The Church: Her Books and Her Sacraments Part 15

In Matins and Evensong, and in the Eucharistic Office, a form of "_general_ confession" is provided. Both forms are in the first person plural throughout. Clearly, their primary intention is, not to make us merely think of, or confess, our own personal sins, but the sins of the Church,--and our own sins, as members of the Church. It is "we" have sinned, rather than "I" have sinned. Such formal language might, otherwise, at times be distressingly unreal,--when, e.g., not honestly feeling that the "burden" of our own personal sin "is intolerable," or when making a public Confession in church directly after a personal Confession in private.

In the Visitation of the Sick, the third mode of {148} formal Confession is suggested, though the actual words are naturally left to the individual penitent. The Prayer Book no longer speaks in the plural, or of "a _general_ Confession," but it closes, as it were, with the soul, and gets into private, personal touch with it: "Here shall the sick man be moved to make a _special_ Confession of his sins, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter; after which Confession, the Priest shall absolve him (if he humbly and heartily desire it) after this sort". This Confession is to be both free and formal: formal, for it is to be made before the Priest in his "_ministerial_" capacity; free, for the penitent is to be "moved" (not "compelled") to confess. Notice, he _is_ to be moved; but then (though not till then) he is free to accept, or reject, the preferred means of grace.

G.o.d never handcuffs Sacraments and souls. Sacraments are open to all; they are forced on none. They are love-tokens of the Sacred Heart; free-will offerings of His Royal Bounty.

These, then, are the two methods of Confession at our disposal. G.o.d is "the Father of an infinite Majesty". In _informal_ Confession, the sinner goes to G.o.d as his _Father_,--as the Prodigal, after doing penance in the far country, went {149} to his father with "_Father_, I have sinned". In _formal_ Confession, the sinner goes to G.o.d as to the Father of an _infinite Majesty_,--as David went to G.o.d through Nathan, G.o.d's amba.s.sador.

It is a fearful responsibility to hinder any soul from using either method; it is a daring risk to say: "Because one method alone appeals to me, therefore no other method shall be used by you". G.o.d multiplies His methods, as He expands His love: and if any "David" is drawn to say "I have sinned" before the appointed "Nathan," and, through prejudice or ignorance, such an one is hindered from so laying his sins on Jesus, G.o.d will require that soul at the hinderer's hands.

_Absolution._

It is the same with Absolution as with Confession. Here, too, we start on common ground. All agree that "_G.o.d only_ can forgive sins," and half our differences come because this is not recognized. Whatever form Confession takes, the penitent exclaims: "_To Thee only it appertaineth to forgive sins_". Pardon through the Precious Blood is the one, and only, source of {150} forgiveness. Our only difference, then, is as to G.o.d's _methods_ of forgiveness. How does G.o.d forgive sin? Some seem to limit His love, to tie forgiveness down to one, and only one, method of absolution--direct, personal, instantaneous, without any ordained Channel such as Christ left. Direct, G.o.d's pardon certainly is; personal and instantaneous, it certainly can be; without any sacramental _media_, it certainly may be. But we dare not limit what G.o.d has not limited; we dare not deny the existence of ordained channels, because G.o.d can, and does, act without such channels. He has opened an ordained fountain for sin and uncleanness as a superadded gift of love, and in the Ministry of reconciliation He conveys pardon through this channel.

At the most solemn moment of his life, when a Deacon is ordained Priest, the formal terms of his Commission to the Priesthood run thus: "Receive the Holy Ghost for the Office and Work of a Priest in the Church of G.o.d, now committed unto thee by the Imposition of our hands.

Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained." "_Now_ committed unto thee." No Priest dare hide his commission, play with {151} the plain meaning of the words, or conceal from others a "means of grace" which they have a blessed right to know of, and to use.

But what is the good of this Absolution, if G.o.d can forgive without it?

G.o.d's ordinances are never meaningless. There must, therefore, be some superadded grace attached to this particular ordinance. It was left to be used. It is not left merely to comfort the penitent (though that it does), nor to let him hear from a fellow-sinner that his sins are forgiven him (though that he does); but it is left, like any other Sacrament, as a special means of grace. It is the ordained Channel whereby G.o.d's pardon is conveyed to (and only to) the penitent sinner.

"No penitence, no pardon," is the law of Sacramental Absolution.

The Prayer Book, therefore, preaches the power of formal, as well as informal, Absolution. There are in it three forms of Absolution, varying in words but the same in power. The appropriating power of the penitent may, and does, vary, according to the sincerity of his confession: Absolution is in each case the same. It is man's capacity to receive it, not G.o.d's power in giving it, that varies. Thus, all three Absolutions in the {152} Prayer Book are of the same force, though our appropriating capacity in receiving them may differ. This capacity will probably be less marked at Matins and Evensong than at Holy Communion, and at Holy Communion than in private Confession, because it will be less personal, less thorough. The words of Absolution seem to suggest this. The first two forms are in the plural ("pardon and deliver _you_"), and are thrown, as it were, broadcast over the Church: the third is special ("forgive _thee_ thine offences") and is administered to the individual. But the formal act is the same in each case; and to stroll late into church, as if the Absolution in Matins and Evensong does not matter, may be to incur a very distinct loss.

When, and how often, formal "special Confession" is to be used, and formal Absolution to be sought, is left to each soul to decide. The two special occasions which the Church of England emphasizes (without limiting) are before receiving the Holy Communion, and when sick.

Before Communion, the Prayer Book counsels its use for any disquieted conscience; and the {153} Rubric which directs intending Communicants to send in their names to the Parish Priest the day before making their Communion, still bears witness to its framers' intention--that known sinners might not be communicated without first being brought to a state of repentance.

The sick, also, after being directed to make their wills,[3] and arrange their temporal affairs, are further urged to examine their spiritual state; to make a special confession; and to obtain the special grace, in the special way provided for them. And, adds the Rubric, "men should often be put in remembrance to take order for the settling of their temporal estates, while they are in health"--and if of the temporal, how much more of their spiritual estate.

_Direction._

But, say some, is not all this very weakening to the soul? They are, probably, mixing up two things,--the Divine Sacrament of forgiveness which (rightly used) must be strengthening, and the human appeal for direction which (wrongly used) may be weakening.

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But "direction" is not necessarily part of Penance. The Prayer Book lays great stress upon it, and calls it "ghostly counsel and advice,"

but it is neither Confession nor Absolution. It has its own place in the Prayer Book;[4] but it has not, necessarily, anything whatever to do with the administration of the Sacrament. Direction may, or may not, be good for the soul. It largely depends upon the character of the penitent, and the wisdom of the Director. It is quite possible for the priest to over-direct, and it is fatally possible for the penitent to think more of direction than of Absolution. It is quite possible to obscure the Sacramental side of Penance with a human craving for "ghostly counsel and advice". Satan would not be Satan if it were not so. But this "ghostly," or spiritual, "counsel and advice" has saved many a lad, and many a man, from many a fall; and when rightly sought, and wisely given is, as the Prayer Book teaches, a most helpful adjunct to Absolution. Only, it is not, necessarily, a part of "going to Confession".

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_Indulgences._

The abuse of the Sacrament is another, and not unnatural objection to its use; and it often gets mixed up with Mediaeval teaching about Indulgences.

An _Indulgence_ is exactly what the word suggests--the act of indulging, or granting a favour. In Roman theology, an Indulgence is the remission of temporal punishment due to sin after Absolution. It is either "plenary," i.e. when the whole punishment is remitted, or "partial," when some of it is remitted. At corrupt periods of Church history, these Indulgences have been bought for money,[5] thus making one law for the rich, and another for the poor. Very naturally, the scandals connected with such buying and selling raised suspicions against the Sacrament with which Indulgences were a.s.sociated.[6] But Indulgences have nothing in the world to do with the right use of the lesser Sacrament of Penance.

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_Amendment._

The promise of Amendment is an essential part of Penance. It is a necessary element in all true contrition. Thus, the penitent promises "true amendment" before he receives Absolution. If he allowed a priest to give him Absolution without firmly purposing to amend, he would not only invalidate the Absolution, but would commit an additional sin.

The promise to amend may, like any other promise, be made and broken; but the deliberate purpose must be there.

No better description of true repentance can be found than in Tennyson's "Guinevere":--

_For what is true repentance but in thought--_ _Not ev'n in inmost thought to think again_ _The sins that made the past so pleasant to us._

Such has been the teaching of the Catholic Church always, everywhere, and at all times: such is the teaching of the Church of England, as part of that Church, and as authoritatively laid down in the Book of Common Prayer.

G.o.d alone can forgive sins. Absolution is the conveyance of G.o.d's pardon to the penitent sinner by G.o.d's ordained Minister, through the ordained Ministry of Reconciliation.

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Lamb of G.o.d, the world's transgression Thou alone canst take away; Hear! oh! hear our heart's confession, And Thy pardoning grace convey.

Thine availing intercession We but echo when we pray.

[1] Cf. Rubric in the Baptismal Office.

[2] Rubric in the Order for the Visitation of the Sick.

[3] Rubric in the Order for the Visitation of the Sick.

[4] See the First Exhortation in the Order of the Administration of the Holy Communion.

[5] St. Peter's at Rome was largely built out of funds gained by the sale of indulgences.

[6] The Council of Trent orders that Indulgences must be granted by Pope and Prelate _gratis_.

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CHAPTER XII.

UNCTION.

The second Sacrament of Recovery is _Unction_, or, in more familiar language, "the Anointing of the Sick". It is called by Origen "the complement of Penance".

The meaning of the Sacrament is found in St. James v. 14-17. "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

Here the Bible states that the "Prayer of Faith" with Unction is more effective than the "Prayer of Faith" without Unction. What can it do?