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honour_n image_n worship_n worship_v 5,699 5 9.5098 5 true
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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A01010 A secure and prudent choice of beliefe. Written by a student in diuinity Floyd, John, 1572-1649. 1639 (1639) STC 11115; ESTC S114863 16,290 54

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consequent to the practice of S. Paul and the whole Church they may rest secure in the beliefe vntill the denyers bring some cleere places of holy Scripture to the contrary such places I say that need no explications suppositions c. For these being but probabilities are not sufficient to make the Belieuers deny what before they belieued least perchance by not belieuing they proue guilty of damnation from which they are doubtles free though peraduenture the Saints heare them not As for iniury to Christ I haue shewed before there is not the least colour thereof What Choice may be securely made concerning the making and worshipping the Image of Christ and his Saints 19. FOr the end of a safe resolution in this point it is necessary first to declare what kind of worship is pretended due to Images and for example I will discourse of the Image of Christ crucifyed whereby what may be said of the rest with proportion it will easily appeare 20. The worship then pretended neuer tendeth to the Image out of an apprehension of any Diuinity therein contained but only out of a faith in Christ represented by that Image that is belieuing Christ worthy of all honour represented by this picture in manner as he visibly once appeared Whence euident it is first that by such worship Christ is immediatly worshipped Secondly that no honour due to God is transferred to a Creature Thirdly that whatsoeuer honour exteriour or interiour tēdeth towards the Image is not for it nor resteth there but by our faith and interiour reuerence is referred to Christ for whom to whom it is exhibited for since perfect worship consisteth both in the exteriour and interiour acts conioyned the interiour giuing life the very being worship to the exteriour the interiour respecting Christ for himselfe and the Image only for Christ no signe of iniury to Christ can be imagined Or in a word the worship heere in question is only an outward honour towards the Image proceeding frō an inward reuerence to Christ himselfe And as S. Mary Magdalen worshiped Christ as a man out of beliefe of the Diuinity conteyned in him or rather as some worship their Communion for the Connexion it hath with Christ whom it representeth so in like māner the worship giuen to Images is for the Connexion they haue with Christ himselfe The question then is whether the worship thus vnderstood be lawfull or no 21. According to the new translations of the Bible the negatiue part against the Belieuers seemes iustified Exod. 20. expresly forbidding the making and worshipping of any Image whatsoeuer But the first doubt that heere occurreth and that a maine one is how this latter translation can be iustified reading Image against the ancient Idol or grauen thing and so interpreted by ancient Doctours and Fathers Secondly grant Image the right translation how can we be sure that the same law is now in force more then the law of the Saboth or Circumcision I see not how these two doubts can be solued by cleer Scripture which is necessary to repeale an anciently receiued beliefe in a Church 22. Moreouer admitting the word Image and the Law to stand it is manifest that place proueth nothing against the worship of Images as explicated before but only against Idolatrous abuse of them 23. First out of the end of the Law which was that the honour of God should bee inuiolably kept by giuing diuine worship to him and to no Creature therefore in the beginning it is said I am thy Lord God thou shalt haue no other Gods but me and after he had commaunded that no Idols nor other likenes of any thing should be made he added the cause For I am thy Lord God a iealous God that is make not to thy selfe any Idol or Image for thy God for I am thy God Where marke that particle for which giueth a reason why he doth forbid Images because he was their God and a ●ealous God which reason must suppose such a vse of Images as should transferre Gods honour from him to them els that particle for is impertinent if due honour of Images may consist with the honour due to God as that before declared doth and I will shew more hereafter 24. Secondly because if that Command haue force now against worshiping it is likewise of force against all making of Images in so much that the very Kings coyne must be proued vnlawfull but this is palpably absurd therefore also absurd that the Law shold now be of force against all Image worship The first proposition is manifest for what the Law forbiddeth to be worshiped it also forbiddeth to be made or if it forbiddeth them not to be made how doth it forbid them to be worshiped the law expresly sayth theu shalt not make to thy selfe nor worship If any reply that those first words thou shalt not make to thy selfe c. signify thou shalt not make to worship intimating that the worship only and not the making of Images is forbidden I aske him first how he can proue this his interpretation by Scripture If he cannot I may not without danger receiue or make any Image Secondly it is manifest that that interpretation can haue no groūd in Scripture vnles we also say that when Gen. 3.4 it is said Adam and Eue made themselues or to themselues Aprons and cap. 6. Make thee or to th● selfe an Arke Num. 10. Make thee o● to thy selfe two trumpets is to be vnderstood of worship Thirdly if the fir● part thou shalt not make to thy selfe be vnderstood thou shalt not make to worship why should it be added and thou sha● not worship If then we vnderstand thi● place to be of force against Image worship we must conclude it to be of forc● against the making and receauing of all manner of Images which Chris● himselfe reproueth commanding Ca● sars coyne to be giuen to him Whence it being manifest that the second proposition is true to wit that this is absurd it followeth euidently that it is also absurd to say that the law is now i● force against Image worship 25. A third and chiefe reason is because we haue cleere warrant out of holy Scripture both for the making worshiping of Images the same Law-maker commanding Cherubims ouer the Arke Exod. 25. and a Serpent of brasse Num. 21. Cherubims Lyons Reg 6.7 to be made how can this stand with a total prohibtion of Images That Arke represented God not so properly as the Image of Christ representeth Christ yet Dauid teacheth vs Adore the footstoole of our Lord for he is holy which he sayth not out of any Command there euer was of adoring the Arke since there was none but only out of Consideration that it representeth in some sort the Maiesty of God Iosuac 7. fell prostrate before the Arke where I see not what he did more or lesse then is required in the worship of Images did Iosua then breake God's command We read Gen. 8.2 Nu.
22. Ios 5.14 and els where how the holy Prophets adored God in Images or in Angels representing his person prostrating themselues before them and though their intention was directed to God yet their outward worship was directed to those sensible apparitions or Images representing God to their imaginations wherein they conceiued God as represented and these Images representing God morally one obiect in the same manner as it hapneth in the honour of Images and in the worship of the figuratiue Communion or as all Ciuill Nations do when they honour the Chayre of State or Presence Chamber of a King without wrong to Christ or to the King 26. These three arguments do manifestly shew that whether in the Commandment we read Idol or Image by it nothing can be proued against the declared manner of worshiping Images vnlesse we will proue a Contradiction in holy Scripture Moreouer since it is cleerly proued by those examples and practice taken out of holy Scripture that in such worship there is no signe of dishonour to God it is doubtles more secure with the common practice of the world to honour them then by the deniall of it to condemne such manifest authority 27. That in the refusing there is no security it is also manifest since the Scripture brought is not cleere for condemnation of Image-worship therfore not sufficient to cry downe an ancient practice proued by sound Texts of Scripture which can neuer be reconciled with those words of the Law vnlesse where Image is read we reade Idol which word signifieth a Commād that no Creature should be made nor worshiped as God This vse of Images declared is iustified both in respect of making and worshiping by other texts of Scripture without any Contradiction to those words of the Law when the contrary without any necessity compelleth a man to deny cleere reason and Scripture 28. It may be obiected that since Idolatry hath been begun and maintained by Images and since men are prone to forget God and apply themselues wholy to corporall obiects the secure way is to abandon Images at the least in Churches This is spoken without reason or law Without law for there can be none brought since not Images but Idols were the beginning and maintayning of Idolatry Images I haue proued warrātable in holy Scripture Without reason for whereas an Idol representeth nothing besides it selfe and so is worshiped an Image representeth a true thing therefore moueth a man to a reuerence proportionable to the obiect represented Whence in reason an Idol occasioneth Idolatry not representing any further obiect whither our thoghts and honour may be transferred when contrarywise an Image of a true obiect necessarily draweth our minds and reuerence to some thing besides it selfe so that aske any simple Belieuer whether he pray to an Image or put any Confidence in it he will say no aske him againe when he is kneeling before a picture with his eyes fixed on it whither he directs his prayers he will say to Christ or some Saint What hurt is there in this S. Mary Magdelen prostrate kissed and bathed with her teares the feet of Christ what iustified that act but the vnion which those sacred feet had with his diuinity which notwithstanding she saw not but apprehended by fayth Though betweene Christ and his picture there be not so immediate connexion yet a morall Connexion there is such as betweene the King and his Picture Chayre of state Embassadour c. why then may not a Christian apprehend this connexion betweene Christ and his Image representing him and accordingly exhibite due honour without danger of Idolatry Whether is holy Scripture the only Rule of our Faith 29. HIther to I haue shewed that supposing Scripture the only rule beleefe is more secure then deniall for both parties relying vpon the same Scripture can neuer conuince ech others interpretation of falsity as experience sufficiently sheweth and probability at least must be supposed on both parts in which case finding no further euidence prudence compelleth me to choose that part which is most remote from danger of Condemnation Who will not betieue shall be damned 30. Now that there may remayne no doubt at all of the secure Choice of beliefe I will shew it consequent to reason holy Scripture that we must admit of some other rule besides Scripture If then beliefe be grounded not only vpon probable authority of Scripture wherin it is equal at the least with authority of Deniers or Disbelieuers but also vpon an other rule apparently knowne and seene as it is fit for a rule to be there can be no doubt of the security of beleefe 31. And first I suppose it is more then probable or either Physically certaine that there hath euer beene a Church teaching and practizing those points of beliefe aforementioned not sufficiently disproued in point of Continuance incorruption in Doctrine though the gates of Hell haue breathed forth all malice against it 32. Secondly I suppose holy Scripture as inspired by the holy Ghost to be a certaine rule of Christian beliefe yet for that it is certaine that al is not written that was deliuered by Christ neither doth it any where say that it is the infallible and sole word of God and for that it is obscure doth not cleerly explicate it selfe as it is manifest by experience it can not be an infallible rule for the deciding of contradictory opinions drawne from the same though it alone may be a sufficient direction to let vs know what more securely may be belieued 33. The question then is Whether besides the Scripture a Church also as an vnpartiall Interpreter thereof be to be admitted which is as much to say Whether the commō voice of a Church interpreting holy Scripture be a more secure rule then the voice of some particular men whose priuate interpretations as before I shewed are not certaine proofes out of holy Scripture but only probabilityes out of their owne iudgment which notwithstanding some will oblige all to admit as Scripture and contemne the explication of an ancient Church 34. For the negatiue part I find no cleere Scripture but such texts as require hard interpretation and which as much oppose the practice of the first Primitiue Church then admitted as a doubtles rule as it will appeare to any that shall consider them You shall not ad a word Deut. 4.2 Search the Scriptures Ioan. 5.39 These things are written that you may belieue Io. 20.31 All Scripture diuinely inspired is profitable Are not these places of as much force against the Primitiue Church Do they the like say that all truth is written or that what is written is diuine Scripture or that it needs no helpe of interpretatiō no not of a Church but of priuate spirits What ground then doth there remaine for the inforcing of sole Scripture as the only rule of our beliefe 35. For the affirmatiue part we haue first that Article of the Apostles Creed I belieue the holy