A Stay Against Straying, Part 2 · Section 14
SECT. 14.
OUR 14. Objection is thus framed: They that eat of the Sacrifice, partake of the Altar, 1 Cor. 10. 18. So they that receive the Word, from an unlawfull Officer, partake with his Office.
To which he thus anſwereth: Treat.I deny the conſequence‡A Child can ſay ſo much, but hee had need be no Child that ſhall prove ſo much:. The Office is not to the Word, as the Altar is to the Sacrifice. The Altar makes the thing to be offered actually to become a ſacrifice, which it was not before, ſave only in destination; as Christ plainly teacheth: ſaying the Altar ſanctifieth the gift. But ſo doth not the Office make that to become the Word of God, which was not ſo actually before.
There goes a ſtory amōg Scholers of AEſops deceiving Mercurie: He having promiſed him one part of his Nutts, keeps all the meat to himſelfe, and delivers the ſhels to the other. As the Treat: gives us here but halfe of the Argument, ſo that halfe, is only the barke or outſide. For had he laid it downe (unum ad unum) according to the ſcope of the place, and as we apply it, thus it ſhould have been.
Such as did eat of the ſacrificed fleſh, taken off from the Altar under the Law, approved of the Iewiſh worſhipaPar. Comment. in 1 Cor. 10. ver. 15 18, and ſhewed themſelves to be of the ſame ReligionbCalv. in 1 Cor. 10. 18., Againe, they which went unto the idol-Temples, and did there eate of the Heathen Sacrifices, joyned themſelves by this outward act to that ſociety and ſuperſtition, So by juſt conſequence, whoſoever goeth unto falſe Churches, to eate ſpiritually of any of the Sacrifices there adminiſtred, in and by an Antichriſtian ſtate of Miniſterie; Hee juſtifieth cGuiliad. Comment. in 1 Cor. 10, 18.by his going, their idolatrous Church, Miniſterie vvorſhip, &c. and makes himſelfe a will-worſhipper with the reſt; according to Pauls Doctrine in the former Examples.*See the Rhemiſt. on the place.
How they will chop this argument ſmall, that they may the eaſier ſwallow it, I know not? But this I am ſure off; they cannot preſſe it downe with divine authoritiedAuſerantur de medio, quae adverſus nes invicem, non ex divinis Canonicis libris, ſed aliunde recitamus. Auguſt. de unita: Eccleſ. cont. Petilian. c. 3.. But either they muſt verba dare, as they ſpeake: and uſe technas peiſeis, uncunning proofs: Or acknowledge it to be a truth, as in truth it is.
To come to his anſwer, which is like a fagot of thornes, full of prickles, bound up with ſtraw, the which by the fyre of Gods Word is quickly burned. 1. He applies things here (aſchematiſton) very ilfavoredlie. The Office (ſaith hee) doth not make that to become the Word of God, which was not ſo actually before. True; Neither did the Altar make the thing to be offered, to become that which it was not ſo actually before; For we know, before it was laid upon the Altar, it was fleſh, but afterwards it became a Sacrifice. The ſame is true concerning the Word; For howſoever the Office makes it not to become the word of God: (as neither did the Altar make the thing to be offered to become fleſh) yet by the Office it is made a Church-ſacrifice, the which it was not ſo before.eDaverba & decive nerves Perſius Sat: 4.
And here I deſire the Reader to obſerve, how diſorderly he ſets things downe. The Altar makes the thing to be Offered, actuallie to become a ſacrifice, which it was not before.
But ſo doth not the Office make that to become the Word of God, which was not ſo actually before.
Inguinis & Capitis, quae ſint diſcrimina neſcit.
What Child may not ſee the abſurditie of it? For all that hee could conclude from the firſt aſſertion; unleſſe he would conclude nothing; was either thus: The Office makes the Word of God to become a Church-ſacrifice, which it was not before, but in deſtination; Or thus: The Office makes not the Word of God to become a Church ſacrifice, for it was ſo before This latter howſoever it be voyd of truth, yet there would have been ſome ſence in it.‡Doe not thinke that the Treat. wrote this Elenchum ſophiſticū ignorātly, but rather fore-ſaw what inconveniēce vvould fol lovv, if he ſhould let the argument runn out orderly and proportionably. I beleeve hee ſavv vvell enought, ſhould he grant, that the Office makes the vvord to become a Miniſteriall Church-Sacrifice; This Scripture vvould ſtand in force againſt the thing they pleaded for.
2. For the place of Scripture, Mat. 23. 19. the meaning is: As they had erected an Altar, and dedicated it to the Lord, according to his appointment, whereon to offer Sacrifices; So the things offered to God on it, and by it, were after a ſort ſanctified by the Altar (f); That is, it made them publick Church-ſervices, acceptable to the Lord. And the ſame is true of Chriſts Miniſterie; As it is a divine inſtitution, given unto the Church, for the performance of Holy things, ſo it ſanctifyeth the things, that is, makes them to become Lawfull Miniſterial Church-Ordinances, without which they were not ſo; Neither could they be ſo reputed.
And this may be as applied alſo to a falſe Miniſterie; For as it is an inſtitution of Satan and Antichriſt, to have their wicked deviſes adminiſtred; So it defiles every adminiſtration, done in it, and by it; And for the adminiſtrations, they are all falſe, unlawfull, Antichriſtian Church-actions,† Quamvis Dei ſolius ſit ſanctificare; tamen aliquo modo quae principalius Deo ſunt-conſecrata, ad ſe pertinentia, ſanctificare dicuntur. Muſcul. in Evang. Mat. c. 23 p. 477. Tom. 3. offered to the DevillgHoc eſt judicium Dei de quavis cultu & de de quavis Religione, quem non ſecundum verbum eius exercetur: Non Deo ſed demonijs preſtatur. Pare. Com. in 1 Cor. 10. 20. Fingere enim falſum cultum, eſt falſum Deum fingere; quia tunc fingitur falſa Dei voluntas, & ſic falſus Deus. Par. in 1. Cor. 10. 7., and otherwiſe to be taken.
3. Where he ſaith, the eating of the Sacrifices in Iſraell became their Sacraments, and the Heathen ſacrifices were their Sacraments: Howſoever, were this ſo, it neither hurts us, nor helpes him. Yet I cannot ſee how it can be ſo applyed. For 1. Circumciſion and the paſſeover were Iſraels Sacraments; And therefore by Altar, their whole Religion and Worſhip is underſtood. As Zanchy hAltare pro tota religione & cultu accipitur. praecept. 3 p. 534.truely obſerveth.
Againe, the Apoſtle prohibiteth not only the eating of the Heathen Sacraments, but all going to their Temples, to doe any thing there, with them, or among them; Yea, though it were not with any intent to performe a Religious Action. SoiReſpicit congreſſus &c. Comment. in Pſul. 16. p…g. 53. Rivetus.
4. As meats conſidered in themſelves, may Lawfully be eaten any where, if it be done without the offence of the weake, as Paul Teacheth at large, 1 Cor. 10 25 29. Yet if meats bee conſidered as they are offered to idols, and eaten in the Idol…Temples in the honour of idols,*See his juſtificat. of ſep. 94. they be unlawfull. The like may be ſaid of the word, if we conſider it in it ſelfe, the ſame may be preached Lawfully any where; But if the Word be conſidered, as Antichriſt uſeth it,Diſtingue tempora & locus & reconciliabis ſcripturas. or rather abuſeth it, in ſetting up a falſe Church and Miniſterie, to teach it in, and by; In this reſpect the Word is not Lawfully preached; How oever here againe he inſinuateth the contrarie. Diſtinguiſh (ſaith Auguſtine k) times and places, and thou ſhalt reconcile the Scriptures.
Laſtly, J deſire the Reader to make it well: Howſoever the Treat. hath ſaid ſomething, yet nothing at all to the Objection: For he ſhould have proved, that howſoever, they who did eate of the ſacrificed Beaſts of the Altar, juſtified the Altar: And they which went to idol-Temples, honoured the idoll; Yet now wee may Lawfullie take and eate the spirituall ſacrifices, which come off from the Altar of falſe Churches, and falſe Miniſteries; And yet not juſtifie the Altar, nor give any honour or conſent thereto; No nor any ſhew or appearance thereof†Quae: Whether ſuch as pretend to ground their practice of hearing on this Treatiſe: doe not ſhew either lightnes in not weighing what is ſaid: Or ignorance in not diſcerning what they read: or wilfulnes, in doing a thing, for ſome by respect, pretending this Booke as a Cloak for it. Hic labor hoc opus eſt.
But it may be, we ſhall heare hereafter of ſome other, that will ſay ſomething to it; In the meane time we will wait for it, and proceed to the reſt.