Such honour have all his Saints.
So the Text; So the day; a day dedicated to God in honour of all his Saints. Such honour has God allowed them, such honour has the holy Church bestow'd upon them. Because they are his, and as his here they are had in honour, because his holy ones, as his Saints or holy ones honour'd with a holy day, or, if you will, God honoured in them on the day. For this honour also have all the Saints, that all the honour done to them, all the honour done by them, by the Saints in earth to the Saints in heaven, all the virtues of the one, all the praises of the other are to the honour and praise and glory of God in all the Congregations of the Saints, whether in heaven or earth ...
'Tis not fit therefore any of them should be forgotten, from whose memories God receives so much; not reasonable to deny them any honour that so redounds to Gods. The Psalm gives them it, and the Day gives them it; God says they shall have this honour, and the Church this day pays it, and we must pay it, if we honour either him or her, God or the Church, or Father, or mother; pay it to them all, to all to whom 'tis due, all honour that is due. This is a day for us to meet all together to pay it in, for them altogether to receive it in. We cannot do it to all severally, they are too many, we may do it to all together. We profess a great Article of our faith, the Communion of Saints, by doing it; are therefore surely not too blame for doing it, having so good authority, so good a ground, so good a profession for it ...
To Honour then, as it may relate to them, is to give them a respect above other men, to look upon them as the Courtiers of Heaven, as persons in highest place, as the Inhabitants of glory, as such as are always praying for us, Rev. vi. 9. such as are following the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, Rev. vii. 14, 15 ...
The Primitive Church was not behind in this duty neither, but in the Prayer for the holy Catholick Church recited the names of the most famous Saints and Martyrs, and gave God thanks for their good examples even at the Altar itself; nay, brought in the command of the Apostle, 1 Tim. ii. 1. for intercessions and giving thanks for all men for the Preface of it, as a Text to authorize their so doing.
Evidences these sufficient to honour the Saints with all our praises. With our Praises, I say, but not our Prayers; our Praises of them, not our Prayers unto them; that's a piece of honour God has no where in Scripture any way allowed them. Prayers I find not that they are to have, Praises I find they may ...
If we will therefore honour the Saints indeed, we must honour them by following their virtues and examples. This is that the Church principally intends by all the Saints it sets before us, by all its Festivals and Holidays, to put us in mind of the Patience of St. Stephen, of the Repentance of St. Paul, of the Faith of St. Peter, of the Purity of St. John, of the holy Chastity and Humility of the Virgin Mary, of the ready following of our Saviour in St. Andrew, of the leaving and forsaking all for Christ in St. Matthew, of a holy boldness to profess the truth in St. John Baptist, and so of the rest; and of the love, and charity, and communion the Saints ought to hold together in this day's Feast; where they are all, as it were, joyn'd together, that we might learn never to make a separation from this communion, never to break off from the doctrine once delivered to the Saints, nor leave one single virtue unpractised which we find in any of them. This is truly honour to them to have a multitude of followers, the honour of all his Saints.
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