accedere, ut ei loquantur, et multo minus ut manus deosculentur. In actu confessionis non ostendat se eas agnoscere; aliqnæ enim, quæ religiosa haberi volunt, aliquando advertentes se nosci a confes sario, non faciunt integram confessionem. Imprudentia quoque est oculos conjicere in pœnitentes, cum e confessionali recedunt, easque per aliquod tempus intueri. Extra confessionale nec etiam immoretur colloquendo cum ipsis in ecclesia, omnemque familiaritatem devitet. Abstineat etiam a recipiendis munusculis; et præcipue illarum domos nunquam accedat, uno excepto casu gravis infirmitatis, et tunc non nisi vocatus accedat; et tunc magnam adhibeat diligentiam in audiendis illarum confessio nibus: uude januam apertam relinquat, sedeat in loco ubi videri possit ab aliis, oculosque in faciem pœnitentis nunquam defigat. Et hoc præsertim currit, si sint personæ spirituales, quibuscum est pe. riculum majoris adhæsionis. Dicebat ven. P. Sertorius Capotus diabolum ad conjungendas inter se personas spirituales ab initio uti prætextu virtutis, ut deinde affectus a virtute transeat ad personam: unde ait S. Augustinus apud S. Thomam (Opusculo 64. de Famil. Dom. etc.): Sermo brevis, et rigidus cum his mulieribus habendus est; nec tamen quia sanctiores, ideo minus cavendæ ; qno enim sanctiores fuerint, eo magis alli juniors than pleasant, nor should he allow them to come to him before confession to speak to him, and much less to kiss his hands. In the act of confession he ought not to appear to know them, for some females who wish to be thought religious, when they perceive that they are known by the confessor, do not make a complete confession :- also, it is imprudent to fix the eyes on the penitents when they depart from the confessional, to gaze upon them for some time. Out of the confessional also he should not continue speaking with them in the Church, and he should avoid all familiarity. Also, let him abstain from receiving gifts, and especially let him never approach their homes, except in the case of great sickness, and then not unless he be called for, in which case he ought to take great care in hearing their confessions ; wherefore, let him leave the door open-let him sit in a place where he may be seen by others and let him never fix his eyes on the penitent; and this especially ought to be attended to, if they be spiritual persons with whom there is a greater danger of attraction. The venerable P. Sartorius Capotus says that, the devil in order to unite spiritual persons together, from the beginning made use of the pretext of virtue, that thence the passion may pass from the virtue to the person, hence says St. Augustine, aç ciunt. Et idem angelicus doctor addit: Licet carnalis affectio sit omnibus periculosa, ipsis tamen magis perniciosa, quando conversantur cum persona quæ spiritualis videtur; nam, quamvis principium videatur purum, frequens tamen familiaritas domesticum est periculum: quæ quidem familiaritas quanto plus crescit, infirmatur principale motivum et puritas maculatur. Et subjungit quod tales personæ hoc non statim advertant, quo. niam diabolus ab initio non immittit sagittas venenatas, sed illas tantummodo, quæ aliquantulum feriunt, et augent affectum. Sed brevi hujusmodi personæ eo deveniunt ut non amplius agant secum tanquam angeli, quemamodum cœperant, sed tanquam carne vestiti; vicissim se intuentur mentesque sibi feriunt blandis allocutionibus, quæ adhuc a prima devotione videntur procedere: hiuc alter alterius præsentiam incipit appetere; sicque (concludit) spiritualis devotio convertitur in carnalem. Et quidem, oh quot sacerdotes, qui antea erant innocentes, ob similes adhæsiones quæ spiritu cœperant, Deum simul et spiritum perdiderunt! Advertatur hic, quod ex decreto S. C. epis. sub 21. jan. 1620. confessarii sine necessitate audire non debeant mulierum confessiones post crepusculum vespertinum, ct ante auroram. "120.-Deinde confessarius non adeo mulierum confessionibns sit addictus, ut per hoc cording to St. Thomas, (opusculo 64. de Famil. Dom. etc.) 'The discourse with these women should be strict and brief, neither are they to be the less guarded against, because the more holy they are, the more attractive; ' and the same angelic doctor adds, although carnal affections be dangerous in all, however, it is more so to themselves when they converse with a person who appears spiritual; for although the beginning may appear pure, however, a frequent familiarity renders danger familiar, which familiarity indeed, in proportion as it increases, the principal motive is weakened, and purity is spotted.' And he adds, that 'such persons do not immediately perceive this, since the devil does not always throw poisoned arrows, but only those which strike but lightly and increase the affection. But in a short time such persons come to this, that they no longer act towards each other as angels, as they commenced, but as those who are clothed in flesh; they interchange looks and their minds are affected by soft expressions, which still seem to proceed from the first devotion; hence the one begins to long for the presence of the other, and thus (he_concludes) the spiritual devotion is converted into carnal. AND INDEED, OH HOW MANY PRIESTS, WHO BEFORE WERE INNOCENT TRACTIONS, WHICH BEGAN IN homines ad se venientes audire recuset. Oh! qualis miseria est cernere tot confessarios, qui impendunt bonam diei partem in audiendis religiosis aliquibus mulierculis, quas vulgo dicunt bizocas; et cum postea vident ad se accedere homines aut feminas uxoratas qui sunt pleni angustiis, et molestiis, et qui ægre domos, et negotia sua relinquere potuerunt, dimittunt eos, dicendo: Habeo aliud quod agam, ite ad alios; unde fit ut isti, non invenientes cui sua peccata confiteantur, vivant per tot menses et annos sine sacramentis, et sine Deo." GOD AND THEIR SOUL. Here is to be observed what is prescribed according to the decree of the sacred congregation, that confessors, unnecessarily, ought not to hear the confessions of women after evening twilight, or before morning. "120.-Moreover, the confessor ought not to be so addicted to the confessions of women, that on this account he would refuse to hear the confessions of men who come to him. ОH WHAT MISERY IT IS TO OBSERVE SO MANY CON FESSORS, WHO SPEND A LARGE PORTION OF THE DAY IN HEAR. ING THE CONFESSIONS OF CERTAIN RELIGIOUS WOMEN, WHO ARE COMMONLY CALLED, BIZO CAS, and when they afterwards observe men or married women coming to them, who are filled with cares and grievances, and who can scarcely leave their homes and businesss, dismiss them, saying, 'I have something else to do, go to some one else, whence it happens, that they not coming to confess their sins, live through whole months and years, without the Sacraments and without God." The warnings here given and the statements shew the great dangers of the confesssonal. Again, he says: "193.-XXI. In audiendis confessiontbus mulierum, illisque pertractandis, adhibeat eam austeritatem quæ conveniens est secundum prudentiam; et ideo recuset munuscula, effugiat familiaritatem, et omnia alia quæ possunt esse "In hearing the confessions of women, and in discoursing with them, he ought to use that austerity which is in accordance with prudence, and moreover refuse gifts, avoid familiarity and all those other things which can be the cause quam circa hoc negligentiam, oh, quot confessarii et suas, et pœnitentium animas perdiderunt!" causa adhæsionis. Ob ali- of adhesion. OH, HOW MANY CONFESSORS HAVE LOST THEIR OWN SOULS AND THOSE OF THEIR PENITENTS, ON ACCOUNT OF SOME NEGLIGENCE IN THIS RESPECT!!!-No. 193. The unholy influence which the confessional is calculated to have on the mind of the priest, may be deduced from the following passage which propriety forbids me to translate in full. "483.-Excipitur tamen, si præfatæ actiones ponantur excausa necessaria, vel utili, vel convenienti animæ aut corpori; tunc enim pollutiones ex ipsis provenientes, adhuc prævisæ, non sunt peccata dummodo absit consensus, vel ejus periculum. Ita communiter Sylvius 2. 2. q. 154. a. 11. ad 2. Tourn. tract. 3. p. 498. cum Henr. a. S. Ignat. et communi, Salmant. n. 45. et 46. Croix l. 3. p. 1. n. 925. Roncaglia de 6. præc. c. 7 q. 9. et alii ex D. Th. loc. cit. Ratio, quia tunc homo potius patitur, quam agit, dam pollutio non ex sua malitia, sed ex infirmitate naturæ procedit, ut loquitur D. Gregorius in cap. Testamentum, dist. 6. et juxta D. Thomam, quando unius causæ est duplex effectus æque immediatus. unus bonus, alter malus, et bonus æquivalet malo, nihil prohibet bonam intendi, et malum permitti. Hinc etiam, prævisa pollutione involuntaria, licet I. parochis, et etiam aliis confessariis, audire confessiones "483.-However there is an exception if the above mentioned actions are designed for a necessary or useful cause, or for the convenience of soul or body, for then the coming of themselves, although expected, are not sins, provided that consent and the danger of consent be absent. Thus Sylvius, 2. 2. q. 154. a. 11. ad 2. Tourn. &c., &c. commonly teach. The reason is, because in that case the man is rather passive, than active, whilst . does not pro ceed from his own wickedness but from the infirmity of his nature, as Gregorius says in cap. Testamentum dub. 6. and according to St. Thomas, when there is a two-fold effect equally immediate from the same cause, one good, the other evil, and the good equals the evil, nothing prohibits me that I should intend the good and permit the evil. Hence also, when an involuntary is foreseen it is lawful I. for parish priests and also other confessors to hear But where * * is altogether * * mulierum. ac legere tractatus the confessions of women, and de rebus turpibus; chirurgis to read treatises concerning aspicere, et tangere partes foul actions. feminæ ægrotantis, ac studere rebus medicis; licet quoque aliis alloqui, osculari aut amplexari mulieres juxta morem patriæ, servire in balneis, et similia. Ita S. Th. p. 3. qu 80. a. 7. Sanch. dict. d. 45. ex num 4. usque ad 8. Bon. de Matrim. q. 4. p. 10. n. 6. Spor. 1. c. n. 650. Anacl. de 6. præcn. 53. P. Holzm. eod. tit. n. 690. Salm. 1. c. n. 45. in fin. item Petroco, t. 2. de Temp. pag. 215. cum Nav. Cajet. et S. Ant. p. 2. tit. 6. c. 4. in fine, ubi sic ait: Sed ubi pollutio sit omnino involuntaria, contra intentionem, non est peccatum, sicut, cum quis audit in confessione turpia, aut loquens cum mulieribus ex causa honesta, et inde sequitur pollutio. Et idem docet Nav. cap. 16. n. 7. II. The passage which follows I can not attempt to translate: "Licet alicui, qui magnum pruritum patitur in verendis, illum tactu abigere, etiamsi pollutio sequatur. Ita Busemb. supra n. 419. in fin. Bon. loc. cit. n. 8. Laym. 1. 3. sect 4. n. 13. March. Salm. n. 49. cum Trull. et Diana; item Caj. Nav. Vill. Led. Zanard. Bass. apud Moyam. Forte dices, posse accidere, ut pruritus ille proveniat ex ipso ardore libidinis, unde extinctio pruritus, quæ per fornicationem fit, venerea delectatio potius censeri debeat. Sed respondetur, rationabilius judicandum, quod talis pruritus, quando est valde molestus, oriatur potius ex acrimonia sanguinis, quam ex ardore luxuriæ. Saltem, in dubio, prævalet libertas se liberandi ab hujusmodi molestia per tactum de se licitum, dum licite quisque potest tactu pruritum corporis abigere; etsi accidit pollutio, absque periculo consensus, per accidens, et involuntarie, ac proinde inculpabiliter accidit: ut autem iste ab eo tactu abstinere teneretur, probandum pro certo esset, pruri |