Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 37 [i.e. 36]
#Sect. 37. It followeth not becauſe we vſe the Lords praier & Creede in Baptiſme, that therfore we may vſe the Croſſe. For the word Croſſe implyeth 3. ſenſes contrary to the word.
FRom the forme, come wee to examine the matter, when Bellarmine would prone we adde in Bapriſme the Lords prayer, and the Creed, and the renuntiation as culpably as they the Croſſe and Oyle, he hath theſe wordes:aBellarmin de bapt. ca. 24. neque his repugnat quod or atio domiuica ſit in ſcripturis & ſimbo lum qu…ad ſenſum. Nam inſcriptur… non habetur or recitetur in Baptiſme. But we hauehave for addition of the creede and the Lords prayer the generall warrant out of the worde, which willeth decencie in adminiſtring of the Sacrament: wheras the Croſſe is in double tranſgreſſion. Firſt; Non habetur in Scripturis that he and his worde ſhould be vſed in Baptiſme, either by ſpeciall or generall warrant. Then his worde is ſo farre from being in ſcripture [Quoad ſenſum] as that it implyeth three ſenſes which are contrary to the word. Firſt, when i… ſaieth: Wee receaue this child into the congregation of Chriſtes flocke, and ſigne him with the ſigne of the Croſſe▪ the copulation of this word [and] taketh in the Croſſe, to hauehave an hand in the childes incorporation, which the Canon beareth before it, when it affirmeth that the ſigne of the Croſſe doth ſerue in Baptiſme to dedicate the child to Chriſt. This what is it leſſe, then that which thebTorrenſ. confeſ. Auguſt. lib. 4. cap. 9. ſect. 4. groſnes of popery it ſelfe would countenance by Auguſtine, cAuguſtin. de lymbol. ad catech. cap. ….per ſignum Crucis in vtero Eccleſia concepti eſtis: d Per ſignum Cru…s ſuſcipit vos mater Eccleſia. Our Church to the contrary, inveſteth the water vntounto this honour:eHarmon. confeſ. ſect. 13. confeſ. Belgica. Baptiſmo in Eccleſiam Dei, re…ipimur & à peregrinis omnibus religionibus ſegregamur, vt pote illi ſoli cōſecrati cuius ſymbola & inſignia geſtamus. Secondly, when the wordes of the Croſſe ſay in token hee may not bee aſhamed to fight vnderunder his banner againſt the Deuill, and they make the Croſſe to be the banner of Chriſts ſouldiers: if not to confirme them to the fight, yet out of queſtion to make them known. Which, hauehave we it any where taught in the ſcriptures? Firſt, ſaithfBellar. de imag. ca. 2… Bellarmine calleth for adoration to the Croſſe, euen for this, becauſe it is Chriſtes Banner (for we may not come ſhort of the heathen ſaith he) we muſt aſwell adore the banner of our Chriſt, as theygSozom. hiſtor lib. …. cap. 4. adore the militarie banners of their Emperours▪ me thinkes it is an hard thing for vsus, to confirme them in this Idolatrie with ſuch an acknowledgment as that it is indeed his banner. Secondly, it hath euer ben a quarrell betweene our writers & the papiſtes that the Croſſe is no banner of Chriſtes ſouldiers, no not ſo much as by it to make them knowne. Martiall affirmeth that the Croſſe is Chriſts banner Maiſter Calfhill hCalfh againſt Mart art. 7.denyeth it, and he is thus ſeconded by Doctor Fulke. lD… Fulk reioynd. art. 7. p. 190.Further you ſay the note, that the materiall Croſſe is no Enſigne of Chriſt, hath ſimple proofe, but (indeed) your aſſertion that it ſhould be the enſigne of Chriſt hath no prooue at all. And againe:mIdem. ibi. art. 1. pag. 144. That Caſſiodorus & Lactantius ſpake of the ſigne of the Croſſe it is graunted, but becauſe they ſpeake of it beſides the booke of God▪ Maiſter Calfhill doth well to diſprooue their reaſons, as where Caſſiodore compareth the ſigne of the Croſſe, vponupon the faithfull to the Princes ſtamp on the coyne▪ the compariſon is naught, for the ſigne of the Croſſe which is vponupon hipocrites ſheweth them not to be Chriſtes ſeruants. Neither did Chriſt giuegive any ſuch outward ſigne, by which they ſhould be knowne who would profeſſe themſelues to bee his ſeruants but only Baptiſme. To the laſt foote of his ſentence there is another that fettethnGualt. in Luc. homi. 9…. Quin potius m…mi…eyimus, &c. we muſt remember that we were by baptiſme made the ſouldiers of Ieſus Chriſte, to fight vnderunder his banner againſt the Deuill. Thirdly, not only to make Chriſtes ſouldiers knowne, but alſo to ſtrengthen them in the warfare do the wordes of the Croſſe make him their enſigne and their banner. When one of our writers bendeth himſelfe to ſhake the power of confirmation, hee ſpeaketh thus: They oAnd Willet▪ de confirmat. p. 4.depriue Baptiſme of the proper vſe thereof, which is a ſigne to vsus of the aſſiſtance of Gods ſpirit, to ſight manfully againſt the Deuill: Now Baptiſme be a ſigne of our victorie againſt the Deuill, yet they robbe Baptiſme of his honour, and giuegive it to Confirmation. I care not for the quint-eſſentiall interpretations which ſome hauehave diſtilled of late, theſe words (in token, he ſhall not be aſhamed to fight, but continue his faithfull ſouldier) doe in the intent of the authors of our communion booke, and in common conſtruction make the Croſſe a ſigne of the aſſiſtance of God ſpirit to fight manfully againſt the Deuill, ſo that the Croſſe doth preiudice Baptiſme euen as confirmation doth. Indeed confirmation ſpeaketh no otherwiſe their the Croſſe, the croſſe no otherwiſe thē it:pThom Aquin. pa. 3. qu. 75 ar. 9 ſignantur confirmandi Chriſmate ſig… Crucis in fro…d, vt in manifeſto oſtendant ſe Chriſtianos eſſe. Et ne nomen Chriſti ob timorem vei …r ubeſſentiam praetermittant. qBartholo. Caranz. in Cōcil. Florentin.Againe, Ideo in fronte vbi verecondiae ſedes eſt confirmand… in vngitur ne Chriſti nomen confiteri erubeſcat, et praecipuè crucem eius propr…r quod c…ucis ſigno ſignatur. Compare with theſe wordes: in token hee bee not aſhamed to confeſſe the faith of Chriſt Ieſus crucified, ſauour they not of the ſame ſpirit? ſpeake they not the ſame languadge? may not the ſame Dialect of Rome be moſt eaſily diſcerned in both?