the Punishment of any Sin; that Punishment fhould be remitted, and his Health restored. Now this Forgiveness of the temporal Punishment of fome particular Sins, which is what St. James promises, the Church of Rome does not promise from this Ceremony; and the Forgiveness of the future Punishment of all those Sins, that the fick Person hath ever committed by his Bodily Organs, which St. James does not promife, they do. Though indeed it is a little hard to conceive, when all a Man's Sins have been already forgiven; (as they say they are, by the Prieft's Abfolution) how any of them should want to be forgiven again, perhaps by Extreme Unction, the Moment after. But the Truth is, they themselves lay not near fo much Strefs on this Ceremony's procuring Pardon of Sin, as its procuring Compofure of Mind, against the Terrors of Death. Now most evidently this Expectation St. James hath not faid one Word to countenance: fo that his Precept, which feems at first Sight to be fome Ground for their Practice, and is the only Ground they have, relates indeed to a quite different Thing, as one of their Cardinals, Cajetan3, acknowledges. Though the Council of Trent, B Prefervative, Tit. vii. c. 2. §. 2. p. 60. Seff. Seff. 14. hath thought proper fince to curse all that shall say it. The anointing prescribed by St. James therefore, being intirely of a miraculous Nature, was in all Reason to cease, when Miracles were no more. And accordingly the primitive Christians, though they speak more than once of anointing with Oil in miraculous. Cures; yet, in common Cafes, never mention it as a Cuftom, much lefs as one appointed in Scripture, for the firft 600 Years". After that indeed, they came to ufe it upon all fick Perfons in the beginning of Sickness, for a Means of Recovery, as the Greek Church doth yet; till finding it of little Benefit in that Way, the Church of Rome, about the twelfth Century, began to use it, in the Extremity of Sickness, as a Sacrament of Preparation for Death: which if it were in Reality, they are furely much to blame for not giving it under the Apprehenfions of an approaching violent Death; for Instance, before a Malefactor is executed; where it cannot but be as needful, as in the Fears of a natural one. Upon the whole, you see our laying aside a Ceremony which hath long been useless, and, by leading Perfons into fuperftitious Fancies, might be hurtful, can be no Manner of Lofs, whilst h Concerning a Paffage of Innocent I. in the Beginning of the 5th Century, See Preferv. p. 75.. every Thing that continues truly valuable in St. James's Direction, is preserved in our Office for vifiting the Sick: concerning which, I shall only add, that it is much to be wifhed Men would fo live in the Time of their Health, as to need the leaft spiritual Affiftance that is poffible, in the Time of their Sickness: and that what they do need, they would all apply for early, when it might be of great Benefit to them, and not content themselves with calling in the Minister at last for mere Form's Sake, when he can do them little Good, or none. Another Point, in which we differ from the Church of Rome, is, that all their public Prayers are in the Latin Tongue, ours in our own. This fure at least is no Herefy, that, when we pray to God, we all know what we fay. Our Practice juftifies itself. But how is their's juftified? Reason and common Senfe plainly condemn it. Antiquity is no less against them: for every Christian Church originally had their own Service in their own Tongue. That of the Western World was in Latin, only becaufe Latin was their common Language: and therefore, it should have been no longer in Latin, when that ceafed to be their common Language. And for Scripture, read but the 14th Chap. of 1 Corinthians, and fee, what St. Paul would have judged of this Romish Practice. Even when there was a miraculous Gift of Tongues in the Church, and Men prayed, or prophefied in ftrange Languages by Inspiration; even then he requires fuch Perfons to keep Silence, unless another were ready to interpret publicly what they spoke for fays he, Brethren-Except ye utter Words eafy to be understood, how shall it be known what is Spoken? for ye shall speak into the Air. If I know not the Meaning of the Voice, I fhall be unto him that speaketh a Barbarian, and be that fpeaketh, shall be a Barbarian unto me. How shall be that occupieth the Room of the Unlearned fay Amen, at thy giving of Thanks, feeing he underftandeth not what thou fayeft? Ithank my God I Speak with Tongues more than you all: yet in the Church, I had rather speak five Words with my Understanding, that by my Voice I might teach others alfo, than ten Thoufand Words in an unknown Tongue. It immediately follows, and very fitly to the present Purpose: Brethren, be not. Children in UnderStanding: bowbeit in Malice be ye Children, but in Understanding be Men. For never sure was greater Childishness, than to be fatisfied with the mere outward Show of Prayers to God, per haps haps without understanding one Word of them, which is not praying at all; nor greater Malice, that is, more wicked and cruel Cunning, than to keep the poor People in this Darkness, and plead for it with fuch unfair Pretences as they do. Some of them tell us very gravely, that Latin, far from being an unknown Tongue, is the best known of any in Europe. And if it were; yet if this best known Tongue is notwithstanding unknown to ninety-nine Persons in a hundred, why muft they all be confined to it, and not have each their own Prayers in their own Tongue? Why, that Variety would be very inconvenient, they fay, to Travellers. But whose Convenience is moft to be confulted? That of whole Nations, or of a few Perfons that come amongst them occafionally? But vulgar Tongues, they fay, are perpetually changing, and Expreffions growing improper and unintelligible. I anfwer: our having our Bible and Prayer-Book, in the vulgar Tongue, undoubtedly prevents its changing near fo faft as it would otherwise. But when it does change, let them, where it is needful, be changed to it. For which is worse, to take this little Trouble of altering a few Words and Phrafes once in a hundred Years, or to let People go on for Ages together, |