1 this excellent faying: If I did not finde in my felfe a love and de- When I confider of thefe caufes of departing from a particular Church, that speech of Tertullian concerning a Martyr comes into my minde, Non pœna fed caufa facit Martyrem, Not the punishment but the cause makes a Martyr. So, Non deceffio fed caufa facit Schifmaticum, Not the departing, but the caufe makes a Schifmatick. Aquinas fhewing that wherein the vitiousnesse of Schifme lyes, fayes, As in naturall things that which is by accident does not conftitute the species, fo in morall, not that which is befide the intention for that is accidentall: therefore, fayes he, the ftituit fpeciem; fin of Schifme is in that it intends to feparate from that unity which ita in rebus mo- charity makes, and therefore Schifmaticks are properly these who of ralibus, id quod their own accord and intention dee feparate themselves from the uni ty of the Church. Sicut in rebus naturalibus id quod eft per accidens non con efl intentum. Quod fequitur præter mentionem, e quafi per accidens, & ideo peccatum fibifmatick proprie cft fpeciale peccatum, ex eo quod intendit fe ab unitate feparare quam cbaritas facit, & ideo proprie Schifmatici dicuntur qui propria ponte intentione fe ab unitate Ecclefiæ feparant. Aquinas 2da. ada. Quest. 39. Art. 1, C. The next thing confiderable in the defcription of Schifme; is the rafhneffe of the feparation: though the caufe of feparating be juft, yet the manner of it may be fchifmaticall, if done rafhly or violently. Those who are joyned in communion with others, when they differ from thofe with whom they have communion, they are bound to examine, try, to make use of all meanes they can to fatisfie their confciences in things they fcruple: and if they cannot, yet before they breake off communion they are bound to feek by all means they can for a redress of those things which after moft ferious examination appeare evill to them, they are bound to wait with much forbearance, and longfuffering. And at laft if there be a neceffity of departing, they muft not rend away with violence, but fhew themselves willing and ready in the fpirit of love and meekneffe to open their cause, to fhew their reasons to the Church why they cannot continue in that that communion with them they formerly had, and defire that they may peaceably and lovingly depart, feeing they cannot with peace of their confcience and love to their foules continue with them, and that they may joyne with fome other Church, where they may enjoy peace and further edification. Surely here is no Schifme, this is no rending away, here is no violence used, here is onely a loving and peaceable feceffion; notwithstanding this, were it not the pride, envy and frowardneffe of mens fpirits, much love and peace might continue amongst Christians and Churches: True indeed, if men can beare no contradiction, no kinde of blame of their wayes, there must needs be trouble; but then those who doe contradict or blame, though they be in the wrong, yet if it be through weakneffe, and carryed with meekneffe, they are not fo much the cause of the trouble, as those who cannot beare this weaknesse of their Brethren without frowardneffe and contention. There are other names of divifion; the name of Puritan, what a divider hath it been? but that seeing it felf ready to dye,divided it felf into two, Round head and Independent; these are now the opprobrious,difcriminating,fcornfull names of divifion amongst us: For the first, there is so much folly and abfurdity in it, that furely it will foone vanish of it felfe if you contemne it; it is too low and contemptible for a Pulpit,or a Pen to meddle with; But the other carries in the face of it an open defiance to all kind of government, a monstrous kind of liberty for men to live as they lift, and to be accountable to none, whatsoever they hold or doe: Certainly fuch kinde of people as these, are not to be fuffered; fhall I fay in any Christian fociety? no not in any humane fociety; if there be any fuch people as thefe, they are one of the moft monftrous kinde of people that ever lived upon the face of the earth: How many runne away with the word, and cry out of men and their wayes under this name which they know not? How farre those who are for the Congrega tionable way, are from fuch an uncontroulable liberty, hath beene fhewne, Chap. 7. Pag. 41. I fhall adde this one thing, of all kinde of governments in the Church, that which hath this name faftened upon it is moft oppofiteto the name of any in that fense it is ordinarily taken, for there is no Church government that holds forth more meanes to reduce from errour, or any miscarriage, then this doth; examine it with the Prelaticall or Presbyteriall Government, and you shall find it; for firft, in the Prelaticall Government, if once the Prelates determine any cafe, you must there reft, there is no Church helpe for you, except you will fay it is in a Convocation, where we know they ruled both in the choyce of members, and ordering all things as they lift. In the Presbyteriall way, if fo many af fociated Elders determine any cafe, it muft in them receive the finall determination, you must reft in it, although the greater part of the Churches, and the greater number of Elders in a Kingdome fhould be of another minde; for if you rise to a Nationall Affembly, there are not the twentieth part of Elders of the Kingdome in it: But thofe who men call Independents fay, that if any thing be done by them that is offenfive,not only thofe affociated Elders, but all or any Elders or Churches whatsoever may require account, may in the name of Chrift doe all in effect, for the reducing of them, that thofe affociated Elders can doe, ftill remembring that Church-power in one or the other, goes no further then mens confciences; if men wil not confcientiously regard what is done to reduce them from evill, there is no help within the Church, but to appeale to CHRIST; as for the externall helpe by the Magiftrate, that concernes not the controverfie about Church-government, and yet for fubjection to that Ordinance of God, the principles and profeffion of thofe you call Independents leave as much to the Magiftrate, as the principle or profeffion of thofe who are Pref byteriall doe, if not more. Tolle jam nominis crimen & nihil refrat nifi criminis nomen; Now take away the crime of the name, and there remaines nothing but the name of a crime. CHAP. CHA P. XXVI. The seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth dividing Practices. The seventh, Whatsoever personall evill there is in any one who is in a differing way from others, is caft upon all that are in that way. T "His you know was the practice of former times, whatfoever evill any forward Profeffour was guilty of, that was caft upon all, they are all thus; Doe you not fee what Hypocrites they are? whatsoever their fhewes be, yet if they have opportunity they will be as vile as any men; enough may be found against the best of them all, if they were narrowly watched; this is their way, they are a company of diffemblers: Such kinde of imputations are carryed upon the miscarriage of any one,upon all,on purpose to enrage the people against them: We accounted this hard dealing heretofore, let us not now be guilty of fuch things our felves. Some fuch practice it is like there was amonft the Corinthians, when that foule fact of the incestuous perfon brake forth, fome of them were puffed up, fo the Apostle chargeth them; it is a very strange charge that any fhould be puffed up upon fuch a thing as that; what was there in it to occafion puffing up? The Answer is this, It is cleare there were great divifions in Corinth, fome fided one way, fome onother; now one of them who was of fuch a fide, fell into this foule and fcandalous finne, upon that the other fide thought they had an advantage against the whole party, and this puffed them up; nay doe you not fee what one of them hath done? you may by him fee what kinde of men they are; this made the whole party low in their eyes; they caft the contempt of this one upon all that were affociated with him in fuch a way differing from others: This could not but widen the divifions amongit them. It is an evill advantage that men take,if they fee fome very erroneous many wayes, and obnoxious in their lives, yet if thefe agree but in fome one thing with those whom themfelves differ from; all the odium of thefe errours and loofe lives must be caft upon fuch as they thus agree with, in that one thing though A a z their Vide Stanisl um Refchium in centur. Evang ka. jër, 19 1.3 their confciences cannot but tell them,that those Brethren who are in a differing way from them, doe abominate fuch errourrs and loofeneffe of life as much as themselves. After God ufed Luther to bring light into Germany, there arofe many Sects; Fapifts fay, there were grown in the Church after Luthers time, in one hundred yeeres, two hundred and feventy Sects, whereas from Chrifts time to his, there cannot be reckoned above a hundred eighty one.Now this was the practice of the Papists, that they might caft an odium upon the Lutheran party, which they lookt upon as standing moft in their light; whatsoever errours were held, or miscarriages of life appeared in any of these Sects, all was caft upon the Lutheran party,upon this ground, because the Lutherans and these fects agreed in this, that they were all against the Papacie. There are many amongst us, who contend for feverall wayes, Anabaptifts, Antinomians, Socinians, Separatists, those that are for the Congregationall way, Seekers, with many others, they all agree in this,that they are against the Prelacie; Doe you now thinke it were a juft thing for the Prelates to gather together all the errours,opinions,and mifcarriages in life,in all these forts of men, and caft the ignominy and odium of all upon our Brethren, who contend for the Presbytery? if they should fay,Look what vile opinions are held by those who are against Epifcopacie,how fcandalously many of them live, but they all concenter in this, they would have the Prelacie downe, they are enemies to Bifhops: You would prefently answer, What though they agree in this one thing? yet fuch as are for the Presbyterie, they are as much against the errours and disorders of those who joine with them in this one thing, as your felves are. We read Ier. 29.16. Shemajah fent Letters to Zephaniah against Ieremiah; marke the Argument he ufeth why leremiah fhould be dealt feverely withall. The Lord, fayes he to Zephaniak, hath made thee Priest instead of Iekojadah. Why, what then? where lyes the force of his Argument, that feremiah muft therefore be punished? It lay here, lebojadah had punifhed one Matthan an Idolatrous Prieft; therefore, fayes Shemajab, you must doe as Iehojadah did; as if he should fay, they are both in one way, This Ieremiah was a Priest, and so was Mai than; fuch kinde of men must be looked to, they are all alike.. Mattban |