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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A41505 A discourse about ceremonies, church-government and liturgy humbly offered to the consideration of the convocation / by J.G.G. Gailhard, J. (Jean) 1696 (1696) Wing G120; ESTC R25091 108,929 160

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Sacrament teach us the same thing Are we not with him buried by Baptism and with him raised in Newness of Life Do we not in Baptism give Christ our Names take his Livery and Badges upon us and as much as in us lies make a Vow to forsake all to follow Christ the crucified Are we not thereby admitted into his Church to fight under his Banners during the whole Course of our Life against all our Spiritual Enemies Doth the Sign of the Cross signifie any more than this The Ceremony is then a superfluous thing seeing it can signifie no more nor do more good than the Sacrament doth This Signification being an Engagement that we shall not be ashamed of the Cross must be believed must be in Faith without which it is Sin but how can there be Faith where is no Word of Precept or Promise As there is none at all but I know what there is in the Practice of this Sign of the Cross in Baptism namely an abominable Presumption and Addition to the Sacrament which is not of the Institution this implieth as if the Ordinance was imperfect and something in it wanting which must be added by Man and we have no more leave given us to add to the Sacraments than to the Word under the threatned Penalties Rev. 22.18 And though this Sign of the Cross be an ancient Custom 't is never the better for that Antiquity without Truth saith Cyprian is an old Error However the Administration of the Sacrament without it is much more ancient Wherefore when Water thorough the fault of the Pipe or of some other Cause groweth bad and corrupt we must go to the Spring Illud verum quod primum saith one that 's true which agrees with the Institution the Valentinian Hereticks first used the Cross in Baptism and gave also the Lord's Supper to Infants which must be owned to be ill because they could not examine themselves nor discern the Lord's Body and as this Custom hath been left so there was as much Reason to have left the other as others have been too when Men found cause for it 't was a Custom in Prosper's some say in Cyprian's time at the receiving of the Lord's Supper to sop the Bread into the Cup this continued for some hundred of Years and lasted as long as that of Infants receiving of the Lord's Supper but were left off not without good Reasons so might Cross in Baptism have been left with as much Reason for sopping was not worse than it sopping was an Alteration and Cross an Addition which is as bad every jot as Alteration if not of the things instituted yet of the Institution as making it insufficient or imperfect by it self alone for when Christ said do this he meaned as well do this only as do this all more is to be said for sopping which was used by Christ at the very Table of the Supper but the Sign of the Cross was never used by the Lord Jesus If crossing ought to be used in Baptism the Apostles in their Doctrine concerning it would have made some mention of it except some would think they then did not know or cared not to use the best way of signifying Christian Valour and Constancy in fighting under Christ's Banner If this Sign of the Cross or any other Ceremony in Baptism be referred to Order or Decency as it is is it not thereby blasphemously to accuse the Baptism of John and of the Apostles which was without it of Disorder and Uncomeliness Whereas the Comeliness and Dignity of the Sacraments is to be esteemed by the Word of God by the Institution of Christ by the Simplicity of the Gospel and by the Practice of the Apostles nothing is more decent and orderly than that which Christ commandeth and alloweth nothing more undecent and unseemly than that which Men invent in the Service of God and in the Celebration of the Sacraments thereby inverting and perver●ing the holy Ordinances of God Is it not a strange thing that though in Scripture the Cross be neither commanded nor permitted yet the Rule is Cross or Baptize not a Child shall be deprived of the Sacrament of the Seal of the Covenant if the Addition of the Cross be not with it this is as bad if not worse than Anabaptism and I think they have more to say for not baptizing Infants than these People have to deny Baptism upon such an account and no doubt that hath made several Anabaptists for some Men being in Conscience dissatisfied with that Ceremony would not have their Children baptized with it thus they had rather to keep them unbaptized but rather than they should not be at all having kept them so till they were older they inclined to have them baptized in their way I cannot tell how those that have a Commission from Christ to preach and to baptize can answer at last for refusing upon such an account to baptize for they disobey the Commission 't is most certain the Lord never said baptize with the Sign of the Cross but baptize in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost So that except Men refuse to be baptized in that Name which no body doth being a visible Member of the Church 't is an abominable Wickedness and Disobedience upon such an account to deny Baptism with a just Cause we complain against Papists for taking away the half of one Sacrament and have we not much more reason to cry out against those amongst us who having a positive Command to baptize do wilfully and unjustly deprive the Children of believing Parents of the Seales of the Covenant which God hath absolutely ordered to be administred unto them In Popery the Cross is not only an Occasion of Superstition but is also made an Idol they kneel before and as such do Worship it and where they pretend to have a piece of the Wood of the Cross they lay it up as a most holy Relick have Days appointed to come kiss and worship it upon their Knees they suppose Miracles to be done by it and have Prayers made for it ought not the Thoughts of this make any one that hates Idolatry to detest and abhor the Idol and not so much as to endure the Sight of it but not only the Cross but also the Sign of it is abused amongst them they believe the Sign of the Cross Opere operato as they call of it self and being made hath the Vertue to drive away Devils and to this same purpose they use it in Baptism in consecrating Churches baptizing of Bells making their Holy Water exercising saying Mass and in every thing else they do in Religion so that amongst them there is not one Ceremony more generally abused than this they use it also to keep off the Thunderbolt and if in a Morning when they go out they do but make the Sign of the Cross they think themselves safe enough for the rest of the Day And though amongst