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A07316 A nevv eight-fold probation of the Church of Englands divine constitution prooved by many pregnant arguments, to be much more complete then any Geneuian in the world against the contrary assertion of the fifty three petitioner-preachers of Scotland in their petition presented in the later Parliament to the Kings most excellent Maiesty. With a ten-folde probation of the same churches doctrine touching one of the most important points of our creede, which is of our sauiours descending into Hell. By Iames Maxvvell. Master of Artes, &c. Maxwell, James, b. 1581. 1617 (1617) STC 17704; ESTC S103373 82,870 119

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with their hands in dishonour of Christ yea more for an instrument of his destruction Almightie God hath made it the in strument of their highest honour and happiest condition euen of their saluation and therefore the outward expression of this confession by a gesture Mat. 28 18 19 externall act or signe of the hands must needs be Christian and commendable Fourthly our Sauiour Christ commanding to teach and baptize both Iewes and Gentiles commandeth questionlesse to expresse and declare the nature and vse of Baptisme and consequently commandeth to vse the signe of the crosse for this ceremonie serueth to declare the nature and vse of this Sacrament in that thereby wee are baptized into the death of Christ vpon the crosse and that our olde man is crucified with him and euen nailed to his crosse as the Apostle speaketh saying Rom. 6.4 5 6 7 8 Philip. 2.8 Coloss 2.12 Galat. 2 19 5 24. Know ye not that all we which haue bin baptized into Iesus Christ haue beene baptized into his death we are buried then with him by Baptisme into his death that like as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glory of the father so wee also should walke in newnesse of life For if wee be planted with him to the similitude of his death euen so shall wee bee to the simi-litude of his resurrection knowing this that our olde man is crucified with him that the body of sinne might bee destroyed Whereby wee are taught that in Baptisme their must bee a three-folde similitude or representation to wit of Christs dying burying and rising bodily and of our dying burying and rising spiritually with him Now I aske what similitude there is in Baptisme of Christs ignominous death vpon the crosse or of his bodily crucifying and of the spirituall crucifying of our old man with him setting aside the signe of the crosse The sprinkling on of the water doth represent only a shedding of his blood but not necessarily a shedding of it vntill death for Christ might haue shed his blood without dying And as for the immersion or dipping of the baptized body into the water it doth represent his burying directly like as the emersion or rising of the body out of the water representeth his rising out of the graue but it doth not directly represent his dying and though it doth by way of consequence represent his death in respect that ordinarily none are buried but the dead yet it doth not for all that set before our eyes the kinde of his death nor yet the accursed and ignominious manner thereof which are two circumstances of especiall moment and consideration For our Sauiours death was not a natural death for he died not in his bed as we say and so was buried but the death that hee died was a violent death and wrought by the hand of man Neither was it an easie or an honest violent death but the most painefull and shamefull of all other and euen an accursed death as both in the law and in the Epistle of the Gospell wee are taught all which circumstances are represented and set before our eyes only by this ceremonie of the signe of the crosse Deut. 2.23 Gal. 3.13 Fifthly if it be lawfull for a Minister to expresse the mysteries and meaning of the Scripture of God by a Sermon as euery one will grant that it is then shall it bee as lawfull to expresse the mysteries of Gods Sacrament by a ceremonie for there is the like reason for the one and for the other For seeing the Sacrament of God aswell as the word of God hath something to bee explicated and declared and that the best explication and declaration is made by things of the like nature it followeth that as the audible word is explicated and declared by a sermon and by words to the eare so the visible Sacrament being a ceremonie is to be explicated and declared by a ceremonie to the eye such as is the signe of the crosse hee that addeth vnto word or Sacrament for perfection is a blasphemer and a deceiuer but hee that addeth vnto word or Sacrament either other words and rites for explanation and declaration is a true Doctor Sixtly by this signe the Church doth confesse her owne miserie and wretchednesse in that wee did euen crucifie Christ with our sinful hands by our sinnes as much as the Iewes did that set vp the crosse with their vnhallowed hands this confession is lawfull and good and therefore the declaration of it by a sensible signe can not be vnlawfvll or euill Seauenthly Galat. 3.13 Ephes 2.14.15 16 17 by this signe the Church confesseth her faith in Christ crucified that hee hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law by the curse of his crosse and reconciled vs vnto God by the blessed peace of his crosse as the Apostle speaketh this confession is Christian and therefore the declaration thereof by a sensible signe externall act or gesture of the bodie cannot bee Antichristian as our Geneuians would haue vs to beleeue Eightly by this signe the Church declaclareth her Christian disposition and resolution of fighting vnder the banner of Christ against sinne and Sathan and of suffering persecution for the crosse of Christ as the Apostle speaketh shee declareth her Christian endeauour in crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof Galat. 5.24 6 12 14 and testifieth her faithfull affection in not being ashamed of the crosse of Christ but that shee glorieth and reioyceth in it according to that of the Apostle God forbid that I should reioyce Mat. 26.39 Mark 14.35 Act. 7.60 9.40 20.36 Ephes 3.14 Luk. 18.13 Mat. 14.19 Ioh. 11.41 17.1 1. Tim. 2.8 1. Cor. 11.4 but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ whereby the world is crucified vnto mee and I vnto the world This disposition resolution endeuour and affection is most commendable and Christian● and therefore the testification declaration or notification thereof must needs be so likewise For if it be lawfull and laudable for the Church to declare the inward humilitie of the heart by the outward bowing of the body or knees and the casting downe of the eyes the inward sorrow of the soule for sinne by an externall beating of the breast the inward confidence or affiance in God in expecting at his hands euery good thing by the visible lifting vp of the hands and eyes vnto heauen and finally the internall reuerence of the heart by an externall bare head why may not the same Church aswell declare the inward reioycing and glorying of the heart in the crosse of Christ by such a sensible signe made with the hands especially it being made with the hands of the Minister who is the likest to vse it aright and the best able to free it from abuse Ninethly the Church may and ought to vse that outward act which the Spirit of God himselfe doth designe Eze. 9.4 5 6. Reuel 7.1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8. for the expressing of his owne inward action but the Spirit of God doth designe the outward act of signing for the expressing of his owne inward action of spirituall sealing as both Ezekiel in the olde Testament and Saint Iohn in the new doe witnesse and therefore the Church may and ought to vse the same outward act of signing Tenthly the Church is bound to declare and notifie the grace of Gods Spirit working in men and euen to make men as sensible of the workes of Gods Spirit in them as they can conueniently now it is one of the workes of Gods Spirit and a chiefe worke too to seale men in their soules inwardly and to stampe them as it were with the print of his Image vnto the day of redemption 2. Cor. 1.22 5.5 Ephes 1.13 4.30 as the Apostle speaketh and therefore for the Church to make men sensible of this internall and mysticall sealing of Gods Spirit by the meanes of such a conuenient and decent sensible signe as that of the Crosse though there were no particular mention at all made in the whole Scripture of any such externall gesture or act of signing on the fore-head must needes be lawful and commendable Eleuenthly by this Signe the Church putteth her children in minde of their owne miserie and of Gods mercy of Christs loue towards them and of their duty and affection towards him for his vnspeakeable loue and therefore it tendeth to edification Twelfthly this ceremonie was receiued and practised of the primitiue Church neither is there any ecclesiasticall writer or Father Greeke or Latine but maketh honourable mention of it as we shall shew particularly in our Commentaries of the persecution and peace of the Church and therefore we ought to vse it now if it were no more but to shew our conformitie with the primitiue Church for the daughter ought to follow the footesteps of her mother in all lawfull and commendable actions and ought not to depart from her otherwise shee shall both dishonour her mother and discredit her selfe And questionlesse the want of this primitiue ceremonie and others the like in some reformed Churches hath brought a most dangerous discredite vpon the reformation and made it obnoxious vnto the suspition and odious imputation of the same noueltie in the very substance which it carrieth amongst them in the out side circumstance And therfore those venerable Bishops that reformed the Church of England considering wisely with themselues how that men are so apt to censure of the inside by the outside especially in Church matters and to iudge of doctrine and pietie by the externall discipline and ceremonie retained stil the primitiue discipline and auncient ceremonies of that Church but banished the abuses And would to God the Church of Geneua had done the like for so our common aduersaries should not haue had so good and iust cause as they haue to hit them in the teeth with their noueltie as though their Church had newly crept or leapt out of the Leman nian lake or had beene conceiued of Caluin and borne of Beza Thirtenthly and lastly the enemies of the signe of the crosse can not bring so much as one good authoritie or probable argument for their opinion not the letter of the Scripture for they see that the letter fauoureth it both in the olde Testament and new not the sense of the Scripture as it hath beene deliuered by the fathers of the Church for they know that they are all for it and as for reasons deriued from the light of nature or Scripture from Theologie or Philosophie Diuinitie or humanitie they can bring none worth the hearing for I haue read diligently their bookes and was once a Puritane my selfe except it bee this one The Church of Rome hath abused the signe of the crosse and therefore the reformed Church ought to forbeare it least wee should seeme to fauour or follow their abuses But I wonder but they should remember better that olde maxime abusus non tollit vsum some folkes abusing of a thing doth not hinder or let but that others may vse it aright And doe they not thinke that the Church of Rome doth abuse praying and preaching and Churches and pulpits and kneeling and Godfathers and Godmothers aswell as crossing and yet we doe not forbeare these things because of their abuse neither is there any reason why we should doe so but rather great reason to the contrary The Church of Rome doth abuse ceremonies therfore the reformed Church ought to vse them aright to the end that in so doing shee may both show her selfe like and conforme vnto her Mother the Primitiue Church and by her good example doe what shee can out of Christian charity to reforme and amend her straying sister the deformed Romish Church And so I end this my plaine disputation for the signe of the crosse in Baptisme beseeching my countrymen to take it in good part euen for his sake that suffered vpon the Crosse The Church of England more heauen like for honour of the Ministery Sect. 21. Eightly the Church of England is liker then the Geneuian to the heauenly Church in the dignitie and honourable estate of the Ministerie In heauen Gods Ministers are honoured with the holiest stile of Priests and with the highest stile of Princes for as vnder the highest of Priests they are Priests so vnder the highest of Princes they are Princes And therefore we reade in the Reuelation how that blessed Saint Iohn calleth the Bishops of the seauen Churches by the honourable stiles of Kings and Angels Reuel a. 1.4 5 6 2. 3. 5.3 9 10 12 13 14 7 10 12 8 3.4 and the foure and twentie Elders doe magnifie the Lambe for making them vnto God Kings and Priests to raigne or rule vpon the earth Answerably whereunto in the Church of England the reuerend Fathers of the Church are graced by the Soueraigne Prince representing the Lambe and the Lyon of the tribe of Iudah with the honourable title and dignitie of Lords and Barons And good reason surely seeing that the Gouernours of the Church vnder the Gospell are to be rather more then lesse honoured then were the Gouernours of the Church vnder the law in so farre as the Ministerie of the Gospell is much more honourable and glorious then that of the law 2. Cor. 3.7 8 9 10 11. as the Apostle expressely auoucheth And that the Ministers and Gouernours of the Church vnder the olde Testament were called by honourable titles it may appeare in that Moses a prophet Exod. 3. 4 16 18 1. Sam. 1.3.9 15 7 8 9 10 15 16 17 Deut. 17 8 9 10 11 12 2. Chron. 17 7 19 8 9.10 11 Ezech. 44 24 1. Sam. 1.9.14 15 16 17 18 26 4 18 1. King 17 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20.21 22 23 24 18 3 4 7 9 12 13 2. King 1.13 14 4