Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 30 [i.e. 29]
#Sect. 30. Though it were lawful to deuiſe new ſymbolicall ſignes in the Sacrament where God hath ordayned alreadie, yet not to take a Croſſe frō the brothelhouſe of ſuperſtition.
FOurthly, though it were lawfull to deuiſe new ſymbolicall ſignes in the Sacrament where God hath ordained ſome already, and to append them to theſe Sacraments, and by name to Baptiſme: yet is it not lawfull to take a Croſſe from the brothelhouſe of Gods great enemie, all whoſe ſignes muſt out to the dunghill: as ouraWhitak. cont. Dureum li. 8. p. 657. Anton. Sadeel. cont. Monath. Burdegalenſ. art. 13. beſt Diuines doe teach. Thus Auguſtine, bAuguſt. de doct. Chriſtian. Il. 3. cap. …. 1. Cor. 10.22.Quod ad cos quos Dearinuenit ſub ſignis invtilibus non ſolum ſeruilem operationem ſub talibus ſignis ſed ipſa etiam ſigna fruſtrauit, remouit que omnia. What plainer euidence can wee hauehave as to remooue the ſuperſtitious vſe of this ſigne, ſo likewiſe this ſigne it ſelfe: we in ſtead of remoouing, bring him into the holy place. What meane we thus euen to deſpite the Lord (ſaith Paul vntounto vsus?) For as Adrian could not ſpite the Iewes worſe, then to ſet vp the Image of a ſwine ouer the gatecGenebrard lib. 3. in an. D. 129. Iſay. 66.2. of Ieruſalem which they moſt hated, ſo for ought that I can ſee we cannot more prouoke the Lord, then to ſet vp, his Sacrament this ſigne (moſt odious) of his enemie, which is as ſwines fleſh to him. And muſt we needes amongſt thoſe his enemies ſignes make choiſe of the Croſſe, the very worſt of all the reſt? For as the ſottiſhnes ofdHieron. in Dan. ca. 11 Ptolemeus Philopater, was the more ignominious, the more baſe his harlot Agathoclea was, ſo is our prouocation the greater (wherewith we prouoke the Lord) in that our inordinate louelove hath lighted on the Croſſe, then which there is not amongſt all other ſignes of Rome a more groſſe or dirtie harlot. What that we louelove her euen in her filthines: to wit, in her ſignification which is the ſhame of her adultery and fornication. The Croſſe muſt be worſhipped (ſaitheSuar. tom. …. in Tho. diſput. 56. ſect. 3. one) Quia habet ſignificationem ſacram, he muſt be adored (ſaithfBellar. de imag. c. 20. another) Non ſolum quatenus goret vicem prototypi ſed etiam quatenus ſimilitudinem geritrei ſacrae, & quatenus ſignum. It may be here will ariſe ſome ſcruple; as if our writers thought not the Croſſe to be the worſt of Baptiſmes pollutions: becauſe they are ſilent and name not the Croſſe, when they name others: to wit, the oyle, ſalt, and ſpittel, & write againſt them. But it may be their purpoſe was to rehearſe the rites that were proper to Baptiſme. Tertullian himſelfe nameth not the Croſſe in his booke which he writeth of Baptiſme, who yet holdeth it one of the chiefeſt rites therof. The Papiſts thinke moſt highly of the Croſſe; yet doe they often omit it: as in theſe verſes.
Sal, oleum, chriſma, cereum Chriſmale, ſaliua
Flatus virtutem Baptiſmatis iſta figurant,
Haec cam patrimis non mutant eſſe ſedornant.
As for our writers when they name not the Croſſe, they include it. And there begBulling. decad. 5. ſerm. 8. who among the pollutions of Baptiſme, name the ſigne of the Croſſe for the very firſt. WhohGualt. in Mat. ca. 3. among the fordes of Baptiſme name the ſigne of the Croſſe for one. Laſtly, who among thelStephan. Szegedin. de bapt. tabul. 2. profanations of Baptiſme reckon the Croſſe, & therforemZepper. de polit. eccleſiaſtic. li. 1. ca 10. pag. 50. throw him out of the Sacrament, as out of a ſling. Indeed why not he aſwell as his fellowes? becauſe the Croſſe is aereall, & not ſo groſſe as the reſt that be materiall. As if we hauehave not aboliſht the Flatus of the exorciſme, which is as aereall as is the croſſe, andnWhitak. quo ſupra. cont. Dureum lib. 8. pag. 658. condemned it for ſuperſtitious euen as it was vſed aunciently amongſt the Fathers? Great exception ſure to be taken againſt the aërealnes of a popiſhe ſigne, ſeeing to them there is euen a Character that is inviſible and yet a ſigne; wordes alſo are ſignes with them in their Sacraments of penance and marriage, which are more aereall then the Croſſe. Another obiection is wont to be made we may well chooſe the ſigne of the Croſſe aboue his fellowes, becauſe God in nature hath commended him, a thing not lightly thought of by the Fathers: who vſe to cite for the Croſſes commendation, that no man can ſayle in the ſea without it; or till the lande; and that the foule flying, yea man himſelfe praying doth make the Croſſe. Theſe were but rhetorications in the Fathers; and they had vſe againſt the pagans who depended on nature, as for vsus who depend vponupon Chriſts inſtitutiō, weoIuſt. Lip. de cruc. leaue them to papiſts to play withal. For if we go to the beſt ſignes in nature, what forme comparable to a circle? of which the verie Fathers themſelues: p Circulirotundi figura eſt figura caeteris pulchrior. dAuguſt. de quantitat anim. cap. 15. Hieron in Iob. cap. 38.If to the beſt by art, why is not theqCouncill. Conſtan. triangel of Hierome of Prage, as good as the beſt, that which he termed ſcutum fidei? But wee muſt take heed, in a Sacrament how we relye vponupon natures commendation. Some Chriſtians once vſedrCaeſar Baron. Anal. ann. 257. water in the Lords ſupper not wine, leaſt the ſmell of it ſhould hauehave detected them to their perſecutours. Theſe did ill, but the Aquarij worſe, who euen out of the time of perſecution and of daunger vſed water and not wine, which ſprang from theſLambert. Dane. in Auguſt. de. hereſ. ca. 64 Taciani, and the Encratita who advaunced water aboue wine, for naturall qualities and commendations. Nay, wee muſt turne a quite contrary leafe admiring the goodnes, and the wiſdome of God, who hath choſen commontPet. Lom. lib. 4 diſt. 4. creatures for the ſignes of his Sacraments and ſuch as be in u nature bace, that ſo no vertue may be put in them, and our obedience be tryed by ſubmitting our ſelues vntounto them. A third obiection is wont to be made.vCatechiſ. Roman. pag. 177. Many of the reformed Churches beyond the ſeas retaine ſtill the Croſſe in Baptime, for I hauehave heard the ſounde of ſuch a blaſt, which maketh me much to mervaile. For the harmonie of confeſſions maketh no ſuch things to appeare vntounto vsus: wee finde not by it the ſigne of the Croſſe receaued, or approoued in any proteſtant Church on the earth, we finde an obſeruation rather which incluſiue ſpeaketh ſome what againſt it. Quadam iſtorum, &c. (ſpeaking of the popiſhe rites of Baptiſme)wHarmon confeſ. ſect… 13. obſera. 2. ad Helu. poſterior. certaine of theſe as meerly ſuperſtitious; others as manifeſtly tranſlated from the Baptiſme of old men to the Baptiſme of infants, by the negligence of the Biſhops others of them (laſt of all) as being altogether vnprofitable. We hauehave daſht out, as is plainly confeſſed in the confeſſion of Wittenberge. Doth notxIacob. Pamel. in Tertul. de coron. mili. Pamelius make this difference betweene the Lutherans and the Caluinistes, that the one doth vſe the ſigne of the Croſſe, the other doth not vſe it? AndyBellar. de Bapt. ca. 24. Bellarmine citeth no proteſtaut Church, when he would prooue that we vſe the Croſſe in Baptiſine without the warrant of the word, hee only citeth a catechiſme of Lutherans which hath theſe wordes: ſignum Crucis ſignetur in fronte & in pectore Baptizandi. Now as for this Luther he croſſed himſelfe eueryevery morning and eueryevery euening, and is neuer ſeenezCalſh. ag. mart. art. 7. fol. 143. painted but praying before ſome crucifixe. Shall we approue him in this alſo as wee approue him in the former? No, but in both let vsus conſider how contrary he is euen to his owne doctrine deliuered elſe where, in Baptiſme aLuther, homil. 1. de bapt. anno. 1535eadem ſigna quae Chriſtus inſtituit & non alia ſant adhibenda. And ſuch is the ſinfull office of the Croſſe in Baptiſme, ſeeing man hath planted him there for a ſigne, the heauenly Fathers will is, that hee ſhould be rooted out.