which they
convey.

The true and obvious sense of the words quoted from the Creed is, that
between the children of God, whether reigning in heaven or sojourning on
earth, there exists an intercommunion, or spiritual communication by
prayer; and, consequently, that our friends who have entered into their
rest are mindful of us in their petitions to God.

In the exposition of her Creed the Catholic Church weighs her words in the
scales of the sanctuary with as much precision as a banker weighs his
gold. With regard to the Invocation of Saints the Church simply declares
that it is "useful and salutary" to ask their prayers. There are
expressions addressed to the Saints in some popular books of devotion
which, to critical readers, may seem extravagant. But they are only the
warm language of affection and poetry, to be regulated by our standard of
faith; and notice that all the prayers of the Church end with the formula:
"Through our Lord Jesus Christ," sufficiently indicating her belief that
Christ is the Mediator of salvation. A heart tenderly attached to the
Saints will give vent to its feelings in the language of hyperbole, just
as an enthusiastic lover will call his future bride his adorable queen,
without any intention of worshiping her as a goddess. This reflection
should be borne in mind while reading such passages.

I might easily show, by voluminous quotations from ecclesiastical writers
of the first ages of the Church, how conformable to the teaching of
antiquity is the Catholic practice of invoking the intercession of the
Saints. But as you, dear reader, may not be disposed to attach adequate
importance to the writings of the Fathers, I shall confine myself to the
testimony of Holy Scripture.

You will readily admit that it is a salutary custom to ask the prayers of
the blessed in heaven, provided you have no doubt that they can _hear_
your prayers, and that they have the _power_ and the _will_ to assist you.
Now the Scriptures amply demonstrate the knowledge, the influence and the
love of the Saints in our regard.

First--It would be a great mistake to suppose that the Angels and Saints
reigning with God see and hear in the same manner that we see and hear on
earth, or that knowledge is communicated to them as it is communicated to
us. While we are confined in the prison of the body, we see only with our
eyes and hear with our ears; hence our faculties of vision and hearing are
very limited. Compared with