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OF

PRAYER

TO SAINTS.

THAT one question of St. Paul, "How shall they call upon him, in whom they have not believed?" among such as lust not to be contentious, will quickly put an end unto this question. For if none can be invocated but such as must be believed in, and none must be believed in but God alone, every one may easily discern, what conclusion will follow thereupon. Again, all Christians have been taught, that no part of divine worship is to be communicated unto any creature. For it is written: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." But prayer is such a principal part of this service, that it is usually put for the whole: and the public place of God's worship, hath from hence given it the denomination of "The house of prayer." Furthermore, he that heareth our prayers, must be able to search the secrets of our hearts, and discern the inward disposition of our souls. For the pouring out of good words, and the offering up of external sighs and tears, are but the carcass only of a

b Matt. chap. 4. ver. 10.

a Rom. chap. 10. ver. 14. Jerem. cap. 10. ver. 25. Joel. cap. 2. ver. 32. Act. cap. 9. ver. 14. 1 Corinth. cap. 1. ver. 2. Sic apud Optatum, lib. 3. contr. Donatist. Ut negaretur Christus et Idola rogarentur. Item: Testamentum divinum legimus pariter;

unum Deum rogamus.

d Isaiah, chap. 56. ver. 7. Matth. chap. 21. ver. 13.

true prayer; the life thereof consisteth in the pouring out of the very soul itself, and the sending up of those secret groans of the spirit which cannot be uttered. But "Hes that searcheth the hearts," and only he, "knoweth what is the mind of the spirit:" he "heareth in heaven his dwelling place, and giveth to every man according to his ways, whose heart he knoweth, for he even he ONLY knoweth the hearts of all the children of men:" as Solomon teacheth us in the prayer which he made at the dedication of the temple, whereunto we may add that golden sentence of his father David for a conclusion: "Oi thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come."

If it be further here objected by us, that we find neither precept nor example of any of the fathers of the old Testament, whereby this kind of praying to the souls of the saints departed may be warranted: cardinal Bellarmine will give us a reason for it; "fork therefore,” saith he," the spirits of the patriarchs, and the prophets before the coming of Christ were neither so worshipped nor invocated, as we do now worship and invocate the apostles and martyrs, because that they were detained as yet shut up in the prisons of hell." But if this reason of his be grounded upon a false foundation, as we have already shewed it to be, and the contrary supposition be most true, that the spirits of the patriarchs and prophets were not thus shut up in the prisons of hell: then have we four thousand years' prescription left unto us, to oppose against this innovation. We go further yet, and urge against them, that in the New Testament itself we can descry no footsteps of this new kind of invocation, more than we did in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. For this, Salmeron doth tell us, that "the' Scriptures which were made

e Psalm. chap. 62. ver. 8. 1 Sam. chap. 1. ver. 13. 15.
f Rom. chap. 8. ver. 26.
g Ibid. ver. 27.
h1 Kings, chap. 8. ver. 39. 2 Chron. chap. 6. ver. 30.
i Psalm 65. ver. 2.

k Nam idcirco ante Christi adventum non ita colebantur, neque invocabantur spiritus patriarcharum et prophetarum, quemadmodum nunc apostolos et martyres colimus et invocamus; quod illi adhuc inferni carceribus clausi decinebantur. Bellar. fin. præfat. in controvers. de ecclesia triumphante, in Ord. disputat.

Quia scripturas conditas et publicatas in primitiva Ecclesia oportebat Chris

and published in the primitive Church ought to found and explain Christ, who by the tacit suggestion of the Spirit did bring the saints with him: and that it would have been a hard matter to enjoin this to the Jews; and to the Gentiles an occasion would be given thereby to think, that many gods were put upon them instead of the multitude of the gods whom they had forsaken." So this new worship, you see, fetcheth his original neither from the Scriptures of the Old nor of the New Testament: but from I know not what tacit suggestion, which smelt so strongly of idolatry, that at first it was not safe to acquaint either the Jews or the Gentiles therewith. But if any such sweet tradition as this were at first delivered unto the Church by Christ and his apostles, we demand further, how it should come to pass, that for the space of three hundred and sixty years together after the birth of our Saviour, we can find mention no where of any such thing? For howsoever our challenger giveth it out, "that prayer to saints was of great account" amongst the fathers of the primitive Church, for the first four hundred years after Christ; yet for nine parts of that time, I dare be bold to say, that he is not able to produce as much as one true testimony out of any father, whereby it may appear, that any account at all was made of it; and for the tithe too, he shall find perhaps before we have done, that he is not like to carry it away so clearly as he weeneth.

Whether those blessed spirits pray for us, is not the question here: but whether we are to pray unto them. That God only is to be prayed unto, is the doctrine that was once delivered unto the saints, for which we so earnestly contend: the saints praying for us doth no way cross this (for to whom should the saints pray but to the Kingm of saints?) their being prayed unto, is the only stumbling block that lieth in this way. And therefore in

tum fundare, et explicare, qui per tacitam suggestionem spiritus sanctos secum adducebat: et durum esset id Judæis præcipere, et occasio daretur Gentibus putandi sibi exhibitos multos Deos pro multitudine Deorum quos relinquebant. Alphons. Salmer. in 1 Timoth. cap. 2. disput. 8.

m Rev. chap. 15. ver. 3.

those first times, the former of these was admitted by some, as a matter of probability: but the latter no way yielded unto, as being derogatory to the privilege of the Deity. Origen may be a witness of both: who touching the former, writeth in this sort: "In do think thus, that all those fathers who are departed this life before us, do fight with us and assist us with their prayers: for so have I heard one of the elder masters saying;" and in another place: "Moreover, if the saints, that have left the body and be with Christ, do any thing and labour for us, in like manner as the angels do who are employed in the ministry of our salvation: let this also remain among the hidden things of God, and the mysteries that are not to be committed unto writing." But because he thought that the angels and saints prayed for us: did he therefore hold it needful that we should direct our prayers unto them? Hear, I pray you, his own answer, in his eighth book against Celsus the philosopher: "We must endeavour to please God alone, who is above all things, and labour to have him propitious unto us, procuring his good will with godliness and all kind of virtue. And if Celsus will yet have us to procure the good will of any others, after him that is God over all, let him consider, that as when

n Ego sic arbitror, quod omnes illi qui dormierunt ante nos patres, pugnent nobiscum et adjuvent nos orationibus suis. Ita namque etiam quendam de senioribus magistris audivi dicentem. Origen. in Josue. homil. 16.

• Jam vero si etiam extra corpus positi sancti, qui cum Christo sunt, agunt aliquid, et laborant pro nobis ad similitudinem angelorum qui salutis nostræ ministeria procurant, &c. habeatur hoc quoque inter occulta Dei, nec chartis committenda mysteria. Id. lib. 2. in epist. ad Roman. cap. 2.

ν Ἕνα οὖν τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν ἡμῖν ἐξευμενιστέον, καὶ τοῦτον ἵλεω ἔχειν ἑυκτέον, ἐξευμενιζόμενον εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ πάσῃ ἀρετῇ· εἰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς βούλεται μετὰ τὸν ἐπὶ πάσιν ἐξευμενίζεσθαι θεὸν· κατανοησάτω, ὅτι ὥσπερ τῷ κινουμένω σώματι ἀκολουθεῖ ἡ τῆς σκιᾶς αὐτοῦ κίνησις· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον τῷ ἐξευμενίζεσθαι τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν ἕπεται εὐμενεῖς ἔχειν τοὺς ἐκείνου πάντας φίλους ἀγγέλους, καὶ ψυχὰς καὶ πνεύματα· συναίσθονται γὰρ τῶν ἀξίων τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐμενισμοῦ· καὶ οὐ μόνον καὶ αὐτοὶ εὐμενεῖς τοῖς ἀξίοις γίνονται ἀλλὰ καὶ συμπράττουσι τοῖς βουλομένοις τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν θεραπεύειν, καὶ ἐξευμενίζονται, καὶ συνεύχονται, καὶ συναξιοῦσιν· ὥστε τολμᾷν ἡμᾶς λέγειν, ὅτι ἀνθρώποις, μετὰ προαιρέσεως προτιθεμένοις τὰ κρείττονα, εὐχομένοις τῷ θεῷ, μυρίαι ὅσαι ἄκλητοι συνεύ Xovrai dvvápnis iɛpai. Origen. lib. 8. cont. Cels. op. tom. 1. pag. 789.

the body is moved, the motion of the shadow thereof doth follow it; so in like manner, having God favourable unto us who is over all, it followeth that we shall have all his friends, both angels, and souls, and spirits, loving unto us. For they have a fellow-feeling with them that are thought worthy to find favour from God. Neither are they only favourable unto such as be thus worthy, but they work with them also that are willing to do service unto him who is God over all, and are friendly to them, and pray with them, and entreat with them. So as we may be bold to say, that when men, which with resolution propose unto themselves the best things, do pray unto God, many thousands of the sacred powers pray together with them UNSPOKEN to."

Celsus had said of the angels: "That they belong to God, and in that respect we are to put our trust in them, and make oblations to them according to the laws, and pray unto them, that they may be favourable to us.' Το this Origen answereth in this manner: "Away' with Celsus his counsel, saying that we must pray to angels: and let us not so much as afford any little audience to it. For we must pray to him alone who is God over all: and we must pray to the Word of God his only begotten, and the first born of all creatures; and we must entreat him, that he as high priest would present our prayer (when it is come to him) unto his God, and our God, and unto his Father, and the Father of them that frame their life according to the word of God." And whereas Celsus had further said that we "musts offer first fruits unto angels,

4 Ὅτι καὶ οἱ δαιμονές εἰσι τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πιστευτέον ἐστὶν αὐ τοῖς, καὶ καλλιερητέον κατὰ νόμους, καὶ προσευκτέον, ἵν ̓ εὐμενεῖς ὦσι. Cels. apud Orig. op. tom. 1. pag. 760.

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r *Απαγε δὴ τὴν τοῦ Κέλσου συμβουλὴν, λέγοντος προσευκτέον εἶναι δαίμοσι, καὶ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸ ποσὸν ἀκουστέον αὐτῆς. Μόνῳ γὰρ προσευςτέον τῷ ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεῷ, καὶ προσευκτέον γὲ τῷ μονογενεῖ καὶ πρωτοτόκῳ πάσης κτίσεως λόγῳ θεοῦ καὶ ἀξιωτέον αὐτὸν, ὡς ἀρχιερέα, τὴν ἐπ' αὐτὸν φθάσασαν ἡμῶν εὐχὴν ἀναφέρειν ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ θεὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ πατέρα τῶν βιούντων κατὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ. Origen. lib. 8. contr. Cels. Ibid. pag. 761.

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̓Απαρχὰς καὶ εὐχὰς ἀποδοτέον, ἕως ἂν ζῶμεν ὣς ἂν φιλανθρώπων avτwv σvyxávoμev. Cels. ibid. pag. 766.

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