Chapter VII · THE ORDER CONCERNING CONFESSION.

The spiritual father leadeth one that cometh to confess, but not two or more, with uncovered head before an icon of our Lord Jesus Christ. And he maketh the initial verse.

Then, Trisagion. After Our Father.... Lord have mercy, xii.

Glory. Both now.

O come, let us worship.... Thrice.

Then Psalm l. Have mercy upon me, O God....

And these present troparia, tone vi.

Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us; for, destitute of all defence, we sinners offer unto thee, as Master, this prayer, Have mercy upon us.

Glory.

O Lord, have mercy upon us; for we have put our trust in thee. Be not exceedingly wroth against us, neither remember our transgressions; but, as being loving-kind, look now upon us, and deliver us from our enemies; for thou art our God, and we are thy people, we are all the work of thy hand, and we call upon thy name.

Both now.

Open unto us the gates of loving-kindness, O blessed God-bearing one, that we perish not who put our trust in thee, but through thee may we be delivered from calamities; for thou art the salvation of the christian race.

Then, Lord have mercy, xl.

The priest saith, Let us pray to the Lord.

And this prayer.

O God, our Saviour, who, by thy prophet Nathan, didst grant remission of his sins to the repentant David, and didst accept the penitent prayer of Manasse; do thou thyself, in thy wonted love to man, accept this thy servant, name, who lamenteth because of those iniquities which he hath wrought, overlooking all that he hath done, forgiving his unrighteousness, and passing-by his transgressions. For thou, O Lord, hast said that pleasure thou hast not in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should return and live; and that sins shall be forgiven until seventy times seven. For as thy greatness is incomparable, so is thy mercy immeasurable. For if thou shouldest mark transgressions, who should stand? For thou art the God of the penitent, and to thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

Let us pray to the Lord.

And another prayer.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, the shepherd, and the lamb that taketh away the sins of the world, who didst give remittance unto the two debtors, and grant pardon of her sins unto the harlot; do thou thyself, O Master, concede, forgive, and pardon the sins, transgressions, and the voluntary and involuntary offences, which, in knowledge and in ignorance, thy servants have wrought, and whatsoever they have done, as men bearing flesh and living in the world, being beguiled by the devil. If by word, or by deed, or in knowledge, or in ignorance they have sinned, or have despised the word of a priest, or are under the malediction of a priest, or are fallen under their own anathema, or are bound under an oath; do thou thyself, as the good Master, who requitest not evil, be pleased that these, thy servants, be loosed by the word, forgiving them their own anathema and oath, according to the greatness of thy mercy. Yea, O Master, thou man-loving Lord, hearken unto us beseeching thy grace for these thy servants; and, as the most merciful one, overlook all their offences, and deliver them from everlasting torment. For thou, O Master, hast said, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. For thou alone art without sin, and to thee we ascribe glory, to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

After this he saith to him,

Behold, child, Christ invisibly standeth here to hear thy confession. Be not ashamed, neither be afraid, and hide nothing from me; but fear not to tell me all that thou hast done, so that thou mayest receive forgiveness from our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold, his image is before us, and I am only the witness, that I may bear witness before him of all thou tellest me. If thou hidest anything from me thou hast double sin. Bethink thee then; for since thou art come unto the place of the physician, go not thou away unhealed.

And then he interrogateth him minutely, question by question, and waiteth until he answer after each interrogation.[11]

Admonition.

Concerning all these things thou art bound henceforth to take care; since, according to the christian mystery, thou art baptized with a second baptism, and, God helping thee, do thou make a good beginning. And, above all things, make thou not light of it, to return to the same things, lest thou become a derision unto men; for this becometh not christians: but live honourably, and righteously, and devoutly, and may God assist thee by his grace.

And when thou hast said all these things unto him, and hast carefully examined him, and he hath moreover made answer without concealment of all things concerning himself, say thou also unto him, Bow thyself. Then he that hath confessed boweth his head.

And the spiritual person saith this prayer.

Let us pray to the Lord.

O Lord God of the salvation of thy servants, who art merciful, and compassionate and long-suffering, and repentest thee concerning our miseries, who desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he should return and live; do thou thyself now be merciful unto thy servant, name, and grant unto him an image of repentance, pardon and remission of sins; and forgive him every voluntary and involuntary offence: reconcile and unite him to thy holy church, through Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom is due to thee might and majesty, now and ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

After this prayer the priest absolveth the penitent, who lowly kneeleth, saying on this wise, to the completion of the mystery of holy penitence,

Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, by the grace and compassion of his love to man, forgive thee, child, name, all thine iniquities; and I, an unworthy priest, by the power that is given unto me, forgive thee and loosen thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

And finally, the priest, while saying the absolution, signeth the penitent with his right hand with the sign of the cross.

Then, It is very meet.... Glory. Both now. And the dismissal.[12]