Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 22 [i.e. 21]
#Sect. 22. The Fathers vrge a neceſsitie of the Croſſe very ſuperſtitiouſly. The Papiſts more indifferent then they, therefore their authoritie of no value for the Croſſe.
AS the Croſſe is a Sacramentale guilty, for the power Sacramentall which it vſurpeth, ſo for the neceſſitie which it chalengeth to it ſelfe, and that in the Fathers monuments which we hauehave choſen for our guides. ForaMart. of the croſſe. art. 4. Calſh. ibid pag. 92. D. Fulke in reply. art. 4. pag. 164. Cyprian is cited to proue that Baptiſme hath no effect, but in the figure of the Croſſe. In the anſwering whereof we put ourſelues to much trouble, vnleſſe wee yeelde that Cyprian meant the very ſigne it ſelfe of the Croſſe together with Chriſtes death.bDurant. de rit. lib. 1. cap. 19. ſect. 12. Ambroſe is cited, the ſauing water of this Sacrament, is no more ſauing without the Croſſe, then the water of Marah was ſweet without the wood that was throwne into it. Auguſt. is cited to proue no Sacrament is perfected rite without the Croſſe, which whether it bee as much as recte in his iudgement or no, it is not much materiall. As for the Papiſtes their neceſſitie is better eſpied by their practiſe and by their preaching, then by their ſchooles and by their writings which are more crafty. Heere of late they hauehave ſcattered abroad many pamphlets in rithme after the example of the olddSozom. hiſt. lib. 8. cap. Socrat. hiſt li. 6. cap. 8. Arrians. Now one of their Ballades runneth thus.
eThe Lament. of the Croſſe to the tune of the L. Courtn…is dumpe.Without the Croſſe S. Auguſtine ſaith,
Reade him, and you may ſee.
No man is ſtedfaſt in the faith,
No Chriſtened well may be.
No Sacrifice, no holy Oyle,
No waſhing in the Fonte,
Nor any thing can thee aſſoyle,
if thou the Croſſe doe want.
Chriſt crucified he doth affirme,
When that he roſe from death,
Hath left his Croſſe here after him,
For to increaſe our faith.
Children by it hauehave Chriſtendome,
The water bleſt alſo:
The holy Ghoſt appeares to ſome,
And gifts of grace beſtow.
When that this Croſſe is made aright,
Of them that hallowed be:
Where it is not, there wanteth might,
For ought that I can ſee.
Saint Chryſo ſtome in likewiſe,
Per ſwades himſelfe heerein:
And ſaith by this a man doth riſe,
From death and deadly ſinne.
The Croſſe is at our birth, ſaith he,
And where that we be fed:
The Croſſe it is moſt meet perdie,
When that we ſhall be dead.
For this neceſſities ſake the rule is to be held, which is deliuered by one of our writers, which he incluſiuely meaneth of the very Croſſe it ſelfe, which hee did not rehearſe among the tollerable rites of the Fathers of which he had ſpoken before: Quodilla poſtea, &c. Whereas thoſe ancient ceremonies of baptiſme,fHieron. Zanch. in Epheſ 6. lect. de bapt. ca. 7. which aroſe after together with others ſuperſtitious and friuolous which are vſed in the papacie, hauehave bene taken away by our men, this was euen neceſſarie: becauſe of the ſuperſtitions which were introduced, & for the opinion of neceſſitie. Hezechias is cōmended for breaking the brazen ſerpent: which (notwithſtanding) was ordained by God; becauſe the Iſraelites had begun to abuſe it. How much more then are our mento be cōmended, who hauehave done this in rites ordained by men: quanquam per ſe non malis quoniam iam plenae eſſent: ſuperſtitionum. What (then) though the Croſſe were not euill [perſe] by reaſon of the popiſh neceſſity, it is to be remoued after the example of other Churches who hauehave aboliſht it: out of an opinion that it is a neceſſary dutie to remoue all rites which hauehave mounted to an eſtimate of neceſſitie. In regard hereof it is a figge leafe, couering no nakedneſſe, which is toſſed vp and downe, The Lawe doth not make the Croſſe a neceſſarie part of Baptiſme, but a rite only needfull for decency and for order. Firſt the harlot her ſelf can ſay as much for her excuſe, for whoſe neceſſity notwithſtanding our writers think a remouall neceſſary in eueryevery of her rites. For the Maſter of the Sentences telleth vsus, that thegPet. Lombard. lib. 4. diſtinct. 3. ſacramentalia (of which the ſigne of the Croſſe is one) do not pertaine, ad ſubſtantiam ſacramenti, but ad ſolemnitatem onelyonly.hTho. Aquin p. 3. qu 66. art. 10. Thomas Aquinas ſaith, that the Sacramentalia are not neceſſarie, ad eſſe ſacramenti, but onelyonly ad bene eſſe. lBellar. de ſacrem. in gen. ca. 21.Bellarmine ſaith, the Sacramentalia are not neceſſarie, ad integritatem ſacramenti eſſentialem, but ad integritatem accidentalem, and no more. The Canon Lawe hauing rehearſt the Sacramentalia, addeth this, haec cum patrimis non mutant eſſe ſed ornant. Beſides theſe generall diſtinctionsnTho. Aquin. p. 3. qu. 84. art. 4 ad. …. Aquinas ſaith particularly of the ſigne of the Croſſe, that it is not neceſſary to any Sacrament.oHolcot in ſentent. p. 4. diſtin. 3. qu. …3. Holcot, that it is not neceſſary to Baptiſme that which alſo is affirmed both bypMart. in reply. art. 4. Martial and byqAlphonſ. de Caſtro. in verb. Baptiſm. haereſ. 6. Alphonſus, the laſt of whom reckoneth it an hereſie to hold the Croſſe to bee neceſſary in Baptiſme, although he ſeeme to miſſe in the heretique, which by probabilitie cannot berIon Aurelianenſ. de cult. imag lib. 1. Claudius Taurinenſis, becauſe he oppoſed himſelfe againſt the worſhip of the Croſſe; not onelyonly materiall, but aereall alſo.