Hobbes - Leviathan.pdf

he doth well; though if he had the fortitude to suffer death, rather
than worship it, he should do better. But if a pastor, who as Christ's
messenger has undertaken to teach Christ's doctrine to all nations,
should do the same, it were not only a sinful scandal, in respect of
other Christian men's consciences, but a perfidious forsaking of his
charge.
The sum of that which I have said hitherto, concerning the worship
of images, is this, that he that worshippeth in an image, or any
creature, either the matter thereof, or any fancy of his own which
he thinketh to dwell in it; or both together; or believeth that such
things hear his prayers, or see his devotions, without ears or eyes,
committeth idolatry. And he that counterfeiteth such worship for
fear of punishment, if he be a man whose example hath power amongst
his brethren, committeth a sin. But he that worshippeth the Creator of
the world before such an image, or in such a place as he hath not made
or chosen of himself, but taken from the commandment of God's word, as
the Jews did in worshipping God before the cherubim, and before the
brazen serpent for a time, and in or towards the temple of
Jerusalem, which was also but for a time, committeth not idolatry.
Now for the worship of saints, and images, and relics, and other
things at this day practised in the Church of Rome, I say they are not
allowed by the word of God, nor brought into the Church of Rome from
the doctrine there taught; but partly left in it at the first
conversion of the Gentiles, and afterwards countenanced, and
confirmed, and augmented by the bishops of Rome.
As for the proofs alleged out of Scripture; namely, those examples
of images appointed by God to be set up; they were not set up for
the people or any man to worship, but that they should worship God
Himself before them; as before the cherubim over the Ark, and the
brazen serpent. For we read not that the priest or any other did
worship the cherubim. But contrarily we read that Hezekiah broke in
pieces the brazen serpent which Moses had set up,* because the
people burnt incense to it. Besides, those examples are not put for
our imitation, that we also should set up images, under pretence of
worshipping God before them; because the words of the second
Commandment, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image,"
etc., distinguish between the images that God commanded to be set
up, and those which we set up to ourselves. And therefore from the
cherubim or brazen serpent, to the images of man's devising; and
from the worship commanded by God, to the will-worship of men, the
argument is not good. This also is to be considered, that as
Hezekiah broke in pieces the brazen serpent, because the Jews did
worship it, to the end they should do so no more; so also Christian
sovereigns ought to break down the images which their subjects have
been accustomed to worship, that there be no more occasion of such
idolatry. For at this day the ignorant people, where images are
worshipped, do really believe there is a divine power in the images;
and are told by their pastors that some of them have spoken, and
have bled; and that miracles have been done by them; which they
apprehend as done by the saint, which they think either is the image
itself, or in it. The Israelites, when they worshipped the calf, did
think they worshipped the God that brought them out of Egypt, and
yet it was idolatry, because they thought the calf either was that
God, or had Him in his belly. And though some man may think it
impossible for people to be so stupid as to think the image to be God,
or a saint, or to worship it in that notion, yet it is manifest in
Scripture to the contrary; where, when the golden calf was made, the