WIJ<lt Images, m:tl JVIJat Ufe of Images, uLaJVJIIl. m t"d, by men othcrwife fo undedlanding and truly god{y, and every way blamelefs, as have r.~ainra'in it at rhis day. makit•g and u{ing of the Image ofCbrift,a·sborn, living, preat:hing, Vtalking, dying (a Crucifix), .. .~mdiog, is not unlawful in 1t (elf, though any of the fOrcmcnrioncd accidmtJ may tnakc it fCJ 1 ' 1 .. 1 ,.h c:,fcs. As Chril\ was nw11ikconeof us, fo he may be pictured a.l a rn1n. Ot>j. HiJ Divine nature. aud lmmane ford arc Cbr~t, and rhc[e cannot be pUlt,rcd : 1'1Jtrefurc an Image of ( b1 ijl caJZnot be made. . All{il·· It is not rht: , ,,me,but the thi11g which I {peak of: Choofc whether you will ctll it an Image (}f Chriji fecurrd;~m corpta~ or an Image of Cbrijl1 body. You cannot picture the fiJul of a man, and yet you may draw the picture of a mans body. 5· It is a great plrt ~f a btlievc~J w~rJt, to have Cl~rijl~ Tmage ve~y m.nch. upon bl~ imagina~ion an cl Ronr. s-. 29:.: fo uoon bis mind. A~ 1f he faw h1m m rhe Manger, m h1s temptations, tn h1s preachmg, in h1s pray- Rcv.r.t2.,e r. ing, 'watching, faliing, weeping, doing good, as crown'd with thorncs, as cruciticd, &c. that a Cru- CJ.o~ .. 4 ;,t citicd S 1 viour being Hilt as it were before our eyes, we mty remember the price of our Redemption, Piu!.;. s, 9 ; 1 and the t xample which we have to imitate; and that we arc not ro live like a Divuor a C£far, but 1o, ~n. like the ruvants of a Crucified Chrijl. A Crucifix well bdittcth the Im~ginati<m and mind of a beJievcr. 6. !t is a great put of true Godlinefs, to fee GvdJ Inugein rhe Gllfs of the Creation ; to Love atiel 1. Cor. n. 1.1 honour hi~ JmaAe on his S.1ints, and all the Impreffions of his Power, ¥Jifdom and GoudnefS on all his 2 Cor.~· t!:f, works; at~d ro Love and hor)oUr Him as appearing in rlum. ·C<)J, 3•1°· 7 . . It is hw~ulo_n juil occafion, tomake the ~mage.of tire o! light as figoifying the i.nacceffiblc ~i~ht Ex-x!. 2 r. tS', j 1, whtch God ,,. fatd to dwtU, and the Glory m wh1ch he wtll appear to the bldfed m He!l.ven. for . 1 ~. by rmny fi.1ch rcfembls.nces the Scripntre fettcth thcfe forth, in Rw. 1· 6... 2 I. & 2 2) &c. And ftlo{e1 & 37· S, 9· faw Gods backpans, ;.•jz, a C1·catcd Glory. 1 K•ng. 6. 14, 8. It is lawful to ttprefent an Angd on jufl occafions, in fuch a liktnefs as Angels have affumed in ~~c~~~~~7• 2f'paritions; or as they are defcribed in EzekJclor clfewhere in Scripture, fo be it we tal<e it not for an 4, 7 , 9, 14~1 Image of their true fpirimal nature, but an irnprcper reprcfentation of them, like a 1\.>icraphor in t.King. 7• 2~, fpe<eh. · l~· 9 , It is iawful ( fcafonably and in fit circum,ll.mces) to ufe lmJgcs, I· For mtmory, 2· For ~Ssl.t~~ 7~ clr,trcr appubenjiBn, 3• For more p.1ffio11ate affcllion, f V(n in Religious cafes ; which is commonly 2 King. i9~;r. called The flijlorical u{r of them. For thefe c:nds the Grmva Bibk, and fame other, have the Scri- Pf.1J. So.J, pturc Hillories in Printed Ima.g(S: To fhcw the Papifls that it is not all Imagrr, or aUufo of them, ~9:) r. that they were againfl. And tO rnc:n were wont to picture DiveI in his fcaf\ing, with Laz~r1u in rags, 1 l. 6 • 1 ' 6 • over their T~bles, to mind them of tht' finfulnefs of fenfuality. And fo. the Sacred Htiiorics are or· dimrily painted, as uUful ornaments of rooms, which may profit the [p(Cbtors. ' 10. Thus it is lawful to honour the m(mory of Learned) Great, and Virtuous pcrfons, Saints and ut lUt<f W7t~$ Mutyrs,by kerpingtheir Images ; and by the beholding of them to be r(mcmbred of our duty, and CX· Vim, i!Ju(iri-. cited to imitation of them. Hin, 1 r. It is lawful to ufe Hieroglyphicks, or Imaga rxprdiing VirtucJ and Vicu; As men commonly make Images to decipher Prudence, ~·emperance, Chuity, forti tude, Jutlicc, &c• .and Envy 1 Sloth, Pride, Lull, &c. Ar; 1hey do of the hve fenfes, and the four feafons ot the year, and the fcveral put., of mans age, and the feveral ranks and qualitieS of perfon~, &c. I2· ·Thus it is lawful tonprefcnt the f'cuit, and Idols, \\-·hen it tcndcth bnt to make them odious• fNaswe muflnottakethdrnamesintoour mouths, Pfal,J6,4• Exod.23 . 13. Epbcf.5'13· that is, when it tendeth to honour them, or te_mpt men to it ; aud yet may name them as Eli.JJ did in fcoth, or as the Prophet~ did by reprocf of hn; fo is it alfo in making rrprdenradons of them. Even as a Drunk:ud may be painted in his filth and folly to bring fhame and odium on the fin. I3· It is h.wful to ufc: Hieroglyphicks infiead of Letters, in tca.:hing Children, or in Letters to friends; or to make Images to thnd as characters in flcad of TVord.r, and fo to ufe them even abouc hcred thit,gs. . • 1 14 , As it is lawful to ufe arbitrary Profrffiitg _fignts even about Holy thingJ, which fignifie no more tb:m. n·ord 1 , and haveby natureor cu{tome an aptuude to fuch a ufe; while it is extended no f.:mher than ro opm out ow1t mindI; fo it m:1y bt: lawful to ute fuch a charad'erifiical or hieroglyphical image t~ thlt end, when it hath the fame aplitude, but not othcrwife., As a circular figure or Ting beinP-: a hieroglyphick of pe1petuiry, and fo of confiancy, is ufed as a fignihcant proft'lfion of confhnc/)in Muriage; And fo the receiving of c_ach othns pid'urc, might be ufed. And fo in Covtnaming, or taking an 0Jtb, the profdli'n~ fign ~s.ltft to the c~fi~me of the Countrey; whether we fignifie our confent by gctlure, words) alt1on, wntmg. And as 1t 1s lawful to make an Image on a [e::~l which luth a facred tignitication, (as a fhming heart on an Ahar, a Bible) a Praying Saint, &c.) as well as to write a Religious Motto on a fe.al :, fo is it h.wful to put thii foal to a [ub[cribtd Covenant wirh N n 9 ji GoJ and his Church, orour King and Counrrcy, when we have a Lawful call to fcal fuch a Covenant. Efih.' s.'s. • Btlt ifL1w or Cufiome would make fuch a feat, to ~e the common publicJ,. badge or [ymbol of the ChT~ii:Ju ReligiM, I think it would become unlawful. A~ the C1t1citix for ought I know might thus have.been arbirraily ufcd as a fcal, or as a tranfknt 11hi!nry ProfeJfing Jign, as the Crofs was by the ancients at thC bt'ginning. If any man had fcorned mt for believing in aCrucifitd Chri;l, I know nO[ but .I might have made a Cmcitix by art, act ot g<tlurc, to tdl him that I am not albamcd of Chnfi; as well as I may tell him fo by word of T t t t t mouth.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=