higher civill or superstitious power the same we say of Religious Worship in the spirituall Kingdome of Gods Church as it is spirituall that whether it be exhibited to God or to the Officers of his Church or to other Christians or to sacred things dedicated to his honor yet we call it still a Religious Worship though that Religious Worship which we bestow upon God as he is God such as are Sacrifices oathes and vowes may not be exhibited to his creatures but an inferiour according to the qualty digâ—ity or esteem which the said creatâ—res have in Gods Church or the relation they haxe unto higher powers and therefore for distinction sake we call this inferiour worship which is bestowed upon creatures a Relative Religious Worship and not an absolute as having relation to God the end of all goodnesse esteem and dignity and this we intend and mean by a Relative Religious Worship and after this manner we affirm that sacred pictures signes and images may be honored and worshipped with a Relative Religious visible and invisible worship and not with an absolute as having relation either immediately or mediately unto God the end of all goodnesse This noble morall vertue of Religion as also other morall vertues hath divers acts or operations some whereof only respect God as he is God and Creator of all things others his Angels and Saints or spirituall persons or ecclesiasticall and sacred things dedicated to his honor and service as it respecteth only and chiefly God it is divine honor and worship or an absolute worship independent upon any other thing as it respecteth the creatures and sacred things dedicated to his service it is relative religious honor and worship because it is not absolute or stayeth there but hath a further relation to God the end of all goodnesse as of whom and by whom and from whom the thing worshipped hath that honor and worship and not of it selfe by it selfe The like we find in other morall vertues as for example in Justice though the substance and nature of this vertue be one particular vertue yet her operations and effects are divers and different whereof some are occupied about God as he is God and Creator of all things others about his creatures and that work or operation which according to Justice we bestow upon God as he is God and Creator of all things as love of the whole heart may not be bestowed upon his creatures but an other of an inferiour and relative quality and the like we may say of other morall vertues and also of Religion which is described by S. Thomas in his 2 a. 2 ae quaest 81. to be one speciall most noble morall vertue distinct onely by reason from holinesse which according to her proper acts and operation doth only respect God and by other vertues which she commandeth his creatures and therefore when she is described according to her most principall office or operation or principall Analogate she is said to belong unto God only and when she is described according to her largest extent or signification then she is said to belong unto God and holy things that Religion and a religious worship and honor doth belong unto God that our Adversaries do confesse that she doth also belong after the aforesaid relative manner unto sacred pictures signes and images and other holy things either mediately or immediately dedicated to the honor end service of God that I shall further shew in the ensuing chapters CHAP. X. That a Relative Religious Worship belongeth unto sacred things Pictures Signes and Images as they immediately or mediately conduct us to God S. Paul speaking of the sacred things Rites and Ceremonies which were used by the faithfull in the Old Law in the service of God saith These things were done in a figure of us Again All these things happened to them in sign or example as Protestants translate 1 Cor. 10. Again For the Law having a shadow of things to come not the very image of the things Heb. 10.1 whereby it appeareth that the Rites Ceremonies and Sacraments of the Old Law were but sacred Signs Pictures Images Shadows or imperfect and obscure representations of the sacred things of the New Testament whereupon S. Paul saith that Abraham received the sign of Circumcision seal of the Justice of Faith that is in prepuce or Christians Rom. 4.11 yet they worshipped these figures signs and shadows in the Old Law with a relative religious worship and honor as witnesseth the Scripture saying You shall observe these Ceremonies in the Sacrifice of the Paschall Lamb and when your children shall say unto you what is this Religion you shall say to them it is the victime of your Lords passage when he passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt Exod. 12.16 where the Scriptures call the reverence and respect which was borne unto the Ceremonies and signes which represented our Lords passage over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt a Religion where they used a relative religious worship as of the same nature and not a civill which is of another kind Again Aaron and his children shall be Priests to me by a perpetuall Religion Exod. 29.9 Again This is the annoynting of Aaron and his sons in the Ceremonies of our Lord c. by a perpetuall Religion in their generations Exod. 7.35 where the Scriptures call the signes and ceremonies which were used in the consecration of Aaron and his children to be Priests a Religion and therefore to be performed with an outward and inward relative religious respect and reverence In like manner a red cow being offered in burnt victimes for sin the Scriptures say This is the Religion of the victime which our Lord hath appointed Num. 19.2 where the Scriptures call the Rites and Ceremonies used about the Sacrifice for sin a Religion and therefore performed with a relative religious honor respect and reverence The Scriptures also speaking of an addition of many people unto the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewes say Many other Nations and Sects were joyned to their Religion and Ceremonies Hester 8.17 whereupon S. Paul saith According to the most pure Sect of our Religion I was a Pharisee Act. 26.6 where the Scriptures and S. Paul call the whole practise which they had about sacred things or things dedicated to the honor of God and use of their divine service a Religion and then the respect and reverence which they were to use about the said things must be religious as of the same nature for as our Saviour said We doe not gather grapes on thornes or figs on thistles Mat. 7.16 S. James saith If any man think himself to be religious not bridling his tongue this mans religion is vaine Iames 1.26 where he supposeth that Religion and so likewise a religious worship may be used about the tempering of the tongue Again in the same place S. Iames saith A Religion clean and unspotted with God the Father is this to
visit Orphans and Widows in their tribulations and to keep himself unspotted from the world where likewise he supposeth that Religion and religious worship may be exercised in visiting Widows and Orphans and the acts of vertue Aristotle in the third chapter of his book of Politiques taught by the light of reason saith Honor is justly given when it is destributed according to dignity And S. Paul saith Render to all men their due Rom. 13.7 And some men are religious as witnesseth the Scriptures saying All religious blesse ye our Lord Dan. 3.90 Again There were at Hierusalem Jewes religious men of all Nations Act. 2.5 Again Cornelius the Centurion is called Religious Act. 10.2 and you cannot give honor according to the dignity of one who is religious or render unto him his due unlesse you give him some kind of religious honor or worship all other being inferiour unto his dignity whereby it appeareth that some kind of religious worship may be given unto creatures Civill honor worship and adoration may be given unto prophane men as witnesseth the fact of Jacob who seeing Esau coming towards him going forward he adored prostrate to the ground seven times Gen. 33 3. yet Esau was a prophane person as witnesseth S. Paul Heb. 12.16 The Roman souldiers of all Nations as well faithfull as Infidells adored the Imperiall Ensign called Labarum as witnesseth Zozomenus in the fourth chapter of his first book of histories and all people and Nations who are not exceeding barbarous have worshipped and honored the Chair of Estate Scepter Crown and the very name of their Kings and Emperors when it hath been pronounced in publike Edicts whereby it appeareth that a worship more then civill is due unto the friends of God and sacred things dedicated to his honor and service otherwise you put no difference betweene sacred things and prophane which God condemneth saying Her Priests have contemned my law and have polluted my Sanctuaries between a holy thing and a prophane they have put no difference Ezech. 22.26 whereupon our Saviour when he had made as it were a whip of little cords he cast them who sold oxen and sheep and doves and bankers out of the Temple Joh. 2.13 And S. Paul reprehended divers Christians for eating in the Church saying Have you not houses to eat and drink in or contemn you the Church of God 1 Cor. 11.22 The Officers of Christ in his Church are his Legats according to the words of S. Paul saying We are Legats for Christ 2 Cor. 5.20 and Legats by relation do participate in some part of the honor and worship which is due unto their Lords and Masters wherefore seeing that to God is due an absolute religious worship to the Officers of Gods Church or his Legats must be due an inward and outward relative religious worship whereupon S. Paul saith The fathers of our flesh we had for instructors and we did reverence them not with civill honor only but with some kind of religious as instructors of Religion Heb. 12.9 Our Saviour saith of his followers You are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world Ioh. 15.19 Again of the world they are not as I also am not of the world Ioh. 17.17 and therefore there did belong unto them an honour and worship not worldly which is religious Father and Son are relatives and the Son by all right though in an inferiour degree is partaker of his Fathers honor and worship our Adversaries confesse that religious honor belongeth unto God and the Scriptures confesse that pious and devout Christians are the adoptive sons of God saying We are the sons of God and if sons heires also heirs truly of God and coheirs of Christ Rom. 8.17 whereby it may justly be doubted that those who deny an inward and outward relative religious worship unto the Saints and eminent servants of God have neither part nor portion in the inheritance of Christ The things which are dedicated to the service of God are called sacred by God himselfe Exod. 31.10 therefore there is due unto them an inward and outward sacred relative worship which is the relative religious worship we speak of whereupon all the Lexicons and Dictionaries not onely of Romane Catholiques but also of our adversaries themselves as of Thomas Thomasius do interpret this word Religio a true worship of God or holy things and all Nations cannot be deceived Moreover our Adversaries cannot deny but that there are religious things or things which belong unto Religion as the Scriptures Preaching Teaching Prayer the Sacraments unto which if our Adversaries will grant no kind of religious worship they destroy all Religion and prove themselves to be prophane as Esau Heb. 12.16 Religion and holinesse do not really differ as S. Thomas 2.2 ae quaest 81. Art 8. proveth therefore neither can their operations or effects really differ but holinesse is exercised about creatures as witnesseth the Scripture saying follow peace with all men and holinesse Heb 12.14 Againe holinesse becometh thy house O Lord Psal 92.5 not an absolute holinesse for so God only is holy but a relative as conducting us by meanes unto God who is only holy of himselfe so likewise the chiefest part of the Tabernacle was called The Sanctuary of Sanctuaries and Holy of Holies Exod. 26. God also commanded Moyses to make holy vestments for Aaron and his sons wherein they might minister unto him or serve him Exod. 28. But to serve God belongeth to Religion therefore these were religious vestments and had both an inward and outward relative religious reverence and respect born unto them seeing that none might wear them but Aaron and his sons and then only when they attended unto the service of God The like we may say of all the things which belonged unto the Temple and vessells of the Altar of holy ground holy Mountain holy Scriptures c. which are holy by a holinesse that referreth us to God and also religious and to be reverenced with a relative religious worship for the same cause holy and religious being really both one And to conclude at all times and in all ages the faithful honored and worshipped sacred things whether they were immediately or mediately dedicated to the service of God which are inward and outward relative religious worship as I shall further shew in the ensuing Chapters CHAP. XI Almighty God never prohibited either the making of sacred Pictures Signes and Images nor yet their relative religious Worship ALmighty God commanded us that we should not make vain and idle graven things that might divert us from him for our owne pleasures or for our selves without any respect unto him saying Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven thing Exod. 20.4 but it is never read in the Scriptures that he prohibited either the making or worshipping of sacred pictures signes or images with a relative religious worship when they are made to his honor and glory and not our own only or to our selves
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
after in the middest of his Army was slain from heaven as affirmeth S. Gregory Nazianzen in his second Oration against him and Z zâ—menus in the 2. chapter of his 6. book of histories After Iulian the Apostata followed Xenaia a servant by condition and an Eutichian Heretike by profession a man who w s never baptized yet feigned himself a Christian Clergy-man and by the Eutychian Heretikes was made also a Bishop this man saith Nicephorus in in the 27. chapter of his 16. book of Histories was the f rst who in these times belched out this opinion that the images of Christ and of those who pleased h m were not to be worshipped and so to the Eutychian heresie added the contempt of sacred Images and died excommunicated by the Councell of Calcedon After him followed the Mahometans and Turks who do so abhor the Crosse as with the Sectaries of this age they call the Christians Idolaters for adoring it as witnesseth Cedrenus upon Heraclius neither do they permit unto those of their Sect the use of Images as appeareth by the 15. and 16. chapters of their Alcoran which Turks being enemies of Christ and Christian Religion are without all hope of salvation And this is sufficient to shew unto thee deare Reader the antient enemies of the Crosse and sacred images and the miseries they fell into In thee it lieth to be a follower of the Catholike Roman Church and to honor reverence and respect sacred images with a relation unto the things they represent thereby to nourish in thee good thoughts or with the Devill Jewes Turks Infidells and Heretikes to condemne them and fill thy heart and mind with filthy shapes vicious thoughts and ugly representations As for the more modern haters of the Crosse and sacred images and their evill ends or miseries which befell them If out of curiosity thou desire to see them I refer thee to the 12. chapter of Bellarmines book of the images of Saints and to the 9. Article of the 2. book of Coccius and to the 10. Article of his 5. book in his first Tome where they are set down at large CHAP. XXVII The visible and invisible relative religious worship which the faithfull in the Primitive Church used towards the sacred pictures signes and images of the written Word of God and thereby learned the true sense and indued their soules with wholesome meditations and pious thoughts IF thou wouldest dear Reader examine the cause from whence it proceedeth that divers in this age do so much apply their minds to the reading of the Bible that they have it almost continually in their hands or lying by them and are so earnest upon it as that many of them think they must have a text out of the Scriptures for whatsoever they doe or els they sin as witnesseth Mr. Sanderson a Protestant Minister in the sixth and eighth § of his second Sermon preached at Grantham in the year 1634. and yet for the most part reap no other benefit out of it but errors heresies and blasphemies against God thou shalt find the originall cause thereof to be First a pride of mind and a contempt or scorn to bestow any relative worship respect or honor upon the materiall character or books or letters sent from God himselfe unto his faithfull followers or chridren penned by the Holy Ghost as S. Peter affirmeth 2 Pet. 1.21 but handle look upon them and use them after the same manner and with the same respect they do the books or letters of sensuall carnall men and sometimes also to shew their contempt or little esteeme change the materiall word of God as though that should be the sacred word what they would and not what God had ordained And secondly a want of an invisible relative religious worshâ—p respect and honor unto the divine and supernaturall sense which God hath given unto his sacred word whereupon they also easily change the sense into their own or other prophane whereby they turn faith into infidelity truth into error and the things revealed by God himself into blasphemy and please themselves in it Whereas holy and sacred things are not to be handlâ—d or treated upon but holily with a relative religious worship respect and esteem for the sacred things which they do represent and as they do represent them the text of the Scriptures is not only called the holy or sacred Scriptures Rom. 1.2.2 Tim. 3.15 but also our faith is called our most holy faith Jude ver 20. those must needs fall into great errors heresies and blasphemies who read speak of or handle them without a relative religious honor and respect unto them for God disperseth the proud in the conceit of their hearts Luk. 1.51 Again To whom shall I have respect saith God but to him that trembleth at my words Isa 66.2 as at the words of his Creator S. Paul calleth the Gospell of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The Gospell of the glory of the blessed God 1 Tim. 1.11 wherefore those who give no more religious worship and honor unto it then they give unto other books but rudely read interpret and handle them as they do prophane Authors must of necessity abound with errors heresies and blasphemies according to the words of our Lord saying Whosoever shall glorifie me I will glorifie him and they that contemn me shall be base 1 Kings or Samuel 2.29 as of no Religion established by the Son of God or Scriptures seeing that Religion even by the consent of our adversaries is described to be a due worship of God and holy things and fall into the error of those wicked Priests of whom God complained saying Between a holy thing and a prophane they have put no difference Ezek. 22.26 Whereupon the faithfull servants of God to profess a Religion and to nourish in their hearts and soules the pious thoughts and piety comprehended in the Bible alwayes honored and respected the sacred text or Bible with relative religious worship both for his sake that writ it and for the divine things it represented unto their memories in such sort as in the Old Law the faithfull Jewes kept it in the Tabernacle and adored it with the Tabernacle never touched it without first washing their hands kissed it as often as they either opened or shut it would not sit upon that seat upon which it lay and if by accident it fell to the earth they fasted for their negligence one whole day as affirmeth Cornâ—lius à Lapide in his preface to the phrases of the holy Scriptures The reason why they did so was for that wisdome will not enter into a malitious soule nor dwell in a body subject to sin Wisd 1.4 whereupon the Prophet prayeth saying establish thy word in thy servant in thy fear Psal 118.38 Again blessed is the man whose will is in the way of our Lord in his law he will meditate day and night Psal 1.1 where the Prophet affirmeth that those who walk in the way of