CHAPTER IV.
EXERCISES OF PIETY ; OR, THE PRACTICE AND ACTS OF THE DIFFERENT VIRTUES.
From Blasius Palma, Canon Regular.[1]
I.
Act of Compunction and Hatred for Sin.
Turn away from evil, and do good: seek after peace, and pursue it.[2]
1. Contrition is the virtue by which sins committed are detested from the heart above all things, because God is offended by them ; with firm purpose to confess them, and sin no more; and also with hope of pardon.
O my God, and my mercy! with true contrition I bend the knees of my heart, and with extreme anguish of soul I humbly accuse myself, and in presence of thy divine Majesty acknowledge my fault, by confessing all my sins, and all the abominations I have committed in my whole life, by pride, avarice, sensuality, gluttony, anger, sloth, and by all the vices that proceed from them, because, alas! I have been too laxly inclined to them all. For this I am extremely sorry, and grieve that I have sinned, not from love of the rewards promised to the just, which I do not deserve ; nor from fear of the punishments to be inflicted on sinners, which I deserve most fully on every account; but only for the reason that I have offended thee, O my God! who art supremely good in thyself, and art to be adored above all things, nay, art charity itself, goodness itself, majesty itself,
2. And for the great love that I owe thee and bear thee, O Lord, I hate, detest, and abominate sin, self-love, inordinate love of creatures, and whatever can hinder me from being joined and united to thee by a holy love.
Whatever I have sinned in, by thought, word, and deed, whether from frailty, ignorance, or malice against thee, my God, against my neighbour, and myself, in whatever way, with all possible affection of my heart, I say that it is my fault, my most grievous fault: I am sorry that I have sinned, and I grieve that I do not at this moment feel so much hatred of sin, and that I have not as real a sorrow, or as much desire to weep
