The first thing you reflect upon is my censure of that passage in your " Fiat," that " the sight of images in the church is apt to cast the minds of men on that meditation of the apostle, Heb. xii., ' You are come to mount Sion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the society of angels, and cluu-ch of the first-born, written in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made
THE WOESlilP OF IMAGES. 41:1
perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant:'" — " These, I tell you, upon the sight of a house full of images, may be the thoughts of a man distracted of his wits, not of any that are sober and wise." To whicli you reply, " Madmen, it seems, can tell what figures repre- sent; sober and wise men cannot." But who told you that your images represent the things mentioned by the apostle, — for instance, " God the judge of all, the spirits of just men, angels, and the church of the first-born?" or can any man, unless he be greatly distempered in his imagination, fancy any such thing? The house of Micah, J udges xvil, was notably furnished with images of all sorts. Judges xvii., he had CiNiPK n"'3^ " a house full of gods," or a chapel adorned with images ; for there was in it ???>, " a carved image," and ''is^, a " sacred ornament" for it, and ^''Pl^, " lesser portable images," and •^^^P, a " molten statue," Judges xviii. Would it not, think you, not- withstanding the gaiety of all this provision, have been a mad thought in the Danites if, upon their entrance into this house, they had ap- prehended themselves to be come to the communion of the catholic church, and therein to the invisible God, to angels, and saints de- parted ? The truth is, there is " aliquid dementia?," a tincture of madness, in all idolatry, whence the Scripture testifies that men are " mad upon their idols;" but yet we do not find that these Danites, tliough resolved upon false worship, were so mad as to entertain such vain thoughts as you imagine the chapel full of images might have suggested unto them. Or do you think Ezekiel had any such thoughts when God showed him in vision the imagery of the house of Israel, with all the deities " pourtrayed on the wall," and the elders ^vorshipping before them ? Ezek. viii. God and the prophet discover other thoughts in reference unto them. Besides, sir, the Holy Ghost tells us that " a graven image is a teacher of lies," Hab. ii. 18; and how likely it is that a man should learn any truth from that whose work it is only to teach lies, I do not as yet ^^nderstand.
You proceed to another exception. " ' The violation of an image,' say you, ' redounds to the prototype, if it be rightly and duly repre- sented, not else.'" To which you reply, " And when, then, for ex- ample, is Christ crucified rightly and duly represented ? Are you one of those that can tell what figures represent or not?" 1. You do not rightly report my words, though you might as easily have done it as set down those you have made use of. My words were, " That the violation of an image redounds to the prototype, provided it be an image rightly and duly destined to represent him that is intended to be injured;" vv^hich is so cleared by an instance there expressed, as turns your exception out of doors as altogether useless. For, first, I require that the image be rightly and duly destined to the represen- tation of the prototype, — that is, by him or by them who have 2')ower
4-i2 A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX.
SO to do, and by the express consent and will of him whose image it is, who otherwise is not concerned in it. Now, nothing of all this can you affirm concerning your images. 2. I require an intention of doing injury or contumely unto the person represented by the image, without which whatever is done to the image reflects not at all upon him : and so a man may break an image of a king, which he finds formed against his will, in some ugly shape, to expose him to contempt and scorn, as I suppose out of loyalty unto him, without the least violation of his honour ; which is the very condition of your images and those that reject them. And this also may suffice to what you add about hanging of traitors in eifigy, which is a particular instance of your general assertion, that the violation of an image redounds to the prototype : which we gi'ant it doth when the image is rightly designed to that purpose, by them who have just authority so to do, and when there is an intention of casting contempt upon it; the first whereof is not found amongst your images, nor the latter among them who reject them.
Besides, if all that were granted you which you express, yet what you aim at would not ensue. For though it should be supposed that the violation of an image would redound unto the injury of the pro- totype, upon a mere intention of reflecting upon him, without which it is a foolish conceit to apprehend any such thing, yet it doth not thence follow that the honour done to an image redounds unto him that is represented by it, provided that the intention of them that give the honour be so to do; for besides our intention in the worship of God, we have a rule to attend unto, without the observation whereof the other will stand us in little stead. And if this might be admitted, the grossest idolatry that ever was in the world might easily be excused. That, for instance, of the Israelites setting up a golden calf, and worshipping it, must needs be esteemed excellent, seeing they thought to give honour to Jehovah thereby. When the things mentioned, then, are wanting, images may be dealt withal as false money, which his majesty causeth every day to be broken, though it have his own image and superscription upon it, because stamped without his warrant.