Chapter X. Of Indulgences

What do you mean by Indulgences?

Not leave to commit sin, or pardon for sins to come: but only a releasing, by the power of the keys committed to the church, the debt of temporal punishment, wnich may remain due upon account of our sins, after the sins themselves, as to the guilt and eternal punishment, have been already remitted by repentance and confession.

58 Of Indulgence*.

Can you prove from scripture that there is a punishment often due upon account of our sins, cfter the sins themselves have been remitted?

Yes; this evidently appears in the case of King David, 2 Sam. xii., where although the prophet Nathan, upon his repentance, tells him, ver. 13, “ The Lord hath put away thy sin,” yet he denounces unto him many terrible punishments, ver. 10, 11, 12, 14, which should be inflicted by reason of this sin; which accordingly afterwards ensued.

What is the faith of your church touching Indulgences?

It is comprised in these words of our profession of faith: I affirm that the power of indulaences was left by Christ in the church, and that the use of them is most wholesome to Christian people.

Upon what scripture do you ground this?

The power of granting indulgences was left by Christ to the church; Matt. xvi. 19, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” And we have an instance in scripture of St. Paul** granting an indulgence to the Corinthian whom he had put under penance for incest: 2 Cor. ii. 10. “To whom ye forgive anything” (he speaks of the incestuous sinner whom he had desired them not to receive), “ I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of

{Supremacy of St. Peter, fyc. 59

Christ that is, by the power and authority received from him.