A SEARCH FOR THE English Schismatick By the CASE and CHARACTERS I. Of the Diocesan Canoneers II. Of the Present Meer Nonconformists Not as an Accusation of the former but a Necessary Defence of the later so far as they are wrongfully Accused and Persecuted by them By Richard Baxter One of the Accused LONDON Printed for Nevil Simmons at the Sign of the Three Golden Cocks at the West-end of St. Pau ls Church-Yard 1681. POSTSCRIPT THE strivings of Parliaments since Archbishop Laud's Government against Innovations Popery and Arbitrary over-topping Law and their jealousies of the designs and progress while they themselves were of the Old Church of England do call us to think what the difference was between the Old and New HE that would know what the Old Church of England is let him read I. The 39 Articles II. The Homilies III. The Apology with Jewels defence IV. Nowell's Catechism V. Deus Rex all owned by the Church VI. Hookers Ecclesiastical Polity in 8 Books VII Bishop Bilson of Christian Subjection VIII Bishop Downham de Antichristo IX The great Writers against Popery as Dr. Whitaker Dr. Reynolds Dr. Willet Dr. Sutliff Dr. White Dr. Airy Dr. Humphrey Dr. Fulk Dr. Prideaux Dr. R. Abbot Dr. Crakenthorp Dr. Challoner Dr. Hall Bishop Usher Dr. Davenant Bishop Carlton Chillingworth Bishop Morton c. X. The Writings against Bishop Laud viz. Bishop Hall ' s Epistle to D. L. Archbishop G. Abbots and Bishop R. Abbot ' s judgment of him and his Tryal with what was there charged against him XI The Harmony of Confessions and the Synod of Dort XII King James ' s Works HE that would know what is the New Church of England since Bishop Laud differs from the Old let him read I. Dr. Heylin ' s Writings Dr. Pocklingtons Mr. Dows Sybthorps and Mainwarings II. Heylin ' s Life of B. Laud particularly his description of the designed reconciliation with the Papists III. Mr. Thorndike's Just weights and measures and forbearance of Penalties IV. Archbishop Bramhall ' s book against me explaining the new way in these particulars 1. To abhor Popery 2. That we all come under a Foreign Jurisdiction obeying the Pope as the Western Patriarch and also as the Principium unitatis to the universal Church Governing by the Canons 3. That Dissenters from this be accounted Schismaticks 4. That we yield to what the Greeks have yielded and be of their Religion 5. That Grotius was a Protestant for the Church of England V. Dr. Parkers Preface to that book and Dr. Pierce's defence of Grotius VI. Grotius his Volume and Notes on Cassander specially his Discussio Apologetici Riveliani in which he professeth 1. That Rome is the Mistris-Church 2. Sound in faith 3. That he finds Protestants can never unite but by uniting with Rome 4. He owns the Doctrine of the Councils even that of Trent 5. The Pope to govern by the Canons of the Councils and not arbitrarily 6. Nor must invade the rights of Kings or Bishops 7. That if the curiosities of the School-men and the ill lives of the Clergy be disowned and amended this much is enough to sober men 8. And he saith that the English Bishops were many of his mind tho' the Separatists were not VII The Earl of Clarendon ' s Defence of Dr. Stillingfleet laying the nature of Popery in their injury to Princes VIII Guil. Forbes Bishop of Edenborough his Irenicon IX Mr. Dodwell ' s book against Schism and the same doctrine maintained by others who nullifie Ministry and Churches whose Episcopal Ordination hath not come down from the Apostles uninterrupted X. The Bishops endeavours since 1660 to silence fine imprison banish and drive five miles from all Corporations c. all such as receive not the Impositions Together with the rest of the true History of these last Twenty years The particulars are not now to be recited A SEARCH FOR THE ENGLISH SCHISMATICK OR The True Characters of the several Accused Parties by which they may be discerned CHAP. I. The Parties Accused The Parties questioned are I. The Papists II. The Diocesan-Militants or Canoneers III. The Passive peaceable Conformists IV. The Meer Nonconformists V. The Sectarian Church-Appropriators and Causeless Separatists and Dividers I. THERE is no Sect of Christians which maketh so great use of their pretence to Unity and crying down Heresie Schism and Separation as the Papists do and yet are the greatest Schismaticks and Dividers as thus appeareth 1. They have a self-made humane universal Church feigning the Pope to be the rightful Head of all the Christian World 2. They exclude all from Christs Chuch who are not the Popes Subjects though at the Antipodes where he never came nor sent 3. They presume to make universal Laws for all the World 4. They Curse men from Christ by Excommunications who refuse such subjection and obedience to these Laws 5. They have introduced many new Articles of Faith on pretence of declaring and expounding Faith 6. They have multiplied corrupting additions in the Christian Worship 7. Their regular objective Religion now consisteth in so great a number of the Decrees of Councils as no Christians can well understand while they accuse Gods Laws as unintelligible 8. They can give us no certainty which of these Councils are obligatory to us while they contradict each other 9. They agree not of the Essence of Christianity or necessary truths but resolve all into the uncertainty of sufficient Proposals 10. They damn men as Hereticks that deny not all humane sense believing there is no Bread and Wine when they see and taste them 11. They burn such as Hereticks and are for tormenting Inquisitions to destroy them 12. They bind Temporal Lords to exterminate all such and to swear to do it and this on pain of Excommunication Deposition and Damnation So that a Protestant Kingdom under a true Papist King hath a King that is thus bound to exterminate his Subjects if he be able and professeth to do it on these three penalties his Salvation lying on it 13. They decree the giving of his Dominions to another and absolving his Subjects from their Oaths of Fidelity if he obey not 14. They decree that it's Heresie to hold that a King hath the power of Investing Bishops and that he is not thus subject to the Pope 15. They tolerate their chief Doctors to write that a Heretick is no King at least if Excommunicate and may lawfully be killed 16. Their Canons exempt the Clergy from being Governed and Taxed by Kings 17. They forbid the reading of the Scriptures translated without a License 18. They say that we cannot well believe the Gospel but on the credit of their Church As if we must first know that the Pope and Council are authorized by Christ before we believe in Christ himself 19. They renounce Repentance by pretending to Infallibility 20. They cherish a numerous Clergy and Sects to carry on all this in the World and perswade high and low that to promote
as blasphemy against God and destructive to the piety and peace of man 88. Some of them preach for universal Redemption as a necessary point of faith which others cry down as Arminianism 89. Some of them make Justifying faith to contain Obedience and others cry it down as Popery and Socinianism 90. Some of them say that God hath given to all men sufficient grace to salvation yea say some and efficient which others call Arminianism 91. Some of them say that it is Gods Grace that maketh the faithful to differ from others and others say it is their own Wills And about the parts of Grace and Free-will they preach and write against each other 92. Some of them preach that all the justified persevere And others preach it down as a dangerous errour I have tryed to reconcile all these but they go on 93. Some of them are only for Bidding prayer in the Pulpit as if all other were forbidden by the Canon as Heylin others use prayer there 94. Some there pray in their own words and some only in the words of the Liturgy some use the same words and others vary them 95. Their Cathedral Worship much differeth from the Parochial and some Churches use Organs and others have none 96. One writeth for the Religious use of Lent as Bishop Guning others as Bishop Taylor and Dr. More c. are against their principles and use yea and against many other things of Church-Government and significant Ceremonies which the other party hold See Taylor cited 2d Plea for Peace 97. Some of them are for the Divine right of the Lords Day and the Morality of the fourth Commandment which Heylin and many others vehemently deny 98. One is for Altars and Rails and others against them and others for indifferency 99. In preaching they use very different Methods And some Churches of them begin to use new Versions of the singing Psalms 100. Some following Grotius de Jure Belli and Dr. Taylors Ductor Dubitantium are for useful lying which injureth not others and therefore no doubt for doubtful Conformity But others are against it 101. But they no-where more differ than in their Conformity it self one taking the words in one sense and another in another so that their Conformity is not the same thing though the Letters and sound of voice be the same One by his Assent and Consent to all things in the three books meaneth plainly and another meaneth but that he may and will use so much as concerneth him One by Not resisting by Arms any Commissioned by the King meaneth as he speaketh Another limiteth it to Lawfully Commissioned One by on any pretence whatsoever meaneth as he saith Another excepteth as Bilson aforesaid and such cases as King Johns who gave up his Kingdom to the Pope and would have done to the Morocco-Mahometan and many other such instances as Killing the Parliaments City c. One that subscribeth never to endeavour any Alteration of Church-Government meaneth as he speaketh Another excepteth Lay-Chancellours use of the Keys Deans and Chapters Archdeacons c. if the King would change them One by any endeavour meaneth as he saith Another meaneth only unlawful endeavour one by nothing contrary to Gods word in Can. 36. meaneth plainly Another meaneth nothing which maketh Communion unlawful One taketh all the imposed subscriptions to be but a promise of submission and peace which others abhor and are for the Truth of all that they subscribe assent to In a word some are for the common Rule of taking all the words in the usual sense except the Imposers declare a different sense And others are for necessary supposing that the Imposers meant well whatever they said and therefore our Charity and honouring them bindeth us to put no sense on their words which is contrary to Gods Law the Law of the Land or Common Right and supposing them true and good whatever they are who can doubt but they may be sworn or subscribed 102. Dr. Hammond and his party thought that it doth not appear that there were any subject Presbyters in Scripture-times and so that every single Congregation had a Bishop present in worshipping God But Dr. Stillingfleet saith p. 269. While the Apostles lived it is probable there were no fixed Bishops or but few And so the world had but 12 or 13 indefinite Bishops who are not proved to have any peculiar determinate Diocesses 103. Mr. Dodwell and I think most of them take the Church of England to be a Political society and many think we overthrow Church and Order if we deny Churches to be formed by a Constitutive Government But Dr. Stillingfleet not only holdeth that the Church of England is but the Pastors and people consenting by Parliaments to live under the same Laws about Religion without any Constitutive Church-Head one or many but also peremptorily concludeth that to maintain such a Constitutive Supreme Church-power will necessarily infer Popery and so maketh all the Conformists necessarily to lead in Popery who are for such Political Churches and Constitutive Governours 104. Mr. Cheny saith That to make Churches by Covenants confederacies or consent besides baptism is to be guilty of blasphemy impiety irreligiousness infidelity and one should rather die than yield to it But Dr. Stillingfleet saith the Church of England is one Church made by such consent But such Schisms among themselves are too many to be here numbered And no wonder when they differ so much as they do with their own Sentiments in one and the same book saying and unsaying as the argument in hand requireth E. g. Dr. Stillingfleet thinketh that the seven Churches of Asia being Metropolitan prove Diocesan or metropolitan-Metropolitan-Bishops then in being And yet that while the Apostles lived it 's probable there were no fixed Bishops or but few And so either seven Apostles were the Angels of the seven Churches of Asia reproved so much for their sin and backsliding or the Angels signified not the Bishops While we are all Schismaticks for disobeying say some and holding Nonconforming Assemblies say others from the Church of England yet this Church is no proper Political Church and hath no Constitutive chief Government saith Dr. St. and therefore hath no authority to make Canons to command us He no less than threatneth us with damnation not in the retracted Irenicum but in his late book against Popish Idolatry if we chuse not the purest Church and the Papist granteth it and saith as he And yet it is the substance of his unreasonable books to prove us Schismaticks if we depart from their Church or so much as preach to other Assemblies on the account of purer worship and greater edification c. And he had the wit to pass by this citation in the Epistle of a book against him As for Mr. Cheny and divers other such another book openeth their Contradictions They often tell us of the Nullity of the Ministry or Power which is not received from Episcopal Superiors Especially Bishop Gunning and
their Church and Cause is meritorious of Salvation II. By the Passive Conformist I mean both such as go on the grounds of Mr. Sprint and think a Reformation very desirable but Conformity lawful to escape silencing and ruine and such as like Conformity for it self and wish all others did Conform but like not uncharitable censures or silencings or violence against conscionable Dissenters nor the compulsions which have caused our Church-convulsions Though the Nonconformists must needs judge these to partake in Schism so far as they own the Schismatical dividing terms of Communion which are the greatest hinderance of our Concord and will be still inconsistent with it yet as they reproach not Dissenters as Schismaticks so neither are they accounted Schismaticks by the Dissenters because they are sound and peaceable brethren and desire to live as such with others and Schism is not their disposition nor predominant We would live in greater Love and Concord with such as these than the differing Conformists have with one another III. The names of Sectaries and Separatists are of no fixed signification but vary according to the mind of the speaker But I now use them for those 1. Who appropriate the Church to some narrow Sect or Party which denieth all others to be true Churches or to have true Ministers and Sacraments 2. And next to those that though they own others as true Churches or Ministers yet hold their Communion unlawful when it is not so and renounce Communion with them on these grounds Such besides Papists are too many Prelatists that deny the Ministry Sacraments and Communion of the Reformed Churches which are not such as they yea of all Churches that have not an Episcopacy by uninterrupted Succession of Episcopal Ordination from the Apostles and that excommunicate all that do but say that there are any true Churches in England but their own And such are some Anabaptists some called Brownists or Separatists heretofore c. And the Seekers are much worse that deny all Churches and the Quakers and Ranters who revile the soundest and all true Hereticks who separate by denying some Essential of Christianity All these are Schismaticks in the judgment of all sound and sober Christians IV. By Active Canonical Conformists I mean those that are for the present frame of Ecclesiastical Government with the Liturgy and Canons and the Laws which enforce them who call usually for the Execution of those Laws V. By the meer present Nonconformists I mean such as are guilty of no other punishable errors or sins but such as the Act of Uniformity doth eject and silence us for and who declared openly their judgments about Doctrine Worship and Discipline in 1660 after a Common meeting at Sion-Colledge and another at the Savoy which is published in Print That is the Reconcilers or Peacemakers who then laboured and beg'd for Peace and Unity in vain who tye themselves to the judgment of none called Nonconformists heretofore Presbyterians Independents c. but to the Word of God and the example of the true Primitive Churches and are not for Concord only with a Sect or a dividing-party High or Low but for that Catholick Church and Communion of Saints which are in our Creed Schism being a culpable rending of Christians from each other hath a great number of degrees as it is by Apostasie from the Universal Church totally or by denying a fundamental by Heresie or as it is but by denying Integrals or but Accidents as it is but from a particular Church a Church of Gods forming or of mans As it is from a Church as if it were no Church or a corrupt Church falsly said or only a less desirable as it is from a Parish-Church a Diocesan a National c. As it is total or partial or but in some accidents from that particular Church holding Communion in all the rest As it is mental or but causeless local As it is from a Church or only from some persons in a Church-Pastor or others As it is by driving men by sinful Impositions from a Church or too easie departing with many the like differences elsewhere opened So that as all men have some degree of ignorance pride hypocrisie c. and yet are not to be denominated ignorant proud hypocrites where it is not predominant so all are defective in Love and Union and few Churches on earth are no way guilty of Schism and yet are not to be called Schismaticks where it is not predominant Almost all Churches on earth accuse each other of Schism the Papists so accuse the Greeks Protestants and all others the Greeks so accuse the Papists and Protestants as the Patriarch Jeremiah shews us and both the Abassines Jacobins Nestorians c. The Lutherans so call the Calvinists and they many Lutherans the Episcopal Presbyterians and Independents so accuse each other Sober and peaceable men must confess that most are guilty of some degree Laying by the rest our Question now is of Two Parties here the Canoneer Diocesan Conformists and the Present meer Conformists which are the ENGLISH SCHISMATICKS CHAP. II. The Case of the Diocesan-Canoneers or Zealots for Imposition of Conformity 1. THey agree not of the Essentiating Head of their own National Church whether it be Lay or Clergy King or Bishops and so are indeed of divers Churches no nor whether it have any constitutive Head or none 2. Some hold Bishops necessary to the Being of a Church and some only to the well-being of it and so agree not neither what a particular Church is 3. The former unchurch the Parish-Churches and make them only parts of a proper Church the Diocesan being the lowest in a politick sense 4. They make the Parish-Priests but half Priests or Pastors denying them the Power of the Keys over their flock save in a little part 5. These deny the Reformed Churches which have no Bishops to be true proper Churches and their Ministration and Sacraments to be valid But others of them hold the contrary and so differ in their Communion with the Protestant Churches 6. Some of them say that none are true Ministers of Christ that have not Episcopal Ordination by uninterrupted succession from the Apostles And that their flocks have no title to Salvation because they have it not by Gods Covenant sealed by such a Ministry of the Sacraments 7. They hold twice Ordination sinful and yet Re-ordain those who were ordained by meer Presbyters or Rectors of Parish City Churches 8. Some Leaders grant that there were no Subject-Presbyters in Scripture times nor Bishops that had more than one stated Assembly and Altar which others are against 9. They agree not of the sense of the words Presbyter and Bishops in the Scripture 10. Some of them reproach the Reformation of other Churches as the Papists do as the effect of fury and rebellion and seek to render it odious as a crime 11. Yea and the Reformation of England by K. H. 8. as the product of his filthy lust and
two Parties of the Episcopal Laity and Clergy in England after drew in the Scots to help the Parliament and many Papists to help the King neither of them being the first Parties but Auxiliaries though in Scotland and Ireland it was otherwise begun 23. These Auxiliaries of the Parliament would not help them but on the terms of the Covenant and so Church-alterations came on and the Parliament thought it was better have no Bishops than such as did prevail against them 24. When Wars and Misery had tired both sides and made them long for reconciliation and this endeavour had called home the King and many Bishops and Doctors had promised to be for Concord upon necessary healing-terms and the Lords Knights and Gentlemen had printed many Protestations for Peace and against Revenge and the King had Commissioned us to treat with the Bishops for Concord and told us They should meet us if we would come as near as we could to them When the Kings Declaration seemed to have almost healed us the Commissioned Bishops stood to it that no abatements were necessary and though we foretold them the impossibility of Common concord without abating some things which did them no good but harm and the advantage which Schism Contention and Popery would unavoidably get which they might easily and cheaply prevent we pleaded we beg'd by a long Petition but all in vain nothing would move them but when we only foretold them of the Divisions that must needs follow when Thousands were forced against their Consciences they took it as if we threatned Sedition and turned our Petitions and Arguments for the common peace and concord as if it had been a crime against both it and us 25. And the Convocation cast away the Kings Declaration and drew up the changes in the Liturgy which added to our burden and drew the Parliament to confirm it all and in the Act of Uniformity much more unpracticable by us is imposed which made our breach what since it is 26. No man now must be in Trust and Office in any City or Corporation who will not declare that there is no obligation on him or any other person from the Covenant not excepting against Popery Schism or Prophaneness though he would confess it unlawfully imposed and taken and renounce all obligation to rebellion or any evil 27. No adult person or Infant must be admitted to Christendom by baptism without the transient Image of a Cross as a dedicating engaging Covenanting-sign and symbol or badg of Christianity 28. No Infant must be Christened without Godfathers who are his Covenant-sureties and undertake his pious education though the Parents can get none that will seriously tell them they intend to perform it The Parents being not allowed to speak one offering or Covenanting-word nor must be urged to be present 29. No person must be admitted to Sacramental Communion who thinketh it a sin to receive it kneeling lest it should be seeming compliance with Popish adoration 30. No persons must be admitted to Communion who have not Confirmation by Episcopal Imposition of hands or are desirous of it though they fear it is made a Popish Sacrament by the addition Upon whom after the example of the holy Apostles we have now laid our hands to certifie them BY THIS SIGN of thy favour and gracious goodness towards them 31. Though they will not tell us what the Church of England is that is Its Essentiating form and Head Lay or Clergy vet every man must be ipso facto excommunicate who faith It is not an Apostolical Church as established by Law 32. Every one is excommunicate ipso facto who saith that the form of Worship established by Law contained in the Book of Common-prayer is corrupt or unlawful or containeth ANY THING in it that is repugnant to the Scriptures 33. All are excommunicate ipso facto who say That any of the 39 Articles are in any part such as he may not with a good conscience subscribe to though it be but that of the Churches power to impose Ceremonies And yet divers Conformists are against the Doctrine about Free-well Heathens damnation c. 34. All are ipso facto excommunicate who say that the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England are superstitious or such as godly men may not with a good conscience approve use and on occasion subscribe See Can. 3 4 5 6. So that not only Ministers but all men and women that differ but of the Lawfulness of any one of their Ceremonies and say so are excommunicate already ipso facto 35. All are ipso facto excommunicate that say that the Government of the Church of England under his Majesty by Archbishops Bishops Deans Archdeacons and THE REST that bear Office in the same is repugnant to the word of God So that if one were for Archbishops Bishops and Priests and Deacons and thought but Deans or Archdeacons unscriptural and sinful he is excommunicate yea or Lay-Chancellours decretive power of the Keys for the rest that bear Office must needs include them And yet many Bishops themselves are against them 36. All are excommunicate ipso facto who say that the form and manner of making and Consecrating Bishops Priests or Deacons hath any thing repugnant to the word of God C. 8. 37. They are to be excommunicate that say Ministers refusing to subscribe may truly take the name of another Church not established by Law c. And yet the Church of Rome is said to be a true though faulty Church by many and a faulty Church may be a Church And they say that the Dutch and French Churches here stand but by the Act of King and Council 38. All are to be excommunicated that say that there are within this Realm other Congregations of the Kings born Subjects than such as are allowed by Law who may rightly take the name of true and lawful Churches E. g. If Gloucester that had a Papist Bishop Goodman had chosen themselves a Bishop and called themselves a true Church c. 39. They Command all to keep the Lords day and other Holy-days accordsng to Gods holy Will in hearing the Word of God read and taught in private and publick prayer and yet suspended and ruined many Conformable Ministers for not reading a book for dancing and playing on that day 40. And where many thousands in a Parish cannot come within their Church-doors nor have any Conformist elsewhere in the Parish to teach them they forbid them on great penalties to hear Nonconformists and call them Separatists and Schismaticks unless they forbear like Savages all publick Learning and Worship of God rather than hear and joyn with Nonconformists 41. Yet they Swear the Church-Wardens to present all that come not to Church and punish them for not coming when some Parishes have 40000 some 30000 some 10000 that can have no room and the Church-Wardens cannot know them 42. Yet if they go to other Parishes oft for Communion they must not be admitted but