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A53364
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A discourse of the unlawfulness of praying to saints and angels being a full answer to a letter of Sabran the Jesuite : wherein the practice of the Church of Rome, in praying to saints and angels is plainly proved to be contrary to the doctrine of Christ and the presented authority by him produc'd, to be either forged or impertinent / by Titus Oates, a presbyter of the Church of England.
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Oates, Titus, 1649-1705.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing O33; ESTC R38151
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88,775
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90
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A DISCOURSE OF THE Unlawfulness of Praying TO Saints and Angels BEING A full Answer to a LETTER OF SABRAN the JESUITE WHEREIN The Practice of the Church of Rome in Praying to Saints and Angels is plainly proved to be contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and the pretended Authority by him produc'd to be either Forged or Impertinent By TITVS OATES D. D. A Presbyter of the Church of England LONDON Printed for Richard Baldwin near the Black Bull in the Old-Baily MDCLXXXIX ERRATA PREFACE PAge 1. line 1. read Controversies ibid. l. 7. r. new Matter p. 3. l. 8 r. that rascally DISCOURSE PAge 2. line 24. read erat Judaeis p. 4. l. 12. r. perparum ibid. l. 36. r. Caroli p. 5. l. 35. r. ut nonnulli ibid. l. 38. r. adorari ibid. l. 40. ◠for if p. 11. l. 25. r. Apostolum Christi non sicut Antichristum p. 12. l. 〈◊〉 r. Mulieres ibid. l. 38. r. Filii ibid. l. 39. r. subactas p. 13. l. 21. r. 〈◊〉 ibid. l. 28. r. posteros p. 14. l. 35. r. affinity ibid. l. 41. r. inde p. 15. l. 3. r. Dixit quid mihi tibi est ibid. l. 4. r. quod non putaret aliquis magis eximiam ibid. l. 5. r. veluti ibid. l. 7. r. admirati delibantur p. 16. l. 7. r. I pray p. 17. l. 7. r. aliquem p. 19. l. 13. r. quisque ib. l. 16. r. Nymphis ib. l. 21. r. Nympha p. 21. l. 8. r. hath been far ib. l. 26. r. Now your Divines ib. l. 42. r. alitèr p. 22. l. 33. r. supplicitèr p. 24. l. 3. r. drive our sins away p. 25. l. 12. r. call a sequence ib. l. 25. r. it is by her ib. l. 36. r. per manus ipsius administrantur ib. penult r. aureum p. 26. l. 37. r. than he that is p. 28. l. 14. r. of his skill ib. l. 33. r. King moved him to wrath that he threatened p. 30. l. 3. r. recalling ib. l. 26. r. of Tours in France p. 31. ult r. Revelations meant p. 33. l. 12. r. who are intreated in the Name of the King. p. 34. l. 29. r. of Blood throughout p. 36. l. 13. r. dependit p. 41. l. 3. r. do not mention p. 43. l. 7. r. was kept that he went from thence into p. 44. l. 40. r. as I have already observed dead p. 51. l. 36. r. was only p. 52. l. 38. r. and were not p. 53. l. 13. r. honorificentiam qui nobis salutem profusione sui p. 54. l. 9. r. great Miracles p. 57. l. 4. r. in Testimony that p. 58. l. 4. r. Martyrs I must tell you that of these ib. l. 5. r. doubt were very ib. l. 14. r. portenta ib. l. 22. r. qui essent veri Christiani qui. ib. l. 28. r. mirabiliarios ib. l. 30. r. ut inducant p. 63. l. 17. r. Rem it being only for the. p. 64. l. 30. r. longa sint tempora ib. l. 38. r. Testimonies as Authentick p. 65. l. 11. r. years to justifie your groundless Notions p. 66. l. 31. r. Grace who by Nature were ib. l. 35. r. whom they asserted p. 68. l. 12. r. an eundum mihi ad Angelos ib. l. 13. Neque per seipsos potentes ib. l. 15. r. that may reconcile p. 69. l. 13. r. gestaverunt ib. l. 15. r. Sanctum Sanctorum ib. l. 17. r. Vail there he alone of all them p. 70. l. 27. r. quia si pie vixerunt These are the gross Faults of this Piece besides which are many other smaller Errors not only literal but in the Pointing which I have omitted here and desire the Reader to Correct with his Pen. ADVERTISEMENT WHereas a Late Paper was Publish'd Entituled A Petition and Proposals to his Highness the Prince of Orange this is to satisfie my Friends it is a very unjust Imposition on me both by Printer and Publisher TO ALL True Protestants GRACE and PEACE c. BRETHREN THE Controversie between us of the Reformed Religion and the Synagogue of Rome have been so often debated and the Authorities on both sides so often produced that to some who are yet Strangers to the present Constitution of Affairs it may seem unnecessary to say them over again and I must confess that it will be scarce possible to bring forth any Matter or if we could it is scarce probable that what can be newly laid down as Proof can prevail more than all those Arguments that have been used and urged in those great Controversies by Men Eminent in their Generations for Learning and Piety and who have blessed the World with their Labours in a most signal manner but these Considerations have not discouraged me from doing my Duty because that Experience hath taught me that the same Medicaments are with Success applied to a returning or abiding Vlcer and the Truth of it is the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God must be for ever ready to put the Church of God in mind of such things as they have already heard and by the same Scriptures and the same Arguments endeavour to prevent and destroy Sin and by the same Authority from the Word of God to extirpate Heresies which daily are sowed by those cursed Impostors of the See of Rome These eight or ten years of warm Weather and many Indulgent Showres of soft Rain have made many of their Damnable Heresies like Weeds to take Root greatly and to spread themselves widely and the Conspirators by their repeated Importune Impudence have had great Encouragements to seduce our Countries from their Obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they bave had some Success upon those who have made Gain to be Godliness and their Interest their God and have to the utmost of their Power and Skill endeavoured to brand and blacken all Men that have stood in their way some they have almost Ruined for endeavouring to prevent the Mischiefs they have ever since the Restauration been Plotting and Contriving against our Lives Liberties and Religion amongst which I am one and should have been silent under my present Oppression and unjust Vsage and given way to others of better Abilities to have defended the Cause had I not been provoked to appear in Print Some time since Mr. Lewis Sabran who calls himself a Priest of the Society of Jesus wrote a scurrilous Letter to Mr. William Needham in answer to a third Letter by him Licensed written to him the said Sabran in the fourth Page of which Letter he is pleased to use these words Hence have taken their Rise those black unconcionable Calumnies by which when they could reach it they have taken away our Lives to this end of late years was singled out against us the Minister Oates Their Fury being now disarmed they turned the Stream of those Calumnies on the Catholick Church by misrepresenting her Doctrine and again when all the false Colours of those Misrepresentations are wiped of those Slanders that scurrulous
Nay the Apostle makes this observation in ver 5. Unto which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Ps 2. 7. And observe verse 13. of this first Chapter to the Hebrews to which of the Angels said he at any time Sit thou at my right hand until I make thy Enemies thy footstool And if upon these Considerations this great Doctor useth this expression Why gape ye after Angels upon the same consideration I may say Why gape ye after the Saints To which of the Saints said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee or Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine Enemies thy footstool If God by not speaking this to the Angels doth shew that they ought not to be worshipped then it necessarily follows that the Saints ought not to be worshipped unless you can tell where and when God used such expressions to them as he used to his Son. Again we find that God made his Angels ministring Spirits sent forth to minister to them who shall be Heirs of Salvation and they being no more St. Chrysostome saith Why do you gape after Angels Then what can we expect from the Saints who are not so much as ministring Spirits who never were sent forth by God to minister for the People of God here upon Earth St. Chrysostom in his eighteenth Homily on the Epistle to the Romans saith Vnto whom shalt thou flee whom wilt thou call upon to fight for and help thee shall it be to Abraham he will not hear thee shall it be to these Virgins but they also shall impart none of their Oyl unto thee shalt thou call upon thy Father or Grandfather but none of them shall be able to release or relieve thee These Sayings considered worship and pray to him alone who hath power to blot out thine obligation and quench that flame You may observe the holy Father shews the vanity of those Men that have a recourse to the Saints departed and how they are disappointed that expect any Relief or Comfort from any other but God. Therefore the holy Doctor admonisheth Christians to have recourse to God alone who is able to help and to relieve them Now I pray if God alone is able to help and relieve us to what end is it for us to have recourse to Angels and Saints if they are not able to relieve us and release us And what warrant can you pretend from God to worship or pray to any other since this Holy Father saith You must worship and pray to God alone Again the same Father in his ninth Homily upon the Colossians he shews us that the Devil envying the Honour that we have to address our selves to God immediately hath brought in the Worshipping of Angels It is strange that you should practice that as an Institution of God which was but a meer Intention of the Devil and that the Council of Trent should define that as an Article of Faith which hath been Condemned by the Fathers of the Church Catholick as Sin and a manifest breach of our Duty and Obedience we owe to God and if that the Worshipping of Angels were an Invention of the Devil Then Sir I pray what reason have you or any sober Man to think that Worshipping of Saints can be an Institution of God and that you may see the latter as well as the former was a meer contrivance of Hell. I pray consider the Doctrine which holy Epiphanius did teach the Church in his time and largely refuting the Heresies of those who were called Collyridians from the Collyrides or Cakes which they used to offer to the Virgin Mary and says That neither Elias nor John nor Thecla nor any of the Saints are to be worshipped and again God will not have Angels to be worshipped much less her that was born of Anna And again which of the Prophets have permitted a Man to be worshipped much less a Woman The Virgin is a choice Vessel indeed but a Woman Let Mary be in honour but let the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost be worshipped Let no Man worship Mary Epiph. Haeres 79. This Doctor is as plain as may be in the Point in debate They offered her Cakes and you Incense and Vestments and Candles If they were Hereticks in Epiphanius's time for worshipping the Virgin Mary what are you who do it now I have one Father more to offer to your Consideration and that is Lactantius who is a Doctor of great esteem with you observe what he saith Qui supplicant mortuis rationem hominum non tenent Lactant. Insti Divin Lib. 2. Cap. 18. It is a short Testimony but as plain as can be in opposition to your Doctrine of Praying to the Saints who are departed and can neither hear your Prayers nor are they in any capacity of granting your Desires This sort of Service must unman you for that you do not pray upon any good ground nor can you pray for any good end If you can let us know the Principle upon which you pray and the end for which you pray to the Saints for all Services that have not their Foundation upon good Principles and are not performed for a good end are so far from being Christian Services that those who perform them are scarce worthy of the Name of Men. I have taken some pains to make it appear that the Doctrine of Praying to Saints and Angels is unlawful I have deliver'd you my thoughts freely in answer to those Authoiries which you have produced which at the first view had the aspect of Prayers but upon a strict observation they prove to be no more then Rhetorical Apostroplies those holy Fathers used not adoring the Saints for Religion but only honouring them to beget in their Hearers an holy imitation of their Vertue and to oblige them to follow those good Examples the Saints left behind them and then I have given you the Authorities of the most eminent Fathers both of the Greek and Latin Churches that with one consent condemn your Doctrine and Practice by you defended But in truth Sir Humane Writings are no Foundation of our Faith we have a more sure Rule of our Faith in this particular the Holy Scriptures which are the Word of God whereunto you will do well to take heed and no more endeavour to bring in the Authorities of humane Writers to stand in competition with the Holy Word of God that hath commanded us to worship and serve him alone and hath sworn by himself that he will not part with this Honour to another but if this doth not satisfie you I am ready to reply to any thing you shall further bring in to give countenance to the Point in hand as it is defined and determined in your Church Sir you were pleased in your Epistle to the English Peer to reflect upon the Ordination of the Church of England and in words at length you