Species of them, but of every fin in particular, and as far as the Penitent is able to remember of their number; declaring withal, all the aggravating Circumftances, and all fuch as change the Species; in a word, all mortal fins, how fecret foever, tho' only in thoughts and wicked defires; as alfo all faults committed against the two last Commandments; Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours Wife; Thou shalt not covet any thing that is anothers; fuch fins being at some times more dangerous for the Soul, than others that are open; all which we are commanded to do by the Divine Law; our Saviour when he afcended into Heaven, leaving the Priests for his Vicars upon Earth, and conftituting them Judges, before whom all mortal fins committed by Christians, were to be brought, that by the power of the Keys, which he committed to them to forgive or retain fins, they may pronounce Sentence, which cannot be juft and Righteous, neither can the punishments they impose be equal or proportionated to the Nature of the Faults, without their having a full knowledge of the fanie, as of the matter that they pass Sentence upon; which knowledge cannot be had but by the Penitents confeffing all and every Mortal Sin, whereon Judgment is to pafs, not only in general, but in fpecie and number, making mention of every fuch Sin in particular, with all its neceflary circumftances, that fo a just sentence of abfolution or retention may be pronounced upon them. And as to Venial Sins which we frequently quently fall into, and for which we are not excluded from the Grace of God, tho' the confeffing of, and being abfolved from them, is very profitable to the Soul, yet we are not under any fuch precife obligation of confeffing them, there being other ways by which they may be pardoned, fo that it is no fin not to discover them. The third part of Penitence, is, Satisfadion for Sins according to the judgment of the Confeffor which fatisfaction is chiefly performed by Prayer, Fafting and Alms, the Penitent being obliged to comply with the Penance impofed upon him by the Priest, who being as a Judge in the place of God, ought to impose what he thinks to be neceffary, not only with respect to the amendment of Sin for the future, but chiefly with respect to the Satisfaction and Penance of past Sins. The Form of this Sacrament is, I abfolve thee, to which neceffary words the Church has thought fit to add the words following, from all thy Sins, in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. There are also fome Prayers which the Priest faith immediately after over the Penitent, which, tho' they are not ef fential to the form, yet are very profitable and healthful for the Penitent. Now by pronouncing the form, not only all the Sins that are confeffed, but all those likewife which after a due diligence and Examination of the Confcience do not occurr to the Memory, fo as to be discovered, all fuch being included in the faid Confeflion, are all pardoned; tho' with an obligation of S4 con confeffing them, if they should ever after come to be remembred, fins being as it were chains to the Soul, from which it is delivered by the abfolution of the Prieft, which is applicable to fuch, as by virtue of contrition joyned with a defire of confeffing, have obtained pardon of God for their Sins, which they were under an obligation to have confeffed: as alfo to thofe Sins which were never confeffed, because not remembred after a due diligence, and to thofe likewife which having been once lawfully confeffed, and truly pardoned, are by the Penitent of his own accord, and for the greater Penance confeffed and fubmitted to the Keys feveral times. The Minister of this Sacrament is a Priest, who hath Authority to abfolve, and is either the Ordinary, as the Prelates, or fuch as are commiffioned and approved of by them. The effect of this Sacrament is, The abfolution and pardon of Sins, and for that reafon it is by the Doctors properly called the Table after Shipwrack, because the Grace which was given to us in Baptism, being loft by the commiflion of Mortal Sin, by which we make Shipwrack thereof, and of all the other Vertues and Gifts, which together therewith were poured down upon us, there remains no other remedy or means whereby we can be faved, but only by the plank of Penance, or the Sacrament of Confeffion; for that without this either actually received, or firmly purposed according to the command of Holy Mother Church with contrition, wherein fuch a purpofe is al ways ways included, we cannot be faved nor enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; for which reason this Sacrament ought to be much reverenced and frequented, as the only remedy that finners have for all their evils. W Decree I. 7Hereas an entire Sacramental Confeffion is of Divine right, and neceflary to all thofe who after Baptifm fall into any Mortal Sin, and Holy Mother Church doth command all faithful Chriftians who are come to the use of Reafon, upon pain of Mortal Sin, to confess at least once a Year in the time of Lent, or at Eafter, when all that are capable are bound likewife to receive the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, declaring all that neglect to do it, to be excommunicate; and notwithstanding, this Precept has not hitherto been in ufe in this Bishoprick, in which no Chriftian has ever confeffed upon Obligation, and a great many not at all, which was occafioned through their ignorance of this healthful precept, and of the neceffity of this Divine Sacrament, this Church having been governed by Schifmatical Chaldeans, and Neftorian Hereticks, the particular Enemies of this Sacrament, being the caufe of their being totally unacquainted with the Virtue, Efficacy, and Neceffity thereof. Some not ufing it all, others being perfwaded by the Devil into a vain and fuperftitious Opinion, That if they should con fefs fefs themselves, they should die immediately, all which having been made known to the most luftrious Metropolitan in his first Visitation of thefe Churches, he at that time perfwaded a great many that had never done it before to confefs themselves, having undeceived them as to the unreasonable and pernicious mistakes which they lay under, therefore the Synod the more to further this, doth declare that it is the Duty of every faithful Chriftian, upon penalty of Mortal Sin, to obferve the precept of the Church concerning Confeffion, at the time by her determined and founded on the Divine precept of Confeffion, for all fuch as are fallen from Grace, by the Commiffion of any Mortal Sin, and doth command all faithful Chriftians Men and Women, that are arrived at the Years of Difcretion, to confefs themselves to their own Vicar, or to fuch Priests as are licenfed by the Prelate to hear Confeffions, at the time of Lent, or against Eafter, and that whofoever shall not have complyed with this Precept, or is not confeffed. fometime betwixt the beginning of Lent, and the fecond Sunday after Eafter, fhall be in the Church declared Excommunicate by the Vicar without waiting for any order from the Prelate to do it, until he has effectually confeffed himself, and has undergone the punishment due to his Rebellion; and if the Vicar fhall for fome just reason think fit to wait any longer, for fome that have been negligent, and who being bufie have defired to be difpenfed with till Whit funtide, |