CHLP. IX.] FBN?SCB---CONrZes?OW. 321 on fasting days ! Or been accessory to others' doing so ? How often ? Have you neglected to sonless your sins once a year ? Or to receive the blessed sacrament at Easter !'* &c. The reader will perceive that there is scarcely a word that relates to the spirit and meaning o� the divine precepts, while the f.ast8 and f.eaats of. the church are put in their place. The above is sufficient to show what sort 0� a thing auras cnlar confession is, 80 far as regards the things confessed and the questions put. And here there is one thing which must, I think, deeply affect the resder'8 mind. The interrogatorass axe aJJ formed on the 8uppooit?on that the penitent my be a great and habitual transgressor. He may be one who has had a custom of. swearing rashly by the name of. by his soul, and by way 0� imprecation on himself; and who Juts been in the habit of doing so many times in a day-. Now, ?xt order to make a good confession, it is not necess?try that he have actually f'oreaken his wicked habit. It is enough that he confesses his fault, and re?od? to �0reake it, or makes a firm re?olut/o? of forsaking it; and the priest, on this �o?/o?m, and r?voh?g?o?, and p'om?e, grants him absolution. In this the Church of Rome is directly opposed to the Bible. True (3hr?tianity knows nothing of. good resolutions distinct from good prac- Lice. There is not in the whole Bible a promise of' pardon to him who only reoolves to forsake sins. This, however, in o?Unary cases, ?8 88 much as the priest exacts from the penitent. For when a man comes to the priest, and makes prof.easion of' amendment, the pt*Jest must grant him ilMolution, though both priest and penitent be unperauaxled of any change in the character of the latter, and though both expect he will immed?ly return to the practice of' all m?nner of' wickedness, tru?g to the efficacy of a new confession and ?t new absolution. And though he should have confessed annuaUy fifty times, his exercise in his fiftieth year of' confession embraces only. a pitTpose Of amendment-- a purpese that is never expected to be put into practice. It is true he rrade? henceforward to flee occasions of. sin. He f?o4t? to perform * such good devotions as m necesssry for obtaining this grace; and he reao/tM, to lies idleness, and to set himself' a regular method and order of life for the .time he haa yet to come; but Ida reformation generally mrmbmtes with a periodical nmolution of' doin? better, without any real refornmti(m. And indeed there seems to be a provision in their church f?r ,his conthual postponement of reformation of. life, for they seem to calculate on a return to sin, by tbe proHsion they make by absolution for the continual pardon of' 8hm repeated and persisted in. Thio repe- tition and per?evermace in sin are even excused find provided far, which appears f?om the (ollow?.g. declaration of tim Trent Catechism: "To no one can it appear mulmmng if persous fall into sin, the com- mon malady of the human race, and the natural appmtduge of human Nor doe8 confession serve as a r?r? o? sin, as is msintalnod by tim Churoh of Rome; but, on the other hand, a8 ?e? nunage it, it jwoves a !icenos to commit 8blJoat q?el? species of ran. It is true, it, my lmve fears respecuag goiug to con�es?.on, which mary serve for 'a short time to restrain them from 8in. But when they learn that their going to co?,,ession and th,?, receivi? ?eolm? give them ononuraf? �ot. L
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