preaching and teaching, Luke 24:47, and St. Peter faithfully
obeyed him in his first sermon, Acts 2:38. So Augustine also
exhorts that "every one exercise toward himself severity, so
that, being judged of himself, he shall not be judged of the
Lord," as St. Paul says. 1 Cor. 11:31. Pope Leo surnamed the
Great, said "The Mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, gave to those set over the churches the authority to
assign to those who confess the doing of penance, and through
the door of reconciliation to admit to the communion of the
sacraments those who have been cleansed by a salutary
satisfaction.brose says: "The amount of the penance must be
adapted to the trouble of the conscience." Hence divere
penitential canons were appointed in the holy Synod of Nice,
in accordance with The diversity of satisfactions, Jovinian
the heretic, thought, however, that all sins are equal and
accordingly did not admit a diversity of satisfactions.
Moreover, satisfactions should not be abolished in the
Church, contrary to the express Gospel and the decrees of
councils and fathers, but those absolved by the priest ought
to perform the penance enjoined, following the declaration of
St. Paul: He "gave himself for us, to redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous
of good works," Tit. 2:14. Christ thus made satisfaction for
us, that we might be zealous of good works, fulfilling the
satisfaction enjoined.


To Article XIII.