Chapter VIII. Of the Veneration and Invocation of Saints

What is the Catholic doctrine touching the veneration and invocation of saints?

We are taught 1st, That there is an honour and veneration due to the angels and saints. 2ndly, That they offer up prayers to God for us. 3rdly, That it is good and profitable to invoke them, that is, to have recourse to their intercession and prayers. 4thly, That their relics are to t> e had in veneration.

Sect. I. — Of the veneration of the Angels and Saints.

How do you prove, that there is an honour and veneration due to the angels and saints f

44 Veneration of Angelt and Saints.

Because they are God's angels and saints, that is to say, most faithful servants, courtiers, friends, and favourites of the King of kings, who, having highly honoured him, are now highly honoured by him, as he has promised, l Sam. ii. 30, “ Them that honour me I will honour/'

2ndly. Because they have received from the Lord most eminent and supernatural gifts of grace and glory, which make them truly worthy of our honour and veneration* and therefore we give it them as their due, according to that of the apostle, Bom. xiii. 7, “ Honour to whom honour is due."

3rdly. Because the angels of God are our guardians, tutors, and governors: as appears from many texts of scripture, Ps. xci. 11, 12, “He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways; they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Matt, xviii. 10, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father that is in heaven." Heb. i. 14, “ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” It is therefore evidently the will of God that we should have a religious veneration for these heavenly guardians. Exodus xxiii. 20, 21, “ Behold I send an angel before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared; beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for my name is in him.”

4thly. Because God has promised to his saints

Veneration of Angels and Saints. 45 a power' over all nations, Rev. ii. 26, 27, “ He that overcometh, and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron — even as I received of my Father.” Rev. v. 10, “Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.” Therefore all nations ought to honour the saints, as having received from God this kingly power over them.

5thly. Because we have instances in scripture of honour and veneration paid to the angels by the servants of God; see Joshua v. 14, 15.

6thly. Because the church in all ages has paid this honour and veneration. to the saints, by erecting churches and keeping holidays in their memory: a practice which the English Protestants have also retained.

Do you then worship the angels and saints as gods, or give them the honour that belongs to God alone?

No, God forbid; for this would be a high treason against his divine Majesty.

What is the difference between the honour which you give to God, and that which you give to the saints?

There is no comparison between the one and the other. We honour God with a sovereign honour, as the Supreme Lord and Creator of all things, as our first beginning and our last end; we believe in him alone; we hope in him alone; we love him above all things. To him alone we pay our homage of divine adoration, praise, and sacrifice; but as for the saints and angels, we only reverence them with an inferior

46 The Saints and Angels, §c.

honour, as belonging to him, for his sake y and upon account of the gifts which they have received from him.

Do you not give a particular honour to the Virgin Mary?

Yes, we do, by reason of her eminent dignity of Mother of God, for which u all generations shall call her blessed,” Luke i. 48. As also by reason of that fulness of grace which she enjoyed in this life, and the sublime degree of glory to which she is raised in heaven. But still, even this honour, which we give to her, is infinitely inferior to that which we pay to God, to whom she is indebted for all her dignity, grace, and glory.

Sect. II. — That the Saints and Angels pray to God for us.

How do you prove this?

1st. From Zachariah i. 12, where the prophet heard an angel praying for Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah.: “ The angel of the Lord answered and said: O Lord of Hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?”.

2ndly. From Bevel, v. 8, “ The four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odour, which are the prayers of the saints.” And Rev. viii. 4, “ The smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints ascended up before God out of the angels hand.” From which text it is evident, that both the saints and angels offer up

Lfigitiz'ed by G O ()^ I C

The Saints and Angels, fyc. 47 to God the prayers of the saints, that is, of tho faithful upon earth.

3rdly. Because we profess in the Creed the communion of saints; and St. Paul, Heh. xii. 22, 23, 24, speaking of the children of the Church of Christ, tells them that they have a fellowship with the saints in heaven: u You are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born which are written in heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator, &c.” Therefore the children of the Church of Christ upon earth are fellow-members with the saints in heaven, of the same body under the same head, which is Christ Jesus. Hence the same apostle, Galat. iv. 26, calls the heavenly “ Jerusalem our mother and Ephes. ii. 1 9, tells us, that we are “ fellow-citizens with the saints.” Therefore the saints in heaven have a care and solicitude for us as being members of the same body, it being the property of the members of the same body to be solicitous for one another, 1 Cor. xii. 25, 26. Consequently the saints in heaven pray for us.

4thly. Because according to the doctrine of the apostle, 1 Cor. iii. 8, it is the property of the virtue of charity not to be lost in heaven, as faith and hope are there lost: u Charity,” saith St. Paul, u never faileth." On the contrary, this heavenly virtue is perfected in heaven, where by seeing God face to face, the soul is inflamed with a most ardent love for God, and for his sake loves exceedingly his children, her brethren, here

48 Invocation of Saints.

below; how then can the saints in heaven, having so perfect a charity for us, not pray for us, since the very first thing that charity prompts a person to do, is to seek to succour and assist those whom he loves?

5thly. Because we find, Luke xvi. 27, 28, the rich glutton in hell petitioning in favour of his five brethren here upon earth: how much more are we to believe, that the saints in heaven intercede for their brethren here?

6thly. Because, Bevel. vi. 10, the souls of the martyrs pray for justice against their persecutors, who had put them to death; how much more do they pray for mercy for the faithful children of the church?

7thly. In fine, because our Lord, Luke xvi. 9, tells us, w make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail they may receive you into everlasting habitations." Where he gives us to understand, that the servants of God, whom we have helped by our alms, after themselves have got to heaven, help and assist us to enter into that everlasting kingdom.

Sect. III. — Of the Invocation of Saints.

What do you mean by the Invocation of Saints?

I mean such petitions or requests as are made to desire their prayers and intercession for us.

Do Catholics pray to Saints?

If by praying to Saints, you mean addressing ourselves to them as the authors or disposers of grace and glory, or, in such manner, as to suppose that they had any power to help us inde-

Invocation of Saints. 49 pendently of God’s good-will and pleasure, we do not pray to them, but condemn all such addresses as superstitious and impious. But if, by praying to saints, you mean no more than desiring them to pray to God for us, in this sense we hold it both good and profitable to pray to the saints.

How do you prove, that it is good and profitable to desire the saints and angels in heaven to pray to God for us?

Because it is good and profitable to desire the servants here upon earth to pray for us: “ for the prayers of a righteous man availeth much,” James v. 16. Moses by His prayers obtained mercy for the children of Israel, Exod. xxii. 11, 14. And Samuel by his prayers defeated the Philistines, 1 Sam. vii. 8, 9, 10. Hence St. Paul, in almost aU his epistles, desires the faithful to pray for him, Rom. xv. 30, Eph. vi. 18, 19,. 1 Thess. v. 25, Heb. xiii. 13. And God himself, Job xlii. 8, commande4 Eliphaz and his friends to go to Job, that Job should pray for them, promising to accept of his prayers. Now, if it be acceptable to God, and good and profitable to ourselves, to seek the prayers and intercession of God’s servants here on earth, must it not be much more so to seek the prayers and intercession of the saints in heaven; since both their charity for us, and their credit and interest with God, is much greater now, than when they were here upon earth.

But does it not argue a want of confidence in the infinite goodness of God, and the super - E

50 Invocation of Saints.

abounding merits of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, to address ourselves to the saints for their prayers and intercession?

No more than to address ourselves to our brethren here below, as Protestants do when they desire the prayers of the congregation; since we desire no more of the saints, than what we desire of our brethren here below, viz. that they would pray for us, and with us, to the infinite goodness of God, who is both our Father and their Father, our Lord and their Lord, by the merits of his Son Jesus Christ, who is both our Mediator and their Mediator. For though the goodness of God, and the merits of Christ, be infinite, yet, as this is not to exempt us from frequent prayer for ourselves, so much recommended in scripture, so it is no reason for our being backward in seeking the prayers of others, whether in heaven or earth, that so God may have the honour, and we the benefit, of so many more prayers.

But is there no danger, by acting thus, of giving to the saints the honour phich belongs to God alone f

No; it is evident, that to desire the prayers and intercessions of the saints is by no means giving them an honour which belongs to God alone; so far from it, that it would even be a blasphemy to beg of God to pray for us; because whosoever desires any one to pray for him for the obtaining a grace or blessing, supposes the person to whom he thus addresses himself to be inferior and dependent of some other by whom this grace or blessing is to be bestowed.

Invocation of Saints. 51

Have you any reason to think that the saints and angels have any knowledge of your addresses or petitions made to them?

Yes, we have. 1st. Because our Lord assures us, Luke xv. 10, that 44 there is a joy in the presence of the angels of God, over one sinner that repenteth.” For if they rejoice at our repentance, consequently they have a knowledge of our repentance; and if they have a knowledge of our repentance, what reason can we have to doubt of their knowing our petitions also? And what is here said of the angels is also to be understood of the saints, of whom our Lord tells us, Luke xx. 36, that 44 they are equal unto the angels/*

2ndly. Because the angels of God, who, as we have already seen, are our guardians, are always amongst us, and therefore cannot be ignorant of our requests; especially since, as we have also seen from Rev. v. 8, and viii. 4, both angels and saints offer up our prayers before the throne of God, and therefore must needs know them.

3rdly. Because it appears from Rev. xi. 15, and Rev. xix. 1, 2, that the inhabitants of heaven know what passeth upon earth. Hence St. Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 9, speaking of himself and his fellow-apostles, saith, 44 We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."

4thly. We cannot suppose that the saints and angels, who enjoy the light of glory, can be ignorant of such things, as the prophets and servants of God in this world have often known by the light of grace, and even the very devils by the light of nature alone: since the light of glory is so much more perfect than the light of grace or

52 Invocation of Saints.

nature, according to the apostle, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. “ For now we see through a glass darkly; bu* then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even also as I am known that is, by a most perfect knowledge. Hence, 1 John iii. 2, it is written, “ we shall be like him (God), for we shall see him as he is.” Now it is certain that the servants of God in this world, by a special light of grace, have often known things that passed at a great distance, as Elisha, 2 Kings v., knew what passed between Naaman and his servant Gehazi, and 2 Kings vi., what was done by the king of Syria in his private chamber. It is also certain that the devils, by the mere light of nature, know what passes amongst us, as appears by the correspondence they hold with magicians, and by their being our accusers. Rev. xii. 10. Therefore we cannot reasonably question, but that the saints in heaven know the petitions which we address unto them.

5thly. In fine, because it is weak reasoning to argue from our corporal hearing (the object of which being sound, that is, a motion or undulation of the air, cannot reach beyond a certain distance) to the hearing of spirits, which is independent on sound, and consequently independent of distance; though the manner of it be hard enough to explicate, to those who know no other hearing but that of the corporal one.

Have you any other warrant in scripture for the invocation of angels and saints?

Yes; we have the example of God's best servants. Thus Jacob, Gen. xlviii. 15, 16, begs the blessing of his angel guardian for his two

Of Relics.

grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. “ God before whom my 'fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God. which fed me all my life long until this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads/’ The same Jacob, Hosea xii. 4, “wept and made supplication to an angel/' And"* St. John^ Rev. i. 4, writing to the seven churches of Asia, petitions for the intercession of the seven chief angels in their favour. “ Grace be unto you, and peace from him, which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne."

Of Relics.

What do you mean by Relics?

The bodies or bones of saints, or anything else that has belonged to them.

What grounds have you for paying a veneration to the relics of the saints?

Besides the ancient tradition and practice of the first ages, attested by the best monuments of antiquity, we have been warranted to do so by many illustrious miracles done at the tombs and by the relics of the saints. (See St. Augustine, 1. 22, Of the City of God, cap. 8.) Which God, who is truth and sanctity itself, would never have effected, if this honour paid to the precious remnants of his servants were not agreeable to him.

Have you any instances in scripture of miracles done by relics?

54 Of Images.

Yes; we read in 2 Kings am. 21, of a dead man raised to life by the bones of the prophet Elisha; and Acts xix. 12, “From the body of Paul were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.*'