gouerned by the word of God in all such things as belong to mans saluation meaning things absolutely necessary to the worship of God as hath beene amply proued But touching such things as appertaine vnto Discipline it is lawfull for the Church to make Lawes Canons and Constitutions so doth the Apostle teach that women must pray with their heads couered and men bare-headed So doth the Church ordaine in what place at what time quomodò after what manner whether standing or sitting men must communicate And M. Caluin obseruing the Apostle's reproofe of persons contentious in Ceremoniall points which is v. 16. If any man seeme to be contentious we haue no such Custome nor yet the Church of God when he met with some that did out of the same spirit of contention resist the Constitutions of that Church of Geneua he maketh a generall application thereof against all such turbulent and factious spirits Qui bonos vtiles ritus nullâ necessitate convellunt i. Who vnnecessarily do oppugne the profitable Rites of the Chucch Here I need not make any recapitulation of these seuerall points the indifferent Reader may easily finde in the confession of the fore-named witnesses 1. That these are things indifferent 2. That they were prescribed as fit for those times 3. That consequently they were to be dutifully obserued 4. That they were Symbolicall and had in them significations of morall duties 5. That they were applyed to Diuine worship 6. and lastly That the same authority doth still remaine in the Church to ordaine the like Significant Ceremonies whensoeuer there shall be iust occasion thereunto Thus much of the Apostles time We descend lower SECT XXIX Our second Proofe for Confutation of their last generall Argument and for our Confirmation of the Morall vse of Ceremonies is from the vniuersall Custome of the Church of Christ as well Primitiue as Successiue Concerning all these times whosoeuer is conuersant in the Ecclesiasticall Histories or in the writings of Fathers of former ages may make good this our Assertion to wit That the Church hath liberty to ordaine Rites and Ceremonies of Mysticall signification thereby to represent spirituall duties and that properly in the publique seruice of God And also may proue so farre forth as by light of Story can appeare that euer since the Apostles daies it hath bene the constant and consonant doctrine of the Church held by all the most Orthodoxe Fathers and glorious Martyrs of Christ who watered the Church with their bloud whereby it became so blessedly fruitfull in the procreation of an innumerable off-spring of faithfull Christians in all succeeding ages amongst whom we that do now professe the Gospell of saluation haue by the mercy of God our interest in the couenant of Grace and consequently in the assured hope of our eternall inheritance Yea and that which as I think should astonish the heart of any aduersary in this point of Church-liberty in making Ceremonies hath euer bene so vndebatably held for an vncontrollable truth throughout the whole processe of times that no one man as I suppose either Orthodoxe or Hereticall hath euer till of late bene heard either to haue written or so much as spoken against the Generall of it I shall not need to seeke euidence out of Stories in this behalfe the Non-conformists themselues are not ignorant hereof who besides many other Instances do as often as they see occasion againe and againe repeate the custome vniversally vsed in the Churches throughout the world to wit of Standing in the time of publicke prayers in all the Lords daies betweene Easter and Pentecost whereby the primitiue Fathers did signifie their faith of Christ his Resurrection If this were a Diuine Ceremony why do you not obserue it But if it were Humane and yet had as you know a Mysticall signification of some spirituall dutie by representing both the remembrance of Christs Resurrection and also the protestation of their Christian faith therein which Signe likewise was appropriated vnto the publicke worship of God in the act of holy prayer then can you not but acknowledge in this one Ceremony that Antiquity doth pleade for our whole defence nor can you gaine-say but that herein the iudgement of our Church Quoad thesin in generall for we do not heereby iustifie euery Ceremony which was held either of diuers Fathers or Churches in seuerall times but that which was vniversall must needs convince you of Novelty in this kinde Lastly Zanchie doth witnesse concerning the obseruation of our Festiuals of Easter Pentecost c. that they haue since the time of the Apostles continued to this day this then is another Catholicke Ceremony of Morall signification SECT XXX Our Third Proofe for Confutation of their last Generll Argument and for our Confirmation of the lawfulnesse of Ceremonies which are of Morall signification is from the testimonies of their owne Witnesses M. Caluin is alwaies worthy of the first place among the innumerable company of late Diuines and he saith Nè quis nos calumnietur c. Lest any man slander vs by iudging vs nimis esse morosos to be too peeuishly precise as though we would take away all libertie in externall things here I do testifie vnto my godly Readers that I contend not about Ceremonies which concerne onely Decencie and Order or else Si Symbola sint if they bee signes and incitements vnto that reuerence which we should performe vnto God for our dispute is against those workes which some do as properly belonging vnto God and wherewith they thinke that God is truely worshipped Thus M. Caluin as you see in the last part of this sentence disalloweth onely such Ceremonies of Humane Inuention which men make to be essentiall parts of Gods worship And in the former part thereof he doth allow of Symbolicall Ceremonies so far as they may be Signes and Incitements to the more due performance of Gods worship Euen as in another place answering a Question conceiued about Ceremonies he saith Ergonè inquies nihil Ceremoniale rudiâ—ribus dabitur ad invandam eorum imperitiam Will you then say saith he shall nothing that is Ceremoniall bee permitted to the ruder sort for the helpe of their ignorance Here a Non-conformist would haue made a peremptory answer they shall haue allowed them to Ceremonie at all which is of symbolicall signification But M. Caluin more iudiciously and discreetly Id ego non dico tantùm contendo vt modus adhibeatur qui Christum illustret non obscuret I say not so saith he onely I contend that a meane may be kept which may manifest Christ and not darken and obscure him And for exemplification of this meane hee propoundeth the institution of Christ for our imitation whose Sacramentall Ceremonies are both Paâ—ce Few and minimè laboriosae very easie The same witnesse likewise else-where doth allow a priuate vse of Pictures cum rerum gestarum notatione which are set forth with the narration of Storie quae vsum in
is appointed vnto Diuine seruice So here likewise for there is not a more Diuine Seruice then vpon iust occasion the due and lawfull swearing by God This is a worship which God doth appropriate to himselfe Thou shalt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worship the Lord thy God how and sweare by his name The last point is the Ordaining of the Ceremony to teach any spirituall duty by mysticall signification And what more spirituall duty can you require than is the confidence in Christ the Messias who is the foundation and life of all Diuine Mysteries which by the iudgement of all ancient Fathers and for ought that euer I could learne of all their children the Orthodox Diuines of the Church after them is this viz. That Christ the Messias and Sauiour of mankind was to issue out of the thigh and loynes of Abraham according as God had promised vnto him saying In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed The Moralitie then of the signe to the seruant was this that as he beleeued to haue any life by Christ the Author of life which was to descend from Abraham by Isaac and his seed so he would be faithfull vnto him So that this oath was vnto his seruant a signe as of his faith to God so of faithfulnesse towards Abraham his Master SECT X. Our second proofe to confirme the lawfulnesse of a signe of morall signification is from the Examples of the old Testament vnder the Law The Obiection of the Non-conformists In the time of the Law when God saw it good to teach his Church by significant Ceremonies none might be brought or receiued into the worship of God but such onely as the Lord himselfe did institute This reason is vsed against the Popish Ceremonies by M. Caluin Iunius Lubbertus and others Our Answer And this Reason is good against the Popish abuse of Ceremonies which is to bee discerned from our vse of such in these two points first in their significations whereby that Church doth commonly teach some new doctrine not warranted by Scriptures secondly in their application by her superstitious opinion of necessity and holinesse whereby they are made essentiall parts of Gods worship as by your witnesses will be manifestly shewen In the meane time we pursue this point by our seuerall examples SECT XI Our first kind of Examples is by instancing in the Ordination of Festiuall dayes 1. Instance in Mordecai and Ester Although God had assigned diuers solemne Feast-dayes for his more frequent worship yet did Mordecai appoint the Feast called by the Hebrewes the Feast of Pur that is of Lottes for a continuall and thankefull remembrance of their generall deliuerance from that cruell Massacre whereunto the heathen had then allotted and designed them And accordingly our State and Church hath ordained a set Feast-day which wee may likewise after the Greek call the feast of Pûr euen by the same word retained in our English Fyre wherein we celebrate the remembrance of Gods mercifull and miraculous preseruation of vs from that Fyery and Hellish Powder-plot machinated by the sonnes of Belial for the consuming of our most religious and gracious Soueraigne together with the whole state of the Kingdome SECT XII 2. Instance in the Feast of Dedication by Iudas Machabaeus 1. Machab. 2.59 There was appointed an anniuersary Feast of the dedication of the Altar ordained by Iudas Machabaeus And this Feast as your owne witnesse Danaeus confesseth seemes to be approued by our Lord Iesus in that he did grace it with his owne blessed presence Now all solemne Feasts of this kind are of a Ceremoniall nature and in asmuch as they haue their institution from man may rightly be called Humane neuerthelesse so farre as they serue to magnifie God for some speciall mercie as else to excite man vnto a thankefull commemoration of the singular fauours which he hath receiued at the hands of God in these respects they are truely called Diuine Hence therefore you see it is good cause why they ought to be called significant So then you haue by these Examples as it were the Anatomy of your proposition through euery ioynt viz. 1. A Ceremony of humane inuention by Iudas Machabaeus 2. Appropriated vnto Gods seruice in a solemne Feast 3. Ordained to teach a spirituall Duty of thankefulnesse 4. Significant for benefits or blessings receiued And all these as you see stand iustifiable by Analogie from the example alleged SECT XIII Their first Replie The Church may appoint holy-dayes in certaine cases but it is one thing to restraine part of the day and another to restraine the whole day Our Answer If any man shall require of you some euidence to prooue that Christ hath so cantled out his Churches high Commission for Ecclesiasticall causes as to affoord it a power to appoint one halfe of an Holy-day and to deny vnto it liberty of ordaining the other halfe I suppose you would alwayes remaine indebted for an answere For did not God vse to haue as well his Euening as his Morning sacrifice and shall it now be lawfull to serue God onely by halfes howsoeuer euen this halfe which you haue haue granted doth sufficiently establish the whole matter in question for if the Church in this case haue power to ordaine a Ceremony which doth implie a signification of the dutie of a thankefull remembrance how should any Ceremonies be onely therefore held vnlawfull because they are significant SECT XIIII Their second Replie Howbeit the example out of Ester 9. of the two dayes which the Iewes instituted in the remembrance of their deliuerance is no sufficient warrant for these feasts in question For first as in other cases so in this case of dayes the estate of Christians vnder the Gospell ought not to be so Ceremonius as was theirs vnder the Law Secondly that which was done there was done by a â—peciall direction of the Church of God either through the Ministery of the Prophets which they had or by some other extraordinary meanes which is not to be followed of vs. Our Answer Firsâ— vnto the first part of your Replie we say that if an institution of a new Ceremonie were lawfull vnder the estate of the Old Testament when the people of God were so pressed with Rites that the Apostle called them an importable Yoke then doublâ—sse the addition of one or two Ceremonies in the state of the Gospel may not so rigidly be iudged vnlawfull Your second Assumption which we may rather call a Presumption is that you imagine some speciall Direction from the spirit of God vnto them without any certificate reuealed to your selues for proofe thereof Whereunto I onely say as Saint Hierom speaketh of the like imagination Eâdem facilitate reijcitur quâ obijcitur SECT XV. Our second kind of Examples is from the like ordaining of Ceremonious Instruments belonging vnto the worship of God by 4. Instances 1. Instance is in the Altar Iosh. 22. We
further expresly noted by Clemens Alex. saying Vt non tantùm mulieres velamine caput tegerent sed â—â—dem in frontem promisso vultum obumbrarent That the women saith he might not onely hide their heads with a couer but also shadow their faces by the hanging downe of their haire And not onely so but the Apostle requireth yet another couer besides that of the haire saying of the vncouered head v. 5 It is all one as to be shauen so then this must needs be a mystical signe of moral duty which is here specified to be of the Christian subiection that women owe in Christ vnto their husbands Now heere you may not say that this ordinance of the Apostle touching couering in the Church was no way of humane but altogether of Diuine Institution for then might you challenge that women at this day in the time of Diuine worship should haue their haire still hang downe to couer their faces This point is of some moment and may not sleightly be passed ouer Wherefore that you may be satisfied not so much from my collections as from the confession of those witnesses on whom you most relie I haue thought it fit to produce such as haue more particularly pointed out this Text as namely Caluin Chemnitius P. Martyr and Zanchius From these I would first learne whether this Ceremony of couering the head of the woman vncouering of the man were not mysticall Symbolicall that is significant of some good thing or no M. Caluin and some others call them expresly Symbola or Signes Secondly I would aske what thing it is which is hereby signified and whether it were not some Christian dutie And vpon due search it appeareth that the things signified by this Ceremony are two The first in respect of the man and woman mutually betweene themselues and the next of man vnto God Concerning the reciprocall duties betweene man and woman these witnesses affirme that the Couer on the head of the woman did betoken her subiection to the man and the vncouering of the mans head did signifie the Soueraignty that man hath ouer the woman But this you interpret to hold onely in a Ciuill respect If so then would it suffice to iustifie the Ring in marriage yet look into the second point which is the relation it had vnto God and there you may perceiue something more For as Caluin In eminentia viri super vxorem Dei gloria elucet propter dominium quod habet That is In the superiority that man hath ouer the woman the glorie of God is manifested by the dominion which he hath Also the Apostle in respect of this soueraignety saith The man is the glory of God Likewise P. Martyr Imago dei vt omnibus praeest sita est in dominatu Now what Symbol can be more choice than that a man by his outward gesture should in a sort represent both the authoritie that God doth hold ouer his creatures and also that superiority which he hath giuen him ouer his wife Againe the Apostle in this comparison maketh Christ the head of the man euen as God in respect of the humane nature is the head of Christ. And Chemnitius treating of such Rites calleth them Incitamenta retinácula pietatis i. The incitements vnto piety and godlinesse that is as his allusion to the Apostles rule seemes to import they make for edification Zanchius likewise noteth Two ends of the couer on the womans head one is of honestie and decencie that so the externall worship of God in hearing of his word and participating of his Sacraments may be performed in more seemely manner The second that by this Ceremony Vnusquisque moneatur officij sui euery man may be admonished of his owne dutie the man of his dominion ouer the woman and the woman of her subiection vnto the man Haec sunt vtilia ad cultum internum These saith he are profitable for inward worship Than the which I doe not see what any Diuine could haue spoken more directly for our purpose Our third demand is whether these Ceremonies of couering and vncouering were not instituted to be obserued in Gods publike worship For howsoeuer this Custome might sometime alter in Ciuill assemblies and much more in priuate consort betwixt man and wife yet neuerthelesse the Apostle doth most strictly challenge it in the publike seruice of God for Euery man saith the Apostle praying or prophesying c. And for better demonstration he doth in a manner call the Angels to witnesse exacting that Ceremonie propter Angelos in regard of the Angels For as the Angels are appointed to be ministring spirits euery where for the good of the Elect euen so are they in very speciall wise attendant at publike Assemblies for Gods worship As for the Custome it selfe Chrysostome vseth this excellent Simile for the illustration thereof When saith he the King sitteth in his publike Chaire of Estate and there resort vnto him Dukes Counts Tribunes c. and none of these present themselues before the King without their robes of honor according vnto their degrees so God being present in his royall maiestie in sacro coetu in the holy assembly men and women coming thither ought to be adorned with such ensignes as may best declare their state condition Therefore may not that man who hath receiued from God a diademe of honour prerogatiue ouer his wife at that time cast away his ornament take vpon him some seruile habit Wherby you see that this Symbol was then as well applyed vnto all holy worship as now our gesture of kneeling is at the participation of the Lords Supper Fourthly we desire to know whether this matter were not a thing indifferent and thereupon albeit Apostolicall yet subiect to alteration according to the necessitie of occasions This we may best vnderstand from the first originall thereof The Apostle saith Master Caluin tooke it from the common custome of men in their times which custome in many countreys was otherwise yea anciently euery where viri comati erant that is men had long haire Chemnitius saith to the same purpose that Christian libertie did moderate the Apostles Rites to make them in their kind indifferent c. which according to the diuers natures of times places and persons might bee appointed changed or abrogated for in the dayes of the Apostle this custome of the womens couer was a signe of subiection and of the man vncouered a token of dominion and gouernment but now in our times the fashion is quite contrary for in these dayes the vncouering of the head is a note of subiection and the couering is a testimony of authoritie Lastly it is worthy our Inquiry to learne how farre other Churches may be directed by this example of the Apostles Ceremonies for the authorizing of their Constitutions in like cases Herein P. Martyr is bold and saith The Church of God is an Assembly of the faithfull
docendo monendo aliquem habent which haue saith he some vse in teaching and admonishing the Reader Yet Pictures you know haue no other property then signification And Luther saith Chemnitius held Images which did represent the Histories of Acts done as things indifferent which might be had both for ornament and for remembrance without superstition according to the rule of Scripture Which kind of Pictures as Zepperus holdeth them from the decree of the Councell of Franckford may be kept in the Church without impiety to the same purpose namely ad refricandam rerum praeteritarum memoriam which notwithstanding doth no whit aduantage the Romish superstition in their manner of Adoration Iunius likewise speaking of the Festiuall daies of Pentecost anciently celebrated in the Christian Churches answereth that they did serue Ad iustam quandam c. For the due commemoration of that speciall benefite of God which happened to the Church as vpon that day And is not this also Symbolicall And this Symboll of Feasts was formerly witnessed by Danaeus in the feast day of the Dedication of the Altar Furthermore Chemnitius Apud vetustissimos quidem puriores Scriptores legimus c. saith Wee reade in the most ancient and purer Writers that their Rites did signifie something and admonished men of the doctrine of the Sacrament comprehended in the word of God But wheresoeuer there is in these ancient Writers any mention that by Exorcisme or Exsufflation the euill spirit is driuen out of the party Baptized and likewise that by vnction and imposition of the hands of a Bishop after Baptisme the holy Spirit is giuen These things which the Fathers vnderstood to be done significatiuely That is by way of signification were afterwards peruerted by others and held as operatiue in an opinion of efficacie and power for such effects In these words Chemnitius approueth of the Fathers significant Ceremonies and condemneth the Popish superstition of more then significant Now although these Testimonies may suffice to confute and condemne the generall Argument of the Non-conformists against Significant Ceremonies yet when as in our answer to the particular exceptions against our foresaid Ceremonies of white garments and Crosse in Baptisme we shall proue in these Ceremonies from the direct acknowledgment of P. Martyr Chemnitius B. Iewell and Zanchius an approbation of their Morall signification of Puritie of life and constancie in the faith respectiuely I hope our Opposites will abate something of their Contradictions against our Rites at least in respect of signification whereof yet more remaineth to be said in our last proofe In the interim we approach to that which followeth in the next place SECT XXXI Our fourth Proofe for the Confutation of the last generall Argument of the Non-conformists against our Ceremonies and for the Confirmation of Morall signification in such Rites is as from the confession of witnesses so especially from the Practise of the Non-conformists themselues Our first Instance is in the forme of an Oath After much sayling in this Sea of dispute hauing thus farre passed through the Maine I now direct my course home-ward to the Narrow Seas of our Non-conformists by instancing in such particular Ceremonies wherein either our Opposites are found to be ordinary Actors or else their Witnesses are become Approvers of some Symbolicall Ceremonies God commanding in his Law saying Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and sweare by his Name sheweth sufficiently how sacred a thing an Oath is which is an immediate Invocation of God and how it is appropriated vnto the honour of God which God himselfe doth challenge as a part or at least proper cognizance of his supreme worship Now the outward forme of an Oath as it is enioyned by Law and assumed and practised by the Non-conformists themselues is this to lay their hand vpon the book of God and to kisse it swearing by the Contents thereof that is by the way of stipulation pledging and pawning all the promises of saluation in Christ which are recorded in that booke vpon that truth which they do professe to performe in Swearing Then their kissing and handling of that booke is the visible Signe that the taking of an Oath is the worship of God in it selfe whereby we adore the Author of that booke of blessednesse And lastly the end of all this is a vow to averre the truth of their own conscience vnto man In all which you haue 1. The handling and kissing of the booke a Ceremonie of mans Institution 2. The end to expresse our faith toward God and truth to man which are of Morall signification 3. The manner by an Invocation of God in calling him to witnesse and so appropriating it to Gods worship which is fully as much as this cause can challenge at our hands If any should bee so scrupulous as to doubt of the lawfulnesse of this kinde of Oath he may take his warrant from the example of Abraham in that Ceremoniall forme of Swearing which he prescribed vnto his seruant before the Iewish and Leviticall Law of Ceremonies was enacted by God SECT XXXII Our second Instance is in the Obseruation of the Lords day You may if it please you consider the three Ceremoniall points of our Saboth by a three-fold figure The first was to signifie a Rest from Sin which is a Spirituall Saboth The second to note the Resurrectiō of Christ for which cause the day of the Iewish Saboth was changed into the day of Christ his Resurrection whence it hath the denomination to be called The Lords Day The third is the euerlasting Saboth whereof the Apostle speaketh saying There remaineth Sabatismus a time of Saboth or Rest for the people of God What Christian man is there religiously affected towards God as he ought who in the celebration of the Lords Day doth not call to remembrance the Resurrection of Christ vpon that day and also why may lie not in his religious discretion from the Analogie betweene this our bodily Saboth here on earth and that Rest in heauen entertaine a contemplation of the euerlasting Saboth and rest of Blessednesse thus prefigured in the Temporall and accordingly make to himselfe for his better edification a double Mysticall vse of the Lords Day To which purpose Zanchius saith of our Churches the places of Gods worship Sicut Tabernaculum Templumque Salomonis typi fuerunt corporis Christi sic nostra tēpla typi sunt vmbra coelestis templi vbi coelestes spiritus animique fidelium collecti laudant Deum sicut nos hic in terrenis hisce templis colimus Debentque haec terrena ad illud coeleste animos nostros subleuare Vsus hic contemnendus non est quià vtilia haec sunt That is As the Tabernacle and Temple of Salomon were types of the body of Christ so our Temples are types and shadowes of the celestiall Temple where the heauenly spirits and soules of the faithfull are assembled for the praysing of God
thanksgiuing for remission of our sinnes and all the Royall Benefites of his Death and Passion And not to presume too much of such familiaritie with CHRIST which seemeth to thrust out Humility from this Banquet and Type of Christ his humiliation But be it sufficient contentment that we might be but as Ostiarij Doore-keepers in that Celestiall Temple and not presume that by vertue of our Coheirship we must needs set our selues vpon the same Tribunall with Christ Who is set at the right hand of God in the heauenly places farre aboue all Principalitie and Power and Might and Domination and euery name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come SECT XII Their third Pretence to proue the Intention of Christ is from the due disposition of the Receiuer The Disposition of heart which is required of vs in our very Act of receiuing is not so much humility as assurance of faith and cheerefulnesse which is much better expressâ—d and shewed by the gesture of Sitting than of Kneeling Our Answer You will not thinke I hope that Humility doth hinder the assurance of faith or that the difference of outward Gesture must needs set Christian vertues at variaÌ„ce but you suppose that faith is more welcome to this Banquet than Humility and that therefore Faith must be attended with the gesture called Sitting but Humility must not be suffered to haue her handmaid called Kneeling to waite vpon her I maruaile who made you Vsher at this feast But let you these two Vertues alone and they will walke hand in hand as louing Sisters and both haue their seruants attending vpon them in the same actions To this end I propound vnto you two Theologicall concords The first concord is betweene Faith and Humility in that myrrour which is set forth by our Sauiour in the Gospell concerning the great man that said vnto Christ Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest come vnder my Roofe Thus doth Humility vnueile her selfe but what said his Faith Speake thou to wit Christ the word onely and my seruant shall be whole This was such an admirable assurance of faith in the estimation of Christ himselfe that he said Verily I haue not sâ—und such faith no not in Israel and yet this Faith and Humility in this one act kissed each other The second concord is to be seene betweene Humiliatâ—on and Thankfulnesse euen in the Gesture of Kneeling as it is often and plainely recorded in holy Writ for the Prophet Dauid in a Psalme of Thankfulnesse doth exhort the true Worshippers thus Let vs come before his presence with giuing of thankes How By Sitting or Standing So peraduenture the presumption of some would say but the Prophet as it were by way of preuention saith And worship and fall downe before the Lord our Maker Will you see this acted One man of ten persons that were cured of the Leprosie returning and glorifying God fell downe at Christ his feete giuing him thankes And if you shall say that this Thankfulnesse was not so well expressed by this gesture of Humility which is Kneeling then may you as well impute a peece of Indecorum vnto the twenty foure Elders more then was meet when in their act of yeelding glory and praise they are said to vse the same gesture of kneeling and accordingly you might spy out a lesse seemelinesse in the Angels who are dâ—scribed by a kind of Analogie and resemblance to vse their Humiliation by Kneeling in worshipping and giuing God thankes You must seeke out for your owne reputation sake some more tollerable reason than this to proue your pretended Intentiâ—n of Christ or else confesse that you intended nothing but to wrangle with the Church SECT XIII Their fourth pretence to proue the Intention of Christ is from a pretended meannesse of the Element If our Sauiour had intended that the outward Elements should hâ—ue beene thus reuerenced he would not haue made choice of bread and wine which are so common and base Our Answer It seemeth then by this Obiection that you fancie Ambrosia Nectar Manna or some such other Element of a more perfect nature which may in your opinion deserue such a Reuerence Whereas the Sacraments of bread and wine are by you esteemed but base I cannot for my part but blush in your behalfe to heare such Turkish and Heâ—thenish language proceed from any Professour of Christianitie Haue you not yet taken out S. Peters lesson That which God hath sanctified let no man call common If he could speake thus much of ordinarie meates what an impiety must it be to abase these Elements which are consecrated vnto a Sacramentall vse to be Seales of the Couenant of grace and are most fit of all other creatures to expresse our vnion with Christ and communion with all faithfull Christians This I vrge not as perswaded that you can be so irreligiously minded as your words may import but to let you vnderstand that you haue bin so far transported with preiudice as that when you spake against due reuerence in receiuing this blessed Sacrament you could not but speake irreuerently SECT XIIII Their fift Pretâ—nce to prooue the Intention of Christ against Kneeling is from the example of the Apostles It were great Hypocrisie in vs to pretend greater Reuerence and Deuotion in râ—câ—iuing of it then was in the Apostles nay if it were fit for vs to vse Kneeling it was much more fit for the Apostles in â—egard of Christ his corporall presâ—nce among them Our Answer This Consequence is a non sequitur and that in diuers respects first in respect of the purpose of Christ who then made himselfe familiar with his disciples that he might the better instruct them whilest he was yet in the forme of an ordinary man in so much that at the time of the institution of this Sacrament he rose from Table and would needs wash his disciples feet to what end I haue giuen you an example saith Christ that as I your Lord and master haue washed your feet you also ought to wash one anothers feet And further professeth himselfe to haue bene amongst them not so much as one that sat at Table as one that was seruant vnto them But after his Ascention and glorification the precept was laid vpon All that All Knees should bow vnto him which gesture if it ought to haue bene performed at the sight of his presence in the flesh then must they haue bene alwayes Kneeling Secondly in respect of the Apostles themselues who were the first choice and immediate Embaâ—sadours for Christ and instruments of reconciliation of the world by meanes of that most Royall Embassage which they receiued from Christ the King of glory and not so only but also who were indued with all kind of graces of Gods Spirit as well of gifts called gratuÌ„ facientia as graetis data But we who are exceedingly inferiour vnto those golden
thinke that this Reuerence is inioyned without any Papisticall intent Cannot this satisfie you but you will stil exclaime and say Why is this reuerence done at the receiuing of the Eucharist except it be with the Idolatrous Papists I tell you this is done not to consent with the Idolatrous Papists but absolutely to confute them who cannot but acknowledge that our Sacrament of Baptisme is a very perfect Baptisme according both to the essentiall matter and manner which Christ himselfe ordained But as for our Sacrament of the Eucharist they do as hath bene shewen vilifie it as common and ordinarie bread and wine The difference then as you see is not in an opinion that the Eucharist is of greater dignitie than Baptisme with vs but because it is of lesse esteeme among the Papists Notwithstanding be not offended with me if that I cannot thinke any of you so irreligious as not to be willing to kneele reuerently in holy prayer vnto God in the time of the Celebration of Baptisme especially when prayer is vsed to God to blesse his owne ordinance in the behalfe of the child Which manner of worship is so farre from Idolatrie that the very Infant baptized if it could speake would say that the Adoration there is not directed vnto the Element of the water but vnto God for his grace vpon the child Sâ—CT XXVIII Their third Confutation of the pretended Idolatry by Relatiue woâ—ship Or why do we not condemne tâ—e Papists for Kneeling and praying before a Crucifixe This Bellarmine doth inferre vpon the opinion of them that hold that Christ although he be not corporally present may be adored in the Sacrament then saith he it is not Idolatry to Kneele bâ—fore an Image And indeed thus the Papists answer Wee say they do not worship vnto the Image but vnto God that is represented thereby Our Answer There is in the place alledged obiected against Protestants a Testimony out of Nazianzen in the same place P. Martyrs Answer to that Testimony is fully related then followeth the Reply of Bellarmine vpon that Answer of P. Martyr and now our Non-conformists bring in their reference from Bellarmines Reply So that this play consisteth necessarily of foure parts Nazianzen the speaker P. Martyr the expounder Bellarmine the Replyer and the Non-conformist the Applyers of Bellarmins conceit It will not displease our Reader to see each partie Act his owne part First Nazianzens Testimony is this Super Altare coli Christum Christ is Adored vpon the Altar Whence the Papists collect that men must adore with diuine worship the Sacrament that is vpon the Altar Secondly P. Martyr Answereth Coli quidem Christum sed coli in Symbolo sicut in symbolo significatur That is Christ is worshipped in the signe is he is signified therby Thirdly Bâ—llarmine replyeth Then saith he may it be lawfull to fall downe before the signe and to Adore Christ there although absent froÌ„ thence consequenly is it lawfull to fall downe and worship the Eucharist and Images of Christ neither is this Idolatry as Protestants exclaime Fourthly hence our Non-conformists follow Bellarmine and borrow of that good fellow his staffe to knock their fellow brethren but leaue P. Martyr now defending the common Cause of all Protestants as if they had conspired to betray their owne Adoration into the hands of a common Aduersarie But we must in part excuse them because they dealt not thus in malice against his person but in ignorance of his iudgement for P. Martyr discussing the same Argument else-where doth fully expresse his owne meaning Adoration saith he consisteth in Inuocation confession and giuing of thankes all which are due vnto God and vnto Christ wheresoeuer they do manifest themselues vnto vs which is done three manner of wayes First by the inward thought of the heart moued by the Spirit of God in our earnest apprehension of God and of Christ then followeth our Adoration of them by inuocating Confession and giuing of thankes Secondly they declare themselues sometimes by externall words as by holy Scriptures godly Sermons And thirdly by outward signes as in the Arke of the Couenant and in our Sacraments yet so that Adoration be not fixed vpon the symbols or signes but in Spirit and in Truth vpon Christ sitting on the right hand of God in Heauen Notwithstanding because the simple people by reason of the errour of Transubstantiation rooted in them cannot so easily vnderstand this I should thinke that men should abstaine from outward prostrating themselues in kneeling vntill they bee better instructed I confesse that many do godlily kneele and Adore at the hearing of these words Et verbum caro factum est where notwithstanding not the words but the things are adored euen so the signes in the Sacrament are not adored Wherein P. Martyr could haue no other meaning than by a significatiue relation from the signe to the thing signified For a man in Kneeling at the Sacrament should vpon the sight thereof abstract his thoughts from the sensible obiect and lifting vp both his eyes and his heart vnto heauen should Adore that is as he saith inuocate confesse and giue thankes vnto God and vnto Christ. But how shall this Answer iustifie the Popish manner of worship Kneeling before and to an Image sometimes inuocating the Image it selfe and fixing their thoughts vpon it or at least vsing to Adore Christ with it as we shall proue Whereas contrariwise this our Adoration of Christ arising from the sight of the Sacrament is no more in the iudgement of P. Martyr than when at the hearing of the sensible words of the Scripture or of a godly Sermon our thoughts are not fixed vpon the Elements of words and syllables but by them are eleuated and drawne vnto Inuocation and thanksgiuing vnto God According to this meaning P. Martyr you see alloweth Kneeling at the receiuing of the Sacrament to a peple instructed Now if after three-score yeeres preaching our people haue not bene sufficiently instructed the cause must be imputed either to the ignorance or negligence of their Teachers except you will haue vs thinke that they are past instruction Hitherto of our particular Answer SECT XXIX Our more generall Confutation of the Non-conformists prouing both that a Reuerence is due at the receiuing of the blessed Sacrament and that the Reuerence by Kneeling hath not Affinity with Romish Idolatry first by Reason and the grounds thereof As differences of Colours are best discerned when they are compared together so may we most easily distinguish the diuers opinions both of our Protestants from Papists and of Papists among themselues concerning Relatiue or Respectiue worship by onely relating of their different obiects especially in these termes concerning Reuerence We shall therefore first discouer the errour of Poperie herein and so will the truth of our Reuerence be better discerned SECT XXX Our first ground of Confutation is by discouering of the Romish superstition in her maner of worship whether Relatiue