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A30624
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A discourse of schism address'd to those dissenters who conform'd before the toleration, and have since withdrawn themselves from the communion of the Church of England / by Robert Burscough ...
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Burscough, Robert, 1651-1709.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing B6136; ESTC R11016
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95,729
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234
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blasphemed and danger accrues to your selves It hath been found by experience that when there was the greatest Vnion amongst the Faithful it rais'd in those that were without a very high esteem of Christianity and strongly invited them to embrace it But when Schism prevail'd it furnished the Adversaries of the Truth with Exceptions against it and made them obstinate in their Errors This Effect as I shall shew it hath had upon Jews Heathens and Mahometans 1. To begin with the Jews They argue from the Divisions amongst the Christians that the Messiah is not yet come For say they Was it not foretold by the Prophets that in his Days and amongst his Followers there should be Unity and Concord but how is this accomplish'd amongst those that believe in Jesus Where is their Unanimity and Harmony of Affections Where is their Mutual Love and the promised Peace Are they not broken into many Sects Are they not ready to devour one another To this indeed we may reply That Jesus Christ did break down the Wall of Partition that was between the Jews and Gentiles and gathering a People out of both he hath reconcil'd them in One Body That when great Multitudes were converted to Him whatever they might be before They were of One Heart and One Soul That when the Number of Christians was mightily increas'd over the World the Heathens said of them with Admiration See how they mutually Love one another That the Doctrine of Jesus Christ disposes all that receive it heartily to be of this Temper and to â—ollow after the Things which make for Peace and that all his Genuine Disciples do 〈◊〉 of whom the Predictions are to be unâ—derstood And this I take to be a very sufficient Answer to the Objection yet it can hardly be hoped that any great regard will be paid to it when the Schism amongst the Professors of Christianity so powerfully strike upon the Senses of the Adversaries and turn their Eyes another way 2. The Divisions amongst Christians have made the Heathens more obstinate in their Errors and been a great Scandal to them From hence it is that they who most violently oppos'd the Gospel have been encouraged and animated in their Enmity against it And others that had something of Inclination to it have been made averse from it The Unbelieving Greek says St. Chrysostom comes to us thus he pleads I would be a Christian but I know not to which Party I should joyn my self For there is â—uch Contention and Sedition and many Tumults amongst you Which Opinion then shall I prefer Which shall I chuse When every one saith The Truth is on my side There is no great strength in such Exceptions yet they are obvious and popular and with many they have been of greater force than the clearest Demonstrations 3. As for the Mahometans we are inform'd by a Person of great Worth who lived among them That to divide the Christians hath always been the Master-piece of the Turkish Policy and this Disunion amongst them hath avail'd the Ottoman Interest more than their Swords and confirm'd their Obstinacy in Religion with a Miracle as if the Division of Christian Princes had been an effect of their Prayers and a concession of Divine Providence to their daily Petitions Mr. Baxter also tells us That doubtless the Divisions of the Christian World have done more to hinder the Conversion of Infidels and keep the Heathen and Mahometan World in their damnable Ignorance and Delusions than all our power is able to undo and have produced such Desolations of the Church of Christ and such a plentiful Harvest and Kingdom for the Devil as every tender Christian Heart is bound to lament with Tears of bitterness If it must be continues he that such Offences shall come yet woe to those by whom they come II. Divisions amongst the Reformed have brought a Reproach upon the Reformation and hindred the Progress of it Camden informs us that when the Sectaries in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth made an open Separation The Papist thereupon clapped their Hands and suggesting that there was no Vnity in the Church of England they draw many to their Party By this means we have been on the losing Hand and this way they have gain'd more Proselytes than by all their Books of Controversie You have been often told how their Agents have been employ'd to refine the Protestants to teach them a more Spiritual Way of Praying than that of a Liturgy and to free them from all Smacks of Ceremonies It being held meritorious by the Managers of this Affair if under any shape they could from a Party that would help to ruine our Constitution But in the late Times the Men of this Character had the Confidence to lay aside their Disguise and disdaining to act any longer behind the Curtain they did their Work openly and in the Face of the Sun And what Assistance you gave them in it was visible to all the World This I write not to insult over you but in great Pity to raise your Indignation against Schism which engaged you in a shameful Confederacy It was Schism that made you and other Dissenters before you the Instruments of the open Enemies of our Reformation And Schism if you persist in it will detain you in their Service Whether you intend it or not you will be digging in their Mines or building up their shattered Walls And by your Hands they will carry on their Designs with hopes of Success which they despair of accomplishing by their own III. Church-Divisions have given occasion to the spreading of many detestable Errors in Matters of Religion They are apt to unsettle the Minds of 〈◊〉 and prâ—pare them for Changes We may gather from the Words of St. Paul Ephes 4. 12 13 14. that they who forsake the Officers which Christ hath given for the perfecting or â—joying together of the Saints They that are not compacted in his Mystical Body but broken off from it are as Children tossed to and fro by the Sleight of Men â—word cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive Such Deceivers are then most busie to exercise their Arts when they are remov'n whose watchful Eye should discover their Impostures and who are appointed for that purpose And thus when the Bishops and the Clergy that adher'd to them were laid aside in this Nation False Teachers did boldly shew their Heads and made a Prey of very many Salmasius himself complains That Innumerable Sects which before were condemn'd to Hell and lurked in Darkness did then break out all on a sudden and appear'd in an open Day And this was the cause that he alter'd his Judgment about Episcopal Government against which he had written with great Zeal and concluded that in England especially it ought to have been continu'd This is the Testimony of a Forreigner but our Natives speak to the same purpose Mr. Pagit makes a heavy Lamentation That the
the Profession of all Christians for as we ought to think so we are oblig'd to speak the same thing II. They ought all to be United or as St. Paul speaks knit together in Love Notwithstanding they are call'd to Liberty yet they are bound to serve one another by Love to be kindly affectionate to one another in Brotherly Love and in honour to prefer one another A New Commandment says our Saviour Christ I give unto you that ye love one another And whether he calls this Commandment New because of its Excellence as the word is thought to signify where we read of a New Name and a New Song or whether He styles it so because He requires it in greater measure than formerly urging his Followers by his own Example when He was about to suffer Death for them to Love one another as he had Loved them manifest it is that the thing which He here enjoyns is most acceptable to Him But there is something more to be understood by these words than is commonly apprehended which is That our Lord having before taught his Disciples to love their Neighbour and even their Enemies He now gives them a New Commandment to love one another as they were his Disciples He had before instructed them to love all Mankind but now it was matter of a New and a Distinct Precept that they should love one another with a higher degree of Affection as being Fellow-Christians and testifie it all possible ways even to the hazard of their Lives Our Lord did not pray for the World as he did for those that were given Him out of the World Nor is it his Will that we should be alike affected to both We must exercise Charity towards all but with a particular regard to the Members of his Church As we have opportunity we must do good to all Men but especially to them who are of the houshold of Faith III. They ought to be United in Outward Worship and Communion And to this they are obliged both by their Faith and Love it being one of the Fruits which both ought to bring forth as worthy of them and which they must produce if they are sincere 1. Faith ought to shew forth it self in Good Works of which one is the Maintenance of Christian Concord And this is so much the Effect of it or hath such Connexion with it that the Christians Church is represented in Scripture as a Houshold of Faith They also that liv'd in full Communion with the Church are by the Ancients call'd the Faithful and distinguish'd by that Title from the Penitents the Hearers and Others who did in some degree belong to it but not being compleat Members of it they were not admitted to all the Prayers nor to the Lord's Table 2. The Love of the Faithful being duly exercis'd supposes them to live in Outward Communion and keeps them in it It is the Duty of every one of them to Love the Brotherhood and of them all to Love as Brethren That is they must Love as Persons that are Visibly of the same Family or Society under the same Lord. Thus is the title of Brethren to be understood in many places of Scripture and in an Apology of Justin Martyr as also in other Writings of the Fathers it is apply'd as a Name of Distinction to such as were perfect Communicants But not to insist upon the Limitation of it to that sense certain it is that the word was of such frequent use amongst Christians who signified by it their Spiritual Affinity or the near Relation which they stood in to one another that they were much noted and variously censur'd for it by their Enemies Lucian says their Law-giver perswaded them That they were all Brethren And Caecilius suggests that by some secret Marks they knew one another to be of the Fraternity Calumnies and Invectives may be grounded on some Truth or be mingled with it and the Truth is our Saviour said to his Followers By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one to another And this could not be a meer inward Love for that was not capable of being a Publick Badge of their Profession Nor could it be such a Love as would permit them to be broken into various Sects and Factions For it could not be gather'd from thence that they had the same Teacher But then only could they demonstrate to the World by their Practice that they were under the Discipline of the same Master in matters of Religion when dispers'd as they were over the face of the Earth they frequented Assemblies that were held in his Name every where professing the same Faith and Communicating in the Ordinances which were of his Institution When He pray'd that they might be One it was for this purpose that the World might believe that the Father had sent Him But the World would have discover'd no such thing if they had been divided into many Parties not enduring to have Communion with one another The World would then have been ready to conclude that if they had the same Instructer he had taught them different Religions or given them contrary Precepts and consequently that He was inconsistent with Himself and not much to be regarded But when they liv'd as Members of the same Body making it manifest that they were affected towards one another with the tenderest Charity and unanimously joyning together in the same Acts of Worship they then took the most proper way to raise in the Adversaries an Esteem of Christianity and to convince them that the Author of it who had such an Influence on the Conversation of his Proselytes was from Heaven For my part I see not what just cause there can be that they should be Divided in Worship who are united in Faith and Love On the contrary it seems to me most reasonable and I am sure it is agreeable to Scripture that they who are of one Soul should be of One Body that they who are obliged to be of the Same Heart and Mind should Speak and Do the Same things and so keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace To confirm this and to proceed in what I design'd I shall prove that the Church is a Visible and Regular Society and then shew that however it be dispers'd in the World it is one Political Body And if I make these things clear it will be easy to infer from thence that our Communion with it ought to be Visible and Regular or suitable to our Station and that the Unity of the Whole as well as of every part ought to be asserted and preserv'd I. The Church is a Visible Society and Persons are admitted into it continued in it expell'd from it and restor'd to it in a Visible manner Such things being openly transacted in this as in other Communities 1. Persons are Visibly admitted into the Church by Baptism