Against Idolatry and Superstition, Sermon 2 · Section 1 – Section 2
SECT. 1.
General Argument against the Ceremontes.
FIrst for general Arguments. waving many other things, my Text …ds me to insist chi…fly upon this, that they are Idols against the Second Commandment: They are not directly and immediately against the First, for they are used as means whereby to honour and worship God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, but there may be a false worship offered up to the true God, and that the Ceremonyes are such, that they are Idols against the Second Commandment, these Reason do evince.
1. Because they are means of worship which the Lord never appointed, and which never came into his heart. There is no stamp of God upon them, no stamp of Institution, But God will say of them at the great day, who required these things at your Hands. They are means of wor…hip of an High Nature, for they have a great part of the nature of Sacraments in them, For the Patrons of them say, they are neither dead nor dumb, but mystical and significant, and appointed on purpose to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty towards God, by some special and notable signification, whereby He may be edified, they are the words of the preface to the Common Prayer Book. So that as the Sacraments have two parts, an outward sign, and the inward grace signified thereby, So have the Ceremonies. The Surplice signifies the whiteness of purity and Innocency that should be in Ministers: The Sign of the Cross signifieth that they must not be ashamed of the Cross of Christ, and so all the rest have some pretended spiritual signification annexed to them, yea they are not only pretended to be significative, but affective also, to edify, to stir up a dull and dead heart, &c. which brings to mind that strange Answer in the Catechism of the Common prayer, to that Question? How many Sacraments there be, They Answer, two only, as generally necessary to Salvation, viz. Baptisme and the Lords Supper; Implying, that there be other Sacraments also, though not so necessary, which must either relate to the seven popish Sacraments, or else to these English Popish Ceremonies, but they are such Sacraments as Christ is not the Author of, …acraments of mans making, for the greatest Patrons and promoters of them, do not pretend a divine Institution for them, but only the Authority of the Church, but if the Second Commandment was given to the Church, as I hope they will not deny, thou shalt not make any graven Image, or form of worship to thy self, they are a manife… breach of that Commandment.
2. Because there is greater weight laid upon them then upon greater things, therefore they are Idols. As when the Pharisees did prefer Mint and Cummin before the great things of the Law: And the Traditions of the Elders, which is in the language of these Times, the Ceremonies and Canons of the Church, before the Commandments of God, Math. 23. 23 and Math. 15. did they not Nolize their own Traditions? And that the Ceremonies are Idols upon this account, is manifest; because the neglect of them is more severely punished then many great Sins against the Law of God, which as it hath been long since rAbridgment except. 2. arg. 3. pag. 39objected to them; So the Truth of it is so apparent, that some of their own Writers have the confidence to deny it. Dr. Burges instead of denying it, confesses sBurges of an…ling. Chap 18 p 62 Apud Gill…ip engl-Pop Ceremonies part 3 pag 48and bewails the violent urging and pressing of Conformity. And at a Metrapolitical Visitation in Lancashire in the time of the Bishops, when Complaint was made to Cousins the Visitor against a godly Minister, that he had never worn a Surplice in all his life; the Visitor swore, it had been better for Him to have got seven Bastards, and …o proceeded accordingly to silence him, which yet was an orderly and Canonical way of proceeding: and very just and moderate, for it is enacted in the Canons of 1603. tCanon 6that whosoever shall but declare his difference in judgement from the Prelates in these things, shall be excommunicated ipsa facto; but I need not Insist here, for these Nations have had plent… and woful experience of it, and it is known to all the world, that these wretched Ceremonies have been the principal Engines and Instruments of Persecution in the Hand of Satan to stop the mouths of Gods faithful Messengers, and to oppress the Witnesses, and obstruct the work of Christ.
3. They are Idols, because monuments of former Idolatry. As the brazen Serpent here, might not Hezekiah have prohibited the burning Incense to it, but retained the thing it self, and have pleaded, though it was an Idol, yet it is none now; as our Formalists use to plead for these old popish Ceremonies? no, for God will …ut off the R…mnants of Baal from this place, the very reliques of Popery, Zeph. 1. 4. Although some of these things have formerly been of use in the worship of God by his own Appointment, as the brazen Serpent was, and lights, oyle, musical Instruments, holy garments for the Priests under the Levitical Law, yet now the stamp of Institution being taken off, and having been the Idols of the Papists, they are Nebushtans, base things.
4. It is a Symbolizing with Idolaters, amongst whom these abominations are continued unto this day. But this is frequently and severely foridden in the Scripture: after the doings of the Land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do, and after the doings of the Land of Canaan w…ither I bring you, shall ye not do, neither neither shall ye walk in their Ordinances▪ Lev. 18. 3. Take heed to thy self, that thou be not snared by following them, s…ying, …ow did these Nations serve their Gods? even so will I do like…ise Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God; where observe that he speaks of the manner of worship, presupposing the true Object, for every abomination to the Lord which he hateth h…ve they done unto their Gods, Deut. 12. 30, 31. Ab…jah therefore justly reproves the ten Tribes for it, you have made you Priests after the manner of the Nations of other Lands, 2 Chron. 13. 9. And therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight, because they went after the Heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them, 2 King. 17. 15. And shall we then do like the Papists? there is the same Reason as to this matter of Popish Idolatries, as there is of Heathenish. The Lord will have his people to have no Communication with Rome at all, whatsoever our Popish Prelates may pretend for Union, and Reconciliation with her. The …ord hath said, If any man worship the Beast and his Image, an… …e…eive his mark in his Fore-head, or … his Hand, that man shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, Rev. 14 9, 10.
The Argument doth not depend upon this Hypothesis, neither doth the Question turn upon this Hinge, whether Pop…ry be the worst or grossest kind of Idolatry, but whether it be Idolatry at all; For we must not communicate, nor Symbolize with any kind of Idolaters whatsoever. Neither is it fit to ex…use and extenu…te the Idolatry of the Papists, as the Bishops usually do in their pleadings for the Ceremonies. For though it may seem in some respects not so bad as the Heathenish, yet in other respects it is worse, and I find that our Divines generally do so judge of it; as Parker, and uAm…S Fresh …uit against Cere…o…ies: par… … pag 5… &c to 531Ames have shewed at la…ge, and amongst our Divines in this point▪ saith Ames we may reckon Dr Iackson wIackson or…g. of un…li…f C… 2 a…d Cap 3…himself, who hath a Chapter of the Identity, or Equivalency of Superstition in Rome, Heathen, and Rome Christians. And evident it is that the Scripture speaks of the Popish Idolatry as the very Qu…tess…nce of all Paganism Hence Rome is stil…d Sodom, Egypt, Bab…lon, as being indeed the very Sea that receiveth into her Channel all the filthiness of all the Paga… that were before. Hence the Scrip…ure calleth the Papists Gentiles, Rev. 11. 4. the outward▪ C…urt, the visible Chu…h is given to the Gentiles, that is to those Heathenish Id…laters the P…pists, who did t…ead d…wn the holy City forty and two Moneths. N…ither is the…e Canaa…ite, Moabite, Philistine,, or any other to whom the Papists are not …qual. And as they are in Equipage with former Pagans, so likewise with all modern Aliens. The Turk himself being not excepted, who is loosed from the East, to punish them, (Rev. 9. 13, 14, 15.) and is not half so much aimed at in the Book of Gods Counsels, which the Lamb hath unsealed to Iohn, as they are aimed at. Thus the learned xParker of the …ro…s part 1 Chap 1 Sect 25 pag 37Parker, plus metuendus & cavendus es… inimi…us yCyprian de simpl… cit prela…or(saith Cyprian cum latenter …brepit, ea est Di…boli a…utia ut sub ipso Christiani nominis Titulo fal…at in…autos. Therefore what though the Papists call themselves Christians, and what though they have some good things amongst them? So have the Turks too, It is not deny ed. that the Papists have some Truths and Ordinances amongst them, but the Argument is concerning their Idolatryes and Superstitions, not concerning the Ordinances of Christ usurped by them; but concerning the Idols and Superstitions invented and committed by them in the worship of God. We must not conform our selves there…o, but say to their Idols, get yee hence. Judge in your Consciences, Is it fit for the Spouse of Christ to wear the Trinkets and Ornaments of the great Wh…re? It is a dishonour to Christ, and an hardening to the Papists in their Idolatrous and sinful wayes, so to comply with them. But this may suffice for general grounds and Arguments against the Ceremonies, let us bring them now to a more particular Tryal.
SECT, II.
A more part…cular Examination of Ten of the principal Ceremonies and Idols of the Church of England.
I Shall Instance only in these Ten particulars.
1. The Surplic….
2. The Sign of the Cross in Baptism.
3. Kn…e…ing at the Lords Supper.
4. B…wing to the Altar.
5. Bowing at the name of Iesus.
6. P…ish holy dayes.
7. The holiness of places.
8. T…e Organs, or Cathedral Musick.
9 The Bo…ks of Common Prayer.
10. Pr…l…cy, or Church Government by Bishops.d…sid…rat…r
Which though they are condemned …s Idols, by all the former Arguments, yet I Conceive it will be …seful, and tend to the further Conviction and discovery of them, to speak to them severally.