Two Popish Heretics Confuted, Rejoinder · Article 9
The ninth Article.
What commoditie eueryevery Christian man hath or may hauehave by the signe of the Crosse.Martiall.
Whereas M. Calfhil detesteth the Idolatrous councell of Nice theFulke.. 2. by the example of Ambrose, who abhorred the hereticall councell of Ariminum. Martiall willing to iustifie yt rable of Idolators assembled at Nice, wold shew great difference, not only between the councels, but also betwene him & Ambrose, saying yt he was a catholike bishop acknowledging obedience & subiection to the Popes holynes. As though the bishop of Rome in his time, either required such obedience & subiection, or y• Ambrose acknowledged any. But concerning that assembly of Nice, and ye authoritie thereof, how they determined contrary to the worde of God, not onelyonly in the matter of hauing and worshipping of images, but also in other things, I referre ye reader to mine answer vntounto M. Sanders booke of images, Cap. 15. or 14. Of all yt M. Calfhill saith against that councel of Nice, Martial chooseth but one saying of Germanus to defend, wherin he picketh two quarels against M. Calfhil, one yt he should misvnderstand the saying of Germanus, as though he meant yt grace were dispensed by Images, where he sayth: an image is a figuring of holy vertue & dispensation of grace▪ But if grace be not dispensed by images, whether Germanus said so or no, I pray you, to what purpose are they set vp in the churches? or what profit may a Christian man hauehave by the signe of the crosse? when Martial denyeth yt any grace is dispensed by images. The seconde quarel he picketh is, yt M. Calfhill denyeth y• the vertues of saints can be seen in their images, which could not be seene in their persons. Martial sayth: this reason condemneth the scripture as well as images, for the ynke and paper hath no mynde or sense to hold the power of Christ, & vertue of the Apostles, more then images hauehave. As though the scripture were nothing but ynke & paper, or as though yt all things y• may be learned & vnderstood by hearing, may be discerned by the eye, which conceiueth only bodily shapes of things, & cannot attain to see faith, holines, vertue, &c. wherof no images can be made. When M. Calfhill sayeth: that the image of Mars, or S. George, Venus, or the mother of Christ cannot be discerned asunder. Martial hath nothing to reply, but that we must not suppose to finde any images among the Christians, but of Christ & his saintes, so that images be wise bookes, which cannot teache their schollers what or whereof they are, but they must learne of the common opinion how to esteeme of them. That images be teachers of pride, auarice, wantonnesse, &c. as the Prophet sayeth: they are the doctrine of vanitie & lyes, Abac. 2. Martiall sayth blasphemously, yt images giuegive no more occasion of vices, then the holy scriptures, of which some wicked men take occasion of dronkennes, whoredome, vsury, &c.
But seeing the scripture directly & plainly condē neth al these & other vices as occasion is giuē by thē, howsoeuer any is taken by vngodly persons, whereas images which teach no goodnes, but being gorgeously & whorishly decked with golde & precious stones, otherwise then the saintes delighted, euen as in holy scripture they are counted as stumbling blocks, so they teach men vainly affected, to delight in such things, as they see to please the saints. But Martiall sayeth, that gylded images make men thinke of the ioyes of heauen. O ridiculous fantasie. They may sooner make men thinke of the vanitie of the worlde, to delight in it. But when the holy ghost by ye mouth of his Prophets hath determined that images are the doctrine of lying & vanitie, it were lost labour to dispute any longer what good thinges they can teache, Ier. 10. ver. 8. Abac. 2. ver. 18.
The examples of Ezechias, Iosias, & Salomon, he sayth are brought to no purpose against images amō gest Christians. As though it were more lawfull for Christians, then for Israelites to commit idolatrie. But y• Christians (saith he) direct their hearts, & offer their prayers to God, & therfore there is no mistrust of idolatry amongest them. Why Martiall? hauehave not ye Papistes in England made & do they not yet still in other places make vowes to the images that are in such a place and such a place. Do they not trauaile thither, and offer vp both prayers and sacrifice of candels, money, Iewels and other things vntounto the Images? HaueHave not your idols giuen aunswer? hauehave they not wagged their heades and lips, &c. O shamelesse dogges & blasphemous idolaters. The Lord so deal with you as you know in your own consciences y• the ignorant people hauehave made their prayers euen to the stockes & stones, thinking them to hauehave a life & diuinitie in them: and yet you say, there is no mistrust of idolatrie, lest you should be driuen by exāple of Ezechias, to destroy & break your images, although otherwise they were not against Gods cōmandment, but euen made by his appointment, as ye brasen Serpent was. That fond quarell of yours, that Salomon was not abused by images, but by women, I leaue to women to laugh at your vanity, when they reade, that by women he was brought to be an idolater, and worshipper of images.
And eueryevery childe that readeth Chrysostome Hom. 54. in 8. Tom. can vnderstand, that although occasioned by obstinate Iewes, yet he speaketh generally of al obstinat minds, whether they be professors of Christianity, or no. Animo desperato &c. There is nothing worse thē a desperate mind, although he see signes, although miracles be wrought, yet he standeth still in the self same frowardnesse. For an obstinate sinner that hath professed Christianitie, is no more moued with miracles, and the signe of the crosse, then a Iewe or Pharao was. It hath more colour, but not more trueth, that Athanasius ascribeth not all effectes of conuersion of wicked men, &c. wholy and solie to the faith of Christe, when he saith, who hath done this, &c. but the faith of Christ, and signe of the crosse? Martial confesseth, that faith is able to do it wtout the crosse, but y• God would hauehave y• signe of the crosse common with faith: if ye aske in what scripture God hath reuealed this will, he hath nothing to say. Only he denieth, M. Calfhils exposition of Athanasius, that the signe of ye crosse was ioined to faith, not as a fellow worker, but as a witnesse & signe of y• faith against the Gentiles, bicause he hath neither scripture, Doctor, nor Councel for it. Wherin he lieth shamefully, for ye scripture shewing,Rom. 3. … 28. y• faith onelyonly as ye instrumēt by which we apprehend Gods mercy & our iustificatiō, by which God purifieth our harts, sufficiently proueth,Act. 15. v. 9 that the signe of the crosse is no worker in these cases.
Chrysostome speaking of our conuersion, &c. saith: Hom. 14. in Ep. ad Rom. Vnum hoc &c. We hauehave offered this one only gift of GOD, that we giuegive credite to him, promising vsus thinges to come, and by this onelyonly way we are saued. This Doctor ascribeth all to faith, therefore nothing to the signe of the crosse. Whether the Parisiens approue Erasmus his censure it is not materiall, the censure is true, and approued by as wise and well learned as they.
Touching the next quarell, that Cyrillus acknowledgeth it no fault of the Christians, to make the signe of the crosse at their doores, it is very foolish, as all the rest be, for although he defend it as a good deede, and in his time tollerable, yet if any did worship the wood of the crosse, as Iulian charged them, it was a fault, which Cyrillus doth excuse and seeke to couer, but of that matter you may reade more in mine aunswere to D. Sanders booke of images, cap. 4. or 3. after the errour of his print.
That S. Basil alloweth images in Churches, he citeth his sermon vponupon Barlaa…, where he exhorteth painters to set foorth the valiant conflictes of the martyr by their art, but of setting vp those tables in Churches there is no word. Neither do I perceiue he speaketh of other Painters then eloquent Rhetoricians. For immediately before he saith. Quin magnificentioribus … ipsius ling…is Ced…us. Sonantiores doctorum tubas ad illius praeconia aduocemus. Exurgite nunc ô praeclari athleticor…m gestorum pictores &c. But let vsus giuegive place to more magnificent tongues, vtterers of his praises. Let vsus call hether the lowder sounding trumpets of learned men. Arise nowe ô ye noble Painters of the valiant actes of champions &c. And it is vsuall among learned men, to compare good Orators to cunning Painters.
The counterfet oration of Athanasius, brought in the idolatrous Councel of Nice, we reiect as a matter forged by heretikes and idolaters. The other Doctors places, whome he quoteth, are all considered and aunswered in seuerall places of mine aunswere to Doctor Sanders booke of images before mentioned.
Whether an image may be made of Christ, which is both God and man, you shall finde it more at large intreated, in my saide aunswere cap. 7. or 6.
That the crosse in the time of Cyrillus had none image vponupon it, it is to be proued by this reason, … Iulian would not hauehave omitted to obiect the worshipping of images vntounto Christians, which they condemned in the Heathens, if any images had bene vponupon their crosses, which he charged them to hauehave worshipped. Concerning the calling of Churches by the name of Saints, we hauehave spoken alreadie.
That S. Paul ioyneth not pictures with scriptures, to be our instruction and comfort, it is an argument of better force then Martiall hath wit to aunswere. For if any such instruction, comfort, or commoditie had any wayes come to Christians by pictures, he would not hauehave written, that the scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect, prepared to all good workes, 2. Tim. 3. vers. 17. Articl. 3.