It cannot be deny'd, that _Marriage_ was instituted by God himself; 'tis
so very evident from _Genesis_, Chap. i. Ver. 27, 28. _Male and Female
created he them, and the Lord blessed them, and said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply_: And in another Place, _viz._ Gen. ii. Ver. 18. he
said, _It is not good that the Man should be alone, I will make him an
Help meet for him_. Jesus Christ in the New Testament ascribes the
Institution of Marriage to God his Father in _Matt._ xix. and _Mark_ x.
I believe, that Marriage is a Sacrament not to be dissolv'd: _What God
hath joined together, let no Man put asunder_, Matt. xix. Ver. 6. These
are the very Words too of the Council of _Trent_. There are certain Cases
however, wherein the Pope, as the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and Successor of
St. _Peter_, may break and annul the Marriage.
What farther convinces me that Marriage is a Sacrament, is that Passage of
the Apostle St. _Paul_ to the _Ephesians_, Chap. v. Ver. 28 to 32. _So
ought Men to love their Wives as their own Bodies: He that loveth his
Wife, loveth himself; For no Man ever yet hated his own Flesh, but
nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church: For we are
Members of his Body, of his Flesh, and his Bones. For this Cause shall a
Man leave his Father and Mother, and shall be joined unto his Wife, and
they two shall be one Flesh. This is a great Mystery; but I speak
concerning Christ and the Church._ Since St. _Paul_ calls Marriage a
Sacrament, I see no Reason why I should not regard it as such; nor do I
know why the Heretics will not allow it to be a Sacrament.
Thus, my Lord, have I given you my Sentiments on the principal Articles of
Religion: All that remains for me now is, to treat of Purgatory, the
Invocation and the Worship of the Saints, Prayers for the Dead, and the
Respect due to the visible Head of the Church. In giving your Lordship an
Account of my Opinion in these Articles, I shall take Care, my Lord, to be
as brief as possible, for fear you should think me tedious.
* * * * *
XXXVI. By _Purgatory_, I mean a Place where the Souls of the Faithful who
die in Grace are detain'd to suffer, till they are intirely purify'd from
what hinders their enjoying celestial Light, _into which any Thing that
defileth, can in no wise enter_, Rev. xxi. Ver. 27. The Church was always
of this Opinion, and St. _Justin Martyr_ own'd, that the Souls of
Believers were in extreme Necessity of being reliev'd by the Prayers of
the Living: That Purgatory was an Article of Faith was what Pope _Eugene_
declar'd, or rather he renew'd what had been all along believ'd by the
Church. The Protestants are as much in the Wrong to say, that Purgatory is
a new Invention of the Priests, as when they give the same Name to several
other Articles of Faith that were always believ'd, tho' they have been
renew'd by several Councils, as often as the Church saw there was
Occasion: For Instance, in the Fourth Century, in the Time of that Heretic
_Arius_, the Council of _Nice_ declar'd, that the Son of God was of the
same Essence as the Father; yet this was a Truth which the Church had
always believ'd. St. _Augustin_, to whose Opinions even the Heretics pay a
Respect, assures me, that in his Time 'twas the Custom throughout the
whole Church, and what had been establish'd by Tradition, to pray for the
Dead, to the end that God might deal mercifully with them. These Prayers
could only be for the Souls of Believers that were in Purgatory; for the
Blessed, instead of having any Need of our Prayers, do themselves pray for
us: And as to the Reprobate, Prayers can be of no Service to them; they
are damn'd to all Eternity, and never can be releas'd out of their Pains:
From hence I infer, that the Church has ever admitted a Third Place, which
is Purgatory. Several ancient Councils assure me of this Truth, and
particularly the Council of _Carthage_, Chap. XXIX. and since that the
Holy Council of _Trent_. I also take that Passage in St. _John's
Revelations_, Chap. v. Ver. 13. to be a favourable Explanation of my
Sentiments on the Subject of Purgatory; _And every Creature which is in
Heaven, and on the Earth, and under the Earth, and such as are in the
Sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing and Honour, and
Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the
Lamb for ever and ever._ I cannot think these Words can be apply'd either
to Devils, or to the Reprobate; they must necessarily refer to the Souls
suffering in Purgatory; these the Apostle meant by Creatures that are
_under the Earth_, because 'tis certain, that the Devils and the Reprobate
do not praise God.
Now, admitting it for a certain Truth, that there is a Purgatory, I
believe, without making any Doubt of it, that we ought to pray for the
Dead, and for the Deliverance of suffering Souls, because they are a Part
of the Church, and a Part the more to be regarded, since, tho' they
suffer, they are sure one Day of enjoying everlasting Felicity. Besides,
those Souls that are deliver'd by my Prayers, and by the Sacrifices
offer'd up for them, do afterwards become my Friends with God. But tho'
these Reasons were not sufficient, the Church prays for the Dead, and
that's enough for me.
St. _Austin_ and several of the Fathers of the Church assure me, that the
Custom of Praying for the Dead came to them by Tradition from the very
Time of the Apostles: And the Holy Scripture informs us, that this Custom
was formerly establish'd in the Old Testament, which is clearly prov'd by
that Passage in the _Maccabees_, Chap. xii. Ver. 43. _And when he had made
a Gathering throughout the Company to the Sum of Two thousand Drachms of
Silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a Sin-Offering, doing therein
very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the Resurrection_: And
in the same Chapter, Ver. 45. _It is a holy and good Thought to pray for
the Dead, that they may be delivered from Sin._----Methinks these Passages
plainly prove, that the _Jews_, of whom the true Church consisted before
the Coming of our Lord, pray'd and sacrific'd for the Dead.
I believe therefore, that all manner of Persons may and ought to pray for
the Dead: But the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass can only be celebrated by the
Priests: and the Mass is profitable to him that says it, to the Person
that causes it to be said, and to the Soul for whom it is said.
* * * * *
XXXVII. I firmly believe, that the _Invocation of the Saints_ is very
useful to us for our Salvation, and that 'tis not contrary to the Commands
of God, as the Heretics affirm. For the Worship of God is nothing more
than honouring God in his Saints, just as (if I may be permitted the
Comparison) I honour my King by honouring his Ministers. Would God, who
has commanded us to honour our Parents, Persons advanc'd in Years, our
Governors and Superiors, forbid us to honour the Saints and Angels, who
are his Ministers, and by Consequence our Superiors?
The Heretics, who so loudly condemn the _Invocation of the Saints_, and
treat it as Idolatry, do nevertheless pray every Day in their Temples and
particular Meetings, that it may please God to order their Guardian Angel
to guide and preserve them. Now, if they grant, that an Angel is their
Protector, can they, without Ingratitude, refuse Honour to their
Benefactor? I believe with the Church, that the Angels and Saints preserve
us, and deliver us every Day from several great Dangers both of Soul and
Body. Charity engages them to pray for us, and to offer up our Prayers
and Tears to the Lord: They watch continually over us, and guard us
without Intermission. For this Reason Jesus Christ recommends to his
Disciples, _Matt._ xviii. Ver. 10. _Take heed that ye despise not one of
these little ones; for I say unto you, that in Heaven their Angels do
always behold the Face of my Father which is in Heaven._
The Invocation of Saints was a Practice even in the Old Testament Time:
When _Jacob_ gave his Blessing to his Sons, _Gen._ xlviii. Ver. 16. he
said these Words, _The Angel, which redeemed me from all Evil, bless the
Lads; and let my Name be named on them, and the Name of my Fathers Abraham
and Isaac, and let them grow into a Multitude in the midst of the Earth._
What can be a better Proof of the Invocation of the Angels, and the Holy
Patriarchs? The Scripture gives us another Proof of it in 1 _Sam._ vii.
Ver. 8. where the Children of _Israel_ said to _Samuel_, _Cease not to cry
unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the Hand of the
Philistines._ From thence I infer, that by honouring the Saints who are
dead in the Lord, by calling upon them, by worshipping their sacred
Relics, we do in no wise rob God of any Part of his Glory; on the
contrary, I believe, we augment it. The Honour, which we pay to the
Saints, strengthens our Hope, renders it more lively, more vehement, and
creates a greater Desire in us to tread in their Steps.
Jesus Christ himself was persuaded, that in his State, as Man, the
Protection of the Angels was able to deliver him out of the Hand of the
_Jews_; and of this he gave Demonstration, when he commanded St. _Peter_
to put up his Sword again into his Place, because, said he, _Matt._ xxvi.
Ver. 53. _Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall
presently give me more than Twelve Legions of Angels?_ St. _Augustin_, in
the Eighth Book of _The City of God_, Chap. xvii. says, _Summa Religionis
est imitari quem colis_, i. e. _The Sum and Substance of Religion is, to
imitate the Being you worship._ From hence I infer, that we ought to
imitate the Saints, to honour and respect them; and by honouring them, we
call upon them, because by honouring them, we have an Opportunity to lay
our Necessities before them, to the end that they may obtain that
Assistance and Favour of God which is necessary for us.
I say, that we ought also to call more particularly upon the Holy Virgin
than the other Saints: Because she is the Mother of God, would it not be
impious to say, that she deserves not to be invok'd? Who is more proper
than a Mother to obtain Favour from a Son? Who can better reconcile us
with God than the Virgin? She flies to the Holy Altar of Reconciliation,
and does not only repair thither as a Supplicant, but as an Empress,
according to the very Words of St. _Peter Damien_, Serm. xliv. Nativ.
Virg. _Accedis ante illud aureum reconciliationis humanæ Altare, non solum
rogans, sed imperans, Domina, non Ancilla_, i. e. _Thou presentest thyself
before that Golden Altar of Mankind's Reconciliation, not only petitioning
as a Servant, but commanding as a Sovereign._ What can excuse us from
honouring and reverencing the Being, by whom we receive our Deliverance,
our Preservation, and our Life? As St. _Augustin_ says, (_De Sancta
Virginitate_, Chap. VI.) _Per Evam Mors, per Mariam Salus_, _i. e._ By
_Eve_ came Death, by _Mary_ Salvation.
I have no Reason to doubt but the Saints hear us, because I believe the
Testimonies of the Holy Fathers: St. _Gregory_ of _Nazianzen_ was of this
Opinion, when he says in his Twentieth Epistle, _Illud persuasum Sanctorum
animum res nostras sentire_, i. e. I am persuaded, that the Saints are
sensible of our Affairs; and St. _Gregory_ of _Nissa_, in the Nineteenth
Prayer which he makes to St. _Theodore_, says; _Quanquam tu vitam hanc
transcendisti, humanas tamen molestias et necessitates non ignoras;
impetra nobis pacem_, i. e. Altho' thou art got beyond this Life, yet thou
art not ignorant of the Troubles and Necessities of Mankind; intercede for
Peace for us. There are several other Holy Men, who have believ'd and
declar'd, that the Angels meet those that pray, in order to receive and
conduct them to the Throne of Glory, _Et suspicientes eos usque ad Thronum
Gloria sancti Dei perducunt._ Because the Saints hear our Prayers, I
infer, that we are obliged to pray for them: And indeed if the Saints did
not hear us, 'twould be to no more Purpose to invoke them, than it would
be for their hearing us, if we did not call upon them.
I honour therefore and call upon the Blessed, who enjoy celestial Glory,
and I will invoke them even to the last Breath of my Life, at which time I
shall have more need of their Assistance: I will invoke them as long as I
live: The Holy Scripture teaches me that God himself has given Praise to
some of the Saints. In fine, upon their Protection do I found my Hopes; if
it be true, that the Saints in Heaven rejoice when but one Sinner is
converted and repenteth, how can I doubt but the Saints, when they are
invok'd by Penitents, will relieve them, and obtain that Pardon for their
Sins, and that Grace which they stand in need of?
* * * * *
XXXVIII. Since we ought to call upon the Saints, and since they hear our
Prayers, I believe, that I am oblig'd to honour their Images, their Tombs,
as well as their sacred Relics; and if I have a Respect for a Piece of
Painting that represents the Likeness of my King, or of any Sovereign, hew
much more Reason have I to venerate whatsoever represents to me the
Saints, who are far above the Princes of this World, because they are the
Friends of God, and our Protectors with him?
The Use of Images has been allow'd at all times: God himself order'd the
making of Figures and Images: For Example, the Cherubims of Propitiation
and the Brazen Serpent were made by his Command. And when the Heretics
say, that God forbids Images, they are in the Wrong: God indeed forbids us
to make Images to worship them, but this is what I am not guilty of; for
the Respect which I pay to Images is not for the Sake of what they are,
but for what they represent to me: 'Tis not to the Images that I address
my Prayer; and whenever I fall on my Knees before an Image, 'tis because I
am willing to honour and pray to the Saint, whom it represents to me.
Images put me in Mind of the History of the Old and New Testament: They
remind me of all the Favours God has bestow'd upon me; which engages me
the more fervently to love and serve him. Finally, the Images of the
Saints create a Desire in us to imitate the Sanctity of their Lives and
Actions.
* * * * *
XXXIX. As to _Merit_: 'Tis certain that Heaven cannot be won but by good
Works: Heaven is only promis'd to us, as a Reward: In order to be
convinc'd of this Truth, I need only have Regard to the Words which Jesus
Christ says to the Righteous, _Matt_. xxv. Ver. 34, 35. _Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of
the World: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me Meat; I was thirsty, and
ye gave me Drink; I was a Stranger, and ye took me in._ Our Lord calls the
Righteous into his Holy Paradise, because they gave him to eat, when he
was hungry; and to drink, when he was thirsty: From these Words I infer,
that Heaven is not a mere Gift, it must be won by good Works: Does not
Jesus Christ say in another Place, _Mark_ ix. Ver. 42. _That if but a Cup
of Water be given to drink in his Name, the Giver shall not lose his
Reward_, but shall have a Torrent of Delights? Nothing can be more clear,
nothing more evident to prove, that we are capable of meriting with God,
than what St. _Paul_ says in his first Epistle to the _Corinthians_, Chap.
iii. Ver. 8. _And every Man shall receive his own Reward, according to his
own Labour_: This is my Reason for thinking, that he who has done most,
shall receive the greatest Reward. 'Tis therefore that Jesus Christ says,
_In my Father's House are many Mansions_, John xiv. Ver. 2. I do therefore
believe, that I ought not to be idle nor slothful, and that, on the
contrary, I should strive without ceasing to acquire the Kingdom of Heaven
by my good Works. Jesus Christ says in St. _Matthew_, Chap. xi. Ver. 12.
_That the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence, and the Violent take it
by Force._ He says also in another Place, _If thou wilt enter into Life,
keep my Commandments._ Now, in order to enable us to do these good Works,
I believe the Grace of God to be necessary for us; and this Grace of God
is obtain'd by the Fervency of our Prayers, and the Steadiness of our
Faith.
* * * * *
XL. I proceed to the _Authority of the Visible Head of the Church_: By
this Head I understand, as I have already said, the Pope, who is the
lawful Successor of St. _Peter_; and, as such, I believe, that he is
infallible, not only in the Government of the Church, but also in all
Matters of Faith: I rely solely upon what Jesus Christ said upon this
Subject, when he gave the Keys to St. _Peter_, _Thou art Peter, and upon
this Rock will I build my Church_, Matt. xvi. Ver. 18. By this Act Jesus
Christ establish'd St. _Peter_ for the Head and Prince of the Church: The
following Words of Jesus Christ are an intire Confirmation of this Truth,
_Matt._ xvi. Ver. 18. _And the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against
it_, that is to say, against the Church, and by Consequence against its
Head. 'Tis therefore true, that God granted an absolute Authority to St.
_Peter_ and his Successors, which Authority has a Resemblance with that
which God granted under the Old Law, to _Aaron_ and his Family.
In Consideration of this supreme Dignity I believe, that I cannot pay
Respect and Submission enough to the Pope; and I think what I advance is
prov'd in the first Place, because to honour the Vicar of Jesus Christ, is
paying Devotion to himself: Secondly, 'tis honouring St. _Peter_, to
honour his Successor; and lastly, I believe, that I am the more worthy to
be a Member of the Church, when I honour him who is the Head of it.
I therefore kiss his Feet, as I would those of Jesus Christ himself: I
fall prostrate before him, as I would before St. _Peter_; and am intirely
persuaded, that this Token of Adoration, so far from being liable to the
Charge of Idolatry, as the Heretics think, can, on the contrary, be only
deem'd a Thing agreeable to God, and what tends to his Glorification. We
are told in the Old Testament, that Jacob _bowed himself to the Ground to_
Esau _seven times_, Gen. xxxiii. Ver. 3, 7. His Children, with _Leah_ and
_Rachel_, also ador'd him: _Joseph_ was ador'd by his Brethren: _Abigail_
ador'd _David_, and _Bathsheba_ _Solomon_. None of these Acts of Adoration
were made to God, but to Men; why then shall we refuse to adore the Head
of _Christendom_? Tho' St. _Peter_ refus'd to be ador'd by
_Cornelius_,'twas because he was very sensible, that _Cornelius_, being a
Gentile, would pay him Obeisance and Worship little inferior to that which
was due to God; but this is no Argument that St. _Peter_ did not receive
the Honours that were due to him, as being the Head of the Church: In
fine, when I cast myself at the Pope's Feet, I have a Share in his
Benediction, I humbly desire it, and I adore in him the Power which he has
to bless me. I am also persuaded, that none but the Pope has a Right to
assemble a Council; and I believe, that every Assembly which is held by
the Name of a Council, without the Participation of the Pope, cannot be
deem'd an Oecumenical Council. A Body is incapable of acting without its
Head, for 'tis the Head by which the Body is always directed: Consequently
the Church cannot assemble, act, nor decide, without the Pope, who is its
Head, and who, by Consequence, has the sole Right of Decision; because he
is the Rock on which Jesus Christ has founded his Church, and because
without him there would be no Church. I therefore with Submission receive
all the Decisions of a Council where the Pope either presides in Person,
or by his Legates; and I look upon all Assemblies of Priests that are met,
or are held by the Command of any other Power than the Pope, as mere
Assemblies of the Clergy.
* * * * *
Thus, my Lord, have I given you the sincere Declaration of my Faith, such
as it is imprinted on my Heart: I believe it Holy, and I believe it
Canonical; and hope, that when your Lordship sees it in Writing, you will
give it the same Approbation that you were pleased to honour it with when
I had the Favour of making it to you by Word of Mouth. If, contrary to my
Intention, I have deviated from the Track of Truth, I intreat you, my
Lord, to lend me your Hand, to vouchsafe to be my Guide, and to lead me to
that Piety which you profess, and by which all Mankind is edified: Make me
worthy of the Dignity of the Priesthood, of which I am ambitious. But this
is trespassing too far upon your Eminency's Attention, and 'tis high time
to put an End to a Letter, which nothing can excuse the Length of, but the
Sacredness of the Subject whereof it treats. I shall think myself
exceeding happy, if I have explain'd myself with sufficient Perspicuity,
and if the Sentiments I lay before your Lordship can render me deserving
of the Honour of your Esteem. I am, with infinite Respect,
_My_ LORD,
_Your_ LORDSHIP'S
_Most Humble, and_
_Most Obedient Servant_,
Charles-Lewis, _Baron_ de Pollnitz.
END of VOL. IV.
[Illustration: Decoration.]
AN Alphabetical INDEX TO THE FOURTH VOLUME.