SAIGON

destitute of harbours. Denham, Clapperton, andCjjilie, are among the latest travellers who havecwssed this desert. Tho Sahara has an area of about1,800,000 square miles.

Saigon. A city of Cochin-China, situated on theDon'may. The largest vessels can ascend the riverto Silicon, which has a safe and convenient harbour.The streets are regular, but the houses are generallylow, of wood, and thatched with straw. The citadel,which contains the royal palace and barracks, is situ-ated on an elevation sixty feet above the river,aiid is strongly fortified. Mr. White, who visited it in1819, saw "250 pieces of cannon here. There are alsoan extensive naval arsenal, a cannon foundery, witha great number of temples, several pagodas, and aChristian church in Saigon. Previously to 1800, thecommerce was monopolised by the Portuguese; butother European nations, have since engaged in it.Rice, betel nut, sugar, pepper, cinnamon, silk, cotton,ivory, gold, and silver, are the chief articles of export.Saigon has a population of about 150,000 persons.Lon. 108’ 42 ' E., lat. 10° 50' N.

Saints, in its widest sense, is used by catholicsand Greek Christians to signify the pious, who in thisworld strictly obey the commands of God, or enjoyin the eternal world, that bliss which is the reward ofjuch a life on earth. In a narrower and more usualsense, the word saint signifies certain individuals,whose lives were deemed so eminently pious, thatthe Greek and Roman catholic churches have autho-rised the rendering of public worship to them : thesetwo churches, however, by no means acknowledge, inall eases, the same saints. The doctrine of saints,and the ideas and usages which grew out of it; theirworship and invocation; the power which they areconsidered to possess of interceding for men withGod, and of working miracles; their peculiar patron-age of particular individuals, Arc.,— form one oftSe main points of difference between the protestants jand the adherents of the above-mentioned churches. IThe Dictionnaire de Theologie, a work exhibitingthe catholic faith, and defending it against protest-actisrii, speaks in the following manner of saints, inthe narrower sense of the word:—“ The name ofsaint is given to a person who is not only much at-tached to the worship of the true God, but who isexempt from every considerable vice, and w ho prac-tises the Christian virtues in an exalted degree; andas the bliss of Heaven is the certain reward ofsuch a life, we often understand by saints those w’howjoy eternal felicity. When the church is convincedthat an individual has led such a holy and pure life,"hen God has deigned to attest it by miracles, itplaces him among the number of the saints by adecree of canonisation, and authorises the faithful totender him public worship. The church, however,does.m)t intend to intimate thereby that such anmmvidmil has been exempt from every weakness ofhumanity, and that he has never sinned: human>rautv does not admit of this perfection.” The articlerom which this definition is taken treats the worshipusd invocation of saints, and their intercession, asSomething essential to the catholic faith ; while thereh Cat Mi° w riters who explicitly say, that thec urch has made the worship of saints, not a mattero doctrine, but simply of discipline. Without further^dtement of the views of catholic writers, among8S lma B* n ed, a great many shades of

pinion prevail on this subject, from the enormous

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absurdity—by no means unfrequently maintained—that saints are persons who have led a life so muchmore virtuous than was necessary to obtain happinessin another state, that this surplus of virtue is madeoperative by their intercession for the salvation ofothers, down to the view of the writer just mentioned,we refer the reader to tho decree of the council ofTrent, as the acknowledged orthodox basis of theveneration of saints, images, relics, &c. It is explicitlystated there, that Jesus Christ is the only Redeemerand Saviour; but that it is “ good and useful sup-pliantly to invoke saints, and to resort to their prayersand assistance;” that they pray for men; that theirbodies are to be venerated by the faithful; and thatthe images of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God,and of other saints, are to be also venerated; not thatit is believed that any divinity or power resides inthem, on account of w hich they are to be worshipped,or that any benefit is to be sought from them, or anyconfidence placed in images, as was done formerly bythe Gentiles, who fixed their hope in idols; but thatwe honour the subjects represented, when we kisstheir images, or uncover our heads before them,” &c.This is accompanied with the usual anathema againstall who teach or profess contrary doctrines.

Catholic theology has two different words for theveneration of the saints, and that of God and theMediator, the former being called dnlia, the latterlatria; and the church must watch that the formerdoes not degenerate into the latter. How much theworship of saints, and the great variety of humancharacters w hich thus became objects of veneration,contributed to the diffusion of Christianity in themiddle ages; how it brought Christianity into con-nexion with the fine arts, by affording the mostcopious store of religious subjects to the genius ofartists; and how the worship of the Virgin Marybecame a very active clement in the religion of thei middle ag - cs, as it still is a prominent feature in theRoman catholic faith—would he highly interesting toconsider; but our limits will not allow it. The pro-testants object to the whole doctrine, and allege thateven Christ himself said, “ There is none good hutone, that is God;” that not only is the idea of saints,as intercessors, no where contained in the Bible, hut.that it originated centuries after the establishment ofChristianity; that it is against the chief doctrine ofChristianity, which declares all men to be sinners,and to be saved only by Christ; that it is impious toimagine God like an earthly king, who is influencedby the suggestions of those around him; that Christ’smediation is founded either on an atonement, whichis the more general opinion, or on his bringing theGospel to men; and that it can be clearly provedthat many saints, now so considered, never existed,but were the offspring of ignorance, mistaking aGreek word in a church inscription for the name ofthe saint to whom the church was dedicated, andthat others were of a very equivocal character; thatfraud evidently sometimes had part in the creation ofsaints; and that a doctrine, which has led for cen-turies, and so universally, to such gross superstitions,as catholics themselves admit, have often arisen fromthe doctrine of saints, notwithstanding these supersti-tions arc not supported by the council of Trent, mustbe highly dangerous; for the essentia! question withregard to every law and doctrine, is not—For whatwas it intended? but—How does it operate ? If pro-testants do not see that the Bible contains any divineL L 2

— SAINTS.