164
PARTISAN
R'EVIEW
yes, even the poor darn hen; and tears came into
his
eyes, which he
relished, but he knew they had nothing to do with the deep contrition
he was trying to recapture. Ye who do truly and earnestly repent
you of your sins, he whispered almost aloud, and are in love and
charity with your neighbors, draw near with faith and take this Holy
Sacrament to your comfort, and make your humble confession to
Almighty God, devoutly kneeling.
His heart opened. Almighty and everlasting God, he prayed,
Maker of all things, Judge of all men (and he saw as in a wheeling
rondure the shining of
all
things, the shadows of all men), we
acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickednesses (and
they manifolded themselves upon the air between earth and heaven
like falling leaves and falling snow) which we from time to time
(and over and over, morning and noon and waking in the night)
most grievously have committed in thought (the wandering mind, the
lascivious image which even now flashed before
him),
word (the
words of obscenity and of cursing) and deed (the shame and the
violence of the hands) against Thy Divine Majesty I(flung upward
like so many arrows and so much filth against the dying Son upon
His Cross and the invincible Father upon His Throne), provoking
most justly Thy wrath and indignation against us (he bowed
his
head deeply, with eyes closed, and the entire sky hardened into one
spear driving downwards upon his bowed neck, yet Christ upon
His Cross merely looked into
his
eyes without either wrath or indigna–
tion) .
I
We are heartily sorry for these our misdoings. The remem–
brance of them is grievous unto us (0 yeS it is surely grievous), the
burden of them
is
(God, forgive me, forgive me, make them intoler–
able, intolerable), the burden of them
is
intolerable (it is, Lord,
Lord God
I
want it to be), is intolerable, Have mercy upon us most
merciful Father have mercy upon us (and he pressed his clasped
hands tightly against
his
forehead), for Thy Son
OUf
Lord Jesus
Christ's sake forgive us all that is past
(is
past), and grant that we
may ever hereafter serve Thee and please Thee in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of Thy Name, Amen.
That we may ever hereafter. Ever hereafter. Serve Thee and
please Thee. Serve Thee and please Thee in newness of life. Forgive
us
all
that is past. All. Past. Ever hereafter, in newness of life.
Serve Thee, and please Thee. To the honor and glory of Thy Name.
