Tell me then (fays St Chryfoftom) dare you fay the Lord is Dead, whofe Servants thô deceased are Patrons and Defenders of those, who command the whole Earth? Hom. 26. in Epift. 2. ad Cor.

When Vigilantis An. 404. deny'd the Interceffion of Saints, St Ferom reply'd; if the Apostles and Martyrs pray'd for others in this World (when they were in Concern for themselves) how much more after their Crowns, Villories, and Triumphs? Mofes obtain'd Pardon for 600000 Men; Stephen begg'd Pardon for his Perfecutors; and fince they are with Chrift, will they have leß Power? Libro contra Vigilantium.

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To omit many more for Brevity's Sake, St Leo's Words are very remarkable. We are bound (says he) to thank our Lord and Redeemer Jefus Chrift, who gave fuch great Power to him, when he constituted Head of the whole Church, that if any Thing be well done even by us, it must be imputed to him to whom he said, and when thou art converted, confirm thy Brethren, and to whom our Lord after his Refurrection faid thrice, feed my Sheep. Which now alfo without Doubt this Godly Paftor performs confirming us with his Exhortations, and NOT CEASING TO PRAY FOR US, that we be not overcome by any Temptation. Leo Serm. 3. in Anniver. Affumpt. ad Pontificatum.

In a Word, Sr, I fairly defy you to produce the Authority of one fingle Orthodox Father denying that the Saints and Angels pray for us. I will therefore pro ceed to my

5th and laft Proof of it from the Teftimony of Proteftant Writers. I have already quoted Mr Thorndike; and the Bishop of Oxford in his Edition of St Cyprian p. 271. agrees exactly with him, and delivers it as the general Doctrine of his Church. We do not doube (lays he) but the Souls in Heaven pray earn ftly to God that he may shew his Mercy to thofe, that live here,

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Bishop Mountague comes a Step nearer to us, and writes thus. I fee no Abfurdity in Nature, nor incongruity unto the Analogy of Faith; No repugnance at all to facred Scripture, much leẞ Impiety for any Man to fay, HOLY ANGEL GUARDIAN PRAY FOR US. Treatife of Invocation of Saints. p. 97.

The Lutherans in their Defence of the Confeffion of Aufbourg infer from the foremention'd Text of Za chary, that Angels pray for us. Apol. Confess. August. de Invoc. Sanct. Fol. 179.

Oecolampadius (ad Orat. Chryfoft. de Juventio & Maximo Martyribus) writes thus. Neither will I affirm it 10 be Idolatry to defire the Patronage of Saints. For the Saints in Heaven being inflamed with Charity do not ceafe to pray for us.

Faber (de ftatu defunctorum C. 7.) writes plainly thus. I do not doubt but the Souls of the Dead remember their Parents, Brothers, Sifters, and Kindred, whom they left behind; and pray to God, that he will also deliver them out of this Vale of Tears.

Brentius ad Cap. 16. Lucæ, propofes this Question, do the Dead then pray for the Living? Which he anfwers thus. Surely it cannot be deny'd, that they, who Live with Chrift, wish well to the Church and her Members. For, if the Angels pray for us, as Zachary witnes feth, and if Chrift himself prays for us to his Father, how should the Saints not be affected with Charity towards s in Christ, and through Christ?

Laftly, the Church of England has this Collect upon the Day of St Michael and all Angels in the CommonPrayer Book. O everlasting God, who haft ordain'd and conftituted the Services of Angels and Men in a wonderful Order, mercifully grant, that as thy holy Angels always do thee Service in Heaven, fo by thy Appointment they may fuccour and defend us on Earth through Jesus-Chrift our Lord. Amen. Here, Sr, your Church hopes for

Succour and Defence from the Angels; and I defire you to remember your own Maxim, that Saints, and Angels are upon the fam Foot.

G. But pray, My Lord, what do you infer from. this great Heap of Authorities? For here feems to be much Cry, but no Wool.

L. Sr, I infer firft from this unanimous Agreement of Scriptures, Fathers, and Proteftant Writers, that it is an undoubted Truth, that the Saints and Angels in Heaven pray for us. And from this Principle (which alone decides the whole Queftion concerning the Invocation of Saints) I infer 2dly, that your Interpretation of St Paul to the Coloffians is abjurd: Becaufe it is inconfiftent with common Senfe to maintain, that we lose our Reward, and forfake the Head, which is Chrift, by Defiring a Part and Interest in thofe Prayers, which by God's own Appointment the Saints and Angels offer to him without Ceafing for the Church upon Earth. What, Sr! can you believe that your Angel Guardian prays for you, and yet think it unlawful to defire it of him? Can you hope for Succour and Defence from Angels, and at the same Time believe you forfake Jesus-Christ, and lose your Reward, if you beg of them that Succour and Defence, for which Almighty God has appointed them to be our Guardians! If this be not Shocking common Senfe, I confess I know not what is.

I shall now proceed to prove likewife the fecond Part of my Charge, viz. that your Interpretation of St Paul to the Coloffians is impious. I have already produ ced the Teftimony of several holy Fathers both of the 4th and 5th Age teaching and practifing the Invocation of Saints and Angels. Nay that it was the pu blick Practice of those two Ages is a Thing fo Notorious, that a Man muft outface Evidence to deny it. However, to leave no Room to doubt of tho

Matter, let Proteftants themselves be Witneffes of it.

Bishop Forbes fpeaks in general Terms thus. It has been a Practice, fays he, for many Ages in the whole Church, in the Eft as much as in the Weft, and even in the North by the Mofcovits [Your great, Church of Ruffia] to fing this Litany for Example, ST PETER PRAY FOR US. pag 311.

Dr Ful (in his Rejoinder to Briftow, p. 5.) fays, I confeß that Ambrofe, Auftin, and Jerom held invocation of Saints to be lawful. And again (against Rhem. Teft. pag. 443.) that many of the ancient Fathers held this Opinion, that Saints departed pray for us, we do not deny.

Chemnitius a learned and zealous Lutheran maintains, that the Invocation of Saints was begun in publick Affemblies about the Years 370. by St Bafil, St Gregory Nyffen, and St Gregory Nazianzen. In Exam. Conc. Trid. part. 3. p. 200.

Beza (Præf. Novi Teft.) fpeaking of the Times of Cyprian, Austin, and Chryfoftom, acknowledges, that then prevail'd the Invocation of the Dead.

The Centurifts (Cent. 5. C. 6. Col. 675.) charge St Chryfoftom's Liturgy with Invocation of our Bieffed Lady by Name. And again (Cent. 4. Col. 295.) they alledge feveral Examples of Prayers to Saints in Athanafius, Bafil, Nazianzen, Ambrofe, Prudentius, Epiphanius, and Ephrem.

Laftly Mr Thorndike writes thus. It is confessed, Says he, that the Lights both of the Greek and Latin Church, St Bafil, St Gregory Nazianzén, St Gregory Nyf fen, St Ambrofe, St Jerom, St Austin, St Chryfoftom, St Cyril of Jerufalem, St Cyril of Alexandria, Theodoret, St Fulgentius, St Gregory the Great, St Leo, More or rather all after that Time have spoken to the Saints, and defired their Affiftance. In Epil. par. 3. pag. 358.

This, I think, is abundantly fufficient to prove that the Invocation of Saints was both taught and practited by the greatest Lights of the Church in those very Ages, when she was most eminent both for Holine and Learning; Since the Fact is fo clear, that her very Enemies are forced to acknowledge it.

Now, Sr, this shews the Impicy of your Interpretation of St Paul to the Coloffians. For it follows from it by a manifeft, and undeniable Confequence, that all thofe great Lights and Pillars of the Church, thofe eminent Saints, whom the whole Ch iftian World has ever held in Veneration both for their Holineß and Learning, it follows, I fay, that they all for ook Chrift, and loft their Reward: that is to lay in plain English, that they are all damn'd. I really have the Charity to think you never reflected upon this Confequence. But I am very confident, that whoever reflects upon it, unless he be a profess'd Atheist, will deteft your Saying, that the Invocation of Saints (which, even our Enemies being Judges, was taught and practifed by those great Men) is forfaking Chrift, and Lofing our Reward.

Your Interpretation therefore of St Paul being inconfiftent both with Piety, and common Sense, I hope you will allow me to give one, that agrees with both. Now 'tis manifeft, that the principal Subject of the Chapter you have quoted from St Paul to the Colloffians is to establish the Divinity of Chrift, his Superiority over the Angels, and Mediatorship between God and Man. In him (fays he) are hid all the Treafures of Wisdom and Knowledge. . 3. For in him dwelleth the Fulness of the Godhead Corporally and ye are compleat in him, who is the Head of all Principality and Power, &c. . 9. 10. Whence in the Words you have objected, the Apostle takes Occafion to warn the Coloffians against the pernicious Doctrine of those,

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