It is
certainly wonderful that the princes especially and the
cities have allowed this error to be agitated in their
dominions, which has been condemned so often before in the
Church, since eleven hundred years ago St. Jerome vanquished
in this area the heretic Vigilantius. Long after him arose
the Albigenses, the Poor Men of Lyons, the Picards, the
Cathari old and new: all of whom were condemned legitimately
long ago. Wherefore this article of the Confession, so
frequently condemned, must be utterly rejected and in harmony
with the entire universal Church be condemned; for in favor
of the invocation of saints we have not only the authority of
the Church universal but also the agreement of the holy
fathers, Augustine, Bernard, Jerome, Cyprian, Chrysostom,
Basil, and this class of other Church teachers. Neither is
the authority of Holy Scripture absent from this Catholic
assertion, for Christ taught that the saints should be
honored: "If any man serve me, him will my Father honor,"
John 12:26. If, therefore, Godhonors saints, why do not we,
insignificant men, honor them? Besides, the Lord was turned
to repentance by Job when he prayed for his friends, Job
42:8. Why, therefore, would not God, the most pious, who gave
assent to Job, do the same to the Blessed Virgin when she
intercedes? We read also in Baruch 3:4: "O Lord Almighty,
thou God of Israel, hear now the prayers of the dead
Israelites.
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