Church to make a sacrament of this temporary ceremony; and though they cannot cure the body by it, to pretend they can sanctify the soul, and seal the pardon of sin, and send the party safe to eternal glory thereby? What primitive father ever affirmed this concerning this unction? Irenæus, indeed, tells us, the Valentinian heretics anointed dying men with oil and water, using strange words, and pretending thereby to secure their souls against evil spirits, and to make them ascend more easily; which heresy the modern Romanists in this matter do come nearer to, than to any rite found among the primitive and orthodox fathers, and therefore we have good reason to reject this practice: and though about the ninth century, it began to be imposed in these parts of the world"; yet we suppose we may safely omit the ceremonial part, especially since we keep the substantial part of the office prescribed by Saint James, viz. prayers, confession of sin, and absolution, which is also all that can be made appear to have been used to the sick in the first five centuries (excepting where miraculous cures were to be wrought). And these are alone sufficient for the comfort and relief of poor languishing Christians, without the addition of that ceremonial oil, which was the symbol of a gift which the Church doth not now enjoy, and therefore can be of no real use at this day in the visitation of the sick; and we dare not abuse our people, to put a new signification of our own devising on it, nor make them expect that from it which they will

a Irenæus. adv. Hæres. lib. 1. cap. 18.

b Concil. Cabilon. iii. cap. 48. An. 813. Lin. tom. 3. part 1.

never find; for we had rather lay it aside than use it to vain and evil purposes.

66

V. The third general consideration is, the benefits of this office, which the Apostle sets down, ver. 15. The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." The benefits were to be perpetual, though the anointing was but for a time; and therefore they are annexed to the prayer, which was to be perpetual also. Now these benefits are two: First, generally implied in the word "save;" and then particularly expressed, 1. by the word "raise him up,” a scripture phrase for the recovery of bodily health. Psalm. xli. ver. 10.; Hos. vi. 2. 2. By the "forgiving him his sins." So that the benefits are two: first, the recovery of health; secondly, the remission of sins; both which may be obtained by the devout use of these prayers: not that they do as constantly and certainly follow as the effects from natural causes; for then the sick would always have been cured by this office, and none could have died, which is contrary to nature and God's decree (Heb. ix. 27.): and then even hypocrites should thereby obtain remission, which is contrary to God's declared will. They are therefore conditional promises, so that health shall be procured hereby if God see fit, and pardon granted also, upon condition of the parties confessing and repenting; which is therefore enjoined in the very next verse, "Confess your faults,” &c. The sum is, that though mortal men cannot expect immortality here, nor sinners pardon without repentance; yet if their disease be curable, and the person

qualified for remission, God hath appointed this office to be the means to convey both. And since the two main things which sick men desire is ease of their pain and forgiveness of their sin, and this is a means of divine institution to obtain both, this shows how careful every sick man ought to be, to have this office used for him, and how highly he ought to esteem thereof: not neglecting in the mean time to perform the conditions required on his part, viz. submission to the will of God for life or death, and a hearty repentance for all his sins; and he that is prepared for it shall recover by it, if it be for his good to live longer; however, he shall have his pardon sealed, and then he need not be solicitous whether God order him to live or die, because he shall be happy either in life or death, and either of both these shall work together for his good. Finally, then, the visitation of the sick is of divine institution, and of excellent use; and that it may have all those effects upon us, which God designed to us thereby, let us descend to a particular view of all the parts of it, when first we have considered the method of the whole office.

202

ON THE CONFESSION OF SINS.

[ARCHBISHOP SHARP.]

THE

POPISH AND PROTESTANT DOCTRINES CONCERNING CONFESSION EXPLAINED AND COMPARED; AND THE POPISH DOCTRINE OF AURICULAR CONFESSION PROVED NOT TO BE THE DOCTRINE OF SCRIPTURE AND THE ANCIENT CHURCH.

PROV. xxviii. 13.

But whoso

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper. confesseth them, and forsaketh them, shall find mercy. THESE words contain a very full though a very short description (and by how much the shorter so much I think the better) of true repentance; such a repentance as God would accept and that first, negatively, in what it doth not consist, or rather is not consistent with it; and that in the former part of the verse, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.' And secondly, positively, in what it doth consist; and that in these two things, confessing our sins, and forsaking them. "Whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy."

Repentance, however it may appear to some as a single duty, yet, in truth, it is one full half of all that the Gospel requires of us. For the whole condition

of the new covenant is comprised in these two things; namely, "repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," (Acts, xx. 21.) as the Apostle has declared.

that we

It must therefore be of infinite consequence, all be rightly instructed in the nature of repentance, since there is so great stress laid upon it. If we take false measures in this point, it is as much as our souls are worth. And yet as things go in the world, though nothing be more plainly and fully declared in the Holy Scriptures than the nature of this repentance, as to all the branches of it, so that no man of but tolerable parts, that will bring an honest mind along with him, can easily miss of rightly informing himself from thence of all that he is concerned to know about this duty; yet, I say, as matters now stand, there is scarce any doctrine of religion more obscured, more misrepresented, more distorted and corrupted, even to the great peril of the souls of men, than this doctrine of repentance is.

Some men there are, who, for the advancing the authority of the clergy, and the more fully establishing their empire over the consciences of men; as likewise for the enriching themselves by other men's sins, and at the same time making the consciences of those that pay for it as easy and as quiet as may be: I say, they have found out God knows how many devices as to this business of repentance, which the writers of the Scripture never knew of; nay, which indeed are directly contrary to their sense and meaning. And such devices they are, too, that at the same time they