P.

323. G.

T. p. 372 yet when it was abufed and Idolized, it was deftroyed; They burnt Incenfe Exod. 30. 37. to it which was only Sacred to God himself; and had the Cherubims been exposed to publick and common view, they might likewife by degrees have been as easily Worshipped. Was there not any care taken (do you think) to instruct the Jews and tell them, that the Serpent was no God, but was only a 2 Reg. 18. 4. piece of Brass, as it was called at last, Nechufchtan; yet the People burnt Ut fupra p Incense to it, and therefore it was deftroy'd and broken to pieces. The Cardinal owns that many Heathens were so stupid that they verily believed that the very Idols did live and had Senfe and were Gods; The Story of Bel alone fufficiently confirms that Truth; and I will poffitively affirm that there are many of the vulgar Papifts as Sottifhly ftupid, and Credulous as any Heathen ever could be. Therefore, I must think, the Iconoclafts had very good Reason to say, xgCoμer TeTwr, we have no need of thefe Images; and fince they are fo dangerous, what Madness and Prophanefs muft it be to retain them? The Latins Critical distincton between an Idol and an Image will do them no good; for the Hebrew word 70s, used in the fecond Commandment, makes them both one and the fame thing, thou shalt not make to thy felf an Analect. dif. 5. Image or Idol; as is clearly proved by Hottinger.

T. p. 373.

T. 7. conc. P. 484. C.

P. 208.

T. conc. 7. P. 520. D.

ομεν

The fecond Council of Nice was fo far from allowing any Images or Pictures of God, or of the Trinity, as the Picture of Chrift bimfelf was furiously oppofed by the Iconoclasts; the others, who were fo Zealous for Images, pretended to Paint only Chrift's human Body; for the Soul, faid they, it felf is Invisible; and therefore if it is impoffible to Paint that, it is much more impofible to Paint, τὴν ἀκατάληπτον καὶ ἀνεξιχίαςον αυτῷ Θεότητα, his Divinity which is Incomprehenfible and Unfearchable, or paft finding out. This acknowledgement of the pretended Orthodox Council, juftifies the Accufation p. 428. 436. of the Iconoclafts, who again and again had charged them with dividing Chrift's 440 441.520. Divinity from his Manhood; and thus we may truly fay, a Picture of Chrift divides his very Humanity; for it can at most reprefent only his Body; his Soul is no more expreft by it then his Divinity; to that fuch a Picture muft be very Scandaloufly and Blafphemously called Chrift; for it is fo far from reprefenting Chrift, (whom they own'd to be, tárga, both God and Man,) as it only fhews the empty fhadow of a meer Body, let the Artist design it either as alive or dead.

521.

Next I do not remember that ever I faw the Picture of an Angel amongst the Greeks, either alone by it felf or as a part of Hiftory; Hiftorical Painting being likewife no where (as far as I know) found amongst them; but if any fuch Pictures be amongst them, I must think, that as much may be faid against them, as against those of the Trinity. We read indeed that Angels have appear'd in the Form of Men; but who (of those that have seen them) was ever able fo particularly to relate the Head, Face, Colour, Shape, Stature, Habit, and the whole manner of the Apparition; as to direct any Painter or Carver in any tolerable manner to defign them? For Example, can any one think that Manoah and his Wife were fo curious as to take notice of every particular Limb and Circumftantial thing in the Angel which appear'd to them? Jud. 13.6, 16, We only read that his Countenance was like that of an Angel of God (who knows what is that?) very terrible. That Manoab knew not that he was an Angel till he Afcended in the Flame of the Altar. Both he and his Wife were fo inquifitive and concern'd about the Child which was promised them, and were fo overwhelmed with Fear and Amazement, as without doubt they made but very few remarks for a Painter to work by. So the narrative of the Angel which appeared to Joshua is but very fhort; we are only told, that a Man (like a Captain, or a Prince) appear'd to him, with a Sword Gen. 32. 24. drawn in his Hand; And only a Man, is faid, to wrestle with Jacob; GiJud. 6. 21. deon faw one with a Staff in his Hand; In the ftory of Balaam, one ap23, 25, 27. pear'd with a Sword drawn in his Hand. Daniel faw the Man Gabriel, and was afraid and fell on his Face, therefore could not nicely ob

20, 21.

T. p. 374

Jof. 5. 13, 14.

Numb. 6. 22,

C. 9. 21.

c. 8. 17.

Act. 1. 10.

202.

serve much of him. Amongst those which appear'd after Chrift's Refurrection, T. p. 374one had his Countenance like Lightning and his Raiment was white as Snow. Mat. 28. 3. One was a young Man cloathed in a long white Garment; two only in Mark. 16. go Shining Garments; and two only in white; and two Men flood in white Luk. 24. 4° Apparel. Now though a Painter can devife Garments very white and Shin. Joh. 20. 12. ing; and an Arm and Hand with a drawn Sword, or a Staff; and can perhaps make a Face very Terrible; but can he exprefs a Countenance like Lightning? Or imitate any thing else which he himself never faw? To fpeak the very Truth, in representing an Angel the whole work must be only and entirely the Painters meer Invention and Fancy; and therefore Dionyfius calls Cal. Hierar. p. them iegās avaπλáσes, facred Fictions. Therefore in Worshiping of Angels by Pictures or Images, when I think of the Latins Subterfuge, that the Reverence paid to the Picture or Image is carried on and ended in the Prototype. Imuft ask what is the Prototype Angel, and how comes this Fantofme of Man's device to be its Type? I must certainly apply Chrift's words (fpoken to the Woman of Samaria) to the Votaries who fall down before them, ye Worship ye know not Joh. 4. 226 what. In the common Pictures of the Salutation of the Virgin Mary, every Painter will aim at fomething new; and will glory in fomething that may appear extraordinary of his own Contrivance; the Angel in one Picture fhall be quite different from that in another; nay, if one Copies from another, his draught fhall not exactly agree with the Original. Now when we read no more, but only, that Gabriel was fent from God to the Virgin, and not Luk. 1. 26. the least account is given, of his Figure, Pofture, Garments, Face, or any Part or thing belonging to him, what a high piece of abominable Prefumption and Prophaness must it be in any Painter to attempt to reprefent a Prince, (one of those Glorious Spirits, who ftand in the Prefence of God,) by wild con- verf. 19. ceits and extravagant Fictions of his own idle Brain? And it must needs be as Irreverent or Impious in the Governors of the Church to allow fuch bold Forgeries for Objects of Devotion in their Religious Affemblies. The Great Alexander forbad all other Perfons (to reprefent him in any manner,) befides Po-Apul. Flor. I. i lycletus in Carving, Apelles in Painting, and Pyrgoteles in Graving; that there might be no false Representations, and but only one uniform Refemblance, of him tranfmitted to Pofterity. Muft it not then be the greatest indignity and abufe caft upon an Angel, (much more upon the Eternal Invifible God,) to be expofed as made of meer frail Flesh and Blood, and deformed with Wings, or flatter'd with gorgeous Apparel after the manner of mortal Men; according to the fancifull Humor and Romantick Difpofition of every vain (and for the most part vicious) Artist. Surely the common People muft needs frame to themselves not only earthly Thoughts, but as various and as extravagant Ideas of Angels, nay, of God himself, as the Painters make them.

1

The appearing of Angels is fo fully attefted in Scripture as no Man can deny it; but as to the manner of their appearing, the Opinions of Men are most ftrangely different to this very day. The vulgar think that they can, (as they call it) take to themselves a real Body, when they please, and of what Form they will; and by Confequence that they can change it as often as they think fitting. The Latins have that grofs conceit of the Devil, as they Paint him in a thousand frightfull Shapes; but for the most part with a Cloven Foot; and understand that of St. Paul, Satan transform himself into an Angel of Light, 2 Cor. 11. 14. not in a spiritual or Figurative Senfe, but Bodily and Literally; that he can put on the Body or Shape of a good Angel; and that he can visibly Perfonate,

Act and Imitate any human Body old or young, Male or Female, as the Inge- Pia Hil. l. 1. nuous Angelinus Gazeus very wittily and merrily describes him out of the Life or Legend of St. Dunstan; nay, we are told in the Stories of Witches, that he can Bodily perform the very Act of Copulation with his Votaries of either Sex; yet we are affured by Chrift himself that a Spirit hath not Flesh and Luk. 24. 39. Bones as we have. From this continual change of their Bodily appearance, there can never be made any certain uniform Picture of any fingle one of them, either

Y y 2

Dan. 10.
Jud. 9.

13.

T. p. 375. either Good or Bad. Did Gabriel appear exactly in the fame manner to Daniel, as he did to the Bleffed Virgin? Had Michael always the fame Refemblance, when he contended with the Prince of Perfia, and when he difputed with the Devil about the Body of Mofes? How come we to have fuch great Varieties, and quite different Portraitures of them in every place amongft the Latins? In that famous piece of Guido Reni, I dare boldly affirm that the Angel is not (in one the leaft ten thousandth point), fo like the true St. Michael, as the Devil's Head was like to the traduced Cardinal or Pope; fo that it will be as hard a matter in the Latin Votaries to affign the true ProMet.1.8. §. 10. totype of thefe various Pictures, as Ovid makes it to know the true Pro

124.

Aquin. 1.q. 51. 2. & 3.

teus.

But Men of nicer Speculation think, that thus to take a real Body upon them of Flesh and Blood, is too grofs a Notion and unbecoming fo fublime a Creature as an Angel, or Spirit; and therefore they rather entertain the conceit of the Platonifts; that Angels and Spirits are, in their own Effence or Help: Op. 1. 1. Nature, Invisible Powers or Beings; but (according to the Poet) nga irálo fay) a Cafe, or rather Mero, having every one his Vehicle, or (as I may lo fay) a Covering, of Ether or pure Air, they Condenfe it when they pleafe into a vifible Form and so appear; and by Modefying and Managing each particle of it, they can reprefent any Phoenomenon, as Lightning. Fire, Glory, Terror, Beauty, all Colours, Shapes, Garments and the like, which we read of in their Apparitions; and they can again rarify or Diffolve the fame into its former T. p. 376. confiftency, and fo dilappear. St. Auguftin and feveral others of the Fathers Lud. vivis in were plainly of this Opinion; they thought the Angels were Tooμatoi, λεπτοσώματα, de civit. dei. thin fubtle Bodies, as of Air or Fire; they called them fometimes IncorpoConc. Nic. 2. real, as being not made of the common mixture of the four Elements. Some E. 356. A. expound St. Pauls, ouα πVEUμATION, Spiritual Body, in this Senfe; and think 1 Cor. 15. 44 that in the Refurrection we shall in this refpect also be, as ävyexa, as the Angels of God in Heaven. If this be the nature of Angels, and they thus appear, it will be utterly impoffible to reprefent them; what Picture can be devifed or contrived to prick or streak out fuch a Mift or Cloud, (or one of NiDe Nimbis. p. colai's Glories,) as might make any tolerable Type of them; and certainly the Votary, who Worfhips it, will by it have as Obfcure and Confufed an Idea of the Prototype.

1. 15. c. 23.

T. 7. P. 353.

A Lapid.

106.

22. 23.

all

The Sadduces conceit of Angels feems to have been fomething like to this; Grot. in Mat. they did not think that Angels (which are faid, or feemed, to have appear'd to the Patriarchs) were any real permanent Beings, but that God upon occafions of Directing, Admonishing, Encouraging, and Comforting them, and the like, did exert his Power for that time, and Fashion'd and Modell'd Matter fo as they both faw a Shape and heard a Voice to declare his Will; and then he recalled that Power and the Apparition ceafed. According to this Opinion whatever Type may be devised to exprefs the prefent Tranfaction, there is no Prototype remains to receive any future Adoration.

Pf. 103. 20.

21.

23.

be

If I should venture to lay any thing in fuch high Metaphyfical Points, I fhould humbly offer this Conjecture which the very Scripture it felf feems to fuggeft to my Thoughts. Angels are every where mention'd in Scripture as Heb. 1. 14. real and lafting Beings; Miniftring Spirits, excelling in Strength, encampExod. 23. 20, ing round about them that fear the Lord; an Angel went before his People to keep them in the way and bring them into the prepared place; and "God bad them beware of him and obey his Voice, and not provoke him for he will not Pardon your Tranfgreffions; for my Name is in him; fhall go before thee. The Sadduces can never answer this place; God fpake not this of his own felf, but plainly of another Perfon, and of a permanent Being, and of one manifeftly diftinct from himfelf. Now as to the manner of the appearance of Angels, 1 humbly conceive that it might be done only by their moving the Imagination of Men awake, in the fame manner as it is done by them Pl. ut fupra, in a Dream or Trance. Thefe Angels, a mighty in Strength, (or Power, or Opera

Aquin. 1. q. 5.

verf. 10, 30.

T. p. 377.

verf. 9.

C. 24. 16.

Operation, being fent by God to deliver his Meffage to any People, have in T. p. 376. themfelves a Power to reprefent it in Mens Imaginations, as ftrongly and lively, as if they really faw a Body and heard a Voice. Thus the Vision which Cornelius faw, qavegas, manifeftly at three of the Clock in the Afternoon, 3. might by the Operation of one of thefe mighty Beings, be only wrought in Act. 10. 3. bis Imagination, as that of Peter's feeing in a Trance the Heaven opened and the Sheet defcending. They were both Fafting, and fo their Bodies being freed from the groffer Fumes of Fullness, were the more capable of this Angelick Impreffion. Thus Peter thought that his deliverance out of Prifon had been only a Vision, (or Motion only in his Imagination,) and wist not that it was Act. 12. 7. true which was done by the Angel, till he came to himself; and found that verf. 11. the fame Mighty Power that had thus moved his Thoughts, had really alfo loofed his Chains from his Hands, and carried him unseen through the two Wards, and the Iron Gate had open'd of its own accord, and they had paft through one Street; Thus far, his Mind had been fo moved, and his Senfes fo bound, as he thought all had been but a meer Dream. Thus in the History of Balaam, the Afs three feveral times faw the Angel flanding in the way, Num. 22. 23and his Sword drawn in his Hand; but Balaam all this while faw nothing; if there had been a real visible Body in the way, Balaam must naturally have feen it as well as the Afs. Wherefore as yet the Angel wrought only upon the Imagination of the Afs, and when Balaam fmote him, by the fame mighty Power he caufed in Balaam a Perception of a Voice, and of the words there recorded as spoken by the Afs. At last the Eyes of Balaam's Mind were o pened as well as his Ears; and the Angel reprefented himself to him alfo with his Sword drawn in his Hand, and framed in his Thoughts all the Dif course there following; and the Text at last seems plainly to make this Vision of Balaam but a waking Dream; he faw it (the LXX add v Uva in his Sleep) falling (we in English add into a Trance) having his Eyes open, in both the Hebrew and the Greek it is, his Eyes being uncovered or unvailed. Those Hebrew Phrafes, to open the Eyes, the Mouth, the Lips, the Ears of Men, are not taken litterally, but fignify to make them fee or perceive, speak, hear. Adam and Eve's Eyes were open'd, they then knew or perceived that they were Naked. So to open the Eyes of the Blind, and the Ears of the la. 42. 7. Deaf, in the new Teftament, fignify to make them See, and Hear. But a Joh. 10. 21. little farther to Illuftrate my Conjecture let us confider that wonderfull Paffage Mark. 7. 34. in the History of Elifba. The Prophet faw the Hoft of God, the Angels, which 2 keg. 6. 16, were round about him; but his Man faw them not, and therefore was fore afraid of the numerous Army of the King of Syria. But at Elisha's Prayer God alfo open'd the Eyes of the young Man, and he faw also the mountain full of Horfes and Chariots of Fire round about them. It comes to the fame point, if you fay thefe Horfes and Chariots were really and bodily there, or not; for it would be one and the fame Power in the Angel, to withbold or vail the young Man's Bodily Eyes from feeing them if they were there; and to raise a full and ftrong Idea of them in the Eyes of his Mind, if they were not really there; the fame may be faid of Elisha's misleading the Syri- verf. 19, 20 ans, they knew nothing of it untill the Lord open'd their Eyes, and they faw that they were in the midft of Samaria. That is likewife very remarkable and to the fame purpose in Daniel. He faw an Angel like a Man cloathed c. 10. 5, 6s in linen, with his Loins girded with fine Gold, his Body like the Beril, his Face as the appearance of Lightning, his Eyes as Lamps of Fire, his Arms and Feet like Polished Brass. First I must most strangely wonder if any Artist dare be fo prefumptuous and bold, as to think from Daniel's words that it is poffible by Colours to reprefent any thing of the Glory of this Apparition. Linen Cloaths girded with Gold, peradventure he might attempt, but what would he do for the Body like a Beril, the Face like Lightning, the Eyes as Lamps of Fire, the Arms and Feet like Polifht Brass. Daniel bimfelf could not exprefs it all in any words, much lefs could he have done

Gen. 37.

c. 9.

17.

it

C.

T. p. 378.

verf. 7.

T. p. 378. it with the choiceft Colours, had he been himself a Painter as Skillfull as the renown'd Apelles Next Daniel alone faw the Vision, for the Men that were with him faw it not, but a great quaking fell upon them so that they fled to hide themselves. Their fear was wrought in them without feeing any thing, by the fame mighty Power by which the Vifion was fhewed to Daniel. Thus, according to this laft Opinion, by the Operation of Angels, the Eyes of the Mind in Men may be holden, so as not to perceive; and they may be opened, fo as to fee what prefently will vanish out of their fight; Luk. 24. 16, 31 as it happen'd, in the appearance of Chrift himself, to the two Difciples going to Emmaus; And feeing our Souls, by being Spirits, do fo far partake of the nature of Angels, they can the more cafily act upon our Minds, not only by Managing our Thoughts (good Angels to what is good, evil ones to what is Bad) but alfo by Forming and Ruling our Imaginations.

P. 15.

Cæleft. Hierar. c. 6.

Corderius in Dionyf.

3.

기

Therefore let the Learned explain the appearance of Angels by any of these ways, or otherwife as they pleafe, it must be very Ridiculous, as well as Impious, to pretend that any painted Board or Cloath, or Print, can be a proper Type of thefe fo Mighty and fo Glorious Beings; for as to this Point of Reprefenting them, even Guido's egregious Piece it felf, is but filthy Daubing; and is as far from giving us any decent Idea or Imagination of St. Michael's Excellencies, as the rude and homely figns of him are, that hang at cvery Ale-house door. But what will they do with the nine Orders in the Celestial Hierarchy; which the Greeks mimick at their Eucharist, as is above noted? Will any Painter pretend to diftinguish them with his Pencil according to their Degrees and Dignities? Thrones, and the many Eyed, and many Winged Orders, named Cherubims and Seraphims, according to Dionyfius, make up the first File or Ternary; soia, Powers, nug.TTES, Dominions, duvápas, mighty Ones, make up the fecond File or Ternary; "Agxores, Principals, Archangels, Angels, make up the third File or Ternary; and the Latins own as many Orders, though they differ in placing them. Thefe Orders are counted far different from one another, in Place, Office, Power and GloAqui. 1. qry; nay, they are made as very distinct and fubordinate Species or Kinds of 50. 4. 9. 55. Beings, as the Vegetive, Senfitive, and rational Souls are thought to be by T. P. 379 the Peripateticks. The nearer they are placed to the Divine Prefence or Throne, the nearer and more like they are to the Divine Nature. Now furely there ought to be at least nine feveral diftinct forts or kinds of Pictures to reprefent thefe nine diftinct Orders of them. The Pictures of the many Eyed and many Winged Cherubims, will not fuit with any of the reft; and of all the Individual Thrones, and of the reft in every other Order, we cannot believe that there is fuch an exact likeness, as that one Picture may serve for every one of them in particular, or only for all in general. What infinite Hyde de Rel Variety must there be, if the Perfians conceit be true; that every Month, nay, Perf. c. 12, 13, Day, nay, Hour, nay, every Thing, hath a particular Genius or Angel that governs it, and every Man hath two, a Good one, and a Bad one to watch him. What mad, Romantick stuff may we fee in Mich. Angelo Tintoretto, and our Fuller's piece of the Refurrection; thefe may truly be called wild, (but Ingenious) Gays and Fancies; but with difcreet and confidering Men, they rather Ridicule and Quench, then Recommend and Kindle, any true Devotion; as De Nat. Deor. Tully talks of Charon and Cerberus. Doth the common Picture of an Angel on every Sign poft, reprefent all thefe Orders, or only one fingle one of the loweft Order of all? What mean, confufed, and moft wtetched an Idea or Conceit of these most eminent Beings, (whofe Orders and Degrees both Latins and Greeks have devised and own'd, ) must fuch vile Pictures as thefe create in the Minds of Men, when the very best pieces of their Art, as to this Point, are all but presumptuous Trifles, and profane Attempts. Be their Types (as they call them) what they pleafe, it will be impoffible for them to affign their Prototypes, as fhall be more fully fhewn by and by. After all the fubtle Evafions of the Schoolmen, they can never defend their pretended Honouring

20.

Dan. 7. 10.

1. 3