Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 14
#Sect. 14. The ſecond kinde of participation with Idolatrie is when wee may hinder it, and doe not.
THe ſecond participation is [Coadiuvando] by helping and furthering, from which, who ſo flyeth as this Scripture doth commaund, he chaſeth the Idolothite before him, and maketh it to flie as from a whirlewind. For this text requireth allaNicol. Lyra. in hune locum. poſſible diligence to reſiſt Idolatry by preuenting thoſe occaſions which the Idolothite procureth, ſo that from hencebAuguſt. ſerm. d… a temper, 241 Auguſtine of old, ourcGualt. Archityp. in ver. 20. owne writers of late, collect, that they participate with Idolaters, who doe not roote all the Monuments and the Reliques of Idolatrie out of their territories and poſſeſſions. Qui non prohibet cùm poteſt, iubet, (ſayth thedSenec. in Oreſt. Poet.) He onelyonly is guiltleſſe, ſayth theeDigeſt. lib. 50. tit. 17. cap. 51. ciuill Law) qui cù ſcit, prohibere non poteſt: And the Canon Lawe thus,fDocret. p. 2. cauſ. 23. qu. 8. ca. 12 Qui non emendat & corrigit, is committit. gIbid. qu. 5. cap. 38.Qui parcit vitijs, is fauet nutriendis. hDecret. p. 1 diſtict. 85. cap. 3.Error cui non reſiſtitur, approbatur: negligere, cùm poſsis deturbare, nihil aliud eſt quam fouere. Non caret ſcrupulo ſocitatis occullae, qui manifeſto crimini, deſinit obuiare. What then? we ſhould hauehave grubbed vp all*Heb. 12.15. Deut. 29.…8. roote of bitterneſſe. We hauehave left a Surpplice and a Croſſe behinde for a ſtompe in the ground which will reflouriſh. We ſhould hauehave taken all euill away from the2Deut. …3.5. midſt of Iſraell. Our eyes hauehave ſpared the abetters of it; nay our handes hauehave aduaunced them. We ſhould, hauehave purged out the old31. Cor. 5.7. leauen, that we might be a new lumpe that is vnleauened, we ſuffer it ſtill to abide in the houſe▪ yea more, we ſet it vponupon the table. We ſhould hauehave ſlaine eueryevery Amalekite beaſt, we keepe the Croſſe, the Surplice, and other popiſh rites aliue, becauſe we thinke they are the beſt amongſt thoſe which we hauehave aboliſhed, vponupon pretence they are fat (that is)41. Sam. 15 15. ſit to be vſed in the ſacrifice of the Lord. Laſt of all, we ſhould hauehave ſhut our lippes from5Pſal. 16.5 ſaluting the Croſſe, we reach forth that Ahabs hauehave to imbrace, yea to lift vp into the61. King. 20.33. charet, wherewith indeed we ſhould hauehave ſlaine him. What excuſe is left for vsus? Popery is furthered, if ſo notorious brokers of it be not reſiſted Whereas we (as if our conniuency were too litle) euen command them and commend them, and plead for them. Now, Quo modo lLeo. 1. apiſt. 91. cap. 15.decipi ſimplices poſſunt, niſi venenata pocula, quodam melle perlinirentur, ne vſque qua que ſentirentur inſuauia quae eſſent futura. The Croſſe and Surplice being Idols, muſt needes bee poyſonfull; my glory therefore ioyne thou not with their ſweet tongues that ſprinkle them ouer with faire excuſes, as it were with honny.mEnnodius in lib. defenſor. pap. ſym…anch▪ Non grandis eſt differentia vtrum laethum inferas, an admittas▪ mortem languentibus, qui cum poſsit non excludit, inflixit: and theſe doe more then barely admit, or not reſiſt. The third participation here forbidden is conſent & approbation, not onelyonly manifeſt but alſo ſecret, not onelyonly by our ſelues intended, but ſo interpreted by the Lord. When this text here willeth to [fly] from the Idolothite, thinke we an open conſent vntounto Idolaters, is onelyonly forbidden? No, the Corinthians did not thinke they conſented to Idolatry, euen as we now thinke of our ſelues: they conſented (notwithſtanding) in their eating the Idolothite, ſo doe we now approoue of poperie. If any aske how? thenVid. Lynd. Wood. Laiwer will tell him, what a ſecret conſent is in generall. And as for the ſecret conſent in hand aoIoh. Howl…t. in Refuſall. rat. 5 Ieſuit himſelfe will anſwere, that though a man doth not intend to conſent to heretiques, yet, that then he is guiltie, when in appearance he maketh that ſhew of communication, which maketh the Lord to [interpret] that he conſenteth. The queſtion then is, how the Lord will interpret our retayle of popiſh rites, which may be aſſoylde, by that interpretation which hee gaue once of Iacobs catriage. Iacob loueth Leah well ynough if he may be ſuffered to be his owne iudge▪ but why (then) doth he not take her into him aſwell as Rahell? This argued he loued her not in ſo high a degree as he ſhould, 7 Gent. 29.31.therefore doth the Lord [interpret] that he doth hate her. In like maner we hate the Papiſts well ynough in our owne iudgement but why (then) put we not away from vsus, theſe Thamars of theirs, which they hauehave defiled, as well as other reformed Churches? this argueth we hate it, then not in ſo high a degree as we ought. How can (then) the Lord but [interpret] that we louelove them and approue them. We are in the Angels caſe of Pergamus and of Thiatyra. We hauehave ſome …eale againſt Nichol…itan Idolothiſme, as our remouall of many of Romes trumperies ſheweth▪ to which notwithſtanding like theſe8Apo…. 2.…4.20. Angels we conſent, in that we proceed not to an vtter riddance of them. We are in the prophet of Bethel… caſe, we hauehave ſome zeale againſt the bread and water of Rome, with which notwithſtanding we participate, as he did with that of Bethell; in that by the perſwaſion of our elder prophets, we doe not forbeare them in their91. Reg. 13 19. ſociety. Laſt of all, we beare ſome proportion, though not totall, with Elies caſe; we abhorre that any fornication ſhould be committed within the Tabernacle, but becauſe the harlots there hauehave proceeded out of the loynes of our owne braines (for ſo we may ſay of the Croſſe and Surplice) therefore we are loth to thruſt them out: and doe wee not theni1. Sam. 2.29. conſent like him?pDecret. p. …. diſtinct. 88. cap. 5. Conſentire videtur (ſayth Gregorie) qui ad reſecandum non occurrit. qConcil Aquiſgran. ſub Ludo. vic. 1. c. 25.Si corrigere poteſt & diſsimulat, verum eſt quod conſenſum erroris alieni habet. Wee ſee poperie is ſpred by theſe pedlerie wares of hers; and yet we forbid not the opening of them.rConcil. Piſtenſ. ad Sequanam. cap. 4. Non eſt liber à conſenſu, qui quod emendare poteſt, emendare negligit. Qua propter ſine dubiò, peccati ſe participem facit. Our negligence in amending the corruptions that are left is manifeſt to men and Angels.sSuar tom. 1. in Tho. diſput. 55. ſect. 1. Conſentiunt, qui licet expreſsè hoc non intendunt, facto tamen ipſ…, ita ſe gerunt, ac ſi intenderent. Our fact is the ſame whatſoeuer our minde is, they can but vſe the tites of Rome that doe intend to conſent to them, and ſo do wee. In this caſe how can the minde be pure? In ſhew at leaſt.tEnnod. v… ſupra. For, as Nemo creditur odiſſe, quorum relatione non laeditur. So none will beleeue wee hate from the heart, the rites of Rome, as long as they ſee we are not grieued (I ſay euen grieued) at the vſe of them.