incommensurate with that unholiness which had stained their several careers through life. But it could not be doubted whether "a certain looking-for of judgement and fiery indignation" had led the dying transgressor to confess his guilt, and to seek for absolution.

Nor do Roman theologians content themselves with speaking thus, "Peace, peace", to the consciences of sinful men. The mortal shaft steals often unperceived upon its victim, allowing not the time for sacerdotal intervention. And shall attrition here be powerless? Shall the Church refuse to mitigate the pangs which have overtaken unexpectedly the miserable child of disobedience? Shall she look with stern severity upon the grief excited among survivors by his awful and perhaps untimely fate? Her aspect is never thus repulsive towards those who listen submissively to her voice. If the attrite sinner were only willing and disposed to undergo the usual course of penitential discipline, had opportunities allowed him, he need not despond, because the act of God renders such disposition unavailable for its proper end. His soul will graciously be freed from "the bitter pains of eternal death," although no priestly accents are allowed to convey the

m Jerem. vi. 14.

soothing assurance of forgiveness, no priestly ears to receive the mournful detail of his iniquities. Thus the Church of Rome not only undertakes to secure salvation without true repentance, but her children are also taught, that no individual of their whole community can hardly by any possibility finally miss the beatific vision. For who is there that, in the grasp of death, would not wish, at least, for absolution from his sins? Incredibly hard must be the heart, incredibly obtuse the apprehension, of him who would not keenly feel, in such a moment, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God"." Can we, then, be at any loss for a reason why the Roman Church so extensively enchains the affections of mankind? Had she no other powerful attractions for the human mind, (and she has many,) her doctrine of attrition alone would sufficiently account for a very large portion of her influence. What, indeed, is it, but a full conviction that this doctrine is utterly untenable, which allows any who ever heard of it to turn away from her invitations? In Scripture, however, notoriously and undeniably, it is not contained either expressly or by inevitable implication. Nor, again, will a cautious advocate contend that

n Heb. x. 31.

it can be collected with any degree of certainty or precision, at least, from the records of ecclesiastical antiquity. Are, then, assurances of safety from attrition, the growth of that age, comparatively recent, when scholastic divinity riveted the admiration of intellectual Europe? By no means, we are told: the schoolmen merely acted by this as by other doctrines of our holy faith. Under their masterly hands, verities, current immemorially in the Church, assumed that exact and technical form which rendered them most useful to the student. This doctrine of attrition, therefore, is an integral portion of that traditional deposit which was intrusted to their successors by the first preachers of Christianity. Now if the case indeed be so, witness must necessarily be borne in its favour by the religious monuments of ancient England. Does it appear, then, from these venerable documents, that among the traditions holden by our AngloSaxon fathers, was one, promising safety for the soul through any channel short of true repentance?

By way of throwing light upon this question, it is obviously desirable, as a preliminary step, to discover the leading principle of Anglo-Saxon penitential discipline. The re

monstrance of a Frankish council, assembled in the ninth century, will probably supply us with a key to the information required. It is maintained by the fathers in this address, that God allows no sin to pass unpunished: hence, that offences unavenged while men remain upon the earth are only reserved for penalties infinitely more severe in a future state". What mind, sufficiently impressed with such an opinion, would not reason, that should angry visitations of Providence fail of afflicting men in due proportion to their ill deserts, common prudence bound them to impose voluntarily upon themselves the just measure of suffering demanded by their moral failures?

The Penitential of Theodore, accordingly, and other compositions of a similar description, embrace every known shade of human transgression, entering into great minuteness of detail; and they affix to each iniquity a definite degree of penance. They are, therefore, codes of criminal jurisprudence, enabling men to decide upon the precise nature of those inflictions here, which a due regard to the happiness of their souls hereafter was considered to exact. Of such provisions, a sufficient knowledge, even in the plainer cases, would be necessarily placed be

yond the capacities and opportunities of ordinary minds. Instances also could not fail of occurring from time to time, for the due treatment of which, direct information would be vainly sought in any of the standard authorities. Hence the clergy naturally became the established dispensers of penitential discipline; and an accurate acquaintance with its entire principles and provisions, both recorded and inferential, was rendered an important feature in their studies. Obviously, however, they could not reduce to practice their skill in this branch of their profession without a sufficient knowledge of the delinquencies committed by the members, individually, of their several congregations. Auricular confession, at least of the more considerable iniquities, was thus indispensably required. This point of discipline was naturally recommended also, as tending to produce that humiliation which fits the heart for the reception and operation of heavenly grace. It was, therefore, earnestly recommended before communion, especially where men's consciences were disquieted by sins of magnitude. But the principal object of concession was, undoubtedly, no other than to furnish ecclesiastics with that information which the imposition of penance demanded'.