those that were marked who elsewhere are called the elect of God or those whom the Lord knowes and graunts to be his because hee hath signed them with his seale and as the scripture saith Written their names in the booke of life For as saith S Paul 2. Cor. 1. verse 21. 22 Jt is he that hath annoynted vs sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of his holyspirit in our hearts God then declared to Ezechiell that Jerusalem should be destroyed by the Babylonians but yet notwithstanding that hee would spare some small number of them which feared him and mourned for the iniquities of their fellow Cittizens In contrarie sence is that spoken in the Apocalips 16. verse 2. The Angell powred foorth his vyall and there fâ—liagreeuous and noysome soare vppon the mer which had the marke of the beast as much to say as the seruants of Antechriste Such in the liuely sence of this place as it is most manifest to them who read it with iudgement and without partialitie yet is it badly wrested and so phistically applied by these fellowes who would hereon build the signe of the crosse whereof the Prophet neuer thought in all the passage The second foundation is a gathering of places from some of olde times confusedly recited and for the most part chaunged and altered as it may appeare by that allcaged of Saint Athanasius for Saint Athanasius magnifying the vertue of our Lord Iesus Christ said Jt appeared heerem That although the Pagans mocked at his death and passion yet the signe of the crosse and inuocation on the name of Christ should chase away deuils and make their diuinations to cease But that which the placarde auoucheth neuer was spoken by Saint Athanasus to wit that God made great account of this Signe and he caused it to be forctold by the Prophet Ezechiell Notwithstanding we denie not that to authorize the preaching of the Gospell reiected as then by the Pagans who stretched then almost through the world that God did many miracles by the name of Chirst Iesus crucified And that is it which the same Athanasius declareth in the beginning of his booke against Idols After the comming of the Crosse all adoration to Images was to be taken away and by that marke all deuillish deceites should be shased away and the only Christ worshipped and his Father knowns and those which blasphemed him dayly eonfounded By which woordes is witnessed the vertue of Christ acknowledged in his crosse and not any naked signe it is then Sophistrie to take seperately that which was spoken ioyntlytogither The second testimonie is of Epipbanius who speaking of one Joseph of Tiberias saith he was made a Christian in the time of Constantine vncharmed from the furnace and chopping of chalke to build a Christian temple in the Cittie of Tiberias Now we must not so slightly part from this testimonie because the placarde intends to proue hereby and in this example of Joseph that the Christians enemies haue themselues submitted to the signe of the crosse As for this Ioseph of whome hee speaketh he was not an enemie to the christians because he was a Christian and builded a temple vnto Christ now then it is very likely that whatsoeuer was done here in must needs be for the reasoÌ„ before named to wit if the charme were discharged by the power of Christ Iesus it was then through inuocation vpon his mightie name and not by any sillie naked signe If it happened by bad meanes one charme to be expelled by a counter charme as one venom or poyson is expulsed by another then God gaue efficacie to error to the end such as would bee deceiued so might be through their owne wilfulnesse The third is of Saint Gregorie in the third booke of his Dialogues and seuenth Chapter concerning a Iewe who beeing one night in the temple of Apollo where faith hee many deuils held their counsell hee made but the signe of the crosse and so was warranted from any harme Hee that in one word would vnwinde himselfe out of this place will say that such Dialogues are but filled with verie friuolous toyes But we e must bring in a more sound answere which is as hath been lately said that God did giue the strength of errour to Sathan whereby to deceiue men and Sathan seeing himselfe driuen from his Forte by Iesus Christ erected another Forte against the same Iesus Christ employing to such purpose the simplicitie of Christians in those times whose eyes he beganne in such sort to hood-winke that they might no more clearly see into the pure seruice of God Then afterward when Pagan-idolatrie began to decline day by day by the bright splendoure of true christian doctrine then the deuill steps in with idolatrie as greate or more daungerous in the midst of Christianitie so that the auncient Idols names were changed but the things themselues still continued and in flying before from the crosse hee hath done like them that draw backe to get more ground For if euer he inuented a strange kind of idolatry it was this which he brought in about the crosse Sathan finding an instrument in Christs owne house wherewith to chase the same Christ out of it if it were possible for him The fourth is of Nazeanzen who reciteth that Julian the Apostaâ—a figured himselfe with the crosse when he saw himselfe lost in an obscure place by euill spirits whereto one might answere as before but I heare one tel me that the example of such a miserable wretch ought not be alleaged for establishing any doctrin in the church for this were as if one wold proue Christ to be the son of the liuing God alleage the words spokeÌ„ by the deuil saying Thou art Christ the son of the liuing God Math. 8. verse 29. Mark 5. verse 7 To whoÌ„ our Lord imposed silence not willing to haue him a Preacher of truth who was the very father of lies In like manner they who by this deed of Julian the Apostata wold authorize the signe of the crosse mistak theÌ„selues too much ought to know that such an example is no way allowable As likewise is not their imitatioÌ„ who not beleeuing in God nor in the blessed Trinitie place before these names of God the trinitie the Angels Prophets the beginning of the gospel according to S. Iohn make mightie signes of the crosse for furthering their enchantmeÌ„ts Herehence it appeareth seeing such wicked enchanters charmes serue their own turn with euil means which simply are things no waies receiueable hereby we may wel set down this coÌ„clusion Since Julian the Apostasta and such like made the sigue of the crosse therby was succored as is said it is apparant that this proceeded not of god but only came froÌ„ Sathan who would more more fold him into such deceits as eueÌ„ so appointed by the iust iudgement of god For this case hapning extraordinarily serued so much the more for confouÌ„ding the abhominable wretch as
Sathans sleights who dooth like to them as one saith which teache the way onward by going backward For he durst neuer bee so bolde to thrust himselfe into the Christian Church by the knowledge of Iesus Christ crucified onely but publishing the praises of the Crosse hee hath made woode stones and paintings companions with Christ Iesus defacing quite the spirituall seruice of God introducing carnall fashions sauouring rather of Paganisme then Christianitie Seeing therefore all power vertue and dominion appertaines onely to him that sits vpon the throne we ought to see him not injuried in the least part of his right but likewise if it may be to engraue in mens harts a more deepe consideration of the death and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ At the beginning of the Gospels preaching GOD sometimes would haue it knowne by extraordinarie meanes wherfore if then it pleased him to expresse his goodnesse in such sorte to his chosen it ought to bee acknowledged and his gracious support to bee thankefully remembred But if it hath pleased him that such as yet see slenderlie shall become more blinde or indeed altogether starke blinde it ought to be reckoned as his iudgement and so to bee obserued for a trueth for trueth is not trueth except it bee so quite throughout And to speake with Nazianzen If a precious stone loose his value by reason of some crack or vnsightlie flawe it is not to be doubted but that the puritie of Christian doctrine will be much impaired by the mingling or leauen of erronious teaching attributing to the signe or figure the vertue of him who would haue his Crosse fixed in our bearts and not tyed to our habits or planted either in fieldes or Citties These matters first heere noted haue vrged vs to resolue such allegations as are contayned in the first placard the Title whereof is Of the vertue of the Crosse The intent whereof is to shew that the materiall signe of the Crosse hath many great and goodly vertues where contrarywise all true Christians doo maintayne that all vertue and power ought to bee attributed to him crucified thereon This proposition is vnderpropped with a place out of Ezechsel the 9. v. 4. and by some other auncient passages but when the weakenesse of such a building shall be discouered it wil presently appeare howe easie it is to ouerthrow what soeuer is founded thereon Now to iudge rightly on this place wee cannot doo beter then to set downe the very words of the Prophet to the end we may thereby be ledde to the true sence In our language we deliuer it thus word for word with the Hebrew text Goe through the middest of the Cittie euen through the middest of Ierusalem and set a marke vpon the fore-heads of them that mourne and sigh for all the abhominations that be done in the middest thereof In this sence and in the selfe same words hath the Greeke translation yeelded them as likewise S. Hierome noteth that the seuentie Enterpreters and Aquila and Symmachus haue done the selfe same For as Thau in Hebrewe signifieth a marke or signe and is taken from the word Thauah that is to say to signifie or designe so true it is that Theodotion and the vulgar enterpretation haue held the word Thau taking it materially as it is spoken in the Schooles yet hereon many haue played at their pleasure For as the same Saint Hierome writeth Some haue saide that by the letter Thau which is the last of the Hebrew Alphabet is signified such as haue perfect knowledge Others say that by the same letter the law is vnderstood which in Hebrew is called Thorah of which word the first letter is Thau And finally the same Saint Hiereme leauing the Carracter vsed by the Propher searched the Samaritaine Carracters and saith that Thau among the Samaritaines hath the resemblance of a crosse but yet he sets not down at all the figure of this Thau of the Samaritaines Wherefore he perceiuing that this saying of his wold be further serched into addes imediately aftewards an other expositiō to wit As the letter Thau is the last in the Alphabet suen so sherby is represented those good people beeing the remnant of the multitude of the euilliuers But admit the letter Thau to be figured after the Hebrew Carracter or the Samaritaine Carracter by one onely figure yet is it easie to be seene that it hath a verie slender resemblance to an entire crosse For the Hebrew Carracter is made thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Samaritaine after this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not the true figure of a crosse for it wantes that part aboue where the writing was fastened or title of the crosse as Lypsius hath well noted in the tenth Chapter of his first booke of the crosse That if the worde Thau had beene written with his Consonantes and one vowell as at this day it is read in the Hebre we text in this manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then it would haue much lesse resemblance But after the word let vs now come to the sence First of all it appeareth by that which is recited in the eight ninth chapters of Ezechiell that all there spoken of was represented in a mentall vision so that the things were not really done indeed In the second place it is a matter most euidēt that this Prophet was properly and particularly prepared or furnished against the Cittie of Jerusalem and the execution therof to be discerned when the Babylonians had taken and rased the Citie of Ierusalem leading some remainder of the people into captiuitie It is then beyonde reason that this which was spoken for a certaine time and place and for certaine persons should be turned and assigned else where which neuer was the intention of the spirit of God that then spake by the mouth of Ezechiell Moreouer it is no where to bee found that euer the Iewes were marked with any marke in the fore-head whatsouer and much lesse by the crosse which was a thing odious and ignominious then among all nations of the world that death beeing cursed amongst the Iewes following what is written in Deuter. 21. verse 23. That he was accursed who should bee hanged on a treee Now then the true sence of this passage in Ezechiell is that God declared howe when this great iudgement should be exercised on the cittie of Ierusalem they onely were to bee exempted who should bee marked by the spirit of God After this manner is vnderstoode what is read in the 12. of Exodus where the destroying Angel passed through the middest of Egypt and slewe all the first borne of the Egyptians but hee commaunded the Israelites to put the blood of the vnblemished Lambe for the Passeouer on the posts of their habitations to the end whē the Angel should passe by hee might see the marke of the blood and so passe on without offending the Israelites Likewise in the 7. of the Apocalips is mention made of
built he made the tree to be cut downe but it could neuer be made to serue to any vse wherefore it was reiected and made a Bridge of ouer a certaine Lake When the Queene of Saba came to see Salomon shee would not goe ouer the Bridge became shee had been before aduertised in a vision that on that wood should one bee hanged who should destroy the Kingdome of the Iewes Which when Salomon heard of hee caused it to be buried very deepe in the earth in the place where a Poole was afterwarde made which Poole had the vertue of healing sickenesse by reason of the wood for it came foorth of the earth and floated aboue vpon the water at the houre when Iesus Christ was to bee crucified and therefore the Iewes made the crosse thereof Beholde what hath beene inuented and preached to poore people onely to make the crosse bee honoured as it is to be read in the 21. Sermon of the booke called The Sermons of the Disciple But let such consider that the auncient Christians vsing of the crosse in whatsoeuer matters by them mannaged was but the simple practise of Saint Paules meaning when he said J am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ For because euery one as well Iewes as Paganes mocked at Christ and his Crosse was become a scandall to some and folly to others the more they stroue to defame it the more the christians endeuoured to adorne it Heereup on they opposed the Crosse to all thinges and in all places as a moste honourable marke whereby they sufficiently declared that they would haue part of Christes opprobry to the ende hee might impart to them some of his glory And therefore said Chrisostome That Ensigne should bee more honoured then all the Crownes and Diademes could be For this cause the Emperours and Kings made applycation therof to their Crownes and Scepters so much the more to shame confound the Iewes Pagans whom S. Ambrose bringeth in thus speaking Wehaue crucified Jesus to the end the Christians may rise after death and that the dead may raigne We haue crucified him whome Kings shall honour Whence happened that the Princes which persecuted Christ became Preachers and their Vestiments serued to repaire the crosse that faith might shine foorth the more gloriously Vpon the same occasion it is said that the crosse should be a tree faire and splendant adorned with the purple of kings and more brightsome then the starres And Theodoret in the third booke of his historie chap. 27. writeth That by all the crosse should bee borne to testifie the triumph of Christ But all this while they attributed nothing to the crosse onely or the bare figure therof for Constantine gaue acknowledgement that the victoric which happened to him was through Christ and not the crosse and so he caused to be written on the crosses by him erected these three words Iesus Christ ouercame after that manner made his prayers of the crosse Helena likewise worshipped the king and not the crosse For else it had bin a Pagan errour vilde vanitie faith Saint Ambrose In this forte may christians honour the crosse for who makes any question but in our wars against the Iews or Mahumetists we may beare our Ensignes orarmes crossed for publicke testifying to the Infidels that wee are Christians and our aduersaries are miscreants andvoyd of faith So may the crosse be engrauē on money to shew that it is the coyne or stampe of a christian Prince So may the crosse be placed on the gates of Citties Castles or houses to deliuer apparantly that the Inhabitants in such places do make profession of christianitie So was it long since ordained that the instruments of contractes or bargaining made by publike notaries should be sealed and signed with the crosse as it is read in lib. de Cod. And in such like polliticke considerations we reiect not the vse of the material crosse As Constantine in the very same respect forbad to punish malefactours any more with the death of the crosse To the ende saith Saint Augustine in his 36. Treatise on Saint Iohn They should not be honoured by such a punishment For the same reason was it forbidden by the Emperor Theodosuts to engraue the crosse in earth and a paine decreed against all such as despised or cast the crosse at their heeles Now withall is to be remembred that then the crosse was but two peeces of woode thwarte one another hauing no shape of a crucifixe much lesse of the blessed virgine Marie as since then in diuers crosses the image of the crucifixe is on one side and that of the mother on the other as if she had borne companie with our Sauiour in his sufferings and she in some sort had wrought the redemption of mankinde Then they had not read the goodly disputation betweene the Cordeliers and the Jacobines in the time of Pope John the 22. of that name the Cordeliers maintaining that the crucifixe ought to be naked onely with a crowne of thornes the Jacobines iustified that hee was to weare a crowne on his head and a royall robe with all As for the honour done by some in this case they of olde crowned him simplye with flowers but it was for speciall instruction to the beholders for thus they intended that whosoeuer would haue the crowne and pertake in the reward he must first of all beare his crosse for so hath the Poet Prudentius written To beare the crosse must be thy paine If thou desire the crowne to gaine But in the end these matters grew so forward that the crosse was broght into the temples and saluted in these woordes O Crux aue Al haile O crosse which are but fond speeches Then inuocation was made to it saying Auge pits iustitiam reisque dona veniam Encrease the iustice of the good and pardon the offendors Likewise Crucem tuam adoramus Domine Lord we adore and worship thy crosse Which are indeede blasphemous speeches For to Iesus Christ onely shuld such a praier be made It is Iesus Christ who is the son he ought to be kissed and not the crosse of wood So that albeit wee may honour one another ciuilly following no more then is commaunded the inferiour to honor their superiours yet when question is made of religious or deuoute honor they are matters not according to giue all honour to one onely God and his sonne and yet to diuide a portion thereof to any man or a materiall crosse or any creature whateuer Yet are not these questionaries them selues fully agreed hereabout for one hath demaunded with what kinde of honour it is to be worshiped Some say that the verie crosse which touched the bodie of Iesus Christ oght to be honored with Latria seruice or by the means of Hyperdulia humble dutie but others beleue that it shuld be serucd with the honour of Dulia bond-seruice as much to say that the true crosse ought to bee reuerenced with the honour due to Christ and
other Crosses should bee reuerenced with such honour as seruants owe vnto their maisters And this is the resolution of the second placarde which like wise it becomes vs to consider of and briefly search into the bottome of it There are diuers places of our elders alleadged but without sence and quite from the Authors meaning that writ them For when they of olde time speake of the crosse they did not vnderstand thereby two pecces of wood th wart one another but the misterie of our redemption the true summarie accomplishment wherof was by the crosse death and passion of Iesus Christ And this equiuocall or double signification of the crosse beeing not perceiued by these Sophisters makes theÌ„ to erre and they cause other to do the like Heerevpon it was that Chrisostome said The crosse is the cause of al our blessednesse it is the christians hope resurection of the dead and a guid to the blinde c. And as for the materiall crosse behold what one hath written therof We honour not neither desire to haue such a crosse as the expresse wordes are to bee read in the 8 booke of Arnobius answering to the Pagans obiections which blamed the christians as if they had honoured the crosse of wood For the same reason Athanasius saith in his 16. question those which he writ vnto Antiochus That the Christians declared how they honoured not the crosse when they laid togither two peeces in such sort they acknowledged it to bee no more then wood and woulde not prostrate themselues before it as now they do setting vp crosses onely to be honored And heerevppon saith Epiphanius that passing by a village named Anablaiha and entring into a Temple where hung a painted cloath hauing an image thereon of Iesus Christ or some other Sainte hee rent the cloath in peeces because they kept it there contrary to the Scripture this is at large to be read in his Epistle translated by Saint Hierome Wherevpon the same Saint Hierome saith that no other image of God is to be honoured but that which is God with God as much to say as the sonne of GOD Which is the engrauen forme of the essence of God Hebr. 1. verse 3. and in this sence we holde with the testimonies alleaged in the placard But because the Church of Rome containes not it selfe within these limits but aymeth at a materiall crosse it is apparant that it maintaineth vnsufferable idolatrie And to the end it may appeare that wee wrong them not in saying so marke heere the verie words they vse when they hallow the wood of the crosse Digneris Domine benedicere hoc lignum crucis vt sit remedium salutare generi humano sit soliditas fidei bonorumque operum profectus redemptio animarum tutela contra saeâ—a iacula inimicorum which is thus interpreted Lord that it might please thee to sanctifie this wood of the crosse to the end it may be a healthfull remedie to mankind assurance of faith aduancement of good workes redemption of soules and a defence against the cruell dartes of the enemies Againe Crucem tuam adoramus Domine O Lord we adore and worship thy Crosse Againe O crux adoranda ô crux speciosa hominibus amabilis sanctior vniuersis quae sola digna fuisti portare talentum mundi Dulce lignum dulces clanos dulcia ferens pondera Serua presentem cateruam in tuis hodis laudibus congregaram O crosse which oughtest to be honoured O crosse which oughtest to bee regarded Amiable to men more holy then all Which only wast woorthie to beare the worlds talent Sweete woode which bearest sweete nailes and a sweet burthen Saue this present Congregation assembled in thy praises Againe Crux fidelis inter omnes arbor vna nobilis Nulla sylua talem profert fronde flore germine Dulce lignum dulces clauos dulce pondus sustinet Faithfull crosse the onely noble tree among all other No forrest euer bare the like for boughes flowers and branches This sweet wood bare sweete nailes and a sweete burthen Wherein is to be noted that this Himne saith it is a tree albeit others namely the Canonists say that it was made of foure woods to wit of Palme of Cedar of Cipres and of Oliue-tree Of like stuffe is the French prayer which is vsually reade at all houres and is in the booke called Houres that which Michaell Joue imprinted at Lyons 1568 according to the vsage at Rome and is in this manner Saincte vraye croix adoree Qui du corps Dieu fut adornee Et de sa grand ' sueur arrosee Et de son sang enluminee Par ta vertu par ta puissance Garde mon corps de mal meschance Et m'ottroye par ton plaisir Que vray confez puisse mourir In English thus Holy crosse truely to be worshipped Which with Gods bodie was adorned And with his great sweate sprinckled And with his bloud illumined By thy vertue by thy puissance Keepe my bodie from all mischance And graunt if so thy pleasure be Truly confest that J may die Nor is it onely called the adorned crosse but likewise the adored crosse as on the holy Friday it is termed worshipped in regard of the adoration of the crosse as that day there So that if the time when the crosse is honoured is called holy the place likewise where the crosse is to be erected is also hallowed and the handes and fingers of them that erected it For there must bee some reason allowed to the circumstances and instruments as well in one as the rest or to speake as we ought he must needs be his crafts-maister that will not let the stench of such impietie be descerned or felt by them whose breath idolatry hath before poysoned Like follies and blasphemies commit they about the lance or speare wherewith the side of our Sauiour was pearced First that it was sent by the great Turke Baiazeth to Pope Jnnocent the eight of that name in the yeare 1490. if the account lye not of which holy speare the feast is celebrated on the Friday after the Octaues of Easter and thereto is appoynted this prayer following Aue ferrum triumphale Jntrans pectus tu vitale Caeli pandis ostia Foelix basta nos amore Per te fixi saucia Thus Englished Triumphant Jron be thou blest VVhich entring in the vitall brest Heauen gates didst open spread Holy speare do vs wound VVith the loue of him profound VVhich by thee was pearced dead So that whosoeuer will beleeue these people must likewise worship S. Lanthorne Saint Spunge Saint Ladder Saint Cord Saint Whippe and other instrumeÌ„ts wherewith the hang-men tormented Iesus Christ Let then these Sophisters bite their nailes as long as they please to ouerthrowe this shamefull taxation yet shall they neuer make of wood more then wood And because they blesse themselues with this wood bowing downe their heades before it and calling it the health remedie for mankinde wee