Part 15 (1/2)

2. Lord, be thou my helper.-- 2. Send help to us, O Thomas; Ps. x.x.x. [xxix.] 10.

3. Thou shalt guide me by thy 3. Guide thou those who stand; counsel.--Ps. lxxiii. [lxxii.] 24.

He, The Holy Spirit, shall guide you into all truth.--John xvi. 13.

4. The Lord upholdeth all that 4. Raise up those who fall; fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.--Psalm cxlv.

[cxliv.] 14.

5. Create in me a clean heart, 5. Correct our morals, actions O G.o.d.--Ps. li. [l.] 10. and life;

6. The steps of a good man are 6. And guide us into the way ordered by the Lord. Thoughof peace.

he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him.--Ps. x.x.xvii. [x.x.xvi.]

23.

The day-spring from on high hath visited us, to guide our feet into the way of peace.--Luke i.

78, 79.

And then again, in celebrating the praises of a mortal {223} man, recourse is had to language which can fitly be used only in our hymns and praises to the supreme Lord of our destinies, the eternal Creator, Redeemer, and Comforter, the only wise G.o.d our Saviour.

_Address to Thomas._ _Language of Scripture._

1. Hail, Thomas, Rod of Justice! 1. There shall come a rod out of the stem of Jesse. Ye denied the Holy One, and the Just--Isaiah xi. 1. Acts iii. 14.

2. The brightness of the world. 2. The brightness of his glory.

I am the light of the world--Heb.

i. 3. John viii. 12.

3. The strength of the Church. 3. I can do all things through Christ, that strengthened me.

Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for it.--Phil. iv. 13.

Eph. v. 25.

4. The love of the people: the 4. Grace be with all them that delight of the Clergy. love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Delight thyself in the Lord.--Eph. vi. 24. Ps. x.x.xvii. 4.

5. Hail, glorious Guardian of 5. Our Lord Jesus, that great the Flock. Save those who rejoice Shepherd of the sheep. Give ear, in thy glory. O Shepherd of Israel; come and save us. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.--Heb. xiii. 20.

Psalm lx.x.x. [lxxix.] 1. 1 Cor.

i. 31.

Can that wors.h.i.+p become the disciples of the Gospel and the Cross, which addresses such prayers and such praises to the spirit of a mortal man?

Every prayer, and every form of praise here used in honour of Thomas Becket, it would well become Christians to offer to the Giver of all good, trusting solely and exclusively to the mediation of Christ Jesus our Lord for acceptance; and pleading-only the merits of his most precious blood. {224} And yet I am bound to confess, that in principle, in spirit, and in fact, I can find no substantial difference between this service of Thomas of Canterbury, and the service which all in communion with the Church of Rome are under an obligation to use even at the present hour.

This point remains next for our inquiry, and we will draw from the well-head. I would, however, first suggest the application of a general test for ascertaining the real _bona-fide_ nature of these prayers and praises. The test I would apply is, to try with the change only of the name, subst.i.tuting the holiest name ever named in heaven or in earth for the name of Thomas of Canterbury--whether these prayers and praises should not be offered to the Supreme Being alone through the atoning merits of his Blessed Son; whether they are not exclusively appropriate to HIM.

To (Thomas/G.o.d Almighty) all things bow and are obedient.