of the people to the divine majefty; but in the holy place, within the vail, none but the high-priest was to do any office or fervice: even fo in the tabernacle of this world, every chriftian being a priest to God, has this honour conferred upon him; but in the holy of holies, in heaven, none but Christ, our high-priest, is to officiate. He only is there to appear in the prefence of God for us. It is his prerogative alone to receive our prayers, and prefent them to the divine majefty. As none but the high-priest was to offer incenfe in the boly of holies, fo none in heaven but Chrift our high-prieft is to offer our prayers to God his father. He alone is that angel to whom much incenfe was given, that he should offer it with the prayers of all faints, upon the golden altar that was before the throne. (Rev. viii. 3.) Which alludes to the altar that was before the mercy-feat, on which the high-priest only was to offer incenfe. But the catholic may fay perhaps, that as on earth, men do not presently run to kings to prefent their requests, but obtain his favours by the mediation of courtiers and favou rites; even fo, it is fitting we have recourfe to faints, who are favourites in heaven, that we may obtain access to God, and have our suits accepted of him. Thus have I heard fome learned men of the church of Rome argue. They fhould confider, however, in the first place, place, that if an earthly prince had declared he would have no follicitor but his fon, and that all favours and royal graces fhould come to his fubjects through his hands, and by means of his mediation; fuch fubjects could deferve no favour, if they make their application to other favourites, contrary to their prince's command.In the next place, if the fol licitor, the Jon, was out of the question, and no fuch one had been declared by the king, yet as we petition earthly princes by fuch as enjoy their prefence, because they cannot give audience to all their fubjects, nor do they know the worthy; but God is omniprefent, his ears always open, and his head bowed down to the prayers of his people; is no respecter of perfons, but gives a like access to the beggar as to the prince, and promises to caft out none that make their application to him; it follows of confequence, that we ought to addrefs ourselves immediately to God, and afk from him. If an earthly prince should thus invite his fubjects to petition him for the fupply of their wants, I fhould account the man no better than a fool or a madman, who would apply himself to any of the king's favourites. The conclufion is; O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee fhall all flesh come. (Pf Ixv. 2.) Since God, who is infinite in mercy, omniprefent, and omnipotent in wisdom and action, admits every man to the throne of 3 grace, grace, bids him afk in the name of Jefus Christ, and promises, whatever we afk in his Son's name, he will do it.Since the practice of praying to faints is injurious to Chrift, and doth manifeftly rob him of his royal prerogative, which is to be the one, and only mediator betwixt God and man; for in this office, he hath no fearers or partners, according to the fcripture account: As God is but one, and there is no other; fo the mediator (by the appointment of God) is but one, and there is, there can be no other (4)--And fince, exclufive of these unalterable things, the Roman doctors cannot be certain, that faints in heaven hear the requests of fuppliants on earth, or know whether our prayers are fit to be accepted of God (5); let us reject that unlawful practice, the invocation of faints, and (4) Quid tam proprium Chrifti quam advocatum apud deum patrum adftare populorum. (Ambrof. in Pfal. 39.)-Pro quo nullus interpellat fed ipfe pro omnibus, hic unus verufque inediator eft. (Aug. Cont. Parmen. 1. 2. c. 8. (5) The Roman doctors fay, the faints know the tranfactions that are done here below, by revelation or intuition. To this I answer, if it is by revelation, that they know our requests and prayers to them, then it must be either from God or from angels; of which there is not the leaft affurance or certainty to be any where found; but if we could be fure of it, then, in my opinion, we ought to pray to God or angels to make known our prayers to faints; which would be ftrange religion. -If it be by intuition, as the greateft part of the doctor's fay, and pray for pardon and grace (as the gofpel directs) to God the judge of all, through Jefus Chrift the mediator of the new covenant. This do, and thou fhalt live. N. B. Who was the author of these good remarks, these friars could not tell me; as they were in the book when they bought it. If I mistake not, they are an abstract from a letter of Bishop Barlow to Mr. Evelyn, with feveral additions. I have not Bishop Barlow's works by me; but I think I have feen fomething to this purpose, written by this prelate about one hundred years ago. fay, and that the faints fee the requests in the divine effence, as men fee things in a corporeal glafs; then, (exclufive of anfwering that the fcriptures fay no fuch thing) the faints muft fee all things in the divine effence, or only fuch things as God is pleased to permit them to fee: if all things, they would be omniscient: if only the things permitted to be seen, how is it poffible for us to know whether God is pleased to permit them to fee therein our prayers, or to know the requests we make to them, unless he had told us fo. Let it be revelation or intuition, it is fad ftuff. SECTION III. Say why was man so eminently rais'd "Amid the vaft creation; why ordain'd "Through life and death to dart his piercing eye, "With thoughts beyond the limits of his frame; "But that th' omnipotent might fend him forth "In fight of mortal and immortal powers, "As on a boundless theatre, to run "The great career of juftice; to exalt "His gen'rous aim to all diviner deeds; "To shake each partial purpose from his breaft; "And thro' the mifts of paflion and of fenfe, "And thro' the toffing tide of chance and pain, "To hold his courfe unfault'ring, while the voice "Of truth and virtue, up the fteep afcent "Of nature, calls him to his high reward, "Th' applauding fmile of heav'n? Elfe wherefore "burns In mortal bofoms this unquenched hope, That breathes from day to day fublimer things, "And mocks poffeffion? Wherefore darts the mind With fuch refiftlefs ardor to embrace "Majeftic forms; impatient to be free, April 8, §. I. 1729, we leave the ΤΗ 'HE eighth of April, 1729, Ibid the Ivonites adieu, and by their religious, directions walked up a very fteep and ftony ceed in the mountain, which took me two hours, and journey. then arrived at what I had often feen before and pro in this part of the world, a great lake, the 2 water |