to our Maker: that his Creatures of Bread and Wine, when appropriated to this folemn Act of Religion, are fo far Offerings to God and that this whole Act, being a Memorial and Representation of the Sacrifice of Chrift, may fitly enough be called by the fame Name with what it commemorates and reprefents: fo that in this Senfe Chriftians have an Altar and an Offering upon it. But that, instead of a reprefentative Sacrifice of Praise, it should be a real Sacrifice of Atonement, in which Chrift's Body, literally speaking, is every Day offered up anew of this we can fee neither Proof nor Poffibility. For not only it fuppofes Tranfubftantiation to be true, which hath been proved to be false; but it is abfolutely inconfiftent with two whole Chapters of the Epiftle to the Hebrews; the ninth and tenth; which throughout inculcate that Chrift was not to be offered up often, for then must be often have fuffered; but that he appeared once to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of bimfelf; was once offered to bear the Sins of many; and by this one Offering hath for ever perfected them that are fanctified. If therefore our Doctrine be heretical in this Point, St. Paul's is fo too: not to speak of the primitive Christians; who, though they often called this VOL. VL. A a Ordinance

Ordinance a Sacrifice, yet, by calling it an unbloody one, fhew they did not think the Blood of Chrift was literally offered up in it; and by frequently faying they had indeed no Sacrifices, prove themselves to look on this only as a figu

rative one.

But now from this Notion of a daily Atonement thus made, I fhall proceed to their other Doctrines concerning the Forgiveness of Sins. And here they hold, that a particular Abfolution from a Prieft is neceffary, if it can be had, for the Pardon of every mortal Sin, i. e. every Sin by which any Perfon without Repentance forfeits his Title to Heaven: and that a particular Confeffion of every material Circumstance of every fuch Sin, is neceffary for Abfolution. And the Practice of thefe Things they apprehend to give their Church an unfpeakable Advantage

over ours.

The Neceffity of such Abfolution they plead for from our Saviour's Words to his Apoftles: Whatfoever ye shall bind on Earth, shall be bound in Heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loofe on Earth, fhall be loofed in Heaven. Whofefoever Sins ye remit, they are remitted; and whofefoever retain, they are retained. Now cer

Sins

ye

e Matt. xviii. 18.

f John xx. 23.

tainly thefe Words did not put it in the Power
of the Apostles themfelves, to pardon or refuse
to pardon whom they pleased, right or wrong.
They could use the Keys of the Kingdom of
Heaven no further, than he faw fit, who open-
eth, and no Man fhutteth: who fhutteth, and
no Man openeth . Yet the Apoftles had great
Powers by Virtue of thefe Words, which we
have not the Power of discerning by the Spirit,
in many
Cafes at least, and therefore of declar-
ing, who were penitent and pardoned, who
otherwise the Power of inflicting and conti-
nuing miraculous Punishments on wicked Per-
fons, which is binding and retaining their Sins;
and of removing fuch Punishments, which is
loofing and remitting them. But these Things
the Romish Clergy can no more claim than we.
What then befides can there be conveyed by
thefe Words of our Lord? A Power of preach-
ing that Gofpel, according to the Terms of
which alone, the Sins of Men shall be forgiven
or punished; a Power of admitting Persons into
a State of Forgiveness by Baptifm, of adminif
tering to them the Word of God and the holy
Sacrament, as Means of Grace; of denouncing
his Wrath against all Sinners, interceding with

him for all Penitents, and pronouncing in his Name that he pardons and abfolves them. Thefe Things, we truft, are done much more faithfully by us than them. There is indeed another Power, of exercifing fpiritual Difcipline, for the Honour of the Church and the Sake of Example, to diftinguifh fo far as Men are able between the good, by admitting them to Communion with us, and the bad, by excluding them from it. In this we acknowledge that we are deficient: but they are worfe for they have utterly perverted it from a public Inftitution of general Use and Influence, to a secret Tranfaction between a Sinner and his Confeffor, in which not only fuch Abfolution is made neceffary, as the Scripture hath no where required, but fuch Confeffion infifted on as is no Way needful to it. Not needful from any Command of God for the chief and almost only Text they plead for that Purpofe, Confefs your Faults one to another, no more obliges the People in all Cafes to reveal the Particulars of their Sins to the Priest, than the Priest to reveal the Particulars of his to the People. Nor is it needful from the Nature of the Thing: for it is not

knowing a Person's Sins that can qualify the

Priest to give him Absolution, but knowing he hath repented of them: which is just as poffible to be known without a particular Confeffion, as with it.

Still in many Cafes acknowledging the Errors of our Lives, and opening the State of our Souls to the Ministers of God's Word, for their Opinion, their Advice, and their Prayers, may be extremely useful, fometimes neceffary. And whenever Perfons think it fo, we are ready both to hear them with the utmost Secrefy, and to affist them with our beft Care: to direct them how they may be forgiven, if we think they are not; to pronounce them forgiven, if we think they are. Only we must beg them to remember, that none but God can pardon Sins as to their Confequences in another World. Men indeed may take off from Sinners the Cenfures of the Church if they have incurred them; but as to any Thing farther, all we can do is either to pray to God that he would forgive them, (which was the only Form of Abfolution till the eleventh Century at least) or elfe to declare that he hath done fo. And let fuch a Declaration express ever so positively that either God or the Prieft abfolves them, it is a fatal Error to build Hopes on this, with Respect to another

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