token of his due and bounden obedience with denuntiation of death if he dyd transgresse breake the said lawe commaundement And as God would haue man to be his obedient subiect so did he make al earthly creatures subiect vnto man who kept their due obedience vnto man so long as man remayned in his obedience vnto god in the which obedience if man had continued stil there had ben no pouertie no diseases no sicknesse no death nor other miseries wherewith mankynde is nowe infinitely and most miserably afflicted and oppressed So here appeareth the originall kyngdome of God ouer angels and man and vniuersally ouer all thinges and of man ouer earthly creatures whiche God had made subiect vnto him and withall the felicitie and blessed state whiche angels man and all creatures had remayned in had they continued in due obedience vnto GOD theyr kyng For as long as in this fyrst kyngdome the subiectes continued in due obedience to God theyr kyng so long dyd God embrace all his subiectes with his loue fauour and grace whiche to enioy is perfect felicitie whereby it is euident that obedience is the principall vertue of all vertues and in deede the verye roote of all vertues and the cause of all felicitie But as all felicitie and blessednesse shoulde haue continued with the continuaunce of obedience so with the breache of obedience and breaking in of rebellion all vices and miseries dyd withall breake in and ouerwhelme the worlde The first aucthour of which rebellion the roote of all vices and mother of all mischeefes was Lucifer fyrst Gods most excellent creature and moste bounden subiect who by rebelling agaynst the maiestie of God of the bryghtest and most glorious angell is become the blackest and moste foulest feende deuill and from the heyght of heauen is fallen into the pit and bottome of hell Here you may see the first aucthour and founder of rebellion and the rewarde thereof here you maye see the graunde captayne and father of all rebels who perswadyng the folowyng of his rebellion agaynst GOD their creator and Lorde vnto our fyrst parentes Adam and Eue brought them in high displeasure with GOD wrought their exile and vanishment out of paradise a place of all pleasure and goodnesse into this wretched earth and vale of all miserie procured vnto them sorowes of their mindes mischeefes sicknesse diseases death of theyr bodies and whiche is farre more horrible then all worldly and bodyly mischeefes he had wrought thereby theyr eternall and euerlastyng death and dampnation had not GOD by the obedience of his sonne Jesus Christe repayred that whiche man by disobedience and rebellion had destroyed and so of his mercie had pardoned and forgeuen hym of whiche all and singuler the premises the holye scriptures do beare recorde in sundrye places Thus you do see that neither heauen nor paradise coulde suffer anye rebellion in them neyther be places for any rebels to remayne in Thus became rebellion as you see both the first and greatest and the verye roote of all other sinnes and the first and principall cause both of all worldlye and bodyly miseries sorowes diseases sicknesses and deathes and whiche is infinitely worse then all these as is sayde the very cause of death and dampnation eternall also After this breache of obedience to God and rebellion agaynst his maiestie all mischeefes and miseries breaking in therewith and ouerflowyng the worlde lest all thinges shoulde come vnto confusion and vtter ruine GOD foorthwith by lawes geuen vnto mankynde repayred agayne the rule and order of obedience thus by rebellion ouerthrowen and besides the obedience due vnto his maiestie he not onlye ordayned that in families and housholdes the wyfe shoulde be obedient vnto her husbande the chyldren vnto their parentes the seruauntes vnto their maisters but also when mankynde increased and spread it selfe more largely ouer the worlde he by his holye worde dyd constitute and ordayne in Cities and Countreys seuerall and speciall gouernours and rulers vnto whom the residue of his people shoulde be obedient As in readyng of the holye scriptures we shall finde in very many and almoste infinite places aswell of the olde Testament as of the newe that kynges and princes aswell the euill as the good do raigne by Gods ordinaunce and that subiectes are bounden to obey them that God doth geue princes wysdome great power and aucthoritie that God defendeth them agaynst their enemies and destroyeth their enemies horribly that the anger and displeasure of the prince is as the roaring of a Lion and the very messenger of death and that the subiect that prouoketh hym to displeasure sinneth agaynst his owne soule With many other thinges concernyng both the aucihoritie of princes and the duetie of subiectes But here let vs rehearse two speciall places out of the new Testament which may stand in steade of all other The first out of saint Paules Epistle to the Romanes and the. 1◠Chapter where he wryteth thus vnto all subiectes Let euery soule be subiect vnto the hygher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordeyned of god Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God and they that resist shall receaue to them selues dampnation For princes are not to be feared for good workes but for euil Wylt thou then be without feare of the power Do well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the minister of GOD for thy wealth but yf thou do euill feare for he beareth not the sworde for naught for he is the minister of God to take vengeaunce vppon hym that doth euyll Wherefore ye muste be subiect not because of wrath only but also for conscience sake for for this cause ye pay also tribute for they are Gods ministers seruyng for the same purpose Geue to euery man therefore his duetie tribute to whom tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whom feare belongeth honour to whom ye owe honour Thus farre are saint Paules wordes The seconde place is in saint Peters first Epistle and the second chapter whose wordes are these Submit yoūr selues vnto all maner ordinaunce of man for the lordes sake whether it be vnto the kyng as vnto the cheefe head eyther vnto rulers as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punishment of euyll doers but for the cheryshing of them that do well For so is the wyll of GOD that with well doyng ye may stoppe the mouthes of ignoraunt and foolishe men as free and not as hauing the libertie for a cloke of malitiousnesse but euen as the seruauntes of god Honour all men loue brotherly felowship feare GOD honour the kyng Seruauntes obey your maisters with feare not onlye yf they be good and curteous but also though they be frowarde Thus farre out of Saint Peter By these two places of the holy scriptures it is moste euident that Kinges Queenes and other Princes for he speaketh of
that most odious and abominable vice Of the whiche ordinaunces and lawes so geuen by the Lorde to his people concerning that matter I wyll rehearse and alleage some that be moste speciall for this purpose that you by them may iudge of the rest In the fourth Chapter of the booke named Deuteronomie is a notable place and most worthy with all diligence to be marked whiche begynneth thus And nowe Israel heare the commaundementes and iudgements which I teach thee sayth the Lorde that thou doyng them mayest liue and enter possesse the lande which the Lorde God of your fathers wyll geue you Ye shall put nothyng to the worde whiche I speake to you neyther shall ye take anye thyng from it Kepe ye the commaundementes of the Lorde your God which I commaund you And by and by after he repeateth the same sentence three or foure tymes before he come to the matter that he woulde specially warne them of as it were for a preface to make them to take the better heede vnto it Take heede to thy selfe sayth he and to thy soule with all carefulnes lest thou forgettest the thynges whiche thyne eyes haue seene and that they go not out of thy heart all the dayes of thy life thou shalt teach them to thy children and nephues or posteritie And shortly after The Lorde spake vnto you out of the middle of fire but you hearde the voyce or sounde of his wordes but you did see no fourme or shape at al. And by and by foloweth Take heede therefore diligently vnto your soules you sawe no maner of image in the day in the which the lord spake vnto you in Horeb out of the myddest of the fyre least peraduenture you beyng deceaued shoulde make to your selues any grauen image or lykenesse of man or woman or the lykenesse of any beaste whiche is vppon the earth or of the birdes that flee vnder heauen or of any creeping thing that is moued on the earth or of the fishes that do continue in the waters leste paraduenture thou lyftyng vp thyne eyes to heauen do see the sunne and the moone and the starres of heauen and so thou being deceaued by errour shouldest honour and worshyp them whiche the Lord thy God hath created to serue all nations that be vnder heauen And agayne Beware that thou forget not the couenaunt of the Lorde thy God whiche he made with thee and so make to thy selfe any carued image of them whiche the Lorde hath forbidden to be made for the Lorde thy God is a consumyng fyre and a ielous god If thou haue chyldren and nephues and do tary in the lande and beyng deceaued do make to your selues any similitude doyng euyll before the Lord your GOD and prouoke hym to anger I do this day call vppon heauen and earth to wytnesse that ye shall quicklye peryshe out of the lande whiche you shall possesse you shall not dwell in it anye long tyme but the Lorde wyll destroye you and wyll scatter you amongst all nations and ye shall remayne but a verye fewe amongst the nations whyther the Lorde wyll leade you away and then shall you serue gods whiche are made with mans handes of wood and stone whiche see not and heare not neyther eate nor smell and so foorth This is a notable Chapter and entreateth almoste altogether of this matter But because it is to lōg to write out the whole I haue noted you certayne principall poyntes out of it First howe earnestly and ofte he calleth vpon them to marke to take heede that vpon the perill of their soules to the charge which he geueth them Then howe he forbyddeth by a solemne long rehearsal of all thinges in heauen in earth and in the water any image or lykenes of any thyng at all to be made Thirdly what penaltie and horrible destruction he solemly with inuocation of heauen earth for recorde denounceth and threatneth to them their children and posteritie if they contrary to this commaundement do make or worshyppe anye images or similitude which he so straightly hath forbidden And whē they this notwithstanding partlye by inclination of mans corrupte nature moste prone to idolatrie and partly occasioned by the Gentiles and Heathen people dwellyng about them who were idolaters dyd fall to the makyng and worshyppyng of Images GOD accordyng to his worde brought vppon them all those plagues whiche he threatned them with as appeareth in the bookes of the kinges and the Chronacles in sundrye places at large And agreeable hereunto are many other notable places in the olde Testament Deuteronomie xxvii Cursed be he that maketh a carued image or a cast or moulten image whiche is abomination before the Lorde the worke of the artificers hand and setteth it vp in a secret corner and all the people shall say Amen Reade the xiii and. xiiii Chapters of the booke of wysedome concernyng idols or images howe they be made set vp called vppon and offered vnto and how he prayseth the tree whereof the gybbet is made as happye in comparison to the tree that an image or idoll is made of euen by these very wordes Happie is the tree wherethrough ryghteousnesse commeth meaning the gybbet but cursed is the idoll that is made with handes yea both it and he that made it and so foorth And by and by he sheweth how that the thynges whiche were the good creatures of God before as trees or stones when they be once altered and fashioned into images to be worshypped become abhomination a temptation vnto the soules of men and a snare for the feete of the vnwyse And why the seekyng out of images is the begynnyng of whoredome sayth he and the bryngyng vp of them is the destruction of lyfe for they were not from the begynnyng neyther shall they contynue for euer The welthy idlenesse of men hath founde them out vppon earth therefore shall they come shortlye to an ende and so foorth to the ende of the Chapter conteynyng these poyntes Howe idols or images were fyrste inuented and offered vnto how by an vngratious custome they were establyshed how tyrauntes compell men to worshyppe them how the ignoraunt and the common people are deceaued by the cunnyng of the workeman and the beawty of the image to do honour vnto it and so to erre from the knowledge of God and of other great and many mischefes that come by images And for a conclusion he sayth that the honouring of abhominable images is the cause the begynnyng and ende of all euyll and that the worshippers of them be either mad or most wycked See and view the whole Chapter with diligence for it is worthy to be well consydered speciallie that is wrytten of the deceauing of the simple and vnwyse common people by idols and images and repeated twyse or thrise least it shoulde be forgotten And in the Chapter folowyng be these wordes The paynting of the picture and carued image with dyuers colours enticeth the ignoraunt so that he
of the Gospell But these pictures or images came not yet into Churches nor were not worshypped of a long tyme after And least you shoulde thynke that I do say this of myne owne head onlye without aucthoritie I alleage for me Eusebius Byshop of Cesarea and the moste auncient aucthour of the ecclesiasticall historie who lyued about the 330. yere of our Lord in Constantinus magnus dayes and his sonne Constantius Emperours in the seuenth booke of his historie ecclesiasticall the xiiii Chapter and saint Jerome vppon the x. Chapter of the prophete Jeremie who both expresly say that the errours of images for so saint Jerome calleth it hath come in and passed to the Christians from the Gentyles by an Heathenyshe vse and custome The cause and meanes Eusebius she weth saying It is no maruell if they whiche beyng Gentiles before and did beleue semed to offer this as a gyft vnto our sauiour for the benefites whiche they had receaued of him Yea and we do see no we that images of Peter and Paul and of our sauiour hym selfe be made and tables to be paynted whiche me thynke to haue ben obserued and kept indifferently by an Heathenishe custome For the Heathen are wont so to honour them whom they iudged honour worthy for that some tokens of old men should be kept For the remembraunce of posteritie is a token of theyr honour that were before and the loue of those that come after Thus farre I haue rehearsed Eusebius wordes Where note ye that both saint Jerome and he agreeth herein that these images came in amongst Christian men by suche as were Gentyles and accustomed to idols and beyng conuerted to the fayth of Christe retayned yet some remnauntes of gentilitie not throughlye purgeth For saint Jerome calleth it an errour manifestlye And the lyke example we see in the Actes of the Apostles of the Jewes who when they were conuerted to Christe woulde haue brought in theyr circumcision whereunto they were so long accustomed with them into Christes religion With whom the Apostles namelye saint Paul had muche ado for the staying of that matter But of circumcision was lesse maruell for that it came first in by Gods ordinaunce and commaundement A man may most iustly wonder of images so directly agaynst gods holy worde and straight commaundement how they should enter in But images were not yet worshypped in Eusebius tyme nor publiquely set vp in Churches and temples and they who priuatly had them dyd erre of a certayne zeale and not by malice but afterwardes they crepte out of priuate houses into Churches and so bread first superstition and last of all idolatrie amongst Christians as hereafter shall appeare In the tyme of Theodosius and Martian Emperours who raigned about the yere of our Lorde 460. and. 1100. yeres ago when the people of the citie of Nola once a yere dyd celebrate the byrth day of saint Felix in the temple and vsed to banquet there sumptuouslye Pontius Paulinus Byshop of Nola caused the walles of the temple to be paynted with stories taken out of the olde Testament that the people beholdyng and consyderyng those pictures might the better abstayne from to muche surfetting and ryot And about the same time Aurelius Prudentius a very learned Christian poet declareth howe he dyd see paynted in a Church the historie of the passion of saint Cassian a scoolemaister and martyr whom his owne scollers at the commaūdement of the tyraunt tormented with the pryckyng or stabbing in of theyr poyntelles or brasen pennes into his body and so by a thousand wounds and mo as sayth Prudentius most cruelly slew him And these were the first payntings in Churches that were notable of antiquitie And so by this example came in painting and afterwarde images of tymber and stone and other matter into the Churches of Christians Nowe and ye wyll consyder this beginning men are not so redye to worshyppe a picture on a wal or in a wyndowe as an embossed and gylte image set with pearle and stone And a processe of a storie painted with the gestures and actions of many persons and commonly the summe of the storie written withall hath another vse in it then one dumbe idoll or image standing by it selfe But from learning by paynted stories it came by lytle and litle to idolatrie Whiche when godly men aswell Emperours and learned Byshoppes as others perceaued they commaunded that suche pyctures images or idols shoulde be vsed no more And I wyll for a declaration therof begin with the decree of the auncient Christian Emperours Valens and Theodosius the seconde who raigned about foure hundreth yeres after our sauiour Christes ascention who forbad that anye images shoulde be made or paynted priuatelye For certayne it is that there was none in temples publiquely in theyr tyme These Emperours dyd write vnto the capitayne of the armie attendyng on the Emperours after this sorte Valens and Theodosius Emperours vnto the captayne of the armie Whereas we haue a diligent care to maynteyne the religion of GOD aboue in all thynges We wyll graunt to no man to set foorth graue carue or paynt the image of our sauiour Christe in colours stone or any other matter but in what place soeuer it shal be founde we commaunde that it be taken away and that all suche as shall attempte any thyng contrary to our decrees or commaundement herein shal be moste sharpely punished This decree is written in the bookes named Libri Augustales the Emperial bokes gathered by Tribunianus Basilides Theophilus Dioscorus Satira men of great aucthoritie and learnyng at the cōmaundement of the Emperour Iustiniane and is alleaged by Petrus Erinilus a notable learned man in the. ix booke and. ix Chapter of his worke entituled De honesta disciplina that is to say of honest learnyng Heare you see what Christian princes of most auncient times decreed agaynst images whiche then began to creepe in amongst the Christians For it is certayne that by the space of three hundreth yeres and more after the death of our sauiour Christe and before these godlye Emperours raigne there were no images publiquely in Churches or temples Howe woulde the idolaters glory if they had so muche antiquitie and aucthoritie for them as is here agaynst them Nowe shortlye after these dayes the Gothes Uandales Hunnes and other barberous and wicked nations burst into Italie and all partes of the westcountreyes of Europe with huge and mightie armies spoyled all places destroyed Cities and burned Libraries so that learning and true religion went to wracke and decayed incrediblye And so the Byshops of those latter dayes beyng of lesse learnyng and in the myddest of warres takyng lesse heede also then did the Byshops afore by ignoraunce of Gods worde and negligence of Byshops and specially barbarous princes not ryghtly instructed in true religion bearyng the rule images came into the Church of Christe in the sayde west partes where these barbarous people ruled not nowe in paynted clothes only but embossed
a figure to signifie and not an example to follow that those outward thinges were suffered for a tyme vntill Christ our Lorde came who turned all those outwarde thinges into spirite fayth and trueth And the same saynt Jerome vpon the seuenth chapter of Jeremy saith God commaunded both the Jewes at that time and nowe vs who are placed in the Churche that we haue no trust in the goodlinesse of building and gylte rooffes and in walles couered with tables of marble and say the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the lord For that is the temple of the lorde wherein dwelleth true fayth godly conuersation and the company of all vertues And vppon the Prophet Agge he descrybeth the true and ryght decking of ornamentes of the Temple after this sorte I sayth Saint Jerome do thinke the siluer wherewith the house of God is decked to be the doctrine of the scriptures of the whiche it is spoken The doctrine of the Lorde is a pure doctrine siluer tryed in fyre purged from drosse purified seuen tymes And I do take golde to be that which remayneth in the hid sense of the saintes and the secrete of the heart and shyneth with the true lyght of god Which is euident that the Apostle also meant of the saintes that buylde vppon the foundation of Christ some siluer some golde some precious stones that by the Golde the hid sense by siluer godlye vtteraunce by precious stones workes whiche please God myght be signified With these mettals the Churche of our sauiour is made more goodly and gorgeous then was the synagogue in olde tyme With these liuely stones is the Churche and house of Christ builded and peace is geuen to it for euer All these be saint Hieromes sayinges No more dyd the olde godly Bishops and doctours of the Churche allowe the outragious furniture of Temples and Churches with plate vesselles of golde siluer and precious vestures Saint Chrisostome sayth In the ministerie of the holy Sacramentes there is no neede of golden vesselles but of golden mindes And saint Ambrose saith Christe sent his Apostles without golde and gathered his Church without golde The Churche hath golde not to hepe it but to bestowe it on the necessities of the poore The Sacramentes looke for no golde neyther do they please God for the cōmendation of golde which are not bought for golde The adournyng and deckyng of the Sacramentes is the redemption of captyues Thus much saint Ambrose Saint Hierome commendeth Exuperius Byshop of Tolose that he caryed the Sacrament of the Lordes bodye in a wycker basket and the Sacrament of his blood in a glasse and so caste couetousnes out of the Churche And Bonifacius Byshop and martyr as it is recorded in the decrees testifieth that in olde tyme the ministers vsed treene and not golden vessels And Zepherinus the. xvi Byshoppe of Rome made a decree that they shoulde vse vesselles of glasse Lykewyse were the vestures vsed in the Churche in olde tyme very playne and single and nothyng costly And Rabanus at large declareth that this costly and manifolde furniture of vestmentes of late vsed in the Churche was fet from the Jewishe vsage and agreeth with Aarons apparelling almost altogether For the maintenaunce of the which Innocentius the Pope pronounceth boldly that all the customes of the olde lawe be not abolished that we might in suche apparel of Christians the more willingly become Jewish This is noted not agaynst Churches temples which are most necessary ought to haue theyr due vse and honour as is in another Homilee for theyr purpose declared nor against the conuenient cleanlinesse and ornamentes thereof but agaynst the sumptuousnes abuses of Temples and Churches For it is a Churche or Temple also that glistereth with no marble shyneth with no golde nor syluer glittereth with no pearles nor precious stones but with plainnesse and frugalitie signifieth no proude doctrine nor people but humble frugall and nothyng esteemyng earthly and outwarde thynges but gloriouslye decked with inwarde ornamentes according as the prophet declareth saying The kings daughter is altogether glorious inwardlye Nowe concernyng outragious deckyng of images and idolles with paynting gyldyng adournyng with precious vestures pearle and stone what is it els but for the further prouocation and intisement to spirituall fornication to decke spirituall harlottes moste costly and wantonlye which the idolatrious Churche vnderstandeth wel enough For shee beyng in deede not only an harlot as the scriptures calleth her but also a foule fylthye olde withered harlot for she is in deede of auncient yeres and vnderstandyng her lacke of naturall and true beawtie and great lothsomenesse whiche of her selfe she hath doth after the custome of suche harlottes paynte her selfe and decke tire her selfe with golde pearle stone and all kinde of precious iewels that she shyning with the outward beawtie and glory of them may please the foolyshe fantasie of fonde louers and so entice them to spirituall fornication with her Who yf they sawe her I wyll not say naked but in simple apparell woulde abhorre her as the fowlest and fylthyest harlot that euer was seene Accordyng as appeareth by the discription of the garnyshyng of the great strumpette of all strumpettes the mother of whoredome set foorth by saint John in his reuelation who by her glorye prouoked the Princes of the earth to committe whoredome with her Whereas on the contrarye part the true Churche of GOD as a chaste matrone espoused as the scripture teacheth to one husbande our sauiour Jesus Christe whom alone she is content onlye to please and serue and looketh not to delyght the eyes or phantasies of any other straunge louers or wooers is content with her naturall ornamentes not doubtyng by suche sincere simplicitie best to please him which can well skil of the difference betweene a paynted visage and true naturall beawtie And concerning such glorious gildyng and decking of images both Gods worde wrytten in the. x. Chapter of the prophete Hierome and saint Hieromes commentaries vppon the same are moste worthye to be noted Firste the wordes of the scriptures be these The workeman with his are he wed the tymber out of the wood with the worke of his handes he decked it with golde and syluer he ioyned it with nayles and pinnes and the stroke of an hammer that it myght holde together They be made smothe as the Palme and they can not speake yf they be borne they remoue for they can not go Feare ye them not for they can neyther do euyll nor good Thus sayth the prophete Upon which text saint Hierome hath these wordes This is the description of idols which the Gentiles worshyp theyr matter is vyle corruptible And whereas the artificer is mortal the thinges he maketh must nedes be corruptible he decketh it with siluer and golde that with glitteryng or shynyng of both mettals he may deceaue the simple Which errour in deede hath passed ouer from the