The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. 9. A place of Origens eighth book againſt Celſus falſified by Cardinal du Perron.
TO prove by Origen that Angels ought to be invocated (for as for the invocation of Saints, he brings nothing at all for it)(a)Book 1. c. 13. p. 984. He makes a flouriſh with a place of Origen in book 8. againſt Celſus, which he alledgeth in theſe words, When a man hath God propitious, thence it reſults that he hath alſo all the Angels, Souls and Spirits belonging to God for his friends. For they acknowledge thoſe, that are worthy of the heavenly favour and Godhead; yea and labour to get Gods good will for thoſe that will ſerve him, and jointly pray with us: So that we all that ſerve him make bold to ſay, that unto men of good will, infinite thouſands of holy Angels freely joyn themſelves, and interced… for our mortal kind. The Reader may obſerve, that the queſtion being, whether Angels and Saints ought to be prayed to? The Cardinal to prove that, brings a text which ſaith that the Angels intercede for us; a thing about which we diſpute not. That is not the queſtion. Obſerve alſo, that the Cardinal hath clipt that place of Origen, and cut off the head of it by a notorious malice. Origen ſaith, We muſt make the Soveraign God alone propitious, and beſeech him to be favourable unto us, making him propitious by piety and by all vertue. But if [Celſus] will make others after God propitious unto him, let him learn, that as the ſhadow is moved after the bodies motion, likewiſe when one hath obtained the favour▪ of the Soveraign God, thence it followeth, that one hath alſo the favour of all the beloved Angels, and of the ſouls and Spirits that are his. Out of all that diſcourſe the Cardinal makes uſe only of the two laſt lines, intending thereby to prove the invocation or interceſſion of the Angels and Saints. But the lines that go next before, ſhew that by theſe very words which he alledgeth, Origen intends to prove that to pray to Angels is a ſuperfluous thing, ſince by praying to God alone, and getting his favour, we have by conſequent all the Angels favourable unto us.
To that clipping, he adds a depravation of that place full of falſhood and foul dealing. This is the true place tranſlated word by word, For they know them that are worthy of Gods favour, (b)foreign.and are not only propitious to them that are worthy, but even help thoſe that will ſerve the God who is above all things, and make him propitious, and pray with them, and petition with them. So that we dare ſay that to the men who with choice propound to themſelves that which is beſt, and pray to God, millions of ſacred powers joyn with their prayers, not called upon. Beſides many corruptions of the Greek words, which ſhew that this Prelat had little skill in the Greek tongue, there is this notable falſification, that he hath left out theſe words, that the Angels pray for us, foreign non invocati, not being invocated or called upon for help. For theſe words reſiſted the Cardinals purpoſe, which was to prove the invocation of Saints out of Origen. And whether out of malice or ignorance, inſtead of foreign he put in the Margin foreign, which ſignifieth nothing. But in his French he hath left it out quite, putting inſtead of not being called upon, the word volontairement, that is, voluntarily or freely. The other faults, as tranſlating foreign, men of good will, are faults of petty Grammar-ſchollers, and proceed out of ignorance in Greek: But in the omiſſion of the word foreign, the fraud is evident.