Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 4 · Section 4
#Sect. 4. That the ſigne of the Croſſe defyleth the ſanctitie of the Sabboth.
SEcondly, Sect 4. Exod. 31.17 1. cor. 10.17the ſigne of the Croſſe defileth the Sanctitie of the Sabboth both in the generall end thereof and alſo in the ſpeciall worſhips which it performeth. The generall durie of the Sabboth is, to be a marke of outward difference betwene the Church andaAndr. Willer. Contro…e. 9. queſt. 5. p. 1. p. 4…. other religions. This doth appeare by the chaunge of the Sabbtoh day it ſelfe. For did not the Apoſtles chaunge it from the laſt day of the weeke to the firſte, to make difference and diſtinction betweene the Chriſtians and the Iewes, even asbBellarmi. de effect. Sacramen. cap. 31. Iacob. Ledeſin. de di vin. &c. ca. 24. Thomas Morton. Apolog. p. 2. li. 1. c. 43 Ignarius in epiſt. ad Philadelp… Decret. p. 1 diſti. 30. c. 7 Decret. p. 1. diſtinct. 30 cap. 17. Auguſtin. epiſt. 86. Decret. pa. 2. cauſ. 26. q. 7. ca. 6. Epiphan. hereſ. 42. Caeſar Baron. Annal in an. 146. Idem in ann. 102. Concil. Eliber. ca. 26. Ignar. Epiſt. 1. Concil. Nicen. 1. in Concilior. tom. 1. pa. 352. Can. Apoſtol. 8. Concil. Carthag. 4 can. 89. Carol. Bouius in Cl… ment. li. 5. cap. 8. Epiphan. haereſ. Auguſt. haereſ. Nicephor. li. 8. ca. 1…. Concil. Laodicenſ. Can. 29. Clement. conſtitue; lib. 7. ca. 24 34. Auguſt. n 1 Epiſt. 86. Carol. Bouius in Clement. ibid. Tripartit. hiſtor. lib. 6. ca. 4…. Bellarmine him ſelfe doeth tell vsus, the Iewes did faſte on that day in contempt of it. And when the Manichees faſted vponupon this day, ſaieth a Ieſuite (howbeit falſelie, for the Manichees ſprange vpp longe after) but when the Iewes in deed faſted vponupon this day: the Chriſtians, to bee vnlike vntounto them, appointed the contrarie: Nefas est Sabbato ieiunare, as ſpeaketh Tertullian. And that it were the Iewes which the Church heerein avoyded: it is playne, firſt by Ignatius wordes which allude to them: Ieiunare in Sabbato, est Christum occidere: and then by the reaſon of after tymes, which bendeth them ſelues in this cuſtome againſt all Iewiſh contempt of this day. Afterwarde the Manichees faſted vponupon it: and now to avoyde all likenes with them, Qui ieiunaverit die Dominica ſicut Manichaei, anathema ſit. So Augustine affirmeth, that ſince the tyme that the Manichees appointed that day for faſtinge, it is a fearfull and an horrible thing for the Chriſtians to faſte like them vponupon it. This conformitie was the more horrible, the more earneſt a man was in it: (as men nowe are eger in Croſſe, and Surplice) in like manner to conforme with papiſtes, Qui Dominico die ſtudioſe ieiunat, non creditur eſſe Catholicus. The like care had the primitiue Church to avoyde the Saterdayes faſte, becauſe it did conforme with Marcion, Qui Sabbato ieiunavit in odium Dei Creatoris omnium. Before this faſte of Marcions, the Chriſtians of the Weſt did vſe to faſte vponupon the Saterday: after he once aroſe, this faſte was forbidden to a lay man vponupon payne of excommunication; to a Cleric vponupon payne of depoſition by the ſixtiefifth Canon of the Apoſtles, which was not deviſed till nowe, euen in the iudgement of Baronius. If they left an auncient faſte, when once heretiques did abuſe it, ſhould not wee leaue an auncient Croſſe, nowe the papiſtes doe abuſe it? The like care we ſee taken, to avoyde likenes with the Iewes in the celebration of their Paſſcouer, or any other of their feſtiuities. This being founde in one of the Epiſtles of Ignatius, Si quis cum Iudaeis celebrat Paſcha, aut Symbola festiuitatis eorum recipit▪ particeps est eorum qui Dominum occiderunt, & Apostolos eius. The Councill of Nice did after appoint a diverſe day vppon this reaſon: There ought nothing to bee common betweene the Iewes and the Chriſtians. The Canons of the Apoſtles of Chriſt excommunicated him, that folemnized his Eaſter vppon the fourteenth day of the monethmonth like to the Iewes. and ſo doe the Councilles. A contrarie day to make vnlike vntounto the Iewes was thought to be fitt and convenient by all. In ſo much that the Audaeani and Quartadecimani were cenſured for heretiques, that did concurre in the ſame day with them. When certaine Countries in the Eaſt did the like, how did Constantine take on againſt them? Further yet: Doe the Iewes reſt on a Saterday? The Chriſtian that doeth the like, is excommunicate he may on the Saterday meditate; there may bee an Aſſemblie vponupon that day, but hee that reſteth vppon that day Iudaizeth, and is not to be ſuffered. We reade amongeſt Iulians policies for the ſubverſion of Chriſtianitie, this to be one: that he ſett on the Iewes to ſett vppe their Temple and the Sabboth ſervice thereof, partly to diſgrace the Chriſtian ſeruice, which vſed not that outwarde ſplendencie in their ceremonies to pleaſe the eye; and partly to grace the Ethnicke worſhip which concorded with the Iewiſh in ſacrifizing and in diuerſe other rites. I adde this to the former, that by the compariſon of contrarietie, it may the better appeare vntounto vsus howe neceſſarie a duetie it is to make our Sabboth a diſtinction betweene our ſelues and the paniſtes: lett our Sabbothes, our feaſtes, and the rites and ceremonies of them be different, and we trace the ſteppes of the primitiue Church, and keepe our faith in puritie, lett them bee like, and then wee diſgrace our Siſter Churches that are reformed, but grace the Antichriſtian Synagogue with whom we chooſe to concurre, then to concorde with them. As if a Croſſe or a Surplice (ſaye our Oppoſites) were ſuch matters of importance to breede concordance or concurrence? Who muſt conſider that wee doe concurre with papiſtes in holy-day“Tertul. in Apolog. cap. 21. and in feaſtes themſelues, in ſinging & chaunting and in church Muſicke, in Coapes, in Cappes, in faſtes, and I knowe not howe many things beſides. But ſpeake wee of the Croſſe alone and of the Surplice.aConcil. Laodicon. Can 37. Concil. Meldenſ. cap. 73. Neque de victus exceptionibus, neque de ſolemnitatibus, dierum neque de ſignaculo corporis cum Iudaeis agimus. It ſhould ſeeme by this that ſignaculum corporis (ſuch as the ſigne of the Croſſe is) when it is like to that which Iewes and heretiques vſe, doth breed an vnlawfull conformitie betweene vsus, aſwell as the ſame ſolemnitas dierum and the ſame Sabboth doth.bTheodor. hiſtor. li. 3. cap. 16. Non oportet à Iudaeis vel haereticis ea qu mitrūtur muncra feſtina ſuſcipere, nec cum ijs festa celebrare, nec à Iudaeis Azyma ſuſcipere, & cōmunicare in pietatibus ipſorum. It ſeemeth by this, that as we may not ſolemnize the ſame Sabbothes & feaſtes with papiſtes, that ſo we may not vſe any rite of their Sabboths or feaſtes, wheras we know the Sabboth-ſervice of the papiſtes hath not any ceremonies more regardable then thoſe which our church retaineth. Euen one drop of heatheniſh holy water ſeemeth intollerable to Valētinian when it lighteth on his cloke, and that in the church porch. what would he hauehave ſaid to the Image of Mercurie tranſlated out of Iulians Labarum into the ſervice of the Sabboth and lighting on the forehead it ſelfe the ſeate of profeſſion? Hee that cometh to a Sacrament (ſaithcAuguſt. epiſt. 73. Auguſtine) with an heatheniſhe earing, ſuch as the Gentiles ſuperſtitiouſly vſe in the ſeruice of their Gods, commeth to the Lords table with a badge of the deuill. But the ſigne of the Croſſe being an Idoll it ſelfe of the papiſtes and not only an appurtenace thereof, is it not a badge of the deuill more liuelie and more ſinfull? eſpecially ſeeing it doth not hange in his eare that commeth to our Sacrament and Sabboth ſeruice, but is ſodered (in a manner) into the very forehead of the Sacrament it ſelfe? When certaine obſerued like dauncingesdAuguſt. de Tempore. 215. ante baſilicas ſanctorum, to them which the heathens did obſerue in their Sabbothes and their feaſtes (he ſaith) they come Chriſtians to Church, but go away pagans. The ſame is mentioned in an other place thus:eAuguſt. Epiſt. 11. ſi licebit (ſaith hee) Iudaeis obſeruare in Ecclesijs Chriſti quod exercuerunt in Synagogis Sathanae dicam quod ſentio, non illi Chriſtiani fient, ſed nos Iudaeos facient. It is apparant by all this that if we keepe not our Sabbothes pure and holy from all the rites and ceremonies which the popiſhe Synagogue vſed in hir Sabbothes, wee defile our Sabbothes and make them popiſhe, and we our ſelues participate with poperie. Neither ſhall it availe to ſay, that the Croſſe and Surplice are but triſles & ſleight matters, for euen one dead flye marreth all the oyntmentfSeneca. etiam capillus vnus habet vmbram ſuam. and the German gConrad. Sch…uſſel. lib. 1…. pag. 572.diuines, who withſtood the Adiaphoriſme pleaded from the example of Marcus Arethuſius: Ec…les. 10.1.tam eſt in peccato qui confert obolum, quam qui confert omnia. But, the Croſſe is none of the popiſhe rites and ceremonies, it was vſed before poperie. How can that bee, ſeeing poperie began to worke euen in the Apoſtles time? But O Marcellinus, dull of witt, and the reſte of you Mittentes, yea Thurifieati, you could not tell how to excuſe your ſelues as wee can excuſe our ſelues nowe. What is one graine of Franckeneenſe, ſith it is but one? beſides Franckencenſe is not an heatheniſhe ceremonie: for why, it was vſed in the Church of God long before euer Idolaters knewe it. 2 Theſ. 2.7.Therefore I will ſet ahDuran. de rit. lib. 1. ca 9. ſect. 3 papiſte himſelfe to pull that vizard from our faces: apud gentiles. &c. although Frankencenſe were not in vſe among the gentiles at the firſt as largely it is proued by Arnobius in his ſeauenth booke, yet after they began to ſacrifice with Franckencenſe, the burning of Franckencenſe, became a certaine token of ſacrifying, ſo that they taught Chriſtians did ſacrifice though they did but with the toppe of their finger, take a little graine of Frankencenſe, and put it but into the Cenſor. What (then) though the croſſe was vſed before popery? I meane before poperie growne vp to the ful, now that they coeperunt to vſe it in their Idolatrie,gTertul. in Apolog. cap. 16. it is become theirs: ſo that if we vſe it but with a litle finger, it is certum inditium of fellowſhip with them, at the leaſt in their credence. But this Sabboth-croſſe of ours being not vſed eadem ratione maketh a difference ſufficient by the plea of Tertullian excuſing Chriſtians becauſe they doe aequè diem ſolis laeticiae indulgere, yet they doe it longè alia ratione quam religione ſolis. This inſtance is ab imparibus: the Sabboth is commaunded one [die ſolis] the Croſſe is vncommaunded. Therefore the Sunday is amongſt the things in whichhAuguſt. de Doct. Chriſtian. lib 3 cap. 4 non vſus rei, lDecret. p. 1. diſtin. 41. cap. 1.ſed ratio onelyonly & libido vtentis eſt in culpa: that which Thomas Aquinas callethmTho. Aquin. commentar. in Epiſt. Iud. corruptio modi: whereas the verie vſe it ſelfe of the Croſſe is evill, it being not neceſſarie nor commaunded, euen as the papiſtes them ſelues confeſſe:nAlphonſ. de caſtr. in verb Imag. illa quae neceſſaria non ſunt, etſi bona quantumlibet ſint, ſaepè tamen tollenda aut prorſus abroganda ſunt, propter mala quae inde oriri cognoſcuntur. Auguſtine holdeth it ſufficient, in neceſſarie things (as in meates and in marriages) with the like, to differ from Heathens ratione vtendi onelyonly. non aliud edendo (ſaieth he) ſed aliud ſentiendo. becauſe in theſe thingsoAuguſt. cont. Fauſt Manich. lib. 20. c. 23 longe aliter ijs vtitur, qui in alium finem refert, who in the Sabboth faſt vnneceſſarie, cānot endure a ſame day with the Manichees, although he knew the Chriſtians might faſt (longè diver ſaratione) from them. Our ownepAndt. Willet. controuerſ. 9 queſt. 5. pag. 1. pag. 429. Writers, doe they not holde the popiſh holy dayes to be Iewiſh? thoughqBellarmi. de cult. Sanct. c. 10 Bellarme frameth many differences betweene the Iewiſh [vſe] and theirs?