Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 23
#Sect. 23. Conformitie in Ceremon. ought not to hinder peace, though with diverſitie of Ceremonie.
AGainſt this ſecond meane of peace aunciently vſed, there is cōformitie now oppoſed: which our Oppoſites hold ſo neceſſarie, as that this libertie foreſpoken of can hauehave no place or hearing. But if ſhe might be ſuffered to ſpeak, ſhee would iuſtifie firſt, that varietie of ceremonies no way impeacheth the vnitie of faith, but ſometimes adorneth it, in which faith the true peace of the church conſiſteth. So Irenaeus toaEuſeb hiſt. lib. 5. c. 23. Victor, diſſonantia ieiunia commendat vnitatem fidei. which howbLib. concord apud Conrad. Schluſſelb. tom. 13 p. 597. Articul. Smalcaldic. An. 1537. ap. eundem. p. 608. often did the Germane Divines alleage to prove that conformitie to the ceremonies of their Adiaphoriſme was not neceſſarie for the churches peace? Socrates hath theſe wordes:cSocrat. hiſtor. lib. 5. cap. 22. Nulla religio eoſdem ritus cuſtodit: etiamſi eandem de illis doctrinam amplectantur. Nam qui eiuſdem ſunt fidei, de ritibus inter ſe diſſentiunt. Sozomen that the like,dSozom. hiſtor. lib. 7. cap. 19. ſtultum eſt conſuetudinis gratia, ſe invicem ſeperari eos qui in primarijs religionis capitibus conſentiunt. Etenim eaſdem, & per omnia ſimiles traditiones in omnibus concordibus Ecclesijs in venire non datur. Auguſtine reſembleth the churches ceremonies to the Queenes garment, in which varietie ſerveth for beautie: and addeth,eAuguſt. epiſt 86 ad Caſulan. ſit vna fides eccleſiae vniverſae, quae vbique dilatatur tanquam intus in membris, etiamſi ipſa fidei vnitas quibuſdam diverſis obſervationibus celebratur, quibus nullo modo id quod in fide verum eſt impeditur. Gregorie hath the like,fGregor. ad Leandrum epiſt. 41. In vna fide nihil officit conſuetudo diverſa. to which effect he wrotegIdem epiſt lib. 12. cap 3. epiſt. alſo to Auguſtine the Monke, when for England he required of him ſome vniforme order in the ceremonies of the Church. Leo is of the ſame iudgement:hDecret. pa 1. diſtinct. 11. cap. 3. Nihil obſunt ſaluti credentium, diverſae pro loco & tempore conſuetudines, quando vna fides per dilectionem operans bona, quae poteſt vni Deo commendat omnes. Waltramus Biſhop of Nurenburgh, writeth tolAnſelm. epiſt. 327. Anſelme about the queſtion of leavened bread, and receaveth this anſwere: The diverſitie of rites I thinke, is rather to be borne with in agreement of peace, then to be condemned with offence: For we hauehave this from the holy Fathers, that if the vnitie of charitie be kept in the Catholique faith, the diverſitie of cuſtomes hurt nothing. But if it be demaunded whereof this diverſitie of cuſtomes doeth ſpring, I perceave no other cauſe thereof, but the diverſitie of mens wittes: which although they differ not in ſtrength and trueth of the thing, yet they agree not in the fitnes and comelines of the miniſtring: For that which one iudgeth to be meeter, often times another thinketh leſſe meet. wherefore not to agree in ſuch diverſities, I thinke it not to fwerue from the trueth of the thing. OurmHarmo. conf. ſec 17 owne Churches that be reformed are of the ſame iudgement. Yea ſome of ournD. Bilſ. cont Apolog pa. 2. p 305.306. Oppoſites, and our owneoIewel. defence. of Apolo. …. p. 2. c. 1…. diui. 1 writers: One of whom citeth Lindanus. pThom. Morton. Apolog. p. 2 li …. c. 39Paſchae celebranda illa olim varietate per regiones diverſitas, nihil fidei officiebat. There is firſt replied to this, that though theſe auncient Fathers hauehave taught that the vnitie of fayth may ſtande in diverſitie of rites, yet that they hauehave euer laboured for a conformitie in ceremonies for a further ſtrengthening of it. So a CouncellqConcil Toleta. 10 cap 1. confeſſeth, that vnitatem Catholicae regulae varietas nulla deſer pit, who yet will hauehave a conformitie in the celebratiō of the Annunciation: leaſt in time the diverſitie of it might bring forth diſcord and diſſention in the Church. Others will hauehave a conformitie in ceremonies, leaſt there ſhould be thought to be a diverſitie where there is none. So a Councell,rConcil. Venetic. can. 15. rectum quoque duximus vt vel intra provinciam noſtram ſacrorum & ordo pſallendi, vna ſit conſuetudo. vt ſicut vnam cum trinit…tis confeſsione fidem tenemus, vnam & officiorum regulam teneamus: ne variata obſervatione in aliquo obſervatio noſtra diſcrepari credatur. An other,sConcil Toletan. 4 Can. 5. propter quod in Hiſpanijs quidam Sacerdotes trinam, quidam ſimplam merſionem faciunt, à nonnullis ſciſma eſſe conſpicitur, & vnitas fidei ſcindi videtur. nam dum partes diverſae in baptizandis aliqua contrario modo agunt, alij alios, non baptizatos eſſe contendunt. The ſame Councell before. post recte fidei confeſsionem placuit vt nihil diver ſum aut diſſonum in eccleſtaſlicis ſacramentis agamus ne quaelibet noſtra diverſitas apud ignotos ſeu carnales ſciſmatis errorem videatur ostendere: & multis extet in ſcandalum varietas Eccleſiarum. vnus ergo ordo orandi, atque pſallendi à nobis conſervetur. Firſt, this conformitie was aunciently ſought,tTheſ. de …aphor. …colog. …on. ap. …ourad. …luſelb…r Tom. 13. p …62. quantum fieri potuit, and no further. in which maner the greateſt reſiſters of the conformitie in Germanie will allow of an honeſt, ſeemlie, and godlie ſimilitude even as we our ſelues doe now. This appeareth byuAnſelm vb. ſup. Anſelme, If the Sacrament (ſaith he) were miniſtred after one ſort, & agreeing throughout the whole church, it were good and laudable: but this becauſe it can not well be obtayned, therefore a diverſitie is to be borne withall. So a certaine Councell wiſheth that there might be an agreement through the whole church in the ſingle life of miniſters: who yet becauſe it could not well or conveniently be brought about, giveth this libertie of diverſitie placet caeteros clericos ad hoc non cogi, ſed ſecundum vniuſcuiuſque Eccleſiae conſuetudinem obſervari debere. In regard hereof, this conformitie giveth no countenance to the vniformitie preſent, which our Oppoſites doe ſeeke after, which fieri non poteſt without innumerable hurtes, evills, inconveniences, ſcandals, as hath been ſhewed alreadie. Secondly, This auncient conformitie obiected was therefore wiſhed and ſought, that every particular congregation might be vnited to the whole vniverſall Church. So Leo forbiddeth diſagreement in the Paſſeover, becauſewLeo. epiſt 62. ex coplerunque fit, quod non licet vt nō ſimul omnes Eccleſiae quod non niſi vnum eſſe oporiet obſervet. So a Councell will hauehave a conformitie in a ceremonie vponupon this reaſon,xConcil. Tol…tan. 4 Can. 8. quia haec obſervatio per multarum loca terrarum in ecclesij, commendatur, dignum eſt propter vnitatem pacis, vt in Gallicanis ecclesijs conſervetur. So the Councill of Nice will hauehave a conformitie in faſtings and in the Paſſover,yNicephor li. 8. ca 25. ap Concil. Tom. 1 pa 352. vt decens extet ordo quem omnes habitabiles orbis Eccleſiae obſervant. In regard hereof, the auncient conformitie ſought for, giveth no countenance (once againe) to that which our Oppoſites doe now purſue, which is ſo farre from vniting our church to other churches Orthodox, as that it divideth vsus from thē all. ſo that therof, there is like to enſue (vnleſſe this ſparcle be ſpeedily quenched) as great a contention and diſtraction, as once there was about the Adiaphoriſme, or is at this preſent about Conſubſtantiation. Thirdly, the auncient conformitie obiected was therfore wiſhed for, that the catholique church might ioyne together, in rites of her own againſt all aliens, Iewes, and heretiques. This appeareth by the Councell of Nice (laſtly cited): who if it labour for a conformitie about Eaſter, it is vponupon this reaſon,zNieephor vb. ſup. exactior ratio flagitare videtur, vt nihil nobis commune ſit, eum infeſtiſsima Iudaeorum turba. Aga…ne, M…nimè decet in re tam ſancta, aliquam extare diſſentionem: & pulchrius eſt ſequi eam ſententiam, in qua nulla ſit alieni erroris & peccati contagio. Another Councill,aConcil. Toletan. 10. cap 1. Hinc eſt quod Paſchale feſtum vno die celebramus & tempore, ne in Iudaicum decidamus errorem. When the ſturre was about thebBeda in hiſtor de gont. Anglor. lib 5. cap. 21. tonſura, there fell out this diſputation,cpag …37. Simonis tonſuram, quis non ſimulcum ipſa magia detestetur? as we plead nowe, zeale doeth require to deteſt popiſh rites together with their doctrine. The other anſwered, that though he were Simon Magus [tonſura] yet he communicated not in his Magia: Iuſt like our Oppoſites now, though we communicate with the papiſtes in their rites, yet not in their ſuperſtition. It is replied: you muſt ſhew in facie, what you doe in Corde: dpag 238.ſepera à tuo vultu illius habitum, qui à Deo ſeperatus eſt, and put on their habit who truely louelove God. even as we doe now diſpute, we muſt ſhew in outward appearance the hatred we beare againſt ceremonies ſuperſtitious: and we muſt ſeparate our ſelves from their rites who are ſeparated from God: conforming our ſelves to the rites of thoſe churches who truely ſerue him. We hauehave this confeſſion from aeIacob. L… …eſima lib de dium. quauis lingua non legen. c. 24 Ieſuit, when the …bionites hereſie began to ſpread, which helde the Iewiſh rites neceſſarie, and ſo by conſequent required bread that was vnleavened in the Euchariſt neceſſarilie, whereas the thing being indifferent, the church might hauehave conformed vntounto them, we ſee at the firſt it tooke courſe quite contrarie, Eccleſia contrarium praecepit (ſayeth he) vt infermentato pane ſacra conſice…etur Euchariſita. In regard hereof, the auncient conformitie giveth no coun…e…ance (once againe) to that which our Oppoſites ſeeketh for, becauſe it combined the church to conforme in rites of their owne againſt all ceremonies of heretiques, whereas our Oppoſites would hauehave vsus conforme to the rites of thoſe heretiques that are the moſt horrible and the moſt deteſtable that are living. And this to the firſt exception which is taken againſt that libertie in rites and ceremonies which we clayme from the practize of the olde and auncient Church.