Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 12
#Sect. 12. Impoſition of Ceremon, as now vrged, take away Chriſtian libertie.
WHereas Iuſtice giueth to eueryevery man his owne, the ceremonies hauehave taken from vsus (as we take it) our Chriſtian libertie, both for the obiectes and ſubiects of it. Concerning the former; firſt they enſlaue vsus vntounto Antichriſt, which is a great greefe to vsus, euen as it was ouraConrad. Schluſſelb. Catolog. haeret. tom. 13. p. 466. brethren in Germanie to hauehave the ceremonies of the Pope enforced vponupon them, as wherein they thought they were reduced vnderunder the yoke of Antichriſt againe. They adde, they were reduced aliquo modo, which I mention that our Oppoſites may perceaue there is aliquis modus of bondage to Antich. although it be not he that doth commaund the things impoſed: and although the neceſſitie of the commandement doth not binde after his maner. Paule helde it was ſubiection to them of the circumcizion, if their rites were receaued in what maner ſoeuer. Gal. 2.4.5.Nolite iugum ducere cum infidelibus: quae.n.eſt ſocietas luci ad tenebras. this was cited by thebLib. Concord. apud Conrad. Schluſſelb. Ibid. p. 596 Divines of Germany, to proue the inforcement of popiſh ceremonies doeth bring vsus vnderunder the yoke of bondage. Whence it appeareth that it is a yoke, if we do but drawe with Antichrist by conformitie vntounto his rites.cLibellus Supplicat. Theolog. anno 1561 Ibid. p. 590 Others more bolde affirme the impoſing of popiſh rites enthralleth eccleſiam ſponſam Chriſti euen to his yoke, and compelleth her ſervice etiam agnito Antichriſto. the reaſon is, becauſe we borrowe theſe rites from him, & the borrower (we know) becometh a ſeruant to him that lendeth: and our religion is (thereby) made inferior to his, becauſe we debaſe it, to receaue from him, while he ſcorneth to receaue from vsus. and (finally) becauſe he triumpheth while we are made ſadde, yea prevayleth by the coūtenance of theſe ceremonies while we are worſted in our miniſterie; Nay he is countenanced by theſe ceremonies, when we are put to ſhame. Miſerrimus eſt qui miſero ſervit; not little therefore is the ſervitude, to which the ſigne of the Croſſe doth ſell vsus: we cannot ſay of it as Hector once, if we were ſoulde to be ſlaues, we could hauehave borne it. Secondly, we are enthralled to man, which although we can beare better, in reſpect of our ſelues, yet in reſpect of the glorie of God, 1 Cor. 7.27we cānot wholy beare it neither, becauſe it is ſaid, be ye not the ſervants of men. whervpō our“Fran. Iun. controuer. 3. lib. 4. ca. 17. nota. 19 writers obſerue, that Chriſt hath freed vsus not only from the Lawe, from ſinne, and from the ceremonies of Moſes lawe, but alſo à ſervitute hominum. for we are preſſed with the bare will, and with the bare pleaſure of our reverend Fathers, which is a ſervitude both by the ſcripturs, Coloſ. 2.18. Heb. 12.10, and alſo by reaſon. For it is the will of God onelyonly that can make a thing to be good, therefore it only muſt be obeyed. Let vsus not bee worſe then papiſtes: euen theydStapleto. controuer. 5. q. 7. art. 2 affirme that the wil of the Magiſtrate of it ſelfe, cannot binde any, why heare we ſo often, it is the pleaſure of our ſuperiours,eD. Field. of the Church. lib. 4. c. 33. non ex voluntate Legiſlatoris, ſed ex ipſa legum vtilitate. Do humane lawes binde to obedience? As the ceremonies doe enthrall vsus to mans will, ſo much more vntounto his power. It is written of an Adiaphoriſte him ſelfe, that he accuſed the Adiaphoriſme of the Interim which was in Germanie, that it didfConrad. Schluſſelb. vb ſub. pa. 590. exequare homines potentes Deo, & perinde adorare. If I ſhould ſay the like of our preſent Adiaphoriſme, I ſhould be asked wherein? For anſwer to which, be it conſidered, whether abſolute power aſcribed to man in things indifferent doth not equall him to God or no? And when the practiſe of our church bringeth into greater feare to breake a ceremonie of mans ordayning, then to breake a lawe of Gods, in that it preſſeth more preciſely, and puniſheth more ſtricktly the one then the other: who can deny, but that it induceth an adoring of man, as if he were God, or at the leaſt a ſervitude to him? Thirdly, we are enthralled to the ceremonies them ſelues commaūded, againſt that part of chriſtian libertie, Gal. 4.10.which ſetteth vsus free A ſervitute rerum & elementorum huius mandi, both by the ſcriptures and by allgFran. Iun. vb. ſub 1 Cor. 6.12 good writers. I will not be brought vnderunder the power of any thing (ſaith Paule) but we are brought vnderunder the power, both of the Croſſe and Surplice, when we are conſtrained to vſe them, whether they edifie or deſtroy. For qui vtitur eo quod non expedit, ſiue licitum ſiue illicitum, redigitur quodammodo ſub rei illius poteſtate, ſaithhTho. Aquin. in 1. cor. 6. lect. 8 Aquinas. The Law of the ceremonies inflicteth puniſhment ipſo facto, but if the facte it ſelfe be puniſhed which omitteth any rite, thē is it for the rite ſake it ſelfe that the puniſhment is inflicted. which cannot be but the perſon is made ſubiect vntounto the rite, for which he is corrected. when without impeachment of chriſtiā libertie, a law beareth rule, it is by reaſon of the proſſit which it bringeth to common good: which profit when it ceaſeth, then the lawe it ſelfe doth ceaſe, as the canon lawe doth teach:lDecret pa. 1. diſtinct. 61 cap 8. Eccleſiaſticae prohibitiones proprias habent cauſas, quibus ceſſantibus, ceſſant & ipſae. ſo that puniſhment rightly executed,mIbid pa. 2 c. 1 q. 5. c. 3 is not ex rigore Canonum, but ex intuitu rationis. If then it were to the law only, that we were ſubiected, thē ſhould we not be puniſhed but for an hindering of the reaſon & of the profit of the law. Theſe doe we keepe, becauſe we edifie in what we doe. If then we be puniſhed, it is ex rigore canonis, non ex conſideratione diſcretionis, according to the letter, not according to the reaſon of the lawe: and ſo it is the rite it ſelfe, for which we are corrected, whereby it appeareth the rite it ſelfe doth beare rule ouer vsus. And theſe are the obiectes to which the ceremonies doe enthrall vsus, to the impeachment (as we take it) of our chriſtian libertie.