Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 30
#Sect. 30.
SIxtly, what though the people might be taught, and it were fit they ſhould, it is ouerruled by an Adiaphoriſt himſelfe, that till occaſio ſuperſtitionis praeſcindatur, aGeorg. Caſſand. in conſultae. ad Ferdinand. & Maximil. art. 21.nullus ſuperſtitionis finis ſperandus eſt. And home authoritie hath permitted this to be publiſhed touching the Croſſe,bM. Calt h. ag. Martial. art. 4. fol. 88. Doctrine will not preuaile with the people, if the Croſſe it ſelfe, (which is the thing they truſt to, and delight in) be not taken from them. The Adiaphoriſme of Saxonie, and Interim of Lipſia, inioyne the keeping of the holyday of Corpus Chriſti with thiscConrad. Schluſslburg. lib. 13. for. 509 eluſion, that there might be a Sermon on that day to teach the people (as I take it) againſt the abuſe thereof. Hereby ſee, how large the mockage of this excuſe is, The people may bee taught against the abuſe? Indeed the ſuffering of a thing that hath but a ſhew of conformitie with poperie, doth ten times more hurt then peaching is able to doe good. DothdHomil. ag. peril. of idolat. p. 3. meat nouriſh ſo faſt as poyſon extinguiſh? Or Phyſicke heale ſo faſt as the peſtilence doth infect? or in a1Gal. 5.6. leauen is there not a quicker power to make ſower, then is in any drugge to ſweeten? Adde that the people are moued more with the ſight of the Croſſe which they ſee made, then with any words of the preacher which they vnderſtand hardly, attend vnwillingly; and they marke more what the preacher doth, then what he ſaith; and while the law commaundeth the Croſſe, it will ſeeme but Puritaniſme what is ſpoken againſt it. And laſt of all, if a preacher ſhall make the Croſſe, and the ſame preach againſt it being abuſed, the people with whom the abuſe of it, is (for the moſt part) the right vſe of it, will thinke he ſpeaketh one thing, and doth another. So that here the Counſel hath place which one in a like caſe giueth.ePet. Mart. epiſtol. amic cuid. in Angl. Quis videns te, &c. who ſeeing thee (the meſſenger of Chriſt) praying at the Altar, before the Image of a crucifixe attired with the Prieſtly Veſtiments will not think, that thou alſo doeſt not only beare with theſe rites, but alſo approue them? whence it will follow, that when thou ſhalt afterwards teach otherwiſe, none will beleeue thee. For hee that teacheth otherwiſe then hee doth, deſtroyeth what he buildeth: and on the other ſide buildeth that which he ouerthroweth. There hath here place alſo what a whole Church wrote about the like rites of poperie retained. Quod vero quidam ineptiunt, &c. fHamburgenſ. epiſt. de Adiaphor. ad Philipp. Melanch.Whereas ſome fondly ſay that the doctrine of bad ceremonies ſhould be free, and that they ſhould freely be reprooued, it is ridiculous. For how can a Pious Paſtor adminiſter that, in which his conſcience reprehendeth him, and perpetually obſerue that, which himſelfe reprooueth daily before the whole Church? Who will giuegive any credit at all to their doctrine, who build vp againe things by themſelues reprehended, condemned, reiected, and are compelled daily to preach againſt themſelues as againſt impenitent men? How can peace & quietnes be ſetled there, where the Paſtors of the Church reprooue and taxe publiquely thoſe things, which the court commaundeth ſhall bee obſerued without all violation? Come wee a little nearer home. It is knowne that Peter preached againſt the abuſe of the Iewiſh ceremonies, to which the Conciſion turned them; ſo that by the licence of this excuſe, hee might now lawfully conforme to them, Act. 15.10.as to ceremonies of edification for the Iewes. But Paul thinketh this his conformitie is but hipocriſie; deſtroying that which before he had built, which our writers lay open thus:gMagd… burg. centur. 1. li. 2. cap. 10. in vita Pet. Antiochiae non rectè &c. Peter at Antioch walked not with a right foote to the truth. For, eating with the Gentiles he vſed aright the Chriſtian liberty, but when certaine Iewes came from Iames, he withdrew himſelfe fearing the Iewes: and by this meanes, what before he had built of the Chriſtian libertie, that now hee deſtroyed againe, and approueth ipſo facto, the neceſſitie of the Iewiſh rites, to giuegive contentment to the Iewes. Our caſe (as I take it) doth ſymbolize with this of Peter; who by our diſvſe of popiſh ceremonies, hauehave diſclaimed (vntill now) the neceſſitie and vertue of them. So that, if now (for feare to diſpleaſe) or to differ from ſome great men (ſuch as Iames was then to Peter) and ſhould conforme our ſelues to them, that would be deſtroyed what hath bene built by vsus; and wee in [fact] ſhould approue with Peter what our [preaching] muſt diſproue. A miſerable caſe and full of ſcandall, the people hauing in their mouthes euer, Quid verba audiam, cum facta videam.
Seuenthly, to preach againſt the abuſe ſomewhat, but not all. The dutie of zeale towards God, of confeſſion towards the truth, of louelove towards a neighbors ſoule, requireth alſo an abolition. For muſt Chriſtes ſpouſe be chaſte in word and not in deed alſo? abandoning from her all louelove-tokens of former adultry; and muſt not the truth be profeſſed in practiſe as well as in preaching? and is not example as neceſſary as doctrine for the edifying of an neighbour? Well fare our old diuines,hHieron. Zanch. de imag. theſ. 3. fol. 368. At inquiunt docemus, &c. They tell vsus they teach againſt the worſhipping of theſe Images, as if God of old did not this farre more diligently by Moſes and the Prophets, then we can doe it now. Why would he (then) beyond this teaching hauehave Images alſo taken away? becauſe it ſufficeth not by word of mouth, to teach that euil is not to be done, but the ſcandals and the prouocations, the cauſes & the occaſions of that which is euill, muſt alſo be remoued.lBucer. in Mat. 18. So another, we are not only to teach the people [ſapere fortius] but we are euen. [exemplo] alſo to [prouehere] and ſet forward their edification. And this needfull for the preſent, is much more neceſſary for time to come. Which, who knoweth whether God will bleſſe with preaching or no? Charles the great, leaueth Croſſes and Images ſtanding; willing their worſhip to be preached againſt, this (in part) is done for his time, and groſſe Idolatry is ſtopt a little, during his life. But what after his death? Did not Idolatry then reenter like a floud vponupon the Weſt, ſo thatmPhilip. Moruae. de Euchariſt. lib. 2. ca. 3. pag. 128. Charles his ſonne was conſtrained to write a booke ſharper then his Fathers was.