Ibid. p.3.

pray to God in thofe Prayers, which are immediately directed to the Virgin Mary? When they pray to the Virgin Mary to pray for them, is this prayer principally directed to God Almighty? What when the Virgin is only named? And the matter of the Prayer is fuch, that it cannot be directed to God Almighty, unless they think it proper to pray to God to pray for them? Yes, thefe Prayers to the Virgin are offered up as a thankful Memorial of Chrift's Incarnation, and an acknowledgment of the Bleffedness of Jefus the fruit of her Womb. The meaning of which can be no more than this, That when they pray to Mary the Mother of Jefus, it is a tacite acknowledgment, that Jefus was born of her, and that the Son must be a very Glorious Prince, when the Mother is fo highly exalted upon account of her Relation to him, as to have fo many devout Prayers and Hymns offered up to her. But does this prove, that the Prayers, which are immediately directed to the Virgin Mary, are principally directed to Chrift, because Mary was his Mother? which is the whole Myftery of the business. Suppose Chrift fhould think himself honoured by thofe Prayers, which are offered to his Mother, yet is there no difference between praying to Chrift, and that Honour we dohim in praying to his Mother? A late Author indeed tells us, that the Veneration, which we give to Mary, redounds to jefus: All Honour given to the Mother,tending to the Glory of the Son; for as he communicates with her in Flesh and Blood; fo alfo doth be partake with her in her Qualities and Perfections, and therefore he is alfo a fharer in that Homage and Obfervance,that is made to her. This is a new fort of Confubftantiation, and Communication of Properties; but yet how much foever we honour Jefus, when we pray to Mary, yet we do not pray to Jefus, when we pray to Mary; and therefore thefe Prayers are principally and immediately directed to Mary, not to God or Chrift; and therefore to offer ten Prayers to Mary, for one to God, looks very like honouring Mary much more than her Son, or God the Father.

Well, but he is the Mother of God, and Bleffed amongst Women; but how does her being Christ's Mother entitle her to a greater fhare in our Prayers and Devotions than Chrift himfelf? It is indeed a great Honour to her to be the Mother of Jefus, but does this entitle her to that Worship and Homage, which is due to her Son? She is the happiest Mother among

Women,

Women, but does this advance her above Angels and ArchAngels? For my part I fee no reason to think, that her bearing Chrift in her Womb, which was a fingular Favour conferred on her, but has nothing of Merit in it, fhould advance her above the most Eminent Apostles and Martyrs, who with undaunted Courage and unwearied Induftry propagated the Gospel throughout the World, and were the great Ministers of his Kingdom: am fure our Saviour does not seem to attribute any fuch mighty Vertue to the Maternity of Mary, when a certain Woman said unto him, Blessed is the Womb, that bare thee, and the Paps which thou haft fucked; he answered, Luke 11. 27. yea rather Blefjed are they, who hear the Word of God and keep it. Matth. 12.46 And in another place, when fome told him, behold thy Mother and thy Brethren ftand without defiring to Speak with thee, be anfered and faid unto him, that told him, who is my Mother? And who are my Brethren? and he ftretched forth his hand towards his his Difciples, faying, behold my Mother and my Brethren, for whofoever shall do the Will of my Father, which is in. Heaven, the fame is my Mother, and Sifter, and Brother. Which prefers his meanelt Difciples before the Mother of his Flesh, confidered only as his Mother; which he would not have done, had the bare Maternity of Mary advanced her a-bove all other Creatures.

Well, but he is most arceptable to God in her Interceffion for us. Did the Angel tell them this too, as well as that he is Ble Ted among Women? Whence then do they learn it? Is it only because the is a Mother? Have all Mothers then fuch a natural Authority over their Sons, even when they are Soveraign Princes? Cannot the Eternal Son of God chufe an Earthly Mother, but he must admit her into the Throne with him, and govern his Kingdom, if not by her Commands, yet by her Importunities and Requefts? This is thought a great weakness in Earthly Princes, and ufually proves fatal to their Government; and yet it is much more tolerable in Earth than in Heaven. What has the Mother of his Flesh to do to intermedle in the affairs of his Spiritual Kingdom, which the is not capable of managing? She had no Authority in the Church, while fhe was on Earth, which methinks her Maternity might give her as much Right to, as to be Queen Regent of Heaven. When Christ was a Child he lived in Subjection to Mary and

Jofeph,

&c.

Luke 2. 48,

49.

John 2. 3. 4.

Jofeph, though he began early to give them a Specimen of a Superiour Power he had, and fuch a work to do, as discharged him from Subjection to Earthly Parents. When he was but twelve years old, he told his Mother,how was it, that ye fought me, wift ye not that I must be about my Fathers business? When his Mother at the Marriage in Cana of Galilee acquainted him, that their Wine was fpent, and infinuated her defire, that he fhould help them, he rebukes her for it, Woman what have I to do with thee? my hour is not yet come. She was not to direct him, what to do in fuch matters; and can we think then, that now he is advanced to the Right Hand of God, he will fuffer her to intermedle in the adminiftration of his Kingdom.

But our Author believes it damnable to think the Virgin Mary more powerful in Heaven than Chrift, or that fe can in any thing command him. It is well the Impera Redemptori, command the Redeemer, is at laft difowned by them, though it may be fome may think it a little too much to call it damnable, because whatever Papifts believe now, there was a time, when this was used in the Millals of the Roman Church; and will he say, that it was damnable then to use that Hymn?

I believe no Papift ever thought the Virgin Mary to be Omnipotent, much lefs, that she can do more than Chrift can, or can command him by a direct and Superior Authority; nor did any man, that I know of,ever charge them with this: and if it be only in this fenfe, that he denies the Virgin to be more powerful in Heaven than Chrift, it is nothing to the purpose; for it is poffible for a Subject to be more powerful than his Prince, though he cannot command him, and can do nothing but by his Princes favour; but if he have fo much the afcendant of his Prince, that he can deny him nothing, that he does whatever he will have him, and fuch things as no other confideration fhould incline him to do, but the defire of fuch a powerful Favourite, this man is really more powerful than the Prince, because he has the direction and Government of the Princes Power: He has the Prince himself in his Power, and therefore is more powerful than he. And if this be the cafe of the Blessed Virgin, that he has the Difpofal of Chrift's Grace and Mercy, though not by a direct Authority, yet by her Interest in her Son, if he never denies, that which the asks, but grants that at her Interceffion, which he would not grant without

without it; if the Papifts believe this, they believe her to be more Powerful than Chrift, and they have then good reafon, as they do, to put up more frequent Prayers to her, than to God or Chrift himself. And whether they do not believe this, and that at this very day, let any one judge, from these paffages in the Contemplations of the Life and Glory of the Holy Mary, which is lately published in English, Permiflu· Superiorum. "There p. 7. he tells us, that God hath by a Pag. 7. "Solemn Covenant pronounced Mary to be the Treasury of "Wisdom, Grace, and Sanctity under Jefus. So that what"ever Gifts are bestowed upon us by Jefus, we receive them by "the Mediation of Mary: No one being gracious to Jefus, who is not devoted to Mary, nor hath any one been speci"ally confident of the Patronage of Mary, who hath not "through her received a special Bleffing from Jefus. Whence it is one great mark of the Predeftination of the Elect, to be fingularly Devoted to Mary, fince she hath a full Power, as "a Mother, to obtain of Jefus, whatever he can ask of God "the Father, and is comprehended within the Sphere of man's "Predestination to Glory, Redemption from Sin, and Regene"ration by Grace. Neither hath any one petitioned Mary,who "was refused by Jefus, nor trusted in Mary, and was abandon"ed by Jefus.

"A little after he directs the Devotes of the Virgin, to Pag. 9. have a firm and unfhaken confidence in her Patronage, a"midst the greatest of our inward Conflicts with Senfuality, "and outward Tribulations from the adverfe Cafualities of "this Life; through a ftrong Judgment of her eminent Powic er, within the Empire of Jefus, grounded upon the fingular "Prerogative of her Divine Maternity; for by vertue there. "of no State of man can be fo unhappy, through the malice "of Satan, the heats of our Paffions, or the Enormity of Sin, "which exceeds her Love towards the Disciples of Jesus, or "the efficacy of her Mediation for us unto Jefus : So that "though the condition of fome great Sinners may be fo de"plorable, that all the limited Excellency, Merits and Power "of all the Saints and Angels, cannot effectually bend the "Mercies of Jefus to relieve them, yet fuch is the accepta

"blenefs

*ceptablenefs of the Mother of Jefus to Jefus,that whoever is "under the Verge of her Protection,may confide in her Interceffions to Jefus. He denying no Favour to her, whereby "the Wonders of man's Predeftination and Redemption “ through Jefus, may be magnified and promoted. So that the Blessed Virgin is more Powerful than all the Saints and Angels in Heaven; fhe has all the Power of Chrift, all his Grace and Mercy in her hands, and can difpenfe it to fuch Sinners, whom Chrift would not pity and relieve without her, and therefore is a more powerful Patronefs of Sinners, than Christ himself is. And therefore he might well add in the next place, that all these Blessings flow from Jesus to all through Mary, and may therefore justly refer them all to her as to the most effectual Inftrument, Channel, and Conveyance of all. Now if this be true Representing, it is no Mif-reprefentation to fay, that a Papist believes the Virgin Mary to be much more Powerful in Heaven-than Christ; not that he has any Power of her own, but that the can more powerfully and effectually bend the Mercies of Jefus to relieve Sinners, than the mercies of Jefus can bend themselves without her.

SECT.