he offreth to Turke Iewe as these ceremonies may wheÌ„ they hinder that they of the separation doe not ioyne in coÌ„munion fellowship with vs vt narrant omnes nay vt narant ipsi and the bookes which they haue written contemne their scandall with what coÌ„science caÌ„ we who so much coÌ„demne the papist for the very same scaÌ„dal which he offreth to Turks Iewes They b D willoe contro 9. q 5. art 3. heare froÌ„ vs that a Iewe sayling on the Rhene told M. Georg Wiseheart c Iohn Foâ— in ein histor p. 1269. col â— that the let which hindred him others of his nation froÌ„ the christian faith were the images which they saw in the churches of the christians They heare froÌ„ vs that Paulus Riccius a learned Iewe d Hospin de re templar tit de imag P. Morne de Eu harist baptized at Papia did protest that they were the christians images that kept the Iewes froÌ„ Christ Last of al they heare e Calfh ag Mart. praefat fol. 15. from vs that the f Histor Turcie annexa alcho rano c. 10. Legat of the Turke at Chios Haumar the Saracen long agoe the Turkes to this g Matth. Sulcliui Turco papism lib. 1. c. 4 hower dash all the reasons that caÌ„ be brought for christian tie by the instance of images in Christian churches what needeth more This sheweth these ceremonies must be thrust out because like images they hinder Separators from the vnitie of the faith according to the coÌ„mon tenent h P Martyr loc coÌ„muni deimag sect 24. ea in templis noÌ„ sunt habenda qua à Christi religione auocant homines Secondly the scandal which the ceremonies giue to the Separators is greater then that which is giveÌ„ by images to Turks and Iewes first is the scandal small which is given them by the slovenly performance of Gods service by dumbe dogges and scandalous ministers with idolatrous attire with idolls them selues let then the scandall of Hophni and Phineas be litle too when they made the people to loath the sacrifice of the Lord. Secondly there is an olde Canon that a priest should not be put to publique penance though he deserued it l ne grex fidelis in eo scaÌ„dalum patiatur and our Reverend Fathers accordingly vse now to couer the offences of priestes conformed 1. Sam 2.17 CoÌ„cil Carthagâ—â— 3. Can 30 and all to avoyde the scandall forsooth which might ensue vpon their publike condigne punishment This shal condeme them if they proceed to offer scandal to the Separators not only by not covering the deserved faults of Preachers but also by imputing to them faultes which the Lorde knoweth they neuer knewe Thirdly m August in Psal 49. cùm detrabitur bonis ab his qui videntur alicuius momenti esse docti esse in scandalum cadunt infirmi qui adhuc nesciunt iudicare The Prophet Hosea reckoneth this amoÌ„gst the greatest sinnes of Israel for which it was shortly to be captived that by their continual invectiues the priest was become an hatted and offensiue in the house of his God â—â—â—os 9. â— Now is it not so that by the slaunders of vncleane mouthes by the daylie revilings of inveighing pulpits the most zealous painfull profitable Preachers in the eyes of the Separators are made an hatred offence to their no small offence and scandall when to this there is added a thrusting of them out of the house of their God theÌ„ is their scandall much increased For what more common in their mouthes then this It can not be that in a true Church one should persecute another Fourthly this was their sinne who did eate Idolothious meate n August de morib Manicheor l. 2. c. 14. infirmos offendebant non ijs congruendo faciebant vt putarent eos qui fide omnia munda iudicabant in obsequium idolorum à talibus epulis potu nolle abstinere Sith then it is evident that by our vse of these Idolothites the Separatist is scandalized with an opinioÌ„ that we grace poperie by them why do we not leaue them that so we may congruere with them as our duties is to doe #Sect 17. The third scandall given by Ceremonies is to the Members within the Church THE third scandall which the ceremonies offer is to the members of the church within where first of all they offende the ministers and the Pastors who are principall members of it Heb. 13.17 Many of these are brought to an Acedia by them as in the workes of their ministerie so in the duties of christiaÌ„ life as griefe we knowe maketh vnprofitable in the service of God of the Church others are brought to a crossing and conforming without faith so to sinne what reason then to trouble the mindes of meÌ„ for such trifles It is replyed that we are not indeed to trouble the minds of the weak about such indifferent things but these fellowes be not weak they take vpoÌ„ them to teach the learned themselues of the lande at the least being a The examin of the declarat of the M. of Lond. perswaded in greater matters they may if it please theÌ„ be perswaded in these the lesser which if they will not be nor caÌ„not what good are they like to do in the church First there is weaknes in the strongest during this life that Gods power may be made knowne in weaknes that mans imperfectioÌ„ may appeare Gal. 6.2 that there may be place for charitie to beare one an others burthen Secondly strong men otherwise for doctrine Rom. 14. haue been left by God to weaknes in things indifferent as the Romans were resolved in greater matters of faith who yet could not perswade them selues about meates which were indifferent Science which coÌ„templateth good evill in generall and Prudence which discerneth in things particular what is convenient and what is inconvenient are two b Tho. Aquin â— 2 q 47. art 5 comment in Philippens lâ—ct 1. distinct vertues even as they are mentioned in the 1. Col. 1.9.23 vers Ephes 1. â— Philip. 1.9 word for diverse and God giveth not every gift to every one yea of these 2. Cor. 12.8 two he giveth an excelleÌ„cy of the one to some of the other to others so that meÌ„ may for their science be profitable ministers and yet fayle of that measure of prudence whereby to iudge of a particular vse of indifferent things wherein others do excell them They beyond the seas iudge they not many of our ministers incoÌ„parable in doctrine but weak in the discipline Our Opposites them selues admire they not many beyonde the seas for their doctrine whom yet in the discipline they despise Thirdly ther is no reason to count resolution in ceremonies a matter easie there haue bene about c Bellarm de effect Sacrament c. 31. proposit 4. them from the beginning verie great
the King both loved him and maintayned him In steed of this measure there is renewed the miserable image of that distraction which once arose about conformitie betweene one t Beda histor lib. 2. cap. 4. Laurentius and the Scottes Laurentius iudged and condemned the Scottes that they were out of the christian vnitie because their Passeover was diverse as we are now iudged by our Opposites The Scottes on the other side refused to eate with Laurentius as now they of the separation refuse their fellowshippe and coÌ„munion who presse the vse of these ceremonies controversed vnder a colour to maintayne the peabe and vnitie of the Church #Sect 21. The obiection of the Opposites that inferiours not yeelding in small matters be guilty of contention against Superiours answered THe first obiection against vs here is that we being inferiors and not yeelding in so smal matters Sect. 21. must needes be guiltie of contention against those that be over vs. This obiection would be our preiudice very great if our superiours might not with a better conscience for beare to commanude 1. Sam. 17.25 then we may performe what is commaunded by them when Dauid was charged by his elder brother he replyed is there not cause now this may we reply at this time haue we not reason and is not rationum efficacia praestantior omni a Maldonat apud Tho. Morton Apolog. p. 2. lib 2. cap 17. authoritate even in the eyes of a Iesuit him selfe vnlesse it be authoritie divine By which we are so strengthened as that we require but the measure which another Papist meateth b Arrius Montan. in Gal. 1.8 in rebus divinis authoritas divina spectanda est neque decet conditionem personarum sed rem ipsam aestimari The contrarie is the same argument wherewith the Adiaphoristes in cuÌ„bred the Divines of Germanie c Conrad Schlusselburg tom 13. Caesar is to be gratified in the ceremonies Thankfulnes to him requireth you to yeeld To which they replyed It is neither obedieÌ„ce nor thankfulnes to giue to Caesar that which is Gods but plaine flatterie rather Must we not take heede how by renewing Bellarmines principle Episcopisoli babeÌ„t authoritateÌ„ iudicandi noÌ„ quia docti sunt sed quia sunt personae publicae id est principes habentes ecclisiasticaÌ„ iurisdictioneÌ„ for we are bounde men say to conformitie vpon our obedience canonical vnto these peeres we open a way to that ruine of the church which one of our d Tho. Mor ton Apolog p. 2. l. 4. c. 8. writers proveth will come of it out of Arelatensis If all must be in the handes of the Bishopps what will become of the catholique faith cùm praesertim Episcopi delitijs indulgeant soli ferè praesbyteri provnitate Christi persecutiones sustineant omnes dicunt voluntati regis parere se velle nullus dei Out of this Arelatensis many other things e AEneas Siluius de gest Concil Basilions lib. 1. apud may be drawne to proove that we owe no such obedience to the Bishopps as that we are bound for the sake of their authoritie to conforme For he thinketh by the word of God we are equall to them he proveth by Hierome that they are sola consuetudine preferred before vs of which custome he also addeth fieri vtique potest vt hanc consuetudinem contraria tollat consuetudo In deed not onely a contrarie custome may bee introduced but also must vnlesse we leaue him in this tenent of his nihil esi quod magis sequi decet quam ecclesiae primatiuae coÌ„suetudinem to follow that of Ludovicus which much astonished the Councill of Basill we are not to followe the custome of the primitiue Church and by name not in this that in the Councill of Ierusalem the Elders of the Church were ioyned with the Apostles in all decrees and determinations He affirmeth moreover that Praesbyteri debent Ecclesiam Dei cum Episcopis in comâ—uni regere and that no Episcopall authoritie bindeth any minister without the warrant of the worde which in this controversie is on our side I conclude therefore with these wordes of his non dignitas patrum sedratio spectanda est nec aliquid est quod in singulis rebus spectari magis quam veritem conveniat nee ego cuinsviâ— Episcopi mendacium quamvis ditissime veritati praeponam pauperis praesbyteri Orthuinus f Fasciculrer expetend fol. 12.13 Gratius setteth in the margen over against these wordes O pietaâ— O vex Christiana which may it not fill their faces with shame who give forth that it is the voyce of puritanisme it selfe and of faction and of scisme Whereas the smallnes of these matters is by our Opposites greatly stood on wee desire that Basils answere to Modestus may be remembred The Emperour is to be obeyed said he what soeuer yee pretende it is obstinacy for you to gainestande him in tam tenui exquisitione dogmatis to which his reply was this g Theodoret histor l. 4. c. 19. Qui diuinis innutriti sunt literis ij nullam syllabam illarum in discrimen venire pati possunt would Moyses yeeld in one house Christ in one rite of washing handes would Daniell forbeare but one ceremonie of looking towardes the Temple would Eleazar eate but one morsell that might giue scandall nay would he but seeme to eate it would Paule yeeld in one ceremonie for one hower The second contention wherewith we are charged is against the papiste because we set our selues against him in such things wherein we haue no need to striue First the matter is good wherein we stande therefore no contention can be imputed to vs saue that which the schoole-men call g Siluest Prie. summa in verb ConteÌ„tio contentionem per accidens as when a man exceedeth This contention where it is found besides that it is personall hath this extenuation in the eyes of a papist h Conrad Lutzenburg Catalog haereticor verb. Nouatiani venialiter peccant quando hareticifaciunt aliquem in quo est zelus infirmitate excedere For example the Georgians forbid stouping downe though it be to pull a thorne out of the foote ouerright the church of the l Armenians for feare to countenance their religion The m Grecians when they were in contention with the Romanes washed every altar where any one of their Priestes had saide a Masse The noble meÌ„ of n Muscovia washe their handes as vncleane when they haue taken the Popes Legate by the hand either at his first comming or at his last farewell Suppose a good cause in all of these zeale will cover easilie all that sauoureth of contention which seemeth to be in them Secondly the popish ceremonies being o Flac. Illiric lib. de Adiaphoâ— etiam ipsa summa superstitionis papisticae and that by their owne p Ioh Dowley instruction cap. c. Gal 2.12 confession the crosse is the verie abridgement of their faith our conformitie to
Saund. de visibl Monarch tract de imag 〈◊〉 2. cap. 1. Vasq lib. 2. disput 6. cap. 2. lib. 3. disput 1. cap. 1. vestes sacerdotales the holy and the priestly garments are not forgotten in the writings of the Papists but named expresly for holy things that must be adored and worshipped And must not the Surplice then packe with the Crosse and goe with him for company it being a filthie Idoll like him For if it were but a stone in a field that had bin worshipped as Papists adore and worshipped it it ought to haue bin long since abolished as a t Câ—ncil Nanneâ—ens cap. 20. councell doth decree In consideration that such Idolatry renounceth Christianitie which Idolatry cannot be remedied but by an vtter desolation of the Idoll And this we haue to say against the Crosse and Surplice in that they are Idoles Now to proceede if they were but Idolothites they were to be abhorred by vs the which we can easily prooue against them #Sect 7. The Crosse Surplice c. incurable and inerecouerable Idolothites The Crosse no creature of God therefore vtterly to be abolished THe Idolothite is wont to be described vnto vs either actiuely or passiuelie Actiuely that is Idolothious sayth a Anselmi in gloss interlinear in 1. cor 10. the auncient description quod est sub veneratione Idoli which reflecteth any glaunce of the least honour credit or countenance to an Idoll So the Canon Law doth reackon a Pagan poeme to bee an Idolothite not to be vsed b Decret par 1 distinct 37. cap. 15. quia non solum thura offerendam daemonibus immolatur sed etiam corum dicta libentius capiendo and we know willingnes to vse an Idoll as a signe of Gods couenant graceth him more then when we read a poëme of his in some Grammer schole or other for a lesson of Poetrie The c Tertul. de spectat August de ciuit dei cum reliquis Fathers doe also inroule a stage-play among other Idolothites which represented heathen Gods although the Theater honoureth not so much as an holy Sacrament of the Lords d Decret p. 2. caus 1. qu. 4. ca. 12 Gatian accounteth meat sacrificed in a temple to bee Idolothious euen out of the Temple and at a priuate table it selfe to the man that knoweth so much for that honour in truth or in shewe at least which it sendeth to the Idoll to which it appertaineth Passiuely when a thing Idolothious is described in sence most large it is defined to bee an vncleane thing of Idolaters which we must not touch because they defile whatsoeuer belongeth vnto them if their vse which is religious hath but touched it For as in the Law of Moses that was vncleane which had bin touched by any other thing or person that was vncleane so now what heretiques and Idolaters touch take any way into vse religious that is vnholie and Idolothious as 1 2. Cor. 6.17 Scriptures 2 Iud. 23. vid. Bara ibid. Fathers and the practise of the primatiue Church doe shew For was not the zeale of Christians such that a bable was therefore held to be vncleane e Hieron in Aggeum cap. 2. because by chaunce one of the f Theodoret histor li 4. ca. 15. Arrians beasts had touched it and that in the streete As for the Church Constantine forbad his picture to be hanged in an Idols Temple g Euseb de vit Constantin lib. 4. cap. 16. ne ipsa tabella vel minima lineamentorum parte propâ—er vetitorum Idolorum errorem labem aliquam contraheret But if an heretiques touching in vse ciuill the touching of an heretiques Temple defileth that which is not incorporated into their worship then much more is that defiled which hath euen state religious in their seruice as the Crosse and Surplice haue and that by way of consecration Properly therefore that is Idolothious which hath beene consecrate to an Idoll with state religious in his worship So the Iewels of the Iamnites were vnlawfull because before they had beene consecrate vnto Idols So h Tertul. li. de idololat Tertullian profanationis suae maculam haec habent ab initio Idolatria dicata These thinges are spotted by their consecration vnto Idolatry 2. Mac. 12.40 So Augustine when hee defineth the Idolothite which is vnlawfull hee hath these words Omniâ— creatura dei â—ona est sed si illud quod in agris na scitur consecratur Idolo vel sacrificatur iâ—teâ— Idoloth yâ—a de putandum est So Ambrose last of all Aliquid pâ—llâ—rum est pâ—â—aâ—â—identiam id est oblationem Idoli By vertue hereof m Ambros in 1. cor 10 whatsoeuer guilt there was in the Idols meat at Corinth and at Pergamus that lighteth vpon the Crosse and Simplice because although they haue beene neuer sacrificed yet haue they beene not onely offered priuatly but also publiquely beene consecrate to idolatrous seruice Which doth it not make them Idolothites eueÌ„ in the n Vazq de adorat lib. 3. disput 1. cap. 1. 2 Rhemist annotat in Apoc. 2. sect highest degree For as God o Tho Aqu. p. 3. qu. 83. art respons ad quart euer blesseth to good so the Deuill to euill As things well consecrate become p Chrysost 2. cor homil 20. Gregor Nissen de sanct bapt holy so things ill consecrate must of necessitie become vnholie As things well dedicate receiue an q Thom. Aquin quo supra respons ad tertium aptnesse for the seruice of God so the contrary receiue an aptnesse for the seruice of the Deuill Last of all as right consecrations are blessings so the profane blessings of heretiques and Idolaters are r Decret p. 2. caus 1. qu. 1. cap. 66. pass maledictions and meere s Rhemist in Apoc. 2. sect 8. cursings that make most execrable But if Gods creatures by such consecration become the creatures of the Deuill become vnholy become parts of the Deuils seruice and so accursed then into what sincke deserueth the signe of the Crosse to be cast which neuer was good nor a creature of Gods and is now become so euill as that he passeth the pollution of all other Idolothites whatsoeuer What is the Agnus what the holy Water what the holy Bread to the Crosse What all the rest of Popish trumpery for which wee are wont to rayse such outcries against the Popish t Fulk answer to Rhem. 1. Tim. 4. com reliq consecration Hath the Crosse any neede of the Churches consecration as these haue neede No the Crosse is holy of it selfe the signe n Euthym. panopl. tit 20. cap. 14 â—ereall of the Crosse especially without any further consecration But if he had neede there is not any whose patent is so large as his as whereby he is not onely himselfe w Decret p. 3. de consecrat distinct 5. cap. 10. consecrate to Idols seruice but also installed a Grande consecrator of all things else
20. Obire eas actiones quae Idolorum cultum prae se ferunt The second difference which our Opposites doe alleadge is that the Corinthian went in to the Temple of the Idoll to eate while the Idolater was eating there But we goe not into any popish Church to vse the Crosse together with them First the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is not the Temple by any likelihood but the d Erasm in 1. cor 8. Pet. Martyr ibid. ver 20. feasting chamber rather as doth appeare by this that the Apostle 1. Cor. 10.21 doth not charge them for presenting themselues before the Altar of the Idoll but for being present rather in a roome where is a table for eating onely and not an Altar for sacrificing Secondly e August in â— Psal 99. Hoc est presentem vel absentem esse sensu abesse vel presentem esse Was not Paul present at Corinth when he was in spirit there So long then as by the vse of Crosse and Surplice we seeme present in good liking wee giue as great honour well neare to poperie as the Corinthian bodily presence gaue to the Idoll Thirdly the Corinthian participated when hee did eate the Idolothite 2 1. Cor. 10.28 euen out of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it being once made knowen to be such euen as it was out of the Temple in priuate and ciuill vse that 3 1. Reg. 13.22 Bethels water and 4 Dau. 1. ver 8. Bels meate were vnlawfull The Papists indeed say that the feastes the which Paul writeth against were onely at the Altar but our writers affirme the contrary prouing out of the Scriptures that the manner was to feast at 5 1. Sam. â— 8.9 pro. 7 14. home after the sacrifice was once ended and out of the heathen writers likewise for the manner of the Gentiles was the same as appeareth by f Virgil â—â—e ad â— Evander who when he had sacrificed to Hercules invited Aeneas to a feast at home They prooue out of the Fathers also that the knowen eating of the Idolothite out of the Temple g Clement exam p. 2. de missa col 175. Math. Sutcliff de missa li. 3. cap. 13. wheresoeuer doth in Pauls doctrine make a man guiltie of participating with the Idoll Whereby it appeareth that our vsing of Crosse and Surplice so it be reuerent makes vs participant wheresoeuer wee vse them and not onely when we are present in the act of their Idolatrie Fouthly our transporting of Crosse and Surplice from their Temples into our Churches is as great a participation as if we had gone to some Church of theirs in the eyes of our k Ludouic Lauat in Hest homil 46. pag. 89. Pet. Martyr loc commâ— clas 2. ca. 5. sect 24. writers who hold it a Corinthian sinne in an high degree to bring into holy vse any rite of the heretiques The auncients agree to this m Concil Aphrican tempore Bonifac. Pap. 1. can 27. Feastes which were vsed by imitation of the Gentiles are abhominable if they be vsed in ipsis locis sacris in the very Churches themselues of the Christians So in like manner as it was held detestable to enter into an hereticall Temple so was it counted an execrable matter n Concil Epaunens can 33. basilicas haereticorum sanctis vsibus applicare to applie the Churches of the heretiques to Gods seruice vnlesse they were such as they had taken from the Catholiques themselues before But whether it be as great a participation or no as if we went into an Idols Temple after the supposed Corinthian manner Sure I am it is greater then that of the Corinthian was when he did eate the Idolothite at home at a priuate table For wherefore must he not be eaten but because it returneth a certaine o Pet. Martyr 1. cor 10. honour to the Idoll to which it belongeth And p Tertul. li. de Idololat Omnis honor Idoli Idololatria And it skilleth not whether it be verus honor or q Thom. A. quin. in â— cor 10. lect 4. putatiuus it being Idolothisme when the Idoll is honoured by vs in the estimation of other men Nowe this is done when by our vse of Idolatrous rites we make their Idolatry to be r Pet. Martyr 1. cor 8.10 thought the better of and when s Ambros 1. cor 10. ver 28. alius qui Idolis seruit gloriatur Which cannot bee auoyded in our religious vse of the Crosse because he that seeth thee eate the Idols meate saith t Chrysost 1. cor 10. Chrysostom Existimabit te non nihil Idolorum cultui deferre And u Ambr. ibid. in ver 29. Ambrose Iudicatur non distare ab eo qui colit Idolâ—â— quando non horret quod oblatum est simulachro What that the Crosse is worse then Corinthes Idolothite euen in priuate vse and all like vnto the Iewish meate Because the very common crossing of the Papist being knowen to be euill we pertake with their Idolatry if we vse their Crosse in priuate euen as they w Decret p. 2. caus 28. qu. â— cap. 14. partaked with the Iewish superstition that sate with the Iewe at a priuate table for that euen here his meate was knowen to be superstitious whereas Corinthes meate against which Paul writeth was often vnknowen to be Idolothious The third difference which our opposites make is this The Crosse and Surplice are sanctified by the comment of our Church which the Corinthian Idolothite lacked and wanted First the Idolothite at Corinth must be forborne when he is knowen to be such 2. Cor. 10.30 although sanctified by giuing of thankes This deceiued the young Prophet at Bethell he thought hee might eate the bread and the water there so it were not in the fellowship of Idolaters in the societie of an old Prophet who commaundeth him in the name of the Lord and sanctified them before they were eaten he thought it to be lawfull ynough 1 King â—3 18.19 which is vp and downe our error x August de temp serm 241. Augustine handleth the very case we are to flie saith he from the Idolothite as if we saw the Deuill himselfe and that in our owne houses not onely in Idolatrous places where some say ego signo sic manducâ— I crosse my selfe and sanctifie the meate before I eate take heede of this This were for a man to crosse his mouth and to stabbe his heart What God hath sanctified polute thou not so what God hath polluted sanctifie thou not No Church no holy societie can make holy a Crosse or Surplice or any other Idolothite because the word of God defileth them and pronounceth them vncleane Secondly the Temple cannot sanctifie what is vncleane but what is vncleane can pollute the Temple Agge 2. vlt. 2. Cor. 6.16 What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idoles saith Paul either here he reasoneth a y Glossa or
dinat ibid. genere No Idoll must dwell in any Temple therfore not in any spirituall one or à z Guak Arehitip in hunc loc Comparatis The materiall Temple must haue no Idoll in it ergo not the spirituall neither The Crosse then being prooued a notorious Idoll what maketh he in any Christian Church or holy societie to the pollution of the same I conclude with * August epist 11. Hierome The Iewish ceremonies vsed in our Churches saith he cannot make the Iewes to be Christians but they will make vs Christians to be Iewes euen so our holy vse of popish rites will not make Papists to be Protestants but they will make vs Protestants to be Papists to wit through participation with them #Sect 16. An obiection of the Opposites answered saying they may vse the Crosse because they haue chaunged the Crosse Though there be foure sorts of things that may be chaunged yet the Crosse is none of them HOwbeit there is an hope in our Opposites cleanely ynough to shift themselues euen of all this How can we in Crosse and Surplice participate with the Papists say they seeing we haue changed the Popish Crosse and haue altered it from what it was it is not the same First the consequent hereof soundeth not well in their mouthes who were a M. Fenner ag Doct. Bridges in his treat of the Crosse wont to reason we may vse the Crosse although an Idol because the sunne though Idolized because this excuse supposeth the Crosse were vnlawfull if hee were the same vnchaunged where as that reason matcheth the Crosse with the sunne which remaineth we know vnchaunged and is euen Numero still the same Secondly the consequence is vnsound because of things that may be chaunged from their abuse the signe of the Crosse is none The first sort of these are the things of the Idolater not Idolatrous Which by the chaunge of fire and water became lawfull in Moses 1 Num. 31. â—3 lawe like the garment of the Leaper not 2 Leuit. 14.8 leaprous which being washed might be put on wheras the Crosse because it selfe is become leaprous as hath bin proued ought to be burnt as also because it was at the first when it was at the best but hay b M. Calfâ—â— ag Mart. art 5. fol. 125. and stubble which the 1 2. Cor. 3.11 fire of the word hath in other reformed Churches long since consumed The second sort are things Idolatrous but without state in Idolatrous seruice As the c August ad Publicol epist 154. fountaine of any Idols water the sun in the firmament which beholdeth without all d Tertul. de spectac contagion the Idolatry that is committed to him whereas the Image of the sunne to which the signe of the Crosse now aunswereth for that state which he hath had in worship Idolatrous is not tollerable in a Christian congregation for who can endure there the e Ioh. Reynold de Idololat li. 2. c. 3. sect 25. fire of the Persians the f Ibid. sect 25. Colossus of the Rhodians and the g Sect. 55. Romans or his Image of a man termed h Sect. 51. Bell in Assyria l Lib. 1. ca. 5. sect 17. Baal in Palestina The third sort are things which haue bene in state Idolatrous howheit because they haue bene inspired by God with a purpose they should continue therefore they may and sometines must be changed to the vse of their first inspiration But how shall we know whether they bee inspired by God to wit by this marke A deo inspiraia sunt saith m Tertul de coron millit Gen. 4.22 Gen. 3.21 Tertullian qua procurant meras vtilitates certa sub sidia honesta solatia necessitatibus humanae vita As the Mechanicall arts deuised by Cains Idolatrous posteritie were from God aswell as the skill of clothing was which he taught Adam immediatly To this the scholemen doe agree n Tho. Aquin p. 3. qu. 25. art 3. respons ad 2. Aquinas teaching in rebus fructuo sis gentilium we may communicate Where as in rebus infructuosis such as are the Crosse Surplice we may not come neare them The fourth sort are the ordinances of the Lord such as are the holy Sacraments which must euen after abuse Idolatrous which chaunge from former superstition be to Gods seruice restored againe For that haec o Bucer in Censur Leiturg Anglic. ca. 9. pa. 472. nobis nulla potest impiorum vitiare peruersitas they p August de Bapt. cont Donatist li 6. ca. 25. passing through their abuse without contagion as the q Decret p. 2. caus 15 qu. â— ca 5. ray of the sunne striketh into the dounghill and is not defiled What meane then our Opposites to alleadge r August ad deograt epist 49. qu. â— Augustine likening well of Pagan rites when they be altered to the true God For hee meaneth of Sacrifices and of Temples which were commanded in Moses lawe Are Crosse and Surplice commaunded also No more are Temples commaunded nowe will they reply concerning these they haue had no state in Idolatrous seruice such as Crosse and Surplice haue they are not meere inuentions of man as the Crosse and Surplice are When circumstances doe not hinder they beare the Marke formerly mentioned of a purpose in God to continue them still to wit commoditie and needfull vse which stampe and superscription of Gods the Crosse and Surplice cannot shewe to prooue themselues his lawfull coyne They therefore who reason A Temple may be still continued therefore a Crosse trace the footesteppes of Tertullians adversaries We vse phisicke though it be consecrat to Aesculapius therefore a garland too and of the Papists our owne adversaries We may retaine a Pagans temple therefore his s Durant de rit lib. 1 cap. 9. sect 10. frankencense also t Tertullian denied the former consequence because Phisicke is profitable whereas a Garland was vnnecessarie t Tertul. quo supra Our writers the latter because a Temple hath necessarie vse whereas frankencense is good for nothing which yet is better or not so bad as the Crosse and Surplice are Let me to the contrary vse a weapon of our owne men All rites abused popishly must be abolished u Bucer in censur quo supra Nisi existant ex ijs rebus verbis signis quae dominus nobis commendauit The signe of the Crosse hath bin abused popishly and is no ordinance of the Lorde therefore he must downe when Temples sometimes may w Concil Aphrican com 25. stand as in the dayes of Constantinus though at other times they must bee raysed necessary circumstances so requiring as in the raigne of Theodosius some of them were and in the time of the Councell Epaunense of which before #Sect 17. An enlargement and continuance of the matter contained in the former Section THirdly what if the Crosse might be chaunged as the things
deale with many Crosses materiall at first euen out of the Church as Diagoras dealt with Hercules when he put him to his thirtenth laboure which was to boyle his lentils And the common vse of crossing especially our bedds and other dead things we vse to condemne in the n Tertul. li. ad vxor Beat. Rhenan in lib. de coron milit Fathers themselues which why condemne wee it being auncient it being ciuill all while we presse the baptisme crosse which being no auncienter and not so ciuill must needes be more vnlawfull who can spitt at the Temple frankensence saith o Tertul. li. de Idololat one when he seeth it on the altar all while he hath frankensence in his seller at home Or with what face can a man exorcise Satan in the Church that in his owne house hath wares for his seruice But with more reason may I inferre from allowance religious to that which is ciuill not of wares that may bee Idolatrous and superstitious after they are solde but of Crosses that are already how can we condemne Crosses at home that exact crossing in the church or with what face can we condemne papistes for Crossing who iustifie them with our owne example for we may reason as Augustine doth speaking against the riot and excessiue vsage in his time vpon the holy-dayes of Martirs p August epist 64. quis audet vetare priuatim quod cum frequentatur in sanctis locis honor martyruÌ„ nominatur who dareth forbid home crossinge as execrable which being vsed in the church is helde to be honorable before the Lorde BVt what if the Crosse were lawfull absolutely in ciuill vse for in the second place we answere the argument holdeth not from ciuill vse to vse religious as our opposites thinke it doth The Crosse is lawfull in coines in banners and princes balls therefore in the Sacrament of our new birth First this reasoning is popish For so they for their Images an Image is lawfull in a Ioh. Albinus in praefac Vazq de adorat coine therfore in the Church and b Feuardent in Iren li. 1. cap. 24. Beza himselfe setteth forth Images virorum illustrinm therefore saincts Images are lawful in the church if the c Vazq de adorat li. 2 disput 6. cap. 3. Concil Nicen. 2. Act. 1. p. 54 Step. Gardner in epist ad Ridleyum c. Images of an earthly prince may be worshipped then why not the Images of sainctes aswell The Lutherans thus reason also vp and downe The d Aegidi Hunius in Mat. 22. Iconomachi can endure well inough in their pursses a Portugall Cruzado in which there is the signe of the Crosse with this word in hoc signo vince and are they not blind then in that they are not able to see the Crosses lawfulnes in the church aswell Secondly the ground wherupon this reason standeth yeldeth no other foundation then this what is lawfull in ciuill vse is lawfull also in vse religious The contrary wherof indeed is true in honorable and helpfull things themselues For non e Walafrid Strab. de reb eccles cap. 10. Durant de rit li 2. c. 9 tantum illicita prohibentur in Ecclesijs verum etiam profana quaecunque licet alibi legitime exerceantur What more honorable then a f Concil Mogunt sub Carol. mag ca. 40 session for iudgement What more helpfull to the seruice of God then i Mat. 21.12 Oxen for sacrifice and money to buy them What more allied to the loue and charitie required in the seruice of God then g Decret p. 1. distinct 42. cap. 4. a feast of charitie All which commendable in ciuill vse must yet forbeare the tent it selfe where religious vse doth dwell It is a golden saying of Augustine and enrolled in the canon it selfe h August epistol 109. de regul Monach. in oratorio praeter orandi psallendique cultum penitus nihil agatur vt nomini huit opera iugiter impensa concordet Hence thus we reason is the Crosse a thing mearely ciuill then is it a sinne to bring it into the Church where ought to be nothing in state religious but the parts of Gods worship when the Iewes told Caius Caligula l Philo. de legat ad Caâ—um sacrificamus provobis he answered in choller at non sacrisicatur nobis Our Gouernours then being Godly wil be contented that in the Church wee sacrifice for them though we sacrifice not vnto them which we should doe if to please them we should defile the worship of God with these their ordinaÌ„ces vnder a colour of a ciuill obedience to them Adde to the former that of Hierome m Hieron in Ezech. conument li 12. ca. 43 who thinketh there is a poste of man set by Gods poste when Civill things are mixte with sacred vt nihil intersit inter sacrum profanum But the Crosse is so nearly conioyned to Baptisme that who among the vulgar people discerneth betweene them that the one is holy as the ordinance of God the other a thinge mearly ciuill as the ordinance of man Chrisostome lastly thought it did derogate from the honour of God to suffer an Image of the Empresse Eudoxia set vp neare vnto the Church with stage playes celebrated to her honor after the heathnish and paganish manner but we haue more cause to stande then he who are required by our Godly gouernours for their honour not only to suffer neare the Church but also to bring into the Church and into the service of the same not an Image of their owne which we loue but an Image an Idoll of Antichrist him selfe which from our heartes we hate with execration Thirdly therefore if the Church barre her doore against ciuill things because not consecrate vnto God then much more against such thinges as haue bene consecrate vnto Idolls of which the signe of the Crosse is one See we not howe the Iewes followe in warre the Romane standarde though an o Dion li 40 Herodian lib. 4. Idoll to the pagans when yet they will rather choose to p Ioseph Antiquit. li. 18. ca 5. dye then see it brought into the Temple and suffer the Romane Eagle stande vpon Antonia when they will not q Ibid li. 27 cap. 8. let it stande no not on the temples porche and vse the image of i Mat. 22.20 Caius in coyne when Petronius is resisted from r Ioseph Antiquit li. 18 cap. 15. Homil. ag peril of Idololat p 2. setting it in the holy place From the Idoll come we to the Idolothite which is it as lawfull within the Church as it is without it No. Paul alloweth it in the shambles we knowe and then only not in any vse religious And the Christians at s Theodor. histor 3. cap. 15. Antioche when Iulian had consecrate their victualls to Idolls vsed them only vpon this ground We neither fetche them from a Temple nor beare them to any but
c Bulling de orig error ca 33.34 Tho. Motescin de orig depraunt relig per tot bookes haue we written against their apish imitation of Iewes and Pagans in their feastes in their Images and other complements of their seruice By name we renew the auncient censure against their holy water condemned of old because it is ritus d Sozom. lib. 6. cap. 6. gentilium against their Images because they are e Euseb lib. 7. ca. 17. gentilis confuetudo against their shauing because the Priests f Hieron in Ezech. lib. 23. cap. 42. of Isis vsed it against their lights g Senec. lib. 14 epi. 15 because at first they were set vp to heathen Gods and not to wander from home we censure the Christians that borrowed a Crosse from the h D. Fulk again Sand. of Images cap. 11. pag 663. Caâ—th ag Mart. art 5 T. of Serapis And this we doe being thereto bounde not onely by the word of God but also by the general practise of the Church throughout all ages Indeed I know not whether the Church hath not exceeded in her zeale sith it hath made it no lesse then heresie from time to time to vse any rite of aliens as we may see in the l August haetes 2â— 50 Quartadecimani for this only esteemed heretiques because they kept their feast of Easter vpon the same day on which the Iewes obserued their Passeover And thus Hierome m Hieron Augustin epist 11. Cerinthus Ebion propter hoc solum à Patribus ana thematizati sunt quod legis Ceremonias Christi Evangelium miscuerunt sic noua confessi sunt vt vetera non amitterent But it will be said this was because of the merit and of the necessitie which they put in the rites which they retayned the ceremonies now controuersed are not so vrged Of this shift we may be ashamed A n Conrad Lutzenb Catalog haeretic lib. 4. parti 13. fol. 85. papist him selfe averring etiam lege Iudaica non cogente it is heresie to vse their rites in case of loue or in case of charitie because vmbra legis is totally vanished and the rites of the Iewes are now mortiferae to him that vseth them let him vse them which way he will And the Easterne Churches obserued not the fourtenth day as the Quartadecimiani they obserued it as an ancient custome but we do now obserue the Crosse whom yet the Councill of Nice condemned because it became Christians to haue nothing common with the Iewes in their rites obseruations Now where is a reason to make it more lawful to borrow from papistes then from the Iewes Is there not apparent reason we may lesse For the Iewes ceremonies were ordayned of God the Papists by the man of sinne the Antichrist and Iewish ceremonies renewed are but Christi sepulchra When they be at worst the Ceremonies of Papists euen foetida stercora in the opinioÌ„ of our o Ioh Caluin in Act. 16.3 best Diuines Secondly as this tenent weakneth our owne handes so doeth it strengthen the handes of papistes who so reverence the grace and trueth of the Gospell as that withall they will retaine p Adrian in Epist in Conc. Nicen 2. act 2 p. 72. veteres typos figuras vmbras for notes and for signes of the same So Innocentius will haue the Lawes of Deutronomie still obserued adding a reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is secunda lex While our q Matt. Sutclif de miss lib. 3. cap. 6. writers protest against this vayling and shadowing of the Gospells brightnes we in retaining of the Surplice do make good r Durand rational lib. 3. cap. â— confessed on all sides to be borrowed from the Iewes i Dej consecrat distin 1. cap. 2. Gratian professeth we are to take paterne from the Iewes The glosse thervpon inferreth possumus argumentari ab exemplis infidelium This while t Hospin vt supra our Writers do with al their power destroye our imitation of the Papistes worse then the Iewes buildeth vp againe The u Rhem. annotat in 1. Tim. 4. sect 18. Rhemistes directly hold we may take ceremonies froÌ„ the Iewes Our w D. Fulk in answer ibid. D. Willet coÌ„trovers 2. q. 4. p. 2. Writers set foote against them these we by retaining popish ceremonies feare not to supplant Casar Baronius readeth vs this lesson x Caes BaroÌ„ Annal. an 200. Consulto introductam videtur vt quae essent Gentilitiae superstitionis officia eadeÌ„ verbi Dei cultuÌ„ sanctificata in verae religionis cultuÌ„ impenderentur Again y Idem in Martyrolo Roman Fâ—bru 2. In multis gentiliuÌ„ institutis contigit vt super stitionis corum vsus sacris ritibus expiatus ac sacro sanctus reditus in Dei EcclesiaÌ„ laudabiliter introductus sit Which while our z Ioh. Reynold de Idolat li 2. c 3. sect 13 best writers refute with reasoning our doeing the same in Crosse and Surplice approue with practize a Polydor. Virgil de inven rer Polydore Virgil deriueth the most of popish ceremonies from Iewes and Pagans Blondus taketh pride to blende the rites of new Rome popish and old Rome Paganish Which while our b Tho. Moresein de orig depra religion Writers with their pennes make odious our retaining of popish ceremonies make to bee lawfull Thirdly this conformitie of ours with Papistes in their rites destroyeth that difference and separation which ought to be betweene the Church of God and aliens Well c Melciad in epist Decret ad Hispan Epise Melciades No man must fast the Thursday or Sunday vt inter iciunia Christianorum Gentilium bareticorum vera noÌ„ falsa discretio habeatur For we may if we will learne from him that to retaine an alien rite in diuerse vse is falsa discretio that the separatioÌ„ is neuer true till hereticall ceremonies be cashiered Heere it is pleaded that Gedeon sacrificed Baals Oxe to God That Iosua sanctified the goods of Iericho to the Lord and Moses turned the Censors of Corah to plates for the Altar To omit that the last were no goods of Idolaters at all the former no goods of Idolaters in state Idolatrous which maketh a maine difference betweene them and the ceremonies controuersed with many moe pleas which we might alleadge we rest on that which one of our d Pet. Martyrin Iudie writers bringeth There was a speciall warrant for these and A speciall commaundement but none for Crosse and Surplice It is also e The examiner of the declarat of the Ministers of London obiected that God borrowed linnen vestures from Aegyptian Priestes that he ordained Tythes notwithstanding Hercules had his Tythes before and appointed bread for his Sacrament though Mythra had bread offered to him That the Christians had their Agapae at communions notwithstanding the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the heathen in the Temples of their Idols
That the primitiue church had many things from the Iewes that we our selues retaine at this day the Ring in mariage from the heathen and Tythes from the Iewes and keepe sett fastes though Montanus were the first that did sett downe sett dayes for fasting Wee answer The ordayner of the most of these was God of whom if any say hee borrowed he blasphemeth as also he presumeth in his pride that thinketh he hath the same power that God hath to ordaine the ceremonies of his seruice Howbeit to particulars The Priestes of Egypt borrowed their linnen from the Iewes as it is likely euen as they did their circūcision f Ioh. Bohem Auhan de morib gentiū li. 1. ca. 45. Mythra g Tertul. de praescript borrowed his bread frō God To say the Agapae of the Christians were not an imitatiō of the Iewes feastes after their sacrifices rather then of the Gentiles and that they were not abolished when time of abolition came or that Hercules which is Iosua was before Moses to haue his Tythes imitated by him is ignorāce or falshood To iustifie popish rites in vse religious by customes of the primitiue Church by tythes fasting dayes of our owne at home either tollerated for a time only or cōtinued by a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perverse imitation or vsed only in civill matters and not religious is inconsequent absurde h August de vnico bapt contra Petilian ca. 9. Augustine also is wont to be cited but he only alloweth to take from heretiques the things that be good in such as Crosse and Surplice are he is with vs as shall be shewed Now mention we only that grand position which euer the Church of God allowed l Tertul. de coron milit Nihil dandum Idolo nec sumendum ab Idolo a rule so strictly and seriouslie kept in the primitiue Church as that they abhorred the very wordes and names them seiues which did symbolize with aliens This the Papistes them selues confesse the word Priest and Sacrifice was not wont to bee vsed say m Durant de rit li. 1. ca. 1. sect 7 they till the dayes of Irenaeus For feare of Co-incidence with the Iewes And wherefore feared they this Co-incidence least they should seeme saieth n Bellar. de miss ca. 17. Bellarmine to renew their rites or to confirme them For the very same cause another pronounceth o Garol Bonius schol in Clement li. 7. ca. 39. Haereticorum etiam vocabula timenda sunt And our p Rhemist Annotat. in 1. Tim. 6. sect 4. Rhemistes We shall keepe the faith of our Fathers if we keepe their verie wordes themselues But avoid we the wordes of heretiques although they seeme to haue no harme in them Is there a sinfull seeming in the vse of the names of hereticall rites and doeth the verie vse of their names renew confirme them And will Papistes forbeare the very words themselues of heretiques though they doe not so much as seeme to haue hurt and is there no sinne for vs to renew and confirme the rites of papistes when we not only vse their names honorably but also vse their rites themselues yea commaunde them yea revenge them and that not only when they haue a seeming of hurt but also doe effect much harme Oh take we heed it is an heauy thing to expect euen papistes themselues to rise vp in iudgement against vs. Howbeit what say wee to the names of Idolls 1 Act. 18.24 Apollo 2 Act. 17.34 Dionysius 3 Rom. 16.14 Mercurius 4 Rom. 16. Phebe with the like which the Christians retayned euen in their baptisme as some of our Opposites would perswade vs against the letter of the old law Thou shalt not take vp their names within thy lippes In deed some thinke they haue found out herein a great peece of matter against vs if yet it be against vs and not rather against the Lord against his seruant Moses The christians were called by their old names which were taken from Idols True as the street in Athens is called Mors street out of a necessitie for who had power to chaunge and alter them And marke not our Opposites this instance is wholy ciuill No say they for euen in baptisme these names of Idols were imposed on them A Papist himselfe will not say so who thinketh there were Godfathers in the Primatiue Church and that mens names were giuen vnto them in the administration of Baptisme For hee thinketh their old Idolatrous names were q Caesar Baron Anal. anno 258. an 259. chaunged when they were made Christians As for vs who know there were no Godfathers at the first as now there be nor no new r Iohn Reynold de Idololat li. 1. cap. 5. sect 28. names giuen in Baptisme this obiection might very well haue bene omitted The truth is when an Infant was baptised the order was very strictly s Durant de rit li. 1. ca. 19. sect 20. kept which is fathered vpon the Councill of Nice t Concil Nicen can 30 Nefidelis nomina gentilium filijs suis imponant And we may euen hence perceiue that the parents set the name at home as also by an other ensample u Caesar Baron Anal. in an 290. Parentes mei vocarunt me Tharacum And also by the common order w Dionis Ecclesiast Hitrarch registred thus The Minister was wont at the Church doore not in Baptisme to aske the name of him that was to be Baptised marke aske and enquire and not to giue the name himselfe As for the aged there was ordinarily no medling of their names at Baptisme but the order was to come before hand at what time they were called competentes and giue their names to wit their old ones which were written downe in a Register which order continued long after Christ as many vndoubted x Cyril Hierosol Catechis 1. Concil Carthag 4. cap. 85. August epist 155. Baron an◠in an 284. witnesses shew And that these names were totally ciuill it appeareth by this that men did chaunge their names when they would As one called Tharacus at the first when he entreth into warre he giueth himselfe the new name y Caesar Baron ana an 290. Cod. lib. 9. Tit. 25. ca. 1. of Victor And the ciuill z Law it selfe permitted this chaunge In which often the Christians of Africa chaunged their olde Idolatrous names into such as present occasion did require a Caesar Baron annal an 303. As these names shewe habet Deum hee hath God spes in Deo hope in God benè seruatus graciously saued which are they not the very same which our Opposites thinke fantasticall when now they are imitated #Sect 8. The Opposites that affirme their Ceremonies to come from the primitiue Church immediatlie and not from poperie are confused THe seconde side of our Opposites will not deny but that it is a thing vnseemly for the Church
the apparell of the harlot of Rome and vse the signe of her Crosse which is her cheefe cognifance when ariseth a confusion euen of Sectes Lastly consider the religious ceremonies themselues which were shewed in the paterne vpon the Mount Were they not set as an e Iansen Concord Euangelic cap. 114. headge to make a pertition betweene the Church and the aliens Were they not ordained for a diuerse f Zanch. de cult extero fol. 392.396 badge to sequester Gods people from all other nations Nay were they not squared to be euen a partition g Rolloc in epistol ad ephes ca. 2. ver 14. wall betweene the Church and the forreners that were without Last of all were they not displayed for a flagge of defiance to make his people an h Nichol. Gallas in Exod. 8.26 ver abhomination to all other nations all other nations an abhominatioÌ„ vnto them For instance take the Temple it selfe the warehouse and wardrop of all the rest which standeth Westward coÌ„trarie to the Eastward Temples of the heathen and that which papistes themselues can obserue ad l Tho. Aquin 1.2 qu. 3 art 3 respons ad 5. Durant de rit lib 1. cap. 3. sect vlt. arcendam Idololatriam Whom shall we followe if we followe not this course Not the Fathers For Epiphanius in the end of his booke saith m Bellar. de effect Sacrament cap. 31. Bellarmine which he wrote against heresies rehearseth the ceremonies of the Church for certaine notes whereby the church is discerned from sectes of all sortes Not the late Writers For they condemne euery n Bucer in Censur cap. 25. peregrina Ceremonia euery o Pet Martyr in lib. Iudic. ca. 1. ritus peregrinus especially such as came in pilgrimage from p Ibid. fol. 34. poperie to vs as comming out of the verie stewes What that the light of this trueth shineth in the heartes of papistes themselues The vse of q Bellar. de effectu Sacram c. 31. ceremonies rightly constituted and ordayned say they is to distinguish the members of the Catholique Church from the heretiques that bee without Neither r Caesar Baron Annal. in anno 303. p. 769 would the Christians haue vsed the signe of the Crosse say they had it not bene proper vnto Christians and such as did discerne them yea make Pagans angrie with them WheÌ„ the heretiques called Monophysitae made the signe of the Crosse with one s Niceph. Caâ—ist histor li. 18. cap. 53. finger t Innocent lib. 2. de Sacram. altar cap. 44. InnoceÌ„tius to be vnlike vnto them decreed this signe should be made with two fingers I conclude with the Lutherans who notwithstanding their manifold mixtures when they contemplate the generall duetie of a ceremonie are forced to giue witnes to vs u Conrad Schluselburg tom 13. in epist dedicat We must not beare so much as a vizard of Rome say they in externall conformation of ceremonies No not so much as a shew of Rome in w Ioh. Wigand in Synops Antichrist Roman ceremonijs siue omnibus siue aliquibus siue maximis siue minimis But we must auoyd say they euery x Math. Iudex in lib. de graniss mandat ex eund è Babilon minutissimus Character of poperie insomuch that they much abhorred that positioÌ„ of the Adiaphorists touching the ceremonies which in their time were controuersed Quo propius Papae eo melius Let Maister Bucer shut vp all y Bucer in Censur cap. 3. p. 460. Omnia quae sunt Antichristi Romani habentur abhominationi saltem quo ad externam speciem vtinam reipsa poenitus And thus sinneth the signe of the Crosse as it is a wrong ceremonie #Sect 13. The Crosse is a Wil-woship prooued by three reasons IF we proceed in the examining of him we shall finde further that he is a will worship as he is vsed among the Papistes in which regard it is not lawfull for Gods Church to vse him in his worship at all The first reason is because it maketh the Church participant with the popish superstition through defect of Godly zeale against their superstitious worships For ensample The Greeke Chruch abstaineth from blood and strangled not placing in it any worship of Gods but to obey the Apostles rule for order and for edification Doth this excuse that Church a Censur Oriental Eccles cap. 21. p. 393. no as long as the Iewes vse it for a worship they are b Stanislaus Socoloui ibid. p. 460 held to Iudaize From the Church of Greece passe we ouer to Afric there the c Bernard Bridem bact peregrinat Hierosol p. 2. cap. de Abyssin Francisc Aluares in descript Aethiop ca. 96. Abyssini vse circumcision not as a worship of God like the Iewes but as a ceremonie which is decent for that imitation which is of Christ in it For which also they are baptized euery Epiphanie the day on which Christ was baptized as they suppose Many such rites they haue which they vse as ceremonies onely not as worships like the Iewes as these words shew d Zagazabo alias Christopher Lichanati in confess Aethiop Non quod ad salutem spectare credimus againe non ob circumcisionem gloriamur nec caeteris Christianis nos putamus ob id meliores aut Deo acceptiores c. From Aethiopia passe we to Germanie where shall we excuse the Adiaphoristes because they impose not their Pseudo Adiophora as worships of God but onely for ceremonies of edification I hope we will rather ioyne with those constant brethren of ours who thus replied e Confess Theolog. Saxoniae aedit ann 1560. Ordinem in Ecclesia decentem constituendum esse clamant quasi verò antea sine ordine in summa confusione ecclesiae nostrae vixissent Indeed haue the Churches no order or comelines that want the Crosse and Surplice Nay haue they not more a great deale then ours who are out of hope euer to come neare the reuerend grauitie of their rites or the chaste modestie of their assemblies We vse not the Crosse as a worship say wee as the Papistes doe vse it By this our excuse we iustifie Papistes in burning incense before f Bellar. de beat sanctor lib. 1. cap. 13. Images and before g Missal Roman tit rit Celebran Misl Crosses to the defeating of that argument which our writers make hence against them You commit Idolatry to Crosses and Images because you burne incense to them as the Iewes did to the brazen serpent Haue they any colour to answere this saue this of ours we vse not the incense as a worship Diuine or as a Sacrifice as the Iewes did which we h Andrew Willet controuers 9. q. 5. p. 1. art 4. hold vnworthy the answering all while the ceremonie is the same If it be no sufficient difference to vse the Iewes incense not as a diuine worship like them how can it suffice for vs to
crossing Finally the worst additions in the world may bee excused by this shift The worst addition in f Bellar. de pontifi li 4. ca. 17. Bellarmines iudgement is additio ad opus praeceptum as if one houshold should haue eaten two lambs in the sacrament of the Passeouer in stead of one Whereas by this diuinitie of ours there is a tricke to eate two Lambes within the solemnitie of this Sacrament and yet be guiltlesse to wit by eating one after another The worst addition which we meete withall in the Fathers is the bread and cheese of the g Epiphan haeres 49. Artotyritae in the Lords Supper which by this Theologie is lawfull ynough prouided that the bread and cheese be eaten after the supper bread and receiuing of the wine Secondly this excuse holdeth by that separation which it maketh betweene the water and the Crosse Whereas indeed there is nothing that marreth this whole oyntment like this one flye I would say plea of separatioÌ„ What maketh the fitches tylles tares with the like which are mingled with the wheate that they make no addition to the bread of the Supper because there is no separation but id h Tho. Aquin p. 3. q. 74. art 3 ad 3. quod est modicum assumitur à plurimo And what is the cause that the auncient mingling of the water with the wine was tollerable because the water became one with the wine without seperation and was no signe of a diuerse l Ibid. Durant de rit lib. 2. cap. 27. species from it as one describeth m Iulius Pap. in epist decretal ad Episcop Aegypt Qua copulatio aquae vini sic miscetur in calice domini vt mixtio illa non poss it seperari Let me heare then what saith this excuse I haue seperated the Crosse from the water If thou hast made a seperation thou hast made a faire hand this very seperation maketh the Crosse to be a signe of a diuerse species and so by consequent to be an addition that is vnlawfull And the manner of this separation boasted of maketh the after place of the Crosse yet worse For there being a word seueralled to it such for shew as the water hath occasion is giuen to the simple to imagine that the water and Crosse in Baptisme are of the same sequence and consequence too that the bread and wine are in the Lords Supper Indeed what hindereth For what though the Crosse and the water be diuerse in matter So are the bread and the wine in the Supper They make one refection in Christ and so grow to be n Aquin. p. 3 qu 73. art 2. ad 2. formally one these may grow to be one likewise because they make formerly one inuesting into the Church And doth not the Crosse touch the water as neare as the wine doth touch the bread The postation of the wine doth not preiudice it therefore the postponing of the Crosse doth not preiudice it neither A seperation of so small distance waggeth no corne it casteth the Crosse behinde the water but not below it Neuer thought the auncient Christians there was a sufficient seperation betweene them and the Iewes till the solemnities themselues did differ on o Concil Laodicen cap. 29. Irenaeus li. 1 ca. 26. Epiphan haeres 30. diuerse dayes So that as long as the Crosse and the water our Crosse and the popish are seene in the same solemnitie of Baptisme the seperation is insufficient Thirdly so farre is it that the Crosse commeth after Baptisme thereby to be made morally at the least no part thereof that it hath in fight the chiefest roume and seat of credit which the administration of this Sacrament can afford It maketh much for the Crosses credit that he receiueth into the Church although it be out of the Sacrament as the p Torrens coufessiâ—â— August lib. 4. ca. 9â— tit 4. citing of these wordes beare witnes q August in exposit Symbol ad Catechum Nondum quidem adhuc per sacrum baptismum renati estis sed per crucis signum in viero sanctae matris Ecclesiae iam concepti estis What credit then is there done him being set in Baptisme where we receiue into the Church and dedicate to Christ which is the whole office of Baptisme it selfe the whole benefit that we reape by it And can the oyle and the lights be of little credit though they follow after the water when they are vsed to helpe to receiue into the Church r Gregor Turonens histor li. 5. cap. 11. Pontifex saith the story prae gaudio lachrimans cunctos aqua abluens chrismate liniens in sinum matris Ecclesiae congregauit flagrabant Carei lampades refulgebant Again The Ring cannot haue a more honourable place in Marriage then where the wisedome of man hath seated it in regard of marriage solemnitie it is vsed when the coniunction is in making in regard of the partie married it is set on the fourth finger of the left hand the s Durant de rit li. 2. ca. 9. sect 37. nerue whereof runneth strait to the heart But the very same place hath the Crosse in Baptisme while we and Christ are conioyned together by our receluing into the Church we vse it we imprint it on the forehead t Tho. Aquin p. 3. qu. 72. art 9. ad queÌ„spirit us direclè à corde ascendunt Moreouer why should a subsequence after the water make a rite seeme the lesse and a precedencie before the water not make it seeme greater which yet it did neuer u August de verb. Apostol serm 8 Non ijs sufficit quod inuncti sunt festinent ad Lauacrum si lumen inquirunt saith Augustine Whereof two ceremonies alluded to the one going before the water to wit the Oyle and the other comming after to wit the light this we see which commeth after is preferred So that from the ceremonies before the water men alwayes passe to them that came after as in a progression from the imperfect to those that be perfecter There was an w Tho. Aquin ad 4. sentent distinct 6. Oyle before the water in old time and one after the water and which of them was held the better Sure not the oyle that went before the water which was x Durant de rit lib. 2 cap. 20. sect 3. Oleum simplex seruing for the shoulders brest and forehead but that which came after which was Oleum principale confectum scilicet ex Oleo Balsamo and which annoynted in Vertice which is the highest part of all Once more When men would haue the water in the Supper to be no signe by it self nor an addition to that Sacrament they mingled it with the wine y Durant de rit li. 2. ca. 38. sect 3. before it was consecrate and not after so that the place which may giue seeming the Crosse is no part of Baptisme is to vse it before the water rather
then after which is the place of greatest ambition seruing to perfect seeming to consummate all the rest that went before as experience it selfe hath tryed and that in the greatest men Thus Cyprian z Cyprian epist 73. ad Iubaian baptizati signo dominico consummantur Thus Ambrose a Ambros de Sacra lib. 3. ca. 2. superest signaculum vt perfectio fiat Thus b Euseb hist lib. 6. cap. 35. Cas Baron Annal. in an 254. Cornelius because Nouatus was not signed therefore he had not all his christendome Thus the custome of the whole Church the c Durant de rit li. 1. ca. 20. sect 8. obsignation is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen the vpshot of all the rest The d Censur oriental cap. 3. Greeke Church saith of the after complements of Baptisme to wit the Oyle of confirming and of the bread of the Supper which they put into the mouth of the Infant that is Baptized hic est finis omnis mysterij It hath a long time bene held by the Latine Church that the rites of Baptisme which came after the water did make a Christian and giue Christendome which none could haue it was thought without them Illa e Dionis eccles Hierarch perficiens vnctio facit perfectum quippe diuinae regenerationis perfectio f Tho. Aquin p. 3 q. 66. art 10. Durant â—â— supra Qui confirmatus non est non est perfectus Christianus nec sidem habei inter perfectos A place cited out of Clemens to which there acordeth another brought out of Rabbanus Omnes fideles per manus impositionem Episcoporum accipere debent spiritum sanctum vt pleni Christiani inueniantur Euermore then hath the last place of the folemnitie of this Sacrament bene a stage where those ceremonies haue shewed themselues that would be esteemed the perfecters and finishers of our Christendome The water we see is powred on and here is not finis Mysterij Neither is a man made hereby a Christian no he shall not be called a Christian by any nor suffered to sit among Christians vntill he partake of the after rites of Baptisme and by name the Oylie-Crosse It may be some wil thinke I will apply the former testimonies to the after rites of Baptisme which seeme to belong to the Sacrament of confirmation But let them not deceue themselues There was at the first no confirmation out of Baptisme but it was within the solemnitie of Baptisme that the child receaued the water the bread of the Supper the oyle of confirmation g Simon Goulart in Cypri de vncti Chrismat Carol Bonius schol in Clemen Stanisla Socolouins in Censur Oriental eccles ca. 3. Perk. problem chris art 7. as all evidences and writings shew Haue wee not done then a great deed and with admirable wisdome preuented occasion of a necessary estimation in the Crosse To wit we haue set him at the latter hand of the water as Peter is set at the lefte hand of Paule h Act. Monu fol. 241. in the Popes Bull I ende with the title of the Canon which doth it say of the signe of the Crosse after Baptisme No but it goeth thus of the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme #Sect 25. A third fault wherein th' Opposite vsurpeth vpon Sacramentall offices THus haue we seene how guilty this Sacramentale is in a Sacramentall power and in a necessitie Sacramentall Come we now to a third fault wherin he vsurpeth vpon Sacramentall offices which he beareth in this Sacrament or vnto it Touching the former we reioyce I knowe to follow the Fathers and so to vse the Crosse in Baptisme as they did vse it but there and in the other Sacrament of the Supper which was a August in Iohan tractat 118. signare Christi bona which how can it be iustified For first as none can signe a lease but he that hath power to lett and demise it so none deuise a signe of the couenant or of any grace therof but God alone that promiseth This the schoole men saw taught b Tho. Aquin p. 3. qu. 60. art 5. ad 1. determinare quo signo c. It pertaineth only to the signifier to determine what signe must be vsed to signifie But it is God who is the signifier vnto vs of things spirituall by things sensible in the Sacrament and by words similitudinarie in the scriptures therefore as it is determined by the Iudgement of the holy spirit by what similitudes things spirituall should be signified in certaine places of the Scripture so it ought to be determined also by divine institution what things should bee chosen to signifie in this or in that Sacrament I adde to this the coÌ„mentary added by a Cardinall c Caietan Ibid. Aduerte quam c. Consider from hence how presumptuous and iniurious their wittines is which write or preach or interpret the similitudes of poetes or some of their owne therby to represent things spirituall For they vsurpe the office of the Holy Ghost by whose iudgement some things are ordained to be figures of other things and they vilifie the sacred Sripture while by such fiction they giue occasion to beleeue that the things which are in the Scripture are figurs by humane spirit euen as these which they haue framed by the dexteritie of humane wit so much authoritie is detracted froÌ„ the figures of the holy Scripture I presse here that God only is significans that it commeth from carnal wisdom to deuise any significations that he vsurpeth the office of the holy Ghost that added new signes and lastly that new signes deuised are so farre from adorning the water of Baptisme as that they vilifie it and detract much authoritie from it One maine ground of this doctrine is mainly refused I knowe by the d Bellar. de sacram in gen ca. 21. proposit 2 papistes which is that no man may deuise any worship of God and another ground is brought in place to wit the Sacraments of the new Testament do giue grace and none can giue grace but God only And therfore none ordaine a signe but God alone How neare our Opposites come to this Iesuit all men may knowe who heare them distinguishe though a man may not deuise an exhibitiue signe yet hee may deuise a significatiue one such as is the signe of the Crosse Alas to what poore shiftes are these men driuen For we haue heard out of the schoole men already that God is the only signifier both in things and in words therfore a signe euen quatenus it signifieth must be from him Nay this cannot stand before Bellarmine himselfe euen he therfore shall be their iudge For though the signes of the old Testament be not in his iudgment exhibitiue of any grace but significatiue only yet he saith they were all ordained of God so ought to be Vpon this reason which now taketh hold on the signe of
is strooken dead in the neast by e Caesar Baron anal in an Christ 180. Caesar Baronius who lahoureth to proue that Ezra neuer chaunged the letters that the olde auncient Copies of the Hebrew Bibles were many of them remayning in Ezralies time that they all are in one character to witt the olde and auncient character of the Hebewes Howbeit Baronius him self sayleth in part the whole matter is here of late brought cleerlie to light by Ioseph Scaliger who writeth thus The olde Hebrewe and the Samaritane letters be all one and the letter Tau in neither of them is like a Crosse or the Greeke or Romane T. Hierome what he reciteth of Ezraes chaunge of the old Samaritane Tau he taketh word by word out of Origene in Romanes Origine was deceiued by a Iewe on whose bare relatioÌ„ he grounded him selfe which relation was also false Whereas Hierome saith elswhere he sawe a Samaritane copie that was after he had written this if before he had seene it hee would haue seene Origens errour and haue preuented it in him selfe But if there be any thing worth the learning in this error it is this Hierome and others thinke it a worthy thing for Ezra to chaunge the letters of the scripture to the ende that the Church may differ from Samaritanes and from aliens euen in their writing An ensample of like zeale we see in f Paul Dâ—â—t 〈◊〉 â—â— Vlid the Arabian who when hee meant to enlarge the religion of Mahomet not onely rased the churches of the Christians that were in Damascus but also abolished their verie letters making a law that nothing should be written in Greeke but in Arabique only And when the Christians were after afflicted because they would not menscrizare that is conforme who can say but that they stoode out against these characters amongst the rest which they refused What then We may not conforme to the Crosse especially in religious vse it being a Character of the beast but our Church must chaunge it and make a lawe against it if it meane to be zealous after the patterne and proportioÌ„ of these examples Thirdly let it be the word Tau or the letter T. let the letter be changed or not changed all is one and this one thing is nothing for the Crosse Then are the Fathers nothing neither say our Opposites for they are all of them for the Crosse euen in this text But may wee not a little chaung the wordes of Christ and say to the Fathers in this matter Men what haue we to doe with you euen as we are prompted by Doctor Fulke Maister Calfhill saith h D. Fulke reioyn art 1. pa. 137. he doth iustly reproue the Fathers for so high extolling the signe of the crosse which hath no ground in the worde of God but was brought in either by contention against the heathens who despised it or in emulation of heretiques who first vsed it We must giue the Fathers leaue to play and according to their owne pleasure not only to fetch the figure of the Croffe out of this Tau but also out of the l Augâ— cont Faust lib. 12. cap. 34. two stickes which the Widdow of Sarepta gathered yea to fetche a Crosse and a T. too out of the 300. m Augusti questi suplib Iudle lib. 7. ca. 17 soldiers of Gedion who me thinkes resemble the 300. ministers who now stand out against the Crosse for that disdayning to ley downe vnder the burthen of an euill conscience to drinke at ease the pleasaunt waters of conformitie they are contented to lapp like dogs the waters of marah or rather to be vsed like doggs surely no more to be called Naomi although their giftes and their labours in the Church had made them beautifull but Marah rather because the Lord beginning iudgement at his owne house hath shewed them bitternes Secondly what though the Crosse bee here insinuated that is nothing to the signe of the Crosse in the foreheade but to n Pet. serran in hunc loc Calfhill ag Mart. art 2 D. Fulke reioyn ibid pag. 146. Christes Crosse only on which he died which is not here insinuated neither for any honour to it selfe but for the forshewing of Christs death wherof it was the cursed instrument As for the signe of the forehead mentioned in the Reuelation o Hector Pintus in hunc loc it is as fondly after Aquinas Martiall the Rhemistes and the rest of that â—â—â—ble drawne to the aereall figne of the Crosse as this signe of Ezechiell is For this p Mr. Calfh ag Mart. art 1. D. Fulke reio ar 1. p. 137 signe in the reuelation giueth the Spirit of life and faith so doth not the Crosse this signe maketh a difference between good and bad so doth not the Crosse this signe in the forehead noteth those who with open q Iohâ—n de â—aâ—â—o in Apoâ— ca. 7 forheads should professe the Gospel euen as they who are not signed in the forehead vers 9. note those who should lye hid and not so openly professe as the former who yet made the signe of the Crosse in the forehead as well as the former called to martyrdom and confession if antiquitie be true Thirdly what if the signe of the Crosse in the forehead be alluded to in Ezechiell and in the Apocalips yet this maketh nothing for the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme because it was tollerable in old time r Lambet Dane cont Bellarm. de Imag. c. 29 quatenus erat testimonium confessionis in trepida contra ethnicos not r Lambert Dane dont Bellarm. de Imag. c. 29 quatenus it was a signe in baptisme Fourthly Our Opposites that entitle the signe of the Crosse to the place of Ezech. and that of the Apoca the same must needes entitle it to an effectiue and operatiue power for such a power doth the text giue to the signes of these scriptures witnes the very Fathers themselues who thinking these textes to speake of the Crosse coÌ„clude out of them that the signe of the Crosse doth arme defende preserue vs. of which error we are ashamed to our shame vntill we disclaime their interpretation of this scripture and the obligation of their authoritie in this question of the Crosse #Sect 40. That the signe of the Crosse is not the signe of the Sonne of man THE second scripture which of late we haue heard alleadged against vs is the 24. chap. of Math. 30. vers where some of our Opposites will haue the signe of the sonne of man to be the signe of the Crosse euen as the Fathers teach Alas whether will the Fathers carry them Because of the Fathers they will beleue that a signe of the Crosse shall appeare in heauen for a fore-runner of Christ his comming vnto iudgement Will they not awake to see that this is no other dreame then that which Lactantius dreameth There shall be a great sword let fall from the heauen into the earth
the bread of the Sacrament into partes of which Harding demaunded of him what many now demaund of vs concerning the Crosse what hurt is there in it Too much hurt and more then we would more also then Master Iewell could finde in the breaking of the hoste we need not replie as he of that The Crosse doth hurt in that he doth no good for behold many hurtes which he doth by hindering good furthering harme The first is seene in the bearing of Gods name before the papistes who are his enimies where it stayeth profession stayneth or hindereth it or maketh it halt This we see in our Magistrates who haue ceased to execut b Iniunct Elizab. art 23. can Episcop anno 1559. art 59. lawe against the Crosses of Church-windowes for the Crosses sake in Baptisme This wee see in our writers who when they write against the Crosse are calme if not colde where foreners are seruent and are faine to come in with though and if and the like provisoes as if they were put to the same exigent for the excusing of our Church in the vse of the Crosse as Cyâ—ill was once by our c Do. Fulk reioynd art 9. pag. 104. 2 Sam. 2.23 owne coÌ„fession When Iulian the Apostata tooke advantage from the reuerence which the Christians then gaue vnto it This wee see in our Preachers whose lippes in a manner are sowed vp from speaking against the very abuse and superstition of the Crosse least they should seeme to speake against the Crosse in Baptisme and to breake the Lawe and that per contemptum This wee see in our people who bee at a stande in their zealous pursute of poperie because they stand as men discouradged yea amazed to see the falles of their Asahelles and of their Amasaes I meane their spiritual captaines whom the signe of the Crosse hath wrackt And as the Crosse stayeth profession against the papists so doth he stayne it with that conformitie with him which hath euer bene esteemed a flaw yea a bracke in Christian zeale For what they who retaine the old ceremonies of the Iewes who are not so bad as popishe rites d Hieron apud Augu. Epist 11. dum volunt Iudei esse Christiani nec Iudei sunt nec Christiani Augustine speaking of womeÌ„ wearing mans attire e August solilâ—qu lib. 2. cap. 16. Nescio saith he vtrum falsas mulieres an falsos viros melius vocem veros tamen histriones verosque infames sine dubitatione possumus vocare The communion of rites confoundeth sectes more then the communion of attire confounded sexes who then would iudge vs to bee good protestantes who communicate with popish rites besides our selues Thus f Gualt in Hos cap. 2. one of our writers bominum traditiones c. The traditions of men defile the confession of faith whervpon the scripture reprehendeth those who in the reforming of the Church lefte the high places because these retained in face the footsteps of former fornication And in like manner now a dayes they haue not takeÌ„ their fornications from their face who retayne still in their Churches popish Images and Chalices and player-like vestures with the like who all of them doe as if an adulteresse after shee is reconciled to hir husbande should bring the giftes and loue tokens of hir former adultery impudently into his sight and goe about to procure his goodwil by them What Protestant hitherto euer renounced the common tenent wee must haue g Buces in Censur ca. 5. pa. 458. nihil commune with papistes in their ceremonies and their rites The first excuse here alleadgeth there is such an vtter difference made betweene the popish crosses and ours as that there is no scarre or blemish to our confession by the same First suppose there were some dissimilitude which yet in sight and shew is none what say we of the h Socrat. histor lib. 5. cap. 2â— Samaritanes were they not foolish when they thought they made a goodly separation from the Iewes by keeping their Passeouer at a diverse season And what iudge we of the l Narrat de Tartaror relig ad Dauid Châ— tre mist Tartars Doe wee not hold them absurd when they thinke they differ sufficiently from the Iewes because their circumzion is at the. â— or 3. yeere of their age as their Pope shall thinke fit Last of all what thinke we of the men of m Ioh. Sacran de rit Ruthenor Russia Doe we not imagine them fond wheÌ„ they thinke they spite Rome with a marveilous differeÌ„ce of their Images for that they are not of the same fashion but according to their owne countrey making SecoÌ„dly God forbiddeth all likenes of ceremonies with Idolaters I saye all likenes that cometh neare the rites of the aliens as a 1 Levit. 19.28 like cutting and marking of the fleshe A like 2 Deut. 16.21 groue to that of Idolaters 3 Hos 6.11 A plant taken out of Samaria which is like hers 4 2. cro 13.9 A Priest like vnto the Priestes of other Countries n Harmon confess sect 13. Wittem berg confess c. 10. Qua authoritate c. With what authoritie and profit we may take example of administring Sacramentes from Ethnickes that speach of Moses testifieth Take heede thou imitate not the Heathen nor aske after their Ceremonies saying As those Nations worship these gods so will I worship Non facietis similiter Domino Deo vestro ye shall not doe the same vnto your God as they doe to theirs Thirdly the practise of the Church hath euer shunned all similitude with exterior rites the better to beare vp the profession of the Gospell The Councill of Nice chose a diverse Easter-day froÌ„ the Passouer of the Iewes o Socrat. histor lib. 5. cap. 22. vt ecclesia cum Iudeis nibil coâ—sorâ—â— babere videatur which was according to the scripture as one of our writers p whitaker controvers 1. quaest 6. ca. 9. pag. 408. Quâ—â—tâ—decimanâ— fuerunt ex scripuris expugnati quia sci diver sum esse debebat Chistiâ—â—â—rum Iâ—dâ—â—um Pascha To make the Crosse him selfe his owne iudge Was there any other cause that chose him at first but that the Gentiles hating him most q Gâ—â—â—â—â—â—â— Groâ—â—lâ—g li. â— in â—n Chri. 〈◊〉 he serued best to make separation from them Neither is he well vsed at this day vnlesse it bee in the East Indies where the Christians are said to haue a crosse in their church nothing els to distinguish them selues from Pagans and at Constantinople where the Patriarch r Idem in ann 1549. payeth a great tribut to haue a golden Crosse stande on the pinacle of his patriarchall Palace to distinguish from the Turkes s Chrisost de ieinn Iudeor Chrisostome holdeth it better to bee drunke then to fast the Iewish fast he meaneth a fast vppon the same day with theirs And t August in Epistol 86 ad Casula Augustine
de cult sanctor cap 7. Crosse with other sacramentalia applye Christes bloud vnto vs to the washing away of sinne and that as a fellow worker with our faith And the complaint is true of them which one of our writers p Phil Mornaeus de En charist li. 1 cap. 6. p 49 maketh roundly and altogither at a blowe we see them come downe from this crosse that is the death and passion of our Lord o See Fulk reioynd art 5. the effectuall powerfulnes whereof is adored of the Angells to the onely figne of the Crosse and there passing over according to their custome from the signes to the things from the things to the signes they come to attribute all whatsoever is said by the Apostles or by the old Fathers of the true and verie crosse of Christ vnto this dumbe and naked signe By meanes hereof crossing hath bredd such inconvenience saith q M. Calfh cont Mart. art 1. fo â—6 one that the externe action had in reverence hath made the inward faith to be neglected and that vertue ascribed to the signe which onely proceedeth from him that was signified in regard whereof it may well be lefte PLACE = marg Philip. 3.19 In deed as Moses ceremonies became enimies to the crosse of Christ when men began to beleeue in them for which cause they were remoued so the signe of the Crosse now is an enimie to Christes crosse much people trusting in it for which cause it ought to bee displanted Had it bene fit for the Apostles to haue vsed in Gods service the Robe the Reede the Crowne the Scepter wherewith Christ at that time was mocket but now it is with the signe of the crosse in poperie that Christ and his crosse is mockt when they haue robbed him of his Scepter and of his Priesthood they giue him a Crosse to mocke him withall saith one r And Willet contro 4. Q 10 p. 3. art 2. of our writers #Sect 15. That the Crosse evacuateth and polluteth Faith SEcondly The figne of the Crosse doeth evacuat faith Whereas Paule saith 2. Cor. 5.7 We walke by faith and not by sight it may a And. Willet controvers 9. qu. 6. pa. 3. be inferred that the sight of outward representations which are earthly hurteth fayth which is of thinges that are spirituall and not seene Vpon this ground as I take it reasoneth Arnobius against the Heathen b Arnobius contr gent. lib. 6. Convincitur non habere sua religioni fidem cui opus est videre quod credit ne inane forte sit quod non videtur Vpon this ground it was that when c Cyrill con Iulian. li. 6 Numâ— would invre his people to serue the Gods spiritually hee built temples to fayth whence he remoued all Images all representations as which he thought contrary vnto fayth Last of all vpon this ground it is that our d D Bilson cont Apolog pag 4. pag. â—49 owne writers dealing for a sound fayth beholding and adoring God in spirit and truth cashier all dourn be shewes that mans wit can furnish to winne the eye or moone the heart binding vs onely to the hearing of his word and partaking of his mysteries which onely can instruct ciur faith Another way the signe of the Crosse doeth hinder faith in that it occasioneth diverse to rest in the historicall knowledge of Christes death onely all of which he remembreth not neither because not the sufferings of his soule which are the cheefe whereof one thus e M. Calfh cont Mart in praefat fol. 1â— Suppose the Crosse tell me that Christ died what am I the better for that vnlesse I knowe that he dyed for me and the meane how his death may be applied to me which no picture can expresse the promises of the worde must declare me that without the which the Image is nothing yea worse then nothing Thirdly the Crosse polluteth faith and that with infidelitie For as when Bellarmine teacheth charges expended vpon garnishing Churches is an action of faith It f Lambert Dane cont Bellarmin de Cult Sanctor cap 6. is replyed that it is infidelitie rather and disobedience because a presumption without the worde So when it is said the Crosse is a gesture of faith it may be replyed It is a gesture of infidelitie and vnbeleefe seeing is hath no warrant from the scripture And looke on the effectes it worketh For as a man in daunger of drowning catcheth euen at a rushe or a flagge for want of better stay so it is out of fearfull distrust of better refuge that men catche at the crosse to helpe them For example g Act and Monu in Histor eius Thomas Becket armeth him selfe with a Crucifixe in his boosome and with a Crosse in his hande when he cometh to the court in dauÌ„ger The h Historica collect of Massacr in France in Hen 3. Archbishop of Lyons of late at the sight of the executioner as he first entred into the prison fled strait to the Crucifixe Certaine l Act and MonumeÌ„ heads of houses in Oxon. being in St Maries and thinking the Church had bene on light fire betooke them to the Crucifixe on the Altar Compare not this with m Sozom. li. 2. cap. 29. Alexanders flying to the Table of the Lord when the Arrians straightened him with Ambrose his flying to the same table when n Ambros Epist 33. Iustina the Empresse pursued him with o Gregor Nazeanze orat 11. de Land Gorgon Gergonia hir flying thither in the darke night when she was extreemly sicke Lastly with Theodosius his circuting p Ruffin lib. 2 cap 33. Omnia orationum loca when Eugenius made warre against him neither saye that this is no other then that which the Christians did when they alwayes crossed themselues in the time of daunger for these men fledd to these places mentioned because they were the fittest for prayer as it is said of q Epiphan in epist ad Ioh. Hierosolomit Epiphanius that seeing a light at Anablatha and thereby perceyving it was a Church he tooke occasion to goe and pray in it As for the custome of the Christians crossing them selues in time of daunger let it be surveyed first in these ensamples and then bee rightly iudged of A Deacon when he entred the shippe to goe into exile r Theodor. histor lib. 4 cap. 22. signum Diuina Crucis fronti afformauit WheÌ„ Christians s Euseb histor lib. 8. cap. 7. stood readie to be deuoured by the Panthers they clappe their armes athwarte to expresse a crosse Tiburtius t Cesar Bar. Annal in ann 286. when he is to walke barefoote vpon hoate coales signeth him selfe with a crosse and so prepareth him selfe to the myracle The stuffe of v Ibid in ann 293. Domnax Macrina holy Christians wherewith their chambers were wont to be furnished are said to be a booke of scripture a Crosse a censor and
together in one bath wherefore haec est u n apud gentiles prima repraehensio A Christian must not celebrate a birth day wherefore v Decret pag. 1. dis tin â—1 c. 28 because it is a rite a custome w Orig in Levit. homil 8. Ethnicorum peccatorum It is of private vse of which Tertullian speaketh thus x Tertul lib de coron miliâ— Ego mihi gallum gallinacium macto si me odor alicuius loci offendit arabiae aliquid incendo sed non eodem ritu habitu apparatu quo agitur apud Idola The Christians were thought to be enimies to the Emperour because they doe not set lights and bay bowes at their dores as others doe yet for all this y Caesar BaroÌ„ Anal in ann 200 Nefas sibi esse putant because the temples of the Idolls and the dores of Idolaters were wont to be thus adorned Fourthly If zeale cannot endure any civill fashion of Idolaters then their religious rites much lesse such as the Crosse and Surplice are Tertullian will haue no lightes in worshipping God because it was z Tertul. de Idololatr mos haereticorum The Tolletan Council will haue no such shaving as doth leaue long haire below a Concil Tolet. 4. cap. 40. quoniam ritus haereticorum est The Christians may not observationes agere Calendarum neque lauro aut viriditate arborum cingere domos wherfore because b Decret pag. 2. caus 26. quest cap. 13 omnis haec observatio paganismiest The readers must not c Concil Bracarens 1. Can. 29 demittere granos or gradus gentili ritu The feastes of the Martyrs birth-dayes are misliketh wherefore d Concil Aphric temp bonifac 1. Can. 27. Quia a Gentili errore attracta The old dauncinges e August de Tempore Sermon 215. ante basilicas sanctorum are vnlawfull wherefore quia haec consuetudo ex paganorum observatione remansit The f Synod in Trullo Can. 82. 2 Cor. 6.14 Councill will haue no lambe to represent Christ wherefore because it commeth to neare the Iewes Fiftly Zeale can not endure any countenance towards the persons of Idolaters or of heretiques For when Paule forbadde fellowship with Idolaters vpon this reason What communion hath light with darknes Christ with Belial he taught there ought to be as great difference betweene the professors as there is betweene the g Rolloc in Daniel professions Nowe in this duetie howe many wayes do the ceremonies cause vs to fayle Ne dixeris aue sayeth the texte but when there is an imitation of their wayes then aue is giuen not only to the person but also to the superstition h Tertul. de coron milit For either oderis ea quorum authores odisse non poteris l Hieron ad Nepoti aut si aurum Iudaeorum placet placeat Iudai It is the wishe of zeale m Tertul. de spectacul vtinam ne in saculo quidem vna cum illis moraremur but because this may bee wished but not obtained therefore it is wary to make such a separation that though we be n Idem in li. de coron milit Compossessores mundi yet non erroris by partaking with them in saculo onely o Idem in lib de spectacul quod Dei est non in saecularibus quae sunt Diaboli Against this separation there be who offende by too much leaning to the errors of the papistes while they are in their companie whom they admonish not neither reproue much lesse leaue or forsake after once or twice admonition as the Apostle doeth commaund These the Canon doeth excommunicate because it is a thing intollerable vt vasa misericordiae vasis irae misceantur and because p Decret pa. 2. caus 24. qu 3. cap. 34. superfluo extra ecclesiam positis resistimus si ab his qui intus sunt in ijs quos decipimus vulneramur Againe when men for bribes favour papistes spare them shifte them from punishment or giue them countenance who are separated from the body of Christ because contra fidem Christi q Concil Tolet. 4. Can 73. agit qui Christi inimicis patronus efficitur The papistes should not be suffered to mixe them selues in coÌ„mon companie with the weake protestantes r Decret p. 2 caus 28. q. 1. cap 12. saepè malorum consortia bonos corrum punt quanto magis pronos ad mala neither s Ibid c. 13.14 should a protestant be suffered to feast with a papist or dwel with him or receiue physicke from him with the like And whereas the Church of old kept hir selfe in the meane betwene t Caesar Baron annal in an 255. foelicissimus that would receiue into the church those that were fallen though they made no confession nor shewed any signes of repentance and Novatus who would not receyue them into the church at all we though we deale with the most polluted heretiques that euer were yet receiue theÌ„ into our church when so euer they will them selues without sit triall of vnfayned conversion whereby we arme them to more hurt by their secret dissimulation then when they were our open enimies and without our churches pale Against this there goeth a Canon euen of an Idolatrous Councill it selfe u Concil Nicen. 2. can 8. Quoniam Hebraeorum c. because certaine Iewes fayning them selues to be Christians do privily and in secret denie Christ keepe Sabbothes and obserue many other Iewish rites we decree that they be not receyued to the Communion nor to Prayer no nor suffered to enter into the Church it selfe Sixtly Zeale cannot endure any reliques of Idolatrie such as Crosse and Surplice are where I would there could be observed amongst vs what a very popish Council it selfe decreeth Iewes must not retinere priores riâ—us reliquias this is w Concil Laceran sub Innocen 3. c. 70 Christiana religionis decorem mixtione confundere and to put on a garment of Lynsey-woolsey statuimus vt tales per Praelatos Ecclesiae ab observantia veteris ritus omnimode compescantur How doe we suppresse in papistes or any other popish old rites who giue them countenance in vse religious Seaventhly Zeale cannot abide any confusion with Aliens but in all religions hath euer desired a manifest and open distinction from them x Irenae li 1. cap. 25. Ireneus telleth vs the Carpocratians being zealous to their religion did dextere auris posteriorem partem perforare vt eo signo ab alijs secerni atque dignosci possint This was superstitious not so superstitious was the scutum which the old Waldenses bore in sotulari and in Sabbate whence they were called y Conrat Lutzenbu in Catalo Haeâ—eticor insabbatati to make a difference and distinction As for the first loue of Englande it was admirable heerein Maister z Act. and Monum in huâ—o â—oruÌ„ Rogers out Proto Martyr refusinge the Cappe
and is founde worse then the e Duran de rit lib. 2. c. 17. sect 5. sectile or the pupillum amen which the Rahbines and the papistes them selues condemne For these causes as the f Catalog cest verita in Walden Waldenses stoode out against the Creed to be vsed for a prayer which was none so stand we out now against the Crosse vsed for a prayer when it is none or if it be any a prayer vnreuerent Suppose a man should lifte vp a shoesole for a prayer Nutu I aske because g Act. monu pa. 95â— Robert Couper a Confessor affirmed once that blessing with the signe of the Crosse was no whit better then blessing with an olde shoe sole The third hypocrisie of the Crosse maketh it not only a prayer but also an operatiue prayer that helpeth our vocall mental prayer as if it were not so powerfull without it as when it hath the helpe of a Crosse which is the ayme of these words h Mart in reply art 4 It is euident that as soone as paayer is duelie made and the signe of the Crosse made the holy ghost according to the promise of Christ commeth downe sanctifieth and the Deuill is driuen away This hypocrisie howe can it not breed a disgust of this signe amongst vs For it turneth the sighes grones of the holy Ghost in prayer to a bringing of him downe at the l D. Fulk reioyn art 4 pag. 163.164 wagging of a finger and tyed the m D. Willet de Baptâ—s queâ—t 8. holy ghost himself to a dounghill crosse that will not in this maner be tyed either to 1 Act 7. Temple or to 2 Gal. 6. Circumcizion or to 3 Mar. 3. Baptisme it selfe or to any other of his own signes WheÌ„ in a plague at Rome some dyed with sneesing some with gaping there was a custome taken vp when any sneesed to pray God helpe when any gaped to make a Crosse n Carol. Sigon de reg Itâ—l in anno 590. praesidium querentes in this signe vnto theÌ„selues We may see here a picture and Image of the vulgar sort of people in this land vsing the Crosse as they vse prayer and flying to the helpe of the Crosse as they seeke for helpe by prayer for the curing of which disease why abandon we not the Crosse as we haue done other things that in like sort haue bene annexed to prayer o August de symbol ad Catech. Whereas the symbolum that is the creede and the Crucis vexillum were wont to bee ioyned for fellow-helpers together with prayer against the Deuill dislike we not this vnequall kinde of yoking whereas Sanctus p Gregor Turonens de vit patrum ca 6. Gallus and q Nitephor lib. 5. c. 22. Sanctus Martianus ioyne with prayer the booke of the Gospell which they take in their hand when they goe forth to represse the fury and the flame of fire whereas it hath bene a common custome in common distresses to carry about Images and Reliques which men haue added vnto prayer to helpe the same in which manner the Image of Rochus the r Gregor Tâ—tonens in lib. de glot confe cap. 79. Pall of Remigius is carried about vpon a Crosse in time of a plague and the Tunica s Idem lib. 3 histor c. 29 Vincentij ad Augusta when once it was beleguerdâ— wee disclaime and disunite this combination the bels are ioyned by papistes to prayer as helpers of it as the trompets in Moses Lawe stirred vp God to mercie so doe the bels now say t Durant de rit lib. 1. c. 22. sect 4. they which haue also power against the Deuill witnes this The Deuils before day ran away from certaine weomen whom they had ledd and molested the night before as soone as they heard the morning bell sound u Ioh. Reynold de Idololat li. â— c. 6. sect 7 The beades also are ioyned to prayer as helpers of it we that haue freed prayer from the creed from the booke of the Gospel from the Images palles coates and reliques of sainctes from the beades and bels of papistes how are we bewitched that we cannot leaue the Crosse in which each part of their hypocrisie and superstition ouerfloweth It will be replyed that this abuse implyeth not the Crosses ruine but a restoring to prime vse First the prime vse of the Crosse in prayer was not so good v Magdebu Centur. 3. cap. 6. tit de mor. Christi sith it did adiure and u charme and that the very beastes themselues for thus Tertullian Nobis w Tertull. in lib de scorpiac fides prae sidium signandi statim adiurandi vngendi bestiae calcem And the Crosse at the first did blesse and sanctifie things voyde of life as x Beat. Rhenan in Tertull. de Coron milit beddes and y Orig. lib. 3. in Iob. meates which while the z Catalog test verita in Wâ—lden Waldenses preposterously followed they retayned the signe of the Crosse in the blessing of their meates which though we mislike yet the restoring of the crosse his auncient vse will beare them out as well as vs who must haue this signe in Baptisme Secondly to praye standing between Easter and Whitsontide in memoriall of Christ his glorifying is a gesture of prayer as auncient as the signe of the Crosse as also to praye towards the Easte which we must restore againe to auncient vse if this axiome on which we stand haue strength force euen as one of our writers well a D. Fulk reioynnd art 5. pag. 177. seeing none of these ceremonies haue bene worse abused then this custome of Crossing this ought to bee abrogated of every Church as well as those Thirdly there is a 4 Mat. 6.7 commaundement we must not be like the heathen in our prayers wherupon one b Gualâ— in Luk. 11. pag. 106. Communis sensus admonet Christianâ—s ab omnibus ethnicorum atque infidelium ritibus aut ceremonijs abstinere debere Take we a standling from the first Churches whereas Idolaters vse certaine ceremonies in their praying as a washing of the hands before a putting off of the cloake in the action it selfe and a formall sitting after there was a speciall c Tertull. lib. de â—ratione prouiso taken that no Christian should vse the like in time of his prayer It is very needfull wee should eschewe the Crosse and Surplice at prayer-time with as great care if it bee but for the shewe which giueth countenance to popishe hypocrisie in the simple of the lande These vse the Crosse as papistes doe they thinke it is a prayer they thinke it helpeth prayer they thinke it make holy they thinke it driueth away the Diuill which whosoeuer will not acknowledge I must say of him as Mr d D. Fulk reioynd pag. 17â— Fulke of Martiall once whereas Martiall will acknowledg no
abuse in this signe what else should we say but whose blind as he that will not see #Sect 18. The speciall hypocrisie of the Crosse is evidently declared in the lyfe and conversation of those that did beare it THE second speciall hipocrisie of the crosse is seene in the life and coÌ„versation Where once it was a true principle how now it holdeth I know not a Calsh coÌ„t Mart. art 9 fol. 174. There are no worse liuers in the world then the likers of the Crosse Indeed from of old hath the crosse marshalled the hipocrites bande one of which he did longe since christen with his owne name to wit the order of the b Volater hist or lib. 21. Bergomens l. â—3 Crucigeri whose rule Innocent the fourth perfected bidding them to carry a crosse alwayes in their handes after that Innocent the third before him in the Councill of Lateran had authorized their order All other ecclesiastical orders although they haue not the name of the crosse called vpon them like vnto this yet they call vpon his name and they beare him for their badge euen to the c Abraham Fransus de insignib Knightes them selues that haue entred into anie religious order One order there was of these knightes in d Io. Funct in Cronol comentar ad ann 1 204. Libonia who wore in a white vesture a redd sword with a starre on the topp and therfore were called Fratres gladiferi but these at the length the Pope so willing vnited themselues to the order of the Crucigeri so tooke the crosse vpon them As for the rest they weare all the crosses amongst whom who more famous then the Knightes of Ierusalem who lye buried with crosse legges vpon their graues quia e Camden in Britan in Trinobanâ— crucem susceperunt Now f Naucler fower orders there were of these the order of the Canons of the sepulche of the Lord and they had double redd crosses The order of the knights of St Iohn otherwise called the knightes of the Rhodes they wore black apparell with white crosses on their brestes The order of Templars they wore a white habit with a red crosse and lastly the order of Teutoniques or Almaines otherwise called the knightes of the Virgin Marie who had white habites and a blacke crosse and these arose from the East I omit their hipocrisies for which at the last they were destroyed the Templars by g Cronie Carion li. 5. in Alber. Austriac name through a privie conspiracie of Clemens the Pope Philip of FraÌ„ce after the holy warre begonne vnder Goddefi it of Bullen whose voyage thither if it had any “ Gualter in Luc. Homil 87. hipocrisie in it the crosse be sure was at one end of it sith then it was that every countrey chose their crosses which they beare in the warres this daye From the West since these holy warres begunne it is incredible how many assembled armies of hipocrites the crosse hath guided it being a policy which Vrban h Sigon de regn Ital. lib. 9. in ann 1095. the 2. set on foote and his successors after continued that when they would weaken christendome and send out the strength of it to pray vpon it at home the while or when they would gather some great summe of money there should a Croysade bee proclaimed against the Turke and that O Lord with how great hipocrisie Thus one l Auent in Annal. li. â— of that time To stirre vp the people to Asiaes and Aphricaes warres the Bishop of Portua and others preached Quicunque sceleri obnoxius parricidio incestu sacrilegio pollutus continuò vbi cruciculam vesti assuerit solutus est crimine poena Plerique ansa hinc arrepta inimicos suos prius tollebant hinc in militiam sacram nomina dabant Another thus m Vsperg in Fredri 2 In the yeare 1221. vnder Frederike the 2. Conradus Portuensis sendeth forth preachers and amongst the rest one Iohannes de Argentina who preached to them that would take the crosse not onely expiation of their ownesinne but also deliuerance of their friends soules that were in Purgatorie Hence grewe a common speache faciam igitur scelera postea crucis receptione ero mundatus The Georgians Armenians haue the crosse for a standart to lead their superstitious pilgrimages to IerusaleÌ„ whose lay men also haue shaueÌ„ n Magdebn Centur. 3. cap. 5. col 563. heads in the forme of a crosse The o Lambert Dane in Augusti de Heres c 97 Iacobites in Chaldâ—â— and Arahia haue a crosse or crosses printed in their faces with an hottiron as also diuers nations and people vnder Pretions Iohn in Afric of whom before And this Emperour him selfe when he goeth any whither a wooden Crosse is borne before him When he goeth to warre 12. Crosses of golde A p Beda hist gent. Anglor lib. 1. c. 25.29.41 Crosse was the harbinger of all Romes ceremonies when they first entred into Englande I meane the Crosse that was borne before Augustine when hee arriued which Crosse of his if the British sea had swallowed with his rellowes in the passage the Church of the Christians at q Baleus in histor Augustin Bangor had still enioyed their peace and puritie both from Romes trashe and tyrannie The great abuse of the Crosse in Russia is too well knowne the hypocrisie of it there may bee seene in one for all to witt in that great Tyrant Iohannes Basilius then whom the earth neuer searce sawe a more fell monster and yet none more devout in the vse of the Crosse then hee none could more often adhthere signum Orucis fronti pectorique or more religiouslie collo suspendere r To. Lasicide Theolo Muscourn c. 6. fol. 56. as speaketh the storie at whose death also as is reported three bloudy Crosses appeared in the firmameÌ„ ouer the great citie Mosco where he dyed with a barre that went thorough them Thus we see the Crosses hipocrisie is catholique for place so is it also for persons and tymes The s Io. Crispin â—â—an 1350 Eagellantes notable hypocrites in their whipping of them selues vsed to prostrate them selues on the grounde in the forme of a crosse and as they went ordnarily with their whippes tyed to their robes so they all carryed Crosses both before and behinde in their apparell hattes and cappes Saint Francis is also a renowned hypocrite Now he had they say t Pisan de conformit sancti FraÌ„cisci the 5. woundes of Christ printed in his body and he hath for his u Rhemist in Margin in Gal. 6. Gospell vpon his holy day I beare in my body the markes of the Lord Iesus And God forbid I should reioyce saue in the Crosse of Christ. Heere of late none came neare in same of hypocrisie to Magdalena Crucia and Maria de la Anuntiada in Spayne The former of whom as she bare the name of the Crosse so the Crosse
ceremonie of the pagans which was auncienter then it selfe What then we cannot reade of any Idolatrours signe in the forehead vnlesse it be the foreheads garlands which may be said to imitate the oyle in the Forehead or the priestes petalum as m Rhenan ibid. in aedit Basil 2528. Rhenaenus in his first notes seemeth to insinuate Thirdly Tertullian saith it is Sathan that imitateth Morositatem Iudeae in hir rites is Rome better then Ierusalem that we may imitate her morositie in her ceremonies and yet be ledd by a good spirit frons cum signo Dei pura saith Cyprian diabolt cotonam ferre not potuit no more will the water in Baptisme abide the Crosse which being an hereticall and Idolatrous rite of the forehead it is as badde as a pagane garlande about the forehead else is Tertullian much deceiued who in the very place affirmeth Non distat Haeresis ab Idololatria #Sect 4. That the signe of the Crosse defyleth the sanctitie of the Sabboth SEcondly Sect 4. Exod. 31.17 1. cor 10.17 the signe of the Crosse defileth the Sanctitie of the Sabboth both in the generall end thereof and also in the speciall worships which it performeth The generall durie of the Sabboth is to be a marke of outward difference betwene the Church and a Andr. Willer Controâ—e 9. quest 5. p. 1. p. 4â—â— other religions This doth appeare by the chaunge of the Sabbtoh day it selfe For did not the Apostles chaunge it from the last day of the weeke to the firste to make difference and distinction betweene the Christians and the Iewes even as b Bellarmi de effect Sacramen cap. 31. Iacob Ledesin de di vin c. ca. 24. Thomas Morton Apolog. p. 2. li. 1. c. 43 Ignarius in epist ad Philadelpâ—â— Decret p. 1 disti 30. c. 7 Decret p. 1. distinct 30 cap. 17. Augustin epist 86. Decret pa. 2. caus 26. q. 7. ca. 6. Epiphan heres 42. Caesar Baron Annal in an 146. Idem in ann 102. Concil Eliber ca. 26. Ignar Epist 1. Concil Nicen 1. in Concilior tom 1. pa. 352. Can. Apostol 8. Concil Carthag 4 can 89. Carol. Bouius in Clâ—ment li. 5. cap. 8. Epiphan haeres August haeres Nicephor li. 8. ca. 1â— Concil Laodicens Can. 29. Clement constitue lib. 7. ca. 24 34. August n 1 Epist 86. Carol. Bouius in Clement ibid. Tripartit histor lib. 6. ca. 4â— Bellarmine him selfe doeth tell vs the Iewes did faste on that day in contempt of it And when the Manichees fasted vpon this day saieth a Iesuite howbeit falselie for the Manichees sprange vpp longe after but when the Iewes in deed fasted vpon this day the Christians to bee vnlike vnto them appointed the contrarie Nefas est Sabbato ieiunare as speaketh Tertullian And that it were the Iewes which the Church heerein avoyded it is playne first by Ignatius wordes which allude to them Ieiunare in Sabbato est Christum occidere and then by the reason of after tymes which bendeth them selues in this custome against all Iewish contempt of this day Afterwarde the Manichees fasted vpon it and now to avoyde all likenes with them Qui ieiunaverit die Dominica sicut Manichaei anathema sit So Augustine affirmeth that since the tyme that the Manichees appointed that day for fastinge it is a fearfull and an horrible thing for the Christians to faste like them vpon it This conformitie was the more horrible the more earnest a man was in it as men nowe are eger in Crosse and Surplice in like manner to conforme with papistes Qui Dominico die studiose ieiunat non creditur esse Catholicus The like care had the primitiue Church to avoyde the Saterdayes faste because it did conforme with Marcion Qui Sabbato ieiunavit in odium Dei Creatoris omnium Before this faste of Marcions the Christians of the West did vse to faste vpon the Saterday after he once arose this faste was forbidden to a lay man vpon payne of excommunication to a Cleric vpon payne of deposition by the sixtiefifth Canon of the Apostles which was not devised till nowe euen in the iudgement of Baronius If they left an auncient faste when once heretiques did abuse it should not wee leaue an auncient Crosse nowe the papistes doe abuse it The like care we see taken to avoyde likenes with the Iewes in the celebration of their Passcouer or any other of their festiuities This being founde in one of the Epistles of Ignatius Si quis cum Iudaeis celebrat Pascha aut Symbola festiuitatis eorum recipit particeps est eorum qui Dominum occiderunt Apostolos eius The Councill of Nice did after appoint a diverse day vppon this reason There ought nothing to bee common betweene the Iewes and the Christians The Canons of the Apostles of Christ excommunicated him that folemnized his Easter vppon the fourteenth day of the moneth like to the Iewes and so doe the Councilles A contrarie day to make vnlike vnto the Iewes was thought to be fitt and convenient by all In so much that the Audaeani and Quartadecimani were censured for heretiques that did concurre in the same day with them When certaine Countries in the East did the like how did Constantine take on against them Further yet Doe the Iewes rest on a Saterday The Christian that doeth the like is excommunicate he may on the Saterday meditate there may bee an Assemblie vpon that day but hee that resteth vppon that day Iudaizeth and is not to be suffered We reade amongest Iulians policies for the subversion of Christianitie this to be one that he sett on the Iewes to sett vppe their Temple and the Sabboth service thereof partly to disgrace the Christian seruice which vsed not that outwarde splendencie in their ceremonies to please the eye and partly to grace the Ethnicke worship which concorded with the Iewish in sacrifizing and in diuerse other rites I adde this to the former that by the comparison of contrarietie it may the better appeare vnto vs howe necessarie a duetie it is to make our Sabboth a distinction betweene our selues and the panistes lett our Sabbothes our feastes and the rites and ceremonies of them be different and we trace the steppes of the primitiue Church and keepe our faith in puritie lett them bee like and then wee disgrace our Sister Churches that are reformed but grace the Antichristian Synagogue with whom we choose to concurre then to concorde with them As if a Crosse or a Surplice saye our Opposites were such matters of importance to breede concordance or concurrence Who must consider that wee doe concurre with papistes in holy-day “ Tertul. in Apolog. cap. 21. and in feastes themselues in singing chaunting and in church Musicke in Coapes in Cappes in fastes and I knowe not howe many things besides But speake wee of the Crosse alone and of the Surplice a Concil Laodicon Can 37. Concil Meldens cap. 73. Neque de victus exceptionibus neque
his eyes and sorrowed euen through the cloude of those mistes which haue ben cast to couer it #Sect 11. An answere to there proche of the Opposites which is that these who stand for Discipline are vnlearned NOw the first fogge is that they who stand for the Discipline the reforming of the Church are men of no worth There is not one learned man amongst them It is pittie a church should be troubled with them First this cannot be obiected without that suspition a Hieron cont Helâ—id arbitror te veritate convictum ad maledicta conuerti we are asses and fooles and not one learned man amongst vs which is indeed the auncient hissing of the serpent which gaue forth in like maner the Christians are no b Genebrad chron li. 3. in an 406. schollers they haue no learning in them which constrayned Hierome to write that booke of his de viris Illustribus What is this also but the newe language of Stapleton against D. Whitakers whom he calleth an Asse a clowne and a foole which our c Hireon vt slip Writers censure as inhumane and barbarous and fitter for women d And Wilter tâ—rrasâ—â—lon p. 1. pa. 22.23 as Hierome speaketh then for schollers especially when the adversarie is known able to make his parte good against such raylers as the churches of the Discipline haue euer bene and will be able against all Bishopps in the worlde Allen and Champion giue forth great wordes of the learning of their side debasing vs as hauing no learning at all amongst vs. This comparison would rather beseeme boyes in the schooles then Divines in the church saith one e D. Bils p. 1 pag. 5. of our Opposits and this vaunting of learning is fitt for phariseis vnfit for Christians Harding obiecteth to Iewell that he his side are men of no learning he f Iewell in epist ad Harding replyeth as we doe nowe take from vs what learning you liste we pleade for trueth and not for learning He is ouer well learned that bendeth his learning against God Secondly this cannot bee obiected without pride intollerable in men whom knowledge hath puffed vp euen as one of our Opposits proueth out of Salomon g D. Bils vb sup let another man praise thee not thine own mouth what that this pride is as the same most truly affirmeth the very iust reward of error what that it serueth for nothing but to raise irrision in all forraine protestant churches which are without the reach of that pearch whereon we clap our wings crow without coÌ„troulment what that it debaseth al forraine churches for they being all of our opinion we may here replie with Hieron h Hieron cont Vigilant si omnes tecuÌ„ fatui sunt sapiens quis esse poterit Howbeit the hurt of the church is the worst for what wil this coÌ„ceite of learning but ouerthrow al in the end as the beginnings shrewdly threaten which are these l Amand Polan in Dan 9 â—er 20. Doctrinam recte traditaÌ„ ab antecessoribus c. The doctrine that hath bene well deliuered by our predecessors hee meaneth Caluin and Beza they carpe cauil at by their censures and make it suspected alwaies seeking the trueth but neuer finding it they trauill with newe-found doctrines as if they were with childe lothing the olde and auncient doctrine which they haue learned who swel with so great a conceit of learning as that they thinke they are the only men that are wise and that other wander like shadowes in comparison of them to whom no man is learned enough whom no man satisfieth that they them selues might bee esteemed most learned who seeke not Disciples vnto Christ but to themselues Hence is it that so many scifines so many heresies haue inuaded the Church whereby as it were with a waightie burthen she is opprest Some hath rather bee Lutherans then Christians they that would seeme to bee the cheefe prelates of Evangelicall Religion what bookes set they forth and printe what broch they the purposes and proiectes of these men the more gratefull they are to Epicures to the enemies of pietie so much the more bitter and the more greuous be they to good men as they moue laughter to them so what can they wring from these but sobbes and sighings Thirdly minus est malum as m August cont Academic li. 3 cap. 8. Augustine saith esse indoctum quam indocilem as our Opposits are vnteachable wheras of vs it may be wel truly said we haue learning enough who haue learned the truth Nowe as long as wee match our Opposites in the knowledge of the word the vaunt of other learning is but the vaunt of a Gnosticke whose deepe learning is but the dept of Satan Apoc. 2.24 This I speake not against secular learning vnlesse it swerue from the wholesome word as doth the learning of our Opposites in the controuersies that are betweene vs. Hence it cometh that their learning is like n Decret p. 1. distinct 37. ca. 7. honnie very sweete and pleasing but vnholy for a sacrifice their knowledg like the o August quaest EuaÌ„ gelic lib. 2. cap. 33. Iansenius concor Euang. c. 94. huskes of pescodes sweetish in the mouth but swelling in the stomacke and not hauing power to feede like the bread that is in the fathers house their acutnes in reasoning last of all like the p Decret quo sup Cyniphes of Egypt their pompe of wordes like the Froggs of Egypt which serue for naught but to sting the mindes and to trouble the cares of men Famous r Zozomen hist lib. 7. cap. 6. Eunomies for eloquence learning and for sharpnes in disputing is against the Orthodoxe and they haue not any one amongst them all but is afraid of him what is this to the cause so s Theodor. histor li. 5. cap. 34. many good great and learned men are against Chrisostome as that Theodores standeth amazed and sinketh vnder the credit of them when hee commeth to write his storie was chrysostome therefore in the wrong his enemies in the right But the puritans haue ben euer ouercome t August Epist 174. Augustines Apologie in the very same reproch shall serue our turne facile est vt quisque Augustinum vincat videris vetrum veritate an clamore non est meum dicere nisi quia facile est vt quisque Augustinum vincat quanto magis vt vicisse videatur aut etsi non videatur vicisse dicatur facile est noli mieÌ„dore qâ—omâ—do vincatur Augustinus qualiscunque vnus homo sed attende potius vtrum vinci potest Veritas non bonum hominis est hominem vincere sed bonum est homini vt cum veritas viâ—cat volentem quiâ— malum est homini vt cum veritas vincat inuttam naâ—t ipsa vincat necesse est fiue negamen fiue confitentem Fourthly what though we be not so learned the moreâ—â— are
a necessitie thereof on them who haue given foorth sufficient shew of their vnwillingnes by their general disvse aforesaide in al of which as the ceremonies are advaunced too high so christian libertie is too lowe depressed As the proceeding of the ceremonies oppresse our libertie in regard of former disvse which the inferior hath shewed so also doeth he impeach the same in regarde of the present vse which the superior presseth This is a necessarie observation the fountaine and the grounde whereof doe shewe sufficiently what it is The fountaine of it is poperie To what ende should Canons be made say some if men should not be tyed to a necessitie of keeping of them Iuste so Bellarmine f Bellarmin de Pontifie lib. 4. ca. 17 actus indifferens si praecipiatur iam erit necessarius alioquin frustra praecipitur The ground from whence this fountaine issueth is an opinion that mans lawe doth binde the conscience euen as it appeareth by Bellarmine who being to speake of a necessitie of obseruation in the outward vse of ceremonies g Bellarmi de effect Sacrament cap 31. hoc dependet saith he ab alia quaestione Anleges ecclesiasticae obligent conscientias This fountaine thus flowing our of this grounde falleth into a marishe to speake with Ezechiel where standeth a poole of vnwholesome water which is this h Bellarmi controuers 5. li. 3. c. i 1 as Gods commandement maketh actions indifferent to be vertues his inhibitions to be sinnes so mens precepts doe likewise This blasphemie of theirs equaling the creature with the Creator how do our l D. Field vb sub cap. 34. writers handle which notwithstanding our Opposites must fortifie or else their whole tower will like to a Babell down to the ground For if the ceremonies be of necessarie observation and must absolutly be kept then must they become things absolutely good forasmuch as there is nothing to bee done necessarilie but that which is good and vertuous And as the papistes equall man with God so shall we by this our conceyt of a necessarie observation that which wee may see by m Gers de auferibili papae consideratio 8. Gerson who complayneth that men will haue their constitutions to bee observed aequali tenore with Gods lawes because they will haue them necessarilie kept Quemadmodum custodiri divinaÌ„ legem absque vlla variatione necesse est Sweeter waters are they farre which flowe from the sanctuarie of our home writers vpon these grounds The law of man is not infallible as Gods is ruleth not over the heart as Gods doth is not absolute and perfecte as Gods is cometh not from a supreme Lorde as Gods doth therefore there is due vnto it no certaine obedience no obedience in the heart at all no absolute obedience in the outward behaviour in the outward behaviour only such obedience is due to it as is proportionable to the right end of that subordinate power and authoritie to which the supreme Lord hath chosen him This being bonum commune which nothing hurteth but scandall onely and contempt it cometh to passe that extra casum contemptus scandali the observation of hamane lawe is left free to vs. This doe all our n D. Whitak controuers 1. quest 6. ca. 16. pa. 503 Sibrand Lubbert de Pap. Roman li. 8. cap. 8. Mat Sutcl lib. 4. cap. 7 Pran Iun. controuer 3. lib. 4. ca. 17. D. Willet controuers 9. qu. 8 pag. 2. c. writers testifie yea this whole churches confesse vnto vs yea this our owne church holdeth There be bookes lately set foorth saith the o Harmon confess sect 17. ex confess Saxon. 228. church of Saxonie full of labytinthes in quibus scribitur peccata esse mortalia violationes talium rituum extra casum scandali but the true consolation is the voyce of the Gospell which will haue a contrarie vnderstanding of our libertie to be knowne in the Church against this error An other church thus p Ibid. Augustan coÌ„fest p. 218. sentiendum est quod res adiaphorae extra casum scandali omitti possunt And againe q Ibid. pag. 224. contra libertatem nostram sancitam authoritate divina non est recipienda opinio vt violatio rerum mediarum extra casum scandali sit peccatum Yea r The trearise whether it bee mortall sinne to transgresse a ciuil law whole home treatises affirme asmuch yea our owne communion s Admonit de ceremo praefix leiturg booke yea some of the very papistes themselues as the Authour of summa t Sum. Sisuestrin in verb. inodience verb. neyligen Ier. 35 11. 2. act 15.19.3 1. cor 1â— 27 Angelica and as many as followe his way The apposition of examples I trust will not be tedious The Rechabites retire vnto Ierusalem when Nebuchadnezzar invadeth the lande so breaking the commaundement which their Father Ionadab gaue them against dwelling in any cittie and are guiltlesse because they break it on private occasion without contempt and a 2 Corinthian eateth an Idolothire breaking the Apostles decree and 3 sinneth not because he breaketh it without scandall But v Bellar. dâ— Pontifie lib. 4. ca. 17 Blandina thought it a sinne to breake their lawe against bloud euen in private where was no daunger of any scandall euen in secret did other Christians abstaine from bloud aswell as shee Our answere is shee with the rest abstained for daunger of w Fra. Iun. ibi nota â—0 future scandall which might haue followed They were charged by the pagans to spill the bloud of infants in secret if they had not euen in secret abstayned from bloude how could they haue contested openly as now they doe It is not likely that we should eate the bloud of infantes whose custome is to abstayne from the very bloud of beastes Spiridion doubted not to breake the order of the Church in Lent and to vse his christian libertie when without scandall it might be vsed For when his gueste said I can eate no flesh in Lent because I am a christian he replyed x Sozom. histor lib. 2. cap. 11. 2 Cor. 6.17 tanto minus recusare debes quia omnia munda mundis wee haue more cause to omit the Crosse then he his fishe he onely did it because he had none readie we because the Crosse is a meate vncleane It was the y Concill Gerunden Melden cap. 6. order of the church to baptize solemnly at no other time but at Easter and Pentecoste onlie so that z Leo de coÌ„secrat distinct 5. ca. vt Ieiuni Leo calleth it a rash presumption to baptize at any time else and a certaine a Concil Antisiodor Councell excommunicateth them that doe so and yet this order did not all men keepe some b Socrat. Histor lib. 5. cap. 22. wrote against it because by this meanes many dyed vnbaptized others c Chryso in Genes homil 40. Bafil in orat ad Bapt. Nazianze
sith hereby we build and edifie them vnto idolatrie and superstition many wayes First they drawe them to an approbation of their religion against which thus one of our b Iofias Simler in Exod. 20. fol. 85. writers etsi aliquis bonus vsus imaginum esse possit tamen propter illam horrendam idolomanian Pontificiorum ijs abstinendum esset Illi enim cum imagines vident in nostrorum templis nos secum convenire arbitrantur in earum cultu veneratione eas ad confessionem rapiunt Secondly whereas they would bee brought to doubt of their religion if it were throughly resisted by vs they nowe seeing it in part receaued even by their adversaries put themselues out of doubt against which our writers thus It is scandalum datum c Magdebu Contur 1. lib. 2. cap. 4 colum 450 quando iusta grauitas in ceremonijs adversus obstinatos non exercetur as Peter gaue scandall to the Iewes when hee conformed himselfe to their ceremonies because therby illorum prauam de illis opinionem fouebat Thirdly d P. Martyr loc commun clas 2. ca. 5. sect 25. were as the cheefe way to winne the papistes is to put them out of hope because man naturallie e Velleius Paterculus sequi de sinit quod assequi non potest the reducing of their Ceremonies hath caused the people not well resolved to say the rest will followe shortlie and the recusant what reason haue we to come to you seeing you so fast are comming to vs Fourthlie there is nothing that more hindereth the conversion of aliens then when there is an occasion giuen them to reioyce glorie boast as men that haue gotten the vpperhand as a cheefe matter which was obiected to Marcellinus was this f Caesat Baron anal tom 2. in Marcellin super te in illo die gloriabatur Imperator and the offence that is giuen by the strife of the Christians is this g Epist Synod Arime nens ad Constant Imperat. Concil tom 1. pa. 437. quae nunc ab istis nouantur fidelibus quidem incredulitatem infidelibus autem ferocitatem adferunt Doth not our strife nowe about these Ceremonies adferre ferocitatem to the papistes Thus Hierom. h Hieron commenta in Abdiam cap. 1. Quis haereticorum non despicit ecclesiasticos quis non exultat in malis corum Si qui in negationem corruerit videas illos exultare gaudere nostram ruinam suam putare victoriam Doth not the papist make himselfe glee to see the preachers that were before most zealous against him throwne downe into the depth of miserie that for no other cause but for their zeale against his reliques laugheth he not on the other side at their inconstancie who now conforme vnto his badges who would not weare before or beare the least cognizance of his Church as at a ruine of theirs a victorie of his owne Ambrose l Ambros 1 Cor. 10 saith that the very eating of a meate idolothious maketh the idolater gloriari to boast and vaunt m Gregor epist 41. ad Lean dr Gregorie will not vse the Trin-immersion when haeretiques vsed it ne morem nostrum se vicisse glorientur Our verie vse then of these rites dedicated to their idolatrie is sufficient to advaunce their spirits as if they had gotten the field against vs. To these and some other wayes of scandall which might be mentioned there are three things replyed The first is that the papists after this maner are scandalized with other things with our sainctes n Rhem. in annotat act 1. sect 7 holy-dayes with our bowing at the o Rhem in Phil sect 2 name of Iesus with our kneeling before p Mart. in reply art 10. images in glas-windowes with the lifting vp of our handes at Paules crosse with our bowing to the cloth of estate and seeing swearing is a kinde of adoration with our swearing on a book forasmuch as from hence they sucke advaÌ„tage for their idolatrie to sainctes to the name Iesus to images to crosses and for their swearing by creatures and yet all these may not be abolished For answere first if these ceremonies harden the papist then doth the vse of the Crosse much more which is with him the q Vaur Catechism grande hallower and consecrator of al holy things and actions Secondly if the former ceremonies which are not necessarie duties doe confirme him why should not we make riddance of them as well as other Churches haue especiallie bowing to the name Iesus which the most learned euen of our r D. Fulke answer to Rhem in Philip. 2. sect 2. D. Babington in Leuiâ—ie owne church condemne Thirdly our holding vp of hands when we pray at Paules Crosse and our bowing downe to the cloth of estate are necessarie duties and so not to bee abolished like Crosse and Surplice which are not necessarie euen as the Christians were not to leaue their reuerent not popishe bowing when they did curis Dei adge inculari as speaketh Tertullian although the pagans hence drewe a scandall that they did x Caesar Baron Anal. ann 211. Antistitis genitalia colere or their lifting vp of handes in prayer though by reason of it the Gentills accused them for adoring the cloudes as t D Fulke reioynd art 10 pag. 214 217. appeareth by Tertullian by a Poet of their own qui puras nubes caeli Numen adorant Secondly It is replyed to the scandall of the papistâ—â— that it maketh not the Ceremonies guiltie because it is acceptum by them who for that they are malitious are not to be regarded First they are erronious as wel as they are malitious so that to confirme them in their error were that inhumanitie in vs which layeth a stombling blocke in the way of the blinde who bath most neede to be ledde aright Leuit. 19.14 Deut. 17.18 They that were offended at Christe were as malicious of whome Bernard notwithstanding u Bernard in lib. de precept disputat magni peccatores sed tamen pusilli aestimatores beati essent si non scandalizati fuissent nunc vero quid nisi miseri sed tamen miserandi Secondly this confirming of the papistes is scandalum datum for that shewe where by we come neere him or flie not from him so farre as we should for we know that euen a shewe is scandalous as not only scriptures teach i Thes 5.22 Iud. 23. but also the auncientes with whom euen similitudo venerationis idoli is w Glossae in 1. Cor. 10. 8. whose tenent is x Thom. Aquin 2.2 quest 43. etiam species mali scandalum confecit and our y Magdebu Centur. 1. lib. 2. cap. 4. Col. 450. owne writers whose position is in generall the same with this tenent mentioned and in particular that we are to avoyde from all things that doe beare but a shewe z D. Fulke ag
to maintayne this axiome we must retayne some of the popish rites to winne them willeth vs to see what course Gregorie tooke with Nellitus This course we haue seene he c Beda histo li. 1. ca. 30. Gregor Epistol l. 9. in dict 4. epist 7. forbiddeth Nellitus to pull downe the idolatrous temples he commaundeth to lett their festivities alone he will haue their temples sanctified with altars holy-water and reliques of Saintes he adviseth that on their birth dayes of the Martyrs whose Reliques be there layde the people should sett vp greene bowers about the church and make holy banquets such as the heathen vsed to make in the feastes of their idolls See what a goodly popish course for winning we are sett to see Secondlie It is a duetie that there be a difference in rites and ceremonies betweene Gods Church and heretiques d Tertul. in Il. de cotoÌ„ milit Longum divortium sayth Tertullianus mandas Deus ab idolatria in nullo proximè agendum Draco etiam terrenus de longinquo hominis spiritâ—s absorbet c Bellarmin controvers 6. ca 4. de Monach. Bellarmine him selfe confesseth that the shaving of the head was forbidden to the Iewe in respect of the Gentiles least they should be like them which the reason of the text confirmeth for yee are an holy people to the Lord. Herevpon one f D. Willet controvers 6. q. 6. p. 2. It was vnlawfull because a superstitious rite of the Heathen which did not beseeme the people of God In regard hereof the onely lawfull course to winne is that which accordeth with this duetie and that is to roote out all hereticall rites and ceremonies idolatrous observations God is wisest now he ordayned an abolition of all the idolatrous rites of Canaan to winne the remnant of the Cananites which he foresawe would be reserved as the offspring of Rahab and of the Gibeonites and all other proselites that should come over to the Church And the Fathers of the Church giue like advise g August de verb. Dom. serm 6. Si quaeritis vnde vincantur Pagani sayth Augustin vnde illuminentur vnde ad salutem vocentur Deserite â—â—â—â—as solennitates ipsorum Deserite nugas eorum Et si non consentiunt veritati nostra saltem pudeat paucitatis suae The Councells also take like order For whereas h Concil Eliberti can 34. one of them forbiddeth Tapers at funeralls with such like this reason is rendered euen by a l Duâ—ant de rit li. 1. c. 4. sect 11. ca. 23. sect â—4 papist him selfe because the people of Spaine but newly converted were still distayned with some of their olde superstitious customes therefore this Councell forbiddeth many things ad extirpandas funditus tollendas Gentilium superstitiones quas novi Christiani in ijs Hispaniae locis tum retinebant But haue yee neuer read saye our Opposites that olde rites ceremonies haue been retayned in the Church for their sakes who would haue been alienated if they might not haue been permitted to vse them as they and their Forefathers had donne longe tyme before Yes we haue read and nowe allowe of a certaine tolleration of olde customes but that maketh nothing for our retayle of popishe ceremonies nowe controversed First a tolleration is an involuÌ„tarie permission against our wills it doth m Decret p. 2. caus 1 qu. 7. c. 18. quaedam tollerare quaedam amputare with the same vnwillingnes that a n Cap. 16. Pilote in a tempest saveth some of his wares and others of them he doth cast over bord and when o Ibid. caus 23. qu. 4. cap. 5. quod salvo pacis vinculo excludere non possumus equitate improbamus yea tolleration is with p August epist 64. greefe yea with lamentation as August q Idem de ciuit Deâ— lib. 18. lamented those coÌ„mon sinnes which he was constrayned to tollerat for that he could not redresse them Now what like to this in our retention of these ceremonies controversed Is it out of an vnwillingnes that our governours keepe in these ceremonies Is it not rather their will and pleasure and doe they disprove them equitate doe they not constrayne vs to approve them rather doe they greeue at them doe they not rather increase the greefe of them that doe greeue and bring lamentation on them and theirs who hartily lament to see the Church so pestered with them Secondly a tolleration of aliene rites is only a libertie to new converts which cannot well be wayned from them such as the decree gaue once to the Iewes r Decret p. â— distin 45. cap. 3. omnes festiuitates suas sicut hactenus tam ip si quam patres eorum per longa colentes tempora tenuerunt liberam habeant obseruandi colendique potestatem the reason is giuen by Augustine s August dâ— vtilitat â—eiun modestè vetusia vulnera pertractemus cauti simus ne inter manus medici deficiat qui curatur and by an other canon else where t Decret pa. 1. dinct 4. c. 6. Quia tali consuetudine averti non possunt ideo cum venia suo ingenio relinquendi sunt ne fortè peiores existant si à tali consuetudine prohibeantur what like to this againe in our retention of the ceremonies controversed Is it only a libertie to the rawe coÌ„verted papistes that desire them Is it not a necessitie rather throwne on the children of the church that haue been bread and brought vp in it yea on the Fathers of the church them selves that doe abhorre them and that to the vtter losse and impeachment of their owne christian libertie Thirdly a tolleration is onely ad diem ne u Augustin cont Parâ—nem lib. 3. cap. 1. eradicetur triticum not excusing either pigritiem corrigend or negligenti aÌ„ vindicandi after a long time and season when nowe a scandall may without hurt be done away and it worketh on men that are not firma radice w Decret p. 2. cans 35. qu. 3â— cap. 20. sollidati giving milke not meate vnto them ne bonum quod infirma adhuc radice plantatum erat erueretur sed aliquantulum firma retur vsque ad perfectionem custodiretur What like to this once more in our retention of these ceremonies controversed is it not after fortie yeeres preaching of the Gospell that they continue And hath there been no oportunitie found in so long tyme to roote them out And is not the tyme of our Churches infancie past as yet Is it not yet fit for meate so to laye this milke aside Fourthly tolleration is onely of those things x Ibid. caâ—â—â— 2. qu. 1. ca. 23. quae sola nocere non valent si caterorum confletintegritas illa magnopere praecavenda sunt in a tolleration quae recepi nisi manifesta decoloratione non possunt Againe Ea sinenda sunt quae nullo detrimento aliquoties indulgenda creduntur quae rerum temporumque
sacrificing Secondlie it is doubted whether Paules conformitie in the temple were lawfull or no. there be e Zanch. de vitilâ— extern cult opposit Thes 11. pa. 491 many that condemne it both of f Tertul. cont Marcion lib. 1. cap. 20. Hieron apist 89. old and of g Gualt in Act. 21. homil 138 Bullenger commen in Act. 11. vers 26. Magdebuâ—entur 1. li. 2. ca 10. de vit Paul newe writers and with verie great shewe of reason The Iewes were Zelo accensi towards the ceremonies of the lawe against these Paule hath preached elsewere and it is after twentie yeeres that the Gospell hath nowe been preached and God did not blesse it so that his conformitie strengthened the perverse zeale of the Iewes gaue occasion to them to thinke he was a dissembler and lastlie nourished them in their Iudaisme ouer long Receaue these reasons and then conformitie to our ceremonies controversed is likewise vnlawfull because we knowe it will harden the papist in his superstition open mens mouthes to report of vs as of turne-coates keepe our owne brethren in their poperie ouerlong and God will not blesse it in vs especiallie who cannot conforme without sinne against our consciences in his sight Thirdly though this conformitie of Paules were lawfull yet is it not able to iustifie vs because our case and his are divers in sundry respectes First this was counselled by Iames and performed by Paule vpon a supposall the Iewes were weake and as yet not well instructed in their libertie from the ceremonies of Moses lawe which error of theirs as h August epist 19. Augustine termeth it their charitie in part excused whereas the papistes haue been instructed against their idolatrie and superstition in these ceremonies and are growne obstinate in the same Paules cause here was the same that it was at Corinth when he tooke the vowe of the Nazarites to drawe on them who were though alreadie comming onward Ours is now against his then when he would not circumcize Titus to drowne them deeper in superstition who were drenched alreadie in it Secondly there is a difference in the tyme. Though the ceremonies of Moses were deprived of life yet the l Zanch vb sup 492. Willet controvers 6. quest 3. p. 1 time was not come that they were to be actuallie buried their funerall day being past to wit the day of the Temples m A mand Polan in Dan. 9. vers ruine for it was the rubble of the temple vnder which all the ceremonies of it lay healed and buried nowe Paule might not as he might before conforme him selfe to them nor in n August epist 19. Colum. 76 Augustines iudgement any man vse them because now tanquam sopitos cineres eruens non erit pius deductor baiulus corporis as Paule was here in his conformitie sed impius potius sepulturae violator Now the ceremonies coÌ„troversed comming not from heauen but from the lande of the vncircumcized we never owed to them any honorable burial which was due to these of the Iewes but the buriall rather of the vncircumcized which was to cast them to the Moules and to the backes Isa 2.20 1â— and to throwe them away like a menstruous cloth Isa 30.22 But if for a time they were to be kept to a solemne funerall day yet who knoweth not this funerall day ought to haue been long since hastened euen as our writers teache One of them thus o Gualt in hunc loc Act. 21 26. Docemur hinc quanto incommodent c. we are taught hereby how much hurt commeth to the Gospel by those superstitious patrones of ceremonies he speaketh of them who labour still to keepe rites popish aboue ground who nourish infirmitie of faith by their too long continuing of them sud indulgentid ardentioribus ministris remoras obijciunt So another vpon pretence of the peoples weaknes saith p Bucer in Math. 18. he they deferre the reforming of popish rites whereas it is nones weaknes indeed but their owne that doeth with-hold them Ceremonies saith q Laurenc Saund. Act Monument pag. 1494. another are ordayned for mans imperfection so that popish ceremonies retayned must needes both argue imperfection and also nourish it The papist must be healed like the Melancholie man who was to besmoothed vp a while to get credit with him when he thought his nose was great howbeit still to haue soothed him now when credit was gotten with him or when no credit was to be gotten at all this had been to haue nourished his conceyte as we nowe nourish the conceyt of the papistes in that we indeavour to please them still in the vse of these ceremonies now that we see there is no good to be done with them Thirdly betweene our and Paules conformitie there is a difference in regard of the place If Paule conforme him self to the ceremonies of the Iewes it is at Ierusalem where they haue not been r Ioh Caluin in Act. 21. vers 26 preached against or if preached against at all yet verie remisslie would he haue conformed him selfe at s Ioh. Reynold de Idololat lib. 1. cap. 4. sect 18. Antioch where he him self had preached against them to the strengthening of the Iewes in their error and to the discouradging of the Gentiles in their zeale it appeareth by his withstanding of Peters conformitie in that place that he would not which now is our case for asmuch as it is at Antioche that we must conforme our selues and in those very churches where they haue been disvsed where we our selues haue preached against them where the papist will be incouraged the christian cooled in his zeale against poperie Fourthly there is a difference in the ende For Paule was reported to bee an Apostata from the lawe and in his t August Zanch. doct willet vb suq prophanes to haue condemned aswell these rites as he condemned the idolatries of the Gentiles and it was to wipe away this scandall that he conformeth thereby to get audience to preach vnto them This ende of his we are onely to followe by conforming our selues to all good workes thereby to defeate the imputation of profanes and loose life which the papistes obiecte vnto vs. in conforming to the ceremonies we cannot followe it vnlesse our governours will haue vs shewe by our conformitie to these their badges that it is false we hate their religion and condemne it as idolatrous Fiftlie there is a difference in the subiect and the same double First the ceremonie in which Paule conformed him selfe was indifferent till the totall abolishing of all the rest whereas the crosse we hold to be evill which answere we hold by them who wheÌ„ a Nichodemite argueth I may be present at masse aswell as Paule in the temple give this u Zanch. vb sup pa. 492. Colum 2. replie The masse and popish service is evill but Paules vowe was indifferent Secondly the ceremonie to which Paule conformed
was a morall ceremonie to wit a ceremonie of thanksgiving it was none of them in which the Iewes placed then salvation in regard whereof it had not then w Ioh. Galuin in Act. 21. vers 16 Fran Iun. alibi been lawfull for him to haue gone to the brazeÌ„ altar to offer there an expiatorie sacrifice for his sinne that which we must doe now if we coÌ„forme our selues to the crosse For doe not the papistes hold him necessarie to salvation and expiatorie of veniall sinne and meritorious as hath been shewed elsewhere #Sect 15. The practise of the prime Church retayning Rites to winne them that were without and to content them that were lately converted confuted I Come to a third replie obiected against vs Sect. 15. drawne froÌ„ the example of the primitiue church which retayned rites to winne them that were without and to content them that were lately converted First the prime Church tooke not this course ordinarilie as hath been shewed and may further appeare by Constantine who first set vp the faith of Christ He would not retaine the auncinet Labarum which the Pagans were accustomed to adore as the papistes haue been accustomed we know to adore the crosse But he a Zozom Iâ— cap. 4. chaunged it into a crosse true because then nothing more proper to christian profession nothing more hated by the Pagans nothing more separating from the Gentiles to which ende he caused it to be b Nicepth or lib. 7. ca. 46 engrauen on their armour vt frequenti hoc spectaculo in c Zozom ibid. desuetudinem prislinae superstitionis venirent vt sensim d Nicap ibid ita pertraherentur ad Christi crucifixi religionem As the Labarum was then abolished because in former times adored by the Pagans so ought the signe of the crosse nowe which the papistes haue made an idoll And as the signe of Christianitie was settled in roome thereof to wit the crosse so nowe some contrarie signe to the crosse should rather be vsed then the signe of the crosse it selfe it being become the marke of the beast Antichristes ensigne From publique courses of 〈◊〉 first church come we to private A verie e Caesar Baton Annal. 〈◊〉 â—nâ— 256 papist him selfe will shewe vs that beâ—â—â— Constantines dayes the christians had a care to leaue of the verie mourning attier it selfe which the pagans vsed in funeralls and in their common garments wheâ— need so required to distinguish them selues by wearing blacke in those places where they wore white and by wearing white in those places where they wore blacke This duetie was not forgotten no not in the dayes of Innocentius the who coÌ„maunded a like distinction betweene the Christians and the Iewes to wit that the Christians should vse one kinde of f Concil Leteranen cap. 68. habit the Iewes an other and when the Iewes came ouer to the fayth that they should not be permitted to continue any of their old customes g Ibid. ca. 70 Quia scriptuÌ„ est maledictus homo qui terram duabus vijs ingreditur indui vestis non debet lino lanaque contexta Secondly when any olde custome of the pagans was retayned it stayed not long wherevpon h Bear Rhenan annoâ—at in Terâ—ul de Coâ—on milit one speaking of birth dayes after the heathenish manner kept hoc tames si ethnicum aliquando ecclesia tolerauit Concilium Nicenum sequentia aperte damnant opus a erat olim mulia Christiants indulgere quae plerumque iam senes ad nostram religionem convertebantur difficulter ea relinqueÌ„tes quibus per omnem vitam assueuerant secus est hodie Thirdly If the rites of the Pagans were continued in the church they did hurt to wit by corrupting the christians doctrine and by confirming the pagans in their idolatrie Here I feare not the wonted instance of the crosse it selfe retayned l Socrat. histor Eccles l. 5. c. 17. The Greeke T. which doeth beare some forme of the crosse was one of the hieroglificall letters which the Priestes of Serapis vsed and it signified in their mysteries vitam venturam life to come When Serapis was defaced this letter of his scaped better theÌ„ his fellowes because the christians changed and turned it into a crosse whose example why should we not followe say some now and so change the popish crosse into the crosse which our Church vseth First if this course of the christians be iustified it is because this hieroglificall letter retayned gaue testimonie of the christian faith like the m Iâ—â—â— altar at Althens which doeth the signe of the crosse now No it giveth witnes of the faith of Antichrist rather whose marke it is since become Secondly this course of borrowing a crosse from Pagans is by our writers often censured n D. Fulk ag Saund. de imag c. 13. p. 663. thus one The mysticall letter in the Temple of the Idoll Scrapis could haue no relation to the crosse of Christ which the idolaters knew not therefore the follie of those ecclesiasticall writers is bewrayed that thought christianitie much helped by such heathenish and superstitious fancies Thirdly as another o Calfh ag Mart. in art 5. fol. 129. writeth though the Crosse did good then amongest the Heathens that had before hande an high estimation of it and might in like case doe good againe yet amonge Christians where Christ crucified is dayly preached and ought to bee knowne without such externall meanes great follie it is to haue it And so farre of the scandall which the signe of the crosse giueth to the Papist #Sect 16. The second sort of men whom Cerem offend are Separistes of whom more regard ought to be had then of a Turke or Iewe. A Second sort of men abroad whom the ceremonies retained offend are these of the separation of whom we are to haue as great care as of a Turke or a Iew I trust we hate popish Lutheran images because they offend the Turkes the Iewes not remembring that the crosse and the rest of the ceremonies controversed do giue as much offence to those of the separation which doth more nearlie touch our church Thus one of our a Zanch de imag Thes 3. p. 315. writers Negare non potest c. It can not be denied but that the preseÌ„ce of images in the church doth partly offend the godlie partly confirme the wicked in their impietie as papistes Iewes Turkes howbeit in a diverse maner the papistes are confirmed by retention of images which without adoration are set vp in churches the Iewes and the Turkes they offend because our retayning of images in our churches is one of the chiefe impediments whereby they are detayned from being converted to our christian religion vt narrant omnes Translate this now to the ceremonies controversed and the case is all one for the image set vp ad decorum only may as lawfully be excused in the impediment which
which our l Morton Apolog. p. 2. lib. 2. cap. 2. owne Divines approve Howbeit Victor might better exact a conformitie to the observing of Eastet day then our Reverend Fathers may driue vs to these ceremonies controversed because being Idolatrous and Antichristian they are like to those heathenishe stage-playes to which when Christians are compelled it is esteemed a persecution which is thus complayned against Non m Concil Aphtican Can. 28. operiet quenquam Christianorum cogi ad haec speclacula maximè quia in his exercendis quae contra pracepia Dei sunt nulla persecutionis necessitas adhibenda est Fourthly wise men will consider in everie controversie which side it is that seeketh their owne Marc. 11.18 as it is easie to knowe the Priestes are the authours of the trouble betweene Christe and them because they stande for their owne gayne Act. 19.27 when they gainstande his purging the Temple That Demetrius with his companions were the bellowes of the sturre betweene Paule and him seeing it was for the vpholding of his Schrines that he contended and last of all Act. 19.27 That the Papists are the sturrers of the dissention that nowe is betweene them vs because it is for feare their waters will drye vp Apoc. 16.12.13 that like so many Babylonian frogges they crooke against the Gospell Now as for vs we are as litle profitable to our selves in our forbearance of conformitie as were the old Christians when they protested n Tertul. Apolog cap. 38. si oblectari nolumus nostri iniuria est si fortè nostra non vestra seeing we seeke for nothing else vnto our selues but a troublesome and paynfull ministerie forgiue vs this contention whom wronge we saue our selues vnlesse it be that our wrong and losse of delights redoundeth to the losse of the church Yes mary say our Opposites ye goe about to pull downe the church to begger the ministerie to which we replie with the auncient christians we are onely o Tertul. Ibid c. 43. infructuo si ijs quibus infructuosum esse maximus fructus est to wit to poÌ„pous Lords to nonresidents idell ministers to whom when we are most vnprofitable then are we most profitable to Gods church On the other side although we are loth to accuse any yet for the clearing of our selues we must desire indifferent men to take knowledge of those presumptions which make probable they be our Opposites in this controversie of whom we may most truelie complaine p Leo. epist 23. dum priuata causae religionis exercentur obtentu commissum est impietate paucorum quod vniversam EcclesiaÌ„ vulneravit Amongest these none so bitter against vs as they who before were with vs but nowe haue subscribed of many of which may it not besayde q Ibid. impijs subscriptionibus captivas manus dederunt quod nociturum statui suo scirent nisi imperata fecissent As for our Reverend Fathers whose wrath pursueth alwayes we onely applie to them these wordes of Cassander I will never denie sayeth he but that many Protestantes at the first were sturred vp with a pious desire to a sharpe reproofe of certayne manifest abuses and that the chief cause of this distraction of the Church r Georg. Cassaud consultac act 7. illis assignandam esse qui inani quodam faslu ecclesiasticae potestatis inflati rectè modestè admonentes superbè contempserunt repulerunt Therefore I thinke there is no hope leaft for peace in the Church vntill they bee begunne with all who first gaue cause of this distraction to witt that they qui ecclesiasticae gubernationi praesunt de nimio sue rigore aliquid remittant ecclesiae paci aliquid concedant multorum piorum votis ac monitis obsequentes manifestos abusus ad regulam divinarum literarum veteris Ecclesiae à qua deflexerunt corrigant Fiftly Is not this a fruite of strife and contention in our Opposites that they crosse vs so much the more the more that in all humilitie we sue and seeke for reformation of thinges amisse Exod. 5.10 even as it was contention in Egipt taske-maisters to growe the more heavie in their burthens the more that libertie was sought for And in the Ephesians to crie the more f Sigibert Anno 712. Great is Diana as now men crie Great is the crosse the more her idolatrie was oppugned When Philippicus at Constantinople to prevent idolatrie vnto Images scraped out the images of the Fathers of the sixt Councell that were in the portch of the church of Sophia Constantinus the Pope of purpose to spite him painteth theÌ„ vp in the church portch of Saint Peters at Rome To no other issue haue there sorted the humble petitions that haue been made for the remoovall of popish rites and ceremonies out of this church seeing our adversaries the more they see them wiped out by vs with the spounge of Gods worde the more haue they painted them with ill tempered colours that to the wiping out of the images of the Apostles which many an t Act. monu in histor eius Huss had painted gloriouslie before in the spirituall walles of his Bethlehem It it written of Iulius u Ioh. Sleidan comment lib. 6 the third that what he could finde or heare to bee most contrarie to the protestantes or if he knewe any thing that would greeue them most that he caused to be decreed in the Councel of Trent Our Reverend Fathers haue taken the like course against vs in all their courses especially of late and is no spirit of contention then within their bosomes When the Thabâ—rites of Boheme would haue the popish rites removed the Priestes popishlie addicted stroue so much the more to haue them retayned and because the Challice was chieflie pushed at they painted challices till one not vnfitly wrote vnderneath w Ioh. Dubranius histor Bohemic lib. 26 tot pingit calices Bohemorum terra per vrbes vt credas Bacchi numina sola coli Haue not the ceremonies in like maner been the more paynted preached commeÌ„ded pressed punished since here of late that their removall hath been sought for Sixtly who haue exceeded in this controversie they are the men that are contentious and they be our Opposites It was contention in Cynesias at Athens x P. Melane in respons ad Hamburgens festos dies contrarios populi consuetudini celebrare in Asiaticis sues mactare contrariuÌ„ anni initium constituere vt ostenderent prorsus se alienos esse ab Israelitis The like excesse was contentious in the Priscilionistes when they fasted on the Lords day y Leo epist 91. capit 4. vt per omnia essent à nostrae fidei vnitate discordes dies quae à nobis in laet itia habetur ab illis in afflictione ducatur in z August epist l. 86. ad Casialan Vrbicus when he coÌ„demned church-assemblies on
recompence the losse of so many worthie Preachers and what wisedome to vse a medicine worse then the disease Thirdly we are commaunded a contrarie meane which is easie and without any hurt yea to much good for cast this Ionas out of the shippe and what a calme will there presently followe In the controversie about Images at Constantinople Germanus purposing not to yeelde h Carol. Sigon do reg Ital. si ego sum Ionas sayeth he mittite me in mare and so resigned It seemeth he borrowed this out of Epiphanius who writing against Manes hath these wordes l Epiphan haerel 66. Nonne oportebat cum Iona dicere tollite me proijcite in mare propter me enim tempestas ista What then A man of Ionas spirit will not sticke to throwe into the Sea to gaine vnitie and peace vnto the Church I say not such tryfling wares as these Ceremonies are in strife but also their honours and dignities them selves they being the matters of that strife and contention which doeth so trouble it vnnecessarilie The wise and skilfull m Decret p. 2. c. 1. q. 7. cap. 16. Pilote tempestate vrgente quaedam exonerat vt caetera salva permaneant yea though the wares bee precious And shall we then cast out the Pilotes of the shippe them selues and all to spare the wares of Rome which are no lawfull Trafficque And when Christ commaundeth to pull out the verie eye to cutt off the verie hande it selfe that offendeth this course to spare the paring of an nayle or worse commaundeth to cutt off not the member that doeth offende but all the members yea principall members to witt the faithfull Preachers of the Gospell that are iustly offended by it Itane propter Consuetudines audes iubere vt pij viri qui alias sincerè docent eijciantur sayd n Herman HamelmaÌ„ de tradit p. 1. lib. 4. col 377. one to Cassander once And this is the first lawfull meane for the appeasing of our contention the remoovall of the ceremonies and subscription who are the make-bates of our Church But if this cannot bee obtayned then the next way to appease contention is that whiche is next vnto it to leaue these ceremonies as they are helde to be indifferent so to be vsed indifferentlie as everie man thinketh good The example heereof wee haue in Polycarpe and Anicetus Policrates and Victor who though they dissented in the controversie of Easter daye yet communicated one with another suffered all men to enioy their own iudgements and by this meanes o Sozora l. 7. c. 19. Nicephor lib. 12. cap. 31. sapienter extinxerunt hanc contentionem The verie same course was there taken for vnitie and concord by certaine Bishopps assembling together who made a Canon which they called p Socrat histor lib. 5. cap. 20. adiaphoron because it left the observation of Easter daye indifferent as men would them selues The long warre betweene the Greeke and the Latin Church howe was it comprimised at the last but by the same course the decree of the vnion running thus q concil Florentin sess vlt. Item in Azimo siue fermentato pane vnusquisque Domini corpus conficiat iuxta suae ecclesiae siue Occidentalis siue Orientalis morem Augustin speaking of a Satersdayes fast or Dinner hath these wordes r August epist 86. ad Casulan In his nihil mihi videtur tutius pacatiusque servari quam vt qui non manducat manducantem non spernat siue iudicet and speaking of a like matter he hath these s Idem epist 118. Si quis dixerit non quotidie accipiendam esse Eucharistiam alius affirmet quotidie faciat vnusquisque quod secundum fidem suam pie credit faciendum Hierome speaking of receaving the communion as it seemeth for private eating in a white linnen cloth t Hierom. in Apolog cont Iouâ—nian scio Romae saith he hanc esse consuetudinem vt fideles corpus Christi accipiant quod nec repraehendo nec probo vnusquisque enim in suo sensu abundat Gregorie speaking of the trim-immersion u Gregor Epistolar l. 1. epist 41 non est repraehensibile saith he infantem vel semel vel ter immergi Come we to the Crosse w Amalar. de Ecclesiast offic li. 3. cap. 24. Satius est signum Crucis semel fieri super panem vinum non tamen est abs re si bis fiat One thus of our English ceremonies x Alexand. Ales in proemio Leiturg Anglican sunt haec certe eiusmodi cuiusmodi sunt illa de quibus beatus Paulus iubet vt vnusquisque intellectu proprio abundare hoc est sine dubitatione sequi debeat suam sententiam This holdeth onely will some say in the private vse of things indifferent of which there is no Canon made As if these thinges forementioned were not all of them overruled by the custome of the church if they speake of a Canon inferring necessitie they must knowe there were no such Canons in auncient time christian libertie was more tendered in those dayes It was poperie that first brought in Canons of necessitie y Decret p. 1. distinc 4. cap. 6. Decretum necessitatem facit exhortatio autem liberam voluntatem excitat saith Gratian. Adde to him z Bellarm. Bellarmine aspersio aquae lustralis vtomnis traditio quae traditur in forma concilij non in forma praecepti libera dicitur We see by these whence Canons of necessitie came in rites and ceremonies to wit out of an opinion that the Church hath power in such matters to take away christian libertie This opinion who will say is not popish vnto the auncient times vnknowne One of our latest writers of reverend and of great account proveth out of Socrates that holy dayes were antiquitus liberi and that therefore a Tho. Morton Apolog p. 2. li. 2. cap. 9. non imponendam esse christinis vllam necessitatem to which he addeth of his owne quod non docet papale iugum videtur excutere A plaine testimonie that necessitie in rites taketh away libertie that antiquitus there was in rites a libertie permitted and no necessitie imposed Lastly that necessitie in rites is iugum papale neuer heard of the church til Antichrist began to vsurpe over the libertie of christian men #Sect 23. Conformitie in Ceremon ought not to hinder peace though with diversitie of Ceremonie AGainst this second meane of peace aunciently vsed there is coÌ„formitie now opposed which our Opposites hold so necessarie as that this libertie forespoken of can haue no place or hearing But if she might be suffered to speak shee would iustifie first that varietie of ceremonies no way impeacheth the vnitie of faith but sometimes adorneth it in which faith the true peace of the church consisteth So Irenaeus to a Euseb hist lib. 5. c. 23. Victor dissonantia ieiunia commendat vnitatem fidei which how b Lib. concord apud Conrad Schlusselb tom 13
came greatly short of them according to the beaten proverbe pauci filij p Clemens Alexand l. stromat in initio patribus similes Papias was one of Iohns hearers yet the error of the Chiliastes sprang from him He gaue cause of error saith the storie to many Ecclesiasticall men q Euseb histor l. 4. c. 36. quia ad eius antiquitatem respexerunt If it be not safe to beleeue an Apostles hearer for his antiquitie then much lesse the crosses Fathers who drewe neare to r Hieron Hieromes time when the church drewe neare to her lees and when the s Augu. epi. burthensomnes of the ceremonies made the estate of the Christians worse then that of the Iewes I am told that t Herman Hamelman de tradit col 460.461.50 Bugenholgius vpon Ionas collecteth the historie of the ceremonies shewing how they corrupted the church of God by litle litle even from the Apostles dayes that in the age of the crosses rising cōmon corruption was growne to some height To him accordeth one at u Calfh art 4. fol. 96. home I knowe right well that within the 200. yeeres after Christ there were crept into the church many idle ceremonies and the simplicitie of Christes ordinance was refused Each man as hee had eyther credit or authoritie presumed of him selfe to adde somewhat to Ch. his institution and the flesh delighting in her owne devises deliuered the same with as strait a charge as if Christ him self had taken order for it But see we some perticulars There began in this mixtage aboue mentioned the w Author l. de duplic Mattyr Ap. Cypri Rabban l. 1. c. 27. Dionis Ecclesiastic Hierar c. 2 exufflation of the baptized looking towards the West into the Divells face There began in this age the x Cypri epist 7. Ambros de Sacrā l. 1. c. 5. consecration of the Font with oyle and crosse There began in this age the y Cypri epi. Author de vnction Chrismat ap eund oyle in baptisme without the which none was thought to be well baptized There began in this age the reserving of the bread in the Sacrament the eating of it at home in private There began here about the a Cypri in epist ad Quintin exorcisme the b Tertul. de coron milit offering and praying for the dead z Tertul. ad vxor l. 2. c Idem cont Psychic Fasting on certayne dayes with opinion of necessitie and satisfaction The Bishoppes d Euseb hist l 7. c. 17. throne through the pride of Samosatenus and the seedes of e Otho Frifingens l. 4 c 5. Monkerie through the example of Paulus Thaebeus Anthony following proved they say the first Maister that gaue rules for that kinde of life So then amongest what weedes the crosse grew vp and in what a dounged soyle of many other superstitions so shall we admire the lesse to see him in f Rabban de institut cleric c. 27 Rabbanus dayes waited vpon with salt spittle tapers and divers such like of which the surplice it self is one Of this one writeth how it was lately brought in by the Pope primis temporibus g Walafrid Strab. de reb ecclesiastic c. 24. saith he communi vestimento induti missas agebant sicut hactenus quidem Orientalium facere perhibentur Stephanus a. constituit Sacerdotes Levitas vestibus sanctis in vsu quotidiano non vti nisi in Ecclesia tātum Statutum est in Ecclesia Bracarensi ne Sacerdos sine orario celebret missam addiderunt in vestibus sacris alij alia vel ad imitationem eorum quibus veteres vtebantur Sacerdotes vel ad mysticae significationis expressionem #Sect 9. The third Exception against the Antiquitie of the Crosse THE third exception which we haue against the antiquitie of the Crosse bendeth against the persons of them who either begott it or bred it or preferred it in the church Ptolomie is said to haue killed the workemen of the image of Diana or secretly to haue made them away that so the image might be esteemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an image that came downe from Iupiter In like maner the authours of the crosse and the first devisers of it haue ben concealed as much as might be that so it selfe might seeme to come from Christ Drawe we them out of their corners wherein they lye hidde will they be founde such as Vincentius Lyrinensis doth prescribe when he giveth the church this rule we must only depend vpon those Fathers which are knowme to haue continued evermore both in the fayth and in the communion of the Catholique Church Now the Fathers of the crosse cannot abide this tryall For the begetters of this signe were the Valentinian heretiques who a Epiphan herel wrested the same scriptures to it and gaue it the same effectiue power the papistes do nowe as these wordes doe witnesse b Irenae l. 1. c. 1. Ventilabrum illud Christi Crucem interpretatur esse quae scilicet consumit materialia omnia quemadmodum paleas ignis immundat autem eos qui salvantur sicut ventilabrum triticum Let nowe the patrones of the crosse goe and boast of the antiquitie of it who if they be not papistes must needes be ashamed to see their antiquitie ascribe such a power vnto it as they must condemne wrest those Scriptures for it which they must confute and send it out of such a wombe as the memorie whereof they must abhorre And in case they can harden their foreheades to all this good leaue haue they to confront their owne Fathers in the fayth who boldly c D. Fulke ag Bristo motiuc 46 p. 124. say and affirme that the Divell did in Valentinus as well sowe the seedes of Idolatrie to the Crosse as he sowed in Carpocrates the seede of idolatrie to images In the iugling of Marcus making the wine to shewe like bloud the seede of Transubstantiation and in Tacianus last of all the seede of popishe single life and of their superstitious abstayning from fleshe But whether this be so or no sure enough it is that this heretique was the firste that vsed this signe or made any d Idem cont Rhem. Luk 24. sect 5. account thereof because wee heare no newes at all of it vntill we come to him and his secte in any auncient or authenticall Writer even as our e D. Willet de cruc ar 3 D Fulke ag Saund. of imag c. 13. p. 625. and in reioynd ag Mart. art 1 137. art 4.161 art 5 177. Writers tell vs. Secondly as Valentinus begatt the Crosse so was it Montanus that firste gaue it credit among Christians not onely for common vse but also for religious in the Church as all our f Magdebu centur 3. c 10. in Tertul Herm◠Hamelmā de tradit in apēd ad p. 1. Ioh. Dearing in epi. ad Heb lect 2. Ioh. Crispin chronolo in Sever. Imper. W.
ceremonies pa. 89. Bishop Elmar ioyned Adiaphoristes and Satanistes togither pa. 110. The Bishops please the papistes well in their opposition to the Ministers pa. 112. they hold not now as heretofore they were wont their authoritie over their brethren from the Prince or at his pleasure but evē iure divino which Q. Elizabeth would neuer indure p. 115. they deprive unprison excōm micate even their fellow-labourers in the Gospell when they will not in every trifle condescend to their opinion ibid. their Authoritie it selfe is such as will divide and rent the church as lamentable experience sheweth pa. 117. In Bohemia and in Russia the Communion is given to Infantes pa. 122. The Booke of the Gospell is by some made a very Amulet pa. 131. Bowing to the name of Iesus is condemned by the most learned of our church pa. 62. The Brasen serpent cōmeth not neare to the crosse in fruitfulnes of idolatrie pa. 61. C. The Ceremonies in controversie to wit the Crosse the Surplice are pretended to be smal and are avouched with very small proofes and yet there is no small adoe about them pa. 1.2 they are not to be accoūted small why pa. 2. if they prevayle now they will triumph more then ever before ibid. the superstition of them is exceeding great and wil be much greater if they be any whit coūtenanced ibid. they were never established to continue but onely tolerated for a season pag. 3. they ought to bee done away by the Magistrate ibid. they growe more and more intollerable on men that are lesse able to brooke them pa. 4. their removall is looked for and there is no difficultie but in the continuing and perpetuating of them ibid. they make against faith and manners and are not to be tolerated in a church ibid. the scandall and superstition of them cannot dy or be healed so long as they liue and haue rest pa. 5. they haue no meanes to maintaine life but the plasters drugges and salves which the Bishops and their dependantes minister to them ibid. they are not onely to bee left languishing but their breath is to be stopt as being humane presumptions burthensome to the church disvsed of al churches of God save ours in natute variable vncōmaunded in the word nay cōtrarie to the word ibid. many parishes here at home haue disvsed thē with the good cōtentement of the people pa. 6. the doctrine would prosper better if it were purged of these weedes ibid. pa. 68. they harden papists p. 7. their religious vse is totally vnlawfull pag. 9. they are popish knives wherwith the simple hurt thē selves pa. 16. they inslave vs to Antichrist of whom they are borrowed bring vs vnder the yoke of bōdage p. 20. they make our religion inferior to Antichrists ibid. they impeach our christian libertie diverse waies pa. 21.22 they are the instruments of crueltie murther in Gods habitation pa. 41. the scādal of thē is not small pa. 59. they cannot be vsed in gods worship service but they must needs grow to be worships in estimatiō parts of his service p. 60. therby we scādalize the papists many waies p. 62 they are a manifest blemish to our Church pag. 67. they ar sacrilegious draw in much mischief pa. 68. they are Idolothyrs p. 69. they are as the bread of mourning nay as gal as wormwood to our soules pa. 70. they came not from heavē but frō the land of the vncircumcised are to be thrown away like a mēstruous cloth pa. 71. they hinder thē of the separat from ioyning in communion fellowship with vs pa. 73. they make the Ministers vnprofitable in the service of God of the church pa. 74. they drive out good Preachers so are within the censure of the Apostle pag. 77. they are vnwholesome to the soule pag. 78. they are Antichristes leaven pa. 79. they are fetcht from Rome and are too grosse a feeding for them that bee soule-sicke ibid. they hurt the Gospell many wayes ibid. they are a meane to reedifie poperie a roote of bitternes to defile many a stumpe of the popish tree remayning to make it reflourish againe pag. 80. they are the sinnewes of popery they breed discord and strife they keepe out turne out Preachers are verie scandalous in divers respectes ibid. they are trifling wares are to be cast into the Sea as being the occasion of much contention pa. 90. they are the wares of Rome no lawful traffique ibid. they robb many a worthy and able minister pa. 101.102 they defame our Church before the papist whose badges they are pa. 110. they disgrace vs before our brethren of the reformed churches ibid. they staine the principal members of our church making the very ancient vile ibid. whē Ceremonies cease to be profitable they are with out all sticking to be remooved pa. 6. The Christians haue of old bin slaundered to be dangerous to the state and all publike evills haue vsually bene throwne vpon their backes pag. 119. Christian libertie must be maintained pa. 7. Circumstances make things sometimes convenient and at other times inconvenient pa. 44 Conforming is a great deale more then tolerating pa. 50.51.67 The Conformitie of our Opposits edifieth the people to an vnholy kinde of obedience pa. 36 Conformitie with Pagans and Idolaters vnlawfull pa. 66. Conformitie to our ceremonies controversed is vnlawfull pa. 70. Contempt is not to be iudged of by a mans forbearing to doe a thing commanded but by his other cariage pa. 33.34 The Counsell of Laterane giveth power to the Pope to absolve subiectes from their fidelitie to their Princes pa. 41. The Crosse is not a thing indifferent pa. 8. it is an additiō to Baptisme pa. 19. it selleth vs to no litle servitude pa. 20. It is a meate vncleane pa. 32. It hath beene a guide like Judas of all the warres which the crawling frogges of the Dragons mouth haue at any time raised in the world pa. 41. It hath serued for an Absolons sactifice to grace conspiracies murtiners ibid. like a Saul it keepeth the clothes of the executioners of the martyrs p. 42. It hath shed much precious bloud which the earth will not cover ibid. not only the signe but the very name of it should be odious to vs ibid. It hath murthered many Ministers ibid. and pa. 43. it is an instrument of offence pa. 43. It is an harlot and stirreth vp popish lust pag. 56.140 it hath beene more idolized thē any of the popish images p. 60. It is a grand idoll of poperie sett vp in the midst of our Church whereas the very handmaides of it should not bee suffered so much as in the church-porch or belfray ibid. God hath accursed it to be a snare and so it hath prooved accordingly pa. 61. the soule of it being departed what maketh the dead carcase of it aboue ground amongst vs ibid. It is a grand hallower consecrator of all holy things
and actions pa. 62. It is to be abolished as well as other Images pa. 65. it must be forborne to avoid al shew of participatiō with the papistes in their superstitious idolatrous crossing pag. 69. it is the marke of the Beast Antic enseigne pa. 72. It giveth witnes of the faith of Antichrist whose marke it is pa. 73. The people are exceedinglie mad vpon it pa. 76.139 it is a monument of idolatrie a snare to infect the hart pa. 77. It is a lay mans booke which deserveth to be burnt ibid. it is an abhominable Idole an Idolothyte a monument of idolatrie p. 99. it hath no better ground then many other ceremo now disvsed by the papistes them selves and hath bene worse abused pa. 121. It holdeth his antiquitie by a very weak stringe pag. 126. it is no otherwise Apostolicall then the new porch which Herode erected was Solomons or the shooe of the Gibeonite auncient pa. 127. The age of it ibid. 134. the first devisers of it haue bin cōcealed as much as may be pa. 128. It is a badge of our faith taken from the blackest and grossest heretikes that ever were Q. pa. 1. It had a base beginning and grew from a custome to a ceremonie not only significant but also superstitious Q. p. 2. it is not onely a provoker to idolatrie but an Idol pa. 132. it is degenerated frō ancient vse and is not the same now which it was to the Fathers ibid. It was not known in the Apostles daies nor in the Primitive Church that next succeeded them pag. 133. it feedeth lust habituall and breedeth lust actuall Q. 4. p. 2. it is a Porter that lettch in and a Purveiour that carieth in the Temptations that doe nourish men in Idolatry and superstition ibid. it increased by litle and litle R. p. 1. it is a coale to heate and a fire to inflame lust ibid. the aereall signe of it must be throwne out of the Church vpon the same grounds that other Images are R. p. 2. and pa. 139. it beareth the habite of a harlot and sitteth in the very place where spirituall fornication was wont of old to be committed p. 140. it tempteth like the painting of a womans face ibi it hath in it the shew of a wanton dalliance pag. 141. it rubbeth vp the memory of Crosse-idolatry both by worde and deed ibid. It breedeth in the simple an imagination or rather an image of a superstitious crossing pag. 142. It is beautifull in the eies of such as are popishly addicted and hath no necessarie busines to be presented to them p. 143. The Crosse whereon Christ died was buried as was Moses body in an vnknowne place to prevent idolatrie pa. 133. the invention of it by Helene is a very counterfait ibid. There were no Crosses in England till Augustine the Monke brought in his silver crosse pa. 133. It is as vnfitt to make a Crosse a memorial of Christ as for a childe to make much of the halter or the gallowse wherewith his father was hanged Q. 4. pa. 1. A Crozier staffe in the handes of the Bishop is required by law as well as the crosse in Baptisme pa. 109. Customes though never so auncient if they be evill are to be altered pa. 6.7.32 D. Dedication of churches amongst the papists is ridiculous and nothing like to that in Constantines time pa. 132. The Disagreements of papists amōgst themselves are greater then the differences amongst vs pa. 88. No Dispensation is admittable against Gods law pa. 48. Diversitie of customes spring from the diversitie of mens wittes pa. 92. Doles at burialls are defiled in poperie yet because the custome is auncient and the vse civil not religious they are suffred with vs p. 121 The Donatistes hold that the church is pure without spot and without wrinkle in this life pa. 113. they hold that the Magistrate may not compel to godlines nor punish heretikes ibid. they separated from their communion all that were not of their opiniō evē in the least points pa. 115. E. Easter-dayes observation bred much controversie in the church pag. 82. The Eldership neither hath not challengeth to haue any power to depose Princes as it is impudently wickedly slaūdered by some p. 114 The Elevation amongest the papistes is absurdly defended by the ancient shewing of the bread and of the cup pa. 132. No Episcopall authoritie bindeth any Minister without the warrant of the word pa. 86. The Eucharist is not necessarie to infants neither is it nowe administred vnto them although that custome continued in the church about 600. yeeres pa. 121. The Exorcisme of Baptisme is disvsed though in former times it hath bene vniversally receyued pa. 131. F. Fasting was equall and alike at all times in the primitiue church pa. 126. The custome of not Fasting betwene Easter and Whitsontide is disvsed though auncient pa. 120. The aucient Fathers had their errors pag. 122. we are lesse tied to them in ceremonies thē in doctrine and to their practise lesse then to their iudgement ibid. The Fathers advaunced the crosse vppon a very slender ground Q. p. 2. they cannot be iustified in their speeches cōcerning it ibid. they are censured by our Writers for ascribing to it power against the Devill pa. 131. Feastes at the sepulchres of the dead were altered though very auncient pa. 7. Feaste-dayes of Sainctes are worthy to bee abolished and why pag. 34. The Forehead of a christian man must not in Baptisme be defiled with any signe devised by man pa. 100. The Formalistes breake more farre more profitable Canons then the silenced ministers pa. 117.118 they take shaftes out of the quiver of the papistes the Adiaphoristes to throwe them at their fellowes which can not hurt but with the venime wherewith the enemie himselfe hath dressed them pa. 120. G. Gedeons Ephod not to be suffered for feare of future danger pa. 79. H. Our Hatred against superstitious ceremonies must be shewed in outward appearance pa. 93. In Hieromes time the church drew neare to her lees the burthensomnes of the Ceremonies made the estate of the christians worse thē the state of the Iewes pa. 128. Holy daies were in auncient times left to mens libertie pa. 91. Holy water banished out of the church porch for the holynes that was put in it pa. 60. Our Homilies condemne Images in churches vpon diverse good grounds so by consequent our ceremonies pa. 137. R. p. 1. Hony and milke in Baptisme though they be as ancient as Tertullians time are abolished by the papistes themselves pa. 120. The Hugonotes were straungely transformed in Fraunce by the Fryers who made the people beleeve they were monsters with Asses cares and swines faces and the like so are the silenced Ministers amongst vs dealt withall at this day by their Opposites pag. 111. Humane lawes binde not the Conscience pa. 21.31 the observation of them is left free to vs out of the case of contempt and scandall pa. 31.
The Hussites that conformed in Boheme esteemed better of the papistes their of their syncere brethren pag. 120. I. All Idolatrous Rites and Ceremonies are to be rooted out pa. 66. Idolatrie cannot possible be separated from Church-Images but is an inseparable accident to them pa. 138. Iewells borrowed from Egypt proved at last matter for the making of a calfe pa. 19. The Jewes in Rome and in Franckforde are counted better then protestants pag. 119. The Iewish ceremonies were not presently to be left but were to stay till the Gospell was preached and the Iewes instructed to a leaving of them pa. 69. The time of their funerall was the time of the Tēples destruction after which they might not be vsed ibid. and pag. 71. Images in Churches offend the godly and confirme the wicked in their impietie pa. 73. Jmages had a base beginning Q. p. 2. they are to be put out of the church Q. p. 2. and R. p. 1. they are harlots and temptations to Idolatrie R. p. 1. they came into churches by degrees ibid. they are devises of man brought in through blinde zeale and devotion ibid. they are dangerous even to them that bee most wise pag. 139. their danger is vnavoydable pag. 140. The Imperfection of predecessours is by the successours to be perfected pa. 3. That which is Inexpedient and Jnconvenient is sinnefull pag. 44. Inexpediencie is of two sortes ibidem Inferiors haue libertie to examine the lawes and constitutions of their Superiours pag. 11. The Israelites are a plaine president of mans pronenes to Idolatrie and superstition pa. 76. K. The Kings of Judah were not blessed of God but when they purged the lande of Iurie from all ceremonies not prescribed by Moses lawe pag. 4. Kings haue not an vnlimited and Pope-like Authoritie pa. 113. 114. When Kings command that which is good Christ him selfe commaūdeth in them pa. 114 Kinges owe the same reverence and obedience to the Word and Sacramentes that every private man doeth pa. 114. The custome of not Kneeling in prayer betweene Easter and Whitsontide is disvsed though it be very auncient pa. 120. L. The Law of the lande punisheth not a bare omission of any parte of the service booke but only an obstinate kind of refusall of the forme thereof ioyned with contempt pa. 39. 109. To Leave Antiquitie vpon causes iustifiable was never deemed vnlawfull pa. 120. Our Leiturgie is more prest then the booke of God it selfe and the prayers thereof are so strictly observed as that they are in a maner turned into a Charme pa. 19. Lighting of tapers at the monumentes of Martyrs forbidden by a Councill pa. 78. M. The Magistrate must wholy abolish poperie pa. 2. The Magistrates commaundement doeth not take away from the Ceremonies the reall hurt and scandall of them but doeth rather much increase it pa. 26. The Magistrate hath no power to make Ceremonies lawfull to be vsed so long as they remaine scandalous and hurtfull ibid. The Magistrate and the Minister bee the Nurses of Gods people pa. 54. The godly Magistrate must drive away al Idolls vnd Images out of churches R. p. 1. Malitious persons are not to be scandalized by our doing of any thing that is vnnecessarie pa. 57. 63. The Ministers which conforme not are not refractarie but ready to obay in all things so farre forth as they may with a good conscience pap 34.35 they are deprived for disvsing Rites which all Churches except our owne haue banished pag. 39. they are called from preaching of the Gospell by the violence and iniustice of the Prelates pag. 48. they can no more be accused for troubling the Lande then might Elias or the Angell pag. 81. their Apologie ibid. and pa. 82. 83. c. 117.118 they are vniustly thrust from their Ministerie and from their flockes pag. 103. they are as farre from the iudgement and practise of Donatistes and Anabaptistes as their accusers pag. 113. Ministers iure divino are all equall succeede the Apostles all alike from whom they receiue like power not onely for preaching but for binding and loosing pa. 101. and 86. Ministring the Communion to Infantes was in former times vniversally observed as well as the crosse pa. 131. Mixture and medly of ceremonies is no way to make peace pa. 98. Monachisme is falsely fathered vpon Elias Elishah Iohn Baptist and the Apostles pag. 126. N. Names of Protestantes and Puritanes are names savouring of pernitious debate and division pa. 111. The Nativitie of our Lord was about the point of the Autumnall Equinoctiall pa. 121. Necessitie doeth sometimes so alter a fact as that it taketh away from it all reason of sinning pa. 49. Necessitie in rites was never heard of in the church till Antichrist began to vsurpe over the libertie of christian men pa. 91. Non-residents pompous lords and idle ministers are vnprofitable to Gods church pag. 83. O. The Occasion even of a passiue scandall must be removed by the Magistrate and disvsed by the Ministers especially if it be a monument of Idolatrie that hath beene is or is likelie to be abused superstitiouslie pa. 34. All Occasions of contentions which may lawfully bee taken away are to be remooved pag. 89. He that offendeth is faid to destroy because he doth that which is apt to destroy of which destruction would insue were not men by the Lord preserved which is no thankes to him that gweth scandall pa. 43. Bare Omission of anie thinge commaunded by the Magistrate is no contempt pag. 32. The Oath ex officio is against the lawe of nature the Civill and the Canon Lawe pag. 104. It maketh a breach vppon the order whiche God hath setled and appointed in his providence ibidem It fighteth directlie against Gods worde pag. 105. It maketh way to the Spanish Inquisition and offendeth against the contrarie iustice practised of olde ibidem It pervertech the duetie of a righteous Oath crosseth the law iustice of all nations times and Countries ibid. It is against the law of this lande pa. 107. the Oath to which the Adulteresse was put in Moses lawe maketh nothing for it pa. 106. Oyle was heretofore as vniversally vsed as the crosse pa. 131. P. Pagans Rites continued in the church corrupt the christians doctrine and confirme the Pagans in their idolatrie pa. 73. The Papist must be healed like the melancholike man pa. 71. The Papist is the right Puritane the reasons why pa. 112. The Patrones of the ceremonies are negligent in divers regardes pa. 55. Paul though he circumcised Timothy refused to circumcise Titus because hee saw it would breede scandall pa. 45. Paul was necessarilie to vse the Ceremonies of the Iewes to their edification till such time as the preaching of the Gospel had made their abolition manifest pa. 46. Paules conformitie in the Temple was helde of divers to haue bene not warrantable pa. 70. yet our case and his are very different p. 71. 72. The Pax of the papistes is very absurdly defended by the