The Office Of Elders (3)

The Roman Catholic church has the Confession (biecht). The sheep confesses his sins not in the sight but in the hearing of the priest. And the priest absolves him, if penitent. The Reformed churches rejected this institution and inaugurated in its room family visiting. The Confessional is objectionable. The priest brings himself forward as one who in the capacity of the vice-regent of Christ has power, right, to forgive sin. What we here have to do with is one of Rome's errors. No man ever...