A Prayer At Receiving Absolution. O merciful God, as at the words of thy angel, St. Peter was immediately restored to liberty, by the chains falling off from his feet; so grant, dear Lord, that by the words of this holy sacrament, pronounced by thy priest, the chains of my sins may be loosed, and all my offences pardoned. Amen. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. O God, be merciful to me a sinner. O Thou who suffered for me, have mercy on me. Sprinkle me with thy blood, O Jesus, and I shall be made whiter than snow. {98} Prayers After Confession. Is it possible, O my God, that having been a criminal but a few moments ago, I should now be cleansed from my sins by virtue of this sacrament? Yes, I firmly believe it; because thou hast left to thy church the power of forgiving sins, and hast inclined my heart to comply with the necessary conditions for obtaining pardon. Thou hast declared to thy apostles, that "whatever they should loose on earth, should be loosed also in heaven; and that whosoever sins they should forgive, should be forgiven." This is the sacred warrant of their tribunal, whose authority thy faithful have ever acknowledged. Here are the keys of thy heavenly kingdom, solemnly made over to thy church in our favour; we are therefore obliged to have recourse to them. This power was not confined to the apostles, no more than the power of baptising nations; but being granted in as general terms, doth in like manner, extend to their successors. I give thee thanks, O my God, for this tender proof of thy love, and invite all creatures to glorify thee for it. Thou hast invested a power in the sons of men, which thou wouldst not confer on angels or archangels; _whatever ye shall bind on earth, &c._ was not addressed to them. {99} "The princes of this world have dominion only over the body, but the power of the priest affects the very soul. The eternal Father hath given all power to his Son; but then I behold this very power delivered by the Son to mortals. The Jewish priests could only pronounce those clean whose bodies had been already cleansed from the leprosy; but to our priests it was given, not merely to _pronounce clean_, but really to _cleanse_, not the infections of the body, but the very stains of the soul."--[_St. Chrys. b._ iii. _of the Priesthood_.] "Thus thy manifold mercy hath provided succour for human frailty; that as by baptism, so also by penance, the hope of life should be renewed; for Christ Jesus, our Mediator, authorized the rulers of his church to impose penance upon persons confessing, and to admit them, thus purified by wholesome satisfaction, to share in the sacraments."--[_St. Leo. ep._ 23.] This is an effect of that precious blood which thou, O amiable Redeemer, hast shed for my sake: I acknowledge the wonders of thy love in accepting this poor satisfaction, in pardoning all, in forgetting all, instead of punishing me as I deserved. It is necessary to be what thou