dence of the dates uncertain -Positive evidence for the story—Marianus Scotus, Sigebertus, Martinus Polonus—A Romanist should not doubt the truth of oral tradition—Local memory may suffice without a writ- ten record—No possible motive for fabricating such a story two hun- dred years after the time-The first writer of the story an honest and faithful monk—No Protestants to gratify–The statue erected—The processions avoided the spot-The perforated chair-General acquies- cence for centuries in the truth of the story—Theodoric of Nerin- Another statue of Pope Joan in the Cathedral of Siena-Still seen in the time of Baronius-Metamorphosed into Pope Zachary-Removed • and broken up before 1677—Testimony of Antonius Pagi—Testimony of St. Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence-Never questioned till the time of Pius II.-Sarau and Blondel-Why Pope Urban did not turn away from the place-Summary of the argument on both sides—Pre- ponderance of evidence in favor of the truth of the story-No theologi- cal importance to be attached to it-Inconsistency of Milner in scout- ing the story of Pope Joan, while he pretends to believe in the absur- dity of the Nagg's-Head ordination. Pp. 13—23.
LETTER XXVII. Missions Success or failure of modern missions has no proper place in theological controversy–Rapid spread of Mahometanism-Rapid progress of the Reformation-Mormonism-Milner's character of Romish missionaries—Carnal weapons employed to propagate Romanism- Policy of Jesuit missionaries—Milner's objection that there are no mar- tyrs among Protestant missionaries—The apostles did not court mar- tyrdom-St. Augustine, of Canterbury, no martyr—The monks of Ban- gor—The Jesuit martyrdoms in distant lands, if true, probably resulted from the same causes that produced their expulsion in Europe—Their compromises with heathen idolatries—Dissipation of their boasted con- quests—Expulsions, dissolution, and restoration of the order-Milner's misrepresentation of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and the Moravian missions—British and Foreign Bible Society-Work of the S. P. G. since its foundation, in 1701, in the colonies of North America, the West Indies, Newfoundland, Guinea, Sierra Leone, the Canadas, Cape Breton, New Brunswick, New South Wales, and Nor- folk Island-Also in India, China, and Australia, though Milner had heard nothing of its doings~Permanency of the work-Operations of the Bible Society—The Scriptures early translated in the primitive Church-Rome has done comparatively nothing of this in modern days
LETTER XXX. Evidence of Scripture and the primitive Church concerning angel and saint-worship-Rome makes the Blessed Virgin a sharer, if not an ab- solute rival; in the powers and graces of the Saviour and the Holy Spirit—This proved— Rome carries it into every possible particular- Yet all this is called mere invocation-Even if so, how can she hear so many millions at once without ubiquity ?-Said to be revealed to her by God himself—Analogy of an earthly king—The Roman theory a mere absurdity—The popular idea attributes to the Saints a universal presence, one of the attributes of God alone- This is the first branch of Roman idolatry— The attributes of God are incommunicable—The angels not omnipresent-Omniscience another attribute of God--The Virgin regarded as practically knowing all things—This is the second branch of Roman idolatry—The third ascribes to her omnipotence, all power both in heaven and earth-Not said to be inherent, but ac- quired-Yet she is believed to possess it-Christ Himself possessed it only by the hypostatic union of His human nature with the Eternal Word_Milner's inconsistent rhapsody-Sublime and consoling privi- lege—How many petitions the Blessed Virgin hears (or receives by revelation) daily, hourly, momevtly—The attributes of God alone suffi- cient for this—The true doctrine infinitely more sublime and consoling. Pp. 58—68.
LETTER XXXI. The Apostles and the Fathers not on the side of Rome–The whole Scriptural proof claimed is from the Angelic Salutation—"Full of grace," not so correct a translation as “thou that art highly favored”—The Roman translation of the same word in another place agrees with ours- “Blessed among women” refers only to the Saints below--The same said of Jael, and of Israel-As Mother of our Lord, we, also, call her Blessed —“All power, both in heaven and earth,” is another thing-Our Saviour never calls his Mother by any title but woman—“What have I to do with thee?"-Our version again justified by the Romish in a similar place—The miracle at Cana-Admitted harshness of our Lord's ex- pression–Our Lord foresaw the coming superstition-Christ's tarrying behind at Jerusalem-His rebuke to Joseph and Mary-Yet St. Joseph is addressed by Rome as the ruler, governor, and saviour of his Lord-
Mother and my brethren"—No special pre-eminence at. tached to the earthly relationship—“Rather blessed are they that hear
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the Word of God and keep it”—“Woman, behold thy son”—Majesty of the God in man, even in death-Negative testimony of Scripture- The Blessed Virgin nowhere interferes, or counsels—Almost nothing further recorded of her-Milner's claim that the Roman doctrine came immediately from the Apostles before the New Testament was written -The testimony of the primitive Church disproves this—St. Augustine -In his time the Virgin not styled the "Mother of God”—He held her to be a sinner, needing to be saved by the death of her Son-Difference between honoring the Saints and worshipping them-St. Basil—Pope Leo-Pope Gregory the Great-St. Epiphanius against the Collyridians
- Against the Assumption also—St. Isidore of Seville-Superstition already begun—The ancient Liturgies—The Clementine Liturgy–The Liturgy of St. James—The Liturgy of St. Mark—The Liturgy of St. Chrysostom—The Liturgy of St. Basil—The Ethiopian Liturgy—The Nestorian Liturgy–The Liturgy of Severus-St. James, the chief of Bishops—The old Roman Missal does less honor to the Virgin than some of the others; no Hail Mary, nor is she entitled Immaculate—The Sacramentary of Pope Gregory the Great contains no address to the Virgil or the Saints—Service for the Festival of the Assumption-Sum- mary of proof drawn from all these quotations—The Fathers held that the Virgin was not Immaculate; that Saints were to be honored, not worshipped ; and that the story of the Virgin's death, resurrection, and assumption, were unknown at the end of the fourth century-Gradual growth of superstition as proved from the Liturgies—The primitive Church prayed for the Virgin, not to her-Deórokos, Deipara—The Ora pro nobis not adopted before the beginning of the seventh century- Differences between Roman doctrine then and now-Formal idolatry not charged upon the Church of Rome Latria, Doulia, and Hyper- doulin-Idolatry in substance may exist without idolatry in form— The Church of England renders all due honor to the Virgin, acknowledges her to be Blessed, and Osórokos, or the God-bearer, according to the Council of Ephesus—Milner's misrepresentations of the Fathers—St. Irenaeus—St. Justin the Martyr-St. Basil—None of all these prove Miln-r's doctrine–The passages quoted by him critically examined Irrelevancy_False translation—Spurious epistles referred to by him as genuine-Pious fraud-Summary of Milner's patristic proof. Pp. 69-101.
LETTER XXXII. Images and Relics—Milner's statement of Roman doctrine, and his proofs in support of it from Scripture, and the members of the Church of England–He claims only relative or secondary veneration for these memorials of the Saints--Historical use-He acknowledges that the memorials of religion form no essential part of it-Milner's omissions in stating the Roman doctrine supplied— The doctrine as defined by the Council of Irent–The Decree of the second Council of Nice in the year 787—The representation given by Milner proved from these to be wrong, both in what it asserts and what it omits—Images required, under anathema, to be adored with kisses, incense, and lighted candles -Veneration for relics proved from the Breviary-Relics of St. Isidore, St. Ubald, St. Januarius, St. Francis Xavier, the images of the Virgin at Ancona and Mercatello-Milner’s Scriptural proof examined—The corpse touching the bones of the Prophet Elisha—A particular act of Divine Power, not a standing system-The reference to ancient Israel unfortunate for Rome-No images or relics of Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Miriam, Deborah, Jael, and Hannah-Nehushtan—Veneration not paid to the Ark, but to the Shekinah upon the Mercy-seat—The woman healed of her issue of blood, not by Christ's garment, but by the Lord's will and her own faith—The use of aprons and handkerchiefs had power by the prayers of living Apostles-Relics are only of the dead—St. Stephen carried by devout men to his burial, not preserved for relics- All this pretended Scripture proof weak and flimsy-Bowing to the throne in the English House of Lords—The vacant throne not a relic- No prayers addressed to it, or benefit expected from it-So of kneeling to the Sovereign-Royal etiquette-Bowing at the name of Jesus—The name of Jesus not an image, or a relic-Bowing the head is a true act of worship to Christ himself—Kissing the Bible, or a miniature, or a letter-In these cases no incense, no lights, no prayers, no hope of re- ceiving benefits, or of deliverance from evils—No fault found with paint- ing and sculpture as memorials merely-No objection to relics as simple memorials of persons or events—The primitive Church entirely hostile to Rome on these points—Clement of Alexandria-Jerome~ The Council of Eliberis-Ambrose-Augustine Epiphanius—He tears the painted veil at Anablatha-Cyril of Jerusalem-Optatus, Pope Gregory the Great patronizes images, but carefully prohibits their being worshipped -His letter to Serenus, who bad destroyed the images—Slow but steady progress of image-worship and papal power together-Gregory III. still stronger in favor of images—Prayers addressed to the Saints
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