much to her Honour to be singular where there was so much Prudence and Piety to have inclined her to Uniformity However this is gained which is my point that the Church of Rome is noâ— countenanced in her practice of private and clancular confessions by the general usage of the Church as they pretend 3. I observe concerning this Office of Penitentiary that as it was erected upon prudential considerations so it was upon the same grounds abolished by the same Authority of the church which first instituted it and that after about Two hundred years continuance in the time of Nectarius as we have seen and therein he was followed saith Sozomen by almost all the Bishops and Churches in the World this therefore was far from being thought either a Divine or Apostolical constitution Petavius would here perswade us that it was only publick confession and not private which was upon this occasion so generally laid aside as we have seen but this is done by him more out of tenderness of Auricular Confession then upon good reason and Valesius goes beyond him and will needs perswade us that neither publick nor privat Confession were put down in this juncture but only that the lately erected Officer of Penetentiary was cashier'd but I must crave leave to say there is no sufficient reason for either of these conjectures but on the contrary plain Evidence against them for Socrates who is the first and principal relater of this whole story saith he was personally acquainted with this Presbyter Eudaemon who gave the advice to Nectarius to make this change in the Discipline of the Church and that he had the aforesaid relation of it from his own Mouth and expostulated with him about it giving his reasons to the contrary and suggested his suspicions that the state of Piety would be much endamaged by this change and in plain words tells him that he had now â—erest men of assistance in the conduct of their Consciences and hindred the great benefit men have or might have one of another by priâ—â—â— advice and correption Now this fear of his had been the absurd est thing in the World if upon this counsel and advice of his only one certain Man in the Office of publick Confessioner had been laid aside but both the use of publick and privat Confessions had been kept up and retained But after all for ought appears the Church of Rome kept her old Mumpsimus she tenacious of her own customs especially of such as may advance her Interest and Authority complies not with this Innovation or Reformation be it for better or worse but her Priests go on with their Confessions and turn all Religion almost into Clancular Transactions in despight of the example of other Churches It may be she met with opposition sometimes but she was forced to disemble it till the Heriock Age of the School-Men and then those lusty Champions with their Fustian-stuff of vidâ—t ur quod sic probatur quod non make good all her pretensions After them in the year 1215 comes the Fourth Lateran Council and that decrees Auricular Confession to be made by every body once a year at the least and last of all comes the Council of Trent and declares it to be of Divine Institution necessary to Salvation and the constant and universal custom of the Christian Church And so we have the Pedegree of the Romish Auricular Confession Sect. 4. I come now to the third and last Stage of my undertaking which is to shew that Secret or Auricular Confession as it is now prescribed and practised in and by the Church of Rome is not only unnecessary and burdensome in it self but also very mischievous to Piety and the great ends of Christian Religion For the former part of this charge if it be not evident enough already it will be easily made out from the Premises for they cannot deny that they make this kind of Confession necessary to Salvation at least as necessary as Baptism it self is supposing a Man hath sinned after Baptism now if it be neither made so by Divine Institution nor acknowledged to be so by the constant Opinion of the Church what an horrible imposition is here upon the Consciences of Men when in the highest and worst sense that can be they teach for Doctrines the commandements of Men and make Salvation harder then GOD hath made it and suspend mens hopes upon other terms then he hath done if it was prescribed by the present Church as a matter of Order and Discipline only or of convenience and expediency we should never boggle at it upon this account or dispute the point with them or if it was only declared necessary pro hic nunc upon extraordinary emergency by the peculiar condition of the Penitent his weakness of Jugdment the perplexity of his Conscience his horrible guilt or extreme Agonies we would not differ with them upon that neither but when it is made necessary universally and declared the indispensable duty of all men whatsoever who have sinned after Baptism when GOD hath required no such â—hing but declares himself â—atisfied with true contrition and hearty remorse for what is past and sincere Reformation for the time to come this I say is an intolerable Tyranny and usurpation upon the consciences of Men. And that is not all neither for besides its burdensomness in the general it particularly aggravates and increases a Mans other burdens for insteed of relieving perplexed consciences which is the true and principal use of confessions to men this Priestly confession as it is prescribed by the Council intangles and afflicts them more for that enjoyns that the Penitent lay open all his sins even the most secret although but in thought or desire only such as against the Ninth or Tenth commandement according to their Division of the Decalogue now this is many times difficult enough but that 's not all he must also recount all the circumstances of these sins which may increase or diminish the guilt especially such as alter the species and kind of sin Now what sad work is here for a Melancholy Man All the circumstances are innumerable and how can he tell which are they that change the species of the Act unless he be as great a School-man as his Confessor Besides all his it may be he is not very skilful in the distinction between Venial and Mortal sins and if he omit one Mortal sin he is undonâ— therefore it is necessary for him by consequence to confess all Venial sins too and then where shall the poor Man begin or when shall he make an end Such a Carnificina such a rack and torture in a word such an holy Inquisition is this business of Auricular confession become And that eminent Divine of Strasburgh of whom Beatus Rhenanus speaks seems very well to have understood both himself and this matter who pronounces that Scotus and Thomas had with their tricks and subâ—ilties so perplexed this plain
the true and ancient Notion of penance is utterly destroyed by its being imposed and performed after Absolution For penance according to their primitive use of it was a severe course of Life prescribed to a person that had grieviously offended as a proper Method for him at the same time to testifie his own sorrow for his Sin and abhorrence of it and to create in him an Aversation to the like for the time to come and also to satisfie the Church of all this that so he might be admitted to absolution and the Communion And therefore their Penances were alwayes publick and indeed is it by publick Penance only that all these so good ends can possibly be answered but now in the Church of Rome the Offender is pardoned without any thing of this he is not put to any grief for his Sin before he be absolved It is left wholly to his own Honesty and Generosity whither he will perform any Penance for his Sin Nay indeed so loth are they to appear severe against sin or cruel to the sinner that when in the Council of Trent some would have revived this Discipline by enacting publick Penance they were violently opposed and over-ruled tho' St. Gregory a Pope of Rome had held it to be of Divine Right and their Casuists since teach that a Confessor cannot or ought not to enjoyn a publick penance So that by this means a Man is not so much as to be put to the blush for his Sins for no such Penance must be imposed by which the Sin may be known and he is sure that the Confessor to save a Kingdom darr not reveal or discover it Thirdly Their Doctrine concerning the Nature of several Sins is such as must needs rather encourage Men to continue in Sin then deliver us from it and will spoil all true Devotion to God and that due regard that we ought to have to his Commandments They tell us there is a vast number of Sins in their own Nature Venial which are so very inconsiderable that an Escobar Tract 2. Exam. 1. cap. 4. infinite number of them altogether will not deprive a man of the Grace and Favour of God or make up one Mortal sin and for the Pardon of which there is no need or occasion for the Mercy of God And yet they have no certain Rules to discover whither a sin be Mortal or Venial so that men are in wonderful danger of being cheated in a matter of so great Moment as their Eternal Salvation They tell us also that Habitual Sin is only a Stain left by former voluntary Sins and a Deprivation of Escobar Tract 2. Exam. 1. cap. 2. habitual Goodness but hath nothing else that is evil in it From which Doctrine it necessarily follows that a man is guilty only of those Sins which created this Habit and that there is not an habitual Repentance or Course of Life required to get pardon for habitual Sins but a few or perhaps one single Act of Contrition will serve So that the more a Man sinneth the better he may and it is a piece of true Prudence to get an Habit of all Sin betimes for a Man is accountable only for those sins which preceeded the Habit all the Sins which follow it will pass under the name of Inadvertencies and as such can be esteemed only as a kind of Venial sins And they not only allow the Church Power to command what doth not belong to her in many Cases but give such Authority to her commands as to make the Disobedience to them the greatest of all Sins and make way for the breaking of the Laws of God that they may keep those of the Church So Marriage hath been adjudged a greater Sin in a Priest then Fornication because the Priests are oblidg'd to Celibacy by the Laws of the Church and their own Vow as if they were not by the Laws of God and their Vow of Baptism more oblidged to obstain from Fornication and accordingly for Marriage a Priest is excommunicated or deposed but for Fornication he is only oblidged to consess it secretly among his other sins and the Guilt and Irregularity of it is done away by Absolution Indeed they bring almost all sins under the Head of Discipline not only by pretending to give Pardon and Dispensations for most sins that can be committed but also when they compare sins they are alwayes most earnest against such as transgress the Command of the Church So. v. g. When Escobar asks the Question What if I communicate unworthily at Easter He answers That by so doing I fulfil the command of the Church which is what I am immediately bound to And passeth over the Duty of Self-examination and Preparation so strictly enjoyned by St. Paul as not worthy to be considered And so in inumerable other cases by which means indeed they create a great Veneration for the church or for that which they call the church but thereby make the commands of God of none effect Fourthly Their very Doctrine concerning their Prayers and Devotions and their Practice consequent on it is such as is altogether inconsistent with the Nature of true Devotion For according to the Church of Rome the outward Act will suffice in many cases though nothing of the Mind go along with it particularly as to Prayers Escobar from Coninth and Durandus affirms that neither an actual nor virtual Attention is required when a man prayeth and they give an excellent Reason for what they say viz. Because the Church hath no Power in hidden cases but only in the case of Auricular confession As if in Prayer only the power of the church and Obedience to its commands were to be regarded And he confirmeth his Assertion with this other most cogent comparison That an outward Act of Devotion or Prayer only with the Mouth is a true Act of Prayer tho' without the Intention as an outward Act of Adoration of an Idol though without the Intention is a true Act of Idolatry So that for a man to mind what he doth when he is at Prayers or to be earnest in his Desires of that which he prayeth for though it may possibly be a commendation and accomplishment yet it is not necessary either to the pleasing of God or satisfying of his Duty according to the Church of Rome Nay it is a praise for a man to draw nigh with the mouth and honour him with the Lips though the Heart be far from God notwithstanding that our Saviour after the Prophet Isaiah blamed the Jews for so doing Indeed such a kind of superficial Christians will this Doctrine make that a Pharisee would have been an excellent Man if he had lived in these days And pursuant to this doctrine of no-necessity of Attention at prayers they take care that the people shall not be able to attend to what is done and therefore provide that the publick prayers and the Scripture it self shall be only in a Language unknown to the
it is confidently asserted could not fail to sway very much with all Wise men and would undoubtedly prevail with all devout persons who were made acquainted with the secret to go over to them But if contrariwise it appear upon search that their pretensions of this kind are false and groundless and that the methods of Administring consolation which are peculiar to that Church are as well unsafe and deceitful as singular and unnecessary Then the same Prudence and sincerity will oblige a man to suspect that Communion instead of becoming a proselyte to it and to looke upon the aforesaid boastings as the effect either of designed imposture or at the least of Ignorance and Delusion Amongst other things that Church highly values it self upon the Sacrament of Penance as they call it and as deeply blames and condemns the Church of England and other Reformed Churches for their defect in and neglect of so important and comfortable an Office And under that specious pretext her Emissaries who are wâ—nt according to the phrase of the Apostle to creep into houses and lead Captive silly Women c. insinuate themselves into such of the People as have more Zeal then knowledge and now and then wheadle some of them over into their Society To that purpose they will not only harangue them with fine stories of the ease and benefit of it as of an Ancient and usesull Rite but will also Preach to them the necessity of it as of Divine Institution and that it is as important in its kind as Baptism or the Lords Supper For that Confession to a Priest and his Absolution thereupon obtained is the only means appointed by God for the procuring of Pardon of all mortal sins commited after Baptism As for Original sin or whatsoever Concil Trid. sess 14 c. 2 actual transgressions may have been committed before Baptism all those they acknowledge to be washed away in that sacred Laver. And for sins of Infirmity or Venial sins these may be done away by several easy methods by Contrition alone say some nay by Attrition alone sayes others by Habitual Grace sayes a Vid. Becan Tract de Sacramentis in specie third c. But for mortal sins committed after a man is admitted into the Church by Baptism for these there is no other door of Mercy but the Priests Lips nor hath God appointed or will admit of any other way of Reconciliation then this of Confession to a Priest and his Absolution This Sacrament of Penance therefore is called by them Secunda Tabula post naufragium the peculiar refuge of a lapsed Christian the only Sanctuary of a guilty Conscience the sole means of restoring such a person to Peace of Conscience the Favour of God and the hopes of Heaven And withall this method is held to be so Soveraign and Effectual a remedy that it cures toties quoties and whatever a mans miscarriages have been and how often soever repeated if he do but as often resort to it he shall return as pure and clean as when he first came from the Font. This ready and easie way say they hath God allowed men of quiting all scores with himself in the use of which they may have perfect peace in their Consciences and may think of the day of Judgment without horror having their Case decided before hand by Gods deputy the Priest and their Pardon ready to produce and plead at the Tribunal of Christ What a mighty defect is it therefore in the Protestant Churches who wanting this Sacrament want the principal ministry of reconciliation And who would not joyn himself to the Society of that Church where this great Case is so abundantly provided for For if all this be true he must be extreamly fool-hardy and deserve to perish who will not be of that Communion from whence the way to Heaven is so very easie and obvious no wonder therefore I say if not only the loose and vicious are fond of this Communion where they may sin and confess and confess and sin again without any great danger bnt it would be strange if the more Vertuous and Prudent also did not out of more caution think it became them to comply with his expedient For as much as there is no man who understands himself but must be conscious of having committed sins since his Baptism and then for fear some of them should prove to be of a mortal nature it will be his safest course to betake himself to this refuge and consequently he will easily be drawn to that Church where the only remedy of his disease is to be had But the best of it is these things are sooner said then proved and more easily phansied by silly People then believed by those of discretion And therefore there may be no culpable defect in the reformed Churches that they trust not to this remedy in so great a Case And as for the Church of England in particular though she hath no fondness for Mountebank Medicines as observing them to be seldom successful yet she is not wanting in her care and compassion to the Souls of those under her guidance but expresseth as much tenderness of their peace and comfort as the Church of Rome can pretend to Indeed she hath not set up a Confessors Chair in every Parish nor much less placed the Priest in the Seat of God Almighty as thinking it safer at least in ordinary Cases to remit men to the Text of the written word of God and to the publick Ministry thereof for resolution of Conscience then to the secret Oracle of a Priest in a corner and advises them rather to observe what God himself declares of the nature and guilt of sin the aggravations or abatements of it and the terms and conditions of Pardon then what a Priest pronounces But however this course doth not please the Church of Rome for reasons best known to themselves which if we may guess at the main seems to be this they do not think it fit to let men be their own carvers but lead them like Children by the hand my meaning is they keep People as much in ignorance of the Holy Scripture as they can locking that up from them in an unknown Tongue now if they may not be trusted with those Sacred Records so as to inform themselves of the terms of the New Covenant the conditions of the Pardon of sin and Salvation it is then but reasonable that the Priest should Judge for them and that they await their doom from his Mouth Yet I do not see why in a Protestant Church where the whole Religion is in the Mother Tongue the Old and especially the New Testament constantly and conscientiously expounded and the People allowed to search the Scriptures and to see whither things be so or no I see not I say Why in such a case the Priest may not in great measure be excused the trouble of attending secret Confessions without danger to the Souls of men But besides
guilt of sin or to judge which be Venial and which Mortal sins or especially what circumstances do alter the species of it and it may be too he may be such an one that makes no conscience himself of the sins I confess to him Now when all is transacted between me and such a Priest in a corner and this under the inviolable seal of confession what great shame can this put me to What remorse is it likely to work in me Whatshall discourage me from going to sin again if no worse thing happen to me 2. And then for the multitude of confessions in the church of Rome that also takes off the shame and weakens the efficacy of it so that if it do no harm it is not likely to do any good for who is concern'd much in the doing that which he sees all the World do as well as himself if only notorious sinners were brought to confession as it was in the primitive church then it might probably and reasonably provoke a blush and cause a remorse in him to whom such a remedy was prescribed but when he sees the whole parish and the Priest too brought to it and Men as generally complying with it as they approach to the Lord's Table What great wonders can this work What shame can it inflict upon any Man What effect can be expected from it but that it ordinarly makes Men secure and careless and grow as familiar with sin as with the remedy or at least think as well of themselves as of other Men since it seems they have as much need of confession and absolution as himself 3. To which the frequency and often repetitions of these kind of Confessions adds very much it is very likely that modesty may work much upon a Man the first or second time he goes to Confession and it may something discompose his Countenance when he lays open all his secret miscarriages to a person especially for whom he hath a Reverence for we see every thing even sin it self is modest in its beginnings and no doubt it is some restraint of sin whilst a Man is sensible that he must undergo a great deal of pain and shame in vomiting up again his sweet Morsels which he eats in secret But by that time he hath been used to this a while it grows easie and habitual to him and custom hath made the very punishment pleasant as well as the sin especially if we add 4. The formal cursory hypocâ—itical and illusive wayes of confession in frequent use amongst them as that a Man may choosâ— his own Priest and then to be sure the greatest sinner will have a confessour right for his turn that shall not be too severe and scrupulous with him that a Man may conâ—ess in transitu in a hurry or huddle and then there can be no remark made upon his person nor his sins that a Man may make one part of his confession to one Priest and reserve the other part for another so that neither of them shall be able to make any thing of it that he may have one confessour for his Mortal sins and another for his Venial so that one shall save him if the other damn him nay for failing the forgetful sinner may have another Man to confess for him or at least he may confess that he hath not confessed these and abundance more such illusive Methods are in daily use amongst them and not only taken up by the licentious and unconscionable people but allowed by some or other of their great Casuists now let any Man judge whither this be a likelier way to restraâ—n sin or to incourage it whither the easiness of the remedy if this be oneÌ„ must not of necessity make the Disease seem not very formidable in a word whither this be not a riduculing their own Religion and which is worse a teaching Men to be so fool hardy as to make a mock of sin 5. This sad reckoning will be inflamed yet higher if we consider the slight Penances usually imposed by these Spiritual Judges upon the greatest Crimes The Council determines that the Confessour must be exactly made acquainted with all the circumstances of the sin that so he may be able to adjust a Penance to it now when some great sin is confessed and that in a very â—oul circumstances if the Penance proportioned to it by the Priest be to say two or three Pater Nosters or Ave Maria's extraordinary to give a little Money in Alms to the Poor or some Pious use to kneel on his bare knees before such a Shrine to kiss such an Image to go on Pilgâ—image a few Miles to such a Saint or at most to wear an Hair Shirt or it may be to fast with Fish and Wine and Sweet-meats c. doth not this make that sin which is thus â—awled and stigmatized look very dreadfully can any Man find in his heart to sin again when it hath cost him so dear already Oh but they will tell us these Penances are not intended to correspond with the guilt of the sin but only to satisfie the debt of Temporal punishment But we had thought that the end of Penance had been to work in the Peâ—â—tent a Dispositiâ—n for Pardon by giving him both opportunities and direction to express the sincerity of his Repentance and this was the use of Penance in the Primitive Church together wiâ—h the â—akâ—ng off the Scandal from the Society and for that other end hâ—w doth the Church of Rome know so certainly that there is a debt of Temporal punishment remaining due after the sin is Pardonâ—d before GOD it is true GOD may pardon so far only as he pleases he may resolve to punish Temporally those whâ—m He hath forgiven Eternally as we see he did in the case oâ— David but that this is not his constant Method appears by this that our Saviour releases the Temporal punishment to many in the Gospel whose diseases he cured saying to them Your sins are forgiven you when as yet it did not appear that all Scores were quitted with God so but that they might have peâ—ished eternally if they did not prevent it by Faith and Repentance 6. But lastly to come to an end of this sad story the easiness and prostitution of their absolutions in the Church of Rome contributes as much to the encouraging of Vice and carelesness in Religion as any of the former for what else can be the natural effect and consequence of that ruled case among the Casuists as I shew'd before that the Priest is bound to absolve him that confesses and saith he is sorry for his sin though he doth in his Heart believe that he is not contrite but that either the Priests Pardon is a very cheat or else that Pardon is due of course to the most impenitent Sinner and there is no more to do but Confess and be Saved or what is the meaning of their common practice to absolve men upon their Death beds
appear to be so in this that we were mistaken that we were over-nice and curious in refusing to worship Saints and Angels yet ours is a much more innocent and pardonable mistake then that which the church of Rome is guilty of if they should prove to be mistaken We are only wanting in some Religious courtship which we might innocently have given to Saints and Angels but which we were not bound to give as the Church of Rome will not say that we are by any express Divine Law and therefore it is no sin against GOD not to do it and when this neglect is not owing to any designed contempt and dis-regard of those excellent Spirits but to a great reverence for GOD and jealousie for his incommunicable glory if it were a fault we need not doubt but that GOD would pardon it and that all good spirits who have such profound veneration for GOD will easily excuse the neglect of some ceremonies to themselves upon so great a reason But if the Church of Rome be mistaken and gives that worship to creatures which is due only to the Supreme God they have nothing to pretend in excuse of it neither any positive Law of God which expresly forbids all Creature-worship as I doubt not to prove to the satisfaction of all impartial Readers nor the principles of Natural Reason which whatever Apologies it may make for the worship of Saints and Angels can never prove the necessity of it and it highly concerns the Church of Rome and all of her communion to consider whither if their distinctions and little appearances of reason cannot justifie their worship of creatures they will be able to excuse them from the guilt of so great a sin But not to insist on these things now I shall divide this discourse into three parts 1. I shall prove from the plain evidence of Scripture That God alone is to be worshipped 2. I shall examine what that worship is which is proper and particular to the Supreme God 3. I shall consider those distinctions whereby the Church of Rome justifies her worship of Saints and Angels and Images c. SECTION I. That GOD alone must be Worshipped TO make good the first point that we must worship Sect. 1. no other being but only GOD I shall principally confine my self to Scripture evidence which is the most certain authority to determine this matter For though I confess it seems to me a self evident and fundamental principle in natural Religion that we must worship none but that Supreme Beeing who made and who governs the World yet I find men reason very differently about these matters The Heathen Philosophers who generally acknowledge one Supreme and Soveraign Deity did not think it incongruous nor any affront or dimimition to the Supreme God to ascribe an inferiour kind of Divinity nor to pay an inferiour degree of Religious Worship to those excellent Spirits which are so much above us and have so great a share in the government of this lower world no more then it is an affront to a Soveraign Monarch to honour and reverence his great Ministers of State or peculiar Favourites And the Church of Rome as she has corrupted Christianity with the worship of Angels and Saints departed so she defends her self with the same Arguments and reasons which were long since alledged by Celsus and Porphyrie and other Heathen Philosophers in defence of their Pagan Idolatry And it must be confest that these Arguments are very popular and have something so agreeable in them to the natural notions of Civil Honour and respect which admits of great variety of degrees that I do not wonder that such vast numbers of men both wise and unwise have been imposed on by them For there is certainly a proportionable reverence and respect due even to created excellencies and every degree of power challenges and commands a just regard and we are bound to be very thankful not only to GOD who is the first cause and the supreme giver of all good things but to our immediate Benefactors also And therefore if there be a sort of middle Beeings as the Heathens believed and as the Church of Rome asserts between us and the Supreme God who take particular care of us and either by their power and interest in the government of the world or by their Intercessions with the Supreme GOD can and do bestow a great many Blessings on us it eems as natural and necessary to fear and reverence to honour and worship them and to give them thanks for their care and patronage of us as it is to court a powerful Favourite who by his interest and authority can obtain any request we make to our Prince and the first seems to be no greater injury to God then the second 2. Col. 18. to a Prince Thus St. Paul observes that there is a shew of humility in worshipping Angels that men dare not immediately approach so glorious a Majesty as God is but make their addresses to those excellent spirits which attend the Throne of God and are the Ministers of his Providence But then every one who believes that there is one Supreme God who made all other Beeings though never so perfect and excellent must acknowledge that as there is nothing common to God and Creatures so there must be a particular Worship due to God which no Creatures can challenge any share in It is no affront to a Prince to pay some inferiour degrees of civil honour and respect to his Ministers and Favourites because as the difference between a Prince and his subjects is not founded in nature but in civil order so there are different degrees of civil respect proportioned to the different ranks and degrees of men in the Common-wealth There is a degree of preheminency which is sacred and peculiar to the Person of the Prince and no Prince will suffer his greatest Favourite to usurp the Prerogative honours which belong to the Crown but while they are contented with such respects as are due to their rank and station this is no injury to the Prince for all civil honour is not peculiar to the Prince but only a supereminent degree of it and therefore inferiour degrees of honour may be given to other persons But though there are different degrees of civil honour proper to different ranks and degrees of men who all partake in the same nature and are distinguisht only by their different places in the Common-wealth yet in this sense there are no different degrees of Religious Worship All Religious Worship is peculiar to the Divine Nature which is but one and common only to three Divine Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost one God blessed for ever Amen Civil honor and Religious Worship differ in the whole kind and species of actions and have as different objects as God and Creatures and we may as well argue from those different degrees of civil honour among men to prove that there is an inferiour degree