A confutation of a popishe, and sclaunderous libelle in forme of an apologie: geuen out into the courte, and spread abrode in diuerse other places of the realme. VVritten by VVilliam Fulke, Bacheler in Diuinitie, and felowe of S. Ihons Colledge in Cambridge.

The Aunswere.

It is a proper Primitiue Churche, whiche you alledge of the seconde Coun∣saile of Nice, whiche was seuen hundred eightie and one yeres after Christe, hol∣den by a multitude of Idolatrous, flatte∣ryng, and vnlearned Prelates, whiche to feede the humor of that wicked Empresse Irene, were gathered together, not in the name of Christ, but against Christ, whose expresse commaundemente, thei did im∣pugne. And with suche leude, and vnsen∣sible reasons, and wrestynges of the scri∣ptures, that if a manne of purpose, to mocke the Idolaters, woud inuente ar∣gumentes to laugh at, hee coulde not di∣uise more ridiculous matters. God made manne after his owne Image, ergo wee muste make Images, God is meruailous in his sainctes, ergo we must make Ima∣ges. (Theodofius of Amorie reasoneth, whatsoeuer is written, is written for our learnyng, ergo wee must haue Images to teache vs.) No manne lighteth a candell,

and putteth it vnder a Bushell, ergo I∣mages must bee sette on the Alters, with a hundreth suche substanciall proofes. And to make the matter mooste manifeste, Theodorus bishop of Myre, proueth that Images must be worshiped by his Arche∣deacons dreames, and so dooeth other by dreames, and miracles, and at laste, Tha∣rasius Archebishoppe of Constantinople, with the whole Synode concludeth, that Angelles haue bodies, and mennes soules also be bodily, and therefore thei maie bee paincted. Againste this Idolatrous, vn∣learned, and blasphemous Counsaile, Ca∣rolus Magnus wrote a booke, whiche is extante, in whiche he confuteth the grosse heresie, of adoration of Images.

As for the primatiue churche of Christ, regardyng the seconde commaundement of God, did make no kinde of Images, to bee had in any vse of religion, but vtterly forbad them. As for the Image of Christ, whereof Eusebius speaketh, if it were true, was onely a monumente of the hi∣storie, sette vp in the streate, in remem∣braunce of the miracle, not in the churche to bee had in veneration, or worshipped.

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Neither was there any Image receiued into the Churche, for three hundreth ye∣res after Christe. The Epistle of Epipha∣nius, translated by saincte Hierome, is a notable testimonie.

Cum venissem ad villam quae dicitur Ana∣blatha, vidissem{que} ibi praeteriens lucernam. &c. When I came to a village, whiche is cal∣led Anablatha, and sawe there as I pas∣sed by, a candell burnyng, and inquiryng what place it was, and vnderstandyng that it was a Churche, I entered in, to praie, and founde there a vaile, or linnen clothe, hangyng at the doore of the saied churche, stained, and painted, and hauyng an Image as it were of Christ, or of some saincte. For I dooe not well remember, whose Image it was. Therefore when I sawe, this thing, that the Image of a man was hanged vp, in the Churche, contrary to the aucthoritie of the Scriptures, I did rende it in péeces, and gaue counsaile to the kepers of that place, rather to wrappe it about some poore bodie that was deade, to burie hym with all. Contrariwise, thei murmured, and saied. If he would néedes rende it, it were reason, he should giue vs

an other vaile for it, and so chaunge it. Whiche thing when I heard, I promised, that I would giue theim one, aad sende it shortlie. There passed not long tyme, but that I sought to sende theim a verie good vaile for it. For I thought that one shoulde haue been sente me out of Cy∣pres. And nowe I haue sente suche a one, as I could gette. And I praie you to com∣maunde the Elders of that place, to re∣ceiue that Vaile of this bearer, whiche is sente by vs. And to giue theim charge, that hereafter in the Churche of Christe, suche vailes bee not hanged vp, whiche are contrary to our Religion. This writeth Epiphanius to Ihon bishoppe of Hierusa∣lem, by whiche it is euidente, what was thought of Images, at that tyme, when a painted vaile, might not bée hanged be∣fore a Churche doore, to keepe out the winde, or for some suche purpose, and not in any respect of religion, or worshipping. The same Epiphanius, emong the here∣sies of Carpocrates rehearseth, that he made priuilie the Image of Iesu, & Paule Homer, and Pithagoras, and worshipped them. Also he inueigheth sharply against

the Antidicomarians, and Collyridians, for vsyng, and worshippyng the Image of Marie the Virgine. As for your testimo∣nies, out of Gregorie Nyssene, and Chry∣sostome, serue nothyng to the purpose, for Gregorie speaketh not of the historie of Christes passion, as you vntruely report, but of the oblation of Isaac, by his father Abraham. Conc. Nicen. 2. actione. iiij. But this picture was in some priuate place, not in the Churche, and place of worship∣pyng.

And Chrysostome in his saiyng, con∣cludeth not, that therefore we must haue Images of GOD, and of Christe in the Churche, but he that doeth iniurie to any manne, that is made after the Image of god, or disobeieth a Magistrate, which re∣presenteth the persone of God. &c. He doth iniurie to God. For he that maketh any Image of God, doeth God greate iniurie, transformyng the glorie of the inuisible GOD, into the shape of any corruptible creature. Rom. j. But what Chrysostome and diuers other godlie fathers, thought of the vse of Images, in the churche, is ex∣dressed in the counsaile of Ephesus, which

condemned Images before the Counsaile of Nice, whiche restored theim. And the Counsaile Elibertinum, fower hundreth yeres before that, vnder Constantine the greate, made this decree. Capt. xxxvi. Pla∣cuit picturas in ecclesia esse non debere, ne quod colitur aut adoratur, in parietibus depinga∣tur. That is. It is thought good, that pictu∣res ought not to bée in the Churche, leaste that thyng, whiche is worshipped, and ho∣noured, should bee painted on the walles. To conclude, that whiche you alledge out of Beda, concernyng Dan Augustine the Monke, I will aunswere by the aucthori∣tie of sainct Augustine the Bishoppe: who in his boke De consensu Euāgelistarum libr. i. Capit. 10. Speakyng of certaine Heathen aduersaries, whiche noumbred Paule e∣mong the twelue Apostles, that were with Christe, while he liued, writeth in these woordes. Credo quod pluribus locis si∣mul eos cum illo pictos viderunt, quià merita Petri, & Pauli etiam propter eundem passionis diem celebrius, & solemniter Roma commendat. Sic omnino errare meruerunt, qui Christum, & Apostolos eius, non in sanctis codicibus, sed in pi∣ctis parietibus quaesierunt. I beleue that in

many places thei sawe theim painted to∣gether with hym, because the Citie of Rome, commendeth the worthinesse of Peter, and Paule, more notably, and so∣lemnely, because of the same daie of their sufferyng. So altogether thei were wor∣thie to bée deceiued, whiche sought Christ and his Apostles, not in the holie scriptu∣res, but in painted walles. And so all thei that followed your Augustines supersti∣tions, were iustely blinded, and deceiued, because thei sought not Christ in the scri∣ptures, but in painted Tables, whiche is the punishemente due for Idolatrie, as sainct Paule testifieth. Roma. j.