My kingdom, that you may dispense the treasures of mercy to
repenting sinners. But of what use would it be to give the Apostles the
keys of God's treasures for the ransom of sinners, if every sinner could
obtain his ransom without applying to the Apostles? If I gave you, dear
reader, the keys of my house, authorizing you to admit whom you please,
that they might partake of the good things contained in it, you would
conclude that I had done you a small favor if you discovered that every
one was possessed of a private key, and could enter when he pleased
without consulting you.

I have said that forgiveness of sins is _ordinarily_ to be obtained
through the ministry of the Apostles and of their successors, because it
may sometimes happen that the services of God's minister cannot be
obtained. A merciful Lord will not require in this conjuncture more than a
hearty sorrow for sin joined with a desire of having recourse as soon as
practicable, to the tribunal of Penance; for God's ordinances bind only
such as are able to fulfil them.

It follows, in the third place, that the power of forgiving sins, on the
part of God's minister, involves the obligation of confessing them on the
part of the sinner. The Priest is not empowered to give absolution to
every one indiscriminately. He must exercise the power with judgment and
discretion. He must reject the impenitent and absolve the penitent. But
how will he judge of the disposition of the sinner unless he knows his
sins, and how will the Priest know his sins unless they are confessed?
Hence, we are not surprised when we read in the Acts that "Many of them
who believed came confessing and declaring their deeds"(443) to the
Apostles. Why did they confess their sins unless they were bound to do so?
Hence, also, we understand why St. John says: "If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
iniquity."(444)

The strength of these texts of Scripture will appear to you much more
forcible when you are told that all the Fathers of the Church, from the
first to the last, insist upon the necessity of Sacramental Confession as
a Divine institution. We are not unfrequently told by those who are little
acquainted with the doctrine and history of the Church, that Sacramental
Confession was not introduced into the Church until 1,200 years after the
time of our Savior. In vindication of their bold assertion they even
introduce quotations from S