1589-90 * Payd for mendinge of a pewe called the shrivinge Confession pewe, 1s.'-Accts. of All Saints, Bristol. 1600 * In his Devotions, Bishop Andrewes thanks God for giving me good hopes of the remission of them [my sins], by repentance, and by the works thereof, through the power of the most holy keys, and sacraments of thy Church.'-Minor Works, 317. Lib. Anglo-Cath. Theol. 'There' [in the text, St. John xx. 23] 'doth God associate his ministers, and maketh them "workers together with him." There have they their parts in this work, and cannot be excluded. . . . And to exclude them is, after a sort, to wring the keys out of their hands. to whom Christ hath given them, is to cancel and make void this clause of "ye remit," as if it were no part of the sentence; to account of all this solemn sending and inspiring, as if it were an idle and fruitless ceremony. 'Neither are we, the ordinance of God thus standing, to rend off one part of the sentence. There are here expressed three persons' [the sinner, God, and the priest]. Three are expressed, and where three are expressed, three are required; and where three are required, two are not enough. It is St. Augustine that thus speaketh of this ecclesiastical act in his time: "Let nobody say within himself, I repent in private, I repent before God: God, who pardons me, knows I repent from my heart: Then to no purpose was it said, 'Whatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven,' then to no purpose were the keys given to the Church of God; we make void the Gospel, we make void the words of Christ." 'For Christ hath not thus indited it: "Whose sins ye wish or ye pray for : or, "Whose sins ye declare to be and Absolution. Confession and Absolution. remitted;" but "Whose sins ye remit ;" using no other word in the Apostles' than He useth in his own. And He addeth his solemn protestation of "Verily, verily," that so it is, and shall be. And all to certify us that He fully meaneth with effect to ratify in heaven that is done in earth, to the sure and steadfast comfort of them that shall partake it.' (Bp. Andrewes' Sermon on the text "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them.")-Works, v. 93, 94, 102. Ibid. c. 1600 * Furthermore, because the knowledge how to handle our own sores is no vulgar and common art, but we either carry towards ourselves for the most part an oversoft and gentle hand, fearful of touching too near the quick; or else, endeavouring not to be partial, we fall into timorous scrupulosities, and sometimes into those extreme discomforts of mind from which we hardly do ever lift up our heads again; men thought it the safest way to disclose their secret faults, and to crave imposition of penance from them whom our Lord Jesus Christ hath left in his Church to be spiritual and ghostly physicians, the guides and pastors of redeemed souls, whose office doth not only consist in general persuasions unto amendment of life, but also in the private particular cure of diseased minds. . . . But the greatest thing which made men forward and willing upon their knees to confess whatsoever they had committed against God, and in no wise to be withheld from the same with any fear of disgrace, contempt, or obloquy which might ensue, was their fervent desire to be helped and assisted with the prayers of God's saints.' It is true, that our Saviour by those words, "Whose sins ye remit, they are remitted," did ordain judges over sinful souls, give them authority to absolve from sin, and promise to ratify in heaven whatsoever they should do on earth in execution of this their office; to the end that Absolution. hereby, as well his ministers might take encouragement to Confession do their duty with all faithfulness, as also his people and admonition, gladly with all reverence to be ordered by them.'-Hooker, Eccles. Pol., bk. vi. ch. iv. § 7; bk. vi. ch. vi. § 3,1 ed. Church and Paget, Oxford, 1888. 1 * Richard Hooker, in 1600, used confession, being absolved on his death-bed by Dr. Saravia, they were supposed to be confessors to each other. . . . To which end, the doctor came, and after a short retirement and privacy, they two returned to the company.'-Life of Mr. Richard Hooker, by Izaak Walton, Ibid. vol. i. p. 85. 1603 * Next in order was the point of absolution.' The archbishop quoted only the public absolution, which the King liked and approved. But the Bishop of London, stepping forward, said: "There is also in the Communion Book, another more particular and personal form of absolution, prescribed to be used in the Order for the Visitation of the Sick. This the King required to see, and whilst master dean of the chapel was turning to it, the said bishop alleged, that not only the Confessions of Augusta, Boheme, Saxon, which he there cited, do retain and allow it, but that Master Calvin did also approve such a general kind of confession, and absolution, as the Church of England useth, and withal, did very well like of those which are private, for so he terms them. The said particular absolution in the Common Prayer Book being read, His Majesty exceedingly well approved it, adding, that it was apostolical, and a very good ordinance, in that it was given in the name of Christ, to one that desired it, and upon the clearing of his conscience.'-Cardwell, Conferences, p. 174. 1 See also bk. vi. ch. iv. § 15; and ch. vi. §§ 4, 5.—ED. 1904. Confession and Absolution. 1604 'Provided always, that if any man confess his secret and hidden sins to the minister, for the unburdening of his conscience, and to receive spiritual consolation and ease of mind from him; we do not any way bind the said minister by this our constitution, but do straitly charge and admonish him, that he do not at any time reveal and make known to any person whatsoever any crime or offence so committed to his trust and secresy (except they be such crimes as, by the laws of this realm, his own life may be called into question for concealing the same), under pain of irregularity.' 2-Canon cxiii. 1607 *Yet he was so well satisfied in the power and nature of sacerdotal absolution, that he [Dr. Reynolds 3] did earnestly desire it at the time of his death (in 1607), humbly received it at the hands of Dr. Holland, the King's Professor in Divinity, in the University of Oxon and for the time then being, and when he was not able to express his joy and thankfulness in the way of speech, did most affectionately kiss the hand that gave it.'-Peter Heylyn, Theologia Veterum, p. 460. 1609 * It is not questioned between us whether it be convenient for a man burdened with sin to lay open his 1 That is, do not bind him to present to the bishop the man who has so confessed his sins. -ED. 1904. 2 Dr. Peter Heylyn, Theologia Veterum, p. 486, says, "The pain of irregularity, as the Canonists tell us, not only doth deprive a man of all his spiritual promotions for the present time, but makes him utterly incapable of any for the time to come, and therefore it is the greatest penalty, except degradation from his priesthood, which possibly a clergyman can be subject to."-—ED. 1904. 3 The testimony of Dr. Reynolds is the more remarkable, since he was the leader of the Nonconformists at the Hampton Court Conference in 1603.ED. 1904. Absolution. conscience in private unto the minister of God, and to Confession seek at his hands both the counsel of instruction, and and the comforts of God's pardon: but whether there be (as from Christ's institution) such an absolute necessity of this private confession, as that without it there can be no remission or pardon hoped for from God.' The power of absolution, whether it be general or particular, whether in public or in private, it is professed in our Church: where both in her public service is proclaimed pardon and absolution upon all penitents, and a private applying of absolution unto particular penitents by the office of the minister; and greater power than this no man hath received from God.'-Bp. Morton, Catholic Appeal, bk. ii. ch. xiv. pp. 253, 270. 1616 *Howbeit people are indeed freed from the necessity of that which we call auricular, though not from the possibility, as you falsely pretend. For as we enforce none, if they come not, as knowing that force may work upon the body, but never upon the will; so we exclude none, if they come with a true penitent heart, or out of the scruple of conscience, either to seek counsel, being ignorant of the quality or quantity of their sin; or comfort against despair for sin known and acknowledged. . . And sure I see not but, the minister standing in the place of God, as his ambassador, and pronouncing absolution, upon humble and hearty repentance, as from God, it should prove a marvellous great ease and settlement to a poor distracted and distressed conscience.'-Hakewill, Answer to Carier, p. 266. 1619 In any wise, remember (if conveniently it may be) to send for some godly and religious pastor, not only to |