proposed and resolved every Friday; and every third year there is, by the consent of the president and members of the academy, and by the approbation of the great one, a book printed containing all the cases resolved for three years before, and which is entitled, "compendium casuum moralium academiæ S. S. trinitatis." The academy of the holy trinity is always composed of twenty members, so that every one may easily perceive, that each of the members may be acquainted in a year or two, with many hundreds of private confessions of all ranks and conditions of people; besides those which were made to themselves: Which remark I only make, by the by, to satisfy some men, who, I am told, find fault with me for pretending to impose on the public for genuine, several confessions which were not made to myself, and consequently for the reality of which, I can have no sufficient authority.

Now after all that has been said on this head, I believe I need not be at much trouble to vindicate myself from the imputation of any criminal breach of secrecy; for if the reader observe, that on the foregoing grounds, there is no confession whatever which may not lawfully be revealed, (provided the confessor do not discover the penitent,) he cannot in justice condemn me for publishing a few, by which it is morally impossible, in the present circumstances, that the penitents should be known. Had I been much more particular than I am in my relations, and mentioned even the names and every thing else I knew of the persons, there would scarce be a possibility (considering the distance and little intercourse there is between this place and Sara. gossa) of their suffering in any degree by it: And I need not observe that the chief, and indeed only reason of enjoining and keeping secrecy, is the hazards the penitent may run by discovery, but I do assure the reader, that in every confession I have related, I have made use of feigned names, and avoided every circumstance by which I had the least cause to suspect the parties might be found out. And I assure him further, that most of the cases here published by me, are, in their most material points, already printed in the compendiums of that moral academy of which I was a member.

As for the reasons which moved me to publish this book, I shall only say, that as the corrupt practices, which are the subject of it, first set me upon examining into the principles of the church of Rome, and by that means of renouncing them; so I thought that the making of them public might happily produce the same effect in some others.

I did design on this occasion to give a particular account of the motives of my conversion, and leaving Spain; but being confined to three hundred pages, I must leave that and some other things relating to the sacraments of the church of Rome, to the second part, which I intend to print if the public think fit to encourage me.

I must beg the reader's pardon for my presumption in writing to him in his own language, on so short an acquaintance as I have with it. I hope he will excuse the many mistakes I have committed in the book: I shall be very well pleased to be told of, and I shall take the greater care to avoid them m the second part.

PREFACE TO THIS EDITION.

The preceding preface, which was written by the original author of this valuable work, is published in his own words, in order that the reader may understand his motives and views in disclosing the important facts which had come to his knowledge in relation to Popery. Having abjured the errors of the Romish religion, he felt constrained to warn others of the insidious arts to which he had been himself the victim, and to point out the absurd contrivances by which the priesthood of that denomination impose upon the credulity of the ignorant and unsuspecting. In doing this he has given to the world a mass of facts which cannot be disbelieved, nor controverted, and which must satisfy every intelligent mind of the gross fallacy of the doctrines of that ancient church, and the dreadful corruptions practised by those who administer its concerns.

As a christian people, it becomes us to examine carefully the grounds of our belief, and to decide with due caution for ourselves, whether the doctrines and standards of faith proposed for our acceptance by any set of men, conform with those handed down to us by the fathers. By placing this book in the hands of the American reader, he will be enabled to compare it with the only safe rule of faith and practice, the blessed Gospel of Christ, which is all truth, purity, and wisdom, and cannot mislead.

The American reader will also decide, whether the forms of the Roman catholic religion are suited to the circumstances of a republican people. If even the doctrines of that faith, were safe and pure, we cannot believe that the complicated machinery, the expensive and unmeaning parade, and the despotic principles of its church government, could ever be received into practice by the good sense of intelligent and free people.

To make this compilation more complete, we have added to the original work of Mr. Gavin, an account of "The Inquisition of Goa," by the celebrated Dr. Buchanan, who travelled and resided in Asia; an account of "The Inquisition at Macerata in Italy," by Mr. Bower; and a Summary of the Roman catholic faith, carefully prepared from their own works, and which will place the whole subject clearly within the comprehension of the plaines! understanding.

Flagellation of a Prince by the Roman Clergy in the 13th century.

THE GREAT RED DRAGON.

PART I.

OF THE ROMAN-CATHOLICS' AURICULAR CONFESSION

AURICULAR Confession being one of the five commandments of the Roman-Catholic Church, and a condition necessarily required in one of their sacraments; and being too an article that will contribute very much to the discovery of many other errors of that communion, it may be proper to make use of the Master-Key, and begin with it: And first of all, with the Father confessors, who are the only key-keepers of it.

Though a priest cannot be licensed, by the canons of their church, to hear men's confessions, till he is thirty years, nor to confess women till forty years of age, yet ordinarily he gets a dispensation from the bishop, to whom his probity, secrecy, and sober conversation are represented by one of the diocesan *examinators, his friend, or by some person of interest with his lordship; and by that means he gets a confessor's license, most commonly, the day he gets his letters of orders, viz.: Some at three-and-twenty, and some at four-and-twenty years of age, not only for men, but for women's confessions also. I say, some at three-and-twenty; for the Pope dispenses with thirteen months, to those that pay a sum of money; of which I shall speak in another place.

To priests thus licensed, to be judges of the tribunal of conscience, men and women discover their sins, their actions, their thoughts, nay, their very dreams, if they happen to be impure. I say, judges of the tribunal of conscience; for when they are

Those that are appointed by the bishop, to examine those that are to be ordained, or licensed to preach and hear confessions.

licensed, they ought to resolve any case (let it be ever so hard) proposed by the penitent: And by this means it must often happen, that a young man who, perhaps, does not know more than a few definitions (which he has learned in a little manual of some casuistical authors) of what is sin, shall sit in such a tribunal, to judge, in the most intricate cases, the consciences of men, and men too that may be his masters.

I saw a reverend father* who had been eight and twenty years professor of divinity in one of the most considerablet universities of Spain, and one of the most famous men for his learning, in that religion, kneel down before a young‡ priest of twenty-four years of age, and confess his sins to him. Who would not be surprised at them both? A man fit to be the judge, to act the part of a criminal before an ignorant judge, who, I am sure, could scarcely then tell the titles of the Sum mæ Morales.

Nay, the Pope, notwithstanding all his infallibility, doth kneel down before his confessor, tell him his sins, heareth his correction, and receives and performs whatever penance he imposeth upon him. This is the only difference between the Pope's confessor, and the confessor of Kings and other persons, that all confessors sit down to hear Kings and other persons, but the Pope's confessor kneels down himself to hear the Holy Father. What, the holy one upon earth humble himself as a sinner? Holiness and sin in one and the same subject, is a plain contradiction in terms.

If we ask the Roman-Catholics, Why so learned men, and the Pope, do so? They will answer, that they do it out of reverence to such a sacrament, out of humility, and to give a token and testimony of their hearty sorrow for their sins. And as for the Pope, they say he does it to show an example of humility, as Jesus Christ did, when he washed the Apostles' feet.

This answer is true, but they do not say the whole truth in it; for, besides the aforesaid reasons, they have another, as Molina tells them, viz: That the penitent ought to submit entirely to his confessor's correction, advice, and penance; and he excepts no body from the necessary requisite of a true penitent. Who would not be surprised (I say again) that a man of noted learning would submit himself to a young, unexpe

Fr. James Garcia.

+ The university of Saragossa, in the kingdom of Arragon, in Spain, which, according to their historians, was built by Sertorious.

Iue thing happened to me when I was 24 years of age.

In this Moral Sunm. Chap. xviii. of the requisites of a true penitent