worst that he has any colour or pretence to say: and if such occasions and pretences had been afforded by the ancient Christians, as by these, we should certainly have heard the same objections from Lucian or Celsus, or some one Pagan writer of those times, who were as able, as spiteful, and vigilant adversaries as Julian and Eunapius. But whereas Eunapius pretended, that these monks called the martyrs," ministers and messengers of their prayers;" he might possibly have no other reason for it, but the common observation, that Christians went to the sepulchres of the saints, there to make their prayers. For although they directly applied themselves to none but God, when they were there; yet the choosing of those places for their devotions, especially with a profession of hoping to speed the better for so doing, was occasion enough to Eunapius to say, that they made the martyrs, "the ministers and messengers of their prayers." But for ought any man can tell, Eunapius might come to understand that these monks did, what I question not was the custom of some Christians towards the latter end of this age; that is, that they called to the martyrs at their memories, as if they were present there; of which I shall give a farther account in its proper place. It is certain, that many miracles were said to be done upon prayers made where the relics of the martyrs were; that is, at their memories. And some thereupon believed, that they were done at their intercession, and joining their own prayers with the prayers of the Christians that came thither. In which they were more confirmed by some confident reporters of visions and apparitions of the martyrs* to those that had obtained their suits. Now of those who believed the martyrs were within hearing, it is very likely that some called to them with an ora pro nobis; and then no wonder that Eunapius charged the monks with raking for dead men's bones, and making dead men the messengers of their prayers. As for the miracles said to be done in those times, they are urged by the Romanists as an invincible argument of God's approving the honour that was given to the saints and their relics, in that age of the Church. But I wish they would attend to what St. Augustine says, who, after a pretty large account of miracles that were wrought in his time, and some too at the memories of martyrs, plainly says, that whether * Aug. de Cura pro Mortuis, c. 16. [vol. 6. p. 528. Par. 1685-7.] they were wrought by the ministry of martyrs or angels (for that he knew not), they were wrought to give testimony to that faith,* for which the martyrs died; and particularly to the resurrection of Christ, and to our resurrection at the last day. There is no reason to suppose that every circumstance of the devotion of Christians that received miraculous relief, must be attested by those miracles which God wrought in farther confirmation of the truth of Christianity. God has made use even of wicked men for the working of miracles; and I cannot understand why a miracle may not be wrought in behalf of a sincere man, without approving his weakness, any more than the other's wickedness is approved by God's making use of him to testify the truth. But I would be content to let them use this argument for miracles without contradiction, if they would extend it no farther than in favour of that use of relics, which we yet meet with. In the fourth age they ransacked all places for them, and when, as they thought, they had got them, they put them in fine linen, or in curious boxes and repositories, and laid them up in the Church. But whatever good they expected from these treasures, they did not yet worship them; they did not incense them, and expose them to receive the adorations of the people. Vigilantius, it seems, had asked, with some derision, "Why dost thou kiss and adore a little dust put up in fine linen ?" To which St. Jerome,† that went as high as any in the age for honouring relics, answered, "Who, O thou giddy-brained man, ever adored the martyrs? Who has taken a man for God?" Indeed St. Jerome thought that holy relics made the very devils roar with pain; but yet he did not think that they were to be adored,‡ no not the martyrs themselves, but God only. We could wish that all superstition were banished from amongst Christians; but if the Church of Rome would be content with such things as St. Jerome§ blames in some "silly men and religious women, that had a zeal, but not according to knowledge, viz. burning wax candles by day light, in honour of martyrs," we would be content too; for these are tolerable faults, and such as should not break the peace, though they were better mended. I would say to any contentious man, what St. Jerome|| said to Vigilantius, "What dost thou lose by it," if others are a little foolish? * Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. 22. c. 9. [Ibid. vol. 7. p. 673.] + Hieron. adv. Vigil. tom. 2. p. 155. [vol. 2. p. 391, 397. Veron. 1735.] Ibid. + Ibid. § Ibid. I confess, I should beg of these gentlemen, for the honour of our religion, and of the testimony of miracles, not to pretend the miracles of the fourth and fifth ages, as a testimony to every punctilio of honour done in those times to the relics of the saints, and to the opinion which some conceived of them. And as I said before, it would be more discreetly done to let those miracles go, as St. Austin did, for a notable confirmation of the truth of that religion for which those martyrs died; by whose dead bodies God was pleased to do some wonderful things. But it is by no means advisable to stretch them in favour of some other things; whereof the lighting of candles for the martyrs may go for one, and the unwillingness of some of them to build churches, unless they could get relics to lay there, for another; and the scattering of relics in little pieces up and down, may pass for a third; and stealing them, for a fourth; which, I know not how, came to be excused at least, as an effect of great and religious zeal, by some men of no mean note. I do not think such things as these are very easy to be defended; and therefore it were much better that miracles were not brought in to justify them. But least of all should they be urged in favour of that kind of worship, which the Church of Rome now gives them; and not only to the bodies, bones, or ashes, but to the girdles, slippers, and little utensils of the saints and martyrs; which kind of things anciently were not thought of. God wrought miracles by the hands of St. Paul, and the rest of the Apostles, when they were alive. Now if we had their bones, or some pieces of them, and God should be pleased to work miracles by them still, there would be, I am confident, no more reason upon this account to give their relics any religious worship, now the Apostles are dead, than there was to worship the Apostles themselves upon the same account, when they were alive. Moreover, God wrought miracles by the Brazen Serpent; and yet when the people had fallen to burn incense to it, it was broken to pieces, to his great honour, who opposed a zeal with knowledge, to the blind zeal of the people. But to deal freely, I am not fully satisfied that these miracles, by the bodies of saints and martyrs, were half so frequent as the noise that was made of them in this age, or in the next, would make us believe. I more than fear, that those times were too credulous, or that the writings of those Fathers have met with more foul play than has been yet discovered, though no small discoveries of that kind have been made since the Reformation. It is some prejudice against the credibility of those relations, that in the three first ages we hear nothing of miracles wrought by relics; which we are not to wonder at, because they lay quiet in their graves; and the ancient Church was so little concerned in this religion of relics, that the bodies of martyrs that suffered under Diocletian and Licinius,* that is, at the end of the third, and the beginning of the fourth age, lay undiscovered, till chance or pretended revelations brought them to light; which is a manifest argument, that the ancient Church knew nothing of these matters, and that they had their beginning in the declension of the fourth age. Again, if the bodies of martyrs ordinarily discovered themselves by a gift of miracles, I wonder how it came to be so ordinary a thing to counterfeit relics, as it was. For who would dare to put off the bones of a malefactor, for the bones of a martyr, if it was known that true relics would distinguish themselves from false, by true miracles? And yet St. Austin himself complains of a multitude of cheating fellows in his time,† "that were scattered up and down in the habit of monks, wandering about from province to province, sent no whither, fixed no where, staying no where; some of which professed the trade of selling the bones of martyrs, if you will believe they were martyrs' bones." It would require a volume to shew the boldness that was taken in after times. God has given to a man but one head, and one pair of hands; but the religion of relics has found more than one a-piece for many of the saints and martyrs: and when they all work miracles, I must needs believe that some of them are counterfeit miracles; and if I can yet discern no difference, I would know why they should not all go for counterfeit. For when God works miracles, they are too plain, for the most part, to be denied, even by those whose interest it is to deny them. But when I consider St. Chrysostom's judgment in the case, I must confess myself to be under a mighty prejudice against the credibility of most relations of this sort that went in that age. I well remember that he somewhere gives express caution against listening after miracles: but in one place, never to be forgotten, very pertinently to the occasion of his discourse, he argues in this manner: "Because Now there are * Ambros. de Exhort. ad Virg. [vol. 2. p. 277, &c. Par. 1690.] Sozom. lib. 9. c. 2. [p. 366. Cantab. 1720.] + Aug. de Opere Monach. c. 28. [ut supra, vol. 6. p. 498.] Chrys. Hom. 6. in 1 Cor. ii. [vol. 10. p. 45, 46. Par. 1732.] no miracles wrought, do not thou take this for an argument, that none were wrought THEN (in the Apostles' days): for then it was profitable that they should be wrought; but now it is profitable that they should not be wrought." But how, says he, "does it come to pass, that signs should be profitable then, and not so now?" Then he shews, that the continuance of miracles would lessen the rewardableness of faith; and "for this reason," says he, "they are not now wrought. And that this is the truth, you may see by what our Lord said to Thomas: 'Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.' By how much therefore a more convincing miracle is shewn, by so much is the praise and reward of faith lessened wherefore, if now also miracles were done, the same inconvenience would follow." But for a farther answer, he adds, That although they had now no miracles, yet several predictions had been accomplished, which was a continued confirmation of the truth of Christianity; and moreover, that the good lives and examples of Christians were now more necessary for the conviction of unbelievers, than miracles: for, says he, "It is the want of primitive sanctity, rather than of miracles, which makes men still remain in their unbelief.” Which testimony of so judicious a man, is a plain argument that miracles were at least very rare in his time; and that every martyr's bones did not do the same wonders that Babylas's bones were said to have done in Julian's time. I may therefore be well excused, if I impute that noise of miracles, which was so loud in this and the next age, in great part to the credulity of the age, and to the difficulty of standing against that torrent of zeal for the honour of the martyrs, which had carried most men already beyond the bounds of antiquity. What shall a man make of that story which St. Jerome tells of Hilarion's relics? How Hesychius, a holy man, ventured his life to steal the body of Hilarion the monk, out of the garden of Cyprus, where he was buried, to carry it to Palestine; and how Constantia took it so to heart, that she died upon it. For this religious woman was wont, it seems, to watch whole days and nights at his sepulchre; and for the helping of her prayers, to talk with him as if he was present.* I should think it is not much for the credit of religion, to represent a holy man plundering a grave, and a holy woman * Hieron. de vita Hilarionis. tom. 1. p. 98. Colon. [ut supra, p. 40.] |