self for the priest's use. The whole order of proceeding herein, is in sundry traditional writings set down by their great interpreters and scribes, which taught them that a trespass.between a man and his neighbour can never be forgiven till the offender have by restitution made recompence for wrongs done, yea, they hold it necessary that he appease the party grieved by submitting himself unto him; or, if that will not serve, by using the help and mediation of others: "In this case (say they) for any man to shew himself unappeasable and cruel, were a sin most grievous, considering that the people of God should be easy to relent, as Joseph was towards his brethren :" finally, if so it fall out, that the death of him that was injured, prevent his submission which did offend, let him then (for so they determine that he ought) go accompanied with ten others unto the sepulchre of the dead, and there make confession of the fault, saying," I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and against this man, to whom I have done such or such injury; and if money be due, let it be restored to his heirs, or in case he have none known, leave it with the house of judgment:" that is to say, with the senators, ancients, and guides of Israel. We hold not Christian people tied unto Jewish orders for the manner of restitution; but surely, restitution we must hold necessary, as well in our own repentance as theirs, for sins of wilful oppression and wrong.

Now, although it suffices, that the offices wherewith we pacify God or private men be secretly done; yet in cases where the church must be also satisfied, it was not to this end and purpose unnecessary, that the ancient discipline did farther require outward signs of contrition to be shewed, confession of sins to be made openly, and those works to be apparent which served as testimonies for conversion before men. Cyp. Ep. Wherein, if either hypocrisy did at any time delude their judgment, they knew that God is he whom masks and mockeries cannot bind, that he which seeth men's hearts would judge them according unto his own evidence, and, as Lord, correct the sentence of his servants concerning matters beyond their reach: or, if such as ought to have kept the rules of canonical satisfaction would by sinister means and practices undermine the same, obtruding presumptuously them

1. lii.

a Quamdiu enim res, propter quam peccatum est, non redditur, si reddi potest, non agitur pœnitentia, sed fingitur. Sent. 4. d. 15.

selves to the participation of Christ's most sacred mysteries before they were orderly re-admitted thereunto, the church for contempt of holy things held them incapable of that grace, which God in the sacrament doth impart to devout communicants; and no doubt but he himself did retain bound, whom the church in those cases refused to loose.

The fathers, as may appear by sundry decrees and canons of the primitive church, were (in matter especially of public scandal) provident that too much facility of pardoning might not be shewed. "He that casteth off his lawful wife (saith Basil. ep. ad Amphi. St. Basil) and doth take another, is adjudged an adulterer by c. 26. the verdict of our Lord himself; and by our fathers it is canonically ordained, that such for the space of a year shall mourn, for two years' space hear, three years be prostrate, the seventh year assemble with the faithful in prayer, and after that be admitted to communicate, if with tears they bewail their fault."

Nicen.

can. 11.

Of them which had fallen from their faith in the time of the Emperor Licinius, and were not thereunto forced by any extreme usage, the Nicene synod under Constantine ordained, Concil. "That earnestly repenting, they should continue three years hearers, seven years be prostrate, and two years communicate with the people in prayer, before they came to receive the oblation." Which rigour sometimes they tempered nevertheless with lenity, the self-same synod having likewise defined, "That whatsoever the cause were, any man desirous at the time of departure out of this life to receive the eucharist, might (with examination and trial) have it granted him by the bishop." Yea, besides this case of special commiseration, there is a canon more large, which giveth always liberty to abridge, or extend out the time, as the party's meek or sturdy disposition should require.

By means of which discipline the church having power to hold them many years in suspense, there was bred in the minds of the penitents, through long and daily practice of submission, a contrary habit unto that which before had been their ruin, and for ever afterward wariness not to fall into those snares out of which they knew they could not easily wind themselves. Notwithstanding, because there was like

• Καθόλου καὶ περὶ πάντος τοῦ τινος ἐξοδέυοντος αἰτοῦντος μετέχειν Εὐχαριστίας, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος μετὰ δοκιμασίας μεταδιδότω τῆς προσφορᾶς. can. 13. μετὰ δοκιμασίας, id est, mani festis indiciis deprehensa peccatoris seria conversione ad Deum. can. 12.

wise hope and possibility of shortening the time, this made them in all the parts and offices of their repentance the more fervent. In the first station, while they only beheld others passing towards the temple of God, whereunto for themselves to approach it was not lawful, they stood as miserable forlorn men, the very patterns of perplexity and woe. In the second, when they had the favour to wait at the doors of God, where the sound of his comfortable word might be heard, none received it with attention like to theirs. Thirdly, being taken and admitted to the next degree of prostrates at the feet, yet behind the back of that angel representing God, whom the rest saw face to face, their tears and entreaties both of pastor and people were such as no man could resist. After the fourth step, which gave them liberty to hear. and pray with the rest of the people, being so near the haven, no diligence was then slackened which might hasten admission to the heavenly table of Christ, their last desire. It is not therefore a thing to be marvelled at, though St. Cyprian took it in very ill part, when both backsliders from the faith and sacred religion of Christ laboured by sinister practice to procure from imprisoned saints those requests for present absolution, which the church could neither yield unto with safety of discipline, nor in honour of martyrdom easily deny. For, what would thereby ensue they needed not to conjecture, when they saw how every man which came so commended to the church by letters thought that now he needed not to crave, but might challenge of duty his peace; taking the matter very highly, if but any little forbearance or small delay was used. which is overthrown (saith Cyprian) menaceth them that stand, the wounded them that were never touched:a and because presently he hath not the body of our Lord in his foul imbrued hands, nor the blood within his polluted lips, the miscreant fumeth at God's priests: such is thy madness, O xii. 31. thou furious man, thou art angry with him which laboureth Jerem. to turn away God's anger from thee; him thou threatenest, vii. 15. which sueth unto God for grace and mercy on thy behalf."

Exod.

Ezek.

xiv. 14.

"He

Touching martyrs he answereth, "That it ought not in this case to seem offensive, though they were denied, seeing God himself did refuse to yield to the piety of his own righteous saints, making suit for obdurate Jews."

As for the parties, in whose behalf such shifts were used;

a Jacens stantibus, et integris vulneratus, minatur.

to have their desire was, in very truth, the way to make them the more guilty: such peace granted contrary to the rigour of the gospel, contrary to the law of our Lord and God, doth but under colour of merciful relaxation deceive sinners, and by soft handling destroy them, a grace dangerous for the giver, and to him which receiveth it nothing at all valuable. The patient expectation that bringeth health is, by this means, not regarded; recovery of soundness not sought for by the only medicine available, which is satisfaction; penitency thrown out of men's hearts; the remembrance of that heaviest and last judgment clean banished; the wounds of dying men, which should be healed, are covered; the stroke of death, which hath gone as deep as any bowels are to receive it, is overcast with the slight show of a cloudy look. From the altar of Satan to the holy table of the Lord, men are not afraid to come, even belching, in a manner, the sacrificed morsels they have eaten; yea, their jaws yet breathing out the irksome savour of their former contagious wickedness, they seize upon the blessed body of our Lord, nothing terrified with that dreadful commination, which saith, "Whoso- 1 Cor. ever eateth and drinketh unworthily, is guilty of the body xi. 27. and blood of Christ." They vainly think it to be peace, which is gotten before they be purged of their faults, before their crime be solemnly confessed, before their conscience be cleared by the sacrifice and imposition of the priest's hands, and before they have pacified the indignation of God. Why term they that a favour, which is an injury? Wherefore cloak they impiety with the name of charitable indulgence? Such facility giveth not, but rather taketh away peace; and is itself another fresh persecution or trial, whereby that fraudulent enemy maketh a secret havoc of such as before he had overthrown; and now, to the end that he may clean swallow them, he casteth sorrow into a dead sleep, putteth grief to silence, wipeth away the memory of faults newly done, smothereth the signs that should rise from a contrite spirit, drieth up eyes which ought to send forth rivers of tears, and permitteth not God to be pacified with full repentance, whom heinous and enormous crimes have displeased.

of satis

By this then we see, that in St. Cyprian's judgment, all The end absolutions are void, frustrate, and of no effect, without faction. sufficient repentance first shewed; whereas contrariwise, if true and full satisfaction have gone before, the sentence of

The way of satisfying

man here given is ratified of God in heaven, according to our Saviour's own sacred testimony, "Whose sins ye remit, they are remitted."

By what works in the virtue, and by what in the discipline of repentance we are said to satisfy either God or men, cannot now be thought obscure. As for the inventors of sacramental satisfaction, they have both altered the natural order heretofore kept in the church, by bringing in a strange preposterous course to absolve before satisfaction be made, and moreover by this their misordered practice, are grown into sundry errors concerning the end whereunto it is referred.

They imagine, beyond all conceit of antiquity, that when God doth remit sin, and the punishment eternal thereunto belonging, he reserveth the torments of hell-fire to be nevertheless endured for a time, either shorter or longer, according to the quality of men's crimes. Yet so, that there is between God and man a certain composition (as it were) or contract, by virtue whereof works assigned by the priests to be done after absolution, shall satisfy God as touching the punishment, which he otherwise would inflict for sin pardoned and forgiven.

Now, because they cannot assure any man, that if he perby others. formeth what the priest appointeth it shall suffice; this (I say) because they cannot do, inasmuch as the priest hath no power to determine or define of equivalency between sins and satisfactions; and yet if a penitent depart this life, the debt of satisfaction being either in whole or in part undischarged, they steadfastly hold that the soul must remain in unspeakable torment till all be paid: therefore, for help and mitigation in this case, they advise men to set certain copesmates on work, whose prayers and sacrifices may satisfy God for such souls as depart in debt. Hence have arisen the infinite pensions of their priests, the building of so many altars and tombs, the enriching of so many churches with so many glorious and costly gifts, the bequeathing of lands and ample possessions to religious companies, even with utter forgetfulness of friends, parents, wife, and children, all natural affection giving place unto that desire which men, doubtful of their own estate, have to deliver their souls from torment after death.

Yet, behold even this being done, how far forth it shall avail they are not sure; and therefore the last upshot unto