Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 4 · Section 10
#Sect. 10. That the ceremonies controverſed, hinder preaching, ſhutting out the Preachers, and putting the light vnderunder a buſhell.
THirdly, theſe ceremonies controverſed hinder the preaching of the Sabboth, in that they lay waſt the chaire of Moſes, & thruſt out good preachers, for the thruſting in of which we are willed to pray & to do our beſt indeauours. It is written of the ancient deſtruction of Britaine that this was the forrunner of it,aBeda hiſto gent. Anglor. lib. 1. cap. 14. Odiūin veritatis profeſſores tanquam ſubuerſores, omnia tela & odiūin hos. It is writtenbCommentar. de ſtat. relig. in Gall. in Carol. 9. of the Maſſacre in France, that the forrunner of it was, a delight in a tickling & in a pleaſing kind of preaching, ioyned with a loathing of thoſe that preached ſimply, purely, powerfully & ſharply againſt ſinne. It is writtē by one of our writers thus,cHyper. de ſacr. ſtud. non deſerend. p. 243 when God doth meane to deſtroy a ſocietie or a cōmon-wealth, he putteth out good & wiſe men, and ſuffreth vngodly & vnwiſe men to prevaile in the ſame, ſpeaking of preachers diſgraced or degraded. The application hereof vntounto our times I leaue to the wiſe, let him cō ſider whether in the putting out of preachers, the diuill doeth not nowe as of old bend himſelf againſt the paſtors,dCypri. lib. … i. 3. vt in gregē atrocius graſſetur? If it be ſo, what euill did our church deſerue of them who at the firſt ſet vp ſubſcription, to the putting down of preachers? For whom (I truſt) there wilbe one day renewed the law of Theodoſius & Valentinian: eTheodoret. hiſtor. lib. 4. ca. 8.Noſtrapotentia vbi que edixit nequis perſequatur, ne que exagitet, ne que irritet operarios Chriſti. This if any think may be done ſubſcription remayning, he forgetteth howe it hath bene fleſhed euer ſince the firſte yeeres of Elizabethes raigne. Then fedd the flockes quietly eueryevery one in his place, when it came into the heart of the ceremonies not well purged from their auncient Roman pride, to advance themſelues ouer the preachers of the lande, to trie their power vpō them. Here, when ſome Mordecayes could not bowe nor finde quiet in their conſcience to honour ſuch Agagites, they got them hornes wherewith they puſhed towardes the Eaſt and towards the South, and thruſt with ſide and ſhoulder, till many worthie Paſtors were ſtrooken, and great flockes ſcarred. This was (in compariſon) the prima labes of our Church. which the leſſe it was regarded at the beginning, the more it got ſtrength according to that Axiome offAuguſt confeſſ. lib. 9 cap 8. Auguſtines, Qui modica contemnit, paulatim decidit. which while agConcil. Toletan. 8. …an. 9 Councill repeateth, it putteth in [minima] in ſteed of [modica] qui minimo deſpicit, paulatim decidit: that which another Councill enlargeth even vntounto the daunger of very great euill in the ende,hConcil. Ma…ſcolnenſ. circa temp. Pela. …. can. 1…. Solent & minima paulatim deſpect in malum magnum trahere The ceremonies are trifles & ſmall matters (men ſay) but we ſee with our eyes they doe great hurt. What ſay I, they doe nowe that they are growne to ſtrength? when they were but newly borne, their hurt was not little. They ſaid to the Sunne, ſhine not; and to the ſtarres withdraw your light, and did prevayle. They called for a buſhell to meaſure foorth into the Preachers what they ſhould preach, Math. 5.15.and to ſtint them in their zeale, & it was done accordingly. The light of the Goſpell being herevpon clapt vnderneath a buſhell indeed, ſo that the people did eate their bread by waight and meaſure. It began alſo to be put vnderneath a bedd, Iſay. 56.11.becauſe captiued to their bed-ſides, who ſlept ſtretched vponupon their beddes, and delighted in ſleeping. From this tyme downeward, men rarely ſanctifie them ſelues to be Levites: the Aarons ſanctified enter into the Congregations, and their belles ſound not. Chriſostome is thruſt out, and Arſatius (proh lNycephor. hiſtor. lib. 13. ca. 28.pudor quis cui) ſucceedeth him. Homilies ſtande vp in emptie pulpins Church-gouernours delight to enhaūce their credit by being terrible vponupon their brethren. Finally, Iordan is turned backward, and eueryevery thing groweth out of courſe. Who hath not ſeene this with his eyes, and ſorrowed euen through the cloude of thoſe miſtes which hauehave ben caſt to couer it?