Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

"ceffion, and giving of thanks, must be fent up to "God, who is above all, by the High Priest, who is "above all angels, and is the living Word and God." And though angels be only here mentioned, yet, by the fame reason, all other creatures are excluded from being the objects of our religious worship and invocation, or mediators of interceffion with God for us; because "all fupplication, and prayer, and interceffion, and "thanksgiving, must be fent up to God by our High "Prieft, who is the living Word and God. Let us "then alfo (as he goes on) make fupplication to the "Word himself, and interceffion, and giving of thanks, "and prayer: but to invocate angels, is not reasonable, "fince we do not comprehend the knowledge of them, "which is above us; and if we could comprehend the "knowledge of them, which is wonderful and fecret, "this very knowledge, which declares to us their na"ture and office, would not allow us to prefume to 66 pray to any other, but to the God who is Lord over 66 all, and abundantly fufficient for all, by our Saviour "the Son of God." Where he gives two plain reasons, why we ought to pray only to God, and to offer up our prayers only by the mediation of Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, and our Saviour: first, Because "he only is "Lord over all;" and therefore the worship of prayer is to be given to him only: and then, fecondly, Because we have no need of any other patron and benefactor, or of any other mediator and advocate; "is abundantly fufficient for all, by our Saviour the "Son of God."

"he

In the fame age, Novatian, in his book concerning the Trinity, makes ufe of this argument to prove the divinity of Chrift; because he hears our prayers, when we call upon him. "If Chrift (fays he) be only a 66 man, how can he be prefent every where to those "that call upon him; fince this is not the nature of 66 man, but of God, to be able to be prefent every "where? If Christ be only a man, why do we in our 66 prayers call upon him as mediator, fince prayer to a 66 man is deemed ineffectual to help or fave us? If "Christ be only man, why do we put our hope in him, "fince hope in man is accurfed in fcripture?

In

In the fourth century, the Apoftolical Conftitutions, under the name of Clemens Romanus, (but undoubtedly written in that age), give us a pregnant negative teftimony in this matter: for though a great many of the publick prayers are there fet down at large, yet they are all directed to God alone, and not the leaft intimation there of any prayer made to the angels or faints, or even to the virgin Mary; nor of their interceffion or aid; which now make fo great a part of the publick devotions of the church of Rome.

I

Athanafius, in his fourth oration against the Arians, proves the unity of the Father and the Son, from 1 Theff. iii. 11. Now God himself, and our Lord Jefus Chrift, direct our way unto you. From whence he argues thus: "One would not pray to receive any thing from the "Father and the angels, or from any other creature; 66 nor would one fay, God and the angels give thee "this; but one would pray to receive any thing from "the Father and the Son, because of their unity and "uniform gift; for all things that are given by the Fa"ther, are given by the Son, and there is nothing "which the Father doth not work by the Son:" and then concludes, that "it doth not belong to any, but 66 to God alone, to blefs, and grant deliverances." This I take to be a very remarkable teftimony against the church of Rome, who in their publick offices join the bleffed virgin with God, and our Saviour, in the fame breath; and fometimes put her before her Son, 66 Let Mary and her Son blefs us," as it is in the office of the bleffed virgin; in direct contradiction to what I just now cited out of Athanafius: and nothing fo common in their mouths, as Jefu Maria, Jefus and Mary; nothing more frequent in their moft eminent writers, than to join them together in their doxologies and thanksgivings: "Glory be to God, and the bleffed "virgin, and to Jefus Chrift," fays Gregory de Valencia. And Bellarmine himself concludes his difputations concerning the worship of faints, in these words, "Praise be to God, and to the bleffed virgin mother Mary; likewife to Jefus Chrift, the eternal Son of "the eternal Father, be praise and glory." And in the very Roman miffal itself, they make confeffion of their

66

fins "

66

to God Almighty, and the bleffed virgin Mary, to St. Michael the Archangel, and to all the faints.' And in their abfolution, they join together "the paf"fion of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the merits of the "bleffed virgin, and of all the faints, for the remiffion "of fins." And is not this the very thing which Athanafius doth feverely condemn ?

I have mentioned before the council of Laodicea, which about the middle of this century condemns the worship of angels, and praying to them, as downright idolatry. And towards the end of this fourth age, and in the beginning of the fifth, when it is pretended that praying to faints did begin, (though it was rather by way of apoftrophe, and rhetorical addrefs, than of formal invocation), there are exprefs teftimonies against it of the most eminent fathers of that time. I will inftance but in three, Epiphanius, St. Chryfoftom, and St. Auguftine.

Epiphanius, in his confutation of the herefy of the Collyridians, (which he calls the herefy of the women, because they firft began the worfhip of the virgin Mary), declares most exprefsly against the worship of any creature whatsoever: "For neither (fays he) is Elias to "be worshipped, though he is reckoned among the "living, [meaning that he was taken up into heaven, "body and foul], nor John, nor any other of the "faints." And as for the virgin Mary, he particularly adds, that "if God will not have us to worship the "angels, how much more would he not have us to "worship her that was born of Anna?" and concludes, "Let Mary be had in honour; but let the Lord "be worshipped."

St. Chryfoftom, in a long difcourfe, perfuades men to addrefs their prayers immediately to God; and not as we address ourselves to great men by their officers and favourites; and tells us, that "there is no need "of fuch interceffors with God, who is not fo ready to grant our petitions when we intreat him by others, as when we pray to him ourselves."

[ocr errors]

66

Laftly, St. Auguftine, "because the fcripture pro66 nounces him accurfed, that putteth his truft in man ;" from thence he argues, that "therefore we ought not Y

VOL. IV.

to

The

to afk of any other, but of our Lord God, either "the grace to do well, or the reward of it." contrary to which, I am fure, is done in feveral of the publick prayers ufed in the church of Rome. And l. 22. de civ. Dei, he exprefsly tells us, that "the

names of the martyrs were recited in their prayers at "the altar; but they were not invocated by the priest, "who did celebrate divine fervice." And in the third council of Carthage, which was in St. Auguftine's time, it is injoined, (can. 33.), that " all prayers that were "made at the altar, fhould be directed to the Father." Which how it is observed in the church of Rome, we all know.

To conclude this matter, It cannot be made appear, that there were any prayers to faints in the publick offices of the church, till towards the end of the eighth century. For, in the year 754, the invocation of faints was condemned by a council of three hundred and thirty eight Bishops at Conftantinople, as is acknowledged by the second council of Nice, which first established this fuperftition in the year 787; and this very council was condemned seven years after in a council at Francfort, and declared void, and to be no otherwise esteemed of than the council of Ariminum.

Thus you fee, when this doctrine and practice, so contrary to the doctrine and practice of a great many of the first ages of the Christian church, was first established, namely, at the fame time with the worship of ima ges, and when the first foundation of transubstantiation was laid; which, as they began at the fame time, fo they are very fit to go together.

I should now have proceeded to the next thing which I propofed, namely, to anfwer the chief pretences which are made for this doctrine and practice. But of that in the following discourse,

SERMON

[blocks in formation]

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus; who gave himself a ransom for all.

I

The fourth fermon on this text.

'N the two former difcourfes upon this text, I have treated on the fecond propofition I laid down from the words, viz. That there is but one mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Fefus. In treating of this propofition I fhewed,

I. That it is agreeable to feripture.

II. That it is agreeable to one great end and design of the Chriftian religion, and of our Saviour's coming into the world; which was, to destroy idolatry out of it.

III. That, from the nature and reafon of the thing, there can be but one mediator or interceffor in heaven with God for finners; and that he can be no other than Jefus Chrift.

IV. I fhewed how contrary to this doctrine the dotrine and practice of the church of Rome is, in their invocation of angels, and the bleffed virgin, and the faints, and making ufe of their mediation and interceffion with God for finners..

This I endeavoured to do, by fhewing, 1. How contrary this is to the doctrine of the fcriptures. 2. How contrary to the doctrine and practice of the church, for feveral of the firft ages of it. And thus far I have gone.

3. I proceed now, in the third place, to anfwer the chief pretences and excufes which are made by thofe of the church of Rome for this doctrine and practice.

As If, That they only say, that it is lawful to pray

« ZurückWeiter »