Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 1 – Section 2
The Croſſe is an Image flatly forbidden by the ſecond Commaundement.
THe ſecond is through Superſtition, which isaIſidor. aetymolog. ſupra ſtatutum. For whereas the ſecond precept admitteth no ceremonie into Gods worſhip, which hath anybChemnit. examin. part. 1. fol. 39. mixture of Superſtition, or anycIoh. Brent. in tractat. de Adiaphor. condition ſuperſtitious, or ſo much as the leaſtdZanch. in praecept. 1. occaſion that leadeth that way, the ſigne of the Croſſe will be found guiltie of all theſe, to the breaking of the letter it ſelfe of this commaundement. For what? is not the ſigne of the Croſſe an Image? Firſt it hath bene counted of old, greater then any other Image, Charles theeCarol. magn. lib. de imag. 2. cap. 28. great himſelfe being withes, who throweth downe Images below the Croſſe. To him may be annext that Monke, who in the ſecond Councill of Nice was the deputie of the Eaſt; who when he ſaith,fConcil. Nicen. 2. Act. 4. Imagines meo iudicio cum vener anda cruce aquiualent, Images in my iudgement, are equall with the venerable Croſſe, plainely bewrayeth the Croſſe was of vndoubted credit when Images were not, and then thegMichael Glyeas. Annal. p. 4 fol. 351. reporter of this Synod, who giueth the preheminence of the firſt place to the Croſſe, deſinierunt venerādam erucem vna enm religioſis imaginibus adorari debere. They hauehave determined, the venerable croſſe ought to be worſhipped with religious Images.hConcil. Nicen. 2. Act 6. Neither may we depriue the Croſſe aereall of this preheminence, which the Council of Nice maketh equall with the material, & which neuer yet came ſhort of any priulledge worth our worſhip, it being dedicated inlRhem. Annotat. in Luk. 24 ſect. 5. Chriſt his death; as well as any other Croſſe; & being as decent a memorial of it, as any other whatſoeuer. Secondly, hereby it appeareth, the croſſe is greater then any other Images are, becauſe it alwayes repreſenting Chriſt Ieſus dying, it doth alwayes ſett him as adorable before vsus: Whereas other figures and Images do notmSylueſt. ſummam in verb. imag. repreſent him dying. Yea, ſuch a gallant is the Croſſe, that if anVazq. de adorat. li. 3 diſput. 2. cap. 6. ſpeare bee but ſet heare him, though he were not before regarded, yet now preſently he becommeth a repreſentator of Chriſtes death worthy to bee adored and worſhipped. Thirdly, it is the Croſſe that doth bleſſe all otheroHoſpin. de re templar. lib. 4. Images: and it is without controuerſie that the leſſe is bſeſſed by the greater. It is the Croſſe alſo that brought in the Image. Firſt there was thepGuil. Perk problem. fig. crue. Croſſe ſimple, then theqConcil. Conſtan…inopl. 6. Councill added the Image of a man vntounto it, which now is the crucifixe: and there is no queſtion, but the mother is alwayes greater then the daughter.
#Sect. 2. The Croſſe is directly an Image.
BVt what if the Croſſe were not greater then other Images? An Image it is, in vſe religious, of mans deuiſing, therefore a ſinner againſt this holy lawe of God. In deed no difference in popiſhaSuar. tom. 1. in Thodiſput. 56. ſect. 1. ſcholes, betweene Croſſe and Crucifixe, the one muſt be adored aſwell as the other and the very Croſſe it ſelfe ſimply, is as the ſimilitudebIbid ſect. 2 of a man ſtretched forth and crucified, and ſo by conſequent a figure of Chriſt, though no image be vponupon it? Be it, an Image ſtrictly taken muſt beare the ſhape and ſimilitude of the ſamecTho. Aquin. in. epiſt. ad Coloſenſ. ca. 1. lect. 4 ſpecies. I trowe there is none that will deny but in larger ſenſe the calfe of the Iſraelits was andD. Bilſ. ag. Apolog. p. 4. p. 325. Image of God? The Ibis, Hyaena, eCaelius Rhodigin. Antiquar. lection. li 9. ca. 5.and the Dogg of Egipt were true Images of their falſe Gods, though they bore not the like figure and ſhape of kinde. Theſe beaſtes were the armes & the cogniſences of the men when they were aliue whom they repreſent. Therfore now they beare a kind of ſimilitude of them, though no ſimilitude of their kinde, which kinde of likenes and ſimilitude in an Image largly taken, doth ſuffice. Elſe could not afVazq. d… adorat. li. 3 diſput. 2. cap. 6. maunger, a crowne a thorne, a ſpeare be Images of the Lord Chriſt, as now they are defined to be. Indeed, it is repreſentation that is the eſſence of that Image which this commaundement doth include, to wich concordeth the very popiſhe definition,gIdem. li. 2 diſputat. 8. cap. 7. Imago nihil aliud eſt quā figura quadam cum relatione ad exemplar. An Image is nothing els then a certaine figure, hauing relation to the example.hIdem. li. 2 diſputat. 9. cap. 3. Suar. diſputar. 54. ſect. 7. Apoc. 9.20. Rom. 1.21. Imagines nihil aliud quam picturae quaedam cum relatione repreſentationis, Images are nothing els then certaine pictures with relation of repreſentation: ſo that the Croſſe as long as he reſembleth Chriſte, he muſt be needes an Image of him and of his death. And ſeeing his death is repreſented, mediatly by the Croſſe, on which he died, it muſt be an Image of it likewiſe. Which, is it not thelWhitak. cont. Dureum. lib. 10. p. 269. greateſt Deuill amongſt all the Idolls of Rome, againſt which the Turk is looſed by God him ſelfe? For this Croſſe though more baſe then the worme him ſelfe of Aegypt, which the Apoſtle maketh the baſeſt, hath neuertheleſſe attayned to the honour of the moſt high, to wit, tomTho. Aquin. p. 3. q. 25. art. 3. Gregor. de valent to… 3. de Idololat. punct. 6. Bellar. de imag. c. 23. Dent. 21.23 Gal. 3.13. latria, wherewith God him ſelf is honoured, and that by meanes that are more meane then euer any Idol had. It pleaſed the Lord to dye on a croſſe, an accurſed tree, to ſhew that hee did beare our curſe. This ſaith the Croſſe hath made me bleſſed, and worthy euer to be honoured. A ſenſeleſſe ſophiſtrie: yet ſo plauſible, as that it hath preuayled with many in moſt places of the earth. ThenAuguſt. …ont. Fanſt. Maniche. li. 20. c. 1…. Manichees for the trees ſake on which Chriſt died, honoured all trees: teſtifying their reuerence towardes them by forbearinge to touch their fruit. As for Croſſes artificiall, there were who adored them in*Euthym. Panopl. Armenia, for which they were termed foreign Theſe Rome follow to this day, whoſe children doe adore the Croſſe, becauſe an inſtrument of Chriſtes death, as certaineoEpiphan. ha…eſ. 38. heretiques honored Iudas for the very ſame cauſe. Now it being the dutie of the Gouernour,pLeo. epiſt. 55. ſcandala etiam in longinquum nata vt reſecet multo magis ea quae ſub oculis ſurgunt, non ſinat acoreſcere. How can he bring the liuing Image of ſo great a Belzabub etiam ipſo Idolo viuo into Gods ſervice and be innocent, eſpecially conſidering that his Image cannot be there, but he himſelfe muſt be there likewiſe?qTurrian… pro canon. Apoſtol. li. 1. ca. 25. ſiquidem inſeparabilis eſt à prototypo effigies eius. Againe,rTho. Waldenſ. de facrament. cap. 156. numero. 6. Qui videt imaginē alicuius, videt eum cuius eſt imago. sTurrian. d… character. dogmatie. lib. 3.Imago pars eſt Archetypi. tEuthym. penopl. par. 2. tit. 19.Imago nullum habet perſonam per ſe, ſed ſubſiſtit in prototypo. uVazq. de adorat. li. 2. diſput. ….….14.Prototypon eſt vita Imaginis, ficut anima eſt corporis, to which there anſwereth diuerſe like ſpeaches which thewS…r. tom. 1. in Thom. diſput. 54. ſect. 7… Ieſuites cite out of the Fathers. And there is another matter beſides this matter which the ſigne of the Croſſe reſembleth, to wit, the bad and diſordered maner of reſembling. This firſt of all is vndecent and abſurd.
For although there be more naturall aptneſſe in the figure of the Croſſe to reſemble the death of Chriſt, then in many other things, yet in regard of morall aptnes, it is true thatxBrent. in conſed Wittenber. cap. vlt. Brentius ſaith. A circle repreſenteth Chriſtes death aſwell as a Croſſe; and what Peter Viret ſayd: A Cowe is as good a ſigne of it, as is this ſigne. Doe not the PapiſtsyFeuardent dialog. 5. ſcorne at Brentius and at Viret, when they charge them with this abſurditie? but there be in the world who pretend communion with theſe men, who fight notwithſtanding for this Cowiſh and cirole-like ſigne which they condemned. Secondly, the manner of the Croſſes reſembling is doubtful, if not double, & vntrue. Is it not an vnworthy thing, our church ſhould reach forth the hand to ſaue a tradition flouting in the maine ofzChemnit. examin. p. 1. tit. de tra dit …ol. 84. ambiguitie? But now it is doubtfull, whither our faſhion of the Croſſe be the true one or no? with fiueaIrenae li. 2. cap 42. Auguſt. tom. 10. homil. 3. extremities (the boord being reckoned for one, which was in the middle for the crucified to reſt his feet) yet becauſe there were many formes of Croſſes then, as there be of Gibbets now, the true Croſſe lyeth in the dungeon of vncertaintie, by the prouidence of the Lorde, who would hauehave brought it vntounto light, if he had meant to bring it to the honour to which we hauehave aduanced it. See whatbIuſtus Lypſius in Cornel. Tacit. li. 16 &. de cruc. li. 1. ca. 8.9 Bellar. de Imag ca. 27 Durant. de rit. lib. 1. cap. 6. ſect. 11. doubts and what varieties of coniectures the Papiſtes themſelues vſe to propoſe about this matter. Let thecIuſtus Lypſius quo ſupra. authorities of Hierome, Damaſcen, and of Iſidore be conſidered, who make the Romane X the Croſſe which is crux decuſſata. An Andrewes Croſſe which alſo appearing on a time to Conſtantine, begot an opinion that the Croſſe appeared vntounto him. This forme of the Croſſe receiueth great credit from Iuſtinus Martyr: who applieth certaine words of Plato to be ſpoken of Chriſts his death vponupon a Croſſe of this decuſſate forme, for ſo the lateſt anddSixt. Senenſ. bibliothec. li. 3. pag. 145. Iacob Pammel. in Tertul. Apolog. greateſt Ieſuites vnderſtand him. What ſhall be ſayd to them;eIuſt. Lypfius in annotat. ad lib. 3. de cruc. ca. 5. who make the Croſſe and iugum one? which by likelihood differed not much from the forme of the gallouſe which we now vſe.fMinut. Faelix. in Octan. Minutius Falix compareth the Croſſe to a common ingum of an husbandman. Cùm erigitur iugum crucis ſignum eſt. WhichgIuſt Lypſius de cruc. lib. 3. cap. 5. Plutarch deſcribeth in his Furca to be an oxe yoke with a tranſuerſe barre at toppe. Laſt of all, the Romane Y. which hath this tranſuerſe barre remooued, doth beare ſome beame, becauſe it is the rightlIdem lib. 3. cap. 3. Furca, which many thinke to bee one with the croſſe, to whichmMinut. Faelix. vt ſupra. Minutius andnAuguſt. de ciuit dei li. 10. ca. 8. Auguſtine ſeeme to come neere: the firſt reſembling the forme of the Croſſe manibus precantis porrectis, the other manibus Moyſis inter precandum extenſis, which make a forke and the top of a Romane Y. Is it notoM. Calſh. ag. Mart. art. 2. ſayd that Cardinall Poole in his new Lambeth Gallerie did ſet vp the letter Y. which is the armes of the Archbiſhopricke for a token of the Croſſe? There being ſo great diuerſitie, and from hence ſo great doubtfulneſſe, were it not to be wiſhed all were of ourpD. Fulke ag. Saund. of images cap. 13. pa. 664. Andr. Willet de cruc. art. 2. argument. 2. writers mindes, who by reaſon of theſe vncertainties thinke the Croſſe a ſigne vnworthie? The doctrine of our Church is,qHomil. ag. peril. of Idolat. D. Bilf. part. 4. pag. 329. & 335. contra Apolog. There is a lye made when there is made any Image of Chriſt, becauſe his viſage is vnknowne: ſo then the faſhion of the Croſſe being as much vnknowne vntounto vsus we commit a lye in croſſing. The Gnoſtickes would hauehave no Images of Chriſt, but ſuch as they were perſwaded were drawne in Pilates time, hencerCaiſh. ag. Mart. art. 10. fol. 182. one of our writers twiteth the Papiſts, that whereas Irenaus called it hereſie to carry about the true Image of Chriſt, yet they will worſhip a falſe Croſſe.