Volume I, Treatise VII, Chapter X

‘Of the General Examen of Conscience

Tues are five points in the general examen of conscience. The first is to give thanks to God for the benefits we have received; and this is put in the first place, that by afterwards comparing his benefits with our sins, we may be moved to greater surrow and confusion. Thus when Nathan would make David conceive a great horror and regret for his crime of adultery, he first laid before him those many benefits God’s liberal hand had heaped upon him. The second point is, to beg grace to obtain a perfect knowledge of all the sins we have committed. The third, to call ourselves to account how often we have sinned, since the last resolution and good purpose we made; beginning with the examination of our thoughts, and afterwards continuing it on our words and actions. The fourth is, to beg pardon of God for all those sins into which we find we have fallen, and to repent and conceive a great sorrow for them. The fifth is, to purpose a firm amendment, and afterwards end with reciting a Pater Noster, or the Lord’s Prayer. e This general examen ought always to be joined to the particular; and to this end, the first thing we ought to do every morning when we get up, is to offer to God all the actions we shall do during the day. For though, in speaking of the particular examen, I have said that as soon as we awake we should purpose to abstain from that vice we have undertaken to correct; and that in this we should employ the beginning of our examen; yet this ought not to be done, till after we have offered up to God all our thoughts, words, and actions; referring them all beforehand to his greater glory; and having made a firm purpose and resolution not to offend him, and having begged his grace for this end we must afterwards twice a-day, at noon and night, join the general examen with the particular. And this is what, according to our constitutions, all are to practise in the society, agreeably to the first of the common rules; which says, “that twice a-day all should take oare to examine their consciences at the time appointed for it.” (4. p. Const. c. iv.) For as, to make a clock go well, they ordinarily wind it up twice a-day, in the morning and at night; so to give a regular motion to our heart, we must help ourselves twice a-day, by our general and particular examen at noon, bringing ourselves to a strict account for all our faults since we awoke—as well as those we committed in thought, word, and deed, as those which regard the matter of our particular examen. After this we must excite in ourselves and conceive a lively sorrow for the one and the other, and purpose not to fall into the same during the afternoon. And the same must be observed in the same manner in our examen at night before we go to bed.

But the most important advice that can be given concerning the mode of making our general examen is that already mentioned in the particular examen, namely, that all the force and efficacy, as well of the one as of the other, consist in the two last points. That is to say, in a lively sorrow for the faults we have committed, and in a firm purpose and resolution to correct them. Father Avila, treating of this general examen, says: “You ought to imagine that you have a young prince committed to your charge, whom you are to take constant care to teach good breeding, and to break off those bad habits and propensities you perceive he has got, or find him inclined unto, and whom you are obliged to give every day an account of his behaviour.” (Av. c. xlii. audi filia.) It is very certain that, in such a case as this is, you would not build the chief hopes you have of his ‘improvement upon the exact account he himself should give of how often he has failed to observe your directions; but, upon the knowledge you have, that you use your utmost endeavours to make him sensible of his faults by reprehending him for them; and that you take all care to teach him his duty, by your constant counsels and advice, and that you perceive he takes to heart both your reprehensions and advice, by the care you see him take to amend his faults and to put in practice your counsels, You ought to actin the same manner with your own soul, of which God has given you the charge; and, therefore, it is not the calling tomind the number of your sins, to.which in your examen you are chiefly to apply yourself, nor does your amendment consist therein; but it consists in a great confusion for having committed them; in repenting of them from the bottom of your heart; in reprehending yourself for them in the same manner you would reprehend another whose education was entrusted to you, and in making a firm purpose and resolution never more to relapse into them.

Another thing which ought more particularly excite us to put _what [have said in practice js, that the general examen is a most proper and profitable disposition for confession, as may be inferred from the title St, Ignatius gives it in the book of Spiritual Exercises, where he calls it “a general examen of conscience, very proper for the curing of souls and for the confession of our sins.” The reason of this is very clear. For two things are chiefly required for confession, the examen of our sins and sorrow for having committed them, both which are included in the examen of conscience; so that if we make this examen well we may be assured that we shall also make our confession well.

ye Moreover, according to the Council of Trent, we must take notice that the repentance necessarily required to make it well contains two things, a sorrow for our past offences, and a resolution not to commit them any more; so that wanting one of these two the disposition for confession is not sufficient. Some may think that their confessions are only then invalid, when, through a sinful bashfulness, they omit to accuse themselves of some sin. But I hold those confessions far more invalid and sacrilegious, which are made without true repentance of the sins we have committed, and without a firm resolution of not falling into them any more. By this we may see how necessary the preparation we speak of is for confession, and how much it imports us to accustom ourselves, in our examen, to practise and dwell particularly upon those two poirits. Wherefore I say, that of the three chief points contained in our examen (for the other two are but as it were preambles to it), that which consists in calling to mind our faults is that in which we are to employ least of our time, and that the third part of a quarter of an hour designed for our examen is sufficient for it. But as to the two others, which consist in begging pardon of God for our sins and defects, and conceiving sorrow and confusion for them, to these we must allow two parts of the time, because hereupon depend the efficacy of our examen, and the fruit we are to reap from it.

But how is it possible, some may object, that in the third part of a quarter of an hour we will be able to find out how often we have failed, as well in the matter of our particular examen, which is limited to one thing, as in that of our general, which comprehends all our thoughts, words, and actions, since even a quarter seems not sufficient to do this in? The best and surest means is, to endeavour beforehand to settle this point. And it is related that St. Ignatius for this end was wont, as often as he happened to commit any fault, which regarded the subject of his particular examen, to tie a knot upon a string which he wore at his girdle; and afterwards, by seeing the number of knots, he easily saw the number of his faults. As to what concerns the general examen, he took care to let no hour pass throughout the day, in which he did not recollect himself, leaving off whatsoever he was about, to make a short reflection and examen of conscience. And if by chance he was so taken up, and pressed with business of importance, or so employed in any other indispensable occupation, that he could not observe so good and holy & practice, he failed not to repair it the next hour, or as soon as he could have leisure. It would, without doubt, be a very laudable and profitable custom, thus, for the twinkling of an eye, to look upon our conscience whilst the clock strikes. Some others extend this practice so far, as to examine themselves at the end of every action they do. But if you think it too great a subjection to examine yourself every hour of the day, or after every action, it will at least not be amiss to practise it at the end of your chief actions. Because there are some of them, as that of prayer, which, as I have said before, we are to examine ourselves about, as soon as we have performed them. St. Bonaventure says, that a true servant of God ought to examine himself seven times a-day. And if we diligently observe this addition in our particular examen, which requires that as often as we fail in the matter it is about, we lay our hand upon our breast, we shall easily remember all the faults we have committed. It is true that this addition was not made by St. Ignatius, that we should call to mind our defects, but that we should repent of them; and therefore he enjoins us to lay our hand upon our breast, as if we would say, Lord, I have sinned; yet after all, if we exactly practise this addition, it will extremely help us to remember the number of times we shall have fallen. What is still to be added upon this subject is, that when we attend to ourselves, and thus take to heart our advancement, we shall scarce have committed any fault, but presently we shall have a remorse of conscience, which will assuredly make us remember it.

This may serve as an answer to two sorts of persons; for there are some to whom a quarter of an hour seems too little time to call to mind the number of their faults; and to these we have already prescribed a means, which is to bring with them this point almost already made, so that they may have more time to apply themselves to the two last. There are others, on the contrary, that in a quarter of an hour find a great deal of time to spare, and know not in what to employ it;—and it is therefore far easier to satisfy these by giving them some employment. For this end I need only repeat here what I have said before, that the general examen must be joined with the particular, and after we have run over the faults we have committed, as well in the matter of the one, as of the other, we must stop to conceive a confusion and regret, and to beg God’s pardon for them, purposing firmly to correct them; and to beg with fervour that he would grant us sufficient grace to do this. Let us apply our-

a selves to this; let us employ our time in it, and we shall find what to do: and we cannot employ our time better than in this.

St. Dorotheus adds to this, another very profitable and important advice. He says, that in our examen we must seek out not only the faults we have committed, as well in the matter, but chiefly the roots of them also, applying ourselves to examine the cause, and the occasion, to keep ourselves from falling into them again. As for example, if for having gone out of my chamber I happened to break silence, or to fall into the sin of detraction, I must purpose for the time to come not to go out without necessity; and every time I shall be under a necessity of going out, to stand extremely upon my guard. To do other- -wise, would be acting like one who having stumbled against a stone, and not shunning it, should stumble on it again the very next moment; or like him who pretending to give life and health to adry or sick tree, contents himself with cutting off a few rotten branches, or plucking off some of the rotten fruit that hangs upon it. But if we make our examens with the attention I have now spoken of, the time appointed for it will be so far from appearing too long, that it will infallibly appear unto us too short.

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