A07146:870
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.
1Ninthly, God hath honoured the priests above Angels, yea, and somewhat also above the dignity of blessed Mary the virgin.2 First in the dignity of keeping. For a priest is bound to keep many souls, as the Bishop is bound to look upon all the diocese, and the Pope the whole world, and the Curate his parish, as Bernard saith: O how worthy keepers are they, which so carefully watch, that they may keep the souls that are committed unto them from everlasting death. But an Angel hath but one soul committed unto him for to keep, as Bernard testifieth: Great is the dignity of souls, that every one of them even from the very time of their birth, should have an angel appointed for to keep them. Secondly, in taking and touching the body of Christ. The angels do but see God,3 as it is written: Their angels see the face of my Father, which is in heaven. But in this is the priest greater than the Angel: for he doth but see God, but the priest handleth him, yea and eateth him, which was never given to any Angel so to do, but it sufficeth ⟨p. 154⟩him to behold God. Thirdly, in consecrating the body of Christ. And in this point the priest doth not only excel the Angels, but also after a certain manner Mary the Mother of Christ: so that the lessest priest on earth is able to do that, which the greatest Angel in Heaven can not do. Therefore saith Bernard: O the dignity of priests worthy to be had in great reverence, in whose hands as in the womb of the Virgin the Son of God is incarnate. Austen also saith: In the consecration of the holy host the whole court of Heaven doth service to the priest, yea, and the Lord of heaven cometh down unto him. Likewise saith Ambrose upon Luke: Doubt thou not, but that Angels are there present when Christ is present on the altar, & when he is offered: so that Christ may well say to every priest, that which is written in Isaiah:4 What could I have done, more for thee, & have not done it? Furthermore we must know, that every man is bound to honour priests, seeing the god himself hath so many & sundry ways garnished & beautified them with such & so ⟨image 184⟩