A replie vnto M. Hardinges ansvveare by perusinge whereof the discrete, and diligent reader may easily see, the weake, and vnstable groundes of the Romaine religion, whiche of late hath beene accompted Catholique. By Iohn Iewel Bishoppe of Sarisburie.

The B. of Sarisburie.

M. Hardinge doubteth not, to deriue the f••rst Inuention of his Images from God him selfe, euen as rightly, and with as good Faith, as he deriueth his Masse from Christe, and his Apostles: or his Holy Water from the Prophete Elizeus: or the Cardinalles hatte from S. Hierome. Onles perhaps he wil reason thus: God saith,* 1.1 ••howe shalt not make vnto thee selfe any grauē Image, nor the Likenes of any thinge: And,* 1.2 Accursed be the man, that maketh ••n Image: And, Cōfounded be al they, that woorship Images.* 1.3 Ergo, God commaunded Images to be made. Yf he can auouche his Images by suche warrantes, then doubtles God him selfe was the f••rst inuentour of Images.

But Learned, and Wise menne thinke, that the inuention hereof came first from the Heathens, and Inf••delles, that knewe not God. Thus it is written in the Booke of Wisedome:* 1.4 Vanitas hominum inuenit artes istas, ad tenationem animae, & decipulam insipientium. The Vanitie of menne first founde owt this Arte, to the tenta∣tion of the s••ule, and to the deceiuinge of the vnwise. S. Cyprian saith, Ad defunctorum vultus per Imaginem derinendos expressa sunt Simulachra.* 1.5 Inde posteris facta sunt sacta, quae primitùs fuerant assumpta solatia. Images were first drawen, thereby to keepe the countenance of t••e deade in Remembrance.* 1.6 Vpon occasion thereof thinges grewe at len∣gthe vnto hol••nesse, that at the first were taken only for solace. Therefore S. Ambrose saith, Gentes lignum adorant,* 1.7 tanquā Imaginem Dei. The Heathens woorship Wood, as the Image of God. And Eregorius the Bishop of Neocesaria, Gentilitas inuentrix, & Caput est Imaginū.* 1.8 Heathennesse was the first d••••ser, and Heade of Images.

Likewise Eusebius saithe, speakinge of the Images of Christe, of Peter, and of Paule,* 1.9 Hoc mihi videtur ex Gentili consuetudine obseruatum: quòd ita illi soleant hono∣rare,

quos honore dignos duxerint. This seemeth to be the obseruation of the Heathenishe custome: for with suche Images they vsed to honour them, whome they thought woorthy of honoure. Therefore S. Augustine writinge againste Adimantus saithe thus, Simulant se fauere Simulachris: quod proptereà faciunt, vt miserrimae,* 1.10 & vesanae suae Se∣ctae etiam Paganorum concilient beneuolentiam. They woulde seeme to fauour Images: whiche thinge they doo, to thintent to make the Heathens to thinke the better of their moste miserable, and lewde Secte. For of the Heathens Lactantius writeth thus: Verentur, ne Religio vana sit, si nihil videant, quod Adorent.* 1.11 They are afraide (as they also are of M. Hardinges sid••) their Religion shalbe but vaine, yf they see nothinge, that they may woorship. Therefore Daniel saithe,* 1.12 that Nabucodonozor the Heathen Kinge ap∣pointed a solemne Dedication daie, for his Golden Image, with al kindes, & sortes of Minstralsie. And the Prophete Baruch thus openeth,* 1.13 and vttereth the Religion of Babylon, Sacerdotes Barba, Capite{que} raso, & aperto, sedent, & corā Dijs suis rugiunt. The Priestes beinge shauen bothe Heade, and Bearde, and sittinge bare, roare out before their Goddes. Thus Heliogabalus, Adrianus, and Alexander Seuerus, being Infidels,* 1.14 and Heathen Princes, had in their Chapelles,* 1.15 and Closettes the Images of Abra∣ham, of Moses, of Christe, and of others. Thus the Heretiques called Gnostici, and Carpocratiani for that they sauoured of the Heathens,* 1.16 had, and woorshipped the Images of Christe, of Paule, of Pithagoras, and of Homer. By these fewe Authorities, and Examples it appeareth, that the firste erection of Images came, not from God, but from the Heathens, that knewe not God. And therefore Atha∣nasius saithe, The Inuention of Images came not of good, but of il.* 1.17 As for the Iewes, that had the Lawe, and the Prophetes emongest them, and therefore should beste knowe Goddes meaninge in this behalfe, they had no manner Image, neither Painted, nor Grauen in their Temples, as Dion saithe: and, as Origen saithe, they coulde not abide any Painter, or Grauer, to dwel emongest them.

But M. Hardinge replieth: God commaunded Moses, to make the Cherubins, and the Brae∣sen Serpente. These examples make litle against my assertion. For God commaun∣ded not, either the Cherubins,* 1.18 or the Serpent to be sette vp to thintent the people should Woorship them: whiche is the whole, and onely state of this question. The same obiection the Olde Idolaters laide sometime against Tertullian. For thus he writeth:* 1.19 Ait quidam: Cur ergo Moses in Eremo Simulachrū Serpentis exaere fecit? Some one, or other, that maineteineth Idolatrie, wil saie (as M. Hardinge now saith) And why then did Moses make the Image of the Brasen Serpent in the VVildernesse? Hereby wee see, that M. Hardinge is not the first, that diuised this obiection. The Olde Idolaters founde out, and vsed the same aboue foureteene hundred yeeres agoe, and M. Harding hath learned it at their handes. But hereto Tertullian maketh this answeare: Bene, quòd idem Deus, & Lege vetuit Similitudinem fieri, & Extraordinario Praecepto Se••pe∣tis Similitudinem* 1.20 Interdixit. Wel, and good: One, and the same God, bothe by his Gene∣ral Lawe forebade any Image to be made: and also by his Extraordinarie, and Special Com∣maundement willed an Image of a Serpent to be made. He addeth further, Si ••undem Deū obseruas, habes Legem eius, Ne feceris Similitudinem. Et, si Praeceptum factae postea Si∣militudinis respicis, & in imitare Mosen, Ne facias aduersus Legem Simulacli•••••• aliquod, nisi & tibi Deus iusserit. If thou be obedient vnto the same God, thou haste his Lawe, Make thou no Image. But, if thou haue regarde to the Image of the Serpente, that was made af∣terwarde by Moses, then doo thou, as Moses did: Make not any Image against the Law, onles God commaunde thee, as he did Moses. For God is free, and subiecte to no Lawe. He commaundeth vs, and not him selfe. He geueth this General Lawe, Thou shalt not kil: Yet he saide vnto Abraham, Take thy Sonne Isaak, and kil him.* 1.21 Likewise he saithe,* 1.22 Thou shalt not Steale: And yet the people of Israel, by his Commaunde∣ment, stale away the Egyptians goodes, without breache of the Lawe. The same

answeare maie also serue for the Images of the Cherubines. Howe be it,* 1.23 the Che∣rubines stoode not in the Temple, in the sight, and presence of the people: but within the vele, in the Tabernacle, into whiche place it was not lawful for any one of the people to cast his eies.* 1.24 And therefore there was in it no danger of Ido∣latrie. But like as, when the Brasen Serpent was abused by Idolatrie,* 1.25 the Godly Kinge Ezechias tooke it downe,* 1.26 and brake it in peeces, notwithstandinge God had commaunded Moses to set it vp: euen so, notwithstandinge it were sufferable to haue images in the Churche of God, without breache of Goddes lawe, yet when they be abused, and made Idolles, as they are throughout the whole Churche of Rome,* 1.27 it is the dewtie of godly Magistrates to pulle them downe, like as also it is ordered by the Councel of Mens.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Exodi. 20.
• * 1.2

  Deu••eron. 27.
• * 1.3

  Psalm. 96.
• * 1.4

  Sapientia. 14.
• * 1.5

  Cyprian. de Ido∣lorum vanitate.
• * 1.6

  Ambros. in Psal. 118.
• * 1.7

  Concil. Nicen. 2. Actione. 6.
• * 1.8

  Eusebius. lib. 7. cap 18.
• * 1.9

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.10

  Augustin contrae Adimantum. ca 13.
• * 1.11

  La••••antius lib. 2. Cap. 2.
• * 1.12

  Daniel. 3.
• * 1.13

  Baruch. 6.
• * 1.14

  Lampridius.
• * 1.15

  Iulius Capitol. Epiphanius.
• * 1.16

  Augustinus ad Quoduul••deū. Irenaeus lib. 1. ca. 24.
• * 1.17

  Athansius, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Dion. lib. 37.
• * 1.18

  Origen. contra Celsum li. 4.
• * 1.19

  Tertullian. De Idololatriae.
• * 1.20

  He seemeth to vse Interdixit, for Edixit.
• * 1.21

  Genesis. 2••.
• * 1.22

  Exod. 11.
• * 1.23

  The Bar∣sen Ser∣pent.
• * 1.24

  The Che∣rubines.
• * 1.25

  The Bra∣sen Ser∣pent.
• * 1.26

  2. Regum. 18.
• * 1.27

  Concilium Moguntinen. cap. 42.