Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 3 · Section 3
#Sect. 3. That the Croſſe is vnprofitable, fleſhlie, ſmelling of Idolatrie, and of too light a colour.
THe Croſſes 3. vanitie is of vnprofitablenes for the which he muſt be baniſhed by this cōmandement; For what? The vnſauorie ſalt caſt forth, becauſe good for nothing? Math. 5.13. Ier. Heb. 13.9.The frutleſſe Vine throwne into the fire, becauſe good for no vſe▪ The old ceremonies of the Iewes forbidden becauſe they did not profit them that were exerciſed in them: doe all declare how ill God is pleaſed with that which is vaine, through inanitie of commoditie and of proffit which ought to bee in it. Doth not this ſuffice to caſhier a thing: It is not profitable, it edifieth not, euen asaThom. Aquin. Commen. 2, cor. 5. Aquinas himſelf obſerueth? Nay, doth not our owne LawbAdmonit. de ceremo. apud. Buce, in Cenſur. pag. 45 3. condemne the ceremonies quae foreign. And what though they hauehave bene profitable heere to fore, muſt they be kept for their old ſeruice? No,cChemnit examin. pag. 2. tit. de rit. pag. 39. omnes ritus remouendi ſunt qui ad adificationem vtiles eſſe deſinunt. and againedPet. Mart. in 1. Sam. cap. 14. Ceremonia vbi nullus eſt amplius earum vſus abſ que omni dubitatione tollenda. The light herof hath forced our adverſaries to make this their iſſueeThe, examinat. of the declar. of the Miniſt. of London. wee doubt not but great good wil be done by the ceremonies controuerſed, what great good of a tryfle? for ſo you iudg your ſelfe of the Croſſe. Then behold ether a great miracle (to wit) a thiſtle bringing forth, not only a figg, but alſo a pomgranate; or elſe a great Monſter (to wit) a fountaine ſending forth both ſower water and ſweet. And what meanes in the Croſſe by which theſe proffites may ariſe. Firſt, bee the reuerend antiquitie of it, which giueth contentement to the people, with whom experience it ſelfe ſhewethfRich. Hook. lib. 5. cap. 65. how much through cuſtome a ceremonie worketh. This reaſon when time was would hauehave ſerued Pilate well. [1Mar. 15.8 When to content the people of Iewry] crying for their old cuſtome, hee let Barrabas looſe amongſt them, not much worſe then the Croſſe, vnleſſe we count ſoul-murther nothing, and the ſtirring of ſedition in our Church. And it would hauehave well ſerueth Symmacus alſo, backing his paganiſme with the cuſtome of former times, whom when one anſwereth he replyeth for vsus in the cauſe of the Croſſe.
oPrudent. cont. Simach.Quid mihi tu ritus ſolitos Romane Senator
Obiectas? cum ſcita Patrum, populi que frequenter
In tabulis placiti ſententia flexa novarit
Nunc etiam quoties ſolitis decedere prodest
Praeteritoſ que habitus cultu damnare recenti.
And the abuſe of this ſigne conſidered, the more auncient the worſe, & the more contentment it giveth the more ſuperſtition it breedeth. there having place, heare what one ſaid of the Surplice once:gBucer. in cenſur. c 2. pag. 45 8. St ſingulis parochijs idonei mittantur doctores, pijs hominibus grata erit, ista veſtium ſublatio, impiorum vero gratia ſi Chriſti ſerui eſſe volumus, nulla modo captanda eſt benevolentia, multo minus eorum vlla ratione ſuſtentanda eſt ſuperſtitio. The ſeconde way whereby the Croſſe is ſuppoſed able to bring in profit, is, that complement that is in it ad ornatum. O ſaye the Procters of it, The Croſſe hRic. Hook vb. ſup.muſt not be pulled of. Will ye ſo ſtrippe this Sacrament from the attire with which the wiſedome of man hath clothed it? The wiſedome of man had deviſed chariottes in Chriſtes tyme. But what he? Euen when he was to ſhewe foorth his greateſt pompe,lFranciſ. Iun. paral. 36. recalled he not the auncient ſimplicitie of the Iudges in Iſraell, who2Iudg 5.10. & 10.4 rode vponupon Aſſes? Wherevpon one againſt the Adiaphoristes: mHerman. Hamelmā. de tradit. pa. 1. lib. 4. colum. 373Chriſtus non opus habet iſla externa ſapientia in ſuis Sacramentis. Venit pauper ſedens in Aſina ad filiam Syon, in quo aduentu noluit aliquam exornationem, ergo non vult quoque illam in ſuis Sacramentis. Shall we thinke the Baptiſme of the primitiue Church was not as richlie attyred as ours, for want of the Croſſe? or that the Baptiſme of the moderne Churches nowe, is more beggerlie clothed then ours, becauſe they doe not vſe this ſigne? Thinke not to ſaye: we clothe Baptiſme with the Croſſe, not as with an ornament of neceſſitie, but of decencie onelyonly.nBellarm. de cult. ſanct. ca. 6. Bellarmine him ſelfe will pleade ſo much for the whole wayne-loade of popiſhe ceremonies. Doe but thinke the robe of mans wiſedome to be neceſſary for a decencie, and run into Montaniſme. which pleadeth in like maner:oChemnit. examin p. 1. de tradi. gen. 8. pag. 93. The rawnes of the firſt times muſt be perfected with an ampliation of Ceremonies, ſuch as may be vestimentum quodammodo fidei quae retro erat nuda. and into papiſme, which reaſoneth in like ſort:pMarcell. Corcyrenſ. in praefat. ad lib. de ceremoniis Religio ſine debito ceremoniarum ornatu inculta eſt informis & omni pulchretudine vacua. And laſt of al into Lutheraniſme and Adiaphoriſme, which contend for images, and all [ad ornatum]: in like faſhion out of Rupertus, qHerman. Hamelmā. de tradit. pa. 1. lib. 4. colum. 373fides Apoſtolorum rudis fuit: A poſterioribus verò adhibitis ceremonijs exornata. But if there were needfull ſome robes of mans wiſedome, he is a bad tayler that hath choſen the croſſe, whch indeed diſhiteth baptiſme more wayes then one. Firſt, becauſe it is to gaye in the eyes of the people, like the braue attire of a ſervant that turneth away the peoples eyes frō his Maſter to him ſelf; or like the painting of a womans face which disfigureth the natural beautie of this ſacramēt, and maketh men thinke thatrTertul. de cult. foeminar. plaſtica Dei and the ordinance of the water is not beautifull enough, reprehendunt…n. qui emendant. As it is an iniurie (ſaithsAuguſt. de tempore. ſerm. 247. Auguſtin) to a painter when another cometh to adde ornament to his picture: ſo is it an iniurie to God when men will preſume to adde beautie to his creature, and ſo by conſequent to his ordinance. Cyprian ſpeaking againſt thoſe who added beautie to their faces by painting,tCypri. de habitu virgin. opus Dei eſt (ſaieth hee) omne quod naſcitur, diaboli quodcunque mutatur. So likewiſe here: All that is inſtituted is Gods. all that is added againſt the word of God by man (indeed) is the Devills. Secondly, The robe of the Croſſe is too fleſhly for baptiſme. Knowe wee not the Queenes garment (ſaiethuAuguſt. epiſt. 86. ad Caſulā. Auguſtine) which is wouen of ceremonies, muſt be ſutable to hir inwarde beautie, and ſo be ſpiritual? eſpecially in this time of the goſpell? Thirdly, the robe of the Croſſe ſmelleth too much of the ſtewes. whereas the Churches ſimplicitie in outward ceremonies maketh hir like vntounto a woman that doeth modeſtly put in hir hair3Cant. 4.1. ex Tremel. within hir kercher, and doth not frouze it like the wanton. Cloth hir now with the Croſſe & Surplice, and the habit of the harlot is vponupon hir. againſt which the Fathers crie out ſo much,wTertul. de coron. milit. Si in Idoleio veſci vetitū ſit, Quid in Idoli habitu videri? Againe,xIdem in li. de Idolola. Nullus habitus licitus eſt apud nos illicito actui aſcriptus. habet. n. ab idolo profanationis ſuae maculam And laſt or all. Tunicam ſi induas inquinatam poterit forſitan illa inquinari perte, ſed tu per illam mundus eſſe non poteris. Is not the Surplice the Idolls habit? the ſigne of the croſſe the Idoll him ſelfe? Fourthly, The robe of the Croſſe is of too light a culler. For it is vayne (as hath bene ſhewed). and euen ayBellarm. de cult. ſanctor. cap. 6. Bellarmine him ſelfe will baniſh all things vſed ad ornatum, if they be [vana or inepta]. We hauehave freed Baptiſme (you will ſay) from all Romiſh immodeſtie, in that we hauehave packt all other of hir gaudes away. But what ſaide onezSocrat. hiſtor. lib 5. cap. 22. once, receyue the Paſſeover of the Iewes, and receyue all the reſt of their Ceremonies alſo: So receyue the Croſſe and Surplice (which are their cheefeſt badges) and then giuegive countenance to all the reſt of their ceremonies [ad ornatum]. which (mee thinkes) we ſhould the leſſe doe, becauſe the Ieſuites blaſpheme for them, as if GodaBellar. vbi ſupra. delighted in them: which is to make him fleſhe not ſpirit; yea tooke ſuch a delight in them, as to take charge beſtowed vponupon them in better ſorte, then if it were beſtowed in merciemercy on the poore.