Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 29
#Sect. 29. Preaching as it is now in England is not ſufficient to remoue the abuſes of the Croſſe, the Croſſe it ſelfe remayning.
THirdly, Sect. 29.it is noaM. Calſh. ag. Mart. art. 9. fol. 170. wiſdome to preſcribe a medicine that doth not reach ſo farre as the diſeaſe doth reach, as preaching dothbBucer. in Cenſur. ca. 2. p. 458 not. For preachingcHomil. ag. peril. of Idol…t. p. 3 wants in many places where the Croſſe is vſed, & where it is, many preachers neglect as notorious faults as this, and ſome are corrupted in their iudgment, ſome deſirous to pleaſe; ſome are infected with the ſpirit of emulation to adde affliction to the miſery of their brethren, who are of a diuerſe iudgment. Polidore Virgil deſireth more preaching, againſt abuſes of Croſſes & Images of his time. Howbeit, as a man out of hope to hauehave them euer by theſe meanes amended. WheneGabriel. Biell. in canon. miſſ. lect. 49. Gabriell Biell ſetteth downe, teaching (as we do now) for a remedy againſt the abuſe of Images.fGeorg. Caſſand. in conſultat art. 11. Caſſander himſelf replyeth, iſtud quidem rectè dicitur, &c. This is well ſaid, but I would theſe teachers were not themſelues the cauſes of this ſuperſtition, or at the leaſt the nouriſhers of it, in the hearts of the ſimple: neither is it ynough, if the people by ſermons and admonitions be reuoked from error, vnleſſe by the common care of Princes & Biſhops it be effected, that with as little a do as may be, omnis huiuſmodi errorum occaſio praeſcindatur. What that our booke ofgHomil. ag. peril. of Idolat. p. 3. Homilies it ſelfe, reiecteth this pretence of preaching as inſufficiēt? not only becauſe it often wanteth, but alſo becauſe whē it informeth, yet it doth not ſo much preuaile as whē the monumēts of Idolatrie themſelues are remoued. Laſtly, thus Bucer, hBucer. in cenſur. cap. 10. fol. 478Si dicamus vſum iſtorum, ſignorum ſalutarem poſſe reſtitui per doctrinam, videmus doctrinam alijs deeſſe, alijs covſ que non prodeſſe: ſublata ita que haec ſigna malim, quam retenta. Fourthly, whether is it better tolBaeza. in epiſtol. fill vp the pit (as God1Exod. 21.33. commandeth) or ſet one to warne the paſſengers they fal not into it? Muſt not our gouernours make good to the Lord, eueryevery ſoule that ſhall miſcarry, either by his owne blindneſſe or deafeneſſe; or by the watchmans ſleepe or doumbneſſe, for that his courſe is diſobeyed; a courſe that would hauehave cleared all daunger? and a contrary courſe taken, which neither is ſo wiſe nor ſafe? And let the commandement of the2Deu. 22.… raile, and of the battlement be adioyned. For as the former forbiddes all occaſions of throwing downe, ſo this commandeth to bring in place all occaſions and all meanes of ſtaying vp. Woe worth (therefore) the careleſſe expoſing of the precious ſoules of men to the daunger of any Idoll, from which the Lord in louelove hath fenced them (as it were) with a double hedge. I ſpeake not here, how this courſe doth tempt the Lorde; or how neare it approcheth to thatmNichol. Saund. de imag. c. 17. hardineſſe (yea hardnes of heart) that will hauehave Croſſes and other Images for the triall of mens ſtrength, leaſt it ſhould bee idle. For the credit of the Church, leaſt it ſhould be eſteemed weake, and for a priuate credit alſo (to wit) to auoid the blot and ſtaine of puſilanimitie. Such men, if they diſdaine to learne ofnQuint. Curtius. Scithians, Nemo contemnendo vicit, etiam ferrum rubigo conſumit. I ſend them to a Chriſtian writer, who thus can counſell him in the like caſe of adultery bodily, the victoryoAuthor. lib dſi ugularit. cleric. apud Cyprian. is vncertaine, quando pugnatur inter arma hoſtilia; and it is a fooliſh thing, Arctari cupere ad laborem quando offertur ab que vllo periculo delicatus triumphus, the ſight of the harlot (ſuch as ſpiritually this ſigne is) ſerueth for nothing, ſaue ad augendas impugnationes, it is farre better, vt homo cognoſcat ſe infirmum, vt fortis exiſtat, quam vt fortis videri velit, & infirmus emergat, Laſt of all, quanto quiſ que magis ab aduerſis eſt, tanto minus aduerſa ſentit. Fiftly, what ſhall the people be taught? the right vſe of the Croſſe? what need they be troubled about learning his vſe at all? who hardly are brought to heare willingly the neceſſarie points of their ſaluation. What that the doctrine of the right vſe of it is ſo hard, that a man may ſay of the Croſſe in particular, whatpEraſm. in Catecheſ. Eraſmus of all other Images. They may more eaſily themſelues be throwen out of the Church, then their right vſe defined. And know we not the beaten prouerbe, which experience tryeth too true,qFlace. Illyrie. in lib. de Adiaphor. populus non intelligit acuta? Laſtly, is it ſafe to propoſe to the people, theſe controuerſies not ſo materiall of things vnneceſſary? For both A Paule forbiddeth to aſſume the3Rom. 14.1 weake to the controuerſies of diſputation about things that are indifferent, (ſuch as the Croſſe is held to be) and A rEuſeb. de rit. Conſtan. lib. 2. cap. 67.Conſtantine will not hauehave the people burthened with the preaching of any matter controuerſed, which is not of waight and moment to be knowne.