Reverend Fathers What signifies it with the Bishop of Meaux in the Fourth Section of his Exposition to say That in what Terms soever those Prayers which we Address to Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful to reduce them always to this form Pray for us Can the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful alter the nature of things and the universal meaning of plain words or is any such declaration of Intention to be admitted against the plain literal and grammatical Sence of the Prayers But if the Sence and Intention of the Church be no more than to Pray for us then why are not the Prayers and Hymns in our Publik Offices Breviaries c. at least alter'd to the Sence and Intention of our Church And why are any other Books of Devotion suffer'd to come out contrary to the Sence and Intention of the Church What a ridiculous proceeding to say no worse of it is this of our Church both to compose and set out Prayers to the Saints herself and also permit others to do so too couch'd and express'd in such Words Titles and Phrases as all sensible Mankind make use of to express their Thoughts and Desires in their Prayers to GOD and the Holy Trinity and then cry out That in what terms soevâ—â— those Prayers which we make to the Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church c. Is the Latin Tongue or any Vulgar Language so barren of Words that when our Church would Invocate the Saints and Angels c. she can do it in no other manner words or terms than such in which she constantly and properly addresses herself to GOD and the Holy Trinity Are there not in every Language and particularly in ours apt and proper words and terms in which to express our Souls to GOD and the Holy Trinity And likewise when we would desire the Saints and Angels to Pray for us What folly as well as wickedness is it then to confound these Objects so infinitly different in the same terms and words and to use those to the Saints and Angels which are proper to GOD only Again Reverend Fathers Do not Men generally understand words as they sound and usually signifie And does not the very natural sence of words raise proper and suitable Ideas in Mens minds Now I would fain know of you Reverend Fathers What Thoughts or Idea's a Man can be suppos'd to have who after this manner and for these things thus addresses himself to the Virgin Mary Sacred Majesty Mother of Unlimited Power the only hope of Sinners ador'd and call'd upon by the whole Universe and who by innumerable Titles claim the Utmost Duty of every Christian as a Proper Homage to your Greatness Let the greatness of your Mercy blot out the multitude of mine Offences and deliver me from all Dangers I entrust you with whatever I am have do or hope in Life and Death and through all Eternity I own my self in your Presence and that you survey the present state of my Soul all my Thoughts and Projects and every tract of my Conversation and therefore I put my self wholly under your Protection and will observe you as my Soveraign Lady relying on your Bowels of Mercy in all my Wants of Body and Mind Protect me from the Enemy and when my Soul departs from my Body receive it into the Glory of Paradice c. Now do ye think Reverend Fathers that Invocating the Virgin Mary in such words as these would not make any Men and Women very apt to entertain such an Idea of her as is only fit and proper to be thought of GOD Would not the continual use of such a Prayer make a man insensibly to forget especially in the act and heat of Devotion that she is but a Creature and fancy that he is a praying to some Being of Divine Excellency and Perfections Would not the interior Sentiments of his Mind think ye grow like his exterior Words and Expressions when in any Publick Place of Divine Worship or but in his Closet he is upon his Knees with Hands and Eyes lifted up and in a perfect posture of Adoration But if such a Man should not insensibly by the meer force of using such Words and Expressions fall into the thoughts of her being a GOD and so be guilty of flat Idolatry yet can you deny that he is upon the very brink of that Danger And must it not be esteem'd a Miracle if such a Person is preserv'd from falling into that Precipice Quere II. But Reverend Fathers I am not ignorant that our Disputers think they sufficiently clear their hands of such Writers as the Author of the Contemplation c. Father Crasset Cardinals Bona and Bonaventure Bernardin de Busts c. by saying that such things as they teach and such Prayers and Expressions as they compose and publish are not the Doctrines and Practices of our Church but the extravagant Sayings and Flights of Devotion of some particular Men. Now that this Plea has no place and is of no force against such Prayers as are found in the Offices Breviaries Missals c. of our Church I humbly conceive you 'll easily grant and therefore all such Prayers and that strange Language and Expressions found in them must unavoidably be charg'd upon our Church But then concerning these others I humbly enquire Why the Church if your Order Reverend Fathers be a part of the Church allows and permits such in particular the Contemplations c. and Father Crasset's Book and the same I might ask concerning the other Authors I have but now nam'd for I am told they are all publish'd by the Authority of the Church or by the permission of those appointed by the Church And does not such permission amount to the Churches approbation And does the Church use to approve of any thing that is not the Doctrine of the Church And if it be the Doctrine of our Church Why do ye not speak out and declare so and prove it to be the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles But if you still deny it to be the Doctrine of our Church then pray Why are not the Books call'd in censur'd and forbid to be read and the Men who writ them punisht for False Teachers and Deceivers Again Reverend Fathers if such be not the Doctrine of our Church as I would now fain hope for a very material reason it is not then pray Reverend Fathers let me humbly ask you again Why are these Books let alone to deceive our poor ignorant People into such gross Errors And here also it will be pertinent to enquire of you Reverend Fathers Why such Books as corrupt the Doctrines of Repentance and destroy the necessity of a Holy Life speaking Truth and doing Justice and in a word all the Moral Duties and Practice of a Christian are permitted to walk freely and boldly abroad in the World and debauch Mens Principles and Practices
Why are they not I say call'd in or forbid or the Doctrines by the highest Authority condemn'd and the Authors who are alive severely punisht A Collection of these Doctrines I am told is made by one or more of the Doctors of Sorbonne who are esteem'd by most wise and good Men as Orthodon Catholicks as any and is Entituled The Morals of your Society Now Reverend Fathers to a Man that is never so little touch'd with the true spirit of a Christian must it not needs be a sad consideration to think how many poor ignorant People in our Communion fall into the misery of such Guides And ought not this to make all us Catholicks very careful and cautious about the choice of our Spiritual Guides and Ghostly Fathers since it seems there are so many in our Church that if we follow'd them would lead us into such pernitious and damnable Errors And here upon this consideration I cannot omit in this place enquiring of you and I humbly beg you to give me a particular answer to it What signifies it to us ignorant Lay People whether the Pope or a General Council or both together be Infallible if the Parish Priest Fryar or Jesuit who has the management of our Souls be not Infallible also For since he is our immediate Teacher and not the General Council nor the Pope is it not plain that if he should be either a Fool or a Knave he may either through ignorance or to serve some carnal and worldly Interest lead us into damnable Errors I could be much larger in my Thoughts on this Enquiry but I consider that I may have a fitter occasion for it and therefore shall make no further digression Quere III. But Reverend Fathers I must needs yet be plainer with you and tell you That whether such things as Cardinal Bonaventare and others have taught about the Virgin Mary be or be not the Doctrine of our Church I am nevertheless infinitely disturb'd in my mind If what Bonaventure has writ be not the Doctrine of our Church then I am infinitely scandaliz'd that our Church should Canonize for a Saint a Person guilty of such horrid and blasphemous Doctrine And then again suppose you could satisfie me which I fear you cannot that our Church has actually condemn'd these Books and Writings of his and others yet certainly is it not a most dangerous thing to be in our Communion where such Spiritual Guides are so frequent Lord say I to myself what a deal of mischief may they do and how many Souls may they poyson and ruin eternally before their damnable Errors and pernicious Doctrines are discover'd and condemn'd Whatever you may think on 't Reverend Fathers I do profess that I am deeply sensible that we Catholicks run a desperate hazard in the choice and use of our Spiritual Guides And does not this frequency of False Teachers among us make it highly reasonable and necessary that we People should have the liberty to examine their Doctrines whether true or false And if we must examine them as I do not see but we are bound unless you can prove that we must blindly follow our Guides then I desire to know of you By what Rule and by what Means and Faculties Surely there is not only some certain Rule but some certain means to use that Rule by in our Church for us Lay People or else to what purpose is the liberty you give us of examining and trying your Doctrines But I fancy I may have room to make a particular Enquiry concerning this matter and therefore shall step no farther from my present subject Quere IV. But Reverend Fathers the two words Command and Compel which our Cardinal and Saint Bonaventure us'd in his Orizon to the Virgin Mary and quoted in the First Query of this Section are so excessive harsh and horrid that I could not forbear enquiring of you Whether these Words do not with a witness elevate the Virgin Mary above the condition of a Creature Exposition Sect. 4. p. 7. which yet the Bishop of Meanx is so modest to say our Church does not And does it not only make her equal but also set her infinitly above GOD her Creator Unless that Person who Commands and Compels be inferior to the Person Commanded and Compelld Quere V. If I mistake not Reverend Fathers we account the Rosary a special Piece of Devotion and great things are said of its effects by many of our Eminent Writers and Guides in Devotion Now I will not at present enquire into these things nor into the great Mysteries said to be in it but will only humbly ask you 1. What Antiquity or what Reason can you shew for turning the Angel's Salutation of the Virgin Mary into a direct Prayer to her Did the Angel Gabriel say Holy Mother of GOD pray for us Sinners now and in the Hour of Death if the Angel did not How comes it to be pertinent for us to do it But 2. What is the true reason that in the Rosary we are to say Ten Ave Maries to One Pater Noster I have often askt this Question of some of our Priests but could never get a satisfactory Answer Now if in this matter I had Courage enough to follow my Reason I profess I think I should say Ten Pater Nosters to One Ave Marie For seriously Reverend Fathers has not GOD given us incomparably far greater Evidence both of his Love and Power than ever the Virgin Mary did 3. Why do our Preachers immediately before their Sermons say an Ave Marie Why do they address themselves to the Virgin Mary upon that occasion Is she the Fountain and Giver of all good and perfect Gifts Does Wisdom and Eloquence come from her Would it not think ye be far more decent and reasonable to address to GOD or to the Holy Ghost at such a time But after all What Reason or Antiquity can you produce for this strange Practice Quere VI. Can you Reverend Fathers prove by Vincentius Lirinensis's Rule that departed Souls do enjoy Beatifical Vision before the Day of Judgment If you can I humbly beg you would do it As also that the Saints departed do certainly hear our Prayers You perceive well enough I doubt not why I make this Enquiry For if the departed Saints neither enjoy Beatifical Vision nor hear our Prayers Is it not yet more absurd for us to pray to them Quere VII I think that we assert that all Certainty in Matters of Religion must be Infallible or else it is nothing worth because we can never rely upon it Now pray Reverend Fathers What Infallible Assurance have we Catholicks that all those who are Canoniz'd Saints by his Holiness are indeed Saints and in Heaven If we have not Infallible Assurance what reason have we Religiously to Invocate them Quere VIII Our Representer p. 4. distinguishes between Mediators of Redemption and Mediators of Intercession of this last he says He does not at all doubt but 't
not both a good sign as well as a mighty credit and advantage for the Reformation that its Defenders are never charg'd by us with alledging and quoting false and counterfeit Authors but can maintain their Cause against us by true and genuine Authors and Writings Is not this a plain Confession that either our Writers of Controversie are grosly ignorant and know not which are genuine and which are counterfeit Authors or very dishonest if they do know them and yet use them and impose them upon the World and that the points in difference cannot otherwise on our side be defended Query XI Whether the Pope's pretensions to Infallibility and Supremacy instead of being a means to obtain and preserve Vnity is not one of the greatest Impediments and Obstacles that ever stood in the way of the Peace and Vnity of the Catholick Church And also are not these pretensions of the Pope the true Root and Cause of all the Schrisms Wars Bloudy Massacres acted by our people upon the poor Protestants and the Miseries and Confusions that have been in the Church and State in this and other Countries for these many hundred years And whether according to all humane and rational Probability we might not far sooner hope to see Vnity and Concord Peace and Love in the Church Vniversal and between one National Church and one Christian man and another if this great Block of Offence were remov'd And in a word Whether there can be any rational hopes of Vnity or Peace either in Church or State till the Court of Rome is destroy'd and the Pope reduced both to the Name and Condition of a Primitive Bishop of Rome But Reverend Fathers I am come to the intended limits and a conclusion of my Letter before I have near finish'd my Enquiries For a multitude of other troublesome Thoughts Doubts and Scruples in very important matters crowd in upon me and press for room here But I must bear with their company till a fairer occasion It may be they shall be the subject of a Second Letter of Enquiry But I humbly beg you to give me a speedy Answer to this For pray consider how uneasie 't is to dwell with a dissatisfied Conscience Besides I must needs tell you that since your great Prudence has thought it for the advantage of our Church and Cause which nevertheless some wise men wonder how you could to publish in the Vulgar Tongue our Canons c. and the Catechism of the Council of Trent and that I am now convinc'd Ignorance is not such a rare and commendable Virtue nor so great a Friend to Devotion as some of you have endeavour'd to make me and others believe I say I am now resolv'd not only diligently to râ—â—d over these Canons c. but also our Representer's Pieces and the Answers to them and also as many as I can of other of the best esteem'd Books of Controversie writ by both Churches For I now think it both a most unjust and foolish method and course to read only the Books of the side If Judges should do so what mad Justice should we have And is our Eternal Happiness of less concern than worldly matters But to conclude I hape Reverend Fathers nothing has dropt from my Pen for which I need beg your Pardon but if there should I doubt not but your great Charity will give it the most favourable construction and excuse it Much less need I apologize that I have not writ this Letter and made my Enquiries in an exact method and order and like a Scholar and an Artist since you know I pretend to be none If I have deliver'd my Thoughts so plain and clear as to be well understood by my unlearned Brethren and that they are edify'd by them I have gain'd my ends and what I passionately desire But indeed I must needs confess that if I had had all the Qualifications of a perfect Scholar I believe I should have proceeded in the same manner For I look upon a plain and inartificial Dress the most agreeable to Truth and Honesty And as far as these permit me I am Reverend Fathers Your most Obedient Servant A. B. September the 21th and St. Matthew's day 1688.
that believes he has a Soul to be saved she has not a vast advantage of our Church since 't is so manifest that even the Fathers of the Council of Trent were sensible and confest that there were then Superstitious and Idolatrous Practices in our Church and that the Members of it might very easily and without extraordinary care of the Bishops and Pastors fall into Superstition and Idolatry Quere XII Pray Reverend Fathers What Original Treatise Book of Directions or Sermon is there set out by our Church to preserve our People from Idolatry and Superstition Some such thing seems to me to be extream necessary after what the Fathers of the Council of Trent have said of the danger of the Peoples falling into these Sins by their use of our Service and Worship Unless you can give some good reason why the People of our Communion in this Age are wiser then in the Age of the Council of Trent Quere XIII But to conclude this Section I humbly enquire of you Reverend Fathers What is the true Definition of Idolatry and Superstition Pray give me such an one of each distinctly and severally as you 'll abide by and answer to our Learned Adversaries and be content that all our Doctrines and Worship and Practice shall be try'd by Also such an one as is exactly agreeable to the Holy Scriptures and Definitions of the Fathers and Doctors of the Ancient Church For I consider that the nature of Idolatry and Superstition is the same now as it was then Be pleas'd likewise to let your Definition be so full clear and certain as may infallibly which sure I may request from the Priests of an Infallible Church guide and direct me in my Thoughts Worship and Adoration of the Holy Sacrament or Host and of the Angels and Saints and of the Cross and Relicks that so I may be safe from all danger of committing or falling into these grievous Sins or any degree of them For I infinitely desire to have a right Notion of GOD and his Worship and would not offend and affront him while I think I am pleasing and doing him honour SECT II. Quere I. THE Catechism of the Council of Trent now lately Publish'd in English p. 344 says That there is an Honour which is due to GOD alone and is not to be given to an Angel and p. 464 there is a great Charge given That what is proper to GOD be not given to any besides him Now to me it seems not a little strange that in so weighty a matter and wherein both GOD and Mankind is so much concern'd that neither the Council of Trent nor this Catechism when they had so fair occasions should not I say freely and plainly tell what that Honour and Worship is which is proper and due to GOD alone and wherein it consists and by what it is signified and express'd This omission is apt to create no very honourable thoughts either of the Catechism or Council but since neither the Fathers of the Council nor the Composers of the Catechism thought convenient to do so just and honest a piece of Service to the Christian World suffer me here Reverend Fathers humbly to enquire of you What is that Honour and Worship which is proper and due to God only Wherein does it consist And by what Words and Acts is it signified and express'd Quere II. How and in what does that Religious Worship which by our Church we are commanded and which we do give to the Angels and Saints and particularly to the B. Virgin differ from that Worship which is proper to GOD alone Quere III. How and in what does that Honour Worship or Veneration which we give to Angels and Saints and particularly to the B. Virgin differ from that Honour Respect or Reverence we pay to Kings and Princes and good Men upon Earth By what Words Acts or Signs do you distinguish this from that Quere IV. Whether the ground and reason of our Worship of GOD he not his Divine his Infinite and Incommunicable Attributes and Perfections such as his Omnipotence his Omniscience and Omnipresence c. Quere V. Whether Prayer or Religious Invocation has not been always lookt on as and is not an essential part of that Worship which is due to GOD alone Insomuch that Prayer is usually put for the whole and the publick Place of GOD's Worship from hence is by GOD himself in Scripture call'd The House of Prayer Quere VI. If Religious Worship is due only to GOD and that upon the account 〈◊〉 his Infinite and Incommunicable Perfections are not all Kinds and Degrees also of Religious Worship for the same reason peculiar and due to GOD alone unless there be some other Being besides GOD who has those Infinite Attributes and Perfections But if all Kinds and Degrees of Religious Worship be not due to GOD alone I consider that our Saviour's Answer to the Devil in the 4 Chapter and 10 Verse of St. Matthew had been very imperfect For when the Devil would have been adored by him to what purpose was that Answer of the Holy Jesus It is written the Lord thy God shalt thou adore and him only shalt thou serve unless our B. Saviour had intended by it and by using of those two words adore and serve which I am told in the Original Greek signifie and comprehend the meanest and lowest as well as the highest kind and degree of Honour and Service to include and appropriate all manner parts and degrees of Religious Worship to GOD For who can imagine but that the Devil would have been content and very glad if our Saviour would but have worshipp'd him in any kind and with the most inferiour degree of Worship Quere VII But besides Reverend Fathers I farther enquire of you that if our Blessed Saviour had not by this Answer of his to the Devil also intended to exclude all the Worship of good as well as bad Spirits whether 't is not rational to think he would have answer'd the Devil thus The Lord thy God and good Spirits shalt thou adore and them only shalt thou serve And whether our Saviour's not mentioning of good Spirits either Angels or Saints or the B. Virgin but on the contrary confining Religious Worship and Service to GOD Only is not an unanswerable Objection and Argument against our Worshipping of Saints and Angels together with GOD and so makes us guilty of Idolatry For till you oblige me with a perfect Definition of Idolatry and convince me of an Error at present I humbly conceive Idolatry does not consist meerly in forsaking the Worship of the Supreme GOD but also in Worshipping any Being or thing else together with the Supreme GOD or while we continue to Worship the Supreme GOD. But if what I have now discours'd from this Answer of our Saviour be not the true meaning I beg you then to give me the true sence of it and prove your Interpretation by Vincentius Lirinensis's Rule Quere VIII If
little too big for a Creature to devise SECT III. Quere I. REverend Fathers as I am excessively dissatisfy'd in my Conscience about this Invocation of the Virgin Mary and other Saints so I cannot leave off making larger Enquiries into the matter my next therefore shall be Whether we Catholicks do not exceed the Bounds and Rules which the Catechism of the Council of Trent and other Books set out or allow'd by our Church does prescribe us about Praying to Saints c. Now I humbly conceive the Truth in this matter will be best discover'd First by seeing how far Authority says we may go and Secondly how far we do actually go in this Practice The Catechism p. 464. says We do not pray to GOD and to the Saints after the same manner To God we pray either to give us the good things we want or to deliver us from evil But to the Saints we pray because they are in favour with GOD to undertake our Patronage and to beg of GOD those things we want Hence we have two ways of Praying differing in the manner for we properly say to GOD Have mercy upon us hear us but to the Saints Pray for us and it adds That we must take heed that what is proper to GOD we give not to any besides him And the Bishop of Meaux who by some of us is thought to have given the true sence of our Church in the Advertisement of his Exposition p. 11. says That we pray to them with the same mind we pray to our Brethren who are upon Earth with us that is to pray with us and for us to our Common Master in the Name of our Common Mediator who is Jesus Christ. And in his Exposition Sect. 4. he says That the Church teaches us to pray to the Saints in the same Spirit of Charity and according to the same Order of Fraternal Society which moves us to demand assistance of our Brethren living upon Earth And our Representer p. 4 5. says That as almost every sick Man desires the Congregation to be his Mediators i. e. to be remembred in their Prayers so he desires the Blessed in Heaven to be his Mediators that is that they would pray to GOD for him And is not this Reverend Fathers and the utmost that by our Church we are allow'd to do Shall we now see whether neither many of our Pastors and Guides Teach nor our People and Church itself Practice a great deal more in their Devotions to the Saints and principally to the B. Virgin And will not this be best known by our Publick Offices and other allow'd Books of Devotion I begin then with the Offices of our Church which I hope will be allow'd of as an Authentick Proof for if they may not be admitted to prove our Worship and Practice I know not how it can be done but by being present with every individual Man when he is at his Prayers and Devotion which I humbly conceive is next to impossible In the Office then of St. Mar. ad Nives in the Second Day of the Octave of her Nativity my aforesaid Friend English'd to me this Expression out of the Lesson or Prayer to the B. Virgin O admit our Prayers within the Sanctuary of thy Audience And out of the Offic. Parv. B. Mariae this Prayer of our Church to her We fly unto thy Protection and Safe-guard O Holy Mother of GOD despise not our Prayers in our Necessities but always deliver us from all dangers O Glorious and B. Virgin. Likewise out of the Office B. M. in Sabbato c. and the Hymn which begins Ave Maris Stella this Prayer Hail Star of the World c. Loose the Bonds of guilty Sinners enlighten the eyes of the Blind drive away all Sins from us make us humble and chast and free from the Bonds of our Sins give us purity of Life and grant us a safe passage into the next World. And in the aforesaid Office Parv. B. M. this Prayer Protect us from the Enemy and receive us at the hour of Death Likewise out of the Brev. Rom. he English'd to me this Lesson or Prayer to the B. Virgin Accept that we offer give that we ask and pardon that we fear because thou art the Only hope of Sinners We hope for the pardon of our Sins by thee and in thee is the most blessed expectation of our Reward And in the proper Mass of her Seven Sorrows and the Solemn Hymn which begins Stabat Mater dolorosa this other strange Prayer Make our Hearts to burn with the Love of Christ Defend us in the Day of Judgment And grant that when our Souls depart from our Bodies they may go into the Glory of Paradice By my Friend's help I could have produced several other Prayers and Expressions to the B. V. and other Saints in as high strains as these but I suppose these may suffice for my purpose Let me now Reverend Fathers see what some of our eminent and allow'd of Writers and Guides teach our People I begin with Cardinal Bonaventure and who is also a Canoniz'd Saint Out of the Office he has compos'd call'd Coroná B. V. the Grown of the B. Virgin which is found in his Sixth Tome and the Edition of Rome 1588 my Friend English'd to me this Orizon O Empress and our most kind Lady by the Authority of a Mother Command thy most beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ that he would vouchsafe to lift up our minds c. And in his 35 Psalm of his Lady's Psalter he hath these Words Incline the Countenance of GOD upon us Compel him to have Mercy upon us Sinners The next I shall produce is a Little Book which I have by me and which till of late that my Understanding is a little better inform'd I constantly us'd it is call'd The Psalter of the B. Virgin it was Compos'd first in French by a Father of your Society and after in the Year 1624 Translated into English and Printed with Allowance the Translator assures the Lady to whom he Dedicated it that it was well approv'd of by the better sort of Catholicks and was presented to one of the greatest Queens in Europe in the French Tongue In the First Petition there are these Expressions O Glorious Virgin grant me Grace that I may receive pardon for my Sins I have this only Refuge to cast myself under the Shadow of your Wings Give my Soul entrance into Paradice when it shall leave the Body And let all that is due unto me for my Sins be cancell'd by your Merits Let the greatness of your Mercy blot out the multitude of mine Offences supplying by your Merits what in Justice I dare not demand Turn not your Face away from me for I put my Trust in you I will humble my heart before you for I know that the Proud shall not be entertain'd near unto your Sacred Majesty In the Second Petition these As soon as you extend your Hand upon