in earth where our God is in Heauen Quisquám ne tam ineptus est vt putet aliquid esse in simulachro dei Lactantius de falsa rel lib. 2. Cap. 2. in quo ne hominis quidem quicquam est praeter vmbram Is any man so foolishe as to thinke that any piece of God or godlinesse is in an Image wherein there is no poynt incident into a man beside the shadowe Shall this be the armes and cognisaunce of our master in nature whereof there is nothing like him in vse whereof there is nothing but myslyketh him I doubte not but the Crosse if it had any sense or vnderstanding would bowe downe it selfe to the maker of it and not abyde the maker to doe honour to it For had not the maker bestowed some coste and workemanshippe vpon it it might well ynough haue bene locked in the copher and layde in the chimney Then what preposterous thing is this They that haue sense to set vp the senselesse the reasonable creatures to worship the vnreasonable the lyuing to fal downe before the deade the workmanshippe of God and children of his kingdome to adore a corruptible piece of earth An yll effecte of a vile occupation O curuae in terras animae coelestium inanes Persius O croked soules bente to the earth and voyde of heauenly things We rather ought to erect our hearts eyes thyther where our ende is whither we loke to go than be defixed on that which presently doth cumber vs long we shall not enioy Humi miscri volutamini as Lactantius doth say poenitet quadrupedes non esse natos De fal reli lib. 2. Cap. 2. cum deorsum quaeritis quod in sublimi quaerere debuistis Ye wretches tumble vpon the earth and séeme to be sorie that ye be not made fourefoted beasts when ye seke below that which ye ought to fynde aboue For your Crosses Crucifires your Images inuentiōs what pretext so euer they haue to commend them what colour cost so euer to garnish them yet are they but earth from thence they came and thither they will What should ye then be subiecte vnto thinges inferiour to your selues Quum vos terrae summittitis Lactantius ibidem humilioresque facitis ipsi vos vltro ad inferos mergitis ad mortemque damnatis quia nihil terra inferius humilius nisi mors inferi quae si effugere velletis subiectam pedibus vestris terram contemneretis corporis statu saluo quod iccirco rectum accepistis quo oculos atque mentem cum eo qui fecit conferre possetis Cōtēnere autē et calcare terrā nihil aliud est quā simulachra nō adorare When you submit and abase your selues vnto the earth ye throwe your selues voluntarily to hell and condemne you to death for nothing is inferiour and worse than the earth but death and hell which if ye would auoyde ye should contemne the earth that is vnder your féete preseruing the state and condition of your body which for this respecte ye haue receyued vpright that ye might resemble and compare both eyes minde with him that made them But to contemne and despise the earth is nothing else but not to worship Images which are made of earth Thus much Lactantius Nowe if Christ be so slenderly receiued of vs and all his benefites so lightly passed ouer that our memorie must be holpen and vnlesse we haue somewhat subiecte to our eyes we shall sone forget him we haue the poore we haue beside the seales of his mercie the sacramentes of his grace which when he deliuered he sayd Hoc facite in mei commemorationem 1. Cor. 11. Do this in remembraunce of me For as oft as ye eate this breade and drinke this cup sayth the Apostle ye shewe the Lords death tyll he come Wherfore let this confirme our memory that Christ thought nedefull for vs let vs not seke any further aydes than Christ expert of our infirmities hath lefte vs. If Christ and his death be duely preached to vs no force if all Crosses be cast into the fier But if preaching of Christ and hearing of his worde doe fayle vs a sory Crosse can but delite our eyes and straight corrupt our heartes The miracles that haue bene done although they may in parte wythout any shame be doubted of without any impudencie denyed yet graunted to be true must not be broughte for confirmation of a Crosse least the lyke be alleaged to make Symon Magus a Sainct In dede we reade Eusebi li. 2. cap 13. Mat. 7. that for the like effectes he had an Image in Rome set vp to him with thys inscription Simoni deo sancto To Simon the holy God But Christ also speaketh of the like which in the latter day shal come vnto hym saying Lord haue we not caste out diuels in thy name and by thy name done many great workes To whome notwithstanding Christ shal answere thys I neuer knew you depart ye from me ye workers of iniquitie Therfore your miracles if they be false be diuelish if they were true yet now are impertinent But if we should deny them as vntrue wherein we might haue good authoritie to support vs should we therfore according to your gathering denye the omnipotencye of God Fol. 111. a. as though he could not vvorke any such miracles Why we rather do aduaūce it much acknowledging that God with out such externall meanes is able to worke more effectes than these Only beware you least by ascribing to muche vnto the meane ye be ignoraunt of the ende and disgrace the author We sée by experience that vertues wroughte or so supposed to haue bene by the signe of a Crosse hath caused sensing knéeling offering and al kynde of wicked Idolatry to the Crosse And so where Christ should haue bene only praised a piece of wood is honored A good matter it is to receyue a benefite and so acknowledge it A vyle part it is to enioy the pleasure of one mans trauail bestow the thankes vpon an other yet so it falleth out among the superstitious God worketh the miracle they worship the meane So dyd the children of fornication among the Iewes of olde whose mother had played the harlot saying I wyl go after my louers Ose 2. that giue me my bread and my water my wooll and my flax myne oyle and my drinke Nor she dyd know that I sayth the Lord dyd giue hir hir corne and oyle multiplied hir golde and siluer which they bestowed vpon Baal Therefore wyl I returne and take away my corne in tyme therof and my wyne in the season thereof and wil recouer my wooll and my flax lent and discouer hir leudenesse in the sight of hir louers Whereby we haue to vnderstande that as God is the onely worker of all miracles tending to our health and preseruation so doth he accompt it an haynous fault a spirituall fornication when the glory thereof
as yours but to be felt as ours Then trouble not your self more thā ye nede We are agréed by this time Chrisostom and you I and al that a Crosse we must haue The matter is certayne but the mettal we doubt of I promise you I cānot broke the charming of Simon Magus nor hāmering of Alexander the coppersmith Wherfore ye must bring better proues than these or else ye shall be sure to fayle of your purpose If ye will haue any gayne at all run in better order least all that beholde you crye Extra oleas Ye range beyonde the boundes Ye haue fylled your chéekes wyth a great deale of vayne winde and when ye haue gaped as wyde as ye can what bring ye forth a vision of Probianus a proper lye And what conclude ye of it That in as much as neyther Angels nor men haue euer done any thing for the vveale of man vvithout the signe of the Crosse therefore no Sacraments can be made vvithout it But Angels say I haue no hāds to make such crosses as we do nor such as you do treate of Therfore instruct your Angel better when soeuer ye wil cal him to speake on your side As for your other authors what shal I say to Ye myscōster Cyprian Ye vnderstand not Augustine Chrisostom maketh nothing for you Therfore awake out of your dreame at last good morrow M. Martial Ye noted out of Cyprian that bicause he hath Operationis autoritas Folio 50. b. the authoritie of operation thervpon is groūded an authoritie cōmission frō God to make minister hys Sacraments But this was in your dreame For whosoeuer hath the vse of eyes or his right wits wil sée consider that there is meant no priest gesturing but holy ghost working Ye noted out of Augustine that in his time Churches fonts altares vvere halovved children cōfirmed c. But if ye go to halowing and confirming of our dayes compare it with that which was vsed then Euseb Li. 4. de vita Cōstantini Athanas in Apol. 2. ye shal sée no more likenesse thā is betwene chalke chéese We reade how Constantinus that liued in the same age with Augustine about .xl. yere before him halowed his church at Hierusalem He called together the fathers that were assembled at Tyrus he curteously intertayned them he royally feasted them he charitably did deale vnto the pore he liberally did endue the church What did the byshops on the other side They prayed and preached Some red their lessons of diuinitie some did reueale their secret contēplations other some did make their lerned sermons the rest did occupy thēselues in prayer for the peace of the church preseruatiō of the Emperor And although this order semeth to haue sprong à Iudaeorū encanijs of the Iewes obseruance in their dedication without cōmaūdement of God to vs therfore a Wilworship yet read we not of any magical inchantment or any such popish Pageant as Episcoporum Pontificale teacheth In Augustine his time they neded no more for hallowing of a Church but a sermō and prayers Consecration of Churches by popish order In Pontificali de consecratione Ecclesiarū in which peraduenture that I may féede your humor they made the signe of a crosse with their finger But since his time euer since popery hath had the vpper hand a great number of things else haue bene exacted by lawe thought more necessary than any of the other two As an holy water sprinckle a bucket salte water wine ashes morter tyleshardes bones baggage frankincense oyle creame searecloth cloutes xxiiij crosses xxiiij candels These toles to worke withall being in a readinesse the byshop coms for none can do the feate but he and first he coniures water and salt Vt sit omnibus sumentibus salus mentis corporis quicquid ex eo tactum vel respersum fuerit careat omni immunditia omnique impugnatione spiritualis nequitia That to al the receyuers it may become health of minde and body that whatsoeuer be touched or sprinckled therew t may lack al vncleannesse al assault of spiritual wickednesse That diuels diseases corruptions of ayres infections of bodies what soeuer may be preiudicial to health and welfare may quite be voyded whersoeuer any drop of this water falleth A soueraine medicine not only sufficiēt to discredit physick but also to decay priests occupation Wherein I maruel at their discretions right prouident otherwise for the purse that by auaūcing one thing of lesse importance they would derogate authority frō the moe helpes to hel so many holesome suffrages so many saincts intercessions so many meritorious and deuout Masses that I speake nothing of the bloud of Christ which among the rable of Romish heretiques is a thing of a thousand least accompted of But what shal I stād in serching their absurdities in whose life doctrine ther is nothing els but diuelish absurd Thus when the sorcerer hath made his first charm he goeth thrise about the church casting of holy water on the stone walles Fyrst lowe then hye then hyest of all and at euery time knocketh at the Church dore with a Crosse in his hand saying Tollite portas Principes vestras Psal 23. which words as they translate them be Ye Princes lift vp your gates Wheras Dauid saith Tollite portae capita vestra Ye gates lift vp your heads But a smal matter to falsefie the Prophet whō they neuer truely vnderstode yet As for this text is a shipmans hose with thē Sometyme they apply it to Christ going downe to hell sometyme to magistrates to make a way open to Christ sometime also to Salomons temple Well when thus in a mockerie M. byshop hath knockt twise twise gone solēnly about the Church with as much deuotion as a horse at the third time the great dore openeth for he shut in one before of purpose to opē it when hys quew came Then setteth he vp a Crosse in the midst of the church and maketh another charme saying that the piece of wood which he calleth the Crosse of Christ may be a stay defence for al suppliants there that that piece of wood may triumph there and for euermore Then must the ashes be throwen into the Church O horrible witchcraft and the byshop must wryte with his Crosier his A.b.c. in Gréeke vpon the ground After this a confection is made of salt wine and ashes such a drug as I would wysh no worse for my Lords own holinesse when so euer his queysie stomacke doth lothe better nouriture of the word of God for doubtlesse it is restoritie to such Sée what he sayth to it Vt vinum cum aqua cinere mixtū armatū caelestis defensione virtutis c. That wine mixed with water and ashes may be armed with defence of heauenly vertue Then Oyle and Creame is put into the holy water Sure that is a purgatiue and a strong one belyke
Where is that bodyly shape which hath the spituall fruite Hath Contrition Confession or Satisfaction a bodye Be these subiecte to the eye as breade wine and water are Be they not vertues proceding from the minde or things vttered by the mouth and wil you make them to be things sensible as boyes and girles brought out in a pageant Wherefore your sacrament is cut of by the waste Make as good shift with the words as you can your visible and bodyly signe is gone Vnitie in Papistes doctrine And I maruell howe ye dare so precisely speake of your Sacrament of Penaunce affirming the externall acte to be the visible signe of release of sinne the inuisible grace where as your master of the sentence Lib. 4. Sent. Dis 22. ca. 2. is put to his shiftes in this case and putting two opinions determineth vpon none Whether the outwarde act should be the Sacrament or els the outward and inwarde together As for the outwarde which you do rest vpon he feareth to graunt lest this inconuenience ensue Non omne sacramentuÌ„ euaÌ„gelicum efficere quod figurat that al the sacraments of the gospell haue not the effect of that which they figure But who is so bold as blinde bayard Hitherto haue I spoken not so much as I might to derogation of your diuels doctrine but so much as your ignoraunce and ouersight doth cause me of conscience to put you in minde of For the rest Folio 69. b. ye referre me to the boke of the seauen sacramentes set forth by the late King of famous memorie Henry the .viij. And bicause this is but a popish deuise whoso euer defend it I referre you to the same boke to knowe what ye ought to thinke of the Pope Now as for Extreme vnction Extreme vnction which you say was prouided of Gods mercy and goodnesse that in the last and perillous extremitie we should not be destitute of ayde comforte In dede God neuer forsaketh his he hath lefte hys promises to heale the mindes infirmities and vse of physick for diseases of the body But that oyle can enter into the soule or is so soueraine a medicine for the fleshe resteth to be proued Folio 70. a. Mark 6. The Apostles annoynted vvith Oyle many sicke folkes and they vvere healed The priests annoynt euery sicke body and none of them is the better The Apostles were coÌ„maunded to cast out diuels to cure diseases to cleanse the lepres and to rayse the deade the priests neuer had any such commission The Apostles signified by their annoynting the vertue and power of the holy ghost by which the cure was wrought The priestes wyth their oyle mocke the holy ghost and make the body but greasier for the graue If euery example that we reade in scripture shall be followed of vs If euery thing that was a signe to other shal be a sacrament to vs then dust and spittle shal be a sacrament to heale sore eyes Then the poole of Siloah Ioan. 9. shall be a Sacrament to washe away the filth Then lying on the deade Act. 20. shall be a sacrament to rayse them vp to lyfe Wherefore though anoynting were in the primitiue Church vsed and the same was a signe of grace conferred yet can not this president extende to vs bycause the commaundement concerneth vs not and also the effecte and end thereof is ceassed Ye haue a common prouerbe in your lawe Accessorium si qui naturam principalis that the accessory thing doth follow the nature of the principall Anoynting vvas a signe of healing Wherefore since the principal is gone the working of miracles and healing of the sicke what shall we doe with the accessorie the signe thereof and outwarde annoynting Ye vrge vehemently the institution of God by his Apostle S. Iames but the Apostle meant not preposterously to draw to imitation that which was temporall and onely touched the present state When the doctrine of Christ was rawe in the peoples mouthes and a newe Church beganne to be gathered miracles were necessary many gyftes were graunted and amongst the reste Anoynting no cause of health the power of healing the ministers wherof vsed their oyle not as a cause of health but as a signe that the vertue proceded from aboue and they were but instruments of the same Nowe since the gyfte of healing is gone as I am sure ye wil confesse to what purpose is it to vse the oyle If ye wyll therein be the Apostles successours If ye wyll followe Sainct Iames his counsell saue the sycke and you can shewe the grace of your grease Anoynting must ceasse bycause the gift of healing ceasseth The greasy merchaunts that take this cure nowe a dayes in hande be no more exhibiters of the grace then graunted than the player on the stage is a King in déede when he â—â—mmeth dysguised in a golden coate Christ dyspensed many things by his Apostles the effecte whereof he denyeth vnto vs. And anoynting better might be vsed of such as haue the power of healing Surgians or Physitians than of such as haue no skyll but onely in murdering and in kylling Here I rehearse not the contradiction that in your ydle decrées I finde Contradiction in Papistes doctrine and is only sufficient to dysproue your assertion For whylest eche man goeth aboute to establishe hys owne deuise and eche man is contrary to another ye shewe therein that ye be lyers all You say that Priestes onely must be the ministers of this Sacramente Priestes muste be called for Foli 70. a. b. Priestes must anoynte But Innocentius a father of your Church hath long agoe decréed the contrary Anno DoÌ„i 404. For Sigebertus in hys Chronicle affyrmeth that he made an Acte Oleo ad vsus infirmorum ab Episcopo consecrato licere vti non solum presbyteris sed omnibus etiam christianis in suam suorumque necessitatem vngeÌ„do That it shoulde be lawefull not onely for the Priestes but also for all Christians to vse the oyle consecrated of the Byshoppe for the behoufe of the sycke anoynting therewyth according to the necessitie of themselues and their friendes But ye alleage Sainct Iames Iames. 5. for you Is there any sycke among you let hym bring in the Priestes of the Church for so ye translate it and let them pray ouer hym anoynting hym vvyth Oyle in the name of oure Lorde Ye abhorre the name of the Lorde for by Stories position Hovv the Papists in all poynts svvarne from S. Iames his order that is the marke of an heretique and yet all Prophetes and Apostles vse it Then it followeth The prayer of fayth shall saue the sycke and if he be in synnes they shall be forgyuen hym Nowe if a man shoulde graunte which I haue proued to be moste vntrue that the annoynting here spoken of agréed to thys age yet had ye furthered your cause nothing in asmuch as so shamefully ye doe decline from the Apostles
worde it was that he charged them wythall that was the treasure that being well bestowed Ioan. 4. Apoc. 22. Ioan. 6. Cantic 8. Psalm 119. Sap. 18. Naum. 2. Math. 16. 1. Cor. 10. Apoca. 15. should bring infinite pleasures with it For his worde is the lyuely water wherby the heates of our lusts are quenched the breade of lyfe to féede our hungry soules the pleasaunte wyne to cheare and make vs merry the lanterne to guide our steppes the sworde that ouerthroweth the enimies of the truth the fyrie shielde to defende vs agaynst our aduersaries the sure rocke wherevppon to builde the touch stone to try out doctrines what spirits are of God the key to open shut heauen gates the swete tuned instrumēt to passe away the tediousnesse of this our exile the medicine for all dyseases the ioy the iewell the only reliques of Christ departed hence which if we minde to knowe his will as it becommeth obedient children if we do loke to be heires with him as all men do make a rekening of then must we seke obserue and haue alwayes in reuerence For hence is the perfecte knowledge of all truth onely to be had and all other blessednesse in as ample wise as if that Christ were before our eyes ready to perfourme and pronounce the things Wherefore sith the Scripture is worthyed of these titles and none of them can iustly be applyed to the Crosse sith the worde is the ordinary and only meane that God now vseth for instruction of his the Crosse is a scholemaster of error and impietie let no man pleade ignorance for his excuse which may wel be increased but refourmed neuer by a beggerly boke of woode or stone As for the other percell of your aunswere that bycause all men can not so conuenientlie at all times heare a good preacher Folio 117. a. as they may see the signe of the Crosse therefore the Crosse must be had beside preaching I may tourne the argument on your owne heade that the more generall the matter is and more easily come by being in it selfe vnlawfull the more seriously it ought to be reproued the more iustly condemned For whereas Images doe but infecte the hearte are occasions of fall and nothing else it is a perillous matter the poyson to be more generall than the medicine the remedy to be harder than the offence to come by Bonum quo communius eo prastantius sayth Aristotle A good thing the more common it be the better it is The more vve may see a crosse the vvorse But a mischiefe the more it spreadeth the more it anoyeth And of all mischief an Image most For Images Crosses Crucifixes are euery mannes ware A good preacher is scarcely to be founde in a countrey Images continually doe preach Idolatry the preacher can not alwayes open his mouth against it Images are likely to seduce a multitude all men of nature being prone to Idolatry The preacher is able to persuade but a fewe fewe men inclined to credit sounde doctrine Wherfore the doctrine of a good preacher a gay puppet set vp in the church being direct contrary the lesse we may heare the preacher the more we may sée the puppet the lesse is our comforte in Christ our Lorde the more doe we stande in the Diuels daunger As for affectiō to be stirred by Imagery Leude affections stirred by Imagery I graūt they may be some but not such as they ought For impossible it is as in the preface is declared an Image to come in place of Gods seruice not allure to a wicked worship Experiēce hath taught vs examples doe proue the princes for their pleasure erecting Images haue bred the vile affection of Idolatry The booke of Wisedome is most euident therin Then if the picture of a liuing mā a mortall creature be of such force to crooke the soule what shall we thinke of Images of them that are reputed saincts of the Image of Christ our God and sauiour Luc. 10. Act. 14. Gala. 3. Whose names be written in the booke of lyfe they care not for their faces to be paynted on a post They that aliue abhorred any worship wyll not being dead prouoke so great offence Christ the as God wil be honored in truth must not to the world be set forth with a lye nec qui spiritu coeperūt carne consumādi nor they that began in the spirite must be made perfite in the fleshe The heathē the beleued not immortalitie of soule were altogither vainglorious and proude had a pleasure to haue their Images set vp their childrē reioyced in their parents folly but this must not be taken as president for vs Christians For they had no other rewarde of well deseruing we looke for an other maner of crowne of glorye 2. Tim. 4. 1. Petr. 5. which is layde vp in store for vs against a better daye They had no lawes to forbid such coūterfets yea the law it selfe to excite men to vertue decréed Statuas in foro Images in the market place Deu. 4.5.7 1. Ioh. 5. Car. Mag. Li. 3. ca. 15. We haue law inough from the maiestie of God to condemne Images in place of prayer Wherfore I may say with the good fathers of Franckeforde Si homines mortales proteruia vanitatis inflati c. If mortal men puffed vp with frowardnesse of their owne vanitie proude of worldly pompe bragging ambitious bicause they coulde not be in all places would be magnified in some place bicause they loked for no heauēly profit would therfore haue an earthly prayse Shal thys inforce vs to make a picture of our God who is in euery place can be contained in no place whose seate the heauens are whose fotestole is the earth who is wonderfull in all places can with the eye be discerned in no place Where hys vertue is so great hys glory so excellent hys myght so vnmeasurable he is not with coloures to be portrayed to be séen in temples made with mans hande to be honored or knowen in a beggerly picture but to be set forth in hys worthy workes soughte for in the heauens worshipped in heart the Prophet saying Adorate dominum in atrio sancto eius Psal 28. Ioh. 4. Worship the Lord in his holy Sanctuary And the Euangelist Deus spiritus est qui adorat deum in spiritu veritate oportet adorare God is a spirit and they that worship God must worship hym in spirite in truth Thus haue I proued that our affections to God warde nether ought nor cā be styrred vp by the vaine painters or caruers craft howsoeuer mens fansies are delited with them Yet to consider your own histories Whē Alexander the great was faire and finely painted Iulius Cesar beholding him was made more ambitious and he that otherwyse could haue bene contented with hys own estate was throughe a picture made a plague of the world Scipio the Aphricane by loking on hys