Remedy for depression of spirits.

Careless confession.

Anecdote.

but which destroys, or at least disturbs your peace? If you do, take this course. Instead of flying from those feelings when they come into your heart, advance boldly to meet them. Grasp and examine them. Ascertain their cause. You will find, in nine cases out of ten, that their cause is something wrong in your own conduct or character. Young persons will generally find something wrong toward their parents. Now, go and confess these faults. Do not endeavor to palliate or excuse them, but endeavor on the other hand to see their worst side, and if you confess them freely and fully, and resolve to sin no more, peace will return, at least, so far as these causes have banished it from your heart.

After I had written thus far, I read these pages to a gentleman who visited me, and he remarked that before I closed the chapter, I ought to caution my youthful readers against acquiring the habit of doing wrong and then coming carelessly to confess it, without any real sorrow, as though the acknowledgment atoned for the sin and wiped all the guilt

away.

Such confession is a mere form, and instead of exerting any salutary influence on the mind, it acts only as a lure to future sin. It is confession without penitence; and confession without penitence is mere pretence and hypocrisy.

'I was once,' said he, 'visiting in a family, and while we were sitting at the fire, a little boy came in and did some wanton, willful mischief.

"Why, my child," said the mother, see what you have done. That was very wrong;-but you are sorry for it, I suppose. Are you not?"

"Yes, Ma," said the boy carelessly, running away at the same time to play.

"Yes," said the mother, "he is sorry.

B

He does wrong

Heartless confession.

An experiment.

sometimes, but then he is always sorry for it, and acknowl

edges it. You are sorry now, are you not, my son ?"

'Yes, Ma," said the boy, as he ran caper

ing about the room, striking the furniture and his little sister with his whip.

My friend thought that there was some danger that this sort of confession might be made. And it is undoubtedly often made. But it does no good. Confession must come from the heart, or it will not relieve or improve the heart.

This anecdote shows the necessity of some punishment in all

governments. If a father forgives the dis

obedience of his children simply upon their confessing it, his children will often disobey, expecting to make peace by confession as a matter of course; and the confession will thus become a mere useless form.

A teacher once made a rule, that if any irregularity occurred in any of the classes, the assistant who heard the classes was to send the person in fault to him. At first the pupils felt this very much. One and another would come with tears in their eyes to acknowledge some fault, although it was perhaps only a very slight one. The teacher inflicted no punishment, but asked them to be careful in future, and sent them away kindly. Soon, however, they began to feel less penitent when they had done wrong. They came more

Sincere confession.

Story of the dulled tool

and more as a matter of form, until at last they would come and state their fault as carelessly as if they were merely giving their teacher a piece of indifferent information. No; -confession must never be understood as making any atonement for sin. Whenever you acknowledge that you have done wrong, do it with sincere penitence,—and with a spirit which would lead you to make all the reparation in your power, if it is a case which admits of reparation,—to submit to the just punishment, if any is inflicted,—and always to resolve most firmly that you will sin no more.

Let all my readers, then, whether old or young, look at once around them, and seek diligently for every thing wrong which they have done toward their fellows, and try the experiment of acknowledging the wrong in every case, that they may see how much effect such a course will have, in bringing peace and happiness to their hearts again. When, however, I say that every thing wrong ought to be acknowledged, I do not mean that it is, in every case, necessary to make a formal confession in language. Acknowledgments may be made by actions, as distinctly and as cordially as by words. An example will best illustrate this.

A journeyman in a carpenter's shop borrowed a plane of his comrade, and in giving it back to him it was accidentally dropped and dulled. The lender maintained that the borrower ought to sharpen it, while the borrower said that it was not his fault that the plane fell, and thus an angry controversy arose between them. It would have taken but a few minutes to have sharpened the instrument, but after having once contended about it, each of the disputants was determined not to yield. The plane was laid down in its damaged state, each declaring that he would not sharpen it.

The borrower, however, did not feel at ease, and as he lay down that night to rest, the thought of his foolish contention

Story continued.

Confession to God.

made him unhappy. He reflected, too, that since his friend had been willing to lend him his instrument, he ought to have borne, himself, all the risk of its return. He regretted that he had refused to do what now, on cool reflection, he

saw was only his duty.

On the following morning, therefore, he went half an hour earlier than usual to the shop, and while alone there, with the help of grindstone and hone, he put the unfortunate plane in the best possible order,-laid it in its proper place—and when his companion came in, he said to him pleasantly,

"I wish you would try your plane, and see how it cuts this morning."

Now, was not this a most full and complete acknowledgment of having been in the wrong? And yet there is not a syllable of confession in language. Cases will often thus occur, in which a confession may thus be made by something done. Any way by which you can openly manifest your conviction that you have done wrong, and your determination to do so no more, is sufficient. The mode best for the purpose will vary with circumstances. Sometimes it will be by words, sometimes by writing, and sometimes by action. The only thing that is essential is, that the heart should feel what in these various ways it attempts to express.

I doubt not now, but that many of my readers, who have taken up this book with a desire to find religious instruction in it, have been for some time wishing to have me come to the subject of the confession of sin to God. You feel that the greatest of all your transgressions have been committed against him; and that you can have no true peace of mind until he has forgiven you. I have no doubt that this is the state of mind of very many of those who will read this chapter. But confession of sin is the same in its nature and tendency when made to God as when made to your fellowman. When you have finished this chapter then, shut the

Confession to God.

Anxiety unnecessary.

Common mistakes.

book, and go alone before your Maker, and acknowledge all your sins. Acknowledge them frankly and fully, and endeavor to see and feel the worst, not by merely calling your offences by harsh names, but by calmly looking at the aggravating circumstances. While you do this, do not spend your strength in trying to feel strong emotion. You can not feel emotion by merely trying to feel it. There is no necessity of prolonged terror,—no need of agony of body or of mind, -no need of gloom of countenance. Just go and sincerely acknowledge your sins to God, and ask him to forgive you through Jesus Christ, and he will.

But perhaps some of you will say, "I am surprised to see the sentiment advanced, that there is no need of strong agitation of mind before we can be forgiven for sin. I am sure that there is often very strong feeling of this kind. There is terror and agony of mind, and afterward the individual becomes a sincere Christian.”

It is true, there is sometimes strong and continued agitation in the mind of the sinner that repents, but it is only because those who suffer it are unwilling to yield to God, and confess their sins to him. As soon as this unwillingness is gone, and they come to their God and Savior with all their hearts, the mental suffering vanishes. I said that if you were willing now to confess your sins to God with sincere penitence, you may at once be happy. Of course, if you are unwilling,—if you see that you are sinning against him, and will not come and make peace, you then have indeed cause to tremble.

There is a great mistake prevalent on this subject, especially among the young, though the subject is often clearly enough explained, both from the press and the pulpit. God's command is, repent at once, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall have peace. I have, in this chapter, used the word confess, instead of repent, for sincere