Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On the Sacrament of Penance · Book III: On Confession
Chapter 12: That Confession Is of Divine Law Is Confirmed by Some Arguments
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. III, De Sacramento Poenitentiae, Book III, the fourth general controversy on the sacraments. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
After the authority of the Scriptures, the tradition of the councils and the testimonies of the Fathers, reasons also hold their own place in confirming dogmas. The first reason, then, can be drawn from the antiquity of confession. For those things which are of human law are found to have had their beginning from the decree of some ecumenical council or of the supreme pontiff; but that the confession of sins was in the Church before all decrees of councils or pontiffs can be understood from the testimonies cited above; since Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian and Origen preceded not only the times of the first general council, namely that of Nicaea, but also of all the other councils, even provincial ones, and of all the Roman pontiffs who published any sanction about sacramental confession. Nor do we need any other proof here, since above we have already brought forward the testimonies both of the councils and of the Fathers, and have noted the times of each.
The second reason is taken from the difficulty of confession; for if there is anything in the Catholic Church which seems grave and difficult, without any doubt it is confession. For what is more troublesome, what more burdensome, than that even princes and most powerful kings should be compelled to disclose to priests, who are themselves men, all their sins, however secret, however base, however shameful, however horrifying even to the one confessing, and to stand by the judgement of those same priests, and to undergo the penalty enjoined by them? So great, surely, is the difficulty of this thing that it is in no way credible either that the rulers of the Church would have dared to pass a law of that kind, or that peoples could have been persuaded to accept such a law and to observe it now for so many centuries, unless a divine command, a divine institution, a divine promise had come to it. Therefore it was a divine authority which inclined the minds of peoples to obedience in making confession; a divine promise which invited the same to come willingly to confession.
The third reason is drawn from usefulness; for confession brings forth so many usefulnesses that it can plainly seem to have been instituted by divine counsel, even if it were not otherwise settled that it is so. For whether we consider God, or the priests who by the authority of God rule the Church, or the universal Church itself, or the single faithful, on every side the notable usefulness of confession shows itself. There shines forth first in this work the admirable mercy of God, who does not extort confession after the manner of the judges of this world, to condemn the confessed, but rather like a physician, that he may straightway heal the wounds laid open; there shines forth nonetheless justice also, which represses the pride of the sinner by the humility of confession, and has willed that those who impudently committed base things should bear the blush of confession. To the pastors of souls great usefulness returns, while through confession they understand the diseases of their sheep, and in that way can both apply to each separately the fitting remedies, and in public sermons reprehend in general chiefly those vices to which they know their flock to be more liable. To the universal Church, and to the political commonwealth itself, a manifold usefulness comes from confession; for many things which could never have been amended by judges in the outward court are amended with no trouble by priests in the court of conscience, while things taken are restored, injuries forgiven, peace made, unjust contracts dissolved, ill-made alliances broken off, and very many other things of that kind accomplished privately, by which public scandals are removed, and peace and tranquillity restored to the commonwealth. But the chief usefulness is theirs who undergo confession, as is fitting, entirely and faithfully. For, to pass over that their sins are remitted them and they return into grace with God, which is the common fruit of all the sacraments, they carry away, if they will, from that confession counsel, instruction, consolation, quiet of soul for the past, a remedy against the future. That very blush which we suffer while confessing is both a certain part of the satisfaction for what was committed and a bridle restraining us lest such things be committed afterwards. And lastly, by the very slight confusion which we suffer before one of our fellow servants, while we disclose to him our sins, we redeem that huge confusion which otherwise in the day of judgement we should suffer before all angels and men, when according to the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 4, the hidden things of darkness will be brought to light and the counsels of hearts made manifest. All which usefulnesses, and very many others, can be gathered from the Fathers whom we have cited above.
The fourth reason can be sought from the miracles by which at various times God has witnessed that that faith is true which the Catholic Church holds and hands down concerning confession. But I shall relate a few out of many. John Climacus, a most ancient and most learned father, writes in the book which is called the Ladder, step 4, that when a certain robber, about to become a monk, was confessing all his sins, there was seen by a certain spiritual and holy man a tall and terrible person who held a written sheet and a pen; and as that robber, prostrate on the ground, pronounced each sin in confessing, this one blotted it out with the pen. By which vision God wished it to be understood, as Climacus writes in the same place and we said a little before, that by temporal confusion those who confess are freed from eternal confusion. Contempt of the sacrament of confession has often been gravely punished by the divine judgement, of which there are extant two examples: one in Bede, book 5 of the History, chapter 14; the other in Antoninus, in the Summa of theology, part 2, title 9, chapter 13, section 5. There is extant also in Peter Damian a notable miracle about the integrity of confession, which we related in the preceding chapter. Peter of Cluny, book 1 On Miracles, chapters 3, 4 and 5, has left written three miracles by which God most openly showed that sacramental confession ought to be entire, so that no mortal sin at all which is in the conscience be kept back; and in chapter 6 he adds another miracle, which he affirms happened in his presence, and was so known and celebrated that it cannot be denied without great rashness. In that narration (which on account of its too great length I have not thought should be inserted here) it is clearly discerned that Satan desires nothing more, and strives with all his strength for nothing more, than that Christians should not confess their sins entirely to priests.
In the life of Saint Bernard, which a most approved author wrote while Saint Bernard himself was living, book 1, chapter 9, a notable miracle is narrated, which I shall relate in the very words of the author: “When Bernard,” he says, “had now been living some years at Clairvaux, it happened that a certain nobleman, and his own kinsman according to the flesh, Josbert of La Ferté, which is a town next to the monastery, fell gravely ill; who, suddenly seized, lost his understanding and his speech together; whence both his son, the younger Josbert, and all his friends together were the more afflicted with grief, that a magnificent man, and magnificently honoured, should die without confession and viaticum. A messenger ran to the abbot; for he was not then in the monastery. He came and found him now lying so for three days. But having compassion on the man, and moved also by the tears of his son and the weeping of the rest, he trusted in the mercy of God, and uttered a magnificent word, saying to them: It is known to you that in many things this man has burdened churches, oppressed the poor, offended God; if you believe me, that what was taken be restored to the churches, and the customs usurped to the burden of the poor be given up, he will yet speak, and will make confession of his offences, and will devoutly receive the divine sacraments also. All wonder, the son rejoices, the whole household exults; whatever the man of God commands is firmly promised him and fulfilled. But his brother Gerard and his uncle Gaudry, not a little frightened and troubled, come to him more privately about so bold a promise, reprove him harshly, inveigh more sharply; to whom answering briefly and simply: God, he said, can easily do what you can hardly believe. So after secret prayer he goes to the offering of the immortal sacrifice; while he was offering it a messenger came, who told that the aforesaid Josbert, now speaking freely, was asking with all urgency that the man of God hasten to him. To whom also, when he came after the sacrifice offered, having confessed his sins with tears and groaning, he received the divine sacraments.” From this miracle we understand at once both the necessity of confession and the power of the divine sacrifice. Saint Bonaventure, in the life of blessed Francis, chapter 11, relates in these words another notable miracle: “At which time also, when after his return from beyond the sea Saint Francis was preaching at Celano, a certain soldier with devout and great urgency of entreaties invited him to dinner. He came therefore to the soldier’s house, and the whole household exulted at the entrance of the poor guests. But before they took food, according to his accustomed manner the man devout in mind, offering to God prayers and praises, stood with his eyes lifted up to heaven. The prayer finished, he called the kindly host familiarly aside, and addressed him thus: Behold, brother host, overcome by your prayers, I have entered your house to eat; now quickly assent to my warnings, since you will eat not here, but elsewhere; confess now your sins, contrite with the grief of true penance, and let nothing remain in you which you do not lay open by a truthful confession; the Lord will repay you today, because with such devotion you have received his poor. That man straightway assented to the words of the saint, and disclosing all his sins in confession to his companion, set his house in order and prepared himself as far as he could for receiving death. They entered at length to the table, and as the others began to eat, the host suddenly breathed out his spirit, taken away by a sudden death according to the word of the man of God; and so it came about, by the grace of hospitality meriting it, that according to the word of Truth, receiving a prophet, he received the reward of a prophet, while by the prophetic foretelling of the holy man that devout soldier provided for himself against the suddenness of death, so that, forearmed with the arms of penance, he escaped perpetual damnation and entered into the eternal tabernacles.” The same author, at the end of the same book, while he enumerates the miracles which happened after the death of Saint Francis by his intercession, among others relates one of a certain woman who, at the prayers of Saint Francis, returned from death to life, when she was now on the point of being buried, that she might disclose in confession a certain sin which she had never confessed before. Likewise another also, of a certain spring which arose divinely at the prayers of Saint Francis, from whose water those who drank were cured of their sicknesses, provided they had first sent before the confession of their sins. In our age also, in which through the Lutherans confession has been extinguished in the north in many places with an incredible destruction of souls, among the new Christians, where the Church daily more and more flourishes again and is propagated, and among the Japanese especially, it so thrives that it is often even made illustrious by divine miracles; which Alan Cope noted before us, book 2 of the Dialogues, chapter 28. And thus far we have produced arguments for confirming confession; now we shall come to solving the arguments of the adversaries.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPIJT XII.
('.onfessionem essejuris divini, confirmelur
aliquol aryumenliS'
Posl auclorilalem Scriplurarum , tradilioncm
conciliorum, et leslimonia Palrum , suum eliiim
locum in confirniandis dogniatibus oblinent ra-
tiones.
Prima igilur ratio duci potcsl ab antiquilate con-
lcssionis. Nain quae snnl juris liumani , ca repe-
riuntur inilium habuisse ex coiicilii alicujus oecu-
menici, aut sunimi pontificis decrclo ; confessio-
nem autem peccatorum in Ecclesia fuissc anle omni;i
conciIiorum,pontificumvedecrela,exlcslimoniissu-
pra citatis intelligi potest; siquidem Irenaeus,Ter-
lulIianus,Cyprianus.alque Origoncs,non solum pri-
mi generalis concilii, nicaeni vidclicct.tempora an-
tecesserunt, sed eliam omnium aliorum concilio-
rum, quamvis provincialium, omniumque pontifi-
cum romanorum, qui de sacramentali conlessione
sanctionem aliquam ediderunt. Neque alia proba-
tione hic indigemus, cum jam supra lum concilio-
rum, tum Patrum teslimonia protulerimus, et sin-
gulorum etiam tempora notaverimus.
Secunda ratio sumitur a dilTicultale confessionis:
nam si qua res est in Ecclesia calholica quae gra-
vis ac difiicilis videatur, sine dubilalione ulla con-
fessio esl. Quid enim moleslius, quid onerosius,
quam ul cogantur etiam viri principes regesque po-
tenlissimi, sacerdotibus, qui et ipsi homines sunt.
pcccata sua omnia delegere.quamvis arcana,quam-
vis turpia, quamvis pudenda,quamvis horrorem et-
i;im ipsi confitenli adfcrenlia, el eorundem sacer-
dotum jiidicio slare, ac mulclam ab iliis injunclam
subire? Tanla profecto hujus rei difiicullas est, ul
nullo modo credibile sit, aul Ecclesiae praesides
ausuros fuisse legem ejusmbdi ferre, aut populis
persuaderi potuisse,ul ejusmodi legem accipercnl,
et tot jam saeculis obscrvarent, nisi divinum im-
periuni, divina inslitulio. divina promissio acces-
sissent. Igilur divina fuit auclorilas quae ad obe-
dienliam in confcssione facienda, populorum ani-
mos inclinavit; divina promissio, quae eosdem, ut
libenler ad confessionem accederenl, invilavit.
Terlia ralio ducilur ab uiililale: Confcssio cnim
tot parit utilitales, ut plane divino consilio inslilu-
la videri possit,eliamsi id ita esse non aliunde con-
staret. Nam sive Deum consideremus, sive sacer-
doles, qui Dei auctorilate Ecclesiam regunl, sive
Ecclesiam ipsam universam , sive fideles singu-
los ; undique insignis confe^sionis utililas se o-
L-lendit.
iBEK ti:kiii;s
6'JU
ElucRl in priniis iii iioc opere admirabilis Dei
niisericordia, qiii confessionem non exlorquet mo-
re judicum hujus saeculi,ut confessos damnet,se(l
polius inslar medici, ul palefacla vulnera conlinuo
sanel: eluccl nihilominus eliam justilia. quac su-
perbiam pcccaloris, confessionis humilitate com-
primil, el eos, qui lurpia impudenler admiserunt,
confessionis ruborem lolerare voluit.
Ad paslores animarum magiia utililas redil, dum
per confessionem, morbos ovium suarum intelli-
gunl, et eo modo lura singulis seorsim convenien-
tia remedia adhibere possunt, tum in publicis con-
cionibus generalim ea vitia potissimum reprchen-
dere. quibus gregem suum magis obnoxium esse
sciunl.
Ad Ecclesiam universam. atque ad ipsam rem-
publicam polilicam, mulliplex ulilitas, e\ confes-
sione acccdil: mulla enim. quae per judices in ex-
lerno foro emendari numijuam poluissent, nullo
negotio pcr sacerdotes in foro conscienliae emen-
dantur, dum restituunl ablata.dimilluntur injuriae,
concilianlur paces, dissolvunlur conlraclus injusti,
dissocianlur male icta foedera, aliaque id genus
plurima privalim perficiunlur, ex quibus scandala
publica removenlur, et pax ac Iranquillitas reipu-
blicae rcddilur.
Sed praecipua ulililas eorum esl, qui confessio-
nem, sicut oporlet iulegre ac tideliler obeunt.JXam,
lil omillam.quod eis peccala remitlunlur, el in gra-
liam cum Deo redeunt, qui esl commiinis fructus
omnium sacramentorum, referunl ii, si volunt, ea
confessione consilium, inslruclionem, consolatio-
nem, quielem auimac ob praeterita,remedium con-
tra fulura. Ille ipse rubor, quem inler confilendum
patimur, et pars quaedaro est satisfaclionis pro ad-
niissfs, ct fraenum cohibens,ne deinceps talia ad-
miltaiilur. El denique percxigua confusione, quam
coram uno cx conservis noslris patimur,dura illi pec-
cala nostra detegimus, redimiraus ingentem illam
confusioiiem. quam alioqui in die judicii,coram o-
iniiibus angelis el hominibus pateremur, quando
juxta Aposlolum 1. Corinlh. 4. illuminabunlur ab-
scondila lenebrnrum, el manifeslabunlur consilia
cordium. Quae omnes utilitales, aliacque permul-
lae, ex Palribus, quos supra citavimus, colligi pos-
sunt.
Quarla ralio pnti potest ex miraculis, quibus vn-
riis leniporibus Deus teslatus est, veram esse fi-
dem illam, quam Ecclesia catholica de confcssio-
no habet ac Iraflit. Referam autem pauca de
inullis.
Scribil Joan. Climacus antiquissimus ac doctis-
simiis palcr in lib. qui dicilur Cliinax, gradu i.
cum lalro quidain, mnnacluis fuliinis, pcccata o-
niiiia c(jiifilerelur, conspectum /uissc a spiriluali
quodam sancloquc viro , procerum quendam ac
lerribilem, qui conscriplam chaitam cl calamiim
lciiebal:el cuin lalro ille hiimi proslratiis peccalum
confitf.ns proniinciarct, hoc ille calamo delcbal.
Qua visione iiilnlligi voliiit Deus, quod ibidcm Cli-
macus scribit, ct nos paulo anle diximus.pcr tcm-
poralcm confusionem eos qui conlilcnlur, ab ae-
lerna confusione liberari.
Cuntemplus sacramenti confes>^ionis divino ju-
dicio saepe graviler piinilus fuil, nijus rei duo e\-
stanl exempla. Unuiii apud Bedaiii. lib. '>. hislor.
cap. 14. Allerum apud Antoninum in summa Iheo-
logica. par. 2. lit. t). cap. 13. § o. Exslal cliaiii
apud Pelrum Damianum insigne miraculura do
confessionis inlegritate, quod superiore capite re-
tulitnus.
Peirus Cluniacensis lib. i. dc mirac. cap. 3. 4.
cl o. tria miracula scripla rcliquit, qiiibus aperlis-
sime Deus ostendit, confcssionem sacramenlalem
inlegram esse debcro; ita ut nullum omnino mor-
lalc peccatuin, quod in conscientia sit, reliccalur:
capite aulem sexto, addil aliud miriii'uliim. quod
se praesente contigisse. et usque adco nolum. ac
celcbre fuisse afTirmat. ul sine magna lomerilnle
negari non possil. In ca narriilioiie (qiinm oh ni-
miam prolixilalcm non pulnvi hic inserendam cs-
se) perspicue c.criiitur, niliil magis Siilnnani o|)l;i-
re, et lolis viribus suis conlendurc, quaiii ro Chri-
slinni peccata sua integre sccerdulihus conlite-
antur.
In vita s. Bernardi, quam auclor probalissimus,
ipso s. Bornardo vivenle coiiscripsil, lib. 1. cap,
!). miraculum insigne narralur, (|uod ipsis verbis
auctoris referam: Cam, incpiii. (diqaantosjain in
Claravalle. Bernardus. exijlcsfiot aiino».c(iailn.<iii
vininmohileni, el ijjsias qaoqiie secandani car-
nenipropinqaanijosbertani de Firniilate, qnoil
est oppidam proximum nionasterin, (jraviter in-
firmari, qai sabilo praeoccapatas , amisit ialei-
leclam pariter, et loqaelam: unde el filias ejas .
Josberlus janior. et omne-i simul amici en nidqis
aljligebantur dolore , quod sine eonfcssione et
viatico. vir magnificus el magnifice honoralus
obirel.Cucurritnancius ad abbaton: neque enim
tuiic in monaslerio eral.Venit et invenit eum jam
Iriduo sicjacentem. Compassus autem homiai ,
sed el motas lachrgmis filii ejus. simul et lagen-
tiamcaeterorum.confisus est de misericordia Dei,
el sermonem magnificum protuUt. diccns ('is:!So-
tum Dobis est, qaod in plarihas homo isle gra-
vavit ecclesias.oppressit pauperes^offendit licum:
si mihi credilis, ut ecclesiis restiluanlar ablala ,
et iisurpatae in gravamen paupcrum consueladi-
ncs dimittantur. loquetar adhuc, el su.orum con-
fessionem faciet deliclorum , divina qaoqae su-
scipiet sacrGnienta devotus. Miranlur omnes.hic-
tatur filius , fu.milia omnis exnllal: qaidqnid
praecipil homoDei, firmiter ei pronii lilur ct im-
pletur. Caetcrum fralerejus Gerardns et Galdri-
cus avunculus, nonparum terrili et turhati. se-
cretius euni sihper tidi promissione conveniwnt ,
darius arguunt. acrius invehuntar; qaihus hre-
viler, simpliciterque respondens: Facde . inquil,
facerepolesl Deus. quod difficile credere vos po-
tcslis. Itaque posl secretam oridionem , ad obla-
lionem sacrificii immorlalis accedU: qiio offercn-
le. nancias supervcnil. qui indicarcl. praefalam
.Josl)erlamlihere jamloqaeiUem.rogare nhni.vias.
ut vir Dei feslinaret ad euni.Ciii etiam pnst obla-
lum sacrificiumvcnienli. cum lachrymis el ge-
mila pecccUa confessus , dirina sacramenla su-
Hcepil. Ex hoc miraculo,et confcssionis necessila-
lcm el vim divini sacrificii sinnil inlellieimus.
llK)
l»r. rOKMTK.MlA
S. I»ini;iv«'nlui;i in vil.i l>. FiMiicisiM, iMp. 10. ii--
riTl lns vorliis ;iliiiil iiisi^iu^ inir.K-iiiiiiir. .Uio (jiid-
qne lcjupon" cum po^t roveriiioiwin ij^sius do ul-
li i'. (A'lanuin ])ra('dicalnnis s. rrnnriMuis
tt: ■ l: niilc.< quidtini anppUri cuni dcvoliinK*
runi inslantia niaqni invitavH ad prandiain. Vc-
nit itaquc ad iniliti.< doinnin. oninisqnc faniilia
panpcrnin liospituin c.cuUavit in inqrcssu. Antc
vcro, quani cibuni sunicrcnt. juxtu soUtuni 7ho-
)•<•»» vir nicnlc dcvotus olfcrcns Dco prcrcs ci
landcs. ocuUs slabat oU'valis in corUnn. Oralionc,
conii>lcta, iH^niijnuni liospitcni faniiUaritcr advo-
catuin in partcni, sic aUoqmitus est: Kccc, fratcr
kospcs. luisviclns prccibns. ut nianducnrcin. do-
inuin luain inlravi: nicis nnnc cito nionilis ac-
quicscc.quoniani non hic, scd aUbi nianducabis:
ronfilerc nunc pcccata tua , verao, pocnilcntiae
dolore co7ifn/«.s. ncc in tc rcnKmeal quidquani.
quod veridica confcssionc non pandas: rcddc.L
tibi Doniinus liodie vicem. quoniani tanla dcvo-
tionc suos pnnpcrcs susccpisli. .icquievit conti-
nuo vir iUc scnnonibus sancli , socioque i])sius
universa pcccala in confcssionc dctcgens . dispo-
suit domuni suani el ad inorlcni suscipiendani
se quaniuin vaUul.praepararil. Intraveru.nl tan-
dcin ad incn^aincl incipicntibus aUis inanduca-
re. Iwspcs subito spiritum exhalavil, jiixla vcr-
biim hoininis Dei. rcpcnlina morte subUilus; sic-
qne factum c,<t, hospilalitalis (jralia promerenle,
ut juxta vcrbum vcrilalis. prophctam rccipiens.
viercedem prophctae acciperet . dum per sancU
viri pracnnnciationem prophcUcam niiles iUe dc-
vutus sibi conlra niorlis subitalioncin providil ,
qiialenusarmis poenUentiae praemitnitus , per-
petuamdamnalionemevaderel elin aeternata-
bernacula inlroiret.
IihMn ;uiclor in codcin lib. exlreino, dum ea mi-
r.iful;! enumeral. quae posl morlem s. Francisci,
ipso inlcrcoiienlc, coiiligerunl: iriier alia unum re-
ferl dc foemina qu;i(lam, quae ob s. Francisci pre-
ccs ad vilam cx murle rcdiil.cum jamjam sepelien-
da essel. ul peccalum quoddam in confessionc dc«
loiierel.quovi numquam anlea confessa fueral. Ilem
eliam aliud, de fonle (juodam divinilus ad s. Fran-
cisci preces exorlo, ex cujus aqua qui biberent, a
laiiguorihus curarcnlur, modo peccalorum confes-
sion€m anle praemisissent.
IVpslro eliam saeculo, quo per Lulheranos con-
fe.sslo in scpienlrione, cum incredibili animarum
pernicie mullis in locis exlincla est- apud novos
Clirislianos, ubi Ecclesia in dies magis ac magis
ri^llorcscil ac propagalur, alque apud Japones po-
tissiinum, ita viget, ut saepe eti;jm divinis miracu-
iis illuslretur: quod ante nos annotavit Alanus Co-
pus, lib. 2. dialog. cap. 28. Atque haclenus argu-
inenla pro confirmanda confessione produxinius:
nunc ad solvenda adversariorum argumenta ve-
niemus.