Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 16
#Sect. 16. The ſecond ſort of men whom Cerem offend, are Separiſtes, of whom more regard ought to be had then of a Turke or Iewe.
A Second ſort of men abroad, whom the ceremonies retained offend, are theſe of the ſeparation, of whom we are to hauehave as great care as of a Turke or a Iew I truſt. we hate popiſh & Lutheran images, becauſe they offend the Turkes & the Iewes, not remembring that the croſſe, and the reſt of the ceremonies controverſed, do giuegive as much offence to thoſe of the ſeparation, which doth more nearlie touch our church. Thus one of ouraZanch de imag. Theſ. 3. p. 315. writers, Negare non poteſt, &c. It can not be denied, but that the preſēce of images in the church doth partly offend the godlie, & partly confirme the wicked in their impietie, as papiſtes, Iewes & Turkes: howbeit in a diverſe maner. the papiſtes are confirmed by retention of images, which without adoration, are ſet vp in churches. the Iewes and the Turkes they offend, becauſe our retayning of images in our churches, is one of the chiefe impediments whereby they are detayned from being converted to our chriſtian religion, vt narrant omnes. Tranſlate this now to the ceremonies controverſed, and the caſe is all one. for the image ſet vp ad decorum only, may as lawfully be excuſed in the impediment which he offreth to Turke & Iewe, as theſe ceremonies may whē they hinder that they of the ſeparation doe not ioyne in cōmunion & fellowſhip with vsus vt narrant omnes, nay vt narant ipſi, and the bookes which they hauehave written. contemne their ſcandall with what cōſcience cā we: who ſo much cōdemne the papiſt for the very ſame ſcādal which he offreth to Turks & Iewes? TheybD▪ willoe▪ contro 9. q 5. art. 3. heare frō vsus, that a Iewe ſayling on the Rhene told M. Georg Wiſeheart, cIohn Fo… in ein. hiſtor. p. 1269. col. ….that the let which hindred him & others of his nation frō the chriſtian faith, were the images which they ſaw in the churches of the chriſtians. They heare frō vsus that Paulus Riccius a learned Iewe,dHoſpin. de re templar. tit. de imag. P. Morne. de Eu hariſt. baptized at Papia, did proteſt that they were the chriſtians images that kept the Iewes frō Chriſt. Laſt of al they heareeCalfh ag. Mart. praefat fol. 15. from vsus that thefHiſtor. Turcie. annexa alcho rano c. 10. Legat of the Turke at Chios, & Haumar the Saracen long agoe, & the Turkes to thisgMatth. Sulcliui. Turco papiſm lib. 1. c. 4 hower, daſh all the reaſons that cā be brought for chriſtian tie by the inſtance of images in Chriſtian churches what needeth more? This ſheweth theſe ceremonies muſt be thruſt out, becauſe like images they hinder Separators from the vnitie of the faith, according to the cōmon tenent,hP Martyr. loc. cōmuni. deimag. ſect. 24. ea in templis nō ſunt habenda, qua à Chriſti religione auocant homines. Secondly, the ſcandal which the ceremonies giuegive to the Separators is greater then that which is givē by images to Turks and Iewes: firſt, is the ſcandal ſmall which is given them by the ſlovenly performance of Gods ſervice, by dumbe dogges and ſcandalous miniſters, with idolatrous attire, & with idolls them ſelues? let then the ſcandall of Hophni and Phineas be litle too, when they made the people to loath the ſacrifice of the Lord. Secondly, there is an olde Canon, that a prieſt ſhould not be put to publique penance though he deſerued it, l ne grex fidelis in eo ſcādalum patiatur: and our Reverend Fathers accordingly vſe now to couer the offences of prieſtes conformed, 1. Sam 2.17 Cōcil Carthag… 3. Can 30and all to avoyde the ſcandall (forſooth) which might enſue vponupon their publike & condigne puniſhment. This ſhal condeme them, if they proceed to offer ſcandal to the Separators, not only by not covering the deſerved faults of Preachers, but alſo by imputing to them faultes which (the Lorde knoweth) they neuer knewe. Thirdly,mAuguſt in Pſal 49. cùm detrabitur bonis ab his, qui videntur alicuius momenti eſſe, & docti eſſe in ſcandalum cadunt infirmi, qui adhuc neſciunt iudicare. The Prophet Hoſea reckoneth this amōgſt the greateſt ſinnes of Iſrael, for which it was ſhortly to be captived, that by their continual invectiues, the prieſt was become an hatted and offenſiue in the houſe of his God. …oſ. 9.….Now, is it not ſo, that by the ſlaunders of vncleane mouthes, & by the daylie revilings of inveighing pulpits, the moſt zealous, painfull & profitable Preachers in the eyes of the Separators, are made an hatred & offence to their no ſmall offence and ſcandall: when to this there is added a thruſting of them out of the houſe of their God, thē is their ſcandall much increaſed. For what more common in their mouthes then this, It can not be that in a true Church one ſhould perſecute another. Fourthly, this was their ſinne, who did eate Idolothious meate,nAuguſt. de morib Manicheor. l. 2. c. 14. infirmos offendebant, non ijs congruendo & faciebant vt putarent eos qui fide omnia munda iudicabant in obſequium idolorum à talibus epulis & potu nolle abſtinere. Sith (then) it is evident, that by our vſe of theſe Idolothites, the Separatiſt is ſcandalized, with an opiniō that we grace poperie by them, why do we not leaue them, that ſo we may congruere with them, as our duties is to doe?