Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/194

 186 aouxTe tx eSWBSdJ,. [Hoox II. toleraMd is held, 3'om his offce, to abninimr ncramenta; another h not thus held. 3. One is said to be bee only beczuse he is a sinner; another aim b censure. 4. One is said to be unprelmred, another prepared to eeminister sacraments; as, for instance, he is plazed in the confessional chair." lie also informs us that he who is tolerated rthe church ought to be received by the faithful, but he who is n us tolerated ought to be shunned. Yet no one should be shunned or rejected except he who is specially denounced and c)ndemned by the decision of the church. 5. With such prernise8 as the foregoing, the divines proceed to an- swer the question stated above, "l$rAetker tb faitAful may s-mt.v from ud or bad m/s/t-s !" Dohs promises that, "Seeing a sacrament is a thing good in itseft, which can be lawfully approved; and as the spiritual utility of the receiver cannot be prevented, although he may previously know the sin of the minister who unworthily ministers; hence the entire' 0olu- tion depends on the justice of the. cause which he hath for requesting the sacrament from a bee man; hence if the cause is just, then such a petition is lawful. Hence the following solutions :-- "1. In case of extreme necessity, (as when any one is about to die without baptism or penitence,) it is lawful to request and receive the sacrament of baptism or penance from a wicked minister, although not tolerated, if other minstels are absent. So the Council of Trent* de- clares that all priests, in such cases of' necessity, may almolve all peni- tents from all sins and censures, as well those reserved to the holy see as others. Th8 permission, however, does not refer to the other sa- craments. "2. It is not lawful to ask the sacraments from a bee but tolerated minister, on whom it is not incumbent to administer sacramento, i he be not properly prepared, unless necessity urges it; and this neceasity ought to be esteemed greater when he is impeded by censure or other- wise than when he is simply bad. "3. That sacraments may be lawfully received from a bee tolerMed minister, who from his oilice is bound to administer, not only the ne- cessity of the sacraments, but certain other minor reasons go to prove." Many more such questions could be selected from the divines, to show to what subterfuges they have recourse to maintain the validity and efficacy of the ministrations of wicked men. There is a sober sense in which all will allow that the ministrations of authorized minis- ters, in approved standing, or not deposed, ought to be held lawful and valid. This is the case before proofs can be adduced of' tho guilt of an offender, and before he can be lawfull)- deposed according to Scrip* ture. But when the church tolerates and authorizes wicked men to preach and administer sacraments, as the Church of Rome does, she is then guilty of heinous wickedness. And the Church of Rome is thus guilty. The sin of the minister is overlooked, and consequendy the people will follow the example of their leader. But this is so notori- ous among them, and of such long standing, and tolerated by* subtle casuistical ex]Msitions, that the thing is now sawhoned and estab//rAed by the Church of Rome; so that wicked administrators and receivers
 * Sen. 14 c. 7.

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