Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 38
BVt what if the Croſſe were lawfull, abſolutely in ciuill vſe? for in the ſecond place we anſwere, the argument holdeth not from ciuill vſe to vſe religious, as our oppoſites thinke it doth. The Croſſe is lawfull in coines, in banners, and princes balls, therefore in the Sacrament of our new birth? Firſt, this reaſoning is popiſh. For ſo they for their Images. an Image is lawfull inaIoh. Albinus in praefac. Vazq. de adorat. coine, therfore in the Church: andbFeuardent. in Iren li. 1. cap. 24. Beza himſelfe ſetteth forth Images, virorum illuſtrinm, therefore ſaincts, Images are lawful in the church, & if thecVazq. de adorat. li. 2 diſput. 6. cap. 3. Concil. Nicen. 2. Act. 1. p. 54 Step. Gardner. in epiſt. ad Ridleyum, &c. Images of an earthly prince may be worſhipped, then why not the Images of ſainctes aſwell? The Lutherans thus reaſon alſo vp and downe. ThedAegidi. Hunius in Mat. 22. Iconomachi can endure well inough in their purſſes a Portugall Cruzado, in which there is the ſigne of the Croſſe with this word, in hoc ſigno vince, and are they not blind (then) in that they are not able to ſee the Croſſes lawfulnes in the church aſwell? Secondly, the ground wherupon this reaſon ſtandeth, yeldeth no other foundation then this, what is lawfull in ciuill vſe, is lawfull alſo in vſe religious. The contrary wherof (indeed) is true in honorable and helpfull things themſelues. For non eWalafrid. Strab. de reb. eccleſ. cap. 10. Durant. de rit. li 2. c. 9tantum illicita prohibentur in Eccleſijs, verum etiam profana quaecunque, licet alibi legitime exerceantur. What more honorable then afConcil Mogunt. ſub. Carol. mag ca. 40 ſeſſion for iudgement? What more helpfull to the ſeruice of God, theniMat. 21.12. Oxen for ſacrifice, and money to buy them? What more allied to the louelove and charitie required in the ſeruice of God, thengDecret. p. 1. diſtinct. 42. cap. 4. a feaſt of charitie? All which commendable in ciuill vſe, muſt yet forbeare the tent it ſelfe, where religious vſe doth dwell. It is a golden ſaying of Auguſtine, and enrolled in the canon it ſelfe,hAuguſt. epiſtol. 109. de regul. Monach. in oratorio praeter orandi, pſallendique cultum, penitus nihil agatur, vt nomini huit, & opera iugiter impenſa concordet. Hence thus we reaſon, is the Croſſe a thing mearely ciuill, then is it a ſinne to bring it into the Church, where ought to be nothing, in [ſtate] religious but the parts of Gods worſhip. when the Iewes told Caius Caligula, lPhilo. de legat. ad Ca…um.ſacrificamus provobis, he anſwered in choller, at non ſacriſicatur nobis. Our Gouernours (then) being Godly, wilbe contented, that in the Church wee ſacrifice for them, though we ſacrifice not vntounto them: which we ſhould doe if to pleaſe them, we ſhould defile the worſhip of God with theſe their ordināces vnderunder a colour of a ciuill obedience to them. Adde to the former, that of Hierome, mHieron. in Ezech. conument. li▪ 12. ca. 43who thinketh there is a poſte of man, ſet by Gods poſte, when Civill things are mixte with ſacred, vt nihil interſit inter ſacrum & profanum. But the Croſſe is ſo nearly conioyned to Baptiſme, that who among the vulgar people diſcerneth betweene them that the one is holy (as the ordinance of God) the other a thinge mearly ciuill, as the ordinance of man? Chriſoſtome (laſtly) thought it did derogate from the honour of God, to ſuffer an Image of the Empreſſe Eudoxia, ſet vp neare vntounto the Church with ſtage playes celebrated to her honor after the heathniſh and paganiſh manner: but we hauehave more cauſe to ſtande then he, who are required by our Godly gouernours for their honour, not only to ſuffer neare the Church, but alſo to bring into the Church, and into the ſervice of the ſame, not an Image of their owne (which we louelove) but an Image & an Idoll of Antichriſt him ſelfe, which, from our heartes we hate with execration. Thirdly therefore, if the Church barre her doore againſt ciuill things, becauſe not conſecrate vntounto God, then much more againſt ſuch thinges, as hauehave bene conſecrate vntounto Idolls, of which the ſigne of the Croſſe is one. See we not howe the Iewes followe in warre the Romane ſtandarde though anoDion. li▪ 40 Herodian. lib. 4. Idoll to the pagans, when yet they will rather chooſe topIoſeph. Antiquit. li. 18. ca 5. dye then ſee it brought into the Temple? and ſuffer the Romane Eagle ſtande vponupon Antonia, when they will notqIbid li. 27 cap. 8. let it ſtande, no not on the temples porche? and vſe the image ofiMat. 22.20. Caius in coyne, when Petronius is reſiſted fromrIoſeph Antiquit. li. 18 cap. 15. Homil. ag. peril. of Idololat. p 2. ſetting it in the holy place?▪ From the Idoll come we to the Idolothite; which is it as lawfull within the Church as it is without it? No. Paul alloweth it in the ſhambles (we knowe) and then only, not in any vſe religious. And the Chriſtians atsTheodor. hiſtor. 3. cap. 15. Antioche, when Iulian had conſecrate their victualls to Idolls, vſed them only vponupon this ground, We neither fetche them from a Temple, nor beare them to any, but vſe them civillie to that vſe, for which God created them? Next what an Image? Doe not we our ſelues exiletHermon. coufeſſ. ſect. 2.17. Pet. Martyr in 1. Reg. 7. Zanch▪ in operib▪ redemption▪ cap. 1…. theſ. 2.3. Images from the Church, which we now at laſt approoue in civill vſe? And plead we not the auncient▪ uInnocent. Gentillet. exam. Concil. tridentin. lib. 4. ſeſſ. 25. ſect. 5. Hoſpin. dere templar. tit. de imag cap. 9. fol. 46. Calfh. ag. Mart. in praefat. fo. 6.8. art. 3. fol. 82.Chriſtians brought no Images into the Church, when out of the Church they vſed them, and greatwHoſpin. ibid. fo. 47. Calfh. art. 2. &. 5. fol. 128. Conſtantine ſet no Croſſes vp in the Church, who ſett vp many in other places? And what a ſigne added by man vntounto the ſignes of Gods appointing? We allow an altar on Iordan-bankes inxD. Babing. vponupon the 2. cōmandem. vſe civill, which in vſe that is religious wee doe not approue,yMat. Sutclin. de ſum. pontiſic. lib. 4▪ cap. 6. ſome of vsus at leaſt; who cannot allow Salomons altar which he added in the temple by any warrant that is ordinarily out of the word. Laſt of all, what a ceremonie, receiued from without? The new Callender of Pope Gregorie the 13. when at Auguſta it was commaunded, thezDauid. Chytreus in an. 15 84. miniſters of the Goſpell there thought fit to vſe it in meere ciuill matters, not in their feaſtes, not in their Churches, not in the exerciſes of Religion. To conclude, It is ſinfull to beare euen a3Mark. 11.16. common veſſell thorough the temple, what is it then, not to beare through but to bring in (I ſay) not into the Temple, but into Baptiſme, which is the holy of holies thereof, not a common veſſell only by God vnconſecrate, but euen a veſſell that is alſo vncleane, I meane a Croſſe which is an Idoll, an Idolothite, an Image forbidden, a ſigne humane, a ceremony popiſh? And hide wee our ſelues vnderunder the pretence of an vſe civill, when we ſcorneaD. Bilſ. ag. the Apolog. p. 4. p. 348.355.358. papiſtes that pretende a ciuill worſhippe in templarie bowing, and whenbVazq. de adorat. lib. 2. diſputat. 4. cap. 6. papiſtes them ſelues will hauehave no forbidden Images in modo & ſtatu accommodato ad adorandum, though elſe where they may be vſed?