Brotherly Persuasion to Unity and Uniformity, Tract · Chapter 4
CHAP. 4. Of Conformitie, and firſt in kneeling at the receipt of the Communion.
TO proceed therefore therein, the things of greateſt moment for which I obſerue this vrged conformitie is ſtucke at, are either certaine rites or ceremonies, preſcribed the Cleargie to vſe, by the ſeruice booke or Canons, or certain exceptions made againſt the things thereby appointed in the Churches ſeruice to be read. In the firſt ranke three rites or ceremonies are miſliked, eſpecially kneeling in the receit of the Communion, the preſcribed apparell, and the making the ſigne of the croſſe after Baptiſme: Their reaſons of the diſlike of the firſt of theſe. I find eſpecially to be three; that it was not vſed by Chriſt, nor his Apoſtles at the firſt inſtitution of this Sacrament, that it came in and firſt was taken vp after the doctrine of reall preſence by tranſubſtantiation, and ſo thereupon adoration of the hoſt crept into the Church of Rome; and now by the Canons it is vrged ſo ſtrictly, as that neither the miniſter may adminiſter it to any that refuſe to take it kneeling, nor they otherwiſe receiue it without incurring the cenſures of the Church. Touching the firſt reaſon, long ago it hath bene ſufficiently anſwered, as you may ſee Pag. 596. &c. of the late Archbiſhops anſwer to M. Cartwright, where hee ſhewes the Authors of the admonition, that were the firſt vrgers of it, that as the Church of Chriſt without any wrong offered to Chriſt, or his inſtitution, hauehave ſince altered the time and the place, and diuerſe other circumſtances in the adminiſtring of this Sacrament, ſo may it alſo the geſture of ſitting, (then vſed for that it was inſtituted after the receit of the paſſeouer, in eating whereof they vſed that geſture) into this of kneeling. And as for the ſecond, it is grounded rather vponupon an imagination, then vponupon any ſound ground, for though there I find the admonition ſaith it came in by the decree of Honorius, yet they quote no author to proue it, which they would not hauehave failed to do, if they had had any worth the citing: And therfore though they were anſwered by the foreſayd author, that he could find no ſuch decree of Honorius for it, yet neither they nor M. Cartwright their defender, once ſince go about to proue that euer Pope Honorius made any ſuch decree. And there being foure of that name Biſhops of Rome, and ſome of them before either tranſubſtantiation or adoration, was heard of in the Church, in fathering ſuch a decree vponupon Honorius without any adition or proofe, argues the weakneſſe and vncertaintie of their euidence. But howſoeuer the Papiſts ſince theſe groſſe and idolatrous conceits of theirs touching this ſacrament came in, hauehave vſed it ſuperſtitiouſly in adoring their hoſt in the eleuation thereof, I cannot find neither in their maſſe booke, or any where elſe, that either Prieſt or people with them, were bound to receiue it kneeling: and we by our publike doctrine hauing abandoned that eleuation and adoration of theirs as we hauehave, we vſe it onelyonly as in the foreſayd place the ſayd Archbiſhop ſhewes to no ſuch end, but for that we thinke it a fit and ſeemely geſture, the Sacrament being as it is a Sacrament of thanksgiuing, and it being alſo by the order of our Church alwayes deliuered and receiued with prayer, wherein that geſture is very comely, and for that we know that now amongſt vsus, there is as great danger, if not more, of too baſe a conceit, and of too much contempt of ſo excellent a Sacrament, then of any too high an eſtimation there of. And therefore euen, to preuent that the better is it onelyonly that the Canon ſo earneſtly vrges the vſe of this geſture of kneeling, as alſo by vrging it ſo ſeuerely, to put an ende to the offenſiue diuerſitie (if it were poſſible) in the receiuing of this ſacrament of vnitie, ſome ſitting, ſome ſtanding, ſome walking, and but ſome keeeling: for that of all theſe kinds of geſtures (theſe times conſidered) this of kneeling is iudged the fitteſt. For it was wiſely foreſeene that ſuch multiplicitie and varietie of geſtures, tending ſo much as they do, not onelyonly to ſet the people forward in that whereunto they are too forward alreadie, namely in thinking too too irreuerently of ſo high a myſterie, but alſo to the no ſmall occaſioning of the Papiſts more and more to ſtumble both at our doctrine and doings, would not, nor could not, bee reduced to a needefull vniformitie in this caſe, without ſome moderate ſeueritie vſed to that end. Wherefore otherwiſe to gather thereupon, as though thereby our Church now meant to make it abſolutely and ſimply neceſſarie to the complement of this ſacrament, is but directly contrarie to our laſt premiſed rule, to make the worſt conſtruction of the Churches order therein that may be; and therefore thus is their third argument founded vponupon ſo bad a ground anſwered alſo. Further yet to breed and continue in vsus (for the reaſons aforeſayd) the better liking of the Churches order in this behalfe, none can ſay of this geſture of kneeling, as they ſay of the other, that it is a meere humane inuention, for we find it often practiſed with allowance and liking of the Scriptures of the godly in praying, and thankſgiuing to God, and therefore howſoeuer idolaters hauehave, or do, and will ſtill abuſe it, in and about their idolatrie, I hope for all that we purging it of all ſuch abuſe, none will deny the vſe thereof to be lawfull, and very fit alſo, for true Chriſtians in humbling themſelues before God in their prayers and thankſgiuing. Sure I am that the conſideration of theſe things hath alwayes ſo preuailed with me, that without ſcruple of conſcience, I hauehave euer vſed it my ſelf in the receipt of the Sacrament: and rather am I incouraged to vſe it ſtill, for that I find that not our Church alone, but the reformed Church of Boeme, as it appeares in the harmonie of confeſſions, Sect. the 14. alſo alloweth and vſeth it. Let this therefore ſuffice touching this rite, and now let vsus go on to conſider what is ſayd againſt, and what may be ſayd for the preſcribed apparell.