The Church of England cleared from the charge of Schism: Upon Testimonies of Councils and Fathers of the first six centuriesAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
The Church of England cleared from the charge of Schism: Upon Testimonies of Councils and Fathers of the first six centuries
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Continuity of the church -- Anglican Communion; Episcopacy -- History of Doctrines; Papacy -- History -- To 1309
He cannot be a martyr who is not in the Church; he can never
attain to the kingdom, who leaves her with whom the kingdom shall be." "A
man of such sort may indeed be killed, crowned he cannot be." Therefore the
charge of Schism, when once brought before the reflecting mind, cannot be
turned aside,--it must be met and answered: if it is not answered, at least
to the conviction of the individual, it leaves upon the whole of his
obedience the stain of insincerity, which is fatal. In this respect it is
more pressing and imperious, more fatal, even than that of heresy. I
observe this, because, in the comments I have seen on the painful
departures of friends from among us, and in exhortations not to follow
them, it has not seemed to be always recognised. When men leave us on the
ground that we are in schism, surely all censure of them, and all defence
of ourselves, is beside the mark, which does not meet and rebut this
particular accusation. Under this no man can rest: it is useless, it is
sinful, to ask him to rest, unless you can remove the imputation. To talk
of "disappointment, or a morbid desire of distinction, or impatience under
deficiencies, want of discipline, or sympathy in spiritual superiors," and
such-like causes, as being those which have impelled a man to the most
painful sacrifices, and "in the middle of his days to begin life again," is
surely both untrue as regards the individual, and futile as to preventing
others doing like him, when the ground of schism among others is alleged by
himself, and is felt to lie at the bottom. Could we prove that the Church
of England is clear both of enunciating heresy in her formularies, and of
allowing it within her pale, it would in no respect answer this charge of
schism against her, except so far as the _a priori_ presumption, that she
who is clear of the one would be clear of the other also. But it would
remain to be met and answered specifically.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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