The Divine Right of Church Government and Excommunication, Religious polemic · Chapter 1 · Question 4
QUEST. IV.
Whether humane Ceremonies can conſiſt with Order, Decency, and the ſincerity of our profeſſion of true Religion?
CEremonies fight with Order and Decency. 1. Theſe Rites pretendedIV. Arg. by Gods command, to adde order and decency to Gods worſhip, and yet deface his worſhip, and addeth none thereunto be unlawfull: But humane Ceremonies be ſuch; Ergo, That they pretend Order is proved. D. Burges ſaith, They have no place in all the New-Teſtament, ſave only, 1 Cor. 14. 26. Let all things be done in order, and decency, a place as (a) Eſtius citeth, Magnified by Papiſts, Eſtius l. 3. …. 37. p. 139for all their Ceremonies: The Major is undeniable, I prove the Aſſumption: 1. Becauſe Magick-like Rites honoured with Gods name as Chriſtian-Maſſe, Chriſts-Maſſe, an Adored Tree called Gods board, when there is no uſe for a Table, a Croſſing honoured with dedication to Chriſts ſervice, is like Gods name uſed by ſorcerers in Charming, Spelling, Divining, where vertue is aſcribed to ſignes, characters and words, which have no ſuch vertue from God or nature, and this Valentia juſtly calleth Superſtition. bGregor▪ de valent, to. 3. diſ 6. q 13. pun. 1. S… effectus intentus ſuperet vimmedii, erit ſuperſtitio. Ceremonies Magicall▪So the Iews called the Calfe Jehovah, Papiſts call a creature of their making, Agnus Dei, a ſtile due to Chriſt only, Joh. 1. 29. 2. All creatures are means of glorifying God, Rev. 4. 11. Prov. 16. 4. Rom. 11. 36. And may be invited to praiſe God, as Pſal. 148. Now it were ſtrange bleating, to ſay, O Croſſing, Surplice, Praiſe ye the Lord, when things ordained by mans ſole will, and ſo idle and ſinfull, are made means to glorifie God; with as good reaſon dancing in the Church, and blowing feathers in the Aire, which have by nature or reaſon, no aptitude for theſe ends, may be decent means of glorifying God. 2. Order and decency ſupernaturall in the Church is in the Word, Cant. 6. 4. Clear as the Sun, terrible as an Army with Banners: Nothing wanting Gods inſtitution can reach a ſupernaturall end, as our Ceremonies are: 2. But alſo Ceremonies relatively ſacred in Religious ſtate muſt be more then civilly decent, as alſoIf the third Commādment, command Decency in its generality, as they ſay, then it muſt command decency in this, or this Rite, as in Surplice, Croſſing, &c. right order produceth ſupernaturall joy, Gal. 2. 5. Civill order cannot do this: Or 3. Ceremonies adde naturall order, but this is not in colour, Religions colour is ſupernaturally white, ingenuous, not whoriſh: 2. Or then it addeth order of parts, and this is by right, grave, and convenient circumſtantiating of things in Gods worſhip, and Paul dreamed never of Croſſing to grace baptizing: 3. Or it addeth due quantity, Religious worſhip hath no quantity but time. 4. It is againſt ſenſe, that order is commanded in the third Commandment, but not Surplice, Croſſing, becauſe they are by accident orderly; what agreeth eſſentially to the generall, agreeth not eſſentially and neceſſarily to the ſpeces and particulars which are by accident under that generall, as what agreeth to a man, agreeth not to white and black men. Decency is commanded, but by accident, and by mans will Surplice is decent. But then God commanding Sacraments, ſhould not command Bread and Wine, ſor they are by accident, and by Gods will Sacraments, he might have choſen other Elements, yet the will of God commanding Sacraments, commandeth this and this Sacrament alſo: What agreeth eſſentially to man, agreeth eſſentially to all men black and white. If Gods will eſſentially concur to conſtitute decency in his own worſhip, then muſt that ſame will eſſentially concur to conſtitute this decency, in Surplice, Croſſing. 2. It ſuppoſeth a great untruth, that Croſſing is not worſhip, becauſe not ordained of God, but that proveth it is not Lawfull worſhip, but not, that it is non-worſhip, for Croſſing uſed to the honour of Baal, and to edifie ſouls in performing their duty to Baal, is eſſentially a worſhipping of Baal, otherwayes worſhipping of Idols is not Worſhip, and yet it is an Act of Religious honouring of the Idol. 3. The Command that commandeth, or forbiddeth the end, commandeth and forbiddeth the means (Thou ſhalt not murther) forbiddeth the Maſter, not to command his ſervant to ride an extreamly deep and impetuous River, though the not riding of ſuch a River be not ſet down in the word, and it is not forbidden as an Arbitrary action: If therefore decency binde the conſcience, then the decency of this Rite, to wit, Croſſing bindeth the conſcience; Our Ceremonies are not Nationall; for Croſſing being a Religious Rite, in all the world its alike decent; Ergo, non▪ Croſſing in ſome Country cannot be undecent; Things meerly Religious, as all ſignificant Ceremonies are of alike nature every where, and admit not of heat and cold with divers climates, are of good or evil manners, with divers Nations, therefore they muſt be determined in the word; the man who Pre…aced on our Service book ſaid, without ſome Ceremonies it is impoſſible to keep any order, or quiet Diſcipline in the Church. I am ſure he muſt think that Paul preached in ſome Surplice that he might teach holineſſe with his garments one way or other, he hath a ſtronger Faith then I can reach; without circumſtances worſhip cannot be, but without Romiſh dirt, the Worſhip and Diſcipline are better kept▪ then with ſuch whoriſh busking.
Alſo whatever is a profeſſion in fact, of a falſe Religion byV. Arg. Iewiſh and Popiſh Ceremonies are profeſſions of a falſe Religion. Ceremonies indifferent, and yet proper to a falſe Religion, is a denying of the true Religion, but the uſing of theſe Ceremonies, uſed by Papiſts and Iews is ſuch; Ergo, The Propoſition is Scripture, Gal. 2. 14. Peter lived after the manner of the Iews, in uſing the Religious materials of the Jews, though he had no Iewiſh intention or opinion; yea, Acts 10. he diſputeth againſt that: So Circumciſion, Galathians 6. 14, 15▪ is put for the Jewiſh Church. Now Altars, Organs, Iewiſh Ephods, or Surplice, Maſſe▪ cloaths, and Romiſh Croſſing, bowing to Altars, Images, are badges of Iewiſh and Popiſh Religion: We know the diſpute betwixt Auguſtine and Ierome, who defended Peters d…ſſimulation, Gal. 2. to gain the Iews: But Auguſtine ſaith, Epiſt. 9. Si propterea illa Sacramenta celebravit (Paulus) quia ſimularet ſe judaeum, ut illos lucrifaceret, cur non etiam Sacrificavit cum Gentibus, quia & iis, qui ſine lege erant, tanquam ſine lege factus eſt, ut eos quo que lucrifaceret▪ Yea, then (as Auguſtine ſaith to Ierome, Epiſt▪ ad Hyeronym, 19.) We might uſe all the Iewiſh Ceremonies to gain the Ievvs, and ſo fall in the Hererſie of Ebion and the Nazarites. Duvallius, 2. Thom tract. de legib. q. 3. Art. 3. would defend Peter in that; but he ſaith, Magis placet Barronii Responſio. Tom. 1. Annal. an. 51. Petrum venialiter peccaſſe: As for Pauls Circumciſing of Timothy, Papiſts clear him. Vaſquez, Tom. 1. in 12. diſp. 181. cap. 8. Lo…o & tempore accomodato, He did it when he could not offend the Gentiles: Aquinas, 12. q. 103. Art. 4. Yea, ſo the Fathers, as Auguſtine, Epiſt. 19. Chryſoſtom, Cyrill, Hyeronym.
Alſo Papiſts, Benſonius, tractat▪ de fuga, lib. 1. diſp. 1. q. 4. ad Articul. 4. Vaſquez, Tom▪ 1. 12. diſp. 182. cap. 4. Brove to uſe Iewiſh Ceremonies, though with no Iewiſh minde is unlawfull: Suarez Tom. de legib. lib. 9. de leg. Divin. poſ. cap. 14. Ʋſus Circumciſionis ex prohibitione eſt factus malus, & actus malus non honeſtatur propter intentionem bonam. Aquinas 22. q. 11. c… 12. q. 103. Art. 4. As one ſhould mortally ſin, who ſhould ſay, Chriſtum nunc naſ…iturum, Chriſt is yet to be incarnat, So the uſing of the Iewiſh Ceremonies were a lie in fact. Cajetan, and Toletus, acknowledge a lie in fact. Salmeron, in Gal. 5. q. 2. ſaith, It is unlawfull to uſe the Iewiſh Ceremonies. Aegidius Comick▪ de actib. ſupernatural. lib. 2. diſp. 15. dub. 3. …. 39. Nullo modo licet obullum▪ finem, uti Ceremoniis propriis falſae Religionis. Vaſquez, 12. diſp. 182. …. 48. Patres & Doctores communiter tenent non licere: Lodo. Meratius Ieſuita, to. 1. in Thom. tract. de legib. diſp. 19. Sect. 2. n. 5. Mentiti fuiſſent Apoſtoli uſurpantes exteriores legis Moſaicae Ceremonias ſi non ex anim… uſurpabant, tanquam ſibi vere licitas, ex animo vere colendi Deum per illas, ſicut ab aliis per eaſdem colebatur. So Grego. Ʋalent. Tom. 2. diſp. 7. punct. 7. q. 7. Soto de juſtif. l. 2. q. 5.
It is a Religious ſcandall to the uſers of theſe Ceremonies: forArg. 6. Ceremonies deviſed by men, of no neceſſary uſe in Gods worſhip, are monuments of Idolatry, ſnares drawing the practiſers to Idolatry, and ſo unlawfull, as the High places, Groves, Images, though not Adored of the Canaanites. This Argument is ſo learnedlyD. Ammes freſh ſuit. proſecuted by D. Ammes, that I adde nothing to it.