I

Devotions of Confession.

No. I.

N the Name of the FATHER, and of the SON, and of the HOLY GHOST. I confess to God the Father Almighty, to His onlybegotten Son Jesus Christ, and to God the Holy Ghost, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, by my fault, by my own fault, by my most grievous fault.

Especially I accuse myself that, etc. (Here declare your sins.)

For these, and all my other sins which I cannot now remember, I am heartily sorry; I firmly purpose amendment, and I humbly ask pardon of God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

No. 2.

BEING above all beings, O uncreated

I set Thee, Lord, before me, I lift up my soul unto Thee, I fall down on my knees and worship Thee, I humble myself under Thy mighty hand, I stretch forth my hands unto Thee. I smite upon my breast, and say with the publican, God be merciful unto me a sinner! To me, altogether a sinner! To me, the chief of sinners! To me, a greater sinner than the publican, be merciful as to the publican! O Father of mercies, I beseech Thee, by Thy Fatherly bowels of compassion, despise me not!-the work of Thy hands, Thine own image, despise me not,

though I bear the scars of mine iniquity. Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. Lord, speak the word only, and I shall be healed. And Thou, O Christ my Saviour! Saviour of sinners, of whom I am chief, despise me not, O Lord. The price of Thine own Blood, upon whom Thy Name is called, O Lord, despise me not. But look upon me with those Thine eyes with which Thou lookedst upon the Magdalene at the feast, upon Peter in the hall, upon the thief on the Cross: despise me not, O Lord. But soften and melt me.

Lord, as we add day to day, so we add sin to sin. A just man falleth seven times a day, but I, a wretched sinner, seventy times seven times. A wonderful and horrible thing, O Lord! But I turn from my wicked ways, and bewail them; I return to myself, and turn to Thee with all my heart. Yea, evening after evening will I return; yea, out of the deep my soul crieth unto Thee. Lord, I have sinned against Thee; I have sinned grievously against Thee. I repent: woe is me! I repent: O Lord, help my impenitence! Spare me, O Lord! Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my soul: for I have sinned against Thee. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, after Thy great goodness; according to the multitude of Thy mercies do away mine offences. Forgive my guilt; heal my sores; blot out the stains of my soul; deliver me from the shame, rescue me from the tyranny, of sin; and make me not a public example.

Cleanse me, O Lord, from my secret faults. Keep Thy servant also from presumptuous sins. Impute not to me the wanderings of my mind, nor my idle words. Stop the tide of unclean and unlawful thoughts. O Lord, my destruction is from myself. Whatsoever I have done amiss,

graciously pardon. Deal not with us after our sins, neither reward us after our iniquities. Mercifully look upon our infirmities; and for the glory of Thy most holy Name, turn from me all those evils and afflictions which are justly due to me a miserable sinner; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

No. 3.

CONFESS to Thee, O Lord, those sins which I now recall with shame, and which, if I would, I could not hide from Thee.

My sins of pride and vainglory, of . . These, O Lord, I acknowledge to have done through my own fault, my own most grievous fault, against Thy majesty and Thy honour. I desire to be truly penitent, to be sharply sorry from the bottom of my heart, and to show forth the fruits of penitence in godly zeal. And therefore, in all lowliness and humility, I cry unto Thee, O God, most sinful that I am, and unworthy of the least of all Thy mercies. O Thou, Whose nature and property it is to forgive sinners, and to have compassion upon all that truly turn to Thee, vouchsafe now, O Lord, of Thy great pity and goodness, to give me the comfort of absolution, and a perfect remission of all my sins. Strengthen me in all good works henceforward and for ever; through the allsufficient merits of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

No. 4.

FORG Sins of my youth and the sins of my

ORGIVE me my sins, O Lord; forgive me

age, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body, my secret and my whispering sins, my crying

and my presumptuous sins, the sins that I have done to please myself, and the sins that I have done to please others. Forgive me my wanton and idle sins. Forgive me my grievous and deliberate sins. Forgive me those sins which I know, and the sins which I know not; the sins which I have striven so long to hide from others, that now I have even hidden them from my own memory.

Forgive them, O Lord. Forgive them all, and of Thy great goodness let me be absolved from my offences. For the sake of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

No. 5.

LORD of all purity and holiness, Whose human nature was unstained by any imperfection, once and again I deplore this miserable fault. Time after time my examination, poor as it is, reveals in its deformity this great obstacle to my spiritual life. Verily the law in my members wars against the law of my mind, so that I do that which I would not. But strengthen me, O Lord, to beat it down again and again! Humble me with this sharp thorn in the flesh! I repudiate all hope of overcoming it by my own strength. I have not even strength to be sorry as I ought for having yielded to the temptation. And therefore again I lie before Thee, my Saviour, my Intercessor, Who lovest me even as the Father loveth Thee. Burn out by the glow of Thy love all desire and hankering after this sin; and sanctify me wholly, as I walk before Thee.

O Lord, deny not Thy servant whom Thou hast called Thy friend. Grant me now repentance not to be repented of. For Thine own sake. Amen.

No. 6.

A WRETCHED sinner, here prostrate

I, before the everlasting God, and having in

remembrance the exceeding mercy of His great goodness towards me, glorify Him that He hath created me out of nothing; that He hath lovingly preserved and sustained me, when I was most unworthy of life; that He hath of His incomprehensible clemency so often invited me to repentance, and so patiently expected my conversion and amendment. I have in memory that at the day of my baptism I was happily and holily vowed and dedicated unto God, to be His child, and to live in His continual service; yet, contrary to the profession which was then set out for me, I have so many times utterly and detestably violated my plain duties, profaned my sacred promises, and employed my soul to the service of the world, the flesh, and the devil, thereby despising the grace, and contemning the goodness of God's Divine majesty.

At length I recall myself, and in all lowliness and devoutness, cast myself soul and body prostrate before the dreadful throne of His justice.

I

I acknowledge and confess, and yield myself a most miserable, wretched sinner, worthy of that death and passion which Christ once suffered for me upon the Cross of torment. turn myself to the throne of His infinite mercy, and with all my might, from the very bottom of my heart, detest the iniquities I now confess. I most humbly beg and crave pardon for the same, on the ground only of the most precious death and passion of my Saviour and Redeemer. Unto Whom I promise and confirm, I avow and con