Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 23
#Sect. 23. Euils occaſioned by the Croſſe in regard of the Croſſe it ſelfe, people, Miniſter and Gouernours that vrge it.
THirdly, we are not to conſider ſo much whether the Croſſe it ſelfe be changed, as whether the euents of the Croſſe be chaunged or no, which we finde are not, much euill ſtill flowing from it by the fault of the Croſſe it ſelfe, by the fault of the people; by the fault of the miniſter that doth make it, and laſt of all by the fault of our gouernours, that doe enforce it. It is the Croſſe fault that it is too like a Popiſh Idoll. ForaLudouic. Viues. ſimilitudo is euen to the wiſeſt men, the mother of error. What (then) ſhall become of a vulgar company who hauehave euen abRolloc. in epiſtol. ad epheſ. 4. verſ. 14. foreign in them of inconſtancy they doe ſo leane to ſuperſtition? And it is the Croſſes fault that he draweth too neare to the popiſh Idolatry. For let all the former excuſes ſpeake what they can, they can ſay no more then this, We march on with the Papiſts a good way, but we goe not ſo farre as they; and we agree in many vſes with them, but one of their vſes (to wit) their [effectiuenes] we forbeare. Which what is it for vsus, who are forbidden not only to plunge our ſelues ſo deepe as Idolaters doe, but alſo to touch any of their vncleane things, or (indeed) to come neare the leaſt imitation of them? 2. Cor. 6.17 Deut. 12.30Might not the virgins ofdCypri. li. 1 epiſt. 11. Cyprians time plead the fame. Indeed wee goe farre (we graunt) in the way of fornication we walke with yong men; wee talke with them; yea, we go to bed to them. But when it commeth to the act, then we forbeare, & therfore are guiltleſſe. For that we talke with the harlot the Croſſe, it is apparant by the conference which we hauehave with her about Chriſt Ieſus, which ſhee repreſenteth, more apparant is it that we walke with her who hath choſen her for our teacher and our guid, moſt of all apparant is it, that we goe to bed to her, for we vſe her in the Church, which is knowne to be the bed both of chaſte & vnchaſte worſhip. What (then) though we vſe her not effectiuely? Iſa. 57.8. Hoſ. 7.14. Cant. ….15.This is but to forbeare when it commeth to the adulterous act, like Cyprians virgin, ſo that there is lyable againſt vsus now, what then ſhe heard. Non eſt locus dandus Diabolo, nemo diu tutus periculò proximus, graues multorum ruina inde ſequantur. Come wee to the people in the ſecond place.eLudouic. Viues in Auguſt de ciuitat. dei li. 8. ca. 27. It was the deſire of Ludouicus Viues andfIoh. Gerſon. de negligent. praelat. Gerſon before him, that the Images might be remoued, becauſe the people finding them in outward appearance like the Idols of the Pagans, they would eftſoones worſhip them in the ſame maner. If we ſeeke the like remouall of the Croſſe, we hauehave like cauſe; the people being as prone (now) to doth o… the fame in popiſh maner, as long as they ſee it before their eyes, after their old popiſh faſhion. I ſay after their old faſhion, becauſe populus non nouit diſtinguers (as one ſaith our of Ariſt…le) eſpecially in ſo quaint a difference,gMat. Flace. Illyrric. in lib. de Adiaphor. as this of [effectiuenes] or in ſuch a ceremonie as the Croſſe, which they hauehave ſo long abuſed as one of ourhBucer. in cenſar. ca. 9 & alibi paſ…im. writers well, populus, &c. the people either vnderſtādeth not, or cōſidered not the right vſe of thoſe ceremonies, which they hauehave ſo long abuſed, as alſo their for fathers before them. To come nearer home:lIdem in cenſ…. c. 12 M. Bucer will not hauehave the croſſe in Baptiſme, vnleſſe he be both purely vnderſtood, & religiouſly receiued by the people. Which cōdition finding no place in the people to this houre, what reaſon to put him to any longer triall. In regard hereof lay we to heart, euen what amB…llar de Sacram. in gene. ca. 21 Ieſuit ſpeaketh. The chaunges of a Sacrament (ſaith he) muſt be regarded, not as they are Mathematicall, but as they are morall; not according to the problemes of the learned, but according to the opinion and the practiſe of the people. So that the Mathematicall change, which our lawe is ſaid to hauehave made in the Croſſe, is not materiall, alwhile the morall eſtimation and vſe of him in the people, is the ſame. The chaunge of Haedera in ſtead of Cucurbita in the tranſlation of Ionas, was mathematically little, yet morally it was very great, becauſe thenAuguſt. in epiſt. ad Hieron. 10 people tooke head againſt it, and made great a doe about it. On the other ſide, the chaunge of the auncient Churches Leiturgie in the dayes of Nicholas, was mathematically great,oRodolph. de Riuo. Tungrenſ. becauſe it brought in perfection of the maſſe: but morally it was nothing at all, becauſe few or none obſerued it, neither were the people grieued at it. I come in the third place to the Miniſter that maketh the Croſſe, he ſaith, I make it not [effectiuè,] the Image maker ſayd the like. I make the Image, not for any fauour to the worſhipping of it, but to follow my trade and calling. But if he did Colere, becauſe he faſhioned it,pTertul. li. de Idololar. vt coli poſsit, then he that faſhioneth a Croſſe in vſe religious, vt ad ſuperſtitionem conuerti poſsit, incurreth himſelfe the blame of ſuperſtition. Ex hoc quod vetor facere curandum eſt ne fiat per me. Againe, the ſchole-maſter, who in the dayes of Tertullian, read the ſtories of heatheniſh Gods vntounto his ſchollers, did not in intent approue them, yet becauſe he refrained not from occaſion of approbation in other men,qTertul. ibid. dum docet commendat, dum tradit affirmat. And doth not (then) a Miniſter much more commend the honour of the Idoll, when he maketh it? and affirmeth it when he faſhioneth it in honourable manner, and in the reuerent ſeruice and Sacrament of the Lord? he cannot ſay, I make no ſuch Croſſe as Papiſts doe. What if he could?rTertul. li. de ſpectat. Nobis ſatis non eſt ſi ipſi nihil tale faciamus, niſi & talia facientibus non conferamur? I come in the fourth place to our gouernours, who lay (in vaine) the fault vponupon the peoples abuſe, that our Croſſe is not morally chaunged from the popiſh, but hatcheth the ſame effectes amongſt vsus. For God will aske them, why doe you keepe it in your Churches to be abuſed?sTertul. de coron. milit Nulla diſtantia eſt abutendi cum ceſſat veritas vtendi. The people could not abuſe the Croſſe, if it were not vſed at all, Nulli abuti apud Apoſtolum licet facilius non vti docentem. We holdtCaelius Rhodigin. antiquar. Lection. li. 9. ca. 14. Tullus Hoſtilius vnwiſe for aduenturing on Iupiter Elicius, ſith the leaſt ſwaruing A formula, would burne him, & his houſe to powder; which alſo fell out. So (me thinkes) it is vnwiſe to aduenture on the Croſſe, our diſtinction of [effectiuenes] is a nice point, and ſuch as bringeth to the brinke of daunger; and let the people ſwarue neuer ſo little from the [formula] of it, and they are in the pit. As for teaching them to the contrary (alas) what is it? For if theuAuguſt in Pſal. 113. p. 2. ſight of an Idols eares and eyes, perſwadeth them more, that he ſeeth and heareth, then their hearing to the contrary that he heareth not, that he ſeeth not: then much more will their eyes preuaile to perſwade them that there is an effectiue Croſſe amongſt vsus, (the very ſame that was of old in time of poperie) then their eares when they heare from vsus it is not ſuch, which they doe not conſider. I would (therefore) wee could follow the warynes of Rome herſelfe in a matter of like daunger. Why may not a written peece of Scripture with a Croſſe be bore in the booſome with this caueat, modo ne ex ſuperſtitione, modo ne ſpes habeatur, in modo ſcribendi, that is, ſo it be not vſed effectiuely? She conſidereth it is daungerous to bring her children ſo neare the brinke of effectiue hope; therefore ſhee concludeth, though a man may lawfully beare theſe in his booſome, yet it is,wThom. Aquin. 2.2. q. 96. art. 4 tutius & laudabilius, ab his abſtinere. So though it were lawfull to vſe a Croſſe, with a prouiſo againſt the effectiue vſe thereof, yet were it tutius to abandon it quite, to aquit all daunger.