Ninth Commandment.

THOU shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Lord, have mercy upon me, and incline my heart to keep this law.

EXAMINATION.

1. Hast thou upon all occasions been witness to the truth, without fear or flattery?

2. Hast thou said anything falsely, that hath been injurious to the good name and reputation of another? Or hast thou pleased thyself either in inventing or spreading rumours of that kind? 3. Dost thou willingly give ear to slanderers, and to such as go about with lies; or dost thou abhor them both in thyself and others?

Tenth Commandment.

THOU shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is his.

Lord, have mercy upon me, and write all these Thy laws in my heart, I beseech Thee.

EXAMINATION.

1. Dost thou rest contented in that condition or state of life wherein God hath placed thee; or hast thou at any time inordinately lusted after that which belongs to others?

2. Hast thou entertained secret covetings in thy thoughts, with any delight or complacency? or hast thou laboured to restrain them, and quench them in their first beginnings?

When you have considered seriously, and answered yourself in these particulars one by one, sum up the account you have made; rhere you find yourself innocent, give the glory to God, whose grace hath kept you from falling into those sins; but where you find yourself guilty, humble yourself before God in prayer, confessing sadly the evil you have done, and imploring mercy in these or such other words as the devotion of your heart shall suggest to you.

I

Confession.

HAVE sinned, O Lord, I have sinned; woe is me, I cannot cast my searching eyes into any corner of Thy commandment, but I find myself miserably guilty.

But in what manner soever I have offended Thee, O my merciful Lord, whether in thought, word, or deed, whether secretly or openly I am now sorry for it from the very root and bottom of my heart, beseeching Thee to look compassionately upon the frailty and ignorance, the wilfulness and presumption of my life, and graciously to forgive all that I have done amiss.

For, alas! I am neither able to withstand Thine indignation, nor present Thee with anything of mine own but tears and prayers to appease Thine anger; be reconciled therefore to me, O God, in the blood of Thy dear Son, which was so freely offered up to Thee as a full ransom for the sins of the whole world. For His sake, for His abundant satisfaction's sake, blot out the handwriting that is against me; blot out all my past sins, new and old; let there be an everlasting tie between my soul and Thee, that Thou mayest be my God, and I may live and die Thy servant. Amen.

Then pray for Absolution.

LORD, we beseech Thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins unto Thee; that they, whose consciences by sin are accused, by Thy merciful pardon may be absolved; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

NOTE. The Church in her Exhortation says that we are to "examine ourselves by the rule of God's commandments." This should be the work of Friday, the weekly fast and day of penitence; and for this purpose the above form of examination is given. If after such examination, we still find our consciences burdened with serious sins, and we are in doubt as to our fitness for Holy Communion, the Church bids us to go to our Parish Priest, or 66 some other discreet and learned Minister of God's Word, and open our grief; that by the ministry of God's holy Word we may receive the benefit of absolution, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting of the conscience, and avoiding of all scruple and doubtfulness" (see Exhortation in Prayer Book); remembering, in the words of the saintly Bishop Ken to the Winchester Scholars, that, "though confession of our sins to God is only matter of duty, and absolutely necessary, yet confession to our Spiritual Guide also is by many devout souls found to be very advantageous to true repentance."

The Seven Penitential Psalms,

WITH COLLECTS FOR EACH PSALM.

EMEMBER not, Lord, our offences, nor the offences of our

R forefathers; neither take Thou vengeance of our sins.

Against Anger.

PSALM VI. Domine, ne in furore.

LORD, rebuke me not in Thine indignation: neither chasten me in Thy displeasure.

2 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am weak: O Lord, heal me, for my bones are vexed.

3 My soul also is sore troubled : but, Lord, how long wilt Thou punish me?

4 Turn Thee, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for Thy mercy's sake.

5 For in death no man remembereth Thee: and who will give Thee thanks in the pit?

6 I am weary of my groaning; every night wash I my bed and water my couch with my tears.

7 My beauty is gone for very trouble and worn away because of all mine enemies.

8 Away from me, all ye that work vanity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The Lord hath heard my petition: the Lord will receive my prayer.

10 All mine enemies shall be confounded, and sore vexed: they shall be turned back, and put to shame suddenly.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

MOST merciful God, whose property is always to have mercy, and to forgive, behold with the eyes of Thy pity and compassion the state of Thy humble servants made most miserable

by reason of our sins. Hear the voice of our weeping; pity our groaning; strengthen us, for we are weak; heal us, for our bones are vexed, and deliver our souls from death; that being saved from the bottomless pit, we may give thanks to Thy holy Name. O turn from the severity of Thy displeasure, and visit us with Thy mercy and salvation. For all our sins give us a great sorrow and contrition, and in our sorrows let Thy comforts sustain us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Against Pride.

PSALM XXXII. Beati, quorum.

BLESSED is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven: and whose

sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth no sin : and in whose spirit there is no guile.

3 For while I held my tongue my bones consumed away through my daily complaining.

4 For Thy hand is heavy upon me day and night and my moisture is like the drought in summer.

:

5 I will acknowledge my sin unto Thee and mine unrighteousness have I not hid.

6 I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord and so Thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin.

7 For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto Thee, in a time when Thou mayest be found but in the great water-floods they shall not come nigh him.

8 Thou art a place to hide me in, Thou shalt preserve me from trouble: Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. 9 I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go and I will guide thee with mine eye.

10 Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, lest they fall upon thee.

11 Great plagues remain for the ungodly but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord, mercy embraceth him on every side. 12 Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord joyful, all ye that are true of heart.

and be

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

LORD God eternal, Judge of men and Angels, whose property is always to have mercy and forgive, have mercy upon us, who confess our sins unto Thee to be so great and many that were not Thy mercy infinite we might despair of having our unrighteousness forgiven, or our sins covered. Preserve us, O God, from the great plagues that remain for the ungodly, and let Thy mercy embrace us on every side. Impute not unto us the sins that we have multiplied against Thee and against all the world, we who have been like to horse and mule, without under

standing, brutish in our passions, and sensual in our affections. But Thy mercy is as infinite as Thyself. O let not Thy hand be heavy upon us, but forgive the wickedness of our sins, and compass us about with songs of deliverance; then shall we be glad and rejoice in Thee, O Lord Jesus, who art become our mighty Saviour and most merciful Redeemer. Amen.

PUT

Against Gluttony.

PSALM XXXVIII. Domine, ne in furore.

UT me not to rebuke, O Lord, in Thine anger: neither chasten me in Thy heavy displeasure.

2 For Thine arrows stick fast in me and Thy hand presseth

me sore.

3 There is no health in my flesh, because of Thy displeasure: neither is there any rest in my bones, by reason of my sin.

4 For my wickednesses are gone over my head and are like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear.

5 My wounds stink, and are corrupt through my foolishness. 6 I am brought into so great trouble and misery that I go mourning all the day long.

7 For my loins are filled with a sore disease: and there is no whole part in my body.

8 I am feeble, and sore smitten: I have roared for the very disquietness of my heart.

9 Lord, Thou knowest all my desire and my groaning is not hid from Thee.

10 My heart panteth, my strength hath failed me and the sight of mine eyes is gone from me.

11 My lovers and my neighbours did stand looking upon my trouble and my kinsmen stood afar off.

12 They also that sought after my life laid snares for me and they that went about to do me evil talked of wickedness, and imagined deceit all the day long.

13 As for me, I was like a deaf man, and heard not: and as one that is dumb, who doth not open his mouth.

14 I became even as a man that heareth not and in whose mouth are no reproofs.

15 For in Thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God.

16 I have required that they, even mine enemies, should not triumph over me for when my foot slipped, they rejoiced greatly against me.

17 And I, truly, am set in the plague and my heaviness is ever in my sight.

18 For I will confess my wickedness and be sorry for my sin. 19 But mine enemies live, and are mighty and they that hate me wrongfully are many in number.

20 They also that reward evil for good are against me because I follow the thing that good is.