CHAPTER III.

THE ARGUMENTS OF THE REV. MR. CALDERBANK, IN DEFENCE OF SAINT WORSHIP, CONSIDERED AND ANSWERED.

ANOTHER Roman Catholic Priest, the Rev. Mr. Calderbank, in a pamphlet published about four years ago, in defence of the Romish Church,* enters at considerable length into the argument respecting the lawfulness of saint worship; and I now proceed to examine, with as much brevity as possible, what he has said on the subject.

"Even on the supposition," (says. Mr. Calderbank,)" that Catholics are mistaken in their "ideas on the subject of the invocation of angels "and of saints: even on the supposition that "the honour which we pay to their memories is "not perfectly consistent with the dependent si"tuation in which they are placed: yet on no prin"ciple of reason, could the charge of idolatry be "established on that ground against the Catholic

* Observations in a Series of Letters, in answer to certain Questions relating to various subjects of Religion, &c. by the Rev. J. Calderbank. Sold by Keating & Co. 1814.

"Church. Were these suppositions even proved "to be true, then error indeed, and error too of a "most serious description, might with fairness be

66

imputed to her doctrines:-But certainly not "the crime of idolatry: unless it can also be

proved that the honours in question are such "as belong exclusively to God: or that they are "intended to be Divine honours by the Catholic " himself."*

I answer, that the error which is supposed in this passage, if it exist at all, must be an error not of doctrine only, as is asserted, but of practice; and an error of practice is a violation of some one or other of the commandments of the Lord, for if the practice violate none of the commandments, then it is right and good, and there can be no error in it. Now here let Mr. Calderbank take his stand, and say which of the commandments is, or would be violated by an undue reverence and honour to creatures in the way of adoration or invocation-and if he feels any hesitation in answering the question, I will assist him to a passage of Scripture, which will help him to resolve it.

*Letters by the Rev. J. Calderbank. P. 122-3.

When St. John, the beloved apostle, saw in Patmos the visions relating to the prosperity of the Church in the last times, he informs us that he was about to worship the angel who showed him those glorious scenes. "And I John saw "these things and heard them, and when I had "heard and seen, I fell down to worship before "the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then said he unto me, see thou do it "not: for I am thy fellow-servant and of thy "brethren the prophets, and of them which keep "the sayings of this book: worship God."*

Surely the Catholic will not presume to ac cuse the apostle John of having intended to give to the angel the same degree of honour as he was accustomed to attribute to God. It is impossible to believe that so holy and exalted a character as John would have been capable of such impiety. We are, therefore, obliged to suppose that St. John was about to pay to the angel that kind of reverence and homage which it was customary among eastern nations to show to kings and great men, and which was not unlawful with respect to them, because it had no

*Rev. xxii. 8, 9.
F

relation to things spiritual, and was not of the nature of invocation. But the angel, jealous of the honour and glory of God, who permits spiritual honour to be given to no creature, immediately checked the apostle, saying, " See thou do "it not, for I am thy fellow-servant"-"worship "God." As if he had said, all homage and honour given to creatures in things spiritual, is a breach of the Divine law, which permits only the worship of God.

I shall illustrate the distinction between honour in things temporal and spiritual, by observing that it is customary for the subject to fall down on one knee, in doing homage to the king of England; and there is nothing sinful in this, because it is understood that the honour thus given, is temporal only. But were a subject to fall on his knee to the king as a part of his religious service in the house of God, it would be idolatry.-In confirmation of these remarks, it is proper to mention that the very same words are used both in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, to signify temporal and spiritual homage. "And Abraham "stood up and bowed himself, Hebrew Innw Greek "Пgorvos, to the people of the land,"*" And

66

*Gen. xxiii. 6.

"the brethren of Joseph came and bowed them"selves before him,"* (the same Hebrew and Greek words as in the preceding text.) The above are examples of temporal worship, or homage. I shall now adduce one or two of spiritual adoration." And it came to pass, that when the "servant of Abraham heard their words, he "bowed himself to the earth unto the Lord."t Heb. nn and Greek Пpov as in the first example. "Thou shalt not make to thyself any

graven image, or any likeness of any thing that "is in heaven above, or that is in the earth be"neath, or that is in the water under the earth. "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them." Heb. on mnnwn xh, Greek 'Ou porxvvnous duros, being the same verbs as in the whole of the other texts.t

It thus appears, that the same outward forms are employed in temporal homage, and in spiritual worship, and the same words used to denote those forms, and that the guilt or innocency of

* Gen. xlii. 6.

+ Ibid. xxiv. 52.

It is proper also to inform the reader, that the same word is used to signify the intended worship of the apostle John to the angel in the text before cited.