The Confutatio Pontificia | Page 7

and the custom of
the Church universal. Another that through their preachers they cause
their subjects to be faithfully admonished when they are about to
confess that although they cannot state all their sins individually,
nevertheless, a diligent examination of their conscience being made,
they make an entire confession of their offences - viz. of all which
occur to their memory in such investigation. But in regard to the rest
that have been forgotten and have escaped our mind it is lawful to make
a general confession, and to say with the Psalmist, Ps. 19:17: "Cleanse
me, Lord, from secret faults."
To Article XII.
In the twelfth article their confession that such as have fallen may find
remission of sins at the time when they are converted, and that the
Church should give absolution unto such as return to repentance, is
commended, since they most justly condemn the Novatians who deny
that repentance can be repeated, in opposition both to the prophet who
promises grace to the sinner at whatever hour he shall mourn, Ezek.
18:21, and the merciful declaration of Christ our Saviour, replying to St.
Peter, that not until seven times, but until seventy times seven in one
day, he should forgive his brother sinning against him, Matt. 18:22. But
the second part of this article is utterly rejected. For when they ascribe
only two parts to repentance, they antagonize the entire Church, which
from the time of the apostles has held and believed that there are three
parts of repentance - contrition, confession and satisfaction. Thus the
ancient doctors, Origen, Cyprian, Chrysostom, Gregory, Augustine,
taught in attestation of the Holy Scriptures, especially from 2 Kings 12,
concerning David, 2 Chron 3:1, concerning Manasseh, Ps. 31, 37, 50,
101, etc. Therefore Pope Leo X of happy memory justly condemned
this article of Luther, who taught: "That there are three parts of
repentance - viz. confession, contrition, and satisfaction -- has no
foundation in Scripture or in Holy Christian doctors." This part of the
article, therefore can in no way be admitted; so, too, neither can that
which asserts that faith is the second part of repentance, since it is
known to all that faith precedes repentance; for unless one believes he
will not repent. Neither is that part admitted which makes light of
pontifical satisfactions, for it is contrary to the Gospel, contrary to the
apostles, contrary to the fathers, contrary to the councils, and contrary

to the universal Catholic Church. John the Baptist cries: "Bring forth
fruits meet for repentance," Matt. 3:8. St. Paul teaches: "As ye have
yielded your members servants to uncleanness, even so now yield your
members servants to righteousness unto holiness," Rom 6:19. He
likewise preached to the Gentiles that they should repent and be
Converted to God, bringing forth fruits meet for repentance, Acts 20:21.
So Christ himself also began to teach and preach repentance: "Repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt. 4:17. Afterward he
commanded the apostles to pursue this mode of preaching and teaching,
Luke 24:47, and St. Peter faithfully obeyed him in his first sermon,
Acts 2:38. So Augustine also exhorts that "every one exercise toward
himself severity, so that, being judged of himself, he shall not be
judged of the Lord," as St. Paul says. 1 Cor. 11:31. Pope Leo surnamed
the Great, said "The Mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus, gave to those set over the churches the authority to assign to
those who confess the doing of penance, and through the door of
reconciliation to admit to the communion of the sacraments those who
have been cleansed by a salutary satisfaction.brose says: "The amount
of the penance must be adapted to the trouble of the conscience."
Hence divere penitential canons were appointed in the holy Synod of
Nice, in accordance with The diversity of satisfactions, Jovinian the
heretic, thought, however, that all sins are equal and accordingly did
not admit a diversity of satisfactions. Moreover, satisfactions should
not be abolished in the Church, contrary to the express Gospel and the
decrees of councils and fathers, but those absolved by the priest ought
to perform the penance enjoined, following the declaration of St. Paul:
He "gave himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Tit. 2:14. Christ
thus made satisfaction for us, that we might be zealous of good works,
fulfilling the satisfaction enjoined.
To Article XIII.
The thirteenth article gives no offence, but is accepted, while they say
that the sacraments were instituted not only to be marks of profession
among men, but rather to be signs and testimonies of God's will toward
us; nevertheless, we must request them that what they here ascribe to
the sacraments in general