2. The Sign of the Cross in Baptism

II. The Sign of the Cross in Baptism.

This is another popish Idol; for it is a thing which the Lord never commanded, and which never came into his heart. It is a manifest adding to the Institution, and the arguments that are usually brought against other Popish corruptions, against oyl, cream, salt, spittle, &c. will hold as well against the Cross. No, more may be said against this, than against some of those. For oyl formerly was of some use in the worship of God, which the Cross never was; and oyle was never instrumental to any cruelty of man against the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Cross was. If a Child should love and kiss the knife that cut his father's throat, or worship the Gallows on which his father was hanged, you would say, he were an ungracious Child, or else a mere fool, for nature and reason would reach him rather to detest it. But then what shall we think of the Papists and others, who thus idolize the Cross, upon which Christ was crucified, why is not as much honor due to the Spear that pierced him? and to whips, and nails, and thorns? Why may they not as well worship Judas who betrayed him? and why may we not by the same reason take a thorn when we baptize a Child, and give it two, or three pricks in the forehead, to shew that it must suffer for Christ? For Christ's head was crowned with thorns, we may do this with as much reason, and with as good devotion for ought I know, as sign it with the Sign of the Cross. I have read of some who were wont to use bread and Cheese in the Lord's Supper, called Artotyritae, and there is as much reason for this, for ought I know, as for the Cross in Baptism. If the Church's authority be all that can be said for it, if there be no other reason for it, as indeed some pretend that this is enough; the Church then may do things which she can give no reason for, and we must yield blind obedience to her dictates, and so pin our faith as the Papists would have us, upon the Church's sleeves.

It is true, the Scripture speaks honourably of the Cross of Christ, God forbid, (says Paul) that I should glory in any thing save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified to me, and I to the World: but by the Cross of Christ is meant the death of Christ, for it is by the death and sufferings of Christ that our lusts are crucified, and not by the Cross of wood. As when the same Apostle says, the preaching of the Cross, is the power of God to save souls (1 Corinthians 1:18), it is not meant of a wooden Cross, nor yet an aery, or watery Cross, but the preaching of Christ crucified, as he explains himself, ver. 23, 24. Is any man so blind as to think that the great Apostle made it the great work, and business of his preaching to cry up the Cross of wood, which was nothing else but the instrument of man's cruelty against our Lord Jesus Christ? And therefore as Mr. Parker shews it ought to be as odious to us as is the Gallows to a child on which his father was hanged. And in that learned Book of his — a Book which the Bishops durst never undertake to answer — he has proved that this by some so much applauded Sign of the Cross, is a sin against all the Ten Commandments, and a breach of the very letter of the Second Commandment, being an Image in use religious of man's devising, and taken from the Brothel house of God's greatest enemy; yes, among all the Signs of Rome, there is not a more gross and dirty Harlot. He shews that it is the greatest Devil among the Idols of Rome. For it is adored by the Papists as a distributer both of temporal blessings, and heavenly graces. It is supposed by them to bless, to convert sinners, to work miracles, to save all that are marked with it, to sanctify and consecrate the water of Baptism, to make it effectual to procure reverence to Baptism, to put us in mind of our vow therein, to fortify and strengthen us against temptations, to drive away the Devil, though as he says well, this pretended use of it against the Devil is no better than a straw to run at Tilt with. But what higher and greater things than these can be said of any Ordinance of Christ? But instead of these glorious effects, it has done a world of mischief, as much I do believe as ever any Idol did. For God has accursed it to be a snare, and so it has proved accordingly. It has shed much precious blood, which the Earth will not cover, and it is conceived by very learned men, that the Sign of the Cross is that special mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:16). But all our Writers do consent, that the Ceremonies of the Romish Church, are a part of the mark of the Beast, of which Ceremonies, the Cross is chief. And shall such a principal badge of Popery? such an Ensign of Anti-Christ, such a Trophy of Anti-Christ, his Conquest and desolation of the worship, and Churches of Christ be retained and continued among Protestants? Shall we suffer such a mark of the Beast to be set upon our fore-heads, and upon the fore-heads of our Friends and Children? God forbid. They may be the Instruments of Christ to eat the Whore's flesh, and to burn her with fire, and shall they wear the Whore's mark? I say again, God forbid. The Idolatry of this Ceremony is so gross and palpable, that some, who have made a shift to swallow down almost all the rest, the very Organs and all, yet they have stuck at this, they have not been well able to digest the Cross in Baptism.