Works of Joseph Hall, Section 21
SECT. XXI. Of the Superſtitious, Heatheniſh, and ridiculous worſhip of the Papiſts.
BVT if any good natured Reconciler ſhall bee ſo indifferent, as to thinke theſe weightie points of difference not to be ſo hainous,Socrat. l. 1. cap. 4. but that eueryevery one might ſecretly maintaine what opinion hee liſt, yet ſo, that (as Conſtantine ſaid to Alexander, and Arrius) whiles the minds differ, the outward peace may be preſerued; Let him further vnderſtand; that the continuall practiſe of the religious worſhip, and ſeruice of God, will euer both raiſe, and proclaime no leſſe hoſtilitie, than matter of iudgement. In our deuotions and publike exerciſes of Pietie, and places conſecrated to this vſe, there is nothing that can offend either the eye, or the minde of a Papiſt; except the bareneſſe of our walls, and the Apoſtolicall ſimplicity of Ceremonies: An eaſie fault; and ſuch, as it is no praiſe of their ingenuitie to winke at; For, long ſince hauehave thoſe clauſes of our publike Liturgie beene purpoſely blotted out, which in our Grand-fathers dayes did but lightly touch this galled fore of Poperie.
But contrariwiſe, in the Popiſh Churches, there is ſcarce any thing either ſaid, or done, whereof we can with a cleere and vnwounded conſcience, be either partakers or witneſſes: Their very wals kill vsus dead; but their ridiculous or demonicall ſeruice, who can endure? We honour (as wee ought) the deare and happy memory of the Saints; and chiefly, the Leader of that heauenly Quire, the bleſſed Virgin, the Mother of God; and whatſoeuer ſhe can thinke, not to be diſhonourable to her ſelfe, and her Lord, and Sauiour, we will moſt gladly giuegive it her to the full: Neither will we only glorifie God in his Saints (as Auguſtine hath taught Durand to ſpeake) but wee will magnifie the Saints (as opportunity ſerues) for their excellent graces, and worthy acts both in God and in themſelues; wee will admire, extoll, and (what wee may) imitate their ſingular conſtancie, faith, ſanctitie; as Sidonius ſaid of his Claudian, No Tombe can either Soule or glory ſhroud.Sidon. in Epita. Claud. Mamert.
But, to digge vp their holy bones (that I may borrow Luthers word) out of their quiet graues, and to fall downe before theſe wormeaten Monuments of the Saints; to expect from them a diuine power, whether of cure, or of ſanctification; equally to reſpect Francis his Coule, … Combe; Ioſephs Breeches, Thomaſes Shooe (as Eraſmus complaines) with the Sonne of God himſelfe, can ſeeme no better to vsus, than an horible impiety: Neither can wee abide, either to deifie men, or to canonize beaſts; It ſeemes, that Cardinall could abide it well, in whoſe Garden is yet to be ſeene this Epitaph, which hee wrote vponupon his too dearly-beloued Bitch;
This Tombe for then (deare Bitch) I builded hauehave,Poem. Illuſtr. Port. Italor. in.
That worthier wert of Heauen, than a Graue.
Wee (prophane Huguenots) cannot skill of worſhipping Martins Boots; or Georges Scabbard, or Criſpi…s Paring knife; or (which they ſay is kept in a certaine Towne of Liguria) the Tayle of that Aſſe, which Chriſt rod vponupon:Mores in Scot. Orig. Pap. or ROCHES Dogge, or Antonies Swine; and ſurely, he had need of a very thicke Hide, that can doe this.
But, in earneſt, ſay wee ſhould yeeld theſe adorations to bee lawfull, and godly: What, Macurius (amongſt ſo many woods of counterfeit trees) can ſhew vsus the true Croſſe? or what Heleus amongſt ſuch heaps, yea, Hils of Iron, can ſhew vsus the true nayles? Aſſuredly, both theſe Iugglers ſmile one vponupon another, while they ſhew theſe Relikes to their people; and now, euen the ſilly vulgar begins (not without indignation) to deſcrie this coozenage. To omit therefore theſe ridiculous tricks, and knauiſh conueyances of their ſhauelings;Caſſ. Conſult. de Reliq. Sanct. let vsus in this caſe, appeale euen to Caſſanders owne moderation; who (hauing firſt honeſtly acknowledged the ancient complaints of Baſil, Ambroſe, Auguſtine, about the buſineſſe of theſe abuſes) goes on thus. It appeares (ſaith he) that in the latter times there hath beene too much giuen to the Relikes and Monuments of the Saints: So as euen good men, and thoſe which were zealouſly deuout, were growne to that paſſe, that they placed the ſumme of all Religion, in gathering together the Relikes of the Saints, and in garniſhing them richly with Gold and Pearles, and building ſumptuous Chappels and Temples to them: And againe, thoſe that were lewd and godleſſe, put all their confidence (though vaine and falſe) in the fooliſh and ſuperfluous worſhip of Relikes: wherefore in the Councell of Cabil…n, thoſe are reprooued, who in a pretence of deuotion, goe on Pilgrimage to Rome, or Turon, or any other like places, as if they thought, that the frequenting of theſe holy Shrines, could both purge them from ſinne, and licence them to ſinne with impunitie. And vntounto this, yet another miſchiefe hath beene added, that for couetouſneſſe ſake to intice the ſimple people, falſe Relikes hauehave beene deuiſed, and fained Miracles reported; and by thoſe Miracles, the Superſtition of the multitude was ſo fed, that they were rather taken vp with an admiration of the Wonders, then drawne to an holy imitation of the Saints: and many times by the ſubtletie, and illuſion of the Deuill, (abuſing the ſuperſtition of men) new Relikes were, by Dreames and Viſions, reuealed to the World; and by the operation of the ſame Deuill, Miracles ſeemed to be wrought, for the confirmation thereof: Thus ſaith Caſſander, like a true German, ſhall I ſay? or like a true Iſraelite? But wee, that hauehave beene better caught, dare freely, and confidently ſay of our ſelues,Hier. ad Riparili aduerſ. Vigil. as Hierom profeſſed of old, in the name of all Chriſtians: So farre are wee from adoring the Relikes of Martyrs, that we worſhip neither Sunne, nor Moone, nor Angels, nor Archangels, nor Cherubin, nor Seraphin, nor any name that is named either in the preſent World, or the future; leſt we ſhould ſerue the creature, rather than the Creator which is bleſſed for euer.
Then, that from Relikes wee may deſcend to Images: Is it poſſible that we ſhould not be euer diſpleaſed with that franticke ſuperſtition of the Romiſh Church? That againſt the Tables of Gods Law, againſt the Inſtitutions of the Apoſtles, againſt the practiſe of the ancient Church, againſt the manifeſt Decrees of Councels, againſt the cleere Teſtimonies of Fathers, in defiance of God, and men, the Churches of Chriſtians ſhould bee no leſſe peſtered with Idols, than the Temples of the Heathen? That (as Ierome complained of old) the natiue beautie of the Church ſhould bee polluted with the filth of Paganiſme?Hier. Magno Oratori. Rom. That (which Euſebius iuſtly taxeth of madneſſe) there ſhould bee a viſible and bodily Image or repreſentation made of the Inuiſible and Spirituall God?Lib. Sacr. Cerem. That wee ſhould put our confidence in Agnis Dei, Graines, Tapers, Roſes, Swords, Enſignes, Bels, ridiculouſly (after their manner) inchanted? That by certaine Magicall Exorciſmes, the Deuill ſhould bee driuen out of thoſe Creatures, wherein he neuer was? Nay: let vsus euen enter into league with Satan himſelfe, if wee ſhall giuegive either allowance, or co…niuence to ſuch Diabolicall practiſes of will-worſhip.
I doe purpoſely forbeare to ſpeake of that prophane paradox of the ſufficiencie of the outward worke-done, without good inward diſpoſitions; the idle mumbling vp of Prayers; in a forraine tongue; the number and vertue of Sacraments, the Sacrilegious mutilation of the Euchariſt, and a thouſand other Monſters both of Opinions, and ceremonies: Theſe that I hauehave reckoned, are errors more than enow: And I would to God, thoſe which we hauehave here particularized, were not ſuch, that there is no remedie, but that we muſt needs eternally fall out either with God, or with Rome. Since therefore neither Truth can euer yeeld, nor Obſtinacie will yeeld; let vsus ſerue cheerefully vnderunder the colours of our Heauenly Leader, and both proclaime and maintaine an vnreconcilable warre with theſe Romiſh Hereſies.