The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

342 OF INDULGENCES.years from the allotted period of suffering there. Indulgencesare also divided into 'plenary and partial. The indulgenceisplenary when the whole temporal punishmentdue for sins committed prior to the date of the indulgenceis remitted.In a partial indulgence, part only of the temporalpunishment is discharged : in this case the period isgenerally stated, and ranges from a day to some hundredsof thousands of years ; which means that the person"'s futuresojourn in purgatory will be less by the period fixed in theindulgence.*Romanists have affected a virtuous indignation at thecharge which has not unfrequently been preferred againstthem, that their Church has established a system of sellinglicenses to commit sin. They have denounced this as a calumny,because, forsooth, their Church does not take moneybeforehand, but allows the sinner first to gratify his passions,and then receives the stipulated price. But where is thedifference ?If Rome tells the world, as she does, that for acertain sum,—which is generally a small one,—she will grantabsolution for any sin which any one may choose to commit,and if the person finds that he has the requisite sum in hispocket, has he not as really a license to commit the sin as ifthe indulgence were already in his possession \ Besides,what does Rome say to those indulgences which extend oversome hundreds of thousands of years I How easy would itbe to buy a few such indulgences, and so cover the wholeperiod allotted for suffering in purgatory ; and not only so,but to have a balance in one's favour. In such a case, letthe person live as he lists ; let him commit all manner ofsins, in all manner of ways ; is he not as sure as Rome canmake him, that they are all pardoned before they are committed? Here is a license to sin with a vengeance. Couldthe evil heart of man, greedy on all wickedness, desire anampler toleration, or could larger license be granted by theauthor of evil himself \ The foulest ef the ancient poly the-Perrone's Prselectiones Theological, torn. ii. pp. 417, 418.