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Show 166 Cuar.10.§.7. ThefirftBokeof the first part -Cuar.io.§ thoughts and mindes,howfarte'doethofe men prefume that put him vider the gteazie Penfill ofaPainrer,orthe ruftie Axe or other Inftrument ofa Carpen teror Carer ¢ For as this difhonor totheinfinite and incomprehenfible God beganine in Babel: fo did the Deuill tranfport and {pred this inuention into all the Regio ns adioyning, and into Egypt andGreece: ' The Rowawes fora whilerefitted the ere@ion of thefe Idols'and Images; refufi ng to fet them in their Temples for 170.yeeres;obferuing the Law of.Numa, who thoi ghtit impietie to refemble thingsmoft béautifull,by things moft bafe, But Tardqninius Prifius lining : for fo he writes of him(calling him Arbelus,) eae? 7 a the "geil primus hominum dicitur a fubditis Deitatis momen accepifje : Pesfencr art i igitor Affyri mitimailles géntesfacrificantes ei Arbelusya man very prowd as arr e eal ts abe norte be the firft of all men shat was ewer honoured by theirfubiedis with a ff ? ies(or wit ; nameof God.)The A/fjrians therefore,ana the bordering nations bawe per) ered, [acr ifcing te bim.Euen Arias allo,whom Suidas cals Tharas,who fucceedednext after Nimias, was made an Idoll-god among them, if we credit Swidas, ; it After Ninas (that is,after Ninyas) Thuras reigned faith Suidas) whom they¢ alledaf ter the nameofthe Planet Afars amanof fharpeandfierce difpofition, who bidding battaile to Caweafus ofthe ftocke ofJapheth,fluc him. The A/ yriats worlhipped him afterwardspreuailingsandfollowing the vanitie ofthe Grecians (a Nation ofall others ro Vider the Sunne moft deluded by Satan)fet vp the Imagesof their gods; ‘which (as, Aigde iviteed Augnfline witnefleth ) that Learned varre both bewailed;and vtterly condemned: and c.31. which Sewecathus devideth; Sivenlachra deorum venerantur, lisfupp licant, cennpofito ila fortheir God, and called himBead ( thatis ) Mars ;thus farre Suidas, Neither is ityn- It likely but that many among Idolatrous nations were Deified in their life-t ime s5 yr foon adorant,e citi hecfulpiciant,fabros qui illafecere contemnunt 3 The Images'of thegods worfbipped,thofétheypray vuto, with bended knees thofé they adore and while theyfogr are eatly admire them,they contemne the Handi-craft[men that made them :which alfo Sedwlius the Poet in this fort {coffedat: Hou miferi qui vana colunt,qui cordefinite Relligiofafibifeulpunt funulachra,fuumg, after:thoughI denie not butthat the moft oftheir Iniages and Statwe were firft eretted without divine worfhip, onely in memorie of the glorious acts of Be nefactors, as Glycas rightly conceiueth; and fo afterward the Deuill crept into thofe wooddenand brazencarcaffes,when Pofteritie had loft the memorie of their firft inuention. Hereof Ufidore {peaketh in this manner:Quos antem Pagani Deus afferunt homines fucrunt, & pt uninfcninfy, vite meritis vel magnificentia,coli apud[wos poft mortem caperunt : {ed( Damani- Fattoremfagiunt, ch que fecere verentur. bus perfuadentibms ) quos ili pro {ua memoria honor duerunt, minores Deos exiitimarunt :4d Quisfuror eff? qua tanta animes dementia ludit 2 ifta verd magis excolenda accefferunt Poctarnmfigenenta; They were men({aith he) wh om tht, Pagansaffirmed tobegods:and enery onefor his merits or magnificence: began afterbis death $0 be honoured ofbis omne, But at length ( the Dewils perfwading) theyaccounted then lefer Vt volucrers, turpemy, bouen, toruutad, Dracorncrs Semi-hominensg.canemSupplex honiopronus adoret. £943, whole memories they honoured : and the Fidliens of the Poets made the opinions (constr wuz the honour ofthe deadymuch morefuperflitions. Ah wretchied they that worthip vanities, f And confecrate dumbe Idolsin their heart, And that the worfhipping of Images was broughtin by the Pagaws, and Heathen Na- Whotheir owne Maker (God off high)difpife; Greg.Neoeafey tlONs,it is not Tfidore alone that witneffeth s but Gregorie: Gentilitasfaith he)inuentrix O ‘Anbrinrfa,, 42% oft imaginum, Gentili{me ts the inuentre(ffe andkround ofImages and Ambrofe, Gt 108. Andfearethe worke oftheiowne handsandart) What furiegwhatgreat madneffe doth beguile tes lignum adorant.tanquara imaginem Dei ; The Gentiles adorew 60d, as it werethe Image Y Evfeblpert, O04-En/ebius alfo affirmeth as much,and calleththe worthipping of Images a cuftome Awcr3, borrowed ofthe Heathen.Thelike hath Saint Augufline againtt Adimantus. Et verentarse Fatidinaca (faith Lacantius)ne religio vanafit, fi nihil videant quod adorent j They feare their Religivt would be vaine,fbonld they not[ee that which they worfbip. ue, And (out of doubt )the Schoolemen thift this fearefu ll cuftomevery ftrangely. Fot feeing the very workemanthip is forbidden, howcan the heart ofa wife Chriftian fatil fie it felfe with the diftin@tion of Donlia and Hyperdoulia, which can imply. nothing but fome difference of worthipping ofthofe Images after they.aremadey Andit things the moft ftrange,why religiousand learned menfhould ftraine their witsis of a to d¢ fend the vfe of thofe things, which the Scriptures haue not onely no. where warranted, but exptefly inmany places forbidden; and curfed the Pradtifers,thereof. Yetthis doGrine' ofthe Deuill was fo ftrongly & fubtilly rooted;as neither the expreffe Com mandement of Godhimfelfe, Thoufhalt not make any grauen image, rior all the threa" nings of Agofes and the Prophets after him could remoue,weed by feare,orby any perfivafions leade the hearts ofmenfromit, For where thall weitjor find wordsofgreatet Weight,or ofplainer inftruGion than thefee Take therefore00d heedto yourfelues (faryet fon0 Image in the day that the Lordfpake unto you in Horeb out ofthe midft ofthefire) that JC corrupt not your [elues.c makeyou a grawen limage or xeprefentation ofany Fignre,whtt wer 5 r And befides the expreffe Commandement,Th=ev foalt: make thee no crauens Imagt,4 the prohibition in many Scriptures, fo it is written in the Booke ofwifidome souention ofIdals was the beginning That it be the likene(fe ofMale or Female, ofWhoredome: and the fading ofthem the corruptiat is life:for they were notfromthe beginnin g ,neyther {hall they odiefo: cuer. And whereas the Schoolemen affine, that. the Prophet fpake againft the ‘Wer fhipping of the HeathenIdols,itis matifet that Mifés {pakes PE dienes of BE Lining God,and not of Bsa/ andthe reft ofthat Nature, dey that the Lord(pske'omto.you in Horeb, For youfaw no Imace (faith acofes ? i. Surely it was excellently {rid quam inillo formim imaginari, ne circumferibas cure mente tua: re vat of Bafil; Noli 4® jmagitte a sy}are tobe n Codlefithou limit orcircumferibe bin. in thy minde ta: Now, ifthe gteat 24" hough ita prefiunption valawfal to Keptelent a pattern ofthe infiniteGod tothough? our of the Eiiftory of the World, 30 » Mens mindes?that maifhouldvgly fhapes adore, Of Birds,or Buls,or Dragons,orthevile Halfe-dogge-halfe-man on knees foraide implote. And though this deuice was barbarous,and firft, and manyyeeres practifed then Nations only,till the Zewes were cortupted in Egyp?,yet it is not Seneca by Healaughethto fcorne the ignorant ftupiditie of his Nation: bur Zulia Martyr alone that remembr how the Sis inucighed againtt Images : and Ho/pinian, howSophocles taught, eth thatit was pernicious to the foules of men' to' ered and: adore thofe Babels.S¢raboand dotus witneffle,thatthe:Peraus did not erect or fet Vp any' Statwe oftheirGods. , Hefos Dygurgu nguer taught itthe Lacedemonian, but thought it impictié to repenferit immoftal natures by mortall/Pigures. Eu/ebins alfo witneffethin his fixt Booke dé preparation l Es 4° wangelica,thatit was forbidden by a Lawin Sevsca,or among the Brachiwa nsin Iwdia,that Images thould beworhipped. T he fame doe Fucirus and Crinitus report' 6fthé ancient Germans:Many otherAuthors might bee remembred that witneffe the dif@aine which the Heathen themfelueshad ofthis'childithIdolatite:ofwhich Hofpitiz mhath written atlarge inhis Traét,de origine imaginuw. And it was truclyfayd, Ownit mala exdpipla bonis initys ortaunt, Al it examples bane fprangfromgood béginuing firft madethefe statue and Images,but in memorie of{uch remarkeas. Phe Heathen at ble men,as had de ferued:beftoftheir Countries & Common-wealths: E/fizies horninum(Laith Plinywon fo: sebantexprimi, wifi aliquaillaftri canfaperperuitatens mercnrinni: Men were Wat wont 0 inake Pitlaves,out ofmemwbich meritedforfome notable canfe te bee perpetually remembred) Kid 5° though ofithemobreaneient Papifis,fome haue borrowéd ofthe Gentiles (asa ppeatesif Latlantineythat defence for Images: That Simwlachra arepro‘ element is literarun , vtper ca difccrent homines Deum inuifibilems cognofcere : Images({ay they; and fo'before them the Heathen faid)are inflead ofLetters, whereby wien might learme to knove the inwifible Goa 7p which vaderftanding perhaps'they nootherwife efteemedtthem than pictures indeed's yetasthatof Bea/or Bel fervp in memory ofBelasthe Babylonianpecame afterwar d the moft reuerenced Iddlbof the Wortd,by which many Nations (and'they which were appropriateto God himfelfe)were mifled-and-catt away! fo thofe very fkocks & _- an ‘ |
