Mixture of Scholastical Divinity with Practical Part 2, Excerpt and reply 16
Dr. Hammond. sect. 23, 24.
And yet if Mr. J. shall now desire to know what the grounds of these two Ecclesiastical rites are, which alone he is pleased to name, on perswasion, I suppose, that they were as fit, if not fitter than any others for the disproving my position, of (custome being the onelyonly rule of decency) I shall now render him a brief account of them, such as may in some degree confirm the truth of it.
24. And … for the Crosse in Baptism. 1. 'Tis known to all, that our Christian course is a spirituall Warfare under Christ our great Generall: Now it is, and alwaies hath been customary over the world, that in a militia there should be some Banner, or Ensign, to which every one should resort, and fight under it. This hath custome made decent among all; and supposing that custome, the omission of it in an Army is indecent, yet not so, as things dishonest, or breaches of the Law of Nature are indecent.
Jeanes.
1. As our Christian course is a spiritual warfare, so unto this the Ordinances of Christ Jesus are a more suitable Banner or Ensign, than any humane invention whatsoever: But you think that the Banner requisite in our spiritual warfare must be of humane invention, not divine institution; for otherwise you speak nothing to the purpose; and if the omission of such a Banner or Ensign be undecent, you may arraign Christ and his Apostles as guilty of undency.
2. The signe of the Crosse hath been a long time used by Antichrist, as an Ensign or Banner, and is it undecent to lay aside the Ensign or Banner of an enemy?
3. How little weight there is in the customary use of a Banner for the decency of the sign of the Crosse in Baptisme, will be apparent by these following considerations.
1. It is a custome in Armies for different companies or troupes to have Banners or Ensigns; but it was never the custome of any Armies for every severall souldier to carry a Banner or Ensign: from the custome of a Banner or Ensign then, how you can conclude for the signing of every singular Christian with the sign of the Crosse passeth my imagination.
2. The customary use of a Banner is in the whole war, and not onelyonly at the first enrolement of Souldiers, and therefore if it prove any thing for the Sign of the Crosse, it will conclude for the frequent and constant use of it all the time of our warfare; and this I hope you will not plead for.
3. A permanent Crosse hath more proportion unto the Banners and Ensigns of Armies than the transient and aërial Crosse; and yet there be some of your party, who allow of the transient Crosse in Baptisme, that dislike permanent Crosses in Gods worship; because they think there is more danger of superstition in them: Now these men, in all probability, lay no great stresse upon this your resemblance of the sign of the Crosse to a Banner or Ensign, and my reason for this my conjecture (for I urge it onelyonly as a conjecture) is, because they reject all permanent Crosses in Gods service, which doe more resemble a Banner or Ensign than a transient Cross.
4. I have done my best to sound the depth and strength of your argument, and if I be not deceived, thus it stands: The omission of a Banner or Ensign, in our spiritual warfare, that was used by the Primitive Christians, is undecent; but the sign of the Crosse in Baptism was thus used by the Primitive Christians, therefore omission of it is undecent.
By Primitive Christians, I suppose you doe not mean the Apostles, or such Apostolical persons as were guided by an infallible spirit, and then I deny your Major, and for this my denial I shall give you two reasons.
1. In Christ our great Generall, the Captain of our salvation, were hidden all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge, and therefore he knew better what was decent in his worship, than all Primitive Christians, han all the Fathers and Councils that ever were in the world; and therefore seeing there is such a deep silence of the Crosse in his word, I shall never think it so highly decent as you …, so decent, that the omission of it is undecent.
2. It is, and alwaies hath been … over the world, at least in civil and wel-governed Nations, that in a Militia all should be done by Commission derived from the General. Manlius put his own Son to death for fighting with an enemy, though he had the Conquest, because it was … order, and L. … … had, for the same reason, executed Q. Fabius …, though he had … a great Victory over the Samnites, but that the … … of the people of Rome … him. But now our … can produce no Commission from our great General, to use any Banner or Ensign in his worship, but such as he hath already …, his Word, Sacraments, Discipline, and … I shall condemn … … of any such Banner or Ensign, as a transgression against his … …. … the … of this, I found this your objection both propounded and answered by … …. Scharp. …. theol. …. 2 pag 39, 40.
…. … … … … militare, quo … … distinguantur: At Christiani omnes sunt …, Eph 6 11. ergo & … … debent, & per consequens signum ….
Resp. … illud conseq … … alia …, nempe internum signum fidei, externam …, & … verbi & …, &c. What he speaks of external … and participation of the Word and Sacraments, wil satisfie what you say.
I cannot here passe by a passage in … against Duraeus, pag 191, 192 in the Edition of his Works in Fol. Daraeus having cited many Fathers for the Ceremonies added unto Baptisme, Whitaker thus replyeth unto him: … vero non interest quid Clemens, quid Leo, quid Damasus, quid quisquam alius Pontifex ad Baptismi Sacramentum …. Christus ecclesiae … de … ceremoniarum nugis mandavit, … in illis …, quos in scriptura legimus, baptismis, ulla harum … … reperitur. … vero putemus … ecclesiam … … …, quibus in Baptismo ceremoniis … …, quam Christum … …?
Before I proceed further, I shall take notice of the limitation that you have in the close of sect: 24. of your assertion of undecency in the omission of a Banner in an Army: It is not so …, say you, as things dishonest, or breaches of the Law of Nature; Now if you apply this unto the omission of a Banner in our spiritual Militia, I thus object against it: The publique worship of God is a chief part of our spiritual warfa e, and the command of decency in that is, saith your Hocker, an edict or Law of Nature, and whatsoever is therein undecent transgresseth against this Law: If the omission then there in of a Banner or Ensign of humane invention (for of such only you speak) be undecent, 'tis so undecent as things dishonest, or breaches of the Law of Nature are undecent.