Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 15
#Sect. 15. They that diſobey or diſpleaſe in vnlawfull Ceremonies, doe not ſcandalize.
I comme now to Scandall, which is alſo layde to our charge, to make vsus ſinners when we omit theſe ceremonies. You make ſhewe of conſcience not to giuegive ſcandall, ſay our Oppoſites, and ſhould yee not (then) be chieflie warie, that you doe not offende the Magiſtrate, which is the greateſt ſcandall that may be? This obiection ſeemeth to implye, that the Magiſtrate is ſcandalized, as often as he is diſpleaſed, which is not true. Our Oppoſites in their conformitie perchaunce pleaſe their Reuerend Fathers, when yet they ſcandalize them. We in our not conforming doe indeed edifie them, although it may be wee diſpleaſe them, of which we are ſorie. Ioab deſpleaſeth Dauid, 2 Sam. 24.3when he conteſteth againſt the numbring of the people which he was commaunded to doe. Iehoſaphat doeth not pleaſe King Ahab, when he ſpeaketh for the Prophetes, 1 King. 22, 8.of whom he thought ill without a cauſe. Daniel did not what Darius did commaunde, when he honoured him not before his people, by praying vntounto him alone. Yet did not Ioab ſcandalize David, but edified him. euen as Iehoſaphat edified Ahab, Dan. 6.10.and Daniel Darius, ſo did Iſaacus edifie Valens, though he diſpleaſed him, when he requeſted,aTheodor. hiſtor. li. 4. cap. 34. redde gregibus optimos paſtores. euen as Terentius did, in the verie ſame caſe. HebIbid. c. 32 returning with victorie out of Armenia, and being willed by the ſame Emperour to aske what he would, he put vp a petition to him, for a Church to bee giuen pro Apoſtolica doctrina ſufferentibus. The Emperour tare the petitiō to peeces, and willed him to make his ſuite for ſomewhat elſe. which he gathering vp the peeces, refuſed to doe with this replie, Accepi inquit, habeo que Imperator abs te domum, ne que aliud petiturus ſum. quid verò ego ſpectaverim iudicet huius vniverſitatis iudex. cIbid. c. 33.Traianus his generall was more rough, yet did he edifie him, when he diſpleaſed him, in theſe wordes: non ego ſum victus, ſed tu victoriam corrumpis Imperator, qui adverſus deum aciem inſtruis an te fugit quos ab ecclesijs abegeris, & quibus eas commiſſeris. dTheodo. hiſtor. lib. 2. cap. 16.Liberius at the firſt defendeth the innocencie of Athanaſius, and ſuffereth banniſhment rather then he will ſubſcribe to his condemnation. afterwarde being wearie to liue in exile, he ſubſcribed. at which of theſe tymes did he edifie Conſtantius the Emperour? or at which ſcandalize him? Did he not ſcandalize him at the laſt when he pleaſed him, by ſubſcribing? ſeeing thereby he did confirme him in his badde courſe? for all the while he did diſpleaſe him, with this apologie what the Synode did againſt Athanaſius, it was done gloriae & metus à te, infamiae cauſa, & coram he was neuer condemned; the Synode heard him not ſpeake for him ſelfe ne vlciſcaris inimicitias (O Imperator) in Epiſcopos: manus. n…eccleſiaſticorum ſanctificationi vacare debent. proinde ſi tibi videtur, iube in ſuum quenque locum restitui: ſo longe hee did edifie him. By analogie from hence it appeareth, that men are farre from ſcandalizing their Superiours, when in a righteous cauſe or ſuite they doe offende them. But by omiſſion of the ceremonies (will ſome ſay) you doe vilifie the authoritie of the Superiour, which, as it is an hurt to him, ſo is it a ſcandall to the people, before whom it foundeth (as it were) the alarume of diſobedience, & make many bold againſt the lawe in greater matters. Firſt, this cometh not per ſe, from our omiſſion of the ceremonies, but per accidens only: and the ſcandalum is not datum by vsus, but acceptum by the people. Daniel wil not omit the ceremonie, Danial 6.10of looking out of the windowe towards Ieruſalem. Mordecay omitteth the ceremonie of bowing the knee to Haman. Chriſt will not vſe the ceremonie of waſhing handes, Heſt. 3.2.though a tradition of the elders, & gouernors of the church then being: Mat. 15.2.The authoritie of the Magiſtrat was violated by theſe, and an incitement of diſobedience was in their ceremoniall breach, as much as there is now in ours, yet were they guiltleſſe notwithſtanding, becauſe they did, but that which was their dutie to doe: and we nowe doe the like. Secondly, our covering of the lawes imperfection is ſuch in our preaching (for we iumpe witheMelanct. in Rom. ca. 13. Melancthon in this, if the faultes of a private neighbour muſt be covered, then of the publique ones much more) our preaching for obediēce is alſo ſuch, as that no hurt accrueth at all, vntounto authoritie, by our omiſſion of the ceremonies, while great good cometh by our preaching for the ſanctifying of the heart to true obedience, euen as the ſubiection of our charges in which we labour, giuegive evident witnes to all the worlde. As for the good which our Oppoſites boaſt of in their conformitie, in that they thinke it teacheth obediēce to the people, let them conſider, whether they edifie not the people to ſuch an vnholy kinde of obedience, which the Germane fConfeſ. eccleſ. Manſfeld. aedit. An. 1560. apud Conrad. Schluſſelburg. tom. 13. p. 530.Adiaphoriſme once brought forth: which was, that men were to obey what was commaunded without examining, without trying by the worde. the leaſt occaſion wherof now cannot be little ſinne with vsus, conſidering the generall prophanes abroad, which is thus reſolued alreadie; Let the Magiſtrate looke to my ſoule, he hath charge of it: If I be not right he ſhall anſwere for me: I need meddle with no matters of religion, he that is bound, he muſt obey. Thirdly, If there come anie hurt by our forbearance of cōformitie, as it is per accidens, ſo is it leſſe thē that which conformitie brings foorth per ſe. and we knowe that in things indifferent, we muſt alwayes avoyde that courſe, which threatneth amplius detrimenti, & followe that which offereth to vsusgAuguſt epiſt. ad lanuat. 119. cap. 18. maiora lucra to be hoped for. Firſt the hurt of our omiſſion is the leſſe, becauſe it may be more eaſilie prevented. many rites may be omitted (ſaithhA. Hippe. de ſacris ſtud. non deſerend. pag. 159. one) without offence, yet ſo as we be not authors of publike ſcandall. This daunger will be preuented, if the weake brethren, who are likely to be offended, and to iudge that we omit them of contempt, be fully inſtructed in the whole matter: that ſo they may vnderſtand, that we doe not omit them, for anie cōtempt of publique authoritie, but for other iuſt cauſes. Our Reverend Fathers I truſt wilbe contented with that meaſure which themſelues meate to the Lord, but behold we afforde them better. The diſhonour of the Lord (ſay they) in the vſe of the croſſe will be ſufficiently prevēted, by the Miniſters preaching, but farr better (ſay we) may the Magiſtrates diſhonour be prevented, by the Miniſters preaching, and all other hurt that may followe his diſvſe, becauſe his preaching againſt contempt and irreverence of the lawe, is more vnderſtandable, remarkable, approuable, then his preaching againſt the abuſe & ſuperſtition of the croſſe, whē he doth vſe it: which is ſeldome vnderſtood by the people for the hardnes, regarded for the ſhewe which it hath of preciſenes, obeyed for the harſhnes, in that it ouertwhattly croſſeth their old inveterate cuſtome of croſſing. Secondly, the hurt that enſueth vponupon the diſvſe of the ceremonies is leſſe, becauſe it may be more eaſilie remedied in that authoritie (if at any time it be defaced) hath power in her handes to right it ſelfe, whereas the hurt of the croſſe, as long as the croſſe it ſelfe remayneth, admitteth no remedie. Thirdly, in the hurt that commeth of the ceremonies there is [amplius detrimenti] to wit, the loſſe of the pretious ſoules of men, more worth then a world. For theſe Chriſt Ieſus loſt his life: will not our Reverend Fathers (then) looſe one jott of their authoritie, nor forbeare ſo much as a ceremonie, that is hurtfull vntounto them? then if any not repenting heare at his comming, thy life ſhall goe for his life, and thy Soule for his Soule: yea as his ſoule was vile in thyne eyes, ſo ſhall thy ſoule be in mine. 1 King. 20.39.let him be iuſtified in his iudging▪ wee know thatlTheodor. Beza epiſt. 24. art. 12. nulla cauſa eſt cur ob privatorum quorundam offenſiones, Eccleſiae hoc vel lud recte conſtitutum mutet. but what is this to the retaying of Croſſe and Surplice which are ill conſtituted? and in which to pleade after this manner, is to pleade as Saunders pleadeth for his Images: It is better (mSaund. de imag c. 17. or 16. apud Fulk. pag. 696. ſaith he) that ſome one ſhould doe amiſſe, then to falſifie the whole lawe. To this Alphonſus doth accorde:nAlphonſ. de Caſtr. verb. imag. Deut. 27.1… Mat. 18.6. Si vnus aut alter, ſimplicitate deceptus erat, ille docendus eſt; & non propter illum imagines prorſus ſunt tollendae. Leges ſiquidem & ſtatuta, non pancorum numero, ſed maiori populi multitudini proſpiciunt. Did theſe men neuer reade, Curſed is he that layeth a ſtū bling blocke in the way of the blinde, and all the people ſhall ſay Amen? and woe vntounto him, that doth offende any one of theſe little ons? Thus being cleared, both from contempt and from ſcandal, in diſvſing of the ceremonies, we hope we may iuſtly intreat for our libertie from them.