their good and merciful friend even after that by sin they have made themselves his enemies, and deserving of his vengeance: he provides them with means to repair their loss, and to regain his favour; he does not, as he did Adam, immediately exclude us paradise; nor as Lucifer and his, condemn us strait to hell-fire; but calls upon us immediately after sin committed to repent, that our sins may be blotted out. Acts ii. 38. Nay, he even presses us to penance: he withdraws his justice out of sight, that he may win us with the sight of his mercy: this is his voice to the most hardened and inveterate sinner; Be converted from all your iniquities, and do penance, and sin shall not be ruin to you. Ezech. xviii. 30. He has further assured us, that an humble and contrite heart he will never despise. O ingratitude of sinful man, under this excess of clemency! What! to be still wicked, when God is so good to you! To persist in wilful sin, which God is so patient and ready to pardon! To fly in God's face even while he offers mercy! This has been too often your case: be ashamed of your past provocations, and now, at least, as you hear his voice once again, harden not your hearts: take at length a vigorous resolution to return with the prodigal, saying with him, I will rise up, and return to my father. I will rise up from this miserable condition in which I live, and return back to God, and to the way of salvation. O take this warning, this admonition of St. Peter, before it be too late; repent that your sins may be blotted out: this is said to all of us to-day, I know not whether it will be said to us to-morrow; time uncertain, life inconstant!

SECT. II.

Of the parts of Penance.

4. H the penitent? 4. Three; contrition, confession, and satisfaction. Q. What is contrition ? A. It is a hearty sorrow and detestation of our sins, with a resolution to sin no more, Council of Trent. Q. What is confession? A. A full and sincere declaration of all

many parts has penance, as it concerns

A. A

our sins to a priest. Q. What is satisfaction? faithful performance of the prayers and good works enjoined us by the priest to whom we confess.

INSTRUC.-These are the three parts that complete the sacrament of penance on our part; contrition of heart, confession of mouth, satisfaction in works; and must be done to obtain a full and perfect remission of our sins, by the assistance of this sacrament. Those who knowingly sin after baptism, are not received into favour again upon such easy terms, as those who sinned through ignorance, or even otherwise, before their baptism; and therefore besides inward sorrow and contrition, God requires them to undergo the humiliation of confession, and the pain of satisfaction; and thus both body and soul must concur to obtain a divine pardon, Council of Trent, Sess. 14. c. 8.

Contrition is a hearty sorrow and detestation of our sins, with a resolution or will to sin no more.

Of this

the pure love of God is the best and chiefest motive; for contrition, by the love of God, sometimes becomes so perfect, as to reconcile man to God, before the sacrament of penance is received; yet even in this case, his reconciliation is not be imputed to contrition alone, independently of a desire to have the sacrament; because this desire must be included in that perfect contrition, Council of Trent, Sess. 14. c. 4. This pure act of contrition was in David, Peter, Mary Magdalen, and other scripture penitents: this all do well to aim at, before they do confess. But because nature is so weak, and perfect contrition is a singular grace of God, which few attain to; hence attrition, or imperfect contrition, that is contrition less perfect, disposeth a sinner to receive grace and remission of sins, with the sacrament. Coun. Trent. This is sometimes called IMPERFECT CONTRITION, because though it is true contrition, and has a great deal of perfection in it, yet it is not quite so perfect, as in St. Mary Magdalen and others, to justify the sinner before the sacrament. This attrition, or imperfect contrition, is no natural sorrow, but supernatural; it is a gift of God and impulse of the Holy Ghost, arising and proceeding from the consideration of the foulness of sin, and the

fear of hell and punishment ; it must also include a resolution to sin no more. Hopes of pardon from the mercy of God through Christ, a hatred of sin, and a resolution to confess and satisfy. Coun. Trent. This being a gift of the Holy Ghost, can hardly be conceived to be without some love of God.

Contrition, as here described, is so essential to forgiveness, that we cannot conceive it possible for God to pardon without it. There are cases in which one may be saved without confession, or even absolution, as when there is no opportunity of a priest; or without satisfaction, as when a person is dying; but in no case can a sinner be pardoned and saved without repentance. This ought to make every one greatly solicitous to procure this holy disposition; and how can it be procured better, than by applying our mind to those considerations from whence it arises; of the eternal damages, and infinite loss we incur by sin; the miseries it brings upon the soul, the guilt of hell's torments, with the loss of God, and eternal happiness, &c. And since it is a gift of God, and impulse of the Holy Ghost, we must, above all, pray heartily for it; that God would give us an humble and contrite heart, and renew a right spirit in our bowels; by humble prayer any grace may be obtained.

The second part of penance is confession. It is of divine institution, and necessary to the remission of sins: for when our Saviour said to the Apostles, Whose sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose sins you retain, they are retained; by these words he made all sinners subject to the power of binding and absolving here given to the priests, which evidently includes confession; because without that, they cannot know what sins are to be forgiven, and what to be retained; when to absolve, and when to with-hold their absolution. Confession was practised in the time of the Apostles; Confess your sins to one another. St. James v. 16. Many of them that believed, came confessing and declaring their deeds. Acts xviii. 19. St. Augustin proves the necessity of it strongly "Let no one say I do penance privately "with God, who knows my sins: for then in vain was it "said, Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven. Were

:

"then the keys given in vain to the church of God? "We frustrate the gospel, and words of Christ ?" Private sacramental confession then the church has used from the beginning, and was ever commended by the most ancient and holy fathers of the church, all agreeing in this point. Coun. Trent. Sess. 14. c. 5.

Confession must be full, without concealing any mòrtal sin. It must be true and plain, without seeking to lessen or excuse our sins. By wilfully concealing one mortal sin, we bring on ourselves many evils; it is a sin of sacrilege, by lying to God, as did Ananias and Saphira: it renders our confession fruitless; it binds us to confess all over again; it puts a stop to the mercy of God: He that hideth his wicked deeds shall not be directed; but he that shall forsake them, shall obtain mercy. Prov. xxviii. 13. To prevent this, only reflect, that if man does not, at least God does, know all the secrets of your conscience, and will reveal them at the last day, if they are not confessed now, to your great confusion; but if they are confessed now, and forgiven, they will never more rise up in judgment. As to those sins which do not occur after a diligent examine, they are supposed to be included in our confession which we make: for which, nevertheless, every one ought to beg pardon, saying, From my hidden sins cleanse me, O Lord; which must also be confessed when remembered. Coun. Trent.

The third part of penance is satisfaction; which is a faithful performance of the penance enjoined by the priest to whom we confess: whether as to the restitution to be made to our neighbour, or prayers, alms-deeds or fasting, to make some reparation by these eminent good works, for the injury we have done to God's honour. Of this it is said, Do worthy fruits of penance : do works worthy of penance: and it was what St. Paul enjoined the incestuous Corinthian. 1 Cor. v. 3. Hence the priests of the church did never reconcile sinners to God, without enjoining penances to those who had confessed, greater or lesser in proportion to their sins; as may be seen in the penitential canons, made in the ancient councils of the church, to regulate such penances. The necessity of satisfaction is founded on this truth ;

that after God has forgiven our sin, so far as to release us from the eternal punishment, he still requires that we should do penance for it in this world: and this is what all holy penitents ever did as the means to prevent heavier judgments. As in the first place we read of king David, that after his sin was forgiven, he was condemned to undergo some temporal punishment;, and the same we read of Manasses: the Ninivites in like manner did penance in sackcloth, with fasting and humble prayer: and Christ our Lord in the gospel declares, that they will rise up in judgment against those who do not do penance after their example. There are good reasons for it: 1. Because if you fall, after having been once pardoned in baptism, you ought not to be forgiven upon such easy terms. 2. If we were to be so easily reconciled to God, after great crimes, without penance, we should be apt to make slight of them. 3. These penances, as they deter us from sin, are also the proper cure for vicious habits, which are seldom cured, but by practising acts of the contrary virtues. If it be said, that Christ has fully satisfied for all, and therefore there is no more penance to be done: to this may be answered, that our Saviour suffered, not to exempt us from. suffering, but that we might follow his steps, as the scripture positively says, That we might fulfil what is wanting to the passion of Christ. Col. i. 24. Nothing is wanting on his part, but on our part: so he did good works for us, as well as satisfy for us; but must we therefore do no good works for ourselves? But do not divines all teach that no person but Christ could satisfy for sin? How then can we satisfy? The answer is, that all our good works are meritorious with God only through him; in him we live, through him we merit, through him we satisfy.

EXHOR. Since the mercy of God is so great, O christian, and our sins so frequent and many, neglect not to make use of those means he has ordained to the cancelling your debt in time, which will otherwise prove eternal. As these three parts concern the penitent, see how you are to dispose yourself, and to render them ef fectual to your soul.