A Collection of cases and other discourses lately written to recover dissenters to the communion of the Church of England by some divines of the city of London ; in two volumes ; to each volume is prefix'd a catalogue of all the cases and discourses contained in this collection.

III.

Thirdly, We desire, that before they go on to accuse our Church with driving them into Separation, they would directly charge her with imposing sinful terms of Communion. And unless they do this, and when they have done it, make it good, (for barely to accuse, I hope, is not sufficient,) I see not which way they can possibly justifie their Separation from us. 'Tis upon this account that the whole Protestant Refor∣mation defends their Departure from the Church of Rome. They found the Doctrine of that Church in∣finitely corrupt in several of the main Principles of Religion, New Articles of Faith introduced, and bound upon the Consciences of Men under pain of Damna∣tion, its Worship overgrown with very gross Idola∣try and Superstition; its Rites and Ceremonies not only over-numerous, but many of them advanced into proper and direct Acts of Worship, and the use of them made necessary to Salvation; and besides, its Members required to joyn and communicate in these Corruptions and Depravations, nay, and all Pro∣posals and Attempts towards a Reformation obstinate∣ly rejected and thrown out; in which Case, they did with great Reason and Justice depart from her: which we may be confident they would not have done, had no more been required of them, than instead of Wor∣shipping Images, to use the Sign of the Cross in Bap∣tism, or instead of the Adoration of the Host, to kneel at the Receiving of the Sacrament. A Learned * 1.1 Protestant Divine, of great Name and Note, has expres∣ly told us;

That had there been no other Faults in

the Church of Rome, besides their useless Ceremo∣nies in Baptisme, and some other things that are beyond the measure and genius of the Christian Re∣ligion, they had still continued in the Commu∣nion of that Church.

Indeed did the Church of England command any thing which Christ has prohibited, or prohibit any thing which Christ has commanded, then come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, were good Warrant and Authority. But where do we meet with these pro∣hibitions? not in the word of God, not in the nature and reason of the things themselves? nor indeed do we find our Dissenting Brethren of late very forward to fasten this charge, and much less to prove it; whatever unwary sayings may fall from any of them in the heat and warmth of Disputation, or be suggested by indi∣rect consequences, and artificial insinuations. And if our Church commands nothing that renders her Com∣munion sinful, then certainly Separation from her must be unlawful, because the Peace and Unity of the Church, and obedience to the commands of lawful Authority, are express and indispensable duties; and a few private suspicions of the unlawfulness of the thing are not sufficient to sway against plain, publick, and necessary Duties: nor can it be safe to reject Communicating with those, with whom Christ him∣self does not refuse Communion.

This I am sure was once thought good Doctrine by the chiefest of our Dissenters, who when time was, reasoned thus against those that subdivided from them; If we be a Church of Christ, and Christ hold Communion with * 1.2 us, why do you Separate from us? If we be the Body of Christ, do not they that Separate from the Body, Separate from the Head also? we are loath to speak any thing that may offend you, yet we entreat you

to consider, that if the Apostle call those Divisions of the Church of Corinth (wherein Christians did not separate into divers formed Congregations in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper,) Schisms, (1 Cor. 1. 10.) may not your Secession from us, and pro∣fessing you cannot joyn with us as Members, and setting up Congregations of another Communion, be more properly called Schism?—You gather Churches out of your Churches, and set up Churches in an opposite way to our Churches, and all this you do voluntarily and unwarrantably, not having any sufficient cause for it.

And in the same Book they tell us of a Two-fold Schism, Negative and Positive; Negative, when Men do peaceably and quietly withdraw from Communion with a Church, not making a Head against that Church, from which they are depart∣ed: the other is, when Persons so withdrawing do consociate and withdraw themselves into a di∣stinct and opposite Body, setting up a Church a∣gainst a Church, which (say they) Camero calls a Schism by way of Eminency; and further tells us, There are Four Causes, that make a Separation from a Church lawful; 1. When they that Sepa∣rate are grievously and intollerably Persecuted; 2. When the Church they Separate from is Hereti∣cal; 3. When it is Idolatrous; 4. When it is the Seat of Antichrist. And where none of these four are found, there the Separation is insufficient, and Schism. Now we are fully assured, that none of these Four Causes can be justly charg'd upon our Congregations; therefore you must not be dis∣pleased with us, but with your selves, if we blame you as guilty of positive Schism.

All which is as

true now, as it was then, and as applicable to us and them as it was to them and their Dissenters.

Admit then, there were some things in our Con∣stitution that might be contrived to better purposes, and that needed Amendment and Alteration; yet I hope every Defect, or supposed Corruption in a Church, is not a sufficient ground for Separation, or warrant enough to rend and tear the Church in pie∣ces.

Let Mr. Calvin judge between us in this matter, * 1.3 who says, That wherever the Word of God is due∣ly Preached, and reverently attended to, and the true use of the Sacraments kept up, there is the plain Appearance of a true Church, whose Autho∣rity no Man may safely despise, or reject its Admo∣nitions, or resist its Counsels, or set at nought its Discipline, much less Separate from it, and Violate its Unity; for that our Lord has so great regard to the Communion of his Church, that he accounts him an Apostate from his Religion who obstinate∣ly Separates from any Christian Society, which keeps up the true Ministry of the Word and Sacra∣ments: that such a Separation is a denial of God and Christ, and that it is a dangerous and pernici∣ous Temptation, so much as to think of Separating from such a Church; the Communion whereof is never to be rejected, so long as it continues in the true use of the Word and Sacraments, though other∣wise it be over-run with many Blemishes and Corrup∣ons.

Which is as plain and full a Determination of the Case, as if he had particularly designed it against the Doctrine and Practice of the Modern Dissenters from our Church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Amyrald. de Secess. ab Eccles. Rom. pag. 233.
• * 1.2

  A Vindica∣tion of the Presbyteri∣al Govern∣ment. 1649. p. 130.
• * 1.3

  Institut. lib. 4. Sect. 10, 11, 12. fol. 349.