Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 8 – Section 9
#Sect. 8. The warrant of Ceremonies ought to be Rerſon and Edification, neither Will nor Authoritie.
A Thanaſius is approved by ouraThom. Morton. Apolog. p. 1. li. 1. c. 68 writers, when he writeth to Euſtachius, they doe renovare, nay ſuperare cunctas haereſes, qui iubent accipere ſimpliciter, quae dicuntur, vt nemo exquirat quid deceat, aut non deceat, quid vtile, quid propoſito conſentaneum, quid myſterio dignum, quid concordans cum veritate. Theſe wordes (to mine vnderſtanding) reproue not only that iniuſtice which taketh away from vsus a free and modeſt examination of the lawfulnes of theſe ceremonies controverſed, whereof we hauehave ſpoken, but alſo that, which barreth particular examination of the expediencie, which they ſhould hauehave in vſe and practiſe, of which nowe wee are to ſpeake. For as Bellarmine bBellar. de Pontific. lib. 4. c. 16.holdeth there is no ceaſing of a lawe of a ceremonie quomodocunque (he meaneth vponupon particular circumſtances which do occurre) vntill it ceaſe vniverſaliter, ſo here at home it is denied, that the rigour of the lawe ceaſeth in theſe ceremonies, at any one time, in any one place for anie circumſtance whatſoever, vntill it be remoued away vniverſally. We graunt (ſay ſome) the ceremonies muſt not be vſed, when inexpedient. But who ſhal iudge? For if it be lefte to every Miniſter, then what confuſion? Firſt, 1 Cor. 6.12 1 Cor 12.8 Coloſ. 1.9. Eccleſ. 8 4. Pro. 25.11.as there is foreign to ſee what is lawfull, ſo is there foreign to iudge according vntounto circumſtances what iscZanch comentar. in Coloſ. 1.9. expedient. If then the Magiſtrate permit not the miniſter to iudge expediencie in what he doeth, as preſent circumſtances ſhall chaunge or varie; hee forbiddeth the practize of a vertue & the vſe of a gifte which God hath giuen him; and without which he can no more profit the ſoules of them that are committed to his charge, thendConci. Aquigranen. cap. 24. a phiſition can cure the body when it is not permitted to him, to vſe his diſcretion according to the preſent circumſtances of the cure. Secondlie, we ſee that which is good per ſe, groweth euill per accidens if it bee not duelieeCaietan. in Thom. 1.2. que. 9. circumſtantionatum. ForfLambert. Dane. Ethi▪ cor. l. 1 c. 16 non tantum conſiderandum eſt id quod agimus, ſed etiam quibus circumſtantijs. To giuegive inſtance: An almes though good of it ſelfe, yet groweth to be evill, if it be faultie in the circūſtances of due time, meaſure, manner, and of fit perſons vponupon whom it is beſtowed. How much more (then) doe things indifferent, which are not good (ſuch as the ceremonies are helde to bee) then growe to be evill, when by the diſcretion of the Miniſter, they be not guided to right circumſtances, and ridd from euill? Thirdly, the Magiſtrates power is no greater then Paules. Now he leaveth the managing of things indifferent, to the diſcretion of eueryevery man. For his wordes are theſe: Let eueryevery man vſe his iudgement, that he lay no ſtumbling blocke before his brother. In deede as the Magiſtrate is bounde to inſtitute, abrogate, and chaunge rites generally,gChemn…t. examin. pa. 1. de tradit. pag. 84. pro generali ratione aedificationis, locorum, perſonarum, temporum: ſo it is his duetie to overſee the Miniſter, that a ceremonie be privatly chaunged or omitted, as private circumſtances doe change and varie, ſeeing private circumſtances hauehave power to make euill the private vſe, as well as the generall ones hauehave power to make the whole genus euill, as hath been ſhewed alreadie. Fourthly, ſeeing the expediencie of the ceremonies conſiſteth in particular circumſtances, which a lawe generall cannot compriſe, therefore a good lawe will giuegive libertie to omit them, in caſe they doe not edifie, euen the papiſtes them ſelues being iudges.hTho. Aquin. 1▪ 1. q. 97. art. 3 reſpōſ. ad … Leges humanae. &c. The lawes of man in ſome caſes are defectiue, in which it is not expedient for the publique good, that they ſhould be kept. wherevpon it may fall out ſometimes, that a man may doe beſides the lawe, to wit, in a caſe in which the lawe fayleth, & yet the action ſhall not be euill. Fiftly, See we the iudgement of the godly:lAuguſt. epiſt. 118. cap. 2. totum hoc genus liberas habet ob ſervationes. The obſervation of things indifferent, is free. AmHarmon. confeſſi. ſect 17 ex Helueri. poſte. art. 25. godly man may at all times and in all places vſe them freely. howbeit he muſt vſe them only to the glorie of God, and the edificatiō of his brother. MennIbid. exconfeſ. Bohemic. c. 15 muſt be taught to acknowledge that there is no perpetuall or inevitable lawe to bee made about mans traditions; but as for iuſt cauſes they are ordayned, ſo for iuſte cauſes, & re ita postulante, they may without ſinne be broken, abrogated, & chaū ged, euen by the example of the Apoſtles. who brake the tradition of the Elders, when they did eate with vnwaſhen handes, and kept not the faſtes which others did keepe, & yet neuer ſinned therein.oA. Hiper. de ſacris ſtud. non deſerend. pag. 156. Poteſt qui praeeſt. &c. A Paſtor of a church may by his private authoritie, abrogate rites and obſervations, when they degenerate from true pietie, or growe openly ſuperſtitious. Quid verò dico poteſt? immo ſi functioni tuae facere vis ſatis, debes medijs omnibus in id laborare, id que ne aliorum peccatis te contamines. Againe,pIdem pag. 158. Ceremonies, although they be not of themſelues impious, yet it is certaine they may be omitted, if the circumſtance of time, perſon, place doe ſo require, or rather profitable and neceſſarie cauſes doe occurre, as the ſet number of prayers, which the Biſhopps doe preſcribe, may be omitted vponupon need of time. other like things vponupon due circumſtances may bee lefte, nay (indeed) they muſt be lefte, and pretermitted. And ſuch is our third petition againſt the greevances which the commaunding of the Ceremonies in preſent practize hurleth on vsus.
#Sect. 9. 4. Suite, beſeecheth that they may not be thought to offend againſt a law, who obſerve the intention of it.
OVr fourth beſeecheth, a mitigation of thoſe rigours, which the execution of this commaunde hath hitherto brought with it. Here (as wee take it) wee hauehave miſſed not only of equitie, but of ordinarie iuſtice alſo. It is a common ſaying, that equitie muſt euer dwell in the boſome of the Prince. which as theaAeneas Silui. de geſt. cōcil. Baſilienſ. li. 1. fol. 4. coū cill of Baſil interpreteth, is to leaue the letter of the Lawe, and to follow the reaſon of it. This thebTho. Aquin. 2.2. q 120. art. 1. ſchoolmen thus enlarge; Law makers reſpect that, which moſt vſually falleth out, and frame their lawe accordingly▪ which lawe notwithſtanding in ſome caſes to obſerue, is againſt the equalitie of iuſtice, and the common good which the lawe doeth intende. As for example: Sometimes it is hurtfull to reſtore that, with which we are put in truſt withall, to wit, to reſtore a ſworde to one that is madd. where to followe the lawe, is to his hurte: but it is for his good (leauing the wordes of the lawe) to followe that which iuſtice, reaſon, and common profit doth require. ad quod ordinatur aequitas. This conſidered, we are cleared when we omit the Croſſe and Surplice, becauſe we keepe the intent of the lawe, which intendeth edificatiō, which is bonum commune, but condemned whē we vſe them, becauſe then in giving ſcandall, we follow the letter againſt the certainecThe treatice of the ceremon. prefix. before the communi. booke. ſtat. Elizab. 1. c. 2. in fin. intent of the lawe, which is reſolued to be malum. What are the Croſſe & Surplice but knives wherewith the ſimple hurt them ſelues? but equitie wee ſee forbiddeth, though generally the lawe commanndeth, I ſay not to giuegive a popiſh knife, but to giuegive a man his owne knife, when he is likely to hurt himfelfe with it. And there is an other inſtance of common equitie, which ſerueth our turne. The letter of the Lawe forbiddethdCicer. de offic. tranſcendere muros, when equitie biddeth a man to climbe them, and leape ouer them too, ſo it be to repell the enimie: This now is our caſe. For if we breake the lawes letter, and ſo leape ouer Croſſe and Surplice, and ſome other ceremonies of our church, yet wee keepe the Lawes equitie, in that we doe it to fight againſt the common enimie (who is the papiſt) and the common ſuperſtition popiſhe, which men place in them. An Inquiſitor himſelf cannot condemne vsus in this caſe, in caſe he ſtande to his owne deciſion, which is this, he iseSilueſt. Prier. in Summa verb. inobedientia. not guiltie of diſobedience, which doth againſt the wordes of the Lawe, keeping the intent thereof; ſo that it may be probably thought, if the lawgiuer him ſelfe were preſent, he would not oblige and binde. Speaketh he not of a Law-giuer, whoſe intent is vpright and rectified? if he doe, then hath Pilate him ſelfe waſhed vsus, from imputation of diſobedience, becauſe not onelyonly it may probably be iudged, but alſo it is certainly knowen, that our law-makers, whoſe heartes are vpright within them, would neuer binde vntounto the ceremonies controverſed, if they were in re preſenti, and ſawe that hurt, which we ſee daylie to come of them.