Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 4 · Section 15
#Sect. 15. That the loſſe of the miniſtrie, vntounto the faithfull Miniſters rather then to approue the Ceremonies, ſhall be the Lords gaine alſo, as the iudgement of our beſt diuines, is ſo to doe.
SEventhly, the loſſe of our Miniſterie ſhall (we doubt not) be the Lords gaine and the Churches, and that many wayes. The Lord ſhall gaine glorie by vsus, the trueth receyue a patient and conſtant witnes from vsus, the Church a patterne and example to be conſtant in that we hauehave taught them, and to ſuffer when neede requireth, euen asaCypri. lib. 1 epiſt. 1. Cornelius when he ſuffered he did retundere Diaboli conatus Conſtantia ſua, and became pulcherrimo exemplo ſuis auditoribus. bFlac. Illyric lib. de Adiapho. pag. 3.Chriſtus ex Nazareth diſcedens. &c. Chriſt leauing Nazareth, & meaning to returne as ſoone as occaſion offereth it ſelfe, doth not forſake that Church but by his conſtant confeſſion and exile edifyeth it, & confirmeth it againſt the Phariſeis ſuperſtition which in his preaching he had before impugned. But if to hauehave the more libertie and ſufferance to gather his aſſemblies he would hauehave taught the doctrine of iuſtification fearfullie, coldlie, or (as we nowe ſpeake) modeſtlie: and hauehave toutched the Phariſies but ſoftlie and gentlie and obſerued their traditions, and hauehave ſought their louelove and good liking beeing manifeſt enimies to the truth, then had hee [forſaken indeed] both that Church and the truth it ſelfe alſo. So Elias, when he fled, he did not forſake the church, or leaue it to Baalls woulfes, but by his conſtant cōfeſſion and ſorrowfull exile, he did confirme it in the truth: but if he would hauehave receyued ſome of Baalls ceremonies, hauehave paynted them, excuſed them, if hee would hauehave ſpared the Baalites and reprooued their abuſes in generall onelyonly, and ſo hauehave ſerued the tyme, then had he (indeed) forſaken the church. So Paule departing from Epheſus, and purpoſing to confirme the Epheſians either preſent by voyce, or abſent by writing did not forſake that church, but by his conſtant confeſſion and affliction did confirme it. but if for peace and quietnes he would hauehave brought into the church the veſtiments, rites, Images, and other ceremonies of Diana, or hauehave reſtored the obſervations of the Phariſeis, and hauehave wincked at many things, then had hee forſaken (indeed) that church, and many other infinite churches which he had built, yea all poſteritie. So Athanaſius chooſing rather to goe from his church, then to yeeld any thing to the Arrians, or to come to compoſition with them, or to vſe generalities and ambiguities in the cauſe that was betweene him and them, he did not forſake the church, but by his conſtant confeſſion and manifolde afflictions & writings, he doth ſtrenghten and confirme it to this day. When we conſider theſe things, as we cleare our owne conſciences with ioye from all ſcruple of guiltie leauing of the church, ſo we fill them with a trembling feare of guiltie leauing it, if we ſhould leaue our former faithfulnes, and thereby leaue or rather looſe our ſelues. VponUpon a falſe alarum of late that ſome had yeelded, the papiſtes cryed out, O fooliſh Proteſtantes to beleeue your preachers any more, for their ſakes, or your religion for which ye ſee there is none that will ſuffer as we doe for ours the common people they ſwore they were turn-cotes that had yelded, & that for their ſakes the would neur… beleeue any more in deed, preach while they would. Neither would this fruſtration of our labours only follow, but a deprivation alſo of former giftes, Mal. 2.9.zeale, louelove, paynfulnes, joye, yea knowledge & all, vntill the threat were brought vponupon vsus, I will make you alſo vile. The Hebrues hauehave a prouerb,cIo. Druſiu. in adag. … Hebraic. decur. 9. adag. 5. Camelus cornua quaerens aures amiſis: and it is ſpoken of Balaam, who to exalt his horne on high by the preferrements which Balaac offered him, loſt both it and the ſpirit of prophecie, which was before within him. Were not we well holpe vp, trow yee, if for a benefice or ſome other preferrement, leſſe then that horne which Balaam ſought, wee ſhould looſe a better ſpirit of propheſie then euer he had? a better eare bored thorough & opened, together with a clouen tongue touched, purged, and enkindled with the coale of the Altar? Better a deſertion of the benefice then this defection frō the Lord▪ better to be depriued of earthlie then of heauenlie graces; yea better to looſe earth then heauen; a liuing then life ſpirituall. As for the Church, if any hurt come to it by our departure ipſi viderint who are the cauſe (to wit) our eccleſiaſticall Gouernours euen as their owne Law witneſſeth: Speaking of them who are conſtrained to leaue their charges: non ipſi in hoc peccant (dDecret. pa. 2. cauſ. 7. qu. 1. c. 36. Gen. 19. ſaith the Canon) quoniam non ſponte ſed coacte hoc agunt, ſed ili qui eos perſequuntur, nec ipſis epiſcopis hoc imputari potest ſed illis qui hoc agere cogunt. In reſpect of vsus, the hurt cometh per accidens only, and wee cannot helpe it, who may not doe evill that good may come of it, which was Loths fault, nor yeeld vntounto a leſſer ſinne to auoyd a greater that which waseEpiphan. cont. haereſ. lib 2. c. 64. Origens. Wheras it is obiected to vsus as once to the diuines of Germanie in the broyle of the Adiaphoriſme there: è duobus malis minus, fIoachim. Weſtphal. in expoſit. ſentent. è mal. mini.the anſwere hath bene giuen by them: that this holdeth not in malis culpae, but in malis poenae onelyonly. Cleaue we (then) without ſeparation to that which we knowe is good, and doe wee our duetie as it becometh vsus, and leaue we to God the care of his Church,gConcil. Roman. tom. 2. pa. 282. Deus dat ſucceſſores. When Zeno had obtayned a Biſhop for Carthage, the Clerici there reſolued thus:hVictor. de perſecut. Vandalic. ſi ita eſt interpoſitis his periculoſis conditionibus Eccleſia Epiſcopum non delectatur habere: gubernet eam Chriſtus qui ſemper dignatus eſt gubernare. Eightly, and laſt of all: the iudgement of forraine diuines directeth vsus to this courſe. For in the controverſie of the Adiaphoriſme in Germanie, the whole church oflEpiſtol. Hamburg. ad Philip. Melantho. Hamborough: ofmIo Sleidā. lib. Illyric. lib de Adiapho. Magdeburgh: ofnIo. Calui. in epiſt. ad. P. Melāth. Geneua: with diuers others, thought it the better way to depart then to conforme to the Surplice & ſome other popiſh ceremonies then impoſed. Diverſe private men hauehave written to this purpoſe, ſome of which write purpoſely euen of our Engliſh ceremonies.oIo. Calui. Maiſter Caluin writing his iudgement to the Engliſh Church at Franckforde, doth vtterly condemne the ceremonies nowe controverſed. Mr pTheodor. Beza. epiſt. 12.Beza writing his iudgement to the Miniſters of Englande, adviſeth them to giuegive ouer their places rather then to ſubſcribe to the ceremonies & the reſt of the corruptions controverſed, or by ſilence to foſter them. Mr Bullinger andqPet. Martir. in epiſt. amic cuidā in Angl. Pet. Martyr gaue adviſe to conforme to the clothes at firſt, who after perceyuing what hurt came of them, reclaymed their iudgement, as theſe wordes ſhewe: At de vestibus & ſacris. &c. as for the holy garmentes which are to be vſed in the miniſterie, ſeeing they reſemble a ſhewe of the Maſſe, and are meere reliques of poperie. Mr Bullinger thinkes they are not to be vſed leaſt the thing which tendeth to ſcandal be cōfirmed by your example. I my ſelf, although I was euer an adverſarie to the vſe of ſuch ornamēts, yet neuertheleſſe becauſe I ſawe there was preſent daunger leaſt you ſhould be depriued from preaching & that perhaps there would bee ſome hope that as altars and Images are taken away, ſo alſo thoſe ſhewes of the Maſſe ſhould bee remoued if you and others of the miniſtrie would doe your beſt endeauours, which parchaunce would not be done if another ſhould ſucceede in your place, which ſhould not only not ſeeke the remoual of theſe reliques but alſo defende, maintayne and foſter them, therefore I was the ſlower to perſwade that you ſhould rather refuſe the miniſtrie then reaceaue the vſe of thoſe garmentes. Notwithſtāding, becauſe I hauehave ſeene ſcandals ariſe which are vnauoydable therfore now I hauehave eaſely condeſcended to Mr Bullingers Iudgement. what then theſe men hauehave to the contrarie in their epiſtles, that ought not be preiudicial to vsus, ſith here they recante it: & in that which they wrot they preſcribed no rule torBeza. vb. ſup… & in Epiſtol. 23 Bullinger. in epiſt. ad. N. & M. binde: and the counſell which they gaue for direction was generall, only ſuch as left men to their owne diſcretion touching circumſtances which were perticular:sPet. Mart. in epiſtol. alia amico. cuid. in Angli. tu autem qui es in ipſo certamine concilia hic non expecta, valde quippe ſumus à vobis procul, in ipſa conſultetis arena. And our caſe differeth much, they when they couſelled yelding, they hoped the ceremonies might the better be aboliſhed by the ſtaying of good men in the miniſtrie, which hope is ſuperannuated, & they intended a forbearance andtTheodor. Beza. epi 12 tolleration, whereas we are preſſed, vnderunder our handes to approue them: and this tolleration they limited alſo to be continued for auIdem epiſt 8. while: they euer condemned the reducing of the Ceremonies controuerſed into the Churches, where they had ben difuſed before, which thing is ſought for nowe.