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them from pursuing those surely it cannot be amiss for penitents to ose evil courses, follow his example, and hope their endea vours will be finally crowned with suc cess. This their diligence will at least in some measure assure their ghostly father, that though not thoroughly reclaimed, yet they sincerely desire it; and who can doubt but they who thus endeavour to amend, though they may for a time find it difficult to conquer their perverse inclinations, yet will at length be favoured with succour from above, and, by the help of divine grace, be proof against all the assaults of the enemy. Thus having concisely stated the prin cipal duties of those who desire to ap proach worthily to the sacrament of penance, I hope that as many as make use of them will find their recompense in the full remission of their sins.

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A Method of Examination of Conscience! for such as confess often, according to three-fold duty we owe: 1. To God. 2. To our neighbour. 3. To ourselves... I. In relation to God. i doge HAVE you omitted morning or evening prayers, or neglected to make your daily examination of conscience? Have you prayed negligently, and with

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wilful distractions?-2. Have you spent your time, especially on Sundays and holidays, not in sluggishly lying a-bed, or in any sort of idle entertainment, but in reading, praying, or any other pious exercises ; and taken care, that those under your charge have done the like, and not wanted the instructions necessary for their condition, nor time for prayer, or to prepare for the sacra ments?-3. Have you spoken irreverent, ly of God and holy things?-Have you taken his name in vain, or told untruths?

4. Have you omitted your duty through human respect, interest, compliance, &c. ?-5. Have you been zealous for God's honour, for justice, virtue, and truth, and reproved such as act otherwise?-6. Have you resigned your will to God in troubles, necessities, sickness,

&c.?-Have you faithfully resisted thoughts of infidelity, distrust, presumption, impurity, &c.

OIL In relation to your neighbour.

M. Have you disobeyed your superiors, murmured against their commands, or spoken of them contemptuously?-2. Have you been troubled, peevish, or impatient, when told of your faults, and not corrected them?-Have you scorned the good advice of others, or censured their proceedings ?-3. Have you of

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fended any one by injurious or threatening words or actions?-4. Or lessened their reputation by any sort of detraction; or in any matter of importance?-5, Or spread any report, true or false, that exposed your neighbour to contempt, or made him undervalued ?-6. Have you, by carrying stories backward and for ward, created discord and misunderstanding between neighbours?-7. Have you been froward or peevish towards any one in your carriage, speech, or conversation?

8. Or taken pleasure to vex, mortify, or provoke them to swear, curse, or any ways offend God?-9, Have you mocked or reproached them for their corporal or spiritual imperfections?-10. Have you been excessive in reprehending those under your care, or been wanting in giving them just reproof?-11. Have you borne with their oversights and imperfections, and given them good counsel ?12. Have you been solicitous for such as are under your charge, and provided for their souls and bodies?

III. In relation to yourself.

1. Have you been obstinate in following your own will, or in defending your own opinion, in things either, indifferent, dangerous, or scandalous ?2. Have you taken pleasure in hearing yourself

praised, or yielded to thoughts of vanity?

3. Have you indulged yourself in over-much ease, or any ways yielded to sensuality? 4. Has your conversation been edifying and moderate, or have you been froward, proud, or troublesome to others? 5. Have you spent overmuch time in play, or useless employments, and thereby omitted, or put off your devotions to unseasonable times?

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If such as confess often fall into any of the more grievous sins not here mentioned, their own memory will easily suggest them; since it is impossible for a tender soul to forget any mortal offence, which must of necessity afflict her, and therefore it may not be necessary for them to turn over the following table of sins, which is chiefly intended for general confessions.

An Examination for a general Confession. The first commandment is broken, First by sins against Faith.

1. To be ignorant of the principal mysteries of Christianity; of the creed, the commandments of God and his church, or of the sacraments.-2. Wilfully to doubt, or obstinately to err in any point of faith.-3. To have delayed

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embracing the true faith out of human respects, interest, fear, &c. 4. To favour heretics, or wicked men, in supporting or approving their opinions or actions.-5. To endanger our faith by reading their books with pleasure, 6, To examine divine mysteries with curiosity, and secrets of Providence by pure numan reason. 7. To contemn or or deride holy things.-8. To abuse the words of the holy scripture, by perverting them to a wicked or profane sense, making them subservient to jest or other ill purposes. 9. To desire to know things s to come, which belong to God alone, or things past, or present, which are hid from us, and for this end to employ unlawful means, as magicians, fortune-tellers, or other superstitious inventions.10. To give credit to dreams, or make supersti tious observations; to employ prayers or sacred names to ill uses; to use charms, &c.

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Secondly, by Sins against Hope. 1. By distrusting the mercies of God, and despairing of the pardon of our sins.

2. By presuming on God's goodness, without the least concern of amendment. 3. By deferring our conversion or repentance till the end of life. 4. By exposing ourselves to the danger of of fending God, either by company, reading,

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