The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

As the Jews, having most plain and express commandment of God, that they should neither make nor worship any image (as it is at large before declared) did notwithstanding, by the example of the Gentiles or Heathen people that dwelt about them, fall to the making of images, and worshipping of them, and so to the committing of most abominable idolatry, for ⟨p. 57⟩the which God by his holy prophets doth most sharply reprove and threaten them, and afterward did accomplish his said threatenings by extreme punishing of them (as is also above specified) Even so some of the Christians in old time, which were converted from worshipping of idols and false Gods, unto the true living GOD, and to our saviour Jesus Christ, did of a certain blind zeal (and as men long accustomed to images) paint or carve images of our saviour Christ, his mother Mary, and of the Apostles, thinking that this was a point of gratitude and kindness towards those by whom they had received the true knowledge of God, and the doctrine of the Gospel. But these pictures or images came not yet into Churches, nor were not worshipped of a long time after. And least you should think that I do say this of mine own head only without authority, I allege for me Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea, and the most ancient author of the ecclesiastical history, who lived about the, 330. year of our Lord in Constantinus magnus days, and his son Constantius, Emperors, in the seventh book of his history ecclesiastical, the xiiii. Chapter, and saint Jerome upon the, x. Chapter of the prophet Jeremiah: who both expressly say, that the errors of images (for so saint Jerome calleth it) hath come in and passed to the Christians from the Gentiles, by an Heathenish use and custom. The cause and means Eusebius she weth, saying, It is no marvel if they which being Gentiles before, and ⟨p. 58⟩did believe, seemed to offer this, as a gift unto our saviour, for the benefits which they had received of him. Yea and we do see no we that images of Peter and Paul, and of our saviour him self be made, and tables to be painted, which me think to have ben observed and kept indifferently by an Heathenish custom. For the Heathen are wont so to honour them whom they judged honour worthy, for that some tokens of old men should be kept.

As the Jewes, hauyng moste plaine and expresse commaundement of God, that they should neyther make nor worshyp any image (as it is at large before declared) dyd notwithstandyng, by the example of the Gentyles or Heathen people that dwelt about them, fall to the makyng of images, and worshyppyng of them, and so to the committyng of moste abominable idolatrie, for