The next words of the angel's salutation are, "the Lord is with thee," which are the same as the angel used to Gideon* on appearing to him; from these words therefore, nothing can be deduced in favour of the notion that the angel Gabriel intended to worship the Virgin-and, as I have said above, if he did not mean this, his example cannot sanction her worship by the Romish Church.

The last expression in Gabriel's salutation, is, "blessed art thou among women," sửλoynμévn ou iv yuvai In these words also, there is nothing which can support the argument of the Papists-The same forms of expression is used in Judges, v. 24. with respect to Jael who killed Sisera, only that the verb is in the future tense. "Blessed above "women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite "be, blessed shall she be above women in the "tent," or, "blessed may Jael the wife of Heber "be," according to the Seventy who have the verb in the optative mood.-The same form of expression as Gabriel employs, is also to be met with in the benediction pronounced by Melchise

* Judges vi. 12. See the Seventy xugios μɛra rov. The same words are used by St. Luke.

dek upon Abraham-"Blessed be Abram of the « most high God *, ευλογημένος "Αβραμ τω Θεω τω ύψισον ένα With regard to this circumstance, visit Melchisedek's blessing Abraham; St. Paul says in the Epistle to the Hebrews, that, "the less is blessed "of the better,"† i. e. this act of Melchisedek implied superiority on his part over Abraham.There is not then the shadow of a reason for maintaining that, this part of the salutation of Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, contains any acknowledgment of her being superior in dignity to the angel, and entitled to worship from him.

I have thus examined the whole language of the angel Gabriel's salutation, and have proved that no part of it supports the Romish practice of addressing prayers and supplications to the Virgin Mary. The first expression of it I have shown to have been used by our Lord to his disciples, the second to have been applied by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians, to Christians in general, the third has been proved to be the same as was used by the angel to Gideon, and the fourth and last was applied in the song of Deborah to Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. We conclude

therefore, that none of these forms of expression denote any kind of worship to the person addressed, or even that degree of reverence which implies an acknowledgment of inferiority in the person who uses them.

The next passage of Scripture quoted by Mr. Gandolphy to justify the idolatry of the Romish Church, is Luke, i. 42.-It is not necessary for me to enter minutely into the consideration of this text, as my remarks upon the former one may be applied to it.The language of Elizabeth certainly is expressive of high respect for the Virgin Mother of Christ, and this respect has never been denied to the blessed Virgin by any Christians. But there is a wide difference between respect and worship. The one justly belongs to all true saints, and especially to these who are eminently distinguished by their piety: the other appertains to God only. "Thou shalt worship the Lord "thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." memories of Moses and Aaron were not less revered by the Old Testament saints, than that of Mary is by Christians, yet Mr. Gandolphy will search in vain for any traces of a Jewish Litany, in honour of Moses or of Jewish prayers addressed to him. The pious Jews would have abhorred

The

the very thought of such things, and would have died rather than practise them, in like manner as thousands and ten thousands of Christians have perished in the fires of persecution kindled by the Romish Church.

Mr. Gandolphy lastly quotes the examples of Daniel and David in support of the Romish practice of praying to the saints, he infers that because these holy men called upon all the angels and hosts of the Lord to praise and exalt him, therefore the Papists are justified in addressing prayers and supplications to angels and dead saints. Now in the Psalm quoted by Mr. Gandolphy on this occasion, David not only calls on the angels and hosts of the Lord to praise him, but likewise on the whole of the material creation. "Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him all his "hosts. Praise him ye sun and moon: praise him "all ye stars of light."-Again, "Praise the Lord "from the earth ye dragons, and all deeps. "Fire and hail, snow and vapours, stormy wind "fulfilling his word. Mountains and hills, fruitful "trees, and all cedars. Beasts, and all cattle, creep"ing things, and flying fowl,"* &c.-It is, there

*Psa, cxlviii. 2-10.

fore, manifest that if David's calling on the angels to praise the Lord can warrant the Romish practice of addressing prayers and supplications to angels and dead saints, it must by parity of reason justify the heathenish practice of worshipping the sun, moon, and stars, and even serpents and four-footed beasts, for David calls upon them in like manner as the angels to praise the Lord.

Having thus endeavoured to answer what Mr. Gandolphy has said in vindication of the worship of saints, I shall in my next chapter consider the arguments which are advanced on the same subject by another advocate of the Romish Church.