A DISPVTATION against the Adoration of the reliques of Saints departed WHEREIN NINE PALPAble abuses are discouvered committed by the popish Priests in tbe veneration thereof Together with The refutation of a Iesuiticall Epistle and an Index of the reliques vvhich euery seuenth yeere are shovvne at Avvcon in Germanie vnto the superstitious people and pilgrimes compiled by the Canons of S. Maries Church An. 1608. By Iohn Polyander Professour of Divinitie in the Vniversitie of Leyden in Holland translated by Henry Hexham out of French into English At Dordrecht Printed by George Walters Anno. 1611. TO THE TRVEly religious honorable Ladie The Ladie Vere spouse vnto my honorable Lord Sir Horace Vere knight Lord Gouvernour of his Maiesties cautionarie towne of Briell chiefe Commaunder vnder his Excellencie of the English forces in the seruice of the most illustrate Lordes the States of the Vnited Provinces MAdame it were in vaine for mee to seeke to embelish your christian graces by a dead letter Seeing they are most lively giue a farre greater lustre in your selfe where God hath planted them then can be expressed by the blunt vnlearned Pen of a Souldier But seeing God hath made them so transparent hath kindled in you so holy a flame of loue and zeale vnto the true onely worship of his name Me thinkes this plaine translation of mine not for any worth that is in me but for the subiects sake hath found out a fitt Patronesse whose person practize affordetth a reall confutation of that superstition which is here vnmasked And so much the more presuming vpon your Ladiships favour gentle acceptance in regard I dedicated this same Authours former refutation vpon the invocation of Saincts vnto my honorable Lord your husband so that now as God hath made you one I may make you both equally interressed in this one subiect though diversly handled striving for that honour which is due vnto his name These Popish iuglings cannot bee vnknowne to your Ladiship seeing the vnholy blood of Hales which did cleere thicken as the Pilgrims purse was light or heavie is of your owne house of so fresh remembrance whereby your honourable Auncestours did learne to detest such divelish cousenage as the burned bones of your most worthy Granfather did long agoe witnesse to all the worlde Moreover Madame there are also some abhomiations in this disputation which I know made my Authors pen to tremble in copying of them out and mine to quake in translating them others againe which may drawe from your Ladiship a chast smile and a modest blush but let the shame light vpon their heads who are the authors thereof the more they blaspheme and dishonour our blessed God Saviour the more let vs worship and honour him and learne as Bees to sucke honey from banefull weedes or as cunning Physicians to extract Antidotes from poyson since God turneth the very abhominations execrations of the wicked as exsamples for the good edification of his children Here with Madame as with the chiefe end of this labour I ende beseeching God to blesse my honourable Lord and you with all happinesse and ioy in this world and euerlasting felicity and blisse in the world to come From our Garnison of Dordrecht this 18. of October 1611. Your ladiship 's in all dutifull respect Henry Hexham To the Christian Reader WOrthie Reader for varietie sake to employ my idle time to some vse and to offer my mite vnto the Church of God that the graue and learned men of our nation may see that the Ministers of other reformed churches marche pouldron to pouldron with them vnto the Lords combate I haue vndertaken this translation free from ostentation onely my ambition is in tracing after the stepps of my Authour to haue one flurt at Antichrist and one push at the fall of the great whore of Babylon and so much the rather because mine eyes haue seene some of her fornicatioÌ„s which some others haue but heard But it may seeme strange to some that a souldier should vndertake such a taske as not appertaining to his profession as that man judges me a souldier so I entreat him to esteeme me a Christian and then both hee and I shal be consonant Wel then into whose handes soeuer this poore translation of mine shall come whoÌ„ God hath alreadie inlightened let vs sing an everlasting Halleluiah giue praise vnto that great God which hath translated vs out of the kingdome of darknesse into his merveilous light And if it fal into the haÌ„ds of anie that are infected with this deadly contagion I entreate them to reade it not to refute it for alas they are not able because it is grounded and bounded vpon within the sacred word of God and seconded by the opinioÌ„s of the most holy Fathers That were as if they should runne in vpon Gods two-edged sword That were as if a falling and a running ennemy beaten on all sides should turne backe vpoÌ„ a stand of charged pikes which are ready to receiue theÌ„ Therefore it were better for them to suffer it to graze vpoÌ„ their stonie hearts then to resist And for my part I will daylie praye vnto the Father of lights to illuminate and water their soules with the beames and streames of his Sunne of righteousnesse that as Eagles wee maye soare vp onely vnto him with the wings of our faith in whom alone is found the wel-spring of living waters and noewhere else As concerning the graue learned Authour of this litle treatise it were meere presumptioÌ„ in me to make an attestatioÌ„ of his worth wheÌ„ the noe lesse wise theÌ„ H. Lords of this state haue abundantly testified the same to all by resolving on him as the sittest they did know to re-establish the trueth by his publique profession at LeydeÌ„ This I will only day that if a few spare houres cold bring foorth this we may well expect and promisse our selves noe small fruit of those holy labours which shall hereafter bee vndertaken Thus I beseech God to accept of my weake performance and giue a blessing vnto this and them Thy loving Countrey-man H. Hexham To the most noble and vertuous Lord MONSIEVR ARNHOVLT DE GROENEVELT Lord of the Landes and Lordships of Fâ—llignies Godimont Ramegnies in Neufville lez Sorgnies c. And ancient Coronell vnto the most illustrate and mightie Lordes the States of the vnited Provinces MONSIEVR IT is more then two yeeres past since a marchant of this citie one of the members of our French Church came to shewe mee in my lodging two coppies of an Epistle published by the Canons of Awcon in Germanie touching the veneration due vnto their reliques which a friend of his a zealous lover of the trueth had sent him with expresse charge to present it vnto me in his behalf earnestly to request me to returne some answere vpon it Wherevnto considering that I could not so suddenly accomplish his desire because of my
passing by the sepulchre reliquaire of a Martyr greatly renowned in his Countrey having vnderstood after hee was throughly and seriously informed thereof that it was the tombe of a Murderer caused it to be demolished and cast downe that noe more mention might bee made thereof nor that they might vse it any more after that superstitious manner I say I shall not get much more by repeating Cassanders wordes vpon this matter because the Iesuites who dommineere at this present in the Romaine Church approue not all what this Catholique Doctour hath writ but according to the authority which was giuen them by the Council of Trent commaunds al Readers to cancel deface the best senteÌ„ces in his writtings extracted from the holy Scripture and from the true fathers and successours of the Apostles As for example they commaund in their index which they tearme purgatiue printed at Antwerp by Chrystopher Plantine Anno. 1521. to purge his writtings of that which hee teacheth in theÌ„ of the true naturall signification of the word Merit and of the ancient custome of the Fathers Apostolique Doctors concerning the administration of the holy Sacrament of the Lordes supper vnder the two signes of bread and wine vsed for more then a thousand yeeres after the comming of Christ. Likewise they coÌ„demne therein his booke intituled Preces ecclesiasticae that is ecclesiasticall Prayers and his exhortation touching the extenuation of the invocation of Saincts and al his Disputations vpon their merits Now if these Physitions make noe conscience to prescribe vnto Christians that they should apply their expurgatorie index vnto Cassander books to draw from them the pure blood and vitall sappe leaue nothing in them but the corrupt and badd humours haue not I then just occasion to suspect the like answere vpon the allegation of his testimonie and that they will say Cassander passed the limits of their rules and traditions in his discourse abouesaid so consequently they ought to cutt of what-soever they judge therein vicious and superfluous Not-with-standing there is the bodye of a whole Council called the Council of the auncient Bishops which their cheifest Doctours hold for perfectly found and can in no manner bee stayned with any corruption and wherein they can finde nothing that is worthie of purging and correcting whereby wee can shew them that manie ages agoe the reliques of Saints haue beÌ„ suspected by their predecessours assembled in the ancient Councils Wee reade then in the 14. Canon of the 5. Council of Carthage that Aurelius Bishop of the Carthagian Church accompanied with two and seventy Byshops of the neighbouring Churches reprooved therein certaine reliques counterfeited by some falsifiers priuily brought into the primitive Church for loe the Contents of the Canon rune thus Placuit vt altaria quae passim per agros aut vias tanquam memoriae Martyrum constituuntur in quibus nullum corpusaut reliquae Martyrum conditae probantur ab Episcopis qui cisdem locis praesunt si fieri potest evertantur Si autem hoc propter tumultus popularis non sinitur plebis tamen admoneantur ne illa loca frequentent vt qui recta sapiunt nulla tibi supestitione devincti teneantur Et omninò nulla tibi memoria Martyrum probabiliter acceptetur nisi aut ibi corpus aut aliquae certae reliquiae sint aut vbi origo alicuius habitationis vel possessionis vel passionis fidelissimâ origine traditur Nam quae per somnia per manes quasi revelationes quorum libet hominum vbique constituntur altaria omnino reprobentâ—r That is to say It hath pleased vs to decree in this Councill that the Altars which are built vp and downe in feilds and by the way sides as in memorie of the Martyrs In which one cannot finde that there hath ben enclossed the Bodies or reliques of the Martyrs should be cast downe if it be possible by the Bishops of those places But if they cannot doe it because of the popular tumult Let them never-the-lesse admonish the people not to frequent such places to the end that those which be wise may not be carryed away with superstition And let them receiue noe where any memorie of the Martyrs but in those places wherein their is some corps and certaine reliques or some tradition of the sure originall of the abode of some Martyr or of his suffring For wee haue thought it good that they wholly cast downe the Altars established by the dreames and revelations of all sort of persons By these wordes it appeareth then that wee are not the first which haue warned the superstitious first that the simplicity of their ancestours and their naturall inclination in giving eare vnto the dreames and lies of all sort of Doters hath opened the way vnto many false reliques Secondly that their foolish devotion made them lay them vnder and afterward neere vnto Altars Thirdly that their obstinacie hath by all force with-held the good Bishops from purging the Churches of them mentioned in the Canon already cited More-over we could here copie out the decrees of some other Counsells especially that of Lions whereby their Priesâ—s in former times haue ben advertised of this abuse and exhorted to seeke remedy for it We could also produce many sentences of the Fathers conformable to them But in doing it we should offend the Romanists who beleeue that Counsells cannot erre to alledge theÌ„ for a proofe vnto the said Cannon approoued long agoe by their predecessours and which they holde still for authentique The fift abuse testifies that one superstition hath drawne many others after her For as the Prelats of the Romane Church make noe conscience to allure the silly people vnto the adoration of their reliques So to induce them the more to put their confidence therein they promisse indulgences and pardons to such as will kisse them permits their Idolaters to carrie them vpon their neckes to sweare by them trampling vnderfoot by this meanes the second and third commaundement of the diuine Lawe and maliciously contradicting the Doctrine of the auncient Prophets Apostles who teach vs all with one common accord that no man ought not to vnderprop his faith vpon any other then vppon God himself nor to sweare by any other then by him nor to seeke the remission of his sinnes in any other then in our onely Saviour Iesus Christ. Therefore these Sacrilegious persons wil be so much the more inexcusable before God at the day of judgment because they are not ignorant that God threatens with a Curse by his Prophet Ieremiah the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme For if the Lord which in his word permitteth vs to craue the assistance of living meÌ„ as those whome hee hath ordained dispensators of his blessings to relieue vs in our necessities condemneth not-with-standing those which assure themselues of the help which they expect from mortal men hath he not farre greater reasoÌ„ to curse
vnto the view of all sorts of people to moue theÌ„ by the conteÌ„plation therof to revereÌ„ce them In which times but especially before the warres dangeros waies people resorted not onely froÌ„ adjoyning places but also from farre as out of Hungary Germany France the Lowcontries in such â—n abundance that this semed not an obscure citie but rather an assembliâ— of manie provinces anâ— kingdomes together Refutation The inscription of this Epistle sheweâ— that these CanoÌ„s are of the same humâ—â— and complexion as the Scribes Phariâ— were in the time of Christ his Apostâ—â— who gloried in them-selves for being 〈◊〉 pillars of the church There is this difereâ— betweeÌ„ the swelling Titles whiâ—h the Scrâ—â— Pharises attributed to theÌ„selves to repâ—â—sent their dignity to the comoÌ„ people 〈◊〉 they were some what Ecclesiasticall in 〈◊〉 of these that the Canons of the Syâ—gogue of Awcon assume to themselve which are rather politique The preface of this Epistle demonsâ—teth that these new Scribes and Phariâ— would faine constraine the Christians our age to judaisme and obserue the customes of the ceremonial law long 〈◊〉 abolished by our Lord Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 hath purchased vs the freedome to assâ—â—ble our selues euery day in his name and worship him in all places after th' example of his Apostles and other Christians well instructed in the faith which accounted all dayes a like the one as the other and reprooued the Superstition of those which condemned their bretheren in the distinctioÌ„ of a holy-day of the new Moone or of the Sabbath Wherevnto S. Hierome having respect acknowledged euery day was alike and that Christ was crucified not onely vpon the day of the preparation or rise againe vpon the Sunday but ads that his resurrection is alwaies and that alwaies we may liue by the flesh of Christ. He addeth morover that after the decease of the Apostles some wise men instituted certaine daies for fasting and convocation to the intent that such as waited more vpon the worlde then vpon God who could not or at least would not assemble them-selves so much as one day in their lives to come offer vp vnto God the sacrifices of their praiers humane actions might watch pray vpon those daies if they would Whereby it appeareth painely that the observation of the Iudiciall feasts were not instituted by our Lord Iesus Christ or his Apostles but by the Doctors of the primitiue Church to expresse and record more clearely vnto the common sort of people the principal benefits of our Redeemer Iesus Christ and to accustome them to employ some extraordinarie dayes in meditating vpon them Wherevnto this testimonie of Socrates may serue as a sufficient proofe whereby he declareth that neither Christ nor his Apostles was of meaning to suspend their judgements touching Easter-day or any other feast nor instituted any lawes for them that they should bee kept nor yet denounced any condemnation against such as did not obserue them or did lay any cursse or penalty vpon them as the law of Moses vsually did but the marke whereat they aimed was to recommend to euery one that vertue and life which was pleasing to God And what an impudencie is it in these Canons of Awcon to appropriate their abuse vnto the feasts of the old Testament seing there is asmuch difference betweene their seventh yeeres Sabbath that of the Iewes as is betweene light and darknesseâ— For that of the Iewes was neither consecrated nor employed but onely to the glorie of God whereas that of the Canons of Awcon and their pilgrims is dedicated to the honour of the bones and raggs of mortall men Touching their pilgrimages vnto the reliques of the departed Saincts they are in noe wise grounded vpon any institution of our Lord neither from any example of the aue Iewes nor from the doctrine of the Apostles and first Doctours of the primitiue Church For Iesus Christ our Redeemer was so farr from commaunding his disciples to transport themselves from one place to another to adore the ashes of their predecessours that on the contrarie speaking vnto the Samaritanish woeman hee told her that the hower immediatly should come wheÌ„ strangers should not come any more vnto the temple of Ierusalem to worship God his Father but that the true worshippers should worship him in Spirit and truth at home in their owne Countrey As for the Iewes the true Children of Abraham as it cannot be proued by holy Scripture that God enjoyned them to goe into any forraine Countrey to visite the reliques of the Saincts departed so they never resorted any whether but where God onely was invocated in all puretie shuning all other places into which they had transferred the honour of God to his creatures â—ead and insensible following therein the â—ropher Hoseas exhortation Though thou playest the Harlot â— Israell at the least let not Iudah sinne come not ye vnto Gilgal neither goe 〈◊〉 vp to Beth-avan I acknowledg that some of the ancientâ— Fathers traveled to Ierusalem to beholdâ— the sepulchre of our Redeemer Iesus Christ and some other monuments of the Saincts departed but I add thereto that in the beginning they went not thither to worship their reliques but God onely neither had they any such foolish imagination as once to think that the grace of God was tyed more to one place then to an other but their onely desire was to consider the remarkeable signes of Christs redemption the place of his abode with his disciples Herevpon S. Hierom speaking of S. Hilarions journey to Ierusalem rebuketh such thought that any thing was waÌ„ting in the faith who had not seene Ierusalem and â—â—steemed others that had ben there moâ—â— holy then they which had not The kingdom of God saith he is among you The palâ—â— of God is as accessible in Britainie as in Ierusalem Anthony the Monkes of â—gipt saw not Ierusalem and yet notwithstandâ—â—â— found the gate open While S. HilarioÌ„ â—â—â—in Palestina he went and saw Ierusalem â—â—â—cause he would not dispise the holy places in suâ—â—â— a iourney neuerthelesse he remained there but for a day because it should not seeme he ment to shutt vp the Lorde into a certaine place From hence it followeth that these Canons of Awcon and their predecessors takes for an example the Iewish ceremonies and ancient customes which some Christians through a superstitious imitation introduced into the primitiue church by some of their hirelings onely to encrease their dishonest gaine but let vs proceed to the first parte of their Epistle wherby they shew the reasons where fore many superstitious men in times past haue visited the Reliques which are to bee seene in their Church The first parte of this Iesuiticall Epistle They perceived what great benefites God hath imparted to mortall men through those holy Reliques and how many sundry sorts of miracles haue bene wrought by them through a supernaturall force For not onely the wordes of the Saincts as
Doctours and Historians that hee which would goe about to proue it by any other testimonies should seeme to add brightnesse vnto the Sunne at noone day Charles truely great for his piety eminent deeds or rather thrise most great Emperour and excellent Founder of this Church imitating herein the steps of those holy personages was amongst other his graces and virtues worthy a Christian Emperour indued with this that his only desire was to gather froâ— all partes whatsoeuer aâ— sortes of holy Reliques 〈◊〉 our Lord Iesus Christ of his holy mothers and of the other Saincts and after he had made them to bee transported from all countreys caused them al so to be honoured adored religiously as we may conclude from his Acts the signes whereof are yet to be seene Now the notablest remarkeablest of them all is the priuiledge which is found in the auncient monuments of our Church by which he ordayned in a generall assemblie of the whole Empire that this Citie of Awcon should be enriched with many immunities and established for his royall Seat on this side the Alpes The priueledge contayneth these words I haue in this place built the monasterie of S. Marie the mother of our Lord Iesus Christ with asmuch labour and expence as I could and haue adorned it with many precious stones with marble c. Therefore the â—â—â—â—â—lent workmanship of this great royall church being fully finished not onely according to my wished desire but also through diuine grace I haue collected together from diuerse Countreys kingdomes but especiall out of Greece sundry signes markes of the Apostles of the Martyrs of the Confessours of the virgins haue brought them into this holy place that the Kingdome might be established thereby the remission of sinnes be graunted through their suffrings The same care desire flowed downeward vpon and with his paternall inheritance and posteretie vntill the glorie of the French who had taken their Source and growth through Godlinesse being distitute of his vnderpropâ—ping and foundation begann to decay litle by litle as S. Sigebert Gemblacensis testifieth by the very wordes of the french historie it self in his treatise and translation of S. Vit and Modestia For this cause al the most famous Cities all Kingdomes and principallities endeuored by all meanes to obtaine some bodie of some one Sainct or another as their principall Patron and Protector or at least some small reliques from some whole corps to assure confirme their coÌ„moÌ„ wealth throgh help thereof trusting to the great liberallity of the great miracles which God had wont to worke for the loue he bore vnto those holy reliques Refutation I finde in this discourse many faults the first is that in accusing the Condemners of this superstitious adoration of Reliques they place in the first ranck of them Eumonius Vigilantius and Eustachius who were not so wel grounded in the reprehension of this Idolatrie as wee are in ours For proofe whereof because I will not bee too teadious I onely will alledge Vigilantius censure vpon it S. Hieromes answere vnto it Vigilantius censure then as S. Hierome propounds it was this What needeth this not onely to honour with such a reverence but also to worship I knowe not what caryed vp and downe and enclossed within a small vessell Wee may se that the pagans custome is almost brought into the Church vnder the color of religion and that while the sunne shineth they still light vp a great nomber of Candells and that some of them kisse and worship a litle dust wrapped vp in a costly sheete and putt into a litle vessell Let vs see on the other side what answere S. Hierome gaue him Who hath euer worshipped the Martyrs Who hath euer thought man to be God ô brainelesse head If the Romanists should answere vs in that manner at this daye Who hath euer worshipped the Martyrs Who hath euer thought man to be God may not wee justly reply they are euen your Doctours who haue seduced you not onely to adore the Martyrs themselues but also their bones and reliques The second fault is they ranck Vigilantius in the catalogue of their Heretickes who by S. Hierome his owne adversairy was called Holy Father who feeling himselfe mooued with the same zeale as S. Chrysostome was condemned the vnprofitable expence which was employed about the garnishing of tombes and the reliques of Saincts departed For as Vigilantius tearmeth this ceremonie of kissing the reliques of the Saincts and lighting vp of Candells about them a heathenish custome introduced into the Church vnder a falsse pretext of religion So S. Chrysostom calleth it in his 12. Setmon vpon the first Epistle to the Corinthians a foolish devotion a devillish observation maintayned by the corrupt iugments of senselesse men that did but suck therefore to turne them from this superstition hee sheweth them that the Martyrs take no delight to be honoured with their money for which the poore cry out in that they did not rather employ it for their reliefe that the consideration of our Lords resurrection who rise naked from death ought to learne theÌ„ to leaue of from the foolish expence of funeralls For whereto is it good saith hee seing it bringeth but losse to such as doe it and noe benefit to the dead but rather harme The third fault is they liken our Doctours vnto Eunomius Vigilantius and Eustachius wherein they are in noe wise to bee compared For the Eunomians were by the holy fathers taxed of Heresie because they made it a difficult matter to enter into the Churches of the Apostles Martyrs who haue taught in time past that Christ is true God equall to the Father whereof they cannot reproue our Doctours seeing they preach in the Churches adorned with the names of S. Peter S. Stephen other of the Apostles and Martyrs seing besides that they maintaine the doctrine of the Godhead of our Lord Iesus Christ against the disciples of Eunomius Neither cann they charge our Diuines vnlesse wronfully with that Crime where with S. Hierome attached Vigilantius to wit because he held vncleane the bones of the Saincts departed and would haue had their ashes ignominiously cast vpon a dunghill to the end that he alone though drunck and a sleepe might be adored but ours teach the cleane contrarie that their bodies ought to be buried honorably The fourth fault is they accuse our Predecessours for hauing burned in France the reliques of some departed Saincts as those of S. Ireneus S. Hilaires and S. Martins yet they cite not so much as one witnesse herein they doe not imitate their Cardinal Bellarmin who to giue some color and shew of truth vpon this false calumniation alledgeth in his treatise of Reliques the Aâ—estation of a certaine Monke called Surius which many Papists theÌ„selues beleeue not because another gray Fryer named Feu-ardant speaking of the boddie of S. Ireneus in his preface vnto his latin Irenea
denieth that S. Ireneues corps was burned at Lyonâ— or that his ashes were cast into the Rosne I say againe that this accusatioÌ„ of theirs it false because they impute to the first Reformers of our age whom wronfully they tearme Innovators of religion the insolences committed by some vndiscreet souldiers in the beginning of the troubles without their councel or avouchment For they were so farre from exhorting theÌ„ to burne the bodies of the Saints or to throw their ashes into riuers that coÌ„trariwise they preached against such outrages and admonished their anditorie therein to followe the example of the auncient Fathers and that euery man was obliged to lay them into the Earth and honorably to burie the bones and ashes of those whom God had taken out of this world The fift fault is they ranck amonge the nomber of the first founders of their Catholique religion the Emperor Charles the great who approoued not all the pointâ— thereof For sundty Historians yea and his booke which he wrot against the second Councell of Nice shewes euidently that hee condemned the decree of that Councell for the worshipping of images calling it a most impudent tradition and a foolish and prophane invention comming neere vnto that infidelitie which alwaies keeps her Adorers in errour Touching their allegation of the double diligence which many towns provinces vsed in searching out and in honoring the reliques of the deceased Saincts wee reply that wee are not bound to follow the customes of men but onely the rule of diuine law which neither hath enjoyned vs nor our fathers vnto any such superstitious worshipping of reliques Let vs now proceed forward to see what these Canons of Awcon cann say vnto vs in the third part of their Epistle The third parte of this Iesuiticall Epistle This abundant liberalitie of God say they seemeth noe new thing to those that are read in holy writ and Historie because they know that by S. Peters shadow though nothing seemeth more vain and by the kerchiefs and haÌ„d kerchiefs which they brought froÌ„ S. Pauls body all sorts of griefs presently most happily haue beâ— driuen from diseased boddies the infernal Spiritâ— cast foorth of their Soules From which example thâ— Godly custome of our ancestours proceeded thaâ— in immitating Ioseph of â—â—rimathea Nicodemuâ— represented by the bodies of our Lord Iesus Christ and S. Stephen they vsually wrapped vp the most precious reliques of their Church in silken clothes which they called SaÌ„ctuaires of holy coverleds as ecclesiasticall historiaÌ„s write the which they haue since distributed sent abroad according to the ancieÌ„t custom of the church to such as through piety and loue vnto religioÌ„ desired theÌ„ in such sort that the Romane church hath not bestowed noe other reliques vppon Emperours or any other great personnages whatsoeuer thaÌ„ such sanctuaires and Couverleds as appeareth by the letters pope Hormisda wrote vnto his Embassadours and vnto Iustinian the Emperour And to the end those Sanctuaires might bee in the greater request amonge vs it pleased the diuine goodnesse as it euideÌ„t to maÌ„y of our church to illustrate manifest theÌ„ through the operation of many great miracles so much the more because that without this meanes they could not satiate the pietie which was kindled in many Now this custoÌ„e of going on pilgrimage towards thee places renowned for their reliques and other memorialls of the Saincts was brought vp in ChristeÌ„doÌ„ froÌ„ the first age of the Catholique church in that time wheÌ„ she had some rest from the oppression of Tyrants and other perverse Ennemies of the faith And because we wil not here speake of the Ceremonies of the ancieÌ„t law wherby euery one was enjoyned to goe yearely on pilgrimage to the feasts as God himself had coÌ„maÌ„ded it many other most religious personages yea Chrisâ— himself his most holy pareÌ„ts accomplished it with so great a zeale of going on pilgrimage principally vnto the holy places of the land of Iudea which zeale was kindled also in the hearts of meÌ„ after Christs death in immitating their ancestours as the testimonie of diuine write and S. Hierome also speaking vpon this matter doth auouche that all the wordes in the holy Scripture recommend to vs this godly worke And in another place they runne hither saith he from al the corners of the Earth the citie is full of all sorts of people c. But chiefly with those which hold the highest degrees of honour in this world meet here with one accord And verely our Patron Charles of most holy and famous memorie withour producing any other examples at this present of any other Emperours most noble parsonages who were so much giuen vnto the exercise of these holy pilgrimmages that oftentimes they went a foote to Rome onely to excercise theÌ„selves in this godly worke And haue attributed so great honor vnto S. Peters Cathedrall church at Rome as they haue kissed the very stares thereof one after another So that one may say of him these Emperours that which Austin heretofore obiected against the Idolaters of Madaure ye se that the highest dignity of the most noble Empire supplicates with an humble crowne by the Sepulchre of S. Peter the fisher The like also haue ben found in EnglaÌ„d DeÌ„marke FraÌ„ce Splayne who being touched with this desire of pilgrimages discharging theÌ„selfs for the present froâ— al the affaires of their earthly kingdomes transported themselfes thither-wards through a long daungerous weary some way to honour there their hevenly King after the example of the three Kings which came to honour the cradell of our Lord Iesus Christ. Also many other Christians haue done the same whose ordinarie custome was eftsoones to visite the places which were destined for the holy memorials sepuleres to the end that as it is written of the virgin marie their inward loue might be nourished by holy signes inflamed with the more loue of devotion through the most joyfull contemplation of the Saincts tombes reliques For this hath alwaies ben found by experience confirmed by the testimony of all antiquity that through these pilgrimages through this great flocking and godlynes of the people a new zeale began to kindle in our spirits togeather with the piety revereÌ„ce we bore to these holy things and also new desires to liue well and to immitate the Saints in our life and manners And loe next vnto the glory of God the chiefest ende of our pilgrimages which God so specially demaÌ„deth of vs was because as S. Augustin saith the bodies of the Martirs haue ben giuen vs to awaken vs vnto the excercise of devotion through the admonition of the places by the presence of these holy pledgs For the holy place as this Father exhorteth vs reneweth encreaseth our former affections wheÌ„ as through the advertisment of the places it is manifested raiseth it self vp by wheating our charitie aswell towards those whome we are to imitate as
other employements hee thought good not to limit mee any prefixed time but that I should vndertake finish this worke at my leisure This is the cause that I haue made noe great hast in composing this treatise which I haue distributed into three partes In the scope there of I haue followed the order the example of the ancient Prophets and Apostles as also their true Successours and Imitatours who haue all maintained with one common accord that God onely ought to be worshipped by his people will not haue this seruice giuen to anie other by the authentique and irreprehensible testimonies of holy Scripture the which God hath armed with an inviolable authoritie to the end that those which feare him might make noe scruple to receive it wholy and to giue full beliefe therevnto True it is that I haue annexed vnto it some attestations of the ancient Fathers not to approoue the foolish imagination of the Romanists but that the holy Scripture maye take more force credit seeing she hath receiued it alreadie frō God who is the authour thereof or that the trueth of it which is infalliable should depende vpon the advise and jugement of our ancestours predecessours which might erre but rather to shewe the Doctours of the Romane church who relye more vpon the authority of men then vpon Gods in the poincts which concerne our controversies that their condēnation is not onely found in the decrees of divine Law but also in the recordes of the pastours of the primitiue Church yea euen in theirs whome they choose for their Iudges and defendaunts I call the Epistle of these Canons Iesuiticall in the beginning of my disputation because after I had conferred it with Bellarmins booke the first tutour of these Iesuites vpon this subject I finde it is but a patching together of his argumēts whereby he sought to prooue the worshipping of the reliques of Saincts I meant not to vse in the resutation of their Epistle anie elegant speech or anie circumlocution and readiousnesse in wordes because the trueth without borrowing else where hath ornaments enough in her self and when shee is simple and in her naked robes shee taketh the more delight in such as fetts her foorth represents her before the view of al men in roundnesse and simplicitie Forasmuch then as wee cannot resist to much nor too often the heresies which daylie multiplie in this wicked worlde especially the foolish superstition of those which would attribute to the reliques of mortall man the honour belonging vnto the sole maiestie of the immortall God although that Calvin Chemnicius and some other excellent Divines haue taken penn in hand to oppose themselues against the first inventours and advancers of this Idolatrie yet I haue also thought it my duty to giue foorth this disputation against the new protecters of this superstition and in particular against the Canons of Awcō because it may be availeable to the Christiā church as S. Augustine saith that manie bookes be writtē vpon one subject prouided that they be made in diversity of stile but not in diuersity of beliefe seeing that by this meanes heretickes are the more convicted and on the otherside wee open the more passages for the Children of God to escape from the call and out of the snares of these fowlers offer them sundry sorts of counterpoysons to preserue their braines from the venoume of their Sophistrie As for the rest there are manie considerations which mooued mee to dedicate this treatise vnto you For I will not here speake of that holy zeale which made you expose your person and goods from your youth aswel in the defence of our iust cause at S Amands and in some other places adioyning therevnto wherein you bore the brunt of the first persecutiō as for the preseruation of our Churches here in these Vnited Provinces so long as it pleased the Lord of Hosts to maintain you in the gouvernement of the Towne of Sluce so long as your age would permit you to continew in that of Nemegen and to follow his Excellencie with your foote Regiment in manie feiges assaults admirable recouverings of manie Townes and fortes brought vnder the obedience of our Superiours in the face of our enemies Neither will I speake of that zeale and your other virtues which recommendes you among the gentlemen of our Common-weale and in perticular among vs for which I must acknowledge my self indebted to testifie the same publikly in the name of the members of our Church that for this respect we honor you and your like who loues true godlinesse with their hearts and seeke to worship with vs our onely God and heauenly Father in spirit and trueth Beside hauing knowne in sundrie sortes your singular fauour and beneuolence towardes mee and mine for which I feele my self obliged to present you with this small gift in acknowledgement thereof Wherevnto also your comendable resolution hath moued me in consecrating the rest of your aged daies in the lecture of ecclesiasticall bookes and your capacitie in iudging well of our disputations against the traditions of the papisticall Doctors and cheifly in this vpon the reliques of the Saincts departed For as in the daies of your ignorāce you haue seen the abuse of this superstition quickly after your conversion manifested vnto the worlde that you had it in abhominatiō so having as it were this smal treatise alreadie printed your heart I assure my self that yow will approue it and will finde that whatsoeuer I haue alledged therin is grounded vpon the experience of trueth the instruction of the Orthodoxe Fathers and the authoritie of the holy Scripture In confidence whereof I offer vnto you this memoriall as a token of the affection I beare to your L. beseeching the Lord who after the triall of a daūgerous prisō noe lesse couragious thē a long resistance against the allarmes pernicious enterprises of our adversaries hath at last trāsported you frō your gouvernmēt of the Citie of Nemegē in which our most illustrate LL. wold willingly haue held you still into this Citie of Dordrecht to liue here among vs for the more tranquility ease of your agednesse overworn weakened through the travels and wearisomenesse of the warres It will please him MONSIEVR To establish your heart in the assurance of his grace towards those which reverence him by the remembrance of so manie notable deliverances victories which he hath giuē in our time to our Churches to fortifie you with constancie to perseuer with vs in the sole invocation of his blessed name for the repose of your soule the advancemēt of his glory From my studie this 2. of Septem 1611. Your most humble servant and most affectionate brother in Christ our Souveraine Lord. Iohn Polyander The Second part of the fifth Psalme put into French meeter by Cl. M. 6 Ta fureurperd extermine Finalementious les menteurs Quant'aux meurtriers decepteurs Celui qui terre Ciel
Apostles of the holy Martyrs and other excellent personnages renowned for their good life purenesse in doctrine but also to the reliques of the greatest deceivers of the world To begin then with the reliques of S. Francis who for his impiety was condemned by Pope Iohn the 22. as a pervertour of the Christian religion it is written in the booke of Conformities that a woman troubled with the bloody flix for the space of thirteene yeeres was cured thereof by touching the hemme of his gowne and that a blinde man recouvered his sight by touching of his hoode S. Gregory also rehearseth in the first booke of his Dialogues second Chapter That a provost of the monasterie of Funda in Italie called Libertinus having drawne on a stocking of the Abbot S. Honorats mett a woeman that went to burie her Sonne who importuned him with many prayers to raise him from the dead this good prouost graunting her her request laid the stocking ouer her said son and put life into him againe through the vertue thereof He likewise reporteth in the third booke of his Dialogues that in the time of a drought the Citizens of Spoleta made great store of raine to fall vpon their Soile by lifting vp towards heauen the gowne of S. Eutychus Wee knowe also that some woemeÌ„ with Child following the Counsell of their Monkes haue kissed S. Ioostlings breeches in Flaunders others lifted vp S. Arnoults others haue stradled ouer S. Guerchilous image hoping by this meanes to bee the more safely deliuered of their children Wee are not ignorant likewise that many Idiots of the Romane Church beleeue that there is in the citie of Orleans some residue of the marriage wine of Cana in Galile which never diminisheth although they drinke oftentimes thereof And in our Ladies Church at Rome and at S. Salvader in Spaine some of the morcells of those Loaues wherewith Christ fed fiue thousand persons in the wildernesse which neuer lesseneth although they oftentimes eate their bellies full thereof Moreouer they beleeue that the Prelates of Rome haue in some of their Churches diverse reliques of a wonderfull force and vertue as at S. Iohn Latrans the wastcoate of the Apostle S. Iohn which being heretofore laid ouer three dead bodies made them to rise vp a liue in the field At S. Pauls that crucifix which spake vnto S. Brigit Queene of Sweethland wheÌ„ shee came to pray in that place At S. Iohn del ' Isle that image of the virgin Maries which at the overflowing of the Tiber could not be spoiled nor her lampe put out with the water At S. Francis the bodie of S. Lodovica a a Romaine lady which doth many miracles At S. Maries TraÌ„spontina a cruciâ—ix which spake heretofore to S. Peter S. Paul To S. Mary en voy large a small picture of the virgin Maries which hath wrought many miracles At S. Maries laneufve an other small picture of the virgin Maries which was miraculously preserved in the midst of a great fire which burned the other ornaments of this Church At S. Augustins an image of the virgin Maries painted by S. Luke which did also many miracles in the time of pope Innocent the eight At S. Martins a gowne which the virgin Mary made for her sonne Christ Iesus in his minority which miraculously groweth to the same stature as himself grew In S. Pontials Church-yeard an host consecrated by a Priest singing masse in the Chappel which because he doubted whether it was the body of Christ sprung out of his hand in a wonderfull manner and falling vppon the ground made a marke of blood which is to be seene within a litle grate of iron yet vnto this day A jest not vnlike to that of the Iesuits and advocats of that horrible conspiracie of Garnet and of his complices against the Crowne of the King of great Britanie who were so impudent as this wise King accuseth them thereof in the preface of his Apologie dedicated to the Emperour all other Princes in ChristendoÌ„ that thy were not ashamed to say and write that after the execution of that Traitor quartered with his coÌ„federats in London a woman found a straw tinctured with a dropp of bloode which sprunge from the body of of this traitour and was miraculously metamorphosed into the resemblance of his head chopt off with a crowne set vpon it But as this deceit was soone after discouvered and manifested to the world aswell by the penn of this King and Solomon of our age as by the art of his painters who according to his Maiesties desire drew a picture vpon a straw and a drop of blood taken from some other body like vnto the same in all things So I beseech God that it will please him by this exsample and advertisment to awaken all other Christian Kings to sift out and examine more deligentlie then they haue done in times past the other jugling trickes of the forgers of reliques and lying wonders This is that Gentle Reader which our Iosiah my dread Souverain vpon whose sacred person the Lord hath experimented his preservations from their damnable treasons because he dwelleth in the secret of the most hie and shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty he will cover thee vnder his wings thou shalt be sure vnder his feathers A thousand shall fall at thy side and tenn thousand at thy right hand but it shall not come neere thee toucheth in his premonition as in a passage having reference to that straw which the father 's the Iesuites would haue fathered vpoÌ„ Garnet their auricular-traitour but as my Authour saith his Maiesty ingeniously found out as cunning a Parrahsius in his great Ile of Britanie as a Zeuxes in Italie At S. Maries de la consolation an image of the virgin Maries which hath done many miracles In S. Vitus Church an oyle drawne from the reliques of that Sainct which being mixed with them healeth the byting of madd doggs At S. Sabinaes a huge blacke stone chained to the great Altar which the Divel threw at S. Dominicus to overwhelme him while he prayed in that place but it chaunced that this stone burst miraculously that S. Dominicus was not hurt therewith At S. Iulians a water distilled with the reliques of S. Iulian whiâ—h helpeth al manner of-fevers and diseases In the same Church an Image of the virgin Maries brought from the citie of Edessa which vpon a day seing the holy man S. Alexis comming towards her after his wonted manner to say his prayers and hearing him knock at one of the Church-doores spake twise together vnto the Sexten Open and let in that holy man of God S. Alexis for he hath merited Heaven In S. Bâ—bians Church-yeard an herbe which shee herself planted thar cureth the falling sicknesse At S. Anastases a pillar wherevpon they cut of S. Pauls head which being falne from his body gaue three jumpes and at euery jump sprang forth three fountains a
saying in their prayer to Christ Crucem tuam adoramus Domine resurrectionem tuam sanctam glorificamus That is Lord wee worship thy crosse and glorifie thy resurrection And to the one to the other Ecce lignum crucis in quo salus pependit venite adoremus That is Behold the woode of the crosse whereon salvation hath hunge come let vs worship it Is not this then to seeke in rotten wood which serues christiaÌ„s for no vse that which cannot be founde but in that immaculate Lambe Christ Iesus which is without blemish who was taught vnto vs by our Fathers who hath redeemed vs from our vaine conversation not with corruptible things as silver and golde or by the woode of the crosse but with his most precious bloode as the Apostle S. Peter witnesseth in the first Chapter of his first Epistle Is not this to attribute as much honour to a creature dead insensible whervnto none of vs would willingly resemble as to the living God the creatour of heaueÌ„ earth The last abuse is daylie seene in the sundry opinions and disputes which the one hold directly contrarie to the other touching the right place and the true Gardians and keepers of these reliques whereby one lie overthroweth another For it is not possible for â—hem to agree without giving each other the lie and without giving to the Saincts more bodies and members after their departure then they had while they were liuing Which is easie to bee showne by their owne writings and the inventories of their reliques To begin with the reliques of Christ as our aduersaires are not ashamed to maintaine that the body of Christ which is assended vp into Heaven to remaine there vntill the restauration of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy Prophets is also here beneath on earth in all the hosts consecrated by their Priests which administer the sacrifice of the masse so they make no conscience to affrme that they haue the foreskinn navell of Christ in diverse places which they keepe and adorne with this fine verse Circumcisa caro Christi sandalia clera Atque vmbilici viget hîc praecisio clara That is to say The foreskinne of Christ his pantofles also With his Navill are inclossed within this place For they haue showne heretofore the first foreskinn of our Lord Iesus Christ in our Ladies Church at Awcon which wee shall come to speake of more amply in the third part of our disputation The second in our Ladies Church at Anwerpe The third at Hildesham in Germanie The fourth is to be seene yet according to their saying at Rome in S. Iohn Latrans church The fifth in the citie of Byzanson in the free-Countie and the sixt in the Abbey of Charroux in France So that by this reckoning they would make Christ Iesus not a man like vnto vs in all things saue in sinne but in stead of a small skinn of his circumcision hee should haue six and consequently as manie bodies Also S. Iohn Baptist according to their tradition hath had manie heads visages For notwithstanding that the Monkes of Rome glory in that they haue his whole head in the Cloister of S. Sylvester those of Malta vaunt that they haue the hinder-part and they of Amiens with those of S. Iohn Angelique for having the forepart with the gash of a knife which Herodias should giue him ouerthwart the eye as the hangman brought her his head to present it by her daughter in a platter to Herode his frends invited to the feast of his nativity But who would not thinke it strange and incredible that the Euangelists which haue represented vnto vs in their historie all the markes which could bee perceiued in this incestuous strumpet of a cruell heart thirsting after the innocent bloode of S. Iohn Baptist should haue forgotten to shewe vs this last which if it had bene true would haue bene more remarkeable then all the rest And although that Eusebius and some other Historians attest that the body of this Fore-runner of Christ was burned to ashes yet these forgers of reliques would make the Idolaters of the papacie beleeue that the finger wherewith Sainct Iohn Baptist showed our LORD Iesus Christ vnto his Disciples in saying Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world was miraculously preserved by the providence of the Lord multiplyed into so manie fingers that their at least six of them found to wit one at Lions another at Bourges the third at Bezanson in S. Iohn the greats Church The fourth at S. Fortuits the fifth at Thoulouse and the sixt at Florence As for the Apostles S. Peter and S. Paul Albeit the Prelates of Rome say that they keepe in S. Iohn Latrans church their whole heads their bodies parted in the midst weighed and divided in to equall shares by S. Sylvester in S. Pauls Church yet those of Poitiers seeke to perswade the comon people that they haue S. Peters chinn and his beard those of Argenton in Berri that they haue one of S. Pauls shoulders those of Trier that they haue manie of the bones of these two Disciples of our Lord Iesus Christ. Likewise those of Thoulouse shew one body of S. Andrews and those of melphe another The Priests of Rome also wrangle with those of Trier and Padoua for S. Matthias body because euerie one of these three townes thinke they haue his corps in his owne Church The same presbiters striue for the body of S. Iames the yonger S. Phillips S. Symons and S. Iudes with those of Thoulouse which maintaine aswell on the one side as on the other that they haue in their Churches the same bodies of these Apostles aboue said The Romanists shew besides two seueral bodies of two other Saints in two other places as the body of S. Anne mother vnto the virgin Marie and Magdalenes sister vnto Lazarus the wise men of the East S. Denises S. Anthonies S. Petronelles S. Susannas S. Hilaries S. Honorats S. Gilses S. Williams and S. Ferreols For they shew one of S. Anns bodies at Apt in Provence and another at our Ladies de â—isle at Lions Then one of Magdalenes corps at Vezelè by Auxerna and another at S. Maximnis in Provence Likewise the bodies of the three wise men of the East both at Milan and Cologne S. Denises at S. Denis in France and at Regesbourgh in Almaine S. Anthonies at Arles and at Vienna S. Petronels daughter vnto S. Peter at Rome and at Mans in the Iacobins Covent S. Susannas at Rome and at Tholose S. Hilaires at Poitiers in two other churches the one in that which the Canons of that place dedicated vnto him the other in the Monkes Church at Sella moreouer S. Honorats bodie at Arles and in the I le of Lyrnis nere vnto Antiâ—ou S. Gilses in a towne in Languedoc which beareth his name and at Tholose S. Williams at an Abbey in Languedoc
called S. William vppon the desert and in a towne in Anssoy called Ecrichen S. Ferrcels at Vses in Languedoc al Breienda in Auvergne and S. Longins transformed from a speare by a monstrous meta morphesie into a blinde man both in our Ladies church de l'isle by Lions and at Mantoua in Italie Vpon others they bestowe three bodies as to S. Matthias to Lazarus to S. Gervis to S. Protis and to S. Wolfe For they shew the corps of S. Matthias at Rome at Padova and at Trier S. Lazuruses at Marseille at Authun and at Avalon S. Gervises and S. Protises at Milan at Brisac and at Bysanson S. Wolfes at Lyons at Senes and at Ausserre To some others they attribute foure as to S. Sebastian whereof the one is nigh vnto Narbonna in the place of his nativitie the second at Rome in S. Laurences Church the third at Soissons and the fourth at Piligni neare vnto Nantes They attribute to Matthias foure heads whereof one is to bee seene at Padoua an other at Tryer and the other two at Rome and also seaven armes three at Rome two at Tryer and two at Padoua To S. Andrew three heads one at Thoulouse and other at Melphe and the third at Rome and fiue armes two at Thoulouse two at Melphe and one at Rome then fiue feete one at Awcon in Provence two at Thoulouse and the other two at Melphe To S. Barthelmew fiue handes one at Pisa two at Rome and two in the kingdome of Naples To S. Phillip three feete one at Rome and two at Thoulouse To S. Stephen two heads one at Arles an other in his owne Church at Rome To S. Laurence three armes two at Rome in his owne church another in the church surnamed Palisperna To S. Anthonie fiue knees one in S. Augustins Church of Albi two at Arles and two at Vienna To S. Sebastian twelue armes one at Mombrison in Forest an other at S. Servins de Tholose an other at Case-Dieu in Auvergne an other at Anger 's two at Soissons two at Piligni two in the place where he was borne and two at Rome To S. Lambert two heads one at Tryer and an other at Leige To S. Anne fiue heads one at Lions an other at Apt in Provence the third at S. Annes in Turingue the fourth at Duran in Iuilliers and the fifth at Trier To S. Vrsell two one at S. Iohn Angeliques an other at Cologne Likewise to S. Hilarie two one with his Corps at Venise the other separated from his bodie at Cologne Moreover they shew the blood of Christ in so many places and in so many gobleâ—s that on maye plainely see they mock at the effusion of the most precious bloode of our Redeemer and willingly are ignorant that the bloode of Christ could not bee sheade in such an abundance as thâ—y showe in diverse of their Churâ—hes neither was it taken vp so fluently by some of the Apostles or friends of Christ when his hands and feâ—te were nailed and his breast wounded with the push of the speare To conclude I could heare speake of the multiplication of the virgin Maries milke through the craft of these Alcumists of her smockes kerchiefes phillits girdles gownes pantofles combes Needles Des kes Linnen pictures and jewells Likewise of the garments of Christ of his teares of the Cupp out of which hee dran ke with his Disciples of the linnen girdle wherewith hee girded himself when hee washed their feete of his purple garment of his speare which wounded his side of the dice which in those daies were not in request of the stone pichers of Cana in Galile of the miraculous Loanes wherewith our Saviour fed fiue thousand persons of his garment without seame of the reede which they put into his handes in steade of a Scepter of the spunge wherewith they put gal into his mouth of the Crown of Thornes they set vpon his head of the pillar whervnto according to their tradition they bound him to scourg him of the Staires of the Sessions-house of Pontius Pilate besprinckled with the drops of the bloode which fell from his body In like manner of the bones ashes garments chaines and other reliques of the Apostles and Martyrs of Christ but who is able to number vp all the inventions of the olde raggs found out in the shopps of the brocards of the Romane church For albeit Calvin hath made a booke expressely against them yet he confesseth therein that the number of them is innumerable I entreat therefore the Reader to content himself at this present with the proofs of these brasen-fac'd inventors of reliques which I haue vttered and to consider theÌ„ without passion By meanes whereof I assure my selfe hee will judge that wee haue just reason to haue in abhomination these deceiuers of the ignorant and to hold the adoration of their reliques for a heathenish superstition and Idolatrie condemned and forbidden by the Lord and not to be tollerated by those whose eyes God hath opened to see the abuses thereof FINIS A Iesuiticall Epistle TOVCHING THE SAINCTS RELIQVES WHICH OF late they haue showne at Awcon vnto the Superstitious people from the 10. of Iuly vntill the 24. of the same Month Anno. 1608. Published by the Canons of Awcon translated out of Latin into French and brieflie refuted By Iohn Polyander Professour in the Vniversitie of Leyden And since Turned out of French into English by Henry Hexham 1611. S. Augustine in the preface of his Hypognostiques against the â—â—elagians WHen the Adversaires of the Catholique faith seeke to impugne the rule of trueth through diabolicall armes they make vs the more vigilant and carefull to answere them and when they lurke in hypocrisie to annoy vs they a waken vs as it were out of a Slumber to the intent that taking the buckler of trueth wee maye watch with hearts resisting their falshood the Trumpet of God sounding in our Eares Watch and pray that ye enter not into tentation THE INSCRIPTION AND PREFACE OF THIS IESVITICALL EPISTLE touching the visitation of the holy reliques which are to bee seene in our Ladies Church at Awcon put foorth by the Canons of the said Church The Provest Deane and Chapiter of the royall Church of our B. V. Marie at AWâ—on wish all health and happinesse vnto the godly and Benevolent Reader IT was ordained in holy writt benevoleÌ„t reader that the devote lovers of religion should spend their limited weekes not onely for a certaine number of daies but of yeeres thaâ— during the same time as wel those of their own contrey as straÌ„gers shoulâ— rest from their labours kepe a feast watching afteâ— an extraordinarie fashioâ— to the praises of the Lord The which our an cestorâ— here at AwcoÌ„ in somâ— other places throw a godly ceremony haue broghâ— into a custome and many yeers agoe began to opeâ— every seaventh yeere thâ— sacred and most preciouâ— treasurie of their holy Reliques to lay theÌ„ abroad for certaine daies
S. Chrysostome saith but al so the garmeÌ„ts of their bodies are more manificent then any other possession For the cloke of Eliah made of the skinn of a Lyon diuided the waters of Iorden heither and thither The shooes of the three yong men marched through the midest of the fire the wood of Elisha was able to change the nature of the water force it to beare the yron of the Axe vpon the face thereof as if it had bene vpon their backe Moses divided the Sea with his rodd brake assuÌ„der the rock The garments of S. Paul chased awaie diseases S. Peters shadow droue theÌ„ awaie The ashes of Martirs haue cast out Deuils Yea God himself did a singular honour to Moses when he buried him with his own handes as S. Hierom saith Christ comendeth the womaÌ„s faith who was trobled with an issue of blood whereby she beleeved she should recover her health if shee did but touch the hemme of his garment Refutation I haue already proued by the sixt abuse of reliques that the miracles done by theÌ„ are noe otherwise then the illusions of Sathan the jugling trickes of the hirelingâ— of Antichrist which tend to this euil end to prouoke their Idolaters to the adoration of bones rotten garments which are oâ— afarre basser rancke then the desceased Saincts which God neuerthelesse forbids vs to invocate I say moreover that if our fathers haue not adored the true things wherewith our Lord Iesus Christ some other holy men of God haue wrought true signes and miracles much lesse are Christians bound to worship those by which the Romish priests feigne to doe their lying wonders So then the holy Scripture makes noe mention of any adoration which our Fathers should doe in honour of Moses rodd of Elias cloke of Elishas wood of S. Peters shadow or of S. Pauls garments For these holy men were so farre from suffring the vulgar people to worship their garments or shadowes that contrariwise even S. Peter himself for bad Cornelius the Captaine to worship his person S. Paul and Barnabas would not suffer the Priest of Lystra to offer them Sacrifices S. Peter by commaunding Cornelius who was falne done at his feete to stande vp shewing him that hee was bâ—t a man as he was S. Paul and Barnabas by renting their clothes and crying out in the midest of the throng O men why doe ye these things wee are men subiect to the like passions that ye be preach vnto you that ye should turne from these vaine things vnto the living God which made Heaven Earth and the Sea all things that in them are Then their power of doing miracles proceeded not from their garments or shadowes nor from their humaine nature but onely from the divine might which really was in Christ accompanied in old time his faithfull servants after an extraordinarie manner For as the three first Euangelists averre that Christ of himself diâ—â— acknowledge that vertue that issued forth of him to cure the woman that was troubled with the issue of blood by touching the hemme of his garment So wee read also in the third Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles that S. Peter S. Iohn seeing the people astonied and amazed because they had healed a man which had ben a creepâ—â— from his mothers wombe S. Peter sheweth theÌ„ that this miracle was not done throgh their owne power or sanctity but through faith in the name of Iesus Christ. As for S. Chrysostom though at someâ—times hee extolleth through the art of his Rethorique the reliques of the departed Saincts too excessiuelie yet notwithstanding the Canons of Awcon or rather their Schoolmasters which haue dictated them this Epistle falsifie his wordes and wrest them into a sence coÌ„trary to his meaning For in the text which they cite of S. Chrysostomes hee speaketh not there of any miracles which it pleased God to worke by the garments of any of the holy Fathers after their departure but whilst they were living to shew by this argument that their very garments which to the outward appearance of men were base and contemtible were more precious in the sight of God then all the sumptuous rayment of Achab and other infidell kings Touching the honour which it pleased God to doe vno Moses his servant by interring him as S. Hierom saith with his owne handes whosoever hath but any jott of judgment or reason will conclude from this interrment of Moses corps the cleane contrary to that which the Canons of Awcon here inferre to wit that God himself intended to hide his bones in a place vnknowne vnto the children of Israel to hinder them from taking them vp least they should abuse them with Idolatrie even as the superstitious men of the Romish church doe who worship the bones which in times past haue bene taken out of the graves of their ancestours Concerning that which they alledge of our Lord Iesus Christ for commending the faith of the woeman which was troubled with the issue of bloode because shee said to her self If I may touch but his garment onely I shall be whole I answere that although her faith was so weake that shee quaked for feare when shee came neere vnto Christ to confesse that shee had touched the hemme of his garment and by that meanes was comforted by our Saviour who commaunded her to bee of a good courage yet neverthelesse her faith was not defiled with such a superstition as that of the Romanists is For when shee came trembling towards our Saviour shee fell not done before him to kisse the hemme of his garment but to worship his person to shew him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how shee was made whole immeadiately vpon it Now resteth the second part of this Epistle by which they rebuke the censours of the Superstitious veneration of their reliques and applaude the Adorers thereof The second parte of this Epistle abovesaid From the reasons above said we may gather with what spirit aswell the olde Heretikes namely Eunomius Vigilantius Eustachius as many other new Innovators of Religion in France haue bene inspired who haue heretofore burned the precious Reliques of the Apostles of that Kingdome to wit S. Hilaries at Poitiers S. Ireneus at Lyons S. Martins at Tours giuing hereby sufficieÌ„tly to vnderstaÌ„d that they were not of that ranck nor of that ReligioÌ„ as they were whom they detested with so great a hatred ill wil nor so worthy as their holy asshes some other holy memorialls of faith piety which rested there The first founders of the Catholique Church did not so neither those doctors thaâ— deliuered as it were from hand to hand vnto their posterity the Catholique faith as they receiued it from Christ much more pure more sincere and lesse corrupted then it is at this present as most euideÌ„tly is seene in the books of the Easterne
towards those through whose assistaÌ„ce we doe it And therefore it hapned perchance as it were by diuine disposition prouidence that almost all the holy bodies of the holy Apostles principall Doctours of the East haue ben transported into the West before the Turks tyrannie which sought to abolish and wholly root out the memorie of the Christian religion And indeed wee must acknowledge that whatsoeuer is most precious and of the greatest importance in our treasurie of Reliques was brought from beyoÌ„d sea out of those countries through the great pietie industrie deligence of Charles the great as hath ben showen before by the auncient charter of our Church and shall hereafter appeare by our Index Refutation This third part of their Epistle stuffed with vaine repetitions insufficient proofes needs noe long refutation As for thâ—â— which they alledg againe concerning the miracles done by S. Peters shadow and by the kerchiefs haÌ„d kerchiefs they brought from S. Paules bodie it hath ben sufficiently answered in the first part of their Epistle as also that which they rehearse againe touching the pilgrimages which our Fâ—â—thers did to the holy places of Iudea intâ— refuting of their preface by which we haâ—â— refuted all those which through a fooâ— devotion seeke to tye the seruice of Gâ—â— more to one place thaÌ„ to another Wherâ— vpon S. Chrysostomes admonitioÌ„ may seâ—â— that to obtaine pardon for our transgressions 〈◊〉 neede not spend any money neither is it necessaire to doe any such thing onely the integretie of a good will sufficeth It is in vaine to take any iourneys into farre-countries or to seeke vnto other nations farre from vs or to endure daungers and perils onely the will is enough In like manner that of S. Augustins God commandeth vs not to goe into the East to seeke out righteousnesse nor to saile into the West to obtaine pardon forgiue thy ennemy and it shall be forgiuen thee seeke nothing of thy self out of thy self Likewise S. Bernards Oman thou needest not passe the seas nor penetrate the Cloudes thou behoouest not to passe the Alps neither hast thou need that any should shew the any longe way Goe before God into thy selfe As for their proofs of the ancient custome of their fathers in wrapping vp in cloaths the reliques of the departed Saints of the donation of those clothes to al sorts of people but especially to Emperours great parsonnages of the miracles done by touching them I call them insufficent because this custome is not grounded vppon the worde of God nor from the example of the Disciples of our Lord Iesus Christ. For so farre was Ioseph of Aremathia and Nicodemus who wrapped vp the body of Christ in a sheete whom they make meÌ„tioÌ„ of in their fine discourse from showing it or giving it to some religious men that on the contrarie they buryed it with Christs bodie and sought to keepe it from the sight of men And suppose that some miracles haue bene done by the touching of such like clothes of the dead wee are not to wonder at it seeing Sathan when it pleaseth God to lett loose his reignes permitt him to deceiue men with stronge illusions errours hath oftentimes done the like miracles by touching the reliques of dead beasts as wee haue amply declared in our disputation in the discouvering it the sixt abuse of reliques I could here convict the Canons of Awcon by the testimonie of holy Scripture 〈◊〉 that the wise men of the East which caâ—â— out of their owne Countries into the Laâ—â— of Bethlem to worship our Sauiour Christ and to present him their gifts specified by the Euangelist S. Mathew in his second Chapter were no Kings but Philosophers Secondly that this deed was extraordinâ—ry and ought not to bee brought into law and Custome in Christenstome bâ— cause our true Iosiah and fore-runner Iesus Christ is not as he was then here beneath on Earth but sitteth now aboue in Heauen on the right hand of the Majesty of God his Father but my desire is not to surpasse the limitts of our disputation therefore I will at this present rest contented with that I haue already said touching the pilgrimages of the ancient Fathers Yet resteth the refutation of the index of the reliques of their Saincts departed but before I enter into it I will conclude my former refutation with the same exhortation which the Apostle S. Peter gaue vnto all Christians vpon the end of his second Epistle generall who had obtained faith at the same price with vs through he righteousnesse of our God and Saviour Iesus Christ. My Beloued seeing ye know these things before by the discouverie of the falsifications of so many texts of the Bible contained in the aboue said Epistle of the Canons of Awcon that these vnlearned vnstable pervert the holy Scriptures vnto their owne distruction beware lest ye bee also plucked away with the errour of the wicked and fall from your owne stedfastnesse But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ to him bee glory both now and for euermore Amen The Refutation OF AN INDEX OF THE RELIQVES WHICH EVERY SEVENTH yeare ae showne at Awcon vnto the poore and ignorant pilgrims of the Romane Church By Iohn Polyander Tertullian in the booke of his praescriptions against Heretiques THe Doctrine of Heritiques saith hee compared with that of the Apostles will shew by the diversitie and contrarietie thereof that it hath for authour neither any Apostle nor Apostolique Doctour because that as the Apostles haue not taught sundry Doctrines repugnant one to another So the Apostolique Doctours haue not vttered Doctrines contrary vnto that of the Apostles but those which are falne away from the institutions of the Apostles and haue taught after another manner AN INDEX OF THE VIRGIN MARIES RELIQVES OF CHRISTS of S. Iohn Baptists some other Saincts departed composed and published by the Canons of Awcon Anno. 1608. 1_THE smocke which the most blesse virgin Maâ—â— wore wheÌ„ shee was deliuereâ— of our Saviour Iesus Christ. 2 Two swadling bands wherewith the Son of Goâ— was swadled presently aftâ—â— hee was borne 3 The linnen cloth which couvered the most holy boddie of Christ and which was besprinkled with his saving bloode 4 The sheete wherevpon Saint Iohn Baptist kneeled in the prison when his head was cutt of by the commaundement of the adulterous King 5 The girdle wherewith our Lord Iesus Christ trussed vp his garment 6 The Cord with which they bound his sacred hands when they led him as an innocent Lambe before many iudges 7 A peece of one of the nailes wherewith they nailed him to the crosse 8 Two great peeces of the holy crosse 9 Some of the peeces of thâ— Sponge Christs kerchiefe 10 The most blessed virgin Maryes girdle with some of her haire and her picture paynted by the Euangelist S Luke 11 A piece of the chaine wherevnto Sainct Peter was bound while he was in prison 12
One of Simions armes wherewith hee imbrassed the babe Iesus Christ in the teÌ„ple being but fortie dayes olde 13 The bones and blood of the first Martyr S. Stephen wherevpon the king of the Romans ordinarily doth take his oath in our Chapiter 14 S. Leoparts Corps 15 The head and arme of the Emperour S. Charles the great and his whole corps 16 The celestiall manna and S. Catherins oyle The Refutation of this Index If the poore ignorant people of the Romish Church were but permitted to read the holy Scriptures in their mother tong they would quickly perceiue with vs thâ—â— the reliques which the Canons of Awcon attribute in their Index to Iesus Christ 〈◊〉 his Mother to S. Iohn Baptist to Simionâ— S. Peter to S. Stephen are falsly inventeâ— by some juglars in noe wise groundeâ— vpon the Historie of the holy Euangelists For the Euangelists and Authentique witnesses of Christ elected by God his Fatheâ— to record vnto vs all the memorable 〈◊〉 of our Sauiours Conversation and of 〈◊〉 friends in this world and to leaue behind them a faithful Index vnto posterity makâ—â— no mention therein of any smock of 〈◊〉 virgin Maries of anie of her haire or of 〈◊〉 image painted by S. Luke who was noe pâ—â—â—ter but rather a Phycisian as Eusebius and some other Historians affirme and prooue it by the fourth Chapter of S. Pauls Epistle written to the Colossians Neither speake they therein of anie girdle of Christs nor of any cloth within which his bodie was wrapped when they nailed him to the Crosse but one the contrarie all of them witnesse that he was crucified stark naked and that foure souldiers snared his garments amonge them Nor speake they word of any sheete which Herod should commaund his Sariant to lay vnder Iohn Baptists knees before he beheaded him nor of any chopping of or any separation which should be done vnto Simeens arme wherewith he had imbrased our Saviour Iesus Christ in the temple of Ierusalem from his other members or that it should be kept as a reliquaire by the Christians Neither finde wee in the discription of S. Stephens stoneing and burial that S. Luke should reporte that those Godly men which buried him tooke vp any of this Martyrs blood to deliuer it to the church but caried it away with his bodie to be buried The hirelings of Awcon cannot prooue by their Historie nor any other authour worthy of beleefe that the Virgin Marie was so curious as to keepe her ragged swadling baÌ„ds where with shee had bound vp the bodie of her litle babe Iesus Christ or that shee gaue them to the Euangelist S. Iohn to keepe the wel beloued Disciple of her son Iesus Christ with exhortation to recommend them after her departure to the doctors of the primitiue Church or that shee did commaund that they should be locked vp in any place to bee showne at some times to the vulgar sort of people in memorie of the nativity of our Redeemer Much lesse can they proue that the Souldiers of PoÌ„tius Pilate solde to the Apostles or any of their Successours the corde where with they bounde the handes of our Saviour Iesus Christ or any of his garmeÌ„t they parted among them or the crosse wherevnto they nailed him or any pieces of the sponge they filled with vineger when as he cried I thirst But all these old ragges haue bene gathered patched together by the Fathers of these botchers polished with the name of Antiquity to transforme the liuely simplicitie of the Sacraments and true memorialls of Christ into a motley religion disguised with a million of crafty devises And whosoever will but conferre the Index of these Canons of Awcon with some other registers of the Romane Church they shall soone perceiue how they contradict one another For those of Charters maintaine that they haue the same smock which the virgin Marie had on when shee was delivered of our sauiour Iesus Christ which according as men reporte that haue seene it is too long for a woman of a midle stature as the Virgin Marie was and as Nicephorus witnesseth that the hose of Ioseph her husband were too short for a man of the same shape For the Virgin Maries smocke which they shew at Awcon vnto the ignoraÌ„t credulous people is so long wide that if shee had bene a Gyantesse as Calvin noteth in his treatise of relikes shee could scarcely haue worne it One the contrarie Iosephs hose which the Cannons of Awcon haue forgott to put into their Index are so short and straight that they will not serue a dwarfe or a litle boy Besides these Chap-men of Rome and Salvadour in Spayne wrangle obstinately with those of Awcon which of them shold haue the Swadling-bande where-with the Virgin Marie swadled vp her litle Babe Iesus Christ. But yet there is a farre greater contention betweene the Huckstars of the Romane church for the peeces of Christs crosse For there is almost not one Abbey or Cloister in the world which makes not a bravado a superstitious showe therewith albeit that Eusebius showes vs in the life of Constantin the Emperour that Helena his mother having found the same crosse sent one peece of it vnto the Byshop of Ierusalem and the other vnto her son Constatine who adorned his caske with the secoÌ„d with the third made a bitt for his horse the hireâ—ings of Antichrist haue forged multiplied them into so manie that they shewe a great number of whole ones besides manie peeces in diverse Countries of Christendome Morover there are sundry Townes which affirm that they haue the whole Sweating cloth of our Lorde Iesus Christ But especially they of Rome Byzanzon and Cadoin in Lymos Is it not then a great impudence in these Canons of Awcon to maintaine against theÌ„ that they haue some of the peeces of it And if other Townes haue likewise some peeces of this Swearing cloth as they vant they haue what aud audaciousnesse is it in those townes which I haue named to maintaine at this day that they haue his whole Sweating-cloth with the impression of all the parts of Christs body staÌ„ped into the same cloth froÌ„ the crowne of his head vnto the sole of his foot seeing wee cann prooue the contrarie by the ceremonie which the jewes vsed in burying of their dead and also by a text of the Euangelist S. Iohns in his 20. Chapter and sixt seuenth verses that this sweating cloth was but the kerchief which Ioseph of Aremathea and Nicodemus had bound about his head and lay in a place by it felfe from the other linneÌ„ clothes wherewith his body had ben wrapped vp by his two difciples Iohn and Peter As for the rest if the Prelates of Rome haue the whole chaine wherevnto S. Peter was chained in his prison doe not those canons of Awcon bragg falsly that they haue a peece of it If they of Rome haue also the whole body of S. Stephen