A second true defence of the mere nonconformists against the untrue accusations, reasonings, and…A second true defence of the meer nonconformists against the untrue accusations, reasonings, and…

That the Reader may clearly understand the full State of this Controversy concerning Schism; the upshot of which, is, that it is agreed between both parties, that all Separation from Communion with a Church doth not involve in it the guilt of Schism, but only such a Separation as hath no sufficient cause or ground for it.

That the Reader may clearly understand the full State of this Controversie concerning Schism; the upshot of which, is, that it is agreed between both parties, that all Separation from Communion with a Church doth not involve in it the guilt of Schism, but only such a Separation as hath no sufficient cause or ground for it.

Page 131. There can be no Separation from the whole Church, but in such things wherein the unity of the whole Church lies; for Separation is a violation of some Union: Now when men separate from the errors of all particular Churches, they do not separate from the whose, because those things, which one separates from those particular Churches for, are not such, as make all them put together to be the whole or Catholic Church. This must be somewhat further explained. There are two things considerable in all particular Churches; those things which belong to it as a Church, and those things which belong to it as a particular Church. Those things which belong to it as a Church, are the common ligaments or grounds of Union between all particular Churches, which taken together make up the Catholic Church: ⟨p. 7⟩Those things which belong to it as a particular Church, are such as it may retain the essence of a Church without. Now, I say, whosoever separates from any particular Church (much more from all) for such things without which that can be no Church, separates from the Communion of the Catholic Church: but he that separates only from particular Churches, as to such things which concern not their being, is only separated from the Communion of those Churches, and not the Catholic. And therefore supposing that all particular Churches have some errors and corruptions in them, though I should separate from them all, I do not separate from the Communion of the whole Church, unless it be for something, without which those could be no Churches. An evidence of which, is, that by my declaring the grounds of my separation to be such Errors and corruptions, which are crept into the Communion of such Churches, and imposed on me in order to it, I withal declare my readiness to join with them again, if those errors and corruptions be left out. And where there is this readiness of Communion, there is no absolute separation from the Church as such, but only suspending Communion till such abuses be reformed: