A fresh suit against human ceremonies in God's worship. Or a triplication unto. D.…A fresh suit against human ceremonies in God's vvorship. Or a triplication unto. D.…

4. Mr. Bucer was alleged (in the Abridgement) as scarce esteeming them sincere Christians, who can abide the Ceremonies of Antichrist, or such as have affinity with his. The Rejoinder opposeth other places, where he speaketh for a toleration of some such Ceremonies. Neither of these allegations can be denied. What then shall we say?¹ surely 1. That Pucer though he was a reverend zealous man, yet he was a man; and so showed himself sometime about Ceremonies. So Calvin observed, Epist. 13. Bucer was so zealous for the propagation of the Gospel, that contented with the main, he was sometime more remiss then was meet, in allowing petty matters as he took them, but yet for all that, they had their weight. To the same purpose he gently admonisheth Bucer himself, even concerning the matters of England, Epist. 39. ⟨p. 459⟩This by name I commend to thee, ²by all means to free thy self from envy, under which thou sufferest (though unjustly) among many, as thou thy self knowest. For they still tax you by middle dealing, to be either Author or Abettor. And according to this observation, we find, that Cassander, and Baldwin, writing against Calvin himself, about Ceremonies, oppose unto him every where the name of Bucer. 2 It is to be noted, that when Bucer looked simply to his Rule, he condemned all ceremonious relics of Idolatry as much as any: but in some particular perplexity, other impressions did sometime draw him to an unwilling toleration of some such relics. But then he doeth it so fearfully, and with so many cautions, that any may see, it was but a suspensive sentence of toleration, extorted by a kind of necessity, not any allowance, out of constant judgement. Thus Beza in his Answer to Baldwin, who alleged Bucers allowance of our English Ceremonies, answereth:³ As for that English reformation, which you ascribe to Bucer you do the good man not a little wrong. To manifest this, he allegeth these words of Bucer: There be who with the leaven of Antichrist, would join together God and Belial.

4. Mr. Bucer was alleged (in the Abridgement) as scarce esteeming them syncere Christians, who can abide the Ceremonies of Antichrist, or such as have affinity with his. The Rejoynder opposeth other places, where he speakeh for a toleration of some such Ceremonies. Neither of these allegations can be denied. What then shall we say?