Schism to be repressed by the rod of discipline.

29

I am about to say, nor at random ; but as I really think, and as I feel. I would that every one of those who with you are exasperated against me, and who by this exasperation are injuring themselves, and departing elsewhere, would direct his blows at me in my very face, would strip me and scourge me, be his charge against me just or unjust, and let loose his wrath upon me, rather than that they should dare to commit what they now dare. If this were done, it were nothing: nothing, that a man, who is a mere nothing and of no account whatever, should be so treated. And, besides, I, the wronged and injured person, might call upon God, and He might forgive you your sins. Not because I have so great confidence; but because he who has been wronged, when he entreats for him who has done the wrong, gains great confidence. If one man sin against another,' it is said, 'then shall they pray for him ;' 1 and if I were unable, I might seek for other holy men, and entreat them and they might do it. But now whom shall we even entreat, when God is outraged by us? . . I speak not of you that are present, but of those who are deserting from us." 2

St. Jerome.

The following testimonies are from ST. JEROME, Presbyter and Doctor, and one of most learned of the Fathers :

"Abide in subjection to your Bishop, and regard him as the father of your soul." 3

"Schism is a separation from the Church in the nature of a dissension from the Bishop."

4

"We know that every altar which is erected against the altar of the Church is not of the Lord." 5

He speaks thus of one who had set himself against certain Catholic usages, "I marvel that the holy Bishop, in whose diocese he is said to be a Presbyter, should yield to his madness, and not rather break with his apostolic rod-with a rod of iron-this unprofitable vessel; and deliver him up to the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved."6

St. Augustine.

We close these testimonies with St. AUGUSTINE, Bishop of Hippo, the great Doctor of the Western Church :

11 Sam, ii. 25. (Sept.) 2 On Eph., Hom. xi. 3 Ad. Nepotian. Epist. ii.

6

4 In Tit., c. 3.

5 In Esa. xix.

Epist. liii. See Marshall's Notes, and Wordsworth's Theophilus Anglicanus.

"Seeing the Church is one, unity is the means of salvation throughout the whole world. Do not then depart from unity, if you do not wish to be excluded from salvation." 1

"Whosoever shall be found without the Church will be cut off from the number of sons. He will not have God for his Father who refused to have the Church for his Mother." 2

"Whosoever shall be separated from this Catholic Church, however unblameably he may deem himself to live, for this one crime, that he is separated from the unity of Christ, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon him." 3

"The sacrilege of Schism goes beyond all crimes." 4

"You think," said he to the Donatists," that schism is an inconsiderable offence. Well, let us not judge in such matters for ourselves, but take counsel from the Holy Scriptures. Select certain crimes of the gravest character, and see how God punished them. Then compare the judgments which He passed on schismatics; and thus you will know how to make a true estimate of the heinousness of either in His sight." St. Augustine then chooses for the required examples, the sins of idolatry which provoked the heavy wrath of God, and the sacrilegious burning of the sacred books recorded by Jeremiah; and he concludes thus: "The idolatry was avenged by the sword, the burning of the book by slaughter and captivity; but schism was punished by the opening of the earth, and the burying alive of its authors, they who were consenting to it being consumed by the fires of Heaven! Who now will doubt that that was the deepest crime which drew upon it the most grievous chastisement ?” 5

"Whoso forsaketh unity, forsaketh charity; and whoso violateth charity, how great gifts soever he have, he is nothing.. . So, then, let us embrace charity, studying to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let not those seduce us who understand the Scriptures in a carnal manner, and who, in making a bodily separation, are separated themselves by a spiritual sacrilege from the good corn of the Church, which is spread over the whole world. Let not perverse men seduce you, that chaff so light which flies out of the floor before the coming of the Winnower; -let them not seduce you." 6

1

"Immunis a salute." Serm. cxxv.

3 Ad Donatistas, Ep. clii.

2 De Symbol., iv. 13. 4 Contra Epist. Parmeniani, i. 4.

5 St. Aug. apud Marshall's Notes, p. 239.

6 Homilies on the New Testament, xxxviii. 21. (88 Ben.) Oxf. Tr.

The English Church adopts the language of the Fathers. 31

From these specimens of the witness borne by holy men of old time, we now turn to listen to the Apostolic testimony as carried on in England and in Scotland.

3. THE WITNESS OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH.

Authorities might be cited from the Divines of the English Church to an indefinite extent, but it were superfluous to do so at any length, seeing that the English Church and all her best sons have ever held on this subject the language of the primitive Church and Fathers. The few following statements, therefore, may be sufficient:

Convocation of 1606.

"If any man shall affirm, under colour of anything that is in the Scriptures, that the Apostles and all the ancient Fathers were deceived when they judged the authority of Bishops necessary at all times for the suppressing of schisms; and that, without Bishops, there would be in the churches as many sects as ministers; or that when men find themselves, in regard of their disobedience to their Bishops, so fully and notably described and censured by all the ancient Fathers for schismatics and contentious persons, they have not just cause to fear their own estates if they continue in such their wilfulness and obstinacy he doth greatly err."1

Hooker.

We, whose eyes are too dim to behold the inward man must leave the secret judgment of every servant to his own Lord, accounting and using all men as brethren, both near and dear to us, supposing Christ to love them tenderly, so as they keep the profession of the Gospel, and join in the outward communion of saints. Whereof the one does warrantize unto us their faith, the other their love, till they fall away, and forsake either the one or the other, or both; and then it is no injury to term them as they are. When they separate themselves they are not judged by us, but by their own

1 The Convocation Book of M.D.CVI., book ii., canon vii., p. 157. (Ed. 1844.) These canons are referred to as showing the mind of the Church. King James I. took alarm at certain opinions expressed in this Convocation touching the Regal prerogatives, and its canons, consequently, did not receive the royal

assent.

doings. If they break the bond of unity, whereby the body of the Church is coupled and knit in one, as they do which wilfully forsake all external communion with saints in holy exercises purely and orderly established in the Church, this is to separate themselves by schism. Now, because that by such examples, not only the hearts of infidels were hardened against the truth, but the minds of weak brethren also much troubled, the Holy Ghost has given sentence of these backsliders that they were earnal men, and had not the Spirit of Christ Jesus, lest any man having an overweening of their persons should be over-much amazed and offended at their fall." 1

Bishop Jeremy Taylor.

"The dignity and the duty [of a Bishop] take one another by the hand, and are born together; only every sheep of the flock must take care to make the Bishop's duty as easy as it can, by humility and love, by prayer and by obedience. It is at the best very difficult; but they who oppose themselves to government make it harder and uncomfortable: but take heed, if thy Bishop hath cause to complain to God of thee, for thy perverseness and uncharitable walking, thou wilt be the loser; and for us we can only say, in the words of the prophet, We will weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people.' " 2

"There are amongst us such tender consciences that cannot endure milk, but can very well digest iron; consciences so tender that a ceremony is greatly offensive, but rebellion is not; a surplice drives them away, as a bird affrighted with a man of clouts; but their consciences can suffer them to despise government, and speak evil of dignities, and curse all that are not of their opinion, and disturb the peace of kingdoms, and commit sacrilege, and account schism the character of Saints.” 3

"A man would think it easy to believe that those who were in "the gainsaying of Korah," who rose up against the High Priest, were in a very sad condition: and yet there are too many amongst us who are in the gainsaying of Korah, and think they do very well; that they are the godly party and the good people of God The words are plain, the duty is certain, the book lies open; but,

Hooker's Works, vol. iii., pp. 834, 835. (Ed. 1836.)

2 Preface to Consecration Sermon, Jan. 27, 1660.

3 Preface to Sermon at the Opening of the Irish Parliament, May 8, 1661.

Separation by Schism cuts off from the whole Church. 33

alas! "it is sealed within," that is, "men have eyes, and will not see; ears, and will not hear." But the wonder is the less; for we know when God said to Jonah," Doest thou well to be angry? he answered God to His face, "I do well to be angry even unto the death." Let God declare His mind never so plainly, if men will not lay aside the evil principle that is within, their open love to their secret sin, they may kill an Apostle, and yet be so ignorant as to "think they do God good service"; they may disturb kingdoms, and break the peace of a well-ordered Church, and rise against their Fathers, and be cruel to their brethren, and stir up the people to sedition; and all this with a cold stomach and a hot liver, with a hard heart and a tender conscience, with a humble carriage and a proud spirit. For this, men hate repentance because they scorn to confess an error; they will not return to peace and truth, because they fear to lose the good opinion of the people whom they themselves have cozened; they are afraid to be good, lest they should confess they have formerly done amiss: and he that observes how much evil is done, and how many heresies are risen, and how much obstinacy and unreasonable perseverance in folly dwells in the world, upon the stock of pride, may easily conclude that learning is insufficient to make a proud man understand the truth of God, unless he first learn to be humble. But, "obedite et intelligetis," saith the prophet; "obey," and be humble,-leave the foolish affections of sin," and then ye shall understand." 1

"For my part, I think it fit to rest on these words of a martyr, Saint Cyprian, (Ep.69)—' Si quis cum Episcopo non sit in Ecclesia non esse. He that is not with the Bishop is not in the Church;' that is, he that goes away from him and willingly separates, departs from God's Church; and whether he can then be with God is a very material consideration, and fit to be thought on by all that think heaven a more eligible good than the interests of a faction, and the importune desire of rule can countervail.”

Archbishop Potter.

"Whoever is separated from any sound part of the Church by schism, or just excommunication, is, by that means, separated from the whole Church. Just as we find, in natural bodies, that in one

1 Sermon to the University of Dublin.

2 Preface to Consecration Sermon.