T. P. 321.

S. F.

I fholl now a little farther fhew the Abfurdity of the Latins pretended Ab1. 4. dift. 18 folution. All their Schoolmen, after their great Mafter, tell us that both binding and loofing, Clave errante (as they call it) if either be made by mifake, that is, when the fuppofed Sinner or Penitent doth deferve neither, they fignify nothing, and do the Perfons really neither Good nor Harm. Now I muft ask this Question, how can a Prieft certainly know the real qualification or the true Condition of his Penitcut? If he cannot be certain of this, he must Abfolve him, or rather declare him Abfolved, only upon Suppofition or ConT. p. 322. jecture; I have a good Opinion that your Repentance is fincere, and hope that you will perfevere to your lives end, and according to the Truth ́of this, in the All-feeing Eyes of God, so be it unto you; Or upon this Condition I do affure you in the Name and upon the Word of God, you shall be Abfolved in the laft dreadfull day. Yet ftill this Opinion of the Pricft is in it self at best fallible and uncertain; all that he can do herein, is to declare to him the Condition and the Promife of the Gospel. Will any Latin Confeffor be fo bold as to fay to his Penitent, I Abfolve thee at a venture, right or wrong? I fuppofe not; then he muft in his own heart ftill Abfolve him only by conjecture and guefs; but this uncertain Abfolution can have no real effect, for if he gueffes right, the true Abfolution of the Sinner is referved ftill to only God himself till the laft day; if he mistakes and gueffes amifs, his Abfolution is both Wicked and Vain; both ways he arrogantly invades God's fole Prerogative; whereas, (what I call Chryfoftom's Method,) Counseling, Directing, Comforting, encouraging the Penitent, ftrengthening his Faith, and Supporting his Hopes, by fetting before him God's infallible Promifes of Forgiveness or real Abfolution to every Sinner who fincerely Repent; this, I lay, is the only Duty, To Expreμéve tas tuxus, of a true and carefull Confeffor. We are, very truly told by Lombard, that many Priests have not, Clavem Difcretionis, the Key of Difcretion, that is they want Knowledge and that peircing Spirit of Wisdom to Judge rightly of Mens fpiritual Conditions; and by confequence if they venture to Abfolve they must often mistake or be deceived; How then can thefe Men take upon them to fay pofitively, I Abfolve thee. And therefore here again I cannot but take notice that the weighty Office of a Ghoftly Father requires fuch Men only as are truly Pious, Judicious and Difcreet; Mcn able to examine Mens Lives, and wifely penetrate into their prefent Spiritual State; Thus by the Latins own account few of their Priests are able to take Confeffions; but all are uncapable pofitively to Abfolve from what Refp. 1.p. 130. I have faid. The Greek Patriarch Jeremiah was plainly of this Opinion; First the Penitent must thoroughly examine and fincerely reveal the fecrets of his Heart, not to every one, but only to fuch as are able, Segative, to work. or direct him in, his Cure; then concerning his Abfolution, he quotes these words from Bafil; Εξεσία τὸ ἀφιέναι ἐκ ἀπολύτως δέδοται, ἀλλ ̓ ἐν ὑπακοὴ τῷ μετα νοῦντα να συμφωνία πρὸς τὸν ἐπιμελείμενον αυτᾶ τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ ἀληθῆ μετάνοιαν ἐνδειξάμενον, μετάνοια δέ ἐς τὸ μὴ τὰ ἀυτὰ πον. The Power of remitting of Sins is not given Abfolutely, but upon the obedience of the Penitent, and upon his obfervance of his Ghoftly Father's Counsel, and his fhewing his own true Repentance; but his Repentance is to do thofe Sins no more. Here is Abfolution declared, not to be Pofitive, but only Conditional; if the Penitent obeys and firictly follows his Confeffor's advice and directions; if he truly Repents, and Sin no more to his lives end; But how can any Confeffor poffibly know all this, fo affuredly and fully to be performed, as that he (even upon that account) might abfolve him, añoλútws, Abfolutely and without referve? This knowledge (as the fame Patriarch elfewhere faith,) eis voulu nata ȧuagτhourt, is lodged in the Sinner's own Breaft, but is thoroughly Manifeft to none but God himself. Therefore here I cannot but take notice of De Panit that Paffage in Bellarmine, ex evangelio Fides illa, that Faith whereby any one may certainly believe to himself that his Sins are forgiven him, cannot be conceived, or gathered, from the Gospel; because he cannot learn from

1. 1

c. 6. p. 385. D.

thence

thence, whether he hath true Repentance or no, we may, faith he, and we T. p. 323. ought to hope that God will be Mercifull to us, but certainly to believe it, as we certainly believe the Articles of our Faith, is meer folly. But if the Penitent himfelf cannot certainly tell whether he truly Repents or no, how fhall the Confeffor know it? All that he can know muft come from the Penitent, but how fhall he believe the Penitent, in what the Penitent do not know himself. In this Point I find St. Bafil much different from the Cardidinal, (though I have quoted the words before to another purpose, yet I must p. 305. beg leave to repeat them again as very proper here,) for he in at least two or three feveral places fhews us how we may to our felves be certain or affured of God's Pardon and Forgivenels. He propounds this Question, was λngopogniñ Reg.brev, inter ἡ ψυχὴ ὅτι ἀφῆκεν αυτῇ ὁ θεὸς ἁμαρτήματα, and again, ὅτι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων και 12. Τ. 1. P. bageve; How a Soul may be fully affured that God hath Remitted or For- 528 D. & inθαρεύει given her Sins; and again, that he is Cleanfed from her Sins; to which he 648. anfwers, If a Man finds himself difpofed like David, who faid, I hate and PC. 119. 163. abhor, adixía, Iniquity, or Falfenefs, but thy Law do I love; If he hath with ἀδικίαν,

2

brev.inter

ter. 296. P.

P. 101. 4:

297.

verf. 1, 2.

8.

St. Paul mortified his Members which are upon the Earth. If he can jay, Col. 3. 5. a Froward Heart Jhall depart from me, I will not know a Wicked Perfon. Fragice de ris, and any one knows that he is thus well difpofed, if towards Sinners he is with David and Paul touched with the like Pity mixt pf. 119. 158. with Horror and Uneasiness, “rav &v, whenfoever therefore, faith he, any one 2 Cor. 11.29. perceives or finds his own Soul thus affected either as to his own Sins or to the Sins of other Men, ToT ng gbtw, then let him be full affured, or confident, that his Sins are remitted, or that he is purified from them. And in his Answer to the next Interrogation, he prefcribes the fixth Pfalm for our Direction in our return from our Sins, which in a manner includes the very fame notes of a Sinner's affurance of Pardon, as are here above mention'd; Conftant Prayer for Mercy; Sorrow, Trouble, and Mourning for his own Sins; Avoiding all finfull Company and Converfation, or not partaking of verf. 3, 6, 7. other Mens Sins. St. Bafil's affurance from David and St. Paul is alfo fully vetch. 3. 21. confirm'd by that of St. John, If our Heart condemn us not, we have, rapnoiav, fiduciam, confidence towards God. If in any thing a Man strictly examines himself and find his Conscience clear, he may boldly conclude that his way is right before God; and if a Man can certainly believe that Article of Faith, the Forgiveness of Sins in general, I fee no reason but that upon a clear Testimony of his Confcience, he may as well and as certainly believe his own Forgiveness in particular; for it is only Conviction of Confcience that begets Belief in both alike. But after all if any one will Cavil, and fay, no Man can be certainly affured of any moral Article in his Mind, for Man's Heart is deceitfull above all things; however thus much I think is clear, that the Penitent in this Point can be more certainly and fully affured, then the Confeffor; The Teftimony of his own Confcience, that he fincerely Repents and forfakes all his Sins, fhall not only Comfort him more, but do him more good without the Priest's Abfolution, then the Priest's Abfolution can do without that. Moreover it is very plain that the Confeffor can by no means be certain, how then (as I have before noted) can his Abfolution be certain or effectual, when he knows not whether the Penitent bath truly Confeft or not. God himfelf promifeth no Pardon, but upon Condition; how then can an Ignorant Confeffor, give it Abfolutely? Suppose the Penitent faith, I have done this, and that, and other grievous Sins; my Confeffor will feriously tell him, that even God himself without his true Repentance will not Pardon him; nay, by the Terms of the Gofpel he cannot forgive a Rebellious impenitent Sinner; He tells my Confeffor, I do heartily Repent and perfectly Hate and for ever will for fake my Sins, and do fo no more; the reply can be no more then this, my Son, be it unto thee according to the Truth of what thou fayeft, and I do affure thee it will be fo at the last day.

Jer. 17. 9.

T. p. 324.

T. p. 324

1. 4. dift. 18.

S. F.

P. 251.

Lev. 13. & 14.

Mat. 16. 19.

33.

34. 1.

Pet. Lombard, as I have noted before, was very clear and very pofitive to our purpose in this Point; and though in a manner the whole herd of Schoolmen have fince left him, and though his Opinion is taxed in the Margin of his Books in Print, by fome later bufy Scribler, as, Gravis Lapfus, a grievous Miftake, yet it is plain that in Lombard's days it was counted (by himself at leaft) current and Orthodox Doctrine. Therefore I will here more fully fet it down and more narrowly confider it. Ita operatur facerdos Evangelicus, the business of a Prieft under the Gospel, faith he, in loofing and retaining of Sins, is like that of the Priest under the Law; they only judged and pronounced a Leper, who was brought unto them, clean or unclean as they found him; fo he confiders the Condition of his Penitent and fhew him how his Cafe is Hopeful or Defperate. And this, I fancy, was the first aim or use of the Canons, to exprefs what Sins were of a high Nature, and what were of a lower Degree; and accordingly thence arofe the Prieft's Counsel to him and Prayers for him. Next the Mafter there fhews that St. Jerom expounded Chrift's Tom. 6. p. m. words of binding and loofing to the very fame Senfe. Only that good Father feems as it were by a Prophetick Spirit to forefee and condemn the Roman Arrogance and Pride which followed; For fome Men, faith he, (St. Jerom's words are, Epifcopi & Presbyteri, Bishops and Presbyters,) not understanding this place, aliquid fumunt de Supercilio Pharifeorum, take upon them Jomething of the Pharifees Haughtiness, and think that they can condemn the Innocent and acquit the Guilty, when with God not the Sentence of the Priests but the Life of the Guilty is fought for. In Leviticus the Lepers are Commanded to fhew themselves to the Priests, whom they neither make Lepers nor Clean, but difcern, or diftinguith who are Clean or Unclean. The Mafter goes on, fo here alfo it is plainly fhewn, that God doth not always follow the Judgment of the Church, which fometimes Judge by Stealth and Ignorance, but God judges always according to Truth. And in remits ting and retaining of Sins the Priests of the Gospel have the fame Right and Office, which they of old had under the Law in curing Lepers. In the first part of these words the Mafter truly notes the uncertainty, or the grofs Mistakes which may, and indeed are in a manner always made by a pofitive Abfolution; God knows the Life of the Penitent, which the Confeffor neither doth nor can know. In the latter part the Mafter gives the Senfe of St. Jerom's Words, by him there left out, and are thefe, quomodo crgo ibi Leprofum, as therefore there (under the Law) the Prieft makes the Leper Clean or Unclean, fo alfo here the Bishop and Presbyter Binds and Loofes; not those who are Innocent or Guilty, but by his Office when he bath heard the Varieties of Sins, he knows who is to be Bound, and who to be Loofed. This was the Primitive and is now commonly the Modern way of the Greeks, which I contend for; Thofe, whom the Confeffor finds by the Canon to be bound, he admonish and acquaints them with their Horrid and Dangerous Condition; The others, who he finds more hopefull; He encourages, directs and pray for them. As the Pricfts under the Law only gave their Judgments and made an outward Atonement for the Leper, fo a Chriftian Pricft gives his Judgment alfo of his Penitent's Condition, and as he finds him he di rects him, and makes a Spiritual Attonement by Prayer to God for him.

T. p. 325.

It is wonderfull to fee what Shuffling and Turning and Criticizing there is made by these late Writers, (which I have mention'd,) to make the Greek and Latin Forms for Abfolution agree; but any one of common Sense may eafily fee their Fallacies and Weaknefs. Thefe expreffions, may you be Pardon'd, may you be Remitted, God forgive you, may Chrift Forgive you or Abfolve you, may you be Abfolved, O God Abfolve or Pardon this thy Servant, are these the fame with, I Abfolve you; Thofe relate to God to whom alone that matter belongs; and they juftly give him the Glory of it; in this, the Priest takes the Authority and Honour to himfelf. Those refpect what is Future, or what is ftill to be done, this Expreffeth this prefent moment, and

the

the Deed to be now Actually done. So, be thou Abfolved, if it be any thing more T. p. 325. then, may you be Abfolved, is still plainly not the fame with, I Abfolve thee; Those feem to own Abfolution as in another's Hand, this as if it was in my Own. So, (as I have noted before,) receive the Holy Ghost is not I give thee the Holy Ghost; as thefe, thy will be done on Earth, Forgive us our Trefpaffes, are Prayers not commands. Neither are thofe Forms of Speech, I Baptize you, and I Abfolve you, of like Importance or of equal Intent. The firft is an outward Corporeal Action which is purely in my Power, and I now Actually do it; but the latter is a fpiritual Thing, and not in my Power, but is referved wholly to God himself to the Day of Judgment. The Greeks Form of Baptifm, N. N. is Baptized, and our Form, N. N. I Baptize thee, are in Intent and Meaning the very fame; in both, the outward Action is expreffed as now done; whereas that, may N. N. be Baptized, fhews the Action ftill depending. Neither are those Forms in Goar, Receive, (or I give thee, Power to fay Mafs, or our, to Preach, e of like Intent and Nature with this, I Abfolve; For thofe are Commiffions for an outward Office and Action, and no Pricft either Greek or Latin or our own, can Act without a fpecial Order in writing, which is far enough from Abfolute Abfolution. Again in the Greek and our Form of Baptifm, the outward Action, the Baptifm of Water, only is expreft, yer the inward Baptifm of the Spirit is imply d alike in both, but Pray'd for from Heaven by both, as God's only Gift. The Greeks modefty herein I have already noted out of Goar, the ut fupr. Prieft fay, N. N. is Baptized, not I Baptize, leaft (faith he) he should feem to Arrogate any thing to himfelf thereby.

677

That alfo is but an impertinent fuggeftion of them (in this business of Abfolving Penitents from their Sins ;) That Chrift hath often given his Commands or Inftitutions to the Church in General, and left the Particular Execution of them wholly to her Determination and Difpofal. He faith only, whofe Sins ye Remit, whofe Sins you Retain; But the particular Manner and Form of this Remiffion and Retaining is left to the Church to establish. But I have above proved that all the Authority which the Church hath by those words of Christ, is only to Excommunicate Notorious and Publick Offenders, (and that of old was its only Censure) and upon their Amendment to restore them again to the Communion, fo as they may then recover themselves by true and continued Repentance, and thus in Company with other good Chriftians they may work out their own Salvation with Fear and Trembling; And this Authority and Power I have proved to be lodged in the Bifhops or Prelates alone ; they have Power at their Discretion to take off thefe Cenfures. as they have Power to lay them on. But I neither fee any Authority nor Power which they, much less any ordinary Priest, have, fo pofitively to Abfolve them from those paft Sins which occafion'd their Excommunication, as to fet them quite free in the Eyes of God, or to render them never more accountable to him for them; the Church, that is, the Bishops, may Remit, upon Amendment, the publick Scandal given to it, or to them; but they must leave the Offence given to God, to his own Mercies only. Repentance is enjoin'd to every Christian; it is the particular and proper Duty or Work, of every Penitent; it is left to the Prelates and Paftors in General to Preach it, and by good Council and Prayers and other fuch helps to promote it; but the Abfolution of this Penitent from his Sins, is, till he hath finished his Work, referved to God alone. If the Penitent after the Roman Abfolution, like a Dog, returns to his Vomit, that Abfolution will aggravate his Faults rather then do him Good; He must perfevere in bringing forth daily, Fruits meet for Repentance, and then with fteadfaft Faith and lively Hope let him wait for his Absolution till the day of Judgment. The Church of Rome hath been more modeft, fhall I fay, or more Miftruffull and Doubtfull of the Efficacy of their Abfolutions. After the taking of Conftantinople by the Turks, many poor Greeks came into the. Weft to feek for Relief; fome were fent into England by the Pope to fell Indulgences, and by that counterfeit way to fpare the Pope's pocket and to fill their

Q92

T. p. 326.

p. 678.

T. p. 326. own. I have taken notice that in feveral of them, (which ftill are preferved and which I have feen) after the auguft Preface of the Power of the Keys, and the Authority of the whole Court of Heaven, come in with, the Abfol vo, this or fome fuch like prety turu, quantum in me eft, (I Abfolve) as much as in me lies; and we have juft fuch another Jeft recorded in Goar, Abfolvo Te in quantum poffum & Valeo, I Abfolve thee as far as I can and am able. Give me leave to fet down one Indulgence much of that fame nature, which was given to Sr. Will. Berkfwell by Pope Paul the fecond; the Original I have seen at Warwick, Dos. Nr. Jefus Chrift qui dedit Difcipulis fuis poteftatem ligandi & folvendi ipfe te abfolvat; & Ego authoritate Apoftolorum ejus Petri & Pauli & totius Sancte matris Ecclefiæ atque virtute hujus Bulle & Papalis Indulgencie abfolvo te ab omnibus peccatis tuis & etiam in Apoftolicæ fedi refervatis Cafibus mihi verè confeffis & contritis, & de quibus confiteri vellis fi tue occurrerent memorie & in Articulo mortis. Concedo etiam tibi plenam remiffionum omnium peccatorum tuorum & abfolutionem in quantum claves Ecclefiæ fe extendunt in hac parte, & quantum mihi permittitur. Reftituo te uc

P. 678. b.

fis abfolutus ante tribunal Dui nri Jefu Xpi ut vivas in Xpo & habeas vitam eternam. Amen. Our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath given to his Difciples Power of tying and loofing, may be Abfolve thee; and I, by the Authority of his Apostles Peter and Paul and of the whole holy Mother Church, and by Virtue of this Bull and Papal Indulgence, do Abfolve thee from all thy Sins, and even in the Cafes referved to the Apoftolical See, being truly Confelfed to me and Contrited, and of which thou wouldeft confefs if they Should occur to thy Memory and in the Article of Death. I also grant to thee full remiffion of all thy Sins and Abfolution, as far as the Keys of the Church extend themfelves in this part, and as much as is permitted to me. I reftore thee that thou mayeft be Abfolved before the Tribunal of our Lord Jefus Christ, that thou mayst live in Christ and may'ft have the Life Eternal, Amen. The first part is plainly deprecatory. Then poor Sr. William is only conditionally Abfolved, upon fuppofition that he had truly confeffed his Sins and was Contrite for them. Next the Abfolution is limitted and goes no farther then the Keys extend; and fuppofing ftill that they are in the right Key-hole (that there is no mistake) and lastly that all this hath no farther Virtue, then what is permitted, which on Earth is unknown or uncertain fo that when all is done, his real Abfolution is ftill fufpended and referved to the great fudge himself at the Day of Doom, to whom alone it ought to be refer'd. Any Man may fay and do as much as this and to as good purpofe; it would be a more tolerable cheat if all their pretended Abfolutions from Sin were varnished over with the fame Compliment.

Goar tells us that there were very great Troubles ready to arife in his time about thefe Forms of Abfolution. Some Greeks queftioning the validity of their own Priests Deprecatory way, went to be Confeft and Abfolved again by a Latin Prieft. This Practice would have quite Condemned the Greeks, and lookt as if they did not own or rightly hold this Sacrament as well as the Latins, and this would have fpoiled Goar's defign, (which he all along carries on with fuch pains) that is, to make both Forms or Methods agree. Whether he hath clearly made it out or no, and whether the moft Reverend Dofitheus and his Synod are in this Point right, the understanding Reader, I hope, may in some measure be enabled to Judge by this Account which I have largely given of the whole pretended Sacrament and of all its Parts.

Arcudius acknowledges that the Greeks have no fixed certain Form of Abfolution, and intimates that every Confeffor, ad libitum, doth use what words and Prayers he pleafeth, (this indeed is their prefent Practice) and he therefore as I have faid, advise them there to fet up fome one conftant, fettled, Form for all Confeffors to use. Accordingly he hath tranflated the Latin Form into Greek and would fain perfwade the Greeks to use it, and truly he is not ashamed barefaced to difcover his defign of putting this Holy cheat upon

them;