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The Treatiser confirmes his explanation of the sen∣tence of St. Iohn by the second Commandement, & by the testimonies of S. Augustine, Tertulliā, & Epiphanius thervnto applied. Wherin giuing way to his allegatiōs, because they are only against Jdolatry, and making of Jmages to worship them, J only marke his scapes, and
overreachings, wherof the first is in these words Ad cul∣tum, or for Religious vse: where J note, that how soeuer in words, he would faine make Cultus, and religious vse differēt things, that so he might seeme to follow his pro∣posed diuision, de cultu et vsu, yet in his proofes he makes them both one; A manifest argument, that in all this discourse he neuer commeth nere our vse, of the Crosse in Baptisme, which is so farre from Cultus, and religious vse, (as he vnderstands it) that we neither worship it, nor suppose any religon to be in it, as J said even now.
A second scape of his, is in this conditionall Collecti∣on, vpon the second Commandement, and testiōnies of St. Augustine, If no similitude at all, be tolerable in Gods seruice, then much lesse any, that hath bin, and is worship∣ed Idolatrously. For wheras the second Commandement, & all his proofes there vpon, run mainly against Cultus, or religious vse, (which to him are both one) he cānot thēce cōclude, that therfore the vse of some similitudes, in a religious action, without any worship ascribed vnto them, or opinion of religion reposed in them, is not tol∣lerable. For by this generall restraint, beyond the nature of his proofes, he may as well exclude the vse of Sacra∣mēts out of Gods seruice, which certainly are some kind of similitudes, of those things which they doe represent: according to that of St. Augustine, Si sacramēta quan∣dam similitudinem earū rerum, quarum sunt sacramen∣ta non haberent, omnino sacramenta non essent. Againe his illation and inference vpon this supposition, is like∣wise false: for though that were true: yet some thing, that hath bin heretofore Idolatrously worshiped, may lawfully be tollerated now; and some thing that even now is Ido∣latrously
worshiped, (which yet is not granted of the signe of the Crosse in Baptisme, as shall hereafter ap∣peare) may be lawfully tollerated in some other, that are free from all conceite of Jdolatrie, as formerly hath bin declared.
Thirdly, hee over-reacheth in his collection vpon the words of Tertullian and Epiphanius, where hee asketh, woulde they endure themselues to vse such an Jdoll as the Crosse, in the service and sacraments of God? We answer, they would, such an Jdoll, as our Crosse is: And we are per∣swaded that both they, & St. Augustine too, would like it wel enough. When they shoulde perceiue, that with∣out opinion of superstition, or efficacie ascribed vnto it, it were reclaimed to the very same symbolicall or ceremoni∣all vse, it had in their times, howsoever in the times be∣tweene them and vs, it hath bin abused by some to Jdola∣trie. Epiphanius misliketh it not in his time, as may ap∣peare in that narration he maketh of Josephus. Tertulliā, we are sure, would indure it wel enough, who so often & willingly mentioneth it and in all his writings commen∣deth the vse of it, Ad omnem progressum at{que} promotum, ad omnem aditum & exitum, ad vestitum & calceatum, ad la∣vacra, ad men sas, ad lumina, ad cubicula, ad sedilia, quae∣cun{que} nos cōversatio exercet, frontem crucis signaculo ter∣minas. Insomuch that T. C. pronounceth (full rashly & without al cause) that the Lorde left a marke of his curse vpon it, for comming out of the forge of mans braine, & being so much abused. And for St. Augustines opinion I refer you to his hundred eighty & one sermon, de tem∣pore, or if that please you not, to his sermon de verbis do∣mini, where hee saith. Quod ipse honoraturus erat fideles suos in fine huius saculi, prius honoravit crucē in hoc sae∣culo,
&c. Quod cū magna Insultatione persecutores Judaei Domino procurarunt, cum magna fiducia seruieius, etiam & reges in fronte nunc portant. And yet notwithstan∣ding al this, we are as well, and better perswaded of their vehemency against erecting of images, and of their zeale against spirituall fornication, then the Treatiser is, & can more easily be induced to beleeue, that their zeale here∣in was not without knowledge, then these men can so slenderly acquaint themselues with their knowledge, or zeale: and as in this: so in all other pointes, never cite a∣ny testimonie out of them sincerely, and according to their meaning.
Fourthly▪ the Treatiser much overlasheth, where hee marshals vs among the worshipers of Idols, Concluding that streine of his with this forcible 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, shal any then make an Idoll of the Crosse? and that Religionis causâ, and yet be innocēt? True it is. The prophet Dauid saith. They that make them are like vnto them, &c. but what? is his meaning that they are like vnto them for simply making them? J trust no: for then how wil you iustifie your for∣mer words? that an Image may be made and reteined for Ciuil respects, we make no question: His meaning is thē, They that make them to worship them, and to put their trust in them, as all Idolatrous makers doe, are like vnto them, we make the Crosse indeed, but neither to wor∣ship it nor to put our trust in it: And therfore J hope are no more to be Condemned as cursed Transgressors of the Law, then you are when you write the letters of T. C. name, which you cannot do but you must needs make a Crosse. And J think verily, that you put more religion in this T. then our Church doth in the signe of the Crosse. As for your Crābe of Religionis causâ, it is answered be∣fore,
and is an odious imputation, by you fastened on our Church, without all colour of truth.
Aug. ep. 23. ad Bonifacium.
Epiph. lib. to. 2. contra haeres. Ebionis.
Tertull. de coron ••il. cap. 3.
T.C. lib. 1.
Aug serm. 181. de temp.
Aug ser. de ver∣bis domini.
Wisd. 13.17.