The practice of king, &c. proves

diator between God and man? Protestants in praying for the their assent to this position. And, if we may solicit the prayers of our fellow-men, who are mortals and sinners like ourselves, much more should we invoke those of the peculiar friends and companions of God, the adorers around the throne of grace and mercy, and whom, from the texts above quoted, we know to be informed of what is passing upon earth, to be eminently qualified for the task, and in the constant habit of performing it. All we beg of them is to intercede with the Mediator, through whom alone we hope for mercy, grace, and salvation, or for any favour that we may ask for at the hands of his saints.(

Since there is not one single text of Scripture that can, in any way, be taken to contradict this doctrine, it is impossible it can be contrary to Scripture; and the convincing fact, that such has always been the view taken of it, and such the

(d) The doctrine of the Invocation of Saints is so ancient and so universal, that the Greek Church, together with all the eastern Churches which separated themselves in the earlier periods of Christianity from the Church of Rome, still maintain it. Luther, so far from finding any thing idolatrous or superstitious in the doctrine or practice of the Church on this point, exclaims: "Who can deny that God works great miracles at the tombs of the saints! I therefore, with the whole Catholic Church,

constant practice of the Catholic Church, is to be gathered from the works of the earliest ecclesiastical writers; copious extracts from which, relative to this point, are to be found in the valuable work already spoken of." To this the reader is referred, as these testimonies are far too numerous for insertion here.

The charge of idolatry brought against us for honouring those whom God has honoured, but especially for invoking the intercession of the Mother of God, the Queen of Angels, and the Saint of Saints, she who tells us, in an inspired

us."*

'

hold that the saints are to be honoured and invocated by Such also was the opinion of many of the prelates of the Church of England.† Bishop Montague, especially, says: "The blessed in heaven do recommend to God, in their prayers, their kindred, friends, and acquaintance on earth."-(Antidote, p. 20.) "This is the common voice, with the general concurrence, without contradiction, of reverend and learned antiquity, for aught I ever could read or understand; and I see no cause or reason to dissent from them touching intercession in this kind."(Ibid. p. 23.) Is it then safe for Protestants to swear that Catholics are superstitious for holding such a doctrine?

(e) "The Faith of Catholics confirmed by Scripture, and attested by the Fathers of the five first Centuries of the Church."-Booker, London, 1813.

* In Purg. Quorund. Artic. Tom. i. Germet. Ep. ad Georg. Spalat.

† See Duchess of York's Testimony, in the Duke of Brunswick's Fifty Reasons, Burnet's Hist. &c.

Canticle, that all generations shall call her Blessed, and who was addressed by this appellation by the prophetic Elizabeth; who was hailed by the angel as full of grace,(") and to whom the Saviour and Maker of the world was obedient, as a child is obedient to its parent,-is too absurd to obtain a moment's credit with an unprejudiced mind. So far are we from the abomination of idolatry,' in the invocation of Saints, that the Catechism of the Council of Trent, published in virtue of its decree, by order of Pius Vth, teaches that "God and the Saints are not to be prayed to in the same manner: for we pray to God that he himself would give us good things, and deliver us from evil things; but we beg of the Saints, because they are pleasing to God, that they would be our advocates, and obtain from God what we stand in need of."()

(6) Ibid. v. 42.

(h) Ibid. v. 28.

(St. Luke, c. i. 48. (i) If it should be observed, that prayers are occasionally addressed to the saints in a manner which appears at first sight to dispense with the mediatorship of Christ, or to ascribe a power to them which they do not possess, it must be remembered that " by a species of metonomy, we frequently employ the subordinate for the principal agent, and attribute to the intercessor what we know is the office of his superior. Let us suppose a criminal under sentence of death, who solicits the queen to obtain his pardon from the king. Were he in his petition to

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Our elementary Catechism says: we are to honour Saints and Angels as God's especial friends

beg of her majesty to save his life, would any one contend that he had ascribed to the queen the power which the constitution has entrusted to the sovereign alone; and on that account indict him for treason, or a contempt of the king's prerogative ?" (Dr. Lingard's Tracts.)

"If in our books of devotion, or any other treatise, he should happen to meet with expressions which his prejudice is inclined to misinterpret, or his piety to condemn, let his charity interpose, and see if it will not admit of a more favourable interpretation. Words, abstractedly, are but empty sounds: nor are they calculated to convey any impression, other than that which common practice annexes to them: nor will it be denied that all words are liable to different interpretations. Again, whoever is conversant with ancient phraseology will admit, that the sense which modern acceptation has attached to certain words, is not the sense in which they were formerly received. Thus, in the marriage service of the Church of England, the husband addresses his wife in the following words:-'With my body I thee worship.' Now, what would be the indignation of Mr. Townsend, were I to tell him that, on such an occasion, he had been guilty of idolatry; that he had worshipped the creature instead of the Creator? If expressions of this description are to be found in a Church so modern as Protestantism, what wonder that they should be more frequently met with in a Church so ancient as Catholicity?-Let but the Protestant make the same allowances to the Catholic, as he requires for himself, and he solves his own objections. If

and servants, but not with the honour which belongs to God." And, when it is recollected that the reverence paid to the Saints is due to them only through the merits of our Saviour, surely it cannot be deemed any dishonour to the Creator to see his creatures honoured for the gifts he himself has bestowed upon them; nor will it be considered unbecoming the weakness and the misery of man, to offer our petitions to the throne of mercy through less unworthy hands than our own;-to make friends for ourselves amongst the friends of God;—and to implore the intercession of those in our behalf, who had already succeeded so well for themselves.

As an additional proof of the efficacy of the merits and prayers of the Saints, suffice it, amongst

he will apply the above observation to the words adore and worship, in the instances adduced by Mr. Townsend, he will require no other reply.

"Do not the Bishops remind us that, even in the translation of the Bible published at Oxford, to worship is used to signify inferior as well as superior worship? In the first book of Chronicles, we read in that edition, that the assembly' bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord and the King.' (1 Chron. xxix. 20.) Did they wor ship the King with the same supreme worship which they paid to God? Certainly not. It must therefore follow from the use of Scripture itself, that the word worship must be received in different acceptations, according to the person to whom it is addressed." (Corless's Reply.)