The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Controversy 8 · Chapter 2
CHAP. 2. Of the word Satisfaction. State of the Queſtion.
BEſides the general ſignificaion of the word Satisfie, which ſignifieth, to give content, there are two kinds of ſatisfaction in the civil ſociety, which belong to the preſent queſtion. For either ſatisfaction is made for injuries and offences, or for debts. For injuries, ſatisfaction is made(a)Terent. Adelph. Nolim ſactum, juſjurandum dabitur te eſſe indignam injuria hac. when a man proteſteth that he is ſorry for it, excuſeth himſelf with humility, and craveth pardon. The Roman Civil Law had forms of ſatisfactions for offences. But as for debts, ſatisfaction is made by paying, either perſonally, or by another.
Our Adverſaries and we are agreed upon this, That ſince we have offended God, we ought to humble our ſelves before him, repent, amend, and crave his pardon. If that be called ſatisfying, we willingly acknowledge and approve that ſatisfaction. But becauſe our ſins in the Lords Prayer are called debts, whoſe payment is nothing elſe but the puniſhment due to Gods juſtice, the queſtion is, Whether the faithful children of God are able to pay that debt? and, Whether God exacts of them ſatisfactory pains to ſatisfie his juſtice? and, Whether they be obliged to bear penances or pains, which ſerve for expiation or ſatisfaction to God?
It is the doctrine of the Roman Church, that by abſolution, which the Prieſt giveth in the Sacrament of Penitence, the whole fault of the ſins committed ſince Baptiſm, is remitted and put out, but not the whole pain: And that by the vertue of the Keyes, eternal pain is changed into temporal, by which we muſt ſatisfie and bear it, both in this life and in Purgatory. Which is the reaſon why the Prieſt impoſeth ſatisfactory pains upon the ſinner, which he muſt bear and fulfill to ſatisfie the juſtice of God. And if the Penitent doth not wholly ſatisfie in this life, and dyeth before he hath fulfilled the ſatisfaction, he muſt bear thoſe pains which remain yet to bear, in Purgatory, to fulfill the ſatisfaction.
According to that doctrine, our Adverſaries take the word Satisfaction for a compenſation payed to God for the offence. As Cardinal Tolet ſaith,(b)Tolet. Inſtruct. Sacerd. l. 3. cap. 11. Eſt autem ſatisfactio, ut in praeſenti ſumitur, offenſae poenae quoad poenam recompenſatio. Saisfaction is a recompence of the offence paſt, as for the pain. And the Catechiſm of the Council of Trent, in the Chapter of the Sacrament of Penitence,(c)Satiſfactio eſt rei debitae integra ſolutio. Eſt compenſatio, cum homo pro peccatis commiſſis aliquid ſolvit. Satiſfaction is an entire payment of the thing due, and a compenſation which a man payeth unto God for his ſins. According to that doctrine, when a man hath born the pains enjoyned by a Prieſt, we muſt ſay that God is wholly paid and well recompenced, and believe that God will be contented with that payment: And that the Prieſt knoweth exactly how much God muſt have, that he may be wholly paid, and call for no more. Bellarmine in the firſt Book of Indulgences, Chapter 2. makes no difficulty to ſay, that the remiſſion of the pain is due to the ſatisfactory work by commutative juſtice. That commutative juſtice, is a juſtice that payeth ſo much for ſo much, ſo that God being thus paid by the Penitent, ought in reaſon to be contented, and according to that Cardinals rule, God muſt pardon, and ſhould be unjuſt, if he accepted not for payment thoſe ſatisfactory pains, which the Penitent fulfilleth by the Prieſts injunction.(d)Bellar. lib. 1. Indulg. cap. 9. Juſtificatus poteſt ex condigno ſatiſfacere Deo pro debito poenae temporalis. The ſame Doctor ſaith, that the juſtified man can ſatisfie God for the debt of the temporal pain, Ex condigno, that is, by an equipollent ſatisfaction. And Cardinal Tolet, As near as can be, one muſt impoſe a juſt and equal ſatisfaction; that is, according to the grievouſneſs of the ſin.
By all that was ſaid, it appears that the ſatisfactions of the Roman Church, are not only humiliations and requeſts for pardon, but are pretended to be payments and recompences to ſatisfie Gods juſtice. As indeed the chief of all theſe ſatiſfactions is the pain of Purgatory, which is a puniſhment inflicted by a Judge, who draweth ſatisfaction from the ſinner, and a revenge, as the Council of Trent told us before. For in Purgatory, the amendment, and the correction, or warning for the future hath no more place. The ſame appeareth, becauſe the Pope diſpenſeth and diſchargeth ſuch as he pleaſeth from thoſe ſatisfactions;(e)Tolet. de Inſtruct. Sacerdotali, l. 3. c, 11. Quantum fieri poteſt, ſatisfactio juſta & aequalis imponi debet. for he would not diſcharge a ſinner from being contrite, and from craving pardon of God. Alſo becauſe the Roman Church in the Sacrament of Penitence, puts Contrition and Confeſſion, as things different from ſatisfaction, ſo that ſatisfying is another thing then being contrite, and asking pardon of God, by confeſſing ſin unto him. So then ſatisfying in the ſtyle and ſenſe of the Roman Church, is paying God, it is giving compenſation to God, it is contenting his juſtice by ſuffering the puniſhment.
Our language is far from that, for we ſpeak after the Word of God. Among the ſufferings and the diſgraces which we bear for the doctrine of the Goſpel, we have that honour, that we maintain the perfection of the merit of our Saviour Jeſus, and that we are Advocates among men of the honour of him, who is our Advocate with God. For knowing the miſery of our nature, and how guilty we are before God, we humble our ſelves before him, and to him make Confeſſion of our ſins, believing that the beſt, yea the only Penitence which God requireth at our hands, is to be ſorry that we have offended God, and that keeping our ſelves from evil, we apply our ſelves unto good works, and advance in the fear of God. For as the book of Eccleſiaſtical maximes attributed unto Saint Auſtin, ſaith,(f)De dogmatibus Eccleſiaſticis, cap. 34. Poenitentia vera eſt poenitenda non admittere, & admiſſa deflere. Satisfactio poenitentiae eſt cauſas peccatorum excindere nec earum ſuggeſtionibus aditum praebere. True penitence is not to do things which we ſhould repent for afterwards, and to weep for ſins committed, ſatisfaction of penitence is to cut off the occaſions of ſin, and to give no acceſs to their ſuggeſtion. But as for ſatisfying God by ſaisfactory pains, we acknowledge no other ſatisfaction but the ſufferings of our Saviour Jeſus, who gave himſelf a ranſom for us, and who is the Lamb of God that taketh away the ſins of the world. This ſatisfaction being moſt ſufficient, we look for no other, and renouncing our own ſatisfactions, we repoſe our conſciences upon the only ſatisfaction which Chriſt offered unto God.
We borrow not the ſatisfactions of Saints or Monks, knowing that the beſt of them was ſaved by Chriſts ſatisfaction, not by the merit of their ſufferings. We are not ſo raſh as to enjoyn a ſinner to pay God, or give him ſome compenſation, knowing that God will not be paid with ſuch light coyn, as mens works or ſufferings; we adviſe conſciences not to build their faith upon ſuch a weak foundation. We are not ſo injurious to Gods goodneſs and mercy, as to believe that he giveth us but half a pardon, or that he receives not Chriſts ſatisfaction for as much as it is worth, ſeeing that it is ſufficient to acquit us both from temporal and eternal pain. We will not wrong his juſtice ſo much, as to believe that he puniſheth with ſatisfactory pains, thoſe that have no more ſin, and that by conſequent are no more guilty; or that he will take two payments for one debt, and two ſatisfactions for one ſin, ſeeing that one, which is that of Chriſt, is moſt perfect and ſufficient. We are confirmed in this belief, becauſe we ſee that thoſe very men that impoſe theſe ſatisfactions, diſpenſe from them afterwards, as acknowledging them not neceſſary, and ſometimes they give abſolution without any ſatisfaction. Alſo becauſe we ſee that theſe humane ſatisfactions are very gainful to them that maintain them, and that the benefit of Chriſts merit was pared purpoſely, to make room for gain. For if no other ſatisfaction but that of Chriſt were acknowledged, Prieſts ſhould have no authority to impoſe corporal or pecuniary penances, and none ſhould have recourſe to the Pope to be delivered from thoſe pains by Indulgences, which are ſo beneficial unto him: He hath invented torments for ſouls, that he might releaſe them for their money. He hath built a burning priſon for ſouls, that he might be the Jaylor, and that the living ſhould pay for the deliverance of the dead. But this accuſation muſt be juſtified with proofs, and requires a Chapter apart.
But before we bring our proofs, the Reader is deſired to remember, that to have a clear underſtanding of this difference,(g)Gellius, lib. 6. c. 14. Puniendis peccatis tres eſſe debere cauſas exiſtimatum eſt. Una eſt, quae foreign vel foreign. Altera, quae foreign. Tertia, quae foreign, à Graecis nominatur. the ends for which God afflicteth ſinners, ought to be carefully diſtinguiſhed. 1. Some pains are called Caſtigatory, which ſerve to amend and correct the ſinner, turn him away from vice, and teach him to fear God. So doth a father chaſtiſe his children, and a good Maſter his Diſciples. 2. There are Satisfactory pains, which ſerve not to amend the ſinner, nor to turn him away from vices, but to ſatisfie juſtice, and pay unto God a compenſation for the pain due to our ſins. Such is (if we believe our Adverſaries) the torment of Purgatory fire, where amendment hath no more place. 3. There are alſo ſome pains which are called Exemplary, and are inflicted to be an example and a warning to others. Such are the pains of malefactors, which are publikely puniſhed or executed, that others may be refrained by their examples.
Theſe ends, though different, may ſometimes meet in one puniſhment. As when a thief is whipt in publick, he ſatisfieth juſtice, he giveth example to others, and by his puniſhment he is taught to amend.