Of Schism, Title page – Publishers advertisement
OF SCHISM. PAROCHIAL CONGREGATIONS IN ENGLAND, AND Ordination by Impoſition of Hands.
Wherein Dr. Owen's Diſcovery of the True Nature of Schiſm is briefly and friendly examined, together with Mr. Noyes of New England his Arguments againſt Impoſition of hands in Ordination.
By GILES FIRMIN, Sometime of New England, now Paſtor of the Church at Shalford in Eſſex.
1 Cor. 12.25. That there ſhould be no Schiſm in the body.
1 Chron. 15.13. The Lord our God made a breach upon us for that we ſought him not after the due order.
LONDON, Printed by T. C. for Nathanael Webb, and William Grantham, at the Bear in Paul's Church-yard, neer the little North door of Pauls, 1658.
To the Reverend the Aſſociated Miniſters in the County of Eſſex.
Fathers and Brethren,
EIther we have dealt hypocritically with God and man, or elſe the Diviſions in theſe poore Churches have lain upon the hearts of the godly in England as an afflicting evil. The Civil Power have ſeemed to be ſo ſenſible of this evil, that more then once it hath been numbred amongst the cauſes in their Orders for our Solemn and Publike Humiliations; if our Faſt-days, Prayers, Sermons, Books, &c. may be believed, then the breaches in our Churches have broken our comforts. For my part I have cauſe to take ſhame, and to ask pardon of God that this ſin which hath wrought ſo much evil, and brought ſuch diſhonour to Chriſt, have no more affected me; it is for them whoſe hearts are moſt divided from ſelf, and united to God, to be indeed affected and afflicted with Diviſions in the Church. I look on it as an act of a grown Chriſtian, whoſe Intereſt in Chriſt is well cleared, and his heart walking cloſe with God, to be really taken up with the publike Intereſt of Chriſt. I will not meaſure other mens hearts by my own, but I muſt ſay for my ſelf, the good Lord pardon my hypocriſie in this point, for to be affected as become Chriſtians for Diviſions among Chriſtians, I find it a hard matter, whatever words ſeem to affirm.
Could I joy in my ſelf, I ſhould be glad that I lived to ſee the day when the Lord put it into two or three of your hearts to try what might be done for the healing of our breaches, and thereupon to call ſome of your Brethren together to ſee if we could agree ſo far that we might Aſſociate together, as ſome of our Brethren in other Countries have done: and let me leave this upon record, ſo long as this poor Script ſhall laſt, for the honour of the Presbyterial Brethren, as they were the firſt movers for peace, ſo they have bidden fair for peace; had our Congregational Brethren [whoſe perſons, gifts, and graces I deſire to honour and love] been but anſwerable, we might have had cauſe to have joyned together in praiſes for our healing, as we have had, and ſtill have cauſe to mourn for our breaches.
It is not to be forgotten how the good hand of God went along with us; for though we were men of different principles who were choſen to draw up the agreement, and we met neer twenty times before we could finiſh, yet no unbrotherly claſhing was heard amongst us; but ſo ſoon as we ſaw each others principles to be fixed, preſently we were called off from Diſputing, and the next words were, Come, let us ſee how we can Accommodate; let the bleſſing of Matth. 5.9. fall upon ſuch hearts.
Were it true that uniting with our Brethren in this Aſſociation, were a dividing of our hearts from God, as one of our Congregational Brethren did intimate in a Sermon of his upon Hoſ. 10.2. then I wonder not though he ſo ſoon deſerted us, and that others ſtand off from us. For this he ſaid was one note of the heart divided from God, when the heart did not fully come up to God: and under this head brought in ſuch who did faſhion and mould themſelves in State and Church according to the Mode of the Times, though contrary to their own principles and light, croſs to [or laying by] the Inſtitutions of Chriſt, when as the Text ſaith, Jer. 15.19. If thou ſeparate the precious from the vile, &c. our Brothers aim was underſtood by divers in the Congregation, and unto him I ſhall return this anſwer.
If he means I have gone contrary to my own principles and light, he is miſtaken extreamly. If he meant he and other Congregational men muſt do ſo if they Aſſociate, how can this poſſibly be, when it was one of our foundations we laid for agreement, and it was profeſſed again and again, that we went not about to take any man off from his Principles? I wiſh our Brother had inſtanced what Inſtitution of Chriſt we croſſed or laid by.
For the Scripture he alledged, let us ſee how this ſuits our caſe; the Presbyterial Brethren do not indeed ſeparate as do he and others, but doth he therefore upon this Text ſtand off? I finde five ſeveral expoſitions of the words, and very few who take the word Precious for to relate to Perſons. But I will give my Brother that ſenſe, Let it be meant of Perſons, The Arabick word which the Tranſlator render Honeſtus Golius renders generoſus, nobilis. And the other (Dalilon) abjectus, vllis contemptus.as Piſcator thinks it moſt proper, becauſe foreign alibi de perſona tantùm dicitur. And ſo the Interlineary gloſs. Now the queſtion is, 1. Who are meant by Precious? 2. How Jeremiah was to ſeparate theſe Precious from the Vile.
For the firſt, thoſe who do Interpret it of Perſons do all underſtand real Saints; and here ſtanding ſo in oppoſition to others it muſt needs be meant ſo. Obj. If he will ſay, that doth not follow; for all Iſrael were called holy, and that in as high a word as precious. I anſwer, The Lord ſpeaks of theſe who were called holy, and yet here commands the ſeparation of the Precious from the Vile; therefore it muſt be meant of real Saints. I could ſay more but ſpare.
2. For the ſecond, How did he ſeparate, either by Doctrine, or Diſcipline. Not by Diſcipline [which muſt ſerve my Brothers purpoſe.] For
Firſt, To ſeparate real Saints from vile by Diſcipline is a hard work indeed, and ſuch a task as the Lord never put his Miniſters to; who knew mens hearts? then the Congregational Brethren muſt look to it that all their members are real Saints.
1. But if my Brother ſaith, by precious real Saints are not meant but viſible, though not ſo really. [Beſides that all were called holy.] This my Brother muſt prove, and then tell us what he means by a viſible Saint. But however ſeparation by Diſcipline cannot be meant. For
2. Jeremiah then had a ſtrange task, for he had no particular Church as we; and for him to ſeparate all viſible Saints from the vile in the Jewiſh Church by Diſcipline were a ſtrange and impoſſible work.
3. Jeremiah a ſingle Prieſt could not do it; as all that know the Jewiſh governments will confeſs.
4. But put caſe it were ſo, yet this hinders not his Aſſociating with our Brethren, who deſire him but to Aſſociate, where they do ſeparate the precious from the vile by Diſcipline.
Since then this ſeparation was Doctrinal, as all Divines upon the Text acknowledge, then whether the Prebyterial Brethren [very many of them at leaſt] do not ſeparate as well as himſelf, I deſire my Brother to conſider. For the laſt words which he alſo uſed, Let them return to thee, but return not thou unto them. Doth my Brother indeed parallel our Aſſociated Brethren with thoſe who are meant by them? Let the Presbyterial Brethren return to the Congregational, not they to them: I ſhould not have dared to have made ſuch a parallel.
I ſhall only put this Brother in mind what he then ſaid againſt thoſe who dare depart from ſtanding Commandments, and deſire him to conſider whether he never read of a ſtanding (to uſe his own words). Commandment, repeated again and again, that we ſhould follow the things which make for peace, and whether he, with our Brethren who ſtand off, have anſwered that Commandment, ſober Congregational men ſhall judge.
Let me leave with our Brethren a few lines which I received a few weaks ſince from that learned and godly Divine Mr. Norton, [Teacher of the Church in Boſton in N. England] in a Letter to me. The Aſſociation you mention amongſt the Miniſters we much rejoyce in, I never thought it better then human, but oftentimes worſe, that the Presbyterian and Congregational men cannot cloſe together in Brotherly Communion. The power of godlineſs intereſt us in the affections of the godly, above the notions of either of them conſidered apart therefrom. I believe the Congregational way to be the truth: yet I think better of many Presbyterians then of many Congregational men. 'Tis no wonder if Independents are unruly, for I diſtinguiſh between Independents and Congregational men; or rather ſuch [call themſelves as they pleaſe] that will not acknowledge the rule of the Presbytery, and the order of Councils Thus far this reverend and great Divine. I am ſure our Aſſociation reaches no higher then a Council.
As for our Brethren who will not Aſſociate till they ſee the Civil Magiſtrate ſet his ſtamp of Authority upon this way of Aſſociation, whatever the late Inſtrument made by the Parliament allows us, though they ſee Anabaptiſts and Congregational Churches, and other Aſſociated Counties to exerciſe Diſcipline without any ſcruple, though they would quarrel with an Eraſtian Magiſtrate, that ſhould deny any ſuch power to belong to Churches, yea, though ſome of theſe can ſuſpend from the Lord's Supper whom they pleaſe, we muſt leave theſe to their own wiſedom, and deſire them to convince the Magiſtrate ſo that he may be able to ſee clearly that the government of the Church is either Epiſcopal, Claſſical, or Congregational, and ſo ſtabliſh one; or if the Magiſtrate be not ſo clear in either, but yet willing to favour any of theſe, the perſons being godly and peaceable, [as he doth] then let theſe Brethren conſider whether the want of Church-Diſcipline be a fault to be charged moſt upon the Magiſtrate or upon themſelves.
To return to you then [Fathers and Brethren] in a few words. Hitherto God hath brought us; the worke we have engaged in is to moſt [if not all of us] new, and ſuch a work as many of thoſe who have been exerciſed in it, have ſo often miſcarried in, that the Ordinance of Diſcipline hath ſuffered much diſhonour: and that which adds to the difficulty, we ſet to it in ſuch times wherein the Miniſtry is ſo much reviled by Sectaries, and as to this work much contemned by the Gentry, and our Epiſcopal Divines; one of which [and whom I honour] ſaid to me, That we were no more fit to manage the government of the Church of England then David Saul's Armour. We boaſt not of our fitneſs, but for the government of the Church by ſuch Biſhops [though I highly reverence ſome of them] they have no ſuch cauſe to boaſt, as witneſs the Churches they have left us miſerably overgrown with ignorance and profanneſs; had we ſo many hundreds [or thouſands] of pounds per annum, ſuch honour and regal power to ſtick to us as had they, I hope the Churches might be governed as well as they were before, and be purged a little from that ignorance and profaneneſs which now we find them in.
But we muſt go to our work without Saul's Armour. I am ſenſible how much wiſedom and prudence this work calls for; all my comfort is, Chriſt of God is made to us wiſedom, &c. 1 Cor. 1. I take care for nothing but for Faith, Humility, and Prayer, to fetch this wiſedom from our King and Head, and leave the ſucceſs to him who did inſtitute this Ordinance.
Your fellow labourer in the worke of the Goſpel, GILES FIRMIN. Shalford 2. of the 2. Month, 1658.
An Advertiſement of two Books lately publiſhed by this Author.
Mr. Giles Firmin. Viz. 1. Stabliſhing againſt Shaking, being a diſcovery of the Quakers.
2. The Power of the Civil Magiſtrate in matters of Religion vindicated, and the extent of it determined. By Mr. Stephen Marſhall, publiſhed by his own Copy ſince his death, with notes upon it.