Did Almighty God require any auricular confession in the wilderness, from the sinners, when He ordered Moses to lift up the serpent? No! Neither did Christ speak of auricular confession as a condition of salvation to those who look to Him when He dies on the Cross to pay their debts. A free pardon was offered to the Israelites who looked to the uplifted serpent. A free pardon is offered by Christ crucified to all those who look to Him with faith, repentance and love. To such sinners the ministers of Christ, to the end of the world, are authorised to say: "Your sins are forgiven—we "clean" your leprosy."
Eighth: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
"For God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved.
"He that believeth in him is not condemned: but he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world and man loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
"But he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God." (John iii, 16-21.)
In the religion of Rome, it is only through auricular confession that the sinner can be reconciled to God; it is only after he has heard a most detailed confession of all the thoughts, desires and actions of the guilty one that he can tell him: "Thy sins are forgiven." But in the religion of the Gospel, the reconciliation of the sinner with his God is absolutely and entirely the work of Christ. That marvellous forgiveness is a free gift offered not for any outward act of the sinner: nothing is required from him but faith, repentance and love. These are marks by which the leprosy is known to be cured and the sins forgiven. To all those who have these marks, the ambassadors of Christ are authorized to say, "Your sins are forgiven," we "clean" you.
Ninth: "The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying: God! be merciful to me a sinner!
"I tell you, this man went down to his house, justified." (Luke xviii 13, 14.). Yes! justified! and without auricular confession!
Ministers and disciples of Christ, when you see the repenting sinner smiting his breast and crying: "Oh, God! have mercy upon me a sinner!" shut your ears to the deceptive words of Rome who tells you to force that redeemed sinner to make to you a special confession of all his sins, to get his pardon. But go to him and deliver the message of love, peace and mercy, which you received from Christ: "Thy sins are forgiven! I "clean" thee!