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A41594 A discourse of the use of images in relation to the Church of England and the Church of Rome in vindication of Nubes testium against a pamphlet entitled The antiquity of the Protestant religion concerning images, directed against some leaves of that collection. Gother, John, d. 1704. 1687 (1687) Wing G1328; ESTC R15744 20,616 40

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the Crucifixion of our Saviour but especially in the New Common-Prayer-Books interleav'd with Pictures 2ly As to the Commemorative Vse of Images 't is receiv'd and approv'd in the Church of Rome as 't is explicated in the Council of Trent above cited where 't is said That the Use of Holy Images is Beneficial to the People because by them they are put in mind of the Benefits and Blessings receiv'd from Christ and by seeing the Wonderful Miracles wrought by the Power of God and the Exemplary Lives of the Saints they are excited to give God Thanks for such Favors to love him and compose their Lives according to the Exemple of such Holy Men. The same is declared in the Catechism ad Parochos ut sup where the Parish Priest is directed to inform the People That Holy Images are plac'd in Churches to put them in mind of the Divine Mysteries and Blessings that so they may be more Zealous and Attentive in the Love and Service of so Good a God. And that by beholding the Representations of the Saints they may be admonish'd to conform their Lives to such Examples Thus teaches the Church of Rome The Church of England likewise agrees with her in the same Doctrin and Practice allowing of Images as helps to Piety and for the affecting the minds of the Beholders with Pious Cogitations and encouraging them to a Vertuous and Exemplary Life This is most apparent in the Injunctions given by King Edward VI. to his Clergy and Ministers wherein they are order'd to Instruct the People in their Circuits that Images serve for Remembrance whereby Men may be admonish'd of the holy Lives and Conversation of them that the said Images Represent Which is the very Doctrin now mention'd in the Council of Trent and Catechism ad Parochos This Mr. Montagu explicates more at large in his Book call'd A New Gag c. where treating of Images he says to the Papists Images have these uses assign'd by your Schools The Instruction of the Ignorant the Refreshing of History and Exciting Devotion You and WE also give unto them these And a little after The Pictures of Christ the Blessed Virgin and Saints may be made and had in Houses set up in Churches The Protestants do it and use them for Helps of Piety In his Appeal to Caesar likewise he thus delivers the Sense of the Church of England in this affair c. 21. Our strictest Writers says he do not condemn or censure St. Gregory for putting upon them Images that Historical use of suggesting unto moving or affecting the mind even in Pious and Religious Affections For Instance in Remembring more feelingly and so being empassion'd more effectually with the Death Blood-shed and Bitter Passion of our Saviour when we see that Story fully and lively Represented unto us in Colors or Work by a Skilful hand And I know not the Man that is made of human Mold but when he readeth on this Painted Book his Tragical Endurances for Man will reflect upon himself and his own Soul and Conscience with a Lively apprehension of Man's Sin God's Love Christ's endeared Charity in undergoing these unknown Sufferings for our sake Thus this Eminent Author most feelingly explicates the Pious use of Holy Images as proper for the suggesting Good Thoughts and inflaming the Soul with most Christian Affections in order to the Love and Service of God. In this the Reader may behold how little Difference or rather how great an Agreement there is between the Legitimate and Genuin Doctrin of the Church of England and the Church of Rome as to these two first Points mention'd viz. The Historical and Commemorative Vse of Sacred Images Now when a Member of the Church of Rome has endeavor'd to shew that this Doctrin as to the Historical and Commemorative Vse of Holy Images is agreeable to the Antient Church as is done in Nubes Testium who could ever expect that any Member of the Church of England much less a Divine should appear bidding Defiance to such Doctrin with endeavors to shew the Practice of it to be Heathenish Heretical and but a Popish Invention Could a Man think that any Church of England Divine would take so much pains to abuse and Ridicule his own Church Certainly he must be either very Ignorant of what his own Church teaches or very blindly Malicious against the Church of Rome that to expose her should not care what Mischief he did his own Mother Church But thus it happens sometimes when Men are guided by Passion instead of Truth and Reason 't is impossible to avoid these Absurdities when such Bitter Spirits take Pen in hand who look no further in Answering than to Contradict their Adversary right or wrong And how far this Answerer has done this 't will be not amiss in this Place to consider 1st Then he pretends to shew pa. 20. That the first making of Pictures among Christians proceeded partly from the Example of some HERETICS This Bolt he shoots against the Papists But will not any Reader presently reflect that if Pictures in Churches be not a Christian Institution but the Corruption of Heretics that the Church of England for all the Pictures they set up in their Churches follow not Christ and his Apostles as they pretend but the Invention of Heretics And what Credit is this to his Church 2ly He asserts ib. that the making Pictures among Christians had it's Origin principally from the Fond Inclinations of those who being Converted from Heathenism to Christianity retain'd still an old relish and love of those Superstitious Practices to which they had been accustom'd so long Is not this to let the Person of Quality to whom he writes know that the Church of England in using and allowing Sacred Pictures of Christ his Apostles c. as is shewn above in Houses and Churches follows not only an Heretical Abuse but likewise the Superstitious Practices of Heathens 3ly He says that there was no such thing pa. 15. as the Vse of Images in the Primitive Ages Which is to inform his Reader that the Church of England as to this Point of Images is faln from the Christianity of the Primitive Times and that she stands in need of a Reformation 4ly He shews pa. 22. that the having Pictures in Churches is contrary to an Express Canon of the Council of Eliberis held An. 305. by the Fathers of the Primitive Church In which he condemns his own Church for contradicting the Positive Decrees of so Antient a Council 5ly From the Example of an Antient Bishop renting a Veil or Hanging whereon was the Image of Christ he declares pa. 25. in the words of the Bishop such Pictures to be contrary to the Authority of the Scriptures Which is plainly to tell the World that the Use of Hangings such as have Christ or his Saints Represented on them as may be seen in many Houses in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches are all contrary to the Word of God. These are some of the