Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

Munster, it would not, as in their case, show that they were far more right than
wrong — that like them, they were goaded to desperation by the combined
wrongs of corrupt and oppressive politico-ecclesiastical governments. Be this,
however, as it may, history clears the Donatists of the doings of the
Circumcelliones.
Schaff concedes:
“Like the Montanists and Novatianists they insisted on rigorous church
discipline and demanded the excommunication of all unworthy members.” f162
Chambers’ Universal Knowledge:
“The Donatists, like the followers of Novatian, went upon the principle that
the essence of the true church consisted in purity and holiness of all its
members individually, and not merely in the apostolic foundation and
doctrine.” f163
Neander says the Donatist principle was:
“That every church which tolerated unworthy members in its bosom was itself
polluted by the communion with them. It thus ceased to deserve the predicates
of purity and holiness, and consequently ceased to be a true Christian church,
since a church could not subsist without these predicates.” … “The Donatists
maintained that the church should cast out from its body those who were
known by open and manifest sins to be unworthy members.” f165
Neander farther says:
“According to the Catholic point of view, to the essence of the genuine
Catholic church belonged its general spread through the medium of episcopal
succession down from the Apostles. From the conception of the Catholic
church in this sense was first derived the predicates of purity and holiness. On
the other hand, according to the Donatist point of view, the predicate of
Catholic ought to be subordinate to those of purity and holiness.” f164
Dupin, a Roman Catholic, says:
“The Donatists maintained that the true church ought to consist of none but
holy and just men. They confessed the bad might be mixed with the good in
the church, but only as secret sinners, not as open offenders.” f166
Bohringer sums up the meaning of the Donatist movement:
“The Donatists, Novatians and Montanists wanted a pure and holy church,
because the purity of its members constitute the genuineness of the church.”
f167
Walch: