Chap. XI. caution the penitents to choose fuch perfons to confult with, as will be careful and tender of their reputation and fafety 65. And it was an imprudent direction of the penitentiaries at Conftantinople, for the public confeffion of a fin which had been better concealed, that caufed Nectarius, who was then Bishop of that city, to abolish the office, and to ftrike the name of Penitentiary out of the ecclefiaftical roll. It appears indeed from St. Chryfoftom “7, that the public difcipline of the church was the fame after this accident as it was before: only the confeffion of secret fins, which gave no fcandal, was left from that time to the difcretion and confcience of those who had committed them; who fhould judge for themselves, whether they should refort to, or abftain from, the holy Communion. Not but that they were at liberty, after the abolifhing of this office, as much as they were before, to use the advice of a ghoftly counsellor, if they found themselves in want of it: but then there was no peculiar officer, whofe diftin&t bufinefs it fhould be to receive fuch applications: but every one was left to choose a confeffor for himfelf, in whom he might fafely confides. And how far even this came to be afterwards abufed, is too well known to need any proof: but no argument fure can be drawn, that because a practice has been abused, it fhould therefore cease to be used. The abuses of it should be reformed, but not the practice difcontinued. How far And therefore the church of England at the Reformaenjoined by the church tion, in the particular now before us, freed it from all the of England. encroachments with which the church of Rome had em barraffed it, and reduced confeffion to its primitive plan. She neither calls it a Sacrament, nor requires it to be used as univerfally neceffary: but because it is requifite that no Man Should come to the holy communion, but with a full truft in God's mercy, and with a quiet confcience; the therefore advises, that if there be any who is not able to quiet his own confcience, but requireth farther comfort or counfel, he should come to his own, or fome other difcreet and learned Minifter of God's word, and open his grief, that, by the miniftry of God's holy word, he may receive the benefit of Abfolution, 65 Greg. Nyffen. contra Eunom. Orat. 11. tom. ii. pag. 705. de Pœnit. tom. ii. pag. 175, 176. Paulin, in Vit. Ambrof. Bafil. Regulæ Breviores, pag. 614. Interrog. 229. tom. ii. Lucian. in Paræn. five Libell. ad l'oenit. Hieron, in Matt. xvi. 66 Socrat. Hift. Eccl. 1. 5. c. 19. et Soz. 1. 7. c. 17. 67 In Ep. ad Innocent. et in Ep. ad Hebræ. Hom. 4. et in 2 Cor. Hom. 4. et 18. et in Ephef. Hom. 3. 68 See all these particulars more largely treated of in Dr. Marshal's Pe. nitential Difcipline, chap. 2. Part 1. §. I. together together with ghoftly counfel and advice, to the quieting Sect. IV. of his confcience, and avoiding of all fcruple and doubtfulnefs 69. Here we fee there is nothing arbitrarily prefcribed, but every one is left to his own difcretion: all that was abfolutely enjoined, was only a mutual forbearance and peace; for the fecurity of which a clause was added in the first book of King Edward, requiring fuch as fhall be fatisfied with a general confeffion, not to be offended with them that do use, to their farther fatisfying, the auricular and fecret Confeffion to the Prieft: nor thofe alfo which think needful and convenient, for the quietness of their own confciences, particularly to open their fins to the Prieft, to be offended with them that are fatisfied with their humble Confeffons to God, and the general Confeffion to the Church. But in all things to follow and keep the rule of Charity, and every man to be fatisfied with his own confcience, not judging other men's minds or confciences; whereas he hath no warrant of God's word to the fame. 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 infift upon Confeffion as always ab→ folutely neceffary to falvation; 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 prefume, wifh, very confiftently with the determination of our church, that our people would apply themselves, oftener than they do, to their spiritual phyficians, even in the time of their health; fince it is much to be feared, they are wounded oftener than they complain, and yet, through averfion to disclosing their fore, fuffer it to gangrene, for want of their help who fhould work the cure. of it. But present ease is not the only benefit the penitent may The bene expect from his confeffor's aid: he will be better affifted fits and adin the regulation of his life; and when his laft conflict vantages fhall make its approach, the holy man, being no stranger to the ftate of his foul, will be better prepared to guide and conduct it through all difficulties that may oppofe. However, if we have neglected to communicate our doubts and fcruples in our health, we have more need of following the Apoftle's advice when we are fick, viz. to call for the Elders of the church, and to confefs our faults, in order 69 See the Conclufion of the firft Exhortation to the holy Communion. to Chap. XI. to engage their fervent prayers". For this reason, though our church leaves it in a manner to every one's difcretion, in the time of health, whether they will be fatisfied with a general Confeffion to God and the Church; yet when they are fick, fhe thinks it proper that they be MOVED to make a Special Confeffion of their fins to the Priest, if they feel their confciences troubled with any weighty matter. For how will he be able to fatisfy their doubts, if he be not let into the particulars of their cafe? Or with what affurance can he abfolve them, or admit them to the peace and communion of the church, before he is apprifed how far they have deferved its cenfure and bonds? If then they are defirous of the following confolations which the church has provided for their quiet and ease, it is fit they should firft declare and make known what burden it is, from which they want to be freed. How far the church can affift or relieve them, or what confolations they are which the adminifters, the Abfolution here prescribed will lead us to confider; which, with the Collect that follows, fhall make the fubject of the next section. SECT. V. Of the Abfolution and the Collect following. The form AFTER the fick perfon has made a special confeffion of the Ab- of his fins, as has been mentioned above, the Prieft is to abfolve him, if he humbly and heartily defire it, after this fort: folution. the cen fures of the church. Our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath left power to his church to abfolve all finners, who truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine offences: and by his authority committed to me, I abfolve thee from all thy fins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. Amen. Seems only Now whether the church defigns, by this form, that to respect the Prieft fhall directly convey God's pardon to the confcience of the finner, for his fins and offences committed against him; or whether that he fhall only remit the cenfures of the church, and continue him in the privilege of church-cominunion, which he may be fuppofed to have forfeited by the fins he has confeffed, is thought by fome not to be clearly or determinately expreffed. But if we look forward to the Collect immediately after to be used, it looks as if the church did only intend the remiffion of ecclefiaftical cenfures and bonds. For in that prayer the Sect. V. penitent is faid ftill most earnestly to defire pardon and forgiveness: which furely there would be no occafion to do, if he had been actually pardoned and forgiven by God, by virtue of the Abfolution pronounced before. Again, the Prieft offers a fpecial requeft, that God would preferve and continue him in the unity of the church; which feems to fuppofe, that the foregoing Abfolution had been pronounced in order to restore him to its peace. And therefore fince 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 fo, as is moft confiftent with the original commiffion given by our Lord, and the exercife of it in the pureft ages of the church. 71 er given to §. 2. Now it is plain that the authority first promised What powto St. Peter 11, and afterwards in common to all the Apo- the church ftles 72, was a power of admitting to, or excluding from, by our Sachurch-communion: for it is expreffed by the Keys of the viour. Kingdom of Heaven. Now the Kingdom of Heaven being, in the fcriptural fenfe, the church of Chrift, of which heaven is the metropolis or principal part; and the Keys (which are a token or enfign of power) being alfo used in Scripture to denote the conferring of authority to fome chief officer in a family, to take in and exclude from it whom he should judge convenient 73; it must follow, that by the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, must be meant a power of admitting into, and thutting out of, the Chriftian Church. Accordingly the exercife of this power is called binding and loofing, which were terms used by the Jews, to fignify the fame things with what we now express by excommunicating and abfolving. And our Saviour gives in charge, that whofoever is thus bound fhould be looked upon by his difciples as a heathen Man and a Publican; which feems naturally to import, that from a state of communion with the Chriftian church, he fhould be reduced into the state of heathens, and fuch other profligate men, who were not admitted into their places of worship, nor fo much as received into common conversation 75. St. John indeed tells us, that our Saviour, after his refurrection, and when he feemed to be giving his 71 Matt. xvi. 19. 72 Matt. xviii. 18. 73 Ifa. xxii. 22. Rev. iii. 7. and ch. XX. 1, 2, 3. 74 Vide Selden. de Syned. veter. G Ebræor. 1. 1. c. 7. et Morin. de Admi- 75 Matt. ix. 11. Acts xi. 3. and final 78 Chap. XI. final commiffion, endued his Apoftles with a power expreffed by the terms of remitting and retaining fins. But now it is the opinion of Dr. Hammond, and from him of a late author of not inferior judgment" that this paffage has much the fame fignification with the former, and that the terms in St. John, of retaining and remitting, are equivalent to thofe in St. Matthew, of binding and loofing. They only obferve, that retaining is more emphatical than binding, and that it fignifies properly to keep bound, and that the word remit refers to fin as a debt, whereas the word loofe refers to it as a bond or chain. And if this be the fenfe of the words in St. John, then it is plain that this commiffion, as well as the former in St. Matthew, confers only a power of excommunicating and abfolving; and confequently that no authority can be urged from hence for the applying of God's pardon to the confcience of a finner, or for abfolving him any otherwife than from the cenfures of the church. And indeed that these words give no power to us, in the present state of the church, to forgive or remit fins in the name of God, fo as immediately to restore the perfon abfolved to his favour and grace, I humbly prefume to join my opinion with theirs. But yet, with due fubmiffion, I cannot forbear thinking, that fuch a power was intended to be given by them to the Apoftles. For obferve, that wherever elfe in the New Teftament we meet with the word 'Apinu, (which we render remit in the text,) applied to fins, as it is here, it is conftantly used to express the remiffion and forgiveness of them, or the entire putting them away; and therefore the use of the same terms, in the text I am fpeaking of, inclines me to interpret the commiffion there given, of a power to remit fins, even in relation to God; infomuch that those fins which the Apoftles should declare forgiven by virtue of this commiffion, fhould be actually forgiven by God himself, fo as to be imputed no more. Not that I believe this power extended to the remitting all fins indifcriminately, and in whomfoever they pleased; but only that when fome temporal calamity or disease had been inflicted upon a man as a punishment for his fins, the Apostles, if inwardly courfe of Church-Government, ch. 5. page 345, &c. where the Bishop gives the fame interpretation of this Text with Dr. Hammond. |