opinions which were prepared by the Roman Catholic Church, and consequently, in some of the Articles we find these errors chiefly the subject of discussion. The voluntary works, or works of supererogation, mentioned in the present Article, are such works as the Romish Church believes to have been performed by man beyond the positive duty that lay upon him. They suppose it possible for men to exceed the degree of obedience that is justly due to God; and in this excess of merit, they chiefly rank the observances shown to what they call evangelical councils. This merit they believe to be a stock laid up in their Church, under the guardianship, and at the disposal, of the Pontiff or Pope; and which he has a liberty to sell out at his own pleasure. This s done under the title of Indulgences. These indulgences are supposed to afford a remission of the punishment due to sin, rescuing a sinner from the pains of purgatory; and even if purchased by the surviving relatives, or friends, available to the release of the soul from that fancied prison. The custom of granting indulgences first had its rise by the Bishops granting in their own dioceses a remission of penances, which the church had imposed upon offenders, upon consideration of such offenders paying a sum of money for the relief of the poor. As large sums of money were raised through this traffic, it soon became a matter of importance with that Church; and the Pope assumed a right of still greater extent,

affirming that he had power to grant indulgences, both from Church censures, and from all future punishment in the next world. These indulgences were first publicly, and generally, given to those, who engaged to go forth in person, to what they called the holy war, or the enterprize of conquering the holy land. They were afterwards granted to such as hired a soldier for that purpose. In process of time to any who bestowed money for the accomplishment of any pious work enjoined by the Pope. When any great, or costly undertaking engaged the Popes, these indulgences were their chief resort: by these they raised the sum of money needful for the exigency. Pope Leo 10th carried this method to a horrible extent, farming out to the highest bidder the right of distributing indulgences, by which means the purchaser was induced to employ preachers to extol the virtue of indulgences, and to excite the people to purchase them. These preachers declared to the people, that any man, purchasing letters of indulgence, might rest secure with respect to the salvation of his soul-that immediately upon the money paid being cast into the chest, souls in Purgatory should escape from torment, and ascend to heaven, pressing upon such as were guilty of sin thus to purchase redemption, and urging upon surviving friends, &c. that for twelve pence they might redeem the soul of father, mother, &c. out of torment. Tetzel, a Dominican Friar,

was a chief agent to the Pope, in selling these indulgences in Saxony. The form used by him, in granting these absolutions, was as follows. "May our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on thee, and absolve thee by the merits of his most holy passion and I, by his authority, and that of his blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of the most holy Pope, granted and committed to me in these parts, do absolve thee, first, from all ecclesiastical censures, in whatever manner they may 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 Holy See; and as far as the keys of the holy church extend, I remit to thee all punishment which thou deservest in Purgatory on their account; and I restore thee to the holy sacraments of the church, to the unity of the faithful, and to that innocence and purity which thou possessedst at baptism, so that when thou shalt die, the gates of punishment may be shut, and the gates of the paradise of delight shall be opened; and if thou shalt not die at this present, this grace shall remain in full force when thou art at the point of death.” These forms were signed by Tetzel, who boasted that he had thereby saved more souls than St. Peter had done by his preaching. It was also pretended that indulgences had a particular, and more than ordinary virtue, at special periods, or in particular years; and the return of every

twenty five years was fixed as a year of Jubilee, or the year of remission and grace; at which time renewed efforts were made to enliven the people in their expectation. In 1775 Pope Ganganelli published a bull of indulgence, in which he expatiated upon this privilege possessed by the church, inviting men to come up to Rome, the seat and centre of religion, and there to receive the proffered benefit. The following is an extract from this bull: "One of these privileged years being at hand, we announce it to all you our children, and we expect you to labour for the good of your souls, and to profit by such means of sanctification as may be most effectual. We offer you a share of all the riches of divine mercy which have been eutrusted to us; and chiefly those which have their origin in the blood of Christ. We will then open to you all the gates of the rich reservoir of atonement derived from the merits of the mother of God, the holy apostles, the blood of the martyrs, and the good works of all the saints. We invite you, then, to drink of this overflowing stream of indulgence, to enrich yourselves in the inexhaustible treasures of the Church, according to the custom of our Ancestors. Do not then let slip the present occasion, this favourable time, these salutary days, employing them to appease the justice of God, and obtain your pardon."

J

A book printed and sold at Rome, entitled, "The tax of the sacred Roman Chancery," spe

cifies how much is to be charged for absolution, or indulgence. A sample of its contents, and of those charges, will assist us in understanding the abomination of such an invention. "For stealing holy things out of a consecrated place, 10s. 6d. For a layman murdering a layman, 7s. 6d. For murdering a father, mother, wife, or sister, 10s. 6d. For laying violent hands on a clergyman, without drawing blood, 10s. 6d. For a priest keeping a concubine, also his dispensation for being irregular, 10s. 6d. For him that burns his neighbour's house, 128. For him that forgeth the Pope's hand, £1. 7s. For a King going to the holy sepulchre without licence, £7. 10s. For a man or woman found hanged, to get Christian burial, £1. 7s. 6d. Licences to eat meat in Lent, and on fasting days, 10s. 6d. To marry in times prohibited, £2. 5s." &c. &c.

After these testimonies, as to the origin and nature of indulgences, we cannot be surprised that our reformers should so decidedly testify against the error, and pronounce that such a doctrine "cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety." It is arrogant and impious to pretend to a merit exceeding the requirement of God; and it is arrogant and impious, also, to propose a sale of indulgence for sin, on any ground whatever. We might hope, that a due consideration of this subject would tend to convince the candid, amongst the Roman Catholics themselves, that there is fatal error in their