,,primitive ,,christian ,,worship ,,or1 ,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture ,,and ,,the ,,church1 ,,against ,,the ,,invocation ,,of ,,saints ,,and ,,angels1 ,,and ,,the ,,blessed ,,virgin ,,mary4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,by ,j4 ,,endell ,,tyler1 ,b4,d4 ,,rector ,,of ,,st4 ,,giles-,,in-,,the-,,fields1 ,,and ,,canon ,,residentiary ,,of ,,st4 ,,paul',s4 99 99 99 99 99 ,speaking the truth in love4--,,eph4 iv4 #ae ,prove all things2 hold fast that which is good4--#a ,,thess4 v4 #ba4 ,,second ,,edition ,,london ,printed for the ,,society ,,for ,,promoting ,,christian ,,knowledge2 ,,sold ,,at ,,the ,,depository1 ,,great ,,queen ,,street1 ,,lincoln',s ,,inn ,,fields1 ,,no4 #d1 ,,royal ,,exchange2 ,,and ,,by ,,all ,,booksellers4 99 99 99 99 99 #ahdg4 ,,to ,,the ,,one ,,holy1 ,,catholic1 ,,and ,,apostolic ,,church1 ,,as ,a ,,tribute ,,of ,,veneration ,,and ,,love1 ,,this ,,work ,,is ,,dedicated1 ,,by ,,her ,,devoted ,,servant ,,and ,,son4 ,nov4 #be1 #ahdj4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,preface4 ,members of the ,church of ,rome1 and members of the ,church of ,england1 have too long entertained towards each other feelings of hostility4 ,instead of being drawn together as brethren by the cords of that one faith which all ,catholics hold dear1 their sentiments of sympathy and affection have been absorbed by the abhorrence with which each body has regarded the characteristic tenets of its adversary2 whilst the terms heretic on the one side1 and idolater on the opposite1 have rendered any attempt to bring about a free and friendly discussion of each other's views almost hopeless4 ,every ,christian must wish that such animosities1 always ill-becoming the servants and children of the ,god of love1 should cease for ever4 ,truth indeed must never be sacrificed to secure peace2 nor must we be tempted by the seductiveness of a liberality1 falsely so called1 to soften down and make light of those differences which keep the ,churches of ,england and ,rome asunder4 ,but surely the points at issue may be examined without exasperation and rancour2 and the results of inquiries carried on with a singleness of mind1 in search only for the truth1 may be offered on the one side without insult or offence1 and should be received and examined without contempt and scorn on the other4 ,the writer of this address is not one in whom early associations would foster sentiments of evil will against members of the ,church of ,rome2 or encourage any feeling1 incompatible with regard and kindness1 towards the conscientious defenders of her creed4 ,from his boyhood he has lived on terms of friendly intercourse and intimacy with individuals among her laity and of her priesthood4 ,in his theological pursuits1 he has often studied her ritual1 consulted her commentators1 and perused the homilies of her divines2 and1 withal1 he has mourned over her errors and misdoings1 as he would have sighed over the faults of a friend1 who1 with many good qualities still to endear him1 had unhappily swerved from the straight path of rectitude and integrity4 ,in preparing these pages1 the author is not conscious of having been influenced by any motive in the least degree inconsistent with sentiments of charity and respect2 at all events1 he would hope that no single expression may have escaped from his pen tending to hurt unnecessarily the feelings of any sincere ,christian4 ,he has been prompted by a hope that he may perhaps induce some individuals to investigate with candour1 and freedom1 and with a genuine desire of arriving at the truth1 the subjects here discussed2 and that whilst some1 even of those who may have hitherto acquiesced in erroneous doctrines and practices1 may be convinced of their departure from ,christian verity2 others1 if tempted to desert the straight path of primitive worship1 may be somewhat strengthened and armed by the views presented to them here1 against the captivating allurements of religious error4 ,whether the present work may1 by the ,divine favour1 be made in some degree instrumental in forwarding these results1 or in effecting any good1 the author presumes not to anticipate2 but he will hope for the best4 ,he believes that the honest pursuit of the truth1 undertaken with an humble zeal for ,god's glory1 and in dependence on his guidance and light1 is often made successful beyond our own sanguine expectations4 ,with these views the following pages are offered1 as the result of an inquiry into the doctrine and practice of the ,invocation of ,saints and ,angels1 and of the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary4 ,to prevent misconception as to the nature of this work1 the author would observe1 that since the single subject here proposed to be investigated is1 ,the ,invocation of ,saints and ,angels and the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary1 he has scrupulously avoided the discussion of many important and interesting questions usually considered to be connected with it4 ,he has not1 for example1 discussed the practice of praying for the dead2 he has investigated no theory relating to the soul's intermediate state between our dissolution and the final judgment2 he has canvassed no opinion as to any power in the saints and the faithful departed to succour either by their prayers or by any other offices1 those who are still on earth1 and on their way to ,god4 ,from these and such like topics he has abstained1 not because he thinks lightly of their importance1 nor because his own mind is perplexed by doubts concerning them2 but because the introduction of such points would tend to distract the thoughts from the exclusive contemplation of the one distinct question to be investigated4 ,he is also induced to apprise the reader1 that in his work1 as he originally prepared it1 a far wider field1 even on the single subject of the present inquiry1 was contemplated than this volume now embraces4 ,his intention was to present an historical survey of the doctrine and practice of the invocation of ,saints and ,angels1 and the ,virgin1 tracing it from the first intimation of any thing of the kind through its various progressive stages1 till it had reached its widest prevalence in ,christendom4 ,when1 however1 he had arranged and filled up the results of the inquiries which he made into the sentiments and habits of those later writers of the ,church1 whose works he considered it necessary to examine with this specific object in view1 he found that the bulk of the work would be swollen far beyond the limits which he had prescribed to himself2 he felt also that the protracted investigation would materially interfere with the solution of that one independent question which he trusts now is kept unmixed with any other4 ,he has1 consequently1 in the present address limited the range of his researches on the nature of ,primitive ,christian ,worship1 to the writers of the ,church ,catholic who lived before the ,nicene ,council1 or were members of it4 ,in one department1 however1 he has been under the necessity of making1 to a certain extent1 an exception to this rule4 ,having found no allusion to the doctrine of the ,assumption of the ,virgin1 on which much of the religious worship now paid to her seems to be founded1 in any work written before the middle of the fifth century1 he has been induced1 in his examination of the grounds on which that doctrine professes to be built1 to cite authors who flourished subsequently to the ,nicene ,council4 ,the author would also mention1 that although in substance he has prepared this work for the examination of all ,christians equally1 and trusts that it will be found not less interesting or profitable to the members of his own ,church than to any other1 yet he has throughout adopted the form of an address to his ,roman ,catholic countrymen4 ,such a mode of conveying his sentiments he considered to be less controversial1 while the facts and the arguments would remain the same4 ,his object is not to condemn1 but to convince3 not to hold up to obloquy those who are in error1 but1 as far as he may be allowed1 to diminish an evil where it already exists1 and to check its further prevalence4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,contents4 ,,part ,i4--,,chapter ,i4 ,introduction--,the duty of examining the grounds of our ,faith--,principles of conducting that examination--,errors to be avoided--,proposed plan of the present work4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 #a4 ,evidence of ,holy ,scripture1 how to be ascertained #b4 ,direct ,evidence of the ,old ,testament #c4 ,evidence of the ,old ,testament1 continued #d4 ------ ,new ,testament ,,chapter ,,iii4 #a4 ,evidence of ,primitive ,writers #b4 ------ ,apostolic ,fathers ,,chapter ,,iv4 #a4 ,evidence of ,justin ,martyr ,see also ,appendix #b4 ,evidence of ,irenus #c4 ------ ,clement of ,alexandria #d4 ------ ,tertullian ------ ,methodius #e4 ------ ,origen ,see also ,appendix #f4 ,supplementary ,section on ,origen ,see also ,appendix #g4 ,evidence of ,st4 ,cyprian ,see also ,appendix #h4 ,evidence of ,lactantius #i4 ------ ,eusebius ,see also ,appendix #aj4 ,apostolical ,canons and ,constitutions #aa4 ,evidence of ,st4 ,athanasius ,see also ,appendix ,,part ,,ii4--,,chapter ,i4 ,state of ,worship at the time of the ,reformation #a4 ,hours of the ,virgin #b4 ,service of ,thomas ,becket ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,council of ,trent ,see also ,appendix ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,present ,service in the ,church of ,rome ,,part ,,iii4 ,,worship ,,of ,,the ,,virgin ,,mary4 ,,chapter ,i4 #a4 ,introductory ,remarks #b4 ,evidence of ,holy ,scripture ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,evidence of ,primitive ,writers ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,assumption of the ,virgin ,mary ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,councils of ,constantinople1 ,ephesus1 and ,chalcedon ,,chapter ,v4 #a4 ,present authorized ,worship of the ,virgin #b4 ,worship of the ,virgin1 continued #c4 ,bonaventura #d4 ,biel1 ,damianus1 ,bernardinus de ,bustis1 ,bernardinus ,senensis1c4 ,see also ,appendix #e4 ,modern ,works of ,devotion ,see also ,appendix ,,conclusion 99 99 99 99 99 #a ,,part ,i4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,private ,,judgment4 ,fellow ,christians1 ,whilst ,i invite you to accompany me in a free and full investigation of one of those tenets and practices which keep asunder the ,roman and the ,anglican ,church1 ,i am conscious in how thankless an undertaking ,i have engaged1 and how unwelcome to some is the task in which ,i call upon you to join4 ,many among the celebrated doctors of the ,roman ,church have taught their disciples to acquiesce in a view of their religious obligation widely different from the laborious and delicate office of ascertaining for themselves the soundness of the principles in which they have been brought up4 ,it has been with many accredited teachers a favourite maxim1 that individuals will most acceptably fulfil their duty by abstaining #b from active and personal inquiries into the foundations of their faith2 and by giving an implicit credence to whatever the ,roman ,church pronounces to be the truth#a4 ,should this book fall into the hands of any who have adopted that maxim for the rule of their own conduct as believers1 its pages will of course afford them no help2 nor can they take any interest in our pursuit1 or its results4 ,whilst1 however1 ,i am aware1 that until the previous question 7involving the grounds on which the ,church of ,rome builds her claim to be the sole1 exclusive1 and infallible teacher of ,christians in all the doctrines of religion17 shall have been solved1 many members of her body would throw aside1 as preposterous1 any treatise which professed to review the soundness of her instructions2 ,i have been at the same time assured1 that with many of her communion the case is far otherwise2 and that instead of their being averse to all investigation1 a calm1 candid1 and friendly1 but still a free and unreserved inquiry into the disputed articles of their creed1 is an object of their sincere desire4 ,on this ground ,i trust some preliminary reflections upon the duty of proving all things1 with a view of holding the more fast #c and sure what is good1 may be considered as neither superfluous nor out of place4 ,footnote #a3 ,it is sometimes curious to observe the language in which the teachers and doctors themselves profess their entire1 unlimited1 and implicit submission of all their doctrines1 even in the most minute particulars1 to the judgment and will of the authorities of ,rome4 ,instances are of very frequent occurrence4 ,thus ,joannes de ,carthagena1 a very voluminous writer of homilies1 closes different parts of his work in these words1 ,these and all mine ,i willingly subject to the judgment of the ,catholic ,roman ,church1 ready1 if there be written any thing in any way in the very least point contrary to her doctrine1 to correct1 amend1 erase1 and utterly abolish it4 ,hom4 ,cath4 ,de ,sacris ,arcanis ,deipar et ,josephi4 ,paris1 #afae4 page #iba4 ,but just as it would belong to another and a separate province to examine1 at such length as its importance demands1 the claims of the ,church of ,rome to be acknowledged as that universal interpreter of the word and will of ,god1 from whose decisions there is no appeal2 so would it evidently be incompatible with the nature of the present address1 to dwell in any way corresponding with the magnitude and delicacy of the subject1 on the duty1 the responsibility1 and the privilege of private judgment2 on the dangers to which an unchastened exercise of it may expose both an individual1 and the cause of ,christian truth2 or on the rules which sound wisdom and the analogy of faith may prescribe to us in the government of ourselves with respect to it4 ,my remarks1 therefore1 on this subject will be as few and brief as ,i believe to be consistent with an acknowledgment of the principles upon which this work has been conducted4 ,the foundation1 then1 on which1 to be safe and beneficial1 the duty of private judgment1 as we maintain1 must be built1 is very far indeed removed from that common and mischievous notion of it which would encourage us to draw immediate and crude deductions from ,holy ,scripture1 subject only to the control and the colouring of our own minds1 responsible for nothing further than our own consciousness of an honest intention4 ,whilst we claim a release from that degrading yoke which neither are we nor were our fathers able to bear1 we deprecate for ourselves and for our fellow-believers that licentiousness which in doctrine and practice tempts a man to follow merely what is right in his own eyes1 uninfluenced by the example1 the precepts1 #d and the authority of others1 and owning no submissive allegiance to those laws which the wise and good have established for the benefit of the whole body4 ,the freedom which we ask for ourselves1 and desire to see imparted to all1 is a rational liberty1 tending to the good1 not operating to the bane of its possessors2 ministering to the general welfare1 not to disorder and confusion4 ,in the enjoyment of this liberty1 or rather in the discharge of the duties and trusts which this liberty brings with it1 we feel ourselves under an obligation to examine the foundations of our faith1 to the very best of our abilities1 according to our opportunities1 and with the most faithful use of all the means afforded to us by its divine ,author and finisher4 ,among those means1 whilst we regard the ,holy ,scriptures as paramount and supreme1 we appeal to the witness and mind of the ,church as secondary and subsidiary2 a witness not at all competing with ,scripture1 never to be balanced against it2 but competing with our own less able and less pure apprehension of ,scripture4 ,in ascertaining the testimony of this witness1 we examine the sentiments and practice of the ancient teachers of the ,church2 not as infallible guides1 not as uniformly holding all of them the same opinions1 but as most valuable helps in our examination of the evidence of the ,church1 who is1 after all1 our appointed instructor in the truths of the ,gospel1--fallible in her individual members and branches1 yet the sure witness and keeper of ,holy ,writ1 and our safest guide on earth to the mind and will of ,god4 ,when we have once satisfied ourselves that a doctrine is founded on ,scripture1 we receive it with implicit faith1 and maintain it as a sacred deposit1 entrusted to our keeping1 to be delivered down whole and entire without our adding #e thereto what to us may seem needful1 or taking away what we may think superfluous4 ,the state of the ,christian thus employed1 in acting for himself in a work peculiarly his own1 is very far removed from the condition of one who labours in bondage1 without any sense of liberty and responsibility1 unconscious of the dignity of a free and accountable agent1 and surrendering himself wholly to the control of a task-master4 ,equally is it distant from the conduct of one who indignantly casting off all regard for authority1 and all deference to the opinions of others1 boldly and proudly sets up his own will and pleasure as the only standard to which he will submit4 ,for the model which we would adopt1 as members of the ,church1 in our pursuit of ,christian truth1 we find a parallel and analogous case in a well-principled and well-disciplined son1 with his way of life before him1 exercising a large and liberal discretion in the choice of his pursuits2 not fettered by peremptory paternal mandates1 but ever voluntarily referring to those principles of moral obligation and of practical wisdom with which his mind has been imbued2 shaping his course with modest diffidence in himself1 and habitual deference to others older and wiser than himself1 yet acting with the firmness and intrepidity of conscious rectitude of principle1 and integrity of purpose2 and under a constant sense of his responsibility1 as well for his principles as for his conduct4 ,against the cogency of these maxims various objections have been urged from time to time4 ,we have been told1 that the exercise of private judgment in matters of religion1 tends to foster errors of every diversity of character1 and leads to heresy1 scepticism1 and infidelity3 it is represented as rending the ,church of ,christ1 and totally #f subverting ,christian unity1 and snapping asunder at once the bond of peace4 ,so also it has been often maintained1 that the same cause robs individual ,christians of that freedom from all disquietude and perplexity and anxious responsibility1 that peace of mind1 satisfaction1 and content1 which those personally enjoy1 who surrender themselves implicitly to a guide1 whom they believe to be unerring and infallible4 ,for a moment let us pause to ascertain the soundness of such objections4 ,and here anticipating1 for argument's sake1 the worst result1 let us suppose that the exercise of individual inquiry and judgment 7such as the best teachers in the ,anglican ,church are wont to inculcate7 may lead in some cases even to professed infidelity2 is it right and wise and justifiable to be driven by an abuse of ,god's gifts to denounce the legitimate and faithful employment of them8 ,what human faculty--which among the most precious of the ,almighty's blessings is not liable to perversion8 ,what unquestionable moral duty can be found1 which has not been transformed by man's waywardness into an instrument of evil8 ,nay1 what doctrine of our holy faith has not the wickedness or the folly of unworthy men employed as a cloke for unrighteousness1 and a vehicle for blasphemy8 ,but by a consciousness of this liability in all things human1 must we be tempted to suppress the truth8 to disparage those moral duties8 or to discountenance the cultivation of those gifts and faculties8 ,rather would not sound philosophy and ,christian wisdom jointly enforce the necessity of improving the gifts zealously1 of discharging the moral obligation to the full1 and of maintaining the doctrine in all its integrity2 but guarding withal1 to the utmost of our power and watchfulness1 against the abuses to which #g any of these things may be exposed8 ,and we may trust in humble but assured confidence1 that as it is the duty of a rational being1 alive to his own responsibility1 to inquire and judge for himself in things concerning the soul1 with the most faithful exercise of his abilities and means2 so the wise and merciful ,ruler of our destinies will provide us with a sure way of escaping from all evils incident to the discharge of that duty1 if1 in reliance on his blessing1 we honestly seek the truth1 and perseveringly adhere to that way in which ,he will be our guide4 ,it is a question very generally and very reasonably entertained among us1 whether the implicit submission and unreserved surrender of ourselves to any human authority in matters of faith1 7though whilst it lasts1 it of course affords an effectual check to open scepticism17 does not ultimately and in very deed prove a far more prolific source of disguised infidelity4 ,doubts repressed as they arise1 but not solved1 silenced but not satisfied1 gradually accumulate in spite of all external precaution2 and at length 7like streams pent back by some temporary barrier7 break forth at once to an utter discarding of all authority1 and an irrecoverable rejection of the ,christian faith4 ,from unlimited acquiescence in a guide whom our associations have invested with infallibility1 the step is very short1 and frequently taken1 to entire apostasy and the renunciation of all belief4 ,the state of undisturbed tranquillity and repose in one1 who has divested himself of all responsibility in matters of religious belief and practice1 enjoying an entire immunity from the anxious and painful labour of trying for himself the purity and soundness of his faith1 is often painted in strong contrast with the #h lamentable condition of those who are driven about by every wind of novelty4 ,the condition of such a man may doubtless be far more enviable than theirs1 who have no settled fixed principles1 and who wander from creed to creed1 and from sect to sect1 just as their fickle and roving minds suggest some transitory preference4 ,but the believer must not be driven by the evils of one extreme to take refuge in the opposite4 ,the whirlpool may be the more perilous1 but the ,christian mariner must avoid the rock also1 or he will equally make shipwreck of his faith4 ,he must with all his skill1 and all his might1 keep to the middle course1 shunning that presumptuous confidence which scorns all authority1 and boldly constitutes itself sole judge and legislator2 but equally rescuing his mind from the thraldom which prostrates his reason1 and paralyzes all the faculties of his judgment in a matter of indefeasible and awful responsibility4 ,here1 too1 it is questioned1 and not without cause1 whether the satisfaction and comfort so often represented in warm and fascinating colours1 be really a spiritual blessing2 or whether it be not a deception and fallacy1 frequently ending in lamentable perplexity and confusion2 like guarantees in secular concerns1 which as long as they maintain unsuspected credit afford a most pleasing and happy security to any one who depends upon them2 but which1 when adverse fortune puts their responsibility to the test1 may prove utterly worthless1 and be traced only by losses and disappointments4 ,such a blind reliance on authority may doubtless be more easy and more free from care1 than it is to gird up the loins of our mind1 and engage in toilsome spiritual labour4 ,but with a view to our own ultimate safety1 wisdom bids us look to our foundations in time1 and assure ourselves #i of them2 admonishing us that if they are unsound1 the spiritual edifice reared upon them1 however pleasing to the eye1 or abounding in present enjoyments1 will at length fall1 and bury our hopes in its ruin4 ,on these and similar principles1 we maintain that it well becomes ,christians1 when the soundness of their faith1 and the rectitude of their acts of worship1 are called in question1 to prove all things1 and hold fast that which is good4 ,thus1 when the unbeliever charges us with credulity in receiving as a divine revelation what he scornfully rejects1 it behoves us all 7every one to the extent of his means and opportunities7 to possess ourselves of the accumulated evidences of our holy faith1 so that we may be able to give to our own minds1 and to those who ask it of us1 a reason for our hope4 ,the result can assuredly be only the comfort of a still more unshaken conviction4 ,thus1 too1 when the misbeliever charges us with an undue and an unauthorized ascription of the ,divine attributes to our ,redeemer and to our ,sanctifier1 which he would confine to the ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 exclusively of the ,eternal ,son and the ,blessed ,spirit1 it well becomes every ,catholic ,christian to assure himself of the evidence borne by the ,scriptures to the divinity of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost1 together with the inseparable doctrines of redemption by the blood of ,christ1 and sanctification by the ,spirit of grace2 appealing also in this investigation to the tradition of the ,church1 and the testimony of her individual members from the earliest times1 as under ,god his surest and best guides4 ,in both these cases1 ,i can say for myself that ,i have acted upon my own principles1 and to the very utmost of my faculties have scrutinized the foundations #aj of my faith1 and from each of those inquiries and researches ,i have risen with a satisfaction increased far beyond my first anticipations4 ,what ,i had taken up in my youth on authority1 ,i have been long assured of by a moral demonstration1 which nothing can shake2 and ,i cling to it with an affection1 which1 guarded by ,god's good providence1 nothing in this world can dissolve or weaken4 ,it is to engage in a similar investigation that ,i now most earnestly but affectionately invite the members of the ,church of ,rome1 in order to ascertain for themselves the ground of their faith and practice in a matter of vast moment1 and which1 with other points1 involves the principle of separation between the ,roman and ,anglican branches of the universal ,church4 ,were the subjects of minor importance1 or what the ancient writers were wont to call things indifferent1 reason and charity would prescribe that we should bear with each other1 allowing a free and large discretion in any body of ,christians1 and not severing ourselves from them because we deemed our views preferable to theirs4 ,in such a case we might well walk in the house of ,god as friends1 without any interruption of the harmony which should exist between those who worship the true ,god with one heart and one mind1 ever striving to keep the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of peace4 ,but when the points at issue are of so vast moment2 when two persons agreeing in the general principles of belief in the ,gospel and its chief characteristic doctrines1 yet find it impossible to join conscientiously in the same prayer1 or the same acts of faith and worship1 then the necessity is imperative on all who would not be parties to the utter breaking up of ,christian unity1 nor assist in propagating error1 to make sure of their #aa foundations2 and satisfy themselves by an honest inquiry and upright judgment1 that the fault does not rest with them4 ,such appear to me both the doctrine and the practice of the ,,invocation ,,of ,,saints4 ,i have endeavoured to conjecture in what light this doctrine and this practice would have presented itself to my mind1 after a full and free inquiry into the nature and history and circumstances of the case1 had ,i been brought up in communion with the ,church of ,rome2 the question to be solved being1 ,could ,i continue in her communion8 ,and the result of my inquiry is1 that ,i must have either discarded that doctrine at once and for ever1 or have joined with my lips and my knees in a worship which my reason condemned1 and from which my heart shrunk4 ,i must have either left the communion of ,rome1 or have continued to offer prayers to angels1 and the spirits of departed mortals4 ,unless ,i had resolved at once to shut my eyes upon my own personal responsibility1 and to surrender myself1 mind and reason1 soul and body1 to the sovereign and undisputed control of others1 never presuming to inquire into the foundation of what the ,church of ,rome taught2 ,i must have sought some purer portion of the ,catholic ,church1 in which her members addressed the ,one ,supreme ,being exclusively1 without contemplating any other in the act of religious invocation4 ,the distinction invented in comparatively late years1 of the three kinds of worship2 one for ,god1 the second for the ,virgin ,mary1 the third for ,angels and ,saints2--the distinction1 too1 between praying to a saint to give us good things1 and praying to that saint to procure them for us at ,god's hand1 7or1 as the distinction #ab is sometimes made1 into prayer direct1 absolute1 final1 sovereign1 confined to the ,supreme ,being on the one hand2 and prayer oblique1 relative1 transitory1 subordinate1 offered to saints on the other17 would have appeared to me the ingenious and finely-drawn inventions of an advocate1 not such a sound process of ,christian simplicity as the mind could rest upon1 with an undoubting persuasion that all was right4 ,this1 however1 involves the very point at issue2 and ,i now invite you1 my ,christian ,brethren1 to join with me1 step by step1 in a review of those several positions which have left on my mind the indelible conviction that ,i could never have passed my life in communion with that ,church whose articles of fellowship maintained the duty of invoking saints and angels2 and whose public offices were inseparably interwoven with addresses in prayer to other beings1 than the ,holy and undivided ,trinity1 the one only ,god4 ,in pursuing this inquiry ,i have thought the most convenient and satisfactory division of our work would be-- ,first1 to ascertain what inference an unprejudiced study of the revealed will of ,god would lead us to make2 both in the times of the elder covenant1 when holy men of old spake as they were moved by the ,holy ,ghost1 and in that fulness of time when ,god spoke to us by his ,son4 ,secondly1 to examine into the belief and practice of the ,primitive ,church1 beginning with the inspired ,apostles of our ,lord4 ,thirdly1 to compare the results of those inquiries with the tenets and practice of the ,church of ,rome1 with reference to three periods2 the first immediately #ac preceding the ,reformation2 the second comprising the ,reformation1 and the proceedings of the ,council of ,trent2 the third embracing the belief and practice of the present day4 ,in this investigation1 ,i purpose to reserve the worship of the ,virgin ,mary1 called by ,roman ,catholic writers ,hyperdulia1 and for various reasons the most important and interesting portion of the whole inquiry1 for separate and distinct examination2 except only so far as our review of any of the primitive writers may occasion some incidental departure from that rule4 ,may ,god guide us to his truth6 #ad 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,section ,i4--,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,scriptures4 ,here1 ,christian ,brethren1 bear with me if ,i briefly1 but freely1 recall to our thoughts on this first entrance upon a review of the inspired volume1 the principles1 and tone of mind1 the temper and feelings1 in a word1 the frame both of the understanding and of the heart1 with which we should study the sacred pages1 on whatever subject we would try all things1 and hold fast what should prove itself to be most in accordance with the will of ,god4 ,whether we would regard the two great parts into which the ,holy ,scriptures are divided1 as the ,old and the ,new ,covenants2 or whether we would prefer to call them the ,old and the ,new ,testaments1 it matters not4 ,although different ideas and associations are suggested by those different names1 yet1 under either view1 the same honest and good heart1 the same patience of investigation1 the same upright and unprejudiced judgment1 the same exercise of our mental faculties1 and the same enlightened conscience1 must be brought to the investigation4 ,in the one case we must endeavour to ascertain for ourselves the true intent and #ae meaning of the inspired word of ,god1 on the very same principles with those on which we would interpret a covenant between ourselves1 and a person who had made it in full and unreserved reliance on our integrity1 and on our high sense of equity1 justice1 and honour4 ,in the other case we must bring the selfsame principles and feelings to bear on our inquiry1 as we should apply in the interpretation of the last will and testament of a kind father1 who with implicit confidence in our uprightness and straightforward dealing and affectionate anxiety to fulfil his intentions to the very utmost1 had assigned to us the sacred duty of executor or trustee4 ,under the former supposition1 our sincere solicitude would be to ascertain the true intent and meaning of the contracting parties1 not to seek out plausible excuses for departing from it2 not to cull out and exaggerate beyond their simple and natural bearing1 such expressions in the deed of agreement1 as might seem to justify us in adopting the view of the contract most agreeable to our present wishes and most favourable to our own interests4 ,rather it would be our fixed and hearty resolution1 at whatever cost of time1 or labour1 or pecuniary sacrifice1 or personal discomfort1 to apply to the instrument our unbiassed powers of upright and honest interpretation4 ,or adopting the latter analogy1 we should sincerely strive to ascertain the chief and leading objects of our parent's will2 what were his intentions generally2 what ruling principles seemed to pervade his views in framing the testament2 and in all cases of obscurity and doubt1 in every thing approaching an appearance of inconsistency1 we should refer to that paramount principle as our test and guide4 ,we should not for a moment #af suffer ourselves to be tempted to seek for ambiguous expressions1 which ingenuity might interpret so as to countenance our departure from the general drift of our parent's will1 in cases where it was at variance with our own inclination1 and where we could have wished that he had made another disposition of his property1 or given to us a different direction1 or trusted us with larger discretion4 ,moreover1 in any points of difficulty1 we should apply for assistance1 in solving our doubts1 to such persons as were most likely to have the power of judging correctly1 and whose judgment would be least biassed by partiality and prejudice2--not to those whose credit was staked on the maintenance of those principles which best accorded with our own inclination4 ,especially if in either case some strong feeling should have been raised and spread abroad on any point1 we should seek the judgment and counsel of those who had been familiar with the testator's intentions1 or with the views of the covenanting party1 before such points had become matter of discussion4 ,now only let us act upon these principles in the interpretation of ,,that ,,covenant in which the ,almighty has vouchsafed to make ,himself one of the contracting parties1 and man1 the creature of his hand1 is the other3 only let us act on these principles in the interpretation of ,,that ,,testament of which the ,saviour of the world is the ,testator2 and with ,god's blessing on our labours 7a blessing never denied to sincere prayer and faithful exertions7 we need not fear the result4 ,any other principle of interpretation will only confirm us in our prejudices1 and involve us more inextricably in error4 #ag 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ii4--,,direct ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4 ,the first step in our proposed inquiry is to ascertain what evidence on the doctrine and practice of the ,invocation of ,saints and ,angels can be fairly drawn from the revealed word of ,god in the ,old ,testament4 ,now1 let us suppose that a person of a cultivated and enlightened mind1 and of a sound and clear judgment1 but hitherto a stranger to revelation1 were required to study the ancient ,scriptures with the single view of ascertaining what one object more than any other1 subordinate to the great end of preparing the world for the advent of ,messiah1 seemed to be proposed by the wisdom of the ,almighty in imparting to mankind that revelation2 could he fix upon any other point as the one paramount and pervading principle with so much reason1 as upon this1 the preservation in the world of a practical belief in the perfect unity of ,god1 and the fencing of his worship against the admixture of any other1 of whatever character or form2 ,the announcement that the ,creator and ,governor of the universe is the sole ,giver of every temporal and spiritual blessing2 the one only ,being to whom1 his rational creatures on earth should pay any religious service whatever2 the one only ,being to whom mortals must seek by prayer and invocation for the supply of any of their wants8 ,through the entire volume the inquirer would find that the unity of ,god is announced in every variety of expression2 and that the exclusive worship #ah of ,,him alone is insisted upon and guarded with the utmost jealousy by assurances1 by threats1 and by promises1 as the ,god who heareth prayer1 alone to be called upon1 alone to be invoked1 alone to be adored4 ,so to speak1 he would find that recourse was had to every expedient for the express purpose of protecting ,god's people from the fatal error of embracing in their worship any other being or name whatever2 not reserving supreme adoration for the ,supreme ,being1 and admitting a sort of secondary honour and inferior mode of invocation to his exalted saints and servants2 but banishing at once and for ever the most distant approximation towards religious honour--the veriest shadow of spiritual invocation to any other ,being than ,jehovah ,,himself ,,alone4 ,in process of time1 the heathen began to deify those mortals who had conferred signal benefits on the human race1 or had distinguished themselves by their power and skill above their fellow-countrymen4 ,male and female divinities were multiplying on every side4 ,together with ,jupiter1 the fabled father of gods and men1 worshipped under different names among the various tribes1 were associated those gods many and lords many1 which ignorance and superstition1 or policy and craft1 had invented2 and which shared some a greater1 some a less portion of popular veneration and religious worship4 ,to the people of ,god1 the worshippers of ,jehovah1 it was again and again most solemnly and awfully denounced1 that no such thing should be4 ,thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and ,him only shalt thou serve1 is a mandate repeated in every variety of language1 and under every diversity of circumstance4 ,in some passages1 indeed1 together with the most clear assurances1 #ai that mankind need apply to no other dispenser of good1 and can want no other as ,saviour1 advocate1 or intercessor1 that same truth is announced with such superabundance of repetition1 that in the productions of any human writer the style would be chargeable with tautology4 ,in the ,bible1 this repetition only the more forces upon the mind1 and fixes there1 that same principle as an eternal verity never to be questioned2 never to be dispensed with2 never to be diluted or qualified2 never to be invaded by any service1 worship1 prayer1 invocation1 or adoration of any other being whatever4 ,let us take1 for example1 the forty-fifth chapter of ,isaiah1 in which the principle is most strongly and clearly illustrated4 ,i am the ,,lord1 and there is none else3 there is no ,god beside me2 ,i girded thee1 though thou hast not known me2 that they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west1 that there is none beside me3 ,i am the ,lord1 and there is none else4 ,they shall be ashamed1 and also confounded1 all of them2 they shall go to confusion together1 that are makers of idols4 ,but ,israel shall be saved in the ,lord with an everlasting salvation3 ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end3 ,i am the ,lord1 and there is none else4 ,i said not unto the seed of ,jacob1 ,seek ye me in vain4 ,they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image1 and pray unto a god that cannot save4 ,there is no god beside me2 a just ,god and a ,saviour2 there is none beside me4 ,look unto me1 and be ye saved1 all the ends of the earth2 for ,i am ,god1 and there is none else4 ,but it is needless to multiply these passages2 and members of the ,church of ,rome will say1 that they themselves acknowledge1 as fully as members of the ,anglican ,church can do1 that there is but one supreme #bj ,god and ,lord1 to whom alone they intend to offer the worship due to ,god2 and that the appeals which they offer by way of invocation to saints and angels for their services and intercession1 do not militate against this principle4 ,but here let us ask ourselves these few questions3-- ,first1 if it had been intended by the ,almighty to forbid any religious application1 such as is now professedly the invocation of saints and angels1 to any other being than ,himself alone1 what words could have been employed more stringently prohibitory8 ,secondly1 had such an address to saints and angels1 as the ,church of ,rome now confessedly makes1 been contemplated by our heavenly ,lawgiver as an exception to the general rule1 would not some saving clause1 some expressions indicative of such an intended exception1 have been discovered in some page or other of his revealed will8 ,thirdly1 if such an appeal to the angels of heaven1 or to the spirits of the just in heaven1 had been sanctioned under the elder covenant1 would not some example1 some solitary instance1 have been recorded of a faithful servant of ,jehovah offering such a prayer with the ,divine approbation8 ,lastly1 when such strong and repeated declarations and injunctions interspersed through the entire volume of the ,old ,testament1 unequivocally show the will of ,god to be1 that no other object of religious worship should have place in the heart or on the tongue of his own true sons and daughters1 can it become a faithful child of our ,heavenly ,father to be seeking for excuses and palliations1 and to invent distinctions between one kind of worship and another8 ,god ,himself includes all in one universal prohibitory #ba mandate1 ,thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and ,him only shalt thou serve4 ,so far from according with those general rules for the interpretation of the revealed will of ,god1 which we have already stated1 and from which1 in the abstract1 probably few would dissent1 an anxiety to force the word of ,god into at least an acquiescence in the invocation of saints and angels1 indicates a disposition to comply with his injunctions1 wherever they seem to clash with our own view1 only so far as we cannot avoid compliance2 and to seek how we may with any show of propriety evade the spirit of those commands4 ,instead of that full1 free1 and unstinted submission of our own inclinations and propensities to the ,almighty's will wherever we can discover it1 which those entertain whom the ,lord seeketh to worship ,him2 to look for exceptions and to act upon them1 bears upon it the stamp of a reserved and grudging service4 ,after so many positive warnings1 enactments1 and denunciations1 against seeking by prayer the aid of any other being whatever1 surely a positive command would have been absolutely necessary to justify a mortal man in preferring any prayer to any being1 saint1 angel1 or archangel1 save only the ,supreme ,deity alone4 ,instead of any such command or even permission appearing1 not one single word occurs1 from the first syllable in the ,book of ,genesis to the last of the prophet ,malachi1 which could even by implication be brought to countenance the practice of approaching any created being in prayer4 ,but let us now look to the examples on this subject afforded in the ,old ,testament4 ,many1 very many a prayer is recorded of holy men1 of inspired men1 of men1 to whose holiness and integrity and acceptance #bb the ,holy ,spirit bears witness2 yet among these prayers there is not found one invocation addressed to saint or angel4 ,i will not here anticipate the observations which it will be necessary to make in consequence of the extraordinary argument which has been devised1 to account for the absence of invocations to saints before the resurrection of ,christ1 namely1 that before that event the saints were not admitted into heaven4 ,although pressed forward with such unhesitating confidence in its validity1 that argument is so singular in its nature1 and so important in its consequences1 and withal so utterly groundless1 as to call for a separate examination1 on which we will shortly enter3 meanwhile1 we are now inquiring into the matter of fact4 ,the whole ,book of ,psalms is a manual of devotion1 consisting alternately1 or rather intermixedly1 of prayers and praises1 composed some by ,moses1 some by other inspired ,israelites of less note1 but the greater part by ,david himself2 and what is the force and tendency of their example8 ,words are spoken in collaudation of ,moses and ,aaron among the saints of the ,lord1 and of ,samuel among such as called upon his name2 and mention is made with becoming reverence of the holy angels2 but not one word ever falls from the pen of the ,psalmist1 addressed1 by way of invocation1 to saint or angel4 ,in the ,roman ,ritual supplication is made to ,abel and ,abraham as well as to ,michael and all angels4 ,if it is now lawful1 if it is now the duty of the worshippers of the true ,god to seek his aid through the mediation of those holy men1 can we avoid asking1 ,why the inspired patriarchs did not appeal to ,abel for his mediation8 ,why did not the inspired ,david invoke the father of the faithful to intercede for him with ,god8 ,if the departed spirits #bc of faithful men may be safely addressed in prayer2 if those who in their lifetime have1 to their fellow-mortals1 7who can judge only from outward actions1 and cannot penetrate the heart17 appeared accepted servants and honoured saints of our ,creator1 may now be invoked by an act of religious supplication either to grant us aid1 or to intercede with ,god for aid in our behalf1 why did not men whom ,god declared to be partakers of his ,spirit of truth1 offer the same supplication to those departed spirits1 who1 before and after their decease1 had this testimony from ,omniscience itself1 that they pleased ,god8 ,why is no intimation given in the later books of the ,old ,testament that such supplications were offered to ,moses1 or ,aaron1 or ,abraham1 or ,noah8 ,when wrath was gone out from the presence of the ,lord1 and the plague was begun among the people1 ,aaron took a censer in his hand1 and stood between the living and the dead1 and the plague was stayed4 ,if the soul of ,aaron was therefore to be regarded as a spirit influential with ,god1 one whose intercession could avail1 one who ought to be approached in prayer1 were it only for his intercession1 could a stronger motive be conceived for suggesting that invocation1 than ,david must have felt1 when the pestilence was destroying its thousands around him1 and all his glory and strength1 and his very life too1 were threatened by its resistless ravages8 ,but no6 neither ,abel1 nor ,abraham1 nor ,moses1 nor ,aaron1 must be petitioned to intercede with ,god1 and to pray that ,god would stay his hand4 ,to ,god and ,god alone1 for his own mercy's sake1 must his afflicted servant turn in supplication4 ,we find among his prayers no ,holy ,abraham1 pray for us1--,holy ,abel1 pray for us4 ,his own ,psalm of thanksgiving describes full well the object and the nature of his #bd prayer3 ,when the waves of death compassed me1 the floods of ungodly men made me afraid1 the sorrows of hell compassed me about1 the snares of death prevented me2 in my distress ,i called upon the ,lord1 and cried to my ,god2 and ,he did hear my voice out of his temple1 and my cry did enter into his ears4 #b ,sam4 7#b ,kings ,vulg47 xxii4 #e4 or ,ps4 xviii4 ,abraham1 when on earth1 prayed ,god to spare the offending-people2 but he invoked neither ,noah1 nor ,abel1 nor any of the faithful departed1 to join their intercessions with his own4 ,isaac prayed to ,god for his son ,jacob1 but he did not ask the mediation of his father ,abraham in his behalf2 and when ,jacob in his turn supplicated an especial blessing upon his grandsons ,ephraim and ,manasseh1 though he called with gratitude to his mind1 and expressed with his tongue1 the devotedness both of ,abraham and of ,isaac to the ,almighty1 yet we do not find him appealing to them1 or invoking their intercession with ,jehovah4 ,when the conscience-struck ,israelites felt that they had exposed themselves to the wrath of ,almighty ,god1 whose sovereign power1 put forth at the prayer of ,samuel1 they then witnessed1 distrusting the efficacy of their own supplication1 and confiding in the intercession of that man of ,god1 they implored him to intercede for them2 and ,samuel emphatically responded to their appeal1 with an assurance of his earnestly undertaking to plead their cause with heaven3 ,and all the people said unto ,samuel1 ,pray for thy servants unto the ,lord thy ,god1 that we die not4 ,and ,samuel said unto the people1 ,fear not4444 ,the ,lord will not forsake his people1 for his great name's #be sake4444 ,moreover1 ,god forbid that ,i should sin against the ,lord in ceasing to pray for you4 #a ,sam4 7#a ,kings ,vulg47 xii4 #ai4 ,samuel is one whom the ,holy ,spirit numbers among those who called upon ,god's name2 and when ,samuel died1 all ,israel gathered together to lament and to bury him1--but we read of no petition being offered to him to carry on the same intercessory office1 when he was once removed from them4 ,as long as he was entabernacled in the flesh and sojourned on earth with his brethren1 they besought him to pray for them1 to intercede with their ,god and his ,god for blessings at his hand1 7just as among ourselves one ,christian asks another to pray for him17 but when ,samuel's body had been buried in peace1 and his soul had returned to ,god who gave it1 the ,bible never records any further application to him2 we no where read1 ,holy ,samuel1 pray for us4 ,again1 what announcement could ,god ,himself make more expressive of his acceptance of the persons of any1 than ,he actually and repeatedly made to ,moses with regard to ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob8 ,how could ,he more clearly intimate that if the spirits of the faithful departed could exercise intercessory or mediatorial influence with ,him1 those three holy patriarchs would possess such power above all others who had ever lived on the earth8 ,i am the ,god of your fathers2 the ,god of ,abraham1 the ,god of ,isaac1 the ,god of ,jacob3 and ,moses hid his face1 for he was afraid to look upon ,god4 ,thus shalt thou say unto the children of ,israel1 ,the ,god of thy fathers1 the ,god of ,abraham1 the ,god of ,isaac1 the ,god of ,jacob1 hath sent me unto you4 ,this is my name for ever1 and this is my memorial throughout all generations4 ,exod4 iii4 #f4 #ae4 ,did ,moses in his alarm and dread1 when he was afraid #bf to look upon ,god1 call upon those holy and accepted servants to aid him in his perplexity1 and intercede for him and his people with the awful ,eternal ,being on whose majesty he dared not to look8 ,did he teach his people to invoke ,abraham8 ,that was far from him4 ,when ,moses1 that saint of the ,lord1 was himself called hence and was buried1 7though no mortal man was allowed to know the place of his sepulture17 did the surviving faithful pray to him for his help and intercession with ,god8 ,he had wrought so many and great miracles as never had been before witnessed on earth2 whilst in the tabernacle of the flesh he had talked with ,god as a man talketh with his friend2 and yet the sacred page records no invocation ever breathed to his departed spirit4 ,the same is the result of our inquiry throughout4 ,i will specify only one more example--,hezekiah1 who trusted in the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 and clave to the ,lord1 and departed not from following him1 but kept his commandments1 when he and his people were in great peril1 addressed his prayer only to ,god4 ,he offered no invocation to holy ,david to intercede with the ,almighty for his own ,jerusalem2 he made his supplication directly and exclusively to ,jehovah2 and1 yet1 the very answer made to that prayer would surely have seemed to justify ,hezekiah in seeking holy ,david's mediation1 if prayer for the intercession of any departed mortal could ever have been sanctioned by ,heaven3 ,thus saith the ,lord1 the ,god of ,david thy father2 ,i have heard thy prayer1 ,i have seen thy tears2 ,i will heal thee4 ,i will save this city for mine own sake1 and for my servant ,david's sake4 #b ,kings 7,vulg4 #d ,kings7 xix4 #ae4 and xx4 #f4 ,of what saint in the calendar was ever such a thing as this spoken8 #bg ,i have already intimated my intention of referring1 with somewhat more than a cursory remark1 to the position assumed1 and the argument built upon it by writers in communion with ,rome1 for the purpose of nullifying or escaping from the evidence borne by the examples of the ,old ,testament against the invocation of saints4 ,the writers to whom ,i refer1 with ,bellarmin at their head1 openly confess that the pages of the ,old ,testament afford no instance of invocation being offered to the spirits of departed mortals2 and the reason which they allege is this1 ,no one can be invoked who is not admitted to the presence of ,god in heaven2 but before ,christ went down to hell#b and released the spirits from prison1 no mortal was admitted into heaven2 consequently1 before the resurrection of ,christ the spirit of no mortal was invoked4 ,the following are the words of ,bellarmin at the close of the preface to his ,church ,triumphant3--,the spirits of the patriarchs and prophets before the coming of ,christ were for this reason not worshipped and invoked1 as we now worship and invoke the ,apostles and martyrs1 because they were yet shut up and detained in prisons below#c4 ,again1 he says1 ,because before #bh the coming of ,christ the saints who died did not enter heaven and saw not ,god1 nor could ordinarily know the prayers of suppliants1 therefore1 it was not customary in the ,old ,testament to say1 ',holy ,abraham1 pray for me1' c42 but the men of that time prayed to ,god only1 and alleged the merits of the saints who had already departed1 that their own prayers might be aided by them4 ,footnote #b3 ,the word ,hell1 signifying1 in ,saxon1 a hidden-place1 altogether corresponding in its etymology with hades1 is now used for the place of torment called by the ,hebrews ,gehennah2 and we must perhaps regret that the same ,saxon word is employed to signify also the unseen region of departed spirits4 ,this circumstance has been the source of much difficulty and confusion4 ,footnote #c3 ,nam idcirco ante ,christi adventum non ita colebantur neque invocabantur spiritus patriarcharum atque prophetarum1 quemadmodum nunc ,apostolos et martyres colimus et invocamus1 quod illi adhuc infernis carceribus clausi detinebantur4--,ingolstadii1 #afja4 vol4 ii4 p4 #hcc4 ,the last edition1 enlarged and corrected by the ,author4 ,now let us inquire into this statement thus broadly made1 and ascertain for ourselves whether the point assumed and the argument built upon it can stand the test of examination4 ,is this argument such as ought to satisfy the mind of one1 who would humbly but honestly follow the apostolic rule1 ,prove all things3 hold fast that which is good8 ,is this such an exposition as that the reason of a cultivated mind1 and the faith of an enlightened ,christian1 can acquiesce in it8 ,let it be examined neither with prejudice in its favour1 nor with any undue suspicion of its soundness1 but with candour and impartiality throughout4 ,it is not necessary to dwell at any length on the inconsistencies and perplexities involved in this assumed abstract theory with regard to the souls of the faithful who died before the resurrection of ,christ1 and which require to be cleared away before its advocates can reasonably expect to obtain for it any general acceptance among thinking men4 ,i do not wish to contravene the theory1 far less to substitute another in its stead4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am fully content1 in company with some of the most valuable among ,roman ,catholic writers1 following the example of ,augustin ,aug4 ,de ,pecc4 ,orig4 c4 #bc4 tom4 vii4 p4 #cch4--,quoted by ,de ,sacy4 #b ,kings 7,vulg4 #d ,kings7 ii41 to leave the subject where ,scripture has left it4 ,to the arguments #bi alleged1 ,i would wish to reply independently of any opinion1 as a matter of ,christian belief1 with regard to the place1 the condition1 and the circumstances of the souls of the patriarchs and prophets before our blessed ,lord's resurrection4 ,it may1 nevertheless1 materially facilitate an inquiry into the soundness of the reasons alleged for the total absence of invocation to those souls1 if we briefly contemplate some of the difficulties which surround this novel theory4 ,at all events1 such a process will incline us to abstain from bold assumptions on a point upon which the ,almighty has been pleased to throw so little light in his ,holy ,word1 or at least avoid all severity of condemnation towards those who may differ from our views4 ,it is very easy to assert1 that all the souls of the faithful departed were kept in the prison-house of ,hades1 and to allege in its behalf an obscure passage of ,st4 ,peter1 to which many of the most learned and unprejudiced ,christian teachers assign a meaning totally unconnected with the subject of departed spirits4 ,but surely the case of ,enoch's translation from this life to heaven1 making1 as it has been beautifully expressed1 but one step from earth to glory1 which ,st4 ,paul1 in his ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 cites with a most important comment of his own1 requires to be well and patiently weighed4 ,he was taken from the earth by an immediate act of ,providence1 that he should not see death2 and before his translation he had this testimony1 that he pleased ,god4 ,surely the case of ,elijah too1 when we would ascertain the soundness of this theory1 must not be dismissed summarily from our thoughts1 of whom the book of eternal truth declares1 that ,jehovah took him #cj in a whirlwind into heaven2 his ascent being made visible to mortal eyes1 as was afterwards the ascension of the blessed ,saviour ,himself4 ,indeed the accounts of ,elijah's translation1 and of our ,lord's ascension1 whether in the ,septuagint and ,greek ,testament1 the ,vulgate1 or our own authorized version1 present a similarity of expression very striking and remarkable4 ,on this subject we are strongly reminded1 first1 with what care and candour and patience the language of ,holy ,scripture should be weighed1 which so positively declares1 that ,moses and ,elijah1 both in glory1 appeared visibly to the ,apostles at the transfiguration of our blessed ,saviour1 and conversed with ,him on the holy mount3 ,and behold there talked with ,him two men1 who were ,moses and ,elias1 who appeared in glory 7in majesty1 as the ,vulgate renders the word71 and spake of his decease which ,he should accomplish at ,jerusalem2 ,luke ix4 #cj4--;and1 secondly1 how unwise it is to dogmatize on such subjects beyond the plain declaration of the sacred narrative4 ,moreover1 how very unsatisfactory is the theory which we are examining as to the state of the souls of the faithful who died before ,christ1 even the words of ,jerome himself prove1 who1 commenting on the transfiguration of the blessed ,jesus1 is unhappily led to represent the ,almighty as having summoned ,elijah to descend from heaven1 and ,moses to ascend from ,hades1 to meet our ,lord in the ,mount#d4 ,footnote #d3 ,elia inde descendente quo conscenderat1 et ,moyse ab inferis resurgente4--,hieron4 in ,matt4 xvii4 #a4 ,paris1 #agjf4 vol4 iv4 p4 #gg4 ,strange and startling as is this sentiment of ,jerome1 it is1 you will observe1 utterly irreconcileable with the theory1 that the reason why the ancient ,church did not #ca pray to the saints departed1 was because they were not yet in heaven4 ,on this point1 among ,roman ,catholic writers themselves1 there prevails a very great diversity of opinion1 arising probably from the difficulty which they have experienced in their endeavours to make all facts and doctrines square with the present tenets and practices of their ,church#e4 ,thus1 whilst some maintain that ,elijah was translated to the terrestrial paradise in which ,adam had been placed1 not enjoying the immediate divine presence2 others cite the passage as justifying the belief that the saints departed pray for us#f4 ,but not only are different authors at variance with each other on very many points here2 the same writer in his zeal is betrayed into great and palpable inconsistency4 ,bellarmin1 anxious to enlist the account given by our ,lord of the rich man and ,lazarus1 to countenance the invocation of saints by the example of the rich man appealing to ,abraham1 maintains that section of ,holy ,writ to be not a parable1 but a true history of a matter of fact which took place between two real individuals2 and of his assertion he adduces this proof1 that the ,church worships that ,lazarus as verily a holy man#g2 and yet he denies that any of the holy men were in heaven before the #cb death of ,christ4 ,either ,abraham was in heaven in the presence of ,god1 or not2 if he was in heaven1 why did not his descendants invoke his aid8 if he was not in heaven1 the whole argument drawn from the rich man's supplication falls to the ground4 ,footnote #e3 ,see ,de ,sacy on #d ,kings i4 #a4 ,see also ,estius1 #afbi4 p4 #afh4 ,pope ,gregory's ,exposition2 ,rome1 #aeec4 p4 #ii4 ,stephen's ,bible in loc4 #aeeg1 c4 ,the ,vulgate ed4 ,antwerp1 #afbd1 cites a note1 ,thy prayers are stronger than chariots and horsemen4 ,footnote #f3 ,gaspar ,sanctius1 ,antwerp1 #afbd4 p4 #acfj1 considers the fable not improbable1 that ,elijah1 living in the terrestrial paradise1 wrote there the letters to ,joram 7mentioned #b ,chron4 xxi4 #ab71 and sent them by angels4 ,footnote #g3 ,colit ,lazarum ilium ut vere sanctum hominem4--,bellarm4 ,de ,ecd4 ,triumph1 p4 #hfd4 ,another very extraordinary inconsistency1 arising from the same solicitude1 forces itself upon our notice1 when the same author urges a passage in ,leviticus ,levit4 xix4 #ac4 to prove1 that the saints are now admitted at once into the enjoyment of the presence of ,god in heaven1 without waiting for the day of final judgment4 ,bell vol4 ii4 p4 #hfe4 ,god 7such are his words7 commanded it to be written1 ',the work of the hireling shall not remain with thee till the morning2' therefore1 unless ,god would appear inconsistent with ,himself1 ,he will not keep back the reward of his saints to the end of the world4 ,how strange1 that in the same treatise ,ibid4 p4 #hcc4 this author should expressly maintain1 that the reward of ,abel and ,abraham1 and the holy prophet and lawgiver ,moses1 the very man who was commanded to write that law in ,leviticus1 was kept back1--the last for a longer period than a thousand years2 the first well nigh four thousand years4 ,i mention these particulars merely to point out how very unsatisfactory and unsound is the attempted solution of the difficulties which surround on every side the theory of those who maintain1 that the reason why we have no instance of the righteous departed being invoked in the times of the elder covenant is1 that they were not as yet admitted into heaven1 but were kept in prison till the resurrection of ,christ4 ,i would also observe1 even at the risk #cc of repetition1 that ,i am here not maintaining any opinion as to the appointed abiding-place1 the condition1 and circumstances1 the powers of consciousness1 volition or enjoyment of the departed1 before ,christ's resurrection2 on the contrary1 ,i am rather urging the consideration of the great and serious caution requisite before we espouse1 as an article of faith1 any opinion which rests on so questionable a foundation1 and which involves such interminable difficulties4 ,but while we need not dwell longer on this immediate point1 yet there are two considerations which appear to be altogether decisive as to the evidence borne against the ,invocation of ,saints by the writers of the ,old ,testament4 ,if the spirits of the saints departed were not invoked before the resurrection of ,christ1 purely because they were not then admitted into heaven2 the first consideration ,i would suggest is this3 ,why did the faithful and inspired servants of ,jehovah not invoke the angels and archangels who were in heaven8 ,the second is this3 ,why did not the inspired ,apostles and faithful disciples of our ,lord invoke the spirits of those saints after his resurrection2 that is 7according to the theory before us71 after those saints had been taken by ,christ with him into his ,father's presence8 ,i wish not to anticipate here our inquiry into the testimony borne by the writers of the ,new ,testament as to the doctrine and practice of the ,roman ,church in this particular2 and ,i will only add1 that whatever be the cause of the absence from the ,old ,testament of all worship and invocation of ,abel and ,abraham1 whom the ,roman ,church now invokes1 the alleged reason that it was because they were not in heaven till after ,christ's resurrection1 is utterly set aside by the conduct of the ,apostles and disciples of our ,lord recorded in the ,new #cd ,testament1 for more than half a century after his return to his ,father's glory4 ,this1 however1 seems to be the proper place for entertaining the first consideration1 ,why did not the holy men of old1 under the elder covenant1 invoke angels and archangels1 as the ,roman ,church now does8 ,writers1 indeed1 who have declared themselves the defenders of that doctrine and practice1 refer us to passages1 which they cite1 as affording examples of the worship of angels2 and we will not knowingly allow any one of those sections of ,holy ,writ to remain unexamined4 ,we must first endeavour to ascertain the testimony borne by the books of the ,old ,testament3 and that presents to us such a body of evidence as greatly increases our surprise at the perseverance with which the invocation of angels has been maintained by any community of men acknowledging the inspiration of the sacred volume4 ,the inspired writers of the ,old ,testament1 and those to whom through their mouth and pen the ,divine word was addressed1 were as fully as ourselves acquainted with the existence of angelic beings4 ,they were aware of the station of those angels in the court of heaven1 of their power as ,god's ambassadors1 and agents for good4 ,either their own eyes had seen the mighty operations of ,god by the hands of those celestial messengers2 or their ears had heard their fathers tell what ,,he had done by their instrumentality in times of old4 ,why then did not ,god's chosen people offer to the angels the same worship and invocation which the ,church of ,rome now addresses to them in common with the patriarchs and prophets of the elder covenant1 and with saints and martyrs under the new8 ,in the condition of the holy angels no one ever suggests that #ce any change1 affecting the argument1 has taken place since the time when man was created and made4 ,and as the angels of heaven were in themselves the same1 equally in the presence of ,god1 and equally able to succour men through that long space of four thousand years1 which intervened between ,adam's creation and the birth of ,,him who was ,son of ,adam and ,son of ,god1 so was man in the same dependent state1 needing the guidance and protection of a power above his own4 ,nay1 surely1 if there was in man any difference affecting the argument1 it would all add weight to the reason against the invocation of angels by ,christians4 ,the ,israelites of old had no clear knowledge1 as we have1 of one great ,mediator1 who is ever making intercession for us2 and yet they sought not the mediation and intercession and good offices of those superhuman beings1 of whose existence and power1 and employment in works of blessing to man1 they had no doubt#h4 ,this is a point of great importance to our argument1 and ,i will refer to a few passages in support of it4 ,footnote #h3 ,a small section indeed of their countrymen in our ,saviour's time denied the reality of a future state1 and the existence of angels and spirits2 but the sect was of then recent origin1 and the overwhelming majority believed as their fathers had believed4 ,when ,david1 who had1 as we know #a ,chron4 xxi4 #af41 visible demonstration afforded him of the existence and ministration of the angels1 called upon them to unite with his own soul1 and with all the works of creation through all places of ,god's dominion1 in praising their merciful1 glorious1 and powerful ,creator1 he thus conveys to us the exalted ideas with which he had been filled of their nature1 their excellence1 and their ministration4 ,the ,lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens1 and his #cf kingdom ruleth over all3 ,bless the ,lord1 ye his angels that excel in strength1 that do his commandments1 hearkening unto the voice of his word4 ,bless ye the ,lord1 all ye his hosts1 ye ministers of his that do his pleasure4 ,ps4 ciii4 #ai-ba4 ,david knew moreover that one of the offices1 in the execution of which the angels do ,god's pleasure1 is that of succouring and defending us on earth4 ,for example1 in one of the psalms used by the ,church of ,rome at complin1 and with the rest repeated in the ,church of ,england1 and prophetic of the ,redeemer1 ,david1 to whom this psalm is probably to be ascribed1 declares of the man who had made the ,most ,high his refuge and strength1 ,there shall no evil befall thee1 neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling2 for he shall give his angels charge over thee1 to keep thee in all thy ways2 they shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone4 ,ps4 xci4 #aj-ab4 ,and again1 with exquisitely beautiful imagery1 he represents those same blessed servants of heaven as an army1 as a host of ,god's spiritual soldiers keeping watch and ward over the poorest of the children of men1 who would take refuge in his mercy3 ,the angel of the ,lord encampeth round about them that fear him1 and delivereth them#i4 ,and yet ,david1 the prophet of the ,lord1 never addresses to these beings1 high and glorious though they are1 one single invocation3 he neither asks them to assist him1 nor to pray for him1 nor to pray with him in his behalf4 ,footnote #i3 ,ps4 xxxiv4 #g4 7,vulg4 xxxiii4 #h47 ,immittet angelus ,domini in circuitu timentium eum1 et eripiet eos4 ,in the ,vulgate the beauty of the figure is lost2 which1 however1 ,roman ,catholic writers restore in their comments4 ,basil makes a beautiful use of the metaphor4 ,see ,de ,sacy in loc4 #cg ,isaiah was admitted by the ,holy ,spirit to witness in the fulness of its glory the court and the throne of heaven2 and he heard the voices of the seraphim proclaiming their ,maker's praise2 he experienced also personally the effect of their ministration1 when one of them said1 ,lo1 this hath touched thy lips1 and thine iniquity is taken away1 and thy sin purged4 ,isaiah vi4 #g4 ,still1 though ,isaiah must have regarded this angel as his benefactor under ,god1 yet neither to this seraph1 nor to any of the host of heaven1 does he offer one prayer for their good offices1 even by their intercession4 ,he ever ascribes all to ,god alone2 and never joins any other name with ,his either in supplication or in praise4 ,let us also take the case of ,daniel4 ,he acknowledges not only that the ,lord's omnipotent hand had rescued him from the jaws of the lions1 but that the deliverance was brought about by the ministration of an angel4 ,my ,god hath sent his angel1 and hath shut the lions' mouths1 that they have not hurt me4 ,dan4 vi4 #bb4 ,yet when we look through ,daniel's prayers1 we find no allusion to any of the highest angels4 ,he had seen ,gabriel before his prayer2 he had heard the voice and felt the hand of that heavenly messenger who was commissioned to reveal to him what should be done in the latter end2 and immediately after the offering of his prayer1 the same ,gabriel announces himself as one who was come forth to give the prophet skill and understanding4 ,and yet neither towards ,gabriel1 nor any other of the angels of ,god1 does one word of invocation fall from the lips of ,daniel4 ,in the supplications of that holy1 intrepid1 and blessed servant and child of ,god1 we search in vain for any thing approaching in spirit to the invocation1 ,sancte ,gabriel1 ora pro nobis4 #ch 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,iii4--,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament 7continued7 ,we must now briefly refer to those passages1 by which ,roman ,catholic writers have endeavoured to maintain that religious adoration was paid to angels by the faithful sons of ,god4 ,the two principal instances cited are1 first1 the case of ,abraham bowing down before three men1 whom he recognizes as messengers from heaven2 and1 secondly1 the words of ,jacob when he gave his benediction to his grandsons4 ,with regard to the first instance1 how very far the prostration of ,abraham was in itself from implying an act of religious worship1 being as it was the ordinary mode of paying respect to a fellow mortal1 is evident from the very words of ,scripture4 ,the ,hebrew word1 which we translate by bowed himself1 and which the ,vulgate unhappily renders adoravit 7adored71 is1 letter for letter1 the same in the case of ,abraham saluting his three heavenly visitors1 and in the case of ,jacob saluting his brother ,esau4 ,the parallelism of the two passages is very striking4 ,,gen4 xviii4 #b4 ,,gen4 xxxiii4 #a and #c4 ,and he ,abraham lift up his ,and ,jacob lifted up his eyes1 eyes1 and lo6 three men stood and looked1 and behold6 ,esau by him2 and when he saw them1 came 444 ,and he passed over1 and he ran to meet them from the bowed himself to the ground seven tent door2 and bowed himself times until he came near to his toward the ground4 brother4 #ci ,by rendering the ,hebrew word#aj1 which means to bow or bend oneself1 by the word adoravit1 which is literally to pray to1 the ,latin ,vulgate has laid the foundation for much unsound and misleading criticism4 ,but suppose the word had meant1 what it does not mean1 an act of solemn religious worship2 and let it be granted 7as ,i am not only ready to grant1 but prepared to maintain7 that ,abraham paid religious adoration at that time1 what inference can fairly and honestly be drawn from that circumstance in favour of the invocation of angels8 ,the ancient writers of the ,christian ,church1 and those whom the ,church of ,rome habitually holds in great respect1 are full and clear in maintaining that the person whom ,abraham then addressed1 was no created being1 neither angel nor seraph2 but the ,angel of the ,covenant2 the ,word1 the eternal ,son of ,god1 ,himself ,god#aa4 ,before the visible and miraculous presence of the ,god of heaven1 who for his own glory and in carrying on the work of man's salvation1 sometimes deigned so to reveal ,himself1 the patriarchs of old bowed themselves to the earth4 ,can this1 with any shadow of #dj reason1 be employed to sanction the invocation of ,michael and all the myriads of angels who fill the court of heaven8 ,footnote #aj3 ,not only is the ,hebrew word precisely the same1 letter for letter1 and point for point1 ,hebrew3 shahah1 but the ,septuagint in each case employs the same1 ,greek3 prosekunaesen2 and the ,vulgate in each case renders it by the same word1 adoravit4 ,the ,roman ,catholic commentator ,de ,sacy renders it in each case1 se prosternavit1 which corresponds exactly with our ,english version4 ,the ,douay ,bible in each case renders it adored4 ,footnote #aa3 ,many early ,christian writers may be cited to the same purpose3 it is enough1 however1 to refer to ,justin ,martyr and to ,athanasius2 who are very full and elaborate in maintaining1 that the angel here mentioned was no created being1 but was the ,angel of the ,covenant1 ,god1 in the fulness of time manifested in the flesh4 ,the passage from ,athanasius will be quoted at some length1 when we come to examine that father's testimony4 ,for ,justin ,martyr1 see ,dial4 cum ,tryph4 ch4 #ef1 c4 p4 #aej1 c4 7,paris1 #agdb47 ,the only other instance to which it will be necessary to call your attention1 occurs in the forty-eighth chapter of ,genesis4 ,the passage1 however1 is so palpably and on the very face of it inapplicable1 that its examination needs not detain us long4 ,and he ,jacob blessed ,joseph1 and said1 ,god1 before whom my fathers ,abraham and ,isaac did walk1 the ,god who fed me all my life long unto this day1 the ,,angel which redeemed me from all evil1 bless the lads4 ,gen4 xlviii4 #ae4 ,here the patriarch speaks of ,god as the ,angel1 and the ,angel as ,god3 being the ,angel or ,messenger of the ,covenant--,god manifested to man4 ,he speaks not of ,michael or ,gabriel1 or archangel or seraph1 or any created being2 but of the ,lord ,himself1 who appeared to him1 agreeably to the revelation of ,god ,himself recorded in a previous chapter1 and thus communicated by the patriarch to ,rachel and ,leah3 ,and the ,,angel of ,god spake unto me in a dream1 saying1 ,jacob2 and ,i said1 ,here am ,i4 ,and he said 444 ,i am the ,,god of ,bethel1 where thou anointedst the pillar1 and vowedst a vow unto me4 ,gen4 xxxi4 #aa4 ,the ,angel whose blessing he desired for the lads was the ,god#ab1 to whom he had vowed a vow in ,bethel1 the ,lord ,himself4 ,footnote #ab3 ,it may not be superfluous to add1 that this is the interpretation of the passage adopted by primitive writers1 ,among others see ,eusebius ,demonstr4 ,evan4 lib4 v4 ch4 #aj3 who declares that the ,angel spoken of by ,jacob was ,god the ,son4 ,independently1 however1 of this conclusive consideration1 if the latter member of this sentence had merely expressed a wish1 that an angel might be employed as #da an instrument of good in behalf of ,ephraim and ,manasseh1 ,i could readily offer such a prayer for a blessing on my own children4 ,my prayer would be addressed to the angel neither immediately nor transitively1 but exclusively to ,god alone1 supplicating ,him graciously to employ the service of those ministering spirits for our good4 ,such a prayer every ,catholic in communion with the ,church of ,england is taught and directed to offer4 ,such a prayer is primitive and scriptural2 and such is offered in the ,church on the anniversary of ,saint ,michael and all angels3 ,o ,everlasting ,god1 who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order1 mercifully grant that as ,thy holy angels alway do ,thee service in heaven1 so by ,thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth2 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,such is the prayer of the ,church ,catholic1 whether of the ,roman or the ,anglican branch2 it is in spirit and in truth a ,christian prayer1 fit for faithful mortals to offer on earth to the ,lord of men and of angels in heaven4 ,would that the ,church of ,rome1 preserving1 as she has preserved1 this prayer in all its original purity1 had never been successfully tempted to mingle in the same service1 supplications1 which rob the one only ,god of his exclusive honour and glory1 as the ,god who heareth prayer2 and to rob ,christ of his exclusive honour and glory1 as our only ,mediator and ,advocate6 ,here1 though unwilling1 by departing from the order of our argument1 to anticipate our examination in its place of the ,roman ritual1 ,i cannot refrain from contrasting this prayer1 the genuine offspring of ,christian faith1 with some forms of invocation contained in #db the ,roman service on ,st4 ,michael's day1 in which ,i could not join1 and the adoption of which ,i deeply lament4 ,the first is appointed to be said at the part of the ,mass called ,the ,secret3 ,we offer to ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 the sacrifice of praise1 humbly beseeching ,thee1 ,that by the intervention of the prayers of the angels for us1 ,thou1 being appeased1 mayest both accept the same1 and make them profitable for our salvation4 ,through 444 ,the second is offered at the ,post ,communion3 ,supported propped up1 suffulti by the intercession of ,thy blessed archangel ,michael1 we humbly beseech ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 that what with honour we follow#ac1 we may obtain also in mind4 ,through 444 ,footnote #ac3 ,i do not understand the exact meaning of these words1 which however contain no portion of that sentiment1 the presence of which in this prayer ,i deplore4 ,the original is this3 ,beati archangeli tui ,michaelis intercessione suffulti1 supplices te ,domine deprecamur1 ut quod honore prosequimur1 contingamus et in mente4 ,per 444 ,probably the general sense is1 that what we reverently seek we may actually realize4 ,still1 though here the ,christian seems to be taught to rest on a broken reed1 to support and prop himself up by a staff which must bend and break2 yet ,i acknowledge that so much violence is not done to my ,christian principles1 nor do my feelings1 as a believer in ,god and his ever-blessed ,son1 meet with so severe a shock by either of these prayers1 as by the invocation addressed to the archangel himself in the ,gradual on that same day3 ,o holy ,michael1 ,o archangel1 defend us in battle1 that we perish not in the dreadful judgment4 ,christians of the ,church of ,rome6 for one moment meditate1 ,i beseech you1 on this prayer4 ,it is not addressed to ,god2 in it there is no mention made of #dc ,christ3 having called upon the angels1 and on your own soul in the words of the psalmist1 to praise the ,lord1 you address your supplication to ,michael himself2 not even invoking him for his intercession1 but imploring of him his protection4 ,if it be said1 that his intercession is all that is meant1 with most unfeigned sincerity ,i request you to judge for yourselves1 whether any prayer from poor sinful man1 putting his whole trust in the ,lord and imploring his help1 could be addressed to our ,god and ,saviour more immediate and direct than this8 ,in the place of the name of his servant ,michael1 substitute the highest and the holiest name ever uttered in heaven or on earth1 and can words form a prayer more direct to ,god8 ,o ,lord ,god ,almighty1 ,o ,lord ,jesus our only ,saviour1 defend us in battle1 that we perish not in the dreadful judgment4 ,hallelujah6--,can this be right8 ,were the archangel allowed now1 by his ,lord and ours1 to make his voice heard upon earth by ,christians offering to him this prayer1 would he utter any other words1 than the angel1 his fellow-servant and ours1 once addressed to ,saint ,john1 when he fell down to worship before him1 ,see thou do it not2 for ,i am thy fellow-servant3 worship ,god4 ,such then is the evidence borne by the writers of the ,old ,testament4 ,no prayer to angel or beatified spirit occurs from its first to its last page4 ,the theory which would have us account for the absence of all prayer to the saints before the advent of ,messiah1 by reason of their not having been then admitted into their everlasting habitations1 and the immediate presence of ,god proves to be utterly groundless4 ,the holy angels were confessedly in heaven ,matt4 xviii4 #aj41 beholding the face of #dd ,god2 but no invocation was ever addressed to them1 by patriarch1 or prophet1 or people1 as mediators or intercessors4 ,god1 and ,god alone1 the one eternal ,jehovah1 is proclaimed by ,himself throughout1 and is acknowledged throughout to be the only object of any kind of spiritual worship2 the only ,being who heareth prayer1 to whom alone therefore all mankind should approach with the words and with the spirit of invocation4 ,it has been argued by some writers1 that in the times of the ,old ,testament1 prayer was not offered to ,god through a mediator at all2 and that as the one ,mediator was not then revealed in his person and his offices1 the subsidiary intercessors could not of course act2 and therefore could not be invoked by man4 ,the answer to this remark is conclusive4 ,that ,mediator has been revealed in his person and his offices2 and has been expressly declared to be the one ,mediator between ,god and man3 we therefore seek ,god's covenanted mercies through ,him4 ,those subsidiary intercessors have never been revealed2 and therefore we do not seek their aid4 ,to assure us that it was the mind and will of our ,heavenly ,father that we should approach ,him by secondary and subsidiary mediators and intercessors1 the same clear and unquestionable revelation of their persons and their offices as mediators would have been required1 as ,he has vouchsafed of the mediation of his ,son4 ,had ,god willed that the faithful should approach ,him by the intercessions of the saints and martyrs1 is it conceivable that ,he would not have given some intimation of his will in this respect8 ,if believers in the ,gospel were to have unnumbered mediators of intercession in heaven1 as well as the one ,mediator of redemption1 would not the #de ,gospel itself have announced it8 ,could such declarations as these have remained on record without any qualifying or limiting expression1 ,he#ad is able also to save to the uttermost them who come unto ,god by ,him1 seeing ,he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,there is one ,god1 and one ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus4 ,but this involves the question to which the next section must be devoted4 ,all ,i would anticipate here is1 that if the irresistible argument from the ,old ,testament is sought to be evaded on the ground that no mediator at all was then revealed1 we must require a distinct revelation of the existence and offices of other mediators and intercessors1 before we can be justified in applying to them for their intervention in our behalf4 ,and the question now is4 ,are they so revealed8 ,footnote #ad3 ,heb4 vii4 #be4 ,i ,tim4 ii4 #e4--,unde et salvare in perpetuum potest accedentes per semetipsum ad ,deum1 semper vivens ad interpellandum pro nobis4--,vulg4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,iv4--,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament4 ,though such is the evidence borne against the invocation of saints and angels by the ,old ,testament1 yet it has been said that we are living neither under the patriarchal1 nor the ,mosaic dispensation1 but under the ,gospel1 to whom therefore as ,christians neither the precepts nor the examples of those ancient times are applicable3 #df the injunctions consequently given of old to preserve the chosen people from idolatry and paganism1 cannot be held to prohibit ,christians from seeking the aid of those departed saints who are now reigning with ,christ4 ,but1 surely1 those precepts1 and denunciations1 and commands1 are still most strictly applicable1 as conveying to us a knowledge of the will of our ,heavenly ,father1 that his sons and daughters on earth should associate no name1 however exalted among the principalities and powers in heavenly places1 with his own holy name in prayer1 and spiritual invocation4 ,i am throughout this address supposing myself to be speaking to those whose heart's desire is to fulfil the will of ,god in all things2 not those who are contented to depart from the spirit of that will1 whenever they can devise plausible arguments to countenance such departure4 ,the cases both of precept and example through the ,old ,testament affording so stringent and so universal a rule against the association of any name with the name of the ,almighty in our prayers2 before we can conclude that ,christians have a liberty denied to believers under the former dispensations1 we must surely produce a declaration to that effect1 clear1 unequivocal1 and precisely in point4 ,nothing short of an enactment1 rescinding in terms the former prohibitory law1 and positively sanctioning supplications and prayers to saints and angels1 seems capable of satisfying any ,christian bent on discovering the will of ,god1 and resolved to worship ,him agreeably to the spirit of that will as it has been revealed4 ,but let us read the ,new ,testament from its first to its very last word1 and we shall find1 that the doctrines1 the precepts1 and the examples1 the pervading reigning spirit of the entire #dg volume1 combine in addressing us with voices loud and clear4 ,pray to ,god ,almighty solely in the name and for the sake of his dear and only ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 and offer no prayer1 no supplication1 no intreaty1 to any other being or power1 saint or angel1 though it be only to ask for their intercession with the great ,god4 ,but this involves the whole question1 and must be sifted thoroughly4 ,let us then review the entire volume with close and minute scrutiny1 and ask ourselves1 ,is there a single passage1 interpreted to the best of our skill1 with the aid of those on whose integrity and learning we can rely1 which directly and unequivocally sanctions any religious invocation of whatever kind to any being except ,god alone8 ,and then let us calmly and deliberately resolve this point3 ,in a matter of so vital importance1 of so immense interest1 and of so sacred a character as the worship of the ,supreme ,being1 who declares ,himself to be a jealous ,god1 ought we to suffer any refinements of casuistry to entice us from the broad1 clear light of revelation8 ,if it were ,god's good pleasure to make exceptions to his rule--a rule so repeatedly1 and so positively enacted and enforced--surely the analogy of his gracious dealings with mankind would have taught us to look for an announcement of the exceptions in terms equally forcible and explicit4 ,instead1 however1 of this1 we find no single act1 no single word1 nothing which even by implication can be forced to sanction any prayer or religious invocation1 of whatever kind1 to any other being save to ,god alone4 ,let us first look to the language and conduct of our blessed ,lord1 whose prayers to his ,father are upon record for our instruction and comfort1 and whose precepts and example form the best rule of a ,christian's #dh life4 ,so far from repealing the ancient law1 he repeats in his own person its solemn announcement1 ,hear1 ,o ,israel1 the ,lord our ,god is one ,lord4 ,mark xii4 #bi4 ,while the same heavenly ,teacher commands us with authority1 ,when thou prayest1 pray to thy ,father which is in secret1 and thy ,father1 who seeth in secret1 shall reward thee openly4 ,matt4 vi4 #f4 ,no allusion in any word of ,his do we find to any prayer from a mortal on this earth to an angel or saint in heaven4 ,and yet occasions were multiplied on which a reference to the invocation of angels would have been natural1 and apparently called for4 ,he again and again places beyond all doubt the reality of their good services towards mankind1 but it is as ,god's servants1 and at ,god's bidding2 not in answer to any supplication or invoking of ours4 ,the parable of the rich man and ,lazarus has been cited ,bellarmin1 p4 #hie4 to bear contrary evidence2 but1 in the first place1 that parable does not offer a case in point2 in the second place1 were it in point1 it might be fairly and strongly urged against the practice of invoking the spirit of any departed mortal1 even the father of the faithful himself4 ,for what are the circumstances of the parabolic representation8 ,a lost spirit in the regions of torment prays to ,abraham in the regions of the blessed1 and the spirit of the departed patriarch professes himself to have no power to grant the request of the departed and condemned spirit4 ,luke xvi4 #ai4 ,the practice indeed of our ,roman ,catholic brethren would have been exemplified1 had our blessed ,lord represented the rich man's five brethren still on earth as pious men1 and as supplicating ,abraham in heaven to pray for themselves1 or to mitigate #di their lost brother's punishment and his woes4 ,but then it would have afforded ,christians little encouragement to follow their example1 when they found ,abraham declaring himself unable to aid them in attaining the object of their prayer1 or in any way to assist them at all4 ,without one single exception1 we find our blessed ,lord's example1 precepts1 and doctrines to be decidedly against the practice of invoking saint or angel2 whilst not one solitary act or word of ,his can be cited to countenance or palliate it4 ,next it follows1 that we inquire into the conduct and the writings of ,christ's ,apostles and immediate followers1 to whom ,he graciously promised that the ,holy ,spirit should guide them into all truth4 ,in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 various instances of prayer attract our notice1 but not one ejaculation is found there to any other being save ,god alone4 ,neither angel nor saint is invoked4 ,the ,apostles prayed for guidance in the government of ,christ's infant ,church1 but it was1 ,thou1 ,lord1 who knowest the hearts of all men4 ,acts i4 #bd4 ,they prayed for their own acceptance1 but it was ,lord ,jesus1 receive my spirit4 ,acts vii4 #ei4 ,they prayed for each other1 as in behalf of ,st4 ,peter when in prison2 but we are expressly told1 that the prayer which was made without ceasing by the ,church for him was addressed to ,,god4 ,acts xii4 #e4 ,to deliver ,st4 ,peter from his chains1 an angel was sent on an especial mission from heaven2 but though ,st4 ,peter saw him1 and heard his voice1 and followed him1 and knew of a surety that the ,almighty had employed the ministration of an angel to liberate him from his bonds1 yet we do not hear thereafter of #ej ,peter having himself prayed to an angel to secure his good offices1 and his intercession with ,god1 nor has he once indirectly intimated to others that such supplications would be of avail1 or were even allowable4 ,he exhorts his fellow-,christians to pray1 ,watch unto prayer1 but it is because ,the eyes of the ,,lord are over the righteous1 and his ears are open unto their prayers4 #a ,pet4 iv4 #g2 iii4 #ab4 ,he ,himself prays for them1 but it is1 that the ,god of all grace might make them perfect1 stablish1 strengthen1 settle them4 ,he suggests no invocation of saint or angel to intercede with ,god for them4 ,he bids them cast all their care upon ,,god1 on the assurance that ,god ,himself careth for them4 ,precisely the same result issues from a contemplation of the acts and exhortation of ,st4 ,paul4 ,he too experienced in his own person the comfort of an angel's ministration1 bidding him cast off all fear when in the extreme of imminent peril4 ,acts xxvii4 #bc1 #bd4 ,many a prayer of that holy ,apostle is upon record2 many an earnest exhortation to prayer was made by him2 we find many a declaration relative to his own habits of prayer4 ,but with him ,god and ,god alone is the object of prayer throughout3 by him no saint or angel or archangel is alluded to1 as one whose intercession might be sought by himself or by us4 ,he could speak in glowing language of patriarchs1 prophets1 and angels1 but unto none of these would he turn4 ,be careful for nothing1 but in every thing by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4 ,phil4 iv4 #f4 ,and let any one receive1 in the plain meaning of his words1 his prohibitory monition ,col4 ii4 #ah41 and say1 could ,st4 ,paul have #ea uttered these words without any qualifying expression1 had he worshipped angels by invocation1 even asking them only to aid him by their prayers4 ,let no one beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels2 not holding the ,head1 which ,head he had in the first chapter 7v4 #ah7 declared to be the dear ,son of ,god1 in whom we have redemption through his blood1 even the forgiveness of our sins4 ,the author of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews could bring before our minds with most fervent uplifting eloquence ,abel and ,abraham and ,david1--that goodly fellowship of the prophets1 that holy army of martyrs2 he could speak as though he were an eye-witness of what he describes1 of the general assembly and church of the first-born1 whose names are written in heaven4 ,and1 surely1 had the thought of seeking the support or intercession of saint or angel by invocation addressed to them1 been familiar to him2 had the thought even occurred to his mind with approbation1 he would not have allowed such an occasion to pass by1 without even alluding to any benefit that might arise from our invoking such friends of ,god4 ,so far from that allusion1 the utmost which he says at the close of his eulogy is this1 ,these all1 having obtained a good report through faith1 received not the promise2 ,god having provided some better thing for us1 that they without us should not be made perfect4 ,heb4 xi4 #ci1 #dj4 ,the beloved ,apostle who could look forward in full assurance of faith to the day of ,christ's second coming1 and knew that when ,he shall appear we shall be like him1 for we shall see him as he is1 has left us this record of his sentiments concerning prayer3 #eb ,this is the confidence that we have in ,,him1 that1 if we ask any thing according to his will1 he heareth us2 and if we know that he hear us1 whatsoever we ask1 we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him4 #a ,john v4 #ad1 #ae4 ,st4 ,john alludes to no intercessor1 to no advocate1 save only that ,advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous1 who is also the propitiation for our sins4 #a ,john ii4 #a4 ,st4 ,john never suggests to us the advocacy or intercession of saint or angel2 with him ,god in ,christ is all in all4 ,i will only refer to one more example1 that of ,st4 ,james3 the instance is equally to the point1 and is strongly illustrative of the truth4 ,this ,apostle is anxious to impress on his fellow-,christians a due sense of the efficacy of our intercessions3 ,the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much4 ,james v4 #af4 ,he instances its power with ,god by the case of ,elijah1 a man so holy1 that the ,almighty suffered him not to pass through the regions of death and the grave1 but translated him at once from this life to glory3 ,elias was a man subject to like passions as we are1 and he prayed that it might not rain2 and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months2 and he prayed again1 and the heaven gave rain1 and the earth brought forth her fruit4 ,james v4 #ag1 #ah4 ,and yet ,st4 ,james is very far from suggesting the lawfulness or efficacy of any invocation to the hallowed spirit of this man1 to whose prayer the elements and natural powers of the sky and the earth had been made obedient4 ,he exhorts all men to pray1 but it must be to ,god alone1 and directly to ,god1 without applying for the intervention of any mediators or intercessors from among angels or men4 #ec ,if any of you lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 who giveth liberally to all men1 and upbraideth not2 and it shall be given him2 but let him ask in faith1 nothing wavering4 ,james i4 #e1 #f4 ,like the writer to the ,hebrews1 he would have us come ourselves boldly and directly to the throne of grace1 that we may obtain mercy1 and find grace to help in time of need4 ,surely1 these ,apostles1 chosen vessels for conveying the truths of salvation throughout the world1 knew well how the ,almighty could best be approached by his children on earth2 and had the invocation of saint or angel found a place in their creed1 they would not have kept so important a truth from us4 ,before leaving this part of our inquiry1 ,i would propose the patient and unprejudiced weighing of the import of two passages in the ,new ,testament1 often quoted on this subject2 one in the ,acts of the ,apostles1 the other in the ,apocalypse4 ,the holy ,apostles ,barnabas and ,paul1 by the performance of a striking miracle1 had excited feelings of religious reverence and devotion among the people of ,lystra1 who prepared to offer sacrifice to them as two of their fabled deities4 ,acts xiv4 #aa-ah4 ,the indignant zeal with which these two holy men rushed forward to prevent such an act of impiety1 however admirable and affecting1 does not constitute the chief point for which reference is here made to this incident4 ,they were men1 still clothed with the tabernacle of the flesh1 and the weakness of human nature2 and the priests and people were ready to offer to them the wonted victims1 the abomination of the heathen4 ,now1 ,i am fully aware of the wide difference1 in many #ed particulars1 between such an act and the act of a ,christian praying to their spirits after their departure hence1 and supplicating them to intercede with the true ,god in his behalf3 and on this difference ,roman ,catholic writers have maintained the total inapplicability of this incident to the present state of things4 ,but1 surely1 if any such prayer to departed saints had been familiar to their minds1 instead of repelling the religious address of the inhabitants of ,lystra at once and for ever1 they would have altered the tone of their remonstrance1 and not have suppressed the truth when a good opportunity offered itself for imparting it4 ,and1 supposing that it was part of their commission to announce and explain the invocation of saints at all1 on what occasion could an explanation of the just and proper invocation of angels and saints departed have been more appropriate in the ,apostles1 than when they were denouncing the unjustifiable offering of sacrifice to themselves while living8 ,but whether the more appropriate place for such an announcement were at ,lystra1 in ,corinth1 at ,athens1 or at ,rome1 it matters not2 nor whether it would have been more advantageously communicated by their oral teaching1 or in their epistles4 ,doubtless1 had the ,apostles1 by their example or teaching1 sanctioned the invocation of saints and angels1 in the course of fifty years or more after our blessed ,saviour's resurrection1 it would infallibly have appeared in some page or other of the ,new ,testament4 ,instead of this the whole tenor of the ,holy ,volume breathes in perfect accordance with the spirit of the apostolical remonstrance at ,lystra1 to the fullest and utmost extent of its meaning1 ,we preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities to serve the living ,god4 #ee ,of the other instance1 it well becomes every ,catholic ,christian to ponder on the weight and cogency4 ,john1 the beloved disciple of our ,lord1 when admitted to view with his own eyes and hear with his mortal ears the things of heaven1 rapt in amazement and awe1 fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed him these things4 ,rev4 xxii4 #h1 #i4 ,if the adoration of angels were ever justifiable1 surely it was then2 and what a testimony to the end of the world would have been put upon record1 had the adoration of an angel by the blessed ,john at such a moment1 when he had the mysteries and the glories of heaven before him1 been received and sanctioned4 ,but what is the fact8 ,then saith he to me1 ,see thou do it not4 ,i am thy fellow-servant1 and of thy brethren the prophets1 and of them who keep the sayings of this book4 ,worship ,god4 ,i cannot understand the criticism by which the conclusiveness of this direct renouncement of all religious adoration and worship is attempted to be set aside4 ,to my mind these words1 uttered without any qualification at such a time1 by such a being1 to such a man1 are conclusive beyond gainsaying4 ,the interpretation put upon this transaction1 and the words in which it is recorded1 and the inference drawn from them by a series of the best divines1 with ,st4 ,athanasius at their head1 presents so entirely the plain common-sense view of the case to our minds1 that all the subtilty of casuists1 and all the ingenuity of modern refinements1 will never be able to substitute any other in its stead4 ,the angel 7such are the words of that ancient defender of the true faith71 in the ,apocalypse1 forbids ,john1 when desiring to worship him1 saying1 ',see thou #ef do it not2 ,i am thy fellow-servant1 and of thy brethren the prophets1 and of them who keep the sayings of this book4 ,worship ,god4' ,therefore1 to be the object of worship belongs to ,god only2 and this even the angels themselves know3 though they surpass others in glory1 but they are all creatures1 and are not among objects of worship1 but among those who worship the sovereign ,lord4 ,athan4 ,orat4 #b4 ,cont4 ,ar4 vol4 i4 p4 #dia4 ,to say that ,st4 ,john was too fully illuminated by the ,holy ,spirit to do1 especially a second time1 what was wrong2 and thence to infer that what he did was right1 is as untenable as to maintain1 that ,st4 ,peter could not1 especially thrice1 have done wrong in denying our ,lord4 ,he did wrong1 or the angel would not have chided and warned him4 ,and to say that the angel here forbade ,john personally to worship him1 because he was a fellow-servant and one of the prophets2 and thus that the prohibition only tended to exalt the prophetic character1 not to condemn the worship of angels1 is proved to be also a groundless assumption1 from the angel's own words1 who reckons himself as a fellow-servant with not ,st4 ,john only1 but all those also who keep the words of the book of ,god1--thus equally forbidding every faithful ,christian to worship their fellow-servants the angels4 ,they are almost the last words in the volume of inspired truth1 and to me1 together with those last words1 they seem with the voice of a great multitude1 and of many waters1 and of mighty thunderings1 from the very throne itself of the ,most ,high1 to proclaim to every inhabiter of the earth1 ,fall down before no created being2 adore no created being2 pray to1 invoke1 call upon no created being1 whether saint or angel3 worship #eg and adore ,god only2 pray to ,god only4 ,trust to his mercy2 seek no other mediator or intercessor than his own only and blessed ,son4 ,he who testifieth these things saith1 ,surely1 ,i come quickly4 ,amen4 ,even so1 come1 ,lord ,jesus4 ,the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be with you all4 ,amen4 ,rev4 xxii4 #bj1 #ba4 ,thus the ,new ,testament1 so far from mitigating the stringency of the former law1 so far from countenancing any departure from the obligation of that code which limits religious worship to ,god alone1 so far from suggesting to us invocation to sainted men1 and to angels as intercessors with the eternal ,giver of all good1 reiterates the injunction1 and declares1 that invocation in order to be ,christian must be addressed to ,god alone2 and that there is one and only one ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,jesus ,christ1 who is at the right hand of his ,father1 a merciful ,high ,priest sympathizing with us in our infirmities1 ever making intercession for us1 able to save to the uttermost those who come unto ,god through ,him4 ,the present seems to be a convenient place for observing1 that however the distinction is strongly insisted upon1 or rather implicitly acquiesced in by many1 which would admit of a worship or service called dulia 7the ,greek ,greek3 douleia7 to saints and angels1 and would limit the worship or service called latria 7,greek3 latreia7 to the supreme ,god only1 yet that such distinction has no ground whatever to rest upon beyond the will and the imagination of those who draw it4 ,the two words are used in the ,septuagint translation of the ,old ,testament1 and in the original ,greek of the #eh ,new promiscuously1 without any such distinction whatever4 ,the word which this distinction would limit to the supreme worship of the ,most ,high1 is used to express the bodily service paid by the vanquished to their conquerors1 as well as the religious service paid by idolaters to their fabled deities1 and by the true worshippers to the ,most ,high4 ,the word which this distinction would reserve for the secondary worship paid to saints and angels1 is employed to express not only the service paid by man to man1 but also the service and worship paid to ,god alone1 even when mentioned in contradistinction to other worship4 ,it will be necessary to establish this by one or two instances2 and first as to latria4 ,one single chapter in the ,book of ,deuteronomy supplies us with instances of the word used in the three senses1 of service to men1 service to idols1 and service to ,god1 xxviii4 #cf4 #dg1 #dh3 ,because thou servedst ,greek3 elatreusas not the ,lord thy ,god with joyfulness and gladness of heart2 ,therefore thou shalt serve ,greek3 latreuseis thine enemies which the ,lord shall send against thee in hunger and in thirst and nakedness4 ,the ,lord shall bring thee unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known2 and there shalt thou serve ,greek3 latreuseis other gods1 wood and stone4 ,next as to the word dulia4 ,the ,first ,book of ,samuel 7called also the ,first of ,kings7 alone supplies us with instances of this word being used in each of the same three senses of service from man to man1 from man to idols1 and from man to his ,maker and ,god4 #a ,sam4 xvii4 #i4 ,ye shall be our servants and serve ,greek3 douleusite haemin us4 xii4 #bd4 ,only fear the ,lord1 and serve ,greek3 douleusate him in truth with all your heart4 xxvi4 #ai4 #ei ,they have driven me out from the inheritance of the ,lord1 saying1 ,go1 serve#ae other gods4 ,footnote #ae3 ,greek3 douleue4 ,in this case also the ,vulgate translates all the three passages alike by the same verb1 servire4 ,it is worthy of remark1 that the same word dulia#af is employed1 when the ,lord by his prophet speaks of the most solemn acts of religious worship2 not in general obedience only1 but in the offerings and oblations of their holy things4 ,ezek4 xx4 #dj4 ,in mine holy mountain1 in the mountain of the height of ,israel1 saith the ,lord ,god1 there shall all the house of ,israel1 all of them in the land1 serve me ,greek3 douleusousi4 ,vulg3 serviet42 there will ,i accept them1 and there will ,i require your offerings1 and the first-fruits of your oblations1 with all your holy things4 ,st4 ,matthew also uses the same word when he records the saying of our blessed ,lord1 ,ye cannot serve ,god and mammon4 ,matt4 vi4 #bd42 ,greek3 douleuein4 ,vulg3 servire4 ,footnote #af3 ,it is also remarkable that in all these cases1 whether the ,septuagint employs the word dulia1 or latria1 the word in the ,hebrew is precisely the same1 ,hebrew3 avad4 ,that in the fifth century the words were synonymous is evident from ,theodoret4 ,i4 #cai4 ,see ,edit4 ,halle4--,index4 ,i will only detain you by one more example1 drawn from two passages1 which seems the more striking because each of the two words dulia and latria is used to imply the true worship of ,god in a person1 who was changed from a state of alienation to a state of holiness4 ,the first is in ,st4 ,paul's #ast ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 i4 #i4 ,how ye turned to ,god from idols1 to serve ,greek3 douleuein theo zonti the living and true ,god4 ,the second is in ,heb4 ix4 #ad4 ,how much more shall the blood of ,christ1 who through the eternal ,spirit offered himself #fj without spot to ,god1 purge your conscience from dead works to serve#ag the living ,god4 ,footnote #ag3 ,greek3 latoeuein theo zonti4 ,in each of these two cases the ,vulgate uses servire4 ,the word hyperdulia1 now used to signify the worship proper to the ,virgin ,mary1 as being a worship of a more exalted character than the worship offered to saints and angels1 archangels1 and cherubim and seraphim1 will not require a similar examination4 ,the word was invented in later times1 and has been used chiefly to signify the worship of the ,virgin1 and is of course found neither in the ,scriptures1 nor in any ancient classical or ecclesiastical author4 #fa 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,section ,i4--,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,primitive ,,writers4 ,before we enter upon the next branch of our proposed inquiry1 allow me to premise that ,i am induced to examine into the evidence of ,christian antiquity not by any misgiving1 lest the testimony of ,scripture might appear defective or doubtful2 far less by any unworthy notion that ,god's word needs the additional support of the suffrages of man#ah4 ,on the contrary1 the voice of ,god in his revealed word is clear1 certain1 and indisputable1 commanding the invocation of ,himself alone in acts of religious worship1 and condemning any such departure from that singleness of adoration1 as they are #fb seduced into1 who invoke saints and angels4 ,and it is a fixed principle in our creed1 that where ,god's written word is clear and certain1 human evidence cannot be weighed against it in the balance of the sanctuary4 ,when the ,lord hath spoken1 well does it become the whole earth to be silent before him2 when the eternal ,judge ,himself hath decided1 the witness of man bears on its very face the stamp of incompetency and presumption4 ,footnote #ah3 ,while some authors seem to go far towards the substitution of the fathers for the written word of ,god1 others in their abhorrence of that excess have run into the opposite1 fancying1 as it would seem1 that they exalt the ,divine oracles just in the same proportion as they disparage the uninspired writers of the ,church4 ,the great body of the ,church of ,england adhere to a middle course1 and adopt that golden mean1 which ascribes to the written ,word its paramount authority1 from which is no appeal1 and yet honours ,catholic tradition as the handmaid of the truth4 ,for myself ,i can say 7what ,i have good hope these pages will of themselves evince7 that no one can value the testimony of ,christian tradition within its own legitimate sphere more sincerely1 or more highly1 than the individual who is now soliciting your attention to the conclusions which he has himself drawn from it4 ,when ,scripture is silent1 or where its meaning is doubtful1 ,catholic tradition is to me a guide1 which ,i feel myself bound to follow with watchful care and submissive reverence4 ,now let it be for the present supposed1 that instead of the oracles of ,god having spoken1 as we believe them to have spoken1 with a voice clear1 strong1 and uniform against the doctrine and practice of the invocation of saints and angels1 their voices had been weak1 doubtful1 and vague2 in other words1 suppose in this case the question had been left by the ,holy ,scriptures an open question1 then what evidence would have been deducible from the writings of the primitive ,church8 ,what testimony do the first years and the first ages after the canon of ,scripture was closed1 bear upon this point8 ,and here ,i would repeat the principle of inquiry1 proposed above for our adoption in the more important and solemn examination of the ,holy ,volume itself4--,we ought to endeavour to ascertain what may #fc fairly and honestly be regarded as the real bearing of each author's remains1 and not suffer the general tone and spirit of a writer to be counterbalanced by single expressions1 which may be so interpreted as to convey an opposite meaning4 ,rather we should endeavour to reconcile with that general spirit and pervading tendency of a writer's sentiments any casual expressions which may admit of two acceptations4 ,we adopt this principle in our researches into the remains of classical antiquity2 we adopt the same principle in estimating the testimony of a living witness4 ,in the latter case1 indeed1 the ingenuity of the adverse advocate is often exercised in magnifying the discrepancies between some minor facts or incidental expressions with the broad and leading assertions of the witness1 with a view to invalidate his testimony altogether1 or at least to weaken the impression made by it4 ,but then a wise and upright judge1 assured of the truth of the evidence in the main1 and of the integrity of the individual1 will not suffer unessential1 apparent inconsistencies to stifle and bury the body of testimony at large1 but will either extract from the witness what may account for them1 or show them to be immaterial4 ,inviting1 therefore1 your best thoughts to this branch of our subject1 ,i ask you to ascertain1 by a full and candid process of induction1 this important and interesting point1--,whether we of the ,anglican ,church1 by religiously abstaining from the presentation1 in word or in thought1 of any thing approaching prayer or supplication1 entreaty1 request1 or any invocation whatever1 to any other being except ,god alone1 do or do not tread in the steps of the first ,christians1 and adhere to the very pattern which they set2 and whether members of the ,church of ,rome by addressing angel or saint in any form of invocation seeking #fd their aid1 either by their intercession or otherwise1 have not unhappily swerved decidedly and far from those same footsteps1 and departed widely from that pattern8 ,in one point of view it might perhaps be preferable to enter at once upon our investigation1 without previously stating the conclusions to which my own inquiries have led2 but1 on the whole1 ,i think it more fair to make that statement1 in order1 that having the inferences already drawn placed before the mind1 the inquirer may in each case weigh the several items of evidence bearing upon them separately1 and more justly estimate its whole weight collectively at the last4 ,after then having examined the passages collected by the most celebrated ,roman ,catholic writers1 and after having searched the undisputed original works of the primitive writers of the ,greek and ,latin ,churches1 the conclusion to which ,i came1 and in which every day of further inquiry and deliberation confirms me more and more in this3-- ,in the first place1 negatively1 that the ,christian writers1 through the first three centuries and more1 never refer to the invocation of saints and angels as a practice with which they were familiar3 that they have not recorded or alluded to any forms of invocation of the kind used by themselves or by the ,church in their days2 and that no services of the earliest times contain hymns1 litanies1 or collects to angels1 or to the spirits of the faithful departed4 ,in the second place1 positively1 that the principles which they habitually maintain and advocate are irreconcileable with such a practice4 ,in tracing the history of the worship of saints and angels1 we proceed 7gradually1 indeed1 though by no #fe means at all periods1 and through every stage1 with equal rapidity17 from the earliest custom established and practised in the ,church1--of addressing prayers to ,almighty ,god alone for the sake of the merits of his blessed ,son1 the only ,mediator and ,intercessor between ,god and man1--to the lamentable innovation both of praying to ,god for the sake of the merits1 and through the mediation of departed mortals1 and of invoking those mortals themselves as the actual dispensers of the spiritual blessings which the suppliant seeks from above4 ,it is not only a necessary part of our inquiry for ascertaining the very truth of the case2 it is also curious and painfully interesting1 to trace the several steps1 one after another1 beginning with the doctrine maintained by various early writers1 both ,greek and ,latin1 that the souls of the saints are not yet reigning with ,christ in heaven1 and ending with the anathema of the ,council of ,trent1 against all who should maintain that doctrine2 beginning with prayer and thanksgiving to ,almighty ,god alone1 and ending with daily prayers both to saints and angels2 one deviation from the strict line of religious duty1 and the pure singleness of ,christian worship1 successively gliding into another1 till at length the whole of ,christendom1 with a few remarkable exceptions1 was seen to acquiesce in public and private devotions1 which1 if proposed1 the whole of ,christendom would once with unanimity have rejected4 ,before ,i offer to you the result of my inquiries as to the progressive stages of degeneracy and innovation in the worship of ,almighty ,god1 ,i would premise two considerations3 ,first1 ,i would observe1 that the soundness of my conclusion on the general points at issue does not depend at all on the accuracy of the arrangement of those stages #ff which ,i have adopted4 ,should any one1 for example1 think there is evidence that two or more of those progressive steps1 which ,i have regarded as consecutive1 were simultaneous changes1 or that any one which ,i have ranked as subsequent took rather the lead in order of time1 such an opinion would not tend in the least to invalidate my argument2 the substantial and essential point at issue being this3 ,is the invocation of saints and angels1 as now practised in the ,church of ,rome1 agreeable to the primitive usage of the earliest ,christians8 ,secondly1 ,i would observe1 that the places and occasions most favourable for witnessing and correctly estimating the changes and gradual innovations in the worship of those early times1 are the tombs of the martyrs1 and the ,churches in which their remains were deposited2 and at the periods of the annual celebration of their martyrdom1 or in some instances at what was called their translation1--the removal1 that is1 of their mortal remains from their former resting-place to a church1 for the most part dedicated to their memory4 ,on these occasions the most extraordinary enthusiasm prevailed2 sometimes the ardour of the worshippers1 as ,st4 ,chrysostom ,st4 ,chrys4 ,paris1 #agah4 ,vol4 xii4 p4 #ccj4 tells us1 approaching madness4 ,but even at times of less excitement1 by contemplating1 immediately after his death1 the acts and sufferings of the martyr1 and recalling his words1 and looks1 and stedfast bearing1 and exhorting each other to picture to themselves his holy countenance then fixed on them1 his tongue addressing them1 his sufferings before their eyes1 encouraging all to follow his example1 they began habitually to consider him as actually himself one of the faithful assembled round #fg his tomb4 ,hence they believed that he was praying with them as well as for them2 that he heard their eulogy on his merits1 and was pleased with the honours paid to his memory3 hence they felt sure of his goodwill towards them1 and his ability1 as when on earth1 to promote their welfare4 ,hence they proceeded1 by a fatal step1 first1 to implore him to give them bodily relief from some present sufferings2 then invoking him to plead their cause with ,god1 and to intercede for the supply of their spiritual wants1 and the ultimate salvation of their souls2 and1 lastly1 they prayed to him generally as himself the dispenser of temporal and spiritual blessings4 ,the following then is the order in which the innovations in ,christian worship seem to have taken place1 being chiefly introduced at the annual celebrations of the martyrs3-- #ast4 ,in the first ages confession and prayer and praise were offered to the ,supreme ,being alone1 and that for the sake of his ,son our only ,saviour and ,advocate3 when mention was made of saint or martyr1 it was to thank ,god for the graces bestowed on his departed holy ones when on earth1 and to pray to ,god for grace that we might follow their good examples1 and attain1 through ,christ1 to the same end and crown of our earthly struggles4 ,this act of worship was usually accompanied by a homily setting forth the ,christian excellences of the saint1 and encouraging the survivors so to follow him1 as he followed ,christ4 #bnd4 ,the second stage seems to have been a prayer to ,almighty ,god1 that ,he would suffer the supplications and intercessions#ai of angels and saints to prevail #fh with him1 and bring down a blessing on their fellow-petitioners on earth2 the idea having spread among enthusiastic worshippers1 as ,i have already observed1 that the spirits of the saints were suffered to be present around their tombs1 and to join with the faithful in their addresses to the throne of grace4 ,footnote #ai3 ,the ,greek word ,greek3 presbeia1 embassy1 employed on such occasions1 is still used in some eastern ,churches in the same sense4 #crd4 ,the third stage seems to have owed its origin to orators constantly dwelling upon the excellences of the saints in the panegyrics delivered over their remains1 representing their constancy and ,christian virtues as superhuman and divine1 and as having conferred lasting benefits on the ,church4 ,by these benefits at first was meant the comfort and encouragement of their good example1 and the honour procured to the religion of the cross by their bearing witness to its truth even unto death2 but in process of time the habit grew of attaching a sort of mysterious efficacy to their merits2 hence this third gradation in religious worship1 namely1 prayers to ,god that ,he would hear his suppliants1 and grant their requests for the sake of his martyred servant1 and by the efficacy of that martyr's merits4 #dth4 ,hitherto1 unauthorized and objectionable as the two last forms of prayer are1 still the petitions in each case were directed to ,god alone4 ,the next step swerved lamentably from that principle of worship1 and the petitioners addressed their requests to angels and sainted men in heaven2 at first1 however1 confining their petitions to the asking for their prayers and intercessions with ,almighty ,god4 #eth4 ,the last stage in this progressive degeneracy of ,christian worship was to petition the saints and angels1 directly and immediately themselves1 at first for the temporal1 and afterwards for the spiritual benefits which the petitioners desired to obtain from heaven4 ,for it #fi is very curious1 but not more curious than evident1 that the worshippers seem for some time to have petitioned their saints for temporal and bodily benefits1 before they proceeded to ask for spiritual blessings at their hands1 or by their prayers4 7,see ,basil4 ,oral4 in ,mamanta ,martyrem47 ,of these several gradations and stages we find traces in the records of ,christian antiquity1 after superstition and corruption had spread through ,christian worship1 and leavened the whole4 ,of all of them we have lamentable instances in the present ritual of the ,church of ,rome1 as we shall see somewhat at large when we reach that division of our inquiry4 ,but from the beginning it was not so4 ,in the earliest ages we find only the first of these forms of worship exemplified1 and it is the only form now retained in the ,anglican ,ritual2 of which1 among other examples1 the following passage in the prayer for ,christ's ,church militant on earth supplies a beautiful specimen3 ,we bless ,thy holy name for all ,thy servants departed this life in ,thy faith and fear2 beseeching ,thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples1 that with them we may be partakers of ,thy heavenly kingdom3 ,grant this1 ,o ,father1 for ,jesus ,christ's sake1 our only ,mediator and ,advocate4 ,amen4 ,we now proceed to examine the invaluable remains of ,christian antiquity1 not for the purpose of testing the accuracy of the above catalogue of gradations seriatim and in order of time2 but to satisfy ourselves on the question1 whether the invocation of saints and angels prevailed from the first in the ,christian ,church2 or whether it was an innovation introduced after pagan superstition had begun to mingle its poisonous corruptions with the pure worship of #gj ,almighty ,god4 ,and here1 ,i conceive1 few persons will be disposed to doubt1 that if the primitive believers were taught by the ,apostles to address the saints reigning in heaven and the holy angels1 and the ,virgin ,mother of our ,lord1 with adoration and prayers1 the earliest ,christian records must have contained clear and indisputable references to the fact1 and that undesigned allusions to the custom would inevitably be found offering themselves to our notice here and there4 ,i do not mean that we should expect to meet with full and explicit statements either of the doctrine or the practice of the primitive ,church in this particular2 much less such apologies and elaborate defences of the practice as abound to the overflow in later times4 ,but1 what is more satisfactory in proof of the general and established prevalence of any opinions or customs1 we should surely find expressions incidentally occurring1 which implied an habitual familiarity with such opinions or customs4 ,in every record1 for example1 of primitive antiquity1 from the very earliest of all1 expressions are constantly meeting us which involve the doctrine of the ever-blessed ,trinity1 the atoning sacrifice of ,christ's death1 the influences of the ,holy ,spirit2 habitual prayer and praise offered to the ,saviour of the world1 as very and eternal ,god2 the holy ,sacraments of ,baptism and the ,lord's ,supper2 with other tenets and practices of the ,apostolic ,church4 ,it is impossible to study the remains of ,christian antiquity without being assured beyond the reach of doubt1 that such were the doctrines and practice of the universal ,church from the days of the ,apostles4 ,is the invocation of saints and angels and the blessed ,virgin to be made an exception to this rule8 ,can it stand this test8 ,the great anxiety and labour of ,roman ,catholic #ga writers to press the authors of every age to bear witness on their side in this behalf1 proves that in their judgment no such exception is admissible4 ,it is clearly beyond gainsaying1 that if the present doctrine of the ,church of ,rome1 with respect to the worship of angels and saints1 as propounded by the ,council of ,trent2 and if her present practice as set forth in her authorized liturgies and devotional services1 and professed by her popes1 bishops1 clergy1 and people1 had been the doctrine and practice of the primitive ,church1 we should have found evident and indisputable traces of it in the earliest works of primitive antiquity1 in the earliest liturgies1 and in the forms of prayer and exhortations to prayer with which those works abound4 ,it by no means follows that if some such allusions were partially discoverable1 therefore the doctrines and practice must forthwith be pronounced to be apostolical2 but if no such traces can be found1 their absence bears witness that neither did those doctrines nor that practice exist4 ,if1 for example1 through the remains of the first three centuries we could have discovered no trace of the doctrine or practice of holy ,baptism and the ,eucharist1 we must have concluded that the doctrine and the practice were the offspring of later years4 ,but when we read every where1 in those remains1 exhortations to approach those holy mysteries with a pure heart and faith unfeigned2 when we find rules prescribed for the more orderly administration of the rites2 in a word1 when we perceive throughout as familiar references to these ordinances as could be now made by ,catholics either of ,rome or of ,england1 while this would not of itself necessarily prove their divine origin1 we should with equal plausibility question the existence of ,jerusalem or ,constantinople1 or of ,david or ,constantine1 as we #gb should doubt the prevalence both of the doctrine and practice of the ,church in these particulars1 even from the ,apostles' days4 ,with these principles present to our minds1 ,i now invite you to accompany me in a review of the testimonies of primitive ,christian antiquity with regard to supplications and invocations of saints and angels1 and of the blessed ,virgin ,mary4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ii--,,century ,i4--,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,the ,,apostolic ,,fathers4 ,it will be necessary for the satisfaction of all parties1 that we examine1 in the first place1 those ancient writings which are ascribed to an ,apostle1 or to fellow-labourers of the ,apostles2 familiarly known as the writings of the ,apostolic ,fathers4 ,they are five in number1 ,barnabas1 ,clement1 ,hermas1 ,ignatius1 and ,polycarp4 ,many able writers1 as well of the ,roman as of the ,anglican communion1 have discussed at large the genuineness of these writings2 and have come to very different results4 ,some critics are of opposite and extreme opinions1 others ranging between them with every degree and shade of variation4 ,some of these works have been considered spurious2 others have been pronounced genuine2 though1 even these have been thought to be1 in many parts1 interpolated4 ,the question1 however1 of their genuineness1 though deeply interesting in itself1 will not affect their testimony with #gc regard to the subject before us#bj4 ,they were all in existence before the ,council of ,nica2 and we shall probably not be wrong in assigning to the first two a date at the very lowest computation not less remote than the middle of the second century2 somewhere1 it may be1 at the furthest1 about one hundred years after the death of our ,lord4 7,a4,d4 #acj-aej47 ,with all their errors and blemishes and interpolations taken at the worst1 after every reasonable deduction for defects in matter1 taste1 and style1 the writings which are ascribed to the ,apostolic ,fathers are too venerable for their antiquity1 too often quoted with reverence and affection by some who have been the brightest ornaments of the ,christian ,church1 and possess too copious a store of genuine evangelical truth1 sound principle1 primitive simplicity1 and pious sentiment1 to be passed over with neglect by any ,catholic ,christian4 ,the few extracts #gd made here will1 ,i am assured1 be not unacceptable to any one1 who holds dear the religion of ,christ#ba4 ,footnote #bj3 ,i do not think it suitable in this address to enter upon the difficult field of inquiry1 whether all or which of these works were the genuine productions of those whose names they bear2 and whether the ,barnabas1 ,clement1 and ,hermas to which three of them are ascribed1 were the ,barnabas1 ,clement1 and ,hermas of whom express mention is made in the pages of ,holy ,scripture4 ,i have determined1 in conducting my argument1 to affix to them in each case the lowest proposed antiquity4 ,the edition of ,archbishop ,wake1 7who maintains the highest antiquity for these works1 though ,i have not here adopted his translation17 may be consulted with much profit4 ,did the question before us relate to the genuineness and dates of these works1 they could not1 with any approach to fairness1 be all five placed without distinction under the same category4 ,the evidence for the genuineness of ,clement1 ,ignatius in the shorter copy1 and ,polycarp1 is too valuable to be confounded with that of the others1 which are indisputably subject to much greater doubt4 ,but this question has only an incidental bearing on our present inquiry1 and will be well spared4 ,footnote #ba3 ,the edition of the works of these ,apostolic ,fathers used here is that of ,cotelerius as revised by ,le ,clerc1 ,antwerp1 #afih4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,epistle ,,of ,,st4 ,,barnabas4 ,in the work entitled ,the ,catholic ,epistle of ,barnabas1 which was written probably by a ,jew converted to the ,christian faith1 about the close of the first century1 or certainly before the middle of the second#bb1 ,i have searched in vain for any thing like the faintest trace of the invocation of saint or angel4 ,the writer gives directions on the subject of prayer2 he speaks of angels as the ministers of ,god2 he speaks of the reward of the righteous at the day of judgment2 but he suggests not the shadow of a supposition1 that he either held the doctrine himself which the ,church of ,rome now holds1 or was aware of its existence among ,christians4 ,in his very beautiful but incomplete summary of ,christian duty ,sect4 #ah1 #ai4 p4 #ej1 #ea1 #eb41 which he calls ,the ,way of ,light1 we perceive more than one most natural opening for reference to that doctrine1 had it been familiar to his mind4 ,in the midst indeed of his brief precepts of religious and moral obligation1 he directs the ,christian to seek out every day the persons of the saints1 but they are our fellow-believers on earth2 those saints or holy ones1 for administering to whose necessities1 the ,scripture assures us that ,god will not forget our work and labour of love ,heb4 vi4 #aj43 these the author bids the ,christians #ge search out daily1 for the purposes of religious intercourse1 and of encouragement by the word4 ,footnote #bb3 ,archbishop ,wake considers this ,epistle to have been written by ,st4 ,barnabas to the ,jews1 soon after the destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,the following interesting extracts shall conclude our reference to this work3-- ,there are two ways of doctrine and authority1 one of light1 the other of darkness2 and the difference between the two ways is great4 ,over the one are appointed angels of ,god1 conductors of the light2 over the other1 angels of ,satan3 and the one 7,god7 is ,lord from everlasting to everlasting2 the other 7,satan7 is ruler of the age of iniquity4 ,the way of light is this 444 ,thou shalt love ,him that made thee2 thou shalt glorify ,him that redeemed thee from death4 ,thou shalt be single in heart1 and rich in spirit4 ,thou shalt not join thyself to those who are walking in the path of death4 ,thou shalt hate to do what is displeasing to ,god2 thou shalt hate all hypocrisy4 ,thou shalt entertain no evil counsel against thy neighbour4 ,thou shalt not take away thy hand from thy son or thy daughter1 but shalt teach them the fear of the ,lord from their youth4 ,thou shalt communicate with thy neighbour in all things1 and call not things thine own4 ,thou shalt not be of a froward tongue1 for the mouth is the snare of death4 ,to the very utmost of thy power keep thy soul chaste4 ,do not open thine hand to receive1 and close it against giving4 ,thou shalt love as the apple of thine eye every one who speaketh to thee the word of the ,lord4 ,call to remembrance the day of judgment1 night and day4 ,thou shalt search out every day the persons of the saints #bc2 both meditating by the word1 #gf and proceeding to exhort them1 and anxiously caring to save a soul by the word4 ,thou shalt preserve what thou hast received1 neither adding thereto1 nor taking therefrom4 ,thou shalt not come with a bad conscience to thy prayer4 ,footnote #bc3 ,there is much obscurity in the phraseology of this passage3 ,greek3 ekzaetaeseis kath hekastaen haemeran ta prosopa ton hagion kai dia logou skopion kai poreuomenos eis to parakalesai1 kai meleton eis sosai psuchaen to logo4 ,in the corresponding exhortation among the ,apostolical ,constitutions 7book vii4 ch4 #i71 the expression is1 ,thou shalt seek the person 7,greek3 prosopon7 of the saints1 that thou mayest find rest 7or find refreshment1 or refresh thyself7 7,greek3 in epanapanae tois logois auton7 in their words4 ,the author seems evidently to allude to the reciprocal advantage derived by ,christians from religious intercourse4 ,the closing sentences contain this blessing3 ,now ,god1 who is the ,lord of all the world1 give to you wisdom1 skill1 understanding1 knowledge of his judgments1 with patience4 ,and be ye taught of ,god2 seeking what the ,lord requires of you1 and do it1 that ye may be saved in the day of judgment4444 ,the ,lord of glory and of all grace be with your spirit4 ,amen4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,shepherd ,,of ,,hermas4 ,this work1 which derives its title from the circumstance of an angelic teacher being represented as a shepherd1 is now considered by many to have been the production of ,hermas1 a brother of ,pius1 ,bishop of ,rome#bd though others are persuaded that the work is of a much earlier date#be4 ,the author speaks of guardian angels and of evil angels1 and he speaks much of prayer2 but not the faintest hint shows itself throughout the three books1 of which the work consists1 that he had #gg any idea of prayer being addressed to any created being1 whether saint or angel4 ,on the evidence of this writer ,i will not detain you much longer than by the translation of a passage as it is found in the ,greek quotation from ,hermas1 made by ,antiochus 7,homil4 #he71 on a point the most nearly1 of all that ,i can find1 connected with the immediate subject of our inquiry4 ,the ,latin is found in the second book1 ninth mandate4 ,it contains sound spiritual advice1 of universal application4 ,footnote #bd3 ,ecclesiastical writers refer the appointment of ,pius1 as ,bishop of ,rome1 to the year #aec4 ,footnote #be3 ,archbishop ,wake thinks it not improbable that this book was written by the same ,hermas1 of whom mention is made by ,st4 ,paul4 ,let us then remove from us double-heartedness and faint-heartedness1 and never at all doubt of supplicating any thing from ,god2 saying within ourselves1 ',how can ,i1 who have been guilty of so many sins against ,him1 ask of the ,lord and receive8' ,but with thine whole heart turn to the ,lord1 and ask of ,him without doubting2 and thou shalt know his great mercy1 that ,he will not forsake thee1 but will fulfil the desire of thy soul4 ,for ,god is not as men are1 a rememberer of evil1 but is ,himself one who remembers not evil1 and is moved with compassion towards his creature4 ,do thou1 therefore1 cleanse thy heart of doubt1 and ask of ,him1 and thou shalt receive thy request4 ,but when thou doubtest1 thou shalt not receive4 ,for they who doubt towards ,god are the double-hearted1 and shall receive nothing whatever of their desires4 ,for those who are whole in the faith1 ask every thing1 trusting in the ,lord1 and they receive because they ask nothing doubting4 ,see ,st4 ,james i4 #f4 ,and if thou shouldest be tardy in receiving1 do not doubt in thy mind because thou dost not receive soon the request of thy soul4 ,for the cause of the tardiness of thy receiving is some trial1 or some transgression which thou knowest not of4 ,do thou then #gh not cease to offer the request of thy soul1 and thou shalt receive it4 ,but if thou grow faint in asking1 accuse thyself1 and not the ,giver4 ,for double-heartedness is a daughter of the devil1 and works much mischief towards the servants of ,god4 ,do thou1 therefore1 take to thyself the faith that is strong4 ,in the twelfth section of the ninth ,similitude1 in the third book1 in the midst of much to the same import1 and of much1 too1 which is strange and altogether unworthy of the pen from which the previous quotation proceeded1 he thus writes1 as the ,latin records his words1 the ,greek of this passage having been lost4 ,these all are messengers to be reverenced for their dignity4 ,by these1 therefore1 as it were by a wall1 the ,lord is girded round4 ,but the gate is the ,son of ,god1 who is the only way to ,god4 ,for no one shall enter in to ,god except by his ,son4 ,book iii4 ,simil4 #b4 ,on the subject of prayer1 ,i cannot refrain from referring you to a beautiful similitude1 illustrative of the powerful and beneficial effects of the intercession of ,christians for each other4 ,the author compares a rich man1 abounding in deeds of charity1 to a vine full of fruit supported by an elm4 ,the elm seems not to bear fruit at all2 but by supporting the vine1 which1 without that support1 would bear no fruit to perfection1 it may be said to bear fruit itself4 ,so the poor man1 who has nothing to give in return for the rich man's fruits of charity1 beyond the support which his prayers and praises ascending to ,god in his behalf will obtain1 confers a far more substantial benefit on the rich man than the most liberal outpouring of alms from the rich can confer on the poor4 ,ibid4 ,yet the writer1 who #gi had formed such strong notions of the benefits mutually obtained by the prayers of ,christians for each other1 says not a word about the intercession of saints and angels1 nor of our invoking them4 ,he will not suffer us to be deterred by any consciousness of our own transgressions from approaching ,god ,himself1 directly and immediately ourselves2 but ,he bids us draw near ourselves to the throne and mercy seat of our heavenly ,father4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,st4 ,,clement1 ,,bishop ,,of ,,rome4 ,it is impossible to read the testimony borne by ,eusebius1 and other most ancient writers1 to the character and circumstances of ,clement1 without feeling a deep interest in whatever production of his pen may have escaped the ravages of time4 ,third from the ,apostles1 says ,eusebius1 ,clement obtained the bishopric of ,rome2 one who had seen the ,apostles and conversed with them1 and had still the sound of their preaching in his ears1 and their tradition before his eyes2--and not he alone1 for many others#bf at that time were still living1 who had been taught by the ,apostles4 ,in the time of this ,clement1 no small schism having arisen among the brethren in ,corinth1 the ,church in ,rome sent a most important letter to the ,corinthians1 urging them to return to peace1 renewing #hj their faith1 and reminding them of the tradition which had been so lately received from the ,apostles4 ,euseb4 ,eccl4 ,hist4 v4 c4 #f4 ,footnote #bf3 ,see ,st4 ,paul to the ,philippians1 iv4 #c4 ,and ,i entreat thee also1 true yoke-fellow1 help those women which laboured with me in the gospel1 with ,clement also1 and with other my fellow-labourers1 whose names are in the book of life4 ,of the many works which have been attributed to ,clement1 it is now generally agreed1 that one1 and only one1 can be safely received as genuine1 whilst some maintain that even that one is not altogether free from interpolations1 if not itself spurious#bg4 ,but though we must believe the other works to have been assigned improperly to ,clement2 yet ,i have not thought it safe to pass them by unexamined1 both because some of them are held in high estimation by writers of the ,church of ,rome1 and especially because whatever pen first composed them1 of their very great antiquity there can be entertained no reasonable doubt4 ,indeed1 the ,apostolical ,canons1 and the ,apostolical ,constitutions1 both ascribed to ,clement as their author1 acting under the direction of the ,apostolic ,council1 stand first among the records of the ,councils received by the ,church of ,rome4 ,footnote #bg3 ,archbishop ,wake concludes that this first ,epistle was written shortly after the end of ,nero's persecution1 and before ,a4,d4 #gj4 ,to ,clement's first ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 now regarded by many as the only genuine work of that primitive writer1 the date of which is considered by many to be about ,a4,d4 #ij1 ,jerome bears this very interesting testimony in his book on illustrious men3 ,he1 ,clement1 wrote in the person of the ,church of ,rome1 to the ,church in ,corinth1 a very useful epistle1 which is publicly read in some places2 in its character agreeing with ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 not only in the sense1 but even in the words3 and indeed the resemblance is very striking in each4 ,catalogus ,scriptorum ,ecclesiasticorum1 ,jeron41 vol4 iv1 part ii4 p4 #ajg1 edit4 ,benedict4 ,paris1 #agjf4 #ha ,it is impossible to read this ,epistle of one of the earliest bishops of ,christ's flock in the proper frame of mind1 without spiritual edification4 ,a tone of primitive simplicity pervades it1 which is quite delightful4 ,his witness to the redemption by the atoning sacrifice of ,christ's death1 and to the life-giving influences of the ,spirit of grace1 is clear1 repeated1 and direct4 ,his familiar acquaintance with the ancient ,scriptures is very remarkable2 though we might not always acquiesce in the critical accuracy of his application4 ,his reference to the ,epistles written by ,st4 ,paul to the same ,church at ,corinth that he was then addressing1 affords one of those unobtrusive and undesigned collateral evidences to the ,holy ,scriptures1 which are as abundant in the primitive writings1 as they are invaluable4 ,no one can read this ,epistle of ,clement1 without acquiescing in the expression of ,jerome1 that it is very admirable4 ,perhaps in the present work the ,epistle of ,clement becomes even more interesting from the circumstance of his having been a bishop of the ,church founded by the ,apostles themselves in the very place where that ,church exists1 to whose members this inquiry is more especially addressed4 ,in his writings ,i have searched diligently for every expression which might throw light upon the opinions and practice either of the author or of the ,church in whose name he wrote2 of the ,church which he addressed1 or of the ,catholic ,church at large to which he refers1 on the subject of our inquiry4 ,so far1 however1 from any word occurring1 which could be brought to bear in favour of the adoration of saints and angels1 or of any supplication to them for their succour or their prayers1 the peculiar turn and character of his ,epistle in many parts seems to supply #hb more than negative evidence against the prevalence of any such belief or practice4 ,clement speaks of angels2 he speaks of the holy men of old1 who pleased ,god1 and were blessed1 and were taken to their reward2 he speaks of prayer2 he urges to prayer2 he specifies the object of our prayers2 he particularizes the subjects of our prayers2 but there is not the most distant allusion to the saints and angels as persons to whom supplications could be addressed4 ,pray for yourselves 7such are the sentiments of this holy man72 pray for your brethren who have fallen from their integrity2 pray to ,god ,almighty1 for the sake of his ,son1 and your prayer will be heard and granted4 ,of any other intercessor or advocate1 angel1 saint1 or ,virgin ,mother2 of any other being to whom the invocations of the faithful should be offered1 ,clement seems to have had no knowledge4 ,could this have been so1 if those who received the ,gospel from the very fountain-head had been accustomed to pray to those holy men who had finished their course on earth1 and were gone to their reward in heaven8 ,clement invites us to contemplate ,enoch1 and ,abraham1 and ,david1 and ,elijah1 and ,job1 with many of their brethren in faith and holiness2 he bids us look to them with reverence and gratitude1 but it is only to imitate their good examples4 ,he tells us to think of ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,peter and their brethren in faith and holiness2 but it is in order to listen to their godly admonitions1 and to follow them in all pious obedience to the will of our heavenly ,father1 as they followed ,christ4 ,i must content myself with a very few brief extracts from this ,epistle#bh3 ,footnote #bh3 ,i am induced to mention here that two ,epistles1 ascribed to ,st4 ,clement1 written in ,arabic1 and now appended to ,wetstein's ,greek ,testament 7,amsterdam1 #agea71 are believed by many to be genuine1 whilst others say they are spurious4 ,at all events they are productions of the earliest times4 ,the manuscript was procured at ,constantinople4 ,i have examined the ,latin translation carefully1 and in some points submitted my doubts to a very learned ,syriac scholar4 ,the general subject is the conduct of those who have professed celibacy1 whilst of the invocation of saints no trace whatever is to be found4 ,the passages most closely bearing on the point before us are to the following effect3 ,the writer urges ,christians to be careful to maintain good works1 especially in the cause of charity1 visiting the sick and afflicted1 praying with them1 and praying for them1 and persevering always in prayer2 asking and seeking of ,god in joy and watchfulness1 without hatred or malice4 ,in the ,lord's husbandry1 he says1 it well becomes us to be good workmen1 who are like the ,apostles1 imitating the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 who are ever anxious for the salvation of men4 ,therefore 7he adds1 at the close of the first of these ,epistles7 let us look to and imitate those faithful ones1 that we may behave ourselves as is meet in the ,lord4 ,so shall we serve the ,lord1 and please him1 in righteousness and justice without a stain4 ,finally1 farewell in the ,lord1 and rejoice in the ,lord1 all ye holy ones4 ,peace and joy be with you from ,god the ,father1 by ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 #hc ,ch4 #ba4 ,take heed1 beloved1 lest the many loving-kindnesses of the ,lord prove our condemnation1 if we do not live as is worthy of him1 nor do with one accord what is good and well-pleasing in his sight4444 ,let us consider how nigh to us he is1 and that nothing of our thoughts or reasonings is concealed from him4 ,justice it is that we should not become deserters from his will4444 ,let us venerate the ,lord ,jesus1 whose blood was given for us4 ,ch4 #bi4 ,let us then approach him in holiness of soul1 lifting up holy and undefiled hands towards him2 loving our merciful and tender ,father who hath made us a portion of his elect4 #hd ,ch4 #cf4 ,this is the way1 beloved1 in which we find ,jesus ,christ our salvation1 the chief-priest of our offerings1 our protector1 and the succourer of our weakness4 ,by him let us look stedfastly to the heights of heaven2 by him let us behold his most high and spotless face3 by him the eyes of our heart are opened2 by him our ignorant and darkened minds shoot forth into his marvellous light2 by him the ,supreme ,governor willed that we should taste immortal knowledge3 who1 being the brightness of his magnificence1 is so much greater than the angels1 as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they4 ,ch4 #di4 ,he who hath love in ,christ1 let him keep the commandments of ,christ4 ,who can tell of the bond of the love of ,god8 ,the greatness of his goodness who can adequately express8444 ,love unites us to ,god4444 ,by love the ,lord took us2 by the love which he had for us ,christ our ,lord gave his blood for us by the will of ,god1 and his flesh for our flesh1 and his life for our lives4 ,ch4 #ef4 ,let us pray for those who are in any transgression1 that meekness and humility may be granted to them2 that they may submit1 not to us1 but to the will of ,god2 for thus to them will the remembrance towards ,god and the saints1 with mercies1 be fruitful and perfect#bi4 ,footnote #bi3 ,the original is obscure1 and has been variously rendered1 ,greek3 outos gar estai autois egkarpos kai teleia hae pros ton theon kai tous hagious met oiktirmon mneia4 ,the ,editor refers his readers to ,rom4 xii4 #ac4 ,distributing to the necessity of saints4 ,the received translation is this1 ,sic enim erit ipsis fructuosa et perfecta qu est apud ,deum et sanctos cum misericordia recordatio4 ,ch4 #eh4 ,the all-seeing ,god1 the ,sovereign ,ruler #he of spirits1 and the ,lord of all flesh1 who hath chosen the ,lord ,jesus1 and us through him1 to be a peculiar people2 grant to every soul that calleth on his glorious and holy name1 faith1 fear1 peace1 patience1 long-suffering1 self-control1 purity1 and temperance1 to the good pleasure of his name1 through our high-priest and protector ,jesus ,christ2 through whom to him be glory and majesty1 dominion and honour1 now and for ever and ever1 world without end4 ,amen4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,saint ,,ignatius4 ,this martyr to the truth as it is in ,jesus sealed that truth with his blood about seventy years after the death of our ,lord4 ,from ,antioch in ,syria1 of which place he was bishop1 he was sent to the imperial city1 ,rome2 and there he ended his mortal career by a death which he had long expected1 and which he was prepared to meet not only with resignation to the ,divine will1 but even with joy and gladness4 ,his ,epistles are written with much of the florid colouring of ,asiatic eloquence2 but they have all the raciness of originality1 and they glow with that ,christian fervour and charity which compels us to love him as a father and a friend1 a father and friend in ,christ4 ,the remains of this apostolic father ,i have carefully studied1 with the single view of ascertaining whether any vestige1 however faint1 might be traced in him of the invocation of saints and angels2 but ,i can find none4 ,neither here1 nor in the case of any of the apostolical fathers1 whose remains we are examining1 have ,i contented myself with merely ascertaining that they bear no direct and palpable evidence2 ,i have always endeavoured to find1 and then thoroughly to sift1 any expressions which might with #hf the slightest plea of justification be urged in testimony of primitive belief and practice sanctioning the invocation of saints4 ,i find none4 ,brethren of the ,church of ,rome1 search diligently for yourselves2 ,i speak as to wise men3 ,judge ye what ,i say4 ,the remains of ,ignatius offer to us many a passage on which a ,christian pastor would delight to dwell3 but my province here is not to recommend his works to the notice of ,christians2 ,i am only to report the result of my inquiries touching the matter in question2 and as bearing on that question1 the following extracts will not be deemed burdensome in this place3-- ,in his ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 exhorting ,christians to united prayer1 he says1 ,for if the prayer of one or two possesses such strength1 how much more shall the prayer both of the bishop and of the whole ,church8 ,page #ac4 #e-g4 ,for there is one physician of a corporeal and a spiritual nature1 begotten and not begotten2 become ,god in the flesh1 true life in death1 both from ,mary and from ,god2 first liable to suffering1 and then incapable of suffering4 ,in the majority of the manuscripts the reading is1 in an immortal true life4 ,here we must observe that these ,epistles of ,ignatius have come down to us also in an interpolated form1 abounding indeed with substitutions and additions1 but generally resembling paraphrases of the original text4 ,of the general character of that supposititious work1 two passages corresponding with our quotations from the genuine productions of ,ignatius may give a sufficiently accurate idea4 ,the first passage above quoted is thus paraphrased3 ,for if the prayer of one or two possesses #hg such strength that ,christ stands among them1 how much more shall the prayer both of the bishop and of the whole ,church1 ascending with one voice to ,god1 induce him to grant all their requests made in ,jesus ,christ8 ,page #dg4 c4 #e4 ,the paraphrase of the second is more full3 ,our physician is the only true ,god1 ungenerated and unapproachable2 the ,lord of all things1 but the ,father and ,generator of the only-begotten ,son4 ,we have also as our physician our ,lord ,god1 ,jesus ,christ1 who was before the world1 the only-begotten ,son and the ,word1 but also afterwards man of the ,virgin ,mary2 'for the ,word was made flesh4' ,he who was incorporeal1 now in a body2 he who could not suffer1 now in a body capable of suffering2 he who was immortal in a mortal body1 life in corruption--in order that he might free our immortal souls from death and corruption1 and heal them1 diseased with ungodliness and evil desires as they were4 ,page #dh4 c4 #g4 ,it must here be observed1 that though these are indisputably not the genuine works of ,ignatius1 but were the productions of a later age1 yet no trace is to be found in them of the doctrine1 or practice1 of the invocation of saints4 ,in this point of view their testimony is nothing more nor less than that of an anonymous paraphrast1 who certainly had many opportunities of referring to that doctrine and practice2 but who by his total silence seems to have been as ignorant of them as the author himself whose works he is paraphrasing4 ,to return to his genuine works3 ,in his ,epistle to the ,magnesians we find these expressions3 ,for as the ,lord did nothing without the ,father1 being one with #hh him1 neither by himself1 nor by his ,apostles2 so neither do ye any thing without the bishop and priests1 nor attempt to make any thing appear reasonable to yourselves individually4 ,but at one place be there one prayer1 and one supplication1 one mind1 one hope in love1 in blameless rejoicing3 ,jesus ,christ is one2 than which nothing is better4 ,all1 then1 throng as to one temple1 as to one altar1 as to one ,jesus ,christ1 who proceeded from one ,father1 and is in one1 and returned to one4 ,page #ai4 #g4 ,again he says1 ,remember me in your prayers1 that ,i may attain to ,god4 ,i am in need of your united prayer in ,god1 and of your love4 ,in his ,epistle to the ,trallians1 he expresses himself in words to which no ,anglican ,catholic would hesitate to respond3 ,ye ought to comfort the bishop1 to the honour of ,god1 and of ,jesus ,christ1 and of the ,apostles4 ,page #be4 #ab4 ,he speaks in this ,epistle with humility and reverence of the powers and hosts of heaven2 but he makes no allusion to any religious worship or invocation of them4 ,the following extract is from his ,epistle to the ,philadelphians3 ,my brethren1 ,i am altogether poured forth in love for you2 and in exceeding joy ,i make you secure2 yet not ,i1 but ,jesus ,christ1 bound in whom ,i am the more afraid1 as being already seized#cj2 but your prayer to ,god will perfect me1 that ,i may obtain the lot mercifully assigned to me4 ,betaking myself to the ,gospel as to the flesh of ,jesus1 and to the ,apostles as the presbytery of the ,church2 let us also love the prophets1 because they also have proclaimed the ,gospel1 and hoped in him1 and waited for him2 in whom also #hi trusting1 they were saved in the unity of ,jesus ,christ1 being holy ones worthy of love and admiration1 who have received testimony from ,jesus ,christ1 and are numbered together in the ,gospel of our common hope4 ,page #cb4 #e4 ,footnote #cj3 ,this clause is very obscure1 and perhaps imperfect4 ,i am induced to add the paraphrase on this passage also4 ,my brethren1 ,i am very much poured out in loving you1 and with exceeding joy ,i make you secure2 not ,i1 but by me1 ,jesus ,christ1 in whom bound ,i am the more afraid4 ,for ,i am yet not perfected1 but your prayer to ,god will perfect me2 so that ,i may obtain that to which ,i was called1 flying to the ,gospel as the flesh of ,jesus ,christ1 and to the ,apostles as the presbytery of the ,church4 ,and the prophets also ,i love1 as persons who announce ,christ1 as partaking of the same spirit with the ,apostles4 ,for just as the false prophets and false apostles have drawn one and the same wicked and deceitful and seducing spirit1 so also the prophets and the apostles1 one and the same holy spirit1 good1 leading1 true1 and instructing4 ,for one is the ,god of the ,old and the ,new ,testament4 ,one is ,mediator between ,god and man1 for the production of the creatures endued with reason and perception1 and for the provision of what is useful1 and adapted to them3 and one is the ,comforter who wrought in ,moses and the prophets and the apostles4 ,all the saints therefore were saved in ,christ1 hoping in him1 and waiting for him2 and through him they obtained salvation1 being saints worthy of love and of admiration1 having obtained a testimony from ,jesus ,christ in the ,gospel of our common hope4 ,page #ha4 #e4 ,in his ,epistle to the ,romans he speaks to them of his own prayer to ,god1 and repeatedly implores them #ij to pray for him4 ,pray to ,christ for me1 that by these instruments the teeth of the wild beasts ,i may become a sacrifice of ,god4 ,i do not1 as ,peter and ,paul1 command you3 they were ,apostles1 ,i am a condemned man4 ,they were free2 but ,i am still a servant4 ,yet if ,i suffer1 ,i shall become the freedman of ,jesus ,christ1 and shall rise again free3 and now in my bonds ,i learn to covet nothing4 ,page #bh4 #d4 ,again he says1 ,remember the ,church in ,syria in your prayers4 ,page #cj4 #i4 ,he prays for his fellow-labourers in the ,lord3 he implores them to approach the throne of grace with supplications for mercy on his own soul4 ,of prayer to saint or angel he says nothing4 ,of any invocation offered to them by himself or his fellow-believers1 ,ignatius appears entirely ignorant4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,saint ,,polycarp4 ,the only remaining name among those1 whom the ,church has reverenced as apostolical fathers1 is the venerable ,polycarp4 ,he suffered martyrdom by fire1 at a very advanced age1 in ,smyrna1 about one hundred and thirty years after his ,saviour's death4 ,of ,polycarp1 the apostolical bishop of the ,catholic ,church of ,smyrna1 only one ,epistle has survived4 ,it is addressed to the ,philippians4 ,in it he speaks to his brother ,christians of prayer1 constant1 incessant prayer2 but the prayer of which he speaks is supplication addressed only to ,god #ca4 ,he marks out for our imitation the good example of ,st4 ,paul and the other ,apostles2 assuring us that they had not run in vain1 #ia but were gone to the place prepared for them by the ,lord1 as the reward of their labours4 ,but not one word does he utter bearing upon the invocation of saints in prayer2 he makes no allusion to the ,virgin ,mary4 ,footnote #ca3 ,greek3 deaesesin aitoumenoi ton pantepoptaen ,theon4 ,sect4 #g4 ,before we close our examination of the recorded sentiments of the apostolical fathers on the immediate subject of our inquiry1 we must refer1 though briefly1 to the ,epistle generally received as the genuine letter from the ,church of ,smyrna to the neighbouring ,churches1 narrating the martyrdom of ,polycarp4 ,it belongs1 perhaps1 more strictly to this place than to the remains of ,eusebius1 because1 together with the sentiments of his contemporaries who witnessed his death and dictated the letter1 it purports to contain the very words of the martyr himself in the last prayer which he ever offered upon earth4 ,with some variations from the copy generally circulated1 this letter is preserved in the works of ,eusebius4 ,euseb4 ,paris1 #afbh1 dedicated to the ,archbishop by ,franciscus ,vigerus4 ,on the subject of our present research the evidence of this letter is not merely negative4 ,so far from countenancing any invocation of saint or martyr1 it contains a remarkable and very interesting passage1 the plain common-sense rendering of which bears decidedly against all exaltation of mortals into objects of religious worship4 ,the letter1 however1 is too well known to need any further preliminary remarks2 and we must content ourselves with such references and extracts as may appear to bear most directly on our subject4 ,the ,church of ,god1 which is in ,smyrna1 to the ,church in ,philomela1 and to all the branches ,greek3 paroikais #ib of the holy ,catholic ,church dwelling in any place1 mercy1 peace1 and love of ,god the ,father1 and our ,lord ,jesus ,christ be multiplied4 ,book i4 ,hist4 iv4 c4 xv4 p4 #afc4 ,the ,proconsul1 in astonishment1 caused it to be proclaimed thrice1 ,polycarp has confessed himself to be a ,christian4 ,on this they all shouted1 that the ,proconsul should let a lion loose on ,polycarp4 ,but the games were over1 and that could not be done3 they then with one accord insisted on his being burnt alive4 ,polycarp1 before his death1 offered this prayer1 or rather perhaps we should call it this thanksgiving1 to ,god for his mercy in thus deeming him worthy to suffer death for the truth1 ,father of thy beloved and blessed ,son ,jesus ,christ1 by whom we have received our knowledge concerning thee1 the ,god of angels and power1 and of the whole creation1 and of the whole family of the just1 who live before thee2 ,i bless thee because thou hast deemed me worthy of this day and this hour to receive my portion among the number of the martyrs1 in the cup of ,christ1 to the resurrection both of soul and body in the incorruption of the ,holy ,ghost2 among whom may ,i be received before thee this day in a rich and acceptable sacrifice1 even as thou1 the true ,god1 who canst not lie1 foreshowing and fulfilling1 hast beforehand prepared4 ,for this1 and for all ,i praise thee1 ,i bless thee2 ,i glorify thee1 through the eternal high-priest ,jesus ,christ thy beloved ,son1 through whom to thee1 with him in the ,holy ,ghost1 be glory both now and for future ages4 ,amen4 7,i cannot help suggesting a comparison between the prayer of this primitive martyr bound to the stake1 with the prayer of ,thomas ,becket1 of ,canterbury1 as stated in the ancient services for his day1 when he was murdered in his own cathedral1 to which we shall hereafter refer at length4 ,the comparison will impress us with the difference between religion and superstition1 between the purity of primitive ,christian worship1 and the unhappy corruptions of a degenerate age4 ,to ,god and the ,blessed ,mary1 and ,saint ,dionysius1 and the holy patrons of this ,church1 ,i commend myself and the ,church47 #ic ,after his death1 the narrative proceeds1 ,but the envious adversary of the just observed the honour put upon the greatness of his testimony1 or of his martyrdom ,greek3 to megethos autou taes marturias1 and his blameless life from the first1 and knowing that he was now crowned with immortality1 and the prize of undoubted victory1 resisted1 though many of us desired to take his body1 and have fellowship with his holy flesh4 ,some then suggested to ,nicetes1 the father of ,herod1 and brother of ,dalce1 to entreat the governor not to give his body1 ',lest1' said he1 'leaving the crucified ,one they should begin to worship this man ,greek3 sebein2' and this they said at the suggestion and importunity of the ,jews1 who also watched us when we would take the body from the fire4 ,this they did1 not knowing that we can never either leave ,christ1 who suffered for the salvation of all who will be saved in all the world1 or worship any other4 ,the ,paris translation adds ut ,deum4 ,for him being the ,son of ,god we worship ,greek3 proskunumen1 but the martyrs1 as disciples and imitators of our ,lord1 we worthily love#cb1 because of their pre-eminent ,greek3 anuperblaeton good-will towards their #id own king and teacher1 with whom may we become partakers and fellow-disciples4 ,footnote #cb3 ,greek3 axios agapomen4 ,ruffinus translates it by diligimus et veneramur1 and it is so quoted by ,bellarmin4 ,the centurion1 seeing the determination of the ,jews1 placed him in the midst1 and burnt him as their manner is4 ,and thus we collecting his bones1 more valuable than precious stones1 and more esteemed than gold1 we deposited them where it was meet4 ,there1 as we are able1 collecting ourselves together in rejoicing and gladness1 the ,lord will grant to us to observe the birth-day of his martyrdom1 for the remembrance of those who have before undergone the conflict1 and for exercise and preparation of those who are to come4 ,greek3 hos dunaton haemin sunagomenois en agalliasei kai chara parexei ho ,kurios epitelein taen tou martyriou autou haemeran genethlion1 eis te ton proaethlaekoton mnaemaen1 kai ton mellonton askaesin te kai hetoimasian4 ,in this relic of primitive antiquity1 we have the prayer of a holy martyr1 at his last hour1 offered to ,god alone1 through ,christ alone4 ,here we find no allusion to any other intercessor2 no commending of the dying ,christian's soul to saint or angel4 ,here also we find an explicit declaration1 that ,christians offered religious worship to no one but ,christ1 whilst they loved the martyrs1 and kept their names in grateful remembrance1 and honoured even their ashes when the spirit had fled4 ,polycarp pleads no other merits2 he seeks no intercession2 he prays for no aid1 save only his ,redeemer's4 ,here too we find1 that the place of a martyr's burial was the place which the early ,christians loved to frequent2 but then we are expressly told with what intent they met there1--not1 as in later times1 to invoke the departed spirit of the martyr1 but to call to mind1 in grateful remembrance1 the sufferings of those who had already endured the awful struggle2 and by #ie their example to encourage and prepare other soldiers of the cross thereafter to fight the good fight of faith2 assured that they would be more than conquerors through ,him who loved them4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we have now examined those works which are regarded by us all1 whether of the ,roman or ,anglican ,church1 as the remains of apostolical fathers1--,christians who1 at the very lowest calculation1 lived close upon the ,apostles' time1 and who1 according to the firm conviction of many1 had all of them conversed with the ,apostles1 and heard the word of truth from their mouths4 ,i do from my heart rejoice with you1 that these holy men bear direct1 clear1 and irrefragable testimony to those fundamental truths which the ,church of ,rome and the ,church of ,england both hold inviolate--the doctrine of the ever-blessed ,trinity1 with its essential and inseparable concomitants1 the atonement by the blood of a crucified ,redeemer1 and the vivifying and sanctifying influences of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,supposing for a moment no trace of such fundamental doctrines could be discovered in these writings1 would not the absence of such vestige have been urged by those who differ from us1 as a strong argument that the doctrine of the ever-blessed ,trinity was an innovation of a later date2 and would not such an argument have been urged with reason8 ,how1 in plain honesty1 can we avoid coming to the same conclusion on the subject of the invocation of saints8 ,if the doctrine and the practice of praying to saints1 or to angels1 for their succour1 or even their intercession1 had been known #if and recognised1 and approved and acted upon by the ,apostles1 and those who were the very disciples of the ,apostles1 not only deriving the truth from their written works1 but having heard it from their own living tongue1--in the nature of things would not some plain1 palpable1 intelligible1 and unequivocal indications of it have appeared in such writings as these2 writings in which much is said of prayer1 of intercessory prayer1 of the one object of prayer1 of the subjects of prayer1 of the nature of prayer1 the time and place of prayer1 the spirit in which we are to offer prayer1 and the persons for whom we ought to pray8 ,does it accord with common sense1 and common experience1 with what we should expect in other cases1 with the analogy of history1 and the analogy of faith1 that we should find a profound and total silence on the subject of any prayer or invocation to saints and angels1 if prayer or invocation of saints and angels had been recognised1 approved1 and practised by the primitive ,church8 ,at the risk of repetition1 or surplusage1 ,i would beg to call your attention to one point in this argument4 ,i am far from saying that no practice is apostolical which cannot be proved from the writings of these apostolical fathers3 that would be a fallacy of an opposite kind4 ,i ground my inference specifically and directly on the fact1 that these writers are full1 and copious1 and explicit1 and cogent on the nature and duty of prayer and supplications1 as well for public as for private blessings2 and of intercessions by one ,christian for another1 and for the whole race of mankind no less than for mercy on himself2 and yet though openings of every kind palpably offered themselves for a natural introduction of the subject1 there is in no one single instance any reference or allusion to the #ig invocation of saint or angel1 as a practice either approved or even known4 ,when indeed ,i call to mind the general tendency of the natural man to multiply to himself the objects of religious worship1 and to create1 by the help of superstition1 and the delusive workings of the imagination1 a variety of unearthly beings whose wrath he must appease1 or whose favour he may conciliate2 when ,i reflect how great is the temptation in unenlightened or fraudulent teachers to accommodate the dictates of truth to the prejudices and desires of those whom they instruct1 my wonder is rather that ,christianity was so long preserved pure and uncontaminated in this respect1 than that corruptions should gradually and stealthily have mingled themselves with the simplicity of ,gospel worship4 ,that tendency is plainly evinced by the history of every nation under heaven3 ,greek and ,barbarian1 ,egyptian and ,scythian1 would have their gods many1 and their lords many4 ,from one they would look for one good2 on another they would depend for a different benefit1 in mind1 body1 and estate4 ,some were of the highest grade1 and to be worshipped with supreme honours2 others were of a lower rank1 to whom an inferior homage was addressed2 whilst a third class held a sort of middle place1 and were approached with reverence as much above the least1 as it fell short of the greatest4 ,in the heathen world you will find exact types of the dulia1 the hyperdulia1 and the latria1 with which unhappily the practical theology of modern ,christian ,rome is burdened4 ,indeed1 my wonder is1 that under the ,christian dispensation1 when the household and local gods1 the heathen's tutelary deities1 and the genii1 had been dislodged by the light of the ,gospel1 saints and angels had not at a much #ih earlier period been forced by superstition to occupy their room4 ,we shall be led to refer to some passages in the earliest ,christian writers1 especially in ,origen1 which bear immediately on this point1 representing in strong but true colours the futility of deeming a multitude of inferior divinities necessary for the dispensation of benefits throughout the universe1 whose good offices we must secure by acts of attention and worship4 ,i anticipate the circumstance in this place merely to show that the tendency of the human mind1 clinging to a variety of preternatural protectors and benefactors1 was among the obstacles with which the first preachers of the ,gospel had to struggle4 ,in the proper place ,i shall beg you to observe how hardly possible it would have been for those early ,christian writers1 to whom ,i have referred above1 to express themselves in so strong1 so sweeping1 and so unqualified a manner1 had the practice of applying by invocation to saints and angels then been prevalent among the disciples of the ,cross4 ,we may1 ,i believe1 safely conclude1 that in these primitive writings1 which are called the works of the ,apostolical ,fathers1 there is no intimation that the present belief and practice of the ,church of ,rome were received1 or even known by ,christians4 ,the evidence is all the other way4 ,indeed1 ,bellarmin1 though he appeals to these remains for other purposes1 and boldly asserts that all the fathers1 ,greek and ,latin1 with unanimous consent1 sanction and teach the adoration of saints and angels1 yet does not refer to a single passage in any one of these remains for establishing this point4 ,he cites a clause from the spurious work strangely ascribed to ,dionysius the ,areopagite1 which was the forged production1 as the learned are all #ii agreed1 of some centuries later2 and he cites a pious sentiment of ,ignatius1 expressing his hope that by martyrdom he might go to ,christ1 and thence he infers that ,ignatius believed in the immediate transfer of the soul from this life to glory and happiness in heaven1 though ,ignatius refers there distinctly to the resurrection4 ,epist4 ad ,rom4 c4 iv4 ,see above1 p4 #ij4 ,but ,bellarmin cites no passage whatever from these remains to countenance the doctrine and practice of the adoration of saints and angels4 #ajj 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,section ,i4--,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,justin ,,martyr4 ,justin1 who flourished about the year #aej1 was trained from his early youth in all the learning of ,greece and of ,egypt4 ,he was born in ,palestine1 of heathen parents2 and after a patient examination of the evidences of ,christianity1 and a close comparison of them with the systems of philosophy with which he had long been familiar1 he became a disciple of the ,cross4 ,in those systems he found nothing solid1 or satisfactory2 nothing on which his mind could rest4 ,in the ,gospel he gained all that his soul yearned for1 as a being destined for immortal life1 conscious of that destiny1 and longing for its accomplishment4 ,his understanding was convinced1 and his heart was touched2 and regardless of every worldly consideration1 and devoted to the cause of truth1 he openly embraced ,christianity2 and before kings and people1 ,jews and ,gentiles1 he pleaded the religion of the crucified ,one with unquenchable zeal and astonishing power4 ,the evidence of such a man on any doctrine #aja connected with our ,christian faith must be looked to with great interest4 ,in the volumes which contain ,justin's works we find ,books of ,questions1 in which many inquiries1 doubts1 and objections1 as well of ,jews as of ,gentiles1 are stated and answered4 ,it is agreed on all sides that these are not the genuine productions of ,justin1 but the work of a later hand4 ,bellarmin appeals to them1 acknowledging at the same time their less remote origin4 ,the evidence1 indeed1 appears very strong1 which would lead us to regard them as the composition of a ,syrian ,christian1 and assign to them the date of the fifth century2 and as offering indications of the opinions of ,christians at the time of their being put together1 they are certainly interesting documents4 ,when fairly quoted1 the passages alleged in defence of the invocation of saints1 so far from countenancing the practice1 assail irresistibly that principle1 which1 with other writers1 ,bellarmin himself confesses to be the foundation of that doctrine4 ,for these ,books of ,questions assert that the souls of the faithful are not yet in glory with ,god1 but are reserved in a separate state1 apart from the wicked1 awaiting the great day of final and universal doom4 ,in answer to ,question #fj1 the author distinctly says3--,before the resurrection the recompense is not made for the things done in this life by each individual4 ,qustiones et ,responsiones ad ,orthodoxos1 p4 #dfd4 ,in reply to the #geth ,question1 inquiring into the condition of man after death1 this very remarkable answer is returned3-- ,the same relative condition which souls have with the body now1 they have not after the departure from the body4 ,for here all the circumstances of the union #ajb are in common to the just and the unjust1 and no difference is in them in this respect1--as to be born and to die1 to be in health and to be in sickness1 to be rich and to be poor1 and the other points of this nature4 ,but after the departure from the body1 forthwith takes place the distinction of the just and the unjust3 for they are conducted by the angels to places corresponding with their deserts3 the souls of the just to paradise1 where is the company and the sight of angels and archangels1 and also1 by vision1 of the ,saviour ,christ1 according to what is said1 ',being absent from the body1 and present with the ,lord2' and the souls of the unjust to the places in hades1 according to what is said of ,nebucodonosor king of ,babylon1 ',hades from beneath hath been embittered1 meeting thee4'--,and in the places corresponding with their deserts they are kept in ward unto the day of the resurrection and of retribution4 ,page #dfi4 ,i much regret to observe that ,bellarmin omits to quote the latter part of this passage1 stopping short with an c4 at the words hades1 or inferorum loca1 although the whole of the writer's testimony in it turns upon the very last clause4 ,bellarmin1 c4 iv4 p4 #hea4 ,improborum autem ad inferorum loca4 ,the next question 7#gf7 runs thus3 ,if the retribution of our deeds does not take place before the resurrection1 what advantage accrued to the thief that his soul was introduced into paradise2 especially since paradise is an object of sense1 and the substance of the soul is not an object of sense8 ,answer4 ,it was an advantage to the thief entering into paradise to learn by fact the benefits of the faith by which he was deemed worthy of the assembly of the #ajc saints1 in which he is kept till the day of judgment and restitution2 and he has the perception of paradise by that which is called intellectual perception1 by which souls see both themselves and the things under them1 and moreover also the angels and demons4 ,for a soul doth not perceive or see a soul1 nor an angel an angel1 nor a demon a demon2 except that according to the said intellectual perception they see both themselves and each other1 and moreover also all corporeal objects4 ,page #dgj4 ,on this same point ,i must here subjoin a passage from one of ,justin's own undisputed works4 ,in his ,dialogue with ,trypho the ,jew1 sect4 #e1 he says1 ,nevertheless ,i do not say that souls all die2 for that were in truth a boon to the wicked4 ,but what8 ,that the souls of the pious remain somewhere in a better place1 and the unjust and wicked in a worse1 waiting for the time of judgment1 when it shall be3 thus the one appearing worthy of ,god do not die any more2 and the others are punished as long as ,god wills them both to exist and to be punished4 ,page #ajg4 ,not only so2 ,justin classes among renouncers of the faith those who maintain the doctrine which is now acknowledged to be the doctrine of the ,church of ,rome1 and to be indispensable as the groundwork of the adoration of saints4 ,in his ,trypho1 sect4 #hj1 he states his sentiment thus strongly3 ,if you should meet with any persons called ,christians1 who confess not this1 but dare to blaspheme the ,god of ,abraham1 the ,god of ,isaac1 and the ,god of ,jacob1 and say there is no resurrection of the dead 7,greek3 nekron71 but that their souls1 at the very time of their death1 are taken up into heaven2 do not regard them as ,christians4 ,page #agh4 #ajd ,this1 according to ,bellarmin's own principle1 is fatal evidence3 if the redeemed and the saints departed are not in glory with ,god already1 they cannot intercede with him for men4 ,on the subject1 however1 of worship and prayer1 ,justin ,martyr has left us some testimonies as to the primitive practice1 full of interest in themselves1 independently of their bearing on the points at issue4 ,at the same time ,i am not aware of a single expression which can be so construed as to imply the doctrine or practice among ,christians of invoking the souls of the faithful4 ,he speaks of public and private prayer2 he offers prayer1 but the prayer of which he speaks1 and the prayer which he offers are to ,god alone2 and he alludes to no advocate or intercessor in heaven1 except only the eternal ,son of ,god himself4 ,in his first ,apologia 7or ,defence addressed to the ,emperor ,antoninus ,pius7 he thus describes the proceedings at the baptism of a convert3-- ,now1 we will explain to you how we dedicate ourselves to ,god1 being made new by ,christ4444 ,as many as are persuaded1 and believe the things which by us are taught and declared to be true1 and who promise that they can so live1 are taught to pray and implore1 with fasting1 forgiveness of ,god for their former sins1 we ourselves joining with them in fasting and prayer2 and then they are taken by us to a place where there is water1 and by the same manner of regeneration as we ourselves were regenerated1 they are regenerated2 for they undergo this washing in the water in the name of ,god the ,father and ,lord of all1 and of our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,apol4 i4 sect #fa1 page #gi4 ,the following is his description of the ,christian #aje ,eucharist1 subsequently to the baptism of a convert3 ,afterwards we conduct him to those who are called brethren1 where they are assembled together to offer earnestly our united prayers for ourselves and for the enlightened one the newly baptized convert1 and for all others every where1 that we1 having learned the truth1 may be thought worthy to be found in our deeds good livers1 and keepers of the commandments1 that we may be saved with the everlasting salvation4 ,having ceased from prayers1 we salute each other with a kiss2 and then bread is brought to him who presides over the brethren1 and a cup of water and wine2 and he taking it1 sends up prayer and praise to the ,father of all1 through the name of the ,son and the ,holy ,spirit2 and offers much thanksgiving for our being thought by him worthy of these things4 ,when he has finished the prayers and thanksgivings1 all the people present respond1 saying1 ',amen4' ,now1 ,amen in the ,hebrew tongue means1 ',so be it4' ,and when the presider has given thanks1 and all the people have responded1 those who are called ,deacons among us give to every one present to partake of the bread and wine and water that has been blessed1 and take some away for those who were not present4 ,sect4 #fe4 p4 #hb4 ,the following is ,justin's account of their worship on the ,lord's day3 ,in all our oblations we bless the ,creator of all things1 through his ,son ,jesus ,christ1 and through the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and upon the day called ,sunday1 there is an assembly of all who dwell in the several cities or in the country1 in one place where the records of the apostles1 or the writings of the prophets are read1 as time allows4 ,when the reader has ceased1 #ajf the presider makes a discourse for the edification of the people1 and to animate them to the practice of such excellent things or the imitation of such excellent persons4 ,at the conclusion we all rise up together and pray2 and1 as we have said1 when we have ceased from prayer1 the bread and wine and water are brought forward1 and the presider sends up prayer and thanksgiving alike1 to the utmost of his power4 ,and the people respond1 saying1 ,amen4 ,and then is made to each the distribution and participation of the consecrated elements 7,greek3 eucharistauthenton74 ,and of those who have the means and will1 each according to his disposition gives what he will2 and the collected sum is deposited with the presider1 and he aids the orphans and widows1 and those who through sickness or other cause are in need1 and those in bonds1 and strangers2 and1 in a word1 he becomes the reliever of all who are in want4 ,sect4 #fg4 p4 #hc4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in ,justin ,martyr ,i am unable to find even a single vestige of the invocation of ,saints4 ,with regard to ,angels1 however1 there is a very celebrated passage1 to which ,bellarmin and others appeal1 as conclusive evidence that the worship of them prevailed among ,christians in his time1 and was professed by ,justin himself4 ,justin1 in his first ,apology1 having stated that the ,christians could never be induced to worship the demons1 whom the heathen worshipped and invoked1 proceeds thus#cc3 ,whence also we are called ,atheists1 #ajg men without ,god2 and we confess that with regard to such supposed gods we are atheists1 but not so with regard to the most true ,god1 the ,father of justice and temperance1 and of the other virtues without any mixture of evil4 ,but both ,,him and the ,,son1 who came from ,him1 and taught these things to us1 and ,,the ,,host ,,of ,,the ,,other ,,good ,,angels ,,accompanying ,,and ,,made ,,like1 and ,,the ,,prophetic ,,spirit1 we reverence and worship1 honouring them in reason and truth2 and without grudging1 delivering the doctrine to every one who is willing to learn as we were taught4 ,page #dg4 ,governing the words the host of the other good angels1 as much as the words ,him and ,his ,son1 and the prophetic ,spirit1 by the verbs we reverence and worship1 ,bellarmin and others#cd maintain1 that ,justin bears testimony in this passage to the worship of angels4 ,that this cannot be the true interpretation of ,justin's words will be acknowledged1 ,i think1 by every ,catholic1 whether ,anglican or ,roman1 when he contemplates it in all its naked plainness2 all will revolt from it as impious and contrary to the principles professed by the most celebrated and honoured among ,roman ,catholic writers4 ,this interpretation of the passage1 when analysed1 implies the awful thought1 that we ,christians pay to the host of angels1 ,god's ministers and our own fellow-servants1 the same reverence1 worship1 and honour which we pay to the supreme ,father1 and his ever-blessed ,son1 and the ,holy ,spirit1 without any difference or inequality4 ,no principles of interpretation can avoid that inference4 ,footnote #cc3 ,the genuineness of this passage has been doubted4 ,but ,i see no ground for suspicion that it is spurious4 ,it is found in the manuscripts of ,justin's works2 of which the most ancient perhaps are in the ,king's ,library in ,paris4 ,i examined one there of a remote date4 ,footnote #cd3 ,the ,benedictine ,editor puts this note in the margin1 ,justin teaches that angels following the ,son are worshipped by ,christians4--,preface1 p4 xxi4 #ajh ,him the most true ,father of righteousness we reverence and worship1 honouring him in reason and truth4 ,the ,son who came from him1 and taught us these things1 we reverence and worship1 honouring him in reason and truth4 ,the army of the other good angels accompanying and assimilated1 we reverence and worship1 honouring them in reason and truth4 ,the ,prophetic ,spirit we reverence and worship1 honouring him in reason and truth4 ,is it possible to conceive that any ,christian would thus ascribe the same religious worship to a host of ,god's creatures1 which he would ascribe to ,god1 as ,,god8 ,we are accused1 said ,justin1 of being atheists1 of having no ,god4 ,how can this be8 ,we do not worship your false gods1 but we have our own most true ,god4 ,we are not without a ,god4 ,we have the ,father1 and the ,son1 and the ,good ,angels1 and the ,holy ,spirit4 ,if ,justin meant that they honoured the good angels1 but not as ,,god1 that would be no answer to those who called the ,christians atheists4 ,the charge was1 that they had no ,god4 ,the answer is1 ,we have a ,god2 and then ,justin describes the ,god of ,christians4 ,can the army of angels be included in that description8 ,if they are1 then they are made to share in the adoration1 worship1 homage1 and reverence of the one only ,god ,most ,high2 if they are not1 then ,justin does not answer the objectors#ce4 ,footnote #ce3 ,and surely if ,justin had intended to represent the holy angels as objects of religious worship1 he would not so violently have thrust the mention of them among the ,persons of the ever-blessed ,trinity1 assigning to them a place between the second and third ,persons of the eternal hypostatic union4 #aji ,to evade this charge of impiety1 some writers 7among others1 ,m4 ,maran1 the ,benedictine editor of ,justin17 have attempted to draw a distinction between the two verbs in this passage1 alleging that the lower degree of reverence expressed by the latter applies to the angels2 whilst the former verb1 implying the higher degree of worship1 alone relates to the ,godhead4 ,but this distinction rests on a false assumption2 the two words being used equally to convey the idea1 of the highest religious worship#cf4 ,footnote #cf3 ,for example1 the first word 7,greek3 sebometha71 we reverence1 is used to mean the whole of religious worship1 as well with regard to the true ,god1 as with reference to ,diana ,acts xviii4 #g4 #ac2 xix4 #bg42 whilst the second word 7,greek3 proskunoumen71 we worship1 is constantly employed in the same sense of divine worship1 throughout the ,septuagint ,exod4 xxxiv4 #ad4 ,ps4 xciv4 7xcv47 #f4 ,i ,sam4 7#a ,kings7 xv4 #be4 #b ,kings 7#d ,kings7 xvii4 #cf4 ,heb4 i4 #f41 7with which ,justin was most familiar17 and is used in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews to signify the worship due from the angels themselves to ,god1 ,let all the angels of ,god worship him4 ,the very same word is also soon after employed by ,justin himself 7sect4 xvi4 p4 #ec7 to mean the whole entire worship of the ,most ,high ,god3 ,that we ought to worship 7,greek3 proskumein7 ,god alone1 ,christ thus proves1 c4 ,moreover1 the word which ,justin uses at the close of the sentence1 honouring them 7,greek3 timontes71 is the identical word four times employed by ,st4 ,john ,john v4 #bc41 in the same verse1 to record our ,saviour's saying1 ,that all men might honour the ,son1 even as they honour the ,father2 he that honoureth not the ,son1 honoureth not the ,father1 who hath sent him4 ,but in determining the true meaning of an obscure passage1 grammatically susceptible of different acceptations1 the author himself is often his own best interpreter4 ,if he has expressed in another place the same leading sentiment1 yet without the same obscurity1 and free from all doubt1 the light borrowed from that passage #aaj will frequently fix the sense of the ambiguous expression1 and establish the author's consistency4 ,on this acknowledged principle of criticism1 ,i would call your attention to a passage in the very same treatise of ,justin1 a few pages further on1 in which he again defends the ,christians against the same charge of being atheists1 and on the self-same ground1 that they worship the ,father who is maker of all2 secondly1 the ,son proceeding from ,him2 and thirdly1 the ,holy ,spirit4 ,in both cases he refers to the same attributes of the ,son as the teacher of ,christian truth1 and of the ,holy ,ghost1 as the ,prophetic ,spirit4 ,his language throughout the two passages is remarkably similar1 and in the expressions on the true meaning of which we have already dwelt1 it is most strikingly identical2 but by omitting all allusion to the angels after the ,son1 his own words proving that the introduction of them could have no place there1 7for he specifies that the third in order was the ,holy ,spirit17 ,justin has left us a comment on the passage under consideration conclusive as to the object of religious worship in his creed4 ,the whole passage is well worth the attention of the reader4 ,the following extracts are the only parts necessary for our present purpose3-- ,who of sound mind will not confess that we are not ,atheists1 reverencing as we do the ,maker of the ,universe4444 and ,him1 who taught us these things1 and who was born for this purpose1 ,jesus ,christ1 crucified under ,pontius ,pilate4444 instructed1 as we are1 that ,he is the ,son of the ,true ,god1 and holding ,him in the second place2 and the ,prophetic ,spirit in the third order1 we with reason honour4 ,sect4 xiii4 p4 #ej4 #aaa ,the impiety apparently inseparable from ,bellarmin's interpretation has induced many1 even among ,roman ,catholic writers1 to discard that acceptation altogether1 and to substitute others1 which1 though involving no grammatical inaccuracy1 are still not free from difficulty4#cg ,after weighing the passage with all the means in my power1 and after testing the various interpretations offered by writers1 whether of the ,church of ,rome or not1 by the sentiments of ,justin himself1 and others of the same early age1 ,i am fully persuaded that the following is the only true rendering of ,justin's words3 ,honouring in reason and truth1 we reverence and worship ,,him1 the ,father of ,righteousness1 and the ,son 7who proceeded from ,him1 and instructed in these things both ourselves and the host of the other good angels following ,him and being made like unto ,him71 and the ,prophetic ,spirit4 ,footnote #cg3 ,le ,nourry 7,apparatus ad ,bibliothecam ,maximam ,veterum ,patrum4 ,paris1 #afig4 vol4 ii4 p4 #cje71 himself a ,benedictine1 rejects ,bellarmin's and his brother ,benedictine ,maran's interpretation1 and conceives ,justin to mean1 that the ,son of ,god not only taught us those truths to which he was referring1 with regard to the being and attributes of ,god1 but also taught us that there were hosts of spiritual beings1 called ,angels2 good beings1 opposed to the demons of paganism4 ,bishop ,kaye1 in his excellent work on ,justin ,martyr1 which the reader will do well to consult 7p4 #ec71 tells us he was sometimes inclined to think that ,justin referred to the host of good angels who should surround the ,son of ,god when he should come to judge the world4 ,the view adopted by myself here was recommended by ,grabe and by ,langus1 called ,the ,interpreter of ,justin2 whilst ,petavius1 a ,jesuit1 though he does not adopt it1 yet acknowledges that the ,greek admits of our interpretation4 ,any one who would pursue the subject further may with advantage consult the preface to the ,benedictine edition referred to in this work4 ,lumper ,hist4 ,part ii4 p4 #bbe4 ,august ,vindelicorum1 #aghd4 ,petavius1 ,theologicorum ,dogmatum tom4 vi4 p4 #bih4 lib4 xv4 c4 v4 s4 #e4 ,antwerp1 #agjj4 ,the whole passage is thus rendered by ,langus 7as read in ,lumper71 ,verum hunc ipsum1 et qui ab eo venit1 atque ista nos et aliorum obsequentium exquatorumque ad ejus voluntatem bonorum ,angelorum exercitura docuit1 ,filium1 et ,spiritum ejus propheticum1 colimus et adoramus4 ,this interpretation is strongly confirmed by the professed sentiments both of ,justin and of his contemporaries1 #aab with regard to the ,son of ,god and the holy angels4 ,it was a principle generally received among the early ,christians1 that whatever the ,almighty did1 either by creation or by the communication of his will1 on earth or in heaven1 was done by the ,eternal ,word4 ,it was ,god the ,son1 the ,logos1 who created the angels#ch1 as well as ourselves2 it was ,he who spoke to ,moses1 to ,abraham1 and to ,lot2 and it was ,he who conveyed the ,supreme will1 and the knowledge of the only true ,god1 to the inhabitants of the world of spirits4 ,agreeably to this principle1 in the passage under consideration1 ,justin affirms 7not that ,christians revered and worshipped the angels1 but71 that ,god the ,son1 whom ,christians worshipped as the eternal ,prophet1 ,angel1 and ,apostle1 of the ,most ,high1 instructed not only us men on earth1 but also the host of heavenly angels#ci1 in these eternal verities1 #aac which embrace ,god's nature and the duty of his creatures4 ,trypho1 #ada4 p4 #bca4 ,footnote #ch3 ,thus ,tatian 7p4 #bdi in the same edition of ,justin71 ,before men were prepared1 the ,word was the ,maker of angels4 ,footnote #ci3 ,the ,,other good angels4 ,justin 7,apol4 i4 sect4 lxiii4 p4 #ha47 reminds us that ,christ1 the first-begotten of the ,father1 ,himself ,god1 was also an ,angel 7or ,messenger71 and an ,apostle2 and here ,christ1 as the ,angel of the ,covenant and the chief ,apostle1 is represented as instructing ,,the ,,other ,,angels in the truths of the economy of grace1 just as he instructed his ,apostles on earth1--,as my ,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i you4 ,it is evident that ,justin himself considered the host of angels to be equally with ourselves in a state of probation1 requiring divine instruction1 and partaking of it4 ,it is also evident that many of his contemporaries entertained the same views2 among others1 ,irenus and ,origen4 ,irenus1 book ii4 c4 #cj4 p4 #afc4 ,origen1 ,hom4 xxxii4 in ,joann4 #aj4 vol4 iv4 p4 #dcj4 ,i will not swell this dissertation by quoting the passages at length2 though the passages referred to in the margin will well repay any one's careful examination4 ,but ,i cannot refrain from extracting the words in which each of those writers confirms the view here taken of ,justin's sentiments4 ,irenus1 for example1 says distinctly1 ,the ,son ever1 anciently and from the beginning co-existing with the ,father1 always reveals the ,father both to angels and archangels1 and powers1 and excellencies1 and to all to whom ,god wishes to make a revelation#dj4 ,and not less distinctly does ,origen assert the same thing1--,our ,saviour therefore teaches1 and the ,holy ,spirit1 #aad who spake in the prophets1 teaches not only men1 but also angels and invisible excellencies4 ,footnote #dj3 ,so far did some of the early ,christians include the hosts of angels within the covenant of the ,gospel1 that ,ignatius 7,epist4 ad ,smyrn4 #f4 p4 #cf47 does not hesitate to pronounce that the angels incur the ,divine judgment1 if they do not receive the doctrine of the atonement3 ,let no one be deceived4 ,the things in heaven1 and the glory of angels1 and the powers visible and invisible1 if they do not believe on the blood of ,christ--for them is judgment4 ,they seem to have founded their opinion on the declaration of ,st4 ,paul 7,eph4 iii4 #aj73 ,that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be made known through the ,church the manifold wisdom of ,god4 ,i will only add one more ancient authority1 in confirmation of the view here taken of ,justin's words4 ,the passage is from ,athenagoras#da and seems to be the exact counterpart of ,justin's paragraph4 ,footnote #da3 ,athenagoras presented his defence1 in which these words occur1 to the ,emperor ,marcus ,aurelius1 and his son ,commodus1 in the year #agg4 ,who would not wonder on hearing us called ,atheists8 we who call the ,father ,god1 and the ,son ,god1 and the ,holy ,ghost1 showing both their power in the unity1 and their distinction in order4 ,nor does our theology rest here2 but we say1 moreover1 that there is a multitude of angels and ministers whom ,god1 the ,maker and ,creator of the world1 ,,by ,,the ,,word ,,proceeding ,,from ,,him1 distributed and appointed1 both about the elements1 and the heavens1 and the world1 and the things therein1 and the good order thereof4 ,sect4 #aj4 p4 #bhg4 edit4 ,just4 ,mart4 ,i have already stated my inability to discover a single word in ,justin ,martyr which could be brought to sanction the invocation of saints2 but his testimony is far from being merely negative4 ,he admonishes us strongly against our looking to any other being for help or assistance1 than to ,god only4 ,even when speaking of those who confide in their own strength1 and fortune1 and other sources of good1 he says1 in perfect unison with the pervading principles and associations of his whole mind1 as far as we can read them in his works1 without any modification or any exception in favour of saint or angel3 ,in that ,christ #aae said1 ',thou art my ,god1 go not far from me1' ,he at the same time taught1 that all persons ought to hope in ,god1 who made all things1 and seek for safety and health from ,him alone ,trypho1 #ajb1 p4 #aig4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ii4--,,iren,,us4 ,justin sealed his faith by his blood about the year #afe2 and next to him1 in the noble army of martyrs1 we must examine the evidence of ,irenus1 ,bishop of ,lyons4 ,of this writer's works a very small proportion survives in the original ,greek2 but that little is such as might well make every scholar and divine lament the calamity which theology and literature have sustained by the loss of the author's own language4 ,it is not perhaps beyond the range of hope that future researches may yet recover at least some part of the treasure4 ,meanwhile we must avail ourselves with thankfulness of the nervous though inelegant copy of that original1 which the ,latin translation affords2 imperfect and corrupt in many parts1 as that copy evidently is4 ,this1 however1 is not the place for recommending a study of the remains of ,irenus2 and every one at all acquainted with the literature of the early ,church1 knows well how valuable a store of ancient ,christian learning is preserved even in the wreck of his works4 ,on the subject of the invocation of saints1 an appeal #aaf has been made only to a few passages in ,irenus4 ,with regard1 indeed1 to one section1 ,i would gladly have been spared the duty of commenting upon the unjustifiable mode of citing his evidence adopted by ,bellarmin4 ,it forces upon our notice an example either of such inaccuracy of quotation as would shake our confidence in him as an author1 or of such misrepresentation as must lower him in our estimation as a man of integrity4 ,bellarmin asserts1 building upon it as the very foundation-stone of his argument for the invocation of saints1 that the souls of the saints are removed immediately on their dissolution by death1 without waiting for the day of judgment1 into the presence of ,god1 and the enjoyment of ,,him in heaven4 ,this point1 he says1 must first be established2 for if they are not already in the presence of ,god1 they cannot pray for us1 and prayer to them would be preposterous4 ,bell4 lib4 i4 c4 #d4 vol4 ii4 p4 #hea4 ,among the authorities cited by him to establish this point is the evidence of ,irenus 7book i4 c4 #b74 ,see ,benedictine ed1 ,paris1 #agaj4 book i4 c4 #aj4 p4 #dh4 ,bellarmin quotes that passage in these words3 ,to the just and righteous1 and to those who keep his commandments1 and persevere in his love1 some indeed from the beginning but some from repentance1 he giving life ,,confers by way of gift incorruption1 and ,,clothes them with eternal glory4 ,to the quotation he appends this note ,mark 'to some' that is1 to those who presently after baptism die1 or who lay down their life for ,christ2 or finally to the perfect is given immediately life and eternal glory2 to others not1 except after repentance1 that is1 satisfaction made in another world#db4 ,footnote #db3 ,agreeably to the principles laid down in my preface1 ,i will not here allude to the doctrine of purgatory1 on which ,bellarmin considers this passage to bear2 nor will ,i say one word on the intermediate state of the soul between death and the resurrection1 on which ,i am now showing that the words of ,irenus cannot at all be made to bear4 #aag ,here ,i am compelled to confess that ,i never found a more palpable misquotation of an author than this4 ,i will readily grant that ,bellarmin may have quoted from memory1 or have borrowed from some corrupt version of the passage2 and that he has unintentionally changed the moods of two verbs from the subjunctive to the indicative1 and inadvertently changed the entire construction and the sense of the passage4 ,but then what becomes of his authority as a writer citing testimony8 ,irenus in this passage is speaking not of what our ,lord does now1 but what he will do at the last day2 he refers only to the second coming of ,christ to judgment at the final consummation of all things1 not using a single expression which can be made by fair criticism to have any reference whatever to the condition of souls on their separation from the body4 ,i have consulted the old editions1 some at least published before the date of ,bellarmin's work2 the suggestion offering itself to my mind1 that perhaps the ancient translation was in error1 from which he might have quoted4 ,but ,i cannot find that to have been the case4 ,the old ,latin version of this passage agreeing very closely with the ,greek still preserved in ,epiphanius1 and quoted by ,roman ,catholic writers as authentic1 conveys this magnificent though brief summary of the ,christian faith3 ,the ,church spread throughout the whole world1 even to the ends of the earth1 received both from the ,apostles and their disciples that faith which is in one #aah ,god omnipotent1 who made heaven and earth1 the sea1 and all things therein1 and in one ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 for our salvation made flesh1 and in the ,holy ,ghost1 who by the prophets announced the dispensations 7of ,god#dc71 and the ,advent1 and the being born of a ,virgin1 and the suffering1 and the resurrection from the dead1 and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 and his coming from heaven in the glory of the ,father for the consummation of all things1 and for raising again all flesh of the human race1 ,,that1 in order that 7,greek3 ina71 to ,christ ,jesus our ,lord and ,god1 and ,saviour and ,king1 according to the good pleasure of the invisible ,father1 every knee should bow of things in heaven and in earth1 and under the earth1 and that every tongue should confess to ,him1 and that he should execute just judgment on all3 that he should send the spirits of wickedness1 and the transgressing and rebel angels1 and the impious and unjust1 and wicked and blaspheming men into eternal fire2 but to the just and righteous1 and to those who keep his commandments1 and persevere in his love1--some indeed from the beginning1 and some from their repentance1--he granting life1 by way of gift1 ,,should ,,confer incorruption1 and ,,should ,,clothe them with eternal glory4 ,hres4 xxxi4 c4 #cj4 ,footnote #dc3 ,the words of ,god are in the ,latin1 but not in the ,greek4 ,the words1 some from the beginning1 others from their repentance1 can refer only to the two conditions of believers2 some of whom have grace to keep the commandments1 and persevere in the love of ,god from the beginning of their ,christian course1 whilst others1 for a time1 transgress and wax cold in love1 but by repentance1 through ,god's grace1 are renewed and #aai restored to their former state of obedience and love4 ,on both these classes of ,christians1 according to the faith as here summed up by ,irenus1 our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 when ,he comes in glory for the consummation of all things1 and for the resurrection of the dead1 will confer glory and immortality4 ,no ingenuity of criticism can extract from this passage any allusion to the intercession of saints1 or to their being with ,god before the end of the world#dd4 ,but ,i am not #abj here condemning ,bellarmin's untenable criticism3 what ,i lament is the negligence or the disingenuousness with which he misquotes the words of ,irenus1 and makes him say what he never did say4 ,to extract from an author's words1 correctly reported1 a meaning which he did not intend to convey1 however reprehensible and unworthy a follower of truth1 is one act of injustice3 to report him1 whether wilfully or carelessly1 as using words which he never did use1 is far worse4 ,footnote #dd3 ,it will be well to see the words of ,bellarmin and those of the translation side by side3 7,transcriber's note3 ,they are shown here one after the other47 ,bellarmin lib4 i4 c4 iv4 p4 #hea4 ,quartus ,irenus1 lib4 i4 c4 #b4 ',justis1 inquit1 et quis1 et prcepta ejus servantibus et in dilectione perseverantibus1 quibusdam quidem ab initio1 quibusdam autem ex poenitentia1 vitam donans1 incorruptelam loco muneris ,,confert1 et claritatem ternam ,,circumdat4' ,nota 'quibusdam1' id est1 iis qui mox a ,baptismo moriuntur1 vel qui pro ,christo vitam ponunt2 vel denique perfectis statim donari vitam et claritatem ternam2 aliis non nisi post poenitentiam1 id est1 satisfactionem in futuro sculo actam4 ,latin ,translation4 ,et de coelis in gloria ,patris adventum ejus ad recapitulanda universa et resuscitandam omnem carnem humani generis1 ,,ut ,christo ,jesu ,domino nostro et ,deo1 et ,salvatori1 et ,regi1 secundum placitum ,patris invisibilis1 'omne genu curvet coelestium1 et terrestrium1 et infernorum1 et omnis lingua confiteatur ei1' et judicium justum in omnibus faciat2 spiritalia quidem nequiti1 et angelos transgresses1 atque apostatas factos1 et impios et injustos et iniquos1 et blasphemos homines in ternum ignem mittat2--,justis autem et quis et prcepta ejus servantibus et in dilectione ejus perseverantibus1 quibusdam quidem ab initio1 quibusdam autem ex poenitentia1 vitam donans1 incorruptelam loco muneris ,,conferat1 et claritatem ternam ,,circumdet4--,ireni liber i4 cap4 x4 p4 #dh4 ,interpretatio ,vetus4 ,another expression of ,irenus is appealed to by ,bellarmin1 and continues to be cited at the present day in defence of the invocation of saints2 the precise bearing of which upon the subject ,i confess myself unable to see1 whilst ,i am very far from understanding the passage from which it is an extract4 ,bellarmin cites the passage not to show that the saints in glory pray for us1--that argument he had dismissed before1--but to prove that they are to be invoked by us4 ,the insulated passage as quoted by him is this3 ,and as she 7,eve7 was induced to fly from ,god1 so she 7,mary7 was persuaded to obey ,god1 that of the ,virgin ,eve the ,virgin ,mary might become the advocate4 ,after the quotation he says1 ,what can be clearer8 ,benedict1 lib4 v4 cap4 xix4 p4 #caf4 ,in whatever sense we may suppose ,irenus to have employed the word here translated advocata1 it is difficult to see how the circumstance of ,mary becoming the advocate of ,eve1 who lived so many generations before her1 can bear upon the question1 ,is it lawful and right for us1 now dwelling on the earth1 to invoke those saints whom we believe to be in heaven8 ,i will not dwell on the argument urged very cogently by some critics on this passage1 that the word advocata1 found #aba in the ,latin version of ,irenus1 is the translation of the original word1 now lost ,greek3 paraklaetos--paraclete1 which1 by the early writers1 was used for comforter and consoler1 or restorer2 because1 as ,i have above intimated1 whatever may have been the word employed by ,irenus1 the passage proves nothing as to the lawfulness of our praying to the saints4 ,if the angels at ,god's bidding minister unto the heirs of salvation2 or further1 if they plead our cause with ,god1 that would be no reason why we should invoke them and pray to them4 ,this distinction between what they may do for us1 and what we ought to do with regard to them1 is an essential distinction1 and must not be lost sight of4 ,we shall have occasion hereafter to refer to it repeatedly1 especially in the instances of ,origen and ,cyprian4 ,i will now do no more than copy in a note the entire passage from which the sentence now under consideration has been extracted1 that the reader may judge whether on such a passage1 the original of which1 in whatever words ,irenus may have expressed himself1 is utterly lost1 any reliance can satisfactorily be placed4 7,manifeste itaque in sua propria venientem ,dominum et sua propria eum bajulantem conditione qu bajulatur ab ipso1 et recapitulationem ejus qu in ligno fuit inobedienti per eam qu in ligno est obedientiam facientem1 et seductionem illam solutam qua seducta est male illa1 qu jam viro destinata erat virgo ,eva1 per veritatem evangelizata est bene ab angelo jam sub viro virgo ,maria4 ,quemadmodum enim illa per angeli sermonem seducta est ut effugeret ,deum prvaricata verbum ejus1 ita et hc per angelicum sermonem evangelizata est ut portaret ,deum obediens ejus verbo4 ,et si ea inobedierat ,deo1 sed hc suasa est obedire ,deo1 uti virginis ,ev virgo ,maria fieret advocata4 ,et quemadmodum astrictum est morti genus humanum per virginem1 salvatur per virginem1 qua lance disposita virginalis inobedientia per virginalem obedientiam4 ,adhuc enim protoplasti peccatum per correptionem primogeniti emendationem accipiens1 et serpentis prudentia devicta in columb simplicitate1 vinculis autem illis resolutis1 per qu alligati eramus morti4 ,st4 ,augustin 7,paris1 #afij4 vol4 x4 p4 #ejj47 refers to the latter part of this passage1 as implying the doctrine of original sin2 but since his quotation does not embrace any portion of the clause at present under our consideration1 no additional light from him is thrown on the meaning of ,irenus47 #abb ,but passages occur in ,irenus1 which seem to leave doubt1 that neither in faith nor in practice would he countenance in the very lowest degree the adoration of saints and angels1 or any invocation of them4 ,for example1 in one part of his works we read1 ,nor does it the ,church do any thing by invocations of angels1 nor by incantations1 nor other depraved and curious means1 but with cleanliness1 purity1 and openness1 directing prayers to the ,lord who made all things1 and calling upon the name of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 it exercises its powers for the benefit1 and not for the seducing1 of mankind4 ,benedictine ,ed4 lib4 ii4 c4 #cb4 #e4 p4 #aff4 ,it has been said that1 by angelic invocations1 ,irenus means the addresses to evil angels and genii1 such as the heathen superstitiously made4 ,be it so2 though that is a mere assumption1 not warranted by the passage or its context4 ,but1 surely1 had ,irenus known that ,christians prayed to angels1 as well as to their ,maker and their ,saviour1 he would not have used such an unguarded expression2 he would have cautioned his readers against so serious1 but so natural1 a misapprehension of his meaning4 ,with one more reference1 we must bring our inquiry into the testimony of ,irenus to a close4 ,the passage occurs in the fifth book1 chapter #ca4 ,benedict4 lib4 v4 c4 #cb4 #b4 p1 #cca4 ,the principal and most important1 though not the longest1 part of #abc the passage is happily still found in the original ,greek1 preserved in the ,parallels of ,damascenus4 ,in its plain1 natural1 and unforced sense1 this passage is so decidedly conclusive on the question at issue1 that various attempts have been made to explain away its meaning1 so as not to represent ,irenus as believing that the souls of departed saints1 between their death and the day of judgment1 exist otherwise than in bliss and glory in heaven4 ,but those attempts have been altogether unsuccessful4 ,i believe the view here presented to us by the plain and obvious sense of the words of ,irenus1 is the view at present acquiesced in by a large proportion of our fellow-believers4 ,the ,anglican ,church has made no article of faith whatever on the subject4 ,the clause within brackets is found both in the ,latin and the ,greek4 ,since the ,lord#de in the midst of the shadow of death went where the souls of the dead were1 and then afterwards rose bodily1 and after his resurrection was taken up1 it is evident that of his disciples also1 for whom the ,lord wrought these things1 the souls go into the unseen#df place assigned to them by ,god1 and there remain till the resurrection1 waiting for the resurrection2 afterwards receiving again their bodies and rising perfectly ,greek3 holoklaeros1 perfecte1 that is1 bodily1 even as the ,lord also rose again1 so will they come into the presence of ,god4 #abd ,for no disciple is above his master2 but every one that is perfect shall be as his master4 ,as1 therefore1 our ,master did not immediately flee away and depart1 but waited for the time of his resurrection appointed by his ,father 7which is evident1 even by the case of ,jonah72 after the third day1 rising again1 he was taken up2 so we too must wait for the time of our resurrection appointed by ,god1 and fore-announced by the prophets2 and thus rising again1 be taken up1 as many as the ,lord shall have deemed worthy of this4 ,footnote #de3 ,bellarmin1 rather than allow the testimony of ,irenus to weigh at all against the doctrine which he is defending1 seems determined to combat and challenge that father himself4 ,non ausus est dicere1 ,he has not dared to say1 that the souls go to the regions below1 c4 ,footnote #df3 ,there is no word in the ,greek copy corresponding with the ,latin invisibilem4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,iii4--,,clement ,,of ,,alexandria--,,about ,,the ,,year #ahj4 ,contemporary with ,irenus1 and probably less than twenty years his junior1 was ,clement1 the celebrated ,christian philosopher of ,alexandria4 ,i am not aware that any ,roman ,catholic writer has appealed to the testimony of ,clement in favour of the invocation of saints1 nor have ,i found a single passage which the defenders of that practice would be likely to quote2 and yet there are many passages which no one1 anxious to trace the ,catholic faith1 would willingly neglect4 ,the tendency of ,clement's mind to blend with the simplicity of the ,gospel of ,christ the philosophy in which he so fully abounded1 renders him far less valuable as a ,christian teacher2 but his evidence as to the matter of fact1 is even rendered more cogent and pointed by this tendency of his mind4 ,i would #abe willingly have transferred to these pages whole passages of ,clement1 but the very nature of my address forbids it4 ,some sentences bearing on the subject immediately before us1 we must not omit4 ,clement has left on record many of his meditations upon the efficacy1 the duty1 and the blessed comfort of prayer4 ,when he speaks of ,god1 and of the ,christian in prayer1 7for prayer he defines to be communion or intercourse with ,god17 his language becomes often exquisitely beautiful1 and sometimes sublime4 ,it is impossible by a few detached passages to convey an adequate estimate of the original2 and yet a few sentences may show that ,clement is a man whose testimony should not be slighted4 ,therefore1 keeping the whole of our life as a feast every where1 and on every part persuaded that ,god is present1 we praise him as we till our lands2 we sing hymns as we are sailing4 ,the ,christian is persuaded that ,god hears every thing2 not the voice only1 but the thoughts4444 ,suppose any one should say1 that the voice does not reach ,god1 revolving as it does in the air below2 yet the thoughts of the saints cut not only through the air1 but the whole world4 ,and the divine power like the light is beforehand in seeing through the soul4444 ,he 7the ,christian whom he speaks of throughout as the man of divine knowledge7 prays for things essentially good4 ,wherefore it best becomes those to pray who have an adequate knowledge of ,god1 and possess virtue in accordance with ,him--who know what are real goods1 and what we should petition for1 and when1 and how in each case4 ,but it is the extreme of ignorance to ask #abf from those who are not gods as though they were gods4444 ,whence since there is one only good ,god1 both we ourselves and the angels supplicate from ,him alone1 that some good things might be given to us1 and others might remain with us4 ,in this way he 7the ,christian7 is always in a state of purity fit for prayer4 ,he prays with angels1 as being himself equal with angels2 and as one who is never beyond the holy protecting guard4 ,and if he pray alone he has the whole choir of angels with him4 ,stromata1 lib4 vii4 #g4 p4 #hea1 c42 ,section xii4 p4 #hgi4 ,clement has alluded to instances alleged by the ,greeks of the effects of prayer1 and he adds1 ,our whole ,scripture is full of instances of ,god hearing and granting every request according to the prayers of the just4 ,lib4 vi4 iii4 p4 #gec4 ,having in the same section referred to the opinion of some ,greeks as to the power of demons over the affairs of mortals1 he adds1 ,but they think it matters nothing whether we speak of these as gods or as angels1 calling the spirits of such 'demons1' and teaching that they should be worshipped by men1 as having1 by divine providence1 on account of the purity of their lives1 received authority to be conversant about earthly places1 in order that they may minister to mortals4 ,lib4 vi4 iii4 p4 #gee4 ,is it possible to suppose that this teacher in ,christ's school had any idea of a ,christian praying to saints or angels8 ,in the last passage1 the language in which he quotes the errors of heathen superstition to refute them1 so nearly approaches the language of the ,church of ,rome when speaking of the powers of saints and angels to assist the suppliant1 that if ,clement had entertained #abg any thought whatever of a ,christian praying for aid and intercession to saint or angel1 he must have mentioned it1 especially after the previous passage on the absurdity and gross ignorance of praying for any good at the hands of any other than the one true ,god4 ,in common with his contemporaries1 ,clement considered the angels to be1 as we mortals are1 in a state requiring all the protection and help to be obtained by prayer2 he believed that the angels pray with us1 and carry our prayers to ,god3 but the thought of addressing them by invocation does not appear to have occurred to his mind4 ,at the close of his ,pdagogus he has left on record a form of prayer to ,god alone very peculiar and interesting4 ,he closes it by an ascription of glory to the blessed ,trinity4 ,but there is no allusion to saint1 or angel1 or virgin mother4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,iv4--,,tertullian4 ,tertullian1 of ,carthage1 was a contemporary of ,clement of ,alexandria1 and so nearly of the same age1 that doubts have existed1 which of the two should take priority in point of time4 ,there is a very wide difference in the character and tone of their works1 as there was in the frame and constitution of their minds4 ,the lenient and liberal views of the erudite and accomplished master of the school of ,alexandria1 stand out in prominent and broad contrast with the harsh and austere doctrines of ,tertullian4 ,tertullian fell into errors of a very serious kind by joining himself to the heretic ,montanus2 still on his #abh mind is discoverable the working of that spirit which animated the early converts of ,christianity2 and his whole soul seems to have been filled with a desire to promote the practical influence of the ,gospel4 ,jerome1 the oracle on such subjects1 from whom the ,roman ,catholic ,church is unwilling to allow any appeal1 expressly tells us that ,cyprian#dg1 who called ,tertullian the ,master1 never passed a single day without studying his works2 and that after ,tertullian had remained a presbyter of the ,church to middle age1 he was driven1 by the envy and revilings of the members of the ,roman ,church1 to fall from its unity1 and espouse ,montanism4 ,bellarmin calls him a heretic1 and says he is the first heretic who denied that the saints went at once and forthwith to glory4 ,hieron4 edit4 #afhd4 tom4 i4 p4 #ahc4 ,footnote #dg3 ,the words of ,jerome1 who refers to the circumstance more than once1 are very striking3 ,i saw one ,paulus1 who said that he had seen the secretary 7notarium7 of ,cyprian at ,rome1 who used to tell him that ,cyprian never passed a single day without reading ,tertullian2 and that he often said to him1 ',give me the ,master1' meaning ,tertullian4--,hieron4 vol4 iv4 part ii4 p4 #aae4 ,a decided line of distinction is drawn by ,roman ,catholic writers between the works of ,tertullian written before he espoused the errors of ,montanus1 and his works written after that unhappy step4 ,the former they hold in great estimation1 the latter are by many considered of far less authority4 ,i do not see how such a distinction ought to affect his testimony on the historical point immediately before us4 ,if indeed he had held the doctrine of the invocation of saints whilst he continued in the full communion of the ,church1 and rejected it afterwards1 no honest and sensible writer would quote his later opinions against the practice4 ,but we are only seeking in his works for evidence of the #abi matter of fact1--,is there any proof in the works of ,tertullian that the invocation of saints formed a part of the doctrine and practice of the ,catholic ,church in his time#dh8 ,his works will be found in the note1 arranged under those two heads1 as nearly as ,i can ascertain the preponderating sentiments of critics#di4 ,footnote #dh3 ,the reader1 who may be induced to consult the work of the present ,bishop of ,lincoln1 entitled1 ,the ,ecclesiastical ,history of the second and third ,centuries1 illustrated from the writings of ,tertullian1 will there find1 in the examination and application of ,tertullian's remains1 the union of sound judgment1 diligence in research1 clearness of perception1 acuteness in discovery1 and great erudition mingled with charity4 ,footnote #di3 ,works of ,tertullian before he became a ,montanist3-- ,adversus ,judos4 ,the ,tract ad ,martyres4 ,the two ,books ad ,nationes4 ,the ,apology1 and the ,tract de ,prscriptione ,hreticorum4 ,the ,tract de ,testimonio ,anim4 ,the ,tracts de ,patientia1 de ,oratione1 de ,baptismo1 de ,poenitentia4 ,the two books ad ,uxorem4 ,works written after he espoused ,montanism3-- ,the ,tracts de ,spectaculis and de ,idololatria1 though others say these should be ranked among the first class4 ,the ,tracts de ,corona1 and de ,fuga in persecutione1 ,scorpiace1 and ad ,scapulam4 ,the ,tracts de ,exhortatione ,castitatis1 de ,monogamia1 de ,pudicitia1 de ,jejuniis1 de ,virginibus ,velandis1 de ,pallio1 the five books against ,marcion1 the ,tracts adversus ,valentinianos1 de ,carne ,christi1 de ,resurrectione ,carnis1 adversus ,hermogenem1 de ,anima1 adversus ,praxeam1 de ,cultu ,foeminarum4 ,i will detain you only by a very few quotations from this father4 ,in his ,apology1 sect4 #cj1 we read this very remarkable passage1 ,we invoke the eternal ,god1 the true ,god1 the living ,god1 for the safety of the emperor4444 #acj ,thither 7heavenward7 looking up1 with hands extended1 because they are innocent2 with our head bare1 because we are not ashamed2 in fine1 without a prompter1 because it is from the heart2 we ,christians pray for all rulers a long life1 a secure government1 a safe home1 brave armies1 a faithful senate1 a good people1 a quiet world4444 ,for these things ,i cannot ask in prayer from any other except ,him from whom ,i know that ,i shall obtain2 because both ,he is the one who alone grants1 and ,i am the one whom it behoveth to obtain by prayer2--his servant1 who looks to him alone1 who for the sake of his religion am put to death1 who offer to him a rich and a greater victim1 which ,he has commanded2 prayer from a chaste frame1 from a harmless soul1 from a holy spirit4444 ,so1 let hoofs dig into us1 thus stretched forward to ,god1 let crosses suspend us1 let fires embrace us1 let swords sever our necks from the body1 let beasts rush upon us1--the very frame of mind of a praying ,christian is prepared for every torment4 ,this do1 ye good presidents2 tear ye away the soul that is praying for the emperor4 ,page #bg4 ,in the opening of his reflections on the ,lord's ,prayer1 he says1-- ,let us consider therefore1 beloved1 in the first place1 the heavenly wisdom in the precept of praying in secret1 by which he required1 in a man1 faith to believe that both the sight and the hearing of the ,omnipotent ,god is present under our roofs and in our secret places2 and desired the lowliness of faith1 that to ,him alone1 whom he believed to hear and to see every where1 he would offer his worship4 ,page #abi4 ,the only other reference which ,i will make1 is to #aca the solemn declaration of ,tertullian's ,creed2 the last clause of which1 though in perfect accordance with the sentiments of his contemporaries1 seems to have been regarded with hostile eyes by modern writers of the ,church of ,rome1 because it decidedly bids us look to the day of judgment for the saints being taken to the enjoyment of heaven2 and consequently implies that they cannot be properly invoked now4 ,to profess now what we defend3 ,by the rule of our faith we believe that ,god is altogether one1 and no other than the ,creator of the world1 who produced all things out of nothing by his ,word first of all sent down4 ,that that ,word1 called his ,son1 was variously seen by the patriarchs in the name of ,god2 was always heard in the prophets2 at length1 borne by the spirit and power of ,god the ,father into the ,virgin ,mary1 was made flesh in her womb1 was born of her1 and was ,jesus ,christ4 ,afterwards ,he preached a new law and a new promise of the kingdom of heaven2 wrought miracles1 was crucified1 rose again the third day1 and1 being taken up into heaven1 sat on the right hand of the ,father2 and ,he sent in his own stead the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 to guide believers2 that ,he shall come with glory to take the saints to the enjoyment of eternal life and the heavenly promises1 and to condemn the impious to eternal fire1 making a reviving of both classes with the restoration of the body4 ,de ,prscriptione ,hreticorum1 #ac4 p4 #bjf4 99 99 99 99 99 ,some notice must here be taken of ,,methodius1 a pious ,christian1 of the third century4 ,a work 7,methodius1 ,gl4 ,combes4 ,paris1 #afdd7 #acb formerly attributed to him has been quoted in proof of the early invocation of saints2 but the work1 among many others1 has been long ago allowed by the best ,roman ,catholic critics to be the production of a later age4 7,fabricius1 vol4 vii4 p4 #bfh1 and vol4 x4 p4 #bda47 ,many homilies1 purporting to have been delivered on the festival of our ,lord's presentation in the temple1 at so early a period1 must be received as the works of a later age1 because that feast began to be observed in the ,church so late as the fifteenth year of ,justinian1 in the sixth century4 ,evidently1 moreover1 the theological language of the homily is of a period long subsequent to the date assigned to ,methodius4 ,in speaking of our blessed ,saviour1 for example1 he employs expressions to guard against the ,arian heresy1 and makes extracts apparently from the ,nicene creed1 ,god of himself1 and not by grace1 ,very ,god of very ,god1 very light of very light1 who for us men and our salvation1 c4 ,the general opinion indeed seems to be that this1 and many other writings formerly ascribed to the first ,methodius1 were written by persons of a subsequent age1 who either were of the same name or assumed his4 ,even were the work genuine1 it would afford just as strong a demonstration that ,methodius believed that the city of ,jerusalem could hear his salutation1 as that the saints could hear his prayer2 for he addresses the same ,hail to ,mary1 ,symeon1 and the ,holy ,city alike1 calling it the earthly heaven4 ,greek3 ,chairois hae polis1 ho epigeios ouranos4 #acc 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,v4--,,the ,,evidence ,,of ,,origen4 ,jerome informs us that ,tertullian1 whose remains we have last examined1 lived to a very advanced age4 ,long1 therefore1 before his death flourished ,origen1 one of the most celebrated lights of the primitive ,church4 ,he was educated a ,christian4 ,indeed his father is said to have suffered martyrdom about the year #bjb4 ,origen was a pupil of ,clement of ,alexandria4 ,his virtues and his labours have called forth the admiration of all ages2 and though he cannot be implicitly followed as a teacher1 what still remains of his works will be delivered down as a rich treasure to succeeding times4 ,he was a most voluminous writer2 and ,jerome asked the members of his church1 ,who is there among us that can read as many books as ,origen has composed8 ,vol4 iv4 epist4 xli4 p4 #cdf4 ,a large proportion of his works are lost2 and of those which remain1 few are preserved in the original ,greek4 ,we are often obliged to study ,origen through the medium of a translation1 the accuracy of which we have no means of verifying4 ,a difficult and delicate duty also devolves upon the theological student to determine which of the works attributed to ,origen are genuine and which are spurious2 and what parts1 moreover1 of the works received on the whole as genuine came from his pen4 ,of #acd the spurious works1 some are so palpably written in a much later age1 and by authors of different religious views1 that no one1 after weighing the evidence1 can be at a loss what decision to make concerning them2 in the case of others1 claims and objections may appear to be more evenly balanced4 ,i trust on the one hand to refer to no works for ,origen's testimony which are not confessedly his1 nor on the other to exclude any passage which is not decidedly spurious2 whilst in one particular case more immediately connected with our subject1 ,i am induced to enter further in detail into a critical examination of the genuineness and value of a passage than the character of this work generally requires4 ,the great importance attached to the testimony of that passage by some defenders of the worship paid to angels1 may be admitted to justify the fulness of the criticism4 ,lest1 however1 its insertion in the body of the work might seem inconveniently to interfere with the reader's progress in our argument1 ,i have thought it best to include it in a supplementary section at the close of our inquiry into the evidence of ,origen4 ,coccius1 in his elaborate work1 quotes the two following passages as ,origen's1 without expressing any hesitation or doubt respecting their genuineness1 in which he is followed by writers of the present day4 ,the passages are alleged in proof that ,origen held and put in practice the doctrine of the invocation of saints2 and they form the first quotations made by ,coccius under the section headed by this title3 ,that the saints are to be invoked1 proved by the testimony of the ,greek ,fathers4 ,the first passage is couched in these words3 ,i will #ace begin to throw myself upon my knees1 and pray to all the saints to come to my aid2 for ,i do not dare1 in consequence of my excess of wickedness1 to call upon ,god4 ,o ,saints of ,god1 you ,i pray with weeping full of grief1 that ye would propitiate his mercies for me miserable4 ,alas me6 ,father ,abraham1 pray for me1 that ,i be not driven from thy bosom1 which ,i greatly long for1 and yet not worthily1 because of the greatness of my sins4 ,coccius cites this passage as from ,origen in ,lament1 and it has been recently appealed to under the title of ,origen on the ,lamentations4 ,here1 however1 is a very great mistake4 ,origen's work on the ,lamentations1 called also ,selecta in ,threnos1 and inserted in the ,benedictine edition 7,vol4 iii4 p4 #cba471 is entirely a different production from the work which contains the above extract4 ,this apocryphal work1 on the other hand1 does not profess to be the comment of ,origen on the ,lamentations1 but the ,lament or ,wailing of ,origen himself2 or1 as it used to be called1 the ,penitence of ,origen4 7,in the ,paris edition of #aeai it is called ,planctus1 seu ,lamentum ,origenis4 ,pope ,gelasius refers to it as ,poenitentia ,origenis47 ,that this work has no pretensions whatever to be regarded as ,origen's1 has been long placed beyond doubt4 ,even in the edition of #aede1 this treatise is prefaced by ,erasmus in these words1 ,this ,lamentation was neither written by ,origen nor translated by ,jerome1 but is the fiction of some unlearned man1 who attempted1 under colour of this1 to throw disgrace upon ,origen4 ,basil1 #aede4 vol4 i4 p4 #dih4 ,in the ,benedictine edition 7,paris1 #agcc47 no trace of this work is to be found4 ,they do not admit it among the doubtful1 or even the spurious works2 they do not so #acf much as give room for it in the appendix2 on the contrary1 they drop it altogether as utterly unworthy of being any longer preserved4 ,instead1 however1 of admitting the work itself1 these editors have supplied abundant reason for its exclusion1 by inserting the sentiments of ,huetius1 or ,huet1 the very learned bishop of ,avranches4 ,he tells us1 that formerly to ,origen's work on ,principles used to be appended a treatise called1 the ,lament of ,origen1 the ,latin translation of which ,guido referred to ,jerome4 ,after quoting the passage of ,erasmus 7as above cited from the edition of #aede7 in proof of its having been neither written by ,origen nor translated by ,jerome1 but the fabrication of some unlearned man1 who attempted1 under colour of this1 to throw disgrace on ,origen1 just as they forged a letter in ,jerome's name1 lamenting that he had ever thought with ,origen1 ,huet proceeds thus3 ,and ,gelasius in the ,roman ,council writes1 ',the book which is called ,the ,repentance of ,origen1 apocryphal4' ,it is wonderful1 therefore1 that without any mark of its false character1 it should be sometimes cited by some theologians in evidence4 ,here we may smile at the supineness of a certain heterodox man of the present age1 who thought the ',lament1' ascribed to ,origen1 to be something different from the ,book of ,repentance4 ,vol4 iv4 part ii4 p4 #cbf4 ,the ,decree here referred to of ,pope ,gelasius1 made in the ,roman ,council1 ,a4,d4 #did1 by that pontiff1 in conjunction with seventy bishops1 contains these strong expressions1 before enumerating some few of the books then condemned3 ,other works written by heretics and schismatics1 the ,catholic and ,apostolic ,church by #acg no means receives2 of them we think it right to subjoin a few which have occurred to our memory1 and are to be avoided by ,catholics4 ,conc4 ,labb4 vol4 iv4 p4 #abfe4 ,then follows a list of prohibited works1 among which we read1 the book called ,the ,repentance of ,origen1 apocryphal1 the very book which ,huet identifies with the ,lament of ,origen1 still cited as evidence even in the present day4 7,see ,appendix ,a47 ,the second passage cited by ,coccius1 and also by writers of the present time1 as ,origen's1 without any allusion to its spurious and apocryphal character1 is from the second book of the work called ,origen on ,job4 ,the words cited run thus3 ,o blessed ,job1 who art living for ever with ,god1 and remainest conqueror in the sight of the ,lord the ,king1 pray for us wretched1 that the mercy of the terrible ,god may protect us in all our afflictions1 and deliver us from all oppressions of the wicked one2 and number us with the just1 and enrol us among those who are saved1 and make us rest with them in his kingdom1 where for ever with the saints we may magnify him4 ,this work1 like the former1 has no claim whatever to be regarded as ,origen's4 ,it has long been discarded by the learned4 ,indeed so far back as #aede1 ,erasmus1 in his ,censura1 proved that it was written long after the time of ,origen by an ,arian4 7,basil1 #aede4 vol4 i4 p4 #djh2 and ,censura47 ,by the ,benedictine editors it is transferred to an appendix as the ,commentary of an anonymous writer on ,job2 and they thus express their judgment as to its being a forgery3 ,the ,commentary of an anonymous writer on ,job1 in previous editions1 is ascribed to ,origen2 #ach but that it is not his1 ,huet proves by unconquerable arguments4 ,this translation is assigned to ,hilary1 the bishop2 but although it is clear from various proofs of ,jerome1 that ,st4 ,hilary translated the tracts or homilies of ,origen on ,job1 yet there is no reason why that man who wrote with the highest praise against the ,arians1 should be considered as the translator of this work1 which is infected with the corruption of ,arianism1 and which is not ,origen's4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #hid4 ,erasmus calls the prologue to this treatise on ,job the production of a silly talkative man1 neither learned nor modest4 ,it is impossible not to feel1 with regard to these two works1 the sentiments which1 as we have already seen1 the ,bishop of ,avranches has so strongly expressed on one4 ,it is wonderful1 that they should be sometimes cited in evidence by some theologians1 without any mark of their being forgeries4 ,proceeding with our examination of the sentiments of ,origen1 ,i would here premise1 that not the smallest doubt can be entertained that ,origen believed the angels to be ministering spirits1 real1 active1 zealous workmen and fellow-labourers with us in the momentous and awful business of our eternal salvation4 ,he represents the angels as members of the same family with ourselves1 as worshippers of the same ,god1 as servants of the same master1 as children of the same father1 as disciples of the same heavenly teacher1 as learners of one and the same heavenly doctrine4 ,he contemplates them as members of our ,christian congregations1 as joining with us in prayer to our heavenly ,benefactor1 as taking pleasure when they hear in our #aci assemblies what is agreeable to the will of ,god1 and as being present too not only generally in the ,christian ,church1 but also with individual members of it#ej4 ,but does ,origen1 therefore1 countenance any invocation of them8 ,let us appeal to himself4 ,footnote #ej3 ,one or two references will supply abundant proof of this3 ,i do not doubt that in our congregation angels are present1 not only in general to the whole ,church1 but also individually with those of whom it is said1 ',their angels do always behold the face of my ,father who is in heaven4' ,a twofold ,church is here3 one of men1 the other of angels4 ,if we say any thing agreeably to reason and the mind of ,scripture1 the angels rejoice to pray with us4 ,and a little above1 ,our ,saviour1 therefore1 as well as the ,holy ,spirit1 who spoke by the prophets1 instructs not only men1 but angels and invisible powers4--,hom1 xxiii4 in ,luc4 vol4 iii4 p4 #ifa4 ,whoever1 therefore1 confessing his sins1 repents1 or confesses ,christ before men in persecutions1 is applauded by his brethren4 ,for there is joy and gladness to the angels in heaven over one sinner that repenteth4 ,by them1 therefore1 as by brethren 7for both men and angels are sons of the same ,creator and ,father7 they are praised4--,in ,genes4 ,hom4 xvii4 p4 #aaj4 ,celsus accused the ,christians of being atheists1 godless1 men without ,god1 because they would not worship those gods many and lords many1 and those secondary1 subordinate1 auxiliary1 and ministering divinities with which the heathen mythology abounded3 ,origen answers1 we are not godless1 we are not without an object of our prayer2 we pray to ,god ,almighty alone through the mediation only of his ,son4 ,we must pray to ,god alone 7,greek3 ,mono gar proseukteon to epi pasi ,theo71 who is over all things2 and we must pray also to the only-begotten and first-born of every creature1 the ,word of ,god2 and we must implore him as our ,high ,priest to carry our prayer1 first coming to him1 to his ,god and our #adj ,god1 to his ,father and the ,father of those who live agreeably to the word of ,god4 ,cont4 ,cels4 #h4 c4 xxvi4 vol4 i4 p4 #gfa4 ,but ,celsus1 in this well representing the weakness and failings of human nature1 still urged on the ,christian the necessity1 or at all events the expediency1 of conciliating those intermediate beings who executed the will of the ,supreme ,being1 and might haply have much left at their own will and discretion to give or to withhold2 and therefore the desirableness of securing their good offices by prayer4 ,to this ,origen answers3 ,the one ,god 7,greek3 ,hena oun ton epi pasi theon haemin exenmenisteon7--the ,god who is over all1 is to be propitiated by us1 and to be appeased by prayer2 the ,god who is rendered favourable by piety and all virtue4 ,but if he 7,celsus7 is desirous1 after the supreme ,god1 to propitiate some others also1 let him bear in mind1 that just as a body in motion is accompanied by the motion of its shadow1 so also by rendering the supreme ,god favourable1 it follows that the person has all his 7,god's7 friends1 angels1 souls1 spirits1 favourable also2 for they sympathize with those who are worthy of ,god's favour2 and not only do they become kindly affected towards the worthy1 but they also join in their work with those who desire to worship the supreme ,god2 and they propitiate him1 and they pray with us1 and supplicate with us2 so that we boldly say1 that together with men who on principle prefer the better part1 and pray to ,god1 ten thousands of holy powers join in prayer ,,unasked 7,greek3 aklaetoi71 ,,unbidden1 ,,uncalled upon4 ,cont4 ,cels4 lib4 viii4 #fd4 vol4 i4 p4 #ghi4 ,what an opportunity was here for ,origen to have stated1 that though ,christians do not call upon demons and the subordinate divinities of heathenism to aid #ada them1 yet that they do call upon the ministering spirits1 the true holy angels1 messengers and servants of the most ,high ,god6 ,but whilst speaking of them1 and magnifying the blessings derived to man through their ministry1 so far from encouraging us to ask them for their good offices1 his testimony on the contrary is not merely negative2 he positively asserts that when they assist mankind1 it is without any request or prayer from man4 ,could this come from one who invoked angels8 ,another passage1 although it adds little to the evidence of the above extract1 ,i am unwilling to pass by1 because it beautifully illustrates by the doctrine and practice of ,origen the prayer1 the only one adopted by the ,anglican ,church1 offered by the ,church to ,god for the succour and defence of the holy angels4 ,speaking of the unsatisfactory slippery road which they tread1 who either depend upon the agency of demons for good1 or are distressed by the fear of evil from them1 ,origen adds1 ,how far better 7,greek3 poso ,beltion7 were it to commit oneself to ,god who is over all1 through ,him who instructed us in this doctrine1 ,jesus ,christ1 and ,,of ,,him to ask for every aid from the holy angels and the just1 that they may rescue us from the earthly demons4 ,cont4 ,cels4 lib4 viii4 #fj4 vol4 i4 p4 #ghf4 ,in the following passage ,origen answers the question of ,celsus3 ,if you ,christians admit the existence of angels1 tell us what you consider their nature to be8 ,cont4 ,cels4 lib4 v4 #d4 p4 #egi4 ,come1 replies ,origen1 let us consider these points4 ,now we confessedly say1 that the angels are ministering spirits1 and sent to minister on account of those who are to be heirs of salvation2 that they ascend1 bearing with them the supplications of men into the most pure #adb heavenly places of the world2 and that they again descend from thence1 bearing to each in proportion to what is appointed by ,god for them to minister to the well-doers4 ,and learning that these are1 from their work1 called angels 7,greek3 aggeloi1 messengers1 ministers sent to execute some commission71 we find them1 because they are divine1 sometimes called even gods in the ,holy ,scriptures2 but not so1 as for any injunction to be given to us to worship and adore1 instead of ,god1 those who minister1 and bring to us the things of ,god4 ,for every request and prayer1 and supplication and thanksgiving1 must be sent up to ,him who is ,god above all1 through the ,high ,priest1 who is above all angels1 even the living ,word of ,god4 ,and we also make our requests to the ,word1 and supplicate ,him1 and moreover offer our prayer to ,him2 if we can understand the difference between the right use and the abuse of prayer4 ,for it is not reasonable for us to call upon angels1 without receiving a knowledge concerning them which is above man4 ,but supposing the knowledge concerning them1 wonderful and unutterable as it is1 had been received2 that very knowledge describing their nature1 and those to whom they are respectively assigned1 would not give confidence in praying to any other than to ,him who is sufficient for every thing1 ,god who is above all1 through our ,saviour1 the ,son of ,god1 who is the word1 and wisdom1 and the truth1 and whatsoever else the writings of the prophets of ,god1 and the ,apostles of ,jesus say concerning ,him4 ,but for the angels of ,god to be favourable to us1 and to do all things for us1 our disposition towards ,god is sufficient2 we copy them to the utmost of human strength1 #adc as they copy ,god4 ,and our conception concerning his ,son1 the ,word1 according to what is come to us1 is not opposed to the more clear conception of the holy angels concerning ,him1 but is daily approximating towards it in clearness and perspicuity4 ,again1 he thus writes3 ,but ,celsus wishes us to dedicate the first-fruits unto the demons2 but we to ,him who said1 ,let the earth bring forth grass1 c4 ,but to whom we give the first-fruits1 to him we send up also our prayers2 having a great ,high ,priest who is entered into the heavens1 ,jesus the ,son of ,god2 and this confession we hold fast as long as we live1 having ,god favourable unto us1 and his only-begotten ,son being manifested among us1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,but if we wish to have a multitude favourable unto us1 we learn that thousand thousands stand by ,him1 and ten thousand thousands minister unto ,him2 who1 regarding those as kinsfolks and friends who imitate their piety to ,god1 work together for the salvation of them who call upon ,god and pray sincerely2 appearing also1 and thinking that they ought to listen to them1 and as if upon one watchword to go forth for the benefit and salvation of those who pray to ,god1 to whom they also pray4 ,cont4 ,cels4 lib4 viii4 #cd4 7,benedict1 p4 #gff47 ,after these multiplied declarations of ,origen1 not only confessing that ,christians did not pray to the angels1 but vindicating them from the charge of impiety brought against them by their enemies for their neglect of the worship of angels1 is it possible to regard him as a witness in favour of prayer to angels8 ,but it has been said that ,origen in another passage 7,cont4 ,cels4 lib4 viii4 #ac4 p4 #gea47 #add plainly implies1 that he would not be unwilling to discuss the question of some worship being due to angels and archangels1 provided the idea of that worship1 and the acts of the worshippers1 were first cleared of all misapprehension4 ,and ,i would not that any ,catholic1 whether in communion with the ,church of ,england or of ,rome1 should make any other answer than ,origen here gave to ,celsus4 ,let me speak freely on this point4 ,i should not respect the memory of ,origen as ,i do1 had he taught differently4 ,the word which he uses is the ,greek word therapeusis1 precisely the same word with that which the learned in medicine now use to describe the means of healing diseases4 ,it is a word of very wide import4 ,it signifies the care which a physician takes of his patient2 the service paid to a master2 the attention given to a superior2 the affectionate attendance of a friend2 the allegiance of a subject2 the worship of the ,supreme ,being4 ,origen says1 ,provided ,celsus will specify what kind of therapeusis he would wish to be paid to those angels and archangels whose existence we acknowledge1 ,i am ready to enter upon the subject with him4 ,this is all he says4 ,and we of the ,anglican ,church are ready from our hearts to join him4 ,call it by what name we may1 we are never backward in acknowledging ourselves bound to render it4 ,we pay to the angels and archangels1 and all the company of heaven1 the homage of respect1 and veneration1 and love4 ,they are indeed our fellow-servants2 they are1 like ourselves1 creatures of ,god's hand2 but they are exalted far above us in nature and in office4 ,by the grace of ,god1 we would daily endeavour to become less distant from #ade them in purity1 in zeal1 in obedience4 ,origen here speaks not one word of adoration1 of invocation1 of prayer4 ,he speaks of a feeling and a behaviour1 which the ,greeks called therapeusis1 and which we best render by respect1 veneration1 and love4 ,far from us be the thought of lowering the holy angels in the eyes of our fellow-creatures2 equally far from us be the thought of invoking them1 of asking them even for their prayers4 ,they are holy creatures and holy messengers3 we will think and speak of them with reverence1 and gratitude1 and affection2 but they are creatures and messengers still1 and when we think or speak of the object of prayer1 we think and speak solely and exclusively of ,god4 ,with regard to ,origen's opinion1 as to the invocation of the souls of saints departed1 a very few words will suffice4 ,he clearly records his opinion that the faithful are still waiting for us1 and that till we all rejoice together1 their joy will not be full3 he leaves among the mysteries not to be solved now the question whether the departed can benefit the human race at all2 and he has added reflections1 full of edifying and solemn admonition1 which would dissuade his fellow-believers from placing their confidence in any virtues1 or intercessions1 or merits of saints1 and in any thing except the mere mercy of ,god1 through ,jesus ,christ1 and our own individual labour in the work of the ,lord4 ,in his seventh homily on ,leviticus1 in a passage partly quoted by ,bellarmin1 we read#ea--,not even the ,apostles have yet received their joy1 but even they are waiting1 in order that ,i also may become a partaker of #adf their joy4 ,for the saints departing hence do not immediately receive all the rewards of their deserts2 but they wait even for us1 though we be delaying and dilatory#eb4 ,for they have not perfect joy as long as they grieve for our errors1 and mourn for our sins4 ,then1 having quoted the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 he proceeds1--,you see1 therefore1 that ,abraham is yet waiting to obtain those things that are perfect2 so is ,isaac and ,jacob2 and so all the prophets are waiting for us1 that they might obtain eternal blessedness with us4 ,wherefore1 even this mystery is kept1 to the last day of delayed judgment4 ,footnote #ea3 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #bbb4 ,nondum enim receperunt ltitiam suam1 ne apostoli quidem1 c4 ,but see ,huetius on ,origen1 lib4 ii4 q4 #aa4 ,no4 #aj4 ,footnote #eb3 ,he thinks it probable1 that the saints departed feel an interest in the welfare of men on earth4 ,see vol4 iv4 p4 #bgc4 ,modern ,roman ,catholic writers tell us1 that we must consider ,origen here as only referring to the reunion of the soul with the body2 but his words cannot be so interpreted4 ,the cause of the saints still waiting for their consummation of bliss1 is stated to be the will of ,god1 that all the faithful should enter upon their full enjoyment of blessedness together4 ,again3 it may be asked1 whether the following passage could have come from the pen of one who prayed to the saints1 as already reigning with ,christ in heaven4 ,but now whether the saints who are removed from the body and are with ,christ1 act at all1 and labour for us1 like the angels who minister to our salvation2 or whether1 again1 the wicked removed from the body act at all according to the purpose of their own mind1 like the bad angels1 with whom1 it is said by ,christ1 that they will be sent into eternal fires2--let this too be #adg considered among the secret things of ,god1 mysteries not to be committed to writing4 ,epist4 ad ,rom4 lib4 ii4 7,benedict4 vol4 iv4 p4 #dgi47 ,jam vero si etiam1 c4 ,in a passage found in ,origen's ,comment on ,ezekiel's text1 ,though ,noah1 ,daniel1 and ,job1 were in it1 they should deliver neither son nor daughter1 they should deliver only their own souls by their righteousness1 ,hom4 iii4 vol4 iii4 p4 #cgb4 independently of the testimony borne to the point before us1 we read a very interesting and awakening lesson of general application3-- ,first1 let us expound the passage agreeably to its plain sense1 in consequence of the ignorance of some who maintain the ideas of their own mind to be the truth of ,god1 and often say1 ',every one of us will be able by his prayers to snatch whomsoever he will from hell1' and introduce iniquity to the ,lord2 not seeing that the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him1 and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him2 so that each shall die in his own sin1 and each live in his own person4 ,my father being a martyr profits me nothing1 if ,i shall not live well1 and adorn the nobleness of my race1--that is1 his testimony and confession1 by which he was glorified in ,christ4 ,it profiteth not the ,jews to say1 ',we were not born of fornication1 we have one father1 the ,lord2' and1 a little after1 ',abraham is our father4' ,whatever they may say1 whatever they will assume1 if they have not the faith of ,abraham they make their boast in vain2 for they will not be saved on account of their being children of ,abraham4 ,since1 therefore1 some have formed incorrect notions1 we have necessarily brought in the plain sense of the passage as to the letter1 saying1 ,noah1 ,daniel1 and ,job will not rescue sons or daughters2 they only will be saved4 ,let no #adi one of us put his trust in a just father1 a holy mother1 chaste brethren4 ,blessed is the man who hath his hope in himself1 and in the right way4 ,but to those who place confident trust in the saints1 we bring forward no improper example1--',cursed is the man whose hope is in man2' and again1 ',trust ye not in man4' ,and this also1 ',it is good to trust in the ,lord rather than in princes#ec4' ,if we must hope in some object1 leaving all others1 let us hope in the ,lord1 saying1 ',though a host of men were set against me1 yet shall not my heart be afraid4' ,footnote #ec3 ,these observations may perhaps refer more especially to the saints still on earth2 but they apply to all helpers1 save ,god alone4 ,he finishes the homily thus3 ,the righteous see three periods2 the present1 the period of change when the ,lord will judge1 and that which will be after the resurrection1--that is1 the eternity of life in heaven in ,jesus ,christ1 to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,can this confessor of the ,christian faith have ever taught his fellow-believers to plead the merits of the saints1 or to pray for their intercessions8 ,how strongly are the above sentiments contrasted with a passage in the third of the spurious homilies called ,in ,diversos2 the first clause of which is referred to by ,bellarmin1 as containing ,origen's approbation of giving honour to the saints#ed4 ,footnote #ed3 ,i hardly need detain the reader by any proof of the spuriousness of this passage2 the whole work from which it is taken is rejected altogether by the ,benedictine editors3 ,reliqua ejusmodi spuria omittenda censuimus1 qualia sunt 444 ,homili in diversos2 and they have not allowed a single line of it to appear in their volumes1 not even in the small character4--,vol4 iv4 p4 #a4 ,the memory of these 7the ,innocents7 is always #adi celebrated1 as is right1 in the ,churches4 ,these1 therefore1 since they were unjustly or impiously put to death in peace and rest1 having suffered much for the name of the ,lord1 were taken from this world1 to remain in the eternal ,church for ever in ,christ4 ,but their parents for the merits of their suffering will receive a worthy recompense of reward from the just and eternal ,lord ,god4 ,here we have strongly marked indeed the difference between ,origen himself1 and the errors fastened upon him by the design or ignorance of subsequent times4 ,were not his testimony a subject of great moment1 ,i should plead guilty to having detained my readers too long on ,origen2 and yet ,i cannot dismiss him without first refreshing our minds with the remembrance of some of his beautiful reflections on a ,christian's prayer4 ,we need not read them with a controversial eye1 and they may be profitable to us all4 ,i think1 then1 7says this early teacher in ,christ's school7 that when proceeding to prayer1 a ,christian will be more readily disposed1 and be in a better tone for the general work of prayer1 if he will first tarry a little1 and put himself into the right frame1 casting off every distracting and disturbing thought1 and with his best endeavour recalling to mind the vastness of ,,him to whom he is drawing near1 and how unholy a thing it is to approach him with a carelessness and indifference1 and1 as it were1 contempt2 laying aside also every thing foreign to the subject2--so to come to prayer as one who stretcheth forth his soul first1 before his hands2 and lifts up his mind first1 before his eyes1 to ,god2 and before he stands up1 raising from the ground the leading #aej principle of his nature1 and lifting that up to the ,lord of all4 ,so far casting away all remembrance of evil towards any of those who may seem to have injured him1 as he wishes ,god not to remember evil against him1 who has himself been guilty1 and has trespassed against many of his neighbours1 or in whatever he is conscious to have done contrary to right reason4 ,de ,oratione1 vol4 i4 #ca4 p4 #bfg4 ,having divided prayer into its several parts 7he continues71 ,i may bring my work to a close4 ,there are then four parts of prayer requiring description1 which ,i have found scattered in the ,scriptures1 all of which every one should embody in his prayer3-- ,first1 we must offer glory 7doxologies7 to the best of our ability in the opening and commencement of our prayer1 to ,god through ,christ who is glorified with ,him in the ,holy ,spirit1 who is praised together4 ,after this each person should offer general thanksgivings both for the blessings granted to all1 and for those which he has individually obtained from ,god4 ,after the thanksgiving1 it appears to me right1 that becoming1 as it were1 a bitter accuser of his own sins to ,god1 he should petition first of all for a remedy to release him from the habit which impels him to transgress1 and then for remission of the past4 ,and after the confession1 ,i think he ought in the fourth place1 to add a supplication for great and heavenly things1 both individual and universal1 and for his relations and friends4 ,after all1 he should close his prayer with an ascription of glory to ,god through ,christ in the ,holy ,ghost4 ,sect4 #cc4 p4 #bga4 #aea 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,vi4--,,supplementary ,,section ,,on ,,origen4 ,i have above intimated my intention of reserving for a separate section our examination of a passage ascribed to ,origen1 in which he is represented as having invoked an angel to come down from heaven1 to succour him and his fellow-creatures on earth4 ,the passage purports to be part of ,origen's comment on the opening verse of the prophecy of ,ezekiel1 ,the heavens were opened4 ,after the fullest investigation1 and patient weighing of the whole section1 ,i am fully persuaded1 first1 that the passage is an interpolation1 never having come from the pen of ,origen2 and secondly1 that1 whoever were its author1 it can be regarded only as an instance of those impassioned apostrophes1 which are found in great variety in the addresses of ancient ,christian orators4 ,but since some of the most respected writers of the ,church of ,rome have regarded it as genuine1 and deemed it worthy of being cited in evidence1 ,i feel it incumbent to state at length1 for those readers who may desire to enter at once fully into the question1 the reasons on which my judgment is founded2 whilst others1 who may perhaps consider the discussion of the several points here as too great an interruption to the general argument1 may for the present pass this section1 and reserve it for subsequent inquiry4 ,it will be1 in the first place1 necessary to quote the whole passage entire1 however long2 for the mere extract of that portion which is cited as ,origen's prayer to an #aeb angel1 might leave a false impression as to the real merits of the case4 ,the heavens are opened4 ,the heavens were closed1 and at the coming of ,christ they were opened1 ,,in ,,order ,,that ,,they ,,being ,,laid ,,open ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,might ,,come ,,upon ,,him in the appearance of a dove4 ,for he could not come to us unless he had first descended on one who partook of his own nature4 ,jesus ascended up on high1 he led captivity captive1 he received gifts for men4 ,he who descended is the same who ascended above all heavens1 that he might fill all things2 and he gave some as apostles1 some as prophets1 some as evangelists1 some as pastors and masters1 for the perfecting of the saints4 ,vol4 iii4 p4 #ceh4 ,hom4 i4 in ,ezek4 ,the heavens were opened4 ,it is not enough for one heaven to be opened3 very many are opened1 that not from one1 but from all1 angels may descend to those who are to be saved2 angels who ascended and descended upon the ,son of man1 and came to him1 and ministered to him4 ,now the angels descended because ,christ first descended1 fearing to descend before the ,lord of all powers and things commanded4 ,but when they saw the chieftain of the army of heaven dwelling in earthly places1 then they entered through the opened road1 following their ,lord1 and obeying his will1 who distributes them as guardians of those that believe on his name4 ,thou yesterday wast under a devil1 to-day thou art under an angel4 ,do not ye1 saith the ,lord1 despise one of the least of those who are in the ,church8 ,verily1 ,i say unto you1 that their angels through all things see the face of the ,father who is in heaven4 ,the angels attend on thy salvation2 they were granted for the ministry of the ,son of ,god1 and #aec they say among themselves1 ,if he descended1 and descended into a body1 if he is clothed in mortal flesh1 and endured the cross1 and died for man1 why are we resting idle8 ,why do we spare ourselves8 ,haste away6 ,let all of us angels descend from heaven6 ,thus also was there a multitude of the heavenly host praising and blessing ,god when ,christ was born4 ,all things are full of angels4 ,,come1 ,,angel1 take up one who by the word is converted from former error1 from the doctrine of demons1 from iniquity speaking on high1 and taking him up like a good physician1 cherish him1 and instruct him4 ,he is a little child1 to-day he is born1 an old man again growing young2 and undertake him1 granting him the baptism of the second regeneration2 and summon to thyself other companions of thy ministry1 that you all may together train for the faith those who have been sometime deceived4 ,for there is greater joy in heaven over one sinner repenting1 than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance4 ,every creature exults1 rejoices with1 and with applause addresses those who are to be saved2 for the expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of ,god4 ,and although those who have interpolated the apostolical writings are unwilling that such passages should be in their books as may prove ,christ to be the ,creator1 yet every creature waiteth for the sons of ,god when they shall be freed from sin1 when they shall be taken away from the hand of ,zabulon#ee1 when they shall be regenerated by ,christ4 ,but now it is time that we touch somewhat on the present place4 ,the ,prophet sees not a vision1 but visions of ,god4 #aed ,why did he see not one1 but many visions8 ,hear the ,lord promising and saying1 ,i have multiplied visions4 #h4 ',the fifth month4' ,this was the fifth year of the captivity of king ,joachim4 ,in the thirtieth year of ,ezekiel's age1 and the fifth of the captivity of ,joachim1 the prophet is sent to the ,jews4 ,the most merciful ,father did not despise the people1 nor leave them a long time unadmonished4 ,it is the fifth year4 ,how much time intervened8 ,five years elapsed since they were captives in bondage4 7,the portion between brackets is what ,i regard as an interpolation47 ,footnote #ee3 ,this word is frequently used for ,diabolum4 ,thus in a hymn used in the ,roman ritual on ,michaelmas-day we read1 ,michaelem in virtute conterentem ,zabulum4 ,immediately the ,holy ,spirit descends4 ,he opened the heavens1 that they who were oppressed by the yoke of bondage might see those things which were seen by the prophet4 ,for when he says1 ,the heavens were opened1 in some measure they see with the eyes of their heart what he had seen even with the eyes of his flesh4 ,now the question is1 ,can this apostrophe to an angel be admitted as evidence that ,origen held1 and in his own person acted upon the doctrine of the ,invocation of ,angels8 ,the nature of the present work precludes us from entering at length on the broad question1 how far we can with safety regard the several writings which now purport to be translations of ,origen's compositions1 as on the whole the works of that early ,christian writer4 ,a multitude of those works which1 until almost the middle of the sixteenth century1 were circulated as ,origen's1 have long been by common consent excluded from the catalogue of his works#ef4 ,on this subject ,i #aee would refer any one1 who desires to enter upon the inquiry1 to the several prefaces of the ,benedictine editors1 who point out many sources of information1 as well from among their friends as from those with whom they differ4 ,our inquiry must be limited within far narrower bounds1 though ,i trust our arguments may assist somewhat in establishing the principles on which the student may at first guide himself in the wider range of investigation4 ,footnote #ef3 ,see preface to vol4 iv4 of the ,benedictine edition4 ,we will first look to the external evidence bearing on the passage in question1 and then to the internal character of the passage itself4 ,origen's ,commentaries on ,ezekiel were divided into no fewer than twenty-five volumes1 which he is said to have begun in ,csarea of ,palestine1 and to have finished in ,athens4 ,of these only one single fragment remains1 namely1 part of the twenty-first volume#eg4 ,jerome says that he translated fourteen of ,origen's homilies on ,ezekiel4 ,of these not one passage in the original language of ,origen is known to be in existence4 ,we must now1 therefore1 either receive the existing translations generally as ,origen's1 7whether they are ,jerome's translations or not17 or we must consider ,origen's homilies on ,ezekiel as altogether lost to us4 ,but supposing that we receive these works as containing1 on the whole1 traditionary translations of ,origen1 the genuineness of any one passage may yet become the subject of fair criticism4 ,and whilst some persons reject whole masses of them altogether1 the history of his works cannot but suggest some very perplexing points of suspicion and doubt4 ,footnote #eg3 ,see ,benedictine edition1 vol4 iii4 p4 #cea4 and ,eusebius1 ,eccl4 ,hist4 lib4 vi4 c4 #f4 there referred to4 #aef ,the great body of his homilies1 ,origen probably delivered extempore in the early part of his ministry to the ,christians of ,csarea4 ,eusebius tells us1 that not before ,origen had reached his sixtieth year did he sanction the notaries 7persons well known to history and corresponding to the short-hand writers#eh of the present day7 in publishing any of his homilies4 ,eccles4 ,hist4 lib4 vi4 c4 #cf4 ,but the ,benedictine editor1 ,de la ,rue1 conceives that those men might surreptitiously and against the preacher's wishes have published some of ,origen's homilies4 ,be this as it may4 ,suppose that the homilies on ,ezekiel were published by ,origen himself1 and were translated by ,jerome himself1 our doubts are not removed even by that supposition4 ,the same editor in the same preface tells us1 ,it is known to the learned that it was ,jerome's habit1 in translating ,greek1 sometimes to insert some things of his own#ei4 ,not that ,i for a moment conceive the passage under consideration to have come in its ,latin dress from the pen of ,jerome2 for my conviction being that it is an interpolation of a much later date1 ,i mention the circumstance to show1 that even when ,jerome1 with his professed accuracy1 is the translator1 we can in no case feel sure that we are reading the exact and precise sentiments of ,origen4 ,footnote #eh3 ,the ,latin word notarius 7notary7 does not come so near as our own ,english expression1 short-hand writer1 to the ,greek word used by ,eusebius1--tachygraphus1 quick-writer4 ,the report of ,eusebius as to the homilies of ,origen having been delivered extempore1 and taken down by these quick-writers1 is confirmed by ,pamphilus the martyr1 as quoted by ,valesius1 in the annotations on this passage of ,eusebius4--,apol4 ,orig4 lib4 i4 ,footnote #ei3 ,cui in vertendis ,grcis sciunt eruditi solemne esse nonnulla interdum de suo inserere4 #aeg ,ruffinus1 his celebrated contemporary1 accused ,jerome of many inaccuracies in his translations2 and yet what were the principles of translation adopted by ,ruffinus himself1 as his own1 we are not left to infer2 for we learn it from his own pen4 ,his voluntary acknowledgment in the peroration which he added to ,origen's ,comment on the ,epistle of ,st4 ,paul to the ,romans1 strongly and painfully exhibits to us how little dependence can safely be placed on such translations whenever the original is lost2 how utterly insufficient and unsatisfactory is any evidence drawn from them1 as to the real genuine sentiments and expressions of the author4 ,ruffinus informs us1 that with regard to many of the various works of ,origen1 he changed the preacher's extemporary addresses1 as delivered in the ,church1 into a more explanatory form1 adding1 supplying1 filling up what he thought wanting#fj4 ,footnote #fj3 ,dum supplere cupimus ea qu ab ,origene in auditorio ,ecclesi extempore 7non tam explanationis quam dificationis intentione7 perorata sunt4444 ,si addere quod videar1 et explere qu desunt4--,orig4 vol4 iv4 p4 #fhh4 ,moreover1 he proceeds so far as to tell us#fa that his false #aeh friends had remonstrated with him for not publishing the works under his own name1 instead of retaining ,origen's1 his changes having been so great2 a point1 which he was far from unwilling to acknowledge4 ,this must appear to every one unsatisfactory in the extreme1 and to shake one's confidence in any evidence drawn from such a source4 ,indeed1 the ,benedictine editor1 with great cause and candour1 laments this course of proceeding on the part of ,ruffinus1 as throwing a doubt and uncertainty1 and suspicion1 over all the works so tampered with4 ,this one thing 7observes that honest editor7 would the learned desire1 that ,ruffinus had spared himself the labour of filling up what he thought deficient4 ,for since the ,greek text has perished1 it can scarcely with certainty be distinguished1 where ,origen himself speaks1 or where ,ruffinus obtrudes his own merchandise upon us4 ,this is more than enough to justify our remarks4 ,i must1 however1 refer to the conduct of another editor and translator of ,origen1 of a similar tendency4 ,it unhappily shows the disposition to sacrifice every thing to the received opinions of the ,church of ,rome1 rather than place the whole evidence of antiquity before the world1 and abide by the result4 ,how many works this principle1 in worse hands1 may have mutilated1 or utterly buried in oblivion1 and left to perish1 it is impossible to conjecture2 that the principle is unworthy the spirit of ,christianity will not now be questioned4 ,that editor and translator1 in his advertisement on the ,commentary upon ,st4 ,john1 thus professes the principles which he had adopted3 ,know1 moreover1 that ,i have found nothing in this book which #aei seemed to be inconsistent with the decrees of holy ,mother ,church3 for had ,i found any1 ,i would not have translated the book1 or would have marked the suspected place4 ,quoted by the ,benedictine1 vol4 iv4 p4 viii4 ,the ,benedictine proceeds to say1 that the writer had not kept his word1 but had allowed many heterodox passages to escape1 whilst he had deliberately withdrawn others4 ,footnote #fa3 ,his words1 as indicative of his principles of translation1 and bearing immediately on the question1 as to the degree of authority which should be assigned to the remains of ,origen1 when the original is lost1 deserve a place here3 ,i am exposed to a new sort of charge at their hands2 for thus they address me1--,in your writings1 since very many parts in them 7plurima in eis7 are considered to be of your own production1 give the title of your own name1 and write1 for example1 ,the ,books of ,explanations of ,ruffinus on the ,epistle to the ,romans1--but the whole of this they offer me1 not from any love of me1 but from hatred to the author4 ,but ,i1 who consult my conscience more than my fame1 even if ,i am seen to add some things1 and to fill up what are wanting1 or to shorten what are too long1 yet ,i do not think it right to steal the title of him1 who laid the foundations of the works1 and supplied the materials for the buildings4 ,yet1 in truth1 it may be at the option of the reader1 when he shall have approved of the work1 to ascribe the merits to whom he will4 ,many works probably1 of the earliest ages1 have been wholly or in part lost to us from the working of the same principle in its excess4 ,rather than perpetuate any sentiments at variance with the received doctrines of the ,church1 it was considered the duty of the faithful to let works1 in themselves valuable1 but containing such sentiments1 altogether perish1 or to exclude the objectionable passages4 ,i would now invite you to examine the passage itself1 and determine whether it does not bear within it internal evidence of its having been altogether interpolated4 ,in the first place1 on the words upon which it professes to be a comment1 the author had already given his comment1 and assigned to them another meaning4 ,the heavens were opened1 he says3 ,before the time of ,christ the heavens were shut2 but at his advent they were opened1 ,,that ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,might ,,descend ,,first ,,on ,,him2 quoting also among others the passage which speaks of ,christ taking captivity captive4 ,and then after the passage in question1 in which he assigns a totally different reason for the opening of the heavens2 without any allusion to the intervening ideas1 he carries on1 and concludes the comment which he had begun1--in words which fit on well with the close of that comment1 but which1 as they stand now at the close of the intervening passage about the angels1 are abrupt and incoherent--,forthwith the ,holy ,spirit #afj descended2 recurring also again to the idea which he had before introduced of ,christ benefiting those who were in captivity4 ,a passage which affixes to the words commented upon1 a different interpretation from one already given in the same paragraph2 and which forces itself abruptly and incoherently in the middle of a brief comment1 must offer itself to our examination under strong grounds of suspicion1 that it has been interpolated4 ,but when we examine the substance of the passage1 its sentiments1 the ideas conveyed1 and the associations suggested1 and then think of the author to whom it is ascribed1 few probably will be disposed to regard it as a faithful mirror in which to contemplate the real sentiments of ,origen4 ,how utterly unworthy of the sublime burst of ,christian eloquence which now delights us in undoubted works of ,origen1 is this strange and degrading fiction6 ,the true ,origen ,,there represents the tens of thousands of angelic spirits ten thousand times told1 as ever surrounding the throne of ,god1 and ministering for the blessing of those in whose behalf ,god himself wills them to serve4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #gfg4 ,contr4 ,cels4 viii4 #cd4 ,here he represents the revelation of the holiest of holies as a throwing open of the various divisions or compartments of the celestial kingdom for all the angels to hasten forth together1 from their several places of indolence and carelessness and self-indulgence1 7for such he represents their state to have been17 to visit this earth4 ,surely such a comment would better suit the mythology of the cave and dens of olus and his imprisoned winds 7velut agmine facto qua data porta ruunt7 than the awfully sublime revelation vouchsafed to the prophet ,ezekiel4 ,and how unworthy and degrading is that representation of the #afa heavenly host1 resting inactive1 and sparing themselves from toil1 until they witnessed ,christ's descent and humiliation2 and then when chid and put to shame and rebuke1 and mutually roused to action by their fellows1 coming down to visit this earth1 and rushing through the opened portals of heaven4 ,again1 we see how incoherent is the whole section which contains the alleged prayer to angels3 ,thou wast yesterday under a demon1 to-day thou art under an angel3 the angels minister to thy salvation2 they are granted for the ministry of the ,son of ,god1 c4 ,all things are full of angels4 ,come1 ,angel1 take up one who is converted from his ancient error1 c4 ,and call to thee other companions of thy ministry1 that all of you alike may train up to the faith those who were once deceived4 ,indeed the passage seems to carry within itself its own condemnation so entirely1 that what we have before alleged1 both of internal and external evidence1 may appear superfluous4 ,surely the conceit of a preacher of ,god's word addressing an angel1 7which of them he thus individually addresses does not appear2 for he says not ,my ,angel1 as though he were appealing to one whom he regarded as his guardian1 the view gratuitously suggested in the marginal note of the ,benedictine editor1 the invocation of a guardian angel17 and bidding some one angel1 as a sort of summoner1 to go and call to himself all the angels of heaven to come in one body1 and instruct those who are in error1 is1 even as a rhetorical apostrophe1 as unworthy the mind of a ,christian philosopher1 as it is in the light of a prayer totally inconsistent with the plain sentiments of ,origen on the very subject of angelic invocation4 ,even had ,origen not left us his deliberate opinions in works of undoubted genuineness1 such a #afb strange1 incoherent1 and childish rhapsody could never be relied upon by sober and upright men as a precedent sanctioning a ,christian's prayer to angels2 no one would rely upon such evidence in points of far less moment1 even were it uncontradicted by the same witness4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,vii4--,,st4 ,,cyprian4 ,in the middle of the third century1 ,cyprian ,jerom1 vol4 iv4 p4 #cdb41 a man of substance and a rhetorician of ,carthage1 was converted to ,christianity4 ,he was then fifty years of age2 and his learning1 virtues1 and devotedness to the cause which he had espoused1 very soon raised him to the dignity1 the responsibility1 and1 in those days1 the great danger1 of the ,episcopate4 7,cyprian is said to have been converted about ,a4,d4 #bdf1 to have been consecrated ,a4,d4 #bdh1 and to have suffered martyrdom ,a4,d4 #beh47 ,many of his writings of undoubted genuineness are preserved1 and they have been appealed to in every age as the works of a faithful son of the ,catholic ,church4 ,on the subject of prayer he has written very powerfully and affectingly2 but ,i find no expression which can by possibility imply that he practised or countenanced the invocation of saints and angels4 ,i have carefully examined every sentence alleged by its most strenuous defenders1 and ,i cannot extract from them one single grain of evidence which can bear the test of inquiry4 ,even did the passages quoted require to be taken in the sense affixed to them #afc by those advocates1 they prove nothing2 they do not bear even remotely upon the subject1 whilst ,i am persuaded that to every unprejudiced mind a meaning will appear to have been attached to them which the author did not intend to convey4 ,the first quotation to which our attention is called is from the close of his treatise ,de ,habitu ,virginum1 which contains some very edifying reflections4 ,in the last clause of that treatise the advocates for the invocation of saints represent ,cyprian as requesting the virgins to remember him in their prayers at the throne of grace when they shall have been taken to heaven4 ,as we have borne the image of ,him who is of the earth1 let us also bear the image of him who is from heaven4 ,this image the virgin-state bears1--integrity bears it1 holiness and truth bear it2 rules of discipline mindful of ,god bear it1 retaining justice with religion1 firm in the faith1 humble in fear1 strong to endure all things1 gentle to receive an injury1 readily disposed to pity1 with one mind and with one heart in brotherly peace4 ,all which ye ought1 ,o good virgins1 to observe1 to love and fulfil2 ye who1 retired for the service of ,god and ,christ1 with your greater and better part are going before towards the ,lord to whom you have devoted yourselves4 ,let those who are advanced in age exercise rule over the younger2 ye younger1 offer to your equals a stimulus2 encourage yourselves by mutual exhortations2 by examples emulous of virtue invite each other to glory2 remain firm2 conduct yourselves spiritually2 gain the end happily4 ,only remember us then1 when your virgin-state shall begin to be honoured4 ,tantum mementote tunc nostri1 cum incipiet in vobis virginitas honorari4--,page #ahj4 #afd ,the second instance1 from the close of his letter to ,cornelius1 puts before us a beautiful act of friendship and brotherly affection worthy of every ,christian brother's and friend's imitation4 ,but how it can be applied in supporting the cause of the invocation of saints1 ,i cannot see4 ,the supporters of that doctrine say that ,cyprian suggests to his friend1 still living on earth1 that whichever of the two should be first called away1 he should continue when in heaven to pray for the survivor on earth4 ,suppose it to be so4 ,that has not any approximation to our praying to one who is already dead and gone to his reward4 ,but ,cyprian surely intended to convey a very different meaning1 namely this1 that the two friends should continue to pray1 each in his place1 mutually for each other and for their friends1 and relieve each other's wants and necessities whilst both survived2 and whenever death should remove the one from earth to happiness1 the survivor should not forget their bond of friendship1 but should still continue to pray to ,god for their brothers and sisters4 ,the passage translated to the letter1 runs thus3 ,let us be mutually mindful of each other1 with one mind and one heart4 ,on both sides1 let us always pray for each other2 let us by mutual love relieve each other's pressures and distresses2 and if either of us from hence1 by the speed of the ,divine favour1 go on before the #afe other1 let our love persevere before the ,lord2 for our brothers and sisters with the ,father's mercy let not prayer cease4 ,my desire1 most dear brother1 is that you may always prosper4 ,epist4 #eg4 ,benedict1 p4 #if4--,memores nostri invicem simus concordes atque unanimes3 utrobique pro nobis semper oremus1 pressuras et angustias mutua caritate relevemus1 et si quis istinc nostrum prior divin dignationis celeritate prcesserit1 perseveret apud ,dominum nostra dilectio2 pro fratribus et sororibus nostris apud misericordiam ,patris non cesset oratio4 ,opto te1 frater carissime1 semper bene valere4--,this epistle is by some editors numbered as the #fjth1 by others as the #fast1 the #gth1 and the #fith1 c4 ,whether the above view of this passage be founded in reason or not1 it matters little to the point at issue4 ,let both these passages be accepted in the sense assigned to them by some ,roman ,catholic writers1 yet there is not a shadow of analogy between the language and conduct of ,cyprian1 and the language and conduct of those who now invoke saints departed4 ,in each case ,cyprian1 still in the body1 was addressing fellow-creatures still sojourning on earth4 ,the very utmost which these passages could be forced to countenance would be1 that the righteous1 when in heaven1 may be mindful in their prayers of their friends1 who are still exposed to the dangers from which they have themselves finally escaped1 and who1 when both were on earth1 requested them to remember the survivors in their prayers4 ,but this is a question totally different from our addressing them in supplication and prayer2 a difference which ,i am most anxious that both myself and my readers should keep in mind throughout4 ,in the extract from ,cyprian's letter1 a modern author having rendered the single word utrobique1 by the words in this world and the next ,i am induced to add a few further observations on the passage4 7,the ,latin original and the version here referred to1 will be placed side by side in the ,appendix47 ,it will1 ,i think1 appear to most readers on a careful examination of the passage1 that the expression utrobique#fb on both sides1 or on both parts1 whatever be its precise #aff meaning1 so far from referring to this world and the next1 must evidently be confined to the condition of both parties now in this life1 because it stands in direct contradistinction to what follows1 the supposed case of the death of either of the two2 and because it applies no less to the mutual relief of each other's sufferings and afflictions during their joint lives1 than to their mutual prayers3 it cannot mean that all the mutual benefits to be derived from their mutual remembrance of each other1 were to come solely through the means of their prayers4 ,they were doubtless mutually to pray for each other2 but1 in addition to their prayers1 they were also to relieve each other's pressures and difficulties with mutual love1 and that too before the event afterwards contemplated1 namely1 the removal of one of them by death4 ,footnote #fb3 ,utrobique is rendered by ,facciolati ,greek3 hekaterothi--in utraque parte1 utrimque4 ,bishop ,fell thus comments on the passage3 ,the sense seems to be1 ,when either of us shall die2 whether ,i1 who preside at ,carthage1 or you1 who are presiding at ,rome1 shall be the survivor1 let the prayer to ,god of him whose lot shall be to remain the longest among the living1 persevere1 and continue4 ,meanwhile1 continues the ,bishop#fc1 we by no means doubt that souls admitted into heaven apply to ,god1 the best and greatest of ,beings1 that he would have compassion on those who are dwelling on the earth4 ,but it does not thence follow1 that prayers should be offered to the saints4 ,,the ,,man ,,who ,,petitions ,,them ,,makes ,,them ,,gods 7,deos qui rogat ille facit74 ,oxford1 #afhb1 p4 #adc4 ,rigaltius1 himself #afg a ,roman ,catholic1 doubts whether1 when ,cyprian wrote this letter1 he had any idea before his mind of saints departed praying for the living4 ,he translates utrobique very much as ,i have done1 with reciprocal love1 with mutual charity4 ,his last observations on this passage are very remarkable4 ,after having confessed the sentiments to be worthy of a ,christian1 that the saints pray for us1 and having argued that ,cyprian could not have thought it necessary to ask a saint to retain his brotherly kindness in heaven1 for he could not be a saint if he did not continue to love his brethren1 he thus concludes3 ,in truth it is a pious and faithful saying1 ,that of those who having already put off mortality are made joint-heirs with ,christ1 and of those who surviving on earth will hereafter be joint-heirs with ,christ1 the ,church is one1 and is by the ,holy ,spirit so well joined together as not to be torn asunder by the dissolution of the body4 ,they pray to ,god for us1 and we praise ,god for them1 and thus with mutual affection 7utrobique7 we always pray for each other4 ,paris1 #afff4 p4 #ib4 ,footnote #fc3 ,see the note of the ,benedictine editors on this passage 7p4 #dfg71 in which they refer to the sentiments of ,rigaltius1 ,pamelius1 and ,bishop ,fell1 whom they call the most illustrious ,bishop of ,oxford4 ,i will detain you only by one or two more extracts from ,cyprian2 one forming part of the introduction to his ,comment on the ,lord's ,prayer1 which is fitted for the edification of ,christians in every age2 the other closing his treatise on ,mortality1 one of those beautiful productions by which1 during the plague which raged at ,carthage in the year #beb1 he comforted and exhorted the ,christians1 that they might meet death without fear or amazement1 in sure and certain hope of eternal blessedness in heaven4 ,the sentiments in the latter passage will be responded to by every good ,catholic1 whether in communion with the ,church of ,rome or #afh with the ,church of ,england2 whilst in the former we are reminded1 that to pray as ,cyprian prayed1 we must address ourselves to ,god alone in the name and trusting to the merits only of his blessed ,son4 ,he who caused us to live1 taught us also to pray1 with that kindness evidently by which ,he deigns to give and confer on us every other blessing2 that when we speak to the ,father in the prayer and supplication which his ,son taught1 we might the more readily be heard4 ,he had already foretold1 that the hour was coming when the true worshippers should worship the ,father in spirit and in truth2 and ,he fulfilled what ,he before promised1 that we1 who have received the spirit and truth from his sanctification1 may from his instruction offer adoration truly and spiritually4 ,for what prayer can be more spiritual than that which is given to us by ,christ1 by whom even the ,holy ,spirit is sent to us8 ,what can be a more true prayer with the ,father than that which came from the lips of the ,son1 who is ,truth8 ,so that to pray otherwise than ,he taught1 is not only ignorance1 but a fault2 since ,he has himself laid it down and said1 ,ye reject the ,commandment of ,god to establish your own traditions4 ,let us pray then1 most beloved brethren1 as our teacher1 ,god1 has instructed us4 ,it is a welcome and friendly prayer to petition ,god from his own1 to mount up to his ears by the prayer of ,christ4 ,let the ,father recognize the words of his ,son4 ,when we offer a prayer let ,him who dwelleth inwardly in our breast1 ,himself be in our voice2 and since we have ,him as our advocate with the ,father for our sins1 when as sinners we are petitioning for our sins let us put forth the words of our ,advocate4 ,de ,orat4 ,dom4 p4 #bjd4 ,we must consider1 7he says at the close of his #afi treatise on the ,mortality ,page #bcf417 most beloved brethren1 and frequently reflect that we have renounced the world1 and are meanwhile living here as strangers and pilgrims4 ,let us embrace the day which assigns each to his own home 444 which restores us to paradise and the kingdom of heaven1 snatched from hence and liberated from the entanglements of the world4 ,what man1 when he is in a foreign country1 would not hasten to return to his native land8444 ,we regard paradise as our country4444 ,we have begun already to have the patriarchs for our parents4 ,why do we not hasten and run that we may see our country1 and salute our parents8 ,there a large number of dear ones are waiting for us1 of parents1 brothers1 children2 a numerous and full crowd are longing for us2 already secure of their own immortality1 and still anxious for our safety4 ,to come to the sight and the embrace of these1 how great will be the mutual joy to them and to us6 ,what a pleasure of the kingdom of heaven is there without the fear of dying1 and with an eternity of living6 ,how consummate and never-ending a happiness6 ,there is the glorious company of the apostles2 there is the assembly of exulting prophets2 there is the unnumbered family of martyrs crowned for the victory of their struggles and suffering2 there are virgins triumphing1 who1 by the power of chastity1 have subdued the lusts of the flesh and the body2 there are the merciful recompensed1 who with food and bounty to the poor have done the works of righteousness1 who keeping the ,lord's commands have transferred their earthly inheritance into heavenly treasures4 ,to these1 ,o most dearly beloved brethren1 let us hasten with most eager longing2 #agj let us desire that our lot may be to be with these speedily2 to come speedily to ,christ4 ,let ,god see this to be our thought2 let our ,lord ,christ behold this to be the purpose of our mind and faith1 who will give more abundant rewards of his glory to them1 whose desires for himself have been the greater4 ,such is the evidence of ,st4 ,cyprian4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,viii4--,,lactantius4 ,cyprian suffered martyrdom about the year #bfj4 ,towards the close of this century1 and at the beginning of the fourth1 flourished ,lactantius4 ,he was deeply imbued with classical learning and philosophy4 ,before he became a writer 7as ,jerome informs us ,jerom1 vol4 iv4 part ii4 p4 #aai4 ,paris1 #agjf7 he taught rhetoric at ,nicomedia2 and afterwards in extreme old age he was the tutor of ,csar ,crispus1 son of ,constantine1 in ,gaul4 ,among many other writings which ,jerome enumerates1 he specifies the book1 ,on the ,anger of ,god1 as a most beautiful work4 ,bellarmin1 however1 speaks of him disparagingly1 as one who had fallen into many errors1 and was better versed in ,cicero than in the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,his testimony is allowed by the supporters of the adoration of spirits and angels to be decidedly against them2 they do not refer to a single passage likely to aid their cause2 and they are chiefly anxious to depreciate his evidence4 ,i will call your attention only to two passages in his works4 ,the #aga one is in his first book on ,false ,religion3 ,god hath created ministers1 whom we call messengers 7angels72444 but neither are these gods1 nor do they wish to be called gods1 nor to be worshipped1 as being those who do nothing beyond the command and will of ,god4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #ca4 ,the other passage is from his work on a ,happy ,life3 ,nor let any one think that souls are judged immediately after death4 ,for all are kept in one common place of guard1 until the time come when the great ,judge will institute an inquiry into their deserts4 ,then those whose righteousness shall be approved1 will receive the reward of immortality2 and those whose sins and crimes are laid open shall not rise again1 but shall be hidden in the same darkness with the wicked--appointed to fixed punishments4 ,chap4 xxi4 p4 #egd4 ,this composition is generally believed to have been written about the year #cag4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ix4--,,eusebius4 ,the evidence of ,eusebius1 on any subject connected with primitive faith and practice1 cannot be looked to without feelings of deep interest4 ,he flourished about the beginning of the fourth century1 and was ,bishop of ,caesarea1 in ,palestine4 ,his testimony has always been appealed to in the ,catholic ,church1 as an authority not likely to be gainsaid4 ,he was a voluminous writer1 and his writings were very diversified in their character4 #agb ,whatever be our previous sentiments we cannot too carefully examine the remains of this learned man4 ,but in his writings1 historical1 biographical1 controversial1 or by whatever name they may be called1 overflowing as they are with learning1 philosophical and scriptural1 ,i can find no one single passage which countenances the decrees of the ,council of ,trent2 not one passage which would encourage me to hope that ,i prayed as the primitive ,church was wont to pray1 if by invocation ,i requested an angel or a saint to procure me any favour1 or to pray for me4 ,the testimony of ,eusebius has a directly contrary tendency4 ,among the authorities quoted by the champions of the invocation of saints1 ,i can find only three from ,eusebius2 and ,i sincerely lament the observations which truth and justice require me to make here1 in consequence of the manner in which his evidence has been cited4 ,the first passage to which ,i refer is quoted by ,bellarmin from the history of ,eusebius1 to prove that the spirit of a holy one goes direct from earth to heaven4 ,this passage is not from the pen of ,eusebius2 and if it were1 it would not bear on our inquiry4 ,the second is quoted by the same author1 from the ,evangelica ,prparatio1 to prove that the primitive ,christians offered prayers to the saints4 ,neither is this from the pen of ,eusebius4 ,the third ,extract1 from the account of the martyrdom of ,polycarp1 is intended to prove that the martyrs were worshipped4 ,even this1 one of the most beautiful passages in ancient history1 as it is represented by ,bellarmin and others1 is interpolated4 ,the first passage1 which follows a description of the #agc martyr ,potamina's sufferings1 is thus quoted by ,bellarmin3 ,in this manner the blessed virgin1 ,potamnina1 emigrated from earth to heaven4 ,hoc modo beata ,virgo emigravit e terris ad coelum4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #hed4 ,and such1 doubtless1 is the passage in the translation of ,eusebius1 ascribed to ,ruffinus ,basil1 #aece4 p4 #acd2 but the original is1 ,and such a struggle was thus accomplished by this celebrated virgin2 7,greek3 kai ho men taes aoidimou koraes toioutos kataegoisisto athlos2 ,tale certamen ab hac percelebri et gloriosa virgine confectum fait472 and such is the ,parisian translation of #aeha4 ,the second misquotation is far more serious4 ,bellarmin thus quotes ,eusebius3 ,these things we do daily1 who honouring the soldiers of true religion as the friends of ,god1 approach to their respective monuments1 and make ,,our ,,prayers ,,to ,,them1 as holy men1 by whose intercession to ,god1 we profess to be not a little aided4 ,hc nos1 inquit1 quotidie factitamus qui veras pietatis milites ut ,dei amicos honorantes1 ad monumenta quoque eorum accedimus1 votaque ipsis facimus tanquam viris sanctis quorum intercessione ad ,deum non parum juvari profitemur4--p4 #ijb4 ,he quotes it as c4 #g4 ,by one who has not by experience become familiar with these things it would scarcely be believed1 that whilst the readers of ,bellarmin have been taught to regard these as the words of ,eusebius1 in the original there is no mention whatever made of the intercession of the saints2 that there is no allusion to prayer to them2 that there is no admission even of any benefit derived from them at all4 ,this quotation ,bellarmin makes from the ,latin version1 published in ,paris in #aeha1 or from some common source3 it is word for word the same4 ,we must either allow him to be ignorant of the truth1 or to have designedly preferred error4 #agd ,the copy which ,i have before me of the ,evangelica ,prparatio1 in ,greek and ,latin1 was printed in #afbh1 and dedicated by ,viger ,franciscus1 a priest of the order of ,jesuits1 to the ,archbishop of ,paris4 ,eusebius1 marking the resemblance in many points between ,plato's doctrine and the tenets of ,christianity1 on the reverence which1 according to ,plato1 ought to be paid to the good departed1 makes this observation3 ,and this corresponds with what takes place on the death of those lovers of ,god1 whom you would not be wrong in calling the soldiers of the true religion4 ,whence also it is our custom to proceed to their tombs1 and ,,at ,,them the tombs to make our prayers1 and to honour their blessed souls1 inasmuch as these things are with reason done by us4 ,greek3 kai tauta de armozei epi tae ton theophilon teleutae ous stratiotas taes alaethous eusebeius ouk an hamartois eipon paralambanesthai othen kai epi tas thaekas auton ethos haemin parienai kai tas euchas para tautais poieisthai1 timan te tas makarias auton psychas1 os eulogos kai touton uph haemon giguomenon4 ,this translation agrees to a certain extent with the ,latin of ,viger's edition 7,qu quidem in hominum ,deo carissimorum obitus egregie conveniunt1 quos ver pietatis milites jure appellaris4 ,nam et eorum sepulchra celebrare et preces ibi votaque nuncupare et beatas illorum animas venerari consuevimus1 idque a nobis merito fieri statuimus72 though the translator there has employed words more favourable to the doctrine of the saints' adoration1 than he could in strictness justify4 ,the celebrated letter from the ,church of ,smyrna 7,euseb4 ,cantab4 #agbj4 vol4 i4 p4 #afc71 relating the martyrdom of ,polycarp1 one of the most precious relics of ,christian antiquity1 has already been examined by us1 when we were inquiring into the recorded #age sentiments of ,polycarp2 and to our reflections in that place we have little to add4 ,the interpolations to which we have now referred1 are intended to take off the edge of the evidence borne by this passage of ,eusebius against the invocation of saints4 ,first1 whereas the ,christians of ,smyrna are recorded by ,eusebius to have declared1 without any limitation or qualification whatever1 that they could never worship any fellow-mortal however honoured and beloved1 the ,parisian edition limits and qualifies their declaration by interpolating the word as ,god1 implying that they would offer a secondary worship to a saint4 ,again1 whereas ,eusebius in contrasting the worship paid to ,christ1 with the feelings of the ,christians towards a martyr1 employs only the word love1 ,bellarmin1 following ,ruffinus1 interpolates the word veneramur after diligimus1 a word which may be innocently used with reference to the holy saints and servants of ,god1 though it is often in ancient writers employed to mean the religious worship of man to ,god4 ,still how lamentable is it to attempt by such tampering with ancient documents to maintain a cause1 whatever be our feelings with regard to it6 ,with two more brief quotations we will close our report of ,eusebius4 ,they occur in the third chapter of the third book of his ,demonstratio ,evangelica1 and give the same view of the feelings and sentiments of the primitive ,christians towards the holy angels1 which we have found ,origen and all the other fathers to have acknowledged4 ,in the doctrine of his word we have learned that there exists1 after the most high ,god1 certain powers1 #agf in their nature incorporeal and intellectual1 rational and purely virtuous1 who 7,greek3 choreuousas7 keep their station around the sovereign ,king1--the greater part of whom1 by certain dispensations of salvation1 are sent at the will of the ,father even as far as to men2 whom1 indeed1 we have been taught to know and to honour1 according to the measure of their dignity1 rendering to ,god alone1 the sovereign ,king1 the honour of worship4 7,greek3 gnorizein kai timain kata to metron taes axias edidachthaemen1 mono toi pambasilei ,theoi taen sebasmion timaen aponemontes7 ,again3 ,knowing the divine1 the serving and ministering powers of the sovereign ,god1 and honouring them to the extent of propriety2 but confessing ,god alone1 and ,him alone worshipping4 7,greek3 theias men dynameis hypaeretikas tou pambasileos ,theou kai leitourgikas eidotes1 kai kata to prosaekon timontes monon de ,theon homologountes1 kai monon ekeinon sebontes7 ,demonst4 ,evang4 ,paris1 #afbh4 p4 #ajf42 ,prpar4 ,evang4 lib4 vii4 c4 #ae4 p4 #bcg4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,x4--,,apostolical ,,canons ,,and ,,constitutions4 ,the works known by the name of the ,apostolical ,constitutions and ,apostolical ,canons1 though confessedly not the genuine productions of the ,apostles1 or of their age1 have been always held in much veneration by the ,church of ,rome4 ,the most learned writers fix their date at a period not more remote than the beginning of the fourth century4 7,see ,cotelerius2 vol4 i4 p4 #aid and #dbd4 ,beveridge1 in the same vol4 p4 #dbg4 ,conc4 ,gen4 ,florence1 #agei1 tom4 i4 p4 #bi and #bed47 ,i invite the reader #agg to examine both these documents1 but especially the ,constitutions1 and to decide whether they do not contain strong and convincing evidence1 that the invocation of saints was not practised or known in the ,church when they were written4 ,minute rules are given for the conducting of public worship2 forms of prayer are prescribed to be used in the ,church1 by the bishops and clergy1 and by the people2 forms of prayer and of thanksgiving are recommended for the use of the faithful in private1 in the morning1 at night1 and at their meals2 forms1 too1 there are of creeds and confessions2--but not one single allusion to any religious address to angel or saint2 whilst occasions most opportune for the introduction of such doctrine and practice repeatedly occur1 and are uniformly passed by4 ,again and again prayer is directed to be made to the one only living and true ,god1 exclusively through the mediation and intercession of the one only ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,honourable mention is made of the saints of the ,old ,testament1 and the apostles and martyrs of the ,new2 directions are also given for the observance of their festivals ,book viii4 p4 #dae2 but not the shadow of a thought appears that their good offices could benefit us2 much less the most distant intimation that ,christians might invoke them for their prayers and intercessions4 ,there is indeed very much in these early productions of the ,christian world to interest every ,catholic ,christian2 and although a general admiration of the principles for the most part pervading them does not involve an entire approbation of them all1 yet perhaps few would think the time misapplied which they should devote to the examination of these documents4 #agh ,in book v4 c4 #f4 of the ,constitutions1 the martyr is represented as trusting in the one only true ,god and ,father1 through ,jesus ,christ1 the great ,high ,priest1 the ,redeemer of souls1 the ,dispenser of rewards2 to whom be glory for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,cotel4 vol4 i4 p4 #cjd4 ,in the same book and in the following chapter we find an exceedingly interesting dissertation on the general resurrection1 but not one word of saint or martyr being beforehand admitted to glory2 on the contrary1 the declaration is distinct1 that not the martyrs only1 but all men will rise4 ,surely such an opportunity would not have been lost of stating the doctrine of martyrs being now reigning with ,christ1 had such been the doctrine of the ,church at that early period4 ,in the eighth chapter is contained an injunction to honour the martyrs in these words3 ,we say that they should be in all honour with you1 as the blessed ,james the bishop and our holy fellow-minister ,stephen were honoured with us4 ,for they are blessed by ,god and honoured by holy men1 pure from all blame1 never bent towards sins1 never turned away from good1--undoubtedly to be praised4 ,of whom ,david spake1 ',honourable before ,god is the death of his saints2' and ,solomon1 ',the memory of the just is with praise4' ,of whom the prophet also said1 ',just men are taken away4' p4 #cji4 ,and in book viii4 c4 #ac4 we read this exhortation1--,let us remember the holy martyrs1 that we may be counted worthy to be partakers of their conflict4 p4 #djd4 ,does this sound any thing at all like adoration or invocation8 ,the word which is used in the above #agi passage1 honour ,greek3 tim p4 #bda1 is employed when 7book ii4 c4 #bh47 the respect is prescribed which the laity ought to show to the clergy4 ,to the very marked silence as to any invocation or honour1 to be shown to the ,virgin ,mary1 ,i shall call your attention in our separate dissertation on the worship now offered to her4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,xi4--,,saint ,,athanasius4 ,the renowned and undaunted defender of the ,catholic faith against the errors which in his day threatened to overwhelm ,gospel-truth1 ,athanasius 7the last of those ante-,nicene writers into whose testimony we have instituted this inquiry71 was born about the year #bif1 and1 after having presided in the ,church as ,bishop for more than forty-six years1 died in #cgc1 on the verge of his eightieth year4 ,it is impossible for any one interested in the question of primitive truth to look upon the belief and practice of this ,christian champion with indifference4 ,when ,i first read ,bellarmin's quotations from ,athanasius1 in justification of the ,roman ,catholic worship in the adoration of saints1 ,i was made not a little anxious to ascertain the accuracy of his allegations4 ,the inquiry amply repaid me for my anxiety and the labour of research2 not merely by proving the unsoundness of ,bellarmin's representation1 but also by directing my thoughts more especially1 as my acquaintance with his #ahj works increased1 to the true and scriptural views taken by ,athanasius of the ,christian's hope and confidence in ,god alone2 the glowing fervour of his piety centering only in the ,lord2 his sure and certain hope in life and in death anchored only in the mercies of ,god1 through the merits and mediation of ,jesus ,christ alone4 ,bellarmin1 in his appeal to ,athanasius as a witness in behalf of the invocation of saints1 cites two passages2 the one of which1 though appearing in the edition of the ,benedictines1 amongst the works called doubtful1 has been adjudged by those editors ,vol4 ii4 p4 #aaj and #abb to be not genuine2 the other is placed by them among the confessedly spurious works1 and is treated as a forgery4 ,the first passage is from a treatise called ,de ,virginitate1 and even were that work the genuine production of ,athanasius1 would make against the religious worship of the saints rather than in its favour1 for it would show1 that the respect which the author intended to be paid to them1 was precisely the same with what he would have us pay to holy men in this life1 who might come to visit us4 ,if a just man enter into thine house1 thou shalt meet him with fear and trembling1 and shalt worship before his feet to the ground3 for thou wilt not worship him1 but ,god who sent him4 ,the other passage would have been decisive as to the belief of ,athanasius1 had it come from his pen4 ,incline thine ear1 ,o ,mary1 to our prayers1 and forget not thy people4 ,we cry to thee4 ,remember us1 ,o ,holy ,virgin4 ,intercede for us1 ,o mistress1 lady1 queen1 and mother of ,god4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #cij-dja4 ,had ,bellarmin been the only writer1 or the last who cited this passage as the testimony of ,st4 ,athanasius1 #aha it would have been enough for us to refer to the judgment of the ,benedictine editors1 who have classed the homily containing these words among the spurious works ascribed to ,athanasius2 or rather we might have appealed to ,bellarmin himself4 ,for it is very remarkable1 that though in his anxiety to enlist every able writer to defend the cause of the invocation of saints1 he has cited this passage in his ,church ,triumphant as containing the words of ,athanasius1 without any allusion to its decided spuriousness1 or even to its suspicious character2 yet when he is pronouncing his judgment on the different works assigned to ,athanasius1 declaring the evidence against this treatise to be irresistible1 he condemns it as a forgery4 ,bellarm4 de ,scriptoribus ,ecclesiasticis1 ,cologne1 #afag1 vol4 vii4 p4 #ej4 ,since1 however1 this passage has been cited in different ,roman ,catholic writers of our own time as containing the words of ,athanasius1 and in evidence of his genuine belief and practice1 and that without an allusion even to any thing doubtful and questionable in its character1 it becomes necessary to enter more in detail into the circumstances under which the passage is offered to our notice4 ,the passage is found in a homily called ,the ,annunciation of the ,mother of ,god4 ,how long this homily has been discarded as spurious1 or how long its genuineness had been suspected before the time of ,baronius1 ,i have not discovered2 but certainly two centuries and a half ago1 and repeatedly since1 it has been condemned as totally and indisputably spurious1 and has been excluded from the works of ,athanasius as a forgery1 not by members of the ,reformed ,church1 but #ahb by most zealous and steady adherents to the ,church of ,rome1 and the most strenuous defenders of her doctrines and practice4 ,the ,benedictine editors#fd1 who published the remains of ,st4 ,athanasius in #afih1 class the works contained in the second volume under two heads1 the doubtful and the spurious2 and the homily under consideration is ranked1 without hesitation1 among the spurious4 ,in the middle of that volume they not only declare the work to be unquestionably a forgery1 assigning the reasons for their decision1 but they fortify their judgment by quoting at length the letter written by the celebrated ,baronius1 more than a century before1 to our countryman1 ,stapleton4 ,both these documents are very interesting4 ,footnote #fd3 ,here ,i would observe1 that though the ,benedictine editors differ widely from each other in talent1 and learning1 and candour1 yet1 as a body1 they have conferred on ,christendom1 and on literature1 benefits for which every impartial and right-minded man will feel gratitude4 ,in the works of some of these editors1 far more than in others1 we perceive the same reigning principle--a principle which some will regard as an uncompromising adherence to the faith of the ,church2 but which others can regard only in the light of a prejudice1 and a rooted habit of viewing all things through the eyes of ,rome4 ,the ,benedictine editors begin their preface thus3 ,that this discourse is spurious1 there is ,,no ,,learned ,,man ,,who ,,does ,,not ,,now ,,adjudge 444 ,the style proves itself more clear than the sun1 to be different from that of ,athanasius4 ,besides this1 very many trifles show themselves here unworthy of any sensible man whatever1 not to say ,athanasius 444 and a great number of expressions unknown to ,athanasius 444 so that it savours of inferior ,greek4 ,and truly his subtle disputation #ahc on the hypostasis of ,christ1 and on the two natures in ,christ1 persuades us1 that he lived after the councils of ,ephesus and ,chalcedon2 of which councils moreover he uses the identical words1 whereas his dissertation on the two wills in ,christ seems to argue1 that he lived after the spreading of the error of the ,monothelites4 ,but 7continue these ,benedictine editors7 we would add here the dissertation of ,baronius on this subject1 sent to us by our brethren from ,rome4 ,that illustrious annotator1 indeed1 having read only the ,latin version of ,nannius1 which is clearer than the ,greek1 did not observe the astonishing perplexity of the style#fe4 ,footnote #fe3 ,even in the ,bibliotheca ,patrum ,concionatoria the homily is declared to be not the work of ,athanasius1 but to have been written after the sixth general council4 ,it is evident1 say the editors1 that it is the monument of a very learned man1 though he has his own blemishes1 on which1 for the most part1 we have remarked in the margin4 ,paris1 #affb4 p4 #ccf4 ,the dissertation which the ,benedictine editors append1 was contained in a letter written by ,baronius to ,stapleton1 in consequence of some animadversions which ,stapleton had communicated to ,cardinal ,allen on the judgment of ,baronius4 ,the letter is dated ,rome1 ,november1 #aeib4 ,the judgment of ,baronius on the spurious character of this homily had been published to the world some time previously2 for after some preliminary words of kindness and respect to his correspondent1 ,baronius proceeds to say1 that when he previously published his sentiments on this homily1 it was only cursorily and by the way1 his work then being on another subject4 ,nevertheless he conceived1 #ahd that the little he had then stated would be sufficient to show1 that the homily was not the production of ,athanasius1 and that all persons of learning1 ,,who ,,were ,,desirous ,,of ,,the ,,truth1 would freely agree with him2 nor was he in this expectation disappointed2 for very many persons expressed their agreement with him1 congratulating him on separating legitimate from spurious children4 ,he then states the arguments which the ,benedictine editors adopted after him1 and which we need not repeat4 ,but he also urges this fact1 that though ,cyril had the works of ,athanasius in his custody1 and though both the disputing parties ransacked every place for sentiments of ,athanasius countenancing their tenets1 yet neither at ,ephesus nor at ,chalcedon was this homily quoted1 though it must have altogether driven ,eutyches and ,nestorius from the field1 so exact are its definitions and statements on the points then at issue4 ,baronius then adds1 that so far from reversing the judgment which he had before passed against the genuineness of this homily1 he was compelled in justice to declare his conviction1 that it could not have been written till after the heresy of the ,monothelites had been spread abroad4 ,this we know would fix its date1 at the very earliest1 subsequently to the commencement of the ,,seventh century1 three hundred years after ,athanasius attended the ,council of ,nice4 ,among the last sentiments of ,baronius in this letter1 is one which implies a principle worthy of ,christian wisdom1 and which can never be neglected without injury to the cause of truth4 ,these sentiments concerning ,athanasius ,i do not think are affirmed with any detriment to the ,church2 for the ,church does not suffer a loss on this account2 who being the pillar #ahe and ground of the truth1 very far shrinks from seeking1 like sop's ,jackdaw1 helps and ornaments which are not her own3 the bare truth shines more beautiful in her own naked simplicity4 ,were this principle acted upon uniformly in our discussions on religious points of faith or practice1 controversy would soon be drawn within far narrower limits2 and would gradually be softened into a friendly interchange of sentiments1 and would well-nigh be banished from the world4 ,no person does the cause of truth so much injury1 as one who attempts to support it by arguments which will not bear the test of full and enlightened investigation4 ,and however an unsound principle may be for a while maintained by unsound arguments1 the momentary triumph must ultimately end in disappointment4 ,coccius also cites two passages as conveying the evidence of ,athanasius on this same point2 one from the spurious letter addressed to ,felix1 the pope2 the other from the treatise to ,marcellus1 on the interpretation of the ,psalms4 ,on the former1 ,i need not detain you by any observation2 it would be fighting with a shadow4 ,the latter1 which only recognises what ,i have never affirmed or denied here1--the interest in our welfare taken by holy souls departed1 and their co-operation with us when we are working out our own salvation1--contains a valuable suggestion on the principles of devotion4 ,let no one1 however1 set about to adorn these ,psalms for the sake of effect with words from without1 artificial and secular phrases1 nor transpose1 nor alter the expressions4 ,but let every one inartificially read and repeat what is written1 that those holy persons who employed themselves in their production1 recognising their own works1 may join with us in prayer2 or #ahf rather that the ,holy ,spirit1 who spake in those holy men1 observing the words with which his voice inspired them1 may assist us4 ,for just as much as the life of those holy men is more pure than ours1 so far are their words preferable to any production of our own4 ,but whilst there is not found a single passage in ,athanasius to give the faintest countenance to the invocation of saints1 there are various arguments and expressions which go far to demonstrate that such a belief and such practices as are now acknowledged and insisted upon by the ,church of ,rome1 were neither adopted nor sanctioned by him4 ,had he adopted that belief and practice for his own1 he would scarcely have spoken1 as he repeatedly has1 of the exclusion of angels and men from any share in the work of man's restoration1 without any expressions to qualify it1 and to protect his assertions from being misunderstood4 ,again1 he bids us look to the holy men and holy fathers as our examples1 in whose footsteps we should tread1 if we would be safe2 but not a hint escapes him that they are to be invoked4 ,i must detain you by rather a long quotation from this father1 and will1 therefore1 now do nothing more than refer you to two passages expressive of those sentiments to which ,i have above alluded4 ,in the thirteenth section of his ,treatise on the ,incarnation of the ,word of ,god1 he argues1 that neither could men restore us to the image of ,god1 nor could angels1 but the word of ,god1 ,jesus ,christ1 c4 ,vol4 i4 part i4 p4 #eh4 ,in his ,epistle to ,dracontius1 he says1 ,we ought to conduct ourselves agreeably to the principles of the saints and fathers1 and to imitate them1--assured that if we #ahg swerve from them1 we become alienated also from their communion4 ,vol4 i4 part i1 p4 #bfe4 ,the passage1 however1 to which ,i would invite the reader's patient and impartial thoughts1 occurs in the third oration against the ,arians1 when he is proving the unity of the ,father and the ,son1 from the expression of ,st4 ,paul in the eleventh verse of the third chapter of his first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians4 ,thus then again 7,greek3 outo g' oun palin71 when he is praying for the ,thessalonians1 and saying1 ',now our ,god and ,father himself and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ direct our way to you1' he preserves the unity of the ,father and the ,son4 ,for he says not 'may ,,they direct 7,greek3 kateuthunoien71' as though a twofold grace were given from ,him ,,and ,him1 but 'may ,,he direct 7,greek3 katenthunai71' to show that the ,father giveth this through the ,son4 ,for if there was not an unity1 and the ,word was not the proper offspring of the ,father's substance1 as the eradiation of the light1 but the ,son was distinct in nature from the ,father1--it had sufficed for the ,father alone to have made the gift1 no generated being partaking with the ,maker in the gifts4 ,but now such a giving proves the unity of the ,father and the ,son4 ,consequently1 no one would pray to receive any thing from ,god ,,and the angels1 or from any other created being2 nor would any one say ',may ,god ,,and the angels give it thee2' but from the ,father and the ,son1 because of their unity and the oneness of the gift4 ,for whatever is given1 is given through the ,son1--nor is there any thing which the ,father works except through the ,son2 for thus the receiver has the gracious favour without fail4 ,but if the patriarch ,jacob1 blessing his descendants ,ephraim and ,manasseh1 said1 ',the ,god who nourished #ahh me from my youth unto this day1 the ,angel who delivered me from all the evils1 bless these lads2' he does not join one of created beings1 and by nature angels1 with ,god who created them2 nor dismissing ,him who nourished him1 ,god1 does he ask the blessing for his descendants from an angel1 but by saying ',he who delivered me from all the evils1' he showed that it was not one of created angels1 but the ,,word ,,of ,,god2 and joining him with the ,father1 he supplicated him through whom also ,god delivers whom he will4 ,for he used the expression1 knowing him who is called the ,messenger of the great counsel of the ,father to be no other than the very one who blessed and delivered from evil4 ,for surely he did not aspire to be blessed himself by ,god1 and was willing for his descendants to be blessed by an angel4 ,but the same whom he addressed1 saying1 ,i will not let ,thee go1 except thou bless me 7and this was ,god1 as he says1 ',i saw ,god face to face'71 ,him he prayed to bless the sons of ,joseph4 ,the peculiar office of an angel is to minister at the appointment of ,god2 and often he went onwards to cast out the ,amorite1 and is sent to guard the people in the way2 but these are not the doings of him1 but of ,god1 who appointed him and sent him1--whose also it is to deliver whom he will4 ,vol i4 p4 #efa4 ,for this cause ,david addressed no other on the subject of deliverance but ,god ,himself4 ,but if it belongs to no other than ,god to bless and deliver1 and it was no other who delivered ,jacob than the ,lord ,himself1 and the patriarch invoked for his descendants ,him who delivered him1 it is evident that he connected no one in his prayer except ,his ,word1 whom for this reason he called an angel1 because he alone reveals the ,father4 #ahi ,but this no one would say of beings produced and created2 for neither when the ,father worketh does any one of the angels1 or any other of created beings1 work the things2 for no one of such beings is an effective cause1 but they themselves belong to things produced4 ,the angels then1 as it is written1 are ministering spirits sent to minister2 and the gifts given by ,him through the ,word they announce to those who receive them4 ,now if the invocation of angels had been practised by the ,church at that time1 can it be for a moment believed1 that a man of such a mind as was the mind of ,athanasius1 a mind strong1 clear1 logical1 cultivated with ardent zeal for the doctrines of the ,church1 and fervent piety1 would have suffered such passages as these to fall from him1 without one saving clause in favour of the invocation of angels8 ,he tells us in the most unqualified manner1 that they act merely as ministers2 ready indeed1 and rejoicing to be employed on errands of mercy1 but not going one step without the commands of the ,lord1 or doing one thing beyond his word4 ,had the idea been familiar to the mind of ,athanasius1 of the lawfulness1 the duty1 the privilege1 the benefit of invoking them1 would he have avoided the introduction of some words to prevent his expressions from being misunderstood and misapplied1 as subsequent writers did long before the time when the denial of the doctrine might seem to have made such precaution more necessary8 ,i close then the catalogue of our witnesses before the ,council of ,nica with the testimony of ,st4 ,athanasius2 whose genuine and acknowledged works afford not one jot or tittle in support of the doctrine and practice of the invocation of angels and saints1 as now insisted upon by the ,church of ,rome2 and the direct #aij tendency of whose evidence is decidedly hostile both to that doctrine and that practice4 ,i have seen it observed by some who are satisfied1 that the records of primitive antiquity do not contain such references to the invocation of saints and angels1 as we might have expected to find had the custom then prevailed1 that the earliest ,christians kept back the doctrine and concealed it1 though they held it2 fearing lest their heathen neighbours should upbraid them with being as much polytheists as themselves#ff4 ,this is altogether a gratuitous assumption1 directly contrary to evidence1 and totally inconsistent with their conduct4 ,had those first ,christians acted upon such a debasing principle1 they would have kept back and concealed their worship of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost1 as exposing them to a similar charge4 ,they were constantly upbraided with worshipping a crucified #aia mortal2 but instead of either meeting that charge by denying that they worshipped ,jesus as their ,god1 or of concealing the worship of ,him1 lest they should expose themselves again to such upbraidings1 they publicly professed1 that ,he whom the ,jews had murdered1 they believed in as the ,son of ,god1 ,himself their ,god4 ,they gloried in the doctrine of the ever-blessed ,trinity1 and did not fear what men might do to them1 or say of them in consequence4 ,had they believed in the duty of invoking saints and angels1 the high principle of ,christian integrity would not have suffered them to be ashamed to confess it1 or to practise openly what they believed4 ,footnote #ff3 ,bishop ,morley1 7,london1 #afhc17 in a letter written whilst he was in exile at ,breda1 to ,j4 ,ulitius1 refers to ,cardinal ,perron1 ,rplique la ,resp4 du ,roy de la ,grande ,bret4 p4 #adjb and #d1 for this sentiment3 ,the ,fathers do not always speak what they think1 but conceal their real sentiments1 and say that which best serves the cause which they sustain1 so as to protect it against the objections of the gentiles4 ,the ,fathers1 as much as in them lies1 and as far as they can1 avoid and decline all occasions of speaking about the invocation of saints then practised in the ,church1 fearing lest to the gentiles there might appear a sort of similarity1 although untrue and equivocal1 between the worship paid to the saints by the ,church1 and by the ,pagans to their false divinities2 and lest the ,pagans might thence seize a handle1 however unfair1 of retorting upon them that custom of the ,church4 ,had a member of the ,anglican ,church thus spoken of the ,fathers1 and thus pleaded in their name guilty of subterfuge and duplicity1 he would have been immediately charged with irreverence and wanton insult1 and that with good reason4 ,these sentiments of the ,cardinal are in p4 #ihb of the ,paris edition of #afbj4 #aib 99 99 99 99 99 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,state ,,of ,,worship ,,at ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,the ,,reformation4 ,one of the points proposed for our inquiry was the state of religious worship1 with reference to the invocation of saints1 at the time immediately preceding the reformation4 ,very far from entertaining a wish to fasten upon the ,church of ,rome now1 what then deformed religion among us1 in any department where that ,church has practically reformed her services1 ,i would most thankfully have found her ritual in a more purified state than it is4 ,my more especial object in referring to this period is twofold3 first1 to show1 that consistently with ,catholic and primitive principles1 the ,catholic ,christians of ,england ought not to have continued to participate in the worship which at that time prevailed in our country2 and1 secondly1 by that example both to illustrate the great danger of allowing ourselves to countenance the very first stages of superstition1 and also to impress upon our minds the duty of checking in its germ any the least deviation from the primitive principles of faith and worship2 convinced that by the general tendency of human nature1 one wrong step will1 though imperceptibly1 yet almost inevitably lead to another2 and that only whilst we adhere with uncompromising steadiness #aic to the ,scripture as our foundation1 and to the primitive ,church1 under ,god1 as a guide1 can we be saved from the danger of making shipwreck of our faith4 ,on this branch of our subject ,i propose to do no more than to lay before my readers the witness borne to the state of religion in ,england at that time1 by two works1 which have been in an especial manner forced upon my notice4 ,many other testimonies of a similar tendency might readily be adduced2 but these will probably appear sufficient for the purposes above mentioned2 and to dwell longer than is necessary on this point would be neither pleasant nor profitable4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,i4 ,the first book to which ,i shall refer is called ,the ,hours of the most blessed ,virgin ,mary1 according to the legitimate use of the ,church of ,salisbury4 ,this book was printed in ,paris in the year #aebf4 ,the prayers in this volume relate chiefly to the ,virgin3 and ,i should1 under other circumstances1 have reserved all allusion to it for our separate inquiry into the faith and practice of the ,church of ,rome with regard to her4 ,but its historical position and general character seemed to recommend our reference to it here4 ,without anticipating1 therefore1 the facts or the arguments1 which will hereafter be submitted to the reader's consideration on the worship of the ,virgin1 ,i refer to this work now solely as illustrative of the lamentable state of superstition which three centuries ago overran our country4 ,the volume abounds with forms of prayer to the ,virgin1 many of them prefaced by extraordinary notifications of indulgences promised to those who duly utter #aid the prayers4 ,these indulgences are granted by ,popes and by ,bishops2 some on their own mere motion1 others at the request of influential persons4 ,they guarantee remission of punishment for different spaces of time1 varying from forty days to ninety thousand years2 they undertake to secure freedom from hell2 they promise pardon for deadly sins1 and for venial sins to the same person for the same act2 they assure to those who comply with their directions a change of the pain of eternal damnation into the pain of purgatory1 and the pain of purgatory into a free and full pardon4 ,it may be said that the ,church of ,rome is not responsible for all these things4 ,but we need not tarry here to discuss the question how far it was then competent for a church or nation to have any service-book or manual of devotion for the faithful1 without first obtaining the papal sanction4 ,for clear it is beyond all question1 that such frightful corruptions as these1 of which we are now to give instances1 were spread throughout the land2 that such was the religion then imposed on the people of ,england2 and it was from such dreadful enormities1 that our ,reformation1 to whatever secondary cause that reformation is to be attributed--by the providence of ,almighty ,god rescued us4 ,no one laments more than ,i do1 the extremes into which many opponents of papal ,rome have allowed themselves to run2 but no one can feel a more anxious desire than myself to preserve our ,church and people from a return of such spiritual degradation and wretchedness2 and to keep far from us the most distant approaches of such lamentable and ensnaring superstitions4 ,in this feeling moreover ,i am assured that ,i am joined by many of the most respected and influential members of the ,roman ,catholic ,church among us4 #aie ,still what has been may be2 and it is the bounden duty of all members of ,christ's ,catholic ,church1 to whatever branch of it they belong1 to join in guarding his sanctuary against such enemies to the truth as it is in ,,him4 ,at the same time it would not be honest and candid in me1 were ,i to abstain from urging those1 who1 with ourselves1 deprecate these excesses1 to carry their reflections further2 and determine whether the spirit of the ,gospel does not require a total rejection1 even in its less startling forms1 of every departure from the principle of invoking ,god alone2 and of looking for acceptance with ,him solely to the mediation of his ,son1 without the intervention of any other merits4 ,as we regard it1 it is not a question of degree2 it is a question of principle3 one degree may be less revolting to our sense of right than another1 but it is not on that account justifiable4 ,the following specimens1 a few selected from an overabundant supply1 will justify the several particulars in the summary which ,i have above given3 #a4 ,the ,right ,reverend ,father in ,god1 ,laurence#fg1 ,bishop of ,assaven1 hath granted forty days of pardon to all them that devoutly say this prayer in the worship of our blessed ,lady1 being penitent1 and truly confessed of all their sins4 ,oratio1 ',gaude ,virgo1 ,mater ,christi1' c4 ,rejoice1 ,virgin1 ,mother of ,christ4 ,fol4 #ce4 ,footnote #fg3 ,this was ,laurence ,child1 who1 by papal provision1 was made ,bishop of ,st4 ,asaph1 ,june #ah1 #achb4 ,he is called also ,penitentiary to the ,pope4 ,le ,neve1 p4 #ba4 ,beatson1 vol4 i4 p4 #aae4 #b4 ,to all them that be in the state of grace1 that daily say devoutly this prayer before our blessed ,lady of ,pity1 she will show them her blessed visage1 and warn them the day and the hour of death2 and in their last #aif end the angels of ,god shall yield their souls to heaven2 and#fh he shall obtain five hundred years1 and so many ,lents of pardon1 granted by five holy fathers1 ,popes of ,rome4 ,fol4 #ch4 ,footnote #fh3 ,the language in many of these passages is very imperfect2 but ,i have thought it right to copy them verbatim4 #c4 ,this prayer showed our ,lady to a devout person1 saying1 that this golden prayer is the most sweetest and acceptablest to me3 and in her appearing she had this salutation and prayer written with letters of gold in her breast1 ',ave ,rosa sine spinis'--,hail ,rose without thorns4 ,fol4 #da4 #d4 ,our holy ,father1 ,sixtus the fourth1 pope1 hath granted to all them that devoutly say this prayer before the image of our ,lady the sum of ,,xi4,m4 eleven thousand years of pardon4 ',ave ,sanctissima ,maria1 ,mater ,dei1 ,regina ,coeli1' c4 ,hail most holy ,mary1 ,mother of ,god1 ,queen of ,heaven4 ,fol4 #db4 #e4 ,our holy ,father1 ,pope ,sixtus1 hath granted at the instance of the highmost and excellent ,princess ,elizabeth1 late ,queen of ,england1 and wife to our sovereign liege ,lord1 ,king ,henry the ,seventh1 7,god have mercy on her sweet soul1 and on all ,christian souls17 that every day in the morning1 after three tollings of the ,ave bell1 say three times the whole salutation of our ,lady ,ave ,maria gratia2 that is to say1 at #f the clock in the morning #c ,ave ,maria1 at #ab the clock at noon #c ,ave ,m41 and at #f the clock at even1 for every time so doing is granted of the ,,spiritual ,,treasure ,,of ,,holy ,,church #cjj days of pardon totiens quotiens2 and also our holy father1 the ,archbishop of ,canterbury and ,york1 with other nine ,bishops of this realm1 have #aig granted #c times in the day #dj days of pardon to all them that be in the state of grace able to receive pardon3 the which begun the #bfth day of ,march1 ,anno ,,mccccxcii4 ,anno ,henrici ,,vii4#fi ,and the sum of the indulgence and pardon for every ,ave ,maria ,,viii hondred days an ,,lx totiens quotiens1 this prayer shall be said at the tolling of the ,ave ,bell1 ',suscipe1' c4 ,receive the word1 ,o ,virgin ,mary1 which was sent to thee from the ,lord by an angel4 ,hail1 ,mary1 full of grace3 the ,lord with thee1 c4 ,say this #c times1 c4 ,fol4 #db4 ,footnote #fi3 ,henry ,,vii4 began to reign in #adhe4 #f4 ,this prayer was showed to ,st4 ,bernard by the messenger of ,god1 saying1 that as gold is the most precious of all other metals1 so exceedeth this prayer all other prayers1 and who that devoutly sayeth it shall have a singular reward of our blessed ,lady1 and her sweet ,son ,jesus4 ',ave1' c4 ,hail1 ,mary1 most humble handmaid of the ,trinity1 c4 ,hail1 ,mary1 most prompt ,comforter of the living and the dead4 ,be thou with me in all my tribulations and distresses with maternal pity1 and at the hour of my death take my soul1 and offer it to thy most beloved ,son ,jesus1 with all them who have commended themselves to our prayers4 ,fol4 #df4 #g4 ,our holy father1 the ,pope ,bonifacius1 hath granted to all them that devoutly say this lamentable contemplation of our blessed ,lady1 standing under the ,cross weeping1 and having compassion with her sweet ,son ,jesus1 #g years of pardon and forty ,lents1 and also ,pope ,john the #bb hath granted three hondred days of pardon4 ',stabat ,mater dolorosa4' ,fol4 #dg4 #h4 ,to all them that before this image of ,pity devoutly say #e ,pat4 ,nos41 and #e ,aves1 and a ,credo1 piteously beholding these arms of ,christ's passion1 are #aih granted ,,xxxii4,m4,,vii hondred1 and ,,lv 7#cbgee7 years of pardon2 and ,sixtus the #dth1 ,pope of ,rome hath made the #d and the #e prayer1 and hath doubled his aforesaid pardon4 ,fol4 #ed4 #i4 ,our holy ,father the ,pope ,john #bb hath granted to all them that devoutly say this prayer1 after the elevation of our ,lord ,jesu ,christ1 #cjjj days of pardon for deadly sins4 ,fol4 #eh4 #aj4 ,this prayer was showed to ,saint ,augustine by revelation of the ,holy ,ghost1 and who that devoutly say this prayer1 or hear read1 or beareth about them1 shall not perish in fire or water1 nother in battle or judgment1 and he shall not die of sudden death1 and no venom shall poison him that day1 and what he asketh of ,god he shall obtain if it be to the salvation of his soul2 and when thy soul shall depart from thy body it shall not enter hell4 ,this prayer ends with three invocations of the ,cross1 thus3 ,o ,cross of ,christ cross save us1 ,o ,cross of ,christ cross protect us1 ,o ,cross of ,christ cross defend us4 ,in the name of the cross ,father1 cross ,son1 and ,holy cross ,ghost4 ,amen4 ,fol4 #fb4 #aa4 ,our holy ,father ,pope ,innocent ,,iii4 hath granted to all them that say these ,,iii prayers following devoutly1 remission of all their sins confessed and contrite4 ,fol4 #fc4 #ab4 ,these #c prayers be written in the ,chapel of the ,holy ,cross1 in ,rome1 otherwise called ,sacellum ,sanct ,crucis septem ,romanorum2 who that devoutly say them shall obtain ,x4,c4,m4 ninety thousand years of pardon for deadly sins granted of our holy ,father1 ,john #bb1 ,pope of ,rome4 ,fol4 #ff4 #ac4 ,who that devoutly beholdeth these arms of #aii our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 shall obtain six thousand years of pardon of our holy ,father ,saint ,peter1 the first pope of ,rome1 and of ,,xxx thirty other popes of the ,church of ,rome1 successors after him2 and our holy ,father1 ,pope ,john #bb1 hath granted unto all them very contrite and truly confessed1 that say these devout prayers following in the commemoration of the bitter passion of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 #cjjj years of pardon for ,,deadly ,,sins1 and other #cjjj for venial sins4 ,fol4 #fh4 ,i will only add one more instance4 ,the following announcement accompanies a prayer of ,st4 ,bernard3 ,who that devoutly with a contrite heart daily say this orison1 if he be that day in a state of eternal damnation1 then this eternal pain shall be changed him in temporal pain of purgatory2 then if he hath deserved the pain of purgatory it shall be forgotten and forgiven through the infinite mercy of ,god4 ,it is indeed very melancholy to reflect that our country has witnessed the time1 when the bread of life had been taken from the children1 and such husks as these substituted in its stead4 ,accredited ministers of the ,roman ,catholic ,church have lately assured us that the pardons and indulgences granted now1 relate only to the remission of the penances imposed by the ,church in this life1 and presume not to interfere with the province of the ,most ,high in the rewards and punishments of the next4 ,but1 ,i repeat it1 what has been in former days may be again2 and whenever ,christians depart from the doctrine and practice of prayer to ,god alone1 through ,christ alone1 a door is opened to superstitions and abuses of every kind2 and we cannot too anxiously and too jealously guard and fence about1 with all our power and skill1 the fundamental principle1 one ,god and one ,mediator4 #bjj 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ii4--,,service ,,of ,,thomas ,,becket1 ,,on ,,the ,,anniversary ,,of ,,his ,,martyrdom1 ,,dec4 #bi4 ,the other instance by which ,i propose to illustrate the state of religion in ,england before the reformation1 is the service of ,thomas ,becket1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 a canonized saint and martyr of the ,church of ,rome4 ,the interest attaching to so remarkable a period in ecclesiastical history1 and to an event so intimately interwoven with the former state of our native land1 appears to justify the introduction of the entire service1 rather than extracts from it1 in this place4 ,whilst it bears throughout immediately on the subject of our present inquiry1 it supplies us at the same time with the strong views entertained by the authors of the service1 on points which gave rise to great and repeated discussion1 not only in ,england1 but in various parts also of continental ,europe1 with regard to the moral and spiritual merits or demerits of ,becket1 as a subject of the realm and a ,christian minister4 ,it is1 moreover1 only by becoming familiar in all their details with some such remains of past times1 that we can form any adequate idea of the great and deplorable extent to which the legends had banished the reading and expounding of ,holy ,scriptures from our churches2 and also how much the praises of mortal man had encroached upon those hours of public worship1 which should be devoted to meditations on our ,maker1 ,redeemer1 and ,sanctifier2 to the exclusive praises of his holy name2 and to supplications #bja to ,him alone for blessings at his hand1 and for his mercy through ,christ4 ,there is much obscurity in the few first paragraphs4 ,the historical or biographical part begins at ,lesson the ,first1 and continues throughout1 only interspersed with canticles in general referring to the incidents in the narrative preceding each4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,service ,,of ,,thomas ,,becket#gj4 ,footnote #gj3 ,the copies which ,i have chiefly consulted for the purposes of the present inquiry1 are two large folio manuscripts1 in good preservation1 ,no4 #aeab and ,no4 #bghe of the ,harleian ,,mss4 in the ,british ,museum4 ,the service commences about the #dith page1 ,b4 of ,no4 #bghe4 ,this ,,ms4 is considered to be of a date somewhere about #adcj4 ,the first parts of the service are preserved also in a ,breviary printed in ,paris in #aeef1 with some variations and omissions4 ,there are various other copies in the ,british ,museum1 as well printed as in manuscript4 ,let them without change of vestments and without tapers in their hands1 proceed to the altar of ,st4 ,thomas the ,martyr1 chanting the requiem1 the chanter beginning1 ,req4 ,the grain lies buried beneath the straw2 ,the just man is slain by the spear of the wicked2 ,the guardian of the vine falls in the vineyard1 ,the chieftain in the camp1 the husbandman in the threshing-floor4 ,then the prose is said by all who choose1 in surplices before the altar4 ,let the ,shepherd sound his trumpet of horn4 ,let the choir respond to the chant of the prose after every verse1 upon the letter super litteram4 #bjb ,that the vineyard of ,christ might be free1 ,which he assumed under a robe of flesh1 ,he liberated it by the purple cross4 ,the adversary1 the erring sheep1 ,becomes bloodstained by the slaughter of the shepherd4 ,the marble pavements of ,christ ,are wetted1 ruddy with sacred gore2 ,the martyr presented with the laurel of life4 ,like a grain cleansed from the straw1 ,is translated to the divine garners4 ,but whilst the prose is being sung1 let the priest incense the altar1 and then the image of the blessed ,thomas the ,martyr2 and afterwards shall be said with an humble voice3 ,pray for us1 ,blessed ,thomas4 ,the ,prayer#ga4 ,o ,god for whose ,church the glorious #bjc high-priest and martyr ,thomas fell beneath the swords of the wicked1 grant1 we beseech thee1 that all who implore his aid may obtain the salutary effect of their petition1 through ,christ4 ,footnote #ga3 ,this ,collect is still preserved in the ,roman ritual1 and is offered on the anniversary of ,becket's death4 ,in a very ancient pontifical1 preserved in the chapter-house of ,bangor1 and which belonged to ,anianus1 who was ,bishop of that see 7#abfh71 among the ,proper ,benedictions for the circuit of the year1 are two relating to ,thomas ,becket2 one on the anniversary of his death1 the other on the day of his translation4 ,the former is couched in these words3 ,o ,god1 who hast not without reason mingled the birthday of the glorious high-priest1 ,thomas1 with the joys of thy nativity1 by the intervention of his merits 7ipsius mentis intervenientibus71 make these thy servants venerate thy majesty with the reverence of due honour4 ,amen4 ,and as he1 according to the rule of a good shepherd1 gave his life for his sheep1 so grant thou to thy faithful ones1 to fear no tyrannical madness to the prejudice of ,catholic truth4 ,amen4 ,we ask that they1 by his example1 for obedience to the holy laws1 may learn to despise persons1 and by suffering manfully to triumph over tyrannical madness4 ,amen4 ,the latter runs thus3 ,may ,god1 by whose pity the bodies of saints rest in the sabbath of peace1 turn your hearts to the desire of the resurrection to come4 ,amen4 ,and may he who orders us to bury with honour due the members of the saints whose death is precious1 by the merits of the glorious martyr1 ,thomas1 vouchsafe to raise you from the dust of vanity4 ,amen4 ,where at length by the power of his benediction ye may be clothed with doubled festive robes of body and soul4 ,amen4 ,the shepherd slain in the midst of the flock1 ,purchased peace at the price of his blood4 ,o joyous grief1 in mournful gladness6 ,the flock breathes when the shepherd is dead2 ,the mother wailing1 sings for joy in her son1 ,because he lives under the sword a conqueror4 ,the solemnities of ,thomas the ,martyr are come4 ,let the ,virgin ,mother1 the ,church1 rejoice2 ,thomas being raised to the highest priesthood1 ,is suddenly changed into another man4 ,a monk1 under the garb of8 a clerk1 secretly clothed with haircloth1 ,more strong than the flesh subdues the attempts of the flesh2 ,whilst the tiller of the ,lord's field pulls up the thistles1 ,and drives away and banishes the foxes from the vineyard4 ,the ,first ,lesson4 ,dearest ,brethren1 celebrating now the birth-day of the martyr ,thomas1 because we have not power to recount his whole life and conversation1 let our brief discourse run through the manner and cause of his passion4 ,the blessed ,thomas1 therefore1 as in the office of ,chancellor1 or ,archdeacon1 he proved incomparably strenuous #bjd in the conduct of affairs1 so after he had undertaken the office of pastor1 he became devoted to ,god beyond man's estimation4 ,for1 when consecrated1 he suddenly is changed into another man3 he secretly put on the hair shirt1 and wore also hair drawers down to the knee4 ,and under the respectable appearance of the clerical garb1 concealing the monk's dress1 he entirely compelled the flesh to obey the spirit2 studying by the exercise of every virtue without intermission to please ,god4 ,knowing1 therefore1 that he was placed a husbandman in the field of the ,lord1 a shepherd in the fold1 he carefully discharged the ministry entrusted to him4 ,the rights and dignities of the ,church1 which the public authority had usurped1 he deemed it right to restore1 and to recall to their proper state4 ,whence a grave question on the ecclesiastical law and the customs of the realm1 having arisen between him and the king of the ,english1 a council being convened1 those customs were proposed which the king pertinaciously required to be confirmed by the signatures as well of the archbishop as of his suffragans4 ,the archbishop with constancy refused1 asserting that in them was manifest the subversion of the freedom of the ,church4 ,he was in consequence treated with immense insults1 oppressed with severe losses1 and provoked with innumerable injuries4 ,at length1 being threatened with death1 7because the case of the ,church had not yet become fully known1 and the persecution seemed to be personal17 he determined that he ought to give place to malice4 ,being driven1 therefore1 into exile1 he was honourably received by our lord the pope ,alexander#gb at ,senon1 and recommended #bje with especial care to the ,monastery of ,pontinea 7,pontigny74 ,footnote #gb3 ,pope ,alexander ,,iii4 was at this time residing as a refugee at ,sens1 having been driven from ,italy a few years before by ,frederick ,barbarossa4 ,malice1 bent on the punishment of ,thomas1 ,condemns to banishment the race of ,thomas4 ,the whole family goes forth together4 ,no order1 sex1 age1 or condition ,here enjoys any privilege4 ,lesson the ,second4 ,meanwhile in ,england all the revenues of the archbishop are confiscated1 his estates are laid waste1 his possessions are plundered1 and by the invention of a new kind of punishment1 the whole kin of ,thomas is proscribed together4 ,for all his friends or acquaintance1 or whoever was connected with him1 by whatever title1 without distinction of state or fortune1 dignity or rank1 age or sex1 were alike exiled4 ,for as well the old and decrepit1 as infants in the cradle and women lying in childbirth1 were driven into banishment2 whilst as many as had reached the years of discretion were compelled to swear upon the holy ,gospels#gc that immediately on crossing the sea they would present themselves to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury2 in order that being so oftentimes pierced even by the sword of sympathy1 he would bend his strength of mind to the king's pleasure4 ,but the man of ,god1 putting his hand to deeds of fortitude1 with constancy bore exile1 reproaches1 insults1 the proscription of parents and friends1 for the name of ,christ2 he was never1 by any injury1 at all broken or changed4 ,for so great was the firmness of this confessor of ,christ1 that he seemed to teach all his fellow exiles1 that every soil is the brave man's country4 ,footnote #gc3 ,tactis sacrosanctis4 ,it may mean reliques1 or other sacred things4 #bjf ,thomas put his hands to deeds of fortitude1 ,he despised losses1 he despised reproaches1 ,no injury breaks down ,thomas3 ,the firmness of ,thomas exclaimed to all1 ,every soil is the brave man's country4 ,third ,lesson4 ,the king therefore hearing of his immoveable constancy1 having directed commendatory letters by some abbots of the ,cistertian order to the ,general ,chapter1 caused him to be driven from ,pontinea4 ,but the blessed ,thomas fearing that1 by occasion of his right1 injury would befal the saints1 retired of his own accord4 ,yet before he set out from thence he was comforted by a divine revelation3 a declaration being made to him from heaven1 that he should return to his ,church with glory1 and by the palm of martyrdom depart to the ,lord4 ,when he was disturbed and sent from his retreat at ,pontinea1 ,louis1 the most ,christian king of the ,french1 received him with the greatest honour1 and supported him most courteously till peace was restored4 ,but even he too was often1 though in vain1 urged not to show any grace of kindness towards a traitor to the king of ,england4 ,the hand of fury proceeded further1 and a cruelty dreadful for pious ears to hear4 ,for whereas the ,catholic ,church prays even for heretics1 and schismatics1 and faithless ,jews1 it was forbidden that any one should assist him by the supplications of prayer4 ,exiled1 then1 for six continuous years1 afflicted with varied and unnumbered injuries1 and like a living stone squared by various cuttings and pressures for the building of the heavenly edifice1 the more he was thrust at that he might fall1 the more firm and immoveable was he enabled to stand4 #bjg ,for neither could gold so carefully tried be burned away1 nor a house1 founded on a firm rock1 be torn down4 ,neither does he suffer the wolves to rage against the lambs1 nor the vineyard to pass into a garden of herbs4 ,the best of men1 holy1 and renowned is banished1 ,lest the dignity of the ,church should yield to the unworthy4 ,the estates of the exiled man are the spoil of the malignant1 ,but when placed in the fire1 the fire burns him not4 ,fourth ,lesson4 ,at length by the exertions1 as well of the aforesaid pontiff as of the king of the ,french1 many days were appointed for re-establishing peace3 and because the servant of ,god would not accept of peace1 unless with safety to the honour of ,god1 and the character of the ,church1 they departed in discord from each other4 ,at length the supreme ,pontiff1 pitying the desolation of the ,anglican ,church1 with difficulty at the last extorted by threatening measures1 that peace should be restored to the ,church4 ,the realms indeed rejoiced1 that the ,king had been reconciled to the ,archbishop1 whilst some believed that the affair was carried on in good faith1 and others formed different conjectures4 ,consequently in the seventh year of his exile the noble pastor returned into ,england1 that he might either rescue the sheep of ,christ from the jaws of the wolves1 or sacrifice himself for the flock intrusted to his care4 ,he is received by the clergy and the people with incalculable joy2 all shedding tears1 and saying1 ,blessed is he who cometh in the name of the ,lord4 ,but after a few days he was again afflicted by losses and miseries beyond measure and number4 ,whoever offered to him1 #bjh or to any one connected with him1 a cheerful countenance was reckoned a public enemy4 ,in all these things his mind was unbroken2 but his hand was still stretched out for the liberation of the ,church4 ,for this he incessantly sighed2 for this he persevered in watchings1 fastings1 and prayers2 to obtain this he ardently desired to sacrifice himself4 ,from the greatest joy of affairs1 ,the greatest wailing is in the ,church1 ,for the absence of so great a patron4 ,but when the miracles return1 ,joy to the people returns4 ,the crowd of sick flock together1 ,and obtain the grace of benefits4 ,fifth ,lesson4 ,now on the fifth day after the birth-day of our ,lord1 four persons of the palace came to ,canterbury1 men indeed of high birth1 but famous for their wicked deeds2 and having entered1 they attack the archbishop with reproachful words1 provoke him with insults1 and at length assail him with threats4 ,the man of ,god modestly answered1 to every thing1 whatever reason required1 adding that many injuries had been inflicted upon him and the ,church of ,god1 since the re-establishment of peace1 and there was no one to correct what was wrong2 that he neither could nor would dissemble thereafter1 so as not to exercise the duties of his function4 ,the men1 foolish in heart1 were disturbed by this1 and having loudly given utterance to their iniquity they forthwith went out4 ,on their retiring1 the prelate proceeded to the ,church1 to offer the evening praises to ,christ4 ,the mail-clad satellites of ,satan followed him from behind with drawn swords1 a #bji large band of armed men accompanying them4 ,on the monks barring the entrance to the ,church1 the priest of ,god1 destined soon to become a victim of ,christ1 running up re-opened the door to the enemy2 ,for1 said he1 a ,church must not be barricaded like a castle4 ,as they burst in1 and some shouted with a voice of phrenzy1 ,where is the traitor8 others1 ,where is the ,archbishop8 the fearless confessor of ,christ went to meet them4 ,when they pressed on to murder him1 he said1 ,for myself ,i cheerfully meet death for the ,church of ,god2 but on the part of ,god ,i charge you to do no hurt to any of mine--imitating ,christ in his passion1 when he said1 ,if ye seek me1 let these go their way4 ,then rush the ravening wolves on the pious shepherd1 degenerate sons on their own father1 cruel lictors on the victim of ,christ1 and with fatal swords cut off the consecrated crown of his head2 and hurling down to the ground the ,christ the anointed of the ,lord1 in savage manner1 horrible to be said1 scattered the brains with the blood over the pavement4 ,thus does the straw press down the grain of corn2 ,thus is slain the guard of the vineyard in the vineyard2 ,thus the general in the camp1 the shepherd in the fold1 the husbandman in the threshing-floor4 ,thus the just1 slain by the unjust1 has changed his house of clay for a heavenly palace4 ,rachel1 weeping1 now cease thou to mourn ,that the flower of the world is bruised by the world4 ,when the slain ,thomas is borne to his funeral1 ,a new ,abel succeeds to the old4 ,the voice of blood1 the voice of his scattered brains1 ,fills heaven with a marvellous cry4 #baj ,sixth ,lesson4 ,but the last words of the martyr1 which from the confused clamour could scarcely be distinguished1 according to the testimony of those who stood near1 were these1--,to ,god1 and the blessed ,mary1 and ,saint ,dionysius1 and the holy patrons of this ,church1 ,i commend myself and the cause of the ,church#gd4 ,moreover1 in all the torments which this unvanquished champion of ,god endured1 he sent forth no cry1 he uttered no groan1 he opposed neither his arm nor his garment to the man who struck him1 but held his head1 which he had bent towards the swords1 unmoved till the consummation came2 prostrated as if for prayer1 he fell asleep in the ,lord4 ,the perpetrators of the crime1 returning into the palace of the holy prelate1 that they might make the passion of the servant more fully resemble the passion of his ,lord1 divided among them his garments1 the gold and silver and precious vessels1 choice horses1 and whatever of value they could find1 allotting what each should take4 ,these things therefore the soldiers did4 ,who1 without weeping1 can relate the rest8 ,so great was the sorrow of all1 so great the laments of each1 that you would think the prophecy were a second time fulfilled1 ,a voice is heard in ,rama1 lamentation and great mourning4 ,nevertheless the divine mercy1 when temptation was multiplied1 made a way to escape2 and by certain visions1 giving as it were a prelude to the future miracles1 declared that the martyr was thereafter to be glorified by wonders1 that joy would return after sorrow1 #baa and a crowd of sick would obtain the grace of benefits4 ,footnote #gd3 ,i have already suggested a comparison between this prayer and the commendatory prayer of the ,martyr ,polycarp1 page #ib4 ,o ,christ ,jesus#ge1 ,,by ,,the ,,wounds ,,of ,,thomas1 ,loosen the sins which bind us2 ,lest the enemy1 the world1 or the works of the flesh4 ,bear us captive to hell4 ,by#gf ,,thee1 ,o ,thomas 444 ,let the right hand of ,god embrace us4 ,the satellites of ,satan rushing into the temple ,perpetrate an unexampled1 unheard-of1 crime4 ,thomas proceeds to meet their drawn swords3 ,he yields not to threats1 to swords1 nor even to death4 ,happy place6 ,happy ,church1 ,in which the memory of ,thomas lives6 ,happy the land which gave the prelate6 ,happy the land which supported him in exile6 ,happy ,father6 succour us miserable1 ,that we may be happy1 and joined with those above6 ,footnote #ge3 ,christe ,jesu per ,thom vulnera1 ,qu nos ligant relaxa scelera ,ne captivos ferant ad infera ,hostis1 mundus1 vel carnis opera4 ,footnote #gf3 ,per te1 ,thoma1 post lv munera ,amplexetur nos ,dei dextera4 ,seventh ,lesson4 ,jesus said unto his disciples1 ,i am the good shepherd4 ,the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep4 ,,the ,,homily ,,of ,s4 ,,gregory1 ,,pope4 ,ye have heard1 most dear brethren1 from the reading of the ,gospel1 your instruction2 ye have heard also #bab your danger4 ,for behold6 he who is not from any gift happening to him1 but who is essentially good1 says1 ,i am the good shepherd2 and he adds the character of the same goodness1 which we may imitate1 saying1 ,the good shepherd layeth down his life for his sheep4 ,he did what he taught2 he showed what he commanded4 ,the good shepherd laid down his life for his sheep2 that in our sacrament he might change his body and blood1 and satisfy1 by the nourishment of his flesh1 the sheep which he had redeemed4 ,here is shown to us the way1 concerning the contempt of death1 which we should follow2 the character is placed before us to which we should conform4 ,in the first place1 we should of our pity sacrifice our external good for his sheep2 and at last1 if it be necessary1 give up our own life for the same sheep4 ,from that smallest point we proceed to this last and greater4 ,but since the soul by which we live is incomparably better than the earthly substance which we outwardly possess1 who would not give for the sheep his substance1 when he would give his life for them8 ,and there are some who1 whilst they love their earthly substance more than the sheep1 deservedly lose the name of shepherd3 of whom it is immediately added1 ,but the hireling who is not the shepherd1 whose own the sheep are not1 seeth the wolf coming1 and leaveth the sheep and fleeth4 ,he is called not a shepherd1 but a hireling1 who feeds the ,lord's sheep not for inward love1 but with a view to temporal wages4 ,he is a mercenary who seeks indeed the place of shepherd1 but seeks not the gain of souls4 7,the sentences between brackets are not in ,,ms4 ,no4 #aeab47 ,to ,thomas all things yield and are obedient3 ,plagues1 diseases1 death1 and devils1 #bac ,fire1 air1 land1 and seas4 ,thomas filled the world with glory4 ,the world offers obeisance to ,thomas#gg4 ,footnote #gg3 ,thom cedunt et parent omnia3 ,pestes1 morbi1 mors1 et dmonia1 ,ignis1 aer1 tellus1 et maria4 ,thomas mundum replevit gloria4 ,thom mundus prstat obsequia4 ,eighth ,lesson4 ,in good truth1 the holy ,thomas1 the precious champion of ,god1 was to be worthily glorified4 ,for if the cause1 yea1 forasmuch as the cause makes the martyr1 did ever a title of holy martyrs exist more glorious8 ,contending for the ,church1 in the ,church he suffered2 in a holy place1 at the holy time of the ,lord's nativity1 in the midst of his fellow-priests and the companies of the religious3 since in the agony of the prelate all the circumstances seemed so to concur1 as perpetually to illustrate the title of the sufferer1 and reveal the wickedness of his persecutors1 and stain their name with never-ending infamy4 ,but so did the divine vengeance rage against the persecutors of the martyr1 that in a short time1 being carried away from the midst1 they nowhere appeared4 ,and some1 without confession1 or the viaticum1 were suddenly snatched away2 others tearing piecemeal their own fingers or tongues2 others pining with hunger1 and corrupting in their whole body1 and racked with unheard-of tortures before their death1 and broken up by paralysis2 others bereft of their intellects2 others expiring with madness2--left manifest proofs that they were suffering the penalty of unjust persecution and premeditated murder4 ,let1 therefore1 the ,virgin ,mother1 the ,church1 rejoice that the new martyr has borne away the triumph over the #bad enemies4 ,let her rejoice that a new ,zacharias has been for her freedom sacrificed in the temple4 ,let her rejoice that a new ,abel's blood hath cried unto ,god for her against the men of blood4 ,for the voice of his blood shed1 the-voice of his brain scattered by the swords of those deadly satellites1 hath filled heaven at once and the world with its far-famed cry4 ,thomas shines with new miracles2 ,he adorns with sight those who had lost their eyes2 ,he cleanses those who were stained with the spots of leprosy2 ,he looses those that were bound with the bonds of death4 ,ninth ,lesson4 ,for at the cry of this blood the earth was moved and trembled4 ,nay1 moreover1 the powers of the heavens were moved2 so that1 as if for the avenging of innocent blood1 nation rose against nation1 and kingdom against kingdom2 nay1 a kingdom was divided against itself1 and terrors from heaven and great signs took place4 ,yet1 from the first period of his martyrdom1 the martyr began to shine forth with miracles1 restoring sight to the blind1 walking to the lame1 hearing to the deaf1 language to the dumb4 ,afterwards1 cleansing the lepers1 making the paralytic sound1 healing the dropsy1 and all kinds of incurable diseases2 restoring the dead to life2 in a wonderful manner commanding the devils and all the elements3 he also put forth his hand to unwonted and unheard-of signs of his own power2 for persons deprived of their eyes merited by his merits to obtain new members4 ,but some #bae who presumed to disparage his miracles1 struck on a sudden1 were compelled to publish them even unwillingly4 ,at length1 against all his enemies the martyr so far prevailed1 that almost every day you might see that to be repeated in the servant which is read of the ,only-begotten3 ,they who spoke evil of thee shall come unto thee1 and adore the traces of thy feet4 ,now the celebrated champion and martyr of ,god1 ,thomas1 suffered in the year from the incarnation of the ,lord1 according to ,dionysius1 #aaga1 on the fourth of the kalends of ,january1 on the third day of the week1 about the eleventh hour1 that the birth-day of the ,lord might be for labour1 and his for rest2 to which rest the same our ,god and ,lord ,jesus ,christ vouchsafe to bring us2 who with the ,father and the ,holy ,spirit liveth and reigneth ,god1 for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,o good ,jesus1 ,,by ,,the ,,merits ,,of ,,thomas1 ,forgive us our debts2 ,visit the house1 the gate1 the grave2 ,and raise us from the threefold death4 ,what has been lost by act1 in mind1 or use1 ,restore with thy wonted pity4 ,pray for us1 ,o blessed ,thomas4 ,n4,b4 ,this appears to be the end of the first service in honour of ,thomas ,becket#gh2 and at this point #baf another service seems to commence1 with a kind of new heading1 ,in the commemoration of ,st4 ,thomas#gi4 ,footnote #gh3 ,all the ,lessons between this passage and ,in ,lauds1 are wanting in ,,ms4 #aeab4 ,footnote #gi3 ,another ,feast was kept in honour of his translation1 on the #gth of ,july4 ,the ,first ,lesson4 ,when ,archbishop ,theobald1 of happy memory1 in a good old age1 slept with his fathers1 ,thomas1 archdeacon of the ,church of ,canterbury1 is solemnly chosen1 in the name of the ,holy ,trinity1 to be archbishop and primate of all ,england1 and afterwards is consecrated4 ,then pious minds entertained firm hope and confidence in the ,lord#hj4 ,footnote #hj3 ,there is much of obscurity in the next paragraph4 ,reference seems to be made to his twofold character of a regular and a secular clergyman1 and to his improved state morally4 ,the ,latin is this3 ,erat autem piis mentibus spes firma et fiducia in ,domino1 quod idem consecratus utriusque hominis1 habitu mutato moribus melioratus prsideret4 ,probatissimum siquidem tenebatur sedem illam sedem sanctorum esse sanctam recipere aut facere1 vel citius et facile indignum abicere1 quod et in beato ,thoma ,martyre misericorditer impletum est4 ,second ,lesson4 ,therefore the chosen prelate of ,god being elected1 and anointed with the sanctifying of the sacred oil1 immediately obtained a most hallowed thing1 and was filled with manifold grace of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,for walking in newness of life1 a new man1 he was changed into another man1 all things belonging to whom were changed for the better2 and with so great grace did he consecrate the commencement of his bishopric1 that clothing himself with a monk's form secretly1 he fulfilled the work and merit of a monk4 #bag ,third ,lesson4 ,but he1 who after the example of the ,baptist1 with constancy had conceived in a perfect heart that the zeal of righteousness should be purified1 studied also to imitate him in the garb of penitence4 ,for casting off the fine linen which hitherto he had been accustomed to use1 whilst the soft delicacies of kings pleased him1 he was clothed on his naked body with a most rough hair shirt4 ,he added1 moreover1 hair drawers1 that he might the more effectually mortify the flesh1 and make the spirit live4 ,but these1 as also the other exercises of his spiritual life1 very few indeed being aware of it1 he removed from the eyes and knowledge of men by superadding other garments1 because he sought glory not from man1 but from ,god4 ,even then the man of virtue entering upon the justifications of ,god1 began to be more complete in abstinence1 more frequent in watching1 longer in prayer1 more anxious in preaching4 ,the pastoral office intrusted to him by ,god1 he executed with so great diligence1 as to suffer the rights neither of the clergy nor of the ,church to be in any degree curtailed4 99 99 99 99 99 ,there seems here also to be another commencement1 for the next lesson is called the ,first4 ,lesson ,first4 ,so large a grace of compunction was he wont to possess1 between the secrets of prayer or the solemnities of masses1 that with eyes trained to weeping he would be wholly dissolved in tears2 and in the office #bah of the altar his appearance was as though he was witnessing the ,lord's passion in the flesh4 ,knowing also that mercy softens justice1 and that pity hath the promise of the life that now is1 and of that which is to come1 therefore towards the poor and the afflicted did he bear the bowels of mercy piteously1 and was anxious to reach the poor by the blessings of his alms4 ,lesson ,second4 ,the more humble of those whom a character for religion raised high1 he made his acquaintance and intimates2 and that he might learn from them to hunger and thirst after righteousness1 he enjoyed more frequently their secret conversation4 ,towards such servants and soldiers of ,christ this merciful man preferred to be liberal and abundant in food and raiment1 he who determined in himself to be moderate and sparing4 ,for what would he deny to ,christ1 who for ,christ was about to shed his blood8 ,he who owed his coat or cloak to one who asked it1 desired to add1 moreover1 his own flesh4 ,for he knew that the man would never freely give his own flesh1 who showed himself greedy of any temporal thing4 ,lesson ,third4 ,hitherto the merciful ,lord1 who maketh poor and enricheth1 bringeth low and lifteth up1 wished to load his servant with riches1 and exalt him with honours2 and afterwards he was pleased to try him with adversity4 ,by trying whether he loved ,him1 ,he proved it the more certainly2 but ,he supplied grace more abundantly4 ,for with the temptation ,he made a way to escape1 that he might be able to bear it4 ,therefore1 the envious enemy1 considering that the new prelate #bai and the new man was flourishing with so manifold a grace of virtues1 devised to send a burning blight of temptation1 which might suffocate the germ of his merits already put forth4 ,nor was there any delay4 ,he who severs a man from his ,god1 and one friend from his neighbour1 sowed irreconcileable quarrels between the king and the archbishop4 ,pray for us1 ,o blessed ,thomas4 ,in ,lauds4 ,a grain falls and gives birth to an abundance of corn4 ,the alabaster-box is broken1 and the odour of the ointment is powerful4 ,the whole world vies in love to the martyr1 ,whose wonderful signs strike all with astonishment4 ,the water for ,thomas five times changing colour1 ,once was turned into milk1 four times into blood4 ,at the shrine#ha of ,thomas four times the light came down1 ,and to the glory of the saint kindled the wax-tapers4 ,,do ,,thou ,,by ,,the ,,blood ,,of ,,thomas1 ,,which ,,he#hb ,,shed ,,for ,,thee2 ,,make ,,us1 ,o ,,christ1 ,,ascend1 ,whither ,thomas has ascended4 ,extend#hc succour to us1 ,o ,thomas1 ,guide those who stand1 #bbj ,raise up those who fall1 ,correct our morals1 actions1 and life2 ,and guide us into the way of peace4 ,footnote #ha3 ,ad ,thom memoriam4 ,footnote #hb3 ,tu per ,thom sanguinem quem pro te impendit1 ,fac nos1 ,christe1 scandere1 quo ,thomas ascendit4 ,footnote #hc3 ,opem nobis1 ,o ,thoma1 porrige1 ,rege stantes1 jacentes erige1 ,mores1 actus1 et vitam corrige1 ,et in pacis nos viam dirige4 ,final ,anthem4 ,hail1 ,o ,thomas1 the ,rod of ,justice2#hd ,the ,brightness of the ,world2 ,the ,strength of the ,church2 ,the ,love of the ,people2 ,the ,delight of the ,clergy4 ,hail1 glorious ,guardian of the ,flock2 ,save those who rejoice in thy glory4 ,footnote #hd3 ,salve1 ,thomas1 ,virga ,justiti1 ,mundi ,jubar1 ,robur ,ecclesi1 ,plebis ,amor1 ,cleri ,delicia4 ,salve ,gregis ,tutor egregie1 ,salva tu gaudentes glori4 ,the end of the service of ,thomas of ,canterbury4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now for a few moments only let us meditate on this service4 ,i have already referred to the lamentable practice of substituting biographical legends for the word of ,god4 ,and what is the tendency of this service8 ,what impression was it likely to make1 and to leave on minds of ordinary powers and instruction8 ,must it not1 of necessity1 tend to withdraw them from contemplating ,christ1 and to fix their thoughts on the powers1 the glory1 the exaltation1 the merits of a fellow-sinner8 ,it will be said1 that they will look beyond the martyr1 and trace the blessings1 here enumerated1 to ,christ1 as their primary cause1 and will think of the merits of ,thomas as efficacious only through the merits of their ,saviour2 that in their invocation of ,thomas they will implore him only to pray for them4 ,but can this be so8 ,does not the ascription of miracles to him #bba and to his power2 does not the very form of enumerating those miracles tend much to exalt the servant to an equality with the ,master8 ,whilst ,thomas by being thus1 in words at least1 presented to the people as working those miracles by his own power1 7for there is throughout a lamentable absence of immediate ascription of glory to ,god17 is raised to an equality with ,christ our ,lord2 many passages in this service have the tendency also of withdrawing the minds of the worshippers from an implicit and exclusive dependence on the merits of ,christ alone1 and of tempting them to admit the merits of ,thomas to share at least with ,christ in the work of grace and salvation4 ,let us place some texts of ,scripture and some passages of this service side by side4 ,transcriber's note3 ,they are shown here one after the other4 ,scripture4 ,but after that the kindness and love of ,god towards man appeared1 not by works of righteousness which we have done1 but according to his mercy he saved us4--,titus iii4 #d1 #e4 ,he who spared not his own ,son1 but gave him up for us all1 how shall he not with him also freely give us all things8--,rom4 viii4 #cb4 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanseth us from all sin4--#a ,john i4 #g4 ,one ,mediator4--#a ,tim4 ii4 #e4 ,who also maketh intercession for us4--,rom4 viii4 #cd4 ,he ever liveth to make intercession for them4--,heb4 vii4 #be4 ,service of ,thomas ,becket4 ,o ,christ ,jesus1 by the wounds of ,thomas loosen the sins which bind us4 ,o blessed ,jesus1 ,,by ,,the ,,merits ,,of ,,thomas1 forgive us our debts1 raise us from the threefold death1 and restore what has been lost with thy accustomed pity4 ,do thou1 ,o ,christ1 by the blood of ,thomas1 which he shed for thee1 make us ascend whither ,thomas has ascended4 ,holy ,thomas1 pray for us4 ,and if this service thus seems to mingle the merits of ,christ1 the merits of his blood and of his death1 with #bbb the merits of a mortal man1 the immediate address to that mortal as the giver of good things temporal and spiritual1 very awfully trespasses on that high1 exclusive1 and incommunicable prerogative of the one ,lord ,god ,omnipotent1 which his ,spirit hath proclaimed solemnly and repeatedly1 and which he has fenced around against all invasion with so many warnings and denunciations4 ,scripture4 ,service of ,becket #a4 ,o thou that hearest prayer1 #a4 ,for they sake1 ,o ,thomas1 unto thee shall all flesh come4-- let the right hand of ,god embrace ,ps4 lxv4 vulg4 lxiv4 #b4 us4 ,by prayer and supplication1 with thanksgiving1 let your requests be made known unto ,god4--,phil4 iv4 #f4 #b4 ,lord1 be thou my helper4-- #b4 ,send help to us1 ,o ,thomas2 ,ps4 xxx4 xxix4 #aj4 #c4 ,thou shalt guide me by thy #c4 ,guide thou those who stand2 counsel4--,ps4 lxxiii4 lxxii4 #bd4 ,he1 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 shall guide you into all truth4--,john xvi4 #ac4 #d4 ,the ,lord upholdeth all that #d4 ,raise up those who fall2 fall1 and raiseth up all those that be bowed down4--,psalm cxlv4 cxliv4 #ad4 #e4 ,create in me a clean heart1 #e4 ,correct our morals1 actions ,o ,god4--,ps4 li4 l4 #aj4 and life2 #f4 ,the steps of a good man are #f4 ,and guide us into the way ordered by the ,lord4 ,though of peace4 he fall1 he shall not be utterly cast down1 for the ,lord upholdeth him4--,ps4 xxxvii4 xxxvi4 #bc4 ,the day-spring from on high hath visited us1 to guide our feet into the way of peace4--,luke i4 #gh1 #gi4 ,and then again1 in celebrating the praises of a mortal #bbc man1 recourse is had to language which can fitly be used only in our hymns and praises to the supreme ,lord of our destinies1 the eternal ,creator1 ,redeemer1 and ,comforter1 the only wise ,god our ,saviour4 ,address to ,thomas4 ,language of ,scripture4 #a4 ,hail1 ,thomas1 ,rod of ,justice6 #a4 ,there shall come a rod out of the stem of ,jesse4 ,ye denied the ,holy ,one1 and the ,just--,isaiah xi4 #a4 ,acts iii4 #ad4 #b4 ,the brightness of the world4 #b4 ,the brightness of his glory4 ,i am the light of the world--,heb4 i4 #c4 ,john viii4 #ab4 #c4 ,the strength of the ,church4 #c4 ,i can do all things through ,christ1 that strengthened me4 ,christ loved the ,church1 and gave himself for it4--,phil4 iv4 #ac4 ,eph4 v4 #be4 #d4 ,the love of the people3 the #d4 ,grace be with all them that delight of the ,clergy4 love our ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity4 ,delight thyself in the ,lord4--,eph4 vi4 #bd4 ,ps4 xxxvii4 #d4 #e4 ,hail1 glorious ,guardian of #e4 ,our ,lord ,jesus1 that great the ,flock4 ,save those who rejoice ,shepherd of the sheep4 ,give ear1 in thy glory4 ,o ,shepherd of ,israel2 come and save us4 ,he that glorieth1 let him glory in the ,lord4--,heb4 xiii4 #bj4 ,psalm lxxx4 lxxix4 #a4 #a ,cor4 i4 #ca4 ,can that worship become the disciples of the ,gospel and the ,cross1 which addresses such prayers and such praises to the spirit of a mortal man8 ,every prayer1 and every form of praise here used in honour of ,thomas ,becket1 it would well become ,christians to offer to the ,giver of all good1 trusting solely and exclusively to the mediation of ,christ ,jesus our ,lord for acceptance2 and pleading-only the merits of his most precious blood4 #bbd ,and yet ,i am bound to confess1 that in principle1 in spirit1 and in fact1 ,i can find no substantial difference between this service of ,thomas of ,canterbury1 and the service which all in communion with the ,church of ,rome are under an obligation to use even at the present hour4 ,this point remains next for our inquiry1 and we will draw from the well-head4 ,i would1 however1 first suggest the application of a general test for ascertaining the real bona-fide nature of these prayers and praises4 ,the test ,i would apply is1 to try with the change only of the name1 substituting the holiest name ever named in heaven or in earth for the name of ,thomas of ,canterbury--whether these prayers and praises should not be offered to the ,supreme ,being alone through the atoning merits of his ,blessed ,son2 whether they are not exclusively appropriate to ,,him4 ,to 7,thomas_/,god ,almighty7 all things bow and are obedient4 ,plagues1 diseases1 death1 and devils1 ,fire1 air1 land1 and sea4 7,thomas_/,the ,almighty7 fills the world with glory4 ,the world offers obeisance to 7,thomas_/,almighty ,god74 7,the ,martyr ,thomas_/,our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ7 began to shine forth with miracles ,john ii4 #aa2 restoring sight to the blind ,luke vii4 #ba2 walking to the lame2 hearing to the deaf2 speech to the dumb2 cleansing to the lepers ,matt4 xi4 #e2 making the paralytic sound ,matt4 iv4 #bd2 healing the dropsy ,luke xiv4 #d2 and all kinds of incurable diseases ,luke iv4 #dj2 restoring the dead to #bbe life ,luke viii4 #dc4 #ee2 in a wonderful manner commanding the devils ,matt4 viii4 #af1 and all the elements ,luke viii4 #be4 ,he put forth his hand to unwonted and unheard-of signs of his own power ,mark ii4 #ab4 ,john ix4 #cj4 ,do thou1 ,o ,lord1 by the blood of 7,thomas_/,christ7 cause us to ascend whither 7,thomas_/,christ7 has ascended4 7,o ,thomas_/,o ,god71 send help to us4 ,guide those who stand2 raise up those who fall2 correct our morals1 actions1 and life2 and guide us into the way of peace4 ,hail1 7,thomas6_/,jesus67 ,rod of ,justice1 the ,brightness of the world1 the ,strength of the ,church1 the ,love of the people1 the ,delight of the ,clergy4 ,hail1 ,glorious ,guardian of the flock6 ,save ,thou those who delight in ,thy glory4 99 99 99 99 99 ,we shall apply this same test to many of the collects and prayers used1 and of necessity to be used1 because they are authorized and appointed1 even at the present day1 in the ministrations of the ,church of ,rome4 ,the impiety in many of those instances is not couched in such startling language2 but it is not the less real4 ,god forbid that we should charge our fellow-creatures with idolatry1 who declare that they offer divine worship to the ,supreme ,being only2 or that we should pronounce any professed ,christian to have cast off his #bbf dependence on the merits of ,christ alone1 who assures us that he looks for mercy only through those merits4 ,but ,i know and feel1 that according to the standard of ,christian truth1 and of the pure worship of ,almighty ,god1 which the ,scriptures and primitive antiquity compel me to adopt1 ,i should stain my own soul with the guilt of idolatry1 and with the sin of relying on other merits than ,christ's1 were ,i myself to offer those prayers4 ,that this service excited much disgust among the early reformers1 we learn from various writers#he4 ,on the merits of the struggle between ,becket and his king2 on the question of ,becket's moral and religious worth1 7a question long and often discussed among the exercises of the masters of ,paris in the full assembly of the ,sorbonne#hf17 or on the motives which influenced ,henry the ,eighth1 ,i intend not to say one word3 those points belong not to our present inquiry4 ,it may not1 however1 be thought irrelevant here to quote a passage #bbg from the ordinance of this latter monarch for erasing ,becket's service out of the books1 and his name from the calendar of the saints4 ,footnote #he3 ,see ,mornay ,de la ,messe1 ,saumur1 #afjd4 p4 #hbf4 ,becon1 in his ,new ,year's ,gift1 ,london1 #aefd1 p4 #ahc1 thus speaks3 ,what saint at any time thought himself so pure1 immaculate1 and without all spot of sin1 that he durst presume to die for us1 and to avouch his death to be an oblation and sacrifice for our lives to ,god the ,father1 except peradventure we will admit for good payment these and such like blasphemies1 which were wont full solemnly to be sung in the temples unto the great ignominy of the glorious name of ,god1 and the dishonour of ,christ's most precious blood4 ,then quoting the lines from the service of ,thomas ,becket1 on which we have above commented1 he adds1 ,i will let pass many more which are easy to be searched and found out4 ,becon preached and wrote in the reign of ,henry ,,viii4 and was then persecuted for his religion1 as he was afterwards in the reign of ,mary4 ,footnote #hf3 ,we are told that forty-eight years after his death1 the masters of ,paris disputed whether ,thomas was a condemned sinner1 or admitted into heaven4 ,in ,henry the ,eighth's proclamation1 dated ,westminster1 #afth ,november1 in the thirtieth year of his reign1 printed by ,bertholet1 is the following very curious passage3-- ,,item1 for as moche as it appereth now clerely1 that ,thomas ,becket1 sometyme ,archbyshop of ,canterburie1 stubburnly to withstand the holsome lawes establyshed agaynste the enormities of the clergie1 by the kynges highness mooste noble progenitour1 kynge ,,henry the ,seconde1 for the common welthe1 reste1 and tranquillitie of this realme1 of his frowarde mynde fledde the realme into ,fraunce1 and to the bishop of ,rome1 mayntenour of those enormities1 to procure the abrogation of the sayd lawes1 whereby arose moch trouble in this said realme1 and that his dethe1 which they untruely called martyrdome1 happened upon a reskewe by him made1 and that1 as it is written1 he gave opprobrious wordes to the gentyllmen1 whiche than counsayled hym to leave his stubbernesse1 and to avoyde the commocion of the people1 rysen up for that rescue4 ,and he not only callyd the one of them bawde1 but also toke ,tracy by the bosome1 and violently shoke and plucked hym in suche maner1 that he had almoste overthrowen hym to the pavement of the ,churche2 so that upon this fray one of their company1 perceivynge the same1 strake hym1 and so in the thronge ,becket was slayne4 ,and further that his canonization was made onely by the bysshop of ,rome1 bycause he had ben a champion of maynteyne his usurped auctoritie1 and a bearer of the iniquitie of the clergie1 for these and for other great and urgent causes1 longe to recyte1 the ,kynge's #bbh ,maiestie1 by the advyse of his counsayle1 hath thought expedient to declare to his lovynge subjectes1 that notwithstandynge the sayde canonization1 there appereth nothynge in his lyfe and exteriour conversation1 wherby he shuld be callyd a sainct1 but rather estemed to have ben a rebell and traytour to his prynce4 ,therefore his ,grace strayghtly chargeth and commandeth that from henseforth the sayde ,thomas ,becket shall not be estemed1 named1 reputed1 nor called a sayncte1 but bysshop ,becket2 and that his ymages and pictures1 through the hole realme1 shall be putte downe1 and avoyded out of all churches1 chapelles1 and other places2 and that from henseforthe1 the dayes used to be festivall in his name shall not be observed1 nor the service1 office1 antiphoners1 colletes1 and prayers1 in his name redde1 but rased and put out of all the bokes#hg4 ,footnote #hg3 ,in the ,roman ,breviary1 adapted to ,england1 several biographical lessons are appointed for the ,anniversary of ,st4 ,thomas1 bishop and martyr1 interspersed with canticles4 ,in one of these we read1 ,this is truly a martyr1 who1 for the name of ,christ1 shed blood2 who feared not the threats of judges1 nor sought the glory of earthly dignity4 ,but he reached the heavenly kingdom4--,norwich1 #ahcj4 ,hiem4 p4 #bea4 #bbi 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,council ,,of ,,trent4 ,in the process of ascertaining the real state of doctrine and practice in the worship of the ,church of ,rome at the present day1 we must first gain as clear and accurate a knowledge of the decree of the ,council of ,trent1 as its words will enable us to form4 ,into the character of that ,council1 and of those who constituted it1 our present investigation does not lead us to inquire4 ,it is now1 ,i believe1 generally understood1 that its decrees are binding on all who profess allegiance to the ,sovereign ,roman ,pontiff2 and that the man would be considered to have renounced the ,roman ,catholic ,communion1 who should professedly withhold his assent from the doctrines there promulgated as vital1 or against the oppugners of which the ,council itself pronounced an anathema4 ,ecclesiastical writers#hh assure us1 that the wording of the decrees of that ,council was in many cases on purpose framed ambiguously and vaguely4 ,the latitude1 however1 of the expressions employed1 does not in itself #bcj of necessity imply any of those sinister and unworthy motives to which it has been usual with many writers to attribute it4 ,in charity1 and without any improbable assumption1 it may be referred to an honest and laudable desire of making the terms of communion as wide as might be1 with a view of comprehending within what was regarded the pale of the ,catholic ,church1 the greatest number of those who professed and called themselves ,christians4 ,be this as it may1 the vagueness and uncertainty of the terms employed1 compel us in many instances to have recourse to the actual practice of the ,church of ,rome1 as the best interpreter of doubtful expressions in the articles of that ,council4 ,the decree which bears on the subject of this volume is drawn up in the following words3-- ,footnote #hh3 ,see ,mosheim1 xvi4 ,cent4 c4 i4 vol4 iv4 p4 #aif4 ,london1 #ahaa4 ,,session ,,xxv4#hi ,on the invocation1 veneration1 and reliques of saints1 and of sacred images4 ,the ,holy ,council commands all bishops and others bearing the office and care of instruction1 that according to the usage of the ,catholic and ,apostolic ,church1 received from the primitive times of the ,christian religion1 and the consent of holy fathers1 and decrees of sacred councils1 they in the first place should instruct the faithful concerning the intercession and invocation of saints1 the honour of reliques1 and the lawful use of images1 teaching them1 that the ,,saints ,,reigning ,,together ,,with ,,christ1 offer their own #bca prayers for men to ,god3 that it is good and profitable ,,suppliantly ,,to ,,invoke ,,them3 and to fly to their ,,prayers1 ,,help1 and ,,assistance1 for obtaining benefits from ,god1 by his ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 who is our only ,redeemer and ,saviour4 ,but that those who deny that the saints1 enjoying everlasting happiness in heaven1 are to be invoked2 or who assert either that they do not pray for us2 or that the invocation of them to pray for us even as individuals is idolatry1 or is repugnant to the word of ,god1 and is opposed to the honour of the one ,mediator of ,god and man1 ,jesus ,christ2 or that it is folly1 by voice or mentally1 to supplicate those who reign in heaven1 hold impious sentiments4 ,that the bodies also of the holy martyrs and others living with ,christ1 which were living members of ,christ1 and a temple of the ,holy ,ghost to be raised by ,him to eternal life1 and to be glorified1 are to be worshipped by the faithful2 by means of which many benefits are conferred on men by ,god2 so that those who affirm that worship and honour are not due to the reliques of the saints1 or that they and other sacred monuments are unprofitably honoured by the faithful2 and that the shrines of the saints are frequented in vain for the purpose of obtaining their succour1 are altogether to be condemned1 as the ,church has long ago condemned them1 and now also condemns them4 ,footnote #hi3 ,the ,latin1 which will be found in the ,appendix1 is a transcript from a printed copy of the ,acts of the ,council of ,trent1 preserved in the ,british ,museum1 to which are annexed the autograph signatures of the secretaries 7notarii71 and their seals4 ,an examination of this decree1 in comparison with the form and language of other decrees of the same ,council1 forces the remark upon us1 ,that the ,council does not assert that the practice of invoking saints has any foundation in ,holy ,scripture4 ,the absence of all such declaration is the more striking and important1 because in the very decree immediately preceding this1 #bcb which establishes ,purgatory as a doctrine of the ,church of ,rome1 the ,council declares that doctrine to be drawn from the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,in the present instance the ,council proceeds no further than to charge with impiety those who maintain the invocation of saints to be contrary to the word of ,god4 ,many a doctrine or practice1 not found in ,scripture1 may nevertheless be not contrary to the word of ,god2 but here the ,council abstains from affirming any thing whatever as to the scriptural origin of the doctrine and practice which it authoritatively enforces4 ,in this respect the framers of the decree acted with far more caution and wisdom than they had shown in wording the decree on ,purgatory2 and with far more caution and wisdom too than they exercised in this decree1 when they affirmed that the doctrine of the invocation of saints was to be taught the people according to the usage of the ,catholic and ,apostolic ,church1 received from the primitive times of the ,christian religion1 and the consent of the holy fathers4 ,i have good hope that these pages have already proved beyond gainsaying1 that the invocation of saints is a manifest departure from the usage of the ,primitive ,church1 and contrary to the testimony of the holy fathers4 ,however1 the fact of the ,council not having professed to trace the doctrine1 or its promulgation1 to any authority of ,holy ,scripture1 is of very serious import1 and deserves to be well weighed in all its bearings4 ,with regard to the condemnatory clauses of this decree1 ,i would for myself observe1 that ,i should never have engaged in preparing this volume1 had ,i not believed1 that it was neither good nor profitable to invoke the saints1 or to fly to their prayers1 their assistance1 and succour4 ,i am bound1 with this decree #bcc before me1 to pronounce1 that it is a vain thing to offer supplications1 either by the voice or in the mind1 to the saints1 even if they be reigning in heaven2 and that it is also in vain for ,christians to frequent the shrines of the saints for the purpose of obtaining their succour4 ,i am1 moreover1 under a deep conviction1 that the invocation of them is both at variance with the word of ,god1 and contrary to the honour of the one ,mediator between ,god and man1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,on this last point1 indeed1 ,i am aware of an anxious desire prevailing on the part of many ,roman ,catholics1 to establish a distinction between a mediation of ,redemption1 and a mediation of ,intercession3 and thus by limiting the mediation of the saints and angels to intercession1 and reserving the mediation of redemption to ,christ only1 to avoid the setting up of another to share the office of ,mediator with ,him1 who is so solemnly declared in ,scripture to be the one ,mediator between ,god and man4 ,but this distinction has no foundation in the revealed will of ,god2 on the contrary1 it is directly at variance with the words and with the spirit of many portions of the sacred volume4 ,there we find the two offices of redemption and mediation joined together in ,christ4 ,if any man sin1 we have an advocate with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the ,righteous1 and ,he is the propitiation for our sins4 #a ,john ii4 #a1 #b4 ,heb4 ix4 #ab4 vii4 #be4 ,in the ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 the same ,saviour who is declared by his own blood to have obtained eternal redemption1 is announced also as the ,mediator of ,intercession4 ,wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost who come unto ,god through him1 seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them4 ,the #bcd redemption wrought by ,christ1 and the intercession still made in our behalf by ,christ1 are both equally declared to us by the most sure warrant of ,holy ,scripture2 of any other intercession by saints in glory1 by angels1 or ,virgin1 to be sought by our suppliant invocations to them1 the covenant of ,god speaks not4 ,it may be observed1 that the enactment of this decree by the ,council of ,trent1 has been chiefly lamented by some persons on the ground of its presenting the most formidable barrier against any reconciliation between the ,church of ,rome1 and those who hold the unlawfulness of the invocation of saints4 ,indeed persons of erudition1 judgment1 piety1 and charity1 in communion with ,rome1 have not been wanting to express openly their regret1 that decrees so positive1 peremptory1 and exclusive1 should have been adopted4 ,they would have been better satisfied with the terms of communion in the ,church to which they still adhered1 had individuals been left to their own responsibility on questions of disputable origin and doubtful antiquity1 involving rather the subtilty of metaphysical disquisitions1 than agreeable to the simplicity of ,gospel truth1 and essential ,christian doctrine4 ,on this point ,i would content myself with quoting the sentiments of a ,roman ,catholic author4 ,many of the facts alleged in his interesting comments deserve the patient consideration of every ,christian4 ,here 7observes the commentator on ,paoli ,sarpi's ,history of the ,council of ,trent#ij7 the ,council makes it a duty to pray to saints1 though the ancient ,church never regarded it as necessary4 ,the practice cannot be proved to be introduced into public worship #bce before the sixth century2 and it is certain1 that in the ancient liturgies and sacramentaries no direct invocation is found4 ,even in our modern missals1 being those of our ecclesiastical books in which the ancient form has been longest retained1 scarcely is there a collect those he means in which mention is made of the saints where the address is not offered directly to ,god1 imploring ,him to hear the prayers of the saints for us2 and this is the ancient form of invocation4 ,it is true1 that in the ,breviaries and other ecclesiastical books1 direct prayers to the saints have been subsequently introduced1 as in litanies1 hymns1 and even some collects4 ,but the usage is more modern1 and cannot be evidence for ancient tradition4 ,for this ancient tradition only some invocations addressed to saints in public harangues are alleged1 but which ought to be regarded as figures of rhetoric1 apostrophes1 rather than real invocations2 though at the same time some fathers laid the foundation for such a practice by asserting that one could address himself to the saints1 and hope for succour from them4 ,footnote #ij3 ,histoire du ,conc4 de ,trent1 par ,fra4 ,paoli ,sarpi1 traduit par ,pierre ,franois de ,courayer4 ,amsterdam1 note #ca4 #agea4 vol4 iii4 p4 #ahb4 ,we have already alluded to the very great latitude of interpretation which the words of this ,council admit4 ,the expressions indeed are most remarkably elastic2 capable of being expanded widely enough to justify those of the ,church of ,rome who allow themselves in the practice of asking for aid and assistance1 temporal and spiritual1 to be expected from the saints themselves2 and at the same time1 the words of the decree admit of being so far contracted as not in appearance palpably to contradict those who allege1 that the ,church of ,rome never addresses a saint with any other petition1 than purely and simply that the saint would by prayer intercede for the worshippers4 ,the words suppliantly #bcf to invoke them1 and to fly to their prayers1 ,,help1 and ,,succour1 are sufficiently comprehensive to cover all kinds of prayer for all kinds of benefits1 whilst the invocation of them to pray for us even individually1 will countenance those who would restrict the faithful to an entreaty for their prayers only4 ,whatever may be the advantage of this latitude of interpretation1 in one point of view it must be a subject of regret4 ,complaints had long been made in ,christendom1 that other prayers were offered to the saints1 besides those which petitioned only for their intercession2 and if the ,council of ,trent had intended it to be a rule of universal application1 that in whatever words the invocations of the saints might be couched1 they should be taken to mean only requests for their prayers1 it may be lamented1 that no declaration to that effect was given4 ,the manner in which writers of the ,church of ,rome have attempted to reconcile the prayers actually offered in her ritual1 with the principle of invoking the saints only for their prayers1 is indeed most unsatisfactory4 ,whilst to some minds the expedient to which those writers have had recourse carries with it the stamp of mental reservation1 and spiritual subterfuge1 and moral obliquity2 others under the influence of the purest charity will regret in it the absence of that simplicity1 and direct openness in word and deed1 which we regard as characteristic of the religion of the ,gospel2 and will deprecate its adoption as tending1 in many cases inevitably1 to become a most dangerous snare to the conscience4 ,i will here refer only to the profession of that principle as made by ,bellarmin4 ,subsequent writers seem to have adopted his sentiments1 and to have expressed themselves very much in his words4 #bcg ,bellarmin unreservedly asserts that ,christians are to invoke the saints solely and exclusively for their prayers1 and not for any benefits as from the saints themselves4 ,but then he seems to paralyse that declaration by this refinement3 ,it must nevertheless be observed that we have not to do with words1 but with the meaning of words2 for as far as concerns the words1 it is lawful to say1 ',saint ,peter1 have mercy on me6 ,save me6 ,open to me the entrance of heaven6' ,so also1 ',give to me health of body1 ,give me patience1 ,give me fortitude6' ,whilst only we understand ',save me1 and have mercy upon me ,,by ,,praying for me3 ,give me this and that1 ,,by ,,thy ,,prayers ,,and ,,merits4' ,for thus ,gregory of ,nazianzen1 in his ,oratio in ,cyprianum2 and the ,universal ,church1 when in the hymn to the ,virgin she says1 ,mary1 ,mother of ,grace1 ,mother of ,mercy1 ,do thou protect us from the enemy1 ,and take us in the hour of death4 ,and in that of the ,apostles1 ',to whose command is subject' ,the health and weakness of all3 ,heal us who are morally diseased2 ,restore us to virtue4 ,and as the ,apostle says of himself 'that ,i might save some1' ,rom4 xi4 and 'that he might save all1' ,i ,cor4 ix4 not as ,god1 but ,thy prayer and counsel4 ,i wish not to enter upon the question how far this distinction is consistent with that openness and straightforward undisguised dealing which is alone allowable when we are contending for the truth2 nor how far the #bch charge of moral obliquity and double dealing1 often brought against it1 can be satisfactorily met4 ,but suppose for a moment that we grant 7what is not the case7 that in the metaphysical disquisitions of the experienced casuist such a distinction might be maintained1 how can we expect it to be recognized1 and felt1 and acted upon by the large body of ,christians8 ,abstractedly considered1 such an interpretation in a religious act of daily recurrence by the mass of unlearned believers would1 ,i conceive1 appear to reflecting minds most improbable1 if not utterly impossible4 ,and as to its actual bona-fide result in practice1 a very brief sojourn in countries where the religion of ,rome is dominant1 will suffice to convince us1 that such subtilties of the casuist are neither received nor understood by the great body of worshippers2 and that the large majority of them1 when they pray to an individual saint to deliver them from any evil1 or to put them in possession of some good1 do in very deed look to the saint himself for the fulfilment of their wishes4 ,it is a snare to the conscience only too evidently successful4 ,and ,i regret to add1 that in the errors into which such language of their prayers may unhappily betray them1 they cannot be otherwise than confirmed as well by the recorded sentiments of men in past years1 whom they have been taught to reverence1 as by the sentiments which are circulated through the world now1 even by what they are accustomed to regard as the highest authority on earth#ia4 ,footnote #ia3 ,see in subsequent parts of this work the references to ,bonaventura1 ,bernardin ,sen41 ,bernardin de ,bust41 c42 and also the encyclical letter of the present 7,a4,d4 #ahdj7 reigning pontiff4 ,to this point1 however1 we must repeatedly revert #bci hereafter2 at present1 ,i will only add one further consideration4 ,if1 as we are now repeatedly told1 the utmost sought by the invocation of saints is that they would intercede for the supplicants2 that no more is meant than we of the ,anglican ,church mean when we earnestly entreat our fellow-,christians on earth to pray for us1--why should not the prayers to the saints be confined exclusively to that form of words which would convey the meaning intended8 why should other forms of supplicating them be adopted1 whose obvious and direct meaning implies a different thing8 ,if we request a ,christian friend to pray for us1 that we may be strengthened and supported under a trial and struggle in our spiritual warfare1 we do not say1 ,friend1 strengthen me2 ,friend1 support me4 ,that entreaty would imply our desire to be1 that he would visit us himself1 and comfort and strengthen us by his own kind words and cheering offices of consolation and encouragement4 ,to convey our meaning1 our words would be1 ,pray for me2 remember me in your supplications to the throne of grace4 ,implore ,god1 of his mercy1 to give me the strength and comfort of his ,holy ,spirit4 ,if nothing more is ever intended to be conveyed1 than a similar request for their prayers1 when the saints are suppliantly invoked1 in a case of such delicacy1 and where there is so much danger of words misleading1 why have other expressions of every variety been employed in the ,roman ,liturgies1 as well as in the devotions of individuals1 which in words appeal to the saints1 not for their prayers1 but for their own immediate exertion in our behalf1 their assistance1 succour1 defence1 and comfort1--,protect us from our enemies--,heal the diseases of our minds--,release us from our sin--,receive us at the hour of death8 #bdj ,in the present work1 however1 were it not for the example and warning set us by this still greater departure from ,scripture and the primitive ,church1 we need not have dwelt on this immediate point2 because we maintain that any invocation of saint or angel1 even if it were confined to a petitioning for their prayers and intercessions1 is contrary both to ,god's word and to the faith and practice of the primitive1 ,catholic1 and ,apostolic ,church4 ,we now proceed to the next portion of our proposed inquiry1--the present state of ,roman ,catholic worship1 with respect to the invocation of saints and angels4 #bda 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,section ,i4--,,present ,,service ,,in ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,rome4 ,in submitting to the reader's consideration the actual state of ,roman ,catholic worship at the present hour1 ,i disclaim all desire to fasten upon the ,church of ,rome any of the follies and extravagancies of individual superstition4 ,probably many ,english ,roman ,catholics have been themselves shocked and scandalized by the scenes which their own eyes have witnessed in various parts of continental ,europe4 ,it would be no less unfair in us to represent the excesses of superstition there forced on our notice as the genuine legitimate fruits of the religion of ,rome1 than it would be in ,roman ,catholics to affiliate on the ,catholics of the ,anglican ,church the wild theories and revolting tenets of all who assume the name of opponents to ,rome4 ,well indeed does it become us of both ,churches to watch jealously and adversely as against ourselves the errors into which our doctrines1 if not preserved and guarded in their purity and simplicity1 might have a tendency to seduce the unwary4 ,and whilst ,i am fully alive to the necessity of us ,anglican ,catholics prescribing to ourselves a #bdb practical application of the same rule in various points of faith and discipline1 ,i would with all delicacy and respect invite ,roman ,catholics to do likewise4 ,especially would ,i entreat them to reflect with more than ordinary scrutiny and solicitude on the vast evils into which the practice of praying to saints and angels1 and of pleading their merits at the throne of grace1 has a tendency to betray those who are unenlightened and off their guard2 and unless my eyes and my ears and my powers of discernment have altogether often deceived and failed me1 ,i must add1 actually betrays thousands4 ,often when ,i have witnessed abroad multitudes of pilgrims prostrate before an image of the ,virgin1 their arms extended1 their eyes fixed on her countenance1 their words in their native language pouring forth her praises and imploring her aid1 ,i have asked myself1 ,if this be not religious worship1 what is8 ,if ,i could transport myself into the midst of pagans in some distant part of the world at the present day2 or could ,i have mingled with the crowd of worshippers surrounding the image of ,minerva in ,athens1 or of ,diana in ,ephesus1 when the servants of the only ,god called their fellow-creatures from such vanities1 should ,i have seen or heard more unequivocal proofs that the worshippers were addressing their prayers to the idols as representations of their deities8 ,would any difference have appeared in their external worship8 ,when the ,ephesians worshipped their great goddess ,diana and the image which fell down from ,jupiter1 could their attitude1 their eyes1 or their words more clearly have indicated an assurance in the worshipper1 that the ,spirit of the ,deity was especially present in that image1 than the attitude1 the eyes1 the words of the pilgrims at ,einsiedlin for example1 are indications of the same #bdc belief and assurance with regard to the statue of the ,virgin ,mary8 ,these thoughts would force themselves again and again on my mind2 and though since ,i first witnessed such things many years have intervened1 chequered with various events of life1 yet whilst ,i am writing1 the scenes are brought again fresh to my remembrance2 the same train of thought is awakened2 and the lapse of time has not in the least diminished the estimate then formed of the danger1 the awful peril1 to which the practice of addressing saints and angels in prayer1 even in its most modified and mitigated form1 exposes those who are in communion with ,rome4 ,i am unwilling to dwell on this point longer1 or to paint in deeper or more vivid colours the scenes which ,i have witnessed1 than the necessity of the case requires4 ,but it would have been the fruit of a morbid delicacy rather than of brotherly love1 had ,i disguised1 in this part of my address1 the full extent of the awful dread with which ,i contemplate any approximation to prayers1 of whatever kind1 uttered by the lips or mentally conceived1 to any spiritual existence in heaven above1 save only to the one ,god exclusively4 ,it is indeed a dread suggested by the highest and purest feelings of which ,i believe my frame of mind to be susceptible2 it is sanctioned and enforced by my reason2 and it is confirmed and strengthened more and more by every year's additional reflection and experience4 ,ardently as ,i long and pray for ,christian unity1 ,i could not join in communion with a ,church1 one of whose fundamental articles accuses of impiety those who deny the lawfulness of the invocations of saints4 ,but ,i return from this digression on the peril of idolatry1 to which as well the theory as the practice of #bdd the ,roman ,catholic ,church exposes her members2 and willingly repeat my disclaimer of any wish or intention whatever to fasten and filiate upon the ,church of ,rome the doctrines or the practice of individuals1 or even of different sections of her communion4 ,still1 in the same manner as ,i have referred to the extravagancies which offend us in many parts of ,christendom now1 ,i would recall some of the excesses into which renowned and approved authors of her communion have been betrayed4 ,i seek not to fix on those members of the ,roman ,church who disclaim any participation in such excesses1 the folly or guilt of others2 but when we find many of the most celebrated among her sons tempted into such lamentable departures from primitive ,christian worship1 we are naturally led to ascertain whether the doctrine be not itself the genuine cause and source of the mischief2--whether the malady be not the immediate and natural effect of the tenet and practice operating generally1 and not to be referred to the idiosyncrasy of the patient4 ,a voice seems to address us from every side1 when such excesses are witnessed1 ,firmly resist the beginnings of the evil2 oppose its very commencement2 it is not a question of degree1 exclude the principle itself from your worship2 give utterance to no invocation2 mentally conceive no prayer to any being1 save ,god alone2 plead no other merits with ,him than the merits of his only ,son4 ,then1 and then only1 are you safe4 ,then1 and then only1 is your prayer catholic1 primitive1 apostolic1 and scriptural4 ,the#ib most satisfactory method of conducting this #bde branch of our inquiry seems to be1 that we should examine the ,roman ,ritual with reference to those several and progressive stages to which ,i have before generally referred2 from the mere rhetorical apostrophe to the direct prayer for spiritual blessings petitioned for immediately from the person addressed4 ,i am neither anxious to establish the progress historically1 nor do ,i wish to tie myself down in all cases to the exact order of those successive stages1 in my present citation of testimonies from the ,roman ,ritual4 ,my anxiety is to give a fair view of what is now the real character of ,roman ,catholic worship1 rather than to draw fine distinctions4 ,i shall therefore survey within the same field of view the two fatal errors by which1 as we believe1 the worship of the ,church of ,rome is rendered unfit for the family of ,christ to acknowledge it generally as their own3 ,i mean the adoration of saints1 and the pleading of their merits at the throne of grace1 instead of trusting to the alone exclusive merits of the one only ,mediator ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 and addressing ,god ,almighty alone4 ,footnote #ib3 ,i believe the method best calculated to supply us with the very truth is1 as ,i have before observed1 to trace the conduct of ,christians at the shrines of the martyrs1 and follow them in their successive departures further and further from primitive purity and simplicity1 on the anniversaries of those servants of ,god4 ,what was hailed there first in the full warmth of admiration and zeal for the honour and glory of a national or favourite martyr1 crept stealthily1 and step by step1 into the regular and stated services of the ,church4 ,i4 ,in the original form of those prayers in which mention was made of the saints departed1 ,christians addressed the ,supreme ,being alone1 either in praise for the mercies shown to the saints themselves1 and to the ,church through their means2 or else in supplication1 that the worshippers might have grace to follow their example1 and profit by their instruction4 ,such1 for instance1 is the prayer in the ,roman ritual#ic on ,st4 #bdf ,john's day#id which is evidently the foundation of the beautiful ,collect now used in the ,anglican ,church1--,merciful ,lord1 we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy ,church1 that it being enlightened by the doctrine of thy ,apostle and ,evangelist ,st4 ,john1 may so walk in the light of thy truth1 that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life1 through ,jesus our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,such too is the close of the ,prayer for the whole state of ,christ's ,church militant here on earth1 offered in our ,anglican service1--,we bless thy holy name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear1 beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples1 that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom4 ,grant this1 ,o ,father1 for the sake of ,jesus ,christ our only ,mediator and ,advocate4 ,amen4 ,footnote #ic3 ,the references will generally be given to the ,roman ,breviary as edited by ,f4,c4 ,husenbeth1 ,norwich1 #ahcj4 ,that work consists of four volumes1 corresponding with the four quarters of the ecclesiastical year--,winter1 ,hiem42 ,spring1 ,vern42 ,summer1 stiv42 ,autumn1 ,aut42 and the volumes will be designated by the corresponding initials1 ,h4 ,v4 4 ,a4 ,footnote #id3 ,ecclesiam1 tuam1 ,domine1 benignus illustra1 ut beati ,johannis ,apostoli tui et evangelist illuminata doctrinis1 ad dona perveniat sempiterna4 ,per ,dominum4--,husen4 ,h4 p4 #bdc4 ,,ii4 ,the second stage supplies examples of a kind of rhetorical apostrophe2 the speaker addressing one who was departed as though he had ears to hear4 ,were not this the foundation stone on which the rest of the edifice seems to have been built1 we might have passed it by unnoticed4 ,of this we have an instance in the address to the ,shepherds on ,christmas-day4 ,whom have ye seen1 ye shepherds8 ,say ye1 tell ye1 who hath appeared on the earth8 ,say ye1 what saw ye8 ,announce to us the nativity of ,christ#ie4 ,footnote #ie3 ,quem vidistis1 ,pastores8 ,dicite1 ,annunciate nobis4 ,in terris quis apparuit8 ,dicite quidnam vidistis8 ,et annunciate ,christi nativitatem4--,h4 #bai4 #bdg ,another instance is seen in that beautiful song ascribed to ,prudentius and used on the day of ,holy ,innocents3 ,hail6 ye flowers of ,martyrs4 ,salvete flores martyrum4 ,h4 #bdi4 ,it is of the same character with other songs1 said to be from the same pen1 in which the town of ,bethlehem is addressed1 and even the ,cross4 ,o ,thou of mighty cities4 ,o sola magnarum urbium4 ,h4 #cjf4 ,bend thy boughs1 thou lofty tree4444 ,flecte ramos arbor alta1 c4 ,aut4 #cdd4 ,worthy wast thou alone ,to bear the victim of the world4 ,thus1 on the feast of the exaltation of the ,cross1 this anthem is sung1--,o blessed ,cross1 who wast alone worthy to bear the ,king of the heavens and the ,lord4 ,o crux benedicta1 qu sola fuisti digna portare ,regem coelorum et ,dominum4 ,alleluia4 ,a4 #cde4 ,though unhappily1 in an anthem on ,st4 ,andrew's day1 this apostrophe becomes painful and distressing1 in which not only is the cross thus apostrophised1 but it is prayed to1 as though it had ears to hear1 and a mind to understand1 and power to act1--,hail1 precious ,cross6 do thou receive the disciple of ,him who hung upon thee1 my master1 ,christ4 ,salve1 crux pretiosa suscipe discipulum ejus1 qui pependit in te1 magister meus ,christus4 ,a4 #edg4 ,the ,church of ,rome1 in this instance1 gives us a vivid example of the ease with which exclamations and apostrophes are made the ground-work of invocations4 ,in the legend of the day similar1 though not the same1 words form a part of the salutation1 which ,st4 ,andrew is there said to have addressed #bdh to the cross of wood prepared for his own martyrdom1 and then bodily before his eyes4 ,there are many such addresses to the ,cross1 in various parts of the ,roman ritual4 7,see ,a4 #cdd47 ,in such apostrophes the whole of the ,song of the ,three ,children abounds2 and we meet with many such in the early writers4 ,,iii4 ,the third stage supplies instances of prayer to ,god1 imploring him to allow the supplication of his saints to be offered for us4 ,of this we find examples in the ,collects for ,st4 ,andrew's ,eve and ,anniversary1 for the feast of ,st4 ,anthony1 and various others4 ,we beseech thee1 ,almighty ,god1 that he whose feast we are about to celebrate may implore thy aid for us1 c4 ,qusumus omnipotens ,deus1 ut beatus ,andreas ,apostolus cujus prvenimus festivitatem1 tuum pro nobis imploret auxilium4 ,a4 #ede4 ,that he may be for us a perpetual intercessor4 ,ut apud te sit pro nobis perpetuus intercessor4 ,a4 #eea4 ,we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 let the intercession of the blessed ,anthony the ,abbot commend us1 that what we cannot effect by our own merits1 we may obtain by his patronage ,ejus patrocinio assequamur4 ,h4 #dij43 through the ,lord4 ,these prayers ,i could not offer in faith4 ,i am taught in the written word to look for no other intercessor in heaven1 than one who is eternal and divine1 therefore ,i can need no other4 ,had ,god1 by his revealed word1 told me that the intercessions of his servants departed should prevail with ,him1 provided ,i sought that benefit by prayer1 ,i should1 without any misgiving1 have implored ,him to receive their #bdi prayers in my behalf2 but ,i can find no such an intimation in the covenant4 ,in that covenant the word of the ,god of truth and mercy is pledged to receive those1 and to grant the prayers of those who come to him through his blessed ,son4 ,in that covenant1 ,i am strictly commanded and most lovingly invited to approach boldly the ,supreme ,giver of all good things myself1 and to ask in faith nothing wavering1 with an assurance that ,he who spared not his own ,son1 but delivered ,him up for us all1 will1 with ,him1 also freely give us all things4 ,in this assurance ,i place implicit trust2 and as long as ,i have my being in this earthly tabernacle1 ,i will1 by his gracious permission and help1 pray for whatever is needful for the soul and the body2 ,i will pray not for myself only1 but for all1 individually and collectively1 who are near and dear to me1 and all who are far from me2 for my friends1 and for those who wish me ill2 for my fellow ,christians1 and for those who are walking still in darkness and sin2--,i will pray for mercy on all mankind4 ,and ,i will1 as occasion offers1 desire others among the faithful on earth to pray for me2 and will take comfort and encouragement and holy hope from the reflection that their prayers are presented to ,god in my behalf1 and that they will continue to pray for me when my own strength shall fail and the hour of my departure shall draw nigh4 ,but for the acceptance of my own prayers and of theirs ,i can depend on no other ,mediator in the world of spirits1 than on ,,him1 whom his own ,word declares to be the one ,mediator between ,god and men1 who prayed for me when ,he was on earth1 who is ever making intercession for me in heaven4 ,i know of no other in the unseen world1 by whom ,i can have access to the ,father2 ,i find no other offered to me1 ,i seek no #bej other1 ,i want no other4 ,i trust my cause1--the cause of my present life1 the cause of my soul's eternal happiness1--to ,,him and to his intercession4 ,i thank ,god for the blessing4 ,i am satisfied2 and in the assurance of the omnipotence of his intercession1 and the perfect fulness of his mediation1 ,i am happy4 ,on this point it were well to compare two prayers both offered to ,god2 the one pleading with ,him the intercession of the passion of his only ,son1 the other pleading the prayers of a mortal man4 ,the first prayer is a collect in ,holy ,week1 the second is a collect on ,st4 ,gregory's ,day4 ,we beseech thee1 ,almighty ,god1 that we who among so many adversities from our own infirmity fail1 the passion of thy only begotten ,son interceding for us1 may revive4 ,v4 #bdc4 ,o ,god1 who hast granted the rewards of eternal blessedness#if to the soul of thy servant ,gregory1 mercifully grant that we who are pressed down by the weight of our sins1 may1 by his prayers with ,thee1 be raised up4 ,v4 #dhj4 ,footnote #if3 ,i can never read this1 and such passages as this1 without asking myself1 can such an assertion be in accordance with the inspired teaching8--,judge nothing before the time1 until the ,lord come1 who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness1 and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts3 and then shall every man have praise of ,god4 ,i ,cor4 iv4 #e4 ,,iv4 ,the next form of prayer to which ,i would invite your serious attention1 is one from which my judgment and my feelings revolt far more decidedly even than from the last-mentioned2 and ,i have the most clear denouncement of my conscience1 that by offering it ,i should do a wrong to my ,saviour1 and ungratefully disparage his inestimable merits1 and the full1 perfect1 and sufficient sacrifice and satisfaction of his omnipotent #bea atonement3 ,i mean those prayers1 still addressed to ,god1 which supplicate that our present and future good may be advanced by the merits of departed mortals1 that by their merits our sins may be forgiven1 and our salvation secured2 that by their merits our souls may be made fit for celestial joys1 and be finally admitted into heaven4 ,of these prayers the ,roman ,breviary contains a great variety of examples1 some exceeding others very much in their apparent forgetfulness and disregard of the merits of the only ,saviour1 and consequently far more shocking to the reason and affections of us who hold it a point of conscience to make the merits of ,christ alone1 all in all1 exclusive of any other to be joined with them1 the only ground of our acceptance with ,god4 ,we find an example of this prayer in the collect on the day of ,st4 ,saturnine4 ,o ,god1 who grantest us to enjoy the birth-day of the blessed ,saturnine1 thy martyr1 grant that we may be aided by his merits1 through the ,lord4 ,ejus nos tribue meritis adjuvari per ,dominum4 ,a4 #edd4 ,another example1 in which the supplicants plead for deliverance from hell1 to be obtained by the merits and prayers of the saint together1 is the ,collect for ,december #fth1 the day of ,st4 ,nicolas4 ,o ,god1 who didst adorn the blessed ,pontiff ,nicolas with unnumbered miracles1 grant1 we beseech ,thee1 that by his merits and prayers we may be set free from the fires of hell1 through1 c4 ,ut ejus meritis et precibus gehenn incendiis liberemur4 ,h4 #dcf4 ,another example1 in like manner specifying both the merits and intercession of the departed saint1 contains #beb expressions very unacceptable to many of those who are accustomed to make the ,bible their study4 ,it is a prayer to ,joseph1 the espoused husband of the ,virgin ,mary4 ,of him mention is made by name in the ,gospel just before and just after the birth of ,christ1 as an upright1 merciful man1 to whom ,god on three several occasions made a direct revelation of his will1 by the medium of a dream1 with reference to the incarnate ,saviour4 ,again1 on the holy family visiting ,jerusalem1 when our ,lord was twelve years of age1 ,mary1 his mother1 in her remonstrance with her ,son1 speaks to ,him of ,joseph thus3 ,why hast ,thou thus dealt with us8 ,behold thy father and ,i have sought ,thee sorrowing4 ,upon which not one word was uttered by our ,saviour that would enable us to form an opinion as to his own will with regard to ,joseph4 ,our ,lord seems purposely to have drawn their thoughts from his earthly connexion with them1 and to have raised their minds to a contemplation of his unearthly1 his heavenly1 and eternal origin4 ,how is it that ye sought me8 ,wist ye not that ,i must be about my ,father's business8 ,after this time1 though the writings of the ,holy ,book1 either historical1 doctrinal1 or prophetic1 at the lowest calculation embrace a period of fourscore years1 no allusion is made to ,joseph as a man still living1 or to his memory as one already dead4 ,and yet he is one of those for the benefit of whose intercession the ,church of ,rome teaches her members to pray to ,god1 and from whose merits they are taught to hope for succour4 ,on the #aith of ,march the following ,collect is offered to the ,saviour of the world3-- ,we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 that we may be succoured by the merits of the husband of thy most holy mother1 #bec so that what we cannot obtain by our own power1 may be granted to us by his intercession4 ,who livest1 c4 ,v4 #dhf4 ,it is anticipating our instances of the different stages observable in the invocation of saints1 to quote here direct addresses to ,joseph himself2 still it may be well to bring at once to a close our remarks with regard to the worship paid to him4 ,we find that in the ,litany of the ,saints1 ,st4 ,joseph1 pray for us1 is one of the supplications2 but on his day 7,march #ai7 there are three hymns addressed to ,joseph1 which appear to be full of lamentable superstition1 assigning1 as they do1 to him a share at least in the work of our salvation1 and solemnly stating1 as a truth1 what1 whether true or not1 depends upon a groundless tradition1 namely1 that our blessed ,lord and ,mary watched by him at his death2 ascribing to ,joseph also that honour and praise1 which the ,church was wont to offer to ,god alone4 ,the following are extracts from those hymns3 ,first hymn4 ,thee1 ,joseph1 let the companies of heaven celebrate2 thee let all the choirs of ,christian people resound2 who1 bright in merits1 wast joined in chaste covenant with the renowned ,virgin4 ,others their pious death consecrates after death2 and glory awaits those who deserve the palm4 ,thou alive1 equal to those above1 enjoyest ,god1 more blessed by wondrous lot4 ,o ,trinity1 most ,high1 spare us who pray2 grant us to reach heaven to scale the stars ,,by ,,the ,,merits ,,of ,,joseph1 that at length we may perpetually offer to thee a grateful song4 ,te ,joseph celebrent agmina coelitum4 ,v4 #dhe4 ,second hymn4 ,o1 ,joseph1 the glory of those in heaven1 and the sure hope of our life1 and the safeguard #bed of the world1 benignly ,,accept ,,the ,,praises ,,which ,,we joyfully sing ,,to ,,thee4444 ,perpetual praise to the most ,high ,trinity1 who granting to thee honours on high1 give to us1 ,,by ,,thy ,,merits1 the joys of a blessed life4 ,coelitum1 ,joseph1 ,decus4 ,v4 #dhf4 ,third hymn4 ,he whom we1 the faithful1 worship with joy1 whose exalted triumphs we celebrate1 ,joseph1 on this day obtained by merit the joys of eternal life4 ,o too happy6 ,o too blessed6 at whose last hour ,christ and the ,virgin together1 with serene countenance1 stood watching4 ,hence1 conqueror of hell1 freed from the bands of the flesh1 he removes in placid sleep to the everlasting seats1 and binds his temples with bright chaplets4 ,him1 therefore1 reigning1 let us all importune1 that he would be present with us1 and that he obtaining pardon for our transgressions1 would assign to us the rewards of peace on high4 ,be praises to thee1 be honours to thee1 ,o ,trine ,god1 who reignest1 and assignest golden crowns to thy faithful servant for ever4 ,amen4 ,iste1 quem lti colimus fideles4 ,v4 #dij4 ,it is painful to remark1 that in these last clauses the very same word is employed when the ,church of ,rome applies to ,joseph to assign to the faithful the rewards of peace1 and when she ascribes glory to ,god for assigning to his faithful servants crowns of gold4 ,indeed these hymns contain many expressions which ought to be addressed to the ,saviour alone1 whose glory is in the heavens1 who is the hope of us on earth1 and the safeguard of the world4 99 99 99 99 99 ,under this fourth head ,i will add only one more specimen4 ,would it were not to be found in the ,roman #bee ,liturgies since the ,council of ,trent3 ,god grant it may ere long be wiped out of the book of ,christian worship6 ,it is a collect in which the ,church of ,rome offers this prayer to ,god the ,son3-- ,o ,god1 whose right hand raised the blessed ,peter when walking on the waves1 that he sank not2 and rescued his fellow-apostle ,paul1 for the third time suffering shipwreck1 from the depth of the sea2 mercifully hear us1 and grant that by the merits of both we may obtain the glory of eternity4 ,h4 #adi4 ,now suppose for a moment it had been intended in any one prayer negatively to exclude the merits of ,christ from the great work of our eternal salvation1 and to limit our hopes of everlasting glory to the merits of ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul1 could that object have been more effectually and fully secured than by this prayer8 ,not one word alluding to the redemption which is in ,christ can be found in this prayer4 ,the sentiment in the first member of the prayer refers us to the power exercised by the ,son of ,god1 and ,son of man1 when he was intabernacled in our flesh2 and the second expression teaches us to contemplate the providence of our ,almighty ,saviour in his deeds of beneficence4 ,but no reference1 even by allusion1 is here made to the merits of ,christ's death--none to his merits as our great ,redeemer2 none to his merits as our never-ceasing and never-failing ,intercessor4 ,we are led to approach the throne of grace only with the merits of the two ,apostles on our tongue4 ,if those who offer it hope for acceptance through ,,the ,,mediation of ,jesus ,christ1 and for the sake of his merits1 that hope is neither suggested nor fostered by this prayer4 ,the truth1 as it is in ,jesus1 would compel us in addressing #bef ,him1 the ,saviour of the world1 to think of the merits of neither ,peter nor ,paul1 of neither angel nor spirit4 ,instead of praying to him that we may obtain the glories of eternity for their merits1 true faith in ,christ would bid us throw ourselves implicitly on his omnipotent merits alone1 and implore so great a blessing for his own mercy's sake4 ,if we receive the whole truth1 can it appear otherwise than a disparagement of his perfect and omnipotent merits1 to plead with ,him the merits of one1 whom the ,saviour himself rebuked with as severe a sentence as ever fell from his lips1 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan1 thou art an offence to me2 for thou savourest not the things that be of ,god1 but those that be of men2 ,matt4 xvi4 #bc4 and of another who after his conversion1 when speaking of the salvation wrought by ,christ1 in profound humility confesses himself to be a chief of those sinners for whom the ,saviour died1 ,this is a faithful saying1 and worthy of all acceptation1 that ,christ ,jesus came into the world to save sinners1 of whom ,i am chief8 #a ,tim4 i4 #ae4 ,we feel1 indeed1 a sure and certain hope that these two fellow-creatures1 once sinners1 but by ,god's grace afterwards saints1 have found mercy with ,god1 and will live with ,christ for ever2 but to pray for the same mercy at his gracious hands for the sake of their merits is repugnant to our first principles of ,christian faith4 ,when we think of merits1 for which to plead for mercy1 we can think of ,christ's1 and of ,christ's alone4 ,v4 ,our thoughts are next invited to that class of prayers which the ,church of ,rome authorizes and directs to be addressed immediately to the ,saints themselves4 #beg ,of these there are different kinds1 some far more objectionable than others1 though all are directly at variance with that one single and simple principle1 to which1 as we believe1 a disciple of the cross can alone safely adhere--prayer to ,god1 and only to ,god4 ,the words of the ,council of ,trent are1 as we have already observed1 very comprehensive on this subject4 ,they not only declare it to be a good and useful thing supplicantly to invoke the saints reigning with ,christ3 but also for the obtaining of benefits from ,god1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 who is our only ,redeemer and ,saviour1 to fly to their prayers1 ,,help1 and ,,assistance4 ,whether these last words can be interpreted as merely words of surplusage1 or whether they must be understood to mean that the faithful must have recourse to some help and assistance of the saints beyond their intercession1 is a question to which we need not again revert4 ,if it had been intended to embrace other kinds of beneficial succour1 and other help and assistance1 perhaps it would be difficult to find words more expressive of such general aid and support as a human being might hope to derive1 in answer to prayer from the ,giver of all good4 ,and certainly they are words employed by the ,church1 when addressing prayers directly to ,god4 ,be this as it may1 the public service-books of the ,church of ,rome unquestionably1 by no means adhere exclusively to such addresses to the saints1 as supplicate them to pray for the faithful on earth4 ,many a prayer is couched in language which can be interpreted only as conveying a petition to them immediately for their assistance1 temporal and spiritual4 ,but let us calmly review some of the prayers1 supplications1 invocations1 or by whatever name religious addresses now offered to the saints may be called2 and #beh first1 we will examine that class in which the petitioners ask merely for the intercession of the saints4 ,we have an example of this class in an invocation addressed to ,st4 ,ambrose on his day1 ,december #g2 the very servant of ,christ in whose hymns and prayers no address of prayer or invocation to any saint or martyr can be found4 ,o thou most excellent teacher1 the light of the ,holy ,church1 ,o blessed ,ambrose1 thou lover of the divine law1 deprecate for us or intercede for us with the ,son of ,god#ig4 ,footnote #ig3 ,h4 #dch4 ,deprecare pro nobis ,filium ,dei4 ,this invocation to ,ambrose is instantly followed by this prayer to ,god3 ,o ,god1 who didst assign to thy people the blessed ,ambrose as a minister of eternal salvation1 grant1 we beseech ,thee1 that we may deserve to have him as our intercessor in heaven1 whom we had as a teacher of life on earth4 ,the ,church of ,rome has wisely availed herself of the pious labours of ,ambrose1 ,bishop of ,milan2 and has introduced into her public worship many of the hymns usually ascribed to him4 ,would she had followed his example1 and addressed her invocations to no one but our ,creator1 our ,redeemer1 and our ,sanctifier6 ,could that holy man hear the supplications now offered to him1 and could be make his voice heard in return among those who now invoke him1 that voice1 we believe1 would only convey a prohibitory monition like that of the ,angel to ,st4 ,john when he fell down before him1 ,see thou do it not2 ,i am thy fellow-servant2 worship ,god4 ,it is needless to multiply instances of this fifth kind of invocation4 ,in the ,litany of the ,saints more than fifty different saints are enumerated by name1 and are invoked to pray and intercede for those who join in #bei it4 ,among the persons invoked are ,raphael 4 cxcii41 ,gervasius1 ,protasius1 and ,mary ,magdalene2 whilst in the ,litany 4 cxcvi4 for the recommendation of the soul of the sick and dying1 the names of ,abel1 and ,abraham1 are specified4 ,under this head ,i will call your attention only to one more example4 ,indeed ,i scarcely know whether this hymn would more properly be classed under this head1 or reserved for the next2 since it appears to partake of the nature of each4 ,it supplicates the martyr to obtain by his prayers spiritual blessings1 and yet addresses him as the person who is to grant those blessings4 ,it implores him to liberate us by the love of ,christ2 but so should we implore the ,father of mercies himself4 ,still1 as the more safe course1 ,i would regard it as a prayer to ,st4 ,stephen only to intercede for us4 ,but it may be well to derive from it a lesson on this point2 how easily the transition glides from one false step to a worse2 how infinitely wiser and safer it is to avoid evil in its very lowest and least noxious appearance3 ,martyr of ,god or ,unconquered ,martyr1 who1 by following the only ,son of the ,father1 triumphest over thy conquered enemies1 and1 as conqueror1 enjoyest heavenly things2 by the office of thy prayer wash out our guilt2 driving away the contagion of evil2 removing the weariness of life4 ,the bands of thy hallowed body are already loosed2 loose thou us from the bands of the world1 by the love of the ,son of ,god or by the gift of ,god ,most ,high4 ,h4 #bcg4 ,in the above hymn the words included within brackets are the readings adopted in the last ,english edition of the ,roman ,breviary2 and in this place1 when we are about to refer to many hymns now in use1 it may be well to observe1 that in the present day we find #bfj various readings in the hymns as they are still printed for the use of ,roman ,catholics in different countries4 ,in some instances the changes are curious and striking4 ,grancolas1 in his historical commentary on the ,roman ,breviary 7,venice1 #agcd1 p4 #hd71 furnishes us with interesting information as to the chief cause of this diversity4 ,he tells us that ,pope ,urban ,,viii41 who filled the papal throne from #afbc to #afdd1 a man well versed in literature1 especially in ,latin poetry1 and himself one of the distinguished poets of his time1 took measures for the emendation of the hymns in the ,roman ,breviary4 ,he was offended by the many defects in their metrical composition1 and it is said that upwards of nine hundred and fifty faults in metre were corrected1 which gave to ,urban occasion to say that the ,fathers had begun rather than completed the hymns4 ,these1 as corrected1 he caused to be inserted in the ,breviary4 ,grancolas proceeds to tell us that many complained of these changes1 alleging that the primitive simplicity and piety which breathed in the hymns had been sacrificed to the niceties of poetry4 ,accessit ,latinitas1 et recessit pietas4 ,the verse was neater1 but the thought was chilled4 ,,vi4 ,but the ,roman ,church by no means limits herself to this kind of invocation2 prayers are addressed to saints1 imploring them to hear1 and1 as of themselves1 to grant the prayers of the faithful on earth1 and to release them from the bands of sin1 without any allusion to prayers to be made by those saints4 ,it grieves me to copy out the invocation made to ,st4 ,peter on the #ahth of ,january1 called the anniversary of the ,chair of ,st4 ,peter at ,rome2 the words of our ,blessed ,lord himself1 and of his beloved and inspired ,apostle1 seem to rise up in judgment against that prayer1 and condemn it4 ,it #bfa will be well to place that hymn addressed to ,st4 ,peter1 side by side with the very word of ,god1 and then ask1 ,can this prayer be safe8 #a4 ,now1 ,o good ,shepherd1 #a4 ,jesus saith1 ,i am the good merciful ,peter1 ,shepherd4 ,john x4 #aa4 #b4 ,accept the prayers of us #b4 ,whatsoever ye shall ask in who supplicate1 my name1 that will ,i do4 ,that whatsoever ye shall ask the ,father in my name1 he may give it you4 ,john xiv4 #ac2 xv4 #af4 #c4 ,and loose the bands of our #c4 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ sins1 by the power committed to his ,son cleanseth us from all sin4 thee1 #a ,john i4 #g4 #d4 ,by which thou shuttest #d4 ,these things saith he that heaven against all by a word1 is holy1 he that is true1 he that and openest it#ih4 openeth and no man shutteth1 and shutteth and no man openeth4 ,rev4 iii4 #g4 ,i am he that liveth and was dead1 and am alive for evermore1 and have the keys of hell and of death4 ,rev4 i4 #ah4 ,footnote #ih3 ,this hymn is variously read4 ,in the edition of ,mr4 ,husenbeth 7,h4 #dig47 it is3 ,o ,peter1 blessed shepherd1 of thy mercy receive the prayers of us who supplicate1 and loose by thy word the bands of our sins1 thou to whom is given the power of opening heaven to the earth1 and of shutting it when open4--,beate pastor1 ,petre1 clemens accipe voces precantum1 criminumque vincula verbo resolve1 cui potestas tradita aperire terris coelum1 apertum claudere4 ,h4 #dig4 ,let it not be answered that many a ,christian minister is now called a good shepherd4 ,let it not be said that the very words of our ordination imply the conveyance of the power of loosing and binding1 of opening and shutting the gates of heaven4 ,when prayer is contemplated1 we can think only of ,one1 ,,him1 who has appropriated the title of ,good ,shepherd to #bfb himself4 ,and we must see that ,peter cannot1 by any latitude of interpretation1 be reckoned now among those to whom the awful duty is assigned of binding and loosing upon earth4 ,the same unsatisfactory associations must be excited in the mind of every one who takes a similar view of ,christian worship with myself1 by the following supplication to various saints on ,st4 ,john's day3 ,let the heaven exult with praises#ii1 ,let the earth resound with joy2 #bfc ,the sacred solemnities sing ,the glory of the ,apostles4 ,o ye ,just ,judges of the age1 ,and true lights of the world1 ,we pray you with the vows of our hearts1 ,hear the prayers of your suppliants4 ,ye who shut the heaven by a word1 ,and loose its bars1 ,loose us by command1 we beseech you1 ,from all our sins4 ,ye to whose word is subject ,the health and weakness of all1 ,cure us who are diseased in morals1 ,restore us to virtues4 ,so that when ,christ shall come1 ,the ,judge at the end of the world1 ,he may make us partakers ,of eternal joy4 ,to ,god the ,father be ,glory1 ,and to his only ,son1 ,with the ,spirit the ,comforter1 ,now and for ever4 ,amen#ajj4 ,footnote #ii3 ,having inserted in the text a translation of this hymn from a copy with which ,i had been long familiar1 ,i think it right to insert here the two forms side by side4 ,they supply an example of the changes to which we have already alluded4 ,lille1 #ahbc4 ,norwich1 #ahcj4 ,,old ,,version4 ,,pope ,,urban',s ,,version4 ,exultet coelum laudibus1 ,exultet orbis gaudiis1 ,resultet terra gaudiis1 ,coelum resultet laudibus1 ,apostolorum gloriam ,apostolorum gloriam ,sacra canunt solemnia4 ,tellus et astra concinunt4 ,vos scli justi judices ,vos sculorum judices ,et vera mundi lamina1 ,et vera mundi lumina1 ,votis precamur cordium ,votis precamur cordium ,audite preces supplicum4 ,audite voces supplicum4 ,qui coelum verbo clauditis ,qui templa coeli clauditis ,serasque ejus solvitis1 ,serasque verbo solvitis1 ,nos a peccatis omnibus ,nos a reatu noxios ,solvite jussu1 qusumus4 ,solvi jubete qusumus4 ,quorum prcepto subditur ,prcepta quorum protinus ,salus et languor omnium1 ,languor salusque sentiunt1 ,sanate gros moribus1 ,sanate mentes languidas1 ,nos reddentes virtutibus4 ,augete nos virtutibus4 ,ut cum judex advenerit ,ut cum redibit arbiter ,christus in fine sculi1 ,in fine ,christus sculi1 ,nos sempiterni gaudii ,nos sempiterni gaudii ,faciat esse compotes4 ,concedat esse compotes4 ,deo ,patri sit gloria1 ,jesu1 tibi sit gloria ,ejusque soli ,filio1 ,qui natus es de virgine1 ,cum ,spiritu paracleto1 ,cum ,patre et ,almo ,spiritu1 ,et nunc et in perpetuum4 ,in sempiterna scula4 ,amen4 ,amen4 7,h4 #bdc47 ,footnote #ajj3 ,or as in the present ,roman ,breviary3-- ,let the world exult with joy1 ,let the heaven resound with praise2 ,the earth and stars sing together ,the glory of the ,apostles4 ,ye judges of the ages ,and true lights of the world1 ,with the prayers of our hearts we implore1 ,hear the voices of your suppliants4 ,ye who shut the temples of heaven1 ,and loose its bars by a word1 ,command ye us1 who are guilty1 ,to be released from our sins2 we pray4 ,ye whose commands forthwith ,sickness and health feel1 ,heal our languid minds1 ,increase us in virtues1 ,that when ,christ1 the ,judge1 shall return1 ,in the end of the world1 ,he may grant us to be partakers ,of eternal joy4 ,jesus1 to thee be glory1 ,who wast born of a virgin1 ,with the ,father and the ,benign ,spirit1 ,through eternal ages4 ,amen4 #bfd ,many a pious and humble ,catholic of the ,roman ,communion1 ,i have no doubt1 would regard these prayers as little more than an application to ,peter and the rest of the ,apostles for absolution1 and would interpret its several clauses as an acknowledgment only of that power1 which ,christ himself delegated to them of binding and loosing sins on earth4 ,but the gulf fixed between these prayers1 and the lawful use of the power given to ,christ's ordained ministers on earth1 is great indeed4 ,to satisfy the mind of this1 it is not necessary to enter upon even the confines of the wide field of controversy1 as to what was really conveyed by ,christ to his ,apostles4 ,i would ask only two questions4 ,could any of us address these same words to one of ,christ's ministers on earth8 ,and could we address our blessed ,saviour himself in stronger or more appropriate language1 as the ,lord of our destinies--the ,god who heareth prayer--the ,physician of our souls8 ,suppose for example we were celebrating the anniversary of ,christ's ,nativity1 of his ,resurrection1 or his ,ascension1 what word in this hymn1 expressive of #bfe power1 and honour1 and justice1 and mercy1 would not be appropriate8 ,what word would not apply to ,him1 in most perfect accordance with ,scripture language8 ,and can we without offence1 without doing wrong to his great ,name1 address the same to our fellow-servants1 even though we may believe them to be with ,him in glory8 ,let the heaven exult with praises-- ,let the earth resound with joy2 ,the sacred solemnities sing ,the glory of the ,lord4 ,o ,thou just ,judge of the age1 ,and true light of the world1 ,we pray ,thee with the supplications of our hearts ,hear the prayers of ,thy suppliants1 ,thou who shuttest the heavens by a word1 ,and loosest its bars4 ,loose us by command1 we beseech ,thee1 ,from all our sins4 ,thou to whose word is subject ,the health and weakness of all1 ,cure us who are diseased in morals1 ,restoring us to virtue4 ,so that when ,thou shalt come1 ,the ,judge at the end of the world1 ,thou mayest make us partakers ,of eternal joy4 ,glory to ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 ,who wast born of a virgin1 ,with the ,father and the ,holy ,spirit1 ,for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,only for a moment let us see how peculiarly all these expressions are fitting in a hymn of prayer and praise #bff to our ,god and ,saviour1 recalling to our minds the words of inspiration2 and then again let us put the question to our conscience1 ,is this language fit for us to use to a fellow-creature8 ,let the heaven exult with praises1 ,let the heavens rejoice1 and ,let the earth resound with joy3 let the earth be glad 444 7exultet is the very word used in the ,vulgate translation of the ,psalm7--before the ,lord1 for ,he cometh to judge the earth4--,ps4 xcvi 7xcv74 #aa4 ,the holy solemnities sing ,ye shall have a song1 as in the ,the glory of the ,lord4 night when a holy solemnity is kept 444 ,and the ,lord shall cause ,his glorious voice to be heard4 ,isa4 xxx4 #bi4 ,let the heaven and earth praise ,him4 ,ps4 lxix 7lxviii74 #cd4 ,thou just ,judge of mankind1 ,all judgment is committed ,and true light of the world1 unto the ,son4 ,john v4 #bb4 ,that was the true ,light1 which lighteth every man that cometh into the world4 ,john i4 #i4 ,with the prayers of our hearts we ,with my whole heart have ,i pray ,thee1 sought ,thee4 ,ps4 cxix 7cxviii74 ,hear the prayers of ,thy suppliants4 #aj4 ,hear my prayer1 ,o ,god4 ,ps4 lxi 7lx74 #a4 ,whom have ,i in heaven but ,thee8 ,ps4 lxxiii 7lxxii74 #be4 ,and this is the confidence that we have in ,him1 that if we ask any thing according to ,his will1 ,he heareth us4 #a ,john v4 #ad4 ,thou who shuttest heaven by ,i have the keys of death and of ,thy word1 hell4 ,these things saith ,he that ,and loosest its bars1 is holy1 ,he that is true3 ,he that hath the key of ,david4 ,he that openeth and no man shutteth1 and shutteth and no man #bfg openeth4 ,i have set before thee an open door1 and no man can shut it4 ,rev4 i4 #ah2 iii4 #g1h ,release us by command1 we pray ,thy sins be forgiven thee4 ,thee1 ,matt4 ix4 #bb4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o ,from all our sins4 my soul 444 who forgiveth all thine iniquities4 ,ps4 ciii4 #b4 ,this is your blood of the ,new ,testament1 which is shed for many for the remission of sins4 ,matt4 xxvi4 #bh4 ,have mercy upon me1 ,o ,god 444 according to the multitude of ,thy tender mercies1 blot out my transgressions4 ,wash me throughly from mine iniquity1 and cleanse me from my sin4 ,ps4 li 7l74 ,thou to whose word is subject ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul 444 ,the health and weakness of all1 who healeth all thy diseases4 ,ps4 ciii 7cii74 #b1 #c4 ,do ,thou heal us who are morally ,create in me a clean heart1 ,o diseased1 ,god1 and renew a right spirit ,restoring us to virtue2 within me4 ,ps4 li4 #aj 7#d47 ,that when ,thou1 the ,judge1 shalt appear in the end of the world1 ,thou mayest grant us to be partakers of eternal joy4 ,this would be a ,christian prayer1 a primitive prayer1 a scriptural prayer1 a prayer well fitting mortal man to utter by his tongue and from his heart1 to the ,god who heareth prayer2 and him who shall in sincere faith offer such a prayer1 ,christ will never send empty away4 ,but if this prayer1 fitted as it seems only to be addressed to ,god1 be offered to the soul of a departed saint--,i will not talk of blasphemy1 and deadly sin1 and idolatry1--,i will only ask members of the ,church of ,rome to weigh all these things well1 one by one4 ,these are not subjects for crimination and recrimination4 #bfh ,we have had far too much of those unholy weapons on both sides4 ,speaking the truth in love1 ,i should be verily guilty of a sin in my own conscience were ,i1 with my views of ,christian worship1 to offer this prayer to the soul of a man however holy1 however blessed1 however exalted4 ,the next part of our work will be given exclusively to the worship of the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary4 #bfi 99 99 99 99 99 ,,part ,,iii4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,section ,i4--,,the ,,virgin ,,mary4 ,the worship of the blessed ,virgin ,mary is so highly exalted in the ,church of ,rome1 as to require the formation of a new name to express its high character4 ,neither could the ,latin language provide a word which would give an adequate idea of its excellence1 nor could any word previously employed by the writers in ,greek1 meet the case satisfactorily4 ,the newly invented term ,hyperdulia1 meaning a service above others1 seems to place the service of the ,virgin on a footing peculiarly its own1 as raised above the worship of the saints departed1 and of the angels of ,god1 cherubim and seraphim1 with all the hosts of principalities and powers in heavenly places4 ,the service of the ,virgin ,mary thus appears not only to justify1 but even to require a separate and distinct examination in this volume4 ,the general principles1 however1 which we have already endeavoured to establish and illustrate with regard as well to the study of the ,holy ,scriptures as to the evidence of primitive antiquity1 are equally applicable here2 and with those principles present to our minds1 #bgj we will endeavour now to ascertain the truth with regard to the worship of the ,virgin as now witnessed in the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,of the ,virgin ,mary1 think not1 brethren of the ,church of ,rome1 that a true member of the ,anglican branch of the ,catholic ,church will speak disparagingly or irreverently4 ,were such an one found among us1 we should say of him1 he knows not what spirit he is of4 ,our church1 in her ,liturgy1 her homilies1 her articles1 in the works too of the best and most approved among her divines and teachers1 ever speaks of ,saint ,mary1 the blessed ,virgin1 in the language of reverence1 affection1 and gratitude4 ,she was a holy virgin and a holy mother4 ,she was highly favoured1 blessed among women4 ,the ,lord was with her1 and she was the mother of our only ,saviour4 ,she was herself blessed1 and blessed was the fruit of her womb4 ,we delight in the language of our ancestors1 in which they were used to call her ,mary1 the ,blissful ,maid4 ,should any one of those who profess and call themselves ,christians and ,catholics1 entertain a wish to interrupt the testimony of every succeeding age1 and to interpose a check to the fulfilment of her own recorded prophecy1 ,all generations shall call me blessed1 certainly the ,anglican ,catholic ,church will never acknowledge that wish to be the genuine desire of one of her own sons4 ,the ,lord hath blessed her2 yea1 and she shall be blessed4 ,but when we are required either to address our supplications to her1 or else to sever ourselves from the communion of a large portion of our fellow-,christians1 we have no room for hesitation2 the case offers us no alternative4 ,our love of unity must yield to our love #bga of truth2 we cannot join in that worship which in our conscience we believe to be a sin against ,god4 ,whether we are right or wrong in this matter1 ,god will himself judge3 and1 compared with his acquittal and approval1 the severity of man's judgment cannot turn us aside from our purpose4 ,but before any one pronounces a sentence of condemnation against us1 or of approval on himself1 it well becomes him patiently and dispassionately to weigh the evidence2 lest his decision may not be consistent with justice and truth4 ,in addition to what has been already said on the general subject of addressing our invocation to any created being--to any one among the principalities and thrones1 dominions1 powers1 angels1 archangels1 and all the hosts of heaven1 to any one among the saints1 martyrs1 confessors1 and holy men departed hence in the ,lord--,i would submit to my brethren of the ,roman ,catholic ,church some considerations specifically applicable to the case of the blessed ,virgin1 and to the practice of the ,church of ,rome in the religious worship paid to her4 ,first1 it will be well for us to possess ourselves afresh of whatever light is thrown on this subject by the ,scriptures themselves4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ii4--,,evidence ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture4 ,the first intimation given to us that a woman was in the providence of ,god appointed to be the instrument1 or channel by which the ,saviour of mankind should be brought into the world1 was made immediately after the ,fall1 and at the very first dawn of the day of salvation4 #bgb ,i am fully aware how the various criticisms on the words in which that first promise of a ,saviour is couched1 have been the well-spring of angry controversy4 ,i will not enter upon that field4 ,the authorized ,english version thus renders the passage3 ,i will put enmity between thee and the woman1 and between thy seed and her seed2 it shall bruise thy head1 and thou shalt bruise his heel4 ,gen4 iii4 #ae4 ,the ,roman ,vulgate1 instead of the word it1 reads she4 ,surely such a point as this should be made a subject of calm and enlightened criticism1 without warmth or heart-burnings on either side4 ,but for our present purpose1 it matters little what turn that controversy may take4 ,i believe our own to be the true rendering3 but whether the word dictated here by the ,holy ,spirit to ,moses should be so translated as to refer to the seed of the woman generally1 as in our authorized version1 or to the male child1 the descendant of the woman1 as the ,septuagint renders it1 or to the word woman itself2 and if the latter1 whether it refer to ,eve1 the mother of every child of a mortal parent1 or to ,mary1 the immediate mother of our ,saviour3 whatever view of that ,hebrew word be taken1 no ,christian can doubt1 that before the foundations of the world were laid1 it was foreordained in the counsels of the ,eternal ,godhead1 that the future ,messiah1 the ,redeemer of ,mankind1 should be of the seed of ,eve1 and in the fulness of time be born of a ,virgin of the name of ,mary1 and that in the mystery of that incarnation should the serpent's head be bruised4 ,i wish not to dwell on this1 because it bears but remotely and incidentally on the question at issue4 ,i will1 therefore1 pass on1 quoting #bgc only the words of one of the most laborious among ,roman ,catholic commentators1 ,de ,sacy4 ,the sense is the same in the one and in the other1 though the expression varies4 ,the sense of the ,hebrew is1 ,the ,son of the ,woman1 ,jesus ,christ1 ,son of ,god1 and ,son of a ,virgin1 shall bruise thy head1 and by establishing the kingdom of ,god on earth1 destroy thine4 ,the sense of the ,vulgate is1 ,the woman1 by whom thou hast conquered man1 shall bruise thy head1 not by herself1 but by ,jesus ,christ4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #acb4 ,the only other passage in which reference appears to be made in the ,old ,testament to the ,mother of our ,lord1 contains that celebrated prophecy in the seventh chapter of ,isaiah1 about which ,i am not aware that any difference exists between the ,anglican and the ,roman ,churches4 ,a ,virgin shall conceive and bear a ,son1 and shall call his name ,immanuel4 ,isaiah vii4 #d4 ,i find no passage in the ,old ,testament which can by any inferential application be brought to bear on the question of ,mary's being a proper object of invocation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,in the ,new ,testament1 mention by name is made of the ,virgin ,mary by ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1 and ,st4 ,luke1 and by ,st4 ,john in his ,gospel1 as the ,mother of our ,lord1 but not by name2 and by no other writer4 ,neither ,st4 ,paul in any one of his many ,epistles1 though he mentions the names of many of our ,lord's disciples1 nor ,st4 ,james1 nor ,st4 ,peter1 who must often have seen her during our ,lord's ministry1 nor ,st4 ,jude1 nor ,st4 ,john in any of his three ,epistles1 or in the #bgd ,revelation 7though1 as we learn from his own ,gospel1 she had of especial trust been committed to his care7--no one of these either mentions her as living1 or alludes to her memory as dead4 ,the first occasion on which any reference is made in the ,new ,testament to the ,virgin ,mary is the salutation of the ,angel1 as recorded by ,st4 ,luke in the opening chapter of his ,gospel4 ,the last occasion is when she is mentioned by the same ,evangelist1 as ,mary the ,mother of ,jesus1 in conjunction with his brethren and with the ,apostles and the women all continuing in prayer and supplication1 immediately after the ascension of our blessed ,lord4 ,between these two occasions the name of ,mary occurs under a variety of circumstances1 on every one of which we shall do well to reflect4 ,the first occasion1 we have already said1 is the salutation of ,mary by the angel1 announcing to her that she should be the ,mother of the ,son of ,god4 ,surely no daughter of ,eve was ever so distinguished among women2 and well does it become us to cherish her memory with affectionate reverence4 ,the words addressed to her when on earth by the angel in that announcement1 with a little variation of expression1 are daily addressed to her by the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 now that she is no longer seen1 but is removed to the invisible world4 ,hail1 thou that art highly favoured6 7or as the ,vulgate reads it1 full of grace7 the ,lord is with thee4 ,blessed art thou among women4 ,luke i4 #bh4 ,on the substitution of the expression1 full of grace1 for highly favoured1 or1 as our margin suggests1 graciously accepted1 or much graced1 ,i am not desirous #bge of troubling you with any lengthened remark4 ,i could have wished that since the ,greek is different in this passage1 and in the first chapter of ,st4 ,john1 where the words full of grace are applied to our ,saviour1 a similar distinction had been observed in the ,roman translation4 ,but the variation is unessential4 ,the other expression1 ,blessed art thou among women1 is precisely and identically the same with the ascription of blessedness made by an inspired tongue1 under the elder covenant1 to another daughter of ,eve4 ,blessed above women1 or 7as both the ,septuagint and the ,vulgate render the word7 ,blessed among women shall ,jael the wife of ,heber the ,kenite be4 ,judges v4 #bd4 ,we can see no ground in such ascription of blessedness for any posthumous adoration of the ,virgin ,mary4 ,the same observation applies with at least equal strictness to that affecting interview between ,mary and ,elizabeth1 when1 enlightened doubtless by an especial revelation1 ,elizabeth returned the salutation of her cousin by addressing her as the ,mother of her ,lord1 and hailing her visit as an instance of most welcome and condescending kindness1 ,whence is this to me1 that the mother of my ,lord should come unto me8 ,luke i4 #dc4 ,members of the ,anglican ,church are taught to refer to this event in ,mary's life with feelings of delight and gratitude4 ,on this occasion she uttered that beautiful hymn1 ,the ,song of the blessed ,virgin ,mary1 which our ,church has selected for daily use at ,evening ,prayer4 ,these incidents bring before our minds the image of a spotless ,virgin1 humble1 pious1 obedient1 holy3 a chosen servant of ,god--an exalted pattern for her fellow-creatures2 but still a fellow-creature1 and a fellow-servant3 #bgf a virgin pronounced by an angel blessed on earth4 ,but further than this we cannot go4 ,we read of no power1 no authority1 neither the power and influence of intercession1 nor the authority or right of command being ever1 even by implication1 committed to her2 and we dare not of our own minds venture to take for granted a statement of so vast magnitude1 involving associations so awful4 ,we reverence her memory as a blessed woman1 the virgin mother of our ,lord4 ,we cannot supplicate any blessing at her hand2 we cannot pray to her for her intercession4 ,the angel's announcement to ,joseph1 whether before or after the birth of ,christ1 the visit of the ,magi1 the flight into ,egypt1 and the return thence1 in the record of all of which events by ,st4 ,matthew the name of ,mary occurs1 however interesting and important in themselves1 seem to require no especial attention with reference to the immediate subject of our inquiry4 ,to ,joseph the angel speaks of the blessed ,virgin as ,mary thy wife4 ,matt4 i4 #bj4 ,in every other instance she is called ,the young child's mother1 or ,his mother4 ,in relating the circumstances of ,christ's birth the ,evangelist employs no words which seem to invite any particular examination4 ,joseph went up into the city of ,david to be taxed with ,mary his espoused wife2 and there she brought forth her first-born son1 and wrapped him in swaddling clothes1 and laid him in a manger4 ,and the shepherds found ,mary and ,joseph1 and the babe lying in a manger4 ,and ,mary kept all these things1 and pondered them in her heart4 ,luke ii4 #ai4 ,between the birth of ,christ1 and the flight into ,egypt1 ,st4 ,luke records an event to have happened by no means unimportant--the presentation of ,christ in #bgg the temple4 ,and when the days of her purification according to the law of ,moses were accomplished1 they brought him to ,jerusalem to present him to the ,lord4 ,and he 7,simeon7 came by the ,spirit into the temple2 and when the parents brought in the child ,jesus to do for him after the custom of the law1 then took he him up in his arms1 and blessed ,god1 and said1 ,lord1 c4 ,and ,joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him4 ,and ,simeon blessed them1 and said unto ,mary his mother1 ,behold1 this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in ,israel2 and for a sign that shall be spoken against1 7yea1 a sword shall pierce through thine own soul also7 that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed4 ,luke ii4 #bh4 ,in this incident it is worthy of remark1 that ,joseph and ,mary are both mentioned by name1 that they are both called the parents of the young child2 that both are equally blessed by ,simeon2 and that the good old ,israelite1 illumined by the spirit of prophecy1 when he addresses himself immediately to ,mary1 speaks only of her future sorrow1 and does not even most remotely or faintly allude to any exaltation of her above the other daughters of ,abraham4 ,a sword shall pass through thine own soul also1 a prophecy1 as ,st4 ,augustine interprets it1 accomplished when she witnessed the sufferings and death of her ,son4 7,see ,de ,sacy1 vol4 xxxii4 p4 #ach47 ,the next occasion on which the name of the ,virgin ,mary is found in ,scripture1 is the memorable visit of herself1 her husband1 and her ,son1 to ,jerusalem1 when he was twelve years old4 ,and the manner in which this incident is related by the inspired ,evangelist1 so far from intimating that ,mary was destined to be an object of worship to the believers in her ,son1 affords #bgh evidence which exhibits strongly a bearing the direct contrary4 ,here again ,joseph and ,mary are both called his parents3 ,joseph is once mentioned by name1 and so is ,mary4 ,if the language had been so framed as on purpose to take away all distinction of preference or superiority1 it could not more successfully have effected its purpose4 ,but not only so1 of the three addresses recorded as having been made by our blessed ,lord to his beloved mother 7and only three are recorded in the ,new ,testament71 the first occurs during this visit to ,jerusalem4 ,it was in answer to the remonstrance made by ,mary1 ,son1 why hast thou thus dealt with us8 ,behold1 thy father and ,i have sought thee sorrowing4 ,luke ii4 #dh4 ,how is it that ye sought me8 ,knew ye not that ,i must be about my ,father's business8--or in my ,father's house1 as some render it4 ,he lifts up their minds from earth to heaven1 from his human to his eternal origin4 ,he makes no distinction here1--,wist ,,ye not4 ,again1 ,i would appeal to any dispassionate person to pronounce1 whether this reproof1 couched in these words1 countenances the idea that our blessed ,lord intended his human mother to receive such divine honour from his followers to the end of time as the ,church of ,rome now pays8 and whether ,st4 ,luke1 whose pen wrote this account1 could have been made cognizant of any such right invested in the ,virgin8 ,the next passage calling for our consideration is that which records the first miracle3 ,and the third day there was a marriage in ,cana of ,galilee1 and the mother of ,jesus was there1 and both ,jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage4 ,and when they wanted wine 7when the wine failed71 the mother of #bgi ,jesus saith unto him1 ,they have no wine4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,woman1 what have ,i to do with thee8 mine hour is not yet come4 ,john ii4 #a4 ,i have carefully read the comments on this passage1 which different writers of the ,roman ,catholic communion have recommended for the adoption of the faithful1 and ,i desire not to make any remarks upon them4 ,let the passage be interpreted in any way which enlightened criticism and the analogy of ,scripture will sanction1 and ,i would ask1 after a careful weighing of this incident1 the facts1 and the words in all their bearings1 would any unprejudiced mind expect that the holy and beloved person1 towards whom the meek and tender and loving ,jesus employed this address1 was destined by that omniscient and omnipotent ,saviour to be an object of those religious acts with which1 as we shall soon be reminded1 the ,church of ,rome now daily approaches her8 ,it is pain and grief to me thus to extract and to comment upon these passages of ,holy ,writ4 ,the feelings of affection and of reverence approaching awe1 with which ,i hold the memory of that blessed ,virgin ,mother of my ,lord1 raise in me a sincere repugnance against dwelling on this branch of our subject1 beyond what the cause of the truth as it is in ,jesus absolutely requires2 and very little more of the same irksome task awaits us4 ,you will of course expect me to refer to an incident recorded with little variety of expression1 and with no essential difference1 by the first three ,evangelists4 ,st4 ,matthew's is the most full account1 and is this1--,while he yet talked to the people1 behold his mother and his brethren stood without desiring to speak with him4 ,then one said unto him1 #bhj ,behold1 thy mother and thy brethren stand without1 desiring to speak with thee4 ,but he answered and said unto him that told him1 ,who is my mother1 and who are my brethren8 ,and he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said1 ,behold my mother and my brethren4 ,for whosoever shall do the will of my ,father which is in heaven1 the same is my brother and sister and mother4 ,matt4 xii4 #df4 ,or1 as ,st4 ,luke expresses it1--,and he answered and said unto them1 ,my mother and my brethren are these1 who hear the word of ,god and do it4 ,luke viii4 #ba4 ,humanly speaking1 could a more favourable opportunity have presented itself to our blessed ,lord of referring to his beloved mother1 in such a manner as to exalt her above her fellow daughters of ,eve1--in such a manner too1 as that ,christians in after days1 when the ,saviour's bodily presence should have been taken away from them1 and the extraordinary communications of the ,spirit of truth should have been withdrawn1 might have remembered that ,he had spoken these things1 and have been countenanced by his words in doing her homage8 ,but so far is this from the plain and natural tendency of the words of her blessed ,son1 that1 had ,he of acknowledged purpose 7and ,he has condescended to announce to us1 in another place 7,john xiii4 #ai1 c471 the purpose of his words7 wished to guard his disciples1 whilst the world should last1 against being seduced by any reverence and love which they might feel towards ,himself into a belief that they ought to exalt his mother above all other created beings1 and pay her holy worship1 we know not what words ,he could have adopted more fitted for that purpose4 ,there was nothing in the communication which seemed to call for #bha such a remark4 ,a plain message announces to ,him as a matter of fact one of the most common occurrences of daily life4 ,and yet ,he fixes upon the circumstance as the groundwork not only of declaring the close union which it was his good pleasure should exist between obedient and true believers and ,himself1 but of cautioning all against any superstitious feelings towards those who were nearly allied to ,him by the ties of his human nature4 ,with reverence ,i would say1 it is as though ,he desired to record his foreknowledge of the errors into which his disciples were likely to be seduced1 and warned them beforehand to shun and resist the temptation4 ,the evidence borne by this passage against our offering any religious worship to the ,virgin1 on the ground of her having been the mother of our ,lord1 seems clear1 strong1 direct1 and inevitable4 ,she was the mother of the ,redeemer of the world1 and blessed is she among women2 but that very ,redeemer ,himself1 with his own lips1 assures us that every faithful servant of his heavenly ,father shall be equally honoured with her1 and possess all the privileges which so near and dear a relationship with ,himself might be supposed to convey4--,who is my mother8 ,or1 who are my brethren8 ,behold my mother and my brethren6 ,whosoever shall do the will of my ,father in heaven1 the same is my brother1 and my sister1 and my mother4 ,no less should we be expected in this place to take notice of that most remarkable passage of ,holy ,scripture1 ,luke xi4 #bg4 in which our blessed ,lord is recorded under different circumstances to have expressed the same sentiments1 but in words which will appear to many even more strongly indicative of his desire to prevent any #bhb undue exaltation of his mother4 ,as he spake these things1 a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him1 ,blessed is the womb that bare thee1 and the paps which thou hast sucked4 ,on the truth or wisdom of that exclamation our ,lord makes no remark2 ,he refers not to his mother at all1 not even to assure them 7as ,st4 ,augustine in after-ages taught1 see ,de ,sacy1 vol4 xxxii4 p4 #ce471 that however blessed ,mary was in her corporeal conception of the ,saviour1 yet far more blessed was she because she had fully borne ,him spiritually in her heart4 ,he alludes not to his mother except for the purpose of instantly drawing the minds of his hearers from contemplating any supposed blessedness in her1 and of fixing them on the sure and greater blessedness of his true1 humble1 faithful1 and obedient disciples1 to the end of time4 ,but he said1 ,yea1 rather or1 as some prefer1 yea1 verily1 and blessed are they that hear the word of ,god1 and keep it4 ,again1 it must be asked1 could such an exclamation have been met by such a reply1 had our ,lord's will been to exalt his mother1 as she is now exalted by the ,church of ,rome8 ,rather1 we would reverently ask1 would ,he have given this turn to such an address1 had ,he not desired to check any such feeling towards her8 ,that most truly affecting and edifying incident recorded by ,st4 ,john as having taken place whilst ,jesus was hanging in his agony on the cross1 an incident which speaks to every one who has a mind to understand and a heart to feel1 presents to us the last occasion on which the name of the ,virgin ,mother of our ,lord occurs in the ,gospels4 ,no paraphrase could add force1 or clearness1 or beauty to the simple narrative of the ,evangelist2 no exposition could bring out its parts more prominently or #bhc affectingly4 ,the calmness and authority of our blessed ,lord1 his tenderness and affection1 his filial love in the very midst of his agony1 it is impossible to describe with more heart-stirring and heart-soothing pathos than is conveyed in the simple language of him whom the ,saviour at that awful hour addressed1 as ,he committed his mother to him of especial trust4 ,but not one syllable falls from the lips of ,christ1 or from the pen of the beloved disciple1 who records this act of his blessed ,master's filial piety1 which can by possibility be construed to imply1 that our blessed ,lord intended ,mary to be held in such honour by his disciples1 as would be shown in the offering of prayer and praise to her after her dissolution4 ,he who could by a word1 rather by the mere motion of his will1 have bidden the whole course of nature and of providence1 so to proceed as that all its operations should provide for the health and safety1 the support and comfort of his mother--,he1 when ,he was on the cross1 and when ,he was on the point of committing his soul into the hands of his ,father1 leaves her to the care of one whom ,he loved1 and whose sincerity and devotedness to ,him ,he had1 humanly speaking1 long experienced4 ,he bids him treat ,mary as his own mother1 ,he bids ,mary look to ,john as to her own son for support and solace3 ,now there stood by the cross of ,jesus his mother1 and his mother's sister1 ,mary the wife of ,cleophas1 and ,mary ,magdalene4 ,when ,jesus1 therefore1 saw his mother and the disciple standing by whom he loved1 he saith unto his mother1 ,woman1 behold thy son2 then saith he to the disciple1 ,behold thy mother4 ,john xix4 #be4 ,and ,he added no more4 ,if ,christ willed that his beloved mother should end her days in peace1 removed equally #bhd from want and the desolation of widowhood on the one hand1 and from splendour and notoriety on the other1 nothing could be more natural than such conduct in such a ,being at such a time4 ,but if his purpose was to exalt her into an object of religious adoration1 that nations should kneel before her1 and all people do her homage1 then the words and the conduct of our ,lord at this hour seem altogether unaccountable3 and so would the words of the ,evangelist also be1 ,and from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home4 ,after this not another word falls from the pen of ,st4 ,john which can be made to bear on the station1 the character1 the person1 or circumstances of ,mary4 ,after his resurrection our ,saviour remained on earth forty days before ,he finally ascended into heaven4 ,many of his interviews and conversations with his disciples during that interval are recorded in the ,gospel4 ,every one of the four ,evangelists relates some act or some saying of our ,lord on one or more of those occasions4 ,mention is made by name of ,mary ,magdalene1 of ,mary the mother of ,joses1 of ,mary the mother of ,james1 of ,salome1 of ,joanna1 of ,peter1 of ,cleophas1 of the disciple whom ,jesus loved1 at whose house the mother of our ,lord then was2 of ,thomas1 of ,nathanael4 ,the eleven also are mentioned generally4 ,but by no one of the ,evangelists is reference made at all to ,mary the mother of our ,lord1 as having been present at any one of those interviews2 her name is not alluded to throughout4 ,on one solitary occasion subsequently to the ascension of ,christ1 mention is made of ,mary his mother1 in company with many others1 and without any further distinction to separate her from the rest3 ,and when #bhe they were come in 7from having witnessed the ascension of our ,saviour71 they went up into an upper room1 where abode both ,peter1 and ,james1 and ,john1 and ,andrew1 ,philip1 and ,thomas1 ,bartholomew and ,matthew1 ,james the son of ,alphaeus1 and ,simon ,zelotes1 and ,judas the brother of ,james4 ,these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women1 and ,mary the mother of ,jesus1 and with his brethren4 ,acts i4 #ac4 ,not one word is said of ,mary having been present to witness even the ascension of her blessed ,son2 we read no command of our ,lord1 no wish expressed1 no distant intimation to his disciples that they should even show to her marks of respect and honour2 not an allusion is there made to any superiority or distinction and preeminence4 ,sixty years at the least are generally considered to be comprehended within the subsequent history of the ,new ,testament before the ,apocalypse was written2 but neither in the narrative1 nor in the ,epistles1 nor yet in the prophetic part of the ,holy ,book1 is there the most distant allusion to ,mary4 ,of him to whose loving care our dying ,lord committed his beloved mother of especial trust1 we hear much4 ,john1 we find1 putting forth the miraculous power of ,christ at the ,beautiful ,gate of the ,temple2 we find him imprisoned and arraigned before the ,jewish authorities2 but not one word is mentioned as to what meanwhile became of ,mary4 ,we find ,john confirming the ,church in ,samaria2 we find him an exile in the island of ,patmos2 but no mention is made of ,mary4 ,nay1 though we have three of his epistles1 and the second of them addressed to one whom he loved in the truth1 we find neither from the tongue nor from the pen of ,st4 ,john1 one single allusion to the mother of our ,lord alive or dead4 ,and then1 whatever may have been the matter #bhf of fact as to ,st4 ,paul1 neither the many letters of that ,apostle1 nor the numerous biographical incidents recorded of him1 intimate in the most remote degree that he knew any thing whatever concerning her individually4 ,st4 ,paul does indeed refer to the human nature of ,christ derived from his human mother1 and had he been taught by his ,lord to entertain towards her such sentiments as the ,roman ,church now professes to entertain1 he could not have had a more inviting occasion to give utterance to them4 ,but instead of thus speaking of the ,virgin ,mary1 he does not even mention her name or state at all1 but refers only in the most general way to her nature and her sex as a daughter of ,adam3 ,but when the fulness of time was come1 ,god sent forth his ,son1 ,,made ,,of ,a ,,woman1 made under the law2 to redeem them that were under the ,law1 that we might receive the adoption of sons4 ,gal4 iv4 #d4 ,from a time certainly within a few days of our ,saviour's ascension the ,scriptures are totally silent throughout as to ,mary1 whether in life or in death4 ,here we might well proceed to contrast this view which the ,scriptures of eternal truth give of the blessed ,virgin ,mary with the authorized and appointed worship of that branch of the ,christian ,church which is in communion with ,rome4 ,we must first1 however1 here also examine the treasures of ,christian antiquity1 and ascertain what witness the earliest uninspired records bear on this immediate point4 #bhg 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,ii4--,,evidence ,,of ,,primitive ,,writers4 ,closing the inspired volume1 and seeking at the fountain-head for the evidence of ,christian antiquity1 what do we find8 ,for upwards of three centuries and a half 7the limit put to our present inquiry7 we discover in no author1 ,christian or heathen1 any trace whatever of the invocation of the ,virgin ,mary by ,catholic ,christians4 ,i have examined every passage which ,i have found adduced by writers of the ,church of ,rome1 and have searched for any other passages which might appear to deserve consideration as bearing favourably on their view of the subject2 and the worship of the ,virgin1 such as is now insisted upon by the ,council of ,trent1 prescribed by the ,roman ritual1 and practised in the ,church of ,rome1 is proved by such an examination to have had neither name1 nor place1 nor existence among the early ,christians4 ,forgive my importunity if ,i again and again urge you to join us in weighing these facts well2 and to take your view of them from no advocate on the one side or the other4 ,search the ,scriptures for yourselves1 search the earliest writers for yourselves1 and for yourselves search with all diligence into the authentic and authorized liturgies of your own ,church1 your missals1 and breviaries1 and formularies4 ,hearsay evidence1 testimony #bhh taken at second or third hand1 vague rumours and surmises will probably expose us1 on either side1 to error4 ,let well-sifted genuine evidence be brought by an upright and an enlightened mind to bear on the point at issue1 and let the issue joined be this1 ,is the practice of praying to the ,virgin1 and praising her1 in the language of the prayers and praises now used in the prescribed formularies of the ,roman ,church1 primitive4 ,catholic1 ,apostolical8 ,i am aware that among those who adhere to the ,tridentine ,confession of faith1 there are many on whom this investigation will not be allowed to exercise any influence4 ,the sentiments of ,huet1 wherever they are adopted1 would operate to the total rejection of such inquiries as we are instituting in this work4 ,his words on the immaculate conception of the ,virgin are of far wider application than the immediate occasion on which he used them1 ,that the blessed ,mary never conceived any sin in herself is in the present day an established principle of the ,church1 and confirmed by the ,council of ,trent4 ,in which it is our duty to acquiesce1 rather than in the dicta of the ancients1 if any seem to think otherwise1 among whom must be numbered ,origen4 ,origen's ,works1 vol4 iv4 part #b1 p4 #aef4 ,in this address1 however1 we take for granted that the reader is open to conviction1 desirous of arriving at the truth1 and1 with that view1 ready to examine and sift the evidence of primitive antiquity4 ,in that investigation our attention is very soon called to the remarkable fact1 that1 whereas in the case of the invocation of saints and angels1 the defenders of that doctrine and practice bring forward a great variety of passages1 in which mention is supposed to be made of #bhi those beings as objects of honour and reverential and grateful remembrance1 the passages quoted with a similar view1 as regards the ,virgin ,mary1 are very few indeed3 whilst the passages which intimate that the early ,christians paid her no extraordinary honour 7certainly not more than we of the ,anglican ,church do now7 are innumerable4 ,i have thought that it might be satisfactory here to refer to each separately of those earliest writers1 whose testimony we have already examined on the general question of the invocation of saints and angels1 and1 as nearly as may be1 in the same order4 ,in the former department of our investigation we first endeavoured to ascertain the evidence of those five primitive writers1 who are called the ,apostolical ,fathers2 and1 with regard to the subject now before us1 the result of our inquiry into the same works is this3 #a4 ,in the ,epistle ascribed to ,,barnabas we find no allusion to ,mary4 #b4 ,the same must be affirmed of the book called ,the ,shepherd of ,,hermas4 #c4 ,in ,,clement of ,rome1 who speaks of the ,lord ,jesus having descended from ,abraham according to the flesh1 no mention is made of that daughter of ,abraham of whom he was born4 #d4 ,,ignatius in a passage already quoted 7,ad ,eph4 vii4 p4 #ac and #af7 speaks of ,christ both in his divine and human nature as ,son of ,god and man1 and he mentions the name of ,mary1 but it is without any adjunct or observation whatever1 both of ,mary and of ,god4 ,in another place he speaks of her virgin state1 and the fruit of her womb2 and of her having borne our ,god ,jesus the ,christ2 but he adds no #bij more2 not even calling her ,the blessed1 or ,the ,virgin4 ,in the interpolated ,epistle to the ,ephesians1 the former passage adds the ,virgin after ,mary1 but nothing more4 #e4 ,in the ,epistle of ,,polycarp we find an admonition to virgins 7,page #ahf71 how they ought to walk with a spotless and chaste conscience1 but there is no allusion to the ,virgin ,mary4 ,,justin ,,martyr4 ,in this writer ,i do not find any passage so much in point as the following1 in which we discover no epithet expressive of honour1 or dignity1 or exaltation1 though it refers to ,mary in her capacity of the ,virgin mother of our ,lord3--,he therefore calls ,himself the ,son of ,man1 either from his birth of a virgin1 who was of the race of ,david1 and ,jacob1 and ,isaac1 and ,abraham1 or because ,abraham himself was the father of those persons enumerated1 from whom ,mary drew her origin4 ,trypho1 #ajj4 p4 #aie4 ,and a little below he adds1 ,for ,eve being a virgin and incorrupt1 having received the word from the serpent1 brought forth transgression and death2 but ,mary the ,virgin having received faith and joy 7on the angel ,gabriel announcing to her the glad tidings1 that the ,spirit of the ,lord should come upon her1 and the power of the ,highest overshadow her7 answered1 ,be it unto me according to thy word4 ,and of her was born ,he of whom we have shown that so many ,scriptures have been spoken2 ,he by whom ,god destroys the serpent1 and angels and men resembling the serpent2 but works a rescue from death for such as repent of evil and believe in ,him4 ,one more passage will suffice1 ,and according to the command of ,god1 ,joseph1 taking ,him with ,mary1 went into ,egypt4 ,trypho1 #ajb4 p4 #aif4 #bia ,among those ,questions to which we have referred under the head of ,justin ,martyr's works1 but which are confessedly of a much less remote date1 probably of the fifth century1 an inquiry is made1 ,how could ,christ be free from blame1 who so often set at nought his parent8 ,the answer is1 that ,he did not set her at nought2 that ,he honoured her in deed1 and would not have hurt her by his words2--but then the respondent adds1 that ,christ chiefly honoured ,mary in that view of her maternal character1 under which all who heard the word of ,god and kept it1 were his brothers and sisters and mother2 and that she surpassed all women in virtue4 ,qu4 #acf4 p4 #ejj4 ,,iren,,us4 ,to the confused passage relied upon by ,bellarmin1 in which ,irenus is supposed to represent ,mary as the advocate of ,eve1 we have already fully referred 7page #abj of this work74 ,in that passage there is no allusion to any honour paid1 or to be paid to her1 nor to any invocation of her4 ,in every passage to which my attention has been drawn1 ,irenus speaks of the mother of our ,lord as ,mary1 or the ,virgin1 without any adjunct1 or term of reverence4 ,,clement of ,alexandria speaks of the ,virgin1 and refers to an opinion relative to her virgin-state1 but without one word of honour4 ,stromat4 vii4 #af4 p4 #hhi4 ,,tertullian#aja4 ,the passages in which this ancient writer refers to the mother of our ,lord are very far from countenancing the religious worship now paid to her by ,roman ,catholics3 ,the brothers of the ,lord had not believed on him1 as it is contained in the ,gospel published #bib before ,marcion4 ,his mother likewise is not shown to have adhered to him2 whereas others1 ,marys and ,marthas1 were frequently in his company4 7,see ,tert4 ,de carne ,christi1 c4 #g4 7p4 #cfd4 ,de ,sacy1 #bi4 #dci477 ,and he tells us that ,christ was brought forth by a virgin1 who was also about to be married once after the birth1 that the two titles of sanctity might be united in ,christ by a mother who was both a virgin and also once married#ajb4 ,footnote #aja3 ,paris1 #afge4 ,de carne ,christi1 vii4 p4 #cae4 ,de ,monogamia1 vii4 p4 #ebi4 ,n4,b4 ,both these treatises were probably written after he became a ,montanist4 ,footnote #ajb3 ,on the works once ascribed to ,methodius1 but now pronounced to be spurious1 see above1 p4 #aca4 ,,origen thus speaks3 ,announcing to ,zacharias the birth of ,john1 and to ,mary the advent of our ,saviour among men4 ,comment on ,john1 #bd4 vol4 iv4 p4 #hb4 ,in his eighth homily on ,leviticus1 he refers to ,mary as a pure ,virgin4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #bbh4 ,in the forged work of later times1 the writer1 speaking of our ,saviour1 says1 ,he had on earth an immaculate and chaste mother1 this much blessed ,virgin ,mary4 ,hom4 iii4 in ,diversos4 ,in ,,cyprian we do not find one word expressive of honour or reverence towards the ,virgin ,mary4 ,nor is her name mentioned in the letter of his correspondent ,firmilian1 ,bishop of ,cappadocia4 ,,lactantius speaks of a holy virgin ,vol4 i4 p4 #bii4 chosen for the work of ,christ but not one other word of honour1 or tending to adoration2 though whilst dwelling on the incarnation of the ,son of ,god1 had he or his fellow-believers paid religious honour to her1 he could scarcely have avoided all allusion to it4 ,,eusebius speaks of the ,virgin ,mary1 but is altogether silent as to any religious honour of any kind being due to her4 ,in the ,oration of the ,emperor ,constantine 7as it is recorded by ,eusebius71 direct mention is made of the chaste virginity1 and of the maid who was mother #bic of ,god1 and yet remained a virgin4 ,but the object present to the author's mind was so exclusively ,god manifest in the flesh1 that he does not throughout even mention the name of ,mary1 or allude to any honour paid or due to her4 ,cantab4 #agbj4 #aa4 p4 #fhi4 and #ai4 p4 #gjc4 ,,athanasius1 bent ever on establishing the perfect divinity and humanity of ,christ1 thus speaks3 ,the general scope of ,holy ,scripture is to make a twofold announcement concerning the ,saviour1 that ,he was always ,god1 and is a ,son2 being the ,word and the brightness and wisdom of the ,father1 and that ,he afterwards became man for us1 taking flesh of the ,virgin ,mary1 who bare ,god 7,greek3 taes theotokou74 ,athan4 ,orat4 iii4 ,cont4 ,arian4 p4 #egi4 ,the work which we have already examined1 called ,the ,apostolical ,constitutions1 compiled probably about the commencement of the fourth century1 cannot be read without leaving an impression clear and powerful on the mind1 that no religious honour was paid to the ,virgin ,mary at the time when they were written2 certainly not more than is now cheerfully paid to her memory by us of the ,anglican ,church4 ,take1 for example1 the prayer prescribed to be used on the appointment of a ,deaconess2 the inference from it must be1 that others with whom the ,lord's ,spirit had dwelt1 were at least held in equal honour with ,mary3 ,o ,eternal ,god1 ,father of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,maker of male and female1 who didst fill with thy ,spirit ,miriam1 and ,hannah1 and ,holda1 and didst not disdain that thy ,son should be born of a woman1 c4 ,book viii4 c4 #bj4 ,thus1 #bid too1 in another passage1 ,mary is spoken of just as other women who had the gift of prophecy2 and of her equally and in conjunction with the others it is said1 that they were not elated by the gift1 nor lifted themselves up against the men4 ,but even have women prophesied2 in ancient times ,miriam1 the sister of ,aaron and ,moses2 after her ,deborah2 and afterwards ,huldah and ,judith2 one under ,josiah1 the other under ,darius2 and the mother of the ,lord also prophesied1 and ,elizabeth her kinswoman2 and ,anna2 and in our day the daughters of ,philip2 yet they were not lifted up against the men1 but observed their own measure4 ,therefore among you also should any man or woman have such a grace1 let them be humble1 that ,god may take pleasure in them4 ,book viii4 c4 #b4 ,in the ,apostolical ,canons ,i find no reference to ,mary2 nor indeed any passage bearing on our present inquiry1 except the last clause of all1 containing the benediction4 ,in this passage not only is the prayer for spiritual blessings addressed to ,god alone1 but it is offered exclusively through the mediation of ,christ alone1 without alluding to intercessions of angels saints1 or the ,virgin3 ,now may ,god1 the only unproduced ,being1 the ,creator of all things1 unite you all by peace in the ,holy ,ghost2 make you perfect unto every good work1 not to be turned aside1 unblameable1 not deserving reproof2 and may ,he deem you worthy of eternal life with us1 by the mediation of his beloved ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,god and ,saviour3 with whom be glory to ,him the ,sovereign ,god and ,father1 in the ,holy ,ghost the ,comforter1 now and ever1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #dej4 ,i have not intentionally omitted any ancient author #bie falling within the limits of our present inquiry1 nor have ,i neglected any one passage which ,i could find bearing testimony to any honour paid to the ,virgin4 ,the result of my research is1 that ,i have not discovered one solitary expression which implies that religious invocation and honour1 such as is now offered to ,mary by the ,church of ,rome1 was addressed to her by the members of the primitive ,catholic ,church4 #bif 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,iii4--,,the ,,assumption ,,of ,,the ,,virgin ,,mary4 ,by the ,church of ,england1 two festivals are observed in grateful commemoration of two events relating to ,mary as the mother of our ,lord3--the announcement of the ,saviour's birth by the message of an angel1 called1 ,the ,annunciation of the blessed ,virgin ,mary1 and ,the ,presentation of ,christ in the ,temple1 called also1 ,the ,purification of ,saint ,mary the ,virgin4 ,in the service for the first of these solemnities1 we are taught to pray that1 as we have known the incarnation of the ,son of ,god by the message of an angel1 so by his ,cross and ,passion we may be brought to the glory of his resurrection4 ,in the second1 we humbly beseech the ,divine ,majesty that1 as his only-begotten ,son was presented in the ,temple in the substance of our flesh1 so we may be presented unto ,him with pure and clean hearts by the same1 his ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,these days are observed to commemorate events declared to us on the most sure warrant of ,holy ,scripture2 and these prayers are primitive and evangelical4 ,they pray only to ,god for spiritual blessings through his ,son4 ,the second prayer was used in the ,church #big from very early times1 and is still retained in the ,roman ,breviary 7,hus4 ,brev4 ,rom4 ,h4 #ecf472 whereas1 instead of the first#ajc1 we find there unhappily a prayer now supplicating that those who offer it1 believing ,mary to be truly the ,mother of ,god1 might be aided by her intercessions with ,him4 ,v4 #dif4 ,footnote #ajc3 ,this collect also is found in the ,roman ,missal1 as a ,prayer at the ,post ,communion2 though it does not appear in the ,breviarium ,romanum4 ,in the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 on the other hand1 feasts are observed to the honour of the ,virgin ,mary1 in which the ,anglican ,church cannot join2 such as the ,nativity of the ,virgin ,mary1 and the immaculate conception of her by her mother4 ,on the origin and nature of these feasts it is not my intention to dwell4 ,i can only express my regret1 that by appointing a service and a collect commemorative of the ,conception of the ,virgin#ajd in her mother's womb1 and praying that the observance of that solemnity may procure the votaries an increase of peace1 the ,church of ,rome has given countenance to a superstition1 against which at its commencement1 so late as the #abth century1 ,st4 ,bernard strongly remonstrated1 in an epistle to the monks of ,lyons2 a superstition which has been supported and explained by discussions in no way profitable to the head or the heart4 ,epist4 #agd4 ,paris1 #afcb1 p4 #aech4 ,footnote #ajd3 ,ut quibus beat ,virginis partus exstitit salutis exordium1 conceptionis ejus votiva solemnitas pacis tribuat incrementum4 ,h4 #dde4 ,of all these institutions however in honour of the ,virgin1 the ,feast of the ,,assumption appears to be as it were the crown and the consummation#aje4 ,this festival #bih is kept to celebrate the miraculous taking up 7assumptio7 of the ,virgin ,mary into heaven4 ,and its celebration1 in ,roman ,catholic countries1 is observed in a manner worthy a cause to which our judgment would give deliberately its sanction2 in which our feelings would safely and with satisfaction rest on the firmness of our faith2 from joining in which a truly pious mind would have no ground for inward misgiving1 nor for the aspiration1 ,would it were founded in truth6 ,footnote #aje3 ,the ,assumption of the ,virgin ,mary is the greatest of all the festivals which the ,church celebrates in her honour4 ,it is the consummation of all the other great mysteries by which her life was rendered most wonderful4 ,it is the birthday of her true greatness and glory1 and the crown of all the virtues of her whole life1 which we admire single in her other festivals4 ,alban ,butler1 vol4 viii4 p4 #age4 ,before such a solemn office of praise and worship were ever admitted among the institutions of the religion of truth1 its originators and compilers should have built upon sure grounds2 careful too should they also be who now join in the service1 and so lend it the countenance of their example2 more especially should those sift the evidence well1 who1 by their doctrine and writings1 uphold1 and defend1 and advance it2 lest they prove at the last to love ,rome rather than the truth as it is in ,jesus4 ,so solemn1 so marked1 a religious service in the temples and at the altar of ,,him who is the truth1 a service so exalted above his fellows1 ought beyond question to be founded on the most sure warrant of ,holy ,scripture1 or at the least on undisputed historical evidence1 as to the alleged matter of fact on which it is built1--the certain1 acknowledged1 uninterrupted1 and universal testimony of the ,church ,catholic from the very time4 ,they incur a momentous responsibility who aid in propagating for religious truths the inventions of men#ajf4 ,footnote #ajf3 ,very different opinions are held by ,roman ,catholic writers as to the antiquity of this feast4 ,all1 indeed1 maintain that it is of very ancient introduction2 but whilst some1 with ,lambecius 7lib4 viii4 p4 #bhf71 maintain the antiquity of the festival to be so remote1 that its origin cannot be traced2 and thence infer that it was instituted by a silent and unrecorded act of the ,apostles themselves2 others 7among whom ,kollarius1 the learned annotator on the opinion of ,lambecius7 acknowledged1 that it was introduced by an ordinance of the ,church1 though not at the same time in all countries of ,christendom4 ,that annotator assigns its introduction at ,rome to the fourth century2 at ,constantinople to the sixth2 in ,germany and ,france to the ninth4 #bii ,but what is the real state of the case with regard to the fact of the ,assumption of the ,virgin ,mary8 ,it rests 7as we shall soon see7 on no authentic history2 it is supported by no primitive tradition4 ,i profess my surprise to have been great1 when ,i found the most celebrated defenders of the ,roman ,catholic cause1 instead of citing such evidence as would bear with it even the appearance of probability1 appealing to histories written more than a thousand years after the alleged event1 to forged documents and vague rumours4 ,i was willing to doubt the sufficiency of my research2 till ,i found its defenders1 instead of alleging and establishing by evidence what ,god was by them said to have done1 contenting themselves with asserting his omnipotence1 in proof that the doctrine implied no impossibility2 dwelling on the fitness and reasonableness of his working such a miracle in the honour of her who was chosen to be the mother of his eternal ,son2 and whilst they took the fact as granted1 substituting for argument glowing and fervent descriptions of what might have been the joy in heaven1 and what ought to be the feelings of mortals on earth4 ,at every step of the inquiry into the merits of this case1 the principle recurs to the mind1 that1 as men really and in earnest looking onward to a life after this1 our duty is to ascertain to the utmost of our #cjj power1 not what ,god could do1 not what we or others might pronounce it fit that ,god should do1 but what ,he has done2 not what would be agreeable to our feelings1 were it true1 but what1 whether agreeably or adversely to our feelings or wishes1 is proved to be true4 ,the very moment a ,christian writer refers me from evidence to possibilities1 ,i feel that he knows not the nature of ,christianity2 he throws me back from the sure and certain hope of the ,gospel to the beautiful fable of ,socrates1--,it were better to be there than here1 ,,if ,,these ,,things ,,are ,,true4 ,but let us inquire into the facts of the case4 ,first1 ,i would observe that it is by no means agreed among all who have written upon the subject1 what was the place1 or what was the time of the ,virgin's death4 ,whilst some have maintained that she breathed her last at ,ephesus1 the large majority assert that her departure from this world took place at ,jerusalem4 ,and as to the time of her death1 some have assigned it to the year #dh of the ,christian era1 about the time at which ,paul and ,barnabas 7as we read in ,holy ,scripture7 returned to ,antioch2 whilst others refer it to a later date4 ,i am not1 however1 aware of any supposition which fixes it at a period subsequent to that at which the canon of ,scripture closes4 ,epiphanius indeed1 towards the close of the fourth century1 reminding us that ,scripture is totally and purely silent on the subject as well of ,mary's death and burial1 as of her having accompanied ,st4 ,john in his travels or not1 without alluding to any tradition as to her assumption1 thus sums up his sentiments3 ,i dare to say nothing2 but considering it1 ,i observe silence4 ,epiph4 vol4 i4 p4 #ajdc4 #cja ,should any of my readers have deliberately adopted as the rule of their faith the present practice of the ,church of ,rome1 ,i cannot hope that they will take any interest in the following inquiry2 but ,i have been assured1 by most sensible and well-informed members of that ,church1 that there is a very general desire entertained to have this and other questions connected with our subject examined without prejudice1 and calmly placed before them4 ,to such persons ,i trust this chapter may not appear altogether unworthy of their consideration4 ,those who would turn from it on the principle to which we have here alluded1 will find themselves very closely responding to the sentiments professed by ,st4 ,bernard1 ,exalt her who is exalted above the choirs of angels to the heavenly kingdom4 ,these things the ,church sings to me of her1 and has taught me to sing the same to others4 ,for my part1 what ,i have received from it1 ,i am secure in holding and delivering2 which also1 ,i confess1 ,i am not ,,over-,,scrupulous in admitting4 7,quod non scrupulosius fateor admiserim47 ,i have received in truth from the ,church that that day is to be observed with the highest veneration on which she was ,,taken up 7assumpta7 from this wicked world1 and carrying with her into heaven feasts of the most celebrated joys#ajg4 ,footnote #ajg3 ,see ,lambecius1 book viii4 p4 #bhf4 ,the letter of ,st4 ,bernard is addressed to the ,canons of ,lyons on the ,conception of the holy ,mary4 ,paris1 #afcb1 p4 #aech4 ,his observations in that letter1 with a view of discountenancing the rising superstition1 in juxtaposition with these sentiments1 are well deserving the serious consideration of every one4 ,let us then1 with the authorized and enjoined service of the ,church of ,rome for the #aeth of ,august before us1 examine the evidence on which that religious #cjb service1 the most solemn consummation of all the rest1 is founded4 ,in the service of the ,assumption1 more than twice seven times is it reiterated in a very brief space1 and with slight variations of expression1 that ,mary was taken up into heaven2 and that1 not on any general and indefinite idea of her beatific and glorified state1 but with reference to one specific single act of divine favour1 performed at a fixed time1 effecting her assumption1 as it is called1 to-day4 s4 #eie4 ,to-day ,mary the ,virgin ascended the heavens4 ,rejoice1 because she is reigning with ,christ for ever4 ,mary the ,virgin is taken up into heaven1 to the ethereal chamber in which the ,king of kings sits on his starry throne4 ,the holy mother of ,god hath been exalted above the choirs of angels to the heavenly realms4 ,come1 let us worship the ,king of kings1 to whose ethereal heaven the ,virgin ,mother was taken up to-day4 ,and that it is her bodily ascension1 her corporeal assumption into heaven1 and not merely the transit of her soul#ajh from mortal life to eternal bliss1 which the ,roman ,church maintains and propagates by this service1 is put beyond doubt by the service itself4 ,in the fourth and sixth reading#aji1 or lesson1 for example1 we find these #cjc sentences3--,she returned not into the earth but is seated in the heavenly tabernacles4 ,how could death devour1 how could those below receive1 how could corruption invade1 ,,that ,,body1 in which life was received8 ,for it a direct1 plain1 and easy path to heaven was prepared4 ,footnote #ajh3 ,lambecius1 indeed 7book viii4 p4 #cjf71 distinctly affirms1 that one object which the ,church had in view was to condemn the ,,heresy of those who maintain that the reception of the ,virgin into heaven1 was the reception of her soul only1 and not also of her body4 ,ut damnet eorum hresin qui sanctissim ,dei genetricis rcceptionem in coelum ad animam ipsius tantum1 non vero simul etiam ad corpus pertinere existimant4 ,footnote #aji3 ,non reversa est in terram1 sed 444 in coelestibus tabernaculis collocatum4 ,quomodo mois devoraret1 quomodo inferi susciperent1 quomodo corruptio invaderit ,,corpus ,,illud in quo vita suscepta est8 ,huic recta plana et facilis ad coelum parata est via4 s4 #fjc1 #fjd4 ,now1 on what authority does this doctrine rest8 ,on what foundation stone is this religious worship built8 ,the holy ,scriptures are totally and profoundly silent1 as to the time1 the place1 the manner of ,mary's death4 ,once after the ascension of our ,lord1 and that within eight days1 we find mentioned the name of ,mary promiscuously with others2 after that1 no allusion is made to her in life or in death2 and no account1 as far as ,i can find1 places her death too late for mention to have been made of it in the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,the historian1 ,nicephorus ,callistus1 refers it to the #eth year of ,claudius1 that is about ,a4,d4 #dg3 after which period1 events through more than fifteen years are recorded in that book of sacred ,scripture4 ,but closing the holy volume1 what light does primitive antiquity enable us to throw on this subject8 ,the earliest testimony quoted by the defenders of the doctrine1 that ,mary was at her death taken up bodily into heaven1 is a supposed entry in the ,chronicon of ,eusebius1 opposite the year of our ,lord #dh4 ,this is cited by ,coccius without any remark2 and even ,baronius rests the date of ,mary's assumption upon this testimony4 ,vol4 i4 #djc4 ,the words referred to are these1--,mary the ,virgin1 the mother of ,jesus1 was taken up into heaven2 as some write that it had been revealed to them4 #cjd ,now1 suppose for one moment that this came from the pen of ,eusebius himself1 to what does it amount8 ,a chronologist in the fourth century records that some persons1 whom he does not name1 not even stating when they lived1 had written down1 not what they had heard as matter of fact1 or received by tradition1 but that a revelation had been made to them of a fact alleged to have taken place nearly three centuries before the time of that writer4 ,but instead of this passage deserving the name of ,eusebius as its author1 it is now on all sides acknowledged to be altogether a palpable interpolation4 ,suspicions1 one would suppose1 must have been at a very remote date suggested as to the genuineness of this sentence4 ,many manuscripts1 especially the seven in the ,vatican1 were known to contain nothing of the kind2 and the ,roman ,catholic editor of the ,chronicon at ,bordeaux1 ,a4,d4 #afjd1 tells us that he was restrained from expunging it1 only because nothing certain as to the assumption of the ,virgin could be substituted in its stead4 ,p4 #eff4 ,its spuriousness however can no longer be a question of dispute or doubt2 it is excluded from the ,milan edition of #ahah1 by ,angelo ,maio and ,john ,zohrab2 and no trace of it is to be found in the ,armenian#aaj version1 published by the monks of the ,armenian convent at ,venice1 in #ahah4 ,footnote #aaj3 ,the author visited that convent whilst this edition of the ,chronicon of ,eusebius was going through the press1 and can testify to the apparent anxiety of the monks to make it worthy of the patronage of ,christians4 ,the next authority1 to which we are referred1 is a letter#aaa said to have been written by ,sophronius the #cje presbyter1 about the commencement of the fifth century4 ,the letter used to be ascribed to ,jerome2 ,erasmus referred it to ,sophronius2 but ,baronius says it was written by an egregious forger of lies1 7egregius mendaciorum concinnator17 who lived after the heresies of ,nestorius and ,eutyches had been condemned4 ,i am not at all anxious to enter upon that point of criticism2 that the letter is of very ancient origin cannot be doubted4 ,this document would lead us to conclude1 that so far from the tradition regarding the ,virgin's assumption being general in the ,church1 it was a point of grave doubt and discussion among the faithful1 many of whom thought it an act of pious forbearance to abstain altogether from pronouncing any opinion on the subject4 ,whoever penned the letter1 and whether we look to the sensible and pious sentiments contained in it1 or to its undisputed antiquity1 the following extract cannot fail to be interesting#aab4 ,footnote #aaa3 ,the letter is entitled ,ad ,paulam et ,eustochium de ,assumptione ,b4,m4 ,virginis4 ,it is found in the fifth volume of ,jerome's works1 p4 #hb4 ,edit4 ,jo4 ,martian4 ,footnote #aab3 ,baronius shows great anxiety 7,cologne1 #afji1 vol4 i4 p4 #djh7 to detract from the value of this author's testimony1 whoever he was2 sharply criticising him because he asserts1 that the faithful in his time still expressed doubts as to the matter of fact of ,mary's assumption4 ,by assigning1 however1 to the letter a still later date than the works of ,sophronius1 ,baronius adds strength to the arguments for the comparatively recent origin of the tradition of her assumption4 ,see ,fabricius 7,hamburgh1 #ahjd71 vol4 ix4 p4 #afj4 ,many of our people doubt whether ,mary was taken up together with her body1 or went away1 leaving the body4 ,but how1 or at what time1 or by what persons her most holy body was taken hence1 or whither removed1 or whether it rose again1 is not known2 although some will maintain that she is already revived1 and is clothed with a blessed immortality with ,christ in heavenly places1 which very many affirm also of the blessed #cjf ,john1 the ,evangelist1 his servant1 to whom being a virgin1 the virgin was intrusted by ,christ1 because in his sepulchre1 as it is reported1 nothing is found but manna1 which also is seen to flow forth4 ,nevertheless which of these opinions should be thought the more true we doubt4 ,yet it is better to commit all to ,god1 to whom nothing is impossible1 than to wish to define rashly#aac by our own authority any thing1 which we do not approve of4444 ,because nothing is impossible with ,god1 we do not deny that something of the kind was done with regard to the blessed ,virgin ,mary2 although for caution's sake 7salva fide7 preserving our faith1 we ought rather with pious desire to think1 than inconsiderately to define1 what without danger may remain unknown4 ,this letter1 at the earliest1 was not written until the beginning of the fifth century4 ,footnote #aac3 ,these last words1 stamping the author's own opinion1 ,which we do not approve of1 are left out in the quotation of ,coccius4 ,subsequent writers were not wanting to fill up what this letter declares to have been at its own date unknown1 as to the manner and time of ,mary's assumption1 and the persons employed in effecting it4 ,the first authority appealed to in defence of the tradition relating to the assumption of the ,virgin#aad1 is usually cited as a well-known work written by ,euthymius1 who was contemporary with ,juvenal1 ,archbishop of ,jerusalem4 ,and the testimony simply quoted as his1 offers to us the following account of the miraculous transaction#aae3-- ,footnote #aad3 ,coccius heads the extract merely with these words3 ,euthumius ,eremita ,histori ,ecclesiastic1 lib4 iii4 c4 #dj2 assigning the date ,a4,d4 #edi4 ,footnote #aae3 ,this version by ,coccius differs in some points from the original4 ,jo4 ,dam4 vol4 ii4 p4 #hgi4 ,it has been above said1 that the holy ,pulcheria #cjg built many churches to ,christ at ,constantinople4 ,of these1 however1 there is one which was built in ,blachern1 in the beginning of ,marcian ,i's reign of divine memory4 ,these1 therefore1 namely1 ,marcian and ,pulcheria1 when they had built a venerable temple to the greatly to be celebrated and most holy mother of ,god and ever ,virgin ,mary1 and had decked it with all ornaments1 sought her most holy body1 which had conceived ,god4 ,and having sent for ,juvenal1 ,archbishop of ,jerusalem1 and the bishops of ,palestine1 who were living in the royal city on account of the synod then held at ,chalcedon1 they say to them1 ',we hear that there is in ,jerusalem the first and famous ,church of ,mary1 mother of ,god and ever ,virgin1 in the garden called ,gethsemane1 where her body which bore the ,life was deposited in a coffin4 ,we wish1 therefore1 her relics to be brought here for the protection of this royal city4 ,but ,juvenal answered1 ',in the holy and divinely inspired ,scripture1 indeed1 nothing is recorded of the departure of holy ,mary1 mother of ,god4 ,but from an ancient and most true tradition we have received1 that at the time of her glorious falling asleep1 all the holy ,apostles who were going through the world for the salvation of the nations1 in a moment of time borne aloft1 came together at ,jerusalem4 ,and when they were near her1 they had a vision of angels1 and divine melody of the highest powers was heard3 and thus with divine and more than heavenly glory1 she delivered her holy soul into the hands of ,god in an unspeakable manner4 ,but that which had conceived ,god being borne with angelic and apostolic psalmody1 with funeral rites1 was deposited in a coffin in ,gethsemane4 ,in this place the chorus and singing of the angels continued for three whole days4 ,but #cjh after three days1 on the angelic music ceasing1 since one of the ,apostles had been absent1 and came after the third day1 and wished to adore the body which had conceived ,god1 the ,apostles1 who were present1 opened the coffin2 but the body1 pure and every way to be praised1 they could not at all find4 ,and when they found only those things in which it had been laid out and placed there1 and were filled with an ineffable fragrancy proceeding from those things1 they shut the coffin4 ,being astounded at the miraculous mystery1 they could form no other thought1 but that ,he1 who in his own person had vouchsafed to be clothed with flesh1 and to be made man of the most holy ,virgin1 and to be born in the flesh1 ,god the ,word1 and ,lord of ,glory1 and who after birth had preserved her virginity immaculate1 had seen it good after she had departed from among the living1 to honour her uncontaminated and unpolluted body by a translation before the common and universal resurrection4 ,such is the passage offered to us in its insulated form1 as an extract from ,euthymius4 ,to be enabled1 however1 to estimate its worth1 the inquirer must submit to the labour of considerable research4 ,he will not have pursued his investigation far1 before he will find1 that a thick cloud of uncertainty and doubt hangs over this page of ecclesiastical history4 ,not that the evidence alleged in support of the reputed miracle can leave us in doubt as to the credibility of the tradition2 for that tradition can scarcely be now countenanced by the most zealous and uncompromising maintainers of the assumption of the ,virgin4 ,what ,i would say is1 that the question as to the genuineness and authenticity of the works by which the tradition is said to have been preserved1 is far more difficult and complicated1 than #cji those writers must have believed1 who appeal to such testimony without any doubt or qualification4 ,the result of my own inquiries ,i submit to your candid acceptance4 ,the earliest author in whose reputed writings ,i have found the tradition1 is ,john ,damascenus1 a monk of ,jerusalem1 who flourished somewhat before the middle of the eighth century4 ,the passage is found in the second of three homilies on the ,sleep of the ,virgin1 a term generally used by the ,greeks as an equivalent for the ,latin word ,assumptio4 ,the original publication of these homilies in ,greek and ,latin is comparatively of a late date4 ,lambecius1 whose work is dated #affe1 says he was not aware that any one had so published them before his time#aaf4 ,but not to raise the question of their genuineness1 the preacher's introduction of this passage into his homily is preceded by a very remarkable section1 affording a striking example of the manner in which ,christian orators used to indulge in addresses and appeals not only to the spirits of departed men1 but even to things which never had life4 ,the speaker here in his sermon addresses the tomb of ,mary1 as though it had ears to hear1 and an understanding to comprehend2 and then represents the tomb as having a tongue to answer1 and as calling forth from the preacher and his congregation an address of admiration and reverence4 ,such apostrophes as these cannot be too steadily borne in mind1 or too carefully weighed1 when any argument is sought to be drawn from similar salutations offered by ancient ,christian orators to saint1 or angel1 or the ,virgin4 ,footnote #aaf3 ,vol4 viii4 p4 #bha4 ,le ,quien1 who published them in #agab1 refers to earlier homilies on the ,dormitio ,virginis4 ,jo4 ,damas4 ,paris1 #agab4 vol4 ii4 p4 #heg4 #caj ,the following are among the expressions in which the preacher1 in the passage under consideration1 addresses the ,virgin's tomb3 ,thou1 ,o ,tomb1 of holy things most holy 7for ,i will address thee as a living being71 where is the much desired and much beloved body of the mother of ,god8 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #hge4 ,the answer of the tomb begins thus1 ,why seek ye her in a tomb1 who has been taken up on high to the heavenly tabernacles8 ,in reply to this1 the preacher first deliberating with his hearers what answer he should make1 thus addresses the tomb3 ,thy grace indeed is never-failing and eternal1 c4 ,p4 #hha4 ,by the maintainers of the invocation of saints1 many a passage far less unequivocal and less cogent than this has been adduced to show1 that saints and martyrs were invoked by primitive worshippers4 ,we find ,john ,damascenus thus introducing the passage of ,euthymius1 ,ye see1 beloved fathers and brethren1 what answer the all-glorious tomb makes to us2 and that these things are so1 in the ,,euthymiac ,,history1 the third book and fortieth chapter1 is thus written word for word4 ,p4 #hgg4 ,lambecius maintains1 that the history here quoted by ,john ,damascenus was not an ecclesiastical history1 written by ,euthymius1 who died in ,a4,d4 #dgb1 but a biographical history concerning ,euthymius himself1 written by an ecclesiastic1 whom he supposes to be ,cyril1 the monk1 who died in ,a4,d4 #eca4 ,this opinion of ,lambecius is combated by ,cotelerius2 the discussion only adding to the denseness of the cloud which involves the whole tradition4 ,but whether the work quoted had ,euthymius for its author or its subject1 the work itself is lost2 and an epitome only of such a work has come down to #caa our time4 ,in that abridgment the passage quoted by ,damascenus is not found4 ,the editor of ,john ,damascenus1 ,le ,quien1 in his annotations on this portion of his work1 offers to us some very interesting remarks1 which bear immediately on the agitated question as to the first observance of the feast of the ,assumption1 as well as on the tradition itself4 ,le ,quien infers1 from the words of ,modestus1 patriarch of ,jerusalem1 that scarcely any preachers before him had addressed their congregations on the departure of the ,virgin out of this life2 he thinks1 moreover1 that the ,feast of the ,assumption was at the commencement of the seventh century only recently instituted4 ,though all later writers affirm that the ,virgin was buried in the valley of ,jehoshaphat1 in the garden of ,gethsemane1 the same editor says1 that this could not have been known to ,jerome1 who passed a great part of his life in ,bethlehem1 and yet observes a total silence on the subject2 though in his ,epitaph on ,paula1 ,jerome1 ,paris1 #agjf4 ,vol4 iv4 p4 #fgj-fhh1 ep4 #hf4 he enumerates all the places in ,palestine consecrated by any remarkable event4 ,neither1 he adds1 could it have been known to ,epiphanius1 who1 though he lived long in ,palestine1 yet declares that nothing was known as to the death or burial of the ,virgin4 ,vol4 ii1 p4 #heh4 ,again1 in his remarks upon the writings falsely attributed to ,melito1 the same editor says1 that since this ,pseudo-,melito speaks many jejune things of the ,virgin ,mary1 7such for example as at the approach of death her exceeding fear of being exposed to the wiles of ,satan17 he concludes1 from that circumstance1 that the work was written before the ,council of ,ephesus2 alleging this very remarkable reason1 that after that #cab time there ,,began ,,to ,,be ,,entertained1 as was right1 not only in the ,east1 but also in the ,west1 a far better estimate of the parent of ,god4 ,p4 #hhj4 ,many of the remarks of this editor would appear to savour of prejudice had they come from the pen of one who denied the reality of the assumption1 or oppugned the honour and worship now paid by members of the ,church of ,rome to the ,virgin4 ,nor could the suspicion of such prejudice be otherwise than increased by the insinuation which the same editor throws out against the honesty of ,archbishop ,juvenal1 and on the possibility of his having invented the whole story1 and so for sinister purposes deceived ,marcian and ,pulcheria2 just as he fabricated the writings which he forged for the purpose of securing the primacy of ,palestine2 a crime laid to the charge of ,juvenal by ,leo the ,great1 in his letter to ,maximus1 ,bishop of ,antioch4 ,p4 #hgi4 ,see ,leo4 vol4 i4 p4 #abae4 ,epist4 cxix4 ,it is moreover much to be regretted that in making the extract from ,john ,damascenus those who employ it as evidence of primitive belief1 have not presented it to their readers whole and entire4 ,in the present case the system of quoting garbled extracts is particularly to be lamented1 because the paragraphs omitted in the quotation carry in themselves clear proof that ,juvenal's answer1 as it now appears in ,john ,damascenus1 could not have been made by ,juvenal to ,marcian and ,pulcheria4 ,for in it is quoted from ,dionysius the ,areopagite by name1 a passage still found in the works ascribed to him2 whereas by the judgment of the most learned ,roman ,catholic writers1 those spurious works did not make their appearance in ,christendom till the beginning of the sixth century1 fifty years after the ,council of ,chalcedon1 to assist at which #cac ,juvenal is said to have been present in ,constantinople when the emperor and empress held the alleged conversation with him4 ,the remainder of the passage from the history of ,euthymius1 rehearsed in this oration of ,john ,damascenus1 is as follows3 ,there were present with the ,apostles at that time both the most honoured ,timothy the ,apostle1 and first bishop of the ,ephesians1 and ,dionysius the ,areopagite1 himself1 as the great ,dionysius testifies in the laboured words concerning the blessed ,hierotheus1 himself also then being present1 to the above-named apostle ,timothy1 saying thus1 ,since with the inspired hierarchs themselves1 when we also as thou knowest1 and yourself1 and many of our holy brethren had come together to the sight of the body which gave the principle of life2 and there was present too ,james the brother of the ,lord 7,greek3 adelphotheos71 and ,peter the chief and the most revered head of the apostles 7,greek3 theologon72 then it seemed right1 after the spectacle1 that all the hierarchs 7as each was able7 should sing of the boundless goodness of the divine power4 ,after the apostles1 as you know1 he surpassed all the other sacred persons1 wholly carried away1 and altogether in an ecstasy1 and feeling an entire sympathy with what was sung2 and by all by whom he was heard1 and seen1 and known 7and he#aag knew it not71 he was considered to be an inspired and divine hymnologist4 ,and why should ,i speak to you about the things there divinely said1 for unless ,i have even forgotten myself1 ,i know that ,i have often heard from you some portions also of those inspired canticles8 ,and the royal personages having heard this1 requested of ,juvenal the archbishop1 that the holy coffin1 with the #cad clothes of the glorious and all-holy ,mary1 mother of ,god1 sealed up1 might be sent to them4 ,and this1 when sent1 they deposited in the venerable temple of the ,mother of ,god1 built in ,blachernae2 and these things were so4 ,footnote #aag3 ,this seems confused in the original 7,greek3 kai eginosketo1 kai ouk eginoske74 ,the whole passage is involved in great obscurity4 ,it is a fact no less lamentable than remarkable1 that out of the lessons appointed by the ,church of ,rome for the feast of the ,assumption1 to be read to believers assembled in ,god's house of prayer1 three of those lessons are selected and taken entirely from this very oration of ,john ,damascenus#aah4 ,footnote #aah3 ,the ,fourth ,lesson begins ,hodie sacra et animata arca4 ,the ,fifth ,hodie virgo immaculata4 ,the ,sixth ,eva qu serpentis1 c4--4 #fjc4 ,these contain the passages to which we have before referred as fixing the belief of the ,church of ,rome to be in the ,,corporeal assumption of ,mary4 ,quomodo corruptio invaderet ,,corpus ,,illud in quo vita suscepta est8 ,greek3 pos diaphthora tou zoodochon katatolmaeseie somatos4 ,this1 then1 is the account nearest to the time of the supposed event2 and yet can any thing be more vague1 and by way of testimony1 more worthless8 ,a writer near the middle of the sixth century refers to a conversation1 said to have taken place in the middle of the fifth century2 in this reported conversation at ,constantinople1 the ,bishop of ,jerusalem is represented to have informed the ,emperor and ,empress of an ancient tradition1 which was believed1 concerning a miraculous event1 said to have taken place nearly four hundred years before1 that the body was taken out of a coffin without the knowledge of those who had deposited it there3 ,whilst the primitive and inspired account1 recording most minutely the journeys and proceedings of some of those very persons1 and the letters of others1 makes no mention at all of any transaction of the kind2 and of #cae all the intermediate historians and ecclesiastical writers not one gives the slightest intimation that any rumour of it had reached them#aai4 ,footnote #aai3 ,baronius appears not to have referred to this history of ,euthymius1 but he refers to ,nicephorus1 and also to a work ascribed to ,melito1 c4 #d1 #e4 ,nicephorus1 ,paris1 #afcj4 vol4 i4 p4 #afh4 lib4 ii4 c4 #ba4 ,baronius also refers to lib4 #ae4 c4 #ad4 ,this ,nicephorus was ,patriarch of ,constantinople4 ,he lived during the reign of our ,edward the ,first1 or ,edward the ,second1 and cannot1 therefore1 be cited in any sense of the word as an ancient author writing on the events of the primitive ages2 though the manner in which his testimony is appealed to would imply1 that he was a man to whose authority on early ecclesiastical affairs we were now expected to defer4 ,another authority to which the writers on the assumption of the ,virgin appeal1 is that of ,nicephorus ,callistus1 who1 at the end of the thirteenth or the beginning of the fourteenth century1 dedicated his work to ,andronicus ,palologus4 ,the account given by ,nicephorus is this3 ,in the fifth year of ,claudius1 the ,virgin at the age of fifty-nine1 was made acquainted with her approaching death4 ,christ himself then descended from heaven with a countless multitude of angels1 to take up the soul of his mother2 ,he summoned his disciples by thunder and storm from all parts of the world4 ,the ,virgin then bade ,peter first1 and afterwards the rest of the ,apostles1 to come with burning torches#abj4 ,the ,apostles surrounded her bed1 and an outpouring of miracles flowed forth4 ,the blind beheld the sun1 the deaf heard1 the lame walked1 and every disease fled away4 ,the ,apostles and others sang1 as the coffin was borne from ,sion to ,gethsemane1 angels preceding1 surrounding1 and following it4 #caf ,a wonderful thing then took place4 ,the ,jews were indignant and enraged1 and one more desperately bold than the rest rushed forward1 intending to throw down the holy corpse to the ground4 ,vengeance was not tardy2 for his hands were cut off from his arms#aba4 ,the procession stopped2 and at the command of ,peter1 on the man shedding tears of penitence1 his hands were joined on again and restored whole4 ,at ,gethsemane she was put into a tomb1 but her ,son transferred her to the divine habitation4 ,footnote #abj3 ,this author here quotes the forged work ascribed to ,dionysius the ,areopagite1 to which we have before referred4 ,footnote #aba3 ,this tradition seems to have been much referred to at a time just preceding our ,reformation4 ,in a volume called ,the ,hours of the most blessed ,mary1 according to the legitimate rite of the ,church of ,salisbury1 printed in ,paris in #aebf1 from which we have made many extracts in the second part of this work1 the frontispiece gives an exact representation of the story at the moment of the ,jew's hands being cut off4 ,they are severed at the wrist1 and are lying on the coffin1 on which his arms also are resting4 ,in the sky the ,virgin appears between the ,father and the ,son1 the ,holy ,dove being seen above her4 ,the same print occurs also in another part of the volume4 ,nicephorus then refers to ,juvenal1 ,archbishop of ,jerusalem1 as the authority on which the tradition was received1 that the ,apostles opened the coffin to enable ,st4 ,thomas 7the one stated to have been absent7 to embrace the body2 and then he proceeds to describe the personal appearance of the ,virgin4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #aga4 ,i am unwilling to trespass upon the patience of my readers by any comment upon such evidence as this4 ,is it within the verge of credibility that had such an event as ,mary's assumption taken place under the extraordinary circumstances which now invest the tradition1 or under any circumstances whatever1 there would have been a total silence respecting it in the ,holy ,scriptures8 #cag ,that the writers of the first four centuries should never have referred to such a fact8 ,that the first writer who alludes to it1 should have lived in the middle of the fifth century1 or later2 and that he should have declared in a letter to his contemporaries that the subject was one on which many doubted2 and that he himself would not deny it1 not because it rested upon probable evidence1 but because nothing was impossible with ,god2 and that nothing was known as to the time1 the manner1 or the persons concerned1 even had the assumption taken place8 ,can we place any confidence in the relation of a writer in the middle of the sixth century1 as to a tradition of what an archbishop of ,jerusalem attending the council of ,chalcedon1 had told the sovereigns at ,constantinople of a tradition1 as to what was said to have happened nearly four hundred years before1 whilst in the ,acts of that ,council1 not the faintest trace is found of any allusion to the supposed fact or the alleged tradition1 though the transactions of that ,council in many of its most minute circumstances are recorded1 and though the discussions of that ,council brought the name and circumstances of the ,virgin ,mary continually before the minds of all who attended it8 ,this1 however1 is a point of too great importance to be dismissed summarily2 and seems to require us to examine1 however briefly1 into the circumstances of that ,council4 #cah 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,,iv4--,,councils ,,of ,,constantinople1 ,,ephesus1 ,,and ,,the ,,general ,,council ,,of ,,chalcedon ,the legend on which the doctrine of the ,assumption of the ,virgin ,mary is founded professes to trace the tradition to ,juvenal1 ,archbishop of ,jerusalem1 when he was sojourning in ,constantinople for the purpose of attending the ,general ,council of ,chalcedon4 ,to the ,emperor and ,empress1 who presided at that council1 ,juvenal is said to have communicated the tradition1 as received in ,palestine1 of the miraculous taking up of ,mary's body into heaven4 ,this circumstance seems1 as we have already intimated1 of itself1 to require us to examine the records of that ,council1 with the view of ascertaining whether any traces may be found confirmatory of the tradition1 or otherwise2 and since that ,council cannot be regarded as an insulated assembly1 but as a continuation rather or resumption of the preceding minor ,councils of ,constantinople and ,ephesus1 we must briefly refer to the occasion and nature generally of that succession of ,christian synods4 ,i am not aware that in the previous ,councils any thing had transpired #cai which could be brought as evidence on the subject of our inquiry4 ,the questions which had disturbed the peace of ,christendom1 and which were agitated in these ,councils1 inseparable from a repeated mention of the ,virgin ,mary's name1 afforded an opportunity at every turn for an expression of the sentiments of those who composed the ,councils1 and of all connected with them1 including the ,bishop of ,rome himself1 towards her4 ,it would be altogether foreign from the purpose of this address to enter in any way at large upon the character and history of those or the preceding ,councils1 yet a few words seem necessary1 to enable us to judge of the nature and weight of the evidence borne by them on the question immediately before us4 ,the source of all the disputes which then rent the ,church of ,,him who had bequeathed peace as his last and best gift to his followers1 was the anxiety to define and explain the nature of the great ,christian mystery1 the ,incarnation of the ,son of ,god2 a point on which it were well for all ,christians to follow only so far as the ,holy ,scriptures lead them by the hand4 ,all parties appealed to the ,nicene ,council2 though there seems to have been1 to say the least1 much misunderstanding and unnecessary violence and party spirit on all sides4 ,the celebrated ,eutyches of ,constantinople was charged with having espoused heterodox doctrine1 by maintaining that in ,christ was only one nature1 the incarnate ,word4 ,on this charge he was accused before a ,council held at ,constantinople in ,a4,d4 #ddh4 ,his doctrine was considered to involve a denial of the human nature of the ,son of ,god4 ,the ,council condemned him of heresy1 deposed1 and excommunicated him4 ,from this proceeding ,eutyches appealed to a ,general ,council4 ,a council 7the authority of which1 however1 #cbj has been solemnly1 but with what adequate reason we need not stop to examine1 repudiated71 was convened at ,ephesus in the following year1 by the ,emperor ,theodosius4 ,the proceedings of this assembly were accompanied by lamentable unfairness and violence4 ,eutyches was acquitted1 and restored by this council#abb2 and his accusers were condemned and persecuted2 ,flavianus1 ,archbishop of ,constantinople1 who had summoned the preceding council1 being even scourged and exiled4 ,in his distress that patriarch sought the good offices of ,leo1 ,bishop of ,rome1 who espoused his cause1 but who failed nevertheless of inducing ,theodosius to convene a ,general ,council4 ,his successor ,marcian1 however1 consented2 and in the year #dea the ,council of ,chalcedon was convened1 first meeting at ,nice1 and by adjournment being removed to ,chalcedon4 ,in this council all the proceedings as well of the ,council of ,constantinople as of ,ephesus1 were rehearsed at length2 and from a close examination of the proceedings of those three councils1 only one inference seems deducible1 namely1 that the invocation and worship of saints and of the ,virgin ,mary had not then obtained that place in the ,christian #cba ,church1 which the ,church of ,rome now assigns to it2 a place1 however1 which the ,church of ,england1 among other branches of the ,catholic ,church1 maintains that it has usurped1 and cannot1 without a sacrifice of the only sound principle of religious worship1 be suffered to retain4 ,footnote #abb3 ,the sentiments of ,eutyches1 even as they are recorded by the party who charged him with heresy1 seem to imply so much of soundness in his principles1 and of moderation in his maintenance of those principles1 that one must feel sorrow on finding such a man maintaining error at any time4 ,the following is among the records of transactions rehearsed at ,chalcedon3 ,he1 ,eutyches1 professed that he followed the expositions of the holy and blessed ,fathers who formed the ,councils of ,nica and ,ephesus1 and was ready to subscribe to them4 ,but if any where it might chance1 as he said1 that our fathers were deceived and led astray1 that as for himself he neither accepted nor accused those things1 but he only on such points investigated the divine ,scriptures as more to be depended upon ,greek3 os bebaioteras4 ,the grand question then agitated with too much asperity1 and too little charity1 was1 whether by the incarnation our blessed ,saviour became possessed of two natures1 the divine and human4 ,subordinate to this1 and necessary for its decision1 was involved the question1 ,what part of his nature1 if any1 ,christ derived from the ,virgin ,mary8 ,again and again does this question bring the name1 the office1 the circumstances1 and the nature of that holy and blessed mother of our ,lord before these ,councils4 ,the name of ,mary is continually in the mouth of the accusers1 the accused1 the judges1 and the witnesses2 and had ,christian pastors then entertained the same feelings of devotion towards her2 had they professed the same belief as to her assumption into heaven1 and her influence and authority in directing the destinies of man1 and in protecting the ,church on earth2 had they habitually appealed to her with the same prayers for her intercession and good offices1 and placed the same confidence in her as we find now exhibited in the authorized services of the ,roman ,ritual1 it is impossible to conceive that no signs1 no intimation of such views and feelings1 would1 either directly or incidentally1 have shown themselves1 somewhere or other1 among the manifold and protracted proceedings of these ,councils4 ,i have searched diligently1 but ,i can find no expression as to her nature and office1 or as to our feelings and conduct towards ,mary1 in which1 as a #cbb ,catholic of the ,anglican ,church1 ,i should not heartily acquiesce4 ,i can find no sentiment implying invocation1 or religious worship of any kind1 or in any degree2 ,i find no allusion to her ,assumption4 ,pope ,leo1 who is frequently in these documents ,vol4 v4 p4 #adah4 called ,archbishop of ,rome1 in a letter to ,julianus1 ,bishop of ,cos1 speaks of ,christ as born of ,a ,virgin1 ,the blessed ,virgin1 ,the pure1 undefiled ,virgin2 and in a letter to the empress ,pulcheria1 he calls ,mary simply ,the ,virgin ,mary4 ,in his celebrated letter to ,flavianus1 not one iota of which 7according to the decree of the ,roman council under ,pope ,gelasius7 was to be questioned by any man on pain of incurring an anathema1 ,pope ,leo says that ,christ was conceived by the ,holy ,ghost in the womb of the ,virgin ,mary his mother1 who brought him forth with the same virgin purity as she had conceived him4 ,flavianus1 ,archbishop of ,constantinople1 in his ,declaration of faith to the ,emperor ,theodosius1 affirms1 that ,christ was born of ,mary1 the ,virgin--of the same substance with the ,father according to his ,godhead--of the same substance with his mother according to his manhood4 ,vol4 vi4 p4 #eci4 ,he speaks of her afterwards as ,the holy ,virgin4 ,there is1 indeed1 one word used in a quotation from ,cyril of ,alexandria1 and adopted in these transactions1 which requires a few words of especial observation4 ,the word is theotocos#abc1 which the ,latins were accustomed #cbc to transfer into their works1 substituting only ,roman instead of ,greek characters1 but which afterwards the authors of the ,church of ,rome translated by ,deipara1 and in more recent ages by ,dei ,mater1 ,dei ,genetrix1 ,creatoris ,genetrix1 c4 employing those terms not in explanation of the twofold nature of ,christ's person1 as was the case in these ,councils1 but in exaltation of ,mary1 his ,virgin mother4 ,this word was adopted by ,christians in much earlier times than the ,council of ,chalcedon2 but it was employed only to express more strongly the ,catholic belief in the union of the divine and human nature in ,him who was ,son both of ,god and man2 and by no means for the purpose of raising ,mary into an object of religious adoration4 ,the sense in which it was used was explained in the seventh ,act of the ,council of ,constantinople1 7repeated at ,chalcedon7 as given by ,cyril of ,alexandria4 ,according to this sense of an unconfused union1 we confess the holy ,virgin to be theotocos1 because that ,god the ,word was made flesh1 and became man1 and from that very conception united with himself the temple received from her4 ,footnote #abc3 ,greek3 ,theotokos4 ,to those who would depend upon this word theotocos as a proof of the exalted honour in which the early ,christians held the ,virgin1 and not as indicative of an anxiety to preserve whole and entire the doctrine of the union of perfect ,god and perfect man in ,christ1 deriving his manhood through her1 ,i would suggest the necessity of weighing well that argument with this fact before them2 that to the ,apostle ,james1 called in ,scripture the ,lord's brother1 was assigned the name of ,adelphotheos1 or ,god's brother4 ,this name was given to ,james1 not to exalt him above his fellow-apostles1 but to declare the faith of those who gave it him in the union of the divine and human nature of ,christ4--,see ,joan4 ,damascenus1 ,hom4 ii4 c4 #ah4 ,in ,dormit4 ,virg4 vol4 ii4 p4 #hha4 ,le ,quien1 ,paris1 #agab4 ,the ,latin translation renders it ,domini frater4 ,nothing in our present inquiry turns upon the real #cbd meaning of that word theotocos4 ,some who have been among the brightest ornaments of the ,anglican ,church have adopted the translation mother of ,god1 whilst many others among us believe that the original sense would be more correctly conveyed by the expression mother of ,him who was ,god4 ,i am induced here to lay side by side1 with the second ,article of our ,anglican ,church1 the ,confession of ,faith from ,cyril1 first recited at ,constantinople1 then repeated at ,ephesus1 and afterwards again rehearsed at ,chalcedon2 in its last clause the expression occurs which gave rise to these remarks4 ,ancient ,confession4 ,we confess that our ,lord ,jesus1 the ,christ1 the only begotten ,son of ,god1 perfect ,god and perfect man1 from a reasonable soul and body1 begotten from everlasting of the ,father according to his ,godhead1 and in these last days1 ,he the same for us and for our salvation was born of ,mary1 the ,virgin1 according to his manhood--of the same substance with the ,father according to his ,godhead1 of the same substance with us according to his manhood4 ,for of two natures there became an union4 ,wherefore we confess one ,christ1 one ,lord4 ,according to this sense of the unconfused union1 we confess the holy ,virgin to be theotocos1 because that ,god the ,word was made flesh1 and became man1 and from that very conception united with himself the temple received from her4 ,vol4 vi4 p4 #gcf4 ,second ,article of ,anglican ,church4 ,the ,son1 which is the ,word of the ,father1 begotten from everlasting of the ,father1 the very and eternal ,god1 and of one substance with the ,father1 took man's nature in the womb of the blessed ,virgin1 of her substance3 so that two whole and perfect natures1 that is to say1 the ,godhead and ,manhood1 were joined together in one ,person1 never to be divided1 whereof is one ,christ1 very ,god1 and very man2 who truly suffered1 was crucified1 dead and buried1 to reconcile his ,father to us1 and to be a sacrifice1 not only for original guilt1 but also for actual sins of men4 #cbe ,but there are other points in the course of these important proceedings to which ,i would solicit your especial attention1 with the view of comparing the sentiments of the ,bishop of ,rome at that day1 and also the expressions employed by other ,chief ,pastors of ,christ's flock1 with the language of the appointed authorized services of the ,roman ,church now1 and the sentiments of her reigning ,pontiff1 and of his accredited ministers4 ,the circumstances of the ,church ,catholic1 as represented in ,leo's letter in the fifth century1 and the circumstances of the ,church of ,rome1 as lamented by the present ,pope in #ahcbabd1 are in many respects very similar4 ,the end desired by ,leo and ,flavianus1 his brother pastor and contemporary1 ,bishop of ,constantinople1 and by ,gregory1 now ,bishop of ,rome1 is one and the same1 namely1 the suppression of heresy1 the prevalence of the truth1 and the unity of the ,christian ,church4 ,but how widely and how strikingly different are the foundations on which they respectively build their hopes for the attainment of that end6 ,footnote #abd3 ,the encyclical letter of our most holy ,father1 ,pope ,gregory1 by divine providence1 the sixteenth of that name1 to all patriarchs1 primates1 archbishops1 and bishops4 ,the present ,roman ,pontiff's hopes1 and desires1 and exhortations are thus expressed#abe3-- ,footnote #abe3 ,this is the translation circulated in the ,roman ,catholic ,annual1 p4 #ae1 called1 ,the ,laity's ,directory for the year #ahcc2 on the title page of which is this notice3 ,the ,directory for the ,church ,service1 printed by ,messrs4 ,keating and ,brown1 is the only one which is published with the authority of the ,vicars ,apostolic in ,england4--,london1 ,nov4 #ab1 #ahbi4 ,signed ,james1 ,bishop of ,usula1 ,vic4 ,ap4 ,lond4 ,that all may have a successful and happy issue1 let us raise our eyes to the most blessed ,virgin ,mary1 #cbf ,,who ,,alone ,,destroys ,,heresies1 who is our ,,greatest ,,hope1 yea1 the ,,entire ,,ground ,,of ,,our ,,hope#abf4 ,may she exert her patronage to draw down an efficacious blessing on our desires1 our plans1 and proceedings in the present straitened condition of the ,lord's flock4 ,we will also implore1 in humble prayer1 from ,peter1 the prince of the ,apostles1 and from his fellow-,apostle ,paul1 that you may all stand as a wall to prevent any other foundation than what hath been laid2 and supported by this cheering hope1 we have confidence that the author and finisher of faith1 ,jesus ,christ1 will at last console us all in the tribulations which have found us exceedingly4 ,footnote #abf3 ,on this word there is a note of reference to ,s4 ,bern4 ,serm4 de ,nat4 ,b4,m4,v4 #g4 ,to you1 venerable brethren1 and the flocks committed to your care1 we most lovingly impart1 as auspicious of celestial help1 the ,apostolic ,benediction4 ,given at ,rome from ,st4 ,mary ,major's1 ,august #aeth1 the ,festival of the ,assumption of the same blessed ,virgin ,mary1 the year of our ,lord #ahcb1 of our ,pontificate the ,second4 ,how deplorable a change1 how melancholy a degeneracy is here evinced from the faith1 and hopes1 and sentiments of ,christian bishops in days of old6 ,in the expressed hopes of ,leo and ,flavianus1 you will seek in vain for any reference or allusion to the blessed ,virgin ,mary1 as the destroyer of heresies1 the greatest hope1 the entire ground of a ,christian's hope2 you will in vain seek for any exhortation for the faithful to raise their eyes to her in order to obtain a merciful and happy issue4 ,equally vain would be your search for any imploring in humble prayer1 of ,peter and ,paul1 or any even distant allusion to help from them4 #cbg ,to ,god and ,god alone are the faithful exhorted to pray2 on ,god and ,god alone do those ,christians express that their hopes rely2 ,god alone they regard as the destroyer of heresy1 the restorer of peace1 and the protector of the ,church's unity4 ,their greatest hope1 yea1 the entire ground of their hope1 the ,being to be implored in humble prayer1 is not ,mary1 nor ,peter1 nor ,paul1 but ,god alone1 the ,creator1 the ,redeemer1 the ,sanctifier of ,mary1 and of ,peter1 and of ,paul4 ,thus ,flavian writing to ,leo says1 ,wherefore 7in consequence of those errors1 and heresies1 and distractions1 which he had deplored7 we must be sober and watch unto prayer1 and draw nigh to ,god4 ,vol4 v4 #accj4 ,and again1 ,thus will the heresy which has arisen1 and the consequent commotion1 be easily destroyed by your holy letters with the assistance of ,god4 ,vol4 v4 #acee4 ,thus ,leo in his turn writing to ,julian1 ,bishop of ,cos1 utters this truly ,christian sentiment4 ,may the mercy of ,god1 as we trust1 grant that without the loss of any soul1 against the darts of the devil the sound parts may be entirely preserved1 and the wounded parts may be healed4 ,may ,god preserve you safe and sound1 most honoured brother6 ,vol4 v4 #adbc4 ,thus the same ,bishop of ,rome writing to ,flavian1 expresses his hopes in these words3 ,confidently trusting that the help of ,god will be present1 so that one who has been misled1 condemning the vanity of his own thoughts1 may be saved4 ,may ,god preserve you in health and strength1 most beloved brother6 ,vol4 v4 #acij4 ,i will detain you by only one more reference to these most interesting documents4 ,the whole ,council of ,chalcedon1 at the conclusion of all1 and when the #cbh triumph was considered to have been secured over ,eutyches1 and their gratitude was expressed that the heresies had been destroyed--instead of referring to ,mary as the sole destroyer of heresies1 shout1 as if with the voice of one man1 from every side1 ,it is ,god alone who hath done this6 ,vol4 vii4 p4 #agd4 ,neither antecedently did their chief pastors exhort them to raise their eyes to ,mary1 and promise to implore the blessing they needed1 in humble prayer from ,peter and ,paul4 ,neither in the straitened condition of the ,lord's flock did they invoke any other than ,god4 ,and when truth prevailed1 and the victory was won1 whilst they were lavish of their grateful thanks to the emperor and his queen1 who were present and had succoured them2 of help from the invisible world they make no mention1 save only of the ,lord's2 they had implored neither angel1 nor saints1 nor ,virgin to be their protector and patron2 no angel1 nor saint1 nor virgin1 shared their praises2--,god alone was exalted in that day4 ,and1 let not the answer1 ever at hand when reference is thus made to the prayers or professions of individuals1 whether popes or canonized saints1 seduce any now from a pursuit of the very truth4 ,these1 it is said1 are the prayers and professions of individuals1 it is unfair then to make the ,church responsible for them2 we appeal from them to the ,church4 ,but in this case the words of the ,sovereign ,pontiff are in good faith the words of the ,church of ,rome2 not because ,i at all would identify the words of a ,pope with the ,church1 but because the prayers of the ,church of ,rome in her authorized solemn services and acts of worship justify #cbi ,pope ,gregory in every sentiment he utters1 and every expression he employs4 ,does ,gregory bid the faithful lift up their eyes to ,mary the sole destroyer of heresies8 ,the ,roman ritual in the ,lesser ,office of the holy ,virgin thus addresses her1 ,rejoice1 ,o ,mary ,virgin2 thou alone hast destroyed all heresies in the whole world3 ,and again3 ,under thy protection we take refuge1 holy parent of ,god2 despise not thou our prayers in our necessities1 but from all dangers ever deliver us1 ,o glorious and blessed ,virgin4 ,does ,gregory assure the faithful that he will implore in humble prayer of ,peter and ,paul8 in doing so he is only treading in the very footsteps of the ,roman ,church itself4 ,in an address1 which we have already quoted 7see p4 #bfb71 ,peter is thus invoked4 ,now ,o good shepherd1 merciful ,peter1 accept the prayers of us who supplicate1 and loose the bands of our sins1 by the power committed to thee1 by which thou shuttest heaven against all by a word1 and openest it4 ,these things are now2 but from the beginning it was not so4 #ccj 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,section ,i4--,,present ,,worship ,,of ,,the ,,blessed ,,virgin ,,in ,,the ,,authorized ,,and ,,enjoined ,,services ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,rome4 ,when from examining the evidence of antiquity we turn to the present enjoined services of the ,church of ,rome1 it is impossible not to be struck by the fact repeatedly forced upon our notice1 that whereas the invocation of the ,virgin seems to have been introduced at a period much later than those addresses to the martyrs which have already invited our attention1 her worship now assumes so much higher a place1 and claims so large a share in the public worship of the ,roman ,catholic portions of ,christendom above martyrs1 saints1 and angels4 ,the offices of the ,virgin present instances of all those various and progressive stages of divine worship1 which we have already exemplified in the case of the martyrs1 from the first primitive and ,christian practice of making the anniversary of the ,saint a day either of especial praise and prayer to ,god for the mercies of redemption generally1 or of returning thanks to ,god for the graces manifested in his holy servants now in peace1 with prayers for light and strength to enable the worshippers to follow them1 as they followed ,christ--down to the last and worst stage1 the consummation #cca of all1 namely1 prayer directly to saints and angels for protection1 succour1 and spiritual benefits at their hands4 ,i4 ,of the first class is the following collect1 retained almost word for word in our ,anglican service4 ,on the day of the ,purification4 ,almighty and everlasting ,god1 we humbly beseech thy majesty1 that as thy only begotten ,son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our flesh1 so ,thou wouldest cause us to be presented unto ,thee with purified minds4 ,through the same4 7,omnipotens sempiterne ,deus1 majestatem tuam supplices exoramus1 ut sicut unigenitus ,filius tuus hodierna die cum nostr carnis substantia est prsentatus1 ita nos facias purificatis tibi mentibus prsentari4 ,per eundem ,dominum4--,h4 #ecf47 ,such a prayer is founded on the facts of revelation1 and is primitive1 catholic1 apostolic1 and evangelical4 ,,ii4 ,of the second progressive stage towards the adoration of the saints1 the offices of the ,virgin supply us with various instances2 the case1 namely1 of the ,christian orator being led by the flow of his eloquence to apostrophize the spirit of the ,saint1 and address him as though he were present1 witnessing the celebration of his day1 hearing the panegyrics uttered for his honour1 and partaking with the congregation in their religious acts of worship4 ,o holy and spotless virginhood2 with what praises to extol thee ,i know not3 because ,him1 whom the heavens could not contain1 thou didst bear in thy bosom4 #ccb ,blessed art thou among women1 and blessed is the fruit of thy womb4 ,thou art blessed1 ,o ,virgin ,mary1 who didst carry the ,lord1 the ,creator of the world4 ,thou didst give birth to ,him who made thee1 and remainest a virgin for ever4 ,beata es ,virgo ,maria1 qu ,dominum portasti ,creatorem mundi3 genuisti qui te fecit1 et in ternum permanes virgo4--,vern4 clxii4 ,hail1 holy parent1 who didst in child-birth bring forth the ,king who ruleth heaven and earth for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,salve sacra parens enixa puerpera regem1 qui coelum terramque regit in scula sculorum4 ,amen4--,introit4 at the mass on the ,nativity of the ,virgin4 ,in apostrophes like these1 the members of the ,anglican ,church see nothing in itself harmful1 so long as they are kept within due bounds4 ,many of the passages cited from the ancient writers in proof of their having espoused the doctrine1 and exemplified in themselves the practice of invoking saints1 are nothing more than these glowing addresses4 ,they have been responded to by one of the brightest ornaments1 and sweetest minstrels of the ,anglican ,church1 whose apostrophe at the same time by its own words would guard us against the abuses and excesses in which in the ,roman ,catholic ,church this practice1 followed without restraint and indulged in with less and less of caution and soberness1 unhappily ended2 abuses against which also we cannot ourselves now be too constantly and carefully on our guard4 ,ave ,maria6 ,blessed maid1 ,lily of ,eden's fragrant shade1 ,who can express the love1 ,that nurtured thee so pure and sweet2 ,making thy heart a shelter meet ,for ,jesus' holy ,dove8 #ccc ,ave ,maria6 mother blest1 ,to whom1 caressing and caress'd1 ,clings the ,eternal ,child6 ,favour'd beyond archangel's dream1 ,when first on thee with tenderest gleam ,the newborn ,saviour smiled4 ,ave ,maria6 thou whose name1 ,,all ,,but ,,adoring love may claim1 ,yet may we reach thy shrine2 ,for ,,he1 thy ,son and ,saviour1 vows1 ,to crown all lowly lofty brows ,with love and joy like thine4 ,bless'd is the womb that bare ,him1--bless'd ,the bosom where his lips were press'd2 ,but rather bless'd are they ,who hear his word and keep it well1 ,the living homes where ,christ shall dwell1 ,and never pass away4 ,j4 ,keble's ,christian ,year4 ,the ,annunciation4 ,would that no branch of the ,church ,catholic had ever passed the boundary line drawn here so exquisitely by this ,anglican ,catholic1 from whose lips or pen no syllable could ever fall in disparagement of the holy ,virgin1 as blessed among women1 and the holy mother of our ,lord4 ,to bring about the re-union of ,christians would in that case have been a far more hopeful task than it is now4 ,,iii4 ,in the third stage1 a prayer was offered to ,god1 that ,he would permit the intercessions of the saints to help us2 or the prayer contained the expression of a wish1--a desire not addressed either to ,god or to the saint1 merely words expressive of the hope of the individual4 ,the following are some of the many instances now contained in the ,roman ,breviary3 #ccd ,may the ,virgin of virgins herself intercede for us to the ,lord4 ,amen4 ,ipsa ,virgo virginum intercedat pro nobis ad ,dominum4 ,amen4--,vern4 cxlviii4 ,in the ,post-communion1 on the day of the ,assumption1 this prayer is offered3--,partakers of the heavenly table1 we implore thy clemency1 ,o ,lord our ,god1 that we who celebrate the ,assumption of the mother of ,god1 may1 by her intercession1 be freed from all impending evils4 ,through1 c4 ,mens coelestis participes effecti imploramus clementiam tuam1 ,domine ,deus noster1 ut qui ,assumptionem ,dei ,genetricis colimus1 a cunctis malis imminentibus ejus intercessione liberemur4 ,per4--,miss4 ,rom4 ,we beseech ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 let the glorious intercession of the blessed and glorious ever ,virgin ,mary protect us and bring us to life eternal4 ,beat et glorios semper ,virginia ,mari1 qusumus1 ,domine1 intercessio gloriosa nos protegat1 et ad vitam producat ternam4--,vern4 clv4 ,pardon1 we beseech ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 the offences of thy servants1 that we1 who cannot please ,thee of our own act1 may be saved by the intercession of the mother of thy ,son1 our ,lord1 who liveth with ,thee4 ,famulorum tuorum qusumus1 ,domine1 delictis ignosce1 ut qui tibi placere de nostris actibus non valemus1 ,genetricis ,filii tui1 ,domini nostri1 intercessione salvemur1 qui tecum vivit4--,vern4 clxix4 ,on the vigil of the ,epiphany1 this prayer is offered in the ,post-communion at the mass1--,let this communion1 ,o ,lord1 purge us from guilt1 and by the intercession of the blessed ,virgin1 mother of ,god1 let it make us partakers of the heavenly cure4 ,through the same4 ,hc nos communio1 ,domine1 purget a crimine1 et intercedente beata ,virgine ,dei genetrice coelestis remedii faciat esse consortes4 ,per eundem4--,miss4 ,rom4 ,grant1 we beseech ,thee1 ,o ,lord ,god1 that we thy #cce servants may enjoy perpetual health of body and mind1 and be freed from present sorrow1 and enjoy eternal gladness1 by the glorious intercession of the blessed ,mary1 ever ,virgin4 ,through4 ,concede nos famulos tuos1 qusumus1 ,domine ,deus1 perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere1 et gloriosa beat ,mari semper ,virginis intercessione a prsenti liberari tristitia1 et terna perfrui ltitia4 ,per ,dominum4--,vern4 cxlvi4 ,on the second ,sunday after ,easter1 we find a further and more sad departure from the simplicity of ,christian worship1 in which the ,church of ,rome declares that the offerings made to ,god at the ,lord's ,supper were made for the honour of the ,virgin4--,having received1 ,o ,lord1 the helps of our salvation1 grant1 we beseech ,thee1 that by the patronage of ,mary1 ever ,virgin1 we may be every where protected2 in veneration of whom we make these offerings to thy ,majesty4 ,sumptis1 ,domine1 salutis nostr subsidiis1 da1 qusumus1 beat ,mari semper ,virginis patrociniis ubique protegi1 in cujus veneratione hc tu obtulimus ,majestati4--,post ,commun4 ,mis4 ,rom4 ,on the octave of ,easter1 at the celebration of mass1 in the ,secret1 the intercession of the ,virgin is made to appear as essential a cause of our peace and blessedness as the propitiation of ,christ2 or rather1 the two are represented as joint concurrent causes2 as though the office of the ,saviour was confined to propitiation1 exclusive altogether of intercession1 whilst the office of intercession was assigned to the ,virgin4--,by thy propitiation1 ,o ,lord1 and by the intercession of the blessed ,mary1 ever ,virgin1 may this offering be profitable to us for perpetual and present prosperity and peace4 ,tua1 ,domine1 propitiatione et beat ,maris semper ,virginis intercessione ad perpetuam atque prsesentem hc oblatio nobis profecerit prosperitatem et pacem4 #ccf ,,iv4 ,a fourth station in this lamentable progress was evidenced when ,christians at the tombs of martyrs implored1 yet still in prayer to ,god1 that ,he would1 for the sake of the martyrs1 and by their merits and good offices1 grant to the petitioner some benefit temporal or spiritual4 ,of that practice1 we have an example in this prayer3 ,o ,god1 who didst deign to choose the blessed ,virgin's womb in which to dwell1 vouchsafe1 we beseech thee1 to make us1 defended by her protection1 to take pleasure in her commemoration4 ,deus qui virginalem aulam beat ,mari in qua habitares eligerere dignatus es1 da1 qusumus1 ut sua nos defensione munitos jucundos facias su interesse commemorationi4--st4 clvi4 ,by the ,virgin mother1 may the ,lord grant us health and peace4 ,amen4 ,per ,virginem ,matrem concedat nobis ,dominus salutem et pacem4 ,amen4--,vern4 cxliii4 ,by the prayers and merits of the blessed ,mary1 ever ,virgin1 and of all saints1 may the ,lord bring us to the kingdom of heaven4 ,precibus et meritis beat ,mari ,virginis et omnium sanctorum perducat nos ,dominus ad regna coelorum4--,vern4 cxlvii4 ,may the ,virgin ,mary bless us1 together with a pious offspring4 ,nos cum prole pia benedicat ,virgo ,maria4--,vern4 cxlvii4 ,v4 ,the fifth grade involves a still more melancholy departure from ,christian truth and primitive simplicity1 when the prayer is no longer addressed to ,god1 but is offered to the ,virgin1 imploring her to intercede with ,god for the supplicants1 yet still asking nothing but her prayers4 ,blessed mother1 ,virgin undefiled1 glorious ,queen of the world1 intercede for us with the ,lord4 ,beata ,mater1 et intacta ,virgo1 gloriosa regina mundi1 intercede pro nobis ad ,dominum4--,aut4 cxliv4 #ccg ,blessed mother of ,god1 ,mary1 perpetual ,virgin1 the temple of the ,lord1 the holy place of the holy ,spirit1 thou alone without example hast pleased our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 ,pray for the people1 mediate for the clergy1 intercede for the female sex who are under a vow4 ,beata ,dei ,genitrix1 ,maria ,virgo perpetua1 templum ,domini1 sacrarium ,spiritus ,sancti1 sola sine exemplo placuisti ,domino nostro ,jesu ,christo2 ora pro populo1 interveni pro clero1 intercede pro devoto femineo sexu4--,vern4 clxiii4 ,holy ,mary1 pray for us6 ,holy mother of ,god1 pray for us6 ,holy ,virgin of virgins1 pray for us6 ,in the form of prayer called ,litani ,lauretan1 between the most solemn addresses to the ever blessed ,trinity1 and to the ,lamb of ,god that taketh away the sins of the world1 are inserted more than forty addresses to the ,virgin1 invoking her under as many varieties of title4 ,she is appealed to as--,the ,mirror of ,justice1 ,the ,cause of our ,joy1 ,the mystical ,rose1 ,the ,tower of ,david1 ,the ,tower of ,ivory1 ,the ,house of ,gold1 ,the ,arc of the ,covenant1 ,the ,gate of ,heaven1 ,the ,refuge of ,sinners1 ,the ,queen of ,angels1 the ,queen of all ,saints4 ,vern4 ccxxxix4 ,in examining the case of the invocation of saints1 we placed under this head1 as the safer course1 a kind of invocation which seemed to vacillate between this appeal to them merely for intercession1 and the last consummation of all1 direct prayer to them for blessings4 ,we exemplified it by the hymn to ,st4 ,stephen4 ,the following seems very much of the same character1 addressed to the ,virgin3-- ,hail1 ,o ,queen1 ,mother of mercy1 our life1 sweetness1 and hope1 ,hail6 ,to thee we cry1 banished sons #cch of ,eve4 ,to thee we sigh1 groaning and weeping in this valley of tears4 ,come then1 our ,advocate1 turn those compassionate eyes of thine on us1 and after this exile show to us ,jesus1 the blessed fruit of thy womb4 ,o merciful6 ,o pious6 ,o sweet ,virgin ,mary6 ,salve1 ,regina1 ,mater ,misericordi1 vita1 dulcedo1 et spes nostra1 salve4 ,ad te clamamus exules filii ,ev4 ,ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes in hac lachrymarum valle4 ,eja ergo ,advocata nostra1 illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte1 et ,jesum benedictum fructum ventris tui nobis post hoc exilium ostende4 ,o clemens6 ,o pia6 ,o dulcis ,virgo ,maria6 ,pray for us1 ,o holy ,mother of ,god1 that we may be made worthy of the promises of ,christ4 ,ora pro nobis1 ,sancta ,dei ,genetrix1 ut digni efficiamur promissionibus ,christi4--st4 #aea4 ,,vi4 ,unhappily1 in the appointed religious services of the ,roman ritual1 we have too many examples of prayer for benefits spiritual and temporal1 addressed directly to the ,virgin4 ,it is in vain to say that all that is meant is to ask her intercession2 the people will not1 cannot1 do not1 regard it in that light4 ,it is affirmed that when the ,church of ,rome guides and directs her sons and daughters to pray for specific benefits at the hands of the ,virgin mother1 without any mention of her prayers1 without specifying that her petitions are all that they ask2 yet they are taught only to ask for her intercession1 and are not encouraged to look for the blessings as her gift and at her hands4 ,but1 can this be right and safe8 ,in an act of all human acts the most solemn and holy1 can recourse be had to such refinements without great danger8 ,among many others of a similar kind this invocation frequently recurs1 ,deem me worthy to praise thee1 #cci ,o sacred ,virgin2 give to me strength against thy enemies4 ,dignare me laudare te1 ,virgo sacrata4 ,da mihi virtutem contra hostes tuos4--st4 clvi4 ,the following seems to be among the most favourite addresses to the ,virgin3--,hail1 ,star of the ,sea1 kind ,mother of ,god1 and ever ,virgin6 ,happy ,gate of ,heaven1 taking that ',hail6' from the mouth of ,gabriel1 establish us in peace1--changing the name of ,eve4 ,for the guilty1 loose their bonds2 bring forth light for the blind2 drive away our evils2 demand for us all good things4 ,,show ,,that ,,thou ,,art ,a ,,mother4 ,let ,him who endured for us to be thy ,son1 through thee receive our prayers4 ,o excellent ,virgin1 meek among all1 us1 ,,freed ,,from ,,fault1 ,,make ,,meek ,,and ,,chaste2 make our life pure2 prepare a safe journey2 that1 beholding ,jesus1 we may always rejoice4 ,praise be to ,god the ,father1 glory to ,christ most high1 and to the ,holy ,spirit2 one honour to the three4 ,amen4 ,ave ,man's ,stella1 ,dei ,mater alma1 ,atque semper ,virgo6 ,felix coeli porta1 ,sumens illud ,ave ,gabrielis ore1 ,funda nos in pace1 ,mutans ,ev nomen4 ,solve vincla reis1 ,profer lumen ccis1 ,mala nostra pelle1 ,bona cuncta posce4 ,,monstra ,,te ,,esse ,,matrem2 ,sumat per te preces1 ,qui pro nobis natus ,tulit esse tuus4 ,virgo singularis1 ,inter omnes mitis1 ,nos culpa solutos1 ,mites fac et castos1 ,vitam prsta puram1 ,iter para tutum1 ,ut videntes ,jesum ,semper colltemur4 ,sit laus ,deo ,patri1 summo ,christo decus1 ,spiritui ,sancto1 tribus honor unus4 ,amen4--st4 #eig4 ,in the body of this hymn1 there is undoubtedly reference to an application to be made to the ,son1 c42 but can it be fitting that such language as is here suggested to the ,virgin1 for her to use1 should be addressed by a #cdj mortal to ,god8 can such a call upon her to show her power and influence over the eternal ,son of the eternal ,father be fitting--,show that thou art a mother8 ,i confess that against what is here implied1 my understanding and my heart entirely revolt4#abg ,footnote #abg3 ,at the present day some versions1 contrary to the whole drift and plain sense and meaning of the passage1 have translated it1 as though the prayer was1 that ,mary would1 by her maternal good offices in our behalf1 prove to us that she was our mother4 ,an instance of what ,i mean occurs in a work called ,nouveau ,recueil de ,cantiques1 p4 #cec4 ,monstra te esse ,matrem3 ,faites voir que vous tes vritablement notre mre4 ,in an ,english manual1 first printed in #afhh1 and then called ,the ,prince of ,wales's ,manual1 the lines are thus rendered-- ,shew us a ,mother's care1 ,to ,him convey our prayer1 ,who for our sake put on ,the title of thy ,son4 ,i rejoice to see an indication of a feeling of impropriety in the sentiment in its plain1 obvious meaning2 still the change is inadmissible4 ,she is addressed above1 in the second line1 as the mother of ,god2 ,jesus is immediately mentioned1 in the very next line1 and through the entire stanza1 as her ,son2 and the prayer is1 that through her that ,being who endured to be her ,son would hear the prayers of the worshippers4 ,since ,i first prepared this note for the press1 ,i have found a proof1 that the obvious grammatical and logical meaning1 show thyself to be ,his mother1 is the sense in which it was received and interpreted before the ,reformation4 ,in a work dedicated to the ,youth of ,england studious of good morals1 and entitled ,expositio ,sequentiarum1 the only interpretation given to this passage is thus expressed3 ,show thyself to be a ,,mother1 namely ,,by ,,appeasing ,,thy ,,son1 and let thy ,son take our prayers through thee1 who 7namely1 the ,son born of the ,virgin ,mary17 for us miserable sinners endured to be thy ,son4 ,monstra te esse ,,matrem 7sc47 placando ,,tilium ,,tuum1 et filius tuus sumat precem1 id est1 deprecationes nostras per te qui 7sc47 filius natus ex ,virgine ,maria pro nobis 7sc47 miseris peccatoribus tulit1 id est1 sustinuit esse tuus filius4 ,it must be observed1 that this work was expressly written for the purpose of explaining these parts of the ritual according to the use of ,sarum4 ,it was printed by the famous ,w4 de ,worde1 at the sign of the ,sun in ,fleet-street1 #aejh4 ,the passage occurs in p4 #cc4 b4 ,this is by no means the only book of the kind4 ,i have before me one printed at ,basil1 in #aejd1 and another at ,cologne the same year4 ,they are evidently all drawn from some common source1 but are not reprints all of the same work1 for there are in each some variations4 ,the ,cologne edition tells us1 that it was the reprint of a familiar commentary long ago 7jamdudum7 published on the hymns4 ,all these join in construing the passage so as to represent the prayer to the ,virgin to be1 that she would show and prove that she was mother by appeasing her ,son1 and causing him to hear our prayers4 ,nor can any other meaning be attached to the translation of the words as given by ,cardinal ,du ,perron 7,replique la ,rep4 du ,roy de la ,g4 ,bretagne4 ,paris1 #afbj1 p4 #igj74 ,et pourtant quand l',eglise dit la saincte ,vierge1 ',defends nous de l'ennemy1 et nous reoy l'heure delamort1' elle n'entend pas prier la ,vierge qu'elle nous reoive par sa propre virtu1 mais par impetration de la grace de son ,fils1 comme l',eglise le temoigne en ces mots3 ',monstre que tu es mre1 reoive par toy nos prieres celuy1 qui n pour nous a eu agreeable d'tre tien6' ,this novel interpretation ,i have not found in any one book of former days4 #cda ,another prayer runs thus3 ,under thy protection we take refuge1 ,holy ,mother of ,god4 ,despise not our supplications in our necessities2 but from all dangers ever deliver us1 ,o glorious and ,blessed ,virgin4 ,sub tuum prsidium confugimus1 sancta ,dei ,genetrix2 nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus1 sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper1 ,virgo gloriosa et benedicta4--st4 cxlvi4 ,let us suppose the object of these addresses to be changed2 and instead of the ,virgin let us substitute the name of the ever-blessed ,god and ,father of us all4 ,the very words here addressed to the ,virgin are offered to ,him1 and spoken of ,him in some of the most affecting prayers and praises recorded in the ,bible#abh4 ,footnote #abh3 ,the identity of the prayers offered to the ,virgin with those offered in the ,book of inspiration1 or in the ,roman ,ritual to the ,almighty1 becomes very striking1 if we lay side by side the authorized language of the ,roman ,liturgy1 and the only translation of the ,scriptures authorized by the ,roman ,church4 ,roman ,ritual in addressing the ,roman ,ritual1 or ,translation ,virgin of the ,bible1 in addressing the ,almighty4 ,sub tuum prsidium confugimus4 ,dominus1 firmamentum meum et refugium meum4 ,ad te confugi4--,ps4 xvii4 #a2 cxlii4 #aa4 ,nostras deprecationes ne despicias ,ne despexeris deprecationem in necessitatibus4 meam4--,ps4 liv4 #a4 ,sed a periculis cunctis libera nos4 ,libera1 ,domine1 animam servi tui ab omnibus periculis inferni4 ,hiem4 ccvi4 ,libera nos a malo4 ,orat4 ,dom4 ,a periculo mortis libera nos1 ,domine4--,hiem4 cciv4 ,tu nos ab hoste protege4 ,eripe me de inimicis meis1 ,domine4--,ps4 cxlii4 #aa4 ,et hora mortis ,,suspice4 ,suscipe1 ,domine1 servum tuum4--,hiem4 ccvi4 #cdb ,but another hymn in the office of the ,virgin1 addressed in part to the blessed ,saviour himself1 and partly to the ,virgin ,mary1 is still more revolting to all my feelings with regard to religious worship4 ,the ,redeemer is only asked to remember his mortal birth2 no blessing is here supplicated for at his hands2 his protection is not sought2 no deliverance of our souls at the hour of death is implored from ,him2 these blessings1 and these heavenly benefits1 and these divine mercies1 are sought for exclusively at the hands of the ,virgin alone4 ,can such a mingled prayer1 can such a contrast in prayer1 be the genuine fruit of that ,gospel which bids us ask for all we need in prayer to ,god in the name and for the sake of his blessed ,son8 ,author of our salvation1 remember that once1 by #cdc being born of a spotless virgin1 thou didst take the form of our body6 ,mary1 mother of grace1 mother of mercy1 do thou protect us from the enemy1 and receive us at the hour of death4 ,glory to thee1 ,o ,lord1 who wast born of a ,virgin1 with the ,father and the ,holy ,spirit1 through eternal ages4 ,amen#abi4 ,footnote #abi3 ,memento1 ,salutis ,auctor1 ,tu nos ab hoste protege1 ,quod nostri quondam corporis1 ,et hora mortis suscipe4 ,ex illibata ,virgine1 ,gloria tibi1 ,domine1 ,nascendo formam sumpseris4 ,qui natus es de ,virgine1 ,maria mater grati1 ,cum ,patre et ,sancto ,spiritu1 ,mater misericordi1 ,in sempiterna scula4 ,amen4 ,in the new version1 7referred to in page #bfj of the present work17 this hymn stands thus3-- ,memento1 rerum ,conctitor1 ,maria mater grati1 ,nostri quod olim corporis1 ,dulcis parens clementi1 ,sacrata ab alvo ,virginis1 ,tu nos ab hoste protege1 ,nascendo forrnam sumpseris4 ,in mortis hora suscipe1 c4 st4 clv4 ,could the beloved ,john1 to whose kind and tender care our blessed ,lord gave his mother of especial trust1 have offered to her such a prayer as this8 ,to ,god alone surely would he have prayed for deliverance from all evil and mischief4 ,to ,god alone would he have prayed3--,in the hour of death1 good ,lord1 deliver us1 and all for ,jesus ,christ's sake1 our only ,saviour and ,mediator4 ,to one other example of the practice of the ,church of ,rome ,i must refer4 ,the rubric in our ,book of ,common ,prayer directs that at the end of every ,psalm throughout the year1 shall be repeated1 ,glory be to the ,father1 and to the ,son1 and to the ,holy ,ghost3 ,as it was in the beginning1 is now1 and ever shall be1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,in the ,roman ,breviary also we find this rubric3 ,this verse1 ,gloria1 is always said in the end of all psalms1 ,,except ,,it ,,be ,,otherwise #cdd ,,noted4 st4 #c4 ,such notifications occur at the end of various psalms4 ,on the ,feast of the ,assumption st4 #eie41 fourteen psalms are appointed to be used4 ,at the close of every one of these psalms1 without however any note that the ,gloria is not to be said1 there is appended an anthem to the ,virgin4 ,in some cases1 so intimately is the anthem interwoven with the closing words of the psalm1 as that under other circumstances it would induce us to infer that the ,gloria was intended to be left out1 especially as in the ,parvum ,officium of the ,virgin st4 clv41 though to the various psalms anthems in the same manner have been annexed1 yet the words ,gloria ,patri et ,filio are inserted in each case between the psalm and the anthem4 ,be this as it may1 the annexation of the anthem has a lamentable tendency to withdraw the thoughts of the worshippers from the truths contained in the inspired psalm1 and to fix them upon ,mary and her ,assumption2 changing the ,church's address from the ,eternal ,being1 alone invoked by the ,psalmist1 to one1 who though a virgin blessed among women1 is a creature of ,god's hand4 ,thus1 at the conclusion of the #hth psalm2 ,o ,lord1 our ,lord1 how excellent is thy name in all the world1 we find immediately annexed these two anthems1 ,the holy mother of ,god is exalted above the choirs of angels to the heavenly realms4 ,the gates of paradise are opened to us by thee1 by thee1 ,o ,virgin ,qu gloriosa who glorious triumphest with the angels4 ,thus again1 an anthem is attached to the last verse of the #ieth 7in the ,hebrew and ,english versions the #ifth74 ,he shall judge the earth in equity1 and the people with his truth4 ,rejoice1 #cde ,o ,virgin ,mary2 thou alone hast destroyed all heresies in the whole world4 ,deem me worthy to praise thee1 hallowed ,virgin3 ,give me strength against thy enemies4 ,to the #ifth 7#igth71 the latter clause of that address is repeated1 with the addition of the following3 ,after the birth thou didst remain a virgin inviolate4 ,mother of ,god1 intercede for us4 ,an instance of the anthem being so intimately interwoven with the psalm1 as to render the insertion of the ,gloria1 between the two1 to say the least1 forced and unnatural1 occurs at the close of the #hfth 7#hgth7 psalm4 ,the vulgate translation of the last verse1 differing entirely from the ,english1 is this3 ,as the habitation of all who rejoice is in thee4 ,this sentence of the ,psalmist is thus taken up in the ,roman ,ritual3 ,as the habitation of all us who rejoice is in ,,thee1 ,holy ,mother of ,god4 ,the object proposed by the ,church from of old in concluding each psalm by an ascription of glory to the eternal ,trinity1 was to lead the worshipper to apply the sentiments of the psalm to the work of our salvation accomplished by the three ,persons of the ,godhead4 ,the analogous end of these anthems in the present service of the ,church of ,rome is to fix the thoughts of the worshipper upon ,mary4 ,this practice unhappily sanctions the excesses into which ,bonaventura and others have run in their departures from the purity and integrity of primitive worship4 ,cardinal du ,perron informs us1 that at the altar in the office of the mass1 prayer is not made directly to any saint1 but only obliquely1 the address being always made to ,god4 ,but if prayers are offered in other parts of the service directly to them1 it is difficult to see what is gained by that announcement4 ,surely it is trifling #cdf to make such immaterial distinctions4 ,if as a priest ,i could address the following prayer to the ,virgin in preparing for offering mass1 why should ,i not offer a prayer to the same being during its celebration8 ,o mother of pity and mercy1 blessed ,virgin ,mary1 ,i a miserable and unworthy sinner1 flee to thee with my whole heart and affection1 and ,i pray thy most sweet pity1 that as thou didst stand by thy most sweet ,son hanging upon the cross1 so thou wouldest vouchsafe mercifully to stand by me a miserable priest1 and by all priests who here and in all the holy ,church offer ,him this day1 that1 aided by thy grace1 we may be enabled to offer a worthy and acceptable victim in the sight of the most high and undivided ,trinity4 ,amen4 ,o ,mater pietatis et misericordi1 beatissima ,virgo ,maria1 ego miser et indignus peccator ad te confugio toto corde et affectu4 ,et precor dulcissimam pietatem tuam1 ut sicut dulcissimo ,filio tuo in cruce pendenti astitisti1 ita et mihi misero sacerdoti et sacerdotibus omnibus hic et in tota sancta ecclesia ipsum hodie offerentibus1 clementer assistere digneris1 ut tua gratia adjuti dignam et acceptabilem hostiam in conspectu summ et individu ,trinitatis offerre valeamus4 ,amen4--,rom4 ,brev4 ,hus4 ,hiem4 p4 ccxxxiii4 ,this is called1 in the ,roman ,breviary1 ,a ,,prayer to the blessed ,virgin before the celebration of the mass1 and is immediately followed by another prayer directed to be offered to any saint1 male or female1 whose feast is on that day celebrated4 ,o ,holy ,n4 behold ,i1 a miserable sinner1 ,,deriving ,,confidence ,,from ,,thy ,,merits1 now offer the most holy sacrament of the body and blood of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,,for ,,thy ,,honour ,,and ,,glory4 ,i humbly and devotedly pray thee that thou wouldest deign to intercede for me to-day1 that ,i may be enabled to offer so great a sacrifice #cdg worthily and acceptably1 and to praise ,him eternally with thee and with all his elect1 and that ,i may live with ,him for ever4 ,o sancte ,n4 ecce ego miser peccator de tuis mentis confisus1 offero nunc sacratissimura sacramentum corporis et sanguinis ,domini nostri ,jesu ,christ6 ,,pro ,,tuo ,,honore ,,et ,,gloria2 precor te humiliter et devote ut pro me hodie intercedere digneris1 ut tantum sacrificium digne et acceptabiliter offerre valeam1 ut ,eum tecum et cum omnibus electis ejus ternaliter laudare et cum eo semper regnare valeam4--,hiem4 ccxxxiii4 99 99 99 99 99 ,such1 ,christian brethren1 is the result of our inquiries into the real practice of the ,church of ,rome with regard to the worship of the ,virgin ,mary at the present day1 in every part of the world where allegiance to that ,church is acknowledged4 ,can we wonder that individuals1 high in honour with that ,church1 have carried out the same worship to far greater lengths8 ,i have ever present to my mind the principle of fixing upon the ,church of ,rome herself that only which is to be found in her canons1 acknowledged decrees1 and formularies4 ,and unhappily of that which directly contravenes the ,gospel-rule and primitive practice1 far more than enough is found in her authorized rituals to compel all who hold to the ,gospel and the integrity of primitive times1 to withdraw their assent and consent from her worship4 ,but with this principle before us1 surely common justice and common prudence require that we should see for ourselves the practical workings of the system4 ,by their fruits ye shall know them1 is a principle no less sanctioned by the ,gospel than suggested by common sense and experience ,and1 indeed1 the shocking lengths to which priests1 bishops1 cardinals1 and canonized persons have gone in this particular of the worship of the ,virgin1 might well #cdh cause every upright and enlightened ,roman ,catholic to look anxiously to the foundation2 to determine honestly1 though with tender caution and pious care1 for himself1 whether the corruption be not in the well-head1 whether the stream do not flow impregnated with the poison from the very fountain itself2 whether the prayers authorized and directed by the ,church of ,rome to be offered to the ,virgin be not in themselves at variance with the first principles of the ,gospel--,faith in one ,god1 the giver of every good1 and in one ,mediator and ,intercessor between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus1 whose blood cleanseth from all sin3 in a word1 to see whether all the aberrations of her children in this department of religious duty have not their prototype in the laws and ordinances1 the rules and injunctions1 the example and practice of their mother herself4 ,indeed ,i am compelled here to say1 that1 however revolting to us as believers in ,jesus1 and as worshippers of the one true ,god1 are those extravagant excesses into which the votaries of the ,virgin ,mary have run1 ,i have found few of their most unequivocal ascriptions of divine worship to her1 for a justification of which they cannot with reason appeal to the authorized ritual of the ,church of ,rome4 ,in leaving this point of our inquiry1 ,i would suggest two considerations3 #ast1 ,if it was intended that the invocation of the ,virgin should be exclusively confined to requests1 praying her to pray and intercede by prayer for the petitioners1 why should language be addressed to her which in its plain1 obvious1 grammatical1 and common sense interpretation conveys the form of direct prayers to her for benefits believed to be at her disposal8 ,and1 #bndly1 ,if the ,church had #cdi intended that her members1 when they suppliantly invoked the ,virgin ,mary1 and had recourse to her aid1 should have offered to her direct and immediate prayers that she would grant temporal and spiritual benefits1 to be dispensed at her own will1 and by her own authority and power1 in that case1 what words could the ,church have put into the mouth of the petitioners which would more explicitly and unequivocally have conveyed that idea8 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,ii4--,,worship ,,of ,,the ,,virgin1 ,,continued4 ,i have no intention of dwelling at any length on the extraordinary excesses to which the adoration of the ,virgin ,mary has been carried in the ,church of ,rome1 ,i do not mean by obscure and illiterate or fanatical individuals1 but by her celebrated prelates1 doctors1 and saints4 ,my researches have brought to my knowledge such a mass of error and corruption in the worship of ,christians as ,i never before had any conception of2 and rather than bring it all forward1 and exhibit it to others1 ,i would turn my own eyes from it altogether4 ,still many reasons render it absolutely necessary that we should not pass over the subject entirely in silence4 ,few in ,england1 ,i believe1 are aware of the real facts of the case2 and it well becomes us to guard ourselves and others against such melancholy results as would appear to be inseparable from the invocation and worship of the ,virgin4 ,if indeed we could be justified in regarding such palpable instances of her worship in its most objectionable form as the #cej marks of former and less enlightened times1 most gladly would ,i draw a veil over them1 and hide them from our sight for ever4 ,but when ,i find the solemn addresses of the present chief authorities in the ,church1 nay1 the epistles of the present sovereign ,pontiff himself1 cherishing1 countenancing1 and encouraging the selfsame evil departures from primitive truth and worship1 it becomes a matter not of choice1 but of necessity1 to give examples at least of the deplorable excesses into which the highest and most honoured in that communion have been betrayed4 ,on the present ,pope's encyclical letter ,a4,d4 #ahdj we have already observed2 and in this place ,i propose to examine only one more of those many excesses meeting us on every side1 which characterize the public worship of the ,virgin4 ,the instance to which ,i refer seems to take a sort of middle station between the authorized enjoined services of the ,church of ,rome1 and the devotions of individuals and family worship4 ,it partakes on the one hand far too much of a public character to be considered in the light of private religious exercises2 and on the other it wants that authority which would rank it among the appointed services of the ,church4 ,the devotional parts of the services are found neither in the ,missals nor the ,breviaries1 and the adoption and celebration of the service seems to be left to the option and care of individuals4 ,but the service is performed in the ,churches1--a ,priest presides1--the ,host is presented to the adorations of the people1--and a sermon is preached by an appointed minister4 ,the service to which ,i am referring is performed every evening through the entire month of ,may1 and is celebrated expressly in honour of the ,virgin ,mary4 #cea ,the month of ,may is dedicated to her1 and is called ,mary's month4 ,temporary altars are raised to her honour1 surrounded by flowers and adorned with garlands and drapery2 her image usually standing before the altar4 ,societies are formed chiefly for the celebration of the ,virgin's praises1 and in some ,churches the effect1 both to the eye and to the ear1 corresponds with the preparation4 ,one thing only is wanting--the proper object of worship4 ,i have now before me a book of hymns published professedly for the religious fraternities in ,paris1 and used in the ,churches there4 ,nouveau ,recueil de ,cantiques l'usage des confrries des ,paroisses de ,paris4 ,paris1 #ahci4 ,many of these hymns are addressed to the ,virgin alone2 some without any reference to the ,son of ,god and ,man1 the only ,saviour1 and without any allusion to the ,god of ,christians2 indeed1 an address to a heathen ,goddess more entirely destitute of ,christianity can scarcely be conceived4 ,i copy one hymn entire4 ,around the altars of ,mary ,let us1 her children1 press2 ,to that mother so endeared ,let us address the sweetest prayers4 ,let a lively and holy mirth ,animate us in this holy day3 ,there exists no sadness ,for a heart full of her love4 ,let us adorn this sanctuary with flowers2 ,let us deck her revered altar2 ,let us redouble our efforts to please her4 ,be this month consecrated to her2 ,let the perfume of these crowns ,form a delicious incense1 #ceb ,which ascending even to her throne ,may carry to her both our hearts and our prayers4 ,let the holy name of ,mary ,be for us a name of salvation6 ,let our softened soul ,ever pay to her a sweet tribute of love4 ,let us join the choirs of angels ,the more to celebrate her beauty2 ,and may our songs of praise ,resound in eternity4 ,o holy ,virgin6 ,o our mother6 ,watch over us from fhe height of heaven2 ,and when from this sojourning of misery1 ,we present our prayers to you2 ,o sweet1 ,o divine ,mary6 ,lend an ear to our sighs1 ,and after this life ,make us to taste of immortal pleasures4 ,autour des autels de ,marie ,nous ses enfants1 empressons-nous2 ,a cette ,mre si chrie1 ,adressons les voeux les plus doux4 ,qu'une vive et sainte allgresse ,nous anime dans ce saint jour2 ,il n'existe point de tristesse ,pour un coeur plein de son amour4 ,ornons des fleurs ce sanctuaire1 ,parons son autel rvr1 ,redoublons d'efforts pour lui plaire4 ,que ce mois lui soi1 consacr2 ,que le parfume de ces couronnes ,forme un encens dlicieux1 ,qui s'levant jusqu' son trne1 ,lui porte et nos coeurs et nos voeux4 ,que le nom sacr de ,marie ,soit pour nous un nom de salut2 ,que toujours notre me attendrie1 ,d'amour lui paie un doux tribut4 ,unissons-nous aux choeurs des anges1 ,pour mieux clbrer sa beaut4 ,et puissent nos chants de louanges ,retentir dans l'ternit4 ,o ,vierge sainte6 notre ,mre6 ,veillez sur nous du haut des cieux2 ,et de ce sjour de misre1 ,quand nous vous prsentons nos voeux1 ,o douce1 divine ,marie6 ,prtez l'oreille nos soupirs2-- ,et faites qu'aprs cette vie1 ,nous gotions d'immortels plaisirs4 --,cantiques l'usage des ,confrries4 ,paris1 #ahci1 p4 #age4 ,in the course of the present work ,i have already suggested the propriety of trying the real import1 #cec the true intent1 and meaning and force of an address to a ,saint1 by substituting the holiest name ever uttered on earth1 for the name of the ,saint to whom such address is offered2 and if the same words1 without any change1 form a prayer fit to be offered by us sinners to the ,saviour of the world1 then to ask ourselves1 ,can this be right8 ,i would earnestly recommend the application of the same test here2 and in many other of the prayers now offered 7for many such there are now offered7 by ,roman ,catholics to the ,virgin4 ,suppose1 instead of offering these songs of praise and prayer1 and self-devotion to ,mary in the month of ,may1 we were to offer them1 on the day of his nativity1 to our blessed ,lord1 would they not form an act of faith in ,him as our ,saviour and our ,god8 ,around the altar of ,jesus1 ,let us1 his children1 press2 ,to that ,saviour so endeared ,let us address the sweetest prayers4 #ced ,let a lively and holy mirth ,animate us in this holy day3 ,there exists no sadness ,for a heart full of his love4 ,let the holy name of ,jesus ,be for us a name of salvation6 ,let our softened soul ,ever pay to ,,him a sweet tribute of love4 ,o holy ,jesus6 ,o our ,saviour6 ,watch over us from the height of heaven2 ,and when from this sojourning of misery1 ,we present our prayers to ,thee2 ,o sweet1 ,o divine ,redeemer1 ,lend an ear to our sighs2 and after this life1 ,make ,thou us to taste of immortal pleasures4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,iii4--,,bonaventura4 ,i will now briefly call your attention to the devotional works of the celebrated ,bonaventura4 ,he is no ordinary man2 and the circumstances under which his works were commended to the world are indeed remarkable4 ,i know not how a ,church can give the impress of its own name and approval in a more full or unequivocal manner to the works of any human being1 than the ,church of ,rome has stamped her authority on the works of this her saint4 ,in the ,acta ,sanctorum1 ,antwerp1 #agbc1 ,july #ad1 p4 #haa-hbc4 it is stated1 that this celebrated man was born in #abba1 and died in #abgd4 ,he passed through all degrees of ecclesiastical dignities1 #cee short only of the pontifical throne itself4 ,he was of the order of ,st4 ,francis1 and refused the archbishopric of ,york1 when it was offered to him by ,pope ,clement the ,fourth1 in #abfe2 whose successor1 ,gregory the ,tenth1 elevated him to the dignity of cardinal bishop4 ,his biographer expresses his astonishment1 that such a man's memory should have been so long buried with his body2 but adds1 that the tardiness of his honours was compensated by their splendour4 ,more than two centuries after his death1 his claims to canonization were urged upon ,sixtus the ,fourth2 and that ,pope raised him to the dignity of saint2 the diploma of his canonization bearing date #ah kalends of ,may1 #adhb1 the eleventh year of that pope's reign4 ,before a saint is canonized by the ,pope1 it is usually required1 that miracles wrought by him1 or upon him1 or at his tomb1 be proved to the satisfaction of the ,roman court#acj4 ,we need not dwell on the nature of an inquiry into a matter-of-fact1 alleged to have been done by an individual two hundred years before2 and whose memory is said to have lain buried with his corpse4 ,among the miracles specified1 it is recorded1 that on one occasion1 when he was filled with solemn awe and fear at the celebration of the ,lord's ,supper1 ,god1 by an angel1 took a particle of the consecrated host from the hands of the priest1 and gently placed it in the holy man's mouth4 ,but1 with these transactions1 ,i am not anxious to interfere1 except so far as to ascertain the degree of authority with which any pious ,roman ,catholic must be induced to invest ,bonaventura as a teacher and instructor in the doctrines of ,christianity1 authorized and appointed by his ,church4 ,the case stands thus3--,pope ,sixtus ,,iv4 states in his #cef diploma1 that the proctor of the order of ,minors1 proved by a dissertation on the passage of ,st4 ,john1 ,there are three that bear record in heaven1 that the blessed ,trinity had borne testimony to the fact of ,bonaventura being a saint in heaven3 the ,father proving it by the attested miracles2 the ,son1 in the ,,wisdom ,,of ,,his ,,doctrine2 the ,holy ,spirit1 by the goodness of his life4 ,the pontiff then adds1 in his own words1 ,he so wrote on divine subjects1 ,,that ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,seems ,,to ,,have ,,spoken ,,in ,,him4 ,page #hca4 ,ea de divinis rebus scripsit1 ut in eo ,spiritus ,sanctus locutus videatur4 ,a testimony referred to by ,pope ,sixtus the ,fifth4 ,footnote #acj3 ,see the canonization of ,st4 ,bonaventura in the ,acta ,sanctorum4 ,this latter pontiff was crowned ,may #a1 #aehe1 more than a century after the canonization of ,bonaventura1 and more than three centuries after his death4 ,by his order1 the works of ,bonaventura were most carefully emendated4 ,the decretal letters1 ,a4,d4 #aehh1 pronounced him to be an acknowledged doctor of ,holy ,church1 directing his authority to be cited and employed in all places of education1 and in all ecclesiastical discussions and studies4 ,the same act offers plenary indulgence to all who assist at the mass on his feast1 in certain specified places1 with other minor immunities on the conditions annexed4 ,page #hcg4 ,in these documents ,bonaventura#aca is called the ,seraphic ,doctor2 and ,i repeat my doubt1 whether it is possible for any human authority to give a more full1 entire1 and unreserved sanction to the works of any human being than the ,church of ,rome has given to #ceg the writings of ,bonaventura4 ,and what do those works present to us1 on the subject of the ,invocation and worship of the ,virgin ,mary8 ,footnote #aca3 ,the edition of his works which ,i have used was published at ,mentz in #afji2 and the passages referred to are in vol4 vi4 between pp4 #djj and #ejj4 ,taking every one of the one hundred and fifty psalms#acb1 ,bonaventura so changes the commencement of each1 as to address them not as the inspired ,psalmist did1 to the ,lord ,jehovah1 the ,one only ,lord ,god ,almighty1 but to the ,virgin ,mary2 inserting much of his own composition1 and then adding the ,gloria ,patri to each4 ,it is very painful to refer to these prostitutions of any part of the ,holy ,book of revealed truth2 but we must not be deterred from looking this evil in the face4 ,a few examples1 however1 will suffice4 ,footnote #acb3 ,it is curious to find the ,cardinal ,du ,perron1 in his answer to our ,king ,james1 declaring that he had never seen nor met with this ,psalter in his life1 and he was sure it was never written by ,bonaventura2 alleging that it was not mentioned by ,trithemius or ,gesner4 ,the ,vatican editors1 however1 have set that question at rest4 ,they assure us that they have thrown into the appendix all the works about the genuineness of which there was any doubt1 and that ,bonaventura wrote many works not mentioned by ,trithemius1 which they have published from the ,vatican press4 ,of this ,psalter there is no doubt4 ,see ,cardinal ,du ,perron1 ,replique la ,rep4 du ,roi de ,grand ,bretagne4 ,paris1 #afbj1 p4 #igd4 ,in the #cjth psalm4 ,in thee1 ,o ,lord1 have ,i trusted2 let me not be confounded for ever1 c41 the ,psalter of the ,virgin substitutes these words3 ,in te1 ,domina1 speravi2 non confundar in ternum1 c4 c4 ,in manus tuas1 ,domina1 commendo spiritum meum1 totam vitam meam1 et diem ultimum meum4--,p4 #dhj4 ,in thee1 ,o ,lady1 have ,i trusted2 let me not be confounded for ever3 in thy grace take me4 ,thou art my fortitude and my refuge2 my consolation and my protection4 #ceh ,to thee1 ,o ,lady1 have ,i cried1 while my heart was in heaviness2 and thou didst hear me from the top of the eternal hills4 ,bring thou me out of the snare which they have hid for me2 for thou art my succour4 ,into thy hands1 ,o ,lady1 ,i commend my spirit1 my whole life1 and my last day4--,gloria ,patri1 c4 ,in the #cast psalm we read1 ,blessed are they whose hearts love thee1 ,o ,virgin ,mary2 their sins shall be mercifully blotted out ,,by ,,thee4444 ,beati quorum corda te diligunt1 ,virgo ,maria2 peccata ipsorum ,a ,,te misericorditer diluentur4--,p4 #dha4 ,in the #ceth1 v4 #b4 ,incline thou the countenance of ,god upon us2 ,,compel ,,him to have mercy upon sinners4 ,o ,lady1 thy mercy is in the heaven1 and thy grace is spread over the whole earth4 ,inclina vultum ,dei super nos4 ,,coge illum peccatoribus misereri2 ,domina1 in coelo misericordia tua1 et gratia diffusa est super terram4 ,in the #fgth1 instead of1 ,let ,god arise1 and let his enemies be scattered1 the ,psalter of the ,virgin has1 ,let ,mary arise1 and let her enemies be scattered4 ,exurgat ,maria1 et dissipentur inimici ejus4--,p4 #dhc4 ,in the opening of the #icrd psalm there is a most extraordinary1 rather1 as it sounds to me1 a most impious and blasphemous comparison of the ,supreme ,god with the ,virgin ,mary1 in reference to the very ,attribute1 which shines first1 last1 and brightest in ,,him1--,his eternal mercy4 ,nay1 it draws the contrast in favour of the ,virgin1 and against ,god4 ,most glad should ,i be1 to find that ,i had misunderstood this passage2 and that it admits of another acceptation#acc4 ,but ,i fear its real meaning is beyond controversy4 ,footnote #acc3 ,a similar idea indeed pervades some addresses to the ,virgin of the present day1 representing the great and only potentate as her heavenly husband1 in himself full of rage1 but softened into tenderness towards her votaries by her influence4 ,see a hymn1 in the ,paris collection already referred to1 p4 #cec1 c4 of this work 7,nouveau ,recueil de ,cantiques1 p4 #ahc74 ,daignez1 ,marie1 en ce jour ,vouchsafe1 ,mary1 on this day ,ecouter nos soupirs1 ,to hear our sighs1 ,et seconder nos dsirs4 ,and to second our desires4 ,daignez1 ,marie1 en ce jour ,vouchsafe1 ,mary1 on this day ,recevoir notre encens1 notre amour4 ,to receive our incense1 our love4 ,du cleste poux ,calm the rage ,calmez le courroux1 ,of thy heavenly husband1 ,qu'il se montre doux ,let ,,him show himself kind ,a tous qui sont vous4 ,to all those who are thine4 ,du cleste poux ,of thy heavenly husband ,calmez le courroux1 ,calm the rage1 ,que son coeur s'attendrisse sur nous4 ,let his heart be softened towards us4 #cei ,the ,lord is a ,god of vengeance2 but thou1 ,o ,mother of ,mercy1 bendest to be merciful4 ,deus ultionum ,dominus2 sed tu1 ,mater ,misericordi1 ad miserandum inflectis4--,p4 #dhe4 ,the well known and dearly valued penitentiary psalm 7#abith7 ,de profundis1 is thus addressed to ,mary3-- ,out of the depths have ,i called to thee1 ,o ,lady3 ,o ,lady1 hear my voice4 ,let thine ears be attent to the voice of thy praise and glorifying3 deliver me from the hand of my enemies3 confound their imaginations and attempts against me4 ,rescue me in the evil day2 and1 in the day of death1 forget not my soul4 ,carry me into the haven of safety3 let my name be enrolled among the just4 ,de profundis clamavi ad te1 ,domina3 ,domina1 exaudi vocem meam4 ,fiant aures tu intendentes in vocem laudis et glorificationis tu4 ,libera me de manu adversariorum meorum3 confunde ingenia et conatus eorum contra me4 ,erue me in die mala3 et in die mortis ne obliviscaris anim me4 ,deduc me ad portum salutis3 inter justos scribatur nomen meum4--,p4 #dhi4 #cfj ,but1 as the penitential psalms are thus turned1 from ,him to whom the ,psalmist addressed them1 so his hymns of praise to ,jehovah1 are made to flow through the same channel to the ,virgin4 ,and all nature in the sea1 on the earth1 in the heavens1 and heaven of heavens1 is called upon to praise and glorify ,mary4 ,thus1 in the #adhth psalm1 we read1-- ,praise our ,lady of heaven1 glorify her in the highest4 ,praise her1 all ye men and cattle1 ye birds of the heaven1 and fishes of the sea4 ,praise her1 sun and moon2 ye stars and circles of the planets4 ,praise her1 cherubim and seraphim1 thrones and dominions1 and powers4 ,praise her1 all ye legions of angels4 ,praise her1 all ye orders of spirits above4 ,laudate ,dominam nostram de coelis3 glorificate eam in excelsis4 ,laudate eam omnes homines et jumenta3 volucres coeli et pisces maris4 ,laudate eam sol et luna3 stell1 et circuli planetarum4 ,laudate eam cherubim et seraphim3 throni et dominationes1 et potestates4 ,laudate eam omnes legiones angelorum4 ,laudate eam omnes ordines spirituum supernorum4--,p4 #dia4 ,the last sentence of the psalms is thus rendered1--,let every spirit or every thing that hath breath praise our ,lady4 ,to this ,psalter are added many hymns changed in the same manner4 ,one1 entitled1 ,a ,canticle1 like that of ,habakkuk iii4 presents to us an address to the ,virgin ,mary1 of the very words which our blessed ,saviour most solemnly addressed to his heavenly ,father4 ,o ,lord1 ,i have heard thy ,o ,lady1 ,i have heard thy report1 speech1 and was afraid1 c4 c4 and was astonished2 ,i considered thy works1 ,o ,lady1 and ,i was afraid at thy work4 ,in the midst of the years thou hast revived it4 #cfa ,i will confess to thee1 ,o ,lady1 because thou hast hid these things from the wise1 and hast revealed them to babes4 ,thy glory hath covered the heavens1 and the earth is full of thy mercy4 ,thou1 ,o ,virgin1 wentest forth for the salvation of thy people1 for salvation with thy ,christ thy anointed4 ,o thou ,blessed1 our salvation rests in thy hands4 ,remember our poverty1 ,o thou pious ,one4 ,,whom ,,thou ,,willest1 ,,he ,,shall ,,be ,,saved2 ,,and ,,he ,,from ,,whom ,,thou ,,turnest ,,away ,,thy ,,countenance1 ,,goeth ,,into ,,destruction4 ,domina1 audivi auditionem tuam1 et obstupui3 consideravi opera tua1 et expavi1 ,domina1 opus tuum3 circa medium annorum vivificasti illud4 ,confitebor tibi1 ,domina3 quia abscondisti hc a sapientibus3 et revelasti ea parvulis4 ,operuit coelos gloria tua1 et misericordia tua plena est terra4 ,egressa es1 ,virgo1 in salutem populi tui3 in salutem cum ,christo tuo4 ,o ,benedicta1 in manibus tuis est reposita nostra salus2 recordare1 pia1 paupertatis nostr4 ,quem vis1 ipse salvus erit1 et a quo avertis vultum tuum1 vadit in interitum4--,g4,p41 c4 ,the song of the ,three ,children is altered in the same manner4 ,in it as well as in the ,canticle of ,zacharias1 these prayers are introduced2 ,o ,mother of ,mercy1 have mercy upon us miserable sinners2 who neglect to repent of our past sins1 and commit every day many to be repented of4 ,miserere1 misericordi ,mater1 nobis miseris peccatoribus1 qui retroacta peccata poenitere negligimus1 ac multa quotidie poenitenda committimus4 #cfb ,the ,te ,deum is thus lamentably perverted3 ,we praise thee1 ,mother of ,god2 we acknowledge thee1 ,mary the ,virgin4 ,te ,matrem ,dei laudamus2 ,te ,mariam ,virginem profitemur4 ,all the earth doth worship thee1 spouse of the eternal ,father4 ,to thee all ,angels and ,archangels1 ,thrones and ,principalities1 faithfully do service4444 ,to thee the whole angelic creation with incessant voice proclaim1 ,holy6 ,holy6 ,holy6 ,mary1 parent1 mother of ,god1 and virgin6444 444 ,thou with thy ,son sittest at the right hand of the ,father4444 ,o ,lady1 ,,save ,,thy ,,people1 that we may partake of the inheritance of thy ,son4 ,and rule us and guard us for ever4444 ,day by day we salute thee1 ,o pious ,one2 and we desire to praise thee in mind and voice even for ever4 ,vouchsafe1 ,o sweet ,mary1 now and for ever1 to keep us without sin4 ,have mercy upon us1 ,o pious ,one2 have mercy upon us4 ,let thy great mercy be with us1 because we put our trust in thee1 ,o ,virgin ,mary4 ,in thee1 sweet ,mary1 do we hope1 defend thou us eternally4 #cfc ,praise becomes thee1 empire becomes thee2 to thee be virtue and glory for ever and ever4 ,amen4 ,,salvum ,,fac ,,populum tuum1 ,domina1 ut simus participes hreditatis ,filii tui1 ,et rege nos et custodi nos in ternum4 ,dignare1 ,dulcis ,maria1 mine et semper nos sine delicto conservare4 ,miserere1 ,pia1 nobis6 miserere nobis6 ,fiat misericordia tua magna nobiscum1 quia in te1 ,virgo ,maria1 confidimus4 ,in te1 ,dulcis ,maria1 speramus1 nos defendas in ternum4 ,te decet laus1 te decet imperium1 tibi virtus et gloria in scula sculorum1 ,amen4 ,can this by any the most subtle refinement be understood to be a mere request to her to pray for us8 ,the ,athanasian ,creed is employed in the same manner2 and it is very remarkable that the ,assumption itself of the ,virgin into heaven is there specified as one of the points to be believed on pain of losing all hopes of salvation4 ,whosoever will be saved1 before all things it is necessary that he hold firm the faith concerning the ,virgin ,mary3 which except a man keep whole and undefiled1 without doubt he shall perish everlastingly4444 ,quicunque vult salvus esse1 ante omnia opus est ut teneat de ,maria firmam fidem4 ,whom at length ,he took up 7assumpsit7 unto heaven1 and she sitteth at the right hand of her ,son1 not ceasing to pray to her ,son for us4 ,quam demum ipse in coelum assumpsit1 et sedit ad dexteram ,filii1 non cessans pro nobis ,filium exorare4 ,this is the faith concerning ,mary the ,virgin1 which except every one believe faithfully and firmly he cannot be saved4 ,hc est fides de ,maria ,virgine3 quam nisi quisque fideliter firmiterque crediderit1 salvus esse non poterit4 ,in the ,litany addressed to her1 these sentences are found4 ,holy ,mary1 whom all things praise and venerate1 pray for us1--be propitious1--spare us1 ,o ,lady4 ,from all evil deliver us1 ,o ,lady4 ,in the devastating hour of death1 deliver us1 ,o ,lady4 ,from the horrible torments of hell1 deliver us1 ,o ,lady4 ,we sinners do beseech thee to hear us4 ,that thou wouldest vouchsafe to give eternal rest #cfd to all the faithful departed1 we beseech thee to hear us4 c4 c4 ,sancta ,maria1 quam omnia laudant ,et venerantur1 ora pro nobis4 ,propitia esto4 ,parce nobis1 ,domina4 ,ab omni malo libera nos1 ,domina4 ,in hora mortis devastante libera nos1 ,domina4 ,ab inferni horribili cruciamine libera nos1 ,domina4 ,peccatores te rogamus1 audi nos4 ,ut cunctis fidelibus defunctis requiem ternam donare digneris1 te rogamus1 audi nos4 ,i will add to this catalogue of prayers and praises to the ,virgin1 only the translation of one prayer more from the same canonized ,saint2 it contains a passage often referred to1 but the existence of which has been denied4 ,it stands1 however1 in his works1 vol4 vi4 page #dff4 ,therefore1 ,o ,empress1 and our most benign ,lady1 by ,,thy ,,right ,,of ,,mother ,,command thy most beloved ,son ,,jure ,,matris ,,impera tuo dilectissimo ,filio1 our ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ1 that ,he vouchsafe to raise our minds from the love of earthly things to heavenly desires1 who liveth and reigneth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,now let any man of common understanding and straightforward principles say1 whether any1 the most ingenious refinement can interpret all this to mean merely that ,bonaventura invoked the ,virgin ,mary to pray for him1 or for his fellow-creatures4 ,it looks as though he were resolved on set purpose to exalt her to an equality with the ,almighty1 when we find him not once1 not casually1 not in the fervent rapture of momentary excitement1 but deliberately1 through one hundred and fifty ,psalms1 applying to ,mary the very words dictated by the ,holy ,spirit to the ,psalmist1 and consecrated #cfe to the worship of the one supreme ,god2 and then selecting the most solemn expressions by which the ,christian ,church approaches the ,lord of heaven and earth1 our ,father1 our ,saviour1 our ,sanctifier3 employing too the very words of her most solemn form of belief in the ever-blessed ,trinity1 and substituting ,mary's name for the ,god of ,christians4 ,on the words1 ,by thy right of mother command thy ,son1 beyond the assertion of the fact that there they are to this day1 ,i wish to add nothing1 because the very denial of their existence often repeated shows1 that many ,roman ,catholics themselves regard them as objectionable4 ,but1 if such a man as ,bonaventura1 one of the most learned and celebrated men of his age1 could be tempted by the views cherished by the ,church of ,rome1 to indulge in such language1 what can be fairly expected of the large mass of persons who find that language published to the world with the highest sanction which their religion can give1 as the work of a man whom the ,almighty declared when on earth1 by miracles1 to be a chosen vessel1 and to be under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit2 and of whom they are taught by the infallible testimony#acd of his canonization1 that he is now reigning with ,christ in heaven1 and is himself the lawful and appointed object of religious invocation4 ,i profess to you that ,i see no way by which ,christians can hold and encourage this doctrine of the ,invocation of ,saints1 without at the same time countenancing and cherishing what1 were ,i to join in such invocation1 would stain my soul with the guilt of idolatry4 ,if the doctrine were confessedly ,scriptural1 come what would come1 our duty would be to maintain it at all hazards1 #cff and to brave every danger rather than from fear of consequences to renounce what we believe to have come from ,god2 securing the doctrine at all events1 and then putting forth our very best to guard against its perversion and abuse4 ,but surely1 it well becomes our brethren of the ,church of ,rome1 to examine with most rigid and unsparing scrutiny into the very foundation of such a doctrine as this2 a doctrine which in its mildest and most guarded form is considered by a very large number of their fellow ,christians1 as a dishonouring of ,god and of his ,son1 our ,saviour2 and which in its excess1 an excess witnessed in the books of learned and sainted authors1 and in the every day practice of worshippers1 seems to be in no wise distinguishable from the practices of acknowledged polytheism1 and pagan worship4 ,if that foundation1 after honest and persevering examination1 approves itself as based sure and deep on the word of ,god1 and the faith and practice of the apostles and the ,church founded by them from the first1 ,i have not another word to say1 beyond a fervent prayer that the ,god in whom we trust would pour the bright beams of his ,gospel abundantly into the hearts of all who receive that ,gospel as the word of life4 ,but were they my dying words to my dearest friend who had espoused that doctrine1 ,i would say to him1 ,look well yourself to the foundation1 because ,i am1 after long examination1 convinced1 beyond a shadow of doubt that the doctrine and practice of the ,invocation of ,saints and ,angels is as contrary to the doctrine and practice of the primitive ,church1 as it is in direct opposition to the express words of ,scripture1 and totally abhorrent from the spirit which pervades the whole of the ,old1 and the whole of the ,new ,testament of ,god's eternal truth4 ,footnote #acd3 ,bellarmin1 in his ,church ,triumphant1 maintains that in the act of ,canonization1 the ,church is infallible4 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #hga4 #cfg 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,,iv4--,,biel1 ,,damianus1 ,,bernardinus ,,de ,,bustis1 ,,bernardinus ,,senensis1 c4 ,unhappily these excesses in the worship of the ,virgin ,mary are not confined to ,bonaventura1 or to his age4 ,we have too many examples of the same extravagant exaltation of her as an object of adoration and praise in men1 whose station and abilities seemed to hold them forth to the world as burning and shining lights4 ,again1 let me repeat1 that in thus soliciting your attention to the doctrines and expressed feelings of a few from among the host of the ,virgin's worshippers1 ,i am far from believing that the enlightened ,roman ,catholics in ,england now are ready to respond to such sentiments4 ,my desire is that all persons should be made aware of the excesses into which even celebrated teachers have been tempted to run1 when they once admitted the least inroad to be made upon the integrity of ,god's worship2 and ,i am anxious also1 without offence1 but with all openness1 to caution my countrymen against encouraging that revival of the worship of the ,virgin in ,england1 to promote which the highest authorities in the ,church of ,rome have lately expressed their solicitude1 intimating1 at the same time1 their regret that the worship of the ,virgin at the present time has1 in ,england1 degenerated from its exaltation in former ages1 and that ,england is now far behind her continental neighbours in her worship4 ,though these excessive departures from ,gospel truth and the primitive worship of one ,god by one ,mediator may not be the doctrines of all who belong to the ,church of ,rome1 yet they are the tenets of some of her most #cfh celebrated doctors1 of men who were raised to her highest dignities in their lifetime1 and solemnly enrolled by her among the saints of glory after their death4 ,their words and their actions are appealed to now in support of similar tenets and doctrines1 though few1 in this country at least1 are found to put them forth in all their magnitude and fulness4 ,but even in their mildest and least startling form these doctrines are awfully dangerous4 ,the fact is1 that the direct tendency of the worship of the ,virgin1 as practically illustrated in the ,church of ,rome1 is to make ,,god himself an object of ,,fear1 and the ,,virgin an object of ,,love2 to invest ,him1 who is the ,father of mercy and ,god of all comfort1 with awfulness1 and majesty1 and with the terrors of eternal justice1 and in direct and striking contrast to array the ,virgin mother with mercy and benignity1 and compassionate tenderness4 ,christians cannot be too constantly and too carefully on their guard against doing this wrong to our heavenly ,father4 ,his own inspired word invites us to regard ,him not only as the ,god of love1 but as ,love itself4 ,god is love2 #a ,john iv4 #h4 and so far from terrifying us by representations of his tremendous majesty1 and by declarations that we cannot ourselves draw nigh to ,god2 so far from bidding us to approach ,him with our suits and supplications through mediators whom we should regard as having1 more than our blessed ,redeemer1 a fellow-feeling with us1 and at the same time resistless influence with ,him2 his own invitation and assurance is1 ,come unto me1 and ,i will give you rest3 ,matt4 xi4 #bh4 ,no one cometh unto the ,father but by me3 ,john xiv4 #f4 ,him that cometh to me ,i will #cfi in no wise cast out3 ,john vi4 #cg4 ,let us come boldly unto the throne of grace1 that we may obtain mercy1 and find grace to help in time of need4 ,heb4 iv4 #af4 ,how entirely opposed to such passages as these1 breathing the spirit that pervades the whole ,bible1 are those doctrines which represent the ,virgin ,mary as the ,mediatrix by whom we must sue for the divine clemency2 as the dispenser of all ,god's mercies and graces2 as the sharer of ,god's kingdom1 as the fountain of pity1 as the moderator of ,god's justice1 and the appeaser of his wrath4 ,show thyself a mother4 ,compel thy ,son to have pity4 ,by thy right of mother command thy ,son4 ,god is a ,god of vengeance2 but thou1 ,mary1 dost incline to mercy2 such expressions convey sentiments and associations shocking to our feelings1 and from which our reason turns away1 when we think of ,god's perfections1 and the full atonement and omnipotent intercession of his ,son ,christ our ,redeemer4 ,but it must not be disguised1 that these are the very sentiments in which the most celebrated defenders of the worship of the ,virgin1 in the ,church of ,rome1 teach their disciples to acquiesce1 and in which they must have themselves fully acquiesced1 if they practised what they taught4 ,it is very painful to make such extracts as leave us no alternative in forming our opinions on this point2 but it is necessary to do so1 otherwise we may injure the cause of truth by suppressing the reality2 a reality over which there seems to be a strong disposition1 in the present day1 in part at least1 to draw a veil2 an expedient which can only increase the danger4 ,the first author1 whose sentiments ,i would request you to weigh1 is ,gabriel ,biel1 a schoolman of great celebrity#ace4 #cgj ,in his thirty-second lecture1 on the ,canon of the ,mass1 he thus expresses himself1 referring to a sermon of ,st4 ,bernard1 ,the will of ,god was1 that we should have all through ,mary4444 ,you were afraid to approach the ,father1 frightened by only hearing of ,him4444 ,he gave you ,jesus for a ,mediator4 ,what could not such a ,son obtain with such a ,father8 ,he will surely be heard for his own reverence-sake2 for the ,father loveth the ,son4 ,but1 are you afraid to approach even ,him8 ,he is your brother and your flesh2 tempted through all1 that ,he might become merciful4 ,,this ,,brother ,,mary ,,gave ,,to ,,you4 ,but1 perhaps1 even in ,him you fear the divine ,majesty1 because1 although ,he was made man1 yet ,he remained ,god4 ,you wish to have an advocate even to ,him4 ,betake yourself to ,mary4 ,for1 in ,mary is pure humanity1 not only pure from all contamination1 but pure also by the singleness of her nature#acf4 ,nor should ,i1 with any doubt say1 she too will be heard for her own reverence-sake4 ,the ,son1 surely1 will hear the ,mother1 and the ,father will hear the ,son4 ,footnote #ace3 ,tubingen1 #adii4 ,gabriel ,biel1 born at ,spires about ,a4,d4 #adbe1 was in ,a4,d4 #adhd appointed the first ,professor of ,theology in the then newly founded ,university of ,tubingen4 ,he afterwards retired to a monastery1 and died ,a4,d4 #adie4 ,footnote #acf3 ,this is a very favourite argument in the present day1 often heard in the pulpits on the ,continent4 ,in his #hjth lecture1 the same author comments on this prayer1 which is still offered in the service of the ,mass3 ,deliver us1 we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 from all evils past1 present1 and future2 and by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever-virgin mother of ,god1 ,mary1 with thy blessed apostles1 ,peter and ,paul1 and ,andrew1 and all saints1 mercifully grant peace in our days1 that1 aided by the help of thy mercy1 we may be both ever #cga free from sin1 and free from all disquietude4 ,through the same our ,lord1 c4 ,on this prayer ,biel observes1 ,again we ask1 in this prayer1 the defence of peace2 and since we cannot1 nor do we presume to obtain this by our own merit1 444 therefore1 in order to obtain this1 we have recourse1 in the second part of this prayer1 to the suffrages of all his saints1 whom ,he hath constituted1 in the court of his kingdom1 as our mediators1 most acceptable to himself1 whose prayers his love does not reject4 ,but1 of them1 we fly1 in the first place1 to the most blessed ,virgin1 the ,queen of ,heaven1 to whom the ,king of kings1 the heavenly ,father1 has given the half of his kingdom2 which was signified in ,hester1 the queen1 to whom1 when she approached to appease king ,asuerus1 the king said to her1 ,even if thou shalt ask the half of my kingdom1 it shall be given thee4 ,so the heavenly ,father1 inasmuch as ,he has justice and mercy as the more valued possessions of his kingdom1 ,,retaining ,,justice ,,to ,,himself1 ,,granted ,,mercy to the ,virgin ,mother4 ,we1 therefore1 ask for peace1 by the intercession of the blessed and glorious ,virgin4 ,cum habeat justitiam et misericordiam tanquam potiora regni sui bona1 justitia sibi retenta1 misericordiam ,matri ,virgini concessit4 ,the very same partition of the kingdom of heaven1 is declared to have been made between ,god himself and the ,virgin by one who was dignified by the name of the venerable and most ,christian ,doctor1 ,john ,gerson#acg1 who died in #adbi2 excepting that1 instead of justice and mercy1 ,gerson mentions power and mercy as the two parts of which ,god's kingdom consists1 and that1 whilst power remained with the ,lord1 the part of mercy ceded to the mother of ,christ1 and the reigning #cgb spouse2 hence1 by the whole ,church1 she is saluted as ,queen of ,mercy4 ,footnote #acg3 ,paris1 #afjf4 ,tract iv4 ,super ,magnificat1 part iii4 p4 #ged4 ,see ,fabricius1 vol4 iii4 p4 #di4 ,patav4 #aged4 ,i would next refer to a writer who lived four centuries before ,biel1 but whose works received the papal sanction so late as the commencement of the seventeenth century1 ,petrus ,damianus1 ,cardinal and ,bishop4 ,his works were published at the command of ,pope ,clement ,,viii41 who died ,a4,d4 #afjd1 and were dedicated to his successor1 ,paul ,v41 who gave the copyright for fifteen years to the ,editor1 ,constantine ,cajetan1 ,a4,d4 #afjf4 ,i will quote only one passage from this author4 ,it is found in his sermon on the nativity of the ,virgin1 whom he thus addresses3 ,nothing is impossible with thee1 with whom it is possible to restore those in despair to the hope of blessedness4 ,for how could that authority1 which derived its flesh from thy flesh1 oppose thy power8 ,for thou approachest before that golden altar of human reconciliation not only asking1 but commanding2 a mistress1 not a handmaid4 ,accedis enim ante illud aureum human reconciliationis altare1 non solum rogans1 sed imperans2 ,domina1 non ancilla4 ,paris1 #agdc4 vol4 ii4 p4 #ajg4 ,serm4 #dd4 ,i must now solicit your attention to the sentiments of two writers1 whose partial identity of name has naturally led1 in some instances1 to the one being mistaken for the other1 ,bernardinus de ,bustis1 and ,bernardinus ,senensis4 ,bernardinus de ,bustis1 ,fabricius1 vol4 i4 #bae4 in the country of ,milan1 was the celebrated author of the ,office of the ,immaculate ,conception of the ,blessed ,virgin1 which was confirmed by the bull of ,sixtus the ,fourth1 and has since been celebrated on the #hth of ,december4 ,he composed different works in honour of the ,virgin1 #cgc to one of which he gave the title ,mariale4 ,in this work1 with a great variety of sentiments of a similar tendency1 he thus expresses himself3-- ,of so great authority in the heavenly palace is that empress1 that1 omitting all other intermediate saints1 we may appeal to her from every grievance4444 ,with confidence1 then1 let every one appeal to her1 whether he be aggrieved by the devil1 or by any tyrant1 or by his own body1 or by divine justice2 ,cologne1 #afjg4 ,part iii4 ,serm4 ii4 p4 #agf4 and then1 having specified and illustrated the three other sources of grievance1 he thus proceeds3 ,in the fourth place1 he may ,,appeal ,,to ,,her1 if any one feels himself ,,aggrieved ,,by ,,the ,,justice ,,of ,,god ,licet ad ipsam appellare1 si quis a ,dei justitia se gravari sentit4 444 ,that empress1 therefore1 ,hester1 was a figure of this empress of the heavens1 with whom ,god divided his kingdom4 ,for1 whereas ,god has justice and mercy1 ,he retained justice to himself to be exercised in this world1 and granted mercy to his mother2 and thus1 if any one feels himself to be aggrieved in the court of ,god's justice1 let him appeal to the court of mercy of his mother4 ,ideo si quis sentit se gravari in foro justiti ,dei1 appellet ad forum misericordi matris ejus4 ,for one moment1 let us calmly weigh the import of these words3--,is it any thing short of robbing the ,eternal ,father of the brightest jewel in his crown1 and sharing his glory with another8 ,is it not encouraging us to turn our eyes from the ,god of mercy as a stern and ruthless judge1 and habitually to fix them upon ,mary as the dispenser of all we want for the comfort and happiness of our souls8 ,in another place1 this same author thus exalts ,mary3 ,since the ,virgin ,mary is mother of ,god1 and ,god is her ,son2 and every son is naturally inferior to his #cgd mother1 and subject to her2 and the mother is preferred above1 and is superior to her son1 it follows that the blessed ,virgin is herself superior to ,god1 and ,god himself is her subject1 by reason of the humanity derived from her2 ,part ix4 ,serm4 ii4 p4 #fje4 and again4 ,o the unspeakable dignity of ,mary1 who was worthy to command the ,commander of all4 ,part xii4 ,serm1 ii4 p4 #haf4 ,i will detain you by only one more quotation from this famed ,doctor4 ,it appears to rob ,god of his justice and power1 as well as of his mercy2 and to turn our eyes to ,mary for the enjoyment of all we can desire1 and for safety from all we can dread4 ,would that ,bernardine stood alone in the propagation of such doctrines4 ,we may say1 that the blessed ,virgin is chancellor in the court of heaven4 ,for we see1 that in the chancery of our lord the pope1 three kinds of letters are granted3 some are of simple justice1 others are of pure grace1 and the third mixed1 containing justice and grace4444 ,the third chancellor is he to whom it appertains to give letters of pure grace and mercy4 ,and this office hath the blessed ,virgin2 and therefore she is called the mother of grace and mercy3 but those letters of mercy she gives only in the present life4 ,for1 to some souls1 as they are departing1 she gives letters of pure grace2 to others1 of simple justice2 and to others1 mixed1 namely1 of justice and grace4 ,for some were very much devoted to her1 and to them she gives letters of pure grace1 by which she ,,commands1 that glory be given to them without any pain of purgatory3 others were miserable sinners1 and not devoted to her1 and to them she gives letters of simple justice1 by which she ,,commands that condign vengeance be done upon them2 others were lukewarm and remiss in devotion1 and to them she gives letters of justice and grace1 by which #cge she ,,commands that grace be given to them1 and yet1 on account of their negligence and sloth1 some pain of purgatory be also inflicted on them4 ,part xii4 ,serm4 ii4 ,on the twenty-second excellence1 p4 #hbe4 ,the only remaining author1 to whom ,i will at present refer you1 is a canonized saint1 ,bernardinus ,senensis4 ,a full account of his life1 his miracles1 and his enrolment among the saints in heaven1 is found in the ,acta ,sanctorum1 vol4 v4 under the #bjth of ,may1 the day especially dedicated to his honour4 ,eugenius ,,iv4 died before the canonization of ,bernardine could be completed3 the next pope1 ,nicholas ,v4 on ,whitsunday #adej1 in full conclave1 enrolled him among the saints1 to the joy1 we are told1 of all ,italy4 ,in #adfa1 ,pius the ,second said that ,bernardine was taken for a saint even in his lifetime2 and1 in #adgb1 ,sixtus ,,iv4 issued a bull1 in which he extols the saint1 and authorizes the translation of his body into a new church1 dedicated1 as others had been1 to his honour4 ,this ,bernardine is equally explicit with others1 in maintaining1 that all the blessings which ,christians can receive on earth are dispensed by ,mary2 that her princedom equals the princedom of the ,eternal ,father2 that all are her servants and subjects1 who are the subjects and servants of the ,most ,high2 that all who adore the ,son of ,god should adore his virgin-mother1 and that the ,virgin has repaid the ,almighty for all that ,he has done for the human race4 ,some of these doctrines were to me quite startling2 ,i was not prepared for them2 but ,i have been assured they find an echo in the pulpits in many parts of the continent4 ,very few quotations will suffice4 ,opera1 per ,john de la ,haye4 ,paris1 #afcf4 ,five volumes bound in two4 #cgf ,as many creatures do service to the glorious ,mary1 as do service to the ,trinity4444 ,for he who is the ,son of ,god1 and of the blessed ,virgin1 wishing 7so to speak7 to make1 in a manner1 the princedom of his mother equal to the princedom of his father1 he who was ,god1 served his mother on earth4 ,moreover1 this is true1 all things1 even the ,virgin1 are servants of the divine empire2 and again1 this is true1 all things1 even ,god1 are servants of the empire of the ,virgin4 ,vol4 iv4 ,serm4 v4 c4 vi4 p4 #aah4 ,therefore1 all the angelic spirits are the ministers and servants of this glorious ,virgin4 ,serm4 iii4 c4 iii4 p4 #ajd4 ,to comprise all in a brief sentence1 ,i do not doubt that ,god made all the liberations and pardons in the ,old ,testament on account of the reverence and love of this blessed maid1 by which ,god preordained from eternity1 that she should be1 by predestination1 honoured above all his works4 ,on account of the immense love of the ,virgin1 as well ,christ himself1 as the whole most blessed ,trinity1 frequently grants pardon to the most wicked sinners4 ,serm4 v4 c4 ii4 p4 #aaf4 ,by the law of succession1 and the right of inheritance1 the primacy and kingdom of the whole universe is due to the blessed ,virgin4 ,nay1 when her only ,son died on the cross1 since ,he had no one on earth to succeed ,him of right1 his mother1 by the laws of all1 succeeded1 and by this acquired the principality of all4 ,serm4 v4 c4 vii4 p4 #aah4 444 ,but1 of the monarchy of the universe1 ,christ never made any testamentary bequest1 because that could never be done without prejudice to his mother4 ,moreover1 ,,he ,,knew ,,that ,a ,,mother ,,can ,,annul ,,the #cgg ,,will ,,of ,,her ,,son1 ,,if ,,it ,,be ,,made ,,to ,,the ,,prejudice ,,of ,,herself4 ,insuper noverat quod potest mater irritare ,filii testamentum si in sui prjudicium sit confectum4--,p4 #aah4 ,the ,virgin ,mother#ach1 from the time she conceived ,god1 obtained a certain jurisdiction and authority in every temporal procession of the ,holy ,spirit1 so that no creature could obtain any grace of virtue from ,god except according to the dispensation of his ,virgin mother#aci4 ,as through the neck the vital breathings descend from the head into the body1 so the vital graces are transfused from the head ,christ into his mystical body1 through the ,virgin4 ,i fear not to say1 that this ,virgin has a certain jurisdiction over the flowing of all graces4 ,and1 because she is the mother of such a ,son of ,god1 who produces the ,holy ,spirit2 ,,therefore1 ,,all ,,the ,,gifts1 ,,virtues1 ,,and ,,graces ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,are ,,administered ,,by ,,the ,,hands ,,of ,,herself1 ,,to ,,whom ,,she ,,will1 ,,when ,,she ,,will1 ,,how ,,she ,,will1 ,,and ,,in ,,what ,,quantity ,,she ,,will4 ,serm4 v4 p4 #aai4 ,footnote #ach3 ,serm4 v4 c4 viii4 and ,serm4 vi4 c4 ii4 p4 #abj and #abb4 ,there is an omission 7probably by an error of the press7 in the first passage1 which the second enables us to supply4 ,footnote #aci3 ,this writer is constantly referring to ,st4 ,bernard's doctrine1 ,no grace comes from heaven upon the earth1 but what passes through the hands of ,mary4 ,she is the queen of mercy1 the temple of ,god1 the habitation of the ,holy ,spirit1 always sitting at the right hand of ,christ in eternal glory4 ,therefore she is to be venerated1 to be saluted1 and to be adored with the adoration of hyperdulia4 ,and therefore she sits at the right hand of the ,king1 that as often as you adore ,christ the king you may adore also the mother of ,christ4 ,serm4 vi4 p4 #aba4 ,the blessed ,virgin ,mary alone has done more for #cgh ,god2 or as much 7so to speak7 as ,god hath done for the whole human race4 ,for ,i verily believe that ,god will grant me indulgence if ,i now speak for the ,virgin4 ,let us gather together into one what things ,god hath done for man1 and let us consider what satisfaction the ,virgin ,mary hath rendered to the ,lord4 ,bernardine here enumerates many particulars1 placing one against the other1 which for many reasons ,i cannot induce myself to transfer into these pages1 and then he sums up the whole thus3 ,therefore1 setting each individual thing one against another1 namely1 what things ,god had done for man1 and what things the blessed ,virgin has done for ,god1 you will see that ,mary has done more for ,god1 than ,god has for man2 so that thus1 on account of the blessed ,virgin1 7whom1 nevertheless1 ,he himself made17 ,god is in a certain manner under greater obligations to us than we are to ,him4 ,serm4 vi4 p4 #abj4 ,the whole treatise he finishes with this address to the ,virgin3-- ,truly by mere babbling are we uttering these thy praises and excellences2 but we suppliantly pray thy immense sweetness4 ,do thou1 by thy benignity1 supply our insufficiencies1 that we may worthily praise thee through the endless ages of ages4 ,amen4 ,in closing these brief extracts ,i would observe1 that by almost every writer in support of the worship of the ,virgin1 an appeal is made to ,st4 ,bernard#adj as their chief authority4 ,especially is the following passage quoted by many1 either whole or in part1 at almost every turn of their argument3-- ,footnote #adj3 ,the present ,pope1 in the same manner1 refers to him in his ,encyclical ,letter4--,a4,d4 #ahdj4 ,if thou art disturbed by the heinousness of thy crimes1 and confounded by the foulness of thy conscience1 #cgi if terrified by the horror of judgment thou begin to be swallowed up in the gulf of despair1 think of ,mary1 invoke ,mary2 let her not depart from thy heart1 let her not depart from thy mouth4 ,for whilst thinking of her1 thou dost not err2 imploring her1 thou dost not despair2 following her1 thou dost not lose thy way2 whilst she holds thee1 thou dost not fall2 whilst she protects thee1 thou dost not fear2 whilst she is thy leader1 thou art not wearied2 whilst she is favourable1 thou reachest thy end#ada4 ,footnote #ada3 ,see ,bern4 ,sen4 vol4 iv4 p4 #abd4 ,the passage is found in ,bernard1 ,paris1 #afdj4 p4 #be4 ,if the ,virgin ,mary is thus regarded as the source and well-head of all safety and blessing1 we cannot wonder1 that glory and praise are ascribed in the selfsame terms to her as to the ,almighty4 ,cardinal ,bellarmin closes the several portions of his writings with ,praise to ,god and the blessed ,virgin ,mary#adb4 ,it is painful to reflect1 that either the highest glory1 due to that ,god who will not share his glory with another1 is here ascribed to one of the creatures of his hand 7however highly favoured and full of grace71 or else that to the most high ,god is ascribed an inferior glory and praise1 such as it is lawful for us to address to an exalted fellow-creature4 ,surely the only ascription fitting the lips and the heart of those who have been enlightened by the bright beams of ,gospel truth1 is ,glory to ,god alone through ,christ his ,son4 ,footnote #adb3 ,such ascriptions are very common4 ,joannes de ,carthagena1 a most voluminous writer of homilies1 adopts this as the close of his sections3 ,praise and glory to the ,triune ,god1 to the ,humanity of ,christ1 to the ,blessed ,virgin ,mary his mother1 and to ,st4 ,joseph her dearest spouse4--,catholic ,homilies on the ,sacred ,secrets of the ,mother of ,god1 and ,joseph1 p4 #iba4 ,paris1 #afae4 #chj 99 99 99 99 99 ,,section ,v4--,,modern ,,works ,,of ,,devotion ,,among ,,roman ,,catholics4 ,it may perhaps be surmised1 that the authors referred to in the last section lived many years ago1 and that the sentiments of the faithful members of the ,church of ,rome have undergone material changes on these points4 ,assurances are given on every side1 that the invocation of the saints and of the ,virgin is nothing more than a request1 that they would intercede with ,god1 and implore his mercy for the suppliants4 ,but whatever implicit reliance we may place on the good faith with which these declarations are made1 we can discover no new key by which to interpret the forms of prayer and praise satisfactorily4 ,confessedly there are no changes in the authorized services4 ,we discover no traces of change in the worship of private devotion4 ,the ,breviary and ,missal contain the same offices of the ,virgin ,mary as in former days4 ,the same sentiments are expressed towards her in public2 the same forms of devotion#adc1 both in prayer and praise1 are prepared for the use of individuals in their daily exercises4 ,whatever meaning is to be attached to the expressions employed1 the prevailing expressions themselves remain the same as we found them to have been in past ages4 ,footnote #adc3 ,works of this character abound in every place1 where ,catholic books may be purchased4 ,since ,i made these extracts from the learned and celebrated doctors and canonized saints of former ages1 my attention has been invited to the language now #cha used in forms of devotion1 the spirit of which implies similar views of the power and love of the ,virgin ,mary1 as the fountain of mercies to mankind1 and the dispenser of every heavenly blessing4 ,at the head of these modern works1 ,i was led to read over again the encyclical letter of the present sovereign pontiff1 from the closing sentences of which ,i have already made extracts4 ,and referring his words to a test which we have more than once applied in a similar case--that of changing the name of the person1 and substituting the name of ,god1 or his blessed ,son1 ,i cannot see how the spirit of his sentiments falls in the least below the highest degree of religious worship4 ,his words1 in the third paragraph of his letter1 as they appear in the ,laity's ,directory for #ahcc1 are these3-- ,but having at length taken possession of our see in the ,lateran ,basilic according to the custom and institution of our predecessors1 we turn to you without delay1 venerable brethren1 and in testimony of our feelings towards you1 we select for the date of our letter this most joyful day on which we celebrate the solemn festival of the most blessed ,virgin's triumphant assumption into heaven1 that she who has been through every great calamity our patroness and protectress1 may ,,watch ,,over ,,us ,,writing ,,to ,,you1 ,,and ,,lead ,,our ,,mind ,,by ,,her ,,heavenly ,,influence to those counsels which may prove most salutary to ,christ's flock4 ,let us substitute for the name of ,mary1 the holiest of all1 ,the ,eternal ,spirit of ,jehovah ,himself2 and will not these words be a proper vehicle of the sentiments of a ,christian pastor8 ,let us fix upon ,christmas-day1 or ,easter1 or ,holy ,thursday1 and what word expressive #chb of gratitude for past mercies to the supreme ,giver of all good things1 or of hope and trust in the guidance of the ,spirit of counsel1 and wisdom1 and strength--of the most ,high ,god1 who alone can order the wills and ways of men--might not a bishop of ,christ's flock take from this declaration of the ,sovereign ,pontiff1 and use in its first and natural sense1 when speaking of the ,lord ,jehovah ,himself8 ,we select for the date of our letter this most joyful day on which we celebrate the solemn festival of the most blessed ,redeemer's nativity1 7or glorious resurrection1 or ascension17 that ,he who has been through every great calamity our patron and protector1 may watch over us writing to you1 and lead our mind by his heavenly influence to those counsels which may prove most salutary to ,christ's flock4 ,in these sentiments of the present ,pope there is no allusion 7as there is in the other clause7 to ,mary's prayers and intercessions4 ,looking to and weighing the words employed1 and as far as words can be relied upon as interpreters of the thoughts1 looking to the spirit of his profession1 only one inference can be fairly drawn4 ,however direct and immediate the prayers of the suppliants may be to the ,virgin for her protection and defence from all dangers1 spiritual and bodily1 and for the guidance of the inmost thoughts in the right way1 7blessings which we of the ,anglican ,catholic ,church1 following the footsteps of the primitive flock of ,christ1 have always looked for at the hand of ,god ,almighty only1 to be granted by ,him for the sake of his blessed ,son17 such petitioners to ,mary would be sanctioned to the utmost by the principles and example of the present ,roman ,pontiff4 ,we have already1 when examining the records of #chc the ,council of ,chalcedon1 compared the closing words of this encyclical letter with the more holy and primitive aspirations of the ,bishops of ,rome and ,constantinople in those earlier days2 and the comparison is striking between the sentiments now expressed in the opening parts of the same letter1 and the spirit of the collects which were adopted for the use of the faithful1 before the invocation of saints and of the ,virgin had gained its present strong hold in the ,church of ,rome4 ,for example1 a collect at ,vespers teaches us to pray to ,god as the source from whom all holy desires and all good counsels proceed ,hiem4 #adi42 and on the fifth ,sunday after ,easter this prayer is offered3 ,o ,god1 from whom all good things do come1 grant1 we pray ,thee1 that by thy inspiration we may think those things that be good2 and by thy guidance may perform the same2 whilst on the fifth ,sunday after the ,epiphany1 in a collect1 the spirit of which is strongly contrasted with the sentiments in both parts of this encyclical letter1 ,god is thus addressed3 ,we beseech thee1 ,o ,lord1 with thy continual pity1 guard thy family1 that1 leaning on the sole hope of heavenly grace1 it may ever be defended by thy protection4 ,ut qu in sola spe grati coelestis innititur1 tua semper protectione muniatur4--,hiem1 #cfd4 ,let us raise our eyes to the ,blessed ,virgin1 who is our greatest hope1 yea1 the entire ground of our hope4 ,similar materials are abundant4 ,a whole volume1 indeed1 might readily be composed consisting solely of rules and instructions1 confessions and forms of prayer1 appertaining to the ,virgin and the ,saints1 published by authority at the present day1 both in our country and on the ,continent1 for the use of our ,roman ,catholic #chd brethren2 but to which the word of ,god1 and the doctrine and practice of the primitive ,church1 are in our estimation as much opposed as to the prayers of ,bonaventura1 or to the doctrine of either of the ,bernardins4 ,it would1 however1 be unprofitable to dwell on this subject at any great length4 ,i will1 therefore1 only briefly refer to two publications of this sort1 to which my own attention has been accidentally drawn3 ,the ,imitation of the ,blessed ,virgin1#add and ,the ,little ,testament of the ,holy ,virgin4#ade ,footnote #add3 ,the ,imitation of the ,blessed ,virgin1 composed on the plan of the ,imitation of ,christ4 ,london1 #ahaf4 ,approved by ,t4,r4 ,asselini1 ,doctor of ,sorbonne1 last ,bishop of ,boulogne4 ,from the ,french4 ,footnote #ade3 ,the ,little ,testament of the ,holy ,virgin1 translated from the ,french1 and revised by a ,catholic ,priest4 ,third ,edition4 ,dublin1 #ahcf4 ,the first professes to be composed on the plan of the ',imitation of ,christ4' ,this is1 in itself1 highly objectionable2 its tendency is to exalt ,mary1 by association1 to the same place in our hearts and minds1 which ,thomas ,kempis had laboured1 in his ,imitation of ,christ1 to secure for the ,saviour2 and it reminds us of the proceedings of ,bonaventura1 who wrote psalms to the honour of the ,virgin after the manner which ,david used in his hymns to the ,lord of ,glory4 ,in this work we read the following prayer to the ,virgin1 which seems to be stained with the error1 the existence of which elsewhere we have already noticed1 of contrasting the justice and the stern dealings even of the ,saviour1 with the mercy1 and loving-kindness1 and fellow-feeling of ,mary2 making ,god an object of fear1 ,mary an object of love4 ,mother of my ,redeemer1 ,o ,mary1 in the last moments #che of my life1 ,i implore thy assistance with more earnestness than ever4 ,i find myself1 as it were1 placed between heaven and hell4 ,alas6 what will become of me1 if thou do not exert1 in my behalf1 thy powerful influence with ,jesus8444 ,i die with ,,submission since ,,jesus has ,,ordained it2 but notwithstanding the natural horror which ,i have of death1 ,i die with ,,pleasure1 because ,i die under ,,thy protection4 ,chap4 xiii4 p4 #cdd4 ,in the fourteenth chapter the following passage occurs3 ,it is giving to the blessed ,virgin a testimony of love particularly dear and precious to her1 to make her holy spouse ,joseph the first object of our devotion1 next to that which consecrates us to her service4444 ,the name of ,joseph is invoked with singular devotion by all the true faithful4 ,they frequently join it with the sacred names of ,jesus and ,mary4 ,whilst ,jesus and ,mary lived at ,nazareth1 if we had wished to obtain some favour from them1 could we have employed a more powerful protector than ,st4 ,joseph8 ,will he now have less power and credit8 ,,go ,,therefore ,,to ,,joseph1 7,gen4 xli4 #ee47 that he may intercede for you4 ,whatever favour you ask1 ,god will grant it you at his request4444 ,go to ,joseph in all your necessities2 but especially to obtain the grace of a happy death4 ,the general opinion that he died in the arms of ,jesus and ,mary has inspired the faithful with great confidence1 that1 through his intercession1 they will have an end as happy and consoling as his4 ,in effect1 it has been remarked1 that it is particularly at the hour of death that those who have been during their life careful to honour this great saint1 reap the fruit of their devotion4 ,p4 #cdg4 ,in this passage the unworthy idea1 itself formed on a groundless tradition1 is introduced of paying reverence #chf to one saint1 in order to gratify and conciliate another4 ,joseph must be especially honoured in order to do what is most acceptable to ,mary4 ,surely this tends to withdraw the mind from that habitual reference of all our actions immediately to ,god1 which the primitive teachers were so anxious to cultivate in all ,christians4 ,in the ,little ,testament of the ,holy ,virgin1 the following 7p4 #df7 is called1 ,a ,prayer to the blessed ,virgin4 ,can any words place more on an entire level with each other1 the eternal ,son of ,god and the ,virgin8 ,jesus and ,mary86 ,o ,mary6 what would be our poverty and misery if the ,father of ,mercies had not drawn you from his treasury to give you to earth6 ,oh6 my ,life and ,consolation1 ,i trust and confide in your holy name4 ,my heart wishes to love you2 my mouth to praise you2 my mind to contemplate you2 my soul sighs to be yours4 ,receive me1 defend me1 preserve me2 ,i cannot perish in your hands4 ,let the demons tremble when ,i pronounce your holy name1 since you have ruined their empire2 but we shall say with ,saint ,anselm1 that he does not know ,god1 who has not an idea sufficiently high of your greatness and glory4 ,we shall esteem it the greatest honour to be of the number of your servants4 ,let your glory1 blessed ,mother1 be equal to the extent of your name2 reign1 after ,god1 over all that is beneath ,god2 but1 above all1 reign in my heart2 you will be my consolation in suffering1 my strength in weakness1 my counsel in doubt4 ,at the name of ,mary my hope shall be enlightened1 my love inflamed4 ,oh6 that ,i could deeply engrave the dear name on every heart1 suggest it to every tongue1 and make all celebrate it with me4 ,mary6 sacred name1 under which no one #chg should despair4 ,mary6 sacred name1 often assaulted1 but always victorious4 ,mary6 it shall be my life1 my strength1 my comfort6 ,every day shall ,i envoke ,,it ,,and ,,the ,,divine ,,name ,,of ,,jesus4 ,the ,son will awake the recollection of the mother1 and the mother that of the ,son4 ,,jesus ,,and ,,mary6 this is what my heart shall say at the last hour1 if my tongue cannot2 ,i shall hear them on my death bed1--they shall be wafted on my expiring breath1 and ,i with them1 to see ,,them1 know ,,them1 bless and love ,,them for eternity4 ,amen4 ,there may1 perhaps1 be a reasonable ground for our hoping that these are not the sentiments entertained by the enlightened ,roman ,catholics of our country and age4 ,any one has a full right to say1 ,these are productions of individuals for which we and the ,church to which we belong are not responsible1 any more than the ,church of ,england is responsible for all doctrines and sentiments expressed by writers in her communion6 ,even the sentiments above referred to of the present reigning pope1 you have no right to allege as the doctrines of the ,church6 ,but ,i would again venture to suggest to every one1 who would thus speak1 the duty of ascertaining for himself1 whether the sentiments of those who at present fill the highest places1 and which fully justify these devotional exercises and prayers to the ,virgin and the ,saints1 be not themselves fully justified by the authorized ritual of the ,roman ,church4 ,on this point are supplied1 even in this volume1 materials sufficiently diversified and abundant in quantity to enable any one to form a correct judgment4 ,by two brief extracts ,i will now bring this branch of our inquiry to a close4 ,the first is from the concluding paragraphs of a discourse lately delivered and #chh published4 ,in principle1 the sentiments here professed apparently admit not only of being identified with those of the authorized services of the ,church of ,rome1 but also1 though not so naked and revolting in appearance as the doctrines of ,bonaventura1 ,biel1 and the two ,bernardins1 yet in reality they equally depart from the simplicity of the ,gospel1 and are equally at direct variance with that1 its first and its last principle1 ,,one ,,god ,,and ,,one ,,mediator ,,between ,,god ,,and ,,men1 ,,the ,,man ,,christ ,,jesus4 ,remember that this day you have put yourselves and your families under the protection of the ever-blessed ,mother of ,god1 and ,her chaste ,spouse1 ,st4 ,joseph2 of those who were chosen of ,god to protect the infancy of ,jesus from the danger by a persecuting world4 ,,entreat ,,them ,,to ,,protect ,,you ,,and ,,yours ,,from ,,the ,,perils of a seducing and ensnaring world2 to plead your interests in heaven1 and secure by their intercession your everlasting crown4 ,loudly proclaim the praises of your heavenly ,queen1 but at the same time turn ,her power to your everlasting advantage by your earnest supplications to ,,her4 7,see ,appendix47 ,the other extract1 which sanctions to the full whatever offerings of praise and ascriptions of glory we have found individuals making to the ,virgin and to ,saints1 is from an announcement in1 ,i believe1 the last ,english edition of the ,roman ,breviary published1 in its present form1 under the sanction of the ,pope himself4 ,to those who devoutly recite the following prayer after the office1 ,pope ,leo the ,tenth hath granted pardon 7indulsit7 for the defects and faults in celebrating it1 contracted by human frailty4 ,to the most holy and undivided ,trinity2 to the manhood #chi of our crucified ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 to the fruitful spotlessness of the most blessed and most glorious and ever-,virgin ,mary2 and to the entire body of all the ,saints1 be eternal praise1 honour1 virtue1 and glory1 from every creature1 and to us remission of all sins1 through endless ages of ages4 ,amen4 ,norwich1 #ahcj4 st4 ,on the indulgence for pardon given by ,pope ,leo the ,tenth1 more than #cjj years ago1 for such defects and faults in celebrating a religious service as may be contracted by human frailty2 and on the fact of the notification of that indulgence being retained1 and set forth so prominently in the service books at the present day1 ,i will say nothing4 ,whatever associations may be raised in our minds by these circumstances1 the subject does not fall within our present field of inquiry4 ,but to join the ,holy ,trinity with the ,virgin ,mother1 and all the ,saints in one and the same ascription of ,,eternal ,,praise1 ,,honour1 and ,,glory1 is as utterly subversive of the integrity of primitive ,christian ,worship1 as it is repugnant to the plainest sense of holy ,scripture1 and derogatory to the dignity of that ,supreme ,being1 who declares ,himself to be a jealous ,god4 ,it has1 indeed1 been maintained that such ascriptions of glory and praise jointly to ,god and his ,saints1 is sanctioned by the language of our blessed ,saviour ,himself when ,he speaks of his having given his glory to his disciples ,john xvii4 #bb41 and of his second advent1 when ,he shall come in his own glory1 and in his ,father's1 and of the holy angels4 ,luke ix4 #bf4 ,but between the two cases there is no analogy whatever2 the inference is utterly fallacious4 ,we know that the ,lord of ,hosts is the ,king of glory1 and that his eternal ,son shared the glory of his ,father before the foundations #cij of the world were laid4 ,we know1 too1 that the ,almighty has been pleased to create beings of various degrees and orders1 differing from each other in kind or in excellence according to his supreme will4 ,among those creatures of his hand are the angels whom we reverence and love1 as his faithful servants and his ministers to us for good4 ,but when we speak and think of religious adoration2 of giving thanks2 and ascribing eternal glory and honour1 we have only one object in our minds1--the supreme ,sovereign ,lord of all4 ,with regard to the gracious words of our ,saviour in his prayer to the ,father1 on the eve of his death1 ,st4 ,peter's acts and words supply us with a plain and conclusive comment4 ,he was himself one of those to whom ,christ had declared that ,he had given the glory which his ,father had given to ,him2 and yet when ,cornelius fell down at his feet to worship him1 he took him up1 saying1 ,stand up2 ,i myself also am a man4 ,acts x4 #bf4 ,the ,saviour was pleased to impart his glory to his ,apostles1 dividing to them his heavenly gifts severally as ,he willed4 ,we praise ,him for those graces which shone so brightly in them1 and we pray to ,him to enable us by his grace to follow them1 as they followed his blessed steps4 ,we reverence their memory1 but we give ,god alone the praise4 ,as to the other instance1 the words of our ,lord 7assuring us that the angels should accompany ,him at his second advent in their glory1 the glory which ,he assigned to them in the order of creation17 no more authorize us to ascribe praise and glory by a religious act to them1 when we praise the ,god of angels and men1 than would #cia the assurance of an inspired apostle1 that there is one glory of the sun1 another glory of the moon1 and another glory of the stars1 sanction us in joining those luminaries in the same ascription of glory with their ,almighty ,creator and ours4 ,just as reasonably would a pagan justify his worship of the sun1 the moon1 and the stars1 by this passage of ,scripture1 as our ,roman ,catholic brethren would justify themselves by the former passage in their ascription of praise and glory to the holy angels1 and saints1 and the blessed ,virgin4 ,we honour the holy angels1 we praise ,god for the glory which ,he has imparted to them1 and for the share which ,he has been pleased to assign to them in executing his decrees of mercy in the heavenly work of our salvation2 and we pray to ,,him to grant that they may by his appointment succour and defend us on earth1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,but we address no invocation to them2 we ascribe no glory to them as an act of religious worship4 ,by offering thanks and praise to ,god ,he declares that we honour ,,him2 by offering thanks and praise1 and by ascribing glory and honour to angel1 saint1 or virgin1 we make them gods4 #cib 99 99 99 99 99 ,,conclusion4 ,we have now1 my fellow ,christians1 arrived at the conclusion of the task which ,i proposed to undertake4 ,i have laid before you1 to the utmost of my abilities and means1 the result of my inquiry into the evidence of holy ,scripture and primitive antiquity1 on the invocation of saints and angels1 and the blessed ,virgin ,mary4 ,in this inquiry1 excepting so far as was necessary to elucidate the origin and history of the ,roman ,catholic tenet of the ,assumption of the ,virgin1 we have limited our researches to the writers who lived before the ,nicene ,council4 ,that ,council has always been considered a cardinal point1--a sort of climacteric in the history of the early ,church4 ,it was the first ,council to which all the bishops of ,christendom were summoned2 and the influence of its decrees is felt beneficially in the ,catholic ,church to this very day4 ,in fixing upon this ,council as our present boundary line1 ,i was influenced by a conviction1 that the large body of ,christians1 whether of the ,roman1 the ,anglican1 or any other branch of the ,church ,catholic1 would consent to this as an indisputable axiom1--that what the ,church ,catholic did not believe or practise up to #cic that date of her existence upon earth1 cannot be regarded as either ,catholic or primitive1 or apostolical4 ,ending with ,st4 ,athanasius1 7who1 though he was present at that ,council1 yet brings his testimony down through almost another half century1 his death not having taken place till ,a4,d4 #hgc1 on the verge of his eightieth year17 we have examined the remains of ,christian antiquity1 reckoning forward to that ,council from the times of the ,apostles4 ,we have searched diligently into the writings1 the sentiments1 and the conduct of those first disciples of our ,lord4 ,we have contemplated the words of our blessed ,saviour himself1 and the inspired narrative of his life and teaching4 ,with the same object in view we have studied the prophets of the ,old ,testament1 and the works of ,moses2 and we have endeavoured1 at the fountainhead1 to ascertain what is the mind and will of ,god1 as revealed to the world from the day when ,he made man1 on the question of our invoking the angels and saints to intercede with ,him in our behalf1 or to assist and succour us on the earth4 ,and the result is this3--,from first to last1 the voice of ,god ,himself1 and the voices of the inspired messengers of heaven1 whether under the patriarchal1 the ,mosaic1 or the ,christian dispensations1 the voices too of those maintainers of our common faith in ,christ1 who prayed1 and taught1 in the ,church1 before the corruptions of a degenerate world had mingled themselves with the purity of ,christian worship1 combine all1 in publishing1 throughout the earth1 one and the self-same principle1 ,pray only to ,god2 draw nigh to ,him alone2 invoke no other2 seek no other in the world of spirits1 neither angel1 nor beatified saint2 seek ,him1 and ,he will favourably1 with mercy1 hear your prayers4 ,to this one #cid principle1 when the ,gospel announced the whole counsel of ,god in the salvation of man1 our ,lord himself1 his ,apostles1 and his ,church1 unite in adding another principle of eternal obligation1--,there is one ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus2 whatsoever the faithful shall ask the ,father in the name of that ,mediator1 ,he will grant it to them3 ,he is ever living to make intercession for those who believe in ,him3 ,invoke we no other intercessor1 apply we neither to saint nor angel1 plead we the merits of no other4 ,let us lift up our hearts to ,god ,almighty himself1 and make our requests known to ,him in the name1 and through the mediation of ,christ1 and ,he will fulfil our desires and petitions as may be most expedient for us2 ,he will grant to us1 in this world1 a knowledge of his truth1 and in the world to come life everlasting6 ,watching the tide of evidence through its whole progress1 we find it to flow all in this one direction4 ,here and there indeed attempts have been made to raise some mounds and barriers of human structure1 in order to arrest its progress1 and turn it from its straight course1 but in vain2 unchecked by any such endeavours1 it rolls on in one full1 steady1 strong1 and resistless current4 ,until we have long passed the ,nicene ,council1 we find no one writer of the ,christian ,church1 whose remains tell us1 that he either himself invoked saints and angels1 and the ,virgin ,mary1 or was at all aware of any such practice prevailing in ,christendom4 ,suppose1 for one moment1 that our doctrine is right2 and then we find the whole tenour of the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 and the ancient writers1 in their plain meaning1 agreeably to the interpretation of the most learned and unbiassed critics1 fully coinciding in every respect with our view of ,god being the sole object of invocation1 #cie and of the exclusive character of ,christ's intercession1 mediation1 and advocacy4 ,suppose1 for another moment1 the ,roman ,catholic theory to be correct1 then the whole general tenour and drift of ,scripture must be evaded2 the clearest statements and announcements must be explained away by subtle distinctions1 gratuitous definitions1 and casuistical refinements1 altogether foreign from the broad and simple truths of ,revelation2 then1 too1 in ascertaining the sentiments of an author1 not his general and pervading principles1 evidenced throughout his writings1 must be appealed to2 but casual and insulated expressions must be contracted or expanded as may best seem to counteract the impression made by the testimony of those principles4 ,we may safely ask1 ,is there such evidence1 that the primitive ,church offered invocations to saints and angels1 and the ,virgin1 as would satisfy us in the case of any secular dispute with regard to ancient usage8 ,on the contrary1 is not the evidence clear to a moral demonstration1 that the offering of such addresses is an innovation of later days1 unknown to the primitive ,christians till after the middle of the fourth century1 and never pronounced to be an article of faith1 until the ,council of ,trent1 more than a thousand years after its first appearance in ,christendom1 so decreed it4 ,the tendency1 indeed1 of some ,roman ,catholic writings1 especially of late years1 is to draw off our minds on these points from the written word of ,god1 and the testimony of the earliest ,church1 and to dwell upon the possibility1 the reasonableness of the doctrines of the ,church of ,rome in this respect1 their accordance with our natural feelings1 and their charitableness4 ,but in points of such vast moment1 in things concerning the soul's salvation1 we can depend with satisfaction and #cif without misgiving1 only on the sure word of promise2 nothing short of ,god's own pledge of his own eternal truth can assure us1 that all is safe4 ,such substitution of what may appear to us reasonable1 and agreeable to our natural sentiments1 and desirable if true1 in place of the assurances of ,god's revealed ,will1 may correspond with the arguments of a heathen philosopher unacquainted with the truth as it is in ,jesus1 but cannot satisfy disciples of ,him who brought life and immortality to light by his ,gospel4 ,such questions as these1 ,is there any thing unreasonable in this8 ,would not this be a welcome tenet1 if true8 well became the lips of ,socrates in his defence before his judges1 but are in the strict sense of the word preposterous in a ,christian4 ,with the ,christian the first question is1 ,what is the truth8 ,what is revealed8 ,what has ,god promised8 ,what has ,he taught man to hope for8 ,what has ,he commanded man to do8 ,by his own words1 by the words and by the example of his inspired messengers1 by the doctrine and practice of his ,church1 the witness and interpreter of the truth1 how has ,he directed us to sue for his mercy and all its blessings8 ,on what foundation1 sure and certain1 can we build our hopes that ,he will favourably with mercy hear our prayers8 ,for in this matter1 a matter of spiritual life and death1 we can anchor our hope on no other rock than his sure word of promise4 ,that sure word of promise1 if ,i am a faithful believer1 ,i have2 but it is exclusive of any invocation by me of saint1 or angel1 or virgin4 ,the pledge of heaven is most solemnly and repeatedly given2 ,god1 who cannot lie1 has1 in language so plain1 that he may run who readeth it1 assured me that if ,i come to ,,himself by ,,his ,,son1 my prayer shall not be cast out1 my suit shall #cig not be denied1 ,i shall not be sent empty away4 ,in every variety of form which language can assume1 this assurance is ratified and confirmed4 ,his own revealed will directs me to pray for my fellow-creatures1 and to expect a beneficial effect from the prayers of the faithful upon earth in my behalf4 ,to pray for them1 therefore1 and to seek their prayers1 and to wait patiently for an answer to both1 are acts of faith and of duty4 ,and were it also appointed by ,god's will to be an act of faith and duty in a ,christian to seek the prayers1 and aid1 and assistance1 of saints and angels by supplicatingly invoking them1 surely the same word of truth would have revealed that also4 ,whereas the reverse shows itself under every diversified state of things1 from the opening of the sacred book to its very last page4 ,the subtle distinction of religious worship into latria1 dulia1 and hyperdulia1 the refined classification of prayer under the two heads of direct1 absolute1 final1 sovereign1 on the one hand1 and of oblique1 relative1 transitory1 subaltern1 on the other1 swell indeed many elaborate works of casuistry1 but are not discoverable in the remains of primitive ,christians1 nor in the writings of ,god's word have they any place4 ,i cannot find in the inspired ,apostles any reference to the necessity1 the duty1 the lawfulness1 the expediency of our seeking by prayer the good offices of the holy dead1 or of the angels of light4 ,in their successors the earliest inspired teachers and pastors of ,christ's fold1 ,i seek in vain for any precept1 or example1 or suggestion1 or incidental allusion looking that way4 ,why then should a ,christian wish to add to that which ,god has been pleased to appoint and to reveal8 ,why should ,i attempt to enter heaven through any other gate than #cih that gate which the ,lord of heaven has opened for me8 or why should ,i seek to reach that gate by any other way than the way which ,he has made for me2 which ,he has ,himself plainly prescribed to me2 in which ,he has promised that his word shall be a lantern unto my feet2 and along which those saints and servants of his1 who received the truth from his own lips1 and sealed it by their blood1 have gone before8 ,whenever a maintainer of the doctrine and practice of invoking the ,saints asks me1 as we have lately been asked in these words1 ,may ,i not reasonably hope that their prayers will be more efficacious than my own and those of my friends8 ,and1 under this persuasion1 ,i say to them1 as ,i just now said to you1 holy ,mary1 holy ,peter1 holy ,paul1 pray for me4 ,what is there in reason or revelation to forbid me to do so8 ,to this and similar questions and suggestions1 ,i answer at once1 ,god has solemnly covenanted to grant the petitions of those who ask ,,him for his mercy1 in the name and for the sake of his ,son2 and in his holy word has1 both by precept and example1 taught us in this life to pray for each other1 and to ask each other's prayers ,james v4 #af2 ,i ,tim4 ii4 #a42 but that ,he will favourably answer the prayers which we supplicate angels to offer1 or which we offer to ,himself through the merits and by the intercession of departed mortals1 is no where in the covenant4 ,moreover1 when ,god invites me and commands me to approach ,him myself1 in the name of his ,son1 and trusting to his merits1 it is not ,christian humility1 rather it savours of presumption1 and intruding into those things which we have not seen ,coloss4 ii4 #ah41 to seek to prevail with ,him by #cii pleading other merits1 and petitioning creatures1 however glorious1 to interest themselves with ,him in our behalf1 angels and saints1 of whose power even to hear us we have no evidence4 ,when ,jesus ,himself1 who knows both the deep counsels of the ,eternal ,spirit1 and man's wants and weaknesses and unworthiness1 and who loveth his own to the end1 pledges his never-failing word1 that whatsoever we ask the ,father in his name1 ,he will give it us1 can it be less than an unworthy distrust of his truth and faithfulness to ask the ,father for the merits and by the intercession of another8 and as though in fear lest ,god should fail of his promise1 or be unmindful of us ,himself1 to invoke angels and the good departed to make our wants known unto ,,him1 and prevail with ,,him to relieve us8 ,surely it were wiser and safer to adhere religiously to that one way which cannot fail1 than to adopt for ourselves methods and systems1 for the success of which we have no guarantee2 which may be unacceptable in his sight2 and the tendency of which may be to bring down a curse and not a blessing4 ,may the great ,shepherd and ,bishop of souls pour down upon his ,church the abundance of his mercy1 preserving those in the truth who now possess it1 restoring it to those by whom it has been lost1 and imparting it to all who are yet in darkness4 ,and1 whilst we speak the truth in love1 and endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace1 may ,,he1 for his own glory1 and for the safety and comfort of his people1 shed this truth abroad in our hearts1 and enlighten us to receive it in all its fulness and integrity1 and in the very sense in which the ,holy ,spirit1 when ,he guided #djj the pen of ,st4 ,paul1 willed the ,church to interpret it1 ,there is one ,god and one ,mediator between ,god and men1 the man ,christ ,jesus4 99 99 99 99 99 ,o everlasting ,god1 who hast ordained and constituted the services of ,angels and men in a wonderful order2 ,mercifully grant1 that as thy holy ,angels alway do ,thee service in heaven1 so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,o ,almighty ,god1 who hast built thy ,church upon the foundation of the ,apostles and ,prophets1 ,jesus ,christ himself being the head corner-stone2 ,grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine1 that we may be made an holy temple1 acceptable unto ,thee1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,o ,almighty ,god1 who hast knit together thine elect in one communion and fellowship1 in the mystical body of thy ,son ,christ our ,lord2 ,grant us grace1 so to follow thy blessed ,saints in all virtuous and godly living1 that we may come to those unspeakable joys1 which ,thou hast prepared for them that unfeignedly love ,thee2 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 #dja 99 99 99 99 99 ,,appendix4 99 99 99 99 99 ,note4--,pages #ajg and #aaj4 ,the following is the original of the passages discussed in the text4 ,justin ,martyr1 ,apol4 ,i4 p4 #dg4 vi4 ,benedictine ,edition by ,p4 ,maran4 ,paris1 ,a4,d4 #agdb4 ,greek3 ,enthende kai atheoi keklaemetha2 kai homologoumen ton toiouton nomizomenon theon atheoi einai1 all' ouchi tou alaethestatou1 kai patros dikaiosunaes kai sophrosunaes1 kai ton allon areton1 anepimiktou te kakias ,theou2 all' ekeinon te1 kai ton par' autou huion elthonta kai didaxanta haemas tauta1 kai ton ton allon hepomenon kai exomoioumenon agathon angelon straton1 pneuma te to prophaetikon sebometha1 kai proskunoumen1 logoi kai alaetheiai timontes1 kai panti boulomenoi mathein1 hos edidachthaemen1 aphthonos paradidontes4 ,ibid4 page #ej1 #ea4 sect4 xiii4--,greek3 ',atheoi men oun hos ouk esmen1 ton daemiourgon toude tou pantos sebomenoi1 444 ton didaskalon te touton genomenon haemin1 kai eis touto genaethenta ,iaesoun ,christon ton staurothenta epi ,pontiou ,pilatou1 tou genomenou en ,ioudaiai epi chronois ,tiberiou ,kaisaros epitropou1 huion autou tou ontos ,theou mathontes1 kai en deuterai chorai echontes1 pneuma te prophaetikon en tritaei taxei1 hoti meta logou timomen1 apodeixomen4444 ,note4--,page #acd4 ,in the text it has been observed1 that ,coccius in his elaborate work quotes the two following passages as ,origen's1 without expressing #djb any hesitation or doubt respecting their genuineness2 in which he is followed by writers of the present day4 ,the modern works1 to which reference is here made1 are chiefly the ,lectures delivered by ,dr4 ,wiseman1 in the ,roman ,catholic ,chapel in ,moorfields in the year #ahcf1 and the compilation of ,messrs4 ,berington and ,kirk ,berington and ,kirk4 ,london1 #ahcj1 p4 #djc41 from which ,dr4 ,wiseman in his preface to his ,lectures 7p4 ix47 informs us1 that in general he had drawn his quotations of the ,fathers4 ,in citing the testimony of ,origen in support of the invocation of saints1 it is evident that ,dr4 ,wiseman has drawn from that source2 for whereas the two confessedly spurious passages1 from the ,lament1 and from the ,book on ,job1 are in that compilation quoted in the same page1 ,dr4 ,wiseman cites only the passage from the ,lament1 as from a work on the ,lamentations1 but gives his reference to the ,book on ,job4 ,his words are these3--,again he 7,origen7 thus writes on the ,lamentations3 ',i will fall down on my knees1 and not presuming1 on account of my crimes1 to present my prayer to ,god1 ,i will invoke all the saints to my assistance4 ,o ye saints of heaven1 ,i beseech you with a sorrow full of sighs and tears2 fall at the feet of the ,lord of mercies for me1 a miserable sinner1'--,lib4 ii4 ,de ,job4 ,lectures on the ,principal ,doctrines and ,practices of the ,catholic ,church1 by ,nicholas ,wiseman1 ,d4,d4 ,london1 #ahcf4 ,vol4 i4 preface1 p4 ix4 and vol4 ii4 p4 #ajg4 ,when we find such passages as these1 which have been so long ago and so repeatedly pronounced to be utterly spurious1 yet cited in evidence at the present time1 and represented as conveying the genuine testimony of ,origen1 we shall be pardoned for repeating the sentiments expressed so many years ago by the learned ,bishop of ,avranches with regard to the very work here cited1 ,it is wonderful that1 ,,without ,,any ,,mark ,,of ,,their ,,being ,,forgeries1 they should be sometimes cited in evidence by some theologians4 ,note4--,page #aea4 ,the whole passage cited as ,origen's comment on the words of ,ezekiel1 ,the heavens are opened1 is in the ,latin version as follows4 ,the ,greek original1 if it ever existed1 is lost4 ,the portion between brackets is the part suspected of being an interpolation4 #f4 ,et aperti sunt coeli4 ,clausi erant coeli1 et ad adventum ,christi aperti sunt1 ut reseratis illis veniret super eum ,spiritus ,sanctus in specie columb4 ,neque enirn poterat ad nos commeare nisi primum #djc ad su natur consortem descendisset4 ,ascendit ,jesus in altum1 captivam duxit captivitatem1 accepit dona in hominibus4 ,qui descendit1 ipse est qui ascendit super omnes coelos ut impleret omnia4 ,et ipse dedit alios apostolos1 alios prophetas1 alios evangelistas1 alios pastores et magistros in perfectionem sanctorum4 #g4 ,aperti sunt coeli4 ,non sufficit unum coelum aperiri3 aperiuntur plurimi1 ut descendant non ab uno1 sed ab omnibus coelis angeli ad eos qui salvandi sunt4 ,angeli qui ascendebant et descendebant super ,filium hominis1 et accesserunt as eum1 et ministrabant ei4 ,descenderunt autem angeli1 quia prior descenderat ,christus1 metuentes descendere priusquam ,dominus virtutum omnium rerumque prciperet4 ,quando autem viderunt principem militi coelestis in terrestribus locis commorari1 tunc per apertam viam ingressi sunt sequentes ,dominum suum1 et parentes voluntati ejus qui distribuit eos custodes credentium nomini suo4 ,tu heri sub dmonio eras1 hodie sub angelo4 ,nolite1 inquit ,dominus1 contemnere unum de minimis istis qui sunt in ecclesia4 ,amen enim dico vobis1 quia angeli eorum per omnia vident faciem ,patris qui est in coelis4 ,obsequuntur saluti tu angeli1 concessi sunt ad ministerium ,filii ,dei1 et dicuntinter se3 si ille descendit1 et descendit in corpus2 si mortali indutus est carne1 et sustinuit crucem1 et pro hominibus mortuus est1 quit nos quiescimus8 quid parcimus nobis8 ,eja omnes angeli descendamus e coelo4 ,ideo et multitudo militi coelestis erat laudantium et glorificantium ,deum1 quando natus est ,christus4 ,omnia angelis plena sunt3 veni1 angeli1 suscipe sermone conversum ab errore pristino1 a doctrina dmoniorum1 ab iniquitate in altum loquente3 et suscipiens eum quasi medicus bonus confove atque institue1 parvulus est1 hodie nascitur senex repuerascens3 et suscipe tribuens ei baptismum secund regenerationis1 et advoca tibi alios socios ministerii tui1 ut concti pariter eos qui aliquando decepti sunt1 erudiatis ad fidem4 ,gaudium enim est majus in coelis super unum peccatorem poenitentiam agentem1 quam supra nonaginta novem justos quibus non opus est poenitentia4 ,exultat omnis creatura1 colltatur et applaudit his qui salvandi sunt4 ,nam expectatio creatur revelationem filiorum ,dei expectat4 ,et licet nolint ii qui scripturas apostolicas interpolaverunt istiusmodi sermones inesse libris eorum quibus possit ,creator ,christus approbari1 expectat tamen omnis creatura filios ,dei1 quando liberentur a delicto1 quando auferentur de ,zabuli manu1 quando regenerentur a ,christo4 ,verum jam tempus est1 ut de prsenti loco aliqua tangamus4 ,vidit ,propheta non visionem1 sed visiones ,dei4 #djd ,quare non vidat unam1 sed plurimas visiones8 ,audi ,dominum pollicentem atque dicentem3 ,ego visiones multiplicavi4 #h4 ,quinta mensis4 ,hic annus quinta captivitatis regis ,joachim4 ,trigesimo anno tatis ,ezekielis1 et quinto captivitatis ,joachim1 ,propheta mittiur ad ,judos4 ,non despexit clementissimus pater1 nec longo tempore incommonitum populum dereliquit4 ,quintus est annus4 ,quantum temporis intercessit8 ,quinque anni interfluxerunt ex quo captivi serviunt4 ,statim descendit ,spiritus ,sanctus1--aperuit coelos1 ut hi qui captivitatis jugo premebantur1 viderent ea qu videbantur a ,propheta4 ,dicente quippe eo1 ,et aperti sunt coeli1 quodam modo et ipsi intuebantur oculis cordis qu ille etiam oculis carnis aspexerat4--,vol4 iii4 p4 #ceh4 ,note4--,page #afe4 ,in a note on the ,epistle of ,st4 ,cyprian to his brother1 reference was made to the ,appendix for a closer comparison of ,cyprian's original letter with the modern translation of the passage under consideration4 ,by placing the two versions in parallel columns side by side1 we shall immediately see1 that the mode of citing the testimony of ,st4 ,cyprian adopted in ,dr4 ,wiseman's ,lectures1 from the compilation of ,messrs4 ,berington and ,kirk1 is rather to substitute his own comment and inference1 than to allow the witness to speak for himself in his own words4 ,the whole paragraph1 as it appears in ,dr4 ,wiseman's ,lectures1 is this3-- ,st4 ,cyprian in the same century3 ',let us be mindful of one another in our prayers2 with one mind and with one heart1 in this world and in the next1 let us always pray with mutual charity relieving our sufferings and afflictions4 ,and may the charity of him1 who1 by the divine favour1 shall first depart hence1 still persevere before the ,lord2 may his prayer1 for our brethren and sisters1 not cease4' ,therefore1 after having departed this life1 the same offices of charity are to continue1 by praying for those who remain on earth4 ,lect4 xiii4 vol4 ii4 p4 #ajg1 and ,berington and ,kirk1 p4 #dcj4 ,st4 ,cyprian's words4 ,epist4 lvii4 p4 #if4 ,translation adopted by ,dr4 ,wiseman from ,berington and ,kirk4 #a4 ,memories nostri invicem simus1 #a4 ,let us be mindful of one another ,,in ,,our ,,prayers2 #dje #b4 ,concordes atque unanimes1 #b4 ,with one mind and with one heart4 #c4 ,utrobique4 #c4 ,in this world and in the next1 #d4 ,,pro ,,nobis semper oremus1 #d4 ,let us always pray1 #e4 ,pressuras et angustias mutua #e4 ,with mutual charity ,,relieving out caritate relevemus1 sufferings and afflictions4 #f4 ,et si quis istinc nostrum #f4 ,and may the ,,charity ,,of ,,him1 prior divin dignationis celeritate who1 by the divine facour1 shall prcesserit1 perseveret apud ,dominum first depart hence1 still persevere ,,nostra ,,dilectio1 before the ,lord2 #g4 ,pro fratribus et sororibus #g4 ,may ,,his prayer1 for our brethren nostris apud misericordiam patris and sisters1 not cease4 non cesset oratio4 ,in this translation1 by inserting the words1 in our prayers1 which are not in the original in the first clause2 by rendering the adverb utrobique1 ,,in ,,this ,,world ,,and ,,in ,,the ,,next1 in the third clause2 by omitting the words pro nobis1 for each other1 which are in the original1 in the fourth clause2 by changing in the fifth the verb relevemus1 let us relieve1 implying another branch of their mutual kindness1 into the participle relieving1 which may imply1 that the relief alluded to was also to be conveyed by the medium of their prayers2 by substituting the charity of him1 in place of nostra dilectio1 our charity1 in the sixth2 and by inserting the word his1 which is not in the original1 before prayer1 where the grammar of the sentence requires our1 in the seventh clause2--by these means the translator makes ,cyprian express a sentiment far removed from what the words of ,cyprian1 in their plain and natural sense1 convey4 ,it must1 however1 be borne in mind1 as we have shown in our examination of the passage1 that the sentiment of ,cyprian1 even as it is thus unduly extracted from his words1 would not in the remotest degree countenance the invocation of saints4 ,it would do no more than imply his belief1 that the faithful departed may take an interest in the welfare of their surviving friends on earth1 and promote that welfare by their prayers2 a point which1 in the preface1 is mentioned as one of those topics1 the discussion of which would be avoided in this inquiry1 as quite distinct from the invocation of saints4 #djf ,note4--,page #agf4 ,an extract from ,eusebius1 unnoticed in the text of this work1 has recently been cited as conveying his testimony in favour of the invocation of saints4 ,i have judged it better to defer the consideration of it to the appendix4 ,it has been cited in these terms3 ,in the fourth century ,eusebius of ,csarea thus writes3 ',may we be found worthy by the prayers and intercessions of all the saints4' ,dr4 ,wiseman's ,lectures1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ajg4 ,lect4 xiii4 ,berington and ,kirk1 p4 #dca4 ,to form a just estimate of this alleged testimony1 it is requisite that we have before us not only that incomplete clause1 but the whole passage purporting to contain1 in these words1 the closing sentences of a commentary on ,isaiah3 ,tom4 ii4 p4 #eic1 ed4 ,paris1 #agjg4 ,dr4 ,wiseman's reference is ,com4 in ,isai4 ,tom4 ii4 p4 #eic1 ed4 ,paris1 #agjf4 ',and they shall be for a spectacle to all flesh4' ,to what flesh8 ,altogether to that which shall be somewhere punished8 ,nay1 to that which shall of the heavenly vision be deemed worthy1 concerning which it was said before1 ,all flesh shall come to worship before me1 of which may we also be deemed worthy by the prayers and intercessions of all the saints4 ,amen4 ,in examining this passage ,i am willing for the present that all its clauses should be accepted as the genuine words of ,eusebius1 and accepted too in the meaning attached to them by those who have cited them4 ,and to what do they amount8 ,if these are indeed his expressions1 ,eusebius believed that the saints departed can forward our spiritual welfare by their prayers and ministering offices2 and he uttered his desire that we might thus be benefited4 ,now whether we agree with him or not in that belief2 whether we consider the faithful departed as able to take an interest in our welfare and to promote it1 or regard such an opinion as without foundation in the word of ,god and in primitive doctrine2 the belief implied and the wish expressed here by ,eusebius1 are widely indeed removed from the act of suppliantly invoking the saints departed1 and resorting to them with entreaties for their prayers and intercessions in our behalf4 ,these two things1 although often confounded1 are far from being equivalent2 and by all who would investigate with fairness the subject of our inquiry1 they must be carefully kept distinct4 ,the invocation of saints being the single point in question1 our business is to ascertain1 not what opinions ,eusebius may have #djg entertained as to the condition1 and power1 and offices of the saints departed1 but whether he invoked them2 whether he had recourse to them with supplications for their prayers1 or aid and succour4 ,and keeping this closely in view1 even if we admit this passage to be genuine1 and interpret it as those who have cited it wish it to be interpreted1 we find in it no authority for the invocation of saints4 ,a ,christian would be no more countenanced by this language of ,eusebius in suppliantly invoking departed saints1 than he would in praying to the angels for their help and mediation be countenanced by the terms of the prayer in regard to them1 addressed by the ,anglican ,church to ,god1 ,o everlasting ,god1 who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order2 ,mercifully grant1 that as thy holy angels alway do ,thee service in heaven1 so by ,,thy appointment they may succour and defend us on earth2 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,amen4 ,whoever petitions them1 makes them ,gods--,deos qui rogat ille facit4 ,but whilst1 for the sake of the argument1 ,i have admitted this passage to be genuine1 and correctly translated1 and have shown that whether genuine or not1 and even if it be thus correctly translated1 it affects not in the least the issue of our inquiry1 ,i do not feel at liberty to withhold the acknowledgment of my persuasion that in this concession ,i grant too much4 ,for1 in the first place1 ,i am assured1 that if the passage came from the pen of ,eusebius1 no one is justified in confining the desire and wish contained in it to the intercessions and prayers of the saints in heaven2 and1 secondly1 ,i see reasons for inferring that the last clause was framed and attached to this work1 not by ,eusebius himself1 but by some editor or scribe4 ,in support of my first persuasion1 ,i would observe that the very language of the writer of these comments on ,isaiah and the ,psalms precludes us from regarding the ,saints departed as exclusively constituting those holy ones by whose intercessions and prayers he expresses his desire that our spiritual welfare may be promoted4 ,in this very comment on ,isaiah 7ch4 vi4 #b4 p4 #cgf71 when he is speaking of the heavenly inhabitants1 and illustrates his views by ,god's dealings towards the children of men in this world1 he employs this expression3 ,for as among men the ,saints of ,god partake of more excellent graces4 ,on the #fgth 7#fhth7 ,ps4 v4 #cd1 having interpreted the words1 his strength is in the clouds1 as referring to the #djh prophets and teachers of divine wisdom1 under the guidance of the ,spirit1 pouring heavenly truths upon the souls of men as the clouds drop rain on fertile lands1 he proceeds thus to comment on the expression1 ,god is wonderful among his ,saints4 ,vol4 i4 p4 #cfd4 ,the ,english translation refers the word holy to places1 not persons4 ,these ,saints are different from those before called ,apostles and prophets4 ,and who can they be1 except those who out of all nations are deemed worthy of purity and holiness1 among whom ,god is wonderful1 giving to them power and strength8 ,thus in perfect accordance with the language of this writer1 the ,saints1 from whose prayers and intercessions he desires to derive spiritual benefits1 may be the ,saints of ,god on earth--in the same state with those saints still living in the flesh1 whose prayers ,st4 ,paul desired to be offered up for himself1 that by them a door of utterance to speak the mystery of ,christ might be opened unto him ,coloss4 i4 #b2 iv4 #b1 #c4--;and with those saints to whom the same ,apostle wrote at ,philippi3 ,to all the saints in ,christ ,jesus3 and to whom he sent the greetings of the saints who then surrounded him3 ,,all the ,,saints salute you4 ,phil i4 #a2 iv4 #bb4 ,but before the closing words of this paragraph1 whatever be its meaning1 be acknowledged as the genuine and undoubted production of ,eusebius1 ,i would suggest the careful weighing of some considerations1 which appear to me to involve serious difficulties4 #a4 ,first1 through all the voluminous works of ,eusebius1 ,i have found in no single passage any allusion to the prayers of saints departed1 or to their ministering offices in our behalf1 though numberless openings show themselves for the natural introduction of such a subject4 #b4 ,secondly1 among all the various works and treatises of ,eusebius1 ,i have not found one which is closed by any termination of the kind2 on the contrary1 they all end with remarkable suddenness and abruptness1 precisely as this comment would end1 were the sentence under consideration removed4 ,each1 indeed1 of the books of his ,ecclesiastical ,history1 is followed by a notice of the close of the book1 in some cases too that notice involving a religious sentiment3 for example1 at the close of the #ajth book we read3 ,with the help of ,god1 the end of the tenth book4 ,but that these are appendages made by an editor or scribe is evident in itself1 and moreover #dji in many instances is shown by such sentences as these1 ,and this we have found in a certain copy in the #hth volume3 ,this is in some copies1 as if omitted from the #hth book4 ,i find no one instance of ,eusebius bringing a chapter or a treatise to its close by any religious sentiment1 or any termination of the nature here contemplated4 ,it is also difficult to conceive that any author1 having the flow and connexion of the whole passage present to his mind1 would himself have appended this ejaculation as we now find it4 ,we know that editors and scribes often attached a sentiment of their own to the closing words of an author4 ,and it seems far more probable1 that a scribe not having the full drift of the argument mainly before him1 but catching the expression1 heavenly vision1 appended such an ejaculation4 ,that the writer himself should introduce such a sentence by the connecting link of a relative pronoun feminine1 which must of necessity be referred1 not as the grammatical construction would suggest to the feminine noun preceding it1--not to any word expressed or understood in the intervening clause preceding it1--not to the last word in the sentence even before that intervening clause1 nor yet to the principal and leading subject immediately under discussion and thrice repeated1--but to a noun incidentally introduced1 seems1 to say the least1 strange and unnatural4 ,and they shall be for a spectacle to all flesh4 ,to what flesh8 ,altogether to that which shall be somewhere punished8 ,nay1 to that which shall of the heavenly vision be deemed worthy1 concerning ,,which it was said before1 ,all ,,flesh shall come to worship before me1 of which may we also be deemed worthy by the prayers and intercessions of all the saints4 ,amen4 ,but the classical reader will appreciate these remarks more satisfactorily by examining them with reference to the passage in the original language4 ,greek3 ,kai esontai eis orasin pasaei sarki4 poiai de sarki2 ae pantos pou taei kolasthaesomenaei2 taes de epouraniou theas kataxiothaesomenaei peri ,,haes anotero elegeto aexei pasa sarx tou proskunaesai enopion mou1 ,,haes kai haemeis axiotheiaemen euchais kai presbeiais panton ton hagion1 amaen4 ,note4--,page #aha4 ,,athanasius4 ,in the text ,i observed that some ,roman ,catholic writers of the present day had cited the homily there shown to be utterly spurious1 #daj as the genuine work of ,st4 ,athanasius1 and as recording his testimony in defence of the invocation of ,saints4 ,the passage there referred to ,dr4 ,wiseman thus introduces1 and comments upon4 ,st4 ,athanasius1 the most zealous and strenuous supporter that the ,church ever possessed of the divinity of ,jesus ,christ1 and consequently of his infinite superiority over all the saints1 thus enthusiastically addresses his ever-blessed ,mother3 ',hear now1 ,o daughter of ,david2 incline thine ear to our prayers4 ,we raise our cry to thee4 ,remember us1 ,o most holy ,virgin1 and for the feeble eulogiums we give thee1 grant us great gifts from the treasures of thy graces1 thou who art full of grace4 ,hail1 ,mary1 full of grace1 the ,lord is with thee4 ,queen and mother of ,god1 intercede for us4' ,mark well1 continues ,dr4 ,wiseman1 these words2 'grant us great gifts1 from the treasures of thy graces2' as if he hoped directly to receive them from her4 ,do ,catholics use stronger words than these8 ,or did ,st4 ,athanasius think or speak with us1 or with ,protestants8 ,in answer to these questions ,i reply with sure and certain confidence1 first1 that the genuine words of ,st4 ,athanasius himself prove him to have spoken and thought with the ,anglican ,church1 and not with the ,roman ,church on the invocation of saints and angels1 and the blessed ,virgin ,mary2 and secondly1 that whatever words ,roman ,catholics use1 whether stronger or not than these1 these words on which the above questions are put1 never came forth from the pen of ,st4 ,athanasius4 ,their spuriousness is not a question of doubt or difficulty4 ,it has been shown in the text that the whole homily has been for ages utterly repudiated1 as a work falsely attributed to ,st4 ,athanasius4 ,it is indeed very disheartening to those1 whose object is the discovery and the establishment of the truth1 to find works cited in evidence as the genuine productions of primitive ,christian teachers1 which have been so long ago1 and so repeatedly1 and that not by members of another communion1 but by the most learned men of the ,church of ,rome1 adjudged to be spurious4 ,i do not mean that ,i think it not fully competent for a writer of the present day to call in question1 and overrule and set aside the decisions of former editors1 as to the genuine or the spurious character of any work4 ,on the contrary ,i am persuaded that a field is open in that department of theology1 which would richly repay all the time and labour and expense1 which persons well qualified for the task could bestow upon its culture4 ,what ,i lament is this1 that after a work has been deliberately condemned as unquestionably #daa spurious1 by competent and accredited judges for two centuries and a half at the least1 that very work should be now cited as genuine and conclusive evidence1 without any the most distant allusion to the judgment which had condemned it1 or even to any suspicion of its being a forgery4 ,in this instance1 also1 ,dr4 ,wiseman has implicitly followed the compilation of ,messrs4 ,berington and ,kirk4 ,this is evident1 because the extract1 as it stands word for word the same in his ,lectures and their compilation1 is not found as one passage in the spurious homily1 but is made up of sentences selected from different clauses1 and put together so as to make one paragraph4 ,it is worthy of notice1 that in quoting their authority1 both ,dr4 ,wiseman1 and those whom he follows1 refer us to the very volume in which the ,benedictine editors declare that there was no learned man1 who did not pronounce the work to be spurious2 and in which also they quote at length the letter of ,baronius which had proved it to be a forgery4 ,dr4 ,wiseman's ,lectures1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ajh1 from ,berington and ,kirk1 p4 #dcj1 #dca4 ,note4--,page #bca4 7,decree of the ,council of ,trent47 ,canones et ,decreta ,sacros4 ,o,ecumen4 et ,genera4 ,concilii ,tridentini1 c4 ,rom4 fol4 ,a4,d4 #aefd4 ,mandat sancta ,synodus omnibus ,episcopis1 et ceteris docendi munus curamque sustinentibus1 ut juxta ,catholic1 et ,apostolic ,ecclesi usum1 a primvis ,christian religionis temporibus receptum1 sanctorumque ,patrum consensionem1 et sacrorum ,conciliorum decreta1 inprimis de ,sanctorum intercessione1 invocatione1 ,reliquiarum honore1 et legitimo imaginum usu1 fideles diligenter instruant1 docentes eos1 ,sanctos1 una cum ,christo regnantes1 orationes suas pro hominibus ,deo offerre2 bonum atque utile esse suppliciter eos invocare2 et ob beneficia impetranda a ,deo per ,filium ejus ,jesum ,christum1 ,dominum nostrum1 qui solus noster ,redemptor et ,salvator est1 ad eorum orationes1 opem1 auxiliumque confugere3 illos vero1 qui negant sanctos tern felicitate in coelo fruentes1 invocandos esse2 aut qui asserunt1 vel illos pro hominibus non orare1 vel eorum1 ut pro nobis etiam singulis orent1 invocationem esse idololatriam1 vel pugnare cum verbo ,dei1 adversarique honori unius ,mediatoris ,dei et hominum1 ,jesu ,christi1 vel stultum esse1 in coelo regnantibus voce1 vel mente supplicare1 impie sentire4 ,sanctorum quoque ,martyrum1 et aliorum cum ,christo viventium ,sancta corpora1 #dab qu viva membra fuerunt ,christi1 et templum ,spiritus ,sancti1 ab ipso ad ternam vitam suscitanda et glorificanda1 a fidelibus veneranda esse2 per qu multa beneficia a ,deo hominibus prstantur3 ita ut affirmantes1 ,sanctorum ,reliquiis venerationem1 atque honorem non deberi2 vel eas1 aliaque sacra monumenta a fidelibus inutiliter honorari2 atque eorum opis impetrand causa sanctorum memorias frustra frequentari2 omnino damnandos esse1 prout jampridem eos damnavit1 et nunc etiam damnat ,ecclesia4 ,de ,invocatione1 ,veneratione1 et ,reliquiis ,sanctorum1 et ,sacris ,imaginibus1 p4 #bjb4 ,note4--,pages #cfi and #cij4 ,in a prefatory epistle1 addressed to the ,chaplains1 ,wardens1 and ,brethren of the ,holy ,catholic ,gild1 in ,huddersfield1 ,dr4 ,wiseman 7p4 #d7 expresses himself thus3 ,yesterday ,i laid the badge of your association at the feet of the sovereign pontiff1 and it was most condescendingly and graciously received4 ,but this is not all4 ,as ,i had foretold1 ,i found ,his ,holiness fully informed of your establishment and public manifestation2 and ,i had the satisfaction of hearing him express his ,,wish ,,that ,,similar ,,institutions ,,should ,,revive ,,all ,,over ,,the ,,country4 ,towards the close of the sermon1 to which this preface is prefixed1 and which was preached at ,st4 ,patrick's ,chapel1 ,huddersfield1 ,sept4 #bfth1 #ahci1 and was printed at ,york in the present year ,a4,d4 #ahdj1 the preacher draws the comparison1 referred to in page #cgj of this work1 between ,england and the continent1 and between ,england as it is1 and ,england as it once was1 and as1 in his view1 it ought to be again4 ,after describing the scenes which you may witness in ,roman ,catholic countries1 where you might see the poor and the afflicted crowding round some altar1 where their pious confidence or experience of past favours leads them to hope that their prayers will best be heard through the intercession of our dear ,lady1 he thus proceeds3 ,oh that the time had come1 when a similar expression of our devout feelings towards her should publicly be made1 and all should unite to show her that honour1 that reverence1 and love which she deserves from all ,christians1 and which has so long been denied her amongst us4 ,there was a time when ,england was second to #dac no other country upon earth in the discharge of this holy duty2 and it will be only ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,restoration ,,of ,,our ,,good ,,and ,,glorious ,,days ,,of ,,old to revive to the utmost this part of ancient piety4 ,therefore do ,i feel sincere joy at witnessing the establishment of this excellent brotherhood1 and its public manifestation in this town this day1 both as a means of encouraging devotion and virtue1 and as a return to one of the venerable institutions of our forefathers4 ,enter then fully into its spirit4 ,a ,sermon delivered at ,st4 ,patrick's1 ,huddersfield1 ,sept4 #bfth1 #ahci1 on occasion of the ,holy ,catholic ,gild there established1 by the ,rev4 ,n4 ,wiseman1 ,d4,d41 ,professor in the ,university of ,rome4 ,york1 #ahdj1 p4 #bb1 #bc4 ,the first quotation made in p4 #cij1 is from this ,sermon4