?86 P-?c=--coFr?rrm?. ' [Boo; II. equal one mortal sin. They hold that, ff we were ever so I?uilty of them, they C?nnOt put us out Of' the f'avonr o( ?; nnd t?t It is im- pessible that ony man, on account o? them, should perish eternally'. The natural consoquence arising from this distinction of sins into nmrtal and venial is to make men perfecdy careless of repenting an to one whole kind of sins; and these are such sins us we are most apt to fall into every day, and against which we ought more particularly to watch and fortify ourselves. By this doenine men's consciences are perreedy at ease; though in a little time these venial sins, as they call them, grow to a %'set number, and become a course of' habitual sin, and what was a sin of infirmity at first, for want of. repentance and striving against it, becomes as witf'ul and customary a sin ea any of which the man is guilty'. * 9. The next thing on which we will remark is concerning contri* tion, when it is genuine and true; that is, a u'up, contial sorrow for sin proceeding from true conviction, and attended with its proper fruits of forsaking in ?, as well as desire, every 8in. Now the Old and New Testaments, Christ and his apoodes, and the Greek and Latin fathers, have taught that such repentance is sufficient to obtain pardon of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, fret, the Church of Rome does not allow this repentance or contrition to be acceptable, or of any value, ,mless it be attended with s gee'e, or ?.tereeium?, rather,, to confess their sins to a priest; saying, that a man, by contrition, is not reconciled to God w?thout their sscramental or ritual penance, in ?ct or desiSm And this is deemed by' tile Council o� Trent, in the f.ollow- ing contradictory and heretical declaration :..--" Although ? con?- tion is perfect in charity, and reconciles a man to God before the �acrsmont of. penance is actually' received, nevertheless the reconcilh. tion is not to be ascribed to contrition without the desire of the ss. cra- merit' which was, in fact, included in it,"' The,_ sentence ? the council is contrmtictory and heretical. The pardon of 8in is first atu-i- buted to contrition, and then it is transferred to the sacrament of pensnee, Or, in other words, to the power o� the keys, or'the ahaolu- ?ion oi' the priest, who i8 God's vicegerent on earth. Thi= decision of' the council, too, is purely' heretical; that is, !t teaches a false doctrine, that is conusry to Scripture and the premmes of' the gospel. It is teaching for doctrines the sommandments ? men. It discourages the best repentance, and prefers repenumce toward men befbre ? which the Scripture calls repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But, ?, the malignity of' this doenine, and its influe?.e in producing an evfi life, appear in the other corresponding part of' doctrine. For though contrition without sacramental confession ? ?ot reconcile tm to God, yet alxrition, or im?erf'ect COltlrition, with the mmramont, will reconcile the sinner. Contrition without it will not; attrition with it will reconcile the sinner. Therefore, by this doenine, which is expreuly decreed at Trent, thers is no necessity ? contrition at all. Attrition is n good, to all intents and purposes of pardon; and little repentance will prevail as well n the greetset, tho iraper; .set 8a well u the perfect. The consequence is, that althou? God, workin? 1
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