Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 11 [i.e. 10]
#Sect. 11. Its no good defence of the Croſſe to ſay we hauehave it from our Fathers not from the papiſtes, becauſe the Fathers alſo abuſed both, the ſimple vſe of it and as its mixt with oyle.
THirdly, what though from the Fathers we take this ſigne? this helpeth not till the Fathers vſe bee iuſtified, which will neuer bee. Whether we regard their ſimple vſe of it, or mixt with oyle. For that the oyle was imprinted in, or with the forme of the Croſſe, is it out of controuerſie?aDioniſ. Eccleſiaſti. Hierarch▪ lib. 2. ca. 2. Epiſcopus trino crucis ſignaculo vnctionem inchoat. bIbid.Adcrucis effigiem ſanctiſsimum fundit Oleum. cIuſt. Origelitan. in cantic.Signum crucis cum odore Chriſmatis praenotamus in fronte. dBurchard. de ſacram. Eccleſ. li. 6.Pectus codem perungitur Oleo, vt ſigno ſancta crucis diabolo claudatur ingreſſus. eBernard. in dedicat. Eccleſ. ſerm. 1.Verè crux noſtra vncta eſt. fDe conſecrat. diſtinct. 5. cap. 10.Omnia chriſmata ſacerdotalis Miniſterij figura crucis perficiuntur. Neither can it be ſaide this grew vp of late, for the Oyle is as auncient as the Croſſe, and whence is the Vnction called ſignation, conſignation, obſignation, (with the like) but from the Croſſe? But there is agIbid. diſtinct. 4. cap. 120. Canon that forbiddeth the Prieſt to anoynt the forehead of the Baptized, who yet didhDurand. de rit. li. 1. c. 19. ſe. 28 ſigne it with the Croſſe. Be it the Croſſe was made in Baptiſme on the forehead without the Oyle, neuer was the Oyle applied either in Baptiſme, or otherwhere without the Croſſe. Therefore hath hee no wrong, though wee ſue him as partner with all the horrible ſuperſtitions of the Oyle; which if he be he that readeth the Pathers writings, ſhall meet indeed with ſuch a Chaos as will make him afraid (I ſay not to fall into it) but euen to behold it. Who can brooke the efficacie thatlTertul. de reſurrect. carnis. Tertullian giueth it? Caro vngitur vt anima conſecretur. Caro ſignatur vt anima muniatur. The neceſſitie which Cyprian gaue it. For as he ſaith,mCyprian. epiſtol. 2. Vngi neceſſe eſt baptizatum. So hath he elſwhere.nIdem. epiſt. 73. Baptizati ſigno dominico conſummantur. Or (laſtly) the effectuall neceſſitie, and neceſſarie effectiueneſſe which Cornelius aſcribeth to it, when he ſaith: Nouatus was not well Baptiſed becauſeoEuſeb. hiſtor. lib. 6. cap. 33. Reliqua conſecutus non eſt, quorum oportebat participem fieri ſecundum Eccleſiae Canonem, ne que ſignatus eſt ab Epiſcopo. And what ſay we to Dioniſius, who ſaith of this, Vnctuous conſignation pDioniſ. Eccleſiaſti. Hierarch. ca. 2. part. 2.maxime dininos efficit? To Simeon Theſſalonicenſcis: who ſaith that it is neceſſarie that eueryevery one be ſigned therewith,qSimeon. Theſſalo. de Myſter. lib. 2. Vt Baptiſmum diuiniſsimum habeat & conſummatum? Thus Nazianzen. rNazian. oration. 4. in ſanct. baptiſm.In Baptiſmo firmiſsimo auxilio tibi caueris animam & corpus vnctione & ſpiritu conſignans. Which laſt words ſhew in what ſence the Croſſe is called by the Fathers, ſpirituale ſignaculum, (to wit) becauſe he bringeth the ſpirit. For which one place may ſerue our turne. Sequitur ſpirituale ſignaculum, quia poſt fontem ſupereſt vt perfectio fiat quando ad inuocationem ſacerdotis ſpiritus ſanctus infunditur. And in thetTorrent. confeſſ. Auguſtin. lib. 3. ca 4. fect. 3. opinion of the Fathers, the water of Baptiſme is nothing worth without the Croſſe. In the opinion of the Fathers the Croſſe is inſigne Regni, & clauis Paradiſi. In the opinion of the Fathers the Croſſe is thewOrigin. in Exod. cap. 15. homil. 6. terror of the deuill, and anxLactan. lib. 4 cap. 26.27. impregnable wall againſt him: So that they vſed the CroſſeySozom. lib. 5. …ap. 2. themſelues when they were in any daunger. Laſt of all, in the opinion of the Fathers the Croſſe is ſo neceſſary, as that he is to be madezTertul. de coron. milit. comming and going, ſittingaCyrill. Hieroſol. Catechiſ. 4.13. and ſtanding; euen (ad bHieron. epiſtol. ad Demetriad & ad Euſtach.omnem inceſſum) at eueryevery ſtoppe, and ad omnem actum, in eueryevery action that wee doe. OnecXyſtus Betulei in Lactant. de ſapien. li. 4. ca. 27. Papiſte is found, who ſaieth, the Fathers meant not of the outward ſigne, but of the thing ſignified, which is Chriſtes death. It is well, that we hauehave this confeſſion from him that the Fathers cannot bee iuſtified in caſe they meane the outward ſigne, which they meane vndoubtedly, or…els our Oppoſites doe vsus great wrong, who obiect the Fathers againſt vsus in the outward ceremonie of the Croſſe: as alſo our writers be deceiued, who ſpare not to cenſure the Fathers ofdMagdeburg. centur. 4. tit. de rit. Doct. Fulke reioynd. art. 3. pag. 158. & cont. Saund. de imagin. cap. 13. S…ltes, mudiull. Lactant. cap. 12. Superſtition in their vſe of it. I reckon not here Maiſter Hooker in the number, who draweth M. Goulart (as it were) by the haire to cleare the Fathers from the Superſtition of the Croſſe which he doth not; ſaue in compariſon of the popiſheGoulart. in Cypr. ad Demetrian. Not. 51. merit, andfIdem. in epiſt. 56. ad Tibaritan. Not. 31. inchantment, which afterward crept in. As for the operatiue power which they placed in the Oylie Croſſe he flatlygIdem. in lib. de vnct. Chryſmat. condemneth them. Whereupon there followeth in him that Apologie of ours nowe which is taken vp of Auguſtine, non putandum eſt aliquid verum eſſe quia Patres it a ſenſerint, ſed ſi per authores Canonicos quod à veritate non abhorreat perſuadere poſsint. What that in rites (though aunciently vſed by the Fathers) hishIdem annotat. in epiſtol. 47. doctrine is that they ought to bee aboliſhed when they gather any leeſe of Superſtition; and that amonſt theſe hee nameth this verylIdem. annotat. in epiſtol. 56. not. 31. ſigne of the Croſſe, which muſt now be left (ſaith he) not only becauſe our times muſt be diſtinguiſhed from theirs, (which Pamelius vndiſcreetly doth confound) but alſo becauſe of the groſſe Idolatries and Superſtitions to which ſince it hath beene abuſed. And thus farre of the ſinne of our borrowing.