Against Symbolizing with Antichrist in Ceremonies, Part · Chapter 2 · Section 5
#Sect. 5. The opinion confuted, which not able to deny the Croſſe to bee an Image, affirme Images to be lawfull in caſe the Magiſtrate command them, &c. And the aereall Croſſe is worſt of all Images.
THe moſt learned of our Oppoſites, perceiuing how vaine a cauill it is to deny the ſigne of the Croſſe to be an Image, ſtrike vp the forehead and grow bold to affirme that Images are lawfully nough in the Church in caſe the magiſtrate ſhould commaund them. This, ſhould it not adde comfort to our ſoules, as it addeth credit to our cauſe? Stande we againſt trifles, who ſtande againſt Papiſme & Lutheraniſme too? Or ſtand we alone who hauehave all on our ſide that from the beginning euer ſtood out, for the puritie of Gods; worſhip & the holineſſe of his houſe? We hauehave with vsus the religiousaIoſeph. Antiquit. lib. 17. cap. 8. & lib. 18. ca. 4. & 15. & contra Appion. lib. 1. Iewes, that to dye would neuer ſo much as receiue an Image into the Temple, though they were not bound to worſhippe it. We hauehave the religious Chriſtians of the primitiue Church; for whom when Adrian goeth about to build churches, he is tolde he muſt build thembAelius. Lamprid. in vita 30. Tyrannorum. without all Images. We hauehave the religiouscConcil. Elibertin. Can. 36. Concills of Eliberis & Conſtantinople the 7. which condemnde not only the worſhipping but alſodSygebert. in Anno. 755. ſuffering of any Images in the Church. We hauehave the famous Emperours of Greece, who ſtood not only againſt the worſhipping of Images, but alſo againſt theeGenebrard in Anno 796. Doct. Bilſ. ag. Apollog p. 4. p. 316. hauing of them in the Church. Wee hauehave the Fathers; among whomfTertul. lib. de coron. milit. Tertullian writeth, againſt the Images them ſelues, not onelyonly againſt the adoring of them. AndgEpiphan. in epiſt. ad Ioh. ſeroſol Epiphanius teareth with his owne handes, a picture found in the Church of Anablata, although it were not worſhipped. We hauehave the auncienthConrad. Lutzen. burg. in Catalog. Heretic. in verb. Waldens. Waldenſes, who not onelyonly condemned the worſhipping of Images, but alſo razed the Images them ſelves, and remooued the Oyle and the Prieſtly garments out of all religious houſes. Wee hauehave the auncientlIbid. in verb. Orphani. & Ioh Ziſca…. Thaborites in Boheme, who vnderunder Ziſca pulled downe Images, and vtterly defaced them: and when they lighted vponupon any of the popiſhe conſecrated Oyle, they greaced their ſhoes with it. We hauehave themHarmon. Confeſſ. ſect. 2. ex Heluetic. poſterior. & Suevica. Confeſſions of the Proteſtant churches, againſt all hauing of Images in churches. We hauehave the confeſſions euen of manynVazq. de adorat. lib. 2. diſput. 4. cap. 2. papiſtes them ſelues, that the very hauing of Images in the church is flatly forbidden in the ſecond commandment to the Iewes, & not their adoring only. We hauehave the confeſſion, euen of many of ouroD. Babing. on the 2. Commandem. D. Bilſ. ag. Apolog. p. 4. p. 316 318.319.354. Oppoſites, who as, they write againſt papiſtes, that the adoring of Images, ſo againſt Lutherans, that the very hauing of them (in vſe religious) is vnlawfull by this lawe. We hauehave the Proteſtantes that hauehave written of this argument; of whom, who is therepIoh Caluin. Inſtitut. lib. 1. cap. 11. Pet. Marty… claſſ. 2. cap. 5. Zanch. de. Imag. theſ. 3. Ioſias Simler. in praecept. 2. D. Fulke ag. Gregor. Mattyn cap. 3. ſect. 20. cum reliquis. almoſt that hath written, whom we hauehave not? Laſt of all (which may cloſe vp all) wee hauehave on ourſide our owneqHomil. ag. peril. of Idolat. p. 1. p. 29.27.28.32. law made by act of Parliament: which affirmeth that eueryevery ſimilitude in the Church and in vſe religious, is a meere Idoll, although it be not worſhipped. And what can be here replyed? that this is meant of thoſe Images only that be daungerous? but the Homilie and the reſt of our witneſſes doe therfore condemneall Images in the Church, becauſe in the Church they cannot but be daungerous. They condemne them alſo becauſe they arerPet. Martyr vt ſupra ſect. 24. Idolothites, which they holde to be vnlawfull in the Church. They condemne them moreouer, becauſe this commaundement forbiddeth not only the worſhipping of Images, but alſo the very making of them for vſe religious. Where oursHomil vt ſupra p 3. p. 94 & 46 Homilie preſſeth out of Iohn [Babes, keepe your ſelues from Idolls] which is interpreteth out of Tertullian, he ſaith not keepe your ſelues from Idolatrie, as it were from the ſeruice and worſhipping of them, but from the Images & Idolls them ſelues, that is, from the very ſhape and likenes of them. Laſtly, they condemne them becauſe their place in the Church istHomil. ibid. & Ioſias Simler. in praecept. 2. honorable whereby they giuegive countenance to popiſh Images, that are elſwhere adored. Now the burthen of all theſe reaſons light vponupon the aereall Croſſe, which in ſome reſpectes is worſe thē the material permanent Image of the Lutherans. Firſt, weuPet. Martyr loc. commun. Claſſ. 2. c. 5. ſect. 26 holde the Image of Chriſt more daungerous then any other, becauſe of the excellencie of his perſon, therefore the aereall Croſſe is worſe then another Image, becauſe of the opinion which is had of the excellencie of Chriſtes Croſſe which it doeth repreſent.
Secondly, the Lutherane Image is only a looker on, hauing no ſuch ſtate among religious actions as the Croſſe aereall hath, which if it were nothing, then would not D.wD Fulke ag. Gregor Mart. ca 3. ſect. 20. Fulk heerby excuſe the croſſe that ſtood once in the Chapell of Q. Eliza. in that it had no vſe religious there. Thirdly, The Lutheran Image is [xVazq. de adorat. li. 2 diſput. 5. cap. 1. ad ſolum ornatum] and he ſtandeth not ſolie many times, but in hiſtorie, whereas the croſſe is vſed ſolemnly in baptiſme, as a ſigne miniſtred apart by it ſelfe, with a word annexed to the element, which is that placing it yIoh. Caluin. Inſtitut. lib. 1. cap. 11.in ſublimi, which in this matter is moſt vitious. But the Lutheran Image moueth more. This is that whichaAlphonſ. Toſtat. abulenſ. in Deut. ca. 4. qu. 5. Toſtatus wrote long ſince, A Picture is more tollerable in the church then a grauon or carued ſtatue, becauſe corpulentiam nullam gerent minus eſt motiua, nec ita ſimplices decipi poſſunt: which though (caeteris paribus) it may be true, yet here it fayleth, becauſe the intelligible & comtemplatiue credit (which the ſigne of the croſſe hath gotten) ſtriketh deeper, then the ſenſible corpulencie of a common image, and more deceyueth more ſortes of men. I remember Bellarmine elſwhere proueth, that Images hauehave been taken for the perſons repreſented, becauſe birds flew to Zeuxes grapes which he had painted taking them for grapes in deed. If there bee any men that follow their ſenſe like birds and beaſtes (as he inſinuateth) they no doubt would be more moued with the corpulēcie of an Image. as for others who are wiſe, they are ledd by contemplation of the power and of the vertue which is conceiued to be in the aereall Croſſe, witnes theſe wordes:bConcil. Nicen. 2. Act. 2. pag. 68. Qui imaginem adſpicit non ex pictura & colorum tinctura ſimilitudinem accipit, ſed ad cōtemplationem primi exemplaris animum reducit. and he regardeth not the quantitie, or the corpulencie of that he ſeeth, as in the Lords ſupper he is moued aſmuch with a litle, as with a great loafe: euen ascHilar. decret. tom. 3 concilior. p. 285. Non eſt quantitas viſibilis in hoc aſtimanda my ſterio, ſed virtus ſacramenti ſpiritualis. Howſoeuer it is better for vsus to walke in the royall way of this Law, and ſo avoyde all Images, then to ramble in the wandring pathes which hauehave diſtracted the commoderators of all times, ſome of whom will hauehave pictures but no images.dPetrus Altiac. de reformat, Eccl. ca. 3. ſome images, but not ſo many, ſome hauehave noeGregor. Caſſand. conſultat. art. 21. images but the Croſſe, which is now our Churches ſinne. So is the Croſſe prooued an image; and becauſe an Image not to be tolerated in the ſeruice of God.