goodnesse as a mark sign or note which should shew unto us a thing of greater worth eminency or dignity then it self in such sort as if it did say J am none of your God or last end seeing I doe but represent only a thing more excellent then my selfe like the stamp upon the coyn whereupon our Saviour said unto the Jewes who shewed unto him the tribute money whose is this image and superscription they say to him Caesars then he saith to them render therefore the things that are Caesars to Caesar Mat. 22.20 Wherefore seeing that sacred artificiall pictures signes or images do but tell us of things more excellent then themselves certainly as such and by these who esteem them such they can neither be esteemed or reputed as a God or Gods nor be as God worshipped for whoever esteemed thought or imagined that to be a God or worshipped that for a God which he affirmed to be but a shadow or a relation unto another thing of greater dignity none who was endued with reason seeing that every one esteemeth God to be the chiefest of all Gods and the last end of all things according to the words of our Lord saying I am Alpha and Omega and I am the first and the last Revel 1.17 And de facto that any one doth esteem a thing to be a sacred artificiall picture sign or image and doth worship it as a sacred artificiall picture signe or image of another thing he doth deny it to be a God or to worship it as a God and therefore cannot commit idolatry unto it by worshipping it as a sacred artificiall picture signe or image Secondly as I have said heretofore an artificiall picture signe or image about which the controversie is as such is neither substance person nor creature nor so esteemed by any one who is endued with reason because they are but the work of a Painter Printer Writer or Carver who cannot make a substance person or creature because they are reserved to God alone whereby also it is manifest that whilest Roman Catholiques do worship sacred artificiall pictures signes and images as they are such and no otherwise they cannot commit idolatry because idolatry is when the honor and worship which is due unto God as he is God and Creator of all things is given unto another person or unto a creature or substance which Roman Catholiques acknowledge and confesse sacred artificiall signes pictures and images are not And what reasonable man ever either worshipped or acknowledged or esteemed that for a God which he publiquely and constantly professed to be neither person nor substance nor yet so much as a creature nor to have any subsistence of it self whereby you see that the clamours of some Sectaries against the idolatry of Roman Catholikes in the worshipping of sacred artificiall pictures signes and images are but as the cry and noyse of frogs which to hearken unto do but dull mens ears and hinder them of better thoughts That Roman Catholiques do not honor or worship sacred artificiall pictures signes or images with any other honor or worship then relative unto divine and heavenly things after the manner abovesaid is first manifest by the decree of the Councell of Trent which in the twenty fifth Session saith The image of Christ of the Virgin Mother of God and of other Saints are to be had and retained especially in Churches and that due honor and worship is to be imparted unto them not for that any divinity is to be believed to be in them or vertue for which they are to be worshipped or that any thing is to be begged of them or that hope is to be put in them as in times past the Pagans did who put their trust in Idols but because the honor which is exhibited to them is referred unto the first patern which they resemble so that by the images which we kisse and before which we uncover our heads and kneel we adore Christ and his Saints whose likenesse they bear Thus this Councell to demonstrate unto us that even by the decree of this Councell which all Roman Catholiques are bound to follow they honor worship and respect sacred artificiall pictures signes and images with a relative honor and worship only and no other Secondly it is yet further manifest that Roman Catholiques do not honor or worship sacred artificiall pictures signs or images with any other honor or worship but relative for that though they worship pictures yet they do not worship all pictures signs or images which they should do if they worshipped pictures absolutely neither yet doe they worship the same signes pictures or images when they doe represent or have relation unto other things as appeareth in the name of God and Jesus and the materiall Temples and Altars of Jewes and Gentiles which they represent or have relation unto any other thing then unto the living God or Christ our Saviour or the Temple or Altar in heaven As for example though the third Commandement say Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain and the Scriptures say In the name of Jesus every knee shall bow Phil. 2 16. yet they do not worship the name of God where it is said to Moyses J will make thee God of Pharoah Ezod 7.1 nor the name of Jesus when it signifieth unto us Jesus the son of Nun or Joshua Act. 7.45 or Jesus the son of Sirach writer of Ecclesiasticus or the Temples or Altars of Pagans or Heretikes because they want that relation to the living God and things in heaven whereby it is demonstrated that Roman Catholiques give no other worship or honor unto sacred artificiall pictures signes or images but relative as they induce them to think and put them in mind of other things which are more excellent and eminent then they and whoever worshipped or honored God with a relation unto another thing more excellent or eminent in dignity then he or whoever esteemed that to be a God which he respected and worshipped with relation unto another thing more excellent in dignity then that which he worshipped whereby it is manifest that Roman Catholikes neither do commit idolatry in their worshipping of sacred artificiall pictures signs or images as they do neither can they seeing that in the fact it selfe they demonstrate that the pictures signs or images which they worship are no gods nor yet so much as creatures or substances after the manner which they worship them nor yet have of themselves so much as any subsistence Thirdly this is generally and universally the Tenet of all Roman Catholiques that a materiall thing which hath neither life sense nor reason such as is a carved or ingraven stock or stone or painted cloth of it self or by it self without relation or reference unto another thing is not capable of any honor worship or reverence much lesse of a religious honor or worship whereby it is manifest that Roman Catholiques do not worship stocks or stones
in his book of the sacred Egyptian letters and this kind of painting or setting forth of God by pictures and images hath also alwayes been lawfull otherwise those who write or print pictures and images for letters or characters could have no Bible or writ any thing of God or of the mysteries of our faith as the Egyptians and Chinois and this is called the expression of the nature of a thing by Analogies or metaphoricall and mysticall significations as also for example to set forth the strength agility and glory of an Angell by Analogy and mysticall signification we use to paint or print a beautiful young man with wings as were the pictures of Angels in the Temple this kind also of setting forth God or Angels hath always been lawful Ob. The Scriptures say whereunto have you resembled me and made me equal and compared me and made me like Isa 46.5 Ans This text as the former is spoken of idolls as appeareth by the text it self which saith whereunto have you made me equal which cannot be but by making of an idol no Christian Catholique either thinking or esteeming or imagining any artificiall picture or image to be equall with God and it presently followeth in the same text You that contribute gold out of the bag and wâ—â—gh silver with balance hiring a goldsmith to make a god to demonstrate unto us that this and such like places alledged out of the Scriptures only prohibit the making of idols or the going about to paint or print an image or picture which immediately shall set forth the nature substance or essence of God which is impossible and forbidden Ob. The Councell of Eliberis in the 36. Canon forbiddeth images in churches Ans It prohibiteth the painting of them upon the church wall in time of persecution least they should be prophaned or abused but confesseth that they ought to be worshipped or reverenced as I have shewed heretofore Ob. Tertullian in the 12. chapter of his Apology for the Christians against the Gentiles saith they did not adore statues or images Ans Not as the Gentiles did theiâ— statues or images with divine honor as Gods but with a relative religious worship as in the 16. cha of the same book he affirmeth saying who doth not think us to be religious towards the cross or of the cross Moreover the faithfull Christian souldiers at all times adored the image of the Roman Emperors in the Imperiall standard as witnesseth S. Gregory Nissen in his first Oration against Julian the Apostata number 76. saying They think it not enough that they themselves are adored unless it be given also unto them in their pictures and images The like hath Zozonteus in the 4. cha of his 1. book of histories saying The souldiers used to adore the Ensign of war called Labarum which was inferiour to sacred pictures signs or images Ob. They adored the pictures and images of the Emperors with civill worship but not with a religious worship Ans Then first you confesse that adoration may be given unto the pictures and images of Christ and his Saints but not a religious adoration for if it be lawfull to adore the pictures or images of heathen men you cannot deny it unto the pictures of our Saviour and his Saints who are far more eminent and that relative religious worship may be given unto them I have proved in the former chapters and by the same reason that civill adoration may be given to the eminent temporal things of the world by the same reason a relative religious adoration may be given to eminent religious or spiritual things in the Kingdom of Gods church because the hierarchy in the one is answerable to the Monarchy in the other wherefore seeing that you grant a civill adoration to the pictures of eminent men in the one you cannot with any reason deny a relative religious adoration to the pictures or images of Christ and his Saints in the other Ob. Some of the Fathers say that neither Angels or Saints or any other creature may be worshipped or adored with a religious worship Ans As I have said heretofore the vertue of Religion hath divers acts or operations whereof the chief is extended to God only such as is the profoundest humiliation and prostration of the will as to the first truth first beginning the chiefest good and last end of man which for his excellency is or may be called absolute adoration or a religious worship without addition or a divine worship because it hath no relation or dependence upon any other and this may not be given unto any creature So when the Fathers say that a religious worship may not be given to the Angels and Saints c. they understand this absolute religious worship which is made with a whole prostration or submission of the will as to the chiefest good and last end of man which were injustice to bestow upon any creature and when they say that a religious worship may be given to creatures as S. Augustine doth in the 21. cha of his 20. book against Faustus and others they intend this relative or inferiour kind of religious worship which we call for distinction sake relative which may be bestowed either upon the eminent creatures of God according to the supernaturall excellency or dignity which he hath communicated unto them or upon sacred pictures signs or images for the relation they have unto the mysteries of our faith or things in heaven so as when we say God only is good for that he is good of himself infinite and independent it doth not hinder us to say that his creatures are good by communication from his goodnesse no more doth it hinder us to say that his eminent creatures upon whom he hath bestowed grace and glory or sacred pictures signes or images which have a relation to the mysteries of our faith or to the things of heaven may be worshipped with a relative religious worship depending upon God and sending us unto him as unto our last end According to this argument you may prove that we ought not to use charity or love towards our neighbour or towards any man because the Scripture saith Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and thy whole mind Deut. 5.6 Mat. 22.37 therefore may you say as you do of religious worship you may not use charity or love unto any creature which is absurd but as the highest charity and chiefest extension of our loves belongeth to God alone as to our chiefest good and an inferiour kind of charity with relation unto him may be used and ought to be used towards his creatures so likewise in the vertue of Religion some acts are due unto God alone others to be communicated to his eminent creatures and if you can understand this of charity you may easily understand the same of religious worship or of any other vertue how it may be used towards God alone and how it
divers ingravings and carving and he made in them Cherubins and palm trees and divers pictures as it were standing out of the wall and coming forth 3 Kings 6. S. Paul also calleth Christian Churches the house of God 1 Cor. 11.22 and our Saviour divers times calleth his Church upon earth the Kingdome of heaven as Mat. 13.24 and again verse 47. and the Temple and Churches his Fathers house Ioh. 2.16 where not onely God dwelleth but also Angels and Saints according to the words of S. Paul saying to the Christians You are come to Mount Sion and the City of the living God heavenly Hierusalem and the assembly of many thousand of Angels and the Church of the first-born which are written in heaven Heb. 12.22 whereupon it cometh to passe that there was never in the world any Church which did belong unto Catholique Christians which had not in it an Altar as a picture sign or image of the Altar in heaven and some sacred pictures signes or images either to represent unto those who should enter into it the society of heaven or the mysteries of our faith or both otherwise it could not represent the Temple of God or house of God in heaven from whence it hath his denomination S. John saying that he saw a great multitude in heaven which no man could number of all Nations Tribes and peoples clothed in white robes and palms in their hands c. these saith he are they which are come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lamb therefore they are before the Throne of God and they serve him day and night in his Temple Revel 7. Again he saith I saw an Angel come forth from the Temple which is in heaven Revel 14.17 whereby it appeareth that as we have sacred Temples Altars and Churches which represent the Temple Altar and house of God in heaven so also we ought to have sacred images or pictures of Angells and Saints to represent unto us the Inhabitants in the Temple of heaven or the mysteries of our faith and that our adversaries who disgrace deface and beat down these things are enemies to pious thoughts and to the elevation of mens minds to heaven and heavenly things CHAP. XIII That in time of peace when there is no persecution the pictures and images of Angels and Saints ought to be placed in Christian Churches and there honored with a relative religious worship AS I have proved in the last chapter Christian Churches Temples and Chappels ought to resemble unto them heaven and the house of God in heaven wherein do dwell Angels and Saints and therefore it is as manifest that Christians ought to have some sacred pictures of Angels and Saints in their churches temples and chappels and there to honor them with a relative religious worship to represent unto them heaven as is manifest that they ought to have churches unlesse it be in time of persecution when sacred pictures are more subject to be prophaned then the churches themselves by Pagans and Infidels who do more hate sacred images then they do material churches and therefore doe sooner deface and abuse them then they doe the churches themselves In the Old Testament because the gates of heaven were not open before the Ascension of our Lord as the Scriptures witnesse Colos 1.18 therefore in the Tabernacle and Temple of the Old Law were onely the pictures of Angels and not of Saints but now in the New Law that the Saints have passage into heaven and the Inhabitants of heaven doe consist of Angels and Saints as witnesse the Scriptures Heb. 13.22 Revel 7.9 it is as requisite that the pictures and images of Saints should be placed in Christian churches and chappels and there respected and honored with a relative religious worship as that it was necessary in the old Law the pictures of Angels should be in the Tabernacle and Temple and there respected and adored after the manner aforesaid the same reason serving equally for both The Inhabitants of the Temple and house of God in heaven consisting of an innumerable multitude of Angels and Saints he should be but an unskilfull workman who would undertake to make a description of it unto our corporall eyes and not paint or carve any image or picture of any Saint seeing that heaven is the house of Saints as further witnesseth S. Paul 2 Cor. 5.1 unlesse he should excuse himself by reason of persecution that he omitted these things least they should be prophaned by Pagans and Infidels or administer occasion unto them of greater wrath or indignation against Christians whereupon it came to passe that though the Primitive Christians alwayes used pictures and images of Saints in their churches chappels and places of meeting and respected and reverenced them with a relative religious worship as they did their churches thereby to nourish in themselves pious thoughts yet in the time of persecution they used them not carved or painted upon the walls or so fixed as that they could not easily remove them as doth witnesse the Councell of Jliberis held in the time of of persecution and before the church had peace in the thirty sixth Canon saying It hath pleased the Councell that pictures should not be in the Churches that is to say fixed or fastened to the walls least that which is worshipped and adored should be painted upon walls where the Pagan and Infidels coming might easily abuse them But after that persecution ceased and the church had peace for the statues pictures and images of false gods and prophane men which the Pagan and Infidells used in their Temples and the honor which they bestowed upon them the Christians brought in the pictures images and memories of the Saints with a relative religious respect and honor unto them as witnesseth Theodoret in the end of the eighth book of the cure of Greek affections or of Martyrs saying The Temples of those false gods and prophane men together with their groves are now so destroyed that there doth not remain any of their footsteps neither can we know after what manner their Attars were built for the very matter of those things is purged out by the erected Temples and Altars of the Martyrs for our Lord God hath brought in his dead into the Temples in place of your gods he hath made their glory void and vain and hath given their honor to his Martyrs and for the solemnities of all your gods and goddesses are brought in the common feasts of Peter Paul Thomas Sergius Marcellus Leontius Antonius Moritius and other holy Martyrs Thus Theodoret who florished in the year 430. to shew unto us that as soon as the church had peace the faithful kept the feasts of the Saints placed their pictures in the churches and gave unto them all the exteriour visible honor which the Pagans did unto their false gods except Sacrifice and their relation to their Idols as to the true and living God Untill
Roman Catholique either esteemeth or thinketh any sacred image to be a God or adoreth or kneeleth to it or worshippeth it as a God if he should he should cease to be a Roman Catholique and become an infidell Again the heathen terminated their adoration kneeling and worshipping in their idolls as in their last end God and chiefest good as is before shewed Roman Catholiques adore and kneel before their sacred pictures and worship their images onely as remembrances of holy things and neither as gods or as things which containe any Godhead nor yet as before an absolute thing creature or person Thirdly they offered sacrifice unto their idols as witnesse the Scriptures saying They have made to themselves a molten calf and have adored and immolated hosts unto it Exod. 32.8 Again They sacrificed to the idols of Canaan Psal 105.38 The Roman Catholiques never offer sacrifice unto any picture or image whatsoever Ob. Some of you say that the same honor is due unto the image which is due unto the example but Christ as you confess is to be adored with divine honor or honor of latria Ans Whatsoever any of ours for disputation sake shall say in this point yet they all submit their judgements to the church which in the 7. Act of the seventh Generall Councell hath decreed that the image of Christ is not to be honored with divine honor and in the third Canon of the last Act that the image of Christ is no otherwise to be adored then is the books of the Gospell and before these Councels to worship the image of Christ with divine honor was condemned amongst us for heresie as witnesseth S. Jrenaeus in the 24. cha of his 1. book of heresies S. Epiphanius in his 27 heresie and S. Augustine in the 7. heresie of his book ad quod vult Deus So first no Christian Catholique ever affirmed that it was lawfull to offer exteriour visible sacrifice to the image of Christ our Lord. Secondly these men do not say that the image of Christ as it is the image of Christ and as it is separated from Christ may by it selfe independent of Christ be worshipped with divine honor but as it is one thing with Christ or is reduced to Christ as the garments of a King are annexed to the King or as the splendor beauty or proportion of a body is coherent to a body and so by a subtill distinction they may peradventure defend that the image of Christ may by accident or reductively be honored with the same honor that Christ our Lord is honored though not of it selfe or by it selfe for all Roman Catholiques do hold that a thing which hath neither life sense nor reason such as is an artificiall image or picture of it selfe and in regard of it selfe is neither worthy of any honor nor capable and therefore though these Roman Catholiques do differ in words and subtill distinctions yet they agree in substance effect and meaning and say that the cross or picture of our Saviour as it is a molten or graven or painted thing hath no relation to our Lord is worthy of no honor or worship but may be burned or broken without offence as it hath relation to our Saviour or as it is the picture of Christ of it selfe it speaketh of an inferiour thing to Christ our Lord as the picture of Caesar speaketh of an inferiour thing to Caesar and therefore cannot be worshipped with the same honor which is due to Christ but by accident or dependence and this is the opinion of all Roman Catholiques Ob. Moyses said to the Israelites You saw not any similitude in the day that our Lord spoke to you in Horeb from the middest of the fire lest perhaps deceived you might make you a graven similitude or image of male or female Deut. 4.15 Ans This text answereth it selfe in the verses following Beware lest at any time thou forget the Covenant of the Lord thy God c. and make to thee a graven similitude of these things which our Lord hath prohibited to be made So this text only prohibiteth the making of vain images to our selves and not to the honor of God as I have shewed more at large hereupon and so the alledged text saith lest deceived you might make you for your selves and not for the honor of God Againe in this same chapter it saith and being deceived make to you some similitude whereby it appeareth that this text only prohibiteth the making of vain and idle pictures to our selves and not the pious pictures of our Saviour and his Saints nor yet of the civill pictures of well-deserving men which may redound to the honor and glory of God by putting civil good thoughts into our minds Ob. You picture God and the Holy Ghost contrary to the Scriptures which say To whom have you made God like or what image will you set to him I say 40.18 Ans There be three sorts of images or pictures some are made to expresse the perfect similitude form essence and nature of the thing it self and so no faithfull man goeth about to make an image or picture of God because as so he is incomprehensible and invisible and this is that which is forbidden by this text The second kind is by images to represent to our sight some visible apparitions of God unto men in such shapes and formes as his will hath chosen and not his nature framed as his walking in Paradise to seek Adam and Eve in the shape of a man Gen. 3. his standing upon the top of a ladder Gen. 18. his conversing with Moyses as one friend with another Exod. 33. his sitting upon a Throne as he appeared to the Prophets Isay and Micheas Isa 6. and the 3. of Kings and last chapter his appearing in the form of a Dove and cloven tongues as it were of fire Mat. 3. Act. 2. c. to picture God after any of these manners to expresse the manner of his apparitions to mankind hath alwayes beene lawfull otherwise these who in place of letters and characters use pictures and images as the Egyptians and Chinois could have no Bible neither doe they give him any new form but express the form in which out of his infinite goodness he appeared unto men A third kind of setting forth God unto our minds by pictures and images is not to expresse his immediate form nature or essence by pictures or images which is impossible but by some remote and mediate similitude which according to our weak capacity may put us in mind of him or his attributes As for example to express him as all-seeing by an eye or as of in speakable power wisdom goodness by a Stork which hath no tongue for that no tongue is able to expresse his essence nature goodness c. or els to shew that God is eternal without beginning or ending by a circle which hath neither end nor beginning c. as is more at large set downe by Pierius