The Buckler of the Faith, Part 2 · Article 35 · Subpart 3
Of Auricular Confession, a part of the Sacrament of Penance.
Sect. 4 Confession of sinnes is necessary to saluation. He that couereth his sinnes shall not prosper, Prou. 28. v. 13but who so confesseth and forsaketh them, shall hauehave mercy, saith Salomon. So sinners came to Iohn Baptist confessing their sinnes. This Confession is made, either to God onelyonly, or publickly to the Church, or priuatly to the Minister of the Church, or to our neighbours whom we hauehave offended. All these Confessions are good, and are practised in our Churches: wherein, besides the Confession which eueryevery one maketh apart vntounto God, the Confession of sinnes publickly committed, and knowne to the most part of the people, are made publickly before the Church: which publicke Confession the Councell of Trent commandeth,Sess. 24. cap. 8. in Decreto de reformatione. Apostolus monet publicè peccantes palàm esse corripiendos. Socrat. l. 5 cap. 19. Sozo. l. 7. c. 16. and saith, that the Apostle, 1. Tim. 5.20. ordained it. It was the manner of the ancient Church publickly to confesse their faults. As Socrates and Zozomenus witnesse.
Besides this publike Confession, we hauehave priuate Confessions of faults that are not publike, which are made, either to the Minister alone, when the sinner comes vntounto him priuately to discharge his conscience, and to seeke for comfort and assurance of remission of sinnes; or to the Consistorie, which is with vsus, the assembly of Pastors and Ancients, to whom the managing of Ecclesiasticall discipline among vsus belongeth. Finally there are Confessions of sinnes, which particular persons mutually make one to another, after they hauehave offended one the other, of which mutuall confessions Saint Iames 5.16 speaketh saying: Acknowledge your sinnes one to another, foreign.and pray one for the other. The Greeke and the Latin word signifie Confesse your faults mutually and reciprocally. That which is added, And pray one for another, euidently sheweth, that as Saint Iames commandeth vsus not to pray onelyonly for Priests: so he doth not command vsus to confesse our faults onelyonly to Priests. He speaketh therefore of a reciprocall prayer,Intercessores sunt apud Deum pro peccatoribus iusti, hoc pro se ipsi peccantesinuicem vt faciant admonentur. and of a mutuall succour, as also of a mutuall Confession to be made betweene particular persons after quarrels and off…nces giuen, So Saint Augustine vnderstood it in his 54 Epistle saying. The righteous are intercessors vntounto God for sinners. Sinners are admonished to do it one for another. For it is written, Confesse your sinnes mutually, and pray one for another. Cardinall Caietan doth the like in his commentary vponupon this Epistle, saying,*Nec est hic sermo de confessione Sacramenti, vt patet ex eo quod dicit, cōfitemini inuicem, &c. Here it is not spoken of sacramentall Confession, as it appeareth by that which is said, Confesse your sinnes one vntounto another. But sacramentall Confession is not made one vntounto another but onelyonly to the Priest. The Apostle speaketh of that Confession whereby we mutually acknowledge our selues to be sinners, that men may pray for vsus, and of the Confession of faults which are made on either side, to appease and reconcile men mutually together.
If Saint Iames did hereby command vsus to confesse our sinnes to the P…iest, yet that makes nothing against vsus which admit this Confession; we onelyonly …eiect auricular Confession, which all the East Church reiecteth: and that racking of consciences which bindeth a man to tell all his thoughts in the eares of a man, and not onelyonly to discouer all his sinnes vntounto him, but also all the particular circumstances, which change (as the Councell of Trent saith,Sess. 14. can. 7.) the nature of sinne. Whereof if a man willingly omitteth any thing, the absolution is voide, and the Confession without fruite. Besides, the silence of this secret Confession is so inuiolable, that when by a Confession a Priest shall hauehave vnderstanding of any enterprise to be made against a king, he may not disclose it. No more do we allow of the distinction which the Councel of Trent maketh,Sess. 14. can. 5. which ordaineth that a man shall confesse all his mortall sinnes, but touching veniall sinnes, (that is, such as are pardonable,) it bindeth him not to confesse them. By this meanes a man shall confesse nothing, for mortall sinnes are pardonable to those that repent and amend their liues.
The fruite of this auricular Confession is, First that Priests and confessors make themselues fearefull to those whose iniquities they know. Secondly hereby they know the secrets, infirmities, and purposes of Princes, whereof the Pope is presently aduertised. Thirdly, that in a rebellion of subiects against an excommunicated Prince, they perswade bloudshedding and rebellion secretiy in the peoples eares, as it happened in the last troubles. Fourthly, that therby they know all the dishonest women in a towne, and know those with whom they may commit fornication or adulterie without difficultie. Fiftly, that thereby they take pleasure it asking immodest questions, and teach vices vnderunder pretence of sounding mens consciences, and make enquiry of married mens secrets, whereof also they hauehave made rules. Reade the 19 booke of Burcharts Decree, the Roman Penitentiall, Nauarrus, Sanches, Emanuel Saes Aphorismes, and other Casuists, Cardinall Tolets Instruction to Priests, and the immodest booke of the Benedictins touching Confessions. There you shall see a thousand secrets of enormous vnchastitie: the shamefull trickes of Couents, and prophane curiositie whereby they teach and reduce vices into an Art, as well naturall as against nature, vnderunder colour to reprooue them.