Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 3 · Section 11
#Sect. 11. The hypocriſie and prepoſteration of the Croſſe, in the Will, in reſpect of the meanes for …cayning to the right end, is proved.
THE fourth hipocrie of the Croſſe is in the Will: which when is vpright, when it deſirethaThom. Aquin. 2.2. queſ. 9. art. 7. bonum ſub ratione boni for the ende, and electeth bonum propter bonum in the meanes wherby the end is compaſt. This ſinceritie of the election, the croſſe prepoſterateth firſt of all. in that it is choſen being an vnlawfull ceremonie before thoſe that are lawfull: being a tradition of mans before Gods precept: and being but Anniſſeed and Cummin before waightier thinges of the Lawe. For conſider we the Croſſe (firſt) as an auncient cuſtome, Maiſter Bucer ſpeaking againſt the conſecrating of the Font,bBucer in cenſur. cap. 16. p. 482. ſunt perquam multae conſtitutiones Patrum (ſayth he) &c. there be very many conſtitutions of the Fathers and many obſervations of theirs pertaining to the diſcipline of the Church, which are taken out of the worde of God it ſelfe: theſe (alas) moſt ſeuerely are trodd vnderunder foot, when they ſeeme to be contrary to our humors. what a prepoſterous thing is it then to borrow thoſe rites frō the Fathers which as they agree not with the word of God, ſo they ſerue Satās turne amongſt too many mē, for the confirming of manifeſt ſuperſtitions & opinions plainly magicall. That this lighteth on the Croſſes backe in compariſon of other auncient obſeruations, an inſtance in one or in two of them wil make plaine: when Caſſander ſtroue for the Chriſme and pleaded the antiquitie of it, it was replyed he dealt abſurdly tocHerman Hamelma. de tradit. appendi. ad primam colum. 499 arripere from the Fathers, Quod humanum, omittere quod diuinum (to wit) the gouernement of the Church communi conſilio Praeſbyterorum. This may we not apply to ſome who inforce the Croſſe vponupon vsus by reaſon of the antiquitie of it, when in the meane time they ſhut the dore againſt this gouernement, which isdIo Whitgifc. defence. of the anſ. to the admonit. pag. 638 Mat. Sutclif. de Roman. pontifi. c. 5 confeſſed by ſome of their owne to hauehave bene vſed in the primatiue Church, and that long before the Croſſe; that which theeIrenae li. 4 cap. 43. Tertul. Apolo. ca. 39. Hiero. in Tit. 1. Ambroſ. in 1. Tim. 5. ver. 17. vewe of the Fathers doth confirme. Againe it was anfCypri. in ſerm. de eleemofin. Irenae. lib. 4 ca. 32.34. Auguſt. retractat. lib. 2. cap. 11. auncient cuſtome that none ſhould receaue the Lords Supper empty handed, but guie ſomewhat to the poore, which certaine Deacons did diſtribute to the needie that did worke, the idellbeing excomunicated out of the Church: of which thus Bucer once againe g, Nimis magno. &c. It is too great a ſhame for this Kingdome that this parte of Eccleſiaſticall reformation hath bene hitherto neglected: whereas in the Low countries it hath bene long a goe receaued, where neuertheleſſe the true profeſſion of the Goſpell is puniſhed with death. I aſke, is there not a prepoſteration to renewe a Croſſe ſo zealouſly, while we burry ſo careleſly this auncient cuſtome? rayſing vp in the roome thereof newe courſes of our owne which doe no good. Againe, there was in old time a cuſtome, there ſhould be a communion everyhChriſoſ… homil. 3 in Epheſ. Regino lib. de Ecclecſiaſt. Diſciplin. cap. 191. Hugo Cardinal. in Luc. 24. Lordes day, eueryevery one not receauing without lawfull excuſe beinglNicol. Cuſan. Epiſt. ad Bohe. 7. excommunicated, whichmAnſegiſ. in leg. Franci. lib. 1. c. 132 Charles the great in ſome ſort renewed,bBucer in cenſur. cap. 4 pag. 464. and which Bucer adviſed King Edward in this land to reſtorenBucer. in Cenſur. c. 3 p. 460. 461. againe. what now? There is not any one peece of the canon for the Croſſe which is not egerly purſued, whereas all the Canons made for the Sacramēt of the Supper, it ſelfe lye lowe in the dyrt: men thinking it ſufficient to come for faſhion once a yeere, as they were wont to doe in popery, and that without all examinatiō (for the moſt parte) reconciliatiō or ſeparatiō of offenders though moſt notorious. Laſt of al, it was the cuſtom of the primatiue church to hauehave no aſſembly without a ſermō (as ſhal be ſhewed in the next chapter,) which through the hypocriſie of the Croſſe is nowe neglected: this rite muſt hauehave place, whether Preacher or preaching hauehave any or no.oAlexan. Aleſ. in proaem. Lieturg. Anglic. Quo tamen neglecto fruſtra in alijs conſtituendis apice ſci: & cultu miniſtri de geſtu rituque ſacrorum opera ſumitur. Inducitur. n. ita parieti vicioſo & labanti tectorium quod ruinas & hiatus diu non poterit tegere: vel erunt haec potius ſepulchra incruſtata intus refer ta foeditate abhominabili. Secondly, conſider the Croſſe as a cuſtome which for the preſent is in vſe, and wee cannot miſſe of an other prepoſteration in it. Wee proouepD. Whit…. cont. Dureum. lib. 9. hereby the papiſtes preferre their owne traditions before Gods Lawes, becauſe they puniſhe more ſeuerely the breach of one of their owne faſtes then when the Lawe of God is broken by fornication or the like. It is alſo obſerued amongſt Saules hipocriſies that hee was more ready to puniſhe with death the breach of a Lawe of his owne in Ionathan, then to puniſh the people with the leaſt mulcte, when they brake the law of God in eating bloud, which facte of his alſo when anqAmbroſ. ſem. 25. Ambroſe alleadgeth to make the ſinne of a man ſinfull that doeth breake a Lenten-faſte, he isrHerm. Hamelmā. de tradit p. 1. lib 5. folio 446. cenſured as one in error. Ought not the Non-Reſidentes, the Idell and Idoll miniſters be rather puniſhed, who break Gods Law in feeding (not on the bloud of beaſtes) but on the bloud of the ſoules of men, then thoſe poore Ionathans tranſgreſſors of an humane lawe, and that in a trifle, whoſe deſertes to the Church hauehave not bene ſo ſmall but that they call for a better rewarde? What a thing is this there ſhould be no lawe to puniſhe a loyterer that hideth his talent in the grounde, to put out a dumbe dogge that can not barke, or that a drunkard, a fornicator, a gamſter, ſhould ſcarce hauehave their names called into queſtiō; nay thatsMath Sutcliu. in anſwer to the humb. motit for tolerat. papiſtes them ſelues ſhould be vſed kindlie, while the paynefull and profitable Miniſter is purſued euen to proſcription for a Croſſe, and is made thetPoenicentiarius Aſini Act. & Monument. p. 359. Aſſe that muſt dye for a ſtrawe, when theuGualt Mapes in Cathalog. teſtium verit. fol 422. Non paſtor ovium, ſed paſtus ovibus, much like to the Foxe or the Woulfe eſcapeth in his ſoule murder? Chriſostome began with the life of the Miniſters, hee did not for the breach of a Ceremonie thruſt out the moſte paynfull that were in the Church, but thoſe who aunſwered not to their calling:wTheodoret. hiſtor. lib. 5. c. 28. A ſacris arcebat quod negaret frui Sacerdotali honore cos oportere qui vererum Sacerdotum vitam non ſequerentur. Wee taking on the other ſide runne within the cenſure of Auguſtine, xAuguſt. ad Ianuar. epi. 119 c. 19.ſed hoc nimis doleo. &c. This I much bewayle, that the commaundements of the holy Scripture, which are moſt wholeſome, are neglected, and all thinges are ſo full with ſo many preſumptions, that he is puniſhed more grievouſlie that toucheth the earth with his bare feete per octauas ſuas, then he that ſhall drowne his minde in dronkennes. A like hipocriſie vntounto this is that which an Hiſtoriographer mentioneth,ySocrat. li. 5 cap 22. Nonnulli iſlis neglectis omnem ſcortationem rem quidem indifferentem arbitrantur, ſed tamen de diebus feſtis tanquam de vita deceriant. Is not the breach of the Croſſe more ſeuerely puniſhed then dronkennes? Is there not more ſtirre to vpholde this Ceremonie, then the preaching of the word? We crye out vponupon the papiſts, becauſe they take more care about the ceremonies of the ſacrament, thē about the Sacramentit ſelfe. as becauſe he will hauehavezDurant. lib. 2. cap. 4. ſect. 8. Miſſa ſicca, without conſecration when he is on the ſea, be cauſe of the logging of the ſhippe. On drie lande when he conſecrateth, hee will not miniſter the Wine ad aDurant. li. 2. cap. 41. ſect. 6.evitanda quaedam pericula. Laſt of all, though the coulour of redde wine repreſonteth Chriſtes bloud farre better to the edifying of the people,bConcil. Mediolan. 1. c. quae pertinent ad celebr. yet white wine muſt bee vſed to prevent the ſtayning of the clothes of the Altar. What if (as Diogenes once) ſome bidde vsus heere, Beginne with our ſelues? who although it be apparant, that integritie of Baptiſme and the peoples edification would be farre better provided for, by the remoouall of the Croſſe, yet keepe it ſtill, being as loth to ſee it ſtayned, as the papiſtes their Altar clothes, and to ſee it fall to the grounde as they, as they ſome droppes out of their Chalice, an hipocriſie ſo much the nearer touching the Croſſe, in that it came in with the Croſſe, witnes Tertullian: who in the ſame place where hee ſpeaketh of this ſigne hath theſe wordes:cTertul. de coron. milit. Calicis & panis etiam noſtri aliquid decuti in terram anxie patimur. Thirdly, conſider the Croſſe, as retayned in our Church to winne the Papiſte (vponupon ſuppoſall) it is the beſt that might be choſen amongeſt all his other rites: which, is it not prepoſterous? A CouncilldConcil. Cabilonēſ. cap. 3…. cryeth out vponupon them, who being vnderunder penance, abſtaine (in deede) from Wine and fleſhe, as they are enioyned, but in the meane tyme in tantum delitijs indulgent vt delitio ſius his interdistis aliorum ciborum vel potionem appetitu vivere cognoſcantur. Hierome eHieron. epiſt ad Ne potian.invayeth againſt their hypocriſie, who pretending to faſt from Bread and from Water, vſed (notwithſtanding) quaſdā ſorbitianculas magis delicatas, which they did ſorbere non Calice ſed concha. fAuguſt. de moribus Manicheor lib. 2. ca. 13Auguſtine laſtly thinketh it an hipocriſie execrable to drinke no wine, to eate no fleſhe, and yet to hauehave pomorum nonnullorum expreſſos ſucces vini ſpeciem ſatis imitantes, vel etiam ſuavitate vincentes. After the proportion heereof wee exclaime againſt papiſtes that will eate no fleſh, and yet ſwill wine: and gobble ſweet delicates which hauehave greater power to ſtirr vp luſte. Now here that of Plato would doe well: Numnam & nos tales ſumus? For we pretend hatred and zeale againſt the verie reliquies of poperie, and therevpon defile their Oyle, quench their Tapers, ſpue out their ſpittell, when in the meane time their Croſſe and Surplice we keepe in with might and maine, which are Idoli ſorbitiunculae magis delicata, that doe vincere ſuperstitioſa ſuavitate, and more imitate ſpeciem papalem, and ſtirre luſt popiſhe a great deale more. Here I expect the olde ſonge, It is not their croſſe we vſe, which ſauoureth it not of their fancie who thinking itgConcil. Vormatienſ. can. 65 vnmeet to eate ſwines fleſhe, hanged vp their bacon for a yeare in the ſmoke, and then did eate it; as if it were nowe the ſame no longer. Nay hath our Croſſe had ſo much chaunging, as a yeares drying in the ſmoke cometh to? It ſeemeth not ſo much: ſith our diverſitie is in the different maner onelyonly of our vſing, which maketh no difference that may be ſufficient in caſe we meane to keepe our ground againſt the papiſtes. We laye to their charge a communion with Corpocrates in worſhipping Images: with the Hieraclionitae in annoynting the dead with oyle: with the Tatiani in abſtayning from marriage: with the Pepuſiani in ſuffering women to be prieſtes: with the Manichees in abſtayning from meates: with the Angelici in worſhipping Angells: with the Apoſtolici and Hieraclitae in their Monkes, Nunnes & Fryars with the like. When yet our owne heartes do know they can ſhifte with diſtinctions to makehParſons of the conver. of England Caeſar Baron. Annal. in an. 120. appeare (for maner and meaning) a certaine diſtance betweene theſe heritiques and themſelues.