Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 16
#Sect. 16. The puniſhments inflicteth for not conformitie, are greater then the faultes committed.
IF iuſtice will giuegive vsus that libertie which is our owne, Sect. 16.in her diſtribution of good, then in her diſtribution of evill ſhe will overpaſſe vsus, at the leaſt ſhe will forbeare to ſuſpende, to depriue, to excommunicate, as being puniſhments in a triſte, againſt the light of nature it ſelfe, Cauendum eſt, ne paena maior ſit quam culpa. Cicero lib. de offic.An Innekeeper looketh to be payde for the fume and ſmell of his fleſhe: within which a poore man did eate his owne bread. his recōpence was, that the poore man ſhould paye him, with the ſound of his money: then which ſentence,aPanormit. in c. ad noſtram Ext. de conſuet. Cato him ſelfe could not giuegive a better. An ayerie commoditie, requiring but an aereall payment, it ſeemeth our tranſgreſsion in an aereall Croſſe, deſerveth but an aereall puniſhment, ſuch as is a chriſtian reproofe. If it had been iniuſtice, if this poore man had payde his ſubſtance for a commoditie which was not ſubſtantiall, then what iuſtice on our tranſgreſsion in a matter of no ſubſtance, to lay that puniſhment, then which tranſgreſſions in the matters of great ſubſtance, cannot receaue greater? Againſt this, there is broached of late, a ſtraunge poſition: Cō tempt is greater in a ſmall matter, then in a matter of greater moment: and that of purpoſe, to make our puniſhment the greater, the ſmaller the croſſe & the Surplice are, in which we offende. They pretende in which we contemne: but of that wee hauehave cleared our ſelues alreadie. nowe examine we the point it ſelfe. The dround of it ſeemeth to be borrowed out of Bernard, cBernard. de praecept. & diſpenſ.In difficilioribus agendis obetitio gratior, quam gravior pravaricatio indicatur. in facilioribus minuſque oneroſis contemptus damnabilior quam actus laudabilior aeſtimatur. which if it be, then may the raude of the allegation (for they euen tranſlate theſe wordes) bee with one eye diſcouered. Firſt he eſteemeth not contempt in a ſmall matter, a greater ſinne thē contempt in a great. he only holdeth cōtempt in a ſmall matter to be worſe then an actuall breach of a great. becauſe here the difficultie of the thing extenuateth the fault, and mans infirmitie pleadeth ſome excuſe. For what can be replyed to theſe wordes of his, in the ſame treatiſe, maioribus mandatis maior, minoribus minor, opera noſtra & cura debetur. de quorum etiam contemptu iuxta eandem conſider ationem gravior leuiorve offenſa contrahitur. Makes not this plaine, that contempt is greater or leſſe, as is the matter wherein it offendeth? the reaſon is, becauſe according to the matter, groweth the commandement more ſtricke or remiſſe, euen in the will and right intent of the Superior, of which thus Bernard a little after: pro varijs neceſsitatibus, vel vtilitatibus agendorum iniungentium affectio variatur. quodque putauerint rectius & commodius, hoc amplius cupiant & exigant obſervari. Tam ergo qualitas praceptorum, quam authoritas praecipientium, & obedientiae praefigit metam, & inobedientia terminat culpam. quando vt dictum eſt in praelatis quibuſ que maioris authoritatis, & in eorum mandatis, quibuſque maioris vtilitatis, quo diligentior debetur obſequendi cura, eo & culpa gravior incurritur. Secondly, ſuppoſe he cōpareth a cōtempt in great and ſmall matters, together in the foreſaid allegation, yet what is that to our cauſe, wherein the ſmal ceremonies impoſed (as it often cometh to paſſe) are very burthenſome, hard, and difficult to our conſciences: ſeeing it is apparant, that he ſpeaketh of matters ſmall in ſuch manner, as that they be eaſie alſo, which theſe commaunded rites are not. In regard whereof I returne home to them the argument thus: The eaſier it is for our Superiours to forbeare their cōmaund in theſe controverſed rites, the greater is their contempt of vsus: whom they burthē needleſlie. Is it a ſmall fault (thinke ye) to laye heavie burthens vpō other mens ſhoulders? eſpecially when it is done by them, who ſhould be the firſt to take of the heavie burthens, Iſai 58.6.and to let the oppreſſed goe free, and to breake eueryevery yoke? Thirdly, Bernard doeth not holde eueryevery breach of an eaſie matter (in caſe theſe ceremonies be eaſie to vsus) to be a contempt▪ much leſſe a contempt puniſhable more, then the contempt of a matter great: which our Reuerend Fathers hauehave both helde hitherto againſt vsus, and executed on vsus, but he affirmeth (indeed) the contrarie, Non qualiſcunque mandati praeteritio criminalem facit inobedientiam, ſed repugnare, ſed nolle obedire. and he preſcribeth a more iuſt proceeding, ſuch as putteth a great matter into the ballance, when it doth puniſh with great puniſhment minorum mandatorum tranſgreſsio parit peccata leuiora, nec vnius ſubinde diſcriminis iuſſorum eſt omnium cenſenda tranſgreſsio: vnde pater Benedictus, ſecundum inquit menſuram culpae excommunicationis extendatur cenſura. Here let me mention, what Anachar ſis ſaith, in Plutarch: O rem publicam breui interituram, vbi Principes conſultant, populus decernit. Wherefore?dBulling. comment. in Act. ca. 12. quia huic proprium eſt in minimis maximè formidare, in maximis minimè proſpicere. leaving it to the iudgement of all that are indifferent, whether the practize of the foreſaide principle, excommunicating and depriving propter haec minima, while the maxima (to wit) Nonreſidencie, dombe ministerie, with the like, are not prevented, were not to renew that prepoſterouſnes, which in his iudgement decayeth a ſtate? From this courſe, doetheIo. Criſ. in Carol. Mag. Charles the great cal vsus, renowned for reforming the Cleargies idlenes. &fIdem in Carol. 4. Charles the fourth, whoſe chiefe care was to remoue their ſuperfluitie. AndgIdem in Sigiſmund Sigiſmund, who ſtroue at the Councill of Conſtance, with all his power to redreſſe their enormities: yeahIdem in Benedict. 12. Benedict the 12. Pope him ſelf, who is ſaide to hauehave remoued many Prieſtes, that were vnlearned, out of the Church. Our Oppoſites taking a contrarie courſe, ſhewe themſelues moſt guiltie in that, which they are wont to lay to our charge. For who nowe are the men (I pray you) that ſtraine at a gnatt, but ſwallowe a camell? For to make an omiſſion of a tryfling ceremonie, an haynous ſinne, is to make a gnatt a monſter, and to liue in ſoule murther thorough Nonreſidencie, and thorough doumbnes, Zacha. 11.5.and to ſay, I ſinne not, like the Paſtors of Iſrael. They that keepe them ſlaye them and ſinne not, is to bring downe a cammell, not only to ſmalnes, but alſo to nothing. And (me thinkes) if it were but for ſhame of papiſtes, we ſhould mitigate this moode.hAmbroſ. lib. 10. epiſt. 83. die Dominica ieiunare non poſſumus (ſaid Ambroſe once) qui… Manichaeos (etiam) ob iſtius diei ieiunia, iure damnamus. In like manner we can not well puniſhe, with depoſition or excommunication, or the like in ſuch ſmal matters, who iuſtly condemne, the papiſtes iniuſtice in ſome proceedinges. WhenlBellarm. de Ponti. li. 4 cap. 16. Bellarmine obiecteth, that certaine Councills hauehave excommunicated lay men, and depriued Miniſters for breach of eccleſiaſticall canons, this anſwere he receaueth from one of our writers,mFr. Iun. controver. 3. li. 4 c. 16 nota. 74. Negamus primum Concilia priſca, olim de re qualibet leges taliſſe, ſub poena anathematis, vel depoſitionis. tum ſi qua fecerunt (cauſam fundamentalis doctrinae excipio) negamus feciſſe legitimè poteſtate ſua ad deſtructionem, non ad aedificationem, abutentia. what was the worſt of the Adiaphoriſme of Germanie, ſaue this,nAdiaphor. Theolog. Saxon. apud Conrad. Schluf. ſelburgh. tom. 13. pa. 466. perſequi vera membra Chriſti, ereptione bonorum aut honorum, exterminatione, captivitate, famoſis libellis, qui ceremontarum receptionem, cum laeſione propriae cō ſcientiae modeſtè & grauiter ſine omni ſeditione improbant. oIbid. pag. 179.another more roughly: who calleth them Achitophells, by whoſe meanes the two Preachers Eccleſiae Torgenſis were thruſt out, becauſe they would not conſent to the innovations of the Interim; not ſparing them in the meane ſeaſon, who propter albam veſtem, layd the Church waſt of Preachers, in miſerable manner. WhenpSocrat. hiſtor. l. 7, cap. 17. Chriſoſtome was depoſed, it was thought by ſome to be a iuſt iudgemēt of God vponupon him, becauſe before he had depriued diuerſe of their churches, becauſe they differed in the ceremonie of Eaſter from him: Yet might he better depriue them, then our Superiour can now depriue vsus. If he depriued any, it was for a rite which all the whole church obſerued. If we be depriued, it is for a rite which all the churches (except our owne) hauehave baniſhed. and he depriued men that conformed them ſelues to aliens, we are depriued becauſe we will not conforme to aliens, (to wit to Antichriſt) but to the true churches rather.qZanch. in comment. in epiſt. ad Philippen. c. 1. doct. 2▪ Zanchius handleth the queſtion of depoſing miniſters about the ceremonies, and he turneth the edge of the Magiſtrates ſword againſt them, who will not diſvſe popiſh ceremonies, when the Magiſtrate doeth aboliſh them. that a Miniſter ſhould be depriued for diſvſig popiſh ceremonies, when was it euer the iudgement of any of note for learning vnleſſe hee were intereſſed in the quarrell? If any were then to be depriued it ſhould bee thoſe who countenaunce poperie, ſauour of it, and therevpon hold faſt her rites▪ we leaſt of all other ſhould be depriued, who moſt reſiſt popery, and who hauehave deſerued no deprivation, vnleſſe it be for our hatred of Antichriſt, & for our zeale againſt his reliques. And conſidering the ſeaſon, though we were worthie, yet ſhould we leaſt be deprived nowe, when poperie riſeth like the ſwellings of Iordan; yea maketh invaſion like an armed man when there wanting many on the other ſide in many churches, to ſtande vp in the gappe againſt it. Doeth not the Canon lawe it ſelf ſpare depriving for greater faultes, when there isrDecret. pa. 2. ca. 1. q. 5 c. 3. penuria ſacerdotum? and quando vtilitas Eccleſiae exigit?