Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 22
#Sect. 22. Our vſe of the Croſſe, the ſame with the Papiſt in ſenen reſpects. The Oppoſites diſtinction of effectiuè and ſignificatiue in defence of it aunſwered.
WE hauehave proued a diuerſe manner in vſing of the Croſſe, is no ſufficient chaunge. Now what if our manner be not diuerſe, but in a manner the very ſame? For doe we vſe the ſigne of the Croſſe, not as a ſubſtantiall part of Baptiſme, but as a ceremonie for order, decencie, and edification? euenaPet. Lumbard. lib. 4. diſtinct. 3. ſo doe they. Do we vſe it as an ancient rite, that bringeth reuerentiam Sacramento? euen ſobCaniſius de Sacram. in gen. ca. 8 doe they. Doe we ſet it in the forehead, the ſeat of ſhame to profeſſe Chriſt crucified?cBellar. de imag. c. 29. euen ſo doe they. Doe we vſe it for a ſigne to ſtirre to patience, to fight vnderunder Chriſt his banner? euendCaniſ. de fid. & ſymbol. ca. 12. ſo doe they. Doe we vſe it to dedicate our ſelues and our children vntounto God? eueneFranciſc. Coſter. Enchirid. c. 11 ſo doe they. Doe wee vſe it for a thankefull memoriall, to call to mind our redemption by Chriſt Ieſus?fCaniſ. vt ſupta. euen ſo do they. Doe we vſe it to confirme our faith in the ſame redemption, or to put our ſelues in minde of the forgiuenes of our ſinnes?gCoſter. vt ſupra. euen ſo doe they. But whereas they vſe it effectiuè, we vſe it only ſignificatiuè. Hui? And is all come to this? Is it poſſible ſo great a cry, ſhould yeeld ſo little wooll? For firſt the Adiaphoriſt (whom we were wont to call ahElmer in Harbor. of faithfull ſubiects. Sattaniſt) vſeth the very ſame diſtinction, he will hauehave hislConrad, Schluſſelburg. tom. 13. cap. …. p. 76. candles and Images, to be ſignifying memorials onelyonly, without all ſuch effectiue power, as papiſts giuegive to thē. Yea,mGeorg. Caſſand. conſultac. art. 21. Caſſander himſelfe (the very Godfather of Adiaphoriſme) will hauehave Images retained onelyonly vponupon this condition, vt rerum geſtarum, &c. That they be accounted monuments of things done, not inſtruments, and that no power or vertue be aſcribed vntounto them. We allnHoſpinia. de re templ. ca. de imag. cry out vponupon Paulinus, for firſt bringing Croſſes, and other pictures into the Churches; which, were they other then ſignificatiue? Gueſſe by his Croſſe begirt with a crowne, two doues ſtanding on the top, which, what was it els but a meare Embleme? which theoPrudent. Poet thus expoundeth.
Cerne coronatam domini ſuper atria Chriſti
ſtare crucem, Celſo ſpondentem Celſa labori
pramia, tolle erucem, qui vis auferre coronam,
Quae que ſuper ſignum reſident caeleſte columbae
Simplicibus produnt regna patere dei.
There be Papiſts that tollerate Images only for their ſignification and as they arepIoh. Picus Mirandula Gabri. Biel. ſupra canon miſſ. lect. 49 recordatiue. In the Canon of the Maſſe, the Croſſes were made, Ad qDurant. de rit. li. 2. cap 45. ſect. 9.comemorandam veritatem crucis, & paſsionis Chriſti. Quid enim eſt (vt ait Iuo Carnotencis) inter myſteria rebus ſacratis vel ſacrandis ſignum crucis ſuper ponere, quam mortem domini commemorare? ReadrTho. Aqu p. 3. q. 83. art. 5.6. Alexand. de Ales. pa. 4. q. 33. Innocent. lib. 5. ca. 11. Mi…olog. c. 15 others, and you ſhall finde the Croſſes of the Lordes Supper to be ſignificatiue alone, which hauehave we not for all this aboliſhed? therein deſtroying this ſignificatiue excuſe, which nowe wee goe about to build? Secondly, we hauehave condemned all interpretations in all rites popiſh, by one of our writers thus: Nullus fingat ſibi commodas in ſpetiem interpretationes, &c. tMuſcu. loc. commu. de tradit. ca. 6.Let no man forge interpretations to himſelfe, though neuer ſo glorious in ſhew, by them to perſwade himſelfe, he may lawfully obſerue any papall traditions, without the hurt of his owne conſcience. Now this excuſe of ours for the Croſſe, is not an interpretation onelyonly, but to ſpeake with SaintsAuguſt in Pſal. 113. part. 2. Auguſtine, euen interpraetatio ſimulachrorum. The Pagan of his time, thought he was purgatioris religionis, in that hee held his Image to bee a ſigne of his God only, euen ſo thinke we our Croſſe purgatior, becauſe we make him not a God as Papiſts doe, but onelyonly a ſigne and a monument of him? When Innocentius maketh this difference betweene the Iewiſh oyle and his owne, that the former was ſignificatiue onelyonly, his effectiue; doth this excuſe it from being Iewiſh in the eyes of ouruIoh. Reynold. confer cap. 8. diuiſ. 4. writers? The ſchoole Sophiſters maketh the Croſſe of Baptiſme and other complements to differ in [efficacie] from the water in Baptiſme, and therefore they coyne a diſtinction betweene them, that the one is Sacramentum, the other Sacramentalia onelyonly. This diſtinction ſauoureth ill before our writers▪ onewPet. Martyr. in 1. Reg. 8. fol. 73. 1. Cor. 8.1.2. calleth it ſophiſticall, becauſe it is not ſumpta ex re, theſe ceremonies, being outward ſignes aſwell as the water, and that of the ſame things a diuerſe conceit of a power effectiue, is but vaine to make ſound difference, it being in cogitation onelyonly. Thirdly, this interpretatiue excuſe, is inward we know being able to pleade no further then the Nicholaitan once, though I vſe the Idols meat yet is mine heart free from all Idolatry & ſuperſtition. What though we ſhould graunt, that the effectiue power of the Croſſe, being aboliſhed, his body, fleſh, and bones were gone? are we commaunded to auoyd the Idoll himſelfe, or his ſeruice only? are we not bound to refraine euenxTertul. de corona. milit. ab effigie alſo, from his ſhape, and from theyRolloc in 1. theſ. 5. verſ. 22. ſuperficies of him? that is his skinne: Yea from his very vpper2Iud. ve. 22 garment? at a word, from allzPet. Martyr. amie. cuid. in Angli. Zanch de Imag. theſ. 2. Bucer in cenſur. cap. 3. p. 459. ſhewe and from all ſpice of popery? TwoaTripart. hiſtor. li. 6. cap 30. Chriſtians throw incenſe into the fire before Iulian, not with the ſame meaning that others did. A ſouldier weareth a garland in the dayes ofbTertul. de coron. milit. Tertullian with a mind free from the Idolatry of his fellowes. Ioſeph vſeth the ſame oath that Idolaters doe, when they aſcribe a certaine kinde of immortalitie vntounto Pharo, how be it his minde is diuerſe from theirs. This difference is nothing worth, as long as the incenſe, the garland,cFranc. Inn. in Gen. 42.15. Ioh. Piſcator. in mat ca. 5. the oath is the ſame (as we now vſe the ſame ſigne with the Papiſts) there is a partaking with Idolaters by ſhew and in appearance. But we remedie this ſhew, in that we make our meaning knowne to vſe it onelyonly as a ſigne. As if Ezechias had not wit to thinke on this? whereas the inward Idolatry to the braſen ſerpent aſcribeth to it an effectiue power of healing, I will let him alone, and make knowne to the people, hee is kept onelyonly (as Moſes appointed) for a ſignifier & memorial of ſo much. This proteſting againſt the outward ſhew we giuegive, is (indeed) no other but that which once deceiued great Origen. For thus he,dEpiphan. li. 2. haereſ. 64. venite accipite frondes Chriſti, non iam frondes ſimulachri: For ſo we call men to the Proteſtants croſſe as if it were now the popiſh croſſe no longer. Remember the fondnes of Marcellinus, eCaeſar. Baron. Annal…. anno. 303,Non dijs ſacrificaui, ſed tantū graua thuris, leuatis manibus, ſuperprunas combuſ…i. I did not ſacrifice, I onelyonly tooke a little frankenſence and did burne the ſame vponupon the wales. What more ridiculous? and yet it as good (well neare) as this excuſe which we doe make, we make no popiſh Croſſe at all, we onelyonly wagge our fingers a little, and draw two lines a croſſe. Fourthly, this [interpretatiue] difference which is [inward] conſiſteth onelyonly in a lower eſtimation of the heart, wee aſcribe not the ſame power to the Croſſe that Papiſts doe, this is all; which is the very ground they ſtand on, that worſhip the Croſſe both by Eaſt and by Weſt, we performe the ſame outward reuerence to our Images, that the Pagans doe to theirs, but here is the difference (ſay they) we doe itfIerem. Patriark. in epiſt. ad Cruſium. … …o… onelyonly without aſcribing anygGregor de valent. de Idololat. lib. 2. cap. 7. power diuine vntounto them. Fiftly, our communion booke muſt be gently handled, or elſe our ſigne of the Croſſe is effectiue. For wee ſigne the childe in token, that hee ſhall continue Chriſts faithfull ſouldier to his liues end: theſe words [ſhall continue] to his liues end, compared with the like in the Epiſtle of the 22. Sonday after Trinitie [God ſhall continue the work in you to the end] ſhew vntounto vsus, that we vſe the croſſe for a pleadg to giuegive aſſurance to the child to continue in grace vntounto the end, which if it be ſo, then he ſerueth to worke faith, and is vſed effectiuely. And who can conceiue that the booke giueth leſſe power to the ſigne of the Croſſe, then to the ſigne of impoſing hands? which that it is effectiuely vſed, it is out of queſtion, for it is miniſtred to the baptized, [hRubric. before the Gatechiſ. that he may receiue ſtrength againſ ſin, and againſt temptation.] So hitherto, it hath bin proued, that neither the Croſſe may be changed to vſe religious; neither is chaunged ſufficiently by vsus. Now, what if it might and were? for we plead.