124 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE
ing of them. As far as I can perceive, by his good incHnatiou to this excellency of religion (the imagery of it), had he lived in those days, he would have as easily bid adieu to Christianity as he did in these to Protestantism.
But the excellent thoughts, he tells lis, that such pictures and images are apt to cast into the minds of men makes them come to our " mount Zion, the city of the living God, to celestial Jerusalem, and society of angels," and so onward, as his translation somewhat imcouthly and improperly renders that place of the aj)ostle, Heb. xii. A man, indeed, distraught of his wits, might possibly entertain some such fancies upon his entering of a house full of fine pictures and images ; but that a sober man should do so is very unlikely. It is a sign how Avell men understand the apostle's words, when they sup- pose themselves furthered in their meditation on them by images and pictures; and yet it were well if this abuse were all the use of them in the Romish church. I wish our author would inform us truly, whether many of those whom, he tells us, he saw so devout in their churches, did not lay out a good part of their devotion upon the fine pictures and images he saw them fall down before? Images began first in being ignorant people's books, but they ended in being their gods or idols. Alas, poor souls ! they know little of those many curious windings and turnings of mind, through the meanders of various dis- tinctions, which their masters prescribe to preserve them from idola- try, in that veneration of images which they teach them, when it is easy for them to know that all they do in this kind is contrary to the express will and command of God. But, that our author may charge home upon his countrymen for removing of images out of churches, he tells us that it is the judgment of all men that the viola- tion of an image redounds to the prototype. True, provided it be an image rightly and duly destined to represent him that is intended to be injured. But suppose any man, against the express command of a king, should make an image of him, on purpose to rejjresent him deformed and ridiculous to the people; would he interpret it an injury or dishonour done unto him if any one, out of allegiance, should break or tear such an image in pieces? I suppose a wise and just king would look on such an action as a rewardable pieco of service, and would in time take care for the punishment of him that inade it. The lianging ol traitors in effigy is not [merely] to cast a dishonour upon the person represented, but a declaration of what he doth deserve and is adjudged unto. The psalmist, indeed, complains that they broke down the ^"'0^^^, or carved works, on the walls and ceiling of the temple; but that those " apeiiiones," or " incisurse," were not jjictures and images for the people to adore and venerate, nor were appointed for their instruction, if our author knows not, he knows whither to
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repair to be instructed, — uamely, to any comment, old or new, extant on that psalm. And it is no small confidence, to use Scripture out of the Old Testament for the religious use of images of men's find: ing out and constitution, whereas they may find as many testimonies for more gods, — enough, indeed, wherein the one are denied, and the other forbidden.
Nor will the ensuing contemplation of the means whereby we come to learn things we know not, — namely, by our senses, whence images are suited to do that by the eye which sermons do by the ear, and that more effectually, — yield him any relief in his devotion for them. There is this small difference between them, that the one means of instruction is appointed by God himself; the other, that is pretended to be so, absolutely forbidden by him.
And these fine discourses of the " actuosity of the eye above the ear," and its faculty of administering to the fancy, are but pitiful, weak attempts, for men that have no less work in hand than to set up their own wisdom in the room of and above the wisdom of God.
And our author is utterly mistaken if he think the sole end of preaching the cross and death of Christ is to work out such, re pre- sentations to the mind as oratory may effect for the moving of cor- responding affections. This may be the end of some men's rhetorical declamations about it. If he will a little attentively read over the epistles of Paul, he will discern other ends in his preaching Christ and him crucified, which the fancies he speaks of have morally little affinity withal.
But what if Catholics have nothing to say for their practice in the adoration of images, seeing the Protestants have nothing but " simple pretences" for their removal out of churches? These simple pretences are express, reiterate commands of God ; which what value they are of with the Romanists, when they lie against their ways and prac- tice, is evident. The arguments of Protestants, when they deal with the Romanists, are not directed against this or that part of their doc- trine or practice about images, but the whole; that is, the making of them (some of God himself), the placing of them in churches, and giv- ing them religious adoration : not to speak of the abominable mis- carriages of many of their devotionists in teaching, or of their people in committing with them as gross idolatry as ever any of the ancient heathens did; which shall at large be proved, if our author desires it. Against this principle and whole practice one of the Protestants' "pretences," as they are called, lies in the second commandment, wherein the making of all images for any such purpose is expressly forbidden. " But the same God," say they, " commanded cherubirns to be made, and placed over the ark." He did so; but I desire to know what the cherubs were images of, and that they would show