Of Schism, Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Concerning the preſent Perſecution of the Church of England, and the advantages ſought from thence.
§. 1. OUr Eſtabliſhment being thus freed from Schiſm, I ſhall not now entertain my ſelf with any fear, that the Perſecution, which we are under, will involve us in it. The Romaniſts argument frō our preſent condition of Perſecution.Yet can I not but take notice of the ſtyle, that ſome Romaniſts have in theſe laſt years, on this occaſion, choſen to make uſe of, calling us [the late Church of England] The interpretation whereof is to my underſtanding this, that the calamities, under which now we ſuffer, have made us ceaſe to be a Church: And therefore having learned, and abundantly experimented, what ſcandal the Croſſe hath alwaies carried along with it, how willing enemies are to take advantage, and ground arguments on afflictions, and how ordinary it is for friends, to take impreſſions from ſuch ſenſible, carnal motives, and being ſecured by the ſtorie of the Antient Gnoſticks, that it is neither ſcandalous exceſſe of fear, nor want of charity, to think it poſſible, that this, as other antient hereſies, may now as in a Platonick year (if not carefully warded) return on us, as in a revolution, I ſhall therefore conclude this paper with an attempt to remove this prejudice; The utmoſt whereof being formed into an objection, is this, that it is abſolutely neceſſary to communicate with ſome one viſible Church, that now the Church of England is not ſuch, and conſequently that it muſt be caſt off, and the Roman Church ſo illuſtriouſly viſible, be taken up in ſtead of it.
§. 2.Anſwered. To this reſerve I ſhall make my returns by theſe degrees, Firſt that by the making this objection, or drawing any argument againſt any member of the Church of England, from the preſent foreign, or improſperous circumſtances of affairs, It muſt be ſuppoſed, that twenty years ſince, this perſon, the ſuppoſed ſubject of diſcourſe, living regularly in this Church, under his ſuperiours, was not then chargeable wth this crime of not communicating with a viſible Church.
§. 3. This conſequent I ſhall not be ſo much my own flatterer as to think it will be allowed me▪ by the Romaniſt, who will, I know, at another time accuſe the whole Church of England (ever ſince the Reformation) of ſchiſm from the Catholick Church, and make the communicating with it 20 years ſince, as dangerous as now the not communicating with any: But the reaſon of my laying this foundation is, to ſhew the vanity of the preſent objection, For if the Church of England 20 years ſince, were not a Church, but a ſociety of Schiſmaticks, not a particular Church (which, if ſo, muſt be a part, or member of the Ʋ niverſal, and ſuch it is not, if it be truly ſeparated from that body, in the unity of which it is obliged to remain) but a ſeparated, and torn off, and ſo a liveleſſe, ejected branch, then whatſoever hath now befallen us, and the conſequence of that, the ſuppoſed impoſſibility of cōmunicating with the Church of England, will but leave us where we were, the impoſſibility of communicating with a ſchiſmatical ſociety, being not chargeable on us, as a crime, by them, who make the communicating with all ſuch ſocieties ſo damnable; And therefore I ſay, to the making this any objection, 'tis neceſſary, that that be ſuppoſed, which I have for that cauſe laid as my foundation, that 20 years ſince a member of the Engliſh Church was not under this guilt of not communicating with ſome one viſible Church; And if then he were not, (or, for diſcourſe ſake, be by the objecter ſuppoſed not to have been) then it infallibly, and irrefragably follows (which is the ſecond propoſition) that he that 20 years ſince was not under this guilt of not communicating — is either not guilty of it now, or elſe hath voluntarily committed or omitted ſomewhat, which commiſſion or omiſſion hath been the contracting of this guilt. For that ſomewhat, which hath not been his choiſe, ſhall become his crime, that what hath been his ſaddeſt part of infelicity, the evil againſt which he hath moſt induſtriouſly contended, ſhould be accounted his offence ▪ when it is his puniſhment, I ſhall not fear will be affirmed by any.
§. 4. Thirdly then, the buſineſſe is brought to this iſſue, that that perſon, which is the ſubject of our diſcourſe (he that 20 years ſince, was a member of the Church of England) be now proved by ſome commiſſion or omiſſion of his, voluntarily to have contracted this guilt, or elſe be abſolved, and freed from it; If he have contracted it, it muſt be by ſome irregularity of actions, contrary to the ſtanding rule and Canons of this Church; or by diſobedience to ſome commands of his Eccleſiaſtical ſuperiors; And as in neither of theſe I ſhall excuſe any that hath been guilty, ſo if, being not fallen under the actual Cenſures of the Church for it, he now timely and ſincerely return with contrition, and reformation, I ſhall hope it will not be imputed to him; But however this cannot be inſiſted on by the objecter, becauſe I ſpeak, and ſo muſt he, of him that hath lived regularly (not of him that hath not) And of him 'tis apparent, that all that he hath done, is, to adhere to his former principles, when others have not, to have teſtified his conſtancy with (not only venturing but) actually loſing either poſſeſſions, or liberty (and the benefit of Eccleſiaſtical aſſemblies) rather then he would joyn, or appear to joyn with Schiſmaticks, when others have made all worldly advantages by the rupture; In a word, that he hath been patient, and not fainted; and never departed from his rule, though it have coſt him dear to ſtick faſt to it; And I hope no body will be ſo uncharitable, as to grieve, and gall him, whom God hath thus ſuffered to be chaſtiſed, upon no other provocation, but this, his having been thus afflicted and perſecuted. This is too clear a truth to need confirming, and yet this is the utmoſt, that it can be driven to, ſuppoſing the moſt that the objection can be imagined to ſuppoſe, viz: that the Church of England is now inviſible.
§. 5. But then in the fourth place, it muſt be added, that as yet, Bleſſed be God, the Church of England is not inviſible; It is ſtill preſerved in Biſhops and Presbyters rightly ordained, and multitudes rightly baptized, none of which have fallen off from their profeſſion; And the only thing imaginable to be objected in this point, being this, that the ſchiſm hath ſo farre been extended by the force, that many, if not moſt Churches parochial are filled by thoſe, who have ſet up a new, or a no-form of worſhip, and ſo that many men cannot any otherwiſe▪ then in private families, ſerve God, after the Church-way, that ſure will be of little weight, when the Romaniſts are remembred to be the objecters, who cannot but know, that this is the only way, that they have had of ſerving God in this Kingdome, theſe many years, and that the night-meetings of the Primitive Chriſtians in dens and caves are as pertinent to the juſtifying of our condition, as they can be of any, and when 'tis certain, that the foreign, the forſaking of the aſſemblies, Heb. 10.25. is not foreign, our wilfull fault v. 26. but only our unhappy lot ▪ who are forced either not to frequent the aſſemblies, or elſe to incourage (& incurre the ſcandal of ſeeming to approve) the practiſes of thoſe that have departed from the Church. That we doe not decline order, or publick communion ▪ and conſequently are not to be charged for not enjoying thoſe benefits of it, which we vehemently thirſt after, is evident by the extenſive nature▪ of our perſecution, the ſame tempeſt having with us thrown out all order, and form, Biſhops, and Liturgie together, and to that curſtneſſe of theirs, and not to any obſtinateneſſe, or unreconcileableneſſe of ours (which alone were the guilt of non-communion) is all that unhappineſſe of the conſtant ſons of the preſent Engliſh Church to be imputed, in which alone this whole objection is founded.
§. 6.What this may come to in the future. I cannot diſcern any farther appearance of difficulty in this matter, and therefore ſhall no farther lengthen this Appendage, then by offering it to the conſideration of the indifferent Reader, whether this objection can ever in future times be improveable into a charge againſt us, or our poſterity, as long as either Biſhops ſtand, and continue to ordain among us, or it is not our faults that they doe not ſtand. To which purpoſe it may be remembred▪ what befell the Jewes whether under the Zelots fury, or the Romans yoke; The former threw out the lawfull ſucceſſive High Prieſts, and Prieſts of the ſons of Aaron, and put into thoſe ſacred offices the moſt ignorant ruſticks, ſome ſo void of all degree of knowledge, ſaith Joſephus, that they knew not what the very word [Prieſt] ſignified. The Roman Conquerours by their Procurators put in annually whom they pleaſed to chooſe (without conſideration of the Aaronical line) into the chief Prieſt's office; I ſhall here demand of any, Whether (ſuppoſing and granting it as undeniable, that the Zelots were formally Schiſmaticks, or with ſome improvement, in Joſephus his ſtyle foreign, ſeditious) there can be any ground of reaſon, or equity, to involve, or conclude under the ſame guilt thoſe that lived under thoſe impoſed, uſurping High Prieſts, ſuppoſing thoſe inferiors to have been as farre from conſenting to the continuance, as to the beginning of ſuch uſurpation, and that the circumſtances were ſuch, that they lay not under the appearance of doing, what they did not, and ſo had not the ſcandal, any more, then the reality of that guilt. The Reader, I ſuppoſe, will be able to anſwer this Quaere to himſelf, and ſuperſede all neceſſity of making up the Parallel.
§. 7.The Concluſion. And then I have at this time no farther exerciſe for him, but that he will joyn in ardent prayers with me, that God will reſtore that which is loſt, reduce that heavenly grace, and incomparable bleſſing of Chriſtian peace and holy communion among all, that have received the honour of being called by his name, that we may all minde the ſame thing, fix the ſame common deſignes, love, and aid, and promote one anothers good, unanimouſly glorifie him here with one tongue, and heart, that we may all be glorified with him, and ſing joynt Hoſannah's, and Hallelujah's to him to all eternity.
Amen.
ERRATA.
PAge 42. line 3. dele)
p. 73. li. 9. lege S. Peter, ſo—
p. 81. marg: li. 12. lege foreign
p. 85. l. 24. lege Where as
p. 91. li. 4. lege foreign
p. 107. li. 2. for third lege ſecond
p. 141. li. 25. for quae re: quo
p. 157. li. 3. lege that the
The Contents.
CHAP. I. AN Introduction, the danger, and ſin of Schiſm. page 1
CHAP. II. What Schiſm us, together with ſome general conſiderations thereon. 12
CHAP. III. The ſeveral ſorts of Schiſm. 31
CHAP. IV. The pretended evidences of the Romaniſt againſt the Church of England examined, and firſt that from the Biſhop of Rome's Supremacy by Chriſt's donation to S. Peter. 66
CHAP. V. The evidences from the Biſhop of Romes ſucceeding S. Peter examined. 92
CHAP. VI. Their ſecond plea from the Biſhop of Rome having planted Chriſtianity among us. 107
CHAP. VII. Their third Evidence from our caſting off Obedience to the Biſhop of Rome at the Reformation. 132
CHAP. VIII. Of the ſecond ſort of Schiſm, as that is an offence againſt mutual Charity, This divided into three ſpecies, and the firſt here examined. 155
CHAP. IX. The ſecond ſpecies of this Schiſm examined, as it is an offence againſt external peace, or Communion Eccleſiaſtical. 163
CHAP. X. The third ſpecies of this Schiſm, as an offence againſt that charity due from every Chriſtian to every Chriſtian, examined. 169
CHAP. XI. Concerning the preſent Perſecution of the Church of England, and the advantages ſought from thence. 174
THE END.