Part 109

_Direct._ VI. Make nothing necessary to the unity of the church, or the communion of christians, which God hath not made necessary, or directed you to make so.[161] By this one folly, the papists are become the most notorious schismatics on earth; even by making new articles of faith, and new parts of worship, and imposing them on all christians, to be sworn, subscribed, professed, or practised, so as that no man shall be accounted a catholic, or have communion with them, (or with the universal church, if they could hinder it,) that will not follow them in all their novelties. They that would subscribe to all the Scriptures, and to all the ancient creeds of the church, and would do any thing that Christ and his apostles have enjoined, and go every step of that way to heaven that Peter and Paul went, as far as they are able, yet if they will go no further, and believe no more, (yea, if they will not go against some of this,) must be condemned, cast out, and called schismatics by these notorious schismatics. If he hold to Christ the universal Head of the church, and will not be subject or sworn to the pope, the usurping head, he shall be taken as cut off from Christ. And there is no certainty among these men what measure of faith, and worship, and obedience to them, shall be judged necessary to constitute a church member: for as that which served in the apostles' days, and the following ages, will not serve now, nor the subscribing to all the other pretended councils until then will not serve without subscribing to the creed or council of Trent; so nobody can tell, what new faith, or worship, or test of christianity, the next council (if the world see any more) may require: and how many thousand that are Trent catholics now, may be judged heretics or schismatics then, if they will not shut their eyes, and follow them any whither, and change their religion as oft as the papal interest requireth a change. Of this Chillingworth, Hales, and Dr. H. More have spoken plainly.[162] If the pope had imposed but one lie to be subscribed, or one sin to be done, and said "All nations and persons that do not this, are no christians, or shall have no communion with the church," the man that refuseth that imposed lie or sin, is guiltless of the schism, and doth but obey God, and save his soul; and the usurper that imposeth them, will be found the heinous schismatic before God, and the cause of all those divisions of the church. And so if any private sectary shall feign an opinion or practice of his own to be necessary to salvation or church communion, and shall refuse communion with those that are not of his mind and way, it is he, and not they, that is the cause of the uncharitable separation.