them in the venerable and dreadful Mysteries For shame Doctor Away with such unchristian Scandals and do not put us upon exposing your Credit and Character any farther But perhaps the Legacies left for the bireing of Priests as he odly phrases it to say Mass for the delivery of Souls out of the place of Torments will mend the matter Indeed if the Priests were allow'd to determin matters of Faith the thing comming from the Doctor wou'd not appear altogether so unreasonable for considering how very remarkable his Charity is to Priests I do not question He wou'd judge they wou'd deal well for themselves had they but the handling of these matters But it is no less evident that no simple Priest has ever yet had any Vote in declaring matters of Faith than that no other is hired as He calls it or will receive any Money for saying Masses for the Living or the Dead but the poorer or more indigent sort of Priests who have not a sufficient Patrimony or Maintenance to subsist without it And the matter being undeniably so where is the Conscience in saying that the Councils and Prelates of the Church shou'd possess the People with the fear of Purgatory only to oblige them to hire some indigent Priests to say Mass for their Souls But the Scandal is so gross and palpable that the best answer I can make it is to contemn it The Doctor has some two or three Objections more upon this Subject but they are either solv'd in the Proofs brought for this Point or coincident with those Objections already spoken to or else have no particular Difficulty And so I take leave of him for this Time CHAP. X. Of Indulgences THE Power of Indulgences is founded in the Power of the Keys wherewith Jesus Christ was pleas'd to intrust the Pastors and Governours of the Church by which Emblem of Keys is denoted the Power of opening and shutting the Kingdom of Heaven of letting in and keeping out as Christians shall be found worthy of the one or the other This Power is promis'd to Saint Peter in a special Manner and in his Person to all his lawful Successors in these Words I say unto thee that thou art Peterâ— i. e. a Rock and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it And I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven Mat. 16.18.19 Again the Promise of binding and loosing is made in another Place to all the Apostles in the same Words Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven And whatsoever ye loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven Matt. 18.18 And Christ a little before his Ascension actually confer'd this power upon them and told them wherein it consists Receive ye the Holy-Ghost whosoever Sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever Sins ye retain they are retain'd Joa 20.22 23. So that the Power of the Keys consists in remitting of Sins and retaining them that is in loosing Men from those Bands of Iniquity wherewith they tye themselves and in binding them up or keeping them bound till they have satisfied for their Sins according to the Rules prescrib'd for that purpose In a Word in opening the Gates of the Kingdom of Heaven and letting some in and in shutting the same and excluding others as they shall be found to have deserv'd it But whereas our Blessed Saviour did not intend that the Apostles and their Successors shou'd bind Sinners so as finally to exclude them from the Kingdom of Heaven but only to keep them under Discipline for a Time till they had fulfill'd the Terms of the Covenant upon which he offers them Salvation which consists in Obedience to His Laws in Repentance and Satisfaction for their Sins and Amendment of Life for the Time to come so the Church in all Ages never retain'd the Sins of Men for any other End than to keep them in a wholesome and saving Discipline till by penitential and laborious Works they had given Marks of their Sorrow and Repentance in Proportion to the Greatness of their Sins And as the Apostles and their Successors are commission'd by Christ to retain Sins so likewise are they to loose them And therefore may remit abate or alter these penitential and laborious Works as their Prudence and Wisdom shall judge it most expedient Now Indulgence is nothing else but a Relaxation or Remission of some part of or all these penitential Works to which a Sinner is lyable by the Canons of the Church which Remission is granted by the Pastors but especially by the Chief Pastor of the Church upon some weighty Considerations for the greater Benefit and Advantage of the Faithful in general Which that we may the better understand it will be requisite to lay open some part of the Discipline of the Primitive Church with Respect to this Matter We have 50 Canons that go under the Name of the Apostles which if not of them are undoubtedly of some Apostolical Bishops of the first or second Age their Use and Authority being very great since that Time We have likewise the Canons of several Provincial Councils of the third and fourth Age which have been in great Esteem and Veneration among the Ancients and for the pure and wholesome Discipline contain'd in them have been inserted in the Codex Canonum or Book of Canons of the Vniversal Church as the Ancient Writers term it These Canons among other Matters of Discipline prescribe the different Penances which were to be impos'd upon Sinners in proportion to the greatness of their Sins whence came the Name of Penitential Canons so famous in Antiquity Some Canons prescribe seven Years Penance to certain Sins others eight Years to other sins some prescribe ten Years some fifteen some to the Hour of Death Some Penitents by order of these Canons fasted three Days every Week during the Time of their Penance using no other Sustenance during that Time but Bread and Water others stood cover'd with Sackcloath at the Church Doors sub dio in the open Air on Sundays and Festivals while their Penance lasted others stood within Doors cloathed in the same Raiment weeping and lamenting their sins some lay prostrate upon the Floor begging and praying their Brethren to intercede for them others were admitted to hear divine Service in the Weeds of Penitents after they had gone thro' the foremention'd Stations whence the Names of Hyemantes Flentes Prostrati Audientes so often mention'd in the Canons Now these Rigorous Penances very Rigorous I am sure they wou'd appear in our Days or Exomologeses as some of the Fathers call them were sometimes abated and remitted partly upon Account of the Fervor of the Penitents who before they had gone thro' all their Stations gave such Marks of sincere
affirm'd that the Belief of the Holy Ghost under the Form of a Dove or of the Angels under the Form of Men did destroy the external Means of confirming the Truth of Christianity How can the Belief of Transubstantiation destroy 'em then Thus you see how grosly the Common People are abus'd on the one hand when they are made to believe that Transubstantiation is so monstrously absurd as the Dr. wou'd fain here paint it And how hardy He himself must needs have been on the other when he had the Courage to deliver out of the very Pulpit the Chair of Truth that it was as evidently contrary to the common Sense of Mankind as it is evident that twice two make four vol. 5. pag. 18 19. But I have an other Challenge to him yet He tells us in the foregoing Page that in things doubtful a modest Man wou'd be very apt to be stagger'd by the judgment of a very Wise Man and much more of many such and especially by the unanimous Judgment of the Generality of Men the General Voice and Opinion of Mankind being next to the Voice of God himself And a little after He gives this Reason for it because in things lawful and indifferent we are bound by the Rules of Decency and Civility not to thwart the General Practice and by the Commands of God we are certainly oblig'd to obey the lawful Commands of lawful Authority Since then the falshood of Transubstantiation is not only doubtful but the Truth of it is establish'd upon the firmest Foundation either in Heaven or on Earth even upon that Word which shall never pass away tho' Heaven and Earth shall and since the belief of it when the Reformation began was grounded upon the General Voice and Opinion of the Generality of Mankind as the Doctor and all those of his Perswasion do acknowledg and upon the lawful Commands of lawful Authority if any such thing were on Earth I appeal to his own Judgment if every Man be not bound both in Decency and Civility and by the Commands of God not to thwart or contradict a Point of Faith so firmly establish'd And now if after all this any Man will undertake to justifie the Doctor 's Conduct and Vindicate what he writ against Transubstantiation I here make him this fair offer for his encouragement that tho' this good Doctor is pleas'd to say Vol. 3. pag. 299. that in the bus'ness of Transubstantiation it is not a Controversie of Scripture against Scripture or of Reason against Reason but of down right Impudence civily spoken against the plain meaning of Scripture and the Sense and Reason of Mankind If He I say or any body else will bring but one single Argument in Mood and Figure to prove that Transubstantiation does either contradict Sense or Reason I do sincerely promise him I will be of his Opinion the very next Moment And this I do the more confidently affirm because I am sure Transubstantiation cannot possibly contradict or be against Sense or Reason Sense it cannot for it is not the Object of any of our Senses and surely it is not against Reason that one Substance shou'd be chang'd into an other since all Generations and Corruptions are thus perform'd and even daily Experience teaches us that the Meat on which wee feed does not nourish us but in as much as it is chang'd into the substance of our Flesh And to let the World know it is not the Roman Catholics alone who see the absurdity of this Pretence I will Transcribe the Words of an Ingenious Sociâ—tan upon this Subject who surely is no more a Friend to the Roman Catholics than to the Protestants They are taken out of a Book Intitul'd Considerations on the Explication of the Trinity c. Pag. 21. He cites the Words of the Bishop of Sarum taken out of his Discourse concerning the Divinity and Death of Christ pag. 94. which are these Transubstantiation must not be a Mystery because there is against it the Evidence of Sense in an Object of Sense For Sense plainly represents to us the Bread and Wine to be still the same that they were before the Consecration And thus he speaks his own Thoughts of them This is says he every way faulty for it is not pretended by the Papists that the Bread and Wine have received any the least Change in what is an Object of Sense The Papists following the Philosophy of Aristotle distinguish in Bodys these two things the Accidents such as the quantity figure colour smell taste and such like which are Objects of our Senses And the Substance which bears and is cloathed as it were with these visible and sensible Accidents but is it self invisible and the Object of our Vnderstanding not of our Senses They say hereupon our Saviour having call'd the Sacrament his Body and Blood because our Senses assure us there is no change of the sensible Accidents therefore the change that is made must be in the invisible Substance Which change they therefore call Transubstantiation Nor do they say that Christ is corporally or bodily present in the Sacrament but that His Body is present in a spiritual manner As Cardinal Bellarmin largely discourses De Eucharist l. 1. c. 2. His Lordship therefore is greatly out in pretending that the Transubstantiation as held by the Papists is contradicted by Sense in an Object of Sense Thus far this Ingenious Man Whence 't is evident how miserably weak the Doctor 's pretence to Evidence of Sense against this Mystery is and how grosly he abuses Mankind when alluding to Transubstantiation he tells them they do not come to learn from their Guids or Pastors the difference between Sea and dry Land Vol. 3. pag. 100. or between North and South as if they had the same Evidence that there is no Transubstantiation in the Eucharist as they have of the difference of Sea from dry Land or of North from South 2. The four Objections taken out of the Dr's Discourse against Transubstantiation are these Vol. 3. pag. 315. 1. Tertullian speaks thus of the Eucharist The Bread which our Saviour took and distributed to his Disciples he made his own Body saying this is my Body that is the Figure of my Body but it cou'd not have been the Figure of his Body if there had not been a True and Real Body Advers Marcion l. 4. Here Tertullian seems to insinuate that the Eucharist is the Figure of Christ's Body Vol. 3. pag. 318. 2. St. Austin seems to be of the same Opinion Our Lord says he did not doubt to say this is my Body when he gave the sign of his Body lib. contra Adimant 3. Theodoret speaks to the same purpose in his second Dialogue between a Catholic Vol. 3. pag. 324. under the Name of Orthodoxus and an Heretic under the Name of Eranistes where he makes Eranistes speak these Words As the Symbols of the Lord's Body and Blood are one thing before the
and our Great Master because these only are the Excellencies and Abilities we conceive the Angels and Saints to be endued with and for which we respect them This suppos'd I answer 1. That St. Paul speaks here of Certain Heretics who separated from the Faithful and gave to Angels the supream Worship and Honour which is due only to God as these words of his not holding the Head do plainly denote For by these Words He give us to understand that these Heretics departed from Christ which is the Head and by these other words Worshipping of Angels that they offer'd Sacrifice to Angels whom they believ'd to have been the Mediators of the New Covenant or as Theodoret phrases it that the Law was given by Angels But this I hope the Protestants will not say we believe or hold 2. That the Dr's Interpretation of St. Paul's words is altogether forc'd and by no means warranted by Theodoret or any ancient Father of the Church on the contrary Theodoret is intirely ours For He says in that very Place cited by the Doctor that therefore these Heretics worship'd Angels because they believ'd Vol. 2. edit post ob pag. 44. the Law was given by Them He says indeed in an other place which the Doctor quotes that we must send up Thanksgivings to God and the Father by Christ and not by the Angels And this I hope we are careful to do for I am sure we put up all our Prayers to God and the Father by or thro' the Merits of Jesus Christ and not of any Angel or Saint But sure it is not reasonable to believe that Theodoret there meant that we ought not to desire the Angels or Saints to pray for us since he himself as I observ'd before so expresly says We not address our selves to the Saints as Gods but we pray unto them as Divine Men that they wou'd please to be Legats or Intercessors for us Comment in Epist â—d Colos c. 3. v. 17. 3. That the Canon of the Council of Laâ—dicea as Theodoret tells us speaks only of these Heretics meant by St. Paul who forsook the Church and gave themselves to secret Idolatry that is as the Fathers have always understood that word offer'd Sacrifice to Angels But the words of the Canon are so plain and full to this purpose that there needs no reading upon it 4. That the Doctor might very well have forborn his Exclamation for I assure him that excepting the General Confession aâ— aforesaid we do not invocate or pray to Angels in the Public Offices of the Church We have but one Feast in the Year wherein we Commemorate Angels which is that of St. Michael the Arch-Angel and in this excepting one Anthem in the Breviary and one Versile in the Mass which are not properly Prayers where 't is said in the first Arch-Angel Michael be mindful of us and pray for us to the Son of God and in the second Holy Michael defend us in Battle that we perish not in the dreadful Judgement there is no invocating or putting up of Prayers to St. Michael or any other Angel But it seems the Doctor was warm upon the Matter and in such a Case Rhetorical Exclamations are more pardonable pray God they may be pardon'd him in Heaven His second Objection is to this purpose Mediation and Intercession is founded in the Merit and Virtue of the Sacrifice Vol. 2. edit post ob pag. 56 57. by which Expiation for Sin is made but this Jesus Christ and no other has done Therefore He only is Mediator and Intercessor Answ This Argument proves too much For it proves that neither our Brethren on Earth nor the Saints in Heaven ought or can lawfully pray or intercede for us because they did not offer the Sacrifice by which Expiation for sin is made Yet the Doctor grants that both our Brethren on Earth and the Saints in Heaven may and do pray for us Well but granting that Mediation and Intercession is founded in the Virtue and Merit of the Sacrifice by which Expiation for Sin is made Does it therefore follow that the Saints may not charitably beg of God to forgive us our Sins 'T is true Christ only has a Right and Title to mediate and intercede for us because he alone paid the Ransom and full Value of our Sins and therefore may in Justice ask of His Father to forgive us But sure this does not hinder but that the Saints may do Us that Charitable Office as to pray to God to have Mercy upon Us tho' they cannot in Justice demand it May not a Friend and Favourite of the King beg the Life of a â—enitent Criminal And have not Kings and Princes often granted such Favours to their Friends tho' they were not in Justice bound to do so And are not the Saints in Heaven Christ's Favourites Does not He call them his Friends Vos Amici mei estis Job 15.14 Mat. 19.28 And what is more Does not He tell His Apostles that they shall sit upon Thrones Judging the twelve Tribes of Israel And why may not then these Judges and Friends and Favourites of Jesus Christ beg of Him to have Mercy upon poor miserable Sinners tho' they cannot in Justice require it at his Hands But the Doctor 's Mistake consists in this that he does not or rather will not distinguish between an Intercession founded in Justice and Equity and an Intercession founded only in Favour and good Will The first I grant is peculiar only to Christ for the Reasons offer'd by the Doctor but the second which is the Effect of Charity is common to every one who is possest of that Divine Virtue Well but says the Doctor the Mediation or Intercession of Saints is not properly speaking Intercession So say I for I own that in the Sense in which Christ is both our Mediator and Intercessor the Saints and Angels in the same sense cannot be call'd Intercessors but whether he calls them Intercessors in a proper or an improper Sense 't is all one to me Since he acknowledges they do pray for us and intercede with God in our behalf I am satisfied for I am sure we desire no more of them After this the Dr. gives us a great many Passages out of the Fathers ibid pag 76 77 78. 79. 80 81 82 83. to prove the Invocation of Saints unlawful namely out of St. Ireneus Origen Novatian for he must be a Father too Clemens Romanus St. Athanasius St. Epiphanius St. Chrysâ—stom and which I must admire at out of St. Austin who if Invocation of Saints be Popery was I am sure a Rank Papist But the Doctor might have spar'd Himself the Labour of quoting these Passages for there is not one of them all to which any Roman Catholic wou'd refuse to Subscribe and therefore I have no Temptation to vex or trouble them His third Objection is level'd at the Bishop of Meaux's Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholic Church which