Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/419

 Heresy and the Friars 383 adore the gallows upon which a father, relative, or friend had been hung. They urge, further, that they who adore the cross ought, for similar reasons, to worship all thorns and lances, because as Christ's body was on the cross during the passion, so was the crown of thorns on his head and the soldier's lance in his side. They proclaim many other scan- dalous things in regard to the sacraments. Moreover they read from the Gospels and the Epistles in the vulgar tongue, applying and expounding them in their favor and against the condition of the Roman Church in a manner which it would take too long to describe in detail; but all that relates to this subject may be read more fully in the books they have written and infected, and may be learned from the confessions of such of their followers as have been converted. IV. THE EFFICACY OF THE SACRAMENTS IN POLLUTED HANDS It was natural that tbe Church should maintain that even though a priest led an evil private life he could still celebrate the sacraments as efficiently as a righteous person, just as now we do not consider that the bad private character of a government official invalidates in any way his official acts. Since the sin of adultery does not take from a king the 152. The royal dignity, if otherwise he is a good prince who right- efficac y f eously executes justice in the earth, so neither can it take ments in the sacerdotal dignity from the priest, if otherwise he per- the hands of forms the sacraments rightly and preaches the word of God. ^F^ 168 * 8 ' Who doubts that a licentious king is more noble than a pmch- chaste knight, although not more holy? . . . No one can dorter's doubt that Nathaniel was more holy than Judas Iscariot ; waidenses; nevertheless Judas was more noble on account of the apos- written tleship of the Lord, to which Judas and not Nathaniel about I444>) was called.