138 nOME AND HER CHURCH. 



his apostles preach the self-same doctrine ; it is the ground-work of his 

 whole religion : and to engage men efFectnally to deny all ungodliness 

 and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, looking 

 for the blessed hope, is the very superstructure intended to be raised on 

 it by the grace of the gospel. Now, the Roman Church overturns this 

 glorious fabric of evangelic virtue at once, by sapping the foundation of 

 it ; — I mean, by persuading men that such virtue is not necessary to 

 their salvation, but may be supplied and superseded by a variety of 

 other methods, much more agreeal)le to their inclinations, — in short, 

 perfectly consistent with all their vices. And here there opens such a 

 scene, such a gulf of delusion and perdition, — pilgrimages, penances, 

 purgatory, prayers for the dead, prayers to the saints, auricular confes- 

 sion, extreme unction, masses without number, an inexhaustible bank of 

 merit ; and, above all the rest, indulgences, pardons, and dispensations, 

 as many and as large as can be desired by men, or purchased for money ! 



" Indeed, these last may be considered as a main pillar of that amazing 

 structure of wickedness which Popery hath erected on the ruins of 

 Christianity. It has been positively affirmed, nor did I ever hear it 

 denied, that there is fixed, in a public office at Rome, a rate for sins, 

 according to the nature and degree of each, where the most heinous and 

 horrible are not excepted, even the breach of oaths the most solemn 

 and important, the murder of a parent, and the debauchery of a sister. 

 Quake, O earth ! tremble, ye heavens ! and all ye stars withdraw your 

 shining ! the infamy stops not here. It is notorious, that the pope, for 

 a larger sum, grants indulgences for many generations, sometimes for 

 thousands of years together. Need I mention, after this, the open 

 traffic in pardons and dispensations that was carried on in Germany by 

 those — what shall I call them ? — those spiritual pedlars, or hawkers, the 

 strolling friars, whose unheard-of abuses in retailing them gave rise to 

 the blessed reformation. And what, my brethren, is the natural lan- 

 guage of the Popish doctrine and practice in this particular ? Are you 

 strongly inclined to any sin whatever, you need be under no restraint ; 

 go to the priest, and he wiU give you an indulgence : have you actually 

 been guilty of any sin whatever, — make yourself easy, go to the priest, and 

 he will give you absolution. Never fear, man, you may perpetrate the 

 blackest crimes, and be absolved for payment ; or even without it, on 

 performing some trifling ceremony of unsanctified devotion. Now, in 

 making men believe that they may thus indulge in any wickedness, or every 

 wickedness, with safety, for the next world as well as the present, is 

 such a masterpiece of infernal policy for destroying human souls by 

 multitudes — is so enormous a delusion of hell, that I can find no size of 

 words to clothe the bulk of it. " Let it go naked, then, that men may 

 see it the better." 



What reasonable and thinking churchman shall read this part of the 

 learned and reverend divine's essay, and not be found ready, exclaim — 

 " Well done, thou good and faithful servant — enter thou into the joy of 

 thy Lord ?" — Let us proceed, however. Thus far have we transferred 

 our learned and reverend author's essay : and we are free to confess 

 with unpretending interest and concern. And now, looking at the space 

 we have occupied of our journal, we would deem it advisable to conclude 

 our text review ; but, really and sincerely, the subject is one of such 



