Prieft upon the Confeffion of Sins, yet ftill the Doctrine of Auricular Confeffion will hereby be never the more eftablished, because I obferve,

Fourthly, That fuch Remiffion or Abfolution may have refpect to the publick Cenfures of the Church duly inflicted upon notorious Sinners. God has without queftion given his Minifters a Power of excluding all fuch out of their Communion as by their fcandalous Lives are unworthy of it, and of re-admitting them again upon an affurance given of their Repentance and Amendment.

And this was early practifed in the Church when publick Offenders were not permitted to come to the Sacrament, and at other times totally excluded the Congregation of the Faithful, and not again reftored until by a publick acknowledgment of their Crimes, and a fufficient intimation given of their being reformed, they gave Satisfaction to God's People, whom, by their wicked Practices, they had fo grievoufly fcandalized. Now this is fuch a godly Difcipline, as our Church is fo far from finding fault with, as that fhe does most heartily wish it were reftored. But then if our Saviour's words are interpreted (as they are by many) with respect to fuch publick Cenfures, then are they ftill far from countenancing fuch a private fort of Confeffion as the Church of Rome requires of her Members.

But let it be fuppofed further, that even the Remiffion of Sins here fpoken of has refpect, not only to Sins which have given Scandal and deferve publick Cenfure, but likewife to fuch Sins as are fecretly confeffed to the Prieft. Yet then I obferve in the fifth place, that our Saviour's word's do not determine any fuch Confeffion to be abfolutely neceffary to be performed by

every one who defires forgiveness of Sins. We do not deny but that God has given his Priefts a Power of applying his Promises to true Penitents, and of giving them the affurance of Pardon, if they find them fitly qualified for it. But it does not appear that there lies an abfolute Obligation upon the Sinner to have recourse to the Prieft; fo that no Abfolution can be had from God without his fo doing. In cafes of doubt and fcruple it is highly expedient to give an account thereof to fuch as are beft provided to refolve them. Nay, in all spiritual Cafes whatfoever, it may be of great advantage to make application to the Minifters of the Gofpel for their Direction and Prayers. But yet we are not to fuppofe but that if without doing this any one does truly repent him of his evil ways, and begs God's Mercy, he will be accepted by him.

It is God alone who forgives Sin, neither does he part with fuch his fupreme Authority over his Creatures, altho he has fubftituted his Priefts to declare the affurance thereof to true Penitents; and therefore where-ever he finds a proper Object of Mercy, there he reaches forth Pardon whether any of his Ministers are acquainted with fuch an ones Condition or no.

It will adminifter great Comfort to uneafie Minds, to have the Minifters of the Gospel, after a due exami nation of their fpiritual State, to declare in God's Name, that they are Perfons to whom the Promifes of Forgiveness do belong; but ftill it is left to their choice, whether they will apply themselves where this Comfort is to be found.

If People will come to those whom our Saviour has appointed to declare Remiffion of Sins, fuch as are faithful Ambaffadours of Chrift will not fail to pub

sff

lifh

lifh it to all fuch whom they find fitly qualified for it; but our Saviour has left no Power in his Church to compel them to it.

They of the Church of Rome will needs perfwade. us that God has tied himself to the determination of his own Priefts, and that he will give no Pardon until they have declared the Penitent deferving of it. Now God may, it is true, appoint what means he plea feth of conveying any Mercy to us, and if he had plainly faid, that he would forgive none but fuch whom his Minifters, after a due Examination of their State and Condition, according to the Rules of the Gofpel, had declared capable of Forgiveness, there had then lain an Obligation upon every one of us to have recourse to fuch his Minifters, if ever we expected the forgiveness of our Sins. But what our Saviour faith in this place of St. John, implies no fuch thing. Neither does Bellarmine any where prove (what he fo confidently afferts) that the Minifters of the Gospel are fo far forth conftituted Judges by our Saviour, that all thofe Bell, de Poen, who are at Enmity with God are bound to have recourse to them for Forgiveness. They may be fo far forth faid to be Judges, in that upon a due examination of their Condition who come unto them, they are authorized to pronounce the Sentence of Abfolution upon all fuch, whom, according to the Tenor of the Gofpel, they find deferving of it: But this does no ways infer the abfolute neceffity of having recourfe to them for their Judgment; or that no Reconciliation can be had with God, without making fuch an Application to them.

Pœn. lib. 3. c. 2.

And therefore that is a very ridiculous Inference. of Bellarmine's, that because it is faid, What foever

you

you loofe on Earth, fhall be loofed in Heaven; therefore Bell. de Pon it follows, that whatsoever you do not loose on Earth, 3. C. 2.

fhall not be loofed in Heaven.

They who with Sincerity do acquaint his Ministers with their Condition, and upon their acquainting them with it are, according to God's Laws, abfolved by them, these have a well-grounded Affrance, that what is pardoned thus on Earth, fhall be forgiven in Heaven. But ftill they are left to their liberty, either of applying themfelves thus to God's Minifters for their Judgment, or of confeffing their Sins only to God, who, without any fuch Application, will forgive them if he finds them truly deferving of it.

But to make one step farther, Suppofe it fhould be granted that it were abfolutely necessary to make Application to the Priests for the forgiveness of Sins. I obferve then in the

Sixth and laft place, that notwithstanding this, there would be no Obligation to the particular enumeration of all Sins together, with their Circumftances, which is a thing fo rigorously infifted upon by the Church of Rome, as to denounce a Curfe against all fuch as declare against it.

For befides that, this oftentimes is impoffible as well as very indecent; the great bufinefs of the Ministers of the Gospel, in order to their giving any one affurance of forgiveness of Sins, is to examine whether he be truly penitent, which may be done without a particular enumeration of all Crimes whatfoever.

Had God given his Minifters à Power of punishing Sinners according to their deferts, it would then have been necessary that they fhould have had a particular account of all thofe feveral Sihs which they had been Sff 2

guilty

lib.

guilty of. But their Authority confifts not in punishing, but in giving affurance of Pardon, and in order to their doing this, it is not fo much neceffary to know what kind of Sins he has been guilty of, as what kind of Man the Sinner at prefent is. How great foever any ones Crimes may have been, if he appears to be one who is heartily troubled for his having offended a good and gracious God; if he has emptied himself of all vain Conceits concerning the best of his Actions; if he depends wholly upon the Merits of our Saviour's undertaking, and gives good reason to believe that he will be more careful for the future in the obfervance of all God's Laws; fuch an one may very justly be abfolved, altho he who gives him the affurance of forgiveness of Sins has not a distinct knowledg of all his wicked Practices.

It is Impenitence only which can exclude from the forgiveness of Sins; and therefore where nothing of this appears but the quite contrary, there the Sinner may have affurance thereof given, although his particular Faults be only known to God and his own Confci

ence.

Where Doubts and Scruples arife in reference to par ticular Sins, there muft be a particular difcovery thereof in order to the obtaining a refolution of them; but in other cafes, if the Sinner expreffeth himself truly humble and penitent, that will be a fufficient ground for the Prieft's giving him hopes of Pardon, although he is no ways informed concerning all those feveral Sins which he has ever been guilty of.

Having thus fhown what little reason there is to ground this Doctrine of Auricular Confeffion upon

this