XXII. word, the practice of the Church, fince the end of the fourth AR T. century, and the authority of tradition, of Popes and Councils, muft bear this burthen. Thefe are confequences that do not much affect us; for though we pay great respect to many great men that flourished in the fourth and fifth centuries, yet we cannot compare that age with the three that went before it. Those great men give us a fad account of the corruptions of that time, not only among the Laity, but the Clergy; and their being fo flexible in matters of faith, as they appeared to be in the whole courfe of the Arian controverfy, gives us very just reason to suspect the practices of that age, in which the protection and encouragements that the Church received from the first Chriftian Emperors, were not improved to the best advantage. The jufteft abatement that we can offer for this corruption, which is too manifeft to be either denied or juftified, is this, they were then engaged with the Heathens, and were much fet on bringing them over to the Chriftian religion. In order to that it was very natural for them to think of all methods poffible to accommodate Chriftianity to their tafte. It was, perhaps, obferved how far the Apostles complied with the Jews that they might gain them. St. Paul had faid, that to the fews he became 1 Cor. ix, a Jew; and to them that were without Law, that is, the Gen- 19, 20. tiles, as one without Law; that by all means he might gain fome. They might think that if the Jews, who had abufed the light of a revealed religion, who had rejected and crucified the Meffias, and perfecuted his followers, and had in all refpects both their doctrine and their morals, were waited on and complied with, in the observance of that very Law which was abrogated by the death of Chrift, but was still infifted on by them as of perpetual obligation; and yet that after the Apostles had made a folemn decifion in the matter, they continued to conform themselves to that Law; all this might be applied with some advantages to this matter. The Gentiles had nothing but the light of nature to govern them; they might feem willing to become Chriftians, but they still defpifed the nakedness and fimplicity of that religion. And it is reasonable enough to think that the Emperors and other great men might in a political view, confidering the vaft ftrength of heathenifm, prefs the Bishops of thofe times to ufe all imaginable ways to adorn Christianity with fuch an exterior form of worship as might be most acceptable to them, and might most probably bring them over to it. The Chriftians had long felt the weight of perfecution from them, and were, no doubt, much frightened with the danger of a relapfe in Julian's time. It is natural to all men to ART. defire to be fafe, and to weaken the numbers of their implaXXII. cable enemics. In that ftate of things we do plainly fee they Epiph. began to comply in leffer matters: for whereas in the firft ages, the Chriftians were often reproached with this, that they had no temples, altars, facrifices, nor priests, they changed their dialect in all those points, fo we have reason to believe that this was carried further. The vulgar are more eafily wrought upen in greater points of fpeculation, than in fome fmall ritual matters: because they do not understand the one, and fo are not much concerned about it: but the other is more fenfible, and lies within their compafs. We find fome in Palestine kept images in their houfes, as Eufebius tells us; others began in Spain to light candles by day light, and to paint the walls of their churches and though thefe things were condemned by the Council of Elliberis; yet we fee by what St. Jerom has cited out of Vigilantius, that the fpirit of fuperftition did work strongly among them: we hear of none that writ against thofe abufes befides Vigilantius; yet Jerom tells us, that many Bishops were of the fame mind with him, with whom he is fo angry as to doubt, whether they deferved to be called Bishops. Moft of these abuses had alfo fpecious beginnings, and went on infenfibly where they made greater fteps, we find an oppofition to them. Epiphanius is very fevere upon the Collyridians, for Heief. 79. their worshipping the bleffed Virgin. And though they did it by offering up a cake to her, yet if any will read all that he fays against that fuperftition, they will clearly fee, that no prayers were then offered up to her, by the orthodox; and that he rejects the thought of it with indignation. But the refpect paid the martyrs, and the opinion that they were still hovering about their tombs, might make the calling to them for their prayers, feem to be like one man's defiring the prayers of other good men; and when a thing of this kind is once begun, it naturally goes on. Of all this we fee a particular account in a difcourfe writ on purpofe on this argument, of curing the affections and inclinations of the Greeks, by Theodoret, who may be july reckoned among the greatest men of antiquity, and in it he infifts upon this particular of propofing to them the faints and martyrs, instead of their Gods. And there is no doubt to be made, but that they found the effects of this compliance; many Heathens were every day coming over to the Chriftian religion. And it might then perhaps be intended to lay thofe afide, when the Heathens were once brought over. Thead de cor. Gr. affect. 1.8. de Martyr. To all which this must be added, that the good men of that time had not the fpirit of prophecy, and could not forefee what progrefs this might make, and to what an excefs it might grow; they XXII. they had nothing of that kind in their view: fo that between AR T. charity and policy, between a defire to bring over multitudes to their faith, and an inclination to fecure themfelves, it is not at all to be wondered at, by any who confiders all the circumftances of thofe ages, that thefe corruptions fhould have got into the Church, and much lefs, having once got in, they fhould have gone on fo fast, and be carried fo far. Thus I have offered all the confiderations that arise from the ftate of things at that time, to fhew how far we do still preferve the respect due to the fathers of thofe ages, even when we confess that they were men, and that fomething of human nature appeared in this piece of their conduct. This can be made no argument for later ages, who having no Heathens among them, are under no temptations to comply with any of the parts of heathenifim, to gain them. And now that the abuse of these matters is become fo fcandalous, and has spread itself fo far, how much foever we may excufe those ages, in which we difcern the first beginnings, and as it were the fmall heads of that which has fince overflowed Chriftendom: yet we can by no means bear even with those beginnings, which have had fuch dismal effects; and therefore we have reduced the worship of God to the fimplicity of the Scripture times, and of the first three centuries: and for the fourth, we reverence it fo much on other accounts, that for the fake of these we are unwilling to reflect too much on this. Another confideration urged for the Invocation of Saints, is, that they feeing God, we have reafon to believe that they fee in him, if not all things, yet at least all the concerns of the Church, of which they are ftill parts; and they being in a most perfect ftate of charity, they muft certainly love the fouls of their brethren here below: fo that if faints on earth, whose charity is not yet perfect, do pray for one another here on earth, they in that state of perfection do certainly pray moft fervently for them. And as we here on earth do defire the prayers of others, it may be as reasonable and much more useful to have recourse to their prayers, who are both in a higher state of favour with God, and have a more exalted charity by which their interceffions will be both more earnest, and more prevalent. They think alfo that this honour paid the faints, is an honour done to God, who is glorified in them: and fince he is the acknowledged fountain of all, they think that all the worship offered to them ends and terminates in God. They think, as princes are come at by the means of thofe that are in favour with them; fo we ought to come to God by the interceffion of the faints: that all our prayers to them are to be understood to amount to no more than a defire to them, to in tercede XXII. : ART. tercede for us; and finally, that the offering of facrifice is an act of worship, that can indeed be made only to God, but that all other acts of devotion and refpect, may be given to the faints and the fublimeft degrees of them may be offered to the bleffed Virgin, as the mother of Chrift in a peculiar rank by herself. For they range the order of worship into Latria, that is due only to God; Hyperdulia, that belongs to the bleffed Virgin; and Dulia, that belongs to the other Saints. It were eafy to retort all this, by putting it into the mouth of a Heathen; and fhewing how well it would fit all those parts of worship, that they offered to demons or intelligent fpirits, and to deified men among them. This is obvious enough to fuch as have read what the firft apologifts for Christianity have writ upon those heads. But to take this to pieces; we have no reason to believe that the faints fee all the concerns of the Church. God can make them perfectly happy without this; and if we think, the feeing them is a neceflary ingredient of perfect happiness, we must from thence conclude, that they do alfo fee the whole chain of Providence: otherwise they may seem to be in fome fufpenfe, which, according to our notions, is not confiftent with perfect happinefs. For if they fee the perfecutions of the Church, and the miferies of Chriftians, without seeing on to the end, in what all that will iffue, this feems to be a ftop to their entire joy. And if they see the final iffue, and know what God is to do, then we cannot imagine that they can intercede against it, or indeed for it. To us, who know not the hidden counfels of God, prayer is neceffary and commanded but it feems inconfiftent with a state in which all these events are known. This which they lay for the foundation of prayers to faints, is a thing concerning which God has revealed nothing to us; and in which we can have no certainty. God has commanded us to pray for one another, to join our prayers together, and we have clear warrants for defiring the interceffion of others. It is a high act of charity, and a great inftance of the mutual love that ought to be among Chriftians: it is a part of the communion of the faints: and as they do certainly know, that those whofe affiftance they defire, understand their wants when they fignify them to them; so they are fure that God has commanded this mutual praying one for ano ther. It is a strange thing therefore to argue from what God has commanded, and which may have many good effects, and can have no bad one, to that which he has not commanded; on the contrary, against which there are many plain intimations in Scripture, and which may have many bad effects, and we are not sure that it can have any one that is good. Befide, that the folemnity XXII. folemnity of devotion and prayer, is a thing very different ART. from our defiring the prayers of fuch as are alive: the one is as vifibly an act of religious worship, as the other is not. God has called himself a jealous God, that will not give his glory to Ifa. xlii. 8. another. And through the whole Scripture, prayer is reprefented as a main part of the service due to him; and as that in which he takes the most pleasure. It is a facrifice, and is fo called and every other facrifice can only be accepted of God, Pfal.cxli. z. as it is accompanied with the internal acts of prayers and Hof. xiv. 2. praises; which are the fpiritual facrifices with which God is well pleafed. The only thing which the Church of Rome reserves to God, proves to be the facrifice of the Mafs: which, Pfal. Ixv. 2. as fhall appear upon another Article, is a facrifice that they have invented; but which is no where commanded by God; fo that if this is well made out, there will be nothing reserved to God to be the act of their Latria: though it is not to be forgotten, that even the Virgin and the Saints have a fhare in that facrifice. The excufing this, from the addreffes made to princes by those that are in favour with them, is as bad as the thing itself; it gives us a low idea of God, and of Chrift, and of that goodnefs and mercy, that is so often declared to be infinite, as if he were to be addressed to by those about him, and might not be come to without an interpofition: whereas the Scriptures speak always of God, as a hearer of prayer, and as ready to accept of and answer the prayers of his people: to seek to other affiftances, looks as if the mercies of God were not infinite, or the interceffions of Chrift were not of infinite efficacy. This is a corrupting of the main design of the Gospel, which is to draw our affections wholly to God, to free us from all low notions of him, and from every thing that may incline us to idolatry or fuperstition. Thus I have gone through all the heads contained in this Article. It seemed neceffary to explain these with a due copiousnefs; they being not only points of fpeculation, in which errors are not always fo dangerous, but practical things; which enter into the worship of God, and that run through it. And certainly it is the will of God, that we should preferve it pure, from being corrupted with heathenifh or idolatrous practices. It feems to be the chief end of revealed Religion to deliver the world from idolatry: a great part of the Mofaical Law did confift of rites of which we can give no other account, that is fo like to be true, as, that they were fences and hedges, that were intended to keep that nation in the greatest oppofition, and at the utmoft diftance poffible from idolatry; we cannot therefore think that in the Chriftian Religion, in which we are carried |