Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 3 · Section 5
#Sect. 5. That the Croſſe is now not onelyonly vnprofitable, but alſo verie hurtfull.
WHen we come to examine it according to the ſence and meaning, we finde it hurtfull, not vnprofitable only,aIewel. art. 1 diuiſ. 2. pa. 442. as one of our writers ſaith: verily in the houſe of God, that thing is hurtfull that doth no good. All the ceremonies of the church ought to bee cleare and lively and able to edifie. This ſpeake hee of diuiding the bread of the Sacrament into; partes, of which Harding demaunded of him, what many now demaund of vsus concerning the Croſſe: [what hurt is there in it]? Too much hurt, and more then we would more (alſo) then Maſter Iewell could finde in the breaking of the hoſte: we need not replie as he of that. The Croſſe doth hurt in that he doth no good: for behold many hurtes which he doth by hindering good, & furthering harme. The firſt is ſeene in the bearing of Gods name before the papiſtes who are his enimies, where it ſtayeth profeſſion, & ſtayneth or hindereth it, or maketh it halt. This we ſee in our Magiſtrates, who hauehave ceaſed to executbIniunct. Elizab. art. 23. can. Epiſcop. anno. 1559. art. 59. lawe againſt the Croſſes of Church-windowes for the Croſſes ſake in Baptiſme. This wee ſee in our writers; who when they write againſt the Croſſe, are calme (if not colde) where foreners are ſeruent, and are faine to come in with [though] and [if] and the like proviſoes as if they were put to the ſame exigent for the excuſing of our Church in the vſe of the Croſſe, as Cy…ill was once (by ourcDo. Fulk reioynd. art. 9. pag. 104. 2 Sam. 2.23 owne cōfeſſion.) When Iulian the Apoſtata tooke advantage from the reuerence which the Chriſtians then gaue vntounto it. This wee ſee in our Preachers whoſe lippes in a manner are ſowed vp from ſpeaking againſt the very abuſe and ſuperſtition of the Croſſe, leaſt they ſhould ſeeme to ſpeake againſt the Croſſe in Baptiſme, and to breake the Lawe and that per contemptum. This wee ſee in our people, who bee at a ſtande in their zealous purſute of poperie, becauſe they ſtand as men diſcouradged, yea amazed to ſee the falles of their Aſahelles and of their Amaſaes, I meane their ſpiritual captaines whom the ſigne of the Croſſe hath wrackt. And as the Croſſe ſtayeth profeſſion againſt the papiſts, ſo doth he ſtayne it with that conformitie with him, which hath euer bene eſteemed a flaw, yea a bracke in Chriſtian zeale. For what they who retaine the old ceremonies of the Iewes, who are not ſo bad as popiſhe ritesdHieron. apud Augu. Epiſt. 11. dum volunt & Iudei eſſe & Chriſtiani, nec Iudei ſunt nec Christiani. Auguſtine ſpeaking of womē wearing mans attireeAuguſt. ſolil…qu. lib. 2. cap. 16. Neſcio (ſaith he) vtrum falſas mulieres an falſos viros melius vocem: veros tamen hiſtriones veroſ que infames ſine dubitatione poſſumus vocare. The communion of rites confoundeth ſectes, more then the communion of attire confounded ſexes: who then would iudge vsus to bee good proteſtantes, who communicate with popiſh rites, beſides our ſelues? ThusfGualt. in Hoſ. cap. 2. one of our writers, bominum traditiones &c. The traditions of men defile the confeſſion of faith, whervpon the ſcripture reprehendeth thoſe who in the reforming of the Church, lefte the high places, becauſe theſe retained in face the footſteps of former fornication. And in like manner now a dayes they hauehave not takē their fornications from their face, who retayne ſtill in their Churches popiſh Images and Chalices, and playerlike veſtures with the like, who all of them doe (as if an adultereſſe after ſhee is reconciled to hir huſbande) ſhould bring the giftes and louelove tokens of hir former adultery impudently into his ſight, and goe about to procure his goodwil by them. What Proteſtant hitherto euer renounced the common tenent, wee muſt hauehavegBuces. in Cenſur. ca. 5. pa. 458. nihil commune with papiſtes in their ceremonies and their rites? The firſt excuſe here alleadgeth there is ſuch an vtter difference made betweene the popiſh croſſes and ours, as that there is no ſcarre or blemiſh to our confeſſion by the ſame. Firſt, ſuppoſe there were ſome diſſimilitude (which yet in ſight and ſhew is none) what ſay we of thehSocrat. hiſtor. lib. 5. cap. 2…. Samaritanes, were they not fooliſh when they thought they made a goodly ſeparation from the Iewes by keeping their Paſſeouer at a diverſe ſeaſon? And what iudge we of thelNarrat. de Tartaror. relig. ad Dauid. Ch… tre. miſt. Tartars? Doe wee not hold them abſurd when they thinke they differ ſufficiently from the Iewes, becauſe their circumzion is at the. …. or. 3. yeere of their age, as their Pope ſhall thinke fit? Laſt of all, what thinke we of the men ofmIoh. Sacran. de rit. Ruthenor. Ruſsia? Doe we not imagine them fond whē they thinke they ſpite Rome with a marveilous differēce of their Images, for that they are not of the ſame faſhion, but according to their owne countrey making? Secōdly, God forbiddeth all likenes of ceremonies with Idolaters: I ſaye all [likenes] that cometh neare the rites of the aliens, as a1Levit. 19.28. like cutting and marking of the fleſhe. A like 2Deut. 16.21.groue to that of Idolaters. 3Hoſ. 6.11.A plant taken out of Samaria, which is like hers. 42. cro. 13.9A Priest like vntounto the Prieſtes of other Countries. nHarmon. confeſſ. ſect 13. Wittem berg. confeſſ. c. 10.Qua authoritate, &c. With what authoritie and profit we may take example of adminiſtring Sacramentes from Ethnickes, that ſpeach of Moſes teſtifieth: Take heede thou imitate not the Heathen, nor aſke after their Ceremonies▪ ſaying: As thoſe Nations worſhip theſe gods, ſo will I worſhip. Non facietis ſimiliter Domino Deo veſtro. ye ſhall not doe the ſame vntounto your God as they doe to theirs. Thirdly, the practiſe of the Church hath euer ſhunned all ſimilitude with exterior rites, the better to beare vp the profeſſion of the Goſpell. The Councill of Nice choſe a diverſe Eaſter-day frō the Paſſouer of the Iewes,oSocrat. hiſtor. lib. 5. cap. 22. vt eccleſia cum Iudeis nibil co…ſor… babere videatur, which was according to the ſcripture, as one of our writerspwhitaker: controverſ. 1. quaeſt. 6. ca. 9. pag. 408. Qu…t…deciman… fuerunt ex ſcripuris expugnati, quia ſci diver ſum eſſe debebat Chiſti…rum & I…d…um Paſcha,
To make the Croſſe him ſelfe his owne iudge. Was there any other cauſe that choſe him at firſt, but that the Gentiles hating him moſt,qG… …. Gro…l…g. li. …. in …n. Chri. … he ſerued beſt to make ſeparation from them▪ Neither is he well vſed at this day vnleſſe it bee in the East Indies; where the Chriſtians are ſaid to hauehave a croſſe in their church, & nothing els to diſtinguiſh them ſelues from Pagans: and at Conſtantinople where the PatriarchrIdem in ann. 1549. payeth a great tribut to hauehave a golden Croſſe ſtande on the pinacle of his patriarchall Palace, to diſtinguiſh from the Turkes.sChriſoſt. de ieinn. Iudeor. Chriſoſtome holdeth it better to bee drunke then to faſt the Iewiſh faſt: he meaneth a faſt vppon the ſame day with theirs. AndtAuguſt. in Epiſtol 86 ad Caſula. Auguſtine condemneth all likenes of faſting with the Manichees, Die Dominico iciunare ſcandalum eſt magnum, maxime post quam innotuit haereſis Manichaorum qui ſuis anditoribus ipſum conſtituerunt ad iciunandum tanquam legitimum diem. Per quod factum eſt vt ieiunium die Dominico horribilius haberetur. Leo will not hauehave incurvation towards the Eaſt like to that which Heathen vſe,vLeo Serm. 7. de natiu. Domin. vponupon this reaſon, u abſtinendum eſt ab ipſa huiu ſmodi ſpecie officij, quam cum in noſtris invenit qui deorum cultum reliquit, nonne hanc ſecum partem opinionis vetuſtae, tanquam probabilem retentabit quā Christianis & impijs viderit eſſe communem? Gregorie the great aboliſhed an auncienter cermonie then the Croſſe, to avoyde communion with thewGregor Regiſt. in dict. 9. c. 41 Arrians quia hucvſ que ab haereticis infans tertio mergebatur, a pub nos fiendum eſſe non cenſeo. xBernard. in Apolog. ad Willihelm. Comit.Bernard will not hauehave any thing in the Church (the pompous adorning there of by name) that may quodammodo repreſentare antiquum Iudeorum ritum. Come we downe to moderne times. TheyCenſur orient. cecl. c. 10. p. 137. Greeke Church obiected to the Romane that it Iudaizeth: becauſe it vſeth vnleauened bread like to the Iewes. ThezStaniſlau. Socolu Ibid in c. 21. pag. 416. Romane obiected to the Greek that they Iudaize becauſe they vſe abſtinence from bloud and ſtrangled like them. The Churches of Fraunce, Heluetia, Germanie hauehave a forme of prayer chaunged of purpoſe to be vnlike the Maſſe-booke, & theſe Churches as they hauehave aboliſhed the whole droſſeaD. Bilſhō cont. apo. log. pag. 1 pag. 31. of popiſhe doctrine, ſo they retayne not ſo much as any one dram of their ceremonies. What our owne Church at home (though at the firſt it tollerated the Croſſe) whereas the papiſtes praye towards the Eaſte, our Church bidds the Miniſters to ſtand at the North ſide of the communion table: the reaſon whereof is this: as the Primatiue Church (ſaithbD. Fulk. ag Raſt. ſect. 4. pag. 710. Doctor Fulke) did chooſe to pray towardes the Eaſt, to avoide the ſuperſtition of the Iewes, that prayed towards the Weſt: ſo we doe now pray towards the South to avoyd the ſuperſtition of the Papiſtes: who vſe to pray towardes the Eaſte. Nay our very adverſaries themſelues will yeelde to vsus herein: A Lutheran cHerman. Hamelma. de tradit. apendic. ad pag 1 Colum. 456.affirming the vaile is how vnfit in marriage which was vſed in Ambroſe time, becauſe it is a rite of the Iewes, and Bellarmine himſelfe condemning them who hauehave more care to adorne Churches then to fill them with Preachers, becauſe howſoeuer their meaning be diuers,dBellar. de cult. Sanct. cap. 6 yet videntur factis aliquo modo affines eſſe ſuperſtitioni Iudeorum. So is the nakednes of this firſt excuſe detected, which denyeth a communion with papiſtes, becauſe the Croſſe is not vſed with vsus, as it is with them, for as much as we ſee that not only the ſame vſe but the ſame rites themſelues are vnlawfull, yea all likenes, all nearnes, all imitation, all ſhewe, all repreſentation, and as Bellarmine himſelfe ſpeaketh, all affinitie in fact with them.