Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 4
#Sect. 4. Anſwere to this Obiection, The change of a law bringeth diſhonour of an Innovation, and extenuates the lawes authoritie.
FOurthly and laſt of all, It is replied to this our petition, that though no inconvenience be diſcerned, nor difficultie ſeene, yet the verie chaunge of a lawe, bringeth diſhonour of an innovation, and extenuateth the lawes authoritie. Firſt this excuſe holdeth, when there is no need of chaunge, nor profit by it: even asaAuguſtin. epiſt. 112. cap. 5. Auguſtine doth reſtraine it in theſe wordes: mutatio quae vtilis non eſt, perturbatione infructuaſa, conſequenter noxia est. In the cauſe of Ceremonies, as it ſwerueth too farre from the true line,bP. Martyr. in 1. Sam. cap. 14. Heſter 2.1. and 1.8. Dan. 6 13.16. when ceremonies once ceaſe to be profitable, they are without all ſticking to be remooued. So alſo it draweth too neare the iron leavell of a Perſian affected conſtancie: which while ſome imitate, they drawe vponupon themſelves this cenſure, Magiſtratus cAmand. Polan. in Dan. ibid.ne quidem inconſideratum edictum retractabunt, ne vileſcat ipſorum authoritas; & quia affectant laudem constantiae, quam non diſcernunt à perverſa animi obſtinatione, tum denique ne videantur conceſsiſſe quicquam ſervis Dei recta monentibus. This excuſe holdeth alſo where the chaunge inferreth a violent, burthenſome, and notorious noveltie; as Auguſtine doth reſtraine it againe,dAuguſt. epiſt. 18. ipſa mutatio conſuetudinis, etiam quae vtilitate adiuvat, novitate perturbat. which in the ceremonies hath no place, becauſe the Churches long ſince hauehave baniſhed them, and many Pariſhes here at home, a long time diſvſed them, with the good & willing contentement of the people. In the third place this excuſe holdeth, when the change is for the worſe, euen as an hiſtorian doth reſtraine iteCornel. Tacit. Anal li. 15. melius atque rectius olim proveſum, & quae convertuntur in deterius, mutantur: which in the ceremonies hath no place neither, becauſe the corne (I meane the doctrine) wil proſper the better, when they are purged of theſe weedes: in which caſe Ambroſe is to be heard,fAmbroſ. in epiſtol. ad Theodoſ. & Valent. Nullus pudor eſt, ad meliora tranſire. AndgAuguſtin. epiſt. 45 Auguſtines comfort: Foelix eſt neceſsitas, quae in meliora compellit. There will be perchaunce obiected, what an Emperour hath,hAuguſtin. Imperat apuddion. lib. 52. Quae in ſuo ſtatu eadem que manent, etſi deteriora ſunt, tamen vtiliora ſunt reipublicae quam quae per innovationem vel meliora inducuntur. But what is this to rites religious? the ende of which is not properly l pax politica (as the German Divines once helde againſt the Adiaphoriſme Ceremonies) but the glorie of God and the edifying of the Church, bo…h which require that eueryevery cuſtome of Forefathers, which is amiſſe, be preſently purged, and new rites ſetteled in their roome, which may be fitted diverſlie as the times them ſelues aremLudovic. Lavater. in Heſt. Homil. 34. diverſe. where the Canon law taketh ſtricteſt order for the Churches obſervations, that none ſhould chaunge them, there Gratian putteth in this caveat, nGratian. decret. p. 2. cauſ. 35. q. 9 cap. 2.quae illi…ttè à praedeceſſoribus admiſſa inveniuntur, in melius revocari oportet. And in the chapter that next followeth, when the decree it ſelfe ſpeaketh thus:oIbid. c. 3. Qui in cauſis Dei, quod perperam fecit abolere, aut quod à praedeceſſoribus ſuis male invenerit admiſſum vitare noluerit, in ſe quicquid in alio non reſecaverit inveniet: it plainly teacheth, that though in civill affaires, an old bad cuſtome may ſeeme better, then ſome good new one, yet that in cauſis Dei, an olde bad cuſtome muſt be cut of, or puniſhment expected. A little after, a chaunge is commaundedpIbid. cap. 6 pro conſideratione aetatum, vel temporum, as Paule did ſome things without lenitie, quae poſtea dignoſcitur reprobaſſe. In this caſe Auguſtine hath this ſimilitude: As a patient may not miſlike or call in queſtion his phyſitions skill,qAuguſtin. cont. Pauſt Manich. li. 32. c. 14. ſi aliud ille hodie praecipiat, aliud cras, prohibens (etiam) quod antea praeceperat, ſic. n. ſe habet ſanandi, eius corporis ratio: ſo none muſt miſlike a variable, or a contrarie chaunge, in the ceremonies of Gods ſervice, becauſe the Churches edification doth require it. Secondly, the impoſition of the ceremonies, breedeth the greateſt chaunge that may bee in the Churches where they hauehave been long time diſvſed. Can there be any chaunge like to this, that the people after twentie or thirtie yeares, muſt now in the Church ſee dumbe dogges in ſteade of Preachers? in the pulpit heare Homilies in ſtead of Sermons, and hauehave thoſe ceremonies returne againe, of which ſome ſay, we hauehave liued long enough, if nowe we muſt ſee this popiſh traſhe reenter? Neuer yet did the reducing of popiſh ceremonies, but breede diſguſte: to continue them is one thing (ſay ourrBeza in epiſt. 8. & 12 writers) to reduce them, an other. To reduce them (ſaid thesConrad. Schluſſelb. …o…. 13. Divines of Germanie) is to diſturbe the peace of the Church, to greeue the Godly, to wounde the weake, to countenance poperie, by ſhewe of inclination towardes it, or of commoderation with it. It will be ſaid the fault heereof is in the men, who firſt diſvſed them; whom the Canon Lawe excuſeth,tSilueſt. Prier. in ſumma verb. conluetud. ſect. 6. ſi conſuetudo contra legem ſit contra privatam vtilitatem & in nullius preiudicium, & ſuperior ſcit & tolerat legem abrogat, & nō requiritur alia preſcriptio ſecundum Dominum Antoninum, quia ex quo ſuperior vidit & tolerat, non videtur velle inijcere vinculum. Et Panor. dicit: quod ſufficit binus aut trinus actus vt tollatur. Thirdly, whereas lawes ſometimes, muſt bee chaunged, vponupon ſome cauſes, theſe cauſes (all of them) will be found in the ceremonies controverſed. TheuThom. Aquin. 1.2. qu. 97, firſt Caſſander him ſelfe yeeldeth to (though moſt infamous for Adiaphoriſme)wHerman. Hamelman de tradit. appendic. ad p. 1. colum. 498: In traditionibus ratio & cauſa ſpectanda eſt, qua manente, & ipſas manere vtile eſt: ceſſante verò, & ipſae ceſſare, vel poſſunt vel debent. For example; abſtinence from bloud and ſtrangled are they not ceaſed, nowe that the reaſon is extinct, for which the Apoſtle did commaunde them, which was the weaknes of the Iewes, and the coalition of the Gentiles with them? change but the name, and this is ſpoken of the ceremonies now in handling: for as much as they were lefte by K. Edw. and Q. Elizabeth, for our owne weakenes, and for the winning of papiſtes to vsus, the former of which is now out of date, the latter out of place. The ſecond cauſe to aboliſh ceremonies, is, whenxThom. Aquin. 1.2. qu. 97. art. 1. thorough chaunge of tymes and perſons, they doe euen hurt (asyAuguſtin. epiſt. 118. Auguſtine ſaith) propter fidem & bonos mores, velemendare oportet, quod perperam fiebat, vel inſtitui quod non fiebat. What a thing is it, that the Ceremonies which firſt were tollerated for the winning of papiſtes, ſhould ſtill be ſuffered, now that they harden them? Muſt incurvation towards the Eaſt be ſtill continued, becauſe Forefathers left it in vſe? No, a Leo 2Leo ſerm. 7. de Nat. Dom.will chaunge and alter it, though neuer ſo auncient; becauſe he ſeeth, it hardeneth Pagans in their adoring the Sunne. Muſt the cuſtome of oblations for the memorialls of the Martyrs be ſtill continued becauſe it is auncient? No,zLudouic. Viues in Auguſt de civitat. Dei. lib. 8. c. 27. an Ambroſe will chaunge and alter it, for that ſhewe of conformitie which it hath with the heathen. AaConcil. Antiſiodorenſ. can. 5. vigil in Ste Martins honour was chaunged and altered, though verie auncient. FeaſtesbMartin. Braccarenſ. in collect. Sinodor. can. 60. at the ſepulchres of the dead were chaunged and altered though verie auncient.cCōcil. Cabiloneuſ. Can. 19. Dauncing at the dedication of Churches & Feſtiuities of Martyrs was chaunged & altered, though verie auncient. It may be obiected, that tracte of time, maketh aliene rites more lawfull then they were at firſte, as bayes ſet vp before the dore, was in the primitiue Church vnlawfull for that conformitie, whereof it made ſhewe with Idolaters, whereas afterward Nepotian is prayſed by Hierome, dHieron. epiſt. 3.Quod Eccleſias Martyrum diverſis floribits, vitium que pampinis exornaret. But either Hierome was too blame to allowe of this conformitie with the Pagans, now that the time of their weaknes was paſte, or elſe there were no Pagans neare, to be hardened by the ſame. The third cauſe to remooue a Ceremonie, is to vindicate Chriſtian libertie, from the ſervitude of the element, as Bucer ſaith,eBucer. in Mat. 18. It is time when the Goſpell hath been long preached, exemplo tueri libertatem, for which he wiſheth the Surplice away: inferring thus: It is our dutiefIdem in Cenſur. c. 2. p. 458. libertatem Chriſtianam, in rebus quibuſvis, praeclarè tueri & prae nobis ferre. It is to be marked, that in rebus quibuſvis, we are to abſtaine, though neuer ſo ſmall, and vſe exemplis libertatis contra adverſarios pertinaces, I meane the Papiſtes, as Luther taught, and manygConrad. Schluſſelb. Catalog. haere…cor. 573. Divines in Germanie after him: in following whom, wee trace the ſtepps of the holy Apoſtle, who though he circumziſeth Tymothie, yet refuſeth to circumcize Titus to vphold the Chriſtian libertie againſt thoſe Iewes who thought Circumcizion neceſſarie, as now the papiſtes thinke of the Croſſe and Surplice. And ſuch is the equitie of our firſt petition, Gal. 2.16that theſe ceremonies may be remooued.