Ven. in Quart. like a Ta Nail with its Head and Body will reprefent the true Cross more T. p. 42. exactly then the common Figure which they ufe for it. Thirdly, they were all alike, perfufa, dipped or befmeared with the fame Blood. Now the true Crofs is no where to be feen, but all these are now (pretended at least) still to be every one of them preferved. I have my felf feen a Nail, and a Thorn with their Points all coloured with red, which they confidently told us, is yer the very true Blood of Chrift, and I doubt not but wherever the Iron of the Lance is publickly expofed, (perhaps over the Chappel in St. Peters, it is platina in Incolour'd fo too. But if this be, as they fay, the very. Blood of Chrift, why noc. 8. Edit. is it not to be Worshipped with the very fame, Latriâ, divine Worship as 1666.p.543.4. the Blood pretended to be in the Eucharift is? For by their quaint Device of Concomitancy, the Body of Chrift must be there too with it. Fourthly, Pope Innocent the fixth appointed a folemn Festival for these very three Inftru- Hosp. de Keflis. ments of Chrift's Paffion, the Lance, the Nails, and the Crown of Thorns; P. 194 and this abominable Idolatrous Prayer was used that day to the Lance (and might as well have been made to the other two,) Hail, O Triumphal Iron; thou entring the Vital Breaft, (of Chrift) openeft the gates of Heaven; O happy Spear, do thou, being made fruitfull by (his) Blood, wound us with the love of him, who was wounded by thee. They thus plainly Adored the Lance as highly, (in thofe days at least) as they still Adore the Crofs. And therefore I wonder that this great Doctor fhould conclude that an ordinary Cross or Crucifix, (which is but a piece of dry Wood or Stone, or fuch like fenfelefs Matter, and is own'd by him to be but a meer Type of Type, deferve more to be Worshipped and Adored then any of these three other Relicks, which according to them do ftill vifibly preferve the very Blood of Chrift himself; whereas the advantage lies fo manifeftly on their Side. T. p. 412. 1 The Church of England, as I have said, doth still retain the common Figure of a plain Crofs upon many of their Churches, and in many publick places, as well as in their little Childrens Books, counting it a grand Memorial of Chrift's Paffion, that all pious Chriftians, upon the fight of it, might often have serious Meditations, and make due Reflections upon the Death and infinite Love of Chrift, who died for the ungodly while they were yet Sinners, Rom. 5. 6, 8. and even Babes may thus be early inftructed and taught, that in their whole Life they must not live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them; 2 Cor. 5. 15. but the hath Wifely, Pioufly, and moft Juftly taken away all Images of God himself and the Trinity, and all publick Crucifixes; all, Delubra, Rood lofts and Statues of the Virgin Mary either alone or with Chrift in her Arms, and of all other Saints or Angels; thereby to abolish the Execrable abuse of them which had been here made in former times. For if the brazen Serpent it felf, which (as is noted above) was first appointed by God's own order, and was really a Type of Chrift himself Crucified, yet was broken to pieces by good Hezekiah (who was therefore faid to do that which was right in the 8. 28. fight of the Lord) meerly because it was mifufed and turn'd to perfect Idola 2 Reg.18. 3, 4. trous Worship; our Church did as righteous a thing (after his pious Example,) in quite destroying these grofs Representations, which (as I have fhewed) gave, and in Popish Countries do yet give, fuch dangerous, and, in a manner, unavoidable, occafions of the like abominable Idolatrous Practices; I am fure the whole Eastern Church (as well as both Turks and Jews) upon all occafions applaud that her glorious Reformation. Joh. 3. 14. C. As for Pictures we are abfolutely of the fame Mind, as Sirmondus confesses, Lab. tone. T. 9. that the French once were, (I fuppofe at the Synod of Paris under Ludovi- p. 1055. b. c. cus Pius, or before) thefe are alfo ftill retain'd by us as Ornaments of our Churches, and Memoriæ tantum caufa & Inftructionis, only as Memorials of the Saints and of their glorious Deeds, and as occafional Motives to Men of Understanding to follow their great Examples. He there alfo owns, that P. Gregory exprefly forbad that, Latria, Divine Worship and Adoration fhould In Append. ad tract. de Imag. 30. p. 338. a. pra. C. Bell. de Imag. 332. A. Byzant. ω, T. p. 422. fhould be given to them; and the Cardinal could not deny that Michael Bale bus and the Greeks did pofitively declare against any fuck Worship, not T. 2. p. 433. withstanding all the Calumny and Reproach with which he brands them. And all the School-men and Patrons of Iconolatry profefs the very fame Doctrine, but their common Practice quite contradict it; for I muft ftill fay that would fain know, how Ideots and, even the greatest part of, their other Votaries will be able to nicely to distinguish, that Worship (which is due to God alone) Bell. de cultu. from what they call, aliquam, & congruentem Venerationem, fome kind of Sanit. 1. 2. c. Veneration, or what is only fitting for a Saint, or cultum inferiorem, an Sirmond, ut fu- inferior or fomething leffer, though true Worship fill? As for my felf I fhall willingly conform to what I find fet down in the very Invective it felf 1. 2. c. 25. p. against the Iconoclafts, making this fmall alteration in itray do Thr Eixcova To xeito ivdéws by Tagauтà Tov v8r áváyw, when I see the Picture of Christ Crupoft Theotha-cified, I immediately lift up my Mind to his extream poor Condition and nem. T. R. p. Condefcenfion; and not fuffering my fenfible Eyes to reft intenfe upon the 309. c. d. H. Picture, axortiCw, I dart the intellectual Eye of my Heart with my Mind to the Mystery of his Incarnation; and for my many Sins which deferve no Pardon, I befeech his Goodness and Compaffion, laying, Glory be to thee O God; O my Saviour be Mercifull to me a Sinner. For I put that found Senfe upon thofe words, λιπὼν τὸ ἄισθητὸν ὄμμα πρὸς τὴν εἰκόνα ἀτενῶς βλέπον, for should they be rendred, leaving my fenfible Eye intenfely looking upon the Picture, I dart up my intellectual Eye to Chrift himself in Heaven, it would be a greater Abfurdity then that of the Actor in a Tragedy, who when he Solacus p. 7.8. Cry'd, & eu, O Jupiter, he pointed to the Earth, when he faid, & ya, O Earth, he lifted up his Hands to Heaven; It is the very fame thing for a Man to keep his bodily Eyes intenfe upon the Picture or Image, which furely ought to be lifted up with his Soul to Heaven when he prays to the invisible God or Christ who is there. It feems to me utterly impoffible for a Man to keep his Eyes fleadfastly upon a Picture, and yet at the fame time fully to Abstract the Spiritual Eyes of his Mind to God or Chrift, which ought to be a Pure, Simple, Elevated, feraphick Action of his Soul alone. Moreover I fhall heartily obferve what is directed in the fame Invective; when I fee the Picture of any reputed Saint, I shall from my Heart fay; Dóža ὁ Θεὸς τεδὶ ̓Αποςόλο ἢ τῶδε Αγία, κ ταῦτα, ὅπως λέγων, εἰς Θεὸν τὴν δόξαν ανα TEμ. Glory be to thee O God of this Apostle, or of this Saint, for Saying fo I refer the Glory to God. Erafm. Adag. P. 310. b. T. p. 423. Apoc. 2. 4. If. 48. 11. στι And Now I have done, for it would be an Infinite task for me to perfue all the other Particulars which have been started and bended backwards and forwards in this Controverfy about Images and Pictures; the differing parties often differing even amongst themfelves; and it would be as tedious and irkfome a thing for any one to read them when I had done. I have fincerely and impartially, and I hope candidly, fet down only my own private thoughts, and I would not willingly be judged an abfolute flave to any Party, but, as I really am, a Compaffionate lover of every good Chriftian who heartily defires to Serve our God in Spirit and in Truth. I muft verily think with my felf that thofe great Churches, which perfectly differ from us, have in many things left their firft Love, and have hewn out unto themselves many broken Cisterns that can hold no Water. But God forbid that I fhould rafhly return upon them their extravagant Anathemas, or peremptorily damn them, that is, deliver them Rom. 14. 4. unto Satan and adjudge them all to Hell Fire, as they ferve us; who am I • Tavush (poor, private, obfcure Creature,) that I should judge anothers Servant? For Pf. 98.9 my part I will leave them to the righteous Judge of all the World, before Rom. 14. 10. whofe Judgment Seat we shall all one day ftand. But if what I have done may any ways contribute to the promoting of true Piety and Devotion, and to the establishing of the true Inward, Spiritual Worship and Adoration of the one Invifible, Omnifcient, Omnipotent, Omniprefent, and moft Mercifull P. 115. 1. God; not unto me, not unto me, but unto his moft Holy name alone be always given all Glory and Praife for his Mercy and for his Truth fake, Amen. Jer. 2. 13. FINIS |