Uniformity in Human Doctrinal Ceremonies, jeanes 17 – hammond 18
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 hu…ane 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 in agination.
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 u…ge 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 Chriſſtians, 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 pretend, ſo decent, that the omiſſion of it is undecent.
2. It is, and alwaies hath been cuſtomary 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 without order, and L. Papyrius Curſor had, for the ſame reaſon, executed Q. Fabius Rutilianus, though he had gained a great Victory over the Samnites, but that the general interceſſion of the people of Rome pacified him. But now our Prelatiſts can produce no Commiſſion from our great General, to uſe any Banner or Enſign in his worſhip, but ſuch as he hath already inſtituted, his Word, Sacraments, Diſcipline, and therefore I ſhall condemn the uſage of any ſuch Banner or Enſign, as a tranſgreſſion againſt his Military diſcipline. Af…er the writing of this, I found this your objection both propounded and anſvvered by S…ha…pius. Scharp. curſ. theol. tom. 2. pag 39, 40
Ob. Milites debent habere ſignum militare, quo ab aliis distinguantur: At Chriſtiani omnes ſunt milites, Eph 6 11. ergo & ſig…m h…bere debent, & per conſequens ſignum crucis.
Reſp. Negando illud conſeq quia habent alia ſigna, nempe internum ſignum fidei, …xternam confeſſionem, & participationem verbi & S…cramentorum, &c. What he ſpeaks of external confeſſion and participation of the Word and Sacraments, wil ſatiſfie what you ſay.
I cannot here paſſe by a paſſage in Whitaker againſt Duraeus, pag 191, 192. in the Edition of his Works in Fol. Duraeus having cited many Fathers for the Ceremonies added unto Baptiſme, Whitaker thus replyeth unto him: M…â vero non intereſt quid Clemens, quid Leo, quid Damaſus, quid quiſquam alius Pontifex ad Baptiſmi Sacramentum adjecerit. Chriſtus eccleſiae nihil de iſtis ceremoniarum nugis mandavit, nec in illis …rebris, quos in ſcriptura legimus, baptiſmis, ulla harum rerum mentio reperitur. Nam vero putemus recentiorem eccleſiam melius perspectum habuiſſe, quibus in Baptiſmo ceremoniis uti oporteret, quam Chriſtum ejuſque Apostolos?
Before I proceed further, I ſhall take notice of the limitation that you have in the cloſe of ſect: 24. of your affection of undecency in the omiſſion of a Banner in an Army: It is not ſo undecent, 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 Hooker, an edict or Law of Nature, and whatſoever is therein undecent tranſgreſſeth againſt this Law: If the omiſſion then therein 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.
Dr. Hammond. ſect. 25, 26, 27, 28.
And the Croſſe on which Chriſt was crucified, the Embleme alſo of that ſtate that every Chriſtian enters into, a conſtant, courageous patience for all afflictions, was by the Primitive Chriſtians thus uſed, as their Symbol or Enſigne, and every man that is inrolled in the Chriſtian Militia, is by him that inro…les him, ſigned with it; and this practiſe being thus founded, and revived in the Church, Saint Auguſtines words are worth remembring, and cannot be denyed to have truth in them: Signum crucis niſi adhibeatur, five frontibus eredentium, ſive ipſi aquae quâ regenera mur &c. nihil ritè perficitur: Ʋnleſſe the ſign of the Croſſe be uſed either to the foreheads of the beleevers (who are baptiſed) or to the water it ſelf by which we are regenerate, it is not duly performed. i. e. with ſuch ceremonies as by cuſtome of the Church, the rule of decency, belong to it; and, crucis ſigno in fronte hodie tanquam in poſte ſignandus es, omneſque Chriſtiani ſignantur (de Catechiz. rud. cap. 20. tom. 4. p. 915.) thou muſt be ſigned now in the forehead with the ſign of the Croſſe, as the Iſraelites on their door-poſts, and ſo muſt all Chriſtians. In the forehead particularly cTom. 10. p. 289. B.in fronte figat, ubi ſedes pudoris, becauſe the ſeat of ſhame is there, which we render, in token that the baptized ſhall not be aſhamed.
26. The uſage of this ceremony of ſigning with the Croſſe, was, we alſo know, frequent in the Church (while the gifts of healing continued) in (d)See Aug. de Civit Dei. l. 2. c. 8.curing diſeales, and caſting out Devils, to that Athanaſius frequently offirms of it, (e)De Incarnat. Tom. 1. pag. 84. So pag. 101. D. foreign. And pag. 102.6. foreign. And contr. Arian. Or. 1. pag. 285. A. foreign. And Praeſente ſigno crucis obmuteſcit Paganitas. Aug. T. 4.229. B. And 832. B. Daemonia nominatâ cruce Chriſti terrentur, ſi impenſius fiat, fugantur. Dii Paganorum metu crucis reſponſa dare non poſſunt.foreign; by the ſign of the Croſſe all Magick, and Witcheraft is brought to nought, all the Idol Temples laid waſte and empty.
27. And then Baptiſme being the exorciſing of Devils (the ancient Catechiſts wee know were called Exorciſts) the reſcuing of a perſon from the power of Satan into Gods Sonſhip and Family, what can be more proper, or agreeable, or exactly ſymbolical, than the uſe of this in Baptiſme, according to that of Tertul. de Reſurr. Carn. Caro fignatur, ut anima muniatur, the fleſh or body is ſigned, that the ſoul may be defended or fortified?
28. And if inſtead of the (f)Ad omnem progreſſum frontem crucis ſignaculo. Tertul. de Cor. Mil. c. 3.frequent uſe of it among the ancients, even (g)Vide Narrat. Hippolyti Apoſtolorum foreign, apud Pallad. Hiſt. L…uſ. pag. 1049. foreign.before the cumberſome weight of Ceremonies came in, (foreign, ſaith the Author of the Queſt. and Reſp. aſcribed to Juſtin Ma…tyr, Qu. foreign. pag. 364. in time of prayer we ſign thoſe that are any way ill affected) we in our Church retain it onelyonly in our ſolemne entrance into Chriſts… camp, in token that we mean valiantly to fight under his banner, and in confidence that he that thus ſigned to Conſtantine victory from Heaven (foreign, in this overcome) will thus give grace, and ſeal to us victory over our ghoſtly enemies: what queſtion can there ever be of the perfect decency of this uſ…ge among us?