Answer to Book by Romish Priests, Doctrine 35
XXXV. That the Bones or Relicks of Saints, are not to be kept, or reſerved; no vertue proceeding from them, after they be once dead.
Anſwer.
HEre he ſaith ſome truth. We do beli…ve they ought not to be kept or reſerved (that is, to be worſhipped) but to be decently buried: as we read, in the moſt ancient Letter of the Church of Smyrna, the Reliques of Polycarp were.
His firſt Text, 2 King. XIII. 21.2 King. XIII. 21. ſaith not a word (much leſs ſpeaks expreſly) of their taking the Bones of Eliſha out of the Sepulchre; but, for any thing that appears, they let them lie there ſtill. Nor doth it ſay, any vertue proceeded out of them, but that, upon the touching of them, the dead man revived and ſtood upon his feet; that is, was raiſed by the power of God. Who thereby teſtified to the truth of Eliſha's Prophecy; and confirmed the Iſraelites in the belief of what he had ſaid a little before he died, concerning their Victories over the Syrians.
Acts V. 14, 15.The next place V. Act. 14, 15. is alledged ſo ſenſeleſly, that it may tempt one to be a little pleaſant upon it. For is not a ſhadow caſt from a man's Body a pretty Relick? Who caught it? How did they keep it? Who can ſhew us this Relique? or where ſhall we find it reſerved? And what proof is there that vertue proceeded out of Peter's ſhadow, and cured ſick People? we believe it went forth from our Lord, as Peter paſſed by, and caſt his ſhadow upon them. The Sermon he quotes of Saint Auſtin, is a Baſtard, lewdly fathered on him. And the gloſs which this man makes upon this paſſage of it, is very idle. For it is moſt reaſonable to take the ſenſe of it to be this, that if they received ſo much benefit by his ſhadow, the fulneſs of his power could do more for them; ſpeaking, not of what he can do now in Heaven, but what at that time they might have received, when his very ſhadow coming upon them, they were healed of their Infirmities. So he ſays, the words are in their Bible; but he undertook to confute us out of our own. And if this paſſage was in ours (as it would have been now, if it had been found in the moſt ancient Copies) it would have ſignified no more, then the reſt of the words do without it. Which give us ſufficiently to underſtand, that the ſick were cured when Peter's ſhadow overſhadowed them.
XIX. Acts II. 12. ſays not a ſyllable of thoſe Aprons and Handcherchiefs being kept as Relicks: much leſs of their working any Cures when the Apoſtles were dead, or after that time when they were immediately brought from St. Paul's Body unto the Sick. St. Chryſoſtom might well argue the Divinity of our Saviour, from the power that wrought in his Servants, nay accompanied their very Shadows and Napkins. But doth this prove, that theſe Napkins were kept as Reliques (Shadows we are ſure could not) and that this vertue proceeded from them, was inherent and continued in them when the Apoſtles were gone? For this, the Reader may go look, if he know where.
Hitherto we have not heard one word to the purpoſe; and if we will ſee more, we ſhall find nothing but that they carried Joſeph's Bones with them when they went out of Egypt (XIII. Exod. 19.XIII. Exod 19.) becauſe he charged them ſo to do: as an argument God would bring them into Canaan; where he deſired his Bones might be laid in the Grave of his Father; not kept as Relicks for People to kiſs and worſhip. We read alſo that Elijah's Mantle fell down from him, when he was carried to Heaven; with which Eliſha ſmote the waters, 2 Kings II.2 King. II. 8.14. 8.14. but what became of this Mantle, we do not read; it is moſt likely he wore it out. I can find nothing of the reverend eſteem St. John Baptiſt had of our Saviour's Shoe-latchet; much leſs of his keeping it for a Relick;I. Joh. 27. I. John 27. He only expreſſes his reverent eſteem of our Saviour, whom he was not worthy to ſerve in the meaneſt Miniſtry; as the Woman did her high opinion of him, when ſhe ſtooped to touch the hem of his Garment.
His Fathers help him not at all. For Euſebius only ſaith, the Chair of St. James, firſt Biſhop of Jeruſalem, was preſerved: but not a word of its having any vertue in it; or of its being kept to be worſhipped, as they now do Relicks. Athanaſius *In Vita S. Anton.ſpeaks of an old Cloak, and another Garment which St. Anthony deſired might be given to him (who had beſtow'd it on him new) when he died; as we are wont to bequeath ſomething or other in remembrance of us: But that he laid it up, and delivered it to poſterity as a ſacred Relick, we are yet to learn. And how far he was from deſiring to have his Garments preſerved as Relicks, appears from the Charge he gives, in the ſame place about his own Body, which he would not have them carry into Egypt, leſt it ſhould be reſerved in ſome of their Houſes *foreign.(mind this) but bury it in ſome unknown place. And ſo they did, none knowing where they interred it, but only two Servants to whom that care was committed. His Friends indeed, he ſaith, kept thoſe Garments, as ſome great thing: but mark what follows as the Reaſon, For he that ſaw them, thought be ſaw Anthony; and he that wore them, was as if he carried about with him joyfully his Precepts. They were not laid up then as Relicks, but uſed ſtill as Garments, which put them in mind of him, and of his words. St. Baſil doth ſpeak of wonderful things at the touch of the Bones of a Martyr, whom God was pleaſed to honour at that time, to convince Unbelievers of the truth of that Religion, which Martyrs ſealed with their Blood. But there is no reaſon to expect ſuch things now; nor have their Bones been preſerved to this Age. Saint Chryſoſtom's words are falſly alledged by Bellarmin (from whom this man hath all theſe Fathers) when he makes him ſay, Let us viſit them often, let us adore their Tombs; when in truth the very Latin Interpreter hath it, let us adorn their Tombs: and this not according to the Greek, where it is, let us touch their Coffin. St. Ambroſe his honouring the Aſhes of Martyrs, is nothing to the worſhipping of them. If we knew of any true Relicks of their Bodies, we ſhould not fail to honour them: And we think the greateſt honour would be, to give them a decent burial.