'No prayer is to be made to angels': Bishop Bull on the holy angels

With the dark days now upon us (it will be sunset at 6:25pm in Jeremy Taylor country today), we continue to consider sermons from Bishop Bull (d.1710) on the angels. The first of these sermons is entitled 'The Existence of Angels', on the text Hebrews 1.14. In this extract, Bull points to words of Origen on the holy angels, rooting the Reformation refusal to countenance prayers to angels in patristic teaching. It also represents a continuation of what Sarah Hutton has termed the "Origenist moment in English theology", a movement particularly associated with Cambridge Platonist circles, especially Taylor's friend George Rust. In other words, contrary to those who portray the Reformation understanding of the ministry of the holy angels as 'disenchantment', Bull's turn to Origen emphasises it as a richly theocentric and Christocentric vision:

For Origen, speaking the sense of the Christians in his time, in answer to Celsus, objecting the neglect of worshipping those spirits, that under God preside over affairs here below, as a faulty omission among Christians, tells him, "Although we know that not devils, (such as you worship,) but angels, are appointed to take care of the increase of the earth, and the generation of animals; we speak well of them indeed, and proclaim them blessed, but yet we give them not the honour due to God, because neither God would have us to do so, nor they themselves." And a few pages after, "There is only One whose favour we are to seek, viz. the supreme God; and the only way to obtain His favour, is by prayer and virtuous living. If, next to the supreme God, Celsus would have us to court the goodwill of those other powers that are under Him, let him consider, that as when the body moves, its shadow moves with it; so when a man hath obtained the favour of God, he consequently hath all the angels and saints for his friends." This he saith who in the same place presently after acknowledgeth, that "the angels are present at our prayers, and pray with and for us;" which plainly shews, that he thought the concernment of the holy angels in our devotions no good argument for us to withdraw any of our prayers from God, and to impart them to those blessed spirits.

So likewise in another place of the same work of his, having acknowledged, that "the angels do one while ascend to the highest heaven, and then again descend to men, with a return of the divine blessings," he presently subjoins, by way of caution, that "yet we are not to worship them;" adding this reason, "for all deprecations and prayers, and intercessions and thanksgivings, are to be directed to the supreme God, by the High-Priest that is above all angels, the living Word and God." If all prayers are to be directed to God the Father through His Son Christ, then no prayer is to be made to angels, or to God by them. But may we not call upon them to pray for us, and to do us those good offices to which we know they are appointed by God? No; not that neither. For he presently adds, that "we must not dare to pray unto any but God alone, because He alone is all-sufficient for us, through our Saviour His Son; and because our piety towards God, and our faith in His Son, is of itself sufficient to make the holy angels propitious to us, and to do all good offices for us," without our praying to them.

These places of Origen are so very express against all manner of veneration to the holy angels, that exceeds the thinking and speaking honourably of them, and revering their presence in our behaviour and conversation.