An ansvver to the calumnious letter and erroneous propositions of an apostat named M. Io. Hammiltoun. Composed by M. VVilliam Fouler

❧ THE XI. PROPO. It is ••ot against the command of God to mak the Imagi•• of our Saluiour Christ and of his Apostles.

As the inuocatioun of Sanctes is to be banischit out of th•• hea••t sa Imagis quhais vse tending to deuotioun ••r to be a∣bolischit from the eyes of men the Tempil.* 1.1 for as ••••il sai•• Aug. althog••t they be sensles, ʒit for th••t the verie propor∣tioun of men set a loft and in honorable hicht after they one beginneth to be adored and honored of th•• multitude brea∣deth and ingendreth in euerie man that most ••••le affectioun

of errour that althoght thair he sind na naturall mouing or ta kone of life, ʒit h•• thinketh sum God or Godly thing is with in it, and so being dece••ued, partlie by the form•• that h•• seth and partlie by the example & deuotion of the p••piil quhome they sie obedient to the saming he thinketh that the Images being so lyke lyniug bodeis,* 1.2 can not be without sum lyuinge thing vnderneth them.

AD This conclusion is pr••••i•• because 〈◊〉〈◊〉 place of the scripture can be produci•• wh•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 i•• forbiddi••.

First I answer be the contrarie seing i•• is na way comman∣dit by the scripteur of God: it can not be na wayis laufully vsit.

AD. And gif it had b••••e forbiddin i•• th•• 2••. ••••••p. of ••xodus wit••••ut al di••••i••c••io•• ••s the Ministers falslie allegis he had bene c••••trarious vnto him self because in the 25. ••h••p, he commands to mak the Image of the Ch••r••bims.

AN. I answer vnto this quhilk is mair an calumnie the•• obiectioun. That they condemne not all Images without di∣stinctioun. for they kn••w that Christe him selfe did not con∣demne Caesars Image in the money. For painting & grauing ••r things indifferent nather guid nor euil, in sa far, that quhen th••ir vse teuds not to deuoa••oun bot to decoratioun and or∣nament. Bot euin sua, that God can not be repr••sentit be na Image. As to the Cherubims they war set vp to couer the Arke or the Mercie seat••, to the end that the pepill micht vnderstand that the nature & Maiestie of God quhome they worshipped was altogether hid and couered from them, and na wayis culd be sene,* 1.3 nor be any visible thing represented▪ As for the brasin Sepent it was set vp for the present necessi∣tie, as •• sacrament only for a tyme to indure, as by the fact of Ezechias was manifest. 4. reg 18. Bot thir examples can na wayis serue for your Images, vnles thou find me a sure war∣rand out of Gods worde, commanding them, as we lie of the Cherubims and Serpent.

AD It is provin also by Christs a win ex••mpill quh•• as te••••i••••es Eusebius in hi•• 7. b••ik of his ecclesia•••• history se••t hi•• a win Im••ge vnto the King Ab••ga••••••.

AN. Read quha will Eusebius 7. buik, they ••all d••prehend thee to haue falslie lyit.

AD Also i•• the premiti••e Ki••k ••emorrhi••••e quh•• w••s ha••lit by Christ did 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a••

image ••o him quhilk as Christian did rep••••if as contrair the command of God.

AN It appeareth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 how ʒour cause itendeth, quhen it is confirmit by sic sutill probations. That image was onlye historicall maid for an declaratioun and monument of the hail••ng of the woman by Christ. And that it sould not be thought that Iesus Christe or his Aposti••es did commande the same Eusebius subiounds. It is na meruell that the heathens receauing sic benefites of our Saluiour did these things, for, we haue sene the Image of Peter, of Paul, & of Christ drawin in coleurs & preserued. And it may weill be thoght that men in old•• tymes being not ʒit remoued from thair superstitioun vsit after this sort to worship thame by an eathnisch custom•• as thair sauiour••,* 1.4 &c.

AD. S. August. declaris it was the cu••••om•• in his dayis to haue the Images of Pe•••••• and Paul with Christ.

AN Contrarie waies it is plaine that he alluterly reiects them as it is euident in his 49. epist. & in his Catolog heresi, 7 amangs the rest of the ••nrpocratians errours, he notis a certen woman namit. Marcellina quha being of that saming sect, ••or¦shipped the Image of Iesus and Paul, Homeir and Pythagoras In the place be ʒo•• cytit, he approuis ••a Imagis speciallye maid for Religiouns saik, Bot declares be quhat occasion the enemies of Christ feinʒeit certen buiks in his name, written to Peter and Paul of magik and witchcraft, because sayeth he they saw in si••drie places peter & paul paintit vpon the walis with Christ. nather dois heir August. approue sic paintrie, na∣••her deny we for beautie and knaweledge picteurs maye be maid.

AD. And the v••iuersalt traditioun of all ••gi•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in the Kirk to have the signe of the crosse as Tert••lian witnesseth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 c••r••••s militis.

AN Bot sic an signe was not as now is vfit, in his tyme the Christians held vp thair hands in the air, and by thair fingers transuersly puttin, formit a figure of the crosse, quhairby they declared thair professioun that they beleuit in our Saluiour crucefyit. and ʒit thair is a grit difference of the signe of the Crosse that incontinent eua••ishis a way, and a material Image substancially existin. The signe is ancient, bot the figure laite.

By the quhilk Christe is abominablie fixit to ane galow tri••, quhilk ʒe honour with reuerence, and worschipps with pro∣stratioun of ʒour bodies, as it is euident by the words of ʒour Masse buik. O crux aue spes v••ica, Blissed be thou O cro•• our only esperance. Auge piis iustitiam reis{que} dona veniam. Incresse iustice to the Godly, & sch••w mercy to the culpabil. Heirby ʒour impietie mair nor beastly is discouered: for Hab. in his 2. cha. pronuncis this sentence, malediction aboue him that sayis to tree, stok, or stane, a walke and teache me, and ʒ•• esteme them as books of the Laics & commoun pepill, be th•• quhilks they are callit to remembrance to serue Christ. Bot an vnhappie memorie is that quhilk stands in nead of a sight∣full conceat, and miserabill is that man quhilk na vtherway is can haue the presence of Christ with him vnles he haue his Image paintit on the wall,* 1.5 or express it in sum vther mater, for sic a memorie that is nourisched by Images procedeth not of ha••ty loue: bot of necessitie of eye sight.

AD. Of this we 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the fraudfull interpritatiouns of the command of God he the Ministers, and how they follow the futsteps of Iulianus apostaza in destroying the images of Christ, as the Turks causes the renega•• Christians to spit vpon the crucifix quhilk the trew Christians he•• for an ensig••e and baner.

AN. Quhen sall we haue an end of thy calumnies? I think neuer, bot I leaue them vnto thy self; and the vnto thy awin wickednes. Quhat Iulianus the apos••••t hes done against the Christians, quhat the Turks lykewayis we knawe, all that to haue procedit of plaine malice against Christ. Bot that quhilk our Ministeres hes done in destroying the Imagis placit for Gods in ʒour kirks, that I say hes follow it from a good zeall to praise God, for the quhilk they haue sufficient assuraunce by the command of God and example lykewayis of the an∣cient fathers. For EPIPHANIVS wrytis to Iohn Patriark of Ie∣rusalem in the 2. tome of Hierome. In that I hard certaine did grudg aganist me, for that when we went together to the holy place, quhilk is caled Bethel, to mak a gathering thair w^t me according to the maner of the Kirk; and come to a village caled ANABLATHA, & as I passed I sawe a candil burning, &

asked quhat place it was, and quhen I learned it was an Kirk and h••d entred into it to mak my prayers, I founde thair ane vaile hinging at the entrie of the Kirk paynted hauing the Image as it war of Christ or of sum Sanct,* 1.6 for quhose picteur it was in deid I do not remember, thairfoir quhan I sawe the Image to hing in the Kirk of Christ, contrarie to the cōman∣diment of the scripteurs, I rent it in sondre, and gaue counsell to the kepars of the Kirk to burie sum poore bodie in it. I bes••ik ʒo•• charge the preists of that place, that they cōmand that sic painted claiths as be contrary vnto our Religioun, b•• no more hanged vp into the Kirk of Christ, It behouis ʒour reuerence to haue cair heirof, this is snperstitioun vnmeit for the Kirk of Christ, and dangerous for the pepole, and thair∣fore oght to be remoued.

Notes

• * 1.1

  9 Augu. in 〈…〉〈…〉 11•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.2

  NOTE
• * 1.3

  Num. ••1.
• * 1.4

  •• Au. ••ib ••. de cu•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.5

  NOT••
• * 1.6

  NOTE