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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A07801	A defence of the innocencie of the three ceremonies of the Church of England viz. the surplice, crosse after baptisme, and kneeling at the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament. Diuided into two parts: in the former whereof the generall arguments vrged by the non-conformists; and, in the second part, their particular accusations, against these III. ceremonies seuerally, are answered, and refuted. Published by authoritie.	Morton, Thomas, 1564-1659.	1618 (1618)	STC 18179; ESTC S112905	183,877	338

you will also Ceremoniall Constitutions which are mingled with some false and corrupt opinion so did they vniuersally iustifie prescribe and practise Traditions such as ours are which were meerly Ceremoniall as you well know by the Canons of their Councels which your selues do obiect and your owne hearts can tell you that you oppose the Fathers against vs in this case not as their ingenuous children seeking to follow their iudgement but as men aduersely sinisterly affected as if in confuting vs you meant to condemne them if you could by their owne sayings As might haue easily appeared by their Testimonies if you would haue insisted vpon particulars SECT VI. Their last proofe from the Testimonies of Protestant Authors That Ceremonies imposed as parts of Gods worship are vnlawfull may appeare by the iudgement of the most iudicious Diuines who haue all by this Reason condemned the Ceremonies of Papists Caluin Instit. lib. 4. cap. 10. Sect. 8. Pet. Martyr Chemnitius D. Mort Apol. part 1. cap. 89. and others Our Answer The true vnderstanding of the two acceptions of this phrase Parts of Gods Worship might easily haue rectified your iudgements for it is sometimes taken in Authours more strictly and properly for that essentiall forme and manner of worship wherein there is placed an opinion of Iustice Sanctitie Efficacie or Diuine necessity and so we hold it sacrilegious for any Church to impose or to admit of any such Ceremonie proceeding from humane institution Sometimes againe the same phrase is taken more largely for euery circumstantiall Rite which serueth for the more consonant and conuenient discharge of that essentiall worship of God and thus we hold it a peece of Christian libertie belonging to the Church to ordaine Ceremonies which may tend to Decencie Order and Edification as hath bene already shewen and acknowledged Herein therefore doth your inexcusable abuse of your Authors bewray it selfe that where they condemne onely such Ceremonies which are invented by men and brought into the Church by Papists and others with an opinion of such holinesse efficacie and necessity as whereby God is as properly worshipped as with the formes which he himselfe hath ordained thereupon you vrge and inforce them to the confutation of onely Circumstantiall and Accidentall Additaments vsed without all such superstitious respect Come we now to the examination of your witnesses 1. M. Caluin saith indeed that All those Constitutions are wicked in the obseruation whereof men place any worship of God Where by Worship he meaneth not any circumstance either of time place person or gesture which are required in the celebration of Gods worship but the inward vertue of worship which consisteth in an opinion of holinesse and iustice c. As you might haue learned from M. Caluin himselfe if you would haue taken out his next lesson where he condemneth the Papists but why Euen because they do conclude Ipsissimum Dei cultum in suis ritibus contineri Gods worship it selfe meaning the very essentiality of the worship of God to consist in their Rites And refuting it by the Scripture of Esay 55. In vaine doe they worship mee teaching c. expoundeth what hee meaneth by worship saying that The Papists in ritibus suis iustitiam quam Deo opponant quâ se ante tribunal sustineant quaerunt they seeke that righteousnesse in their Ceremonies which they may oppose vnto God and wherewith they may vphold themselues when they shall be called to answer before his Tribunall Surely there is no Protestant who will not call euery such figment of mans braine a very Idoll wherewith Gods worship is impiously profaned 2. Chemnitius also in the place alleaged speaking of the reseruation of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper sheweth that Antiquity vsed a Reseruation as-well as the Papists but yet with a great difference For Tridentini docent c. The Doctors of the Councell of Trent teach this Reseruation to bee a custome necessary and altogether to be retained but the ancient Fathers who had great reasons in regard of those times to obserue that custome yet did they not hold it necessary So that hee likewise condemneth that which is made an essentiall part of worship 3. Peter Martyr speaking of Ceremonies although hee verifieth your phrase of speech § 3. saying that Diuine worship doth not depend vpon the will of man but on the counsell and will of God yet doth he crosse and as it were controule your meaning of the word worship you vnderstanding thereby any Ceremonies which may serue for a complementall performance of that Diuine worship although it be not held as necessary hereunto But he saith expresly Licet Ecclesiae c. The Church hath power to prescribe and make Constitutions concerning the place time and manner of receiuing the Sacrament of the Lords Supper whether at morning or at night whether standing or sitting By this you see that he condemneth not the institution of the Accessarie and Accidentall parts of Gods worship but plainely approueth of them Your last witnesse answereth for himselfe that He in that place confuting the superstition of the Church of Rome doth not simply condemne all her Ceremonies but Farraginem tarbam onus Ceremoniarum to wit the immoderate multitude and intollerable burthen of her ceremonies in Feasts and Fasts in Gestures c. And you M. H. I trow in reprouing a man for a surfer or drunkennesse do not thereby meane to depriue him absolutely of his meate and drinke SECT VII Our generall Confutation of their former generall Propoposition especially from their owne witnesses The authority which the Church doth challenge or appointing circumstantiall and accidentall parts of Gods worship is from the liberty which she hath granted vnto her in magna Charta to wit the booke of holy Scriptures which expresly hath giuen vnto her authority to constitute such Rites as belong to Decency Order and Edification as hath beene already proued But because the Non-conformists are so frequent in alledging of witnesses I shall desire them to consult with two such whom they haue especially and namely appropriated vnto themselues in this whole controuersie who I make no question will answer their obiection Wee beginne with Vrsinus who hath catechized them well where first bringing in the obiection viz. Quae ad gloriam Dei c. ●y those things which are done to the glory of God God is worshipped B●t the Constitutions of the Church are done to the glory of God ergo God is wors●ipped by the ordinances of man He thus answereth and resolueth that Those things which are done to the glorie of God to wit per se of themselues that is such as are commanded by himselfe to the end that by them wee may expresse our obedience vnto him those acts are the worship of God But not those which accidentally do serue to the glory of God that is to the performance of those things which are commanded of God And a little after to this

dissenting and repugnant and some are neither consenting nor dissenting but adiaphora that is indifferent And he addeth These not hauing any foundation in the word may notwithstanding helpe for the furtherance of pietie The like answer is made by Doctor Whittaker Danaeus and who not that euer intreated vpon that question concerning the sufficiencie of Scripture SECT XX. Our fourth proofe is from Reason taken not onely from the nature of Ceremonies according to the common acknowledgement of all Diuines but also from the different practise of Reformed Churches You haue said that our Ceremonies though they be not Against the word yet because they are Besides the word are therefore vnlawfull Whence I first argue thus Nothing can in respect of God be called vnlawfull which is not Against the word because whatsoeuer is vnlawfull is a transgression of some law reuealed in his word But that which is onely Besides the word is not a transgression of the word Therefore your assertion is frustrate 2. Nothing that is Adiaphoron and indifferent can be pronounced simply vnlawfull But some Ceremonies of mans inuention without speciall warrant from the Scriptures are indifferent by the iudgement of Diuines of whatsoeuer sort or faction Ergo some such Ceremonies may be held lawfull 3. This may be prooued from the differences of Ceremonies in most Christian Churches M. Caluin hauing told vs that Christ would not prescribe particular Ceremonies to his Church because it is impossible that the same Ceremonies should be conuenient and agreeable to all so different Nations as are in the world And Oecolampadius will haue vs know that in the Churches of Basil Bearne and Tigurie there is magna concordia c. Great concord notwithstanding the varietie and difference of their Ceremonies So likewise by P. Martyrs allowance Quaeuis Ecclesia c. Euery Church may abound in her owne sence and thereupon he concludeth Non vrgendum c. That no man may vrge the very same Rites and Ceremonies vpon all Churches Lastly your Zepperus holdeth that The free obseruation of diuerse Rites is no hinderance to the Church nay saith he the varietie of Ceremonies in diuerse Churches is so farre from giuing offence that reason it selfe requireth that the libertie thereof should not be restrained From this ground the reason is impregnable that if in the Churches of Christ there may be yea and of necessitie must be difference in humaine Ceremonies then Ceremonies of humaine institution are of themselues indefinite and indifferent and in that regard can haue no speciall prescription from Diuine authoritie SECT XXI Our last proofe is from the confession and practise of the Non-conformists themselues The Lyncolneshire Opposites and euery Non-conformist require in all their bookes and writings to haue their Ceremonies so free that euery Parish may vse such Rites as by the discretion of the choycest Parishioners may be held most expedient by vertue of which their conceipted freedome it cometh to passe that Some Parishes will sit at the receiuing of the Communion and some stand Some will haue Godfathers and Godmothers and witnesses and some will be content onely with the naturall father Some will admit of publike Festiuals and holydaies and some of none And all this varietie they are perswaded may be had in diuers Churches without any variance at all Which Circumstantiall points are so far to be accounted Ceremoniall as they serue for a modification of our actions and gestures in the worship of God Hence I may argue If all these were of diuine authoritie then could they not be so diuerse for the law of Gods word is to all Nations the same But if they be of humaine institution then are they in that respect either vnlawfull or lawfull if vnlawfull then ought you not to vse the Ceremonies of mans ordinance if lawfull then you ought not to impugne them SECT XXII The Assumption of the Non-conformists against our Ceremonies in generall But these Ceremonies haue no warrant from the word of God being but humane Rites ordained by man c. Our first Answer in defence of our Ceremonies In the ordaining of Ceremonies two things come to be considered the first is in Thesi and generall position that it be warranted by the word whether it be by precept or else by permission and so we might say that the ordinance of Ceremonies may be called Diuine The second consideration is in respect of the Hypothesis and specification of the Ceremonies as prescribing of this or that gesture habit place or time and the like points of circumstance agreeable to the seruice of God these we say in respect of the permissiue appointment of Ceremonies are from God but in respect of the specification and determination of some one sort of Ceremonie rather than another they may be called humane Againe that you may better discerne of these termes take into consultation if it please you the aduise of M. Caluine who calleth those constitutions of the Church which are founded in Scripture prorsus diuinae Altogether Diuine and he taketh an example from Kneeling in solemne prayer which saith he is so Humane that it is also Diuine It is Diuine but why Euen because it is a part of that Decencie the care and obseruation whereof is commended vnto vs by the Apostle Let all things be done decently and in order But humane so farre as they are appropriated by men to some circumstance of person time or place and so it is in this Scripture rather intimated than expressed By which rule we are likewise authorized to call some Ceremonies of our Church in a kind of generality Diuine so far as they haue any dependance vpon that generall directiō of Scripture which cōmandeth that things be done in order Decencie to edification but humane in respect of the application of such rules according to the discretion of the Church Vrsinus whom you often produce for your choice witnes telleth you to the same purpose that Ecclesiasticall Constitutions are good so farre as they do specially assigne that which is generally rather intimated than expressed in the word of God Can you say then that all such actes are altogether Besides Scripture There is a second Rule of direction in case of Ceremonies which is the Equitie of them that are contained in Scriptures according to the example of Solomon in building his new Altar for Sacrifice besides that one Altar which God himselfe had ordained whereof one of your owne fellowship confesseth saying that he did it out of the equitie of Moses Law Notwithstanding this equity was so void of prescription that if this be necessary that act of Solomon might be iudged to haue wanted due warrant Thus much of the first generall Argument whereby they haue concluded against Scripture Fathers iudicious Diuines and all probable Reason that all Ceremonies belonging to Gods seruice which are inuented of man Besides the euidence of Scripture are vnlawfull CHAP II. SECT I.