A dissuasive from popery by Jeremy, Lord Bishop of Down.

Sect. VIII.

THe Church of Rome hath to very bad purposes introduc'd and im∣pos'd upon Christendom the worship and veneration of Images, kissing them, pulling off their hats, kneeling, falling down and praying before them, which they call, giving them due honor and ve∣neration. What external honor and veneration that is, which they call due, is express'd by the instances now rec∣kon'd, which the Council of Trent in their Decree enumerate and establish. What the inward honor and worship is, which they intend to them, is intima∣ted in the same Decree. By the Ima∣ges they worship Christ and his Saints; and therefore by these Images they pass that honor to Christ and his Saints which is their due: that is, as their Do∣ctors explain it, Latria or Divine wor∣ship to God and Christ. Hyperdulia or more than service to the Blessed Virgin Mary; and service or doulia to other canoniz'd persons. So that upon the

whole, the case is this: What ever worship they give to God, and Christ and his Saints, they give it first to the image, and from the image they pass it unto Christ and Christs servants. And therefore we need not to enquire what actions they suppose to be fit or due. For whatsoever is due to God, to Christ or his Saints, that worship they give to their respective Images: all the same in external semblance and ministery; as appears in all their great Churches, and publick actions, and pro∣cessions, and Temples and Festivals, and endowments, and censings, and pilgrimages, and prayers, and vows made to them.

Now besides that these things are so like Idolatry, that they can no way be reasonably excused (of which we shall in the next Chapter give some account) besides that they are too like the reli∣gion of the Heathens,* 1.1 and so plainly and frequently forbidden in the Old Testament, and are so infinitely unlike the simple and wise, the natural and holy, the pure and the spiritual religion

of the Gospel; besides that they are so infinite a scandal to the Jews and Turks, and reproach Christianity it self amongst all strangers that live in their communion, and observe their rites: besides that they cannot pretend to be lawfull, but with the laborious artifices of many Metaphysical notions and distinctions, which the people who most need them, do least under∣stand; and that therefore the people worship them without these distincti∣o••s, and directly put confidence in them; and that it is impossible that ignorant persons, who in all Christian countreys make up the biggest number, should do otherwise, when otherwise they cannot understand it; and besides that, the thing it self with or without distinctions, is a superstitious and for∣bidden, an unlawful and unnatural wor∣ship of God, who will not be worship∣ped by an Image: we say that besides all this, This whole Doctrine and pra∣ctise is an innovation in the Christian Church, not practis'd, not endured in the primitive ages; but expresly

condemned by them, and this is our present undertaking to evince.

The first notice we find of Images brought into Christian Religion, was by Simon Magus: indeed that was very Ancient, but very heretical and abominable: but that he brought some in to be worshipped, we find in * 1.2 Theo∣doret, and * 1.3 S. Austin, * 1.4 S. Irenaeus tells, That the Gnosticks or Carpo∣crations did make images, and said, that the form of Christ as he was in the flesh, was made by Pilate; and these Images they worshipped, as did the Gentiles: These things they did, but against these things the Christians did zealously and piously declare: We have no Image in the world, said S. Cle∣mens of * 1.5 Alexandria: It is apparently forbidden to us to exercise that deceitful art: For it is written, Thou shalt not make any similitude of any thing in Hea∣ven above, &c. And Origen wrote a just Treatise against Celsus; in which he not onely affirms,* 1.6 That Christians did not make or use Images in Religion, but that they ought not, and were by

God forbidden to do so. To the same purpose also Lactantius discourses to the Emperor, and confutes the preten∣ces and little answers of the Heathen in that manner, that he leaves no pre∣tence for Christians under another cover, to introduce the like abomina∣tion.

We are not ignorant, that those who were converted from Gentilism, and those who lov'd to imitate the customs of the Roman Princes and people, did soon introduce the Histo∣rical use of Images, and according to the manner of the world, did think it honourable to depict or make Images of those whom they had in great e∣steem; and that this being done by an esteem, relying on Religion, did by the weakness of men, and the impor∣tunity of the Tempter, quickly pass into inconvenience and superstition; yet even in the time of Iulian the Emperor, S. Cyril denies, that the Christians did give veneration and wor∣ship to the Image, even of the Cross it self, which was one of the earliest

temptations;* 1.7 and S. Epiphanius (it is a known story) tells, that when in the village of Bethel he saw a cloth picture, as it were of Christ, or some Saint in the Church, against the Authority of Scripture; He cut it in pieces, and advis'd that some poor man should be buried in it; affirming, that such Pi∣ctures are against Religion, and unwor∣thy of the Church of Christ. The Epistle was translated into Latine by S. Hierome; by which we may guess at his opinion in the question.

* 1.8The Council of Eliberis is very an∣cient, and of great fame; in which i•• is expresly forbidden, that what is wor∣shipped, should be depicted on the walls; and that therefore Pictures ought not to be in Churches. S. Austin complaining, that he knew o•• many in the Church who were Wor∣shippers of Pictures, calls them Super∣stitious; and addes, that the Church condemns such customs, and strives to correct them: and S. Gregory writing to Serenus Bishop of Massilia, says he would not have had him to break the

Pictures and Images, which were there set for an historical use; but commends him for prohibiting any one to wor∣ship them, and enjoyns him still to forbid it. But Superstition by degrees creeping in, the Worship of Images was decreed in the seventh Synod, or the second Nicene. But the decrees of this Synod being by Pope Adrian sent to Charls the Great,* 1.9 he convoca∣ted a Synod of German and French Bishops at Francfurt, who discussed the Acts pass'd at Nice, and condemn'd them: And the Acts of this Synod, although they were diligently suppres∣sed by the Popes arts, yet Eginardus, Hincmarus, Aventinus, Blondus, Adon, Aymonius ••and Regino, famons Histo∣rians, tell us, That the Bishops of Francfurt condemn'd the Synod of Nice, and commanded it should not be called a General Council; and pub∣lished a Book under the name of the Emperor, confuting that unchristian Assembly; and not long since, this Book•• and the Acts of Francfurt•• were published by Bishop Tillius; by which,

not onely the infinite fraud of the Ro∣man Doctors is discover'd, but the worship of Images is declar'd against and condemned.

A while after this, Ludovicus the son of Charlemain, sent Claudius a fa∣mous Preacher to Taurinum in Italy, where he preach'd against the worship∣ping of Images, and wrote an excellent book to that purpose. Against this book Ionas Bishop of Orleans, after the death of Ludovicus and Claudius, did write: In which he yet durst not assert the worship of them, but confu∣ted it out of Origen; whose words he thus cites, [Images are neither to be esteemed by inward affection, nor wor∣shipped with outward shew;] and out of Lactantius these, [Nothing is to be wor∣shipped that is seen with mortal eyes: Let us adore, let us worship nothing, but the name alone of our onely Parent, who is to be sought for in the Regions above, not here below:] And to the same pur∣pose, he also alleges excellent words out of Fulgentius and S. Hierom; and though he would have Images retain'd,

and therefore was angry at Claudius who caus'd them to be taken down, yet he himself expresly affirms, that they ought not to be worshipped; and with∣all adds, that though they kept the Images in their Churches for history and ornament, yet that in France the worshipping of them was had in great detestation. And though it is not to be denied, but that in the sequel of Ionas his book, he does something prevaricate in this question; yet it is evident, that in France this Doctrine was not accounted Catholick for al∣most nine hundred years after Christ;* 1.10 and in Germany it was condemned for almost MCC years, as we find in Ni∣cetas.

We are not unskill'd in the devices of the Roman Writers, and with how much artifice they would excuse this whole matter, and palliate the crime imputed to them, and elude the Scri∣ptures expresly condemning this Su∣perstition: But we know also, that the arts of Sophistry are not the ways of Salvation. And therefore we exhort

our people to follow the plain words of Scripture, and the express Law of God in the second Commandment; and add also the exhortation of S. Iohn,* 1.11 Little children, keep your selves from Idols. To conclude, it is impos∣sible but that it must be confessed, that the worship of Images was a thing un∣known to the primitive Church; in the purest times of which, they would not allow the making of them; as (amongst divers others) appears in the Writings of Clemens * 1.12 Alexandrinus, * 1.13 Tertullian, and * 1.14 Origen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Chap. 2. Sect. 12.
• * 1.2

  Lib. 1. ••a∣ret. fabul.
• * 1.3

  De haeres.
• * 1.4

  Lib. 1. cap. 23. vide eti∣am Epiphan. 10. 2. lib. 1. haeres. 27. & S. August. de haeres.
• * 1.5

  Lib. 6. strom. & in paran••••i ••.
• * 1.6

  Lib. 7. & 3. cont. Cels.
• * 1.7

  Epist. ad Ioh. Hi••ros.
• * 1.8

  Can. 36. Pla∣cuit pictur as in Ecclesia esse non debe∣re, ne quod colitur aut a∣doratur in pari••••ibus depingatur.

  De mori••.

  Eccles. ••. 1. c. 34. Idem de fide & Sym∣b••••o. c. 7. & contr. Adi∣mant. cap. 13.
• * 1.9

  A••no Dom. DCCLXIV.
• * 1.10

  Lib 2•• in vitae Isaac•• An∣geli, A.D. 1160.
• * 1.11

  1 John 5.21
• * 1.12

  Strom. l. 6. & in Pro••rep.
• * 1.13

  Lib. 2. c. 22. advers. Mar∣cion. & de Ido••olatr. c. 3.
• * 1.14

  Lib. 4. cont. Celsum.