Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 6
#Sect. 6. The aereall Croſſe is a new ſigne directly againſt the entendment and rule of Gods worſhip. The danger of retayning old popiſh Ceremonies.
FRom the letter of the lawe, come we to the intendement of it, which is the authorizing of the word to be the rule of all Gods worſhip, which is wrongd by all new deviſed ſignes, and by rites popiſhe more wayes then one. Firſt, They hinder teaching, learning, and keeping of it. For whereas the worde doth now teach clearly the Croſſe (with the reſt) ouercaſt (as it were) with a vaile the brightnes of it, witnes the wholeaHarmon. confeſ. ſec. 17. in Wittenburg. confeſ. fol. 229. Church which ſaith: that a light in the day time to ſignifie the Goſpels light and a Croſſe to ſhew Chriſtes victory by his crucifying, maketh the doctrine farre more darke then if the word did ſhine by it ſelfe without them. And it is confeſſed the popiſh ceremonies were asbRic. Honk lib. 5. ca. 65 leaues that did ſhaddow the fruites of Baptiſme, whereas it is knowne that the Croſſe amongſt the reſt is a vine leafe ofcPlin. natural. hiſtor. lib. 16. cap. 21. Memphis more hurtful then any, for that beſides it caſteth more ſhadow, it ſelfe is neuer caſt nor fadeth no not when others not only are faded but alſo fallen, and that deſeruedly. For vmbra legis evanuit euen in the iudgment of adInnocen. 3 decret. Gregor. lib. 3. tit. 47. ca. 1 Pope; in the iudgement of Proteſtantes ſo vaniſhed alſo, as that noeHomil. for Whitſunday. p. 2. Andrew Willet controuer. 2. q. 4. p. 2. ſhaddow of any ſhaddowing rites and ceremonies ought now to remaine. For whereas it is vnfit asfEuſeb. hiſt li. 4. ca. 22. Pynitus wrote of olde, that the Church ſhould ſtill immorari lacteis ſermonibus et in puerili inſtitutione conſeneſcere, the Croſſe and other popiſh ceremonies teach ſtill with a feſcue as the Iewes were anciently taught, &gLaurence Saunder in Act. & monument. p. 1494. keepe the Church in hir infancie and weakenes ſtill. VponUpon this and the like reaſons, when in the Latheran councill newe rites were thought on, rather cut off from the old (ſaidhCatalog. teſtium veritatis. fo. 7 Iohannes Sariſburienſis) that Gods word may be kept the better. A fitt counſell for this time, when ſcarce any thingh elſe is thought on, then the pillering vp of ceremonies: which if they were cut of & gone, the word of God would flouriſh more and be farre better kept. Secondly, the ſubſtance it ſelfe of doctrine ſtandeth in danger of the Croſſe and popiſhe ceremonies not well purged foorth: what firſt impeacht the Goſpels puritie in the whole Church but a delight which the Fathers had in heaping vplPet. Cātor. in verb. Ab breuiat. catalog. teſtium. fo. 387 Theodor. Beza in reſponſ. ad Franc. Balduin. Phil. Mornaeus de Euchariſt. lib. 2. cap. 1. ceremonies? what firſt deformed the faith of this lande, but the rabblement of Roman rites, whichmBalaeus in hiſtor. Auguſtin. Auguſtine the Monke brought in; amongſt which the Croſſe was cheefe? What hath lamed the Luteran profeſſion (laſtly) with inclination vntounto poperie, and with a vehement ſmatch thereof, but popiſhe ceremonies retained in their Church? When Charles the 5. would hauehave obtruded vponupon the Churches that were reformed, the ceremonies which they had left: theſe counterblaſtes were heard againſt him. The old popiſhe ceremonies annext to the doctrine of the Goſpell, are an oldnConfeſ. Theolog. Saxon. aedit an. 1560 ragged clout patcht to a new garment. They are (as it were) anoConrad. Schluſelbu. tom. 13. in praefat. Incruſtation both vnlawful and vnſeemly. The retayning of them is thepApud eundem. ibid. fol. 412. libel. ſupplicator. Theolog. German. an. 1561. p. 587. ſweeping of the houſe for the ill ſpirit to reenter. yea, the opening of a windowe to a confuſion Samariticall of the religion it ſelfe in the end. Indeed many wayes doe the ceremonies that hauehave bene popiſhe, hurt the faith. Firſt they are of themſeluesqBellar. de offert. Sacrament. cap. 31. Gal. 5.9. Cortices religionis. ſo that, as good ceremonies ſpread the ſappe of true doctrine, in like maner ceremonies popiſh diffuſe the verdure and the iuice of ſuperſtition. Great aduantage getteth Sathan in this buſines by our ſecuritie, which holdeth them for trifles: little conſidering that a little leauen is quickely able to infecte an whole lumpe. thatrAndr. Friſ. paruus error in initio, fit maguns in fine, as one ſpake once of popiſhe errors. And that which our SaxonsConfeſ. Theolog. Saxon. vt ſupra. brethren alleaged againſt the trifles of the Adiaphoriſme, ex paruis ſape magnarum momenta rerum pendent. and negligenda non ſunt parua initia, ex quibus paulatim poſtea maiores fiunt acceſſiones.
Secondly, The eſtabliſhing of popiſh ceremonies is oftentimes [Commenium politicum] to drawe in the whole body it ſelfe: that which the Preachers oftHamburgenſ. in epiſtol ad. Philipp. Melaut…on Hamberough ſawe when againſt the popiſh mixtures of the Interim, they thus proteſted: ſunt iſta Adiaphora nihil aliud quam ſemina Corruptela, & nervi papiſticae ſuperſtitionis, & Cuniculi per quos aduerſarij in noſtras Eccleſias irrepere conantur, vt eas à fundamento evertant. The ſame ſawe (likewiſe) the Preachers ofuConfeſſ. Tholog. Saxon. aedit An. 1560. Saxonie, Satan non contentus vno vulnere, longam texit telam, & ab his paruis initijs Ceremoniarum progreſſus, facit ad Corruptelas doctrinae. Thirdly, The eſtabliſhing of popiſh ceremonies after the Goſpell a long time preached, carieth a ſhewe of inclination to poperie, and of commoderation with it. By the firſt of which an hope is raiſed of reſtoring againe the doctrine it ſelfe. By the latter an opinion ingendred, the doctrine it ſelfe is not ſo ill. So that the cenſure heere hath place, which once was leavied againſt the ceremonies retayned in Germanie,wConrad. Schluſelburg. tom. 13 in epiſt. dedicatoris rerum illarum externarum conformatio, hoc eſt laruae Antichriſtianae aſſumptio nequaquam ſine doctrinae violatione fieri poteſt, iàque ipſa experientia comprobauit. Fourthly, The retayning of popiſh ceremonies put men to their wittes, to deviſe colours and excuſes to paint and varniſh them, whereby there is woeuenxIbid. ampliſsimum adiaphoricum pallium, Covering all kindes of inclinations, conceſsions, yeeldinges, abiurgations, calumniations, lyinges, raylinges, and reprochinges. For enſample, the Adiaphoriſine of Germanie brought foorth theſe Axiomes to the corruption of manners. That yEraſmus Sarcerius. in Confeſſ. Mansfield. An. 1560.to ſtande with the Magiſtrate in ſmall matters (though pertayning to the trueth) is contamacie. The commaundement of the Magiſtrate doeth excuſe the ſubiect. Not to conforme our ſelues to ſome popiſh ceremonies, is to offende the Papiſtes. A Surplice is a trifle, and not to bee ſtoode on. NozIn colloquio Torgae habito. apud Conrad Schluſelburg. tom. 13. dutie of confeſſion is required in Adiaphoris. It brought foorth alſo diuers Axiomes to the corrupting of the iudgement.aFlac. Illyric lib de Adianhor. That ſuperſtitious abuſe doeth not binde to a remoouall. Popiſh ceremonies may ſerue for order, decencie, comlines. When any are offended by popiſh ceremonies retayned in the Church, it is ſcandalum acceptum not datum. And theſe which ſeeme more dangerous,bLibell. ſupplicator Thelog. German. 1561. Quacunque per ſe impia non ſunt, ea ratione circumſtantiaram impia fieri non poſſunt. Semper perinde licet Ceremonijs vti. Licet veram Eccleſiam cum impia in omnibus Adiaphoris cōformarem. Adiaphororum & Ceremoniarum Eccleſiae finis & ſcopus eſt pax politica: moſt of which (if not all) the Croſſe ſpeaking in his language at this daye. What ſhould we doe, but ſtande vp in the gappe againſt him? and with thoſe argumentes refute theſe errors wherewith our Godly Brethren in Germanie, fought againſt their Adiaphoriſme, which did diſturbe their Church? Fiftly, The retayning of popiſh ceremonies keepeth ſtill on foote many popiſh principles. For ſhew me the man that can vphold the Croſſe and Surplice, and the reſt of the Ceremonies controverſed, and not runne him ſelfe a ground vponupon popiſh ſandes to iuſtifie them? who nowe giuegive foorth, The Biſhoppes when they talke with vsus Papiſtes, play the Puritans; when they talke with the Puritanes, then are they Papiſtes; and thoſe obiections that are more auncient. There be manycWilliam Reynold. catholike thinges in the booke written againſt Cartwright the Puritan. ThedNewes out of Holland. common Proteſtant muſt flye to Catholique groundes and anſweres, when hee dealeth againſt the Puritans. TheeThe humble mot. for tollerat. Act 16.4. Proteſtantes can not defende them ſelues againſt the Puritans, but by our groundes and anſweres. We hauehave the ceremonies called foreign in the ſcripture: and no mervayle, becauſe the ceremonies beare vp ſome doctrine, or begette ſome doctrine or other. When the Greeke Church began tofGenebrard. An. 1273. diſſent from the Latine, left it not the Ceremonies of the Latine Church withall▪ When Roome firſt eſtabliſhed a Church in Brittanie, did ſhee not the ſame time require an obſervation of hergBed. in hiſtor. Anglor. lib. 2. cap. 12. Ceremonies too? When Hierome of Prage hConcil. Conſtantienſ. ſeſsion 19.was ſworne to the Church of Rome, was hee not bounde to obſerue the Ceremonies, as well as to beleeue their faith? In thelGenebraid in an, 1549. Interim, was there not exacted a conformitie vntounto ceremonies, and vntounto the doctrine both together? The reformed Churches, when they beganne to baniſh the whole doſſe of popiſhe doctrine, did they not at the ſame time exile and baniſh eueryeverymD. Bilſ. ag. Apolo. p. 1. p. 31. dramme of their ceremonies alſo? It cannot bee (ſaiethnCyprian de ſimplicitat. praelat. Cyprian) that Nouatus ſhould keepe the doctrine of the Church, if hee breake the diſcipline. Hee that is guiltie in the ceremonies, is guilty alſo in the faith (ſaieth theoConcil. Toleran. 4 Can. 40. Councill of Toledo.) How doe the Papiſtes bewaile anpCarol. Bouius in praefat. in Clement. Conſtitut. Antiquation of their ceremonies, as for cauſing a downefall of their religion it ſelfe? How doe Proteſtants on the other ſide foreſee a daunger of our religion where popiſh ceremonies doe remaine?qPet. Martyr in epiſt. amic. cuidā in Angl. Vtinam vidiſſent (ſaith one) qua haec conſeruanda cenſuerunt, euangelium ijs manentibus non ſatis eſſe firmum. Therefore wee are by ourrCon…ad. Vorſtins in praefat. Euchirid. controuerſ. leaders directed to hate, (as the doctrine) ſo alſo the rites of Rome. Yea (by name) we are willed to aboliſh the ſigne of thesSimon Goulatt. in Cypria. epi 56. not. 31. Croſſe, if we meane that the doctrine of Chriſt crucified, ſhal be throughly fixed and ſetled in our Church. Theſe premiſſes conſidered, we may well aſſure our ſelues, that popiſh ceremonies retained amongſt vsus, will robbe in the end and riffle our faith. Away with them then, Nunquam ſecurus cum the ſauro, latro tenetur incluſus.tAuthor. lib. de ſingularitat clericor. apud Cypr.