? P?q&Ncr,---SATIBY&?FION. [Boor IL mortal and venial in their nature, they are led to stop in the possees/on of an imperfect repentance. For thiy who believe sins are venial or pardonable in their own nature, if they understand a consequence, do not require repentance to make sins pardonable, or to obtain a pardon which they do not need. As by this means repentance is rendered imperfect, 8o re/a/m= are extremely easy, and therefore frequent. Where such a leaven is left in the heart, it will affect the whole man. St. Gregory said well, "If we neglect to take care of small sins, being insensibly seduced, we will also boldly perpetrate the greater sins."* � 14. The distinction of sins into mortal and venial as to their nature tbsters a di.?osition to commit one kind of sin, the pardon of which is certain. For there being so many ways of making great sins litde, and little sins none at all, by the folly and craf? of men, a ?eat portion of God's right and our duty to him are, by way of compromise, left to carelessness and folly; so that most perseus indulge freely in those sins for which they have security they shall never be damned. As to purgatory, it is a mere antidote or security against hell; but it has nothing formidable to deter men from their sins, but to warrant their venial sins, and their irapeal'oct repentance for their mortal sins. And if venial sins be such as the Roman doctors describe them, viz., that they neither destroy or lessen charity or the grace of God; that they only hinder the.?rveno] of an act, as sleep, business, or any innocent thing can do; that they are not against the law; that they are not properly sins; that all the venial sins in the world would not amount to one mortal sin; but as time differs from eternity, finite from infinite, so do all venial. sins ever committed differ from one mortal act; that for all of them a man is nevertheless beloved, and loves God nothin.q the less. If venial sins be such as Roman writers affirm they are, purgatory itself, though represented by some as very dreadful, must possess little terror to those who are instructed according to the dec- trines which the theory of venial sins inculcates. But though they terrify men with purgatory in the end, they easily divest it of its ter- rors by the easy remedies and preventions which they have invented. Venial sins may mostly be pardoned, according to their doctrine, at as cheap a rate as they are committed. In the mean time, to believe in purgatory serves the ends of the Roman clergy; and to have so much indulgence in committing venial sins serves the ends of the laity. 15. The Roman Catholics teach that one man may satisfy for snother. The authors of the Roman Cate/?hism say, "God has granted to our frailty the privilege that or? may satisfy for anotker," p. 272. They confine, however, this privilege to the satisfactory part of pe- nance, as they say it does not extend to contrition or confession; since no man can be contrite or confess for another. This is the general doctrine of their church, taught by their divines and practised in their exercise of discipline. The effect of it is, that some are enriched abundantly through its pwvisions; and others are quite careless in consequence. It is a canonical rule, "? non salvit in ere, i, mt i? ?m'pore :""He that doe? ?ot pay in raoul must ?'uffer i? ? body." �"8i curare parva ne?ligimus; insenaibiliter seducti, ?udenter eliare majo? perpetrsmuLn-Lib. x, Moral., c. 14; ms quoted by Taylor, Doc?rine mid Practice 1
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