"Undivided Church"; the discovery made by High Churchmen in our day:
render, separately and cumulatively, evidence to the belief in
"Confession and Absolution" which no reasonable man can or ought to
reject. It is plain that had so painful a task as the confessing of
sin to man not been of Apostolic origin, assuredly its introduction to
the Christian Church would have caused the bitterest struggle, and the
date of such a movement would have been indelibly impressed on the
page of history. But no such strife is recorded.

Well, therefore, did the Church, assembled in General Council at
Trent, having first taught and defined the nature of contrition or
repentance, sum up the question of confession: "It is certain that, in
the Church, nothing else is required of penitents but that, after each
has examined himself diligently, and searched all the folds and
recesses of his conscience, he confess those sins by which he shall
remember that he has mortally offended his Lord and God; whilst the
other sins, which do not occur to him after diligent thought, are
understood to be included, as a whole, in that same confession; for
which sins we confidently say with the prophet: 'From my secret sins
cleanse me, O Lord.' Now, the difficulty of a confession like this,
and the shame of making known one's sins, might indeed seem a grievous
thing, were it not alleviated by the so many and so great advantages
and consolations which are most assuredly bestowed by absolution upon
all who worthily approach to this sacrament. For the rest, as to the
manner of confessing secretly to a priest alone, although Christ has
not forbidden that a person may, in punishment of his sins, and for
his own humiliation, as well for an example to others for the
edification of the Church that has been scandalized, confess his sins
publicly, nevertheless, this is not commanded by a divine precept;
neither would it be very prudent to enjoin, by any human law, that