sacred passion and of our redemption upon the cross CHAP. XXV Of four sacred images which were made of Christ our Lord whilest he lived upon earth and of the relative religious honor done unto them to the inriching of their minds with pious thoughts EVsebius in the 14. chapter of his 7. book of histories and after him Casiadorus Nicephorus and other historiographers relate that the woman which our Saviour cured of an issue of bloud by the touch of the hem of his garment as is set downe in the 9. of S. Matthew in gratitude thereof in the City of Peneada where she was borne erected two cast images or statues of brasse the one of her self kneeling and holding up of her hands as is used in prayer the other of our Saviour standing right over against it with his garment to his ancles and his hand stretched out toward the woman at the foot whereof even upon the thing it stood upon grew a strange kind of herb which when it ascended to that height as to touch the hem of his garment had vertue to cure all kind of diseases which Statua Eusebius going to the said City of Penedda saith that he see with his eys Zozomenus in the 20. chapter of his 5. book continuing the same history saith that Julian the Apostata being certified that in Caesarea Philippi for so now Peneada was called was the famous image or statua of Christ which the woman who was cured of an issue of bloud had set up sent to have it cast down and his owne to be set up in the place which being done saith Zozomen a violent fire descended from heaven struck his statua above the brest and so cast the head together with the neck against the earth that it stuck fast in the ground with the face downward and even untill this day it remaineth black as burned with lightning At which time also the Pagâ—ns or heathen people so dragged the statua of Christ up and down with such sury as that they broke it into pieces but the Christians afterward gathering together the broken pieces placed them in the church where they are stil preserved Thus these antient Authors to shew unto us that the Primitive Christians honored worshipped with a relative religious worship the image statua's of Christ not for the matter or metal they were made of but for the pious thoughts they represented unto their memories as Roman Catholiques do at this day and that those who do deface sacred images beat down as Julian the Apostata and the Pagans are enemies of pious thoughts and Christianity Evagrius Scholasticus who florished about the yeare 596. in the 26. chapter of his fourth book of histories writeth that in the City Edessa neer unto the river of Euphrates where sometime Abgarus reigned as King there was a picture of our Saviour kept which he himself had sent unto the said King and the City being so straitly besieged by Costroes King of Persia that they were almost in dispair his works of great heaps of wood and tymber approaching so neer their walls that they could not defend them and they had made mines of fire underneath which could not burne for want of ayr not knowing how further to defend themselves saith Evagrius They brought forth the most holy image divinely made and not by the hands of men but by God Christ which he had sent to Abgarus when he desired to see him and put it into the mine which they had made sprinkling it with water whereof they had put a good quantity both into the fire and wood which was in their mine and so aid coming by divine power to their faith doing this that which before they could not perform was now easily done for presently a flame took hold of the wood which was below and burnt it into coals and after ascended to that which was above And when the besieged see the smoak to begin to break out above to blind the eys of their enemies they take little tankers and fill them with sulfur tow and such like as are apt to burn and make a smoke and and cast them upon the top of their enemies works which by the force of their throwing kindled and of themselves cast out smoke whereby they so obscured the smoke which came out of their mine that all those who were ignorant of the fact imagined that the smoke which they see came from the tankers and not from any other place but three daies after flames of fire were seen to break out of the earth and then the Persians who fought upon thesr bulwarks perceiving their danger Costroes striving against the divine vertue and power turneth the conduct of water which ran in the outside of the City upon the fire thinking thereby to extinguish it but the fire receiving the water as if it had been oyle or brimstone or some such other thing which easily taketh fire burnt the more untill it had destroyed all the works of the enemy and brought them to ashes whereupon Costroes failing of his hope returned home with shame Thus Evagrius of the picture which our Saviour had sent to King Abgarus Mention is also made of this image which our Saviour made by his divine power without workmanship of hands and sent to Abgarus by Procopius a Scholar of S. Augustines in his 2. book De bello Persico and by the seventh Generall Councell in the 5. Act where Leo a Lecturer of the Cathedrall church of Constantinople saith I your unworthy servant when J went into Syria with the Kings Commissioners passed to Edessa and there see the holy image not made with hands honored and also adored by the faithfull Of this image likewise make mention Adrian the first in the 18. chapter of his book to Charles the Great S. Damascenus in the 17. chapter of his 4. book Orthodoxa fidei and in his Oration de Imaginibus and Constantius Porphyrogenitus in his Oration made before the Emperors the Clergy and the people which is set down in Metaphrases upon the 16. of August Moreover this image was of such fame and respect that it was translated from Edessa unto Constantinople as witnesse Zonoras in Romana Lecapeno Nicephorus Callistus in the 7. chapter of his 2. book and S. Thomas upon the third of the sentences dist 9. q. 1. Art 2. Marianus Scotus in his Chronicle at the yeare 39. and others relate that our Saviour going to his passion a woman called Veronica gave him a handkerchiefe to wipe the sweat which run down his face and he returned it unto her again with his image upon it which image was in the time of Tyberius conveighed by the Christians to Rome where even untill this day it hath been preserved and reverenced with a relative religious worship of all pious Christians and is commonly set forth to be seen in S. Peters church upon Maunday Thursday Moreover Athanasius in his book of the suffering of the image of our Lord printed
Christian Catholique Nations that are the things of heaven and mysteries of their faith by audible artificiall sacred signes or visible sacred signes pictures and images they should never have learned them or have come to know them for as S. Paul in the aforesaid chapter saith faith is by hearing and hearing is by the word of God and words are but signes of things as witnesseth Aristotle in the first chapter of his first book of Perihermanias and Pierius in his book of the sacred Egyptian letters throughout neither as I have proved in the precedent chapters do the things themselves enter into the mind by the senses but their signes pictures formes or images whereby it appeareth that the necessity of using sacred artificiall signes pictures and images is such as that without them we cannot learn divine things or the mysteries of our faith Now seeing that the mind as Cicero in his first book of Offices affirmeth is never quiet but is always thinking or doing as we may find by our dreams and discourses upon things in our memory and phantasies when we are even asleep and no divine thing can naturally enter into our hearts and minds to be thought upon or agitated or discoursed of which passeth not by some form picture signe or image through the senses it necessarily followeth that if we will have pious thoughts we must propose to the senses sacred artificiall pictures signes formes or shapes that they may represent unto the heart and mind sacred things as matter of pious thoughts from whence it is that Catholâ—que Christians in the Primitive Church and at all times used sacred artificiall pictures signs and images as of the Nativity Preaching working of Miracles Passion of our Lord upon his Ascension into heaven his glory there and of his coming again at the day of Judgement and also sacred signs pictures or images of all the things contained in both Testaments as the pictures signs and images of Angels and Saints and of all vertues c. the rebv to furnish the mind by these objects of the senses with pious thoughts For as Abbot Moâ—ses a vertuous and learned old Eâ—mite who retyred himself into the desarts of Egypt for the salvation of his soule in the eighteenth chapter of the first book of Casians Collations saith The exercises of our soules may very fitly be compared unto a Water-mill which is so continu â—lly turned about with the violence of a stream running forth amain through certain holes that it can never cease from grinding yet it is the Millâ—rs or Masters power whether it shall grind Wheat or Barley or if he will cast into it to grind oâ— work upon Oats for that certainly will be broken in pieces and grinded which the Master or Miller will cast into it In like manner the mind saith he turned about by the incursions of this present life and by the torrents of temptations which rush in upon us cannot be free from the heat of thoughts whereof which to admit or to repulse every one ought to learne by his diligence and pains for if we continually apply our minds unto the meditation of the holy Scriptures raise up our memory to the memory of spirituall things elevate our desires to the desire of perfection and to the hope of the happinesse to come it must needs be that the thoughts which arise in our minds shall be spirituall the mind being brought to stay her self upon those things which she hath meditated but if overcome by sloth and negligence we spend our time in vices and idle talk or els busie our selves with the superfluous cares of the world then our hearts will be filled with hurtfull thoughts like a kâ—nd of a cockle sprung from thence for as our Saviour said where the treasure of our works or intentions is there also our heart must necessarily be fixed Thus Abbot Moyses a holy Hermit who lived about twelve hundred yeares past in the desarts of Sciti in Egypt as affirmeth Ruffinus in the eighth chapter of his eleventh book of histories where their letters were all visible pictures signs and images as witnesseth Pierius in his book of the sacred Egyptian letters And the like comparison of the operation of our soules in matter of thoughts hath S. Anselme sometime Archbishop of Canter bury in the forty one chapter of his book of Similitudes and others to demonstrate unto us the necessity of often hearing with respect and reverence sacred sounds which are but signes of holy things and of often seeing beholding and looking upon sacred artificiall pictures signes and images which represent unto us divine things or the mysteries of our faith c. with a relative religious worship that by hearing or beholding them after that manner the divine things or mysteries of our faith may easily passe and enter into our minds and fill our hearts with pious thoughts as I shall yet further shew in the ensuing chapters CHAP. IX What we mean by a relative Religious Worship and of the distinction of honor and worship AS our Opposers would not understand what we mean by sacred pictures figures and images no more will they understand what we intend by a Relative Religious Worship unlesse we explicate it unto them wherefore here it is necessary to repeat what I have said in the first and second chapters of our book of the honor and prayer to Saints where I have shewed that as there are in generall two Kingdomes upon earch th' one temporall th' other spirituall so also in generall and for as much as will serve for our purpose there are two kinds of honors and worships the one civill belonging to the temporall Kingdome the other religious belonging to the spirituall Kingdome and both these kinds of honors and worships have divers degrees divisions or distributions according to the divers and different dignities in the said Kingdomes and yet keep one or the same name of honor or worship with little variety in words more then the termes of religious civill or superstitious As for example all the honor and worship which is in the temporall Kingdome as it is temporall and not Christan whether it be exhibited to God or Gods or Kings or his Officers or other of his Subjects is but civill or superstitious though it be divided into divers acts operations and degrees for these who have no true Religion as Turks Jews and Infidells can have no true religious worship amongst them therefore all the honor and worship which can or may be amongst them is but civill or superstitious according to the humane vertues dignities or superstition which is used amongst them though it be divided into divers degrees and that civill or superstitious worship whith they bestow upon God or Gods or their Kings may not be given to every temporall man or Officer amongst them but an inferiour according to the civill or superstitious dignity or office or esteem of every one or the relation any thing amongst them hath to a
the conversion of Constantine the great the church of God for the most part remained in persecution as soon as he was converted and begun to erect Christian churches in the first church which he built which was the Constantiniana afterwards called the Church of our Saviour he placed in it the pictures and images of our Saviour and the Apostles as witnesseth Damasus in the life of S. Silvester saying Jn these times Constantine Augustus built the Church Constantiniana where he bestowed these gifts a balcone of silver with our Saviour sitting in the fore front thereof in a chair of five foot high weighing one hundred and twenty pounds and at his back the twelve Apostles every one of them of five foot in height weighing every one of them ninety pounds with crownes of most pure gold looking through the Cancells of our Saviour sitting in a throne of five foot of most pure silver c. Not long after Constantine lived S. Gregory Nazianzen who for his excellent knowledge in divinity was commonly called the Divine a man of noble parents and brought up at Athens with S. Basil the Great as his School-fellow yet this man making an Oration in the presence of S. Basil of the death of his Father which is the nineteenth amongst his works highly extolleth his father for building a stately and sumptuous Church adorned with pictures so artificially made that they did not as he saith yeeld to nature it self yet prophane and vain pictures were never permitted to have places in Churches Moreover Helladius S. Basils successor in the Church of Cappadocia writing the life of S. Basil affirmeth That the pious man stood before the image of our Lady where also was painted the effigies of the famous Martyr Mercury and he stood praying that he might be freed of wicked Julian the Apostata and he learned of the said image the event that followed which was of his death S. Gregory Nissen was brother to S. Basil the Great and lived at the same time with S. Gregory Nazianzen yet he writing an Oration in the praises of Theodorus the Martyr and coming to describe the beauty and sumptuousnesse of a Church built to his honor in the City Euchita afterward called Theodorpolis of his name amongst other things saith The Painter also by the flower of his art hath set forth in pictures the valiant acts or deeds of the Martyr his repugnances his torments the figures of barbarous and savage tyrants the violent force of the flames of fire consuming the Champion a patern of the combates of our General Christ in humane shape and to conclude he hath expressed unto us as in a book which containeth the interpretation of tongues all the combates and labours of the Martyr by artificially painting them in colours Thus S. Gregory Nizzen to demonstrate unto us that in the primitive Church and even in the most florishing time of the Church the faithfull had the pictures and images of their Saints in their publique Churches and respected and reverenced them with a relative religious worship as Roman Catholiques doe at this day thereby to nourish in themselves pious thoughts Anastasius Sinaita Bishop of Antioch florished about the yeare 544. who as it is set down in the third Oration of S. Damascenus de Jmaginibus relateth that twenty Sarazens breaking into the Church of the aforesaid S. Theodorâ—s and making their retreat in it one of them as he saith shot an arrow at the image of S. Theodorus which wounded it upon the right shoulder whereat bloud issued out and ran down unto the lowest part of the image yet they all beholding what was done and seeing the arrow sticking in the shoulder of the image of the Saint and the bloud gushing out were nothing moved with this wonderfull miracle neither he who did it being sorry for it nor any of the rest for their evil behaviour within a few dayes they all died and none else except those Sarazens who had taken up their lodgings in the said Church This image saith he thus strucken with an arrow is yet remaining bearing the wounds of an arrow and the stains of bloud many of those who were then living and see this thing are yet alive and I also see the image and have written what I have seen Thus Anastasius Bishop of Antioch S. Chrysostome set forth a publique Church-Service-book for the Church of Constantinople translated out of Greek into Latin by Erasmus wherein is set down the manner how the Priest is to proceed in the Service of the Church and amongst other things he saith That the Minister or Deacon going before with a light the Priest cometh forth of the Vestry with the Gospel in his hands and turning himself to the image of Christ which stood betweene two doors bowing down his head saith with a loud voice O Lord Governor of all things c. The religious Nilus was a Disciple of S. John Chrysostome yet he instructing Olympiodorus a Proconful how he would have Churches adorned saith I would have the walls of the Church on both sides filled with the histories of both the Old and New Testament set forth by the work of a most skilfull Painter to this end that those who were not taught to read and cannot read the Scriptures by beholding the pictures may be taught who they were which by worthy deeds sincerely served God that they also may be moved to undertake the like glorious works by which these men have made an exchange of earth for heaven and honor these things by contemplation which they never see with their eys Prudentius in his Hymne of the Martyr S. Cassianus setteth downe at large how over his Tomb stood his image painted with a thousand wounds torn in all the joynts his skin broken with little pricks and a many boyes sticking bodkins into his wounded members shewing the cruelty of his death and Martyrdome yet Prudentius florished in the year 390. S. Augustine in the tenth chapter of his first book de consensu Evangelistarum saith In many places Peter and Paul were seen painted with our Saviour Evadius in the fourth chap. of his 2. book of the miracles of S. Stephen saith that before the memory or Altar of S. Stephen was a vail wherein was painted S. Stephen bearing a glorious crosse upon his shoulders Nicephorus in the second chapter of his fourteenth book affirmeth that Pulcheria Augustae placed in the Church which she had built in Constantinople in the yeare 43â— a picture of our blessed Lady received from Eudoxia at Hierusalem Theodoret Bishop of Syria writing the admirable life of Simeon Stilites saith an innumerable people from divers Nations came by troops unto him into the territories of Antioch and many from Spain Britany and France who in Rome it selfe was so famous that in all their porches and entrance into their places of offices they put little pictures of him thereby as he saith to procure help and defenâ—e unto themselves Yet Theodoret florished
or painted cloaths nor graven nor carved nor painted things as they are such or as they are things absolute but as they have relation to the things of heaven and the mysteries of our faith and stir up in their minds pious thoughts And this is sufficient to shew unto any indifferent Reader how free Roman Catholiques are from committing either idolatry or any superstition in the honor and worship which they give unto sacred artificiall pictures signs and images and how their adversaries do calumniate them herein unjustly not only to the breach of the peace concord and charity which should be amongst the natives of this Island of Great Britain but also to the great hinderance of the elevation of mens minds to heavenly things and pious thoughts for the which God forgive them CHAP. XVI By the second Commandement God commanded all men to honor and worship his Name which is but a sacred signe picture or image of himself with a relative religious worship thereby to beget pious thoughts of him in our souls AS I have said heretofore no Artificer Carver Printer or Writer can make an essence substance or person or creature because these things are reserved to God the Author and Creator of all things but all that these men can do is to produce an accidentall form figure sign picture or image and all letters words characters hierogliphicks Tabernacles Altars c. as they are such are but artificiall signes pictures and images of the things which they represent made by artificers yet God not onely commanded that a relative religious respect and honor and reverence should be used towards the Tabernacle and propitiatory of the people of Israel as is often specified in the Scriptures but also so straitly bound all men to give a relative religious honor and worship unto his name as that he made it the second Commandement of the first Table saying Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for our Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vain Exod 20. and our Saviour taught us to pray unto God saying hallowed be thy name which name is but an artificiall thing sometimes pronounced sometimes painted written or ingraven other sometimes expressed in pictures and images as witnesseth Pierius in the thirteenth chapter of his seventeenth book and fifth of his thirty third book of the sacred Egyptian letters where he affirmeth that for these graven printed or written letters or word God which we use they had the picture or image of an eye as a God seeing all things according to the words of S. Paul saying There is no creature invisible in his sight Heb. 4.3 or a God father of lights as the Scriptures call him James 1.17 other sometimes they expresse this word God or the name of God by the picture of a Crocodile or of a Stork which have no tongues as of a thing unspeakable whereby it appeareth that men were alwayes bound to honor and worship sacred signes pictures and images with some kind of religious worship to the ingrafting in their hearts pious thoughts seeing that the Commandements of God bind all men in all ages and times as our Adversaries do confesse and we cannot give a relative religious honor unto any sacred thing as it is such but it will put in our minds pious thoughts According to this second Commandement the children of Israel had this name of God Iehova which was esteemed most proper unto him in such honor and reverence as for the respect they bore unto it the common people abstained from pronouncing it and the Priests forbore to speak it unlesse it were in their sacrifices and solemn blessings of the people or in entering into the holy of holies as witnesseth Philo in his book of the life of Moyses and when in reading the Scriptures this name occurred in place thereof they pronounced another as Adonai or Elohim in such sort as that â—â—t onely the seventy Interpreters who translated the Old Testament into Greek and our old translation in Latin and Origen in his Tetrâ—plis or Hexaplis but also our Saviour and the Apostles as often as the word Jehova doth occur they put in place thereof Adonai And not only the name of God was worshipped by the people of Israel with a relative religious honor and worship but also the plate wherein the name of God was ingraven and hung in the miter of the High Priest before his forehead as witnesseth the Scriptures saying They made also the plate of sacred veneration of most pure gold and they wrote in it with the work of a Lapadario or Ieweller the holy of our Lord or the holy name of our Lord and they tyed it to the Miter with a lace of Hiacinth as our Lord had commanded Moyses Exod. 39.29 whereupon Iosephus in the eighth chapter of his eleventh book of Antiquities relateth that Alexander the Great seeing Iaddus the High Priest bearing this venerable plate on his forehead with great reverence went unto him and adored the name of God written in the plate Moreover an oath being an act of Religion to bind all men to use a relative religious worship towards his name which is but a sign character or Hierogliphick commanded them that when just occasion was offered of swearing that they should swear by his name saying By my name thou shalt swear Exod. 6.13 Again He that sweareth in the earth shall swear by God Isay 65.16 and divers Nations as the Egyptians and Chinois using pictures and images in place of words they must of necessity according to this command use a relative religious honor and worship to pictures and images neither may our Adversaries say that this reverence and honor to the name of God is only civill seeing that all Divines grant an oath to be an act of Religion and that the Commandements are religious things whereby it is manifest that by the second Commandement we are bound to use a relative religious honor and worship to some kind of signs pictures and images as unto those which represent unto us the living God and that this relative religious worship to these sacred signs do nourish in us pious thoughts otherwise God would not have commanded it CHAP. XVII The third Commandement commandeth all men to honor and reverence the Sabbath day which is but a sacred sign THe third Commandement saith Remember that thou sanctifie the Sabbath day or as Protestants translate Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Exod. 20.3 Again observe the day of the Sabbath to sanctifie it or as Protestants translate keep the Sabbath to sanctifie it Dout. 5.12 now that dayes are but signes and not God or Gods the same Scriptures do witnesse saying Let lights be made in the firmament of heaven to divide the day and night and let them be for signes and seasons and daies and years Gen. 1.14 to manifest unto us that daies and years and so likewise the Sabbath or Sunday is but an
sacred name of Jesus whereat three fountains gushed out which yet remain untill this day and was so desirous that all Christians should honor this name that he saith Whatsoever you do in word or work do all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks to God and the Father by him Col. 3.17 Surius in the life of S. Ignatius who lived long with the Apostles writeth that being urged by the Pagans to deny Jesus Christ as their custome was in them times answered that it was a thing impossible for him to do because it was ingraven in his heart which after death they cut in pieces and found to be true his heart every where expressing in images the name of Jesus Nicephorus in the third chapter of his seventeenth book of histories writeth that there being a great Earthquake at Antioch about the year of our Lord 524. so fearfull that it destroyed almost the whole City yet divers having confidence in the name of Jesus writ over their doors Jesus is with us let no man move from his place they their houses escaped and stood firm S. Gregory the Great a man of no little credit in the Church of God in the first chapter of his first book of Dialogues writeth that Honoratus a holy man built a Monastery neer to the City of Pundi amongst the Alps where he had almost two hundred Monks under him and a mighty great stone breaking from under the hill under which his Monastery was built came rouling down as if it would destroy both his Monastery and Monks which the holy man Honoratus seeing he often called upon the name of Christ which was Jesus and with his right hand made the sign of the crosse upon it and so staid it presently even in the declining of the side of the Mountain Also the same S. Gregory in the third chapter of the same book relateth another miracle which was done by vertue of the same sacred name of Jesus which was as followeth certain Monks had an Orchard of fruits and herbs for their provision with a Lay-brother a holy man for the Gardner into which a thief used to break for to steal away the fruit and herbs which the pious Lay-brother perceiving the losse looking about found the place where he passed over the pale and seeking for a remedy found a Serpent whom he commanded saying follow me which the Serpent did untill he came to the passage which the thief used and then said to the Serpent I command thee in the name of Jesus that thou keep this passage and do not permit the thief to enter here any more presently the Serpent extended her self along the passage and the Lay-brother returned to his Cell About midday whilest all the Monks were at rest the thief according to his custome came and putting his fâ—ot ovâ—â— the pale to enter into the Oâ—câ—â—â—◠〈◊〉 suddain he perceived that 〈◊〉 Serpent lay in his passage whereat astonished he fell backward with his head downward and his foot fixed in the pale where the Lay-brother coming at his ordinary hour found him and said to the Serpent Thanks be to God thou hast done as thou wast commanded go thy ways which she did And then loosing the thiefs foot without doing him any hurt he said how durst thou brother so often steal the labours of the Monks follow me And so conducting him to the gate of the Orchard with much courtesie he gave him the fruit and herbs which he would have stollen saying Go thy way and hereafter do not steal but if thou shalt be in want come hither unto me and that which now thou labourest to take away by stealth I will freely give unto thee Moreover it was so common a thing for the Christians of the Primitive Church to reverence the name of Jesus with a relative religious worship that pious parents taught it their children even from their infancy as witnesseth S. Augustine in the fourth chapter of his third book of Confessions saying For this name according to thy mercy O Lord this name of my Saviour thy son had my tender heart even together with my mothers milk devoutly drunk in and carefully treasured up so that what book soever was without the name though never so learned or neatly and truly penned did not fully delight me Thus S. Augustine And to conclude this sacred name of Jesus and of God is so much to be honored worshipped upon earth that even in heaven the elect shall have them written in their foreheads there to remain with honor and glory for ever and ever as witnesseth S. Iohn saying And I looked and behold a Lamb stood upon Mount Sion and with him one hundred forty four thousand having his name and the name of his father written in their foreheads Rev. 14.1 whereby it will manifestly appeare unto any indifferent reader that to honour respect and worship the name of God and Jesus Christ our Lord with a relative religious worship for the persons they represent is a great signe of election and to make no more accompt of them then they doe of other vulgar names is an apparent signe of reprobation from which God of his goodnesse deliver thee Reader CHAP. XXII Of the honor and glory of the Crosse of Christ as it representeth his person and passion and how it shall distinguish the faithfull from the followers of Antichrist SO great is the obligation which all mankind hath unto the Son of God for his death and passion upon the Crosse for their redemption from everlasting pains that as S. Augustine saith he who is not thankfull to God for his creation is worthy to go to hell but he who is not willing to have a pious mind and thankfull remembrance for his redemption is worthy to have another hell created for his greater torments whereupon all pious faithfull Christians have ever born a venerable relative religious worship unto the sacred sign or image of the Crosse not as it is a piece of wood or stone or painted cloth or action of the hand but as it representeth unto our memories the sacred passion of our Lord as words do things and indueth our minds with pious thoughts whereupon S. Paul as inamored of the holy Crosse saith God forbid that I should glory but in the Crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ Gal. 6 14. And complaining of the little respect and reverence which the carnall men of his time bore unto the sacred Crosse of Christ saith Observe them that walk as you have seen our form for many walk of whom I often told you and now weeping also I tell you enemies of the Crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is the belly and their glory in their confusion Phil. 3.17 where he giveth us to understand that to be a lover and honorer of the sacred Crosse of Christ as it representeth unto us his passion for us is a signe of election and the neglect a token of
world and to destroy mankind as he grievously threatneth at the last day saying goe and kill c. as is set down Ezechiel the nineth Again in the 22. chapter of his first book of Testimonies against the Jewes speaking of the said prophecy of Ezechiel he saith That in this signe of the crosse is salvation to all those who are signed in their forehead God in Ezechiel doth declare saying passe through the middest of Hierusalem and thou shalt make a signe in the foreheads of men c. So what will become of these men who will not have the signe of the crosse made in their foreheads Lactantius florished about the year 320. and he speaking of the practise of the Church of God concerning this point of the relative religious honor and worship which was given to the sacred signe of the cross in the twenty seventh chapter of his fourth book of Institutions saith Now it is time to declare the great power of the sign of the cross of what terror this signe is to the divells those know who have seene it forasmuch as that adjured by Christ they fly out of the bodies which they did possess for as Christ himselfe whilest he lived amongst us put to flight all the divells by his word and brought men againe into their former senses who had been troubled in mind and furiously mad by assaults of the divell even so now his followers both by the name of their Master and by the sign of his passion do expel the same wicked spirits out of men whereof the proof is not hard for if whilest the Pagans offer sacrifice to their Gods any one be standing by who beareth the signe of the cross in his forehead they cease from Sacrifice neither can the consulted Oracle give any answer and this hath often been the chief cause that evill Kings have taken occasion to begin a persecution for when some of our Christian servants have stood by their Lords whilest they offered Sacrifice and have made the signe of the cross upon their foreheads they put to flight their gods neither could they describe in the entrails of their victimes the things to come And in his verses of the benefits of Christ he said bond thy knee and adore the venerable wood of the cross c. whereby it appeareth what a good fee these Christians deserve to have from the divell who have beaten down crosses and call the signing of our selves and other creatures conjuring Eusebius lived about the same time who writing the life of Constantine the Great in his 32. chapter of his first book relateth how the sign of the cross appeared to him in heaven with this inscription in this sign thou shalt overcome that is to say his enemies and in the second chapter of his third book affirmeth that he used now and then to signe his forehead with that healthfull sign of the passion and many times very much rejoyced in that victorious Tropâ—e or sign S. Athanasius florished in the year 340. who in his book of the Word Incarnate saith A man onely using the sign of the cross doth drive away from him the deceipts of the divells c. let him come who will mâ—ke an experience of my words and amongst the illusions of the divels or impostures of their foretellings or prophecies or the miracles of their Magitians and do but make the sign of the cross which they deride and call upon the name of Christ and he shall see with his eyes how for fear thereof the divell flyeth away their prophecies cease and their inchantments and witcherafts are made void S. Basil the Great florished about the year 370. who in his Oration of the Martyr Gordian saith He fortified himself with the sign of the cross and so with great constancy of mind without any fear or changing of countenance went merrily to his death Again in the twenty seventh chapter of his book of the Holy Ghost he saith If we should go about to rèject these customes which are not delivered in writing as though they were things of no moment we should imprudently condemn many things which in the Gospell are esteemed necessary to our salvation of which sort is that I may repeat that first which is the first and most common thing used amongst us the sign of the cross for who hath taught in writing that we should signe those with the sign of the cross who have put their hope in Christ is it not by a tacit and secret tradition is it not from the doctrine which our Fathers have kept in silence which curious and idle people call in question S. Cyrill of Hierusalem lived at that same time with S. Basil the Great and he in his fourth Catechesis or instructions for Christian life saith Let us not be ashamed of the cross of Christ but if any one shall hide it do thou publikely sign thy self in the forehead with the cross that the divells seeing the standard of the King trembling may make hast to be gone see also that thou make this sign when thou beginnest to eat or drink when thou sittest down and when thou arisest when thou beginnest to speak or to walk and in every one of thy affairs S. Ambrose also florished at the same time with S. Gregory and S. Cyril who in the seventy seventh Epistle of his nineth book saith Christian people do in every moment write the contempt of death upon their owne foreheads for they know that without the cross of our Lord they cannot be saved Again in his fifty sixth Sermon he saith In what place the cross of Christ is erected or planted there presently the iniquity of the divell is driven away and tempests of winds cease and also the good husbandman when he prepareth his land by tillage and seeketh nourishment for life he doth not begin to go about it but by the sign of the cross S. Hierome chapter 6. of his eighth Epistle to Demetriades saith Thou often fortifiest thy forehead with the signe of the crosse least the Master of Egypt should find any abode or habitation in thee Again upon the eighth chapter of Ezechiel he saith In the Hebrew Characters which the Samaritans do use untill this day the last letter Thau is made after the likeness of the cross which is imprinted in the foreheads of Christians and often made with their hands And upon the fifty eighth Psalme he prayeth saying We beseech thee O Lord that guarded by the sign of the cross and defended by the assistance thereof we may deserve to be freed from all the deceipts of the divell And to conclude so honorable was the esteeme which the Primitive Christians had of the signe of the cross as that they used it in all the rites and ceremonies of their Religion in such sort as that they accompted no solemne act of their Religion to be well and perfectly performed unless the sacred signe of the cross was added unto it as witnesseth S. Chrysostome for
in his book of the sacred Egyptian letters and this kind of painting or setting forth of God by pictures and images hath also alwayes been lawfull otherwise those who write or print pictures and images for letters or characters could have no Bible or writ any thing of God or of the mysteries of our faith as the Egyptians and Chinois and this is called the expression of the nature of a thing by Analogies or metaphoricall and mysticall significations as also for example to set forth the strength agility and glory of an Angell by Analogy and mysticall signification we use to paint or print a beautiful young man with wings as were the pictures of Angels in the Temple this kind also of setting forth God or Angels hath always been lawful Ob. The Scriptures say whereunto have you resembled me and made me equal and compared me and made me like Isa 46.5 Ans This text as the former is spoken of idolls as appeareth by the text it self which saith whereunto have you made me equal which cannot be but by making of an idol no Christian Catholique either thinking or esteeming or imagining any artificiall picture or image to be equall with God and it presently followeth in the same text You that contribute gold out of the bag and wâ—â—gh silver with balance hiring a goldsmith to make a god to demonstrate unto us that this and such like places alledged out of the Scriptures only prohibit the making of idols or the going about to paint or print an image or picture which immediately shall set forth the nature substance or essence of God which is impossible and forbidden Ob. The Councell of Eliberis in the 36. Canon forbiddeth images in churches Ans It prohibiteth the painting of them upon the church wall in time of persecution least they should be prophaned or abused but confesseth that they ought to be worshipped or reverenced as I have shewed heretofore Ob. Tertullian in the 12. chapter of his Apology for the Christians against the Gentiles saith they did not adore statues or images Ans Not as the Gentiles did theiâ— statues or images with divine honor as Gods but with a relative religious worship as in the 16. cha of the same book he affirmeth saying who doth not think us to be religious towards the cross or of the cross Moreover the faithfull Christian souldiers at all times adored the image of the Roman Emperors in the Imperiall standard as witnesseth S. Gregory Nissen in his first Oration against Julian the Apostata number 76. saying They think it not enough that they themselves are adored unless it be given also unto them in their pictures and images The like hath Zozonteus in the 4. cha of his 1. book of histories saying The souldiers used to adore the Ensign of war called Labarum which was inferiour to sacred pictures signs or images Ob. They adored the pictures and images of the Emperors with civill worship but not with a religious worship Ans Then first you confesse that adoration may be given unto the pictures and images of Christ and his Saints but not a religious adoration for if it be lawfull to adore the pictures or images of heathen men you cannot deny it unto the pictures of our Saviour and his Saints who are far more eminent and that relative religious worship may be given unto them I have proved in the former chapters and by the same reason that civill adoration may be given to the eminent temporal things of the world by the same reason a relative religious adoration may be given to eminent religious or spiritual things in the Kingdom of Gods church because the hierarchy in the one is answerable to the Monarchy in the other wherefore seeing that you grant a civill adoration to the pictures of eminent men in the one you cannot with any reason deny a relative religious adoration to the pictures or images of Christ and his Saints in the other Ob. Some of the Fathers say that neither Angels or Saints or any other creature may be worshipped or adored with a religious worship Ans As I have said heretofore the vertue of Religion hath divers acts or operations whereof the chief is extended to God only such as is the profoundest humiliation and prostration of the will as to the first truth first beginning the chiefest good and last end of man which for his excellency is or may be called absolute adoration or a religious worship without addition or a divine worship because it hath no relation or dependence upon any other and this may not be given unto any creature So when the Fathers say that a religious worship may not be given to the Angels and Saints c. they understand this absolute religious worship which is made with a whole prostration or submission of the will as to the chiefest good and last end of man which were injustice to bestow upon any creature and when they say that a religious worship may be given to creatures as S. Augustine doth in the 21. cha of his 20. book against Faustus and others they intend this relative or inferiour kind of religious worship which we call for distinction sake relative which may be bestowed either upon the eminent creatures of God according to the supernaturall excellency or dignity which he hath communicated unto them or upon sacred pictures signs or images for the relation they have unto the mysteries of our faith or things in heaven so as when we say God only is good for that he is good of himself infinite and independent it doth not hinder us to say that his creatures are good by communication from his goodnesse no more doth it hinder us to say that his eminent creatures upon whom he hath bestowed grace and glory or sacred pictures signes or images which have a relation to the mysteries of our faith or to the things of heaven may be worshipped with a relative religious worship depending upon God and sending us unto him as unto our last end According to this argument you may prove that we ought not to use charity or love towards our neighbour or towards any man because the Scripture saith Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and thy whole mind Deut. 5.6 Mat. 22.37 therefore may you say as you do of religious worship you may not use charity or love unto any creature which is absurd but as the highest charity and chiefest extension of our loves belongeth to God alone as to our chiefest good and an inferiour kind of charity with relation unto him may be used and ought to be used towards his creatures so likewise in the vertue of Religion some acts are due unto God alone others to be communicated to his eminent creatures and if you can understand this of charity you may easily understand the same of religious worship or of any other vertue how it may be used towards God alone and how it