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the holy house of his eternal kingdom of heaven, which he hath purchased for us by the death and shedding of the precious blood of his Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one immortal God, be all honour, glory, praise, and thanksgiving, world without end. Amen.

Were Religion confined to private devotion, the knowledge of God, and of divine experience would, in a short interval of time, be entirely lost, and oppression and villany of every description would be the tremendous consequence. That the House of God should be kept in decent repair is very pleasing to the Almighty, and therefore those who love their money better than God's house are reproved by the Prophet in this interrogative, 'Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and the House of God lie 'waste? Hag. i. 4.

HOMILY XIV.

Against Peril of Idolatry, and superfluous Decking of Churches.

IN what points the true ornaments of the church or temple of God do consist and stand, hath been declared in the two last Homilies, treating of the right use of the temple or house of God, and of the due reverence that all true Christian people are bound to give unto the same. The sum whereof is, that the church or house of God is a place appointed by the noly Scriptures, where the lively word of God ought to be read, taught, and heard, the Lord's holy name called upon by public prayer, hearty thanks given to his Majesty for his infinite and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us, his holy sacraments duly and reverently ministered; and that therefore all that be godly indeed ought both with diligence, at times apNO. 6.

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HOM. XIV.

Against Idolatry.

pointed, to repair together to the said church, and there with all reverence to use and behave themselves before the Lord. And that the said church thus godly used by the servants of the Lord, in the Lord's true service, for the effectual presence of God's grace, wherewith he doth by his holy word and promise, endue his people there present and assembled, to the attainment, as well of commodities worldly, necessary forus, as also of all heavenly gifts, and life everlasting, is called by the word of God (as it is indeed) the Temple of the Lord, and the House of God; and that therefore the due reverence thereof is stirred up in the hearts of the godly, by the consideration of these true ornaments of the said house of God, and not by any outward ceremonies or costly and glorious decking of the said house or temple of the Lord, contrary to the which most manifest doctrine of the Scriptures, and contrary to the usage of the primitive church, which was most pure and uncorrupt, and contrary to the sentences and judgments of the most ancient, learned, and godly doctors of the church, (as hereafter shall appear) the corruption of these latter days hath brought into the church infinite multitudes of images, and the same, with other parts of the temple also, have decked with gold and silver, painted with colours, set them with stone and pearl, clothed them with silks and precious vestures, fancying untruly that to be the chief decking and adorning of the temple or house of God, and that all people should be the more moved to the due reverence of the same, if all corners thereof were glorious, and glistering with gold and precious stones. Whereas indeed they, by the said images, and such glorious decking of the temple, have nothing at all profitted such as were wise and of understanding; but have thereby greatly hurt the simple and unwise, occasioning them thereby to commit most horrible idolatry. And the

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covetous persons, by the same occasion, seeming to worship, and peradventure worshipping indeed, not only the images, but also the matter of them, gold and silver, as that vice is of all others in the Scriptures peculiarly called 'idolatry,' or worshipping of images.' Against the which foul abuses and great enormities shall be alleged unto you; first, the authority of God's holy word, as well out of the Old Testament, as of the New. And secondly, the testimonies of the holy and ancient learned fathers and doctors, out of their own works and ancient histories ecclesiastical, both that you may at once know their judgments, and withal understand what manner of ornaments were in the temples in the primitive church, in those times which were most pure and sincere. Thirdly, the reasons and arguments made for the defence of images or idols, and the outrageous decking of temples and churches with gold, silver, pearl, and precious stones, shall be confuted, and so this whole matter concluded. But lest any should take occasion by the way, of doubting by words or names, it is thought good here to note, first of all, that although in common speech we use to call the likeness or similitudes of men or other things, images, and not idols: yet the Scriptures use the said two words (idols and images) indifferently for one thing alway. They They be words of divers tongues and sounds, but one in sense and signification in the Scriptures. The one is taken of the Greek word 'idol,' and the other of the Latin word Imago,' an image, and so both used as English terms in the translating of Scriptures indifferently, according as the Septuaginta have in their translation in Greek effigies, and St. Jerome in his translation of the same places in Latin hath Simulachra,' in English, images. And in the New Testament, that which St.

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Ephes. v. Coloss. iii.

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John calleth idol, St. Jerome likewise translateth 'Simulachrum,' as in all other like places of Scripture usually he doth so translate. And Tertullian, a most ancient doctor, and well learned in both the tongues, Greek and Latin, interpreting this place of St. John, Beware of idols,' that is to say, saith Tertullian, of the images themselves: the Latin words, which he useth, be effigies' and Imago,' that is to say, an image. And therefore it skilleth not, whether in this process we use the one term or the other, or both together, seeing they both (though not in common English speech, yet in Scriptures) signify one thing. And though some, to blind men's eyes, have heretofore craftily gone about to make them to be taken for words of divers significations in matters of religion, and have therefore usually named the likeness or similitude of a thing set up amongst the heathen in their temples, or other places, to be worshipped, an idol. But the like similitude with us, set up in the church, the place of worshipping, they call an image, as though these two words ('idol' and 'image') in Scripture, did differ in property and sense, which (as is aforesaid) differ only in sound and language, and in meaning be indeed all one, especially in the Scriptures and matters of religion. And our images also have been, and be, and, if they be publicly suffered in churches and temples, ever will be also worshipped, and so idolatry committed to them, as in the last part of this Homily shall at large be declared and proved. Wherefore our images in temples and churches be indeed none other but idols, as unto the which idolatry hath been, is, and ever will be committed.

And first of all, the Scriptures of the Old Testament, condemning and abhorring as well all idolatry or worshipping of images, as also the very idols or images themselves, especially in temples, are so many

1 John v.

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and plentiful, that it were almost an infinite work, and to be contained in no small volume, to record all the places concerning the same. For when God had chosen to himself a peculiar and special people from amongst all other nations that knew not God, but worshipped idols and false gods, he gave unto them certain ordinances and laws to be kept and observed of his said people. But concerning none other matter did he give either more, or more earnest and express laws to his said people, than those that concerned the true worshipping of him, and the avoiding and fleeing of idols, and images, and idolatry: for that both the said idolatry is most repugnant to the right worshipping of him and his true glory above all other vices, and that he knew the proneness and inclination of man's corrupt kind and nature to that most odious and abominable vice. Of the which ordinances, and laws, so given by the Lord to his people concerning this matter, I will rehearse and allege some that be most special for this purpose, that you by them may judge of the rest.

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In the fourth chapter of the book named Deuteronomy, is a notable place, and most worthy with all diligence to be marked, which beginneth thus: And now, Israel, here the commandments and judgments. which I teach thee,' saith the Lord, 'that thou doing them mayest live and enter and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers will give you. Ye shall put nothing to the word which I speak to you, neither shall ye take any thing from it. Keep ye the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you.' And by and by after he repeateth the same sentence three or four times, before he come to the matter that he would specially warn them of as it were for a preface, to make them to take the better heed unto it. Take heed to thyself,' saith he,

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Deut, iv. Numb. xxii.

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