o et amplector_;
and after, _Receptos quoque ac approbatos ecclesiae Catholicae ritus, in
supra dictorum sacramentorum solemni administratione, recipio, et
admitto_. We see bishops are not created by this ordinance, except they
not only believe with the church of Rome, but also receive her ceremonies,
by which, as by the badges of her faith and religion, cognizance may be
had that they are indeed her children. And farther, Papists give it forth
plainly,(626) that as the church hath ever abstained from the observances
of heretics, so now also catholics (they mean Romanists) are very well
distinguished from heretics (they mean those of the reformed religion) by
the sign of the cross, abstinence from flesh on Friday, &c. And how do our
divines understand the mark of the beast, spoken of Rev. xiii. 16, 17?
Junius(627) comprehendeth confirmation under this mark. Cartwright(628)
also referreth the sign of the cross to the mark of the beast. Pareus(629)
approveth the Bishop of Salisbury's exposition, and placeth the common
mark of the beast the observation of antichrist's festival days, and the
rest of his ceremonies, which are not commanded by God. It seems this much
has been plain to Joseph Hall, so that he could not deny it; for whereas
the Brownists allege, that not only after their separation, but before
they separated also, they were, and are verily persuaded that the
ceremonies are but the badges and liveries of that man of sin whereof the
Pope is the head and the prelates the shoulders,--he, in this
_Apology_(630) against them, saith nothing to this point.

_Sect._ 12. As for any other of our opposites, who have made such answers
as they could to the argument in hand, I hope the strength and force of
the same hath been demonstrated to be such that their poor shifts are too
weak for gain-standing it. Some of them (as I touched before) are not
ashamed to profess that we should come as near to the Papists as we can,
and therefore should conform ourselves to them in their ceremonies (only
purging away the superstition), because if we do otherwise, we exasperate
the Papists, and alienate them the more from our religion and reformation.
_Ans._ 1. Bastwick,(631) propounding the same objection, _Si quis objiciat
nos ipsos pertinaci ceremoniarum papalium contemptu, Papistis offendiculum
posuisse, quo minus se nostris ecclesiis associent_, he answereth out of
the Apostle, Rom. xv. 2, that we are to please every one his neighbour