Against Images

A treatise declaryng and shewi^g diverse causes taken out of the holy scriptures / of the sentences of holy faders, and of the decrees of devout Emperors, that pyctures and other images which were wont to be worshypped / ar i^ no wise to be suffered in the temples or churches of Christen men. By the which treatise the reder that is indifferent, shall se and perceive, how good and godly a deed it was of the Senatoures of Arge^tine, that of late days they caused all the images with their auters to be clean taken out of their churches. The authors of this little treatise ar the open preachers of Argte^yne. I dout not but some popish doctor or peuish proctor will grunt at this treatise / but yet first read and than judge. The preface. All the whole company of them which at Argentyne do preach and teach Christ / unto the good and godly reders do wysshe grace. Because our most noble and also most godly Senators did right well perceive and se / yt the sclaunderouse occasyo^s and manyfold euyls / which hitherto have be^ ministered by ye reason of pictures and images / ar not suffyciently taken away by the only exhortacions of prechers. And again did consider / that it was not possible for any man to decree or command any thing concerning them more wisely / than god had prescrybed and commanded in his law and prophets: They decreed / ordained / and gave forth a commandment / that whatsoever pycture or images had been wont to be worshipped in holy places should both they and their aulters be clean taken away / and avoided out of sight. Every pla^tatio^ that my heuenlye father has not planted / shall be extirped and plucked up by the root. mat. 15 Because.iiii. years ago they had abrogated and taken away private masses: And a year ago four common and open masses / for first consolatyon and delyberatyon of more pure ceremonies to be brought in to their places. where shall Monks ^ freers / chanons / no^nes / heremites / and recluses become? Secondarily they lokyng for certain counsels and assembles / of which it was hoped / that some what should be decreed concerning the general reformation of ye church. And thyrdly the wekenesse of certain persons / which could not yet se / how great abusyon / impiety and wickedness is in masses / had saved the resydewe of masses. and they had suspended the^ upon this condition / that if any man could prove by the scryptures / that they were not contrary to Christ / they should be restored again euerione. Moreover seeing yt there be many men / which do not yet perceive nor know / how much these things do hinder faith and true godly living: we do easily conjecture that there be not a few / which shall account this deed of our common well / to be a folysshe and wicked presumptyon. And therefore / for as much as it is the duty of all christen men / as much as in them lies / to give dilygence and to provide / that the thing which they have godly done and wrought / may be accounted and known of other men / to be none other wise than godly done. And also to take good head / that no man may have occasyon worthily to speak evil of their goodness (as Paul says)

Herfore we have judged it to be our part and duty which taught that the thing ought to be done which now our senate has done in very deed / and brought to pass very dilygently to show the cause of all this whole deed: but with as much brefenesse as may be / that if it would be / we might happily pacify and appese the minds / at the lest wise of some persons / whom this business has troubled and greatly discontented / and doubtless / if we may optaine this one thing (which is denied to no man / be he never so great a malefactor) that we may have the one ear open to here what we shall say: We fear not / but that whosoever can find in their hertes / and abide to know these few things / which we shall allege first out of holy scriptures / secondarilye of the writings of the fathers: And thyrdly of the decrees of emperors against pyctures and images. If it be showed also of whom / and for what cause and consyderation both they were first brought up in the churches of christen men / and also being defended have continued in the same. We doubt not (I say) but that all such persons / if it be so / that it be granted unto them to know the truth / will also desire with us / that this thing which is done here with us / all other churches of christen me^ / would follow and execute in like manner. Therefore we pray and beseech all those / whosoever ca^ not yet like nor a low this our example (which thing it is no merueyle though it happen to many men / if a man consydre which things have euerywhere gotten strength among Christen men) that they will vouchesafe to read this short and little treatise to the end and intent / which first was made in our maternall tongue / and than by our most well-beloved brother James Bedrote / was translated into Laten / and now at the last in to English. But let the^ first before they begin to read / call for the spirit of Christ / which only ledeth into all veryte and truth and that done / let them than give sentence of us: Io. 16. Christ the savior of mankind / grant to all those which bear his name / grace to reiecte and cast away all such things / which do alyenate and call away the mind from him / that they may lift up their minds unto him / sitting in heaven and worship the father by him in spirit and truth. Io. 4. Amen.