*

and Rosaries. . . . . of superstitious fastings, of fraternities or brotherhoods, of pardons, with such-like " merchandize, which were so esteemed and abused, to "the great prejudice of God's glory and command"ments, that they were made most high and holy things, "whereby to attain to the everlasting life, or remission "of sins." Homily of good works.

The Confession of Augsburg thus refers to the same superstitious means of appeasing the anger of Heaven: "Constat autem Monachos docuisse, quod factitiæ re"ligiones satisfaciant pro peccatis, mereantur gratiam et justificationem. Quid hoc est aliud, quam de gloria "Christi detrahere, et obscurare ac negare justitiam "fidei? .... Hi, qui votis tribuunt justificationem, "tribuunt propriis operibus hoc, quod proprie ad glo"riam Christi pertinet. Neque vero negari potest,

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quin Monachi docuerint, se per vota et observationes 66 suas justificare, et mereri remissionem peccatorum ; imo "affinxerunt absurdiora, et dixerunt se aliis mutuari "sua opera." De Ceremonialibus, art. 6. ed. 1530. "Olim vexabantur conscientiæ doctrina operum, non "audiebant ex Evangelio consolationem; quosdam con"scientia expulit in desertum, in monasteria, sperantes, "ibi se gratiam merituros esse per vitam Monasticam. "Alii alia excogitaverunt opera ad promerendam gratiam, et satisfaciendum pro peccatis. Ideo magnopere "fuit opus hanc doctrinam de fide in Christum tradere "et renovare, ne deesset consolatio pavidis conscien"tiis, sed scirent fide in Christum apprehendi gratiam, "et remissionem peccatorum, et justificationem.” Id.

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art. 20.

Upon the doctrine of satisfaction indeed, which, in the vulgar idea, was conceived to be the principal mode of expiating crime, so various were the devices of the Church of Rome, that it is not easy even to enumerate them. "Restat tertius actus de satisfactionibus. Hic

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"vero habent confusissimas disputationes. Fingunt "æternas pœnas mutari in pœnas purgatorii. Et ha❝rum partem remitti potestate clavium, partem docent "redimendam esse satisfactionibus. Addunt amplius, "quod oporteat satisfactiones esse opera supereroga❝tionis, et hæc constituunt in stultissimis observationi"bus, velut in peregrinationibus Rosariis, aut similibus "observationibus, quæ non habent mandata Dei. Deinde, "sicut purgatorium satisfactionibus redimunt; ita excogitata est ars redimendi satisfactiones, quæ fuit quæ"stuosissima. Vendunt enim indulgentias, quas inter"pretantur esse remissiones satisfactionum. Et hic quæ"stus non solum ex vivis, sed multo amplior est ex mor"tuis. Neque solum indulgentiis, sed etiam sacrificio "Missæ redimunt satisfactiones mortuorum; denique in"finita res est de satisfactionibus. Inter hæc scandala, 66 non enim possumus enumerare omnia, et doctrinas "dæmoniorum, jacet obruta doctrina de justitia fidei in "Christum, et de beneficio Christi." Apolog. Confess. August. art. de Pœnitentia.

It may be necessary perhaps to add, that no tenet of the Scholastical theology was more abused in practice, than that of satisfaction. Nor seldom was its supposed effect totally misconceived, When, however, correctly understood, it implied solely that part of penitence, which the justified person, already contrite and absolved, is bound to perform, in order to exempt himself from temporal punishment, and not that, which is requisite to obtain his justification; a blessing thought to be previously received, with the obliteration of his fault, and the remission of eternal punishment. "His autem concur"rentibus, justificatur homo prius peccator. Quum "enim in peccato mortali sunt tria, (ut dictum est su"pra,) videlicet, deordinatio actus, privatio gratiæ, (ra❝tione cujus dicitur peccatori offensus, quia subtrahit “ei gratiam, quæ est ad solum amicum,) et reatus pœ

"næ æternæ, per contritionem reordinatur voluntas "in actu, per gratiam remittitur offensa, et per conse

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quens pœna æterna, quæ est ad inimicum, commuta❝tur in temporalem, quæ potest esse ad amicum et ad "concivem; et sic, licet sit debitor pœnæ, non est ta"men debitor pœnæ impii, sed pœnitentis et justificati ".... Ad aliud dicendum, quod plena et perfecta jus"tificatio impii, quoad pœnam culpæ debitam, requirit "satisfactionem, quæ frequenter sequitur infusionem gratiæ, tamen quia pœna debita post infusionem gra"tiæ, non est æterna, quæ debetur impiis, secundum "illud Esa. xxvi. In terra sanctorum iniqua gessit, et "non videbit gloriam Domini;' sed est temporalis, cujus "justificatus potest esse debitor; ideo, non obstante tali "debito, peccator dicitur ex solis præcedentibus justifiDurandus de S. Porciano, lib. iv. dist. 17.

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"catus. quæst. 1.

Page 129, note (7).

"Men's dreams and phantastical inventions." Cranmer's Answer to Gardiner, p. 14. So anxious were our Reformers to discourage the placing of a groundless trust in superstitious works of every description, that in the Injunctions of Edward they thus severely expressed themselves against those, which were of apparently a trivial nature. "The persons above rehearsed "shall make, or cause to be made, in their Churches, " and every other cure they have, one Sermon every "quarter of a year, at the least, wherein they shall "purely and sincerely declare the word of God, and in "the same exhort their hearers to works of faith, mercy, "and charity, specially prescribed and commanded in "Scripture, and that works devised by men's phantasies "beside Scripture, as wandering on pilgrimages, offer"ing of money, candles, or tapers, or relics, or images, or kissing and licking of the same, praying upon "beads, or such-like superstition, have not only no pro

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"mise of reward in Scripture, but contrariwise great "threats and maledictions of God, for that they be things "tending to idolatry and superstition." Sparrow's

Collection, p. 2.

Page 131, note (8).

Without the virtue of repentance, Aquinas expressly states, that mortal sin is not remissible. "Respondeo "dicendum, quod impossibile est peccatum actuale "mortale sine poenitentia remitti, loquendo de pœni"tentia, quæ est virtus." Summa tert. p. quæst. 86. art. 2. And it should be recollected, that in the Sacrament of penitence, some portion at least of this virtue was supposed always to exist, although the ingenuity of Scholastical, and the avarice of Papistical, philosophy had diminished that portion to nothing more, than the mere non-resistance of grace.

The term justification was thus minutely defined : "Dicendum quod justificatio passive accepta importat "motum ad justitiam, sicut et calefactio motum ad calo"rem..... Alio modo potest fieri hujusmodi justitia in "homine secundum rationem motus, qui est de contra"rio in contrarium, et secundum hoc justificatio impor"tat transmutationem quandam de statu injustitiæ ad sta"tum justitiæ prædictæ. Et hoc modo loquimur de "justificatione impii, secundum illud Apostoli ad Rom. "iv. Et qui non operatur, credenti autem in eum, qui 'justificat impium,' &c. Et quia motus denominatur "magis a termino ad quem, quam a termino a quo, ideo hujusmodi transmutatio, qua aliquis transmutatur a “statu injustitiæ per remissionem peccati, sortitur no"men a termino ad quem, et vocatur justificatio impii." Ibid. quæst. 113. art. 1.

Isaiah 1x. 19.

Page 131, note (9).

Page 132, note (10).

Luther thus acknowledges his own literary defects,

in his confidential letters to his friends: "Mitto hic "sermonem de Scholis, plane Lutheranum, et Lutheri “ verbositate nihil authorem suum negans, sed plenissi"me referens. Sic sum." Philip. Melancthoni. Epistolæ Luth. ed. Budd. p. 186. "Meus vero" (viz. Sermo) "præterquam quod artibus dicendi imperitus et incul"tus, nihil nisi sylvam et chaos verborum evomuit; tum "etiam eo fato agitur, ut turbulentus et impetuosus vel"ut luctator cum monstris infinitis semper congredi co"gatur. . . . . Solor tamen meipsum, quod existimem, "imo sciam, Patrem illum familias cœlestem, pro mag"nitudine suæ domus, etiam opus habere uno et altero 66 servo, duro contra duros, et aspero contra asperos, ❝ veluti malo cuneo in malos nodos. Et tonanti Deo opus est non tantum pluvia irrigante, sed etiam toni"tru concutiente, et fulgure auras purgante, quo feli"cius et copiosius terra fructificet." J. Brentio. Ibid. p. 193. "Mihi, ut videtis, Latinæ linguæ modicus est usus, qui in barbarie Scholasticorum doctorum ætatem con"sumpsi." Balthas. Alterio. Ibid. p. 287.

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Page 133, note (11).

In the Apology of their Confession, the Lutherans were particularly solicitous to prevent the possibility of disconnecting faith from repentance: "Quare intelli"gunt omnes boni viri utiliter et pie reprehensam esse "doctrinam sophistarum et canonistarum de pœnitentia. "Nam hæc dogmata aperte falsa sunt, et non solum "aliena a scripturis sacris, sed etiam ab ecclesiasticis "patribus. 1. Quod per opera extra gratiam facta me"reamur ex pacto divino gratiam. 2. Quod per attri❝tionem mereamur gratiam.....9. Quod susceptio "sacramenti pœnitentiæ, ex opere operato, sine bono "motu utentis, hoc est, sine fide in Christum, consequa“tur gratiam..... Nos igitur ut explicaremus pias "conscientias ex his labyrinthis sophistarum, constitui"mus duas partes pænitentiæ, videlicet, contritionem et