cious. God has commanded us to pray for one another, and has promised to hear our united, fervent, and importunate prayers, for the merits of our common Saviour Jefus Chrift: But thofe, who pray to Saints in Heaven, pray to them as Favourites and Mediators, who prevail not meerly by the force and efficacy of Prayer, but by their perfonal Merits and Interests with God; and this makes them juft fuch Mediators as Chrift is, who by their power and intereft can recommend us and our prayers to God's acceptance. No you'll fay,Chrift purchased us with his blood, and mediates in the vertue of his Sacrifice, which makes his Mediation of a different nature from the Mediation of Saints, who mediate only by their intereft with God, upon account of their perfonal Merits. But this alters not the cafe; for the general notion of a Mediator, is one who has power and intereft with God, effectually to recommend us to his favour; and whether he mediates with,or without a Sacrifice, if his Mediation be powerful and efficacious, he is a true and proper Mediator; and to fet up fuch other Mediators befides Chrift,must be injurious to his Mediation, for then Christ is not our only Mediator; and after all the Apologies that can be made for it,it argues fome Diftruft,either of Chrift's power, or good Will to help us, when we fly to other Patrons and Advocates.

2.And therefore Monfieur de Meaux has another Referve; for in the second place he tells us from the Council of Trent, That to invocate Saints,according to the fenfe of this Council,is to have recourfe to their Prayers, for obtaining benefits from God though Fefus Chrift; fo that in reality we do not obtain those benefits, which we receive by the interceffion of the Saints, otherwife than through Jefus Chrift, and in his Name; feeing thefe Salats themselves pray in no other manner than through Jefus Chrift, and are not heard but in his name. After which we cannot imagine, that any one fhould arcufe us of forf king Jefus Chrift,when we beseech his Members, who are alfo ours, his Children, who are our Brethren, and bis Sainis,who are our first-fruits, to pray with us, and for us, to our common Mafter, in the name of our common Mediator.

As for forfaking Jefus Chrift, this we do not charge them with; tho whoever confiders, how much more frequent addreffes are made in the Church of Rome to the Virgin Mary, and some other powerful Saints, than to Chrift himself, will

H

be

Heb. 4. 14.

Heb. 9. 24.

be tempted to think, that it looks very like forfaking him; but we only fay, that they rob Chrift of the glory of being our only Mediator and Advocate, by having recourse to the prayers,and interceffions of fo many Saints.

But how can the Interceflion of Saints be injurious to the Mediation of Christ, when they themselves intercede in the Name and Mediation of hrift; which neceffarily referves to Chrift the glory of his Mediation entire, fince the Saints themselves are not heard but in his name?

Now rightly to understand this, we must confider the nature of Chrift's Mediation, which is to offer up all thofe prayers to God in Heaven, which we make to God in his name on Earth. He is our Mediator in Heaven, our High Prieft,who is paffed into the Heb 7. 16. 26. Heavens; who is made not after the law of a Carnal Commandment, but after the power of an endless life who is made higher than the Heavens, who is not entred in the holy place made with hands, which are the figures ofthe true, but into Heaven it felf, now to appear in the prefence of God for us. So that as the high Prieft, under the Law entred once a year into the Holy Place, which was a type and figure of Heaven, to make expiation and interceflions for the people; fo the office of Chrift, as our high Priet and Mediator, is to afcend into Heaven with his own blood, and there to appear in the prefence of God for us. His mediatory office is confined to Heaven; there he prefents our prayers to God,in vertue of his own blood; and this is as peculiar and appropriated to him, as it was to the high Prieft under the Law,to offer the blood of the Sacrifice, and make attonement, and interceffion in the Holy of Holies..

So that to prefent our Prayers to God in Heaven is the peculiar office of Chrift, who is our great High Priest, and only Mediator in the immediate presence of God in Heaven; and to apply our felves to any other Mediators in Heaven,to present our Prayers to God, in what mai ner, or upon what pretence foever it be,is injurious to the Mediation of Chrift, whole proper Office it is to prefent our prayers to God in Heaven. And that pretence that the Saints pray for us only in the name and Mediation of Chrift,is no apology in this cafe; for in what name foever they pray, they offer up our prayers to God immediately in Heaven, which is the office of our great High Prieft, for there is and must be but one Mediator in Heaven.

And

And if we confider, what is meant by praying to God in the Name and Mediation of Christ,we shall see reason to think, that this is very improperly attributed to the Saints in Heaven. For when we pray to God in the name of Chrift, though we addrefs our prayers immediately to God, yet God does not receive them, as coming immediately from us, but as presented by the hands of our Mediator; which is the true meaning of praying to God in the name of Chrift, that we offer our Prayers to God, not directly from our felves, for then we should have no need of a Mediator, but by his hands, whofe office it is to prefent them to God, to appear in the Prefence of God for us, which is therefore called coming to God by him.

Now this is very agreeable to the ftate and condition of Christians on Earth, who are at a great distance from the immediate Throne and Prefence of God, to offer their prayers by the hands of a Mediator, who appears in the presence of God for them; and the reason, why we want a Mediator to appear for us, is because we are not yet admitted into God's immediate Prefence our felves. But could every ordinary Priest, or Jew, have been admitted into the Holy of Holies, as the high Priest was, they might as well have offered their prayers and facrifices there immediately to God, without the Ministry and Mediation of the high Prieft; and those who are in Heaven in the immediate prefence of God, if they offer up any prayers to God for themselves or others, they offer them immediately and directly to God, because they offer them to God in his immediate Prefence; which is the true notion of Christ's Mediation, that he appears in the prefence of God for us: And therefore whatever ufe there may be of the Name of Chrift in Heaven, Saints in Heaven, who live in the immediate Prefence of God, have no need of a Mediator to offer their prayers to God, as Saints on Earth have, because they are admitted to the immediate vifion of God themfelves. To offer up our Prayers to God,in the Name and Mediation of Christ, suppofes, that we are at a diftance from God, and not admitted into his Prefence to speak for our felves; but those prayers, which are offered to God in his immediate Prefence, need no Mediator to prefent them. And yet to fay, that the Saints in Heaven offer their Prayers to God in the Name and Mediation of Christ, is to fay, that when they are admitted to the immediate

H 2

Heb. 7.25!

Pag. 4.

immediate Prefence of God themselves, they still need a Mediator; that the prayers they offer to God,in his immediate prefence, they do not offer immediately to him,but by the hands of a Mediator; which if it be Serice, I am fure,is no good Divinity, as neither agreeing with the Types of the Law, nor with the Gofpel account of Chrift's Mediation. And therefore if glorified Saints appear for us in the prefence of God in Heaven, they are as much our Mediators as Chrift is; for this is the moft effential character of his Mediation,, that he appears in the prefence of God for us. The only objection I can fore-see against this, is, that fome of the ancient Fathers, though they did not pray to Saints to pray for them, yet were inclined to believe, that Saints departed did pray for the Church on Earth, especially for their particular Friends, which they left behind them, and therefore to be fure did not think this any injury to the Mediation of Chrift. But then we must confider, that as they spoke doubtfully of this matter, fo those very Fathers did not believe, that Saints departed were received up into the highest Heaven, into the immediate Prefence and Throne of God; though they thought them in a very happy state, yet not perfect,till the refurrection; and therefore they prayed for Saints departed, as well as believed, that Saints departed prayed for them. Now any Mediation and Intercellion on this fide Heaven, is very confiftent with the Mediation of Chrift in Heaven; but to intercede in Heaven is his peculiar office, which no other Creature can fhare in, fince his Refurrection and Afcenfion. This, I think, is fufficient to prove, that' Monfieur de Meaux his Expofition cannot reconcile praying to Saints to pray for us, either with the peculiar Worship of God, or with the glory and dignity of our great and only Mediator and Advocate Jefus Chrift.

The Character of a Papift Represented.

3. Of addressing more Supplications to the Virgin Mary than to Chrift.

Monfieur de Meaux takes no notice of that peculiar kind of Worship, which is paid in the Church of Rome to the Virgin Mary, as being fenfible how hard it is to reconcile this with his bare Ora pro nobis; but the Reprefenter, who pre

tends

tends to follow the Bishops Pattern, but wants his Judgment and Caution to manage it,undertakes to apologize for this too, and it is worth the while to confider what he fays.

The Papift Mif-reprefented is faid to believe the Virgin Mary to be much more powerful in Heaven than Chrift, and that the can command him to do, what she thinks good, and for this reafon he bor `nours her much more than he does her Son, or God the Father, for one prayer be fays to God, faying ten to the Holy Virgin. Let us then confider how much of Mif reprefentation there is in this; and I fhall begin with the last first, because mens Actions are the best Interpreters of their Thoughts and Belief.

The Papift for one prayer he fays to God, fays ten to the Virgin Mary: Is this mif-reprefented? Let him but tell over his Beads, and fee how many Ave Maries and Pater nofters he will find upon a ftring, which are exactly ten for one. This he confelles, and thinks it as innocent to recite the Angelical Salutation now, as it was for the Angel Gab iel and Elizabeth to. do it. But did the Angel use it as a Prayer to the Virgin Mary? is Hail thou that are highly favoured, the Lord is with Thee, bleffed art thou among ft Women, when spoken to the Virgin, who was then prefent to near it, a friendly Salutation, or a Prayer? Was it delivering a Meffage, or an act of Devotion? Or is this the Ave Maria now in ufe in the Church of Rome? As I remember, there are two or three little words, Ora pro nobis,added to it,which make it a Prayer, not the Angelical Salutation: And we do not read,that the Angel faid, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Contemplatipray for us finners, now and in the hour of death. ons on the life and Glory of

Indeed were it lawful to pray to the Virgin Mary, I fhould holy Mary. R have less to say against the frequent repetition of this prayer; 24. but yet a man might enquire, why the prayer to the Virgin. Mary, is repeated fo much oftner than the prayer to God; is not this to honour her much more than he does her Son, or God the Father? For is not Prayer an act of Honour and Worship? And do we not then honour that Being moft, to whom we pray of teneft? No, fays the Reprefenter, for he does not at any time. fay even fo much as one Prayer to her, but what is directed more principally to God. Surely there must be fome Mystery in this. For do they not fay a great many Prayers, immediately directed to the Virgin Mary, and not at all directed to God?Is not their Ave Maria fuch a Prayer, and do they principally

pray