The True Catholic, Tract · Section 3 · Chapter 8
8. Of Pilgrimages.
FIrſt concerning Pilgrimages,Ioh. 4.21. the Goſpell teacheth vsus theſe leſſons. And Ieſus ſaid vntounto the woman of Samariah: Woman beleeue me the houre commeth, when ye ſhall neither in this mountaine, nor at Ieruſalem worſhip the Father, &c. No nor in any other ſet place. But the houre commeth and now is, when the true worſhippers ſhall worſhip the Father in ſpirit and truth: that is in euerie place.Mal. 1.11. And this is that which Malachie alſo propheſieth of Chriſts kingdome: From the riſing of the ſunne vntounto the going downe of the ſame, my Name is great among the Gentiles: and in eueryevery place incenſe ſhall be offered in my name. Here are two things of vsus to be conſidered. Firſt that Gods name alone ſhall be great among the Gentiles: and of it ſhall proceede incenſe: that moſt ſwéet ſmelling ſacrifice vntounto God in euerie place. And what is this els but prayers to bee made in all places in the name of Ieſus Chriſt? The ſame leſſon alſo grounded no doubt of this Propheſie, Saint Paul teacheth al chriſtians: I will therefore that men pray eueryevery where, 1. Tim. 2.8.lifting vppe pure hands without doubtfulneſſe. No doubt this prayer in all places is that ſacrifice and moſt pleaſant incenſe, whereof Malachie ſpake before. But that place of Saint Paul moſt manifeſtly ouerthrowes all Pilgrimages. The word is neere thee, Rom. 10.8.euen in thy mouth and in thy heart. This is the word of faith which we preach: for if thou ſhalt confeſſe with thy mouth the Lord Ieſus, & ſhalt beleeue in thy heart that God raiſed him from the dead, thou ſhalt be ſaued. For with the heart man beleeueth vntounto righteouſneſſe, and with the mouth man confeſſeth vntounto ſaluation. The word of faith, the worde of ſaluation is nigh thée ſaith Saint Paul: thou néedes not go to Rome or to any other place for it. For if at home, in thine houſe, thou ſhalt beléeue in the lord Ieſus, & confeſſe him with thy mouth; thou ſhalt be ſaued: thou néeds not make any great long iournie for to obtain thy ſaluation. Nay our ſauiour Chriſt himſelfe moſt manifeſtly makes it a ſigne of heretikes to teach this doctrine of pilgrimages. There ſhall ariſe falſe Chriſtes (ſaith he) and falſe prophets &c. Mat. 24.Wherefore if they ſhall ſaye vntounto you, behold he is in the deſart, goe not forth: behold he is in ſecrete places, 23.or in their cels & cloiſters, beleeue them not. For as the lightning commeth out of the Eaſt and ſhineth into the Weſt: 27.So ſhall alſo the comming of the ſonne of man be. Not onelyonly in his comming to iudgement, but alſo to euerie faithfull ſoule, as ſaint Luke ſeemes to expound this: For as the lightening that lighteneth out of the one part vnderunder heauen, ſhineth vntounto the other part vnderunder heauen: Luke. 17.24.ſo ſhall the ſonne of man be in his day. Where as that which ſaint Matthew calles his comming, ſaint Luke calles his day, And ſaint Luke before calles the light of the Goſpell, the daie of the ſonne of man, which in the thicke darkeneſſe of Antichriſt, he ſaith,Verſ. 22. Men ſhall deſire to ſee but one of them, and ſhall not ſee it: Chriſt in his kingdome as the true ſunne of righteouſneſſe, to illuminate & to quicken things nowe dead thorow ſinne, ſhines not onelyonly at Rome, but thorow the whole world.
Of Pilgrimages to Rome, or to other places.
Concerning this matter Ferus writes thus. By this word hee ſhewes,Fer. in ca. 4. Io. all controuerſies of the prerogatiue of places are to be taken away: for in the newe Teſtament the worſhip of God is tyed to no one place: but in all places of his dominion God is praiſed of the faithfull, as it was foretolde by Malachie. This is our great comfort that we may finde God in all places. For otherwiſe if we muſt all goe to Ieruſalem, who ſeeketh not howe fewe ſhould hauehave beene ſaued, therefore he left not one ſtone vponupon another in the Temple of Ieruſalem; that we might all know, that that law of worſhipping God in one place, was now abrogated, as concerning externall things; for ſpiritually we all do worſhip and ſacrifice nowe in Chriſt the true Temple of God.
Fer. in paſſ. Parte. 4.And againe of the ſame matter in another place hee writeth thus; To conclude ſaith hee, no man knowes where Moſes graue is, neither makes it any great matter. But Chriſtes graue is knowen to all men: and ſo alſo it was neceſſarie; that of it, wee may learne our burials and reſurrection: for as Chriſts paſſion is ours, ſo his buriall is ours alſo, that wee are buried with him in baptiſme to death, &c.
It makes no matter for Moſes his graue (ſaith Ferus) and the chiefe end of Chriſtes graue, why it is knowne where it is, is not to go to ſée it, but to beleeue, that as hee was buried, and roſe againe; ſo ſhall wée alſo. But how contrarie is all this, to that which the Rhemiſts in their Teſtament, hauehave noted vponupon the ſecond chapter of Saint Matthew, vponupon theſe wordes: Came to adore, they write thus: This comming ſo farre of deuotion to viſite and adore Chriſt in the place of his birth, was properly a pilgrimage to his perſon: and warrants the faithfull, in the like kinde of externall worſhip done to holy places, perſons or things. But this followes not: they came to worſhip Chriſt: therefore the faithfull may go a pilgrimage to worſhip holy places or things: when as God is onelyonly to be worſhipped. Then they had a ſtarre to direct them, but we hauehave none now: therefore their fact cannot warrant vsus.