The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-16
La E. Why do Catholics confess their

which sins committed after baptism
can be RENTED.
La B. Why do you say the only
way?"
Ed. Because Christ said to mis- apos-
ties, and through them to the minis
tiers of his church, Whatsoever ye
shall bind on earth shall be bound in
Heaven, and whatsoever We shall loose
on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.
(Matth. xviii, 49,
Again, Christ thus addressed His dis
ciples: LAS the Father hath sent Me,
I also send you Receive
forgive. they are forgiven them, and
whose sins We shall retain, they are re
| tanned. John Xxx, 21.)
| Now, from these texts it follows
that. after this commission to remit or
retain sins had been given to the min
listers of the church. sins could not be
| forgiven except through their ministry.
They had not only the power to remit
! sins, but also the power to retain sins
that is, to refuse to remit, and Christ
assured them that what they refused
to remit would not be RENTED in
| Heaven.
In the above commission God binds
Himself to ratify the action of His
ministers acting in His name. He could
have appointed other methods by
which the sinner could be reconciled to
Him, but He has willed to appoint the
method indicated in the above commits
sion. 1t is not for sinners to impeach
His wisdom or goodness. They should
be grateful that He left any method.
They should bow with profound sub
mission to His will. and make use of
the means He has left us whereby we
may be reconciled to Him.
La B. But how does this prove the
necessity of confession?
Ed. The power of renting or re-
tanning requires him who possesses it
to pass a judgment. To pass a judg
ment the judge must know the sub
ject matter on which the judgment is
to be passed. This subject matter is
the sins of the sinner. He cannot know
these sins unless the sinner confesses
them Hence the necessity of confess
sion.
La B. Is there any evidence in the
Scriptures for confession?
Ed. Certainly, Both in the Old and
New Testaments. 1t is expressly COM
manded by God in the following words
And the Lord spake unto Moses, say
ing, speak unto the children of Israel,
when a man or a woman shall COM
NIT any sin that men commit, to do a
trespass against the Lord, and that
person be guilty: Then they shall con-
fes their sin which they have done.
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And David said unto Nathan, have
sinned against the Lord. And Nathan
said unto David, the Lord also hath
put away thy SIM" Oh Samuel, 12-13.)
Here David confessed to Nathan ac-
cording to the precept of Moses, and
God forgave him.
BE not ashamed to confess thy sins.
but submit not myself to every man
for sin. (Ecclesiastieus iv, 81.
La B. But Ecclesiasticus is an apo
cryphal book. 1t is not inspired
Protestant Bible.
Ed. True, it is not in the Protestant
Bible, and that constitutes one of the
great defects of the Protestant Bible
All the Christians in the world, except
the Protestants, recognize this book as
a part Of the Scriptures. They recog-
nized it from the beginning. What
right had the reformers to reject book
that was recognized by all Christian
antiquity? None whatever. But why
do you say it is not inspired?
La B. Because the reformers reject
ed it.
Ed, Were the reformers infallible?
La B. No.
ed. Then they might have rejected
an inspired book?
La B. Certainly. they may have
erred.
Ed. Then their rejection of the book
means nothing.
La B. But it was not in the Jewish
canon.
Ed. Pray how could it be in the
Jewish canon when it was written CEN
turtles after the Jewish canon was
formed by Esdras or Ezra? But
enough of this for the present: we will
have much to say on the Bible when
We come to that subject.
La B. But the text you have quoted
says: Submit not thyself to every
man for sim
Ed. That is one of the reasons why
Catholics do not so gadding about and
telling, or pretending to tell, their sins
to every man. They confess their sins
only to some men, that is, to the
priests, who alone have received the
commission to hear and remit them.
La B. Are there any other Scripture
texts ON this subject?
Ed. Certainly. And many that be-
ieved came, and confessed and showed
their deeds" (Acts 1879 IF we con-
Tess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. q John 1-9)
And there went out unto him all the
and of Judea. and they of Jerusalem,
eonfessing their SINS Mark 1-5.)
La B. If confession is so clearly
proved from Scripture. why is it that
Catholics alone believe it, and that all |
Protestants reject it?
Ed. My dear sir, that is one of the |
questions which the philosopher Her |
pert Spencer would refer to as the I'M
or as Lord Dundreary would /
Jay: ut is conundrum that no fell !
ow can find out" But it is not true |
hat all Protestants reject confession +
t is held in the Augsburg confession
hat particular absolution ought to /
le retained in confession; that this alb