SERM." nature and quality of men's fins, nor impose fitCLX. "ting penance for them." This is the confeffion

of fins required in the church of Rome, which the fame council of Trent, without any real ground from fcripture or ecclefiaftical antiquity, doth most confidently affirm, "to have been instituted by our LORD, and by the law of GOD to be neceffary to falvati

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on, and to have been always practifed in the ca"tholick church."

I fhall as briefly as I can examine both these pretences, of the divine inftitution, and conftant practice of this kind of confeffion.

First, for the divine inftitution of it, they mainly řely upon three texts; in the firft of which there is no mention at all of confeffion, much lefs of a particular confeffion of all our fins with the circumstances of them; in the other two there is no mention of confeffion to the priests: and yet all this ought clearly to appear in these texts, before they can ground a divine inftitution upon them; for a divine inftitution is not to be founded upon obfcure confequences, but upon plain words.

The firft text, and the only one upon which the council of Trent grounds the neceffity of confeffion, is, John xx. 23. "Whofefoever fins ye remit, they r are remitted; and whofefoever fins ye retain, they "are retained:" It is a fign they were at a great lofs for a text to prove it, when they are glad to bring one that hath not one word in it concerning confeffion, nor the least intimation of the neceffity of it.

But let us fee how they manage it to their pur-, pofe. The apoftles and their fucceffors (faith Bellarmine) by this power of remitting and retaining fins, are conftituted judges of the cafe of penitents; but they cannot judge without hearing the cause, and

this infers particular confeffion of fins to the priest, SERM. from whence he concludes it neceffary to the forgive- CLX. nefs of fins.

But do not the minifters of the gospel exercife this power of remitting fins in baptifm? And yet particular confeffion of all fins to the priest is not required, no not in the church of Rome, in the baptifin of adult perfons. And therefore according to them, particular confeffion of fin to the priest is not neceffary to his exercifing the power of remitting fins, and confequently the neceffity of confeffion cannot be concluded from this text.

And to fhew how they are puzzled in this matter, Vafquez by a strange device concludes the neceffity of confeffion from the power of retaining fins; for (fays he) if the priest have a power of retaining fins, that is of denying pardon and abfolution to the penitent, then he may impofe confeffion as a condition of forgiveness, and not abfolve the penitent upon other terms. But fuppofing the priest to have this unreasonable power, this makes confeffion no other wife neceffary by divine inftitution, than going to Jerufalem or China is, in order to the forgiveness of our fins, or fubmitting to any other foolish condition, that the priest thinks fit to require; for according to this way of reasoning, this power of retaining fins makes every foolish thing, that the priest fhall impofe upon the penitent, to be neceffary by divine command and inftitution.

But the truth is, this power of remitting and retaining fins is exercised by the minifters of the gospel, in the administration of the facraments, and the preaching of the gofpel, which is called "the word "of reconciliation, the miniftry whereof is commit"ted to them." And thus the ancient fathers un

derstood

SERM. derstood it; and as a great divine told them in the CLX. council of Trent, it was perhaps never expounded by any one farther concerning the bufinefs of confeffion.

The fecond text they alledge to this purpose is 1 John i. 9. "If we confefs our fins, he is faithful "and just to forgive us our fins." Here indeed is confeffion; but general, not particular, as appears by the oppofition, "If we fay that we have no fin, "we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us: "but if we confefs our fins," that is, if we acknowledge ourselves to have been finners. And then there is not a word of confeffing to the priest; the confeffion here meant is plainly to God, because it. follows," he is faithful and just to forgive us our "fins," that is GOD, who is neceffarily understood in the former part of the fentence; as if it had run thus, "if we confess our fins to GOD, he is faithful "and juft to forgive us our fins."

The third text is, Jam. v. 16. "Confefs your "faults one to another, and pray one for another.” And here again there is only mention of confeffion, but not a word of the priest: and for another reason, if I had been to advise them, they fhould not have preft this text for their fervice in this caufe, because it does them as much hurt as good; for it is certain, the duty of confeffion here enjoined is reciprocal and mutual," confefs your fins one to another:" so that if by virtue of this text the people are bound to confefs their fins to the priest, the priest is hereby as much obliged to confefs his fins to the people; which I dare fay is more than they have a mind to prove from this text. The plain meaning whereof is this, that as chriftians fhould be ready to perform all mutual offices of charity, fo to affift and comfort one

another,

CLX.

another by their counsel and prayers. And there- SERM. fore the apostle adviseth Chriftians when they are fick, if at the fame time they be under any fpiritual trouble, by reafon of the guilt of any fin lying upon their confciences, to lay open their cafe to one another, that so they may have the help of one anothers advice and prayers; "confefs your faults one "to another, and pray one for another, that ye cc may be healed," both of your bodily and fpiritual diftemper. Not that the priest or minifter is here excluded; St. James had spoken of that particular before, that when " any was fick," he should " fend "for the elders of the church," that he might in the first place have the benefit of their counfel and prayers; and then because private chriftians may also be useful to one another in this kind, he adds that they should alfo lay open their condition and troubles" to one another;" that fo they might have the help of one anothers advice and prayers; and very probably all the confeffion here meant of private Christians to one another, is of the offences and injuries they may have been guilty of, one towards another; that they fhould be reconciled upon this occafion, and as a teftimony of their charity, fhould

pray one for another;" whereas they are bound "to fend for the elders of the church," and they are "to pray over them," as an act not only of charity, but of fuperiority, and by virtue of their office in the church, a more especial bleffing being to be expected from their prayers.

These three texts are the main arguments from fcripture, which they of the church of Rome bring to prove their auricular or fecret confeffion to be of divine inftitution; and woful proofs they are: which fhews what miferable shifts they are reduced to, who refolve to maintain a bad cause. I pro

SERM.

CLX.

I proceed in the fecond place, to discover the falfhood of their other pretences, that this kind of confeffion hath always been practised in the catholick church; and not only fo, but believed abfolutely neceffary to the remiffion of mens fins, and their eternal falvation.

The truth of the whole matter is this: publick confeffion and penance for open and fcandalous crimes was in ufe, and with great ftrictnefs obferved in the first ages of Chriftianity; and there was then no general law or custom, that exacted fecret confeffion of fins to the priest, as a neceffary part of repentance, and condition of forgiveness: afterward publick penance was by degrees difused, which plainly fhews, that, in the opinion of the church, this difcipline, how useful foever, was not of abfolute neceffity to restore men to the favour of GOD.

In place of this came in private confeffion to the prieft, particularly appointed to this office, and called the penitentiary; but upon occafion of a scandal that happened, this alfo was abrogated by Nectarius bishop of Conftantinople; which fhews that neither was this neceffary. And this act of Nectarius was justified by his fucceffor St. Chryfoftom, who does over and over moft exprefly teach, that confeffion of our fins to men is not neceffary to the forgiveness of them, but that it is fufficient to confefs them to GOD alone; fo that St. Chryfoftom does plainly stand condemned by the decrees of the council of Trent.

And thus for feveral ages the matter refted, till the degeneracy of the church of Rome growing towards it's height, about the IX. and X. centuries, fome began to contend for the neceffity of fecret confeffion; and this in the year 1215. in the IV. council of Lateran under Pope Innocent III. was decreed and established.

And