VI. CHAP. For in the cause of Arius this power was in the council of Nicæa, and in no less. Had Athanasius of Alexandria or Alexander of Constantinople loosed him, whom the synod had bound, though at the instance of Constantine; they 42 had been sinners to God and to His Church, in violating the unity thereof: which He hath made more inviolable than any temporal endowment of it. The heretics and schis. matics. 10.] § 9. How far are we now from having evidenced the visible unity of God's Church to be a part of the common Chrisvisible by disowning tianity; supposing these things proved, the proofs whereof have no way been infringed? Heretics are "condemned by themselves," saith Paul; because they know they forsake that profession, upon which they were baptized members of the Church. But it is Titus, that is to refuse them. The Church avoids them, because the bishop finds them incorrigible. If other bishops and their Churches, duly informed from Titus, do the like, then is the visible unity of the Church visible in their proceedings. If tey do not the like, then must they break communion with Titus and his Church; by a perpetual rule of the Church, holding all excommunicate, that shall acknowledge an excommunicate person to be a member of the Church. But we read of no breach in the Church for any of those, whom the Church hath declared heretics; except what shall by and by be excepted. Thus far all the Church owneth the visible unity of the Church. As for schism, how many occasions of it have been prevented? The difference about keeping Easter, the difference about rebaptizing heretics, many other differences, have threatened breaches in the Church; which have been prevented through the conduct of Christian prelates. Other divisions, that have come to pass, have been re-united sometimes, sometimes not. The communion of the Church of Sardinia with the rest of the Western Churches stood interrupted by the discontents of Lucifer archbishop there; and therefore, I conceive, for his time and no more *. The Church of Antiochia stood divided within itself under two bishops for a matter of threescore years; till, by the inter * See Cave, in art. Lucifer Caralitanus, in an. 354: who says, "that Luciferianum schisma.. ultra hujus sæculi terminum durasse non videtur." And see also Mosheim, Bk. ii. Cent. iv. Pt. ii. c. iii. § 20. VI. cession of the West as well as of the East, it was re-united. CHAP. The East under Constantinople stood divided from the West under Rome upon the cause of Acacius for some seventy years; till the Church of Rome was satisfied'. How long the schism of Montanus lasted (for at the first it was but a schism, if we judge by Tertulliana, who is the best record 43 that remains of it), I say not. It seems to have turned into a heresy first, and then to nothing; as other heresies have done. The schism of the Novatians (for it was no more) seems to have returned to the Church by pieces. And so that of the Meletians". The Donatists seem to have continued, till Afric was overrun by the Mahumetanse. In all these breaches, what signifies the attribute of one Catholic Church, but a visible unity opposite to so many visible apostasies? St. Augustin saith, that, if a stranger asked a heretic or schismatic the way to the Catholic church, he durst not shew him the way to his own church, because the title was not questionable': not merely because the Catholic had more belonging to it (as some would have us judge of religion by counting noses), but, as Optatus saith, "quia rationalis et ubique diffusas" because the due reason, why men are Christians, swayed men to stand to the unity of the γ “Πέντε γὰρ καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα διέμεινεν ἔτη” (scil. ἡ διάστασις), “μέχρι τῆς ̓Αλεξάνδρου πάσης εὐφημίας ἀξίου προεδρίας· ὃς τῆς ̓Αντιοχέων ἐκκλησίας ἐγχειρισθεὶς τὰ πηδάλια, ... τὸ κεχωρισμένον μέλος τῷ λοιπῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας συνήρμοσε σώματι.” Theodoret., Η. Ε., lib. iii. c. 5. p. 128. C.-The schism lasted from the deposition of Eustathius to the election of Alexander, A. D. 328- -413. See Le Quien, Oriens Christ., tom. ii. pp. 710–719. See Epilogue, Bk. III. Of the Laws of the Ch., c. xx. § 34, 35. a See Epilogue, ibid. c. x. § 5; and Bk. I. of the Pr. of Chr. Tr., c. ix. § 12, 13; and Conclusion, § 52: Rt. of Ch. in Chr. St., c. i. § 24: and below, c. xxv. § 4. See the references in the last note. According to Mosheim (De Reb. Christian., Sæc. III. § xv. Annot. in fin., p. 520), "A quinto sæculo contabuisse paullatim hæc secta videtur: licet tenues quædam ejus reliquiæ sæculo sexto adhuc appareant." di. e. the followers of Meletius Bp. of Lycopolis in Egypt, circ. A.D. 306. According to Mosheim, Eccl. Hist., : "Et Catholica nominatur, non solum a suis, sed etiam ab omnibus inimicis. Velint nolint enim, ipsi quoque hæretici, et schismatum alumni, quando non cum suis sed cum extraneis loquuntur, Catholicam nihil aliud quam Catholicam vocant. Non enim possunt intelligi, nisi hoc eam nomine discernant, quo ab universa orbe nuncupatur." S. Aug., Lib. de Vera Relig., c. vi. § 12; Op. tom. i. p. 752. E. "Ubi ergo erit proprietas Catholici nominis, cum inde dicta sit Catholica, quod sit rationabilis et ubique diffusa?" Optat., De Schism. Donatist., lib. ii. c. 1. p. 29. VI. CHAP. Church all over; the undue reason, that moved men to break with it, prevailed but here and there. At all hands, discounting heretics and schismatics, whom they that follow do seldom approve; so many Christians, so many witnesses of one Catholic Church, which by being Catholic was always and must needs be visible. And thus far we have the same evidence for one visible Church as for the rest of Christianity. The breaches come to pass evidence the same. § 10. After the council of Ephesus the reputation of Nesthat have torius held entire in the East, notwithstanding the decree of the council. The records of the Church have preserved us no intelligence, how or by what means. Those, that write of the wars of the Holy Land afterwards, represent us the Nestorians in the East so numerous, as might well stumble those, that pretend to decide the controversy of religion by the poll in our western parts. But whether the breach stood upon the opinion, or upon the person, of Nestorius; is more than I am able to decide. For in Egypt likewise, after many troubles about the council of Chalcedon and the condemning of their bishop Dioscorus by it, at length these Churches are counted Jacobites; from the name of one Jacobus Zanzalus, or little Jacob, of Syria, who is said to have taught them the position of Eutyches, condemned by that council. Whether so, or whether a fond zeal for the reputation of Dioscorus hath served to divide that people from the Church, upon a 44 mere difference in terms; the breach still continues: and the Abyssines, depending always upon the Church of Alexandria, are said to continue in it. Since that, what breach of intercourse and communion hath fallen out between the Greek and Latin Church, or upon what cause, and how far it continues; I need not relate. But there can be no question, that it disposed these western parts to that breach, which the Reformation hath made. Within the Reformation, I need See Mosheim, Eccl. Hist., Bk. ii. See e. g. the account of Prester of the Nestorians, and their extensive missionary settlements and numerous sees in the East, may be found in Asseman, Biblioth. Orient., tom. iii. Pt. ii. cc. 3--5. pp. 67—169. See Mosheim as in note h, § 6; Renaudot, Hist. Patriarch. Alexandrin. Jacobit.; and Le Quien, Oriens Christ., tom. ii. pp. 1343, sq. The latter ex. plains the epithet Zanzalus, as given to him, because by wearing old horsecloths for garments 66 sese contemptibilem hominibus præberet." 45 VI. not speak of the division between the Calvinists on the one CHAP. side, and the Lutherans in the empire, the Arminians in the Low Countries, on the other side. I am only this to demand; did ever any of these parties declare, that the visible unity, which these breaches interrupt, is not God's ordinance? that one of the parties is not always guilty to God for the mischief of schism? that Christian charity is not highly concerned in violating that communion which Christianity enacteth? Until the dregs of our times, I do not know that it was ever disputed, that Christians are not bound to be members of one and the same visible Church. I have already said, that the Reformation was not made by common consent. I must now acknowledge further, that it proceeded not expressly upon the profession of one visible Church; though neither denying nor questioning the same. No marvel then, if in all things it be not confined to the consequences of it. And therefore no marvel, that dissensions have fallen out in it: no marvel, that they, who dare not look so clear a principle in the face, can wrangle out the salvation of souls upon petty scruples, which the admitting of it must needs presently disperse. CHAPTER VII. REFORMATION TO BE BOUNDED BY THAT WHEREIN THE VISIBLE CHURCH ONE WITH THE ONLY CHURCH OF GOD, REFORMING WITHOUT THE CHURCH tion to be wherein Church As for the Church of England, where episcopacy stands Reformasettled by the law of the land as well as by the law of God; bounded and the right of goods consecrated to the service of God by by that investing them upon His Church, is maintained by the same: the visible are we not to fear the curse of God, if in all things of religion agreeth. we 'mete not by the same standard,' if we 'weigh not by [See Deut. *the same weights?' Can we pretend to 'weigh by the same 14; Prov. weights,' unless we admit the whole faith and all the laws of xx. 10.] the Catholic Church? unless we confine the Reformation to the restoring of that which hath been, without introducing xxv. 13, CHAP. that which cannot appear to have been? Men see new fanVII. cies every day in the Scriptures, which the same man sees No change gard to the Catholic not to-morrow, another man never sees. The profession of § 2. And upon these terms it will be easy to answer all without re- demands, not only here, but at the great day of judgment; rules of the at which, otherwise, the account cannot be clear. They, that would have it thought, that the mischiefs which we have seen have not been acted for nothing, would have the law of the kingdom in matter of religion changed to give them content; without considering, what cause we give the Church of Rome Church. |