CHAP. XXI.
Of Saints Canoniz'd excepted against by the Do∣ctor. Of his untrue quotations. Of his Mistake concerning the Multitude of Holydayes.
AFter this long digression I return to my task im∣posed on me, and needs must say a word of our Doctors quotations. I find in his pag. 132. S. Austin cited Page 155 for this excellent truth; Tutius, & incundius loquar ad meum Jesum quam ad aliquem Sanctorum Spiri∣tuum Dei: I'le speak more safely and more chearfully to my Lord Jesus, then to any of the Saints or Spirits of God. And 'tis worthily spoken, but where find we this? The Doctor points us to S. Austin, Visitatione Minorum Sept. S. Aug. what this Sept. S. Aug. signifies no man knows, and less know I where to find Visitat Mi∣norum. Perhaps it is an error of the Printer. However these words are in S. Austin's 9th Tome lib 2. de Visita∣tione Infirmorum, (not Minorum) cap. 2. which no way exclude praying to Saints, but manifestly suppose it. Tutius, & Iucundius clear all, and render this Sence, 'Tis good and safe to pray to Saints, but our Lord Je∣sus is eminently above them, and therefore more safely and chearfully we pray to Jesus.
Page 133. he cites Cardinal Bessarion apud Bodin, undervaluing certain Saints; and our Doctor gives you a list of them thus, S. Fingar, S. Anthony of Pa∣dua, S. Christopher, Charles Borromeus, Ignatius Loy∣ola, Xaverius, then deceitfully adds, and many others, of whom, saith the Doctor, Bessarion complained, that many of them were such persons whose life he could not approve, &c. observe here first, the Context of our Doctor, and how he cheats his Reader, whom he would have believe, that beside many others, Bessarion reproved the life of S. Fingar, S. Anthony of Padua, S. Charles Borromeus, S. Ignatius Loyola, and S. Xave∣rius, yet these three last blessed men were not in the world when Bessarion lived; for he quitted this mor∣tal life Anno Domini 1472. 2. I affirm that our Do∣ctor shall never shew out of Bessarion, that he unsaints any approved for Sanctity by the Roman Catholick Page 156 Church. S. Fingar (though some say) S. Anselm accounted him a blessed man was never yet canoni∣zed; and I wonder what our Doctor hath against S. Christopher of whom little is known. Certainly, (for I have run sl•ightly over some works of Bessarion) this Grecian Bishop and Cardinal, employed in so many Embassies as we read of, troubled not himself to cavil either with S. Christopher, or S. Anthony of Padua. 3. Our Doctor deals not wel with his Reader, for he should for Bessarions assertion have remitted him to the Cardinals own book, and not to Bodinus. or Iohn Pudding, a man of Atheistical Principles, whose authority with the judicious is altogether as little as the Doctor's. Bodinus his Republick I have, but yet cannot get a sight of his Method. Historica to which the Doctor remits me.
Next he cites Augustinus Triumphus de Ancona affirming, that all, who are canonized by the Pope, cannot be said to be in Heaven. And where find we this assertion of Triumphus? in two places, answers our Doctor, viz. quaest. 14. ad quartum, and quaest. 17. ad quartum. Observe here the Doctors ignorance; For, (to say nothing of his unskilfull omitting the Article) these two quotations ad quartum are the Authours Objections, not his resolution. The reso¦lution follows, no way asserting what the Doctor saith, but contrary thus: That the Pope, in canoni∣zing a Saint by the exterior evidence he hath of his Sanctity, cannot err; Although, saith this Authour, neither Pope, nor Church can know certainly, per certi∣tudinem causae, by the certainty of the cause, that all canonized possess beatitude. He saith, per certitudi∣nem causae, because God, who only endues a Soul Page 157 with Charity causaliter, is only conscious, that it is enriched with this gift. The Pope and Church know not this causaliter, but by the effects of Charity shew∣ed to the world: Therefore saith Anconitanus quaest. 14. cit. art. 4. Ad prim. dicendum, quod licet Papa non possit scire, per certitudinem causae, &c. we say al∣though the Pope cannot know, by the certitude of the cause, that a Saint whom he canonizeth had Charity, yet he knows it by effects, to wit, by works famous and spoken of him; quia probatio charitatis, exhibitio est operis; the proofs of Charity, are good works, and this is enough whereby he may judge, &c. Thus Anconitanus.
To what the Doctor adds of some reputed Saints for a time, and afterwards burnt for Hereticks. I Answer. The Objection is frivolous, for no one cano∣nized, or, universally honoured as a Saint by the Ca∣tholick Church was ever thus dealt with. Though no wonder it is, that a meer cheat gain for a time an opinion of Sanctity with men over credulous, and afterward have his vizard pulled off, and Hypocri∣sy disclosed.
The Doctor ends his ninth Section pag. 134. with a pittifull complaint against the multitude of Holy∣dayes in the Church of Rome, and saith out of Ga∣vantus, that there are about two hundred Holy dayes in the whole year, which is an intolerable burthen to the poor labourer, that on the rest he can scarce earn his bread, besides much superstition and licentiousness that fellows such disorderly festivities. Answ. The ignorance of our Doctor is more then intolerable, who neither understands Gavantus, nor the practice of our Church. Strange it is, that he also complained not of two hun∣dred Page 158 fasting dayes answerable to these holydayes, much weakning the labouring man, and consequent∣ly, that the year hath more fasts and feasts in it, then dayes: This later is as true, as what the Doctor tells us of two hundred holydayes. Let him therefore know, that all these holydayes which Gavantus calls feasts, or are placed in the Calender in red letters, are not dayes of precept, obliging poor labourers to desist from servile work, but are styled feasts upon this ac∣count, that the Church keeps a memory of so many blessed Saints in order with Office, and Mass. More then the most of them hinder no manual work, nor lay any obligation on the labouring man. Hence his argument of ease and licentiousness accompanying these festivities is made null. Only thus much it proves, that one may innocently smile at the Doctors skill in what he writes against.
