IV. Of paying Divine Worship to Reliques. (Book 4)
FOR the right understanding this Controversie, we are to consider,
1. That there is a due Veneration to the Bodies of Saints and Martyrs, allowed on both sides; and there is an undue Worship of them, which is disowned on both sides. The due Veneration is, a Religious Decency to be observed to∣wards them; which lies in avoiding any thing like Con∣tempt or Dishonour to them, and using all such Testimo∣nies of Respect and Decency, which becomes the Remains of Excellent Persons; provided we are satisfied of their Sincerity, without having recourse to Divine Omnipotency to prove them: which Ferrandus the Jesuit runs so much to,* 1.1 to prove the Truth of many Reliques, worshipped in the Church of Rome in many places at once. But that it is possible to exceed in the Worship of true Reliques, even Bellarmine confesseth, who says, that God took away the Body of Moses, lest the People should give Divine Worship to it. And S. Ierom, as hot as he was against Vigilantius,* 1.2 yet he utterly denied giving any Adoration to the Reliques of Martyrs. It seems then it is very possible to exceed that way.
2. The Question then is, Whether those Acts of Wor∣ship which are allowed in the Church of Rome, do not go beyond due Veneration? For it is unreasonable to suppose those who give it, to believe those Reliques to be Gods;