Page 1 Page From all which places it is evi- Inftruments of his Providence, jo he makes not use of Saints depart dent, that as God makes ufe of Angels not as governing Spirits, but as Minifters of his Will, and ed at all, 230 VII. Concerning the Worfhip of Angels,and Saints departed. PART 2. Page IV. Hat there is no Proof from Scripture for the Religions Adoration of Angels and Saints departed, 233 Their Inftance from Gen.18.2. was only a civil Respect or Reverence in Abraham,that was cuftomarily paid in that Country from Man to Man, he looking upon them to be no more than Men, 234 Tho Tome Interpreters have bought one of thefe three Angels so be the Son of God, ibid. The fame Anfwer ferves for the other Proof of Lot's worshiping the two Angels, and fupplicating them in the Behalf of Zoar, from Gen. 19. 1,19, 20. 235 Three Reafons alledged in Anfwer to their Inftance of Balaam's "worshiping the Angel, (Numb. 22. 31.) 236 The Religious Worfhip, which Joshua paid to the Angel that ap peared to him (Joh. 5. 13.) was paid to the Son of God, the fecond Person of the Trinity, as is apparent from the 14th verse, and other places of Scripture, V. There is no Proof from Scripture for the folemn Invocatiof Angels and Saints departed. of this there are three Bran thes, viz. Page First, There is no Proof from Scripture for praying to them to bestow, or pray to God for Blef fings for us, 250 No Inftance of any exprefs Command in the Old Testament, neither in the New Teftament, according to the Opinion of many learned Writers of their Church, 251 That place out of Gen. 48.16. alledged by them for the Invocation of Angels, answered, 252 Page but a friendly requeft, [but the Church of Rome enjoins to call upon the Saints departed, in a most devout manner, after the manner of Supplicants.] 258 3. Thefe Texts require us to defire our fellow Christians to be only mere Petitioners for us, they do for themfeives: but the Charch of Rome teaches us to pray to them as Advocates and Mediators in Heaven with God, ibid. as 4. They require us to defire Job 5.1. no Precept to pray the Prayers of good Men on to Angels, nor implying any C-Earth, who hear us and know our ftom of that Age, to implore the Aid and Protection of Angels, 255 Their chief Proof for Invocation of Saints, are from fucb Texts of Scripture, wherein good Men on Earth are commanded to pray for one another, and from Examples of that kind, 256 But from hence no Argument can be drawn for it; Condition: but the Church of Rome require Men to pray to Saints in Heaven, who cannot hear us, and for ought we know are ignorant of our State, 259 5. When we defire our fellowChriftians to pray for us, it is a vocal Defire, but the Romanifts with mental and vocal Prayers apply themselves to Saints departed, 1260 1. Becaufe Chriftians on Earth Several places of Scripture, by are empowered only by them to de- way of Conclusion to this Argu fire others to pray for them, but ment, produced to prove that God Romanists pray to Saints and An- is the only Object of Prayer, as gels, not only to pray for them, well as of the other parts of Rebut to bestow Blessings upon them,ligions Worship. &c. which fuppofes a certain Power in them to help them, and to terminate the Worship on them, 257 1 2. When we defire our fellow Chriftians to pray for us, that defire is not a Prayer to them .260 Secondly, There is no Proof from Scripture that we may pray to God to be heard for the fake of the Saints, in favour of them and their Merits, 262 The Texts made use of to defend this, confidered, 6 H 263 Thirdly, Page Page Thirdly, There is no Proof 8. 3. who is there faid to offer up the Prayers of the Saints to from Scripture for praying to Saints and Angels, as Interceffors and Mediators in the Prefence of God, 266 Gal. 3.9. explained, and fhewed wherein Mofes was a Mediator, as he was an internuncio, a Perfon that went between God and the People, relating the Covenants and Agreements made betwixt them, 267 Our bleffed Saviour generally understood by the Angel in Rev. God, 268 Rev. 5. 8. cited by the Roma nifts to no purpose, 269 The Office of a Mediator is every where appropriated in Scrip ture to our Lord Chrift; this prov3d by many places of Scripture, 270 Their Diftination of a Mediator of Redemption, and a Mediator of Intercellion, examined in five Particulars, 271 The Conclufion of the whole. VIII. Concerning the Worfhip of Images and Reliques. Page HE Teftimonies alledged THE from Scripture by the Romanifts in defence of their prefent Practice of worshipping of Images, reduced under three 278 Heads. 1. Thofe which fpeak exprefly of Images; two inftanced in and answered: 2. Numb. 28. 8, 9. dork not command or mention in the leaft, that the Children of Ifrael were to pay any Worship to the Brazen Serpent, though erected for fuch great Bleffings to them, 1. Exod. 25. 18. doth not forbid the making of Images for the purpofes mentioned there, this being no part of the Controverfy, nor dath it in the least enjoin the worshipping of them, 279 The weakness of the Cardinal's Card. Bellarmin's Interpreta-Inference from benes fhewin, viz. tion, that the Cherubims are ne- that the Brazen Serpent must 282 needs Page needs be worshipped by the Ifraelites, becaufe God had ordered it to be placed aloft, and it gave Relief to thofe that looked opon it, 283 Page The Feast of the Paffover, Exod. 12. 16, the Frieft's Garments Exod. 28. 2. Chrift's Sepulchre,· Ifa. 11. 10. and the Scriptures, 2 Tim. 3. 15. most unreafona 291 The Cardinal's Interpretation of the Sign of the Son of Man, (Mat.24.30.) urged by him for to prove the Worship of it from Scripibid.ture, confidered and refuted, 29z The Author of the Touch-bly urged by Bellarmine for the flone of the Reformed Gofpel proof of Image worship, bis Interpretation of this place examined, 284 This Paffage of the Brazen Serpent no ground in the least for Image worship, IL Thofe which fhew that fome Creatures are to be religionfly honoured for their bare relation to God, 285 Pfal. 95. 4 examined, and therein fhewn that by Footstool was not meant the Ark, but Mount Zion, the holy Hill, on which the Temple food, 286 That no Adoration was paid to the Footstool, evident from the Original Hebrew, from the Vulgar Tranflation, and from the Chaldee Paraphraft, ibid. Mat. 5. 34, 35. confidered, and the Cardinal's wild Conclufion from it refuted, 287 III. Thofe which flew fome Creatures are called facred or boly, because of their relation to holy Things, 289 Exod. 3. 5. very impertinently urged by the Cardinal and the Author of the Touchstone of the Reformed Gofpel, to prove and defend the worshipping of Images, 290 The Name of Jefus in the Opinion of the Catholick Scripturift, is a kind of Reprefentation of Christ, at which we are commanded to bow the Knee-This nothing to the purpose, 293 We are commanded [Phil. 2. 9, 10.] to bow At the Name of 294 Jefus, but not To it, Worshipping of Reliques. By Reliques the Church of Rome understands not only the Bodies of the Saints, but any of thofe Things which did belong to them, and were blessed so far as to touch their fanctified, and (which is more) fanctifying Bodies, fuch as St. Francis's Girdle, &c. 295 No Foundation for this PraEtice in the holy Scriptures, though eftablished by the Council of Trent ibid. Jofeph's Injunction to the Chil-' dren of Ifrael (Exod. 13. 19.) 6H 2 con |