given him to "do any thing against the truth, but for the truth :" neither is it to be imagined, that the sentence of man, who is subject to deceive and be deceived, should any ways prejudice the sentence of God, whose judgment we know to be always according to the truth. Therefore doth Pacianus, in the end of his first epistle to Sympronianus the Novatian, shew that at that time absolution was not so easily given unto penitents, as now-a-days it is: but "with great pondering of the matter, and with great deliberation, after many sighs and shedding of tears, after the prayers of the whole Church, pardon was so not denied unto true repentance, that, Christ being to judge, no man should prejudge him ;" and a little before, speaking of the bishop by whose ministry this was done, “He' shall give an account (saith he) if he have done any thing amiss, or if he have judged corruptly and wickedly. Neither is there any prejudice done unto God, whereby he might not undo the works of this evil builder: but in the mean time, if that administration of his be godly, he continueth a helper of the works of God." Wherein he doth but tread in the steps of St. Cyprian, who, at the first rising of the Novatian heresy, wrote in the same manner unto Antonianus. "We do not prejudice the Lord that is to judge, but that he, if he find the repentance of the sinner to be full and just, may then ratify that which

2 Cor. chap. 13. ver. 8.

h Rom. chap. 2. ver. 2.

i Scio, frater, hanc ipsam pœnitentiæ veniam non passim omnibus dari, &c. Pacian. epist. 1.

k Magno pondere magnoque libramine, post multos gemitus effusionemque lachrymarum, post totius Ecclesiæ preces, ita veniam veræ pœnitentiæ non negari, ut judicaturo Christo nemo præjudicet. Ibid.

Reddet quidem ille rationem, si quid perperam fecerit, vel si corrupte et impie judicarit. Nec præjudicatur Deo, quo minus mali ædificatoris opera rescindat: interea, si pia illa administratio est, adjutor Dei operum perseverat. Id. ibid.

Neque enim præjudicamus Domino judicaturo, quo minus, si pœnitentiam plenam et justam peccatoris invenerit, tunc ratum faciat quod a nobis fuerit hic statutum: si vero nos aliquis pœnitentiæ simulatione deluserit, Deus, qui non deridetur, et qui cor hominis intuetur, de his quæ nos minus perspeximus judicet, et servorum suorum sententiam Dominus emendet. Cypr. epist. 52. op. pag. 71.

shall be here ordained by us: but if any one do deceive us with the semblance of repentance, God, who is not mocked, and who beholdeth the heart of man, may judge of those things which we did not well discern, and the Lord may amend the sentence of the servants."

Hereupon St. Hierome, expounding those words "It" may be God will pardon thy sins," reproveth those men of great rashness, that are so peremptory and absolute in their absolutions. "When blessed Daniel (saith he) who knew things to come, doth doubt of the sentence of God, they do a rash deed, that boldly promise pardon unto sinners." St. Basil also resolveth us, that "the" power of forgiving is not given absolutely; but upon the obedience of the penitent, and his consent with him that hath the care of his soul." For it is in loosing, as it is in binding. "Thou hast begun to esteem thy brother as a publican," saith St. Augustine: "thou bindest him upon earth. But look that thou bindest him justly. For unjust bonds justice doth break." So, when the priest saith "I absolve thee," Maldonat confesseth that he meaneth no more thereby but, "As much as in me lieth, I absolve thee:" and Suarez acknowledgeth, that it implicitly includeth this condition, "Unless the receiver put some impediment;" for which he allegeth the authority of Hugot de St. Victoire, affirming, "that" this form doth

"Daniel, chap. 4. ver. 24.

• Cum beatus Daniel, præscius futurorum, de sententia Dei dubitet: rem temerariam faciunt, qui audacter peccatoribus indulgentiam pollicentur. Hieronym. in Daniel. cap. 4. op. tom. 3. pag. 1090.

· Ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ ἀφιέναι οὐκ ἀπολύτως δέδοται, ἀλλ ̓ ἐν ὑπακοῇ τοῦ μετανοοῦντος, καὶ συμφωνίᾳ πρὸς τὸν ἐπιμελούμενον αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς. Basil. regul. brevior. qu. 15. op. tom. 2. pag. 419.

Cœpisti habere fratrem tuum tanquam publicanum: ligas illum in terra. Sed ut juste alliges, vide. Nam injusta vincula dirumpit justitia. Augustin. de verbis Domini, serm. 82. op. tom. 5. pag. 442.

Quantum in me est, ego te absolvo. Maldonat. tom. 2. de pœnitent. part. 3. thes. 5.

• Nisi suscipiens obicem ponat. Fr. Suarez. in Thom. tom. 4. disp. 19. sec. 2. num. 20.

t lib. 2. de sacramentis, pag. 14. sec. 8.

u Hanc formam magis significare virtutem suam, quam eventum. Hugo.

rather signify the power and virtue, than the event" of the absolution. And therefore doth the master of the sentences rightly observe, that "God" doth not evermore follow the judgment of the Church: which sometimes judgeth by surreption and ignorance; whereas God doth always judge according to the truth." So the priests

"sometimes" declare men to be loosed or bound, who are not so before God: with the penalty of satisfaction or excommunication they sometimes bind such as are unworthy, or loose them; they admit them that be unworthy to the sacraments, and put back them that be worthy to be admitted." That saying therefore of Christ must be understood to be verified in them, saith he, "whose merits do require that they should be loosed or bound. For then is the sentence of the priest approved and confirmed by the judgment of God and the whole court of heaven; when it doth proceed with that discretion, that the merits of them who be dealt withal do not contradict the same: whomsoever therefore they do loose or bind, using the key of discretion according to the parties' merits, they are loosed or bound in heaven, that is to say, with God: because the sentence of the priest, proceeding in this manner, is approved and confirmed by divine judgment.” Thus far the master of the sentences: who is followed herein by the rest of the schoolmen; who generally agree, that the power of binding and loosing, committed to the ministers of the Church, is not absolute, but must be limited with Clave non errante, as being then only of force

" Ita et hic aperte ostenditur, quod non semper sequitur Deus Ecclesiæ judicium quæ per surreptionem et ignorantiam interdum judicat; Deus autem semper judicat secundum veritatem. Petr. Lombard. sentent. lib. 4. distinct. 18. f.

w Aliquando enim ostendunt solutos vel ligatos, qui ita non sunt apud Deum : et pœna satisfactionis vel excommunicationis interdum indignos ligant vel solvunt; et indignos sacramentis admittunt, et dignos admitti arcent. Sed intelligendum est hoc in illis, quorum merita solvi vel ligari postulant. Tunc enim sententia sacerdotis judicio Dei et totius cœlestis curiæ approbatur et confirmatur ; cum ita ex discretione procedit, ut reorum merita non contradicant. Quoscunque ergo solvunt vel ligant, adhibentes clavem discretionis reorum meritis, solvuntur vel ligantur in cœlis, id est, apud Deum: quia divino judicio sacerdotis sententia sic progressa approbatur et confirmatur. Id. ibid. h. Vid. Gabriel Biel, in eand. distinct. 18. quæst. 1. lit. b.

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when matters are carried with right judgment, and no error is committed in the use of the keys.

Our Saviour therefore must still have the privilege reserved unto him, of being the absolute Lord over his own house: it is sufficient for his officers that they be esteemed as Moses was, 66 I faithful in all his house as servants." The place wherein they serve is a steward's place: and the apostle telleth them, that " it is required in stewards, that the man be found faithful." They may not therefore carry themselves in their office, as the unjust steward did, and presume to strike out their master's debt without his direction, and contrary to his liking. Now we know that our Lord hath given no authority unto his stewards, to grant an acquittance unto any of his debtors, that bring not unfeigned faith and repentance with them. "Neither angel nor archangel can: neither yet the Lord himself, who alone can say, I am with you, when we have sinned, doth release us, unless we bring repentance with us :" saith St. Ambrose; and Eligius bishop of Noyon, in his sermon unto the penitents, "Before all things it is necessary you should know, that, howsoever you desire to receive the imposition of our hands, yet you cannot obtain the absolution of your sins, before the divine piety shall vouchsafe to absolve you by the grace of compunction." To think therefore that it lieth in the power of any priest truly to absolve a man from his sins, without implying the condition of his believing and repenting as he ought to do, is both presumption and madness in the highest degree.

* Quod in terra sacerdos, clave non errante, et recto judicio procedens, retinet, nec dimittit, Deus etiam in cœlo retinet, nec dimittit. Tolet. comment. in Johann. cap. 20.

y Heb. chap. 10. ver. 5, 6.

a Luke, chap. 16. ver. 6, 7, 8.

2 1 Cor. chap. 4. ver. 2.

b Nec angelus potest, nec archangelus: Dominus ipse, qui solus potest dicere: Ego vobiscum sum, si peccaverimus, nisi pœnitentiam deferentibus non relaxat. Ambr. epist. 28. ad Theodosium imp. op. tom. 2. pag. 999.

c Ante omnia autem vobis scire necesse est ; quia licet impositionem manuum nostrarum accipere cupiatis, tamen absolutionem peccatorum vestrorum consequi non potestis, antequam per compunctionis gratiam Divina pietas vos absolvere dignabitur. Eligius Noviomens. homil. 11. tom. 7. biblioth. patr. pag. 248. edit. Colon.

Neither dareth cardinal Bellarmine, who censureth this conditional absolution in us for idle and superfluous, when he hath considered better of the matter, assume unto himself, or communicate unto his brethren, the power of giving an absolute one. For he is driven to confess, with others of his fellows, that when the priest "saith", I absolve thee, he doth not affirm that he doth absolve absolutely; as not being ignorant, that it may many ways come to pass that he doth not absolve, although he pronounce those words: namely, if he, who seemeth to receive this sacrament (for so they call it), peradventure hath no intention to receive it, or is not rightly disposed, or putteth some block in the way. Therefore the minister (saith he) signifieth nothing else by those words, but that he, as much as in him lieth, conferreth the sacrament of reconciliation or absolution; which in a man rightly disposed hath virtue to forgive all his sins."

Now that contrition is at all times necessarily required for obtaining remission of sins and justification, is a matter determined by the fathers of Trent. But mark yet the mystery. They equivocate with us in the term of contrition and make a distinction thereof into perfect and imperfect. The former of these is contrition properly: the latter they call attrition; which, howsoever in itself it be not true contrition, yet, when the priest with his power of forgiving sins interposeth himself in the business, they tell us that "attrition by virtue of the keys is made contrition:" that is to say, that a sorrow arising from a servile fear of punishment, and such a fruitless repentances

d Nam qui dicit, Ego te baptizo, vel absolvo, non affirmat se absolute baptizare vel absolvere, cum non ignoret multis modis fieri posse, ut neque baptizet, neque absolvat, licet ea verba pronunciet: nimirum si is, qui sacramentum suscipere videtur, forte non habeat suscipiendi intentionem, vel non sit rite dispositus, aut obicem ponat. Igitur minister illis verbis nihil aliud significat, nisi se, quod in se est, sacramentum reconciliationis vel absolutionis impendere, quod vim habet in homine disposito peccata omnia dimittendi. Bellarmin. de pœnitent. lib. 2. cap. 14. sec. penult.

e Concil. Tridentin. sess. 14. cap. 4.

f Attritio virtute clavium fit contritio. Romani correctores gloss. Gratiani, De pœnitent. distinct. 1. in principio: et alii passim.

Matt. chap. 27. ver. 3, 4, 5.