66 “Agnes, who art the Lamb's chaste spouse, "O holy patriarchs, holy prophets, pray for my sins; and all the darkness of error being utterly expelled, illustrate the eyes of my mind with the light of true Catholic faith." Ad omnes Patriarchas, &c. Prophetas. 5. Protection from enemies. “Let Mary arise, and let all her enemies be scattered. Dissolve the empire of our enemies, and destroy all their iniquity.” Ps. lxvii. in Psalterio B. Mariæ. When Pope Gregory VII. went to deprive the Emperor of Germany, and absolve his subjects from their obedience, he used this prayer: "Blessed Peter, prince of the apostles, I beseech thee incline thine ears, and hear me, thy servant, whom thou hast brought up from mine infancy, and to this day delivered me from the hands of wicked men who have hated and persecuted me," &c.—Platina in ejus vita. “O, St. Denys, doctor of France, and excellent martyr, I beseech thee do not despise me, but deliver me from all poverties and tribulations of soul and body. Holy Denys, I beseech thee and thy companions that ye receive my soul when it shall be presented before the tribunal of the judge; and entreat the mighty king, that by your suffrages I may merit to be delivered from eternal torments."-Ad St. Dionysium. I will conclude this with part of a most devout prayer (for so it is called) to the blessed Virgin Mary. "O most illustrious, and most excellent, glorious, ever-Virgin Mary, mother of our Lord Jesus Christ; my lady, queen, and lady of the whole creation; who forsakest none, despisest none, sendest none away desolate, that humbly and devoutly comes unto thee with a good and pure heart; do not despise me for my most grievous sins; do not forsake me for mine innumerable iniquities; neither for the hardness and filthiness of my heart, cast me out of the sight of thy grace and love. But for thy greatest mercy and sweetest piety, hear me firmly confiding in thy mercy. And help me, most holy and glorious virgin, in all my tribulations, straits and necessities. And in all my undertakings grant me counsel and assistance; and deliver me from all mine enemies, visible and invisible. Give me virtue and fortitude against the temptations and machinations of the world, the flesh and the devil."-Hora B. Virg. sec. us. Sar. p. 128. 66 6. Deliverance from the power of Satan. Judge me, O lady, &c. Deliver me from the malignant serpent, and pestiferous dragon. Let thy blessed virginity bruise his head, and thy holy merits subdue his power."-Ps. xlii. in Psalterio B. Mariæ. 66 Hail, sweet mother of Christ, whom thou sorrowing and weeping sawest taken, bound, beaten. Remember this sorrow, O mother of mercy, keep me from the snares of the devil, and from reproaches.”—Horæ B. Virg. sec. us. Sar. p. 144. 66 'Holy Michael, be thou to me a breastplate. Holy Gabriel, be to me an helmet. Holy Raphael, be to me a buckler. Holy Uriel, be to me a defender. Holy Cherubin, be to me health. Holy Seraphin, be to me truth. And all ye holy angels and arch-angels, keep, protect, and defend me, and bring me to eternal life."-Horæ B. Virg. sec. us. Sarum, p. 97. 7. Presence and assistance at the hour of death: "Unto thee, O lady, have I lift up my soul; let not the snares of death prevail against me."-Ps. xxiv. in Psalterio B. Mariæ. Ave dulcis mater Christi, In hora mortis ultima Assis mihi charissima. Ave Mar. Hor. B. Vir. sec. us. Sar. p. 144. But of this I shall have occasion to speak more fully afterwards. 8. Eternal life. Thou, holy Virgin, art the mother of my life; the nourisher of the repara tion of my flesh; because thou art the nurse of the salvation of my soul; the beginning and the end of my whole salvation."-Ps. xli. in Psalt. B. Mar. Ave quæ post mortem Christi Cuncta loca martyrii Ob pænas quas susceperas, Mihi locum in gloria. Hor. Virg. sec. us. Sar. p. 144. But as great as this privilege is, yet you must not look upon it as appropriated to the blessed Virgin, but common to other saints. So much is clear from this sequence. Vas virtutum via morum Nos tuere, nos cælorum. Transfer ad Pallatia. Missale sec. us. And we find them praying thus to St. Paul: "O blessed Paul, apostle, I beseech thee that thou wouldst preserve me from the evil angel, and deliver me from the wrath to come, and bring me to heaven." To conclude this; there is no good, either corporal or spiritual, temporal or eternal, the donation of which they do not ask from their saints; and no evil from which they desire not to be delivered by them, as most evidently appears from many examples in their rosaries, breviaries, &c. And no wonder, if that be true, which is asserted by Costerus, viz. that the saints receive the same power from God immediately after death, that Christ received from his Father, promised in the second Psalm. Enchirid. de Venerat. Sanctor. Propos. iv. CHAPTER III. PATRONAGE OF SAINTS. THE heathen had particular gods for every country, city, and place; yea, for everything. Minutius Felix Octav. p. 12; Arnob. Adv. Gent. lib. viii. They had particular gods or demons for every country, to whom the protection of that country was committed, and sacrifices offered by the inhabitants thereof. To clear up this, we need go no further than holy writ. The Chaldeans had Baal. Judges viii. 33. The Sidonians, Ashtaroth. 1 Kings xi. 5. The Ammonites, Moloch, v. 7. The Moabites, Chemosh, ibid. The Philistines, Dagon. Judges xvi. 23. And every nation that came out of Ashur had a several god. |