of their gods in their temples. This is so clear from all their historians, that I need not cite particular authors. Thus do our Romanists place the images of their saints in their churches; which custom, together with the adoration of them, Cornelius Agrippa derives from Ethnicks." Hinc cæpimus divorum nostrorum muta simulachra in templa nostra traducere," &c. "Hence we began to receive the mute images of our saints into our churches, and with great veneration to place them on God's altar; which, for a man to approach, though the true image of God, we account piacular; we bow the head to them, kiss them, offer lights, worship them," &c.-De Vanitate Scientiar. cap. liii. The same is affirmed by Polydore Virg. de Inventor. Rerum. lib. vi. cap. 13. 5. To all these we may add one more, viz. that the heathen at a certain time covered their images, and omitted to burn incense before them. Ovid, who gives us a very large and full account of their customs and ceremonies, saith Fastor. lib. 2. Dii quoq. templorum foribus cælentur apertis : Thus do our Romanists, in the time of Lent, cover their altars and images, and omit to burn incense before them.-Durand. Rational. Divin. Officior. lib. i. cap. 3. num. 34., and lib. vi. cap. 32. numb. 12. And Gavantus tells us what kind of veil or covering this must be. 1. It must not have any image or picture painted on it; 2. It must rather be of a violet colour than black, but white by no means, except it shall be so ordered. -Thesaurus Sacrorum Rituum. Pars iv. tit. 7. CHAPTER VI. FESTIVALS. THE heathen appointed festivals in honour of their gods. As Numa divided the year into months, (saith Macrobius,) so every month into days; and these were called either Festi, Profesti, or Intercisi. The Dies Festi, called also Feriati, and Feriæ, a feriendo victimas, festival or holydays, were to be spent in religious rites and ceremonies. The Dies Profesti (so called quasi procul a festis) were spent in the works of their particular callings and secular employments. The Dies intercisi (ab intercidendo, as it were days cut asunder) were half holy-days; one part of them being appointed for worldly business, and the other for holy and religious exercises. Now, the first and last of these days were dedicated to their gods; the first wholly, and the last in part. Every god had a festival appointed for him, called by his name, which Ovid mentions in his Fasto The Saturnalia were festival-days, instituted at Rome in honour of Saturn, in the month of December. The Bacchanalia were in honour of Bacchus; Carmentalia, in honour of Carmenta, Evander's mother; Robigalia, in honour of Robigus, instituted by Numa in the eleventh year of his reign.-Rosin. Antiq. Rom. lib. iv. cap. 8. The Greeks also were very much addicted to the observation of these festival-days; as the Athenians in keeping their Panathenea, that were appointed in honour of Minerva. And thus other nations dedicated festivals in honour of their gods; to such as were proper to certain places, called Indigetes, as also to their domestic divinities. Thus do our Romanists institute festivals in honour of their saints. This is most evident from all their missals and breviaries, where particular offices are appointed for every day. "The church," saith Durand, "doth celebrate the festivals of saints for many reasons: 1. That we may observe the law of retaliation; for they celebrate a feast for us, there being joy in heaven over a repenting sinner. 2. Because, in honouring them, we do our own work. 3. That we may have them intercessors for us. 4. That we may imitate them; for by their examples we are drawn to walk as they did. 5. For the increase of our security, and confirmation of our hope. 6. For the honour of the Divine Majesty, which we honour in honouring them. 7. That by beholding their beauty and purity, man may be confounded for his own sins, and contemn earthly things, even as they did. 8. And principally for the honour of the saints; and he gives two reasons why they ought to be honoured.-Rationale divin. Offic. lib. vii. cap. 1. Bellarmine affirms, that the honour of festivaldays belongeth immediately and terminatively to the saints, even as invocation itself doth.-De Cultu Sanctor. lib. iii. cap. 16. And as the pagans had half holy-days for some of their gods, so have papists for some of their saints. CHAPTER VII. ALTARS. 1. THE heathen erected altars to their gods. We read of wicked Ahab, (1 Kings xvi. 32,) that he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And of Manasseh, (2 Kings xxi. 2, 3,) that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen; for he built up the high places, and reared up altars for all the host of heaven, (verse 5.) Plutarch mentions a golden altar of Jupiter Idæus made by Midas. Parallela Roman. et Græcor. p. 743. And he tells us of another erected to Apollo in his temple at Delos, made all of horns, and reckoned among the seven wonders of the world, 802. The Gentiles (saith St. Austin) built temples, made altars, instituted priests, and offered sacrifice to their gods.-De Civit. Dei, lib. xxii. cap. 10. The Romans erected altars (by which I understand both altaria and aræ, betwixt which they made a difference) to every god, as Jupiter, Pistor, Vesta, Minerva, &c.—Rosin. Antiq. Roman. passim. Among the Latins, altars were everywhere erected to their gods and goddesses.-Elias Schedius de diis German. p. 219. Thus do our Romanists erect altars to their saints, as the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, St. Paul, &c. Durand mentions some cases wherein the lesser altars may, and ought to be reconsecrated; and the second is this: If the repository within the altar be broken, where the relics are put, and the letters testimonial of its consecration ought carefully to be kept, containing the name of the bishop by whom it was consecrated, and the name of the saint to whose honour it was dedicated. Ration. Divin. Officior. lib. i. cap. vi. numb. 32-34. Temples and altars (saith Polydor Virgil) are dedicated to the saints, that we may worship both them and God with due veneration.— |