cannot exercise this judgment, without knowledge of the cause, nor can they observe equity in enjoining penalties, if men declare their sins only generally, and not rather particularly and separately. From this it is inferred that it is right that the penitents should recount in confession all the deadly sins of which, upon examination, their conscience accuses them, even though they be most secret and only against the two last commandments, which not unfrequently grievously wound the soul, and are more dangerous than those which are openly practised for as to venial sins, by which we are not excluded from the grace of God, and into which we more frequently fall, although they may be declared in confession, rightly, usefully, and without any presumption, as the usage of pious men declares, yet they may be passed over in silence without offence,

sententiam pronuncient. Constat enim, sacerdotes judicium hoc, incognita causa, exercere non potuisse, nec æquitatem quidem illos in pœnis injungendis servare potuisse, si in genere dumtaxat, et non potius in specie ac sigillatim sua ipsi peccata declarassent. Ex his colligitur, oportere pœnitentibus omnia peccata mortalia, quorum, post diligentem sui discussionem, conscientiam habent, in confessione recenseri, etiam si occultissima illa sint, et tantum adversus duo ultima Decalogi præcepta commissa, quæ nonnunquam animum gravius sauciant, et periculosiora sunt iis quæ in manifesto admittuntur: nam venialia, quibus a gratia Dei non excludimur, et in quæ frequentius labimur, quamquam recte, et utiliter, citraque omnem præsumptionem in confessione dicantur, quod piorum hominum usus demonstrat, taceri tamen citra culpam, multisque aliis remediis

and can be expiated by many other remedies.

But

since all mortal sins, even thoughts, make men the children of wrath and the enemies of God, it is necessary to seek from God the pardon of all, with open and modest confession. When, therefore, Christ's faithful people desire to confess all the sins which occur to their memory, they expose them all beyond all doubt to the mercy of God to be pardoned. But they who do otherwise, and knowingly keep back any, propose nothing to the divine mercy to be pardoned by the priest; for if a sick man is ashamed to uncover his wound to the physician, he cannot with medicine cure that of which he has no knowledge. It is, moreover, inferred that those circumstances should be explained in confession, which change the kind of the sin; because without these neither can the sins themselves be entirely disclosed by the penitents, nor known to the judges;

expiari possunt. Verum, cum universa mortalia peccata, etiam cogitationes, homines iræ filios, et Dei inimicos reddant: necessum est, omnium etiam veniam, cum aperta et verecunda confessione, a Deo quærere. Itaque dum omnia, quæ memoriæ occurrunt, peccata Christi fideles confiteri student, procul dubio omnia divinæ misericordiæ ignoscenda exponunt. Qui vero

secus faciunt, et scienter aliqua retinent, nihil divinæ bonitati per sacerdotem remittendum proponunt; si enim erubescat ægrotus vulnus medico detegere, quod ignorat, medicina non curat. Colligitur præterea, etiam eas circumstantias in confessione explicandas esse, quæ speciem peccati mutant; quod sine illis peccata ipsa neque a pœnitentibus integre exponantur, nec judicibus innotescant; et fieri nequeat, ut de gravitate criminum recte

S

nor can they rightly judge of the grievousness of the sin, nor impose upon the penitents the fitting punishments. Whence it is unreasonable to teach that these circumstances were sought out by idle men, or that only one circumstance should be confessed, namely, to have sinned against a brother. But it is impious to call this confession impossible which is appointed to be performed in this manner, or to style it the torture of consciences: for it appears that nothing else is required of penitents in the Church, than that, after a man has diligently examined himself, and explored the recesses and hiding places of his conscience, he should confess those sins by which he remembers that he has mortally offended his Lord and God. But the other sins which do not occur to him when taking diligent thought, are understood to be included altogether in the same confession; and for these we faithfully say

censere possint, et pœnam, quam oportet, pro illis pœnitentibus imponere. Unde alienum a ratione est, docere circumstantias has ab hominibus otiosis excogitatas fuisse; aut unam tantum circumstantiam confitendam esse, nempe peccasse in fratrem. Sed et impium est, confessionem, quæ hac ratione fieri præcipitur, impossibilem dicere, aut carnificinam illam conscientiarum appellare: constat enim, nihil aliud in Ecclesia a pœnitentibus exigi, quam ut, postquam quisque diligentius se excusserit, et conscientiæ suæ sinus omnes et latebras exploraverit, ea peccata confiteatur, quibus se Dominum et Deum suum mortaliter offendisse meminerit: reliqua autem peccata, quæ diligenter cogitanti non occurrunt, in universum eadem confessione inclusa esse intelliguntur: pro quibus fideliter cum Propheta dicimus:

with the prophet, "Cleanse thou me, O Lord, from my secret faults." But the difficulty of this sort of confession, and the shame of uncovering sins, would indeed appear grievous, if it were not lightened by the so many and great conveniences and consolations which are most assuredly conferred by absolution upon all who rightly approach this sacrament. But as regards the manner of secretly confessing to the priest alone, although Christ has not forbidden any man from publicly confessing his faults, in revenge for his sins, and humiliation of himself, both by way of example to others, and for the edification of the Church which he has offended; this is not, however, a divine command, nor may it be advisedly enjoined by any human law, that sins, especially secret ones, should be disclosed by open confession. Wherefore, since that secret sacramental confession which the holy Church has used from the beginning, and still

"Ab occultis meis munda me, Domine." Ipsa vero hujusmodi confessionis difficultas, ac peccata detegendi verecundia, gravis quidem videri posset, nisi tot, tantisque commodis, et consolationibus levaretur, quæ omnibus, digne ad hoc sacramentum accedentibus, per absolutionem certissime conferuntur. Cæterum quoad modum confitendi secreto apud solum sacerdotem, etsi Christus non vetuerit, quin aliquis in vindictam suorum scelerum et sui humiliationem, cum ob aliorum exemplum, tum ob Ecclesiæ offensæ ædificationem, delicta sua publice confiteri possit; non est tamen hoc divino præcepto mandatum, nec satis consulte humana aliqua lege præciperetur, ut delicta, præsertim secreta, publica essent confessione aperienda; unde cum a sanc

uses, has always been approved of by the holiest and most ancient Fathers, with great consent and unanimity, the empty calumny is plainly refuted of those who are not ashamed to teach that it is contrary to the divine command, and a human invention, which had its origin with the Fathers who were assembled in the Lateran council. For the Church did not order by the Lateran council that Christ's faithful people should confess, which she always had understood to be necessary, and appointed by divine right, but that the command of confession should be complied with at least once in the year, by all and each who have come to years of discretion; whence now in the Universal Church, that wholesome custom of confessing in the sacred, and especially acceptable time of Lent, is observed with great benefit to the souls of the faithful; which custom this holy Synod

tissimis et antiquissimis Patribus, magno unanimique consensu, secreta confessio sacramentalis, qua ab initio Ecclesia sancta usa est, et modo etiam utitur, fuerit semper commendata; manifeste refellitur inanis eorum calumnia, qui eam a divino mandato alienam, et inventum humanum esse atque a Patribus, in concilio Lateranensi congregatis, initium habuisse, docere non verentur: neque enim per Lateranense concilium Ecclesia statuit, ut Christi fideles confiterentur, quod jure divino necessarium, et institutum esse intellexerat; sed ut præceptum confessionis, saltem semel in anno, ab omnibus, et singulis, cum ad annos discretionis pervenissent, impleretur: unde jam in universa Ecclesia, cum ingenti animarum fidelium fructu, observatur mos ille salutaris confitendi sacro illo, et maxime acceptabili tempore Quadragesimæ: quem