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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09830	A disputation against the adoration of the reliques of saints departed Wherein nine palpable abuses are discouvered, committed by the popish Priests in the 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 Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of Leyden in Holland, & translated by Henry Heham, out of French into English.	Polyander à Kerckhoven, Johannes, 1568-1646.; Hexham, Henry, 1585?-1650?	1611 (1611)	STC 20095; ESTC S119215	57,951	182

be buried so soone as they arrived in the land of Canaan in a field which Abraham Iacob had bought before time of the sonns of Hamor the father of Sechem Also the Prophet Samuel sheweth vs that K. Dauid hauing taken the bones of Saul and Ionathan frō the inhabitants of Gabish Gilead which had taken them vp from the streete of Beth-shan brought them from thence into the contrey of Beniamin caused thē to be buried in the sepulchre of Kis the father of Saul and that in the Solemnizatiō of their funeralls his subjects did all that the King cōmanded them but there is no mention made of any pilgrimage or any religious seruice which they should doe in honour of thē about their Sepulchre Likewise in the second booke of kings the Authour of this Historie writeth that King Iosiah willing to prophane the Altar which King Ieroboham had caused to be built in Bethel and to dishonour eternally the Priests other Idolaters which he had maintained there caused the bones of the false priests other their confederates to be digged vp cōmanding them to burne thē vppon the same Altar But on the contrary espying an other Tombe in the same Cittie demanded of the cittizēs thereof What title is that which I see hauing vnderstod by their answer that it was the sepulchre of the man of God which before prophesied the things which the sayde King came then to doe vpon that very Altar to shewe the publick reverence he bore vnto that man of God even after his buriall bad the inhabitants of Bethel Let him alone let none remoue his bones whereto this Historiā addeth that the citizens of the said city obeied therein king Iosiahs commandement Although the holy Scriptures giues vs to vnderstand that among all that are borne of woemē God hath not raised vp more excellēt servants of his house then Moses and Iohn Baptist nor a more faithfull Martyr of his son Christ Iesus then S. Stephē one of the seaven deacons of the Apostolique Church one of the first witnesses of Christ persecuted in Ierusalem Neueverthelesse their bodies were presently interred after their departure that of Moses by God himself after a miraculous manner in the contrey of Moab in a place vnknowne vnto the children of Israel and inaccessible for the deuil to the end they might not abuse it by Idolatrie that of S. Iohn Baptists by his disciples and S. Stephens by some men that feared God as appeareth by the History of Moses the Gospel according to S. Marke the book of the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistle of S. Iude. Among all the auncient Prophets there is none whose buriall is more memorable then that of the Prophet Elishas in regard it pleased God to raise vp miraculously by touching of his dead and buryed bodie a man which in great hast for feare of their enemies they had cast into the grave of this prophet as we read in the second booke of Kings 2. Chap howbeit the Authour of this historie addeth not for all that that the Priests of the old Testament haue commanded the people of God to resort vnto that tombe to offer vp their praiers and sacrifices or that they instituted any Feasts vpon certain daies in memorie of this miracle or enclosed the bones of this Prophet into a shrine or chose out any expresse place to raise vp some altar in his honour or did perswade any to resort thither from all partes to offer vp there their praiers and sacrifices in the name of the vulgar people as if it were before the face of God himself Morover the prophet Isaiah hauing respect vnto the auncient custome of interring the dead and hiding them in their graues compareth the sepulchres of the righteous vnto bedds to shew by this similitude that wee can doe noe greater pleasure to God nor a greater honour to his wel-beloved Sainctes after their departure then to wrap vp their bodies in the beddes of the Earth to rest there from their labours vntil the day of their resurrection in which Christ wil come to awaken call them vnto him bring them into the possession of life eternall I say moreover that the greatest hypocrits among the last Doctors of Israel to wit the Scribes and Pharises who through hypocrisie and vaine glorie buylt vp the sepulchres of the prophets and repaired the tombles of the righteous stoned massacred to death by their auncestors did not deterre their corpses to dismember them and shew their bones vnto the meaner sort of people or to adorne the Altars of the Tempel of Ierusalem with them but suffered thē to rest in their graues as Christ himself witnesseth in the 23. Chap. of S. Mathews Gospel the 27. verse and the next following Touching the Apostles disciples of our Saviour Christ the historie of his burial shews vs that S. Peter S. Iohn approching neere vnto his sepulchre to see whether he was truly risen or noe found there his kerchief with his linen clothes laied aside but the Euāgelist S. Iohn noteth more expresly that they came thither one after another to behold the more earnestly his hand-kerchief and linnē which he had left behinde him after his resurrectiō addeth not which neverthelesse would have ben soo much the more remarkeable that they either handled thē or bore awaie those reliques with them to shewe them vnto their con-disciples or put them into any shrine or boxe which with out all doubt they would haue done if they had receued any such charg frō ther Mr. or if they could haue gathered by any of his familliar speeches he had with thē before that such a collection transportatiō of his reliques would haue pleased him after his resurrection haue ben as a fitt meanes to confirme their bretheren in the Christian faith As for S. Luke who discribs vnto vs all the memorable acts of the Apostles since the assention of Christ vntil the second yeere of S. Pauls imprisonment at Rome to the intent they might serue as a miror and exsample to all our actions he makes no recitall nor reckons vp in his second booke any of Christs reliques his Parents or faithful Martyrs collected by his Apostles or giuen into the custody of their frends but hee shewes that the christians of his time perseuered with the Apostles in the sincere doctrine of the H. Gospell and in breaking of bread the true reliquaries and memorialls of the instructions suffrances of our sole Redeemer Iesus Christ. In like manner the Apostle S. Peter while he was living would not promisse the faithfull dispersed throughout Pontus Galatia Capadocia Asia and Bithynia to leave after his death any other reliques behinde him thē his Epistles which he wrote vnto them as him self declareth by these wordes that he wold endevour alwaies to wit by his writings that they also might bee able to haue rememberance of those things after his departure I could

of an olde and false table-cloth then of our Lord Iesus Christ the authour of truth and niewnesse of life call vpon it for aide in this manner Sanctissima Dei mappa ora pro nobis O most holy table-cloth of God pray for vs. The Monkes of Cahors addressing thēselves rather vnto the Napkin or kerchief which our Redeemer left behinde him to rot in his sepulchre thē vnto this high Priest who shortly after his resurrection was takē vp by his Father into Heavē to make there continuall intercession for vs cryes vnto it singing in this manner Sancte Sudari ora pro nobis that is O holy handkerchiefe pray for vs. againe Sudarium Christi liberet nos a peste morte tristi that is O kerchiefe of Christ deliver vs from plague and a heavie death Moreover they cr●ue that for his kerchiefes sake representing the face of Christ by picture it would please him to let them behold his face aboue in Heauen Omnipotens sempiterne Deus qui in memoriam passionis vnigeniti Filij tui sanctam eius sindonem cum expressaipsius effigie venerandam reliquistiin terris tribue quaesumus vt per virtutem eius sanctae sindonis faciem tuam contemplari mereamur in coelis That is to say O Almightie and Eternall God which in memorie of the passiō of thy only begottē son hast left behinde him on earth his holy Sindon with his shape printed vpon it graunt that through the vertue of this holy lunen wee maye merrit to contemplate thy face in Heaven O Lord how long wilt thou endure this idolatrie ô poore Superstitious men how long will yee continue on in seeking our Lord Iesus Christ who is all in all of vs in things that are nothing worth The fourth abuse consisteth in the adoration of false reliques so artifcially counterfeited and invented by the one as foolishly beleeved and receiued by the other The cause why S. Augustine complaineth in his treatise touching the travelling Monkes that Sathan had dispersed throwout Christendome many Hypocrites vnder the habit of vagabond Monkes straggling vp downe through countries not sent neuer still nor never setled whereof some of them made Marchandise of the members of the Martyrs which made him to doubt suspect that they were not the right members of the Martyrs To this purpose Socrates reporteth in the 14. Chap. and 7. booke of his Historie that the Christians for some time honoured through ignorance the dead carkiese of a seditious Monke called Ammomus thinking it had bene the body of some holy Martyr Also Erasmus of Rotterdam reporteth in his Conferences that two Pilgrims arriving at Canterburie the one of them was so amazed at the impudencie and deceit of those which presented before them al sorts of reliques to be worshipped and amonge the rest an Arme bleeding with the flesh vpō it that they seemed thereat to be horribly affrighted flying back would not kisse it Gregorie surnamed Turonensis and diverse other Historians affirme that in the shrine of a departed Sainct they found the roots of sundry plantes the teeth of Moses the bones of Mice and the feete of foxes in stead of the true reliques of his bodie It is most manifest that presently after the reformatiō of the Churches in France Helvetia Germanie and some other adjoyning places they founde in the shrines chestes of the papall reliques the bones of diverse Beasts pieces of brickes spriggs of trees cordes and manie other trifles small trash which these superstitious men had worshipped during the night of their ignorance the thicke darknesse of their idolatries Calvin noteth in his admonitiō against the reliques of the Romish Church that they found at Geneve the taile of a Hart which these Superstitious people had often times kissed imagining that it had ben S. Anthonies Arme and a pumeise stone saluted by these Doltes besotted with this opinion that it was S. Peters braines Theodorus Besa proueth by the testimonie of more then fiftie eye-witnesses in his Apologie against the calumnies of a certaine Apostate by name Francis Bauldwin that at Bourges they found a wheele turning about vpon a staff adorned with this laciuious and magicall verse written vpon a scrole of parchment Quand ceste roue tournera Celle que saime m'aimera That is to say When this wheele shall turne about Shee whome I loue shall loue mee And at Tours a Card which gamesters call the knaue of Dyamants with a bawdie and villennous song written vppon it by some whoremonger put into a silver Arme. And after that a silver crosse besett with many precious perles and with an Agath wherevpon was engravē the picture of Venus bewailing the death of Adonis her Louer lying by her which the vulgar sort of people adored vpō the day of the death and passion of our Lord Iesus Christ. Rodulphus Hospaniā attesteth likewise in his recitall of the originall of Reliques that in the shrines treasuries of the Catholique Church at Zurich they foūd some of the ribs of a Cat or some such like creature with a cord twelue ells long which before the reformation of the said Church was worshipped by the blinde people there perswaded there-vnto by the guilfull gloses of their pastours that they were the reliques of Felix and of some other holy Martyr Although these Testimonies are worthy of beliefe and approved by every man without contradiction yet I assure myself that our adversaries will take a small occasion at the very name of these Authours to quarrell at the Title of their bookes to call them in question and reject them I feare I shall not get much more by inserting here the wordes of George Cassander one of their chiefest writers whereby he admonisheth the Emperours Ferdinand and Maximilian that this abuse began to thrust vp her head litle by litle through the often visiting of the monuments of the renownedst Martyrs that in S. Augustins and S. Ambroses time the custome of bringing victualls in memorie of the martyrs was forbidden by S. Ambrose himself that in the ages ensuing they haue attributed too much honour vnto the memorie of the Saincts that some men of noe note had perswaded the simple to place a false confidence in a superfluous fond seruice and had added many other euils vnto it to wit that the priestes monkes coveteous of dishonest gaine haue counterfeited reliques preached false miracles to nourish superstition in the hearts of men and drew them rather vnto the admiration of their miracles then vnto the imitation of the Saincts Finally that the Devill making vse of the superstition of these men reuealed euery day new reliques when he saw that the Bishops of the Romish church were so earnestly giuen to enquire foorth the inventers and promoters of those reliques and they should finde therein as he saith abuses deceits as great and as abhominable as that was which S. Martyn discouvered who