their former inventions is, that as every action of Christ did both merit for himself, and satisfy partly for the eternal, and partly for the temporal punishment due unto men for sin; so his saints have obtained the like privilege of grace, making every good work they do, not only meritorious in their own behalf, but satisfactory too for the benefit of others. Or if, having at any time grievously sinned, they do more to satisfy God than he in justice can expect or look for at their hands; the surplusage runneth to a common stock, out of which treasury containing whatsoever Christ did by way of satisfaction for temporal punishment, together with the satisfactory force which resideth in all the virtuous works of saints, and in their satisfactions whatsoever doth abound, (I say) from hence they hold God satisfied for such arrearages as men behind in accompt discharge not by other means; and for disposition hereof, as it is their doctrine that Christ remitteth not eternal death without the priest's absolution, so without the grant of the pope they cannot but teach it alike unpossible, that souls in hell should receive any temporal release of pain. The sacrament of pardon from him being to this effect no less necessary, than the priest's absolution to the other. So that by this postern-gate cometh in the whole mart of papal indulgences, a gain unestimable to him, to others a spoil; a scorn both to God and man. So many works of satisfaction pretended to be done by Christ, by saints, and martyrs; so many virtuous acts possessed with satisfactory force and virtue; so many supererogations in satisfying beyond the exigence of their own necessity; and this that the pope might make a monopoly of all, turning all to his own gain, or at least to the gain of those which are his own: such facility they have to convert a pretended sacrament into a

revenue.

Of Absolution of Penitents.

SIN is not helped but by being assecured of pardon. It resteth therefore to be considered, what warrant we have concerning forgiveness, when the sentence of man absolveth us from sin committed against God. At the words of our Saviour, saying to the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins are forgiven thee," Matt. ix. 2. exception was taken by the scribes, who secretly reasoned Mark ii. 7. against him, "Is any able to forgive sins, but God only?" Luke v. 21.

Whereupon they condemn his speech as blasphemy; the rest, which believed him to be a prophet sent from God, saw no cause wherefore he might not as lawfully say, and as truly, to whomsoever amongst them, " God hath taken away thy sins,” as Nathan (they all knew) had used the very like speech; to whom David did not therefore impute blasphemy, but embraced, as became him, the words of truth with joy and re

verence.

Now there is no controversion, but as God in that special case did authorize Nathan, so Christ more generally his apostles and the ministers of his word, in his name, to absolve sinners. Their power being equal, all the difference between them can be but only in this, that whereas the one had prophetical evidence, the other have the certainty partly of faith, and partly of human experience, whereupon to ground their sentence; faith, to assure them of God's most gracious pardon in heaven unto all penitents, and touching the sincerity of each particular party's repentance, as much as outward sensible tokens or signs can warrant.

It is not to be marvelled, that so great a difference appeareth between the doctrine of Rome and ours, when we teach repentance. They imply in the name of repentance much more than we do. We stand chiefly upon the due inward conversion of the heart; they more upon works of external show. We teach, above all things, that repentance which is one and the same from the beginning to the world's end; they a sacramental penance, of their own devising and shaping. We labour to instruct men in such sort, that every soul which is wounded with sin may learn the way how to cure itself; they, clean contrary, would make all sores seem incurable, unless the priests have a hand in them.

Touching the force of whose absolution they strangely hold, that whatsoever the penitent doth, his contrition, confession, and satisfaction have no place of right to stand as material parts in this sacrament, nor consequently any such force as to make them available for the taking away of sin, in that they proceed from the penitent himself, without the privity of the minister, but only as they are enjoined by the minister's authority and power. So that no contrition or grief of heart, till the priest exact it; no acknowledgments of

Ipsius pœnitentis actio non est pars sacramenti, nisi quatenus potestati sacerdotali subjicitur, et a sacerdote dirigitur vel jubetur. Bell. de Pœn. l. i. c. 16.

sins, but that which he doth demand; no praying, no fasting, no alms, no repentance or restitution for whatsoever we have done, can help, except by him it be first imposed. It is the chain of their own doctrine, no remedy for mortal sin committed after baptism, but the sacrament of penance only; no sacrament of penance, if either matter or form be wanting; no ways to make those duties a material part of the sacrament, unless we consider them as required and exacted by the priest. Our Lord and Saviour, they say, hath ordained his priests judges in such sort, that no man which sinneth after baptism can be reconciled unto God, but by their sentence.a For why? If there were any other way of reconciliation, the very promise of Christ should be false, in saying, "Whatsoever ye bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whose sins soever ye retain, they are retained." Except therefore the priest be willing, God hath by promise hampered himself so, that it is not now in his own power to pardon any man. Let him who hath offended crave as the publican did, "Lord, be thou merciful unto me a sinner;" let him, as David, make a thousand times his supplication, " Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness; according to the multitude of thy compassions, put away mine iniquities;" all this doth not help, till such time as the pleasure of the priest be known, till he have signed us a pardon, and given us our quietus est. God himself hath no answer to make, but such as that of the angel unto Lot,—I can do nothing.

It is true, that our Saviour by these words, " Whose sins ye remit, they are remitted," did ordain judges over our sinful souls, gave them authority to absolve from sin, and promised to ratify in heaven whatsoever they should do on earth in execution of this their office; to the end that hereby, as well his ministers might take encouragement to do their duty with all faithfulness, as also his people admonition, gladly with all reverence to be ordered by them; both parts knowing that the functions of the one towards the other have his perpetual assistance and approbation. Howbeit all this with two restraints, which every jurisdiction in the world hath; the one, that the practice thereof proceed in due order; the

a Christus instituit sacerdotes judices super terram cum ea potestate, ut sine ipsorum sententia, nemo post baptismum lapsus reconciliari possit. Bell. 1. iii. c. 1. de Pœnit.

b Quod si possent ii sine sacerdotum sententia absolvi, non esset vera Christì promissio, Quæcunque, &c. Bellarm. ibid.

other, that it do not extend itself beyond due bounds; which bounds or limits have so confined penitential jurisdiction, that although there be given unto it power of remitting sin, yet no such sovereignty of power that no sin should be pardonable in man without it. Thus to enforce our Saviour's words, is as though we should gather, that because whatsoever Joseph did command in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh's grant is, it should be done; therefore he granteth that nothing should be done in the land of Egypt but what Joseph did command, and so consequently, by enabling his servant Joseph to command under him, disableth himself to command any thing without Joseph.

But by this we see how the papacy maketh all sin unpardonable, which hath not the priest's absolution; except peradventure in some extraordinary case, where albeit absolution be not had, yet it must be desired.

t

What is then the force of absolution? What is it which the act of absolution worketh in a sinful man? Doth it by any operation derived from itself alter the state of the soul? Doth it really take away sin, or but ascertain us of God's most gracious and merciful pardon? The latter of which two is our assertion, the former theirs.

At the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, saying Matt. ix. 2. unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins are forgiven thee," the pharisees, which knew him not to be Son of the living God, took secret exception, and fell to reasoning with themMark ii. 7. selves against him; " Is any able to forgive sin but God Cypr. de only ?" "The sins (saith St. Cyprian) that are committed Laps. c. 4. against him, he alone hath power to forgive, which took upon him our sins, he which sorrowed and suffered for us, he whom the Father delivered unto death for our offences." Whereunto may be added, that which Clemens Alexandrinus hath,

Luke v. 21.

Our Lord is profitable every way, every way beneficial, whether we respect him as man, or as God; as God forgiving,

a Christus ordinariam suam potestatem in Apostolos transtulit; extraordinariam sibi reservavit.

b Ordinaria enim remedia in Ecclesia ad remittenda peccata sunt ab eo instituta, sacramenta: sine quibus peccata remittere Christus potest, sed extraordinarie et multo rarius hoc facit, quam per sacramenta. Noluit igitur eos extraordinariis remissionis peccatorum confidere, quæ et rara sunt et incerta: sed ordinaria, ut ita dicam, visibilia sacramentorum quærere remedia. Maldon. in Matt. xvi. 19.

Clem. Alex. Pædag. 1. i. Πάντα ὀνίνησιν ὁ Κύριος καὶ πάντα ὠφελεῖ, καὶ ὡς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ ὡς Θεός. Τὰ μὲν ἁμαρτήματα ὡς Θεὸς ἀφιεῖς, εἰς δὲ τὸ μὴ ἐξαμαρτάνειν παιδαγαγῶν ὡς ἄνθρωπος.

25.

as man instructing and learning how to avoid sin." "For it is Isa. xliii. I, even I, that putteth away thine iniquities for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins," saith the Lord.

Now albeit we willingly confess with St. Cyprian, "The sins which are committed against him, he only hath power to forgive, who hath taken upon him our sins, he which hath sorrowed and suffered for us, he whom God hath given for our offences." Yet neither did St. Cyprian intend to deny the power of the minister, otherwise than if he presume beyond his commission to remit sin, where God's own will is it should be retained; for, against such absolutions he speaketh (which being granted to whom they ought to have been denied, are of no validity); and, if rightly it be considered how higher causes in operation use to concur with inferior means, his grace with our ministry, God really performing the same which man is authorized to act as in his name, there shall need for decision of this point no great labour.

de perse

cut. Vand.

To remission of sins there are two things necessary; grace, as the only cause which taketh away iniquity; and repentance, as a duty or condition required in us. To make repentance such as it should be, what doth God demand but inward sincerity joined with fit and convenient offices for that purpose? the one referred wholly to our own consciences, the other best discerned by them whom God hath appointed judges in this court. So that having first the promises of God Victor. for pardon generally unto all offenders penitent; and particularly for our own unfeigned meaning, the infallible testimony of a good conscience, the sentence of God's appointed officer and vicegerent to approve with impartial judgment the quality of that we have done, and as from his tribunal in that respect, to assoil us of any crime; I see no cause but by the rules of our faith and religion we may rest ourselves very well assured touching God's most merciful pardon and grace; who, especially for the strengthening of weak, timorous, and fearful minds, hath so far endued his church with power to absolve sinners. It pleased God that men sometimes should, by missing this help, perceive how much they stand bound to him for so precious a benefit enjoyed. And surely, so long as the world lived in any awe or fear of falling away from God, so dear were his ministers to the people, chiefly in this

a Veniam peccatis, quæ in ipsum commissa sunt, solus potest ille largiri, qui peccata nostra portavit, qui pro nobis doluit, quem Deus tradidit pro peccatis nostris.