The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 1 · Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. 1. State and Diſtribution of the Queſtion.
CArdinal du Perron in the eighteenth chapter of his firſt book, ſlideth over the queſtion of the Invocation of Saints, ſaying, that in the antient Church, Chriſtians would make voyages and pilgrimages to the bodies of Martyrs to be aſſociated to their merits, and aſſiſted by their interceſſions, and prayed to the holy Martyrs to pray for them, &c. Which he goeth about to prove by ſome teſtimonies of the Fathers; and in the Margin ſends us to his fifth book, where he treateth that queſtion fully, and more exactly then any other. There he proteſteth often that he diſputeth not of the right, nor of that which ought to be believed concerning this queſtion, but only of the fact: And that his end is only to ſhew what was believed in the antient Church in the time of the firſt four Councils, that is, from the year of the Lord 326. to the year 451. For he freely acknowledgeth, that as in the holy Scripture, there is neither command nor example for the invocation of Saints, likewiſe in the writings of the Fathers that have written before the four firſt Councils, no trace is to be found of that invocation.
As for us, ſince we think it an idle labour to diſpute of that which was believed in ſuch or ſuch an age, unleſs it be to learn together what ought to be believed, and that the queſtion of the fact without that of the right is to no purpoſe, we will treat of both, and ſeek firſt what the faithfull ought to believe about this point, that the Reader may judge of the examples by the rules, inſtead of forging rules upon examples, which have not the ſtrength of Laws.
Before we enter into that matter, the Reader muſt be deſired to diſtinguiſh carefully the queſtion of the interceſſion of Saints, from the queſtion of the invocation of Saints: They are very different queſtions; Whether the Saints pray for us, and Whether we muſt pray to them. It is one thing to know what the Saints do in heaven, another thing to know what we muſt do in earth. This advertiſement is neceſſary, becauſe Cardinal du Perron carried away by the ſtream of the common error, confounds theſe two things, and labours to prove that the Saints intercede for us; which is not the thing in queſtion. For we deny not that the Saints in heaven pray for the Church in earth. Of that we have an example, Rev. 6.10. where the ſouls of Martyrs cry unto God, How long O Lord holy and true doſt thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? But whether we muſt invocate thoſe Martyrs, it is another queſtion, and the very knot of the difference; to which if M. du Perron had kept himſelf cloſe, he might have made his work ſhorter by the half, and had not loaded his book with uſeleſs proofs. For the felicity of the Saints hath not diminiſhed their charity. They pray in general for the Church militant here in earth, though they know not the thoughts of men, nor the neceſſities of every private man.
This queſtion conſiſteth in four points.
The firſt, to know whether the Saints in heaven know our hearts and our thoughts, and underſtand our prayers.
The ſecond, what aſſurance the Roman Church hath, that the Saints which they call upon are truly Saints.
The third is, Whether the true Saints muſt be invocated, and prayed to.
The fourth, How they muſt be ſerved, and what ſervice or religious worſhip is due unto them.
CHAP. 2. That the glorified Saints know not all that is done in earth, and know not the hearts and thoughts of men.
Confutation of the Cardinal.
CArdinal du Perron in chap. 18. of book 5. pag. 997. ſpeaking of the ſouls of Saints, ſaith that they ſee within themſelves the light of the Almighty; whence he inferreth, that there is nothing without themſelves but they know it. In the ſame chapter pag. 991. he ſpeaks of a looking-glaſs in Gods eſſence, in which all the things that are in being are repreſented. Which is a raſh Divinity, repugnant unto nature, and to the bleſſedneſs of the Saints, and (which is more) unto the word of God. For the Saints though never ſo much exalted in glory, yet are creatures and of a finite nature, and by conſequent incapable of knowing infinite things in an inſtant, and to bend their attention upon infinite things in the ſame moment. For as the being, and life of creatures conſiſteth in a duration, and ſucceſſive flowing, ſo their actions are done ſucceſſively, and one after another. Whence it followeth that affirming that the Saints think of all things at once, and ſee all that hath been, is, and ſhall be in the world, and all the thoughts of all men at once, and that St. Peter being prayed to by a hundred thouſand perſons in divers places, ſeeth the thoughts of all theſe men at once, and of all the men that ſhall in the time to come call upon him: This, I ſay, is equalling his knowledge, both in latitude and extent, unto the knowledge of God.
Beſides, God doth nothing in vain, and giveth no vertue or knowledge to his Saints but to make them more happy. Now in this life and in humane ſociety there is a numberleſs quantity of vain, ſordid, filthy, and wicked things and actions, the knowledge whereof would contribute nothing to the bleſſedneſs of the Saints, and would be altogether unſuitable with their happy ſtate. For that looking-glaſs, which the School men ſay to be in the face of God (in which both they, and Cardinal du Perron after them, will have the Saints to ſee all things) was broken long ago, neither is any thing ſeen in it, but the raſhneſs of thoſe that invented it, without any warrant of the word of God. It is a groſs error to believe that who ſo ſeeth God, neceſſarily ſeeth all that God ſeeth: and that any man that ſeeth another perſon, hath alwayes as good eyes as that perſon: Or that one that ſeeth from a low ground another that ſtands on a high place, ſeeth all the proſpect which that man ſeeth from that high place. By that reaſon he that ſeeth a blind man, ſhould ſee nothing at all. Indeed if the Saints could ſee and know God with ſuch a perfect knowledge as that wherewith God knoweth his own ſelf, I make no doubt but that the Saints by that knowledge ſhould know all things, becauſe that knowledge would be infinite as the eſſence of God is infinite. But Gods eſſence is incomprehenſible and inviſible to the creature, and though the Saints be never ſo excellent, there is alwayes an infinite diſtance between them and Gods perfection. The Angels ſee the face of God alwayes, Mat. 18. and yet they are ignorant of the day of judgement, Mark 13.32. and by the manifeſtation of Jeſus Chriſt by the Goſpel, the Angels have learned things which they knew not before, as St. Paul ſaith, Epheſ. 3.10. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wiſdom of God.
The Jeſuite Salmeron in the eighth diſputation upon 1 Tim. 2. ſaith, that when Jeſus Chriſt prayeth for us, the Father hears him alwayes: But when the Saints pray for us, God heareth them not alwayes, and grants not alwayes what they ask. By ſpeaking thus, he aſcribes idle actions unto Saints, and ſuch as are of no uſe, either for them or us. Hence alſo it follows, that it is far better for one to addreſs himſelf unto Chriſt, then to the Saints. But this is moſt notable in that aſſertion of his, that by ſpeaking thus, he breaks that looking-glaſs, and acknowledgeth that the Saints ſee not things future in the face of God, and know not whether God will hear them or no. For if they knew it, they would not ask ſuch things as they might be ſure never to obtain, becauſe by their prayers they ſhould contradict the known counſel of God.
I acknowledge that God can reveal what pleaſeth him unto the Saints; but of that will of God, nothing is manifeſted to us in his word. Rather we learn of Job, ſpeaking of a deceaſed Father, Job 14.21. That his ſons come to honour, and he knows it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not.
2 Kings 22.20. God promiſeth to King Joſiah, thou ſhalt be gathered into thy grave in peace, and thine eyes ſhall not ſee all the evil which I will bring upon this place. If that King ſaw not after his death the ruine of his children, and deſolation of his Kingdom, how could he have ſeen all that was in the world, and the thoughts of all men?
Wiſe Solomon, Eccleſ. 9.5. is expreſs upon this point, ſaying, that the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward. And a little after, neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun: Then have they not any portion in the religious ſervice which men offer unto them, and no knowledge of mens buſineſſes. To this the Cardinal anſwereth, that it is not the ſpirit of God that ſpeaks thus, but theſe are objections which the Prophet frameth as from the ſenſe of the fleſh againſt the ſpirit. Elſe (ſaith he) we muſt infer out of theſe words that the death of a man, and the death of a beaſt are both alike. The Reader that will conſult the place, ſhall find, that in the whole chapter there is no mention of the death of beaſts, and that it is not there compared with the death of men. Rather he ſhall find in that ninth chapter many holy and true ſentences, which cannot be ſuggeſtions of the fleſh againſt the ſpirit of God. Such as this ſentence in the firſt verſe, that the righteous and the wiſe, and their works are in the hand of God: And this v. 16. & 18. Wiſdom is better then ſtrength: Wiſdom is better then weapons of war, but one ſinner deſtroyeth much good.
Now in the queſtion whether the Saints muſt be prayed to, the main point is, to know whether the Saints deceaſed underſtand the prayers which the living conceive in their heart? For the true prayer is that of the heart, otherwiſe he that hath the beſt voyce ſhould be beſt underſtood. And he that is prayed to, muſt know whether he that prayeth doth it ſeriouſly, and with faith and true repentance: And he muſt know how to diſcern them from thoſe that pray out of hypocriſie. Now the Word of God ſaith, that there is none but God alone that knoweth the hearts of men: As it is ſaid, 2 Chron. 6.30. Lord, thou only knoweſt the hearts of the children of men.
Pag. 990.The Cardinal, after others, anſwereth, that Scripture thereby meaneth, that the Angels and the ſouls of men know not the hearts in the ſame manner as God knoweth them, becauſe that God hath that knowledge eſſentially and from himſelf, but the Angels and the ſouls of men have it only by participation, and becauſe God giveth it them. In the ſame manner as Paul, 1 Tim. 6.16. ſaith that God only hath immortality. There is nothing ſo expreſs in Gods Word, but may be ſo eluded. The Word of God ſaith ſimply and abſolutely, that God alone knoweth the hearts of men, not as the Cardinal will make Scripture ſay, that God knows the hearts in a manner proper unto himſelf alone. By the ſame reaſon I could ſay that God alone knows, that Jeſus Chriſt is our Redeemer, becauſe he knoweth it from himſelf, but we know him but by revelation. If a man in a town hath taught others Grammar, may it be ſaid that he alone knoweth Grammar, becauſe others have learned it of him? Nay, it follows, that he knoweth it not alone, ſince he taught it them. As for theſe words, that God alone hath immortality; To take the word immortality in the ſenſe that the Apoſtle takes it, for eternity, and for a life independent from another, not flowing, and not looſing any thing of its time and duration, I ſay that God alone hath immortality; For the life of Angels and mens ſouls conſiſteth in a ſucceſſive duration. The years of an immortal man are flowing, and his paſt duration is no more.
The Word of God in many places makes this diſtinction between God and all the creatures, that he is ſearcher of the hearts, as Pſal. 7.9. The righteous God tryeth the hearts and rains: And Jer. 17.10. I the Lord ſearch the heart: And 1 Chron. 28.9. The Lord ſearcheth all hearts, and underſtandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. And Act. 1.24. Peter caſting the lot for the election of an Apoſtle, ſaid, Thou Lord which knoweſt the hearts of all men, ſhew whether of theſe two thou haſt choſen. Matth. 6.6. the Lord Jeſus ſaith, When thou prayeſt, enter into thy cloſet— and pray to thy Father which ſeeth thee in ſecret. His exhortation ſhould looſe its ſtrength, if the ſame could be ſaid of the Saints.
Wherefore Austin in the book de dogmatibus Eccleſiaſticis (if that book be his) ch. 81. makes this concluſion, That only one knoweth the ſecrets of the hearts, to whom it is ſaid, Thou only knoweſt the hearts of the ſons of men.