THE OMNIPOTENT, in the power of impotent creatures of His hand; THE INVISIBLE, seen; THE UNDIVIDED, divisible !!! Is not THIS to ECLIPSE OUR SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS?

SIXTH ENQUIRY.

Does Christ in His Word teach, that the Virgin Mary is our mediator in heaven?

No! for what says the Bible?

It is written:

"WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME THAT WILL HE DO, THAT THE FATHER MAY BE GLORIFIED IN THE SON." (John xiv. 13, 14.)

"FOR THROUGH HIM WE BOTH HAVE ACCESS BY ONE SPIRIT UNTO THE FATHER." (Eph. ii. 18.) "THERE IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MEN THE MAN, CHRIST

JESUS." (1 Tim. ii. 5.)

"IF ANY MAN SIN WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST, THE RIGHTEOUS.” (1 John ii. 1.)

"MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD, AND MY SPIRIT HATH REJOICED IN GOD MY SAVIOUR." (Luke i. 17.)

Do the Romanists in their writings teach, that the Virgin Mary is our mediator in heaven?

Yes! for

They have written:

"Praise and glory be to thee, O holy Trinity: to thee also be praise, O mother of God; for thou art the precious pearl of the world; thou, the candle of unquenchable light; the crown of virginity; the sceptre of the Catholic faith. By thee, the Trinity is glorified and adored in all the world; by thee, heaven rejoiceth, angels and archangels are glad, devils are put to flight, and man is called again to heaven, and every creature that was held with errors of idols is turned to the knowledge of the truth; by thee, churches are founded through the world; thee, being their helper, the gentiles come to penance. Likewise, the Greek liturgies, or masses of St. James, St. Basil, and St. Chrysostom, make most honourable mention of our blessed lady, praying unto her, saluting her with the angelic hymn, Ave Maria, and using these speeches: 'MOST HOLY undefiled, BLESSED ABOVE ALL, OUR QUEEN, our Lady, the mother of God, Mary, a virgin for ever, the sacred ark of Christ's incarnation, broader than the heavens that didst bear thy Creator; holy mother of unspeakable light, we magnify thee with angelic hymns. All things pass understanding; all things are glorious in thee, O mother of God. By thee the mystery before unknown to the angels is made manifest and revealed on the earth. Thou art more honourable than the cherubim, and more glorious than the seraphims. To thee, O full of grace, all creatures, both men and

angels, do gratulate and rejoice. Glory be to thee, which art a sanctified temple, a spiritual paradise, the glory virgins, of whom God took flesh, and made thy womb his throne." (St. Cyril.)

may

"From the time that the Virgin mother conceived in her womb the word of God, she obtained, as I say, a certain jurisdiction and authority over all the temporal processions of the Holy Ghost; so that no creature has received any grace or virtue from God, but according to the dispensation of his Holy Mother." (St. Benardine-Crasset, p. 37, ibid.)

Approach," says the Abbot of Celles, "with a devout contemplation of spirit, toward the blessed Virgin; because through her, and with her, and in her, and from her, the world both has, and will have, all that is good. She is our advocate with the Son, as the Son is with the Father. She solicits for us both the Father and the Son. Often those whom the JUSTICE OF THE SON MIGHT CONDEMN, THE MERCY OF THE MOTHER DELIVERS. In short, as our Saviour once said that none could come to him, while he was on earth, unless the Father drew him, so dare I, in some sort affirm that NONE COMES NOW TO THY GLORIFIED SON, unless THOU DRAW HIM BY THY HOLY ASSISTANCE." (Ibid. pp. 33, 34.; ibid. 336.)

"That because she is the mother of the Son of God, who doth PRODUCE the Holy Ghost, therefore all the gifts, virtues, and graces of the Holy Ghost are by her

hands administered to whom she pleaseth, when she pleaseth, how she pleaseth, and as much as she pleaseth. That she hath regularly obtained of God this office from eternity, as herself doth testify, (Prov. viii. 23) 'I was ordained from everlasting-namely, a dispenser of celestial graces; and that in this respect (Cantic. vii. 4) it is said of her, 'Thy neck is as a tower of ivory;'....so that take away the patronage of the Virgin, you stop as it were the sinner's breath, that he is not able to live any longer." (Benardine.)

"ALL THINGS ARE SUBJECT to the command of the Virgin, EVEN GOD HIMSELF; that considering the blessed Virgin is the mother of God, and God is her Son, and every son is naturally INFERIOR to his mother, and subject unto her, and the mother hath pre-eminence, and is superior to her son; it therefore followeth that the blessed Virgin is SUPERIOR TO GOD, and GOD HIMSELF IS SUBJECT UNTO HER, in respect to the manhood which he assumed from her: that however she be subject unto God, inasmuch as she is a creature, yet is she said to be superior, and preferred before Him, inasmuch as she is His mother." (Quotations from A. B. Usher.)

"But thou, O most grateful Virgin, didst thou something to God? Didst not thou make him any recompense? Truly (if it be lawful to speak it) THOU, in some respects, DID GREATER THINGS TO GOD, THAN

GOD HIMSELF DID TO THEE AND TO ALL MANKIND. I will therefore speak that, which thou out of thy humility, hast past in silence. For thou only didst sing, He that is mighty hath done to me great things; but I do sing and say, that THOU HAST DONE GREATER THINGS TO HIM THAT IS MIGHTY." (Ibid, p. 194, Benardine de Busti.)

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'Rejoice and be glad, and be joyful with me," said the Virgin Mary to Thomas à Becket, when upon one occasion, it is said, she appeared to him, "because my glory doth excel the dignity of all saints, and all the blessed spirits; and I alone have greater glory than all the angels and saints together. Rejoice, because that as the SUN doth enlighten the day and the world, SO MY BRIGHTNESS doth enlighten the whole celestial world. Rejoice, because the whole host of heaven. obeyeth me, reverenceth and honoureth me. Rejoice, because my Son is always OBEDIENT to me, and my will and my prayers he always heareth," &c.

Do the Tractarians in their writings teach, that the Virgin Mary is our mediator in heaven?

Yes! for

They have written:

"Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we thy servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Ever-virgin Mary be delivered from present sorrow, and have the fruition of everlasting joy." (Tract 75, p. 80.)