Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 25
#Sect. 25. An exact vniformitie in Ceremonies, hath ever diſquieted the Church and hindered the growth of it.
THe ſecond is, an abſolut and exact vniformitie in rites and in Ceremonies hath euer diſturbed the peace of the church, and hindered much the grouth of the Goſpell: For the vnderſtanding hereof wee muſt conſider that there are Maiores Ceremoniae and ritus Catholici, ſuch as kneeling is in prayer, in which conformitie as it is eaſie to be made, ſo is it a MotheraBucer, in Cenſur. c. p 459. F. Illiric. in li. de Adiaphor. of peace, a Nurſe of reuerēce, a Preſeruer of decencie. There are other Ceremoniae which are minores, and notbBeza. epiſt 24. Catholicae. ſuch as is the weomens ſitting in the church behinde the men. and in theſe conformitie is heauie and burthenſome to be borne: hard and difficult to bee effected, ſo that Chriſtian libertie is for the moſt part oppreſſed by it, and ſo by conſequent the church diſtracted. Hence come thoſe proteſtations of the Germane Diuines againſt the conformitie of the Adiaphoriſme.cF. Illiric. ap. Cōrad. Schluſſelburg. tom. 13. p. 166.167. Noneſt neceſſaria rituum conformitas: deinde & nimis exacta impoſſibilis. in mediocribus Ceremonijs verè Adiaphoris conformitas ſectanda est aliquatenus. dConfeſſ. Eccleſ. Mansfeld. ap. eund. p. 560.Diſsimilitudo Adiaphororum prodeſt ad conſeruandam libertatem Chriſtianam. ſtatim. a. quando coguntur homines ad carecipienda, ea que ue obtruduntur tāquam res neceſſariae, amittunt ſuum verum titulum. eLib. Cō cord ap. eund. p. 597.Quando ceremoniae conſtitutiones Eccleſiae, coactione quadam tanquam neceſſaria obtruduntur, & quidem contra libertatem Chriſtianam quam Eccleſiam Chriſti in rebus eiuſmodi externis habet, falſa doctrina inducitur, quam oportet reijcere. For this cauſe they that tender the churches peace, will vſe that moderation in rites and ceremonies which Aliacus once per ſwaded to the councell of Conſtance. No man more ſtrict then Auguſtine for the obſeruation of the churches conſtitutions:fP. Aliacus reformat. Eccleſ. g mos populi Dei (ſayth he) & inſtituta maiorum pro lege tenenda ſunt, & ſicut prauaricatores diuinarum legum, it a contemptores Eccleſiaſticarum conſuetudinum coerceudi ſunt. yet can thislIdem. epiſt. ad Ianuar. 119. c. 18. Auguſt: in a thing truly indifferent (which our ceremonies are not) giuegive a man leaue and ſcope to differ,hAuguſt. epiſt. 86. ad Caſulan. when aliquorum infirmitas requireth a breach: and when there is a detrimentum in conformitie. The trim▪ immerſion was ſtrengthened with I knowe not how long cōtinuance: in which notwithſtanding was permittedmGloſſa. in diſtinct. 4. de conſecrat cap. de trina. diuerſa eccleſiarum conſuetudo. The Gregorian order hath ben eſtabliſhed a long time in Spayne, yet neuer was there an vniformitie ſo preciſely exacted, but that to this hower from the begining the old Nozorabique isnP. Morne. de Euchariſt. lib. 1. cap. 8. permitted in ſixe churches of Toledo: in the Cathedrall church it ſelf of Salamanca: in the chappels of Doct. Talabricas, and of the Cardinall Ximenes. Secondly, though an exact vniformitie in theſe ceremonies not Catholice were lawfull and good for the churches peace, yet not when it compelleth to forraigne rites, as our vniformitie doth.oF. Illiric. apud conrad. Schluſſelburg. tom. 13. P. 166. Cicero diſputeth much, de proprio decoro, which being now in every church, it muſt hauehave ceremonies of it owne. Beſides the people ſtay at home, and goe not abroad ſo much as to ſee the ceremonies of other churches. The diuines of Germany,pTheſ. de Adiaphor. Theolog. Saxon. ap. eund. P. 462. non ſunt cogendae Eccleſiae (ſaith they) rectè ſentientes & benè conſtitutae, vt ſe prorſus aliorum ceremonijs accommodent, ſeu conformēt. Thirdly, though it were for the churches peace to preſſe an exact vniformitie in the leſſer ceremonies, and the ſame fetched from other places, yet were it not either peace or pietie to fetch them from Rome, the throne of Satan, and ſeate of Antichriſt, the Sodom and Aegipt of our times.qGelaſ epi. ad Anaſtaſ. Auguſtum. Gelaſius well: Quomodo poteſt eſſe pax vera, cut charitas intemerata defuerit, quae eſt de cor de puro & conſcientia bona & fide non ficta? Quomodo (quaeſo te) de corde erit puro ſi contagio inficiatur externo? quomodo de conſcientia bona ſi prauis fuerit maliſ que commixta? quemadmodum fide non ficta, ſi maneat ſociata cum perfidis? Haec à me: neceſſe eſt tandius non taceri, quandiu nomen pacis obtenditur, vt talem pacem doceamus, qualis & ſolapax eſt, & praeter quam nulla eſſe monſtratur. Ought not we to ſay to Rome, as Iehu to Iezabel, what peace as longe as thy witchcraftes and thy whoredomes abound in great number? Sure we muſt according to the Germane rule,rDe…. eccleſ. German. apud Conrad. Schluſſelb. tom. 13. p. 666. Nulla eſt concedenda gratia adverſarijs in mutatione ceremoniarum, niſi prius nobiſcum conſentiant in fundamento, hoc eſt in vera doctrina & vſu Sacrameutorū. What meane we (then) for a peace to our owne church, to make a kinde of peace with Rome, for that conformitie in theſe ceremonies doeth make vsus to partake with her (according to Gelaſius wordes) it hath been ſhewed longsCap. 1. ſince? Is ſuch a peace godlie? Suppoſe it were, it may be well ſaide of this way there is no peace in it: ſeeing it is eaſie to be proved, that vniformitie to popiſh ceremonies, whether in whole or in parte, hath cōtinually (like a furie leaped out of hell) ſet all in flame and fierie combuſtion.tNucler. generat. 22. Charles the great commaundeth an Vniformitie to the Romane order, what a doe this bredde, the complaintes of thoſe dayes teſtifie. Alphon ſus the ſixt, of Spaine, enioyneth an vniformitie to the Gregorian order, what hurly burly it bredde, theuRoderic. Toletan. lib. 6. c 14 recordes of that age doe witnes.wP. Morne vb. ſup. Venofride an Engliſh man (afterward named Boniface) commaundeth in Germanie an vniformitie to the Romane order: the reſiſtance of it bredde not civill warre, becauſe Charles Martill did aſſiſt him, whom none in that age could match: howbeit an hott contention it rayſed vp, in which Vergilius Biſhopp of Saltzburg, Clemens Scotus, Sampſon, and other great perſons ſuffered great things: one Albertus dyed in priſon for writing againſt it. Auguſtine the Monke commaundeth the chriſtians about Bangor to conforme to Rome, which they refuſing, a cruell warre is moued againſt them, as Beda ſheweth. Auguſtine the Monke required of them of Bangor (ſaithxBeda. hiſt. gent. A… glor. li. 2. ca. 12. he) primum vt codem. &c. firſt that they ſhould obſerue the Eaſter the ſame tyme that Rome did. Secondly, that in the adminiſtration of Baptiſine, they ſhould vſe the ſame rites and ceremonies which the Romans vſed. Thirdly, that they ſhould ioyne with them to preach the Goſpell genti Angliae. And not onelyonly a totall impoſing of Romane rites, doth breede this miſchief, but alſo a preſſing of them in part thorough a certaine kinde of mixture. Doeth not our Lord him ſelfe forewarne vsus, that peecing of olde and new patches together, maketh the breach wider? That mingling old and new wine together, marreth barrell & all? The firſt reconciliation made betweene papiſtes and a church reformed, was at Baſil. 1436. There Rochezana with ſome other Huſsites, yeelded to a certaine mixture: they to hauehave their communion vnderunder both kindes, and libertie to be governed by the Senat of Prage, not by the Pope, with ſome other fewe things: and the papiſtes to retayne the reſt as of olde. And what followed of this mixture? TheyDauid Chytreus in praelect. Chronic. ſincerer ſort of the Huſsites ſeparated them ſelves into Moravia, Polonia, & other places where Pontificios ritus omnes planè exploſeruut. And whereas the followers of Rochezana thought hereby to hauehave made their peace with the papiſtes, that alſo fayled them, becauſe it was not longe after, that by the preaching of Iohannes Capistranus, they were reduced to their ſub vna againe, and made ſubiect to the tyrannie of the Pope. This firſt conformitie and mixture (then) ſped very ill, as fayling in that peace which it promiſed with the papiſtes, & bringing warre into the Church in ſteed of peace. The conformitie of Germanie ſpedd as ill. Great expectation was there of peace by the Interim, which notwithſtanding brake foorth like a fire, not onelyonly betweene Proteſtantes and papiſtes, but alſo betweene the proteſtant Churches them ſelves, iuſt as the ſincerer ſort of Divines foreſawe, and divined would (queſtionles) followe vponupon ſuch mingled compoſitions.zMath. Index in lib. de graviſsimo mandat exeundi de Babylon. One of them giveth many inſtances: Conſtantius to hauehave a reconciliation made a mixture, to wit, homoouſios muſt be turned into homoiouſios to concord the Arrians. Zeno to hauehave peace maketh an Henoticon to huſhe the ſtrife about the Councell of Chalcedon. Anaſtaſins to accord all partes, eſtabliſheth an Amneſtia, and commaundeth everie one to preach according to the cuſtome of his place. Heraclius to pacifie the hott contention betwene the Orthodox that held there were two Willes in Chriſt, and the Mouothelites that helde he had but one, enioyneth ſilence to both ſides. Theſe mixte conformities (ſaith this Authour) made for peace, made all more warre then ever before: which alſo hath followed of the like formes of late compoundings, ſuch as were the Sphynx Augustana, compounding matters of Religion, till there were a Councell. The Lypſicum Interim, where Chriſt and Beliall were made friendes: The Pandora Francofurdiana, and Cothurnus Neoburgicus, where an Amneſtia was commaunded, ne diſsidentes de quibuſdam eapitibus confeſsionis Augvſtanae, ſe invicem damnarent. We might come downe to the compoſitions that hauehave at diverſe times been made, betweene the Lutherans and the Orthodox, which all hauehave ſorted to like iſſue. Our Reverend Governours may hope (then) to make peace by this mixture and medly of ceremonies, but little faith can we hauehave hereof, whē we make our prayers for them, and for the publique peace of this Church: which who ſo loved not from his heart, O let him not proſper.