200 Chap.2. Againfä I ages. Coma. of the Gssoflicks and Epipbaniáu ( among other of the Herfie hewrote of ) fpeak- 1.3.Heref eth of the fame error, and faith,that Carpocras (an Alexandrian) was the firft broach- contra er of it , one of whofe errors was , that they had the Images ofChrift , Saint Paul kiainian. and Saint Peter, &c. Which they faidand pretended to be made by Pilate. So Epipbaniue fhewcth that the Collyridions, Valentinians, and others erected Images I"3:11"4.79. in honour of the;Virgin Mary, and fpeaketh agairft them, that ufed to offer to her fuchoutward reverence in their geftures,as , was due only to God. By which we may conclude , that Hereticks were the firft introducers of religious worfhip of Images in the Church. Theoccafons oftheir ufe of Images for religious worfhip , were four , whereof two began to take root in the times of perfecution. The other two when the Church was in peace. cant 6dima,u. r : The firft, as St. Augufline faith, was by the policy ofthe two former Hereticks, as alfo of the Manichees , ut concilient benevolentiam Pagánorum, to ingratiate them- felves with the Pagans,and therefore c/Eguiores Pantfmulechris At mifereantur, the He- retièks(hew themfelves ( faith he ) better friends to Images, than we , to make the Heathen Idolators in their perfecutions more favourable to them, than to us. So the firft was their policy. 2. The fecond was , in memoriam defunitorstm to preferve the memory of their Levit.19.r8. deceafed friends. It Teems by . prohibition in the Law, that Men ofold for the love . theybare to their dead friends, and in expreffron of their grief for the lofsb`f them , andladly to preferve their memory , ofed tocut their flefh , and Print marks with hot Irons upon fonte parts oftheir bodies, whichmight continue there and put them immind of fuch friends for whole fakes they made thofe marks as long as they li ved , whereupon God prohibited fuchunlawful Adts there ; and the Apoffle alfo in t Thef.q13. the new Teftament gives charge that Men fhouldnot furrow in that extremity , the Heathen did , that had no hope of the Refurrc&ion. This extremity of paffron5in them, made them alCo make ufe of another way to preferve the memory oftheir friends deceafed, which ,vas by felting 'gip of their Images. Saint Chryfoflome reporteth ofone Malefiue a Bifhop of Confiantinople a very god- ly and learned Man, that he was fo well belovedof the Citizcns,and Clergy; asthat after his death,every Man got his Picture ( to preferve his memory ¡ in their Rings and afterwards into their Parlours. And thus by degrees (as may be teen in Epipba- Epi(E. ad ebo- Hilo) Images were removed , into their Pretoriajudgement places , and thence into repiJúep. Marketplaees,from thence (as appeareth by 'the fifth Connfel of Ca'rhage)into High- Can.14. ways,afterwards into Church- yards(as it is in the fecund Coon. of Nice)from whence Tem.i, they came to theChurch-walls,and fo at laff by the Figurestart up to the Altar. Here was magnum ex parvis; fedexmalts principles. Thefe were the firft two occafions. a. A delire to have the good will of the Heathen. 2. Extraordinary furrow for the dead. Now after, in thepeace of the Church, there fell out twoother caufes. r. Firft wealth.When the Chriftians,after the perfecution,began to grow rich,they were defirous that their Churches fhould beas rich as themfelves. To this purpofe, Se&.4. there is extant an Epiffle in the fecond Counfel of Nice., of a Noble Man of Syria tooné ilau. This great Manhad built aChurch for the Chriltians, and not content that it fhould remain only with white walls, determined to have all Gods Crea.- tures painted upon them, and acquaintingNilus with his intent, was perfwaded by him, to content himfelf with the Gmplenefs of the Chriftian Churches in other places : but ifhe would needs have it painted, I think ( faith he ) it were belt to paint the Roryof the Bible,for that will be more feemly, andbetter than thePillures of Birds and Beafts, &c. So that one occafionwas, that in thofc times, by reafonof their wealth they defiled to pleafe their Eyes. 2. The other caufe maybe, the idlenefs , abfence, or ignorance oftheir Paftors, (as it is Paid in the fame place of Paulinos Bi hop of Nola in Campania, who having occafionto travail into Syria and i./Egypt, and having none to Preach to his People, till his return, he thought good ( becaufe he would have fomething to teach them in his ,abfence) to paint the whole Rory of the Bible on the walls ofhis Church ; fo that their Preachers were none other but painted walls. But this is no way to be commended in him,and the effect proved accordingly. For it fell out,that for want of better teachers, the People became ignorant': and becaufe their Paftors became dumb
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