That is, not only the evil effect to himself, but the irregularity and the displeasure to Almighty God, are the incentives of his displeasure against sin; and because in all these passions and effective motions of the mind, there is a sorrow under some shape or other, this sorrow or displeasure is that, which' is a very acceptable signification, and act of repentance; and yet it is not to be judged of by sense, but by reason, by the caution and enmity against sin: to which this also is to be added: -- 30. That if any man inquires, whether or no his hatred against sin proceed from the love of God or no; that is, whether it be attrition or contrition, he is only to observe whether he does endeavour heartily and constantly to please God by obedience; for this is love, that we keep his commandments:' and although sometimes we may tell concerning our love as well as concerning our fear; yet when the direct principle is not so evident, our only way left to try, is by the event that is contrition which makes us to exterminate and mortify sin, and endeavour to keep the commandments of God. For that is sorrow proceeding from love. 31. And now it is no wonder, if to contrition pardon be so constantly annexed in all the discourses of divines: but unless contrition be thus understood, and if a single act of something like it, be mistaken for the whole state of this grace, we shall be deceived by applying false promises to a real need, or true promises to an incompetent and incapable state of things. But when it is thus meant, all the sorrows that can come from this principle are the signs of life. His lacrimis vitam damus, et miserescimus ultro. No man can deny pardon to such penitents, nor cease to joy in such tears. 32. The sum of the present inquiry is this: contrition is sometimes used for a part of repentance, sometimes taken for the whole duty. As it is a part, so it is that displeasure at sin, and hatred of it, which is commonly expressed in sorrow, but for ever in the leaving of it. It is sometimes begun with fear, sometimes with shame, and sometimes with kindness, with thankfulness and love; but love and obedience are ever at the latter end of it, though it were not at the beginning and till then it is called attrition. But when it is taken for the whole duty itself, as it is always when it is effective of pardon,-then the elements of it, or parts of the constitution, are fides futuri sæculi et judicii, fides in promissis et passionibus Christi, timor Divinæ majestatis, amor misericordiæ, dolor pro peccatis, spes veniæ, petitio pro gratiâ,'faith in the promises and sufferings of Christ, an assent to the article of the day of judgment, and the world to come; with all the consequent persuasions and practices effected on the spirit, fear of the divine majesty, love of his mercy, grief for our sins, begging for grace, hope of pardon ;' and in this sense it is true Cor contritum Deus non despiciet,' 'God will never refuse to accept of a heart so contrite.' SECTION IV. 33. THE modern schoolmen make contrition to include in it a resolution to submit to the keys of the church; that is, that confession to a priest is a part of contrition, as contrition is taken for a part of repentance; for it is incomplete till the church hath taken notice of it, but by submission to the church-tribunal, it is made complete; and not only so, but that which was but attrition, is now turned into contrition, or perfect repentance. In the examining of this, I shall, because it is reasonable so to do, change their manner of speaking, that the inquiry may be more material and intelligible. That contrition does include in it a resolution to submit to the church-tribunal, must either mean, that godly sorrow does in its nature include a desire of confession to a priest, and then the very word confutes the thing; or else by contrition they meaning so much of repentance, as is sufficient. to pardon, mean also, that to submit to the keys, or to confess to a priest, is a necessary or integral part of that repentance, and therefore of contrition. Concerning the other part of their affirmative, that attrition is, by the keys, changed into contrition; this being turned into words fit for men to speak,—such men, I mean, that would be understood,-signifies plainly this: that the most imperfect repentance towards God is sufficient, if it be brought before the church; that is, VOL. IX. R t” supplication, to confess them to him from whom they cannot be concealed; who, without any pressing upon our modesty, is wont to cure, and without upbraiding, to forgive us our sins." And the fathers of the council of Cabaillon advanced this duty by divers sentences of Scripture ;-" Ita duntaxat ut et Deo, qui remissor est peccatorum, confiteamur peccata nostra, et cum David dicamus, Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci, et injustitiam meam non abscondi: Dixi, confitebor injustitias meas Domino, et tu remisisti impietatem peccati mei, &c. "God is the pardoner of sins, and therefore let us confess to him, and say with David, I have made my sin known unto thee, and mine unrighteousness have I not hid; I said, I will confess mine iniquity unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the wickedness of my sint. But this thing is pressed most earnestly by Laurentius Novarriensis, who because he was a father of the fifth age, his words are of more use, by being a testimony that the ecclesiastical repentance, which we find to be now pressed by some as simply necessary, was not the doctrine of those times. ،، From that day in which thou goest out of the font, thou becomest to thyself a continual font, and a daily remission. There is no absolute necessity of the priest's right hand; from thenceforward God hath appointed thee to be thy own judge, thy own arbiter, and hath given thee knowledge whereby of thyself thou mayest discern good and evil; and because while thou remainest in the body, thou canst not be free from sin, God hath, after baptism, placed thy remedy within thyself; he hath placed pardon within thy own choice, so that thou art not, in the day of thy necessity, indispensably tied to seek. a priest; but thou thyself, as if thou wert a most skilful doctor and master, mayest amend thy error within thee, and wash away thy sin by repentance. The fountain is never dry, the water is within thee; absolution is in thy choice, sanctification is in thy diligence, pardon is within the dew of thine own tears. Do not thou therefore look either for John or Jordan; be thou thy own baptist, viz., in the baptism of repentance. Thou art defiled after thou art washed, thy bowels are defiled, thy soul is polluted; plunge thyself in the waters of repentance, cleanse thyself by abundance of tears, let compunction be plentifully in thy t Cap. 33. et habetur de Poenit. dist. 1. cap. 90. bowels, and the Lord himself shall baptize thee with the Holy Ghost and with fire, and shall heap the fruits of repentance, and lay them up like wheat; but the chaff of thy sins he shall burn with unquenchable fire"." Many testimonies out of antiquity to the same purpose, are to be seen ready collected by Gratian, under the title De Poenitentiâ.' 36. Now if any one shall inquire, to what purpose it is that we should confess our sins to God, who already knows them all, especially since to do so can be no part of mortification to the man's spirit: for if I steal in the presence of my brother, afterward to tell him who saw me, that I did that which he saw me do, is no confusion of face:-that which will be an answer to this, and make it appear necessary to confess to God, will also make it appear, not to be necessary to confess to men, in respect, I say, of any absolute necessity of the thing, or essential obligation of the person. 37. I answer, that confession of sins, as it is simply taken for enumeration of the actions and kinds of sin, can signify nothing as to God, for the reasons now mentioned in the inquiry. But when we are commanded to confess our sins, it is nothing else but another expression or word for the commandment of repentance. For, Confess your sins,' means, acknowledge that you have done amiss, that you were in the wrong way, that you were a miserable person, wandering out of the paths of God, and the methods of heaven and happiness, that you ought not to have done so, that you have sinned against God, and broken his holy laws, and therefore are liable and exposed to all that wrath of God which he will inflict upon you, or which he threatened. Confession of sins is a justification of God, and a sentencing of ourselves.— This is not only certain in the nature of the thing itself; but apparent also in the words of David; "Against thee only have I done this evil; ut tu justificeris,' that thou mightest be justified' in thy saying, and clear when thou art judged *:" that is, if I be a sinner, then art thou righteous and just in all the evils thou inflictest.-So that confession of sins is like confession of faith, nothing but a signification of our conviction; it is a publication of our dislike of sin, and a submission to the law of God, and a deprecation of the con"De Poenit. hom. 1. Biblioth. pp. tom. 2. * Psal. li. 4. 6 supplication, to confess them to him from whom they cannot be concealed; who, without any pressing upon our modesty, is wont to cure, and without upbraiding, to forgive us our sins." And the fathers of the council of Cabaillon advanced this duty by divers sentences of Scripture ;-"Ita duntaxat ut et Deo, qui remissor est peccatorum, confiteamur peccata nostra, et cum David dicamus, Delictum meum cognitum tibi feci, et injustitiam meam non abscondi: Dixi, confitebor injustitias meas Domino, et tu remisisti impietatem peccati mei," &c. "God is the pardoner of sins, and therefore let us confess to him, and say with David, I have made my sin known unto thee, and mine unrighteousness have I not hid; I said, I will confess mine iniquity unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin."" But this thing is pressed most earnestly by Laurentius Novarriensis, who because he was a father of the fifth age, his words are of more use, by being a testimony that the ecclesiastical repentance, which we find to be now pressed by some as simply necessary, was not the doctrine of those times. "From that day in which thou goest out of the font, thou becomest to thyself a continual font, and a daily remission. There is no absolute necessity of the priest's right hand; from thenceforward God hath appointed thee to be thy own judge, thy own arbiter, and hath given thee knowledge whereby of thyself thou mayest discern good and evil; and because while thou remainest in the body, thou canst not be free from sin, God hath, after baptism, placed thy remedy within thyself; he hath placed pardon within thy own choice, so that thou art not, in the day of thy necessity, indispensably tied to seek a priest; but thou thyself, as if thou wert a most skilful doctor and master, mayest amend thy error within thee, and wash away thy sin by repentance. The fountain is never dry, the water is within thee; absolution is in thy choice, sanctification is in thy diligence, pardon is within the dew of thine own tears. Do not thou therefore look either for John or Jordan; be thou thy own baptist, viz., in the baptism of repentance. Thou art defiled after thou art washed, thy bowels are defiled, thy soul is polluted; plunge thyself in the waters of repentance, cleanse thyself by abundance of tears, let compunction be plentifully in thy * Cap. 33. et habetur de Pœnit. dist. 1. cap. 90. |