T. p. 362.

1206.

Nicen. 2d.

P. 147.

TH

CHA P. II.

Concerning Images and the Worship of Saints.

HE Synod at last amongst other Things comes to the use of Images, and though they have taken in a great many of the Latins Scholaftical Diftinctions and Evafions, yet they came not up to the very heighth of the Roman Doctrine in this Point, nor have fully justified their prefent Practice, as I shall now endeavor to explain. But first, I think it requifite to premite a Notion or two, which I humbly conceive may appear pretty plain and obvious to every Reader.

Every Animal feem to have fome inward Affections and Paffions as well as we; as Anger, Fear, Love, Hatred, Joy or Complacency, Sorrow, Uneafinefs, Pleafure, Difguft, and the like; and thefe inward Sentiments are commonly accompanied, or fhew'd and discovered in us all, by fome outward Signs and Tokens, or Actions peculiar and proper to them. Thus Dogs fhew their Joy when they fee or find their Mafter whom they had loft, and exprefs their defire when they paw any one for a piece of Bread; and (with Permiffion of the feverer Criticks) I must say that I am apt to fancy that auve, which is rendred in general to worship, was derived, and T8 xus, from the Acharn. 4. Greek Name of a Dog, and fignified originally, to fawn, and cringe or crouch like a Spaniel; There is a fhrew'd hint of this in Ariftophanes, where one Ironically Saluting, and feemingly Pitying another in Mitery, is asked, Tí us nuvas; why do you give me fuch smooth Words; the word as is explain'd by σaivers, why do you fawn on me like a Dog wagging his Tail. From σαίνεις, thence I am apt to think, that it was afterwards used to exprefs civil Saluting or Complementing one another amongst Men. From the Action of Dogs faluting anorher; for the Fathers in a whole Synod, tell us that xure Tŷ apxala ἑλλαδική Διαλέκτῳ, in the old Greek Dialect fignified no more then, τὸ ἀστά T.7. p. 581. c. (today y To E, to falute and to kifs; and Habertus feems to favour my Archieratic. Etymology, poxer, eft inftar canum, The Greek word to worship, is to court like Dogs, by crouching, and cringing on the Ground. He allows the Eastern Worship to be like the fawning of Dogs; but he feems to derive the word from xúc, to kifs, as Dogs kifs their Masters Hands and Feet. Hence the word wegnuwe might very well in like manner at first be used for outward Civility, and the common Signs or Marks of Refpect and Friendship, and duc Behaviour betwixt Man and Man; which many times, notwithstanding, is but hypocritical and deceitful. Thus amongst all the outragious Affronts and Mar. 15. 19. barbarous Treatments of the Innocent Jefus; it is faid, that the infulting Jews, TEJÉNTES Tà jóvala @egoexúver aut, bending their Knees did worship him; that is, made him a Mock King by fhewing that outward Reverence to him, which is commonly used to fuch a Perfon. Thus many other words of a very low and mean Importance in their Original Signification, have been afterwards raised to a very high Degree. I will inftance but in one Example; λargea, which at first fignified any the meaneft Servitude; was afterwards ufed for Religious Worship to God Himself; and is now put by the Latins for the highest Degree of it which can be given to him. But let the Criticks decide thefe Matters as they pleafe, all that I thall note here is this. That Words and Actions which at firft fignified only civil Refpect and various Affections of Men towards Men, were afterwards apply'd and used to exprefs Religious Devotion and Worship towards God, as will farther appear in the following Difcourfe.

Some of these our outward Notices are, x i'v, not abfolutely in our Power, for thus our very Countenance in defpite of us will often declare the inward Thoughts and Affections of our Mind. Most of our outward Actions are indeed in our Power; many that are natural may be feign'd and counterfeit,

feit, as Laughing, Crying, Sighing, Groaning, and fuch others of them. Now. T. p. 362. though Efteem, Honour, Reverence, Refpect, Love, Obedience, Submission, asking Pardon, and fuch other Offices from Man to Man, are in their true and real Natures purely Actions of the Mind; yet they are all ufually exprest by fome outward Behavior or Ceremonies; whereof fome are as it were dictated by Nature it felf; (as a loving Mother kiffing her Child, feems to me as natural a sign of tender Regard, as an Ewe licking her Lamb,) others have arose from various Occafions, and fo at last grew into common Custom and Fashion. Thus bowing Down, bending the Body, bowing the Knee; so pulling off the Hat with us Western People; Bidding Good Morning, Good Day, Good Evening, Taking by the Hand, Saying, your humble Servant; fo in Turkey and all over the Eaft, Clapping the right Hand on the left Breast, and inclining the Head and faying, Salomalekium, God's peace be to you, (which I believe, as many other things, were taken from the Jews,) Thefe, 1 Sam. 25.6. I fay, and many fuch like Actions are Tokens of Friendship, Civil Respect, 2 Reg. 9. 17, and Courtesy betwixt Man and Man; But then Kiffing the Hand, Kiffing the 18. 19. Luk. Feet, and (as in Turkey and elsewhere in the Eaft,) bowing and kiffing, the Joh. 20. 19. Hem of the Veft, or Garment, (And I fancy our Fashion in the Weft off. Steph. vakiffling or offering to kifs our own Hand, when we bow down to falute one lentin. & Ananother, is only an Imperfect Mimicking of that Eastern Cuftom) fo Laying holdton. Mazaron. de ofculo ped. on or Embracing the Knees and Feet; Kneeling and Proftration, or cafting R. Pontif. ones felf flat on the Ground; These and the like Performances to Kings, Princes, Mat. 28. 9. Joh. 20. 17. Potentates or Perfons of Quality, are outward Teftimonies of Relpect, pro T. p. 363. found Reverence and Honour, and perfect Refignation of ones Self to the Will and Pleasure, or Difpofal of the Perfon to whom they are made.

18.

10. 5.C 24. 36.

26.

Now though the chief Thing, which God requires of us, is fully contain'd in that short but most remarkable Command, My Son give me thy Heart ; Prov. 23.26. yet in all our Addreffes to Him we are naturally inclined, as well as by him Commanded, to exprefs our inward Devotions towards him, by the outward Ifai. 45. 23. Behaviour and various Gestures of our Bodies: All which we do, ȧvGpw 70 7аIãs, Pf. 95. 6. after the Manner and Fashion of Men. Hence Bowing, Kneeling, Falling flat upon our Face; Lifting up our Hands and Eyes; and the like, by which we used to fhew our various Refpect, Humility, Dependance, Submiffion, Acknowledgment of Favours, Confeffing of Offences, and the rest of our outward Tokens, of our Affections towards one another as Men, are tranflated and apply'd to the Service of God. By thefe we acknowledge him to be the only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. 1 Tim. 6. 15. The only Giver of every good and every perfect Gift; The Lord, the Lord Jac. 1. 17. God merciful and gracious, who is long Suffering, but will by no means clear the Guilty; the dreadful fudge of Quick and Dead. Thus from that, Tim. 4. 1. Compliment which I have mention'd of kiffing our own Hand, instead of kiffing the Hem of the Garment of a great Man whom we would Honour, hath that Idolatry of worshipping the Sun and Moon arofe (to which Job alludes) by c.31. 26, 27. kiffing the Hand.

Exod. 34.6.7.

But between our Refpect and Obfervance towards Man, whom we have 1 Joh. 4. 20. feen; and That towards God, whom we have not feen; There is this vast, weighty, and most confiderable Difference. In our Behaviour towards Man, we have naturally in our Mind and Imagination a corporeal and fenfible Idea or Representation of him, which goes infeparably along with it; but in that towards the Invisible God, our Idea or Thought of Him is, and ought to be, purely Spiritual and Intellectual; abstracted from all fenfible Conceits whatfoever. You faw no fimilitude of Me, faith God; Therefore take good heed Deut. 4. 12, left ye corrupt your felves, and make any likeness, ( Temunah) For Exod. 20. 4. the Lord thy God is a confuming Fire, even a jealous God; To whom then Deut. 4.23. will ye liken me? There have been Men who firft rafhly afferted, That some are fo dull and ftupid as they cannot conceive a God to be without a Body, and therefore, fay they, fome Image or Picture of him, for fuch as thefe, X x

15

15, 16, 23, 24.

Ifa. 40. 18, 24.

T. p. 363, is absolutely neceffary. But I must ask the Favourers of this Opinion, what they think of the Poor, Illiterate, Vulgar amongst the Jews, the Turks, and all the Mahometans. All thefe Believe and Worfhip the fame true God, the Father, as well as we; and are fo far from framing any bodily Conceit of Him, as they Abhor and Abominate both Latins and Greeks upon that very Score. Though no Man can frame an adequare Thought of God's Effence, or can find any Speech or Words which are able perfectly to exprefs his Greatness; yet I dare fay the meaneft and moft ignorant Proteftant who owns and worships Him, will tell you, That he is a Spirit, and by his Actions he will fhew that in his Mind he fears a Being, to which he Prays, and on whom he Relies, without framing any bodily Shape or fenfible Similitude of Him there.

Pf. 55. 21.

Mat. 6. 2,5,16.

How this primitive and glorious Truth hath been obfcured and abused, or perverted, will fully appear by and by. I fhall now only note the most abominable Diffimulation and Hypocrify, which I fear too too often is practifed in this outward Respect both towards God and towards Men. As Men may falute each other with wonderful Ceremony and outward Expreffion of Love and Friendship, Loyalty and Obedience; when they with one another, or their Superiors, Dead; according to the Pfalmift, Their Words may be smoother then Butter and fofter then Oyl, when War and drawn Swords are in their Hearts; fo we know Men may, and without doubt often do, Bow, Kneel, turn up their Eyes, disfigure their Faces and put on a fad Countenance, nay, proftrate themselves and kifs the very Ground, perhaps in Affemblies or in the Streets, only to be seen and have Glory of Men; To have the Character of Devotions amongst the Latins, or godly Men amongst us; that is, Men holier then their Neighbours; And truly, I think it is as much mocking of God for carelefs Men to pull off their Hat coming into a Church; or, to hold it before their Face, (meerly as a common Custom and Fashion) without having the leaft Thought of God, or of his Service in their Hearts, or any inward Application to him at all. The pure, fpiritual, inward Reflection, Meditation, Ejaculation, or Motion of the Heart, is only acceptable to God; and it is only That that recommends all outward Actions or Affections of the Body to Him, as purely Springing from it; and without it they all avail noJoh. 4. 24. thing at all; for God is a Spirit, and must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth.

P.

T. p. 364. Ifa. 65. 5.

Efth. 3. 2

This Spiritual Worship of God is often expreft in Scripture by words, which indeed properly fignify the outward Geftures of the Body, but they were not to be meer empty Signs, but the real and pure Effects of it, no to be bowed down, to bow himself or bend the Knee; the LXX explain both these words by gouver, to worship; to bow the Knee, to bend ones felf, to proftrate; 1 to fall down flat on the Face; I fay, that all these and other fuch outward Gestures were allow'd and acceptable to God, when they were made out of an Impulfe of real Devotion (of Holy Fear, of Religious Sorrow, of Humble Submiffion, and the like Inward Motions of the Heart) to the invisible and inconceivable God alone, without the mixture of any bodily Shape, or of any created or fenfible Similitude whatever in the Imagination; But whenever they were Religiously performed before any bodily Figure or Likenefs, (although all was done in Honour of the true God Himself,) Deut. 29. 17. they were always counted and juftly called Abominations.

V. I.

This is very plain from the Hiftory of the Golden Calf; Aaron and all Exod. 32.7.8. the People acknowledged the true God, but they are faid to have corrupted themselves, and turn'd afide from the way of the Lord; because they had made a visible Figure to go before them; and the People faid. These be thy Gods, O Ifrael, which brought Thee up out of the Land of Agypt; as if they had faid, Thy God is like this Calf; for they knew that Image to be but a Creature, meer Gold, nothing but their Ear Rings melted down and fashioned by Aaron into a Calf; and by offering Sacrifices and other Offer

V. 4.

v. 6,

v. 5.

ings before it, they thought that they performed a Feaft unto the true God, T. p. 364. Jehovah, according to Aaron's Proclamation. It was this that caufed God's wrath to wax hot against them, and he was ready to confume them, v. 10, 11, 12. but he spared them, to vindicate his own Honour, from the Reproach of the Ægyptians which otherwife, as Mofes faid, might arife. They had feen the Ægyptians way of worshipping Apis, and therefore they were the more ready to admit of his Figure to reprefent their own God: This was their Fault then, and they fell into other fuch like Heathenish Practices during their ftay in the Lev. 20. 2, Wilderness, but much more when they were fetled in the Land of Promife. Num. 25. 3. The Cafe was the very fame with Jeroboam and all Ifrael under him; They all own'd and worshipped Jehovah the true God, but their doing of it before the Golden Calves in Dan and Bethel, This thing became their Sin. So Jebu 1 Reg. 12.30. Shew his zeal for the Lord, Jehovah, in deftroying Baal and all his 2 Keg. 10 16. Worshippers; and God approved of this Deed. But from the Sins of fero. T. p. 365. boam he departed not; he worshipped the invisible Lord, Jehovah, by bodily v. 30, 31. Figures and visible Reprefentations, the Golden Calves in Dan and Bethel; and therefore he is faid, not to have walked in the Law of the Lord with all his Heart, because he retain'd fenfible Refemblances of him in his Worfhip. Thus all the Samaritans, both before and after their Captivity, had 2 Reg. 17.7. made to themselves, as I may so say, a mongrel Religion, They feared the true God, Jehovah, but that Fear was mixed and corrupted with bodily Reprefentations of Him, after the manner of the Heathen.

v. 28.

v. 35.

v. 28, 29. V. 32, 33,41.

v. 8. 33.

C. 20.

De v. 60.

Ezechiel fets forth all these feveral Conditions of the corrupted Jews at large; He emphatically calls all thofe pretended fenfible Representations of God, w, Brúsμala TW optarμr, The Abominations of the Eyes; for the v. 7 very feeing of any bodily Similitude, corrupts the pure Spiritual Meditation, or Thought of the Heart. Next, the word which we there render the Idols of Egypt, in Hebrew fignifies, Filth, Excrements, Ordure; being spoken by way of the greatest Abborring and Contempt of them; The LXX renders it all along that Chapter, núna, fometimes uha, The Inventions or Contrivances; the Fancies or Conceits of Egypt; according to that of Ifaiah, Their fear towards me, or with which they fear me, (that is, LXX, c. 29.13. Core, their way of worshipping of me) is taught by the Precept of Men; by their μa, conμala, by their Inftitutions or Appointments; their corrupt Imaginations and Doctrines. Bellarmin and the Latins would fain evade this pregnant Place of the Prophet, by faying that, The Dei. T. 1.64. Traditions of Mofes and the Prophets were not reprehended by Chrift and c. 10. p. 79. the Apofiles, but the Doctrines and Traditions of later Authors, (as of the locum. Scribes and Pharifces,) whereof fome were vain, fome dangerous, fome di- Mat. 15. 3. rectly contrary to God's word Then all fuch kind of Traditions or DoEtrines, as are vain, dangerous, or contrary to Scripture, are plainly condemn'd, and exploded by their own Judgment; and if they would ingenuously ftand to that, it would cut off all the Superftition and Traditional Trumpery controverted between us at one Stroke. As to this prefent point, I humbly ask them, whether then the Doctrine of worshipping of God, by any bodily Figure or Similitude was a Tradition of Mofes and the Prophets, or whether it was not afterwards brought in by Men of corrupt Minds, This being fo plainly against thefe exprefs Words of Mofes, Thou shalt not make to thy Exod. 20. 4, 5felf any Likeness, to bow down to it, or ferve it? Whether this Doctrine and Practice is not Dangerous? For thy God is a jealous God. Whether it

A Lapid. in

Marc. 7. 5.

is not Impious and Vain? Take heed to thy felf, faith Mofes, and keep thy Deut. 4. 9, 12. Soul diligently, ye only heard a Voice from God in Horeb, but faw no Similitude. Therefore, My Soul, wait thou only upon God; For the Lord is Pf. 62.5. nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth; Pf. 145.18. in Spirit and in Truth, faid Chrift himself in Oppofition to the mixed Wor- Joh. 4. 23, 240 Ship and corrupted Way of the Samaritans. Here is all bodily or fenfible Similitude forbidden in the Worfhip of God; and fince amongst the Prophets, X x 2 Ifaiah

C. 40. 18.

T. p. 366. Ifaiah hath, fo often, and fo directly exploded it, and fo artfully and fo fcC. 44.9.&c. verely expofed the Madnefs and Folly both of the Image Maker and of the Image Worshipper; amongst all the other Enormities of the Jews taught and brought in by the Precept, and Doctrines of Men, furcly this of worshipping God by a Figure muft needs be one, if not the chief, meant by him in that place.

c. 29. 13.

Now the first thing that I fhall here note is this; That as to this point the Latins fufficiently differ from the Greeks. Those make and worship Images and Pictures of God himfelf, and of the Trinity; but thefe allow of no fuch Thing. In all the places where I have been amongst the Greeks in the Eaft, I never faw either in private Houles or in publick Places of Worship, any fuch Reprefentations kept or uled by any one of them. I confefs, I have feen a Print or two of that Kind in the Hands of fome who had been brought up in Italy, and had brought them from thence. And I faw fome fuch Pictures in the Hands of a Papas in the Greek Church at Venice. But all the great Men in their Church in the Eaft, even Dofitheus himself, (with whom I have converfed) de fide 1. 4. ftrictly maintain'd Damafcens Notion in this Matter. To dogár dowμáтs i ἀοράτε καὶ ἀσωμάτε c. 17. orat. 1. agingarls x axuante tou, who can, faith he, make, piuruz, a Pattern, 703. 2. p. 730. Or Reprefentation, of God, who is Invisible, Incorporeal, who cannot be 732.3. P. 764. circumfcribed, who hath no Figure. It is the highest Folly and Impiety to Shape or figure Divinity; and the famous fecond Council of Nice, (which, as fiercely as He, did maintain the worship of Images and Pictures.) by no means allow'd of any visible Reprefentation of God; ufing the very time Words and Reafons as Damafcen doth. But the Latins not only allow of tuch vifible Figurations of the invisible God, to be made, but with all the fubtilty of Humane Wit, and the nice Diftinctions of the Schools defend it. I fhall here only take notice of what their Champion calls a general Solution of all Arguments which can be brought against it.

de Imag. p.

Labbe. T. 7. 464.E. 520.D.

P. 436. E.

Bel. T. 2. 1. 1.

C. D.

1. A thing may be painted, faith He, three ways, first to express the perc.8. p.314. fect likeness of the Form and Nature of the Thing it felf, and this way only bodily Things are painted which have Lineaments, or Features, and Colours; He that attempts to paint God this way, would make a true Idol indeed. If he means by the Form, xóy Tín eivay, as Ariftotle defines it, The inward Effence which makes a thing what it is, or what it was; and by the Nature, the inward Principle of all its Powers, Faculties, and Attributes; There is nothing in the World which can thus be Painted. For we know nothing of any Being, but only, và Qawwwx, the outward Effects and Adjuncts, that is, thofe Things which appear to our Senfes to be in it, or to belong to it; But as to the inward Effence and Principle, or the Fountain from whence all thefe Appearances, Affections, or Modes, (call them what you please) do Spring, what it is that Support them all, we know nothing at all of That; It is wholly kept Secret to Him alone that created it. We know not the inward Effence of any part of the commoneft Matter; as what makes Gold, Gold, or what effentially diftinguishes it from Silver or Lead; And therefore in that Senfe, the Nature and Forms of no Thing (whatever it is) can be Painted or Reprefented to the Eye, much lefs the Nature and Form of the great God Himfelf. But if he means by Form, the Figure and Shape, the Proportion of Parts, the Drefs and Pofture; and by Nature, the Colour, and thole other patible Qualities (as they are called) which appear T. p. 367. to the Eye, Thus any vifible Body may be painted; but the eternal and invifible God, is infinitely above any fenfible Conceit or Art of finful Man.

2. Secondly, a Thing, faith He, may be painted to expofe to the Eyes, fome Hiftories; as if one would paint Adam's Expulfion out of Paradife, He ought to paint God in the Shape of a Man walking; And an Angel in the Form of a Man holding a Sword. He would not reprefent the Nature of God, or of an Angel, but only by the Picture offers to the Eyes, what one reading the Scriptures offers to the Ears. But the Scripture, in that Place, tells

the