Against Human Ceremonies in Gods Worship, Part 1 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Concerning the just and proper stile of our Cerem. Answ: to the preface, Pag. 54.55.56.57.
IN answ: to the Reply. his preface, after certaine words spent concerning the number, and such like circumstances of Mr. Sprynts arguments, not worth the repeating &c. The Rej. cometh to Dr. Morton his title, which he gave to our Cerem: that they are innocent: whereunto was opposed, 1. That Calvin accounted them in the most favorable sense ineptias, fopperyes, and in proper speech noxious, pernicious. To this the Rej. answ: that Calvin meant not these titles to our Cerem: but to some other things which were in King Edwards, book of common prayer, as lights, and crosses at the supper. Concerning which answ: 1. not only D. B. was wont otherwise to understand Calvin as we do, but the Prelats themselves, for so we read in D. B. his Apologye pag. 44. according to D. Covells disposition of it. The ordinary speeches of the Lordship and other Bishops were, that the Cerem: are trifles, raggs, beggerly rudiments, that in the books were multae tolerabiles ineptiae, which if it pleased the King to remove they would be gladd.
4. The Rej. cannot give us any probable reason, why lights should be more foppish, then the Surplice or crossings in the supper: Nay he undertaketh to justifye both lights and crossings in the supper, and a hundred other Cerem: upon the same termes, that he defendeth these.
…. Calvin did ordinarily call such Ceremon:Calvins opinion of our ceremonies. Adventitiae nugae: mera ludibria: Epist. 505. Ludicrae & insipidae mixturae. Epist. 260. Adventitiae nugae: mera ludibria De vitand. supest. Pa. 4. Ceremoniae aliae aperte Idolatricae aliae stultae & ineptae: Epist. 177. Lineae vestis ufus, cum multis ineptijs tam apud Magdeburg: quam apud Wittenburgenses retinentur. Non m…do illas ut minus utiles & supervacuas omiserunt, fed ut ineptas ridiculas, ludicras noxias & perniciosas plaerique damnandas & profligandas putant Visyne. Tom. 2. P. 45. Romanae superstitionis crepundia. Beza disp. 66. Additias illas nugas. as ours by no her name then these: Epist. 25.9. Adventitions triflles, …ere mockeryes: Epist. 505. babish and saplesse mixtures: …gaine Epist. 260. strange trifles mere fopperyes: againe: Some …erem. are openly Idolatrous others are foolish, and unmeet: And Epist. 117. the use of the lynnen garment with many …pperyes is retayned both with them of Magdenburgh, and …hem of Wittemberge. Neither was Calvin alone in these …rmes. Cassander pag. 852. complaineth that most of …ur writers consent in them. Not only they have omitted …hose as lesse profitable and superfluous, but the most (meaning …ur Protestant Divines) have judged them, foppish, ridicu…us, and babish, yea to be condemned, and abandoned, as hurt…ull, and pernicious. The puppy good of popish superstition. Those superfluous trifles. Mr. Fox in Mr. Hoopers Story, …rifles tending more to superstition then otherwise, like …nto stage players attyre. 6. All humaine religious mysticall Cer. are the byrths of folly, because every man …s foolish in fynding out of religious worship, according to his owne imagination. 7. These Cer. are of the same …ynd with confessed fopperyes, as the placing of mysteries in every weather cock, upon church steeples, as some doe: the Ludi Sacri among the papists in frequent use like unto stage playes: The rocking of a babe in a cradle all night, at the Nativity tyme, the Harrowing of hell at Easter; The representation of fighting horse and foot, according to the Custome of Mozarabo: Hist. Concil. Trident. P. 642. If a May pole should be brought into the church, for children to dance about and clyme upon, in signe of their desire to seek things above: If a stiffe strawe were putt into the childs hand, for a signe of fighting against spirituall enemies, as with a speare: ther would be no more folly in these thē is in the crosse. 8. All experiēce telleth us, that such humaine inventions are not aptae to any spirituall use, as they are appointed unto, and therfore may justly be called according to the notation of the word ineptae.
Againe it was opposed, that these Cere: were found by wofull experience to be very nocent and hurtfull in that use, which hath beene and is still made of them. To this the Rej. answ: that these mischeifs (which he cannot deny to follow upon our Ceremon: as they have beene and are urged, are accidentall events or sequells, not proper effects of them,) and that the extreame opposing of them as unlawfull, hath beene the cause or occasion of these evills. But 1. these mischeifs have followed upon these Cerem: by more continuall or contiguall succession (then the Pope can plead for his chayer) even from the tyme of the first urging of them, untill this day. Mr. Fox speaking of a wicked persecutor, one Blumfeild, who threatned a good man, one Symon Harelson, to present him, for not wearing the Surplies: Addeth it is pitty, such baites of Popery are left to the enemyes to take the Christians in, God take them away from us, or us from them. For God knoweth they be the cause of much blyndnesse and strife among men:Ceremonies are nocent. In his Iudgm: the Cer. were then nocent, and infamous for these sequells, and yet the Rej. fayd, they were not untill of late so extreamely opposed as unlawfull. 2. Our opposition of them is no more guilty of these mischeifs, then the message of Moses and Aaron, were of the cruelty which Pharoahs taske mas…ers used, towards the poore Israelites, Exod. 5. though …ome people now may think so, as many Israelites did …hen. 2. When the Anabaptists in Helvetia opposed humaine Ceremonies as unlawfull, they were by pu…like authority, and with common consent abolished: And the very Anabaptists were thanked for that opposition. So Zwinglius (their arch-adversary) Tom. 1. P. 70.
And here truely I shall graunt to the Catabaptists, and will freely confesse, that some commodity hath accrewed, from that contention, which they have stirred about Baptisme: For hence it hath come to passe, that those things which the foolish superstition of humaine conceits had added: (as namely the use of Exorcisme spittle and salt, and many other of the like kynd, which were brought to light) are accounted of all for vayne and frivolous. Atqui hie l… bens equidena Catabaptistis concedam, & fatebor, aliquid …ultatis ex contentione illa, quam ipsi de Baptis: instituerunt, evetum e…se, Hinoenim factum est, ut ea quae humanae rationis stulta superstitio addiderat (qualia sunt Exorcismi sputi salisque usus, & alia hujus gene…is cō plura, in lucem protracta) ab omnibus pro vanis & futilibus habita sunt.Who or what is in the way, that the contention of so many worthy (I dare say) of no lesse respect then Anabaptists, against the same kynd of Ceremonies should be accounted a just cause, or occasion of so different a resolution, as the severest urging of them, is from the utter cashyering of them: Certaine it is: the proper cause is to be sought in some other box, then extreame opposition, and esteeming of them unlawfull. 3. Suppose these Cerem. in regard of some places, tymes, and persons not unlawfull, and the mischeifs accidentall, yet that maketh not the generall urging of them innocent, no more then feirce gallopping of horses through London streets, where many men, women, and children, are indangered, want of intending mischeif, would make that mudd hurry innocent. 4. The mischeifs being so great as fearfull horror of conscience in some: Rej. P. 9. hardening, fopling, and distempering the conscience in other, silencing of so many hundred good ministers, and keeping off more from the ministery, troubling, unsetling, and vexing of thousands among the people, encoraging of Popish and prophane men: with discoraging, and martyring the myndes of many good: the mischeifs I say being so unaestimable that they can in no proportion be recompensed, by all humaine ceremonies that are in the world, the ceremonies which have such sequells, yeare after yeare, are much more hurtfull, then the Cart and horse, that are driven over children in the street, and their urgers of them more guilty, then such Carters or Coach men, as drive them: The Def. therfore & Rej. which pronounce both innocent, and do not rather fynd the Cerem. forfeited, and call the drivers of them to the barre, are neither good Crowners, nor fit to be of that Iurye: Luther Annot. in Math. 15. giveth a better verdit Viz. all humaine traditions or ceremonies (even those which in his judgment may in some cases be observed) have two properties of the Divell, as being lyars, and murtherers, when they continue and are not contemned. Such innocents God deliver his people from.Ceremonies as they be urged are more then causes by accident of evill. 5. It is the very nature of such humaine ceremonies as ours, where they are urged and used (as with us) to do hurt: 1. because they are vayne toyes (as formerly was shewed) and therfore prejudiciall to so grave a businesse as Gods worship: They trayne up the people of God in subjecting themselves, and their worshipping of God, unto the pleasure of men. 3. They make way for open imagery, and other grosse superstitions, 4. they challenge that to themselves which is proper to Gods ordinances &c. …. It is the very nature of our Ceremonies, as they are imposed upon all our ministers, and congregations, in such dispositions and relations as they are knowne to have, to scandalize many in and out of the church, to disgrace the ministery, to force the consciences, or undoe the outward state of many good Christians, to encorage Papists, to arme the prophane, and to quench zeale against both.