CONFESSION CONFUCIUS. 



393 



with a view to obtain absolution for them, 

 fatli 



ither confessor inquires of the person confessing < 

 erning the circumstances of the sins confessed 



The 

 f con- 

 cerning tne circumstances ot tlie sins confessed, and 

 proportions his admonition, and the severity of the 

 penance which he enjoins, to the degree of die trans- 

 gression. The person confessing is allowed to con- 

 ceal no sin of consequence which he remembers to 

 have committed, and the father confessor is bound to 

 perpetual secrecy. The absolution granted there- 

 upon has, according to the doctrines of the Catholic 

 and Greek churches, sacramental efficacy. But the 

 holy scripture does not contain an express decision on 

 this point, and the custom of confession before taking 

 tlie Lord's supper was not established in the oldest 

 Christian congregations. Whoever was guilty of 

 great sins, made a public acknowledgment of them, 

 and a profession of repentance before the assembled 

 congregation. This was usually committed to writ- 

 ing, and read by the penitents. Pope Leo tlie Great, 

 in 450, altered this public confession into a secret one 

 before the priest. The fourth Lateran council (can. 

 21) crdains, " that every one of the faithful, of both 

 sexes, on coming to years of discretion, shall, in pri- 

 vate, faithfully confess all their sins, at least once a- 

 year, to their own pastor, and fulfill, to the best of 

 their power, tlie penance enjoined them, receiving 

 reverently, at least at Faster, the sacrament of the 

 eucharist, unless, by the advice of their pastor, for 

 some reasonable cause, they judge it proper to ab- 

 stain from it for a time, otherwise, they are to be ex- 

 cluded from the church while living, and, when they 

 die, to be deprived of Christian burial." While the 

 Catholic church thus requires from the penitent the 

 avowal of his single crimes, the Lutheran church 

 requires only a general acknowledgment, leav- 

 ing it, however, at the option of its members, to 

 reveal their particular sins to the confessor, and 

 to relieve the guilty conscience by such an avowal ; 

 for which reason, the Protestant priests are 

 bound, as well as the Catholic, to keep under 

 the seal of secrecy whatever has been intrust- 

 ed to them in the confessional. The confession, in 

 the Lutheran church, is sometimes special, when 

 the penitents separately acknowledge their sins; 

 sometimes general, when it is done oy many, who 

 are assembled for the purpose, and confess according 

 to a certain formula. Where the priest is well ac- 

 quainted with the different members of his congrega- 

 tion, the special confession seems to be most suitable, 

 because it gives tlie confessor an opportunity of 

 adapting his reproofs, exhortations, and consolations 

 to the wants of each individual, and thus of produc- 

 ing a stronger impression. The opportunity which 

 the confession gives the priest of directing self-ex- 

 amination, of rousing, warning, exhorting, and con- 

 soling tlie penitent, becomes a means ot adding to 

 the effect of the public religious services. But, 

 at the same time, it affords a dangerous opportunity 

 to the priest of abusing the confidence reposed in 

 him , of which the history both of nations and indivi- 

 duals exhibits fearful examples. The practice of 

 confession is grounded on the imperfection of human 

 virtue. The Lutherans, therefore, retained this cus- 

 tom, although they knew that it was not ordained by 

 Christ, but was only a part of the ancient church 

 discipline : they did not, however, maintain its abso- 

 lute necessity. (See Penitence.) The title of confes- 

 sors was anciently given to those who had endured 

 torments in defence of the Christian religion. It 

 was often used for martyrs, but was subsequently 

 confined to those who, having been tortured, were 

 set free. Saints are also called confessors. So are 

 the priests, in the Roman Catholic church, who 

 absolve sinners. For an account of the intrigues of 

 confessors in political affairs, see Gregorie, Histoire 



des Confesseurs des Empereurs, des Rois, &c. ; Paris, 

 1824.) 



CONFESSION OF AUGSBURG. See Augsburg 

 Confession. 



CONFESSIONAL (from confessionis , Lat.), in 

 architecture ; a cell in a Catholic church, wherein 

 the confessor sits to hear confessions. The confes- 

 sional, of which there are many in every Roman 

 Catholic church and chapel, is a species of cell, 

 built of joinery, with a boarded back next the wall, 

 or against a pillar or a pier, divided into three niches 

 or small cells. The centre, which is for the recep- 

 tion of the priest, is closed half way up by a dwarf- 

 door, and has a seat within it. There is a small 

 grated aperture in each of the partitions between 

 him and the side-cells, which are for those who come 

 to confess, and have no doors. The sight of the nu- 

 merous confessionals in St Peter's church at Rome 

 each with an inscription, setting forth in what 

 language penitents can confess within, is very im- 

 pressive. 



CONFIRMATION ; a ceremony intended for the 

 completion of baptism, and considered by some 

 churches as a sacrament. The council of Trent set- 

 tled several points concerning it (sess. vii. De Sa- 

 cram). It is administered by bishops. The cere- 

 mony consists in the imposition of hands on the head 

 of the person to be confirmed, accompanied with the 

 holy unction. No other priest can confirm. The 

 meaning of this sacrament may be best learned from 

 the Acts of the Apostles, (viii. 14 21 ; xix. 1 6). 

 Paul (in Heb. vi. 1 5) speaks of the imposition of 

 hands as a custom to be perpetually observed among 

 Christians. Confirmation, however, is considered 

 by the Catholics a useful but not a necessary sacra- 

 ment. Baptism can be administered even by a here- 

 tic, but not confirmation. In the Greek church, and 

 other Oriental sects, the sacrament of confirmation 

 follows immediately after baptism, and is administer- 

 ed as in the Romish church. The Protestant Epis- 

 copal church, the Lutherans and Calvinists of Eu- 

 rope, have retained the practice of confirmation. It 

 is, with individuals of these sects, an assumption of 

 the obligations which others undertook for them at 

 their baptism. In Germany, confirmation among 

 Protestants is one of the most solemn acts, and takes 

 place only after a certain course of instruction in the 

 Christian faith. The Lord's supper is not taken by 

 these three sects, until after confirmation. 



CONFUCIUS (also KON-FU-TSE, and RUNG- 

 FU-DSU), a teacher of religion and morals, who, 

 like Moses and Zoroaster, exercised an extensive in- 

 fluence on his own and succeeding times, and now, 

 after thousands of years, is still venerated by his 

 countrymen, and respected by other nations, lived 

 about 550 years B. C. He was of royal descent, 

 and held the rank of a mandarin at court, in his na- 

 tive land, in the kingdom of Lu (at present S/iang- 

 Tong, a province of the Chinese empire, which was 

 not till a later period formed into a single monarchy) ; 

 but, as the king would not follow his advice, he resign- 

 ed his dignity, went to the kingdom of Siam, and DC- 

 came a teacher of morals. He led a quiet and temper- 

 ate life, and was distinguished for his wisdom. He 

 neither attempted to overthrow existing establish- 

 ments, nor to gain dominion by deceit over the minds 

 of men ; but only to disseminate precepts of virtue 

 and wisdom. He taught in the cities and at royal 

 courts. Many hearers assembled about him, and he 

 became the founder of a numerous sect, which still 

 exists in China, and has extended to Cochin-China. 

 His religious opinions are very uncertain: it does 

 not appear that he changed or purified the prevailing 

 faith. It may be inferred, however, with great pro- 

 bability, that he taught the immortality of the soul, 



