ice;[84]
The Brightness of the World;
The Strength of the Church;
The Love of the People;
The Delight of the Clergy.
Hail, glorious Guardian of the Flock;
Save those who rejoice in thy glory.

[Footnote 84: Salve, Thomas, Virga Justitiae, Mundi Jubar, Robur
Ecclesiae, Plebis Amor, Cleri Delicia. Salve Gregis Tutor
egregie, Salva tuae gaudentes gloriae.]

The end of the service of Thomas of Canterbury.

* * * * *

Now for a few moments only let us meditate on this service. I have
already referred to the lamentable practice of substituting biographical
legends for the word of God. And what is the tendency of this service?
What impression was it likely to make, and to leave on minds of ordinary
powers and instruction? Must it not, of necessity, tend to withdraw them
from contemplating Christ, and to fix their thoughts on the powers, the
glory, the exaltation, the merits of a fellow-sinner? It will be said,
that they will look beyond the martyr, and trace the blessings, here
enumerated, to Christ, as their primary cause, and will think of the
merits of Thomas as efficacious only through the merits of their
Saviour; that in their invocation of Thomas they will implore him only
to pray for them. But can this be so? Does not the ascription of
miracles to him {221} and to his power; does not the very form of
enumerating those miracles tend much to exalt the servant to an equality
with the Master?

Whilst Thomas by being thus, in words at least, presented to the people
as working those miracles by his own power, (for there is throughout a
lamentable absence of immediate ascription of glory to God,) is raised
to an equality with Christ our Lord; many passages in this service have
the tendency also of withdrawing the minds of the worshippers from an
implicit and exclusive dependence on the merits of Christ alone, and of
tempting them to admit the merits of Thomas to share at least with
Christ in the work of grace and salvation. Let us place some texts of
Scripture and some passages of this service side by side.

[Transcriber's note: They are shown here one after the other.]

_Scripture._

But after that the kindness and love of God towards man appeared, not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us.--Titus iii. 4, 5.

He who spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us