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A89617 Mary Magdalen's tears wip't off. Or The voice of peace to an unquiet conscience. Written by way of letter to a person of quality. And published for the comfort of all those, who mourn in Zion. Martin, T., 17th cent. 1659 (1659) Wing M850; Thomason E1913_2; ESTC R202880 54,570 127

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later as much as you believe the former What hinders then that this branch of power should not be conferred upon him in his Ordination The Authority conferred upon the Church by Christ is the same in both and both are by the Church with due Limitation invested on the Presbyter in his Ordination And good reason it should be so for I doubt not that the Sacrament ought regularly to be administred to none but absolved persons as none were to eat the Passover but those who were clean from all Legal pollutions We see that the Presbyterians and all other Sectaries amongst us are so tender of this point that they are so far from lessening the Authority of their Church-officers in this particular or at least of the whole Church as they please to terme it that they are much more rigid and severe in executing a Power like this of their own making then ever the Bishops were in putting the power Christ undoubtedly gave them in execution But I need not say much of this second branch to one of your perswasion 3. Lastly if you desire to know what advantage this is to a Penitent I answer that if a Penitent do but believe as much of the Priests authority though I shall be thought no very great friend to the inlargement of it as I have asserted viz. an Annnnciative power from God not only to declare men Pardonable as he doth in preaching the Gospel but to pronounce them pardoned upon inspection of their faith and repentance as he doth in giving them absolution he shall not only recieve comfort by the Preists assuring him of the safety of his condition and of his redintegration into grace and favour with God but shall enjoy the benefit of his prayers whom God hath appointed to that Duty most especially and whom he hath promised to accept together with the Blessing of the Priest Blessing him in Gods stead as well as in Gods name a favour which nothing but some lend Hophni's and Phinees's amongst the Clergie Numb 6.23.27 but multitudes of prophane Esau's amongst the Layety could have had the skill or luck to have rendered so contemptible as we see it is the punishment whereof as likewise of Despising the Persons and Offices of such whom God hath appointed to serve at the Altar of Blessing in many other particulars both this present and many future unreformed Ages shall as well as have some pass't times undoubtedly bear even to the removall of the Golden Candelstick from among them That thus a Priest is inabled to do is cleare from the Form of Absolution appointed in the Liturgie of our Church to be used in the Visitation of the sick wherein as the Authority of the Church in that point as also of the Priest are plainly asserted so is it matter of wonder that so many Legall Protestants have such a slender respect for an important and necessarie duty it is not to be believed that either that Power of the Priest that form of absolution and the Duty of Confession are reserved to be huddled up in so troublesome an hour and all the time of health past over without any inquiry into our Accounts the Church injoyns it to be used then but doth not forbid the use of it at other times My advice to you is that if you desire the recoverie of your own Peace of conscience you put this Duty in practise more frequently and see that your Ghostly Father do his Duty in this and no other forme of Absolution I mean any of his own making least by some error he may seem to do more then his power will permit him or not do as much as the Church hath enjoyned OBJECTION X. You will say perhaps what settlement of Conscience by a Sacerdotal Absolution seeing the Priest can but see with the eyes of a Man and hath no Knowledge of my heart which is so Deceitful that it is a very great difficulty for any man to finde it out though it lodg in his own breast and if he had knowledge thereof yet is the Act but Ministerial not Dispoticall and who knows whether God will confirme it or no. SOLUTION 15. THe Priest seeth but as man seeth but he may see what you see not and judge better of what he sees then every common person seeing the lips of the Priest do preserve knowledge If therefore he have understanding to discerne and judge aright of what he sees as you must suppose he hath else you will at least condemn your self of an unreasonable choyce it is your buisiness to lay your Soul before him and to acquaint him throughly and truly with your Condition if you fail in this and consequently the Act be done under an error the blame hereof will light on none but your self And as for the knowledg of your wayes there is no doubt but if St. Pauls Rule be true though nothing else without us but God doth yet the Spirit of a man doth know the things of a man 1 Cor. 2.11 and the heart may be Emptied to the very bottom by such rules as a judicious prudent and pious Confessor shall prescribe But in the later part of your Objection I am sorry to hear any question made of Gods confirmation of that due and necessarie Act of Absolution made in His name and by vertue of a Commission derived from him Any thing of this nature amongst men would sound too infamous especially if fixt upon such Persons who have the Power and Honour of Giving commissions to other men To question Gods faithfulness is a sin of infidelity and he that hath promised under the second covenant he will remember our Sins and Iniquities no more Heb. 8.12 i. e. of such as embrace the Gospel preach'd unto them 14. To conclude my Answer fully to these two last Objections I suppose that because we have no visible bloody Sacrifice nor a Mostholy on Earth into which the High-Priest may enter with blood for his own and our Sins it is therefore a matter of difficulty in your judgement to be ascertained of the way of obtaining pardon for Sinners under the Gospel the means of doing it being so secret and invisible and the Threatnings in case it be not done so open and terrible The Apostle tells us plainly That Iesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 which imports not only the immutability of Gods accepting Christ as the meritorious cause of Remission of Sins but also the unchangeableness of that method whereby this Kingdom of Christ under the Gosper is administred For this later which most concerns your case the Apostle tells you that Christ ever liv●th to make intercession for us Heb. 7.25 this being the most considerable part of his Office in the administration of his mediatory Kingdom This Iatercession for us i. e. the Church in general and each one in particular being his own immediate Act in Heaven and prefigured unto us by the High-priests going into the