An antidote agaynst poperie: most necessarie for all in this back-slyding age. Wherein 1. The trueth is confirmed, by authoritie of scriptures, witnessing of antiquitie, and confession of the popish partie. 2. Popish scripturall arguments are answered, by the exposition both of father and of their own doctours / by William Guild.

SECT. V. Of the Adoration of Reliques, which the Romanistes would establish, by these Textes following.

[ 1] EXOD. 13.19. And Mo∣ses tooke the bones of Ioseph with him. Heere (say they) Reliques were carried about with

GOD'S People; which, no doubt, they worshipped.

Answere. This was onelie for inhumation and burying of them in Sechem, as they had promised to IOSEPH, and as wee see perfor∣med, IOSHVA 24.32. but not for adoration: which is as grosse Ido∣latrie done agaynst GOD, as ex∣humation of the bones of Mar∣tyres, or Godlie men, is an injurie done agaynst them. Therefore, while IOSIAS tooke the bones of the false Prophets out of their graues, hee sayde of the true Pro∣phets graue, Let no man moue his bones.

Yea, close contrarie to the adoration of Reliques, Chryso∣stome giveth this as one of the rea∣sons, why Ioseph appoynted his bodie to bee carried from Aegypt, lest the Idolatrous Aegyptians (sayth hee) beeing myndfull of the be∣nefites they had gotten by him, had made the bodie of righteous Ioseph, to bee an occasion of im∣pious

adoration: even as for the same cause the bodie of Moses was buried by the LORD, where never man yet knew.

[ 2] 2. KINGS 13.21. When the man was let downe, and touched the bones of Elisha, hee revived. Heere (say they) a miracle wrought by a Sayncts Reliques; therefore justlie may they bee worshipped.

Answere. A miracle indeede was wrought at the touch of Eli∣sha's bones; but not by them, but by the LORD, for confirmation, that Elisha was a true Prophet, (as wee see the lyke professed by Peter, ACTES 3.12.) notwith∣standing of which miracle, in re∣spect that those bones were not raysed, inshryned, nor adored, this maketh rather agaynst the a∣doration of such Reliques. For not onelie doe wee nowyse worship the reliques of Martyres, (sayeth S. Ierome, and with him S. Cyrill.

of the practise of the Church in their times) but we will no•• wor∣ship the Sunne, nor Moone, nor Angels, nor Arch-angels, nor Seraphims, nor no name that is named in this world, nor that which is to come; lest wee should serue the creature, rather than the Creator.

ISAI 11.10. To Him shall the Gentiles seeke, and His [ 3] graue shall bee glorious. Heere wee see (say they) that the holie graue shall bee counted glorious; and therefore worthie to bee wor∣shipped.

Answere. The Text is, (And His rest shall bee glorious) as both the Septuagint translateth, Paguin interpreteth, the Hebrew word beareth, and S. Ierome ap∣proveth, this beeing the meaning, that (as is sayde HEB. 12.2.) af∣ter His enduring the crosse and shame on Earth, Hee should rest in Glorie for ever in Heaven, being

set downe at the right hand of the Throne of GOD, where-of also the Rhemistes giue this as the meaning, That CHRIST after His death, which was ignominious to the world, should bee gloriouslie buried by verie honourable per∣sons, Ioseph and Nicodemus, with aboundance of most p••ecious Spyces, wrapped in fi••e Linnen, and layde in a new Monunment. And tho it were His graue it selfe that were heere called Glorious, yet it followeth no more that it should bee adored, than the Sunne and Moone, which are glorious lyke-wyse.

An Appendix, concer∣ning the inferiour sort of worship, which the Romo∣nistes say they onlie giue to Sayncts, Angels, Images, and Reliques fore-sayde, which they call Dulia, or Service.

THE Romanistes, to cloake their grosse Idolatrie in wor∣shipping of creatures, they tell vs, that there are three degrees of re∣ligious worship: the first, highest. and due onelie to GOD, wh••ch they call Latria, or divyne Worship: another lower, and due onlie to the Virgine MARIE, which they call Hyperdulia: and a third lowest of all, which they giue to Sayncts, Reliques, and such lyke, which they call Dulia, or Service. There∣fore, to enervate, and over-throwe this their groundlesse distinction, devysed only to delude the simple, wee are to consider, that the word Dulia, or Service, is onelie two wayes taken in holie Scrip∣ture; to wit, eyther for that which is civill or humane, and due vnto men; or which is religious, & divyne, proper onelie to GOD. In the first signification it is sayde of Iacob and Esau, The elder shall serue the younger. And all Chri∣stians are willed by the Apostle, in

loue to serue one another. In the second sign••fication it is sayde, Thou shalt feare the LORD, and serue Him onlie. And againe, Prepare your hearts vnto the LORD, (sayeth Samuell to the people) and serue H••m onelie. So in the New Testament, Reli∣gious service is made proper to GOD onlie. Therefore sayeth the Apostle, Serving the LORD with all humilitie. (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) And ag••yne, telling the Gallatians of their former miserie, hee sayth, Yee served them who by nature were not God's. (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) Which according to the Papist's distinction, hee could not haue re∣prehended. Wherevnto also con∣senteth Antiquitie: there-fore sayeth Augustine, Let Religious Service tye you to the Omnipo∣tent GOD onlie: and as for the Sayncts, wee honour them with loue, (sayeth hee) but not with Religious Service. The reason

whereof S. Ambrose doeth render, saying, For hee who serveth so, hee doeth adore, which is vnlaw∣full (sayeth hee) to bee done to anie meere creature.

Which thing made their owne Bishop Peresius to say, I know not if this duetie of worship to Sayncts ought properlie to bee called Du∣lia, (sayeth hee) seeing that ve∣neration which is commonlie due vnto Sayncts, is not given to them in token of Service: for wee are all the servants of GOD, tho farre inferiour in merites and holinesse, which the verie Angell (sayeth hee) did signifie, before whome the Apostle S. Iohn fell downe, saying, See thou doe it not, for I am thy fellow-servant. So that if it bee once Religious Worship at all, it is of that highest excellen∣cie, which is due onelie to the ex∣cellencie of the highest, who is a jealous GOD, and hath sayde, My glorie I will giue to no other. Therefore sayeth their owne Ie∣suit

Vasques, If it bee once an act of Religion, it may bee called La∣tria, (sayeth hee) for Latria and Religio, are the same thing. And so we see how their evasion of an in∣feriour sort of Religious Worship given to creatures, and called Du∣lia, like Dagon before the Arke, falleth to the ground. Againe, as Dulia, so lyke-wyse Latria, is some∣time attributted vnto man, and signifieth civill Service, as well as some-tymes it is attributted to GOD, and signifieth Religious: therefore LEVIT. 23.7. the servile worke that is forbidden on the Sabbath, is called, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And agayne, in Deute∣ronomie, the LORD threatneth His people, if they would not serue Him in joyfulnesse, and aboun∣dance of all thinges, they should serue their enemies in hunger and thirst, and in want of all thinges: where the word in the originall is one, and by the Septuagint is tran∣slated, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, wherefrae

commeth their Latria, which wee see signifieth not ever a supreame worship due onlie to GOD.

Notes

• 2. Kings 23.
• Chry∣sost. in Gen. 50. al∣so hom ••. in Math
• Hie∣rom. ep. ad ••i••a∣••••••••, adv. Vigi∣lantiū t. 2. f. 11•• Cyril, l. 6. cont. Iulian p. 142.
• Note, that Dulia is re∣fused, which Pa∣pists giveth to Re∣liques. Hie∣rom. in Isai. 11.
• Hier. in Isai 11.
• Rom. 9.12.
• Gal. 5.13.
• Deut. 6.13.
• 2 Sam. 7.3.
• Act. 20.19
• Gal. 4.8.
• Aug. de ve∣ra re∣lig. c, 55.
• Amb. l. 3. de spirit. sancto c. 12.
• Pere∣sius de trad. part. 3 de cultu. sanct 8 p. 12
• Isai 42.8.
• Vas∣ques de a∣dor. l. 1. disp 6. c. 1. num. 168.
• Deut. 28.48