Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 26
#Sect. 26. Obiections of the Oppoſits for the Croſſe confuted in this Sect. and 27. following. Ceremonies honorable in their auncient beginning muſt be corrected, not remooued.
THe firſt defence which maintaineth the Croſſe and Surplice in poſſeſſion, pleadeth as we ſee, the abuſers of it muſt be ſpared. The ſecond followeth; and it ſaith, the firſt vſers of it are to be honoured, and for their ſakes they muſt not be abandoned by vsus, but reſtored to their firſt vſe. TheaAlexand. Aleſini. Proaem. leiturg. Angl. member curable muſt be healed, not cut off. It is ſufficient tobRic. Hook lib. 5. ca. 65 ſheere the ceremonies of the Papiſts, though we doe not flea them. ThecAdmonit. de cerem. abolit. & relent. in leiturg. Anglic ceremonies which may be vſed well, may not be cancelled, if it be but for their antiquitie, which purchaſeth to them ſufficient authoritie; yea in things that are abuſed, the abuſe onelyonly muſt be remooued, the things themſelues muſt ſtill remaine. Firſt be it conſidered, that thedVazq. de adorat. li. 2 diſput. 5. cap. 2. Suar. Tom 1. in Tho. diſput. 54. ſect. 2. Papiſts plead the ſame for their Baall, the Lutherans for their Images, the Adiaphoriſts for their mixtures; as Caſſander by name, pleadeth the ſame, for his hodgepodge in Germanie. Baldwin the ſame, for his gallimawfry among the French. Orichouius the ſame for his medly in Polonia. Nay more, we may here repeat that ofeTertul. de Idololat. Tertullian: Quid aliter dixiſſet Ethnicus? I meane, what can the Papiſt ſay more, for all the packe of his ceremonies, then what he ſpeaketh in this our language?fCaniſ. in ſumma. tit. de Sacram. in gen. c. 8. Praeterquam quod decorem ſacramentis afferunt. & reuerentiam quandam conciliant, ſingulari quo que antiquitatis commendatione nobis ſunt venerande. Secondly, the ſigne of the Croſſe, had neuer any auncient vſe that was laudable, to ſpeake the beſt it was butgD. Fulk. in reioynd. art. 5. pag. 175. tollerable; to ſpeake the leaſt it waslCalfh. ag. Martiall. paſsin. ſuperfluous, to ſpeake the worſt it wasmGuilihel. Whitak. controuerſ 1, q. 6. c. 12 pag. 443. Guil. Perk. problem. tit. Chriſu…. D. Fulk. ag. Saund. of imag. c. 13. p. 657 Ioh. Breut. in prolegomen. ſuperſtitious and neere Montanicall. Such a meare tare it was ſowed by the enemy in the Lords field; yea nothing better thenoCalſh. ag. Mart. art. 5. fol. 125. hay and ſtubble, built vnaduiſedly vponupon Chriſt. I omit that in ceremonies,pPet. Martyr in lib. Iudie. ca. 1. non tam origo, ſpectanda eſt, quam vt conſentiant cum verbo dei, but if our Oppoſites muſt needes drinke of his ceſterne of antiquitie, then let theqBear. Rhenan. in Tertul. de coron. mulit. Magdeburgenſ. cantur. 3. cap 6. tit. tit. Baptiſ. oyle it ſelfe of Baptiſine, bee reuiued: yea,rMagdeburg. ex Tertul. de Bapt. Baptizing by lay men, for theſe be as auncient as the Croſſe, and ſprange about the ſame time with it. Sure with farre better reaſon may they be raked out of their graues, the ceremoniesCypri: lib. 3. epiſt. 8. of [kiſsing] the infant Baptized: the ceremonie of thetTer…de pudſair. ringe; giuen in Baptiſme, for an obſignation of faith and profeſſion: the ceremonie of puttinguTert…l. lib. de coron inilit. milke and honie into his mouth: and laſtly the ceremonie of thewId…n … Baptiſ. … Beat. Rhenan. in lib de coron mil it. white garment wherewith the Baptized was wont to bee clothed. Theſe being equall to the Croſſe, both for antiquitie, and for profitibleneſſe of ſignification, and ſurmounting it in other reſpects, as that they were neuer ſo much abuſed as the Croſſe hath bene, not now import ſo much perill, as the Croſſe bringeth with it, may giuegive wiſe men cauſe to wonder why theſe ſhould be buried in a Toumbe ſealed vp, while the Croſſe not onelyonly liueth,nPet. Martyr loc. comu. de imag. ſect. 17. but alſo dominiereth. But if the Croſſe muſt needes bee renewed aboue his fellowes (though farre better then himſelfe) then renewe we the vſe effectiue, and operatiue of it: renew we alſo the neceſſitie of his vſe, for ſuch was his vſe at firſt, as ſhall be ſhewed hereafter. Yea (then) take we vp thexTertul. de coron. milit. croſſing of our ſelues too, in all our buſineſſe; Yea the croſſing of our bedds, and other things which are without life▪ It may be (alſo … we muſt take vp the very materiall Croſſes and all. For ſo ſome gueſſe out ofyBaat. Rhenan. ibid. Tertul. lib. ad vror. Tertullian, who giueth inſtance in woodden ſtatutes of the heathens, which were like to thoſe Croſſes among Chriſtians which they ſo much miſliked.zMigdeburg. cent. 3. cap. 6. tit. de cerem.