A History of the Jesuits

"rites and processions employed the bishops perpetually, when "engaged in religious exercisés. The number of clergy was “enormous, and their lives were most scandalous. I speak of "those whom I have known in the town of Gothen, &c.'

"If we add to this, the testimony of Pellicanus, another of "Luther's followers, that a Greek Testament could not be "procured at any price in all Germany*, what can be "wanting to complete the picture of that darkness in which "men lived, and in what did the Christian nations differ from "Pagans, except in the name? It may be proper to mention, "that even the University of Paris, the first of all the fa"mous schools of learning, could not furnish a single person

capable of supporting a controversy against Luther on the "foundation of Scripture. And scarcely any Christian, Doctor, "in the beginning of this century, had a critical knowledge of "the word of God. The reader may find it useful to be "detained a little longer, in contemplating the situation of "the Christian world at the time of Luther's appearance. "The observations I have to offer for this purpose shall be "arranged under four distinct heads; and they will, I trust, "assist us in demonstrating the importance of the Reforma

tion, and fully evince that the difference between Popery "and Protestantism is not merely verbal. 1. The Popish "doctrine of Indulgences was then in the highest reputation. "We shall be in no danger of misrepresenting this doctrine, if « we state it according to the ideas of one of the ablest cham"pions of Popery. The Church, he tells us, imposes pain❝fùl works or sufferings on offenders; which, being discharged "or undergone with humility, are called satisfactions; and when, regarding the fervor of the penitents, or other good

*The words of Seckendorf are remarkable: "Tantam vero tem66 porum illorum ante Lutherum infelicitatem notasse Pellicanus dici"tur, ut nullum Græcum Testamentum in tota Germania reperiri "potuerit, quantumvis quis magnam vim auri prò unico exemplari ❝voluisset expendere."-P. 152, Com. de Luth. Ed. 2da, Lips. 1604.

+ Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, in an exposition of the doctrine of the Catholic Church in matters of controversy.

works, she remits some part of the task, this is called an Indulgence. For, he pretends that the infinite satisfaction "of Christ may be applied in two ways, either by entire ❝remission, without the reservation of any punishment, or by "the changing of a greater punishment into a less.' The "first,' he says, is done in baptism, the second in the case "of sins committed after baptism.' And here he gives us the "authority of the Council of Trent, to support his assertion, "namely, The power to grant Indulgences has been com"mitted to the Church by Jesus Christ, and the use of them is "beneficial to salvation.' Those, he observes, who depart this "life indebted to divine justice for some of the pains reserved, "must suffer them in another life in the state of purgatory.

"Reliefs are however provided in this case also: the "benefit of Indulgences extends, it seems, beyond the grave, "and the doctrine of commutation for offences, applied in real practice by the friends of the deceased, was held to be valid in heaven. The foundation of all this system was generally "believed to be this. There was supposed to be an infinite "treasure of merit in Christ and the Saints; which was abun"dantly more than sufficient for themselves: thus, what is strictly true of the Divine Saviour, was asserted also of "Saints; namely, that they had done works of supererogation. "This treasure was deposited in the Church, under the con"duct of the See of Rome, and was sold, for literally sold it 66 was for money, at that See's direction to those who were "able and willing to pay for it; and few were found willing "to undergo the course of a severe penance of unpleasant "austerities, when they could afford to commute for it by

pecuniary payments. The Popes, and under them, the Bi"shops and the Clergy, particularly the Dominican and Fran"ciscan friars, had the disposition of this treasure; and as the "Pontiff's had the power of canonizing new saints at their "own will, the fund was ever growing; and so long as the "system could maintain its credit, the riches of their Church, "thus secularized under the appearance of religion, became a

"sea without a shore. No impartial examiner of authentie "records will say, that I have overcharged this account of Indulgences. In fact, these were the symptoms of the last stage of Papal depravity; and as the moral evils, which "they encouraged, were plain to every one not totally destitute ❝of discernment, they were the first objects assaulted by the "Reformers.

2. But the views of those wise and holy personages "were far more extensive. They saw, that a practice so "scandalously corrupt, was connected with the grossest igno "rance of the nature of Gospel-grace. The doctrine of justi"fication, in its explicit form, had been lost for many ages to "the Christian world. If men had really believed, that by the of our Lord Jesus Christ salvation was obtained, grace "and that God 'justifies the ungodly' through faith alone, "how could they have been imposed on by the traffic of Indul"gences? In whatever manner the Papist might subtilize "and divide, he was compelled by his system to hold, that "by a compliance with the rules of the Church, either in the way of Indulgences, or by some severer mode, pardon was to "be obtained; and that the satisfaction of Christ was not sufficiently meritorious for this end; in other words, that the

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gift of God is not eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. "And, in fact, the preachers of Indulgences, whether Popes "themselves or their Ministers, held out to the people with "sufficient clearness, that the inheritance of eternal life was to "be purchased by Indulgences. Proofs of this have already "appeared in the course of this History, and more will be given hereafter. The testimony of Sleidan, one of the most judicious and dispassionate historians, to the nature of Indulgences, well deserves to be transcribed in this place. It is "contained in the beginning of his excellent History. Pope "Leo X. making use of that power, which his predecessors "had usurped over all Christian churches, sent abroad into "all kingdoms, his letters and bulls, with ample promises of "the full pardon of sins, and of eternal salvation to such as

"would purchase the same with money!!! Even when the "traffic of Indulgences was checked by the Pontiffs, as being "carried on in too gross a manner, no clear account was given "in what the abuse consisted. In fine, it was evident, that no "réformation could take place through the medium of qualifying and correcting abuses of this traffic. The system itself was wholly impious, and the right knowledge of justification σε was the only remedy adequate to the evil. This, therefore, "the reader is to look for, as the most capital object of the "Reformation: and thus, in the demolition of one of the "vilest perversions of superstition, there suddenly arose and "revived, in all its infant simplicity, that Apostolical doctrine, " in which is contained the great mystery of the Scriptures.

3. "The state of mankind at that time was peculiarly adapted to the reception of so rich a display of Gospelgrace, God sent a plentiful rain, whereby he did confirm "his inheritance, when it was weary. Men were then bound 66 fast in fetters of iron; their whole religion was one enormous mass of bondage. Terrors beset them on every side " and the fiction of purgatory was ever teeming with ghosts "and apparitions, Persons truly serious (and such there "ever were, and will be, because there ever was, and will be,

a true Church on earth) were so clouded in their under"standings by the prevailing corruptions of the hierarchy, that they could find no access to God by Jesus Christ.

The road

"of simple faith, grounded on the divine promises, connected "always with real humility, and always productive of hearty "and grateful obedience, was stopped up with briers and "thorns. No certain rest could be afforded to the weary mind, "and a state of doubt, of allowed doubt and anxiety, was "recommended by the Papal system, What a joyful doctrine "then was that of the real Gospel, of remission of sins, through "Christ alone received by faith!-a doctrine, which is indeed to be found every where in the Scriptures; but these "were almost unknown among the people at the beginning of "the Reformation,

4. "Should the Philosophical sceptic, or the Pharisaical "formalist express his surprise, that I should lay so great a "stress on the Christian article of Justification, and wonder "that any persons should ever be at a loss to discover the way ❝of obtaining true peace of conscience, it may be useful to"wards satisfying his scruples, to remind such a character of a "Fourth mark of corruption, which much prevailed in the "times previous to the Reformation. This is, the predomi"nance of the Aristotelian philosophy in Europe at that "period,―a philosophy, which knew nothing of original sin ❝and native depravity, which allowed nothing to be criminal, "but certain external flagitious actions, and which was unac"quainted with the idea of any righteousness of grace, imputed "to a sinner. How in this many who neither know nor "value Aristotle, do yet altogether follow his self-righteous "notions of religion ! These are congenial to our fallen “nature, and are incapable, while they prevail in the mind, "of administering any cure to Papal bondage, except that "which is worse than the disease itself. They tend to lead "men into the depths of Atheistic profaneness. But the

age,

person whom God raised up particularly at this time to "instruct an ignorant world, was most remarkably eminent for "self-knowledge. Only characters of this sort are qualified to “inform mankind in subjects of the last importance towards "the attainment of their eternal happiness. Luther knew “himself; and he knew also the Scriptural grounds on which "he stood in his controversies with the ecclesiastical rulers, "His zeal was disinterested, his courage undaunted. Accord❝ingly, when he had once erected the standard of truth, he "continued to uphold it with an unconquerable intrepidity, which merits the gratitude and esteem of all succeeding ages."-Dean Milner's History of the Church, Vol. iv. p. 277 & seq.

In the able summary furnished by RAPIN of the state of the Church in the fifteenth century (see Vol. vi. of Tin

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