Mixture of Scholastical Divinity with Practical Part 2, Excerpt and reply 23
Dr. Hammond. sect. 28.
And if instead of the fAd omnem progressum frontem crucis signaculo …. Tertul. … Cor. Mil. c. 3.frequent use of it among the Ancients, even gVide Narrat. … Apostolorum foreign, apud Pallad. Hist. Laus. pag. 1049. foreign.before the cumbersome weight of Ceremonies came in (foreign, saith the Author of the Quest. and Resp. ascribed to Justin Martyr, Qu. … pag. 364. in time of Prayer we sign those that have any need of it, those that are any way ill affected) wee in this our Church retain it onelyonly in our solemne entrance into Christs Camp, in token that we mean valiantly to … under his Banner, and in confidence that … that thus signed to Constantine Victory from heaven (foreign, in this overcome) will thus give grace, and seal to us victory over our … enemies. What question can there ever be of the perfect decency of this usage among us?
Jeanes.
Here the argument to prove the perfect decency of the usage of the signe of the Crosse in Baptism, is the frequent religious use of it amongst the ancients; I say the religious use, because we oppose not the civil use of it in Coins and Banners. But
1. You know, it is generally denyed by the Non-consormists, that the … use of the Crosse amongst the Ancients was lawfull and justifiable, and untill this bee cleared, your argument will bec little better than … principii.
2. Bellarmine useth the like argument, de Missa lib. 2. cap. 15. for their crossings in the Masse, having quoted divers Fathers for the antiquity of the sign of the Crosse, who teach that it is to be used in every businesse: he propounds hereupon an interrogation, very like unto that of yours: Quod … in omni negotio signum crucis adhibendum, cur non in actione tremendi sacrificii? But this perhaps startles you not.
3. I demand whether the use of the Crosse amongst the Ancients was decent or undecent? If it was decent, then why was it abrogated? If it was undecent, then how can you infer therefrom, the perfect decency of the use of the Crosse in Baptism?
But though I doe not deny the frequent use of the Crosse among the Ancients, yet I have something to observe concerning the witnesses which you alledge therefore.
The first is Tertullian de Cor. Milit. cap. 3.
But this Book was written by him when a Montanist, this is confessed on all hands, but I shall content my selfe with the naming onelyonly of two Witnesses.
The first is a moderate Conformist, Doctor Whitaker, Tom. 1. pag. 392. Respondeo, Tertullianum fuisse Montanistam, quando hunc librum scripsit. Facit enim … novarum prophetiarum, quarum Montanum inventorem fuisse, dubium non est. Fuit vero Montanus … Traditionum author, quae postea extirpari non poterant. Dixit, se habere illum paracletum, quem promisit Christus; & fretus … paracleti authoritate, multa foreign in Ecclesiam invexit. Impius … Montanus Tertullianum ipsum fefellit, cujus viri jacturam casumque merito lugere possumus. Illo enim tempore nullus doctior, nullus sanctior, nullus … fidei Christianae defensione vehementior fuit Tertulliano. Sed … … Montani omnem Tertulliano fidem detraxit. Sic enim Hilarius ait, in Comment. in Matth. Canon. 5. Quanquam & Tertullianus (inquit) hac de re aptissima volumina scripserit, consequens error … detraxit scriptis probahilibus authoritatem. Hieronymus verò, in lib. … Helvidium …, … Ecclesiae hominem non fuisse. Et in Catal. de … idem ait, eum … contra Ecclesiam scripsisse; & reverâ scripsit. Quae cum ita sint, quàm absurdum est, Montanicas Traditiones Tertulliani … nobis obtruderc.
The other is a zealous and rigid pleader for humane religious Ceremonies, Mr. Hooker in his … Politie, pag. 65. when Tertullian disputed against the Christian souldiers wearing a Crown or Garland on their heads, when they receive their …; He was a Montanist, and an enemy unto the Church, for condemning that prophetical spirit, which Montanus and his followers did boast they had received, as if in them Christ had performed his last promise; as if to then he had sent the Spirit, that should be their perfecter and final instructer in the mysteries of Christian truth. Which exulceratian of mind made them apt to take all occasions of contradiction. Wherefore in honour of that action, and to gall their minds, who did not so much commend it, he wrote his book De Corona Militis, not dissembling the stomack wherewith he wrote it.
2. The Crossings which Tertullian speaks of, would be a weight cumbersome enough without any other Ceremony, and this cannot be denyed by such indifferent persons as will read his words at large; for thus they are, Ad omnem progressum, atque promotum, ad omnem additum, & exitum, ad vestitum, ad calceatum, ad …, ad mensas, ad lumina, ad cubicula, ad sedilia, quandocunque nos conversatio …, frontem … signaculo terimus. Here you see, that the Crossing in Tertullians time was at every step, at every coming to and going out, at the apparrelling themselves, at washing, at cating, at lighting candles, and at sitting &c.
3. The frequent use of the Crosse, mentioned by Tertullian at every step, and in every action that we do, was not, could not be decent, because it could not but be a great hinderance, disturbance, and distraction unto the more necessary, and important actions of mens lives, especially seeing you will say, it was to be accompanied with inward action of the soul suitable thereunto: now how can that, which is not decent in it self, derive that, which it hath not, unto another: this perpetual Crossing, was so farre from being decent, as that it was ridiculous; and should we now see a man after this manner crossing of himself, we would think either that he was out of his wits, or else that he was transported with such delusions of Satan, as the Quakers are now, or the Montanists were in Tertullians time.
A second witnesse is Palladius de Historia …. This Author I suspected to be fabulous by the two tales related out of him by Bellarmine, de Reliq. & Imaginib. Sanctorum, cap. 29. and I cannot but wonder that you should alledge him, considering the character that Hierome and Epiphanius give of him; but not having the Book in my own Study, I sent unto a friend in Oxford, to make some search after the place, and in a short time this answer was returned unto me.
What authority is to be given to that quotation out of … concerningQuest. Hippolytus, whom he would have to be Apostolorum foreign?
None at all, or very little: ForAnsw.
1. Palladius, hee lived in the end of the forth Century, anno 389, saies(a)In Chronolog. Authorum praefixa Hist. vet. Patrum Paris. 1583. Laurentius de la Barre, Bellarmine (descript. Eccles. pag 156. in Palladio, puts him ad annum 390) saith he was coetaneous with Hierom and …, and a man of no great repute. … (saith(b)De Scriptor. Eccles in Palladio pag. 156. …) … Origenista … (… (c)Preaemio adversus Pelagianos ad … utem.Hierome) … …, eandem … instaurare … est, & … … … … … …, nunc quo que … … … And … the same time …, (d)Epist. 60. … Hieron.Palladium, qui quondom nobis … … & … misericordiâ Dei indiget, cave, quia nunc Originis baeresim praedidicat, &c. And though he seemed afterwards to have … his Haeresies, yet (if we may beleeve(e)In Apparatu …. pag. 60. Possevine) Mutavit … non animum.
2. This Historia Lausiaca, was called so, not by Palladius himself,… pag. …. who inseribes it thus(f)Vide Palladium … editum … …. … pag. 1. foreign: Paliadii … Historia vitas … Patrum …. But because he dedicated that History, foreign, Lauso Praeposito, to an eminenr man then in authority; so it was that from this Lausus it was called ….
3. This … of … here cited, occurs in the(g)In Hist. Vet. Patrum per Laurentium de la Barre, cap. …. pag. 88. who puts these words in the Margin, Crucis … … …. Latine Edition of Palladius by … Hervetus, thus, Quae cum … …, & se … … crucis …, egressa est, &c. He speaks of a … Virgin, a Christian, damned by the Judge to the Stews, out of which place she escaped (a … young man giving her the cloaths) in mans apparel, foreign (that is, … on mans apparel) foreign,foreign. MS. in …. Bodlianâ. and signing her self all over with the Mystery of the Crosse, shee escaped safe, So the story is, in the … Edition by … pag. 154. what other Greek copy the Doctor made use of, I know not;Palladius graecè per …. Meurs. Lug. …. 1616. …. he cites pag …. whereas in Meursius his Edition there are but 212. pages in all.
3. He tells us where he had this Fable, or History (… Palladius does not affirm it to be true) foreign (i. e.) in alio libello, qui inscribebatur (… ipsis … cogniti, seu … coaetanei) … … inveni: And then he tels this story of the … ….
4. So that the Summe is: He found a Pamphlet (for so the word foreign signifies) which was inscribed to Hippolytus, who was known to the Apostles, but that it was not foreign, a false and spurious inscription, he tels us not, onelyonly he found a Pamphlet so inscribed.
2. It is very likely he had no great opinion of that Pamphlet, for then he would have told us so, to give reputation to the story. For in the very next (h)Palladius ex Edit. … …, pag. 152. foreign.story before this, which is concerning a Virgin called Juliana, he tels us, he had it out of a most ancient book of Hymns, writ by Origens own hand, foreign; whereas he hath nothing of this, but that he saw a Pamphlet so inscribed.
3. And this is more probable, because I find not any Ecclesiastical Historian (or other Author) mention any such Hippolytus, who was Apostolorum foreign.
4. … is there any foundation in Antiquity, in the testimony of any good Author, that any such Crossing was used in the Apostles time, though I know in … time, and afterwards, it grew much in fashion, especially in the fourth Century in the time of(i)August in Evang. Joh. Tract. 118. … (k)Chrysost. demonstrat … Christus … Deus.Augustine, and this Palladius, who was Bishop of Helenopolis, and this is consessed by(l)In his … with Hart, page 504. Edit. …. … against Hart (where you have much about Crossing) who denies (and justly too) that any such use of the Crosse was used in the Apostles times, nor do I finde any affirm it, but they of Rome, who (against all reason and antiquity) would … all their ridiculous and superstitious Ceremonies to be Apostolical: It is observable further, that the Latin Translation by Gentianus, differs very much from the Greek put out by Joh. … (as he(m)…. … in Praefat. Lectori … … himself tels us) and both of them very much seven in this present story we now speak of) from an ancient Greek Manuscript copy of … in … Library. So that 'tis evident the book hath been much …; so that he had need of a spirit of Prophecy, who would … tell us which is genuine, which spurious.
For instance, in Meursius his Edition Lugd. Batav. 16 16. pag. 152. TheLondon, Anno 1598. foreign of the 93 Narration or Chapter is thus, foreign. And then the narration begins thus, foreign, &c. And then the next Narration (Narratio 94. pag. 154. hath this foreign.
Now in the Manuscript ancient Copy in Bodlyes Library those two Chapters are but one, and the foreign one, thus foreign. And then the Narration begins thus, foreign, &c. … enough, and therefore negligence or knavery enough in the Transcribers.
Besides this University friend, I consulted another in the Country, who had, I knew, a well furnished study, and from him I received this following Answer. Sir,
Palladius his Historia Lausiaca I find in the seventh Tom. of … Sanct. Patrum, put forth by Margarinus de la Bigne at Paris, Anno 1589. of which Author … himself in his Book de Scriptoribus … ad … 390. confesseth (after he had first … this History, as not a little profitable to the Reader of it) that this Palladius is reproved by Saint Hierome, in an Epistle of his to …, for an Origenist, and so accounted also by … in an Epistle of his to John of Jerusalem, which Epistle is to be seen (as he …) in the second Tom. of Hieroms Works. This History of … hath the name …, from one Lausus, to whom it is dedicated both by Palladius and …, a Bishop of …; both which Epistles dedicated to …, are prefixed to this History. The History hath more Miracles in it than are in the New Testament, and as strange ones as are in any Legend, and it seemeth the …, (as he faith at the 56. Sect. of this History) could have reported stranger, but that they did … miraculi modum; not that they were false though, but because men wanted faith to believe them. In the first Sect one Dorotheus, cum prius signaculo crucis se munivisset, draweth, and drinketh the water of a Well, wherein there were Asps: Abbot Copres, sect. 49. went … the … of a great …, and staid there half an hour, and had no hurt, but as he … the … he was in nomine Christi signatus. One … Be, at the entreary of some Husbandmen of that Country, commanded a Sea horse ( … ) who wasted that Country to be packing, and not to spoil the Country any more. And so forthwith this Sea horse, as if he had been driven away by an Angell, anished, omnino …. Sect. 17. An Hyaena brings her whelpe unto Abbot Macarius and layeth it down at the Abbots feet, this whelp was blind, the Abbot … upon the eyes of this blind whelp, prayeth, and the whelp recovereth its sight; the Hyaena taketh up the whelp, and deparreth: But then the next day the same Hyaena bringeth a great sheep. skin unto the Abbot, ostereth it unto him (belike as a token of her thankfulness for the cure) the Abbot refuseth the present, ratleth the Hyaena for killing the sheep, adviseth her to kill no more sheep, the Hyaena, capite suo annuit, ut quae sancto Macario assentiretur, Saith my Authour: up on the report of St. Paphnutius in another Place, the Divell in the habit of a Presbyter offereth the Sacrament to one, but the good P esbyter discovereth the Divell, and defies him, and his Sacrament. In another place one … many yeares, and had no other sustenance, but the Sacrament once every Sabbath day.
By this time the Reader is, I hope, sufficiently satisfied, that your Author Palladius is a Legendary writer, the Gentlemen who have made this search for me, desire for the present, to have their names concealed, but however they will be responsible for what they have written, when ever you shall be pleased to call them to an account.
A third witnes is the Author of the Quest. and Resp. ascribed to Justin Martyr, but this Author is unknown, and the book a forgery, unworthy of Justin Martyr, and as short of his former writings as Lead is of Gold, this you know a great deal better then my self, but others may see as much demonstrated by Rivet. Critic. sacr. lib. a. cap. 5. Out of Possevinus, Sylburgius and ….
But you have perhaps another argument, hinted towards the conclusion of this section, and it is the apparition of the signe of the Crosse unto Constantine, of which you speak in those words; he that thus signed to Constantine victory from Heaven (foreign in this overcome &c.
But it is much questioned, whether or no that which you call the signe of the Crosse, was that which appeared unto Constontine. Bishop Abbot in his answer unto Dr. Bishop his Epistle unto King James pag. 167. saith, that the signe of the Crosse, unto which Constantine was so much affectioned (and that which he was so affectionate unto, was that which appeared unto him) was indeed iEuseb. de vit. Const. lib. 1 c. 25.the signe of the name of our Saviour, consisting of the two Greek letters χ and ρ, and in the form of a foreign, which are the two first letters of the name of Christ, and did import the same whole name, by the fight whereof in the skie Conflantine was advertised, that kIb. c. 22.by Christ he must conquer and …. To which name of Christ, represented to Constantine, his most excellent majesty giveth the same honour that Constantine did, reposing therein the whole trust of his Victory, and safety, both spirituall and corporall, and knowing that no lActs 4. 7.other name is given under heaven, by which we must be saved, but only the name of Jesus Christ. This opinion … embraced by many; but Dr. John Rainolds of all others, I beleeve, speakes most fully of it in his conference with Hart, pag. 507, 508. The sign that appeared to Constantine in the Element was a signe of the name of Christ, not his Crosse: howsoever the Coiners and mMartials treatise of the Crosse art. 2. Harpesfeildes Cope-dialog. 4.Crosse-maintainers of your Church doe falsly paint it out. For as nDe vit. Constant. lib. 1. cap. 15,Eusebius writeth, (unto whom Constantine did report the thing, and shewed him that ensign, which he had caused to be made in the likeness thereof) it was the forme of a (1) Spear standing strait upright, with a (2) Crown on the top of it, and as it were (3) a horn, which (4) did crosse the midest of the Spear aslope. So that it represented two of the Greek letters, χ and ρ: which being the two first letters of the name of Christ, the name of Christ was signified by that sign to Constantine. Thus be describeth it who saw it.which words translated amisse by Interpreters (erat litero ρ inserta in … literae χ) have occasioned some to make the signe otherwise then Eusebius describeth it.
VntoUnto this Hart thus replyeth, but out of doubt he calleth it the signe or the monument of the Crosse also.
And unto this Dr. Rainolds thus rejoyneth. But 5cap. 25.himself sheweth, that he calleth it so, because it resembled oforeign.the signe of a Crosse For neither was it like the Crosse fully, which had pThe figure of the letter T. Tertull. advers. Marcion. lib. 3. Hieron: lib. 3. Comment. in Ezec. c. 9.another figure: and where he describeth it, he saith in plain termes that it was 6foreign.a signe of the name of Christ. Neither were these words that you rehearsed written by it, In this signe overcome, as your qHarpsfeild in his CopeDialog. 4. c. 3.Doctor saith: (… because he read it coined in the Cruseado so, or in the Portigue) bu rforeign. Euseb. de vit. Constant. l. c. 22.by this overcome: as if God shewing him the name of Christ. should have said unto him that sActs 4. 12.there is no other name given under Heaven whereby we must be saved. In the which meaning it seemeth that Constantine did understand it also: because tEuseb. de vit. Const. lib. c. 25.he used afterward to carry in his Helmet, not the signe of the Crosse, but those two letters by which the name of Christ was represented to him.
But suppose it was the very signe of the Crosse, which you imagine appeared unto Constantine, yet this will make nothing for the perfect … of the usage of the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme amongst us: and my reason is, because apparitions in the aire, though they be not illusions of Satan, the Prince of the aire, but true & reall miracles, doe not oblige us unto … of the like in Gods ordinances: strong and powerfull motives they are unto the worship of Christ, but were never designed to be a rule of it, and he that useth it to such a purpose perverts it from its right end.