Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 3 · Section 18
#Sect. 18. The ſpeciall hypocriſie of the Croſſe is evidently declared in the lyfe and converſation of thoſe that did beare it.
THE ſecond ſpeciall hipocriſie of the croſſe is ſeene in the life and cōverſation. Where once it was a true principle (how now it holdeth I know not)aCalſh. cōt. Mart. art. 9 fol. 174. There are no worſe liuers in the world, then the likers of the Croſſe. Indeed from of old hath the croſſe marſhalled the hipocrites bande: one of which he did longe ſince chriſten with his owne name, to wit, the order of thebVolater. hiſt or. lib. 21. Bergomens. l. …3. Crucigeri. whoſe rule Innocent the fourth perfected, bidding them to carry a croſſe alwayes in their handes, after that Innocent the third before him in the Councill of Lateran had authorized their order. All other eccleſiaſtical orders, although they hauehave not the name of the croſſe called vponupon them like vntounto this, yet they call vponupon his name: and they beare him for their badge euen to thecAbraham. Franſus. de inſignib. Knightes them ſelues that hauehave entred into anie religious order. One order there was of theſe knightes indIo. Funct. in Cronol. comentar. ad ann. 1 204. Libonia who wore in a white veſture a redd ſword with a ſtarre on the topp, and therfore were called Fratres gladiferi: but theſe at the length (the Pope ſo willing) vnited themſelues to the order of the Crucigeri, & ſo tooke the croſſe vponupon them. As for the reſt they weare all the croſſes, amongſt whom, who more famous then the Knightes of Ieruſalem? who lye buried with croſſe legges vponupon their graues, quia eCamden. in Britan in Trinoban….crucem ſuſceperunt. NowfNaucler. fower orders there were of theſe. the order of the Canons of the ſepulche of the Lord, and they had double redd croſſes. The order of the knights of St Iohn, otherwiſe called the knightes of the Rhodes, they wore black apparell with white croſſes on their breſtes. The order of Templars, they wore a white habit with a red croſſe. and laſtly, the order of Teutoniques or Almaines, otherwiſe called the knightes of the Virgin Marie, who had white habites and a blacke croſſe, and theſe aroſe from the Eaſt (I omit their hipocriſies, for which at the laſt they were deſtroyed: the Templars bygCronie. Carion. li. 5. in Alber. Auſtriac. name, through a privie conſpiracie of Clemens the Pope, & Philip of Frāce) after the holy warre begonne vnderunder Goddefi it of Bullen, whoſe voyage thither if it had any“Gualter. in Luc. Homil. 87. hipocriſie in it, the croſſe (be ſure) was at one end of it. ſith then it was that every countrey choſe their croſſes which they beare in the warres this daye. From the Weſt ſince theſe holy warres begunne, it is incredible how many aſſembled armies of hipocrites the croſſe hath guided, it being a policy which Vrban hSigon de regn. Ital. lib. 9. in ann. 1095.the 2. ſet on foote. and his ſucceſſors after continued that when they would weaken chriſtendome, and ſend out the ſtrength of it to pray vponupon it at home the while, or when they would gather ſome great ſumme of money, there ſhould a Croyſade bee proclaimed againſt the Turke, and that (O Lord) with how great hipocriſie! Thus onelAuent. in Annal. li. … of that time. To ſtirre vp the people to Aſiaes and Aphricaes warres the Biſhop of Portua and others preached, Quicunque ſceleri obnoxius, parricidio, inceſtu, ſacrilegio pollutus, continuò vbi cruciculam veſti aſſuerit, ſolutus est & crimine & poena. Pleri que anſa hinc arrepta, inimicos ſuos prius tollebant: hinc in militiam ſacram nomina dabant. Another thus:mVſperg. in Fredri. 2 In the yeare 1221. vnderunder Frederike the 2. Conradus Portuenſis ſendeth forth preachers: and amongſt the reſt one Iohannes de Argentina, who preached to them that would take the croſſe, not onelyonly expiation of their owneſinne, but alſo deliuerance of their friends ſoules that were in Purgatorie. Hence grewe a common ſpeache: faciam igitur ſcelera, & poſtea crucis receptione, ero mundatus. The Georgians & Armenians hauehave the croſſe for a ſtandart to lead their ſuperſtitious pilgrimages to Ieruſalē. whoſe lay men alſo hauehave ſhauē nMagdebn. Centur. 3. cap. 5. col. 563.heads in the forme of a croſſe. TheoLambert. Dane. in. Auguſti. de Hereſ. c 97 Iacobites in Chald… and Arahia hauehave a croſſe or croſſes printed in their faces with an hottiron. as alſo diuers nations and people vnderunder Pretions Iohn in Afric, of whom before. And this Emperour him ſelfe, when he goeth any whither, a wooden Croſſe is borne before him. When he goeth to warre 12. Croſſes of golde. ApBeda hiſt. gent. Anglor. lib. 1. c. 25.29.41 Croſſe was the harbinger of all Romes ceremonies, when they firſt entred into Englande. I meane the Croſſe that was borne before Augustine when hee arriued: which Croſſe of his if the Britiſh ſea had ſwallowed with his rellowes in the paſſage, the Church of the Chriſtians atqBaleus in hiſtor. Auguſtin. Bangor had ſtill enioyed their peace and puritie, both from Romes traſhe and tyrannie. The great abuſe of the Croſſe in Ruſſia is too well knowne: the hypocriſie of it there, may bee ſeene in one for all, to witt, in that great Tyrant Iohannes Baſilius, then whom the earth neuer ſearce ſawe a more fell monſter. and yet none more devout in the vſe of the Croſſe then hee: none could more often adhthere ſignum Orucis fronti pectorique, or more religiouſlie collo ſuſpendere, rTo. Laſicide Theolo. Muſcourn. c. 6. fol. 56.as ſpeaketh the ſtorie: at whoſe death alſo (as is reported) three bloudy Croſſes appeared in the firmamē ouer the great citie Moſco where he dyed with a barre that went thorough them. Thus we ſee the Croſſes hipocriſie is catholique for place: ſo is it alſo for perſons and tymes. ThesIo. Criſpin …an, 1350 Eagellantes (notable hypocrites) in their whipping of them ſelues, vſed to proſtrate them ſelues on the grounde in the forme of a croſſe, and as they went ordnarily with their whippes tyed to their robes, ſo they all carryed Croſſes, both before and behinde in their apparell, hattes and cappes. Saint Francis is alſo a renowned hypocrite. Now he had (they ſay)tPiſan. de conformit. ſancti. Frā ciſci. the 5. woundes of Chriſt printed in his body and he hath for hisuRhemiſt. in Margin. in Gal. 6. Goſpell vponupon his holy day, I beare in my body the markes of the Lord Ieſus. And, God forbid I ſhould reioyce ſaue in the Croſſe of Christ. Heere of late, none came neare in ſame of hypocriſie to Magdalena Crucia, and Maria de la Anuntiada in Spayne. The former of whom, as ſhe bare the name of the Croſſe, ſo the Croſſe bare vp hir name with ſuch an eſtimate of holynes that the Queene of Charles the fift being great with Phillip the ſecond, muſt needes ſende before hande to hir to bleſſe with the croſſes of her holy handes, thewLeonicer. Theatrum hiſtor. pag. 134. ſwadling cloutes wherein the infant was firſt wrapt. The latter in the tyme of her greatnes before her fiue woundes (like thoſe of St Frauncis) were waſhed away and hir hipocriſie detected, ſhe feated hir chiefeſt and greateſt myracle with a wooden croſſe, as in hirxCypri de Valera. pag 431. ſtorie may be ſeene. The ſame ſtorie or hers ſheweth, that the yeare before ſhe was detected, the ſigne of the Croſſe became in her handes a traytor to England, bleſſing the ſtandart Royall of Spaine, & deliuering it to the Generall (the Duke de Medina Sydonia) with promiſe he ſhould returned a Victor, and a conquerour of this Realme. The next hipocrites moſt notorious in theſe our dayes I take to be the Ieſuites. eſpecially thoſe of the Eaſt Iudies, whoſe miracle-worker that famous Xauerius, like vntounto another Iambres (asyThe auth. of the Ieſuite… cathee. ſome papiſt him ſelfe diſcouereth him) ſendeth little children with litlezIdem lib. 1. cap. 17. croſſes to certaine men that were poſſeſſed, whom as ſoone as his croſſes touche the Devills roare, wallowe, tumble, and laſtly flye away like madd. Did not Henrie the third of Fraunce make him ſelf famous by the Crucifixe devoutly carriedaCollect of Maſſacr. in Franc. in Henrie. 3. about his necke, till he obtayned this word, Non ego iam vivo, ſed in me Chriſtus? DidbCalſh. art 8. fol. 156. not a paper in the forehead at Windfor take vp the reverſion of the infinit croſſes which a Wardē of New colledge did make there? who for the time that he was in Oxon. neuer miſſed any one of his howres before the Crucifixe? AndcIdem. art. 5. fol. 129. Martial (that marſhall champion of the croſſe) taught Winceſter boyes, being Vſher there, that iniquitie, which a modeſt adverſarie is loth to vtter. And what they were who in the dayes of great Elizabeth purſued the Preachers about the Croſſe and the reſt of the ceremonies, I will not cenſure ſome of them proclaymed themſelues hipocrites in this, that ſtriving for the croſſe, which ſignifieth patiēce to ſight vnderunder the croſſe of Chriſt, they were ſo farr of from this dutie of ſuffering, as that they offered it vntounto others, making many cōpanions in the patience of the worde. When Blandina was nayled to a croſſe, the Chriſtians that ſawe her,dCaeſar Baron. Annal in an, 179. ipſum Chriſtum qui pro nobis cruciſixus eſt, oculis corporeis quodammodo vide bant. Will you hauehave an outwarde ſpectacle, wherein to ſee Chriſt, goe not to a croſſe that is made at a Font, but go to a Chriſtiā that beareth the croſſe. While I ſpeake this, I may take vp what one of our writers ſpeaketh,eD. Willat. controver. 4 q. 10. p. 198. who taught you, that thè ſigne of the croſſe is to bee borne in mens foreheades? You know the markes which Pauſe bore in his body were the ſignes of his ſufferings? AndfChriſoſt. de crnc. & latron. Chriſostomus thus: An vt vnuſquiſque lignum ſuum ferat iubet dominus? Non quae. n. haec virtus eſt ſed vt ad pericula instructi ſimus. When Mr Harding obiected profanes againſt vsus for breaking downe Croſſes, BiſhopgIewel. art. 14. diuiſ. 3 pa. 502.504. Iewill replyed, we hauehave (God be thanketh) more true Croſſ-bearers then you. becauſe our church yeldeth more ſufferers for the truth. The ſame is our glorie nowe, we that refuſe the ſigne of the croſſe doe more truely beare the croſſe then our purſuers; who whyle they ſtriue about the ſigne, let goe the ſubſtance. Our Lord hath commanded vsus (ſaith Claudius hIonas Aurelianenſ. de cult. Imag.Taurinenſis) to beare the croſſe and not to worſhip it. who performeth this commaundement beſt? they who will not make the croſſe for feare to countenance the worſhipping of it, and ſo beare it in their bodies, goods and names, or they who bare it in the finger only vponupon a pretence to putt them ſelues in minde of fighting vnderunder the croſſe? which when it cometh to performance, they miſtake their brethrens ſhoulders for their owne, & finde none to fight againſt, or on whō to lay the croſſe ſaue only them? Sure if Augustine bee our iudge, he will giuegive his ſentence with vsus. by occaſion of the ſtone that ſtrooke Goliah in the forehead, he ſpeaketh of the ſigne of the croſſe in the forehead, affirming the making of it there to bee nothing, in theſe wordes:lPe. Martyr in 1. Sam. cap. 17. Deus delectatur non pictoribus, ſed factoribus. what theſe doers are, we may learne out of Hierome, who cryeth out againſt ſuperfluitie in Church and Church men in theſe wordes: Cum mDecret. pa. 2. cauſ. 12. qu. 2. cap. 71.paupertatem domus ſuae pauper dominus dedicarit, portemus crucem & divitias lutum putabimus. As longe as our Oppoſites will not leaue their ſuperfluities, and beare the croſſe that way, but to vphold and maintaine them rather, retaine a croſſe in ſigne, to bring their brethren vnderneath the croſſe, in ſuffering, we may well renewe towards them, what Charles the great ſpake once to Boniface Archbiſhop of Mentz, whē he covered his croſſe with golde,nIoh. Criſp. Chronolo. in An. 798 Is it thus that you make profeſsion of the Croſſe of Christ? Innocent the 4. gaue redd hattes and gownes to his Cardinalls at his Councill held at Lyons, for aoChriſtian Marſſaeus. Genebrar. ſigne to admoniſhe them they were to ſuffer for the trueth euen to bloud. This ſigne letteth not but theſe Cardinalls make other to ſuffer in ſteed of them ſelues: no more doth this ſigne of the Croſſe which our Oppoſites doe retayne in verie like manner, to remember them ſelues of the verie ſame ſufferinge which they lay vponupon their brethren. And ſo an ende of the vanitie and hypocriſie of the croſſe againſt this third commaundement, which I ſhut vp with the wordes of one of our Writers againſt Images in generall. howbeit Images ſett vp for edification and decencie only: So that our Croſſe is one of the number.pZanch. de Imag. theſ. 4. p. 370. Summa, vt concludam. &c. To conclude, in two wordes, the ſumme of all is this: Our men hauehave nothing whereby (I ſay not they may defende, for defended it cannot be) but whereby they may couer ſo groſſe an error ſaue figge leaues. to wit, reaſons humane, and thoſe verie leane, whoſe roote is pertinacie. An other cheefe cauſe of this error is, that men will be more wiſe then God, and for their humane wiſedome ſake, oppoſe them ſelues againſt the wiſedome of God. For neither hauehave they ſcriptures to ſtand with them, nor any conſequences neceſſarie or probable, that may be gathered out of the ſcriptures, nor good antiquitie, nor any reaſons à vero, vtili, atque honesto, deductas.
DEO SOLI GLORIA.