The Bank of the Pope, Or, the Sacred Taxes of the Chancery, and of the Penitentiary, of Rome, as Established by Pope John XXII in 1316, and Published - Books Group

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1846 Excerpt: ... Church and State under Constantine had caused the ' offence of the cross to cease' in a great measure; then we behold the ' mystery of iniquity' manifesting itself in still bolder and bolder expressions of assumed powers, peculiar to the ecclesiastical ' man of sin' referred to by inspiration. It is true, that in opposition to this representation of unautJiorized construction of Apostolic rights, Dr. Wiseman has given a single case, which he deems in point, from the scriptures as preparatory to the subsequent practices above alluded to. The Dr's scriptural example is that of the excommunicated and subsequently restored Corinthian, mentioned I Cor. v, 3--5, and H Cor. ii, 5--10; and in reference to which, he remarks: ' After this striking example in the word of God, we shall not be surprised at finding the church, in the earliest times claiming and exercising a power similar in every respect ' And to show what this power' was, he adds, ' we must naturally expect to see it imitate the Apostle, first in imposing, and then in remitting and modifying such temporary chastisments.' For an exposition of the Dr's fallacious reasoning on this supposed, and only case of Apostolic example, (as quoted by Dr. W.) for granting R. C. indulgences, the reader is again referred to our note in the appendix, which he is desired to read with care. But the Dr. proceeds by saying that ' to understand its practice the church's clearly, it may be necessary to premise in few words on the subject of canonical penance: From the age of the Apostles it was usual for those who had fallen into grievous offences to make a public confession of them--whereof I gave you one or two examples in treating of confession--and to subject themselves to a course of public penance, which received the n...