It is humiliating to reflect, that a tendency to form uncharitable and exclusive judgments with regard to other professing Christians, has been but too marked a feature of the various sections of the religious world, in general. There has scarcely been a denomination in Christendom, which has not, at some period of its history, either in so many words, or virtually by its practices, assumed that it was the only true church;' while it has been ready to regard all other forms, customs, and opinions, beside its own, as 'heresy' and' schism;' or even openly to brand them with these hateful names. * This antichristian spirit has been the more remarkable, from its having manifested itself, in a decided form, among those whose confessions of faith have been essentially one, as to the great outlines of the christian doctrine.

Thus, in proportion as the universal church declined from the natural simplicity of its moral and spiritual life in Christ, and from its first pure and spontaneous fraternal love,-one of two alternatives, was to be expected: either frequent conflicts;

*Heresie and Schism, as they are in common use,' says Hales of Eton, are two Theological μopuù, or scarcrows, which they who uphold a party in Religion, use to fright away such, as making inquiry into it, are ready to relinquish and oppose it, if it appear either erroneous or suspicious.' Hales's Tracts, 1677. p. 191.

partly between one corruption and another; partly between the lingering spirit of the ancient genuine and unworldly Christianity, and the growing mass of human ideas and inventions which were ever incorporating themselves with it:-or the final alternative of one general, uniform suspension of the energy and vigour of the spiritual life, over the whole body of the church. Something nearly approaching to this crisis, was gradually brought on, by the successive inroads of power and superstition, till the 'Man of Sin,'-himself the most enormous example and combination of all that is apostate, heretical, and schismatical-anathematized all, as guilty of apostasy, heresy, schism, and impious rebellion, who did not fall prostrate at his footstool.

The same spirit which induced the Romish church to pronounce Protestantism the Schism of Luther,' has been but too closely imitated by Protestants themselves; and instead of schism being regarded, as it is in scripture, as whatever tends to alienate and divide Christians one from another, for the sake of uniting them to a party; the illiterate and simple-minded are sometimes taught, in the true spirit of Rome, that it is a 'disregard of church-authority; that is, forming a union with an unauthorized congregation, in defiance of the solemnly declared will of the

Almighty in other words, (for this is the true interpretation,) schism is such an exercise of the right of private judgment, as may lead a man to act on the principle, that other churches may be as apostolic' as that which may exclusively claim a' divine right;' or which the court and the government may happen to have adopted, in any particular country. So long as human authority, and tradition, are placed on a level scarcely inferior to that of inspiration, these partial and unscriptural views respecting schism and unity, will continue to prevail; we shall still hear of some one denomination of Christians claiming to be the only true Church;' while all the other christian bodies in a nation, are 'sects;' their members 'sectarians,' 6 separatists,' and schismatics ;' and the most conscientious and peaceable maintenance of their own church-form and order, is 'sectarianism,' and 'schism.'

It even appears that, with the progress of time, there has been, continually, a wider departure from the scripture-meaning of the word 'schism,' which we repeat, is, essentially, alienation of heart between Christians, however it may arise; manifesting itself in uncharitable, contentious conduct. This

Tracts for the Times, 1833-4. Oxford. vol. i. No. 30, containing a dialogue between John Evans and Dr. Spencer.

New-Testament signification, was first given up, for that of actual separation from a particular church and bishop, with whom those who separated had previously been in actual communion; agreeably with the definition of Hales of Eton: 'Schism is nothing else but an unnecessary separation of Christians from that part of the visible Church, of which they were once Members.'* But the charge of schism has not ceased to be repeated, even in cases of long-established secession from a particular body of Christians. In modern ecclesiastical phraseology, those are often called schismatics,' who have never actually divided from any church, or denomination; but who have remained attached, from mature conviction, to that form and order to which they have been accustomed from their earliest years.

Schism is thus considered as a kind of original sin. It is supposed to taint the posterity of those who first incurred the charge of being guilty of it. It flows in the veins of their successive descendants, from age to age; and they are regarded in the light of a race of men among whom there constantly exists an infectious disorder, and who ought to be put under a perpetual quarantine. Their piety, character, conscientiousness, intelligence, and numbers, form but a feeble plea on their behalf. Nay, the very circumstance of their influ*Hales's Tracts; 1677. p. 195.

ence in society, and their numerical importance, has often caused them to be viewed with less charity; and to be dealt with less as erring brethren, who may still be included within the pale of visible Christianity, than as natural enemies, who are to be dreaded! Schism is thus regarded as hereditary rebellion against the authority of a particular church, which assumes that itself, alone, is apostolical. Nay, we may even find those spoken of as 'schismatics' in relation to one form of Protestantism, who peaceably adhere to another, which originally separated from Romanism, as independently as that form itself. Hence the most modern notion of schism, held by those who take ecclesiastical views of it, would seem to be, that it consists simply in not belonging to their communion.

*

The subject may be further illustrated, by a few extracts from a recent work, which has already been quoted. The offence against communion is called schism; and schism, in its extremest degree, is separation, dissent, or (as it is sometimes called) heresy.. Voluntary separation from the church of Christ is a sin which, unless repented of, is eternally destructive to the soul. The heinous nature of this offence is incapable of exaggeration, because no human imagination, and no human tongue, can adequately describe its

....

* See page 248. Also M'Crie's Life of Knox; vol. i. p. 101.