or body of men in the world, to be disposed of at their will and pleasure; he has thereby put it out of his own hands, and even out of the hands of the Father too. And if any man can by the authority of the church be perfuaded to interpret scripture in this fenfe; I fhall never wonder at any abfurdities or immoralities he may be guilty of. The papifts indeed, when they think it may serve their turn, particularly when they are endeavouring to make converts among proteftants, deny that they mean by indulgences a leave to ' commit fin, or pardon for fins to come.' And this is particularly denied by the author of the Grounds of catholic doctrine, pag. 49. But to what purpose is it to deny these things? What if this leave to commit fin, or pardon for fins to come, is not exprefsly fet down in the words of the Indulgence itself? Yet if provifion be made, whereby a man may, for a certain fum, secure an indulgence for any fin he fhall commit; does it not come to much the fame thing? The council of Trent acknowledges, * that Chrift has left to the church the power of beftowing indulgences and 'tis well known, that the popes, from age to age, take into their own hands the exercife of this power. And according to this conftitution of things it follows, as Thomas Aquinas honeftly owns; that tho' the man who takes out an inP 2 dulgence *Seff. XXV. continuat. die 4. Decemb. + Dicendum, quòd ille qui indulgentias fufcipit, non abfolvitur fimpliciter loquendo, à debito pœnæ ; fed datur fibi unde debitura folvat. Aquin. fum. fuppl. tertiæ partis, qu. XXV. art... dulgence is not strictly speaking thereby abfolved from the debt of punishment; yet there is that given to him, whereby he may abfolve himfelf.' And the fame author affures you; *that indulgences are fometimes fo given, that he who affifts in erecting a fabric, fhall have the third part of his fins remitted: fometimes fo, that he who goes to a certain church, shall have ' seven years of pardon: and that if in any church there is a perpetual indulgence, as, in • St. Peter's church, an indulgence of indulgence of 40 days; then, fo often as any one goes there, fo often ⚫he obtains the indulgence.' Now is not this in effect a leave to commit fin, or a pardon beforehand; when a man knows he has nothing else to do, but to get within reach of fuch a church, when he wou'd commit his intended villany; or, as soon as it is over, go and purchase a feven years pardon, or a pardon for the third part of all his past fins? But ftill, this was doing business only by piece-meal. And therefore the popes thought fit to grant plenary indulgences for all fins; and that upon a great variety of occafions, fuited to the various tastes and circumftances of the people. Out of a confiderable number of inftances cited by a Romish author, I fhall only mention a few. * Aliquando datur indulgentia, quòd qui dat auxilium ad aliquam fabricam erigendam, tertiam partem remiffionis peccatorum confequatur. -Quandoque datur hoc modo indulgentia, quòd qui vadit ad aliquam ecclefiam, feptem annos remiffionis confequatur. Ibid. art. 2. Si in aliqua ecclefia fit indulgentia perennis, ficut in ecclefia B. Petri, 40 dierum; tunc quoties aliquis vadit, toties indulgentiam confequitur. Ibid. conclus. ad quartum. + Plenaria indulgentia datur folum à fummis pontificibus: quod at diverfimodè. Aliquando enim datur utiliter omnibus certum lo cum few. • Sometimes a plenary indulgence is given profitably to all who fhall vifit a certain place; and given fimply, that is, for all time; as it is commonly faid concerning the visiters of our • Lord's fepulchre. --- Sometimes it is given to all who vifit a certain place on a certain day ' within the year: as it is granted to the church of St. Mary. --- Sometimes it is granted to all who fhall perform a certain work: e. g. fuch as fhall take the crofs, and go to war against the infidels; whether they go in person, or send warriors, or give a certain fum of money, by C way of alms, for fuch a work, or for fome other pious bufinefs. A famous example of plenary indulgence may be feen in the + Canon Law, granted by pope Boniface VIII. to all fuch as Thou'd, in the firft year of each century, visit the churches of St. Peter and St. Paul. The words are: We shall and do grant, not only full and larger, but the fullest pardon of all fins. Which is confirm'd in the next chapter by Clement VI. who reduces the jubilee to every fiftieth year; and includes the church of Lateran. His words are: Decreeing - - - - that they who fhall, for Tertio cum vifitantibus; fimpliciter, i. e. pro omni tempore: ficut communiter dicitur de vifitantibus fepulchrum Domini. Aliquando datur indulgentia plenaria omnibus vifitantibus certum locum certa die infra annum ; ut conceffum eft ecclefiæ S. Mariæ. modo datur indulgentia plenaria omnibus facientibus certum opus: puta affumentibus crucem ad bellandum contra infideles; vel euntibus, vel mittentibus bellatores contra illos; vel dantibus certam fummam pecuniæ eleemofynaliter pro tali opere, vel alio pio negotio. Antonin. Repertor. part. I. tit. 10. fect. 4. + Non folùm plenam & largiorem, imò pleniffimam omnium fuorum concedemus, & concedimus, veniam peccatorum. Lib. V. extrav. commun. tit. 9. cap. I.. for devotion's fake, vifit thefe churches, shall obtain the fulleft pardon of all their fins. It is furprizing, that a mortal man fhou'd ever dare to decree in this manner: or to fay, as Boniface does, We grant the fullest pardon of all fins. But, from one degree to another, this matter was at length carried to fuch an extravagant height, that it is no great wonder, that the doctrine of indulgences fhou'd, under the hand of God, prove the immediate occafion of the Reformation. If the council of Trent, by reafon of the fcandal which this doctrine brought upon their church, did * ordain, that abufes fhou'd be corrected, and evil lucre abolished;' it has ftill for want of being particular enough, left room for the return of moft, if not all, the abuses and fcandals which this doctrine ever introduced. And even the author of the Grounds of catholic doctrine, when he quotes fcripture, to prove that Chrift has left the power of indulgences in the church, does it in fuch a manner, as if he wou'd have us expect from them the real pardon of fin; tho' he had before + told us, that by indulgences he meant no more, than a releasing of the debt of temporal punishment.' He ‡ produces in particular the words of Chrift to Peter, Mat. XVI. 19. (the fame text which he had before quoted to prove, that fuch fins as exclude from the kingdom of heaven cannot be remitted independently of the keys of the church') I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and * Seff. XXV. Decemb. 4. decr. de indulg. + pag. 49. I pag. 50. #pag. 22. and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loofe on earth fhall be loofed in heaven. But it is evident, in the first place, that this power, whatever it was, was not in these words given to the church, but to Peter. It is further evident, from the context, wherein Peter had confefs'd that Jefus was the Chrift, the Son of the living God, and Chrift had affured him that upon that rock he would build his church; it is evident, I fay, from this context, that the power of binding and loofing related to the awful effects of his preaching Chrift's doctrine, by the immediate direction and afliftance of the holy Ghost. And the fame power, defcribed in the like figurative manner, Chrift gave to all the rest of the apostles, Job. XX. 22, 23. when he breathed on them, and faid, Receive ye the koly Ghost: whofefoever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whofefoever fins ye retain, they are retained. That this is the true meaning of the words in St. Matthew, appears by the promise in the beginning of the verfe; I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; which was made good in Peter's having the honour to open the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, by being the first person who preached the gofpel after Chrift's refurrection. There is therefore nothing of popish indulgences in the cafe; nothing relating to the power of releafing the debt of temporal punishment: much lefs is there any thing like the real power of forgiving fuch fins as exclude from the kingdom of heaven; otherwise than as Peter was impowered and directed to preach that gospel, which should have this happy effect on those who embraced it. As to the words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. II. 10. make only the necessary allowances for the extraordinary cafe |