of retrenchment or addition. Thus cannot contemplate without being an index of heretical books being provoked to anger, and feeling a formed, it was confirmed by a generous resentment. bull of Clement VIII, in 1595, INDULGENCES, in the Roand printed with several introduc-mish church, are a remission of the tory rules; by the fourth of which, punishment due to sin, granted by the use of the scriptures in the the church, and supposed to save vulgar tongue is forbidden to all the sinner from purgatory. persons without a particular li- According to the doctrine of cence; and by the tenth rules it is the Romish church, all the good ordained, that no book shall be works of the saints, over and printed at Rome without the ap-above those which were necessary probation of the pope's vicar, or towards their own justification, some person delegated by the are deposited, together with the pope; nor in any other places, infinite merits of Jesus Christ, in unless allowed by the bishop of one inexhaustible treasury. The the diocese, or some person de- keys of this were committed to - puted by him, or by the inquisi- St. Peter, and to his successors, tor of heretical pravity. The the popes, who may open it at Trent index being thus published, pleasure; and, by transferring a Philip II of Spain ordered another portion of this superabundant to be printed at Antwerp in 1571, merit to any particular person with considerable enlargements. for a sum of money, may convey Another index was published in to him either the pardon of his Spain in 1584, a copy of which owns sins, or a release for any one was snatched out of the fire when in whom he is interested from the the English plundered Cadiz. Af-pains of purgatory. Such indulterwards there were several ex-gences were first invented in the purgatory indexes printed at Rome eleventh century, by Urban II, and Naples, and particularly in as a recompence for those who Spain. went in person upon the glorious INDIGNATION, a strong dis-enterprise of conquering the Holy approbation of mind, excited by Land. They were afterwards something flagitious in the con- granted to those who hired a duct of another. It does not, soldier for that purpose; and in as Mr. Cogan observes, always process of time were bestowed on suppose that excess of depravity such as gave money for accomwhich alone is capable of com-plishing any pious work enjoined mitting deeds of horror. Indig-by the pope. nation always refers to culpabi- granting indulgences has been The power of lity of conduct, and cannot, like greatly abused in the church of the passion of horror, be extend-Rome. Pope Leo X, in order ed to distress either of body or to carry on the magnificent strucmind. It is produced by acts of ture of St. Peter's at Rome, pubtreachery, abuse of confidence, lished indulgences, and a plenary base ingratitude, &c. which we remission to all such as should contribute money towards it. called the Tax of the sacred RoFinding the project take, he grant-man Chancery, in which are coned to Albert, elector of Mentz, tained the exact sums to be levied and archbishop of Magdeburg, for the pardon of each particular the benefit of the indulgences of sin, we find some of the fees to Saxony, and the neighbouring be thus: parts, and farmed out those of For simony house For defiling a virgin S. d. 10 92 12 12 666 9 0 7 44 696 10 6 .. 10 6 other countries to the highest bid- For procuring abortion.. 7 6 ders; who, to make the best of their bargain, procured the ablest preachers to cry up the value of the ware. The form of these indulgences was as follows: "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 For murdering a layman. most holy pope, granted and com- For keeping a concubine mitted to me in these parts, do For laying violent hands on absolve thee, first from all ecclesi- a clergyman astical censures, in whatever man-And so on. ner they have been incurred; then The terms in which the retailers from all thy sins, transgressions, of indulgences described their and excesses, how enormous so-benefits, and the necessity of ever they may be; even from such purchasing them, were so extraas are reserved for the cognizance vagant, that they appear almost of the holy see, and as far as the incredible. If any man, said they, keys of the holy church extend. purchase letters of indulgence, I remit to you all punishment his soul may rest secure with rewhich you deserve in purgatory spect to its salvation. The souls on their account; and I restore confined in purgatory, for whose you to the holy sacraments of the redemption indulgences are purchurch, to the unity of the faithful, chased, as soon as the money and to that innocence and purity tinkles in the chest, instantly which you possessed at baptism escape from that place of torment, so that when you die, the gates and ascend into heaven. That of punishment shall be shut, and the efficacy of indulgences was so the gates of the paradise of de- great that the most heinous sins, light shall be opened; and if even if one should violate (which you shall not die at present, this was impossible) the Mother of God, grace shall remain in full force would be remitted and expiated when you are at the point of by them, and the person be freed death. In the name of the Fa- both from punishment and guilt. ther, the Son, and the Holy That this was the unspeakable gift Ghost." According to a book, of God, in order to reconcile man to himself. That the cross erected exercise of the body. See DILI by the preachers of indulgences GENCE and IDLENESS. was equally efficacious with the INDWELLING SCHEME, cross of Christ itself. "Lo," said a scheme which derives its name they, "the heavens are open: if from that passage in Col. ii, 9, you enter not now, when wili" In him dwelleth all the fulness you enter? For twelvepence you of the Godhead bodily," which, acmay redeem the soul of your fa-cording to some, asserts the docther out of purgatory; and are trine of Christ's consisting of two you so ungrateful that you will beings; one the self-existent Creanot rescue the soul of your parent tor, and the other a creature made from torment? If you had but one into one person by an ineffable coat, you ought to strip yourself union and indwelling, which reninstantly, and sell it, in order to ders the same attributes and hopurchase such benefit," &c. It nours equally applicable to both. was this great abuse of indulgences See PRE-EXISTENCE. Dr. Owthat contributed not a little to theen's Glory of Christ, p. 368, 369, reformation of religion in Ger- London ed. 1679; a Sermon enmany, where Martin Luther be-titled, "The True Christ of God gan first to declaim against the above the false Christ of Men." Ipspreachers of indulgences, and af-wich, 1799; Watts's Glory of terwards against indulgences them-Christ, p. 6-203; Adams's View selves; since that time the popes of Religions, p. 267. have been more sparing in the exercise of this power; although it is said they still carry on a great trade with them to the Indies, The Infallibility of the church of where they are purchased at two Rome has been one of the great rials a piece, and sometimes more. controversies between the ProWe are told also that a gentleman testants and Papists. By this innot long since being at Naples, infallibility, it is understood that order that he might be fully as-she cannot at any time cease to be certained respecting indulgences, orthodox in her doctrine, or fall went to the office, and for two se-into any pernicious errors; but quins purchased a plenary remis-that she is constituted, by divine sion of all sins for himself and any authority, the judge of all controtwo other persons of his friends or versies of religion, and that all relations, whose names he was Christians are obliged to acquiesce empowered to insert. Haweis's in her decisions. This is the chain Church Hist. vol. iii, p. 147 which keeps its members fast Smith's Errors of the Church of bound to its communion; the Rome; Watson's Theol. Tracts, vol. charm which retains them within v, p. 274; Mosheim's Ecc. Hist. its magic circle; the opiate which vol. i, p. 594, quarto. lays asleep all their doubts and difINDUSTRY, diligence, con-ficulties: it is likewise the magstant application of the mind, or net which attracts the desultory INFALLIBILITY, the quality of not being subject to be deceived or mistaken. and unstable in other persuasions its abode? No, surely.-Some within the sphere of popery, the place this infallibility in the pope foundation of its whole super-or bishop of Rome; some in a gestructure, the cement of all its neral council; others in neither parts, and its fence and fortress pope nor council separately, but against all inroads and attacks. in both conjointly; whilst others Under the idea of this infalli-are said to place it in the church difbilty, the church of Rome claims, fusive, or in all churches through1. To determine what books are out the world. But that it could and what are not canonical, and not be deposited in the pope is to oblige all Christians to receive evident, for many popes have led or reject them accordingly.-2. To the most enormously wicked and communicate authority to the abandoned lives: some have been scripture; or, in other words, that heretics, and on that account centhe scripture (quoad nos) as to us, sured and deposed, and therefore receives its authority from her.-could not have been infallible. 3. To assign and fix the sense of That it could not be placed in a scripture, which all Christians are general council is as evident; for submissively to receive.-4. To general councils have actually decree as necessary to salvation erred. Neither could it be placed whatever she judges so, although in the pope and council conjointly; not contained in scripture.-5. To for two fallibles could not make decide all controversies respecting one infallible any more than two matters of faith. These are the ciphers could make an integer. claims to which the church of To say that it is lodged in the Rome pretends, but which we church universal or diffusive, is shall not here attempt to refute, equally as erroneous; for this because any man, with the Bible in would be useless and insignificant. his hand, and a little common because it could never be exersense, will easily see that they are cised. The whole church could all founded upon ignorance, su-not meet to make decrees, or to perstition and error. It is not choose representatives, or to dea little remarkable, however, that liver their sentiments on any questhe Roman Catholics themselves tion started; and, less than all, are much divided as to the seat of would not be the whole church, this infallibility, and which, in-and so could not claim that prideed, may be considered as a satis-vilege. factory proof that no such privilege The most general opinion, howexists in the church. For is it ever, it is said, is that of its being consistent with reason to think that seated in a pope and general counGod would have imparted so ex-cil. The advocates for this opitraordinary a gift to prevent er-nion consider the pope as the rors and dissensions in the church, vicar of Christ, head of the church, and yet have left an additional and centre of unity; and therecause of error and dissension, viz. fore conclude that his concurthe uncertainty of the place of rence with and approbation of the decrees of a general council are||policy and unremitting efforts; by necessary, and sufficient to afford the concurrence of fortunate cirit an indispensible sanction and cumstances; by the advantages plenary authority. A general coun- which they reaped from the necil they regard as the church re-cessities of some princes, and the presentative, and suppose that superstition of others; and by the nothing can be wanting to ascer-general and excessive credulity of tain the truth of any controversial the people. However, when they point, when the pretended head had grossly abused this absurd of the church and its members, as-pretension, and committed various sembled in their supposed repre- acts of injustice, tyranny, and crusentatives, mutually concur and elty; when the blind veneration coincide in judicial definitions and for the papal dignity had been decrees, but that infallibility at-greatly diminished by the long and tends their coalition and conjunc-scandalous schism occasioned by tion in all their determinations. contending popes; when these had Every impartial person, who been for a considerable time roamconsiders this subject with the ing about Europe, fawning on least degree of attention, must princes, squeezing their adherents, clearly perceive that neither any and cursing their rivals; and when individual or body of Christians the councils of Constance and Bahave any ground from reason or sil had challenged and exercised scripture for pretending to infal- the right of deposing and electing libility. It is evidently the attri- the bishops of Rome, then their bute of the Supreme Being alone, pretensions to infallibility were which we have all the foundation called in question, and the world imaginable to conclude he has discovered that councils were a not communicated to any mortal, jurisdiction superior to that of the or associations of mortals. The towering pontiffs. Then it was human being who challenges in- that this infallibility was transferfallibility seems to imitate the red by many divines from popes pride and presumption of Lucifer, to general councils, and the opiwhen he said,—I will ascend, and nion of the superior authority of will be like the Most High. A a council above that of a pope claim to it was unheard of in the spread vastly, especially under the 'primitive and purest ages of the profligate pontificate of Alexander church; but became, after that VI, and the martial one of Julius period, the arrogant pretension of II. The popes were thought by papal ambition. History plainly numbers to be too unworthy posinforms us, that the bishops of sessors of so rich a jewel; at the Rome, on the declension of the same time it appeared to be of too western Roman empire, began to great a value, and of too extensive put in their claim of being the su-consequence to be parted with enpreme and infallible heads of the tirely. It was, therefore, by the Christian church; which they at major part of the Roman church, length established by their deep deposited with, or made the proSH VOL. I. |