firmation was separated from baptism, having been long joined with it,
one of his reasons which he giveth for the separation is, that sometimes
the parties who received baptism were infants, at which age they might
well be admitted to live in the family, but to fight in the army of God,
to bring forth the fruits, and to do the works of the Holy Ghost, their
time of hability was not yet come; which implieth, that by the
confirmation men receive this hability, else there is no sense in that
which he saith. What is idolatry, if this be not, to ascribe to rites of
man's devising, the power and virtue of doing that which none but He to
whom all power in heaven and earth belongs can do; and howbeit Hooker
would strike us dead at once, with the high-sounding name of the fathers,
yet it is not unknown, that the first fathers from whom this idolatry hath
descended were those ancient heretics, the Montanists. For as Chemnitius
marketh out of Tertullian and Cyprian,(660) the Montanists were the first
who began to ascribe any spiritual efficacy or operation to rites and
ceremonies devised by men.

_Sect._ 6. Fourthly, That whereunto more respect and account is given than
God alloweth to be given to it, and wherein more excellency is placed than
God hath put into it, or will at all communicate to it, is an idol exalted
against God; which maketh Zanchius to say,(661) _Si Luthero vel Calvino
tribuas, quod non potuerant errare, idola tibi fingis._ Now, when
Hooker(662) accounteth festival days, for God's extraordinary works
wrought upon them, to be holier than other days, what man of sound
judgment will not perceive that these days are idolised, since such an
eminence and excellency is put in them, whereas God hath made no
difference betwixt them and any other days? We have seen also that the
ceremonies are urged as necessary,(663) but did ever God allow that things
indifferent should be so highly advanced at the pleasure of men? And,
moreover, I have shown(664) that worship is placed in them; in which
respect they must needs be idols, being thus exalted against God's word,
at which we are commanded to hold us in the matter of worship. Last of
all, they are idolatrously advanced and dignified, in so much as holy
mystical significations are given them, which are a great deal more than
God's word alloweth in any rites of human institution, as shall be
shown(665) afterwards; and so it appeareth how the ceremonies, as now
urged and used, ar