the best polity or Constitution, so far as it is of mans regulating, hath defects and inconveniences, and affairs will be complicated; and therefore they must not be too unyielding, but bear with what is tolerable and not easily remediable (though they may not in any wise do a sinfull act, or omit a duty in the season of it.) For by want of such forbearance, they may sooner destroy the good part than mend what is amiss. It is not seldom in such cases that men seek remedies, that prove worse than the disease.
If the healing of breaches require an yielding or receding from what hath been stood upon, it should be on that part where equity and necessity declares it should be. It is not so easie for every Christian to resolve what is right in many opinions and usages, as for those in power to omit the inforcing of them. Unnecessary injunctions may easier be parted with, than mens judgments can be altered, or their doubting consciences well setled. This tenderness and forbearance is no lessoning of the Church's honour and power. And a little diversity i… little things, cannot rationally move derisi… in the irreligious, nor justly give scandal to any. But there be things of that slightness that an over-precise and importunate unifo… mity in them, may occasion contempt and suspition of hypocrisie or superstitious folly Unity of faith and life is the glory of the tr… Church, and uniformity in external order is … be indeavored with Sobriety, and is best effecte… by cutting off superfluous institutions and lay ing no greater burden on the faithfull tha… things necessary. And this pacifick state may b… as well hoped as wished for, if the Guides o… the Church would seek the things of Christ mor… than their own things.
But alas, the usurpations and impositions o… proud and selfish men, even in pretence o… suppressing Schism, have hindred Christia… people from uniting in the true center of unity which is Jesus Christ, as set forth in the doctrin… of the Apostles and Prophets, and which … the same yesterday and to day and for ever. In deed, they that prevail by power to advanc… their own devised ways, and crush Disenters may make a desolation and then call it peace an… union; but it is not the peace of Christs Kingdo…
Divisions are caused by men of corrup… minds, and partly by the weakness of Good men ascribing too much to their own apprehen sions and inclinations, and not considering th… condition of others as their own, nor minding the necessity and usefulness of lawfull compliance, or of mutual forbearance and discention.