A09453:275
A Reformed Catholic
A reformed Catholic: or, A declaration showing how near we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundry points of religion: and wherein we must for ever depart from them with an advertisement to all favourers of the Roman religion, showing that the said religion is against the Catholic principles and grounds of the catechism.A reformed Catholike: or, A declaration shewing how neere we may come to the present Church of Rome in sundrie points of religion: and vvherein we must for euer depart from them with an advertisment to all fauourers of the Romane religion, shewing that the said religion is against the Catholike principles and grounds of the catechisme.
Cambridge: printed by John Legat, 1598Cambridge: printed by Iohn Legat, 1598
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
II. Differ. They teach and maintain, that images of God and of Saints may be worshipped with religious worship, specially the crucifix. For Thomas of Watering1 saith, Seeing the cross doth represent Christ, who died upon across, and is to be worshipped with divine honour: it followeth that the cross is to be worshipped so too. We on the contrary, hold they may not. Our principal ground is the second commandment, which containeth two parts: the first forbiddeth the making of images to resemble the true God: the second forbids the worshipping of them, or God in them; in these words. Thou shalt not bow down to them. Now, there can be no worship done to any thing less then the bending of the knee. Again the brazen serpent was a type or Image of Christ crucified. Joh. 3. 14. appointed by God himself: yet when the people burned incense to it, 2. King. 18. 4. Hezekias brake it in pieces, and is therefore commended. And when the devil bad our Saviour Christ, but to bow down the knee unto him, and he would give him the whole ⟨p. 181⟩world: Christ rejects his offer, saying, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, Math. 4. 10. Again it is lawful for one man to worship another with civill worship, but to worship man with religious honour is unlawful. For all religious worship is prescribed in the first table: and the honour due to man is only prescribed in the second table and the first commandment thereof, Honour thy father; which honour is therefore civill and not religious. Now the meanest man that can be, is a more excellent image of God, then all the images of God or of Saints that are devised by men.2 Augustine, and long after him Gregory, in plain terms denieth images to be adored.
II. Differ. They teach and maintaine, that images of God and of Saintes may be worshipped with religious worship, specially the crucifixe. For Thomas of Watering1