other infectious sickness,) exhort their parishioners to the often receiving of the holy communion of the body and blood of our Saviour Christ," etc. Here the people are taught that partaking of the Lord's supper is a preparation for death. Many churchmen heartily believe this doctrine, and venture their salvation upon it. Hence the most notorious sinners, when about to finish their career in vice, send for a priest to give them the sacrament, and prepare them for heaven.

If the sick man should defer too long to send for his minister, the church, in her charity, accepts the will for the deed, and, on a mere profession of repentance and faith, his soul is restored to spiritual health and soundness. “But if a man, either by reason of extremity of sickness, or for want of warning in due time to the curate, or for lack of company to receive with him, or by any other just impediment, do not receive the sacrament of Christ's body and blood, the curate shall instruct him, that if he do truly repent him of his sins, and steadfastly believe that Jesus Christ hath suffered death upon the cross for him, and shed his blood for his redemption, earnestly remembering the benefits he hath thereby, and giving him hearty thanks therefore; he doth eat and drink the body and blood of our Saviour Christ profitably to his soul's health, although he do not receive the sacrament with his mouth." Here it must be noted, that no exception is made, nor doubt expressed, in the case of the greatest profligate that ever lived. It generally happens that those who survive, return again to their old courses, like the dog to his vomit; which shows that their repentance was insincere, their faith dead, and their thanksgiving gross hypocrisy: yet, notwithstanding all this, had they left this world just after their confession to the priest, they would have died in the sure and certain hope of heaven. It is in consequence of a general belief in the saving efficacy of the last rites of the church, that so many abandon themselves to all sorts of vice so long as they enjoy health and strength; and, if it be true that God will accept of professions

and sacraments as a substitute for a life of piety and virtue, they are in the right; for who but a fool, will live in daily acts of self-denial and fleshly mortification, when he may receive from a priest, in his last moments, absolution from sin, health of soul, and a title to eternal life?

IN the office for the visitation of the sick, the absolution runs in these words: "Our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgives thee thine offences; and, by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

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There is a difference of opinion among the clergy whether the absolution be judiciary, or only declarative. The proud are for the former, and the modest few for the latter. If nothing more be meant, than that God hath given priests authority to declare that those who repent and believe shall obtain forgiveness of sin, the sentiment could not be worse expressed than in the words of the absolution. Besides, every christian has authority from God, equally with priest, to declare to a person who is troubled in his conscience, that if he heartily repent and believe, he shall find mercy. But the absolution will not bear this mild interpretation; it is not only so worded as to favour the judicial authority of the minister, but the church does not suffer a deacon to pronounce it, (though he is permitted, in religious assemblies, to explain the doctrines of the gospel,) which is an unaccountable restriction, if there be no power of absolution in the priest. Bishop Sparrow rejects, with indignation, the declarative interpretation, and asserts that a power barely declarative is indeed none at all;

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and that the apostles, and in them all priests, were made God's vicegerents here on earth, in his name to retain and forgive sins, not declaratively only, but judicially;" adding, "Our holy mother, the church, hath prescribed a form of absolution in the visitation of the sick. He, then, that assents to the church of England, or believes the scriptures, or gives credit to the ancient fathers, cannot deny the priest the power of remitting sins." And again, "He that would be sure of pardon, let him seek out a priest, and make his humble confession to him; for God, who alone hath the prime and original right of forgiving sins, hath delegated the priests his judges on earth, and given them the power of absolution; so that they can, in his name, forgive the sins of those that humbly confess unto them."*

Our high priests found their assumed authority on the following texts: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (Matt. xvi. 19; xviii. 18; John xx. 23.)

By the keys of the kingdom of heaven being promised to the apostle Peter, is meant, that he should open the gospel dispensation to the Jews and Gentiles; which promise was fulfilled when he preached the gospel to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, and to Cornelius and his friends soon afterwards. (Acts ii. 14.)

The power of binding and loosing, which in the first text is promised to Peter, is in the second extended to every Christian community. Our Lord was speaking to the case of an offending brother, who, if he could not be persuaded of his error by private remonstrances,

* Sermon on the Power of Absolution, on John i. 9.

was to be brought before the whole church, or congregation, whose decision should be final. The binding and loosing here is the same as remitting and retaining sin in the last text. If the offending brother repented, the congregation loosed him; they remitted his sin, and were reconciled unto him; but if he remained incorrigible, they bound him; his sin was retained, and he was expelled the society. To give authority to the decisions of the church in matters of discipline, our Lord solemnly declared that they should be confirmed in the court of heaven. Two things must here be noted:

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First. It is not the sin as it relates to God, but as it relates to men, which the church has a power of binding or loosing, retaining or remitting. If thy brother trespass against thee," and will not make suitable acknowledgments, he is to be treated as an heathen man and a publican, and his sin is to be bound upon him. (Matt. xviii. 15-18.) Now, in this sense of forgiving sin, priests have not only authority to do it, but, when a proper apology is made, it is their duty to do it. For it follows, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times; but, until seventy times seven.

Second. The decrees of priests do not bind either on earth or in heaven, when they are not according to the word of God. When Peter was for binding a load of Jewish ceremonies on the Gentile converts, Paul resisted this unscriptural assumption of power, and "withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed." And it is to be lamented, that the church did not, in after times, oppose the encroachments, of a proud, presumptuous, and interested clergy.

The discipline of the church of Corinth was executed by the laity. They had retained the sin of the incestuous person, and cut him off from their communion. This had the desired effect; he repented, and sought absolution. The apostle exhorted them to be recon

ciled unto him, remarking, "Sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many. So that ye ought to forgive him, and comfort him." (2 Cor. ii. 6, 7.) If the absolution in this instance extended to the conscience, in the sight of God, remenber it was given by the laity, and not by the clergy.

Every private christian has the same power to forgive a sin committed against himself, which ecclesiastics have to pardon offences committed against the church. In the Lord's prayer, which every christian ought to use, is this petition: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

No one can forgive sins committed against God, but God himself. "Who can forgive sins but God only? It is God that justifieth." But to cite all the texts which ascribe the justification of a sinner to the supreme Being, would fill a volume. It will be said, however, that though it be the prerogative of the Most High to pardon sinners, yet he may, if he pleases, delegate his authority to priests. If so, then prayer and supplication should be made to priests, and not to God, for forgiveness. The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son, and this is assigned as the reason why the Father judgeth no man. (John v. 22.) By parity of reason, if he hath committed the pardon of sin to the priests, it will follow that he pardoneth no man. this case, therefore, the priest, and not the Deity, is the proper object of religious worship.

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Repentance and faith are necessary to obtain the favour of God, according to the whole tenor of the New Testament: the priest requires a profession of these before he gives absolution; but he possesses no means of ascertaining to a certainty that the conditions of the new covenant have been duly performed. Can anything be more ridiculous and presumptuous? Is a mere saying, "I repent," and repeating the creed, that repentance and faith which obtain salvation? When a priest absolves a person who has not performed the conditions required, he either tells a lie, and deceives a soul to its ruin; or else, by the plenitude of his sa