A reply to Fulke, In defense of M. D. Allens scroll of articles, and booke of purgatorie. By Richard Bristo Doctor of Diuinitie ... perused and allowed by me Th. Stapleton.

ij. Of Inuocation of Sainctes, and worshipping of their Reliques.

You remember since the thirde Chapter that (by your owne report) the true Church counted Vigilantius an heretike for de∣nying the Inuocation of Saintes and the worshipping of their Reliques (of which and of their Images, againe,* 1.1 the case is all one.) But now you will proue, that the Churches opinion rather was heresie: for thus you say to vs for that matter:* 1.2 Of the Os∣senes, you receiued the superstition of Reliques: for they vsed to take the spittle and other filth from the bodyes of Marthys and Marthana, which were of the seede of Elxai (that is,* 1.3 great Sainctes with them) and vsed them to cure diseases: as Erasmus witnesseth at Caunterbury were kept the clowtes that Thomas Becket did occupie to wipe of his sweat, & to blow his nose on, which were kissed as holy Reliques, and thought also to be holsome for sicke folkes. Epiph. li. 1. Tom. 1. Haer. 19. This againe maketh as much against our Reliques, as the Valentinians Crosse against our Crosses, and the Carpocratians Images against our Images. Epiphanius telleth, that this Elxai was in Traianus time a great master of that sect, and that Marthys his kinswoman and Marthana his sister, In the Ossenes countrey were adored in their life time as Gods. Pro dijs adorabantur, &c. Because they were of the said Elxai his stocke. quarum etiam sputa, &c. which wo∣mens spittle also, and other filthes of their bodies the foresaide heretikes in that countrey tooke to them, in auxilium videlicet morborum, as to cure diseases: nihil tamen efficiebant, but yet without any effect at all. As for Erasmus, he knoweth nowe (if

he did not afore) what it is to haue Religion in dirision, and you may remember from whose body were caried to the sicke

Sudaria vel Semicinctia,* 1.4 and their diseases, and euill sprites went awaye therewith.

Open your mouth also against those Nap∣kins, and call them likewise Clowtes for sweat and for the nose. Or rather doe you applie them (with good counsaile) to your disease also,* 1.5 as S. Chrysostome applieth them and the Reliques of the Martyr Babylas together, vnto the Paganes, declaring thereby most excellently that Christ must néedes be God, séeing he coulde geue such passing power to the clothes and bones of his seruaunt.

* 1.6You say moreouer to vs: Of the Cayanes, you learned to call vpon Angels. Epiph. li. 1. To. 3. haere. 38. Those heretikes worship∣ped Cain, Iudas, & such like: & litle estéemed Abel, & such others, yea and (some of them) also Christ him selfe. They said also, that none could be saued vntill they had gone through all sinnes. And therfore committed all abhominations, & referred them to this Angel & that Angel, with this inuocation: O tu Angele vtor tuo opere, O tu potestas ago tuā actionem. O thou such an Angell, I worke now thy worke: O thou such a power, I now do thy actiō. And this with them was called perfecta cognitio,* 1.7 euen doctorship it selfe. They agréed in this with the Simoniani, Gnostici, and Carpocratite, who in their beastlines directed the like most hor∣rible inuocations to God him selfe, whom they termed Patrem vniuersorum. Which is as substantiall an argument against all inuocation of God, as the other is against the inuocation of Angells. Simon Magus was (you know) in the Apostles time. He inuented many heauens, and many names of Angells, pla∣cing these in this heauen, and those in that heauen, with sun∣drie sacrifices for men to offer by them that they might so bée brought at length to the Father of all.

And that none might o∣therwise be saued,* 1.8 except he learned, hunc mysticum ductum, this mysticall passage, and howe to offer suche Sacrifices by those Angels, to the Father of all. Against these fables it is, that S. Paule instructeth the Ephesians and Colossians in those two Epistles so like in wordes also,* 1.9 that no man deceyue them with those inuocations of Angelles Religion, non tenens ca∣put, not holding the heade Iesus Christ.

But otherwise hol∣ding

hym for the heade, that wée are brought to the Father by the holye Angells, as by Christes ministers,* 1.10 who séeth not in the Scriptures in infinite places? And so doth the Churche make all her petitions, all through Christ our Lorde, Per Christum dominum nostrum, to none shée commendeth her o∣therwyse, neyther in heauen nor in earth, so doe we all praye and desyre to be prayed for one of another:* 1.11 and so prayed S. Iohn, saying: Grace and peace to you from God the Trini∣tie: and from the seuen Spirites that are before his throne: and from Iesus Christ according to his humanitie: putting Christ in the last place, that he myght so, more hansomely adde the rest which he had to saye there of him? And this in that verye booke, out of which the Protestantes abuse two places against the worshipping of Angells, forgetting also where in the same booke God doth promyse to make the obstinate Iewes to come, and to adore before the feete of one Angell. Et scient quia ego dilexi te: and they shall knowe that I haue loued thee. Which all if you also did knowe, you would not say thus in one place to vs: Euen in the Apostles time, when the superstition of Angels beganne to be receiued, there was one steppe of your way,* 1.12 which you holde euen to this day, Colos. 2.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Supra. pag
• * 1.2

  Ar. 21.
• * 1.3

  In peregrina∣tione religion ergo?
• * 1.4

  Act. 19.
• * 1.5

  Chris. To. ••. De vita Bab contra Gentiles.
• * 1.6

  Ar. 22.
• * 1.7

  Epip. Haer. 26. & 21. & 27.
• * 1.8

  Epip. Haer. 21.
• * 1.9

  Colos. 2.
• * 1.10

  Hebr. 1.
• * 1.11

  Apoc. 1. Apo. 4. v. 5 & 5. ver. 6. with Heb. 1 ver. 14. Apo. 1. ver. 16.20. Heb. 3. ver. 1. Apo. 19.22. Apoc. 3.
• * 1.12

  Pur. 287.