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"This Halitgarius," saith our author, "was the Bishop of Cambray. He lived in the reign of Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald, by the latter of whom he was sent to Constantinople on a mission to the Emperor Michael," &c.-(App., Note 122.) Then follows the work in question.

"How Bishops and Presbyters should receive the Penitent.

"Whenever Christians come to penitence, we prescribe fasting, and we ought to communicate with them in this fasting for one or two weeks, or as much as we can; that it may not be said to us, as it was said to the Jewish priests by our Lord and Saviour, Woe unto you, lawyers, who oppress men, and put upon their shoulders grievous burdens, but ye yourselves do not touch these burdens with one of your fingers. For no one can relieve his fellow falling under a load, unless he stoops down that he may extend his hand; neither can a physician cure the wounds of the sick, unless he partakes in the evil odor; so, likewise, no priest or pontiff can heal the wounds of sinners, or bear away their sins from their souls, unless by extreme solicitude and the prayer of tears.... Therefore let us also, if we see any one lying in sins, hasten to call him to penitence by our doctrine.... Thus, as we have said above, the bishops or the presbyters ought to humble themselves, and to pray with sorrow, with groaning, and with tears, not only for their own transgressions, but also for the transgressions of all Christians, that they may be able to say with blessed Paul, Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? For he who comes to penitence, seeing the priest sorrowful and weeping for his crimes, being more impressed with the fear of God, is more deeply grieved, and abhors his iniquities."—(App., Note 123.) But if it happen that any one can not fast, and has the means of redemption, if he is rich, let him give twenty shillings for seven weeks; if he has not wherewithal to give so much, let him give ten shillings.. .... But if he be very poor, let him give three. And let every one attend to the object of his gift, which should be either for the redemption of captives, or an offering upon the holy altar, or to be expended on poor Christians," &c.-(App., Note 124.)

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Next we have the prayers which the priest offers for the penitent before giving the absolution.

The

following is one of the fullest forms, and they are all upon the same model:

"I supplicate, O Lord, the majesty of thy clemency and mercy, that thou mayest vouchsafe to this thy servant, confessing his sins and crimes, thy pardoning grace, and mayest forgive the guilt of his past transgressions, thou who didst bring back upon thy shoulders the lost sheep, and didst bend thine ear, pleased with the confession and prayers of the publican. Be also gracious to this thy servant, O Lord; kindly assist his prayers, that he may continue appeasing thee by his confession. Let his weeping and his supplication speedily obtain thy perpetual clemency, and, being restored to thy holy altars and sacrifices, let him again be subject to the hope of thine eternal and celestial glory. Through the Lord."-(App., Note 125.)

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Prayer of the Imposition of Hands.

"O holy Lord, Almighty Father, eternal God, who through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, hast deigned to heal our wounds, we thy suppliants beseech thee, and we thy humble priests implore thee, that thou wouldst vouchsafe to incline the ear of thy pity to our prayers, that thou wouldst remit all the crimes and pardon all the sins of this thy servant, and give him pardon instead of punishment, joy instead of sorrow, life instead of death. He has fallen from his celestial dignity, yet, confiding in thy mercy, let him be accounted worthy to attain the bountiful peace and heavenly gifts of thy recompense, even to life everlasting. Through the Lord."-(App., Note 126.)

"Here begins the Reconciliation of the Penitent.

"First, he repeats the 50th Psalm, with the Antiphon, A clean heart. O God! thou most benignant Creator and merciful Reformer of mankind, who, in the reconciliation of the fallen, hast been willing to save even me, that chiefly need thy mercy; grant that, by the effects of thy grace through the sacerdotal ministry, the merit of thy suppliant ceasing, the clemency of the Redeemer may become the more marvelous. Through our Lord."

"O omnipotent and everlasting God, loose through thy compassion the sins of this thy servant confessing them to thee, that the guilt of his conscience may not hurt him in punishment, more than the pardon of thy compassion may comfort him with forgiveness. Through the Lord."

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"Another.

Almighty and merciful God, who hast placed the pardon of sinners in a speedy confession, succor those who have fallen, have pity on those who have confessed; that what the chain of their iniquities has bound, the greatness of thy compassion may absolve. Through the Lord."—(App., Note 127.)

After these forms, we have an exact detail of canonical penance laid down at great length, commencing as follows:

“ Here beginneth the Judgment of the Penitent.

"If any bishop or other ordained person shall commit homicide... let him do penance during ten years; three of which shall be on bread and water. If a layman, let him do penance for three years; one of which shall be on bread and water," &c.-(App., Note 128.)

The document proceeds to specify the discipline appointed for adultery, perjury, theft, sorcery, sacrilege, and many other crimes, all of which have their periods of penitence assigned in the same manner. To these is added another list of various minute offenses, provided for with equal precision, and leaving very little to the discretion of the priests. The whole of this is plainly derived from the old canons of public penance, and there is no allusion throughout to any rule or injunction of secrecy. Thus we see that, so late as the ninth century, the penitential discipline of the Gallic Church was in a very different condition from that which the papal system now imposes. For, first, it was applied not to all, but only to gross offenders. Secondly, the confession was made to God, without any mention of the Virgin or the saints. Thirdly, it was purely voluntary. Fourthly, the priests were bound to fast and weep along with the

offender. Fifthly, although the first confession might be made before a single bishop or priest, yet the reconciliation and absolution were administered by sev

eral, as is plainly indicated by the plural form in the prayers. Sixthly, the absolution was in the form of prayer, instead of the modern positive and judicial assumption, "I absolve thee." Seventhly, the reconciliation was by the imposition of hands. Eighthly, the penance was not left to the secret discretion of a single priest, but was laid down from the Canons. Ninthly, there was no injunction of secrecy.

But I shall now pass to the early part of the twelfth century, and consider the aspect of confession as it appears in the writings of the famous St. Bernard.

This eminent man was the Abbot of Clairvaux, and the great and influential spirit of his day, throughout the whole of western Christendom. His reproof was dreaded by popes and cardinals. His influence was powerful enough to stir up a crusade. His authority was sought for in every dispute and controversy. His name, notwithstanding the long period which had intervened, was associated, by general consent, with the great lights of the Church, and he was reverenced as the last of the fathers. Let us listen, therefore, to his doctrine on the general subject of penitence and confession, and see how it agrees with the modern system of the Church of Rome. Thus he speaks:

"I will pour out all my miseries before God, if haply His great compassion may move Him. I will confess my sins to Him, to whom all things are naked and open; whom I can not deceive, because He is Wisdom; whom I can not escape, because He is every where. Hear, therefore, O most compassionate God, hear my confession, and have respect to thy pity, and do with me according to thy mercy."-(App., Note 129.)

There is no allusion to the priest in this author's numerous statements on the subject of penitence, but they are all in the same strain as the foregoing, recalling the language of Augustin, Chrysostom, and Isidore. Thus, while the Catechism of Trent tells

us of the peace and ease which auricular confession produces to the conscience, and directs the penitent to hear the voice of the priest as he would hear the voice of Christ himself, saying, "Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee," Bernard enjoins the very contrary, as follows:

"Because the mercy of God is secret, it is necessary to weep without intermission. Hear, therefore, my dearest sister, the words of blessed Isidore: It is not right that the penitent should have security concerning his sins.' Why? Because security begets negligence, and negligence often brings the incautious man back to his former sins."-(App., Note 130.)

Nothing can show more clearly the novelty of the present Romish system than this. It is precisely the same doctrine which we have already quoted from Gregory the Great, Isidore, and others. But here, so late as the twelfth century, we have the very argument by which Rome recommends the secret tribunal of the priest, selected, in the judgment of Bernard, as a subject of condemnation.

My next extract from our author will show a plain contrariety to another dangerous falsehood of the Catechism of Trent, viz., that one may satisfy the divine justice for another: a doctrine which is closely allied to the Roman figment of works of supererogation. Commenting on the parable of the Ten Virgins, Bernard thus cites the language of the five foolish virgins:

"Give us (say they) of your oil. A foolish petition. The just man will scarcely be saved, and hardly even to the saints does the oil of their righteousness suffice for salvation; how much less both to themselves and to their neighbors? Noah, Daniel, and Job will not deliver their son, but even as the soul which sinneth it shall die, so the soul which doeth righteousness will alone be saved."(App., Note 131.)

In the forms which Bernard has left for private confession (p. 400), as well as in the extracts select

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