Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 7
#Sect. 7. Divers inſtances wherein the impoſing and defence of Ceremonies, are founde greevous.
THirdly, we feele the impoſing of theſe Ceremonies to be greevous and burthenſome, in that as we hauehave receaved hitherto no ſatisfaction from our governours,, Sect. 7.by any ſounde reaſon for them, ſo libertie is denyed to vsus, to ſatisfie our ſelues, by ſeeking reaſons whereon to grounde, either our iudgement in their generall nature, or our conſcience in the vſe individuall of them. Touching the former, for a ſubiect to examine the Lawe of his Magiſtrate (ſaiethaSee the anſwer to the examinat. of the declarat. of the M. of London. pag. 27. one of our Oppoſites) is to preſume, and vſurpe authoritie aboue his Superiours, more then is allowed nowe: that the propheſie is fulfilled, Kings ſhall be their nourſing Fathers, and Queens their nourſing Mothers. If this were ſpoken of Civill lawes, it had ſome colour, but in matters that are religious, it hath none. Civill matters are proper to the Magiſtrate, private men hauehave not to doe with them, but matters religious are iuris publici. In civill matters alſo, it is often Gods commaundement, that the reaſon with the whole proiect, ſhould be kept cloſe, whereas the matters of his ſervice, all muſt be cleare and manifeſte to all mens conſciences; and eueryevery thing preached and publiſhed (as it were) vponupon the houſe topp. VponUpon theſe and the like groundes, thus one of our writers,bP. Martyr commenta. in 1. Sam. cap. 14. magnum eſt diſcrimen inter eccleſiaſtica decreta, & politica. quorum neceſſe eſt, illa minus obſtringere conſcientias. nam in eccleſiaſticis ſpectanda eſt eutaxia, in politicis (autem) parendum eſt, quamvis tu eam eutaxiam non videas. In theſe ceremonies (then) controverſed, what hindreth a private man to ſay, what acF. Pic. Mirandula. in orat. ad Leonem. to de reform moribus. papiſt ſaide once to a Pope, out of that deſire of reformation, which now ſincerely is in vsus, Quod ſuapte natura pertinet ad omnes, id à me alienum eſſe non cogito. To thinke the contrarie, to wit, that private men hauehave notdTheſ. de Adiaphor. Theolog. Saxō: apud. Conrad Schlnſſelb. Tom. 13. pag 464. poteſtatem repudiandi Eccleſia ceremonias, quantumvis pias & iuſtas, cauſas proferre poſ…int, ſiue ea obtruſio à politicis, ſiue ab Eccleſiaſticis fiat, is to nenewe that ancient ſervitude, of the Germane Adiaphoriſme, wherewith the Godly would neuer ſuffer them ſelues to be intangled. And (indeed) what reaſon? Is not the lawe of Nature againſt it? For whateChryſoſt. 1 Theſſ. 5. Chriſostome pleaded, for the dutie, that may we pleade for the libertie of examining: Oues eſtis, ſed rationales. Is not the lawe of Gods worde againſt it, proove all things, holde faſt that which is good? On whichfHieron. Epiſt. 152. Hierome, eſtote probati nummularij, vt ſi quis nummus adulter eſt, & figuram Caeſaris non habeat, nec ſignatus eſt moneta publica, reprobetur. Is it not againſt the doctrine of the Fathers? Origen (I graunt) requireth obediēce in the Churches obſeruations,gOrig in lib. Num. et ſi ratio non pateat. and Chriſoſt. is alleadged as peremptorie,hChryſoſt. in Theſſ. homil. 4. traditio eſt, nihil amplius deſidera. which if they meane not de ratione priuata, they ruſhe againſt that, which is more truely deliuered thus,lChryſoſt. in pſal 95. homil 1. Si quid dicitur abſque ſcriptura, auditoris cogitatio claudicat, mutat que . And againe,mTertul in lib. de coron. milit. rationis diuinae patrocinium expoſtula, ſaluo traditionis reſpectu: quocunque traditore cenſetur: nec authorem reſpicias, ſed authoritatem. Is it not againſt the doctrine of the moderne Churches? ThusnMuſcul. loc. cōmun. de tradit. cap. 5. one of our writers, There needeth diligent diſcretion, that a Miniſter accept not thoſe things for indifferent, which either becauſe they are againſt the worde of God, or becauſe of ſuperſtition, and wicked ſervice, deſerue iuſte abhomination. Another thus:oChemnit. exam. pag. 2. fol. 35. Libertie muſt not bee taken away, to condemne or diſvſe a ceremonie, whēby the word of God, it is found that he ſerueth not for edificatiō, neither can be kept without impietie. Another thus:pWillet. controuerſ. 4. q. 5. p. 3 This we hold, that it is the dutie of all Chriſtians to trie & examine the truth of all things, which they are to receaue, though they ſit not formally and iudicially as in Cōſiſtories, to iudge their ſpirituall Paſtors. Laſt of all, when Martiall inveigheth againſt vsus, as curious (as now we are by our owne brethren inveighed againſt) for that in the cuſtome of the croſſe we require ſcripture: It is our duetie (ſaith Maiſter Calfhill) to hauehave an eye to Gods lawe, & to ſee what accordeth with it. ſeeing our Oppoſites receaue not this Divinitie of theirs, neither from the light of nature, nor from the worde, nor from the Fathers, nor from the late writers, from whom (I marvayle) doe they borrowe it, vnleſſe it be from papiſtes. Surely not from all of them neither. Thomas Aquinas vponupon theſe wordes [Iudge you what I ſay] demaundeth the queſtion, whether an inferior may iudge of the factes of his Superior, & reſolveth,qThom. Aquin. in 1. cor. 10. ſect 4. ſee D. Bilſon aga. Apolog. p. 2. pa. 353. non debent iudicare iudicio ſuperordinationis, ſed licet iudicio diſcretionis. WhereasrBernard de praecept & diſpenſat. Bernard ſpeaketh ſomewhat blindly for blinde obedience imperfecti cordis, & infirmae prorſus voluntatis inditium eſt, ſtatua Seniorum, ſtudioſius diſcutere, haerere ad ſingula quae iniunguntur exigere de quibuſque ratione & malè ſuſpicari de omni praecepto cuius cauſa latuerit. Thus Molanus (though a papiſt) to make him plaine,sIo. Molan. de fid haeretic ſeruā. li. 5. ca. 22. etſi non deceat. &c. Although it be not ſeemelie for private men to ſearch too curiouſlie the commandements of their Superiours, yet a ſubiect may modeſtly and reverentlie examine when an oath is tendered to him, whether it be hurtfull to his conſcience or not. Bellarmine him ſelfe affirmeth, that the ill lawes of the Pope himſelfe, are not only not to be receaued, (as though they did binde the conſcience) but alſo that they are to be reiected. Hence it followeth, (ſaithtSibrand. Lubbert. de pap. Roman. lib. 8 cap. 7 pag. 693. one of our writers) that Chriſtians hauehave power to iudge euen of the Popes lawes themſelues, whether they be good or ill. What then? this divinitie queſtionleſſe floweth frō the ſinke of Ieſuitiſme, and from the Canons of Ignatius Laiola, which are theſe: If uIeſuit. Catechif li 2. ca. 17. & 18a mans iudgement be againſt the commaundement of his ſuperiours, hee muſt remooue it Caeca quadam obedientia. Prudentia non obedientis, ſed imperantis eſt. Nothing more contrarie to obedience, quam mora in ſuperiorum iuſsis examinandis, which he holdeth to be arrogancie. Non eſt dignus nomine obedientis, qui legitimo ſuperiori non cum voluntate iudicium etiam ſubmittit. He that thus ſubmitteth his iudgement caeca quadam obedientia, doeth performe ſapientem ſanctam que ſtu…titiam. Accordingly the punie Ieſuites doe profeſſe, they worke in regard of the commaundement of their ſuperiours, as dead carcaſes. howbeit, not to depend vponupon the teſtimonie of one man, talem, &c. This obedience (ſaith anwRabidinera. Ieſ. de vita Ignatii lib. 5. ca. 4. other) did Ignatius profeſſe, I muſt not be myne owne, but his that created me, hee meaneth his gouernour that made him a Ieſuite: & I muſt ſuffer my ſelfe to be drawne & framed by him (like tender waxe) quae ſequitur fingentis manum. xEraſm Annota in coloſ. 2.23Eraſmus oppoſeth himſelf againſt this obedience, thinking it to be that counterfeit humblenes of mind, which the Apoſtle by name condemneth. And he thus deſcribeth the abſurditie of it: Col. 2.18.23.It is the parte of an abiect minde, for a man to ſuffer him ſelfe to be ledd by the precepts of men, as it were a calfe by the noſe. TheyIndex expurgato. Hiſpan. in Eraſm. Inquiſition commaundeth theſe words to be blotted out of him. What? becauſe they diſlike this humblenes? No, but becauſe they will not hauehave it eſteemed calviſhe, which yet (notwithſtanding) an other maketh to be the patience of an Aſſe, which is worſe then a calfe. Patientia Aſinina est (ſaithzPerald. Epiſcop. ſum. virtur. tom. 1. de Beatitud. he) non curare quid ei imponatur, aurum aut lutum. Doth not the ſubſcription require of vsus, that not will onelyonly, but that iudegment alſo be ſubmitted? Doe not the tribunalls crie out againſt vsus, as againſt men preſumptuous and arrogant, for our reaſoning againſt our betters and ſuperiors? Doe not the moderne pulpitts proclaime vsus Anabaptiſtes, for that we caſt a vaile of ſcripture over the commaundements of our governours? Teach not the pamplettes of our Oppoſites,aThom. H. that we muſt obey a lawe though we hauehave ſome probable, or ſome forcible reaſons againſt it? was it not long ſince written as God hath giuen power to the Church to ordaine eccleſiaſticall lawes, ſo hath he alſobexamin. of the decla. …at. of the M. of London. in the anſw. p. 56 promiſed his ſpirit to Synodes, yea for ordayning rites & ceremonies? Is it not riſe, and eueryevery where ſaide, to obey in the Lord, is to obey the Magiſtrate, by acknowledging his …oyce to be the voyce of God him ſelf? which is the verie cornercIeſuit. catechiſm. vb ſup. ſtone of the Ieſuitiſhe blinde obedience. Being thus many wayes called to an obedience counterfeit, which (as it hath been ſhewed alreadie) better befitteth beaſtes then men: we muſt craue pardon to replie with Ambroſe (breaking a ceremonie preſcribed at Rome, which verie willingly he would hauehave followed)dAmbroſ. de Sacram. lib. 3. ca 1. & nos quoque homines ſeuſum habemus. For our iuſtification herein, we will not cite what one of oureReynald. de Idolola. in epiſt. ad Anglo. Rhemenſ. writers hath againſt this obedience blinde, but I conclude out of Auguſtine, fAuguſt. ad frat. in Erem. ſerm. 7.Cauete in obedientia (fratres mei:) tenete, & in cordibus alligate, quod obedientia ſine diſcretione, caſſa eſt & vana: & obedientia ſine honeſtate privata, ſuperbia eſt▪ diſcretio, honeſtas, Iusticia, & humilitas, ſocij ſunt ſanctae obedientiae: ſine quibus, omnino obedientia vana eſt, & invtilis.