Against Human Ceremonies in Gods Worship, Part 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Touching other partitions of Ceremonies, Pag.
A Fift partition is, that of sacred Cerem. some are perpetuall, as divine, some temporary, moveable, alterable, ambulatory as humaine, and of ambulatory some …re free, and some are fixed.
Of the perpetuity of Divine Ceremon. there is no quaestion, of the alterablenes of humaine, 1. That is a corrupt rule which the Rej. addeth viz. that they are al…erable, when in the judgment and consciences of those to whome it belongs to discerne therof (that is with us to the …onvocation house) they become not unprofitable alone, but …angerous and hurtfull. For not to repeat here, that all …umaine Ceremoniesare unprofitable, dangerous, hurt…ull, 1. unprofitablenes alone is sufficient to cashyre a Ceremony of mans making: consider well of these …easons.
1. If Gods owne Ceremonies were therfore to be removed because unprofitable,Vnprof…tablenes is enough to cashy…e a Ceremony of mans making. then much more ours, Heb. 7.18.
2. If we must answere for idle words, then much more for idle ceremonies.
3. That wherin neither the governour, attaines his end in cōmaunding, nor the governed his in obaying, to commaund that is unlawfull: but he that commaunds unprofitable Ceremo. he attaines not his end in commaunding, nor the governed his end in obeying: Ergo.
4. 2. Coll. 18. Those things which perish in the using, with those we must not be burdened: but unprofitable Ceremo. perish in the using: ergo, with those we must not be burdened.
5. Things indifferent, when they are used not in subordination to help forward morall duties, then their use is unlawfull, but when they are unprofitable, then they are not in subordination to help forward the morall. Ergo.
6. That which crosseth the place and office of the governour, that he must not doe or maintaine: but to enjoine a thing unprofitable is against his office and place: for his office is to rule for our good, Rō. 13.4. but unprofitable things are not so. Ergo.
7. That which the magistrate can commaund or maintaine in the Church, he must doe by virtue of some precept: That which is done by virtue of a precept, will be avayleable to bring about that end, whereof there is a precept, but unprofitable things cannot attaine that end: Ergo cannot be done by virtue of a precept: ergo, are not under the commaund of a magistrate.
Againe when its here referred by the Rej. to the judgments and consciences of governors to discerne of the dangerousnes of Cerem. and I would fayne knowe, whether the cōsciences of all the Christians in England, …e so subjected, and tyed, to the flei…e of the convocations …onscience, that without it they may not judge, no nor …iscerne of the unprofitablenes, danger, and hurt of the Ceremo. which they are to practise, surely this is more …ervile, blynd obedience,Blynd obedience brought in by the Rej. then the wiser sort of papists …ill admitt of. The Inquisitor Silvester, in the word …rupulus, saith that: To interpret discretly, humaine praecepts … the court of conscience, belongs to every one, Interpretare discrete praecepta humana in soro conscientiae pertinet ad quemlibet pro facto suo.as touching his …ne practise. This was one ground that Paulus Venetus …lgentius, and the other Venetian divines stood upon, …hat every man whom it did concerne, might and ought … discerne of any superiors praecept, even the popes,Inferiors should judge of the comma…nds of the superiors. …hether it were lawfull and convenient or no: But …erein the Rej. had consented (as it seemeth with D. …ovell pag. 19. that in such things as these are, the prae…ept of the superior doth bynd, more then the consci…nce of the inferior can: And that the subject having …he commaund of King, or Bishop, for his warrant, ought …ot to examine, but only to performe what he seeth …ommaunded, A very good stirrop if it be well held, for … help men up by, that they may ride upon mens con…iences, at their pleasure. Dr. Davenant taught us other …octrine at Cambridge: when upon Coloss. 2.13. In …pposition to Iesuiticall blynd obedience, he shewed …ven out of Thomas Aquinas,Subditt possunt & debe…t de superio…um decre…is, quatenus ad se spectant indicare, iudicio discretionis. that subjects may and ought … judge with the judgment of discretion the decr…ees of their …periors, so farr as it concernes their particular: and against …he Rej. his contrary doctrine let these reasons be wei…hed.
If the judgment of the governour be not the rule of imposing, then is it not the rule of removing Ceremo… but the first is denyed by all,The judgmēt of the Governou… is not the rule of retaining or removing Ceremo. even the Rej. and therfore the second part cannot be graunted. 2. If Cerem. mus… not be removed before they be discerned dangerous by the consciences of the Governors, then Governors do not synn, if they retaine Cerem. never so bad, provided that in their judgments and consciences they seeme no… dangerous, that being by the former graunt the rule o… their removeall, but this is absurd: ergo. 3. If Governours have authority to keepe any Ceremonies imposed, untill they seeme dangerous & hurtfull unto them then all other are bound to obey in the practise, of suc… Ceremo. though in their consciences they ought to b… removed, because the judgment of the governour, is th… rule of maintaining, or removing: and thus they shoul… be brought into a snare and a necessity of synning, eithe… to goe against their consciences rightly informed, and s… synne: Rom. 14. last: or to goe against the judgment o… the governour, and so against the rule (that being th… rule of retaining by the new doctrine of the Rej.) an… so also synne: Againe of ambulatory free Cerem. th… Rej. give…h only an example out of auncient times, bu… we could wish some examples in England. It seemeth▪ we are more fettered and lesse free in all the Ceremo. we have, then any approved course doth warrant: Th… explication of ambulatory fixed Ceremo. is as uncouth, as their title: Their observation, must ever be free in respect of th… judgment, to be had of them, but the practise only is required▪ For if all judgment, to be had of them, be free, then ti… free to account them unlawfull, hurtfull or unprofita…le. 2. Ought the practise to be required either against …he judgment or without it?How fat the judgment and practise are fixed together. A bruit practise is not re…uired, neither is there properly any good practise, but willing out of judgment, Those therfore that so require …nd fix our practise, must needs as much as in them lyes, …equire and fixe our judgment in some manner: But in …ery deed no man or convocation of men (either de ju…e, or de facto) can fixe anothers judgment, concerning …awfull or unlawfull, They may arrogate so much to …hemselves, & commaund men to captivate their wills …nto them, & by their wills so far as they can their judgments, yet the judgment they cannot fixe, but only the outward practise: Neither is it any thing to me, what au…hority others do arrogate to themselves, concerning my practise, but what they require me to practise: I should ac…ount him as good a master or Lord, that should say, do this upon judgment, that thou shouldest do it, because I commaund it, as him, that sayth, thou shalt do this, judge what thou wilt judge: The Rej. it may be will say, that he meaneth a freedome of judgment, in not accounting of them necessary to salvation: But no learned Papist …houlds their Ceremonias minores necessary to salvation, if he speake of necessity of synning upon omission without scandall or contempt, that hath beene handled before. Zanchius in his Ep. to Q. Elizabeth dealeth plainly, & patt to the point in hand. If these Cer. be propoūded to Christians they must be propoūded, either as indifferent or necessary: If this, we do impiously, to make those things necessary, which God hath left indifferent: If that, they are then to be left free, unto the church, but by cōmaunding & cōstraining we make thē necessary: So Calvin de vera Ecclesiae refo…matione Opus. pag. 337. The… will except, Excipient res essemedias, quarum indifferens sit usus Christianis, cur ergo quicquā omitti verant?that they b… things of a middle natu…e, the use whereof is indifferent to Christians, why therfore do they forbidd any thing to be omitted?
A sixt partition is of simple and double Cerem. double are described to be such, as besyde their use, for order and decency, serve also to aedification, by some profitable signification which either of themselves they have some aptnesse unto, or receave by appointment, as it were by common agreement. Where 1. the Rej. seemeth to double with us, when he maketh simple Ceremon. to serve only for order and decency, without signification, when as before and after he telleth us, that no Cere. may be dumbe, but all must have their signification, 2. Order and decency seeme to be seperated from aedification in some sacred Ceremon. which he knew not of that willed all things to be done unto aedification. 3. All significant Cerem. are supposed first to be in order and decency, and yet after so long a tyme, we are to learne what use our crosse hath for order, more then a circle would have. 4. By the distinction or distribution here made, aptnesse of things for signification, either is in them of themselves or not, yet in the fourth partition our necessary rule was, that the things be not unapt unto their ends. 5. A strange power is here given unto the convocation, to make things apt for signification and aedification, by their appointment, which before were not apt to any such thing. This was wont to be the peculiar of God, to call things that are not as if they were, and so make them this or that,
7. In the next place we are tould of significant Cer. impro…erly sacramētall, & those are so called either reductively, such … are affixed to the use of the Sacramēt, whether they beare no …ignificatiō, or beare some significancy, either of their virtues, …r of our duties, unto which we are obliged by the Sacramēt: Or …se they be analogically so called, if they be instituted to work …pernaturall effects, the former are lawfull, but not the latter. The delineation of these confused distinctions is this:
Significative Ceremonies are
Sacramentall
Properly,
Improperly.
reductive which are
not significative.
or significative.
analogicall.
Morall,
To all which members, I could have seriously wished the Rej. would have added acurate definitiōs or descriptions, and then he would either have beene hyndered, from the confused setting of them downe, or else he would have discovered, his infinite mistaking, and manifested to the world, how he had bewildered himself, whyle he mudds the water, and so would mislead the simple. But we will follow his foorstepps, only let us observe some conclusions out of the frame in generall.
First is this:Rej. contradiction in a grosse manner That some non significative Cerem. are significative: or which is all one, significative Ceremo. are either
non significative,
or significative Sacramentall.
This desperate absurdity lyes open to the eye of any, that have their eyes annointed with the eye salve of Logick, and judicious discourse, for let but a fresh man, runn up the speciall to his highest, and he shall perceave some nō significative to be the speciall to the Genus of a significative cere. 2. Cer. reductively sacramē …all & not significative, do properly appertaine to sacred Cer. reductively, & by right so called, & have beene hādled before, & are here wholly heterogeneal. 3. Its well to be noted that humaine Cer. affixed to the Sacram. & bearing significancy of the Sacram. vertue, & obligations, are such as the Rej. fighteth for: But these are analogically sacramē tall,Ce…emonies sacre…ly hym ficant are …nalog…call. for analogie, similitude, or proportion, cannot be denyed to be betwixt two signes, which signifye the same virtues, the same duties, & the same obligatiō to these dutyes, And though the Rej. say againe & againe, they were never held unlawfull: Ye… learned Chamier in the name of our Divines & reformed churches hath these words: We observe come…y circūstances in the celebration of the Sacramēt, Honestas celebrati…ns circumstantias obse…vamus, sed incetio d…mnamus qui ea addid…ru…, qu…bus m…steria aff…xer…nt propr…a… que si…n…f…cation…s & quid …co…ū effe…c…um qui …. Quasi …is …erve tundem re… agi oportuerit, & out … non satis a…um esset instituto d…v…no nisi …um…a timetita …. De … l…b …. cap. 6.….27.but we justly cōdemne those, who have added such things, unto which they have phansyed mysteries, & proper significations, & that of those effects which appertaine unto the water of baptisme: As though the work should be twice or thrice do…e, and that either nothing, or that was not sufficient which was done by divine appointment, unlesse humaine rashnes should have added supply. And the Waldēses who first reformed their churches, & purged out all their popish levē, renoū ced all such humaine Cer. or Traditious as unlawfull as manifestly appeareth by all Papists and Protestants, that have sett downe their confession & practise. 4. If Analogically Sacramentall Cere. be impious aemulators of Gods holy Sacraments, as the Rej. confesseth, what can be sayd, why humaine significant Cer. analogicall to divine significāt should not by parity of reason, be esteemed impious aemulators of Gods holy signes, Is it forbidden to aemulate Gods Sacra. only, & not all his holy ordinances?
After all these come in morall significāt Cer. which are only to expresse some benefitt, whi…h God giveth us, or to notify, professe, or expresse some duty, which we owe to him, or one to another. But I do not see wherein these differ, frō reductive Sacra. Cer. except it be in this, that it may so fall out, that these sometymes are not affixed to Sacramēts, This head therfore seemeth to be added, only because D. Morton had used it before, and for his sake let us a little further weigh it, when therfor the Rej▪ affirmes, that morally significant are ordeined to expresse some benefitt on Gods part, some duty on ours. By some benefitt or duty he must meane any spirituall benefitt, or duty, besyde the covenant, which he professedly mentioneth & excepteth,How the Rej. division… interfere and cro…e one the other▪ for if one benefitt may be signifyed, why not any one, & this morally significant, are religious or sacred significant in the generall, the Species as large as the Genus: Hence againe morally significant, will be a genus to sacramentall reductively significant, for that is but a particular signification of some benefitts, & duties in the Sacrament, which are included under this Generall, & so one species of the distributiō shall become a Genus to the opposite member, & contradistinct species. If it be here replyed that reductive significative sacramentall is annexed to the Sacrament: I answer, that is nothing to the nature of the significancy, for take & use a crosse out of baptisme, in the same manner & to the same end, as in it, & it will be the same in the specificall nature of significancy, only so much the worse, because it is sett cheek by jole with baptisme. 2. I aske what he meanes by those words, expresse, professe: is it barely to declare? if so, then let him show who is his adversary, unlesse he will fall out with his shadow, for do not all his opposites graunt, that sign… indicantia, or showing sygnes are lawfull, but not symbolica.
Lastly, when he affirmes, that these Cerem. morally significant are not to signifye the covenant of grace:The crosse s…gnifyes the covenant of grace. I reply, if they may signifye any other spirituall duty or benefitt, if they may signifye the severall essentiall duties of the covenant of each syde, why may they not signifye the whole covenant? 2. If the crosse signifyeth the consecration of the child to God, and so entrance into the covenant, the relation of a souldier, to a Commaunder, a servant to a master, and so is continuance and faythfull perseverance in that profession to Christ, and his respect and regard of us according to those relations, then doth it signify the covenant? By this which hath beene sayd, it appeares, that the quaestion is falsely stated: for these Ceremo. are more then holy by application in his sense formerly opened, they are pressed as necessary, and are used as analogically sacramentall, as well as properly morall,…he state of …e quaestion. and in signification, do pertake somthing of the proper nature of Sacraments, as also in the significative teaching, and stirring up the heart: when its sayd, they are used in worship, they are externall acts of Gods worship falsely appointed by man, and serve not for order, nor decency, nor aedification.