PROOFS DRAWN FROM THE PRACTICE OF THE GREEKS, IN FAVOUR OF CONFESSION.

WHAT renders them still more inexcusable is, that they could not be ignorant of the practice of the Greek * schismatics, who confess even to this very day, in the same manner as Roman Catholics do. This alone ought to have furnished them with a reflection perfectly natural

* The Greeks were perfectly united to, and in communion with the Mother Church until the year 864, when Photius, a wicked, ambitious, and intriguing man, intruded himself into the patriarchal see of Constantinople, expelled Ignatius through the favour of the emperor Michael, and cut himself off from her communion. Being afterwards deposed and excommunicated by the eighth general council held at Constantinople in 869, most of the Greek Bishops who had taken part with him returned to the Church, made their submission, and the two churches were again united. Things continued in this state until Michael Cerularius, patriarch of Constantinople, thought proper in 1053, to renew the same fatal division which Photius had begun. After every effort was made by Pope Leo IX. to reclaim him and his rebellious adherents without effect, he was also formally condemned and excommunicated. The Greeks persevered in this schism until the year 1274, when they were once more united in the second council of Lyons, (fourteenth general) after having abjured their schism, received the profession of faith of the Latin and Roman church, and acknowledged the supremacy of the Holy See. This union lasted but until the death of the then emperor, when a new breach was made by the disaffected Bishops, which lasted until the year 1439, at which time a new attempt was made to effect a union in the celebrated council of Florence. At this council the emperor and the patriarch of Constantinople assisted in person, with twenty archbishops of the East, and a vast number of other Greek ecclesiastics of distinguished merit and capacity. The patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, sent their deputies. After all the difficulties had been cleared up, the emperor, patriarch, and the Greek bishops, gave a profession of faith, conformable to that of the Roman Catholic church, in which they acknowledged in particular the procession of the Holy Ghost from the

the

and every way calculated to precaution them against the error into which they have given, and which they have disseminated with so much assurance. For I would fain ask of these able chronologists whether it was before or after the Council of Lateran, that the Greek

Father and the Son, the Pope to be the visible' Head of the Universal church. The words of the Council are these: "We define the "holy apostolioal see and the Roman pontiff to be invested with the . supremacy in the whole world, and that the same Roman pontiff is "the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, and the vicar of Jesus Christ, and head of the whole church, and the father and "teacher of all christians, and that full power is given to him by "Jesus Christ our Lord, in St. Peter, to feed, guide, and govern the "universal church." After this, a union was agreed upon by both churches, and a decree drawn up containing all those points which the Greeks had before contested, which was signed by the Pope, by the patriarchs, and the other Greek prelates, excepting Mark, bishop of Ephesus, who constantly refused to subscribe it. Thus were the Greeks after so many unhappy relapses, for the last time united in communion with the Mother Church, which union diffused an universal joy throughout the Catholic world. But this joy was of short duration. When the emperor and Greek prelates returned to Constantinople, they found the clergy and people of that schismatical city strangely prepossessed against the union. These abused in the most wanton manner, those who had signed it, and eulogised the bishop of Ephesus for having alone had the courage to refuse his consent. Those who had assisted at the council of Florence, inti midated by this tumult, renounced what they had done, and thus was the schism finally consummated. Some years after, Pope Nicholas V. a pontiff of distinguished piety, reflecting upon the many useless efforts which had been made to effect the conversion of the Greeks, wrote them a letter, in which, after having dwelt upon the preparations which the Turks were making against them, he exhorted them to open at length their eyes upon their past obstinacy and to return. "It is now a considerable time," said he, " that the Greeks have "abused of the patience of God, by persevering in their schism. "God, according to the parable of the Gospel, waits to see whether "the fig-tree, after so much care and cultivation, will at last yield

schismatics submitted to the practice of auricular confession? If the precept of confession was acknowledged and practised among them before the Council of Lateran, that Council consequently could not be the author of it; and if it be only since the Council, that the Greek schismatics confess, how came they to have so much complaisance as to imitate us in a new and troublesome practice, who, as every history informs us, have always been in the habit of reproaching and exclaiming against the Latins, for the most trifling changes, even in things of mere discipline?

Can it be for a moment supposed, that they would have chicaned so much about the tonsure and beard of our priests, the fast. of Saturday, and the chant of the Alleluia, and when required to subject their consciences to a new and difficult law, when it was proposed to erect the necessity of confession into a dogma, they would not only remain silent upon so considerable a change in doctrine, but even act in concert with the Latins, in tamely submitting to a yoke, against which the pride of man is naturally so inclined to rebel and reclaim? Who will believe such paradoxes? It is a fact well known that more than eight centuries have elapsed since the Greek schismatics first separated from the catholic church; since then, auricular confession

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"fruit; but if, within the space of three years, which God of his in❝dulgent mercy still grants them, it yieldeth none, the tree shall be

cut down to the very root; and the Greeks shall be visited by those "ministers of divine justice whom God shall send to carry that sen"tence into execution which he has already pronounced in heaven." For the literal accomplishment of this prediction, we refer our readers to every ecclesiastical history.

*The Greeks agree with Roman Catholics not only in the practice of auricular confession, but also in almost all those points in which our adversaries dissent from us; as the following testimonies, drawn solely from protestant writers, sufficiently prove.

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1. "With Rome," says Sir Edwin Sandys, "the Greek church concurs in the opinion of transubstantiation, and generally in the sacrifice and whole body of the mass. Relat. of Western Relig. p. 233. See also Dr. Potter, in his answer to Charity Mistaken, p. 225, and Bp. Forbes de Euch. L. 1. c. 3. p. 412.

2. "The sacrifice of the Mass is used by the Greeks, for the quick

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is as much in use among them as it is among us, and they are no less persuaded than we are of the necessity of it, this practice and the ge neral persuasion of all christians touching the necessity of this prac

and the dead," says Alex. Ross in his View of the Religions of Europe, p. 479.

3. "The Greeks of Venice and all other Greeks," says Bishop Forbes, Consid. Modest. de Sacr. Euch. p. 422, "adore Christ in the eucharist, and who dare either impeach or condemn all these christians of idolatry." "When the sacrament is carried through the temple," says Alexander Ross, p. 479, "the people, by bowing themselves, adore it, and falling on their knees kiss the earth."

4. "The Greeks reckon seven sacraments," says the Atlas Geographicus out of Sir Paul Ricaut, vol. 2, p. 1724, "the same with the church of Rome."

5. "They are no less for church authority and tradition than Ro man Catholics are,” says Alexander Ross, p. 479.

6. "They agree (with Rome) in praying to saints; in auricular confession; in offering of sacrifice and prayers for the dead," says Sir Edwin Sandys. "They place much of their devotion," says Alexander Ross," in the worship (he should say veneration) of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of painted, but not carved images; in the intercession, prayers, help, and merits of the saints, whom they invocate in their temples," p. 479.

As for auricular confession, the Atlas Geographicus also takes notice out of Sir Paul Rycaut, p. 1722. 1. "That the Greeks of note are obliged to confess four times a year; their clergy once a month, and the labouring people once a year: the priests oblige them to confess every thing, saying, they cannot otherwise release them."

And as for prayers for the dead, "they believe," says Alex. Ross, p. 479, "that the souls of the dead are bettered by the prayers of the living."

7. "They do not hold,” says Alex. Ross, p. 479, * a purgatory fire, (that is to say, they are not willing to acknowledge a fire in pur gatory; nor are Catholics obliged to hold there is) yet they believe," says he "a third place between that of the blessed and the damned, where they remain who have deferred repentance until the end of their life. But if this place be not purgatory, I know not what it is; nor what the souls do there."

tice, must necessarily be anterior to the separation of the Greeks from us, Here is a reflection which even good sense ough naturally to have suggested to Kemnitius and his reforming brethren, and which

8. "The Greeks place justification," says the same author, "not in faith alone, but in works."

9." They celebrate their liturgy in the old Greek tongue, which they scarce understand," says the same writer, p. 481, and Mr. Breerwood, in his Enquiries, chap. 2, p. 12, tells us "that the difference is become so great between the present and the ancient Greek, that their liturgy yet read in the ancient Greek tongue, is not understood, or but little of it, by the vulgar people."

10. "Their Monks," says Alex. Ross, "are all of St. Basil's order; the patriarchs, metropolites and bishops, are of this order, and abstain from flesk: but in Lent and other fasting times, they forbear also fish, milk, and eggs," p. 481.

11. "The same author, p. 496, in remarking the differences between the Greeks and protestants, gives us to understand that "they permit not marriage to their priests after their ordination."

Thus far Protestant witnesses, respecting the consent of the Greeks, with the church of Rome, in the greatest part of our mo dern controversies with Protestants. To which Archbishop Whitgift, in his defence against Cartwright, Tract. 8. p. 473, adds the doctrines of free-will, merits, &c. And indeed so many other articles might be added, that we may advance with truth, that setting aside the dispute about "the procession of the Holy Ghost," (which together with the ambition of Photius, gave the first origin of the schism) and the controversy, about consecrating in unleavened bread, (from which Michael Cerularius, took occasion to renew the breach) the faith of both churches would to this day have been the same. For as to the article of the Pope's supremacy, it neither was any occasion of the breach at first, nor ever obstructed any of the negotiations, that have so often since been made for the re-union of the churches, since we do not find in history, that the schismatics, ever objected much to this, so that their disowning the Pope's supremacy, may be considered, but as the natural consequence of their schism : for what rebel, whether in church or in state, would ever yet acknowledge that authority by which he was condemned.

What has been here said of the tenets of the Greeks, is to be ex