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<DATE>2009-07-03</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B090521.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A80136">
<STC T="W">c5255a</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99896113</BIBNO>
<VID>153870</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
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<HEAD>THE Great Que&s;tion In the Ca&s;e of the ABSOLUTION OF Sir <HI>John Friend</HI> and Sir <HI>William Parkens,</HI> Which will be in&s;i&s;ted on at the Trial of the Ab&s;olvers 'tis pre&s;um'd will be, whether the giving them <HI>Ab&s;olution</HI> at the place of Execu|tion, was a Lawful, or Unlawful Act.</HEAD>
<P>That it was a Lawful Act, appears to me from the following Con&s;iderations;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. FOR a Mini&s;ter of the Church of <HI>England</HI> to give Ab&s;olution to a dying Penitent, if he humbly and heartily de&s;ire it, is a lawful Act, as appears by the Rubrick in the Office for the Vi&s;itation of the Sick; which is not only con|firm'd by, but a part of the Act of Uniformity.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. There being no particular Office appointed in the Liturgy for Per&s;ons to be Executed (who&s;e Souls are as
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precious, and as much to be taken care of, as the Souls of tho&s;e who dye in their Beds) that for the Vi&s;itation of the Sick, which by parity of Rea&s;on is farely applicable to the ca&s;e of Per&s;ons to be Executed, who are to be con|&s;ider'd as dying Men mu&s;t be u&s;ed, or none at all in their Ca&s;e; unle&s;s the Mini&s;ters officiating is left to the liberty of Extemporary Effu&s;ions, which rather become a Calvi|ni&s;tical Elder, than a Presbiter of the Church of <HI>England.</HI> And why is it not as ju&s;tifiable to u&s;e the Office for the Vi&s;itation of the Sick in the Ca&s;e of Per&s;ons to be Exe|cuted as to u&s;e the Prayer in that Office Publickly in Churches in behalf of the Sick, which are appointed by the Rubrick to be u&s;ed in the &s;ick Per&s;ons Cham|ber; for which only nece&s;&s;ity, and a defect in the Li|turgy is pleaded?</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The Circum&s;tances of time and place and Ceremo|ny being entirely left by the Rubrick (where there is nei|ther Command nor Prohibition concerning them) to the di&s;cretion and choice of the Mini&s;ters Ab&s;olving, and the Penitent to be Ab&s;olved; how could it be Criminal in the Ab&s;olvers of Sir <HI>J. F.</HI> and Sir <HI>W. P.</HI> to give them Ab&s;o|lution with Impo&s;ition of Hands at the place of Execution, which they de&s;ir'd as a comfortable Support under the Terrors of Death, as a <HI>Viaticum</HI> in their Pa&s;&s;age to Eter|nity?</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. 'Tis entirely left to the Ab&s;olving Mini&s;ter to judge of the Spiritual &s;tate of his Penitent, whether he be due|ly qualified, or not, to receive Ab&s;olution.&mdash;<HI>Vid</HI> Ru|brick, <HI>ut &s;upra.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. The Mini&s;ters Ab&s;olving is to re&s;t Satisfied with an Account of the general Repentance of the Per&s;on to be
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Ab&s;olved, who is not obliged to make a particular and &s;pecial Confe&s;&s;ion of his Sins to the Ab&s;olver, unle&s;s he feel his Con&s;cience troubled with any weighty matter; as appears by the Rubrick, <HI>ut &s;upra.</HI> To affirm the contrary, is to plead for Auricular Confe&s;&s;ion, as 'tis taught and practi&s;ed in the Church of <HI>Rome.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. If the Per&s;on to be Ab&s;olved makes a &s;pecial volun|tary Confe&s;&s;ion of his Sins, the Ab&s;olver is bound by the Canon to conceal it, and keep it a Secret from all the World. <HI>Vid.</HI> 113. <HI>Can.</HI> If it be Objected that in ca&s;e of a Trea&s;onable Con&s;piracy which the Penitent confe&s;&s;es, the Ab&s;olver is not bound to conceal it, it may be an&s;wer'd, that in the Ca&s;e of Sir <HI>J. F.</HI> and Sir <HI>W. P.</HI> there was no trea&s;onable Con&s;piracy &s;o pretended or laid to their charge, but what was di&s;covered and made publick, and which they were Convicted of.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Suppo&s;e, that after the Death of the Ab&s;olved Peni|tent, who dies in his Bed by the Vi&s;itation of God, a Pa|per &s;hould be publi&s;hed under his own Hand (which the Ab&s;olver knew nothing of) whereby it appears that he was Guilty of <HI>Here&s;y</HI> in the Church, and Trea&s;on in the State, and that he ju&s;tified both the one and the other: Shall this affect the Ab&s;olver, and make him a Criminal in giving Ab&s;olvtion? If not, then, with Submi&s;&s;ion, nei|ther could the Paper left by Sir <HI>J. F.</HI> and <HI>W. P.</HI> with the Sheriff, and afterwards publi&s;hed, which the Ab&s;olvers were altogether Strangers to, any ways affect the &s;aid Ab&s;olvers, or render them Criminals in giving them Ab|&s;olution.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. Suppo&s;e that Sir <HI>J. F.</HI> and Sir <HI>W. P.</HI> had left no Paper with the Sheriff, and none had been publi&s;hed after their Death; 'tis pre&s;um'd then that the Ab&s;olvers would
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not have been Qe&s;tioned, or Cen&s;ur'd for giving them Ab|&s;olution.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. Nay farther, &s;uppo&s;e that Sir <HI>J. F.</HI> and Sir <HI>W. P.</HI> had left a Paper with the Sheriff, which he had after|wards publi&s;h'd, acknowledging their Guilt, and &s;ignify|ing their Repentance as to that particular Crime which they were Convicted of; then 'tis pre&s;um'd that the Ab|&s;olution would have been &s;o far from being Cen&s;ur'd for giving them Ab&s;olution, that it would have bee generally agreed to be a Charitable, regular and lawful Act. And if it was in it &s;elf a lawful Act at the time of the Perfor|mance of it, no &s;ub&s;equent Act or Circum&s;tance what&s;o|ever, which the Ab&s;olvers were Strangers to, would make it unlawful. Nothing could make it unlawful <HI>&agrave; parte po&s;t,</HI> which was a lawful Act <HI>&agrave; parte ante.</HI> But if it was in it &s;elf an unlawfull Act at the time of the performance of it, no &s;ub&s;equent Act or Circum&s;tance what&s;oever; how grateful &s;oever to the Government, as in the before mention'd in&s;tance, could make it lawful.</ITEM>
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<TRAILER>FINIS</TRAILER>
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