Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 2
#Sect. 2. Obiection anſwered: If our Church were now in her firſt constitution; it were fit to remooue the Ceremonies: but being eſtabliſhed, they are to bee let alone.
SEcondly, It is to this our moſt iuſt petition replied, that if our Church were now in her firſt conſtitution, it were fit to remooue the Ceremonies, whereas being alreadie eſtabliſhed, they are to be let alone. Firſt, this ſuppoſeth that the lawe hath eſtabliſhed theſe ceremonies, and that to continue, which is not ſo. they were tollerated for a ſeaſon, not eſtabliſhed. the law expecteth a time convenient for the altering of eueryevery rite that ſhall degenerate or grow to abuſe, as theſe wordes doe plainly ſhew,aStat. 1. Eliz. c. 1. ſeruice & Sacram. vntill other order be taken. As Auguſtine ſaith of the abuſes of Martyrs memorialls,bAuguſtin. epiſt 64. 2 Sam. 3.39 quod erat tunc dolendum, nunc auferendum eſt, that layeth hold on popiſh ceremonies, which though at firſt they were to be lamented by vsus, all while that Zerviahes ſonnes were to harde for Queene Elizabeth; yet nowe they muſt be done away by that power, into whoſe handes God hath giuen power, to doe it without perill. In deed the time hath brought an oportunitie with it, which our Forefathers could not ſee. then they could not, but nowe they may,cCicero ad Artic. li. 11 epiſt. 9. quam minimo ſonitu be divorſed. Why (ſay our Reuerend Fathers) ſeeing they were not done away at firſt, therefore now they muſt ſtay ſtill: ſeeing pollicie calleth for Auguſtus courſe and defighteth todCornel. Tacit. Anal li. 1. inſurgere paulatim. which anothereDion. li. 5… Hiſtoriographer thus deſcribeth, non omnia ſtatim vbi decretum erat executus eſt. veritas ne parum ſuccederet, ſi ſimul homines transferre & in vertere vellet, ſed quaedam ex tempore diſpoſuit quaedam reiecit in tempus. Secondly, this reaſon holdeth (me thinkes) to the contrarie. Iohn 4.31.becauſe the imperfection of predeceſſours, is by the ſucceſſors to be perfected: as what is left in the herbe by them, that muſt by theſe be ripened: Cant. 8.9.and where predeceſſours hauehave ſet vp a dore of wood, there ſucceſſours muſt builde a palace of ſiluer.
A worthie example doeth Iehoſaphat giuegive herein: 2 Chron. 1….6.For when the ſpirit of God commendeth him in theſe wordes, elato animo ſuo ad vias Iehova, amplus adhuc amouit excelſa, & lucos ex Iehuda: what doeth he elſe preſcribe to ſucceſſors, but that they reforme amplius adhuc, then the maine doctrine: and that amplius adhuc then their predeceſſors did before, as he reformed the high places adhuc amplius then Aſa his Father: who, though he reformed much, yet left them ſtanding? Would David let alone the Arke of the Lord where Saule did leaue it? Or Salomon ſuffer it where David his Father left it? Pulled not Hezechia downe the high places, which Iehoſiphat threwe not downe? Ioſias the Idolles Temples, which Hezechias did not raze? The ſame Ioſias, reformed hee not the feaſt of the Paſſeouer? Nehemias the feaſt of the Tabernacles, more then euer it was reformed, by any godly or zealous Magiſtrate, that went before him? What adverſe power (then) envieth that honour, to our moſt gratious Soueraigne nowe, aboue famous Elizabeth, which ſhee gott aboue King Edward, and which Conſtantine gott aboue Philip, and Theodoſius aboue him? Of Conſtantine it is reported,fCaeſar Baron. Anal. An. 127. perfecit Conſtantinus, quod Philippus iam coeperat. Concerning Theodoſius, thus goeth the ſtorie,gTheodor. hiſtor. Eccleſiaſt li. … cap. 20 Magnus, digniſsimus omni laude, qui primus exornavit Imperium pietate, cùm adhuc inſanire cerneret orbem terrarum, interdicto ſuo: ſacra Daemonum prorſus ſuſtulit; fand (tamen) non ſubvertit; ſed Theodoſius, funditus ſubverſa, oblivioni dedit. Whence it came to paſſe, vt hRuffin. hiſtor Eccleſiaſt lib 2. cap. 19.Idolorum cultus, qui Conſtantini Magni inſtituttone negligi, & deſtrui coeptus fuerat, eo imperante, collapſus ſit poenitus. It King Edward, or Queene Elizabeth did not poenitus overthrowe poperie, wee muſt marke and conſider, they had all the worlde, (as it were) in furie againſt them, as Conſtantine had. Now the Goſpell ſhineth amongſt vsus, as atlMath …urcleef ſurvey o… diſcipl. cap. 28. high noone. and is it not a ſhame (then) for vsus, if any of their morning cloudes (which eclipſed their reformation) remayne to be ſeene in our Horiſon? And the day ſtarre was not riſen ſo high in their dayes, when yet Elizabeth reformed the defectes of K. Edw. communion booke; and K. Edw. the defectes of his owne, (and that in themBucer in Cenſur. cap. 12. caſe of the croſſe it ſelfe) by the edition of a ſecond: Euen Rome her ſelfe, (though affecting immunitie from errour) hath ſuffered her Breviaries to bereformed, once vnderundernBreuiar. Roman. ex ſacra ſcrip. per Cardinal. Quignonium. Paule the 3. another time vnderunder Pius the 5. Goe but to reaſon, it will not hauehave vsus to followeoSenec. in lib. de beatitud. Antecedentium gregem, ſo preciſelie, as if we were ſheepe, and not reaſonable men? Goe to equitie, it forbiddeth apCornel. Tacit. hiſtor. lib. 1. priſcus rigor, cui iam pares non ſunt homines. and the Ceremonies growe more intollerable eueryevery day then other, on men that are leſſe able to brooke them. Goe to policie, it condemneth a perverſe affectation of conſtancie, which doth not turne the ſterneqPlutarch. in Phocion of the ſhipp, to ſerue for eueryevery winde & water; both which are now againſt the ceremonies, throughout the moſt part of the Churches. Goe to Religion (laſt of all) what morerBucer in Cenſur. contrarie vntounto it, then olde popiſhe faſhions? The Kings of Iuda were not bleſſed of God, but when they purged the lande of Iurie from allsD. Bilſ. ag. apolog. p. 1. p. 32. ceremonies, not preſcribed by Moſes lawe. When Valetinian tooke the courſe, which our Oppoſites now thinke beſt, which was to meddle with nothing in Church affaires, but to leaue them as he founde them, he eſcapeth not the Cenſure of the Godly, no nor of ſome, of ourtD. Bilſ. ibi. p. 2. p. 243 adverſaries them ſelues. Anaſtaſius for peace will hauehave nothing chaunged, but he will hauehave eueryevery Biſhop to be thruſt out that either defendeth or condemneth the Chalcedon Councell againſt the tenent and the cuſtome of his place. what great hurt he did by this not chaunging, theuEuagr. li. 3 cap. 30. ſtorie will tell you. Germanus ſtandeth for Images, the courſe which he taketh to keepe them vp, is the ſame which our Oppoſites now doe follow (to wit) he chargeth the Emperour with his oathe,wCarol. Sigon. de reg. Ital. lib. 3. An. 729. ſe Diuinos Eccleſiae ritus, nulla ex parte moturum. Their excuſe (therefore) is nothing worth, which thinke the ceremonies controverſed, muſt ſtay amongſt vsus, becauſe at firſt they were not thruſt out.