Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 27
THirdly, what if the Croſſe had in old time an indifferent vſe (for good IaFolk. reioynd. art. 5 p. 175. am forbidden to terme it) is not thebCypri. de ſingularit. cleric. contradictio calumnioſa, quae de bonis praeſcribit vt aſſerat mala? For the abuſe of it hath ſince bene ſuch, as that now it is the Fathers Croſſe no longer. What onecPlace. Illyric. lib. de Ad…aphor. porro quod quidam dicunt, &c. They ſay nothing for excuſe, who ſay they reſtore thoſe ceremonies, which becauſe they hauehave bene vſed by the Fathers, therefore penitus doe not appertaine to Antichriſt? For after that things hauehave ſerued Idolatry, they are Idolatrous, and they pleaſe not God; but God would hauehave them to be caſtaway. The brazen ſerpent was ordayned by God; and that by Moſes (ſo great a Prophet) yet after it had ſerued Idolatry, it was no longer the ſerpent of God but the ſerpent of Idolaters, and the ſerpent of the deuill. And praiſed is Hezechias who brake him in peeces, therefore although theſe popiſh ceremonies were extant in the Church, euen from the dayes of the firſt Fathers, yet notwithſtanding ſeeing they are (and hauehave bin for ſo long a time) defiled penitus with Idolatry and abuſe papiſticall, they are no longer the Fathers ceremonies, but the ceremonies of Antichriſt, and they are piouſly aboliſhed, but impiouſly and againſt Gods will reſtored againe.dIoh. Wolf. 2. Reg. 18. Ioh. Reynold. confer cap. 8. diuiſ. 4. pag. 5 10. How many of other writers ſubſcribe to this? Gideon did ſet vp an Ephod to the ſame end, thateEuſeb de vit. Conſtantin. lib. 3. cap. 48. Iudg 8.33. Conſtantine did erect the Croſſe, to wit, for a thankefull monument that his victory came from God but when it once became an Idoll, was it any longer his? or his intent and zeale this way, did it any way excuſe thefLudouic. Lauat. in Iudic. ca. 8. ſuffering of it when once the people ſtumbled at it? The Epheſians ſet vp angAuguſt. de mirabl. ſacra. ſcript. li. 1. ca. 15. Oxe by Ioſephes toumbe, for a thankefull monument of their preſeruation by him, and by his husbandrie. This intent at firſt was good, after it grew to be adored in Aegypt. After this abuſe, was it Ioſephes oxe any longer? or was it for his ſake to be ſpared, and ſo reſtored to his firſt vſe? aske the Councell of Rome herſelfe and be aſhamed.hBaleus in Adrian. 4. Adrian the fourth, when the papacy is degenerat, he ſaith it is the papacy of Peter no longer, but the papacy of Romulus rather.lPolydor Virgil. de inuentor. rerum. lib. 3 cap. 12. Polydor Virgil counteth ſanctuaries abuſed, not the ſanctuaries of Moyſes, but of Romulus. Pius ſecundus calleth the Mendicants, themThom. Moreſin. de deprauat. relig. origi. in verb. Monaſtic. Monkes of the deuill, when they are degenerated from the auncients. Paulus Thaebeus, Antonius Hilarion with the reſt.nPoly dor. Virgil. li. 7. cap. 1. Polydor Virgil counteth not the Monkes of his time degenerated, the Monkes of Benedict, Auguſtine, Hierome, quine cale quid vnquam cogitarunt futurum, not to be tedious.oIoh. Molan. de canonic. li. 1. cap. 26. Iohannes Molanus reckoneth the faſtes of his time degenerated, to bee none of the auncient faſtes any longer. Si ad veterem diſciplinam at que rigorem reſpiciamus, vix vllus hoe tempore ieiunare cenſebitur. We our ſelues count not the tapers of the Papiſts (abuſed) although abuſed onelyonly to ſignification and no operation, to be any of the auncient lightes which were vſed in thepHieron. cont. vigilant. Eaſt, and their holy bread now abuſed to operation, to beqGuil. Perk. problem in werb benedict. none of the hallowed bread vſed of old for a ſigne of friendſhip onelyonly. As for the Croſſe, which hath receiued all the abuſes which can be named of operation, adoration, &c. there may be better ſaid of it, then of any other relique; of any Idolatrie whatſoeuer, what one of our writers hath,rPlace Illyric in lib. de Adiaphor. ſicue faris aut ſcorti, ipſimaetiam veſtem, &c. as we deteſt the very garment it ſelfe of a theſe, and of an whore, though it be innocent; and there is no honeſt man that willingly doth ſo much as touch it ſo they that be truely pious from the heart, doe abhorre theſe Popiſh triſtes, becauſe in the papacy they hauehave bene put to extreme abuſe, and to impietie, and hauehave bene therewith defiled. Neceſt tantum delicati … ſ…l…m palati iſtud f…ſti dium. But indeed it is the Holy Ghoſt himſelfe that doth ſeriouſly deteſt theſe ceremonies that are polluted with abhominations. But whether the Croſſe may be called the auncient Fathers Croſſe or no, ſure it is the pretence of reſtoring it to the auncient Fathers vſe, will not be receiued, neither will it ſerue to ſaue it from the executioners hands. Might not Hezechias hauehave reſtored the ſerpent to the auncient vſe which it had in Dauids time, by ſetting it beſides the Rodde and the Manna, and other monuments? or by hiding it behinde the Arke where Dauid laid Go…iahes ſword? but he knew a thing ſo abuſed, was to be broken and not reſtored. Neither hath the Church ſince him thought any courſe fit to be taken with the reliques of Idolatry, thē the ſame which he did take which issConcil. Aphrican. circa tempora Benifac. 1. can. 25. penitus amputare, euen wholy and altogether, without that ſparing which aduiſeth to ſheere only, and not to flea the popiſh ceremonies, and to ſpare them from abſciſion, in hope they may be cured. And not onelyonly againſt the reliques of Idolatrie hath the Church ſhewed this ſeueritie, but wee ſhall finde thinges more profitable, hauehave bene aboliſhed and remooued from time to time, and that for leſſe abuſe. Feaſts of charitie at communions were moretTertul. apolog. ca. 39. Cypri. li. 3. ad Quirin ca. 3. Auguſt, cont Fauſt. li. 20. ca. 4. & 20. auncient then the Croſſe, and more profitable to nouriſh louelove, yet when they grew once to abuſe, wee ſee them caſhiered, as by the Apoſtle ſo by diuerſeuLaodicen. can. 28. Trullan. can. 74. Antiſiodore…ſ. cap. …. Councels following. The confeſſion before the communion how little was it abuſed, yet when abuſe grew out of it, although but once, Nectarius with otherwSocrat: hiſtor. eccleſ. lib. 5. cap. 9. Biſhops, thought it meete to be aboliſhed. The night Vigills of men and women, when abuſed had more colour of defence then our Croſſe can hauehave now.xHierom. cont. vigilant. ca. 4. Hierome might plead for their abuſe, paucorum culpa non praeiudicat religioni, qui & abſ que vigilijs poſſunt errare, vel in ſuis, vel in alienis domibus. We come ſhort of Hierome euen in this excuſe of his; it being by the Croſſe that very many be enſnared and he containing no holy exerciſe of religion, which may be preiudiced by his abolition: and yet we finde theſe forenamedyConcil. Elibertin. can. 35. Auguſt. ad fratres in ceremo. ſerm. 25. Concil. Antiſiodorenſ. can. 5. Vigills, not only miſliked, but alſo ſurceaſed. Laſt of all, the ſanctuaries are auncient, which neuertheleſſe becauſe abuſed, are now long ſincezPolydot. Virgil. de inuentor. rerum. lib. 3. cap. 12. miſliked,aVid. Pet. Martyr in loc. communi. cap. de Aſylis & Hoſpin. d…e templ. tit. de Aſylis. condemned, and in France and other places totallybDurant. de rit. lib. 1. cap. vlt. ſect. 9.10.11. abrogated. Let the Croſſe be iudged by the Canon law and his priuiledge of antiquitie, for late abuſe will be taken away. For the doome is iuſt,cDecret. part. 2. diſtinct. 74. cap. 7. Priuilegium meretur amittere, qui permiſſa abutitur poteſtate.