The third—­Cardinal Newman—­says, in “Anglican Difficulties”: 

“If there is a heavenly idea in the Catholic Church—­looking at it simply as an idea—­surely, next after the Blessed Sacrament, confession is such.  And such is it ever found, in fact; the very act of kneeling, the low and contrite voice, the sign of the cross—­hanging, so to say, over the head bowed low—­and the words of peace and blessing.  Oh, what a soothing charm is there which the world can neither give nor take away!  Oh, what piercing heart-subduing tranquility, provoking tears of joy, is poured almost substantially and physically upon the soul—­the oil of gladness, as Scripture calls it—­when the penitent at length rises, his God reconciled to him, his sins rolled away for ever!  This is confession as it is in fact, as those bear witness to it who know it by experience."[62]

FOOTNOTES: 

[56] Matt. xvi, 19, and xviii, 18.

[57] Scorpiace, n. x.

[58] Vol. ii, p. 81.

[59] Vol. ii, p. 83.

[60] Vol. ii, p. 215.

[61] Annales de l’Empire, vol. i, p. 41.

[62] Card.  Newman, Ang.  Diff. p. 351.