The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)Gillespie, George
Religion
The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2)
Gillespie, George
Church of Scotland -- History; Gillespie, George, 1613-1648
_Sect._ 5. It will be said, that Papists have no ground nor reason to
confirm any of their superstitions by the English ceremonies. But I
answer: 1. If it were so, yet forasmuch as Papists draw them to a
confirmation of their superstitions, we should abstain from them as
appearances of evil. Eating (at a private banquet) of that which was
sacrificed to idols, did confirm an idolator and infidel in his religion,
as Pareus(380) noteth; yet from this the idolator had no reason to confirm
himself in his idolatry; but because the idolator, seeing it, might draw
it to a confirmation, the Apostle will have it for that respect forborne.
When the Arians abused trin-immersion in baptism, to signify three natures
of the three persons, Pope Gregory,(381) and the fourth council of Toledo
ordained,(382) that in Spain, thrice washing should no longer be used in
baptism, but once only. The Arians had no just reason to draw such a
signification from the ceremony of trin-immersion, yet was it abolished
when those heretics did so abuse it. If any say, that we are saved by the
blood of the Son of man, the phrase is orthodox, because of the
communication, or rather communion of properties, and the Nestorians
cannot with good reason by it confirm their heresy, yet are we to abstain
from this form of speech, in Zanchius’s judgment, when it is drawn to the
confirmation of that error.
I conclude with that which Parker(383) allegeth out of the _Harmony of
Confessions: Cum adiaphora rapiuntur ad confessionem, libera esse
desinunt_. Mark _rapiuntur_. 2. The ceremonies do indeed greatly
countenance those superstitions of Papists, because _communio rituum est
quasi symbolum communionis in religione_;(384) so that Papists get
occasion from the ceremonies, of confirming, not only those popish rites
which we have not yet received, but also the whole popish religion,
especially since they see Conformists so siding with them against
Non-Conformists, and making both their opinions and practices to be better
than we reckon them to be.
Saravia,(385) perceiving how much the popish sacrament of confirmation is
countenanced and confirmed by our bishoping, thinks it best to put the
fairest face he can upon the Papists’ judgment of that bastard sacrament.
He would have us believe, that the Papists do not extol the dignity of the
sacrament of confirmation above baptism. But he should have considered
that which Cartwright(386) marketh out of the first tome of the councils,
that in the epistle which is ascribed to Eusebius and Melciades, bishops
of Rome, it is plainly affirmed, that the sacrament of confirmation “is
more to be reverenced than the sacrament of baptism.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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