Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 38 [i.e. 37]
#Sect. 38. The Oppoſites ſaying that the Croſſe is the ſigne of Chriſt crucified, confuted.
THe third doctrin which the word of the croſſe bringeth in, is that it is the ſigne of Christ crucified. Which, where hauehave we in the ſcripture, vnleſſe in the places which papiſtes cite, which ouraCalfh. ag. Mart. ar. … fol. 38. D Fulk reioynd. art. 1. p. 135.136. D. Willer de crue artic. 3. writers long ſince hauehave proued to meane the word and the Sacraments ioyned with the inward ſeale of the ſpirit, but not the Croſſe. Theſe places are (Iſay. 49.22.) whence they prooue the Croſſe to bee Chriſtes ſtandart. (Iere. 4.6.) whence they prooue it to bee Chriſtes banner. Ezech. 9.4. whence they prooue it to be Chriſtes marke. Apoc. 7.3. whence they prooue it to be Chriſts ſigne Epheſ. 1.13. whence they proue it to be Chriſtes ſeale. Math. 24.30. whence they prooue it to be the ſigne of the ſonne of man. Now ſo diſtreſſed is the cauſe of the Croſſe, as that our Oppoſites are not aſhamed to cite ſome of theſe places of the papiſtes for it: that which (indeed) Maiſter Hooker himſelfe was aſhamed once to doe, who no doubt conſidered that if it be a ſhame for papiſts to cite for the Croſſe, thoſe places of ſcripture which Valentinus the heretique cited (as ourbD. Fulſe▪ writers obiect vntounto them): that thē it is an vtter ſhame for any Proteſtant to defende a croſſe as different frō the popiſh, & yet to be able to bring no diuerſe ſcripture for it. Againe, we cry out againſt the papiſts for citing ſcriptures for the Croſſe, becauſe it is held by their own Church to be a traditiō that bath no ground at all in ſcripture: ascDecret. p. 1. diſtin. … cap. 5. Quae ſcriptura ſalutiferae Crucis ſignaculo fideles docuit inſign…r… (ſaieth their canon lawe it felfe.) But our Oppoſites may not in this caſe cry out againſt them, the beame is in their owne eye, who ioyne with the baſeſt of the papiſtes, to prooue the ſigne of the Croſſe by ſcripture, againſt the principallfMagdeb…. centur. 1. li. 2. cap. 6. colum. 406 407. D. Ful reioyn art. 1. pa. …54. Calf. art. … fol 20. lightes of our Church, who though they graunt the Croſſe it ſelfe is prefigured in the olde Teſtament, and named in the newe, to deſcribe the curſe of our Lords death, and the merit therof, yet ſtand out ſtrongly againſt his ſigne of it, that it is neither prefigured not mētioned from the beginning to the end, much leſſe mentioned with ſo honorable a ſtile, & tittle as to be counted the ſigne of Chriſt. Nay ourgCalfh. art. 2. pag. 44. writers goe further, they tel vsus the ſcriptures wil not fuffer vsus to vſe the croſſe for a ſigne of Chriſt. O happy age of ours (then) that hath found out what neuer could bee found before, to witt, that there be ſcriptures that doe warrant it, what might they be? The firſt that is ſtood on (by our Oppoſites) is Ezech. 9.4. where when the Angell preſerueth from deſtruction by ſetting T. in the forehead of the faithful, the ſigne of the Croſſe in the forehead is made (ſay they) or alluded vntounto; for thus (nowe) they reaſon, iumpe withhBellarm. de imagin. cap. 29. Mart. de Cruc. art. … Bellarmine and with Martiall, and with the reſt of the papiſts. Firſt it is not the letter T but Tau the word that is here vſed, which ſignifieth a ſigne, ſo that the Angel is ſaid only here to ſet a marke or a ſigne in their foreheads:lChryſo. ad popul. Antioc. homil. 18. apud Sixt. ſenenſ. Bibliothec. li. 2. fo. 121 Cypri. cōt▪ Demetrian. ap. D. Fulk reioind. ar. 2. p. 147. & cont. Saund. de imag. cap. 13. p. 663. as in Apoc. 7.3. & 9.4. So doth the Septuagint render it foreign doe Aquila & Symmadus; ſo do the Fathers take it for ſignum indeterminatum, and for quodcunque ſignum. There be learned papiſtes themſelues, that either cite this place in theirmArrius Montain. Lexicons to prooue that the Hebrewe Tau doth ſignifie a ſigne; or leaue itnSanctes Pagnin. indifferent betweene the letter T. & the worde. But Theodoſion vnderſtandeth the letter. No, but leaueth only the word TauoHieron. in hunc loc. 1 Sam. 21.14. vntranſlated, as he doth the word Baddim, a little before, and as his manner is to doe in eueryevery word which he taketh to be myſticall. Now what is this to the Croſſe? ſure no more then the Tau, which ſome ſay, was ſet on Cain, neither doth the Angell make Croſſes here more then Dauid made croſſes on Achis his gates for the word Tau is vſed there as well as in this place. The Tau that was ſet on Cain and preſerued him (ſay ſome of our Oppoſites) was but a praeludium to thoſe other which ſhould figure the ſaluation of Chriſtes Croſſe: but (me thinkes) the text ſheweth plainly inough what Cains marke was, to witt, theſe wordes engrauen in his fleſhe, hee that killeth Cain ſhalbe reuenged 7. ſold: for (to omit all other reaſons) how elſe could this promiſe be ſo famous as by Lamech the profane we ſee it was? And the Croſſes which Dauid, may be concluded by this reaſon, to hauehave ſcraped on Achis dore, are they for the Croſſes credit too? who is cenſured by the Church, as a poore and miſerable man, Pſal. 34.7▪for the making of them? for theſe Taues preſerued him too, euen as the Croſſe preſerues now a dayes many a Miniſter fatt, and ſhining in his benefice, howſoeuer before the Lord they are poore and miſerable that doe make him, eſpecially they that doe make him for feare of their liuing, as Dauid made his Taues and markes for feare of life. But to conclude, it is here the worde Tau that ſignifieth ſignum in general, which cannot bee reſtrained to the ſigne of the Croſſe of all other ſignes, becauſe during the time of the old Teſtament, it was held and eſteemed execrable: as a papiſtpAlanus. de ſacrament. lib. 1. ar. 2. himſelfe confeſſeth.