Pictures not to be Worshiped, Title page – Preface
¶ A treatiſe declaryng & ſhewīg dyuers cauſes takē out of the holy ſcripturꝭ / of the ſentēces of holy faders, & of the decrees of deuout Emperours, that pyctures & other ymages which were wont to be worſhypped / ar ī no wiſe to be ſuffred in the temples or churches of Chriſten men. By the whiche treatiſe the reder that is indifferent, ſhall ſe and perceyue, how good and godly a dede it was of the Senatoures of Argētine, that of late daies they cauſed all the ymages with their auters to be cleane takē out of their churches.
¶ The authours of this litle treatiſe ar the opē preachers of Argtēyne.
I dout nat but ſome popiſh doctor or peuiſh proctor wyl grunt at this treatiſe / but yet fyrſt rede and than iuge.
The preface.
¶ All the whole cōpany of them which at Argentyne do preache & teache Chriſte / vntounto the good and godly reders do wyſſhe grace.
BYcauſe our moſte noble & alſo moſt godlye Senatours dyd right well perceyue & ſe / yt the ſclaunderouſe occaſyōs & manyfold euyls / which hytherto hauehave bē miniſtred by ye reaſon of pictures & ymages / ar nat ſuffyciently taken away by the only exhortacions of prechers. And agayne dyd conſyder / 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 / ordeined / and gaue forth a cōmaundemēt / that whatſoeuer pycture or ymages had ben wont to be worſhipped in holye places ſhulde both they and their aulters be clene takē away / & auoyded out of ſyght.EueryEvery plātatiō that my heuenlye father hath nat planted / ſhalbe extirped & plucked vp bi the roote. mat. 15 Bycauſe .iiii. yeres ago they had abrogated & taken away priuate maſſes: And a yere ago foure cōmen and open maſſes / for fyrſte conſolatyon and delyberatyon of more pure ceremonyes to be brought in to their places.
where ſhal Mō kes … freers / chanons / nō nes / heremites / & recluſes become?Secondarily they lokyng 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 perſones / whiche coulde nat yet ſe / howe gret abuſyon / impietie & wyckedneſſe is in maſſes / had ſaued the reſydewe of maſſes. & they had ſuſpended thē vpō this condition / that if any man coulde proue by the ſcryptures / that they were nat contrary to Chriſte / they ſhuld be reſtored againe euerione. Moreouer ſeynge yt ther be many men / whiche doo nat yet perceyue nor knowe / how moche theſe thinges do hynder fayth & trew godly lyuynge: we do eaſely coniecture that there be nat a fewe / whiche ſhall accompte this dede of oure cōmune wele / to be a folyſſhe and wycked preſumptyon. 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 and knowē 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)
Herfore we hauehave iudged it to be our parte and dutye which taught that the thynge oughte to be done which nowe our ſenate hath done in very dede / & brought to paſſe very dilygently to ſhew the cauſe of all this whole dede: but with as moche brefeneſſe as maye be / that if it wolde be / we might happely pacify & appeſe the myndes / at the leſt wyſe of ſome perſones / whom this buſines hath troubled & gretly diſcontented / & doubtleſſe / if we may optaine 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 / ſecondarilye 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 beyng defended 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 mē / wold folowe & execute in lyke maner. Therfore we pray and beſeche all thoſe / whoſoeuer cā nat yet lyke nor a lowe this our exāple (which thinge it is no merueyle thoughe it happen to many men / if a man conſydre which thinges hauehave euerywhere goten ſtrengthe amonge Chriſten men) that they wyll voucheſafe to rede this ſhorte & lytell treatyſe to the ende and entent / which fyrſt was made in oure maternall tongue / & than by our moſte welbeloued brother Iames Bedrote / was tranſlated into Laten / and nowe at the laſte in to Englyſſhe. But let thē firſte before they begynne to rede / call for the ſpiryte of Chriſte / whiche onelyonly ledeth into all veryte & truth and that done / let them than gyue ſentence of vsus:Io. 16. Chriſt the ſauyour of mankynde / graunte to all thoſe whiche bere his name / grace to reiecte and caſt awaye all ſuche thinges / whiche do alyenate and call awaye the mynde from him / that they maye lyfte vp theire myndes vntounto him / ſyttynge in heuen and worſhippe the father by him in ſpiryte and truth.Io. 4. Amen.