Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v2

Chap, 5, An Expofition upon the Book of J O B, Verf. r. 17t he in thefe words, exhorts him to call upon,and cry untoGod for ;pardon, if perhaps he himfelf would vouchfa.fe to anfwcr: But in cafe Ihame did fo cover his face, and guilt fo ftop his mouth,that he could not fpeak unto God immediately, then he adviCethhim to pray in ayd,frorn Come of the Saints-departed,who might manage this fuit, and intercede for him at the throne ofgrace. The groff nefs of this interpretation is fuch,as carries a felt-refutation with it, and therefore I (hall not need to flay long, about the refuting of it. Neither will I flay to argueagainfi that groundlefs, ufelefs Doctrine in general, The invocation of Saints departed, Which finds no letter of commandor dire&ion, no letter of promife or acceptation, no letter of example or pra&ice,for our imitation,in the whole BookofGod. But is a reproach to the Saints, and a di(honour to God,whofeName and incommunicable Title is, The God hearingprayers, and therefore tohim (hall the elefires ofallPrep come, and ifall to him, then who to Saints or Angels? Only Hß can be the obje& of our prayer, who is the obje& of our faith, Rom. i o. How fh;all they call on him, on whom they bave not believ- ed? To whomwe pray,upon him we mutt believe: Saints depart- ed, are not tobe believed upon, how then thail they be called on ? But, to leave the queftion, I (hall only touch two things, 00 thew howwide they are in this expofition. Firft, The confdled Do&rine of Popery tells us, that, before Chrift comingin the flefh,and his refurre&ion from the grave, all the Saints departed were in Limbus, a place which they have framed and built up in their own fancies, as the common recepta- .le of all thole, who died in the faith of Chrifl,before Chrift died; Therefore,they tell us(to make out the flory)That as Chtifi went down into Hell, the place of the damned, to frike terrour into the Devils, fo he went into this Lembus,thence to deliver the Fa- thers from that Prifon, and carry them up with himfelf into glo- ry. Now this being their Tenent,how fenfelels is it, for them, to ground their opinion, of invocation of Saints, upon any Scrip ture of theold Teflament ? and therefore it is fo, to ground it up- on this. Secondly,if we confider there words we may as well leek for fire ?n the bottom of the Sea, as for the invocation of Saintsin this fext,for here is no fuch thing fp®ken of; and if any thing fo ald , that way,it is rather to condemn praying to Saints,then a',)y can -. lirmation of it : for Call now if there be any that-will efn wer thee, Z 2 carrits,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=