Brotherly Persuasion to Unity and Uniformity, Tract · Chapter 5
CHAP. 5. Of conformitie in the preſcribed apparell.
ALl the reſt of the preſcribed apparell ſaue only the Surpliſſe, for vsus ordinarie Miniſters, as namely the Gowne, Cloake, Hood, Cap. and Tippet, are in all mens eyes rather ciuill, ſcholaſticall, and academicall, then meere Eccleſiaſticall, appointed rather only for a decent diſtinction and degree then otherwiſe; neither are they impoſed by law vponupon any ſuch penalty as the Surpliſſe, and therefore they muſt needs be without the reach of moſt, if not of all the obiections made againſt the Surpliſſe: Yea the verie ſurpliſſe alſo, in that it is, by the order now appointed, not to be worne of any miniſter that is a graduat, without his hood anſwerable to his degree, ſo farre forth muſt needs ceaſe to be meere Eccleſiaſticall. Somewhat alſo to the ſame end it is that we ſee in Collegiate and Cathedrall Churches, the wearing of it, is not appropriate to miniſters or deacons only, for that many there weare it, as well as theſe, which neither are ſuch, nor neuer meane to be. And as for the Coape appointed by the 24 Canon, by the principall miniſter to be worne, when he miniſters the Communion in Collegiat and Cathedrall churches, we need not here trouble our ſelues at all, for there is none that I know, or heare of in ſuch places, that refuſe therein to conforme themſelues. The onelyonly queſtion therefore touching apparell preſcribed vsus miniſters, is in effect about the ſurpliſſe, ſo that it being once proued, that we may and ought (it being vrged as it is) conforme our ſelues therein, I doubt not but with all it will be ſufficiently cleared, that we may without ſcruple yeeld to the vſe of the other, appointed vsus for our ordinarie ciuill vſe; out of the time of our adminiſtration. Many hauehave bin, and yet are the obiections againſt it, but they are alſo anſwered by the late reuerend Archbiſhop in his foreſayd booke, Pag. 256. &c. that he that will take the paines but to read and marke what is there ſayd therunto by him (partialitie of affection laid aſide) cannot but be ſatisfied I would thinke. And there further ſhall you find proued, that diſtinction of apparell was appointed miniſters and vſed by them, before the Popes tyrannie; and namely that this of wering a white linnen garment was in vſe in Chryſoſtome and Hieromes time. Pag. 291, 259. and that he defends it not (howſoeuer ſome other hauehave done) for any ſignification it hath, but for decencie, order, and comelineſſe ſake onelyonly, nor as moſt fit and neceſſarie, but as tollerable and quietly to bee yeelded vntounto, and vſed for obedience ſake to lawfull authority, commaunding it for the peace, and good of the Church; ſo proouing agaínſt all their ſaid againſt it, either by the admonition, or by Maiſter Cartwright, as it is vrged, and vſed by our Church, not to be contrary vntounto any thing ſet downe in the word, but rather to be conſonant eueryevery way, to the rules thereof touching ſuch matters. And doubtles it is but either the ignorance, or wilfull error of men, to refuſe and ſhun it as they doe, for that either it was firſt deuiſed, and brought in by the tyranny of the Biſhop of Rome, or for that it hath beene vſed, or yet is, idolatrouſly by the Romiſh Church. For firſt it is recorded by Polidor d…inuent rerum. Lib. 6. Cap. 12, and by Iſidor writing de Stephano, that the ſaid Stephanus (who was Biſhop of Rome anno Chri. 256, which was long before euer popery was) firſt decreed the white lynnen garment, to be vſed of miniſters in their miniſtration: and for further proofe of this point, let any man read Hieroms firſt booke againſt the Pelagians. Cap. 9. and vponupon the 44 of Ezechiell, and Chriſoſt. hom. 6. ad populum Antiochaum, as alſo concil. 4. carthaginenſe. Cap. 41. and he ſhall find a white linnen garment in thoſe times alſo in vſe amongſt the miniſters of the Church, as a diſtinct apparrell to adminiſter in, yea that more is, who ſo reads Theodorets 2 booke Cap. 27. ſhall finde that Conſtantine gaue vntounto Macarius Biſhop of Ieruſalem a pretious garment wrought with gold to adminiſter baptiſme in: all which was before popery that wee ſo much condemne. And as for the other reaſon drawne from the abuſe of it in popery, not onelyonly by the teſtimony of Auguſtine ad Publicolam Epiſt. 154 but alſo by the moſt cleare teſtimony of ſundry other writers, both ancient and moderne, and by ſundry preſidents and examples out of the ſcripture, in the foreſaid tract, in the defence of the appointed apparrell. Page. 272. &c. the ſaid Archbiſhop plentifully prooueth, that the good creatures of God neuer ſo much abuſed by Idolaters, purged of that abuſe, may be vſed and that very lawfully about Gods worſhip and ſeruice, and ſo quite ouerthroweth the ground of this argument, for whereas to reuiue it againe, they wold ſhift off all theſe proofes, by ſaying, they hold onelyonly when the things ſo abuſed, after purged and vſed, are things needfull and profitable; that cannot ſerue there turne: for many of the things, if not all mentioned in thoſe there alleadged teſtimonies, were not ſo needfull, but that Gods ſeruice might hauehave beene fully done without them, and it is not for priuate men to iudge, ſo well as the publike ſtate, what is profitable and to be vſed to good end. And in very deed the very Latine word Superpelliceum vſed to ſignifie a ſurpliſſe (as ſome not vnprobably hauehave noted) doth ſhew that it was taken vp and vſed by the miniſters in their adminiſtration, in the primatiue and pureſt times of the Church, when the miniſters, and almoſt all that profeſſed Chriſt, through the cruell perſecutions raiſed in thoſe times againſt all ſuch, were faine to hide themſelues in Caues, woods, and mountaines, and for very pouerty and want of better, to go clothed in pellibus, in beaſts ſkynns, euen therefor for ſeemlineſſe and comlineſſe when they were to execute their miniſtry, to hide & couer thoſe there baſe garmēts of skyns. And many of the miniſtry now in theſe daies, either thorough pouerty, or by ſome other meanes, ordinarily going ſo raggedly and vndecently apparrelled as they doe, if it were but in that reſpect, there is and may be a profitable and neceſſary vſe in ſome ſenſe of the ſame garment, to couer the deformity of the other, and to preſerue them, and their miniſtry, from cōtempt & deriſion, that too eaſily otherwiſe therefore with too many, they might runne into. But to take away quite all force of this their argument, which yet ſeemes to be the chief and principall that any now ſtand vponupon in this caſe: firſt I ſay, ſuppoſe a ſurpliſſe for matter & forme altogether like ours, were abuſed and yet is as they ſay in in the popiſh Church, yet ours that we now vſe being not eadem numero, but only eademſpecie, they can no more make idolathites of ours then the Corinthians could of eueryevery ſheep, becauſe ſuch ſome amōgſt them had beene. As therfore they without any ſcruple of conſcience of their owne & others, might eat of any other ſheepe that certainly was known neuer had beene offered to an Idol, though it were neuer ſo like that which had, ſo what reaſon is there, but that we for all this reaſon, of the abuſing of a ſurpliſſe to Idolatry by the Papiſts, may vſe an other ſurpliſſe made vsus ſince the baniſhment of popery out of our churches, which we are ſure they neuer abuſed nor yet vſed? ſecondly I further ad that in very deede, it can neuer ſoundly be proued that a ſurpliſſe, as it is preſcribed to vsus with long & large ſleeues, hath been at all any of their idolatrous maſſe garments. An Albe I find was one of them, but that was with ſtrait ſleeues & diuerſly otherwiſe in their wearing of it differed from ours, as many may ſee. Lib 3. Durandifol. 25. de rationali diuinorū officiorū In deed I cannot deny but that at the firſt by the ſtatute. 1, Eliza. miniſters were to vſe in their miniſtratiō the ſame ornaments that were in vſe in the raigne of Ed. the ſixt, & in the ſecond yeare of his raigne, amongſt which this Albe was. But her Maieſtie by vertue of the ſaid ſtatute, with the conſent of the Archbiſhop, & the high comiſſioners, in the ſeuenth yeare of her raigne (as it appears by the booke of Aduertiſemēts then by authority publiſhed) belike of purpoſe to remoue the ſcandall takē by the popiſh Albe appointed the ſurpliſſe in this forme & manner that we weare it, to be-vſed in ſtead thereof, hoping that ſeeing forma dat eſſe rei, & ſo therby this differed from that popiſh linnen maſſe garment as it doth, that by this change of the forme, people wold alſo chāge their miſlike therof for the former reaſon, into a liking of this, for that now it was not the ſame, neither numero nor ſpecie, particulerly nor generally, that euer had beene vſed to or about the Idolatry of the maſſe; for though Gedeons Ephod particularly abuſed, was therfore worthy to be defaced, yet that neither cauſed Samuell nor Dauid to ſhun the wearing of linnen ephods eſpecially differing from his otherwiſe in forme, as they did alſo, yea (to conclude this point) ſeeing the Lord in the old teſtamēt preſcribed ſuch diſtinct apparrell for Aaron & his ſonnes, and all their ſons to miniſter in, as we read he did, Ex. 28. & that not onelyonly to be typical (wherin it ſtādeth not with the nature of the times of the new teſtament to imitate thē) but alſo as it is, there expreſly ſet down) ve. 40. for glory & comlineſſe: things lawfull to be reſpected euen now in the time of the new, what ſound reaſon can be ſhewed vtterly to debar the Churches now ſince Chriſt, from imitating them at all, in appointing any comely apparrell to diſcerne, and diſtinguiſh their miniſters by? To ſay it is an humane tradition, and therefore to be reiected, as long as it is vrged but as it is without any ſuperſtitious opinion thereunto annexed, onelyonly for comlineſſe, order and decency, as we hauehave heard by the fift principle before ſet downe, it may lawfully be retayned and vſed. But if it be alleadged, that it is offenſiue to ſome eye, to many weake brethren, firſt anſwer is to be made thereunto, that indeed that were ſufficient to ſtay men from the vſe thereof, if lawfull authority, had ſet downe no order therein, but now that it hath, the caſe is altered, as that according to the fourth premiſed ground, the ordinance of he Church muſt bee the rule that we are to follow therein, for feare of offending the publike eſtate thereof whoſe offence wee are rather to ſhunne then the other; yea the caſe ſo ſtanding with vsus, that in reſpect of our miniſtry & place, wee hauehave all to ſay with the Apoſtle. 1. Cor. 9.16. wo be to vsus if we preach not the Goſpell, as Cartwright himſelf hath writtē in the ſecond part of his reply page. 264 we are rather by continuance in our miniſtry, by yeelding to the vſe hereof, to ſhun this rock of incurring otherwiſe this woe, then the other. For in this caſe all we can do for ſuch, is ſaith he, to ſeeke better to inſtruct them, and to pray for them, but we may not to preuent not offending of them, leaue vndon that which God hath not left free vntounto vsus, and to the ſame effect, writeth. Beza Epiſt. 8. and 12. But indeed to many are the readieſt to bee offended at our yeelding hereunto (though intruth it bee of conſcience before God, euen for their good) not for that they are weake brethren, but for that they take vsus to be weake in yeelding, & themſelues to be ſtrong in miſliking: and generally whoſoeuer they be, if they be at that point, that whatſoeuer is ſaid to ſatisfie them, they yet are ſo farre from beeing willing ſo to be, that they ſeeke & ſearch all the corners of their wits to the contrary, and refuſe no paines by all meanes to nouriſh themſelues ſtill in their weakneſſe or error, it ſurely ſo appearing, that they would yet rather hauehave vsus leaue all to humor them, what miſchiefe ſoeuer grow vntounto the Church, them and there neighbors, vsus and ours thereby, then for the good of all theſe by vſing hereof, to continue in our places and miniſtery: verily in my opinion, we make a fond choiſe, if we ſo reſpect them, that we neglect all theſe. Whatſoeuer further is or can be ſaid againſt this (becauſe the obiections againſt it, and the ſigne of the croſſe, therein are common) I ſhall hauehave occaſion to anſwere, in ſeeking to ſatisfie that which is obiected againſt that, and therefore for the ſurpliſſe in the mean time, I will ſay no more. And yet euen hereby it may ſufficiently appear, that neither the chriſtian Magiſtrate, nor the Church are ſo without all word of faith, as ſome think, for their appointing it, but as they doe with vsus, for wee hauehave heard and ſeene that both, by Gods word hauehave lawfull authority to make lawes and ordinances, and that the ſame followes then for decency and good order, and ſo in generall though not in particuler expreſlie to thoſe ends to preſcribe this.