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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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which was soon after Eusebius knew him not neither had he ever seen or spoken with him before Nazianzen in vita Basilii and Greg. Presb. in vita Nazianz. Your Amphilochius saith that Basil was Bishop of Caesaria in the time of Julian the Emperour whereupon he tells a great many fond Fables of that Holy Basil Nazianzen his nearest Friend saith that he was chosen a Bishop there a long time after in the time of Valens the Emperour and was not there Bishop all the time of Julian Your Amphilochius tells a Canterbury Story how that St. Mercury being then dead and a Saint in Heaven at the Command of the Virgin Mary took his own Speare out of his Chappel where it was kept and went out of the same into the Field and slew the Emperour Julian and that the same Speare was found bloudy afterwards Nazianzen Socrates and Sozomen and Theodoret say It could never be known by whom that cursed Apostate was slain Nazianz. in Oratione contra Julianum Socrat. Lib. 3. c. 18. Soz. lib. 6. c. 2. Theod. lib. 3. c. 25. Your Amphilochius tells us that Basil foretold the Death of Julian but Theodoret saith it was one Julianus Saba and not Basil Theodoret. Lib. 3. c. 2. Your Amphilochius saith that Valens the Emperour did yield unto Basil and gave him place but Sozomen saith that the Emperour persisted in his Resolution and would not yield but persisted in his Obstinacy against St. Basil Your Amphilochius saith that Nazianzen was present at St. Basil's Burial but Nazianzen in his Monodia saith he came after his Burial and was not present of these two which must we believe Gregorius Presbyter that wrote Nazianzen's Life saith that he came a great while after that Basil was buried but your Amphilochius saith that Nazianzen came in and saw the blessed Body and fell upon it when it was buried upon which you may see that your Author did not lay his Lyes together so close but that they may be detected for if St. Gregory Nazianzen saw St. Basil's Body how was it buried if it were buried how could he see the Body but you may see where the Prayer to St. Basil was invented for he saw the Body saith Amphilochius and from thence we conclude that he is your Author for this Prayer Now Sir What Credit can we give to this Author that hath set himself up to contradict Authors that are even to this day of great Credit with the Divines of your Church I wonder that you should Rank him amongst the Fathers that is so young as to write the Life of Thomas Becket which was seven hundred years after your Divines suppose him to have lived and in quoting this Author you very much betray your self for do but observe the Impudence of the Man to pretend that he wrote St. Basil's Life and that St. Basil dedicated his Book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto him the said Amphilochius Since Nazianzen reckoning up all St. Basil's Books in his Monodia and passeth that Book by as none of his and Sozomen writeth Lib. 3. c. 13. that it was judged not to be St. Basil's but the Work of one Eustathius a notable Heretique a Book full of Superstition and wicked Doctrine and condemn'd by the Council of Gangra praefat in Concil Gangren but you did consider better of it and therefore omitted that Author in your Letter to Mr. Needham Another Instance for praying to Saints is Nectarius Patriarch of Constantinople who as you say preceded St. Chrysostom This Prelate having given an account why St. Theodore's Feast was kept on the Saturday of the first week in Lent to wit in Thanksgiving to the Saint for having in a Vision forewarned the Patriarch of Constantinople that Saint during the Persecution of Julian that the Apostate designed to pervert or destroy all the Christians by permitting no Meat to be sold in the Market but such as had been offer'd to the Idols and besprinkled with the Bloud of those abominable Victims and advis'd him to prepare such a provision of Bisquets as would suffice his Flock to feed upon Whilst the Markets were thus shut up to them and for having thus secured their Religion and Lives he makes this following Prayer to the Saint The words of the Prayer you say are these O Splendor of the Martyrs Glory of the Saints O worthy Gift of God O Vnconquered Keeper and Defender of the Faithful be not unmindful of our Poverty and Dejectedness but vouchsafe thou always to pray for us O most Admirable Man nor do thou despise us who are daily assailed by Julian the Spiritual one who both then and now is the Author of Evil the Enemy of our Souls for we believe that you live after Death Thou then who art yet alive in Christ and standeth near unto him endeavour by thy Prayers to make him Gracious unto us thy Servants that freed by thee from the present Miseries we may attain unto the happiness that is there reserved for us I pray good Sir in what part of Nectarius his Works is this Prayer found What Historian that writes his Life hath this Prayer There is one Euthymius that your Divines suppose to be an Ancient Greek Father I thought you would have quoted him but I commend you for your Modesty you have recourse to Bellermine who directs you to Lippomanes who I suppose you do not esteem an Ancient Father for he was Bishop of Verona he filled two mighty Volumes of this Stuff which were printed at Venice and Lovaine about a 120 years ago This Father Aloysius Lippomanes you will find to have no Credit he being so young an Author besides it 's well known that Julian was dead twenty years before Nectarius was installed in that Patriarchate of Constantinople and therefore sat not in the time of Julian's Persecution and stood in no need of St. Theodore's Advice in that business of providing of Bisquet for his Flock which your Lippomanes takes no notice of and if no such Restraint were put upon the Christians by the said Julian then what Obligation lay upon Nectarius to return St. Theodore thanks and that there could be no such design of Julian in the time of the said Nectarius for that he was as I observed before dead twenty years before Nectarius was Patriarch of Constantinople The last Prayer you offer was that of St. Gregory Nazianzen O Venerable Virgin chast and most happy hear my Voice benignly and grant me that which is chief of all viz. That departing this Life I may find thee to be my Patron This is another of your Prayers you say but this smells so like the Church of Rome that I must suspect it till you are pleased to tell me where you find this Prayer in the Works of St. Nazianzen Doth not your Amphilochius help you here at a dead lift Gregorius Presbyter that wrote the Life of Nazianzen saith nothing of it nor do I find it in any of his Works If Amphilochus doth
Antichrist This Sir I humbly conceive is worthy of your Consideration And I hope that you will not for the future rely much upon that Distinction I must mind you of that Saying of the Prophet Where are thy Gods that thou hast made thee Let them arise if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble for according to the number of thy Cities are thy Gods O Judah Jer. 2. 28. chap. 11. 13. And according to the number of the Streets of Jerusalem have you set up Altars to the shameful Thing even Altars to burn Incense unto Baal So you have your innumerable Company of Saints to whom ye erect Altars insomuch that those of your Communion cannot tell to which Saint it were best to turn them first yet you have assighed every one of them their Office and direct your Disciples what things they ought to ask and what to give and what to bring to pass under their respective Protections without any manner of Warrant from the Word of God. But Sir be pleased to understand me I do not apply these false Gods to the Saints for that would be Blasphemy and it were to call them Idols which is absurd seeing that they see the Face of God evermore and are with God in Glory but in respect of those horrible Abuses and vain Fancies of those of your Communion the words of the Prophet may be justly applyed for you in your Imagination of the Saints of God you have made Idols and have so multiplied and increased the same that the number of them have exceeded the number of your Cities and Towns But Sir if you will give me your patience I will shew you that an eminent Light in the Church of God did apply these very words of the Prophet unto the Blessed Mother of Jesus being then abused most Idolatrously by the Hereticks Collyridians in the same manner as you abuse her and other Saints now even to the highest Idolatry it was the old Father Epiphanius Lib. 3. Haeris 79. Nequis comedat de Errore qui est propter Sanctam Mariam tam si enim pulchrum sit lignum tamen non'est ad Cibum si Pulcherrima est Maria Sancta Honorata at non ad Adorationem Hae vero Mulieris colentes Mariam rursus Renovant fortunae mixturam praeparant Mensam Diabolo non Deo quemadmodium Scriptum est pascuntur cibo impietatis rursus Faeminae terunt Pollinem Filiis colligunt Ligna ut faciant Placentas Oleo subactus Reginae Caeli Compescantur Jeremia tales Mulieres ne turbant Orbem Terrarum ne dicant Honoramus Reginam Coeli Let no Man feed upon this Error touching St. Mary for though the Tree be fair yet is not the Fruit to be eaten and though Mary be Beautiful Holy and Honourable yet is she not to be Adored But these Women Worshipping St. Mary run again to the Sacrifice of Wine mingled in the Honour of the Goddess Fortune and prepare a Table for the Devil and not for God as it is written in the Scriptures they are fed with the meat of wickedness and again their Women boult flower and their Children gather sticks to make Cakes in honour of the Queen of Heaven therefore let such Women be rebuked by the Prophet Jeremiah and let them no more trouble the World and let them not say We worship the Queen of Heaven Here you may see Sir that these words were spoken of the filthy Idols of the Heathen and by this holy Father applied to the Mother of our Lord not to deface that blessed Woman but to declare the fond Errours of those Hereticks what is done less to that great Saint in those Countries that pay Obedience to the Church and See of Rome than these Hereticks did of whom this holy man thus complaineth Do you not offer to her Candles Incence Garments Jewels of Silver and Jewels of Gold Are not by pretence of Worship your Churches inriched And all this you do because you say She is the great Mediator of Intercession But you pay the same Homage to her if not more as you do to her Son the Redeemer of the World. You pray to her to save and defend you in Body and Soul now and in the hour of death for you call her The Queen of Heaven the Lady of Angels you say to her Command thy Son shew thy self to be a Mother Your Cardinal Bembus telleth the Virgin Dominam Deam Nostram Bemb in Epist ad Carolum 5. Ambrosius Catharinus one of the Council of Trent Sess 2. calleth the Virgin God's Fellow Fidelissima ejus Socia Nicholaus Cusanus a Cardinal of Rome saith Excitat Lib. 8. Hoc cedit ad Laudem dei Virginis Mariae Matris quod ipso suo principatu Authoris mortis nullo unquam tempore fuit non indiguit virgo Liberatore qui ipsam absolveret a sententia in Adam in posteres Lata Maria non est deleta de Libro Mortis quia nunquam in eo scripta fuit This thing turneth to the praise of God and of the Virgin Mary the Mother that she never was at any time under the power of the Author of Death that Virgin needed no Deliverer that should ransom her from the Sentence pronounced against Adam and his Posterity Mary was never razed out of the Book of Death for she was never written in it When our Nation did profess the Romish Religion I meet with a Council held at Oxford where the Name of Christ is quite left out and Mary's Name put in for thus it beginneth Authoritate Dei Patris Baeatae Virginis omnium Sanctorum By the Authority of God the Father and the Blessed Virgin and of all Saints Do you not in your Offices call her Mediatrix and Redemptrix Why then do you shuffle off your Hearers with this distinction that Christ alone is the Mediator of Salvation and that the Virgin and Saints are only Mediators of Intercession and not of Salvation I would once more pray you to observe how you contradict your own Doctrine left by men whose Authority was not to be question'd by any that did succeed them If your St. Ambrose saith true The Saints by shedding their Bloud did purchase Salvation for us how comes it to pass that they are not Mediators of Salvation But if they did not purchase Salvation for us I pray how comes it to pass that they are Mediators of Intercession When did this Priesthood of theirs commence When did God say to any one of them Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee The Saints did not glorifie themselves to be made Priests nor did God call them to that Priesthood that should intitle them to such a Mediatorship that you would put upon them and Christ himself had not glorified himself to be made an High-Priest but God glorified him and said Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Heb. 5. 8. From all which Sir we may