316 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



Absolution. 



Iwlulgtn 



herited, were the results of tins profitable doctrine. 

 The season of sickness and the hour of death were die 

 time* when such donations, " for the good of the Mini," 

 were usually nude. The dying transgressor readily 

 pMted with his possessions to -erure tin- mediation of 

 the saints ; and all antiquity had declared, that the me- 

 diation of the saints was not to be secured without pn>- 

 ]R-r benefactions to the clergy. The following are the 

 arguments by which the doctrine of purgatory is main- 

 tained: 1. As every sin, however inconsiderable, is an 

 offence to God, it is deserving of punishment 2. Many 

 sins are so inconsiderable, as not to deserve everlasting 

 punishment. 3 There must be a place or state of 

 existence, where these inconsiderable transgressions 

 are punished according to the measure of their enormi- 

 ty ; and to this place, or state of existence, (say the 

 Catholics, ) we give the name of Purgatory. 4. There 

 is no man who is altogether frit- from the stain of sin 

 at the period of his dissolution. 5. There must, of 

 consequence, be an intermediate state, a state of puri- 

 fication, where the soul is cleansed from all defilement, 

 and the stain of corruption is completely washed away. 

 And, (say the Catholics again,) we do nothing more 

 than apply the name of Purgatory to this intermediate 

 state. 



The doctrine which relates to absolution and indul- 

 gence, must be mentioned in the third place. These 

 two varieties of imposture have been joined together by 

 the ecclesiastical historians, and with sufficient reason ; 

 for the tendency of both was to produce on the minds 

 of men, one great and pernicious effect, namely, that 

 of substituting the pope in the room of Almighty God, 

 and establishing our title to the happiness of heaven, 

 without the cultivation of personal virtue. While such 

 doctrines and practices degrade the understanding, by 

 subjecting it to the opinion and the authority of an in- 

 dividual, they relax at the same time the ties of all 

 moral obligation. The power of absolution is one of 

 those numerous consequences which result from what is 

 technically called " the possession of the keys." We trust 

 we need not repeat the arguments by which the Catho- 

 lics attempt to support the exercise of this power. The 

 extraordinary gifts which were conferred upon St Peter, 

 were transmitted, (as they affirm,) to his successor the 

 pope. And to Peter it is distinctly said, " I give unto 

 thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; and whatso- 

 ever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven ; 

 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be 

 loosed in heaven." It is more proper to observe, that 

 the power of absolution was exercised in all its pre- 

 sumptuous and blasphemous extent, during the period 

 of the crusades. In the course of these expeditions, 

 few sins were left unpardoned. Simply to enrol the 

 name in the lists of the sanctified soldiery, was held 

 sufficient to secure the high blessing of unlimited for- 

 giveness. The gates of paradise were opened wide to 

 receive the consecrated battalions. The warriors of the 

 cross were washed and cleansed by one deed of the 

 pope, from all their iniquities. And in the thick dark- 

 ness of the age, there were few who were able to search 

 into the foundations of the papal authority, and few 

 who were willing to expose its absurdity, even if they 

 had had the penetration to detect it. Some planet 

 seems to have struck the nations, or some fatality to 

 have depressed the faculties of the human mind. 



Indulgences, though producing nearly the same ef- 

 fects with absolution, may be considered as somewhat 

 different in their description and history. And they 

 are deserving of more particular notice, as it was the 



indiscreet use of indulgences that provokeif the oppo- 



.-it ion of Luther, and gave rise to the rrforiiiiiliuii in i;J Hilory. 

 Germany. ""* 



Tin 1 (liH-tniie rc'-pcoting tin's branch of tlic papal in- Argument* 



posture M-CIIIS to IK.' merely an extension nt't!i::t which " "' ''>' llle 



relates to penances. It was universally admitted, that "?. ln 



favour of in- 

 to the church, upon sufficient eon>ulerations, 



to relax the severity of her discipline, to shorten the 

 peruxl of prolwtion, and to lessen the number of peni- 

 tentiary inflictions. And it was granted likewise, that 

 the church is the only judge of those considerations 

 which she may hold to be sufficient. To allow there- 

 fore certain sins to be committed, without subjecting 

 the individual to the usual penances, was supposed to 

 be within the legitimate range and just exercise of the 

 ecclesiastical power ; and when the permission was 

 signified in writing, the document alone, or die fact 

 and the document taken togedier, constituted what, in 

 the primary acceptation of the term, was called an in- 

 dulgmce. But the matter did not remain long in this 

 situation. An additional import was given to die word ; 

 the practice was extended ; and the remission of pe- 

 nances prepared die way for the remi--ion of sins. If 

 the individual was freed from all penitentiary inflictions, 

 in die former case, in the latter lie was exempted from 

 all punishment whatever ; and if the indulgence was 

 plenary, he might transgress with impunity every sta- 

 tute in the decalogue, and every ordinance of the 

 church. To this favoured individual, purgatory, and 

 even hell itself, were divested of their terrors ; in die 

 prospect of the last judgment, he was already acquitted. 

 Nor were arguments wanting to support die doctrine 

 and the practice which we have thus cursorily described. 

 Indulgences were purchased ; the error was lucrative, 

 and a lucrative error never fails to find its champions 

 in the schools, ready to arm themselves, and to sally 

 forth in its defence. " There actually exists," says St 

 Thomas, " an immense treasure of merit, composed ot 

 the pious deeds and virtuous actions which the saints 

 have performed, beyond what is necessary for their own 

 salvation, and which are therefore applicable to the 

 benefit of others; the guardian and dispenser of this 

 precious treasure is the Roman pontiff; and of conse- 

 quence he is empowered to assign to such as he thinks 

 proper, a portion of this inexhaustible source of merit, 

 suitable to dieir respective guilt, and sufficient to deli- 

 ver them from the punishment due to their crimes." 



From the tumult of the crusades, die blasphemous im- gute rf 

 piety of absolution, and die corruption of morals arising scholastic 

 from indulgences, let us turn for a moment to the abodes learning, 

 of literature, and the retreats of philosophy. Here, per- 

 haps, we may find something to rest ujxm with satisfac- 

 tion ; some light, however scanty, to diversify the scene; 

 some straggling ray to prove to us that the darkness may 

 yet be broken and dispelled. We must own, however, 

 that we are far from being relieved or gratified by the 

 change. The literature of the middle ages is occupied 

 chiefly with die miracles of die saints; and the comlwts 

 of die crusaders are surpassed in every thing, except 

 the shedding of human blood, by the warfare of die 

 schools. The Nominalists gave keen battle to the 

 Realists, and the Realists, no less valorous than they, 

 maintained the conflict. John the Sophist and the fa- 

 moiis Koscelin led on the bands of die former, while 

 die latter marched under die banner of Thomas Aqui- 

 nas, and of Albert the Great. The doctors, subtle, 

 irrefragable, seraphic, and angelic, all mingled in the 

 fray, and augmented the noise by very large accessions. 

 The great question among diese fierce disputers was, 



