Answer to a Popish Antichristian Catholic, Offer 5
The fifte Offer.
Offerer.
Fifte, if it may ſufficiently be prooued, that any other Church then the common knowne Catholique Church of Chriſt, hath inſtituted and ordayned, all goodly ceremonies, and ſolemne obſeruations in the ſame daily practiſed and vſed, as the feſtiuall daies of Chriſtmas, Candelmas, Eaſter, Whitſontyde, the feaſtes of the Apoſtles and holy Euangeliſtes, Saint Michael the Archangell, and of all hallowes and bleſſed Saintes, the obſeruation of the holy faſt in lent, and Ember dayes, the faſt of th'apſtoles, and of all the aforefayd feſt…uall Euens, beſides the weekely faſt of Fridayes and Saterdayes, and the reſt yet obſerued and allowed on both ſides, to the honor and glory of God, then I will recant, and not before.
Crowley.
VnderUnder the name of goodly ceremonies: you comprehend all manner of ceremonies, good and badde, ſuch as are daylie practiſed and vſed in your Church. Your Baptiſing of Churches or buriall places, of Belles and of Shippes to ſayle on the Seas. are goodly ceremonies. Your hallowing of bread, water or ſalte, of Waxe and Wax candles, bowes beades, garmentes, fire, and Images: are goodly ceremonies. Your taking of Aſhes, bearing of Palme, diſplinge with white roddes, créeping to the croſſe, ſencing and kiſſing of Images, and burning of candles before them: are goodly ceremonies. Your ſolemne and pompous proceſſions, about your Churches and churchyardes wéekely, and about your pariſhes yéerely: are goodly obſeruations. Your ſolemne and backanall Feaſtes that you obſerue yerely, in the honour of ſuch Angelles and men, as you thinke to bée in high fauour with God, and able to furder your ſutes to him, or of themſelues to doo you ſome pleaſure: are goodly obſeruations. Your yerely feaſtes of Lent, Ember, Saints Vigilles, and wéekely Fridayes and Saterdayes: are goodly obſeruations, with many moe, which now I doo not remember.
But it may be, that ſome of your ſorte will thinke, that I doo vſe this Epitheton (Goodly) by a figure in ſpeach, named by the Grecians, foreign. And is vſed, when men ſpeake one thing and meane the contrarie.
Surely, ſuch as doo ſo take my meaning, doo not take it amiſſe: for what reaſon is there to mooue a man, to applie this Epitheton (goodly) in the right ſence thereof, to theſe (& ſuch other) ceremonies and obſeruations, wherein there is nothing, that rightly may be called, either good, or goodlye? We are contented therefore, that your Popiſh Catholique Church, doo take to her ſelfe, the whole praiſe and commendation, that the inuention of theſe goodly ceremonies and obſeruations, hath or can deſerue. Yea, we would be verie ſorie, that any of your ſorte ſhould bee able to make good proofe, that any of our ſorte, had inſtituted or ordayned any of thoſe goodly ceremonies or obſeruations, that you eſtéeme ſo highly of.
As for the feaſtes of Eaſter and Whitſontyde, we know that God him ſelfe dyd firſt inſtitute them, the one (namely Eaſter) in the remembraunce of the deliueraunce of the people of Iſraell out of Egipt: and the other (that is Whitſontyde, or Pentecoſt) in the remembraunce of the publiſhing of the Lawe in the mount Sinaie. Whych as they were remembraunces of thinges then paſt: ſo they were figures or ſhadowes of thinges then to come, and now alreadie fulfilled, in the death and reſurrection of our Sauiour Chriſt, and in the ſending of the holy Ghoſt, vponupon the Apoſtles, the fifteth day after the reſurrection of our Sauiour Chriſt. And we are perſwaded that theſe two feaſtes were obſerued euen by the Apoſtles themſelues, in rememberaunce of our deliuerance which we hauehave by the death and reſurrection of our Sauiour Chriſt: and of the comming of the holy Ghoſt, which reſted vponupon the Apoſtles, in ye forme of firie tongues deuided. Yea, and we doo thinke, that the Saboth or the Lordes day, commonly called the Sonday, was obſerued by the Apoſtles: yea and that ſhortly after the tyme of the Apoſtles, the right catholique Chriſtians began to obſerue yéerely, certaine dayes in the rememberaunce of holy men which had ſuffered for the teſtimonie of Chriſt: and ſome dayes in the remembraunce of thoſe great and ineſtimable benifits that God hath beſtowed vponupon mankinde, in the incarnation, natiuity, Epiphanie, and Aſcention of our Sauiour Chriſt. But there is no cauſe to mooue vsus to thinke, that eyther the Apoſtles, or the fathers dyd iuſtitute thoſe feaſtes, as obſeruations neceſſarie to bée obſerued for euer, but as profitable remembraunces wherby ye congregations of Chriſt might be mooued to be thankfull to God, and encouraged to followe the good examples of thoſe good men, whoſe remembraunces they dyd ſolemniſe. And after this manner, and for this purpoſe, wee alſo doo obſerue ſome of thoſe ſeaſtiuall dayes. Not hauing any ſuperſtition in the holines of the times, neither beeing perſwaded that we doo deſerue any thing at Gods hand by the obſeruing of the times, or that we ſhould ſinne againſt God, if by a common conſent we ſhould abrogate the obſeruation of thoſe times, or by ſome priuate or vrgent occaſion imploy thoſe tymes in our honeſt and neceſſarie buſineſſes. For our Sauiour Chriſt hath tolde vsus, that euen the Saboth (in ſuch cauſes) is in mans power. Man was no made for the Saboth: but the Saboth was made for man. Marc. 2.Marc. 2.
And as touching faſting, we obſerue Lent, the Ember dayes, the Fridayes and Saterdayes in euerie wéeke, and the vigilles of ſaintes: but not as you doo, ſuperſtitiouſly, but for good policie. We doo not account one meate holyer then another, neither one time better then another: But we abſtaine from certaine kindes of meates at certayne tymes, that thereby the common weale of our countrie may be bettered. And would to God, al would obſerue that policie more preciſely then any of vsus dooth. As touching our own perſons: we do not thinke our ſelues to be either ye better or the wurſſe, by taking or leauing of the vſe of Gods creatures.Rom, 14, But according to S. Paules rule to the Romans Capit 14. When we take the vſe of Gods creatures, wée doo giuegive thanks vntounto him for them: and when we doo leaue the vſe of them, we doo thanke hym alſo. Wee doo knowe that, that faſt is the right faſt, which is commended by Eſay Eſay, 58.the Prophet: Chap. 58. and by ſaint Peter, 1. Peter. 2.1, Peter, 2. Breake thy breade to the hungrie. That is, giuegive of the ſuſtinaunce of thine owne body, to hym that hath no ſuſtinaunce to féed his body withall. And abſtaine (ſayth Saint Peter) from fleſhly luſtes that fight againſt the ſoule.
Thus if you wyll you may ſée, that the right knowne Catholique Church hath inſtituted and ordayned all ſuch ceremonies and ſolemne obſeruations, as may rightly bée called goodly: and that your Popiſhe Catholique Church hath corrupted many of them by ſuperſtition and idolatrie and hath alſo deuiſed many other ſuch as may by the figure foreign, bee called goodly ceremonies and ſolemne obſeruations. Wherefore I require you to performe your promiſe that you make, when you ſay. Then I wyll recant, and not before.