Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/343

 CHAP. X.] PBNANiE-'--ON?R I?XO;. 335 sin during lif.e, except to attend to the ritual observance of the sacra- ment of' penance, provided they are sure to repent at last. But what can give greater encouragement to continue in sin than this doctrine doth ? The 8/nner may exclaim, "Though I am now at enmity with God, there is no law that binds me immediately to be reconciled to Cod, provided it be done before death." What can put a more effectual bar to a man's conversion than this doctrine does, ff it be once believed? We shall not trouble our readers with confuting this impious doc- trine, because it carries along with it its own confutation. If it be answered, "that it is not the doctrine of their church, but of some pri- 'ate doctors;" we must inform them that if.by the doctrine of their church they mean such things as are decreed in their councils, we remark, that but few things are decreed in their councils, such as arti- cles of belief, and the manner of celebrating their sacraments. And if they will not be. reproved for any thing but what we prove to be false in the articles of their fa/th merely, they take a liberty to say and do what they please, and to corrupt the world by their rules of con- science. But that this also is the doctrine of their church, their own teachers declare: that a man is not bound to repent as soon as the sin is committed, but at certain seasons; and then also to no more of it than the external or ritual part. So that if their church be injuri- ously charged, they themselves have done it. Besides, it is hard to suppose that the innnmerable cases of conscience which a whole class of divines among them have made can be embraced in the decisions of councils. In these cases we are to consider wAo a,' tAe their gravest doctors, in the face of the sun, by authority of their periors, in the public ixmtructiou of. souls, in their allowed sermons, in their books licensed by a watchful and inquisitive authority, and licensed too after passing a htd examination of critical censors pointed for the purpose, and too by undergoing a thorough extmr- gation of offensive parts. These things cannot therefore be esteemed private opinions, unless they be the private opinions of thom all. They' are so far their doctrine, as what the scribes and Pharisees taught their disciples was Pharisaism, though the whole church of the Jews had not passed them into & law. So this is the Roman doctrine, though not the Roman law; and, what is still worse, it is their genera/ practice, though there are oome happy exceptions among them, who follow Scripture and conscience, in the place of. false doctrine and the common practice of the members of their church. These remarks are now .]made, not oltly in reference to the point in hand, but also to many other instances which will be preaouted during the present diactmsion. $. Vhat they teach concerning the time of repentance is not more hurtful than what they teach concerning the/dmt of' sins which call for repentance. Their distinction of sins into zMrtal and een/al is and- ciently known, and, as they order the matter, it is productive of pllnous consequences. If by venial sins they mean nothing more than thoe daily frailties and infirmities that the good and virtuous are subject to, and' against which they continually strive and do their utmost to over- come, we would have nothing serious to object. But what they' mean by venial sins is 8 dia'ernnt thing. They teach that there ia *, whole cla of sins which my claim pardon from God as of right; such s, if all of them in  world were put together, they wot mt

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