by Satan to ruin both the
priest and his female penitents, for time and eternity. For, what we would
never have dared to say of ourself to the Roman Catholics with regard to
what frequently happens between their priests and their wives and
daughters, either during or after confession, God has constrained the
Church of Rome to acknowledge herself in revealing things that would have
seemed incredible had they come simply from our mouth or our pen. In this,
as in other instances, that apostate church has unwittingly been the
mouth-piece of God for the accomplishment of his great and merciful ends.

Listen to the questions that the Church of Rome, through her theologians,
puts to every priest after he has heard the confession of your wives or
daughters:

1. "_Nonne inter audiendas confessiones quasdam proposui questiones circa
sextum decalogi praeceptum cum intentione lubidinosa?_" (Miroir du Clerge,
p. 582.)

While hearing confessions, have I not asked questions on sins against the
sixth (the seventh in the Decalogue) commandment with the intention of
satisfying my evil passions?

Such is the man, O mothers and daughters, to whom you dare to unbosom the
most secret as well as the most shameful actions. You kneel down at his
feet and whisper in his ear your most intimate thoughts and desires, and
your most polluting deeds; because your church, by dint of cunning and
sophistry, has succeeded in persuading you that there was no impropriety or
danger in doing so; that the man whom you chose for your spiritual guide
and confident could never be tempted or tainted by such foul recitals. But
that same church, through some mysterious providences, is made to
acknowledge, in her own books, her own lies. In spite of herself, she
admits that there is real danger in confession, both for the woman and for
the priest; that willingly or otherwise, and sometimes both unawares, they
lay for each other dangerous snares. The Church of Rome, as if she had an
evil conscience for allowing her priest to hold such close and secret
converse with a woman, on such delicate subjects, keeps, as it were, a
watchful eye on him while the poor misguided woman is pouring in his ear
the filthy burthen of her soul; and as soon as she is off, questions the
priest as to the purity of his motives, the honesty of his intentions in
putting the requisite questions. Have you not, she asks him immediately,
under the pretence of helping that woman in her confessio