that but few things are determined in their councils; nothing but articles of belief, and the practice of sacraments relating to public order; and if they will not be reproved for any thing, but what we prove to be false in the articles of their simple belief, they take a liberty to say and do what they list, and to corrupt all the world by their rules of conscience. But, that this is also the doctrine of their church, their own men tell "Communis omnium," &c. us, "it is the doctrine of all their men;" so they affirm, as we have cited their own words above: who also undertake to tell us, in what sense their church intends to tie sinners to actual repentance; not as soon as the sin is committed, but at certain seasons, and then also to no more of it, than the external and ritual part. So that if their church be injuriously charged, themselves have done it, not we. And besides all this, it is hard to suppose or expect that the innumerable cases of conscience, which a whole trade of lawyers and divines amongst them have made, can be entered into the records of councils and public decrees. In these cases we are to consider, who teaches them? Their gravest doctors, in the face of the sun, under the intuition of authority in the public conduct of souls, in their allowed sermons, in their books licensed by a curious and inquisitive authority, not passing from them, but by warranty from several hands intrusted to examine them, "Ne fides ecclesiæ aliquid detrimenti, patiatur;"" that nothing be published but what is consonant to the catholic faith." And, therefore, these things cannot be esteemed private opinions: especially, since if they be, yet they are the private opinions of them all, and that we understand to be public enough: and are so their doctrine, as what the scribes and pharisees taught their disciples, though the whole church of the Jews had not passed it into a law. So, this is the Roman doctrine: though not the Roman law. Which difference, we desire may be observed in many of the following instances, that this objection may no more interpose for an escape or excuse. But we shall have occasion again to speak to it, upon new particulars.

But this, though it be infinitely intolerable, yet it is but

f Non illico ut homo se reum sentit culpæ, pœnitentiæ lege pœnitere constringitur. Hæc profecto conclusio more et usu ecclesiæ satis videtur constabilita. Dom. à Soto. in quart. sent. dist. 17. qu. 2. art. 6.

the beginning of sorrows.

For the guides of souls in the Roman church have prevaricated in all the parts of repentance, most sadly and dangerously.

The next things, therefore, that we shall remark, are their doctrines concerning contrition: which when it is genuine and true, that is, a true cordial sorrow for having sinned against God; a sorrow proceeding from the love of God, and conversion to him, and ending in a dereliction of all our sins, and a walking in all righteousness; both the psalms and the prophets, the Old Testament and the New, the Greek fathers and the Latin, have allowed as sufficient for the pardon of our sins through faith in Jesus Christ (as our writers have often proved in their sermons, and books of conscience): yet first, the church of Rome does not allow it to be of any value, unless it be joined with a desire to confess their sins to a priest; saying, that a man by contrition is not reconciled to God, without their sacramental or ritual penance, actual or votive; and this is decreed by the council of Trents: which thing, besides that it is against Scripture, and the promises of the Gospel, and not only teaches for doctrine the commandments of men, but evacuates the goodness of God by their traditions, and weakness, and discourages the best repentance, and prefers repentance towards men, before that which the Scripture calls repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus

Christ.

But the malignity of this doctrine, and its influence it hath on an evil life, appears in the other corresponding part of this doctrine. For as contrition without their ritual and sacramental confession will not reconcile us to God: so attrition (as they call it) or contrition imperfect, proceeding from fear of damnation, together with their sacrament, will reconcile the sinner. Contrition without it, will not: attrition with it, will reconcile us; and, therefore, by this doctrine, which is expressly decreed at Trent, there is no necessity of contrition at all; and attrition is as good to all intents and purposes of pardon: and a little repentance will prevail as well as the greatest, the imperfect as well as the perfect. So Gulielmus de Rubeo explains this doctrine: " He that

Sessio. 4. c. 4.

h In 4. sent. dist. 18. q. 1.

confesses his sins, grieving but a little, obtains remission of his sins by the sacrament of penance ministered to him by th priest absolving him." So that although God working contrition in a penitent, hath not done his work for him without the priest's absolution, in desire at least; yet, if the priest do his part, he hath done the work for the penitent, though God had not wrought that excellent grace of contrition in the penitent.

But for the contrition itself: it is a good word, but of no severity or affrightment by the Roman doctrine: "One contrition, one act of it, though but little and remiss, can blot out any, even the greatest sin" (always understanding it in the sense of the church, that is, in the sacrament of penance), saith Cardinal Tolet" A certain little inward grief of mind is required to the perfection of repentance,” said Maldonat. And to "contrition a grief in general for all our sins is sufficient; but it is not necessary to grieve for any one sin more than another," said Franciscus de Victoriâ'. "The greatest sin and the smallest, as to this, are all alike; and as for the contrition itself, any intention or degree whatsoever, in any instant whatsoever, is sufficient to obtain mercy and remission," said the same author.

Now let this be added to the former, and the sequel is this, That if a man live a wicked life for threescore or fourscore years together, yet if in the article of his death, sooner than which God hath not commanded him to repent, he be a little sorrowful for his sins, then resolving for the present, that he will do so no more; and though this sorrow hath in it no love of God, but only a fear of hell, and a hope that God will pardon him; this, if the priest absolves him, does instantly pass him into a state of salvation. The priest with two fingers and a thumb can do his work for him; only he must be greatly disposed and prepared to receive it; greatly, we say, according to the sense of the Roman church: for he must be attrite, or it were better if he were contrite; one act of grief, a little one, and that not for one sin more than

i Lib. iii. instruc. sacerdot. c. 5. n. 4.

k Sum. qu. 16. art. 6.

1 De contrit. num. 107. Quæcunque intensio contra peccatum, in quocunque instanti, sufficiet ad consequendam misericordiam et remissionem. Ibid. n. 106.

another, and this at the end of a long wicked life, at the time of our death, will make all sure.

Upon these terms, it is a wonder that all wicked men in the world are not papists; where they may live so merrily, and die so securely, and are out of all danger, unless peradventure they die very suddenly, which because so very few do, the venture is esteemed nothing, and it is a thousand to one on the sinner's side.

SECTION II.

We know it will be said, that the Roman church enjoins confession, and imposes penances; and these are a great restraint to sinners, and gather up what was scattered before. The reply is easy, but it is very sad. For,

1. For confession; it is true, to them who are not used to it, as it is at the first time, and for that once, it is as troublesome, as for a bashful man to speak orations in public: but where it is so perpetual and universal, and done by companies and crowds at a solemn set time; and when it may be done to any one besides the parish-priest, to a friar that begs, or to a monk in his dorter, done in the ear, it may be to a person that hath done worse, and therefore hath no awe upon me, but what his order imprints, and his viciousness takes off; when we see women and boys, princes and prelates do the same every day: and as oftentimes they are never the better, so they are not at all ashamed; but men look upon it as a certain cure, like pulling off a man's clothes to go and wash in a river; and make it, by use and habit, by confidence and custom, to be no certain pain; and the women blush or smile, weep or are unmoved, as it happens under their veil, and the men under the boldness of their sex: When we see that men and women confess to-day, and sin to-morrow, and are not affrighted from their sin the more for it; because they know the worst of it, and have felt it often, and believe to be eased by it: certain it is, that a little reason, and a little observation, will suffice to conclude, that this practice of confession hath in it no affrightment, not so much as the horror of the sin itself hath to the conscience. For they who commit sins confidently, will, with less regret

(it may be) confess it in this manner, where it is the fashion for every one to do it. And when all the world observes how loosely the Italians, Spaniards, and French do live in their carnivals; giving to themselves all liberty and license to do the vilest things at that time, not only because they are for a while to take their leave of them, but because they are, as they suppose, to be so soon eased of their crimes by confession, and the circular and never-failing hand of the priest; they will have no reason to admire the severity of confession; which as it was most certainly intended as a deletory of sin, and might do its first intention, if it were equally managed; so now certainly it gives confidence to many men to sin, and to most men to neglect the greater and more effective parts of essential repentance.

We shall not need to observe how confession is made a minister of state, a picklock of secrets, a spy upon families, a searcher of inclinations, a betraying to temptations; for this is wholly by the fault of the men, and not of the doctrine; but even the doctrine itself, as it is handled in the church of Rome, is so far from bringing peace to the troubled consciences, that it intromits more scruples and cases than it can resolve.

b

For besides that itself is a question, and they have made it dangerous by pretending that it is by Divine right and institution, for so some of the schoolmena teach; and the canonists say the contrary and that it is only of human and positive constitution,--and by this difference in so great a point, have made the whole economy of their repentance, which relies upon the supposed necessity of confession, to fail, or to shake vehemently, and, at the best, to be a foundation too uncertain to build the hopes of salvation on it: besides all this, we say, their rules and doctrines of confession enjoin some things that are of themselves dangerous, and

a Vide Biel, lib. iv. dist. 17. q. 1. et Scotum, ibid. et Bonavent. ib. n. 2. b Melius dicitur, eam institutam fuisse à quadam universali Ecclesiæ traditione, quàm ex Novi vel Veteris Testamenti autoritate; et tamen negatur hæc traditio esse universalis. Confessio non est necessaria apud Græcos, quia non emanavit ad illos traditionaliter. De Pœnit. dist. 5. in principio Gloss. ibid. Vide etiam Panormitan. super Decreta, lib. v. cap. Quod autem, cap. Omnis utriusque sexus, sect. 18. extrav. Gloss. Maldonatus fatetur omnes canonistas in hanc sententiam consensisse. Disp. de Sacram. tom. ii. c. 2. de Confess. Orig.