Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/409

 Ca,. XII.] l'VStO,rO,*V. 403 how the suit was decided in court we have not the means of |nforma- tion at present. But holy mother, infallible and always the same, knows how to carry on her merchandise in the souls of men in a wholesale way. Thus Inglis, in his Account of Spain, in 1830, (vol. ii, p. 307,) gives us the following case: "I was greatly' amused by the history of a lawsuit that was pending while I was at Allcant. A certain rich proprietor, having died about six months before, left money to the church sufficient to purchase twelve thousand masse8 for his soul: but after a few of these had been said the masses were discontinued, and the process was brought by the heir to redover the sum left for the masses, the church having failed to fulfil the condition upon which the money was bequeathed. The defence set up was sufficiently singular! Those upon whom the duty of saying these masses devolved, willing to be. excused from the labour, interceded with the bishop, who interceded with his holiness the pope: the defence against the claim was the production of the pope's letter, which declared by his sovereign autho- rity, that the celebration of twelve masses should have the same effect, and be as beneficial to the soul of the deceased as the celebration of twelve thousand masses. The decision upon the case had not been given when I left Alicant: but as it involved a question touching the pope's spiritual power, the probabilities are that his holiness would prove an overmatch ibr the heir. The argument of the counsel in sup- port of the claim was merely non-fulfilment of the stipulated duty, while the argument of the church was, that the deceased had intended to benefit his soul to a certain extent, for which he left a certain sum of money; and that since his soul was benefitted to the same extent by' the performance of twelve, as of twelve thousand masses, the intention of the deceased was equally fulfilled, and the money therefore equally ttte property of those who fulfilled it. But this evidently leaves room for a rejoinder, as to the power and value of the pope's letter. n If it be replied, that these are abuses of the doctrine, we reply, that they are nothing more than carrying into practical effect the decisions of the Council of Trent. For we have shown, that though this council forbade that which tends to superstition and filthy lucre, by confirming �ud re-enacting suffrages for the dead by masses, alms, prayers, &c., the council has virtually annulled what it ordained respecting super- stirion and lucre, and has established this merchandise in souls, and has therefore taught and practised the sin of simony in its worst form. Accordingly, the Church of Rome and the Council of Trent are con- demned by the twenty-third canon of the Council of Constantinople, which was held in the year 692. The canon says, "that no bishop, priest, or deacon shall demand money, or any thing. from the communi- cant on account of his communicating; for grace xs not to be sold, but freely imparted without any trick." , 11. The doctrine of purgatory is a powerful engine to .work upon le feelings, fears, and passions of an ignorant and deluded people. It Were easy to give specimens of passionate discourses, in which the - See London Protestant Journal, for 1831, p. 682, where this is quoted. For many nstnnceo of this merchandise, see the article in the Jotul, p. 679. 8# abe yirioofJ /pertinent cases in 81ack'e Reply, pp. 157-160.

�