A replie to Iesuit Fishers answere to certain questions propou[n]ded by his most gratious Matie: King Iames By Francis White D: of Div· deane of Carlile, chaplaine to his Matie. Hereunto is annexed, a conference of the right: R:B: of St Dauids wth the same Iesuit*

ANSWER.

There is great disparitie betweene reasonable creatures, the liuing members of Christ, the spirituall temples of the holy Ghost, and betweene dead and sencelesse stockes a 1.1, which haue eyes and see not, eares and heare not, noses and smell not. Beg∣gers, Lazars, Leapers, &c. are recommended to the world by our Sauiour, Ioh. 12.8. Luc. 14.21. and they are said to honour their Maker, which are charitable to them, Pro. 14.31. and he promiseth infinit reward to them which loue and honour the [ D] poore. Where (I pray you) hath our Sauiour said of Images of stone, wood, &c. nay of puppets, and pranked babies, What you do to one of these my least ones, you do vnto me? Sure∣ly the cloathing, censing, bowing, pilgrimage going to Ima∣ges deuised by mans braine, hath neither precept, promise, ex∣ample, or praise in all Gods Booke, neither is there any digni∣tie or excellencie in them, formally, or accidentally, which may equall them to the meanest reasonable creature. An Idol * 1.2 (saith S. Augustine b 1.3) is the workemanship of an artificer, and if

this maker, as he hath bestowed figure, so he could haue giuen [ A] vnderstanding to his creature, hee should himselfe receiue ho∣nour from the Image which he hath formed. And in another place, the Artificer is better than that which himselfe formeth: Why art thou then ashamed to worship the Carpenter, and doest not rather blush when thou adorest that which hee hath formed? 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, (saith Athanasius a 1.4) That which formeth another, is better than the thing which is formed.

Notes

• a 1.1

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. Rom. Recog. lib. 5. Si ve∣re vultis honorare Imaginem Dei, nos vobis quid yerum est aperimus, vt homini qui ad Ima∣ginem Dei factus est, benè saciatis, honorem & reue∣rentiam deferatis. Quis ergo iste Dei honor est, per la∣pideas & ligneas formas 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & inanes atquè ex∣animes figuras, tā∣quam numina ve∣nerari, & hominem in quo vere Imago Dei est spernere.
• * 1.2

  Bellarm. d. Imag. li. 2. c. 8. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 pro eodem habet Idolum & Imaginem. Tertul. d. Idol. c. 4. Durand. Rational li. 1. c. 3. Vbi 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Idolorum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vsus reprobatur, moderatus probatur. Caietan. in Exod. c. 20. Perspicuum est in Tabernaculo fuisse Idola cherubinorum, &c. Id. in Deut. c. 4. Ex co quod nulla Dei similitudo visa est, quandò Deus locutus est, mouet vt nullum Idolum colatur, nulla similitudo cuiusquè rei naturalis, nec vlla res corporea.
• b 1.3

  Aug. d. ver. Dom. Serm. 5. Idolum opus est fabri, si faber Idolo sicut dedit figuram, cor daret, ab ipso Idolo fa∣ber [ E] adoraretur. Jdem. sup. Psalm. 149. Melior est faber quam quod fabricat faber. Si fabrum adorare 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ado∣rando quod faber fecit non erubescis? Idem d. ver Relig. c. 55. & in Psal. 118.
• a 1.4

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. Orat. c. gent. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.