Sir Christopher Wren: His Family and His Times: With Original Letters and a Discourse on Architecture Hitherto Unpublished. 1585-1723.Phillimore, Lucy
History
Sir Christopher Wren: His Family and His Times: With Original Letters and a Discourse on Architecture Hitherto Unpublished. 1585-1723.
Phillimore, Lucy
Great Britain -- History -- Stuarts, 1603-1714 -- Biography; Wren family; Wren, Christopher, Sir, 1632-1723
'No Christian would ever deny that bowing or doing adoration, was
to be used as a part of God's worship, the affirmative act being
necessarily included in the negative precept, "Non adorabis ea,
ergo adorabis Me."' 'No more as he humbly conceiveth is it any
superstition, but a sign of devotion, and of an awful apprehension
of God's divine Presence, to do Him reverence at the approach into
the House of God, or unto the Lord's Table....
For the crucifix--
'He utterly denieth all popish affections, and saith that
the figure of Christ upon the Cross may be had without any popish
affection, and that the said figure upon his seal did itself
declare what affection it was to manifest. For there was this posy
engraven with it, "[Greek: En hô kosmos emoi kagô tô kosmô]," being
taken out of S. Paul, Gal. vi. 14.... In an holy imitation whereof
this defendant beareth divers coats of arms (as the use is) upon
the said seal, to wit, the arms of the See of Norwich, and the arms
of the See of Hereford, and of the Deanery of Windsor, and of the
Mastership of Peterhouse, together with his own paternal coat of an
ancient descent; he, considering with himself, that these were
emblems all, and badges but of worldly and temporal glories, and
desiring that the world should have a right apprehension of him,
and to testify that he did no way glory in any thing of this
transitory world, but humbly endeavoured to wean himself from all
temporal and vain rejoycing, he therefore caused such a small
figure of Christ on the Cross to be set over all the said coats.'
He adds that he principally used it in signing 'presentments of
Popish recusants.' ... not to say that although the said seal lay
all the year long locked up in a chest, but at the time of sealing,
and that when any sealing there was no worship done by any; yet
nevertheless, as soon as he understood that any had taken scruple
at it, he presently, to avoid all pretence of scandal, caused the
said seal to be altered and the figure of Christ to be wholly
omitted.'[40]
[_EASTWARD POSITION._]
The part of the Defence, which has been most challenged, is that for the
use of the 'Eastward position.' It is, however, important to remember
that the Bishop had to defend himself against the charge, that once,
while celebrating in the Tower Church at Ipswich, he had 'used
idolatrous actions' in administering the Holy Communion, Consecrating
the Elements with his face eastward, elevating the Paten and Chalice
'above his shoulders and bowing low either to or before them when set
down on the Table.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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