A PROTESTANT. OF THE Church of England, NO DONATIST. OR, SOME SHORT NOTES ON Lucilla and Elizabeth.  
Licenced, Decemb. 8. 1686.  
LONDON, Printed for T. Basset, at the George, near St. Dunstan's Church, in Fleetstreet. 1686.   


(a) LVcilla, a Private, though Rich and Powerful Woman, and therefore a fit Patroness for a Faction, but no Legal Reformer.  Lucilla and Elizabeth. 
(b) Elizabeth, a Sovereign Princess, who had Authority, in Her own Kingdoms, to Reform the Church; which makes some difference between them.  OR, DONATIST and PROTESTANT 
(c) Papist had been here a more proper Parallel, than a Protestant, but that he is not so Orthodox as a Donatist, though as great a Schismatic.  SCHISM PARALLELED.  
Donatism. Protestancy. 1. Ordained Anti-Bishops. 1. Ordained Anti-Bishops. An Anti-Bishop is one set up against another Lawful Bishop, in the same Diocese. 1. Such the Papists have in Ireland, as the Donatists had. 1. SUch the Church of England has not, that we know of; and if there be any Such, they must be Popish Anti-Bishops. 
2. Erected Anti-Altars.  2. Erected Anti-Tables. 2. There can be no Anti-Altars, nor Anti-Tables, where there are no Anti-Bishops. 3. Impeached all other Churches of Apostasy. 3. Impeached the whole Church of Superstition, Idolatry, and Antichristianism. 3. Rome, like the Donatist, does this; for She allows of no True Churches, but what are in Communion with, and Subjection to the Pope. 3. No, only the Church of Rome, and not So as to Unchurch her neither, as Donatists and Papists do. 4. Communicated with no other Church in Religious Offices. 4. Communicates, in Sacred Duties, with no Christian Society. 4. Thus Papists communicate with none but in their own Communion; and that is to Communicate with no other Church. 4. We reject no Christians, who will Communicate with us; and are ready to Communicate with all Churches, who do not impose Sinful Terms of Communion, nor require a Corrupt Worship. 5. Appealed from the Church's Sentence in a Spiritual Cause to a Lay-Prince. 5. Appealed from the Church's Decrees to the Prince's Supremacy, advancing it in all Spiritual Cases, above any Authority Ecclesiastical, whatsoever. 5. Pope's have deposed Princes, and absolved Subjects from their Oaths of Fidelity, which is a greater Crime. 5. The Supremacy we allow to Princes is not the Exercise of any Spiritual Power, but such a Power as the Catholic Church has always allowed to Christian Princes, viz. to have the Supreme Government of the Church in their Dominions, as incorporated into the State; which must be allowed to Sovereign Power, or it is not Sovereign. 
6. Yet continued the Catholic Creed, Sacraments, Liturgies, Regiment and Solemnities, as they were before the Schism.  6. Continues Baptism and the Creed (in most Articles) but errs concerning the Eucharist and other our Lord's Sacraments, abrogating the Liturgies, Rites, Canons, Fasts and Festivals; as also the Spiritual jurisdiction of the Church, and Canonical Obedience to the Western Patriarch. 6. This the Church of Rome does not, but has done that which is worse, viz. Corrupted the Catholic Faith; not by denying any Article of the Creed, but by adding New Doctrines to it; by increasing the Number, and altering the Nature of Sacraments; by corrupting Liturgies, and the Fasts and Festivals of the Church; and so are much worse, upon this account, than the Donatists, who did not Corrupt the Christian Faith. 6. We retain the whole Faith, and Institutions of Christ, entire; which, I hope, is no Fault, either in Donatists, or in the Church of England. We retain the ancient Use of Fasts and Festivals; and vindicate our Just Liberties from the Usurpations of the Bishop of Rome; who is not contented to be the Western Patriarch, but will be an Universal Bishop, the Sovereign Head of the Church, and Infallible Judge of Controversies. By which extravagant Claims, he justly Forfeits even that Patriarchal Right, which the Canons of the Church formerly allowed him, in honour to the Imperial City, of which he was Bishop: For when a Grant upon mere Courtesy is improved into Tyranny and Usurpation, there is no Obligation to continue those Respects, which are now Challenged not upon Courtesy, but as an Original and Inviolable Right; and improved, from honourable Respects, into Empire and unlimited Jurisdiction. However, we need not trouble ourselves with this Dispute. The British Churches, for Six hundred Years after Christ, never had any Dependence on Rome; and what was after this was only Usurpation, and an usurped Authority may be renounced without Schism.   

A. St. Augustin's Censure against the Donatists involving Protestants.  
A. And why not involving Papists as well as Protestants? For we have less to do with Donatism than they have. What St. Austin says against the Donatists is upon the account of their Schism, and may indeed be applied to other Schismatics: But before they can be applied to us, they must prove us to be Schismatics; which is not so easy to do, as to take it for granted; which our Author, I see, is most inclined to. But, if the Schismatic should fall to their own share, they must take the Censure of St. Austin to themselves.  

Epist. 48.  B. YOU [Donatists] are with us [Catholics] in Baptism, in the Creed, and in the rest of our Lord's Sacraments; but in the Spirit of Unity, in the Bond of Peace, lastly, in the Catholic Church itself, you are not with us.  
B. TO agree in Faith and Worship, and yet to divide Communion, is certainly a notorious Schism. And thus St. Austin proves the Donatists to be Schismatics; That they had the same Baptism, the same Creed, the same Sacraments, but would not Communicate with them; and thereby Divided themselves from the Catholic Church; did not Preserve the Spirit of Unity in the Bond of Peace, but Refused to own themselves of the same Church. And this must be Schism; for nothing can justify a Separation, but a Corruption of Faith or Worship. But the Case is vastly different between us and the Church of Rome. For we have not the same Creed, the same Sacraments, and the same Worship: The Council of Trent has added a great many new Articles to our Creed; has made a great many new Sacraments, and corrupted the old ones, and has introduced a new and strange Worship, the Worship of Saints and Angels, and Service in an Unknown Tongue, into the Christian Church. And this is the Reason not of our Separating from, but of their Flinging us out of their Communion. And this Case St. Austin says nothing of; but we are ready to prove, That it is no Schism.  

Epist. 1 53.  C. The Sacraments of Christ, which in the Sacrilege of Schism you [Donatists] have to judgement, will be profitable and wholesome to you, when you shall have the Head, Christ, in Catholic Peace, where Charity will cover a multitude of Sins.  
C. If they apply this to us, than they must at least grant, That we have very good Sacraments in our Church, such as are profitable and wholesome; and convey to us all the Virtue and Benefit of Sacraments, till they can prove us guilty of Schism: And we desire to enjoy the Benefit of our Sacraments no longer.  

De Vnitate Ecclesiae, c. 4.  D. Whosoever believes Christ Jesus to be come in the Flesh, etc. but yet so descent from his Body, which is his Church, as that their Communion is not with the whole, wherever diffused, but is found Separated in some part, 'tis manifest they are not in the Catholic Church.  
D. This was a good Argument in St. Austin's time; when the whole Catholic Church was in one Communion, without any Corruptions in Faith and Worship to justify a Separation. For, in this Case, whoever separated from any Society of Christians, separated from the whole Christian Church; and nothing else was necessary to prove them Schismatics, but only their Separation; which was as visible a Schism, as tearing an Arm or Leg from the Body. For when the whole Church was one Communion, without any Corruptions of Faith or Worship, there could be no Dispute which was the True Catholic Church; and to Separate from the Catholic Church is certainly Schism. This was the Case of the Donatists, against whom St. Austin wrote that Book de Vnitate. They had nothing to object against the Faith or Worship of the Catholic Church; but only pretended, that they Communicated with Traditors, or those who were Ordained by them, that is, With those who, in the Times of Persecution, delivered up their Bibles to the Persecutors; which yet was not so great a Fault as taking away the Bible from the People, (which if they had not had in those Days, they could not have delivered it) and persecuting those who use it.  
But when the Church is divided in Faith and Worship, into a great many different and opposite Communions, it is a ridiculous thing for any Part of the Church to call itself the Whole; and then to charge others, as St. Austin does the Donatists, with Separating from the Whole; especially, when such a Separation is occasioned by such Corruptions as are dangerous to men's Souls. Which is vastly different from the state of the Church in St. Austin's time; and therefore what he says cannot be immediately applied to us. They must first prove, that the Roman Church is the Catholic Church, and a Pure and Uncorrupt Church; and then we will grant, that not to Communicate with them is Schism.  
E. This Church is the Body of Christ, as the Apostle saith, 
Cap. 2.  Col. 1. 24. For his Body, which is his Church. Whence surely 'tis manifest, That he who is no Member of Christ, cannot have Christian Salvation. But the Members of Christ are joined to each other by the Charity of Unity, and by the same [Charity] do they cohere to their Head, Christ Jesus.  
E. To separate from the Body of Christ is certainly Schism; but St. Austin in the same place tells us, that there is a Separation from the Head, as well as from the Body; that is, from Christ who is the Head, as well as from his Body, which is his Church. The first is a Schism occasioned by Heresy; the second is a causeless Schism without any corruption in Faith and Worship. So that He never intended that, for fear of Schism, we should Communicate with a very Corrupt Church; but only warns us not to Separate from the Church of Christ, when such a Church does not Separate from Christ. But as far as any Church, or Society of Christians, Separates from Christ, the Head, so far we may and aught to Separate from them.  
F. Whosoever therefore is Separated from this Catholic Church, 
Epist. 1 53.  how laudably soever he thinks himself to live, for this only Crime, that he is disjoined from the Unity of Christ, he shall not have life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.  
F. As for the evil and danger of Schism, we perfectly agree with this Father; and will say as Ill things of it, as the Church of Rome herself can desire: But we are not afraid of these Ill Consequences of Schism, while we are no Schismatics.  
G. NOW St. Augustin places the Donatists' Schism in their not joining with Catholics in Religious Offices, In forsaking all Christian Assemblies, In not partaking with them of the Eucharist, In Prayers, etc. Whence he concludes them not to belong to the Catholic Church, Not to be Members of Christ' s Mystical Body, Not to have Charity, Not Sacraments to Benefit, Not Piety with Hope, nor Salvation.  
G. THIS is all very true, and this was the Character of the Donatist Schism. They were charged with no Heresy, for they were Guilty of none; but only with Separating from the Communion of the Catholic Church, in Prayers, and Sacraments, which is a Separation; and if it be Causeless, as it was in the Donatists, has the Gild of Schism: But is a very just Separation, and no Schism, if it have a just Cause.  
H. Have Prelatical Protestants of Great Britain and Ireland any visible Communion, in the Eucharist or other Divine Service, with any Christian Church on Earth? If they have not, as is undeniable, then according to St. Augustin, they are not in the Catholic Church, are not Members of Christ, are without Charity, beneficial Sacraments, hopeful Holiness, and eternal Salvation.  
H. Do the Prelatical Protestants of Great Britain and Ireland refuse Communion with, or deny Communion to, any Church on Earth, without a Cause? If they do not, they are Innocent; if they say we do, let them prove it. We have nothing in our Worship that can hinder any Christian (not roman-catholics themselves) from Communicating with us; and then, if they will not do it, it is their own Faults. We refuse Communion with no Church, with whom we can Communicate without Sin; and it is no Fault to refuse Communion, when it cannot be had without Sin. And therefore we are still in the Catholic Church, (and, I believe, the best Reformed part of the Catholic Church;) we are Members of Christ, have true Christian Charity (so much even for the Church of Rome, that it is made by themselves an Argument against us) and therefore doubt not to receive all the benefit of Sacraments; and, if we live holily, to receive the Fruits of it in eternal Salvation.  
I. And this Censure by so much the more justly belongs to them, as their Schism is more consumacious, their Calumnies against the Catholic Church more horrid, and their Defection by Heresy, as well as Schism, wider than the Donatists.  
I. Contumacy can never be in a good Cause, and that we are sure ours is. Though had he known any thing of the Story of the Donatists, he would have known, That no Man can be more constant, and virtuously steady, in a good Cause, than they were contumaciously Obstinate in a bad one. We do not calumniate the Catholic Church, God forbid! nay, not the Roman Church; for though we say a great many Ill things of them, they are True, and that is no Calumny. And are we the greater Schismatics, because we justify our Separation, by laying the Fault on the Corruptions and Innovations of the Church of Rome? If the Donatists could have done so, St. Austin would not have thought them so much the worse Schismatics, but no Schismatics at all. And as for Heresy, when This Author can prove us guilty of that, we will allow ourselves to be worse Schismatics than the Donatists were.  
The End.