Lord, this our unreverent behaviour in the house of the Lord; and reforting thither diligently together, let us there with reverent hearing of the Lord's holy word, calling on the Lord's holy name, giving of hearty thanks unto the Lord for his manifold and inestimable benefits daily and hourly bestowed upon us, celebrating also reverently the Lord's holy facraments, ferve the Lord in his holy houfe, as becometh the fervants of the Lord, in holinefs and righteousness before him all the days of our life; and then we shall be affured after this life to reft in his holy hill, and to dwell in his tabernacle, there to praife and magnify his holy name in the congregation of his faints, in the holy houfe of his eternal kingdom of heaven, which he hath purchased for us by the death and fhedding of the precious blood of his Son our Saviour Jefus Chrift: to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, one immortal majefty of God, be all honour, glory, praise, and thanksgiving, world without end. Amen.

AN

AN

HOMILY

AGAINST

Peril of Idolatry, and fuperfluous decking of Churches.

THE FIRST PART.

IN what points the true ornaments of the church or temple of God do confift and ftand, hath been declared in the two laft Homilies, treating of the right use of the temple or house of God, and of the due reverence that all Chriftian people are bound to give unto the fame. The fum whereof is, that the church or houfe of God is a place appointed by the holy Scriptures, where the lively word of God ought to be read, taught, and heard, the Lord's holy name called upon by public prayer, hearty thanks given to his Majefty for his infinite and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us, his holy facraments duly and reverently miniftered; and that therefore all that be godly indeed ought both with diligence, at times appointed, to repair together to the faid church, and there with all reverence to use and behave themselves before the Lord. And that the faid church thus godly used by the fervants of the Lord, in the Lord's true fervice, for the effectuous prefence of God's grace, wherewith he doth by his holy word and promifes endue his people there present and affembled, to the attainment, as well of commodities worldly, neceffary for us, as alfo of all heavenly gifts, and life everlafting, is called by the word of God (as it is indeed) the Temple of the Lord, and the House of God, and that therefore the due reverence thereof is stirred up in the hearts of the godly, by the confideration

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of these true ornaments of the faid houfe of God, and not by any outward ceremonies or coftly and glorious decking of the faid houfe or temple of the Lord, contrary to the which moft manifeft doctrine of the Scriptures, and contrary to the usage of the primitive church, which was moft pure and uncorrupt, and contrary to the fentences. and judgments of the most ancient, learned, and godly doctors of the church, (as hereafter fhall appear,) the corruption of these latter days hath brought into the church infinite multitudes of images, and the fame, with other parts of the temple alfo, have decked with gold and filver, painted with colours, fet them with ftone and pearl, clothed them with filks and precious veftures, fancying untruly that to be the chief decking and adorning of the temple or house of God, and that all people fhould be the more moved to the due reverence of the fame, if all corners thereof were glorious, and gliftering with gold and precious ftones. Whereas indeed they by the faid images, and fuch glorious decking of the temple, have nothing at all profited fuch as were wife and of understanding; but have thereby greatly hurt the fimple and unwife, occafioning them thereby to commit most horrible idolatry. And the covetous perfons, by the fame occafion, feeming to worship, and peradventure worshipping indeed, not only the images, but also the matter of them, gold and filver, as that vice is of all others in the Scriptures peculiarly called idolatry, or worshipping of images. Ephef. v. Against the which foul abuses and great enormities fhall Coloff. iii. be alleged unto you; firft, the authority of God's holy word, as well out of the Old Teftament, as of the New. And fecondly, the teftimonies of the holy and ancient learned fathers and doctors, out of their own works and ancient hiftories ecclefiaftical, both that you may at once know their judgments, and withal understand what manner of ornaments were in the temples in the primitive church, in those times which were moft pure and fincere. Thirdly, the reafons and arguments made for the defence of images or idols, and the outrageous decking of temples and churches with gold, filver, pearl, and precious ftones, fhall be confuted, and fo this whole matter concluded. But left any fhould take occafion by the way, of doubting by words or names, it is thought good here to note first of all, that although in common fpeech we ufe to call the likeness or fimilitudes of men or other things, images, and not idols: yet the Scriptures use the faid two words (idols and images) indifferently for one

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thing alway. They be words of divers tongues and founds, but one in fenfe and fignification in the Scriptures. The one is taken of the Greek word Edwλov, an idol, and the other of the Latin word Imago, an image, and fo both used as English terms in the translating of Scriptures indifferently, according as the Septuaginta have in their translation in Greek Edwλa, and St. Jerome in his tranflation of the fame places in Latin hath Simulachra, in English, images. And in the New Teftament, I John v. that which St. John calleth Edwλov, St Jerome likewise tranflateth Simulachrum, as in all other like places of Lib. de co- Scripture ufually he doth fo tranflate. And Tertullian, a most ancient doctor, and well learned in both the tongues, Greek and Latin, interpreting this place of St. John, Beware of idols, that is to fay, faith Tertullian, of the images themselves: the Latin words, which he ufeth, be Effigies and Imago, to fay, an image. And therefore it forceth not, whether in this procefs we use the one term or the other, or both together, seeing they both (though not in common English speech, yet in Scripture) fignify one thing. And though fome, to blind men's eyes, have heretofore craftily gone about to make them to be taken for words of divers fignifications in matters of religion, and have therefore ufually named the likeness or fimilitude of a thing fet up amongst the heathen in their temples, or other places, to be worshipped, an idol. But the like fimilitude with us, fet up in the church, the place of worshipping, they call an image, as though thefe two words (idol and image) in Scripture, did differ in propriety and fenfe, which (as is aforefaid) differ only in found and language, and in meaning be indeed all one, fpecially in the Scriptures and matters of religion. And our images alfo have been, and be, and, if they be publicly fuffered in churches and temples, ever will be alfo worshipped, and fo idolatry committed to them, as in the last part of this Homily fhall at large be declared and proved. Wherefore our images in temples and churches be indeed none other but idols, as unto the which idolatry hath been, is, and ever will be committed.

And first of all, the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, condemning and abhorring as well all idolatry or wor fhipping of images, as alfo the very idols or images themfelves, fpecially in temples, are fo many and plentiful, that it were almoft an infinite work, and to be contained in no small volume, to record all the places concerning

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the fame. For when God had chofen to himself a peculiar and fpecial people from amongst all other nations that knew not God, but worshipped idols and falfe gods, he gave unto them certain ordinances and laws to be kept and obferved of his faid people. But concerning none other matter did he give either more, or more earnest and express laws to his faid people, than thofe that concerned the true worshipping of him, and the avoiding and fleeing of idols, and images, and idolatry: for that both the faid idolatry is moft repugnant to the right worfhipping of him and his true glory, above all other vices, and that he knew the pronenefs and inclination of man's corrupt kind and nature to that most odious and abominable vice. Of the which ordinances and laws, fo given by the Lord to his people concerning that matter, I will rehearse and allege fome that be moft fpecial for this purpose, that you by them may judge of the reft.

In the fourth chapter of the book named Deuterono- Deut. iv. my, is a notable place, and moft worthy with all diligence to be marked, which beginneth thus: And now, Ifrael, hear the commandments and judgments which I teach thee, faith the Lord, that thou doing them mayeft live, and enter and poffefs the land which the Lord God of your fathers will give you. Ye shall put nothing to the word which I speak to you, neither shall ye take any thing from it. Keep ye the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you. And by and by after, he repeateth the fame sentence three or four times, before he come to the matter that he would specially warn them of, as it were for a preface, to make them to take the better heed unto it. Take heed to thy felf, faith he, and to thy foul, with all carefulness, left thou forgetteft the things which thine eyes have feen, and that they go not out of thine heart all the days of thy life; thou shalt teach them to thy children and nephews, or posterity. And fhortly after, The Lord Spake unto you out of the middle of fire; ye heard the voice or found of his words, but you did fee no form or shape at all. And by and by followeth, Take heed therefore diligently unto your fouls: you faw no manner of image in the day, in the which the Lord pake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the fire, left peradventure you, being deceived, fhould make to yourfelves any graven image, or likeness of man or woman, or the likeness of any beaft which is upon the earth, or of the birds that fly under heaven, or of any creeping thing that is moved on the earth, or of the fishes that do continue in the waters: left peradventure thou, lifting up thine eyes to heaven, do fee

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