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and I am come for thy words." spirits," we admit. They must (chap. x. 12.)

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people." (chap. xii. 1.)

Now I beg to ask, what more does any one of these texts tell us, than what is declared of the angels in Heb. i. 14. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

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But on this point there is no controversy. No Protestant denies the ministry of angels. The question is, who is to be addressed in prayer, the angels or saints, or their Lord and Master. Now on this point we have Scripture examples. In 2 Kings vi. 17. Elisha prays, “O Lord, I pray thee, his eyes, that he may see. the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Here, then, were the ministering spirits. But with them close at hand, Elisha thinks not of them, addresses them not, but thrice within four verses, UNTO THE LORD." In like manner said Jesus himself, "Thinkest thou that I cannot NOW PRAY TO MY FATHER, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matt. xxvi. 53.) All these four passages from Daniel, then, which merely speak of the angels as "ministering spirits," prove nothing whatever in this question, except perhaps that Dr. Wiseman was sadly at a loss for a few authorities from Scripture.

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Inq. But are the other four texts which he cites, of any higher value?

Prot. The first is from Luke xv. 7, 10. “ Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." This goes no further than the passages in Daniel. That the angels are "ministering

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often be spectators of the recovery of a sinner unto God, and must spread the intelligence among their companions. And that intelli

gence, we are told, produces universal joy among these bright spirits. But what is there in all this, to justify or encourage our addressing prayers to them? Clearly, nothing.

The next passage, Matt. xxii. 30, merely asserts that the saints shall be as the angels. But as we have not yet found a single authority for praying to the angels, of course we have none for praying to the saints. We come next to Matt. xviii. 10. "Take heed that ye offend not one of these little ones, for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." Still not one word authorizing prayer to them. Last of all, we are referred to Rev. viii. 3, 4. "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne." This passage is highly figurative. No one, of course, imagines the existence of a material altar, or a golden censer, or earthly incense. Upon such a passage, unsupported by any other in the whole Scripture, it is impossible to found a doctrine. The very interpretation of it, in the writings of leading Romish commentators, is wholly inconsistent with Dr. W's view. Thomas Aquinas declares the angel to be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ: and the Jesuit Viegas says

." All interpreters do confess that by the angel is meant our Lord Christ; because of none other can it be said, that he offers up to the Father, after SO glorious and majestic a manner, the incense, that is the prayers of all saints 2 Q

upon the golden altar.'* Whether however, the angel be Christ or not, there is nothing said in this place of any prayers addressed to the angel by the saints on earth. And that is the only point for which we are in search. Not one of all Dr. Wiseman's texts comes to this point, or even approaches to it.

Inq. I thought there was another passage in the Revelation which the Romanists were accustomed to quote in this argument.

Prot. There is, but it is only adduced by less wary advocates than Dr. Wiseman. It occurs at the tenth verse of the nineteenth chapter. The angel there spoken of had been instructing the apostle in many things, and the apostle adds, "And I fell at his feet to worship him." Thus far is the text usually quoted by Romanists. But Dr. Wiseman was too cautious to meddle with this passage, for he well knew that the very next words are, "And he said unto me, SEE THOU DO IT NOT, I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus, WORSHIP GOD." This is, in fact, the only passage in the whole Bible, that, taken imperfectly, might seem to lend countenance to the worship of saints and angels. But the Holy Spirit, foreseeing this great evil, instantly adds the most decisive condemnation, and thus leaves no opening whatever for the error to creep in.

And now let me ask you to review the whole tenor of scripture as to this question. Dr. Wiseman has ransacked the Bible; he has passed over more than five hundred passages in which prayer and worship and supplication is named, and not a single text can he find, which lends the least colour to the worship of saints. This, of itself, ought to decide the whole question.

For remember what is the inevitable inference: We have the

Apoc. c. viii. sect. 2.

annals of the Jewish church, through fifteen centuries : That church possessed as eminent saints as any that subsequent ages have seen: Abraham, "the friend of God:" Moses, with whom God "talked face to face, as a man talked with his friend: " Jacob, who had power with God, and prevailed:' David, "the man after God's own heart : " Elijah, who only, besides Enoch,

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was not, for God took him: Daniel, the "" man greatly be

loved." All these we read of in their turn; but not one prayer or invocation do we find, addressed to them by the Jewish church, throughout all these fifteen hundred years!

And then, coming down to the Apostles' times, we find John the Baptist; Stephen, the first martyr; and James the brother of John, all sent to their heavenly home by martyrdom in the course of fifteen years. And we have St. Paul writing epistles to various churches for more than twenty years, and St. John, for more than fifty years, after the departure of these three martyrs. How, then, let me ask, came it,-that if the invocation of departed saints was so right, and fit, and proper, as Dr. Wiseman represents it,-that no one of all the prophets, no one among all the apostles, once counsels it, or so much as mentions it, as an usual and laudable practice in the church? Prayer, as we have seen, was among their most constant topics, How, then, is it, that prayer to Abraham, or to Elijah, or to Stephen, is never once mentioned in all their writings? Negative proof stronger than this, it is, I conceive, scarcely possible to imagine.

Rom. But you stop at too early a date. early a date. Dr. Wiseman goes on to adduce a variety of instances from the writings of Irenæus, Origen, Cyprian, Eusebius, Basil, Athanasius, and other fathers, in

which the practice of the early church is clearly seen; and in which the invocation of the saints is constantly taught.

Prot. I know it, and I admit the fact, but I wholly refuse the inference, that, as a practice of the church in the second, third, fourth and subsequent centuries, it is binding upon us. I refuse it, first, because St. Paul, in writing to the Thessalonians, had warned them that "a falling away" or apostacy, was at hand; and that "the mystery of iniquity" was already, in his, the apostle's time, at work, (2 Thess. ii. 3, 7.) It is clear, therefore, that when we find new practices and new doctrines creeping into the church, subsequently to the apostle's days, we ought at least to suspect, that these were some of the manifestions of that ‘ mystery of iniquity” which he had declared to be already at work, and which was to produce a great "falling away."

But, 2ndly. I refuse to be governed by quotations from Cyprian, Origen, Basil, or Gregory Nazianzen, for another very sufficient reason; that these eminent men, great and honourable as most of them were-were still, like ourselves, fallible and variable; and did in fact, continually change their opinions, and confess their errors, from time to time. And thus it comes to pass, that while the advocate of one view can always replenish his quiver from the armoury of the fathers, with arguments for the affirmative of any question, the opponent finds it equally easy to gather from them reasons on the negative side in the same controversy. And what can be the end of such contention, but either a weariness and disgust at such senseless proceedings, or a sceptical doubt whether such a thing as truth is possibly to be discovered.

In the present case it is just as easy to find passages in the writ

ings of the Fathers against the worship of the saints, as in favour of such a practice. For instance, Origen says, We must pray to him alone who is God over all; and we must pray to the only begotten Son of God, the first-born of every creature; and we must entreat him, as our High Priest, to present our prayers when they come to him-to his God and our God, to his Father and ours.'*

Athanasius tells us- .' It appertains to God only to be worshipped, and the angels themselves are aware of this for although they surpass others in glory, they are all creatures, and not beings to be worshipped, but beings who worship the Lord. The angel, therefore, admonished Manoah, the father of Sampson, saying, “Offer not to me, but to God." +

Gregory Nazianzen says, 'The word of God has ordained that none of those things which have their being by creation shall be worshipped by men. Moses, the law, the prophets, the gospels, and all the apostles, forbid our lookingto the creature.'t

And Epiphanius is still more decided, warning us that "Neither Elias is to be worshipped, nor yet John. Nor is Thecla, nor any of the saints to be worshipped. For that ancient error shall not prevail over us, to forsake the living God, and to worship the_things that are made by him. For they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, and thus became fools. And if an angel will not be worshipped, how much more will not she who was born of Anna."- "Let Mary be had in honour, but let the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost be worshipped. Let no man worship Mary."§ *Origen against Celsus. Lib. viii.

+ Athanasius, 3d Orat. against Arians. Paris, 1627.

Gregory Nazianzen, 4thOrat. against Eunom. tom. ii. p. 144.

§ Epiphanius against Heretics, $79, pp. 448, 449.

These few passages, which might be indefinitely increased, shew that if we were to go to the Fathers for a decision of the question, we should merely involve ourselves in an inextricable maze of conflicting opinions. But we have already decided, that the Bible, and the Bible only, is to be the standard to which appeal is to be made. And never, assuredly, did advocate so utterly fail, as has Dr. Wiseman, in the attempt to support saint-worship by scripture authorities.

Rom. It seems to me that you perpetually confound two things which Dr. Wiseman justly discriminates, namely, that highest worship which is due only to God, and that minor degree which may blamelessly be paid to his creatures. You are well aware that the words "worship," "worshipful," "your worships," are constantly applied by Protestants, both to the wife in the marriage service, and to magistrates and other authorities, when invested with the insignia of their office.

Prot. I am aware, indeed, of this circumstance, and of the opportunity which your writers have thereby obtained, of perplexing the whole question. I do not mean, therefore, to dwell upon the bare word, worship,-but upon the very nature of the homage and adoration paid by you to the saints, as in itself unlawful and idolatrous.

Inq. You are now going, then, to commence your own view of the case, your antagonist having certainly failed to establish his, either by Scripture or tradition.

Prot. Yes, I will now take up the solemn question, put in such indignant terms by Dr. Wiseman, -Why we venture to charge the Romish church with idolatry? In answering this interrogation, I shall endeavour to show three things,

1. That the doctrines and practices of the Romish church, as to the adoration and invocation of

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the saints, are opposed to the spirit and tenor of the gospel :

2. That they are also opposed to the plain injunctions of Scripture:

3. That they do amount, in the generality of cases, to absolute and very gross idolatry.

First, then, I mean to show that these doctrines and practices oppose and counteract the inain object and intent of the gospel. That intent I shall not venture to describe to you in my own words, but shall adduce the descriptions of the apostles themselves.

St. Paul tells the Ephesians, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." (Eph.ii.13-18.)

To the Corinthians he writes,

"All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Cor. v. 18-20.)

To the Colossians,

"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself ;

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by him, I say, whether they be fall, a great gulf was fixed" bethings in earth, or things in heaven. tween man and his Creator. As a And you, that were sometime alien- sinner, man, until a reconciliation ated and enemies in your mind by is effected, dares not lift up his wicked works, yet now hath he reeyes to heaven. His mind is conciled in the body of his flesh always averted with dread, from a through death, to present you holy view of his angry Judge; and this and unblameable and unreproveable fear, and dread, and alienation, it in his sight." (Col. i. 19–22.) is Satan's chief object to keep up. So long, he well knows, as this alienation exists, man must remain entirely in his power.

And so writes St. Peter :

"Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." (1 Pet. iii. 18.)

And St. John,

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 John i. 3.)

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Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight." (1 John iii. 21, 22.)

"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John iv. 16-18.)

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us." (1 John v. 13-15.)

These passages, to which many others might be added, will exhibit better than any words of mine could do, the great end and object of the Gospel, which is, TO BRING MAN NIGH UNTO GOD. By the

But this enmity and distance it was the great object of the Gospel to remove. Man could not approach God; God, therefore, by the wonderful contrivance of Redemption, approached man, in order to draw man to himself. "Christ," says St. Peter, "hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, THAT HE MIGHT BRING US TO GOD." (1 Pet. iii. 18.) And "therefore," says St. Paul, "being justified by faith, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have ACCESS by faith unto this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Rom. v. 1, 2.)

Now, all this beautiful plan of the Divine wisdom, it is the endeavour of Satan, by every possible device, to counteract. His constant labour is, to persuade man that there is not this perfect reconciliation; that he may not approach God with filial confidence; that there is some degree of terror and austerity yet remaining, which makes it far wiser and more desirable to use the intercession of others, rather than to throw himself before the Divine footstool. And having succeeded in creating this feeling of dread and distance, the next attempt is to throw a similar degree of awfulness and terror around the character of Christ; and to argue that human beings like ourselves would be more likely to listen with sympathy, and to plead our cause with earnestness, than so great a

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