Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 7
#Sect. 7. The Oppoſites confuted: confeſsing hurt to follow of the Ceremonies, yet without their fault.
THere be a ſecond ſort of this opinion, who will ingeniouſlie confeſſe, there doth hurt followe of the ceremonies controuerſed, Sect. 7.howbeit (ſay they) without their fault. It is ſcandalum acceptum & non datum: paſsiuum and not actiuum, thorough the peoples abuſe without any fault in the Miniſter, who vſeth it well. Firſt, the occaſion euen of a paſſiue ſcandall muſt be remoued by de Magiſtrate, & diſuſed by the Miniſters: eſpecially if it be a monument of Idolatrie, thataHomil. ag. peril of Idolat pag. 2. pa 4. hath been, is, or is likly to be abuſed ſuperſtitiouſly. For example, the ſcandall of the brazen Serpent was acceptum, through peoples abuſe, the right vſe of it was good: yet had not Hezechias been excuſed, if he had let it alone. Againe the hurt of Gedeons Ephod was acceptum, 2. King. 18.3and paſsiuum: it was to a good ende, it was firſt ſet vp, to wit, Iudg. 8.27.to witneſſe as a monument that his victorie came from God. yet in that it is let alone, Exod. 20.24when hurt cometh of it, it is the deſtruction of his houſe. laſt of all, the hurt of the high places, came by a paſſiue ſcandall: the altar at firſt is ſet vp in them to good vſe, yet if a Fore-father ſuffer his altar to ſtand ſtill, and doth not deface it, he is guiltie, becauſe he hath not prevented the ſcandal and the offence, which by the degenerat abuſe of time might one day come of it. I come to an inſtance more familiar, which the Canon Lawe remembreth.bDecret. p. 2 cauſ. …3. qa. 3.….3… Qui vitijs nutriendis parcit ac fauet, ne contriſlet peccantium voluntatem, tam non eſt miſericors, quam qui non vult cultrum rapere puero, ne audiat plorantem, & non timet ne vulneratum doleat vel extinctum. For aſmuch then as the Lord hath ſet the Magiſtrate and the Miniſter, Iſay. 4….23.to bee the Nurſes of his Children, hee will no more accept this excuſe, It was not an hurt [datum] by me, num. 11.12.the children themſelues they were in fault, I meant no ſuch thing, …. Theſ. 2.7.and now I am ſorie it is ſo fallen out, then a man will accept the like from a Nurſe, who findeth his Child dead vnderunder her charge, by a knife which ſhe negligently lefte abroad Doth not a man expect that care in a Nurſe to leaue nothing in the way, whereby a child may hurt it ſelfe? ſo God requireth a care in vsus to remoue all ceremonies, whereby the ſimple may hurt themſelues.cSynod. …u…onie. 2. Can 18. Cauta est ad ſalutem proviſio, ad effugiendam culpam delecti, aditum delinquendi repellere, and that not in our ſelues only, but in all others committed to vsus, à d…thor. ſerm de ſi…gui…m. eler… ag. Cyprian.nobis exigetur quicquid per inertiam noſtram male commiſſum cuſtoditur. To touch the matter a little deeper to the quicke: in a paſſiue ſcandall, a man may be in fault, dolo, culpa, negligentia. Concerning the firſt. Dolus and vnfaithfulnes will bee chieflie layd to their charge (if there be any) who ſuffer theſe Ceremonies to remaine of purpoſe to reduce againe to poperie. as for others, what though they hauehave no direct purpoſe, to nouriſh poperie in the people by them, yet will they be guilty of dolus preſumptus before man, and dolus verus before God, if they ſeriouſly and deliberatively ſlacke of the diligence which ſhould preuent it, ſeeing vbi eSumma. Silueſtr. in verb. culpa.eſt deviatio ſerioſa, ab ea diligentia, quam communiter habent homines, qui ſunt eiuſdem profeſsionis, ibi eſt dolus: & diſſoluta fIbid. in verb negligen. G… Lind woo… prouincial. Pionegligentia propriè eſt dolus, or at the leaſt it is propè dolum. which is backed by that of Salomon, The negligent man is companion to the Waſler. Concerning culpa, it will be layd to theire charge, who knowe theſe Ceremonies to be daungerous, and yet want will to preuent the daunger. Howbeit, what if it be through inconſideration, that they knowe not the daunger of them, are they (then) guiltleſſe? No, whereas it isgSumma. Silueſts. ibid. culpa, when id quod potuit à diligenti prouideri, prouiſum non eſt: culpa lata, when that is not preuented with men communiter diligentes would hauehave foreſeene: culpa leuiſsima, which commeth ſhort of preuenting that, which homines diligentiſsimi would hauehave looked vntounto. I ſee not howe a Magiſtrate or a Miniſter may bee excuſed, who ſuffereth or commaundeth, or doth vſe the Croſſe, and the reſt of the Ceremonies receaued from poperie, ſeeing it is evident, they prevent not the daunger which hath been and is preuented, not only by the churches abroad, which are moſt carefull and diligentiſsimi in this reſpect, but alſo by ſome at home, that are but communiter diligentes. Concerning the third,hAuguſt. contra Parmenian lib. 3. cap. 1. Auguſtine ſpeaketh of the dutie, of auferte malum ex vobis, ipſa negligentia (ſaith he) in re tanta graue malum eſt, & ideo ſicut Apoſtolus admonet, ſi auferat malum à ſeipſo, non ſolum auferet audatiam committendi, aut peſtilentiam conſentiendi, ſed etiam pigritiam corrigendi, & negligentiam vindicandi. Now this negligence to take away evill is found in the patrones of the ceremonies, with all her complements. Firſt, there is in them an affected ignorance of the daungers of the ceremonies, and a careleſſe not knowing the need and ſicknes of their owne flockes, Ezech. 34.4which is it not euen more then negligence? forlSumma. Silueſtrin. vb ſup. ſect 1. ignorare quod communiter ſcitur, eſt lata culpa. Secondly, there is in them a vacuitie of feare, an other daughter ofmThom. Aquin. 2.2. q. …4 art. 2 negligence. for whereas ſagax est parentum cura leaſt the child ſhould hurt himſelfe, theſe ſpirituall Fathers caſt that ſuch feare about the ceremonies, is puſilanimitie. Thirdly and laſt of all, there is in them a defect of care, which ſuffereth the ceremonies abroad with the ſame guilt, Exod 21.29 verſ. 34.that a Maiſter ſuffereth a goring oxe to goe abroad, whereby hee hurteth. A worke man ſuffereth a pitt to lye open, whereby ſomwhat falleth into it. A man ſuffereth fire to remaine abroad, ſo that it taketh into the drye hedges, and conſumeth them. The equitie of theſe lawes muſt ſtill be kept. If a man ſuffer a goring oxe to goe abroad, he muſt by the ciuill lawe reſtorenSumma. Silueſtrin. in verb. reſtitutio pa. 2. ſect 10 17 the hurt he doth. The auncientoCarol Sigon de reg. Ital. lib 9. ann 1 105. lawe of Millaine was, to prevent the daunger of fire. Ne quis (ſlante vento) ignem in aedibus haberet, ſo that when a Noble-manpIbid li. 10 ann. 1 106. nuptiarum cauſa ignem ſpirante vento in aedibus accendiſſet, ac propterea novo vrbem incendio afflixiſſet, ipſe cum tota progenie, perpetuo exilio eſt mulctatus. The equitie of the middle lawe is to be ſeene in thoſe courſes, which hauehave been commaunded, & practized alwayes, in which thoſe things hauehave been quite remoued from all vſe, by whoſe abuſe there might any daunger any way enſue. For example: to avoyd the abuſe of Images, there is forbidden to the Iewes in the iudgement of ſomeqVazq de adorat. li. 2 diſpu 4. c. 3 papiſtes, that there be no vſe of any Image at all agmongſt them. and to the end there might be no Image at all, there was no Image-makerrOrigen. cont. Celſu. lib. 4 ſuffered to liue amongſt them. So thesCan. 36. Councell of Eliberis, to prevent all daunger of Idolatry, forbadd there ſhould be any Image at all as Iuocarnotenſis, tVazq. vb. ſub diſput. 5. cap. 2.Martinus de Ayala, and Sixtus Senenſis doe interpret. This, doth it nor caſhiere the Croſſe out of all vſe? to preuent the daunger of Idolatrie and ſuperſtition which may come of it.