Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/319

 CH. IX.] PSNCr,CONFEnOIq. 311 This, however, is a mattor'which does not give the Church of Rome any concern, for she lute in reserve the sacrament of penance, by which she can take away all the sins which a man has committed after baptism. Persons may live in the practice of every sin; yet, by confessing to a priest as often as they please, they can get all their sins forgiven; and it is required that they do this once a year at least; and once a year they receive absolution, which absolution by a priest is understood to be as effectrod, and it satisfies the sinner as completely, as if he were favoured with a voice from heaven, assuring him that he was absolved in the court above. CHAPTER IX. �CONFESSION. 1. Doctrine of Protestants concerning confession: 2. Auricular confession of the Church of Rome. Council of Lateran quoted. Council of Trent cited. Catechism. The tear, tear cited: 3. The/r proofs for it considered. Jmes v, Conferion of the Jews to John the Botist. '* Whose sins ye remit.'? They uy that it is necessary in order to asccrtain the disposition of the sinner. It is without Scrip- ture authority: 4. Scripture is against it: 5. Their argument from antiquity. The confession in use different from that of the Church of Rome. Frst, Private confeion was not in ue till nine hundred years after Christ; 8ezoy, It was only advisable, nt nc____ry; 77tsr/y, The father taught contrary thereto: 6. It perplexes the commcience of the pious: 7. The wecrgcy of confession. The Roman Catechism cited. I)ens quoted: 8. It gives men license to commit sin. It is put as a sutmtitute for reformation. Specimens of questions asked: 9. It corrupts the clergy. Boll against molictantm quoted: 10. Their ergtmtents in favour of it considered. 1. Tam Scripture declares, that "whosoever confesseth and for- saketh his sins shall find mercy," Prey. xxviii, 13. Now, all the sins that can be con/eased fall under these three heads, viz. :Thosc whereby God is offended, and he only; or those whereby some panit cular man is offended, as well as God; or such whereby scandal i given to the public society of Christians where we live, though no particular man be injured. .S.e to sins whereby God is offended, we think it proper and agree- able to God's word that men should confess, even privately, to pious men, and more especially to a pious minister. Such a confession is commendable to a sinner who needs direction to overcome some parti- cular sin; or when he is so overwhelmed with the burden of his sins, as to need some well-informed Christian to explain to him the rerum of the gospel. In regard to sins of the second class, viz., whereby we have injured particularpersons, we are certainly bound not only to confess them to God, but tb the offended person also, and, as far as in our power, make restitution to him. This we are bomid to by tbe natural laws of justice and equity, and by the law of the gospel. Matt. v, 23, 24. In which case we see, it is not sufflciont, when we have offended any one, to ask forgiveness of God alone, but we are also to make reconciliation with our brother; otherwise we are incapable of offering up our prayers to the Almighty. In reference to those sins which injure the public society of Chris- 1

�