6. When to separate criminals can be prudent and useful, and is orderly, limited, and legal, it ought not to be omitted" upon any consideration, because it is the sinews and whole strength of ecclesiastical discipline, and is a most charitable ministry to souls, and brings great regard to the holy sacrament, and produces reverence in the communicants, and is a deletory to sin, and was the perpetual practice of the best ages of the church, and was blessed with an excellent corresponding piety in their congregations; upon which account, and of other considerations, St. Cyprian", St. Basil, St. Chrysostom P, and divers others, call upon prelates and people, to exercise and undergo respectively this ecclesiastical discipline.

But this hath in it some variety 9. 1. For if the person be notorious, a great and incorrigible criminal, refusing to hear, the church proceeding against him upon complaint, confession, or notoriety, and consequently to be esteemed as a heathen and a publican; then come in the apostolical rules, with such a one not to eat;' and, withdraw from such a one, for there is no accord between Christ and Belial,' between a Christian and a heathen, or an unbeliever; that is, one who is thrust into the place and condition of an infidel; and give not that which is holy, unto dogs.' 2. But if he be within the communion of the church, and yet a criminal, not delated, not convict, not legally condemned, and yet privately known to be such, or publicly suspected and scandalous; the minister of religion must separate him by the word of his ministry, and tell him his danger, and use all the means he can to bring him to repentance and amends before he admits him. If the minister of religion omits this duty, he falls under the curse threatened by God in the prophet, “If he does not warn him, if he does not speak to the wicked, to give him warning to save his life; his blood shall be upon him." 3. If there be a regular jurisdiction established, and

m Quantum ruboris civitati turpiter se gerendo incusserunt, tantum laudis graviter puniti adferant. Valer. Max.

"De lapsis, lib. iii. et ep. 15.

• Epist. ad Amphil. c. 2. 84. 85. P Non parva vobis imminet ultio, si quem, cujuspiam conscium nequitiæ, hujus mensæ participem concedatis: sanguis ejus de vestris manibus exquiretur.-S. Chrysost. homil. 60. ad Pop. Antioch,

4 See Rule of Conscience, lib. iiì, c. 4. rule 9. 1 Cor. v. 11. 2 Thess. iii. 6.

. Ezek. iii. 18.

this spiritual authority be backed with the secular, it must be used according to the measures of its establishment, and for the good of the church in general, and of the sinner in particular; that is, although the person be not as a heathen, and excommunicate by the church's sentence, yet he must be rejected for a time, and thrust into repentance, and measures of satisfaction; and as he must not refuse, so must not the minister of the sacrament otherwise admit him; and in this sense it was, that St. Chrysostom said, "He would rather lose his life, than admit unworthy men to the Lord's table."

--

7. But because piety hath suffered shipwreck, and all discipline hath been lost in the storm, and good manners have been thrown overboard; the best remedy in the world that yet remains, and is in use amongst the most pious sons and daughters of the church, is that they would conduct their repentance by the continual advices and ministry of a spiritual guide; for by this alone, or principally, was the primitive piety and repentances advanced to the excellency, which we often admire, but seldom imitate. And the event will be, that besides we shall be guided in the ways of holiness in general, we shall be at peace, as to the times and manner of receiving, the holy sacrament, our penitential abstentions, and seasonable returns: and we shall not so frequently feel the effects of the divine anger upon our persons, as a reproach of our folly, and the punishment of our unworthy receiving the divine mysteries. And this was earnestly advised and pressed upon the people by the holy fathers, who had as great experience in their conduct, as they had zeal for the good of souls. "Let no man say, I repent in private, I repent before God in secret. God, who alone does pardon, does know that I am contrite in heart. For was it in vain? was it said to no purpose, whatsoever ye shall loose in earth, shall be loosed in heaven? We evacuate the Gospel of God, we frustrate the words of Christ:" so St. Austin "———

And, therefore, when a man hath spoken the sentence of the most severe medicine, let him come to the presidents of the church, who are to minister in the power of the keys to him; and beginning now to be a good son, keeping the order of his mother, let him receive the measure and manner of his

Homil. 83. in Matth.

u Homil. 49.

répentance from the presidents of the sacraments." Concerning this thing, I shall never think it fit to dispute, for there is nothing to enforce it, but enough to persuade it; but he that tries, will find the benefit of it himself, and will be best able to tell it to all the world.

SECTION VII.

Penitential Soliloquies, Ejaculations, Exercises, and preparatory Prayers, to be used in all the Days of Preparation to the Holy Sacrament.

I.

ALMIGHTY and eternal God, the Fountain of all virtue, the Support of all holy hopes, the Author of pardon, of life, and of salvation; thou art the Comforter of all that call upon thee: thou hast concluded all under sin, that thou mightest have mercy upon all. Look upon me, O God, and have pity on me, lying in my blood and misery, in my shame, and in my sins, in the fear and guilt of thy wrath, in the shadow of death, and in the gates of hell. I confess to thee, O God, what thou knowest already; but I confess it to manifest thy justice, and to glorify thy mercy, who hast spared me so long;-that I am guilty of the vilest and basest follies, which usually dishonour the fools, and the worst of the sons of

men.:

II..

I have been proud and covetous, envious and lustful, angry and greedy, indevout and irreligious; restless in my passions, sensual and secular, but hating wise counsels, and soon weary of the offices of a holy religion. I cannot give an account of my time, and I cannot reckon the sins of my tongue. My crimes are intolerable, and my imperfection shameful, and my omissions innumerable: and what shall I do, O thou Preserver of men? I am so vile, that I cannot express it; so sinful, that I am hateful to myself,—and much more abominable must I needs be in thy eyes. I have sinned against thee without necessity, sometimes without tempta

x Homil. 49.

tion, only because I would sin, and would not delight in the ways of peace. I have been so ungrateful, so foolish, so unreasonable, that I have put my own eyes out, that I might, with confidence and without fear, sin against so good a God, so gracious a Father, so infinite a Power, so glorious a Majesty, so bountiful a Patron, and so mighty a Redeemer, that my sin is grown shameful, and aggravated even to amazement. I can say no more, I am ashamed, O God; I am amazed; I am confounded in thy presence.

III.

But yet, O God, thou art the healer of our breaches, and the lifter up of our head, and I must not despair: and I am sure thy goodness is infinite, and thou dost not delight in the death of a sinner; and my sins, though very. great, are infinitely less than thy mercies, which thou hast revealed to all penitent and returning sinners in Jesus Christ. I am not worthy to look up to heaven; but be thou pleased to look down into the dust, and lift up a sinner from the dunghill; let me not perish in my folly, or be consumed in thy heavy displeasure. Give me time and space to repent and give me powers of grace, and aids of thy Spirit; that as, by thy gifts and mercy, I intend to amend whatsoever is amiss, so I may indeed have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same. Inspire me with the spirit of repentance and mortification, that I may always fight against my sins, till I be more than conqueror. Support me with a holy. hope; confirm me with an excellent, operative, and unreprovable faith; and enkindle a bright and a burning charity in my soul. Give me patience in suffering, severity in judging and condemning my sin, and in punishing the sinner; that judging myself, I may not be condemned by thee that mourning for my sins, I may rejoice in thy pardon; that killing my sin, I may live in righteousness; that denying my own will, I may always perform thine; and by the methods of thy Spirit, I may overcome all carnal and spiritual wickednesses, and walk in thy light, and delight in thy service, and perfect my obedience, and be wholly delivered from my sin, and for ever preserved from thy wrath, and at last pass on from a certain expectation, to an actual fruition of the glories

of thy kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen, Amen, Amen.

1. I am in thy sight, O Lord, a polluted person; sin, like a crust of leprosy, hath overspread me: I am a scandal to others, a shame to myself, a reproach to my relations, a burden to the earth, a spot in the church, and deserve to be rejected and scorned by thee.

2. But this, O God, I cannot bear: it is just in thee to destroy me; but thou delightest not in that: I am guilty of death, but thou lovest rather that I should live.

3. O let the cry of thy Son's blood, who offers an eternal sacrifice to thee, speak on my behalf, and speak better things than the blood of Abel.

4. My conscience does accuse me, the devils rejoice in my fall, and aggravate my crimes, already too great; and thy Holy Spirit is grieved by me. But my Saviour Jesus died for me; and thou pitiest me; and thy Holy Spirit still calls upon me, and I am willing to come; but I cannot come, unless thou drawest me with the cords of love.

5. O draw me unto thee by the arguments of charity, by the endearments of thy mercies, by the order of thy providence, by the hope of thy promises, by the sense of thy comforts, by the conviction of my understanding, by the zeal and passion of holy affections, by an unreprovable faith, and an humble hope, by a religious fear, and an increasing love, by the obedience of precepts, and efficacy of holy example, by thy power and thy wisdom, by the love of thy Son, and the grace of thy Spirit. Draw me, O God; and I will run after thee, and the sweetnesses of thy precious ointments.

6. I am not worthy, O Lord, I am not worthy to come into thy presence, much less to eat the flesh of the sacrificed Lamb, For my sins, O blessed Saviour Jesus, went along in confederation with the high priests, in treachery with Judas, in injustice with Pilate, in malice with the people.

7. My sins and the Jews crucified thee; my hypocrisy was the kiss that betrayed thee; my covetous and ambitious desires were the thorns that pricked thy sacred head; my vanity was the knee that mocked thee; my lusts disrobed thee, and made thee naked to shame and cruel scourgings; my anger and malice, my peevishness and revenge, were the