The Book of Religions: Comprising the Views, Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America, to Which are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together With Biographical SketchesHayward, John
Religion
The Book of Religions: Comprising the Views, Creeds, Sentiments, or Opinions, of All the Principal Religious Sects in the World, Particularly of All Christian Denominations in Europe and America, to Which are Added Church and Missionary Statistics, Together With Biographical Sketches
Hayward, John
Christian biography; Religions; Sects
“Many of the Roman Catholic persuasion, especially the monks, when they
come into the spiritual world, inquire for the saints, particularly the
saint of their order; but they do not find them, at which they wonder; but
afterwards they are instructed that they are mixed together, either with
those who are in heaven, or with those who are in the earth below; and
that, in either case, they know nothing of the worship and invocation of
themselves, and that those who do know, and wish to be invoked, fall into
deliriums, and talk foolishly. The worship of saints is such an
abomination in heaven, that, if they only hear it, they are filled with
horror; since, as far as worship is ascribed to any man, so far it is
withheld from the Lord; for thus, he alone is not worshipped; and, if the
Lord alone is not worshipped, a discrimination is made, which destroys
communion, and the happiness of life flowing from it. That I might know
what the Roman Catholic saints are, in order that I might make it known,
as many as a hundred were brought forth from the earth below, who knew of
their canonization. They ascended behind my back, and only a few before my
face; and I spoke with one of them, who, they said, was Xavier. He, while
he talked with me, was like a fool; yet he could tell, that, in his place,
where he was shut up with others, he was not a fool, but that he becomes a
fool as often as he thinks that he is a saint, and wishes to be invoked. A
like murmur I heard from those who were behind my back. It is otherwise
with the saints, so called, in heaven: these know nothing at all of what
is done on earth; nor is it given them to speak with any of the Roman
Catholic persuasion, who are in that superstition, lest any idea of that
thing should enter into them.
“From this their state, every one may conclude that invocations of them
are only mockeries; and, moreover, I can assert, that they do not hear
their invocations on earth, any more than their images do at the sides of
the streets, nor any more than the walls of the temple, nor any more than
the birds that build their nests in towers. It is said by their servants
on earth, that the saints reign in heaven, together with the Lord Jesus
Christ; but this is a figment and a falsehood; for they no more reign with
the Lord, than a hostler with a king, a porter with a grandee, or a
footman with a primate; for John the Baptist said, concerning the Lord,
_that he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of his shoe_, (Mark 1:7.
John 1:27.) What, then, are those who are such?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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