to be born if we had not received the benefit of our redemption Moreover the name of God a Redeemer doth include in it the name of God as Creator but not the contrary whereby it appeareth that the word or name Jesus respectively is more holy and more to be honored and worshipped amongst Christians then was the Word or name Jehova in the Old Law seeing that respectively it is of greater dignity and eminency as Abulensis in his seventh question upon the twentieth chapter of Genesis proveth more at large where upon I may conclude that we are bound to honor with a relative religious worship the sweet name of Jesus by the first and second Commandement Christ Iesus saith S. Paul humbled himself made obedient unto death even to the death of the crosse for the which thing God hath exalted him and hath given him a name which is above all names that in the name of Jesus every knee bow of celestialls terrestialls and infernalls Phil. 2.8 Thus the Scriptures to demonstrate unto us that we may honor and worship graven things signs pictures and images when they are not made to our selves as are Idols or vain images but to expresse and represent unto us sacred and holy things and have relation unto God the end of all goodnesse S. Paul here saying In the name of Jesus whether it be ingraven and so a graven thing or painted and so a picture or printed or written or spoken and so a sign every knee shall how The Angel Gabriel said to our B. Lady Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bear a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus he shall be great and he shall be called the son of the most high Luke 1.31 so great as that S. Peter said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you did crucifie in this same this lame man standeth before you whole c. neither is there any other name under heaven given to men wherein we may be saved Act. 4.10 wherefore if it were an offence as it was amongst the people of Israel not to honor and worship the name Iehova which signified God as God and Creator of all things much more it must be an offence amongst the Christians not to honor and worship the name Jesus as it belongeth to Christ our Lord because it signifieth the whole work of the Incarnation and our redemption wheâ—â— to doe concur the wisdome power goodnesse Majesty and all the attributes of God more then in any his other works made oâ— created and putâ—eth us in mind of all these things wheâ—â— upon the Scriptures say A most strong tower the name of our Lord the just unneth to it and shall be exalteb Prov 18.10 Again whosoever shall invocate the name of the Lord shall be saved Ioel 2.22 Rom. 10.13 for as S. Paul saith None can say our Lord Jâ—sus but in the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 that is saith Sedulius upon this text in heart word and work In this name the Fathers and Prophets of the Old Law rejoyced saying as it may be read in the Hebrew J will expect thy salvation or thee Jesus O Lord Gen. 49.18 Again the Prophet David foretelling the preaching of the name of Jesus amongst the Gentiles saith our Lord hath made known his salvation or his Jesus in the sight of the Gentiles Psal 97.2 Again in the same Psalm all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God or the Jesus of our God whereupon the Prophet J say singing a song in Thanksgiving for the benefits the world was to receive by Christ saith God is my Saviour or Jesus J will do confidently and will not fear because our Lord God of God that is to say the son of god Iesus is my strength and my praise he is become my salvation or my Jesus and Saviour you shall draw waters of joy out of the Saviour fountains or out of the fountains of Jesu And you shall say in that day confesse to our Lord and invocate his name make his inventions known among the people Remember that his name is high J say 1â— 2 Thus these Fathers of the Old Law whereby it appeareth that more relative religious honor and worship is to be given unto the name of Jesus respectively as it representeth unto us Christ our Saviour then unto any other name of God otherwise the Scriptures and antient Fathers of the Old Law would not so highly extoll commend and rejoyce at this name more then in other names of God as I shall yet further shew in the ensuing chapter CHAP. XIX Greater honor to be given unto the name Jesus as it signifieth Christ our Lord then to any other name of God GOd the Father as it were rejoycing at the salvation of mankind and glorying at the name of his only Son our Lord said by the mouth of the Prophet Malachy Great is my name among the Gentiles Again my name is great among the Gentiles saith the Lord of Hosts Malachy the first which words S. Irenaeus in the thirty third chapter of his fourth book of heresies expounding saith What other name is there by which he is glorified amongst the Gentiles but that of our Lords by which the Father is glorified and man glorified and because it is the name of his proper son who was made man by him he calleth it his name as if a King himself should paint the image of his son in two respects he might justly call that image his first because it is his sons and secondly because he made it so the name of Jesus Christ which throughout the whole world is glorified in the Church the Father doth confesse to be his both because it is his sons and he writing it hath given it for the salvation of men Thus S. Jrenaeus who lived with the Apostles Schollars to signifie unto us how glorious and honorable this name of Jesus as it calleth into our memory Christ our Lord and all the benefits received by him was in the Primitive church seeing that it was glorified as this Saint affirmeth in his time of the whole Church dispersed over the world and how could it be glorified so universally and early by all Christians if the Christians of these times should have given no more honor or worship unto it then they did to Dick or Tom or Iohn yet Origen in his fourteenth Homily upon S. Luke saith The glorious word Jesu is to be spoken or called upon with all honor and worship In these Primitive times the religious respect and reverence which the ancient Fathers bare unto this name of Iesus as it had a relation to Christ our Lord was so great that S. Ambrose chap. 9. of his book of Hexameron or six dayes work saith This is the gift of the eternall Father to his Son that in the name of Jesu every knee shall bow of these who are in heaven upon earth and under the earth Thus S. Ambrose Now if this be
above all names Phil. 2.9 CHAP. XX How terrible the name of Jesus is unto the divells when it is honored with an inward and outward relative religious worship AS this name of Iesus as it representeth our Saviour is honorable and glorious both in heaven and earth so also when it is pronounced with a relative religious worship it is a name of terror and fear unto the divells whose place is to live under the earth in such sort that not only in the time of our Saviour the Disciples by vertue of his name and power given unto it cast divells out of the bodies of men when returning from preaching they said Lord also the divells are subject unto us in thy name Luke 10.17 And our Saviour said I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven but also at all times the divells are to be cast out of the bodies of men by vertue of this name pronounced or used with a relative religious worship according to the words of our Lord saying Them that believe these signs shall follow in my name shall they cast out divells Mark 16.17 whereupon S. Paul when he would cast an evill spirit or divel out of a woman said no more but I command thee in the name of Iesus Christ to goe out of her and he went out at the same hour Act. 16.18 And it was so common a thing in the time of the Apostles for divers of the faithfull by vertue of the name of Jesus as it representeth Christ our Lord to cast divells out of the bodies of men that in imitation thereof certain also of the Judais all Exorcists went about assayed to invocate upon them that had evill spirits the name of our Lord Iesus saying I adjure you by Iesus whom Paul preacheth Act. 19.13 And our Saviour affirmeth that many shall appear before him after their death who in pretence of right to their salvation will say Have not we in thy name cast out devels Mat. 7.22 To demonstrate unto us that not onely the faithfull shall at all times honor and worship the name of Iesus as it representeth unto us Christ our Lord but also many wicked men and reprobates and the divells themselves though against their wills S. Iustine Martyr lived with the Apostles Scholars and was a famous Martyr yet he in his first Apology for the Christians unto the Roman Senate before the middest saith unto the Senators Many of our men who are called Christians both throughout the world and even in this City adjuring them by the name of Iesus Christ who was crucified under the Pretor Pontius Pilate have cured many who were possessed of divells when by no other Exorcists or any Magitians they could find remedy and even at this day they do cure casting and driving the divells out of their bodies S. Antonius as affirmeth S. Athanasius in his life not only with the name of Jesus often put the divell to flight but also taught Martinianus a prefect of souldiers to dispossesse his daughter by invocation of the name of Jesus with a relative religious worship unto it S. Hierome writing the life of S. Hilarion saith That on a night he heard as it were the crying of infants the bleating of sheep the bellowing of beasts the mourning of women the wring of Lions the noyse of an army and the horror of barbarous voyces that being first affrighted by the outcries amazed he might be moved to fly at the sight but understanding that these were policies of the divell casting himself upon his knees he made the signe of the Crosse of Christ upon his forehead armed with such a helmet and compassed about with the brest-plate of faith remaining in his posture desiring after a manner to see him whom he did abhor to hear whilest he carefully cast his eyes on all sides upon a suddaine the Moone shining he see a Chariot drawn with fiery horses to rush upon him whereat when he had cryed out Jesus even before his eys of a suddain all this pomp was swallowed up at a chink into the earth S. Ephraem the Deacon writeth of S. Abraham an Ermite in Syria that singing Psalmes at midnight of a suddaine a beautifull light shined in his Cell and a voice was heard as it were of a multitude saying Blessed art thou Abraham thou art truly blessed and faithfull there is none found like thee amongst men who hast done whatsoever I have desired forthwith the holy man knowing the craft of the malignant spirit with a loud voice said O full of deceipt and policy thy darknesse be to thee in perdition for I am a poor sinner yet armed with the shield of hope through the grace of God I nothing fear thy treacheries neither do thy many phantasies affright me for the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whom I have loved and do love is to me a strong fortresse in which name I check thee filthy and thrice miserable dog At which words presently as smoak the divell vanished out of his sight Whereby it appeareth that the divells feare this very name of Jesus as it hath relation to our Saviour and do fly away when it is spoken with honor faith and confidence that for his name sake he will protect us Almighty God being favourable unto all those who love and honor his name it hath alwaies beene thought a good prayer to say For thy name sake thou wilt be propitious to my sin for it is much Psal 24.11 Arise Lord help us and redeem us for thy name Psal 43.26 Help us O Lord our Saviour and for the glory of thy name O Lord deliver us and be propitious to our sins for thy names sake Psal 78.9 whereby it appeareth that he must be a savage Christian that will not bear a relative religious honor reverence or respect unto the sacred name of Jesus CHAP. XXI Many miracles wrought in confirmation of the inward and outward relative honor and worship given to the name of Jesus THis name of Jesus hath alwayes amongst the Christians beene a name of so great a relative religious honor and worship that by vertue of it as it representeth Christ our Lord and all his mercies many miracles have in severall times beene wrought in the church S. Peter saying to the man who was lame from his mothers womb silver and gold I have none that which J have the same J give to thee in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth arise and walk and taking his right hand he lifted him up and forthwith his feet and soles were made strong and springing he stood and walked and went with them into the Temple walking and leaping and praising God Act. 3.6 S. Paul not only did miracles by vertue of this name as it hath relation to our Saviour whilest he lived as I have shewed heretofore but also as it is related by constant Tradition at his death when his head was cut off it gave three rebounds or leaps and three times repeated this
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
artificiall sacred signe gathered by the calculation of the Sun as is yet further manifest for that some begin the Sabbath day from the first appearing of the stars after the setting of the Sun as the Jews others from midnight as Catholique Christians others from Sun rising as the Protestants c. In some Countryes the dayes are sometimes as long as one of our moneths in others as two in others as three and in some it is day for half a year together so that if they did not calculate a time for the observance of the Sabbath they should either keep none or els sanctifie it for half a year together Again as I have said here before men cannot change essences and substances because these things belong to God but they have changed the Sabbath from Saturday unto Sunday as our Adversaries do confesse whereby it is demonstrated that that the Sabbath day is but a sacred sign of rest from the Creation of the world as also of the eternall rest of heaven and of the Resurrection of our Lord and of the people of God c. whereby they might be distinguished from other Nations and yet our adversaries themselves do honor reverence this day after their kind or manner with a religious worship though it be but a sign and no substance or person or God neither may they say that this sanctification of the Sabbath may be or is performed by a civill worship seeing that first the Commandements of God as I have said heretofore are divine and religious and pertaine to Religion Secondly civill worship may be used by Pagans and Heathens who cannot sanctifie any thing to God because they want faith without which it is impossible to please God Moreover that the Sabbath day or Sunday is but a sign or ceremony to put us in mind of another thing God himself doth yet further witnesse saying See that you keep my Sabbath because it is a sign betweene me and you in your generations that you may know that J am the Lord which sanctifie you keep you my Sabbath for it is holy unto you he that polluteth it dying shall dye Exod. 31.13 to demonstrate unto us that the Sabbath or Sunday is but a signe to distinguish the people of God and faithfull from the Infidells and reprobates and yet all faithfull people worship and honor it with solemn rites ceremonies and circumstances as offering of Sacrifice rest from labour attending to proper preaching reading of the Scriptures and other pious works and exercises so that it cannot be denied but that sacred signes pictures images and such things as represent unto us or have relation either immediately or mediately unto divine things or to the things of heaven or mysteries of our faith may be honored and worshipped with a relative religious honor and worship for the things of heaven or holy things which they represent and that this relative religious worship begetteth in us pious thoughts seeing God commandeth it Againe God would have this sign of the observance of the Sabbath or Sunday so much honored and respected by men as that he promiseth great rewards to those who shall religiously and carefully observe it saying If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy will in my holy day and call the Sabbath delicate and the holy of our Lord glorious and glorifie him by keeping it whilest thou doest not thine own wayes and thy will be not found to speak a word then shalt thou be delighted upon the Lord and I will lift thee up abâ—ve the neights of the earth and I will feed thee with the inheritance of Jacob thy Father Isay 58.13 Thus the Scriptures to demonstrate unto us that there is no cause why our Adversaries should so dislike of the religious relative worship which Roman Catholikes do give to sacred signs pictures and images as they represent either heavenly things or the mysteries of their faith seeing that God not only commandeth it but also promiseth great rewards to those who shall zealously and carefully reverence and respect them The cause why Almighty God so presseth man to sanctifie the Sabbath day which is but a sign of the rest which he made from the creation of the world and of our Saviours Resurrection and of the eternall rest in heaven with a relative religious worship is because we cannot worship this sacred sign of the Creation of the World Resurrection of our Saviour and eternall rest in heaven without thinking upon these things and begetting in our hearts pious thoughts of the Creation of the World Resurrection of our Saviour and eternall joyes of heaven the Sabbath being a holy sign of those sacred mysteries as words are of things when we worship this signe with a relative religious worship for those things which it doth represent we cannot but think upon the things themselves because as I have said heretofore we cannot think upon two things at once from whence it is that the relative religious worship which is given to sacred pictures signs and images as they are such cannot but nourish in the doers pious thoughts for which cause the divell stirreth up those in whose heart he dwelleth to have them cast down or prophaned least by their remaining and the relative respect born unto them for the sacred things they represent and as they do represent them he should be forced to change his lodging And to conclude God speaking of the observation of the feast of Easter or Pasche saith The first day of the Pasche shall be holy and solemn and the seventh day with the like festivity shall be venerable Exod. 12.16 To shew unto us that the children of Jsrael by the Commandement of God gave honor and worship to the first and seventh day of the Pasche which are but instituted signes of our Lords passage over their houses in Egypt and of the Resurrection from death to life everlasting whereby we see that of the ten Commandements two command us to worship respect and reverence with a relative religious worship sacred artificiall signs pictures and images because this begetteth in us pious thoughts CHAP. XVIII Of the sweet name or signe of Jesus and how this name respectively is to be worshipped with a relative religious worship above all names thereby to beget pious thoughts of Jesus above all things ALthough the word signe or name Jehova was of great honor and worship amongst the faithfull Jewes yet it should be inferiour in honor and reverence to the name or word Jesus as it signifieth our Saviour amongst the Christians because Jehova doth signifie God as he is our Lord and Creator but Iesus doth signifie God as he is our Saviour and Redeemer wherefore as the benefit of our Redemption is greater then that of our Creation so the name of Iesus or a Redeemer or Saviour is greater then the name of God or a Creator whereupon the Church in the blessing of the Paschall candle saith It had availed us nothing
perdition which also in another place he confirmeth saying The word of the crosse to them indeed that perish is foolishnesse but to them that are saved that is to us it is the power of God 1 Cor. 1.18 Likewise at the later day when Almighty God shall send his Angells to destroy the earth and Sea to make a distinction betweene the servants of God and the followers of Antichrist he will give them a command that all the Elect shall be marked with the sign of the Crosse that thereby they may be knowne from the Rebrobate as witnesseth S. John saying I saw an Angell ascending from the rising of the Sun having the sign of the living God and he cryed with a loud voice to the four Angells to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea saying hurt not the earth or the sea nor the trees untill we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads Thus S. John Rev. 7.2 whereupon Andreas Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia an antient learned Author in his Commentaries upon the Revelations saith upon this text This place as is before said doth belong unto the time of Antichrist when the signe of the quickning crosse vivificae crucis shall distinguish the faithfull from the infidells who shall without any feare and without any shame carry the Crosse of Christ before the face of the impious Antichrist to blot out the memory of the sacred crosse and to hinder men from signing themselves with it and from using any reverence or respect unto it shall cause all his followers to have his name or the character of his name imprinted in their right hand or in their forehead that if they would signe themselves with the sacred signe of the crosse in testimony that they believe the blessed Trinity and march under the protection of Christ crucified they cannot as witnesseth S. John saying Antichrist shall make all little and great and rich and poor and freemen and bondmen to have a character in their right hand or in their foreheads and that no man may buy or sell but he that hath the character or name of the beast or number of his name Rev. 13.16 And this Antichrist shall do as witnesseth S. Hypolitus a Martyr who suffered death for the profession of the Catholique faith about fourteen hundred yeares past least that any man with his right hand should make the sign of the Crosse in his forehead The like hath S. Ephrem who florished not long after him in his Tract of Antichrist saying Antichrist will imprint his character in the right hand and forehead of all his followers that it may not be possible for any with his right hand to sign himself with the sign of Christ our Saviour or by any means to imprint the terrible and holy name of God in his forehead or the glorious and fearfull Crosse of our Saviour for that wretch will know very well that by impression of the Crosse of our Lord all his power is made void And therfore he will have his character imprinted in the right hand of men because we with our right hands do sign the rest of the members of our bodies with the signe of the Crosse Thus S. Ephrem Moreover our Saviour will have the signe of the crosse as it representeth him crucified to be had in such honor and reverence amongst the sons of men that when he shall come to judge quick and the dead it shall appeare before him in the ayre as his standard as himself witnesseth saying Immediately after the tribulation of these dayes of Antichrist the Sun shall be darkened and the Moon shall not give her light Stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be moved and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven Mat. 24.36 Whereupon S. Methodius in his Oration of the consummation of the world saith The sign of the Cross exceeding in brightness glory the shining of the Sun shall be seen from the East unto the West to tell the appearing coming of the Judge In like manner S Chrysostome upon this text saith Then shall appeare the signe of the Son of Man that is to say the Crosse it self for the Crosse shall be seen more bright then the Sun for the Sun shall be darkened and the Crosse shall appear which cannot be saith he but the Cross with his brightnesse must obscure the beams of the Sun And then asking the question why or for what cause shall the sacred Crosse appear so glorious answereth That it may abundantly confound the impudency of the Jewes Thus S. Chrysostome who never could imagine that there would arise men who should call themselves Christians and yet abuse contemne and beat down the Crosse of Christ Whither will these men run at the terrible day of judgment who now not only shun and avoid by all means the Cross of Christ but also call the reverend relative religious respect thereof idolatry In like manner S. Ephrem in his Sermon of these things which are to be revealed after the appearing of the Crosse at the coming of our Lord saith The signe of the Son of Man shall appear in heaven with a multitude of Angells lightening the whole earth above the brightnesse of the Sun even from one end of the world unto the other foretelling the coming of our Lord. And with these further do agree Theophylact and Euthemius upon this text saying Then the crosse shall appeare shining more bright then the Sun Again the Crosse shall then be far more glorious then the Sun which when the impious who in this life have had aversion from the sacred crosse shall see then as our Saviour there saith shall they weep and bewaile their follies when it is too late Agreeable unto this which hath been said the holy Church in the office of the crosse doth say This sign of the crosse shall be in heaven when our Lord shall come to judgement and the Sibils in the end of their sixth book do sing O lignum foelix in quo Deus ipse pependit Nec te terra capit sed coeli tecta videbis Cum renovata Dei facies ignita micabit O happy Tree upon whose armes did'st spread Our God himself did hang alive and dead Earth cannot hold thee but a glorious sign Thou shalt appear in heav'n when Gods divine Immortal face shall bright in judgement shine According to the words of our Lord of the day of judgement Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the Tribes of the earth bewail And after the Standard of the crosse as it followeth in the text they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with much power and Majesty Mat. 24. which joy being propounded unto him before his passion as S. Paul saith he sustained the crosse Heb. 12.2 CHAP. XXIII That the faithful in the Primitive Church used an inward and outward relative religious
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
us sent them home with rich gifts and as it was befitting kissed the books and consecrated to God put them in his Library Moreover in honor of the Gospell when it was read in the church candles were lighted not to drive away darknesse for the Sun then many times shined bright but to shew signes of joy and to expresse under the type of a temporall light that light which is spoken of in the Scriptures saying He was the true light as witnesseth S. Isidorus in the 12. ch of his 7. boâ—k of Etimologies and S. Hierome in his book against Vigilantius aâ—d to distinguish the honor which they gave unto the holy Bible from other books they made a sacred place in the church only to keep it in as witnesseth S. Paulinus in his 12. Epistle to Severus So the relative religious respect which the Primitive Fathers bare unto the sacred books and their divine Christian Catholique senses delivered unto them by doctrinall succession from the Apostles brought forth in them an abundance of pious thoughts and healthfull meditations of the unity of the Christian Catholike faith constancy in one and the same Religion sincerity in all their actions and charity towards God and man seeing the relative religious honor and respect which they bare both to the sacred materiall letter and divine sense imposed upon them an obligation rather to die a thousand deaths then to suffer any alteration or change in one jot of the materiall text or title of the divine sense On the contrary our adversaries by denying all kind of visible religious respect honor or worship to the sacred Word of God have made those books which they now call the Bible as they use them the most wretched miserable visible creatures that are upon the earth the Panders of all heresies schismes and blasphemies and the protector and defender of all rebellions wickedness and sin as we find by too lamentable experience whereby appeareth the necessity of this visible and invisible relative religious worship and honor unto the sacred Word of God by all Christian men to nourish in their hearts pious thoughts of the things contained therein and to possesse them with a firm and constant resolution to adhere unto that materiall text and divine sense which were delivered unto the faithfull in the beginning to persevere in the same untill the end of the world according to the words of S. John saying That which you have heard from the beginning let it abide in you if that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning you also shall abide in the Son and in the Father 1 Joh. 2.24 CHAP. XXVIII Answer to Objâ—ctions OBject Some Roman Catholikes pray to pictures and adore them as God Answ I do not think that any of our Adversaries ever heard any Roman Catholique to say Picture pray for me or have mercy upon me or to call a picture a God or to say that there were more Gods then one if he should hear any to say so or know of any who should believe that any picture or image were a God this man or woman could not be a Roman Catholique but an heretique or Pagan idolater seeing that the â—atholique Roman Church teacheth all her followers in the three Creeds and in her Catechismes to believe uâ—der penalty of damnation that there is but one God Ob. They pray before pictures and kneele before images Ans So our adversaries pray before their Bibles and kneel before their books yet I do not think that they believe their Bible or other Prayer-books to be Gods Ob. They say that their pictures are holy call the cross holy cross Ans So do our adversaries call their Communion the holy Communion and their Bible the holy Bible and the Scriptures the sacred Word of God for the same reason that they call the Bible holy and the Scriptures sacred for the same reason Roman Catholiques call the picture of our Saviour and his Saints holy that is because they represent unto us holy things as well as words as I have said heretofore antiently in Egypt and at this day in China that which we in Europe expresse by letters and characters they exprâ—sse by pictures and images so that the Christians of these countryes must either have no Bible or a Bible of pictures and images and if our adversaries will allow them to have an holy Bible and sacred Scriptures then they must also allow of holy pictures and sacred images distinct from prophane Ob. Images and idols are all one Ans How absurd this is appeareth by the Scriptures which say Christ is the image of the invisible God Col. 15. God created man to his own image to the image of God he created him Gen. 1.17 Adam lived 130. years and begat to his own image and likenesse Gen. 5.3 man is the image and glory of God 1 Cor. 11.7 And if images and idols be all one then the Christians in Egypt and China when they put forth Bibles set forth idols and when they respect or reverence their Bibles or sacred Scriptures they worship idols which how absurd it is I leave to the piety of the Reader Again many idols are no images as trees mountains the Sun Moon and Stars unto which the Heathen offered Sacrifice as unto their gods whereby they made them idols which yet were no images Moreover images and idols differ in this First that idols as they are idols had no truth at all in nature but were feigned things all our sacred images have some estentiall truth extant either in heaven or earth which they represent Secondly all idols are without truth concerning faith and religion all our images contain such a truth as belongeth to Christian faith or religion Thirdly Sacrifice was offered to idols but we never offer sacrifice to any image or picture Fourthly idols as they are idols were either images of wicked men or creatures not worthy of honor ours of our Saviour and his Saints who are worthy of worship and honor whereby it appeareth that sacred images and idols are not all one Ob. Roman Catholiques adore kneel before and worship their images as the heathen did their idols Ans The heathen at least for the most part adored kneeled and worshipped the materiall carved piece of wood or ingraven stone or molten image or painted cloth as a God as witnesse the Scriptures saying make us gods that may go before us Exod. 32.1 Againe he cut down Cedars c. and kindled them and baked bread but of the rest he wrought a god and adored Isa 44.15 Againe Balthasar the King made a great feast to his Nobles c. and they praised their gods of gold and of silver of brasse of iron and of wood and of stone Daniel 5.4 whereupon God himselfe said to the Israelites that when they should fall into idolatry you shall serve gods that were framed with mens hands wood stone that see not Deut. 4.18 But as I have said heretofore no