do for thee before I be taken from thee And why not after if the thing were so proper But Elijah gave no encouragement to this nor is there any instance of any Prayer made to him by the Jews though it was certainly known he was in Heaven Nor yet to any Angel to Gabriel or Raphel or any other though the Angels certainly were as much in Heaven then as they are now Jacob's Prayer Gen. 48. 16. was to the Angel that redeemed him that is to Christ who often appeared as an Angel to the Patriarchs before his Incarnation and is called the Angel of God's Presence Isa 63. 9. All the Instructions for Prayer which we have in Scripture teach us to have recourse to God alone Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of Trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me Let any one shew the like Command to call upon the Saints and we will instantly do it Acts 2. 21. Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved But it is no-where said whosoever shall call upon the Name of St. Peter or St. Paul shall be saved Luke 11. 1 2. When one of his Disciples said to him Lord teach us to pray our Saviour gives this as the Model of all Prayer When ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven c. Which sure none can speak to a Saint or Angel who acknowledg themselves our Brethren and our Companions in Service Rev. 12. 11. Chap. 19. 20. Rom. 8. 15. They that are the Children of God have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby they cry Abba Father And so Gal. 4. 6. For asmuch as ye are the Children of God God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts crying Abba Father That Spirit which is the Spirit of Adoption teacheth the Children of God to pray to God alone and that with humble Confidence as to a Father and all the Prayers that he forms in our Hearts are address'd to God as our Father So that that Spirit then that puts Men upon praying to Saints is another Spirit and not the Spirit of Jesus Christ And those that have not the confidence to address their Prayers to God whatever Spirit they are indued with have not the Spirit of Adoption All our Prayers and Thanksgivings are Spiritual Sacrifices but Sacrifices ought to be offered to God alone Psal 50. 14. Offer unto God Thanksgivings aâ—d pay thy Vows unto the most High. Hos 14. 2. Take with you words and turn unto the Lord say unto him Take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously so wâ—â—l we render thee the Calves of our Lips. Heb. 13. 1â— By him therefore viz. Jesus Christ let us offer the Sacrifice of Praise to God continually that is the Fruit of our Liâ—s giving Thanks in his Name 1 Pet. 2. 5. Christians are an Holy Priesthood to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices to God by Jesus Christ It is a vast knowledg that the Saints to whom we pray must be supposed to have For they must be supposed to know where their Petitioners are what they want and how truly and rightly they pray and this perhaps of Persons in a thousand places or more if they should pray all to the same Saint at the same time As for instance to St. Paul or St. Peter what if all the People in the World should pray to them at the same time as 't is possible and may be done upon Popish Principles then St. Peter and St. Paul must know the Conditions of all the Men in the World at the same time or to instance in St. Nicholas the Sea-man's Saint in the words of an excellent Author He must be supposed to hearken when he is in Heaven suppose to what one Sea-man prays in a Shipwrack at the Straits to what another wishes for when he is becalm'd in the South-Sea to the Cries of another who sees an Hurricane by the Barbadots to the private desires of another who fishes for Pearls in the Guiny-Shore or Herrings by our English-Coast or for Whales hard by Greenland or for Trouts in the small Rivers and he must be able to hear what thousands of Passengers who cry to him being ready to perish in as many places all at once and withal in these numberless Places and Exigencies what they both think and deserve in order to the returning of suitable Reliefs and Helps Is not this a vast Knowledg for a mâ—re Creature to have But we are well assured both by Scripture and the nature of the thing that 't is vastly above them and is what they have not And therefore to ascribe it to them what is it but Idolatry The Saints in Heaven do not hear our Prayers To Hear Prayers is made the peculiar Attribute of God in Scripture Psal 65. 2. Oh thou that hearest Prayer unto thee shall all Flesh come For Psal 145. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon him to all that call upon him in Truth But can any one say so of the Saints Their Essence is not infinite to be in all Places of the World near unto all those that cry unto them The Saints departed do not know our particular Necessities Eccles 9. 5 6. For the Dead know not any thing also their love and their hatred and their envy is now perish'd Job 14. 21. His Sons come to honour and he knoweth it not and they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them He doth not know the Condition or Necessities of his nearest Relations Isa 63. 16. Thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledgeth us not Yet Abraham was now in Heaven into whose Bosom the Faithful pass Luke 16. 22. And God tells Josiah 2 Kings 22. 20. I will gather thee unto thy Fathers and thine Eyes shall not see all the Evil which I will bring upon this place He was not sensible after his departure of the publick Miseries much less the particular Necessities of his People If the Saints departed know our Necessities how do they know them They are not Omnipresent are they Or do they see all in the Face of God But 't is certain the Angels do not for they know not the Day of Judgment Mat. 13. 32. Besides if they see all things in the Face of God this is to make them Omniscient as God is and so to make them Gods or do they only see some things If they only see some things how shall we be assured that they see either us praying or what we want For who can tell but these may be some of those Things which they do not see Or do they only know all things that occur by the information of Ministring-Angels But how are we sure that the Angels themselves know all our Affairs tho they may know some wherein their own Comfort and Happiness is likewise concern'd as the Conversion of a Sinner which brings Joy in Heaven Luke 15. 7. This one thing
Faith to teach many Mediators though inferior to Christ as to teach many Gods though subordinate to the Supreme God. So 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. For though there be that are called Gods whether in Heaven or in Earth as there be Gods many and Lords many but to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him In opposition to the Pagan Idolatry in worshipping many inferior Gods and Lords together with the Supreme God either as sharers with him in the Government of the World or as Mediators with him for Men. But we are to worship and in Worship to apply our selves to no other but this only Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ For Acts 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be saved not yet in Heaven neither John 14. 6. I am the Way the Truth and the Life no Man can come unto the Father but by me And Vers 13. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name I will do it that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And John 16. 24. That your Joy may be full This is the only direction which our Saviour gave his Disciples a little before his Death to ask in his Name and to come to the Father by him to which and to no other way of address is the Promise of Audience made So that for any to address themselves to Saints or Angels as Mediators must needs be presumptuous and vain Ephes 2. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father And Ephes 3. 12. By him we have boldness and access with confidence through the Faith which we have in him There can be no need then of other Mediators since the Son renders the Father accessible and favourable to us so that we may come to him with an holy boldness and confidence Heb. 4. 15. For we have not an High-Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are Sin only excepted We cannot address our selves to any one that knows our Necessities better who hath more compassion of our Miseries or who is better able to do us good or who is more nearly allied unto us For we are Members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bone Ephes 5. Vers 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace to the immediate presence of God whither we may immediatly direct our Prayers through the Merits and Intercession of Christ not to the Shrine of any Saint by the way that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in a time of need And Heb. 10. 19. Having therefore boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a new and living Way which he hath consecrated for us through the Vail that is to say his Flesh and having an High-Priest over the House of God let us draw near with a true Heart in full assurance of Faith. But to use the Mediation of Saints and Angels and directly contrary to this boldness and assurance which we should have in our access to him by Christ For that sets us at a greater distance from God and implies as if we did not dare to approach his Presence without the Intercession of a Favourite Saint Heb. 7. 24 25. But this Man because he continueth for ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Where the Intercession of our Saviour is made an act or part of his unchangeable Priesthood not to be imparted to any other And by this Intercession of his we obtain Eternal Salvation So that there can be no need of any others Intercession The Mediatory Intercession of Saints then is an invasion of Christ's Priestly Office and doth also plainly imply the insufficiency of our Saviour's Intercession contrary to the Apostle Heb. 12. 24. We are come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament and to the Blood of Sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel Note that Jesus Christ is the Mediator in virtue of his Blood. Which doth not cry for Vengeance against his Brethren as Abel's did but by which he intercedes and calls for Mercy Grace and Peace for the greatest Sinners who have their Hearts touched with Repentance and therefore none should be discouraged from approaching this Mediator 1 John 2. 1 2. I write these things unto you that ye sin not but if any Man sinneth we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous For he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but also for the Sins of whole World. Where Christ is described as the Advocate the only Advocate appointed for us in the Court of Heaven and the Advocate General of all Christians And the Holy Spirit joins Intercession and Propitiation together and founds the former upon the latter to teach us that whosoever is not a Mediator of Redemption and Propitiation cannot be an Advocate or Mediator of Intercession It is his Mouth alone then by which we speak to the Father and that in the virtue of the Propitiation which he hath made So again Rom. 8. 34. It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right Hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us The Intercession of Christ is founded upon his Death It belongs to none other but him who shed his Blood upon the Cross to appear for us within the Heavenly Sanctuary It is his part only to present the Prayers of the Church of God who can cover their Defects and render them acceptable to God which was formerly shadowed in the Person of the High-Priest who was to carry upon his Miter a Plate of pure Gold in which was engraven Holiness to the Lord. Exod. 28. 37 38. Thou shalt put it on a blue Lace that it may be upon the Mitre upon the fore-front of the Mitre it shall be And it shall be upon Aaron ' s Forehead that Aaron may bear the Iniquity of the Holy Things which the Children of Israel shall hallow in all their Holy Gifts and it shall be always upon his Forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. This is fulfilled in Christ alone who is the Substance and the Truth of all the ancient Figures All the Psalms of David and all other Prayers both in the Old and New Testament are directed to God alone and not one Supplication made or one Hymn bestowed upon any Tutelar or Patron Saint or Angel throughout all the Scripture Which is very strange among so many devout Men and their Devotions that are mentioned if the thing had been allowable 2 Kings 2. 9. Elijah said to Elisha Ask what I shall
those that pretend to the Reformation But we are not at all surprized at it or moved to think e're the worse of the Reformation from the Church of Rome because we don't agree in some things amongst our selves For we are foretold that so it should come to pass Rom. 16. 17. Mark them which cause Divisions It implies that Divisions there would be And 1 Cor. 11. 9. For there must be Heresies that they which are approved may be made manifest Heresies are some of the Works of the Flesh Gal. 5. 20. And therefore as long as the Flesh is so predominant with many it is no wonder that there should be Heresies which are the Works of it If Christianity at first could not prevent it we can have no expectation that the Reformation should do it 2 Pet. 2. 1. There were false Prophets among the People even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them And they doing it privily it may not be presently discerned neither till after some tract of time But say they You have not the means of Vnity among you for you want a Judg of Controversies which is absolutely necessary in a Church and therefore there are so many Heresies and Divisions among you But this pretended means of Unity is refuted before in the Chapter of the Infallibility of the Church c. where it is proved that there is no such thing or means appointed We have as much the means of Unity as the Primitive Church had which was as much as God thinks fit to appoint in the Church They had infallible Teachers to teach them the Doctrine of God and we have the Doctrine which was taught by these infallible Teachers recorded in the Scriptures which is of the same use to us as it was to them But neither they nor we have an infallible Judg to dermine our Assent nor can have unless you will put out the Eyes of humane Nature But every one is left to judg for himself by the Rule of the Doctrine delivered God hath given us a plain Rule as hath been proved and is ready to assist us with his Spirit in all things necessary to our Salvation if we be humble and teachable And then we should do well enough without an infallible Judg. But yet these means were not effectual in the Primitive Church to prevent Divisions and Heresies because Men did not use them aright for all Men will never be so sincere and honest and diligent as they should be though they were sufficient to have done this if Men had used them as they ought And therefore how can we expect now they should be of better success The Church of Rome indeed pretends to such a means of Unity which we prove that Christ never appointed viz. An Infallible Judg of all Controversies But then as they pretend to that which they think is a greater means of Unity so one would think that they should have a greater Unity too among themselves But is it so indeed Is there nothing but Unity in the Church of Rome Are there no Divisions or were there never any Schisms Hath this pretended Judg of Controversies determined and put an end to all Controversies No he neither hath done it nor dares attempt it But we agree say they in all the fundamental Points In what Is not the Doctrine of the Infallible Judg a fundamental Point it self And do they all agree in that and who this is And if they did so do we agree in the same Rule of Faith the Holy Scriptures And why is not our agreement in the same Rule of Faith as good as their agreement about the Infallible Judg But they all agree likewise that Protestants are in the wrong And we all agree as much that Papists are in the wrong So that if this Point of agreement signify any thing here we are even with them But do they agree among themselves in other things No no more than Protestants do among themselves but have differences the same or as great as any Protestants can have whatsoever they be And notwithstanding the decisions of their pretended infallible Judg they do as much differ in particular Doctrines in the sense of those decisions which are for the determining of the sense of Scriptures as the Protestants do about the sense of Scripture without the decisions of such a determining Judg Therefore we think it very reasonable that the Church of Rome should do as our Saviour directs when they cry out so much upon our Divisions that they would first pull out the Beam out of their own Eyes and reconcile all Differences at Home and then they shall see the more clearly to cast out the Mate out of their Brother's Eye Which they can never do whilst the Beam is in their own or at least I hope we shall never go to them to do it FINIS This Chapter should have come in after Chap. XI That there are some Places more Holy than others and that it is a Work of Piety to go in Pilgrimages to them Bellarm. de Cultu Sacris lib. 3. cap. 8. THis is to revive Judaism again For God dwelt among the Jews indeed in an appropriate manner in the Temple of Jerusalem where were the Symbols of his Presence The Temple was God's House and therefore an Holy Place because God was there peculiarly present Thither were all the Males of the Children of Israel to resort three times a Year and there alone offer their Sacrifices and Oblations to God And the Place made the Worship acceptable to God which was offered there so that the Worship was not so acceptable to God which was performed in other places for the Presence of God sanctified the Place and made it Holy and that sanctified the Worship and gave value to it and therefore it was more acceptably performed there than in another Place But now under the Gospel there is no such Holiness of Places because there is no such symbolical Presence of God in one place more than in another for God's Presence is no longer confined to any one Place but he equally accepts the Worship that is devoutly offered him all the World over John 4. 21 23 24. Woman believe me the Hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father as the peculiar and appropriate Place of his Worship as if he were more especially present there than in any other Place or would better accept the Worship performed there than in any other Place For now all such religious distinction of Places for Worship shall be taken away But the Hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him as well in one place as another And such devout Worshippers shall be acceptable to him in any Place Mal. 1. 11. For from the rising of the Sun unto