A treatise on auricular confession : dogmatical, historical, &amp, practical

CONTENTS. Introduction THE FIRST AND THEORETICAL PART OF CONFESSION. CHAPTER I. Antiquity and Universality of Confession 1 Section I. — The Voice of Human Nature calls for the Confession of Sin 1 Section II. — Confession typified or prefigured among the first Believers under the Law of Nature, previous to the Law of Moses 6 Section III. — Confession traced and commanded by God in the Mosaic Law 8 Section IV. — The belief in the necessity of Confession, and the practice of it, among Pagan nations 13 CHAPTER II. Institution of the Sacrament of Penance in the Law of Grace 16 Section I. — Jesus Christ is the Institutor of this Sacrament 18 Section II. — By Christ's ordinance, there is no other ordinary way in Christianity for the remission of sins than Sacramental Confession 29 Section III. — Protestant evidences of the same truth 32 CHAPTER III. The Divine Institution of Confession acknowledged by Christians of all persuasions, and the Practice thereof maintained among the same in all ages of the church 42 Section I. — The Divine Institution of the Sacrament of Penance, proved by the practice of it at the time of the Apostles 42 Section II. — The same Divine Institution and practice witnessed by the Fathers of the Church 44 Section III. — General and Particular Councils of the Church bear witness of the same 47 Section IV. — Penitential Canons witness the same 51 Section V. — The same is proved by History 52 Section VI. — The same is stated by Schismatic and Protestant Sects 61 Section VII. — The practice of Confession approved by Infidel Philosophers and others alien from the Catholic Faith 74 Section VIII. — Confession practised at the point of death by many of the Infidel Philosophers 77 Section IX. — Of other Infidel Philosophers who, at the hour of death, desired to make their Confession, bnt could not obtain such a benefit 91 Section X. — Of celebrated Statesmen and Warriors, who, at the point of death, returned to God by means of Sacramental Confession 95 CHAPTER IV. The Benefits, both Spiritual and Temporal, Individual and Social, derivable from Confession, show its importance, and solicit its practice 109 CHAPTER V. Objections against Confession answered 122 Objection I. — The priest who hears Sacramental Confessions may disclose what has been con- fided to him 122 Objection IL — The confessor is angry with, and scolds me 132 Objection III. — By confessing certain sins, I shall lose the good opinion of my confessor 134 Objection IV. — I am ashamed to confess certain sins 135 Objection V. — The confessor is toourigorous and exacting 139 Objection VI. — It is too hard and humbling to kneel before a man 141 Objection VII. — I make my confession to God, and this is enough 143 Objection VIII. — Confession is not of divine right, because it was introduced in the thirteenth century 145 Objection IX. — Confession, though practised in the old Church, was abrogated by Nectarius, Archbishop of Constantinople, in the year 390 146 Objection X. — The Sacrament of Penance is an inducement to sin 148 THE SECOND AND PRACTICAL PART OF CONFESSION. CHAPTER I. On the Examination of Conscience 152 CHAPTER II. On Sorrow for Sin 170 Section I. — Necessity of Sorrow 171 Section II. — Interior Sorrow 172 Section III. — Supernatural Sorrow 176 Section IV. — Supreme Sorrow 198 Section V. — Universal Sorrow 203 CHAPTER III. On the Resolution not to sin again 206 I. — Firm Resolution 207 II. — Universal Resolution 208 III. — Efficacious Resolution 211 CHAPTER IV. On the Accusation of Sins 223 I. — Humble Accusation 223 II. — Simple Accusation 227 III. — Sincere and Full Accusation 229 CHAPTER V. On Satisfaction, or Penance for Sins confessed 246 Digitized by Google.