The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.

Paragr. 2. The M^r. of sentences about Confession.

T. W. In this next place we will descend to the Sacrament of penance, prophaned by this our Doctors deprauations.

Answ. Repentance or penance, as the same is taught in holy Scripture, is a vertue, but no Sacrament. 1. It hath no corporall visible element or outward signe, which, ac∣cording to Saint Augustine and other Doctors, is essen∣tiall to euery Sacramentg. 2. Auricular confession, which you make a part thereof, and absolution depending vpon this confession, and which according to your Tenet, is the forme of this Sacrament, haue no institution in the New Testament.

T. W. And first, to beare the Reader in hand, that by the acknowledgement of Catholiks, auricular confession and other parts of this Sacrament, are not necessarie.

Answ. Doctor White in this Digressionh, treateth of satisfaction, and not of auricular confession; and the word Confession is onely rehearsed by the way in the sentence, which he produced about satisfaction.

T. W. He produceth the Maister of Sentences, saying; by Contrition onely, without Confession or paiment of out∣ward punishment or liberalitie of the Prelat, or paines of Pur∣gatorie, I may goe straight to heauen: where we finde these words, (or liberalitie of the Prelate, or paines in Purgatorie) to be added by Maister White, to make the confession of this Author more full and swelling.

Answ. My Brother citeth three Authors in his mar∣gent, and propounding their sentence, prefixeth before the same; (others say:) but you pretend, that he alledgeth the Maister of Sentences onely, and hath corrupted his

testimony by adding certaine words to it. But those words are in Panormitans Glossatori, being one of the Authors, from which the whole sentence is produ∣ced.

T. W. The Reader ought to conceiue, that al∣though all Catholikes teach, that perfect contrition is of force to blot out a mans sinnes, yet they hold, that this contrition cannot be without confession, at least in voto, that is, that the partie hath a desire to confesse his sinnes to a Priest when op∣portunitie shall serue.

Answ. The latter part of this assertion is not generally true, 1. Sundry Papists haue taught, that a contrite per∣son may obtaine remission of his sinnes, without reference to the keyes, or confession made to the Church. And this opi∣nion was indifferent in Gratiansk time. 2. Venerable Bedel maintaines the necessitie of auricular confession in case of haeresie onely, and enormous crimes, and not for other mortall sinne. 3. Concerning the purpose of con∣fession, to be included in contrition, Gabriel Bielm hath these words: It seemeth that one may haue perfect contriti∣on sufficient to remission of sinnes, sine voto confessionis, without the purpose of confession. 4. Many Schoolemen hold, that an implicit purpose thereof is sufficientn, from whence Canuso inferreth; If by penitency sins are remit∣ted without an explicit purpose of Sacramentall confession, then they are blotted out without any reference to the keyes.

T. W. Such you see, is the proceeding of our Minister through his whole book, euer inuesting his doctrine and asser∣tion with most fowle and stained deprauations, well discoue∣ring the spotted guiltinesse of his soule; therefore I could wish Maister White (that so his mind might be apparelled answe∣rably to his name) to follow the admonition of the Euangelist, Get thee a white garment, (to wit, of repentance and fu∣ture integritie) that thou maist be clothed, and thy filthy na∣kednesse do not further appeare.

Answ. It is very reasonable, that you which are quicke sighted in obseruing faults in others before they be com∣mitted, and so liberall in exhortation, should make some reflection vpon your owne errors; otherwise the saying in the Gospell, Physition heale thy selfe, and, Hypocrite pull out the beame, &c. may iustly be retorted vpon you. And touching Doctor White, whom you first accuse at your pleasure, and then exhort: I answere, That you are loud in words, and lame in proofes, and being your selfe na∣ked, Apoc. 3.17. giue him counsell to be clothed, 2. Cor. 5.4. who is in the place and fellowship of those which hauing washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lambe, doe weare white garments, which the vncleane filth of a Popish blacke mouth cannot di∣staine.

Notes

• g

  Chry hom. 7. in ••. cap. Cor. 1. Aug. de doctr. Christ. l. 1. c 2. & l. 3. c. 9. & con. Maximin. Atrian. l. 3. c. 22. Isiodor. orig. l. 6 c. 19. Sacramen∣ta dicuntur quia sub tegumento corporalit••m rerum, &c. Hugo Victor. de Sacram. l. 1. p. 9 c. 2. Sacra∣mentum est corporale, vel materiale ele∣mentum. foris sensibiliter pro∣positum, ex si∣militudine re∣prae entans, ex inst••tution•• sig∣nificans, ex san∣ctificatione con¦tinens aliquam inuisibilem & spiritualem gra∣tiam. Haee defi∣nitio ita proptia & perfecta ag∣noscitur, vt omni sacramento, soliq́ue conuenire inueniatur. Omne enim quod haec tria ha∣bet, sacramentum est; & omne quod hijs tribus caret, sacramentum proprie dici non po∣test.
• h

  Digress 33.
• i

  Panormitan. c Deus qui. de poen. & remiss. gloss. ib. Dicit se audiuis••e à multi, theolo∣gis, quiboc me∣lius sciunt quam iuristae, quod potest esse tanta contritio pec∣catoris, quod absque alia sa∣tisfactione ex∣teriori in hoc seculo, & absque aliqua liberalita te praelatorū, & sine vlla poena purgatorij, ha∣bebit vit••m ae∣ternam propter maximam mi∣sericordiam Creatoris. Bonauen. 4. d. 18 ar. 2. q. 2. Tan∣tum potest con∣teri, vt Deus to∣tum remittat, & statim euolabit (ad coelum.)
• k

  Gratian. de poen d. 1. c V∣trum sola. Sunt qui dicunt, quē∣libet veniam criminis sine confessione ecclesiae, & sacerdotali iudicio posse promereri. lb. c. Quamuis. Cui harum potius adhaerendum sit, lectoris iudicio reseruatur. Scot. 4. d. 14. q. 2. ar. 2.
• l

  Beda to. 7. hom. aestiual. Dom. 14. in Luc. 17. pag. 98. B. Rhenan argum. in Tertul de poenit.
• m

  Biel 4. d. 17. q. 1 ar. 1. notab. 2.
• n

  Biel ib. Si quaeris quomodo confessio in voto includitur in confessio∣ne, potest dici implicite & virtualiter, &c.
• o

  Canus Rel. de poen. p. 5. pag. 884. Si per poeniten∣tiam peccata remittuntur, sine explicito voto huius sacramenti, reuera delentur sine ordine ad claues.