So Christ had given to his apostles and his whole church equally, infallible rules and marks to determine whether, or not, the spiritual leprosy was gone, that they might clean the leper and tell him,

I clean thee,

I forgive thy sins, or

or I unclean thee.

I retain thy sins.

I would have, indeed, many pa.s.sages of the Old and New Testaments to copy, were it my intention to reproduce all the marks given by G.o.d Himself, through his prophets, or by Christ and apostles, that His amba.s.sadors might know when they should say to the sinner that he was delivered from his iniquities. I will give only a few.

First: "And he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature:

"He that believeth and is baptised, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be d.a.m.ned." (Mark xvi. 15, 16.)

What a strange want of memory in the Saviour of the world! He has entirely forgotten that "Auricular Confession," besides Faith and Baptism are necessary to be saved! To those who believe and are baptised, the apostles and the church are authorised by Christ to say: "You are saved! your sins are forgiven! I clean you!"

Second: "And when ye come into an house, salute it.

"And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

"And whose soever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

"Verily, verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha, in the day of Judgment, than for that city." (Math x.

12-15.)

Here again the Great Physician tells his disciples when the leprosy will be gone, the sins forgiven, the soul purified. It is when the lepers, the sinners, will have welcomed his messengers, heard and received their message. Not a word about auricular confession: this great panacea of the Pope's was evidently ignored by Christ.

Third: "If ye forgive men their trespa.s.ses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you--But if ye forgive not men their trespa.s.ses, neither will your Father forgive your trespa.s.ses." (Math vi. 14, 15.)

Was it possible to give a more striking and simple rule to the Apostles and the Disciples that they might know when they could say to a sinner: "Thy sins are forgiven!" or, "Thy sins are retained?" Here the double keys of heaven are most solemnly and publicly given to every child of Adam! As sure as there is a G.o.d in heaven and that Jesus died to save sinners, so it is sure that if one forgives the trespa.s.ses of his neighbor for the dear Saviour's sake, his own sins have been forgiven! To the end of the world, then, let the disciples of Christ say to the sinner, "Thy sins are forgiven," not because you have confessed your sins to me, but for Christ's sake; the evidence of which is that you have forgiven those who had offended you.

Fourth: "And behold, a certain one stood up and tempted him, saying: Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

"He said unto him: What is written in the law? how readest thou?

"And he, answering, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.

"And He said unto him, thou hast answered right; this do and thou shalt live." (Luke x. 25-28.)

What a fine opportunity for the Saviour to speak of "auricular confession"

as a means given by him to be saved! But here again, Christ forgets that marvellous medicine of the Popes. Jesus, speaking absolutely, like the Protestants, bids his messengers to proclaim pardon, forgiveness of sins, not to those who confess their sins to a man, but to those who love G.o.d and their neighbor. And so will his true disciples and messengers do to the end of the world!

Fifth: "And when he (the prodigal son) came to himself, he said: ... I will arise and go to my father and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before thee: and I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compa.s.sion and ran; and he fell on his neck and kissed him.

"And the son said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am not worthy to be called thy son.

"But the father said to his servants: Bring forth his best robe, and put it on him: put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring hither the fat calf. For this my son was dead, and he is alive again, he was lost and he is found." (Luke xv, 17-24.)

Apostles and disciples of Christ, wherever you will hear, on this land of sin and misery, the cry of the Prodigal Son: "I will arise and go to my Father" every time you see him, not at your feet, but at the feet of his true Father, crying: "Father I have sinned against thee," unite your hymns of joy to the joyful songs of the angels of G.o.d; repeat into the ears of that redeemed sinner the sentence just fallen from the lips of the Lamb, whose blood cleanses us from all our sins; say to him, "Thy sins are forgiven."

Sixth: "Come unto me all ye who labour, and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Math. xi, 28-30.)

Though these words were p.r.o.nounced more than 1800 years ago, they were p.r.o.nounced this very morning; they come at every hour of day and night from the lips and the heart of Christ to every one of us sinners. It is just now that Jesus says to every sinner, "Come to me and I will give ye rest."

Christ has never said and he will never say to any sinner: "Go to my priests and they will give you rest!" But he has said, "Come to me and I will give you rest."

Let the apostles and disciples of the Saviour, then, proclaim peace, pardon, rest, not to the sinners who come to confess to them all their most secretly sinful thoughts, desires, or actions, but to those who go to Christ and Him alone, for peace, pardon and rest. For "Come to me," from Jesus lips, has never meant, it will never mean, "Go and confess to the priests."

Christ would never have said: "My yoke is easy and my burden light" if he had inst.i.tuted auricular confession. For the world has never seen a yoke so heavy, humiliating and degrading as auricular confession.

Seventh: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that who soever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John iii. 14.)

Did Almighty G.o.d require any auricular confession in the wilderness, from the sinners, when He ordered Moses to lift up the serpent? No! Neither did Christ speak of auricular confession as a condition of salvation to those who look to Him when He dies on the Cross to pay their debts. A free pardon was offered to the Israelites who looked to the uplifted serpent. A free pardon is offered by Christ crucified to all those who look to Him with faith, repentance and love. To such sinners the ministers of Christ, to the end of the world, are authorised to say: "Your sins are forgiven--we "clean" your leprosy."

Eighth: "For G.o.d so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

"For G.o.d sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved.

"He that believeth in him is not condemned: but he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of G.o.d.

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and man loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

"But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in G.o.d." (John iii, 16-21.)

In the religion of Rome, it is only through auricular confession that the sinner can be reconciled to G.o.d; it is only after he has heard a most detailed confession of all the thoughts, desires and actions of the guilty one that he can tell him: "Thy sins are forgiven." But in the religion of the Gospel, the reconciliation of the sinner with his G.o.d is absolutely and entirely the work of Christ. That marvellous forgiveness is a free gift offered not for any outward act of the sinner: nothing is required from him but faith, repentance and love. These are marks by which the leprosy is known to be cured and the sins forgiven. To all those who have these marks, the amba.s.sadors of Christ are authorized to say, "Your sins are forgiven,"

we "clean" you.

Ninth: "The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying: G.o.d! be merciful to me a sinner!

"I tell you, this man went down to his house, justified." (Luke xviii 13, 14.). Yes! justified! and without auricular confession!

Ministers and disciples of Christ, when you see the repenting sinner smiting his breast and crying: "Oh, G.o.d! have mercy upon me a sinner!" shut your ears to the deceptive words of Rome who tells you to force that redeemed sinner to make to you a special confession of all his sins, to get his pardon. But go to him and deliver the message of love, peace and mercy, which you received from Christ: "Thy sins are forgiven! I "clean" thee!

Tenth: "And one of the malefactors which were hanged, railed on him, saying: "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

"But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying: Doest not thou fear G.o.d, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? and we indeed justly, but this man hath done nothing amiss.

"And he said unto Jesus: Remember me, when thou art in thy Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him: Verily, I say Unto thee: to-day, shalt thou be with me in Paradise." (Luke xxii, 39-43.)

Yes, in the Paradise or Kingdom of Christ without auricular confession!

From Calvary, when his hands are nailed to the cross, and his blood is poured out, Christ even then protests against the great imposture of auricular confession. Jesus will be to the end of the world what he was there on the cross: the sinner's friend; always ready to hear and pardon those who invoke his name and trust in him.

Disciples of the gospel, wherever you hear the cry of the repenting sinner to the crucified Saviour: "Remember me when thou comest to thy Kingdom," go and give the a.s.surance to that penitent and redeemed child of Adam that "his sins are forgiven"--clean the leper.

Eleventh: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return to the Lord; and he will have mercy upon him and to our G.o.d, for He will abundantly pardon." (Isa. lv. 7. 8.)

"Wash you, and make you clean, put away the evils of your doings from before mine eyes: cease to do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isa. i, 16-18.)

Here are the landmarks of the mercy of G.o.d, put by his own almighty hands!

Who will dare to remove them in order to put others in their place? Has ever Christ touched those landmarks? Has he ever intimated that anything but faith, repentance and love, with their blessed fruits, were required from the sinners to secure his pardon? No--never.