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the conversion of several of their own most upright members to it. Such Christians, when they fall into company with Catholics, or get hold of their books, cannot fail of enquiring, whether they are really those monsters of idolatry, irreligion, and immorality, which their divines have represented them to be; when, discovering how much they have been deceived in these respects, by misrepresentation; and, in short, viewing now the fair face of the Catholic Church, instead of the hideous mask which had been placed before it, they seldom fail to become enamoured of it, and, in case religion is their chief concern, to become our very best Catholics.

The most important point, however, of all others for the consideration of these learned theologues, is the following: We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to be examined on our observance of that commandment, among the rest, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Supposing then these their clamorous charges against their Catholic neighbours, of idolatry, blasphemy, perfidy, and thirst of blood, should then appear, as they most certainly will appear, to be calumnies of the worst sort; what will it avail their authors, that these have answered the temporary purpose of preventing the emancipation of Catholics, and of rousing the popular hatred and fury against them? Alas! what will it avail them?

I am, dear Sir, yours, &c.

J. M.

LETTER XXXIII.

To JAMES BROWN, Esq. &c.

ON THE INVOCATION OF SAINTS.

Dear Sir,

THE first, and most heavy charge, which Protestants bring against Catholics, is that of Idolatry. They say, that the Catholic Church has been guilty of this crime, and of Apostacy, by sanctioning the Invocation of Saints, and the worship of images and pictures; and that on this account they have been obliged to abandon her communion, in obedience to the voice from heaven, saying: Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev. xviii. 4. Nevertheless, it is certain, dear Sir, that Protestantism was not founded on this ground, either in Germany or England: for Luther warmly defended the Catholic doctrine in both the aforesaid particulars; and our English reformers, particularly King Edward's uncle, the Duke of Somerset, only took up this pretext of Idolatry, as the most popular, in order to revolutionize the ancient religion; a measure they were actively carrying on, from motives of avarice and ambition. The same reason, namely, a persuasion that this charge of Idolatry is best calculated to inflame the ignorant against the Catholic Church, and to furnish a pretext for deserting her, has caused Protestant controvertists to keep up the outcry against her ever since, and to vie with each other in the foulness of their misrepresentation of her doctrine in this particular.

To speak first of the Invocation of Saints:

Archbishop Wake, (who afterwards, as we have seen, acknowledged to Dr. Dupin, that there was no fundamental difference between his doctrine and that of Catholics) in his popular Commentary on the Church Catechism, maintains, that "The Church of Rome has other gods beside the Lord."! Another Prelate, whose work has been lately republished by the Bishop of Landaff, pronounces of Catholics, that, "Instead of worshipping Christ they have substituted the doctrine of demons.”2 In the same blasphemous terms, Mede, and a hundred other Protestant controvertists, speak of our Communion of Saints. The Bishop of London, among other such calumnies, charges us with Bringing back the heathen multitude of deities into Christianity;" that we recommend ourselves to some favourite saint, not by a religious life, but by flattering addresses and costly presents, and often depend much more on his intercession, than on our Blessed Saviour's ;" and that, "being secure of the favour of these courtiers of heaven, we pay but little regard to the King of it."3 Such is the misrepresentation of the doctrine and practice of Catholics on this point, which the first ecclesiastical characters in the nation publish; because, in fact, their cause has not a leg to stand on, if you take away misrepresentation.

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Let us now hear what is the genuine doctrine of the Catholic Church in this article, as solemnly defined by the Pope, and near 300 Prelates of different nations, at the Council of Trent, in the face of the whole world; it is simply this, that "the Saints, reigning with Christ, offer up their prayers (1) Sect. 2, 3.

p. 272.

(2) Bishop Watson's Theol. Tracts, vol. v. (3) Brief Confut. pp. 23, 25,

to God for men; that it is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them, and to have recourse to their prayers, help, and assistance, to obtain favours from God, through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alone our Redeemer and Saviour."1-Hence the Catechism of the Council of Trent, published in virtue of its decree,2 by order of Pope Pius V. 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." Our first English Catechism for the instruction of children, says: "We are to honour saints and angels as God's special friends and servants; but not with the honour which belongs to God." Finally, The Papist Misrepresented and Represented, a work of great authority among Catholics, first published by our eminent divine, Gother, and republished by our venerable Bishop Challoner, pronounces the following anathema against that idolatrous phantom of Catholicity, which Protestant controvertists have held up for the identical Catholic Church: "Cursed is he that believes the saints in heaven to be his redeemers, that prays to them as such, or that gives God's honour to them, or to any creature whatsoever. Amen."- "Cursed is every goddess-worshipper, that believes the B. Virgin Mary to be any more than a creature; that worships her, or puts his trust in her more than in God; that believes her above her Son, or that she can in any thing command him. Amen."

(1) Concil. Trid. Sess. 25, de Invoc. (2) Sess. 24. de Ref. c. 7. (3) Pars IV. Quis orandus. (4) Pap. Misrep. Abridg. p. 78.

You see, dear Sir, how widely different the doctrine of Catholics, as defined by our Church, and really held by us, is from the caricature of it, held up by interested preachers and controvertists, to scare and inflame an ignorant multitude. So far from making gods and goddesses of the saints, we firmly hold it to be an article of faith, that, as they have no virtue or excellence, but what has been gratuitously bestowed upon them by God, for the sake of his Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, so they can procure no benefit for us but by means of their prayers to the Giver of all good gifts, through their and our common Saviour Jesus Christ. In short, they do nothing for us mortals in heaven, but what they did while they were here on earth, and what all good Christians are bound to do for each other; namely, to help us by their prayers. The only difference is, that as the saints in heaven are free from every stain of sin and imperfection, and are confirmed in grace and glory, so their prayers are far more efficacious for obtaining what they ask for, than are the prayers of us imperfect and sinful mortals. Our Protestant brethren will not deny that St. Paul was in the practice of soliciting the prayers of the churches to which he addressed his epistles, Rom. xv. 30, &c.; that the Almighty himself commanded the friends of Job to obtain his prayers for the pardon of their sins, Job xlii. 8:—and, moreover, that they themselves、 are accustomed to pray publicly for one another. Now these concessions, together with the authorised exposition of our doctrine, laid down above, are abundantly sufficient to refute most of the remaining objections of Protestants against it. In vain, for example, does Dr. Porteus quote the