himself He begins his Book with the Roman Idolatry and he does wisely in it For Idolatry is such a terrible thundering charge that in all Readers judgments that Church is half condemned already which hath that crime so much as laid upon it Men therefore choose rather to be accounted Atheists than Idolaters For the first argues wit the other stupidity Nor will one man of a hundred trouble himself to read over a book written on any purpose of clearing from that enormous crime either himself or religion professed by the Author of it Be the imputation never so false yet is it still a blasting imputation which kills and overthrows not so much by proving as by naming it He must needs be impious who is an Idolater and he must be an Idolater who is called so Be it never so unjust it is still a witty trick to cry out against him as an Idolater whose honour and livelihood we would here in England undermine Sad experience has proved this to be true too too often And the Great God of Heavens anger lyes I fear heavily upon us for it This thus far Now forward IMAGE-IDOLATRY The Church of Rome worships God by Images and is therefore guilty of Idolatry by giving to the Creature the worship due only to the Creator For God having forbidden any such sort of worshiping him by his own law and commandments given by Moses wherein he forbids his people to make any kind of image pesel themunah eikon glypton sculptile any thing represented either by carving toole or pensil caâ—â— not own that worship nor can any such worshâ—â— terminate upon God And the reason of thâ—â— law of Moses is unchangeable which is thâ—â— God's infinite and incomprehensible Deity cannâ—â— be represented For which reason the wisest 〈◊〉 Heathen both particular men and Natioâ—â— judged all such representations of the invisiâ—â— Godhead to be incongruous and unbecoming his glory And if this were inconsistent with Gods nature and will in the old Law much more in the new where we are taught to worship God in spirit and truth and to have no low unworthy thought of God It might therefore seem more rational to worship God in the Sun and Moon which have more of God in them and to say our prayers to the Sun and Moon then to any image or shadow the same argument which excuses the one will justifie the other much more For this reason St. Paul teaches that the Godhead is not like to gold or silver or stone and blames those who change the glory of the incorruptible God into the image of corruptible man And the Heathens in doing this did ill although the wiser sort among them testifie that they did not hold their statues to be Gods but that they worshipped God in them And yet some antient Fathers disputed notwithstanding against that heathen practice and counted it idolatry Wherefore Germanus Patriark of Constantinople sayes expresly that Christians make no representation of the invisible Deity and Damascene that it is madness to go about it Wherefore the Synode of Constantinople and that of Frankford pleaded hard against the making of any images amongst Christians however the second Council of Nice vainly went about to defend them as innocent and useful helps Finally Moses himself explicates by his deeds the meaning of his own Law when he was so highly displeased with Aaron for the golden Calf he had made the people in his absence And yet Aaron did not make it to bring the people into heathen idolatry but to give them only a Symbole of the Angel who was to go before the people As also the two calves set up by Jeroboam in Dan and Bethel were set up only to keep the people from going up to Jerusalem and not to bring them to the idolatry of heathens And therefore Primitive Christians never used any images as the learned of the Church of Rome acknowledge § 1. This is the sum of the Doctors Discourse in this his first Chapter And he cannot but expect his Reader should have a mighty conceit of either his most high or most deep Divinity who hath converst so much with the learned fort of the Church of Rome the graver sort of Philosophers and wiser sort of Heathens Nothing does he here deliver that was so much as thought of by the common sort the vulgar sort the ordinary sort of Mankind And O what pleasure and content of heart will it be unto him if he could meet with an adversary of his learned sort too who viewing his airy subtilties should oppose him seriously as if he were serious himself and then distinguish as if he were dealing with some solid Divine and then ply him with proofs and testimonies refell him by shorter enthymems and longer syllogismes subtilly search in what Mood and figure he speaks and then tell him how his consequence flaggs or antecedent is ambiguous till he have learendly consumed a hundred pages in refutation of a trifle Then surely will the Doctor be judged by all parties to be as he would be thought to be an able man § 2. The Catholick Chruch uses indeed both in their publick and private oratories some pious representations of our holy Lord either in his passion or birth resurrection or ascention or miraculous working of some divine miracle And these holy figures of his are accompanied commonly with some others of his blessed Virgin Mother the renowned Apostles valorous Martyrs holy Confessors chast Virgins or other happy followers of our Lord who through many tribulations and a constant exercise of Christian vertues have passed hence to a blessed life All which do mightily avail unto our retiredness and recollection when we enter into the house of prayer a holy place separated and sanctified for Gods service from our own houses or the streets And the respect or esteem we have for such figures is nothing but what we bear either unto the sacred histories recorded of the same persons or to those good rules of life and promises of Gospel which those Worthies have imbraced for the incouragement and imitation of us who are now strugling in that wicked world which they overcame before us For example as we reverence the history of Christs incarnation sounding in our ear so do we look upon the figure of it represented to our eye As we love the story of St. Mary Magdalens conversion so do we like her picture As we honour St. Pauls life and martyrdome so do we respect his image And St. Lawrences most cruel passion upon the hot burning Gridiron when it is represented to us in a picture we are in the self same manner affected towards it as we are to the invincible vertue and patience there shown for the Love and honour of Jesus our Lord whose steps he followed So that what authentick history records to us in words of the vertue and valour of any of our Christian Ancestors or what holy Gospel tells us of the glory and crown to be
Ashtaroth the idol of the Philistins Nay a very cow or calf in the meadows if we take occasion by it to thank God for his benefits or to worship God by it is the same thing then as Aarons Moulten heifer or Jeroboams calves set up in Dan and Bethel And as it is for substance so for the figures of things St. Pauls picture so long as we do not think of God by it is a lawful picture But if we come once to think of God to worship God by it O then that is a Calf too Aarons Calf one of Jeroboams Calves c. This thinking of God this worshipping of God by any thing this is the pestilential blast that spoils all It turns sweet into bitter lawful into unlawful things innocent into sin and good things to death The representation of our blessed Lord crucified for us so long as we think not of him may pass for a good innocent or at least indifferent thing but if we once think seriously of him if we worship God by it then O Mr. Stillingfleet what is it then And yet answer me not For I will not have those blasphemous words here repeated Speak them to a Jew in order to Jesus Christ and he will embrace and love you But a Christian cannot endure to hear them § 5. Papists saith he worship God by images and so are guilty of idolatry Catholicks may hear this but can never understand what he means They are never taught in any of their Catechisms to worship God by Images None of their spiritual books wherein all religious Duties are importunately urged and pressed upon them ever mention it and their practice does not infer it For if it did they would easiliest understand it who best know what themselves do They are taught and do in their practice endeavour to worship God in their heart and soul and ardent affections streaming forth thence towards him They worship him with bended knees lips and voice hearts and eyes lâ—fted up unto him They worship him with the assistance of Gods good Spirit the Priests Sacrifice and help of mutual prayers They worship him by mortifying their sensuality and carnal appetites by giving alms and relieving the poor and needy for his Love by observing his Laws and Counsels by resigning to his good will and pleasure in all things especially in time of afflicting persecutions when they suffer all manner of reproach lies and calumnies loss of goods and sometimes life it self for his name sake patiently They worship him in Closets in Church-assemblies in the fields as they are walling on Land or Sea where they have opportunity to do it Thus doth their religion teach them to worship God as with the right causes and instruments as by the true effects and operations as in the times and places seasonable for worship and devotion But how they should worship God by images or as he speaketh oftner in the context of his discourse in images this they do not easily understand When he lays any thing to Catholicks charge he ought to speak I should think as Catholicks do and then he will be understood by them It is not to be conceived how any one can worship God by images and in images but either for the real presence there or ideal imitation or some sort of occasion of worship arising thence And so God must be worshipped by them and in them either presentially ideally or occasionally And it cannot be presentially For so God is no otherwise present in a picture than in the wall it hangs upon nor yet ideally for the picture for example of St. Mary Magdalen or St. Paul is no idea of that invisible and glorious Godhead nor yet is any other as the Crucifix for example or Christ our Lord in his Birth or Resurrection for all these figures are representations of his humanity and no idea's of his Deity at all And Mr. Stillingfleet must needs mean one of these two ways For otherwise he could not charge them with idolatry for it And therefore I say that his charge is false and slanderous But if he mean that they worship God by images and in their images occasionally which is a moral interpretation and the only true one Then is such a work so far from Idolatry that it is a sublime piety For what can they better do then to give God thanks for so great graces mercies helps and comforts bestowed in Jesus our Lord upon his Apostles Martyrs Confessors and Virgins when they look upon their figures and pictures either in their contemplations or patience of Martyrdome or conversion of the world subduing and bringing flesh Satan and the world under their feet especially if Catholicks conceive thereby some pious resolution as well they may of doing something the more and patiently suffering for God in imitation of those pious Heroes our Predecessours in religion and yet naturally but flesh and blood as we our selves are I say all this is signal piety and our Christian duty And according to this morall meaning Catholicks if they do worship God by their imâ—ges and in their images do well and like good Christians But the Doctor will not charge them I suppose with a matter of so much truth and great piety as this is although his words cannot make out any other sence that is true but only this morall one And the more logical sence of worshipping God by images and in images ideally or presentially is false Let him even take which sence he pleases either what justifies Catholicks or what salsifies his own assertion It is all one to me whether we stand or he fall § 6. He adds that the worship of God by images does not terminate upon God because God has forbid it and so gives Gods honour to the Creature This is strange gibberish An act that tends to nothing is no act If it be some act it tends and has already tended to something and it terminates upon that thing unto which it tends and whose act it is denominated This is clear enough even to a young sophomore or one who indeed never yet came into the aire of Philosophy if he do but understand the terms and words here used For example I cannot see a man in the street except my vision terminate upon him nor can my vision terminate upon him but I must see him And it is all one whether I see him close by me or by my window or in a looking glass at home For I cannot see him any way but my sight must terminate upon him and if it do not I see him not And this course of nature is not hindred not yet altered at all because that person may haply have forbidden me to look upon him either this way or that For our acts or actions are accomplished within our selves independently of any acceptance or disacceptance of them Acceptance or disacceptance commanding or forbidding is another thing extrinsecal and quite differing from the substance of the act or action
rendred unto the good works of sobriety charity chastity purity patience and the like the same is without words painted unto us by these compendious hieroglyphicks serving more speedily then words can do to fasten us unto a strict recollection in our prayers by one short glance about us and to a fea◠and awfulness of Gods presence in that place where we are met together for his Service accompanied with the figures of so many of our pious Ancestours who are gone to Heaven before us and also to a dissipation of any worldly thoughts that may as they are apt enough to do at that time come along with us there unto our hinderance All this benefit we have by our Pictures when we have haply no book to look upon or know not by our ignorance to read or cannot by darkness or other lettance attend unto that labour And this is all the whole business of Images as to Religion In the Road of Philosophy trodden by School-Divines where thousands of conclusions over and above faith are advanced and opposed by one another unto the sharpning of their wits many things are said about every thing as the creation resurrection and thè like which faith in the same things is silent of Nor are we in our defence of faith concerned at all in them And it may be essily discerned by our Catholick practice what use we make of our Images when of a hundred people entring into a Church not one of them ever casts his eye wistly upon them but contented with a general glance compose themselves presently unto their prayers and meditations they keep silently in spirit towards God And when our pictures are so sullied and spoiled that they will no more serve our use we put them into the fire as we would do also a page of sacred Scriptures utterly obliterated and fouled § 3. Indeed all the whole business of the use of Images at all is but a matter of discipline and government for the help of people in the great work of recollection and prayer as is the use of Churches and the musick used in them with the harp viol and other instruments the use of beads and prayer-books All which our Religion could spare and yet be not at all impaired as to any its essential or substantial parts Nay there inconveniences in any one of these things Nor do I know any good thing in this world without some inconvenience or other It is enough for us that the conveniences and benefits of any good we have or use are more and greater than the inconveniences be Many worthy Prelates in Christianity have at times excepted very strongly against Organs as some hindrance of the great work of spiritual contemplation which Christian people meet to practice together in their holy assemblies the great paramount work of Christianity especially at Mass But these men although moved unto that their exception by a Zeal not evil yet were they fain to yield at last unto the prevailing reasons of other Prelates which overbore their lesser ones Some other of our Catholick Doctors and Prelates would have had us to have used no pictures that Jews and Pagans might not catch at that pretence to cavil against our Christianity as they did But all these submitted at last unto the prevailing part by whom they were made to understand that the inconveniences they urged were but imaginary and small the conveniences great and real There have been not a few who have excepted against much vocal prayer because it took up too much of the time which would be better employed in the more principal work of prayer in spirit But yet could they not carry it although their reasons were very plausible aad good because that high and Angelical prayer in spirit agreed not equally to all men or to any one consisting of flesh and blood equally at all times and places as vocal prayer does Some have disliked even our material Temples built up so sumptuously as they are because God immense and incomprehensible dwells not in buildings made by mans hands Heaven is his Seat and Earth his Footstool Yet could they not obtain that our Churches should be therefore pulled down or not built up Prayer-books were nothing at all in use amongst Christians in primitive times when they prayed almost altogether in spirit and used no other vocal prayer but that our Lord taught us And yet this hinders us not either to make such books or use them in following times Instead of our beads in wood or mettal they used in ancient times a bag of little stones by the emptying whereof they knew that they had said over our Lords prayer a hundred or perhaps three hundred times according as any one in his devotion had prefixed to himself every day of his life to do for Gods glory and service And there might be inconveniences pretended against our present beads especially those of gold and pearl But they will not be thrown away for that Our Church-musick has been more than once opposed and that by Prelates most holy and renowned men who deemed it an unsufferable lettance to the spiritual recollection which Christians ought above all things to attend unto that they may have our Lords good Spirit and his holy operations in them especially when they meet together at their holy Synaxis But Church-musick is kept up to this day notwithstanding their reason against it which is very good for other reasons no. less good and great than it specified and urged by the far greater number of pious Prelates for it And yet if all or the greater part of Catholick Prelates meeting together should take away all these outward helps from us beads and books singing and Church-musick pictures and Churches and all finding the inconveniences to be now greater than they have been and weightier than any convenience we have by them though the thing would seem very strange to us yet ought we I think to obey them resignedly and attend wholly unto our spiritual mediations either alone or in our Eucharistian meetings and to the other good works commanded or counselled us in Gospel in expectation of our future bliss and eternal happiness in God which can never be taken from us though all things of discipline or helps in government be alterable § 4. And now it is time to turn back and view the subject of this Chapter that we may see if any one period in it be true and pertinent He tells us first that Papists worship God by Images which logically is not true Then that a representation of the invisible Deity cannot be made which is impertinent Then that the worship given to God by an image does not terminate upon God which is neither pertinent nor true And so he proceeds on to the very end of his Chapter with sounds either empty or false or both neither heeding or caring what he says so he do but mention learned papists and wiser heathens which may help to butterress up his