Questions of religion cast abroad in Helvetia by the adversaries of the sameQuestions of religion cast abroad in Helvetia by the aduersaries of the same

WE must here touching¹ this word worship, make a certain distinction. For if by this word worship, is understanded adoration, ⟨p. 65⟩invocation, prayers, holy days, fasting days, gifts, sacrifices, alms, dedicating of Churches, lighting of Candles, and such like, then say we that God alone is to be worshipped, invocated, and honoured, and not the Saints. Yea, the Saints will not be worshipped and served in this sort. But if this worship signify, to reverence, and honestly and reverently to think of them, and acknowledge them, praise and commend them, as the dear friends of God, and to embrace them as the singular Ministers and members of Christ, then do we gladly believe, and truly confess that all the godly, the blessed virgin Mary, the Angels, Apostles, Martyrs, and all other Saints, ought by good right to be worshipped. Furthermore we condemn all those which contemptuously think any thing of the Saints which live in heaven. And chiefly, we² confess, that the blessed virgin Mary is worthy all praise, and that she is a pure undefiled virgin, both before, in, and after the birth of Christ: ⟨image 78⟩and that she is blessed above all other women, and that of her womb was borne the son of God, and therefore may very well be called the mother of GOD. Yea we also acknowledge and confess, that she was the dearly beloved handmaiden of God, who for hirfaythe, love, purity, lowliness, holiness, patience, hope, and such like virtues, can never be sufficiently praised, and that she was above all others beautified with most singular gifts of grace, and therefore we ought to think moe reverently of her.