Selected quad for the lemma: virtue_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
virtue_n	brazen_a	look_v	serpent_n	839	5	9.9901	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33770	Theophilus and Philodoxus, or, Several conferences between two friends the one a true son of the Church of England, the other faln off to the Church of Rome, concerning 1. praier in an unknown tongue, 2. the half communion, 3. the worshipping of images, 4. the invocation of saints / by Gilbert Coles.	Coles, Gilbert, 1617-1676.	1674 (1674)	Wing C5085; ESTC R27900	233,018	224

Argument of Moses being by God himself commanded to make two Cherubins and the Brazen Serpent And he most a Ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Logically infers If the looking upon a Brazen Serpent could heal the Israelites much more shall such as behold and worship the Pictures of Christ and of the Saints be saved Whereas he should have taken notice how the Serpent was erected by Gods especial command and endowed with such an healing vertue whereas they can produce no such command to worship Images or any promise of Salvation by looking upon them He cites from Jerome one strange passage but refers to no place and I presume it is no where to be found It is this That as God permitted the Gentiles to adore things made with hands and was well pleas'd with the Israelites who did adore the two Tables which Moses hew'd out and the two golden Cherubins so unto us Christians he hath given the Cross and the History and Images of good Works to picture and adore them Now such Forgeries and Fooleries past for Gospel among the Bishops of that Council who never examin'd any thing that was said if it had any tendence unto their great design to establish the worship of Images Only there is one memorable passage in his Epistle which if well observ'd by all might help to end the Controversie for asking the Question What honor of worship do we give to the Images of Christ and the Saints He Answers Such as we sinners give to one another in love and honor We would not much contend about this civil respect if they had not train'd the People to give Religious Worship and Adoration to Images altho as some will have it of an inferior degree to that Worship we give to God The third Action of that Council consists in hearing and approving some Synodical Epistles and contains nothing of moment to our present business In the fourth Action they bring the Testimony of Holy Scripture for Images That the Lord commanded Moses to make two Cherubins c. And then some passages of Fathers who spake of Images which they beheld and were much affected with them they bring in divers Legends of Miracles effected by Images I will for brevity sake give an account of one for all Peter Bishop of Nicomedia brings out a Book of the Passion of Christ ascrib'd falsly to Athanasius the Great out of the Book he reads this Story In the City Berytus in Syria dwelt many of the Jews and near unto their Synagogue a Christian hired an House and dwell'd some time in it and over against his Bed he set up at full length the Picture of our Savior drawn in a Table when he chang'd his dwelling and took another House it fortun'd that he forgat to take away the picture with his other goods but left it in the Chamber A Jew succeeding in the House for some time never discover'd the Picture until another Jew being invited to dine with him cast his eye upon it and immediatly expostulated with his Friend for keeping in his House the Picture of Christ and began to curse our Savior but leaving the House be goes to the High Priest and the Council of the Jews and accuseth his Neighbor for harboring this Image They take company with them and came to the Jews House and find this Picture and immediatly cast him out of the Synagogue Then they spit it on the Face and conclude to act over again all the Indignities upon the Picture which their impious Fore-fathers had upon the Person of Christ they pierce the Hands and Feet with Nails put gaul to his Lips and smite the Head with a reed At last they said We have heard that our Fore-fathers did pierce his side with a spear and let not us omit that considerable able Circumstance forthwith one fetching a spear pierc'd the side and immediatly issued out a seream of Blood and Water at which sight they were all amazed and terrified but recollecting themselves they said We have heard Christians boast of many Miracles of their Savior Let us make the Experiment and send for the lame and blind and among the rest for one who was a ●aralytic from the womb and lo all of them being annointed with the Blood were ●ealed and such as were possessed with the Divel among them By this Miracle the Jews of the City Princes and People were converted to the Faith of Christ and came to the Bishop of the place professing their Faith and desiring Baptism and their Synagogue was consecrated into a Temple of the Lord and great joy was over all the City Now this Legend was received in the Council with great acclamation and glory was given to God who had brought to pass such mighty things for the Conversion of the Jews and for the confirmation of the Saints in Image-worship But Tarasius the Patriarch put to the Council a seasonable Question How cometh it to pass that our Images do no such Miracles and he Answers Because Miracles are signs to Unbelievers and not to Christians and yet to see the luck of it this very Miracle is at length brought home to their own Times Bellarmin acknowledgeth the Book of Christs Passion out of which they did take the Story was wrongfully ascrib'd to Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria the great Champion of the Faith against Arius And so doth Baronius and gives his reason for in the space of 400 Years between that Athanasius and this Council of Nice some notice would have been taken of this notable Miracle which yet was never heard of but in that Book And withal a Baron Tom. 9. Anno 738. numero 31. Baronius tells us That in the Roman Martyrology or Calender there is appointed an Holy-day to be kept in commemoration of this Miracle upon the fifth of the Ides of September and that the relation thereof was devoutly read in the Churches and recorded to have happened in the Reign of Constantine and Irene the punctual time when the Council was assembled And thus you see when they are brought to the Touch-stone Fables and Legends will appear what they are counterfeit Coin and such as relate them their Testimonies will not agree and yet the Council easily swallowed this and many other Cheats and Impostures serving to erect their Images with their worship Baronius gives us one Note more upon the Passage That the effusion of Blood from the Picture was so great that many Viols were fill'd therewith and sent to the Churches of Christ East and West to be kept as Sacred Relies Now any one that had his Wits about him might easily conceive the Story did confute it self For it is not probable the Christian removing Houshold-stuff should leave behind him unregarded and undiscover'd the Picture of Christ at full length and that the Jew succeeding likewise should not see it until his Neighbor comes into the discovery In the fifth Action of this Council they bring in many other