ment due, according to Divine justice, to their actual sins, as is equivalent to the value of the indulgence bestowed and received." "1

But this is not all; for this same pope, in this same bull, denounces by an excommunication all who deny this doctrine. And to come more to our own time, Leo XII., in 1825, in his bull for the observance of the jubilee of that year, said

"We have resolved, by virtue of the authority given to us from heaven, fully to unlock that sacred treasure composed of the merits, sufferings, and virtues of Christ our Lord and of his Virgin mother, and of all the Saints, which the Author of human salvation has entrusted to our dispensation. To you, therefore, venerable brethren, patriarchs, primates, archbishops, bishops, it belongs to explain with perspicuity the power of indulgences; what is their efficacy in the remission, not only of the canonical penance, but also of the temporal punishment due to the Divine justice for past sin; and what succour is afforded out of this heavenly treasure, from the merits of Christ and his saints, to such as have departed real penitents in God's love, yet before they had duly satisfied, by fruits worthy of penance for sins of commission and omission, and are now purifying in the fire of purgatory, that an entrance may be opened for them into that eternal country where nothing defiled is admitted." 2

1 "Monument. ad Historiam Concilii Tridentini." Judoci Le Plat. 4to. tom. ii. pp. 21, 24. Lovanii, 1782.

2 Laity's Directory for 1825. Keating and Brown, London. It is worthy of remark that Leo XII. struck a medal to commemorate this jubilee, bearing on one side his own image, on the other that of the church of Rome, symbolized as a Woman, holding in her right hand a cup, with the inscription around her, Sedet super universum, which may be rendered "the whole world is her seat." (See Elliott's "Horæ," vol. iv. p. 30. London, 1851.) The mystical Babylon of the Apocalypse is represented as having a cup in her hand (Rev. xvii. 4) full of abominations. This Queen is supposed to rule over all nations. We know the queen of Babylon was worshipped as Rhea (Chronicon Paschale, vol. i. p. 65. Bonn, 1852), the great mother of the gods (Hesiod, Theogonia, v. 453, p. 36. Oxford, 1737), whose cup was brimful of abominations of the most atrocious character, and this apocalyptical

Here, then, we have Romish divines expressing opinions on the same doctrine diametrically opposed to each other. We Protestants can afford to look on this Bellum papale, or war of opinions, with a smile, and suggest to our Romish brethren that, when they have agreed among themselves on their own doctrine, it will be time enough for them to prove us to be heretics for not believing as they do.

As a matter of doctrine or faith, the creed of the church of Rome simply says, "I also affirm that the power of indulgences was left by Christ in the church, and that the use of them is most wholesome to Christian people." The Trent Council does not give any definition, but adds "that moderation should be shown in granting indulgences, according to ancient and approved custom of the Church, lest by too much laxity ecclesiastical discipline be weakened.” Now we maintain, that, while the church of Rome has wandered from the ancient custom, the statements last given embrace the "custom" of the church of Rome of the present day, whatever Veron or any other Romanist, who is ashamed of the practical teaching of his church, may state to the contrary. As has been already said, we have nothing to do with the fallibility or infallibility of popes, or the variation of opinions existing in the so-called centre of unity. The definition given is the accepted and practical teaching of the church of Rome at the present day, however monstrous, however degrading, however anti-Scriptural it may be, and certainly is.

emblem of the harlot with the cup in her hand was embodied in the symbols of idolatry derived from ancient Babylon as they were exhibited in Greece, for thus was the Greek Venus originally represented. See Kitto's Bible Cyclopædia, which gives an engraving of the woman with cup from Babylon. Pausanias describes a heathen goddess with a cup in her right hand, lib. i. Attica, cap. xxxiii. p. 81. Leipsic, 1696.

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VI. Intimately connected with the subject of indulgences is the issue by popes of "jubilees." A jubilee is thus defined:

"A jubilee signifies a plenary indulgence in its most ample form, granted at different periods by the sovereign pontiff to those who, either residing in the city of Rome or visiting it, perform there the visitations of the churches and other prescribed works of piety, prayer, fasting, and alms-deeds, with confession and communion, which are always enjoined for the giving of these indulgences, in order to facilitate the return of sinners to God by the last-mentioned exercise of religion.”1

Boniface VIII., in A.D. 1300, was the first pope who took upon himself to proclaim a jubilee, though not under that name. His predecessors, Calixtus II., Eugenius III., and Clement III., had reaped such rich harvests by the issue of simple indulgences, that this more daring pope went a step further, probably to see how far he could impose on the credulity of mankind, knowing that if he succeeded a rich harvest would be certain. To make the "outpouring" of the treasure of the church more precious, Boniface proclaimed that a jubilee should occur but once in a century. So jealous was he of this privilege that he closed his bull thus:

"Let no man dare to infringe this bull of our constitution, which if he presume to attempt, let him know he shall incur the indignation of Almighty God, and of Peter and Paul, etc."

1 "Instructions and Devotions for the Forty Hours' Adoration ordered in the Churches during the Jubilee of 1852. Published with the approbation of the most Rev. Dr. Cullen." Duffy, Dublin, 1852.

2 "Nulli hominum liceat hanc paginam nostræ constitutionis. . . . infringere, siquis attentare præsumpserit indignationem omnipotentis Dei noverit se incursurum.' Corpus, Juris. Canon. lib. v. tit. 9, c. 1, vol. ii. p. 315. Paris, 1612; and for the Bull of Clement VI. ibid. p. 317.

Forty years, however, had scarcely elapsed, when Clement VI., A.D. 1343, burned with a desire to benefit mankind and to reap the advantage to be gained by the exchange of earthly treasures for heavenly. He therefore reduced the period to fifty years, and imposed the very same curse, and in the same words as his predecessor, on those who violated his decree. It was this pope who invented the name of "Jubilee." Fifty years was a convenient division of time; but Urban VI., in 1389, notwithstanding the aforesaid prohibition and threatened indignation, having also a keen eye to the commercial value of the commodity placed at his disposal, soon found an excuse for issuing another jubilee : he reduced the period to 33 years, that being the age of our Saviour. Such was his excuse. Paul II., A.D. 1464, was not to be outdone by his predecessors: he braved the tempest also, and disinterestedly reduced the period to 25 years, thus placing the benefit within the reach of each generation, that was his excuse: while the present pope, in the exercise of that benevolent spirit which we are told he enjoys in a superabundant degree, reduced the period to six years! He issued a jubilee in November, 1851, and again another in September, 1857. And why not (if there is any practical good in a jubilee) once a year, or even oftener ?

On announcing the fact of this last jubilee to his flock, the gentleman who claims to be "bishop of Shrewsbury" used these words :

"You will probably have heard from your brethren of some of the other dioceses, that the holy father has vouchsafed to open again the spiritual treasury of the church, and to grant a jubilee to the whole world."

1 "The Weekly Register" for May 1, 1858.

The pecuniary profit to Rome by these jubilees was enormous, as they brought together in that city an immense number of the devout (?), to gain the benefit of the plenary indulgence, who paid ready cash in exchange.' People came professedly to have their sins wiped away; but, if we are to credit the Roman Catholic historian, Fleury, another effect was produced. He tells us that Alexander VI. proclaimed a jubilee in A.D. 1500; and although the numbers in attendance were not so numerous as on former occasions, on account of the wars which then troubled Italy, yet "license and disorder reigned at Rome beyond any other place in the world. Crime was on the throne; and never, perhaps, had so monstrous a corruption of morals been seen, especially among the clergy."

"2

It will complete our definition if we here add the terms on which the benefit of the last jubilee might be gained.

1 "The Bishops," says Mosheim, "when they wanted money for their private pleasures, or for the exigences of the church, granted to their flock the power of purchasing the remission of the penalties imposed upon transgressors, by a sum of money, which was to be applied to certain religious purposes; or, in other words, they purchased Indulgences, which became an inexhaustible source of opulence to the episcopal orders, and enabled them, as is well known, to form and execute the most difficult schemes for the enlargement of their authority, and to erect a multitude of sacred edifices which augmented considerably the external pomp and splendour of the church. To justify, therefore, these scandalous measures of the pontiffs, a most monstrous and absurd doctrine was now invented by St. Thomas in the following century (the thirteenth), and which contained, among others, the following enormities:-That there actually existed an immense treasure of merit composed of the pious deeds and virtuous actions which the saints had performed beyond what was necessary for their own salvation, and which were therefore applicable to the benefit of others; that the guardian and lispenser of this precious treasure was the Roman pontiff; and that, of consequence, he was empowered to assign to such as he thought proper a portion of this inexhaustible source of merit, suitable to their respective guilt, and sufficient to deliver them from the punishment due to their crimes! It is a most deplorable mark of the power of superstition, that a doctrine, so absurd in its nature, and so pernicious in its effects, should yet be retained and defended by the church of Rome."-Mosheim, Eccl. Hist. Cent. xii. cap. iii. sec. 3. London, 1825. See also Neander's Church History, vol. vii. p. 485. London, 1852.

2 Fleury's Eccl. History, tom. xxiv. p. 399. Paris, 1769.