Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 1 · Section 7
#Sect. 7. The Croſſe, Surplice, &c. incurable and inerecouerable Idolothites. The Croſſe no creature of God, therefore vtterly to be aboliſhed.
THe Idolothite is wont to be deſcribed vntounto vsus, either actiuely, or paſſiuelie. Actiuely, that is Idolothious (ſaythaAnſelmi. in gloſſ. interlinear. in 1. cor. 10. the auncient deſcription) quod eſt ſub veneratione Idoli, which reflecteth any glaunce of the leaſt honour, credit, or countenance to an Idoll. So the Canon Law doth reackon a Pagan poeme to bee an Idolothite not to be vſed,bDecret. par. 1 diſtinct. 37. cap. 15. quia non ſolum thura offerendam daemonibus immolatur, ſed etiam corum dicta libentius capiendo: and we know willingnes to vſe an Idoll as a ſigne of Gods couenant graceth him more then when we read a poëme of his in ſome Grammer ſchole or other for a leſſon of Poetrie. ThecTertul. de ſpectat. Auguſt. de ciuit. dei cum reliquis. Fathers doe alſo inroule a ſtage-play among other Idolothites which repreſented heathen Gods, although the Theater honoureth not ſo much as an holy Sacrament of the Lords.dDecret. p. 2. cauſ. 1. qu. 4. ca. 12 Gatian accounteth meat ſacrificed in a temple to bee Idolothious euen out of the Temple, and at a priuate table it ſelfe to the man that knoweth ſo much; for that honour in truth or in ſhewe at leaſt which it ſendeth to the Idoll, to which it appertaineth. Paſsiuely, when a thing Idolothious is deſcribed in ſence moſt large it is defined to bee an vncleane thing of Idolaters which we muſt not touch, becauſe they defile whatſoeuer belongeth vntounto them, if their vſe which is religious hath but touched it. For as in the Law of Moſes, that was vncleane which had bin touched by any other thing or perſon that was vncleane, ſo now what heretiques and Idolaters touch take any way into vſe religious, that is vnholie and Idolothious, as12. Cor. 6.17. Scriptures,2Iud. 23. vid. Bara ibid. Fathers, and the practiſe of the primatiue Church doe ſhew. For, was not the zeale of Chriſtians ſuch, that a bable was therefore held to be vncleane,eHieron. in Aggeum. cap. 2. becauſe by chaunce one of thefTheodoret. hiſtor. li 4. ca. 15. Arrians beaſts had touched it, and that in the ſtreete. As for the Church, Conſtantine forbad his picture to be hanged in an Idols Temple,gEuſeb. de vit. Conſtantin. lib. 4. cap. 16. ne ipſa tabella vel minima lineamentorum parte prop…er vetitorum Idolorum errorem labem aliquam contraheret. But if an heretiques touching in vſe ciuill, the touching of an heretiques Temple defileth that which is not incorporated into their worſhip: then much more is that defiled which hath euen ſtate religious in their ſeruice, as the Croſſe and Surplice hauehave, and that by way of conſecration? Properly therefore that is Idolothious which hath beene conſecrate to an Idoll with ſtate religious in his worſhip. So the Iewels of the Iamnites were vnlawfull, becauſe before they had beene conſecrate vntounto Idols. So hTertul. li. de idololat.Tertullian profanationis ſuae maculam haec habent ab initio Idolatria dicata. Theſe thinges are ſpotted by their conſecration vntounto Idolatry. 2. Mac. 12.40.So Auguſtine, when hee defineth the Idolothite which is vnlawfull, hee hath theſe words, Omni… creatura dei …ona eſt, ſed ſi illud quod in agris na ſcitur conſecratur Idolo, vel ſacrificatur i…te… Idoloth y…a, de putandum eſt. So Ambroſe (laſt of all) Aliquid p…ll…rum eſt p…a…identiam (id eſt) oblationem Idoli. By vertue hereof,mAmbroſ. in 1. cor. 10 whatſoeuer guilt there was in the Idols meat at Corinth, and at Pergamus, that lighteth vponupon the Croſſe and Simplice, becauſe although they hauehave beene neuer ſacrificed, yet hauehave they beene not onelyonly offered priuatly, but alſo publiquely beene conſecrate to idolatrous ſeruice. Which doth it not make them Idolothites euē in thenVazq. de adorat. lib. 3. diſput. 1. cap. 1. & 2 Rhemiſt. annotat. in Apoc. 2. ſect. higheſt degree? For, as GodoTho Aqu. p. 3. qu. 83. art. reſponſ. ad quart. euer bleſſeth to good, ſo the Deuill to euill. As things well conſecrate becomepChryſoſt. 2. cor. homil. 20. Gregor. Niſſen. de ſanct. bapt. holy, ſo things ill conſecrate muſt of neceſſitie become vnholie. As things well dedicate receiue anqThom. Aquin. quo ſupra reſponſ. ad tertium. aptneſſe for the ſeruice of God, ſo the contrary receiue an aptneſſe for the ſeruice of the Deuill. Laſt of all, as right conſecrations are bleſſings, ſo the profane bleſſings of heretiques and Idolaters arerDecret. p. 2. cauſ. 1. qu. 1. cap. 66. & paſſ. maledictions and meeresRhemiſt. in Apoc. 2. ſect. 8. curſings that make moſt execrable. But if Gods creatures by ſuch conſecration become the creatures of the Deuill, become vnholy, become parts of the Deuils ſeruice and ſo accurſed, then into what ſincke deſerueth the ſigne of the Croſſe to be caſt which neuer was good nor a creature of Gods, and is now become ſo euill, as that he paſſeth the pollution of all other Idolothites whatſoeuer? What is the Agnus, what the holy Water, what the holy Bread to the Croſſe? What all the reſt of Popiſh trumpery for which wee are wont to rayſe ſuch outcries againſt the PopiſhtFulk. anſwer to Rhem. 1. Tim. 4. com reliq. conſecration? Hath the Croſſe any neede of the Churches conſecration, as theſe hauehave neede? No, the Croſſe is holy of it ſelfe; the ſignenEuthym. panopl. tit. 20. cap. 14 …ereall of the Croſſe eſpecially without any further conſecration. But if he had neede, there is not any whoſe patent is ſo large as his, as whereby he is not onelyonly himſelfewDecret. p. 3. de conſecrat. diſtinct. 5. cap. 10. conſecrate to Idols ſeruice, but alſo inſtalled a Grande conſecrator of all things elſe in Idolatrous worſhip. The common creatures that are, are notxRhemiſt. in 1. Tim. 4 bleſſed without the Croſſe to common vſe. What other things to vſe religious,yVazq. de adorat. li. 3 diſput. 1. cap. 1. Omnia nobis ipſo ſigno crucis benedicuntur & ſanctificantur. Are not the Sacraments excepted? No not the Sacraments, But, Omnia Sacramenta crucis ſignaculo perficiuntur, zDecret. vt ſupra.ſayth the Canon. At a word,aDutand. de rit. li. 2. cap. 45. ſect. 7. Torrenſ. in confeſſ. Auguſt. li. 4. c. 9. tit 4 ſine hoc ſigno nihil ſanctum, ne que aliqua conſecratio qua meretur effectum. Come hither you that pleade for this adultreſſe, ſee yee not how deepely ſhee hath drunke of the bitter water of curſing to the rotting of her thigh, and the ſwelling of her belly? And this curſe is as incurable, as it is bitter. When Gods creatures are polluted they may be reddita ſuis benedictionibus, reſtored againe vntounto their bleſſings as an auncientbTertul. de cib. ludaic. 2 Iſa. 2.20. Father ſpeaketh. For example, the Idols meate by the word and prayer may bee reſtored to the common bleſſing of feeding the bodie which God did giuegive it in the day that he created it, & the bread of the Sacrament Idolized to the ſpeciall bleſſing of feeding the ſoule which Chriſt did giuegive it in the night he ordained the ſupper, whereas this wretched and vnworthy ſigne can recouer no benediction by either of theſe two wayes he being neither a creature of God, nor yet a rite of his ſonnes ordayning. Such an Idolothite as this ſo deepely and irrecouerably polluted, ſhall it not be defaced through ſome iniurious vſe or other? Yea be caſt out of the Temple of God? Yea throwne vntounto the moules and backes the common receptacle of all defiled reliques? For defacing with ſome iniurie, we hauehave the auncientcVazq. de adorat li. 2 diſput. 2. cap. 2. …. Mac. 4.45 Albingenſes for our torch-bearers, who in diſgrace of Images and Croſſes, painted the holy and bleſſed Virgine with one eye, and ſet forth the Crucifixe with one nayle onelyonly through both the feet. For remoouall out of Gods Temple, we hauehave the famous Maccab…us for our leader, who whē the Pagans had defiled the Altar, he would ſuffer it to ſtay no longer in the Temple. For throwing to the Moules & backs, we hauehave the renowmed & zealousdConcil. Nicen. 2. act. 7. pag. 188. Graecians for our example; who not onelyonly threw out Croſſes and hurled Images out of the Church, but alſo qua ex c…ra fuſa…rant in ſingularim ornatum, in turpes vſus converterunt. Keepe we then the Croſſe & Surplice within the church and breake we wilfully thoſe two cautions which hauehave bin euermore preſcribed and accordingly practized againſt the Idolothite? Firſt to ſhew our deteſtation of the Idoll, we muſt either deſtroy him, or in keeping him for privat vſe, ſo alter and chaunge him thatcAuguſt. ad Publicol. epiſt. 154. Omnis honor Idoli cum apertiſsima deſtructione ſub…ertatur. that all the honour which the Idoll gaineth by him or giueth to him, may bee turned vpſide downe. Secondly, for ſo much as in every ceremonie wee are to provide not only for the glory of God, but alſo for the good of our neighbor, therfore not onelyonly for hiseIbid. honor muſt all this honor be deſpoyled, but alſo all ſhew thereof, as theſe words ſhew, Apparet illud eſſe prohibitum nein honorem alienorum Deorum aliquare vtamur; aut vti exiſtimemur, ſic eam accipiendo vt quamvis animo contemnamus eos tamen qui noſtrum animum ignorant ad haec honoranda aedificemus. We talke of an vſe of Croſſe and Surplice with a diverſe minde from papiſtes. but talke only. Doe notfIh. How…let in refuſal. rat. 2. papiſtes themſelues gather out of this rule of Auguſtine, that it ſufficeth not in minde to hate our ſervice and our ceremonies, vnleſſe all ſhew bee made alſo of their hatred by forbearing both the one and the other?gAeneas Sylui. hiſt. Bohemic. cap. 6…. Sygiſmund in heart honoreth the Sacrament: yet when Rochezana carrieth it in proceſſion, he will not vncouer to it, and all to avoyde offenſive ſhew, Ne Rochezanam approbaſſe videretur. It is not inough for good Eleazar that hee eate no ſwines fleſhe, Mac. 2.6.but certaine meate of his owne bringing, which although of it ſelfe it was lawfull, yet muſt he rather looſe his life then eate it, for that ſhewe of conformitie to Idolaters in the eating of ſwines fleſhe which it bore and carried with it.hCaeſar. Baroni Annal, anno 303. Secundus is commaunded to deliuer his Bibles, he maketh anſwer, Chriſtianus ſum & non Traditor. Herevpon he is commanded to deliuer aliqua ecvola (that is) certaine ſtuffe which was caſt aſide for that it had no vſe. Will he not deliuer this to ſaue his life? no not this. It was lawfull, but it had a ſhew of their ſinne whom the Church called Traditores for their deliuering the holy bookes to be burnt by the officers of the tyrant Diocleſian. Laſt of all,lPhil. Melancthon. in epiſt. ad eccleſ. marchiac. Was it lawfull for the poore man at Berne to vſe the ceremonie of faſting from fleſh with a diverſe minde from the papiſtes? then was he to blame to burne as he did, to avoyde all ſhew of communicating with them. But ifmDecret. par. 2. cauſ. 32. qu. 4. cap. 8. Auguſtine may be his iudge, he was not to blame; who holdeth it better to dye for famine, then to eate an Idolothite. This as it may excite our gouernors to hate the ſigne of the Croſſe & the Surplice (they being polluted in the higheſt degree of Idolothiſme, ſo to ſecond the auncient zeale of their forerunners in the faith, who hated all cuſtomes of the alienes euen in common vſe it ſelfe, and all things elſe if but onelyonly touched by them: ſo may it iuſtifie our loſſe of liuings rather then to honour them apertiſsimè by aduauncing them into the ſeruice of the moſt high, ſo to follow aloofe of thoſe worthy witneſſes who leaue example to looſe life, not liuing onelyonly, rather then incurre ſo much as a ſhewe, ſo much as in the leaſt ceremonie of the leaſt approbation of forraigne Idolatrie.