to avoid sin because it will offend an angel, without saying because it will offend God; to take care not to be the cause of the little one's fall because it will be resented by it sangel, for that angel sees the face of God? And what is intimated in these latter words, but that angels have influence with God, and that they will bring down judgments upon you if you do offend these little ones? Otherwise, what is the meaning of this connexion, that establishes this link between God and these little ones, and saying, the little ones must not be hurt because their angels see God; except to show, that the consequence natural to be drawn is, that they will interpose with God, and bring signal judgments upon the head of the offender? And what is this but establishing the connexion of which I have spoken-of sympathy, and of sympathy in a way of intercession and protection, over mankind? But int he Apocalypse we have it expressed in a still stronger manner: we there read of “perfumes, which are the prayers of saints :" we find that the angel stands beside the throne of God, and pours out delicious fragrant odours, which again comprehend the prayers of saints. What does all this signify, but that saints and angels do present prayers to God, and do come before him as intercessors in our names?

In all this, therefore, we have it proved, in the first place, that saints and angels know what passes upon earth; that they are aware of what we do; for otherwise they could not rejoice in anything that befalls us, or resent any thing that we do. In the second place, we have it sufficiently proved, that the saints do more than know and interest themselves about us; that they actually present our prayers to God, and that they intercede in our behalf with him.

Here then is the basis, and a strong one, of Catholic belief; such a basis as assuredly should give rise to some doctrine to be found in the new religion. Now where is it found in those religions that reject and exclude all the intercession of saints, all intercourse between the faithful here below, and their brethren who are already in bliss? Assuredly these texts prove something? What do they prove for any religion beside the Catholic? What doctrine is maintained, is taught, is hereby demonstrated? For every thing that is in the word of God is truth, and is a rule of faith. Such clear testimonies as these, regarding the intercourse between mankind and the blessed, must form the subject of a doctrine, and where is that doctrine found? No where, my brethren, but in the Catholic rule, that prayers are offered for us by saints; and its necessary consequence, that therefore you must apply to them for their supplications.

Now to establish this point more fully, it is necessary to look into the doctrines of the church from the very earliest ages. I can have only one fear, one motive for hesitation, in laying before you the pas sages upon this subject. It is not that I should weary you by attempt

ing to give them all, for that is the case with regard to almost every doctrine which I have endeavoured to support by Scripture tradition, or by the testimony of the fathers. In every one I have been obliged to suppress a much greater number than those adduced, and to content myself with only a few specimens. That is not the reason. The motive, the apprehension which I have, in recording the authority of the fathers is, that their expressions are so much stronger than those used by Catholics, that there is danger of their appearing to prove even too much, and that they go beyond us; and, consequently, if we are to be considered idolaters for our belief, God knows what term is to be found to qualify their expressions.

But let us begin now with the very earliest ages of the church; and we will not take merely an ambiguous word, we will take the simplest and most natural expression of the early Christian's feelings. Every part of Rome is undermined with catacombs, in which the bodies of saints and martyrs were deposited after their death. The tombs are, some of them, as yet sealed up and unbroken, some with inscriptions, and with a palm-branch on them. On many of such it is said, “Here reposes" [such an one] "a martyr of Christ." We have phials fastened into the walls of their tombs, which are the vaults of the catacombs, in which are sponges or sediment still stained with the colour of their blood, and the very instruments of torment are constantly found in them. Assuredly these were men that knew Christianity; that knew what was due to Christ for whom they died; who were fully convinced, that there was nothing upon earth that was to be preferred to him, and that there was no creature that could pretend to one particle of the honour that was reserved for himself. Assuredly, we cannot want purer, or more satisfactory testimonies, to what Christ instituted, than that of those who died to seal the truth. We cannot want persons better imbued with the spirit of Christianity, than those who are ready to lay down their lives to defend it. Let us see, then, among them, what was their belief regarding their brethren, when they deposited them in these tombs, and sealed them up, and inscribed upon them their regrets or their hopes. Nothing is more common than to find supplications, that they would pray for them to God, a prayer that they would intercede with God. In the year 1694 was found, a remarkable tomb of the martyr Sabbatius: upon it was inscribed, on one side, the palm-branch, the emblem of martyrdom, and on the other the wreath or crown given to the victorious champion; and the inscription is this: Sabbatius, sweet soul, pray and intercede for thy brethren and comrades”—a prayer then to the martyr, that he would intercede for his brethren on earth. In the cemetery of Callixtus is another inscription of some antiquity, which runs thus: "Atticus, thy spirit is in bliss: pray for thy parents." We have another in these words: "Jovianus,

you live, or may you live, in God: pray for us." In that of Priscilla we have another very touching and beautiful one, as it is in the original: “Analtolinus, to his well-deserving son, who lived seven years. May thy spirit rest in God, and pray for thy sister." We find, not to multiply examples, that Marini has given another inscription from an ancient catacomb, which is this, "Pray for us, because we know that thou art in Christ." These are all inscriptions from martyrs' tombs, during the very first centuries of Christianity, when men were ready to die for the faith of Christ. These were inscribed upon them by those who saw them suffering, and who would, perhaps, be next in their turn to lay down their lives for the Redeemer; and yet they did not think, that by calling upon the martyrs to pray for them, they were derogating from the honour of God, or the mediatorship of Christ, and they had no scruple in entreating them to offer up their prayers to God on their behalf.

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If, from these monuments, which are of great interest, because they exist now as they did then, and cannot have been subject to the slightest change, we descend to the recorded opinions of the fathers, we have precisely the same sentiment; and what I wish particularly to observe, in the passages to which I shall refer, are these circumstances. In the first place, they directly ask the saints to pray for them. In the second place, they mention the way in which the saints of God are to assist them, through their intercession. In the third place, they make use of expressions, apparently expecting from the saints themselves, that assistance which was to come from God. They do not simply say, Pray for us," "intercede for us ;" but, "deliver us, free us, grant us this:" not that they believed the saints could do it, but that in common parlance, in common language, nothing is more usual than to ask directly from an intercessor, that which you believe his influence may obtain. I mention this, because it is often charged upon Catholics, that they are in the habit of asking of the blessed Virgin and the saints for blessings, as if they could grant them; while Catholics maintain, that these are only methods of speech, that they signify nothing more, than that these blessings can be obtained through the intercession of these saints. In the fourth place, I would particularly remark, how they distinguish, precisely as Catholics do, between the worship due to God, and the worship and homage due to saints, using even the self-same terms as Catholics do.

In the third century we have several of the fathers speaking on this subject, but I shall allude to two principally; one from the Greek, and one from the Latin church. Origen says, " Who can doubt that our holy fathers aid us by their prayers, and strengthen and excite us by the example of their actions, as also by the writings they have left; and therein teaching and instructing us how to fight against the adversaries :

thus they fight for us by their prayers, and advance before us by their example." Again he says, "Of all the holy men we may be allowed to say, that they are anxious for our salvation, and that they assist us by their prayers, and by their mediation with God?-their mediation with God, not interfering with the mediatorship of Christ." I need introduce no more passages from him.

But again, St. Cyprian says, "Let us be mindful of one another in our prayers, in this world and in the next; let us always pray with charity; and may the charity of him, who, by the divine favour, shall first depart hence, still persevere before the Lord; may his prayer before the Lord, for our brethren and sisters, not cease."

In the fourth century Eusebius says, "May we be found worthy by the prayers and intercessions of all the saints." But in the same century St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, speaking of the worship of the church in the Liturgy says, "We next commemorate those who have gone before us, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs; begging, that through their prayers, God would receive our supplications."

St. Basil, one of the most eloquent and learned writers of that century, expresses himself in much stronger, warmer, in much more enthusiastic terms. In a panegyric upon forty martyrs he speaks thus:

Often have you toiled to gain one intercessor; you have now forty, all uttering one common prayer. Who is oppressed by care flies to their aid, as does the prosperous, the first to seek their prayers, and the second to pray for its continuance; O ye common guardians of the human race! Most powerful messengers, stars of the world, and flowers of Churches, let us join our prayers with yours!"

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Another father of this century, remarkable for being the oldest writer, and the oldest father that we have in the oriental churches, employs expressions upon this subject, which are really so exceedingly strong, that I am sure any Catholic now-a-days would feel a certain delicacy or difficulty in making use of them in prayer, from the idea that it would be considered offensive to persons of another religion; he goes so much beyond the terms we are accustomed to employ. For example, he says, I entreat you, O holy martyrs, who suffered so much for the Lord, that you would intercede for us with him, that he may bestow his grace upon us." Here you have simply his prayer to the saints, asking for their intercession, just as Catholics pray at present. But we fly to thy patronage, O holy mother of God; protect and guard us under the wings of thy mercy and kindness." The very form of prayer, only much stronger, which has been quoted again and again, especially in different itinerant discourses that have been made against us. "From the beginning of the Litany:"-this is St. Ephrem, three hundred years after Christ;-" Most merciful God! through the intercession of all the saints, show pity to thy creature; I

implore the intercession of the saints, and that they shall be heard I doubt not; I implore all the prophets, Noah, David, and Job; but I may be rejected, I fear, like those iniquitous Israelites, of whom the Lord said to Jeremiah, pray not for this people." There are innumerable passages much stronger. I will read one passage which I had principally in view in the remarks I made concerning him. He says, in one of the many prayers found in his works, addressed to the blessed virgin," In thee, patroness and mediatrix with God, who was born of thee, the human race placeth its joy: behold, I also come to thee, not having courage to approach thy Son; but imploring, that through thy intercession, I may obtain salvation: despise not thy servant, reject him not; but thou who art compassionate, and the mother of the merciful God, have mercy on thy servant." These are stronger expressions than are used, or would be used, by Catholics now; yet this saint is not only considered to this day, as the brightest ornament of all the Syrian and Oriental churches, but is referred to as such, not by Catholics alone, but by several other sects, which have separated from our communion. He was the bosom-friend of St. Gregory and St. Basil, the most eminent ornaments of the church, and he is always spoken of with the greatest possible affection and reverence. He was a man of distinguished virtue, and was so humble, that he would never advance beyond the order of a deacon of the church of Edessa. I will read you another passage, showing that other great saints agreed with him; for St. Gregory, of Nyssa, writing his life, thus addresses him after his death: "Do thou now, being present at God's altar, and with his angels, offering sacrifice to the Prince of life and most Holy Trinity, remember us, begging for us the pardon of our sins:" so that this doctrine was then as much in one portion of the church as in another— the Greek, the Latin or oriental church. St. Gregory, of Nazianzum, says, speaking of his deceased friend St. Basil, "Now, indeed, he is in heaven; there, if I mistake not, offering up sacrifices for us, pouring out prayers for his people: for he has not deserted us; and do thou, O holy Spirit, look down upon us, and when we shall depart hence, receive us then into thy society, that we may receive the reward of the labours we have borne." St. Gregory, the brother of St. Basil, uses similar expressions also on the death of his brother. I must pass over many exceedingly strong passages, but hear St. Ambrose : "Other intercessors were therefore necessary: the angels, who were appointed to be our guardians, must be invoked, and the martyrs likewise; they who, by their blood, washed away every stain, can implore blessings for us; to them, therefore, we have recourse."

To show how they drew the distinction, as Catholics do, St. Gregory observes, "We adore not the martyrs, but we show honour to them ; we worship not men, but we admire them; we deposit their remains in