Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A63618
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A letter of enquiry to the reverend fathers of the Society of Jesus written in the person of a dissatisfied Roman Catholick.
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Taylor, James, fl. 1687-1689.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing T284; ESTC R10414
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40,744
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50
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Saints they only say We fly to the Assistance of the Saints that are in Heaven to whom also that Prayers are to be made has been held so certain in the Church of GOD that to pious Men there can arise no doubt Now Reverend Fathers I humbly enquire of you that if either in this place or in the 344 p. where they also treated of this matter they could have produced any direct proofs either from Scripture or the Light of Nature is it imaginable that they would have omitted them here and have contented themselves with only saying That Prayers to Saints has been held so certain in the Church of GOD that to pious Men there can be no doubt And whether this ample proof of theirs for Prayer to GOD and their no proof for Prayer to Saints is not a loud confession of our Church that we cannot prove Invocation of Saints lawful especially too when a Man considers that the very best proof and argument the great Council of Trent was able to produce was only this That it is good and profitable but not a word that it is either commanded by GOD or dictated to us by the Light of Nature Will not any man that believes it to be of vast moment to have a right Object of Worship consider these things Quere XIV When our B. Lord set us a pattern how to Pray he directs us only to say Our Father c. and to present our Petitions to GOD alone Now if Christ would have had us pray to Saints and Angels also I humbly enquire of you Reverend Fathers Whether so mean a thought can enter into any sober Man's Head as to think that our B. Saviour would have conceal'd or omitted That or any thing else in so important a matter as Prayer which either had been our Duty or had been but good and profitable to us in our way to Heaven And whether our Lord 's not having done this i. e. not advis'd us to pray to Saints and Angels as well as to GOD is not a good negative Argument against our Practice Quere XV. Farther I enquire of you Reverend Fathers Whether GOD intended by the coming of Christ to root Idolatry out of the World If he did as I hope you 'll say he did Whether 't is possible for a rational Man to think that as one effectual means to that end our Saviour ever design'd to set up the Religious Worship of Saints and Angels and praying before Images and Pictures Can I say a rational man be of so extravagant Faith as to believe that the Blessed Jesus who came to destroy all Creature-Worship then so much practis'd in the Heathen World intended to set up a new kind of Creature and Image-Worship only rectifying Mens Notions and Opinions about it and changing their Country Gods into Heavenly Saints and Angels and the B. Virgin and giving new Names to their Statues and Images If a man I say can once bring himself to believe that our Saviour intended by this means to cure mens inclinations towards Idolatry I desire to know of you Reverend Fathers what can come amiss to such a Man's Faith Quere XVI Again Reverend Fathers I read in the 344. p. of our Trent Catechism that the Holy Spirit says Honour and Glory be to GOD only But pray then How comes it to pass that many of our Authors of Devotion and particularly a late one that has set forth the Contemplations on the Life and Glory of Holy Mary c. say Glory be to Jesus and Mary Methinks Reverend Fathers this joyning the Blessed Virgin with the Holy Jesus and Saviour of the World and giving her equal Praise Honour and Glory with GOD at best looks a little disobedient to the Holy Spirit and is very undecent But if Glory c. be due to GOD only as you own the Holy Spirit itself says What bold blasphemous Wretches are we then to give it to a Creature And this Author I observe makes no difference between Jesus and Mary in his giving Honour and Glory must not any one conclude then that the same Honour and Glory is given to Mary as to Jesus The horrour of which makes me tremble Quere XVII But further I enquire of you Reverend Fathers Whether Religious Praise as well as Prayer is not an essential part of the Worship of GOD And whether by it we poor Creatures do not pay that Homage which is proper and due to the Divine Majesty only And whether this Hymn of Glory be c. has not from the very first Ages always been us'd as a peculiar Form of giving Praise Honour and Glory to GOD and the Holy Trinity And if so Whether by our saying Glory be to Jesus and Mary we do not equally Worship Her with Jesus Give equal Glory and Honour and Praise to a Creature as to GOD the Almighty Creator and one of the Persons of the B. Trinity And whether this is not both downright Sacriledge and Idolatry Quere XVIII But Reverend Fathers upon a Friend of mine with whom I often confer about these matters and who is as much dissatisfied as myself I say upon his Englishing to me this Versicle in the Office for the Festival of St. Mar. ad Nives viz. Make me worthy to praise thee O Holy Virgin and also out of the same Office this Prayer or Lesson which is said upon the Second Day of the Octave of the Nativity of the B. Virgin viz. O B. Mary who can sufficiently give thee Praise and Thanks who by thy singular assent didst succour the World when it was undone What Praises sufficient can frail Mankind pay unto thee who has found a way of recovery only by thy commerce with GOD We therefore pray thee receive our Thanksgivings how mean soever they be and unequal to thy Merits I say I yet farther enquire of you Whether Religious Praise has not always been counted the Sacrifice of a Christian And if Sacrifice which the Bishop of Meaux acknowledges to be a * Exposition Sect. 3. p. 4. principal part of that interiour Adoration which is due to GOD and cannot be offer'd to any but to him because by it we make a publick Acknowledgment and a solemn Protestation of GOD's Soveraignty and our absolute dependance How can we without being guilty of Blasphemy and Idolatry by this Prayer and that Hymn before mention'd viz. Glory be to c. which by all other Christians at least except us was ever us'd as a peculiar and appropriated Form of Praising GOD and the Holy Trinity offer up this Sacrifice of Praise c. to the Virgin Mary who is confessedly but a Creature But besides Reverend Fathers Pray How comes it to pass that in this Prayer we attribute to the Virgin Mary the finding out the Recovery of lost Mankind I profess I always thought that we Christians at least made the Holy Trinity the sole Contriver of the Redemption and Salvation of Mankind Is not so mighty a Work a