Serm. X VIII. 'between iiod.icmd^ltlen. what Authority or Law, can it be tttade fo line ? 2. That this Practice is very lyable to the Sufpicion of Idolatry ; and furely every. Chriftian cannot but think it fit ; that the Church of Chrift should, like a chaff Spode, . not only be free from the Crime, but from all Sufpicion of Idolatry. And for the next Ages after the Apostles, nothing is plainer, than that both their Doctrine and Pra&ice were contrary to the Dottrine and Practice of the pre- fent Church of Rome in this Matter. The molt ancient Fathers of. the Chriftìan Church do conffantly define Prayer, to be an Addref to God; and therefore it cannot be made m any but God only : And after the rife of Arianifm, they ar- gùed for the Divinity of Chrift, againft the Arians, from our Praying to him which Argument were ofno force, if Prayers might be made to any but God; and this was in the beginning ofthe Fourth Age. And we no where find any mention of thofe Diftin&ions, of .God's by Nature, and Gods by Participation (as Bellarmin calls the Angels and Saints) or of a fupream and inferior Religious Worfhip; or of a Mediator of Redemption, and a Mediator of Interceffion ; which are fo commonly made ufe of by the Church of Rome in this Controverfie. And, which is as confiderable as any of the reft, the ancient Fathers, were ge- nerally of Opinion, that the Saints were not admitted to the BeatifickVifion,. till after the Day of Judgment ; and this is acknowledged by the molt Learned of the Church of Rome. But this very Opinion, takes away the Foundation of Praying to Saints ; becaufe the Church of Rome grounds it upon their Reigning with Chrift in Heaven, and upon the Light and Knowledge which is commu- nicated to then in the Beatifick Vifign ; and if fo, then they who believed the Saints not yet to be admitted to this Vifion, could have no Reafon or Ground to pray to them. And Laftly, The ancient Church prayed for Saints departed, and for the Blesfed Virgin her felf; and therefore could not pray to them, as Interceffors for them in Heaven, for whom they themfelves interceeded upon Earth. And therefore the Church of Rome, in complyance with the change which they have made in their Doctrine, have changed the Miffal in that Point, and inftead of praying for St. Leo (one of- their Popes) as they were wont to do in their anci- ent A'tilfal, in this form, Grantt, 0 Lord, that this Oblationmay beprofitable to the Soul of thy Servant Leo ; the Collect is now ,changed in the prefent Roman Mal into this Form, Grant, OLord, that by the Interceon ofBle/fedLeo, this Offering may he profitable to us. And (as theGlofs upon the Canon Law obferves) this change was made in their Mial upon very good Reafon; ,becaufe anciently they prayed for Leo, but now they pray to him ; which is an ingenuous Acknowledg- ment, that both the Dottrine and Pra&ice of their Clmrch are plainly changed, from what they anciently were in this matter. What the Do/trines and Pradicesof their Church of Rome are in this matter, all the World fees, and they themfelves are fo afhamed of them, that of late all their endeavours have been, to reprefent them otherwife than in truth they are, and toobtrude upon us a new Popery, which they think themfelves better able to defend than the old ; which yetthey have not (hewn, that they are fo well able to do; and therefore now, inftead of defending the true Doctrines and Practices of their own Church, they would fain mince and difguife them, and change them in- to fomething that comes nearer to the Proteflant Doctrine in thofe Points : As if they had no way to defend their own Doctrines, but by feeming to defert them, and by bringing them as near to ours as poffibly they can. But take them, as they have mollified them and par'd them, to render them more plaufible and tenable; that which ffill remains of them, I tnean the folenm Invocation of Saints andAngels, as Mediators and Interceffors with God in Hea- ven for us, is plainly contrary both to the Dottrine and Pra&ice of the Primi- tive Ages of Chriftianity. As for the Age of the Apoftles, I have already (hewn it ; and the matter is as clear for feveral of the next following Ages, as I (hall briefly fhew, from a few very plain Teftimonies. In
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