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A13916
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A breefe treatise of the vertue of the crosse and the true manner hovv to honour it. Translated out of French into English.; Brief traicté de la vertu de la croix et de la manière de l'honnorer. English.
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La Faye, Antoine de, 1540-1615.; Munday, Anthony, 1553-1633.
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1599
(1599)
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STC 24216; ESTC S103275
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31,239
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94
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And that if wee dye with him we shall liue with him if we suffer with him we shall reigne with him So that the Sonne of God is highly honored wheÌ„ he is acknowledged to be the sole Sauiour and redeemer of men lost in Adam and who beeing sinners and destitute of the glory of God are reconciled in him and reestablished in farre greater glory then euer they had or could haue before But on the contrary part the great glory of Gods elect shineth in this that as S. Iohn sayth 3. ver 16. So God loued vs that he gaue his onely Sonne for vs to the end that whosoeuer beleeued in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life And the same S. Iohn saith in his first Epistle 3. ver 1. Beholde this loue hath the Father bestowed on vs that we are called the Sonnes of God So that each of vs may say this of himselfe the life which I haue at this present is by the faith I haue in the Sonne of God that he hath loued me and gaue himselfe for me adding withall that by the sufferings which my Lord Iesus Christ hath endured all misery and afflictions which can happen to mee are sanctified For whereas in their owne nature they were punishments by the death of Iesus Christ they are become visitations and testimonies of Gods fauour that hee looueth and enstructeth such as he correcteth We likewise honour the Crosse in this that we are crucified to the world and the world to vs so that dying with Christ Iesus we are raysed vp againe with him saith S. Paule Rom. 6. ver 8. For he hath giuen vs an example to follow his steps that being dead to sin we might liue againe to righteousnes being healed by his wounds saith S. Peter 1. Pet. 2. v. 21 24. And again The grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared And teacheth vs that we should deny all vngodlynes and worldly lustes and that we should liue soberly and righteously and Godly in this present world Looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the mighty God and of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Titus 2. ver 11. 12. 13. Beholde heere the true manner how to honor the crosse and death of Iesus Christ as the Apostles S. Peter S. Iohn and S. Paule hath raught vs in their writinges which themselues practised when they were in this world such hath bin the reuerence which the Primatiue Church made to the crosse For those signs which were made at the beginning were nothing but with the moouing of the hand applyed to the forehead or cast vp into the ayre hauing no subsistance in bodily matter of wood stone siluer golde or other such like The first that made any of some matter was Constantine who hauing obtained a notable victory against Maxentius made his Ensigne in forme of the crosse enriched with golde and precious stones Yet was it not after the fashion of the Crosse obserued now-adaies for the Historians haue thus described it At the end of a high staffe the Greeke letter P was represented vnder it the letter X which are the two first letters of christes name in Greeke Soone after a sayle was hanged ouerth wart this staffe without any figure in the saile and was in all respects as is here set downe And because hee was newely exalted to the imperiall dignitie by the consent of his warriours who preferred him after the declining of Dioclesian his predecessour hee considered that the meanes to maintaine him in this dignitie against all competitours and contenders was to make himselfe a friend with those Christians which Dioclesian had persecuted euen to his vttermost And for this cause hee made the crosse to be erected before himselfe became a Christian for hee was not Baptised till the seuenth yeere of his Empire and the victory before named hapned in the first yeere Now because the Christian historians speake of an apparition of the Crosse in the ayre with these words Thou shalt ouer come by this it is so that Zosimus a Pagane historian who liued at that time there and was a most exact searcher after the deedes of Constantine hath made no mention at all thereof Also it appeareth that the Ecclesiastical histories speake diuersly thereof For Eusebius saith that this visioÌ„ chanced at noone time of the day Sozomenus writes that it appeared in the night to Constantine sleeping Neuerthelesse God might permit this miracle as a helpe to the conuersion of this Prince beings as then a Pagane and that it might serue afterwardes for the further auauncement of Christes glory whatsoeuer affection himselfe should beare therto for some Authors haue noted great defectes and faultes in him He then made the ensignes and Armes of his souldiers to bee marked with the Crosse he caused it to be set vp in publique places as is to be read that hee made to bee erected his owne statue in brasse at Roome holding a Crosse of the same mettal in his hand Notwithstanding he neuer appointed it in any Temple but in a publique place for then the Romaine Temples had as yet the Paganes Idols in them But afterward when it was said that the true Crosse indeed was found by Helena mother to Constantine then a great number of Crosses were erected Nor shall we need in this search to enter so far whether this were a contriued inuention or a truth albeit Volaterranus and Fryer Oâ—uphrius Panuinus of the Augustines order in his notes vpon Platina in the life of Pope Eusebius 32. giues sufficiently to vnderstand that this was an vncertaine matter considering the diuersity found in Authours as touching the time of this inuention For if we shall credite some historians Helena was yet at that time an Infidell and Constantine himselfe not become a firme Christian not hauing then done any thing in Siria And some say that it was not found in the time of great Constantine but in his Sonne Constantines time heereto may we adde Eusebius who writ the life of Constantine and speakes of all which Helena did in Ierusalem yet speakes not one word of this inuention of the Crosse Neyther doth Saint Ambrose agree heerein with other writers for hee faith this Crosse was knowen by the tytle thereon and others say that it was by miraculous healing of a woman which the very touching of this Crosse brought to perfect health againe But howsoever it was there is no man I thinke but will holde for fabulous when hee reades that Adam being sicke sent his Sonne Seth to the gate of Paradise to haue some of the oyle of mercy wherewith hee might be annoynted and healed and how the Angell gaue him a bough of the tree whereof Adam had before eaten the fruite and so transgressed Gods commaundement But being returned he found his Father dead and therefore planted this bough on Adams graue which afterward grew to a goodly tree so that when Salomon caused the temple to be
mens vanitie and no veritie Now we intend not at this present to speake of other points for they are appointed and shall be God willing handled else where in ample manner but this instant occasion imposeth a needefull taske to speake of insupportable abuse committed by them concerning the Crosse to the ende all men may learne how to furnishe them selues against the poyson of idolatric which the deuill comes to vomite foorth againe in this time of neere neighbourhood furthering his purpose with the iuglings of diuers his instruments who by wordes and writing labour to rebuilde vp idolatrie againe as the walles of Iericho which notwithstanding by the sound of Gods trumpets are fallen and that by good numbers in these quarters We consider that they who brought hither diuulged those two writings which they send flying abroad in forme of Placards doubted not to greeue make many good Christians among vs shed teares for whatis he who beholding the follies absurdities and idolatries in them contained that can refraine from lamenting seeing the sonne of God dishonored a number of soules withdrawne from true christianitie an infinite multitude to fortifie theÌ„selues in ignorance and falshood Yet this lamentation marcheth not alone for we accoÌ„pany it with our daily sighes and prayers drawne froÌ„ the entire depth bottom of our harts to the onely true God by the intercession of him that was crucified dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification that hee will confirme in his trueth such as it pleased him alreadie to call thereto and withdrawe from errour those whome the false preachers of idolatrie labour to blinde therewith First then it is to be noted that the word Crosse signifieth sometime a kinde of libbit which in elder times they vsed for the greatest and most infamous malefactours Sometime it signifieth the punishment which those offendours were to endure In the historie of our redemption these two significations are oftentimes found For when it is said that Christ caried the crosse and was fastened thereon it is easie to be gathered that it was the Crosse of wood he bare and that thereto hee was nayled and fastened In like manner when it is said Colos 1. ver 20. That by the blood of the Crosse of Christ our peace is made it cannot bee doubted but that these wordes haue reference to those sufferings which it pleased the sonne of God to endure for vs. This distinction being well obserued wee shall the more easilie and Christianlie determine the matter handled in those placards For if by the word Crosse the death and passion of Christ is vnderstood it will follow by the confession of all true Christians that the vertue of that Crosse is such as is no way to bee comprehended by the vnderstanding of men nor Angels For it is the Crosse and death of Christ Iesus that witnesseth the loue which God beares to his elect which Loue passeth all vnderstanding saith Saint Paule Philipi 4. ver 7. In this Crosse is our life light health defence strength joy perfection and our all whatsoeuer for there is no good or hope for vs elsewhere but in the Crosse of our Lorde Iesus Christ Heereof may wee saye with S. Paule Galat 6. ver 14. God forbid wee should glorie in any thing but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ whereby the worlde is crucified to vs and we to the world wherevppon the same S. Paul saith 1. Cor. 1. ver 25. That he desired to know nothing but Christ Iesus and him crucified But if by the worde Crosse we vnderstand the wood or libbit whereon the sonne of God was hanged for the sinnes of the elect we may boldly say that wee finde no testimonie in the word of God written by the Prophets Apostles nor any examples or practise of theirs that either may or ought induce vs to attribute any vertue to the wood it selfe For albeit wee doubt not of Gods omnipotencie to whom nothing is impossible yet ought wee to conceiue of this almightinesse by that which appeares to vs of his owne will according to that in the 115. Psalme God hath done all whatsoeuer him pleased Then safely may wee conclude that God had no will such vertue should be adherent to the wood or crosse of hâ—s sonne for then hee woulde doubtlesse haue witnessed the same by his word Among true Christians whatsoeuer is not written in the worde of God is helde as a matter of no estate or beeing as wee may gather from the 7. to the Hebrues verse 3. where it is said That Melchisedech was without father without mother c. for this only reason because the scripture no where at all speaketh of his father or mother although it be most certaine that he had a father mother like to other men Of the Crosse we read that Iesus Christ carried it so likewise did Simon the father of Rufus beare it that Iesus went out of the cittle of Ierusalem bearing it that it was brought to the mount of Caluarie where it was prepared Iesus nayledthereon and likewise the inscription Iesus of Nazareth king of the Jewes that thereon Iesus had his side pearced rendred vp his spirit thereon and when night came that the bodie of Iesus was taken downe from the crosse ouer and beside these poynts we read nothing whereby appeareth that God was willing to forestall idolatrie which neuerthelesse Sathan wold needes bring into the world For as he had no will that the Sepulchre of Moyses should be knowne so is there not any witnesse recorded that God was willing his sonnes crosse shuld haue any notice among men for to say that it was kept or enterred in the place where it had beene erected which was as ones aith the place where Adam was buried this hath no semblance of any certaintie for if we shall beleeue our elders Adam was buried in Hebron not neere Ierusalem Likewise seeing the Disciples Apostles of Iesus Christ were scattered at his death that after his ascention they were prohibited to speake of or name Iesus Christ that they were made prisoners and scourged that Saint Stephen was stoned that great persecutioÌ„ was in the church of Jerusalem and soon after that Jerusalem was brought to totall extremitie and ruine what apparance can there bee that this crosse was hidden and honoured by them that followed Christ Iesus In like maner we reade not any where that the Disciples and Apostles of Iesus did euer recommend this crosse and yet they said in the 13. of the Hebrues verse 13. Let vs go foorth after Jesus out of the campe bearing his reproach And Christ himselfe said That whosoeuer would be his Disciple must take vp his crosse follow him Math. 16. verse 24. And as for that where he saith the enemies of Christ haue gone about to abolish his crosse and yet they could not do it such would lighteÌ„ darkenesse by darknesse For where one reports that they endeuoured to