The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 1 · Chapter 15
CHAP. 15. Of the Pſalter attributed to Saint Bonaventure.
HIS Majeſty of Great Brittain could not diſſemble the injury done unto God by a Pſalter made at the imitation of Davids Pſalms, where the name of God is taken away, and the name of the Virgin put in his place. The 131. Pſalm begins thus,(a)Memento Domina David, & omnium invocantium nomen tuum. O our Lady remember David, and all that call upon thy name. As if David had called upon the Virgin Mary. In Pſal. 109. The Lord ſaid unto our Lady, ſit thou at my right hand, &c. In Pſal. 90. (which with us is the 91.) inſtead of the firſt words, He that dwelleth in the ſecret place of the moſt high, they have put, He that dwelleth in the ſecret place of the Mother of God, &c. And in the one hundred twenty ninth Pſalm, Out of the depths I have cryed unto thee our Lady, Lady hear my voice.
(b)Pag. 974.M. du Perron anſwereth three things; firſt that St. Bonaventure is not the Author of that Pſalter: Yet Bellarmin in his Apology againſt his Majeſty, acknowledgeth that Pſalter to be of Bonaventure, as indeed it never had any other title:(c)An. 1601. a Paris chez Claude Chappelet. ruë S. Jaques à la Licorne. Of late it was printed at Paris with that name, and tranſlated into French, with approbation of the Sorbon.
In the ſeond place he ſaith, that the Church is not obliged to anſwer for all that private perſons do. But becauſe he ſeeth this Pſalter to be univerſally recieved and approved in the Roman Church, and that Cardinal Bellarmin hath written in the defence of the ſame,(d)Pag. 975. he excuſeth it, and ſaith, that the tranſporting of the Pſalms to the Virgin, may have a ſenſe conformable to many places of Scripture, where God aſcribeth unto his Saints, that which is ſaid of him.
I anſwer, that Scripture expounds it ſelf whenſoever it ſpeaks ſo, either in the ſame place, or ſomewhere elſe, ſo that one cannot be deceived in it. Chriſts diſciples are called by himſelf the light of the world, Matth. 5. But he teacheth us why they are ſo called, ſaying of John the Baptiſt, He was not the light, but he was come to bear witneſs unto the light, John 1. David, Pſal. 82. ſaith unto the Judges and Magiſtrates, I have ſaid you are Gods: But in the ſame place he ſaith, but you ſhall dye like men. Such expoſitions are not found in that Pſalter of Bonaventure. Beſides, God ſpeaks as it pleaſeth him, and we may ſpeak after him. But hence it followeth not, that by our own authority without any warrant from the word of God, we may tranſport unto the creature the prayers which are addreſſed unto God in his word. And our Adverſaries acknowledge that Davids Pſalms are a ſervice of Latria, and a ſoveraign adoration, which David preſented unto God, and which by conſequent is incommunicable unto the creature. Who could abide him that would tranſport the Lords Prayer unto the creature: ſaying, Our Lady which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, &c.
The like Pſalter divided into fifteen Queſtions was printed at Paris, with approbation of the Faculty of Divinity, in the year 1601. and many times ſince, ſold by Nicholas du Foſſe in St. James ſtreet at the ſign of the golden plate.*Ruë S. Jaques au raſe d'or. There the Virgin is called the inventrix of grace, the firſt cauſe of our ſalvation, who hath made the King of heaven in love with her, and ſhe that muſt in the day of judgement moderate the ſentence of the Judge. She is called in the Hours, Roſaries, and Letanies, the Mother of mercy, the Lady of the world, the gate of Paradiſe. And a Hymn, which is ſung upon All-Saints day, ſaith that(e)Chriſte redemptor gentium, Conſerva tuos famulos, Beatae ſemper Virginis, Placatus ſanctis precibus. ſhe appeaſeth the wrath of Chriſt.
How abominable are the words of Gabriel Biel in the eight leſſon upon the Canon of the Maſs, where he ſaith that God hath divided his Kingdom equally with the Virgin Mary, having reſerved juſtice to himſelf, and left mercy unto her. And thoſe of the Jeſuite(f)Barrad. in Concordiam Evangel. Tom. 1. l. 6. cap. 11. Fortaſſis Domine ne tuae coeleſti Curia veniret in dubium cui potius occurreret, tibi Domino ſuo an ipſi Domina ſuae. Barradius who (after Anſelmus) makes this queſtion unto Chriſt, why, when he went up to heaven, he did not carry up his Mother with him? And he frameth this anſwer for Chriſt; Perhaps, Lord, thou didſt fear, leſt the Court of heaven ſhould doubt which of the two they ſhould firſt meet, either thee as their Lord, or her as their Lady.
Such alſo are the words of Martinus Perezius, (g)Martin. Perez. par. 3. Conſil. 7. de cultu Sanctorum.that the Bleſſed Virgin being aſcended up on high, gave gifts unto men.
And thoſe of the Jeſuite Salmeron, who in the ſeventh diſputation upon the ſecond chapter of the firſt Epiſtle to Timothy, upon the queſtion,(h)Sect. Si autem. whether it b… better done to pray to God by Chriſt alone, or to pray to him by the Saints! anſwereth, Oratio fuſa per ſanctos melior eſt. The prayer made by the Saints is the beſt.
In the ſame place(i)Qui diceret, Pater noſter, ad ſanctorum honorem bene faceret. he approveth, ſaying, Our Father which art in heaven, in the honour of the Saints: As alſo the Council of Trent, in the chapter of prayer approveth thoſe that ſay before the image of St. Barbara, Our Father which art in heaven.
The ordinary excuſe is, that the Virgin Mary is called the Mother of mercy, ſhe that hath bruiſed the Serpents head, the gate of Paradiſe, and the like expreſſions, becauſe ſhe bore him in her womb who is the cauſe of our ſalvation, who hath bruiſed the Serpents head, and who hath opened unto us the gate of Paradiſe. If that excuſe be good, by the ſame reaſon one may ſay, that the Holy Virgin is dead for our redemption, becauſe ſhe hath born him who is dead for our demption. By the ſame reaſon Sara may be called Iſaac, becauſe ſhe bore Iſaac: and Eve may be called Abel, becauſe ſhe bore Abel.
Theſe men play with religion, and believe not what themſelves ſay.