Part 25
By the Sacrifice of the Eucharist, I understand the holy Mass; and as the Sacrament of the Eucharist is an Action meritorious for us, and procures us great Advantages when we receive it, I believe, that I merit by the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and that it is my Satisfaction to God for my Sins: I believe, that this Sacrifice is the very same which was offer'd upon the Cross: I believe, that 'tis the same Victim, that is to say, our Lord Jesus Christ, who once offer'd himself up on the Tree of the Cross: And in Fact the Victim, which offer'd itself up in a bloody manner, and that which offers itself in an unbloody manner, is the same; there are not Two Victims. And this Sacrifice is renew'd every Day in the Eucharist, according to the Command which God gave us, when he said to us, _This do in Remembrance of Me_, Luke xxii. Ver. 19. I believe, that none but Jesus Christ is Priest in this Sacrifice: The Ministers, who consecrate the Body and Blood of our Lord, do not offer that Sacrifice themselves, but supply the Place of Jesus Christ himself: This is evident from the Words of the Consecration; the Priest does not say, _This is the Body of Jesus Christ_, but _This is my Body_; and by Consequence he says so, because he is in the Place of Jesus Christ, and because, by the Virtue of those Words, he changes the Substance of the Bread and Wine into that of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ: Therefore the Mass is not only a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving, or a mere Commemoration of the Sacrifice which was completed upon the Tree of the Cross; but I also believe, that 'tis an effectual Sacrifice, which reconciles me to God, and gains me his Favour. And if we offer this holy Victim with a pure Heart, a lively Faith, and have a deep Sorrow for our Sins, I doubt not but God will shew us Mercy, and that we shall obtain the Assistance of his divine Grace whenever we need it: Nay, I am persuaded, that 'tis in a manner impossible, that, for the Sake of this sacred Victim, God should not grant us the Grace of Repentance, and the Remission of our Sins.
By Consequence the holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not only useful both to him that offers it, and to him that really partakes of it, but I also believe it to be advantageous to all the Faithful in general, both to the Living, and to those who die in the Grace of God, before they are purify'd from the Spots of their Sins. According to the constant Tradition of the Apostles, the holy Sacrifice of the Mass may be offer'd up for those Believers who die in the Grace of God before they are intirely cleans'd from their Faults; and 'tis likewise offer'd up to remove Afflictions and public Calamities, and to atone for the Sins of the Living, and the Pains which they have deserv'd. From hence I conclude, that the Sacrifice of the Mass is offer'd particularly for the Benefit and Advantage of all the Faithful.
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XXXII. I admit and receive _Penance_ for the Fourth Sacrament: It was own'd by the Church, and instituted as such by our Lord Jesus Christ, to the end that there might be no room to doubt of the Remission of Sins, which God promis'd by those Words of _Ezekiel_, _If the Wicked repenteth, he shall live for ever._ I believe, that Jesus Christ initiated this Sacrament, that it might serve as a Canal to convey his precious Blood to us for the effacing of the Sins which we have committed after Baptism; and to the end that we might be intirely persuaded, that 'tis to Jesus Christ alone we are beholden for the Grace of our Reconciliation with God.
I believe Penance to be a Sacrament in the same manner as Baptism is one: Baptism cancels all Sins, and particularly Original Sin; and for the same Reason Penance, which obliterates all Sins either in Thought or in Deed, that were committed after Baptism, must be truly and properly a Sacrament. Besides, that which is perform'd externally by the Penitent and the Priest, shews the internal Operation in the Soul of the Penitent. 'Tis absolutely necessary to believe, that Penance is a Sacrament, because it contains whatever is essential to a Sacrament: 'Tis the Sign of a holy Thing; for on the one hand the Penitent expresses fully by his Words and Actions, that he departs from the Uncleanness of his Sins, and, on the other Hand, the Priest, by conferring this Sacrament, shews the Remission of Sins, which God in his Goodness grants to the Penitent: I am convinced of this Truth, by what Jesus Christ said to St. _Peter_ and the Apostles, _Matt._ xvi. Ver. 19. _And 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._ These Words leave me no room to doubt of the Forgiveness of Sins: Therefore the Absolution which the Priest pronounces, shews the Remission of Sins, and 'tis Absolution which operates it in the Soul of the Penitent.
The Sacrament of Penance differs from the other Sacraments, in regard that the Matter of the other Sacraments consists of something natural or artificial, whereas the Three Acts of the Penitent, Contrition, Confession and Satisfaction are, as it were, the Matter of the Sacrament of Penance: These Acts may also be call'd the Parts of this Sacrament: God absolutely requires them of the Penitent, and they are indeed absolutely necessary to make the Sacrament of Penance intire, and that the Penitent may obtain the intire and perfect Remission of his Sins. And when I say, that these Acts are, as it were, the Matter of Penance, 'tis not that I think they are not the real Matter of it, but to shew, that I don't think that they are of the Nature of the Matter of the other Sacraments: For the Matter of the other Sacraments is altogether external, with regard to the Person who receives them, as the Water in Baptism, and the Chrism in Confirmation. I look upon Confession, as a Part that is absolutely necessary in the Sacrament of Penance.
Tho' I believe, that perfect Contrition cancels all Sins, yet, as 'tis absolutely necessary, that for producing this Effect it should proceed from a Love purely filial and disinterested towards God, that it should be lively, strong and fervent, and that the Sorrow which produces it in the Soul, may be proportionable to the Heinousness of the Sins committed; and as there are few Persons, whose Sorrow can attain to that Pitch, and by Consequence there would be few that could by this means hope to obtain the Pardon of their Sins; it was therefore necessary, that God, who is infinitely good, and infinitely merciful, should provide for our Salvation by giving us a more easy Method; and this he has done by granting to his Church the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: Therefore, according to the Doctrine of the Council of _Trent_, I look upon it as a certain Truth, that every Man who performs an Act of Contrition, which necessarily includes a Resolution not to offend God any more for the future, obtains, by virtue of the Keys which the Church has receiv'd, Pardon and Remission of his Sins, after he has confessed them to a Priest: And I believe, that he obtains such Remission of his Sins, even tho' his Sorrow be not of that Degree as to be able of itself to procure him such Pardon.
I receive and admit of the Doctrine of the Holy Fathers, who all unanimously teach, that Heaven is open'd to us purely by the Keys of the Church.
I believe, that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted Confession, and that his Institution of it was merely owing to his Goodness and Mercy, when the Apostles being assembled all together after his Resurrection, he breathed on them, and said, _John_ xx. Ver. 22, 23. _Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whosesoever Sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever Sins ye retain, they are retained._
'Tis therefore evident, that our Lord granted to the Priests the Power of retaining and remitting Sins, and that at the same time he made them the Judges: 'Tis for this Reason that we ought to conceal nothing from them, and we are oblig'd to accuse ourselves of every Circumstance of our Sins, that they may be able to judge us, and prescribe a Penance to us proportionable to our Crimes. I do not only believe, that Jesus Christ instituted Confession, but I believe also, that he commanded us the Use of it as necessary; and a Sinner, who has committed a mortal Sin, cannot recover the Life of his Soul but by this Means. The Saviour of the World clearly demonstrated this Truth to us, when he express'd the Power of administring this Sacrament by the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and as 'tis impossible to enter into a Place that is shut up, but by means of the Person who has the Keys of it, in like manner nobody can enter into Heaven after he has caus'd himself to be shut out of it by Sin, unless the Priest, to whom our Lord has given the Custody of the Keys, open the Gates of it: Those Cases of Necessity must however be excepted, where perfect Contrition is sufficient without Confession: If it were otherwise, our Lord needed not to have said, _Whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth, it shall be loosed in Heaven_; nor would it have been necessary for Jesus Christ to have given the Keys of Heaven to the Church.
Finally, I believe Satisfaction to be absolutely necessary, and I take it to be of Two Sorts: The first is that, whereby we intirely satisfy God according to the utmost Severity of his supreme Justice for our Sins, of what Quality soever they be; and the Satisfaction by which we at last reconcile ourselves to God. 'Tis to our Lord Jesus Christ alone that we are oblig'd for this Satisfaction; 'tis he that has merited it for us by making full Satisfaction to God with the Blood which he shed upon the Cross, to redeem us from our Sins. There was no created Being, that could possibly discharge so great a Debt; but as St. _John_ says, 1 Ep. Chap. ii. Ver. 2. _He is the Propitiation for our Sins, and not for ours only,_ _but also for the Sins of the whole World._ This Satisfaction, which flows from the Merits of Jesus Christ, is full and intire, and proportionable to the Enormity of all the Sins of Mankind.
I also receive and allow of a second Sort of Satisfaction, call'd Canonical, which is accomplish'd in a certain Space of Time prescrib'd by the Canons, and gives Power to the Priests to impose a Penance upon the Penitents, before they absolve them from their Sins, and this is that which worketh the Satisfaction.
Finally, I am persuaded, that Satisfaction is a sort of Remedy, which wipes out all the Stains which our Souls have contracted by the Foulness of Sin. By means of this Satisfaction we suffer the Punishment inflicted on us during a certain time for the Expiation of our Sins.
Upon the Whole I infer, that 'tis absolutely necessary that we should be excited to the Practice of this Satisfaction; for tho' God remits to us in Penance the Guilt of Sin, and the Pains of everlasting Death, which are due to it, he does not therefore always remit to us the temporal Punishments which are due to Sin: This appears from several Instances in sacred Writ, as the Third Chapter of _Genesis_; the Twelfth and Twentieth Chapters of _Numbers_, and several other Passages, and especially in that which speaks of _David_: For tho' the Prophet _Nathan_ told him, that God had forgiven him his Sin, and assur'd him that he should not die, yet _David_ voluntarily impos'd great Mortifications upon himself, and implor'd the Mercy of God in these Terms, _Psalm_ li. Vcr. 2, 3. _Wash me throughly from mine Iniquity, and cleanse me from my Sin: For I acknowledge my Transgressions, and my Sin is ever before me._ Tho' _David_ had perform'd that Act of Penance, tho' he had so earnestly begg'd for the Pardon of his Sin, yet God punish'd him by the Death of that Son, who was the Fruit of his Adultery, by the Rebellion of his Son _Absalom_, whom he lov'd tenderly, and by several other Afflictions, which he had threaten'd him with before. As to the Reason, why all the Punishments for Sin are not remitted to us by the Sacrament of Penance, as well as that of Baptism, I think it but Justice, as the Council of _Trent_ says, that they, who before Baptism have sinn'd thro' Ignorance, should be pardon'd after one manner; and that they should be pardon'd after another manner, who having been once delivered from the Captivity of the Devil and Sin, and having also receiv'd the Holy Spirit, have not fear'd to grieve it. 'Tis owing to the Goodness of God that he does not suffer our Sins to be remitted without the making a Satisfaction for them, to the end that we might not imagine them to be less than they are, and that we might not fall into greater Disorders by an injurious Contempt of the Holy Spirit, and thereby _heap up Wrath against the Day of Wrath_. For really the Penalties of Satisfaction are as a Bridle to check us in our Sins; they are sure Marks of our Sorrow for having offended God; and finally, 'tis by those Punishments that we make Satisfaction to the Church our Mother, which we have highly offended by our Sins; for, as St. _Augustin_ says, tho' God does not reject a contrite and an humble Heart, yet, as the Sorrow we have conceiv'd in our Hearts for having offended God, can only be discover'd by Words and other external Signs, the Holy Fathers were in the Right to fix certain Times for Penance, to the end that we might make Satisfaction to the Church, in whose Bosom our Sins were committed.
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XXXIII. I thank God, for that after he had given me Entrance into the true Life by the Sacrament of Baptism, he also instituted the Sacrament of _Extreme Unction_, for my more easy Passage into Heaven, after my Departure from this Life. I believe, that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Sacrament of extreme Unction, when he sent out his Disciples two and two before him into the Towns and Villages. 'Tis said, that they preach'd to the People, that they exhorted them to Repentance, that they cast out many Devils, and anointed several that were sick with Oyl, and cur'd them all. 'Twas our Lord that commanded them to perform this Unction, which he instituted rather for the Salvation of the Soul than for the Health of the Body, and he gave a Virtue to it which was altogether divine and supernatural: Several great Saints so evidently assure us of this Truth, that I have no room to doubt, but Extreme Unction is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Church, and that 'twas instituted for the Relief of the Sick when they are at the Point of Death: This is observable in the Epistle of St. _James_, Chap. v, Ver. 14, 15. _Is any sick among you? Let him call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray aver him, anointing him with Oyl in the Name of the Lord: And the Prayer of Faith shall save the Sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed Sins, they shall be forgiven him._ The Apostle, by telling us that Sins are forgiven by this Unction, gives us also to understand at the same time, that it is a true Sacrament: and this has been the Decision of several Councils, but chiefly that of _Trent_.
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XXXIV. I esteem and honour the Sacrament of the _Ordination_, as the Sixth Sacrament of the Church, and I believe it to be absolutely necessary, because the other Sacraments intirely depend upon it: For, were it not for the Sacrament of Ordination, some of the Sacraments could not be administer'd, and others would also be depriv'd of all the solemn Ceremonies, and of all religious Worship. I believe therefore, that Ordination is one of the most eminent Sacraments: It renders the Priests and Bishops Interpreters of God's Will; it enables them to represent God upon Earth, and to operate in Quality of his Substitutes; and for this Reason the Holy Scripture calls them Angels, and even Gods. What can there be more miraculous than the Power which this Sacrament gives to the Priests to consecrate the Elements, to offer the Body and Blood of our Lord, and to forgive Sins? Have we not Cause to wonder, that the Apostles and Disciples were sent over all the World in the same manner as Jesus Christ was sent by his Father? The Priests were also sent abroad, _for the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ_, _Ephes._ iv. Ver. 12.
I believe, that no Man can or ought to assume to himself the Character of Bishop or Priest, unless he has been call'd by the lawful Ministers of the Church, that is to say, by the Bishops. The Apostle, speaking to the _Hebrews_, says, _No Man taketh this Honour unto himself_, Chap. v. Ver. 4. And God himself says in _Jeremiah_, Chap. xxiii. Ver. 21. _I have not sent these Prophets, yet they ran._
As to the Power of Ordination, I believe, it extends to the Eucharist, and every thing that can relate to it: This is a Truth establish'd by sundry Passages of Holy Scripture, and especially by that Saying of our Lord to his Disciples, _John_ xx. Ver. 21, 22, 23. _As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you; receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever Sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever Sins ye retain, they are retained._ And in St. _Matthew_, Chap. xviii. Ver. 18. he also says, _Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on Earth, shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth, shall be loosed in Heaven_.
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XXXV. I believe, that _Marriage_ is the Seventh Sacrament of the Church.
It cannot be deny'd, that _Marriage_ was instituted by God himself; 'tis so very evident from _Genesis_, Chap. i. Ver. 27, 28. _Male and Female created he them, and the Lord blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply_: And in another Place, _viz._ Gen. ii. Ver. 18. he said, _It is not good that the Man should be alone, I will make him an Help meet for him_. Jesus Christ in the New Testament ascribes the Institution of Marriage to God his Father in _Matt._ xix. and _Mark_ x.
I believe, that Marriage is a Sacrament not to be dissolv'd: _What God hath joined together, let no Man put asunder_, Matt. xix. Ver. 6. These are the very Words too of the Council of _Trent_. There are certain Cases however, wherein the Pope, as the Vicar of Jesus Christ, and Successor of St. _Peter_, may break and annul the Marriage.
What farther convinces me that Marriage is a Sacrament, is that Passage of the Apostle St. _Paul_ to the _Ephesians_, Chap. v. Ver. 28 to 32. _So ought Men to love their Wives as their own Bodies: He that loveth his Wife, loveth himself; For no Man ever yet hated his own Flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church: For we are Members of his Body, of his Flesh, and his Bones. For this Cause shall a Man leave his Father and Mother, and shall be joined unto his Wife, and they two shall be one Flesh. This is a great Mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church._ Since St. _Paul_ calls Marriage a Sacrament, I see no Reason why I should not regard it as such; nor do I know why the Heretics will not allow it to be a Sacrament.
Thus, my Lord, have I given you my Sentiments on the principal Articles of Religion: All that remains for me now is, to treat of Purgatory, the Invocation and the Worship of the Saints, Prayers for the Dead, and the Respect due to the visible Head of the Church. In giving your Lordship an Account of my Opinion in these Articles, I shall take Care, my Lord, to be as brief as possible, for fear you should think me tedious.
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XXXVI. By _Purgatory_, I mean a Place where the Souls of the Faithful who die in Grace are detain'd to suffer, till they are intirely purify'd from what hinders their enjoying celestial Light, _into which any Thing that defileth, can in no wise enter_, Rev. xxi. Ver. 27. The Church was always of this Opinion, and St. _Justin Martyr_ own'd, that the Souls of Believers were in extreme Necessity of being reliev'd by the Prayers of the Living: That Purgatory was an Article of Faith was what Pope _Eugene_ declar'd, or rather he renew'd what had been all along believ'd by the Church. The Protestants are as much in the Wrong to say, that Purgatory is a new Invention of the Priests, as when they give the same Name to several other Articles of Faith that were always believ'd, tho' they have been renew'd by several Councils, as often as the Church saw there was Occasion: For Instance, in the Fourth Century, in the Time of that Heretic _Arius_, the Council of _Nice_ declar'd, that the Son of God was of the same Essence as the Father; yet this was a Truth which the Church had always believ'd. St. _Augustin_, to whose Opinions even the Heretics pay a Respect, assures me, that in his Time 'twas the Custom throughout the whole Church, and what had been establish'd by Tradition, to pray for the Dead, to the end that God might deal mercifully with them. These Prayers could only be for the Souls of Believers that were in Purgatory; for the Blessed, instead of having any Need of our Prayers, do themselves pray for us: And as to the Reprobate, Prayers can be of no Service to them; they are damn'd to all Eternity, and never can be releas'd out of their Pains: From hence I infer, that the Church has ever admitted a Third Place, which is Purgatory. Several ancient Councils assure me of this Truth, and particularly the Council of _Carthage_, Chap. XXIX. and since that the Holy Council of _Trent_. I also take that Passage in St. _John's Revelations_, Chap. v. Ver. 13. to be a favourable Explanation of my Sentiments on the Subject of Purgatory; _And every Creature which is in Heaven, and on the Earth, and under the Earth, and such as are in the Sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing and Honour, and Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever._ I cannot think these Words can be apply'd either to Devils, or to the Reprobate; they must necessarily refer to the Souls suffering in Purgatory; these the Apostle meant by Creatures that are _under the Earth_, because 'tis certain, that the Devils and the Reprobate do not praise God.
Now, admitting it for a certain Truth, that there is a Purgatory, I believe, without making any Doubt of it, that we ought to pray for the Dead, and for the Deliverance of suffering Souls, because they are a Part of the Church, and a Part the more to be regarded, since, tho' they suffer, they are sure one Day of enjoying everlasting Felicity. Besides, those Souls that are deliver'd by my Prayers, and by the Sacrifices offer'd up for them, do afterwards become my Friends with God. But tho' these Reasons were not sufficient, the Church prays for the Dead, and that's enough for me.
St. _Austin_ and several of the Fathers of the Church assure me, that the Custom of Praying for the Dead came to them by Tradition from the very Time of the Apostles: And the Holy Scripture informs us, that this Custom was formerly establish'd in the Old Testament, which is clearly prov'd by that Passage in the _Maccabees_, Chap. xii. Ver. 43. _And when he had made a Gathering throughout the Company to the Sum of Two thousand Drachms of Silver, he sent it to Jerusalem to offer a Sin-Offering, doing therein very well and honestly, in that he was mindful of the Resurrection_: And in the same Chapter, Ver. 45. _It is a holy and good Thought to pray for the Dead, that they may be delivered from Sin._----Methinks these Passages plainly prove, that the _Jews_, of whom the true Church consisted before the Coming of our Lord, pray'd and sacrific'd for the Dead.
I believe therefore, that all manner of Persons may and ought to pray for the Dead: But the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass can only be celebrated by the Priests: and the Mass is profitable to him that says it, to the Person that causes it to be said, and to the Soul for whom it is said.