, that, instead of
discerning Jesus Christ in his Word, his Sacraments, and his Spiritual
Graces, the world has, according to its custom, amused itself with his
clothes, shirts, and sheets, leaving thus the principal to follow the
accessory.

It did the same thing with the apostles, martyrs, and other saints, and,
instead of observing their lives in order to imitate their examples, it
directed all its attention to the preservation and admiration of their
bones, shirts, sashes, caps, and other similar trash.

I know well that there is a certain appearance of real devotion and zeal
in the allegation, that the relics of Jesus Christ are preserved on
account of the honour which is rendered to him, and in order the better to
preserve his memory. But it is necessary to consider what St Paul says,
that every service of God invented by man, whatever appearance of wisdom
it may have, is nothing better than vanity and foolishness, if it has no
other foundation than our own devising. Moreover, it is necessary to set
the profit derived from it against the dangers with which it is fraught,
and it will thus be found that, to have relics is a useless and frivolous
thing, which will most probably gradually lead towards idolatry, because
they cannot be handled and looked upon without being honoured, and in
doing this men will very soon render them the honour which is due to Jesus
Christ. In short, the desire for relics is never without superstition, and
what is worse, it is usually the parent of idolatry. Every one admits that
the reason why our Lord concealed the body of Moses, was that the people
of Israel should not be guilty of worshipping it. Now, we may conclude
that the act to be avoided with regard to the body of Moses must be
equally shunned with regard to the bodies of all other saints, and for the
same reason--because it is sin. But let us leave the saints, and consider
what St Paul says of Jesus Christ himself, for he protests that he knew
him not according to the flesh, but only after his resurrection,
signifying by these words, that all that is carnal in Jesus Christ must be
forgotten and put aside, and that we should employ and direct our whole
affections to seek and possess him according to the spirit. Consequently
the pretence that it is a good thing to have some memorials either of
himself or of the saints, to stimulate our piety, is nothing but a cloak
for indulging our foolish cravings which have no reasonable founda