1JireBions for you11g Chrijl:ians. we mu11 hold with the CatbJiick.,.Ghurcb through the world. A'Qd there is a Bodily localVnUm and Ecclefia vct:t Commrt?;on, which confit1eth. in ~ur joyning i~ body, as well as. mind, with p.zrticular Congregation.r; (:ir<;rera efi a And th1s as w~: canner hold JC TPJtb all, nor with any Congregauon, but one at once ; fo we are not ~xtu Cain,~1ui bound to h_old i~ with any 1 that w~\1 drive us from it,. unlcfs we will c_omm~t fom~ fin : Statedly we .~cdfc:r:tt :t mull hold 1t, With the Church wh~eh regularly we are JDYn!:d to, and live Wl{h: and OccafionaUy -we b~~~efi.~~~~~~l'· mufi: hold i~ with a~\ others, where we have a ca~l ~nd opporr.uniry, who in th~ fubllance wor0 1 ip & :u:un fe~ ' God acco~dmg to Ius Word, and force us not to im m cm1formuy eo them. Jt IS not Scbifm eo la· fom. Ita ment the lins of any Church, or of all the Churchr's in the world; The: Catbolick_ Church on earth fbtim in:;io confifis of finners. Ir is not Schifm to refufe to be partaker in any Gn of the pureft Church in the ~~~~~~o~r~n~= vVorld: O?ediencc to God ls not Schifm. It is not Sch.ifm that yo~ joyn .not. Bodily with rhofe r:~m Eccldiam Congregations where you dwelT not, nor have any particular call to )Oyn wHh them: Nor that you pm h~mlni ~hoofe the purefr ::md mort ~difying Society, rather than one that is lefs pure and profitable to you: ge~em dcfec.eterir pa,·ibrtf, fuppofing you are at liberty: nor that you hold not Bodily Communion wjth thlt ~b:~nic~a;;~~. Church, that will notfufftr you to do it, ~itho~t finning againfi God: Nor that you joyn not with p. 16 . the pur~ft_Cburcb, wh~n yo~ are caUrd to abtde With one lej1 pure. . BU[ Jt IS worfe than Sclufm to feparate from the 'Vmver[r1l Church: To feparate from 1ts Faitbis Apvjl,zfie to infidelity. To feparate from it in fame one or few effemi:zl Articles, while you pretend to hold to ChriH the H,ad, is Htrtfie: To feparate from it in Spirit, by refufing Holine[r, and ~ot love– ing fuch as arc truly holy, is d.mming ungodline[s or wickednefs i To differ from it by any error, of judgement or life, againfi the Law at 9"od, is fin. To magnifie any one Cburcb or party, fo as to de· ny due Love aud Communion to the refi, is Schifm. To limit all the Church to your Pprty, and deny all or any of the reO to be Chrif!iant, and parrs of the Vniverf•l Church, is Schifm by a dangerous breach ofCha,·ity: And this isthe principalSchifm that I here admonifh you to avoid. It is Scbifm alfo to condemn unjufily any particular Church, as no Church: And it is Schifm to withdraw yoVr Bodi.ly Commmtion from a Church that you were bound to hold that Communion witQ; cpon a falfc fuppofition that it is no Church, or is not lawfully to be communicated with. And iris Schifrn to make Divifions or parties in a Church, though you divide not from that Church. Thus I have (briefly ) told you what is Schifin. . · §. 4• r. One pretence for Schi{m is ( Vfurped ) Authority, which fame one Church hlay claim to Command orhc'rs that owe them no fubjed:ion: Thus Pride which is the Spirit of HeU, having crept inro rhe Cburch ofCbrift, and a'nimated Ufurpation~ of Lurd!hip and Dominion, and contending for fuperiority, hath caufe~ the malt dangerous Schifms in the Church, that ever it was infefi:ed with. Tht B1fhop of Rome ( <~,dvantaged by the Si! at and Cruifli~uJiu" of that EmpiJ·~} having claimed the Government ot all the Chrifi.ian world, condcmneth all the Churches that wiJl not be his fubjell-s : And fo harh made himfclf the Head of a Sea, and of the mofr pernicious Schifm that ever did rend the ChurCh of Chrift; And the B11l10p of Con{lantinople, and too many more, have followed the fame Method in a lower degree, exahing themfelves above their Brethren, and giving them Laws, and then condemning and perfec~ting them th_at obey them nor. And w?en they have impofed up– on other Churches~ their own ufurped Authonty and LJws, they have la1d the plot to call all men Schifin.uick.f and Sea..1ries, rhat own not their tyrannical U[urpation, and that will not be Schifmaticks and Sedarks with them: And the cheat lyeth in this, that they confound tlae Churcbn Vnity, with their pretended Amhority,and Schifmwith therefufal •ffubjeaiO>t tothem. If you will not take themfor your Lord;, they cry out that you diuidt from the ClmrciJ: As if we could hold Communion wirh no Churches, but thofe whofe Bii11ops we obey? Communion with other Chutches .is maint3ined. by Faith and Charity, and Agreement inthi~tgt necrffary, without fubjetlion to them. As we may hold all juft Communion with the Churches ln Armenia, Ar.1bia, Ruf!ia, without fubjedion to their BiO:l.Qps, fo may we with any other Church befides that of which we arc members. Divifion or Schifot is con– trary to 'lhtity and Concord, and not to a Vfurped Government: Though difobedience to the Paftitu which God bath flt over M, is afi;z, and dividil1g[rom them, is a Scbifin. Both rhc Pope and all the lower Ufurpers, fhould do well firfi ro fhew their Commitfion from God to be our Rulers, before they call it Schijiu to refufc their Government. If they had not made better advantage of Fire and Sword, than of Scripture and Argument, the wor1d would but have laughed them to [corn, when they had heard them fay, AU are Scbi[matick.J tb.lt wiU not be our Subjells; Our Do;ninio1t a;zd will jJJJO be neccffary to thtVnity fJf tbt Church. The Univerfal Church indeed is One, united under One Head and Governour; but it is only Jefus Chrift that is that Head, and not any Ufurping Vicar Qr Vice-Cbrijl. The Biilmpsof particular Churches arehi1 Officers ; bur he hath Deputed no Vicar to his orv1t Office, as the Univerfal Head. Above all Scllt take heed oftb~ pernicious S<Cl:, who pretend their VforpeJ AHthority for their Scbijm, and have no way to promote their Sect, but by calling all Se[/arie; that will not be SctlaritJ, and Subje{!s unto them. 9· 5· 2· Another pretence for Schifm is the Numbcrt of the Party: This isanother of the Papijlt mo· tives: As if it were lawful to Divide the: Church of Chritl, if they can but get the greater party? They fay, We are the mo(l, and therefore youjhould yitld to 11< : ( And fo do others where by the Sword they force the mofi to fubmit to them.) But we anfwer them, As many as they are, they arc to_o few, to be the Vniverflll Cburcb. The Univerfal Church containing all true profcffing Chrifi:ians, JS much more thm they. The Papifis are 110t a third part ( if a fourth) of the whole Church. Pa– pifis are a corrupted Sea of Cbrijliant: I will be againfi Dividing the Body of Chrili into a~ry Scan rather than to be one of that ScCior divided party, which is the greattft. 9. 6. 3• Another pretence for Schifm, is the foundnefr or Ortbodoxntji cf a Party : Almofi all S<l.h pretend
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