m.Command. vpón che Commandements. It is very worthy noting, that the ancient Father Damafcene, a defender of other Images and Piétures greatly,yet faith : Deumconar=ve&efngere,rem,ffultam effe Ali prád1ife o£ impiam,nonenim imagines Dew admtrttt. Pbgoeabout (faith fie) topstlure God ,ts,thegodlya. botha very foolifb thing and a wicked. For ç O 'D may not be piUu d red. And if you ga1 "'t, marke the prattife of the godlie, I pray you of all thofc notable Vifions, and Lib,q, cap, 3, manife(ht0hs made vnto them, which of thcmcuçr went about to make a Pic- ture ? .Surely , if they woáld not ruer .prcfumc to piaure c O 'D in that mangy ner that theyfawe him , and talked with him , becaufethey well knewetheir were but fparkles as it were, of his glorie andMaieftie that they fawe,and hee in Nature a farre other thing then tuer hee appeared vnto them,or they able to be_ holde, if he had done it,howlhould we beholde ? Nay,O Lord,what blindneffe is it in vs, to fethimoutas wee Moat. fettles, andeuenas curry finfullman and rude Painterpleafeth ? Therefore I truft we fee this to bee a fault, and euen for - bidden in this fecond Commandemenr,to make any image of God himfelfe. The thirdc opinion of them that thinkc these is a lawfull vfe of force Images andPiaures,though not in Religion,is moll true ; Otherwife were the gift,cun- ning and abilitie to doe thefe.things by Painting,Caruing,Grauing,or fuch like, a wicked thing,when as yet wee heardbefore,that it proceedeth et Gods Spirit, eytherin Beealiel,orwhofoeuerelfe is indued with it. But thenheerevpon ari- feth another queftion ; As namely,whetherlmages and Pk'tures in Churches may not be had though wee put no religion in them. .Wherevnto wee may anfwere, that howfoeuer it be tollerable in fomemens opinions,and a thing indifferent to haue forne fort of PiC¡tures in the Church ,for a cínill vre,as eyther for ftorie, and remembrance fake,orfor Ornament and beautieof that place; And mayfeeme to be warranted by the a&e of Iofuaih,who fet a Stone in the Sant`tuary ofGod, and by the deede of Salomon, who bad thepicîures of diuerfe things in theTem- ple,and of the Cherubim in the holyclt place of all,yet ccrtainely in this matter, it is not fo good to looke what may be done ,as what is conuenient to be done. For if in any thing, Purely in this it is true , Some thing is in force forte lawful], which is not expedient. Images in Churches wee well knowe, haue not euer beene vied, howfoeuer Rome cloth vrge the matter ; but then beganne, when as theIdoles of the Gen - ides being deftroyed, and peacercftored to the Churches vnder Constantine, they vfedwith great affe&ion andrefort in certaineplaces and times,to folemnife the memory of fuch godly Martyrs,as conftantly for the Truth had fuffered : letting vp in theyr Churches,atthefe their folemne meetings, for Ornaments partly, and partly,for'a better remembrance oftheyr conftancie and Faith, the pi&ures and Images of fuch dead Martyrs, as efpecially they iudged worthie chiefe remem- brance: and this beganne not to be any cuff orne, till about the yeare of our Lord Aano, ;s,, 3So. as by much authority is esflly and euidently to be proued. And yet fee and note it diligently,which indeed is to be marked of vs all: Albeit the beginning of Images in Churches was for no worfe ende then I now haue named : Yet did the godly Fathers in thofe dayes , euen vehemently fpeake againft the farne, not condemning in it felfe,the hiftori call vie of PiStures,but yet wifhing in fuch pla- ces of meeting to ferue God,as theChurches were,rather prtlfinam e7 primitioam fmpluitatem The o/de and primitivef:mphcitie, then loch deckings and ornaments of Images. Iultly fearing the mifchiefe,that indeede followed of it, and none fo greatly aboundeth in the Church of Rome, to wit,groffe impietie,and Idolatrie. Therefore I fay againe, howfoeuer in it idle any men thinke it to be lawful!, with forne conditions, yet certainly it is no wayconuenienr, but very dangerous eue- ry way to them in the Churches. This firft point then of this Commaundement, is now fuífrcieatly enplaned veto vs if one word be added of the very firft be- ginning of Images,and to what ende they were inuented. Reade 1
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