CYPRIAN. Oxonii, cic ioc lxxxii.

Vita S. Cæcilii Cypriani, per Pontium ejus diaconum. Ad probationem bonorum operum, solum hoc arbitror satis esse; quod judicio Dei et plebis favore ad officium sacerdotii et episcopatus gradum, adhuc neophytus,* et ut putabatur novellus, electus est. Quamvis in primis fidei suæ adhuc diebus, et rudi vitæ spiritalis ætate, sic generosa idoles reluceret; ut etsi nondum officii, spei tamen fulgore resplendens, imminentis sacerdotii totam fiduciam polli

ceretur.

Cypriani de Opere et Eleemosynis.

Loquitur in Scripturis divinis Spiritus Sanctus et dicit eleemosynis et fide delicta purgantur. (Prov.† xv. 29.) Non utique illa delicta, quæ fuerunt ante contracta, nam illa Christi sanguine et sanctificatione purgantur. Item denuò dicit. Sicut aqua extinguit ignem, sic eleemosyna extinguit peccatum. Hic quoque ostenditur et probatur, quia sicut lavacro aquæ salutaris gehennæ ignis extinguitur, ita eleemosynis atque operibus justis delictorum flamma sopitur. Et quia semel in baptismo remissa peccatorum datur; assidua et jugis operatio, baptismi instar imitata, Dei rursus indulgentiam largitur. Hoc et in Evangelio Dominus docet: nam cùm denotarentur discipuli ejus quod ederent, nec priùs manus abluissent, respondit et dixit: qui fecit quod, intus est, fecit et quod foris est. Verùm date eleemosynam et ecce vobis munda omnia: docens scilicet et ostendens, non manus lavandas esse sed pectus; et sordes intrinsecus potius quàm extrinsecus detrahendas: verùm qui purgaverit quod est intus, eum quoque id quod foris est repurgasse; et emundatâ mente, cute quoque et corpore mundum esse cœpisse. Porrò auteri monens et ostendens unde mundi et

Cyprian was a celebrated heathen orator, and about two years only after his conversion to Christianity, he was made a bishop. But Ambrose was elected to be the bishop of Milan when he was a professedly Christian lawyer in high repute, and unbaptized; and after his election to the bishopric, he was baptized (see Dupin). Are we to believe that he was unjustified and unregenerate when he was elected to be a bishop? The theological acumen of lawyers was more highly esteemed, it should seem, in the fourth century, than it is at the present day by a certain party in the Church of England. Even the evangelical party would hardly be prepared to promote an Attorney-General, or a Chief-Justice, especially if he were unbaptized, to the episcopal bench.

This is the Septuagint version. Prov. xv. 27. και πιστεσιν αποκαθαίρονται αμαρτίαι.”

6.

Ελεημοσύναις

UNI

purgati esse possimus, addidit eleemosynas esse faciendas. Misericors docet ac monet, misericordiam fieri; et quia servare quærit, quos magno pretio redemit, post baptismi gratiam sordidatos, docet denuò posse purgari. Agnoscamus, itaque, fratres carissimi, divinæ indulgentiæ munus salubre, et emundandis purgandisque peccatis nostris, qui sine aliquo conscientiæ vulnere esse non possumus, medelis spiritalibus vulnera nostra curemus.

Nec quisquam sic sibi de puro atque immaculato corde blandiatur, ut innocentiâ suâ fretus medicinam non putet adhibendam esse vulneribus: cùm scriptum sit; quis gloriabitur castum se habere cor, aut quis gloriabitur mundum se esse a peccatis? Et iterum in epistolâ suâ Joannes ponat et dicat: si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus, nos ipsos decipimus, et veritas in nobis non est. Si autem confessi fuerimus peccata nostra fidelis et justus est Dominus, qui nobis peccata dimittat. Si autem nemo esse sine peccato potest, et quisquis se inculpatum dixerit, aut superbus, aut stultus est; quam necessaria, quam benigna est divina clementia? Quæ cum sciat non deesse sanatis quædam postmodum vulnera, dedit curandis denuò sanandisque vulneribus remedia salutarià.*

Remedia propitiando Deo, ipsius Dei verbis data sunt: quid deberent facere peccantes, magisteria divina docuerunt; operationibus justis Deo satisfieri, misericordiæ meritis peccata purgari. Et apud Solomonem legimus, "conclude eleemosynam in corde pauperis, et hæc pro te exorabit ab omni malo." (Eccl. xxix. 15.) Et iterum: "qui obturat aures ne audiat imbecillum, et ipse invocabit Deum, et non erit qui exaudiet eum." (Prov. xxi. 13.)

Quorum præceptorum memor Daniel, cùm rex Nabuchodonosor adverso somnio territus æstuaret, pro avertendis malis ad divinam opem impetrandam remedium dedit dicens, "Proptereà rex consilium meum placeat tibi, et peccata tua eleemosynis redime, et injustitias tuas miserationibus pauperum, et erit Deus patiens peccatist tuis." Cui rex non

Cyprian omits, "and to cleanse us from all iniquity;" and he omits what goes before," and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin :" a declaration which was directly applied by the Apostle John to the post-baptismal sins of true believers.

+ This is the Septuagint version. “ Δια τουτο, βασιλευ, η βουλη μου αρεσατω σοι, και τας αμαρτίας σου εν ελεημοσύναις λυτρωσαι, και τας αδικίας εν οικτιρμοις πενήτων· ισως εσται μακροθυμος τους παραπτωμασι σου ο Θεος.”(Parisiis, 1839.)

obtemperans, adversa quæ viderat et infesta perpessus est; quæ evadere et vitare potuisset, si peccata sua eleemosynis redemisset. Raphael quoque angelus paria testatur, et ut eleemosyna libenter et largiter fiat, hortatur dicens: bona est oratio cum jejunio et eleemosynâ: quia eleemosyna a morte liberat, et ipsa purgat peccata. (Tobit. xii. 8.) Östendit orationes nostras ac jejunia minus posse, nisi factorum et operum accessione farciantur. Revelat angelus et manifestat, et firmat eleemosynis petitiones nostras efficaces fieri, eleemosynis vitam de periculis redimi, eleemosynis a morte animas liberari.

The Roman Catholic system of Justification.

The Catholic's Manual, an exposition of the controverted doctrines of the Catholic Church, by Bossuet, with notes by the Rev. John Fletcher. "Ask for the old paths,* where is the good way." Jer. vi. 16.-Dublin, printed by Richard Coyne, 1824.+

Chap. ix. On Satisfaction.

"Our doctrine respecting the satisfaction which is due to God for sin, is another of those questions, which demands a few words of explanation; in order that no doubt may remain upon it in the minds of our dissenting brethren.

The belief, therefore, the unanimous belief of Catholics respecting satisfaction is this-that Jesus Christ, at once both God and man, was, alone, in consequence of the infinite dignity of his person, capable of offering up to God a sufficient atonement for the sins of his guilty creatures. Having, however, done this, and done it superabundantly, it was in his power to apply the benefit of such expiation in two different ways either in the first place by an act of entire abolition, without the reservation of any punishment whatsoever; or else, by the commutation of a greater punishment into a lighter; that is, by the exchange of eternal sufferings into temporal ones. The former of the two methods is the most complete, and at the same time the most conformable to the notions of infinite goodness. And for these reasons

* The old paths are not always good; there were Antichrists in the days of the Apostle John; and Augustine enumerates eighty-eight heresies which had disturbed the Church in the four first centuries.

This is a book in common use among English and Irish Roman Catholics, with the sanction of their priests; also, no one was better acquainted with the Romish system than the celebrated Bossuet.

it is, that God applies it in the first instance in the sacrament of baptism. The latter is that, which, we believe, he makes use of in the forgiveness of those sins which are committed after baptism; being compelled as it were to this diminution of his tenderness by the ingratitude of those, who have thus abused the first benefits of his mercy. They are consequently obliged to endure a certain process of temporal punishment; although that which is eternal has been kindly remitted to them.

It would however be wrong to infer from these principles that Jesus Christ has not satisfied completely for us. He has done so, and the inference which the above principles present is, on the contrary, this, that having by the infinite price, which he has paid for our salvation, acquired an absolute dominion over us, he, for this reason, forgives us, upon such conditions, under such laws, and with such restrictions as to his wisdom appears becoming.

For reasons similar to the preceding, we ought not to be astonished if he, who has shewn so much lenity in baptism, should also after the violation of our sacred promises, shew himself more rigorous and severe. It is reasonable, and even it is salutary to us, that God, whilst he remits both sin and the temporal punishment, which sin had merited, should yet, by way of check, to restrain us within the boundaries of duty, demand from us some kind of temporal chastisement; lest emancipated too soon from the bands of justice, we nourish a presumptuous confidence, and abuse the facility of obtaining pardon.

Chap. xi. On Purgatory.

"When the faithful depart out of this life in a state of grace and charity, but yet, without having undergone those punishments, which as a debt, were due to the severity of the divine justice-in such case it is their fate we believe to endure them in the life to come."

The question we have therefore to decide is, what is the condition of a true believer in Christ after his baptism? Is he with respect to post-baptismal sins to look to the blood of Christ as the sole satisfaction for his sins; or is he to look to his own works, and sufferings; to a daily propitiatory sacrifice; and to the torments of purgatory, as the means whereby he is to pay part of the penalty due for his post-baptismal sins to the justice of God? In other words, is a believer, who has survived his baptism, and, as all

must do, has sinned, and come short of the glory of God, justified by faith only; or with respect to the eternal penalty of sin is he absolved by the death and merits of Christ; and with respect to the temporal penalty of sin is he to pay what is due by good works, and sufferings, and masses? Protestants contend that according to the doctrine of the Apostles the only expiation for sin is the sacrifice on Calvary of the Lord Jesus Christ; and that true believers are fully justified by faith only, we say true believers, because the Romish system is one that is fitted for the world at large; whilst the Christian scheme only comprehends true believers or saints. Two things are essential for justification; repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Romish Church stumbles at the threshold; instead of saying in her Douay version of the Scriptures "repent and believe," she says, "do penance and believe." Anybody can do penance; but repentance, which implies a change of mind and disposition, is the work of the Holy Spirit. True repentance involves an essential change of heart in the man who repents; and the means whereby this true and saving repentance is wrought in the heart of man is the unutterable love of God and Christ as exhibited in the redemption of lost sinners. Repentance involves more than a loathing of sin because it is foul or degrading; and more than a fear of the punishment of sin; it involves the slaying of the natural enmity of the heart to God, and the desire to be reconciled to Him in Christ. Hence the Gospel ministry is called the ministry of reconciliation. The truly penitent believer is reconciled to his God and Father in Christ, believing in his gracious promises of mercy and love, and accepting pardon, grace and eternal life as the unmerited gifts of a God of mercy and love; he is united spiritually to Christ; in Christ he is adopted by God into his family; and as a pledge of his acceptance he receives the spirit of sonship, becomes under the dominion of sanctifying grace, lives and works in the Spirit, and in his affections and pursuits manifests that he is a new creature (or creation) in Jesus Christ. This is the faith that worketh by love. There are of course different degrees of sanctification; all believers have not imparted to them the same measure of grace; and all do not bear an equal amount of fruit; but in their main walk, they walk in the Spirit, (see Rom. viii.) and in the light; and against such there shall be no charge whatever laid; it