Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/331

 CBLF. IX.] FB]ANCI--,,CON'ZSaZON. 3'23 on a priest, we quote the yet F words which all, th male and iems]e, are instrnctod to catechise themselves previous to con�ession, in refer- ence to the seventh commandment: "Committed adulte, fornication, or incest. Procured pollution on one'8 8elf or others. Wanton words, looks, or gestures. LasciYiotm dressing, colours, or painting. Lewd company. Lascivious balls or revellings. Dshonost books. Unchaste songs. lssing, or unchaste discourses. Took carnal pleasure, by touching myself or others, of' either sex. Showed some naked part of your body, to entice others. '*�er the priest has asked a variety' oi  silting questions on such points as those enumerated above, and tho* Toughly examined his female penitents with many* others too obscene to print, what will be the result ? And more especially when the peni- tent, litrter reciting the confiteor, and raising herself up from her pros- tration, "touches with her lips either the ear or cheek of the spiritual father ;** and this in ]9t.e. Surely comment is unnecessary* here. The facts brought before the public by Roman Catholics themselves convict their sacrament of penance of gross licentiousness. Time would fail and medest F forbid to give even half the well attested facts that could be adduced to prove the immoral tendency of' auricular confession. In Spain, Pope Paul I�. uttered his bull aFiinst the crime of mt, or of those priests who, in the act of' confes- sion, solicit the per80n confessing tindecent act8.$ When this bull was introduced into Spain, ever jbon who had been solieited was ilmtmcted, within thirty days, to report to the inquisitors. So great a number of females went to the palace of the inquisitor in the cit of Seville only, to reveal the conduct of their infamous conlessors, that twen notaries, and as many inquisitors, were appointed to note down their several informations. But these being found insufficient, several periods of thirty days were appointed, and the matter was finally given up, and the whole matter terminated where it began. Indeed, in Roman Catholic countries, the corruption arising from confession alone sot8 chastity* at dohnce, and setyes to introduce a flood of every' species of 8in. In Protest countries, a sounder morali, even mnon Catholics, prevafio..But we cannot endure the disgust of even writing these abominationriB Those who desire to read extended dis- cussions on such topics we refer to those authors who have treated on the corruptions of the Church of Rome in this respect. We ha,e now before ns two bulls of two d'erent popes, condenm- iBg this accursed practice of soliciting, which seems to have exten* airely obtained in .e Church of Rome. Gregor.[�. 88und a bull on thb in 1622, with the tide, U,' Z)pJU, fn which we give the following extract :--" Whoever shall attempt to solicit or rovoke any* persons, whoever they may be, to the perA)rmance of Tile acts, either between themselves or any other persozt whatsoever, in the act of sacramental confession, either before, or immediately after, or at the time, or under the pr0text of conf'ession, thoufh the confeasion should not accompany, or without the occasion of confession, in the confes- sional, or in any other place where sacramental confessions are heard, �or a place chosen to hear confession, and pretending there to hear c0u-
 * , to Pmd p. 46.

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