Conformity of the ecclesiastical discipline of the Reformed churches of France with that of the primitive Christians written by M. La Rocque ... ; render'd into English by Jos. Walker.

CONFORMITY.

There has ever in the Church a distinction been made betwixt secret sins, and those sins which have been pub∣lick and scandalous; in regard of the former, the Church never exercised any authority; for to the end she might act against sinners, it is necessary that they confess their sins, or that they may be convinc'd of them: But be∣cause it may so happen that the sins of a private person may be known to some of the Governours of the Church, and that he may not have scandalized the pub∣lick, * 1.1 in this case he may be censured in the Ecclesiasti∣cal Senate, and if his crime deserves it, may declare to him he is not in a state fit for some time to approach to the holy Communion; which is just what is practised by us. But when the sins are publick and scandalous, we publickly suspend from the Holy Sacrament those which commit them, and leave them in this state, until such time that having given sufficient marks of sincere Re∣pentance, we receive them into the bosom of the Church, by a publick acknowledgment of their offence, which they are obliged to do in presence of all the People.

And herein we follow the Example of the Primitive Church, * 1.2 which only subjected these sort of Sins to the Canons of publick Penance; it is the constant Doctrine of Origen, as appears in divers parts of his Writings; where he formally declares, that there's only great Sins, scandalous Sins, which should be publickly punished; and also he will have it done with a spirit of Charity, and according to the Gospel precept, for so 'tis he ex∣plains himself in his third Homily on Leviticus.

Gregory of Nysse in his Canonical Letter to Letoius, * 1.3 speaks no otherwise; and tho he expresses himself in

different terms from Origen, yet he acknowledges that 'tis only publick Sins which should pass by the degrees of publick Penance, according to the Constitution of the Fathers.

St. Austin is no less clear herein than the two others; * 1.4 he teaches in the Book of fifty Homilies, which is in the tenth Tome; That when the sin is great, and gives scandal to others, the Sinner ought to do Penance in presence of all the Congregation, especially if the E∣dification of the Church require it. And in another of these same Homilies, that is in the 27th. he will have to pass by this rude and laborious Penance, Murderers, * 1.5 Adulterers, and Sacrilegious persons. And in the sixteenth Sermon on the words of our Lord, he saith, That the sins which are committed publickly must be reproved pub∣lickly, and privately those which are committed more se∣cretly. I might add to these Testimonies, what he writes in the Epistles Fifty four, and hundred eight, which are in the second Tome of his Works, and in the 65th Chap. of his Manual to Laurence, the Author of the Questions on the Old and New Testament, * 1.6 which is in the Appendix of the fourth Tome, which shews he is in this of the same opinion as the true St. Austin is, in explaining the 102. Question.

Caesarius Bishop of Arles, * 1.7 a Writer of the Sixth Cen∣tury, in the first and eighth of his Homilies, Pope Gre∣gory the First in the 31. Letter of the 12th. Book. Isidore Bishop of Sevil, about the same time, in his second Book of Sentences, Chap. 20. and in the third, Ch. 46. these three have followed the steps of others. It is with regard here∣unto that the third Council of Carthage enjoins Bishops in the fourth Century, * 1.8 to prescribe to Penitents accor∣ding to the nature of sins, the time of penance. The Jesuit Petau in the 2, 3, and 10th. Chap. of his 6th. Book of

Publick Penance, acknowledges against Mr. Arnauld, That it was the practise of the ancient Church, where only heinous and scandalous Crimes were publickly reproved; he acknowledges the same thing in his Observations on St. Epiphamus, where he has a dissertation on the ancient manner of Penance, * 1.9 on occasion of the Heresie of the Novatians, which is the 59th. in order. Father Sirmond of the same Society, speaks in the same manner in his Treatise of Publick Penance, Chap. 2. & 4. In the main, all I have said, regards the usual Excommunication of the Primitive Church, of which I have treated in the precedent Article, and by the Laws whereof scanda∣lous Sinners were not admitted to the Holy Table, until they had passed through all the Degrees of Penance which was then in use.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Orig. Hom. 7. in Jos. pa. 185. l. 1. Aug. Ser. 16. de Verb. Do. c. 7 Tom. 10.
• * 1.2

  Hom. 7. in Jos. & 21. & 2. in Jud. Tom. 1. & in Mat Trac. 35. To. 2.
• * 1.3

  Can. 5, & 6.
• * 1.4

  Hom. 50.
• * 1.5

  Tom. 10. Cap. 7.
• * 1.6

  Tom. 3.
• * 1.7

  Tom. 2. Bibl. Patr.
• * 1.8

  Can. 31. Tom. 1. Conc pag. 711.
• * 1.9

  Tom 2. pag. 238.