Uniformity in Human Doctrinal Ceremonies, jeanes 23 – hammond 24
Jeanes.
Your ordinary Readers will thinke you Conjure, when they hear you term Baptiſme an exorciſing of Devils; for they never heard of any Exorciſme in Baptiſme, ſave of the Papiſts, which our Divines brand for Magical; and whether this expreſſion might not have been forborn to avoyd all appearance of evill, in complyance with Papiſts in their uſe of Exorciſme. I ſhall not determine, but leave it unto your own prudence to think of. Whereas you ſay, that the ancient Catechiſts were called Exorciſts, the reaſon of this may probably be, becauſe the Catechumeni were exorciſed before Baptiſme, Aquin. Sum. part. 3. quaeſt. 71. artic. 2. But I ſhall not contend about this with you, for fear I ſhould bee thought as very a fool as the Philoſopher, who read a Lecture of Warre before Hannibal. There is a paſſage in Auguſtine that ſeemes to favour ſomewhat what you ſay, Tom. 7. pag. 577. Ab hac igitur poteſtate tenebrarum, quarum eſt Diabolus princeps, id eſt, à poteſtate Diaboli, & angelorum ejus quiſquis erui, cum baptizantur, negaverit parvulos, ipſorum eccleſiae ſa cramentorum veritate convincitur, &c. In veritate itaque no… in falſitate poteſtas diabolica exor…zatur in parvulis, eique renunciant, quia per ſua non poſſunt, per corda & ora geſtant…m, ut eruti à poteſtate tenebrarum in regnum ſui Domini transferantur. Unto this teſtimony I beleeve it is eaſie for you to adde many more.
But yet notwithſtanding all this, it is very well known, by all that know the difference betwixt the Predicaments, that the Sacrament of Baptiſme cannot be ſaid to be the Exorciſing of Devils, the reſcuing of a perſon from the power of Satan, the delivery of him from the tyranny, otherwiſe than in an improper, tropicall, and metonymicall praedication, viz. as it is a ſign and ſeal, and if you will, a moral inſtrument of the conditionall promiſe thereof.
But what advantage reap you unto your cauſe by this? why unto this Exorciſing of Devils, the reſcuing a perſon from the power of Satan into Gods family, the uſe of the Croſſe in Baptiſme is exactly ſymbolical? Your argument (if there be any argument in your words) as I conceive, ſtands thus: That which is ſo exactly ſymbolical unto any thing ſigned, ſealed, conveighed, and exhibited in Baptiſme, is ſo decent, as that the omiſſion thereof would be undecent: but the uſe of the Croſſe in Baptiſme is exactly ſymbolical unto that which is ſigned, ſealed, and conveighed, or exhibited in Baptiſme, viz. the Exorciſing of Devils, the reſcuing a perſon from the power of Satan into Gods Sonſhip and Family, therefore the uſe of it is ſo decent, as that the omiſſion thereof would be undecent; you cannot but expect that the Major will be denied, and 'tis very ſtrange that you leave it deſtitute of all proof; for you cannot be ignorant if you have read the Non-conformiſts, whom you oppoſe, that their great quarrell againſt our Ceremonies, was their ſymbolicalneſſe and myſtical ſignification; their arguments againſt which you may read at large in the Abridgement, page 41, 42, &c. uſque ad 49. Ames his Reply to Mortons Generall Def. page 33, 34, &c. uſque ad 58. As alſo in his Triplication to Dr. Burges Disp. about humane Ceremon. page 209, 210. uſque ad 336. Parker. Treat. of the Croſſe, part 1 page 97, 98, &c. uſque ad 112. Didoclave, page 522, 523, &c. uſque ad 536.
But, Sir, you may thinke to blow off all the Arguments with a ſilent ſcorne and contempt, and this indeed many doe with thoſe arguments which they cannot anſwer; but if you will not vouchſafe to read theſe Authors, if you pleaſe to accept of my ſervice, I will abridge the ſubſtance of their arguments, and attend your anſwer unto them.
Then, for the Minor, I have four things to ſay unto it.
1. Baptiſme it ſelf is more proper, agreeable, or exactly Symbolical, unto the reſcuing of a perſon from the power of Satan into Gods Sonſhip and Family, than the ſigne of the Croſſe; and therefore the ſign of the Croſſe in Baptiſme is a ſuperfluous ſupernumerary, like the dimme and ſmoakie light of a candle in the preſence of the clear and glorious light of the Sun at noon-day.
2. The Popiſh Exorciſme and Exſufflation are as, if not more, proper, agreeable, and exactly ſymbolical, unto the Exorciſing of Devils as the uſe of the Croſſe in Baptiſme, and they have not been ſo much abuſed as it, and may as eaſily be purged from all Superſtition and Idolatry, and therefore you may as well conclude concerning them as the Croſs, that they are ſo decent as that the omiſſion of them would be undecent.
3. I much queſtion whether or no two croſſe motions of a finger or a thumb be ſo proper, agreeable, and exactly ſymbolical, unto ſo high, dreadfull and profound a myſtery, as the delivery of us from the power of Satan and darkneſſe, and the tranſlation of us into the kingdome of the dear Son of God, as you affirm; and I ſhall hardly beleeve you, unleſſe you bring other proofs, beſides the Hyperbolies of the Fathers.
As for that which in confirmation of the Minor, you quote out of Tertullian:
1. It is urged by ſome, not onelyonly for the ſignification, but alſo for the operation and efficacy of the Croſſe, and whether you will go ſo far I cannot tell.
2. Unto it Mr. Whitaker, when urged by Papiſts for Traditions, gives this anſwer, Tom. 1. pag. 390. At anima ſide contra Satanam munienda eſt, non cruce. Veteres quidem ſe hoc ſigno adverſus Daemonas munitos eſſe putârunt, ſed hoc ex haereſi Montani fluxit.
And of him Mr. Fuller in his Hiſtory of the Univerſity of Cambridge pag. 125, gives this deſerved character; He was one ſo exactly qualified, that the Profeſsors Chair may ſeem made for him, and he for it, they mutually ſo fitted each other.
3. I would deſire to know, how you like the companion of the Croſſe in Tertullian, the holy oile? caro ungitur, ſaith he, in the words immediately foregoing, ut anima conſecretur: but perhaps you are for the reviving of that, as well as for the uſing of the Croſſe; and ſome ſtick not to ſay, that 'tis as ancient as the Croſſe.
One thing more I cannot but remember you of, before I leave this Section, and it is a diſtinction of myſtical ſignification by the learned and reverend Morton, the word mystical ſignification hath two acceptions, ſaith he, General Def. pag. 52. The one Sacramental, by ſignification of grace conferred by God; the other is onelyonly Moral, by ſignification of mans duty and obedience towards God. The ceremonies which we defend (ſaith he) are onelyonly myſtical Moral, not Sacramental; and for his diſclaiming theſe, he gives this reaſon, page 53, 54. A ſacramental ſign (being, as ſacramental, ſo likewiſe foreign, a ſeal of Gods promiſes, Rom. 4.as the Apoſtle calleth Circumciſion) is alwaies founded upon the expreſſe Covenant of God, therefore none but the Author of the Covenant may inſtitute or appoint any ſuch ſign. For whoſoever ſhall undertake to adde a ſeal unto the Will and Covenant of any Teſtator amongſt men, is forthwith held Falſarius, and thereby made obnoxious to the Law, and lyable to the grievous judgements of man: How much more damnable an Act were it for any to affix any ſign, properly Sacramental, unto the Teſtament of our Lord Jeſus? which whoſoever ſhall attempt to do, becommeth guilty of ſacrilegious depravation of the bleſsed Myſteries of Salvation.
Now you make the ſign of the Croſſe to be that which Morton calls a Sacramental ſigne; for he deſcribes a Sacramental ſigne to be that which ſignifieth Grace conferred by God: & is not the reſcuing of a perſon from the power of Satan into Gods Sonſhip and Family (as for your other expreſſion: Baptiſme is the Exorciſing of Devils, I am not much delighted with the repetition of it) a grace conferred by God? and unto this you ſay the ſign of the Croſſe is exactly Symbolicall, and therefore a Sacramental ſign.
Dr. Hammond. ſect. 28.
And if inſtead of the fAd omnem progreſſum frontem crucis ſignaculo terimus. Tertul. de Cor. Mil. c. 3.frequent uſe of it among the Ancients, even gVide Narrat. Hippolyti 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. …in 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 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 uſage among us?