A Continuation of morning-exercise questions and cases of conscience practically resolvedA Continuation of morning-exercise questions and cases of conscience practicaly resolved

For I do not speak of them now so much as they are Images of Christ, or Objects of Adoration; as of their being dead Images of the Gospel; that is somewhat set up in the room of the Gospel and for the ends of it, as means of teaching and instruction. They shall do the work which the Gospel was designed of God to do: For as unto this end of the representation of Christ, as the present object of the Faith and Love of man, with an efficacy to work upon their affections, there is in the Church of Rome a thousand times more ascribed unto them, than unto the Gospel it self.

The whole matter is stated by the Apostle, Rom. 10.6, 7, 8. The Righteousness which is of Faith, speaketh on this wise, say not in thine heart who shall ascend unto heaven (that is to bring Christ down from above) or who shall descend into the deep (that is to bring Christ up again from the dead) but what ⟨p. 224⟩saith it? The word is nigh thee in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that is the word of faith which we preach. The Enquiry is, how we may be made partakers of Christ, and righteousness by him; or how we may have an interest in him, or have him present with us. This, saith the Apostle, is done by the word of the Gospel which is preached, which is nigh unto us in our mouths, and in our hearts; No say these men, we cannot understand how it should be so; we do not find that it is so, that Christ is made nigh unto us, present with us by this word. Wherefore we will ascend into Heaven to bring down Christ from above; for we will make Images of him in his glorious state in Heaven, and thereby he will be present with us, or nigh unto us. And we will descend into the deep, to bring up Christ again from the dead, and we will do it, by making first Crucifixes, and then Images of his glorious Resurrection bringing him again unto us from the dead. This shall be in the place and room of that word of the Gospel which you pretend to be alone useful and effectual unto these ends.