Wesley Corpus

17,) will shame the pretence of real merit, and turn the anathema upon themselves. And they may as soon reconcile light and darkness, as the grace of God and merit of Christ to this doctrine. Q. 16. But is there no allowance for such as have not good works of their own sufficient to merit for themselves? A. Yes; there are indulgences to be obtained, by which persons may be discharged from the punishment of sin here and in purgatory; and if any affirm these indulgences to be useless, or that the Church hath no power to grant them, he is accursed. (Concil. Trid. Sess. 25, Decret. de Indulg.) The Popes and Prelates of the Church are judges appointed by God to remit faults and punishments in his name by an indulgence, if so be justice be satisfied through the application of the satisfaction of Christ and his saints. (Bellarm. de Indulg. l. 1, c. 5, sec. Jam vero.) REPLY. What God binds, no person can untie; and what he unties, no man can bind. But this course of indulgence, still upheld in the Church of Rome, doth untie what God doth bind; it makes sin easy and cheap, and prostitutes the strict rules of Christianity to the basest purposes. For when a person can have a plenary indulgence for so trivial a satisfaction as the standing before the doors of St. Peter’s Church at Rome, when the Pope blesses the people at Easter, it makes sin as easy to be committed as pardoned. Q. 17. How far do those indulgences extend? A. Sometimes to days, sometimes to years, nay, some of them were plenary indulgences;* some were for a discharge from punishments here, others from the pains of purgatory,t and some granted an eternal reward. Q. 18. Upon what terms were those indulgences to be obtained? A. By money,t pilgrimages, § assisting the Pope, reciting certain prayers." * Bellarm. de Indulgent. l. 1, c. 9, init. “Plenary indulgence doth take away all the punishment due to sin.” Ibid. sec. Indulgentiá Quadragen. * Ibid. c. 7, sec. Et quidem. # This is implied Concil. Trid. Sess. 21, c. 9, though it is called by the soft name of alms. § So many are granted to particular churches in Rome, for the benefit of pilgrims.