A07146:50
The relics of Rome containing all such matters of religion, as have in times…The reliques of Rome contayning all such matters of religion, as haue in times…
The relics of Rome containing all such matters of religion, as have in times past been brought into the Church by the Pope and his adherents: faithfully gathered out of the most faithful writers of chronicles and histories, and now newly both diligently corrected & greatly augmented, to the singular profit of the readers, by Thomas Becon. 1563.The reliques of Rome contayning all such matters of religion, as haue in times past bene brought into the Church by the Pope and his adherentes: faithfully gathered out of the moste faithful writers of chronicles and histories, and nowe newly both diligently corrected & greatly augmented, to the singuler profit of the readers, by Thomas Becon. 1563.
London: printed by John Day, 1563London: printed by Iohn Day, 1563
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1Some object old and ancient customs, affirming that this our religion, as they term it new and strange, dissenteth in order and usage greatly from the manner heretofore practised in our temples. I grant: neither can the sincerity of Gods word suffer and abide such old unsavoury crooked customs, as heretofore have been used in the popish Religion, as the conjuring of salt, water, bread, bows, flowers fire, ashes, candles, &c. creeping to the cross, worshipping of Images, calling upon dead Saints, sensing of altars & Idols, praying in a strange tong, offering the missal sacrifice for the quick and for the dead, receiving of the Sacrament under one kind, with a thousand moe errors and heresies, and other grievous abuses, which of long usage and custom in times past have been exercised among us, & taken for true Godliness. But who knoweth not▪ that custom ought to give place to reason and truth: for reason and truth exclude alway & put out of place custom, be it never so old and ancient, laudable ⟨image 12⟩and commendable. Christ is the truth: & therefore ought we rather to follow the truth, than the custom. If thou lay to our charge custom, saith S. Gregory: Thou must mark what the Lord saith:2 I am, saith he, the way, the truth, and the life. He said not, I am the custom, but I am the truth. Custom without truth, saith Saint Cyprian, is nothing else than an old error. Therefore leaving the error, let us follow the truth. When the truth is once come to light, saith Saint Austen, let custom give place. For who doubteth, that custom ought to give place to the open truth. Let no man prefer custom before reason & truth: for reason and truth doth always put custom to silence. We must hear and do that, saith Saint Cyprian, that Christ hath done, & that he hath also commanded to be done, seeing that he sayeth in his Gospel: If ye do those things, that I command you,3 I will call you no more servants, but friends. And that Christ alone ought to he heard, the father even from heaven testifieth, saying: This is my well beloved son, in whom I have great delight: hear ye him. Wherefore if Christ alone is to be heard,4