The Mediator

Except for those honorary titles which belong to God the Lord and to our only Saviour, one may give her the highest and most glorious titles. … But that we do not name her a Goddess, a Mediator between God and men, an all-knowing and almighty Queen of Heaven, a Gate of the Heavenly Paradise, a Redeemer, a Reconciler of the human race, and more suchlike honorary titles which were raised by men, comes solely therefrom, that suchlike honorary titles are adverse to the honour of God and of Our Saviour.

However, we cannot in any way acknowledge or accept what our opponents openly say, namely that Mary is to be invoked as a mediator between God and humans, or that she is our patron and advocate. We do not believe that this is either a tradition of Holy Scripture or a command from God. We believe that God, who alone grants all salvation for the present and future, is the one to be invoked alone. We believe that Christ alone [since He alone is true God and true man] is the true mediator between God and humans. We believe that He, who alone can satisfy all humans, is the patron and advocate with the Father.

In brief, there is scarcely one title given to Jesus Christ, nor one which prophesies of Him, which they do not attribute to her, calling her Queen of Heaven, Porter of Paradise, their life, their sweetness, treasurer of grace, the refuge and advocate of sinners—thus dishonoring Him and also making the poor people understand that they honor her contrary to the whole Word of God and the writings of the most ancient teachers.

Nothing is more frequent among them than to call the blessed virgin a redemptress and deliverer from sins.

Yes, they transform some of them into detestable idols, making them in truth mediators of redemption, especially the virgin Mary, whom they call "a Lady, a Goddess, a Queen, whom Christ her Son obeys in heaven, a mediatress: or life, hope, the medicine of the diseased."

It may be added also that the doctrine of the Papists that the saints or the Virgin Mary may act as mediators to procure blessings for us, is false. There is but "one Mediator;" and but one is necessary. Prayer offered to the "saints," or to the "Virgin," is idolatry, and at the same time removes the one great Mediator from the office which he alone holds, of making intercession with God.

But can she not furthermore be venerated as a mediator and intercessor between God and us with the honour of invocation? Answer: No, since no one should be invoked except God alone in Christ, our only Mediator, Saviour, and Intercessor

Thirdly, It is a standing testimony against that idolatry which he foresaw his church would in after-ages sink into, in giving undue honours to the virgin Mary, a crime which the Roman catholics, as they call themselves, are notoriously guilty of, when they call her the queen of heaven, the salvation of the world, their mediatrix, their life and hope; … The Son of God is appointed our Advocate with the Father; but the mother of our Lord was never designed to be our advocate with the Son.

As Christ alone is our mediator and redeemer, none of the saints nor even the most blessed virgin Mary (even though we recognize her as the most blessed among women and praiseworthy above all others as the mother of God) may be called mediators between God and men. Nor is it to be assigned to Mary to be the queen of heaven with lordship over all creatures, which is the province of Christ alone.

He is nevertheless our sole mediator, redeemer, defender that sits at the right hand of God the Father (1 Peter 2; Rom. 8). The saints are not mediators, intercessors, nor is the virgin Mary a mediatrix

That the saints are nearer unto Christ than angels are, as I told you before; he is so a head to men as he is not to them. Both their union and ours with God is by Christ; now, if we be more united to Christ than they are, then we are more nearly united to God too; more nearly united to Christ we are, for he is our brother, he hath our nature, he hath more of ours, he hath done more for us; we are sons by adoption in him, he is our husband. To which of all the angels was it said that Christ is their husband? Of which of all the angels is it said that Christ is their Saviour?