Questions of Religion, Commonplaces · Commonplace 13
The. xiij. Common place. Of repentaunce and Confession.
The. xlix. Question.
Whether they beleue that ther be three partes of repentaunce, to witte, contrition, confession, and satisfaction?
The Answere.
THere are many things wrytten in the Holye scripture of repentance, and the amendemente of life bothe in the New and Old testament. For the doctrine of repentaunce is very necessarieWhat repentance is. and profitable for all Chrystians. And this worde Repentaunce séemeth to come of this worde repayring: as when torne, broken, or things rente, are renued and repaired. The Hebrues call repentaunce returning or conuerting to God. But he which is returned to God, ought first necessarily to know and vnderstande how he fell from him, and to knowe what God is, howe wée fall from him, and howe wée oughte to turne to him agayne. So that he which must repente, ought to know his owne naughtinesse and wickednesse, and also by what meanes the same may bée amended whiche is broken or spoyled. And these things can in no wyse be don of any wretched sinner, onlesse they be drawen herevnto, and therin instructed by the spirite and worde of God, which they must also most stedfastly beléeue. For these things are so necessarily required, that onlesse GOD by grace through his spirite open and drawe the heart of the sinner, and by his worde shewe vsus the perfect way, gouerne and kéepe vsus in the same, giuegive vsus true faithTrue repentance. wherby to quicken and iustifie vsus, that onlesse I say, he giuegive vsus these, al repentaunce, howe harde or gréenous soeuer it séeme, is no true repentaunce. Let Judas bée an example héereof, who repenting for hys sinnes, confessed the same to the Priestes in the Temple, saying: I hauehave betrayed the innocente bloud. Yea and he in this part made satisfactiō, that he threw the vnrighteous price of bloud into the tēple. But what did this repētance profite him, although it had in it contrition, confession, and satisfaction? they holpe him nothing at all: and bicause he lacked true fayth, he dispaired, and hong him selfe. On the other side, the Lorde looking backe vponupon Peter, and the Cocke crowing, he remembred the words of the Lord, and beléeuing them departed from the wicked company, wept for his sinnes, and amended his faults: and this his repentance was a true and perfecte repentaunce. And Jeremie the Prophet confirmeth this doctrine, who in his. 31. chapter prayeth to the Lorde, saying: Conuert mee O Lorde, and I shall bee conuerted, for thou arte the Lorde my God: and after thou haste conuerted me, I shall repent, and after thou haste shewed thy selfe vntounto me, I wyll strike my selfe on the thighe. Wherfore true repentaunce and the right sorowing for our sinnes, muste procéede from God, stirring vp the same in vsus by fayth, so as it must not be a repentaunce or sorrow, according to the world, but after the wil of God. …. Cor. 7. Touching confession and satisfaction shall bée spoken hereafter.
The. L. Question.
Whether they beleue that sins with all their circumstaunces, oughte to bee confessed to the Prieste in the Sacramente of confession?
The Answere.
COnfession or the numbring of ourWhat confe… sion is good & necessari… ▪ sinnes, which must be done before the priest, with al the circūstances therof, as how, when, who, with whom, how often, and wherfore he hath offended, is but in vayne, and without all sufficient proofe called the Sacrament of confession. For God alone, as wée hauehave before shewed, dyd institute the Sacraments, but he ordeyned not this confession to be any of them, neither did he commaunde it as necessarie to our saluation. For the holye Scripture teacheth an other maner of profitable and necessarie kinde of confession, and byddeth vsus to confesse our sinnes with a true fayth from our hearts méekely vntounto God. For God it is alone whome wée hauehave offended, who knoweth our hearts, déedes, and determinations, remitteth or punisheth sinnes, and hathe giuen his sonne vntounto vsus, an high Priest and one eternall sacrifice. Therefore muste wée come to GOD the father through Chryst, and that with the same wordes which he hathe giuen vsus, teaching vsus to confesse our sinnes, saying: Forgiue vsus our trespasses, as we forgyue them that trespasse agaynst vsus. And after this sorte may all the faythfull in all theyr troubles, and at all tymes, and in eueryevery place confesse themselues to GOD bothe secretly and openly. Secretly when eche man prayeth alone and confesseth his sinnes to God. Openly, when any man in the Church togither with the whole congregation prayeth and confesseth the same. And there are many examples in bothe the Testamentes, of those who confessed themselues to God, and not onelyonly craued, but also obteined of him forgiuenesse of their sinnes. But on the contrarie, there are no examples of any which confessed themselues to Laye men or Priestes: for this honor belongeth to God alone, which hathe giuen vsus hysWe must confesse vsus vntounto God. sonne to be our high Prieste, who heareth sufficiently the confession of al the faythfull, so that there is no néede to substitute any in hys roume to heare them. For who so euer with a true fayth from the bottome of his heart in maner as is sayd) confesseth his sinnes to God the father, and to his sonne our onelyonly chiefe Byshoppe Chryste Jesus, …auing hys grace and mercy, they vndoubtedly receiue full remission of all their sinnes. And therfore I demaunde of our Aduersaries whether this bée true or no? If they denie it, then doo we obiecte agaynst them the Lords prayer in the which wée confesse and pray, saying: Forgiue vsus our trespasses, as we forgiue them that trespasse agaynst vsus. And our Lorde hathe saide, whatsoeuer you aske in my name, you shall receiue it. Agayne wée obiecte agaynst them the Articles of our Fayth, wherin wée confesse wée beléeue the remission of sinnes. Yea & wée doo certaynly know, that if wée beléeue according to Gods worde, wée doo also obteyne the same that wée beléeue: but wée beléeue the remission of sinnes, therefore wée obteyne the same. To conclude, wée obiecte the euydente promisses conteyned in the worde of God, and chiefly that saying of Saincte John. 1. Epistle. 1. If wee confesse our sinnes, hee is mercyfull to forgiue vsus our sinnes. Wherefore sithe it is thus, as by the truthe it is confirmed, then they which confesse their sinnes to God, and to his sonne our Lorde, hauehave obteyned full remission of the same, and so is there no néede to vse the Auricular confession of the Romishe Churche. Furthermore thereThe confession to our neyghboure. is an other kynde of confession commaunded by our Lorde to all the faythfull, to wyt, that eueryevery man should confesse eche one to other his faults and offences wherein he hath offended & iniured his neighbour, and that ech man doo hartily forgiue eueryevery offence & iniury which he hath suffred, and forgiue hym also which hath don the same, and pray for him. And the Lordes prayer dothe prescribe vntounto vsus this kinde of confession, for we say: As we forgiue them that trespasse agaynst vsus. And of this confession is it that Saincte James speaketh in his fifthe Chapter, and not of that which is done vntounto the Priestes.Against confession made to the priest. Furthermore, there is not one worde in the whole Scripture of God spoken of any other confession than thys, and therefore their Auricular confession vntounto the Priest is without all authoritie of Scripture. Furthermore, the blessed Apostles dydde neuer gyue them selues to the hearing of confession, neither gaue them absolution, whispering in the eares of them that were confessed. For the preaching of the Gospell is that ioyfull tydings, wherin the captiues, and suche as are adiudged to death, are declared to bee made free and delyuered from the falte & the punishment due for the same, and are receiued into fauour, and into the number of Gods children, and that by the death of Chryste Jesus, as Chryste him selfe teacheth out of Esai the Prophet ca. 61, at Nazareth, as appeareth in Luke. 4. And Paul confirmeth the same. 2. Cor. 5. Wherefore that which the aduersaries obiect, saying: that the priest knoweth not the state or condition of the sinne, excepte the same be opened to him, and therfore knoweth not what to forgiue, or what to leaue vnforgiuen, hathe no maner of ground of truthe. Wherfore if the Priest doo remitte or retayne any sinnes, it behoueth that those be disclosed and opened to him. But the wordes of Chryst touching the remitting or retayning of sinnes, appertayneth to the preaching of the Gospell, and to excommunication, & not to the priuate power of the Priest, whereof I will speake hereafter. Likewise when Chryst biddeth the Leper shewe him selfe to the Prieste, he commaundeth him not to confesse him selfe vntounto him, but that he should offer him selfe to be tryed by the Priest, and so offer his sacrifice. For the iudging or trying of Leprosie appertained to the Priest. Leuit. 13. and. 14. But in that they say, Leprosie did signifye sinne: we answere, that touching spiritual things and sinne, the Priests and sacrifices were figures of Chryste, and therefore are they to bée sente vntounto Chryste, to whome also that Samari…ane came when he was healed, and not to any Priest. So also we trust that Chryst will delyuer and saue vsus, if wée beléeue in him, and to him we confesse our selues, although we come not to the Priest. The auncient Churches, before the birthe of Chryste, and a long tyme after his comming, were altogither ignorant of the confession and absolution of the Priest: and after it began to bée receiued, yet was there no commaundement for the same, as appeareth De pemtent. Distinct. 1. But in the counsell of Lataran vnderunder Innocentius the third Pope, it was commaunded in the yere of our Lorde. 1215. And I will not héere tell howe gréeuously the consciences of the godly were by this Romishe and Papisticall confession troubled, and howe they learned more euill thereby than good, and howe horrible and fylthie factes were in this confession committed, and howe the same serued to vpholde the power, pryde, errours, and disceiptes of that vnspirituall spiritualtie, as they call them selues. But it is no small fortresse or foundation of their kingdome, and therefore no maruell thoughe they so earnestly and busely labour to defende and kéepe the same. But all these things thanks bée vntounto God, are made manyfest vntounto the whole worlde.
The. Lj. Question.
Whether those things which the Priest dothe enioyne vsus to do for our sinnes which we hauehave confessed, are not to be done as the punishments and deedes of tepentaunce▪ and whether this our satisfaction be hurtefull or contrary to the satisfaction of Chryste?
The Answere.
NEyther the confessionOf popishe satisfaction. whiche is done to the Priest, neither yet the payne or penance which is ioyned for the same, hauehave any authoritie frō the holy Scrypture, but are onelyonly grounded vppon the authorities of a fewe fathers. And therfore I answere that the faythfull are not bounde by the word of god to do that penaunce which they call satisfaction, neither I say to require or doo them. For there is one eternall satisfaction, that is to say, a price, reconciliation & redemption from our sinnes, to wit, the death & passion of Chryst, by meanes wherof al our sins, …ffences and punishments deserued for the same, are clerely forgiuen and wyped away. And this is confirmed by Esai. 53. the writings of the Euangelists and Apostles, and chiefly of Paul to the Romanes the thirde and fifth chapters, and 1. Cor. 1. &c. If therefore by our workes and penaunce which we suffer, that is to say, if we attribute to our satisfaction, which consisteth in the correctiō of our body, fasting, prayer, almes & other such like workes, the remission of our sinnes, & the punishment due therefore, or if wée suppose that by this satisfaction we satisfie and requite all those things, for the which we were gilty before God, then truely this satisfaction is directly cōtrary, and striueth agaynst the satisfaction of Chryst. Or else must they say that Paule in the like case reasoned not aright, when he sayd: For if righteousnesse bee by the lawe, then is Chryst dead in vayne. For euen after the same maner doo wée also reason, saying: If wee our selues can make satisfaction for our sinnes, what neede then had Chryst to dye? Wherfore the Chuche kéepeth still that one eternall satisfaction, euen the death of Chryste, and héerewith doo all the faythfull content them selues, iudging their works not to bée so perfecte or worthy, that by them their sinnes should be forgiuen, and that God by them should bée satisfyed, and eternall lyfe bée purchased. Here also is to be noted, that the faythfulThe exercise of the faythfull. which acknowledge Chrystes death to be their onelyonly satisfaction and redemption, and are delyuered by hym, doo earnestly and diligently auoyde sinne, and willingly suffer whatsoeuer God layeth vponupon them, and yet not to make any satisfaction therby (bycause Chryste already hathe fully satisfied) but bycause it pleaseth God so to exercise them, and call them from their sinnes, shewing howe gréeuously the same offende him, and by this meanes exerciseth their fayth, and maketh them partakers of the afflictions of Chryst. And therefore when GOD receyued Abraham and Dauid into fauour for Chrystes sake, and had forgiuen theyr sinnes, yet dyd he exercise them in this lyfe with the mortification of their fleshe. Chryste also in the Gospel sayth vntounto the man which he healed: Behold thou art made whole, see thou sinne noIohn. …. more, least some worse thing happen vntounto thee. And therefore wée vse commonly to say: to doo the same offence no more, is a great punishment, but yet the beste punishement. And out of thys penaunce and satisfaction whiche standeth by no warrant of the Scripture, is farrowed all the Whelpes of Romishe indulgences. For after they had layde moste gréeuous penaunces and punyshments vppon the poore Penitentiaries, for which they must make satisfaction for their mortall sinnes, as by fasting many yeres togither, then by their Indulgences they mitigatedRomish indulgences. the same agayne: and so by this meanes heaped vy huge heapes of money, and so of Gods house they made an house…remi. 7. Iohn. 2. …. 21. or shoppe of Marchaundise, yea rather a very denne of théeues: and therefore doubtlesse God will shortly whip them out of his house.