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practices drawn from the writings of the fathers, it may be stated, that the authority of the Fathers avails nothing when opposed to the spirit and letter of the sacred Scriptures. It is said by St. Paul, that if "an angel from heaven preach

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any other gospel than that which we have "preached unto you, let him be accursed."* This passage shows how little we ought to regard the authority of men in matters of faith. It is not to be denied, that the Fathers of the fifth and sixth centuries were deeply tinctured with superstition, and favoured the invocation of saints; but this is not to be wondered at, when we consider what St. Paul says in his 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians, ii. 7. "For the mystery of ini"quity doth already work." If the spirit of antichrist was at work even in the days of the apostles, it is not at all a matter of surprise that idolatry which forms so principal a part of the work of antichrist should have made its appearance in the church at a very early period. But in truth, the authority of the Fathers possesses no greater weight in support of the idolatry of Papal Rome, than the example of Aaron did in favour of the sin of Israel when he at their de

* Gal. i. 9,

sire made the golden calf. To show that some of the Fathers of the fifth and sixth centuries favoured the practice of saint invocation is only proving in other words that the apostasy or falling away predicted by St. Paul, had begun then to take place.

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Having concluded what I had to offer on the arguments of Mr. Calderbank, in defence of the worship of saints, before I close this chapter, I shall quote a passage from a Catholic writer, the learned translator of the history of the Council of Trent, by Fra Paolo Sarpi, to show that in the opinion of enlightened Catholics saint worship has in practice been carried almost the length of idolatry. His words are, "The manner in which "the church invokes the saints cannot be ac"counted idolatry, although the ignorant people "has sometimes carried the abuse almost as far "as idolatry, either in considering the saints as "the authors of the favours which they ask, or "in placing more confidence in their mediation, “than even in that of Jesus Christ, or finally in 'persuading themselves, that independently of "a good life, the merits and intercessions of

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*Exod. xxxii. 7-24.

"the saints might enable them to obtain sal"vation."*

Now it may be observed, that as the gospel of Jesus Christ was originally described both by its Divine Author and his apostles, as peculiarly adapted for the poor; † the system of the church of Rome which is thus easily abused by the ignorant people, and carried to the borders of idolatry, even by the confession of some of its own members; must be a spurious gospel.-Let its ministers then ponder the awful words of the apostle Paul in Galatians i. 8.

Histoire du Concile de Trente Traduite en Francois Par

P. F. Le Courayer, Tome II. P. 646, Note.

+ Matt. xi. 5. 1 Cor. i. 26-28. James ii. 5.

CHAPTER IV.

THE WORSHIP OF IMAGES BY THE CHURCH OF ROME,
PROVED TO BE IDOLATRY.

THE second position which I laid down respecting the idolatry of the Church of Rome, and which I am now called upon to illustrate by a reference to her authorised formularies and Catechisms is as follows: "The honour and worship which the Papists pay to the images of Christ and the "saints are contrary to the second commandment, "and therefore are direct and gross idolatry."

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It is necessary, however, to introduce that which I have to offer on this subject, by stating that what Protestants term the second commandment, is by the Romish Church considered as a part of the first, and to make up the whole number of ten, this Church has divided the tenth commandment into two. Further, in order to conceal from the people the danger and sin of worshipping images, this idolatrous church has in many of her Catechisms drawn up for públic instruction, entirely suppressed and left out all that part of what she calls the first commandment, which

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answers to the second commandment in our formularies.

The ten commandments are recorded in two different passages of Scripture, the 20th chapter of Exodus and the 5th of Deuteronomy, though with some variations of expression. As it is necessary for the illustration of my subject, I shall here give them at full length as they stand in the first of these passages, viz. Exod. xx.-" I am the "Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of "the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any grav"en image, or any likenesss of any thing that is "in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, "or that is in the water under the earth: Thou "shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor "serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous

God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon "the children unto the third and fourth genera❝tion of them that hate me; and shewing mercy "unto thousands of them that love me, and keep commandments.

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3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord "thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him "guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

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