How are we to know whether, being nominally Christians, we are also really Christians? It is important to know if we possess the thing signified by Christianity. The mere name and fame of the thing will be of little use to us.
Now the Bible tells us what Christians are. If then, we are what the book says Christians are, we are Christians. Everybody admits this—that a Scriptural Christian is without doubt a real one. But some seem to hesitate about admitting the converse of the proposition, that if we are not what the Bible says Christians are, we are not Christians. The reason they hesitate can only be that they perceive or fear the latter conclusion makes against themselves; for the one is as clearly and certainly true as the other. What use could there be in statements declaring what Christians are, if individuals may be Christians without being what Christians are thus declared to be? Indeed, what truth would there be in such statements? That is no characteristic of a class, which does not belong to all the individuals of the class. The declaration, "If any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature," is neither useful nor true, if some are in Christ who are not new creatures. The same may be said of the assertion, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit," if a solitary individual is pardoned and freed from condemnation who still walks after the flesh. There is neither sense nor sincerity in it; nor in this other passage, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts," if some are Christ's who have never put the flesh and its lusts to that kind of death.
It must be admitted that if we are not what the Bible says Christians are, we are not Christians in fact. We may as well admit it first as last. Christ says we are to be judged by his word; not by any favorite author of ours, Blair or Paley, or whoever he may be; not by any sermon we may have heard from this or that minister; not by the standard that may have been set up in some conversation with an eminent divine; not by the opinion entertained in the circle in which we move; not by what seems to stand to our reason. There will be no spreading out of these, when the Judge shall sit. The Bible will be the only book of law and authority opened then.
I know very well that there is nothing new in what I am saying. Anybody can say it as well. Everybody knows it already. But it is one of the old things that we need to be often reminded of. I know nothing we are more prone to forget than these commonplace truths. It is what we know best, and most firmly believe, that we fail most to consider and lay to heart. The most familiar truths have always been the truths by men most disregarded.
But let us hear what the Bible says Christians are, for I did not intend so long an introduction. Well, the Bible says, among other things, that they are the light of the world. The blessed Jesus himself is the speaker, and he is addressing his disciples, and he says to them, "YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD." Observe, he does not say, "Ye may be, if you are careful to live up to your privileges;" or "Ye ought to be—it is your duty;" or "Ye shall be—by and by, when you have made greater progress in religion;" but he speakes of it as a present matter of fact, "Ye are the light of the world." So it seems that Christians shine. We talk of a shining Christian, meaning to distinguish such an one from Christians in general. But there is no Christian who is not a shining one. Every Christian emits light. Paul testifies of the Christians at Philippi that they shone as lights in the world. They were what Christ said his disciples were. And must not Christians of our cities and villages be the same?
It also appears that Christians are not merely receivers. They give out—they communicate. That is their character. They do not live merely or mainly for themselves. A candle is not lighted for its own convenience, but for the benefit of others, that it may give light unto all that are in the house. Some people think it is enough if they personally enjoy religion. But that is not the case. No man liveth to himself—much more does no Christian.
There are two objects for which Christians shine. One is to discover themselves, that the world may know what Christians are, and so be led to emulate the character. This our Saviour contemplates when he says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven." We are to emit light for others to see by; and it is that they may see our good works. All Christians perform good works. They are all of them doers. They are the most practical men in the world, though regarded by many as visionaries. There are, to be sure, speculators and theorists enough in the church, but real Christians are the working men. But what is the use in our good works being seen? Why is it not enough that they be done? Does not humility dictate that they should be concealed rather than exposed? The thing is impracticable. "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." Were the thing possible, the attempt at concealment might be proper enough, if there were no other to be influenced by the sight of our good works. Whether a candle in an uninhabited house be on a candlestick or under a bushel, is a matter of little consequence; but not so if there be people in the house. The Christian's good works are to be visible; not that he may be applauded for them, but that men may thence be led to glorify God. Now, a question. Do we shine? And by the light which we evolve, do observers see our good works? Have we any good works for them to see? And are they such good works as, they seeing, will instinctively refer to the grace of God as their cause, and so be led to glorify him? We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that we should show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.
I would not have any one suppose that a Christian is to make an effort to let his good works be seen—to be ostentatious of them. No, he is only to let his light shine. He is active in doing good works, but quite passive in showing them. A luminous body makes no effort in emitting light. Indeed it cannot help shining. A Christian has only in all his intercourse with men to act out the Christian spirit, and be governed by the fear of God, and the principles of his holy religion, and the thing is done. The light is emitted, and the good works are seen. And this is the way, under God, to commend truth to the conscience, to reach the hearts of men, and make converts to God. Yes, this is the way. "Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles; that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." Another question. Is this what we are doing—shining so that men, knowing we profess the religion of Jesus, see, in looking at us, how pure, lovely, excellent, and divine a religion it is, and are led to say, "Verily, it must be from God, and we must embrace it too—we will be Christians."
The other object for which Christians shine is to enlighten others. But on this I cannot now enlarge. Only this I would observe. See how far Christians shine. They do not merely illumine some little sphere. They are the light of the earth. Their influence reaches to the ends of the earth.
Would we make good our Saviour's assertion with respect to ourselves—would we be the light of the world, let us first take heed that the light which is in us be not darkness; and let us next have a care that our light make discovery to others of good works. Let us do them. Then, as for those who see us, it is their fault, not ours, if they are not converted. And as for those who are too far off to see us, it only remains that we carry them the light, or send it to them.—Nevins.
LET THEM GO DOWN.
By Banner of Holiness
Coaxing the devil to support the gospel is a modern device. The primitive church knew nothing of it. When Paul was collecting funds to aid poor saints at Jerusalem, he used no fairs, festivals, "mum sociables," kissing games, or other sacrilegious snares, to accomplish his object. The Christians paid their own bills, and did not expect Satan to pay for the weapon which they used in warfare against him. When the devil does support a church he does so in his own interest. He carries on his operations with a full knowledge of the fact that "a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." For every dollar paid out of his coffers to the church, he receives full value. Church partnership with the evil one never benefits the former, but always the latter. Hands off!
Untold harm comes to the church by the use of even questionable measures to raise money for the support of God's work. It creates the impression on the minds of the worldly that the church is a kind of parasite, dependent for its existence on the community, that it is a sort of genteel beggar, which it is proper and fashionable to support; that it is an object of charity, or even pity and contempt, which is grateful for the tolerance of the people that let it live. The ungodly regard such churches as engaged in seeking money rather than souls, and exalting wealthy members more than poor saints. To stand before the world in this light is humiliating and degrading beyond expression. Such churches ought to be cleansed or closed, cured or killed.
Churches that are doing the Lord's work, and are worth supporting, can be supported without the use of questionable means. Others deserve no support. Let them go down.
A HINT FOR THE YOUNG.
Sidney Smith, in one of the ablest of his essays, says: "I know of no principle which it is of more importance to fix in the habits of young people than that of the most determined resistance to the encroachments of ridicule. Give not up to the world, nor to the ridicule with which the world enforces its dominion over every trifling question of manner and appearance. Learn from the earliest days to insure your principles against the perils of ridicule. If you think it right to differ from the times, and to make a stand for any valuable point of morals, do it, however rustic, however antiquated, however pedantic it may appear; do it, not for insolence, but seriously and grandly, as a man who has a soul of his own in his bosom, and does not wait till it shall be breathed into him by the breath of fashion. Let men call you mean if you know you are just; hypocritical, if you are honestly religious; pusillanimous if you know you are firm. Resistance soon converts unprincipled wit into sincere respect; and no aftertime can tear from you those feelings which every man carries within him, who has made a noble and successful execution in a virtuous cause."
SHORT WORDS.
THESE remarks of Horatio Seymour are full of wisdom: "We must not only think in words, but we must all try to use the best words, and those which in speech so will put what is in our minds into the minds of others. This is the great art which those must gain who wish to teach in the school, the church, at the bar, or through the press. To do this in the right way they should use the short words which we learn in early life, and which have the same sense to all classes of men. The English of our Bible is good. Now and then some long words are found, and they always hurt the verses in which they are found. Take that which says: "O ye generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" There is one long word which ought not to be in it—namely 'generation.' In the old version the old word 'brood' is used. Read the verse again with this term, and you will feel its full force: "O ye viper's brood, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Crime sometimes does not look like crime when it is set before us in the many folds of a long word. When a man steals and we call it a "defalcation," we are at loss to know if it is a blunder or a crime. If he does not tell the truth, and we are told that it is a case of "prevarication," it takes us some time to know just what we should think of it. No man will ever cheat himself into wrong-doing, nor will he be at a loss to judge of others, if he thinks and speaks of acts in clear, crisp terms. It is a good rule, if one is at a loss to know if an act is right or wrong, to write it down in short, straight-out English."
Avoid Strife in the Church
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Avoid strife, especially in a church. If the cause cannot prosper in quietude, it certainly will not in an uproar. Tares are a trouble, but the rooting of them up may make worse trouble. Courage is a virtue, but a pugilistic tendency is not. It is well to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints; but we must not wrestle with flesh and blood, nor fight the Lord's battles with the devil's weapons. "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."
Christ the Stone of Help
The Lord Jesus is a Stone of stumbling to every self-righteous sinner; but to the believer he is the Stone of help.
Our last advance lesson closed with the healing of the daughter of the Canaanitish woman, in the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon. Of the trip which Jesus took immediately after this miracle, Geikie speaks as follows. It will be interesting to trace the course on the map:
“How long Jesus stayed in these parts is unknown. It would seem as if this incident had forced him to leave sooner than he had purposed. He did not, however, return at once to Capernaum, but set out northeastwards, through the territory of Sidon, to the country east of Jordan. The Roman road which ran over the richly wooded hills, almost straight eastward, from Tyre to Cæsarea Philipppi, was too far to the south. He must have taken the caravan road, which still runs from Sidon on the south side of the mountain stream Bostrenus, climbing the spurs of Lebanon, with their woods and noble mountain scenery, till it crosses the range amidst peaks six thousand feet high, at the natural rock-bridge over the deep, rushing Leontes. Turning now, down the valley of the Upper Jordan, under the shadow of the Hermon range, rising nine thousand five hundred feet high in their highest peak, he, ere long, at Cæsarea Philipppi, reached the open country, with a wide view of the broad, reedy marshes of Ulatha and Merom, the hills of Galilee, and the wide uplands of Gaulonitis. How long he spent on the journey is not told. Perhaps he stopped by the way, for Lebanon was full then, as now, of villages; perhaps he only passed through them on his way. His final purpose by this wide circuit, was to reach his old haunts without passing through Galilee, and this brought him to the wide territory of the ten allied free cities—the Decapolis.
“These cities were simply places which the Jews had not succeeded in re-conquering, after their return from Babylon. They had thus remained in the hands of the heathen, though in Palestine; had preserved distinct municipal government, and had joined in a political alliance, offensive and defensive. To the Jews they were a continual offense, and they were the first to suffer from the frenzied fanaticism of the nation when it rose in its last great revolt. Most of them, full of busy life, and adorned with splendid temples, baths, theaters, and public buildings, when Jesus passed through them, were destined, before another generation, to perish amidst fire and sword.”
These ten cities, according to Ptolemy, were Scythopolis, Hippos, Gadara, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, Philadelphia, Canatha, Capitolias, and Gadora. It was at Gadara, one of these cities, that Jesus had healed the demoniac from the tombs. This man had published the miracle in Decapolis, see Mark 5:20. It was probably in consequence of his favorable reports, that Jesus was so well received on this occasion.
“Even here the fame of the great Teacher attracted multitudes of Jews settled all over the half-foreign district, especially in its towns and cities, and revived for a time the cheering scenes of the past. The cripple, the blind, the dumb, the deformed, and many others variously afflicted, were either brought to him, or came, till he was once more forced, as of old, to retreat to the hills, in the vain effort to gain quiet. The popular excitement, however, made rest impossible. They sought and found him wherever he might be, and enjoyed not only the benefits of his supernatural power, but the richer blessings of his teaching. Only one incident is given in detail. A man had been brought to him who was deaf, and could only stammer inarticulately; and he was besought to heal him. From what motive is not told, he varied his usual course. Taking him aside from the multitude, perhaps to have more freedom, perhaps to avoid their too great excitement and its possibly hurtful political consequences, he put his fingers into the man's ears, and touched his tongue with a finger moistened on his own lips. It may be that these simple forms were intended to waken faith in one who could hear no words, for, without the fitting spirit, the miracle would not have been wrought. Looking up to heaven, as if to lift the thoughts of the unfortunate man to the Eternal Father, whose power alone could heal him, Jesus then, at last, uttered the single word of the popular dialect—‘Ephphatha’—‘Be opened,’ and he was perfectly cured. An injunction to keep the miracle private was of no avail; the whole country was presently filled with reports of it, and of other similar wonders.
“The vast concourse attracted by such scenes may be imagined; for in the East especially, it is easy for the population, with their simple wants, and the mildness of the sky, which in the warm months invites sleeping in the open air by night, to camp out as they think fit. But, as often happens, even in our own day, with the Easter pilgrims at Jerusalem, many found their provisions run short, and as in these strange and motly crowds numbers often die of want, many of those following Jesus might have sunk by the way but for his thoughtful care, for numbers had come far. Once more the crowds were caused to sit on the ground, and were fed from the scanty provision found on the spot, which was no more than seven of the round loaves of the country, and a few small, dried fishes from the lake of Galilee. Four thousand men, besides women and children, were supplied from this scanty store, and seven baskets of fragments, afterwards gathered, attested that they had suffered no stint.
“Leaving the eastern side of the lake, to which his wanderings had led him, Jesus now, once more, crossed to the neighborhood of Magdala, at the lower end of the plain of Gennesareth, and close to Capernaum. He had hardly reappeared before his enemies were once more in motion. The Pharisees had already stifled their dislike of the Herodians, and had formed an alliance with them, that they might the more easily crush him. It marked the growing malignity of feeling that a class fanatically proud of their ceremonial and moral purity—a class from whose midst had sprung the Zealots for the law, who abhorred all rule except that of a restored theocracy—should have banded themselves with a party of moral indifferentists, partial to monarchy, and guilty of flattering even the hated family of Herod. But a still more ominous sign of increasing danger showed itself in even Saducees joining the Pharisees to make new attempts to compromise Jesus with the authorities.”
“Eager for a fresh dispute, the strange allies, very likely fresh from Jerusalem, no sooner found that he had returned, than they sallied forth to open a discussion. ‘You claim,’ said they, ‘to be a teacher come from God, and have given many ‘signs’ that you are so in the miracles you have performed. But all these signs have been untrustworthy, for we know that the earth and even the air are filled with demons. It is quite possible that the prince of the devils, to deceive men into supporting your claims, may have given you power for a time over these demons, and thus all that you have done may be only a dark plot to undo us. The Egyptian magicians did miracles, and our fathers did not believe even Moses, for the common wonders he did, for they might have been wrought only by magic and incantations. A sign from heaven, however, is different. It is beyond the power of devils. Give us bread from heaven, as Moses did, or signs in the sun and moon like Joshua, or call down thunder and hail like Samuel, or fire and rain like Elijah, or make the sun turn back like Isaiah, or let us hear the Bath Kol which came to Simon the Just—that we may believe you.’ . . . . .
“With biting irony he turned on them in a few brief incisive sentences. ‘How is it that ye, who are so skilled in the signs of the heavens, are so dull to read those around you? You watch the sky, and talk of signs in it. In the evening you say, ‘Fair weather, for the sky is red;’ and in the morning, ‘Foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and lowering.’ When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘there comes a shower;’ when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘there will be heat.’ You pretend to tell, by the way the smoke blows on the last evening of the Feast of Tabernacles, what weather there will be for the year. If it turn northward, you say there will be much rain, and the poor will rejoice; if it turn south, you say the rich will rejoice and the poor mourn, for there will be little rain; if it turn eastward, all rejoice; if westward, all mourn. If God have been so gracious to men as to give signs of fair weather, of wind, and of rain, how much more must he have given signs of the near approach of the Messiah? You are diligent to excess in studying the sky, but you ask signs of my being the Messiah, as if none had been given, when many unmistakable ones invite you in your own Scriptures, in the events of the day, the preaching of John, and in my own miracles, teachings, and life. An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign of the approach of the kingdom of God to suit it, while it is blind to the signs around, that the Messiah must come, if the nation is not to perish. I will give you no sign but that of the prophet Jonah, for as the warning of his words was the only one given to the Ninevites, my preaching will be the only sign given to you. It is its own evidence. Apart from my miracles, my life, and the divine and heavenly truth I preach, are sufficient proof that I am sent by God. Hereafter, indeed, Jonah will become a sign in another sense, for as he was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so I, when put to death, shall be the same time in the grave.’
“So saying, he left them. It was clearly unsafe to stay in their neighborhood. Henceforth he could only lead a fugitive, outlawed life, and with a deep sigh at the hopelessness of winning over men blinded by prejudice, and hardened in heart, he entered the boat once more, and crossed the lake to the lonely and secure eastern side.”
While crossing the sea, Jesus took occasion to warn the disciples against being led astray by the false doctrines of the Pharisees and the Saducees. Geikie has the following comments on this passage:
“‘Take heed, beware,’ said he solemnly, ‘of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, and of the party of Herod.’ It so happened, however, that in their hurried flight, having had no time to lay in provisions, there was only one loaf in the boat, and with the childishness of uneducated minds, they at once fancied he referred to their having come without bread. At the well of Samaria they had thought he referred to common food when he spoke of the meat of the soul; they had been as dull in catching the metaphor of his flesh being the bread of life, and hereafter they were to think only of natural rest when he spoke of the dead Lazarus as sleeping. Reflection, like continuity of thought, comes only with mental training. The uncultured mind, whether old or young, learns slowly. They might have remembered from the twice repeated miraculous feedings of the multitude, that it was indifferent how little they had with them when their master was in their midst, but it needs a thoughtfulness and depth beyond that of average fishermen and peasants, such as they were, to reason and reflect. ‘He tells us,’ they whispered, ‘that if we buy bread from a Pharisee or Sadducee, the bread would defile us, as it would if we bought it from a Samaritan.’ So rude was the spiritual material from which Jesus had to create the founders of Christianity!
“‘O ye of little faith,’ interrupted he, ‘why do ye reason among yourselves because ye have no loaves? Are your hearts hardened that you cannot understand? Have you forgotten when I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, and the seven among the four thousand, how many baskets and wallets full of fragments ye took up? How could you think you would ever want after that, whether we had bread with us or not? Do you not see that when I spoke of leaven I was thinking not of loaves, but of instruction? Beware of the teaching of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians, about me or about religion. They would gladly fill your minds with slanders and misleading fancies; draw you away from me; and corrupt your hearts by their superstition, and religious acting, and self-righteous pride, or by their worldliness and unbelief.’”
The Sabbath-School Teacher’s Holy Life
George Herbert says, “The country parson’s library is a holy life,” and he found it so. Let not the Sabbath-school teacher forget that he is a library to his class. They study him, and look more to his manner and life than to his teaching. If he is not holy, he will not readily persuade them to be holy. He should therefore be a commentary on his teaching.—Dr. Steel.
Fresh Methods for Sabbath Lessons
By Pardee
Do not be tied down to any one plan or method of preparing a Sabbath lesson, but invent new and fresh modes. Never suffer any part of your preparation or teaching to relapse into a dull routine. Be fresh, warm, and earnest in manner and matter, and raise yourself above leaning upon any question-books or notes of lessons; use them if you please, but do not lean upon them.—Pardee.
The Beginning of Wisdom
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments."
MARIOLATRY NOT CHRISTIANITY.
THE following is a peculiar reason for trusting the power of Mary. It is from a prayer to her:—
"Nothing resists thy power, since thy Creator and ours, while he honors thee as his mother, considers thy glory as his own, and exulting in it, as a Son, grants thy petitions as if he were discharging an obligation."—Glories of Mary, page 32.
The following is from what purports to be a revelation made by the Virgin herself to St. Bridget:—
"No one, therefore, who is not entirely accursed, is so cast off by God that he may not return and enjoy his mercy if he invokes my aid. . . . Therefore he shall be miserable, and forever miserable in another life, who in this, being able, does not have recourse to me, who am so compassionate to all, and so earnestly desire to aid sinners." P. 34.
This is but the reiteration of the statement before quoted, that mercy comes through Mary alone. As an "example" of her grace, Liguori relates an incident "in the life of St. Catherine, an Augustinian nun," who was accustomed to recommend to God the souls of those who died; but there was one woman who was so very wicked that "she was banished by her fellow-citizens, forced to live in a cave beyond the limits of the place, and died in a state of loathsome corruption, abandoned by all, and without the sacraments; and on this account was buried in a field, like a beast." No prayers or masses were offered for her soul.
"Four years having past, a soul from purgatory one day appeared to her, and said, 'Sister Catherine, how unhappy is my fate! you commend to God the souls of all those who die, and for my soul alone you have had no pity!' 'And who are you?' said the servant of God.' 'I am,' she answered, 'that poor Mary who died in the cave.' 'How! are you saved?' exclaimed Sister Catherine. 'Yes, I am saved,' she said, 'by the mercy of the Virgin Mary.' 'And how?' 'When I saw death drawing near, finding myself laden with sins, and abandoned by all, I turned to the mother of God and said to her, Lady, thou art the refuge of the abandoned, behold me at this hour deserted by all; thou art my only hope, thou alone canst help me; have pity on me. The holy Virgin obtained for me the grace of making an act of contrition; I died and am saved. . . . A few masses only are needed to obtain my release from purgatory. I pray thee cause them to be offered for me, and I promise to pray God and Mary for thee.'" Pp. 36, 37.
The masses were offered, and in a few days she saw that soul, "more brilliant than the sun," going to Paradise. Such, say they, is the power, the mercy, of Mary. And such, we add, is the profane trash which is palmed upon the Catholic laity as the way and means of salvation.
Her love for God and humanity is thus described:—
"She herself revealed to Sister Mary of the Crucifixion, that the fire of love with which she burned for God was so great, that it would in a moment inflame heaven and earth; and that, in comparison to it, all the flames of the burning love of the seraphim were as cool breezes. Therefore, as there is none among the blessed spirits who loves God more than Mary, so there is, and can be none, except God, who loves us more than this our most loving mother," etc. P. 53.
And love for Mary is said to give an assurance which nothing else can. Of many declarations of this we quote the following:—
"Ah, most sweet Mary, blessed is he who loves you! The venerable brother John Berchmans, of the Society of Jesus used to say: If I love Mary, I am sure of perseverance, and I shall obtain from God whatsoever I wish." P. 59.
From the parable put forth by the wise woman of Tekoah to king David, 2 Sam. 14, he draws this lesson:
"It appears that Mary offers the same petition when God is angry with a sinner, who has recourse to her: O my God, she says to him, I had two sons, Jesus and man; man has killed my Jesus on the cross; thy justice would now condemn man; my Lord, my Jesus is dead; have mercy upon me, and if I have lost one, do not condemn me to lose the other also. Ah, God assuredly does not condemn those sinners who have recourse to Mary, and for whom she prays; since God himself has given these sinners to Mary for her children. The devout Luspergius puts these words into the mouth of our Lord: I have commended sinners to Mary as her children."
P. 74.
It is plainly seen from this that Mary, and not Jesus, is made the hope of the sinner. In view of this Liguori exclaims: "Though she should slay me, I will hope in her; and, confident in my trust, I would die near her image, and be saved." To her they apply the words of the Proverbs, and, indeed, in her is found all grace for all dispensations:—
"He who finds me shall find life, and shall receive from God eternal salvation. Listen, as St. Bonaventure exclaims here upon these words; listen, all ye who desire the kingdom of God; honor the Virgin Mary, and ye shall have life and eternal salvation. St. Bernardine of Sienna says, that God did not destroy man after his fall, because of the peculiar love he bore his future child Mary. And the saint adds, that he doubts not all the mercy and pardon which sinners received under the Old Law, was granted solely for the sake of this blessed Virgin." P. 81.
"Justly, then, does St. Lawrence Justinian call her the hope of evil-doers, since she alone can obtain their pardon from God. St. Bernard rightly names her the ladder of sinners, since she, this compassionate queen, offers her hand to poor fallen mortals, leads them from the precipice of sin, and helps them to ascend to God. St. Augustine rightly calls her the only hope of sinners, since by her means alone we hope for the remission of all our sins. And St. John Chrysostom repeats the same thing, namely, that sinners receive pardon only through the intercession of Mary." Pp. 83, 84.
"It was revealed to St. Bridget by an angel, that the holy prophets were full of joy when they learned that God, by the humility and purity of Mary, would become reconciled to sinners, and receive into his favor those who had provoked his wrath." P. 86.
"St. Francis Borgia, with reason, feared for the perseverance of those in whom he did not find a special devotion to the blessed Virgin. When once he asked some novices to what saint they had the most devotion, and found that some of them were not specially devoted to Mary, he warned the master to watch more carefully these unfortunate persons; and it happened that they all lost their vocation and quitted their religion. St. Germanus justly called the most holy Virgin the breath of Christians; because as the body cannot live without breathing, so the soul cannot live without having recourse and commending itself to Mary, through whose means the life of divine grace is obtained for us and preserved in us." P. 93.
The following must be very satisfactory to the faithful:—
"Father Bernardine de Bustis relates that a hawk darted upon a bird which had been taught to say, Ave Maria; the bird said Ave Maria, and the hawk fell dead." P. 96.
"St. Bonaventure says that Mary sends the archangel Michael, with all the angels, to the defense of her dying servants, to protect them from the assaults of evil spirits, and to receive the souls of all those who have especially and constantly recommended themselves to her." P. 105.
Chapter III treats of Mary specially as "our hope." It commences with a rebuke to heretics, thus:—
"Modern heretics cannot endure that we should salute Mary in this manner by calling her our hope: Hail our hope. They say that God alone is our hope, and that he who places his hope in a creature is ac-cursed of God. Mary, they exclaim, is a creature, and, as a creature, how can she be our hope? Thus say the heretics, but notwithstanding this, the church requires all the clergy, and all religious daily to raise their voices, and in the name of all the faithful, invoke and call Mary by the sweet name of our hope, the hope of all: Hail, our hope." P. 115.
He says this is not dishonoring God but pleasing to him, for:—
"He has given us his own mother for our mother and advocate, and has given her all power to aid us; and hence he wishes us to place in her all our hopes of salvation, and of every blessing." P. 116.
"God has ordained (as St. Bernard says, and we shall hereafter prove at length) that all those who are saved are saved by means of Mary. . . . St. Thomas of Villanova says the same thing, calling her our only refuge, help, and protection. . . . God ordered Mo-es to make a propitiatory of the purest gold, telling him that from it he would speak to him: 'Thou shalt make also a propitiatory of the purest gold. Thence will I give orders, and will speak to thee.' A certain author explains this propitiatory to be Mary, through whom the Lord speaks to men, and dispenses to them pardon, graces, and favors." Pp. 117, 118.
"Also the Idiot remarks, that every blessing, every help, every grace that men have received or will receive from God, to the end of the world, has come to them, and will come to them, through the intercession and by means of Mary." P. 119.
The following passages show how completely Mary is made the only advocate for sinners:—
"Let us say with St. Thomas of Villanova: O Mary, we poor sinners know no refuge but thee. Thou art our only hope; to thee we intrust our salvation. Thou art the only advocate with Jesus Christ; to thee we all have recourse." P. 130.
"St. Bonaventure remarks that Isaias, in his day, lamented, and said: 'Behold, thou art angry and we have sinned. . . . there is none that riseth up and taketh hold of thee;' because Mary was not yet born into the world. But now, if God is offended with any sinner, and Mary undertakes to protect him, she restrains the Son from punishing him, and saves him. Also, continues St. Bonaventure, no one can be found more fit than Mary to place her hand upon the sword of divine justice that it may not descend upon the head of the sinner. Richard of St. Laurence expresses the same thought, when he says: God lamented, before the birth of Mary, that there was no one to restrain him from punishing the sinner; but Mary being born, she appeased him." Pp. 134-5.
"And to increase our confidence, St. Anselm adds, that when we have recourse to this divine mother, we may not only be sure of her protection, but that sometimes we shall be sooner heard and saved by invoking her holy name than that of Jesus our Saviour. And he gives this reason: Because it belongs to Christ, as our judge, to punish, but to Mary, as our advocate, to pity. By this he would give us to understand, that we sooner find salvation by recurring to the mother than the Son. . . . We may ask many things of God and do not obtain them; we ask them of Mary and obtain them." Pp. 149-50.
St. Francis of Sales prayed thus: "O my queen, be my advocate with thy Son, whom I dare not approach." P. 153.
Thus the office of advocate is taken altogether away from Jesus Christ and given to Mary, who is made advocate or mediator between Christ and the sinner. But this is not the gospel. It is not according to the Scriptures. It is the uniform teaching of the Catholic church. It is sustained by a host of saints and doctors; but it is contrary to the Bible. It is no wonder that the laity of that church are dissuaded from reading the Bible, for the worship and mediatorship of Mary are not allowed in the word of God. These are the inventions of men.