Animadversions on a treatise entitled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…Animadversions on a treatise intituled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…

Of the like nature is the Story which he tells us of the things the Pagans laughed at the Christians for. Amongst these was the Worship of an Asses-head, which shows, saith he, the use and respect they had for Images. For the Jews had defamed our ⟨p. 393⟩Lord Jesus Christ, whose head and half-portrait Christians used upon their Altars, even as they do at this day, amongst other things of his great simplicity and ignorance. So use men to talk, who either know not, or care not, what to say. I would gladly impute this Story of the Ass's head, and the Jews accusation, to our Author's simplicity and ignorance; because, if I do not so, I shall be compelled to do it unto somewhat in him of a worse name; and yet that by-insinuation of the use of the Head and half-portrait of our Saviour upon Altars by the old Christians, before Constantine's days of whom he speaks, will not allow me to lay all the misadventure of this Tale upon ignorance. Surely, he cannot but know, that what he suggests, is most notoriously false, and that he cannot produce one Authentic Testimony, no not one, of any such thing; whereas innumerable lay expressly against it, almost in all the reserved Writings of those days. For the Story of the Asses-head; seeing, it seems he knows not what I thought ever puny-Scholar to be acquainted with, I hope, he will give me leave to inform him, that it was ⟨p. 394⟩an imputation laid upon the Jews, not the Christians, and that the Christians were no otherwise concerned in the Fable, but as they were at any time mistaken to be Jews. The figment was inverted, long before the Name of Christians was known in the World, and divulged before and after, by as great wits as any were in the World, as Appian, Tacitus, Trogus, and others. The whole rumour arising from their Worshipping a Golden Calf in the Wilderness, and afterwards his imitation progeny at Dan and Bethel. The confutation of the Lye by Josephus, is known to all learned men; who tells Appian, That if he had not had the Head of an Ass, and the face of a Dog, he would never have given credit unto, or divulged, so loud a lye. Little countenance therefore is our Author like to obtain from this loud lye, invented against the Jews, to prove the worshipping of Pictures and Images among Christians;

Of the like nature is the Story which he tels us of the things the Pagans laughed at the Christians for. Amongst these was the Worship of an Asses-head, which shews, saith he, the use and respect they had for Images. For the Jews had defamed our