Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5
Of the Iniuſtice of the Croſſe. Chap. 5.
THe ſinnes of the Ceremonies againſt the fift precept, we meane as much as wee can to couer, for the louelove and reuerence ſake, which wee beare to our Chriſtian Gouernours; whoſe harde meaſure towards vsus, though it runne ouer, yet are wee deſirous not to runne beyond thoſe bounds of the holy Apoſtell: I hauehave naught to accuſe my Nation of: and brethren ye hauehave not hurt me at al, Act. 28.19. Gal. 4.12.Neuertheleſſe, leaſt our ſpeachleſſe ſilence ſhould hurt our good cauſe, we are to craue leaue, though not to expoſtulate or accuſe, yet after the example of the ſame Apoſtle, to appeale and beſeech, that which (we truſt) none will denie vsus, eſpeciallie ſeeing wee appeale no further, then from Philip diſpleaſed to Philip appeaſed: & beſeech no other way, then children vſe to beſeech the men whom they holde for their Fathers. The very Canon Lawe it ſelfe affirmeth:aFaſciculter. expetēd in appellat. Pariſienſ. fol. 34. Nullus Princeps tollere poteſt appellationis remedium, eùm ſit quaedam defenſio, que iure diuino, naturali, & humano, cuique competit. Neither are the children (or rather ſlaues) themſelues of Antichriſt, ſo bound in iudgement vntounto their Church, their Pope, their Councels, but that lawfully they may appeale from them, male conſultis, ſo it be to themſeluesbIbid. bene conſultis, and tocNichol. de Clemangis ſup: materia concilgeneral. examine by the word, whether bene or male, they hauehave adviſed themſelues, or no. In regard hereof, we hauehave good confidence, our humble petitions will be admitted into the preſence of our reuerend Fathers, the firſt of which is, that they would remoue theſe ceremonies controuerſed, for feare the Lord wil plead againſt this church of ours: I hauehave a fewe things againſt thee, becauſe thou haſt them that maintaine the doctrine of Balaam, to put a ſtumbling blocke before the people, that they ſhould eate of things ſacrificed to Idols. Apoc. 2.14.Againſt this petition reaſonable, we heare hitherto, naught obiected, which ſauoureth not of ſome iniuſtice againſt this precept. Firſt it is ſaide, that the Doctrine being reformed, no matter is to be made of Ceremonies: and as for the Croſſe and Surplice, which are in the number of minores Ceremoniae, the Magiſtrate would be counted vnwiſe, & it would be a diſhonour vntounto him, if he ſhould trouble himſelfe about them. Firſt, he that ſtandeth vponupon the ſmalnes of theſe Ceremonies, let him conſider whether hee ſtande not on Hardings ground, when hee pleaded the things were ſmall, wherewith Iewell charged his Church; ſeeing, what Mr Iewell dIewel in defence of Artic. ag. Hard. praefac.returned to him, that ſerueth vsus in our whole cauſe. How great or ſmall theſe matters are, it forceth not: indeed they are avouched with very ſmall proofes, as if they were ſmall. and yet as ſmall as yee would hauehave them, it appeareth yee keepe no ſmall adoe about them. Nothing ought to be accounted ſmall, wherewith ſo great multitudes of Gods people, may bee deceaued and ſcandalized: the matters wherewith Chriſt charged the Scribes and Phariſies, were not ſo great, and yet he ſaieth: ye ſtraine at a gnatt, and ſwallowe a Cammell. Saint Paule ſaith, a little leaven, ſoureth the whole lumpe: an haire is ſmall, and yet we reade it hath chooked a bigge man. Plato ſaieth, Robberie is no leſſe in a ſmall matter, then in a great: the Cyniplees were but ſmall, yet are they reckoned, among the great plagues of God. alia ſunt frivola & innoxia, alia frivola & noxia, ſaitheGregor. li. 6. epi. 30 Gregorie. Though theſe matters be ſmall, yet the evilles that riſe of them, are not ſmall: remooue them, and poperie receyueth no ſmall wounde. To conclude, if theſe ceremonies be great, they are the more worthie to be conſidered. if they be ſmall, there is the leſſe hurt in leaving of them, & the more wilfulnes in defending of them: Chriſt ſaieth, qui in modico iniquus, & in maiori iniquus. Verely the greateſt parte of the lande, is wearie of them: thus farre out of Iewell.
Heare wee the iudgement of one of the Croſſes friendes, ſpeaking thus of him, to make him great and not ſmall:fRic. Hook lib. …. c. 65. Ceremonies are more in waight then in ſight. they worke by commonnes of vſe much. Another will not hauehave the Surpliſſe, vponupon pretence of any ſmalnes, to be made vnworthie of a Princes care, and therefore averreth,gExamin. of the declarat. of the Miniſt. of Londō. Princes hauehave thought it their ſervice, not onelyonly to eſtabliſhe ſound doctrine, but alſo to ordaine and redreſſe rites. Laſt of all, thus ſaith Maiſter Bucer, hBucer. in Mat. 18.Nibil dicunt, qui perpetuo iactant, maiora eſſe quae vrgeri oporteat, quam reformationem ceremoniarum, Antichriſti reliquis, patrocinantes. Ceremoniae enim ſunt teſtes religionis. Secondly, The caſe ſo ſtandeth nowe, that the Magiſtrate muſt be a remoouer, or reviver of the Ceremonies controverſed: a weeder or a waterer of them. For, whereas in the latter times of Queene Elizabeth, they grewe towardes an Antiquation, nowe let them prevayle againſt the ſuites of the godly Miniſters, who hauehave put them in feate, and they will crowe [vae victis] and triumph more then euer before. Like the pride of womens apparell in Rome, when being feared by the Lex Oppia, it gott the victorie ouer it. The ſuperſtition of theſe weedes, hath growne mightelie heretofore, Mat. 13.25.euen in the husbandmans ſleepe and negligence, how much more will it ſprout then nowe, when they ſhall receaue a wateringe from his countenance which is like dewe, Pro. 19.12.and that to the hurt of the good wheat it ſelfe, Heb. 6.8. Ier. 23.29. Pro. 24.31.for whoſe ſake the Lord hath appointed a fire to burne not onelyonly an hooke to cut them downe?
It is well that Iehu throwes downe Baal, but it waslPet. Martyr in 2. Reg c. 10. 2 King. 12.3. expected of him, that he ſhould hauehave baniſhed the Calues of Dan and Bethell alſo. It is well that Ioash reformeth Idolles, but hismGualt. in Hoſ. c. 2. duetie was to downe with the high places too. Pilate in policie whippeth Chriſt, to ſaue him aliue, and to content the Iewes. Let the Lutheran follow this pollicie, who reformeth poperie but in parte: Let vsus thinke on Maiſter Iohn Calvines ſpeach:nIoh. Calvin in comment. in Io han. 19: 1. At qui praeſtare ſepultam eſſe doctrinam, quam ſic flagellari: and vponupon that of Peter Martyr, who, ſpeaking of reforming the Doctrine, and not of Ceremonies,oPet. Martyr. vt ſup. Non eſt ad hunc modum, in religione agendum (ſayeth he) tota enim repurganda eſt, & ad viuum emēdanda. If Gods glorie moue vsus not, yet let our owne ſhame. For if a ſtraunger ſhould come ouer, and ſee in one priſon a papiſt committed, for not conforming him ſelfe to England, and an Antipapiſte puniſhed, (I meane a Preacher) for not cōforming him ſelfe to Rome, would he not take vp againe the olde Italians admiration, Act & Monum. 1096.Deus bone, quomodo hic viuunt gentes?