How far Separation is a'Duty. May man ffJak.e new Cburch~Officers ~ no Chrifiians, that are not fubj_ect to them in this their Ufurpation: And they that ar~ but about the third or fourth p>rt (at moll) of the Chrifiian world, do condemn the Body of Chr1!l to Hell (even all the reil) becaufe they arc not Subjects of die Pope• . ~. 25· Befides all this criminal odioU< Schifm, of Impofcrs or Stparatert, there is a degree ofSchifm or u>tj•ft Divijion, which may be the infirmity 0 f a good and peaceable perfon. As Jf a humble render Chrifiian fhould mifiakingly think it unlawful to do fame action that is impofed upon all that will hold communion with that particular Church ( fuch·as Pa•l fpeaketh of Rom. 14. if they had been impofed ) : And if he fufpecting his own undcrtlanding, do ufc all means to know the truth, and yct.f\ill continuerh in his mifiake: If this Chrifiian do forbear all reviling of his fuperiours, ;md ccnfuring thofe th:lt differ from him, and drawing others to his. opinion, but yet aarc not joyn with the Church in that which he uketh to be a fin, this is a finful fort of withdrawing, be.. c:mfe it is upon mifhke : But yet it is but a pardonable i;tjirmity, confillent with integrity, and the favour of God. 735 9. 2 6. I V. In. th~fe cafes f~llowing Separation isoltr duty a_nd not a fin. r. The Ch~rches f~paration' wbac Stp1fl.: from the Vnbtluvmg world IS a nectffary duty; For what IS a Church, but a foctety ded1cated or tion isaduty. fand:ified to God, by feptration from the refi of the world? 2 Cor. 6. 17, r8. 'Wherefore come t!Ut from among Jb~m, <md be ye [eparale foitb the Lord, and touch not the :4Jtclum thing, and I wiU re~ 1 Pet.t.r,~1,9· ccive you, andn:iil be a Father untoyo:1, aud yejhaU be my Sons and Daughters, faith the Lo]'d At- Ltg.Gratlumdt mighJy. The Chu~ch is a Holy people, and therefore a f~patated .poop!e. . . ~~~·. P'~· >Jo, ~· 27· 2. If a Church apoj/aJize and forfak..e ''" fallh, or 1f they turn notonoufly Hmtrcal de– nying openly any one E.ffmtial Article of the taith, and this not only by an undifcerned confcquence, but dire{Jly in cxprefs ttrms or fcnfc, it is our duty todeny to hold communion with fuchApofh.tes or Wereticks : For it is their feparating from Chrijt that is the finful feparation, and maketh it ne~ cdfary to us to feparate from them. But this is no excufe to any Church or perfon, that fhall falfly accuf< any other Church or·perfon of Herefie (. bccaufe of fame forced or difowned confequences of bisDoctrine), and then fcparatc from them when thty have thus injured them by their calurnnit:s Or cen£Ures. ~· 28. We are not bou11d to own 1hat' at a Church whicb mak,!th not a vifible Profeffio/1 of faith pnd ha· limfi: that is, Ifthe Paftort and a fufficient number of 1he foiok mak,.e not thit Proftffion. For as the Pojlor and flock.. arc the conj!ituem partt of the Church, politically confidercd, fo Profeffion of faith and holimfi is the cffen~ial quat;ficat;on of the membeu. If either I,>aftors or people want this p'Nftffion, ) t. is no Political Church : But If the people profd5 n ue Religion, and have no Pafiors, it is a community of believers, or a Church 1morganiz.ed, and aJ fuch to be acknowledged. ~· 29· 4· Ifany fhall unlawfully confiitute anew Political Church-form, by making new con!litutive OfficerJ to be itsVifib/e Head, which Chrifl: never appointed, we are not to hold communion·with the Church in itsdevifed formor Polity: though we may hold Communionwith the members ofit confide– redas CbrijlianJand membersofthe Univerfal Church. Mark well,that I do not fay that e_very new dcvi– fed Ollic<r difobligeth us from fuch communion, but fuch as I defcribe; which I fhall fullycr open. 9 30. Queft. May not mm place new OfficerJ in the.Church: 11nd nerv forms of Government which ~rft· Gcd never injliumdl or i1 there any form and Offi.:erto{Divine injfitution l Whether any ·. Anfw:Though I anfwcred this befllre, I Oi.a\l here briefly anfwer it again;, I· There are forne forts form of of_ OfM.cer~ that are effential to the Polity~ or Church.form, _and.fome t~at are only needful to the rvrU· ;c~~~~~~ .. bemg of 1t~ and fomc that are only 4cczdntt9l: 2. There 15. a. C~Jerchform of God1 own infiitution, of Divine 3 p.. and there JSa [upcraddedburna1te Poh:y, or form ; There arc two fort ofChurches, or Church.forms pointmcnt: of Gods own inHitlltion. The firtl is the Vniverfal Church cqnlidc:red PolilicaUy as Headed by Jefus and whctbet ~hriil: This is foofDivincappointmenr, as that it is an AnidC of our Crtcd. Here if any man ma.11 mayap•, deviCe and fuptrind ucc another Head of the Univerfal Ch.urch, which God neVer appointed, though ~~b~~ :ny he pretend to hold his Soveraignty from Chriil and under hirn, it isTreafon againll: the fovcraignty of Chrifi, as fctting up an Univcrfa1 Government or Soveraign in his Churc~ without his auth,ority and confent. Thus the Pope is the Ufurping Head of a Rebd!iori again.fl Chrifi, and in that fenfe by Proteflacts called Antichrifi: And he isguilty ofthe Rebellion thatfi•bfcribtlb to,or owncth his Ufurpation, or fweareth to him as his Governour, though he promifc: to obey him but i1J liciti1& honcftiJ: Becaufe it is not l.:wful or boncft to confent to a VfurptrJ Governmtm. If a Ufurpcr fhould trayte· >: roufiy without the King~ conknt, proclaim himfelfVice-King of Ireland or Scotland, and falfly fay that l~e hath the Kings Authority, when the King difdaimeth him, he that fhould voluntarily {wear obedience to him in things lawfifl and bonc{l, doth voluntarily o'wn his Ufurpation and Treafon. _And its not the 1awfu1nefs and honeay of the m.mer Which will 'varrant us to own the Ufurpation of the Commander. And Secondly, There is another fubordinate Church-form ofCh1ifis infiitution : that is G • J !'articular Clmrchu ~onfifiing ofPafiors an~ pCbp~e conjo~ned fm perfon_al Communion in GodJ TYorjhip: i~}: ;~o~:;. ~ f hcfe arc to the Vmverfal Church, as part1~Ular CorparallonJ.arc to a Kmgdorn, even fuch Parts of it 1 :,6. as have a diftinCl: fubordinate Polity of theit b~n: It is no City or Corporation, if they have not their Mayors, B>ililfs, or other Chief Officers! fubj<ct to the King, as Governours of the people under hi~: A:nd it is no patticular _Churc~, in_ a: Political [enfc ,,b~t oaly a C1mmunity, if they have not the1r Pafiors to be under Chrlfl, theii fpmtual Conductors m the matters of falvation ; as there is 1lo Schoal which is not confiituted of 1eacher a11d s ,holarJ. That particulu orginized Political Churchos arc ofChrifis inllitution (by his Spirit in the Apofiles:) is undenyable: Acts 14· 23: "fhty ordained tiJtm Elders in tvtry Ch11rch. Ttt. r. 5• Ordain Elders in every City IJJ I commanded thet: Bbbbb Acts
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