Images Not to be Suffered in Churches, Preface
The preface.
¶ All the whole cōpany of them which at Argentoratum do preche and teache Chriſt / vntounto the good and godly reders do wyſſh grace.
BYcauſe our moſt noble and alſo moſte godlye Senatours dyde perceyue / that the offenſyons and manyfolde euyls / which hauehave ben hytherto by the reaſon of pyctures & ymages / ar nat ſuffyciently taken away by the only exhortacyons of prechers. And agayne dyd conſydre / that it was nat poſſyble for any man to decree or cōmaunde any thing concernynge them more wyſely / than god had preſcrybed & cōmaunded in his lawe and prophetes: They decreed and ordeined & gaue forth a cōmaundemēt / that whatſoeuer pycture or ymages hath ben wont to be worſhypped in holye places / ſhulde both they and their aulters be clene taken away / and avoyded out of ſyght. Bycauſe .iiii. yeres ago / they had abrogated priuate maſſes / and a tweluemoneth a go foure cōmune and open maſſes. For fyrſt cōſultatyon and delyberatyon of more pure ceremonyes to be brought into their places. Secondarily they lokinge for certayne counſels and aſſembles / of whiche it was hoped / that ſome what ſhulde be decreed cōcerning the generall reformation of ye churche. And thyrdly the wekeneſſe of certayne parſones / whiche coulde nat yet ſe / how gret impyetie and abuſyon is in maſſes / hadde ſaued the reſydewe of maſſes. And they hadde ſuſpended theym vponupon this condityon / that if any man coulde proue by the ſcryptures / that they were nat contrary to Chriſt / they ſhuld be reſtored againe euerione.
Moreouer / ſeyng there ar many men / whiche do nat yet perceyue nor knowe / how moche theſe thinges do hyndre fayth & trew godly lyuynge: we do eaſely coniecture / that there are nat a fewe / whiche ſhall accompte this dede of oure cōmune wele / to be a folyſſhe and a wycked preſumption. And therfore / for as moch as it is the dutye of all chriſten men / as moch as in them lyeth to gyue dilygence & to prouyde / that the thynge whiche they hauehave godly done & wrought / maye be accompted & knowen of other men / to be none other wyſe than godly done. And alſo to take good hede / that no man may hauehave occaſyon worthely to ſpeke euyl of their goodneſſe (as Paule ſayth) Herefore we hauehave iudged it to be our parte and dutye which taught that the thynge ought to be done / which nowe our ſenate hath done in very dede / & brought to paſſe very dilygently to ſhewe the cauſe of all this whole dede: but with as moche brefeneſſe as maye be / that if it wolde be / we might happely pacify & apeaſe the myndes / at the leſt wyſe of ſome perſones / whom this buſines hath troubled & gretly diſcontēted / & doubteleſſe if we may optayn this one thyng (whiche is denyed to no man / be he neuer ſo gret a malefactour) that we maye hauehave the one eare open to here what we ſhall ſaye: We feare nat / but that whoſoeuer can fynde in their hertes / and abyde to know theſe fewe thinges / which we ſhall allege fyrſt out of holy ſcriptures. Secondarily of the writynges of the fathers. And thyrdly of the decrees of emperours agaynſt pyctures and ymages. If it be ſhewed alſo of whom / & for what cauſe & conſyderation both they were firſt brought vp in the churches of chriſten men / and alſo beynge defēded hauehave contynued in the ſame. We doute nat (I ſaye) but that all ſuche perſones: if it be ſo / that it be graunted vntounto them to knowe the truthe / wyll alſo deſyre with vsus / that this thynge whiche is done here with vsus / all other churches of chriſten men / dyd folowe & execute in lyke maner. Therfore we praye and beſeche all thoſe / whoſoeuer cā nat yet lyke nor alowe this our exāple (which thinge it is no merueyle thoughe it happen to many men / if a man conſydre what thinges hauehave euerywhere goten ſtrengthe amonge Chriſten men) that they wyll voucheſafe to rede this ſhorte lytell treatyſe to the ende / which fyrſt was made in our maternall tongue / and nowe by oure moſt welbeloued brother / Iames Bedrote / is tranſlated into laten. But let them fyrſte before they begynne to rede / call for the ſpyrite of Chriſt / which only ledeth into all verytie and truth / & that done let them than gyue ſentence of vsus. Chriſt the ſauyour of mankynde graunt to all thoſe which bere his name / grace to reiecte all ſuche thiges which do call away the mynd from him: that they maye lyfte vp their myndes vntounto him ſyttynge in heuen / and worſhippe the father by him / in ſpiryte and truth. Amen.