A Golden Chain

The second sin is Idolatry: and that as gross as was ever among the heathen. And it is to be seen in two things. First that they worship the Saints with religious worship which without exception is proper to God. Yea they transform some of them into detestable idols, making them in trueth mediators of redemption, specially the Virgin Mary, whom they call a Lady, a Goddess, a queen whom ^aChrist her son obeyeth in heaven, a mediatress: or life, hope, the medicine of the diseased: and they pray unto her thus: Prepare thou glory for us: defend us from our enemies, & in the hour of death receive us, loose the bonds of the guilty, bring light to the blind, drive away all devils. Show thy self to be a mother, Let him receive the prayers. Again, their idolatry is manifest, in that they worship God in, at, before images: having no commandment so to do, but the contrary. They allege that they use and worship images only in a remembrance of God. But this is all one as if an unchaste wife should receive many lovers into her house in the absence of her husband• and being reproved, should answer: that they were the friends of her husband, and that she kept them only in remembrance of him. Thirdly, their Idolatry exceeds the Idolatry of the heathen, in that they worship a Breadengod, or, Christ in and under the forms of bread and wine. And if Christ according to his humanity be absent from the earth, as I have proved, the Popish host is as abominable an idol as ever was.

The second sin is Idolatrie: and that as grosse as was euer among the heathen. And it is to be seene in two things. First that they worshippe the Saints with religious worship which without exception is proper to God. Yea they transforme some of them into detestable idols, making them in trueth mediatours of redemption, specially the Virgin Marie, whome they call a Ladie, a Goddesse, a queene whom ^aChrist her sonne obeyeth in heauen, a mediatresse: or life, hope, the medicine of the diseased: and they pray vnto her thus: Prepare thou glory for vs: defende vs from our enemies, & in the houre of death receiue vs, loose the bonds of the guiltie, bring light to the blind, driue away all deuils. Shewe thy selfe to be a mother, Let him receiue the prayers. Againe, their idolatrie is manifest, in that they worship God in, at, before images: hauing no commandement so to do, but the contrarie. They alleadge tht they vse and worship images only in a remembrance of God. But this is al one as if an vnchast wife should receiue many louers into her house in the absence of her husband and beeing reprooued, should answer: that they were the friendes of her husband, and that shee kept them onely in remembrance of him. Thirdly, their Idolatrie exceedes the Idolatrie of the heathen, in that they worship a Breadengod, or, Christ in and vnder the formes of bread and wine. And if Christ according to his humanitie be absent frō the earth, as I haue prooued, the Popish hoste is as abominable an idol as euer was.