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Romanists enjoy asking where was my church before the Reformation. Others often take the bait and grant this erroneous premise currency where none is warranted. Rather, the answer to the question is simple: my church has always been there.
The reformers saw themselves as calling upon the church of Rome to reform back to the teachings of Scripture. The duty of all members of the invisible church is to preserve that which was received in faith. The lawful exercise of that duty to preserve is prescribed in the visible church's rules of keeping the peace based upon Scripture.
We are exhorted to follow peace with all men, not absolutely, but so far only as it is consistent with holiness, and may be lawfully practicable. To cleave to the Lord, to cultivate fellowship with Him in the way He has prescribed, and to follow Him wherever He goes, constitute the primary object to be kept in view by Christians. Fellowship with men is secondary and subordinate; we are bound to forego and relinquish the latter whenever it is found incompatible with the former.
No particular church has any promise securing her continuance in the faith and in purity of communion, consequently, none can have right to claim perpetual or inviolable union with her, or to denounce persons as schismatics simply on the ground of their withdrawing from her pale and declining her authority.
When a church once reformed and faithful not only departs from what she had professed and received, and persists in this by series of public acts, but also restrains all due freedom in testifying against her defection or when she adopts doctrines inconsistent with her former scriptural profession and engagements, and imposes these by the perverted exercise of authority and discipline, separation from her communion is lawful.
When the public profession and administrations of church have been settled conformably to the laws of Christ, and sanctioned by the most solemn engagements, if the majority shall set these aside, and erect new constitution sinfully defective, and involving material renunciation of the former, the minority refusing to accede to this, adhering to their engagements, and continuing to maintain communion on the original terms, cannot justly be charged with schism.
Accordingly, per the above, schism and separation are not convertible terms, nor are the things signified by them necessarily of the same kind. Schism is always evil, separation may be either good or evil, according to circumstances. To constitute the former, schism, there must be violation of some of the scriptural bonds of unity in the body of Christ. It presupposes church formed and constituted by the authority and according to the laws of Christ, and an administration corresponding to the nature, character, and design of such society, at least so far as that persons may belong to it without sin, and hold communion with it consistently with that regard which they owe to their spiritual safety and edification.
The Christian church is not an arbitrary institution of men—not mere voluntary association of any number of people, for any purpose, and on any terms, which to them may seem good nor has its communion been left vague and undetermined by the laws of its founder. It is not schism to refuse submission to human constitutions, though they may be called churches, and may have religion some way for their object, nor to refuse conformity to such terms as men may be pleased to impose without warrant from the word of God, whether these constitutions and terms proceed from the lust of power, or from the pride of wisdom, and whether they be intended to forward the policy of states men, to feed the ambition of churchmen, or to flatter the humors of the crowd.
After many and long bloodlet attempts to reform her of her errors, the Reformers rightfully separated from Rome's cruel hand and departure from the Gospel she had once received.
AMR
The reformers saw themselves as calling upon the church of Rome to reform back to the teachings of Scripture. The duty of all members of the invisible church is to preserve that which was received in faith. The lawful exercise of that duty to preserve is prescribed in the visible church's rules of keeping the peace based upon Scripture.
We are exhorted to follow peace with all men, not absolutely, but so far only as it is consistent with holiness, and may be lawfully practicable. To cleave to the Lord, to cultivate fellowship with Him in the way He has prescribed, and to follow Him wherever He goes, constitute the primary object to be kept in view by Christians. Fellowship with men is secondary and subordinate; we are bound to forego and relinquish the latter whenever it is found incompatible with the former.
No particular church has any promise securing her continuance in the faith and in purity of communion, consequently, none can have right to claim perpetual or inviolable union with her, or to denounce persons as schismatics simply on the ground of their withdrawing from her pale and declining her authority.
When a church once reformed and faithful not only departs from what she had professed and received, and persists in this by series of public acts, but also restrains all due freedom in testifying against her defection or when she adopts doctrines inconsistent with her former scriptural profession and engagements, and imposes these by the perverted exercise of authority and discipline, separation from her communion is lawful.
When the public profession and administrations of church have been settled conformably to the laws of Christ, and sanctioned by the most solemn engagements, if the majority shall set these aside, and erect new constitution sinfully defective, and involving material renunciation of the former, the minority refusing to accede to this, adhering to their engagements, and continuing to maintain communion on the original terms, cannot justly be charged with schism.
Accordingly, per the above, schism and separation are not convertible terms, nor are the things signified by them necessarily of the same kind. Schism is always evil, separation may be either good or evil, according to circumstances. To constitute the former, schism, there must be violation of some of the scriptural bonds of unity in the body of Christ. It presupposes church formed and constituted by the authority and according to the laws of Christ, and an administration corresponding to the nature, character, and design of such society, at least so far as that persons may belong to it without sin, and hold communion with it consistently with that regard which they owe to their spiritual safety and edification.
The Christian church is not an arbitrary institution of men—not mere voluntary association of any number of people, for any purpose, and on any terms, which to them may seem good nor has its communion been left vague and undetermined by the laws of its founder. It is not schism to refuse submission to human constitutions, though they may be called churches, and may have religion some way for their object, nor to refuse conformity to such terms as men may be pleased to impose without warrant from the word of God, whether these constitutions and terms proceed from the lust of power, or from the pride of wisdom, and whether they be intended to forward the policy of states men, to feed the ambition of churchmen, or to flatter the humors of the crowd.
After many and long bloodlet attempts to reform her of her errors, the Reformers rightfully separated from Rome's cruel hand and departure from the Gospel she had once received.
AMR