The answere vnto the nine points of controuersy, proposed by our late soueraygne (of famous memory) vnto M. Fisher of the Society of Iesus And the reioynder vnto the reply of D. Francis VVhite minister. With the picture of the sayd minister, or censure of his writings prefixed.

Inuocation of Saints not an iniury but an honor to Christ the only Mediatour. §. 5.

ANOTHER shew of piety is preten∣ded against prayer vnto Saints, that it seemes to ouerthrow the mediatourship of Christ, which Saint Paul (*) 1.1 commends as only, vnus mediator Dei & hominum Christus Iesus. But in shewing the vanity of this shadow, I shall not need to be long, seeing this respect would also make vs neglect & not vse the mediation of liuing Saints out of feare of disanulling the only mediatour∣ship of Christ. It is no more against the ho∣nour of the only mediatourship of Christ to pray vnto Saints deceased, then vnto Saints liuing; yea the praying vnto these kind of Saints may seeme more dishonou∣rable, because we ioyne with him men im∣prisoned in mortality, militant in dangers, and not wanting some blemishes and de∣fects. Wheras the other Saints are glorious, pure from any the least imaginable spot setled in the consummation of ineffable blisse. But the Scripture [Rom. 15.30. Iob. 42.8.] allowes, yea commandes prayer vnto liuing Saints, & consequently pray∣ing

vnto them is not iniurious vnto the only mediatour Christ. Therfore the pray∣ing vnto Saints deceased that are in glory with God, is not iniurious vnto the only mediatourship of Christ (c) 1.2.

I adde, that to make Saints mediatours subordinate vnto, & dependent of Christ, is to increase his glory. For first, if only Christ Iesus is worthy to haue immediate accesse vnto God, and all other Saints men & Angells be mediatours and intercessours, not hauing accesse vnto God but by him, then certainly that Saints mediate and in∣tercede for vs, is exceeding glorious vnto Christ Iesus. But Catholikes teach that Saints be such intercessours as haue no ac∣cesse vnto God, but through Christ Iesus, by mediation of his merits, passion, and death, there being no other name in heauen or in earth by which we are to be saued. Therfore the doctrine that maks Saints subordinate mediatours vnto Christ by him approa∣ching vnto God, doth magnify and extoll the supremacy of Christs mediatourship, more then if in this kind of mediation he had none depending on him.

Whence I inferre, that Protestants mi∣stake our doctrine when they say we teach that Saints are fellow-mediatours with Christ, and that we bring them in to sup∣ply the defect of his intercessiō that other∣wise would not be sufficient. This we doe neither teach, nor belieue, but that the me∣rits

of Christ are infinite, euery drop of his pretious bloud able to pay the full ran∣some of a milliō of worlds. That the Saints mediate and intercede for vs vnto Christ, is for his greater glory, by whose merits they are made worthy of that dignity, and whom by their intercessions they acknow∣ledge to be the fountayne of all good that comes vnto mankind. If it be a glory to the roote of a tree to haue many boughes and branches loaden with excellent fruite, the Saints being but branches of Christ Iesus the true Vine-tree, Iohn 15.15. surely the honour of all their meritts springs origi∣nally, & is referred finally vnto him. And as it is impossible to honour and prayse the boughes without honouring and praysing of the roote: So likewise it is not possible that Catholikes, who acknowledge that Saints haue all their grace merit & fauour with God from Christ Iesus, should honor them, or pray vnto them, without honou∣ring Christ, & without praying finally e∣uer vnto him.

Wherefore Saints when they pray for vs that God would forgiue vs our sinnes, grant vs fauours that help vs towards eter∣nall life, they do not alleadge their merits as a sufficient motiue of the grant, but the merits of Christ. And when holy ancient Fathers in their prayers alleadge vnto God the merits of Saints, this is because their merits make them gracious in Gods sight,

and worthy that the graces they craue for vs be graunted vnto vs, not by the appli∣catiō of their merits, but only through the application of the merits of Christ. Put case, that a Prince should ransome a great multitude of his subiects taken prisoners, and held in miserable thraldome, paying for them a sufficient and aboundant ran∣some, yet so, that none should haue the fruit of that Redemption but those whom the King should singularly choose, and make worthy of that fauour. Suppose that some noble man in the Court (whome his Merits made gracious with the King) should by his interceding obtayne that the benefit of that ransome should be ex∣tended to some one whome he particularly affects: Surely this Captiue should be re∣deemed & deliuered through the ransome payd by the King, not by the merits of the Noble man interceding for him, whose merits concurred thereunto only remote∣ly, and a farre off.

To apply this similitude, Christ Iesus hath payd an aboundant price for mans re∣dēption, yet none enioy the benefits there∣of, but they to whome by speciall grace he applyeth the same. Sinners beseech him by the merits of Saints that made them graci∣ous in his sight, that he will vouchsafe to apply the merit of his Passion vnto them for the obtayning of fauours conducing vnto eternall life. Christ grants their peti∣tion

and request, and thereupon applyes his merits vnto them: These men cannot be properly sayd to be saued through the merits of Saints, but only through the me∣rits of Christ, specially because euen the merits of Saints that concurred thereunto, proceed originally from the merits of CHRIST.

Notes

• (*) 1.1

  1. Tim. 2.3.
• (c) 1.2

  The Minister is here pag. 335. vexed; for this argument of praying vnto liuing Saints and crauing their interces∣sion cōuinceth & stop∣peth our Aduersaries mouthes whē they vr∣ge that praying vnto glorious Saints destro∣ieth the onely media∣tour-ship of Christ. Why should praying vnto glorious Saints & to seeke their mediatiō be iniurious vnto the onely mediatour-ship of Christ, rather then the mediation of liuing Saints?

  His answere is large, but all is reduced to six euasions. First he saith, that we may request the prayers of liuing Saints but not inuocate them: this is ridiculous. For what is it to inuocate but to cal vpon, but to implore, but to request? specially with submission, and acknowledging of su∣perhumane dignity in the person prayed vn∣to. Do not Protestants themselues translate In∣uocate, to call vpō? Rom. 10.14. when the holy Su∣namite with humble obey∣sance, prostrate on the ground, requested Eli∣zaeus for the resuscitatiō of her Sonne, did she not inuocate him? Se∣condly he saith: That the liuing Saints be present with the liuing. What is this to the purpose? be not many mediatours present, more then one onely, aswell as many mediatours absent? If the onely mediatour may haue many subor∣dinate mediatours pre∣sent, without preiudice vnto the onelynes and singularity of his me∣diatour-ship, why not many subordinate me∣diatours absent? Nor is it true, that glorious Saints be not present vnto vs, seing they see as hath been proued, all things done in the world that belong to their state; in which respect the holy Fathers of better credit then any Minister, say, Vniuersi sancti vbique sunt & omnibus prosunt. S. Ma∣ximus de Martyr. Tauricis. Hieron. aduersus Vigilant. & Basil. de Sanct. virgin. c. 8. Angeli vbique praesen∣tes sunt, & quae hic gerun∣tur inspiciunt. Saints and Angells are euery where present, because from heauē they behold what is euery where done. Fourthly he saith, That Papists make Saints mediatours that see the secrets of harts. This is also seely. For where doth the Scripture say that Christ is the onely mediatour that knowes the secretts of hartes, but that besides him there may be other me∣diatours, so they see not the hart? If Christ the onely mediatour may haue the company of many subordinate me∣diators, that be clothed with misery and igno∣rance, why not the cō∣pany of many glorious mediators that see God and in God our harts? How many liuing Saints did by the gift of prophesy see the se∣cret thoughts of men, & yet did pray and inter∣cede for men that cra∣ued their patronage? Did they therby ouer∣throw the only media∣tour-ship of Christ? God forbid. Fiftly he saith, that as it is an iniury to the supreme Magistrate, for any of his subiects to cō∣stitute a Maister of Re∣quests without his authori∣ty; so likewise it is an in∣iury to Christ for vs wormes of the earth, without war∣rant from Gods word, to constitute Saints and An∣gels mediatours of our pray∣ers. Answer. The Mini∣ster is very simple i•• he cānot discerne the dif∣ference betwixt a mai∣ster of Requests, and a mediatour to the King by way of fauour. The Maister of Requests, is an office of authority made by the kings au∣thority, without whose special order he cannot be appointed. But the office of mediator, that is, of a freind for vs with the king, is an office of grace and fauour, and made by the kings gra∣ce & fauour, bestowed on a man without any further authority. Hen∣ce if the king make one his familiar Freind or Fauourite, we may (if we can) make him our freind and mediatour vnto the king, without further warrant or authority. Yea sometimes Kings are not willing that their Fauourites should haue so many suitors, which yet they cannot hinder if they will haue Fauourites, the right of being mediatours for others to the King, being inuolued in the grace of Princely fauours. Now to say, that men seeking grace of the king by his Fauorite, do constitute without his order a Maister of Requests, is ridicu∣lous. Yea rather it were folly, presumption, clownishnes for a poore beg∣gar vnknowne in the Court to intrude his suites into the Kings audience without the mediation of some that are familiar about him. Wherfore seing God hath made Saints his especiall freinds, and heauenly fauourites, and able to helpe vs, what further warrant is needfull, besides our owne necessityes, to seeke their intercession? Sixtly, the Minister saith, That liuing Saints are ioint-suitors with vs, who likewise pray for their owne needes, and so are not meere mediatours. But Saints deceased be not ioint-suitors, but meere mediatours, because they pray and intercede for vs, and not for themselues. Answer. First the Saints in heauen do pray for themselues, to wit, for the glorious resuscita∣tion of their bodyes, and that God will reueng their deathes vpon their persecutours, Apoc. 5. Secondly, though Saints do not deprecate for their owne sinnes, and needes, this doth not shew that they are meere mediatours and suitors of higher kind then liuing Saints, but onely that they are growne vnto greater perfection in the same kind of grace, and vnto the consummation therof, vnto which we are not yet arriued. Euen as a growne man doth not need so many things as doth the Child, and yet is he a creature of the same nature and ••ind as the Child.