Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 2.djvu/506

486 Him into our hearts—creeping to the cross, and humbling ourselves on Good Friday before the cross, and there offering unto Christ before the same, and kissing of it in memory of our redemption by Christ made upon the cross—setting up the sepulture of Christ, whose body, after his death, was buried—the hallowing of the font, and other like exorcisms and benedictions by the ministers of Christ's Church, and all other like laudable customs, rites, and ceremonies—these things were not to be contemned and cast away, but to be used and continued as good and laudable, to put men in remembrance of those spiritual things that they did signify, not suffering them to be forgot, or to be put in oblivion, but renewing them in our memories. But none of these ceremonies had power to remit sin, but only to stir and lift up our minds unto God, by whom only our sins were forgiven.'

So, too, of the saints. 'The saints might be honoured because they were with Christ in glory; and though Christ was the only Mediator, yet men might pray to the saints to pray for them and with them unto Almighty God; we might say to them, "All holy angels and saints in heaven, pray for us and with us unto the Father, that for his dear Son Jesus Christ's sake we might have grace of Him and remission of our sins, with an earnest purpose to keep his holy commandments, and never to decline from the same again unto our lives' end."'

Finally, on the great vexed question of purgatory. 'Forasmuch as the due order of charity requireth, and