A. The words, honour, veneration, worship, adoration, and the like, all agree in this, that they suppose some dignity, excellency, or merit, in the person to whom they are given; they also suppose that we have an inward esteem, regard, and respect for the person, on account of the excellencies we perceive in him. When, therefore, we know that a person possesses any dignity, excellency, or merit, and, on that account, have a real esteem and regard for him in our heart, and when we testify this internal respect and esteem by such outward signs, whether in words or actions, as are expressive of that inward disposition of our heart towards him; this is what is meant by honour, veneration, worship, and adoration in the general meaning of these words, in which they all agree. There is, however, a difference among them in some particulars; for to honour one, signifies properly, to testify, by outward signs, the merits or excellency of the person, whether he be our superior or inferior; thus a king honours a subject when he gives him any marks of his royal favour. The other words, besides testifying our respect for the excellencies of the person, imply at the same time, an acknowledgment of our own inferiority to him, at least with regard to those qualifications for which we honour him. Veneration is properly the respect we have for another, on account of some virtuous or religious excellency we perceive in him; adoration most commonly signifies the respect we pay to God himself, and sometimes even to others, for God's sake, as immediately connected with him; and worship is used promiscuously, to signify both the honour we pay to God, and to holy persons, and also the respect we pay to civil magistrates, who are, on that account, called worshipful, and right worshipful. As, therefore, we have seen, that the saints

and angels of God are adorned with many great excellencies, and are honoured by God himself with the most exalted dignity, far superior to any thing in this world, for which they justly deserve the highest esteem and regard; the honour and veneration which is due to them from us, is to shew, by our words and actions, that esteem and regard which we have for them, as they so justly deserve.

Q. 12. Is it lawful to pay this honour and veneration to saints and angels?

A. It is not only lawful, but it is a duty, as appears from several plain reasons; for, (1.) The word of God commands it, "render to all men their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, and honour to whom honour," Rom. xiii. 7. (2.) The very impulse of nature in a manner forces us to it; for no sooner do we perceive any virtuous excellency in another, than we immediately feel a respect and veneration arise in our hearts towards. him, and a readiness and desire of testifying the same outwardly, by our words and actions, when occasions of doing so occur. (3.) The feelings of the human heart demand it as a due; for, whenever a person is possessed of any dignity, or excellency above others, he expects, as a thing to which he is justly entitled, that others should honour him on that account; thus parents expect this from their children, masters from their servants, magistrates from their people, and kings from their subjects; and they would think themselves highly injured, if the respect due to them were denied them, or any disrespect shewn them. Seeing, therefore, that the saints of God do possess so many high excellencies above us, they are justly entitled to be honoured and respected by us on that account; and to refuse them all due veneration, and much more to disrespect and dishonour

them, would, doubtless, be a very criminal action. Besides, (4.) The feelings of our heart show us that it is impossible for us to have a real love and respect for any person, without having, at the same time, a similar love and respect for every thing that is nearly connected with him: now, the saints and angels of God are most intimately connected with God, and with Jesus Christ; they are his particular friends and favourites, intimately united with him in grace and glory, highly beloved and honoured by him. How then can we have a sincere love and respect for God, and for Jesus Christ, without having a proportionable love and respect for those who are so nearly connected with both?

Q. 13. Does the Scripture authorize giving external worship to men, and using the word worship to express it?

A. It does in numberless. Thus " Abraham rose up, and bowed down to the people of the land," Gen. xxiii. 7. Jacob, when he met his elder brother," went forward, and bowed down with his face to the ground seven times," Gen. xxxiii. 4. When Joseph's brethren were presented to him,

they offered him the presents, holding them in their hand, and they bowed down with their face to the ground," Gen. xliii. 26. And when David's nobles came to wait upon him before his death, "all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and they bowed themselves, and worshipped God and the king," 1 Chron. xxix.20. Here we see that all these outward actions of bowing, are termed worshipping; and in the same sen-* tence this word is used to signify that external act given both to God and to the king. Now, this external worship, when given to princes and magistrates, is called civil worship; because it is given on account of the civil dignity which they possess; and,

when it is given to holy people for their sanctity and connexion with God, it is called religious worship; because the worship paid to such people is, at the same time, and principally, an honour paid to God, with whom they are so connected, and whose graces we venerate in them.

Q. 14. Does the Scripture authorize giving religious worship to the saints and angels of God, and using the words worship or adoration to express it?

A. It does in many examples. Thus when the three angels appeared to Abraham, "as soon as he saw them, he ran to meet them from the door of his tent, and adored down to the ground," Gen. xviii. 2. When the two angels came to Sodom, Lot, seeing them, rose up, and went to meet them, and worshipped prostrate to the ground," Gen. xix. 1. When Josue met the angel in the field, "he fell on his face to the ground, and worshipping, said, What saith my Lord to his servant?" Jos. v.. 15. When Abdias met Elias the prophet, "heknew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou my Lord Elias ?" 3 Kings xviii. 7. When the sons of the prophet saw Eliseus divide the waters. of Jordan," they said, the spirit of Elias, hath rested on Eliseus, and coming to meet him, they worshipped him, falling to the ground," 4 Kings iii. 15. Even the heathen king Nabuchodonosor, when he saw how much Daniel was filled with the spirit of God, by discovering to him his dream, and the interpretation of it, both acknowledged the God of Daniel to be the only true God, "and fell on his face, and worshipped Daniel," Dan. ii. 46. So true it is, that even nature itself impels us to worship and venerate those whom we know, or believe to be friends of God, and favourites of heaven.

Q. 15. But are we not told, that, when St. John "fell down before the angel's feet to adore him,"

And

the angel said to him, "See thou do it not; I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren who have the testimony of Jesus," Rev. xix. 10. when St. John a second time "fell down to adore before the feet of the angel," the angel again forbid him, and said, "See thou do it not; "for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets," Rev. xxii. 8. Does not this condemn all such worship or adoration of angels ?

A. This passage is much cried up, and a great stress laid upon it by the adversaries of the Catholic Church against what she teaches us on this head; which, however, they never would do, if they considered her doctrine with any degree of impar tiality; for the adoration which St. John bere offered the angel, either was divine worship, or it was not. If it was divine worship, then St. Joha was in a mistake, which could only arise from the glorious manner wherein the angel appeared to him, and which made the apostle take him for God or Jesus Christ himself; for we can never suppose that St. John would offer divine worship to an angel, knowing him to be an angel. The angel, therefore, justly refused divine worship from the apostle, and informed him of his mistake, "See thou do it not,' said he, for, "I am not God, but thy fellow seryant, and of thy brethren." In this supposition, is manifest, that this passage is nothing to the purpose against the doctrine of the Church, which loudly condemns as most damnable idolatry, the giving divine adoration to any creature in heaven or earth. If, on the other hand, the worship which St. John offered to this angel, was not divine worship, then it is evident, that his refusing to receive it, could not arise from his supposing it to be unlawful; because what was lawful in Abraham, and Lot, and Josue, to give to angels, and what was lawful in

it