man, should be found at the bottom to rest on a popular basis. Even in civil governments there are instances of the same anomaly; but in an empire, essentially and peculiarly the empire of opinion, the support of the multitude was not so much the only source of strength, as the only principle of existence. If the Roman Church had been more evangelical in doctrine, more consistent in discipline, more moderate in pretension, it might have appealed with greater safety to the reason of mankind. But as it appealed to their ignorance, to their earliest and deepest prejudices, so was it, that it urged the irresistible predomi nance of authority-the inviolable holiness of antiquity,—all those principles and all those motives, which awe, when they do not irritate, the human understanding. Nevertheless, the appeal, howsoever insidiously made, was still an appeal to the mind: and thus was it seductive and universal. And so long as it found hearers and believers; so long as it retained its hold, by whatsoever means, on the devotion of the people; the dominion of Rome was not less substantial, and more secure, than if the sword had raised or upheld it. But from the moment that the spiritual bond was loosened, the mere worldly fabric, having no longer any element of coherence, subsided in progressive decay and dissolution.

SECTION II.

On the (I.) Spiritual Character, (II.) Discipline, and Morals of the

The Doctrine

of the Roman Church.

Church.

I. The Roman Catholics assert with great truth, that their Church has preserved, through the most perilous times, the essential mysteries and tenets of the Christian faith. It is with reverence that we have received them from her hands, and with gratitude that we acknowledge the inestimable obligation. Yet the most zealous Catholic must be contented to share that praise with the schismatics of the east. The same treasure has been guarded with the same fidelity by the Church of Greece; and would thus have been equally perpetuated, if the purity of the Roman creed had been corrupted by the barbarian conquest. But while those rival churches may divide the merit of having transmitted the apostolical doctrines to the latest generations, there is this difference in the manner of that traditionthe one has transmitted them such as she received them from the highest antiquity, not daring to violate by any important innovation the integrity of the pristine faith; the other augmented her confession by some articles, which were left by the discretion of early times to the liberty of private judgment. We have endeavoured (in the Thirteenth Chapter) to indicate the sources whence many of those innovations proceeded. We shall now remark upon one or two others, which, though of distant origin also, did not acquire any general, or at least any very perceptible, prevalence till a later age*.

According to the original system of penance, it was inculcated, that

*It was a general, but not quite correct, opinion of the early reformers, that the Scholastics had invented the new Dogmas, and the Monks the new practices. But it is quite certain, that the immediate causes of the insurrection against Rome were the later corruptions in her doctrine-just as most of the edicts of Constance and Basle were levelled against the later innovations in her discipline.

in the Peniten

tial System.

transgressions could be expiated by prayer, fasting, and alms-there was no period in the history of the Church, in which pious Gradual changes works were not held efficacious to redeem sin, and imposed for that purpose, either directly, or by a partial substitution for bodily mortifications. To this circumstance many holy structures owed their origin, many poor-houses and hospitals-the Xenodochia, Nosocomia, Gerontocomia, &c., of the ancient establishment; and these works were considered satisfactory to God. This system was gradually corrupted, and fell, especially in the western nations, into great disorder; when Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury, published, about the year 680, his celebrated Penitential. By the instructions herein delivered, the clergy were taught to distinguish sins into various classes, and to judge them according to their nature, to the intention of the offender, and other circumstances. The Penitential likewise pointed out the penalties proper for every sort of offence; prescribed the forms of consolation, exhortation, absolution, and set forth the duties of the Confessor. (Mosh. Cent. vii. p. ii. ch. iii.) This new discipline, though of Greek origin, was eagerly embraced in the Latin churches, and it was immediately corrupted. The method of redemption of penance was presently reduced to a regular system: in the place of so many days of fasting, so much alms were to be given; or so many psalms sung, or so many masses celebrated, by others, who were to be rewarded for the office; or so much money to be paid down. The number of the Penitentials was increased, and their character altered, according to the caprice of individual confessors; and, in spite of some attempts to repress the abuse, pecuniary redemption became more and more common, and presently almost every sort of penance had its fixed price in gold. It may seem needless to add, that the clergy (the Servi Dei) easily proved themselves to be the properest objects of these eleemosynary contributions, and that a great proportion of the wealth, so expended, flowed almost directly into the treasuries of the Church.

*

These, however, were only corruptions of the antient penitential system, they did not effect its entire destruction; but that result Indulgences. was afterwards brought about by the abuse of indulgences. An indulgence, as a mere relaxation of canonical penance,

* Muratori (Dissertat. 68), from whom several of these remarks are borrowed, cites the following as the 26th Canon, Concil. II. Cloveshoviensis, A.D. 747. Sicuti nova adinventio, juxta placitum scilicet propriæ voluntatis suæ, nunc plurimis periculosa consuetudo est, non sit eleemosyna porrecta ad minuendam sed ad mutandam satisfactionem per jejunium et reliqua expiationis opera a Sacerdote Dei indicta,' it is ordained, that alms are to be so offered, that the person of the Penitent may not be wholly spared. The vicarious recitation of Psalms was at the same time prohibited, as well as other abuses. This Council was held by the Archbishop of Mayence, not forty years, perhaps, after the death of Theodore. About twenty years earlier, Gregory II. (Epist. 13.) addressed to Leo the Isaurian the following vigorous description of ecclesiastical, as contrasted with civil, discipline. Ubi peccaverit quis et confessus fuerit, suspendii vel amputationis capitis loco, evangelium et crucem ejus cervicibus circumponunt, eumque, tanquam in carcerem, in secretaria sacrorumque vasorum æraria conjiciunt, in Ecclesiæ Diaconia, et in Catechumena ablegant, ac visceribus eorum jejunium oculisque vigilias et laudationem ori ejus indicunt. Cumque probè castigaverint, probeque fame afflixerint, tum pretiosum illi Domini Corpus impartiunt et sancto illum sanguine potant; et cum illum vas electionis restituerint ac immunem peccati, sic ad Deum purum insontemque transmittunt. Vides, Imperator, ecclesiarum imperiorumque discrimen, &c' (The passage is cited by Giannone, Stor. Ital. lib. iii. cap. vi.) It was not till the eleventh age, that the practice of flagellation became common, and it was then that St. Dominicus, surnamed Loricatus, the friend of Peter Damiani, acquired his celebrity. He could discharge by stripes in six days the penance of a hundred years.

existed as early as the days of Cyprian; and it was not till the council of Clermont, that the discharge of a single duty was substituted for ali that was due, or might hereafter be due, to the penal authority of the Church. When people thenceforward found it so easy to release themselves at once from the antient burden of redemption, they became clamorous to receive, what the Pope, on sufficient consideration, was never reluctant to grant. We shall recur to this subject immediately in the mean time, it is very true, that there existed from time to time many ecclesiastics, even in the worst age of the Church, who exclaimed against the abuse of that papal prerogative,—against the indiscriminate distribution and open venality of indulgences. But we have not perceived, that any argued on the false principle on which they were founded; it was not then made a reason for their condemnation, that they disparaged the efficacy of Grace; and perverted, if they did not wholly overthrow, the doctrine of salvation through the merits of Christ alone.

The existence and nature of an intermediate state naturally awakened the speculations of the early Christians; but the subjects were long left open to the curiosity, the vanity, or the piety of contemplative individuals -these were not restrained by any ecclesiastical edicts, and impunity yet attended the profession of opposite doctrines. Among the Greeks the question was not afterwards pressed to any practical system or inference. It is true, indeed, that a certain opinion was selected and sanctioned as that most probable, and was apparently inscribed among the authorized tenets but it was at no time recommended to the peculiar reverence of the faithful; still less was it converted into an engine of ecclesiastical government. But during the iron ages of the Roman Church, the same inexplicable question assumed a much more definite and durable shape. Differing from the Greeks, who considered the immediate abode of the departed to be one of obscurity and discomfort, the Latins boldly lighted the penal fire of purgatory, and gave a substance, a locality and an object to the timid and distrustful speculations of the early Christians. It is the modern doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church* 'that there is a purgatory; and that the souls imprisoned there are aided by the prayers of the faithful, and the acceptable sacrifice of the altar.' But in this matter, it is not so important to ascertain what has been, at various times, the outward profession of the Church, as to remark the consequences which have practically flowed from the dogma, and influenced the happiness and morality of mankind. For the history of the Church is not a lifeless record of its Canons and Confessions, but a display of their operation, whether for good or for mischief, whether in their use or in their abuse, upon the Christian community. The consequence, which presently followed from the establishment of a place of temporary punishment, or purification, for departed souls, was, that the successor of St. Peter assumed, through the power of the keys, unlimited authority there. By indulgences, issued at the discretion of the Pope, the sinner (in the theory, the repentant

Doctrine of
Purgatory.

*Founded on the Canons of Trent.-It is frequently asserted to be the doctrine of that Church, that the fund, whence the above forgiveness is drawn, is composed of the supererogatory merits of the saints, (added to those of Jesus Christ,) which are inexhaustible; and such, indeed, it is clearly laid down by St. Thomas Aquinas (see Mosheim, Cent. xii. p. ii. c. iii.) Modern divines disclaim this opinion, as at variance with the great doctrine of justification-and this is not the only instance of salutary change, which has purified the bosom of the Roman Catholic Church during the last three centuries.-May such changes be multiplied!

sinner) was released from suffering, and immediately passed into a state. of grace. As long as these indulgences were granted with discrimination and reserve*, the ill effects, which they occasioned, do not often meet the eye of the historian. But as soon as they were turned into mere instruments of papal ambition, and as such were not only promiscuously scattered over the world, but also extended in character to a plenary remission, they became simple manifest means to poison the morality of the faithful.

Thenceforward, their nature could scarcely be further corrupted; for the only proof, which was now required of the sinner's spiritual mortification and amendment, was his willingness to perform a single act. But on the character of that act, that is, on the object of the indulgence, it still depended, whether the subversion of the principle of evangelical repentance was to be made subservient to the seeming advantage of the world, or obviously instrumental in aggravating its misery.

The object of the indulgence was changed repeatedly; yet never so changed, as to take the guise of philanthropy. First, it was the recovery of the Holy Land and the extirpation of the infidel. Then from the general foe of Christ it was turned against the spiritual adversaries of the Catholic Church; from the spiritual adversaries of the Church it descended to the temporal enemies of the Pope. It next assumed a more innocent shape (if superstition could ever be innocent), and summoned the obedient pilgrims to enrich, on stated Jubilees †, the apostolical shrines of Rome. Lastly, it degenerated into a mere vulgar, undisguised implement for supplying the necessities of the pontifical treasury, and it was in this last form, that it at length aroused the scorn and indignation of Europe.

The profane and even blasphemous expressions, by which the emissaries of the Vatican recommended their treasures to popular credulity were tacitly permitted by the authorities of the Church; yet we shall not detail them here, nor impute them to any others, than the individuals who uttered them they may repose in the same oblivion. But it is proper to transcribe a specimen of the indulgences which were publicly sold in the beginning of the sixteenth century, because they were the authorised pro

* Baronius (Ann. 847. s. iv.) boasts the moderation of the indulgences granted in those days, and instances one (trium annorum et trium quadragenarum) given under Leo IV. Even as late as the eleventh age there are proofs (as Muratori observes) of similar discretion in the directors of the Church. And it is proper to mention, that Gregory the Great, in his Chapter on Purgatory (Dialogorum, lib. iv. cap. xxxix.), expressly limited its operation to venial and very trifling offences (de parvis minimisque peccatis hoc fieri posse credendum est), such as mere vain and leisurely discourse, immoderate laughter, or an error in unimportant matters proceeding from ignorance. He adds, moreover, that thus much is certain-that no one will obtain any purgation even from the least offences, unless he merit, by his good works here, to obtain such remission there.

In the Jubilee of 1300 Papa (Boniface VIII.) innumerabilem pecuniam ab iisdem recepit; quia die et nocte duo Clerici stabant ad Altare Sancti Petri tenentes in eorum manibus rastellos, rastellantes pecuniam infinitam.'-Gulielmus Astensis Ventura (an eyewitness) Chronicon Astense, cap. 26. ap. Muratori. Again, in the Bull of Clement VI. for the jubilee of 1350 are these words- Et nihilominus prorsus mandamus Angelis Paradisi, quatenus animam illius a Purgatorio penitus absolutam in Paradisi gloriam introducant.' See Giannone, lib. xvii. cap. 8.

It should be recollected, that the sale of indulgences was faintly countenanced by the corresponding enormities of civil legislation, according to which, in somewhat earlier times, every crime had its price. The Church in every age should, in some degree, be judged according to the principles of that age,-yet in such wise, that we never lose sight of that one great and unchangeable standard, by which the actions of a Christian ministry must, in every age, be measured.

ductions of the Church. The following is the translation of that which was circulated by Tetzel:

'May our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon thee and absolve thee, by the merits of His most holy passion. And I, by his authority, that of His blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and of the most Holy See, granted and committed to me in these parts, do absolve thee first from all ecclesiastical censures, in whatever manner they have been incurred; and then from all thy sins, transgressions, and excesses, how enormous soever they may be, even from such as are reserved for the cognizance of the Apostolical See*. And as far as the keys of the Church extend, I remit to you all punishment which you deserve in purgatory on their account; and I restore you to the Holy Sacraments of the Church, to the unity of the faithful, and to that innocence and purity which you possessed at baptism; so that, if you should die now, the gates of punishment shall be shut, and the gates of the Paradise of delight shall be opened. And if you shall not die at present, this Grace shall remain in full force when you are on the point of death, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.' This indulgence, in spite of the ambiguity of one or two expressions, is nothing less, when fairly interpreted, than an unconditional permission to sin for the rest of life; and as such it was assuredly received by those classes of the people, for which it was chiefly intended, and whose morality is peculiarly confided to the superintendence of the clergy. And thus was it, that the destiny of the Church was accomplished. However easy the acquisition of pardon (for the moderate price of Private Masses. indulgences placed them within the reach of the lowest orders), still many neglected to profit by the facility, and were accordingly consigned to the penal fire. Yet even thus they were not removed beyond the power and mercies of the Churcht. It was inculcated, that the prayers of the living were efficacious in the purification of those departed souls; but that their release was most speedily secured by the sacrifice of the altar. Hence arose in early times the practice of offering masses, both public and private, for that purpose; and, as these too had subsequently their price in gold, the piety of the survivors was taxed to redeem the transgressions of the dead-so various were the devices of the Church, to render tributary the weaknesses, the virtues, even the natural affections of the faithful. The sale of private masses was a fruitful source of revenue to the clergy, especially to the monastic orders, and that likewise was one of the abuses first proscribed by the eloquence of Luther. When Innocent III. gave the sanction of a General Council to the

* The translation given by Beausobre (Hist. Reform. liv. i.) here differs slightly from that published by Dr. Robertson (Hist. Charles V. b. ii.); but not so as to make any important change in the sense of the whole passage.

+ Gerson, however, (De Indulgentiis, vol. ii. p. 351,) admits, that it is a question ad utramque partem probabilis, whether the keys have such power in purgatory, as to remit the punishment of a venial fault or excommunication, committed or incurred during life. This doubt of the Chancellor must have made him unpopular in the monasteries. He asserts, in the same place, without any hesitation, Indulgentiæ ad pœnas ex corruptione naturæ non extendunt.'

We find it proclaimed by the Protestants at Augsbourg (1530), that there is no instance of private masses in ecclesiastical history earlier than the time of Gregory the Great. Mosheim is contented to assert, that manifest traces of them may be found in the eighth century, though it be difficult to decide whether they were instituted by public law, or introduced by private authority..... We are not aware of the existence of any earlier public regulation on this subject, than the 43d Canon of the Council of Mayence, held in 813, and this is expressly prohibitory,- No priest shall say mass alone."