may be communicated to his creatures depending upon him Ob. Some of the more simple sort of people amongst you adore your pictures of God or pray unto them as unto a living thing Ans I never could either see or hear of any such amongst them If we cannot find a dog that will not be able to distinguish between a true living Hare and a painted how much more the simplest man but if any such things should be amongst them he could not be a Roman Catholique but an heretique or infidell and as such would have been punished Ob. Mr. Lâ—mbert in his preambulations and divers of our Authors do write of the abuses which were committed in England about images Ans These abuses and the like were committed by Protestants and after the time that King Henry the VIII had separated himselfe from the Cat holike Roman Church and had by vertue of his Supremacy and the Supremacy of his Protestant Clergy placed Protestant Bishops Abbats and Abbatesses in the Monasteries who to disgrace them and bring them to desolation and ruine into which they after fell invented these and the like abuses that they might with the better colour seize upon their lands and goods as appeareth for that images were not taken out of the Churches Monasteries untill the the time of King Edward the VI. in the year 1547. which was about thirteen years after that the Popes Authority was by Parliament excluded out of England as do witnesse your own Chronicles Neither is it a sufficient cause to take away a good thing from amongst men for that divers doe abuse it for so we should neither leave Bible nor Sacraments in the church seeing that both are abused by many our Lord saith the Prophet will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just Psal 124.3 The Conclusion FOr conclusion it is necessary to observe that amongst the many oppressions which the enemy of mankind practiseth over those who by sin he hath made his slaves this is one that he permitteth not unto any one of them the use of a pious thought but if at any time a pious thought begin to appeare in any of their hearts or minds he presently snatcheth it away as witnesseth our Saviour Matth. 13.19 thereby to force his subjects to begin their hell here upon earth Wherefore if you permit no text of Scripture publikely to passe amongst the people but such as is corrupted by dissenting translations nor any Sermons to be heard but such as are made vain by differing opinions in faith nor sacred pictures signes and images to be seen which shall not be beaten down as Idols and their relative religious respect and reverence to be preached against as superstitious as they are in this Island what will be the issue but that both pious thoughts and works banished every mans heart will be his hell not only to the losse of their souls but also in processe of time to the destruction of our Nation by vicious life and wicked deeds The Scriptures command us saying Labour the more that by good works you may make sure your vocation 2 Pet. 1.10 But as S. Augustine in the 6. châ—p of his book of Grace and free will wâ—ll observeth There could be no good works if good thoughts did not go before them wherefore if you will take away the abundance of iniquity wicked deeds witchcrafts and other impious crimes which raign amongst men in this Island it is necessary that you not only publikely admit of true Copies of the holy Scriptures Sermons of the Catholike Fâ—ith which only is true end of sacred pictures signes and images but also that they be reverenced and respected with a relative religious respâ—ct and worship for the divine things which they represent and as they do represent them thereby not onely to put good thoughts into the hearts of men but alâ—o to nourish them to the bringing forth of an abundance of good works to the honor of God salvation of our soules and prosperity of our Countrey which God grant Amen To only God be honor and glory
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 Homily against Nestorius Bâ—shop of Constantinople for whoâ—â— condemnation the said Counceâ—â— was called set downe in the end 〈◊〉 the second act and made in the prâ—sence of the whole Councell saith All hail Mother of God c. by whoâ—â— the holy Trinity is glorified and adâ—â—red through whom the precious croâ—â— is made famous and is adored througâ—out the whole world Thus S. Cyril President of the Generall Councell before all the Bishops which were assembled from all parts to the Councell and before Nestorius Bishop of Constantinople then deposed for heresie and yet neither Nestorius the heretique nor any of his Adherents who were many nor any of the Bishops in the Councell amounting to the number of 200. gainsaid him or contradicted what he said Neither could the adoration of the cross become practised allover the Christian world in few yeares if at any time it had not been adored by Christians as we see by experience in the contrary doctrine taught by the Sectaries who have laboured against it now about 80. years and yet have prevailed but in some corners of the North part of the world only whereby it appeareth that the cross representing our Redemption upon it hath at all times beene adored with a relative religious honour throughout the whole world even since Christianity was planted amongst the Nations For suppose but not granted that there was a time when Christians did not adore the cross and that the adoration of the cross in the manner aforesaid was idolatry as our adversaries would have it how should all the Christian world without a knowne Preacher or Teacher or without any knowne Law or Edict either of Pope or Emperor fall into this their supposed idolatry of adoring the cross and no known man to oppose them or contradict this doctrine if there were Presbyterians in these Primitive times as our adversaries would gladly make the world to believe it seemeth that they were not such fighters for Religion as now they are seeing that knowne and reputed Heretiques and Infidells to both parties only excepted there is not found any one man in these antient times who did oppose it Moreover the Fathers in that Generall Councell at Ephesus so much insisted upon the Doctrinall Succession or preservation of the doctrine delivered by the Apostles from the beginning that Capreolus the Primate of Africa being hindered by the Wandall persecution to come to the Councell sent Besulam a Deacon with letters exhorting them that by the authority of Antiquity they would expell all new opinions and persevere in that one verity of the Church which from the beginning even unto that present time with a simple purity and an invincible authority had come unto them whereupon his letters being read and S. Cyril declaring the mind of Capreolus to the Councell saith The will of Capreolus Bishop of Carthage is that the antient dogmaticall points of faith be confirmed and the new and absurdly devised and wickedly divulged be exploded and condemned All the Bishops together with a loud voice cryed This is the voice of us all this we all affirm this is the vow of us all as is set down more at large in the first Act of the second part of the said Councell before the sentence of the deposition of Nestorius to demonstrate unto us that the adoration of the cross as is aforesaid was taught by the Apostles and hath been used by the faithfull even from the first plantation of the Christian faith over the world thereby to imprint in the hearts of men pious thoughts of the passion of our Lord and therefore the promises of God unto his church considered it is vain and idle now for any man to oppose or contradict it The verses attributed to Lact antius of the passion of our Lord set down in the end of his works say Flecte genu lignum quae crucis venerabile adora bend thy knee and with reverence adore the wood of the cross S. Ambrose in his Sermon upon the death of Theodosius the Emperor affirmeth that not onely the cross of Christ was adored but also the nail wherewith his feet was pierced saying towards the end of his Sermon Hellen was wise who placed the cross upon the head of Kings that the cross of Christ might be adored in Kings neither is this insolency but piety seeing that it is born to our holy redemption And some lines after Kings are bended down to the iron of his feet Prudentius in his Apothesis against the Jewes before the middest saith Purpura supplex sternitur Aeniadae rectoris ad atria Christi vexillumque crucis summis dominator adorat he that is cloathed in purple lyeth prostrate in the porch of Christ and the Emperor adoreth the Standard of the cross S. Hierome in his 27. Epistle written to Eustochius a Virgin of the Epitaph of Paula in the 3. chap. commendeth Paula deceased for that lying prostrated before the cross she adored as if she had seene our Lord hanging upon it Prostratam ante crucem quasi pendentem dominuÌ„ cerneret adorabat And it is so manifest that the faithfull in the Primitive church adored the cross with relation unto our Saviour who suffered upon it for our redemption that S. Paulinus Bishop of Nola a man well knowne to S. Ambrose S. Hierome and S. Augustine in his 11. Epistle saith that the Bishop of Hierusalim did every yeare in the solemnities of Easter expose the cross to be adored of the people he himselfe adoring it first And to conclude it is yet so manifest that the Fathers in the Primitive church adored the cross that our learned adversaries who have read the antient Fathers works confesse it as Danaeus in his other part of his first part against Bellarmine page 1415. saying that Cyril and sundry other Fathers were plainly superstitious and blinded with this inchantment of the crosses adoration Parker against symbolizing part 1. page 14. and part 2. chap. 6. and page 61. alledgeth the sayings of Photius Sedulius Chrysostome Propertius Paulinus Hierome and Evagrius to that effect Fulk against Heskins page 657. affirmeth that by report of Paulinus The cross was by the Bishop of Hierusalem brought forth at Easter to be worshipped of the people and Perkins in the 83. chapter of Problemes confesseth that Prudentius Hierome and Evagrius held the adoration of the cross and so forth as is set downe more at large in the 16. chapter of the 2. book of the Progeny of Catholiques and Protestants And this is sufficient to shew that in the Primitive church and in the most florishing time of the church the sacred crosse of our Lord was adored with a relative religious worship by the faithfull and this kind of worship being free from all manner of suspition or idolatry as I have proved heretofore there is no reason or cause why all Christian Nations should not still use it to the nourishing in themselves pious thoughts and holy meditations of our Saviours
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