A Golden Chain, Section 9
The ninth point. Of Images.
Our consent.
Conclus. I. We acknowledge the ciuill vse of images as freely and truly as the Church of Rome doth. By ciuill vse I vnderstand, that vse which is made of them in the common societies of men, out of the appointed places of the solemne worship of God And this to be lawfull, it appeareth; because the arts of painting and grauing are the ordinance of God: and to be skilfull in them is the gift of God, as the example of Bezaleel, and Aholiab declare, Exod. 35.…0. This vse of Images may be in sundrie things. I. In the adorning & setting forth of buildings: thus Salomon beautified his throne with the image of lyons. And the Lord commanded his temple to be adorned with the images of palme trees, of pomegranates, of bulls, cherubes, and such like. II. It serues for the distinction of coynes; according to the practise of Emperours and Princes of all nations. When Christ was asked, Math. 22. whether it was lawfull to giuegive tribute to Cesar or no? he called for a pennie and said, Whose image or superscription is this, they saide, Cesars: he then saide, GiueGive to Cesar the things that are Cesars: not condemning but approouing the stampe or image vponupon his coyne. And though the Iewes were forbidden to make images in way of representation, or worship of the true God: yet the Sycle of the sanctuarie, which they vsed, specially after the time of Moses, was stamped with the image of the Almond tree, and the potte of Manna. III. Images serue to keepe in memorie friendes deceased, whome we reuerence. And it is like, that hence came one occasion of the images that are now in vse in the Romane Church. For in the daies after the Apostles men vsed priuately to keep the pictures of their friends departed: and this practise after crept into the open congregation; and at last, superstition getting head, images began to be worshipped.
Conclus. II. We hold the historicall vse of images to be good and lawfull: and that is, to represent to the eye the actes of histories, whether they be humane, or diuine: and thus we thinke the histories of the Bible may be painted in priuate places.
Conclus. III. In one case it is lawfull to make an image to testifie the presence or the effects of the maiestie of God, namely when God himselfe giues any speciall commandement so to doe. In this case Moses made and erected a brasen serpent, to be a type, signe, or image to represent Christ crucified. Ioh. 3.14 And the Cherubes ouer the mercieseat serued to represent the maiestie of God, to whome the Angels are subiect. And in the second commandement it is not simply saide, Thou shalt not make a grauen image: but with limitation, Thou shalt not make to thy selfe, that is, on thine owne head vponupon thine owne will and pleasure.
Conclus. IIII. The right images of the new Testament which we holde and acknowledge, are the doctrine and preaching of the Gospell, and all things that by the word of God pertaines thereto. Gal. 3. Who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth, to whome Iesus Christ was before described in your sight and among you crucified. Hence it followes that the preaching of the word, is as a most excellent picture in which Christ with his benefits are liuely represented vntounto vsus. And we dissent not from Origen, contra Cels. lib. 8. who saith, We hauehave no images framed by any base workeman, but by such as are brought forth and framed by the word of God; namely patternes of vertue, and frames resembling Christians. He meanes that Christians themselues are the images of Christians.
The difference.
Our dissent from them touching images standes in three points. I. The Church of Rome holds it lawfull for them to make images to resemble God, though not in respect of his diuine nature; yet in respect of some properties and actions. We on the contrarie hold it vnlawfull for vsus to make any image, any way to represent the true God: or, to make an image of any thing in way of religion, to worship God, much lesse the creature thereby. For the second commandement saith plainely, Exod. 20.4. Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image, or the likenes of any thing in heauen, &c. The Papists say, the commandement is meant of the images of false gods. But, will they, nill they, it must be vnderstood of the images of the true Iehouah; and it forbids vsusaSo saith Romane Cate…h. o… …. Command. to resemble God, either in his nature, properties, or workes, or to vse any resemblance of him for any sacred vse: as to helpe the memorie, when we are about to worship God. Thus much the holy Ghost who is the best expounder of himselfe, teacheth most plainely, Deut. 4.15,16. Thou sawest no image at all (either of false or true God) and therefore thou shalt not make any likenes of any thing. And againe the Prophet Esai, chap. 40.18. reproouing idolaters, asketh to whome they will liken God, or, what …militude will they set vponupon him. and v. 21. Know ye nothing? hauehave you not heard? hath it not bin told you from the beginning? As if he should say, hauehave ye forgotten the second commandement, that God gaue vntounto your fathers? And thus he flatly reprooues all them that resemble the true God in images. But they say further, that by images in the second commandement are meant idols, that is (say they) such things as men worship for gods. Answ… If it were so, we should confound the first and second commandements. For the first, Thou shalt hauehave no other gods before my face, forbids all false gods, which man wickedly frames vntounto himselfe, by giuing his heart and principall affections thereof, to them: and therefore idols also are here forbidden, when they are esteemed as Gods. And the distinction they make that an Image is the representation of true things, an Idol of things supposed, is false. ade Idol. c. 3.Tertullian saith, that eueryevery forme of representation is to be tearmed an Idol. And bEtym. l. 8.Isidore saith, that the heathen vsed the names of image and idol indifferently in one and the same signification. And Saint Steuen in his apologie, Act. 7.4.…. calls the golden calfe an Idol. cin Isa. 37.Hierome saith, that idols are images of dead men. Auncient Diuines accord with all this which I hauehave said. Lactantius saith, …nst lib. 2. cap. 19. Where images are for religions sake, there is no religion. The Councill of Elibera… can. 36. decreed, that nothing should be painted on the walls of Churches, which is adored of the people. dcontr. Ce…s. lib. 7.Origen, We suffer not any to worship Iesus at altars, images and temples: because it is written, Thou shalt hauehave none other Gods. And eEpist. ad Iob. Hierus.Epiphanius faith, It is against the authoritie of the Scriptures to see the image of Christ, or of any Saints hanging in the Church. In the seauenth Councill of Constantinople, these words of Epiphanius are cited against the Encratitae. Be mindfull be loued children not to bring images into the Church, nor set them in the places where the Saints are buried, but alwaies carie God in your hearts: neither let them be suffered in any common house: for it is not meete that a Christian should be occupied by the eyes but by the meditation of the minde.
Arguments of the Papists.
The reasons which they vse to defend their opinions are these, I. In Salomons temple were erected Cherubins, which were images of Angels, on the Mercieseat where God was worshipped: and thereby was resembled the maiestie of God: therefore it is lawfull to make images to resemble God. Answ. They were erected by… speciall commaundement from God, who prescribed the very forme of them and the place where they must be set: and thereby Moses had a warrant to make them; otherwise he had sinned: let them shew the like warrant for their images if they can. Secondly the Che…ubins were placed in the holy of holies in the most inward place of the Temple, and consequently were remooued from the sight of the people, who onelyonly heard of them: and none but the high priest saw them, and that but once a yeare. And the Cherubins without the vayle though they were to be seene, yet were they not to be worshipped. Exod. 20.4. Therfore they serue nothing at all to iustifie the images of the church of Rome.
Obiect. II. God appeared in the forme of a man to Abraham, Gen. 18. 1, 13. and to Daniel, who saw the auncient of daies sitting on a throne, Dan. 9. Now as God appeared, so may he be resembled: therefore (say they) it is lawfull to resemble God in the forme of a man or any like image in which he shewed himselfe to men. Ans. In this reason the proposition is false: for God may appeare in whatsoeuer forme it pleaseth his maiestie; yet doth it not follow, that man should therefore resemble God in those formes: man hauing no libertie to resemble him in any forme at all; vnlesse he be commaunded so to doe. Againe, when God appeared in the forme of a man, that forme was a signe of Gods presence onelyonly for the time when God appeared and no longer; as the bread and wine in the Sacrament are signes of Christs bodie and blood, not for euer but for the time of administration: for afterward they become againe as common bread and wine. And when the holy Ghost appeared in the likenes of a doue, that likenes was a signe of his presence no longer then the holy Ghost so appeared. And therfore he that would in these formes represent the Trinitie, doth greatly dishonour God, and doe that for which he hath no warrant.
Obiect. III. Man is the image of God, but it is lawfull to paint a man, and therefore to make the image of God. Ans. A very cauill: for first a man cannot be painted, as he is the image of God, which stands in the spirituall gifts of righteousnes and true holines. Againe, the image of a man may be painted for ciuill or historicall vse, but to paint any man for this end to represent God, or in the way of religion, that we may the better remember and worship God, it is vnlawfull. Other reasons which they vse, are of small moment, and therfore I omit them.
II. Differ. They teach and maintaine, that images of God and of Saints may be worshipped with religious worship, specially the crucifix. ForaSumm. part. 3. quest. 25. art. 3. Thomas of Watering saith, Seeing the crosse doth represent Christ, who died vponupon a crosse, and is to be worshipped with diuine honour: it followeth that the crosse is to be worshipped so too. We on the contrarie, holde they may not. Our principall ground is the second commaundement, which containeth two parts: the first forbiddeth the making of images to resemble the true God: the second forbids the worshipping of them, or God in them: in these words, Thou shalt not bow downe to them. Now, there can be no worship done to any thing lesse then the bending of the knee. Againe the brasen serpent was a type or image of Christ crucified, Ioh. 3.14. appointed by God himselfe: yet when the people burned incense to it, 2. King. 18.4. Hezekias brake it in pieces, and is therefore commended. And when the deuill bad our Sauiour Christ, but to bowe downe the knee vntounto him, and he would giuegive him the whole worlde: Christ reiects his offer, saying, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him onelyonly shalt thou serue. Math. 4. 10. Againe it is lawefull for one man to worship another with ciuill worship, but to worship man with religious honour is vnlawefull. For all religious worship is prescribed in the first table: and the honour due to man is onelyonly prescribed in the second table and the first commandement thereof, Honour thy father: which honour is therefore ciuill and not religious. Now the meanest man that can be, is a more excellent image of God, then all the images of God or of Saints that are deuised by men. Augustine, and long after him Gregorie, in plaine tearmes denieth images to be adored.
The Papists defend their opinions by these reasons. I. Psal. 99.5. Cast downe your selues before his footestoole. Ans. The wordes are thus to be read: Bowe at his footestoole: that is, at the Arke and Mercyseat, for there he hath made a promise of his presence: the words therefore say not, bow to the Arke, but to God at the Arke.
II. Obiect. Exod. 3.5. God said to Moses, Stand afar off and put off thy shoes, for the place is holy. Nowe if holy places must be reuerenced, then much more holy images, as the crosse of Christ, and such like. Ans. God commaunded the ceremony of putting off the shoes, that he might thereby strike Moses with a religious reuerence, not of the place but of his own maiestie, whose presence made the place holy. Let them shewe the like warrant for images.
III. Obiect. It is lawefull to kneele downe to a chaire of estate in the absence of the king or Queene: therefore much more to the images of God & of Saints in heauen glorified, beeing absent from vsus. Answer. To kneele to the chaire of estate, is no more but a ciuil testimonie, or signe of ciuill reuerence by which all good subiects when occasion is offered, shewe their loyaltie and subiection to their lawfull princes. And this kneeling beeing on this manner, and to no other ende, hath sufficient warrant in the worde of God. But kneeling to the image of any Saint departed, is religious and consequently more then ciuill worship, as the Papists themselues confesse. The argument then prooueth nothing, vnlesse they wil keepe themselues to one and the same kind of worship.
III. Differ. The Papists also teach, that God may be lawfully worshipped in images, in which he hath appeared vntounto men: as the Father, in the image of an old man: the sonne in the image of a man crucified: and the holy Ghost in the likenes of a doue, &c. But we hold it vnlawefull to worship God, in, by, or at any image: for this is the thing which (as I hauehave prooued before) the second commandement forbiddeth. And the fact of the Israelites, Exod. 32. in worshipping the golden calfe is condemned as flat idolatrie; albeit they worshipped not the calfe but God in the calfe; for v. 5. Aaron saith, Tomorrow shall bee the solemnitie of Iehouah: whereby he doth giuegive vsus to vnderstand, that the calfe was but a signe of Iehouah whome they worshipped. Obiect. It seemes the Israelites worshipped the calfe. For Aaron saith, v. 4. These bee thy Gods (O Israel) that brought thee out of Egypt. Ans. Aarons meaning is nothing else, but that the golden calfe was a signe of the presence of the true God. And the name of the thing signified is giuen to the signe, as vponupon a stage he is called a king that represents the king. And Augustine saith,ad Simpli…. lib. 2. q. 3. that images are woont to be called by the names of things whereof they are images, as the counterfeit of Samuel is called Samuel. And we must not esteeme them all as madde men to thinke that a calfe made of their earings, beeing but one or two daies old, should bee the God that brought them out of Egypt with a mightie hand many daies before.
And these are the points of difference touching images; wherein we must stand at variance for euer with the Church of Rome. For they …rre in the foundation of religion, making indeed an idol of the true God, and worshipping another Christ then we doe, vnderunder new tearmes, maintaining the idolatrie of the heathen. And therefore hauehave we departed from them: and so must we still doe because they are Idolaters; as I hauehave prooued.