The wordes of Theodoret be these, But the tale, which they had raysed of Cyrillus,* 1.1 did chiefly displease the (* 1.2) Emperour. For wheras the most worthy king Constantine had for the honour of the Churche of Hierusalem giuen vnto Macarius Bishop in the same ci∣tie, a holy garment (precious and wrought with golde) which he should weare, when he ministred the holy Baptisme, they reported that Cyrill solde it. &c. Héere you sée that Theodoret counteth it but a fable, that Cyrill should make any suche sale, and those that say he solde it, declare that it was not for any disalowing of the vesture, but for* 1.3 necessitie of the poore in the time of famine, as Sozo. lib. 4. cap. 25. testifieth.
You deale with M. Bullinger as you doe with me, that is, you peruert his meaning and alleage that out of Socrates, that he ment not, & keepe that in silence, which ma∣keth* 1.4 directly for this purpose. Socrates there sheweth howe Sycinius béeing a No∣uatian, did weare white apparel, & when he was for the same reproued, he answered that it was no where written that Priests shoulde weare blacke apparell, and bad them proue by scripture, that priests ought to weare blacke apparell. Whereby it is playne, that ministers in those days did weare black apparel, & were therby knowne, and that Sycinius béeing an heretike refused so to do, vsing the same arguments that you do, scilicet, that it is no where commaunded that Priests should weare suche kinde of vesture. Wherfore the story is aptly alleadged by master Bullinger, to proue a seue∣rall kinde of apparell, and it insinuateth what manner of men those be, that con∣temne the common order in suche matters, and loue to be singular like vnto Sycinius the Nouatian heretike.
As for S. Iohn his Petalum, you heare what these learned men saye, who no doubte haue good grounde of their iudgement. Neyther woulde Eusebius haue made any mention of it, if it had not bin a kinde of apparell, whereby S. John was knowne.* 1.5 The wordes of Eusebius lib. 3. cap. 31. be these: Iohn whiche leaned vpon the brest of the Lorde, beeing a Priest wore a leafe or thinne plate. Whereby it is euident, that this ap∣parell was peculiar to S. Iohn in the respecte that he was a Priest. That Cyprian his apparell was not vsuall and common for other men to weare, it may appeare by this, that the names of his apparell be expressed, for that whiche he gaue to the exe∣cutioner is called Birrus, that is, a thi〈1 line〉〈1 line〉ne plate, and that which he gaue to the Deacon was called Dalmatica, a garment with long sléeues: as for the white linnen, it is not there mentioned as any distinct kinde of apparell.
The wordes of Chrysostome doe manyfestly declare that then suche kinde of gar∣ment was vsed in the administration of the Sacramentes: neyther doe his wordes tende any thing at all to the disalowing of it, for they be spoken by the way of compa∣rison, and negatiues by comparison are not simple negatiues (as I tolde you before) but by the way of comparison: and therefore when Chrysostome sayth, that the dig∣nitie of their ministerie. &c. was in taking heede, that none vnmeete were admitted to the Lords supper, not in going about the Churche with a white garment, he dothe not disal∣lowe going about the Churche in a white garment, but he sayth, that it is not in comparison of the other, so greatly to be regarded.
If Salomon in that place ment any suche matter, yet is it no profe at al for this that* 1.6 you alle〈1 line〉〈1 line〉e it for: there was a great nūber of yeres betwixt Salomon his time, and Chrysostomes, and all kinde of customes much altered, & therfore I maruell what you meane to bring in Salomon to proue that the white apparel vsed by ministers of the church in the administration of the sacraments in the time of Chrysostome, was not s〈1 line〉〈1 line〉uerall, but common and vsuall apparel. But that the Reader may vnderstande your