ALbeit / there are verye manye causes / whyche mighte suffycyently sa­tisfy the myndes of christen mē / and perswade them to take awaye images out of theire churches: yet no man wyll deny this cause to be without dout chefe and princypall / bycause it is forbydden in the fyrste of goddes cōmaundementes / that any maner of images shulde be had amonge his peple. For thus we rede in the scrypture: Ex. 20 I am that euerlastyng god. I am thy god which haue delyuered the frō Aegypt / the house of thraldom and bondage. Thou shalt haue no straunge goddes besydes me. Thou shalt make vnto [Page] thy selfe no grauen or caruen ima­ge / nor the symilytude of any ma­ner thinge which is aboue in heuē or beneth in the erth: nor of those thynges whiche are in the waters vnder the erthe. Thou shalte nat bowe thy selfe before them / neither worship them: For I am thy lord god euerlasting / stronge / & mighty / punysshynge the fautes of the fathers in the chyldren / euen vnto the thyrd generatyon of thē which do hate me. & powringe forthe my goodnes / euen vnto the thousanth generation of them which do loue me / and do obserue & kepe my commaundementes. Lo / here are .ii. lawes of the lord set forth vnto the whiche natte without good cause amonge other / do chalenge vnto them selues the fyrste place. The fyrst of them requyreth of vs / that we do take this eternall and euer [Page] beinge god (so as he is in very de­de) for oure god. The later doth nat only forbyd straunge goddes / but also it forbyddeth bothe the y­mages of them / & also of all other thynges / to be hadde amonge the people of god / vnto which people doutlesse / that is to wytte vnto all true beleuers / all such maner pre­ceptes do apperteyne. For these ar the trewe Israelyties / as it appe­reth in the scryptures. Rom. 2 iiii.ix. Gala. 3 iiij. For Christ came nat to breke the lawe: but to fulfyll it fyrst of any man. Nowe in very dede thei ar annexed to the lawe of god / & also enclosed and conteyned in it / whatsoeuer thingꝭ do brīge any cause or occasyon vnto the loue of god or of the neygh­boure / to shewe or put forth it selfe more and more.

¶ In dede god cōmaunded very many thynges to his olde people [Page] whiche were greatly auaylable & helpynge to the princypall poynte and ende of his lawe. But after that christ was ones exalted to the right hande of his father / and the holighost was sent all abrode into the worlde / we ar delyuered & free from a great parte of suche maner legall ceremonyes. As for exāple it was goddes wyll & cōmaunde­ment / that the Iewes shulde lyue togyther by theym selues / abstay­nyng from companyeng and dea­lynge with the gētyles (for he dyd nat yet vouchesafe that they shuld haue knowlege of hys doctryne) to thentēt / no dout of it / that they shulde by somoche / be the more o­bedyent to his cōmaundement / by how moche they were the lesse cor­rupted & infected with the cōpany of the gentyls / worshippyng false goddes. But after that / the wall [Page] which departed the one people frō the other was throwen downe / & both the gentyls & also the Iewes grewe togyther in to one people. This lawe whiche forfended the Israelytes / cōpanyenge with the gentyls / coulde do no seruyce nor profyte at all. wherfore it was conuenyent that it shulde be abroga­ted. Suche another lyke thynge is cyrcumcysyon / & also the rytes & ceremonyes of purifycations / the choyse of metes / the diuersyties of places & persones / & whatsoeuer besydes these is red to haue ben cō maunded in the olde lawe / concer­nynge outwarde sacryfyces. For these thynges in as moche as nei­ther fayth nor charytie doth nowe requyre them: it shalbe lawfull & free for vs either to obserue & kepe them / orels to leue them vndone. For the trewe honoure & worship­pynge [Page] of god / which hath ben by the prechynge of the Apostels in­differētly publysshed to the whole worlde / wyll in nowyse suffre it selfe to be thruste so narowly into suche maner streyghtes of places / dayes / meates / and persons.

¶ But as concernynge ymages / the thyng is farre other wyse: For these beynge ones forbidden must nedes stande alwayes styll forbydden / specyally for this cause. By­cause the trewe honouryng of god can nat be but either mynisshed / or els dyuerse wayes letted: as sone as we shall suffre the sayde yma­ges / contrary to the cōmaūdemēt of god in churches / or in other places / where they be honoured or els maye be honoured. For substan­cyall & parfyte fayth / & the parfyte honouryng of god requyreth / that we shulde do our dilygēce to cause [Page] this only god to be knowen in all places / that we shulde drede and honour him: that we shulde in all places and at all tymes with full mouth / prayse & magnify the wor­kes of him alone. But ymages ar so farre from helpynge vnto this thynge / that the same do dyuerse wayes hyndre & let euery man frō the trewe honouryng of god. For who is he (I beseche you) whom ymages set vp in churches / or in other more narowe places / haue nat rather made neglygent about the trewe honouryng of god / than holpen him any whyt to honoure god trewly. Ye / moreouer (if it be lawfull to speke the truth) the true honour of god / beynge subuerted and ouerthrowen / they haue quite blotted out of mennes myndes the remembrance of those thinges / for whose cause it is fayned / that they [Page] were fyrst set vp. And though it be so / that otherwhyles peraduēture by the occasyon of these godly ad­monytours / some thought and re­membrance of god doth come into our mynde: yet the same thought is soner vanysshed away / thā that it can gether sufficient rotes in the brestes or myndes of men. For as it is but a thyng of mās deuisyng / and receyued without the cōmaū ­dement of god: euen so was it ne­uer able to moue or stere oure her­tes & myndes with the quycke & lyuely perceyuynge / eyther of the workes or of the benefytes of god. By the reason of which thynge it hath come to passe / that no place hath ben lefte to the lyuely admo­nition / which is by the creatures of god: nat withstādinge that these sayd creatures / bycause in all pla­ces we do se them / & handell them / [Page] ought also in all places to styre vp and renewe in vs the remēbrance of goddes infynite goodnesse. Brefly / there is no cause / why we may more rightfully impute / shall I say or neglygence / or els our contempte towardꝭ the trewe honour which is acceptable to god / vnto any other thynge than vnto ima­ges. For after that these began to be worshipped in certayne places / forthwith flowed in an vnmeasu­rable see of all euyls. For though we passe ouer / that god by the rea­son herof / was many wayes gre­uously offēded & displeased / bicause cōtrary to his opē & euydent cō ­maūdemēt / nat only we haue worshipped thē / but also puttyng our trust in such maner worshippinge haue ꝑswaded vnto oure selues / y ^t herewith we do wynne to our sel­ues the fauour of god / & trustyng [Page] vnto these vayne & tryflynge wor­kes / haue either vtterly nat myn­ded / or at the lestwyse / haue loth­somly & disdaynefully done those workes / with whiche only a chri­sten mynde may be pleasynge and acceptable to god. And who is he but he knoweth that by the reason herof / very many men haue ben so tycked with a merueylouse vayne hope / to get of the lorde I wot nat what great hepes and treasures of meritꝭ: that if thei had nat thought these maner tryfles to be moste ac­ceptable to god. Nat the goddesse Pitho herselfe / Pitho the god­desse of eloquēce with all her swete eloquence / shuld haue ben able to bringe thē in mynde / beyng slowe inough / & to moche vnto all other workes of charyte besydes / to ha­ue pleasure to lasshe oute so great rychesse / partly vpon the makyng and partely vpon the payntynge / [Page] gyldynge / or otherwyse garnys­shynge and deckynge of ymages.

¶ Besydes all this / I say (which is a thīge more to be sorowed for) this vayne honouryng of images hath engendred such a confydence and trust in a greate sorte of men / that those workes which ar in ve­ry dede good & godly / layde clene a syde: they haue taken occasyon to lyue a gret dele the more at lar­ge and more lycentiously / bycause they ar perswaded & in stedfast be­lefe / that with these workes they haue so gotten the fauour of god / that at all other synnes & vyciouse lyuynge / he doth wynke and wyll nat se them / & as though hauynge lybertie graunted to synne vnpu­nysshed / they might gyue themsel­ues at large to all maner vyces / e­uen as they lyst thēselues. If this thynge were nat well inough knowen [Page] vnto all men by experyence: we coulde proue it with suche ma­ner examples & proufes / that euen he that were blynde / shuld percey­ue playnly / that ther hath nat lyghtely any other more perilouse mis­chefe cropen into the churche / thā this of honourynge ymages.

¶ Who is he than / that doth nat here somwhat smell and perceyue the false wyly craftes of oure olde enemy / which hath neuer cessed to driue the worlde vnto suche mad­nesse / that puttynge away the true honour of god / men shuld receyue and embrace this honour / whiche maketh them to go the cleane con­trary waye from god / disceyuyng all maner men with the vayne ap­parence & outward syght of yma­ges / as though (god wot) men by them were put in remembrance of godly thīges / whan in very dede [Page] by thē nothīge els hath bē brought in / but an innumerable hepe of all euyls. Moreouer / that man / whō heuen / erth / & whatsoeuer is con­teyned in them / & moste specyally man / which is created to the ima­ge of god / fynally whom god him selfe / the worker of all these thyn­ges / doth nat waken & stere vp to loue him & prayse him: no mā / vn­lesse he be madder than a man of Bedlem / wyll beleue that this mā wyll be moued greatly with deed and vnsensyble images. Yf so ma­ny workes of god / if so many creatures / no lesse profytable than merueylouse / whiche set the goodnesse of god before thyne eyes / can nat enflame the / thou arte doutlesse to vnsensyble for to be admonysshed and styrred euer of vnsensyble y­mages. The goodnesse of god shineth & appereth in all his creatu­res. [Page] There is nothynge / but it ex­presseth god hīself. All y ^e world is full of thinges / which do nat cesse to put vs in remembrance of oure duty / that is to wyt / that we shuld contynue to be vnto other men / as god is vnto vs / & that we shulde resemble him by a certaine endles goodnesse. But verily that thys thīg hath the lesse esely bē brought to passe hitherto / we maye thanke ymages for a gret parte therof: for suche expenses which ought to haue ben made vpō poore nedy folke (whom as beynge the very lyue i­mages of god / it was conuenyent to haue socoured & made our frendes with our lyberalyte) we haue wastfully bestowed vpon stockes and stones. you se therfore that the trew honour / & that which only is accepted to god / hath ben by no o­ther thīge so moch backed & hīdred [Page] as it hath by the vayne superstitiō of images: & that the deuil bi these craftes hath brought ī the contēpt of god / the ouerthrowīg of faith a more large lybertie to do whatso­euer one lyst vnpunysshed / false cō fydence in merytes / lothfulnesse to exercyse charite towardes our neybours: brefly in excedynge greate hepe of all maner euylles hath ben brought in: & to make an ende / a wyndowe opened to all maner vyce & synne: which thinge although it might be esely ꝓued by exāples out of nōbre: yet at this p̄sent tyme let one exāple of the kingꝭ of Israell suffyce. For howe many so euer of those kyngꝭ thistorie of the By­ble doth nombre among wycked & vngodly ꝑsons / the same kyngꝭ it doth recorde to haue bē also idolaters & worshippers of ymages. on the other syde agayne / who soeuer [Page] ar cōmended for their loue and ex­ercyse of vertue & godlynesse: they wolde gyue euydent testymonie & wytnesse by distroyenge & ryddīg ymages shortly out of the way / y ^t they were ruled by the holy ghost / and coulde nat but hate all maner thynges / whiche are abhomyna­ble in the syght of god.

¶ And as for that which some mē do fayne / that ymages are the bo­kes of laye men. (For so they say) it is nat onely a weyke reason / but also a folysshe: as who shulde say / that god / of all moste wysest / and which is very wysdome it self / ei­ther dyd nat know these bokes / or els through malyce dyd withhold from his owne people such maner bokes & monumētes / wherby they might be put in remembraunce of godly thinges. Forsoth it is a wicked thynge / euen ones to thynke / [Page] that god (which accordyng to his goodnes towardes vs / lefte none of those thynges vnshewed / & as they say / poynted with his fynger which might helpe to further & en­crease the knowlege of him selfe / & to styrre vs vp also to the loue of him selfe) I can nat tell of what euyll wyll & hatred had kepte this worshippynge of ymages frō his owne people. For nat only he dyd nat teche the worshippinge of images / but also he dyd with expresse and playne wordes vtterly forbyd it / as it appereth euydently by the fyrste lawe of all. Nowe what is more vnreasonable and vnlykely / than if the vse of ymages be so profytable / as these men do fayne it to be / that god dyd nothynge este­me theym / seynge that in the meane season he had begon to tech his people / beynge yet but yonge be­gīners [Page] / & hauīg but small knolege with so many outward thinges / e­uen as one shuld enduce a chylde / seing also that he wold his workꝭ and benefytes to be openly knowē by so many wonderfull myracles / and by so manyfolde ceremonies, besydes this / dyd induce the peple with holydayes / & other rytes in­numerable. Fynally lefte nothing behynde to the shadowing & fygu­ringe of himselfe largely vnto thē. I say / how fortuned it / if ymages be so ꝓfytable / that god for al this insomoch dyd nothinge esteme thē that he wold in no wise suffre them to be amonge his people. Syth than it is so / that it was nat lauful for the people / which was yet rude and ignorante to haue any maner ymages / althoughe the lorde dyd by many other dyuerse ceremoni­es by lytle & lytle teche and facyon [Page] the same people. Howe moch lesse shall it be lawfull for vs / whō the truthe succeded in to the place of shadowes / hathe nowe made free frome outwarde ceremonies / re­quyryng non other honour or ser­uyce of vs / than that whiche stan­deth in spirit and truth.

¶ Let vs therfore haue ymages / nat of stone / nat of wood / nat gra­uen / or cast in any moulde (al whiche god hath ones for euer forbyd­den / as well to vs / as to the Iues) But let vs rather consyder the ve­rye worde of god / let vs occupye and busye oure selues in it bothe night and daye: Besydes this / let all the whole frame of this world be vnto vs amonument and token to put vs in remembrance of god / that whatsoeuer trewe godlynesse is remaynynge in vs / it maye nat by the workes of men / but by the [Page] workes of god wel & after a godly facyon consydre / enflame & kyndle vs to the praysyng & louyng of hī.

¶ Nowe as touchyng to this reason / that some men do make for to excuse the vse of ymages / bycause (as they say) after that god takīge the nature of man vpon him / had vouchesafed to lyue amonge men / and to be nayled fast to the crosse / and wylled the knowlege of him selfe to be egall publysshed and declared vnto all mē: there is no cau­se why it shulde nat be lawfull to vse ymages / but yet most specyal­ly of Christ crucifyed / to thentent that we might oftentymes be put in remembrance / how by his deth we haue gotten redemptyon & sal­uatyon. Verily we do nat denye / whatsoeuer holsome & profytable thinge hath come to vs by the deth of Christ / which he suffryng whā [Page] he was cōuersaunte amonge men / reconsyled mākinde to his father: yet that natwithstādyng the same Christ dyd playnly wytnesse / that his bodily presence was nothynge profytable. Ioa. vi It is the spyrit (sayth he) that quyckeneth. It was ther­fore for our profyte / that he shulde bodily departe from vs. Io. xvi And for that cause after his resurrectiō he ascended vp into heuē to the right hande of his father / to thende that he might cary vs also vp to the sa­me place / if it be so that we haue rysen with him by fayth. Col. iij Besydes this / whan Paule / accordynge to the same sentence / dothe openly esaye / that he doth no lengre know Christ / as touchinge the flesshe: he sygnifyeth that another maner of worshippynge is requyred of vs / that is to wyt / a spirytuall honour and suche one / which may effectu­ally [Page] and strongly transforme oure hertes / which thīge syth it can nat be done by the benefyte & helpe of ymages / let vs saye a due for euer to these tryfelynge & vnprofytable helpes / which ar rather hynderers of true fayth & godly lyuynge / thā monumētes & tokens to put vs in remembraunce of godly thynges. It is vndoutedly starke madnesse to desyre to be put in remembrance of the benefytes of Christ by ima­ges / whan Christ him selfe ought to worke the same in our myndes / whiche in vs & all creatures wor­keth all thinges. Let vs (I saye) haue this Iesus nayled faste vpon the crosse / set vp before the eyes of oure mynde / as oftentymes as he tryeth vs / & layeth his crosse vpon vs / by pacyence of trybulations & aduersyte. Let Christ so possesse & fyll the brest of a christen man / of [Page] whom he hath his name / that ther be no thinge / but it do put him in remembrance of his lorde / the creatour & maker / the gouernour / and the sauyour / & preseruer of al thinges. Wherfore so oftentymes as he loketh vp towardes the skye / he can nat chuse but remembre forth­with his sauyour Christe / whiche raygneth aboue all heuens on the right hande of his father. As sone as he beholdeth the sonne / by & by he thinketh vpon Christ the sonne of rightuousnes / & the lyght of the worlde / whiche with his beames lyghteneth the herte. Whā he seeth a man / he remembreth that Christ was made man for our sake. If he do met [...] with a kynge or a prince / anon Christ the kyng of kynges / and lorde of lordes / is in hys re­membrance. Whan he hereth any precher or techer / lo / streight ways [Page] his mynde is vpon Christe the he­uenly doctour and maister: as the garment done vpon the body doth the body both profyte & honestye: euen so doth a godly mynde thīke that Christ is the very weddynge garment / whom all those persons haue done on theym selues / howe many soeuer haue ben baptysed. A christen man neuer eteth or drinketh / but forthwith he is put in re­membrance that christ is the only and the very meate / which fedeth and nouryssheth vs into eternall lyfe. If at any tyme he doth occu­pye water / forthwith it cometh to his mynde / that Christ is the foū ­tayne / out of which we may draw drinke agaynst vnsaciable thurst. Brefly / so oftentymes as he shall see either a shepe or a shepherde / a gate / a way / a vynetree / or a stone / forthwith he conceyueth an image [Page] and symilytude of his lorde christ which wyllyngly suffred him selfe to be slayne & offred vp for the re­concylyation of the worlde / which bosteth him selfe to be a good shepherde / whiche is the waye and the yate / by whiche men go & entre in to heuen / which wytnesseth hīselfe to be the trewe vynetre / the cornerstone / & set for a foundatyon. Fy­nally / if thou before vxed with ad­uersyte / orels seest any other man to be in afflyction & calamyte: be­sydes this / if thou be troubled w ^t passyons & noughtye affectyons & desyres: forthwith (if there be any percell of Christe in the) set afore the eyes of thy mynde / bothe the deth & the resurrectyon of Christ / & stedfastly and depely consydre thē / by the meanes wherof thou maist in suche wyse arme and fence thy mynde with complete harnesse / so [Page] sure and so full of moste effectuall consolations / that thou shalt be a­ble casely to abyde and ouercome whatsoeuer aduersytie shall fall vnto the. So than if after this maner & facyon we wold haue lust and pleasure to lerne Christe par­fytely in all thinges / & his workes with a certaine lyuely felynge and iugemēt of the minde / which shuld transforme & chaunge vs: without dout the loue of god shuld be mer­ueylously augmented in vs / & we shulde also (as it were in a glasse) see / with what comlynesse / & after what maner & facyon the course of this lyfe ought to be passed ouer & brought to an ende / which thinge none ymages can euer be able to teache vs. For these (whatsoeuer manerons they be) can nat set be­fore thyne eyes any symilytude of god: but rather with avayne ima­gynation [Page] whan thou wenest that thou arte warme with a certayne hote loue & desyre / to consydre and thynke vpon godly thinges: sodenly this heate & feruentnesse vanis­sheth awaye / and it shall make the more neglygent to all trew workꝭ semely for a christen man / thā euer thou wast before. We do therefore pituously disceyue our own selues with this flyeng deuotion / as thei call it. For whā we haue thought our selues to be fed & full of the better thinges: we fynde by expery­ence / sooner than we wolde haue thoughte / that we haue ben fedde with wynde (as it is sayde in the prouerbe) and that we are emptye and voyde of meate / whiche doth nourysshe and make fatte in ver­tue and godly lyuynge.

¶ But as for these persones / whi­che trustynge and berynge theym [Page] selues bolde vpon the law of chri­sten lybertie / doo excuse ymages / sayenge / that for this cause they ar nat vnlawfull / bycause we maye vse thē lawfully at our owne ple­sure / as well as we may other outward thinges / & therfore that it is better y ^t there be images of Christ than to haue ymages of prophane thynges: I wolde that these men shuld fyrst lerne / that whatsoeuer ymages are honoured or maye be honoured / ar nat to be compted in the nombre of outward thinges / & therfore they ar vsed both to the iniury of the diuyne maiesty / which only ought to be honoured / & also to the labefactation & decay of the fayth. There is no cause therfore why the consyderation of christen lybertye / maye suffre in any wyse suche maner ymages. For the ly­bertie of a Christen man / is nat a [Page] lycence to do what soeuer he lyste / but it is rather a voluntary execu­tiō of vertuouse workes / which ar done by the motyon of charytie / & nat by the commaundemente and compulsyon of the lawe.

¶ Nowe as touchyng the obiec­tyon of some men / that there is no cause why it maye nat be lawfull for vs to vse pyctures & standynge ymages. For lykewyse as wyse men / & those persones which haue ben suffyciently instructed in the trew doctryne & fayth of Christ / ar nothing offended nor do take any hurte by images: euen so weke persones / and suche as be nat yet well skylled in godlye thinges / eyther whan they haue better instruction and are taught the truthe / shall be nothynge hurte by the reason of y­mages / or if they be sturdy & such as wyll nat be taught / they shalbe [Page] no whyt better / though all images were clene taken away. So than neither for the weke persons cause neither for their cause whiche are parfyte / is it necessarye to take a­waye ymages. Doutlesse / whoso­euer with suche forked reasons do coueyte to defende & mayntayne i­mages: they haue nat verye well consydered nor waied the counsell and entent of Paule / whā he saith i Co. ix All thynges ar laufull for me: but all thynges are nat expedyent nor profytable. All thynges ar laufull to me: but all thynges do nat edy­fye. And agayne in another place knowlege maketh a man proude / but charyte doth edify. i. Co. 8 Also there is no knowlege in all men. And agayne: Take hede that your ly­bertye be nat an occasyon of offense and hurte to them which ar we­ke. i. Co. 8 We do nat saye / naye verily: [Page] but that there is nothynge / whi­che letteth Images to be hadde / so that they be natte worshypped. j. Co. 8 We do graunte also / that caruers and paynters crafte / are craftes both gyuen by god / and also law­full. But syth it is so that in chur­ches euery were / ymages are ho­noured / and namely roodes. It is nat possyble though thou prech neuer so ofte / nor neuer so ernestly vnto the people / that ymages are nat to be honoured: but that there wyll be some / whiche wyll hold on styl to put of their cappes vnto thē orels to lowte and make curtesye to them. For suche is the strength of an olde rooted custome / and the deuyll agayne exercyseth and putteth forthe his craftes & disceytes so busely / that they which be ones snarled in his bondes / wyll neuer refrayne from worshippinge of y­mages, [Page] Now both the occasyons and also the prouocations & entise mētes of al such maner euyls must nedes be taken awaye / if ymages were ones put downe. And albeit truth it is / whiche they saye com­menly / that where this vayne per­swasyon of images is nat plucked out of mēnes myndes by the word of god / there can nat the same be taken awaye neither by puttynge downe of ymages: yet is it nat generally trew / so that we may thin­ke it to be trewly sayde by all ma­ner men indyfferently / as moch by one as by another. For by wicked men you maye well and truly say the same / which contynue always lyke to them selues / & chaunge nat their mynde / whether thou doest with wordes make playne the ab­homynation of ymages with wordes orels dost in very dede ryd all [Page] ymages oute quyte of syght. But to them that are weke / & in whom there is remaynynge any / be it ne­uer so lytell sparke of godly loue and reuerence: it shall nat be vn­profytable nor in vaine / to witnes and confyrme their doctryne with their dede / that is for to saye / after that thou hast discrybed & paynted ymages so as they oughte to be with theyr owne coloures / boro­wed of the scrypture / than dily­gētly to prouide / that the same also be ryd oute of mennes syght. For by that dede weke men shalbe confyrmed / as in other thinges / so ly­kewyse in this. For thy techynge shalbe all in vayne \ vnlesse the ex­ample of thy dede do forthwith fo­lowe / which shall cause thy doctrine to be of strength and auctoryte. Paule doutles thought it nat sufficient that the Corinthians knewe j. Co. 8 [Page] an idole to be nothīg: but he wold also y ^t the same people shuld ī any wyse absteyne from etynge of the meates offred to idoles / and that for the weke persones sake / to whō full knowlege of suche maner thinges was natte yet gyuen. There­fore he badde the Corinthyans to confyrme and fortifye this doctry­ne with the auctoritye of their de­de / and to refrayne nat onely from eatynge of the flesshe offred vp in sacrifyce to idoles: but also from all maner thynges that might ap­pere euyll / or anye maner waye mighte offende weke persones.

i. Co. 9For albeit he gaue them leaue to eate all maner flesshe / euen that also whiche was offered to Ido­les / if it were solde in the flesshe market: yet in the churches where they were offred vppe to ydoles / [Page] he wolde in no wyse graunte them lybertye to eate suche metes.

Euen lyke wyse do we iuge / that it is to be thought of images / whi­che lykewyse / as peraduēture som man maye haue at home within his owne house / so that it be done without offendynge of his neygh­boure: euen so the vse of theym in churches or in other places / where either they maye be worshypped or offende & hurt their neyghbour is no wyse longer to be suffred.

Paule doutelesse had leuer neuer eate flesshe in all his lyfe / than to gyue hys brother occasyon to be offended: i. Co. 8 And shall we all care­lesse wynke at so many occasyons bothe of offensyons and also of y­dolatrye. Mat. v If Christe dothe byd the eye to be plucked oute of the [Page] heed / which is an obstacle & impedyment to vs: how moch more thā ought pyctures and ymages to be plucked out of churches / by which we do nat only offende weke par­sones / but also do sette forthe oure relygyon to be scorned & euyl spo­ken of amonge the Turkes & iues which do conuince vs / that in this behalfe we do agaynst the princy­pall poyntes of the christen fayth. Wolde god that with this super­stition & vayne honourynge of y­mages we dyd nat stoppe & kepe awaye a great menye bothe of the iewes and also of the Turkes / frō receyuynge and takinge of the crysten fayth vpon them.

¶ Now / if any man wyl obiecte that for the abuse (which peraduē ­ture no man wyll denye) ymages are nat altogyther to be taken a­away (for els the souper of the lor­de [Page] / and baptyme / with many other thīges / which ar encombred with dyuerse abuses / ought also in lyke maner to be abrogated) this an­swere we do make vnto hī: That christen men shulde nat wynke at any abuse / & therfore whatsoeuer is brought into the church / contrary to scrypture / it is to be amen­ded / & to be tryed by the squyer & rule of goddes worde / if any thīge doth nat agree with it / it is to be cut away / with all spede that may be. And onely that thinge / which is right / whiche is holesome / is to be restored to his owne place / and taken in his owne place / specyally in the souper of the lorde / in bap­tyme / & other thinges also whiche haue ben instytuted by the lorde. But ymages ar all maner wayes to be taken awaye / nat only for the abuses / but moch more for the worde [Page] of god / to which they ar play­ne contrarye and repugnaunte. For we can nat ymagyn anye ma­ner vtylitie / which may be sayd to haue come by the reason of yma­ges. On the other syde / that the superstityon of images doth draw with it an hepe of all euylles: we haue here to fore declared.

¶ To make shorte / god neuer for bad any of those thinges / wherof any commodytie or profyte might ryse: but rather whatsoeuer thin­ge is profytable / and maye make vs better / he taught full largely / as wytnesseth Paule verye euy­dently .ii. Timoth. iii.

¶ But if any folysshe wyse man doth thynke / that ymages ar ther­fore nat to be taken awaye / bycau­se he fereth that those weake per­sones / which now supersticiously [Page] do worshippe / ymages / wolde be offended with the puttinge downe of ymages: this man doutelesse / whyles he goth aboute to auoyde from the smoke (as it is sayde in the prouerbe) is fallen into the flamyng fyre. For whyles he feareth to offende disperate persons: with hurtefull offensyons of ymages / he backeth and hindreth better mē whiche haue begonne to ronne the waye of the lorde withoute anye tournynge agayne.

Who so euer dothe this / shall be gyltye of that cryme / of whiche Paule accuseth Peter / in the epy­stle to the Galatyans. Gala 2 For Peter whyles he was afrayde to offende certayne Iewes of Hierusalem at Antyoche / and for that cause wol­de natte vse the lybertye of etyn­ge all maner meates / as he was wonte to doo before: Paule with [Page] stode him to his face in the presens of the whole multytude / bycause he walked nat the ryȝt way / accor­dynge to the truth of the gospell. For as moch as was in him with his vnwyse desyre to auoyde offendynge of the Iewes / he febled the right fayth / & also nourysshed the incredulyte and vnbelefe of them / whom he studyed to please in the meane season. Brefly he dyd no­thynge els / than whyles he wente about vnwysly to auoyde one ieoperdy / he cast hīselfe into twayne. Doutlesse after this maner to de­syre to auoyde occasyons of offen­syons / is the full cause of offensy­ons. And wold god it were nat of so great strength as it is / amonge very many mē now in these days. For a man shall se very many mē which bycause they wold ymagen some honest cloke and coloure of [Page] their vnbelefe / do fayne thēselues bothe to do & also to eschewe very many thinges / lest they might gy­ue any man occasyon to be offen­ded: whan in very dede, they do it rather forcause to kepe the crosse of Christ from theym selues. For with this fayned desyre to wynne certayne curable ꝑsons / they shifte wel for them selues / that they may neither haue the euyll wyll of desperate persones / neitheir any dis­pleasure or hurte done vnto them by the same▪ We do nat denye ve­rily / that such maner of doctryne & lyuynge is most to be embraced & folowed / whiche is an obstacle or lettynge so no man / which doth purposely angre no man / whiche doth tourne no mannes mynde a­waye from the truthe: yet neuer­thelesse dilygence ought to be gy­uen in the meane seasō lustely / that [Page] none of those thynges be lefte of / wherby the glorye of god and the helth of our neyghbours / may be furthered & encreased. Christ him selfe is the stone of offensyon / the sauyour of deth to deth / vnto them whiche are foreordeyned to lyfe.

¶ After that we oure selues doe knowe the wyll & pleasure of the lorde: we must dilygently labour that other men also maye lyke and prayse the same / & that other men also maye haue luste and pleasure to confyrme theym selues vnto the same / yf we can nat obtayne thys / than oughte we rather to forsake father & mother / & al our goodes: ye / moreouer to renoūce our owne selues / than to resyst or grudge a­gainst the wyll & pleasure of god But most cōmunely we se it come to passe / that a great parte of men haue leuer both to get & to mayntayne [Page] and kepe the fauour of men with the minisshement of goddes honour: albeit yet it were better to wyn both the fauour of god / and also of men / with honest maners / and honest lyuyng / and with redy desyre & wyll to do good vnto all men / if we wolde begyn this ma­ner of wynnynge the fauour of mē and in other thinges wold lyue in this worlde fautelesse / as nere as we coulde / douteles there shulde be no man so parcyall in iugemēt / but he wolde by and by gather in mynde / that it was neither presūptuouslye nor without good cause done of vs that we haue banisshed pictures and ymages cleane oute of churches. But whereto shulde we make many wordes / syth it is euident inough now / that images do minissh the true honour of god and that it is nat possyble but that [Page] weke men be gretly offended / and do take moche hurte by them. For they I meane weke persones wol­de passe lytell vppon the takynge awaye of ymages / if they were taught playnly / for what consyde­ration and skyll they were taken awaye. On the othersyde / if they be nat taken away / forthwith they conceyue an opinyon / as thoughe it were nat lawfull to put them a­way. Nowe as for obstynate and vncurable persones / nat onely we can nat with sauing images bring theym to goodnesse: but also with our sufferaunce and slacknesse we shall confyrme and establysshe thē the more in ydolatrye.

¶ Brefely / if thou haste so great desyre and loue to wynne manye men to thy lorde: ordre thy lyfe so that other mē may in very dede se experyence & proufe / that Christ is [Page] alyue in the / and that all thy dedes and sayengꝭ do breth and sauoure of him. Withoute doubte / if thou wylte ordre thy selfe in this wyse / thou shalt cause euen wicked men also / that they can nat chuse / but at the lest wyse closely in their her­tes confesse (their conscyence dry­uynge theym thervnto) that thou wast nat only moued / but also cō ­pelled by the zele of god to put a­waye images. And though in the meane season / manye thynges be wantynge in vs: yet that natwithstandynge we oughte to be neuer­thelesse dilygent / to prouyde that all suche maner thinges be putte awaye / whiche soeuer are repug­naunte to the worde of god.

Let vs take no thoughte for anye maner thynge / which may cast vs out any maner way of the fauoure of men: & let vs go streyght forth / [Page] and take the nexte waye to fulfyll the rule of a Christen mans lyfe. for a true Christen man / although he doth in many thinges acknow­lege him selfe to be a synner (as he is ī very dede) yet doth he neither alowe nor excuse any maner thing which doth minysshe or deface the honour of his lord & maister christ

¶ Of the abuse of ymages we haue spoken somewhat here to fore. But if any man do somwhat dily­gently consyder & way the mater / he shall perceyue vndoutedly / that ymages ar fallē into a farre gret­ter abuse amonge Christen men / than euer was amonge any hea­then men. Images haue gyuen answeres w ^t vs / they haue wepte / one of thē hath ben thoughte more holy and of more power than another. One more louely & more gratious than another / a man shall [Page] fynde some / whiche in a certayne place haue shewed forth their power in workyng of miracles / whan they haue bē translated & remoued into another place / they haue ces­sed to do the same. Of the ymage at Lauretum / and dyuerse other / syth the mater is knowen wyll i­noughe: we nede nat to saye any thynge at all. And I praye you / howe moche rychesse in the meane season hath this superstition of y­mages gathered togyther / nat w ^t out plentuouse occasyon of offen­syons: which sayd ryches the glo­tony & pompe of a sort of vnthrifty idle belyes hath destroyed & wast­fully consumed. In as moch ther­fore / as trewe / full / & parfyte faith can nat suffre so great abhomina­tyon / & syth it can nat be plucked vp by the rootes with the worde alone (For with the goodly & gloriouse [Page] apperaunce of holynesse / and also by the reason of long custome and contynuance / it hath gotten so great auctoryte & estymation to it selfe) it is to be put awaye by the dede selfe. And wherto nedeth it to suffre those thingꝭ amonge christen men / whiche as they can nat but engendre euylles out of nom­bre / so can they cause no hope nor lokynge of anye maner profyte to come by thē vnto any man. It dyd become vs christen men most of al to be moued & styred with the worde of god / which doth so playnly and so expressely forbyd all maner of ymages. Whatsoeuer is redde concernynge ymages in the lawe / in the Prophettes / in the Psalmes dothe moche more rightefully ap­pertayne vnto vs / whiche are tau­ghte by Christe / that god is to be worshipped in spyrite and truthe / [Page] and that Christe also is natte to be honoured in Images of woode / of stone / or of syluer: but that he is to be worshypped raither syt­tynge on the right hande of his fa­ther / and that all the membres of the sayde Christ / that is to wytte / oure neyghbours are to be focou­red with dedes of charytie.

¶ And these fewe thinges amon­ge manye / it hathe lyked vs to borowe of the scryptures against pyctures and images / which scriptures alone / a christen man hathe regarde vnto / as vnto the shote ankre / in all thynges / both whi­che ar to be desyred / and also whi­che are to be eschewed. But yet bycause it can nat be but pleasure and conforte to the same Christen man / whatsoeuer either doctryne or exāples he shal fynde in the saintes of god / which is cōsonant and [Page] agreyng to the scriptures: we ha­ue thought it expedient to brynge forth a fewe thynges of the wry­tyngꝭ of the fathers / by which the godly reder shall easely perceyue / that the apostles / martyrs / and all the best lerned & most auncyent fa­thers taught the same thinge / whiche is ordeyned & cōmaunded by the word of god / vntyll such tyme as by the Gothyans & the Vanda­lyanes / the christen faythe and the more pure knowlege of the truthe began to be gretly minisshed and brought in decay. For in the tyme of saynte Hieronymie / & certayne yeres after him / we doo nat rede / that any bysshop beynge of wyse iugemente / dyd suffre pyctures or images in the churches of christen men. Of whiche thynge Epipha­nius / the moste holy bysshoppe of Salamine / in the yle of Cyprus [Page] sheweth an euydent exāple in his epystel to Iohan the bysshoppe of Hierusalem / which epystel saynte Hieronyme translated into latyn. For thus he writeth: Epipha­nius. whan we wente togyther to the holye place which is called Bethell / to make a collectyon there for poore people with the / accordīge to the custome and maner of the churche: and I was come vnto the vyllage which is called Anablatha / & as I passed by / dyd se a burnynge lampe / & I had asked what place it was / and had lerned that it was a churche / and had entred into it to praye: I dyd fynde there a vayle hangynge in the churche dores / coloured and paynted / & hauynge as it were the ymage of Christ / or of some saynt (For I do nat wel remēbre whose ymage it was) I say whan I had sene that in the churche of Christ / [Page] ther dyd hāge the ymage of a man agaynst the auctoritie of the scrip­tures: I dyd cut it / & gaue counsel rather to the kepers of that place / that they shulde wynde some pore man that were deed / & bury him in it. And they agayne grudgynge / sayd by me: If he had mynded to cutte it / it was reason & right that he shuld gyue another vayle and chaunge this / which thinge whan I had herde / I promysed that I wolde gyue one / and sende it forth with. Howbeit I deferred the sending of it somwhat the longer / by the reason that I entended for to sende a very good vaile in the sted of it / & I thought y ^t I shulde haue had one sēt vnto me out of Ciprus. Nowe I haue sent suche one as I coulde get / & I pray you / that you wyll byd the preestes of that same place / to receyue this vayle of the [Page] bringer / which we haue sent / and afterwardꝭ to cōmaunde / that no mo suche maner vayles / which ar contrary to our relygyon / be han­gen vp in the churche of Christ.

Lo / here the sentence of the moost vertuouse bysshop / in whiche he gyueth iugemente by expresse and playne wordes / that it is agaynst scrypture & our relygion / that y­mages of christ ar had in the chur­ches of christen men / wherof we may gather euidently that in this mater / bothe Ierome & also other bisshops were of the same mynde that Epiphanius was of. Herfore Eusebius Eusebiꝰ also reherseth / as a strā ge & an vnwont thyng / that in Cesarea Philippi (in which cyte the woman was borne / whom Christ healed from the fluxe of blode) He dyd se two ymages of brasse / the one of y ^e woman / thother of christ [Page] our sauyour / whiche ymages yet were set vp at churche dores / nat in the churche selfe / as the same Eusebius recordeth. And at the last / he sayth thus: It is no mer­ueyle if those persones of the gen­tyles which dyd beleue / were sene for suche benefytes as they had re­ceyued of the sauyour / to offre as you wolde saye / suche a maner re­warde or recompense / syth it is so that we do see ymages & tables of the apostles Peter & Paule / & also of Christ our sauyour to be caruē and paynted / euen these daies also we haue sene moreouer olde yma­ges of them kepte of certayne per­sones / which thinge me thinke is obserued / according to the custom of the gentyles / without any dyfference / bycause they ar wont in su­che wise to honour them / whō they thought worthye of honoure. For [Page] that the armes or ymages of olde men are reserued & kepte for a re­membrance to them that shal come after: it is a sygne & token both of their honoure / & also of these men­nes loue towardꝭ thē. Li. vii. ca. 14. Thus saith Eusebius in y ^e eccliastical histori.

¶ Herof we doo easely perceyue / that the images whiche Eusebius dyd se / were set vp / nat within the churches / but at the churche dores. Agayne / nat to thentente that they shuld be honoured / but rather that they shuld be a testymony & record how great honour they were to be iudged worthy of / whose images were reserued & kepte: all whiche thynges neuerthelesse / Eusebius doth nat hyde / to haue taken their begynnynge of the Gentyles and hethen people. But what thinke you that he wolde haue sayd / if he had sene ymages set vp ī churches [Page] and no lesse worshipped of christen men / than euer they were of anye gentyls / which thyng (a lacke for petye) it is vndouted both to haue be done: ye / & to be done euen now at these dayes also. Of these thyn­ges therfore we may gather what is the cause / why the olde fathers dyd write nothynge agaynst such maner of ymages. For there was no man at that tyme / which dyd so moche as ones dreme / that euer so gret a multytude of images shuld crepe into churches / as hath cropē in / for as moche as they knewe it to be forbydden with so open & euydent oracles & testymonyes of the scrypture. But agaynste the ima­ges of the Gentyles / a man shall fynde many thīges written by the fathers very cōnyngly & eloquently / bycause the superstityon of thē dyd raygne euery where euē at the [Page] same tyme / in which those holy mē were lyuynge. yea / & was defen­ded of the gentyles with the same weapens / with which both in our tyme / & also in the tyme of our fa­thers / certayne christen men haue gone about to defende and mayn­tayne their ymages. Whatso­euer thynge Lactantyus wrote a­gaynst the ydoles of the gentyles / we may by very good right apply the same agaynst our ymages: all beit in his tyme (as we haue sayd) they wer nat yet vsed among cry­sten men. Lactātiꝰ Amonge manye places it lyketh me at this tyme to allege one. Lib. ij, cap, ij. For thus he demaūdeth of the gentyles: If you do therfore fere your goddes / bicause you do iuge them to be in heuen: why doo you nat than lyfte vp youre eyes in to heuen? why do you rather loke to walles / to stockes / & stones: than [Page] to that place / where you do beleue that they be? This same question in lyke maner may we demaunde of our superstityouse christē men: If they do beleue that god & sayn­tes ar in heuen: why doo they nat rather lyfte vp theire eyes to that place / than to the deed ymages? But let vs here also Athanase / writyng in this wyse agaynst the gē ­tyls. Athana­sius, Let thē say (I besech you) howe or after what maner god is knowen by images: whether is it by the mater & stuffe put rounde about them: or els is it by y ^e shape and facion brought ī to the stuffe? If it be for the stuffe of the images that he is knowen / than what ne­deth any shape or facion to be bro­ught in by the workeman? & why dyd nat god appere as well by all maner of stuffe / before that any y­mages were made: syth all thingꝭ [Page] do wytnesse his glorie. But if the shape and facyon brought into the stuffe / be the cause of the know­lege of god: what nedeth than any payntynge / or any other stuffe at all? and why is nat god knowen rather by the very lyue creatures / whose shapes or ymages? for doutles the glori of god shuld be more clerely & euydently knowen / if it wer shewed by the lyue creatures both resonable & vnresonable / thā by deed & vnmoueable creatures. Therefore whan you do graue or paynte ymages / for the entente to haue vnderstandynge & knowlege of god: forsoth you do an vnwor­thy & an vnmete thinge. &c. Now Athanasius wold neuer haue purposed in his mynde / to write any suche maner thynge agaynste the gentyles / if he had sene the christē men of his tyme / entangled and [Page] wrapped in suche superstityon of ymages / as we do se a great parte of the worlde to be pytuously snarled now in our tyme: but he wold rather haue exercysed his penne agaynst christēmen / if they had ben lyke our crysten men now adayes. But nothynge letteth / but that we may very accordīgly apply y ^e same thingꝭ agaynst our superstityous christen men: for they pretende the same cause of hauyng images / w ^t which Athanasius reherseth / that the gētyles were moued / that is to wit / that by images they maye be put in remēbraunce of god: which thynge / syth the creatures of god (whether we do consider the stuffe or the shape & facyon of them) may do moch more strongly (as Atha­nasius iugeth full wel) there is no nede that we shuld ronne vnto the workes of mē / which do represent [Page] but onely I wot nat what false y­mage vnto vs. For whom soeuer trees / stones / syluer / golde / & other stuffe / wherof ymages are made / fynally whom the syght of man / to whom god hath gyuen lyfe & rea­son / can nat styre nor put in remē ­brance of god: surely images shal natte styre vp that man with anye frute or profyte: for they (as Ori­gen writeth agaynst Selsus) doo rather plucke awaye the memorie of man from god / & do tourne the eyes of the mynde bacwardes / to behold & consyder erthly thinges. For euery man knoweth / that the more nere that one thynge resem­bleth another in nature and pro­prietie / so moche the more strong­ly it doth renewe the remembraunce in vs of that thynge / to whom it is lyke. For trees or stones do more surely and lyuely putte vs in [Page] remembraunce of god / whan they are cōsydered of vs / hauyng their owne naturall shape & facyon / so as they were fyrst created of god: than whan by the worke and craft of men beynge beryued of theire owne naturall shape / they doo ex­presse & resemble vnto vs the ima­ge and lykenesse of man / or of any other thynge. For soner shall the remembraunce come to thy mynde of the Caruer or Paynter / whose workmanship thou dost marueyle at / than the remembrance of god / the creatour & maker of all thingꝭ. It is therfore nothynge els but a pure disceyte of the deuyll / which calleth vs from the praisynge and charytable louynge of the lyue y­mages of god / vnto deed ymages of wood or stone / which some mā a folysshe coūterfaiter of god / hath folysshlye carnen or paynted. We [Page] coulde also allege manye other te­stymonyes oute of the writynges of the fathers: but it shulde be all in vayne / to recyte any mo to him whiche is nat moued with these / which we haue all redy rehersed.

¶ Here we haue thoughte it very expedyent & necessary to declare & make playne / accordīg to the truth of hystories / whan / & by what be­gynners ymages begane to come vp amonge Christen men: & who agayne on the other syde did their endeuour to put them downe / and with how moche busynesse / & how great ieoperdy / good & well disposed men haue attempted this thīge vntyll the church was brought in to this present condityon & state of thīges fallyng styl apece to worse and worse. Vndoutedly the lawes as well of the christen emperours / as of the christen counsels / made [Page] agaīst ymagꝭ / came thā fyrst forth whan through the slouthfulnesse & neglygence of bysshoppes & their vayne curyouse desyre to wyn the fauour of god / nat only images & pyctures crepte into the churches / but also (which is wont comunely to chaunce) they began to be wor­shipped of the peple. We rede that Serenus / the bysshoppe of Massilia Serenꝰ Bysshop of Mas­silia, / a very holy man / was so dis­pleased & toke it so greuously (as mete was) that ymages were set vp in churches: that he dyd caste down all the ymages at ones whiche were in his churche / dyd breke them / & at the laste dyd also burne thē. We do nat deny / but that this dede of Serenus was sore rebu­ked of Gregorie / which was cal­led Gregorius magnus Grego­rius ma­gnus, / & that the seyde Serenus was admonished & coūselled of y ^e seid Gregori / that [Page] he shulde nat forbyd or let images to be had: but that he shuld teche y ^e honouring of thē in any wise to be auoyded. But what other thynge shuld the stādredberer of relygiō and vertue fallyng in decay / do in this mater / as well as in many o­ther? For about that tyme the churche of Rome beganne to thretten / and gyue lykelyhod of gret ruyne of the fayth afterwardꝭ to folowe.

¶ But amonge the Grekes / Leo themperour / the .iii. Leo Emperoure of the Grekes. of that name / a man both well learned / and also vertuouse and godly (he raygned in the yere of our lorde .vii. C.lx­xxiiii) distroied al images vniuersally / & cōmaūded Gregori the .iii of that name by his letters / that he shuld do the same thinge lykewyse at Rome. Gregory the third But this Gregorie nat onely refused to be obedyent to the emperours cōmaūdemēt / but also [Page] at Rauenna was the authour & begynner of sedition / to which cytie he called a certayne menye of bys­shoppes & made a counsel / in whi­che he decreed agaynste thempe­rours cōmaūdement / that images ought to be had in moche more honoure / than euer they were before.

And to the entente that he might the moore boldely instytute thys thynge agaynst themperour withoute any punysshmente: nat very longe before / he had gone aboute traytorously to forsake thēperour / and to fall vnto the parte of the frē che kynge. After the deth of Leo / Constantyne his sonne / the fyfth of that name / wyllyng to confyrme his fathers cōmaūdement & decre / called togyther all the lerned men and bysshoppes / oute of all Grece lande / beyng in nōbre. Constantin the. v CCC.xxx. which comparyng the scryptures [Page] to the reasons of the coūsell / which we spake of before / called by Gre­gorie: determyned with one cōsent That it is nat lauful to thē which by christ do beleue in god / to haue any images / either of the creator / or the creatures to honour theym: but rather of the ieoperdyes of of­fensyons / that they were all to be taken away at ones. So to the begynnynge of Leo / Constantyne his sonne / and all his successoures dyd cleue & abyde by it: vntyll su­che tyme / that the cruell woman Hirene Hiren. went about that horryble and excedynge wicked tragedye / whereof we shall speke / nat longe hereafter. But the decrees of that wycked woman / were vertuously abrogated by Cōstantynes sonne / the syxte of that name. There co­meth nowe happely to my mynde / the decre of Theodosius & Valens [Page] whiche Petrus Crinitus / a man that had red many thynges / doth recyte in the .ix. boke / De honesta disciplina. His own very wordes I shall faythfully & truly reherse.

Valens & Theodosius the noble emperours wrot to y ^e officer called Prefectus pretorius: The de­cree of Theodosius and Valens. Forasmoch as our dilygent study & care is / in all thingꝭ to maynteyne & vphold the faith & honour of god: we for­bid any maner mā to graue or make the image of christ our sauyour of stone / of wood / or of any other stuffe / orels to paynte the same w ^t colours. yea / and whersoeuer any such ymage be foūde / we cōmaūde that it be taken awaye / and they sore punysshed / who so euer shall attempte any thynge contrarye to our decrees and commaūdement / in whiche thynge if anye man do requyre an authoure: let him re­de [Page] the decrees and commandementes of Emperoures / whiche haue ben collected and gathered by a satyre of the righte connynge men Trybunianus / Basylydes / The­ophilus / Dioscorus / and other at the commaundement of the moost noble Emperoure Iustiniane.

Thus farre saythe Crinitus:

It is therfore euydente and ma­nyfest / that themperours also whiche were before the tyme of Leo / dydde dilygentlye prouyde / that the superstityon of Images shul­de natte by anye manner meanes pollute and defyle the churches of Christen men. Pontiꝰ paulinꝰ Bysshop of Nola the fyrst causer that images wer paynted. The fyrste of all other (as far as we can gather of histories) which did cause images to be paynted in churches: was Pontius Paulinus bysshoppe of Nola / about the yere of our lorde ecccl. For he solemnysing yerely [Page] the byrthe daye of Saynt Felix / was wonte to make a great and a costly fest vnto the churche / and to thentent that they whiche sate at the seyd fest / shulde be the sooner and more easely prouoked to tem­peraunce / & to the consyderatyon of godlye thinges: he paynted on the churche walles / ymages of the histores of the old testamēt / y ^t they shulde haue somwhat also where with they mighte fede / and delyte their eyes frutefully. Afore this Paulinus / you shall nat lyghtly fynde / that any suche thynge was attempted by any man / at the lest wyse / beyng of any famous memorye. For in suche wyse by lytell & lytell / this superstityō must nedes crepe in: lykewyse as other thyn­ges did / which haue corrupted the puryte & prefection of the churche. Nowe who is he / that dothe nat [Page] perceyue and se / that Paulynus dyd two maner waies offende. for fyrst agaynste the cōmaundement of saynte Paule / he was bolde / & toke vpon him selfe to make open festes in the churche. And (which agayne was as great an offence / and suche as can nat be excused) he began with ymages to exhorte men vnto the loue & exercisynge of temperaunce: whan he beynge a christen man / ought rather to haue gone about to do the same w ^t hole­some doctryne and good example. Wherfore it doth euidently appere that this bysshoppe dyd in no wise begyn that thynge of a pure godly spiryte: but if a man do well con­sydre & way euery thinge / he shall fynde / that with the same spyrite / that is to wytte most retchelesse / & dispisyng of godly thinges / other men also haue taken vpon them to [Page] defende imagꝭ. For the popes & bisshops (I wot nat whether throgh euyll wyll or els through a certayn pride) began with toth & nayle to defende the vse / or rather the abuse of ymages agaīst the greke empe­rours: vntyll suche tyme as by the labour & helpe of Hyrenes Herene empresse (which after the decesse of Leo her husbād had y ^e rule & gouernāce of thēpyre many yeres) a coūsel was assēbled at Nice / in whiche coūsell she caused to be abrogated & dysanulled / whatsoeuer was before decreed by Constātyne / concernyng the put­tynge away of ymages. Neither coulde this wyckednesse suffyse & content her mynde: but she did cause the bodye of Constantyne to be digged vp agayne out of the groū de to be brente to asshes / & laste of all to be throwen into the see.

¶ This very same Hyrene / after [Page] that she was by her sonne deposed frō her tyrānous empire / lefte no­thīge vnassaid nor neuer rested vntyll by abhominable & traytorous craftes / she wan agayn thēpire vnto her selfe: which thing whan she had brought to passe / accordīge to her owne mynde / she dyd caste her sonne in to prison / plucked out his eyes / & in cōclusion slewe hī also. But whan she feared that her tirā ny shulde nat cōtynue nor last lōg she made labours (y ^e pope of Rōe beyng broker & spokesman) to be maried vnto Charles the great / o­therwise called Charlemayn / kīge of France: & for this cause she ga­ue lycence to the bysshop of Rome to trāslate the crown of thēpire of Rome vnto Charles / hopyng ve­rily that her owne tirāny shuld be safe / if by trāslatyng thēpire of the Grekes traytourously vnto y ^e frē ­chemen [Page] / she dyd bynde / nat onely Charles / but also the bisshoppe of Rome / & make theym her frendes with this great benefyte.

¶ But whan Nicephorus, Nicephorus. which than was capitayne of the army of the Grekes perceyued these traitorouse disceytes / forthw ^t in all hast he did cast Hirene īto prisō / as she had deserued / in which she made a wretched ende / & changed this lyfe with deth / worthy & mete for suche goodly actꝭ as she had done. O cruell woman, This same Hirene which digged vp the deed body of her father in lawe / & brent it. Which put out her owne sōnes eyes / & slewe him in prison: which betraied themperour of the Grekes: & this same bisshoppe / the counseller & helper of the most wicked & vngratiouse womās purpo­ses & enforcemētes: which bisshop toke awaye frō the right & lawfull [Page] emperour his empier / & did put in another into thempier whō it pleased hīselfe: but yet vpō this condi­tion / that he hīselfe shuld haue Rome / & Italye for his parte: This worshipful couple (Isai) auaūced ymages vnto this estymation & hononour. For whatsoeuer ymages or pictures are in estimation: they may nat w ^tout good cause thanke these .ii. for it / as fyrst begynners. Howbeit / the successoures also of Charles / dyd afterwardꝭ their di­lygēt endeuour to maynteyne & vphold these abhominations: lest the foūdation & ground worke of ydo­latrye / which Charles had layde / shuld haue lacked building to garnisshe it full of all impyetie & wic­kednes. Howbeit those men in ty­mes past / dyd neuer than pollute & defyle temples & churches with so many images / & shewing so many [Page] fest apperance of ydolatry (which thinge we may perceyue & se euen yet by those which they bylded) as haue ben set vp eueriwher in these laste .C. yeres / to the occasyon of most vaine honour: which honour to thentent to make it the more ac­cepted with false & lieng wonders he styred vp & moued suꝑstitiouse persones in euery place / to begyn pylgrymages to suche ymages / to their gret hynderance / both of go­des / & of faythe & godlynesse, For (I praye you) tell me what other thynge shall a man fynde in suche maner churches of the blessed vyr­gin: than certayne fylthy & smoky ymages? For god (such is his ex­cedyng goodnesse) leste any occa­syon of ydolatry shuld be left vnto men: he wolde that the body of the blessed virgin shuld nat be knowē Likewise as he did by the body of [Page] Moses. We wyl say nothing here of the ymages of saynte Anne / of sayntes / nor of the images of An­gels: which men with lyke super­stityon / haue begon to set vp wel-nere in euery corner / & to worshyp them. And (which is as gret a fo­lysshnes as may be) whan there ar so many images oftētymes in one church: to one they do gyue I wot nat what power of workynge my­racles / to the great hynderaunce & contempte of all the resydue. Bref­ly / so gret is the vanyte of images that though ī very dede thei could put vs in remēbrance of god: yet neuerthelesse for dyuerse occasy­ons of offensyons & ydolatrye / it were expedient & necessari to haue thē taken awaye in all the hast / ac­cordyng to the example of Esechi­as the most holy kyng / whiche did cast down & breke the brasē serpēt / [Page] which was set vp by the cōmaūde­ment of god: whan he had parcey­ued that it was worshypped con­trary to the cōmaundemēt of god.

These thynges / which we haue hytherto recyted / if he that fauou­reth the glori of Christ / wyll dily­gently way & consyder ī his mynd he shall vndoubtedly perceyue / that whatsoeuer ymages ar honoured in churches / or anye maner waye maye be honoured: neither ought / neither may be suffred amōge cry­sten mē / vnlesse we wyl do against the manifest precepte of god / & despyse & set at nought both the faith and also the exāples of y ^e apostels martyrs / and also of holy fathers. Fynally except we can fynde in o ^r herte in the stede of the lawes / whiche haue bē made both by christen emperours / & also counsels to re­ceyue the traditions of the bisshop [Page] of Rome / & of the most wycked womā / whose delyte & plesure both of thē / was in traisō / robbries / & cōtynuall study to deuide & distroy the

¶ Fynally as cōcernīg (empire, the takyng down & putting away of altres / the which haue knowen the wicked abusyons of the masse / may & wyll be sone satisfied & con­tēted w ^tout any gret busynes / they which do nat know / can nat be pa­cifyed with moch busynes: vnlesse thei be taught first / how gret abhomination y ^e masse is in the sight of god. Therfore this one thinge we desyre to be consydered of thē that fere & drede god / in what maner & forwhat ende & entēt / christ our sa­uyour did īstitute his holy souper Truly to thentent / that this discy­ples (that is to say / they which wil lyue accordinglye to his doctryne and cōmaundement) assemblynge [Page] togyther / shuld take that misticall breed & misticall drinke in comen / & eueryone put other in remēbrāce of that incomparable charytie of christ / by which he suffred doth for their saluation: & by the reasō therof / their fayth & trust in god beīge encreased / shuld be enflamed both with the hatred of sines / & also w ^t loue of all vertues / professyng thē selues to be one body & one breed in Christ. By this meanes onely / holy mē ar nourysshed with christ the meate of lyfe. Now cōpare vnto these thingꝭ / that which is done cōmenly in masses. Masses most specyally ar done for the belyes sake: or els at y ^e lestwise to purchase some merite afore god / which thīg euē it selfe alone / although al this busynes were cōmaūded by god / shuld yet make it abhomynable to god. Besydes this / there ar sayd & [Page] done so many thinges / whiche do turne away our myndes frō christ which raigneth in heuen / vnto the worke of the prest. The cōgrega­tion hereth no doctryne or exhortatyon in their mother tongue / that they miȝt be edifyed therby. Ther is no cōmunion had / although the wordes whiche the prest reherseth do make mentyon of it. And whyles the preest alone dothe receyue the breed & the cuppe of the lorde: there is natte / as Paule sayth / the souper of the lorde represented. There ar sayd also many thinges which ar playne repugnant to the scripture: for they do teche to trust vnto the merytes & intercessyon of saintes. And (which thing is most highly to be abhorred) where as the oblation of Christ (by whiche only beyng made vpon the crosse / we ar assoiled & sanctified for euer [Page] more) ought to be preached: The prest bosteth / that as oftētymes as he doth his masse / so oftentimes he doth offre Christ to his father / and therfore doth by it obtayne the puttyng away of all euyls / & a hepe of al good thinges to thē only / which by gyuyng any thinge to the prest do make thē selues partakers of y ^e masse / by the / reason wherof it is come to passe / that so many mē / al care of innocēcye layde aparte / do hope that heuen shalbe opened vn­to thē / euen by masses alone. Whosoeuer acknowlegeth the lorde Iesus as our only sauyour & sancty­fyer / if he do cōsyder these thinges dilygently / & with the same do cō ­pare those thingꝭ / which our lorde both sayd & dyd: and besydes that / dyd betake to vs for to be reitera­ted / & oftētimes put in vse: he shal esely perceyue & se / that there was [Page] neuer anye superstityon in tymes past / which had in it selfe so great impyetie & wickednesse / so gret cō tempte of god / so gret distructiō of all vertues / as hathe the masse / so as it hath ben vsed to be had nowe these certayne yeres. And hereof whā he knoweth / that nothīg is so moch to be hated & abhorred of cri­sten mē: he shall ꝑceyue that all re­mēbrance of it is vtterly to be takē away: & therfore y ^t y ^e alters / which were y ^e forgers of such ydolatry / & in dede y ^e rich wyues of prestꝭ but very hurtfull to all crysten people wer in no wyse to be suffred of that gouernour & ruler / which princy­pally entēded to execute his offyce to the honour & pleasure of christ. Let cristen mē know the truth of y ^e mater / & than afterwardꝭ let them

Last of all / this thīg also (iuge. is to be obserued in this matter / [Page] though neuer so gret offensyons & occasyons of euyls come through pyctures & images / that yet for all that / it is nat laufull for any man but the hed offycer & ruler to caste thē out / namely out of open & comē places. For in asmoche as they are outward thingꝭ / no man ought to take vpon hī more power ouer thē than the condition & state of euery mā shall requyre / that it is to wit / that euery mā priuatly banysh thē out of his owne mynde / reiectīg y ^e folyshe estimation of thē. Now to an housholder it belongeth / accor­dynge to the exāple of Iames the patriarch Iames the Pa­triarche. / to clense & rid his house of thē. But to cast thē out of churches & comen places / is the duty of the hedofficer & gouernour / which duty (thanke be to Christ) our go­uernour hath knowē / & hath executed with crysten grauyte. And one [Page] thyng is to be eschewed in this busynes / lykewise as in al other / whiche it belongeth to cristen mennes charge for to do (& it is the coūsell of. S. Paule) that we do nat be­traye & set forth our good to the e­uyll wordꝭ of men: & that the thīg which was instytuted to the helth and saluatiō of many men / be nat an occasyon of hurte to any man. Wherfore if any man in distroyēg of ymages / shulde do any thynge presumputously / outragyously / & past the mesure of charite / he shuld bynde hīselfe by so moch to y ^e more greuouse sine / by howe moche the thynge is more holy / in whiche he foloweth his owne sensuall lust / & the offycer ought (nat w ^tout good cause) to punysshe him for brekīge of loue & charite. Also it ought nat to be ascribed to any outragious­nesse / though vnsensyble ymages [Page] be nat so softely & so tenderly han­dled / as certayn mē (through a fo­lish ymaginatiō / as though w ^t the fygure & symilytude of man / they had also mannes wyttes & reason) are wont to haue compassyon / and to sorowe somwhat whan they ar broken. For if we were dysposed to take awaye images / after suche maner and facyon as scripture te­cheth and cōmaundeth / whiche fa­cyon doutlesse must nedes be best: we ought to breke them / yea / and that all to pouder / that they might neuer be made whole agayne / nor be restored into so wycked an vse in whiche we ought nat to haue so gretly regarded the labour & craft of man / syth it is our duty to offre euen oure owne selues also to the crosse / and to all maner afflyction / rather than to be wyllynge to gy­ue occasyon of fallynge to any mā [Page] that walketh in the waye of vertue and godlynesse. And wolde god there were in all men as moch care and dilygence to make moche of / and to beware of offendynge or hurtynge the verye lyue ymages / whiche god him selfe hathe made to his owne lykenesse: as we doo see to be in very manye men / that those deed & dombe ymages shuld nat be hardlye / nor vnreuerently entreated. To conlude shortlye to plucke downe ymages and pic­tures / and to ryd them quyte oute of churches / is an holy thynge / and ought to be begon accordyng to the commaundemente of god, It is conuenyente therefore and mete / that it be performed and ful­fylled in suche wyse / that it maye be accepted and alowed of all mi­ghtye god. That is to wytte / [Page] that they be so taken away / that there be no whytte of them remay­nynge / namely to lyke vse / and also that yet neuertheles / nothinge be done p̄sumptuousely / nor out­ragyousely / nothynge that maye gyue anye man good cause to be troubled: but that all thynges be done charytably / of pure and per­fyte loue / and desyre to do profyte to all men. And after this facyon god graunte that his people maye be delyuered from ydoles and ymages / throughout the whole world / frō the tone ende to the tother.

AMEN.