him. A FORM OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION OF A [Reg. Laud, foll. 240. a, b, 241. a.] "I. Let the offender's conviction be first judicially had before the bishop of the diocese, that so there may stand apud acta, his detection or confession, and that thereupon an excommunication be decreed and denounced both in the cathedral and the parish church where he lives; yet so as that upon his submission there in court, he may be absolved in diem, and the form of his penance enjoined him in manner following. II. Let the minister of the place have frequent conference with the party in private; lay open and aggravate the heinousness of his sin both in respect of God, the Church, and his own soul; and see whether his conscience be troubled with any other grievous crime, that so he may be the better fitted for absolution of all together. III. Let there be an order decreed in court, referring him to the minister of the place, to see his penance performed accordingly, and to reconcile him to the Church, and let that order be published in the parish church on a Sunday at morning prayer, next before the communion service. IV. The next Sunday following, let the offender be appointed to stand, all the time of divine service and sermon in Order must be taken, that boys the forenoon, in the porch of the church, and idle people flock not about if it have any, if none, yet without the church door, if extremity of weather hinder not, in a penitent fashion in a white sheet, and with a white wand in his hand, his head uncovered, his countenance dejected, not taking particular notice of any person that passeth by him; and when the people come in and go out of k [This document has been already printed in Wilkins' Concilia, tom. iv. pp. 522-524. It is referred to above, p. 352, and the present copy is taken from the transcript in the Abp.'s regis ter there mentioned.] the church, let him upon his knees humbly crave their prayers, and acknowledge his offence in this form, 'Good Christians, remember in your prayers a poor wretched apostate or renegado.' V. The second Sunday let him stand in the church porch, and in his penitential habit as before, and then, after the Te Deum ended, let him be brought in by one of the churchwardens so far as to the west side of the font of the said church; there let him penitently kneel till the second lesson be ended, then let him make his submission, and ask mercy of God in the form following: 'O Lord God of heaven and earth, be merciful unto me most wretched sinner. I confess, O Lord, I have justly deserved to be utterly breast three times. renounced by Thee, because I have This said, let him smite his yielded to renounce my Saviour, and that holy profession, which I had formerly made of His name, whereby I was received into Thy Church. O God, forgive me this heinous and horrible sin, with all other my grievous sins against Thee, and let me, upon Thy gracious pardon and infinite mercy, be restored to the sight and benefit of this blessed sacrament, which I have so wickedly abjured, and be received (though most unworthy) into Thy gracious favour, and the communion of Thy faithful people, even for Thy great mercy's sake in Jesus Christ, my blessed Lord and Saviour.' Which done, let him, in an humble and devout manner, kiss the bottom stone of the font, strike his breast, and presently depart into the church porch as before. VI. The third Sunday, let him at the beginning of Divine service be brought into the body of the church, and be placed near unto the minister's pew, and there let him stand in his penitential habit during the time of Divine service; where the minister, immediately before the Apostles' Creed, shall publicly put the offender in mind of the foulness of his sin, and stir him up to a serious repentance, advising him that a slight and ordinary sorrow is not enough for so grievous an offence. Which done the minister shall ask the penitent publicly, whether he hath found a true and earnest remorse in his soul for his sin; and whether he hath thoroughly humbled him self before God for it; and whether he doth desire that the whole congregation should take notice of his humiliation and unfeigned repentance. In signification whereof, the offender shall say these words, or to the like effect, after the minister: Let him name here himself 'I do here in the presence of Al both by his Christian and his mighty God, and before you His faithful people, humbly and penitently confess, surname. that I have grievously offended the majesty of God, and deeply wounded my own soul, in that I so far yielded to the weakness of my sinful flesh, as that I suffered myself through the cruelty of God's enemies to be miscarried to the renouncing of my dear Saviour, and the true Christian religion, wherein I was brought up. I do well know what I have deserved, both at the hands of God and of His Church, for this wicked and graceless act: and now, as I have often betwixt God and my own soul washed this sin with my tears, and craved His merciful forgiveness; so I beseech you all to take knowledge of this my public sorrow and humiliation, and both to pardon and forgive that just offence, which I have herein given to you also, and the whole Church of Christ, and also to join with me in humble and hearty prayers to Almighty God, that He will be pleased to seal unto my soul the full pardon and remission of this my grievous sin, even for the sake of His dear Son, my blessed Saviour and Redeemer. In whose name and words I desire you to accompany these my prayers, saying with me, Our Father, etc.' After this the minister shall speak to the congregation to this effect: 'Seeing now, dear Christian brethren, that this offender hath given so good and full testimony of his true repentance, and hath so humbly and fervently craved the forgiveness of God and His Church, I shall not need to use many words in persuading you how ready you ought to be, both to conceive full hope of God's gracious pardon of him, (as who is always ready to prevent and meet us in our turning to Him,) and also to profess your forgiveness of him for so much as concerneth his offence towards you, and charitably to embrace him with the arms of tender pity and compassion, as a true Christian convert to His Saviour, and gladly to welcome him into that holy communion which his sinful fear and frailty caused him to forsake. Now therefore I do earnestly beseech you, in the bowels of Christ Jesus our blessed Saviour, to pass by the great offence of this sorrowful penitent, as well considering the weakness of our frail nature, when it is overpressed with violence and extremity of torments, and both to commiserate his fearful apostacy, and to encourage and comfort him in this happy return to Christ and His Church.' VII. Here let the penitent kneel again eastward, and bowing to the very pavement, let him say thus, either by himself, if he be able to read it, or else after the minister: 'O my soul, bless the Lord! Blessed be the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation; blessed be the Lord Jesus the Son of God, the Saviour of the world; blessed be the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Ghost; blessed be the Holy Trinity, one God everlasting; blessed be the holy Catholic Church, and all you the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ; the name of God be blessed evermore for the assembly of His saints, and for the Divine ordinances of His holy word and sacraments, and of His heavenly power committed to His holy priests in His Church, for the reconciliation of sinners unto Himself, and the absolving of them from all their iniquity. So here I, upon the bended knees of my body and soul, most humbly beg the assistance of all your Christian prayers, and the benefit of that His holy ordinance; and I meekly beseech you, Sir, as my ghostly father, a priest of God, and the Church's deputy, to receive me into that grace, and into the bosom of the Church, and by loosing me from the bands of my grievous sins, to make me partaker of that inestimable benefit, and so to reconcile me unto the mystical body of Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour.' Then let the priest come forth to him, and stand over him, and laying his hand on his head, say, as is prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, thus: "The Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to His Church to absolve all sinners which truly repent and believe in Him, of His great mercy forgive thee thine offences; and by His authority committed to me, I absolve thee from this thy heinous crime of renegation, and from all other thy sins, in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.' 376 A FORM OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION. Then let the priest, turning himself eastward, kneel down in the same place, the penitent kneeling behind him, and say the collect which stands after the Absolution in the Visitation of the Sick, but changing the latter part of it thus: 'O most merciful God, which according to the multitude of Thy mercies dost so put away the sins of those which truly repent, that thou rememberest them no more; open Thy eye of mercy upon this Thy servant, who most earnestly desireth pardon and forgiveness; renew in him, most loving Father, whatsoever hath been decayed by the fraud and malice of the devil, or by his own carnal will and frailness; preserve and continue him in the unity of the Church, consider his contrition, and accept his humiliation; and forasmuch as he putteth his full trust only in Thy mercy, impute not unto him his former abnegation of Thee, but receive him into Thy favour, through the merits of Thy most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.' After that, let the minister take him up, and take away his white sheet and wand, and, taking him by the hand, say unto him: Dear brother, (for so we all now acknowledge you to be,) let me here advise you, with what care and diligence every day of your life you ought to consider how much you are bound to the infinite goodness of God, who hath called you out of that woeful condition whereinto you had cast yourself, and how much it concerneth you ever hereafter to walk worthy of so great a mercy, being so much more careful to approve yourself in all holy obedience to God, by how much you have more dishonoured and provoked Him by this your shameful revolt from Him, which the same God the Father of mercies vouchsafe to enable you unto, for the sake of the dear Son of His love, Jesus Christ the righteous. Amen.' After this, let him be openly promised that, upon any communion-day following, he shall be admitted to the holy Sacrament; for which let him be directed to prepare himself, and when he receives let him make a solemn oblation according to his ability, after the order set down in the service-book. |