Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 2 – Section 3
#Sect. 2. The doctrine of the Croſſe teacheth merite, ſatiſfaction and pardon for ſinne.
THe ſecond Idoll found in the Croſſe is the man that doth vſe it, who is ſaid to merit by it, to ſatisfie by it, ſometime alſo to pardon by it, which none but God himſelfe can doe. The ſigne of the Croſſe is an act of deuotion, a part of Gods worſhip, a profeſsion of Chriſtian faith, therefore in ſigning our ſelues with it, how can wee not merite, ſaith theaBellar. de effect ſacra. cap 31. propoſit. …. Papiſts? And whereas a veniall ſinne is not the death but the wound of grace, that may ſatisfie for it, ſaythbTho. Aquin. q. diſput. 7. de peccar. venial. art. 12 hee that can recouer to our ſoules our former feruor of deuotion by the conſidering of ſome what elſe that is able to inflame it. Now among theſe, the ſigne of the Croſſe excelleth for that it raiſeth a remembrance of the paſsion it ſelfe of Chriſt, ſo that here hath place that of the Apoſtle, God forbid I ſhould reioyce ſaue in the croſſe of Ieſus Chriſt. No neede (ſay they) to interpret this of the death of Chriſt alone: we maycMartial. de cruc. cum reliquis. interpret it of Chriſts death as remembred by a Croſſe, ſith this ſigne by remembring of itdRhem. annotat. in 1. Tim 4. ſect. 14. purgeth the impurities of the ſoule, being (to omit all other meanes) enabled thereto by the ordinance of the Church, which dotheBellar. de effect. Sacra. cap. 31. propoſit. 3. impetrat for the ceremonies which it doth bleſſe a power to clenſe from veniall ſinnes. And this is ordinarie. Another tricke there is on foote whereby the treaſurers of the Church ioynefRhem. ibi. their bleſsing to the Croſſe by way of indulgence. For as Iohn gDurant. de ritib. lib. 3. cap. 11. ſect. 3.the 22. annexed an indulgence of 40. dayes pardon to the office of the Croſſe, ſo are there ſtanding pardons adioyned to the croſſeshChemnit. in exam. p. 4. de indul. ſtation. vrb. Rom. pag. 84. Church at Rome for eueryevery day 48. yeeres: for eueryevery Sunday 300. yeeres: and for the Dedication day remiſsion plenarie. Now what groſſneſſe of idolatrie call you this? For none can pardon but God alone, none merite of God or make ſatisfaction but onelyonly Chriſt: and he by vertue of his Godhead, without the which his Manhood could not hauehave done any thingiHeb. 9.14. Act. 20.28. either meritorious or ſatisfactorie for our redemption.
#Sect. 3. The effects of the Croſſe Spirituall great and marueilous. Two obiections to the ſame anſwered.
THe third Idoll is the ſigne of the Croſſe itſelfe indued withaBellar. de effect ſacra. cap. …. vertue for effects ſpirituall, great and merueilous, for whi… he is alſo worſhipped. The CroſſebMartial. art. 5. pe…. totum. Rhem. annotat. luk, 24 ſect. 5. bleſſeth, which onelyonly the bleſſed ſeede can doe. The CroſſecMartial. fo. 114.115. conc. Nicen. a. act. 4. conuerteth ſinners, which is a new creation. The CroſſedBellar. de imag. c. 29.30. Rhem. 1, Tim. 4. ſect. 11. ſanctifyeth, which is the office of the holy ghoſt. The CroſſeeBelar. ib. cum reliquis▪ driueth away the deuill, which is the honour of the womans ſeede. The Croſſe worketh miracles, whereas it is the Lord alone which worketh wonders (Pſal. 136.4.) what will ye more? The CroſſefMatrial. art. 2. fo. 16 ſaueth like thegGoncil. Nicen. 2. Act. 2. ſerpent, like Noahs Arke, like Ezechtels marke, (which were figures of Chriſt Ieſus) yea ſauethhCoſte… In Enchi. c. 11 all that are marked with it, which is to be a Ieſus. Two things I looke to hauehave obiected: Firſt they make the Croſſe a meane vnderunder God of theſe effectes, which freeth them from Idolatrie. Not ſo, as long as they hold it a meane that is worthy to be adored euen as ourlDoct. Fulk. reioynd. 2. Apoc. 9. v. 20. Lord had beene an Idolater if he had adored the deuill out of an acknowledgement that he was a diſtributer of things earthly vnderunder God. Let not this inſtance be diſpiſed: for the ſigne of the Croſſe (as all other Popiſh Idols) is a flatly a deuill, yea, a deuill adored by them, as a diſtributer vnderunder God; not of temporall bleſſings onelyonly but alſo of heauenly graces. And what though ſome teach in their ſubtiltie, that the Croſſe maketh holy by ſtirring vp deuotion onelyonly, not bymVaſq. de adorat. li. 3 diſput. 2. cap. 5. imprinting any holines, & moreouer denie it to be holy per ſe but innBella. controuerſ 7. lib. 2. ca. …9 relation of Chriſt alone they decree it worthie to beoVaſq. lib. 2. diſput. 6. cap. 2. worſhipped for this relatiue holineſſe, yea ſome to bee adoredpBellar. ibi. cap. Suar in Thom. 21. tom. 1. diſput. per ſe. The former of theſe euicteth Idolatrie; the latter of them aqDanae. cont. Bellar Controuerſ. 7. li. 2. ca. 19. contradiction to maintaine it. The ſecond obiection will be this. The PapiſtsrConcil. Trident. ſeſl. 25. decret. de ima. denie there is any holineſſe, power, or vertue in the Croſſe. True, inherently and per ſe. Which, what is it to the purpoſe, while adherently and in relation they ſay it hathsBellar. controuerſ. 7. lib. 3. cap. 7 Caeſar, Baron Annal. in anno 253. Rhem. in 1. Tim. 4 ſect. 9.10.12.13. holines and vertue through Chriſts inſtitution and the Churches benediction; yea power to make actuallytAnd. willet. controuerſ. 9. Q. 7 part. 5. holy euen by bareuBellar. de imag. ca. 30 touching, and to driue away the deuill euen ex opere operato: To wit, they compare the power of the Croſſe to the power of Dauids Harpe, Tobithes Liber, Eliſhaes Salt, Chriſts Hemme, Pauls Napkins: in all of which our writers find an Idolatrous fancie in thē, although being asked, I know they will anſwere, that none of theſe (to ſpeake properly) had any power inherent in them, but an aſſiſting vertue onelyonly. No more did the PaganwSozom. lib. 7. cap. 15. Olympias thinke any power celeſtiall to be inherent in his Images perpetually. Neither did the Iewes imagine any power habitually to be immanent in the ſerpent. Hereby theſe became to be Idols, that a certaine power diuine was thought to be (withxRic. Hook. lib. 5. ca. 65 pag. 164. them) and preſent to them, which is now aſcribed to the Croſſe in a manneryDanae controuerſ. 7. lib. 2. ca. 18 little better then that of the Pagans; ſure in a manner outzRic Hook. Ibid. right as idolatrous as that of the Iewes when they idolized the ſerpent. And this is verified, euen in the learned of the PapiſtsaIohn Reynold. de Idololat. lib. 2. cap. 3. ſect. 81. tanquam ſi preſens vis ineſſet, they ſeeke to Croſſes and to Images, as once the heathen did to their Idols; they thinke there isbRhem. in Act. 19. ſect. 8.9. a power giuen to reliques, to croſſe; and vntounto the name of Ieſus they attribute acLuc. Marinaeus de reb. hiſpanie. lib. 5. Numen to a crucifixe, howſoeuer in the ſcholes they gull vsus withdVazq. de adorat. lib. 2. diſput. 8. cap. 3. Nihil eſt Numinis, in an Image, or in a Croſſe. And Iohn the 22. Pope aſcribed a vertue to the Veronica: Salue vultus Domini, imago beate, lumen funde cordibus ex vi tibi data. In regard heereof our writers flatly call the croſſe aneAnd. willet controuerſ. 9. art. 4. pag. 411. Idolatrous ſigne, an inſinuat,fDoct Fulk. anſwer. to Rhem 1. Tim. 4. ſect. 11. that he cutteth to neere vponupon the office of the Holy Ghoſt, andgDanae. contro. 7. li. 3. cap. 7. openly cry out vponupon the ſacriledge of Rome for aſcribing euen the extraordinarie effects of power diuine vntounto theſe conſecrate things of theirs. Therefore to conclude, as the tree2Gen. 3.5, 6.22. of knowledge was an Idoll when there was aſcribed to it a power to make happie, the32. King. 18.4. brazen ſerpent an Idoll, when a power of healing was conceaued to bee with it, thehIohan Satisbur. Polycratic. lib. 2. cap. 19. ſtarre an Idoll when he was deemed to hauehave a power of effecting or foreſhewing things belowe: as4Gen, 30.6. Iacob and5Reg. 5.7. Iehoram were made Idols when there was giuen to the one a power to giuegive children, to the other a power to giuegive life: finally as the earth of Iſrael was made an Idoll by6Ibid. v. 17. Naaman, and71. Sam. 5.5. Dagon by his prieſts and ſeruants, when the firſt was made able to ſanctifie a ſacrifice, the latter made able by his touching to make holy a threſhold, ſo is the Croſſe an Idoll: now ſeeing he is imagined able to doe that which the Lord can onelyonly doe, and thereupon is adored and worſhipt with the honor which belongeth to him alone.