with any weighty matters; i. e. I suppose, if he has com- Sect. IV. mitted any sin for which the censure of the Church ought to be inflicted, or else if he is perplexed concerning the nature, or some nice circumstances of his crime. It was upon the former of these cases, that private Confession seems at first to have been appointed; for in the early ages of the Church, when the public humiliation of scandalous offenders was observed to be attended with some great advantages, many persons of zeal would not only rank themselves in the class of public penitents for sins done in secret, but would even solemnly confess before the congregation the particular crime, for which they desired to make satisfaction, by submitting to penance. Now though it was fit that what had been openly committed in the face of the world should be openly retracted, that so the scandal might be removed; yet it might often happen, that in the case of secret sins, it would be better that the particulars should be kept concealed. For this reason a Penitentiary, or Confessor, was early appointed in every diocese, to whom persons in doubt should resort, and consult with. him, what on the one hand might be fit for publication, and what on the other would be better kept secret. So The state of that though public penance was still generally assigned for Confession grievous offences that were privately committed; yet the mitive persons that confessed did not always make a public de- Church. claration of the fact, for which they appeared in the rank of penitents. The congregation to be sure knew that something had been committed, which deserved that correction: but what the thing was, they were no otherwise acquainted with, than as the Penitentiary should advise or forbid the discovery. This is the best conjecture we are able to make concerning the rise of the Penitentiary's office; though we have some footsteps of private and secret confessions before we read of any stated confessor. For Origen, who lived at the beginning of the third century, speaks of private confessions as the received usage in his time, and only advises the choice of a person that was fit to be trusted 3. And St. Cyprian, that lived much about the same time, commends the zeal of those that laid open even their thoughts and intentions of offering sacrifice to idols (though they had not yet proceeded to the fact) with grief and sincerity before the Priest 64. And much the same advice is given by others, who mention private confession as a general and well-known practice, and only 63 Origen. in Psal. xxxvii. Hom. 2. 64 Cypr. de Laps. in the pri Chap. XI. caution the penitents to choose such persons to consult with, as will be careful and tender of their reputation and safetys. And it was an imprudent direction of the penitentiaries at Constantinople, for the public confession of a sin which had been better concealed, that caused Nectarius, who was then Bishop of that city, to abolish the office, and to strike the name of Penitentiary out of the ecclesiastical roll. It appears indeed from St. Chrysostom 67, that the public discipline of the Church was the same after this accident as it was before: only the confession of secret sins, which gave no scandal, was left from that time to the discretion and conscience of those who had committed them; who should judge for themselves, whether they should resort to, or abstain from, the holy Communion. Not but that they were at liberty, after the abolishing of this office, as much as they were before, to use the advice of a ghostly counsellor, if they found themselves in want of it: but then there was no peculiar officer, whose distinct business it should be to receive such applications: but every one was left to choose a confessor for himself, in whom he might safely confide68. And how far even this came to be afterwards abused, is too well known to need any proof: but no argument sure can be drawn, that because a practice has been abused, it should therefore cease to be used. The abuses of it should be reformed, but not the practice discontinued. How far the Church And therefore the Church of England at the Reformaenjoined by tion, in the particular now before us, freed it from all the of England. encroachments with which the Church of Rome had embarrassed it, and reduced confession to its primitive plan. She neither calls it a Sacrament, nor requires it to be used as universally necessary: but because it is requisite that no Man should come to the holy communion, but with a full trust in God's mercy, and with a quiet conscience; she therefore advises, that if there be any who is not able to quiet his own conscience, but requireth farther comfort or counsel, he should come to his own, or some other discreet and learned Minister of God's word, and open his grief, that, by the ministry of God's holy word, he may receive the benefit of Absolution, 65 Greg. Nyssen. contra Eunom. Orat. 11. tom. ii. pag. 705. de Pœnit. tom. ii. pag. 175, 176. Paulin. in Vit. Ambros. Basil. Regulæ Breviores, pag. 614. Interrogat. 229. tom. ii. Lucian. in Paræn. sive Libell. ad Pœnit. Hieron. in Matt. xvi. 66 Socrat. Hist. Eccl. l. 5. c. 19. et Soz. 1. 7. c. 17. 67 In Ep. ad Innocent. et in Ep. ad Hebrææ. Hom. 4. et in 2 Cor. Hom. 4. et 18. et in Ephes. Hom. 3. 68 See all these particulars more largely treated of in Dr. Marshal's Penitential Discipline, chap. 2. part 1. §. 1. together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting Sect. IV. of his conscience, and avoiding of all scruple and doubtfulness 9. Here we see there is nothing arbitrarily prescribed, but every one is left to his own discretion: all that was absolutely enjoined, was only a mutual forbearance and peace; for the security of which a clause was added in the first book of King Edward, requiring such as shall be satisfied with a general confession, not to be offended with them that do use, to their farther satisfying, the auricular and secret Confession to the Priest: nor those also which think needful and convenient, for the quietness of their own consciences, particularly to open their sins to the Priest, to be offended with them that are satisfied with their humble Confessions to God, and the general Confession to the Church. But in all things to follow and keep the rule of Charity, and every man to be satisfied with his own conscience, not judging other men's minds or consciences; whereas he hath no warrant of God's word to the same. What could have been added more judiciously than this, to temper, on the one hand, the rigours of those who were too apt at that time to insist upon Confession as always absolutely necessary to salvation; and to prevent, on the other hand, a carelessness in those who, being prejudiced against the abuse, were apt indiscriminately to reject the thing, as at no time needful or useful to a penitent? So that we may still, I presume, wish, very consistently with the determination of our Church, that our people would apply themselves, oftener than they do, to their spiritual physicians, even in the time of their health; since it is much to be feared, they are wounded oftener than they complain, and yet, through aversion to disclosing their sore, suffer it to gangrene, for want of their help, who should work the cure. of it. But present ease is not the only benefit the penitent may The beneexpect from his confessor's aid: he will be better assisted fits and adin the regulation of his life; and when his last conflict vantages shall make its approach, the holy man, being no stranger to the state of his soul, will be better prepared to guide and conduct it through all difficulties that may oppose. However, if we have neglected to communicate our doubts and scruples in our health, we have more need of following the Apostle's advice when we are sick, viz. to call for the Elders of the church, and to confess our faults, in order. 69 See the Conclusion of the first Exhortation to the holy Communion. Chap. XI. to engage their fervent prayers7°. For this reason, though our Church leaves it in a manner to every one's discretion, in the time of health, whether they will be satisfied with a general Confession to God and the Church; yet when they are sick, she thinks it proper that they be MOVED to make a special Confession of their sins to the Priest, if they feel their consciences troubled with any weighty matter. For how will he be able to satisfy their doubts, if he be not let into the particulars of their case? Or with what assurance can he absolve them, or admit them to the peace and communion of the Church, before he is apprised how far they have deserved its censure and bonds? If then they are desirous of the following consolations which the Church has provided for their quiet and ease, it is fit they should first declare and make known what burden it is, from which they want to be freed. How far the Church can assist or relieve them, or what consolations they are which she administers, the Absolution here prescribed will lead us to consider; which, with the Collect that follows, shall make the subject of the next section. SECT. V. Of the Absolution and the Collect following. The form AFTER the sick person has made a special confession of his sins, as has been mentioned above, the Priest is to absolve him, if he humbly and heartily desire it, after solution. this sort: Our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his Church to absolve all sinners, who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine offences: and by his authority committed to me, I absolve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Seems only Now whether the Church designs, by this form, that to respect the Priest shall directly convey God's pardon to the consures of the science of the sinner, for his sins and offences committed Church against him; or whether that he shall only remit the cen the cen sures of the Church, and continue him in the privilege of Church-communion, which he may be supposed to have forfeited by the sins he has confessed, is thought by some not to be clearly or determinately expressed. But if we look forward to the Collect immediately after to be used, it looks as if the Church did only intend the remission of 70 James v. 14, 16. ecclesiastical censures and bonds. For in that prayer the Sect. V. penitent is said still most earnestly to desire pardon and forgiveness: which surely there would be no occasion to do, if he had been actually pardoned and forgiven by God, by virtue of the Absolution pronounced before. Again, the Priest offers a special request, that God would preserve and continue him in the unity of the Church; which seems to suppose, that the foregoing Absolution had been pronounced in order to restore him to its peace. And therefore since the form will bear this sense, without straining or putting any force upon the words, I hope it will be no offence to interpret them so, as is most consistent with the original commission given by our Lord, and the exercise of it in the purest ages of the Church. the Church §. 2. Now it is plain that the authority first promised What powto St. Peter', and afterwards in common to all the Apo- er given to stles72, was a power of admitting to, or excluding from, by our Sachurch-communion: for it is expressed by the Keys of the viour. Kingdom of Heaven. Now the Kingdom of Heaven being, in the scriptural sense, the Church of Christ, of which heaven is the metropolis or principal part; and the Keys (which are a token or ensign of power) being also used in Scripture to denote the conferring of authority to some chief officer in a family, to take in and exclude from it whom he should judge convenient"3; it must follow, that by the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, must be meant a power of admitting into, and shutting out of, the Christian Church. Accordingly the exercise of this power is called binding and loosing, which were terms used by the Jews, to signify the same things with what we now express by excommunicating and absolving 74. And our Saviour gives in charge, that whosoever is thus bound should be looked upon by his disciples as a heathen Man and a Publican; which seems naturally to import, that from a state of communion with the Christian Church, he should be reduced into the state of heathens, and such other profligate men, who were not admitted into their places of worship, nor so much as received into common conversation75. St. John indeed tells us, that our Saviour, after his resurrection, and when he seemed to be giving his 71 Matt. xvi. 19. 72 Matt. xviii. 18. 73 Isa. xxii. 22. Rev. iii. 7. and ch. XX. 1, 2, 3. 74 Vide. Selden. de Syned. veter. Ebræor. 1. 1. c. 7. et Morin. de Admi- 75 Matt. ix. 11. Acts xi. 3. and G g |