How doth he tell us, that, in a strange languaged prayer, the understanding is unfruitful! v. 14. that it is better to speak five words with understanding, that we may teach others, than ten thousand in an unknown tongue! v. 19. that those, which speak with strange tongues, are but as madmen to the unlearned or unbe lievers! v. 23. SECT. 3. Divine Service in an Unknown Tongue, against Reason. IN which scriptures, besides authority, the Apostle hath comprised unanswerable and convincing Reasons against this Romish abuse. Amongst the rest, is intimated that utter frustration of the use of the tongue in God's service: for, it is a true rule, which Salmeron cites out of Lactantius *, Nihil valet ex se &c: "That thing is to no purpose, which avails not unto the end whereto it serves. Silence doth as much express the thought, as a language not understood. In this sense, is that of Laurentius † too well verified, Sacerdos imperitus, mulier sterilis: "A Priest unable to express himself, is as a barren woman;" uncapable of bringing forth children unto God. As good no tongue, as no understanding. "What good doth a well sealed up?" as Ptolemy said of the Hebrew Text I. Wherefore do we speak, if we would not be understood? It was a holy resolution of St. Augustin, That he would rather say, Ossum, in false Latin, to be understood of the people; than Os, in true, not to be understood. This practice, however it may seem in itself slight, and unwor thy of too much contention; yet, in regard of that miserable blindness and mis-devotion, which it must needs draw in after it; it is so heinous, as may well deserve our utmost opposition. The unavoidableness of which effects hath carried some of their Casuists into an opinion, of the unnecessariness of devotion in these holy businesses: so as one says §, "He, that wants devotion, sins not:" another, "Though it be convenient, that the Communicant should have actual devotion; yet, it is not necessary." Alas, what service is this, which poor souls are taught to take up with; which God must be content to take from hood-winked supplicants! This doctrine, this practice, thus new, thus prejudicial to Chris tians, we bless God, that we have so happily discarded; and, for our just refusal, are unjustly ejected. * Salmeron in illa, Vos estis sal terræ: ex Lactantio. + Laurent. Presbyt. Pisanus, Paradox. Evangelic. Quid prodest fons signatus? Sylv, Quæst. 80. Artic. 9. § Jac. Graphi. Decis. Aur. CHAP. IX. ON FULL AND FORCED SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION. SECT. 1. The Newness of Full and Forced Sacramental Confession. THE necessity of a PARTICULAR, SECRET, FULL SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION of all our sins to a Priest, upon pain of non-remission, is an act or institution of the Roman Church *: for, as for the Greek Church, it owns not either the doctrine or practice. So the Gloss + of the Canon Law, directly; Confessio apud Græcos &c: "Confession is not necessary amongst the Grecians, unto whom no such tradition hath been derived." That Gloss would tell us more ‡ and so would Gratian himself, if their tongues were not clipt by a guilty expurgation. But, in the mean time, the Gloss of that Canon, hitherto allowed, plainly controls the Decree of that late Council: for, if the necessity of Confession be only a tradition, and such a one as hath not been deduced to the Greek Church; then it stands not by a law of God, which is universal, not making differences of places or times; like a high-elevated star, which hath no particular aspect upon one region. That there is a lawful, commendable, beneficial use of Confession, was never denied by us: but, to set men upon the rack; and to strain their souls up to a double pin, of absolute necessity (both præcepti and medii), and of a strict particularity, and that by a screw of Jus Divinum, "God's Law;" is so mere a Roman Novelty, that many ingenuous authors of their own have willingly confessed it. Amongst whom, Cardinal Bellarmin § himself yields us Erasmus and Beatus Rhenanus ; two noble witnesses, whose joint tenet he confesses to be, Confessionem secretam &c: "That the seeret confession of all our sins is not only not instituted or conmanded Jure Divino, 'by God's Law;' but that it was not so much as received into use, in the Ancient Church of God." To whom he might have added, out of Maldonate's account, Omnes Decretorum &c: "All the interpreters of the Decrees;" and, amongst the Schoolmen, Scotus. *Conc. Trid. Si quis dixerit in Sacram. Pœnitentiæ ad remissionem, &c. Anath. &c, Sess. 14. + Gloss. Grat. de Poen. Dist. 5. c. In pœnitentiâ. Græci solummodo Deo confitendum dicunt. De Pœnit. D. 1. Multa atia et magni ponderis emendata sunt. In notis ibid. Bell, de Pœnit. l. iii. c. 1. In Notis Tert. de Ponit, &c. In Annot. Hier, ad Ocean. We know well those sad and austere Exomologeses, which were publicly used in the severe times of the Primitive Church. Whilst these took place, what use was there of private? These obtained, even in the Western or Latin Church, till the days of Leo; about 450 years: in which time, they had a grave public Penitentiary, for this purpose *. Afterwards, whether the noted inconveniences of that practice or whether the cooling of the former fervour occasioned it, this open Confession began to give way to secret: which continued in the Church; but, with freedom, and without that forced and scrupulous strictness which the latter times have put upon it. It is very remarkable, which learned Rhenanus hath: Cæterùm Thomas ab Aquino &c: "But," saith het, "Thomas of Aquine and Scotus, men too acute, have made Confession at this day such, as that Joannes Geilerius, a grave and holy Divine, which was for many years preacher at Strasburgh, had wont to say to his friends, that, according to their rules, it is an impossible thing to confess :" adding, that the same Geilerius, being familiarly conversant with some religious votaries, both Carthusians and Franciscans, learned of them, with what torments the godly minds of some men were afflicted, by the rigour of that Confession, which they were not able to answer: and, thereupon, he published a book in Dutch, entitled "The Sickness of Confession." The same, therefore, which Rhenanus writes of his Geilerius, he may well apply unto us: Itaque Geilerio non displicebat &c: "Geilerius, therefore, did not dislike Confession; but the scrupulous anxiety, which is taught in the Sums of some late Divines; more fit indeed for some other place, than for libraries." Thus he. What would that ingenuous author have said, if he had lived to see those volumes of Cases, which have been since published, able to perplex a world; and those peremptory decisions of the Fathers of the Society, whose strokes have been with scorpions, in comparison of the rods of their predecessors? To conclude, this bird was hatched, in the Council of Lateran, anno 1215; fully plumed, in the Council of Trent; and now, lately, hath her feathers imped, by their modern Casuists. SECT. 2. Full and Forced Sacramental Confession, not warranted by Scripture. SINCE our quarrel is not with Confession itself, which may be of singular use and behoof; but with some tyrannous strains in the practice of it, which are the violent forcing and perfect fulness thereof: it shall be sufficient for us herein, to stand upon our ne *De Presbyt. Pœnitentiariis, vide Socrat. 1. v. c. 19. + Beat. Rhenan. Argum. in Tert. de Pœnitentiâ. Argentoratum &c. gative, That there is no Scripture, in the whole Book of God, wherein either such necessity or such entireness of confession is commanded: a truth so clear, that it is generally confessed by their own Canonists. Did we question the lawfulness of Confession, we should be justly accountable for our grounds from the Scriptures of God: now, that we cry down only some injurious circumstances therein, well may we require from the fautors thereof, their warrants from God; which if they cannot shew, they are sufficiently convinced of a presumptuous obtrusion. Indeed, our Saviour said to his Apostles and their successors, Whose sins ye remit, they are remitted; and whose sins ye retain, they are retained; John xx. 23 : but did he say, "No sin shall be remitted, but what ye remit ?" or, "No sin shall be remitted by you, but what is particularly numbered unto you ?” St. James bids, Confess your sins one to another; James v. 16: but would they have the Priest shrive himself to the penitent, as well the penitent to the Priest? This act must be mutual, not single. Many believing Ephesians came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds; Acts xix. 18: many; but not all, not omnes utriusque sexús : they confessed their deeds; some, that were notorious, not all their sins. Contrarily, rather, so did Christ send his Apostles, as the Father sent Him; John xx. 21: he was both their warrant and their pattern. But that Gracious Saviour of ours many a time gave absolution, where was no particular confession of sins: only the sight of the paralytic's faith fetched from him, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee; Matt. ix. 2: the noted sinner in Simon's house, approving the truth of her repentance by the humble and costly testimonies of her love, without any enumeration of her sins, heard, Thy sins are forgiven thee. SECT. 3. Full and Forced Sacramental Confession, against Reason. IN true divine Reason this supposed duty is needless, dangerous, impossible. Needless; in respect of all sins; not in respect of some: for, however in the cases of a burthened conscience, nothing can be more useful, more sovereign; yet, in all, our peace doth not depend upon our lips: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord; Rom. v. 1. Dangerous; in respect both of exprobration, as St. Chrysostom worthily; and of infection: for, Delectabile carnis &c. as a Ca Chrysost. in Ps. l. |