to know all Men, that is, the Hearts of all Men; for he (m) knew from the Beginning, who they were that believed not, and who should betray him; and did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all Men. Or, as Mofes fays to God, (n) Let the Lord, the God of the Spirits of all Flesh, that is, that knows the Thoughts of all Mens Hearts; or, as David tells his Son Solomon, That (0) God fearcheth all Hearts, and understandeth all Imaginations of the Thoughts; and in the hundred and thirty-ninth Pfalm, in the old Verfion, that (p) God understandeth our Thoughts long before, or as it is in the new Verfion, that he understandeth our Thoughts afar off; by which must be meant, that God knows the Thoughts of our Hearts, even before we know them ourselves; which furely will not be affirmed of any Angel, Saint, Devil, or infallible POPE! But moft exprefsly to this Purpofe is that Paffage in the incomparable Prayer of Solomon at the Dedication of the Temple, where, fpeaking to God, he says, (q) For thou, even thou only knoweft the Hearts of all the Children of Men. Since then the Knowledge of the Heart is in Scripture only attributed to the three Persons in the glorious Trinity, as properly belonging to them, they only are worthy to have our Truft and Confidence placed in them; and to receive our Adorations, Prayers, and Thankfgivings! Whenever therefore we offer them up to any Saint or Angel, or Soul departed (who (m) John vi. 64. 9. (n) Numb. xxvii. 16. (p) Pfalm cxxxix. 1, 2. 2 Chron. vi. 30. are are all allowed to be Creatures) we place that Reliance, Truft and Confidence in a Creature, which belongs to the Creator only; which cannot be any Thing less than Idolatry. The Excufe that is made by moft Papifts for this Practice, is the fame that was made to me by one of their Padres, when I was my fecond Voyage in China, viz. That they pray to Saints, &c. only in a mediatorial Way, that they may pray to God for them; becaufe being vile Duft and Ashes, and grievous Sinners, they are afraid to approach before the Throne of God without fome Saint, &c. to mediate their Admiffion, and as it were to be their Inductors; after the Cuftom practifed here to great Princes, into whofe Prefence no Perfons are fo bold as to run themfelves without being introduced by fome of his Courtiers: But (as I told the Padre) this is not only Will-worfhip without Warrant from Scripture, but is difhonourable to Chrift, and exprefsly contrary to the Directions given us in the New Teftament, to apply ourfelves to none but him, who hath told us, That (r) whofoever cometh to him, he will in no wife caft out; and has further affured us, That he himself would go and prepare a Place for us; and that he is not only the Truth and the Life, but alfo the Way; and that (s) no Man cometh to the Father, but by him; and St. John has told us, That when (t) any Man fins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous, who is the Pro (r) John vi. 37. xiv. 3. (s) John xiv. 6. pitiation pitiation for our Sins; and the Apostle to the Hebrews fays, That (u) Christ was made like unto his Brethren, that he might thereby make Reconciliation for us; and thereupon advises and encourages us, That (x) feeing we have a great High Prieft, Jefus the Son of God, who is paffed into the Heavens, we fhould go boldly (not stay till we are introduced by fome Saint, &c.) to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy. And St. Paul has in another Place told us, That (y) because or by means of Christ's Death he is the Mediator of the New Teftament (or Covenant of Grace, Forgiveness, or Mercy) for the Redemption of the Tranfgreffions of those, who were under the First Teftament (the Covenant of Works, or Obfervance of the Law). And that Chrift is the only Mediator between God and Man, we are further taught by the fame St. Paul, in his firft Epiftle to Timothy, where he tells us, That (z) there is one God, and one Mediator between God and Man, Christ Jesus. The Force of which Argument is, that as there is but one God, so there is but one Mediator, even Jefus Chrift; who is declared by the Author to the Hebrews, feeing he continueth ever, and and hath an unchangeable Priesthood, to be (a) able to fave them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, he being of fo great Power and Dignity, that he ever liveth to make Interceffion for us. (u) Heb. ii. 1. (x) Heb. iv. 14. (y) Heb. ix. 15. (z) 1 Tim. ii. 5. (a) Heb. vii. 25. The The Doctrine of Saints departed having the Privilege of conferring or procuring Bleffings for their Friends or Worshippers here on Earth, was unknown till the Popish Church (no doubt for very wife Reafons) declared it fo to be. The Evangelifts and Apoftles of our Lord no where, in their Writings, attribute the least Knowledge of our Affairs to Souls departed; but direct us to pray to none but God (b) in the Name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who will send the Comforter unto us, that he may guide us into all Truth. For as for that Paffage of Dives and Abraham (c), it is merely a Parable, and was not intended to be taken as a real Difcourfe between Dives in Flames, and Abraham in Happinefs; or as defigned to intimate to us, that the Souls of the Saints departed have any Knowledge of our Affairs here on Earth; but to reprefent to us, that after Death our Judgment, which will then be irreversible, will be according to what we have done in this Life; as alfo to fhew us the Vanity and Folly of expecting fresh Revelations, and new Miracles, after the Neglect of those which God has been pleased to afford and make known to us in the Writings of the Old, and (to which we may now add) New Testament. And as that Doctrine was not recommended, either by our Lord, or any of his Apoftles; fo we may observe, that the Writings of the Old Teftament are intirely free from any Hints at fuch a Practice, as that of addreffing any Prayers to the (b) John xv. 16. 25, 26, &c. xvi. 7, 13. (c) Luke xvi. Patriarchs Patriarchs or Prophets after their leaving this World, and entering into Heaven, or into the separate State of Souls departed; which we may be the more confirmed in, from that known Paffage of the two Prophets Elijah and Elisha, where the former tells the latter, that (d) before he was taken from him, he fhould ask what he fhould do for him; but there would have been no Need to have confined, or pinned him down, to what he should then think of asking, if Elifha's praying to Elijah, after his Tranflation, and being in a blissful State, would have been a Means to have procured him any future Bleffings or Favours from God, or from himself. From the Scriptures we learn the Place where Chrift, our great High Prieft, is; they declare to us, that he (e) is paffed into the Heavens; that his Difciples faw him afcend thither; whom the Heavens must receive until the Reftitution of all Things; and that he is fat down at the Right Hand of God, i. e. in the highest and most glorious Place in Heaven. But as for the Saints or Souls departed, we know not where they are or fhall be, until the general Refurrection; for all that we gather of them from Scripture, is, that they are not in perfect Felicity, nor will be, till their Souls fhall be again joined to their Bodies; which cannot be till the Time when our Lord Jefus fhall come to Judgment at the last Day; fo that the praying to them is abfurd, as well as impious: Abfurd, from our Uncertainty what 10. (d) 2 Kings ii. 9. (e) Heb. iv. 14. As i. 9, Heb. x. 12. iii. 21. Condition |