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SERMON XV.

I PET. V. 12.

-Exhorting and teftifying that this is the true Grace of God wherein ye ftand.

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FTER fixing the Rule of Chriftian Faith and Practice, I proceeded to compare with this Rule the chief Things which diftinguish the Church of Rome from ours. Great Numbers of thefe I have already confidered, and fhall now, for your fuller Satisfaction, go on to fome others.

Several of their Notions concerning the Pardon of Sin I have mentioned and confuted; but there still remains one more to be spoken of: their Cuftom, when a fick Perfon is near Death, of anointing his Eyes, and Ears, and Noftrils, and Mouth, and Hands, fometimes alfo his Feet, and Reins, with Oil confecrated by the Bishop,

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Bishop, and praying, that in Virtue of that anointing, the Sins which he hath committed, by the several Organs of his Body, may be forgiven him. This they call extreme Unction, or the Sacrament of dying Perfons; and teach, that, befides Forgivenefs of Sins, it gives Compofure and Strength of Mind to go through the Agonies of Death. All this they build wholly on the following Paffage of St. James. Is any fick among you? Let him call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with Oil in the Name of the Lord. And the Prayer of Faith fhall fave the fick, and the Lord frall raife him up; and if he have committed Sins, they fhall be forgiven him. But a little Confideration will fhow that what St. James appoints is very different from what the Church of Rome does. In thofe Days miraculous Gifts were common; that of healing Dif eases in particular: and the Perfons who had these Gifts were ufually the Elders of the Churches, whom the Apoftle here directs to be fent for. And as Miracles, in Condefcenfion to the Genius of the Jewish People, to whom this Epiftle is directed, were accompanied, for the moft Part, with fome outward Act * James v. 14, 15:

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of Ceremony, by the Performer of them; (a Practice which our Saviour himself often complied with ;) fo the Ceremony used in healing the fick by Miracle, viz. anointing them with Oil, was one to which the Jews had been accustomed; Oil being a Thing of which much Ufe was made in the Eastern Countries, on many Occafions. Accordingly we read, that, when our Saviour fent out his Disciples with a Power from Heaven to cure.Diseases, though he prescribed to them no particular Form for that Purpose, yet they adopted this; they anointed with Oil many that were fick, and healed them. Now what the Evangelist tells us they did, is evidently the very Thing which St. James directs the Elders of the Church to do. And therefore, fince the anointing mentioned in the Gospel was only a mere Circumstance used in miraculous Cures; that alfo mentioned in the Epiftles can be nothing more. Accordingly we find St. James neither appoints any Confecration

See Wheatley on the Office for the Sick. And Grotius on Mark vi. 13. fays the Jews ufed it when they prayed for the Sick, to exprefs their Hope of obtaining from God in their Behalf that Joy and Gladnefs which Oil fignifies. Prefervative against Popery, Tit. vii. c. ii. iv. p. 62. c Mark vi. 13.

The Council of Trent had at first said, that extreme Unction was inftituted in this Place, but afterwards changed that Word for infinuated. F. Paul in Prefer v. p. 64.

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of the Oil, nor afcribes any Efficacy to it, as
the Papifts do: but fays, the Prayer of Faith
fball fave the Sick. Now if this means only
Prayer offered up in a general Faith of God's
Providence, we ufe it for the Sick as well as
they, and may hope for the fame good Effect
from it. But Faith, in many Places of Scrip-
ture, fignifies that fupernatural Perfuafion and
Feeling of a Power to work Miracles, which
in those Days was frequent. Thus St. Paul
fays, though I had all Faith, fo that I could re-
move Mountains, &c. And therefore the
Prayer of Faith, fince it is fo abfolutely promised
here that it fall fave the Sick, probably means,
a Prayer proceeding from this extraordinary Per-
fuafion and Impulfe: fuch a one as, in the next
Verfe, we tranflate an effectual fervent Prayer,
but should tranflate an inwrought or infpired
Prayer. And therefore unless, in the Church
of Rome, the Prieft, as often as he administers
extreme Unction, acts and prays by immediate
Inspiration, his Prayers are not of the Sort St.
James fpeaks of; nor are they directed to the
fame End. The Benefit, which he promises
from the Prayers that he appoints, is the Re-
covery
of Health: The Prayer of Faith fall

1 Cor. xiii. 2. See alfo Matt. xvii. 20. John xiv. 12, 13.

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fave the Sick, and the Lord fhall raise him up: whereas they of the Church of Rome never use this Ceremony with any Hope of Recovery, nor indeed, unless they happen to mistake, till the Perfon is quite paft Recovery. And, for this Reason again, His anointing and theirs are quite different Things. For though St. James does add; And, if he have committed Sins, they shall be forgiv en him; yet the very Doubt, implied in the Word if, fhews, he is not speaking of a Sacrament inftituted purposely for the Remiffion of Sins, as the Church of Rome make their Unction to be. And indeed this relates to the very fame Thing with his former Words. For, as bodily Sicknefs and Infirmity was frequently a Punishment for Sin; (whence, to mention no other Proofs, St. Paul tells the Corinthians, For this Caufe many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep;) fo, the very Form of miraculously healing a Perfon of these Infirmities, ufed by our Saviour is, Son, thy Sins be forgiven thee: that is, the Illness inflicted on thee for thy Sins is removed. Since therefore St. James promifes Forgiveness of Sins in just a like Cafe, we are certainly to understand him in just the like Sense; viz. that, if the Sickness of any Perfon prayed for were f Matt. ix. 2. See alfo John v. 14. the

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• 1 Cor. xi. 30.

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