Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	altar_n	angel_n	golden_a	2,087	5	10.8116	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42085	Discourses upon several divine subjects by Tho. Gregory ...	Gregory, Thomas, 1668 or 9-1706.	1696 (1696)	Wing G1932; ESTC R7592	108,242	264

Eloquence taken up by Orators in expressing their own and moving the affections of others but never us'd by any as a Form of Prayer or a Mode of addressing their Devotions to the Deceas'd But we need not seek far for the Sence of Antiquity in this Matter The Fathers have sufficiently declar'd their Opinion in their Controversie with the Arians These Hereticks divested the Blessed Jesus of his Divinity diminish'd and degraded him into a mere Creature and yet held it lawful to pay him Religious Worship This tho' the Arians declar'd they worship'd him only with an inferiour degree of Worship parallel to what our Adversaries now call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that Degree which is peculiar only to the Supreme God was universally abhorr'd and detested by the Fathers who look'd upon it as an impious Restauration of Pagan Idolatry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says Athanasius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Why do not these Arians since they are of this Opinion descend into the Class of the Unbelieving Gentiles for they are all guilty of one and the same kind of Idolatry Worshipping the Creature besides the Creator But now if the Arians were thus peremptorily condemn'd by the Fathers for Idolatry because they worshipp'd the Blessed Jesus tho' but with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they suppos'd him to be a Creature then how is it possible for our Adversaries to escape the same Condemnation who pay the same degree of worship to those we all know to be Creatures The Arians suppos'd the Son of God to be a Creature but were in the wrong and therefore tho' Formally Idolaters according to their own mistaken Hypothesis yet were they not Materially and Really so But these Men know for certain that the Saints they worship are indeed but Creatures and therefore are as well Materially as Formally Idolaters The Arians worshipp'd the Son indeed as a Creature but then not as an Ordinary Inferiour Creature but as the first the most glorious and the most excellent of all Creatures by whom as an Instrument all the others were made and yet were found Guilty How then shall these Men escape who worship in the same manner these ordinary Inferiour Beings whom we all know to be the Workmanship of his hands as he is God But tho the Saints are to have no part or share in our Devotions yet may we not humbly present our petitions before the Exalted Thrones of Angels and Archangels The Saints indeed were Persons of like Passions with our selves they had their Slips and Miscarriages here upon Earth and now in Heaven still bear the Marks and Badges of their Sins being depriv'd of half of themselves their Bodies But these Blessed indefective Spirits are the First-born Sons of the Heavenly King the most Correct and Amiable Patterns of his Essential Purity and Holiness and certainly he expects we should peculiarly honour them whom himself in so especial a manner delights to honour Honour them indeed we will and in the way most becoming such glorious and Exalted Beings We will endeavour to copy out their heavenly Vertues to transcribe their Heroick Exellencies and to live like Angels here that we may for ever live with them hereafter But to pray to them to invoke them to implore their Aid and Assistance in the time of our Need is what neither they desire nor we can give 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 see not Rev. 19.10 and 22.9 was the Heavenly Messengers abrupt and hasty prohibition to St. John when dazzled and overcome by his Extraordinary Glory he would erroneously have worshipp'd him for his Adorable Master and he that dares do this holds not the Head says * Col. 2.19 St. Paul but vainly pust up by his fleshly Mind degenerates as the whole Laodicean † Vid. Balsamon Canon p. 841. Council in its thirty fifth Canon truly declares into the Abominable and Sacrilegious Rites of the Idolatrous Jews and Gentiles For whatever Fig-leaves Men may sew together to cover their Nakedness withal 't is most certain that they who in these Nations worshipp'd their Baalim their Daemons or Angels most did it upon the very same Principles as our Adversaries do at this day The ‖ Vid. Plat. sym Apul. de Daemon Socrat. Grotium in 2. cap. Ep. ad Col. v. 18. Pythagoreans ‖ Vid. Plat. sym Apul. de Daemon Socrat. Grotium in 2. cap. Ep. ad Col. v. 18. Platonists and other Learned Heathens will answer for themselves and the Rabbins as they are cited at large by the learned ‖ Intell. Gust p. 468 469. Cudworth for both Jews and Gentiles that they were always so far from thinking by such worship to derogate any thing from the Honour of the Lord Jehovah whom tho' under different Names they all equally acknowledge to be the Common Father of Gods and Men that they did verily believe he was highly pleas'd at that sort of Worship which they gave these his Extraordinary Ministers the Honour redounding chiefly to himself that made them and also that he accepted their Humility who duly sensible of their own Vileness and Unworthiness dar'd not to approach his awful Majesty without the Introduction of such mighty Favourites such Beloved Mediators And yet notwithstanding these so specious Pretences our * Rom. 1. Apostle expressly declares of the Gentiles that when they knew God they glorify'd him not as God but were therefore vain in their Imaginations because they worshipp'd the Creatures tho' not as so many Supreme Independent Beings but only as Mediators of Intercession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Besides the Creator and the Prophets continually bait the Jewish Church for these things with the soul and odious Name of Whore Prostitute Whore and Abominable Harlot So that you see 't is the peculiar Honour the incommunicable Prerogative of the Son of God as the Learned † Orig. cont Cels l. 5. p. 233. l. 8. p. 382.384.395 Father peremptorily and frequently inculcates to be our Mediator to receive our Devotions and to intercede for us at the Right hand of the Father Prayer then shall be made only unto him and daily shall he be prais'd He is the way the Truth and the Life and no man can come unto the Father but by Him As in the Earthly Tabernacle the High-Priest only entered into the most Holy Place beyond the Veil there to be an Agent with God for the People so our only High-Priest the Blessed Jesus has therefore by his own blood entred into the Holy of Holies the Heavenly Tabernacle that there he may appear in the Presence of God for us He is that Angel with the golden Censer who offers the Incense the Prayers of the Saints upon the golden Altar before the Throne that Angel of the Presence that Messenger of the Covenant who is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Tho' therefore there be as the Learn'd * 1 Cor.