gifts of the Holj' Ghost." The Roman Church has also a form of absolution for the dead (absolutio <h /'un<- torum). It consists in certain prayers performed by the priest, after the celebration of the mass for a de- ceased person, for his delivery from purgatory.
3. The Roman Church practises sacramental absolu- tion. According to the decision of the Council of Trent (sess. xiv, cap. vi, etc. can. ix), the priest is judge as well as the minister of Jesus Christ ; so that the meaning of the words, ego ie absolvo a peccatis tuis in nomine Patris et Filii it Spiritus Sancti. Amen, is not merely, " I declare to thee that thy sins are remit- ted," but, "As the minister of Jesus Christ, I remit thy sins." The view of the Greek Church appears to be that " Penitence is a mystery, or sacrament, in which he who confesses his sins is, on the outward declaration of pardon by the priest, inwardly loosed from his sins by Jesus Christ himself" (Longer Catechism of the Rus- sian Church, by Blackmore). It is very plain that the New Testament does not sanction the power claimed by the Roman hierarchy, and that it is altogether in- consistent with the teaching of the earlier fathers of the Church. When Jesus Christ says to his minis- ters, " Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted ; and whosesoever sins ye retain, the}' are retained," he imparts to them a commission to declare with au- thority the Christian terms of pardon, and he also gives them a power of inflicting and remitting ecclesi- astical censures; that is, admitting into a Christian congregation or excluding from it. Absolution in the New Testament does not appear to mean more than this : and in early ecclesiastical writers it is generally confined to the remission of church censures, and re- admission into the congregation. It is generally agreed that the indicative form of absolution — that is, " I absolve thee" — instead of the deprecatory — that is, " Christ absolve thee" — was introduced in the twelfth or thirteenth century, just before the time of Thomas Aquinas, who was one of the first that wrote in de- fence of it. The Greek Church still retains the depre- catory form. See Indulgence.
4. " The Church of England also holds the doctrine of absolution, but restrains herself to what she sup- poses to be the Scriptural limits within which the pow- er is granted, which are the pronouncing God's for- giveness of sins upon the supposition of the existence of that state of mind to which forgiveness is granted. The remission of sins is God's special prerogative — ' Who can forgive sins but God only?' (Luke v, 21) — but the public declaration of such remission to the penitent is, like all other ministrations in the ( Ihurch, committed to men as God's ministers. The Church of England has three forms of absolution. In that which occurs in the morning service, the act of pardon is declared to be God's. The second form, in the com- munion service, is precatory ; it expresses the earnest wish that God may pardon the sinner. The third form, in the visitation of the sick, is apparently more uncon- ditional, but not really so; since it is spoken to those who ' truly repent and believe in God.' The words of absolution which follow must lie interpreted accord- ing to the analogy of the two other forms, which refer the act of pardon to God. And that the Church does not regard the pronouncing of this absolution as neces- sary, or as conducive to the sinner's pardon, is evident from the absence of any injunction or admonition to that effect. It is noticed in the rubric, apparently, as an indulgence to the sick man if he heartily desire it ; but no hint is given that he ought to desire it, nor any exhortation to seek it." See Palmer On the Church, ii, 280; Wheatly (in Common Prayer, -U0 sq. ; Bing- ham, Orig. Eccl. bk. xix, cb. i; Pascal, l.iturq. Cathol. p. M; Coleman, Christ. Antiq. ch. xxii, § 8; Elliott, Delineation of Romanism, i, o05. Compare Confes- sion; Penance.
Abstemii, a name given to such persons as could
ABSTINENCE
38
ABSTINENCE
not partake of the cup at the Eucharist on account of their natural aversion to wine.
Abstinence (a<Tiria, not eating, Acts xxvii, 21), a general term, applicable to any object from which one abstains, while fasting is a 'species of abstinence, namely, from food. See Fast. The general term is likewise used in the particular sense to imply a par- ti il abstinence from particular food, but Jast signifies an abstinence from food altogether. Both are spoken of in the Bible as a religious duty. Abstinence again differs from temperance, which is a moderate use of food or drink usually taken, and is sometimes extended to other indulgences ; while abstinence (in reference to fond ! is a refraining entirety from the use of certain articles of diet, or a very slight partaking of ordinary meals, in cases where absolute fasting would be hazard- ous to health. See Selk-dexial.
1. Jeirhli. — The first example of abstinence which occurs in Scripture is that in which the use of blood is forbidden to Noah (Gen. ix, 20). See Blood. The next is that mentioned in Gen. xxxii, 32 : " The chil- dren of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto th's da//, because he (the angel) touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank." See Sinew. This practice of particular and commemorative abstinence is here mentioned by anticipation long after the date of the fact referred to, as the phrase " unto this da}-" inti- mates. No actual instance of the practice occurs in the Scripture itself, but the usage has always been kept up; and to the present day the Jews generally abstain from the whole hind-quarter on account of the trouble and expense of extracting the particular sinew (Allen's Modem Judaism, p. 421). By the law abstinence from blood was continued, and the use of the flesh of even lawful animals was forbidden, if the manner of their death rendered it impossible that they should lie, or uncertain that they were, duly exsan- guinated (Exod. xxii, 31 ; Deut. xiv, 21). A broad rule was also laid down by the law, defining whole classes of animals that might not be eaten (Lev. xi). See Animal; Food. Certain parts of lawful animals, as being sacred to the altar, were also interdicted. These were the large lobe of the liver, the kidneys and the fat upon them, as well as the tail of the " fat- tailed'' she sp (Lev. iii, 9-11). Every thing conse- crated to idols was also forbidden (Exod. xxxiv, 15). In conformity with these rules the Israelites abstained generally from food which was more or less in use among other people. Instances of abstinence from allowed food are not frequent, except in commemo- rative or afflictive fasts. The forty days' abstinence of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus are peculiar cases, requir- ing to lie separately considered. See Fasting. The priests were, commanded to abstain from wine previous to their actual ministrations (Lev. x, 9), and the same abstinence was enjoined to the Xazarites during the whole period of their separation (Num. vi, 5). See NAZARITE. A con-taut abstinence of this kind was, at a later period, voluntarily undertaken by the Re- chabites (.Jer. xxxv, 1(1, 18). See Rechabite.