Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 4 · Section 5
#Sect. 5. That the Ceremonies, and the Croſſe in ſpeciall, ſteale away true devotion from the hart, and are occaſions of irreuerence.
FROM this general vſe of the Sabboth which the ceremonies doe pervert, come we downe to the generall manner of Sabboth-worſhips, which in like manner they defile. For whereas it is a meere doctrine of hypocriſie taught by theaBellarmin. de cult. ſanct ca. 10 propoſit. 4 papiſtes, that the internall acte of the minde pertayneth not to the Sabboth duetie, but the externall only. And againe,bTollet inſtruct. lib. 4 cap. 24. Homo tenetur ſub mortali ad ſanctificandum Sabbatum ſed non ad bene ſanctificandum. the ſmatch hereof is ſo bredde in the bones of our countrey, as that it will neuer out of the fleſh, as long as ſo ſtrong occaſions of of it doe remaine. To ſpeake but of the croſſe it ſelf, is he not among thoſe geſtures of the papiſtes whichcAndre. Willet. controverſ. 13. queſt. 7. one calleth frivoulous and hipocriticall? ſtealing away true devotion from the hart, and making men reſt in the outward geſtures of the body? Who prepareth him ſelfe to the worſhip of the Sabboth any other way (I ſpeak of the Croſſe-mongers amongſt the vulgar and ſimple people) then by the croſſing of his foread, when he entreth into the church, and when he kneeleth down in his ſeate? And as for the affectiō of the hart in the time of the Sabboth-worſhip, there is nothing that either ſooner reviveth the fault that aunciently taxed,dArnob. cont. gent… lib. 2. diſſoluti est pectoris in rebus ſerijs quaerere voluptatem: or renueth the complainte auncientlie made,eLactant. adeone Deorum religio nihil aliud est quam quod humanos ſenſus delectat? then the ſight of the Cope, Croſſe and Surplice, and the hearinge of the deſcant and the Organes in Gods ſervice? Euen in the ſinging of a Pſalme,fBernar. meditat. ca. 1… libido audiendi ſonum magis quam ſenſum: gHieron. in Epheſ. 5.modulationes, magis quam verba: hAuguſt. lib. confeſ. cap.concentum magis quam ſenſum: thorough which the vox doethlGloſ. decret. diſtin. 92. praedominari non votum, cordula non cor, is verie ſinfull. But for this carnall delight in ſinging, muſt ſinging it ſelfe bee quite remooued, (as Hilarius thoughtmAuguſt. retractat. li. 2. cap. 1… once) and was cenſured as hereticall? I aunſwere: The ſinging of Pſalmes and the Water of Baptiſme doe ſymbolize. The Deſcant and Organes, and a carnall delightfull ſerving of God, are of the verie ſame ſtampe, therfore the ſinginge of Pſalmes, muſt not bee aboliſhed, though ſome abuſe it becauſe it is a thinglEpheſ 5.19. Coloſſ. 3.16. commaunded, when thenHieron. in Epheſ. 5. Theatralis muſica muſt: and theoHieron. Zanch. in Epheſ. 5. Pet. Martyr. loc-commun. de muſic. Reforma. eccleſiaſtic Edward. 6. pag 43. Iewel ar. 3 diviſ. 2. tō. &c. muſica fracta of Cathedrall churches. and lightpConcil. Colonienſ. pag 2. c. 12 Eraſm. in 1. Cor 14. Harmon. Confeſſ. in obſerua. ſect. 15. obſeruat. 2. Hoſpin. de re templa. cap. de organ. playing on Organs, and the q Organs them ſelues Quibus fit vt ad Templum concurratur tanquam ad Theatrum. Laſtly, there is wherein the ceremonies cōtroverſed defile and hinder the after dutie of the ſabboth, that rumination of the word eſpecially, wherof the Bereans doe giuegive vsus enſample. For the appearance hereof ſet we downe the Croſſes pagents, which I take to be ſo many inſtrumentes of exſection, that hauehave cutt out the cudd from the people, that might chewe the holeſome word which on the Sabboth they receyue. The Deacon (forſooth) muſt be bleſt with a croſſe before the reading of the Goſpell, becauſerDuran. de rit. lib 2. ca. 23. ſec. 3 Quomodo predicabunt, niſi mitt antur? TwosSect. 8. tapers are carried before him when he goeth to the deſke, to ſignifie the illumination of mankinde by the preaching of the Goſpell; and with them a Cenſor of incenſe to ſignifie thetSect. 9.10. ſweet ſauour of it whereſoeuer it is preached. This done, he aſcendeth theuSect 11. pulpit vt ab omnibus audiatur. iuxta illud Eſaiae, Super montem aſcende tu qui Evangelizas Syon. being there, he ſetteth his face towardes the NorthwSect. 14. vt oſtend at verbum Dei, & annuntiationem ſpiritus ſancti, contra eum dirigi qui ſemper ſpiritui ſancto contrarius exiſtit. Having thus placed him ſelf on the ſtage, he ſaluteth the people, Dominus vobiſcum, illud obſeruans quod Dominus iuſſerat in quamcunque domum intraveritis, ſalutate. The people make aunſwere (as men that hauehave receiued their [cue] & cum ſpiritu tuo: then the DeaconxSect. 15. he falleth to croſſing himſelfe in the forehead, vt cum Apoſto lo non erubeſcat de Evangelio Chriſti, & in the breaſt, ne aliqua ſuggeſtio Diaboli eum impediat quin puro corde Evangelium Dei annuntiare valeat: and in the mouth, quia praedicamus (inquit Apoſtolus) Ieſum Chriſtum, & hunc crucifixum: and then beginneth, ſequentia ſancti Evangelij. &c. The people hearing the Goſpell named, cry out: Gloria tibi Domine, glorificantes Dominum quod ijs miſerit verbum ſalutis, and ſo fall aySect 16. croſſing, mouth, breaſt, and forehead, vt contra Diabulum ſe zAmalar. lib. 3. c. 18.muniant; & à aAlemin. de offic. ca. de celebrat. Miſſ.malis cogitationibus corda ſua emundent, vt ad intelligenda verba ſalutis pura permaneant: and as one ſingeth in verſe thus.
NeuebHildebert. Cenoman. de myſter. Miſſ. ſuperveniens zizania ſeminet hoſtis
Frontibus imprimitur myſtica forma crucis.
Adde to this that the very making of the Croſſe in Baptiſme hath bene commonlie helde to becDuran. de nt. lib. 1. c. 19. ſec. 12 praedicatio crucis. and what of this? This ſheweth the Origen of the common tenent of our Oppoſites: that reading is preaching of the Goſpell. of the common error of the people, that a bodily preſence at a leſſon or a Goſpell ſanctified with the ſigne of the croſſe, is hearing ſufficient and learning enough▪ which, though it be an notorious Sabboth-breach, yet are they hardened to this howre in it, by the ſame pulpit where the Goſpell is read: by the ſame attire wherein by the ſame geſture of ſtanding vp, by the ſame anſweres which they vſed of olde: yea by their croſſings in the forehead too: which none will reprooue, or leaue, all while they ſee the croſſe countenaunced by our vſe thereof in Baptiſme. And whereas the papiſtes ſett vp the Maſſe for a proper worke of thedCatechiſ. Trident ad Parocho▪ pag 649. Eccles. 4.17. Sabboth, whence the error is growne that it is ſufficient to affoord a bodily preſence in a fooles ſacrifice; I meane an ignorant ſeeing and praying: the ceremonies in preſent controverſie can not be cleered from occaſiō of like Sabboth breaking now as the even it ſelf doth witnes, ſith in the churches in which are preachers that doe diſvſe them, the Sabboth is ſpiritually kept & with great holynes; but in moſt churches where Curates vſe them botheBucer. in Cenſur. ca. 7. pag. 466 1 Cor. 11.17. ſacra ipſa perturbatè leuiter & praecipitanter recitantur, and the people vnprepared by their Levites to Sabboth-worſhip, non plus ea quae legūtur intelligunt, quam ſi lingua recitarentur Turcita aut Indica. Now becauſe in this maner mē come to Church [to their owne hurt] ſo that qui ingreditur ad placandum, fSaluian. de prouident. lib. 3.egreditur ad exacerbandum, theſe ought to be preſent order taken for meanes of better reverence. Amongſt theſe none like to the viſion that awaked Iacob vntounto reverence; or to the ſounding of Aarons belles which ſtirred vp reverēce in the people, when he entred into the ſanctuarie, I meane the preaching of the worde and the ſounding of the Goſpell which theſe ceremonies hauehave layde waſte: But reverence is procured not only by this, but alſo by outward ſignes and rites. which I acknowledge out ofgThom. Aquin 2.2. queſt. 84. art. 3. ad 3. Aquinas, the people muſt be ſtirred to reverence in the Church per illa ſanctitatis ſigna quae ibi conſpiciuntur. But (alas) what are theſe but dead, when the preaching of the worde wanteth which is the life and the light of them? If they were avaylable, what is that to the ceremonies controverſed which are not ſuch? Firſt, they are them ſelues partes of irreverence. For as rudenes of habit and geſture are partes of irreverence offending a King (witnes the EmperourhCaro Sigon. de occidental imperio. Valentinian, who grew to ſuch coller by reaſon of the baſe apparell and rude geſture of the Legates of Sarmatia as coſt him his life) ſo the habit and apparell of an Idoll (as the Surplice is) and the geſture idolatrous (as the Croſſe is) can not but thorough an odious irreuerence offende the holy one of Iſraell. Secondlie, they are occaſions of irreuerence in regarde of the Miniſter: none muſt be put to21. Cor. 11.22. ſhame in the Church, the man of God be leaſt of all made either an hatred3Hoſ. 9.8. or offence in the houſe of his God. Wheras theſe ceremonies are ſhamefull to him by ſo much more, and are by ſo much the more hateful then a fooles coate, by howe much Idolatry (the chiefeſt and moſt odious ſinne) is worſe then folly which is a iudgement from the Lord. It being ſo, theſe ceremonies puniſh a Preacher worſe for his reuerent and holy attendance on Gods ſervice, then thelCuſpini. lib. de origin. & relig Ture. Cauda vulpina ad collum ſiſpenſa doth puniſh the Turke, when for his neglegence or irreuerence in Mahomets ſeruice, he is ledde vp and downe the Citie, in this fooles attire to ſhame him. Thrdly, theſe ceremonies are occaſions of irreuerence for that they giuegive a becke to poperie which is as badde as muſ…itare or nutus facere in the Church, fore the ſuppreſſing where of in auncient times there was a DeaconmClemenſ. conſtitut. Apoſto. li 8. cap. 11. ſert to walke vp and downe the Church to finde them out and puniſhe them. What Chryſoſtome once ſpake againſt the louelove ſignes, which ſome in the Church did make one to another:nChriſoſt. in Math. 23 homil. 74. pro ſtibulum tibi videtur Eccleſia & foro ignobilior? that may bee applyed to theſe ceremonies. no modeſt man will ſo much as in foro weare the cullers of an whore or make ſhew open of hir louelove-tokens towards him, wher as theſe (alas) bring into the Church the badges of Antichriſt: and the louelove-tokens of former adulterie which are polluted by him.