Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 28
#Sect. 28. The abuſe of the Croſſe cannot be remoued the Croſſe it ſelfe remaining.
FOurthly, this defence implieth, that the abuſe of the Croſſe may be remoued, the Croſſe itſelfe remayning: which is both againſt that generall rule,aIoh. Caluin. de neceſsitat. reformand. eccleſ. Carol. 5. Certum eſt Idolomaniam, qualiter nunc illa faſcinatae ſunt hominum mentes, non aliter quam ſubducta inſaniendi materia curari poſſe. And alſo that particular tenent of our writers which one hath,bCalſh. ag. Martial. in praefat. ſo. 5 It is as impoſsible to cure the abuſes of the Croſſe (the Croſſe it ſelfe remayning) as it is to quench the flame all while the wood and fewell laſteth. Indeed a poyſonfull ruſt hath ſo deeply eaten into it, as that it can no more be cured then thoſe other abuſed ceremonies, of which our owne communion booke,cAdmonſt. touching ce…em. before commun, hook. a pud Bucer. Cenſur. 454. their ſuperſtition cannot be taken away; the ceremonies themſelues remaining. The experience of fortie yeeres hath proued this true, euen as the experience of two hundred hath proued that true in the popiſh Church, which wasdTheodor. A. Niem. in lib. de Concil. Nicol…de Clemangi… in lib. de corrupt. eccleſ ſtat…. foretold to the Councell of Conſtance, to wit, that the abuſe of Images could not be remedied but by an abolition of them: hereof there be many reaſons: The Idoll is aeZanch de imag. theſ. 3. fol. 369. tempting harlot, the Croſſe in particular a very ring-worme that ſpreadeth mightilie. Men by nature (the men of England by cuſtome alſo) are moſt prone to ſuperſtition, the deuill is preſent with the Idoll to inſinuat badgCalſh. vt ſupra. ſuggeſtions, which are much furthered by thehIoſeph Antiquit. Iudaic. lib. 17. cap, 8. foreign of the ſame and by the honorablelAuguſt. de ciuit. dei lib. 8, cap. 24. Hierom. in pſal. 113. p. 2. ſublimitie of it which the Croſſe obtaineth in Baptiſme, it being a place of chiefe aduancement in Gods ſeruice. What that the common multitude doth reuerence it there, which is an eſpeciallmAuguſt, ad deo grat, epiſt. 49. qu. 3. motiue, and the authoritie of the magiſtrate, doth there countenaunce, yea commaund it, nay more reuenge the quarrell of it,fD. Fulke ag. Saund. of imag. cap. 13. p. 659. vponupon the graue and reuerend preachers of the Goſpell, which, ſtriketh it a little ſtroke with the ſimple and vulgar man? Laſt of all (which is moſt of all) God doth in iuſtice curſe their courſe, who vponupon any pretence retaine any Idol or any monument of Idolatry, making it a7Deu. 7.25 ſnare, to all that will needes try their ſtrength vponupon it, againſt his word. This hath he done in the vſe of this ſigne, euen from the beginning, it being ſcarce out of the cradle, when it became a fertill mother of much ſuperſtition. Which curſe will now bee doubled on vsus) according to our iuſt deſeruing) if we preſume to harden our ſelues againſt this tried experience paſt, and againſt the former puniſhment, or if wee ſhall benCalſh ag. Mart. art. 4 bolde to aduenture vponupon like danger in an age more corrupt, amiddſt a people more infected, and on a ceremonie more abuſed in latter times, then heretofore it hath bene. Againſt theſe vollies of deadly ſhot, what one Bulwarke, what one Blockehouſe will ſuffice? It will be replyed that the people may be taught againſt theſe abuſes, which if it be done (as their is libertie giuen to doe it) there is no perill to be feared. Firſt, this voyce commeth euen out of the Dragons mouth;oVazq. de adorat. lib. 2. diſput. 3. cap. 4. Snar. tom. 1. in Tho. diſput. 54. pa…m. Si quid periculi ex imaginibus dei poteſt accidere, aſsidua doctrina paſtorum, & traditione parentan… auferri debet. Yea, this police if I terme it the very ſeed of all Idolatry, I do it no wrong; as they eaſily will aſſent that doe but waigh and well conſider the riſing and the grouth thereof. For when it began to bloſſome firſtpPhilipp. Mor…. de Euchariſt. lib. 2. cap. 3. fol. …24. among Chriſtians lately conuerted from their paganiſme, at what time they were deſirous to hauehave Croſſes and other Images in roome of their heatheniſh Idols, in which honour the vnwary pillars of the Church then liuing, did to much fauour them: if then the rule had bene obſerued, Let no roote of any bitterneſſe be found among you, They had happily at the firſt cruſhed and bruſed this ſerpents head. Whereas following the tract of this carnall policie of keeping Images and Croſſes to pleaſe the people, vponupon an hope a preaching againſt their adoration would cleare all daunger, they gaue them ſcope (before they perceiued it,) not only to moare but alſo to ſpread, and finally to gaine that height in which at this day we find them. And who was the Father of this pollicie, but that Gregorie. from whom (as from a Troian horſe) many other ſuperſtions iſſued forth. For when Serenus Biſhop of Marſellis in the ſpirit of Hezechias brake downe the Images and the Croſſe of his Dioceſſe, becauſe he ſawe they were Idolatrouſly abuſed. This Gregorie wrote an Epiſtle to him tart and ſharpe. Wherein, after he had reproued him of much raſhneſſe and indiſcretion, he giueth him direction to call the people of his Dioceſſe before him, and ſoqGregor. li. 9. indict. 4. epiſt. 9. homil ag. peril. of Idolat. p. 2. & 3. reach them out of the Scripture that their worſhip was vnlawfull, but as for the Images and Croſſes themſelues, to let them ſtand vntouched. And this was therD. Fulke ag. Saund. of Imag. cap. 3. p. …80. prima labes about the yeere 600. After in the 700. age, Croſſes and Images goe downe in the Eaſt; eſpecially after the ſeuenth Counſell at Conſtantinople had decreed the aboliſhing of them. Which being croſt by the ſecond of Nice, the Emperour Charles called a Councell at Frankford (which walking in the midway betweene them both) decreed that Croſſes and Images ſhould ſtand againſt the Councell of Conſtantinople, but that they ſhould not be worſhipped againſt the ſecond of Nice. And this pollicie and courſe continued in the Weſt (in France eſpecially) for a long ſeaſon, as theſe wordes of Strabo ſhewe;sWalafrid. Strab. de reb eccleſ. cap. 8. Non ideo, quia nouimus non adorandas, ideo conculonadae & delenda pictura. Now I neede not be long to ſhewe to how little effect this pollicie ſorted: the fact of Claudius Taurinenſis bewrayeth ſufficiently the Idolatry which it brought forth; who vponupon the ſame occaſion that mooued Serenus of Marſeillis before, brake the Lawe to breake downetCatalog. teſtium ve…etat. in Claudio. &c. Croſſes, and other Images, becauſe he ſaw the abuſe of them ſo increaſed as could no longer by any preaching be redreſſed. And for this fact he was neueruPhilipp. Mo…nar. vt ſupra. troubled. Yea, whereas he wrote an Apologie for himſelfe, Ludouicus the king receiued it gratiouſly; and gaue it to Ionas Biſhop of Orleance to ſuruey it. To ſuffer the ſigne of the Croſſe (then) and to hauehave the abuſe of it preached againſt, is to imitate among the Biſhops of RomewSz…ged. in ſpecul pontifit malorum Primum; among the Emperours that are reuiued from not [being] through the Lombards deſolation, and the Gothes the beſtiam iApoc. 17.8.primam which the ſpirit hath foreſhewed: whereas our writers call vsus to an imitation of Claudius (rather) in conſideration thatxPhillip. Mornae de Euchariſt. lib. 2. cap. 3 for the rayſing of ſuperſtition, no meanes are left, as long as the Biſhops thinke they doe ſeruice ſufficient, if they preach againſt the worſhipping of images. Secondly, the preſidents which wee hauehave to keepe the Croſſe, and preach againſt the abuſes of it, are not ſo vnworthy of imitation but the preſidents which wee hauehave to the contrary, are as neceſſary to be followed. Ioſuah did not bid the Prieſtes to preach againſt the Idols of Canaan, but with his hands he threw them downe. And Hezechias willed not the Leuites to preach againſt the ſerpents abuſe, but hee brake it all to peeces, and ſhewed it all the diſgrace he could. Our Lord, not only preached againſt the Oxen and Doues ſold in the Temple, but alſo (as the king of the Church) he caſt them forth. Epiphanius tooke no courſe with the Paſtor of Anablatha, or with Iohn Patriarch of Ieruſalem, to hauehave the image of Chriſt (hanging in the Church) to be preached againſt, but he reproued them for ſuffering it there, andyEpiphan. in epiſt. ad Ioh. Hieroſol. pulled it downe himſelfe. The Councell ofzCoucil. Elibertin. Can. 36. Eliberis, and the fift ofaConcil. Carthag. 5 cap. 15. Carthage (where Auguſtine himſelfe was preſident) and the Councell ofbConcil. Mogunt. cap 42. Mentz, leaue not a relique nor a remnant of Idolatry in the Church, vponupon a colour of preaching againſt the abuſes of them, but they remooue and aboliſh them all, or ſue to the magiſtrat for their abolition. Conſtantine the great would not ſuffer the leaſt ragge of Pagan Idolatry to remaine to be preached againſt, but razed out all memorials of it; as which he acknowledged to becEuſeb. de vita Conſtantin. lib. 3. cap. 47. & 52. Sōzom. lib. 1. cap. 8. lapidem offenſacula ante pedes proiecta. Theodoſius was more earneſt:dTheodor. hiſtor. li. 5. cap. 20 Tripartit. hiſtor li 9. cap. 33. who not onelyonly ouerthrew funditus, but alſo obliuioni dedit, thoſe few ceremonies which had eſcaped the hands of Conſtantine; or which Iulian had repayred. The ſame together with Valentinian, tooke out of the way,ePet. Crinitus de honeſt. diſciplin. li. 9. cap. 9. Quodcun que ſignum ſaluatoris: and ſuffered them not vponupon an hope to hauehave their abuſes preached againſt.fIdem ibid. Leo the third did the like; and Conſtantine the ſift his ſonne, which was the Emperour that called the ſeuenth generall Synod at Conſtantinople, to ratifie and confirme this courſe of abolition.