after in the middest of his Army was slain from heaven as affirmeth S. Gregory Nazianzen in his second Oration against him and Z zâ—menus in the 2. chapter of his 6. book of histories After Iulian the Apostata followed Xenaia a servant by condition and an Eutichian Heretike by profession a man who w s never baptized yet feigned himself a Christian Clergy-man and by the Eutychian Heretikes was made also a Bishop this man saith Nicephorus in in the 27. chapter of his 16. book of Histories was the f rst who in these times belched out this opinion that the images of Christ and of those who pleased h m were not to be worshipped and so to the Eutychian heresie added the contempt of sacred Images and died excommunicated by the Councell of Calcedon After him followed the Mahometans and Turks who do so abhor the Crosse as with the Sectaries of this age they call the Christians Idolaters for adoring it as witnesseth Cedrenus upon Heraclius neither do they permit unto those of their Sect the use of Images as appeareth by the 15. and 16. chapters of their Alcoran which Turks being enemies of Christ and Christian Religion are without all hope of salvation And this is sufficient to shew unto thee deare Reader the antient enemies of the Crosse and sacred images and the miseries they fell into In thee it lieth to be a follower of the Catholike Roman Church and to honor reverence and respect sacred images with a relation unto the things they represent thereby to nourish in thee good thoughts or with the Devill Jewes Turks Infidells and Heretikes to condemne them and fill thy heart and mind with filthy shapes vicious thoughts and ugly representations As for the more modern haters of the Crosse and sacred images and their evill ends or miseries which befell them If out of curiosity thou desire to see them I refer thee to the 12. chapter of Bellarmines book of the images of Saints and to the 9. Article of the 2. book of Coccius and to the 10. Article of his 5. book in his first Tome where they are set down at large CHAP. XXVII The visible and invisible relative religious worship which the faithfull in the Primitive Church used towards the sacred pictures signes and images of the written Word of God and thereby learned the true sense and indued their soules with wholesome meditations and pious thoughts IF thou wouldest dear Reader examine the cause from whence it proceedeth that divers in this age do so much apply their minds to the reading of the Bible that they have it almost continually in their hands or lying by them and are so earnest upon it as that many of them think they must have a text out of the Scriptures for whatsoever they doe or els they sin as witnesseth Mr. Sanderson a Protestant Minister in the sixth and eighth § of his second Sermon preached at Grantham in the year 1634. and yet for the most part reap no other benefit out of it but errors heresies and blasphemies against God thou shalt find the originall cause thereof to be First a pride of mind and a contempt or scorn to bestow any relative worship respect or honor upon the materiall character or books or letters sent from God himselfe unto his faithfull followers or chridren penned by the Holy Ghost as S. Peter affirmeth 2 Pet. 1.21 but handle look upon them and use them after the same manner and with the same respect they do the books or letters of sensuall carnall men and sometimes also to shew their contempt or little esteeme change the materiall word of God as though that should be the sacred word what they would and not what God had ordained And secondly a want of an invisible relative religious worshâ—p respect and honor unto the divine and supernaturall sense which God hath given unto his sacred word whereupon they also easily change the sense into their own or other prophane whereby they turn faith into infidelity truth into error and the things revealed by God himself into blasphemy and please themselves in it Whereas holy and sacred things are not to be handlâ—d or treated upon but holily with a relative religious worship respect and esteem for the sacred things which they do represent and as they do represent them the text of the Scriptures is not only called the holy or sacred Scriptures Rom. 1.2.2 Tim. 3.15 but also our faith is called our most holy faith Jude ver 20. those must needs fall into great errors heresies and blasphemies who read speak of or handle them without a relative religious honor and respect unto them for God disperseth the proud in the conceit of their hearts Luk. 1.51 Again To whom shall I have respect saith God but to him that trembleth at my words Isa 66.2 as at the words of his Creator S. Paul calleth the Gospell of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The Gospell of the glory of the blessed God 1 Tim. 1.11 wherefore those who give no more religious worship and honor unto it then they give unto other books but rudely read interpret and handle them as they do prophane Authors must of necessity abound with errors heresies and blasphemies according to the words of our Lord saying Whosoever shall glorifie me I will glorifie him and they that contemn me shall be base 1 Kings or Samuel 2.29 as of no Religion established by the Son of God or Scriptures seeing that Religion even by the consent of our adversaries is described to be a due worship of God and holy things and fall into the error of those wicked Priests of whom God complained saying Between a holy thing and a prophane they have put no difference Ezek. 22.26 Whereupon the faithfull servants of God to profess a Religion and to nourish in their hearts and soules the pious thoughts and piety comprehended in the Bible alwayes honored and respected the sacred text or Bible with relative religious worship both for his sake that writ it and for the divine things it represented unto their memories in such sort as in the Old Law the faithfull Jewes kept it in the Tabernacle and adored it with the Tabernacle never touched it without first washing their hands kissed it as often as they either opened or shut it would not sit upon that seat upon which it lay and if by accident it fell to the earth they fasted for their negligence one whole day as affirmeth Cornâ—lius à Lapide in his preface to the phrases of the holy Scriptures The reason why they did so was for that wisdome will not enter into a malitious soule nor dwell in a body subject to sin Wisd 1.4 whereupon the Prophet prayeth saying establish thy word in thy servant in thy fear Psal 118.38 Again blessed is the man whose will is in the way of our Lord in his law he will meditate day and night Psal 1.1 where the Prophet affirmeth that those who walk in the way of
visit Orphans and Widows in their tribulations and to keep himself unspotted from the world where likewise he supposeth that Religion and religious worship may be exercised in visiting Widows and Orphans and the acts of vertue Aristotle in the third chapter of his book of Politiques taught by the light of reason saith Honor is justly given when it is destributed according to dignity And S. Paul saith Render to all men their due Rom. 13.7 And some men are religious as witnesseth the Scriptures saying All religious blesse ye our Lord Dan. 3.90 Again There were at Hierusalem Jewes religious men of all Nations Act. 2.5 Again Cornelius the Centurion is called Religious Act. 10.2 and you cannot give honor according to the dignity of one who is religious or render unto him his due unlesse you give him some kind of religious honor or worship all other being inferiour unto his dignity whereby it appeareth that some kind of religious worship may be given unto creatures Civill honor worship and adoration may be given unto prophane men as witnesseth the fact of Jacob who seeing Esau coming towards him going forward he adored prostrate to the ground seven times Gen. 33 3. yet Esau was a prophane person as witnesseth S. Paul Heb. 12.16 The Roman souldiers of all Nations as well faithfull as Infidells adored the Imperiall Ensign called Labarum as witnesseth Zozomenus in the fourth chapter of his first book of histories and all people and Nations who are not exceeding barbarous have worshipped and honored the Chair of Estate Scepter Crown and the very name of their Kings and Emperors when it hath been pronounced in publike Edicts whereby it appeareth that a worship more then civill is due unto the friends of God and sacred things dedicated to his honor and service otherwise you put no difference betweene sacred things and prophane which God condemneth saying Her Priests have contemned my law and have polluted my Sanctuaries between a holy thing and a prophane they have put no difference Ezech. 22.26 whereupon our Saviour when he had made as it were a whip of little cords he cast them who sold oxen and sheep and doves and bankers out of the Temple Joh. 2.13 And S. Paul reprehended divers Christians for eating in the Church saying Have you not houses to eat and drink in or contemn you the Church of God 1 Cor. 11.22 The Officers of Christ in his Church are his Legats according to the words of S. Paul saying We are Legats for Christ 2 Cor. 5.20 and Legats by relation do participate in some part of the honor and worship which is due unto their Lords and Masters wherefore seeing that to God is due an absolute religious worship to the Officers of Gods Church or his Legats must be due an inward and outward relative religious worship whereupon S. Paul saith The fathers of our flesh we had for instructors and we did reverence them not with civill honor only but with some kind of religious as instructors of Religion Heb. 12.9 Our Saviour saith of his followers You are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world Ioh. 15.19 Again of the world they are not as I also am not of the world Ioh. 17.17 and therefore there did belong unto them an honour and worship not worldly which is religious Father and Son are relatives and the Son by all right though in an inferiour degree is partaker of his Fathers honor and worship our Adversaries confesse that religious honor belongeth unto God and the Scriptures confesse that pious and devout Christians are the adoptive sons of God saying We are the sons of God and if sons heires also heirs truly of God and coheirs of Christ Rom. 8.17 whereby it may justly be doubted that those who deny an inward and outward relative religious worship unto the Saints and eminent servants of God have neither part nor portion in the inheritance of Christ The things which are dedicated to the service of God are called sacred by God himselfe Exod. 31.10 therefore there is due unto them an inward and outward sacred relative worship which is the relative religious worship we speak of whereupon all the Lexicons and Dictionaries not onely of Romane Catholiques but also of our adversaries themselves as of Thomas Thomasius do interpret this word Religio a true worship of God or holy things and all Nations cannot be deceived Moreover our Adversaries cannot deny but that there are religious things or things which belong unto Religion as the Scriptures Preaching Teaching Prayer the Sacraments unto which if our Adversaries will grant no kind of religious worship they destroy all Religion and prove themselves to be prophane as Esau Heb. 12.16 Religion and holinesse do not really differ as S. Thomas 2.2 ae quaest 81. Art 8. proveth therefore neither can their operations or effects really differ but holinesse is exercised about creatures as witnesseth the Scripture saying follow peace with all men and holinesse Heb 12.14 Againe holinesse becometh thy house O Lord Psal 92.5 not an absolute holinesse for so God only is holy but a relative as conducting us by meanes unto God who is only holy of himselfe so likewise the chiefest part of the Tabernacle was called The Sanctuary of Sanctuaries and Holy of Holies Exod. 26. God also commanded Moyses to make holy vestments for Aaron and his sons wherein they might minister unto him or serve him Exod. 28. But to serve God belongeth to Religion therefore these were religious vestments and had both an inward and outward relative religious reverence and respect born unto them seeing that none might wear them but Aaron and his sons and then only when they attended unto the service of God The like we may say of all the things which belonged unto the Temple and vessells of the Altar of holy ground holy Mountain holy Scriptures c. which are holy by a holinesse that referreth us to God and also religious and to be reverenced with a relative religious worship for the same cause holy and religious being really both one And to conclude at all times and in all ages the faithful honored and worshipped sacred things whether they were immediately or mediately dedicated to the service of God which are inward and outward relative religious worship as I shall further shew in the ensuing Chapters CHAP. XI Almighty God never prohibited either the making of sacred Pictures Signes and Images nor yet their relative religious Worship ALmighty God commanded us that we should not make vain and idle graven things that might divert us from him for our owne pleasures or for our selves without any respect unto him saying Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven thing Exod. 20.4 but it is never read in the Scriptures that he prohibited either the making or worshipping of sacred pictures signes or images with a relative religious worship when they are made to his honor and glory and not our own only or to our selves
to be born if we had not received the benefit of our redemption Moreover the name of God a Redeemer doth include in it the name of God as Creator but not the contrary whereby it appeareth that the word or name Jesus respectively is more holy and more to be honored and worshipped amongst Christians then was the Word or name Jehova in the Old Law seeing that respectively it is of greater dignity and eminency as Abulensis in his seventh question upon the twentieth chapter of Genesis proveth more at large where upon I may conclude that we are bound to honor with a relative religious worship the sweet name of Jesus by the first and second Commandement Christ Iesus saith S. Paul humbled himself made obedient unto death even to the death of the crosse for the which thing God hath exalted him and hath given him a name which is above all names that in the name of Jesus every knee bow of celestialls terrestialls and infernalls Phil. 2.8 Thus the Scriptures to demonstrate unto us that we may honor and worship graven things signs pictures and images when they are not made to our selves as are Idols or vain images but to expresse and represent unto us sacred and holy things and have relation unto God the end of all goodnesse S. Paul here saying In the name of Jesus whether it be ingraven and so a graven thing or painted and so a picture or printed or written or spoken and so a sign every knee shall how The Angel Gabriel said to our B. Lady Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bear a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus he shall be great and he shall be called the son of the most high Luke 1.31 so great as that S. Peter said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you did crucifie in this same this lame man standeth before you whole c. neither is there any other name under heaven given to men wherein we may be saved Act. 4.10 wherefore if it were an offence as it was amongst the people of Israel not to honor and worship the name Iehova which signified God as God and Creator of all things much more it must be an offence amongst the Christians not to honor and worship the name Jesus as it belongeth to Christ our Lord because it signifieth the whole work of the Incarnation and our redemption wheâ—â— to doe concur the wisdome power goodnesse Majesty and all the attributes of God more then in any his other works made oâ— created and putâ—eth us in mind of all these things wheâ—â— upon the Scriptures say A most strong tower the name of our Lord the just unneth to it and shall be exalteb Prov 18.10 Again whosoever shall invocate the name of the Lord shall be saved Ioel 2.22 Rom. 10.13 for as S. Paul saith None can say our Lord Jâ—sus but in the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 that is saith Sedulius upon this text in heart word and work In this name the Fathers and Prophets of the Old Law rejoyced saying as it may be read in the Hebrew J will expect thy salvation or thee Jesus O Lord Gen. 49.18 Again the Prophet David foretelling the preaching of the name of Jesus amongst the Gentiles saith our Lord hath made known his salvation or his Jesus in the sight of the Gentiles Psal 97.2 Again in the same Psalm all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God or the Jesus of our God whereupon the Prophet J say singing a song in Thanksgiving for the benefits the world was to receive by Christ saith God is my Saviour or Jesus J will do confidently and will not fear because our Lord God of God that is to say the son of god Iesus is my strength and my praise he is become my salvation or my Jesus and Saviour you shall draw waters of joy out of the Saviour fountains or out of the fountains of Jesu And you shall say in that day confesse to our Lord and invocate his name make his inventions known among the people Remember that his name is high J say 1â— 2 Thus these Fathers of the Old Law whereby it appeareth that more relative religious honor and worship is to be given unto the name of Jesus respectively as it representeth unto us Christ our Saviour then unto any other name of God otherwise the Scriptures and antient Fathers of the Old Law would not so highly extoll commend and rejoyce at this name more then in other names of God as I shall yet further shew in the ensuing chapter CHAP. XIX Greater honor to be given unto the name Jesus as it signifieth Christ our Lord then to any other name of God GOd the Father as it were rejoycing at the salvation of mankind and glorying at the name of his only Son our Lord said by the mouth of the Prophet Malachy Great is my name among the Gentiles Again my name is great among the Gentiles saith the Lord of Hosts Malachy the first which words S. Irenaeus in the thirty third chapter of his fourth book of heresies expounding saith What other name is there by which he is glorified amongst the Gentiles but that of our Lords by which the Father is glorified and man glorified and because it is the name of his proper son who was made man by him he calleth it his name as if a King himself should paint the image of his son in two respects he might justly call that image his first because it is his sons and secondly because he made it so the name of Jesus Christ which throughout the whole world is glorified in the Church the Father doth confesse to be his both because it is his sons and he writing it hath given it for the salvation of men Thus S. Jrenaeus who lived with the Apostles Schollars to signifie unto us how glorious and honorable this name of Jesus as it calleth into our memory Christ our Lord and all the benefits received by him was in the Primitive church seeing that it was glorified as this Saint affirmeth in his time of the whole Church dispersed over the world and how could it be glorified so universally and early by all Christians if the Christians of these times should have given no more honor or worship unto it then they did to Dick or Tom or Iohn yet Origen in his fourteenth Homily upon S. Luke saith The glorious word Jesu is to be spoken or called upon with all honor and worship In these Primitive times the religious respect and reverence which the ancient Fathers bare unto this name of Iesus as it had a relation to Christ our Lord was so great that S. Ambrose chap. 9. of his book of Hexameron or six dayes work saith This is the gift of the eternall Father to his Son that in the name of Jesu every knee shall bow of these who are in heaven upon earth and under the earth Thus S. Ambrose Now if this be
sacred name of Jesus whereat three fountains gushed out which yet remain untill this day and was so desirous that all Christians should honor this name that he saith Whatsoever you do in word or work do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God and the Father by him Col. 3.17 Surius in the life of S. Ignatius who lived long with the Apostles writeth that being urged by the Pagans to deny Jesus Christ as their custome was in them times answered that it was a thing impossible for him to do because it was ingraven in his heart which after death they cut in pieces and found to be true his heart every where expressing in images the name of Jesus Nicephorus in the third chapter of his seventeenth book of histories writeth that there being a great Earthquake at Antioch about the year of our Lord 524. so fearfull that it destroyed almost the whole City yet divers having confidence in the name of Jesus writ over their doors Jesus is with us let no man move from his place they their houses escaped and stood firm S. Gregory the Great a man of no little credit in the Church of God in the first chapter of his first book of Dialogues writeth that Honoratus a holy man built a Monastery neer to the City of Pundi amongst the Alps where he had almost two hundred Monks under him and a mighty great stone breaking from under the hill under which his Monastery was built came rouling down as if it would destroy both his Monastery and Monks which the holy man Honoratus seeing he often called upon the name of Christ which was Jesus and with his right hand made the sign of the crosse upon it and so staid it presently even in the declining of the side of the Mountain Also the same S. Gregory in the third chapter of the same book relateth another miracle which was done by vertue of the same sacred name of Jesus which was as followeth certain Monks had an Orchard of fruits and herbs for their provision with a Lay-brother a holy man for the Gardner into which a thief used to break for to steal away the fruit and herbs which the pious Lay-brother perceiving the losse looking about found the place where he passed over the pale and seeking for a remedy found a Serpent whom he commanded saying follow me which the Serpent did untill he came to the passage which the thief used and then said to the Serpent I command thee in the name of Jesus that thou keep this passage and do not permit the thief to enter here any more presently the Serpent extended her self along the passage and the Lay-brother returned to his Cell About midday whilest all the Monks were at rest the thief according to his custome came and putting his fâ—ot ovâ—â— the pale to enter into the Oâ—câ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 suddain he perceived that 〈◊〉 Serpent lay in his passage whereat astonished he fell backward with his head downward and his foot fixed in the pale where the Lay-brother coming at his ordinary hour found him and said to the Serpent Thanks be to God thou hast done as thou wast commanded go thy ways which she did And then loosing the thiefs foot without doing him any hurt he said how durst thou brother so often steal the labours of the Monks follow me And so conducting him to the gate of the Orchard with much courtesie he gave him the fruit and herbs which he would have stollen saying Go thy way and hereafter do not steal but if thou shalt be in want come hither unto me and that which now thou labourest to take away by stealth I will freely give unto thee Moreover it was so common a thing for the Christians of the Primitive Church to reverence the name of Jesus with a relative religious worship that pious parents taught it their children even from their infancy as witnesseth S. Augustine in the fourth chapter of his third book of Confessions saying For this name according to thy mercy O Lord this name of my Saviour thy son had my tender heart even together with my mothers milk devoutly drunk in and carefully treasured up so that what book soever was without the name though never so learned or neatly and truly penned did not fully delight me Thus S. Augustine And to conclude this sacred name of Jesus and of God is so much to be honored worshipped upon earth that even in heaven the elect shall have them written in their foreheads there to remain with honor and glory for ever and ever as witnesseth S. Iohn saying And I looked and behold a Lamb stood upon Mount Sion and with him one hundred forty four thousand having his name and the name of his father written in their foreheads Rev. 14.1 whereby it will manifestly appeare unto any indifferent reader that to honour respect and worship the name of God and Jesus Christ our Lord with a relative religious worship for the persons they represent is a great signe of election and to make no more accompt of them then they doe of other vulgar names is an apparent signe of reprobation from which God of his goodnesse deliver thee Reader CHAP. XXII Of the honor and glory of the Crosse of Christ as it representeth his person and passion and how it shall distinguish the faithfull from the followers of Antichrist SO great is the obligation which all mankind hath unto the Son of God for his death and passion upon the Crosse for their redemption from everlasting pains that as S. Augustine saith he who is not thankfull to God for his creation is worthy to go to hell but he who is not willing to have a pious mind and thankfull remembrance for his redemption is worthy to have another hell created for his greater torments whereupon all pious faithfull Christians have ever born a venerable relative religious worship unto the sacred sign or image of the Crosse not as it is a piece of wood or stone or painted cloth or action of the hand but as it representeth unto our memories the sacred passion of our Lord as words do things and indueth our minds with pious thoughts whereupon S. Paul as inamored of the holy Crosse saith God forbid that I should glory but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Gal. 6 14. And complaining of the little respect and reverence which the carnall men of his time bore unto the sacred Crosse of Christ saith Observe them that walk as you have seen our form for many walk of whom I often told you and now weeping also I tell you enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is the belly and their glory in their confusion Phil. 3.17 where he giveth us to understand that to be a lover and honorer of the sacred Crosse of Christ as it representeth unto us his passion for us is a signe of election and the neglect a token of
world and to destroy mankind as he grievously threatneth at the last day saying goe and kill c. as is set down Ezechiel the nineth Again in the 22. chapter of his first book of Testimonies against the Jewes speaking of the said prophecy of Ezechiel he saith That in this signe of the crosse is salvation to all those who are signed in their forehead God in Ezechiel doth declare saying passe through the middest of Hierusalem and thou shalt make a signe in the foreheads of men c. So what will become of these men who will not have the signe of the crosse made in their foreheads Lactantius florished about the year 320. and he speaking of the practise of the Church of God concerning this point of the relative religious honor and worship which was given to the sacred signe of the cross in the twenty seventh chapter of his fourth book of Institutions saith Now it is time to declare the great power of the sign of the cross of what terror this signe is to the divells those know who have seene it forasmuch as that adjured by Christ they fly out of the bodies which they did possess for as Christ himselfe whilest he lived amongst us put to flight all the divells by his word and brought men againe into their former senses who had been troubled in mind and furiously mad by assaults of the divell even so now his followers both by the name of their Master and by the sign of his passion do expel the same wicked spirits out of men whereof the proof is not hard for if whilest the Pagans offer sacrifice to their Gods any one be standing by who beareth the signe of the cross in his forehead they cease from Sacrifice neither can the consulted Oracle give any answer and this hath often been the chief cause that evill Kings have taken occasion to begin a persecution for when some of our Christian servants have stood by their Lords whilest they offered Sacrifice and have made the signe of the cross upon their foreheads they put to flight their gods neither could they describe in the entrails of their victimes the things to come And in his verses of the benefits of Christ he said bond thy knee and adore the venerable wood of the cross c. whereby it appeareth what a good fee these Christians deserve to have from the divell who have beaten down crosses and call the signing of our selves and other creatures conjuring Eusebius lived about the same time who writing the life of Constantine the Great in his 32. chapter of his first book relateth how the sign of the cross appeared to him in heaven with this inscription in this sign thou shalt overcome that is to say his enemies and in the second chapter of his third book affirmeth that he used now and then to signe his forehead with that healthfull sign of the passion and many times very much rejoyced in that victorious Tropâ—e or sign S. Athanasius florished in the year 340. who in his book of the Word Incarnate saith A man onely using the sign of the cross doth drive away from him the deceipts of the divells c. let him come who will mâ—ke an experience of my words and amongst the illusions of the divels or impostures of their foretellings or prophecies or the miracles of their Magitians and do but make the sign of the cross which they deride and call upon the name of Christ and he shall see with his eyes how for fear thereof the divell flyeth away their prophecies cease and their inchantments and witcherafts are made void S. Basil the Great florished about the year 370. who in his Oration of the Martyr Gordian saith He fortified himself with the sign of the cross and so with great constancy of mind without any fear or changing of countenance went merrily to his death Again in the twenty seventh chapter of his book of the Holy Ghost he saith If we should go about to rèject these customes which are not delivered in writing as though they were things of no moment we should imprudently condemn many things which in the Gospell are esteemed necessary to our salvation of which sort is that I may repeat that first which is the first and most common thing used amongst us the sign of the cross for who hath taught in writing that we should signe those with the sign of the cross who have put their hope in Christ is it not by a tacit and secret tradition is it not from the doctrine which our Fathers have kept in silence which curious and idle people call in question S. Cyrill of Hierusalem lived at that same time with S. Basil the Great and he in his fourth Catechesis or instructions for Christian life saith Let us not be ashamed of the cross of Christ but if any one shall hide it do thou publikely sign thy self in the forehead with the cross that the divells seeing the standard of the King trembling may make hast to be gone see also that thou make this sign when thou beginnest to eat or drink when thou sittest down and when thou arisest when thou beginnest to speak or to walk and in every one of thy affairs S. Ambrose also florished at the same time with S. Gregory and S. Cyril who in the seventy seventh Epistle of his nineth book saith Christian people do in every moment write the contempt of death upon their owne foreheads for they know that without the cross of our Lord they cannot be saved Again in his fifty sixth Sermon he saith In what place the cross of Christ is erected or planted there presently the iniquity of the divell is driven away and tempests of winds cease and also the good husbandman when he prepareth his land by tillage and seeketh nourishment for life he doth not begin to go about it but by the sign of the cross S. Hierome chapter 6. of his eighth Epistle to Demetriades saith Thou often fortifiest thy forehead with the signe of the crosse least the Master of Egypt should find any abode or habitation in thee Again upon the eighth chapter of Ezechiel he saith In the Hebrew Characters which the Samaritans do use untill this day the last letter Thau is made after the likeness of the cross which is imprinted in the foreheads of Christians and often made with their hands And upon the fifty eighth Psalme he prayeth saying We beseech thee O Lord that guarded by the sign of the cross and defended by the assistance thereof we may deserve to be freed from all the deceipts of the divell And to conclude so honorable was the esteeme which the Primitive Christians had of the signe of the cross as that they used it in all the rites and ceremonies of their Religion in such sort as that they accompted no solemne act of their Religion to be well and perfectly performed unless the sacred signe of the cross was added unto it as witnesseth S. Chrysostome for
the Greek church who in his fifty fifth Homily upon S. Matthew saith All things which help to our salvation are perfected by the Crosse for when we are regenerated the Crosse of our Lord is present when we are nourished with the most sacred meat when we take orders every where and alwayes that sign of victory is at hand Thus S. Chrysostome for the Greek church And for the Latin S. Augustine in his one hundred eighteenth Tract upon S. Iohn saith Unless the signe of the cross be applied as well to the forehead of the believers or to the water wherewith they are regenerate or to the oyl wherewith they are annoynted none of these are rightly administred Thus these two Doctors of the honor reverence respect which both the Greek and Latin Fathers of the Primitive church bare unto the sacred signe of the cross And if any one desire yet further proofe either for the frequent use of the sign of the cross or the relative religious worship which was bestowed upon it or the many miracles performed by it refer him to the nineth article of the second book of the first Tome of Coccius to Grotserus de Cruce and to the sixteenth chapter of the second book of the Progeny of Catholiques and Protestants It being all one to speak by known signes or by words and when the faithfull doe make the signe of the cross their known intent is to profess that they believe in the B. Trinity and desire to march under the standard of Christ crucified as is set down in our Catechisms And when they do worship or reverence the cross they do it not as I have said heretofore as it is a carved stock or stone or a graven thing or a painted cloth but as it putteth us in mind of the mysteries of our Redemption and the passion of our Lord for the remission of our sins and imprinteth in our hearts piety which as S. Paul saith is profitable to all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that to come 1 Tim. 4.8 CHAP. XXIV The Crosse adored with an inward and outward relative religious worship in the Primitive Church THough all exteriour visible honor and glory is due unto God according to S. Paul saying To the King of the worlds immortall invisible only God honor and glory 1. Tim. 1.17 yet all exteriour visible honor is not due unto God alike but some is so immediately due unto him and given unto him that it may not be given unto any other of which kind are visible sacrifices oaths and vowes Other is immediately due unto him by means of his eminent creatures as adoration by bowing or bending to the ground kneeling lifting up the hands to men in dignity c. For Abraham who is called the father of the faithfull Rom. 4. adored the children of Heath Gen. 23.7 Iacob who is called the elect of God Psal 104.6 when he did see his brother Esau coming towards him Going forward he adored prostrate to the ground seven times Gen. 33.3 It being told Moses that Iethro his father in law did approach going forth he met him adored and kissed him Exod. 11.7 And it hath alwayes been the custome of Christian children to ask their parents blessing kneeling with their hands elevated on high and closed together and also of inferiour servants after the same manner to ask their Masters forgiveness of their offences Jacob also adored the top of Josephs rod Heb. 11.11 The Scriptures also call the Tabernacle the house of God Exod. 34.26 And the Propitiatory his seat who sitteth upon the Cherubins upon it 2. Kings or Samuel 6.2 and the Ark the foot stool of the seat of our God Chronicles 1.28 and 2. and commanded it to be adored saying Adore his foot stoole because he is holy Psal 99.5 And even from the beginning of Christianity and from the first propagation of the Gospel the Christian souldiers both Greeks and Latines of all Nations adored the Imperial Standard of the Romans which was called Labarum as witnesseth Zozomenns in the 4. cha of his 1. book of histories S. Gregory Nazianzen in his 1. Oration against Julian the Apostata about the middest where he relateth at large that it being the custome of the Roman souldiers to adore the picture or image of the Emperour Julian the Apostata by deceipt and guilt to win them to adore the divell intermixt his image with the picture of divells whereby first it is manifest that exteriour visible adoration and prostration is not so immediately due unto God as that it may not be given unto any creature seeing that the faithfull both in the Old and New Law adored creatures and that sometime by the Commandement of God Secondly that the cross not as it is a carved piece of wood or an ingraven stock or stone or painted cloth or a cross in generall but as it representeth unto us the mysteries of our Redemption the seat or Altar whereupon our Saviour suffered for our sins or the Standard of Christ Jesus and of all faithfull Christians may be adored seeing that in this sense it is not inferiour either to Josephs Scepter or rod or to the Ark of the children of Israel or unto the image or picture of the Roman Emperors in their standards or to the standards themselves whereupon it came to passe that even in the most florishing time of the church and as soone as the church had peace and was freed from the persecution of the Heathen the cross as it representeth unto us Christ crucified and the mysteries of our salvation c. was publikely and openly adored by all Christian Nations as witnesseth Zozonienus in the place before cited where he relateth at large how Constantine the Great placed it in the Imperiall Standard to this intent and purpose that it might be adored of his souldiers consisting of all Nations adding in the same chapter saying It is also reported that the souldier who on a certaine time bare this Ensigne with the cross in it being amazed with a suddain assault of the euemies delivered the standard to another and withdrew himself out of the battell where being out of the danger of any dart of a suddain fell down deadly wounded and he who had taken of him the divine Ensign of the Cross remained free from any hurt â—hough many darts were cast at him Moreover it is said that never any â—uldier whose office it was to bear this sign either suffered any great calamity in the wars or was wounded or taken prisoner which truly is very credible Thus Zozomenus to shew unto us that the sacred cross representing unto us the sufferings of our Lord as soon as the church had peace and persecution ceased was after thâ— manner abovesaid publikely and openly adored by the faithfull Christians of all Nations In further witnesse hereof S. Cyril Archbishop of Alexandria anâ— President in the Generall Counceâ—â— of Ephesus holden in the year 431