Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 5 · Section 10
#Sect. 10. The Oppoſites in defence of Ceremonies, offende againſt ordinarium jus.
FRom equitie which we hauehave not receyued, I come to ordinarium ius, which walketh in the middeſt betweene this equitie and contrarie rigour, of which we ſuppoſe we hauehave fayled likewiſe: whether the ius of a good lawe in generall be reſpected, or the ius of this lawe of our lande in ſpeciall. Touching the firſt for aſmuch as the end of the law is louelove, which hath two daughters Goodnes & Iuſtice, we are to conſider this ius ordinariū, firſt as it is ouerſwayed by goodnes, then as iuſtice doth direct it apart by it ſelf. The firſt goodnes that maketh interceſſiō is gentlenes, which wil not be1Nehē 5.24 burthenſome, but abſtaine rather from the bread of the gouernor: nor be2foreign 1. Theſ. ….7. grievous, but forbeare rather the31. cor. 9▪ 15 power of the governor. which leadeth with the bonds of4Hoſ. 11.4. LoueLove, taketh away eueryevery hard yoke, delighteth in willingnes of obedience rather then feare, & therefore enlureth, not terrifieth only, which isaSum. Silueſtrin. verb. iuſt. proper vntounto rigour.bGregor. epiſt. 126. tit. 6. Ipſa gubernacula ſunt mag no moderamine temperanda, ne poteſtas mentem ſurripiat. Then is the gouernement righteous (cIdem in reſcrip. Faeli…i. Siciliae. Tom concil. …. p. 7…2. ſaith he elſwhere) quando nihil poteſtati, ſed totum equitati tribuitur. what though (then) our Reverend Fathers hauehave a power to exact theſe things: doth not gentlenes intreate them, not to vſe this power of theirs, rather then to encōber & burthen quiet cō ſciences & hartes ſingle before their God? Let none ſay, they may chooſe (alſo) whether they will forbeare their power or no, but he that thinketh it is in their choyſe whether they wilbe gentle or no. which how can they be, ſith they muſt needs make their litle finger heauy, who make a geſture of the finger ſo heavy, 1 Reg. 12.14toſo many prophets of the Lord? This is not with Irenaeus to be gentle in a ceremonie; this is rather to walke with Victor, like vntounto thē of whom Eraſmus, his dEraſm. in Schol. virae. Irenae.modis & nos magnā orbis partem per didimus, dum omnes ceremonias ad viuū exigimus. Know eſt thou not (ſaid Pharoes ſervants once to him) that Egipt goeth to wracke? know not out Rever. Fathers now, what a great part of the church is waſted? If things were in integro, we would beſeech thē to be left to our ſelues, euen as ineZozom. hiſtor li. 7. cap. 19. Eaſters controverſie, all were at the firſt permitted to do as they would. But ſeeing now there is a law made, which bindeth to one ſide we wiſhe that gentle carriage towards vsus, which hath euermore been ſhewed in matters of like qualitie. Auguſt. ſpeaking of the Lenten faſte, which was by the church in his time commanded, giueth libertie to keepe itfAuguſt. conita Fauſt. Manichae lib. 30 cap. 5. quanto magri… quiſ…ue vel minus, ſeu voluerit, ſeu potuerit. Theodoret ſpeaking of the ſ… … notwithſtading it was a cuſtome) yet hath theſe words:gTheodor: epi. diuin. decret. Abſtinentia. &c ſas parti …tie ſ…nt …mentis poteſi…te. Proſper, affirmeth the cōmandement of faſting was …gently …cted, that men faſted,hProſp. de vin contem: 2. c vlt. nō coacti, ſed denoti. to wit, the cōmandement was a canon rather then a law, as appeareth by Primaſius. lPrimaſ. in Rom. 14.De ieiunto (ſaith he) …ex no…eſt poſita, ſed quomodo poteſt vnuſquiſque & vult. Chriſoſtome is alleadged bymBellat. de Pontifie. lib. 4 ca. 17 Be…armi…, to proue a neceſſarie obſeruatiō of this faeſting, who yet notwithſtanding leaueth both it ſelf & the circumſtances of it, in nChryſoſt. in 1. cor. homil. 9. Mal. 2.6. Mat. 15.3. Iſa. 10.1.cuiuſ que opinione. I need not ſhew how we hauehave fayled of this gentlenes in theſe ceremonies, who hauehave ſued for it to this houre, & yet ſue to our Reu. Fathers, without any other anſwer thē this, There is a lawe, it muſt be obeyed. But doth it ſuffize thus to ſay, without reſpect to him that will aske, ſhould not my law, the lawe of trueth be in your mouthes, that ſo ye might hauehave walked with me in peace and equitie? Is it not ſo that ye hauehave broken my law, to ſet vp your owne? and that againſt my heavie threat, woe vntounto them that make heauy lawes? The ſecond goodnes tempering Iuſtice is indulgēce, which exacteth no performāce in a ceremonie, but that which the partie is ablero do, & that without an Incōveniēce to himſelf. For may not the Sabbothday be brokē, whē the obſervatiō of it doth hurt the body? Mat. 12.12…the Sabboth being made for man, not mā for the Sabboth. Thē are we bereaued of chriſtian indulgence, when to theſe ceremonies we are inforced to the hurt of our cōſciēces, or els forced to looſe our ſtates, as if we were made for the ceremonies, & not the cerem. made for vsus▪ which were thēſelues neuer made by God, as was the Sabboth Hierom for the neceſſitie of the Lenten faſte, leaueth men notwithſtanding to do in their faſtingsoHie…on. epiſto ad Nepotian. quantū poſſunt, & requireth moderatū ieiunium only, as the body is able to beare: further thē which, if any mā faſt, he calleth it ſuperſtitioſum. NaypBel…ar. de Poncific. li. 4▪ ca. 18. Bellar. exacteth not now the canō of faſting, though his church ſeverely enioyneth it, either of children, old men, or ſicke, who cannot beare it, or whoſe health it would hurt, ſo that, it ſeemeth, it were well with vsus, if we had but the bread which Antichriſt himſelfe breaketh to his children in any good proportion, for as much as we can proteſt againſt theſe ceremonies, that they ſtande not with the health of our ſoules which are more precious then our bodies, and that our conſciences are made ſicke with them. This is our weaknes (ſome will ſay) as if Chriſt ſpared not to conforme his diſciples to the rigour of the Phariſies faſtings, yea of the faſtings of Iohns diſciples▪ when by reaſon of their infirmitie he ſawe they were as veſſells weake, Mat. 9.17.that could not beare it without burſting. In regard hereof, if we call on our Reuerend Fathers to be ſpared, we doe but recall their owne doctrine to their mindes, which euen ſpeaking of the Magiſtrate hath theſe wordes,qDoc. Bilſ. cont. Apolog. pag. 1. pag. 46. we may not for things indifferent, trouble the weak mindes of the brethrē.