Of Schism, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of the Second ſort of Schiſme, as that is an Offence againſt mutual Charity, This divided into three ſpecies, and the firſt here examined.
§. 1. BUT beſide that firſt ſpecies of ſchiſme, as it is an offence againſt the ſubordination, which Chriſt hath by himſelf and his Apoſtles ſetled in the Church, (from the guilt of which I have hitherto indevoured to vindicate our Church) another was taken notice of, as it ſignifies an offence againſt the mutual unity, and peace, and charity, which Chriſt left among his Diſciples; And to that I muſt now proceed, as farre as the Accuſations of the Romaniſt give us occaſion to vindicate our innocence.
§. 2. Three branches of the ſecond ſort of Schiſme.And for method's ſake, this branch of Schiſme may be ſubdivided into three ſpecies. The firſt is a breach in the doctrines, or Traditions, a departure from the unity of the Faith, which was once delivered to the ſaints; under that head alſo comprehending the inſtitutions of Chriſt, of his Apoſtles, and of the Ʋniverſal Church of the firſt and pureſt ages, whether in Government, or other the like obſervances and practiſes: The ſecond is an offence againſt external peace and Communion Eccleſiaſtical: The third and laſt is the want of that charity, which is due from every Chriſtian to every Chriſtian. Beſide theſe I cannot foreſee any other ſpecies of ſchiſme, and therefore the vindicating our Reformation from all grounds of charge of any of theſe three, will be the abſolving the whole task undertaken in theſe ſheets.
§. 3.1. A departure from the Unity of Doctrines, or Traditions Apoſtolical. For the firſt it may be conſidered either in the Bullion, or in the coyn, in the groſſe, or in the retail, either as it is a departure from thoſe rules appointed by Chriſt for the founding and upholding his truth in the Church, this Ʋnity of Doctrine &c. or elſe as it is the aſſerting any particular branch of Doctrine, contrary to Chriſts, and the (Apoſtolical, pure) Churches eſtabliſhment.
§. 4. Our Church vindicated from this, in two branches.And here it is firſt ſuggeſted by the Romaniſt, that by caſting out the authority of the Biſhop of Rome, we have caſt off the head of all Chriſtian Ʋnity, and ſo muſt needs be guilty of Schiſme in this firſt reſpect. To which the anſwer is obvious, 1.In the firſt, Chriſts Rules for upholding the truth. that that Biſhop of Rome was never appointed by Chriſt to be the head of all Chriſtian unity, or that Church to be the conſervatory (for ever) of all Chriſtian truth, any more then any other Biſhop, or Church of the Apoſtles ordaining, or planting; and whatever can be pretended for the contrary will be eaſily anſwered from the grounds already laid, and cleared in the former part of this diſcourſe concerning the Ʋniverſal Paſtorſhip of S. Peter's ſucceſſors, which muſt not be here ſo unneceſſarily repeated.
§. 5. 2dly, That the way provided by Chriſt, and his Apoſtles for the preſerving the unity of the faith, &c. in the Church, is fully acknowledged by us, and no way ſupplanted by our Reformation. That way is made up of two acts of Apoſtolical providence, Firſt their reſolving upon ſome few heads of ſpecial force, and efficacie to the planting of Chriſtian life through the world, and preaching, and depoſiting them in every Church of their plantation. 2. Their eſtabliſhing an excellent ſubordination of all inferior officers of the Church to the Biſhop in every city, of the Biſhops in every Province to their Metropolitanes, of the Metropolitanes in every region or foreign to Patriarchs, or Primates, allowing alſo among theſe ſuch a Primacie of Order, or dignity, as might be proportionable to the foreign in the ſcripture, and agreeable to what is by the antient Canons allowed to the Biſhop of Rome; And this ſtanding ſubordination ſufficient for all ordinary uſes, and when there ſhould be need of extraordinary remedies, there was then a ſupply to be had by congregating Councels, Provincial, Patriarchal, General, as hath formerly been ſhewed. And all this, it is moſt certain, aſſerted, and acknowledged by every true ſon of the Church of England, as zealouſly, as is pretended by any Romaniſt. And from hence, by the way, that ſpeech of the learned and excellent Hugo Grotius (which I diſcern to be made uſe of by the Romaniſts, and look'd on with jealouſie by others) will, I ſuppoſe, receive its due importance, and interpretation, in his Rivet: Apologet: Diſcuſſ: p. 255. Reſtitutionem Chriſtianorum in unum idém que corpus &c.
§. 6. As for the ſubjection (and dependence) of this Church to the Monarchick power of the Biſhop of Rome, this will never be likely to tend to the unity of the whole body, unleſſe firſt all other Churches of Chriſtians paid that ſubjection too, and were obliged, and ſo by duty morally aſcertain'd alwaies to continue it (which it is evident the Eaſtern Churches had not done long before the time of our pretended departure) and 2. unleſſe the Biſhop of Rome were in probability able to adminiſter that vaſt Province, ſo as would be moſt to the advantage of the whole body, For which whether he be fitly qualified or no, as it is not demonſtrable in the cauſes, ſo is it to be looked on, as a Politick Probleme, the truth of which belongs to prudent perſons, and and ſuch as are by God intruſted with the Flock to judge of, i. e. to the Princes, the nurſing Fathers of every Church, who are prudentially, and fatherly to determine for themſelves and thoſe that are under them, what is moſt ordinable to that end, and cannot be obliged to conclude, farther then the motives or premiſes will bear, to decree what they doe not reaſonably, and cordially believe.
§. 7. In the Second, Particular doctrines.Laſtly, for the particular doctrines wherein we are affirmed by the Romaniſts to depart from the Ʋ nity of the Faith, and ſo by departing from the unity, to be ſchiſmatical, as heretical by departing from the faith, this muſt be conteſted by a ſtrict ſurvey of the particular doctrines, wherein as we make no doubt to approve our ſelves to any that will judge of the Apoſtolical doctrine and traditions by the Scriptures, and conſent of the firſt 300 years, or the four General Councels, The Church of Englands temper in reſpect of particular doctrines.(the moſt competent witneſſes of Apoſtolical traditions) ſo we ſhall ſecure our ſelves of our innocence in this behalf, by that principle acknowledged in our Church, and owned, as the rule by which we are concluded in any debate, or controverſie: That whatever is contrary to the doctrine, or practiſes of thoſe firſt and pureſt ages, ſhall by us (aſſoon as it thus appears) be renounced, and diſclaimed alſo. Which reſolution of rulineſſe, and obedience, will, I ſuppoſe, conſerve us in the unity of the Faith, and render us approveable to God, though our ignorance (thus unaffected) ſhould betray us to ſome miſunderſtandings of thoſe firſt times, and be an inſtrument much more probable to lead us into all truth, then the ſuppoſed infallibility of the Church of Rome can be imagined to be, which as it leaves the proudeſt preſumer really as liable to error, as him that acknowledgeth himſelf moſt fallible, ſo it aſcertains him to perſevere incorrigible whether in the leaſt, or greateſt error, which by fault, or frailty he ſhall be guilty of.
§. 8. This conſideration of the humble, docible temper of our Church (together with our profeſſed appeal to thoſe firſt and pureſt times, to ſtand or fall, as by thoſe evidences we ſhall be adjudged) as it neceſſarily renders it our infelicity, not our crime, if in judging of Chriſt's truth we ſhould be deemed to erre, ſo may it reaſonably ſuperſede that larger trouble of the Reader, in this place, which the view and examination of the ſeverals would coſt him, it being thus farre evident, that it is our avowed wiſh and our care (ſhould it be denied to be our lot) a ſpecial mark of the Church of England's Reformation, to preſerve the Ʋnity of the Apoſtolical Faith and Primitive practiſes, as intire, as we would have done Chriſt's body or garment, and the probability being not weak on our ſide, that the fact of the crucifying ſouldiers which hath ſo much of our abhorrence and deteſtation, ſhall never be our choice, our known, or wilfull guilt, or if it be, that we ſo farre recede from our Profeſſion.