A Gospel Church Described, Chapter 7 – Title page 1
CHAP. VII. Shewing what Schism is, and when Persons a… guilty of it. And of Consociation of Church… and Synods.
NO Religion can possibly more obli… those that Profess it to Unity than th… Christian Religion doth. The Christian Religion affords us very Excellent helps, yet too many who profess the Christian Name an… sadly guilty of the breach of this Unity, whic… is called Schism.
Schism is a causeless Rupture, or Renti… of Churches, or Christians in Church-Co… munion, one from another. And this Schis… is either in the Church, or from it: A Schi… in the Church consists in differences and Dissentions between the Members of a Church… thus we find a Schism in the Church… Corinth, they differed concerning their Ministers, crying up one above another, as o… weak or Carnal Professors use to do, 1 Co… 1.12. They looked more on the Teach… then on the Truth, and they had other diffe… ences about coming to the Lords Table,… Cor. 11.21.22. As also concerning the… several Gifts, 1 Cor. 12.25.26. This is… very great Sin.
Again, there is a Schism from the Church, …d that is when an unwarrantable Rent and …peration is made from a Church; when …ersons withdraw themselves from the Church …illingly, without any just cause, or for every …ght Trifle. This is Sinful Schism when we …ave a Church where all the Ordinances of …hrist are purely Administred, and nothing …at is Sinful imposed upon us; and so to …ave or seperat from a Church, out of gidi…ss or weariness, is very Sinful.
But, to depart from a Church in which the …eat Doctrines of the Gospel are overturn…, and Idolatrous and Superstious Cerimo…es are introduced; and where we can have … Tolerable Comfort or Edification, we may, …y, we must depart: Seperation in this case … no Sinful Schism; So that tho' the Papists …rge the Protestants with Sinful Schism for …parting from the Romish Church, yet the …testant Churches have committed no Crime seperating from Rome, but have done what …s and is well-pleasing to Jesus Christ. For … well proved, by many Protestant Divines, …t the Church of Rome is Mystical Babylon, … Synagogue of Satan, and therefore the …ty of all to seperate from her, Rev. 18.4. …e out of her my People, that ye be not per…er of her Sin, and that ye receive not of her …gues.
But as to the Seperation among Protestants, …y Seperation is not Schism; we would not seperate from the Church of England if… could avoid it, but there are Terms of Churc… Unity Imposed upon us, which we cann… comply with without violating our own Co… sciences; we have studdied, Read, and Pray… and done all we can to satisfy our selves,… the more we search the Scriptures, and… God's Direction, the more we dislike the l… posed Ceremonies, and are brought to this i… evitable strait, that we must conform agai… Conscience, and so wound our Peace, or… Silenced, Suspended, and thereby rende… uncapable of Publick Communion. We wo… gladly Exercise our Ministry in the Publ… Churches, were not the Doors lock'd agai… us. So that we cannot, by any light we… in God's Word, look on our selves to… guilty of Schism; nor our People that will… ly own and receive us as their Pastors: A… tho' we indeavour to have high Thoughts i… many that do conform, yet we look on th… to be the Schismaticks who impose Uns… tural Terms of Unity upon us, and thru… out for not complying. There ought to no more imposed on us then Christ and… Apostles have made necessary to Church U… Acts 2.42. They continued stedfast in the… postles Doctrin, and fellowship, and in b… of Bread, and of Prayers. We part wit… Church as a Marriner parts with his… in a Storm. 'Tis Bishop Bramhall's A… to the Papists, saith he, "If they did i… on us a necessity of doing Sinful things, and offending God, and wounding our Consciences, then we did not leave them, but they did drive us out from them. So we …y we are not departed from the Doctrin of …rist, nor any of his Ordinances, and seeing …ey will not permit us to Worship God with …em, without doing what we judge to be …nful, must we therefore forbear to worship … all?
Our Assemblies are true particular Church…, for where there are Lawful Pastors dis…using Holy Ordinances, and a People meet…g, and unanimously joyning in the use of …em, there is a true Church. Hic est fons …ritatis, hoc est templum dei, hoc domicilium dei, as Lactantius speaks; What want our …ssemblies, except the Controverted Cere…onies, we Read the same Holy Scriptures, …e Preach the same Holy Doctrin, we have the …me Prayers in Substance, tho' no Liturgy, we …ve the same Holy Sacraments Administred … Ministers duly called, and rightly Ordain'd … Scripture-Bishops: We have a great Love …d a very honourable Esteem for Churches …d Ministers that differ from us, if they yet …ld the Foundation: Where, or what then the Schism we are guilty of.
II. Of the Consociation of Churches.
The Church of Christ which is Catholick, be…g distinguished into lesser Societies, i. e. Particular Churches, and tho' these Partic… Churches, being rightly constituted and O… ganiz'd, have the Government within the… selves, i. e. Every stated Church hath its o… proper Pastor or Pastors, having full Aut… rity to Teach and Govern it in the Name… Christ.
Yet there is a Subordination of Partic… Churches taken distributively, to an Asociati… or Collective Body of the same Churches, i… whether there ought not to be a Union… Consociation of Particular Churches a… themselves?
Now it must be granted that Partic… Churches are so many distinct Members one great Body, i. e. They are Parts and M… bers of the Universal Catholick Church; … therefore being all United to one Head, w… is Christ, and all walking by one Rule… Holy Word or Gospel of Christ; that… cannot but be interested in each other,… have a Mutual concern in each others… being; as a Particular single Church… Provincial, and a Provincial for a N…ti… Church; and again, this National Church… all other Nations and Churches abroad… fessing the same Holy Gospel of Christ.
And if the Faithf…l … or one, tw… more Pastors in a …ingle Church, by their… ly Diligence and Wisd…, can advise wh… most to the Glory of God, and Edifica… of this single Church; much more like …hat an Association of such Faithful Pastors, …hered together by consent from many …urches, should be able to judge what is best … the whole.
III. Of a Synod.
And such an Association of the Pastors of …veral Churches may be called a Synod, when …e Pastors or Deputies of several Particular …urches meet to advise and consult for the …od of the whole: And that the Unanimous …reement of the Associated Pastors is bind…g to all the Churches whom they represent, …ovided their Decrees are not contrary to …ipture, is evident, Acts 15.2, 4, 6. When …efore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissen… and disputation with them, they determined … Paul and Barnabas and oth…rs of them should …p to Jerusalem unto the Apostles and Elders …ut this question: Read vers. 4, 6. Acts. 15. … 19. But this question I leave to others …o are better able to speak to it, as being …ond the design of this Discourse.
…he Conclusion: Proving it to be the Duty of …y Christian to joyn in, and be a Member of …e well-order'd Particular Church.
Now as a Conclusion to the Discourse con…ing the Church, let me exhort and per…de every one that love their Souls to give …hemselves to be a Member of some Parti…r well-order'd Church. And I hope I have prevailed, when I have proved it y… Duty: Now that every one ought to be joyn… as a standing Church-Member, to some pa… ticular Church, I prove it,
1. Because those Saints we Read of… Scripture were Members of some Partic… Church, Rom. 16.1, 2. Phebe was a Me… of the Church of Cenchrea, see v. 3. ad f… Mat. 18.17. Tell it to the Church, i. e. t… Church whereof you are a Member, Acts … 47.
2. It was the manner of the Apostles, t… whereever God Blessed their Ministry to… Conversion of Souls, they still United t… into a Particular Church, Ordaining them… ders to watch over them and feed the… the Name of the Lord, Acts 14.23. Or… ing them Elders in every Church.
3. Christ commands us so to do, Cant. … 7, 8. The Church comes there with ease… Christ, Oh! shew me thou whom my Soul h… where thou feedest, where thou makest thy F… to rest at Noon, &c. Now Christs Answ… plain, vers. 8. — Go thy way forth by the steps of the Flock, feed thy Kids beside the… herds Tents.
4. Because Christ is there Graciously… sent, and where should we be, but… …ist is, Rev. 1.12. — I saw seven Golden …dlesticks: (i. e. Churches) and in the midst …e seven Golden Candlesticks one like unto the … of Man, cloathed with a Garment down to the …, &c.
5. The Titles and Epithets given to the …rch in Scripture, it is called the House of …d, 1 Tim. 3.5. The Flock of God, Acts … 28, &c. The Terms plainly intimate, …t every Believer must be an Inhabitant in …s House, a Member of this Flock.
6. The Names given to Ministers, they are …ed Shepherds, Overseers, Acts 20.28. Watch…, Rulers, Heb. 13.7, 17. This proves …y have a Peculiar House, Flock, &c. to Rule … Govern.
…. The Duty of Ministers to their Flock …h suppose them to have some who are their …liar Charge, if we know not who are of … Flock or House, how can we perform the …y of Pastors to them, Acts 20.28.
…. The Duties of People to their Ministers, … submit to them, Heb. 13.17. and obey …m, to love them, pray for them, afford …m a comfortable Maintainance, this they …not do if they know not who are their own …ors.
9. From the end of the Ministry; to… struct, Edify and build them up, Eph. 4… 12.
10. Every Christian is to pertake of… Ordinances, which he cannot do unless …e… a Member of some Church, Psal. 119.4, 5,… Luk. 1.5, 6.
PART II.
A DISCOURSE Concerning the LORD's SUPPER.
Wherein is Shewed,
I. The Nature, End, &c. of the Lord's Supper.
II. That Christians now lye under greater Obligations to attend frequently upon the Lord's Table, than the Jews did of old to attend on the Passover.
III. That a Careless and Causless Neglect of the Lord's Supper is a great Sin, procuring great and sore Judgments.
By Michael Harrison in Potters-Pury.
…ondon, Printed, and Sold by T. Pasham in Northampton, and M. Conyers in Newport-Pagnel, Booksellers. 1700.