times, persons, places and ages, in order that he should not be inattentive to what is laid down in the sacred canons respecting the places, ages, times, or quality of the crimes, and of the grief of each delinquent. From these testimonies it appears how differently the ancient churches of the East and West, thought and taught, concerning Confession, from what the multitude of present sectaries and innovators think and teach.

To these testimonies we may add the general Councils: the Council of Lateran, under Innocent III. chap. 21. that of Constance, Sess. 8. of Florence in Instruct. Armenorum, the council of Trent, which I have inserted above at large, which, although rejected by our adversaries, by reason of their being of a more recent date than the others, are, however, rejected without reason. For they transmit to

us a faith and doctrine perfectly conformable to all the most ancient Councils, and contain the sentiments of the whole Catholic church, during the space of four hundred years, so that they cannot be said to be in error, without admitting, at the same time, that the whole church of Christ has erred with them, (which is impossible,) and consequently, that the gates of hell have indeed prevailed against her, notwithstanding the promises of Christ.

CHAP. IV.

CONFESSION PROVED FROM THE TESTIMONY OF THE FATHERS WHO LIVED FROM THE YEAR 100 TO 200.

To the testimonies of the Councils, we may add the testimonies of the Fathers, as well Greek, as Latin, who flourished in each age of the church.

ST. IRENEUS.

I shall cite in the first place, St. Ireneus, who lived in the first age, almost immediately after the Apostles, who was the disciple of St. Polycarp, who had been himself, the disciple of St. John the Evangelist. In his first book, chap. 9, he thus writes of certain women, whom Marcus the heretic, had seduced: These, says he, often converted to the church of God, confessed, that having their bodies exterminated as it were, by him, and inflamed by lust, they loved him to excess.

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And, speaking a little below of another who had been seduced; When with great labour the brethren had converted her, penetrated with grief, she spent her whole time in confessing and bewailing her sins (in Exomologesi) and lamenting the crime she had been led, by this Magician, to commit. And in the third book, chap. 4. Cerdon, says he, after coming into the church, and making his confession, thus, spent his time, at one time privately teaching, at another making his confession.

TERTULLIAN.

The second testimony I shall adduce in favour of confession, is the great Turtullian, who flourished towards the end of this same century, under the reign of Severus, as he himself informs us in his apology, chap. 4. It is thus, he writes in his book on penance, (ed. Froben) p. 484. I presume, says he, that many avoid declaring their sins, or delay it from day to day, because they have more regard for their honour, than they have for their salvation; they resemble in this respect those who having contracted a disease in the hidden parts of their body, conceal it from the eye of their physician, and suffer themselves thus to br bereft of life, through an unhappy shame. And a little after in a strain of irony: O the singular advantage to be gained. by concealing our sin! Do we think, that by covering it from the eyes of men, it will escape the all-seeing eye of God? Here then is a strong testimony in favour of Confession, from one who lived shortly after the Apostles. He speaks in the most explicit terms of the necessity of confessing even our most secret sins, that it is not enough to confess them to God, but we must also declare them to men; and he considers our very salvation, as depending upon the faithful discharge of this duty.

CHAP. V.

TESTIMONIES OF THE FATHERS WHO LIVED FROM THE YEAR 200 TO 300.

ORIGEN.

ORIGEN, who lived at the beginning of the second century, after the Apostles, under the reign of Alexander Afameas and immediate

ly after Tertullian, compares the secret sins, which burden the conscience, to indigested meat, which overloads the stomach, and says, that we must have recourse to confession, in order to rid ourselves of our sins and be cured. His words are these: Dum accusat semetipsum & confitetur, simul evomit & delictum, atque omnem morbi digerit causam. Hom. 2. in Psalm 37. T. 1. He adds, moreover, that we must use great discernment in the choice of our spiritual physician, to whom we are to discover the diseases of our soul; that having made choice of one, we must obey him in all things; and if he hould judge that we ought to declare any one of our faults to the assembly of the faithful, we must submit to it, Here we see, that it w the practice of the faithful in those days, on some occasions, and when specially enjoined by the Priests, to make a public confession of some of their faults, that before they made this public confession, they previously made a secret confession to the priest, and that they did not declare before the public, all the sins they had revealed in private. This testimony is no less strong than the foregoing. But Kemnitius, has taken it into his head, to distinguish here, secret sins from public ones, and to pretend that the doctrine of Origen, is, that it is sufficient to confess the former to God alone, and that it is not necessary to reveal the others to the priest, except to know from him, which those are, which may be declared in the assembly of the faithful, with fruit and edification, without exposing them to the evil consequences of slauder. He maintains that this doctrine is contained in the two homilies, upon the 37th Psalm, observing, that the first treats of sins of the first sort, and the following of those of the second. But, I here challange any one, who will take the trouble to read the above mentioned homilies, to point out to me, the least foundation for any such distinction. It is all mere assertion, and but a lame contrivance to weaken the force of the testimo ny. Origen gives sufficiently to understand in other passages, how much he is persuaded of the necessity of confessing his most secret sins, when for example, he says: that the only means of preventing the accusation of the devil our enemy, is to accuse ourselves; that he who has carried us to offend God, will not fail to accuse us of our most secret sins, even of those we have committed in thought; but by accusing ourselves, we shall avoid his malignity. What stronger refutation can there be to the imaginary distinction of Kempitius? This reformer may equally read his condemnation in these other words of the same Father. If we confess our sins, not only to God, but likewise to those who have the power to heal our wounds, our sins will be effaced

by him who has said: I will blot out thy iniquities as a cloud, and thy sins as a mist. His words are: "Si revelaverimus peccata nostra non solum Deo, sed et eis qui possunt mederi vulneribus nostris, delebuntur peccata nostra ab eo, qui ait : ecce deleo ut nubem iniquitates." Hom. 17. in Lucam. T. 1. Ed. Froben. p. 272.

ST. CYPRIAN.

This great saint was contemporary to Origen, and was crowned with martyrdom in the year 258. In his sermon De lapsis, he employs the whole force of his eloquence, to induce the faithful to make an exact confession of their sins. Thus he speaks: Let each one of you, says he, confess his faults whilst he is yet in the world; whilst his confession can be received; and whilst the satisfaction he will offer, will be agreeable to God. Serm. de lapsis, Ed. Froben. p. 226. And relating, in another place, the example of a girl who had been signally punished by almighty God for having neglected this important duty, prior to her receiving communion: She had deceived man, says he, but she could not escape the vengeance of God. And again, in another placé ; How many do we see, says he, daily possessed by impure spirits, because they do not confess their secret sins. Serm. de lapsis. ed. Rigalt. p. 202; and every where reminds his flock of the all-seeing eye of God, which penetrates all things, and which suffers nothing to

escape.

CHAP. VI.

TESTIMONIES OF THE FATHERS FROM THE YEAR 300

TO 400.

LACTANTIUS.

This great man, whose testimony I am now about to cite, was so celebrated for his eloquence and erudition, that he was styled the Christian Cicero. He flourished towards the end of the third, and the beginning of the fourth century. His virtue and merit rendered him so conspicuous, that Constantine entrusted him with the education of his son Crispus. But this, far from elevating, only served to render him more modest. He lived in poverty and retirement, amidst the abun

dance and noise of the court; and whatever presents the Emperor made him, he never failed to distribute them to the poor. He died in the year 325.

In the fourth book of his divine Institutions, chap. 17. he warns us not to keep our hearts envelloped and hid, that is to say, as he explains himself, not to conceal in the recesses of our conscience any hidden crime, under the veil of dissimulation. He then proceeds to show, that the circumcision of the Jews, was the figure of confession, and that this was the circumcision of the heart, of which the prophets spoke. God, says he, who by his infinite bounty has provided us with all the means necessary to salvation, has traced out to us in the circumcision. of the flesh, the true idea of penance, in order that if we discover our hearts naked, that is to say, if we confess our sins, to please God, we may obtain of him the pardon, which he refuses those who obstinately persist in their evil ways, and who conceal the sins which they have committed. Can there be any thing stronger, or more clear than this sage, to impress upon us, the strict obligation we are under, to confess our most hidden sins?

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The same Lactantius, in a work which he wrote against the Nova tians, lays down confession, as a mark of the true church: It is thus he writes. As every sect and denomination of heretics, says he, deem themselves Christians, and theirs to be the Catholic church, it is proper they should know that that church is the true one, in which there is confession, and penance, which heals the sins and wounds to which the weakness of our flesh is subject. What will those Protestants who condemn and prescribe confession, say after this?

ST. ATHANASIUS.

This great Saint, was Bishop of Alexandria. His whole life was one continual struggle against the heretics of his days, and particularly against the blasphemous errors of Arius; whose history is so well known. He had been banished four times from his see, by the Roman Emperors, at the instance of the Arians; during which time he wrote many excellent works. He died at Alexandria on the 2d of May, 373, after having been bishop 43 years.

In his sermon upon these words: Go into the village that is over against you; and immediately at your coming in thither, you shall find a colt tied, &c. Towards the end of the sermon he speaks thus: