this point is euidently testified euen by Protestant Authors For Fulke a Fulk â—n his reâ—oinder to Bristow confesseth that Ambrose Augustine and Hierome held inuocation of Saints to be lawfull That b Agaiâ—st the Reâ—ish Teâ—tament Nazianzen Basill Chrisostome make mention of inuocation to Saints That Theoderet speaketh of prayers vnto Martyrs That Leo ascribeth much to the prayers of Saint Peter All 2 Pet. 1 these auncient Fathers And more in particuler That c Answer to Counteâ—feit Caâ— pag. 46 Saraâ— in defeâ— tract diuersiâ— c. paâ— 349. 346. Morâ— Apol fâ— part pâ— 227. 2 Ormâ— Pist p pag. 2 Vigillantius the heretick wrote against the inuocation of Saints him saith hee Hierome reproueth For the which likewise Sarauia a great Caluinist and Beza himself do acknowledge that Vigillantius was charged condemned by the Fathers Morton likewise acknowledgeth in expresse tearmes That all antiquitie taught the inuocation of Saints Adde vnto these Ormerod who therfore saith That the Fathers did not ponderously consider of this question And Perkins who speaking of the Primitiue Church setteth downe these wordes that follow Perkins Prob. pag. â—3 There was in the Church intercession to Saints in perticuler for men or thinges in perticuler And afterward hee presumeth to say That the auncient â—bid pag. Fathers especially after 400. yeares of Christ did sinne in the inuocation of Saints yea were guilty of sacriledge And so damneth to Hell the greatest Saints of Heauen now crowned with glory to iustifie the Dreames and fantasies of his owne deuices Now then my good friend to conclude this my first argument out of Scripture let any well minded Protestant consider whither not beleeuing these Councels Fathers but coÌ„demning them of sacriledge he doe not incurre the censure of our Sauiour that hee is no better then a Heathen for not beleeuing the Church it selfe and whither it be not only the heresie of Vigillantius reproued by St. Hâ—â—rome to disallow the inuoâ—ation of Saints but also as St. Augustine speaketh most insolent madnesse to dispute against it THE SECOND ARGVMENT Supposing the Creed of the Apostles to bee the infallible worde of GOD and if not Scripture yet certainly contained in Scripture I prooue the lawfulnesse or rather necessitie of prayer to Saints out of our Beliefe of the Communion of Saints Which doubtlesse for this cause among other reasons it hath pleased God to make an Article of our Creede to excite vs so much the more thereby to this kinde of pyous worship inuocation of them For if sinfull men on earth are truely vnderstood to bee here comprehended vnder the name of Saints much lesse may the Blessed soules of Heauen be here excluded from that tytle And who can imagine that the Soules of the iust are seperated by death from the communion of the Church wherein they liued For as Saint Augustine saith why doe they run so fast to the Sacrament of Baptisme in extreame danger of death that were neuer in the Church before Or why doe they make such hast to be reconciled therunto before they dye that are deuided from it vnlesse it be to inioy after death the communion of it Wherefore I do not see how we can beleeue that there is one Communion of the Saints in heauen and the Saints on earth according to our Creed except we beleeue a Communion or which is all one a Communication of Mutuall offices betweene them wee praying to them and they praying for vs the greater helping the lesse and the lesse in all their necessities hauing recourse vnto the greater THE THIRD ARGVMENT Is also in explication and confirmation of the former And supposing that if it be lawfull to pray the Saints of Heauen it is no lesse lawfull to pray vnto them as I haue shewed before in the third consideration It may be framed in this maÌ„ner It is lawfull to recommend our wants by way of prayer or intreatie vnto all the friends of God that are desirous to heare vs and are able to helpe vs in perticuler But such are all the Saints of Heauen Therefore it is lawfull in such manner to commend our selues and our wants vnto them The Maior is so euident euen by the light of Nature that there needeth no Scripture to confirme it For as now at this day so no doubt before the Scripture was written it was lawfull for the childe to recoÌ„mend himselfe vnto the prayers of his Father or of any other holy man because it was beleeued that such kinde of men were able and willing to helpe them by their prayers And the onely reason of any waight which the Protestants alleadge for their not praying to Saints is especially this because they thinke the Saints of heauen doe not heare them Wherefore if they heare and can and will helpe vs there is no further doubt but that wee may pray and beseech them to relieue vs. The Minor therefore that the Saints in Heauen are most desirous and likewise most able both to heare and helpe vs is prooued first a Posteriore or from the effect and secondly a Priore or from the cause a Posteriore thus They doe actually present or recoÌ„mend our prayers vnto God The foure Apoc. 5. â— Beasts and the 24. Elders hauing golden vialls full of Odours which are the Prayers of Saints Therefore they not onely know our prayers in perticuler vnlesse thou wilt imagine that they Offer them sealed vp in a Bag as ignorant of that which is contained in them but also are a meane to God for vs and helpe vs to obtaine them The same is also prooued a Priore three manner of waies And first by the perfit loue and charitie which is between the Saints in heauen and their brethren here on earth For as Saint Paul saith Charitas nunquam excidit Charitie which is the loue of God and our brethren neuer falleth away but remaineth with his Saints for euer And the reason thereof is manifest For louing God so perfitly as they doe they must needes loue all those whom they know to bee so much beloued of him as that he gaue his onely Son to redeem them This therefore being supposed out of Scripture and the Minor consisting of two parts The first that the Saints of heauen desire to heare and helpe vs And the second that they are able to doe both the one the other The first part I proue by the latter in this manner The Saints of God desire it therefore they cannot want the means to performe it That they desire it is proued first out of the Nature of all true loue in generall For the which you must vnderstand That Loue being the first act of the Will and the formall obiect of both the act and power of the will beeing that which is good to loue another is nothing else but to will him that which is good especially for this reason because it is good vnto him So that the finall and formal
and infinite Author of all thinges Secondly for a petition made vnto those whom we acknowledge to be indued with that excellencie which is only fouÌ„d in the friends of God that are in heauen and lastly for a request made vnto any other with that respect which we acknowledge to bee due vnto those that haue the meanes to helpe vs. In the first second sense this word is vsed when we are said to pray or to make our prayer vnto another in the last sense when wee pray our friends or our betters to doe this or yâ— for vs For although we pray them yet wee are not properly said to pray or to make our prayer vnto them By Prayer to Saincts therefore we vnderstand a request made vnto them not with that worship which is due vnto God as the Author of all things but with that honour and reuerence with is due to the Saints of God aboue all other Creatures And in this sense the Protestants theÌ„selues will graunt That if it be lawfull to make any request vnto them it ought to be done with that reuerence which is conuenient by consequence that in this sense it is not only lawfull to pray them if it be lawfull at all but also to pray vnto them Lastly to the end that no exception be taken against the proofes that follow as not sufficiently deliuered according to my promise out of Scripture thou must consider that two maÌ„ner of wayes a thing may be proued out of Scripture First by the expresse wordes thereof in which manner we proue many thinges against the Protestants As for example That man is iustified by workes and not Iam. 2. 24 Iohn 20 22. 23. Math. 26â— 27. by Faith alone That Priests receiue the Holy Ghost to forgiue sinnes That the Blessed Sacrament is the body blood of Christ 1 Cor. 11â— 14. and the like But in this maÌ„ner the Protestants cannot directly proue any one point of their Religion against vs. Therfore no reason that in all points they should exact this kinde of proofe at our hands Secondly a thing may bee prooued by Scripture as following by necessary consequence out of scripture which kind of proofe and no other the Protestants though failing therein no lesse then in the former pretend to be the very ground of their Faith in those points wherein they differ from vs And after this manner I intend to make it euident that prayer to Saints may bee lawfully vsed according to the Scriptures THE FIRST ARGVMENT Therefore may be taken out of those Scriptures which recommend vnto vs the Authority of the Church For in them wee learne That our Sauiour himselfe hath sent his holy spirit to Iohn 16. 13. teach her all truth and to remaine with her for euer In Io. 14. 16 which respect she is not onely termed by Saint Paul The Piller Tim. 3. 17 and foundation of truth but also our Sauiour himselfe saith expresly of her That hee who will Math. 18â— 17. not heare herâ— or which is all one hee that will not beleeue her ought to bee esteemed noâ— better then aâ— Eathnick From whence therefore I conclude Augustin Lib. cont Crescon cap. 33. and affirme with Saint Augustine That wee doe nothing but according to Scripture in doing that which the whole Church approoueth whome the Scriptures Augustin Epist 118 cap. 2. themselues commend vnto vs. To which purpose also hee spared not to write That to dispute whether any thing bee lawfull which the whole Church frequenteth throughout the world is most insolent madnesse In fine there are many pointes of Faith with though they be not expresly written the Protestants belieue practise with vs and among other thinges which I haue noted before The lawfull neglect of the Iewes Sabaoth no where abrogated and the necessary obseruation of Sunday no where commaunded in holy writ which therefore can no otherwise be proued out of Scripture but onely by the authoritie of the Church which the Scripture commaundeth to be beleeued This beeing supposed to make it appeare that the Church of Christ and the Pastors therof not onely allowed this Doctrine of prayer to Saints but also practised the same I alledge the Epistle of the Bishops of Europe to Leo the Emperour in the fourth age after Christ which Epistle is ioyned to the Councell of Chalcedon where they say thus Wee put the most holy Proterius in the rancke and Quyre of the holy Martyrs and wee demaund by his intercession That God would be pleased to bee mercifull and propitious vnto vs. And in the Councell it selfe which is one of the foure CouÌ„cels that the Protestants pretend to reuerence with Saint Gregory no lesse then the foure Gospels the Fathers assembled speake thus Flauianus liueth ChalcedoÌ„ Acts 11. after death as beeing a Maister let him pray for vs. Likewise in the sixt generall Councell the Fathers say God alone the Creator being Adored let the Christian Synod 6. â—ap 7 man call vpon his Saints that they would bee pleased to make intercession for him vnto his diuine Maiestie Whereunto I will onely adde another like authoritie of the seauenth generall Councell speaking as followeth Let vs doe all thinges with Synod 7. â—ct 6 feare demaunding the intercession of the incontaminate Mother of God as also of the Angels and of all the Saints Thus these generall Councels in the person of the whole Catholike Church Let vs hear now some other expresse testimonies of the auncient Fathers in the first ages after Christ St. Bazill in his Oration vpon the Bazill orat in 40 Martyrs 40 Martyrs Hee that is pressed with any difficultie let him fly vnto them Hee againe that reioyceth let him call vpon them the one that he may be deliuered from euill the other that he may perseuer in good St. Cyrill when wee Cyril catechesi â— Mistagoâ—gica offer this sacrifice wee make mention of them that haue slept before vs especially of the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs That God by their orisons would receiue our prayers St. Ambrose wee must pray vnto Angels who Ambr. 1 de viduiâ— are giuen vs for our guard wee must pray vnto Martyrs whose patronage wee seeme to challenge by the pawne of their Bodyes they are our Gouernours they are the Ouerseers of our liues and actions Wee are not ashamed to make them the intercessors of our infirmitie because themselues haue knowne th' infirmitie of their Bodyes euen in their victories Thus these holy Fathers Of the practise of this Doctrine and of the perticuler prayers made by the Fathers themselues in all ages to the Saints of Heauen that shall suffice which I haue cyted already out of their speeches to our B. Lady both because to shew this exactly were sufficient to make a large volume as also because no Protestant that is not altogether ignorant or extreamly impudent can deny it In fine therfore the Doctrin of the Fathers in
THE INTERIOVR OCCVPATION OF THE SOVLE Treating of the important businesse of our saluation with GOD and his SAINTS by way of Prayer Composed in French for the exercise of that Court by the R. Father Pater Cotton of the Societiâ— of IESVS and translated into English by C. A. for the benefit of all our Nation Whereunto Is prefixed a Preface by the Translator in defence of the Prayers of this Booke to the Saints in Heauen But our Conuersation is in Heauen whence also wee expect the Sauiour our Lord Iesus Christ PHIL 3 20. Printed at Doway 1618. The Table of the Titles of this Booke A Doration Title 1. Thankesgiving Title 2. Petition Title 3. Protestation Title 4. To the Soule of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Title 5. To the B. Virgin Mary Title 6. To St. Michaell Title 7. To St. Gabriel Title 8. To the Angell Gardian Title 9. To the Angels Title 10. To the holy Patriacks Title 11. To the holy Prophets Title 12. To St. Iohn Baptist Title 13. To S. Ioseph Title 14. To S. Peter Title 15. To S. Paul Title 16. To S. Iohn the Euangelist Tit. 17 To the Apostles Title 18. To the holy Euangelists Title 19. To the holy Martyrs Title 20. To the holy Doctors Title 21. To the holy Confessors Title 22. To the holy Anchorites Hermits and Religious Title 23. To St. Anthony Title 24. To the holy Virgins Men and Women Title 25. A CoÌ„munication had with God vpon the Life Death and passion of our Sauiour Title 26. A Prayer agreeing with the former Communication and Conference had with God Tit. 27. When a man is tempted Title 28 When any thing falleth out that pleaseth vs. Title 29. When any thing displeaseth vs. Title 30. In obeying our Superiors Tit. 31 In seeing the magnificency of the Court. Title 32. At our going out of our Lodging Title 33. In beholding any Garden or Medow Title 34. In seeing a Fielde couered with flowers Title 35. When one smelleth to a Nosegay Title 36. When we admire the beauty of any building Title 37. When you beholde your selfe in a Glasse Title 38. In putting on your Apparell Title 39. In putting off your Apparell Title 40. In putting on Iewells and other ornaments Title 41. Washing our handes and our face Title 42. When you vse your Fanne Title 43 When the Clocke striketh Tit. 44. Touching the care wee are to haue of our Children Title 45. Concerning our Domesticals Title 46. In going to Masse Title 47. When one is Melanchollie or displeased at any thing Title 48. When wee feele our selues in any passion Title 49. After the happy successe of any affaire Title 50. Hauing receiued any grace Title 51. When wee receiue any consolation in Prayer Title 52. In time of Desolation Title 53. When wee feele our selues drie at Prayer Title 54. When one is dispised Title 55. Eleuations of spirit which may be done vpon euery occasion Title 56. THE TRANSLATORS PREFACE IN DEfence of the Prayers of this Booke to the Saints of God in Heauen GEntle Reader whatsoeuer thou bee This Booke is so fit for thee that I doubt not thou wilt con mee thanke for hauing taught it to speake English For if thou frequent the vse and practise of it it will teach thee the language of Heauen Wherein whensoeuer thou speakest to GOD and his Saints they will answer thee and whatsoeuer thou demaundest of them they cannot deny thee And though fearefully reading here there a little thou shouldst only take it in thy handes to sipp thereof as men are wont to doe of Phisick when they intend no more but to taste it yet it is impossible but that the lippes and the hands of thy soule which are thy will thy vnderstanding should not receiue some Tyncture and retaine some taste of the sweetnesse of it Bâ—t because it may so fall out with thee that hauing been brought vp as it were in some defiance with the Saints in heauen and thereby thinking all honor too much which is done them and euery request to bee no lesse then Idolatâ—y which is made vnto them thou shouldest in this respect bee scandalized with those excellent inuocations of them wherein is spent a principall part of this treatise and so bee prouoked either to detest or coÌ„temne the Booke it selfe I haue thought good to set thee downe two wayes how thou mayst both read and vse the foresaid prayers not onely without scruple and offence of conscience according to the opinion of thine owne Masters which is the first way but also according to the profession of Ours with great delight true spirituall comfort which is the other The first is supposing thou canst not thinke better to Imagine all the Prayers of this Booke to the Saints of heauen to be but a figure of Rethorick called Apostrophe or which is all one a fayned speech whereby to excite affectioÌ„ made vnto those thinges with cannot heare vs as to a Rocke to a Riuer to Birds or Beasts For in such figuratiue senses the most learned Doctors of thine owne religion do vnderstand those innumerable prayers to Saints which euery where they reade in the holy Fathers whereof I will here yeeld thee some few examples in their speeches alone to our Blessed Lady St. Athanasius the great coÌ„poser of that Creede which he learned in the Nizen Councell whereof hee was a principall part and which is read euery Athanasi 〈…〉 FuaÌ„ De sanctissimâ— noâ—tra Dâ—iâ—pera Sunday in your Churches maketh first this preface For as much saith this glorious Saint as hee who was borne of a Virgin is our King and the same likewise our Lord and our God therefore also the Mother which brought him foorth is truely and properly reputed a Queene a Lady and the Mother of God And then among other thinges hee speaketh vnto her in this manner Vnto thee therefore wee Cry bee mindfull of vs most B. Virgin who also after thy Child-birth didst remaine a Virgin Hayle full of Grace our Lord is with thee Blessed doe all the holy Quires of men and Angels call thee Blessed art thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Mistris and Lady Queene and Mother of God make intercession for vs. St. Ephraim who liued in the same age was of such fame Ephraim that in some Churches after the Scripture his writinges were publickly read whose prayers most patheticall to our B. Lady in his SermoÌ„ of the praises of the most holy Mother of God and in diuers other places are too long to be recited in a proper Prayer to our B. Lady among other things he saith as followeth Bee present with me mercifull Clement and Benigne Virgin especially in this present life feruently protecting me repelling the assaults of mine enemies Conducting mee to saluation and at the point of â—y death preseruing my miserable soule driuing away the darkesome visions of wicked Spirits deliuering mee in the terrible day of
Iudgement from eternall Damnation and lastly making me heyre of the inaccessible glory of God thy Son Which I beseech thee againe and againe most holy Lady and Mother of God that I may obtaine by thy intercession and fauour through the grace and mercy and humanitie of thy onely begotten Soone our Lord and God and Sauiour Iesus Christ Likewise the most renowned and vncontroled Doctor of the Church St. Augustine in his 2. Sermon of the Annunciation after many other wordes in praise and prayer to her concludeth as followeth O Blessed S. Augusâ— Sâ—â—m 1 8 de sanctâ— Mary who is able to repâ—r thee the right of praise and thankesgiuing which is due vnto thee who by thy singuler assent didst releeue the world when it was lost what prayses can the fragilâ—tie of mankinde giue the which onely by thy meanes found the beginning of recouerie Receiue therefore our thankesgiuing though small as it is though vnequall to thy great merites and when thou hast receiued our desires by thy prayer excuse our faultes Receiue our prayers into thy sanctuary of thy excudition and returne vnto vs the Antidote of reconciliation By thee let that bee excusable which wee importune and let that bee impitrable which wee aske with a fatihfull minde Receiue that wee offer render that wee aske excuse that wee feare for thou art the Hope of all sinners By thee wee â—pes vniâ—a silicet â—ne qua â—on confide to haue pardon for our demerites and in thee most Blessed is the expectation of our rewards Holy Mary succour the miserable help those that are weake minded cherish those that weepe pray for the people Mediate for the Clergie make intercession for the deuout sex of Women let all feele thy assistance whosoeuer doe celebrate thy remembrance Thus these holy Fathers who as our last Author saith That which they learned they taught that Aug. lib â— cont Iulianum â—um which they receiued from their fathers the same they deliuered to their children Now therefore my friend if these speeches of the holy Fathers to our blessed Lady be lawfull certainly there is no prayer of this book as made to Saints vnlawful for if they be not lawful as prayers they bee lawfull as Apostrophes And if thy stomack rise not against these wordes of the Fathers no reason it should detest the like speeches of ours And if these may faynedly be vsed to exite affection the others also may be likewise practised to inflame our deuotion Wherfore if thou canst frame thy conscience to beleeue that all these prayers and the like are nothing else but fayned speches this will be one way according to the doctrine of thine owne masters not onely to serue thy selfe but also to satisfie others that shall obiecte the reading of this Booke or the practise thereof vnto thee But if according to truth and reason thou be so perswaded that neither wee nor the holy Fathers either doe or may vse such figmatiue or fayned prayers it will import thee to followe the other way and to beleeue with vs that they are really spoken vnto the Saints not as vnto walles and woods but as vnto those that verily heare vs and are able to help vs. And therefore because I do not thinke thou wilt easily coÌ„demne the holy Fathers of Idolatry wherein no ignorance can excuse their damnation but rather will desire some further satisfaction in this point according to the Scripture with thy Masters would seeme to make the onely ground of their ReligioÌ„ That I may the better content thee I will set thee down here in this Preface such euident proofes out of Scripture for prayer to Saintes â—â— may be sufficient not onely to quiet thy own minde but also to conuince the most learned Protestant that hereafter shall attempt to speake against it But before I begin I desire to informe thee of 4. short perticulers wherof the two first are such as may suffice of themselues alone to resolue this question The first is that many principall Protestants haue agreed with vs in this point For the opinion of Luther in his owne words was this that followeth Luther in purgatione quoruÌ„dam articulorum Of intercession of Saints I thinke and iudge with the whole Christian Church that the Saints are to bee honoured by vs and also to be inuocated With whom doe agree a acts mon pag 462. Bilnay and b acts and mon pag 1312. Latimer canonized Martyrs of the Protestant Calender Wherefore this being the beleefe not only of their first Apostle but also of their latter Martyrs I cannot imagine how it may stand with the reputation of a zealous Protestant either to condemn vs or to mislike vs for it The second perticuler which I would haue thee well to consider is this That the principall ground whereon the Protestants doe especially build their deniall or rather their detestation of this Doctrine is most vaine and friuolous contending Inuocation of Saints to be altogether vnlawfull because it is no where expresly commaunded or approued in holy Scripture For I wold but aske a Protestant where he readeth Hunting or Hawking to be expresly commanded or coÌ„mended in the Word of God which vnlesse he loue Hawkes and Dogs better then Saints or Angels were enough to make him see the impertinencie of this position In a word I will demaund where he findeth either this Assertion it self which they make the ground of their beleife to bee expresly deliuered or to giue instance in some other particulers where he can shew me The eating of Blood and strangled meat the celebration of Christmas and of the Feastes of the Apostles the vse of Surplisse Cappe and Typpet in the seruice of Christ Or in fine The abrogation of the Iewes Saboth which is Saturday to be expresly either inioyned or approoued in holy writ Which not being able to performe he not onely condemneth himselfe in the continuall practise of all these particulers if hee stand to his owne ground but also maketh the Ground it selfe to ouerthrow it selfe as being no where expresly taught in holy Scripture Wherfore though no laudable example of prayer to Saints departed could be found in the written Word yet this is no sufficient cause to coÌ„demne it From whence also it foloweth That vnlesse yâ— Protestants can shew which they will neuer be able to doe that prayer to Saints is euidently forbidden either by the word of God or light of nature or lawe of the Church They can neuer be defended or excused from great impietie and damnable scisme in deuiding them selues not only from the Catholicke brethren but also from the Saints themselues by this occasion Thirdly therefore to come nerer the question in hand that we dispute not of wordes but of the matter it selfe now in controuersie betwene thee and me Thou must vnderstand that the worde Prayer is somtimes taken for a request made vnto him whom we honour as the first omnipotent cause
with they know to be the chiefest meanes both on our parts and theirs wherby to obtain it Thus as I take it-hauing plainly shewed how exceedingly the Saints desire both to heare and helpe vs in our necessities according to that superabundance of their loue and charitie towards vs which passeth all humane vnderstanding let vs now coÌ„sider whether it follow hereof that they are able to doe those good Offices for vs with they so much desire Which is easily proued as followeth Whensoeuer Almighty God giueth a Loue an Inclination or Desire to any thing hee giueth also some power and abilitie to obtaine the same As we see in the desires and inclinations of all Naturall thinges As for example in the inclination of the Elements to their proper places in the Appetite of Birdes and Beasts to those things that are necessarie for the preseruation of their Nature and finally in all the Naturall propentions and desires of Man And the reason thereof is euident For Almightie God hauing ordained the one to obtaine the other and desire of it selfe being not sufficient to procure the thing desired hee should come short of his purpose working in vaine and leauing his worke vnperfit like vnto him in the Gospell Qui cepit aedifiâ—are non potuit consumare vnlesse hauing giuen the desire hee haue giuen therewithall some other more sufficient power and abilitie to attaine vnto that which is desired Wherfore this being true and a generall rule in all his works vpon earth how much more is it also true and a certaine rule in Heauen where all appetites are satisfied and all desires fulfilled And hauing giuen the very possession and fruition of himselfe and of his Sonne Christ Iesus to reward his Saints how as St. Paul saith together with himselfe Will hee not giue them all thinges which their hearts can desire And if RoÌ„ 8. 3â— it be true which himselfe hath promised that hee will heaâ—â—ths Psa 10. 1â— desire of a poore man being yet in his tryall how can it stand either with his owne goodnes or with the felicitie of those that inioy yâ— riches of his Kingdome to with-hold that from them which so reasonably and so exceedingly they desire according to his own ordinance and out of the infinit loue they beare him And as the Scripture saith If hee were not able to Gen. 28 27. conceale from Abraham the euill which he intended against the wicked Citty of Sodom to the end that by Abrahams prayers he might pardon them if it were possible according to the ordinary Law of his Diuine prouidence and whereby also as it is probable his cosen Lot was saued from that dreadfull fire how can hee conceale from his friends in Heauen the good or euill which hee intendeth to their brethren to the end that by their prayers according to his Diuine prouidence bringing all thinges to passe by Ordinary meanes hee may conferre the one and pardon the other Whereby it appeareth how vaine it is which the Protestants doe here obiect that because the Saints haue no eares they cannot heare vs. For albeit they haue no corporall Organ of hearing yet Almighty God is not so poore of power but that hee may easily prouide them of other meanes For neither the Angels nor the Deuils haue eares and yet notwithstanding the Protestants will not deny that they haue power to heare our wordes when we speake or which in them is all one to vnderstand our meaning Neither doth the want of an eare make this kind of hearing the worse but rather much the better For beeing thereby freed from all those conditions and circumstances which limit and contract the corporall passion and immutation of the Sence of hearing to place and distance c no reason can be giuen but that they may heare as well a farre off as nere at hand yea our thoghts aswell as our wordes when we are willing to haue theÌ„ known vnto them For in this manner and no otherwise are we able to conceiue how one Angell or Deuill should naturally heare or vnderstand another Why then will the Protestants deny that power to any Saint in Heauen which they know to be no more then is giuen to the Deuill And truely though they had no meanes at all to heare our prayers immediately directly as they come froÌ„ our selues yet they might easily know them because as St. Augustine saith they haue the meanes to see them And if Elizeus while 4 Reg. 5â— 26. hee did as a Childe and thought as a childe and knew as a childe 1 Cor. 13 11. which is the state of all men in this world or could see and know without eyes what his seruant did and said in his absence How much more the Saints of God being come to that mature knowledge and greatnes of perfit men which they inioy in Heauen are able without eyes or eares to behold those thinges which are done or said where they are Greg liâ— 2. Dial 35. lib c. 33. liâ— 12. Moâ— cap 14 not present For according to St Gregory Vnto the eye of him who beholdeth neuer so little of the light of the Creator all that is Created seemeth little more theÌ„ nothing And therefore in heauen saith hee Where all with one Common light behold the face of God what is it that there they know not where they know him that knoweth all thinges Notably therefore St. Barnard proueth that our B. Lady Bernard â—erm in Assum B. Mary beeing ascended on high giueth guifts vnto men because nothing doth more Commend the greatnesse either of her power or of her pittie Which we must needes graunt vnlesse saith he wee will either beleeue that the Sonne of God doth not honour his Mother in granting her this power or doubt that the Bowels of Mary may bee without Charitie in which the Charitie it selfe which is of God remained corporally 9. Monthes together To which purpose also Saint Augustine speaking of St. Peter doth argue in this manner If then the shadow of his Body was able to helpe how much more now the Augu. ser 19. de SaÌ„ctis fulnesse of his vertue If he were so powerfull to helpe those that be sought him before his Martyrdome how much more efficatious is hee after his Tryumphs And St. Hierome disputing with Vigillantius the hereticke expresly of this matter egregiously coÌ„foundeth his aduersarie with these words that follow Thou Hieromâ— con vigil cap. 3. sayest in thy Booke that while we line wee may pray for each other but after wee are dead no mans prayer can bee heard for another especially when the Martyrs praying to haue their blood reuenged were not able to obtain it Which reason of the Hereticke was most false for their request was not denyed but onely a little delayed for the good of their Brethren But heare what St. Hierome answereth If the Apostles and Martyrs while they were in their Bodyes could pray for others when
it imported them to bee carefull of themselues how much more after their victorious Crownes and Tryumphs Moyses being but one obtayned pardon of God for sixe hundred thousand Armed men And shall hee bee of lesse force beeing now with Christ in Heauen Paul the Apostle saith That 270. soules in the Ship with him were giuen vnto him And after his resolution when hee began to bee with Christ must he shut vp his mouth and not be able to speake so much as one halfe worde for those who through the world haue beleeued his Gospell Shall Vigillantius this liuing Dog bee better then hee that dead Lyon For to this purpose I might wel vse the words of the Preacher If I beleeued Saint Paul to bee dead in spirit the Saints are not said to be dead but to wit according to the body sleeping or reposing Thus Saint Hierome Secondly therefore to proceed The willingnesse and abilitie of the Saints in Heauen to heare and assist vs is proued out of those Scriptures which teach vs that the Saints in heauen and the Saints on earth are all Brethren of the same family and Domesticals of God hauing all receiued the adoption Ephes 19. Gal 4 Ephe 4 Gal. 4. Heb. 1 23. of the Sonnes of God and beeing all fellow members of the same Body and Cittizens of the same Citty which is the heauenly Hierusalem our Mother the Church of the first borne including the societie of many thousand Angells Which being supposed wee may argue in this manner In euery Mysticall body or societie the principall and more perfite members haue power and abilitie more or lesse to helpe and assist the rest that are more imperfit according to their particuler necessities For this is the end of all Communitie and therefore so true that no citty or kingdome or ciuill Body can stand without it But the Saints in Heauen are the principall partes of this Mysticall body Therefore it must needes follow that they haue some kinde of meanes to heare and to helpe vs in perticuler when wee call vpon them For otherwise they could neither make one Family nor one citty nor one Body with vs which is directly against the Scriptures here before alleadged Againe in euery Societie those members that are out of daunger and in prosperitie are bound in duty to succour those that are in any great danger or necessitie especially when it greatly concerneth the good of the whole Body But such are the Saints of heauen and such is the case between vs and them especially when we finde our selues assaulted with some grieuous affliction or vehement Temptation in perticuler Therefore according to their power when such occasions happen they are bound as may be said in duty to releeue vs. Hee saith St. Iohn that shall haue the Substance of this world and shall see his Brother haue neede and shall shut his Bowels from him how doth the Charitie of God abide in him Wherefore the Saints of God hauing the substance of the other world and possessing the Treasures of all Graces wee must either fowly condemne them for want of Charity or else wee must needs graunt that they open their Bowels to releeue the necessities of their distressed brethren And truely Almightie God seeing the want of this power in his Saints to help vs if it were so as the Protestants would haue it and the Saints againe seeing our miseries or if they doe not it is because they will not how may it be thought that either God himselfe can shut the Bowels of his Charitie from them when they aske the one or they from vs when we call vpon them to be releeued in the other Wherfore to conclude this second reason for the proofe of their Power to helpe vs consider gentle Reader whether it can stand either with the vnitie of this mysticall body that the Saints in Heauen should not haue it or with their Obligation not to demaund it or with their felicitie not to inioy it or with Gods goodnesse not to graunt it Thirdly and lastly then this willingnes and power of theirs is yet further proued by their speciall Patronage and protection of vs for the one doth euidently include the other and no man can imagine how they can be truely said to guide and defend vs who like the Idols of the Gentiles are neither able to heare vs nor to helpe vs. Wherefore their Pastorall care and protection ouer vs is shewed first by reason grounded vpon Scripture and secondly by the Scripture it selfe And the first reason thereof may be framed in this manner In euery well ordered Body or Common wealth the members which are the most potent prudent and perfit are appointed to gouerne and protect the rest But the Saints of heauen make one body with vs as hath bene proued by the expresse word of God Therefore as being the most sufficient Members thereof they must be Ordained by God to gouerne and direct vs. According whereuâ—to St. Câ—prian coÌ„cludâ—â—h most excellently of the holy Innocents That being made priuie to the secrets Cyprian of God with most familiar approaches they beseech his clemencie to blesse our labours And Lib de Stella Magis Innoc c. that beeing translated from the Cradle to Heauen they are made Senatours and Iudges of the supernall Cappitoll obtaâ—ning pardon for many And although they assist Almightie God not onely in his Diuine mercyes but also in his punishments yet they serue themselues more of the mildnesse then of the furie of the Lambe whome they followe wheresoeuer hee goeth Thus St. Cyprian Whereunto may bee added another reason For hee that will contemplate a little shall easily finde that Almightie God seldome or neuer doth any thing by himselfe alone which may be brought to passe by meanes of those his Creatures that are apt to be made the instruments of his Diuine power Not that hee hath any neede of them but because it belongeth to his glory their perfection as much as may be to be serued of them Which is not onely seene in the visible preseruation of this world all thinges depending therein of more inferiour causes but also confessed in the inuisible mouers and Gouernours thereof his holy Angels Who are therefore in generall acknowledged by Saint Paul to be administring Spirits and are perticularly Heb. 2. 14 testified among other Num. 20 16. thinges to haue had the conduction of the Isralites out of Exod. 23 20. Aegypt and in the person of God to haue giuen the Law it Act. 7. 30 35. 53. selfe vnto them Wherefore the Saints of heauen being so much more fit to gouerne and protect vs then the Angels by how much they are nearer vnto vs both by Grace and Nature and through their owne experience of our fragilitie haue better learned to take compassion of our infirmitie It cannot stand with the sweetnesse of Gods prouldence to exclude them from the Patronage and protection of vs. For the which
37. T 〈…〉 Bonâ—uenture in the BonaueÌ„t life of Saint Francis And finally to the life of Saint Barnarâ— Life of S. Bernard wherein there is receiued a most wonderfull Miracle wrought by Saint Barnard him selfe who in confirmacion of this verie point of prayer to Saints which he preached against the heretickes of his time that spake against it Blessed certaine bread which the people offred with the Signe of the Crosse and said In this you shall knowe that those thinges are true which we haue Preached If all your sicke hauing tasted of this Bread shall be restored to their former health And when the Bishop there had said If they reâ—â—iue it with a good faith they shal be healed Saint Barnard added I doe not say so but assuredly whosoeuer they be thaâ— taste it shall be healed to the end they may knowe that we are true Messengers sent from God Whervpon a huge multitude of sicke folkes hauing tasted that Bread recouered that this worde was diuulged ouer all the Prouince To conclude in all the places likewise before alleaged those venerable and renowned Authors haue related so many Miracles in this poynt of prayers to Saintes as if any Protestant would take the paines either to read them or to heare them recited they would be more then sufficient to conuince him For he that should deride or contemne the iudgements of those famous Saints were verye prophane And how can he think himselfe a good Christian that will giue no credit or beliefe to the chiefe Pastors and Doctors of the Church of Christ whome shall we belieue if we belieue not them Were not this to take away all faith and together therewith all Morall beliefe out of the worde And this shall suffice me Curteous Reader to haue collected for the most part out of other Catholicke Authors for thy satisfaction in this point of praier to Saints drawne by good consequence out of the Text it selfe of holy scripture which the Protestants on the other side haue neither heretofore nor euer will be able to aunswer hereafter and much lesse to produce any solide Argument out of Scripture for the proofe of the contrarie without the which notwithstanding though we alleaged no proofe at all it were more then absurde to condemne any generall custome or practise of Church or Common wealth as hath bene noted in the beginning Wherefore gentle freind now at the length to conclude this whole discourse if thou rest satisfied therwith I shall think my labour well bestowed but neither will I think it lost if I may gaine so much of thee as not fearing to venture thy Soule with the auncient Fathers vppon a truth so testified not onely by the worde of God in Scripture but also with the very hand of God in Signes and Miracles aswell at this present time as in all former ages thou wilt bee content to make some tryall of the power abilitie of the Saints to help thee by recommending thy selfe seriously to their intercession for thee desiring them to beseech Almightie God that thou maist obtaine sufficient light to discerne his euery sauing truth and effectuall grace to imbrace it And in perticuler to recommend thy poore Soule to the prayers of the Mother of God our Blessed Ladye who as Saint Barnard saith is the neck vnder Christ our head whereby all Grace descendeth vnto euery member of his mystcall Bodie For I doubt not thou shalt finde that true comfort and Reall satisfaction in the excercises thereof with such a touch of Gods finger as well better perswade thy hart then any other Pen can maister thy vnderstanding vntill it please his diuine Maiestie to subiect it fully to the rule of faith and to place it firmly on the Rocke which is the piller and foundation of truth And so remitting thee to the Prayers them selues of this Booke I desire to be pertaker of their good effects c. rest Thine in Iesus Christ C. A. THE Interiour occupation of the SOVLE Treating of the important businesse of our saluation with God his saints by way of Prayer Title 1. Adoration 1. I Adore thee O great GOD with all the creatures which are in Heauen and on earth prostrated cast downe euen to the center of my nothing before the Tâ—rone of thy soueraigne Maiestie 2. My affection is farre too litle to acknowledge thy high Deitie and therefore I present vnto thee the hearts of Angels and men the naturall property of the elements the growth of plants the sense of beasts the motion of whatsoeuer is in nature and the very being of all thinges Adoring with the dependance which they haue of thy diuinitie that which thou art in them and honouring that which they are in thee 3. If I had the affection of all those men women which haue presented vnto thee sacrifices of diuine worship and soueraigne adoration as well in the law of nature as in the written Euangelicall law I should melt in thy presence but seing that all things subsist before thee I beseech thee that thou wilt accept my most humble and profound adoration as comprising them all and being comprised in them 4. Aboue all I offer present the interiour actions of the humanitie of Iesus Christ thy sonne euen from the first instant of the creation thereof to the very last period of his life and those also which he continually exerciseth in heauen 5. I present also vnto thee the internall acts of that most happie Virgin his mother of the Cherubins Seraphins and of all those holy spirits which opposed themselues against the reuolt of the Apostate Angels and whatsoeuer else hath proceeded at any time from those soules which haue bene most pleasing vnto thee froÌ„ the beginning of the world Beseeching thee to number me amongst them to ioyne my holocaust with theirs and to receiue it as a sweet smelling sacrifice 6. The most part of corporall creatures doe not acknowledge the being they haue receiued from thee nor the Obligation which they haue to thee for the same many abuse that being which thou hast bestowed vpon them as Infidels heretiques reprobates and all the accursed diuels I offer thee them O my God and prostrate them as much as is in my power at the feete of thy Maiestie adoring thee as often as they offend and blaspheme thee and I doe homage vnto thee with the actions and the very naturall being with the which they sinne and which they abuse 7. Great is the honour that hitherto hath beene â—oone to the great personages of the earth and is still continued euery day Incense hath bin offred vp to Idols Idolatrie is coÌ„mitted to corporall beautie O the God of my soule I lay holde of all those thoughts wordes prophane actions passions and as farre as my minde can stretch I seperate from them all deformitie to make a present and sacrifice of that being they haue of which thou art the Author 8. I aske thee also