I. What 's the profest Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome , as to Invocation of Saints ?

AN Account of this I shall give you first in general , as it is set down in the Decree of the Trent-Council , and then lay it before you more at large , distributed under several particulars .

In the twenty fifth Session of that pack'd Synod , we have its Decree in these Words : That all Bishops and Pastors that have the Cure of Souls , do diligently instruct their Flock , that it is Good and Profitable , Humbly to Pray unto the Saints , and to have recourse to their Prayers , Help and Aid : And then to reinforce the Obligation of it , it denounces an Anathema against all those who shall find fault with it , or refuse to practise it . So that now whosoever shall be so hardy as to think and teach the contrary , to say , that either it ought not to be done , or that it 's a foolish thing to do it ; that the practice is little less than Idolatry , repugnant to the Doctrine of the Scriptures , hugely derogatory to the Glory of God as sole Governour of the World , and highly injurious to the Honour of Christ as the only Mediatour betwixt God and Man , does , in the judgment of that Church , think impiously ; and if the Pope's Power as well as his Infallibility does not fail him , he must be Curst and Damn'd for it . But , for once , not to be frighted with this vain Thunder , I shall proceed in due place , by God's assistance , to prove all the foregoing particulars against it , when I have given you yet a fuller discription of it . First then ,

1. The least and most excusable thing in this Doctrine and Practice is , to Pray to Saints to Pray for them . Thus much is not onely confest by them , but made the pretence to bring off this Doctrine without the Charge of Idolatry and Creature-Worship : We do no more in Praying to Saints departed , say they , than one living Christian does to another , when he says , Pray Sir , Pray for me , or remember me in your Prayers . But , was this indeed the true meaning of such Devotions , it 's so far from being any justification of them , that the Apology it self is sinful , and admitting the excuse , the Practice no less to be condemned . For ,

When they Pray to Saints departed to Pray for them , those Saints do either hear their Prayers and become acquainted with their desires , or they do not ; If they do hear all those Prayers that are put up to them at the same time by innumerable persons , and that in far distant places , what 's this but to ascribe to them that Ubiquity and Omnipresence , that 's solely , peculiarly , and incommunicably in God ? If they do not , then it 's very absurd and ridiculous , and a great abuse of that reason God hath given men for other ends than to trifle with , to Pray to them . For , to what purpose should they Pray to them that can't hear them ? Why should they beseech those to be their Advocates to God , and recommend their particular cases to Him , whose cases they cannot , by any way that we know of , come to understand ? As for their learning and seeing all things in the Glass of the Trinity , or learning them by particular revelation from God ; as God has declared no such thing to us , so is it not to be known by the Light of Nature , but the contrary is very probable , if not certain ; as shall be made to appear in the sequel of this Discourse . It is not denyed but that blessed Spirits who are safely landed upon the Shore , do Pray for their Partners who are still behind beating it on the Waves ; it is not denied but that Saints in Heaven may pray in particular to God for their Friends and Relations , whose necessities and infirmities they were well acquainted with before they left the Body : so 't was agreed betwixt St. Cyprian and Cornelius , that who went first to Glory , should be mindful of the others condition to God ; for , why should their Memories or their Charity be thought to be less in Heaven than they were on Earth ? We know 't was the practice of some good Men in the Primitive times to recommend themselves to the Prayers of the Saints , that is , to desire God to hear the Prayers that the Saints in Heaven did make in their behalf ; and to apply themselves to the Martyrs a little before their suffering , when they themselves were entred into bliss , to interceed with God for those who were yet on the way passing thither with fear and trembling . But now is there no difference betwixt the Saints intercessions for us and our Invocation of them ? betwixt their Praying for us in Heaven , and our Praying to them on Earth ? Is there no difference betwixt one living Christian Praying to another to Pray for him , who hears his request , and who is acquainted with his condition , and our addressing to Saints departed , to Pray for us , who know us not , and who are ignorant of our state ?

Again , when they pray to Saints departed , they do it with all the Rites and Solemnities of a Religious Worship , in Sacred Offices , upon their Knees , with uncovered Heads , with Hands and Eyes lifted up , in times and places dedicated to God's Worship ; now , though it should be true , that they do no more than pray to Saints to pray for them , yet doing it in that manner , with such External Acts of Devotion that are confest to be the same wherewith we call on God , I do not see , how they can be excused , even on this account , from attributing that honour to the Creature , which is due onely to the Creator . As God is owned to be infinite in himself , and to have incommunicable Perfections , so there ought to be some peculiar and appropriate Acts and Signs of Worship to signify that we do inwardly so esteem and believe of God ; and when these are once determined by the Law of God , or the universal reason and consent of Mankind , the applying them to any else but him , is a plain violating his Peculiarities , and robbing him of his Honour . And now in this respect also , I cannot discern how the Romish Invocation of Saints is of the same nature with our Requesting our Fellow-Members to Pray for us ? For ( not to mention again the presence of these , and the absence of the other ) is there no difference betwixt my desiring an eminently good Christian to pray for me , and falling down on my knees with Hands and Eyes lifted up , and that in a Temple , to him , with that request ? Would not every good man that has any regard for the Honour of God , presently shew his detestation of such an action ? Would he not say to me , as St. Peter to Cornelius falling down before him , Stand up , I my self also am a man ? Would he not with St. Paul have rent his Garments , and with much holy indignation cryed out to me , as he to the men of Lystra , designing the same Honours to him and Barnabas , wherewith they Worship'd their Gods , Why do ye these things , we also are men of like passions with you ? As the Saints in Heaven cannot be supposed to lose any thing of their Love and Charity towards their Fellow-Members by going thither , so neither can they be thought to abate any thing of their zeal and fervour for the Honour of God , and therefore certainly what they did and would have refused here on Earth , they must with higher degrees of abhorrence reject now they are in Heaven .

Moreover , if this be all they mean by all their several Offices of Devotions to Saints departed , that they should pray for them unto God , why in all this time that these forms have been complained of , has not the sense of them been better exprest ? Whence , I pray , should we take the meaning of such Prayers but from the usual signification of the Words ? But , if not ; why has no Inquisition past upon them ? Why have not the grossest and rankest for Superstition and encroaching on the Prerogative of God , been expunged and blotted out ? Why all this while has there been no review , no comments upon them , no cautions and instructions written and bound up with their Breviaries , Rosaries and Hours , that the People might know how to understand them ? If the form of words in their Saint-Invocation be the same that is used to God , but their sence and meaning otherwise , why don't they tell this to the World , and make their Explication as publick and as general as the Prayers ?

Certainly the Bishops and Governours of the Romish Church , and those that have the Care of Souls amongst them , are either guilty of gross and wilful Neglects to the People , or else , whatever they say to us , their will is , that the People should understand those Prayers according to the customary and received use of the words ; and then I am sure they pray , not only to Saints to pray for them unto God , in order to the obtaining of him such aids and supplies they want , but to Saints themselves for those very blessings . As will appear at large in the next particular .

2. They pray to Saints departed for those very blessings that none but God can give . To what purpose else do they advise us to fly , not onely to their Prayers , but their help and assistance ; Opem auxiliumque Trid . Con . Sess. 25. which words , help and assistance , would have been altogether superfluous , was not something else meant by them , than onely that of their Prayers .

To what purpose else do they pray to them to visit them , to make haste and come to them , Propere veni , accelera . did they not expect some other aid and assistance from them , than bare praying for them ? For that certainly might have been better and more conveniently performed in Heaven , before the Face of God .

To what purpose else in some particular cases do they put up their Addresses to one Saint rather than to another , according as in this World they were famous , either for some eminent Grace shining in them , or for some strange Cure or extraordinary Deliverance wrought by them , but onely , that they believe and trust , that those who did such great things on Earth , are much more willing and able to do them now they are in Heaven , where , while other Graces cease , Charity and Beneficence are perfected , and abide for ever ?

Thus because St. Roch was signally Charitable in assisting those who were infected with the Plague , therefore do they call upon him in times of Infection ; because St. Apollonia had all her Teeth struck out for her undaunted Confession of the Faith of Jesus , therefore do they fly to her for ease against the Rage of Teeth ; because St. George was by Profession a Souldier , and renown'd for wonderful Atchievements , therefore have they recourse to him for Assistance against Enemies . 't is true , was it lawful to Address to any at all , this might be a sufficient reason , why they Address to this rather than to another Saint , because his or her former actions or sufferings do best suit and befit their present case ; but , being not sure that these and such like Canonized Saints of the Romish Church , are Saints in Heaven , being sure , if they are , they can't hear us , nor know our particular State , much less bestow health and deliverance upon us ; whilest we Love and Honour the Memory of Saints indeed , we ought to call onely upon God , who onely is a present help in time of need , and the Saviour of them that put their trust in him .

But to put this out of doubt , it will not be amiss to set down some of their Forms of Devotion to Saints departed : And here , not to rake for them in some obscure Authors that have privately stole into the World , I shall need go no farther than the present Roman Breviary , Corrected and Published by the Decree and Order of the Council of Trent . The Blessed Virgin is there Invocated in the Feast of the Assumption , For strength against Enemies ; and in the Hymn frequently used in her Office , she is not only called the Gate of Heaven , but intreated to loose the bonds of the Guilty , to give light to the Blind , to drive away our evils , to obtain good things for us , and to shew her self to be a Mother ; ( that is , as the Mass-Book of Paris , 1634 , interprets it ) O foelix puerpera nostra pians scelera , jure matris impera Redemptori . Dall . de cultu Latin . lib 3 cap 4. p. 359. Not denied by Natalis Alexan . though he answers this Citation of Dalle , only says , Non est ab ecclesia probata & quibusdam tantum missalibus olim inserta est . Hist . Eccl. Sec . 5. dissert . 5. p. 343.347 . in right of a Mother to command her Son . In another place she is sued to for help to the Miserable , for strength to the Weak , for comfort to the Afflicted , and that all that Celebrate her Festivals may feel her Assistance : And but that I said I would not hunt for matter , I could send you to Authors of theirs , and not of the least note , where we may read such Blasphemy as this : Biel . in Can . mis . Sect . 80. That God hath given the Virgin Mary half of his Kingdom . Salmeron in Tim . 1.2 . dis . 8. That the Prayers made to , and by the Saints , are better than those made by Christ . Carol . Scrib . in Amph. hon . Commun . p. 29. Chemn . exemp . Invocat . Sanct . p. 146. That the Mother's Milk is equally to be esteem'd with the Son's Blood . This you may take for a tast of that Hyperdulia , that superrefin'd Service which they put up to the Blessed Virgin ; and yet that to the Apostles and other Saints of less Magnitude comes not much behind it : St. Peter is intreated by the Power given to him , To hear their Prayers , to unty the bonds of their Iniquity , and to open the Gates of Heaven : all the Apostles , to Absolve them from their Sins by their command , to Heal all their Spiritual Maladies , and to increase their Virtues . St. Andrew is supplicated for Patience to bear chearfully the Cross of Christ ; St. Francis , for Deliverance from the drudgery and bondage of Sin ; St. Brigit , for Wisdom against the Snares of the World ; St. Nicholas , for Courage against the assaults of the Devil ; St. Agnes , for the chiefest of Graces , that of Charity ; and St. Catharine , for all Graces : We are taught to Pray to be delivered from Hell , and to be made Partakers of Heaven by their Merits ; Breviar . & miss . to fly to them as our Patrons and Advocates , to put confidence in their Intercessions , and to ascribe our Mercies and deliverances to their Power and Interest in God . In the Office of Visitation of the Sick , the Priest laying his right hand upon the head of the sick Person , Prays , Ritual de Visit . Infirm . That Jesus the Son of Mary , and Saviour of the World , would for the Merits and Intercession of his Holy Apostles , Peter and Paul , and all Saints , Meritis & intercessione S. S. be Gracious and Merciful to him : And in another place in the same Office , That through the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin , and all Saints , he might obtain Eternal Life . These are enough , but I cannot omit one more , which is a Flower indeed ; in the Office about the Sacrament of Penance , there is found this remarkable Prayer : Ritual . Rom. de Sacram . poenit . The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ , the Merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary , and of all Saints , and whatsoever Good thou hast done , and whatsoever Evil thou hast suffered , be to thee for the Remission of Sins , the Encrease of Grace , and the Reward of Eternal Life . And now let the Reader judge , if this be not to give the Creature that Worship that 's due only to the Creator , and to seek to obtain those Blessings from finite Beings , and through their procurement , which only Almighty God , and his Blessed Son Christ Jesus , can give unto Men .

3. 't is the Doctrine of the Church of Rome , Voce vel mente Supplicare . that Mental Prayers , as well as Vocal , are to be put up to Saints departed ; So the Trent-Council decreed , so their Bishops and Pastors are enjoyned to teach the People , and so they practise , this being a form of Prayer to Saints in frequent use amongst them , With the desire of our Hearts we Pray unto you , regard the ready Service of our Minds . So that according to them , Saints departed do not only hear our Prayers , but know our Hearts also ; and indeed this is necessarily implied in every Prayer that 's made to them , viz. that they not onely hear the Prayer , but know the disposition of the Heart from whence it proceeds , otherwise the Hypocritical Supplicant must be supposed , as likely to obtain their favour , as the Sincerest Votary .

4. They not only Pray to them with Mental and Vocal Prayer , but

They confess their Sins to them . Very remarkable is that Form of Confession in the Reformed Roman Missal , Ordinar . missae . p. 217. I confess to Almighty God , to the ever Blessed Virgin , to Blessed Michael , Arch-Angel , to Blessed John Baptist , to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul , to all the Saints , and to you , Brethren , that I have Sinned in thought , word and deed .

They make Vows to them ; nothing is more common then , at entrance into some Religious Orders , thus to express their Devotion : I Vow to God and the Blessed Virgin ; then to Vow that their whole life shall be devoted to the Blessed Virgin , or some other Saint , according to that famous pattern , Francis Albertin . de Angel . Custod . p. 224. I humbly beg of thee , O Mother of all Clemency , that thou wouldest vouchsafe to admit me into the number of those who have devoted themselves to thee , to be thy perpetual Servants . Another of this kind , not much inferiour to it , Horst in dedic . sect . 2. p. 83. we meet with in Horstius , viz. I firmly resolve henceforth to serve thee and thy Son with all faithfulness , and for ever to cleave to thee .

They offer up Laud and Praise to them , and intreat them to hear and receive their Thanksgivings ; thus to St. Brev . Rom. in fest . S. Jacob . James they pray that he would joyfully hear the acknowledgments that as right and due they paid to him . 't is usual with their learned men to conclude their Books with Praise to God and the Blessed Virgin , particularly Valentia and Bellarmine , the latter of which thus ends his Book concerning the Worship of Saints : Praise be to God , Bellar . de cul . Sanct . Lyon Edit. Laus deo virginique Mariae , Jesu item Christo . and to the Blessed Virgin also to Jesus Christ . Horstius before had it , thee and thy Son ; Bellarmine here , the Blessed Virgin , and then Jesus Christ : whereby we may see they give her not only an equal part with God in their Praises , but by placing her before Christ , seem to give her somewhat of Pre-eminence above him .

5. They appoint Angels and Saints , Deputies and Lieutenants under God in the Government of the World , and stick not to make them Guardians , Patrons and Patronesses over particular Kingdoms , Cities , Churches , and single Persons . The Scripture indeed frequently speaks of the Knowledge , Presence , Dignity , occasional Ministry , and Embassies of holy Angels , but that delegation of power the Romanists give them , whereby they make them share Empire and Dominion with God in the Government of the World , can be as little prov'd of them , as of Saints departed : however , I am chiefly to consider their Doctrine and Practice in reference to the latter ; Horst . parad . Animae sect . 2. they teach the People to make choice of one or more out of the number of the Saints to be their Patron , to love them , to imitate them , through their hands to offer daily their works to God , to commend themselves to their protection at all times , especially in Difficulties and Temptations ; they give to one Saint this Precinct , and to another , that ; to one , power over this Malady ; over that , to others . More of this you have drawn to the life in the fore-mentioned excellent Homily of our Church against Idolatry , Homil . of Idolat . out of which I shall only cull some Passages , and refer the Reader , for farther satisfaction , to the Homily it self : It compares such Saints in the Roman Church , to whom they allot the defence of certain Countries , to the Dii Tutelares of the Gentile Idolaters ; such , to whom the safety of certain Cities are committed , to their Dii Presides ; and such , to whom Temples and Churches are builded , and Altars erected , to their Dii Patroni ; it tells us that the Romanists have no fewer Saints , than the Heathens had Gods , to whom they give the Honour due to God ; every Artificer and Profession has his special Saint as a peculiar God : for example , Scholars have St. Nicholas and St. Gregory ; Painters , St. Luke ; neither lack Souldiers their Mars ; nor Lovers their Venus amongst Christians . The Sea and Waters , amongst the Romanists , as well as Cities and Countries , have their special Saints to preside over them , as amongst the Heathens they had Gods : All Diseases have their special Saints as Gods , the Curers of them ; the Pox , St. Roch ; the Falling-Evil , St. Cornelis ; the Toothach , St. Apollonia : Neither do Beasts and Cattle lack their Gods with us ; for St. Loy is the Horsleach , and St. Anthony the Swineherd , &c. Where is God's Providence and due Honour in the mean time ? who saith , The Heavens be mine , the Earth is mine , the whole World and all that therein is : but we have left him neither Heaven , nor Earth , nor Water , nor Country , nor City , Peace nor War , to Rule and Govern ; neither Men nor Beasts , nor their Diseases to cure : And , as if we doubted of his ability or will to help , we joyn to him another Helper , as if he were a Noun Adjective , using these Sayings ; such as Learn , God and St. Nicholas be my speed ; such as Neese , God help and St. John ; to the Horse , God and St. Loy save thee . Thus are we become like Horses and Mules , that have no understanding . Oh Heavens ! Oh Earth ! What Madness and Wickedness against God , are Men fallen into ? What dishonour do the Creatures to their Creator and Maker ? This is not written to reproach the Saints , but to condemn the Foolishness and Wickedness of Men , who make of the true Servants of God , false Gods , by attributing to them the Power and Honour which is Gods , and due to him only .

II . On what occasion this Doctrine and Practice began and spread in the Church ?

GReat was the Honour the Primitive Christians had for their Martyrs and Confessors ; they frequented their Tombs , erected Altars on the places of their burial , highly esteemed their Bones and Reliques ; here they rehearsed their good works done in their life-time , and their Faith , Patience , and Constancy shewed at Death ; here they blessed God for that Grace that was given them , and for that good that accrued to themselves by their example ; here they proposed their Virtues for imitation , and had their own Piety and Zeal enflamed by the remembrance of them : and the Christian Cause being then harassed on every side by implacable Enemies , the Malice of the Jew , and the Subtilty of the Greek , and the Power of the Roman combining with their united force to destroy and root it up , it pleased God , not only by the demonstration of a Divine power in the Apostles and their immediate Successors , whilst they were alive , but also by many wonderful things done at their Tombs when they were dead , and by sensibly answering Prayers that were there put up to him , to confirm the Truth of Christianity , to declare his approbation of the sufferings of his Servants , and to encourage others to Seal the Doctrine of the Gospel with their Bloud as they had done . To them in a particular manner may that of the Apostle be applied , Rom. 8.29 , 30. Whom God did foreknow , them he did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son ; Ver . 28. and whom he did predestinate , them he called ; and whom he called , them he justified ; and whom he justified , them he glorified . The Apostle having said in the verse before , We know that all things work together for good unto them that love God , to them who are called according to his purpose ; adds , as a proof of what he had said , whom he did foreknow , would be persons of Great and Noble minds , and so fit for the work , them he did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son , them he did decree to suffer for his sake , and by sufferings to be made conformed to his Son , who was made perfect through sufferings ; and whom he did predestinate , them he also called , them in due time he actually called forth to suffer for his Name ; and whom he called , them he justified , them he approved of as faithful Servants , as loyal Souldiers , as invincible Champions of Truth and Righteousness ; and whom he justified them he glorified , them he crowned with Honour and Renown here , and with immortal Glory hereafter . This was the Testimony God bore to the Apostles and first Bishops of the Church , to the Authority they had received , to the Doctrine they taught , and for which they died ; this was the Honour the Primitive Christians deservedly shewed to their victorious Martyrs ; they did not Invocate them , but Loved their Memories , Commemorated their Virtues , and Blessed God for their Example ; they performed to them not any part of Religious Worship that was due to God only , Cultus officiosus dilectionis , & societatis , specialis observantia . S. Aust . Contr . Faust . lib . 20.21 . {αβγδ} . Cyril . l. 6. contr . Jul. but ( as they called it ) an officious Worship , a Worship of Love and Society , a special and particular observance , a respect convenient and proper , and which they could not but think was due to them on the account of the great service they had done to the Cause of Christ , and the more than ordinary worth and excellency that shined in them .

But afterwards in succeeding Ages , when through the good Providence of God , and Favour of Constantine the Great , the Church had rest and ease , and Prosperity began to dawn upon it , the Devil finding he could not prevail over the Christian Faith by fiery trials and temptations , betook himself to other , more secret it may be , but equally dangerous stratagems ; and by working on the strong inclinations and affections of men to ease and softness , he too successfully attempted to deprave and corrupt it by loose and superstitious Doctrines : most men are for some kind of Religion whether the Devil will or no , which , because he cannot hinder , he labours what he can , it may be such , that whilst it pretends fair , may do them but little good ; and men are forward enough to close with that which offers , at carrying them to Heaven , on the easiest terms . The Church being now out of Persecution , and Riches and Honours attending that Profession , for which such Multitudes had lost all , and endured the Flames , the People began to be more loose and vain in their conversations , than when they still expected Martyrdom : now they began to place their Religion in shews and pretences more than in a sincere and substantial Piety ; and whereas before they were wont to frequent the Tombs of the Martyrs , that at the sight of the place their Affections might be raised , their Devotions enlivened , and their Faith and Charity receive farther degrees of warmth and heat from their burning and shining Examples ; now they placed all their Religion in the bare outward observance of that Solemnity , and took more care to honour the Saints by their lofty Praises and Commendations of them , than to become Saints themselves by imitating their Graces and Virtues ; and that , what was wanting in the one , they might make up in the other , they now began to fall into many superstitious Conceits and Opinions concerning them , to break out into too lavish , and indeed extravagant expressions of their worth , and to fly too high in their Panegyricks and Laudatory Orations : Now they began

To attribute the Miracles done at the Martyrs Tombs , to the Martyrs own Power , or at least Mediation with God . The common People observing , that many Cures were wrought upon those , that at those Monuments applied themselves to God , were led by degrees to look upon them as so many Testimonies of the Martyrs great Interest in the Court of Heaven , and instead of begging relief of God , to speak directly to the Martyrs themselves :

To fancy that the Souls of Martyrs were always hovering about their Tombs and Ashes , and so joyned their Intercessions with the Prayers of Christians that were put up to God in those places ; so 't was objected by Vigilantius to St. Hierom :

To wish that the Martyrs would Pray for them : so they cried out in the Council of Chalcedon , Oret pro nobis Flavianus . Let Flavianus Pray for us : and in Theodoret's History of the Lives of the Fathers , we find in the close of most of them , ( thô some think them not to be his words , but Additions and Insertions afterwards : ) I wish and desire that by their Intercession I may obtain Divine help .

To commend themselves to the Martyrs Intercessions , Commend are nos orationi , St. Aust . to beg to be heard for their sakes , to be helpt by their Prayers , to be vouchsaft the effects of the Prayers that were made by them , in behalf of the Church below :

To Pray to them upon supposition , if they heard or knew what was done here below : {αβγδ} . Nazian . Orat . 3. in Julian . {αβγδ} . Orat . und . in Gorgon . Hear , oh thou Soul of Great Constantius ! says St. Gregory Nazianzen , if thou hast any understanding of these things . The like he hath in his Funeral Oration which he made upon his Sister Gorgonia : If thou hast any care of things done by us , and Holy Souls , receive this Honour from God that they have any feeling of such things as these , receive this Oration of ours .

By such steps and degrees as these , the frequenting the places where the Martyrs were enshrined , and honouring their Names and Memories , was turned into superstitious Devotion , and that soon ended in solemn and down-right Invocation .

To all this we may add , Dr. Tenison . what a Learned Author of our own has ingeniously guest , that the great compliance and yielding of the Roman Christians in this particular to those Northern Nations , the Goths and Vandals , when they invaded and over-run the Empire , did not a little contribute to raise and propagate this Saint-Worship and Invocation in the Church ; of all the Heathen Nations none were more Zealously Devoted to the Worship of Daemons , than those were , whereof he gives many Testimonies ; now it 's not improbable that the Christians , to mollifie their fierce natures , and to induce them the more readily to embrace Christianity , might indulge them still that Practice , excepting onely the Object of their Worship , giving them real Saints and Holy Angels instead of their feigned and impure Deities ; and that which makes this the more probable is , that their Invasion and stay in Italy , and the rise and growth of Daemon-Worship there , jump exactly as to time , and both bear Date from the Fourth and Fifth Centuries .

III . That there is not the least proof for it from Scripture .

I. ANd here we are first to take notice , Bell . de Sanct . beat . c . 19. Sal . in 1 Tim . 2. disp . 7. Eckius Enchir . de vener . San . c . 15. Cardin . du Perron . that it is freely confest by some of their own Learned Divines , that there is no express Text , either in the Old or New Testament , for this Doctrine and Practice ; And is it not hard to make that an Article of Faith , that has no foundation to stand on in the word of God ? or to make that a Duty , that has no Law nor Sanction to bind us to the Practice of it ? Were not the Scriptures written to make men wise unto Salvation , 2 Tim . 3.15 , 16. and to instruct them throughly unto all good works ? John 20.30 . Were they not written that we might believe , and believing might have eternal life ? Do not the Apostles say , they have made known to Men the whole will of God , and kept nothing hid from them ? Do they not abound in earnest Exhortations to pray , to pray always to pray without ceasing , with all Prayer ? Have they not left frequent Directions for the right performance of it , in a Language that all that hear may understand , 1 Cor . 14. with pure hands , in Faith , without wrath and doubting ? And now can we imagine after all this , that , had Invocation of Saints been so good and profitable a Duty , or that it had been so great a Crime , Catech . Rom. 584. so much as to doubt of the Blessed Virgin's Merits and Ability to help , that they would have been wholly silent as to this matter ? Were not the Apostles guided by the Holy Spirit of God ? Must they not be supposed to have as hearty a concern , and as burning a zeal for the Salvation of Souls , and the Glory of God , as the Trent Fathers had ? And now , had this Practice been so highly instrumental to promote both these , as that Synod would have us believe , is it to be imagined that every one of them would have quite forgot it , and neglected to have given it in charge with as much strictness , as they have done to all Bishops and Pastors , to instruct their Flocks in the Piety and Usefulness of it ? Have not the Apostles both by their Precept and Example enjoyned Christians to beg the Prayers of one another , whilst they are in the Body ? Have they not prescribed the sick man , as the most Soveraign Receipt , to have recourse to the Prayers of the Elders of the Church ? Jam . 5.14 . What reason then can be given , that we have not any one Example or Precept to fly to the Prayers of Saints departed , to their help and assistance , as the more prevailing and meritorious , but only this , that they are not in a capacity to hear our Requests , or to know our Conditions ? Nay , had our Saviour and his Apostles intended this Saint-Invocation as a necessary Christian Duty , it would have needed a more express command and penalty to have inforced its obligation , than most other Duties of Christianity , since it was altogether a thing new to the Jews , and what had never been practised by them : for though sometimes in their Prayers to God , they besought him to remember Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , that is , Luk . 1.55 , 72 , 73. Deut . 7.8 . his own covenant and promise he had made with and to them ; yet they never used them as Intercessors , or said , Holy Abraham , or Holy Isaac , Pray for us .

But to blunt the edge of this Argument that they themselves have put into our hands against it , they tell us , 't was not for any intrinsick Evil in the thing , but for some particular reasons relating to the times of the Old Testament , and the first Ages of the New , that it was not mentioned and enjoyned in Scripture ; but if the Reasons produced by them do hold with equal force against it promiscuously in all Ages , as well as against it , then certainly the main reason why it 's no-where prescribed in Scripture , is , that it might at no time be put in practice . The Reasons they give are chiefly two .

For the Old Testament , they say it 's not there enjoyned , because the Patriarchs and Saints departed , during that dispensation , were not admitted into the Beatifick Vision , and so could not ordinarily understand the Prayers of the Living ; but , if for ought we know , Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , are still in the same Limbo , or place of Rest they went to at first , or if our Saviour at his ascension into Heaven did give them a happy deliverance , and took them up with him into the immediate presence of God , it 's not certain , that they understand the desires of the Living any more than they did before , then there is as much reason not to Invocate them now , as there was not to do it then . Many of the Romanists will not have the Saints in Heaven come to know the desires of their Living Votaries by the benefit of the Beatifick Vision which they enjoy , but by particular Revelation from God ; and if so , then the Old Testament-Worthies were as capable of it , and consequently there was as much reason to Pray unto them before our Saviour's coming , when they were but in Paradise , as afterwards when by his glorious Victory and Triumph over Death they were exalted into Heaven , since God could have revealed the requests of their Supplicants alike to them in all places , in one as well as another : besides , considering the great esteem and veneration the Jews ever had for those great Men , the Founders of their Nation , Abraham , Isaac , Jacob , Moses , Joshua , and others , had there been no evil in the thing , no reason can be given why it was not preached to the Jews by our Saviour and his Apostles , as the most likely Argument to win them to embrace the Christian Religion .

For the New Testament , they say , 't is not there enjoyned , because it would have been a great offence and scandal to the new-converted Gentiles , and have given them an occasion to think , that they had only changed their Gods , but not their Religion ; that the Christian Doctrine was only a device of the Apostles to thrust out their old Daemons and Heroes , and to put in themselves ; that as those had hitherto been Worshipt for the great services and benefactions they did in this present World , so they for the future might have the same Honour done them for the full discoveries they had made , and excellent directions they had given , relating to a future and more happy State .

And is not this a good Argument , and does it not hold still against Romish Invocation ? Is it not of as much force now to cast it out of the Church , as it was then not to bring it in ? Does it not give infinite offence to a great part of the Christian World , and is it not esteem'd , and that justly , by them to be the old Pagan-Worship revived , or something very near it ? For it is not enough to excuse them from it , that the object of their Invocation is not the same , that they do not with them pay this Worship to the Heathen Deities , ( who , though in some respects they had been Patrons and Benefactors to their Country , were yet in others very lewd and unworthy persons ) but to the Apostles of Christ and Christian Martyrs , ( who in all respects were highly deserving of the World ) whilst they agree in the same act and kind of Worship , and give that Honour to the Creature , which properly and peculiarly belongs to God ; and herein especially did the Pagan Worship and Superstition consist .

2. We shall now examine the chief of those Texts the Romanists produce in the behalf of this Doctrine , and let you see how little they serve to that purpose .

The first is , Luke 15.7 , 10. There shall be joy in Heaven : and again , There shall be joy before the Angels of God , over one Sinner that repenteth . From whence they argue , that if Angels and Blessed Spirits rejoyce at the Conversion of a Sinner , they must know and understand this change that 's wrought in them , before they can rejoyce at it ; and if the knowledge of their repentance reaches them , why not also of their Prayers ? And then if they can hear their Prayers , why may they not be prayed unto ? To this it 's answered ,

That this rejoycing in Heaven is not for the Conversion of a particular Sinner , but in general for the Redemption of Mankind by Jesus Christ ; and this appears more than probable from the parable of the lost Sheep immediately going before , whereof these words are the conclusion ; the Ninety nine Sheep not lost , are the Angels persevering in their first State of Innocency ; the Sheep that went astray , Adam , and in him all his Posterity that fell from God ; the Shepherd that went to seek the lost Sheep , God himself , who sent his Son into the World to seek and to save that which is lost , on whose shoulders the great Work of Mans Redemption was laid ; and for this we are sure there was joy in Heaven , when a Blessed Chore of Angels sung that Heavenly Anthem at Christ's Nativity , Glory be to God on high , and on Earth Peace , good will towards Men . But

Supposing this rejoycing is to be understood for the Repentance of individual Sinners , it may be observed , that this joy is not said to be the joy of Angels , but before the Angels ; {αβγδ} . intimating that this rejoycing is not to be attributed to the Angels , but to God in whose presence they stand , and this Exposition is countenanced by considering that it 's God that answers to the Shepherd in the Parable ; as he went to seek his straied Sheep , and rejoyced at the finding of it , so it 's God that by his Grace and Mercy in Christ , recovered Man , and rejoyced at the accomplishment of his own Work . Again ,

If this Text does imply , that Angels in Heaven know when a Sinner is converted , and rejoyce at it , it does not follow that they know this by some excellent priviledge and perfection of their Nature , whereby also they are enabled to understand even those Mental Prayers , that we are told ought to be put up to them ; but passing always betwixt Heaven and Earth , ( as was represented unto Jacob in his Divine Vision on God's Errands and Embassies ) those that ascend from Earth may tell the joyful News of converted Sinners to them in Heaven ; but they that tell them this , cannot also acquaint them with the inward secret desires and cogitations of mens hearts , being in a capacity , by observing in men the signs and fruits of true Repentance , to know the one , but having no way by their own natural power to understand the other .

The second place is , Matt . 22.30 . where our Saviour says , That the just at the Resurrection shall be as the Angels in Heaven : From whence they infer , that if our Prayers and Concerns are known to the Angels , and they on that account may be Invocated ; why should they not be known also to the Saints departed , who are as they , enjoying the same blissful Vision of God ? To this may be returned ,

That we are no more sure of the knowledge of Angels in this particular , than we are of that of Saints , and therefore the one ought to be proved before the other be granted . The Angels in Heaven see indeed the Face of Christ's Father which is in Heaven ; but the meaning of that is not , that by enjoying the sight of God's Face , they therein see and hear all things transacted here on Earth , but that they are God's Ministers always attending round about his Throne , and waiting before him to receive his Commands , and to execute his Pleasure .

But was this Knowledge the Priviledge of the Angelical Nature , the equality which just Men in the Text are said to have to the Angels , is not meant an equality of Knowledge or Perfection of Nature , but a similitude of State and Priviledges ; and this appears from the Context : In the Resurrection they neither marry , nor are given in marriage , but are as the Angels of God . The just shall not be equal to the Angels in every respect , for as they differ in Nature and Kind , so they shall have distinct natural qualities and operations , but in respect of Bliss and Happiness , they as the Angels in that Spiritualized State , shall not need Matrimony for the propagation of their Kind , nor Food for the preservation of their incorruptible Bodies ; they shall be free from all the necessities that attend temporal humane Life , and all the affections that arise from the Body and sensitive part of Man ; they as Angels shall be the Children of God , being Children of the Resurrection , Partakers of the Bliss , and immoveably possest of all the Priviledges of the Sons of God . Yet

Was this equality to the Angels , to be meant of an equality in Nature and Knowledge , yet the Saints departed are not to enjoy it until the Resurrection ; and so , though the Angels on that account might be Invocated , yet the Saints departed , who are not till the Resurrection to have this excellent priviledge conferred on them , are not till then to have this Homage and Worship paid to them : At the Resurrection they shall be as the Angels of God ; whether they are before that admitted into the Beatifical Vision , we need not now dispute , since , if they are , this Angelical Priviledge of seeing all things in the Face of God , is reserved for the Saints , as a farther addition of Bliss till that day .

Again , they produce Revel . 5.8 . where it 's said , That the four Beasts , and twenty four Elders fell down before the Lamb , having every one of them Harps , and Golden Vials full of Odours , which are the Prayers of Saints . By the Prayers of Saints , they mean , of those Saints that are living upon the Earth ; and by the four Beasts , and twenty four Elders , the Saints that are in Heaven ; and from thence draw their Argument , that Saints in Heaven do offer up the Prayers of Holy Men living upon the Earth .

But now if they are mistaken in the sence of this Text , and by the four Beasts , and twenty four Elders , are not meant the Members of the Church Triumphant , but the Bishops and Elders of the Church Militant , whose Office it is to present the Prayers and Praises of the Church to God ; then this Text cannot afford them the least shew of reason for their Invocation . Dr. Hamond and many other Learned Expositors , are of Opinion , that either , this whole Text is nothing but a representation of the Church below offering up Prayers by their Pastors , who are the Mouths of the Congregation , to God through the Lamb ; ( and it 's said Verse 10. That they shall Reign upon the Earth ; ) or else , a representation of the whole Church of Christ both in Heaven and Earth , joyning together in their Doxologies and Praises to God for the Victories of the Lamb , and the Redemption of the World by his Blood ; and for this sence the next Verse seems to give it , where they are said to Sing a new Song , saying , Thou art worthy to take the Book and — for thou wast Slain , and redeemed us to God by thy Blood , out of every Kindred , and Tongue , and People , and Nation .

Another place to be explained , which they sometimes mention as on their side , is , Revel . 6.10 . where the Souls of the Martyrs under the Altar , are said to cry , How long , O Lord , holy and true , dost thou not judge and avenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth ! Now say they , If the Souls of Martyrs Pray for Vengeance upon their Persecutors and Murderers ; much more may we suppose them to Pray for Mercy and Deliverances for their Fellow-Members and Sufferers . To this may be replied ,

That these words cannot signify a formal Prayer of the Martyrs to God for Revenge on their Persecutors ; they who after their Lord's Example prayed God to forgive their Murderers when they were on Earth , cannot be supposed , now they are in a more perfect State , to pray for Vengeance upon them ; but the words are onely an Emblem and Representation of the certainty of God's Judgments and Vengeance overtaking them : By the Souls of them that were slain , Dr. Ham . and cry under the Altar , is meant their Blood , and the Sin of Murthering them , and ( as we are wont to say ) Murther is a crying Sin , and as it 's said , that Abel's Blood cryed for Vengeance , so the Sin of shedding their Blood cryed , that is , would certainly awake and provoke the Justice of God to take Vengeance on them for it : Esdras 2.15 . This is well explained by a passage in the Book of Esdras , Behold the innocent and righteous bloud cryeth unto me , and the souls of the just complain continually , and therefore , saith the Lord , I will surely avenge them , &c. But

Let their inference be granted , that the Souls of Martyrs in the future State , do pray for their Fellow-Sufferers that are left behind ; it does not follow that their Fellow-Sufferers pray to them , or that they offer up their Prayers made to them unto God .

Lastly , They cite Gen. 48.16 . when Jacob , blessing the two Sons of Joseph , thus Prays : The Angel that redeemed me from all evil , bless the Lads . This will require no long answer :

God being pleased often to make use of the Ministry of Angels in sending succour and relief to good Men , Jacob prayed , not unto the Angel , but to God , that he would appoint the same blessed Angel that Administred unto him in all his streights , to be the Instrument of his good Providence to those two Sons of Joseph , whom he had now made his own , and caused them to be called after his name . Or else ,

If the Patriarch must be thought here to have prayed to the Angel , we must suppose with Athanasius , and others of the Fathers , that Angel to be Christ the Son of God .

And the same answer is to be given to Revel . 8.4 . where it 's said , That the smoke of the Incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints , ascended up before God out of the Angels hand ; that is , Christ's , the Angel of the Covenant , and therefore this Angel that offered up the Prayers of the Saints , is called , vers . 3. Another Angel ; intimating , that it was a special Angel , one different both in Nature and Office , from the other seven mentioned vers . 2. and described there as Ministring Spirits ; And I saw the seven Angels which stood before God , &c. vers . 2. and then vers . 3. And another Angel came — &c.