A Pleasant Purge for a Roman Catholic, Epigram 3
On, and againſt Popiſh Crucifixes, and Images of Chriſt.
NO Pictures can ſo lively repreſent
Chriſts Death and Paſſion, as thex1 Cor. 11. 24. 25. 26. Gal. 3. 1. Sacrament
And Word, the onelyonly Crucifixes he
Hath left his Church, his death, to minde, and ſee.
What neede of Pictures, Crucifixes then
To ſhew Chriſts death, or Perſon unto men?
Had they beene uſefull, he had inſtituted
Them too, like theſe: ſith not, they are refuted.
If we Chriſts Perſon, or humanitie
At any time would ſet before our eye.
Let us behold our ſelves: No Image can
So lively ſet forth Chriſt to us, as Man,
Gods and Chriſts perfectyGen. 1. 26. 27. c. 5. 1. c. 9. 6. 1 Cor. 11. 7. Eph 4. 24. Col. 3. 10. Image; whoſe likeneſſe
AndzPhil. 2. 7. 8. Heb. 2. 11. 14. 16. 17. c. 4 15. John 1. 14. 1. Cor. 15. 48. 49. 2 Cor. 3. 18. Nature Chriſt aſſum'd: if Man expreſſe
Not Chriſt ſufficiently unto our view,
No pictures can; they falſe are, He the true,
And perfect living Image of Chriſt; why
Neglect they truth then, and beholdaIſay 44. 20. Hab. 2. 18. Jer. 10. 8. a lye?
The Scripture no deſcription of Chriſts face
Forme, feature, perſon makes, but of hisbJoh. 1. 14. 16. grace
That none ſhould dare preſume to undertake
HiscDeut. 4. 15. 16. 17. 12. 23. 2 Cor. 5. 16. unknowne Image, Ʋnſeene ſhape to make,
Which cannot but be falſe, and a meeredHab. c. 18. Iſay 44. 20. Ezech. 10. 2. Rom. 1. 25. lye,
Becauſe no ground, ſhape's left to draw them by.
And none now know Chriſts true forme, portraiture:
How can the Papiſts, others then be ſure
Thoſe Crucifixes they adore, keepe, ſee
Are Chriſts true Pictures, and not one of the
TwocMat. 27. 38 Ma…. 15. 27. Luk. 23. 32. 33. Joh. 19. 18. 32. Theeves that were with him then Crucifi'd,
Since both alike upon their Croſſes dy'd?
And thoſe who made them for ought they can tell
Intended to preſent by them as well
Theſe Theeves as Chriſt; ſith nothing doth appeare
From the bare Picture, this great doubt to cleare?
You muſt then know the Painters thoughts ere ye
Them for Chriſts Pictures can once take to be.
Which nought can make them, but your fantaſie,
And theirs that made them, but by gueſſe onelyonly.
But grant them true, what fruites, good can accrue
To men by Chriſts meere outward ſhape they view?
Since all our comfort reſts in this, that He
Mans fJoh. 1. 14. Phi. 2. 7 & Mar 1. 23. H…b. 2. 11. 14. 16. 17. c▪ 4. 15:Nature tooke, not that ſhape which we ſee;
His Incarnation, not his Countenance
Was that which did our Natures, States advance;
Which men alone, not Pictures can expreſſe
Unto the Life, they then are vaine, uſeleſſe.
Chriſt was unlike to moſt, or all in face,
His*Yet the Papiſts ſay, Salve fancta facies noſtri redemptoris. Salve vultus Domini Imago beata &c. Officium. B. Mariae. ſecundum uſum Sarum. p. 67. viſage ſaves none, but his Nature, grace;
We muſt ſtrive to begPhil. 2. 5. 1 Cor. 15. 49. 2 Cor. 3. 19. Eph. 5. 2. Mat. 11. 29. like him inwardly
In Graces, but not paint him outwardly.
Gods WordhExod. 20. 4. 5. Levit. 26. 1 Deur. 4. 15. to 23. c. 5. 8. 9. forbids ſuch Images to make,
Or uſe at all: we muſt them then forſake.
The holy noynting Oyle which Sanctifi'd
The Arke, Prieſts, Tabernacle, all beſide
Which did thereto belong, with that perfume
Which God preſcrib'd of old, none might preſume
OniExod. 30. 31. 32. 33. 36. 37. 38. paine of death to make the like; ſith they
Were holy; and in type did Chriſt diſplay,
Who doth uskHeb. 2. 11. c. 11 29. c. 13. 12. 1. Cor. 1. 2. c. 6. 11. Rev. 8. 3. 4. ſanctifie, and quite conſume
The ſtinke of all our prayers, with his perfume.
If then it were ſo grand a crime for men
To make the like to theſe types of Chriſt, then
To make Chriſts Image, likeneſſe for a uſe
Civill, or Sacred, is a great abuſe.
Its Civill uſe, walls, windowes, Roomes to grace,
Doth Chriſt, prophane, abuſe and much debaſe;
Chriſt, is anlLuk. 1. 36. Mar. 1. 24. Act. 2. 27. c. 3. 14. c. 13. 35. 1 Joh. 2. 20. Dan. 9. 24. holy and moſt ſacred thing,
Ordaind for holy uſes; the making
Then of him common, for a civill uſe
Is prophanation, and more grand abuſe
Than to turne Churches, Lords Bords, Chalices
To prophane uſes; damn'd by Popes Decrees
For prophanation, groſſe impiety.
Its civill uſe you then muſt needs denie.
Tis ſinne, prophaneneſſe, by all mens conſents,
For to tranſlate the ſacred Elements
Of bread and wine (which Chriſts*1 Cor. 11. 25. 26. 27. 28. Gal. 3. 1. death typifie
And paint his Body, blood-ſhed to our eye,)
Unto a vulgar uſe; then by the ſame
Reaſon it muſt deſerve as great a blame,
To make Chriſts Image for a civill end,
Since both alike to prophanation tend.
Its Sacred uſe, to worſhip, or adore,
Makes it a ſinnefullmPſal. 106. 19. 20. 21. Rom. 1. 19 23. 25. 2 Cor. 6. 16. Rev. 9. 20. Idoll; and therefore
Be it for Common, or for Sacred uſe,
To make Chriſts Image is a groſſe abuſe,
Nay Sacriledge, falſhood and blaſphemy,
Sith it preſents Chriſts bare humanity
Unto mens eyes, thoughts, fancies, ſeparate
Quite from his Godhead and Divine eſtate,
Which hypoſtatically is joyn'd to
His humane Nature, in ſuch ſort, that no
Man muſt behold, view his humanity
But asnMar. 1. 23. Joh. 1. 14. Acts 20. 28. Rom. 9. 5. Tit. 2. 13. conjoyn'd ſtill to his Deity,
WhichoIſa 40. 18. Act. 17. 29. Rom. 1. 22. 23. 25. 1 Tim. 6. 16 no picture can poſſibly expreſſe
Ʋnto the eye, ſince voyd of all likeneſſe
And viſibility. Chriſt as meere man
Unto us no Chriſt, Jeſus, Saviour can
Be, Therefore 'tis both falſhood, blaſphemie
To picture Chriſt as a dead man onelyonly,
Hanging upon his Croſſe, quite ſevered
From what made him a Saviour, his Godhead.
What comfort, profit can it be to eye
Chriſt hanging on his Croſſe as man onelyonly?
Ah, none at all. Thus you him alwayes view
In Crucifixes. Therefore bid adieu
Unto them: and the rather becauſe they
Miſ-repreſent Chriſt to you day by day;
Not onelyonly as meere man, but as hanging
Yet actually upon his Croſſe: a thing
Both falſe and dangerous, which doth quite p1 Cor. 15. 15. to 20. Rom. 8. 34. c. 10. 9. c. 14. 425.confound
Our faith, hope, joy, and caſt them to the ground;
Chriſts hanging on the Croſſe was tranſient,
Paſt inqMar. 15. 25. 33. 34. Joh. 19 few houres, which done he rLuk. 24. Act. 1. 1. to 12. c. 3. 21. c. 7. 56.roſe and went
Vp into Heav'n, where he now reignes onelyonly,
And lives free from his CroſſesRom. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. Rev. 1. 18. no more to dye.
To paint him then ſtill hanging on his Croſſe,
Or as a ſucking infant, it moſt groſſe
Abuſe, controuling ſacred Hiſtory,
And repreſenting nothing but a lye.
O than withnIſa 2 20. c. 30. 22. c. 31. 7. Hoſea 14. 8. indignation caſt away
Theſe Idoll Pictures, and aſide them lay;
Which at the beſt are oIſa. 44. 20. Rom. 1. 25.Lies, and different
From Chriſts forme which the Scriptures repreſent.
The pSee Molanus. Hiſtoriae de Imaginibus, & Lentulus his forged deſcription & Picture of him, commonly printed and ſold here of late yeares.Papiſts paint Chriſt very lovely, faire,
And like a Nazarite, with long compt haire,
And ſomewhat fleſhy; when the Text ſaith, he
ShouldqIſa. 52. 14. c. 5…. c. 3. Phil. 2. 7. pſ. 22. 6. 7. like a roote which ſprings in dry ground be;
And that he had no forme nor comelineſſe
Of Perſon in him, (as they him expreſſe)
So that when men ſhould ſee him, no beauty,
Him to deſire, they ſhould in him eſpie;
Whence they ſhould him reject, deſpiſe, deſpite,
And hide their faces from his gaſtly ſight.
He was no Nazarite, nor long haire wore
(As ſome yet dreame, and many heretofore:)
For herMat. 11. 19. c. 26. 29. Mar. 14. 25. c. 15. 23. Joh. 2. 8. 9. 10. Luk. 2…. 12. dranke wine, oftsMat. 9. 24. 25. Mar. 5. 35. 39. 41. 42. toucht, nay rais'd the dead
WhichtNum. 6. 3. to. 12 Am. …. 12 Nazarites might not, nor ſhav'd he his head
When he came neare dead Corps as Nazarites
Were bound to doe, nor us'd ought of their rites,
He was not, could not bevHeb. 4. 15. … Pet. 2. 22. See (l) before Joh. 14, 30. defil'd at all
LikexNum. 6. 9. 10. 12. them; no ſinne in him was, nor could fall.
Into him. He no ſinne-peace-burnt-offring,
Or ſuch like foryHeb. 7. 26. 27. 28. himſelfe had neede to bring,
As zNu. 6. 722they: He was not then a Naz…rite
Nor yet could be, as ſome men vainely write:
Its true, he dwelt at Nazareth; whence he
A aMat. 2. 13. as our laſt Tranſlation truely renders it: whence Chriſtians were called Nazarens Act. 24. 5.Nazaret (not rite) is ſayd to be,
And oft ſtil'd Jeſus of bMat. 21. 11. Luc. 2. 39. 51. c. 4. 16. Joh. 1. 45. 46.Naz'reth, but not
A Nazarite by Order, as theſe dote,
Who paint him with long baire, to men ac1 Cor. 11. 14. 15. 16. ſhame
Saith Paul, yea Nature, and ſo him defame.
Nay, where thedPſa. 22. 14. 15. 16. 17. applied to Chriſt. Matth. 27. 35. Luk. 23. 34. 35. Scripture ſaith, that his body
Was like a pot-ſheard, ſo leane, withered, dry,
That men might all his bones tell; theſe miſtake
In that they in their Images him make
Plumpe, fleſhy, ſo that none can tell his bones;
His Pictures than are meere lyes, and falſe ones,
Expreſſing not Chriſts true ſhape, but onelyonly
The Painters fancie, and groſſe forgery:
Thoſe than who theſe falſe Images adore,
Worſhip the Painters fancy, and no more,
Inſtead of Chriſt himſelfe; which certainely
Is both falſeeExod. 20. 4. 5. Rom. 1. 19. to 27. Pſa. 106. 19. 20. 21. worſhip and Idolatry:
It is no doubt a great ſinne to miſdraw,
Miſpicture Chriſt thus, fExod. 20. 4. 5. 6. Deut. 4. 12. to 24. Lev. 26. 1.'gainſt his word and Law,
Which Popes havegIndex Librorum prohib. reg. 4. The Rhemiſts Preface to the new Teſtament. taken from the Laity
Whom theſe falſe hMolanu Hiſtoria de Imaginibus & Picturis Tho. Waldenſis. Tom. 3. Tit. 19. c. 53. p. 274. &c.Pictures muſt now edifie
And teach in ſtead of them: In this deale they
Like men with Children from whom they away
Take gold or ſilver, and then them content
With Babies, Counters, their cryes to prevent.
Papiſts are children, or the Children play,
To ſet up Pictures, caſt Gods Word away.