Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 39
#Sect. 39. The fift obiection of the Oppoſites anſwered: which is, he is not worſhipped in the ſacrament, but is onelyonly an attendant vponupon the ſacrament.
THe fift and laſt defence of the Croſſe to keepe it in poſſeſſion, ſtandeth on deniall of this laſt point. His ſtate in Baptiſme is not a ſtate accommodatus ad adorandum, applied to worſhip, (ſay our Oppoſites) ſeeing there he was neuer made an Idoll by the Papiſts. And ſeeing there (now) he is vſed by vsus, as an attendant vponupon the Sacrament, and not as any part thereof. Firſt, this is the Ieſuites language vp and downe. When Images were vnlawfull in Iſrael (ſaithaVazq. ibid. he) yet there were Cherubins and figures of Lyons in the Temple lawfully, becauſe being ornaments to other thinges they were not in ſtatu accommodato ad adorandum. Where as the lippe of truth ſpeaketh otherwiſe, to wit, that if theſe figures and theſe Images had not bene by God commandedbTertul. de Idololat. ſee D. Bilſ. ag. Apolog. p. 4. p. 340. ſpecially, they had bene within the Church vnlawfull, which is now the Croſſes guilt. Secondly, ſo God hateth the inſtruments of ſinne, as that although they be his owne creatures (which the ſigne of the Croſſe is not) and vncapable of ſinne themſelues, yet he diſgraceth them from all vſe for euer after; from vſe honourable at the leaſt, as we may ſee by that courſe which he tooke againſt the beaſt abuſed to murther; or to an other vnnamed ſinne. As for the inſtrument of Idolatrie may it be vſed where it hath not bene abuſed? Gen. 9.5. Leuit. 20.15.16. Deut. 7.26.no, if it hath bene abuſed any where like the gold of the Idoll in Moſes lawe, it becommeth an Anathema eueryevery where: in regard of ciuill vſe it ſelfe that iscIohn Wolph. & Ioh. Caluin in Deut. 7. honorable, much more (then) in eueryevery vſe that is religious, which cannot butdDecret. p. 1 diſtinct. 4… ▪ cap▪ 5.6.7. be honourable. Thirdly, it is idlye ſaid, that the ſigne of the Croſſe hath not bene made an Idoll in Baptiſme, ſeeing no where elſe he hath bene more abuſed. Where hath he a more liuely ſignification of Chriſt Ieſus (for which the Papiſts doeeSuar. in Tho. tom. 1. diſput. 56. ſect. 3. adore him.) Where hath he more power againſt the Deuill,fThom A. quin. p. 3. q 66. art. to ne impediat effectum Baptiſmi, in which conſiſteth a chiefe part of his Idolatry? Laſt of all, where doth he more ſanctifie? where is he more operatiue and effectiue? for thus one,gHugo de ſ…nct. Victor de ſacrament. lib. 2. p. 6. Signatur prime Baptizandus ſignaculo crucis in fronte, in pectore, in occulis, in auribus, in ore, vt totius corporis ſenſus, hoc ſignaculo muniantur, cuius virtute omnia noſtra ſacramēta complentur; & omnia diaboli figmenta fruſtrantur. Let him that is to be baptized, be ſigned firſt with the ſigne of the Croſſe in the forehead, breaſt, eyes, eares, mouth, that the ſenſe of the whole body may bee fenced with this ſigne, by vertue whereof all our Sacraments are fully perfected, and all the illuſions of the Deuill are fruſtrated. Here at home in King Edwards Communion booke, the Croſſe was miniſtred with theſe words: N. puer, recipe ſignum ſanctaecrucis, tam in fronte quam in pectore: which MaiſterhBucer in cenſur. c. 12 Bucer (not without cauſe) cenſureth as Magicall: which words yet differ not altogether from ours which yet are vſed. Howbeit,lIbid. cap. 16. he cenſureth much more the conſecrations of the Croſſe in Baptiſme; which are (indeed) meare Idolatrous profanations of this Sacrament, as may appeare in one of them (for all the reſt,)mMiſſal. in benedict. fon…. which runneth thus: Sumat haec aqua Maieſtatis tuae Imperio, &c. By the commaundement of thy Maieſtie, let this water take the grace of thine onelyonly beloued Sonne by the holy Ghoſt; who regenerating this water (fac crucem) prepared, let him make fertill by the ſecret admixtion of his light: that ſanctification being conceiued from the immaculat wombe of the diuine fountaine, an heauenly progeny may ariſe out of it, borne againe vntounto a new creature. Let this holy (fac crucem) and innocent creature, &c. Let it be a liuing fountaine (fac crucem) Let it be a water regenerating (fac crucem) a waue purifying (fac crucem) &c. Wherefore I bleſſe thee thou creature of water by the liuing God (fac crucem) by the true God (fac crucem) by the holy God (fac crucem) and here let the waxe tapers be put into the water: then the Prieſt muſt ſay, Let there come downe into the fulneſſe of this Font the power of the holy Ghoſt, and let the Prieſt blow thrice into the font, ſaying, Let him impregnate the whole ſubſtance of this water with the effect of regenerating. All theſe things let the Prieſt doe thrice, both with the candels, & with the words, &c. then let him goe forward, & dippe his right thumbe into new Chriſme, and let him ſigne the font with the wonted forme of the Croſſe, ſaying, In the name of the Father, of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghoſt. Let this Font be ſanctified, &c. Shake we not, doe not we tremble at theſe abuſes of prayer, theſe prophanations of Gods name, theſenHerman. Hamelman de tradit. p. 1. lib. 4. Col. 372. Gualter. in Act 19. Homil. 126. incantations of the element of this Sacrament, the Croſſe hauing a deepe hand in them all? Fourthly, what if the Croſſes Idolizing made it not eueryevery where vnlawfull in vſe religious, and it were neuer in the Sacrament by the Papiſtes made an Idoll to this houre, ſo let our Gouernours deale with vsus as they ſhall finde, that the very appearing of it in Baptiſme thorough the ſhewe that it beareth of equall honour with the ſame before the ſimple, is ſuch à modus accommodatus ad adorādum, as that is nurſeth much Idolatry euen from Dan vntounto Berſheba. Leaue the people of diuers places to themſelues, and they put no ſuch deuotion in any thing elſe, as if they had made choiſe of the croſſe in worſe ſenſe, thenoAntonin. hiſtor. p. 3. ri…. …3. cap. 7. Thomas Aquinas once choſe the crucifixe, when he ſaid to it, Nothing but thee. Leaue them not to themſelues, but reprooue them (as if their Croſſing did them no good) and then take vp that of Iuſtus pIuſt. Lipſ. annot. lib. 3 de crue. cap. 5. Iudg. 18.24Lipſius, if wee erre in the ſigne of the Croſſe, Quid tum de nobis fiet, what ſhall then become of vsus? Laſtly, leaue the Croſſe out of Baptiſme, and Michaes Hubbub is preſently rayſed, If the Preachers take the Croſſe away from vsus, what will or can they leaue vsus? In regarde hereof who can with pittie leaue it amongſt them? If any thing excuſe Iehoſophat or Hezechias for ſuffering the Idolatrous Temples which Salomon built, it was becauſe they were lorne, forlorne: which Ioſias rayſed, notwithſtanding to preuent all inconuenience. This he did, becauſe theſe ſinckes were of themſelues ſcandalous (ſaithqRic. Hook li. 5. ca. 65. one) and could not chooſe but breede offente. But is the Temple of the Idoll ſuch, nay is a Temple forlorne ſo daungerous, and not an Idoll himſelfe that flouriſheth in ſeruice of God? But our people are ſtrong, and not likely to be infected. So are the people of the Papiſts no wayes eaſily to be infected; no not by the worſhipping of the Croſſe, if we beleeue them?rDurant. de rit lib. 1. cap. 5. ſect. 11. Non eſt indicandum (ſay they) quod populus hodie vlla annili religione imbui poſsit. In like manner is it, that our Oppoſites hodie ſtand on the credit of this their [hodie] forſooth they hauehave cauſed the Goſpel ſo to abound in the land by their Nonreſidencies, and pluralities by their idle and their dumbe miniſterie, as that hodie, let the Deuill himſelfe be let looſe amongſt the people, he is not to be feared to doe any hurt. But as there be monſters in the ſea, which the ſeafaring man doth meete, though the Ilander will not beleeue it: ſo the poore and vigilant Paſtor meeteth in the countrey with many a monſtrous abuſe of the ceremonies, though the Vniuerſitie (little experienced) or the pallace (little troubled with ſuch matters) doe not apprehend them. As for the court, their raignethsTho. Aquin. p. 3. q. 25. art. … in reſponſ. ad 3. Aquinas his error. The Croſſe is ſo baſe, as that there is no feare of Idolatry in it, which one well anſwereth:tRic. Hook. vt ſupra. p. 165. The meaner or baſer a thing worſhipped is in it ſelfe, the more the people incline to thinke, that eueryevery man who doth adore it, knoweth there is with it or in it a preſence of diuine power, Let it not bee ſaid (then) the Croſſe is a trifle, it can doe no hurt, whole popiſh ſeruice is little elſe then a Maſſe of trifling ceremonies, which yet are highly eſteemed of the people, through the meane aboue rehearſed, which if any thinketh is not to be found in the people of this land, he little conſidereth that the Papiſt is incomparable for his learning in the eyes of ſimple men, eſpecially in the caſe of the Croſſe, wherin they imagine the ſtate concurreth, and the policie of the whole Realme. But if the ſigne of the Croſſe be nothing, then why is it preſſed as if it were all in all? Is it fit the meſſengers of God, and the embaſſadors of Ieſus Chriſt ſhould well neare be depriued of the ayre, becauſe they cannot breake the ayre with one of their ſingers, 1. Cor. 9.27.for feare of ſtripping and beating the ayre which they are carefull to decline? but this may ſuffice for the firſt ſinne of the ceremonies controuerſed, which is their Idolatry.