Moment; but upon the Interceffion of Mofes, in these Words, O GOD, the GOD of the Spirits of all Flesh, shall one Man fin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the Congregation? GOD did not aeftroy them all; but upon the Command of Mofes, feparating themselves, and departing from the Tents of Korah, (g) they, their Men, Wives, and Children, and all that appertained to them, the Earth opening its Mouth, fwallowed all up alive; and yet the Punishment did not there stop, for Fire came out from the LORD, (h) and confum'd Two Hundred and Fifty of the Princes of Ifrael, and that for their offering Incense, not being of the Seed of Aaron (i); that is to fay, for their invading the Priefts Office, not being legally fent, as Aaron and his Sons were: And farther, for a Memorial of their Sin and Punishment, and to deter others from the like ever after, GOD commanded their Cenfers to be made broad Plates for the Covering of the Altar; and the Reason is given, (k) because they had been once offered to the LORD. By which we may likewife fee, that Things once dedicated to a pious Ufe, cannot be put to a profane one, tho' once abufed or illegally ufed, Tollatur abufus maneat ufus. As this was a formidable Schifm and Rebellion, fo was it as remarkably and feverely punish'd, for it did not stop here, the People again Murmuring, faid, (1) Te have killed the People of the LORD; he again commanded Mofes and Aaron, to get them from amongst the People, that he might con (g) Numb, xvi. 32. (h) Ver. 35. (k) Ver. 39. (i) Ver. 40. N 2 Jume Jume them is a Moment; and notwithstanding that, upon their repeated Interceffion, he was pleafed to mitigate the Punifhment he once defigned, yet he fent a Plague amongst them, that fwept away Fourteen Thoufand Seven Hundred (m). I tha laftly obferve, that Korah was of the Tribe of Levi, which GOD had fo far honoured, as to fet them apart for his own immediate Service; yet not content with that honourable Station GOD was pleafed to put him in, he would needs affume Powers above what was given, and invade thofe of his Superiours; this it was that led him into the Sin, and brought the Punishment upon him. And his Example, methinks, may perfuade every Perfon in Church and State to keep themselves within their own Limits, and be a Warning that they invade not the Offices properly belonging to their Superiours, left if they follow the Sin of Korah, they feel his Punishment. I have been more full in this Account, becaufe there are feveral Points in it, which duly confidered, are fufficient to deter any one from the Sin of Schifm, and ufurping of the Priesthood, without a legal Call or Warrant for the Exercife of that Office; and I wish that all thofe, who are either guilty of the practising or countenancing of that Sin, may duly confider this. We know how often the Ten Tribes fell into most horrid Idolatries, after they had feparated themfelves from the other Two, and that GOD as often molt feverely punished them for it. It's impoffible for thofe that feparate themselves (m) Numb. xvi. 49. from from the Church, but they muft fall into Gross Errors; and the longer they continue in their Schifm, the worfe they grow, as we fee by our daily Experience. In the New Teftament Schifm is faid to have a natural Tendency to fubvert the Kingdom of GOD (n). It's difgrac'd with the abominable Name of being a Work of the Flesh (0), St. Jude 19. Thefe be they who Separate themselves, fenfual, having not the Spirit; nay, it's even made by our LORD himself fuch a Crime, as configns to everlasting Burnings (p). St. Auftin takes Schifm to be the Sin against the Holy Ghoft, mentioned Matth. xii. and xxiii. No Sinners more odiously reprefented in Holy Writ than Schifmaticks. They are call'd Exotick Plants (q), Withered Branches to be gathered up and cast into the Fire (r), Falfe Brethren (s), Antichrifts (t), Proud, knowing nothing (u), Unruly, vain Talkers, whofe Mouths should be ftopt, their Prayers are NOT HEARD (w). A great many more fuch Places of Scripture might be adduced, if those already cited were not fufficient to fhew the heinous Nature of the Sin of Schifm. St. Paul (x) exprefly forbids Communion with them in a moft ftri& manner; Now we command you, Brethren, in the Name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, that you withdraw your felves from every Brother that walketh diforderly, and not after the Tradition ye received from us: And, (y) If any Man obey not our Word by this Epistle, note that Man, and have no Company with him. We have a notable Inftance in another Place of St. Paul's Writings (z), which may ferve for all. Mark them which caufe Divifions and Diffenfions, contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. This Apostle's Command here is as exprefs as any thing can be, against our being present at Schifmatical Worship, or countenancing the fame. It was in Obedience to thefe Commands of the Apostles, that the primitive Church, in fubfequent Ages, by feveral Canons of her Councils, exprefly prohibited, under most severe Penalties, all Communion with Hereticks, which in those Days was deemed the fame with Schif maticks. The 45th of the Canons, commonly called Apoftolical, orders, That a Bishop, Presbyter, or Deacon, that joyns in Frayer with a Heretick, fhall be excommunicated. Can. 46. A Bifbop, or Presbyter, who approves of the Baptifm or Eucharist of Hereticks, fhall be depofed. The 16th Canon of the Ancyran Council (a), enacts, That if any Presbyters raife Sedition against their Bishops, they shall be deprived of the Honour of Presbyters, and excommunicated. The 16th Canon of the Great Council of Nice (b) enacts, That if any Presbyter or Deacon, neglecting the Fear of GOD, and difregarding the Rules of the Church, shall separate from the Churches to which they belong, they must not be received into (z) Rom. xvi. 17. (a) An. 315. (b) An. 325. any any other Churches, but driven back to their own; and if they continue stubborn, let them be excommuxicated. If 1 By the 6th Canon of the Council of Gangra (c), any Man fhall hold a private Meeting out of the Church, and defpifing the Church fhall prefume to perform the Offices of the Church, the officiating Pref byter not being licensed thereto by the Bishop, let him be Anathema. The 6th Canon of the Council at Antioch (d) decrees, That if any Presbyter, or Deacon, contemning his own Bishop, fhall feparate from the Church, and hold Affemblies, and fet up another Altar, refufing to obey his Bishop once and again calling for his Obedience, he shall be depofed, and never again reftored to his Honour. And this Canon was read by Aetins the Arch-Deacon, in the 4th A&t of that Great Council of Chalcedon (e), wherein wère affembled Three Hundred and Sixty Bifhops, who all cry'd out, This is a just Rule; this is the Rule of our Holy Fathers. Many more Canons could be produced for this Purpose, but what I have brought may be fufficient. If any fhould oppose to these Canons, the Canons of that famous National Council of the Church of Scotland at Glasgow, November 1638. affembled without the Leave of their Bishops, and acting contrary to the Authority both of Church and State, which after it had condemn'd the eftablish'd Worship of the Church, Sf. 14. Sf. 30. December 13. depofed the whole Hierarchy, and excommunicated their Metropolitan, that excellent Prelate Arch-Bishop Spotfwood, an Af (c) An. 349. (d) An. 341. (c) An. 451. fembly |