A collection of several discourses against popery By William Wake, preacher to the honourable society of Grays-Inn.

SECT. II.

After what manner it is that the Church of Rome prays to God through the Merits of Her Saints?

This is the next Point to be considered by us; and thus you establish it.

49. Reply, p. 23.]

You tell us, that the Word Merit is Equi∣vocal, and misapplied by Me: That the Truth of your Doctrine is, I. To reduce all your Prayers to this Form, That God would be pleased not to regard your Unwor∣thiness, but (the Merits of our Redeemer ever supposed) respect the Merits of his Saints also, and for their sakes hear your Prayers, and accept your Sacrifices. II. That this is plainly shewn in your solemn concluding of All your Addresses in this manner, Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Whereby it appears, that you mean no more, than to beg of God Almighty that he would vouchsafe to call to mind the glorious Actions and Sufferings of his Saints, performed in and by his Grace, and upon these Ac∣counts accept you. III. And finally, That for this you have the Authority of the Holy Scripture it self.

50. Answ.] For Answer to which Discourse, I must first desire you to come a little out of the Clouds, and not play with us in ambiguous Terms, whilst you charge Me with it. The word Merit, you say, is Equivocal; and the two Senses you

give it are, First, To signifie that We do by our own Natural force alone deserve the Reward of Grace and Glory. And in which Sense if you pretend that we charge you with pleading your own Merits, you do certainly most falsly accuse us. The other Sense you give the word is, That our Good Works may be said to Merit, because they apply the Merits of Jesus Christ to us, and are the Means by which we attain Eternal Life, in vertue of the Promises of God, and Merits of our Blessed Re∣deemer. In which were you sincere (for all the impropriety of the Speech) yet we should not be far from agreeing with you. But now what is all this, to your praying to God to hear you by the Merits of the Saints? This may do well in its proper Article; but here it serves only to amuse the Reader with that which is nothing to the purpose, that so he may be di∣sposed to forget what you were to prove. Jam dic Posthume de tribus Capellis.

51. You tell us then, in the next Paragraph, That you pray,

that God would not respect your own Unworthiness, but regard the Merits of his Saints, and for their Sakes, i. e. for their Merits, Hear your Prayers, or accept your Sacrifices.

But where then is the Misrepresentation? For this is the very thing we charge you with, viz. That not content to Address your selves to God, in the Name and through the Merits of our ON∣LY Mediator Jesus Christ, you have sought out to your selves other Intercessors, in whose Name, and through whose Merits to offer up both your Prayers and Sacrifices to God. And whether we do not in this very justly accuse you, let your Addresses themselves satisfie the World.

O Blessed John the Baptist, reach out thy Hand to us, and be to us continually a Holy Intercessor, to the Clemency of the most High Judge, that through THY MERITS we may DE∣SERVE to be freed from all Tribulation.

O God! by whose Grace we celebrate the Memories of thy Saints Saturninus and Sisinnius, Grant that by THEIR MERIT we may be helped, through our Lord.

Mercifully accept, O God, our Offerings which we have made unto thee, for the SAKE of the Passion of thy Blessed Martyrs Saturninus and Sisinnius; that by their Intercession they may be made acceptable to thy Majesty.

And in the Breviary of Salisbury, we find this to be a part of the Constant Service:

Be propitious we beseech thee, O Lord, unto us thy Servants, through the glorious Merits of thy Saints whose Reliques are contain'd in this Church; that by their pious Intercession we may be protected in all Adversities.

Grant we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the Merits of thy Saints whose Reliques are contain'd in this Church may protect us, &c.

It were infinite to recount all the other Prayers which run in the same strain throughout all your Offices, insomuch that the very Canon of the Mass is infected with it. I will men∣tion only one Instance more, which is indeed a singular one; not so much because of the Expression of it, wherein the General word of Merit is restrain'd to the particular Merit of his Death, as because it was made to one who died in Actu∣al Rebellion against his Prince; and concerning whom there∣fore it was for some time debated amongst you, Whether he were damn'd or saved?

BY the BLOOD of Thomas (a Becket) which he SHED for THEE, make us to ascend to Heaven whither He is gone.

52. It remains then, that you do recur to the Saints not meerly for their Prayers, but that by their Merits and Inter∣cession they would obtain Grace and Pardon of God for you. This is the Doctrine of your Catechism:

That the Saints help us by their own Merits, and are therefore the rather to be worshipped and invoked, because they both pray continually for the Salvation of Men, and that God bestows many Be∣nefits upon us by their Merit and Favour.

'Tis from hence that the Master of the Sentences interprets your praying for their Intercession, to be the same thing as to pray that by their Merits they would help you. And Aquinas,

We pray to the Saints (says he) not to inform God of our Petitions by them, but that by their PRAYERS and MERITS our Prayers may become effectual. We may say to the Saints (says Card. Bel∣larmine) Save me, or Give me This or That; provided we

understand, Give it me by thy Prayers or Merits.

So that in all this we say no more of you, than what both your Doctrine and Practice warrant us to do.

53. Let us see therefore how you excuse your selves in this Matter. You say,

That your Concluding of all your Prayers Through Jesus Christ our Lord, shews that you desire all at last by his Merits.

But indeed this is but a poor Shift; and as a very Learned Man has long since told you, that Close comes in in your Addresses, much after the same manner that the mention of a certain Sum of Money does in Deeds of Trust, only pro formâ: And you are never the less guilty, for this Conclusion, of what we charge you with, viz. That you join the Merits and Intercession of the Saints, with the Merits and Intercession of Christ for Pardon and Acceptance. And to the end that you may see what sensless Petitions you hereby make to God in these Addresses, I will only take one of your Prayers in the literal meaning of it, and apply it in a plain Para∣phrase to your Pretensions, by way of Petition to some Earthly Prince. Thus then you pray upon the Third of May.

Grant we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who Adore the Nativity of thy Saints, Alexander, &c. may by their In∣tercession be deliver'd from all Evils that hang over us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now changing only the Names, this, according to your Ex∣position, will be the Paraphrase of it.

I beseech your Sacred Majesty that you would vouchsafe to pardon my Offences against you, and deliver me from those Evils that hang over me for them, at the Intercession of your Lord Chancellor, &c. and in Honour of this his Birth∣day; and that for the Sake of the Prince your Son, our Royal Lord and Master.

In this extravagant Petition, the very Transcript of the fore∣going Prayer, he must be blind who sees not that the Conclu∣sion of it, for the Princes sake, &c. is very impertinent, and does not at all hinder but that the Request is formally made by the Interest of my Lord Chancellor, and in Honour of his Birth∣day:

And therefore that notwithstanding this Conclusion (which is really the Remains of your Old Forms, before ever any New Intercessors were put into them) you remain justly chargeable with what I accused you of, That you make the Saints joint Intercessors with Christ to God; and desire not only through his Merits, but by theirs also, to obtain your Requests.

54. As for your last Pretence of Holy Scripture for this Pra∣ctice, it is every jot as little to the purpose in this, as I have shewn it to be in the foregoing Point.

1.

God tells Isaac (say you) that he would bless him, for his Father Abrahams sake. Moses, praying for the Peo∣ple, desires God to remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, i. e.

Because God, in pursuance of his Covenant made with Abra∣ham, blessed his Son, and Moses put him in mind of that Co∣venant, to appease his Anger, that he should not destroy the Israelites; Therefore it is lawful now to pray to God not only by the Merits of Christ (the only Mediator of God's Covenant with us) but also of the Saints too, for Pardon and Salvation

2.

God, in remembrance of his Promise made to David, shew'd Mercy unto Solomon for his Sake: Therefore Solomon might have urged to God the Merits of David for Pardon of his Sins; and therefore we (who have another, and better, and only Advocate) may address to God by the Merits and Intercession of the Saints for Forgiveness.

I wonder you did not put in the City Jerusalems Merits too, to prove that we may not only pray through the Merits of the Saints, but of their Cities also: For the Text seems as express in this, as in the other: I Kings xi. 32.

But he shall have one Tribe for my Servant David's sake, and for Jerusulems sake, the City which I have chosen out of all the Tribes of Israel

3. What you mean by your last Passage, I must confess I cannot divine; unless you think that because Elijah, who was sent by God's express Command to make a Proof of his Divi∣nity before all the People of Israel, who were gone after Baal, began his Prayer with that usual Character of his being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; it was therefore through their Merits that the Fire came down from Heaven, and burnt up his Sacrifice.

Notes

• Reply, sect. xviii. p. 23, 24.
• Reply, p. 24.
• Breviarium in usum Sarum in Servit. B. Virg. par. 2.
• Missal. Rom. p. 367.
• Mornay de la Messe, p. 826. Saumur, 1604.
• Catech. Trid. par. iij. p 256. de Invoc SS. n. 24. tit. Sa••∣cti suis Meritis nos adjuvant.
• Aquin. 22dae. q. 83. art. 4.
• Bellarm. de Bear. SS. l. 1. c. 17.
• Dr. Jackson, Tom. 1. p. 941.
• Idem. ib.
• Reply, p. 25.
• Reply, ib.
• Reply, ib.