The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 1 · Chapter 13 – Chapter 14
CHAP. 13. What honour is due to Angels and deceaſed Saints, and of the worſhip of dulia and latria.
THE ordinary diſtinctions of our Adverſaries in this point are, that the Saints are Mediatours of interceſſion, not of redemption; and that unto them we muſt not defer the worſhip of latria, which they affirm to belong unto God alone; but that they muſt be worſhipped with the worſhip of dulia, which is an inferiour worſhip, and a relative religion, as the Cardinal calls it. In all his Treatiſe of the Invocation of Saints, he deferreth no other ſervice of religion to the Saints, but to beſeech them that they would pray for us; Wherein he ſeems to be aſhamed of the belief of his Church, which goes far beyond that: For they ask ſalvation of God, not only by the interceſſion of the Saints, but alſo by their merits. It is the ordinary prayer in the Maſs,(a)Quorum meritis precibuſque rogamus ut in omnibus protectionis tuae muniamur auxilio. where the Prieſt asketh Gods help and protection by the prayers and merits of the Saints, as if the Saints by their good works had merited ſalvation for us. And which is more, the Roman Church believeth that the ſufferings of the Saints are ſatisfactory for others, and that the Pope layeth up the overplus of their ſatisfactions and labours unto the Churches Treaſure (whereof himſelf keeps the keyes,) and diſtributes it into others by his Indulgences. Being thus made to pay for us, they are made in ſome ſort our Redeemers, as(b)Non erit abſurdum ſi ſancti viri redemptores noſtri aliquo modo, id eſt, ſecundùm aliquid, non ſimpliciter, & largo modo, non in rigore verborum, eſſe dicantur. Bellarmin doth acknowledge it in the fourth chapter of the firſt book of Indulgences. Wherefore they that pray to the Saints, content not themſelves to beſeech them to pray for us, but they ask of them to be healed from ſickneſſes. Vows and offerings are made unto them, to obtain of them the ſucceſs of ſome voyage, or important buſineſs. The Hymn of the Virgin Mary which is commonly and publikely uſed, hath theſe words,(c)Maria mater gratiae, Mater miſericordiae, Tu nos ab hoſte protege, Et horâ mortis ſuſcipe. Mary Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, be thou our protection againſt the enemy, and receive us in the hour of death. That is not praying, that ſhe pray for us.
The Offices attributed to the Saints teſtifie the ſame. For one that believeth that the Saints do us no other good, but to pray for us, will not addreſs himſelf to St. Nicholas, rather then to another Saint, to have a good wind upon the Sea, ſeeing that any other Saint might ask that of God as well as he. But they believe that St. Nicholas can appeaſe the Sea, and give a happy navigation. And the title of Queen of heaven, attributed to the Virgin Mary, aſcribes to her the power of commanding which is much more then praying for us▪ The Antients recommended the reading of the Pſalms unto the people. And Hierom in the Epiſtle to Laeta, adviſeth her to make her daughter Paula to read them. But now inſtead of the Pſalms, they give to ſimple women the Hours of the Virgin Mary, of which no mention is made in Antiquity. Then the adoration of the relicks of the Saints is performed with ſo much fervour by the people, that the ſervice done to God, is cold in compariſon. Of which Ludovicus Vives complaineth in his Annotations upon book 8. of the City of God, chap. 27.(d)Multi Chriſtiani in re bona plerumque peccant quod Divos Divaſ que non aliter venerantur quam Deum: Nec video in multis quod ſit diſcrimen inter eorum opinionem de ſanctis & id quod Gentiles putabant de ſuis Diis. Many Chriſtians do often ſin in a good thing, venerating Saints of both ſexes, no otherwiſe then they ſerve God himſelf. Neither do I ſee in many of them, what difference there is between their opinion concerning the Saints, and that which the Pagans held of their Gods. It is clear, that they that vow themſelves unto Saints, or make unto them vowes and promiſes to make pilgrimages to their ſhrines, or to pay them offerings, do more then to pray to the Saints, that they would pray to God for them.
Then to come to that title of Mediatours of interceſſion, which is given to the Saints, the Apoſtle Paul, 1 Tim. 2.5. acknowledgeth but one Mediatour between God and men,(e)foreign. There is one God, and one Meditour between God and men, the man Chriſt Jeſus. If upon the word Mediatour it is lawfull to make diſtinctions between one Mediatour of Redemption, and the other of Interceſſion, one may uſe the ſame licenſe upon the name of God, and ſo make many Gods. But that diſtinction of two ſorts of Mediatour, ought to be found in the word of God, not forged in ones brains: And it is forged without reaſon: For we call him a Mediatour of interceſſion, that receiveth our requeſts, and preſents them unto God. To do ſo much, he muſt hear our prayers, and know our heart: Which we have ſhewed to be impoſſible unto the deceaſed Saints.
Some petty Sophiſts will have it tranſlated, there is one God, not there is one only God, as the French Geneva Bible hath it; and there is one Mediatour, not there is one only Mediatour. But that man is deeply ignorant, that knows not that foreign in Greek and unus in Latin ſignifie unicus, one only, and not many. The French verſion of the Doctors of Lovain, approved by the Jeſuites, expound it ſo, 1 Tim. 3.2. there is in the vulgar verſion Oportet Epiſcopum eſſe unius uxoris virum: The Lovain Doctors expound, Il faut que l' Euesque ſoit mari dune ſeule femme, The Biſhop muſt be the husband of one only wife. And 1 Cor. 12.11. There is in the vulgar verſion, Haec omnia operatur unus atque idem ſpiritus, where the ſame Doctors tranſlate(f)foreign. One only and the ſame ſpirit doth all theſe things. And Eph. 4.5. theſe words unum corpus, unus Spiritus, unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptiſma, are thus tranſlated in the ſame verſion. There is but one body, and one Spirit, There is but one Lord, one faith, one Baptiſm: We may then tranſlate here in the ſame manner, There is but one God, and but one Mediatour.
The words of the Apoſtle are very conſiderable, for he ſaith, there is one only God, and one only Mediatour betwteen God and men. This word between ſheweth evidently that he ſpeaks of a Mediatour of interceſſion. For it would be improperly ſpoken to ſay, that Chriſt is Redeemer between God and men. Yet that one might not think that Chriſt intercedeth only by prayer for us towards his Father, the Apoſtle addeth, that he gave himſelf a ranſome for all.
Which two ſorts of being a Mediatour towards God, who ſo will ſeriouſly conſider, ſhall find that in Chriſt they are one and the ſame thing: For even in this Chriſt intercedes for us that he ſatisfieth for us, and that God in conſideration of his death receiveth us to mercy, and accepteth our prayers. So much we learn of St. John, 1 John 2.1. & 2. We have an Advocate with the Father, Jeſus Chriſt the righteous, This word Advocate is as good as a Mediatour of interceſſion. But that one may know wherein that interceſſion conſiſteth, he addeth, And he is the propitiation for our ſins: Then his mediation of interceſſion conſiſteth in his being the propitiation for our ſins, which is the mediation of redemption.
The Moſaiel Law brings us to that; For under the Law the High Prieſt, a figure of Chriſt, was typically a Mediatour both of interceſſion and redemption, and there was no other ordinary Mediatour of interceſſion.
The whole Goſpel brings us to that; Chriſt ſaith John 14. I am the way, the truth and the life; None cometh to the Father, but by me. And Rom. 5.17. They ſhall reign in life by one Jeſus Chriſt. It is the priviledge of children, that they need no Mediatour to ſpeak to their Father. Having the Son of God for our Mediatour of interceſſion (for St. Paul ſaith, Rom. 8.34. that he makes interceſſion for us) we have no need of any other recommendation with God. Though thou ſhouldſt be the unworthieſt man of the world, yet when God calleth thee, thou muſt go ſtraight to him: Now God calls us, ſaying, Come unto me all that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reſt, Matth. 11.28. Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, Pſal. 50.15.
It will not ſerve to ſay, that God in his word, will have the living to pray for one another, and that God ſends Jobs friends to his interceſſion to obtain their pardon: For the prayer of the living for us, hath nothing common with the invocation of the deceaſed Saints. When we commend our ſelves to the prayers of our friends, we yield no religious ſervice to them, and bow not the knee before them in the Church: We acknowledge them not as ſearchers of hearts, or Mediatours between God and men; And that prayer is a mutual and reciprocal office between us, which is not between us and the Saints. In a word God commanded us to pray for one another, but commanded us not to pray to the Saints. To them who inſtead of addreſſing themſelves to the living, call upon the dead, the reprehenſion of Iſaiah belongeth; whereby▪ he rebuketh thoſe that go(g)Iſa. 8.19 for the living to the dead.
Some texts are found in Scripture, where God declareth that he beſtoweth ſome grace upon his Church, or upon ſome private perſons in conſideration of Abraham, Iſaac, Jacob, David, &c. But the Church did not therefore call upon Abraham, or Iſaac, &c. Neither muſt we believe, that God granted theſe graces by reaſon of Abrahams merits, but in conſideration of his promiſe, and of his Covenant contracted with Abraham or David, as it is ſaid, 2 Chron. 21.7. The Lord becauſe of the Covenant which he had made with David, would not deſtroy the houſe of David. See Luke 1.55. & 72, & 73. and Deut. 7.8 So Auſtin in the book of queſtions upon Exod. in the one hundred and fifty queſtion. God ſaid that he accompliſhed that which he had ſworn unto their Fathers; Thereby ſhewing that he doth it, becauſe he promiſt it to thoſe righteous Fathers; not becauſe theſe were worthy of it.
That Father is very pregnant upon that matter in the twenty ſecond Treatiſe upon John. It is that which thy Saviour ſaith, (h)Non eſt quo eas niſi ad me, non eſt qua eas niſi per me.Thou knoweſt not whither to go but to me, thou canſt not go but by me. We muſt then neither go to the Saints, nor by the Saints: And in the laſt chapter of the ninth book of the City of God,(i)Medios non eſſe ad immortalitatem beatudinemque perducendis mortalibus. Knowing that theſe immortal and bleſſed perſons, who yet are made and created, are not means to bring mortal men to immortality and bleſſedneſs. And in the eighth chapter of the ſecond book againſt the Epiſtle of Parmenian, (k)Homines omnes Chriſtiani invicem ſe commendant orationibus ſuis. Pro quo autem nullus interpellat, ſed ipſe pro omnibus, hic unus veruſ que Mediator eſt, &c. Nam ſi eſſet Mediator Paulus, eſſent utique & caeteri coapoſtoli ejus, &c.All Chriſtians recommend themſelves mutually unto God by their prayers, but he for whom no body prayeth, but who prayeth for all, he is the only and true Mediatour. And a little after, If Paul were Mediatour, ſo ſhould alſo the other Apoſtles be. And St. Paul himſelf had been miſtaken when he ſaid, that there was but one God, and one Mediatour. Note, that he ſpeaks formally of a Mediatour of interceſſion, without ſpeaking of redemption, for he is diſputing againſt Parmenian, who had called the Biſhop the Mediatour between God and men. And upon Pſal. 108.(l)Oratio quae non ſit per Chriſtum, non ſolùm non poteſt delere peccatum ſed etiam ipſa fit peccatum. The prayer which is not made by Jeſus Chriſt, not only cannot blot out ſin, but it ſelf alſo is ſin. See alſo Auſtins firſt Treatiſe upon the firſt Epiſtle of St. John.
It remains that we ſay ſomething of that diſtinction of dulia and latria. The Cardinal ſaith, that latria belongs to God alone. He leaveth then dulia to the Saints. They are Greek words which the people underſtand not. And that diſtinction is uſed by Auſtin in book 20. againſt Fauſtus Manichean, ch. 21. and in the queſtions upon Geneſis, book 1. ch. 61.
But now they take that diſtinction in another ſenſe then that of Auſtin. For theſe two words both latria and dulia are ſometimes taken in a religious ſenſe, and ſignifie a religious ſervice: ſometimes in a civil ſenſe, and ſignifie that civil ſervice, honour and obedience which we owe to our ſuperiours on earth, to which Gods ordinance hath ſubjected us. The word latria is taken in a civil ſenſe, Deut. 28.48. foreign, Thou ſhalt ſerve [or do latria] to thine enemies. And ſo in Phocylides (m)Phocyl. foreign.foreign ſignifieth ſerving the time. Whence alſo foreign ſignifieth a maid-ſervant. On the contrary dulia ſignifieth often the ſervice that is due to God alone. As 1 Sam. 7.3. foreign, Prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and ſerve him [or render dulia to him] only. And Judg. 2.7. foreign, and the people yielded dulia unto the Lord, that is, they ſerved the Lord. And Rom. 12.11. foreign; yielding dulia to the Lord, that is, ſerving the Lord. And Matth. 6.24. foreign, You cannot do dulia, or ſervice unto God, and unto Mammon. See Acts 20.19. Rom. 7.25. Eph. 6.7. Col. 3.14. 1 Theſſ. 1.9. By all theſe it appears, that the word Dulia which our Adverſaries reſerve for the ſervice, which is done to the Saints, is the word uſed in Scripture, for the ſervice and adoration which is due unto God.
The Apoſtle Gal. 4.8. repreſenting to the Galatians their condition, before they were converted unto God, tells them foreign. Ye did dulia, or ſervice to them, which by nature are no Gods. Where although he ſpeaks of the Gods of the Pagans, yet by ſpeaking thus, he gives it for a rule, that dulia muſt be yielded to none but God.
Suidas an excellent Greek Grammarian expounds thus the word Latria, foreign, latria is a dulia or ſervice for wages, making latria to be a kind of dulia.
The Arrians worſhipping Chriſt, whom yet they ſaid to be a created God, were called Idolaters by the Orthodox Chriſtians. They might have uſed that ſhift to ſay, We worſhip Chriſt with the ſervice of dulia only, but as for latria we reſerve it to the ſoveraign God. But that diſtinction in matter of divine ſervice and adoration was not yet invented. For as the antient Church had but one ſort of religion, they had alſo but one ſort of adoration and religious ſervice.
Auſtin from whom that diſtinction is borrowed, is clear on our ſide: For he calls dulia, the ſervice done to God. In the book of queſtions upon Exodus, qu. 94.(n)Dulia debetur Deo tanquam Domino, Latria verò non niſi Deo tanquam Deo. Dulia (ſaith he) is due unto God, as to our Maſter, and latria is due unto God, as to our God. But when dulia is taken for a civil ſervice, or for a reverence or ſubjection of a ſervant to his Maſter without a religious ſervice,(o)Auguſt. Qu. 66. in Leviticum. Servire hominibus [ſervitute] qua ſervi ſerviūt, quod non foreign, Scriptura non prohibet. then Auſtin holds that dulia is deferred unto living men, and to Maſters to whom we owe honour, as alſo to the deceaſed Saints whoſe memory we honour. But he ſaith not, that this dulia conſiſteth in the invocation of the Saints, or in deferring any religious ſervice unto them. Beſides, if that diſtinction muſt have place, it muſt be taken from the Greek Authors, not from Auſtin, who in many places confeſſeth his little knowledge of the Greek tongue: As in the ſecond book againſt the letters of Petilianus, chap. 38.(p)Ego quidem Graecae linguae perparum aſſecutus ſum & prope nihil. I have (ſaith he) got very little skill in the Greek tongue, and almoſt none at all.
Theodoret in the Epitome of the divine doctrines in the chapter of the Holy Ghoſt, proveth that the Holy Ghoſt is not a creature, becauſe dulia is deferred unto him. Chriſt (ſaith he) having aboliſhed the adoration of the creature, did not command again that a created nature ſhould be adored. (q)foreign.For it would be one of the moſt abſurd things of the world, to draw men away from them that are no Gods, and to bring them to yield dulia to the creature.
Yea whoſoever hath ſome reaſonable meaſure of knowledge in the Greek tongue, knoweth that dulia is a greater ſervice then latria; For latria is a ſervice of reverence and obedience, but dulia imports a ſubjection of ſlaves.
As for that relative religion which is deferred unto the Saints by the Cardinal, beſides the impiety of forging two Religions in the Chriſtian Religion, the one abſolute, the other relative; there is want of common ſenſe in it, for the religion towards God is alſo relative, and relates unto God. Let any equitable perſon judge whether the people worſhipping the Virgin Mary, and the Saints, and their relicks, underſtand theſe diſtinctions of latria, dulia, and hyperdulia, which are duſt caſt into the eyes of the ignorant multitude to blind them. For what's the reaſon that thoſe Gentlemen will not ſpeak to the people in their mothers tongue.
CHAP. 14. Of the Legends of Saints.
THE antient Church made an anniverſary commemoration of the ſufferings of Martyrs. That laudable cuſtom gave occaſion to the compiling of the Legends of Saints, which is ſtuffed with ridiculous fables. Of which when his Majeſty of Great Brittain complaineth,Pag. 972. M. du Perron inſtead of excuſing theſe Legends, doth expatiate his eloquence upon the praiſe of the antient Leſſons of the Martyrs, which leſſons were in nothing like to the Legends of the Roman Church. He was not bold enough to excuſe thoſe Legends ſo ſuperlative in abſurdity. Only he ſaith that the Roman Church believeth not thoſe leſſons with a Theological faith, like the Scripture. For who can bear with the Legends that ſay, that St. Macarius did penance ſix moneths together, for killing a gnat? That St. Mary the Egyptian having no money to pay the Watermens fare, offered to pay it with her body? That St. Francis preacht unto the Birds, took up Lice fallen from his garment, and made to himſelf a wife of ſnow? That an Aſs worſhipped the Hoſt preſented to him by St. Anthony of Padua? And that Bees built a Chappel of wax to that Hoſt? And a thouſand of the like courſe fables wherewith the windows and walls of Churches are painted all over, and which have been for many ages, and are ſtill the ſubject of Sermons. Theſe tales are ſo unſavoury, that(a)L. 11. c. 6. Dolenter dico potius quàm contumelioſe: multo hon…ſtiùs à Laer, …o vitas Philoſophorum ſcriptas quàm à Chriſtianis vitus ſanctorum. Melchior Canus, a Spaniſh Biſhop ſaith, that the lives of Philoſophers were written with more gravity by Diogenes Laertius, then the lives of Saints by the Chriſtians.
The Cardinal ſlideth ſmoothly upon this foul matter, and chuſeth rather not to anſwer, then to undertake the defenſe of ſuh a groſs abuſe.
But that it may appear that we are not they only that complain of this abuſe, let us hear how Caſſander a famous Doctor among our Adverſaries, expoſtulates about it. Some men of great note have affirmed that the promiſe of Ahaſuerus to Heſter to give her the half of his kingdom was fulfilled in Mary, to which God (ſay they) hath transferred the half of his kingdom, which is made up of juſtice and mercy, having retained the one half for himſelf. Hence come theſe titles commonly given to the Virgin, of Queen of heaven, Mother of mercy, our life, our hope, &c. What ſhall I ſay, that a whole Pſalter is found, from which the name of God was put out, and the Virgins name put in the place? Yea, they are come ſo far, that Chriſt who now reigneth in heaven, is ſubjected unto his Mother, as it is ſung in ſome Churches.
Ora patrem, jube natum:
Again,
O felix puerpera,
Noſtra pians ſcelera,
Jure Matris impera
Redemptori
that is,
Pray to the Father, command the Son:
Again,
O beſſed Mother,
Which doſt expiate our crimes,
Command by right of Mother,
our Redeemer.
Obſerve by the way the language of this Cardinal, who will have us to believe thoſe Legends with a faith not theological. He gave us above an abſolute faith, and a relative faith: Now he coyneth a Theological faith, and a faith not Theological, whereby one believeth without Theology, that is without religion, and without thinking of God. But the Apoſtle tells us, that there is but one faith. Eph. 4.5.