Two Treatises Against the Papists, Article rebutted 6
The sixth article conteyneth 3. demandes.
1 Againe from what Church, did all the solemne ceremonies, and obseruations, all festiuall dayes, all fastes, all distinctions, and varieties of seruice, by diuersities of seasons, and times of the yeare, (proceede.)
FIrst you must vnderstande, that we detest and abhorre all your beggarly ceremonies, which you counte holy and solemne obseruations: for we know, that God is not to be worshipped with such thinges but that the true worshippers must worship him in spirit & veritie Iohn 4. And seeing we know God, or rather are knowen of him, we will not regarde the weake and beggarly elementes, because they are destitute of God his worde, which onelyonly i… able to geue them strength and estimation? as for your festiuities, in the honour of creatures, we doe likewise abhorre them▪ we honour the Sainctes as S. Augustine sayeth for imitation, but we do not worship them for Religion. De vera Religione cap. 55. Where he also saith. Quare honoramus eos charitate, non seruitute. We honor them with louelove, and not with seruice. And as he doth often affirme, that it is Idolatry to builde churches in the honour of Sainctes, so is it as great Idolatry, to institute festiuall dayes, in the fauour of the same Sainctes. As for the festiuall dayes that were vsed in the primitiue Church, although they might hauehave bene omitted, without any hurt of Christian Religion, yet were they not kept in the honour of creatures, as they are of the Papistes, but only for the memorie of the Martyrs, and other Saincts, that their good life might be followed. Your fastes are also abhominable: for they are nothing else but abstinence from meates, created of God to be receiued with thankesgeuing, which S. Paule affirmeth to be the doctrine of Diuells 1. Tim. 4. Also your distinctions and varieties of seruice, because they consiste most of blasphemous prayers to dead Sainctes, and sometimes to damned spirites, with foolish lessons, responses, versicles, &c. Lewde lies and vncertaine tales, which you reade and sing, as God his seruice, they are all abhominable. In vaine do they worship me, saith our Sauiour Christ, teaching for doctrine the preceptes of men. Math. 15. Also it was decreed in the Councell of Laodicea, the 59. chapter, that nothing should be song or reade in the Church, but the Canonicall bookes of holy Scripture: wherefore if you demande whence your ceremonies, festiuall dayes, fastes, and varieties of seruice did proceede? I aunswere plainely, out of the bottomles pit of hell.
2 From whence did all thinges, yet indifferently for most part, obserued, and allowed, on both sides, from whence did they proceede?
IF you had vttered what thinges you meane, that are so indifferently allowed on both sides, we might better hauehave aunswered: but seeing you hauehave not, we must coniecture what you meane: if you meane any thinge that is allowed without controuersie on both sides, it did either proceede from the scripture of God, or from the primitiue Church or else it a thing meerely indifferent, but if it hauehave no grounde in holy Scripture, nor example of the primitiue Church, nor iudged meerely indifferent, it not indifferently obserued for the most parte, nor yet allowed on both sides.
2 And if it can be proued, that the Protestants Congregation, or any other Church, but ours, hath instituted and ordered all these, or any of these, for the comelinesse and honour of God his house, I recant.
I HaueHave aunswered before, that the Protestants Congregation, geueth you leaue to bragge, that you are the inuentors of all these Idolatrous superstitions, & false worshipping of God, and yet because you offer so liberally to recant, if it can be proued that any Church but yours, hath instituted and ordered all these thinges, you shall heare what can be saide. First, your great doctor Durande, plainely affirmeth that many of your ceremonies, and solemnities, had not their first institution of your church, but were taken of the Iewes or Gentiles: And it may easily be proued, that many of your ceremonies, were instituted of heretikes, as your holy water which you say you vse to put men in minde of their baptisme, was deriued of ye heretikes called Hemerobaptistae, which were, baptized eueryevery daye, Epiphan. lib. 1. Tom. 1. cap. 17. Of the Ossenes, you tooke the great estimation of water, salt, oyle, breade, &c. and vse to sweare by them, as they did. Epiph. contra Ossenes 19. Of the same heretikes, you receiued the superstition of reliques, for they vsed to take the spittle, and other filth from the bodies of Marthys, and Marthana, which were of the seede of Elxai, that is, great Sainctes with them, and vsed them to cure diseases, as Erasmus witnesseth, at Canterbury were kept the clowtes, that Thomas Becket did occupy to wipe of his sweate,In peregrinatione Religionis ergo. and to blow his nose on, which were kissed as holy reliques, and thought also to be holsom for sicke folkes: of the same heretikes you learned to commande the people to pray, in an vnknowene tongue, as Elxai, the great Pope of those heretikes sayde: Nemo quaerat interpretationem, sed solum in oratione haec dicat. Let no man seeke the interpretation, but onelyonly saye these wordes in his prayer. Which wordes were in a strange tong, either the Hebrue, or the Arabike. Epiphan. lib. 1. Tom. 1. haeres. 19. Likewise the Marcosians when they baptized, vsed to speake certaine Hebrue wordes, that the ignorant people might maruell the more at them, as you doe in Baptisme Ephata, &c. Epiph. lib. 1. Tom. 3. haer. 34. To make the Images of Christ, and of the Apostles, and to sense them, you learned of the heretikes called Gnostici, and Carpocrati…ae, Epip. lib. 1. Tom. 2. in the preface Epiph. lib. 1. Tom. 2. haer. 27. and Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 23. Of the Valentinians, you learned to hauehave in price the signe of the crosse, and to abuse the places of scripture for the same superstitious vse: as, God forbidde that I shoulde reioice but in the crosse of Christ, &c. Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 1. Epiphan. lib. 1. Tom. 2. haeres. 31. Of the Heracleonites, you learned to annoynte men at the point of death, with oyle, and balme, and to cast water vponupon dead men, with inuocations. Epiph. lib. 1. Tom. 3. haeres. 36. Of the Cayanes, you learned to call vponupon Angels. Epiph. lib. 1. Tom. 3. haeres. 38.
Of the Marcionistes, you learned to giuegive women leaue to baptize. Ep. lib. 1. Tom. Haer. 42. George, Bishop of Alexandria, inuented beares to carry deade corpses, charging all men to vse them for his owne aduantage, as doe you Papistes your bearing clothes & other toyes for funerall pompes. Ep. lib. 3. Tom. 1. Haer. 76. Of the Colliridianes, you learned to make images of the virgine Marie, & worship them & her, with offering of candells, &c. as they did of cakes, &c. Ep. lib. 3. Haer. 79. Of the Messalians or Martirians, you learned to shaue your beardes and to let your lockes grow long. Ep. lib. 3. Haer. 80. Of the Pharizees, you receaued your superstitious masking garments, which you call amictus dalmaticus, and pallia, as witnesseth Epiphanius, in his epistle to Acacius, and Paulus. Last of all what say you to the ceremonies, festiuities, fastes, and solemnities, vsed in the Greeke Church, and in the other Oriental Churches, if they be sufficient to make their church Cathol…ke, why doe you count them heretikes, and Schismatikes? if they be not sufficient, why doe you reason of the insti…ution of the like, to proue your Church Catholike? You see that proued which you desired, play the honest man therfore, and recant.