"T compound of idolatry, superstition, and blasphemy." exercise of Christian virtues is not at all necessary in its mer hers, nay, there are many heinous crimes, which are reckoned virtues among them, such as perjury and murder, when committed against heretics."+ And is such then, dear sir, the rea character of the great body of Christians throughout the world' Is such a true picture of our Saxon and English ancestors ? Were such the clergy from whom these modern preachers and writers derive their liturgy, their ritual, their honours and bene fices, and from whom they boast of deriving their orders and mission also? But, after all, do these preachers and writers themselves seriously believe such to be the true character of their Catholic countrymen, and the primitive religion? No, sir, they do not seriously believe it :‡ but being unfortunately engaged, as I said before, in an hereditary revolt against the church, which shines forth conspicuous, with every feature of truth in her countenance, and wanting the rare grace of acknowledging their er ror, at the expense of temporal advantages, they have no other Jefence for themselves but clamour and calumny, no resource for * Seasonable Caution against the abominations of the Church of Rome, Pref. p. 5. + Ibid. p. 14. This may be exemplified by the conduct of Dr. Wake, archbishop of Canterbury. Few writers had misrepresented the Catholic religion more foully than he had done in his controversial works; even in his commentary on the Catechism, he accuses it of heresy, schism, and idolatry: but, having entered into a correspondence with Dr. Dupin, for the purpose of uniting their respective churches, he assures the Catholic divine, in his last letter to him, as follows: "In dogmatibus, prout a te candide proponuntur, non admodum dissentimus: in regimine ecclesiastico minus; in fundamentalibus, sive doctrinam, sive disciplinam spectemus, vix omnnio." Append. to Mosheim's Hist. vol. vi. p. 121. The present writer has been informed, on good authority, that one of the bishops, whose calumnies are here quoted, when he found himself on his deathbed, refused the profered ministry of the primate, and expressed a great wish to die a Catholic. When urged to satisfy his conscience, he exclaimed: What then will be come of my lady and my children! Certain it is that very many Protestants, who had been the most violent in their language and conduct against the Catholic church, as for example, John, Elector of Saxony, Margaret, Queen of Navarre, Cromwell, Lord Essex, Dudley, Earl of Northum berland, king Charles II, the late Lords Montague, Nugent, Dunboyne, &c. did actually reconcile themselves to the Catholic church in that situation. The writer may add, that another of the calumniators here quoted, being desirous of stifling the suspicion of his having written an anonymous No Popery publication, when first he took part in that cause, privately addressed himself to the writer in these terms: How can you suspect me of writing against your religion, when you so well know my attachment to it! In fact, this modern Luther, among other similar concessions, has said thus to the writer: I sucked in a love for the Catholic religion with my mother's milk. shrouding those beauteous features of the church, but by placing before them the hideous mask of misrepresentation! Before I close this letter, I cannot help expressing an earnest wish that it were in my power to suggest three most important considerations to all and every one of the theological calumniators in question. I pass over their injustice and cruelty towards us; though this bears some resemblance with the barbarity of Nero towards our predecessors, the first Christians of Rome, who disguised them in the skins of wild beasts, and then hunted them to death with dogs. But Christ has warned us as follows · It is enough for the disciple to be as his master; if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub: how much more them of his household. In fact, we know that those our above-mentioned predecessors were charged with worshipping the head of an ass, and of killing and eating children, &c. The first observation which I am desirous of making to these controvertists, is, that their charges and invectives against Catholics never unsettle the faith of a single individual amongst us; much less do they cause any Catholic to quit our communion. This we are sure of, because, after all the pains and expenses of the Protestant societies to distribute Dr. Porteus's Confutation of Popery, and other tracts, in the houses and cottages of Catholics, not one of the latter ever comes to us, their pastors, to be furnished with an answer to the accusations contained in them; the truth is, they previously know from their catechisms, the falsehood of them. Sometimes no doubt, a dissolute youth, from "libertinism of principles and practice," as one of the above-mentioned lords loudly proclaimed of himself. on his death bed; and sometimes an ambitious or avaricious nobleman or gentleman, to get honour or wealth; finally, some times a profligate priest, to get a wife, or a living, forsakes our communion; but, I may challenge Dr. Porteus to produce a single proselyte from Popery throughout the dioceses of Chester and London, who has been gained by his book against it: and I may say the same with respect to the bishop of Durham's No Popery Charges, throughout the dioceses of Sarum and Durham. A second point of still greater importance for the consideration of these distinguished preachers and writers is, that their flagrant misrepresentation of the Catholic religion, is constantly an occasion of the conversion of several of their own most upright members to it. Such Christians, when they fall inta company with Catholics, or get hold of their books, cannot fail of inquiring whether they are really those monsters of idolatry, irreligion and immorality, which those divines have represent ed them to be; when, discovering how much they have been deceived in these respects, by misrepresentation; and, in short, viewing now the fair face of the Catholic church, instead of the hideous mask which had been placed before it, they seldom fail to become enamoured of it, and, in case religion is their chief concern, to become our very best Catholics. The most important point, however, of all others for the consideration of these learned theologues, is the following: We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to be examined on our observance of that commandment, among the rest, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour; supposing then these their clamorous charges against their Catholic neighbours, of idolatry, blasphemy, perfidy, and thirst of blood, should then appear, as they most certainly will appear, to be calumnies of the worst sort, what will it avail their authors that these have answered the temporary purpose of preventing the emancipation of Catholics, and of rousing the popular hatred and fury against them! Alas! what will it avail them! DEAR SIR, : I am, Dear, Sir, yours, &c. J. M. LETTER XXXIII. To JAMES BROWN, Esq. ON THE INVOCATION OF SAINTS. THE first and most heavy charge which Protestants bring against Catholics, is that of idolatry. They say, that the Catholic church has been guilty of this crime and apostasy, by sanctioning the invocation of saints, and the worship of images and pictures and that on this account they have been obliged to abandon her communion, in obedience to the voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev. xviii. 4. Nevertheless, it is certain, dear sir, that Protestantism was not founded on this ground either in Germany or in England: for Luther warmly defended the Catholic doctrine in both the aforesaid particulars, and our English reformers, particularly king Edward's uncle, the duke of Somerset, only took up this pretext of idolatry, as the most popular, in order to revolutionize the ancient religion, which they were carrying on from motives of avarice and ambition. The same reasons, namely, that this charge of idolatry is best calculated to inflame the ignorant agains! the Catholic church, and to furnish a pretext for deserting her have caused Protestant controvertists to keep up the outcry against her ever since, and to vie with each other in the foulness of their misrepresentation of her doctrine in this particular. To speak first of the invocation of saints: archbishop Wake, [who afterward, as we have seen, acknowledged to Dr. Dupin, that there was no fundamental difference between his doctrine and that of Catholics] in his popular Commentary on the Church Catechism, maintains, that "The church of Rome has other Gods besides the Lord." 19* Another prelate, whose work has been lately republished by the bishop of Landaff, pronounces of Catholics, that," Instead of worshipping Christ, they have sub stituted the doctrine of demons." In the same blasphemous terms, Mede, and a hundred other Protestant controvertists, speak of our communion of saints. The bishop of London, among other such calumnies, charges us with "Bringing back the heathen multitude of deities into Christianity;" that we "Recominend ourselves to some favourite saint, not by a religious life, but by flattering addresses and costly presents, and often depend much more on his intercession, than on our blessed Saviour's ;" and that, "being secure of the favour of these courtiers of hea. ven, we pay little regard to the King of it." Such is the misrepresentation of the doctrine and practice of Catholics on this point, which the first ecclesiastical characters in the nation publish; because, in fact, their cause has not a leg to stand on, if you take away misrepresentation! Let us now hear what is the genuine doctrine of the Catholic church in this article, as solemnly defined by the Pope, and near three hundred prelates of different nations, at the council of Trent, in the face of the whole world; it is simply this, that "The saints reigning with Christ offer up their prayers to God for men; that it is good and useful suppliantly to invoke them, and to have recourse to their prayers, help, and assistance, to obtain favours from God, through his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alone our Redeemer and Saviour." Hence the Catechism of the council of Trent, published in virtue of its decree, by order of Pope Pius V, teaches, that "God and the saints are not to be prayed to in the same manner; for we pray to God that he himself would give us good things, and deliver us from evil things; but we beg of the saints, because they are pleasing to God, that they would be our advo cates, and obtain from God what we stand in need of." Out first English Catechism for the instruction of children, says • Sect. 2-3. + Bishop Watson's Theol. Tracts, vol. v. p. 272. "We are to honour saints and angels as God's special friends and servants, but not with the honour which belongs to God." Finally, The Papist Misrepresented and Represented, a work of great authority among Catholics, first published by our eminent divine Gother, and republished by our venerable bishop, ChalLer, pronounces the following anathema against that idolatrous phantom of Catholicity, which Protestant controvertists have held up for the indentical Catholic church. "Cursed is he that believes the saints in heaven to be his redeemers, that prays to them as such, or that gives God's honour to them, or to any creature whatsoever. Amen." "Cursed is every goddess worshipper, that believes the B. Virgin Mary to be any more than a creature that worships her, or puts his trust in her more than in God, that believes her above her Son, or that she can in anything command him. Amen."* You see, dear sir, how widely different the doctrine of Catholics, as defined by our church, and really held by us, is from the caricature of it, held up by interested preachers and controver tists, to scare and inflame an ignorant multitude. So far from making gods and goddesses of the saints, we firmly hold it to be an article of faith, that, as they have no virtue or excellence but what has been gratuitously bestowed upon them by God, for the sake of his incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, so they can procure no benefit for us, but by means of their prayers to the Giver of ali good gifts, through their and our common Saviour, Jesus Christ. In short, they do nothing for us mortals in heaven, but what they did while they were here on earth, and what all good Christians are bound to do for each other, namely, they help us by their prayers. The only difference is, that as the saints in heaven are free from every stain of sin and imperfection, and are confirmed in grace and glory, so their prayers are far more efficacious for obtaining what they ask for, than are the prayers of us imperfect and sinful mortals. In short, our Protestant brethern will not deny that St. Paul was in the practice of begging for the prayers of the churches to which he addressed his epistles, Rom. xv. 30, &c. and that the Almighty himself commanded the friends of Job to obtain his prayers for the pardon of their sins, Job xlii. 8: and moreover, that they themselves are accustomed to pray publicly for one another. Now these concessions, together with the authorized exposition of our doctrine, laid down above, are abundantly sufficient to refute most of the remaining objections of Protestants against it. In vain, for example, does Dr. Por • Pap. Misrep. Abridg. p. |