Five disputations of church-government and worship

§. 3. 3. It tendeth to the destruction of all Divine faith and obedience: while the fictions of men are pretended to be doctrines or Laws of God, it tendeth to confound things Divine and Humane; and so to bring the people to a loss, that they shall not know what is the will of God, and what the will of men.

§. 3. 3. It tendeth to the destruction of all Divine faith and obedience: while the fixions of men are pretended to be doctrines or Laws of God, it tendeth to confound things Divine and Humane; and so to bring the people to a loss, that they shall not know what is the will of God, and what the will of men.

§. 4. Let men therefore take heed how they affirm their Ceremonies to be Divine: as the Papists do, that feign them to ⟨p. 426⟩be of Apostolical Tradition. Some presume to tell the world, that it is God by Apostolical Tradition that hath instituted Christmas day, or other such Holy days, (besides the Lords day,) or that hath instituted the Cross in Baptism, or the fast of Lent, yea and some of their common prayers; abundance of humane inventions are thus audaciously fathered on God, which is enough to make people the more cautelous in receiving them: and I am sure makes it a more heinous sin in the imposers. We justly take it to be an odious thing of Heretics and Papists, to affix the names of Clemens, Dionysius, Ambrose, Austin, and other holy ancient writers, to their forgeries, and corrupt writings: And how much greater is their sin, that dare affix the name of God himself to their Ceremonious inventions or traditions?

§. 4. Let men therefore take heed how they affirm their Ceremonies to be Divine: as the Papists do, that feign them to ⟨p. 426⟩be of Apostolical Tradition. Some presume to tell the world, that it is God by Apostolical Tradition that hath instituted Christmas day, or other such Holy daies, (besides the Lords day,) or that hath instituted the Cross in Baptism, or the fast of Lent, yea and some of their common prayers; abundance of humane inventions are thus audaciously fathered on God, which is enough to make people the more cautelous in receiving them: and I am sure makes it a more hainous sin in the imposers. We justly take it to be an odious thing of Hereticks and Papists, to affix the names of Clemens, Dionysius, Ambrose, Austin, and other holy ancient writers, to their forgeries, and corrupt writings: And how much greater is their sin, that dare affix the name of God himself to their Ceremonious inventions or traditions?