The Life of Faith. 581- honour ofour great &rsefailar; nor to acknowledge any more asfrom them, than as the lllinifters ofChat. q.. And in our acknowledgements of their general pro.ers for the Church, we mull take heed of feigning them to bemore particular than we canprove that theyare. 5. And we mull take heedofall fuch Rhetorical Profopopeiq s as tend to delude the hearers or the readers; as if we would, draw them to believe the prefence and audience of thole fpirits whichwe intend not toexprcfs. 6. And our honouring of the memory of their Martyrdom or Holinefs, mutt be facancerous, that it tendnot toIdolatry or Supertlition : It is lawful in it felf to keep the rdicks of a Saint or a Friend, and to keep afolemn thankful memorial of Gods mercy to his Church, in her molt excellent helpers; and fucceffullelt inftruments of her good : But in a time when thefe arc commonly abufed to fuperftition, the confequcnts may make that evil, which inother circum(ianccs might be good. When the Primitive Patton led theirpeople, Come- times to the places:where their neighbours fuffered Martyrdom for ChritI. and there praited God tor their pratfedconflaney, to encourage the people, and engage themfclves to be true to Chriû, and die as conftantly. as others did ; this thenhad good effcâs ; and if it had been tiled more cautcloufly, had been laudable.: But they did not forefee the great inconveniencies ofrelicks,.pilgrimages, prayers toSaints, &c. which in after- ages it introduced : And now; it mutt be with very great caution indeed, ifwe will imitate them. 7. To pray to God to bear their generalprayers for the Church, (fuch as thofc mentioned, Rev. 6.9i10.) doth intimate no falfe doctrine that I know of. But it is a pra%ice that bath danger, and no Scripture precept or example to encourage it,nor folid reafon, that I remember : And if God would have had us.ufcd it, it's like he wouldhave made it known. H. ìf owatin' iy : Our converfe with thole in. Heaven confiftettrin all tali parts. r, We' mutt acknowledge our Relation to them, and not think that they are nothing to us., 2. We mutt not forget tbem,but feather by faitb,and take,it as. part of our daily buftnefs to have Come daily convcafation with them.: D d d.d 3 : 3., We
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