Gerhard Con

this place of St. John, I fhall only add, that feveral of the Writers of the Church of Rome have been of the fell. Cath. Lib. fame Opinion; and although the Council of Trent 2. par. 3. Art. has founded the divine right of Confeffion upon these Dr. Stillingwords of our Saviour, yet that it has not been the fleet Council of traditionary sense of thofe of that Communion.

The next Text I fhall examine, is that of Act. 19. 18. And many that believed came, and confeffed, and shewed their Deeds. Where, by their Deeds, Bellarmine underftands all particular Sins of what kind foever, and that the Confeffion here.fpoken of was to St. Paul.

I answer,

1. That it does not appear but that the Confeffion here fpoken of was made to God alone, and not to Man..

2. That if it were made to Man, it is not certain whether it was private to St. Paul, and not rather pub lick to the whole Church.

3. That it is most probable that the Deeds here fpoken of were not a Catalogue of all Offences what foever, but only of fuch as did more particularly refpect the ufe of Charms and Conjurations. St. Paul having done many Miracles at Ephefus, feveral Vagabond Jews took upon them to do the like, and to call over them which had evil Spirits, ver. 13. but with very ill fuccefs, for the Spirits fell upon them and wounded them, ver. 16. Upon this the Name of the Lord Jefus began to be magnified, and thofe who had been ac cuftomed to ufe Enchantments, being terrified with this Example, became Converts to Chriftianity, com

felled

16. cap. 3.

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P. 122. \

felfed and fhewed their Deeds, i. e. acknowledged the grievous Crime of being fo addicted to Magical Arts as they had been. Now there is a great deal of difference betwixt any ones acknowledging fome particular Sins which he happens to be guilty of, and of which the prefent fear of Punishment has extorted a Confeffion, and the being obliged to make a Confeffion of all Sins whatfoever.

4. That altho it fhould be granted, that all Sins whatsoever were here confeffed by thefe new Converts, yet this makes nothing for Auricular Confeffion. For we do not deny but that any one for Advice and Counfel may unbofom himself, and discover whatever he has been guilty of, but this we contend, that it is no-where abfolutely required by our Saviour. If these new Converts, having fat in Darkness and in the fhadow of Death, did difcover all their Miscarriages, of what nature foever, to St. Paul, and intreat his direction thereupon, they did well. But altho they had not been fo punctual in giving an account of themselves, if they had truly repented them of all their wicked ways, God would have forgiven them; and fo he will every one elfe who does the like, altho he fhould not make fuch a particular discovery of his Miscarriages to thofe whom God has appointed to hear fuch Difcoveries, and when they are made to apply his Promises of Forgiveness according as they are found difpofed who make them.

Another Text infifted upon by Bellarmine and others, is 2 Cor. 5. 18, 19. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jefus Chrift, and hath given to us the Miniftry of Reconciliation, to wit, that God

WAS

was in Chrift, reconciling the World unto himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes unto them, and hath committed unto us the Word of Reconciliation. From whence it is inferred, that fince the Apoftles, and confequently their Succeffors, were to be the Minifters of Reconciliation, it was impoffible for them rightly to perform fuch. their Office, unless they were inform'd concerning the Nature of that Enmity which is betwixt God and Sinners, and this they could not be, unless they received from those who had offended, a particular account of their Guilt.

To which Inference I reply,

1. That these words are to be interpreted (as they are even by Cajetan, and other Popish Writers) of the preaching of the Gospel, the care whereof was committed to the Apoftles upon our Saviour's leaving the World. God, by the Sufferings of our Saviour, did reconcile Sinners to himself, and neceffary it was that fome should be appointed by our Saviour to give notice of this Reconciliation: Upon which account it is here faid, that the Ministry of Reconciliation was given to them; and ver. 19. that the Word of Reconciliation was committed unto them, i. e. that they were fet apart to publish unto the World, That God was in Chrift reconciling the World unto himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes unto them. Of their being fet apart for which purpofe, St.Paul gives further evidence, ver. 20. Now then we are Ambaffadours for Chrift, as though God did befeech you by us, we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be reconciled to God. For here the Apoitle exercifeth that Ministry of Reconciliation which was committed to

him,

him, but this he does without giving the least intimation of the neceffity of Auricular Confeffion.

2. Suppofe the Ministry of Reconciliation, here fpoken of, fhould imply the Authority delegated by Chrift unto his Apoftles, of giving the affurance of forgiveness of Sins to all fuch who confefs their faults, and are truly penitent, yet this does not imply the neceffity of rigorously exacting a particular account of every Sin, with the Circumftances that attend it. For in order to the Minifters of the Gofpel thus reconciling Men to God by giving them the affurance of the forgiveness of Sins, nothing is more required than to find out whether they are truly penitent, which may be known without fuch an exact knowledg of all their Sins.

And here it may not be amifs to take notice, that although they of the Church of Rome do exact a particular Confeffion of all their Sins from those who are within the bofom of the Church, yet they do not require it of fuch who are without, and only about to be admitted into it: Were an Heathen to be received into their Communion, a general Confeffion fhould then ferve in order to his being abfolved. But after he is once received, then whatever Sin he happens to be guilty of, his Confeffor must have a particular account

of As if they did not care what they made the terms of Communion for the gaining a Profelyte, but after they had gained him, were refolved to tie him to the hardest terms they could think of. For otherwife fince fincere Repentance is that alone which can give any affurance of forgiveness of Sins, there is no reafon why, if this at firft gave a Man a Title to God's

God's Promises upon his entrance into the Church, it might not do the fame afterwards without a particular enumeration of all private Sins what foever.

Another Text is that of St. James, Jam. 5. 16. Confefs your Faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. Where Bellarmine will have Faults, to denote all Faults whatfoever; and the Confeffion fpoken of, to be made only to fuch to whom (he faith) it ought to be made, viz. to the Priests,

I answer;

First, That thefe Words are by fome interpreted with relation to those Injuries Men do to one another; and then the meaning of them is, That they who have injured one another, fhould freely acknowledg fuch their Offences, and beg Pardon for what they had done, heartily praying for one another, that fo they might be healed, i. e. either that the Sicknesses of their Minds might be done away by God's forgiving such their Trefpaffes upon their forgiving one another, or that their Corporal Sickneffes, which God had inflicted upon them for fuch their injurious Behaviour, might be removed, and they reftored to their wonted healthful Condition.

Secondly, That if the Apoftle's words are confidered as clofely connected to what went before; then the Faults here made mention of, are not only Injuries, but any Crimes whatfoever, which God in the beginning of the Church punished with Sickness; and the being healed, denotes the miraculous Cure of fuch upon Ttt

their