mary be in honour let the Father the sonne and the holy ghost be worshipped let no manne worshippe Marye And by and by after Let no man eate of the errour whych is for the holye Marye Although it bee a goodly free yet it is not for meate to be eaten of Although Mary he most beautifull holye and honourable yet she is not appoyncted to be worshipped Lette therfore the error of the deceaued cease For neyther is Marye a God neyther hath she her bodye from heauen but of the conception of manne and woman howbeit disposed according to the promise as the conception and byrth of Isaac was And let no manne offer in her name For he that doth it doth caste awaye his soule Again let no man rayle against her nor blasphem the holy virgin god forfende For she was not coupled vnto man neither after the byrthe nor before the byrth of the Sauiour And in the same booke contra Colyridianos Colyâ—â—◠〈◊〉 the◠〈◊〉 offeâ—e 〈…〉 the 〈◊〉 Mar. â— Augâ—â—â— raâ—â—â—â—â—e 〈◊〉 â—mo these are also his wordes In dede the virgine was a virgin and honourable but not geueÌ„ vnto vs for to be worshipped but rather she dothe worship hym that toke his substance of her that is to say of hir fleshe Augustin in his booke De vera religione Let not the worshippyng of dead men bee a religion vnto vs for if they haue lyued godly they be not so taken as though they doo seke for such honors but they will haue him to be worshypped of vs by whose illumination they reioyce that we shoulde be partakers of their merite By their merite he doth vnderstand the croune of immortality which thei do obtein through faith in the merites of Christ Therfore they must be honoured through imitation and folowynge and not be worshipped throughe religion Agayne in the same booke we ought sayeth he to beleue that the most bountefull aungels and the most excellent ministers of god will haue vs to worshippe one god with them by whose contemplation they are blessed Neither doo we buylde temples vnto theim For they will not so behonoured of vs because that they knowe that when we are godly we are the temples of the most hye god â— Cor. 6. 2 Cori. 6. Therfore it is wel and rightly written that man was forbidden of the aungell to worship him but one god vnder whom he was his felowe seruaunte In the thyrde booke agaâ—nst the .ii. Epistels of the Pelagians vnto Bonifacius he writeth also on this maner All the saints that haue ben either from the olde Abell vnto Iohn Baptist or from the Apostels vnto this time and afterwards vnto th end of the worlde are to bee praised in God and not in theym selues For this is the voyce of theym that were afore My soule shal bee praysed in the Lorde And this is the voyce of the latter Thoroughe the grace of God I am that I am And this is the voyce bothe of the fyrst and of the last He that glorieth Cyrillus lette hym glorie in the Lorde Cyrillus in his sixt boke contra lulianum hathe plainely these wordes we neither say that the holy martyrs are gods neither are we wont to worshyp them but rather we doo honour theim with laudes and praises because that they did stoutly fight for the truthe that they myght kepe the sinceritie of faithe Hereby do we learne that in the primitiue church the honour that was geuen vnto martyrs was to praise commende and set foorth their constancie and stedfastnes their strong faithe and pacience in aduersitie and persequution that so God who had for the profite of his chirche endued them with suche excellent vertues might bee glorified and the reste exhorted folowyng their exaumple to fyght manfully in the quarell of the truthe and couragiously to shede their bloode for the sealynge vp of the same Chrysost Likewise Chrysostome in the xlv homilie vpon Mathew writing against theÌ„ their that wold seme to honor the martirs with their substance by makyng vnto theim gorgeous tumbes by buildyng vp in the honor of theim costely oratories or houses of prayers dooth say these wordes Neither doo the martirs reioyce when they are honored with the same money for the whiche the poore dooe weepe What is that vertue of righteousnesse to rewarde the deade and to spoyle the lyuyng The same authour doothe plainly teache in an other place that the true honor of the Sainctes is to folowe their faith and other heauenly vertues But what nede we the authoritie of men Math. 4. l. 11.4 sythe that we haue so playne scriptures Thou shalte woorshyp the lorde thy God and hym onely shalt thou serue saith our sauior Iesus Christ wherupon I may make this argument Who soeuer is neyther oure Lorde nor our God to hym ought we in no wise to geue godly honor nor yet to woorshyp hym But neither the angels nor the dead Saintes are our Lordes and gods but are ministers of our Lorde god and vnder hym our felowe seruantes To them therfore ought we in no wise to geue godly honor nor yet to worshyppe them Neyther do we honoure and worship Christ Christ is â—ot vvorâ—hipped be cause he is â—an but be cause he is â—â—ue and â—aturall â—nd Obie 29 because that he is holy and righteous or because that he is welbeloued of god but because that he is true and naturall God of one substance with the father the holy ghoste Albion They saye that they do honour and worshyp god as well as ye doo and that they do not honour and worshyppe the Saintes or aungels as goddes but as the trends of god Again they do not worshippe the gods of the gentiles whiche were eyther diuels or wicked men Philalethes Answer This their aunswere is not worth a ryshe For Christ doth not say Thou shalt not worship vnclene spirits or wicked meÌ„ But thou shalt honor the lorde thy god and him onely shalte thou worshyppe Eutrapelus I doo nowe remeÌ„ber a thiÌ„g which I haue read in saint Augustine where he dothe dispute why the Romaynes vvorthye history sithe that they did worship the gods of all nations could neuer abyde to worshyppe the LORDE God of Israell And he dothe aleadge the reasonne whyche Socrates dothe brynge in also that in relygion it is required that euery God be worshipped according to his owne will Socrates sayng touching the vvorshipping of god and not according to the wil and pleasure of the worshippers But false gods as filthye fornicatours do require no such thynge of their worshippers that they shoulde be worshipped alone Sith then that the true lyuing god the god of Israell wyll be worshipped alone it did come to passe that the Romaines would in no wise receaue and alowe his religion For they could not abide that for one onely gods sake all the other gods shoulde be reiected and put doune Albion Obie 30 I will go no farther in this
vestrae Are my waies lyke vnto your waies if the same causes coulde be founde in God why we myght not come before his maiesty without mediators that commonly be found in erthly kinges and princes their similitude should haue som appearance of a truth But no such causes can we fynd in our heauenly father First and foremost yf a king be a louer of vertue and an ernest maynteyner of iustice as many wicked vngodly persons as he hathe within his dominions so many deadly enemies hath he And therefore it is not meete and conuenient that euery manne that woulde shoulde be suffered to come to suche a king For so he might be murthered vnder the color pretence of suite Titus linius 1 de ca. li 1. Psal â— as we reade of Tarquinius Priscus But there is no such peril in our heauenly kyng For why he is in heauen hath all his enemies in derision yea he shall speake vnto theÌ„ in his wrath and vexe them in his sore displeasure Secondelye we see that at many times hapneth that worldly princes do waxe so proude and so high minded that they disdain to speake with their gret lords much lesse that thei wold suffer euery rascal to come vnto theÌ„ But our eternal euerlasting king doth call all meÌ„ indiffereÌ„tly vnto him saterig Math. 11. Come vnto me al ye the labour are laden I wil refresh you Thirdly let vs graunt that the prynce is neyther affrayde of treason nor yet pufte vppe with suche pride as we spake of but is most ready to heare all mens suite yet he can here but one mans suite at ones so that yf all men shoulde be suffred to come in with their suite he must nedes be ouercharged But the liuyng god our heueÌ„ly father is able to here at once al meÌ„s petitions though all nations and peoples that be vnder heauen shoulde in one instant call vppon hym and make their suite vnto hym Ambro incoÌ„meÌ„ suis in 1. caput ad Domanns Vnto all these the sayeng of Ambrose may be added where he sayth Nam ideo ad regem per Tribunos Comites itur quia homo vtique est rex nescit quibus debeat Rempub. committere Ad Deum auteÌ„ quem vtique nihil latet omniuÌ„ enim merita nouit promerendum suffragatore non est opus sed mente deuota That is to say They doo therfore come vnto a kyng by his captaines lordes and wayting seruantes because forsothe that the kynge is a manne and knoweth not to whome he shoulde commit the commune wealthe But to gette and obteyne the fauoure of GOD from whome nothyng is hidden for he knoweth al mens merites we haue no neede of a Mediator but of a deuoute mynd Let your Pope catholikes rede the wordes that go before in the same place of sainct Ambrose Albion But what say ye to those authorities of the scriptures that our neighbour Didymus dyd aleadge 2 Sam 4 â—he histoly of Absaron PHILE I wyl first begynne with the historie of Absalon Firste it was not without a iust cause that he dyd not by hymself sue to be reconciled with his father It dyd well appeare afterwardes that he bare no true hearte to the kyng his father but was all drowned in ambition Againe he knew right well that his father loued Ammon moste entierly and that therefore it coulde not be but that he was sore offended for the which cause he durste not come in his syghte And that Dauid woulde not see hym that ought to be attributed to the great heauinesse and sorowe that he was in for the deathe of his sonne Ammon But no such humain passioÌ„s can be applied vnto God onlesse we will condemne the scriptures of deceatfulnesse leasyng Agayne that Dauid beeyng by the meanes of Ioab reconciled vnto his son would not suffer him to come into his syght it was a token that he kepte yet som rancor and malice in his heart But the recoÌ„ciliacion wherby the true repentant sinners are reconsiled vnto god is full and perfect â–ª for there can be nothing more acceptable vnto him thaÌ„ the vnfeigned conuersion or turning again of his children for so doth he crye out by his prophete Esay Let the wicked forsake his wayes Esay 55. and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and returne vnto the Lorde and he will haue mercy vpon him and to our god for he is very redy to forgeue for my thoughtes are not your thoughtes neither are your wayes my wayes saieth the lord When thinke ye woulde Dauid haue said Lette Absalon forsake his wickednes and returne vnto me being his fathâ—r I wil haue mercy vpoÌ„ him for I am very redy to forgeue And as for adoniah he had coÌ„ceiued treason against his brother Salomon whom he sought for to depose that he might make hym self king elles he mighte withoute any perill haue come to the king 1 King 2 The history of Adoniah Howbeit the history doth declare that the intercession that Bersebah dydde make for hym vnto hir sonne Salomon dydde coste hym hys lyfe EVTRAPE Vse that kynd of intercession that list 2. Sa 19. me think it is naught for the necke Phila. More ouer if such histories do please them so muche why doo they not bryng forthe the historie of Semei who although he had moste greuously offended Dauid yet came by himself without any mediator vnto hym and fallyng downe at his feete desired hym of pardon why is the example of the prodigall son omitted and left of Eutra Luc. 15. The similitude of the papistes ouerthrovven by an other similitude As vnskilfull in diuinitie as I am me thynke I coulde bryng a similitude or example whiche must nedes be farre better that theirs If any earthely kyng or prince should by act of parliment or by proclamation commaunde all his subiectes in theyr trouble to come boldely vnto hym promysyng to heare theym and to rydde theym out of theyr trouble aduersitie and affliction What neede I praye you shoulde these subiectes haue to seeke Mediatours that by theym they might come to the kyng and haue their matter hearde euen so nowe sythe that we haue so many proclamations set out in that moste glorious councell or parlensent of the blessed Trinitie wherby we are bydden to come with a stedfast confidence and trust before the mercy seate of our heauenly kyng and father what shold mediators do First and formost Psal l. our heauenly Father setteth out this proclamation Call vpon me in the daye of thy trouble and so I will deliuer thee and thou shalt heare me Math xi The sonne setteth oute this and dothe proclaime it hymselfe Come vnto me all ye that labour Ro. m 10 and are laden and I will refreshe you The holy gost dothe by the holy apostle crie out Who soeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lorde shal be saued Are not these sufficient proclamations to enbolden vs
the priestes the people goe aboute all the places of prayers and dyd lye prostrate in suckeclothe before the shrines of the martirs and Apostles and did require helpe for hymselfe by the faithful intercession of the Saintes What will ye say now to this No man can deny but that this is a moste auncient hystorie Answer Antiquâ—â—â—â— vvithout trueth proueth nothing Eutrapelus I haue many tymes hearde oure brother Philalethes saye that antiquitie without a truthe or without a good foundation or grounde in gods booke proueth nothyng Againe when certaine arguments of Hierom wer discussed it was by sufficiente testimonies and authoritie of the scriptures proued that the examples of such kynges and bishoppes which are brought foorth without any authoritie of the scriptures doo in such weightie matters proue nothynge Ye do not reade in al the boke of God that any of the godly and faithfull kynges dyd euer lie prostrate before the shrines of the righteous and did craue for help by the faithfull intercession of the dead For they did all crye out My helpe is from the Lorde whiche made both heauen and the earth The Lorde shal preserue thee from all euyll the Lord shall kepe thy soule The Lorde shall keepe thy goyng out and thy goyng in frome hensefoorth worlde without ende The exposition of Ruffinus vvorâ—â—â— Philalethes Besydes Ruffinus wordes doo appeare to be suche that they ought rather to be vnderstanded of the intercession of the saints that were in the earth For it seemeth that the prince went about all the oratories or prayeng places where the congregation of the sainctes was assembled and that he dyd desyre the faithfull to praye most earnestly vnto god that he would vouchsafe to geue him the victorye and to preserue his empire to the commodity profite and vtilitie of many men The like in a manner haue we in the said Ruffinus li. 10. ca. 8 where wee haue these woordes In the meane while Constantinus trusting in godlines did euen in their own contrey subdue the SarmatiaÌ„s the Gothes other Barbarous contreys and nations those excepted which eyther by frendeship or by yelding of them selues did preuente peace And the more deuoutely and humbly he did submitte hym selfe vnto god the more God did subdue all things vnder hym He dyd also send letters to Antonie the first inhabitaunt of the wildernesse as vnto one of the prophetes desiring him that he woulde praye vnto the lorde for him and for his children So he did not onely study to be made commendable vnto god by his own merites and by the deuotion of his mother but also by the intercession of the Saints Mark how he did here take the intercession of the saintes neither doo I see any cause why wee maye not expounde that place touching Theodosius VVhat the vision of Theodosius doth signify of the intercession of the saints that were aliue here on the erth And where as they say that the Apostles Iohn and Phillip did appeare vnto Theodosius the emperour what shall they gather by it But that he was by such a vision certified of the victorye as Iudas Machabaeus was before by the appearing of Onias and Hieremy And therfore as Iudas Machabaeus dyd not call vppon Onias and Hieremie when he should ioygne in battail with his enemies but vpon the mighty Lorde of hostes In like maner Theodosius whan he sawe his souldiours turne their backes he prayed not vnto the Apostelles but vnto god sayeng O almighty god The prayer of Theodosius thou knowest that for to reuenge the iuste quarell of thy sonne Iesu Christ I haue taken in hande these warres yf it be otherwise poure thy vengeaunce vpon me But if trusting in thee and vppon a iust cause I am come hether retch forth thy right hand vnto thyne lest the gentils do say where is now their god Whereunto the same doth well agree whiche Saincte Augustine in hys fyfte booke of the city of god and .26 chapiter doothe write of this moste holy prince how that he did put his whole confideÌ„ce and trust in God as in his moste strong shield and bucklar and strong bulwark agaynst his ennemies Didymus Obie 26 The coÌ„mune people is wont to saye stil that it was a mery world when the holy virgin Mary and all the blessed sainctes in heauen were prayed vnto and woorshipped whervppon they doo gather God was well pleased withall els God would not haue sent vnto them such felicitie But nowe sens pylgremages prayeng vnto sainctes was put downe rhe worlde hath ben in all kynde of myserie Philalethes Answer Hiere 44 The lyke were they wont to lay to Hieremies charge vsing these stoute wordes agaynst hym The woorde that thou haste spoken to vs in the name of the Lorde we wil not here it of thee but we will doo whatsoeuer thyng goeth out of oure owne mouthe as to burne incense vnto the queene of heauen and to poure out drynke offringes vnto her as we haue doone bothe we and our fathers our kinges and our princes in the cities of Iuda and in the stretes of Hierusalem for then had we plentie of vitailes and were well and selfe none yll but sens we leste of to burne incense to the queene of heauen and to poure out drinke offerynges vnto her we haue hadde scarcenesse of all thynges and haue ben consumed by the sworde and famyne Do not I pray you the worshippers of dead Saintes make the lyke complaintes praisyng the felicitie of the olde world as they do terme it when al kynd of idolatrie did reigne The common complaint of idolaters But this is the commune coÌ„plaint of idolaters For both Demetrianus and the commune sorte of the heathen dyd lay to the christiaÌ„s charge that it was long of them that suche cruell warres did arise emong them that theyr catell dyed of the moreyn that they were plagued with pestilence and famyne and that they had vnseasonable weathers yea that all maner of plages that the world was plagued withall oughte to be impuded vnto them Cypr contâ—â— demetrianum But Cyprian doothe so answere to al these vaine obiections that his aunswere maye serue vs for to stoppe the mouthes of the vayne Papistes whiche nowe doo make so greate a brag of the felicitie of theyr idolatrous tyme. But leauing mens auctorities I wil shew how the lord him self doth answere or rather handel this obiection of the aduersaries in his prophete Osee For Osee 1. he sayth your mother hath played the harlot for she said I wil go after my louers that geue me my bread and my water my wol and my star myne oyle and my drinke And she did not knowe that I gaue her corn and wyne and oile and multiplied her siluer and gold whiche thei bestowed vpoÌ„ Baal Therfore wyl I return and take away my corne in the tyme therof my wyne in the sea son therof and wil recouer my wol and my flaxe lent to
worshipped or that are kepte in places where there is any peryl of idolatry As for the brasen Serpente besydes that it was a figure of our sauiour Iesu Christ as he him selfe doth testifye The brsen serpent Iohn 3. saying As Moyses exalted the serpente in the wildernesse so the sonne of man must be exalted that whosoeuer beleueth in hym should not perishe but haue euerlasting life there was an expresse commaundement touching it But no such thing can they aleadge for their ymages Againe at the beginning whiles Moses and certaine godly iudges did liue no man did worshippe the brasen Serpent no man did offer inceÌ„se vnto it but at length by processe of tyme it dydde growe in to an wonderful superstition Whyche thing beynge perceaued by that moste holye kynge Ezechias 1. Kin â—8 he dydde not sende prophetes for to admonyshe and warne people that the brasen serpent was not set vp of Moses for to bee woorshipped but for to be a memorial or remembraÌ„ce and that therfor it ought not to be worshipped howbeit it ought to be kept stil and the abuse to be taken awaye but dydde cause it to be put doune to be beaten in to pouder and to be caste into a ryuer He dyd not passe for the long obseruaÌ„ce and that it hadde continued about seuen hundred yeares or more and that there had bene many holy and godlye kynges afore hym which did winke at the matter And yet we read that he was greatlye praysed for this acte VVould god al princes of his 〈◊〉 â—ome 〈◊〉 for 〈…〉 â—â—chias Let all princes in Christendome doo the like vnto these images that idolatry hath bene committed vnto althoughe at the beginnynge they were not set vppe for to bee woorshypped but for to bee monumentes or remembraunces Now 〈◊〉 â—on dydde not therfore brynge into the temple oxen lions The 〈…〉 likenesses of byrdes with such other thynges that by thâ—iâ— he myghte represente GOD or admonysshe the people of holye thynges or that â—â—y shoulde bee bookes vnto the â—â—mple and ignoraunte but that therwith he might adorne and beautifie the vesselles of the temple And therfore they were made for a trymmyng and deckynge and not for to be worshipped DYDIMVS And maye wee not dooe the lyke for to trymme and decke oure churches with all EVTRAPF Yf ye hadde said for to bringe in gaynes and lucre than had ye tolde the truthe The temples of the christians do requyre an other manner of deckyng or tâ—immynge Be it so that Cherubin whiche are likenesses of aungelles were sette about the mercye seate what doth that make for their idolatry or what doth that proue that ymages do teache For neyther do we reade that any godly honour was doone vnto them nor the arke set forth abroade vnto the people but kept secretly in the holiest place For it was not lawfull for to beholde it with prophane eyes as wee maye see in the iiii chapiter of the Numbers and seconde Paralypomenon and fifth chapiter Cherobin why they were made Moreouer the Cherubin were nothing elles but signes of the presence of GOD and a certayne peculiar institution and ordeynaunce of God But no man will say that the peculiar ordinaunces of God are preiudiciall to his vniuersall lawes Elias did sett vp an altare in Carmelus against the writen lawe of god and yet he dyd not offende Certaine other dyd the lyke and yet they may not vppon these peculiar actes gather an vniuersall conclusion against the lawe of sette foorth in the .xii. chapi of Deuteronomie For the vniuersall law is not abrogated by certain priuiledges and dispensations granted of god The lyke may we say of the titles whiche Iosuah and Samuell dyd sette vp agaynst the written lawe accordyng to the qualitie of the presente state of the tymes and of the persons In the meane while the vniuersall law of god whiche forbiddeth all menne to make images or to worship them standeth still vnmouable and is always of lyke force and strengthe Dydimus Why then An other 〈◊〉 obâ—◠〈…〉 yf they bee not woorshypped or yf no godly honour bee doone vnto them they may be had But who would thinke that men are so bulleheaded that they wyll worshyp dumme ymages Answer and not rather the thynges that are signified and represented by them Eutrape Ye haue learned alreadye of oure brother Philalethes that God onelye ought to be worshipped Deuter â— But God can bee represented by no manner of similitude or ymage yea there is an expresse lawe that doth forbid vs to attempt any suche thinge And where as ye saye that men are not so dulâ—e headed that they will worshippe dumme ymages the experience hath taughte vs the contrarye For aboue a thousande yeares ago the people dyd thorough ygnoraunce of the lawe of God and the negligence of bishoppes begynne to worshippe dumme ymages â—erenus biâ—hop of maâ—â—ilia I haue for a witnesse of thys thynge Serenus bishoppe of Massilia who dydde in hys citye breake downe the ymage of Chryste and the ymages of the Saynctes because that he sawe theym to bee worshipped of the people I knowe well that Gregorye didde sore impugne that facte of hys but what Scripture dothe he brynge for to improue Sâ—renus deade None at all Moreouer yf as ye saye they dydde not worshyppe the ymages but the thynges represented by theym Why hauynge the roode and ymage of the vrygyne Maâ—ye at home in her owne churches Let the enemies aunâ—â—er to this â—â—â—ction of euery can dydde they goe a gaddynge to oure Ladye of Wilsdone to our Ladye of Walsingame to the holye roode of Bostonne Was not thys a prayne and a manifeste token and sygne that they were wedded to the images that they thoughte more holynesse to bee in the one thanne in the other Elles woulde they haue contented theym selues with those ymages that they hadde at home in their owne churches and spared both coâ—â— and labour which they bestowed vpon then idolatrous pilgrimages PHILALETHES Sayeng a littell before that GOD canne bee represented by no manner of similitude and ymage ye dydde putte me in minde of the words of Athanasius Athana in â—bio contâ—a gentes whiche are these Lette theym tell me I praye theym howe GOD dothe aunswere or is knowen by suche thynges Is it by the mater or stuffe that is about them and whereof they bee made or by the form and shape that is geuen them Yf it bee by the stuffe what neade is there of the forme or shape And why dyd not God rather afore they were fashioned and shapen appeare and manyfest hymself by the vniuersall stuffe But yf the form or shape that they haue receaued is the cause of the knowledge of God what nede is there of golde or of any other stuffe Mark vvei these vvordes of Athanasius or why is not God rather reuealed by the true liuyng creatures whose shapes and formes the ymages are for truly according