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

imitation of the gesture of Sitting at the Celebration of this Communion then it doth to other circumstances of time places persons sexes and the like SECT XVII Our third Confutation of the Non-conformists concerning the intention of Christ is taken from the Non-conformists themselues by their owne confession of the libertie of Sitting You your selues multiply many Testimonies telling vs that M. Bullinger maketh it an indifferent thing whether the Church receiue it sitting or comming to the Table but the most agreeable to the Institution saith he is Sitting And M. Fox speaking of the Primitiue Church saith that the Communion was administred either sitting at Supper or else standing after Supper and in Eusebius Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria Anno 157. writeth of the manner of one that stood at the Communion-Table also Doctor Fulke affirmeth out of Gregory Nazianzen Anno 380. who saith of the Communion Table that it was set that men might come round about Lastly M. Iewell writeth that in Basil in his time euery man was bound to take the Communion standing This which you vse in your bookes as an Obiection against vs we make bold to returne as an euident Conuiction against your selues because now you cannot but see your feet in that stocks which is called a Dilemma For if that we as you haue said are bound to the gesture of Sitting by the example of Christ how commeth it to passe that you now allow of a bond of the Primitiue Church for the gesture of standing Can you so easily suffer standing to shoulder sitting out of his due place But if that you can so willingly admit of standing why were you already so instant in pressing vpon vs the necessitie of sitting or are you now so vehement in excluding all indifferency of kneeling Consider I pray you whether there be not the like Analogie betweene kneeling and sitting as there can be betweene sitting and standing This Argument we haue drawne as was said from your owne Obiection and so are you out-shot in your owne Bowe SECT XVIII Their third Accusation against the gesture of Kneeling at the receiuing of the holy Communion from the example of the Primitiue Church The Primitiue Churches for sundry hundred yeeres vsed to receiue it standing for Tert. who liued Anno 180 reporteth thus as the Custome of his time and Tradition receiued from the Apostles that it was vnlawfull to Kneele vpon the Lords day or vpon any other day betweene Easter and Pentecost and Anno 127. it was decreed in the Councell of Nice that none might pray kneeling vpon the Lords day the reason is commended out of the Canon Law because on this day is celebrated the ioyfull remembrance of the Lords resurrection Our Answer This Custome of the Primitiue Church in standing at the time of publike prayer for the testifying of their faith in the Article of the Resurrection was then held most requisite when as yet that Fundamentall Article of Christian faith was generally impugned and gain sayed by some Iewes by diuers Hereti●ks by all Pagans which occasioned the Primitiue Fathers in those ages to ordaine that all Christians for the better manifesting of euery mans professiō herein should vse that publike gesture of standing But afterwards when the faith of the resurrection had generally taken root in the hearts of men thē this Ceremony of standing in prayer did by little little vanish in some places together with the cause therof First then in this example of the Primitiue Church we see a gesture of standing as a Ceremony Ecclesiasticall Secondly the end thereof for a ioyfull remembrance of the Lords Resurrection which maketh the Ceremonie to be significant Thirdly that this was applyed to Gods publicke worship These considerations may serue for an ample Confutation of your former generall Positions wherby you condemned our Three Ceremonies to wit Surplice Crosse and Kneeling because forsooth they are Ceremonies of humaine inuention of mysticall signification and appropriated to the seruice of God Now therefore if you allow of the foresaid practise of the Primitiue Church why haue you formerly impugned it If you do not approue thereof why do you now obiect it But more of this hereafter Our second Inference needeth no dilatation which is briefly this that the example of the Primitiue Church in changing the gesture of Sitting into Standing doth demonstrate the liberty that the Church hath in altering and changing all such kind of Rytes SECT XIX Their fourth Accusation against the Gesture of Kneeling at the receiuing of the Sacrament is from the opinion of the necessity thereof as well by the learned as by the vnlearned 1. Of the vnlearned Many people in the Land thinke that this gesture of Kneeling is necessarie Our Answer The errour of the people if there be any such is to be imputed vnto two sorts of Ministers the one kinde are too idle or too ignorant that they either cannot or else care not to instruct their people in these points the other sort are too busie who falsly impose vpon the Church an erronious opinion of the necessity of these Ceremonies which she in their owne knowledge hath alwaies abhorred in the Romish Professors and disclaimed and renounced among her owne But it may be the principall errour is the iealousie of the Accusers who vse to suspect an errour in many in stead of a few or for ought that I know of any that holdeth this gestures as essentiall vnto the Communion SECT XX. Their taxation of the Learned Yea and the learned as it is in the Communion booke of King Edward the sixt say that the vse of kneeling is to auoide profanation Our Answer Are you then of opinion either that Sacraments cannot be prophaned or that the Church had not reason to preuent or auoide the prophanation of this Sacrament of the Eucharist If that the Sacraments were not subiect to profanation then should they not be Sacraments For Gods most glorious Name is subiect to mans blasphemy Mans holy life to infamy Godlines to scorne Truth to slander and all sacred things vnto the prophanenesse of godlesse men otherwise neither things could be said to be Sacred nor godlesse men profane As for the wisedome of our Church in this case she perceiuing the blasphemous mouthes of the Papists to vilifie the Sacrament of our Lord Iesus administred in our Church with the ignominious names of Bakers Bread Vintners Wine prophane Elements Ale-cakes and such like reproachfull termes did hold it fit that we by our outward reuerence in the manner of receiuing of the Eucharist might testifie our due estimation of such holy Rytes which are consecrated to so blessed an vse as is communion of the body and bloud of Christ and that thereby we might repell the staine and ignominie which such virulent and vnhallowed tongues did cast vpon them Be you contented by the way to be put in mind of your owne ignorance by confounding an Accidentall and an E●sentiall

A DEFENCE Of THE INNOCENCIE OF THE THREE CEREMONIES OF THE CHVRCH OF ENGLAND viz. The Surplice Crosse after Baptisme and Kneeling at the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament Diuided into two Parts In the former whereof the Generall Arguments vrged by the Non-conformists and in the second Part their Particular Accusations against these III. Ceremonies seuerally are answered and refuted 1. COR. 11.16 If any man seeme to be contentious we haue no such custome neither the Churches of God Published by Authoritie LONDON Imprinted for William Barret 1618. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE GEORGE MARQVIS OF BVCKINGHAM Viscount Villiers Baron of Whaddon Master of his Maiesties Horse Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter Gentleman of his Maiesties Bed-chamber and of his most honorable priuie Councell MY LO IT hath bene your happinesse to haue had that highest Nobilitie that can befall vnto the sons of men I speake not now of Nasci but of Renasci through Baptisme in this our most Orthodoxe and flourishing Church which alas now by the same obligation arising from the due respect of a child vnto the Mother may seeme to require your Lordships aide and assistance especially against two sorts of Aduersaries by whom she is although in a different degree vnworthily and vniustly impugned the one whereof are the Papists and the other the Non-conformists The Papists persecute her with all their engines of hate as if she were an execrable Apostate notwithstanding they themselues to instance but in two points first worship with diuine honor as the person of the Son of God that which in their opinion may but in the iudgement of all other Churches doth remaine still according as Theodoret 1200 yeares since in expresse words determined in forme figure substāce Bread which necessarily inferreth an high degree not only of a possible but euē of an infallible Idolatry And secōdly haue they of late added twelue new Articles of Beliefe vnto our Christian Creed with an opinion of equal necessity which kind of addition vnto the Christian Faith doth proue them notoriously heretical and liable vnto the Apostles curse who pronounceth an Anathema vpon either man or Angell that shall coine any new doctrine of that kind Concern̄ing the Non-conformist He although he doth owe his spirituall birth vnto the Church as wel as his natural vnto his Parents yet neuerthelesse doth he defame his Mothers religious worship infringe her wholsome libertie and contemne her iust authoritie thereby occasioning that horrid Schisme which is made by Separatists the dissected Sects and verie Acephalists of this present age Against the Papists I haue had many conflicts Now in this Treatise my purpose is principally to cōtend against the Non-conformists which being finished I thought my selfe bound to deuote the same vnto your Honour in testimonie of my due acknowledgment for your Lordshi●s sing●lar fauour and respect towards me and so much the rather haue I thus aduentured because the Treatise it selfe was first occasioned by your Lordship If therefore Right Honorable in that eminence of Fauour which you haue in the eyes of our most gracious Soueraigne you shall imitate his Maiesties admirable wisedome and zeale in the aduancing of This the true daughter of that primitiue Mother Church against whatsoeuer kind of Aduersaries She shall make you twice-honorable both in the eies of God and Man by blessing you with her prayers wishing vnto you Good lucke with your Honor and happie prosperitie for preseruing of her Peace whereunto according to my especiall dutie I resound an answerable Eccho beseeching God to prosper your Lordship and to accomplish you especially with all his spirituall blessings in heauenly things and to preserue you to the glorie of his sauing Grace Your Honours in all humble acknowledgement Tho. Cestren An Epistle to the Non-conformists to re●●ce them from their Superstitions and Scandals against the Church IF you my brethren or any others shall maruell why I impute Superstition vnto you I may thinke that either they know not you or that you are not rightly acquainted with your selues because as there is a Superstition affirmatiue by an Idolatrous Touching tasting and handling of things that are held to be sacred so is there likewise which cannot be denied a Negatiue Superstition condemned by the Apostle which in regard of things that were falsly iudged vnholy and profane did prohibite saying Touch not taste not handle not Wherein notwithstanding not the act of Abstaining but obserue I pray you the erroneous opinion in forbearing and forbidding such things was the formall cause of Superstition Whereunto how farre you may be thought to symbolize by your Negatiue opinions concerning these your prohibitiōs Knele not crosse not weare not c. this Treatise doth fully discusse and determine But you thinke it sufficient to haue produced M. Caluin B. Iewel M. Bucer P. Martyr Beza Zanchy Chemnitius Danaeus and other the best accomplished Diuines as Aduocates to pleade your Cause It is wel if you shall be as well contented that according as Festus knowing S. Paul to haue appealed vnto Caesar did reasonably resolue saying Vnto Caesar shalt thou go I likewise vpon your allegations of such reuerend and iudicious Authors may challenge you to stand vnto the Testimonies of your owne Witnesses by whom you may easily vnderstand that the most of your Negatiue Opinions are so many Superstitions We haue receiued from you these Opinions concerning Ceremonies 1. No Ceremonie without speciall warrant from the word 2. No appropriation of any humane Ceremonie vnto Gods worship 3. No signification mysticall in any such 4. No vse of any such Ceremonie which hath bene once superstitiously abused 5. No bodily gesture in token of reuerence at the receiuing of the Lords Supper is lawfull Be you likewise pleased to take a view of the Testimonies of your owne Witnesses condemning your former assertions The first thus The Sadduces did reiect all maner of Traditions which had not bene deliuered by Moses like as do the Anabaptists and Libertines of these dayes who are notwithstanding confuted by the example of Christ in his obseruing of the feast of Tabernacles which was ordained by Iudas Machabaeus But the Papists like the old Pharises are in another extreame Besides to challenge a speciall prescription for all Ceremonies out of the word Is contrary to the wisedome of Christ and To Christian libertie The second of Not appropriating c. thus It infringeth The libertie of the Church The third against Mysticall signification thus To denie Symbolicall Ceremonies is a morositie in so much that the Papists are to be reproued for their dumbe and non-significant Ceremonies But these as Significatiue are lawful although not as operatiue yea Significant are profitable for admonition and for testification of our duties Finally the denying of this power to the Church is a Depriuing her of her Christian libertie The fourth of Abolishing of all Ceremonious vse of

to conclude from the lawfull vse of Ceremonies in our Church to an appropriation of the Romish abuse of them gaue me iust cause to call your Consequence vnconscionable for as much as your owne hearts can tell you that our Church is not so earnest to entertaine the vse of any one Ceremony formerly obserued in the Church of Rome as it is zealous to abhorre her superstition in all her abuses some of them being Brutish and Sencelesse some Childish and ridiculous some Heathenish and Idolatrous wherby such their Ceremonies respectiuely are become to be most properly Popish Thirdly you argue that if these viz. Surplice Crosse Kneeling at the receiuing of the Communion be iustly vsed then there is a iust cause that these to wit Oyle Spittle Images and the Priests sprinkling of water may likewise be had in vse because all are equally for Remembrance We confesse that Spittle was vsed by our Sauiour Christ in the healing of the Dumbe and Oyle by the Apostles in curing of many other diseases yet both miraculously but to imitate the worke of a Miracle without the Miraculous power is but an Apish 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for to hold such a miraculous Ceremony after the vertue be gone is but to preserue a Carcase because it had beene once possessed of a soule We come to your other Instances in the vse of Images and that which they call Holy-water to the end that you may the better discerne your owne iniurious and odious comparison For first the true vse of Images with vs is onely for Historicall commemoration but in the Popish Church it is for a superstitious adoration by kneeling vnto them praying by them and by determinating a kinde of religious worship in them and therefore onely in regard of such their superstition is to bee called Popish The second which is their sprinkling of water vpon the people for remembrance of their Baptisme if it were applyed onely for to make them often mindfull and careful to keep their Vow of Christianity made once vnto God in Baptisme it might be called a Morall Ceremony and Christian But that sprinkling of water as it is vsed in the Romish Church not onely as significatiue but also as operatiue with an opinion that it hath power both of purging veniall sinnes and of driuing away deuils is in that regard also Popish execrable For what is this else but to take vpon her to constitute a new Sacrament seeing that a Sacrament is a signe of representing and of exhibiting and conferring of a spirituall Grace Shee therefore who hath made the profession of the definite number of but Seuen Sacraments an Article of Faith hath by this new inuention of Holy-water made vp Eight I may not pretermit a Witnesse who hath made you an answer long since vnto this Obiection which notwithstanding you regest againe as if this Cole-woort had neuer bene sod before The Authour is Peter Martyr Neque mihi dixeris c. Neither may you say vnto mee saith Peter Martyr speaking of the vse of the Surplice there shall be now a gap open for all abuses to water sprinkled by the Priests Incense and infinite such other abuses because your Aduersaries will answer you that there must a meane be kept that the Church of God be not burthened with these kind of things and that no worship or efficacie of Religion be placed in them as we see there is in that water-sprinkling and Incense c. So he And do you not furthermore see by happy experience that Open gappe of many Ceremonis whereof you spake to be now through the wisedome and prouidence of our Church quite shut vp seeing that she is contented to admit of so few and no more Lastly you can with as little reason diuest a Church Christian of her liberty and power of ordaining of significant Ceremonies because it is possible that she may abuse that power by instituting vnfit superstitious and burthensome Rites as it were to seeke to depriue a Ciuill Magistrate of all power of Nomotheticall authority in making of lawes because there is a possibility he may abuse them Thus much in answer to your Generall Proposition SECT VIII The Assumption of the Non-conformists But these Ceremonies in question are ordained by the will of men to teach some spirituall dutie by their mysticall signification for thus the booke of Common Prayer speaketh of them that they are neither dumbe nor darke but apt to stirre vp the dull mind of man to the remembrance of this duty to God by some speciall signification Our Answer Will you still oppugne Ceremonious signes which are mystically significant euen because they are significant is a mans speech lesse reasonable because it hath sence or is it therefore ill for that the signification thereof is good Yet this is in effect your exception against our Ceremonies Wee therefore remit you to your owne witnesses with whom you may contend some whereof will bee found to condemne the Papists for vsing of Dumbe Ceremonies without significations and darke beyond mens capacities some to admit of Symbolicall Ceremonies as incitements to the better performance of spirituall good things and some also to approoue of signes and remembrances of spirituall Duties But if you would be loath to wrastle with so learned Diuines then wee send you to expostulate with your owne selues who confesse in the end that you are not altogether destitute of some such like Symbolicall significations Finally I shall not need in this place to set before you those Mysticall Ceremonies which are to be exemplified from diuers Instances in Patriarches before the Law holy men vnder the Law Apostles in the New Testament after them in the state of primitiue Antiquity And lastly in the whole current of succeeding times SECT IX Our generall Confutation of the generall Argument of the Non-conformists by proouing the lawfulnesse of Ceremonies which are of morall Signification yB 1. Scriptures 2. Fathers 3. Reason 4. Witnesses of the Non-conformists themselues 5. Their owne practise Our proofe by Scriptures Of Examples taken from Scriptures some are before the Law some in the time of the Law and some after the Law in and about the time of the Apostles Examples of significant Ceremonies before the Law in Abraham Abraham commanded his seruant that hee might haue security of his faithfulnesse in a businesse of importance to wit for the prouiding of a match for his sonne to lay his hand vnder his thigh sweare vnto him c. What one point is there in their generall proposition which is not fully satisfied by this Example Your first point is that our Ceremonies are humane So heere the laying of his hand vnder Abrahams thigh was humane if by Humane you vnderstand that which a godly man deuiseth by his own reasonable Iudgement For Abraham appointed the foresaid Ceremonie without any speciall reuelation from God so farre as by Scripture is reuealed vnto vs. The second point is that the Ceremony