changing of a greater punishment into a lefs. "The firft, he fays, is done in baptism, the second in the cafe of fins committed after baptifm." And here he gives us the authority of the council of Trent, to fupport his affertion, namely, "The power to grant indulgences has been committed to the church by Jefus Chrift, and the ufe of them is beneficial to falvation." Thofe, he observes, who depart this life indebted to divine juftice for fome of the pains referved, muft fuffer them in another life in the ftate of purgatory." Reliefs are however provided in this case also; the benefit of indulgences extends, it feems, beyond the grave, and the doctrine of commutation for of fences, applied in real practice by the friends of the deceased, was held to be valid in heaven. The foundation of all this fyftem was generally believed to be this: There was fuppofed to be an infinite treasure of merit in Chrift and the Saints; which was abundantly more than fufficient for themselves; thus, what is strictly true of the Divine Saviour, was afferted alfo of Saints, namely, that they had done works of fupererogation. This treasure was depofited in the church, under the conduct of the See of Rome, and was fold,-for literally fold it was for money, at that See's difcretion to thofe who were able and willing to pay for it; and few were found willing to undergo the courfe of a fevere penance of unpleasant aufterities, when they could afford to commute for it by pecuniary payments. The popes, and under them the bishops and the clergy, particularly the Dominican and Franciscan friars, had the difpofition of this treafure; and as the pontiffs had the power of canonizing new faints at their own will, the fund was ever growing; and fo long as the fyftem could maintain its credit, the riches of their church, thus fecularized under the appearance of of religion, became a Sea without a fhore. No impartial examiner of authentic records will fay, that I have overcharged this account of indulgences. In fact, thefe were the symptoms of the laft. ftage of papal depravity; and as the moral evils, which they encouraged, were plain to every one not totally deftitute of discernment, they were the first objects, affaulted by the reformers. 2. But the views of those wife and holy perfonages were far more extenfive. They faw, that a practice fo fcandaloufly corrupt, was connected with the groffeft ignorance of the nature of Gospel-grace. The doctrine of juftification, in its explicit form, had been loft for many ages to the Christian world. If men had really believed, that by the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift falvation was obtained, and that God "juftifies the ungodly" through faith alone, how could they have been impofed on by the traffic of indulgences? In whatever manner the papist might fubtilize and divide, he was compelled by his fyftem to hold, that by a compliance with the rules of the church, either in the way of indulgences, or by some severer mode, pardon was to be obtained; and that the fatisfaction of Chrift was not fufficiently meritorious for this end; in other words that the gift of God is not eternal life by Jefus Christ our Lord*. And in fact the preachers of indulgences, whether popes themselves or their minifters, held out to the people with fufficient clearness, that the inheritance of eternal life was to be purchased by indulgences. Proofs of this have already appeared in the course of this hiftory, and more will be given hereafter. The teftimony of Sleidan, one of the most judicious and difpaffionate hiftorians, to the nature of indulgences, well deferves to be tranfcribed in this place. It is contained in the beginning See Rom. vi. end. beginning of his excellent hiftory. "Pope Leo X. making ufe of that power, which his predeceffors had ufurped over all Christian churches, fent abroad into all kingdoms his letters and bulls, with ample promises of the full pardon of fins, and of eternal falvation to fuch as would purchase the fame with money!!!" Even when the traffic of indulgences was checked by the pontiffs, as being carried on in too grofs a manner, no clear account was given in what the abuse confifted. In fine, it was evident, that no reformation could take place through the medium of qualifying and correcting abufes of this traffic. The fyftem itfelf was wholly impious, and the right knowledge of Juftification was the only remedy adequate to the evil. This, therefore, the reader is to look for, as the most capital object of the reformation: and thus, in the demolition of one of the vileft perverfions of fuperftition, there fuddenly arofe and revived, in all its infant fimplicity, that Apoftolical doctrine, in which is contained the great mystery of the Scriptures. : 3. The ftate of mankind at that time was peculiarly adapted to the reception of fo rich a difplay of Gofpel-grace. God fent a plentiful rain, whereby he did confirm his inheritance, when it was weary *. Men were then bound faft in fetters of iron their whole religion was one enormous mafs of bondage. Terrors befet them on every fide; and the fiction of purgatory was ever teeming with ghofts and apparitions. Perfons truly ferious,and fuch there ever were and will be, because there ever was and will be a true church on earth,—were fo clouded in their understandings by the prevailing corruptions of the hierarchy, that they could find no access to God by Jefus Chrift. The road of fimple faith, grounded on the divine promifes, connected • Ps. lxviii. 9. nected always with real humility, and always productive of hearty and grateful obedience, was stopped up with briars and thorns. No certain rest could be afforded to the weary mind, and a state of doubt, of allowed doubt and anxiety, was recommended by the papal fyftem. What a joyful doctrine then was that of the real gospel of remiffion of fins through Christ alone received by faith!-a doctrine, which is indeed to be found every where in the Scriptures; but thefe were almoft unknown among the people at the beginning of the reformation. 4. Should the Philofophical fceptic, or the Pharifaical formalift exprefs his furprife, that I should lay fo great a ftrefs on the Chriftian article of Juftification, and wonder that any persons should ever be at a lofs to difcover the way of obtaining true peace of confcience, it may be useful towards fatiffying his fcruples, to remind fuch a character of a FOURTH mark of corruption, which much prevailed in the times previous to the reformation. This is, the predominance of the Ariftotelian philofophy in Europe at that period,-a philofophy, which knew nothing of original fin and native depravity, which allowed nothing to be criminal but certain external flagitious actions, and which was unacquainted with the idea of any righteoufnefs of grace, imputed to a finner. How many in this age, who neither know nor value Ariftotle, do yet altogether follow his felf-righteous notions of religion! These are congenial to our fallen nature, and are incapable, while they prevail in the mind, of adminiftering any cure to papal bondage, except that which is worfe than the disease itself. They tend to lead men into the depths of Atheistic profanenefs. But the perfon, whom God raised up particularly at this time to inftruct an ignorant world, was moft remarkably eminent for felf-knowledge. Only characters of this fort fort are qualified to inform mankind in fubjects of the last importance towards the attainment of their eternal happiness.-Luther knew himself; and he knew alfo the fcriptural grounds on which he stood in his controverfies with the ecclefiaftical rulers. His zeal was difinterested, his courage undaunted. Accordingly, when he had once erected the ftandard of truth, he continued to uphold it with an unconquerable intrepidity, which merits the gratitude and efteem of all fucceeding ages, CHAP. |