order, that we thus might piously and supplicantly have recourse to her, to reconcile God by her intercession to us sinners, and to obtain for us those good things which are necessary, as well for this life, as for life eternal. Therefore, we, exiled sons of Eve, who inhabit this vale of tears, ought constantly to invoke the Mother of Mercy, and Advocate of the faithful, that she may pray for us sinners; and by this prayer, we ought to implore help and assistance from her, of whom no one, without impiety and nefarious wickedness, can doubt her pre-eminent merits with God, and her very great willingness to assist mankind." (Id. C. 5. S. 6.) In Offic. Beatæ Mariæ, tempore paschali, it is asked, “What, in any past time, was ever found, or what, in time to come, will it be possible to find, greater or more illustrious than she? She alone has surpassed heaven and earth in her greatness. For what is more holy than she? Neither Prophets, nor Apostles, nor Martyrs, nor Patriarchs, nor Angels, nor Thrones, nor Powers, nor Cherubim, nor Seraphim, nor aught beside of created things, visible or invisible, can be found, greater or more excellent. She is, at once, the Handmaid and the Mother of God, a Virgin and a Mother." The following Prayer, set forth, in the year 1822, by Pope Pius VII., and, by his special command, appointed to be distributed, for the use of the people of Rome, will best exhibit the nature of the worship addressed to the Virgin.

"I adore thee, Most Holy Virgin, Queen of Heavens, Lady and Patroness of the Universe, as Daughter of the Eternal Father, Mother of his Most Beloved Son, and Most Gracious Spouse of the Holy Ghost; and, prostrate at the feet of thy Great Majesty, with all possible humility, I supplicate thee, by that divine love, with which thou wast filled on thy assumption into heaven, to grant me so much grace and mercy, as to receive me under thy protection, and to number me among thy

most happy and joyful servants, whom thou bearest engraven in thy most virgin bosom. Vouchsafe, O Most Merciful Mother and Lady, to receive this miserable and impure heart; take my memory, my will, and all my other faculties and senses, both internal and external; accept my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my hands, my feet; rule them, and make them conformed to the good pleasure of thy sweet Son, intending, at every movement of them, to give thee infinite glory." (2.)

In the Missale Romanum, appeal is frequently made to the merits and intercession of the Saints, as the ground of our hope of eternal salvation. In the Collect for St. Nicholas's Day, December 6, we read, "O God, who by innumerable miracles, hast honoured blessed Nicholas, the Bishop, grant, we beseech thee, that by his merits and intercession, we may be delivered from eternal flames." Various other examples might be produced to the same effect.

"The Angels are to be worshipped, because they continually behold God, and have most willingly undertaken the charge of our salvation confided to them." (Cat. Trid. Pars. III. c. 2.) (3.)

OBSERVATIONS.

(1.) The Invocation of Saints, and of the Virgin Mary, was first introduced by Petrus Guapheus, a Presbyter of Bithynia, afterwards Bishop of Antioch, about A. D. 470, and it was first received into the public Litanies about 130 years after. The Romanists have Saints in abundance for every place, and for every purpose; as the heathens had deities. No country, city, parish, or individual without his patron Saint. No element, science, trade, or profession, without its presiding saint. What, if true, would be a peculiar blessing, most diseases have their proper Saints, for their expulsion, and sanation. Still more extraordinary! so great a share are some saints supposed to take in the concerns of men as to

e xtend their patronage and tuition, even to their beasts. The sailors have recourse to St. Christopher, and St. Clement; but most especially to the Blessed Virgin, whom they invoke by the name of Maria Stella, to guard hem from the dangers of the sea. St. Agatha is invoked upon accidents from fire. Students intreat the assistance of St. Nicolas, and St. Gregory; painters, that of St. Luke. St. Cornelia is applied to, for the cure of the falling sickness; St. Roche for the venereal disease; and St. Appollonia for the tooth-ache. St. Loy is said to preside over horses, and St. Anthony over swine; and on their particular festivals, the cattle are presented for their blessing. These delusive expectations of assistance and preservation from evils, by means of the saints, please and delight the dupes of superstition. They flock to their churches, and keep their festivals with increasing ardour, kneel and prostrate before their relics and images, and kiss and embrace them with great affection and confidence. "Now then, is there any Angel, any Virgin, any Patriarch, or Prophet, among the dead, that can understand or know the meaning of the heart? The Scripture saith, it is God that searcheth the heart and the reins, and that he only knoweth the hearts of the children of men. As for the Saints, they have so little knowledge of the secrets of the heart, that many of the ancient Fathers greatly doubt whether they know any thing at all, that is commonly done on earth.

"Is not that man, think you, unwise, that will run for water to a little brook, when he may as well go to the head spring? Even so may his wisdom be justly suspected, that will flee unto Saints in time of necessity, when he may boldly, and without fear, declare his grief, and direct his prayer, unto the Lord himself.

"If God were strange or dangerous to be talked withal, then might we justly draw back, and seek to some other.

“What if we be sinners, shall we not, therefore, pray unto God? or shall we despair to obtain any thing at his hands! Why did Christ then teach us to ask forgiveness of our sins, saying, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us? Shall we think that the Saints are more merciful in nearing sinners than God?

"O but I dare not, will some man say, trouble God at all times with my prayers; we see that in kings' houses, and courts of princes, men cannot be admitted, unless they first use the help and means of some

special nobleman, to come to speech of the King, and to obtain the thing that they would have.

"To this reason doth St. Ambrose answer very well, writing upon the first chapter to the Romans. Therefore, saith he, we use to go unto the King, by officers and noblemen, because the King is a mortal man, and knoweth not to whom he may commit the government of the commonwealth. But to have God our friend, from whom nothing is hid, we need not any helper, that should further us with his good word, but only a devout and godly mind. And if it be so, that we need one to intreat for us, why may we not content ourselves with that one Mediator, which is at the right hand of God the Father, and there liveth for ever to make intercession for us?

"Let us not, therefore, put our trust or confidence in the saints or martyrs that be dead. Let us not call upon them, nor desire help at their hands: but let us always lift up our hearts to God, in the name of his dear Son, Christ, for whose sake, as God hath promised to hear our prayer, so he will truly perform it. Invocation is a thing proper unto God; which, if we attribute unto the saints, it soundeth to their reproach, neither can they well bear it at our hands.

"Let us not, therefore, in any thing mistrust his goodness; let us not fear to come before the throne of his mercy; let us not seek the aid and help of saints; but let us come boldly ourselves, nothing doubting but God, for Christ's sake, in whom he is well pleased, will hear us, without a spokesman, and accomplish our desire in all such things as shall be agreeable to his most holy will.”—(Hom. on Prayer.)

(2.) The excesses of devotion in the Church of Rome to the Virgin Mary, are most extraordinary. Even a canonized person, St. Bonaventure, has turned every one of the 150 Psalms to the honour of the Virgin Mary, in what he calls her Psalter; besides the Te Deum, and other most solemn adorations of God. In the approved hymns and prayers of that Church to her, grace, pardon of sin, and eternal life are acknowledged to be granted immediately by her, as the giver of these invaluable blessings; as in the hymns, Memento rerum conditor, and Ave Maria Stella; and in the prayers, Sub tuum præsidium, salve Regina, mater misericordiæ, &c, Rosaries and books of devotion to her are numerous; but there was one translated into English, for the use of the Roman Catholics here, of a

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most shocking nature. This is entitled, "The Devotion of Bondage; or, the Practice of perfectly consecrating ourselves to the Service of the Blessed Virgin, permissu superiorum, 1632." The Bishop of St. Omer's licensed and recommended it highly; both the Clergy and laity, granting several indulgences to those who should make a devout use of it. In this book, persons are urged to offer up their souls and bodies, as bondslaves to the Blessed Virgin. Horrid idolatry! Among her high prerogatives there recounted, this is the sixth, viz., “The sovereign dominion that was given her, not only over the world, but over the Creator of the world." This blasphemy was probably grounded on that scandalous address to her, allowed in that Church, "By the right of a Mother, command thy Son." To fill up the detestable measure of absurdity and blasphemy in the devotions to her, the Priest gives the blessing in the following words: "The Virgin Mary, with her pious Son, bless us ;" where she is placed at least upon a level with the Son of God. To what an enormous degree will superstition extend! To evade the charge of idolatry, some Divines of the Romish Church have recourse to a superior worship of God, which they call Latria, and an inferior worship, by them termed Dulia, and which they pay to the Saints, to images, and to the cross. But there is no foundation for this distinction: for, all worship of images, and every thing else, God only excepted, is most expressly forbidden in the Holy Scriptures:-Because

1. The nature of religious worship will not admit of such nice distinctions. It is plain, from our Lord's answer to the devil, that he did not consider there were different degrees of religious worship, or that any but God might be worshipped, in any way or manner. The devil required from him no more than the Papists give to saints and images: "Fall down and worship me;" and our Lord's refusal, saying, that God alone is to be served, must be understood to determine, that no degree of religious worship is to be given to any creature whatsoever.

2. The Scriptures mention no such distinction. Nothing is there said of an inferior degree of worship, fit to be offered to saints or angels, An angel refused any kind of worship from St. John. I fell down to worship before the feet of an angel, which showed me these things; then saith he unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant ; worship God.' (Rev. xix. 10, and xxii. 9.) Yet it is evident, that the Church of Rome commands its members to do the very thing that St.