Answer to Book by Romish Priests, Doctrine 27
XXVII. That the holy Angels pray not for us, nor know our thoughts and deſires on earth.
Anſwer.
NOne of us ſay, That the holy Angels pray not for us in general, (no, many Proteſtants grant it) but we have no reaſon to believe they pray for us in our particular concerns; and we are ſure they do not intercede for us by their Merits, for they have none. We are ſure alſo, that they know not our thoughts or deſires; unleſs they be diſcovered by external effects or ſigns, or they be revealed to them by God. For the Scripture expreſly ſaith, God only knows the heart, 1 Kings VIII. 39. 1 Cor. II. 11. And this Suarez *L. 2. de Angel. c. XXI. n. 3.himſelf ſaith, is a Catholick Aſſertion, That an Angel cannot naturally know or ſee the act or free conſent of any created will, unleſs by him that hath ſuch a tree affection, it be manifeſted to another. And this he ſaith is de fide; and proves it from Scriptures and Fathers. Now if any one will ſay, that God doth reveal our internal thoughts and deſires to the Angels, he is a very bold man; unleſs he have a Divine Revelation for it. None of the Scriptures here mention'd, ſay any ſuch thing.
The firſt of them, I. Zach. 12.I. Zac. 12. only proves, That an Angel prayed (not for a particular perſon, and his particular neceſſities, but) that he would have mercy upon Jeruſalem and the cities of Judah; that is, upon the whole Nation. This many Proteſtants grant; and therefore he belies them when he ſaith, They believe the Angels do not pray for us. For this very place is alledged by the Apology for the Auguſtan Confeſſion, and by Chemnitius in his Common-places, as an argument why they grant, Angels pray for the Church in general: For this Text proves no more.
The next,Tob. XII. 12. (tho out of an Apocryphal Book, XII. Tob. 12.) ſays nothing of the Angels praying for us, but of their bringing mens prayers before the Holy One: Which the ſame Proteſtants alſo allow; meaning thereby only a Miniſterial Oblation of mens Prayers before God, (as they explain themſelves) not a Pr pitiatory Oblation, which is proper only to Jeſus Chriſt.
VIII. Rev. 4.Unto whom the third place belongs, VIII. Rev. 4. not to an ordinary Angel, but to that great Angel of the Covenant (whom the Prophet ſpeaks of, III. Mal. 1.) out of whoſe hand the ſmoke of the incenſe came, and aſcended up before God. So St. Auſtin, and Primaſius; nay, Viega, a famous Jeſuit, affirms, that moſt Interpreters, by this Angel underſtand Chriſt: And he gives theſe good reaſons for it: Unto whom, but to him alone, doth it belong to offer the Incenſe of the whole Church, that is, their Prayers, in a golden Cenſer? Who but he could ſend down part of the Fire with which the golden Cenſer was filled, (v. 5.) upon the earth, and inflame it with the Fire of the Divine Love, and the Flaming Gifts of the Holy-Ghoſt? &c. See the Folly of this man, who applies that to Angels, which belongs, in the opinion of moſt Interpreters, unto Chriſt alone. And ſee his Falſeneſs alſo, who would make his Reader believe that Irenaeus underſtood this place as he doth; when he ſpeaks not one word of this matter in the place he mentions; but only ſaith, There is therefore an Altar in the Heavens; for thither our Prayers and our Oblations are directed, and to the Temple there; as John in the Revelation ſaith; and there was opened the Temple of God, and the Tab…acle; for behold, ſaith he, the Tabernacle of God, in which he will dwell with men. In which words he hath no reſpect to this place, but to XI. Rev. 19. and XXI. 3.
Once more, take notice of the wretched performance of this man, who took upon him to prove, That Angels not only pray for us, but know our thoughts and deſires upon earth; about which there is not the leaſt touch in any one of theſe places, which are all he quotes at large. And as for thoſe, the Chapters and Verſes of which follow, they only tell us, what Angels knew of the mind of God, which they brought in meſſages to men; but nothing of their knowing the minds of men. Let the Reader, if he think good, peruſe them, and he will ſee I ſay true. What heart then can one have to look into his Fathers, when he deals thus inſincerely with the Holy Scriptures? But to ſhow that nothing elſe can be expected from ſuch men, I will briefly note, That St. Hilary expreſly ſpeaks of ſuch a Miniſterial Interceſſion as many Proteſtants grant; that is, of their bringing mens Prayers to God, as he ſpeaks. Whoſe words are a gloſs upon the Apoſtle's, I. Heb. For they are miniſtring ſpirits ſent forth for to miniſter to them who are heirs of ſalvation Whereupon follows the words he quotes, Therefore the nature of God doth not need their interceſſion, but our infirmity; for they are ſent forth for thoſe who ſhall be heirs of ſalvation. What can be plainer, than that he ſpeaks only of a Miniſterial (for they are ſent forth to Miniſter) not of a Powerful Interceſſion?