A Protestant of the Church of England, no Donatist, or, Some short notes on Lucilla and Elizabeth

A. St. Augustin's Censure against the Donatists involving Protestants.

A. And why not involving Papists as well as Protestants? For we have less to do with Donatism than they have. What St. Austin says against the Donatists is upon the account of their Schism, and may indeed be applied to other Schismaticks: But before they can be applied to us, they must prove us to be Schismaticks; which is not so easy to do, as to take it for granted; which our Author, I see, is most inclined to. But, if the Schismatick should fall to their own share, they must take the Censure of St. Austin to themselves.

* 1.1 B. YOV [Donatists] are with us [Catholics] in Baptism, in the Creed, and in the rest of our Lord's Sacraments; but in the Spirit of Vnity, in the Bond of Peace, lastly, in the Catholick Church it self, you are not with us.

B. TO agree in Faith and Worship, and yet to divide Communion, is cer∣tainly a notorious Schism. And thus St. Austin proves the Donatists to be Schismaticks; That they had the same Baptism, the same Creed, the same Sacraments, but would not Communicate with them; and thereby Divided themselves from the Catholick Church; did not Preserve the Spirit of Vnity in the Bond of Peace, but Refused to own themselves of the same Church. And this must be Schism; for nothing can justify a Separation, but a Corruption of Faith or Worship. But the Case is vastly different between us and the Church of Rome. For we have not the same Creed, the same Sacraments, and the same Worship: The Council of Trent has added a great many new Articles to our Creed; has made a great many new Sacraments, and corrupted the old ones, and has introduced a new and strang Worship, the Worship of Saints and Angels, and Service in an Unknown Tongue, into the Christian Church. And this is the Reason not of our Separating from, but of their Flinging us out of their Communion. And this Case St. Austin says nothing of; but we are ready to prove, That it is no Schism.

* 1.2 C. The Sacraments of Christ, which in the Sacrilege of Schism you [Donatists] have to Iudgment, will be profitable and wholsom to you, when you shall have the Head, Christ, in Catholic Peace, where Charity will cover a multitude of Sins.

C. If they apply this to us, then they must at least grant, That we have very good Sacraments in our Church, such as are profitable and wholsom; and convey to us all the Vertue and Benefit of Sacraments, till they can prove us guilty of Schism: And we desire to injoy the Benefit of our Sacraments no longer.

* 1.3 D. Whosoever believes Christ Jesus to be come in the Flesh, &c. but yet so dis∣sent from his Body, which is his Church, as that their Communion is not with the whole, wherever diffused, but is found Separated in some part, 'tis manifest they are not in the Catholic Church.

D. This was a good Argument in St. Austin's time; when the whole Catholick Church was in one Communion, without any Corruptions in Faith and Worship

to justifie a Separation. For, in this Case, whoever separated from any Society of Christians, separated from the whole Christian Church; and nothing else was necessary to prove them Schismaticks, but only their Separation; which was as visible a Schism, as tearing an Arm or Leg from the Body. For when the whole Church was one Communion, without any Corruptions of Faith or Worship, there could be no Dispute which was the True Catholick Church; and to Sepa∣rate from the Catholick Church is certainly Schism. This was the Case of the Donatists, against whom St. Austin wrote that Book de Vnitate. They had nothing to object against the Faith or Worship of the Catholick Church; but only pretended, that they Communicated with Traditors, or those who were Ordained by them, that is, With those who, in the Times of Persecution, deli∣vered up their Bibles to the Persecutors; which yet was not so great a Fault as taking away the Bible from the People, (which if they had not had in those Days, they could not have delivered it) and persecuting those who use it.

But when the Church is divided in Faith and Worship, into a great many different and opposite Communions, it is a ridiculous thing for any Part of the Church to call it self the Whole; and then to charge others, as St. Austin does the Donatists, with Separating from the Whole; especially, when such a Separation is occasioned by such Corruptions as are dangerous to Mens Souls. Which is vastly different from the state of the Church in St. Austin's time; and therefore what he says cannot be immediately applied to us. They must first prove, that the Roman Church is the Catholick Church, and a Pure and Uncorrupt Church; and then we will grant, that not to Communicate with them is Schism.

E. This Church is the Body of Christ, as the Apostle saith,* 1.4 Col. 1. 24. For his Body, which is his Church. Whence surely 'tis manifest, That he who is no Member of Christ, cannot have Christian Salvation. But the Members of Christ are joyn'd to each other by the Charity of Vnity, and by the same [Charity] do they cohere to their Head, Christ Jesus.

E. To separate from the Body of Christ is certainly Schism; but St. Austin in the same place tells us, that there is a Separation from the Head, as well as from the Body; that is, from Christ who is the Head, as well as from his Body, which is his Church. The first is a Schism occasioned by Heresy; the second is a causless Schism without any corruption in Faith and Worship. So that He never inten∣ded that, for fear of Schism, we should Communicate with a very Corrupt Church; but only warns us not to Separate from the Church of Christ, when such a Church does not Separate from Christ. But as far as any Church, or Society of Christians, Separates from Christ, the Head, so far we may and ought to Separate from them.

F. Whosoever therefore is Separated from this Catholick Church,* 1.5 how laudably so∣ever he thinks himself to live, for this only Crime, that he is disjoyn'd from the Vnity of Christ, he shall not have life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

F. As for the evil and danger of Schism, we perfectly agree with this Father; and will say as Ill things of it, as the Church of Rome her self can desire: But we are not afraid of these Ill Consequences of Schism, while we are no Schis∣maticks.

G. NOW St. Augustin places the Donatists Schism in their not joyning with Ca∣tholicks in Religious Offices, In forsaking all Christian Assemblies, In not partaking with them of the Eucharist, In Prayers, &c. Whence he concludes them

not to belong to the Catholic Church, Not to be Members of Christ's Mystical Body, Not to have Charity, Not Sacraments to Benefit, Not Piety with Hope, nor Sal∣vation.

G. THIS is all very true, and this was the Character of the Donatist Schism. They were charged with no Heresy, for they were Guilty of none; but only with Separating from the Communion of the Catholick Church, in Prayers, and Sacraments, which is a Separation; and if it be Causless, as it was in the Donatists, has the Guilt of Schism: But is a very just Separation, and no Schism, if it have a just Cause.

H. Have Prelatical Protestants of Great Britain and Ireland any visible Com∣munion, in the Eucharist or other Divine Service, with any Christian Church on Earth? If they have not, as is undeniable, then according to St. Augustin, they are not in the Catholic Church, are not Members of Christ, are without Charity, bene∣ficial Sacraments, hopeful Holiness, and eternal Salvation.

H. Do the Prelatical Protestants of Great Britain and Ireland refuse Commu∣nion with, or deny Communion to, any Church on Earth, without a Cause? If they do not, they are Innocent; if they say we do, let them prove it. We have no∣thing in our Worship that can hinder any Christian (not Roman-Catholicks them∣selves) from Communicating with us; and then, if they will not do it, it is their own Faults. We refuse Communion with no Church, with whom we can Communicate without Sin; and it is no Fault to refuse Communion, when it cannot be had without Sin. And therefore we are still in the Catholick Church, (and, I believe, the best Reformed part of the Catholick Church;) we are Members of Christ, have true Christian Charity (so much even for the Church of Rome, that it is made by themselves an Argument against us) and therefore doubt not to receive all the benefit of Sacraments; and, if we live holily, to receive the Fruits of it in eternal Salvation.

I. And this Censure by so much the more justly belongs to them, as their Schism is more consumacious, their Calumnies against the Catholick Church more horrid, and their Defection by Heresie, as well as Schism, wider than the Donatists.

I. Contumacy can never be in a good Cause, and that we are sure ours is. Though had he known any thing of the Story of the Donatists, he would have known, That no Man can be more constant, and vertuously steddy, in a good Cause, than they were contumaciously Obstinate in a bad one. We do not calumniate the Catholick Church, God forbid! nay, not the Roman Church; for though we say a great many Ill things of them, they are True, and that is no Calumny. And are we the greater Schismaticks, because we justifie our Separa∣tion, by laying the Fault on the Corruptions and Innovations of the Church of Rome? If the Donatists could have done so, St. Austin would not have thought them so much the worse Schismaticks, but no Schismaticks at all. And as for Heresy, when This Author can prove us guilty of that, we will allow our selves to be worse Schismaticks than the Donatists were.

The End.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Epist. 48.
• * 1.2

  Epist. 1 53.
• * 1.3

  De Vnita∣te Ecclesiae, c. 4.
• * 1.4

  Cap. 2.
• * 1.5

  Epist. 1 53.