The Protestant religion truely stated and justified by the late Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter ; prepared for the press some time before his death ; whereunto is added, by way of preface, some account of the learned author, by Mr. Danel Williams and Mr. Matthew Sylvester.

The Eight and Twentieth accused Point.

That we may not pray to them.

Ans. 1. We may desire Living Saints to pray for us, and this may be called Praying to them: So a Child prayeth to his Father or Master. But we pray not to dead Saints nor Angels: 1. Because we have an hundred Commands to pray to God, and not one to pray to them, and where there is no Law, there is no Trans∣gression or Sin. Therefore while we are sure it is no Sin to forbear it, and know not but it is Sin to do it, we go the safe way: If they say, it is against the Popes Law or his Clergy's, we say with Paul, it is a small thing to us to be judged of man, (who can but kill our Bodies,) we have one that judgeth us, even the Lord. Let the Pope Damn us if he can.

2. As the first Commandment forbid∣deth us to have any God but one, so the

second forbiddeth us to worship so as the Heathens did their Idols, because it is Bo∣dily interpretative Idolatry and Scandal: But the Heathens used to pray to their un∣der Deities, whom they judged to be much like that which the Papists judge of Angels, and praying to Invisible Spirits is to imitate them as scandalously as praying toward Images: No wonder therefore that you so usually leave out the second Commandment.

3. Gods Word is the Rule of all accep∣table Religious Worship, (tho' but a Ge∣neral Rule in many Modes and Circum∣stances,) and therefore we fear swerving from it.

4. Angels themselves never demanded it, nor Christ bespake it for them, yea, they twice forbad it John: See thou do it not.

5. Angels being more holy than we, are more for the Glory of God, and the hatred of Creature arrogance and Idolatry; and as God calleth himself specially Jea∣lous against bodily Worship like the Idolaters, in the second Commandment, so Angels are more jealous against it than we are.

6. As Angels said, See thou do it not, so contrarily Satan tempted Christ, with the offer of the Kingdoms and glory of the World,

to fall down and worship him. Therefore we had rather hearken to the Angels than to Devils: And fear, they that do other∣wise, worship Devils for Angels, because only Devils have sought such Worship. And the Devil oft turneth himself as into an Angel of Light to deceive, as his Ministers do into Ministers of Righteous∣ness.

7. We know not when Angels hear us, and when they do not: And therefore know not when and how to pray to them.

8. As we are sure that God would have bid us do it, if he would have us do it, so we know that he is all sufficient to tell them what and when to doe for us; and to pray to him is the way to secure their Service.

9. And we know that there is one Me∣diator between God and Man, whose In∣tercession is sufficient.

10. And we know that Christians pray∣ing to Angels and separated Souls, greatly hardeneth the Heathen World that pray to separated Souls, and Daemons that are their Sub-deities.

11. And when these men say not, we must pray to Angels, but we may do it; what horrid Murderers are they, that will Burn, Kill, and Damn men, for not doing

all that they think they may do, without any must or Divine Obligation? Why take they it not at best, as part of their Works of Supererrogation?

12. The Deceiver prophaning the Scrip∣ture, 1. Puts Jacobs Benediction desiring the Angels guard on his Son, to be a prayer to Angels. Yea, when the Fa∣thers say, that Angel was Christ him∣self.

2. And Jacobs words to the Angel that appeared to him, to be a reason for our praying to unseen Spirits: If they appear to us, we shall the better know what and when to speak to them.