An ansvver to the calumnious letter and erroneous propositions of an apostat named M. Io. Hammiltoun. Composed by M. VVilliam Fouler

❧ THE X, PROPO. The intercessioun and imun••tioun of the Saincts and Angeli derogate nothing nor is not contrario••s to Christs mediatioun.

I p••s the contradictioun in the propositioun, with the friuol distinctioun of mediatioun broght in by ʒow for profe of the saming, to cut of many words quhilk I maist neadis haue vsit,

gif I wald accurratlie examine all the points thairof. for I am certen thou canst not tell quhat thou meanes by the distincti∣oun of mediatioun, thy purpose being mair to conuince the trueth, and obscure the veritie: then anie wayes to establische the saming. For Christe is our Mediatour in baith the natures, that is, as he is God and man in one persoun. and not acording to his humane nature only, as S. Ihon 14.16. witnesseth. I am the waye, the treuth, and the lyfe. No man cummeth to the Father bot by me. And quhatsoener ʒe aske the Father in my name 'he will giue it ʒou.

AD, we reid in the •• of Zach. that the Angel prayit vnto the Lord desyring him to haue pitis on lerusalena & the Touns of iudah and lykewise in the 12. chap. of Tobias.

AN. Vnto former obiectioun I answer, that sclendrous∣lie thou hes red that place, for vnder the name of Iuda & Ie∣rusalem is vnderstand the Kirk of Christ, for the quhilk christ the Angel of Angels makis intercessioun. Vnto the Se∣cound I say, that the buik of Tobias is not sufficient to proue any head of doctreine. Thridlie althoght the Angell pray for vs, ʒi•• it followis not be na guid Logik: that we sould pray vn to the Angell.

AD. And be S. Ioh. 6. Reuels. saying the reik of the incense of the eraisons of the Sancts ascendit out of the hands of the Angel kefoir the Lord.

AN. Howe so euer thou wreast this place, it hes the lyke Ergo with the former.

AD Quhau the pepil of Israel war plagued for thair rebellioun God wald not re∣saue thair prayers bot said let Moyses pray for thie pepill and I will heare him.

AN. Treuth it is that moyses was thair principall pasteur and Propheit, familiar with God, be quhais voyce God spake vnto his people▪ Bot it followis not that Moyses suld bene in∣uocat or worshipped, and to be haldin as thair refuge, or that he was intercessour, bot only Minister.

AD. ••ykewayis God luikit to the pruitencle of Iob quhan he pray it for his freind. and in an vther place it is said call if thair be anie that will answer the, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to sum of the Sancts.

AN. Na questioun is ••ot an faithfull man may pray for ano¦ther, bot not be called his intercessour.

ADVERSAR. Alsomen in earth praying the an for the vther, as the Corinths did for S. Paul, derogat•• to Christs mediatioun, as lykwayis testifies lak••b•• benedie. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.

AN. I ans••er vnto the former place ••ith S. August. tha•• Christien men in thair prayers do pray ••••e for another, and so we ar commandit: bot he for whome no man dois pray, bot he for all men, is onlie our Mediatour. To the secound lyke. way is I answer, that the children of Ioseph sould not pray to Abraham Is••ak and lakob, for the blissing in this maner is pronuncit. God before quhome my fathers Abraham & lsak did walke, God quhilk fed me al my lyfe long vnto this day. And the Angel quhilk hes delyuerit me from all euill, blisse the bairnes and let the names of my forfathers Abram end Isak be namit in them. quhairby Ephraim and Man••sseh Iosephs sonnes and lakobs nepheus soul•• be ac∣countit in the familie of Iakob, and rekned to be the sonnes of Isr••ell, and to reteine ether of th••me equall portioun with the rest of the sonnes of lakob, as gif he had begottin thame him selfe. I his expositioun agreeth prope••ly with that pla•••• quhilk is conteanit in the 4 cha. of Isai, psophecie, quhain the wemen requyrit that the mens names micht be••e callit vpon them, that i••, according to the Hebrew phrase ya•• thay micht. be called the W••ffes of an man, & n••mit efter thair Husbáds. So if this phrase in this place imports na misterie, nather suld the former. now seing it w••r tedious to dilate lang ans••ers vpon friuol reasons, we minde to contract ʒour arguments i•• schortar fo••me. Of the quhilks tua ar brocht furth out of the reuela of S. Iohne the 1. and 6, ch. thairof Vnto the quhilk I answer, that y^e sancts are said to desire God to seuenge thair blood: euen as the blood of Abell, cryit for vengence ••ó the earth. And so dois the murther of PARIS cry for the lyke r••waird, with the death of many vthair Saincts of God.

AD. S. Peter said to his flock that he sul not only admonis••h, the sa l••ng, as he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 on lyf to i••mbr••c•• ••l Godlin••s and ve••te w. Bot als•• wald labo•••• that aft•••• his d••••th thay sold ha•••• t•••• memory of th•• thin•••• quhilk he could not do being dea•• bot only by hi•• i••tercessio•••• for thame.

AN. Peruershe sophist. for that quhilk he he•• promisit tu•• maner of wai••s he hes performit. First be his Epistles, quhilk 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his death dois remaine, be the quhilk is flock wa•• pu••i••

rem••mbrance and the posteritie after them in memor••e, that he followit not dissaitfull fabils, when he openit vnto th••me th•• cumming of our Lord. Secoundlie that he hes tane paine and trauel in prouyding to his flock faithful M••nisters in th•• Kirk after ••is death, y^• his memorie & the remembr••ce of th•• ••hings quhilk he teachit vnto thé, micht be refreschit in thair harts. For vther way is if Peter w••r leuand or Paul, I dou•• not ••ot they wald ryfe thair claithis in geuin them y^• worshiping & assigning vnto thame that office quhilk is proper vnto our Saluiour, as BARNABAS did with S. PAVL in th•• Toun of Lystre.

AD As▪ God has 〈◊〉〈◊〉 same with miracle 〈…〉〈…〉

AN. Put on thy spectakils. For by miracles onlie without the testimonie of the scripteur, th•• inuocatioun of Sancts can not be ra••auit. nather dois S. Aug. words ••ny wayis confirm•• the saming. For he ••ryt••s so, I••la de gradu descendit ••t ad fanc••i martyris memoriam orare perrex••rat▪ It is not faid be S August••n, or abat sancti martyris memoriam. Na mair nor he ••ald say or••bat Templum, quhilk war ver•••• improperly spo∣kin. I ••ppin thy errour th••n, thou ignorantlie refers the word dr••re to ad martyris memorlam, quhik onelye sould be per∣••exerat.

AD. This also 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈◊〉〈◊〉mit be, Ba••••l, Hierata, Origines, Chrisost••me, Nazi••••••••n with Cipria••.

AN. To al thir sorgit autorit••es I answer with Hierom yat ••uhil•• of th•• scripteur h••s na autori•••••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the ly••e facility it may be rei••ctit as it is adducit. quhilk Aug. plainly dois cō firme wryting to Mier. in 48. epist. heare not this, Donatus ••aith, Rogatus saith, Vincens••s saith, Ambros•• saith, Au. saith Bot hearken and giue eare vnto this the Lorde saith, For in¦stead of all thairs lear••ed fathers, or fath••r abone the al, cums vnto my minde the scripteur of Godg, uhairin is an exclusue seutence pronuncit, na man cummeth to the Father but by me. To it I appele from all maner of wrytaris that thinkes v∣ther vai••▪ For the docteurs of the Kirk, as mest are oft de¦ceaued.

Althocht thair autorities thou hes rather brocht for ostentatioun, then substanciallie to proue ʒour purposse, fo•• na man of sound iudgement will thinke that Bas••l & Nazian∣zen wald call vpon the sancts, althoght they playi•• sumquhat with gritter libertie, then ether b••came the gr••uitie of th•• persons, or sinceritie of Christian•• Religioun. Origines buik is falslie supposit in his name, for he dois planelie deny thi•• consequence, the blissit in the Heauins pray••. for vs, thairfore th••y suld be inu••cat. Cyprians buik de secta & magis is ad∣ieterous, & Chrisost messe is attributed wr••ngfully vnto him for amang•• the Sanct their mentioned, Chrisosto. is countit him selfe quha expreslie in all his warks reiects the inuocatiō of sancts. As in his 12 homelie vpon the woman of CANAN, tel me O Woman, since thou art a wicked and sinfull woman, HO•• durst thou go into God? I knaw, saith scho, quhat I do. Behold the wisdome of the woman, she praieth not to IAMES she e••tre••teth not IOHN, she goeth not or PETE••, she did not get her self to the companie of the Apostles: she soght for na intecessour: bot for al thais things she toke r••pentance for hir companioun, quhilk did fulfill the roume & place of an Ad∣uocat, so she did go to the hych•• fountaine. Let this autority suffice to confute thy errour, and for an strenthie Bul••ark•• and For••r••sse to subuert the inuocatioun of Sancts.

Notes

• Iob. 4•• Iob. 5.
• Gene. 4••.
• Aug. lib. ••. cap. 8, 〈…〉〈…〉.
• P••••. 2 ••p •• ••••••p.
• A••, 14••
• 〈…〉〈…〉 cap. 8
• Ba••••l, h••. de 40. Ma••••. S lhere. con vigi.
• Lib, 2. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 2••. co••. cr••fo••••••
• Oirge li••. con ••••. se••.
• NOTE
• NOTE