Showing the Necessity of Conformity, Treatise · Reformed practices · Part 12
Touching ſundry other Ceremonies, ſome vſed in our Church, others of much like nature vſed in other reformed Churches.
THe other Ceremonies which are vſed in our Church, are thus by our claſſicall writers that hauehave written of them, partly defended and excuſed.
The Ring in marriage with the words annexed, In the name of the Father, the Sonne, and she holy Ghost: This albeit ſome learned men condemne as the outward ſigne of a Popiſh Sacrament: yet Bucer calls it, admodum commodus ritus, a very fit Ceremonie with this condition, if it bee expounded to the people what all this may ſignifie, which there he ſetteth downe, Bucer. Script. Anglican. in cenſura cap. 20 fol. 488.
The Purification of women deliuered of childe, now called more appoſitely, The thankeſgiuing for women deliuered, ſome condemne it as Iewiſh, yet Bucer giueth this cenſure and excuſe for it, Haec omnia Scripturis congruunt; This Ceremonie is agreeable to the Scriptures, with that which in the Common prayer booke is expreſſed; He excepteth the offering of a white garment, which is ſince aboliſhed, Bucer. ibid. cap. 24. fol. 490.
Priuate Communion to be giuen to the ſicke: Bullinger granteth, that good men might admit of a priuate Communion to bee giuen to the ſicke, euen in theſe our dayes, for a time, to theſe which hauehave not as yet vnderſtood the full vſe of the Lords Supper: yet hee would not hauehave this libertie graunted vntounto all, neither they that receiue it to hold it as viaticum, a neceſſarie ſupplie to helpe them in the way to heauen Decad. 5. Serm. 9. fol. 498. a.
Caluin alloweth it, if there be ſome company of the kinred, friends and neighbours of the ſicke, that the diſtribution thereof may bee performed according to the inſtitution of Chriſt; and withall, if the action of this communicating be explained to the receiuers, neither any different matter done from the common practiſe of the Church, yet he would not hauehave this vſed commonly: He holdeth it valdè periculoſum huc & illuc promiſcuè deferre, very dangerous (for ſuperſtition, and ambition, or vaine oſtentation) to hauehave the Sacrament carried hither & thither, Epist. 360. fol. 625. Bucer holdeth it in our Church, Scripturis ſatis conſentanea, ſufficiently agreeable to the holy Scriptures, for the conſolation of troubled conſciences, if it bee receiued as the Lord appointeth, Cenſura cap. 22. fol. 489. The obſeruators of the harmony of confeſſions, albeit they diſlike the Communion of two alone, obſeru. ad §. 15. Wirtemb. 6. yet they grant priuate Communions, vponupon condition that the libertie of other Churches bee reſerued, wherein the Lords Supper is not adminiſtred but in publike aſſembly, leaſt ſaluation might ſeeme to bee tyed to the Sacraments, or the Supper of the Lord to be tyed to that time onelyonly, Obſeruat. §. 16. Wirtemberg. 1.
Bowing the knee at the name of Ieſus: Zanchius thus excuſeth; This name which was before by all the Iewes blaſphemed: after his death his Godhead being manifeſt, is adored of all, Inſomuch as he is adored of all, ſo as all men bend their knee at the onelyonly mention of his name. Hence I doubt not (ſaith hee) came firſt this moſt ancient cuſtome in the Church, that when Ieſus is named all ſhould vncouer their heads, in token of reuerence and adoration: and it was eſtabliſhed againſt the Arrians and other Heretickes, which affirmed Chriſt to bee onelyonly man. Conſuetudo fuit non improbanda: ſed poſtea verſa est in ſuperſtitionem vt multa alia pie & Sanctè inſtituta: It was after turned into ſuperſtition, as were ſundry other godly and holy ordinances, Zauch. In Philip. cap. 2. 10. fol. 123.
Paraeus to the queſtion, whether the putting off the Cap to the hearing of the name of Ieſus may be proued by the ſcriptures anſwereth negatiuely: In the mean time, ſaith he, We condemne not this Rite, if it be not eſteemed as a worſhip of God, but for a decent adiaphoral, and then againe if ſuch as doe it not be not condemned, Colleg. 2. cap. 31. Sect. 13. fol. 280. Maſter Fulke: Capping or Kneeling at the name of Ieſus, is of it ſelfe and indifferent thing, and therefore may be vſed ſuperſtitiouſly, as in Popery, &c. It may be alſo ſed well, when the minde is free from ſuperſtition, in ſigne of reuerence to his Maieſty, & as in a matter wherein Chriſtian liberty ought to take place and due reuerence to our Sauiour, may be yeelded without any ſuch outward Ceremony of Capping or Kneeling, Fulk. Rhem. on Phillip. 2. 10. §. 2. fol. 628.
Witneſſes at Baptiſme, Sponſores, commonly called Godfathers, Bucer in his cenſure diſlikes it not. It is vſed in moſt Churches of the world, euen in Geneua, which Caluin liked of, ſo that the Parents were alſo preſent, vnleſſe vrgent occaſion ſhould hinder, Epiſt. 302. fol. 491. Beza allowed of this cuſtome and askes a queſtion thereof: Quis tandem damnare auſit? Who dareth to condemne it, vnleſſe hee would be reproued, by thoſe expreſſe wordes of Paul, commanding that all things bee done honeſtly and by order, Epiſt. 8. fol. 75. to Biſhop Grindall. Pet. Martyr calleth it Vtile inſtitutum, a profitable ordinance, yet he reproueth the vſual negligence of ſuch in caſting off the care of children, of whoſe Baptiſme they are the witneſſes, loc. claſſ. 4. cap. 8. §. 5. fol. 822.
Priuate Baptiſme to ſicke and weake children, Bucer alloweth it, and ſaith it is holily propoſed in our common prayer Booke: He wiſheth that it might be obſerued; eſpecially that infants Baptiſme be not deferred. Whereby he obſerueth, that a doore is opened to the Deuill to bring in the contempt of the Church, and ſo of our whole redemption and communion with Chriſt, which preuailed greatly by the opinion of the Sect of the Anabaptiſts. Cenſur. cap. 15. fol. 481. So Caluin iudgeth hereof, that infants may be baptized out of the Temple, ſo it be done whereſoeuer there is numerus aliquis fidelium qui Eccleſiae corpus efficiet, & qui baptizat pro Paſtore agnoſcatur; A certaine number of the faithfull, which may make the body of a Church, and hee which baptizeth be acknowledged of them as their Paſtor: And further, that it be not performed in priuate without any witneſſes at all. Epist. 185. fol. 304.
Perambulations in Rogation weeke: Peter Martyr, albeit he affirme to hauehave riſen from the Heathen cuſtome of perambulating, and could not well tell how to giuegive aduiſe thereof: yet on condition that onelyonly Prayer bee vſed vntounto God for his mercy, and for the vſe and bleſſing of the fruits comming vp, with thankeſgiuing for his bleſſings on the creatures the laſt yeere; he doeth not altogether condemne it as ſuperſtitious, though otherwiſe he wiſheth the Magiſtrates to aboliſh it; Loc. com. inter Epiſt. fol. 1128. amico in Angliam.
Epiſtles and Goſpels (the readings of holy Scripture ſo called) vſed in ſundry Churches, as before appeareth, and is ſo farre foorth approued by the obſeruators of Geneua on the Harmony of confeſſions, that liberty bee left to eueryevery Church of vſing theſe, or not vſing them, vponupon condition that this diuiding of the Scripture doe not produce a neglect of the reſt; Obſeruat. §. 1. ad Bohem.
Reading of Homilies: Albeit that all learned and godly teachers doe with one conſent condemne an ignorant vnlearned ſlothfull Miniſter, and by all meanes doe perſwade to their vttermoſt indeuour in the furtherance and planting of a Godly, learned, and painfull Miniſtery, as Caluin. Epist. 127. fol. 124. & Epist. 87. fol. 164. 165. Bucer. cenſura cap. 2. fol. 458. & cap. 7. fol. 465. & Epist. ad Cranmerum fol. 683. Idem deregno Christi lib. 1. cap. 15. fol. 52. 62. Beza Epiſt. 12. fol. 95. 96. & Epiſt. 8. fol. 79. Hyperius de Scriptur. lect. lib. 1. fol. 122. ad fol. 136. & Tom. 2. fol. 675. 676. 677. 678. P. Mortyr loc. inter Epist. fol. 1085. Danaeus Iſag. part. 3. lib. 3. cap. 45. fol. 373. Zanch. Obſeruat. ad confeſ. 25. fol. 66. 67. Whitaker in Epiſt. dedicat. contra Paraeum, with diuers others: yet in a caſe of neceſsity Bucer ſaith, that it is better that godly and learned Homilies made by others ſhould be rehearſed or read vntounto the people, ſo long as Preachers are wanting, which may holily and holeſomely teach and exhort them, Cenſur. cap. 7. fol. 465. Alſo in another place he commandeth the order vſed both in the Primitiue times among the Fathers, as alſo in England in his time of appointing Readers in the Church, with condition, ſi idonei, if they be fit: if they reade grauely, religiouſly, cleerely, and to the peoples edification: if they bee de ſingulari pietate commendati, of ſingular pietie: Elſe hee concludeth Illos non eſſe Miniſtros Chriſti, that they are not the Miniſters of Chriſt, which chop and mumble vp their reading, as they cannot bee vnderſtood with edification by the people. I ſcript. Anglican. de vi & vſu miniſterij. fol. 564. 565. This Zanchius alſo citeth and approoueth out of Bucer. Obſeruat. ad confeſſ. cap. 25. §. 10. 11. fol. 65. 66. 67.
Sundry other Ceremonies there are, partly vſed in our Engliſh Churches, and partly not ſuch, as Chriſts picture, and Crucifixes, Beza colloqu. Mompelgart. fol. 49. Heming.
Images of Saints, Beza ibid. fol. 401. Heming. ibid. fol.
Altars of ſtone, Beza ibid. fol. 424. 425.
Exorciſmes, Heming. ibid.
Candles, Heming. ibid.
Organs, Beza ibid. fol. 410. 411. 423.
Name of Prieſt by the Latine word Sacerdos, Heming. ibid.
Againſt which Ceremonies, albeit the ſaid Beza doeth by many pregnant reaſons ſhew his diſlike, yet doeth he and Hemingius conclude them to be things of their owne nature (adiaphora) indifferent, howſoeuer in vſe inconuenient: alſo the obſeruators on the harmony of confeſſions doe mention other Ceremonies, ſuch as the vſe of Eccleſiaſticall diſcipline in Sect. 8. Auguſt. obſeruat. 6. Of Excommunication, in Sect. 10. Bohem. 3. in Sect. 11. Anglic. 1. Of Suſpē ſion, in Sect. 17. Gallic. 1. Of priuate Abſolution, in Sect. 8. Bohem. 1. and Saxon. 1. and Wirtemberg. 1. and in Sect 11. Bohem. 8. Putting on of hands on the head of the baptiſed, in Sect. 13. obſeruat. 1. Impoſition of hands on the head of the Miniſter, in Sect. 11. Heluet. prior. obſeru. 2. All of the which they doe not ſimply condemne, but doe leaue them to be done, or not, at the libertie of eueryevery Church vponupon two conditions. Firſt, that the libertie of other Churches of different practiſe being kept entire not preiudiced. Secondly, that the inconueniences of ſuch Ceremonies bee carefully preuented.
So that we ſee here the vnitie of iudgements of the godly learned to bee oppoſite vntounto the doctrine of ſuffering depriuation, for not vſing or conforming to our inconuenient Ceremonies, or to the like.