Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part 2 · Chapter 6 · Section 10
#Sect. 10. The third exception anſwered, viz. That lawes muſt not be chaunged for that a fewe are ſcandalized.
THE third, is drawne from policie: there are but a fewe that are ſcandalized by the ceremonies, and muſt we change lawes for a fewe ſake? But what ſort of men are not offended by them, whether abroad or at home? Concerning the former, whereas ſcandalum is aedificatio aTertul. lib de veland. virgin.ad delictum, we cannot but ſcandalize the papiſtes, by our retayning of the ceremonies, by our ſtrife and contention for them, by our purſuit of faithfull preachers to reveng them, and ſith hereby we build and edifie them vntounto idolatrie and ſuperſtition many wayes. Firſt, they drawe them to an approbation of their religion, againſt which thus one of ourbIofias Simler. in Exod. 20. fol. 85. writers, etſi aliquis bonus vſus imaginum eſſe poſsit, tamen propter illam horrendam idolomanian Pontificiorum ijs abſtinendum eſſet. Illi enim cum imagines vident, in noſtrorum templis, nos ſecum convenire arbitrantur, in earum cultu & veneratione, & eas ad confeſsionem rapiunt. Secondly, whereas they would bee brought to doubt of their religion, if it were throughly reſiſted by vsus, they nowe ſeeing it in part, receaued even by their adverſaries, put themſelues out of doubt. againſt which our writers thus: It is ſcandalum datum cMagdebu. Contur. 1. lib. 2. cap. 4 colum. 450quando iuſta grauitas in ceremonijs adverſus obſtinatos non exercetur: as Peter gaue ſcandall to the Iewes, when hee conformed himſelfe to their ceremonies, becauſe therby, illorum prauam de illis opinionem fouebat. Thirdly,dP. Martyr loc commun. claſ. 2. ca. 5. ſect 25. were as the cheefe way to winne the papiſtes, is to put them out of hope, becauſe man naturallieeVelleius. Paterculus. ſequi de ſinit, quod aſſequi non poteſt, the reducing of their Ceremonies hath cauſed the people not well reſolved, to ſay the reſt will followe ſhortlie: and the recuſant, what reaſon hauehave we to come to you, ſeeing you ſo faſt are comming to vsus? Fourthlie, there is nothing that more hindereth the converſion of aliens, then when there is an occaſion giuen them to reioyce, glorie, & boaſt, as men that hauehave gotten the vpperhand, as a cheefe matter which was obiected to Marcellinus was this,fCaeſat Baron. anal. tom. 2. in Marcellin. ſuper te in illo die gloriabatur Imperator, and the offence that is giuen by the ſtrife of the Chriſtians is this,gEpiſt. Synod Arime. nenſ. ad Conſtant, Imperat. Concil. tom. 1. pa. 437. quae nunc ab iſtis nouantur fidelibus quidem incredulitatem, infidelibus autem ferocitatem adferunt. Doth not our ſtrife (nowe) about theſe Ceremonies adferre ferocitatem to the papiſtes? Thus Hierom. hHieron. commenta. in Abdiam cap. 1.Quis haereticorum non deſpicit eccleſiaſticos? quis non exultat in malis corum? Si qui in negationem corruerit, videas illos exultare, gaudere, noſtram ruinam, ſuam putare victoriam? Doth not the papiſt make himſelfe glee, to ſee the preachers that were before moſt zealous againſt him, throwne downe into the depth of miſerie? & that for no other cauſe, but for their zeale againſt his reliques? & laugheth he not (on the other ſide, at their inconſtancie, who now conforme vntounto his badges, who would not weare before, or beare the leaſt cognizance of his Church, as at a ruine of theirs, a victorie of his owne? Ambroſe lAmbroſ. 1 Cor. 10ſaith, that the very eating of a meate idolothious, maketh the idolater gloriari, to boaſt and vaunt.mGregor. epiſt. 41. ad Lean dr. Gregorie will not vſe the Trin-immerſion when haeretiques vſed it, ne morem noſtrum ſe viciſſe glorientur. Our verie vſe (then) of theſe rites, dedicated to their idolatrie, is ſufficient to advaunce their ſpirits, as if they had gotten the field againſt vsus. To theſe and ſome other wayes of ſcandall, which might be mentioned, there are three things replyed. The firſt is that the papiſts after this maner are ſcandalized with other things, with our ſainctesnRhem. in annotat act 1. ſect 7 holy-dayes, with our bowing at theoRhem in Phil ſect. 2 name of Ieſus, with our kneeling beforepMart. in reply. art. 10. images in glaſ-windowes, with the lifting vp of our handes at Paules croſſe, with our bowing to the cloth of eſtate: and ſeeing ſwearing is a kinde of adoration with our ſwearing on a book: foraſmuch as from hence they ſucke advātage for their idolatrie to ſainctes, to the name Ieſus, to images, to croſſes, and for their ſwearing by creatures, and yet all theſe may not be aboliſhed. For anſwere, firſt if theſe ceremonies harden the papiſt, then doth the vſe of the Croſſe much more, which is with him theqVaur. Catechiſm. grande hallower and conſecrator, of al holy things and actions. Secondly, if the former ceremonies, which are not neceſſarie duties, doe confirme him, why ſhould not we make riddance of them, as well as other Churches hauehave, eſpeciallie bowing to the name Ieſus, which the moſt learned euen of ourrD. Fulke anſwer to Rhem in Philip. 2. ſect. 2. D. Babington. in Leui…ie. owne church condemne. Thirdly, our holding vp of hands when we pray at Paules Croſſe, and our bowing downe to the cloth of eſtate are neceſſarie duties, and ſo not to bee aboliſhed like Croſſe and Surplice which are not neceſſarie, euen as the Chriſtians were not to leaue, their reuerent (not popiſhe) bowing, when they did curis Dei adge inculari (as ſpeaketh Tertullian) although the pagans hence drewe a ſcandall, that they didxCaeſar Baron. Anal. ann. 211. Antiſtitis genitalia colere: or their lifting vp of handes in prayer though by reaſon of it, the Gentills accuſed them for adoring the cloudes, astD Fulke reioynd. art 10 pag. 214 & 217. appeareth by Tertullian, & by a Poet of their own, qui puras nubes & caeli Numen adorant. Secondly, It is replyed to the ſcandall of the papiſt… that it maketh not the Ceremonies guiltie, becauſe it is [acceptum] by them, who for that they are malitious, are not to be regarded. Firſt, they are erronious as wel as they are malitious: ſo that, to confirme them in their error were that inhumanitie in vsus, which layeth a ſtombling blocke in the way of the blinde who bath moſt neede to be ledde aright. Leuit. 19.14 Deut. 17.18They that were offended at Chriſte, were as malicious, of whome Bernard notwithſtanding,uBernard. in lib. de precept. & diſputat. magni peccatores, ſed tamen & puſilli aeſtimatores, beati eſſent ſi non ſcandalizati fuiſſent. nunc vero quid niſi miſeri ſed tamen & miſerandi. Secondly, this confirming of the papiſtes is ſcandalum datum for that ſhewe where by we come neere him, or flie not from him ſo farre as we ſhould: for we know that euen a ſhewe is ſcandalous, as not only ſcriptures teach,iTheſ. 5.22 Iud. 23. but alſo the auncientes with whom euen ſimilitudo venerationis idoli iswGloſſae in 1. Cor. 10. & 8. whoſe tenent is,xThom. Aquin. 2.2. queſt 43. etiam ſpecies mali ſcandalum confecit. and ouryMagdebu. Centur. 1. lib. 2. cap. 4. Col. 450. owne writers whoſe poſition is in generall the ſame with this tenent mentioned. and in particular, that we are to avoyde from all things that doe beare but a ſhewezD. Fulke ag. Briſtow mot. 24. pag. 98. of poperie. This laſt writer confeſſeth that ſome of our engliſh Ceremonies are not wholy purged, from all ſimilitude of popiſh actions, wherein he cannot but include our croſſe, ſith it beareth greater ſhewe and greater ſimilitude of a popiſh action then any other. But ſeeing he confeſſeth it, he doth approue it (you wil ſay.) No, but quite contrarie he excuſeth it by this, they were only tollerated at the firſt for the weake, whereby it appeareth we hauehave ſince our ſelues proffited well towards the confirming of our ſelues in error not only the papiſtes in that we are come to a continuance and to an approbation of them. Let vsus conſider the doome that was paſſed ouer the Ceremonies of the Germane Adiaphoriſme for the like ſhewe and ſimilitude.aLib…rt. Concor. a… Schluſſelb. li. 13. p. 59… inter res adiaphoras non numerandae ſunt tales ceremoniae, qua ſpeciem quādam prae ſe ſerunt…dut quibus ſimulatur quaſi noſtra religio, à pontificia non multum distaret, aut certe quaſi ab ea animus noſter non admodum abhorreret, aut cum earum reſtauratio ita accipitur quaſi hoc ipſo diſſentiētes duae illae religiones, iam in vnam redactae eſſent: aut cum periculum eſt ne videamur ad papatum rurſus acceſsiſſe, & à ſincera euangelij doctrina receſsiſſe, vel paulatim receſſuri. bTheſ. de Adiaphor. Theolog. Saxon. ibid pag. 504.Againe, peſsima ſpecies est quod ſicut Lutherus (vir Dei) nos ex larua Antichriſti extraxit, ita iam illi in ipſiſsimam veterem Antichriſti laruam ſpon ſam Chriſti introducere conantur, cum ſummo dedecore ſponſi Chriſti: Nam is nequa quam vult nos colores & charecteres Antichriſti hoſtis ſui acerrimi ſuſcipere: neque vllus vir honeſtus id tolleraret, ſi ſponſa ſua vestem & colores ſui capitalis hoſtis, idque in gratiam illius ſui hoſtis ſcienter & volenter acciperet. Thirdly, though the confirming of the papiſtes be in part a ſcandall taken by them, yet it is withall a ſcandall giuen in part by vsus, becauſe the ceremonies being no neceſſarie duties, they ought to be ſet a ſide euen for the malitious ſake. The ſcandall is taken and malitiouſlie taken, if any ariſe by the ſingle life of a Chriſtian yong widowe, yet Paule thinketh if ſhe marrie not ſhe will in this cauſe giuegive occaſion, marke: [giuegive] to the adverſarie to ſpeake euill. marke, 1. Tim. 5.1…he will hauehave vsus to incurre no ſhewe of ſcandall, no not before a malitious adverſarie. It is for Boos not only not to touch Ruth, Ruth. 3.14.but alſo to prevent all ſhewe of touching her: as to prevent that no man knowe ſhe hath been in the flower with him. So it is for vsus now, not only not to defile our ſelues with the popiſhe ſuperſtition, but alſo to prevent all ſhewe of communicating with them, which wee doe not in the croſſe: for as long as it is in church publiquelie vſed, it is more thē in our flower, it is in the ſame bedd with vsus: and as long as we countenance it by lawe, we ſpread the winge of our garment over it: Euen ascPlutarc. in vit. Caeſar. Caeſar requireth in a wife that ſhe be free not only from the facte of adulterie, but alſo from the ſuſpition of it. And ought not the ſpouſe of Chriſt be as chaſte even from all ſhew of ſpirituall fornication? Whereas Ambroſe requireth of an honeſt man, that he be cleare not only à crimine, dAmbroſ. lib. de offic.ſed etiam à criminis ſuſpitione: we will provide for our honeſtie, who put not from vsus all ſhew of diſhoneſtie in popiſh rites and ceremonies. When certaine Divines of Miſnia were purpoſed not to care for the grunnitus ſuûm, they meant of the papiſtes in the vſe of the Surplice, they were adviſed by theeReſponſ. Nichol. Galli. & Placci. Ill…ri. ad Concionator. Miſ…iae. wiſer ſorte of their brethren to take heed, howe by the putting of it on, they gaue to theſe ſues iuſtam cauſam grunniendi, which now is our caſe. Thirdly, It is replied to the ſcandall of the papiſtes, that it is prevented alreadie ſufficientlie: in that we hauehave purged theſe ceremonies frō their abuſe, which being done, we hauehave libertie to retayne them, and we turne them to a good vſe, for the vſing of ourfExamin. of the declarat of the M. of London libertie, from which why ſhould we ſuffer our ſelues to be hindered by them? Firſt a ſcandall is not prevented in a thing vnneceſſarie, vnleſſe for the abuſes ſake it be remoued as the brazen ſerpent was: for which Hezechias had not ſuch evidence, gD. Fulke reioynd. ag Mart. art. 10. p. 216.but we hauehave as good now for the putting downe of the croſſe. Did not Pius hIoh. Criſp in vit. eius.ſecundus put downe the Nunnes of the order of Ste Bridget, for the ſcandall and abuſe of their ſingle life? For the like ſcandall wherof in Prieſts, he was alſo wont to ſay, he ſawe more cauſes why Prieſtes ſhould marrie, then liue ſingle. Did not the ſelectedlVide Whitak. conr. Dureuio. l. 5. fol. 378 Cardinalls write thus to Pope Paule the third, Alius abuſus in ordinibus religio ſorum quod adeo multi deformati ſunt, vt magno ſint ſcandalo, whence they conclude, Conventuales ordiues abolendos eſſe putamus omnes. Thirdly, our libertie we may vſe, 2. Cor. 10.8but not to deſtruction, either of papiſtes, or of any other: in this caſe of ſcandall our libertie ceaſethmIoſias Simler. in Exod. 20. fol. 85. quae libera ſunt in caeſu ſcandali, deſinunt eſſe libera. and our libertie againſt papiſtes is this, not to ſuffer our ſelves vnderunder their ſubiection for one houre by conformitie to their ceremonies, but to free our libertie as Paule did from the ſervitude of that neceſſitie which they put in them by a diſvſe and removall of them. …al. 2.So then the ceremonies controverſed, deſerue a removall for the ſcandall which they offer to the papiſtes.