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THE NEW YOR
PUBLIC LIBRAR

ASTOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATION

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty, by

HARPER & BROTHERS,

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

The restless Spirit of the Age manifest in a longing after Change.

-The Fact shown by the State of every human Institution.-Religion

not exempted from its Influence.-The sad Effects produced on others.

-Principles of the Church opposed to Novelty.-Christianity perfect

in the System of the Apostles.-Nevertheless, the Spirit of the Age

operates within the Church, only in the contrary Direction.-Hence

the longing after Change, while looking to the Old rather than to

the New, has led, in some Cases, to Romanism.-The gross Error in

the Leaders of this Movement.-Church of Rome the greatest of all

Innovators.-The Result has been a Demonstration of our Unity and

Strength. The Disaffected were compelled to depart, and enter the

Communion of Rome.-But they left some Influence behind them.—

This Influence apparent in Mr. Maskell's Work, urging the Practice

of Auricular Confession.-A few among us are inclined to follow his

Course. Therefore the present Book on the Pise and Progress of the

Confessional.-The Plan set forth.....

CHAPTER II.

Page 7

The Modern Doctrine of the Church of Rome stated at large in the

Words of the Catechism of the Council of Trent.-On Penance as a

Virtue and as a Sacrament.-Its Elements, Contrition, Confession, and

Satisfaction.-Absolution, Secrecy, &c....

CHAPTER III.

13

The Doctrine of the Church of England stated at large in the Words

of the Homily of Repentance, the Liturgy and Offices.-The Contrast

between the Churches of Rome and England shown in fifteen Particu-

lars...

CHAPTER IV.

34

The Errors of the Latin Vulgate, and the greater Errors of the

Doway Version of the Bible shown in forty-two Texts arranged in tab-

ular Form, along with the original Hebrew and Greek, the corrected

Version of the Roman Theologians Pagnini and Montanus, and our

own English Version.-A critical Examination of the Terms of Scrip-

ture. The glaring Dishonesty of the Roman Translation........ 49

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CHAPTER V.

The Roman Doctrine of Sacramental Absolution tested by Scrip-

ture.—No Trace of such a System in the Old Testament.--Extract

from Buxtorf, showing the Practice of the Jews.-Examination of the

Texts in the New Testament, on which the Romanists rely.

The

Power of the Keys as exhibited in the Apostolic Administration.-

The Result shown to be totally irreconcilable with the Romish Doc-

trine....

Page 63

CHAPTER VI.

The Roman Doctrine of Satisfaction tested by Scripture.—Their
Arguments examined and shown to be opposed to the true Tenor of
the Word of God...

78

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CHAPTER VII.

The Testimony of the Fathers.--System of the primitive Church.-

Tertullian on public Penitence.-Cyprian.—Lactantius.—The Peni-

tential Canons of the Council of Elvira, and of the Council of Nice.

Eusebius of Cesarea.-Athanasius.--Cyril of Jerusalem.-Hilary.-

Basil the Great.-Gregory Nazianzen.-All, more or less, in entire

Discordance with the modern Roman System.

... 93

CHAPTER VIII.

Testimony of Ambgość; bishop of Milan, on the public and private

Exercise of Penitence toward the Close of the fourth Century.

The

Mode of performing private Penitence.—The Mode of performing

public Penitence. The Absolution given by the Priesthood when the

Offender was réstored to the Communion. The general Results of the

Divipe:Correction and Discipline to the penitent Sinner.-Epiphanius.

-Jeronie: - The Roman Scholiast on Jerome states the Opinion of

Erasmus in our Favor.:

109

CHAPTER IX.

Testimony of Augustin in plain Opposition to the modern Roman

System.—Some Passages indicate, nevertheless, the Decline of the an-

cient Strictness, and the Symptoms of an approaching Change.--Proof

from this Father that the Church had already innovated in many Re-

spects upon the primitive Simplicity..

119

CHAPTER X.

Testimony of Socrates and of Sozomen, the ecclesiastical Historians,

with respect to the Abolition of the Office of penitentiary Priest in the

Church of Constantinople.--Chrysostom.-Prosper...

134

CHAPTER XI.

Leo the Great.-A Change made by his Authority in Favor of Se-
cret Confession.—Gregory the Great.-- The Change advanced consid-
erably, but many salutary and true Opinions delivered by this Pope,

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CONTENTS.

V

intended to regulate and restrain the priestly Power.Forms of Ab-

solution from the Sacramentary of Gregory.—Isidore Hispalensis in

strong Contrast with the modern Roman System..

Page 142

CHAPTER XII.

Forms of Confession in the old Ordo Romanus.—Confession of St.

Isidore.-Confession of Rotbert.-Confession of St. Fulgentius.—Form

of Absolution by the Priest.—Another Form.-System of the Church

in a transition State, but still very far from modern Romanism.. 151

CHAPTER XIII.

The Roman penitential System from the Bishop of Cambray, Halit-

garius, in the ninth Century.-Forms of Prayer and Absolution.—Pen-

itential Canons still in force.-Great Difference between these and the

present System.-St. Bernard, in the twelfth Century, repeats the Doc-

trine of the old Fathers

156

CHAPTER XIV.

The Councils. - Council of Carthage, A.D. 252. — No canonical

Times of public Penitence yet appointed.—The Council of Elvira be-

gan the System of canonical Periods of Penitence.-The Councils of

Arles and of Nice, with a great Number of others, continued to legis-

late upon the same Subject.—The Penitence laid down by all these

was public.—The Inconsistency of it with the modern System of se-

cret Absolution proved by necessary Implication from many of the

Canons.-The third Council of Carthage.-The fourth Council of Car-

thage. The first Council of Toledo.—The Council of Chalons.---The

Council of Aix-la-Chapelle.—The Constitution of Riculf, bishop of

Soissons.-— The ecclesiastical Laws of King Edgar dictated by Arch-

bishop Dunstan.—Commutation of Penance, giving the Rich many great

Advantages over the Poor in obtaining the Absolution of their Sins.

- The Powers of the Priesthood kept steadily advancing to the Sum-

mit of Authority...

162

CHAPTER XV.

The fourth Council of Lateran, A.D. 1215, passed the great Decree

which compelled all to confess in private and receive Absolution once

a Year, under the Penalty of Excommunication.— The Canons of this

Council set forth at large.–Form of Absolution changed from the old

Language of Prayer to the Indicative, "I absolve thee."--Hugo Me-

nard's Account of the Change-Proof from Thomas Aquinas. The

Institution of Penance as a Sacrament came after this Council. The

Doctrine of Thomas Aquinas on the Subject.—This Doctrine was a

Novelty.—The Practice of the Oriental Churches stated.-Morinus,

with many other Romanists, admits the Innovation

181

CHAPTER XVI.

T'he Fruits of priestly Despotism shown by priestly Corruption and
Immorality.--The Council of Oxford and others on this Subject.---The

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Mode of conducting the Confessional laid down by the Constitution of
Coventry, by the Council of Cognac, the Council of Clermont, the
Council of Cologne, the Council of Exeter, the Council of Toulouse.
-The Scriptures forbidden to the Laity.-The Council of Trent.—

The Council of Milan. . . . . .

CHAPTER XVII.

.Page 190

Candid Statements of Fleury, the Roman ecclesiastical Historian,

n many Points, corroborating the Views of the Author.-The Cor-

uption of the Church consequent upon the Decline of the ancient Sys-

tem.-Gregory the Seventh.-The Crusades.-Pilgrimages.-Indul-

gences.-The Mischief produced by the School Divines.-The false

Maxims of the Confessional...

CHAPTER XVIII.

......

201

The Arguments of Expediency advanced by the Romanists disproved.

-First, by the comparative Superiority of Protestant over Papal Coun-

tries.-Secondly, by the Jesuit System, in which the Confessional was

made to indulge all Sorts of Immorality.-That System shown from

Pascal's Provincial Letters.-The Jesuits a fair Example for the

whole practical Results of Romanism.

CHAPTER XIX.

213

The fourth Lateran Council the Result of Expediency.—The Form

of private Absolution retained by our Mother Church in the Visitation

Office, borrowed from the Change brought in by that Council.-Reas-

ons why it was retained.—Our Church rightly set it aside.—No Au-

thority for considering it a Part of our System...
238

CHAPTER XX.

Present State of the Roman Confessional, from the Ursuline Manual,

set forth in Detail.-Its Errors briefly demonstrated..

CHAPTER XXI.

251

Conclusion.-The Danger of attempting to introduce into our Church

any Part of the private Confessional and Absolution of Rome.-Wrong

in Principle and impossible in Practice.—Innovation on the Apostolic

System not to be admitted..

260

APPENDIX, containing the Authorities cited in full.... ... 273

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