The Capucin Treated, Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX. The great rewards which St. Francis received for his humility: And of his marks.
A Humility ſo profound, and of ſ… great a merit, was not unrewarde… St. Antonine, pag. 728.in the life of St. Francis, reports, That the people did run after him and did tear his cloathes in pieces, every on… ſtriving to carry away a piece, believing tha… theſe rags were of great vertue, and a prope… meanes for ſalvation; ſo that the peopl… left him half naked.
Bonaventure ſaith, That a certain holy ma… had a viſion, wherein it ſeemed to him, tha… a golden croſs came out of St. Francis'… mouth, whoſe top touched Heaven, an… its two armes reached unto the ends of th… Earth.
In the ſeventh chapter of the Revelati… St. John ſpeaks thus; I ſaw another Ang… aſcending from the Eaſt, having the ſea… of the living God. St. Bonaventure, in th… life of St. Francis, Bonavent. pag. 31.ſaith, That we muſt believe that without doubt this Angel is St Francis: theſe are his words; I ſaw (ſait… John in the Revelation) another Angel aſce… ding from the Eaſt, having the ſeal of the living God. Whence we gather, by an infallible faith, that this meſſenger of God, beloved of Chriſt, to be imitated by us, and admired by the world, is that ſervant of God, Francis.
The ſame Bonaventure ſaith,Pag. 40. that a certain holy, and devout man, being once in St. Francis's company, fell into a trance, and ſaw in Heaven divers ſeats, amongſt which he ſaw one more Magnificently adorned then the reſt, glittering with pretious ſtones, and very glorious: And as this holy man was wondering for whom this ſeat was prepared, a voice came to him from Heaven, ſaying, This was the ſeat of one of the lapſed Angels, and is kept for the moſt humble Francis. The Legend ſaith the ſame: and we have already ſeen, that this was the ſeat of one of the apoſtate Seraphins; and that by this exaltation the moſt humble Francis is placed above the Archangels, and above the Cherubins, and conſequently above all the Saints, except the Virgin Mary, who is called The Queen of Heaven.
All, that have written the life, and actions of St. Francis, ſay, That about two years before his death, God intending to recompence the humility and merits of St. Francis, ſent a Seraphin to him; which, lying upon him croſs-wiſe, imprinted on his hands and feet the marks of the wounds of Jeſus Chriſt.
After his death, there was a great ſtir, and conteſt about theſe marks: Some laughed at it, and ſaid, that if St. Francis had really received from God the marks of the wounds of Jeſus Chriſt, every one muſt needs have ſeen them, during the ſpace of thoſe two years, ſeing he went with his feet naked, and wore no gloves: but that none ever ſaw them, ſave one Fryar, named Elias, Antonin. Tit. 24. cap. 2. S. 8. Solus hoc frater Elias caſu utcunque proſpicere meruit.who ſaw them but once, and that by chance too. They ſaid alſo, that the miracles of Jeſus Chriſt, and his Apoſtles ſerved to ſome good purpoſe, (viz.) to cure diſeaſes, to give eaſe and deliverance to the afflicted, to raiſe the dead &c. but that the marks of theſe wounds d… no cure at all, and are good for nothing That it is not credible, that God would imprint theſe marks on a mortal body, whic… was ſoon after to putrifie, by which putrefaction theſe marks had been defaced Moreover, that although theſe marks had been really imprinted, yet it is a thing which the Devil, or men may eaſily counterfeit. That the Apoſtles, who had more worth in them then St. Francis, never had theſe marks.
But the Pope interpoſed, and in recompence of the ſervices which Brother Francis had done him, (for he was a great defender of the Popes Authority) Canonized him, and put him in the Catalogue of the Saints. This Canonization was Anno Domini 1228. Moreover, Pope Alexander the Fourth, Anno Domini 1254. underſtanding that St. Francis was on Mount Alverno when he received the impreſſion of theſe wounds, took this occaſion to augment his Revenue: For he declared, that all the Eccleſiaſtical Lands and Goods in that Mountain did belong to the Pope, and were directy and immediately ſubject to the Church of Rome. Moreover,Antonin. cap. 2. ſ. 10. he did perſonally cite, and adjourn thoſe who had maliciouſly defaced the marks of the Image of S. Francis which was at Gennes, in the Church of St. Mary de Vignes.
About twenty ſix years ſince, Pope Nicolas the Fourth ſent Bulls to all the Churches under the Papal juriſdiction, certifying the truth of St. Francis's marks (though divers, who were hard of belief,Antonin. pag. 720. laughed at it:) ſince which time, the memory of St. Francis's marks is ſacred in the Church of Rome, which (as Antonine ſaith) obſerves the Feaſt of St. Francis's marks; which honour is not done to the marks of Jeſus Chriſt.
When I conſider theſe things, I cannot enough wonder at the blindneſs of thoſe that give credit to things ſo full of abſurdities and impoſtures: It ſeems as if the adorers of St. Francis had invented them on purpoſe to diſhonour and mock him; for no man, who hath any common ſenſe left him, will do ſuch things as are attributed to St. Francis; who play'd the mad-man, that he might be counted a Saint; and, as much as in him lay, kept himſelf from the uſual and ordinary actions of mankind, that he might be admired, (viz.) To draw roaſted fleſh through the aſhes; to wallow in the dirt with Swine; to tumble in the ſnow; to give inſtruction to Animals, and to call them his brethren and Siſters, are things which cannot be done by a man that is in his right ſenſes.
And herein we muſt admire the juſt effects of Gods diſpleaſure, who hath revenged the contempt of his Word contained in the holy Scriptures; for in thoſe days, and in the following Ages, the holy Scripture was a Book ſealed, and altogether unknown to the people: Nothing was then talked of, but Images, lying Wonders, Croiſades, Indulgences, adoration of Reliques, and the power of the Pope was then at the height, and abſurd and feigned Legends were the ordinary ſubject of Sermons. Wherefore God being provoked, ſtrook the people with the ſpirit of giddineſs, and with a horrible blindneſs, which grew thicker and thicker, until God took the Candle of his Word from under the Buſhel, and expoſed to view the holy Scriptures.