sumptuous, who begins his examen bed fore he has implored help and direction from above, which may be done thus:

A Prayer before Examination of Conscience.

I AM perfectly sensible, O my God, that I have many ways offended thy divine Majesty, and provoked thy wrath by my sins; and that if I obtain not pardon I shall be cast out of thy sight for ever. I desire therefore at present, to call myself to an account, and look into all the sins whereby I have dis pleased thee; but, O my God, how miserably shall I deceive myself, if thou assist me not in this work by thy hea venly light. Grant me therefore at present thy grace, whereby I may discover all my imperfections, see all my failings, and duly call to mind all my sins,

for I know nothing is hidden from thy sight. But I confess myself in the dark as to my own failings; my passions blind me, self-love flatters me, presumption deludes me; and though I have many sins which stare me in the face, and cannot be hidden, yet how many too are there quite concealed from me! But discover even those to me, O Lord; enlighten my darkness, cure my blindness, and remove every veil

that hides my sins from me, that I may be no longer a secret to myself, nor a stranger to my own failings, nor ever flatter myself with the thoughts of having repented and at the same time nourish folly and vice within my breast. Come, Holy Ghost, and by a beam of thy divine light illumine my understanding, that I may have a perfect view of all my sins and iniquities, and that, sincerely repenting of them, I may know thee, and be again received into thy favour.

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Instruc.-Having thus implored the divine assistance, the sinner must turn his thoughts to the making the examination of his conscience, in as strict and serious a manner as if he were within few hours to appear before the judgmentseat of God; he must examine what those sins are which he apprehends would then rise up against him, and wish he had never committed: in order to prevent the severity of the last judgment, and under the assurance, that if he judges himself now, he shall not be judged hereafter.

What method do you propose, to avoid confusion in this examination?

I would have him observe that there are two kinds of sins; the one committed willingly, knowingly, and deliberately,

in matters of moment, called mortal sins; and the other in matters of less concern, or at least, done without consent or knowledge of the evil, and are called venial. Now it is according to these two kinds of sin that I would have him regulate the method of his examen. Let him first examine whether he has been guilty of any wilful transgression, whereby he has mortally offended God, and recollect in what particulars; and then, making inquiry into his venial sins, under these two heads rank his offences.

But suppose he has to look over a lapse of many years, and should his sins be numerous, are there no means to assist him to bring them back to his recollection?

The method commonly observed, is to recollect the places he has lived in, the persons he has conversed with, the business he has been engaged in, the obliga tions of his state, the passions to which he may have been most subject, and the occasions he has met with. Or else, let him consider the three-fold duty he owes to God, his neighbour, and himself, and reflect in what particulars he has transgressed them.

But should he forget some of his sins, is there no remedy?

· Let him take the commandments, the

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precepts of the Church, and the seven deadly sins, and examine himself upon each of them separately; let him examine whether he has transgressed against it, in what instance, and how; and though his sins may be numerous, yet being thus brought under different heads, he may the more easily remember them. He may also make his confession in the same order, accusing himself in the first place of all the sins he may have committed against the first commandment; then the second, and so proceed on.

May he not write down his sins, in order to refresh his memory?.

In general confessions, when the exa mination is of different years, he may; but in ordinary confessions it is not per mitted without the advice of his director, it being apt to breed scruples, and pro duce too great an anxiety of spirit. 1 How much time would you advise him to take for making his examination ?

羹 There can be no general rule prescribed; but in this, as in all other affairs, the time must be according to the work. A week's examination, for instance, requires not so much time as a month, nor a month's as a year; nor a year's so much as that of a man's whole life: every one must consider his own'

particular circumstances, capacity, and state of life, and take as much time as he thinks necessary for the well performance of so great a concern: but as to those who have many years back to examine and prepare for confession, I think they should not attempt it all at once, but rather at several times, in order to refresh their spirits: for as too close an application dulls, so convenient interruptions prepare the mind for a more diligent attention and better discharge of this duty. But with respect to such as go to confession every month, or oftener,-who avoid all wilful and mortal sins,-whose lives are so uniform as to to be every day the same, I would advise them not to be over tedious in making their examination, especially if they be of a solicitous and anxious disposition; for such often deceive themselves, disquieting their minds with long and scrupulous researches, flattering themselves at the same time as if they were performing a great duty, whilst they are only yielding to their own weakness, and led away by a blind fear and infirmity of temper.

-Would you not have them to be very earnest in an affair of so much concern? Certainly but not with such an earnestness as destroys all care; for this