ne thing that remains, and hear the counsel of the Prophet,
"Pour out your heart before Him"; [Ps. 62:8] and let him abase
himself, and openly confess to God the whole evil of his heart,
and pray for and desire a good purpose. Who, indeed, is so proud
as to think he does not need this counsel? There is no one whose
good purpose is as great as it ought to be. Let a man, therefore,
fearlessly seek from God what he knows he cannot find in himself,
until the thought of a better life begin seriously and truly to
please him, and his own life to displease him. For the doctrines
about the forming of a good purpose, which have been handed down
to us and are everywhere taught, are not to be understood in the
sense that a man should of himself form and work out this good
purpose. Such an understanding is death and perdition; as one
says, "There is death in the pot, O man of God." [2 Kings 4:40]
And yet very many are grievously tormented by this idea, because
they are taught to strive after the impossible. But in very
despair, and pouring out his heart before God, a man should say,
"Lord God, I have not what I ought to have, and cannot do what I
ought to do. Give what Thou commandest, and command what Thou
wilt." For thus St. Augustine prays in his Confessions. [4]

FIFTH

[Sidenote: The Purpose of a Better Life--Its Nature]

But what has been said about a good purpose, I wish to have
understood with caution. For a good purpose ought to be twofold.
First, a purpose with regard to open, mortal sins, such as
adultery, homicide, fornication, theft, robbery, usury, slander,
etc. The purpose to avoid these sins belongs properly to
sacramental Confession, and to confession before God it belongs
at any moment after the sins have been committed; according to
the word of Ecclesiasticus, "My son, hast thou sinned? Do so no
more, but ask pardon for thy former sins," [Ecclus. 21:1] and
again, "Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord." [Ecclus. 5:8] In
the second place, however, as regards all the sins they call
"venial" (of which more below), it is entirely vain to labor
after the forming of a good purpose, because if one rightly
considers himself, he will find such a purpose altogether
impossible, if he wishes henceforth to live in the flesh; since
(as Augustine says) this life cannot be lived without such sins
as unnecessary and thoughtless laughter, language, imaginations,
sights, sounds, etc. As regards such things it is uncertain
wheth