Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 2
#Sect. 2. The ſoule murther of the Croſſe.
THE ſoule murther of it, is through ſcandall, which how can it be litle ſinne, Sect. 2.ſith it offendeth againſt Chriſt him ſelf, and deſtroyeth thoſe whom Chriſt hath redeemed. If any replye, none of the elect can periſhe, we eaſilie graunt it, 1. Cor. 8.12 Rom. 14.15.ſith euen a IeſuitaRibera. in commenta. in Amos. ca. 9. Num. 8. Rolloc. in Rom. 14.15. him ſelfe will yeeld it. yet he that offendeth is ſaid to deſtroye them, becauſe he doth that, that is b apte to deſtroy, & of which deſtructiō would enſue, were they not by the Lord preſerved, which is no thankes to him that giueth ſcādal. So the life of David is bound vp in the bundle of life, & none is able to take it frō him: yet in that Saule riſeth vp againſt him, & ſeeketh his bloud, he is guilty of his murther. So David himſelfe coūteth the water fetched frō Bethlehem, to be the bloud of the men that fetch it, 1. Sam. 25: 2. Sam. 23.17. 1. Cor. 8. vlt Mat. 5.29.30.although God being mercifull to them they hauehave eſcaped, becauſe he did that which was apt to ſhed their bloud, in that he put their liues in hazard. For this cauſe every inſtrumēt of offence muſt be remoued, even to meate; yea euen to an hande and eye: nay more to trueth andcThom. Aquin. 2.2. qu 43. ar, 7 iuſtice it ſelf. for the truth muſt be concealed, and iuſtice omitted in puniſhing ſinne, when there will a ſcandall growe, even as thedSumma Silueſt ver. ſcandal. verſes runne, eſt veritas vitae, doctrinae, iuſtitiae que : Prima ſemper habe, duo alia propter ſcandala linque. Our Oppoſites in anſwering this, agree not together. ſome of them yeelding ther is an aptnes in the Ceremonies to breed ſcandal, to wit, an inconvenience: others hotly contending, they are moſt convenient, and ſo apt for edification. And of the former, there are three pathes, which they chooſe to them ſelves in the courſe of their conformitie. The firſt ſorte of them ſtande on this, though a thing per ſe vnlawfull, can never be done without offence, yet that things inexpedient may be yeelded too without tranſgreſſion. The firſt ſcripture which I know alleadged for this (to wit the 1. Cor. 6.12. All things are lawfull, but al things are not expedient, maketh more againſt them, then any ſcripture that I know, and that in Pet. Martyrs iudgement, who thus commenteth on it: Agit de indifferentibus. &c. he handleth things indifferent, & preventeth an obiection. They boaſted all things indifferent are lawfull for me, Paule replyeth, but all of them are not expedient,eP. Martyr in humc. loc he beateth downe their boaſting by this firſt exception. For although many things be lawfull of them ſelues, yet we muſt take heede of them, when they are not expedient. The ſame appeareth by the practize of Paule, who abſtaineth from meates here, refraineth elſwhere from taking wages, becauſe he ſawe inconvenience in them which hindered the edifying of the Church. This hindering muſt not be paſſed over without conſideration. There are twofThom. Aquin. commentar. in 1. Cor. 6. Lection. 2. ſortes of inexpediencie. the one totally excluding the ende, which is edification, as that which deſtroyeth. the other in part hindreth only the eaſie attayning of the end of edifying: and not only the former but the latter alſo did the Apoſtle Paul forbeare: witnes this, he would not marrie, becauſe it hindered, that facilitie of going about the world to preach, which nowe he enjoyeth all while he remaineth vnmarried. who then will bring this ſcripture to prooue a man may vſe the ceremonies though inexpedient, that hath his …. wittes about him, ſith they deſtroye as ſhalbe ſhewed, not only let and hinder the meanes whereby eaſilie otherwiſe men might be edified. The ſecond ſcripture alleadged againſt vsus, pleadeth even the practize of this Apoſtle, who yeelded (ſay they) to an inconvenience, when he purified him ſelf in the temple, Act, 12.12.witnes theſe wordes, As concerning the Gentiles, we hauehave commaunded that no ſuch thing be obſerved. we anſwer, that which Paule did here, was thought to be convenient, becauſe nowe he is amongeſt Iewes, for the winning of whom, this his purifying is thought to be a meane and furtherance. his purifying was thought inconvenient, in regard of the Gētiles; amongſt them (therefore) he muſt not vſe it. this circumſtance mouing him to vſe it here, that he is not now amongſt them. By this meanes, that which naturally floweth from this place, maketh much for vsus: to wit, that circumſtances varie the caſe, making things ſometimes convenient, at other times inconvenient: alſo that when by reaſon of circumſtances, things grow inconvenient (as the ceremonies now are growen) that then we muſt not vſe them. ſo much all reaſon doeth perſwade. Is not that which is expedient a dutie, to which we are bound? that which is inexpedient a ſinne, from which we are bound? then all hayle to the popiſhgRhem. annot. in Luc. c. 10. ſect. 5 argument, There are workes of ſupererogation, to wit, workes of expediencie, to which we are not bounde by God, and workes of abſtinence, from things inexpedient, frō which we are not bounde to abſtaine. Our writers cannot anſwer this argument but with our former diſtinction, though Paule was not boundehD. Fulk in anſwer. ibid. Hiero. Zanch. in 1 Theſ. ca. 2. lege communi, to abſtaine from wages, when he was at Corinth, yet [lege particulari] he was, becauſe, by reaſon of particular circumſtances, his taking wages was inexpedient there; yea he had bereaved him ſelfe of the Goſpell, if he had yeelded, or willinglie runne into this inexpediencie. … Cor. 9.22From ſcriptures and reaſons, come we downe to the Fathers. Non quicquid licet bonum eſt (ſaithlTertul. in lib. de caſtitat. Tertull.) Auguſtine, though he ſeeme ſomewhat iniurious to this trueth, yet do theſe wordes breake forth, from the light of it, which ſhined within him,mAuguſt. de adulter. coniug. ad Pollent. li. 1 cap. 15.16 quae licita ſunt, tractanda ſunt ſicut expedit; non praeſcripto legis, ſed ex conſilio charitatis, that is, though not [lege communi] (as I take him) yet lege particulari. Againe, quae licita ſunt, & non expediunt, in ijs dici non potest, bonum eſt hoc, ſed illud melius, to wit, that which is expedient, as private circumſtances are in place againe, quod licilum eſt, quoniam non expedit, non eſt vti que faciendum. nHieron. commenta. in Ezech. lib. 6. ca. 20Hierome hath this: there is bonum, good: malum, evill; and nō bonum, not good: by which, what can he meane but quod non expedit, that that which is not convenient? Eſpeciallie conſidering that later times ſpeaking as it ſeemeth after him, devide a ſcandall into that which is malum, and then into that which is“Ianſon. concord. Euange. cap. 71. ius rectum, by which they meane either a good thing or indifferent, inexpedientlie done. From Fathers come we to the Canon lawe,oDecret. p. 2. cap. 28. que. 1. c. 91 Id quod non expedit, Apoſtolus prohibet, dante ſibi Domino, liberum prohibendi locum. From the Canoniſtes come we to the Schoolemen, which call that which is expedient,pThom. Aquin. in 1. Cor. 10. lect. 1.2. &c neceſſarium. which is the phraſe of the holy Ghoſt him ſelfe, which calleth the ceremonies which are expedient, Ceremonies neceſſarie to be vſed, to wit, as long as this expediencie of theirs ſhall laſte: as Hierome expreſſeth,qHieron. commenta. in epiſt. ad Galat. ca. 4. fuerunt corum infirmitati neceſſaria, pro temporis qualitate. From the Schoolemen, come wee to the papiſtes their late diſciples,rIoh. Molā. de fid. h…retic. ſervan. lib. 3. c. 17. id, rectè dicimur non poſſe, quod expedit non facere. I cōclude with the doctrine of our owne church; which when the Lutherans obiect, the greateſt thing which can be laide to the charge of Images, is onelyonly that they are inexpedient,sHomil. ag. peril. of Idolat. pa. 3. acknowledgeth this inexpediencie of theirs, to be ſuch, as maketh them vnlawful, to bee tollerated in the church: ſo that, the ceremonies, even for their inexpediencie ſake, muſt be thruſt out.