Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 17 [i.e. 16]
#Sect. 17. We can hardly accuſe the Papiſtes of any abuſe of the Croſſe, becauſe wee abuſe it almoſt as much as they.
WE hauehave prooued the Papiſtes may pleade as good a manner in their neceſſitie of the Croſſe as we well neare in ours. Now proceede wee to ſhew, we can ſcarcely accuſe them of any euill in their manner, but we hauehave it in our owne. What was ſaid of old, non ſunt Maſsilienſes inſipientes, eadem tamen faciunt quae inſipientes, hath fit place heere. Our Oppoſites are not Papiſts, yet doe they many things touching the neceſſitie of Croſſe and Surplice that Papiſts do, which we could wiſh were otherwiſe. Firſt they wreſt the Law againſt vsus, which if it be ſuch as they pretend, we could wiſh it were onelyonly a Canon to direct, yea ſuch a Canon as our forefathers were contented withall in the dayes of King Edward, when they left croſſing to mens owne diſcretions.aRubric. vlt. Liturg. Fdw. 6. apud Bucer p. 455. Quantum adgenu flectionem, & conſignationem ſigno crucis, eleuationem manuum, tunſionem pectoris, & ſemiles geſtus, liberum erit cui que ſequi ſuam ſententiam. What binding lawes were there made about ceremonies in the primitiue Church, whoſe auncient libertie we may wiſh for by the authoritie ofbAuguſt. ad Ianu. 119. Auguſtine, who waild the burthenſomneſſe of humane ceremonies in his time. EuencAgrip. de vanitat. ſcient. ca 62. Agrippa, a Papiſt can cry out againſt the fetters and chaines of ceremonies which were not at firſt when the Church was free. As for our ownedD. Fulke ag. Rhem. in 1. Tim. 4. ſect. 8. Thom. Morton. Apolog. p. 2. lib. 2. cap. 9. writers they are bould againſt the Papiſtes to appeale to the libertie of the auncient Church, when no binding lawes were made about eating or faſting. That which is in different,eHieron. in epiſt. ad Roman. cap. 14. vnicui que in ſua voluntate dimiſſum eſt, ſayth Hierome. Let then our Reuerend Fathers ſuffer vsus to make that requeſt to them, which a Papiſt thought fit to make euen to a Pope himſelfe.fAndr. Friſius de eccleſ. lib. 2. tractat. 13 in epiſt. ad Paul. 4. fol. 542. Quod ſi Adiaphorum ſit, cur not liceat vtro que vti ijs qui velint? Nam Adiaphororum ea natura eſt, vt eorum vſus & intermiſsio nemini prodeſſe, nemini etiam obeſſe debeat: ſed hanc illi Adiaphoriam aliter interpretantur, nam & dicunt quod volunt & interpretationes afferunt quales volunt. Dicunt Adiaphora eſſe quod de ijs litigandum non ſit, ſed quemcun que moribus ſuae Eccleſiae vti debere. He that well conſidereth theſe words, wil ſee, though the croſſe were indifferēt, yet that the ſame courſe which is taken with vsus, and the ſame interpretations vſed which the Papiſts take and vſe; yea that ſome things alſo are ſaid and done, which the more moderate ſort of Papiſts thinke to be more then needes. Finally, we deſire our Oppoſites to remember that the ſigne of the Croſſe hath bene [gChemnit. apud Bellarm. de verb. non ſcript. ca. 7. lib. 4. ritus liber] euen from the beginning [like to the praying towards the Eaſt] which our Fathers were ſo farre to exact with neceſſitie, as that they hauehave by LawehD. Fulke ag. Raſtall. ſect. 4. pag. 720. aboliſhed it for that conformitie which it doth beare with Papiſts. A ſecond thing which is done in the vrging of the Croſſe, like to that which Papiſtes doe, is the exaction of a [fidcs interna] vntounto it, by ſubſcribing that it is well ordained. This, hath it not too great a ſmatch of that which Bellarmine affirmeth of rites.lBellar. ibid Neceſſarium eſt ad ſalutem credere, eos benè eſſe inſtitutos, & eos non contemnere? Out writers blot our the former [credere eos benè eſſe inſtitutos] which cannot be receiued but on Bellarmines ground, which is, that the Church in ordaining ceremonies cannot erre; andmIoh. Caluin. inſtitut li. 4. ca. 10. Harmon. conſeſſ. ſect. 17. leaue contempt to be in the inner man, the only thing that is vnlawfull. And as this is done by them, becauſe there is no infallible truth in the Church, for faith to reſt on, ſo alſo becauſe there is no abſolute power in man, in things rituall to [oFranciſc: Iun. cont. 1 lib. 4. ca. 7. not. 25.26 Oblige] by itſelfe and neceſſarily, for theſe things becauſe they are humane, they only oblige humanitus ſo long as no iniury is done to the truth of God, to pietie, to charitie, to ſimplicitie, and to chriſtian libertie. What is here ſpoken of our libertie not to be iniured, hath this meaning. Whereas Philip Melancton in the hurrey of Germanies Adiaphoriſme, was wont to ſay,pMelanthon. epiſt. ad Hamburgenſ. ſeruitus aliqua in cermonijs ferenda eſt. That theqHamburgenſ. epiſt. ad Philip. loachim… Weſt phal. apud Conrad. Schiſelburg. tom. 13. p. 254. reſt of the religion will hauehave vnderſtood of the outward mā only in body and goods, not of the conſcience which is not to be enthralled to any rite by man cō manded further then with grife torPet. Martyr Amico. cuid. in Angl. tollerate what is amiſſe. If it be further in England exacted, not only vt tolleremus, ſed etiam vt Chirographo tanquam recta comprobemus (ſaithgBaeza in epiſtol. ad frat. in Angl. one) there remaineth nothing elſe but that de innocencia noſtra teſtati, et omnia remedia intimore Domini experti, manifeſtae violentiae cedamus.