cannot evacuate purgatory, or give so many indulgences as to take out all souls from thence: and, therefore, if the popes, and the bishops, and the legates, have been already too free, it may be, there is so much in arrear, that the treasure of the church is spent, or the church is in debt for souls; or else, though the treasure be inexhaustible, yet so much of her treasure ought not to be made use of, and, therefore, it may be, that your souls shall be postponed, and must stay and take its turn God knows when. And, therefore, we cannot but commend the prudence of Cardinal Albernotius, who, by his last will took order for fifty thousand masses, to be said for his soul; for he was a wise man, and loved to make all as sure as he could.

But then, to apply this to the consciences of the poor people of the Roman communion. Here is a great deal of treasure of the church pretended, and a great many favours granted, and much ease promised, and the wealth of the church boasted of, and the people's money gotten; and that this may be a perpetual spring, it is clear amongst their own writers, that you are not sure of any good by all that is past, but you must get more security, or this may be nothing. But how easy were it for you now to conclude, that all this is but a mere cozenage, an art to get money? but that is but the least of the evil, it is a certain way to deceive souls. For, since there are so many thousands that trust to these things, and yet, in the confession of your own writers, there are so many fallibilities in the whole, and in every part, why will you suffer yourselves so weakly and vainly to be cozened out of your souls with promises that signify nothing, and words without virtue, and treasures that make no man rich, and indulgences that give confidence to sin, but no ease to the pains which follow?

Besides all this, it is very considerable, that this whole affair is a state of temptation; for they that have so many ways to escape, will not be so careful of the main stake, as the interest of it requires. He that hopes to be relieved by many others, will be tempted to neglect himself: there

e Fabius Incarnatus Scrutin. Sacerdot. de indulgent, sect. antepen. edit. Barcinon. 1628.

Apud Genes. Sepulvedam in vita Egidii Alberuotii Cardinal.

is a v péya, an Unum necessarium,' even that "we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." A little wisdom, and an easy observation, were enough to make all men that love themselves, wisely to abstain from such diet, which does not nourish, but fill the stomach with wind and imagination. But to return to the main inquiry.

We desire that it be considered, how dangerously good life is undermined, by the propositions collaterally taught by their great doctors, in this matter of indulgences, besides the main and direct danger and deception.

1. Venial sins, preceding or following the work enjoined for getting indulgences, hinder not their fruit: but if they intervene in the time of doing them, then they hinders." By this proposition there is infinite uncertainty concerning the value of any indulgence; for, if venial sins be daily incursions, who can say, that he is one day clean from them? And if he be not, he hath paid his price for that which profits not, and he is made to rely upon that which will not support him. But though this being taught, doth evacuate the indulgence, yet it is not taught to prevent the sin; for, before and after, if you commit venial sins, there is no great matter in it: the inconvenience is not great, and the remedy is easy; you are told of your security, as to this point beforehand.

A

2. Pope Adrian taught a worse matter. "He that will obtain indulgence for another, if he does perform the work enjoined, though himself be in deadly sin, yet for the other he prevails :" as if a man could do more for another than he can do for himself; or, as if God would regard the prayers of a vile and a wicked person, when he intercedes for another, and at the same time, if he prays for himself, his prayer is an abomination. God first is entreated for ourselves, and when we are more excellent persons, admits us to intercede, and we shall prevail for others; but that a wicked person, who is under actual guilt, and obliged himself to suffer all punishment, can ease and take off the punishment due to others by any externally-good work done ungraciously, is a piece of new divinity without colour of reason or religion. Others in this are something less scan

8 Fab. Incarn. nbi supra.

Apud Petrum de Soto lect. de Instit. Sacerd. de necessariis ad effectum indulg.

dalous; and affirm, that though it be not necessary, that when the indulgence is granted, the man should be in the state of grace; yet it is necessary, that at some time or other he should be; at any time (it seems) it will serve. For thus they turn divinity, and the care of souls, into mathematics and clock-work, and dispute minutes and periods with God, and are careful to tell their people how much liberty they may take, and how far they may venture, lest they should lose any thing of their sin's pleasure, which they can possibly enjoy, and yet have hopes of their being saved at last.

3. But there is worse yet. If a man willingly commits a sin in hope and expectation of a jubilee, and of the indulgences afterwards to be granted, he does not lose the indulgence, but shall receive it: which is expressly affirmed by Navar1, and Antonius Cordubensis*,-and Bellarmine', though he asks the question, denies it not. By which it is evident, that the Roman doctrines and divinity teach contrary to God's way; who is most of all angry with them that "turn his grace into wantonness," and sin "that grace may

abound."

4. If any man, by reason of poverty, cannot give the prescribed alms, he cannot receive the indulgence. Now since it is sufficiently known, that in all or most of the indulgences, a clause is sure to be included, that something be offered to the church, to the altar, to a religious house", &c. The consequent of this will be soon seen, that indulgences are made for the rich, and the treasures of the church are to be dispensed to them that have treasures of their own; for "Habeni dabitur." But God help the poor; for them purgatory is prepared, and they must burn for the rich it is pretended, but the smell of fire will not pass upon them.

From these premises we suppose it but too evident, that the Roman doctors prevaricate in the whole doctrine of repentance, which indeed, in Christ Jesus, is the whole economy of justification and salvation; it is the hopes and staff of all the world, the remedy of all evils past, present, and

i In Tract. de Jubilæo natab. 34. n. 4. et 6.

* Qu. 57. de Indulg. prop. 3.

Lib. i. de Indulg. c. 10. Sect. Altera dubitatio. m Scrutin. Sacerd, ubi supra.

to come. And if our physic be poisoned, if our staff be broken, if our hopes make us ashamed, how shall we appear before Christ at his coming? But we say, that, in all the parts of it, their doctrine is infinitely dangerous.

1. Contrition is sufficient, if it be but one little act, and that in the very article of death; and before that time it is not necessary by the law of God, nay, it is indeed sufficient; but it is also insufficient,-for without confession, in act or desire, it suffices not. And though it be thus insufficiently sufficient, yet it is not necessary: for attrition is also sufficient, if a priest can be had; and then any little grief proceeding out of the fear of hell will do it, if the priest do but absolve.

2. Confession might be made of excellent use, and is so among the pious children of the church of England; but by the doctrines and practices in the church of Rome it is made, not the remedy of sins by proper energy, but the excuse, the alleviation, the confidence, the ritual, external, and sacramental remedy, and serves instead of the labours of a holy and a regular life; and yet is so entangled with innumerable, and inextricable cases of conscience, orders, human prescripts, and great and little artifices, that scruples are more increased than sins are lessened.

3. For satisfactions and penances, which, if they were rightly ordered, and made instrumental to kill the desires of sin, or to punish the criminal, or were properly the fruits of repentance, that is, parts of a holy life, good works done in charity, and the habitual permanent grace of God, were so prevailing, as they do the work of God; yet when they are taken away, not only by the declension of primitive dis cipline, but by new doctrines and indulgences, regular and offered commutations for money, and superstitious practices, which are sins themselves, and increase the numbers and weights of the account, there is a great way made for the destruction of souls, and the discountenancing the necessity of holy life; but nothing for the advantage of holiness, or the becoming like to God.

And now at last for a cover to this dish, we have thought fit to mind the world, and to give caution to all that mean to live godly in Christ Jesus, to what an infinite scandal and impiety this affair hath risen in the church of Rome, we mean in the instance of their "taxa cameræ, seu cancellariæ

apostolicæ," "the tax of the apostolical chamber or chancery;" a book publicly printed, and exposed to common sale; of which their own Espencæus" gives this account; that it is a book, in which a man may learn more wickedness, than in all the summaries of vices published in the world: and yet to them that will pay for it, there is to many given a license, to all an absolution, for the greatest and most horrid sins. There is a price set down for his absolution, that hath killed his father or his mother, brother, sister, or wife, or that hath lain with his sister or his mother. We desire all good Christians to excuse us for naming such horrid things;

Nomina sunt, ipso penè timenda sono.

But the licenses are printed in Paris in the year 1500, by Tossan Denis. Pope Innocent VIII. either was author or enlarger of these rules of this chancery-tax, and there are glosses upon them, in which the scholiast himself, who made them, affirms, that he must, for that time, conceal some things to avoid scandal. But how far this impiety proceeded, and how little regard there is in it to piety, or the good of souls, is visible by that which Augustinus de Ancona teaches; "that the pope ought not to give indulgences to them, who have a desire of giving money, but cannot, as to them who actually give." And whereas it may be objected, that then poor men's souls are in a worse condition than the rich; he answers, "that as to the remission of the punishment acquired by the indulgence, in such case it is not inconvenient, that the rich should be in a better condition than the poor."-For in that manner do they imitate God who is no respecter of persons.

SECTION V.

THESE observations we conceive to be sufficient to deter every well-meaning person from running into or abiding in such temptations. Every false proposition that leads to impiety, is a stock and fountain of temptations; and these

R

Digres. 2. ad c. 1. epist. ad Titum.

De Potest. Papæ, q. 3. ad 3.