3

Thy mercy has been infinite, in bearing so long with such an ungrateful sinner as I have been and in daily heaping thy favours upon me. Add this one favour, O Lord, to all the rest, that henceforward, by thy grace, I may never offend thee more. This one thing I earnestly beg of thee, for thy infinite mercy's sake, and through the death and passion of thy only Son hear this one prayer, I beseech thee, and in all things else do with me what thou pleasest,

I am resolved, by thy grace, never more to return to my sins; Orather let me die than offend thee wilfully any more. I am resolved to fly all evil company, and dangerous occasious; and to take proper measures for a thorough amendment of my life for the future. All this I resolve; but thou knowest my frailty, O my God; and if thou assist me not by thy grace, all my resolutions will prove ineffectual and I shall be for ever miserable. O look to me, O Lord, that I may never betray thee ang

more

"N. B. Here the penitent ought

to

to make Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, After which he may recite, those most excellent prayers of a penitent sinner expressed in the Seven penitential Psalms of David, particularly, the soth Ps. Have mercy on me, O God, c. He should also think upon the measures he must take for an entire amendment of life for the time to come; considering well what have been the occasions of his sins; what circumstances are apt to be dangerous to him; what precautions he must take against those dangers for the future; what pious exercises he must daily make use of; such as prayer, meditation, spiritual reading, &c. when, and how often, frequent the &c.

sacraments,

"When the penitent finds himself heartily sorry for having offended God, and fully determined for the time to come to amend his life, and avoid all mortal sins, and the immediate occasions of them; he may then go to confession, in which he may follow this method :

The Method of Confession.

T

He penitent kneeling down. at the side of his ghostly father, makes the sign of the cross, and asks his blessing; Pray Father give me your blessing, for I have sinned. Then he says the Confiteor in La tin, or in English as far as mea culpa, &c. through my fault, &c.

2. After this he accuses himself of his sins, either according to the order of God's commandments, or such other order as he finds most helpful to his memory; adding after each sin the number of times he has been guilty of it, and such circumstances as may: very considerably aggravate the guilt but carefully abstaining from such as are impertinent or unnecessary, from excuses and long narrations,

and

(6 3. After he has confessed all that he can remember, he may conclude with this or the like form: Of these, and all other my sins, which I cannot at this present call to my remembrance, I accuse myself; purpose amendment for the future; most humbly ask par don of God, and penance and absolution

of

of you my ghostly father: and so he may finish his Confitear, and then give attentive ear to the instructions and advice of his confessor, and humbly accept of the penance enjoined by him.

"4. Whilst the priest gives him absolution, let him bow down his head, and with great humility call upon God for mercy, and beg of him, that he would be pleased to pronounce, the sentence of absolution in heaven whilst his minister absolves him upon earth.

5. After confession let the penitent return to his prayers; and after having heartily given God thanks for having admitted him by the means of this sacrament to the grace of reconciliation, and received him, like, the prodigal child, returning home, let him make an offering of his confession to Jesus Christ, begging pardon for whatever defects he may have been guilty of in it; offering up his resolutions to his Saviour, and begging grace that he may put them in

execution.

"6. Let him be careful to per Liv forin.

1

form his penance in due time, and

in a penitential spirit.

A Prayer after Confession.

Almighty and most merciful God, who, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, hast vouchsafed

once

more to receive this prodigal child, after so many times going are tray from thee, and to admit him to this sacrament of reconciliation,I give thee thanks with all the powers of my soul, for this and thy other mercies, graces, and blessings bestowed on me, the most unworthy of all sin- * ners and prostrating myself now at thy sacred feet, I offer myself to be henceforward for ever thine: Oh! let nothing in life or death evermore separate me from thee. I once more renounce with my whole soul all my treasons against thee, and all the abcminations and sins of my past life. I renew my promises made in baptism, and from this moment I dedicate myself eternally to thy love and service. Oh! grant that for the time to come I may ever fly and abhor sin

more