rom its
exaltation in former ages, and that England is now far behind her
continental neighbours in her worship. Though these excessive departures
from Gospel truth and the primitive worship of one God by one Mediator
may not be the doctrines of all who belong to the Church of Rome, yet
they are the tenets of some of her most {368} celebrated doctors, of men
who were raised to her highest dignities in their lifetime, and solemnly
enrolled by her among the saints of glory after their death. Their words
and their actions are appealed to now in support of similar tenets and
doctrines, though few, in this country at least, are found to put them
forth in all their magnitude and fulness. But even in their mildest and
least startling form these doctrines are awfully dangerous.

The fact is, that the direct tendency of the worship of the Virgin, as
practically illustrated in the Church of Rome, is to make GOD himself an
object of FEAR, and the VIRGIN an object of LOVE; to invest Him, who is
the Father of mercy and God of all comfort, with awfulness, and majesty,
and with the terrors of eternal justice, and in direct and striking
contrast to array the Virgin mother with mercy and benignity, and
compassionate tenderness. Christians cannot be too constantly and too
carefully on their guard against doing this wrong to our heavenly
Father. His own inspired word invites us to regard Him not only as the
God of love, but as Love itself. "God is love;" [1 John iv. 8.] and so
far from terrifying us by representations of his tremendous majesty, and
by declarations that we cannot ourselves draw nigh to God; so far from
bidding us to approach Him with our suits and supplications through
mediators whom we should regard as having, more than our blessed
Redeemer, a fellow-feeling with us, and at the same time resistless
influence with Him; his own invitation and assurance is, "Come unto me,
and I will give you rest:" [Matt. xi. 28.] "No one cometh unto the
Father but by me:" [John xiv. 6.] "Him that cometh to me I will {369} in
no wise cast out:" [John vi. 37.] "Let us come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need." [Heb. iv. 16.]

How entirely opposed to such passages as these, breathing the spirit
that pervades the whole Bible, are those doctrines which represent the
Virgin Mary as the Mediatrix by whom we must sue for the divine
clemency; as the dispenser of all God's mercies and gra