Christ, who chose for some apostles, married men, and never recommended to them or any others divorce -for "Whosoever," said He, " shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery." NINTH ENQUIRY. Does Christ in His Word teach, that confession of sin should be made to the clergy, and that it is their province to give absolution, and to enjoin penances? No! for what says the Bible? It is written: "WHO CAN UNDERSTAND HIS ERRORS? CLEANSE THOU ME FROM SECRET FAULTS." (Ps. xix. 12.) "NONE OF THEM CAN BY ANY MEANS REDEEM HIS BROTHER, NOR GIVE TO GOD A RANSOM FOR HIM." (Ps. xlix. 7.) "TO THE LORD OUR GOD BELONG MERCIES AND FORGIVENESSES, THOUGH WE HAVE REBELLED AGAINST HIM. (Dan. ix. 9.) "WHO IS A GOD LIKE UNTO THEE, THAT PARDONETH INIQUITY?" (Micah vii. 18.) "CONFESS YOUR FAULTS ONE TO ANOTHER." (James v. 16.) "YE WERE NOT REDEEMED WITH CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, AS SILVER AND GOLD, FROM YOUR VAIN CONVERSATION RECEIVED BY TRADITION FROM YOUR FATHERS; BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, AS OF A LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH, AND WITHOUT SPOT." (1 Peter i. 18, 19.) Do the Romanists in their writings teach, that confession of sin should be made to the clergy, and that it is their province to give absolution, and to enjoin penances? Yes! for They have written: "Confession is a full and sincere declaring of all our sins to our ghostly father." (The Trent Catechism.) "There actually exists an immense treasure of merit composed of the pious deeds and virtuous actions which the saints have performed, beyond what is necessary for their own salvation, and which are there * The method of confession is this: the penitent kneeling down at the side of the ghostly Father, makes the sign of the cross, and asks his blessing: "Pray, father, give me your blessing, for I have sinned." "I do confess to God Almighty, to the Blessed Mary, always a virgin, to the blessed Archangel Michael, to the blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee, O father, that I have too much sinned by thought, word, and deed, by my fault, by my fault, by my greatest fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary, always a Virgin, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and thee, O father, to pray God our Lord for me, Amen." This done, the penitent raises himself from his prostration, and touching with his lips either the ear or the cheek of the spiritual father, begins to discover his sins by the ten command ments. fore applicable to the benefit of others, THE GUARDIAN AND DISPENSER OF THIS PRECIOUS TREASURE IS THE ROMAN PONTIFF, and of consequence, he is empowered to assign to such as he thinks proper, a portion of this inexhaustible source of merit, suitable to their respective guilt, and sufficient to deliver them from the punishment due to their crimes." (St. Thomas.) The "Tax of the Sacred Roman Chancery," specifies the following sums to be paid for absolution for the annexed crimes : For stealing holy things out of a consecrated place ... For murdering father, mother, wife, or sister ... 0 7 6 0 10 ... 1 7 0 not to the effusion of blood For a priest to keep a concubine ... For a queen to adopt a child ... For him that forgeth the Pope's hand license (*) ... ... ... 7 10 0 "For every day until the nativity of our Lady, there are 362,000 years and 100 days of pardon and re * But there are some sins, venial sins, the Romanists tell us, that can be blotted out without either money or penance, thus, the question is asked in Real Principles of Catholics 66 "Q. What are most common venial sins? "A. Idle works, small excesses in eating and drinking, too F mission of third part of sins granted." (Indulgence published by the Franciscans at Roan, 1614.) much pleasure in diversions, jocose lies out of excuse, coming late to prayers, neglecting alms, &c. "Q. Can venial sins be forgiven without the sacrament of penance? "A. Yes, by sacramentals, viz., holy water, signing with the sign of the cross, alms, fastings, &c." We are surprised to find the Romanists classing theft, lying, and disobedience to parents, amongst venial offences. Yet this they do. The following quotations are from their own writers— "The smallness of the things stolen, in all cases excuses from mortal sin. It is but a venial sin, if children steal from their parents, wives from their husbands, servants from their masters." (Aquinas.) "A servant may be excused from mortal guilt, if he steal from his master by little and little, though in time it come to a considerable sum, provided he convert it to his own use, and not to the use of others." (Bonacin, de restit. disp. 2, q. 10, punct. ult. n. 2.) "To steal anything, though in itself small, yet of great value in the account of the owner, and of much consequence to him, so that the damage he suffers by it, and the trouble it gives him, is really great; yet, if the thief did not, or could not know it, it is but venial." (Navar. ibid.; Graff. ibid. n. 16.) "Those who are in need, though it may not be extreme, but such only as would be counted great, may steal from others for their own relief: nor are they bound to make restitution when they have a good estate." (Medince Angelus, Pet. Navar. Malderus and others, in Dian, p. 2, i, 3.; mis. res. 29; Sylvest. sum. v. furtum. n. 10; Navar. ibid. vid. Angelum; Graff. 1, 2, c. 93.) “Any innkeeper or tradesman may grow rich, and raise a fair estate, without mortal sin, by defrauding those who buy of "Let him be accursed who shall affirm that penance is not truly and properly a sacrament, instituted and them, by little and little, and by false measures." (Lopez, ibid. p. 14.) "Although it is not lawful to lie, or to dissemble what is not, however, it is lawful to dissemble what is, or to cover the truth with words, or other ambiguous and doubtful signs, for a just cause; and when there is not a necessity for confessing." "It is a certain and common opinion amongst all divines that for a just cause, it is lawful to use equivocation in the propounded modes, and to confirm it with an oath." (St. Liquori.) "Not only do children not sin who enter a religious state without consulting their parents, but ordinarily speaking, they err very much, on account of the danger to which they expose themselves of being averted from it, if they consult with them concerning their call. And this verily is confirmed by the example of so many saints.” (St. Liquori.) “What shall a confessor do, if he be asked of a sin that he hath heard in confession? May he say, that he knows not of it? I answer, according to all our doctors, that he may. But what if he be compelled to swear? I say, that he may and ought to swear, that he knows it not: for that is understood that he knows it not, besides confession; and so he swears true. But say that the judge or prelate shall maliciously require of him, upon his oath, whether he know it in confession or no? I answer that a man thus urged may still swear that he knows it not in confession: for that it is understood, he knows it not to reveal it, or so as he may tell." (Franciscus Victoria.) Thus, according to the teaching of the infallible church, we may steal, and lie, and disobey our parents, and swear falsely, &c., and be good Catholics notwithstanding. Is this the religion Christ taught us? Well, indeed, may the Bible be forbidden by those teachers who allow the commission of the worst sins. |