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LETTER X.

VIEW OF THE ROMAN-CATHOLIC SYSTEM.

SIR,

THE title which you give to the chapter of your work, which I have now to consider, is, "View of "the Papal System:" The words popery, papal and papist being particularly offensive to roman catholics, in the sense in which these words are generally used by our adversaries, I have altered it, by substituting the word "roman-catholic" for the word "papal." In the oath, which the legisla ture has prescribed to us, we are styled "roman"catholics." On this account it has always been a rule with me, to denote, in my publications, the religious denomination of christians to which I belong, by the appellation of " roman-catholics."

But, is it not in strictness entitled to this honourable appellation? Speaking of the arians, St. Augustine observes, that "they called theirs the "catholic church, and wished others so to call it. "But," continues this great man," if any stranger " comes into their cities, and inquires of them for "a catholic church, to which churches do they "themselves point? Certainly not to their own."— May I not ask, whether, if a stranger were to inquire, even from a prelate of your church, where the catholics assembled for divine worship, he would point to his own cathedral, or to any of his parochial churches? Would he not point to the place of wor

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ship in which those, whom the law terms romancatholics are used to assemble? Would not the same answer be given if the inquiry was made of any protestant in any other condition of life? Would not this be the case all over the world? And does it not incontrovertibly show the universal feelings of persons of every creed, that mine is the church, catholic, or the church, universally diffused?

Under the numerous heads of,-I. Devotion to the Virgin Mary, the saints and angels, and respect to the cross, and the relics of the saints:-II. Purgatory, and prayers for the dead:-III. Auricular confession and indulgences :-IV. Grace and freewill:V. Transubstantiation :-And VI. The authority of the pope :-I shall take successively into consideration, the principal subjects upon which you criminate the roman-catholics in your tenth chapter. A controversial discussion of any of these topics would be misplaced in this publication: all that I shall attempt will be, to state, in the shortest manner possible, the doctrine of the roman-catholic church on these different heads, accompanying them with short remarks. I shall close my letter with some general observations.

X. I..

Devotion to the Virgin Mary and the Saints,respect to the Cross, and to the Relics of the Saints.

1. "The saints, reigning with Christ, offer up "their prayers to God for man. It is a good and "useful supplication to invoke them; and to have

" recourse to their prayers, help and assistance to "obtain favours from God, through his Son Jesus. "Christ our Lord, above, who is our Redeemer

and Saviour." This is the decree of the council of Trent-The catechism, published in pursuance of its decrees, teaches, that "God and the saints " are not to be prayed to in the same manner; for "we pray to God that He himself would give us "good things, and deliver us from evil things: "but we beg of the saints, because they are pleasing to God, that they would be our advocates, "and obtain from God what we stand in need

"oft." Consult Bossuet's Exposition of Faith, under this article; read the catechisms, which we successively put into the hands of children, youth, and persons grown up examine all our writers, either profound or popular, you will meet with the same doctrine. Open our prayer books, you will find, that, when we address God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, or the Holy Trinity, we say to them, "Have mercy on us;" and that, when we address the blessed Virgin, the saints, or the angels,—the descent is infinite,-and we say to them, Pray for us.

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What do we think of those, who give to the Virgin Mary, to the saints, or to the angels, the honour due to God? Open Mr. Gother's "Papist Misrepresented," abridged by doctor Challoner, -the editions of which abridgment are countless,you will find in them these strong expressions:

* Sess. xxv. de Invocatione Sanctorum,

Part iv. Quis Orandus.

"Cursed is he that believes the saints in heaven "to be his redeemers; that prays to them as such; or that gives God's honour to them, or to any "creature whatsoever. Amen." "Cursed is every "goddess-worshipper, that believes the blessed

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Virgin Mary to be any more than a creature; "that worships her, or puts his trust in her, more "than in God; that believes she is above her Son, or that she can, in any thing, command Him. "Amen."

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Does not the Greek church; do not all the oriental churches, which separated from the church of Rome, before the Reformation, invoke the Virgin Mary, the other saints, and the angels ? Does not Martin Luther* exclaim, "Who can deny that God "works great miracles at the tombs of the saints? "I therefore, with the whole catholic church, hold, "that the saints are to be honoured and invoked "by us. Let no one omit to call upon the blessed "Virgin, the angels, and saints, that they may in& tercede for them at the hour of death." Do not several distinguished divines of your church maintain the same doctrine? Is it not approved by Leibniz †? Finally, does not doctor Thorndike † warn his brethren "not to lead people by the nose "to believe, that they can prove papists to be "idolaters, when they cannot."

In his letters to Spalatinus, and his treatise de Purgatione quorundem, and in his Preparatio ad Mortem.

+ Exposition de la Systême de Leibniz sur la Religion. Paris, 8vo. 1819, p. 161.

Just Weights and Measures, p. 10.

Then permit me to ask, whether the authorities which I have cited, do not give a true and clear exposition of the doctrine of the catholic church, upon this important subject?-Whether the doctrine be idolatrous or superstitious?—Whether the practice of it do not fill the mind with soothing reflections? With thoughts that increase charity and animate piety? You cannot find a virtuous catholic, who will not own to you, that he considers' the hours, thus spent by him, to be among the most pleasing of his life.

2. Pursuing the same method, in respect to the cross and relics of the saints, I shall transcribe the decree of the council of Trent upon them:

Although the images of Christ, the Virgin "Mother of God, and the other saints, are to be

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kept and retained, particularly in churches, and “due honour and veneration paid to them, yet we "are not to believe, that there is any divinity or power in them, for which we respect them, or that any thing is to be asked from them, or that "trust is to be placed in them, as the heathens "of old trusted in their idols." Consult all the authors mentioned in the former part of this letter, you will find the same language. Open our catechisms, you will find it asked, "May we pray to "relics or images?" You will find it answered, "No! by no means, for they have no life or sense "to hear or help us." Then, open Gother's Papist Misrepresented," you will read, "Cursed "is he that commits idolatry, that prays to images or relics, or worships them for God."