Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 17
#Sect. 17. The third ſcandall given by Ceremonies, is to the Members within the Church.
THE third ſcandall which the ceremonies offer, is to the members of the church within: where (firſt of all) they offende the miniſters and the Paſtors, who are principall members of it. Heb. 13.17.Many of theſe are brought to an Acedia by them: as in the workes of their miniſterie, ſo in the duties of chriſtiā life: as griefe (we knowe) maketh vnprofitable in the ſervice of God & of the Church. others are brought to a croſſing and conforming without faith, & ſo to ſinne. what reaſon then to trouble the mindes of mē for ſuch trifles? It is replyed, that we are not indeed to trouble the minds of the weak, about ſuch indifferent things, but theſe fellowes be not weak, they take vpō them, to teach the learned themſelues of the lande, at the leaſt beingaThe examin. of the declarat. of the M. of Lond. perſwaded in greater matters, they may (if it pleaſe thē) be perſwaded in theſe the leſſer. which if they will not be nor cānot, what good are they like to do in the church? Firſt, there is weaknes in the ſtrongeſt during this life, that Gods power may be made knowne in weaknes: that mans imperfectiō may appeare, Gal. 6.2.& that there may be place for charitie to beare one an others burthen. Secondly, ſtrong men otherwiſe for doctrine, Rom. 14.hauehave been left by God to weaknes, in things indifferent. as the Romans were reſolved in greater matters of faith, who yet could not perſwade them ſelues, about meates which were indifferent. Science which cōtemplateth good & evill in generall, and Prudence which diſcerneth in things particular, what is convenient and what is inconvenient, are twobTho. Aquin. ….2 q 47. art. 5 & comment in Philippenſ. l…ct. 1. diſtinct vertues, even as they are mentioned in the 1. Col. 1.9.23. verſ. Epheſ. 1.…. Philip. 1.9.word for diverſe: and God giveth not every gift to every one: yea, of theſe 2. Cor. 12.8.two, he giveth an excellēcy of the one to ſome, of the other, to others: ſo that mē may for their ſcience, be profitable miniſters, and yet fayle of that meaſure of prudence, whereby to iudge of a particular vſe of indifferent things, wherein others do excell them. They beyond the ſeas, iudge they not many of our miniſters incōparable in doctrine, but weak in the diſcipline? Our Oppoſites them ſelues, admire they not many beyonde the ſeas for their doctrine, whom yet in the diſcipline they deſpiſe. Thirdly, ther is no reaſon to count reſolution in ceremonies a matter eaſie, there hauehave bene aboutcBellarm▪ de effect. Sacrament. c. 31. propoſit 4. them from the beginning, verie great controverſies among the greateſt. often (aiſo) more about them then about matters of the faith. ſo an whole church,dCōfeſſ Eccleſ. Manſfild. aedit an no 1560. ap. Conrad. Schluſſel. burg. tom. 13. p. 526. ſic fieri ſolet, vt ſemper adiaphora, maiores excitent tumultus, quā ipſa doctrina. they proue it by theſe inſtāces: the Prophets had more to doe, to diſpute againſt humane traditions, thē to deliuer the true doctrine. Chriſt in his time had many bickerings againſt the ceremonies of the Phariſies. In the time of St Auguſt in, tanta fuerunt certationes de traditionibus humanis, & rebus indifferētibus, vt ſecuta ſit inde miſerabilis vaſtitas in eccleſia, of which he cōplaineth (ſay they) in his anſwer ad inquiſitiones Ianuarij lib. 1. cap 2. They proceed, nec dubitamus affirmare, quandocun que tandem erit concilium plus nobis faceſſet negoiij controverſia de adiaphoris, quam tota doctrina. and they giuegive two reaſons hereof: the firſt is, becauſe men contemne the ſimplicitie of Gods ſervice, & are delighted with the magnificence and with the ſplendencie of rites and ceremonies, vt expleantur aures & oculi. Et quidā veluti habitus nudo per ſe cultui accommodetur. whervpon they aſſume, that ornament of ceremonies qui fuit adhibitus in papatu, etiumſiipſas ceremonias non probant. The ſecond is, becauſe diverſe men doe hope, by admitting & multip…ying the adiaphora, to mitigate, content, and appeaſe the papiſtes. Againſt the firſt of theſe (ſay they) we muſt holde faſte this conſolation, that God doth chooſe & louelove that, which is baſe & abiect in the eves of the world. Againſt the ſecond, that omnes ſpes, de placatione hoſtium, fruſtra ſunt, becauſe they will never reſt in our admiſſiō of their indifferent things vntil the whole body of their falſhoods be received withal. To leaue this church, goe we to the greateſt lights of the former churches, where wee ſhall finde that manie profitable for the miniſterie, hauehave not been able (often tymes) to be perſwaded in things indifferent. as the controverſie of Eaſter ſheweth. in which, Neque eEuſeb. hiſtor. lib. 5. c. 23.Anicetus, Polycarpo perſuadere poterat, nec Polycarpus Aniceto ſuaſit. Take another inſtance in the faſt of a Sabboth day (where ſcripture ſpeaketh neither one way nor other. Is this eaſie to be reſolved,fAuguſt. Epiſt. 86. ad Caeſul…. when once controverſie is mooued about it? No, interminabilis eſt iſta cōtentio (ſaith Auguſt.) generans lites, nō finiens quaeſtiones. There may another inſtance be given in the controverſie about long haire of Monkes: of which Auguſt. againe,gAuguſt. l. de opere. Monachor. c. 33. Exiſtunt inter fratres infirmiores & firmiores, amariſsimae & periculoſiſsimae contentiones: quod illi, fortè ſi ſcirent, hoc quo que ſine dubitatione corrigerent; quorum caetera & miramur & amamus. Are there no profitable miniſters, that cannot perſwade them ſelues in our retayle of popiſh ceremonies, Quorum caetera, & miramur, & amamus? then are there no profitable Miniſters neither thorough out Germanie, Fraunce, Helvetia, and the reſt of the Churches. One ſpeaking about popiſhe rites & ceremonies retayned in our church, hAlexand. Aleſ. in proem. leirurg. Anglic.magna & ardua res eſt indicium (ſaith he). And as for the addition of the croſſe to baptiſme, an proceres in eccleſia (ſaithlHerman Hamelman. de tradit, p. 1. l. 5. in fine. another) addere aliquid debeant in Sacramē tis, magna eſt quaeſtio. In which language another ſpeaketh likewiſe,mChemnit. Exam. p. 2. de rit p. 37 cùm ipſe ſilius Dei Sacramenta ita inſtituerit, vt ea certis à ſe inſtitutis ritibus, praeceperit adminiſtrari, valde ardua eſt quaeſtio, an hominibus permiſſum ſit, alios praeterea quocunque conſili… ſuperaddere. Indeed though adherent circumſtances (which one callethnA Hiper. non ſacramentales) be in the churches diſpoſition, as tyme, place, &c. yet of inherent that belong to the manner of adminiſtration, as eating, giving, &c. or to the matter adminiſtred, ſuch as the elementes are, and the ſignes which are ceremoniae ſacramentales, he that doubteth not whether the church may adde or no, hee may perchance come too neare the Ieſuiticall oBellarmi. de Effect. Sacram. c. 31.aſſertion, Chriſt ordayned but a fewe ceremonies about the Sacraments, of purpoſe to leaue the adding of more, to the Paſtours of the Church. And is it an eaſie queſtion to be reſolved on, that the Magiſtrate hath authoritie to diminiſh from the ſignes? Nowe he may aſwell diminiſh as adde, in all proportion.