the written law openly sanctioned from Mount Sinai, a multitude of precepts were given and handed down to them by the traditions of the elders. Hence Jesus said, "Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your traditions."—Matt. xv. 6.
On examination, it will be found that the drift and purpose of all the institutions, and even of the doctrines and practical operations of the Popish association, is to exalt the members of the priestly fraternity over the rest of the community, and, in reality, to bring the rest of the community under subjection to them. This might, perhaps, be thought tolerable by some persons, if the means adopted were not utterly flagitious. The fraternity pretend that their head or chief, the Pope, is on earth the vicar or deputy of God's eternal Son, by whom were created all things, visible and invisible. That, in virtue of this delegation, the association are, by inherent right, the superiors, and independent of all kings, and princes, and political human establishments. Indeed, if it be admitted that the Popish priesthood hold communications from heaven of authority equal to the written Christian scriptures, conferring infallibility on them or their chief the Pope, it is not easy to limit their pretensions, because, in the name and by the alleged authority of Almighty God, they can declare their own powers and prerogatives to be whatever they think fit, just as Mahomet could solve every difficulty by bringing down the angel Gabriel with a new chapter of the Koran.
The plans of the Popish association are most artfully devised and actively enforced.
1. As they do not hesitate to claim intimate communication with the Eternal God, so they do not scruple to make profit of the Day of Judgment. Men, conscious of imperfection and improper conduct, have a natural fear of standing in judgment before the terrible tribunal of omniscient justice and irresistible power. Availing themselves of this fear, the fraternity say, God has given us power to forgive all sins; but to entitle us to do so, you must confess to us your sins. These they divide into two classes, venial and mortal. Venial sins may be expiated by the fire of purgatory, or the priest may pardon them on submitting to penance, or for a consideration. Mortal sins are liable to be punished by eternal torture in hell. This can only be avoided by the sinner confessing them to the priest, declaring that he repents, and obtaining absolution. If the priest absolve the sinner from these mortal bins, he never can be sent to hell on account of them. But he must be careful to confess them all; for, if he omit one of them, he will certainly be condemned to hell fire forever for that one sin, whereby absolution from the other sins will be of no avail. On this pretext the whole community, from infancy to old age, are assured that, to secure their salva- tion, it is absolutely necessary to inform the priest of all they think or do, lest they should emit the confession of some mortal sin. After absolution from a mortal sin, although the man cannot be sent to hell on account of it, he may, nevertheless, be put into the purifying and sufficiently horrible fire of purgatory, or exposed to misfortunes in this life. But from these consequences also, absolution may be purchased with lands or money, or by some good deed required by the holy fraternity.
The result of the whole is, that the priest is, upon earth, truly a god, seeing he holds the divine power of forgiving sins. The only practical inferiority of the priest to the Most High God is, that the priest docs not know the actions of men till they are told (confessed) to him. To secure their future salvation, the children of Papists are carefully trained to the practice of confession, and to pour into the ear of the priest, both spontaneously and in answer to his minute interrogatories, a detail of all their acts and imaginings.
Confession to the priest is represented as a holy sacrament. It must be made by the sinner (though a king or queen) kneeling before this terrestrial god, who has full power over the world to come. Thus the fraternity of priests become the lords and rulers of the credulous nation or people over whom they have acquired an ascendency, or whom they have persuaded to believe in the fabulous privileges which they assume. To procure safety from hill and possession of immortal felicity in heaven, becomes a matter of bargain with the priest, who has the power of fixing the price of the inestimable boon
