3. The third argument is drawn from its great utility: for, an humble confession, brings always with it so many real benefits and advantages, that if there were no other proof of its divine institution, these alone would suffice. For, whether we consider God, or whether the priests who govern his church by his authority; whether we take the whole church in general, or only each of the faithful individually, the signal utility of confession every where appears.-First, we discover in this scheme the wonderful mercy of God, who does not here extort the confession of the guilty, after the manner of terrestrial judges, in order to condemn them after having confessed; but like a charitable physician, în order to heal their wounds, as soon as they shall discover them: also his justice, which checks the pride of the sinner, by the humility of confession, and which exacts that those who did not blush to do what was shameful, should undergo the confu sion of confession.-2dly, Great advantage is derived therefrom to the pastors of souls, who by the confession of the sheep, become acquainted with their diseases, and thus are better enabled to apply to each one the most convenient remedies, as well in private by their counsels, as in public by their discourses. 3dly, The utility of confession both to church and state, is no less apparent: for many evils which can never be remedied by public courts of justice, are without difficulty corrected by the tribunal of penance. Witness the number of restitutions daily made, which would never be made without it :-Witness the many families divided by mortal dissentions, from time immemorial, that are reconciled and meet together again in the kiss of peace and friendship:-Witness the many baneful effects of slander and detraction, which are arrested and destroyed by the retractions and reparations of penitents, who are obliged to discharge this duty at the risk of their very characters, under the penalty (in case of refusal) of being deprived of absolution, and consequently of the benefit of the sacrament :-Witness the many unjust contracts that are dissolved by it, the many thousands of vices and disorders most injurious to the community, which are eradicated, and which the civil authority would in vain attempt to suppress.-Witness, in short, the many dangerous conspiracies, and other foul compacts, which have been from time to time, and are still detected and eluded by the confessor's wise and prudent counsel to the penitent, and caution to the state.-Lastly, the principal utility that accrues from confession, is received by those who discharge as they ought, this duty with integrity and fidelity.

For, to say nothing of the inestimable benefit of having their sins remitted them, and of being reinstated into favour with God, which Jesus Christ has solemnly promised, Mat. 18. 18. and John 20. 22, 23, they will receive also many other advantages; such as a present comfort and ease of conscience, a remedy against future sins, directions and prescriptions from the minister of God, for curing the spiritual maladies of the soul, &c. 2dly, that by this short passing confusion, which will last but a moment, they will escape the dreadful shame of having their sins written on their foreheads at the last day, to their eternal confusion, when the Lord, according to the apostle St. Paul, 1 Cor. 4. will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. These and many other advantages, of which frequent mention is made in the works of the holy fathers, are obtained by every sincere penitent upon making a faithful and exact confession of his sins.

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4. The fourth and last argument, I shall offer in favour of the divine institution of confession, is drawn from the infalibility of the church, which has repeatedly and solemnly declared this truth in her general councils, and emphatically taught the same in every age. This declaration alone of the Catholic church, the oldest and only church that has descended in a direct line from the Apostles down to us, and which St. Paul styles the pillar and ground of the truth, ought indeed to suffice to resolve every difficulty on this subject, and banish for ever all doubt. But as our adversaries, for reasons best known to themselves, are not willing to concede this privilege to the church, of never erring in matters of faith, I shall proceed to establish it, by such arguments, as I trust, will leave no doubt upon any unprejudiced mind. This truth, in fact, is the more important, as it not ouly offers an invincible argument in favour of confession, but puts an end at once to every dispute on matters of religion.

THE CHURCH CANNOT ERR IN MATTERS OF

FAITH.

In order that the question may be fairly stated, and leave no room for equivocation, I first define and understand the word, Church, to be that society of faithful, founded by Jesus Christ, propagated by the Apostles, continued by the posterity of the first Christians, perpetu

ated to us by the faithful, always governed by pastors, inheritors both of the faith and of the sees of their predecessors, spread over the earth, and visible in all ages, in the exercise of the functions of the sacred ministry.

Now it is to this church, that Jesus Christ has made his promises: It is this church, which has subsisted from her first establishment without any interruption, and which will subsist to the end of time: It is in short, this church which cannot teach errors contrary to faith. Three propositions which I shall establish by the most convincing and undeniable proofs.

FIRST PROPOSITION. I say then first, that it is to the church, such as I have represented her to be, namely, to a church visible by the continuity of the faithful, the uninterrupted succession of her pastors, and the exterior functions of the sacred ministry, that Jesus Christ has made his promises. To be convinced of this, it is enough to read what precedes and what follows the promises, which Jesus Christ has made to his church: it will be immediately seen, that to attach any other idea to the church of which Jesus Christ speaks, is to sport with the scripture, and to abandon one's-self without reserve to the most absurd and ridiculous imaginations.

Let the reader then examine the promise which was made in the 16th chap. of St. Matt. v. 18. where it is said: Thou art Peter; (a) and upon this rock (b) I will build my church; and the gates of hell

(a) Thou art Peter, &c. As St. Peter, by divine Revelation, here made a solemn profession of his faith of the divinity of Christ; so, in recompense of this faith and profession, our Lord here declares to him the dignity to which he is pleased to raise him, viz. That he, to whom he had already given the name of Peter, signifying a rock, St. John 1. 42. should be a rock indeed, of invincible strength, for the support of the building of the church; in which building he should be, next to Christ himself, the chief foundation stone, in quality of chief Pastor, ruler, and governor; and should have accordingly, all fullness of ecclesiastical power, signified by the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

(b) Upon this rock, &c. The words of Christ to Peter, spoken in the vulgar language of the Jews, which our Lord made use of, were the same as if he had said in English, “Thou art a rock, and

(a) shall not prevail against it. Let him observe also, that immediately after these words, our divine Saviour adds, addressing himself to Peter, v. 19. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven: Can any thing be more plain? Can words be clearer? Is there not here a church pointed out, in which there are both pastors and sheep, in which they absolve and in which they condemn, in which they bind obstinate sinners, and in which they loose such as are contrite, and consequently, in which the ministerial function is visibly exercised? But was the visible exercise of the ministry to be confined to the time of St. Peter? Was it not to extend to future ages, and to be continued by the successors of this apostle? It is then manifest that he had here a visible and a successively continued society in view, and that it is to such a church he has promised, that "the gates of hell shall never prevail against it."

Let us again examine this other promise of the Saviour in the 28th chap. of St. Matt. v. 20. Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world, and let it be observed that these words were not addressed to the apostles until after they had received the

So that by the plain

66 upon this rock I will build my church," course of the words, Peter is here declared to be the rock, upon which the church was to be built; Christ himself being both the principal foundation and founder of the same. Where also note, that Christ, by building his house, that is, his church, upon a rock, has thereby secured it against all storms and floods, like the wise builder, Matt. 7. 24. 25.

(a) "The gates of hell," &c. That is the powers of darkness, and whatever satan can do, either by himself, or his agents. For as the church is here likened to a house or fortress, built on a rock; so the adverse powers are likened to a contrary house or fortress, the gates of which, i. e. the whole strength, and all the efforts it can make, will never be able, to prevail over the city or church of Christ. By this promise we are fully assured, that neither Idolatry, heresy, nor any pernicious error whatsoever, shall at any time prevail over the church of Christ,

order to go and to preach throughout the whole earth, and to baptize all nations. Go ye, therefore, said our divine Saviour to them, and teach all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.....and, behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. Is not this the same as if he had said: Go and preach, I shall be with you when you preach. Go and baptize, I shall be with you when you baptize. Who is there that does not see here a church visible both in the preaching of the gospel, and in the administration of the sacraments? A church which is to extend herself throughout the whole earth, since she is charged with teaching and baptizing all nations? And when our Lord adds, all days, who is there that does not see, that the promise is not confined solely to the apostles, who were to die as all other men, but likewise extended to their successors, whose succession was to last to the end of the world, and whom Jesus Christ solemnly promises never to abandon.

What can be stronger than the words of St. Paul, to confirm the idea which every Catholic forms of the church, in combining her perpetuity with her visibility? Does not this apostle style her in the 3d chap. of his 1st epist. to Timothy v. 15, the pillar and ground of the truth? But of what church does he speak in this place? Is it of a society of persons apart, unknown to one another, united by no other tie than that of an interior faith of which they give no exterior proof? Does he not speak of the house of God perfectly disposed in all its parts? Of a visible society, governed by bishops and priests, whose most minute duties he has taken care to mark out? And does not the same apostle assure us in the 4th chap. of his epistle to the Ephesians v. 11. that there will always be pastors and teachers for the perfection of the saints, for the work of the ministry, unto the edification of the body of Christ: (namely his church) till we all meet in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, which will be manifested to us in all the splendor of his glory on the day of his second coming.

Let but a moment's reflection be indulged upon those many passages of holy writ where mention is made of the duration of the church, and it will be every where seen that this duration is always linked to a state of visibility, as if the Holy Ghost had taken the precaution to baffle all chicane, and every artifice which a mind averse to a state of dependance, might be inclined to use as a pretext to shake off the yoke of authority.