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 CHLP. IX.] FBNSCB---CONrZesOW. 321 on fasting days ! Or been accessory to others' doing so ? How often ? Have you neglected to sonless your sins once a year ? Or to receive the blessed sacrament at Easter !'* &c. The reader will perceive that there is scarcely a word that relates to the spirit and meaning o� the divine precepts, while the f.ast8 and f.eaats of. the church are put in their place. The above is sufficient to show what sort 0� a thing auras cnlar confession is, 80 far as regards the things confessed and the questions put. And here there is one thing which must, I think, deeply affect the resder'8 mind. The interrogatorass axe aJJ formed on the 8uppooiton that the penitent my be a great and habitual transgressor. He may be one who has had a custom of. swearing rashly by the name of. by his soul, and by way 0� imprecation on himself; and who Juts been in the habit of doing so many times in a day-. Now, xt order to make a good confession, it is not necesstry that he have actually f'oreaken his wicked habit. It is enough that he confesses his fault, and reod to �0reake it, or makes a firm reolut/o of forsaking it; and the priest, on this �o/om, and rvohgo, and p'ome, grants him absolution. In this the Church of Rome is directly opposed to the Bible. True (3hrtianity knows nothing of. good resolutions distinct from good prac- Lice. There is not in the whole Bible a promise of' pardon to him who only reoolves to forsake sins. This, however, in oUnary cases, 8 88 much as the priest exacts from the penitent. For when a man comes to the priest, and makes prof.easion of' amendment, the pt*Jest must grant him ilMolution, though both priest and penitent be unperauaxled of any change in the character of the latter, and though both expect he will immedly return to the practice of' all mnner of' wickedness, trug to the efficacy of a new confession and t new absolution. And though he should have confessed annuaUy fifty times, his exercise in his fiftieth year of' confession embraces only. a pitTpose Of amendment-- a purpese that is never expected to be put into practice. It is true he rrade henceforward to flee occasions of. sin. He fo4t to perform * such good devotions as m necesssry for obtaining this grace; and he reao/tM, to lies idleness, and to set himself' a regular method and order of life for the .time he haa yet to come; but Ida reformation generally mrmbmtes with a periodical nmolution of' doin better, without any real refornmti(m. And indeed there seems to be a provision in their church fr ,his conthual postponement of reformation of. life, for they seem to calculate on a return to sin, by tbe proHsion they make by absolution for the continual pardon of' 8hm repeated and persisted in. Thio repe- tition and perevermace in sin are even excused find provided far, which appears fom the (ollow.g. declaration of tim Trent Catechism: "To no one can it appear mulmmng if persous fall into sin, the com- mon malady of the human race, and the natural appmtduge of human Nor doe8 confession serve as a rr o sin, as is msintalnod by tim Churoh of Rome; but, on the other hand, a8 e nunage it, it jwoves a !icenos to commit 8blJoat qel species of ran. It is true, it, my lmve fears respecuag goiug to con�es.on, which mary serve for 'a short time to restrain them from 8in. But when they learn that their going to co,,ession and th,, receivi eolm give them ononuraf �ot. L

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