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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

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2014THE UNIVERSITY
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2.30
L33dLE
1684-Univ£Rsi

LtedAHy

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TH£

ft orTHE YEN. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA $ALLE,A

CHRISTIAN'S DUTY

TOWARDS GOD.

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THE VENERABLE J. iifHK LA SALLE.

t » "

1( OUNDEll OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS,

Translated from the Original, with Notes and Other Additions>

" Skilful alike with tongue and pen,
He preached to all men, everywhere,
The Gospel of the Golden Rule,

The New Commandment given to men.

With reverent feet the earth He trod,
Nor banished Nature from His plan;
But studied still with deep research
To build the Universal Church,

Lofty as is the Love of God,

And ample as the wants of man."—Longfellow.

new york:

DE LA SALLE INSTITUTE,
48 Second Street.

1884,Entered according to Act of Congress in tiie year 1884. by

JOHN P. MURPHY,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

Electrotyped and Printed at

The New York Catholic Protectory,

West Chester, N. Y.7L"iO

L3iJ £

I 4Sf





Archbishop of Nezv York.

680185PREFACE.

What amI! What Shall Become of Me f

These are such serious and important questions, that a
sensible man will never treat them inconsiderately •; fully
persuaded that a mistake in such a matter may be fatal,
and be followed by irreparable consequences.

The idea of my existence is so closely bound up with
that of Godr that I cannot reflect upon the former with-
out being immediately struck by the latter. Nothing
exists, save by Him who Is, and who is of Himself
It is in Him that we have being, motion, life and reason.
By His power He created us 5 by His goodness He pre-
serves us; by His Providence He governs us. He
ought, then, to be honored. This is a natural sequence.
His existence supposes His worship, A God 5 a rational
man \ a religion—one cannot exist without the other.
The idea of religion is as natural to man as that of God
Himself. A child receives this impression with docility ;
the old man is -nearly always compelled to return to it.
Let passion be hushed, and all mankind range themselves
beneath Religion's banner.vi

PREFACE.

In order that we may be useful to all, we have publish-
ed this Treatise of a Christian's Duty toward God. and
the means of performing it. Each one will find the rea-
sons for his belief, and of his future destiny, firmly estab-
lished. He will see, by the examples accompanying the
explanation of the truths of faith, and religious duties,
that nothing is impossible to him who wills ;—to him who
responds to grace, and the aid which God imparts to a
good will.INTRODUCTION.

*i The victory is most sure
For hiin wlio, seeking faith by virtue, strives
To yield entire submission to the law
Of Conscience; Conscience reverenced and obeyed
As God's most intimate Presence in the Soul.
Endeavor thus to live." (1)

Necessity of Religion, and the Obligation of
Studying It.

The existence of the universe, and the order which reigns
in it, necessarily suppose a ivise and potent Cause. This
Cause is God. It is He who has created all things, and
governs all things according to the eternal laivs of His divine
wisdom.	t . . .

Amid all the beings which we behold, Man alone is en-
dowed with intelligence and freedom. He alone is ca-

(1) The efforts of materialism seem to be to destroy any difference
between man and the brute. Yet the truth can never be talked into
falsehood.

"Truth, crushed to earth, will rise again:

The eternal years of G-od are hers."

Therefore, the truth that man is man, and not first cousin to a
beast, will remain, for something innate in us repels the gross theories
of materialism. Man cannot be content with the "miserable pres-
ent." As one who was no friend of religion has said, in exquisite
verse:

" We looli before and after,	,

And sigh for what is not;

Oursincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught :

Our sweetest songs are those
Which tell of saddest thought."viii

INTRODUCTION.

pable of discerning, of willing, and loving. But God, who
is wisdom itself, could only have bestowed these faculties
upon man, that he might employ them for His glory.

These facts, which none can call in question, fully
prove the necessity of religion^ 1)—that is, a relation-
ship of obedience and love on the part of the intelligent
creature toward his Creator. Vainly is it asserted that
God is too exalted in His greatness to care for the honor
we render to Him. Undoubtedly, God has no need of our
homage. But, being just, He must desire that which is
conformable to reason and order. Now, it is according to
order that the creature should honor his Creator, and
should show to Him his love and gratitude.

Has any father the power to exempt his children from
the love and respect which they owe him ? God is our
Father ; we are bound to love Him. He is infinitely good 5
we are bound to eling to Him. He is all-powerful and
just, and we are bound to fear and respect Him. It is
He who has created us? and preserves to us life and be-
ing. We receive at His bountiful hands all the ad-
vantages which we enjoy. He prepares for us infinitely
more precious benefits than those which He has already
conferred. (2) He wishes to make us eternally happy.
It is therefore only reasonable that He requires from us
religious worship.(8)

This worship ought to be internal, comprising all the
powers of the soul. It ought to be external also, in or-
der that the body may concur after its manner in the honor

(1)	Religion : from religio, to bind anew.

(2)	" Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered ^ito
the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love
Him."—I. (br. ii. 9.

(3)	Worship: honor, accompanied with dependence.INTRODUCTION.

ix

which man pays to God. It must also be public ; for
men, destined to live together, ought to unite in blessing
and adoring together Him who created them.(l)

Without a settled and unvarying form of worship, re-
ligion could not long subsist among mankind. They re-
quire mutually to edify one another, and to stimulate one
another to the practice of duty. Hence from the begin-
ning men have united together to pay their homage to
the Lord. Everywhere we discover public worship ren-
dered to the Deity. The same light which reveals to
man a Being upon whom he is dependent, reveals to him
also the obligation of honoring Him. And although this
instinct of worship has strayed with the heathen, it has
always had the same source(2)—that is, the necessity
of honoring a Supreme Power; a Creating and Preserv-
ing God j a Providence that ordereth all things. So
true it is that man forever hears an interior voice exclaim-
ing: Homage to the Master of Hfe.(3)

To believe in the existence of God, in the immortality
of the soul, the rewards and punishments of another

(1)	Naught but a worship spiritual and pure,

Profound, habitual, strong through loving awe,

A true heart's tribute to the God of Truth,

From selfishness redeemed, and so from sense
Secured, though conversant with shapes of sense,— .
Naught but such worship, with spontaneous force
From our whole being equally descending,

As odor from a flower, or fount's clear breath,

Redeems us from idolatry."—Sir Aubrey de Vere.

(2)	" Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutored mind

Sees God in clouds and hears Him in the wind."—Pope.

(3)	" Sighs now breathed unutterable,

While the spirit of prayer, inspired,

And winged for Heaven with speedier flight
Than loudest oratory."—Milton.X

INTRODUCTION.

world, and yet to live as if we were persuaded of the con-
trary , is an inconsistency which can only spring from
ignorance or licentiousness.

.. Hence religion has no enejnies so much to be feared as
blindness of mind and depravity of heart. There woidd
be f eiver unbelievers if religion were better known. There
would not exist one, if men were divested of passions.
But neither the culpable negligence of the one nor the cor-
ruption of the other can make that to be which is not.

Now, the unanimous consent of all peoples, the. inmost
consciousness of each individual, the universe, and all that
it contains, are so many witnesses to attest the existence
of God.(l)

The memory, the will, the intelligence of the soid, are
so many proofs of its spirituality, and consequently of its
immortality. How unaccountable, then, is the stupid in-
difference of him who dares to advance fearlessly and
without any precaution toward that fatal bourne which
must decide his whole eternity ! He says to himself, ".I
do not know what will become of me one day. All that
I can say is, I shall die. And, on quitting this world, I
shall either fall into nothingness, or into the hands of God
to be judged. I know that if there be a God, He must
p mish those who, like myself, have been at no pains to
serve Him. Everything tells me that there is a God.
But, since this belief thwarts my inclinations, I prefer to
believe nothing until I see it. It may be that there will

(1)	"Man's plea to man is, that he.never more

Will beg, and that he never begged before ;

Man's plea to God is, that he did obtain
* A former suit, and therefore sties again.

How good a God we serve, that, when we sue,

Makes His old gifts the examples of His new !"

— Quarles, "Emblems."INTRODUCTION.	XI

then be no longer any chance to repent. The testimony
of faith, and of the universe, yea, of my own conscience it*
self, assures me so. But no matter : despite the evidence,
I trust there will be nothing." ,

Can any one account for the blindness of him who thus
sports with his eternal destiny ? For, can he in good
faith really think that the destiny of the perverse can
possibly be the same as that of the virtuous ? Will the
God of all justice look with the same eye upon vice and
virtue; (1) upon the wicked who blasphemes, and the
righteous who adores in holy fear ?

Of all the sciences, therefore, Religion is the most impor-
tant to man. It moderates his prosperity, and sustains
him in adversity. It teaches him that time is nothing,
but that eternity is all. It secures the quietude of states,
by teaching us obedience to powers established by God, not
merely from fear of punishment, but from conscientious
obligation. It makes the prince clement, and the subject
loyal; the master just, and the servant honest; the mag-
istrate upright, and the friend reliable. It not only forbids
the appropriation of another's goods, but it forbids us to
covet them. It goes even farther. It would have us share
our bread with Mm who is in want. It not only con-
demns murder and revenge, but commands us to forgive
injuries and to love our enemies. It will have us do good
to those who do us evil and pray for those who persecute
us. Struck with these truths, Montesquieu exclaims:
"Astonishing fact ! Religion, which appears only designed
for another world, makes man's happiness in this." Even

(1)	" If there's a power above us

(And that there is, all Nature cries aloud

Through all her works), He must delight in virtue :

And that which He delights in must be happy. "—Addison.xii

INTRODUCTION,

the infamous Voltaire acknowledges that u society with-
out religion would be but a den of wild beasts."(1)

Nothing is more important to man than the study of re-
ligion. It makes its study obligatory. The first duty
which it imposes is the study of its precepts. And if it
demands belief in its mysteries, it would also have us rec-
ognize the arguments which prove their existence. Woe,
then, to the wicked, who, blaspheming that which he is ig-
norant of, dares to treat with contempt, and as vulgar
prejudices, the most positive and venerable truths !—truths
which men of the greatest genius have acknowledged, after
having most carefully examined them ; and, for the sake
of which, upon a thorough conviction of their Talue, they
have sacrificed their dearest affections.

Young men about to enter the world, never forget the
precepts of the Church ! Be loyal to your duty. Never
allow yourselves to be drawn away by the scoffs or the ex-
ample of those who have, cowardlike, abandoned the path
of virtue.

Read only good books, in order to become more learned
in the truths of religion. The more instructed you are, the
stronger you will be in the Faith. The more you study
religion, the more you will discover its divine character. (2)
Never let yourselves be dazzled by the sophistries of ir-
religion. Never mistake blasphemies for arguments, nor
jests for proofs. Shun bad company. It u corrupts good
manners." Flee from vice, and you will preserve your
faith.

(1)	Robespierre also remarked upon the need of religion to society,
" If there is no God, we ought to make one, for one we must have,"

(2)	"	" Religion, in her proper robes attired,

Needs only to be seen to be admired."—Pope,INTRODUCTION,

xiii

If, hpwever, you have the misfortune to go astray, return
unto Him who opens wide His arms to you. He re-
jects none who implore His clemency. 0 sacrifice not
your eternity to a vile and contemptible human respect!

An unhappy person, who retained nothing of Christi-
anity but Baptism, and who had either never learned his
Catechism, or had forgotten it, made it his particular re-
quest (doubtless from a sentiment of humility, the fruit of
a sincere conversion) that the following epitaph should be
engraved on his tombstone : a Here lies a fool, who de-
parted this world without ever having sought to know why
he had been sent into it." (1)

A distinguished officer of the United States7 Army,
who passed for an atheist, had a daughter dangerously
ill. The poor girl had apparently only a few moments to
live. She called for her father, and, clasping his hands
in hers, said in most touching accents : " Dearest father,
I am about to expire ; tell me, then, 1 beseech you, whether
I am to believe what I have so frequently heard you af-
firm—that there is neither a God, a Heaven, nor a hell; or
to believe the consoling truths of the Catechism which I
have learned from the lips of my beloved mother." The
officer, struck with amazement at these words, remained for
some time in melancholy silence. At length, leaning over
the bed of his dying child, he said, in a voice broken with
sobs : u My daughter, my own darling daughter, believe
that alone which thy mother taught thee." The astonish-
ment of the bystanders, many of whom were infidels, can
be easily imagined. One of them, who had long since ab-
jured his religion, having been asked what he thought of
(1) Catechism of the Churches of France.INTRODUCTION.

the matter, gravely replied that it was more agreeable to
live according to his new religion, but much safer to die
in the old. Such is the idea the impious themselves form
of religion at the dreadful hour of death.

' One of the most celebrated philosophers of our time, M.
Jouffroy, although, unhappily, far from practising Chris-
tianity, has nevertheless written these remarkable words :
1 u There is a tiny book taught to children, upon which
they are questioned at church. Read this little work,
which is the Catechism, and you will find therein the so-
lution of the questions I have proposed ; of all without ex-
ception. Ask the Christian whence comes the human
race ;—he knows. Whither it goes ;—he knows. How
it goes;—he knows. Ask that poor little child—who in all
his life could never have dreamt it—why he is here be-
low, and what will become of him after death, and he will
give you a sublime reply. The origin of the world and of
man j man's destiny in this life and in another ; dealings
of man with Grod; duty of man toward his fellows j the
rights of man in relation to others and to the creation at
large—he knows all about it. And when he is grown up,
he will be equally clear about natural rights, political rights,
and the rights of the people. For all this flows clearly and
by itself from the Catechism. This is what I call a grand
religion. I recognize it by this token—that it leaves none
of the questions that interest humanity unanswered."

u In this little book " (the Catechism), says Bossuet, "the
smallest village child holds in his hands more of essential
'truth than was ever lisped by Plato or Pythagoras.3? (!)

j (1)	"Each little voice in turn

>	Some glorious truth proclaims ,

What sages would have died to learn
Now taught by cottage dames."—Keble.INTRODUCTION.

XV

About twenty years ago, the Archbishop of B— was
taking the benefit of the waters at Aix-les-Bains, in Savoy.
During his stay he was called to see a dying person, the
daughter of a general celebrated in the wars of. the First
Empire. In his conversation with her, the prelate could
not help shedding tears of compassion on hearing her speak
of religion as few persons know how. In his astonish-
ment he asked her where she had obtained her instruc-
tion. u My lord," she replied, u after God, I owe my in-
formation to the Emperor Napoleon. I dwelt with my
family in the island of St. Helena. One day, when I was
ten years old, the Emperor said to me, 1 My child, you
are young, and many dangers await you in the world.
What will become of you, if you are not armed and pro-
tected by religion ? Your father has none, and your
mother still less. I will take upon myself the duty which
weighs upon them. To-morrow I will give you your first
lesson.7 And during two consecutive years I went to
Catechism at the Emperor's several times a week. He
made me read each lesson, and then explained it. When
I had reached the age of twelve to thirteen, he said to
me, c Now, my child, you are sufficiently instructed. You
must think seriously about your First Communion. I shall
get a priest to come from France, to prepare you for this
great act, and me for death.7 And the Emperor kept his
word."

Exebcises.—What lessons do yon derive from contemplating the
universe ? Is religion a necessity, and why ? What are the charac-
teristics of worship ? What are the most formidable enemies of relig-
ion ? What proof have you of the soul's immortality ? Why is relig-
ion the most important of the sciences ?CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

BOOK FIRST.

OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND LOYE OF GOD.

PART FIRST.

OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.

CHAPTER I.

The Apostles' Creed.

18 We agree in one

Inseparable communion,

If the true light be in our hearts—the faith,

Which not to want is death ;

To want is penance ; to desire

Is purgatorial fire ;

To hope is Paradise ; and to believe,

Is all of Heaven that earth can e'er receive."—Ooleridge.

It was necessary that the faithful should possess a form of
profession of faith, short, simple, easily remembered, and
everyivhere the same.( 1) To this end the Apostles, ere separa-
ting to preach the Gospel, dreio up the symbol which bear.s

(1) Homage to this fact is paid by secret societies all over the world,
who adopt a common sign of recognition, rules, etc., well knowing
that without these unity is impossible. Man's mind naturally rebels
against restraint, and, in an erroneous belief in its own capabilities,
exalts its own judgment in matters of faith. This is the origin of
all heresy, Modern Protestantism prefers "views " to creeds.

78

a christian's duty.

their name, and to I tick tradition has constantly assigned to
them.

The word symbol signifies a sign, or an abridgment.
It is so called because the profession of faith made by re-
citing it serves to distinguish those who are Christians
from those who are not, and because it contains in an
abridged form all the truths which a Christian is bound
to believe to his salvation.

Although the Apostles7 Creed is but a summary of what
we ought to believe, yet, like ua spring whose seemingly
narrow bed will give birth to ample rivers " (as St. Chrys-
ostom remarks), it contains the whole extent of the Cath-
olic Faith, To young minds it presents the milk of
doctrine, while those of larger growth and more infor-
mation may always find matter for meditation and instruc-
tion.

It contains twelve articles, which divide themselves
into three principal parts.

The first part consists of the first article, concerning
God the Father, and the. Creation of the world.

The second comprises the six articles next following.
These treat of the Son of God, of the Redemption of man-
kind, and the General Judgment.

The third consists of the five concluding articles. These
set forth truths of Faith concerning the Holy Spirit,
the Church, the forgiveness of sins, the general resurrec-
tion, and the rewards or punishments reserved for man-
kind after death, according to the good or evil which
they have done. (1)

(1) "The number of the articles composing the Creed contains an
admirable mystery. The number three is found four times, and the
number four, three times. Does not this signify that the Apostles were
to preach to the East and to the West, to the North and to the South,
the glory of the Most Holy Trinity, and faith in this ineffable mystery
hidden in the depths of eternity T'—JRefjrwjd.THE APOSTLES' CREED.

9

To repeat (1) the Apostles? Creed is to make as many
acts offaith as it contains truths. For this reason, it is
very profitable to recite it often. But especially on rising
in the morning.(2) First, to testify before God that we
desire to live like Christians during the day. Secondly, up-
on retiring to rest, to dispose ourselves to die in the Faith, if
death surprises us during sleep. (3)

The Church commands all Christians to commit it to mem-
ory. Parents are obliged to teach it to their children.

A tyrant, having exhausted promises and threats to
induce some Christians to renounce their religion, fi-
nally said to them, u What is it you believe ? v One of
their number replied, 66 Listen : I will make my profes-
sion of faith and he began tc recite in a firm voice, u I
believe in God " etc.

Christians have been heard to exclaim, in the midst of
frightful torments inflicted upon them for the truth's sake,
" 1 believe; I am a Christian; death rather than apos-
tasy! v

The holy martyr, Peter of Verona, was the child of par™
ents who had apostatized. While still very young, they
asked him what he learned at school. He replied, u I
learned our Creed, which teaches us all that a good Catholic
ought to believe.97 The child grew up, and became suc-
cessively priest, religious, preacher and martyr. While

(1) Because repetition is the only sure way of fixing anything in the
memory.

(2)	"Now that the daylight fills the sky,

We lift our hearts to God on high,"

—Breviary Hymn at Prime (' 'Jam lucis ").

(3)"	"When the soft dews of kindly sleep
My weary eyelids gently steep,

Be my last thought, how sweet to rest
Forever on my Saviour's breast."10	a christian's duty.

his persecutors struck him with poniards, and he suc-
cumbed to his wounds, he cried out, " I believe in God,
the Father Almighty, " etc., and recited the entire Creed.
At length, when bathed in his blood, and on the point of
expiring, the holy martyr, unable to speak, dipped his
finger in his blood and wrote upon the ground the last
cry of his soul, u I believe ! ,?(1)

St. Augustine says, " Forget not to recite the symbol
of your faith, either at rising, or retiring to rest. Bead
it often, that you may never lose, sight of any one of the
truths it contains. Say not, * I repeated it yesterday, or
the day before, or to-day even,' or i I repeat it daily, and
know it thoroughly.' With your souFs eye fixed upon
your profession of faith, consider what your past life has
been. Let the Creed be a mirror, ever before your
eyes. Examine if you really believe what you profess.
Therein lies your wealth, your everyday attire. For,
do you not dress yourself every day on rising ? The
prayer of your profession of faith is your soul's garment,
of which it ought never to be deprived by any unpardon-
able forgetfulness on your part/7

Exercises.—Why is it necessary to have one form of profession of
faith which all men are bound to believe ? What is the Apostles'
Creed? Why should it be often repeated? What is the command
of the Church respecting it ? What does tradition say of each Apostle's
contribution to the Creed? Give a resume of the contents. How
many articles in each part ? What is said in the Manual of Politeness t
about the Imitation of Christ? How is the Creed a mirror ? How many
acts of faith do we make by reciting the Creed ? Relate, in your own
words, how the martyrs used the Creed during their sufferings. Ask
your teacher to relate the beautiful account of St. Peter of Verona's
(Peter Martyr) martyrdom given in the Meditations of the Venerable
De La Salle.

(1) " Blessed is that simplicity which leaves the difficult ways of dis-

pute and goes on in the plain and sure path of God's commandments."

"Imitation" Book IV.} chap. 18.THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION,

11

CHAPTER II.

Of God and Creation.

" I BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR
OF HEAVEN AND EARTH."

The Necessity of Revelation.

"Our mirror is a blessed book,

Where out, from each illumined page, *

We see one glorious Image look,

All eyes to dazzle and engage:

The Son of God, and that indeed
We see Him as He is, we know;

Since in the same bright glance we read
The very life of things below."—Keble.

Maris chief concern is to know the end for which he is
sent into the ivorld, and what will become of him after
death. But his mind being very limited, he can only
form a very imperfect idea of spiritual things j conse-
quently he must have recourse to the knowledge which
God has Himself imparted through revelation.

Of the truths thus revealed, part are contained in
the Holy Scriptures, and the remainder have come down
to us by means of tradition.

The Scriptures are divided into the Old arid the New Testa-
ment. The former comprises all the books written from the
time of Moses to that of Jesus Christ; the latter, those which
were composed by the Apostles or their disciples. All these
books were written by divine inspiration, and their authen-
ticity is incontestable. No one can doubt that they were
written by those whose names they bear, that they have been
preserved with religious veneration, and have been transmit-
ted to us continuously and uninterruptedly.12

a christian's duty.

From the time of the Exodus, the Israelites possessed
the books of Moses. They were read every day. Par-
ents handed them on to their children as a most precious
heritage. The original text was most carefully pre-
served in the Tabernacle. Its words, and even letters,
were counted. It would therefore have been impossible
to introduce the slightest alteration without exciting the
protests of a multitude of persons conscientiously in-
terested in the integrity of the facts which they con-
tained.

The Pentateuch, which consists of the first five books of
the Bible, has always been attributed to Moses by an en-
tire people, whose religion, civil customs and constitu-
tion were based upon those books ; so that it is « impossi-
ble to deny that Moses was their author, without denying
the existence of this race ; which would be a manifest
absurdity. The other books of the Bible have the same
evidence of authenticity. They are all so closely
bound together, that the facts recorded in the last neces-
sarily pre-suppose the events recorded in those preceding
them.

Those who ivrote these books have proved their divine
mission by the most startling prodigies, and by prophecies
fulfilled to the very letter. They were therefore sent of God.
The miracles which testified to the authenticity of the
sacred books were so strongly proved that deception was
impossible. At one time it is an entire kingdom smit-
ten at intervals with ten plagues. At another, the sea
opens to give passage to the Hebrews, while it engulfs
Pharaoh and all his host. A vast multitude is fed
during forty years with manna that fell from Heaven, sup-
plied with water drawn from the heart of the rock,THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION.

13

sheltered by a cloud from the ardent sun, and illumined
with a pillar of fire by night ; Jordan is divided to make
a path for them,(l) the sun's course is suspended to afford
them time to gain a victory, and a host of one hundred
and eighty-five thousand men is struck dead in a single
might under the walls of Jerusalem.

All these prodigies, and a thousand others of like
nature, to perpetuate the memory of some of which
solemn festivals were established, could not be misunder-
stood by the most ignorant, or called in question by the
most incredulous. Hence the people were so convinced
that they accepted the law imposed upon them, despite
its numberless exactions, and the, terrible punishment
which it inflicted upon transgressors.(2)

The proof resulting from the prophecies is no less pow-
erful. We behold in the sacred writings a number of
men who speak without doubt, or hesitancy, or conjecture.
They publicly and confidently declare that such events
will positively happen at the time, and in the place, and
with all the circumstances they specify. And what
events ! The most detailed, the most important, the most
interesting to the nation, but, at the time they were pre-
dicted, the most improbable. Such was the carrying away
of the Jews to Babylon, after the conquest and destruction
of the then prosperous Jerusalem. The precise term of sev-
enty years is set down as the length of their captivity; and
their glorious return to their own land is clearly foretold.
Cyrus, (3) their deliverer, is spoken of by name more than

(1)	" The might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword,

Hath melted like snow at the glance of the Lord."—Byron.

(2)	The Old Testament is also a most striking monument of Israel's
sins, and anything but flattering to their vanity.

(3)	Isaiah xliv. 28; xlv. 1, where a remarkable feature of the siege of
Babylon is minutely foretold.14

a christian's duty.

two hundred years before his birth. The succession and
order of the four great Empires are laid down- Two of
them, the Persian and the Grecian, are named, (1) al-
though at that time the latter were confined to a corner
of the globe and divided into several petty states. How
were these prophets enabled to penetrate the future ?
Who could have made known to them such distant events
—events so little likely to transpire, if not He who
is the Lord of time and has fixed all things in His eternal
decrees? Hence, the sacred writers have always been
regarded as messengers of God ; hence their books
have merited reverence as divine, and as containing the
very word of God.

The authority of the New Testament rests upon the
same basis, and is equally irrefutable. It contains the
history of the life, miracles, and teachings of the Son of
God. It was written by His disciples, all contempora-
neous authors, whose testimony is similar, (2) and who
relate what they heard with their ears and saw with their
eyes. From the beginning of Christianity, these books
were cited, and even copied, by the greatest of men, who
had seen the Apostles. The enemies of Christianity, such
as Julian the Apostate, Celsus, and Porphyry, never
raised the least doubt as to their authorship. Yet they
were very near to the time of the Apostles, and conse-
quently able to ascertain the truth. The heretics who

(1)	Daniel x. 20. " It is probable that the Greeks were hardly known
by name at this period."—Pusey, " Lectures on Daniel"

(2)	"The manner in which the Evangelists relate all these great
things bears in itself the stamp of truth. They differ from each other,
but do not contradict each other : their candor and simplicity are re-
markable. Such is always the testimony of truthful persons who all
relate the same events. e*|ph one according to his style."—Shouppe.

" It would be more inconceivable that several men had conjointly
fabricated this book, than that a simple person could have furnished
the subject. The Gospel has in it characters so great, so striking, and
so perfectly inimitable, that he who could invent them would be
greater than its heroes."—Rousseau.THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION.

15

had the greatest reason for disputing the authority of
these divine books, have openly recognized them. They
have been compelled merely to doubt their meaning.

The Church in all ages has shown the greatest veneration
for these boohs. She has read them publicly in all her relig-
ious assemblies ; she has ahvays regarded them as the work
of the Holy Spirit, as the ivord of God ; she has ahvays been
persuaded that nothing can be added to them or taken from
them without impiety and sacrilege.

Then? if these books are authentic and divine, the facts
contained in them must be true. And if these facts be
true, then we may justly assert that God Himself has
spoken to mankind.

Let us, then, treat all doctrine opposed to that taught
in Holy Scripture as illusory, false and erroneous. Let
us, by the word of God, resist the audacious license of
the wicked and unbelieving. Let us never forget that,
if our faith ought to be rational, (1) by an examination
of the reality of the facts upon which it is based, it can-

(1) We must remember that the Church is not dependent on the
Bible for her authority. This is the common error of all sects ot Prot-
estants. The Church existed before a line of the New Testament was
written. For more than three centuries she had no Bible as we un-
derstand the word now. During this period, many writings passed
in some churches as inspired, and were read as such, notably the
Epistle of Clement, and the Epistle of Barnabas. At length, in the
year 325 A. D., the first General Council of Nice, assembled in the'
Holy Ghost, determined what were the inspired writings. The num-
ber accepted by the Council was called the Canon, and pronounced un-
alterable. The Church is not dependent on it for her authority, but
upon the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost, speaking through
her appointed head. The decision of the Council of Nice is accepted
by all Protestants.

" Almighty God influences us and works in us through our
minds, not without them or in spite of them. And what is true
of God's dealings with our minds generally, is true in particular as
regards our reasoning powers. His grace does not supersede them,
but uses them and renews them by using.^ We gain truth by rea-
soning, ^whether implicit or explicit, in a state of nature ; we gain it in.
the same way in a state of grace."—J. II. Newman, " University Ser-
mons" p, 281,16

a christian's duty.

not be too humble in its submission to revealed Truth, (1)
and to the expositions given of it by the Church.

A number of persons waited upon a philosopher and
said to him : u We are sent to you to beg of you to tell
us more clearly who God is." The philosopher replied :
"I will think about it ; come again in eight days." The
eight days being expired, the deputies returned, and
again he said, u Come in eight days." Eight days later
they received the same reply ; they then requested to
know how long they would be told to return in eight days.
He replied: u I shall give the same answer as long as
vou ask the same question. I know well enough that God
is; I know that He exists; but I cannot say what He
is, and I shall never be able to do so."

Who can teach what God is but God himself 1
Saint Augustine, before his conversion, frequented
church as often as his engagements permitted. He never
failed to go on Sunday to hear the discourses of St. Am-
brose, Archbishop of Milan. " They were," said he, "ex-
cellent expositions of the Word of Truth, and, by dint
of hearing them, my heart, touched by the eloquence of
this holy man, opened itself to the truth, little by little."
After his conversion he Says, "How much, O God,
did I weep on hearing Thy hymns and canticles ! being
exceedingly moved by the harmonious voices of Thy
Church. Their enchanting sounds charmed mine ears,
as Thy truth distilled into my heart, whence arose the af-
fection of devotion, and sweet tears flowed from my eyes
which yielded me much comfort."(2)

The same holy doctor has said, " That which touches

(1)	"All Holy Scripture ought to bo read with that spirit with
which it was made."—uImitation," Book I., ch. v.

(2)	44 Confessions," Book VIII., c. vi.THE NECESSITY OF REVELATION.

17

me most upon earth, 0 my God, is to hear Thy voice in
the divine books of Holy Scripture. This pleasure sur-
passes all others. (1) Grant, Lord, that I may be de-
liciously nourished with Thy holy word, since its delica-
cies are always pure and holy. Grant also that it may
never happen to me to deceive myself, or others, by mis-
taking its meaning."

u What books do you read? said Saturnin, Proconsul
under the Emperor Severas, to Sperat, a confessor of the
faith. The latter answered : u The four Gospels of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, and the Epistles of the Apostle St.
Paul."

Exercises.—What is man's first and chief concern? What do you
mean by revealed truth ? How do you prove the authenticity of the
Scriptures? How has the Church always regarded these books?
Show by the fourth and eighth lines of Keble's stanzas that the study
of the world's creation Surprises, interests and instructs. What
do the Holy Scriptures and tradition contain? Show from Jewish
customs and Christian records how tradition is reliable. Give some
instances where the Holy Bible does not flatter Jewish vanity. Com-
pare your Ancient History with what is here said about great names of
antiquity. Ask your teacher to relate something about Julian the Apos-
tate, Celsus and Porphyry; also to tell you about John Henry Newman,
—his learning, conversion, raising to the Cardinalate; about his latest
contribution to the Nineteenth Century, on this very subject of " Holy
Scripture" (March No., 1884). How many names< of distinguished
converts can you recall? Relate any pleasant thing you remem-
ber about their conversion. Have you, or father and mother, read
Ives' Trials of a Mind, Faber's Life and Letters, and similar books, in
which the history of such conversions is so charmingly given ? What
makes Rousseau's evidence in favor of the Sacred Writings so valu-
able ? Show how this tallies with Christ's declaration : Out of thine
own mouth I condemn____etc.

(1)	"Eye of God's word, where'er we turn,

Ever upon us ! Thy keen gaze
Can all the depths of sin discern,

Unravel every bosom's maze,

" Who that hath felt Thy glance of dread

Thrill through his heart's remotest cells,

About his path, about his bed,

Can doubt what spirit in Thee dwells ? "—Keble.18

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER III.

" I BELIEVE IN GOD."

Of the Existence of God.

" There is a power, all other powers, above,

Whose name is Goodness, and His nature Lovo:

Who called the infant universe to light	i

From central nothing and circumfluent night.

On His great Providence all worlds depend,

As trembling atoms to their centre tend;

In Nature's face His glory shines confess'd,

She wears His sacred Image on her breast;

His Spirit breathes in every living soul;

His bounty feeds, His presence fills the whole.

Though seen, invisible ; though felt, unknown ;

All that exist, exist in Him alone."—Montgomery.

There is a God. This is a truth which presents itself
to the mind, so to speak, naturally. We have but to
open our eyes and reflect a moment, in order to perceive
it. All that is external to ourselves, as well as all that is
in ourselves, proves it.

Look upon the heavens : ivhat a magnificent sight! Who
has made this immense vault, and suspended in it oil these
sparkling orbs ?(1) The sun, ivhich everywhere diffuses his
light and heat ; the moon and the stars, ivhich shine in the fir-
mament nightly, recommencing each day their majestic course
with such truly admirable regularity. (2)

(1)	" The spacious firmament on high.

With all the blue, ethereal sky,

And spangled heavens, a shining frame,

Their great Original proclaim."— Addison,

(2)	" The sad and solemn night
Hath yet her multitude of cheerful fires:

The glorious hosts of light
Walk the dark hemisphere till she retires;

All through her silent watches, gliding slow,

Her constellations come, and climb the heavens, and go."

—Bryant.THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.

19

Look again at the earth, and consider the innumerable mul-
titude of animals with which it is inhabited ; the infinite va-
riety of trees, plants and fruits which cover it; the prodigious
quantity of fish which the sea contains. Who is the author
of all these wonders, if it be not God ? Would it not be the
height of extravagance to attribute all this to chance ?

At sight of a splendid palace, we unhesitatingly judge
that it has had a skilled architect who designed it, and in-
telligent workmen to carry out his plans. If we see a
beautiful picture, we doubt not that some excellent paint-
er conceived the design and executed it. And if some
one were to tell us that this was all the result of chance ; that
the stones of the edifice were chiselled and arranged by
themselves ; that the colors of the picture came and ar-
ranged themselves upon the canvas, shading themselves
in such beautiful order, and completing such a regular
design ;—should we not regard such an one as mad ?
What, then, is the folly of him who looks upon the uni-
verse as the work of chance ! (1)

In short, let us contemplate ourselves.(2) Look at this
body, composed of such an astonishing multitude of muscles
and organs, arranged ivith such admirable regularity.
Everywhere we perceive a special plan,. We see that He
who willed to call man into existence, desired to give him
a manif est proof of His infinite ivisdom. What other than
God could have made so wonderf ul a ivork ?(3)

(1)	" When infidels find in the strata of the earth's crust some
fragments of flintstone bearing the form of an arrowhead or spearhead,
of a knife or a scraper, they exclaim: ' Behold the work of design ! These
weapons must have been shaped by the hand of man.' Why, then,
should they discover no trace of design in the admirable order which
pervades the universe V'—Jouin.

(2)	The inscription on the Temple of Philosophy at Athens is,
" Know Thyself."

(3)	The admirable work of Sir Charles Bell on The Human Hand
may be most profitably studied in tliis connection.20

a christian's duty.

And we have not a body only: we have also a soul.
This soul is immaterial; for matter is incapable of thought.
It must, then7 be a spirit. It is meanwhile united to the
body, and this union is so close, that when the body is in
good condition a sweet joy diffuses itself through the soul,
and when it is ailing, the soul suffers also.(l) Who but
God could have thus joined two such opposing substances,
and established between them such an admirable relation f

These feelings of joy or sorrow that we experience are
a fresh proof of the existence of a God, for these feelings
are independent of ourselves. If we could procure them,
or avoid them, we should always be in joy, and never ex-
perience sorrow.

We have, then, a sovereign and all-powerful Master, up-
on whom we depend, and who disposes of us as He wills.
This supreme Master is God. Hence the cry, " My God!"
which escapes us in any unforeseen or unexpected sor-
row—an indeliberate expression, which is not the result
of reflection, but the testimony of a soul by nature Chris-
tian, as Tertullian remarks.

It is therefore true that tve carry ivithin us the impress
of divinity (2) stamped in indelible characters. Hence there
has never been a people, however savage and barbarous, but
has acknowledged a Deity. Races are found without the
smallest acquaintance with the arts and sciences, but none
have been discovered without a God. Very many have gone
astray in substituting idols for the true God, but all have felt
the necessity of recognizing a divinity.

(1)	Alluded to by Juvenal : "Mens sana in corpore sano "A
sound mind in a healthy body.'

(2)	"Whence this pleasing hope, this fond desire,

. This longing after immortality ?

'Tis the Divinity that stirs within us;

'Tis Heaven itself that points out a hereafter,
And intimates eternity to man."—Addison.THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.

21

This universal agreement between all men, of all coun-
tries, in all ages, so widely differing in genius and man-
ners, and separated by immense intervals of time and
place, cannot be merely arbitrary. It can only proceed
from the u light which enlighteneth every man/7 aiad which
God has placed in the soul in such visible characters that
even the simplest cannot mistake them.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the fir-
mament proclaims the wonders of His power." Who
besides He could have said to the sun, u Come forth from
nothingness, and preside over the day" ? Who else
could have said to the moon, " Appear, and be the torch
of night" ? (1) All creatures tell us that they were not
made of themselves, but by God. Who but He could
make the seed to germinate in the womb of earth, giving
it increase, regulating the succession of days and nights,
and fixing the unvarying order of the seasons f All these
proclaim the existence of God.

A wicked young man, as frivolous in his reasoning as
in his person, presented himself one day before that
learned and pious ecclesiastic, M. Oudin.

li Sir/' said he, abruptly, u I feel much pleasure in in-
forming you that I am an atheist." At these words the
man of God recoiled with horror, and, taking up an eye-
glass which was handy, he fixed his gaze upon this
insane youth. " What are you staring at, sir?" asked

(1) " Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul,
Acknowledge Him thy Creator ; sound His praise
In thy eternal course.

Moon, that now meet'st the orient sun*, now fly'st
With the fixed stars, fixed in their orb that Hies :

Join voices now with living souls."—Adapted.

" Earth with her thousand voices praises God."
w-	.......—Coleridge.22

a christian's duty.

the latter. u I am looking/' said the priest, u at the
strange being called an atheist, which I have never seen
before." Disconcerted at this remark, the youth disap-
peared. (1)

La Bruyere remarks, " I should like to see a sober,
moderate, chaste and upright man say that there is no
God. He would speak disinterestedly ; but such a man
is not to be found."

u He who says there is no God, ought logically to add
at the same time, 6 All men, of all times and in all places,
except myself, have been wrong. I have more sense
thai* all of them together.' In other words, 'I have no
common sense for common sense is nothing less than the
common and universal sentiment of the entire world.
A man who doubts the existence of God is therefore with-
out common sense. This is scarcely tempting.77 (2)

One of the most illustrious naturalists, the immortal
Linnseus, after a vast and profound study of Nature, (3)
exclaims: iCl have beheld the shadow of a God, eternal,
boundless, all-powerful, supremely intelligent, and I was as-
tounded. I have followed the track of His footsteps in the
wild: what strength, what wisdom, what immeasurable
perfection in His works, even in the very least of them,
and in such as have barely any existence !'7(4)

(1) Merault.	(2) De Segur.	(3) System of Nature.

(4)" If we contemplate any natural object, especially any part of an-
imated Nature, fully, and in all its bearings, we can arrive only at
tliis conclusion : that there is design in the mechanical construction,
benevolence shown in the living properties, and that good predom-
inates."—Sir Charles Bell, M. D., on "The Hand, Its Mechanism, etc.*
as Evincing Design."

This simple argument disposes effectually of the Monad theory
of Buffon, and the Atomic theory as well. # It is impossible to prove
the absence of design and adaptation even in an atom.—See Tyndall,
Lecture on Dust.THE UNITY OF GOD.

23

Exebcises.—What proofs of God's existence are found in the heavens
and on the earth ? Can the formation of the human body be the
result of chance ? What proof of God's existence is found in the soul ?
What do you learn from the fact that no nation is found without
some divinity ? What does Dr. Bell say about the human hand ?
Ask your teacher to tell you what Chateaubriand says about this in his
Genius of Christianity. What do you mean by monad and atomic ?
Who says in his heart that there is no God ? Show how all worlds de-
pend upon God's great providence. What do you mean by " all
worlds"? What does another Reader in this series tell about Ad-
dison's selection given above ? What comparison is made between the
works of a clock and the portions of which the world is made ? How
do young people come to talk so glibly about religion, etc. ? Relate
the interview between the "strange creature" and M. Oudin. Do you
remember the story told in another Reader about "why the finger
moves "? Tell it.

CHAPTER IV.

u I BELIEVE IN GOD/7 ETC.

Of the Unity of God.

" And I have felt
A presence that disturbs me with the joy
Of elevated thoughts : a sense sublime
Of something far more deeply interfus'd,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man :

A motion and a spirit, that impels
All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things."—Wordsworth.

Faith and Reason, which teach us that there is one
God, also teach us that there can be but one ; that
there cannot be several, because there is but one Being
who is self-existent, and independent of all causes. And
is it not evident that, being supremely great, He must24

a christian's duty.

be One ? for if He had an equal, He would no longer
be the Supreme Being. (1)

All God's perfections prove Iiis oneness. There can
be only one boundless Being—that is to say, but one who
fills all things, and out of whom nothing exists ; there can
be but one Being infinitely perfect—that is to say, one
possessing all perfection, and out of whom there is no per-
fection but is derived from Him.

The Divine Majesty can have no equal, because it con-
tains in itself all the plenitude of greatness. It is doubt-
less matter of astonishment that a truth so clear should
have been at one time unknown; and that peoples other-
wise much enlightened should have adored a great num-
ber of divinities. This gross error was the result of sin. (2)
When God created man, He made Himself known to
him. From that moment, man was aware that there
was but one Supreme Being, the Creator of all things,
upon whom all things depended. This pure and holy re-
ligion was transmitted by man to his posterity, which

(l)uC'est Dieu qui rernplit tout. Le monde, c'est son temple !
(Euvre vivante oil tout l'ecoute et le contemple !

Tout Lui parle et le chante. II est seul, II est Un !

Dans Sa creation tout et joie et sourire :

L'etoile qui regarde et le fleur qui respire
Tout est flamme ou parfum."—Victor Hugo.

(2) " Vanity of men introduced idols into tlie world." (Wisdom
xiv. 14.)

11 There were two causes for idolatry : one on the part of man ; the
other on the part of the devils. Three things disposed man to idolatry
—1st. Irregularity in the affections (Wisdom xiv. 15); 2d. Natural love
for statues and pictures.—Gross minds adored as divinities works of art
which represented men under striking characters (Wisdom xiii. 11);
3d. Ignorance of the true God. Not considering the excellence of the
divine perfections, men withheld from the Supreme Being honors
which they proffered to creatures whose beauty and virtue they ad-
mired (Wisdom xiii. 1). Thus disposed, men fell easily into the
snares of devils. These latter, giving responses in idols, and perform-
ing works which were considered miraculous, proposed themselves
to the adoration of men ; thus it is written : * All the gods of the
Gentiles are devils '(Ps. xcv. 5Thomas, " Sermons."THE UNITY OF GOD.

25

preserved it for awhile. The men of the first age needed
only the testimony of their sires to know the existence
and unity of God.

This tradition was, besides, so conformable to reason,
that it seemed as though it could never have been for-
gotten or obscured. But Religion demanded sacrifices,
and the corruption of human nature gained every day a
fresh empire. Thus, in measure as they receded farther
from the origin of things, the greater part of men jum-
bled together the ideas which they had received from
their ancestors, and would no longer worship anything
but visible objects. The idea of God was confounded with
that of the creature.

Hence all objects indicative of some extraordinary
power, or from whom anything was to be hoped or feared,
were worshipped. The stars were the first objects of
this ungodly worship. And soon great kings, conquer-
ors, and learned men received divine honors. Such a
great evil made strange progress. Men went so far as to
adore beasts and reptiles, and, among the majority of
men, everything was God save God Himself.

In the midst of so much darkness men worshipped even
the work of their own hands. They believed themselves
able to enclose the Divine Spirit within a statue, and so
deeply forgot that God had made them, that, in their turn,
they believed themselves able to make God! Every
nation had its particular gods. Some presided over the
heavens, others over the sea and rivers, others over hell.
Nor did they stop here, for soon vices and passions had
their altars.

It was not rude and barbarous nations only that gave
themselves up to this excess of folly and blindness. It26

a christian's duty.

was nations the most polished and enlightened on all other
points, such as the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans,
These nations surpassed all others in their light and knowl-
edge, but they were none the less blind in matters of re-
ligion.

We behold among them great orators, celebrated poets,
excellent historians—in a word, the rarest genius of every
order.(l) Yet, meanwhile, these nations were in the pro-
foundest ignorance respecting the nature of the Deity.
And, what would be difficult of belief if unsupported by
facts, is, that their errors on this point, although the most
absurd of all, were not only the most universal, but also
the most deeply rooted and incorrigible. If some sages
among them arrived at the knowledge of the oneness of
God, they never dared to teach it publicly.

Man would never have issued from the darkness of idola-
try had no supernatural light come to the aid of Reason, and
had not God spoken Himself to man, to teach him what Re is,
and how He wills to be honored. We ourselves should be
plunged in this blindness, if the Lord had not deigned to en-
lighten us also. But, thanks to His goodness, the very
first lessons taught us in infancy caused us to learn more
than the sages of paganism ever knew.

Epictetus, on being asked what God was, replied: u If
I could tell you what God is, God would not be what He
is, and I should be God. God alone can say what He
is."

(1) 4' The invisible things of Him, from the creation of the world,
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made : His
eternal power also and divinityRomans i. 20.

Why, t ieij, were they so blind in matters of religion ? St. Paul an-
swers " As they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God de-
livered them up to a reprobate sense."—Ibid. i. 28.THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

27

The belief in one only God, although a verity conceived
by reason, is, above all, based upon revelation : "Hear, 0
Israel, the Lord our God is One."

There is but 66 One Lord ; one faith ; one Baptism ;
one God and Father of all, who is above all."

Exercises. - What do Faith and Reason teach us concerning God ':
Could man have emerged from idolatry unaided ? Show to what ex-
cesses ad vanced pagan nations gave way. What is a rare genius ? Name
some of ancient times. Bee how many quotations from Holy Scrip-
ture you can give speaking of God, the Most Blessed Trinity, the Di-
vine Persons, etc. Name some plants, animals,or planets that have been
adored by the ancients. Relate, or ask your teacher to relate, some
amusing stories about the Egyptians, Persians, and others. Why have
so many nations, converted first, since fallen away so sadly ? What is
meant by saying that religion demands sacrifices ? What sacrifice must
we offer to be true Christians ? Show how the missionaries in Amer-
ica induced the Indians to make great sacrifices. Have you read any
pleasant sketches about saints among the savages ? Try to get Miss Dor-
sey's stories on this subject. Ask your teacher to relate some pleas-
ant stories about the Indians and the Blackgowns,

CHAPTER V.

UI BELIEVE IN GOD," ETC.

The Perfections of God.

" God is a spirit, veil'd from human sight
In secret darkness of eternal light;

Through all the glory of His works we trace
The hidings of His counsel and His face;

Nature and time, and change and fate fulfil,

Unknown, unknowing, His mysterious will;

Mercies and judgments mark Him every hour
Supreme in grace and infinite in power."

—Montgomery.

God is so gyeat, and our minds are so limited,, that it is
'impossible for us to comprehend what He is. We can only
know Him intperfectly by the light of faith and reason.28

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

Nevertheless, this knowledge, all imperfect though it be,
suffices man in this life. Nothing conveys a grander idea
of God than that which He has said Himself: u 1 am who
am ! v that is, the Being by excellence, the source of
all that is, and upon whom all things depend. It results
from this that God possesses all perfections, and in a su-
preme degree.

God is a spirit—that is, a pa re intelligence, without either
body, form, or color. He resembles nothing of all the ob-
jects that surround us and strike the senses. All that we see
and handle is material, and an infinitely perfect Being is
immaterial. The angels, and our own souls, are intelligences,
but their knowledge and ours is limited and imperfect.
That of God embraces everything.

God is eternal. He was before all things, since He
created all. He was before all time, and had no begin-
ning, and will never have an end. Ere the birth of the

O 7

a«:es, God existed in Himself, and there was none but

o 7	'

Him alone.

God is Almighty.(1) He can do all things; He does
all things that He wills. By His word He drew forth
from nothing all creatures ; and He could create a thou-
sand other worlds if He deemed it suitable. u He,'7 says
the Apostle, " calleth those things that are not as those
that are," and they obey His voice. Nothing, there-
fore, is impossible to Him; nothing is even difficult.
The orbs of heaven are hung in space without other sup-
port than His will. The sea respects His behests and
never oversteps the bounds which He has prescribed.

(1)	" How dread are Thine eternal years,

0 everlasting Lord!

By prostrate spirits day and night
Incessantly adored.'' - Faber.THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

29

All Nature follows the laws imposed upon it by Him.
Fire, and wind, and tempest, obey His voice. (1) It is
He who covers the heavens with clouds, and prepares
the rain to water the earth. It is He, in short, who every
year presents to our admiring gaze the resurrection of en-
tire Nature. -

God is independent. The source of all that is, He
holds His Being from Himself alone. The inexhaustible
source of all good, He distributes His gifts to whom He
pleases. Supremely happy, He has need of none : He
suffices to Himself. Absolute master of all things, He
has neither superior nor equal. As for ourselves, we are
in a state of continual dependence upon God. It is Hex
who preserves and sustains us. Without Him, we
should fall at any moment into the nothingness from which
He drew us. Without His aid we could do nothing.

God is immutable. That which He is, He has always
been, and will be forever. u I am Jehovah ; I change
not." Man is never in a fixed and permanent condition.
His body, subject to the revolutions of different ages, pass-
es successively from strength to weakness, from health to
sickness, from life to death.(2) His will changes, whether
by inconstancy, or because he discovers motives for aban-
doning that which he«ought, or to seek what he neglected.

(1)	''They know the Almighty's power,

Who, when the whirlwinds rock the topmost grove,

Stand in the shade and hear

The tumult, with a deep, exultant fear;

How, in their fiercest sway,

Curb'd by some power unseen, they die away ;

Like a bold steed that owtis his rider's arm,

Proud to be check'd and soothed by that o'ermastering charm."

— Christian Year

(2)	It is pretended that the entire body of man changes or renews
its substance every seven years.30

a christian's duty.

But in God there is no change, nor even the " shadow of
alteration."

God is infinite : that is, His essence and perfections are
unlimited. He has every perfection, and in Him each per-
fection is infinite. It is His nature to be supremely perfect
Hence God is not only good, but infinitely good; He is not
only just, but infinitely just. And so on with all His other
perfections ; as nothing can limit their number, so nothing
can limit their greatness. " Thou roouldst be very small, 0
my God" says St. Francis de Sales, "if Thou couldst be
comprehended by minds so small as ours"

God is immense, because He is in Heaven, upon earth,
and everywhere. It is He who animates all thing, sustains
all things, and imparts to all things life and motion. He
is in all things, or, rather, all things are in Him. His
Presence stretches beyond the confines of the Universe.
He might create another, and, if He did, this new uni-
verse would be within the extent of His immensity.
It is therefore certain that we are continually beneath the
eye of God. He hears all our words, sees all our actions 5
he is even at the bottom of our hearts, and knows 'all our
thoughts and all our desires. When we do wrong, we
do it in His presence. The thickest darkness cannot
hide us from His gaze; the profour^est night with Him
is as bright as day. The evidence of this truth is even
imprinted on our own hearts. For, whence proceeds that'
remorse which agitates us when we have committed some
evil deed, although unperceived by any one ? Whence
come those reproaches, so keen and bitter, which con-
science makes at such a time?.(l) In vain the sinner

(1) 4' The averted cheek, in loneliest dell,

Is conscious of a gaze it cannot bear :

The leaves that rustle near us seem to tell

Our heart's sad secret to the silent air."—Keble,THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

31

strives to appease it ; the piercing cry of that inner voice
overcomes all opposition. Vainly he flies from his own
heart, and hastens to escape from himself, in order not to
be overwhelmed with confusion before a judge which re-
proaches him with his crime w7herever he goes. He is
seized with fear and covered with shame before this un-
seen censor, (1) always active in presenting to him the hid-
eousness of his sin, in order to bring him to detest it.

Let us never forget that God is always with us? and
that we are never alone. However far from the sight
of men, in the most retired spot, in the profoundest soli-
tude, we have an invisible witness who accompanies us
and marks all our actions.

This thought will estrange us from evil. The enemy
of our soul will become weakened, and his efforts will be
powerless, so long as we maintain the remembrance of the
presence of God. And how can we dare commit sin be-
neath His eye ! Shall we have the temerity to do in His
presence what we would not do in the sight of a father or a
master? This was the lesson which Tobias gave of old
to his son. "My son," said he, u all the days of thy life
have God in thy mind." And St. Augustine gives
the same advice : u If any one would lead thee into sin,
say to him, 6 Find me a place where God will not behold
me ; but since there is no place where He is not pres-
ent, say no more to me ; I am not so wicked as to offend
beneath His eyes.' v This thought, God sees me, willsus-

(1) . " Shut up as in a crumbling tomb,

Girt round with blackness as a solid wall :

* * •* * * * * * *

She howled aloud, ' I am on fire within!'

There came no echo of reply;

t What is it that will take away my sin,

And save me, lest I die?' "—Tennyson.32	a christian's duty.

tain us against the attacks of Satan. It will give us
strength to overcome him, and encourage us to fulfil our
duties faithfully.

God governs all things. He takes care of all His crea-
tures, and this care is called Providence. (1) Nothing
takes place in this world without His command or by His
permission. The good which occurs is done by His order.
God approves of it. He wills it, ordains it, and will re-
ward it. The evil which takes place is not by His com-
mand. He forbids it, and will punish it. (2) But He
does not hinder it, because He will not fetter our liberty,
and because He is sufficiently powerful to bring good out
of evil itself. Think not then that God abandons His crea-
tures to chance, after having made them. Since He has
condescended to create them, it is not beneath Him to
govern them.

This Providence not only watches over empires and
kingdoms : its attention is directed to every creature.
" Not a sparrow falls to the ground without the order of
your heavenly Father —"The very hairs of your head
are all numbered," says Our Lord Himself. It is this
Providence which every year covers the earth with har-
vests, makes the plants to grow, loads the trees with fruit,
and watches over all the requirements of His creatures
with a truly paternal care. (3) It feeds the birds of the

(1)	'"'Tis Thine whate'er is pleasant, good, or fair ;

All Nature is Thy province, life Thy care "—Dryden.

(2) "Who shall say to Thee : What hast Thou done ? or who shall
withstand Thy judgment ? or who shall come to be a revenger of
wicked men ? or who shall accuse Thee if the nations perish, which
Thou hast made ? For there is no other God but Thou, who hast care
of all, that Thou shouldst show that Thou dost not give judgment
unjustly."—Wisdom xii. 12-13.

(3) " Thou art as much His care as if, beside,

Nor men nor angels lived in Heaven or earth.

Thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide
To light up worlds, or wake an insect's mirth.

They shine and shine with unexhausted store :

Thou art thy Saviour's darling : wish no more.Keble.THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

33

air, the fishes in the sea, and every animal upon the
globe.(1)

Let us not, however, suppose that this attention costs
God anything, or that His unalterable repose is disturbed.
Everything is equally easy to an infinite wisdom and pow-
er. If a king only busies himself with great matters, with-
out going into the details of the smaller things which tran-
spire in his kingdom, it is because a king, having but a
limited understanding, could not occupy himself with
smaller matters without neglecting the greater. But
God's wisdom, being infinite, embraces all without effort
or trouble.

From this principle of a Providence proceed two im-
portant duties for man.

The first is,:—to submit unreservedly to the guidance
of this Providence. We should worship it alike in the
evil that befalls us as in the good ; in adversity as in pros-
perity, in sickness and suffering as in health and joy. We
should then say, u God wills it, and He only wills it for my
good j may His holy name be praised ! " If sometimes He
permits the good man to be in misery while the wicked
enjoys abundance, it is that He may test his virtue in
order to reward it magnificently in another life. It is
because He knows that this passing affliction is but a
means of securing his eternal salvation. (2)

(1)	"Take Thou my cup, and it

With joy or sorrow fill,

As seemeth best to Thee ;

Choose Thou my good or ill."—Bonar.

('2)	"I think, if thou couldst know,

O soul that will complain,

What lies concealed below

Our burden and our pain;

How just our anguish brings

Nearer those longed-for things
We seek for now in vain. —

I think thou wouldst rejoice and not complain.34	A CHRISTIANS DUTY.

The second duty is to trust in Providence and to ex-
pect from God's goodness, without anxiety, all that is need-
ful for this life and the next. " Consider the birds of the
air," says Our Lord; " they sow not, neither do they reap ;
yet God feedeth them. Are ye not of much more value
than they ? Behold the lilies of the field how they grow ;
they labor not, neither do they spin ; but I say unto you
that not even Solomon, in all his glory, was arrayed as one
of these. And if God doth so clothe the grass of the field,
which is to day, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, how
much more care will He take of you who are His chil
dren ! " It would be an insult to Him to be disquieted,
and to lack confidence in His paternal bounty. Let us
then adore His Providence, whatever happens us. Our
destiny cannot be in better hands. Such a kind Father
will never forsake the children who confide in His pater-
nal Providence.

" X think, if thou couldst see,

With thy dim mortal sight,

How meanings, dark to thee,

Are shadows hiding light:

Truth's efforts crossed and vexed,

Life's purpose all perplexed, —

If thou couldst see them right,

I think that they would seem
Ail clear, and wise, and bright.

"And yet thou canst not know,

And yet thou canst not see;

Wisdom and sight are slow

In poor humanity.

If thou couldst trust, poor soul,

In Him who rules the whole,

Thou wouldst find peace and rest ;

Wisdom and sight are well, but trust is best."

— Procter.

" jO Lord ! how happy should we be
If we could cast our care on Thee,

If we from self could rest,

And feel at heart that One above,

In perfect wisdom, perfect love,

Is working for the best ! "• —Faber.THE PERFECTIONS OF GOD.

35

In a rather crowded gathering, an inconsiderate young
man said to a child who had just returned from Cate-
chism : "I will give you a picture if you will tell me where
God is." The child replied, u And I will give you two
if you will tell me where He is not." Every one ap-
plauded this sally, at which the young man was slightly
disconcerted.

The Holy Scriptures are full of admirable instances of
the goodness of God toward His creatures. We may
cite the amiable familiarity with which He deigned to con-
verse with Abraham, with Moses, with Jonas • the as-
tonishing wonders which He performed for the Israelites
in the desert; or rather, we may cite all the economy
and all the mysteries of religion, which are so many traits
of the ineffable goodness of our God.

Flatterers were praising Canute, King of England.
What did this wise prince do ? He seated himself on the
seashore when the tide was coming in, and commanded the
impetuous element to respect him. We can easily imag-
ine that he was not . obeyed. Turning then to his cour-
tifers, he exclaimed, u You see how much power I have."

Mons. de Chantal, having been mortally wounded
while hunting, through the carelessness of a friend, com-
forted him by saying, " My friend, that dart had been
sent from on high ere it was shot by thy hand." (1)

Madame de Sevigne, speaking of Turenne, says that
u the cannon which killed that great man had been load-
ed from all eternity." This thought is as true as it is
energetically expressed. (2)

(1 j Life of St. Francis de Chantal. (2; Letters of Madame de Serigne.36

a christian's duty.

Exercises, —Can we comprehend what God really is?—and why not ?
What do we know of God? Why do you say that God is infinite?
Does God govern all things ?—and if so, why is evil permitted in the
world ? Why must God be immutable ? What causes the sinner con-
tinual worry ? Relate St. Augustine's experience in reference to God's
presence. Show how far God's providence extends. Give some Scrip-
ture proofs. What duties are imposed by our belief in Divine Provi-
dence ? Give King Canute's wise reply to his flatterers in your own
words. What celebrated Congregation of ladies did St. Jane Frances de
Chantal found ? What Saint helped her? Do you know anything
about St. Francis de Sales ? If not, ask your teacher to tell you.

CHAPTER VI.

u i believe in god," etc.

Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.

" Three in One, and One in Three,

Ruler of the earth and sea,

Hear us while we lift to Thee

Holy chant and psalm.

" Light of Light, with morning shine,

Lift on us Thy light divine,

And let charity benign

Breathe on us her balm.

'' Light of Light, when falls the even,

Let it close o'er sins forgiven,

Fold us in the peace of Heaven,

Shed a holy calm.

" Three in One, and One in Three,

Dimly here we worship Thee ;

With the Saints, hereafter, we

Hope to bear the palm."

—Caswell.

Although God in His nature is One, there are nevertheless
in God, three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the, Holy
Ghost. This is what is called the. mystery of the Most
Holt Trinity.MYSTERY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY.

37

God Himself revealed this mystery in a sensible manr
ner at the Baptism of Jesus Christ. Then the voice of
the Father was heard publicly recognizing him as His be-
loved Son, and the Holy Spirit was seen descending upon
Him in the form of a dove. Jesus Christ also declared
it, when He commanded His Apostles to baptize all nations
in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, thus indicating that these three persons are
but one God. This is confirmed by St. John's words,
u There are three which bear witness in Heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three
are one.77

This mystery is the greatest object of our faith.
There is none other in our religion of wThich we so fre-
quently recall the remembrance. All our prayers begin
and end with the invocation of the Most Holy Trinity.
The sign of the Cross, which so often recurs in the ser-
vices of the Church, and in the private acts of Christians,
is made in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost.

While we must not divide the Divine Nature, which is
One, we must also avoid the confusion of Persons, which
are distinct one from the other. The Son is the same
God as the Father, but He is not the same person ; the
Holy Spirit is the same God as the Father and the Son,
but He is also not the same person.

These three persons are not three Gods, but one only
God. They have but one and the same Divinity, one
and the same Nature. It follows, therefore, that these
three persons are equal in everything, and that one is not
greater, nor more powerful, nor more ancient than the88

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

other two, since they are all three of the same greatness,
power and eternity.(1)

This mystery, that is incomprehensible truth, is above
our reason 5 but it is not contrary to reason. We do not
say three Gods make only one God, but three persons
make but one God. Nor must we imagine three persons
in body and soul like ourselves. The three persons in
God are purely spiritual.

The first person of this adorable mystery is the
Father ; the second is the Son, begotten of the Father
from all eternity; the third is the Holy Spirit, u who
proceedeth from the Father and the Son."

This is all that it has pleased God to reveal to us respect-
ing the mystery of the Holy Trinity—a mystery so sublime
that the human mind cannot grasp it. (2) But God, who is
Truth itself, and who can neither be deceived, nor deceive
us, hath revealed it to us. We ought therefore to believe
it upon the infallible authority of His word.

Nothing is more reasonable than to submit our reason to the

(1)	As far as definition of this dogma can be given, St. Athanasius,
its special champion (whose symbol is so much abhorred by certain
heretics), has given us decidedly the best, both for brevity and or-
thodoxy. He hints at the modern heresy of the Swedenborgians
in these words : " Neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the
substance." This summary can never be bettered : " The Father is
made of none, neither created nor begotten ; the Son is of the
Father alone, neither made nor created, but begotten ; the Holy Ghost
is of the Father and the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begot-
ten, but proceeding. And, in this Trinity, none is before or after
another, none is greater or less than another but the whole three
Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal."—Creed of St. Athci-
nashis' (from the Greek).

(2)	" Mysteries: Truths of religion inaccessible to reason, which God
has revealed. There are such mysteries : truth is co-extensive with
being ; being is infinite, truth is likewise infinite. We must admit
truths surpassing our understanding : else the finite would be the
measure of the infinite.

'' God can reveal mysteries, for He must have the power of communi-
cating truth to rational beings, and man; as a rational being, can re-
ceive this knowledge."—Adapted from Jouin.MYSTERY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY.

39

authority of God; for it is not in relation to God alone that
our reason is faulty. How many natural things there are
that we cannot understand, and ivhich are none the less sure
and certain !

Can we understand how a grain of wheat east into the
ground can produce a multitude of others ? how from a
dry trunk there can spring forth leaves and flowers in
endless variety, fruits of exquisite flavor, and a thousand
other phenomena which Nature presents to us daily?
When a learned astronomer speaks to his pupils of the
immensity of the heavens, the number of the stars, their
greatness, their distance, and the velocity of their mo-
tion ; when he tells them, for instance, that the sun is
1,400,000 times larger than the earth, and that his dis-
tance from us is 95,000,000 miles, they cannot under-
stand him. Bat, reflecting that they are only children,
they believe it upon the word of a man in whom they
have confidence. In respect to the nature of God all
men are but as children. (1) One day they will attain to
the fulness of perfect years; then the darkness will be
dissipated, and they will see clearly all which they can-
not now either penetrate or comprehend. (2) Saint Au-
gustine says, " It is a temerity to try to solve this mys-
tery during the present life. 'To believe it by the light
of faith is the result of piety ; to contemplate it in another
life is supreme felicity."

There is one image of the Trinity which shines re-
splendent in our souls. Like to the Father, the soul
possesses being; like the Son, intelligence; like the

(1)	"And men

But children of a larger growth."—Dryden.

(2)	"Now we see in a mirror darkly , but then face to face "—I Cor
x Hi. 12.40

a christian's duty.

Holy Ghost, love. Like the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost, it possesses in its being, its intelligence and
love, the same felicity and the same life. And these
three things, being, intelligence, and will, form but one
substance, one only soul, as the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost form but one only God. And, to com-
plete the resemblance, the intelligence is born of being,
as the Son is begotten of the Father ; love proceeds from
being and intelligence, as the Holy Spirit proceeds from
the Father and the Son.

Two men, blind from birth, were conversing together.
One was pious and well informed, the other ignorant and
godless. The following conversation ensued :

First blind man. I should like to know what God was
doing for all eternity before He created the world.

Second. And what shall I gain by a useless inquiry into
what you were doing before I knew you ? God was occu-
pied with Himself, and thought about digging a hell for
those who will not believe in Him, or refuse to serve Him.

First. How can there be three persons in God, of which
each one is God, although there is but one God ? That
is quite beyond me, and it is folly to believe what one
does not understand.

Second. I firmly believe that there is but one God in
three persons really distinct, who are God, and in doing
so I am not acting like a fool, but a wise man.

First. Prove that, and I will make you a present of my
stick, which is very durable and, they tell me, very fine.

Second. How do you know that your stick is fine ? Does
a blind man understand what beauty is ? We blind un-
derstand nothing of what is called color. Who could makeMYSTERY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY.

41

us understand the difference between red and yellow, green
and blue ? Are we to deny that there are colors, and that
there is a difference between them, until such time as we
are able to understand all about it ?

First. No ; because we have so many reasons for be-
lieving it. All men who are not blind say so.

Second. Men tell us there are colors, and we believe
them; God reveals His mysteries, and we will not believe
Him. Have we not more reason for belie ving in the Holy
Trinity and the other mysteries, than in the existence of col-
ors ? The Christian religion, which teaches us these mys-
teries, is proved to be divine. Inform yourself about it. Let
us believe, and live till we die Christian-like, and we shall
go to Heaven. When we get there, we shall be blind no
longer ; we shall see God as He is, u face to face."

" To seek to gauge the mystery of the Most Holy Trin-
ity is a dangerous curiosity. To admit it and believe it,
as the Catholic Church does—this alone can afford us cer-
tainty. To contemplate this mystery in all its profundi-
ty and beauty, will be the highest degree of the beatitude
of eternity.?,(l)	*

Supplementary Note.

The instance of St. Patrick teaching the Celts this mys-
tery by means of the shamrock is well known. But there
is another and still more beautiful illustration of tri-unity.
All the colors of the prism may be resolved into three
primary ones, which again form the pure white light.
It is safe always to reason from the lesser to the greater.
This dogma is a mystery ; the Church does not attempt to
(1) St. Bernard.4:2

a christian's duty.

explain it. This attempt has led to no end of heresies, nota-
bly Arianism, the parent of modern IJnitarianism. We ac-
cept facts with unquestioning adhesion which are equally
incapable of proof. For instance, we believe that we live,
but no one has ever been able to demonstrate ivhat life
?s.(l) We believe in pain, and can trace its cause, but
this is all we know. There is really more evidence logi-
cally of the existence of the Trinity than of the existence of
life and pain. They are all beyond reason, but not con-
trary to it.

Exekcises. —What do you understand by the mystery of the Holy
Trinity ? Is there any difference between the Divine Persons ? Is
this mystery contrary to reason? Is it proper to submit our reason
to authority, and why ? How and when was the Most Blessed Trinity
sensibly made known? What is the difference between being above
reason and contrary to reason? Give some examples of the difference.
What does Dryden mean by saying that men are " but children of a
larger growth " ? Give the blind men's dialogue in your own words.
Ask your teacher to relate the legend of the child trying to empty the
ocean with a shell ; and the reply St. Bernard's young brother
gave to those who were about entering a monastery.

CHAPTER VII.

" i believe in god, the father almighty, creator
of heaven and earth.

Of the Creation.

" God's world is bathed in beauty,

God's world is steeped in light,

It is the self-same glory

That makes the day so bright,

Which thrills the earth with music,

Or hangs the stars in night.

(1) This is shown with wonderful force in the late Lord Lytton s
A Strange Story, where the supposition of Leibnitz that life is a gas is
ably reviewed,THE CREATION.	48

44 Hid in. earth's mines of silver.

Floating on clouds above,

Kinging in Autumn's tempests,

Murmured by every dove,

One thought fills God's creation:

His own great name of Love.

4 God's w'orld has one great echo ;

Whether calm blue mists are curled,

Or lingering dewdrops quiver,

Or red storms are unfurled :

The same deep love is throbbing
Through the great heart of God's world."

■—Procter.

The world which we behold has not always existed.
The evidence of its newness is palpable ; it bears mani-
fest signs of it. If we ascend toward the epoch which
the sacred writings fix upon as that of the creation of the
world, we find all things start from that date—arts, science,
nations, empires. No monument, no fact, no history, de-
monstrates that the world existed previously. The book
which fixes this date for the creation of the world is the
most ancient of all books. It is also, like the rest of the
Bible, the most authentic and worthy of credence. The
first words of this book are: "In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth ; " that is to say, out
of nothing He made all things. (1) God existed by Him-
self, and nothing existed besides Him. At a moment
chosen by Himself, the heavens and the earth issued forth
from nothingness. He created them by His sole word, by

(1) "Pantheists assert that creation is impossible because we cannot
form a conception of it. That we cannot lorm a representation, a
picture in the mind, of the creation, is true ; but who cannot conceive
of something which, though not now existing, may be made to exist by
some power ? This power ultimately is God, the Self-Existent Being,
Now, God cannot produce the creature by drawing it out of Himself
or by dividing Himself, because He is a pure spirit, and is not subject
to cftange. Hence the creature can owe its existence only to the om-
nipotent act of the will of God."—Jouin,44

a christian's ditty.

His simple will. " God spake the word and it was done ;
He commanded, and they were created." The voice of
God is His Almighty Will,

Let us transport ourselves in spirit to the moment of
the world's creation. What astonishment would have
seized upon us, on beholding, at each word of the Almigh-
ty, a crowd of such beautiful and perfect creatures appear !

God spent six days at this great work. He might have
done it in an instant, but He designed to teach us that He
is supremely free, and acts unconstrainedly and as He
pleases.

Upon the first day He created the heavens, the
earth, and the waters. Then He said, "Let there be
light, and light was." A simple word, (1) yet full of
majesty and power. Upon the second day He created the
firmament—that is to say, the vast vault wrhich we call
the sky. u Let there be a firmament,'7 said the Lord, "and
it was so." The firmament was then unillumined ; the sun
and the stars which now render it so brilliant did not
exist. It was an immense tent, unadorned.

Upon the third day God gathered the waters, which
were spread everywhere, into one place, and commanded
the earth to produce plants and trees. At His word, an
arid and sterile plain suddenly became sown with laughing
meadows, rich valleys, mountains and hills, forest-crowned,
gemmed with flowers and fruits of every kind. And what
is still more marvellous is, that each plant at the same

(1) Infidels accuse the Church of changing her lines by assigning a
meaning of indefinite periods to the expression day in the first chap-
ter of Genesis. But the Church has never defined in what precise
meaning this word, as found in Genesis, is to be taken. St. Augustine,
well nigh fifteen centuries ago, gave to this word an allegorical mean-
ing, and his interpretation has never been censured. Catholic
writers were always at liberty to assign to this word that signification
which they looked upon as more closely in accordance with the sacred
text. So long, therefore, as the lately discovered fossil remains did notTHE " CREATION.

45

time received the power of reproduction bv self-contained
seed.

The fourth day, God created the sun and the moon,
adorning the firmament with that multitude of stars which
charm our eyes and astonish our imagination.

The fifth day God created the fishes and the birds 5 say-
ing : u Let the waters bring forth abundantly the creeping
creature having life, and fowl that may fly over the earth
under the firmament of Heaven." And this word filled
the sea with inhabitants, and peopled the air with an
infinite number of birds.

The sixth day, God created the animals : u Let the
earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle
and creeping things and beasts of the earth, according
to their kinds, and it was so.'' Thus were created the
innumerable animals that inhabit the earth, from the
tiniest worm to] the enormous elephant; from the bee
in our gardens to the mountain eagle ; from the insignif-
icant reptile' to those monstrous serpents which are
the terror of the desert ; from the imperceptible an-
imalcule to those moving mountains which agitate the
deep. What an admirable variety in their form and
disposition ! To some is given strength, to others in-
dustry ; to all, the qualifications necessary to fulfil their
destiny. At length, all other creatures being named,

afford any motive for attributing to th e term day a meaning at variance
with the usual one, Catholics commonly accepted it in this obvious
way, for it is in conformity with a general rule wisely followed, that
Scriptural words ought to be taken in their literal sense, unless there
be valid grounds for another interpretation. It is enough for us that
the word day, in the first chapter of Genesis, may have the signification
of period, without any violence to the sacred text, and that the Church
is far from forbidding such an explanation.—See Lvell, Molloy, Wal-
worth, Chateaubriand and Jouin.46	A CHRISTIANS DUTY.

God willed to give them a master, and so created the
first man, whom He called Adam.

Nothing can be more ridiculous than the system of the
ancient philosophers respecting the creation of the world.
Some believed the world to be eternal; others ascribed its
formation to chance. Democritus, who retired to the
tombs in order not to be disturbed by the traffic of the
living, attributed the creation of the world, and even
human freedom, to a fortuitous concurrence of atoms.
This system, which was also that of Epicurus and Lucre-
tius, dishonors the mind of man. According to Thales,
the origin of all things is water. Anaximenes thought it
was air, and Heraclitus, fire.

One philosopher pretends that man was born of the
sea-foam warmed by the sunbeams, and another that he
descended from the oyster. The oyster, in its perfection,
became a fish, the fish became an amphibious animal,
the amphibious animal a quadruped, the quadruped a
monkey, and the latter, at its perfect development, be-
came a man. (i)

Of what delirium is not man capable, when unenlight-
ened and guided by Faith, and possessing no other light
bat reason !

Exercises.—Has the world always existed ? Relate in order the
work of the six days of Creation. During geography or Catechism,
some time, ask your teacher to give you the two views of the duration,
or meaning of ''days," as found in The Genius of Christianity, by
Chateaubriand, and The Gentle Skeptic, by Rev. F. Walworth. It you
are sufficiently advanced, study and find the sameness existing
between those old-time theories about man, and what so-called phil-
osophers of to-day advance. (See Note 4.)

(1) The Venerable author here anticipates Darwinism, so widely
discussed in our day."Ai® WMEfdg ©HAS ©puBoVi, a KINEHL ©©WMj

MOlfSI^QKI© AM® KHKgKW V® PB^YEB,
©©QKHrffKM© ffMEIrJE 0© WOfKIQIK] W WgASRP
WMQ@K! "ffBOJlS SHE W30E) A®? TOEKEa'''THE ANGELS.

47

SECTION II.

OF ANGELS AND OF MEN.

Angels and men are the most perfect creatures which
God has created, because they alone are endowed with
intelligence, and capable of knowing and loving their
Creator, and were made to be eternally happy in the
possession of Him.

CHAPTER I.

Of the Angels.

" And is there care in Heaven, and is there love

In heavenly spirits to these creatures base,

That may compassion of their evils move ? \

There is ; else much more wretched were the case

Of men than beasts. But oh ! the exceeding grace

Of highest God, that loves His creatures so,

And all His works with mercy doth embrace ;

That blessed angels He sends to and fro

To serve to wicked men, to serve His wicked foe !

How oft do they their silver bowers leave,

To come to succor us that succor want !

How oft do they with golden pinions cleave

The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant,

Against foul fiends to aid us militant !

They for us fight: they watch and duly ward,

And their bright squadrons round about us plant ;

And all for love and nothing for reward :

Oh, why should heavenly God to man have such regard ?

—Spenser.

Although there is no mention of the angels in the ac-
count of the Creation, it is nevertheless believed that they
were created on the first day, when God said, u Let
there be light !,? This is the opinion of St. Augustine.48

a christian's duty.

God made the angels in Heaven, says the Holy Scripture,
and created an innumerable multitude.

The angels are pure spirits—that is, intelligences, not
intended, like our souls, to be united to a body.

The name angel signifies messenger. (1) The Scriptures
give us a great number of examples where these blessed
spirits were sent to men. The Archangel Gabriel was
sent to Zachariah and the Most Holy Virgin, and Raphael
to Tobit. Abraham, Jacob, Gideon, Moses, and a great
number of Old Testament personages, were also favored
with angelic visions. Angels are represented with wings,
to mark with what promptitude they execute the orders
of God. (2)

All the angels were created free ; ail could have re-
mained faithful, and have merited the happiness for which
they were created. But the first among them, called
Lucifer, because of the splendor of light with which God
had endowed him, forgot what he owed to his Maker, and
desired to place himself on an equality with Him. A
great number of the heavenly host followed his exam-
ple ; (3) but a still greater number joined themselves to the
Archangel Michael, who blasted the rebels, exclaiming,
" Who is like unto God ? Who like Him is great, power-
ful, holy, just and good V7

Thus these evil angels were cast into hell, where they
will suffer horrible penalties throughout eternity. In

(1)	In the New Testament it is used for Bishops and pastors of church-
es ; as Apoc. i. 20 : "The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches." Also ii. 1, 8, 12, 18, etc.

"Angels he calls you ; be your strife
To live on earth an angel's life."

(2)	" The helmed cherubim and winged seraphim." —Milton.
(3 "Him long of old repel

Thou didst, and down from Heaven cast,

With all his army."—Milton.THE ANGELS.	49

order to afford us an occasion to prove our love to Him,
and merit a greater reward, God permits these spirits of
darkness (called also demons) to tempt us and incline us
to evil.(l) But, at the same time, He affords us the grace
which is necessary to resist them. We can anticipate
their attacks by prayer and watchfulness, and overcome
them by the grace which Jesus Christ hath merited and
acquired for us by His sufferings and His death. Those
angels who remained loyal were established in grace.
They entered into the joy of the Lord, with which they
shall be eternally satiated, in the contemplation of His
adorable perfections.

There are three hierarchies (2) of those blessed spirits,
and in each, three distinct orders. The first hierarchy
comprises the Cherubum, the Seraphim, and the Thrones ;
the second, Dominations, Virtues, and Powers ; the third,
Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. We know from
the Holy Scriptures that the occupation of the angels is
to sing the praises of God ; (3) to adore Him; to present
our prayers to Him, and to protect those who invoke
their aid.

We ought to have a great respect for all these blessed
spirits, but we ought specially to honor our holy Angel
Guardians.

(1)	" The power of devils is not so great as to enable them to tempt us
as much and as long as they please. Of this we have a conspicuous
example in Job; the devil could have tpuched nothing belonging to
him if God had not said: < Behold all that he hath is in thy hand
whilst,on the other hand,he and his children, and all that he possessed,
would have been entirely and at once destroyed by the devil if God
had not said: 'Only put not forth thy hand upon his person.' "—Cate-
chism of the Council of Trerd.

(2)	"Angels, by imperial summons called,

Forthwith from all the ends of Heaven appeared,

Under their hierarchs in order bright."—Milton.

(3)	" Speak ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,
Angels ! for ye behold Him, and, with songs

And choral symphonies, day without night,

Circle His throne rejoicing."—Milton.50

a christian's dutt.

We know, from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself, that
the very smallest child has one of these heavenly spirits
to guard him. What a sweet consolation it is for us
to be assured that we have ever beside us a protector
sent by God from Heaven, who watches over us day and
night, to prevent the angel of darkness from hurting us !
In him we have a real friend, equally faithful, wise, en-
lightened, and powerful; a safe guide, ever ready to
direct us in the way that leads to Heaven. Can we forget
what the holy angels do for us ? And ought not this recol-
lection to open our hearts to sentiments of fear, of grati-
tude, of confidence, and of love? Ought it not to make
us docile to their inspirations, to pray to them frequently,
and always with fervor, and to imitate their fidelity ?

u Behold, I will send mine angel before you, saith the
Lord. Beware of him and obey his voice, for he will
not pardon your transgressions, because My Name is in
him. But if ye will o&ey his voice, and keep My com-
mandments, I will be an enemy to thine enemies, and I
will afflict them that afflict thee." (1)

Scripture is full of exafnples of the charity of the
angels for man. Hagar, driven forth from Abraham's
household, and reduced to despair in the wilderness, was
comforted by an angel. By the ministry of angels, Lot
and his family were snatched from the guilty city about
to become a prey to the flames. Daniel was saved
by an angel from the jaws of the lions. An angel
enabled Judith to gain the victory over Holofernes. It
was an angel that came to Peter in prison, broke his
chains, deceived the vigilance of his guards, rescued
(1) Exodus xxiii.THE ANGELS.

51

him from the fury of Herod, and restored him to the
prayers of the Church.

Only three angels are mentioned in Scripture by their
proper names : St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.
The name of the first signifies, Who is like unto God f—
words which he uttered when opposing the rebel angels.
That of Gabriel signifies the strength of God, and that of
Raphael, God's remedy, or, GodJs medicine.

"The Lord,'7 says the Psalmist, "has ordained His
angels to keep us in all our ways. They shall bear thee
in their hands, lest thou hurt thy foot against a stone."

Exercises. —What was the cause of the fall of the angels, and how
were they resisted ? What are demons ? How are we to resist their
attacks ? What are the three hierarchies of angels ? How do we know
that we have an Angel Guardian, and what does he do for us? Does
any pupil remember the lesson about angels in one of the earlier Read-
ers in this series ? Repeat it, if known. Let the teacher give some spe-
cial reward to any pupil who will recite the subjoined poem correctly.
Or, how would it be to learn it just to please your dear Guardian
Angel ? Would that not be sufficient inducement and reward ?

To Our Guardian Angels.

" Angels of light, spread your bright wings and keep
Near me at morn :

Nor in the starry eve, nor midnight deep,

Leave me forlorn.

" From all dark spirits of unholy power
Guard my weak heart ;

Circle around me in each perilous hour,

And take my part.

" From all foreboding thoughts and dangerous fears
Keep me secure ;

Teach me to hope, and through the bitterest tears
Still to endure.

" Should my heart faint at its unequal strife,

Oh, still be near !

Shadow the perilous sweetness of this life
With holy fear,

" Then leave me not alone in this bleak world,

Where'er I roam ;

And at the end, with your bright wings unfurled,

Oh, take me home."—Procter.52

A chbistian's duty.

CHAPTER II.

Of Man.

" What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason ! how in-
finite in faculty ; in form and moving how express and admirable !
in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! The
beauty of the world, the paragon of animals !"—Shakespeare.

" How poor, how rich, how abject, how august,

How complicate, how wonderful, is man!

How passing wonder He who made him such!"

— Young.

God, being desirous of distinguishing man from the
rest of visible creatures, seems to have reflected within
Himself at the moment of his creation : 66 Let us make man
in Our own Image, after Our Likeness." He formed
his bodv of the earth, and animated it with an intelligent
soul capable of thinking, willing, and loving. It is in
this respect that man is made in the image of God ; and
He will possess Him eternally if he proves himself
worthy of this happiness by the practice of virtue.

The first man needed a companion. She was taken
from himself, and received the name of Eve ; and thus
Marriage was instituted. (1)	' *

All mankind are born of these first parents. They
ought, therefore, ever to be only one family, and to love
each other as the children of the same father. Man is
not formed of body only : he has a soul capable of think-

(1)	u The pure, open, prosperous love,

That, pledged on earth and sealed'above,

Grows in the world's approving eyes,

In friendship's soul and home's caress:

Collecting all the heart's sweet ties
Into one knot of happiness."—Jfoore.OF MAN.

53

ing and loving,a soul which in its nature is incorruptible
and immortal. (1)

A Roman emperor had a stag that had become tame.
It was fed at the palace, to which it returned daily after
visiting the adjacent woods. This animal was a favorite
of the Emperor, who, fearing lest in the journeys which
it made outside it might be pursued and wounded, caused
a collar of gold to be made for it, upon which he engraved
these words, " Touch me not : 1 belong to Ccesar*v

We came from God; we belong to Him; we are Plis.
He therefore marks us with His seal. Our soul, with its
faculties, our body, and all the organs of the senses, bear
the impress of Deity. Let us not, then, allow ourselves
to be seduced by bad examples, led away by passion, and
reduced to slavery by the malign spirit who is our worst
foe.

Exeecises. - -How did the" Almighty distinguish man from the rest
of His creatures ? How was Eve formed ? Show that the poet Young's
description of man is correct, by pointing out: 1. Three ways in
which he is poor; '2. Three ways in which he is rich; 3. Two ways in
which he is or may be abject ; 4. Two ways in which he is or may be
august: 5. Three ways in which he is complicate or wonderful,

(1)	" The soul, uneasy and confined from home,

Rests and expatiates in the life to come/'—Pope.54

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER III.

Of the Spirituality and Immortality of the Soul.

f' Now, traveller in this vale of tears,

To realms of everlasting light,

Through Time's dark wilderness of years
Pursue thy flight ;

u The soul, of origin divine,

God's glorious image, freed from clay,

In Heaven's eternal sphere shall shine,

A star of day.

The sun is but a spark of fire,

A transient meteor in the sky ;

The soul, immortal as its Sire,

Shall never die.'v—Montgomery.

The faithful under the New Covenant are not the only
persons who have professed to believe in the immortality
of this soul of ours. The ancient Patriarchs and Prophets,
and all worshippers of the true God, have equally believed
it and made it the motive of their conduct. The great
sages of antiquity, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and a multi-
tude of others, by the light of reason, aided by some
traditional recollections, have recognized that death is
not the end of the entire man, but that his real self
will still survive after experiencing this catastrophe, which
is nothing more than the separation of two substances,
the soul and the body, which make up his nature.

We can no more doubt the presence of two sub-
stances within us, than we can doubt our own existence ;
for that within us which thinks, which meditates, calcu-
lates, compares, reflects—that which is capable of such
a great variety of knowledge and feeling—cannot be
material. But the dogma of the immortality of the soul is
not founded merely upon simple conjectures or a few prob-OF MAN.

55

abilities. Primeval revelation; the general persuasion
of the human race ; the ideas which God lias given us of
His goodness. His power, and -His Justice, are the foun-
dations of a verity as comforting to the good man as it is
terrifying to the wicked. (1)

After his sin, man was condemned to death ; his body
was to return to the dust from which it had been taken.
But if his soul was to perish with his body (2) if that prin-
ciple of life which emanated from the Creator was to be
annihilated, the promise of a Redeemer was motiveless
and absurd. Hence the dogma of a future life, and, con-
sequently, of the immortality of the soul, has always been
one of the fundamental articles of primitive religion. It
was the hope of our first parents ; as it will be ours, if we
faithfully observe the precepts which the Lord has given us.

The belief in a future life, and, necessarily, of the im-
mortality of the soul, has been generally received by all
the nations of the universe. Idolatry, far from destroying
it, gave it a fresh force ; or rather, it was the very abuse
of this belief that became one of the sources of idolatry.
The apotheosis of great men, and the divine honors paid
to them after death, could never have been established if
they had believed that man wholly died.

In creating a being of a capacity as vast as that of our
souls, God could have had no other aim in view than to
render it happy by the possession of a good worthy of it-
self, worthy of His works. Can this happiness be found
in the world ? Is the most virtuous man always the most

(1)	" Our own brief life should teach us this:

That life shall live for evermore ;

Else earth were darkness at the core,

And dust and ashes all that is."—Tennyson.

(2)	" Dust thou art, to dust returnest,

Was not spoken of the soul."--Longfellow,56

a christian's duty.

fortunate ? Alas ! the experience of every day tells
us only too much that the contrary is the fact.

Divine Justice is still another proof of the immortality
of the soul. Often in this world we behold virtue hum-
bled and vice triumphant. It is necessary, then, that or-
der should be re-established, that vice should be punished,
and virtue rewarded. But how is this order to be re-es-
tablished, and how is Divine Justice to exercise its rights,
if the soul is not immortal ? It may perhaps be said that
remorse is the punishment of crime ; but what is remorse
without faith ¥ (1) We fearlessly assert that to deny the
spirituality and consequent immortality of the soul, is to
give the lie not only to the common belief of all peoples,
but also to sound reason and common sense.

This truth, professed in all ages and by nearly all man-
kind, is, no doubt, terrible to the wicked. It follows him
every where, (2) and rends his heart, despite all his efforts
to calm it.

The free rein which he has given to his passions makes
him dread eternity, because he has nothing to expect
which will be profitable to him. He would like not to
believe it; but remorse pursues him : he doubts, or rather
believes despite himself. His incredulity, ofteti as-

(1)	" Remorse is as the heart in which it grows :

If that be gentle, it drops balmy dews
Of true repentance ; but if proud and gloomy,

It is a poison-tree that, pierced to the inmost,

Weeps only tears of blood."- Coleridge.

(2)	"As one that on a lonely road

Walketh in fear and dread,

And having once turned round to look,

Doth turn no more his head,

Because he knows a frightful fiend
Doth close behind him tread."—Coleridge.OF MAN.

57

sumed, reveals the guilty heart. u When the thought of the
future comes to the unbelieving/' says Young, " they
cringe, they tremble, they doubt, they believe."

The righteous, On the contrary, finds in this truth the
strength he needs to endure the ills of this present life.
More than this, it is his hope for eternity.(l)

u Why has God willed," asks St. John Chrysostom,
u that our bodies, after death, should become so horrible
and deformed ? The eyes are extinct, the cheeks pale,
the lips livid, the hands nerveless, and all the members
are given over to corruption and the worm. Is it not to
make us feel that this body, while living, did not derive
its beauty from itself?—that the nobleness of this brow,
the brilliancy of these eyes, the vermilion of these cheeks,
the majesty of this countenance, and the gracefulness of
this form, proceeded from some other source than itself—
that is to say, from the soul, which must consequently be
more beautiful, more vigorous and noble ? "(2)

A few hours before his death, Bernardin de Saint
Pierre, author of Etudes de la Nature, seeing his children
weeping around him, addressed them in these touching
words : u This is but a separation of a few hours ; do not
make it so painful to me. I feel that I quit the world,
but not life. Adieu, my dear friends ! Avoid evil, do
good, live Christian-like, and we shall meet again one
day." (3)

(1)	" What hope of answer or redress ?

Behind the veil! Behind the veil ! "—Tennyson.

(2)	Thoughts of Pere Lajeune.

(3)	Compare the eloquent description of the death of St. Francis
Xavier by one of the ablest historians (a Protestant, too):—58

a chbistian's dutst.

Exercises.—Have any besides Christians recognized the immortality
of the soul ? What is the foundation ol our belief in the immortality
of the soul ? In what way is Divine Justice a proof of a future state ?
In what beautiful prayer to our Blessed Lady is the earth called
"a valley of tears"? Repeat that portion. What promise made to
Christian teachers says that they shall be as •' a star of day " ? Repeat the
last lines of "The Psalm of Life," from which Note 2 is taken, and
show how we are there taught belief in "labor here, rest beyond the
grave." What words of Holy Writ prove what the poet Young says :
the wicked "tremble, they believe"? Give the words of St. John
Chrvsostom on the body after death in your own language. Write it
as a home exercise.

CHAPTER IV.

The Fall of Man,

" Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world and all our woe,

Sing, heavenly Muse."—Milton.

" See here the fruit of wandering eyes,

Of worldly longings to be wise,

Of passion dwelling on forbidden sweets ;

Ye lawless glances, freely rove :

Ruin below, and wrath above,

Are all that now the 'wildering fancy meets."—Keble.

When man came forth from his Creator's hands He was
just, holy, happy, and adorned with excellent gifts ; his

" The angel of death appeared with a summons, for which, since
death first entered our world, no man was ever more triumphantly
prepared. It found him on the vessel, on the point of departing for
Siam. At his own request he was removed to the shore, that he might
meet his end with the greater composure. Stretched on the naked
beach, with the cold blasts of a Chinese winter aggravating his pains,
he contended alone with the agonies of the fever which wasted his vi-
tal powers. It was a solitude thronged by blessed ministers of peace
and consolation, visible in all their bright and lovely aspects to the
now unclouded eye of faith ; and audible to the dying martyr through
the yielding bars of his mortal prison-house, in strains of exulting joy
till then unheard and unimagined. Tears burst from his fading eyes
—tears of an emotion too big for utterance. In the cold collapse of
death, his features were for a few brief moments irradiated as with the
first beams of approaching glory. He raised himself on his crucifix, and,
exclaiming, ' In Te Domine, speravi, non con fundar in wternum,' he
bowed his head and died."—Sir James Stephen, D. 0. L.} " Essays."THE FALL OF MAN.

59

mind was illumined with divine light, which showed him all
that he ought to know. He needed neither books nor mas-
ters to become instructed ; his will was upright, and without
any bias to evil; nothing disturbed the peacefulness of
his soul} he suffered neither pain nor inconvenience in
the body ; and he was not to die.

Meanwhile, God owed it to His Majesty to require from
man the devotion of his heart and proofs of his love and obe-
dience, This is why, after placing him in the terrestrial
Paradise, He forbade him to touch a particular fruit, while
permitting him the use of all the rest. This command,
which was so easy of fulfilment, especially to man, inno-
cent and inclined to good,(l) was accompanied by a most
terrible threat—the penalty of death. But, despite God's
benefits and threatenings, the woman allowed herself to
be seduced by the demon, who had assumed the form of
a serpent. After eating the forbidden fruit, she presented
it to Adam, and involved him in her disobedience.

In that hour everything became changed for them. (2)
They lost all the advantages which God had given
them at creation ; thick darkness enveloped their minds ;

(1)	"What cause

Moved our grandparents, in that happy state,

Favored of Heaven so highly, to fall off
From their Creator, and transgress His will ?—

For one restraint, lords of the world besides."

—" Paradise LostBook 1.

(2n	•4 Up they rose,

As from unrest ; and each the other viewing,

Soon found their oyes how opened, and their minds
. How darkened ; innocence, that as a veil
Had shadowed them from knowing ill, was gone ;

Just confidence, and native righteousness,

And honor, from about them, naked, left
To guilty shame.

They destitute and bare
Of all their virtue, silent, and in face
Confounded ; long they sat as stricken mute."

—" Paradise Lost " Book IX.60	a christian's duty.

their will became depraved; passion obscured the light of
reason ; their inclinations were corrupted and inclined to
evil. On losing holiness and separating themselves from
God they Became subject to eternal condemnation. Their
bodies were doomed to toil, sickness, and death. The
frightful consequences of Adam's sin have descended to
all his posterityf because his very sin has descended to all
men born of his line- In disobeying God he ruined him-
self and the whole human race, of which he was the sire.
We inherit his disgrace and sin, as we should have in-
herited his innocence and happiness. (1)

All have sinned through the first man, all have disobey-
ed by him. His sin having thus become ours, it follows that
we are all guilty, even before we are born. This is- an
incomprehensible truth^ which Religion does not permit
us to doubt. It is a fundamental dogma of the Christian
Faith. The whole of it turns upon this tenet, since this
sin, which was the source of all evils, was also the primary
cause of our need of a Mediator and a Saviour who should
reconcile us with God, and^ by expiating our sins, ransom
us from slavery.

That all men are guilty, even before they are born, is a
dogma very clearly maintained in Holy Scripture. The
holy King David says himself, " I was shapen in iniquity,

(1) " All men are born, therefore, guilty and children of wrath. They
bear in their souls, which were created to the image and likeness of
God, a mark of the Evil One which obscures the image of the Creator.
They also inherit all the effects of sin. These effects consist in losses
and punishments. 1st. Man lost by sin all the gratuitous benefits with
which his nature was endowed in the persons of our first parents-
sanctifying grace, original justice, as well as the celestial glory of
which this grace was the pledge; and in the natural order he forfeited
corporal felicity and immortality. 2d. He merited positive penalties
—the anger and indignation of God and the shameful slavery and tyr-
anny of the devil. Moreover, fallen from his primitive felicity, man
has impaired his condition both of body and soul. His body has be-
come subject to death, to sickness and pains, and to all those miseries
which nature transformed into an enemy, ever inflicts on Jiim. His
soul also has been attacked and wounded deeply."—Shouppe.THE FALL OF MAN.	61

and in sin did my mother conceive me and the Apos-
tle St. Paul says, " By one man sin entered th^ world,
and death by sin : and So death passed upon all4 men, be-
cause all have sinned."

The pagan philosophers themselves were able, by the
sole aid of reason, if not exactly to know this truth, at
least to suspect that man was born guilty of some crime.(1)
The spectacle of the miseries to which he is exposed
from his cradle, had brought them to this conclusion. In
fact, without belief in original sin, man is in himself a most
incomprehensible mystery ; for how are we to explain all
the contradictions which we find in him? At one and
the same time so much grandeur and so much meanness ;
so much light and so much darkness ; such a lively incli-
nation for happiness, and yet such profound misery! He
approves the good, but does it not; he condemns the evil,
and commits it. (2) Only the belief in original sin can ex-
plain these difficulties and reconcile these contradictions.

Whatever there remains of goodness and light in man
comes from God, and the first institution of his nature.
They are the beautiful remains of a grand edifice fallen into
ruin. Ignorance and vice are begotten of sin, which has
marred the work of God, and so defaced His image that
it is almost unrecognizable.

We may see an example of this rigorous justice in a

(1)	" By what incomprehensible destiny does man form an exception
to this law (of conformities), so necessary for the order, the preserva-
tion, the peace and the welfare, of beings ? As obvious as this har-
mony of qualities and movements appears in the rest of nature, so
striking is their discordance in man. There is a perpetual collision
between his understanding and his will, between his reason and his
heart. When he attains the highest degree of civilization, he is at the
lowest point in the scale of morality; when free, he is barbarous; when
refined, he is bound with fetters. Does he excel in the sciences ? his
imagination expires. Does he become a poet ? he loses the faculty
of profound thought." -ChateaubriancVs " (ronhis of (Christianity."

(2)	The grandeur of man's nature before the Fall may be inferred62

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

king who punishes a rebellious subject by degrading
him and all his posterity. But comparisons drawn from
human things are always imperfect. The regulations of
human justice are but a shadow of those of Divine Jus-
tice. They may assist our faith, but they cannot lay
bare the bottom of this impenetrable mystery.

God created man that he and all his posterity might be
eternally happy. He was just and holy when he issued
from God's hands ; it depended upon himself alone to pre-
serve these precious privileges, and transmit them to his
children. And to do this he had but to remain faithful.
Had he persevered in righteousness, he would have com-
municated the same happiness to all his descendants, and
assured to them an eternal felicity. But his disobedience
forfeited everything. The consequences of his sin—
that is, ignorance, a predisposition to evil, the miseries of
life, the death of the body, and the loss of the soul—have
descended even to us. We should, therefore, have been
shut out of Heaven, if God in His infinite mercy had not
provided a remedy for all our woes by sending us a
Redeemer.

A great lord had a castle with magnificent gardens.
His gardener was a great favorite with his master, who
allowed him, with his wife and children, to reside with
him, permitting him to work when inclined, and placing
the horses and servants at his disposal.

u I make only one condition,77 he added ; u it is, that
you watch with great care over some trees which are

from his power of doing evil. The magnitude of his crimes, wars, etc.,
argues a vast capacity, though perverted. He seems still "archangel
ruined."THE FALL OF MAN.

63

very dear to me. You will try with all your power to
prevent their fruit from being stolen; and I forbid either
you or your wife to taste it, for special reasons, of which
I will one day inform you. But take care : if you eat of
this fruit I shall eject you and all your family. You have
. full liberty to eat of all the other fruits and vegetables as
much as you please.'7 The gardener promised to execute
the orders given him; and he had not much to complain
of, surely. If you had been in his place, would you not
have been satisfied ?

A few days passed happily. The gardener and his
wife were contented, for a prosperous future presented
itself to them and their children. One day the wife was
walking in the garden, very happy, when she perceived
a man close to the choice trees. This man was an old
servant who had been turned away for disobedience.
He began to talk to the woman, who had the imprudence
to listen to his conversation. At first she talked in-
cessantly of their master's kindness, and of the happiness
which she experienced- The old servant, jealous that
others had filled his place, began by paying her compli-
ments, and then, little by little, spoke very ill of her mas-
ter. Unhappily, she listened to him. The domestic per-
ceived that she was curious and weak, probably, too,
slightly gluttonous. Said he, " You don't know why your
master has forbidden you to eat this fruit ? It is because
it is the best of all the lot, and prevents one from dying.
You see how beautiful it is; but its beauty is nothing
compared to its flavor. I have eaten it, and found it
delicious." So saying, he gathered one and presented
it to the woman. She blushed and was disturbed ; but64:

a christian's duty.

weakness, fear of man, and gluttony, carried her away.
She tasted it, and found it delightful j then she hastened to
carry some to her husband, who, out of kindness, aje it
too. Just then their master arrived, and caught them
in the act. They were immediately turned out. They
cried bitterly, and made many promises for the future,
but they were still ejected.

Certainly, they were very guilty, and, in turning them
out, their master only-did what they deserved. If, poor
unfortunates, they were subsequently homeless, dying of
cold and hunger, they had only themselves to blame.

This parable can be very easily applied to the condition
of Adam's sad family.

Exercises.—In what state was man created? Describe the history
and consequences of the Fall. What would have been the conse-
quences had man persevered in righteousness? Why did God re-
quire a proof of obedience from Adam and Eve ? Show how Baptism
helps us to overcome the three great results of Adam's sin. Mention
some circumstances in which there is contradiction between man's
words, sentiments, and actions. Of what is this a proof? Give the
ancient philosophers' views on this point in your own words.THIS IB MY BELOVED SON.....HEAR YE HIM.THE PROMISE OF A REDEEMER.

65

SECTION III.

ARTICLE II.-" AND IN JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY SON, OUR

LORD."

CHAPTER I.

The Promise of a Redeemer.

"All the souls that are were forfeit once,

And He who might the vantage best have took,

Found out the remedy."—Shakespeare.

"We, by rightful doom remediless.

Were lost in death, till He that dwelt above,

High throned in secret bliss, for us, frail dust,

Emptied His glory."—Milton.

Man ivas lost without remedy had God not pitied himr
He had offended an infinite Majesty, and consequently ivas
incapable of repairing his sin, since he could offer no satis-
faction equal to the offence. But by an entirely gratui-
tous mercy, whose effects are as incomprehensible as His
justice, even before He pronounced against Adam the
sentence of doom, God had given him the hope of a Me-
diator. In cursing the serpent which the demon had
made use of to deceive our first parents, He said, u I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and be-
tween thy seed and her seed ; she shall crush thy head."
From which our first parents were led to believe that
from them would be born a Deliverer, who should destroy
the power of Satan. (1)

This promise was fulfilled, but only after the lapse of
four thousand years. God developed it during this long

(1) Genesis iii. 15, " She shall crush," is sometimes rendered, "He
shall," etc. The meaning is, however, the same, since it was by the
seed of the woman—i. e., Christ—that she was to crush the serpent's
head.66

a christian's duty.

interval, and reiterated it with greater distinctness and
more detail. In fact, the promise which God had made
to Adam was subsequently confirmed by that made to
Abraham, destined to be the root and father of a people
specially consecrated to the worship of God. " Get thee
out of thy country/' said the Lord, u and from thy kin-
dred, and from thy father's house, and come into a land
which I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee and magnify thy name.
And in thee shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed."(l)

The promise was renewed almost in the same terms to
Isaac and to Jacob. The latter, divinely enlightened, pre-
dicted more clearly the coming of the Deliverer promised
at the beginning of the world. Upon his deathbed,
addressing his assembled sons, by the Holy Spirit, upon
those things which should happen to their posterity in
the course of time, he spake to Judah, his fourth son, these
remarkable words : "Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise ;
thy hands shall be on the necks of thy enemies ; the sons
of thy father shall bow down to thee. The sceptre shall
not be taken away from Judah, nor a ruler from his thigh,
till He come that is to be sent, and He shall be the
expectation of nations."(2) Thus was the promise origi-
nally made to Adam and Abraham explained and enlarged.

The Saviour was to be born of the family of Judah.
The time of His coming is indicated, namely, when the
sceptre, the pre-eminence and principal authority, was
taken from Judah.

(1) Genesis xii. 1.

(2) Genesis xlix. 8, 10, This prophecy met with a literal fulfilment.
It was in consequence of the enrolment ordered by Augustus Caesar
that Joseph went up to Bethlehem. This census was a manifest proof
of the conquest of Judaea and its absorption as a province into the Bo-
man Empire.THE PROMISE OF A REDEEMER.

67

Three centuries after Jacob's death, God, willing to de-
liver His people from the oppressive Egyptian yoke, raised
up Moses, whom He filled with His spirit and endowed
with the gift of miracles. This holy man, having conduct-
ed the people to the confines of the country which they
were about to possess, and feeling himself about to die,
assembled the Israelites, and renewed to them the promise
of the coming of a Deliverer more potent than himself—
One alone able to introduce them into the real promised
land, of which Canaan was but a type. Thus God kept
alive among His people the expectation of the promised
Messiah. (1)

This Prophet, greater than Moses, the Saviour of His
people, Author of a new law, Mediator of a new covenant,
before whom Moses himself must be silent, and who alone
must be listened to when He speaks, is the Saviour of the
world. His doctrine was destined one day to enlighten
the world, and God Himself was to say of Him : u This is
my beloved Son : hear ye Him ! " (2)

Until His coming, there was to appear in Israel no
prophet equal to Moses, to whom God spake face to face,
and who gave a law to his people.

One day that Daniel poured out his soul before God,
and offered up fervent prayers for his people, the Angel
Gabriel by divine command appeared to the prophet and
instructed him as to the period of Messiah's coming. He

(1) Dent, xviii £5-20. The remembrance of this prophecy, and
the expectation of its fulfilment, were lively at the time of Our Lord's
advent; for one of the questions of the Pharisees to John the Baptist
was, " Art thou the prophet ?" (John i. 21.) Afterward they applied
it to Christ, to whom alone it was due : " This is the prophet(John
vi. 14.)

(2) St. Matt. xvii. 5; iii. 17.68

A CHRISTIANAS DUTY.

calls Him the Eternal Justice and the Holy of Holies,
and tells him of the time decreed of God when he should
appear upon earth and be put to death. He informed
him that God vouchsafed him this signal favor because he
was "a man of desires." (1)

Exerciser.—What would have become of man had not the Messiah
appeared ? Under what circumstance did God make the first an-
nouncement of a Messiah ? What promise was afterward made to
Abraham?' Mention the prophecy of Jacob. Did Moses foretell the
Messiah ?

CHAPTER II.

Development of the Promises.—Future Conversion of the
Gentiles.

" Hark ! a glad voice the lonely desert cheers:

' Prepare the way ! A God, a God appears !'

' A God, a God !' the vocal hills reply,

The rocks proclaim the approaching Deity.

The Saviour comes ! by ancient bards foretold,

Hear Him, ye deaf, and all ye blind, behold !
# # * * # # # # * *

Rise round with light, imperial Salem, rise ;

Exalt thy towery head and lift thy eyes !

See a long race thy spacious courts adorn ;

See future sons and daughters yet unborn,

In crowding ranks on every side arise,

Demanding life, impatient for the skies I
See barbarous nations at thy gates attend,

Walk in thy light, and in thy temple bend ;

See Heaven its sparkling portals wide display,
And break upon thee in a flood of day."—Pope.

Excepting the Jews, all other peoples were plunged in
darkness and the disorders of idolatry. God was pro-
(1) Daniel ix. 23."Z~*r 1 t' "\

,1

-,u' ^
i.

v,^>£^±r^Km^

')11 AND THINE OWN SOUL A SWORD SHALL PIERCE,DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROMISES.	69

foundly forgotten. The demon was adored under various
guises. This impious worship was maintained through a
long succession of ages. Ail the passions to which it was
specially favorable lent it their support. It seemed as if
recovery from an error so ancient and universal was well
nigh impossible. Meanwhile, God had resolved to destroy
the empire of Satan, as He had promised to Adam, and
to recall mankind to the knowledge of the truth.

Such a great renovation was to be the work of
Messiah. And one of the most appreciable signs of His
coming was to be, that He was to convert the nations by
enlightening them. God had not ceased to announce
this event, so favorable to the Gentiles. (1)

The prophets had foreseen it through the divine illu-
mination, and had predicted it in a thousand different ways
many centuries ere its accomplishment, and in periods
when it seemed incredible.

They all announced that Messiah would dissipate the
darkness which before His coming covered the whole
earth ; that he should be a light to the Gentiles ; that
He should also be the Deliverer of the Jews, and form
of both but one people, worshipping the true God.

These prophets were the forerunners(2) of the great King,

(1).	4< GentilesAll who were not Jews were termed Gentiles.
But it is generally used in Scripture to denote the heathen at
large. The Hebrew word is translated in the Vulgate 45 gentes," Greek
ed»a)v, and in English heathen,' peoples, nations. Thus Psa. cxvi, 1:
"Praise the Lord, all ye nations fomnes gentes), praise him, all ye
people." The same Hebrew word is nere rendered nations and people.
" All the kingdoms of the Gentiles shall adore." (Psa. xxi. 28.) 4'0
God, the heathens are come into Thine inheritance.'' (Psa. lxxviii.)

(2)	"Forerunners." The neglected state of the roads in Palestine
rendered it necessary to "prepare the way " for the progress of any
prince. This is described in Isaias lxii. 10 and xl. 3-4. It is still cus-
tomary for great potentates to announce to neighboring states when
they are about to travel.

The prophets, notably St. John the Baptist (specially called the
Precursor), by an apt figure of speech were termed the forerunners of
Messiah, preparing the way of His coming.70

a christian's duty.

sent before His Son to keep men in expectancy of His
coming.

God indicated all the characteristics which were to
unite in the person of the Saviour. He caused all the cir-
cumstances which were to accompany His life, death and
resurrection to be foretold. The Saviour's history was al-
ready written ere His appearance in this world.

David, that saintly King inspired of God, is one of
those who have spoken the clearest. He calls Messiah
his Lord, (1) and recognizes Him as the son of God.
He predicts that His rule shall extend over all nations and*
be only commensurate with the universe. He announces
His ignominies, His cruel death, and the manner of-tor-
ment He was to suffer. He beheld His hands and feet
pierced ; His body violently suspended ; His thirst quench-
ed with gall and vinegar; His garments divided ; and His
vesture drawn by lot. But at the same time he announces
that He would not experience the corruption of the tomb,
and would come forth from it glorious. This prediction
is all the more remarkable as it was made more than a
thousand years before its fulfilment.

Isaiah speaks of Messiah quite as clearly. He beheld
Him come of the family (2) of Jesse, and born of a Virgin
Mother. He calls Him u Admirable," u Father of the
world to come,". u Prince of peace," a Emmanuel," God
with us. a His kingdom shall be eternal," says the
same prophet; " all nations shall bow down before Him.
At His word the lame shall walk, the deaf bear, the dumb
speak, the blind shall see and the dead be raised."

(1). This and the other prophecies of David alluded to are found as
follows:—Psalm cix. 1 ; lxxi. 17? 19; xxi. 17, lxviii. 22; xxi. 19; xv. 10.

(2) The following are the passages alluded to : Isaias yii. 14 ; xi.
1,10 ; ix. 6; xxxv. 6; iiii, 2, 3 ; lii. 14 ; liii. 7 to end; Ix, 3.DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROMISES.

71

But having spoken of Messiah's glory, he speaks also
of His humiliations. He is represented disfigured, un-
known, despised as the vilest of men. He calls Him a
man of sorrows, loaded with infirmities, because He took
our iniquities upon Him, which he expiated by His
sufferings. "They will spit in His face, says he ; u He
will be treated as a criminal ; dragged to execution in
company with the wicked, giving Himself up to death, and
enduring it as meekly as a lamb." The prophet adds
that by His death He will become the chief of a numer-
ous posterity. He is confident that the Gentiles will
flock from all quarters to follow Him, while the Jews,
with the exception of a small number, will be rejected for
their unbelief. What can be more minute, unless it be
the Gospel, and the very history of the Saviour ? Yet this
prediction was made more than seven hundred years be-
fore our Lord's coming. (1)

Other prophets saw the mystery of Messiah no less
clearly. One predicted that Bethlehem, the smallest town
in Juda, should be rendered illustrious by His birth ; an-
other, that He should be sold by one of His disciples for
thirty pieces of silver, and sees even the Potter's field
in the purchase of which the money was to be used. The
same prophet represents Him as a king, but a poor king.
An ass was to serve as His steed at His entry into Jerusa-
lem. The prophet Aggeus proclaims the glory of the

(1) It may be remarked that the Jews have never disputed that
Isaias liii, is a special prophecy of Messiah. They lost sight of His
sufferings, which are as clearly predicted as His triumphs. The well-
known Abbe Ratisbonne has said that he converted more Jews
through this chapter than through any other means. He pointed out
to them that if Christ be not Messias, the world has had no medium of
" receiving forgiveness of sins since the abolition of the Temple sacri-
fices. There is scarcely a Jew who remembers this.72

a cheistian's duty,

second temple, because Messiah, the Desire of all nations,
was to hallow it with His presence.

The prophet Daniel determines the precisa epoch of
His coming. While this prophet is occupied with the
captivity of his people, and the seventy years that it was
to last, he is suddenly elevated by the Spirit of God to
the highest contemplations. He predicts that at the end of
seventy weeks of years, that is to say, after four hundred
and ninety years, a still more awful captivity would ter-
minate, and the human race would be released by the
death of Christ a deliverance consisting in the remission
of sins, and the eternal reign of righteousness. He
announces that, in the last.week, the Christ should be put
to death, a new covenant confirmed, and the ancient
sacrifices abolished. After the death of Christ, he adds,
there will only be horror and confusion. The holy city
and the sanctuary will be destroyed, the people who had
refused to acknowledge Him will be His people no longer,
the abomination will be seen in the Temple, and a desola-
tion without an end.

In short, Malachy the last of the prophets, predicts that,
instead of the ancient sacrifices, a pure offering shall be
presented to the Lord, not only in the Temple of Jerusa-
lem, but in all places, from the rising of the sun to the
going down of the same ; not only by the Jews, but by
the Gentiles, among whom God's Name was to be great.
These prophecies are all contained in those holy books
whose authenticity is attested by the unsuspected testimony
of an entire race. This is the Jewish people, the declared
enemies of Christians, who are forced to treat these writ-
ings with respect, although they find in them their own
condemnation. It is from the Jews that we have re-DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROMISES.

73

ceived them ; and it seems as if God had preserved this
race, amid the ruin of all others, to compel them to ren-
der to these holy books a striking testimony above all sus-
picion of unfaithfulness and alteration.

To convince the mind most incredulous about the di-»
vinity of Jesus Christ, and to prove that this Divine
Saviour is really the Messiah promised by the prophets,
we need only to compare the tokens which were to charac-
terize the Desire of all Nations with the events which
took place at the advent of Jesus Christ upon earth. Ap-
proximate the predictions and the facts; take in one hand
the Old Testament and in the other the New, and the
picture will be so exact that it will be impossible to mis-
take.

In the first place, it is conceded that, at the epoch of
the birth of Christ, the expectation of Messiah was gen-
erally spread abroad, not only in Judea, but throughout
the East. It is a fact attested even by pagan authors
themselves. u It was," says Suetonius, u an ancient and
invariable opinion throughout the East, that at that pe-
riod conquerors would come forth from Judea who should
become masters of the world." Tacitus relates the same
thing. u Many," says he, u were persuaded that at that
time men would come out of Judea who would become
masters of the world." This general expectancy was
founded upon Jacob's celebrated prophecy, which had
predicted that Messiah should come when the Jews ceased
to be governed by a chief of the tribe of Juda; also,
upon that of Daniel, who had fixed the date of the coming
of Messiah at the end of four hundred and ninety years.
The carnal Jews and pagans took these statements lit«
erally, and confounded Messiah?s spiritual empire with-74

a' christian's duty.

the domination of a conqueror. Still, the prophecy is
none the less real? and facts prove that the Apostles who
came forth from Judea subjugated the nations to the
law of Jesus Christ. (1)

The Gospels show us the fulfilment of all the prophecies
which were to characterize the coming of Messiah. He
was born in Bethlehem ; He gave a new Jaw ; He per-
formed the most striking miracles; Pie sanctified the
Temple by His presence ; He died amid the sorrows and
ignominies of the Cross ; He rose again the third day,
etc.

The knowledge of the true God was preserved in the
Kingdom of Ethiopia. Candace, who was its queen in the
times of the Apostles, sent one of her officers to present
her offerings in the Temple of Jerusalem, and to adore
the Lord. This wise minister, having accomplished his
mission, upon his return journey read the prophecy of
Isaiah. The Lord commanded St. Philip the deacon to
run after him. The official read this part of the prophe-
cy : u He was led as a lamb to the slaughter.77 " Do you
understand what you are reading ? 77 asked the man of
God. "How can I,7' replied the official, u unless some
one would guide me 177 Having invited Philip tcf get up
into his chariot, he begged of him to tell him whether the
prophet spake of himself, or of some other man. Philip
seized the occasion to proclaim Jesus Christ, and the
necessity of Baptism. The official believed in the
word of the Lord; and the chariot having reached a spot

(1) Respecting the prophecies of David, as St. Peter showed
(Acts ii.), they never came true in his own person. If they did not
come true in Christ, to whom they apply with great exactness; they
have never been fulfilled at all.DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROMISES.

75

where there was water, he caused it to stop, and asked
what could hinder him from being baptized. Philip hav-
ing replied that there was no hindrance if he believed
with all his heart, the officer made his profession of faith
in these terms, u I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God." Then they went down into the water, and Philip
baptized him. As soon as he was baptized Philip disappear-
ed, and the officer went on his way wondering at what had
happened unto him, and glorifying the Lord for the grace
which he had just received.	'

It is assumed with reason that this personage made
Jesus Christ known to his people, and so became their
apostle.

Exercises.—What was the condition of the world before the coming
of Christ ? Who were the. prophets^ and what did they testify ?
What did David prophesy ? Mentior, some of the circumstances tore-
told fey other prophets. Do the Gospels prove the fulfilment of these
prophecies? Who were the ancient bards" mentioned by Pope?
Show how the sixth line of first quotation was realized. Quote the words
of Scripture. Ask your teacher to show that the Divine Office of "Ad-
vent uses words almost identical with the last two lines from Pope.
How were ailing or deformed children treated before the comma of
Christ?	b76

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

SECTION IV.

Of the Incarnation, Birth and Life of Our Lord Jesus
Christ.

CHAPTER I.

*e WHO WAS CONCEIVED BY THE HOLY GHOST : BORN OF THE
VIRGIN MARY."

The Mystery of the Incarnation.

Be still, ye clouds of heaven !

Be silent, Earth I
And hear an angel tell
Of Jesus' birth ;

" While she whom Gabriel hails

As full of grace,

Listens with humble faith
In her sweet face.

" ' Hail Mary !' Lo ! it rings

Through ages on ;

' Hail Mary !' it shall sound
Till time is done.

{Hail Mary T infant lips
Lisp it to-day;

4 Hail Mary !' with faint smile ,

The dying say.

'' Hail Mary !' many a heart,

Broken with grief,

In that angelic prayer
Has found relief;

And many a half-lost soul,

When turned at bay,

With those triumphant words
Has won the day."—Procter.

The Word, the only Son of God, who was from all eter-
nity in the bosom of the Father, humbled Himself evenAND B011N OF THE VIIIGIN MARY.THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION.

77

to assume a soul and body like our own. It was not the
Father who became man, nor yet the Holy Spirit. It

was the Son, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trini-
ty-

The way in which this mystery was accomplished can
neither be conceived by the human mind, nor expressed
in words. But here is what the Gospel tells us about it:
When the period determined upon in the divine counsels
had fully arrived, an angel presented himself before the
Most Holy Virgin. He saluted her with the title u full
pf grace," and informed her that she would become a
Mother without ceasing to be a virgin ; and that He who
would be born of her should be the Son of the Highest,
and the work of the Holy Ghost.

The Most Holy Virgin believed in the message of the
celestial envoy, and gave her consent. At this moment
the mystery of the Incarnation was accomplished; the
Holy Spirit formed in her the body of Jesus Christ, and
united to it a soul. At the same time, that indissoluble
union of the human and divine natures was formed in the
Person of the Son of God. Thus the only Son of God be-
came man, without ceasing to be God.

From which it follows that the Most Holy Virgin is
really Mother of God, having conceived and borne a God-
Man.

In becoming a mother, Mary ceased not to be a virgin :
Jesus Christ, her Son, being conceived by the operation
of the Holy Ghost. Hence Jesus Christ as man had no
father ; God only permitted Joseph to be the husband of
Mary in order to hide this mystery under the veil of a
chaste marriage. But, as God, Jesus Christ has a Father,
by whom He was begotten from all eternity, and to whom78

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

He is equal. There is in Jesus Christ but one only Per-
son, but there are two distinct natures—the divine nature,
by which, like His Father, He is God ; the human nature,
by which He is man like ourselves, possessing all the fac-
ulties proper to our nature.

Although this mystery infinitely exceeds the capacity
of the human mind, we ought, nevertheless, firmly to be-
lieve it, because God, who is the Supreme Truth, has re-
vealed it. Besides, it is in nowise contrary to reason.
We have in ourselves an image which, although imperfect,
may assist our faith. Our soul, which has a spiritual and
incorruptible nature, is joined to a body material and cor-
ruptible ; and the union of these two substances, so wide-
ly differing, constitutes but a single man. He is at once
soul and body, incorruptible and corruptible, mind and
matter. In the same way, the divinity of the Word, and
the nature of man, united without being confused, form
but one only Jesus Christ, true God and true man, be-
gotten of His Father from all eternity, yet surrounded as
a man with weaknesses; for, with the exception of sin,
and the inseparable consequences of sin, such as ignorance
and concupiscence, Our Lord was subjected to all our
miseries. He suffered hunger and thirst; He was liable
to fatigue, to sleepiness, and to all the infirmities of our
nature ; with this only difference—that He suffered them
because He chose, and we because we cannot help it.

But let us take care not to imagine that the divine
nature was in any way changed in the Incarnation.. God,
without ceasing to be that which He is in Himself, deign-
ed to unite Himself to human nature. He lost nothing by
this union. His humiliation and sufferings only fell upon
human nature. It was as man that Jesus Christ suffered ;THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION.

79

it was as God that he imparted an infinite value to His
sufferings. It was as man that He became a little child,
to be the pattern of all succeeding ages ; it was as God-
Man that he became the Saviour of the human race.

An heretical disciple of Eutyches, (1) meeting in soci-
ety a child who had been carefully educated, wished to make
him believe that there was but one only nature in Jesus
Christ. To convince him, he took two pieces of iron, and
heated them in a fire, and then joined them together &o
as to form but one piece. "It is thus," said he, "that
the divine and human natures united in Jesus Christ
form in His person but one only nature/7 " But," replied
the child, "if you put an ingot of gold in the place of
this piece of iron, and then fuse them together, and make
but one piece, will that piece be entirely iron, or entirely
gold ? Will not each piece remain that which it was
previously !—that is, the one will always be an ingot of
gold, and the other a bar of iron, although joined together.
Doubtless you cannot deny it. Here, then, are two pieces
of metal, one of gold and the other of iron, which, distinct
as they are the one from the other, yet form but one sole
piece. Thus," concluded the child, " the divine and
human natures, although distinct the one from the other,
nevertheless form but^one single person in Jesus Christ."
—Edifying Letters.

Exercises,—By what mystery did God fulfil His promise to Adam
after his fall? How many natures are there in Jesus Christ ? Can
any image of the Incarnation be found in man? Is the divine nature
altered in this mystery ?

(1) A Greek prelate who taught that there is but one nature in Jesus
Christ. His sect is represented by the modem Unitarians-80

A CHRISTIAN",S DUTY.

CHAPTER II.

The Incarnation and Its Results.

" The people that in darkness sat,

A glorious light have seen ;

The Light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been.

" For nnto us a Child is born,

To us a Son is given,

And on His shoulder ever rests
All power in earth and Heaven.

" His name shall be the Princo of Peace,
The Everlasting Lord,

The wonderful, the Counsellor,

The God by all adored."

The Son of God became man to ransom us from the
slavery of sin, and the pains of hell, and to merit eternal
life for us, to which we had no claim, both on account of
the original sin and our own transgressions.

We had offended a God of infinite majesty. His jus-
tice could not be satisfied, save by a reparation propor-
tioned t<o the injury inflicted by sin. Man by himself
was therefore unable to offer to God this adequate satis-
faction, or to deserve pardon. Only the Son of God
made man, true God and true man, could offer this satis-
faction by suffering as a man, and by imparting as God
an infinite value to His sufferings. By this wonderful
mystery of the Divine Wisdom, sin was punished and
the sinner saved. Hence, in Jesus Christ, Justice and
Mercy are reconciled ; the wrong done to God is amply
repaired, and God is honored as He ought to be.

Thus Jesus Christ became our Mediator. He is a per-THE INCARNATION AND ITS RESULTS.

81

feet Mediator, appertaining to God by His divinity, and
to us by His humanity. He could suffer a-s we do, be-
cause he had a nature like ours ; and reconcile us to
God by His sufferings, being God Himself; a Mediator
who by reason of His perfect holiness is infinitely accept-
able to Him with whom He interposed for the reconciliation
of sinners. We may understand this truth better by a simil-
itude. If a king has been insulted and outraged by the mean-
est of his subjects, neither the guilty person, nor any other
subject, can offer to the royal majesty a satisfaction pro-
portionate to the offence. All that the offender could do
would be always far beneath the gravity of the offence. But
if the son of this same king, heir presumptive to the throne,
moved with sympathy for this unfortunate, descends
from the throne, lays aside his royal ornaments to cover
himself with sackcloth and ashes, and in this condition
prostrates himself before his father, offering to endure the
guilty one's punishment, in order to procure his pardon : —■
we can conceive that such a profound humiliation is a satis-
faction proportioned to the greatness of the offended person,
and fully repairs the wrong ; and the king, without dero-
gation from justice, (1) can bestow mercy on the criminal.
This is a figure of the grace which sinful man has received
from God, through the Incarnation of His Son. How
wonderful is God in all His works, but especially in His
work of love ! What a benefaction He has bestowed by
giving us His only Son to save us ! what gratitude do

(1) "Justice" This lias two meanings in Scripture, or rather two
shades of meaning. Primarily, it means doing that which is holy.
Its equivalent is righteousness or right-doing. The man who does jus-
tice Qr righteousness is called just and righteous. Holiness is a syn-
onym, but justice also means the execution of the sentence of the law
upon offenders. The official pronouncing such sentence is called a
justice, because he sees to the punishment of those who will not do
right or justly.82

a christian's duty.

we owe this generous Saviour, who divested Himself of
His glory to clothe Himself in our nature, subjecting Him-
self to our infirmities; and being in all things like unto
us !

Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, far from appeas-
ing the great scandal occasioned by a priest named Atha-
nasius, who had preached that Mary ought not to be call-
ed Mother of God, publicly praised the preacher, main-
taining that there were two persons in Jesus Christ as
well as two natures, and therefore the Blessed Virgin ought
not to be called Mother of God, but only Mother of Jesus
Christ. Saint Cyril of Alexandria combated and "refuted
these errors. The Pope, St. Celestine,condemned them in
a council held at Rome A. D. 430. The following year,
the great Council of Ephesus was convened against
Nestorius. This famous heresiarch, who was held in horror
by all people because of his impiety, was condemned and
deposed from his Patriarchate. The Fathers of the coun-
cil notified to him the sentence of his excommunication,
which was couched in these terms : u The sacred council
assembled by the grace of God in the city of Ephesus ;
to Nestorius, the modern Judas. Know thou, that for the
wicked doctrine which thou hast preached, and for thine
obstinacy in maintaining it, thou art deposed by the holy
council from thy rank and from all ecclesiastical dignity,
according to the laws and regulations of the Church."
Nestorius was exiled to Africa by the Emperor Theodosius
the Younger. A frightful ulcer formed upon his tongue,
in which worms appeared that gnawed it to the very roots.
After wandering in all sorts of places, he died in great
misery and fearful pains, impenitent.—Merault.BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

83

Exercises.—Why did Jesus Christ become man ? Prove that Jesus
Christ alone could repair the wrong done to God by sin. What is
meant by the ocean having u quite forgot to rave"? Explain these
two lines :

"The light has shined on them who long
In shades of death have been. "'

How many reasons debarred us from eternal life? What exception

must be taken to the expression "this generous Saviour......being

in all things like unto us " ? Ask your teacher to relate the touching
account of the condemnation of Nestorius, and of the note dropped
out of the Council window declaring that '• Mary had prevailed.''
Mention examples of other preachers of error who were punished.

CHAPTER III.

Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

<s Ho .v peaceful was the night
Wherein the Prince of Light

His reign of peace upon the earth began;

The winds, with wonder whist,

Smoothly the waters kiss'd,

Whispering new joys to the mild ocean,

Who now hath quite forgot to rave,

While birds of calm sit brooding on the charmed wave.

" The shepherds on the lawn,

Or e'er the point of dawn,

Sat simply chatting in a rustic row:'

Perhaps their loves, or else their sheep,

Was all that did their silly thoughts so busy keep.

•'When such music sweet
Their hearts and ears did greet,

As never was by mortal finger strook;

Divinely warbled voice
Answering the stringed noise,

As all their souls in blissful rapture took ;

The air, such pleasure loth to lose,

With thousand echoes still prolonged each heavenly close.

"Ring out, ye crystal spheres,

Once bless our human ears,

If ye have power to touch our senses so;

And let your silver chime
Move in melodious time ;

And-let the bass of heaven's deep organ blow;

And. with your ninefold harmony,

Make up full concert to the angelic symphony,"-— Milton,84

a christian's duty.

Augustus Caesar having ordered a census of all the
inhabitants of the Empire, Joseph and Mary repaired
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, from whence their family had
originally sprung. There, in the year of the world 4004,
the Son of God came into the world, at midnight, in a
poor stable, Joseph's poverty not allowing him any place
in the inns. His birth was immediately announced by
angels to certain shepherds keeping watch by turns over
their flocks. "Glory to God!" exclaimed these celestial
spirits, announcing the happy tidings;—"Glory to God
in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good
will."

Eight days after His birth, the Child was circumcised,
and on that same day the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph,
according to the command of God which they had re-
ceived from an angel, gave Him the name of Jesus, sig-
nifying, Saviour, because He had come to save all men,
and to rescue them from sin and hell. The name of
Christ was added to that of Jesus, signifying, the Anoint-
ed or Consecrated One. Not that He had been con-
secrated in any actual manner, but because of His hypo-
static union with the divine nature. We also call Jesus
Christ Our Lord, (1) because He has a special right over
all Christians, whom He has ransomed at the price of His
blood.

A few days after the circumcision of Jesus, He was
acknowledged as God and King by the three Magi, who,
led by a star, had come from the East to worship Him.

(1) This name of Jesus had only once before been borne by a public
character, the famous captain who had conducted the Israelites into
the Promised Land. Joshua was a significant type of Christ; Jesus is
the Greek form of His name. Christ had never been previously borne
as a name. St., Paul'says, "To us (Christians) there is but one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things," (I. Cor. viii. 6.)BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

85

Having reached Jerusalem, and no longer seeing the
star, they inquired in what place the King of the Jews
was born. The doctors of the Law, questioned by Herod,
replied that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.
Herod, alarmed, and already planning the death of the
infant God, requested the Magi to inform him of the place
wheie they should find Him, feigning a wish to worship
Him too. The Magi went their way, found the Child,
and offered Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. But,
warned by an angel that Herod desired to slay the child,
they returned home by another way.

Forty days after the birth of Jesus the Most Holy Vir-
gin and St. Joseph carried Him to the Temple to present
Hirn to Gcd. This was according to the Jewish Law,(l)
because He was the First-born. The Blessed Virgin ful-
filled at the same time the law of purification, offering
according to that law a pair of turtle-doves. It was the
offering of the poor upon such occasions. What an ex-
ample of humility, and fidelity to the law !

Herod, seeing that the Magi did not return, conceived
the design of putting to death all the infants in Bethlehem
and the neighborhood who were under two years old, in
order to include the Saviour in the massacre. But Jo-
seph, warned of all by an angel, had fled with Jesus and
Mary to Egypt, where he remained till after the death of
this barbarous prince. Then he returned to Judea, and
dwelt at Nazareth in Galilee.

The Gospel tells us that when twelve years old the

(1) This law (St. Lukeii, 23, 24) required the solemn presentation
of every first-born male child to the Lord, accompanied by an offer-
ing, which was his ransom. All the first-born of cattle were dedi-
cated to God and slain in sacrifice. The Jews were permitted to re-
deem their first-born sons. Thus the necessity of redemption was
constantly kept before the people.86	a christian's duty.

/

Child Jesus was taken to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast
of the Passover according to the Jewish custom. He re-
mained behind in the Temple unperceived by His par-
ents. Seeing at length that He was not with them, they
walked about all one day vainly seeking Him among their
kinsfolk and acquaintances. This caused them to return
to Jerusalem. There they found Him in the Temple,
seated in the midst of the Doctors, hearing them and ask-
ing them questions in such an astonishing manner, that all
those who heard Him were surprised at His understanding
and answers.

At the age of thirty, Jesus Christ was baptized in the
river Jordan by St. John the Baptist. At the same time
the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove,
and the Eternal Father declared from the highest Hea-
vens that Jesus Christ was His beloved Son. Imme-
diately the Spirit led Jesus into the desert, where He
fasted during forty days without eating or drinking.
It is after this pattern that the Church has established
the Lenten fast.

Jesus then permitted the demon to tempt Him, to show
us the inevitable necessity of passing through trials,
to teach us we must resist temptation, and to merit
for us the grace necessary to victory.

A mother, as pious as she was enlightened in the faith,
advised her children never to allow a day to pass without
asking the benediction of the Child Jesus. " As soon,''
said she, " as you have faid your morning and evening
prayer, imagine that the Blessed Virgin appears before
you carrying the Child Jesus in her arms. Bend your-
selves respectfully before her and fervently say : i 0 Mary,THE DOCTRINE* OF JESUS CHRIST.

87

deign to spread oyer me the hand of your Divine Son, in
order that blessed by Him, I may avoid the evil that die-
pleases Him, and perform the good which is pleasing to
Him ; that I may imitate Him m His obedience and His
other virtues, and at last possess Him with thee in Hea

Exercises.—What does the Gospel say of the principal circum-
stances of the birth of Christ? What mean the words Jesus Christ,
and why is He called " Our Lord " ? What design did Herod conceive,
and how did Jesus escape ? Relate the circumstances of our Lord's
Baptism.

CHAPTER IV.

The Doctrine of Jesus Christ.

"Tho' truths in manhood darkly join,

Deep seated in our mystic frame,

We yield all blessings to the Name
Of Him who made them current coin.

"For Wisdom dwelt with mortal powers,

Where truth in closest words shall fail,

Where truth, embodied in a tale,

Shall enter in at lowly doors,

" And so the Word had breath, and wrought
With human hands the creed of creeds
In loveliness of perfect deeds,

More strong than all poetic thought;

St Which he may read that binds the sheaf,

Or builds the house, or digs the grave.

And those wild eyes that watch the wave

In roarings round the coral reef." —Tennyson.

On issuing forth from the desert, Jesus Christ began
to preach the New Law which He had brought to man.
From among the great number of disciples that followed88

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

Him, He selected twelve, whom he called Apostles, (1)
that is, envoys, persons sent forth, because He was to em-
ploy them in the conversion of all nations. These twelve
Apostles were Peter, and Andrew his brother, James, John,
Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, the son
of Alpheus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot.

The law which Jesus Christ had come to bring into the
world was truly admirable. It formed such a com-
plete body of doctrine that nothing can be added to it or
taken froui it. It points out to man all his duty toward
Grod, toward his neighbor, and toward himself. It is ap-
plicable to mankind considered collectively, and to each
one in particular, in every situation in which they may
be found. It is suitable to every age and clime. Upon
a close examination of this morality, we are compelled to
agree that He who was its author must have had the deep-
est acquaintance with man's mind, his heart, his passions,
and all his weaknesses, and the remedies applicable to
them, as well as of the true end of his being, and the
means that ought to be used to attain unto it.

It is evident that if mankind conform to this morality,
they will be as good and happy as it is possible to be in this
world. Let us imagine a truly Christian people, that is,
men who love God as their father, and each other as breth-
ren, all having but one heart and soul, tending to the
same end, marching all toward the same goal,—Heaven,

(1) " Apostles." Persons commissioned to proclaim something. St.
Paul says, "We are ambassadors on behalf of Christ." The word disciple.
is in places used as meaning apostle, but the two are as distinct as
clergy and laity. We call the first missionary, the pioneer of the
Gospel to any country, its apostle. So, St. Patrick is the apostle of Ire-
land; St. Austin, of England; St. Boniface, of Germany ; St. Francis
Xavier, of the Indies. The solemn choosing of the Apostles shows
what high \alue Christ set upon their office; and the Church has evei* ex-
ercised the same care in choosing their successors.THE DOCTRINE OF JESUS CHRIST.

89

none among them ever ceding right to passion, or the
general to the individual welfare ; but each one, on the
contrary, finding his happiness in that of his fellow ; shar-
ing in his troubles and helping him to bear them;—such
a people would certainly be a great sight to the universe.
Yet such would be any state entirely composed of veri-
table Christians. Peace, the sweetest fruit of charity,
would reign in their midst. The cry of disorder would
never make itself heard, because there would never
be injustice, or violence, or jealousy, or rivalry. No real-
ly unhappy person would be found there, because there
would be none wicked. Good would be pure good and
evil would be evil no longer, because Charity would make
good and evil common to all alike. What tranquillity in all
varying circumstances ! What resignation in losses !
Old age, infirmity and sickness would be consoled by the
assurance of a happier future, and death itself would only
be regarded as the transition from temporal good to that
which is eternal.

Yes, such would be results of the morality of Jesus
Christ if practised. The universe would be peopled with
friends, and the whole world would become a paradise.

Let us quote a few of these divine precepts. "Fear
not," says Our Saviour, " those that can kill the body,
but fear Him who can cast soul and body into hell.
Love God with all thy heart, and recollect, no man can
serve two masters. Be not ashamed of Me before men
and I will recognize you before My Heavenly Father,
Take care not to do your actions to be seen of men.
If thine eye, thy foot, thy hand, become an occasion of
scandal, pluck it out, cut them off and cast them far from
thee. Idle looks, desires, and words even, are forbidden90

a christian's duty.

and condemned. "Take no care as to what you shall eat,
or wherewith you shall be clothed. Consider the birds of
the air : your Father feeds them. Behold how He decks the
flowers of the field. (1) Do good to all; love even your
enemies. Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven, Judge not,
and ye shall not be judged. A cup of cold water given
in My Name shall not go unrewarded. If you are troubled,
rejoice. If you suffer for righteousness7 sake, shout for joy,
because a great reward is reserved for you in Heaven."
What sublimity, what holiness is there in such morality \
The mysteries taught by Religion are doubtless be-
yond comprehension; but the motives they furnish for
belief are more than sufficient to satisfy any reasonable
mind. (2)

(1) " Flowers! when the Saviour's calm, benignant eye
Fell on your gentle beanty ; when from yon
That universal lesson for all hearts He drew,

Eternal, universal as the sky;

Then, in the bosom of your purity,

A voice He set as in a temple shrine,

That life's quick traveller ne'er might pass you by

Unwarned of that sweet oracle divine.

And though too oft its low, celestial sound
By the harsh notes of work-day care is drowned,

And the loud steps of vain, unlistening haste,

Yet the great ocean hath no tone of power
Mightier to reach the soul in thought's hushed hour,-
Than yours, ye lilies ! chosen thus and graced."

—Mrs. Hemans.

(2) " Some unbelievers have asserted that they would willingly admit

the Christian religion, on account of the sublimity and purity of its

moral teaching, if it were stripped of all its mysteries. But this is a

mere pretence. It is not the necessity of believing the mysteries
which prevents them from professing the Christian religion, but the
moral obligations which Christianity imposes upon them. Could
they be freed from these obligations and follow the bent of their
passions, they would not object to these mysteries, since they are

ready to admit the greatest absurdities, in order to find a pretext for

refusing submission to the teachings of the Church,"—Jouin.ALL POWEK IS GIVEN TO ME.1'LIFE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

91

Diderot was surprised by a friend while reading the
Gospels to his daughter. The friend expressed his aston-
ishment, and the philosopher replied : u After all, what
can I teach her that is better than this ? " The famous
Byron, enemy of the true faith as he was, desired that his
daughter might be educated in its principles. And how
many others would have admired the sublimity of the Gos-
pels, and believed in and adored its mysteries, had it not
enjoined the putting away of every evil and the practice
of every virtue!

Exercises.—What did Jesus Christ do on coming forth from the des-
ert ? What are the special features of Christ's doctrine ? Cite some
of His precepts.

SECTION V.

CHAPTER I.

Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ.—His Miracles.

" The Saviour comes, by ancient bards foretold ;

Hear Him, ye deaf, and all ye blind, behold!

He from thick films shall purge the visual ray,

And on the sightless eyeball pour the day.

'Tis He th' obstructed paths of sound shall clear,

And bid new music charm th' unfolding ear :

The dumb shall sing, the lame his crutch forego,

And leap exulting like the bounding roe.

No sigh, no murmur, the wide world shall hear :

From every face He wipes off every tear."—Pope.

Jesus Christ demonstrated the divinity of His mission,
not only by the exact fulfilment of the prophecies which92

a christian's duty.

during four thousand years had announced His coming,
but also by a great number of prodigies performed in His
own Name.

If the prophecy is an evidence of divine intervention,
the miracle, when incontestable, is none the less so. If
we beheld a man command Nature, for instance, walk
upon the waters, render sight to the blind, raise up the
dead, we should have no doubt that such an one was sent
of God. We should feel that such acts were above human
power, and that none but God could interrupt ' the ordi-
nary course of the laws of Nature. It was thus that our
Lord proved His mission.

The Gospels inform us that He did a great number of
miracles. He raised the dead ; He calmed the tempest
by rebuking the wind and the sea; twice He multiplied
bread in the wilderness to feed the large multitudes
that followed Him ; He changed water into wine; ren-
dered sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, motion
to the paralytic ; He cured the most inveterate diseases
in a moment, often with a single word, sometimes without
even approaching or seeing the sick person.

And remark, all Our Lord's miracles were useful to
man. They were as much proofs of His goodness as
effects of His power. They were not done ostentatiously.
Herod desired in vain to see one of these prodigies.
He never performed one to satisfy curiosity, but He
never refused to heal any of the sick who implored His
aid.

The reality of His miracles is incontestable. They
were not done in secret places, but in the midst of the
streets, in public places, in the Temple, in the sight of
an entire people. The resurrection of Lazarus tookLIFE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

93

place at .Bethany, not far from Jerusalem, before a multi-
tude of witnesses.* The healing of the man paralyzed
for thirty-eight years, and that of the man born blind,
took place at Jerusalem. This last miracle made a
great stir. The rulers of the Synagogue were alarmed,
and interrogated the blind man and his parents. But
these inquiries only served to prove the reality of the
miracle, and to give it more notoriety. If Our Lord per-
formed some few' in the desert, it was in the presence of
several thousands of persons. The greater part of
His miracles were done under the eyes of the Pharisees
and Doctors of the Law, His most declared enemies, and
the most disposed to cast doubt upon them. But, con-
founded by the evidence of these same miracles, they
could not deny them, and were even compelled formally
to acknowledge them. u What shall we do ? said they 5
u this man doeth many miracles, and if we let him go on,
all the world will believe in him.?'

We conclude, then, and boldly assert, that the miracles
of Jesus Christ were sufficiently splendid and numerous
to prove that He was sent from God,—the Son of God.
None of the ancient prophets did anything resembling
them. Hence the people, filled with admiration, acknowl-
edged Him as the Messiah. u This," said they, 61 is in-
deed that Prophet which should come into the world.
A great Prophet is risen up among us, and God hath
visited His people.'7

Our Lord not only did a great number of miracles Him-
self, but gave His disciples the power to perform them.
He said to them, u Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,
raise the dead, cast out devils*" And, in the course
of their ministry, the Apostles performed these marvels.94

a christian's duty.

They showed thereby that they spake m the name
of the Author of Nature ; and we see what a great effect
these wonders produced. It was by these means that
they converted the entire world. The Christianization-of
the world is a substantial proof of the miracles performed
by the Apostles. Religion could not have been established
upon a more solid foundation. Its evidences—the mir-
acles and prophecies—are capable of being understood by
the simplest mind, and nevertheless able'to convince the
most enlightened. God raised up a crowd of inspired
men, who, many centuries previously, exactly predicted
events which it was impossible to foresee. To this first
evidence is added that of the most indubitable of mir-
acles, performed in the sight of all Judea, multiplied in
countless ways, and repeated in all parts of the earth.
What stronger proof can be required to produce a full
conviction and an unshaken faith ?

A young man, being in society where miracles were
inveighed against, felt himself bound to take up a word
in defence of his faith. He cited, first of all, Celsus, Julian,
and Porphyry, unsuspected witnesses, who all agree that
Jesus Christ astonished the earth by His miracles. He
then quoted the admissions of Rousseau and of Voltaire;
but his surprise was great to find men more incredulous
than Rousseau, their master, more obstinate than an apos-
tate in refusing to believe in miracles.

Resuming the conversation, he thus continued, "It
seems that you are determined not to yield to the authority
of your masters, and that according to you Julian and
others were too credulous, . I will therefore only ask you
one thing, which	doubtless readily agree to: isTHE VIRTUES OF OUR LORD.

95

it not difficult to believe our dogmas, and still more so to
practise our lessons of morality ? " There was an unani-
mous exclamation, u Difficult! say impossibleThe young
man continued, u But if our mysteries are so incredible,
if it is impossible to believe them, how is it that they have
been believed throughout the world ? How was it that
the Gospel made disciples in all ranks of society, even in
the palaces of kings, when Baptism was a pledge" of
martyrdom 1 v This speech covered them with confusion,
and they were unable to reply.— Merault.

Exercises.—Was it only by the exact fulfilment of prophecy that
Christ proved His divine mission ? Name some of the miracles which
He wrought. Were Our Lord's miracles well authenticated ? Did
He transfer the power of working miracles to His Apostles ? Naihe
some miracles performed by Sts. Peter and Paul. SHow that Christ
appealed to His works (miracles) as proof of His divinity, and as
grounds on which the Jews should believe in Him.

CHAPTER II.

Of the Virtues of Our Lord.

"All qualities that form a man,

God's noblest image here below;

Tho' doomed to more than common woe
Prom the first moment life began;

The hero's courage in the fight;

A woman's tenderness and tears ;

. Patience, that wrong unruffled bears ;

A fearless love of Truth and Eight;

" The model of the little child; —

Or toiler battling hard for God :

Earth's thorniest path Thy footsteps trod,

Yet ever pure and undefiled.

" All human eyes that watch and weep,

O Man of Sorrows, turn to Thee :

From Bethlehem and Calvary
Flow words of comfort strong and deep.

" Something of Thy pure human life
E'en we may strive on earth to live,

That by and by we may receive
Their crown who conquer in the strife."—Oswald Keatiyige.96

a christian's duty.

Jesus Christ practised Himself the Law which He
taught us in the highest degree of perfection. His whole
life was but a faithful exposition of His doctrine. The
more we contemplate His actions, the more we admire the
pre-eminent sanctity which shines through all His con-
duct. (1) He willed to pass through the state of infancy, to
give an example of the virtues which belong to that age.
His" obedience to St. Joseph and the Most Holy Virgin
comprises all the virtues of childhood. When a child is
submissive and docile, he listens to and follows in every-
thing the counsels of those in authority over him ; and
what progress in knowledge and piety he achieves by
such behavior! Jesus Christ continued in the practice
of these peaceful and obscure virtues up to the age of
thirty years, when He commenced His public ministry.
Then the most sublime virtues were seen to shine in
Him. His mildness was admirable. As it had been
written of Him, He did not break the bruised reed nor
quench the smoking flax. He never repulsed any. He
received the greatest sinners with kindness ; He did
not hesitate to eat with them. If reproached for this
condescension, He replied, u I am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners.'7

They that are whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick. He has depicted Himself under the image
of a kind father who runs to meet his ungrateful child,

(1) It was necessary that He should prove by example that che
morality which He taught was practicable. The charge made by His
enemies, even now, is, that it is incompatible with man's life in the
world, and above his powers. He fulfilled. His own precepts to the
very letter, not as God, but as man. The distinguishing #ait of this
morality is simplicity : this makes it most practical, which cannot be
said of the precepts of Epictetus and Seneca.

4'In Him the lowliest swain

May read his homely lesson plain."THE VIRTUES OF OUR LORD.

97

throws himself upon his neck, and bathes him with his
tears, abandoning himself to the transports of joy inspired
by his return. He embraced the little children most kindly,
laying His hands upon them and blessing them ; saying to
His disciples, " Suffer the little children to come unto Me,
and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdon of Heaven."

Everywhere He displays a characteristic kindness
which charms us and inspires confidence ; but this sweet-
ness did not prevent Him from strongly reproving har-
dened sinners, especially the Pharisees, whom He publicly
reproached with their pride and hypocrisy.

Jesus displayed an invincible patience under all sorts
of evils* Follow Him from the stable where He was born,
to Calvary, where he died, and everywhere we find Him in
pain, labor and suffering. He endured hunger, thirst,
the fatigues of journeys, and all the inconveniences of
poverty. He willed to possess nothing upon earth. He
had not even a stone whereon to lay His head. He sub-
sisted upon that which was voluntarily furnished by those
to whom He proclaimed the word of God. He supported
uncomplainingly the pressure of the crowd which follow-
ed Him, the importunities of the sick with which He
was continually overwhelmed. He was insulted and out-
raged, yet He never made reprisals.(1)

It was in the various circumstances of His Passion that
He especially manifested a truly divine patience. De-
spite the extreme pains which He endured, no complaint,
or reproach, or menace whatever, issued from His lips.

(1) These lessons of patience and complete unworldliness were, so
at variance with all ihat generally characterizes great popular leaders,
that they distinguished the Teacher as different from all others. The
confession of the very officers sent to arrest Him was, "Never man
spake like this man."98

a christian's duty.

When fastened to the Cross, He prayed for His execu-
tioners.

The whole life of Jesus Christ was a constant exercise
of the most profound humility. Hence He says, u Learn
of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart." He willed
to be born of a poor Mother. He passed thirty years in
obscurity ; and when He revealed Himself, He ever fled
from the grandeur and pomp of the world. He never
sought His own glory. He forbade the publication of His
miracles. In Him, detachment from riches went so far
that He lovetd poverty, and contempt of honors, even to
seek for humiliations. The knowledge He had of the
vanity of pleasures made Him prefer suffering and the
Cross. (1)

It was therefore with reason that He reproached the
Jews for not yielding to the truths which He proclaimed.
A holiness so perfect certainly proved that He was the
Sent of God.

A holy man was accustomed to say to those who con-
sulted him about their spiritual affairs:—u In all your
different actions keep the Saviour ever in view. They
will then acquire a sublime degree of perfection, and every

(1) Milton has well said : —

" Many are the sayings of the wise,

In ancient and in modern books enroll'd,

Extolling Patience as the truest fortitude ;

And to the bearing well of all calamities,

All chances incident to man's frail life :

Consolatories writ

With studied argument and much persuasion sought,

Lenient of grief and anxious thought :

But with the afflicted in his pangs, their sound

Little prevails, or rather seems a tune

Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint :

Unless he feel within

Some source of consolation from above,

Secret refreshings that repair his strength,

And fainting spirits uphold.' —Samson Agonistes.THE VIRTUES OF OUR LORD.

99

difficulty that you meet will be smoothed away.(l) Upon
awaking, consider with what fervor His holy humanity
rendered its duty to the Divine Majesty. Mark the dis-
positions with which He gave Himself up to the work of
the profession which He had embraced, to teach us to hal-
low labor ;(2) how He conversed with His neighbor, and
how He took His meals; what were the privations to
which He condemned Himself for love of us. If you are
poor, recollect that He had not even a ston^ whereon to
lay His head. If you suffer, look at His wounds. If
your enemies persecute you, think upon the "hatred of the
Pharisees. If your friends abandon you, consider that
He was sold by Judas, denied by Peter, and forsaken by
alFHis disciples. In a word, never lose sight of this Di-
vine Model in whatever situation you may find yourself,
and your life will be truly angelical.

Exercises.—What virtues did Onr Lord practise during His life at
Nazareth ? What lessons of patience did He give to the world ? How
did He display His humility ? Mention three special lessons He gave
. to children. Show how Christ manifested patience, that wrong un-
ruffled bears," and yet a " fearless love of truth and right." Name
some "words of comfort strong and deep" that came from Calvary.

(1)	" A servant by this means

Makes drudgery divine ;

Who sweeps a room as for Thy sake,

Makes that and th' action fine."

— George Herbert.

(2)	" My father worketh until now; and I work."—John v. 17. .100

a christian's duty.

SECTION VI.

Of the Mystery of Redemption.

CHAPTER I.

" suffered under pontius pilate ) was crucified."

"Ciook on His head, that bleeding head.

With crown of thorns surrounded ;

Look on His sacred hands and feet,

Which piercing nails have wounded'

See every limb with scourges rent;

On Him the Just, the Innocent,

What malice hath abounded !

" Tis not alone those limbs are racked,

But friends too are forsaking ;

And more than all, for thankless man

That tender Heart is aching :

O fearful were the pain and scorn
By Jesus, Son of Mary, borne,

Their peace for sinners making.

"None ever knew such pain before,

Such infinite affliction,

None ever felt a grief like His

In that dread Crucifixion :

For us He bare those bitter throes,

For us those agonizing woes

In oft-renewed infliction."—Faber,

The divine holiness which shone in Jesus Christ, the
purity of His doctrine, the splendor of His miracles,
instead of softening and winning the hearts of the Phar-
isees and the chiefs of the Jews, only served to kindle
their envy, and inspire them with the cruel idea of putting
Him to death.

When the hour had arrived in which Jesus Christ was to
give Himself up to the hatred of the Jews, and so work
out our salvation. He sent forth two of His disciples to" FOR THE SINS OF HIS OWN NATION
SHE SAW HIM HANG IN DESOLATION."me mystery of redemption.

101

prepare the Passover, and in the evening He repaired
with the rest to the place indicated. Having eaten the
Paschal Lamb according to the Law, he rose from table,
girded a towel round Him, and commenced to wash His
disciples' feet. Returning to table, He took bread and
blessed it, and, having given thanks, He changed it into
His Body 5 He then took the cup containing wine, and
changed it into His blood. In this way He instituted
the sacrament of the Eucharist, and commanded His dis-
ciples to renew what He had done, and thus perpetuate
the memory of His death until the end of the world.
After this memorable act Jesus Christ made a long dis-
course to His Apostles. He testifies the greatness of
His love for them, prophesies their approaching flight,
and promises to show Himself to them after His resur-
rection. He then left the supper-room and repaired to the
Garden of Grethsemane. Upon arrival, He left His disci-
ples to pray.

Reflecting upon the enormity of sin, the greatness of
the sufferings which He was about to endure, and the abuse
which men would make of His merits, He was seized with
a mortal sadness, and the pain He experienced produced an
abundant sweat of blood. Returning to His disciples
and finding them asleep, He repaired again to the scene
of His prayer, and, prostrating His face to the earth, said,
u O my Father, if it be possible remove this cup from Me ;
nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done." Then an
angel appeared unto Him, strengthening Him. (1) Imme-

(1) " Nowhere," says St. Ambrose, "do I so much admire the divine
love and greatness of Jesus. He gave Himself up a prey to suiferings,
on account of my weakness. < He hath borne our infirmities and carried
our sorrows.' (Isa.liii. 4.) He bears our sins; He mourns for us."102

A chkistian's duty.

diately Jesus had concluded His prayer, Judas, who had
separated himself from the rest of the Apostles at the
close of the supper, appeared at the head of a band of
men armed with swords and staves to seize Him. This
traitor went straight to Jesus and kissed Him, according
to the signal agreed upon with those whom he led. Jesus
was kind enough to call him friend, and contented Him-
self with reminding him of the crime he had committed in
thus betraying Him. He then asked the people accom-
panying Judas, " Whom seek ye t" They replied,
u Jesus of Nazareth to which He answered, u I am he
at which words they fell to the ground. This fall, as
extraordinary as it was unforeseen, ought to have made
them enter into themselves, and acknowledge Christ's
power. But their hearts were so hardened, that, as soon
as they were allowed to rise, they seized and bound Him,
to drag him to Jerusalem. Meanwhile, all the disciples
forsook Him and fled. (1)

"To the still wrestlings of the lonely heart
He doth impart
The virtue of His midnight agony,

When none was nigh,

Save God and one good angel, to assuage

The tempest's rage.

Mortal! if life smile on thee, and thou find

All to thy mind,

Think who did once from Heaven to hell descend,

Thee to befriend;

So shalt thou dare forego, at His dear call,

Thy best, thine all."

(1) Matt. xxvi. 56. This cruel act of selfishness must have wound-
ed Him deeply, for, in speaking of it previously, He says, "Ye will
leave Me alone." Their ingratitude was most conspicuous in this.THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION.

103

The Jews took Jesus, first of all, to Annas, the father-
in-law of Caiaphas, who was the High Priest for that
year; then to Caiaphas himself, who questioned Him
concerning His disciples and His doctrine, Jesus replied,
u I have spoken openly to the world, and in secret I have
spoken nothing. Ask them who have heard Me : they
will testify to what I have said." At these words one of
the officers gave Jesus a blow, which He suffered with
a patience quite divine.

The chief priests, knowing that they could not convict
Jesus of any real crime, sought for false witnesses, in
order to have a pretext for condemning Him to death.(1)
But this plan did not succeed, because the witnesses
did not agree with each other, which compelled the High
Priest to ask Him upon oath if He was the Son of God.(2)
Jesus replied that He was, and that he would one day
be seen sitting at the right hand of the power of the
Father. Then the High Priest rose from his seat and,
rending his garments, declared that Jesus had blasphemed,
that they had no need of witnesses, and that He merited
death. This was confirmed by the chief priests and
the scribes present. Then those who held Jesus spat in

(1)	This shameful proceeding was in direct violation of the law.
Perjury was more severely dealt with by Moses than by any subse-
quent lawgiver. He sentenced the false witness thus: " They shall
render unto him as he meant to do unto his brother." See Deut. xix.
16-21.

(2)	The High Priest made this solemn adjuration in cases of doubt;
and it was to show His respect for a divinely appointed law that Jesus
replied.104	A CHBISTIANS DUTY.

his face, and, having blindfolded Him, some of them gave
Him blows, while they demanded, u Prophesy unto us, 0
Christ, who is he that struck thee ? v They uttered many
such blasphemies against Him.

While Jesus suffered all these outrages, Peter caused
Him still more acute pain. This disciple, having follow-
ed Him in the distance, went into the palace of the High
Priest, where a maid-servant accosted him, saying that
doubtless he was one of Jesus7 disciples. He denied it.
Others reiterated the same thing, but he still denied it.
Then one of the High Priest's servants having declared
that he had seen him in the garden with Jesus, Peter,
seized.with alarm, swore that he knew Him not. Jesus
by a look recalled to him what He had said, that he
wTould deny Him, and Peter went out and wept bitterly. (1)
Meanwhile, Jesus, still in the power of His enemies, had to

(1) "We may almost say of St. Peter's fall as the Breviary says of the
Fall, " Ofelix culpa! " for what pregnant lessons do we gather from it
of tenderness and love ! Some of these are admirably expressed by
Mrs. Browning : —

"The Saviour looked on Peter. Ay, no word,

No gesture of reproach
And Peter, from the height of blasphemy,

41 never knew this man \' did quail and fall,

As knowing straight That God, and turned free,

And went out speechless from the face of all,

And filled the silence, weeping bitterly.

I think that look of Christ might seem to say,

4 Thou Peter ! art thou then a common stone,

"Which I at last must break My heart upon ?

Did I yesterday

Wash thy feet, My beloved, that they should run
Quick to deny Me, neath the morning sun ?

And do thy kisses like the rest betray ?

The cock crows coldly. - Go, and manifest
A late contrition, but no bootless fear;

For when thy final need is dreariest,

Thou shalt not be denied, as I am here :

My voice to God and angels shall attest,

Because I Know this man, let him be clear.' "—

—Bonnets : Wor'ks, p. 360.ME MYSTEKY OF KEDEMPTION.	105

Suffer the most painful injuries and treatment during the
whole night.

When the morning was come, the chief priests and
elders of the people held a council to find some means of
putting Him to death. They led Him to Pontius Pilate,
the Governor of Judea, telling him that He was a pervert-
er of the nation, forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, and
pretending that he was the King Messiah. Pilate, hav-
ing questioned Jesus, and finding Him guiltless of any
crime, told the Jews to take Him and judge Him accord-
ing to their law. But the chief priests replied that they
were not allowed to put any one to death. (1) Then, re-
doubling their clamor, they asserted that Jesus had stirred
up the people by His doctrines, which He had proclaimed
from Galilee to Jerusalem. (2)

Having learned that Jesus was from Galilee, and on
this account subject to the jurisdiction of Herod, the King
of that country, and being besides glad to be rid of the
matter, Pilate sent Him to this Prince, who was then at
Jerusalem. Herod, having questioned Jesus upon the
chief charges which the priests and scribes alleged
against Him, and not being able to elicit from Him any

(1.) The Jewish authorities could only try ecclesiastical causes;
capital punishment remained in the hands of the executive.

(2) These charges were framed with great ingenuity. They were
ad captandum, for they embraced three things which were specially
detested by the Komans. As they only maintained their sway by
force, they found it difficult to collect the tribute, the collectors
(publicans) being wholly ostracized by their countrymen. Any one,
therefore, who intensified this difficulty, " forbidding to give tribute
unto Caesar, " would be specially obnoxious to them, while he would
be popular with the Jews. These latter were in great expectancy of
the appearance of a mighty potentate, whose chief work was to crush
the Roman yoke. The conquerors were always in dread of popular
risings under such pretenders. The subsequent history of Bar-Co-
chebas proves that they had ample cause.—See Milman's History of the
Jews.106

a christian's duty.

reply? despised Him. Having scornfully clothed him in
a white robe, he sent Him back to Pilate. (1)

Pilate, who possessed more probity than the chiefs of
the Jews, being desirous of liberating Jesus, because he
saw that they had denounced Him from envy, but not
wishing to displease the Jews, tried to soften them. Hav-
ing therefore called those who accused Jesus, he told them
that neither Herod nor himself had found Jesus guilty
of any of the crimes of which they accused Him. Still,
to satisfy them, He would chastise Him and let Him go.
But the Jews being dissatisfied with this proposal, he was
obliged to seek for some other means of delivering Jesus.
He thought he had discovered it in the custom of the
Roman governor to grant at the solemn feast of the Pass-
over, upon the demand of the people, the liberty of a
prisoner, whoever he m ight be. As there was then in prison
a notorious robber named Barabbas, Pilate asked of those
present which of the two, Jesus or Barabbas, they wish-
ed him to deliver to them. Pie thought that they would
be very far from preferring a seditious murderer to Jesus,
in whom he found no fault at all. But the chief priests
persuaded them to ask for Barabbas, which induced them
to cry out all together, Ci Let Jesus be crucified ! Deliver
unto us Barabbas I v

Pilate, seeing that all the proposals which he had made
to the chief priest and to the people were unsuccessful,
and finding no means of delivering Jesus, resolved to
cause Him to be cruelly scourged, in order to move their
compassion by showing Him all covered with blood.
He therefore abandoned Him to the fury of the soldiers,

(1) This was the Herod who imprisoned and slew John the Baptist,
and whom Josephtis so eloquently denounces as "assassin, adulterer,
and coward/'THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION.

107

who, having torn Hirn with whips, (1) arrayed Him in a
purple robe, crowned Plim with thorns, and; placing a reed
in His hand, bent the knee before Him in mockery, saying,
u Hail, King of the Jews !" They spat in Hie face, and,
taking the reed, they struck Him on the head.

Pilate, seeing Jesus in this pitiable condition, brought
Him out of the Pretorium, and, sitting upon the judgment-
seat, said to the Jewrs, u Behold the man." He added
that though he had caused Him to be thus ill used, yet
he found no fault in Him. But the chief priests and
their officers at sight of Him cried out, " Crucify Him !
Crucify Him lv Pilate again said, " Behold your King !"
They replied that they had no king but Caesar, and that
according to their law Jesus ought to die, because He
made Himself the Son of God.

Pilate, still more frightened at these last words, sought
for some other expedient to save Jesus. But the Jews,
impatient of delay, cried out that if he delivered Him,
he declared himself to be an enemy to Caesar. (2) This
speech successfully intimidated Pilate, who, causing
water to be brought, washed his hands, saying, "I am
innocent of the blood of this just man." To reas-
sure him, the Jews replied, u His blood be upon us and
on oar children ! v(3)

(I)	The Roman scourge was a thong of rawhide with several small-
er thongs at its end, somewhat resembling the English army scourge
(cat-o'-nine-tails) ; each thong was armed with a piece of lead at its
extremity. As there was no fixed number of blows, all being left to
the discretion of the soldiers, the victim barely escaped with life.
The horrors of the knout in Russia have excited universal execration,
yet how few think of what Our Lord endured !

(10) John xix. 12. The Caesar for whom these Jews entertained so
sudden a liking was the infamous Tiberius.

(II)	St. Matt, xxvii. 26. Of all imprecations this is assuredly the
most terrible, viewed in its after consequences. It is felt to be so; for108	a chfistian's duty.

Then the feeble governor abandoned Jesus to the rage
of His implacable enemies. These, having divested
Him of the purple robe, put His own clothes on Him, and,
loading Him with the Cross, led Him away to crucify Him.
Exhausted with fatigue and suffering, the Saviour fell
several times beneath the weight of this enormous bur-
den. This caused the soldiers, upon meeting a man named
Simon coming from the fields, to compel him to carry
the Cross. (1) We cannot guess the motive of this con-
duct. It was probably dictated from a fear lest He
should die on the way, and so they would be unable to
crucify Him, rather than by any feeling of compassion.

It was at a place called Calvary, near Jerusalem, that
Jesus was crucified. Upon the height of the Cross they
placed this inscription, u Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews." Those that passed by blasphemed Him,
shaking their heads and saying, u Thou that destroyest
the Temple of God, and buildest it in three days, save
Thyself; if Thou be the Son of God, come down from the
Cross."(2)

The chief priests, with the scribes and the elders, also

mocked Him, saying, u He saved others : Himself He can

not save." Two thieves had been crucified with Jesus,

a distinguished Rabbi has very recently written an elaborate work to
prove that the crucifixion of Jesus was the work of the chief priests, and
not of the Jewish people. (" JBlicke in die Religiongeschichte des zweiten
Ghristlichen Jahrhunderts," by Dr. M. Joel, JBreslau, 1883.)

(1)	St. Matt, xxvii. 32. According to an interesting tradition this
man became a Christian, and is the father of the saint alluded to by
St. Paul in Romans xvi. 13. He is called by St. Mark "the father of
Alexander and Rufus." (St. Mark xv, 21.) This Rufus is in Latin
Rufinus, a name found in the Catacombs.

(2)^	This is a notable instance of how report changes and transforms
a saying. The remark that " a tale loses nothing by the telling," is
amply illustrated here. There was just enough truth in this asser-
tion to make the lie plausible. An "it is said that"is, of all sayings,
the most suspicious.THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION.

109

one on His right hand, the other on His left. They made
the same reproaches. One, however, was converted/and
begged Jesus to remember him when He came to His
Kingdom. Jesus assured him of this by saying, u To-day
shalt thou be with Me in Paradise" (1) Then He en-
treated His Father to forgive those who had caused His
death. Addressing Himself to His holy Mother, whom
He saw at the foot of the Cross, and showing her St. John,
He said, " Woman, behold thy son and to St. John, " Be-
hold thy mother V Subsequently He said, u I thirst!?? and
they offered Him vinegar. It was thus that the Prophet
had foretold that He should be treated for love of us,
and that He would heal our wounds by His bruises.

A young lady, wishing to embrace the religious life,
went to see the superior of a convent, to inform her of
her intentions. The latter, desirous of putting the postu-
lant's constancy to some sort of proof, conducted her to
the chapel and informed her of the time which she would
have to spend in prayer, not only during the day, but
during a portion of the night. She then led her to the
dormitory, and pointed out the inconvenience and hard-
ness of the bed upon which she would have to take the
little repose allowed by the Rule. She showed her the
different parts of the house in which nature was pun-
(1) St. Luk«j xxiii. 39-44.

44' Lord, when Thy kingdom comes, remember me
Thus spake the dying lips to dying ears ;

O faith which in that darkest hour could see
The promised glory of the far-off years!

Yet hear the words the dying Savio.ur saith,

' Thou too shalt rest in Paradise to day !'

0 words of love, to answer words of faith I
O words of hope for those who live to pray."110

a christian's duty.

ished,—the refectory, where she would partake of only
one meal, badly prepared, the chapter-room, where
the least fault was rigorously punished, etc. Then she
desired to know if she persisted in her resolution. 'What
was her astonishment when the neophyte replied, with as
much candor as firmness : u Mother, I imagine that na-
ture must have much to endure here ; but one thing con-
soles me : wherever you have taken me I have seen a
crucifix. Can we find anything hard to perform, with
that sight before our eyes 1"

As of old, in the desert, those among th e Israelites
who looked upon the serpent of brass were healed of the
bites of the fiery serpents, so those who with a lively
faith look at Jesus Christ upon the Cross, will be cured
of the bites of the serpents of hell.— St. Augustine.

Exercises.-Relate the circumstances of the institution of the Eu-
charist. Relate the circumstances of Our Lord's Agony. Relate the
circumstances of the Flagellation. Describe Our Lord's death. Name
the different transgressions for which holy writers tell us that the
various sufferings of Christ were a satisfaction.

CHAPTER II.

" HE WAS DEAD AND BURIED."

"By Jesus' grave, oti either hand,

While night is brooding o'er the land,
The sad-and silent mourners stand.

'• At last the weary life is o'er,r
The agony and conflict sore
Of Him who all our sufferings bore.

"Deep in the rock's sepulchral shade.
The Lord by whom the worlds were made,
The Saviour of mankind, is laid.

'' O hearts bereaved and sore distressed,

Here is for you a place of rest ;

Here leave your griefs on Jesus' breasfc."DEATH AND BURIAL OF JESUS CHRIST.	Ill

For three hours Jesus Christ had suffered extreme
agonies upon the Cross, when He cried out with a loud
voice, u Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit!??
Then,bowing His head, as though giving Death permission
to strike Him, He expired. (1) Extraordinary prodigies oc-
curred while Jesus was on the Cross. The earth quaked, the
rocks were rent, the graves were opened, the dead arose,
the veil of the Temple was torn in twain ; the sun was ob-
scured, and presented the appearance of a total eclipse,
although the moon was at full. This caused Denis the
Areopagite to say that the God of Nature suffered, or else
the world was about to end. These marvels were without
effect on the Jews. A few only imitated the Roman
Centurion and smote their breast, saying, u Truly this man
was the Son of God ! v t

Meanwhile, the Jews, unwilling that the bodies should
remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, begged of
Pilate to break their legs and have them taken down.
The governor sent a soldier to break the legs of the thieves,
who, seeing that Jesus was dead, pierced His side with a
lance. This the Prophet had foretold ; u Ye shall not
break one of His bones f- and elsewhere, " They shall look
upon Him whom they pierced."

Joseph of Arimathea, desirous of burying the body of
Jesus, asked of Pilate permission to take it down from the
Cross. Nicodemus having joined him, they embalmed it
with precious perfumes and placed it in a new tomb hewn
out of a rock, closing the entrance with a large stone, in
the presence of the holy women who had accompanied
them. We must understand by the words, u Jesus is dead,"

(1) Luke xxiii. 44-47. The fact that the lungs were in full vigor
was proof that He had voluntarily surrendered life, as He had said,
"No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.''112

a christian's duty.

that His soul was separated from His body. But we must
bear in mind that His divinity was not separated from either
soul or body : it remained ever united to both.

Jesus Christ submitted to die, and by His death He
has sanctified ours. He merited for us the grace to trans-
form this penalty of sin into a voluntary sacrifice very
acceptable to God. He submitted to the humiliation of
sepulture, to take away from it all that it has of sadness
for human nature, and in order to fill us with the consoling
hope of the future resurrection of the body.

The spectacle of our Chief shut up in the tomb, from
which He is to come forth full of life, assures us of the
accomplishment of that which the Apostle promises us
for ourselves in these words : our body " is sown in
corruption : it shall rise in incorruption. It is sown in de-
formity ; it shall rise in glory. It is sown a natural body :
it shall rise a spiritual body."

" Whence comes it that you never get angry, and that
you never seem to be moved, whatever they say to you,
or whatever they do to you ?v so asked his virtuous
spouse of St. Elzear, Count of Arian, in Provence. He
answered her thus, " How can I get angry with anyone,
or make complaints, when I think what ignominies were
heaped upon Jesus Christ my Saviour for my sake, what
fearful torments He endured for my salvation ? The sole
thought of His sufferings, and the wonderful charity which
He showed to those who caused Him to suffer and to die,
covers me with confusion when I see that I suffer nothing
for Him."CHBIST*S DESCENT INTO LIMBO.

113

A Vendean peasant returned from battle with his head
cloven by a sabre-blow? and the blood flowing from it in
torrents. Young girls bound up his wounds, weeping.
u My dear children,'' said he, u it is nothing: our Lord
Jesus Christ suffered far more."

Exercises. — What prodigies occurred at Our Saviour's death ?
What do we mean by the words "Jesus .died"? With what hope
should the death and resurrection of Jesus inspire us ?

SECTION VII.

Consequences of the Death of Jesus Christ.—His Besurrec-

tion.

u HE DESCENDED INTO HELL ; THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE
AGAIN FROM THE DEAD."

' CHAPTER I.

u He Descended into HelV'

"Lifelesslies the broken body,

Hidden in its rocky bed;

Laid aside like folded garment :

Where is now the spirit fled?

"In the gloomy realms of darkness
Shines a light unknown before,

For the Lord of dead and living
Enters at the open door.

" Lo ! the heavenly light around Him
As He draws His people near;

All amazed, they stand rejoicing
At the gracious words they hear.

"Patriarch, and priest, and prophet,

Gather round Him as He stands,

In adoring faith and gladness
Gazing on His pierced hands.

" Oh, the bliss to which He calls them,

Ransomed by His precious blood;

From the gloomy realms of darkness
To the paradise of God."114

a christian's duty.

Jesus Christ being dead, His soul descended to Limbo,
that is to say, to the place in which reposed the souls of
the Patriarchs and of the saints who had died from the
beginning of the world. These holy souls loved and
glorified God, awaiting the Divine Deliverer. But they
were not admitted into Heaven, because its gates had been
closed by the sin of our first parents, and could only be re-
opened by the death and resurrection of Christ.

In the presence of Christ'sholy soul joined to His di-
vinity, these spirits of the just began to enjoy the happi-
ness which they had so ardently desired. Nevertheless,
they did not ascend to Heaven until the day of the Ascen-
sion, because it was fitting that He who by His death had
opened its portals, should be the first to enter. It was,
then, upon that day that they entered it, with Him, to
swell His triumph, and for evermore t'o enjoy the fruit of
their labors.

In the Old Testament God ordained that there should
be six cities of refuge, which might serve to shelter those
who had committed involuntary homicide, so that the rel-
atives of the dead might not take vengeance upon them,
as the law allowed. The fugitive was obliged to reside
there until the death of the High Priest, after which event
only was he permitted to return to his country. These
cities of refuge represented Limbo. In these abodes, souls
were in safety from the prince of hell. They were to
abide there until the death of the High Priest, for only
then could they enter into the heavenly country.

"Whenever you prepare for the Holy Communion,'^
said a saintly person to his disciples, u try to enter into
the disposition of those holy souls who for four thousandRESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.

115

years awaited in Limbo the coming of the Liberator.
What can express tlieir joy, when for the first time they
beheld the soul and the divinity of this august Deliverer!
With what transports they would prostrate themselves be-
fore Him, to pay their homage, and to thank Him for the
satisfaction which He had just offered for them, and the
favor He showed them in thus communicating it! They
could no more think of anything but Him.

u So, in like manner, renounce every other affection, and
cleave only to Him both for time and eternity."

Exercises.—What does the word "limbo" mean, and what was the
condition of the souls detained there ? When did they ascend into
Heaven ?

CHAPTER II.

" THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD."

'' He who on the Cross a victim
For the world's salvation bled,

Jesus Christ, the King of glory,

Now is risen from the dead.

. " Christ is risen, Christ, the first-fruits
Of the holy harvest-field,

Which will all its full abundance
At His second coming yield;

" Then the golden ears of harvest

Will their heads before Him wave,

Ripened by His golden sunshine
From the furrows of the grave.

"Christ is risen, we are risen;

Shed upon us heavenly grace,

Rain and dew and gleams of glory,

From the brightness of Thy Face :

" That we, with our'hearts in He iven,

Here on earth may faithful be,

And by angel hands be gathered,

To be ever, Lord, with Thee."116

A CHRISTIANAS DLPft.

On the morning of the Sabbath (Saturday) the Jews
went to Pilate, and, informing him of what Jesus had
said of His resurrection, begged him to have the sepulchre
guarded, for fear lest His disciples should steal the body
of their Master, and then publish abroad that He was
risen. Pilate promised them that the sepulchre should be
made sure. u You have a guard/' said he 5 u go, make it
as sure as you can.*7

The chief priests, having visited the body of Jesus Christ,
sealed the stone which closed the entrance of the sepulchre,
and placed their guards.

Thus Providence so ordered things that the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ should be rendered more cer-
tain and more authentic, by the very precautions taken
by His enemies to prevent all deception. If the body of
Our Lord had not been visited in the tomb more than four-
and-twenty hours after it had been placed there, the Jews
might have said that He was not dead at all. If they had
not placed their own guards, they might have accused the
Apostles of having gained over the Roman soldiers in order
to steal the body. (1)

(1) The attempts of skeptics to discredit the Resurrection have now
taken one form only, which has been ingeniously elaborated by JDr.
Strauss (Leben Jesu ) and M. Renan ( Vie de Jesus). It is asserted
that Jesus did not die at all, but merely swooned, and revived naturally.
They assert that those who hold "the common creed " are placed "in
terrible embarrassment" by the surprising quickness of Our Lord's
death; "such speedy death from crucifixion was most unusual."
They (Dr. Strauss and M. Kenan) add, "He was not more than four
hours on the Cross (how long in the grave we do not know: perhaps not
an hour"). Now, the evidence of the Gospel narrative shows that He
was entombed between the ninth and tenth hour* that is, between three
and four P. M. on Friday. He was still in the sepulchre the next
morning, when the chief priests went to Pilate and asked for the guard.
They themselves ascertained the fact by "sealing the stone." The
Roman guard appears to have been there until daybreak of Sunday,
"very early in the morning," which may mean one or two A. M. Thus
we get about thirty-four hours, during which the body was closely
confined in a very narrow space without any outlet for air, and theRESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.	117

Nevertheless, on the first day of the week Jesus Christ
arose—that is, he reunited His soul to His body and came
forth from the sepulchre glorious. An angel descended
from Heaven, rolled back the stone which closed the sep-
ulchre, and sat upon it. The guards were so alarmed
that they became as dead men. They went and informed
the chief priests, who promised them large sums of money
to induce them to report that the disciples had stolen the
body while they slept, and engaging to secure them if
the Governor was disposed to harm them.

Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene, ignorant of what had
happened, and not even aware that the tomb had been
guarded, had left Jerusalem in company with other holy
women, to go and embalm their Master's body. Upon
reaching the garden they saw tl^e sepulchre open, and
Mary Magdalene at once ran to inform the Apostles.
lit. Peter and St. John ran to the sepulchre, and, finding
only the linen clothes in which the body had been wound,
they returned, wondering at what had happened, but not
yet believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Mary Magdalene, having returned alone to the sepul-
chre, saw at first an angel, who assured her that Jesus

sepulchre, being "hewn out of a rock," had not a crevice through
which air could pass. This fact alone is fatal to the supposition
that Christ was alive when placed in the tomb. Had he been
so, humanly speaking, He must have been asphyxiated. But
Science itself points to the fact that He was really dead, and the
suddenness of His death is calculated to strengthen our faith. We
are told that when the soldier pierced His side, "straightway there
came out blood and water "—that is, the blood had separated from the
serum, a process requiring some time to perform. The large now of
blood could only proceed from a rupture of one of the great blood-ves-
sels of the heart. This can be brought about, and generally is brought
about, by intense nervous excitement, or sudden shock; what we famil-
iarly call a " broken heart" often takes place under severe and abnor-
mal mental pressure. Now, such death is always sudden, as that of Oar
Lord seems to have been. What significance this gives to His own
prophetic words in the Psalm, 4 4 Thy reproofs hath broken My heart !118

a christian's duty.

Christ was risen. A little while after she saw the Lord
Himself, who commanded her to go and tell His disciples.
While she was on her way, He showed Himself to
the other holy women who had remained behind in the
garden. The same day He showed Himself to two dis-
ciples going to Emmaus. They hastened to return in
order to inform the Apostles, whom they found gather-
ed together in the supper-room, conferring about the res-
urrection of Jesus, and declaring that Our Lord had ap-
peared to St. Peter. Immediately Jesus appeared to them
and talked a longtime with them, reproaching them for
the unbelief they had manifested in refusing to credit
those who had assured them that He was risen. Thomas,
who was not with them, refused to believe. But, eight
days after, Jesus again, appeared to them, and address-
ing Thomas, told him to ^approach Him and to put his
hand into the wounds in His side, and his fingers into
the prints of the nails. The disciple, convinced, cried
out, " My lord and my God ! "

Thus during forty days did Jesus Christ appear to
his Apostles and disciples, several times gathered in large
numbers. He talked with them, ate with them, recalled
to them what He had said to them prior to His death,
instructed them in the establishment of His Church, did
miracles in their presence, and so convinced them of the
reality of His resurrection. (1)

Jonas is a striking type of the Saviour's resurrection.
This prophet received a command to go and preach re-

(1) They certainly were very hard to convince, and the stoutness of
their incredulity makes their subsequent unwavering testimony all
the more remarkable.RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.

119

pentance to the Ninevites ; ^ but, fearing lest this barba-
rous people should put him to death, he embarked for
Tharsis. The Lord, being angry at this disobedience,
allowed a furious tempest to arise on the sea. The mari-
ners, affrighted, and believing that they saw something
supernatural in this accident, concluded that Heaven was
pursuing some- criminal. They cast lots, and the lot fell
upon Jonas. Acknowledging his error, he consented to
be thrown into the sea, and himself advised the sailors to
sacrifice him in order to save the crew. They reluctant-
ly agreed, and immediately the tempest became calm.
But the Lord, who willed to preserve the prophet and pre-
figure the resurrection of the Saviour, allowed a marine
monster to swallow him. At the end of three days it
vomited him upon the sand, without having injured him in
any way. Then the prophet, made wise by his own ex-
perience, fulfilled his mission and converted Nineveh.
Jesus Christ Himself assures us that Jonas in the whale
was a figure of His own body placed in the earth and
risen the third day. David had also announced this
mystery when he said, in the name of Messiah, u Thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer
Thine Holy One to see corruption."

Exekcises.—What precautions did the Jews take to prevent the dis
ciples from removing the body of Jesus ? When and how did Our
Lord rise from the dead ? What took place when Mary Magdalen went
to the sepulchre ?120

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER III.

Proofs of the Resurrection of Our Lord
Jesus Christ.

" Most glorious Lord of life ! that on this day-

Didst make Thy triumph over death and sin,

And having harrowed hell, didst bring away

Captivity thence captive, us to win :

This joyous day, dear Lord, with joy begin ;

And grant that we for whom Thou diddest die,

Being with Thy dear blood clean washed from sin,

May live forever in felicity !

And that Thy love we weighing worthily,

May likewise love Thee for the same again,

And for Thy sake ; that all like dear didst buy,

With love may one another entertain.

So let us love, dear Love, like as we ought :

Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught."—Spenser.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ being the foundation
of our holy religion, God has willed that this foundation
shall be immovable. Hence this truth has as great a de-
gree of certainty as it is p-ossible to wish. (1) Only bad
faith or voluntary blindness can resist the testimony of the
Apostles, who, in preaching this great mystery, 'could
neither be deceived themselves nor deceive us.

They could not have been deceived themselves. Other-
wise, we are compelled to admit that all the disciples

(1) " What sign do^t thou show us, seeing thou doest these things ? "
—4< Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."—St
John ii. 18, 19.

If we take any fact in history which is universally accepted,
such, for instance, as the existence of Julius Csesar or Tamerlane, we
shall find that it is not near so well authenticated as the Resurrection.
The arguments employed by skeptics against this cardinal trutii have
been refuted times without number, yet they are still put forward as
new. If their logic were applied to any historical fact, that fact could
be resolved into fiction.RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.

121

together imagined that they saw Jesus Christy that they
heard Him, touched Him, ate arid talked with Him, and
this during forty days; that they imagined that they
had learned from His lips many new and important things
respecting the preaching of the Gospel, the establishment
and government of the Church and the administration of
the sacraments 5 whereas they saw nothing. One feels
the absurdity of such a supposition. It is possible, indeed,
to be deceived about an opinion, but not about an
open and palpable fact. To imagine one sees during
forty days that which is not visible at all; to imag-
ine that one hears that which is inaudible ; to touch
that which is impalpable ; eating with Him when one eats
nothing at all;—this is what cannot»be seriously enter-
tained ; especially when it was not one person only, but
over five hundred who were in this state of illusion for so
long a time. It is therefore impossible that the disciples
of Jesus Christ could have been deceived respecting the
fact of the Resurrection. (1)

Nor can we suppose, either, that they desired to deceive
us, or that they published this fact without being them-
selves persuaded of it. It was in the midst of Jerusalem
that they proclaimed the Resurrection. It was upon the
fiftieth day* after His death, at a time when it would have
been easy to convict them of fraud. It was before the
supreme council of the nation, before the chief priests, who,

(1) The supposition of illusion is quite untenable in the face of
well-known experience. An illusion may be distinct and clear in out-
line, as the spectre of theBrocken, or any ordinary mirage. But it is
contingent on certain atmospheric conditions, and is necessarily brief.
In the former instance cited, the astonished traveller sees an airy fig-
ure, quite distinct, but only for a few minutes. In Our Lord's case,
if there was illusion, it must have last.ed forty days, and, unlike any
other illusion ever heard of, have stood the test of touch and speech
and other senses.122

a christian's duty.

from this, were found guilty of a most enormous crime,
—Deicide,—that they fearlessly declared this truth. If
they had not really believed that Jesus Christ was risen,
would they have thus exposed themselves in open day ?
Would they have despised the threats of the heads of the
nation, who were enraged at this resurrection, and the in-
vestigations they were able to make, but which they
never did make ?

St. Peter was four times loaded with chains : could
he who had quaked at the voice of a maid-servant, have
had the courage to preach Christ risen before the most
imposing assembly of the nation, if he had not been fully
persuaded of its reality ? Far from convicting him of
fraud, at St. Peter's first sermon three thousand souls were
converted, and five thousand at the second.

The eye-witnesses of the Resurrection were more than
five hundred in number; (i) of these, not one was ever
given the lie. Every one, from the first to the last, persisted
in their testimony to the end, fearless of tortures; nor
could the sight of death induce them to change. Nearly all
suffered death, and a cruel death, to attest the reality of
this fact. "That which we proclaim," said they, u we
have seen with our eyes, we have heard with our ears,
we have touched with our hands."

Nor is this all. To confirm the truth of their statements,
the Apostles performed the most striking miracles. St.
Peter cured in an instant a man forty years old, known to
all the city, who had lost the use of his limbs from birth. (2)

(1)	I. Cor. xv. 6. And St. Paul acids, "of wliom the greater part
remain until now/' the time when he wrote. Now, in law, one credi-
ble witness is regarded as sufficient to substantiate a charge.

(2)	St. Peter appealed to this miracle as an evidence that he had
spoken truly in asserting that Christ was risen. The argument stands
thus:— Was the man healed? Yes. By what means? An appeal to
Christ risen. Then Christ must be risen, because the man was healed.
The Sanhedrim itself argued thus. See Acts iv. 16 et seq.RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST.	123

It was in the name of Jesus Christ risen that he per-
formed this miracle in the Temple, before a crowd of wit-
nesses. They laid in the streets through which he was
to pass all sorts of sick folk, and the shadow of the Apos-
tle restored them to health.

This is truth,—the resurrection of Jesus Christ sheds
upon religion a light as splendid as that which the sun
sheds upon the wrorld. Since Jesus hath arisen, He is
truly the Son of God, as He said. His doctrine is true
in every particular, and the religion wThich He has estab-
lished is really divine.

6i My brethren/' says St. Augustine, u the resurrection
of Jesus Christ is so certain, that we may call as wit-
nesses the soldiers charged to watch His body. The
avarice which had corrupted a perfidious disciple, was
also employed to pervert the first witnesses of the Resur-
rection. 'We will pay you well/ said the Jews, 4 if
you say that His disciples stole Him away while we
slept.7 Really they deceived themselves very much.
What is it you say, unhappy astuteness ? Is it possible
that you can so blindly precipitate yourselves into such
depths of detestable malice ? ' Say/ said the Jews to
the soldiers, ' that His disciples stole Him away while we
slept.7 Wretched men ! You must be very fast asleep
yourselves, thus to produce such sleepy witnesses." (1)

Exekcises. —Are the proofs of Our Lord's resurrection convincing ?
What reason is there for supposing that the Apostles have not de-
ceived us? Were there any other witnesses of the Resurrection besides
the Apostles ? Can any one be expected to believe evidence given
by persons who swear to what happened while they were asleep ? How
does this apply to the question of Christ's resurrection ?

(1) The punishment of the soldier who slept at his post was death.

The well-known sentry at Pompeii proves the staunch fidelit^of a

Roman guard, Herod carried out this discipline in the case of St.

Peter's guard after the Apostle's escape. Acts xii. 19.124

A CHRISTIANS DUTY.

SECTION VIII.

Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

" HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, AND SITTETH AT THE RIGHT
HAND OF GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY.77

" See Him who is gone before us,

Heavenly mansions to prepare,

See Him who is ever pleading

For us with prevailing prayer ;

See Him who with sound of trumpet,

And with His angelic train,

Summoning the world to judgment,

On the clouds will come again.

44 He has raised oi^r human nature

On the clouds to God's right hand ;

There we sit in heavenly places,

There with Him in glory stand :

Jesus reigns, adored by angels,

Man with God is on the throne;

Mighty LorcJ, in Thine ascension

We by faith behold our own."— Oswald Keatinge,

Forty days after His resurrection Jesus Christ assem-
bled His disciples upon the Mount of Olives. There,
lifting up His hands, He blessed them, and was parted
from them. They saw Him ascend, until a cloud hid
Him from their eyes. Then two angels appeared to them,
and told them that one day the Lord would descend from
Heaven in the same way as He had just ascended.

We say that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of
His Father, by a tangible figure borrowed from human
things. It enables us to understand that the sacred hu-
mility of Jesus Christ is raised to^the highest degree of■J; ■§. - * ^ ■



lift

1 >\

n^'S.n Jfc"' ^ :
:li

Mi

HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN,ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST.

125

glory and power in Heaven ; that after His toils ITe re-
poses as upon the eternal throne of His Empire. When
a king associates his son with him in the regal dignity,
he makes him sit upon a throne beside him, to show that
he wishes him to be regarded as his equal, and that all
ranks in the kingdom should pay him respect and obedi-
ence as to himself. (1)

Now, the Scriptures represent God seated upon His
throne as King of Heaven and earth. Hence, when we
say that Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God
His Father, we should understand that, being as God
equal with the Father, as man He is raised in His great-
ness, glory, and power, above all creatures, because His
sacred humanity has . the glorious advantage of being
united to the person of the Word.

The*Son of God, in the bosom of His glory, is mindful
of us, and attentive to all our wants. He exercises His of-
fice of Mediator,(2) and presents to His Father the prints
of the wounds received in His Passion, to invoke His mer-
cy in behalf of mankind. He is our advocate and our de-
fender. The voice of His blood will be ever more potent
to procure mercy for us, if we labor to apply His merits,
than those of our crimes to draw down upon us the chas-
tisements of divine justice.

In Heaven, Jesus Christ is our King and Lord. He has

(1)	The right hand is always the post of honor. At courts the
special place reserved for personages of the highest rank is called the
haut-pas. To be admitted to the right of the sovereign is termed
having the pis.

(2)	"Mediator." One who comes between. This term is applied
to Christ in Scripture in a single passage :—" There is one Mediator be-
tween God and man, the man Christ Jesus which is cited ad nau-
seam by Protestants to disprove the mediation of saints. But, unhap-
pily for them, this word is not intended to mean merely an intercessor.126	A CHRISTIANAS DUTY.

a sovereign right over us, not only because He has created
and preserved us, but still more because He has purchased
us. We therefore belong to Him as His heritage. His
conquest at the price of His blood.

Jesus Christ is our High Priest in Heaven. He exer-
cised the functions of a High Priest upon the Cross in offer-
ing Himself as a propitiation (1) for our sins. He exer-
cises it still in Heaven, where, being seated at God's right
hand, He presents Himself before Him. on our behalf.
And as He possesses an eternal priesthood, He can always
save those who come unto God by His means. Having,
then, Jesus Christ the Son of God for our High Priest, who
has ascended to the highest heavens, let us present our-
selves with confidence before His throne, that we may ob-
tain mercy and secure the help of His grace to aid us in all
time of need. For our High Priest is not one who cannot
sympathize with our infirmities, since He willed to be tried
like us with all sorts of evils, although He was without
sin.

In short, Jesus Christ in Heaven is our Head—that
is to say, He is the head of a body, of which we are the
members. This body is the Church, and to His Church
Jesus Christ is what the head is to the body. He com-
municates life to it, and animates it by His spirit. Every
grace, every good thought, every holy desire, every good

(1)" Propitiation." To understand this word rightly, we must recol-
lect that the Ark of the Covenant, contained within the Holy of Holies,
was covered with a plate of gold, over which hovered two life-sized fig-
ures of angels in an attitude of adoration. Between their wings shone
a mystic Light, called the Sheckinah, which was God's visible presence.
Once a year the high priest stood before that awful shrine, and
sprinkled the blood of the Paschal Lamb upon the spot where the Light
shone. This place was called in Greek, tid(TT7jptov, the propitiatory
ox mercy-seat, because God was supposed to be seated on it as His throne
to dispense mercy. St. John calls Christ " the propitiation for our sins,"
implying all that is meant by mercy-seat. I. John ii. 2rASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST.	127

work, and all virtues, flow from the fulness which is in
our.head, Jesus Christ.

St. Bernadin of Sienna and St. Francis of Sales relate
the following fact. In the times of the Crusades, a pious
French gentleman of the neighborhood of Autun, named
Lethbald, undertook, like many others, the pilgrimage
to the Holy Land. He had scarcely landed upon the
Asiatic shores than he hastened to Nazareth, where the
Blessed Virgin abode when the Archangel Gabriel came
to announce to her the mystery of the Incarnation.
From there he went to Bethlehem, visiting with love
and faith the grotto in which Our Lord came into the
world. Subsequently he visited successively the dif-
ferent places which had been sanctified by the divine
Saviour ; the Jordan, where He was baptized by St.
John ; the desert where He passed the forty days
in fasting and prayer 5 the Sea of Galilee, near which
•He performed so many miracles. But he lingered spe-
cially at those places which recalled the sufferings and
the sorrowful death of his good Master. (1) He wit-
nessed in spirit His agony in Gethsemane ; His ignomini-
ous treatment before Caiaphas 5 His scourging and crown-
ing with thorns by Pilate. Step by step he followed

(1)	"There is a spot v/ithin this sacred dale

That felt Thee kneeling—touched Thy prostrate form ;

One angel knows it. Oh, could prayer avail

To win that knowledge ! sure each holy vow

Less quickly from the unstable soul would fade,

Offered where Christian agony was laid.

Might tear of ours once mingle with the blood

That from His aching brow by moonlight fell,

Oyer the mournful joy our souls would brood,

Till they had framed within a guardian spell,

To chase repining fancies as they rise,

Like birds of evil wing, to mar our sacrifice.

So dreams the heart self-flattering, fondly dreams."

— Christian Year.128

a christian's duty.

Him up the road to Calvary, trying in the depths of his
heart to aid Him to bear His Cross. Having reached the
summit, he threw himself with his face to the earth,
and well nigh died of grief. After remaining several
hours in this pious dejection, he repaired to the holy
sepulchre. Then he climbed the Mount of Olives, from
whence Our Saviour ascended into Heaven. " O my
good Jesus," he then exclaimed, "I have followed Thee
upon earth in every place Thou hast hallowed by Thy
presence. I have beheld all, from Thy cradle to Thy
tomb. Behold me here now on the spot from which
Thou didst ascend to Heaven. O that I might follow
thee, Lord ! O permit me to ascend with Thee to Par-
adise !"

At these words he felt himself seized with a sudden
ailment. They carried him back to Jerusalem, to the
convent of the Fathers of the Terra Santa. Two days
afterward he was in Heaven.—Devoncoux.

Exebcises.—When and how did Jesus Christ ascend into Heaven ?
What do you mean by saying that Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of
God ? What are the functions of the Son of God in Heaven ? Why do
you say that Jesus Christ is our High Priest in Heaven ? What rela-
tion does Jesus Christ in Heaven bear to His Church ?OF DEATH.

129

SECTION IX.

Of Death and Judgment.

" FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING
AND THE DEAD.77

CHAPTER L
Of Death.

uWhy shouldst thou fear the beautiful angel Death,
Who waits thee at the portals of the skies,

Ready to kiss away thy struggling breath,

Ready with gentle hand to close thine eyes ?

' He whom thou fearest will, to ease its pain,

Lay his cold hand upon thy aching heart;

Will soothe the terrors of thy troubled brain,

And bid the shadow of earth's grief depart.

" He will give back what neither time nor might,
Nor passionate prayer, nor longing hope restore

(Dear as to long-blind eyes recovered sight):

He will give back those who are gone before.

" O, what were life, if life were all! Thine eyes
Are blinded by their tears, or thou wouldst see

Thy treasures wait thee in the far-off skies,

And Death, thy friend; will give them all to thee."

—Procter.

u Thou shalt die !'? Such was the sentence pronounc-
ed upon Adam after his sin. and which we see fulfilled
every day. There is nothing so certain as death, and
nothing so uncertain as the time of our death. We shalli30

a christian's duty.

all die.(l) That is, we shall all leave this earth where
we dwell, and enter for evermore into eternity. At
death we leave everything- Parents, riches, friends,
honors, occupations—all must be left without exception
and without return. At death everything will leave us,
except our works, good or bad.

If the very thought of death is so insupportable to the
worldling and voluptuary, in other words, the sinner,
how much more terrible must be the blow itself! (2) 0
fearful moment, that shows them the emptiness of things
here below, which they have loved too much ; and the
importance of virtue, which probably they have only
known to despise !

There is nothing so uncertain as the time and circum-
stances of our death. Shall we die of a lingering malady,
or suddenly ? Shall we be taken by surprise, or have
time to prepare ourselves ? Shall we die a few days hence,
or in a moment, or reach old age ? Shall we die in , a
state of grace, or in sin ? None can say. All that is
certain is, that we shall die, probably as we have lived.
We reap only that which we have sown. Death is the
echo of life. And what is certain is, that the destiny of
the dying is immutable. Death fixes everything. If we

(1)	4' Death is the crown of life :

Were death denied, poor man would live in vain.

Death wounds to cure ; we fall, we rise, we reign;

Faith builds a bridge across the gulf of death,

To break the shock blind nature cannot shun,

And lands thought smoothly on the farther shore."

— Young.

(2)	" The weariest and most loathed worldly life
That age, ache, penury, imprisonment,

Can lay on nature, is a paradise

To what we know of death."—Shakespeare.OF DEATH.

131

die in a state of grace we shall be eternally happy • if
we die in mortal sin we shall be forever miserable.(1)

Since, then, death is inevitable, and decides our eternal
destiny, we ought to prepare for it by profiting by the
time remaining. This concerns our greatest interest, or
rather our sole interest. u For,?? says Jesus Christ,
u what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world,
and lose his soul TJ

What consolation will it be to a man in the braziers of
hell, to remember that he was great, rich, powerful, or
had achieved a fortune in this world ? Ah, then he will
understand that he was mistaken, and that there is no
fortune but virtue. (2) Septimius Severus, when dying,
exclaimed, u I have possessed the largest empire in the
world, I have been all that a mortal can be, yet
nothing remains to me of all that can be of service to me
in the condition in which I am.77 A herald, bearing the
shroud that was destined to envelop Saladin, cried

(1)	Those who die in impenitence, die in sin and preserve the af-
fection for it. They are after death what they were before it; and they
shall always be sinners, because, haying died in sin and the love for
it, they shall never be able to come forth from sin or to renounce it.
Their will is, as it were, confirmed forever in sin, as is metaphorically
expressed by the following words of Ecclesiastes:— " If the tree fall to
the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there it
shall lie." (Eccl. xi. 3.) Consequently it is right to say that their sin
becomes eternal, and that not only it can, but it ought to be, punished
eternally. "The wicked," says St. Gregory the Great, " would have
wished to live eternally, in order to prolong the course of their iniqui-
ties during all eternity. The severe justice of the Supreme Judge
exacts, therefore, that, as in their will and in their desires, they have
put no end to sin, so, likewise, there should be no end to their tor-
ments."—Begnaud.

(2)	" Treasures of wickedness shall profit nothing; but justice shall
deliver from death."—Prov. xx. 2.

"Two things I have asked of Thee ; deny them not to me before I
die. Remove far from me vanity and lying words. Give me neither
beggary nor riches : give me only the necessaries of life: lest per-
haps being filled, I should be tempted to deny, and say; Who is the
Lord? or being compelled by poverty, I should steal and forswear the
name of my God."—Ibid. xxx. 7-9,132

a christian's duty.

through the streets by order of that prince, 66 Behold all
that the great Saladin will carry away of all the empires
which he has conquered*"

Small matters may be expedited without much appli-
cation, but great ones require a great deal of care and
study. As it is a sign of a weak mind greatly to occupy
itself with trifles, it is also the characteristic of a well-
ordered mind to think greatly upon that which is impor-
tant. We ought to proportion our solicitude to the na-
ture of the matter; and what greater matter is there than
to die ? (1) Is life too long to prepare for death? Has
it too many'years to prepare for eternity ?

Does a man condemned to death greatly esteem the
goods and honors of this world? Such ought to be our
condition of mind. Death pursues us, and will infallibly
strike us ; perhaps, too, at the moment when we think of
it least.

Let us then prepare for it every day, since any day may
be the term of our existence.(2) Let us not delude our-
selves upon so important a point. Let us not wait for the
final moment ; perhaps then there will no longer be time.
u He," says St. Augustine, u who has promised pardon
to the converted sinner, has not promised him to-mor-
row wherein to be converted. It is, then, temerity and
even a crime to wait till a last illness ere preparing for
death. What! in the moment when one is incapable of
attending to the most ordinary affairs, to imagine we can
accomplish the most difficult, the most important of tasks,
and one requiring the greatest care ! How can we profi-

(1)	" If from society we learn to live,

'Tis solitude should teach us how to die."—Byron.

(2)	"Thy mother oil her knees	. .

Died every day she lived."—Shakespeare.OF DEATH.

133

tably receive the sacraments, when we scarcely know
what we are doing ? how unburden a conscience full of
iniquities, when all the faculties are absorbed by pain
and the horror of death f How can we prove to God that
we detest sin, having loved it and given ourselves up to
it so long as it procured us any enjoyment? Ordinarily,
God allows those'who have lived in impenitence to die
impenitent. When it is otherwise, it is a miracle. God
can perform such a miracle ; but it is a fatal and damnable
presumption to expect it while living an evil life.

A young French officer, compelled to leave his country,
retired to Spain, where, touched by grace, he resolved to
consecrate the rest of his life in preparing for death. Full
of this idea, he presented himself to a; religious house which
professed to lead a very austere life, and by dint of en-
treaty procured admission. During his novitiate he
wrote to his sister in these terms :

. u There is not a beggar in Spain but is better fed than
we are, and better off in everything concerning the needs
of the body. Nevertheless, not one of us would exchange
his lot for an empire, well knowing that Death will very
soon confound the Emperor with the meanest of his sub-
jects. Each of us will carry only his actions with him
when he goes, and then we shall be very satisfied to have
sown in tears, for the evil will be past, and joy will follow
eternally.77 Five months after his profession this religious
was attacked with dropsy, and at the end of four months
of suffering was laid in the tomb. Lying upon the straw
and ashes, he took the hand of the Father Abbot with an
expression of gratitude that moved the whole community.
"How. great is my happiness !77 said he 5 "you have134

a christian's duty.

opened the gates of Heaven to me in opening those of
your house ! Oh, how happy am I to be prepared for
death ! And how sweet it is to die when we confidently
hope to pass from earth to Heaven ! Ah, how blessed are
those who understand these words, 6 What shall it profit
a man to gain the whole world and lose.his soul ? 1 "

What can a just man regret at death t (1) This world's
riches? His heart has always been detached from them.
His parents and friends ? He knows that he is not leaving
them forever. u We shall meet again" said a young
lady of Lyons to her parents. She had been for a long time
a prey to the cruelest sufferings. u We shall meet again!"
She died uttering these words. They erected a superb
mausoleum to her memory, where she is represented seated,
and writing upon a column these words, u We shall meet
again " (2)

A child who had but a few minutes to live, seeing its
mother's tears flowing, said to her, u Have you not taught
me that to see God we must die ? " He was only seven
years old !

Exercises.—What terminates man's existence here below ? What
practical consequences may we draw from the certainty of death, and
the uncertainty of the time and manner thereof ? Show the advisa-
bility of preparation for death. Quote a few of the terse sayings in
this lesson,

(1) " Since every man who lives is born to die,

And none can boast sincere felicity,

With equal mind what happens let us bear,

Nor joy nor grieve for things beyond our care.

Like pilgrims to the appointed place we tend ;

The world's an inn, and death the journey's end."—Hryden.

(2) •' Weep not for those whom the veil of the tomb

In life's happy morning hath hid from our eyes,

Ere sin threw a blight o'er the spirit's young bloom,

Or earth had profaned what was born for the skies."—Moore.OF JUDGMENT.

135

CHAPTER II.

Of Judgment.

et Thou art coming, 0 my Saviour,

Thou art coming, 0 my King,

. In Thy beauty all-resplendent,

In Thy glory all-transcendent r.

Well may we rejoice and sing ;

Coming !—in the opening east

Herald brightness slowly swells ;

Coming !—O my glorious Priest,

Hear we not Thy golden bells ?

"Thou art coming, Thou art coming ;

We shall meet Thee on Thy way,

We shall see Thee, we shall know Thee,

We shall bless thee, we shall show Thee

AIL our hearts could never say.

What an anthem that will be,

Ringing out our love to Thee,

Pouring out our rapture sweet
At Thine own all-glorious feet!

"Thou art coming : we are waiting,

With a hope that cannot fail,

Asking not the day or hour.

Besting on Thy word of power,

Anchored safe within the veil.

" O the joy tq see Thee reigning,

Thee, my own beloved Lord !

Every tongue Thy name confessing^

Worship, honor, glory, blessing,

Brought to Thee with one accord ;

Thee, my Master and my Friend,

Vindicated and enthroned;

Unto Earth's remotest end

Glorified, adored, and owned."

"It is appointed unto all men once to die/7 says St.
Paul, " and after this the Judgment.'7 The immor-136

A CHRISTIANAS DUTY.

tality of the soul necessarily supposes a judgment (1)
which shall decide its eternal destiny, for that of the
just and the wicked cannot be the same. Faith teaches us
that there will be two kinds of judgments, the general
and particular.

The particular judgment is that which each man under-
goes immediately after his death, upon the evil which he
has done and the good which he has omitted to do. Ac-
cording to this judgment his destiny will be fixed for all
eternity. Directly after this judgment, those souls who,
though in a state of grace, have yet to satisfy God's jus-
tice for light faults, or because of grave sins for which,
though pardoned, they have not done sufficient penance,
will go into Purgatory, there to finish their purification
before entering into Paradise. Those which are free
from all stain are immediately introduced into glory ;
but those which are guilty of any mortal sin are cast
into hell, to await the general resurrection at the end of
the world. The General Judgment will'then take place.
In this all the sentences already pronounced at the partic-
ular judgment will be confirmed and manifested. The
Genera] Judgment will be preceded by fearful signs.
Our Lord Himself has sketched the picture in the Gospel.
There will be wars, famines, tempests and earthquakes.
The sun and the moon will be darkened, the stars will
seem to fall from heaven 5 the sea will make a frightful
noise by the agitation of its waves ; and men shall wither

(1) This idea of a future accountability seems innate in man, and
therefore cannot be the product of education, as skeptics assert. The
grim Minos is seen on the earliest of Egyptian sculptures deciding
the fate of the dead. It is also traceable through many ancient my-
thologies. The fact that neither virtue nor vice ever meets its due
reward seems naturally to have suggested a final redistribution.OF JUDGMENT.

187

away with fear waiting for that which is to happen to
the universe. Then, in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet, all the dead
shall be raised. The sign of the Son of Man, that is to
say, a luminous cross, will glitter in the air, and Jesus
Christ will visibly descend from Heaven, with great
power and majesty, to render unto every one according
to his works.(l) He will be accompanied by the angels,
who will separate the good from the wicked. How terri-
ble will be this separation, and how different the destiny
of the one and the other! The just will be placed at the
right hand of the Sovereign Judge, the wicked on His
left. Then every conscience will be manifested to tjie
eyes of the universe, and that which is now the most
concealed and secret will be known and exposed to the
light.

The righteous who on earth have been despised, will
appear adorned with good works which they have care-
fully hidden ; and the sinner will be covered with shame
at the sight of the crimes which he has concealed from
the knowledge of men. (2) Then vice will appear as it
really is, with all the infamy and deformity appertaining
to it. What joy will a yodng man then feel who has

(1)	Unless all these signs happened successively or simultaneously,
they would not be portentous, because separately they are constantly
occurring. The attempt of certain sects to fix the date of the Lord's
coming from the occurrence of earthquakes, etc., is presumptuous, in
the face of the emphatic statement : "That day and hour no one
knoweth, no, not the angels of Heaven, but the Father alone." (Matt,
xxiv. 36.)

(2)	It is now supposed that the memory really forgets nothing.
By a'sudden shock, all that has been seemingly lost will at times come
back as distinctly as the figures in a panorama. This has always been
experienced in cases of partial drowning. So, it is thought that at the
Day of Judgment memory will be disencumbered of all limitations,
and each man will stand as completely revealed to himself as. he does
when looking in a mirror.138

a christian's duty.

despised the language of the wicked, and resisted the
contagion of their evil example ! He will be well indem-
nified for the conflict which he has had to sustain, and
the raillery of which he has been the butt. But what
despair will fill the heart of the young libertine at behold-
ing the crimes which he has committed in the darkness, -
exposed to open day in sight of Heaven and earth ! And,
seeing him whom he turned into ridicule placed among
the number of the saints and the children of God, what
horror will he have of that vice then which now seems
so sweet and seductive !

But this is only the preparation and prelude of the
Judgment. What impression will the sentence itself of
the Supreme Judge make upon our minds ! (1) Allman-
kind being hushed in silence, the Son of God will address
to those on His right hand these consoling words : u Come,
ye blessed of My Father, possess the Kingdom prepared

(1) The magnificent hymn sung in the Requiem Mass, Dies Irce, pre-
sents it very graphically. The subjoined translation is the finest in the
English language

"Day of wrath, O day of mourning !

See fulfilled the prophet's warning,

Heaven and earth in ashes burning,

0 what fear man's bosom rendeth,

When from Heaven the Judge descendeth
On whose sentence all dependeth !

"Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth,

Through earth's sepulchres it ringeth,

All before the Throne it bringeth.

Death is struck and Nature quaking,

All creation is awaking,

To its Judge an answer making.

"Lo ! the Book exactly worded,

Wherein all hath been recorded,	'

Thence shall judgment be awarded.

When the Judge His seat attaineth,

And each hidden deed arraigneth,

Nothing unavenged remaineth."— Dr. Irons.OF JUDGMENT.

139

for you from the foundation of the world." Then He
will address this blasting sentence to the wicked : "De-
part from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for
the devil and his angels." As soon as the sentence
is pronounced, the just will go to reign with God through-
out eternity ; the wicked will be cast into hell, to burn
forever, without being able to repair their great loss, oc-
casioned by their own fault.

Let us then anticipate this terrible judgment. Let us
profit by the advice which Our Lord gives us in the Gos-
pel : u Take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness,
and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you
suddenly. For as a snare shall it come upon all those
that sit upon the face of the earth. Watch ye therefore,
praying at all times, that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before
the Son of Man." (1)

Philip the Second, King of Spain, having one day observ-
ed that two of his courtiers had behaved in a very irrever-
ent manner in church, on his return to his apartments
thus addressed them: "You are both of you forever
banished from my presence ; I eject you from the court."
These words, uttered with the tone of a lively indignation,
produced such an impression upon these two men, that one

(1) Luke. xxi. 34-37. St. Paul also counsels rigid self-examination :
"If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." (I, Cor. xi.
31.) It is this which the sinner shuns. He dare not confront his real
self. Consequently, regular examination of conscience is strenuously
recommended by the Church as among the most profitable of Chris-
tian duties.140

a christian's duty.

of them was smitten with apoplexy, and the other remain-
ed deprived of his reason for the rest of his life. How
much more frightful will be the effect of these words of the
King eternal: u Depart from me, ye cursed, into the fire
everlasting ! "—Lohn.

A libertine, addicted to every vice, had from early youth
religious ideas. A virtuous mother had neglected not-hing
in order to root them in his heart. Thanks to the Chris-
tian education which he had received, although he had
lost his morals, he had not yet lost his faith. One night,
following a day in which he had abandoned himself to
great excess, he had a dream. During his sleep he be-
held himself transported before the tribunal of God. It is
impossible to imagine his confusion, fear and alarm.
On awaking, he was in a burning fever, bathed in per-
spiration, and beside himself. " Leave me alone," said he
in tears to those who first saw him in this state,— u leave
me alone: I have seen my Judge. My God, forgive
me !" His companions in debauchery, learning that their
friend was ill and lonely, came to see him. u Begone !"
said he ; u you are no longer my friends : I will never see
you again; I have seen my Judge! What majesty
and severity shone in His countenance! Oh what a
number of accusations and questionings to which I could
not reply ! All my sins are written down : I have read
them. Ah, what a number ! I know their enormity now.
What a number of demons only waiting a signal to seize
me ! I shudder, and §hall continue to shudder for a long
time ! False friends, depart forever! How happy I
shall regard myself if by the most rigorous penance I
succeed in appeasing my terrible Judge ! I will devote
myself to it, for I shall soon appear in reality before HisOF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

141

redoubtable tribunal, perhaps this very day. I will not
cease to cry, i Pardon me, O my God ! Pardon me ! Suffer
me not to be lost ; have pity upon me ! 7 "

Exercises.—What necessarily follows from the truth that the soul is
immortal? What do you understand by the particular judgment?
What signs will precede the General Judgment? What difference
will be noticeable between the just and the wicked at the General Judg-
ment ? In what terms does Our Lord advise us to prepare for the
General Judgment ?

SECTION X.

Of the Holy Spirit.

u I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST."

u Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed
His tender, last farewell,

A Guide, a Comforter bequeathed
With us to dwell.

"He came sweet influence to impart,

A gracious, willing Guest,

While He can find one humble heart
Wherein to rest.

$«And His that gentle voice we hear,

Soft as the breath of even,

That checks each fault, that calms each fear,

And speaks of Heaven.

" And every virtue we possess,

And every victory won,

And every thought of holiness,

Are His alone."—Caswell.

It is not sufficient to believe in the Father Almighty,
who has created us, and in Jesus Christ His only Son?142

a christian's duty.

who has redeemed us, if we believe not at the same time
in the Holy Spirit who has sanctified us.

We must therefore believe with a firm faith that in
God there is a third Person, who is the Holy Ghost.
This third Person proceeds from the Father and the
Son.(l) He has the same Nature and Divinity as these
two other Divine Persons. Jesus Christ says in the
Gospel: u When the Comforter is come, the Spirit of
Truth, who proceedeth from the Father, He shall tes-
tify of Me. He shall take of Mine, and shall show
it unto you. All that the Father hath is Mine." Hence,
the Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son. (2)
He is equally eternal, almighty, infinite. He has the
same perfections; in one word, He is the same God
with the Father and the Son. It is in His name, as
well as in those of the Father and the Son, that we are
baptized. As He is the same God with the Father and
the Son, we owe Him the same adoration and homage.
Hence the Holy Spirit is worshipped and glorified con-
jointly with the Father and the Son, and we end all
our prayers with these words, u Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost."

This Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles on the
day of Pentecost in the form of tongues of fire. He filled
them with courage and might to preach the Gospel,

(1) This doctrine was affirmed by the Church in the Council of
Florence, A. D. 1439, when the word il Filioque" was added to the
Nicene Creed. The Greek Church rejects this, a doctrine implied
throughout the New Testament, Be it remembered that the most
ancient and orthodox confession of the Trinity is the " Gloria Patri
about which, in the fourth century, torrents of blood were shed.
The Arians altered it into '' Glory to the Father, by the Son, through
the Holy Ghost;" and other changes were made by other heretics.

(2) The phrase "Spirit of God," in Scripture is "God the Spirit,"
as in Eph, y. 30, and, "The Lord is that Spirit,"OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.	143

and to seal the truth by pouring out their blood. He
also imparted to them the gift of tongues, and the graces
necessary for the establishment of the Church and the
conversion of nations.

The sanctification of mankind is especially attributed
to the Holy Spirit, because He is the Spirit of Love, and
it is He who spreads abroad in our hearts that charity
which sanctifies them. It is the Holy Spirit who com-
municates peace to us, which is the life of our soul, as the
soul is the life of the body. The soul has life only so long
as it is united to the Holy Spirit, and so long as Grace
dwells in and animates it. Our souls have no tendency
toward God save by the Holy Spirit, and can do nothing
toward salvation save by His inspiration and impulse. (1)

In the Scriptures He is called the Spirit of Truth,
that is, He is the source of all Truth, and the Master who
teaches it. It was He who in a moment filled the Apos-
tles with light, and communicated to them the most sub-
lime knowledge. It was He who spake by the Prophets
and evangelists. It is He who still instructs us, and dis-
sipates by His light the darkness of our ignorance. He
shows us the way to Heaven, and gives us the strength to
walk in it. u Thy good Spirit/' says the Prophet, u shall
lead me in the right way," whose end is salvation. The
Holy Spirit speaks to us internally, in order to turn us from
evil, and to inspire us with the good which we ought to

(1) " If any one say that without the preventing inspiration of the
Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or re-
pent as he ought, in order to obtain the grace of justification, let him
be anathema."—Conn-. Trent, Sess. V, Can. III.

" The Holy Ghost is called 'the giver of life,' because the soul
lives more by a union with God, than the body is nurtured and sus-
tained by a union with the soul. As, then, the Sacred Scriptures
ascribe to the Holy Ghost this union of the soul with God, with
great propriety is He denominated ' the giver of life.' " — Catechism of
the Council of Trent,144	a christian's duty.

do. It is then the Holy Spirit whom we resist when we
reject the thought calculated to turn us from evil, and dis-
pose us to good. (1)

One day Moses complained to Jehovah that the gov-"
ernment of the Hebrew people had become too weighty a
burden for him, and he could no longer support it. The
Lord commanded him to choose seventy elders the most
renowned for age and wisdom, that they might sustain
along with him the burden of affairs. Moses obeyed this
command, and having selected from among the elders of
Israel those which were to compose the council of the
people, he repaired with them to the Tabernacle. Then the
Lord descended in a cloud, and (as the sacred text in-
forms us) u took of the spirit which was upon Moses, and
gave it to these seventy men." That is, each one of these
seventy men received, according to the measure ordained
by God, the grace of the same spirit with which Moses
was filled, without its plenitude in Moses being in any way
diminished. The Holy Spirit having rested upo«i them,

(1) '• It fills the Church of God ; it fills
The sinful world around;

Only in stubborn hearts and wills
No place for it is found.

" To other strains our souls are set;

A giddy whirl of sin
Fills ear and brain, and will not let
Heaven's harmonies come in."

" He that heareth you heareth Me." This is the teaching warrant
of the Church. No sect has ever dared to claim it. No Protestant
teacher has ever assumed to speak as though " moved by the Holy
GhostYet this only is the teacher's authority. " We preach not
ourselves," which every Protestant preacher does,—his u views, " his
ideas, " his " conclusions, " etc., because they are none of them sure
that they know the truth, and never know what they think to be the
truth two years alike. " Tossed about with every wind of doctrine."OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

145

they began to prophesy and sing the praises of the Lord,
by a divine prompting, and so continued ever after.
These seventy men represented the seventy disciples
whom Jesus Christ chose to add to the Apostles, chiefs
of His Church, in order that they might have with them
the solicitudes of the pastoral ministry, and upon whom
Jesus Christ also shed His Spirit, in order that they might
prophesy, that is, proclaim the wonders of the Gospel.
(Numbers xi. 11 et scq.)

A humming-bird, the smallest of all known birds, had
often contemplated from afar the brilliant sun, and wished to
have a near view of its majesty and splendor. But in
vain he strove by daring flights to rise in the air: his
strength was insufficient to reach to such a fearful height.
One day, flying sadly hither and thither, an eagle passed
by. The humming-bird furtively ensconced himself upon
the back of the haughty bird, who carried him toward
that majestic sun which was the object of his desires, and
simply by his presence protected him from the birds of
prey, who, a hundred times over, would have devoured him
if he had been left to his own strength.

Feeble human creature, this tiny bird is like thee.
Thou art not sufficiently strong to rise to the Sun of Justice;
but the divine Eagle, the Holy Spirit, if thou confide in
Him, will take thee upon His wings of fortifying Grace,
and will carry thee, protecting thee against all the foes of
thy salvation, towrard the aim of thy desires and hopes.

May we all be raised by this divine Eagle to the highest
heavens!

Exercises.—Is it sufficient to believe in the Father and the Son?
Who is the Holy Ghost? What effects did the descent of the Holy
Ghost produce on the Apostles ? Why do we attribute to the Holy
Ghost our sanctiftcation ? Why is He styled "the Spirit of Truth " ? • .146

a christian's duty.

SECTION XL
Of the Church.

u l BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHUIiCH."

44 The Church's one foundation

Is Jesus Christ her Lord;

She is His new creation

By water and the Word ;

From Heaven He came and sought her

To be His holy Bride ;

With His own blood He bought her,

And for her life He died.

" Elect from every nation,

Yet one o'er all the earth,

Her charter of salvation

One Lord, one Faith, one Birth; 1
One holy Name she blesses,

Partakes one heavenly Food,

And to one hope she presses,

With every grace endued.

" 'Mid toil and tribulation,

And tumult of her war,

She waits the consummation

Of peace for evermore ;

Till with the Vision glorious
Her longing eyes are blest,

And the great Church, victorious,

Shall be the Church of rest."—Stone.

* CHAPTER I.

The Establishment of the Church.

There has always existed a Church, even from the
commencement of the world ; that is to say, even before
the coming of Our Saviour there were men who professed toMY HOUSE IS THE HOUSE OF I>RAYER, BUT YOU HAVE MADE IT
A DEN OF THIEVES."THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH.	147

i

believe in God, to worship and to serve Him, awaiting
Messiah, and hoping for salvation by His merits, according
to the oracle of the Prophets. Yet these worshippers
of the true God did not always form a society united by
outward and visible ties. Before the time of Christ, the
Jews alone, in quality of the chosen people, possessed a
law and religious exercises in common. But Jesus Christ,
having come into this world to save all men, has afforded
them new means of salvation. He willed to unite them,
and form but one sole body, by giving to all a new law,
which is the Law of Grace.

The Apostles, having received the Holy Ghost, went
" forth from the house where they had shut themselves up,
and proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the
midst of the city of Jerusalem. Three thousand Jews
were converted at the first sermon of St. Peter, and five
thousand at the second. The number of the faithful
daily increased ; and these men, regenerated by Baptism
and received by the Holy Ghost, presented to the world
the spectacle of the purest and most perfect virtue.
Subsequently the Apostles preached the word of God
with the same success throughout Judea, Galilee and Sa-
maria. Thence they passed into Syria, the provinces of
Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece, and nearly all over
the world, proclaiming the Gospel—that is, the good news
of the redemption of mankind by Jesus Christ.

Meanwhile, the Jews obstinately resisted the Gospel,
and furiously persecuted the disciples of Jesus Christ.
On the other hand, the pagans opposed its establishment
with all their might. All the great and powerful among
them declared themselves inimical to this religion from
the very first. (1) Yet, despite the fury of the Jews,
(1) The great historian Tacitus calls it " an- execrable superstition."148	a christian's duty.

the opposition of the great, and the general corruption of
the people,—for a long period attached to a religion
wholly sensual,—the Apostles established the Church of
Jesus Christ in all countries of the universe. Those
whom they selected to, succeed them in the Apostolic
ministry imitated their zeal, and, in like manner, trans-
mitted to their successors the deposit of the Faith, which
has thus come down even to us, age after age, in all its
purity.

To form some idea of this prodigious undertaking,—
the establishment of Christianity,—let us imagine twelve
men of the lowest class of the populace, without means,
education, or support, to whom their Master promises in
this world nothing but persecution, torments and death.
Such were the Apostles. Can we suppose that twelve
men like this, if they had not been animated by the
Spirit of God, would have dared to undertake to change
the face of the world,—to convert all nations, Jews and
pagans, Greeks and Romans, and this by proposing to all
the most incomprehensible mysteries and the most rigid
morality t(l) Yet these twelve men, thus denuded of all
human aid, with no weapon but the Cross, no means but
the Word, or other defence but a patience proof against
everything, did not only dare to form this most extraor-
dinary design, but also carried it out.

(1) Though we would not for a moment undervalue the achieve-
ments of such men as Livingstone, Stanley and others, it ought not to
be forgotten that the heroism and fortitude they have displayed have
been more than equalled by our missionaries. The Jesuit Mission in
Japan is a notable instance, There is an interesting museum in Paris
at the Missions Etrangeres, where some of the most frightful instru-
ments of martyrdom are preserved, hallowed in many cases by martyr
blood. The spirit of the Catholic missionary is the same now as in the
first century, and the most timid become lionlike in boldness through
the spirit of God.THE ESTABLISHMENT OP THE CHURCH.	149

They preached a doctrine that led captive the mind
and constrained the heart. They preached in the midst
of the Roman Empire, in the largest cities,—cities the
richest, most learned, and most voluptuous : at An-
tioch, Alexandria, Ephesus, Athens, Corinth, and finally
at Rome. Every one rose up against this new doctrine, ev-
ery one endeavored to stifle Christianity in its cradle, and
arrest its progress. Loss of goods, exile, prison, tortures—
all were tried ; and yet Christianity was everywhere es-
tablished, simply by means of persuasion, despite all
that could be brought in opposition to it—power,
worldly wisdom, passions, interest, policy, and the most
extravagant violence. (1)

To quit a religion which ordains painful practices, and
proscribes vice, for one that is favorable to the senses,
and permits one to give a free rein to the passions, is a
thing easy of comprehension. But to abandon a religion
favorable to the passions, to embrace the Cross and pen-
ance, to expose one's self even to the loss of goods and
life,—this is what real eonvietion only can bring about ;
and this is what took place in the establishment of Chris-
tianity.

All these things considered, can we help saying, u This

is the finger of God " t (2) For, either the Apostles per- .

■ • •

(1)	" Before this doctrine, the philosophy of the Portico, the pride of
the Senate, the fasces of the lictor, and the swords of thirty legions,
were humbled in the dust."—Macaulay, '' Essays."

(2)	It ought to be remembered that the Church wholly repudiates
the half-compromises of such writers as Renan and Strauss, who as-
cribe the success of the Apostles to enthusiasm inspired by the ex-
alted virtues of their Master. There is no possibility of shrinking
the stern logic with which she deals with the question. Either Christ
was "God of God, and Light of light." or He was an impostor, be-
cause He reiteratedly asserted that He was the Son of God. ' 4 Aut
Caesar, aut nihil." If He was not the Son of God, how is the establish-

- ment and maintenance of the Church, which rests on this fact, to be

accounted for?150

a christian's duty.

formed miracles to convince the people of the truth of that
which they proclaimed, or they convinced them without
miracles. If they performed miracles, it must have been
God Himself who presided over this work ; and if they
persuaded the world without miracles, the proof would
only be all the stronger. Only a divine power could
achieve such persuasion of all varieties of minds, despite
all the obstacles opposed to it. Tine conversion of the
world without miracles would be of itself the greatest of
miracles. (1)

Saint Simplician, who had acted as a father toward St.
Ambrose, had the same tenderness for Victorinus, of
whom we are about to speak.

Victorinus, a celebrated orator, had been Professor of
Rhetoric at Rome. He had passed his life in the study of
the liberal arts, and had made himself very expert in
them; he had read, examined, and elucidated all the
writings of the ancient philosophers ; he had been mas-
ter of all the learning which was held in most consider-
ation by the Roman Senators—in short, he had exercised
his profession with so much success and brilliancy, that he

(1) Those who inveigh against miracles ignore the fact that there is
constantly being enacted in our midst a miracle of stupendous mag-
nitude. 9 We see every day grace take hold of a sinner upon whom all
moral suasion, physical coercion, prisons, stripes, starvation—all the
miseries of life—have been unable to produce any permanent im-
pression. A drunkard, for instance, who, writhing in his self-imposed
bondage, confesses, " I cannot help it! " All good people, temperance
advocates, etc., have given him up—all but the confessor. Grace
pluQ^ks this battered coin of humanity, upon which the image of God is
well-nigh effaced, out of the mine of sin, and re-mints it, Transform-
ing (this is the word St. Paul uses) the slave of Satan into God's
freedman, the man with the legion of demons whom "no man could
tame," is found sitting at the feet of Jesus, in his right mind. Will any
one say that this miracle does not even exceed in wonder the greatest
of physical miracles, as the soul exceeds the body in greatness ?THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH.

151

had merited and obtained a statue, which was erected in
one of the public places at Rome. This was regarded as
one of the greatest honors to which any man could attain.
He was, nevertheless, still a pagan, and a worshipper of
idols. And not only did he adore them himself, but he
employed his eloquence to induce others to adore them.

What grace was needed to touch and convert such a
heart! Behold the means which God employed : Victori-
nus had been reading the Holy Scriptures, and it was
after carefully applying himself to this reading, and to
that of other books about the Christian religion, that he
privately said to Simplician, (i I bring you news which
will interest you ; it is, that I am a Christian." " I do
not believe it," replied Simplician, u and I will not deem
you to be a Christian until I see you in the church where
the assemblies of the faithful are held." u What! " said
Victorinus, "is it through an inclosure of walls that one
is a Christian ? " Each time he protested that he was a
Christian, Simplician repeated the same thing, and
Victorinus replied by the same stroke of raillery.

That which restrained him was the fear of irritating
his idolatrous friends, whose hatred he believed would
crush him, if it once fell upon him. But, at length, courage
and generosity having come to him through what he
read, by opening his heart to its influence, he compre-
hended that it would be an enormous crime to be ashamed
of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, and not of pagan and
sacrilegious superstitions. One day, therefore, feeling
more resolute, he came suddenly to Simplician, at a time
when that holy man least expected him, and exclaimed,
" Let us go to the church; I am determined not only to be
a Christian, but to appear as one."152

a christian's duty.

Simplician, transported with joy, conducted him there
on the spot, and caused him to be inscribed on the list of
those who asked for Baptism. All Rome was filled with
astonishment and admiration ; joy spread throughout
the Church because of the celebrity and reputation of this
great man.

At length the happy day arrived destined to the pro-
fession of the faith which was made before Baptism. The
custom of the Church of Rome was to make it in phrases
learned by heart, and recited aloud in ^presence of the
faithful. Out of deference, the priests proposed to Vic-
torinus to recite it privately, a concession ordinarily only
granted to the timid. But he desired to profess openly,
and in presence of all the people, the heavenly doctrine
that was to lead him to salvation. When he appeared
in the tribune, which he had ascended, a sudden transport
of joy caused his name to be repeated by every lip ; and,
although each one moderated his joy from respect for the
sacredness of the action and of the place, a secret mur-
mur was heard on all sides : uIt is Victorinus! It is
Victorinus / Every one was speedily quieted to hear
him speak ; and he, full of a holy boldness, pronounced in
a loud and distinct voice the truths which are the object
of our Faith. There was not one in the assembly who
did not wish to take him and place him in his heart, and,
in reality, they did so by the joy they experienced in see-
ing him a Christian. This startling conversion produced
great results; and when St. Augustine heard it relate'd
by St. Simplician, he avowed that he felt moved by a
strong desire to follow the example of Victorinus. This
he subsequently did at the hands of St. Ambrose, to whom
St. Simplician had acted as sponsor at his baptism.—
From the u Confessions " of St Augustine.THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHUHCH.

153

Let us learn, first : not to put off responding to Grace
when it calls us, lest it should be withdrawn from us.

Second : To repair, by some heroic act, the infidelities
and resistances opposed to Grace^

Thirdly: To be all the more faithful to it, as we have so
long resisted it.

The Church, properly so called (for none but the Cath-
olic Church can claim the title ), is a divinely appointed
body, whose ministers derive their authority directly from
Christ, its Head, through the Apostles and their successors.
It is one, holy, and universal, guaranteed from all pos-
sibility of error by the abiding presence of the Holy Ghost,
whose infallible voice, speaking through the visible head of
the Church, is her guide in all matters of faith and practice.
As no communion of non-Catholics claims these marks of
the Church, nor could make good any such claim if assert-
ed, they indirectly confess that there is but one Church
upon earth—that in which these marks are plainly found :■
the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman.

Exeecises.—Has the Church always existed ? What were the happy
results of the preaching of the Apostles ? Show that the establishment
of Christianity must have been a divine work.154

a chiustian's duty.

CHAPTER II.

%

Results of the Establishment of the Church.—Constancy
of the Martyrs.

"They have come from tribulation and have washed their robes in
blood,

Washed them in the blood of Jesus; tried they were, and firm they
stood.

Mocked, imprisoned, stoned, tormented, sawn asunder, slain with
sword,

They have conquered death and Satan by the might of Christ the
Lord.

"Marching with Thy Cross their banner, they have triumphed, fol-
lowing

Thee, the Captain of salvation, Thee their Saviour and their King.
Gladly, Lord, with Thee they suffered; gladly, Lord, with Thee they
died,

And by death to life immortal they were born and glorified."

— Wordsworth.

The persecution of the Church of Jesus Christ did not
terminate with the lives of the Apostles. All the powers
of the world continued during three centuries to make war
upon her. During this interval ten persecutions may be
enumerated, all raised up by the edicts of the Roman Em-
perors. Several millions of Christians, of both sexes,
and of all ages and conditions, endured torments and death
to render their testimony to Jesus Christ. The most
frightful tortures were invented to put them to death.
They were stretched upon racks, with ropes fastened to
their hands and feet j they were suspended by one hand,
after weights had been fixed to the feet, and in this stateTHE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH.

155

were beaten with iron-pointed whips until their sides and
entrails were laid bare. When they did not expire under
these torments, salt and vinegar were cast upon their
wounds in order to render them more acutely sensitive.
Sometimes they reopened them when they began to close.
For the Christains, the prisons became a new form of tor-
ture. The most loathsome were reserved for them. Into
these they were thrown, naked, and torn with scourges,
with gyves on their feet, and compelled to lie upon broken
glass, with which the floor of their dungeon had been bar-
barously sprinkled.(1) Frequently they were allowed
to die of hunger ; and, if they were fed, it was in order to
torture them anew. Generally, they were forbidden to
converse with any one, because it was known that in this
condition they converted many heathen, even the jailers
and soldiers that guarded them. The final torture, which
ended all the rest, was, to be beheaded, or burnt alive, or
thrown from high rocks into the sea, or devoured by wild
beasts. Notwithstanding all, the martyrs remained firm
and unshaken in the midst of the longest continued and
most poignant anguish, torments appearing even to
augment their courage. It was not men only who display-
ed this admirable constancy, but delicate women and
young children ; (2) so potent was the grace of Jesus
Christ inwardly strengthening them. Ecclesiastical his-

(1)	They came forth from these dreadful prisons, covered with
filth and vermin, singing exultantly, "Such honor have all His
saints."—Milner's " Church History

(2)	The reader, whether old or young, cannot but peruse with ad-
miration the touching stories of the youthful martyrs Potinus of
Lyons, Pancras, Agnes, and the marvellous heroism of the slave girl
Blandina.. No stories of modern bravery can exceed the last in daring.
We commend as especially interesting the story of the boy martyr as
narrated by Chaucer in the " Tale of the Prioress?'so admirably ren-
dered by Wordsworth.—f Works ( Chandos Edit.), p. 251.)156

a christian's duty.

tory records examples of courage which are not only above
all human strength, but also beyond all admiration. The
sufferings of the martyrs of Lyons and Vienne under the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius cannot be read without aston-
ishment. The same may be said of what Eusebius relates
of the martyrs of Palestine, Sozomen of those of Per-
sia, and w7hat we find recorded in the original Acts
of the martyrs of Africa. All these generous wrestlers
suffered, with an invincible patience, torments whose bare
recital makes us shudder." Some among them endured
them with joy, going of their own accord to execution,
and dreading> lest they should be spared. St. Lawrence,
stretched upon his burning brazier, told his executioners
to turn him over on the other side, because the fire had no
further hold on that which was already burnt. What
words amid the most excruciating agonies ! Whence did
these Christian heroes derive this invincible courage
enabling them to brave torments and death ? What was
it that gave thern this superior strength over all the cru-
elties that tyrants could invent ? Surely, a divine forti-
tude must have sustained their natural weakness. (1)

Hence, the religion which the martyrs cemented with
their blood is a divine religion. It'could never have
survived, had not an Almighty Hand upheld it against
such violent and multiplied onslaughts. But God en-
abled it to triumph over all its foes, and their combined
efforts to ruin it only served to strengthen it. The more
cruel the persecution, the more rapid its progress. The
blood of the martyrs was like a fruitful seed, which
brought forth new Christians, and the whole world, after

(1) "And they overcame him (the dragon) by the Blood of the
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their
lives unto-death,"—Apocalypse xii. 11.THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH.

157

furiously persecuting the disciples of Jesus Christ, was
constrained to cry out,—u How great is the Christian's
God ! "—and then embraced the martyrs' faith. (1)

The Emperor Valens, who was an Arian, while in the
city of Edessa, prohibited the Catholics from performing
any public function of their religion under penalty of
death. Far from discontinuing their assemblies, the
Catholics carried them on in the usual place. The Em-
peror, upon being informed, commanded the Prefect to go
on the morrow to this place of assembly with a large
number of soldiers, and put to death all that he found
there. The Prefect, who was not cruel, shuddered. He
caused the Catholics to be informed of the orders which
he had received, and his inability to stay their execu-
tion. This warning, far from deterring, caused them to
flock from all parts of the city on the morning in ques-
tion. They rejoiced at the favorable opportunity of giv-
ing their lives for 3esus Christ. The Prefect started, es-
corted by soldiers. On entering a street leading to the
place where the Christians were assembled, he met a
young woman leading her little child by the hand.

(1) The last oracle said to have been uttered from the slirine of
Apollo at Delphos was as follows :

" Tell the King, on earth has fallen the glorious dwelling,

And the water-springs that spake are quenched and dead;

Not a cell is left the god, no roof, no cover;

In his hand^theprophet laurel flowers no more,''

This was sent to the Emperor Julian the Apostate, who strove so
hard to resuscitate paganism, A modern poet says :

uAnd the monarch's high, sad heart, thy (Apollo's) last true lover,
Felt thine answer pierce and cleave it to the corev
And he bowed dowrt his hopeless head
In the drift of the wild world's tide,

And dying, 6 Thou hast conquered,' he said ;

'Galilean!'—he said it and died."158

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

u Where are you going in such haste ?v he asked. "I
am going/7 she replied^ u where all the other Catholics
are going." u Stop !" continued the Prefect 5 u do you
not know that the Emperor has commanded all that are
in the assembly to be put to death V1 661 know it/' she
replied, "and it is because of that that I am hastening
to get there with my child, the only one God has given
me, in order that he and I may have the happiness to die
for the faith of Jesus Christ." Admiring her constancy,
the Prefect returned to the Emperor and related* what
she had said. Valens, covered with confusion, though
he himself could not help admiring the bravery of the
Catholics, made no delay in quitting the city, and thus
peace was restored to the disciples of the Saviour.—Ec-
clesiastical History.

[Our Lord had foretold persecution as a special mark
of the Church : u The time cometh when whoso killeth
you will think he doeth God service." The Christian, be-
ing by his creed compelled to abstain from all forms of
idolatry, which was the religion of th% age, as also from
the immoralities accompanying heathen rites, was looked
upon as disloyal to his country, and a bad citizen. The
arcana, or mystery in which the Christian worship was
maintained, mortified the public curiosity; and, being un-
able to penetrate it, the wildest and most horrible stories
were reported of the Christians, and generally credited
by the populace. The Roman Emperors regarded them
with dread as a probable political party, in the same way
that Pharoah regarded the Israelites. Their stainless lives
were a standing reproach to the sensuality and cruelty
around them, and thus provoked envy and hatred,—the
hatred of evil to good. Once persecution was let loose,THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CHURCH,

159

all classes were arrayed against the Church. But Saint
Cyprian points out that the fact that the baptized Christian
was a candidate for martyrdom, served to keep the Church
free from all those who were not devoted to her from sin-
cere faith and love. It was the winnowing of the wheat,
the furnace from which the pure gold came forth all the
more brilliant.

Some enemies of Christianity have denied the tortures
inflicted on Christians ; Gibbon especially. Yet the tor-
ments enumerated in the text were positively among
the mildest employed. The u Acta " show that numbers
were too horrible to be put into words. There exists in
Eome a most ancient church, called St. Stefano in the
Rotunda, upon whose walls the sufferings of the martyrs
are depicted in a rude style of art, showing the frescoes to
be of very early date. They are most awful to look upon ;
and one knows not which to be most astonished at, the dia-
bolical ingenuity of the torturer, or the preternatural
and sublime patience, yea, even exultation of the mar-
tyrs.

This constancy and perseverance had been promised
by anticipation : u Lo, I am with you always" But it is
thought that the Blessed Eucharist, and the'gift of the.
Holy Ghost received in Baptism, were its mainstay. Some-
times weak and timid persons became quite transformed
(as St. Peter was after the day of Pentecost) by Baptism,
going joyfully to martyrdom. It must not be supposed
that the Divine Grace in any special way lessened or
destroyed the reality and acuteness of suffering. As a man
with a resolute mind may overcome bodily pain without
ceasing for a moment to feel it, so Grace enabled the
martyrs to support their agonies heroically; and in many160

a christian's duty.

cases the prospect of their approaching reward seems to
have even neutralized suffering.]

Exekcises.—Did the persecutions raised against the Church cease
at the death of the Apostles ? How many x^ersecutions were there ?
TOiere did the martyrs obtain their strength ? What was the result of
these persecutions ?

CHAPTER III.

The Primacy of the Church Conferred upon St. Peter.

"In the Catacombs

Thy faithful watched, and, circled by their dead,

Worshipped their God in peace. * Three hundred years
Passed like three days : and lo ! that Power went forth
Which conquered Death. Then Hell gave up her prey :

That hour the kingdoms of this world became
The kingdoms of the Lord, and of His Christ:

The Prince of this world from his throne, upreared
On subject thrones of every land, was hurled :

The Pagan victories then their meaning found :

That Empire last and mightiest, which absorbed
All its precursors, lay a ruin: God
His family on earth a kingdom made,

And Sion built on buried Babylon !

The Sacrament of Obedience, paid to God
Through man His Yicar, glorified that hour;

Subjection and the Apostles reigned at Rome—

Eeigned from their tombs, and conquered from their dust !
Behold the mystery of the ages ! Man
Wrought it unconscious ! History is made,

Or finds its meaning here. One mystery vast
Solves here Philosophy's uncounted riddles ;

w Time with its tumults here is harmonized ;

Hope here is found or nowhere !''—Sir Aubrey De Vere..

Our Lord Jesus Christ founded His Church by choosing
Ilis Apostles and fixing upon kSt. Peter as their chief.jy

I WILL GIVE THEE THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN,THE CHURGH AND ST. PETER.

161

One day, having questioned them as to what others
thought of Him, and what they themselves thought, Simon
answered, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!"
Jesus answered, " Blessed art thou, Simon, son of John, for
flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but My
Father who is in Heaven. And I say unto thee, thou art
Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church, and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." These words
are plain. Jesus Christ has built His church upon Peter.
He has fixed in Peter its foundation and basis. He has con-
sequently constituted him the chief of all the faithful, in-
cluding the other Apostles, whom He has not elevated to
the same dignity. .	'	#

After His resurrection, Jesus Christ questioned St. Peter,
saying "Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me more than
these ? " To which he replied, "Yea, Lord, Thou know est
that I love Thee ! " Jesus said unto him, " Feed My lambs.
He saith unto him again, Simon, son of John, lovest thou
Me Peter answered, " Yea, Lord. He saith unto him,
Feed My lambs." A third time Jesus repeated the same
question. Peter, grieved because his divine Master
seemed to doubt his love, said, " Lord, Thou knowest all
things: Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith un-
to him, Feed My sheep.

S Behold, then, St. Peter established as Pastor of the
Church, commissioned to guard the entire flock of the
Lord. In the first place he has to tend the lambs,
that is, the faithful; then the sheep, that is, the Apostles
and their successors. The flock of Peter consists of all
Christians, ministers and laity. The world is his diocese,
and there is nothing in the Church sequestrate from his
power. No other Apostle received similar powers, or162

a christian's duty.

powers so extensive. It is therefore certain, according
to the words of Jesus Christ, that St. Peter was established
as the chief and Prince of the Apostles.

This primacy, received from Jesus Christ, was exer-
cised by St. Peter upon all occasions, and never misunder-
stood by the Apostles. It was he who, after the ascension
of Our Saviour, spoke the first in the assembly of all the
Apostles, to induce them to select an Apostle in place of the
traitor Judas, And if he did not himself nominate him,
as he had the right to do, says St. Chrysostom, it was
because he wished to give an example of that spirit of
charity and condescension which he so strongly recom-
mends to all pastors. It was he who upon the day of
Pentecost first preached Christ risen. It was he who
in the council of Jerusalem pronounced the first speech.
u Everywhere," says St. John Chrysostom, u he is the
first to speak, and he does so because he is the chief of
the Apostles, and to him Jesus Christ committed His
flock." (1)

Such has also been the belief of every age. (< It is,"
says Pius VI., u a dogma of the Catholic faith, taught by
the mouth of Jesus Christ, transmitted from age to age,
defended by the doctrine of the holy Fathers, carefully pre-

(1) When St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, was advised by
his time-serving suffragans for peace' sake to humor the King, he re-
plied : "i will resort to the chief shepherd and the Prince of all. In
the things which appertain to God, i will yield obedience to Peter's
Vicar only." Then upbraiding these faint-hearted counsellors, he
said: ''You command that, as your security in the future, i promise
never again on any account to make appeal in England to St. Peter
or his Vicar. i say that no such command as th^s should come from
you who are Christians. To swear this, would be to forswear Peter,
and there can be no doubt that he who forswears Peter forswears
Christ, who set Peter as chief over His Church," This was the stout
fidelity of a Catholic prelate in the rude eleventh century.—See
Rule s Life and Times of St. Anselm."THE CHURCH AND ST. PETER.

163

served at all times by the Universal Church, often con-
firmed by decrees of Councils and sovereign Pontiffs
against the errors of innovators, that Jesus Christ has
founded His Church upon an unshaken rock, and that by
a special favor He chose Peter among all others to give
him the Primacy of the Apostolic Body.?? Hence, we can-
not doubt but that the Church of Jesus Christ was found-
ed upon the Papacy, upon Peter, and that the other Apos-
tles were but the secondary foundation. Like Peter, they
preached the Gospel, administered the sacraments, conse-
crated bishops and priests, founded churches ; and in all
these things they were not inferior to him. But it was no
longer the same thing,as to the power of leading and gov-
erning the faithful, to recall them to their duties when
they went astray, to preserve them in unity, etc. ;—since
Jesus Christ had fixed the fount, the root, and the foun-
dation of the ecclesiastical unity in Peter, who is the
only one invested with a limitless authority over the en-
tire flock.

After saying to Simon, " Thou art Peter, and upon
this rock I will build My Church, " Jesus Christ added :
"I give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,
ai)d whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound
in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall
be loosed in Heaven.?? In Scripture, keys represent the
authority of government. They are the image and sym-
bol of sovereignty. It was, then, his whole authority
which Jesus Christ conveyed to Peter, without limit or
restriction. He put him in His place, and, if we may so
speak, substituted him for Himself in all His rights. It is
to recall this truth that St. Peter is represented holding164

a christian's duty.

the keys.(l) These keys are two in number. On© ex-
presses the power of jurisdiction, the other the power
of order. One is turned toward Heaven, which Peter
has the power to open and shut; the other toward the
earth, where Peter has the power to command the faith-
ful, and impose laws upon them.

The supreme authority conferred by Jesus Christ upon
St. Peter has passed by an uninterrupted succession to
his legitimate successors. u On leaving the earth," says
St. Leo? " Peter did not cease to govern the Church.
Bound by an indissoluble bond to the eternal High
Priest, he presides still upon bis throne, and transmits to
his successors the solidity which he received from Jesus
Christ; so that wherever we perceive any firmness
of action, we at once recognize the invincible might of
the first Pastor.??(2)

(1) Keys as symbols of power carry us back to the times when all
cities of importance were carefully walled. They had several gates,
but one principal gate. The King was invested with the key of this
gate as a token that he was constituted its defender. Hence, the throne
of Judah is called " the key of David. " la ancient warfare the surren-
der of the keys to the besieger was a sign of complete submission to
his sway. In England this ancient custom is preserved. The Lord
Mayor of London having supreme jurisdiction over the city prop-
er, the sovereign has to request the key of the city gates each time she
enters them. The insignia of the Prime Minister is a golden key.
The arms of the Priraatial See of Canterbury, dating back to St. Aus-
tin, are two keys ; those of London, equally ancient, a key and a
sword.

(2) Whoever considers the wonderful vicissitudes through which
the Church has passed ; the might which has been arrayed against
her; the fact that organizations possessing a hundredfold more of
wealth and power and prestige have risen and passed away, while
she remains, cannot but attribute it to the divine inherent power
vested in the See of Peter. If this had been a merely human organ-
ization, consolidated and framed as time and circumstances dictated,
it must have fared as others have :

" Assyria, Rome, Greece, Carthage, all are gone.'"

Whereas these all had within them a germ of decay, the Church
has »n inherent and increasing vitality. We see no thorough unity
outside her, because the conditions of unity do not exist. See this
ably argued in The See of Peter, by T- W. Allies, M. A.THE CHURCH AND ST. PETER.

165

According to the Saviour's command, .the Church was
to begin at Jerusalem, the holy city, to continue the suc-
cession of God's people ; and for a long time St. Peter
was the chief in word and action. From Jerusalem,
where he left as Bishop St. James the Less, Peter repair-
ed,to Antioch, the metropolis of the East. This Church,
the most illustrious in the world, because it was
there that the name of Christian originated, had been
founded by Sts. Barnabas and Paul, yet St. Peter, on
account of his dignity, was recognized as first Pastor.
After residing there about seven years, he established
St. Ignatius in his place. He repaired to Rome, the cap-
ital of the Empire, and fixed his seat there ; and this
famous city, the centre of industry, and the meeting-
place of all kinds of error, became Peter's own Church,
the palladium of Truth, the capital of the religion of
Jesus Christ.

St. Peter had held his seat at Rome about five-and-
twenty years, when, by order of Nero, he was arrested,
and, after remaining nine months in prison,(1) was sen-
tenced to suffer crucifixion. Thus St. Peter transferred
) his seat from Antioch to Rome. He established his res-
idence in this latter city, where he suffered martyrdom.
By these means he attached to it the rights of Primacy,
of pre-eminence and sovereign authority with which he

(l)This fact in the life of the great Apostle can only be appreciated
b,y those who have seen this prison, the Mamertine, on the Capitoline
Bill. Compared with this dungeon, the worst of our modern prison-
cells is palatial. It is entered from a hole in the roof ( for the stair-
way is modern), and is in every respect a living tomb. Here
Jugurtha was starved to death, and the Catiline conspirators, and
the last Hebrew High Priest, with a host more, died. But here the
glorious Gospel was proclaimed, and the miraculous spring tells the
story of St. Peter baptizing his jailer. Add to this dreary confine-
ment,—shut out from the light of day, and sight of all things,—the
prisoner was loaded with fetters.166

a christian's duty.

was invested. The Bishop of Rome, by virtue of pos-
sessing this seat, has inherited this Primacy, and has, like
St. Peter, full power to feed, to rule and govern the
Church of Jesus Christ, not only the faithful, but also its
pastors.

The name of Pope which has been given to the Bishop
of Rome, St. Peter's successor, signifies the same thing as
Father. He is so called because he is the Father, the
spiritual monarch of all the faithful. The name of Sov-
ereign Pontiff (1) is also given to the successor of St.
Peter; which means, the Pontiff, the Bishop, who, by di-
vine right, is superior to all others, not only in honor, but
in jurisdiction, and who exercises the supreme authority in
the Church. He is also styled Most Holy Father; the
Chief of the Church in the world ; Universal Bishop of
the Church, etc.

" Although the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is not of
this world, and the successor of Peter has, by divine right,
no temporal demesne, nevertheless, by the munificence
of Christian princes, a principality was attached to the
Holy See, under the name of the Patrimony of St. Peter.(2)
This temporal principality of the Roman states has served,
in the order of Providence, to maintain the free and un-
restricted exercise of the Pope's spiritual functions, and

(1)	Pontifex Maximus. Under the Caesars this was the title of the
chief sacrificer, and was very properly transfllrred to the High Priest
of Christendom. Its origin is lost in obscurity, for it means great
bridge-maker.

(2)	By the greatest act of spoliation known in modern times, far
worse than the Partition of Poland, over which poets and historians
sent up dismal wailings and horrified howlings, the Italian army
took possession of Rome in 1870. The Pontifical troops made a brave
resistance, and would have fought to the bitter end, but the Pope or-
dered them to surrender. The government of King Victor Emmanuel
seized upon the Patrimony of Peter, reducing the Pope to a state of
dependence upon the alms of the faithful, called Peter's Pence.THE CHURCH AND ST. PETER.

167*

the development of the interests of religion, by contrib-
uting to the maintenance of institutions of science and of
charity. If the Bishop of Rome were the subject of a
temporal sovereign, or the citizen of a Republic, it is to be
feared that he would not always enjoy that liberty of action
which is necessary in order that his measures and de-
crees should be respected by the faithful throughout the
world."

So the Council of Baltimore, held in 1849, delivered it-
self. So every council held subsequently has pronounced,.
including the (Ecumenical Council of the Vatican.

During the schism of Antioch, St. Jerome was disturb-
ed in his desert. He was asked with whom he was in
communion—with Vitalius, or Melecius, or Paulinus, who
all three divided the flock. In doubt about the subject,
he wrote to Pope Damasus in these terms :—u Following-
no other chief but JesUs Christ, I am attached to the
Communion of your holiness, that is, to the Chair of Peter.
I know that the Church is built upon that rock. Whoever
eats the lamb outside of this house is profane ; whoever is
not inside Noah's Ark will perish in the Deluge. He
that gathereth not with you scattereth ; hence I pray of
you to direct me withjwhom to communicate." The Sov-
ereign Pontiff had regard to the prayer of St. Jerome, and,
in consequence of instructions received from Rome, this
illustrious Doctor adopted the communion of Paulinus,
who ordained him priest.

To submit one's self humbly to the decisions of the
Church is the sole means of avoiding error.—St. Jerome,
Letter L VII.*168

a christian's duty.

Daniel O'Connell, the most extraordinary man of these
latter days, showed himself throughout his life a Christian
most loyal to the laws of God and His Church. Far
from being ashamed of his religion, even at a time when,
deprived of all rights, it was onl/ regarded with indiffer-
ence or contempt, as an unhappy outlaw, he always
gloried in it. He never presented himself at Court
without having a Catholic priest near him. They were
seen everywhere beside him. He never sat down to a
political banquet, where heretics of all sects and opinions
were mingled with Catholics, without his priest (to whom
he ceded the place of honor) had first blessed the hall.
In public meetings he specially gloried in showing his
attachment to the Roman faith by his acts and words.
And, really, to conceal one's feelings for the true faith, to
blush to publicly fulfil its precepts, is but a weakness,
and the greatest of all weaknesses. This is why. it is most
frequently found in small minds and narrow souls. True
genius has always been really religious and loved to ap-
pear so. It never knows the base attacks of human re-
spect.

And what shall I say of the feelings of this great Chris-
tian toward the clergy of his country ?—the real King
of Ireland, the arbiter of the hearts and hands of eight
millions of men, who, like children, were ready to obey at
a sign ; true champion and supporter of the Catholic
Church, which owed to him her greatest glory and freedom,
he never strayed from the bounds of a humble dependence
upon his bishop and priest. At the head of all as poli-
tician, and religious man, he looked upon himself as the
least of all. And when called, to the assemblies of the
clergy, to explain his plans, and give his ^dvice for theTHE CHURCH AND ST. PETEB.

169

defence of religion and liberty, like a new Constantine,
he hardly dared to accept the lowest place. Ready to
spring like a lion upon whomsoever in his speech showed a
want of respect for the priests, he himself gave proof of
the profoundest respect for this venerable body. He
always spoke of them with the greatest esteem and af-
fection. If he wished to give the people a motive for
avoiding secret societies he said : u Our clergy have for-
bidden them ; and is there one among us who dares to
disobey this clergy, so wise, so good, so generous, so edi-
fying f v— Ventura, Funeral Oration on Daniel 0' ConnelL
Have we not seen this hero of Ireland, full of respect
and love for the Catholic faith, abandon all, sacrifice all,
when he might effectually save her, and work for her?
The defence of the dogmas, ceremonies and discipline of
the Catholic Church was the favorite theme of his public
speeches and of his private talk. If some one insulted
him, murmuring in the sacrilegious tone of ancient times,
the word Papist, he turned bravely upon him and ex-
claimed, u Wretch, you think that in calling me Pa-
pist you wrong me, but you do me honor. Yes, I am a
Papist, and I glory in it. I am a Papist, and that means
that my creed, by an uninterrupted succession of Popes,
reaches back to Jesus Christ; whereas thine reaches no
farther than Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII., or Elizabeth.
Yes, Papist. If you had a spark of common sense,
would you not understand that in religious matters it is
better to depend upon the Pope than on the King; upon
the tiara than the crown ; upon the crosier than the sword ;
upon the cassock than the petticoat ; upon councils
than parliaments ? Blush then for yourself as devoid of
real faith and intelligence, and hold your tongue."170

a christian's duty.

Exercises.—How do we know that Jesus Christ established St. Peter
as Head of His Church ? Why is he represented as holding the keys ?
I) J St. Peter's authority cease with his death ? What titles are given
to the Bishop of Bome ? Ask your teacher to tell you something
about the Catacombs. If you have an opportunity, try to read Car-
dinal Newman's Gallista, Cardinal Wiseman's Fabiola, or some similar
works, to learn about the early Christians. What are suffragans ?

CHAPTER IV.

Maries of the Church.

«* Through the night of doubt and sorrow
Onward goes the pilgrim band,

Singing songs of expectation,

Marching to the Promised Land.

"Clear before us through the darkness
Gleams and burns the guiding light,

Brother clasps the hand of brother,

Stepping fearless through the night.

u One the Light of God's own Presence
O'er His ransomed people shed ;

Chasing far the gloom and terror,

Brightening ail the path we tread.

"One the object of our journey,

One the faith that never tires,

One the earnest looking forward.

One the hope our God inspires ;

"One the strain that lips of thousands
Lift as from the heart of one,

One the conflict, one the peril,

One the march in God begun ;

"One the gladness of rejoicing
On the far eternal shore,

* • Where the One Almighty Father

lieigns in love for evermore."—Faber.

The Church is the Society of the Faithful united in one
and the same Body, governed by its legitimate Pastors, ofMARKS OF THE CHURCH.

171

whom Jesus Christ is the invisible Head, and the Pope,
successor of St. Peter, the visible head. But, as many
bodies have usurped the title of the Church, it is necessary
that the true Church, the Spouse of the God-Man, should
bear upon her brow such striking signs, such perfectly
inimitable characteristics, that no sect whatever can claim
or counterfeit them. And these marks could be none other
than the Truth itself, which are chiefly four : unity, sane-
tity, ajpostolicity, and catholicity.

The Church is one. Oneness is an essential character-
istic of Truth, for God is one, and Truth is but the reve-
lation of God to Man. The Saviour prayed that His
Church might be one. He has represented it under the
form of a sheepfold which has but one shepherd; of a
house with one head ; of a body in which every member is
perfectly joined together. Hence the true Church ought
to be one—one in her faith, one in her laws, one in her
expectations, one in her head.

The Church is holy. Holiness is the essential character,
the excelling perfection, of God. This holiness in God
excludes even the shadow of evil or error. The true
Church ought therefore to be holy— holy in her maxims 5
holy in her dogmas; holy in her sacraments ; holy in her
precepts ; holy 111 the aim she sets before her : holy in her
members ; and of a sanctity rendered visible by miracles,
in order that every one, learned or ignorant, may ac-
knowledge it. It was to procure unto Himself such a
Church that Our Lord died. 66 He died," says St. Paul,
u that He might form a Church without spot or wrinkle."

The Church is Apostolic. Coming from the Apostles,
having been preached by them,—this is the characteristic
of the Truth ; for it was to them that the Saviour com-172

a christian's duty.

mitted all the truths which lie Himself had drawn from
the bosom of the Father; which truths developed, con-
firmed, and completed all those which God had revealed
from the commencement of the world. It was they whom
He commanded to proclaim these truths throughout the
world. The true Church ought, then, to descend from the
Apostles, and reach back as far as the Apostles.

The Church is Catholic or Universal. The truth is
one and the same in all times and in all countries. What
is true in Europe cannot be false in Asia; that which is
true to-day, cannot have been false yesterday. Further,
all men being made to know the truth, it ought to be ac-
cessible to all men, and be found wherever men are.
Therefore, the veritable Church, in which alone the truth
abides, ought to embrace all times, all places, and all the
truths taught by our Lord Jesus Christ. Such are the
marks which the real Church ought of necessity to possess.
She needs them all in order to be known as such; but,
with all these, it is, on the other hand, impossible to mis-
take her, or not distinguish her from all other associa-
tions.

if, now, you make the circuit of the globe, and study
'every religious society existing among its various races,
and seek from among them all that one which pre-
sents these four marks, that one, and that one only, is
the true Church. And this journey has been ac-
complished, not once, but thousands of times; not by a
single person, but by millions, and always with the same
result. The four marks of the true Church are found
alone in the Roman Church, so-called, because the Pope,
St. Peter's successor, has his seat at Rome. Hence, the
Roman Church alone is one, holy, Catholic, and Apos-MAKES OF THE CHURCH.

173

tolic.* She alone bears the marks of the true Church 5
and she alone, to the exclusion of all others, is the veri-
table Spouse of Jesus Christ, the pillar and ground of the
truth.

There is yet one other sign of the true Church, predict-
ed by the Saviour Himself when He said : u Ye shall
be an object of the hatred and continual persecution of
mankind."

Seek from among all religious communions for that one
which is the object of the hatred of all the rest, of the
hatred of all the world, and you will find the true Bride
of the God-Man. She is known by the crown of thorns
forever placed upon her head. No sect has ever worn
this wreath, or coveted to wear it. It is a diadem adorn-
ing the brow of the Roman Church alone. Ye Catho-
lics that tremble sometimes at the noise made by the
frightful crepitation of this old, disjointed world, far
from being troubled, you should look upon the tempests
that to-day assail the Church as marvellously calculated
to strengthen your faith. What do the new persecutions,
following hard after so many others, prove, if it be not
that your mother, the Roman Church, has ceased not to
be the Spouse of the God of Calvary I So long as that
diadem of pain circles her august brow, you may be sure
that she has formed no adulterous alliance either with the
world, or with vice or error. The more active the per-
secution, the more brightly will shine her inviolable fi-
delity, and the more worthy will she be of your confidence
and love.

St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, who had been the dis-
ciple of St. Polycarp, remarked to Florian, who was174

a christian's duty.

propagating erroneous doctrines, contrary to those of the
Catholic Church7 u Your doctrine is not that of the Bish-
ops who have preceded you. I seem to hear what
the blessed Poly carp related to us of the intervie ws which
he had with John and others who had seen the Lord, and
tell us what they had learned of Iiis doctrine and His mir-
acles. I assure you that if that holy Bishop had heard
what you teach, he would have stopped his ears, and
have cried out, as he was wont, 1 0 Lord ! hast Thou
preserved me up to now only to listen to such things ? ?
And from that moment he would have shunned: the
spot."—Lassausse.

What man was ever more attached to the Catholic
faith than this admirable O'Connell, of whom we have
already spoken I Having been elected a member of the
British Parliament despite the terrible opposition of the
Government, but amid the hearty applause of the faith-
ful, he presented himself in the House of Commons, to
assume the seat to which the suffrages of his fellow-cit-
izens had called him. An officer refused him admis-
sion. u You are a Catholic,'' he said, 6i and there is no
room for a Catholic in a Protestant Assembly. Will
you swear to the Thirty-nine Articles of the Anglican
religion?" O'Connell replied, "I will swear fidelity to
my king and to all righteous laws, but I will not swear to
heresy and blasphemy. I demand of the House to be ad-
mitted to prove my rights."

This request having been granted, rather from an in-
stinct of curiosity than from any principle of justice,
O'Connell spoke with such energy that he caused the
House to shake and "tremble. Prejudice gave way, re-
ligious animosities were silenced, old usages were noMARKS OF THE CHURCH.

175

longer regarded, heresy submitted, and justice triumphed.
And thus, in the person of O'Connell, Catholicism took
its place in an Assembly from which it had been banished
for three centuries.

The horror which we feel for heresy ought not to in-
terfere with the charity which we ought to have toward
all men, even for those who do not share our religious
convictions. We should always have present to our
minds that fine maxim of St. Augustine :—Ci Destroy the
errors, but love the men who profess thern." O'Connell,
loyal to this principle, while combating his adversaries,
did not cease to love and respect their persons. Upon
the battlefield of political discussion he was severe, im-
placable and terrible against them ; but in private life he
had not a word to say against them. He made it a point
of duty to excuse them, to defend them, rendering to
them all the offices of Christian charity.— Ventura.

A Catholic priest and a Protestant minister were one day
walking together, wrhen they accidentally met a Jewish
rabbi. u Well,'* said the minister, u we are all three of
different creeds; which of us is right ? " 66 The question
is not difficult to answer," rejoined the rabbi; if Mes-
siah has not yet come, it is I; if He has come, it is the
Catholic priest ; as to you, whether .He has come or not,
you are wrong."

661 don't like people who change their religion," said
a Protestant German prince to the Count of Stolberg, who
had been recently converted. u Nor I," replied the
Count ; " for if my ancestors had not changed, I should
not have been obliged to return to Catholicism." This is
very true ; a Protestant who becomes a Catholic does not
change his religion. He merely re-enters that which176

a christian's duty.

his fathers did wrong to leave. There exists upon this
subject a very beautiful letter of a French Ambassador
who was ill at Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Some
one inquired whether lie would not feel a certain repug-
nance at the idea that if he died of that disease his ashes
would mingle with those of heretics. " No/? he replied ; u I
should merely request them to dig the grave a little deep-
er, and I should find myself with ancestors who were fer-
vent Catholics."—Schmid and Belet.

Exekcises.—What is meant by the 4' night of doubt" ? How are all
Christians brothers? How is the Church holy? (Give definition of
Catechism.) Name some holy men or women you have read of.
Show that the truth is one and the same at all times and in all places.
s Is not the infallibility of the Pope or the Immaculate Conception of the
Most Blessed Virgin a new doctrine ? Ask your teacher, during Cate-
chism time, to explain this fully. Why is the world's hatred a sign of
the true Church ? Ask your teacher to relate the example of St. Igna-
tius praying that his Society might be persecuted. What are the marks
which distinguish the true Church from associations claiming the title ?
Why do we say the Church is one ? Why is the Church holy ? How
is the Church catholic ?

CHAPTER V.

" No Salvation Out of the Church.

" Late ! Late ! so late ! and dark and chill the night;

Oh, let us in that we may find the light!

Too late ! Too late ! Ye cannot enter now I
** Late ! late ! so late ! and dark the night and chill;

Late ! late ! so late 1 But we can enter still ?

Too late ! Too late ! Ye cannot enter now.

" Have we not heard the Bridegroom is so sweet ?

Oh let us in that we may kiss His feet!

Too late! Too late ! Ye cannot enter now ! "—Tennyson.

This phrase, out of the Catholic Church there is no sal-
nation, has probably more than any other excited theNO SALVATION OUT OF THE CHUKCE.

177

abusive clamors of the enemies of our holy religion, espe-
cially in these later times.

Yet nothing is more easy to understand and demon-
strate than this principal point.

In order to be saved, we must believe all that Jesus
Christ has taught, and do all that He has commanded.
Now, it is in the Catholic Church alone that all that Jesus
Christ has taught is believed, and all that He has com-
manded, practised. Hence, there can be no salvation out
of the Catholic Church.

Our Lord likens the kingdom of Heaven, that is, the
Church, to a King who celebrates the nuptials of his son.
Seeing that the invited guests refuse to come, he be-
comes angry and swears, " None of them that were bidden
shall taste of my supper." Elsewhere, the Son of God
said to His Apostles : " Preach the Gospel to every crea-
ture ; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but
he that believeth riot shall be condemned." The gates
of eternal life, He says again, will only open to those who
have kept the commandments. He therefore who has
known the commandments, and refused to obey them, will
be condemned.

As heirs of the doctrine of our divine Saviour and His
Apostles, the Fathers of the Church openly professed the
same doctrine. St. Cyprian and St. Augustine both
remark : u He who has not the Church for his mother
has not God for Father." Also, St. Jerome and St.
Cyril of Alexandria : " As all those who were not in
Noah's ark perished in the waters of the Deluge, so
all those who are not inside the true Church will in like
manner be lost." u In the hands of St. Peter," remarks
St. John Chrysostom, u are the keys of the kingdom of178

a christian's duty.

Heaven. These keys were bestowed upon him as a re-
ward for his profession of faith. He will open the gates
of the kingdom of Heaven to those who are of like faith
with himself, but he will repel those who share it not with
him."

"When," says Pope Gregory XVI., in his Encyclical
of the 15th August, 1832—"when the Apostle tells us that
there is but one God, one Faith, one Baptism, those ought
to tremble who dare, to maintain that all religions can
open the portals of eternal blessedness. Let them know,
upon the testimony of Jesus Christ Himself, that one is
against the Saviour by the very fact of not being with
Him; that all scatter who gather not with Him; and
that doubtless those who are not devoted to the Catholic
Faith, or fail to preserve it pure and entire, will perish
eternally." The sovereign Pontiff could not condemn in-
difference m a more formal manner, " That is to say,
that depraved system which, by the cunning of the wicked,
seeks to penetrate everywhere ; asserting that eternal
salvation can be acquired by all religious beliefs, provid-
ed the morals are good, and the conduct upright."

It is good to know that there are several ways of be-
longing to the Church. One belongs to the Body of the
Church when he lives in the visible society of all the
faithful, exteriorly submissive to its Head and its doc-
trine, and yet at the same time continues in mortal sin.
But in this state he is a dead member, a withered branch.
One belongs to the Body and Soul of the Church when
to the ostensible profession of the Catholic Faith he joins
sanctifying grace. And one may appertain to the Soul oi
the Church, without appertaining to its body, when one is
excusable before (3rod? on account of good faith, or in-NO SALVATION OUT OF THE CHURCH. . 179

vincible ignorance, for being and persevering in a society
alien to the Church. In this state, we may attain to sal-
vation through a real charity, a sincere desire to know
the will of God, and by the faithful performance of all the
duties we know.

Those who belong not to the Church, and are external
to her, are infidels; that is, those who believe in neither
God nor Jesus Christ; Jews ; that is, those who will not
recognize Jesus Christ as Messiah ; heretics; that is,
those who refuse to believe any one of the doctrines taught
by the Catholic Church ; schismatics ; that is, those who
have separated themselves from the communion of the
Catholic Church ; apostates / that is, those who have
renounced the Catholic faith ; the excommunicated ;
that is, those whom- the Church has cut off from her
bosom.

Before espousing Charles of Austria, subsequently
Emperor, under the name of Charles VI., the Princess
Elizabeth Christine Wolfenbuttel, for the quieting of her
conscience, felt it her duty to consult the Lutherans,
whose creed she had professed up to that time. The Prot-
estant doctors, convened at Helmstadt, replied that the
Catholics were not in error on the essentials of doctrine,
and that one could be saved in their religion. "Since
this is so," remarked the Princess upon learning their de-
cision, u there is no longer room for hesitation, and to-
morrow I shall embrace the faith of the Roman Church ;
for in any matter of importance the surest course is al-
ways the wisest." The father of the Princess thought
the same, and embraced the Catholic religion along with
her.—De Trevern, Ci Amicable Discussion"180

a christian's duty.

Henry IV., entreated by his friends to embrace the
Catholic religion, demanded of the bishops if one could be
saved in the Roman Church. They replied that one
could certainly be saved in her, and, more, that out of her
none could be saved. The Prince then addressed himself
to the Protestant ministers, and inquired whether it was
possible to find salvation in their communion as in the
Church of Rome. They having assured him that one
could be as well saved in one as in the other, the King
answered, u The bishops say that out of the Roman
Church there is no salvation; you admit that one can be
saved in it : in that case, I declare to you that I shall be-
come a Catholic."

Since, then, by the admission of Protestants, we can be
saved by embracing the Catholic religion, to embrace it
is not only to take the surest way, it is evidently embrac-
ing the truth ; for Truth is one, and salvation can only
be found where Truth is.

Exekcises.—Relate the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins.
Can one be saved outside the Catholic Church ? Ask your teacher to
explain the terms "the body and the soul of the Church." Name sev-
eral things meant by the term "the Kingdom of Heaven." In how
many ways may we belong to the Church ? Explain the expression
"one faith, one baptism." Name the classes of those who are out
of the Church. Perhaps, as a reward for learning this lesson
thoroughly, you will be taught M. Lindsay's beautiful music to
the words 44 Too Late," quoted from Tennyson.THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH.

181

CHAPTER VI.

The Teaching of the Church.

"How deep you were within the books of Heaven !

To -as, the imagined voice of Heaven itself,

The very opener and Intelligencer
Between the grace and sanctities of Heaven
And our dull workings."—Shakespeare.

Those in the Church who have received the mission of
teaching the faithful are the Sovereign Pontiff and the bish-
ops. It was to the Sovereign Pontiff that it was said, in
the person of St. Peter, 6i Feed My sheep, feed My lambs ;
confirm thy brethren in the faith.It was to the bishops
that it was said, in the person of the Apostles, 66 Go, teach lv
The Sovereign Pontiff and the bishops are therefore em-
powered to teach the faithful, and they form what is call-
ed the Teaching Church. The faithful, who ought to hear
and obey them, form the Church taught.

The pastors of the second order, the parish priests,also,
in a sense, belong to the Teaching Church, since, under
the bishopfs orders, each one labors for the instruction
and salvation of the souls confided to his care. But they
are not judges of the Faith. It does not belong to them to
decide questions regarding faith ; and they themselves
receive from the superior pastors, the bishops, the teach-
ing which they impart to the faithful.

The Church taught is bound to listen to the Church
teaching, for Jesus Christ has said to the pastors whom
He has established : 66 He tihat Iheareth you, heareth Me,
and he that despiseth you^ <las|>iseth Me. If any man182

a christian's duty.

hear not the Church, let him be unto thee as a heathen
and a publican."

The faithful need not fear to be led into error, because
the Church is infallible ; that is to say, she has the
privilege of neither being deceived herself nor being ca-
pable of deceiving others while teaching them ; neither
of changing the doctrine of Jesus Christ, nor misappre-
hending the true meaning of that which our divine Sav-
iour has taught, commanded or prohibited. Jesus Christ
said to His Apostles :—"Go, teach all nations, and lo !
I am with you always, even to the consummation of the
ages."- And to St. Peter, 66 Thou art Peter, and upon
this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it" If Jesus Christ, who is the
Truth itself, is always with His.Church, how can she in-
culcate error ? And if this Church could be deceived, or
deceive the faithful in her teaching, the gates of hell could
prevail against her; for by u the gates of hell" we are to
understand the power of the demon, and all that this spir-
it of darkness and falsehood employs of force and malice
to overturn the house of God, which is the Church—such
as persecutions, heresies and scandals. St. Paul calls the
Church "the pillar and stay of the truth but could she
be such if she could ever teach error?

The Church can neither deceive any, nor be deceived
herself, but it does not follow that no heresies will arise
in her midst. These, however, can never go so far as to
infect the whole Church, and are never long before they
are condemned, so that they never deprive the Church
of the teaching of Truth.

The promise of infallibility was first of all made by Je-
sus Christ to St. Peter only, and, in his person, to all hisTHE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH.

183

legitimate successors. The effect of this promise subsists
independently of that which was subsequently made to
all the Apostles together. "For," says Bossuet, u the
promises of Jesus Christ, as well as His gifts, are with-
out repentance, and the end does not upset the beginning.'7
From which it follows, that if the Sovereign Pontiff
speaks by himself;—if from the height of his pontifical
chair he condemned such an error, or proclaimed such
a truth, all pastors, as well as the faithful, ought to submit,
and obey and believe it, without any fear of being led in-
to error.

Belief in the infallibility of the Roman Pontiff has al-
ways been received in the Church, and the sacred (Ecu-
menical Council of the Vatican has declared it to be an
article of faith. How indeed could he teach error, to
whom, in the person of Peter, it was said, u I have prayed
for thee that thy faith fail not. Confirm thy brethren.
Tholi art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it'? f
Now, would not Peter's faith, fail, if he could be deceived
while teaching the faithful? How could lie strengthen
and confirm his brethren in the faith, if he himself was
liable to err in matters of faith ? And what would be-
come of the Church, if he who is its basis was to give
.way, and become the plaything of the Spirit of Darkness
and lies 1

The infallibility at first promised to Peter alone, was
subsequently promised to all the Apostles together, Peter
included; he was already named as the head and foun-
dation of the visible Church, as possessor of the Keys, and
Pastor of the Flock. Jesus Christ had said to them : " As
My Father hath sent Me, even so I send you. Receive184

a christian's duty.

the Holy Ghost. Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall
be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth
shall be loosed in Heaven. The Holy Spirit shall teach you
all truth. Go, teach all nations, and lo ! I am with you all
days, even to the consummation of the ages.,; These prom-
ises, made to all the Apostles, comprising St. Peter, cannot
nullify those which had been previously made to him alone.
Consequently, he would be none the less the head, the
foundation-stone of the building, the pastor of both sheep
and lambs, of the Apostles themselves ; in short, of the en-
tire Flock ; he would none the less possess the keys of the
Kingdom of Heaven, with that plenary power under which
the Apostles ranged themselves, and that gift of faith
which was not to fail him, and the authority to confirm his
brethren. As universal Pastor, Peter, who continues to
live in his successors, calls his brethren in the Episcopate
to share his paternal cares and holy solicitude. He com-
municates to them a portion of his power. He guarantees
their part of the infallibility, but upon condition of the
closest union with himself, and their filial submission to
his supreme and sovereign authority.

Although the Pope has the promise that his faith will
fail not, he is none the less bound to use all proper means
before pronouncing his judgment. Of all such means,
none is to be preferred to a general council, to which in-
fallibility is equally promised. In short, it is easier for
the Pope and the Bishops assembled in council to ascertain
and appreciate the ills of the Church, and to agree upon
the means of healing them.

In order that a Council may be General or'(Ecumenical,

it must,?? says Monsignor Parisis, u be convoked byTHE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH.

185

the Sovereign Pontiff, who must preside over it himself ar
by his legates, and personally ratify its acts."

The Church undertakes to teach the faithful all the
truths which she has received from Jesus Christy and
which they are bound to believe. This divine Saviour
said to His Apostles: " Go, teach ; I have made known to
you all that I have received of My Father. As My
Father sent Me, so I send you; he that believeth not
shall be condemned. He that heareth you, heareth Me,
and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me." Hence, there is
an obligation to believe all the truths which the Church
teaches us in the name of Jesus Christ, under penalty of
incurring the most rigorous punishments.

In the doctrine of the Grod-Man we find two things
which are quite distinct: truths which must be believed,
arid precepts and rules of conduct to which we must conform.
It is to His Church that Jesus Christ has confided both one
and the other. He has not only commanded her to teach
the faithful the truths which she has received from Him,
but to cause them to learn and observe all that He has
prescribed. We must not only believe what the Church
teaches us, but we also are compelled to do what she com-
mands us. 44 He that heareth you, heareth Me, and He
that despiseth you, despiseth Me." To hear the Church is
to hear Jesus Christ ; to despise the Church is to despise
Jesus Christ. This divine Saviour regards as done to
Himself, that which is done to those who here below are
His ministers, representatives and ambassadors. Could
He express in more energetic terms our obligation to obey'
them, and do all that they command us ?

Monsignor de Cheverus, first Archbishop of Boston,186

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

who died Cardinal Archbishop of Bordeaux, in his var-
ious preachings most frequently adhered to the plan of
inculcating and well grounding his hearers in the doctrine
of the necessity of a teaching authority, in order to fix
the faith of the learned as well as that of the illiterate.
To convince Protestants, in the discourses which he fre-
quently addressed to them, he often repeated this simple
remark, which always produced a great effect:— u Every
day I, like yourselves, my brethren, read the Holy
Scriptures. I read them, after invoking the Holy Spirit,
with reflection and prayer. And yet at nearly every
page I am stayed by things which I cannot understand.
I need the authority of the Church to point out the mean-
ing, and to fix my faith on the subject." And the audi-
ence at once made this application :— 66 If Monsignor
Cheverus, who is much wiser than we, does not understand
all the Holy Scriptures, how can our ministers assert that
they are for each one of us a rule of faith perfectly clear
and intelligible in themselves, without any assistance from
without?" Thence, Monsignor Cheverus, after show-
ing them that the greater part of mankind cannot decide
of themselves upon the details of dogmas, pointed out how
the Divine Wisdom came to the aid of human weakness,
by the institution of a Teaching Authority, which, deriv-
ing its origin from Jesus Christ and His Apostles, has reach-
ed down to us by an uninterrupted succession of pastors,
always and everywhere professing the same doctrine,
without any variations.—Life of Archbp. De Cheverus.

Exercises.—Who are those who are authorized in the Church to
teach the faithful ?

What is the difference between the teaching Church and the Church
taught? Are the faithful bound to listen to the teaching Church?THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH.

187

Need the faithful feel afraid of being led into error ? To whom was the
promise of infallibility first given by Christ? Was this same power
given also to the other Apostles ? Since the Pope is infallible, are not
General Councils unnecessary ? What truths is the Church bound to
teach ¥ Are we obliged to believe them ? Ask your teacher to relate the
story of Abp. De Cheverua visiting the pest-stricken negro, near Boston.■188

a christian's doty.

CHAPTER VII.

Of the Holy Scriptures and Tradition.

'< Or whether more abstractedly we look,

Or on writers, or the written Book,

Whence but from Heaven could men unskill'd in arts,
In several ages born, in several parts,

"Weave such agreeing truths? or how, or why.

Should all conspire to cheat us with a lie ?

Unasked their pains, ungrateful their advice,

Starving their gain and martyrdom their price.

Man by his own strength to Heaven would soar,
And would not be obliged to God for more :

Yain, wretched creature ! How art thou misled,
To think thy wit these godlike notions bred!"—Dryden.

There are two sources from whence the Church draws
the truths whose deposit Jesus Christ has confided to
her, and which she is engaged to teach the faithful. They
are, the Holy Scriptures and Tradition. Both one and
the other contain the word of God—with this difference :
the Scriptures contain God's word ivritten ; tradition
contains God's ivord imivritten.

The Holy Scriptures are the word of God contained
in books written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
On this account they are called God's written word.
They are divided into the Old and the New Testament.

The Old Testament is composed of sacred books writ-
ten before the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The
title of Old Testament is given to these books because
they contain the covenant which the Lord formerly made
with His people, the Law which He imposed upon them,
and the promises He made them.THE HOLY SCRIPTURES AND TRADITION. 189

t

The New Testament is composed of sacred boobs which
were written since the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
They contain the covenant which God has made with all
nations,-through the mediation of the God-Alan, Our Lord
Jesus Christ,

The Old and New Testament together form the Bible.
This word signifies the same as book. It has been be-
stowed upon this collection of sacred writings because it
is the book by pre-eminence, the book of books.

The Old Testament is composed of thirty-eight books,
the first of which is called Genesis. This contains the
history of the Creation of the world, and that of the Patri-
archs till the death of Joseph. These thirty-eight books
are divided into three classes : the historical books,
the books of wisdom, and the prophetical books.

The New Testament is composed of twenty-seven parts,
the first of which is the Gospel according to St. Matthew.
The books of the New Testament, like those of the Old,
are authentic. The facts which they relate are true, and
it is beyond all doubt that they were composed under the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost, by the Apostles oV the dis-
ciples of Jesus whose name they bear. Such has con-
stantly been the belief of the Christian Church spread
abroad throughout the world.

There is a perfect agreement between the Old and
New Testaments. 66 There existed no Old Law," says St.
John Chrysostom, u but by Jesus Christ and for Jesus
Christ. He alone is the originator of either covenant.
The Gospel is but the extension and completion of the
Mosaic Law. The Old Testament only anticipated the
New, and the latter explains the former. The New Law
is but the fulfilment and perfection of that which preceded190

a christian's duty.

it. That was the type and shadow ; this-is the reality,
the thing, itself. The New is found all entire in the Old.
Every where it is the same God the Lawgiver; every-
where Jesus Christ the centre and end of the Law.
Moses and th$ Prophets speak of Jesus Christ in each
page of the Old Testament: Jesus Christ in each page of
His Gospel refers to Moses and the prophets.

u Jesus Christ/' says Bossuet, u being the end of all
God's works, everything extraordinary that has been done
since the beginning of the world relates to Him alone.
If you read the divine Scriptures, you will behold the
Saviour Jesus everywhere : He is everywhere, but in
type." The Ark of Noah, for instance, symbolizes the
Church of Jesus Christ, out of which there is no salvation.
Melehisedech, who as priest of the Sovereign God offered
bread and wine, is a type of Jesus Christ, who, at once
priest and victim, offers Himself daily to His Father under
the species of bread and wine. And so it is with others*

The Apostles did not commit to writing all the truths
which they had learned from their divine Master. They
taught a great number orally, in imitation of Jesus.
These truths passed from the Apostles to the first bishops,
from these to their successors, and thus from age to age
down to us. This is what is called Tradition.

Tradition, then, is the word of God which is not found
in the books inspired by the Holy Ghost, but has passed
from mouth to mouth till it reached us. And we need not
fear that this unwritten word, in thus passing through so
many mouths, has become corrupted or altered, because
Jesus Christ has promised never to abandon His Church,
and never to permit her to fall into error.

The teachings of Tradition are chiefly contained in theTHE HOLY SCBIPTUBES AND TKADITION.	191

Decrees of Councils, in the works of the Fathers, in the
Acts of the Holy See, and in the language of the Liturgy.
A council is an assembly of the chief pastors of the
Church to decide questions appertaining to faith, morals,
or discipline. There are three sorts of Councils : Pro-
vincial, National, and General or (Ecumenical. A Provin-
cial Council is formed by the assembly of the bishops of a
Province under the presidency of the Metropolitan ; a
National council is formed by the Bishops of a single na-
tion ; an (Ecumenical council is that which is convoked
by the Sovereign Pontiff, and to which all the bishops of
the Catholic world are summoned. It suffices if there be
a sufficient number present to be held to represent the
Uni versal Church. A General Council is presided over by
the Sovereign Pontiff, or by his legates.

The first of these councils was that of Jerusalem, held
by the Apostles, who proclaimed the infallibility of the
Church according to the words of Christ, and drew up
the symbol of the Faith. It was presided over by St.
Peter.

By the Fathers of the Church, of which we have
already spoken, we must understand all those great
men who appeared for the defence of the Church, and
to explain her doctrine during the first six: centuries.
They are divided into Greek or Latin Fathers, ac-
cording as they wrote in one language or the other.
The most celebrated among these illustrious men, that is
to say, those who have written most, and whose doctrine
is the most generally authorized and followed, bear the
title of Doctors of the Church. Among these Doctors of
the Church, who at the same time are counted among the
number of the Holy Fathers, four of the Greek Church192

a chbistian's duty.

are remarkable—that is, St. Athanasius; St. Basil the
Great; St. Gregory Nazianzen, and St. John Chrysostom.
Also four of the Latin Church, to wit: St. Ambrose ; St.
Jerome; St. Augustine, and St. Gregory the Great.

Here is an example which testifies to the Zealand care
with which the Sacred Text has always been preserved in
the Church in all its purity. St. Jerome, when on the
point of ^undertaking a new translation of the Scriptures,
foresaw the clamor which would be aroused on all sides
if he should happen to depart the least thing in the world
from the original text or the ancient versions ; and a
letter of St. Augustine to St. Jerome apprises him of
the bad effect which on a certain occasion his translation
had produced. A bishop, being desirous of reading in
his Church this new version, discovered in the prophet
Jonas something which differed from that which for a long
time they had been accustomed to hear. The result was
such an uproar among the people, that the Bishop, fear-
ing to be left without a flock at all, was compelled to ac-
knowledge that he had made a mistake.

u We one day found ourselves," relates the Abbe D—
u with a Protestant who very eloquently censured thev
necessity and infallibility of Tradition. 6 You do not
then believe in the Holy Scriptures V I said to him. He
replied, ' And what is there in common between that divine
book and your fabulous Tradition V 6 Give me/ I added,
i a copy of the Holy Scriptures, and I will show you the
essential connection between the one and the other.7 The
Protestant accepted the challenge, and handed me a copy
of the Old and New Testaments. I opened it, perused itsTHE HOLY SCRIPTURES AND TRADITION. 193

and then returned it to him with a simulated indignation.
4 Sir/ said I, 11 asked for the Holy Scriptures, and
not for the fabulous book which you have presented to
roe.7 The Protestant, scandalized at my remark, replied,
.'The book which I present to you is pre-eminently the
great book, the book which contains the Old and New
Covenant of God with man.'—' And whence know you, sir,
that this book is the divine work of which you speak, and
not some fabulous production which has been obscurely
and supposititiously fabricated in times more or less remote,
in Greece, or Palestine, at Kome or at Geneva, at Paris
or at Amsterdam f—' Whence do I know it f replied
the Protestant; 'I know it from the infallible \estimony of
our fathers, who have from age to age transmitted this
book to us as divine.? ' Ah, you then admit an infalli-
ble tradition, Mr. Protestant ! you who so haughtily pro-
tested against Tradition.7 7;

Exercises.—Whence does the Church derive the truths which she
undertakes to teach to the faithful ? What are the Holy Scriptures ?
Wlxat does the Old Testament contain ? What does the New Testa-
ment contain ? What is the Bible ?

How many books are there in the Old Testament ? How many in
the New? Who were the authors of the Old Testament? Is there
any agreement between the Old and New Testaments ?

What do you understand by Tradition ? In what are the teachings
of Tradition contained ? What is a Council? How many kinds of
Councils are there ? When was the first General Council held ? How
many such Councils have been held since? What do you mean by
the Fathers of the Church? Who are the Doctors of the Church? ;

In early times the Bible was read freely by the lay people, and
the Fathers constantly encouraged them to do so, although they
also insist on the obscurity of the sacred text. No prohibitions were
issued against the popular reading of the Bible. New dangers Came
in during the Middle Ages. When the heresy of the Albigenses arose,
there was danger from corrupt translations, and also from the fact that
heretics tried to make the faithful judge the Church by their own in-194:

a christian's duty.

terpretation of the Bible. To meet these evils, the Councils of Tou-
louse (1229) and Tarragona (1234) forbade the laity to read the vernac-
ular translations of the Bible. Pius IV. required bishops to refuse
lay persons leave to read even Catholic versions of Scripture unless
their confessors or parish priests judged that such reading was likely
to prove beneficial. During this century, Leo XII., Pius VIII., and
Pius IX., have warned Catholics against the Protestant Bible Societies,
which distribute versions (mostly corrupt versions) of the Bible with
the avowed purpose of perverting simple Catholics. It is only sur-
prising that any rational being could have thought it possible for the
Holy See to assume any other attitude against such proceedings. It
is right, however, to observe that the Church displays the greatest
anxiety that her children should read the Scriptures, if they possess
the necessary dispositions. 44 You judge exceedingly well," says Pius
VI., in his letter to Martini, the author of a translation of the Bible into
Italian, " that the frtfthful should be excited to the reading of Holy
Scriptures : for these are most abundant sources, which ought to be
left open to every one to draw from them the purity of morals and of

doctrine. This you have seasonably effected----by publishing the

sacred Scriptures in the language of your country,..,, especially
when you show that you have added explanatory notes,—which, being
extracted from the holy Fathers, preclude every possible danger of
abuse."—Addis arid Arnold,— (Jath. Diet.

CHAPTER VIII.

"THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS."

44 0 blest Communion \ fellowship divine !

We feebly struggle ; they in glory shine;

Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine."

44 And. when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,

Steals on the ear the distant triumph-song,

And hearts are brave again and hands are strong.

44 The golden evening brightens in the west;

Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;

Sweet is the calm of Paradise the blest.

44 But lo ! there breaks a yet more glorious day;

The Saints triumphant rise in bright array :

The King of Glory passes on His way. '

4 4 From earth's wide bounds, from Ocean's farthest coast,

Through gates of pearl stream in the countless host,

Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghos.t, Alleluia ! "

AH the faithful, composing the Catholic Church, are
united together and form but one body, whose Head isTHE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

195

Jesus Christ. The close union of all the members of this
body establishes between them a community of spiritual
goods, and this is what we understand by the Communion
of Saints.

The faithful are called saints because they have been
sanctified by Baptism, and are all called to sanctity. The
spiritual goods which are common anlong the faithful are
the infinite graces which Our Lord has merited for us by
His sufferings^ the merits of the Most Holy Virgin and the
Saints, the sacraments, the prayers and all the good works
which are done in the Church. A treasury is formed of
all these spiritual goods, which belongs to the Church, in
which each one of the faithful has his portion according to
the dispositions in which he is found.

This community of spiritual goods results from the unity
of the Church. All the members of a family work for its
profit and all share in its advantages. It is the same with
the Church, of which all the members compose but one
family, and one and the same body. St. Paul compares
the Church to a human body, and really nothing is more
appropriate to make us understand what the Communion
of Saints is. The body has many members, and each
member has its special function ; but all these members
together form but one sole body* They have all the
same head, the same soul, the same life. The functions
of each member, and their advantages, are for the good of
the whole body, All concur to the same end, which is the
preservation of the body. The eyes see, the ears hear,
the hands act, the feet walk on behalf of the whole "body ;
in a word, all %e members conspire each for the other's
welfare, and, in case of necessity, furnish every possible
help. In the same way, in the Church, all the faithful,196

A CHlilSTIAN's DUTY.

living in^the same spirit, under the same Head, are united
together in different actions. I}ach of the faithful prays,
labors, merits for the entire body, and receives at the same
time the value of the labors, the virtues, and the pray-
ers of the whole Church. But, to profit by these advantages,
one must be a member of the Church. Those who are
separated from her by heresies, by schisms, by apostasy,
or are cut off from her bosom by excommunication, have no
share whatever in the spiritual goods which are found
in the Communion of Saints.

Fully to enjoy all these benefits, one must be a living
member of the Church, that is, in a state of grace. Sin-
ners, in whom the Holy-Spirit abides not through grace,
are certainly members of the Church, but they are dead
members. And how can dead'members claim the same
advantages as the living 1 An arm that is dead, although
it remains joined to the human body, cannot receive food,
increase, motion, or action. And yet sinners fail not to
derive much benefit from their union with the rest of the
body. It is a great advantage to belong to this society,
in which alone are found the truth, charity, justice, salva-
tion and the means that lead to it A sinner is -dead; •
but so long as lie remains joined to the body, he may re-
vive through the prayers of the Church, which ceases
not to implore for him a return to life and sincere repent-
ance.

The faithful comprising the Church are divided into
three branches—the Church Militant, which is composed
of those who still combat upon earth the enemies of sal-
vation j the Church Triumphant, consisting of all the
blessed who are in Heaven ; the Church Suffering, formed
of those who are finishing the expiation of their faults be-
fore entering into Paradise.THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

197

Thus, the faithful upon earth are not merely united
among themselves, but are also united with the saints
triumphant in Heaven, and with the souls in Purgatory.
We rejoice in the happiness of the saints, we bless God,
and we beg of them to intercede for us. The saints, on
their side, love us as brethren, and aid us with God by
their prayers. We address our prayers to God for the
souls in Purgatory, we give alms and do other good works,
that God, in His mercy, may solace the souls or abridge the
duration of their sufferings.

" What a wonderful picture," exclaims the Count de
Maistre, u is this immense city of spirits with its three
orders constantly connected ! The world which fights,
presents one hand to that which suffers, and the other to
that which triumphs. The action of graces, prayer, sat-
isfactions, helps, inspirations, faith, hope and love, circulate
from one to the other like a beneficent river. Nothing is
isolated, and the spirits, like blades in a bundle, enjoy
their own proper strength, and that of all the rest."

St. Fructuosus, a Bishop in the third century, ceased
not to pray for all the Church. When about to suffer
martyrdom, having been condemned to be burned alive
for the faith, a Christian took his hand and said, "I en-
treat you to remember me before God." The holy
martyr replied: "I ought to have in mind the whole
Catholic Church expending from East to West."

St. Polycarp prayed day and night for the Catholic
Church spread throughout the earth.—Lasausse

Exercises.—"What means the Communion of Saints ? Why are the
faithful called Saints ? What goods are common to all the faithful ?
What is this community of spiritual goods founded upon ? What198

a christian's duty.

must we do to participate in these goods? Do sinners retain any ad-
vantage from their udion with the Church? How is the Church di-
vided ? How do the Saints, the souls in Purgatory, and the laithful
communicate ?

[ This gracious doctrine alone responds to the natural craving of
the human soul to commune with the departed. ]

What is called a " city of spirits" ? Show from the life of St. Fruc-
tuosus that the faithful believed in the efficacy of prayer between the
living and the dead. Also from the practice of St, Poly carp that he
believed in the interchange of prayer. About what time did these
Saints live ? How long was that before the Protestant Reformation ?

SECTION XII.

" the forgiveness ok sins."

" Weary of earth, and laden with my sin,

I look at Heaven and long to enter in ;

But there no evil thing may find a home ;

And yet I hear a voice that bids me, 'Come.'

i; The while 1 fain would tread the heavenly way,

Evil is ever with me day by day ;

Yet on mine ears the gracious tidings fall,

4 Repent, confess, thou shalt be loosed from all.'-

"It is the voice of Jesus that I hear :

His are the hands outstretched to draw me near,

And His the Blood that can for all atone,

And set me faultless there before the throne.

x "'Twas He who found me on the desert wild,

And made me heir of Heaven, the Father's child ;

And, day by day, whereby my soul may live,

Gives me His grace of pardon, and will give.

" O Great Absolver, grant my soul may wear
The lowliest garb of penitence and prayer,	,

That in the Father's points my glorious dress
May be the garment of Thy righteousness."—Stone.

Remission of sins is only to be found in the Catholic
Church. God grants this grace to none but those whoTHE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

199

become His children. It is through Baptism that Chris-
tians at the outset receive forgiveness of original sin; but,
as it too often happens that baptismal innocence is lost,
Jesus Christ has established a sacrament in which the
sins committed after Baptism are forgiven. This is the
Sacrament of Penance, God is always disposed to pardon
us, provided that we receive this sacrament with a sincere
sorrow for our sins. There is no kind of sin but may be
effaced by this means. If we have committed the very
greatest sins, and though their number exceeds that of the
hairs on our head, we may obtain their remission through
the Sacrament of Penance. Pardon is not vouchsafed us
through our own merits, but those of Jesus Christ our Sav-
iour.

God's promise to remit our sins is a pure result of His
mercy. And this promise is the only resource of sinners,
and the ground of their confidence. God only can for-
give sins ; hence, when the priests pronounce the sen-
tence of absolution, it is God alone who effaces our sins
by their ministry.

We cannot doubt that Jesus Christ has granted to His
Church the power to forgive sins. "Receive the Holy
Ghost, " He said to His Apostles; "whosesoever sins ye
forgive, they are forgiven unto them."

We should feel all the value of this favor if we could
comprehend what would be the misfortune of any one who,
after offending God, could no more regain His favor ;—
who would be compelled to bear the weight of his iniqui-
ties, and beheld himself ceaselessly dragged by time to-
ward the fatal goal of his reprobation.

And yet we must take great care not to abuse the
mercy of God by taking occasion to sin more freely.200

a christian's duty.

What! Shall we offend Him because He is always dis-
posed to pardon us ? Shall we be wicked because He is
infinitely good? Let us not deceive ourselves. This
abuse of the mercy of God is the crime that irritates Him
most: and God, who always pardons those who approach
the Sacrament of Reconciliation as they ought, may not
allow us the time to have recourse to it. How many has
death surprised in sin ! And who shall say that we may
not be surprised like them ?

Whenever Alexander the Great besieged a city, he
caused a torch to be kindled, and proclaimed that the city
might obtain favor so long as the torch remained unex-
tinguished. But if it profited not by this delay, it could
not any more hope for pardon. The sinner himself may
also hope for mercy so long as the torch of life is unex-
tinguished ; but wrhen this torch has ceased to burn, he
falls into the hands of an inexorable God.—Lohn.

We read in the treatise of St. Francis of Sales, On the
Love of God, that an idolater having succeeded in getting
a Christian to apostatize, the Bishop, Carpus, was so much
grieved that he conjured Heaven to strike the two sin-
ners with its thunder. At that moment he beheld, as St.
Stephen did of yore, the heavens opened, and Our Sav-
iour, surrounded with innumerable angels, seated upon
a dazzling throne. He also saw the earth partly opened,
and the two sinners whose death he desired standing up-
on the brink of a frightful precipice, into which they were
all the more ready to fall because numberless serpents
twined around their feet, biting them .in their efforts toTHE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.

201

drag them into the abyss, and because men ceased not
to push them forward, to precipitate them into it. Car-
pus having raised his eyes to Heaven, perceived the Sav-
iour, full of sweetness and commiseration, abandon His
throne to come near these two sinners, offering them a
helping hand, while angels held them up to keep them on ^
the brink of the abyss. It is thus that the powerful hand
of God retains us upon the incline of the eternal gulf,
and His voice of mercy calls us each time that through
sin we wander from Him.

Exercises.—What is the only Church in which remission of sin is
found ? By what means is sin forgiven ?

[The gross error of Protestants on this vital subject is,—that the
priest forgives sins by his own authority, and that confession and ab-
solution rather encourage sin than repress it. They themselves pro-
fess to believe that sin.is forgiven upon true repentance. But they
never think of reparation, or have any standard whereby to test the
genuineness of the repentance, or any assurance of pardon. The most
devout can at best only hope that he is forgiven: he is never sure, The
Catholic Church clearly declares that sincere repentance and a firm
purpose of amendment are essential to obtain valid absolution ; that,
without these, the approaching the sacrament is sacrilegious and
hypo6ritical, and that any one approaching with the right dispositions
cannot possibly continue in sin. Added to this, the comfort possessed
by Catholics in the assurance of pardon, which Our Saviour always
gives to penitents.]

When did Our Lord Jesus Christ give the power to remit sins ?
What sentiments should such a great benefit inspire ?202

a chbxstian's duty.

SECTION XIII.

"the resurrection of the body."

" Grave ! tlie guardian of our dust,

Grave! the treasury of the skies;

Every atom of thy trust	*

Bests in hope again to rise.

" Hark ! the Judgment trumpet calls;

' Soul, rebuild thine house of clay : *

Immortality thy walls

And eternity thy day !' " -- Montgomery.

It is an article of our faith that our bodies shall one
day rise again. AU men will die, and they will rise
with the same bodies that they have had while living.
These bodies, placed in the earth, will experience cor*
ruption, and shall be reduced to ashes; but, whatever
changes they have undergone, their ashes will one day be
reunited, and revivified by the breath bt Gtod. Life is
but a dream, and death a sleep; but the Resurrection
shall be the beginning of a life without end.

There is no truth which is more clearly established iti
the divine Scriptures, or more strongly supported by the
constant belief of all the ages, than this. It has been
known in all times. " I know," says that holy man Job,
" that my Redeemer liveth, and that in the last days I
shall rise out of the earth ; that I sh&ll be reclothed
with my skin, and iti my flesh shall I see God, whom
I shall see for myself, and contemplate Hint with mine
own eyes, and not another." But it is chiefly in the
New Law that this truth shines forth in all its brilliancy.THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.

203

a The time cometh," says Jesus Christ, u wherein all
that are in the grave shall hear the voice of the Son of
God. And they that have done good works shall come
forth unto the resurrection of life; but those who have
done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." u In a
moment/' says St. Paul? u in the twinkling of an eye, at
the sound of the trumpet, the dead shall be raised, to die
no more."

This Resurrection will be general. All, great and small;
righteous and sinners; those who have lived before us
since the commencement of the world; those who are
upon earth ; those who shall come after us—all who have
died, will rise again at the last day with the same bodies
which they had before their death. It is God who will
perform this wonder by His Omnipotence. As He drew
forth all things from nothingness by His will alone, in the
same way He will easily reassemble our scattered mem-
bers and unite them to our souls. It is no more difficult
to the All-Powerful to cause our bodies to live again,
than it was to create them.

Every year we have before our eyes an image of this
Resurrection. Do not the trees, which seem as dead
during the winter, appear as if come to life again in the
spring ? Grain and other seeds that are cast into the
e&tth, corrupt and in a manner die, in order to come
forth more beautiful then they were ere placed there.
And it is the same with our bodies* They are a kind
of seed which is placed in the earth, which will issue
forth in the ftdnesa of life.

The bodies of the righteous will then be no longer gross,
heavy and corruptible, as they are now. They shall
shine like the $un, exempt from all kinds of pain and204

a christian's duty.

inconvenience, full of strength and agility, as was the
body of Our Lord after His resurrection. The just, who
are His children, sanctified by His grace, united and
incorporated with Him by faith, will rise as He did.
Jesus Christ will transform their vile and abject bodies,
and make them like unto His own body, glorious and
impassible. The body which shared in the good which
the soul did while it was united to it, ought also to par-
ticipate in its happiness.

The wicked will truly rise, but their bodies will pos-
sess no glorious attributes. They will rise 5 but it will
be to be delivered to miseries eternal in their duration,
inconceivable in their magnitude.

u The whole multitude of those that sleep in the dust
of the earth," says the Prophet, u shall awaken, some to
everlasting life, and others to an opprobrium and igno-
miny that shall never end."

What a sight will then be presented to our eyes ! What
feelings will rise in our hearts, when we hear the sound
of the trumpet, when that terrible voice shall resound' on
all sides : e( Rise, ye dead ! Come and appear at the bar
of the Lord !"—when we shall see all men re-appear, and
without any other distinction between them but that
which their works have printed upon them ! In the desert,
St. Jerome continually thought that he heard the last
trumpet, and his soul was affrighted. We have more
cause to fear, than he 5 how, then, can we exist so calmly ?
If the future resurrection of our bodies is an object of
hope and consolation to the just, it is an object of terror
and alarm to sinners.

The Machabean brothers said to King Antioclms :THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.

295

u Thou indeed, a most wicked King, destroy est us out of the
present life, but the King of the world will one day raise
us up to eternal life, after we have died for the defence
of His law." When the third was asked for his tongue,
he presented it readily, saying : " I received these mem-
bers from God : I hope that He will one day restore them
to me,"

u When God desired to reward the fidelity of Job,"
says St. Augustine, u He restored him double for all that
he had lost. Instead of seven thousand sheep, three thou-
sand camels, five hundred pairs of oxen, He restored him
fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, and a
thousand pairs of oxen. But, in place of the ten children
which he had lost, He only gave back ten. Why was
this ? It was because the animals were entirely lost.
He could never recover them ; whereas, the ten chil-
dren which were dead were not lost forever : he would
recover them at the general resurrection."—Lajeune.

The metamorphosis of the caterpillar is an image of the
resurrection of the dead. While it is still a caterpillar, it
drags itself painfully from one branch to another, and
weaves, in a manner, its tomb, where it remains torpid
during some time, as if it were dead. Subsequently it
bursts its coffin and flies forth an elegant butterfly.

Exercises.—Will our bodies rise again ? Upon what words of Scrip-
ture rests the dogma of the resurrection ? How will the resurrection
take place ?	*

[The plain doctrine of Holy Church upon this point is in wonderful
contrast to the opinions held by various Protestant communions.
There is no doubt whatever as to the plain meaning of the Scriptures,
But the marvellous nature of the resurrection, and its complete sub-
version of the great law of chemical changes, have induced some who
do not reject the fact to try and explain its modus operandi. They206

a christian's duty.

take for granted that the dogma must be made to square with the
chemical laws; quite forgetting that in whatever way it may be
accomplished the resurrection is a wonderful miracU. The spring is
just as great a marvel as any recorded in Scripture, but familiarity
with it blunts our perception of its astonishing magnitude. Those
who assert that the Catholic doctrine was not believed by the ancients
are refuted by the Jewish writers.]

Do we find any image of the resurrection in Nature ? In what con-
dition will the bodies of the just and of the wicked rise ? What
effect should the thought of the resurrection produce upon us ?
During religious instruction, ask your teacher to tell you how St.
Paul speaks of the resurrection of the body ; what he says about our
faith resting on the truth of Christ's resurrection.

SECTION XIV,

Of Our Last End.

" THE LIFE EVEIILASTING."

"The soul, of origin divine,

God's glorious image, freed from clay,

In Heaven's eternal sphere shall shine
a star of day.

'« The sun is but a spark of fire,

a transient meteor in the sky ;

The soul, immortal as its Sire,

Shall never die !"

)

Our soujs, immortal in their nature, on leaving this
body, will pass from this life to another, from this visible
world into a world invisible. The pagans themselves
believed in a future life in which one ,would be rewarded
or punished according to his works. The expectation of
a future life is therefore the dogma of the human race,
and the faith of nature.

There is, then, another life after this present, and that
life will never end. We shall be eternally happy or mra-OF OUK LAST END.

207

erable, according as we are just or unjust in the eyes of
God at the moment of our death. But as the soul, &t its
departure from this life, may carry certain defilements
with it which, without rendering it worthy of hell, will
yet exclude it from Heaven so long as they remain un-
purified, it follows that, besides Paradise prepared for
the just, and hell destined to punish the wicked, there is
a place called Purgatory, temporarily established to puri-
fy those souls guilty at dying of some venial sins ; or,
who have not satisfied the Divine Justice for the penalty
which ordinarily remains due after mortal sin has been
remitted by the Sacrament of Penance.

St. Bernard and his brothers, having quitted the pater-
nal roof to bury themselves in solitude, met their young
brother Nivard. u Prom this time forth,said they, u th$
inheritance concerns thee ; we are going into a religious
life.7' "That is to say/7 said the youth vivaeicMsly,
6t Heaven is for you, and earth for me; certainly the
divison is not equal.7' And some short time after he fol-
lowed them.

Exerciser.—Is there another life succeeding this present one? Was
this dogma known only to Christians?

What will be the lot of the just and of sinners in a future life ?208

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER I.

Of Purgatory.

" I beg of you, I beg of you, my brothers,

For my need is very sore ;

Not for gold and not for silver do I ask you,

But for something even more ;

From the depths of your hearts pity let it be—

Pray for me ! .

"I beg of you, O children, for He loves you,

And' He loves your prayers the best:

Fold your little hands together and ask Jesus

That the weary may have rest,

That a bird caught in a snare may be set free—

Pray fcrr me!

" I beg of you—of you who through life's battle

Our dear Lord has set apart,

That while we who love the peril are made captives,

Still the Church may have its Heart,

"Which is fettered, that our souls may be set free—■

Pray for me !

"I beg of you, I beg of you, my brothers,

For an alms this very day ;

I am standing on your doorstep as a beggar

Who will not be turned away,

And the charity you give my soul shall be—

Pray for me ! "—Procter.

In order to enter Heaven immediately after death, the
soul must have preserved its baptismal innocence, or
have entirely recovered grace by Penance ; for nothing
impure can enter into Heaven. Yet, human weakness
being so great, it is very difficult to preserve one's self so
pure ♦from the contagion of the age as not to have to re-\	,	OF PURGATORY.	209

proach ourselves at the moment of death for at least
some slight faults. Hence the necessity of a place for
the expiation of these slight faults, as well as to supply
the penance that ought to be done for certain sins which
are forgiven, as to eternal pains, in the Sacrament of
Penance.

Under the ancient Law this truth was perfectly known.
Men instructed in religion knew that souls were purified
from their lighter faults by temporary pains before enter-
ing into Limbo, the place of repose where the just await-
ed the coming of Jesus Christ, who was to conduct them
to Paradise.

The valiant Judas Machabeus sent a sum of money to
Jerusalem, in order that they might offer to the Lord
prayers and sacrifices for those who had died in battle.
u Because" said he, "it is a holy and wholesome thought
to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their
sins," But this truth was placed in the strongest light
by the decisions of the Church, founded upon the words
of Jesus Christ Himself, who draws a distinction be-
tween those sins which can be forgiven, and those
which cannot be forgiven in this world and the other.

Although the Church has pronounced nothing respect-
ing the magnitude of the pains of Purgatory, it is certain
that they are proportioned to the gravity of the sins
which remain unexpiated. It is also certain that they
are yery great; several Fathers of the Church even
assure us that they differ in nothing from those of hell,
except in the term of their duration, and by the pa-
tience with which the souls endure them.

We can and we ought to solace the souls in Purgatory.
They are of the predestined, friends of Jesus Christ,210

a christian's duty.

destined one day to reign with Him, and who will well
know how to repay us a hundredfold the sacrifices which
we have made to relieve and abridge their sufferings.
They may be perhaps our near relatives, our friends, our
benefactors, who, from the depth of the dungeons, cry to
us with piteous voices : " Have pity on me ! have pity
on me, you at least who are my friends P u My child,'7
cries some father, or mother, from the midst of the flames
in which they are shrouded, u we suffer incomprehensible
pains in this place of sorrows: have pity upon those to
whom you owe such great obligations, to whom you owe
life and the goods which you possess ; allow yourselves
to be softened by our sighs, and relieve us in our pains.
You can so easily do so ! Assisting at the Holy Mass, an
alms, a prayer, the sacrifice of some gratifications which
you offer for our intention, the very smallest privation,
etc,, may suffice to rescue us from the torments which we
endure, and procure for us the glories of Heaven ! Ah !
will you be insensible to our ills, and forget us in the day of
our need? Dare you give yourself up to enjoyment
while we are plunged in devouring fire V7

What! since in Purgatory it is always our brethren in
Jesus Christ who suffer these cruel torments, how can
we then forsake them ? These souls cannot satisfy the
justice of God but by paying the very last Earthing.
They are prisoners detained for debt in these places of
punishment. But we may deliver them by satisfying
for them through prayers, fastings, and alms ; by indul-
gences and communions, especially by the Holy Mass
said or heard for their intention. Charity makes it a
duty to solace these holy souls, by commanding us to do
to others that which we would that they should do unto us.OF rURGATOEY.

211

Our own interest imposes upon us the same obligation.
The souls of the righteous whom we have solaced will
plead for us in Heaven with as much fervor as efficacious-
ness. They will become powerful protectors whom we
shall have gained for this world and the next. Justice
itself makes it a duty to relieve the souls in Purgatory.
Perhaps it is because of us that many of them suffer,
either by loving us too well in flattering our passions, or
because they offended God on our account.

St. Perpetua, St. Felicitas, and other servants of Jesus
Christ, having been arrested for the Faith, were im-
mured in a narrow prison, where Perpetua had different
visions. In the first, the Lord made known to her that
all of them would suffer martyrdom. In the second,
she beheld one of her brothers,. some time dead. It
seemed to her that this child suffered horrible pains ; that
he was especially tormented by a devouring thirst, with-
out being able to approach his lips to the edge of a ves-
sel filled with water, despite the reiterated efforts he
made to procure this assuagement. n The saint, having
recognized by this vision that her brother was in Purga-
tory, gave herself to prayer, as also her companions.
Some days after, she again saw her brother, with his body
very pure, richly clad, and representing himself in the
midst of the plain where the vessel stood. It is thus that
the Lord would make known to us the efficaciousness of
prayers when made for the relief of the departed.—>Ec~
clesiastical History.212"

a christian's duty.

Exeecises.—What is Purgatory ? What is the condition of the holy
souls there, as far as we know? Can we,aid them, and how? What
motives should prompt us to do so?

[" According to the grace of God, that is given to me, as a wise archi-
tect, I have laid the foundation : and another buildeth thereon. But
let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foun-
dation no man can lay, but that which is laid ; which is Christ Jesus.
Now if any man buiid upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble : every man's work shall be mani-
fest : for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be re-
vealed in fire : and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it
is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon : he shall
receive a reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss : but
he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."—X Cor. ill. 10-15.]

CHAPTER II.

Of Paradise.

t( Best comes at length ; though life be long and dreary,

The day mtist dawn and darksome night be past;

Faith's journey ends in welcomes to the weary,

And Heaven, the heart's true home/will come at last.

' Angels, sing on, your faithful watches keeping ;

Sing us sweet fragments of the songs above ;

Till morning's joy shall end the night of weeping,

And life's long shadows break in cloudless love."—F. W. Faber.

Paradise is the abode of God's glory and magnificence.
It is the home which He has prepared for His angels, and
for men who have lived in His fear and died in His love.

But, to enable us to comprehend its immensity of riches,
and what the ineffable joys of Paradise are, it would need
that one of its blessed souls should come down from Heav-
en and relate to us its wonders. 66 Eye hath not seen,"
says St. Paul, "nor ear heard, neither hath it entered in-OF PARADISE.

213

to the heart of man; what things God has prepared for
them that love Him."(l) Let us conceive, if we are able,
what will be the joy of a soul that shall one day enter in-
to Paradise. 0 sweet moment, that shall end the mis-
eries of this life, and commence the happiness of eternity !
What delight, what satisfaction, what transport, when at
last it beholds its God, and shall feel itself certain of its
lot forever !

What joy for a captive when he recovers his liberty,
and emerges from his unhappy slavery ! What joy for a
prisoner who has for a long time been immured in the hor-
rors of a dismal dungeon, when he beholds again the light
of day ! What joy to a man who has made a long voy-
age upon a tempestuous sea, amid storms and sunken rocks,
where he was a thousand times in danger of perishing, to
reach at length the port of safety !—a weak - and very
imperfect image of the joy, the consolation, and happiness
of a soul who, after its captivity, its sad exile, its long
suffering in this vale of tears, enters at length into the
happy haven of salvation, into the region of the living, to
dwell forever amid the elect, the life of God Himself, the
author of its being, the object of its desires, the centre of
its repose, with no fear of ever losing Him j'certain of pos-
sessing Him forever, happy with the same happiness
which He enjoys !

But it is not sufficient to know about the happiness of
Heaven : we must strive to merit it by the practice of good
works.

u Narrow is the gate/7 (2) says Jesus ; let us make every
effort to enter it. However great these efforts may be,
they are a small matter compared with so great a good.

(1) I. Cor. ii. 9, (2) St. Matt, vii. 1.214

a christian's duty.

What! have we not the courage to do a little violence
to ourselves, to deprive ourselves of some gratifications,
to conquer the fear of man, in order to merit such great
happiness ? Where, then, is our faith ? Where is our rea-
son ? We every day sacrifice our quiet and our health
to gain a bubble of honor. We labor all our lives for a
little money, which we know we shall be compelled to
leave at death. And yet for Heaven, an eternal posses-
sion, we do nothing ! u An eternity of toil," says St. Au-
gustine, u would not be too much to secure an eternity of
happiness, and yet we cannot spare it a moment!?? A
short time spent in prayer night and morning intimidates
us; confession frightens us; the sanctification of the
Sunday is sacrificed to human respect.; (1) the absti-
nence of Friday and other days to sensuality ; our duties
to a love of pleasure. And yet we pretend to be associa-
ted with martyrs, those men of fortitude, (2) those heroes
of religion !

Heaven is a reward. We must therefore work to gain
it. It is a crown : we must fight to obtain it. It is a

(1)"	Human respect " is here used in a different sense to that of ordi-"
nary parlance. There it means the respect which is each man's due who
conducts himself properly. As in the famous phrase of Napoleon,
when he gave precedence to a man carrying a heavy load, " respect au
fardeau,'' But here it means th 3 same as ' 'fear '' in Scripture. '' The
fear of man bringeth a snare" Human respect, then, is a fear of human
opinion, censure, ridicule, etc., which is sometimes harder to bear than
violent opposition. A fear of what men may say "makes cowards of
us all."

(2)	u Men of fortitude" In the original, ' hommes de verjtu." Th©
author used this word in the sense of its root, virtus; Greek, apery.
It is so Used by St. Pete* (II. Epistle ii. 5), and memsfortitude. The
Italian word virtudso, now signifying a collector or connoisseur of
antiques, originally meant something akin to an athlete. A virttious
man in the elder poets is a man of tried bravery chiefly on the right
side. It has become now a synonym for goodness in English, though
retaining its original meaning in almost all other languages.OF PARADISE.

215

conquest: we must do violence to ourselves to merit it.
Those who know how to vanquish themselves, are the
heroes who carry it off. Heaven is the abode of holiness.
Its gates will open only to innocence or penitence.

If we occupy ourselves only with the vanities, the goods
and the pleasures of this life, we are neither innocent nor
penitent, and are consequently unworthy to enter Heaven.

Ah! how consoling is it for a virtuous Christian to know
that all which he does for God will be abundantly recom-
pensed ! that a cup of cold water given in His name, or
even one sigh of his heart, will not be forgotten by this
good Master! With what constancy will he not support
the trials of this life ! Losses and disgraces which fre-
quently cause the wicked to despair, become to the just
an occasion of merit, by the resignation with which he
receives them, and the hope of being recompensed in
Heaven, which he regards as his real home. Thither he
sends each day the treasure of his good works. It is for
Heaven that he toils; it is for Heaven that he embellishes
his soul.

If we knew the happiness which is enjoyed in Heaven,
and how much a man may glorify the Lord, we should not
only labor ardently for our own salvation, but we should
also strive to procure for others the same advantages, es-
pecially for our relations and friends, which would be a
true method of testifying our love for them.

We cannot do anything so conducive to the welfare
of our neighbor, and to the glory of God. "Whoever,"
says St. Chrysostom, " macerates his body by austeri-
ties, has less merit than he who gains a soul to God. It
is something greater to save our brethren than to work
miracles*" It is this zeal for the salvation of souls216

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

which led so many apostolical men to leave their country,
their parents and friends, to go beyond seas at the risk of
their lives, in order to convert a few heathen, or baptize ^
a few children in danger of death. " He," says St.
James, u who causeth a sinner to be converted from the
error of his ways, shall save his soul from death, and shall
cover a multitude of sins." (1)

M. Boursoul exercised the functions of the holy minis-
try at Rennes during more than forty years. He sustain-
ed uninterruptedly, and without relaxation, the fatigues of
the pulpit and the irksome labors of the tribunal of pen-
ance. He wished, as he said, to die with arms in his
hands. u Ah," he exclaimed, u if I were worthy to obtain
this favor of my God, I would ask Him every day to put
an end to my life, either when I was proclaiming His
Grospel from the chair of truth, or while exercising in the
sacred tribunal the rights of His justice and His mercy."

A prayer prompted by motives of ardent charity de-
serves to be heard. On Easter Monday, April 4, 1774,
M. Boursoul said Mass at five o'clock, and immediately af-
terward repaired to the confessional. Toward two o'clock
in the afternoon he was conveyed to Toussaint, in the par-
ish of Rennes, where, despite his great age and infirmities,
he was preaching the Lenten Course that year. At three
o'clock he ascended the pulpit, to preach his sermon upon
the glory and happiness of the saints. His delivery was
marked by the vigor and impetuosity of his youth. His
voice had an extraordinary resonance, and his motions
were so rapid, his gestures so vehement, that he indicated
what he was about to say ere putting it into words.

(1) St. James v, 20.OF PARADISE.

217

Toward tlie end of the first part, after a most vivid and
touching description of the beauties of Paradise and the
joys of the blessed in Heaven, he made a fresh effort, and
exclaimed, u No, my brethren, it will ne^er be granted
to man's feeble eyes to endure the splendor of the Divine
Majesty here below," Then, sinking his voice, " It will
be in Heaven that we shall behold it face to face, and with-
out a 'veil." These words were pronounced in a sonorous
voice, and a penetrating tone, after which he repeated in
Latin, u Videbimus eum sicuti est 1" At the close of these
words he leaned over the edge of the pulpit and expired.
His eyes were fixed upon Heaven, and remained constant-
ly in this position. The church was filled with an extra-
ordinary cro wd of people, and the consternation was sud-
den and general. Some screamed, some wept, and others
fainted. Some Exclaimed: u He is a saint; he died while
speaking of the happiness of Heaven." A child's voice
was heard to remark, u He was speaking of Paradise,
and he is gone."—Carron, u Life of B our soul. "

ExERCises.—What is Heaven? How can we attain it? How do we
prove ourselves unworthy of it? What practical results ought to
flow from our belief in it ? Mention the various places in Holy Writ
where you remember that Heaven is spoken of. Why is Heaven
often called Paradise? Why is life compared to slavery? Show how
Heaven really deserves to be called " our home." Knowing the beauty
of Heaven, what must we do ? Explain the saying, " The kingdom of
Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away." Show how
saving souls is much better than mere bodily macerations. Show
how saving a soul is the greatest possible charity and that it therefore
covers a multitude of sins. What is a " Lenten Course " ? Name
some great Catholic preachers who have given Lenten Courses. Get
your teacher to relate some pleasant anecdotes about Lacorclaire.
Monsabre, De Ravignan, Father Thos, Burke, and other distinguished
pulpit orators. Of course, you must deserve such privileges by at-
tention to your reading-lesson,118

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

CHAPTER III.

Of Hell

" Through me you pass into the city of woe:

Through me you pass into eternal pain :

Through me among the people lost for aye:

Justice the Founder of my fabric moy'd :

To rear me was the task of power divine,

Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.

Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.

All hope abandon, ye who enter, here !"

—Dante s 4' Inferno," Canto 111.

" And is there in God's world so drear a place
Where the loud, bitter cry is raised in vain,

Where tears of penance come too late for grace,

As on th'uprooted flower the genial rain?

4' Tis even so : the Sovereign Lord of souls

Stores in the dungeons of His boundless realm
Each bolt that o'er the sinner vainly rolls,

With gather'd wrath the reprobate to whelm!"

—Keble.

There is a bell; that is, a place of torment, where the
wicked will be eternally punished with demons.

This, like all the other truths of our faith, has been reveal-
ed by God. Jesus Christ speaks in the Gospel of a fur-
nace of fire ; of a place of punishment where there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Those who doubt if there be a hell, and who, under
this pretext, follow their unbridled inclinations, are either
blind or depraved. They risk an eternity of torment for
the pleasure of a moment.

Th^re are two kinds of pains endured in h41 f the
pain of privation and that of sense. The first edrisi^ts inOF HELL.

219

deprivation of the sight and presence of God ; the lat-
ter in enduring the most violent torments without the
least assuagement. The Holy Scriptures present these
torments to us in the most energetic terms. A fire shall
devour the reprobate, (1) says the Holy Ghost. The
worm that shall gnaw them will never die,'and the fire
that devours them shall never be quenched. This fire,
become as it were conscionable, according to the expres-
sion of St. Augustine, vvill cling to those corporeal senses
which have served as the instruments of sin, as well as
to the intellectual faculties, in order to devour them, with-
out, however, destroying them.

All the lost are deprived of the sight of God, and suf-
fer fearful torments, always proportionate to the num-
ber and gravity of their crimes. It is therefore of
faith that the reprobate will suffer forever in body and
in soul the mo§t cruel torments, in complete despair, and
without any consolation.

The pains of hell will be eternal. This is an article of
faith based upon the Scriptures themselves. Isaiah tells
us that the devouring worm of the damned will not die,
and that the fire which burns them will never be quench-
ed. The reprobate, it is said in St. Matthew, will u go
into everlasting punishment."

But, it may be said, God is too merciful to punish
eternally a single mortal sin, which sometimes only lasts
a moment. We reply :—

The mercy of God is not opposed to His justice, and

(1) "ReprobateThis word is always used in Scripture and The-
ology in a sense differing from its etymology. It means destitute of any
evidence of godliness. It lias come to mean in common usage a
person who has cast off all religious restraint and lives viciously, while
knowing better all the while.220

a christian's duty.

the latter requires that He should punish eternally any
man dying impenitent; because this man's sin is in a man-
ner eternal, according to his present disposition, since he
wills to die in sin, and consequently merits an eternal pen-
alty. Mortal sin fights against and, as far as it is able,
destroys an infinite and eternal good. It oUght therefore
to be punished with a punishment infinite and eternal, at
least in its duration, because man here below, being finite,
is incapable of a torment infinite in nature.

Sometimes human justice visits a single slight fault with
an eternal penalty, such as perpetual exile; so that if the
exile were to live forever, he would forever be banished
from his country. And why may the Divine Justice not
banish eternally from the heavenly country an impeni-
tent sinner, who by voluntarily dying in final impeni-
tence has shut himself out of his own accord ?

Young people, do not, then, deceive yourselves ! Make
from this moment a firm resolution to avoid sin, which will
inevitably lead you to ruin. Do not expose yourselves to
such a misfortune ; rather sacrifice every worldly interest!
If you save your soul, you have gained everything; if
you lose it, all will be lost Ao you, even though you had
gained the universe.

Some young libertines, being in company with a monk
of an austere Order, began to joke with him about his man-
ner of life. " Ah, Father," said one of them, " you will
be sadly taken in if there happens to be no Paradise at
all." u But you will be still more so," replied the monk,
" if there is a hell, as religion teaches us, and as there is
no room for doubt."

The Gospel tells us that the wicked rich man, being inOF IIELL.

221

hell, and seeing Abraham in the bosom of the Divinity,
addressed to him these words : u Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip
of his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I am tor-
mented in this flame. And Abraham said to him : Son,
remember that thou didst receive good things in thy life-
time, and likewise Lazarus evil things ; but now he is
comforted, and thou art tormented.?,(l)

There were two young men who had lived very inti-
mately at college, and shared the same religious views.
On returning to their families, one of them became wick-
ed and profligate ; the other remained a fervent Catholic.
One Sunday they were walking together in a public
square, when the one who was a Catholic, at that time aged
twenty-one, and aide-de-camp of a General, said to his
young friend : u I must leave you; I am expected else-
where." u Bah !" replied the other, " it is to go to some
Benediction, or charitable association. Let it all alone; you
will do much better by coming to the theatre. Why don't
you do as I ! What is to hinder you ? Is it possible
that at your age you are afraid of hell ? It was all very
well to help us to maintain college discipline; but I swear
that I am willing to die this very day if there really be a
hell." The young Catholic gave no heed, and went to the
charitable association.

1 At eleven o'clock the same night, as he was about to
retire to rest, he heard a great noise of opening and shut-
ting of doors. A servant, much excited, entered and
said :—Sir, Madame Such-an-One implores you to come
to her." (It was the mother of his friend.) u Her son has
just come in from the theatre, and has been seized with a

(1) St. Luke xvi. 23-25.222

a christian's duty.

strange pain." The young officer hastened to follow, and
found his friend lying down, fully dressed, foaming at the
mouth, and his eyes on fire. As soon as he perceived
his pious companion he exclaimed : u My friend, my
friend, there is a hell, and I am damned."

66 Oh no, dear friend," replied the other, "you are not
yet dead ; there is yet hope. We will go at once for a priest.7'
"I tell you," the young man rejoined, u there is a hell,
and I am damned. I will do like the damned." So say-
ing, he tore the flesh of his arms with his teeth, and spat
blood and fragments of flesh in the faces of his mother, his
two sisters and his friend, expiring before a priest could
arrive. His mother died of grief; his two sisters be-
came nuns. His young friend, though possessing a for-
tune of nearly thirty thousand dollars a year, abandoned
the world, and became a priest and monk.—Mullois.

Exercises. —Is the doctrine of hell revealed in the Scriptures ? In
what do the pains of hell consist? What is the chief pain? Relate
the example of Dives and Lazarus. Show how the goodness and
justice of God establish the truth of hell as well as of Heaven. Why
should hell be eternal ? Show that, as nothing defiled can enter
Heaven, hell being the punishment for mortal sin, there must be
another place for those who die in venial sin only. Is not such a
doctrine opposed to the idea of an all-merciful God? If you ever
get an opportunity, examine the illustrations of Dante's Purgatorio or
Inferno by Dore.

[The difficulties offered by this doctrine are unquestionably great
and terrible enough, and never have they been felt more keenly than
in the present age. We must of course put aside erroneous or even
unwarranted presentation of the Church's belief. God condemns no
single soul unless He has first bestowed upon it full opportunity of
securing a life of eternal happiness with Himself. Moreover, He d e-
sires the salvation of all, whether Catholics or Protestants, Christians or
heathens, and will judge all according to the advantages or disadvan-
tages they have had. "Thou sparest all, because they are Thine, O
Lord, Thou lover of souls." Again, He remembers the frailty of our na-
ture, and condemns to eternal banishment from His presence those only
who die separated utterly from Him by mortal—L e, by deliberate and
grievous—sin. Nor can we say who these persons are, or guess with
any degree of probability what proportion they bear to the whole
race of men. Sins which seem grievous to us may be excused by ig-
norance 01* want of deliberation, and even men who appear to endTHE SIGN OF THE CROSS.

22.3

evil lives with evil deaths, may, nevertheless, be enlightened by God's
mercy at the last—perhaps just as their souls are passing out of their
bodies—and so die in peace with Him. Even after these and other
abatements have been made, the awful and mysterious character of-
this doctrine remains. Why does not God, who holds all hearts in
His hand, turn the hearts of sinners to Himself? It is no answer to say
that He chooses to confer the gift of free will on men, with its attend-
ant responsibilities, for it is the common doctrine of theologians
that God could soften the heart of each and every sinner, and yet
leave the freedom of the will in its integrity ; and one who seriously
reflects on the meaning of omnipotence as a divine attribute, will
scarcely venture to contradict the proposition. The only safe reply
is that God so acts for reasons inscrutable to us, and that if reason
cannot penetrate God's designs, it is at the same time unable to show
that the conduct which the Scripture attributes to God is unjust.
" Retributive justice," Cardinal Newman writes (Grammar of Assent,'
p. 415), "is the very attribute under which God is primarily
brought before us in the teachings of our natural conscience." If,
then, God will by no means clear the guilty, it is not at any rate, in-
conceivable that He should punish a man who ends the period of
trial in utter rebellion against Him who is at once his sovereign and
his loving benefactor, by the most extreme punishment which can be
imagined, " The great mystery," to continue the quotation from
Cardinal Newman—" the great mystery is, not that evil should have no
end, but that it had a beginning." From this latter mystery there is
no escape to those who believe in a God at all.—Addis and Arnold,—
Oath. Diet.]

Show how terrible the fire of hell must be, when earthly fire, in-
tended for man's use, benefit and pleasure, is so terrible when uncon-
trolled. Try to understand that God is merciful in making a hell so
terrific, and in mentioning it so often to frighten sinners.

SECTION XV.

Of the Profession of Christianity, and the Sign of the Gross.
" I make Christ's mark upon me,

Sign that I%m His own :—

Oh, as His loyal follower
May I be ever known !

" Sign of the Cross ! Most ancient

Symbol of brotherhood :

In every land by rich and poor

Beloved and understood.

" On infant brows we make it,

And on the peaceful dead ;

In moments of enraptured joy,

And when all joy has fled.

" Sign of the Cross, triumphant

In Heaven at last to shine;

All blessings that around thee cling,

In life and death be mine !"—Oswald Aeatinge.224	a christian's i>uty.

To make profession of our faith is one of the most es-
sential duties ;■ for Jesus Christ will refuse to acknowl-
edge as His disciples those who have been ashamed to be-
long to Him, and to declare openly for Him.

One manner of making known that we are Christians,
and that we are proud of being so, is piously to make up-
on ourselves the august sign of the Cross.

There is a way of making the sign of the Cross which
consists in forming with the thumb a cross upon the fore-
headj the mouth, and the heart.

The priest does this at Mass, when he reads the Gos-
pel, and the pious faithful practise it in imitation. We
imprint the sign of the Cross upon our brow to denote
that we are not ashamed of being a Christian or practising
a Christian's duty ; upon the mouth, to make known that
we are ready to confess our belief in God and in Jesus
Christ ; upon the heart, to show that we wish to love
the Cross of QJirist, and believe without hesitation that
which we have professed with our mouths.

The ordinary manner of making the sign of the Cross
is to carry the right hand to the forehead, from thence to
the bosom, then from the left shoulder to the right, saying
at the same time, u In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

In making the sign of the Cross, we profess the unity
of God by the word name,—the singular ; the Trinity
of Persons by naming them ; the mystery of the Incar-
nation, and that of the Redemption, by forming the figure
of the Cross upon which the Son of God made man
died; perhaps also the mystery of Grace, in that we
carry the hand to the left,—figure of sin ; and then toTHE SIGN OF THE CIIOSS.

225

the right—figure of the grace which Jesus Christ h&s
merited for us.

These words, u La the name of the Father," ete») sigtiify,
moreover : "I make this action by command of the Holy
Trinity. I wish faithfully to obey His will. I make this
act in honor of the Holy Trinity. I would render Him
all the homage of which I am Capable, I make this act
by the help of the Holy Trinity, recognizing that I can
do nothing without the strength which the Father com-
municates ; the grace which Jesus Christ has merited
for me ; and the light of which the Holy Ghost is the
source."

We should not fail to make the sign of the Cross at
least night ancl morn ; before and after meals; at the
commencement of our prayers and principal actions.

It is a means of drawing dowh upon ourselves, and upon
our actions, the blessing of God.

We ought also to make it Upon our hearts, whenever
we find ourselves exposed to some danger or temptation,
in order that we may be delivered from it, and saved
from offending God.

We know the trades and professions by the instruments
which the workmen employ* You enter & workshop i
you see the anvils and hammers; the iron heating red in
an immense furnace ) men eager at their work, holding
an enormous bar of red-hot iron, and thinning it upon the
anvil by means of redoubled blows; and you say, u These
are smiths.'7 The Christian must also display his holy
profession, and let some instrument of his art be found
with him. When I enter a house, I ask myself, Where226	a christian's duty.

am I f If I see a crucifix, holy water stoup, sacred
pictures, and some books of devotion, I answer to my-
self, " I am with a Christian."—Milleriot.

A young lady, having been ashamed to make the sign
of the Cross in the presence of a stranger, before an act
when it is customary to make it, some one, full of zeal, per-
ceived it, and blushed at her cowardice and her small love
for Jesus Christ. u What !" he remarked to her,—
" Jesus Christ was not ashamed to die upon the Cross to
ransom you, and you are ashamed to make upon your
person the august sign of your redemption !"—He added,
a I hope, for the future, you will glory in belonging to
your adorable Master ; and that the Father, the Son,
&nd the Holy Ghost may bless you by the Passion and
death of our Lord Jesus Christ,"—Lasausse.

Exercises.—Is it essential to make profession of our faith? How
many ways are there of making tlie sign of the Cross ? What does
the sign of the Cross mean ? Is there any advantage derived from
making it?

[This most ancient sign has been travestied by all secret societies
who have their token of recognition. It carries us back to the dim
night of ages, when the Church was passing through the sevenfold-
heated furnace of persecution. The holy mysteries were then sur-
rounded by what was called the Arcana. Only those who were duly
qualified to share in them were initiated into its significance. It was
necessary that the Christians should become known to each other
by some sign concealed from the heathen. When the holy mysteries
were celebrated in the Catacombs, the Ostiarii, or doorkeepers, would
allow none to enter who were unacquainted with this password or
token. It is supposed by Cardinal Fitra that the fish, which from its
Greek meaning symbolized, Jesus Christ, Son of God. Saviour,
was used for this purpose. When Christians travelled, they were
made known to each other by the tessera, a token of some sort, al-
luded to in Apocalypse ii. 17 :—"A white stone, and upon the
stone a name written, which no man knoweth save he that
receiveth it." The sign of the Cross is supposed to have replaced
these, as the heathen grew to know the meaning of the fish, and
other tesserce. It was indeed equally significant with the fish, which theTHE SIGN OF THE CROSS.

227

learned De Rossi says was''the most speaking confession of faith
that five letters ever embodied." In Greek it is written, i, c, th, u, s.]

[In ancient times all slaves were branded with their master's name.
Among the Anglo-Saxons this was replaced by a collar worn round the
neck. This is mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in Ivanhoe. Besides
the flesh-brand, the slave wore some distinctive badge designating
his owner. St. Paul alludes to this when he calls the scars of his
wounds suffered for truth, " the marks of the Lord Jesus." This he
cites as an evidence of his sincerity. The Fathers regard this as anal-
ogous with the sign of the Cross. A general officer slain at Sebasto-
pol related that he had an English Catholic in his regiment who,
every evening before retiring, made the sign of the Cross, and knelt
to say his prayers. He was mercilessly ridiculed and persecuted, but
still he persevered. At length, when the uproar was at its height,
one of his fiercest opponents exclaimed, " Boys, hold on: the fellow's
true to his colors. Let us see if he can fight to-morrow as well as pray."
To-morrow was the famous Inkermann day, and the poor lad who
had not been ashamed of the sign of the Cross was shot dead while
capturing a Russian flag. The " mark of the Lord Jesus " proves how
true is the saying of the poet, " The Christian is the highest type of
man."]

See if your teacher will make this bargain : " To-day we will be
most careful in making the sign of the Cross, and in return we will be
told the history of Julian the Apostate and the sign of the Cross."
Does any young reader remember what Tertullian said about the
frequent use of the sign of the Cross by the early Christians?
Perhaps your teacher, if pleased with you, may tell the story about
the young man who refused to come down stairs, as per agreement,
a month after his marriage, and how the Turkish magistrate argued
that the disobedient son should do so, from the way the Christian
made the sign of the Cross,PART SECOND.

OF THE LOYE OF GOD.

The love of God comprises that of our neighbor. The love of
God and of our neighbor is charity. Charity approves
itself by works. (< He that loveth Me" says Jesus
Christy " mitt keep My commandments

SECTION!.

Of the Commandments in General*

li Though all great deeds were proved but fables fine,

Though earth's old story could be told anew;

Though God did never man, in words benign,

With sense of His great Fatherhood indue;

Though life immortal were a dream untrue,

And He that promised it were not divine \

Though soul, though spirit, Were not, and all hope,

Beaching beyond the bournf melted away ;

Though virtue had no goal, and good no scope,

But both were doomed to end with this our clay—

Though all these were not, to the un graced heir
Would this remain—to live as though they were."

—Ingeloic.

From the commencement of the world, God has en-
graved His law upon the heart of man.

Bat, as the impression became more and more effaced.
He willed to promulgate it solemnly in the presence of the
Israelites, whom he had chosen as His own people. For

228THE DECALOGUE.

229

this purpose, fifty days after their departure from Egypt,
He called Moses-, whom he had established as their leader,
to the summit of Mount Sinai, and there revealed to hiitr
His design to contract with His people ail eternal cove-
nant.

Moses therefore, having convened the heads of the na-
tion, announced to them the commandment of the Lord^
and ordered them to communicate it to the people. As
soon as they were acquainted with. the divine will, they
replied with acclamation : u All that the Lord hath spoken
we will do." Three days later the mountain was cov-
ered with a thick cloud, the thunder roared and the
lightning flashed, and a thrilling sound resembling a mul-
titude of trumpets reverberated on all sides. The fright-
ened people fled to their tents, but Moses constrained
them to advance to the limits which by command of God
he had fixed round the foot of the mount* Then, from the
midst of this terrible display, the voice of God was heard
distinctly pronouncing the Ten Commandments.

THE DECALOGUE.

I am the Lord thy God? who brought thee out of the
. land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt not have strange goda before me.

iPhou slialfc not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the
earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the waters
under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them nor serve230

a christian's duty.

them. (1) I am the Lord Thy God, mighty, jealous, vis-
iting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto
the third and fourth generations of them that hate me;
and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me
and keep my commandments.

ii.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God
in vain : for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain.

in.

Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. Six
days shalt thou labor and shalt do all thy work. But
on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.
Thou shalt do no work on it, (2) thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant,
nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and
the sea, and all things that are in them, and rested on
the seventh day : therefore the Lord blessed the seventh
day and sanctified it.

iv.

Honor thy father and thy mother, that thou mayest

(1)	The Mahometans, like most Protestants, consider that this
prohibition is especially infringed by Catholics, who have images in
their churches. The former deem it unlawful to depict the human
form at all, and the latter, though having sculptures and paintings
and statuary in their homes, exclude them from their churches.
Both ideas are erroneous, and. literally carried out, would lead to the
destruction of Art. What is prohibited here is the. adoratioyi of the
image, which is idolatry, and which the Church no more thinks of
committing than a man would worship his friend's portrait.

(2)	The terrible doctrines built upon this phrase by the Rabbins
in the Mishna are truly described by Our Lord as a yoke grievous to
be borne. "To this day a pious Jew will not stir his fire on the Sab-
bath, but hires a Christian to do it for him."THE DECALOGUE.

231

be long-lived upon the land which the Lord thy God will
give thee.

y.

Thou shall not kill.

VI.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

VII.

Thou shalt not steal.

VIII.

Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

IX.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife.

x.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor his field,
nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor anything that is his.

These ten commandments were subsequently written
upon two tables of stone, and thus, the Lord having re-
vealed to us what He is, and His right to command us,
manifested His will and ordained its observance.	#

This law is addressed to us as well as to the Israelites.
It is the law of nature 5 it is the law of all nations. It
contains every man's duty, and the rigid rule which when
applied to their works will fix their eternal destiny.

The three first precepts of the Decalogue prescribe
our duties toward God; the seven others, our duty
toward our neighbor. Hence the love of God and of our
neighbor is the abridgment of the law.

A venerable old man, seeing himself surrounded with
children, who pressed about him, addressed them in232

a christian's duty.

th^Se memorable words, which they never forgot: "My
little children, seeing how rigidly kings cause their com-
mands to be executed, we ought to suppose that God will
not allow His Commandments to be violated with im-
punity. Hence I have ever observed, 1. That those who
fear not God are nearly always unhappy; 2. That
Sunday labor never enriches any one j 3. That goods dis-
honestly acquired are never profitable; 4. That alms
never impoverish \ 5. That prayer night and morning
never retards labor; 6. That a vicious and disobedient
child has never been happy."

Exercises. —Did man possess any law of God before it was formally
given by Moses? Analyze the Decalogue. Is it binding upon iis,—+
and wliy ? The necessity of law is well expressed by Wordsworth

i( All true glory rests,

All praise of safety, and all happiness,

Upon the moral law.

How insecure, how baseless in itself,

Is that philosophy whose sway is framed
For mere material interests ! how weak
Those arts, and high inventions, if un propped
By virtue ! "

No code of laws was ever promulgated which so carefully meek
the necessity of human nature. It makes the general welfare its first
■aim,—"the greatest good of the greatest number/'—and secures this,
not by the total sacrifice of all personal interest^ but by restraining
them and directing them into wholesome channels. Draco, in his ter-
rible code, made/ear and punishment the chief inducements to duty*
But experience proves that nothing really good has been extorted
from hian through fear. The Decalogue differs from this, and^ makes
self-preservation an incentive jso that a man thoroughly obeying its
precepts according to the more liberal interpretation of Christ, would
not only secure his own health and prosperity, but contribute rela-
tively to that of society. It is, as the most profound of legists has re-
marked, " the greatest of all codes, and the basis Of all that is
greatest in other codes."—JBlackstone's "Commentaries."

Try to explain fully that the Commandments, while so binding, are
easy to fulfil, and that God is infinitely merciful in giving them.
Show from human laws how fully society finds its protection m the
observance of the Commandments.

Show the location of the mountain on which the Decalogue was
promulgated. Show from the analysis of the Commandments that
they are all necessary. What Commandments are children most
likely to infringe ?OF FAITH.

233

SECTION II.

Of the First Comm andment

ci J AM THE LORD THY GOD ] THOU SHALT NOT HAVE
STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME."

'r One only God thou shalt adore,

And love Him perfectly."

The First Commandment obliges us—1 : To believe in
God. 2 : To hope in Him. 3: To love Him with all our
hearts. 4 : To worship Him alone.

CHAPTER I.

Of Faith.

"Upon purity and upon virtue
Kesteth the Christian faith ; she herself from on high is descended.
Strong as a man and pure as a child is the sum of the doctrine
Which the Divine One taught, and suffered and died on the Cross for.

" Therefore love and believe ; for works will follow spontaneous,

Even as day does the sun : the Right from the Good is offspring ;
Love in a bodily shape and Christian works are no more than
Animate love and faith, as flowers are the animate springtide."

—Longfellow^

Faith is a supernatural virtue by which we believe all
the truths that the Church teaches us, because God, who
cannot Himself be deceived, nor yet deceive any one, has
revealed them. It is the first of the three theological vir-
tues.a christian's duty.

The truths which we ought to believe are contained in
the Holy Scriptures and in Tradition.

We give the name of Holy Scripture to those sacred
books which were written under the inspiration of the
Holy Ghost. They are the Old and New Testament.
By Tradition we understand the word of God, not written
in the sacred books, which has been transmitted to us
from generation to generation. The deposit of Scripture
and Tradition has been confided to the Church. It is
she who determines their true meaning, and proposes it
to the faithful with an infallible judgment and a sovereign
authority. God has conferred this power upon her. He
has promised to preserve her from all error, and to assist
her in her teachings until the end of the world. We
ought therefore to believe all that the Church teaches us,
and there is no salvation possible to him who has not
faith. u He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,"
says Christ; u and he that believeth not shall be con-
demned."

^ Faith, then, is absolutely necessary'in order to be justi-
fied and saved. Faith honors God and renders homage
to Him as the Supreme Truth. It is, as St. Paul says, a
sacrifice and oblation which we make to Him by submit-
ting our minds to His infallible word, by silencing our
difficulties, our prejudices, and our dislikes, to believe
without a shadow of a doubt, upon the authority of this
divine word, that which our senses cannot perceive nor
our intellect understand.

We should often make acts of faith upon the truths of
our holy religion, in order to testify to God our submis-
sion to the truths which He has revealed. This submis-
sion which we owe to the word of God, and to the teach-OF FAITH.

235

ing of the Church, is all the more reasonable, because
every day we believe upon human testimony things that
we have never seen, and others that we do not under-
stand, although they strike our senses.

Does not the word of God, who can neither be deceived
Himself nor deceive others, merit more credit than that of
a man, or the attestation of our mind and senses, whose
faculties are so limited ? Nothing, therefore, is more ra-
tional than to believe, upon the authority of God's word,
even things which we cannot comprehend. We believe
them, not because we understand them, but because God
has spoken. Faith is based upon the word of God, and
not upon our own illumination. We can only know mys-
teries by revelation. God has revealed them. More,—
He has established an infallible authority to propose
them to us.

As He calls all men u to the knowledge of the truth,"
He has furnished means within the reach of all. In order
to be a Christian we need but docility. And this docility
is no blind and stupid credulity, but an enlightened sub-
mission, supported by motives the strongest and most like-
ly to convince a reasonable man. Public facts and start-
ling miracles are the incontestable proofs that establish
the trurfl of religion.

Jesus Christ has exacted from mankind the testimony
of their faith, but He had previously confirmed their faith
by miracles. It was to this evidence that He himself re-
ferred the Jews. He said, u The works that I do in
My Father's Name, they give testimony of Me. If I do
not the works of My father, believe Me not. But if I do,
though you will not believe Me, believe the works." (1)
(1) St. John x. 25; 37, 38,236

a christian's duty.

Miracles are therefore the voice of God, and none can
reject a doctrine confirmed by them without impiety ;
for it would be a wicked absurdity to say that God had
displayed His omnipotence to authorize a falsehood!

We are therefore bound to believe all the truths which
the Church teaches us. To reject a single article would
be to lose the Faith. We sin against Faith whenever we
willingly doubt any truth which the Church teaches.

We expose ourselves to fall into sin whenever we have
the hardihood to read heretical or infidel books, for u he
that loveth danger shall perish in it." (1) We sin against
the Faith when, from fear of man, we verbally and ex-
ternally renounce it, although we preserve our belief in
our hearts. The martyrs loved better to suffer torments,
and death itself, rather than dissimulate their faith before
tyrants. In short, we sin against Faith when we neg-
lect to inform ourselves of those truths whose knowledge
is necessary to salvation. It is through this negligence
that many Christians live in ignorance of what they ought
to know> and commit a great number of faults which they
do not even perceive.

In a company in which by God's Providence there
happened to be a clergyman, several young rrifti were
acting the part of the wicked, and retailing the tirades of
Rousseau against the divine origin of Christianity. " Gen-
tlemen," said the clergyman, " you do not believe in it now,
but you will some day ; if not during time, it will be
during eternity. You will then believe, as the demons
do; for they believe, and they are in torments!"
<—3IcraulL

(1) Eccles, iii. 27.OF FAITH.

237

Napoleott remarked one day to his son's governed,
Madame de Montesquieu: ii Bernardotte is now a King;
what a glory for him ! " u Yes, Sire/5 she repiiitfj
" but there is an ugly reverse to the medal: to obtain a
throne he has renounced the faith of his fathers." u Yes/1
replied the Emperor, u it is indeed ugly; and I, whom
all men deem so ambitious, would never have given up
the Catholic religion for all the crowns on earth,"

In the interviews which took place between Bouguer,
member of the Academy of Sciences, and Father De la
Berthonie, and which resulted in his conversion, this
learned man of the first rank made the following most
remarkable avowal, u I was incredulous only because I
was depraved." He immediately added, "Let us get on
as fast as we can, Father; it is my heart rather than my
mind which needs healing."—De la Berthonie.

If we behold certain minds doubt articles of Faith, it
is not because these articles are in themselves uncertain.
No, it is in consequence of the weakness of the human
mind, and the passions of the heart.—St. Thomas Aquinas.

Exercises.—What is Faith ? Where do we find what we are bound
to believe ? What is the ground of Faith ? Must we accept all that
the Church teaches without exception ?

The reasonableness of Faith becomes evident when we reflect , how
little we can know.

" We have but faith ; we cannot know,

For kntiwledge is of things we see/' (1)

The larger half of the facts we implicitly accept depend upon Faith.
the man who refuses belief in that which cannot be apprehended by
sense, or defined in woi'ds, ought, to be consistent, to refuse to believe
in life. We say we live, we have certain proofs of it, yet no philoso-
pher has ever yet been able to say what life is. All that can be asked
is that the authority which propounds an alleged truth should be
trustworthy. We accept a thousand facts in history and science on
this ground, yet no authority in secular things comes to us with such
unexceptionable credentials as the Apostles and Evangelists. To re-

(1) Tennyson, "In Memoriam."238

a christian's duty.

fuse belief in their teachings displays an arrogance of mind most rep-
. rehensible, as if we alone were competent to decide what Truth is.
The conflict between the Church and the age lies here. The Holy
Ghost, acting through her, is alone competent to say " This is the way,
walk ye in it." The individual judgment must become teachable,
"asa little child," ready to accept ,on trust. Yet nothing is proposed
which is contrary to reason ; in fact, Faith merely supplements it,
lending wings to it, and lifting it up from earth to Heaven.

Explain Longfellow's saying, u Therefore love and believe; for works
will follow spontanems ; "and " Christian works are no more than animate
love and faiths Bepeat St. James's saying about the necessity of good
works for animate faith. Why is faith a gift of God, and not an acquired
viftue ? What other gifts besides faith are infused at baptism ? Show
how faith is the first of the theological virtues, and comes before hope
and charity. Beview what is said about the worship of God, in first
chapters of this work.

CHAPTER II.

Of Hope.

" The world may change from old to new,

From new to old again ;

Yet Hope and Heaven forever true

Within man's heart remain.

The dreams that bless the weary soul,

The struggles of the strong,

Are steps toward some happy goal,

The story of Hope's song.

u Hope leads the child to plant the flower
The man to sow the seed,

Nor leaves fulfilment to her hour,

But prompts again to deed.

And ere upon the old man's dust

The grass is seen to wave,

We look through fallen tears—to trust
Hope's sunshine on the grave.

" Oh no ! it is no flattering lure,

No fancy weak or fond,

When Hope would bid us rest secure

In better life beyond.

Nor loss nor shame, nor grief nor sin,

Her promise may gainsay ;

The Voice Divine hath spoke within,

And God did ne'er betl'av."—Surah Flower Adams.OF HOPE.

239

Hope is a supernatural virtue, by which we await, with
a firm confidence in the goodness of God, those good
things which He has promised.

It is the second of the theological virtues. How great
are those good things which God has promised us !
How precious they are ! They are nothing less than the
eternal possession of God Himself. This happiness is in-
finitely above us and all our efforts ; hence it is through
His mercy alone that He has promised it. We are not
able of ourselves to merit such happiness. Bat God, who
loves us despite our misery and unworthiness, promises
us the grace to attain to it. " He gave his only Son, to
the end that whoso believeth in Him should not perish, but
have eternal life." (1)

The aspect of our misery ought not to hinder our hop-
ing in God, and to await the possession of the good which
He has promised us. His omnipotence, to which nothing
is impossible ; His mercy, which is infinite ; the merits of
Jesus Chrisf, which are inexhaustible ; the virtue of His
grace ; His promises ; the command He gives us to hope
in Him—such are the foundations of Christian hope.

After such assurances, we should wrong Him by not
hoping. As God will have us believe Him when He speaks,
He will also have us confide in Him when He promises.
Hence, our confidence ought to be absolute and constant.

No, Christian hope is neither uncertain nor wavering.
It is u a strong confidence/7 because it rests upon an un-
shaken foundation. St. Paul compares it to an anchor
firm and steadfast which holds the vessel safely amid the
floods and tempests.

This hope is never confounded when it is humble, sin-
(1) St. Jolm iii. 16.240

a christian's duty.

cere, and persevering, because God cannot be wanting to
His promise. " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but
His words shall not pass away." We are therefore as-
sured that if we lack not confidence in God, and place no
obstacle in the way, He will grant all that He has prom-
ised us.

Christian Hope is opposed by two opposite vices, De-
spair and Presumption.

We sin against Hope when we despair of our salvation.

Such was the sin of Cain, who, after killing his brother,
said, u My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve
pardon."(l) Despair is a most horrible sin in the sight
of God, because it outrages Him in Hid. goodness, which,
of all His perfections, He most delights to manifest to men,
and to which He is most desirous that we should render
homage by an unbounded confidence. " Can a woman,"
says the Lord, " forget her infant, so as not to have
pity on the son of her womb ? And if she should forget,
yet will not I forget thee."(2) " If your sirts be as scar-
let, they shall be made as white as snow,"(3) for I will not
reject you when you return to Me with confidence and re-
pentance. There is no kind of sin which Our Lord did
not expiate by His death, and for which He has not mer-
ited pardon for us. He proclaims from the height of His
Cross that all His blood was shed for us. This Father, full
of benevolence, only asks the return of His child. Our
repentance will re-awaken all His tenderness. But let us
not on our side abuse His patience and goodness, to offend
him with greater liberty by persevering in disorder.

We sin against Hope, when, presuming upon the mer-
cy of God, or upon our own strength, we postpone our
conversion.

(1) Gen. iv. 13. (2) Isaiah xlix. 15-16. (3) Isaiah i. 18.OF HOPE.

241

Such is the sin of those who, forming to themselves a
false notion of God's mercy, believe that they will be saved
although they cease not to offend Him ; or who, count-
ing upon a long life, persuade themselves that it will be
time enough to think of salvation when the period of
youth is past. Let us beware lest we say, " God?s mercy
is great: He will pardon me despite the multitude of my
sins." How many have been deceived by this false con-
fidence ! They counted upon a future which they were
never to have. Let us shun this delusion. Let us not
defer to give ourselves to God, for we know not how long
our life will last. May not death surprise us at any
moment ? It is true that the good thief was converted
in the article of death, but it was a miracle effected at the
death of Christ ; and woe to him who rests his salvation
oh a similar miracle !

We sin against Hope also when we are wanting in sub-
mission to the dispensations of Providence in the affairs of
this world.

And how can we thus lack confidence in so kind a
Father, who assures us that the very hairs of our head
are all numbered, and that even one of them shall not
fall without His permission ?

All that happens to us in this world is for our greater
good, and may merit for us an eternal happiness. Let us
perfectly understand that good health, riches, and other
advantages, may become detrimental to our salvation, and
that it is good for us to suffer their loss, if God so wills.
Let us be persuaded that nothing is as yet lost to us, so
long as we are allowed to hope for Heaven.

To increase our hope, we ought often to make Acts of
Hope, especially when we find ourselves exposed to any
trial.242

a christian's duty.

God allowed St. Francis of Sales to experience a very
painful temptation. He had just finished his studies at
Paris, having only attained his sixteenth year-, when the
enemy of souls filled his imagination with the idea that he
was of the number of the reprobate. This temptation
made such an impression on his mind that he lost his
rest, and could neither eat nor drink. He lost flesh vis-
ibly and fell into despondency. His preceptor, who saw
him languishing day by day, unable to enjoy any kind
of pleasure, and with a pallid, wan look, frequently in-
quired the cause of his melancholy. But the demon who
had filled him with this delusion was of the kind that is
called dumb, by reason of the silence which they im-
pose upon those whom they have afflicted. At the same
time, he found himself deprived of the suavity of the
divine love. The sweetness and calm which he had tas-
ted with so much delight before the coming of this storm,
recurred to him, and redoubled his grief. u It was then in
vain," he would say to himself, li that I nursed the bless-
ed hope of being inebriated by the abundance of the
sweetness of the house of God, and inundated in the tor-
rent of His delight. Oh, amiable tabernacles of God's
House, I shall then behold you nevermore ! "

He remained an entire month in this bitterness of heart,
comparable to the pains of death, and everything that
can be endured of the most cruel things in this world.
His days were passed in sorrowTful sighs, and at night he
bedewed his couch with tears. At last, having by the
grace of God entered the Church of St. Stephen-des-Gres
to invoke God's pity upon his misery, and having knelt
down before the image of the Holy Virgin,' he begged this
Mother of mercies to be his advocate with God, and to obtainOF HOPE.

243

from His goodness this favor: that if he was so unhappy
as to be destined to hate •Him throughout eternity, he
might at least love Him with all his heart during his life.

A prayer so far removed from the sentiments of a rep-.
robate was at once heard. The darkness which had
spread over his spirit was dissipated, and he remained
full of joy and consolation.

Exercises. -What is hope ? Ought the consciousness of sin to pre-
vent our hoping in God, and why ? Why may not this hope be ill-
founded ? In what way may we sin against hope ?

[The beautiful simile of St. Paul, the anchor, found in the words,
" Hope we have, as an anchor of the soul/' was adopted m the very
earliest ages of the Church. The anchor, if it has sufficient hold, will
ride the ship through the stoutest gale. And, to remove all doubt on
the subject, St. Paul says this anchor lays hold on the Rock of Ages,
"even Jesus." Among the earliest inscriptions of the Catacombs we
find a simple anchor and the Fish, which being interpreted means,
My hope is in Jesus Christ the Son of God and Saviour. Oftentimes it is a
single anchor with the upper part fashioned as a cross; or an anchor
and palm branch—hope and victory.]

[There is no more instructive contrast than that which may be drawn
between the condition of St. Francis de Sales, as cited in the example,
and that of the poet Cowper. They illustrate the difference between
Catholicism and Protestantism. Cowper, gifted, pure-minded, highly
sensitive and imaginative, fell early under the influence of the stern,
dark doctrines of Calvinism. He soon grew to regard himself as
predestined to eternal ruin. Through his whole life, with very brief
intervals, this horrible idea sat like an incubus upon him. The
healing teachings of the Catholic Church would have dispelled this
despair, which finally settled into mania. No more melancholy in-
stance of the dismal effects of Calvinism can be adduced than this
wrecked life, crushed like a spring blossom beneath the heel of
falsehood. ]244

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER III.

Of Charity.

u Wouldst thou the life of souls discern ?

N or human wisdom nor divine
Helps thee by aught beside to learn ;

Love is life's only sign.

The spring of the regenerate heart,

The pulse, the glow of every part.

Is the true love of Christ our Lord,

As man embraced, as God adored.

" Then marvel not if such as bask

In purest light of innocence,

Hope against hope, in love's dear task,

Spite of all dark offence.

If they who hate thee trespass most,

Yet, when all other love is lost,

Love the poor sinner, marvel not;

Christ's mark outwears the rankest blot.

" No distance breaks the tie of blood ;

Brothers are brothers evermore ;

Nor wrong, nor wrath of deadliest mood,

That magic may o'erpower ;

Oft, ere the common source be known,

The kindred drops will claim their own,

i^nd throbbing pulses silently
Move heart toward heart by sympathy.

" So is it#with true Christian hearts :

Their mutual share in Jesus' blood
An everlasting bond imparts

Of holiest brotherhood ;

Oh! might we all our lineage prove,

Give and forgive, do good and love,

By soft endearments, in kind strife,

Lightening the daily load of life !"—Keble.

Charity is a supernatural virtue by which we love God
above all things, because He is infinitely good and infi-OF CHARITY.

245

nitely lovable ; and our neighbor as ourselves from love
to God.	*

u This is the first and greatest commandment/7 said
Jesus Christ. Charity is the third of the theological
virtues. But was it necessary that God should com-
mand us to love Him % Is He not in Himself supremely
lovable ?

His infinite perfections, His goodness to us, the bene-
fits with which He loads us, the advantages which ac-
crue from our adherence to Him, all engage us to love
Him. He has created us, He preserves us, He feeds us.
He has made Heaven and earth and all creatures for our
use. Do not all these cry to us that we ought to love
Him ? God has done still more for us in the order of
salvation. He has given us His only Son- He has sac-
rificed Him to ransom us. He has admitted us among
the number of His children. Every day, and every hour,
He sustains us by His grace. He has prepared for us
after this life an eternal felicity in the abode of His glory.

What ! is it requisite to prove to a well-born child that
he ought to love his father % Is not this feeling natural
to man ? Does not the heart of itself incline to it ? Does
not a child experience this tenderness of feeling at the
remembrance of his father ? And is not God our Father ?
Is there any one to whom this name so "aptly belongs as
to Him ? for was there ever a better Father ? Add to all
these inducements, the sweetness which is found in the
practice of this love. Oh, what pure joy, what sweet
consolation is spread abroad in the heart enkindled by
it! All the pleasures which the world can offer us, are
in no wise comparable to that delicious peace which God
imparts to the soul He loves. Let us then cleave to God.246

a christian's duty.

Let us hasten to give Him our hearts before sin has ren-
dered them unworthy of being offered to Him. We can
never be happy save in loving Him, and the more we
love Him the happier we shall be.

God alone can constitute our happiness. The man who
lacks God is unhappy even in the midst of riches, glory,
and pleasures. He always wants something else, and he
is dissatisfied.

But he who loves God, finds in this holy love consola-
tions which replace all the rest. His desires are satis-
fied, his heart is tranquil, and nothing can trouble the calm
in his soul. Even in poverty he is rich ; in humiliations
he is great; in suffering he is full of joy. We ought
therefore to love God with all our hearts. It is our be-
ginning and our ending. This great Master would pos-
sess our hearts entirely. We ought then to prefer Him to
all creatures, and be ready to lose everything rather than
His grace, and love nothing besides without reference to
Him.

/We sin against this commandment when we make any
other object than God our supreme good ; as the ambi-
tious do with honors ; the avaricious with wealth ; the
voluptuous with sensual pleasures.

The love of God ought to be active. u If any man
love Me,7' says Our Lord, u he will keep My word." (1)
We always seek to please those we love ; and the way to
please them is to do their will; accomplishing with fidelity
all that they require, and often doing actions which prove
the sincerity of this love. > We ought, therefore, to show
our love by deeds ; for the love of God cannot be idle :
it is an ever-burning fire; and if it ceases to enkindle our
hearts, it is an evidence that it is extinct.

(1) John xiy. 23.OF CHARITY.

247

But He who has said :—66 Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength," immediately adds :—
u And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (1)

Love to our neighbor ought also to be proved by works.
There is nothing which Jesus Christ has so strongly
recommended as this love to our neighbor. -He says:
u A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one
another." (2) Hence, in the beautiful times of newly-
born Christianity, the most tender charity and the closest
union reigned among the faithful. They had but one
heart, and one soul. (3) u See," exclaimed the pagans
themselves, 66 how they love one another !"

All our duty toward our neighbor may be reduced to
charity. And, really, if we truly love our neighbor we
should be very far from doing against him anything that
is forbidden. We should not use injurious language to
him. We should commit no violence against him, or
wrong of any kind, nor deceive him in any way, but
render him all sorts of good offices.

But let us not suppose that by this word neighbor (4)
is meant only those with whom we have some tie of kin
or friendship. "If," says the Saviour, "you love them
that love you, what reward have you ? Do not also
the heathen this ?"(5) By our neighbor we must under-
stand all mankind, because they have all the same Crea-
tor, and the same origin, forming only one family, of

(1) Matt. xxii. 36-40. (2) John xv. 18. (3) Acts ii. 44 et seq,

(4) " NeighborThis old Saxon word means the one next or near-
est to us in location. It is so used by Chaucer and the earlier poets.
The words proximo, prossimo, prochain, all from the same root, are
counterparts.

(5) Matt. v. 46, 47.248

a christian's duty.

which God is the Father; because they have all been
created for the same end, which is, eternal happiness,
and bought at the same price, that is, the blood of Jesus
Christ, who died for all men. This love ought even to
reach our enemies. Christ says : " I say to you, love
your enemies ; do good to them that hate you, and pray
for them that persecute and calumniate you, that you
maybe the children of your Father who is in Heaven, who
maketh His sun to rise upon the good and the bad."(l)
Let us take care not to say that it is enough to wish
no ill to those who hate us, but that to love them, or to
be beforehand in doing them a service, is simply impos-
sible. No, this is not impossible by the aid of grace, and
God bestows this grace upon those who ask it. God
commands it; and He never commands anything that is
impossible. But He would have us do all that in us lies,
by means of the strength which He has given us, and
that we ask for more to accomplish what is beyond us.

We show that we love our neighbor when we exercise
on his behalf the spiritual and corporal works of mer-
cy. These are, to recall to virtue those who have gone
astray ; to teach ignorant ; to give counsel to those
who need it; to comfort* tr?e afflicted ; to forgive ^vrongs ;
to suffer injury^atiently ; to pray for*the living and the
dead; to give food to °th\>se in want; ^to c&tke the
naked; to ransom captives; to visit the sick and pris-
oners ; to lodge strangers; and to bury ifae dead.

The Apostle St. Paul may be cited as an excellent pat-
tern of a perfect love for Jesus Christ, who, having des-

(1) Matt. v. 44, 45.OF CHARITY.

249

tmed him to do a great work, and to suffer much, im-
bued him with a grand soul, a great courage, and charity.
" The charity of Jesus Christ presseth us," (1) he says
in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians. And again :
u Christ died for all, that they also who live, may not live
for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose
again." u I live now, not I., but Christ liveth in me." (2)
u Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or dan-
ger, or the sword ? But in all these things we overcome
because of Him who loveth us. For I am sure that nei-
ther death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow-
ers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord." (3) St. Paulin, though rich, became
poor by relieving the needy that came to him. Having
nothing else to give, he sold himself to restore the son
of a poor widow to freedom, who had not in vain implored
his aid. St. Gregory the Great, who relates this incident
in his Dialogues, says St. Paulin toiled as a slave in a gar-
den, until his master, having found out his merit, gave him
his liberty and sent him away.

Exercises.—What is charity ? What motives have we for loving God ?
Is it possible to be happy without doing so ? How may we sin against
this commandment? How do we prove our love to our neighbor?
What do we understand by '£ our neighbor " ? How do we show that we
love our neighbor? What are the spiritual and corporal works of mer-
cy ?

[The command, 4c Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you,
do ye even so to them," is another form of the precept, "Love thy

(1) II. Cor. v. 14, 15. (2) Gal. ii. 20. (3) Rom. viii. 35, 37-39.250

a christian's duty.

neighbor as thyself." The philosophical Marcus Aurelius had it writ-
ten up in letters of gold. If carried out, it wo aid put an end to the
monstrous selfishness which in a thousand shapes devastates God's
beauteous world. Just in proporuon as it is observed, the individual
and the nation increase m happiness and prosperity, because crime
is decreased. Just in proportion as it is defied, the nation develops
new phases of greed and covetousness, a mad haste to get rich, a reck-
less disregard of the interests of others, even of their lives. The
golden dreams of Sir Thomas More, and Plato (1) would be more than
realized if a community could be found where the divine law of love
was carried out.]

[The definition of 1' our neighbor " given in the text *' all mankind"
marks a distinguishing feature of Christianity. No other religions
system ever contemplated the possibility of meeting the wants of all
mankind. To be acceptable to every race, in every clime, under every
possible variation of circumstances, is the characteristic of Christ's
Gospel alone. It is a clear evidence of its divine origin. Sects have
tried to commend their systems to the heathen, but they are found
unsuited. The Catholic Church alone makes real way, as St. Fran-
cis X'avier, the Japanese Martyrs, and other heroic missioners, have
shown. They carry out this divine precept, "Love thy neighbor as
thyself/' for frequently they love him more, thnn themselves.

"Thy neighbor ? It is he whom thou

Hast power to aid and bless ,

Whose aching heart and burning brow

Thy soothing hand may press.

Where'er thou meet'st a human form

Less favored than thine own,

Bemember 'tis thy neighbor worm,

Thy brother, or thy son."—Procter.

(1) Plato, De RepuUica ; Sir T. More, Utopia.OF ADORATION.

251

CHAPTER IV.

Of Adoration.

" Sing praise to God who reigns above,

' The God of all creation;

The God of power, the God of love,

The God of our salvation ;—

With healing balm my soul He fills,

And every faithless murmur stills:

To God all praise and glory!

"The angel-hosts, O King of Kings,

Thy praise forever telling ;

In earth and sky all living things
Beneath thy shadow dwelling,

Adore the wisdom which could span,

And power which formed creation's plan:

To God all praise and glory !

" What God's Almighty power hath made
His gracious mercy keepeth;

By morning glow, or evening shade,

His watchful eye ne'er sleepeth;

Within the kingdom of His might

Lo ! all is just and all is right:

To God all praise and glory !

"Thus all my toilsome way along
I sing aloud Thy praises;

That men may hear the grateful song
My voice unwearied raises;

Be joyful in the Lord, my heart ;

Both soul and body bear your part :

To God all praise and glory ! "

—From the German of Lessing.

* The First Commandment orders us in set terms to adore
Grod—that is? to render Him the worship and homage
which are His due as the Sovereign Lord of all things.

*There are three kinds of worship—that of latria,
which we owe to God alone ; that of hyperdulia, due252

a chbistian's duty.

to the Blessed Virgin ; and that of dulia, wh?ch we pay
to the saints.

The adoration due to God alone is a profound humilia-
tion of the soul before the supreme majesty of Him who
hath created Heaven and earth ; who with a glance makes
the nations melt as wax, and before whose footsteps the
hills bend in awe ; before that God who sendeth forth the
lightning and tempest, as ministers of His wrath, and
fetters them when He is pleased to exercise His mercy.
At sight of the grandeur of God, the adoring soul hum-
bles itself, abases and annihilates itself in His presence ;
it humbly confesses its dependence and servitude • it
praises and glorifies His thrice holy Name ; it returns
thanks for the mercies received at His hand, and humbly
asks all that it wants, expecting the same solely from
His goodness. It presents itself, and consecrates itself
to Him unreservedly, to fulfil in everything His holy
will.

«» These interior sentiments show themselves externally
by corresponding actions, such as genuflexions, prayers,
the offering up of our actions, and especially the Sacrifice
of the Mass, which is, of all acts of adoration, the most
excellent and the most august.

*We ought daily to render to God the tribute of praise
and adoration which He exacts from us ; especially night
and morning. We ought to begin and end the day with
this exercise of religion. Let us never fail to fulfil so im-
portant and essential a duty. Let our first thought, the
first movement of our heart, be lifted up to Him who has
created us, and preserved us, who daily loads us with
benefits. * Let our first act be to prostrate ourselves at
the feet of the Sovereign Majesty, to adore and thankOF ADORATION.

253

Him for His mercy, to consecrate ourselves to Him and
His service, and to solicit the graces which we need. Be-
fore and after each meal, let us adore this tender Father,
who opens His beneficent hands, and fills all His children
with benedictions.

• At the close of day, we ought to renew the homage which
we rendered to God in the morning. Let us then humble
ourselves in His presence for the faults which we have
committed. Let us ask His pardon, and thank Him for
the graces He has granted us. But let us bear in mind
that forms of prayer, and other devout practices, are only
the hody of Religion. " It is the inward feeling of ado-
ration which is its soul. "Without this disposition of heart,
all our outward words and actions cannot please Go3. They
will onl/'Hraw down upon us that reproach which He
made of old to the Jews : ^ This people honoreth Me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me."

^Adoration belongs only to God. /We certainly honor
the saints : we revere them, bat we do not adore them. *We
never pay them that supreme worship which is due to God
alone, v We simply honor them as His friends and servants.
It is good and advantageous to invoke them, to obtain
from God by their intercession the graces which we need.
But it is of God only that we ask them, in the name of
Jesus Christ, their Saviour and ours, who alone has merited
them for us through His sufferings and death. rWe also
honor their relics, because^they are the precious remnants
of a body which was the temple of the Holy Ghost, and
which shall be raised again in glory. In this we only
follow the usage of all ages. (1)

(1) From the first century, the Holy Sacrifice was offered upon the
relics of martyrs—a custom still retained by inserting relics in the centre
of the altar-stone. See Dr. Northcote, Roma Sotterranea, passim.254

a christian's duty.

yWe also honor their images, but this honor refers to
the person they represent. vWe recognize no sort of vir-
tue in them but that of recalling to our remembrance
the recollection of those whom they resemble. Thus/on
kneeling down before an image of Jesus Christ, or the
Holy Virgin, or any saint, it is not the image, but Jesus
Christ whom we adore. It is not the image which we
honor, but he or she whose memory and virtues it re-
calls.

The use of images is most advantageous. They recall
the examples of the saints, their conflicts, their victories,
and the glory which they enjoy in Heaven.

-We sin against the adoration due to God by idolatry,
superstition, or irreverence. * We sin by idolatry in giving
to creatures the worship belonging to God alone, as the
pagans did. They paid divine honors to men, to statues,
to animals, to the stars, to the vegetables out of their gar-
dens, and even to their very vices. If this gross idolatry
does not exist to-day, it has been replaced by irreligion
and impiety. There are insensate persons who say,
u There is no God," and cease to adore Him. Or rather,
as the Apostle says, they make gods of their pride, their
love of riches and of pleasures, impurity and gluttony.
There is another kind of idolatry hateful to God. Jt con-
sists in lavishing a sacrilegious incense upon idols of flesh,
which hold the place of God in the depraved heart.

•We sin by superstition, in using, in divine worship, cer-
tain practices unauthorized by the Church ; or by plac-
ing our confidence in words or actions which she disap-
proves, and by which we pretend to obtain special results,
such as the knowledge of the future, the place where ob-
jects are concealed, etc. All these things only serve toOF ADORATION.

255

draw down the malediction of God upon those who em-
ploy them. AWe sin by irreverence in profaning churches,
the relics of saints, their images, holy water, and other
sacred things, and still more by the sacrilege we commit
in receiving the Blessed Sacrament without the necessary
dispositions. * It is also sacrilegious to steal anything
sacred from a church, or to strike a person consecrated to
God.

Constantine Chlorus, a wise and humane prince, es-
teemed and protected the Christian religion. For some
time, however, he dissimulated, and publicly declared
that all the Christians in his palace would have to offer
sacrifices to Jupiter and the other divinities of paganism,
if they wished to preserve their appointments and secure
his good graces. Some were found who, preferring their
fortunes to their eternal interests, hastened to obey this
command, which had only been given to test them. The
only reward which they obtained for their obedience was
the contempt of the prince, who, indignant at their cow-
ardice, banished them forever from his person. One of
his counsellors, „ much astonished at his conduct, asked
him what ilf||he had. Constantine gave him this
wise reply : ^fhe man that sacrifices his religion to
his interests, is capable of failing in every duty, and I
cannot expect that those whose disgrace surprises you
should be more loyal to me than they are to their God.??
Not content with merely punishing and humbling apos-
tates, the prince felt that he ought strikingly to reward
those Christians who, rising above all temporal aims, had256

a christian's duty.

persevered in the open profession of Christianity. And,
to convince his courtiers that he only reckoned upon the
fidelity of those who were faithful to their religion, he
confided to these generous and incorruptible Christians
the guardianship of his person and of his empire.

The emperor Constantine Copronymus raised a violent
persecution against the faithful on account of their de-
votion to the sacred images. He summoned a holy
recluse named Stephen, and ironically inquired if he
persisted in his idolatry (for it was thus that he called
the honor which Catholics paid to images). The saint
replied, u Where is the man so little instructed as to wor-
ship stones, gold, or silver, because they represent Jesus
Christ or the saints 1 Our worship is paid to Him whom
these things represent." Then taking from his pocket
a coin upon which was stamped the effigy of the Empe-
ror, he asked of those present if he would be punished,
did he throw it on the ground and trample on it. They
replied in the affirmative. u Oh, blinded men/7 rejoined
Stephen, " you punish with death those who trample
under foot the images of an earthly king, and yet you
dare to trample upon that of Jesus Christ, the King of
kings !"—Ecclesiastical History.

Exekcises.—What is the adoration due to God, and why ought we
to pay it? How do we show our worship? Explain the difference
between the honors which we pay to sacred images and relics, and
idolatry. What is superstition?RESPECT FOR THE CHURCH.

257

CHAPTER V.

Res-pectfor the Church.

"Speak low ! the place is holy to the breath
Of awful harmonies, of whispered prayer ;

Tread lightly !—for the sanctity of death
Broods with a voiceless influence on the air:

Stern yet serene ! a reconciling spell,

Each troubled billow of the soul to quell.

"Not for rich music, though in triumph pealing,
Mighty as forest sounds when winds are high ;

Nor yet for torch, and cross, and stole, revealing
Though incense mists their sainted pageantry:

Though o'er the spirit each hath charm and power,
Yet not for these I ask one lingering hour.

" But by strong sympathies, whose silver cord
Links me to mortal weal, my soul is bound ;

Thoughts of the human hearts that here have poured
Their anguish forth, are with me and around ;—

I look back on the pangs, the burning tears,

Known to these altars of a thousand years.

" Send up a murmur from the dust, Bemorse,

That here hast bowed with ashes on thy head ;

And thou, still battling with the tempest's force,

Thou whose bright spirit through all time has bled—

Speak, wounded Love ! if penance here or prayer
Hath laid one haunting shadow of despair.

"No voice, no breath ! of conflicts past no trace :

Doth not this hush give answer to my quest ?

Surely the dread religion of the place
By every grief hath made its might confest:

Oh ! that within my heart I could but keep
Holy to Heaven a spot so pure and still and deep !"

— Mrs Hermans.

The Church is the house of God. He fills it with His
presence and glory. It is the place where He resides in258

a christian's duty.

an especial manner, and which is specially dedicated, to
His worship. It is there that the faithful assemble to
pray, to sing His praises, and to celebrate the holy mys-
teries. There Jesus Christ corporeally dwells and offers
Himself to the Father on our behalf.

Do we need anything more to inspire us with the
profoundest respect and the most religious attention ?
Ought we not, as we enter this place, to be seized with
awe, and exclaim with the ancient Patriarch : u How ter-
rible is this place ! This is none other than the house
of God and the gate of Heavenv ? Yes, temples of
God are a new Heaven wherein He dwells with men. Is
not He who abides in the august Tabernacle the same
God whom the blessed adore in Heaven? We ought,
therefore, like them, to be as it were annihilated in heart
and mind before the Divine Majesty. I admit that He is
veiled in our temples; but is He the less deserving of our
profound adoration ? How, then, can we presume to en-
ter a church without respect ¥—or, being there, conduct
ourselves without recollectedness and modesty, yea, even
at times with the most scandalous levity ?

Everything in this holy place is eloquent ot God's ben-
efits to us—the sacred font, where with the life of grace
we have received the inestimable claim to the heavenly
inheritance; the tribunal of reconciliation, where we
have been so often purified from our sins, and healed of
our wounds ; the Cross, where Jesus Christ our Saviour
died for us; the altar, where day by day He immolates
Himself to apply to us the fruits of His sufferings. It is
there also that we have received the unction of the Holy
Spirit in Confirmation, and participated in the Table of
the Lord.RESPECT FOR THE CHURCH.

259

Ought not such touching objects to fill our minds with
holy thoughts, and our hearts with pious sentiments, and
make this sacred place an attractive abode ? How, then,
does it happen that we repair thither with repugnance,
and remain with distaste, and are occupied with vain,
not to say guilty thoughts ? Do so many monuments of
the bounty of our God say nothing to our hearts ? What
an outrage to respond to so much love by so much in-
difference !

The Turks have so much reverence for their mosques,
that they never pass one without showing some outward to-
ken of respect. A horseman who would not dismount when
passing a mosque, would be severely punished. They
enter them with bare feet, the hands joined together in
profound collectedness: they are so attentive and mod-
est, that they seem more like monks than infidels. They
frequently place their foreheads to the ground, to humble
themselves in the presence of God. All the time that
they are praying you will not see them turn their heads.
It is considered a crime to speak in a mosque, and dur-
ing prayer it is an unheard-of thing to see the Turks
speaking to one another. Whatever you may say to a Turk
while praying, he never replies. If you were to mal-
treat him he would not even look at the person who did
it. Ah ! how these infidels will one day fill with con-
fusion those Christians who pray with so little attentive-
ness, and so much indecorousness ! What a lesson to
Christians well versed in their religion !—Des Voyages.260

a christian's duty.

Exekcises.—Why is a church specially sacred ? What motives have
we to reverence it ?

[ It is remarkable what pains the Church has taken to fix all our at-
tention upon the central dogma of her creed, Christ's Presence in the
Blessed Sacrament. If you enter one of the glorious cathedrals of
Europe, you mark that all the exquisite architectural lines converge
to one point,—the altar. It is this which alone makes the temple ; and,
be it earth's grandest or lowliest, it is made equal to Heaven if Christ's
Most Precious Body be there. Compare the sand-pits in Ireland, where
the hunted Catholics heard Mass long ago; the altar a rough stone,
with two holes cut in it, often two potatoes scooped out, to hold the
lights ; scouts all about to give warning of the enemy's approach. Com-
pare this with Cologne, or Amiens, or St. Peter's at Bome. They are
the opposite extrem es, yet both are temples. This is clear, if we consider
what makes home. It is not the abode, or its plenishing: it is the dis-
position of its inhabitants. For home is where the heart is, "be it ever
so lowly." The Court is where the King abides. So, wherever the red
lamp tells us of the presence of the King of Kings, that is a temple,
whether of marble or of brick and mortar. Hencc it is quite impossible
for the Church to acknowledge any other place as a temple. The as-
sembly-places of non-Catholics, however splendid, cannot claim rev-
erence, because they lack the one thing that would entitle them to it.]SECOND COMMANDMENT.

261

SECTION III.

The Second Commandment.

" Words are lighter than the cloud-foam

Of the restless ocean spray ;

Vainer than the trembling shadow

That the next hour steals away.

By the fall of summer raindrops

Is the air as deeply stirred;

And the rose-leaf that we tread on
Will outlive a word.

"Yet, on the dull silence breaking
With a lightning flash, a word,

Bearing endless desolation

On its blighting wings, I heard :

Earth can forge no keener weapon,

Dealing surer death and pain,

And the cruel echo answered

Through long years again.

f;

" Words are mighty, *#ords are living :

Serpents with their venomous stings,

Or bright angels crowding round us,

With Heaven's light upon their wings.

Every word has its own spirit,

True or false, that never dies ;

Every word man's lips have uttered
Echoes in God's skies."—Procter.

The Second Commandment forbids all oaths or swear-
ing injurious to Grod and the saints.

It is as if the Lord said to us : " Reverence My Holy
Name. I forbid you to profane it by employing it to
sanction lying, injustice, and even the truth without suf-
ficient cause." To swear, is to take God or His saints to
witness to that which we say or promise.262	a christian's duty.

Swearing or taking an oath is either a religious act or
a sin, according to the dispositions which accompany it.
To be a religious act, the swearing must be done with
truth, justice and judgment. Wanting truth, the oath
is false, that is, perjury. Wanting justice, it is unjust;
lacking judgment, that is, wheh done with levity, or
without sufficient reason, it is a rash oath.

A rash oath, although taken to certify something just
and true, is a sin. It may even become a considerable sin,
according to circumstances, and the scandal it may oc-
casion. An oath ought not to be taken without grave
cause, and never in a passion. Unjust oaths, false and
perjured oaths, are sins more or less great according to
the malice of the swearer, and the scandal of which they
are the cause.

There is an oath called promissory. It is used to make
a thing promised still more certain. He who promises
something with an oath, without having any intention to
do what he promises, sirip%rievously and commits per-
jury.

As to the fulfilment of that which we have promised,
there are three circumstances in which an oath is not ob-
ligatory.

1. When the thing is bad in itself and forbidden, for
God cannot exact the fulfilment of that which is a sin. 2.
When the thing sworn to has, since the taking of the oath,
become impossible, through unforeseen circumstances.
3. In short, when the promise was exacted violently, and
was not freely made.

But, in this latter case, it is well to recur to the eccle-
siastical authority, for fear of mistake, and making our-
selves judges of our own cause.SECOND COMMANDMENT.

263

An oath, except in case of necessity, is very frequently
criminal, always needless, and even dangerous. 'We ex-
pose ourselves to the formation of a habit, and subsequent-
ly to become perjurers. vThere are three kinds of speech
which relate to swearing : blasphemy, imprecations, and
disguised oaths. Blasphemy is a word or speech injuri-
ous to God, His saints, and to religion. ^ It is blasphemy
against God to attribute to Him defects, or anything un-
becoming His Nature, as those do who tax Him with
partiality, injustice, etc. vAlso, to deny His attributes, as
those do who pretend that He takes no care of His crea-
tures, nor concerns Himself with this world's events ; or
to speak contemptuously of His divine attributes and
perfections; or to utter against Him coarse and injuri-
ous phrases, even though this be the result of bad habit,
more especially if accompanied by anger or contempt.
It is also blasphemy to join God's Holy Name to terms
which dishonor Him. These phrases, in the mouths of
those addicted to them, make the pious man shudder.

It is blasphemy against the saints to mock them, at-
tributing defects to them, arid censuring the devotion
which the Church renders to them, etc. * It is blasphemy
against religion to turn it into ridicule j - to blame its prac-
tices, to speak ill of the Holy Scriptures, etc. ^There are
also blasphemies of the mind and heart. «/They consist of
thoughts and, desires contrary to the divine perfections,
and things concerning religion. Such is the blasphemy
of the wicked, who has said in his heart, " There is
no God"—a horrible and execrable sin deserving the
most terrible punishments. * Blasphemers are no longer
stoned, or have their tongues bored through, as of yore.
But let them not triumph : the time of punishment will264

a christian's ditty.

soon arrive, and then these foolhardy ones will receive
the penalty due to their crimes.

*	Imprecations are words by which we wish ill to others,
or to one's self, such as death, damnation, etc., whether it
be in promising, or denying, or assuring them of anything.
Disguised oaths are of two kinds. ^The first are simply
oaths with some slight alteration in the phraseology.

* The second consist of words which cannot precisely be
called an oath, and yet recall it in some circumlocutory
way ; such as u Upon my conscience, and before God," etc.

Christians ought not to express themselves thus, much
less allow themselves to use such words habitually. By
swearing, we affirm or promise something through the in-
terposition of the Name of God. But it happens that
sometimes we promise to God something "which is pleas-
ing to Him. This is a vow.

*	A vow is a promise to do some greater good, made
willingly to God, with the intention of doing Him honor.
It is more than a simple resolution. By it we bring our-
selves toward God, to do the thing promised under pain
of sin. The obligation to perform that which we have
promised to God, extends to all the circumstances prom-
ised, the time, place, etc.

The Church alone can release from this obligation to
God, because she represents Him and speaks in His
Name, but she only does so for legitimate reasons.

A child who had been carefully brought up by virtuous
tutors, a few years since, gave a very touching evi-
dence of his faith. He came in from school somewhatTHE SECOND COMMANDMENT.

265

late, and his father angrily upbraided him, swearing
by the Holy Name of God. The lad, quite disconcerted
at having caused these blasphemies; fell on his knees,
exclaiming with tears, u Father, beat me, but do not
swear ! " The father, confused, and seeing the horror
manifested by his interesting child for this abominable
proceeding, profited by the lesson, and never dared to
swear again. Oh! how many faults Christian children
might save their parents from if they chose !—Essai sur le
Blaspheme.

St. Ignatius Loyola used to say that if he were to be cast
into hell, his greatest torment would be to hear God
blasphemed.

Exercises.—What does the Second Commandment forbid ? What is
an oath ? What is blasphemy against God ? What are imprecations
and disguised oaths ? What is a vow ?266

a chbistian's duty.

SECTION IV.

The Third Commandment.

" 0 day of rest and gladness,

O day of joy and light,

O balm of care and sadness,

Most beautiful, most bright!

On thee the high and lowly,

Before the eternal Throne,

Sing Holy ! Holy ! Holy!

To the great Three in One.

u Thou art a cooling fountain
In life's dry, dreary sand ;

From thee, like Pisgah's mountain,

We view our promised land.

A day of sweet reflection,

A day of holy love,

A day of resurrection
From earth to things above.

"To-day on weary nations
The heavenly manna falls,

To holy congregations

The silver trumpet calls ;

Where Gospel light is glowing

With pure and radiant beams,

And living waters flowing

With soul-refreshing streams.''—Wordsworth,

Every day belongs to the Lord. There is not one
which we ought not to devote to His glory. But, as the
necessities of life hinder us from continuous religious ex-
ercises, God has specially reserved one day in each week
upon which He commands us to worship and to serve
Him. This precept is as ancient as the world. Imme-
diately after He had created the universe, God consecrated
this day, to the end that man might celebrate the memo-THIRD COMMANDMENT.

267

ry of the Creation, and of the mysterious rest upon which
He entered after the consummation of this great work.
The day whereon God rested was, under the ancient
Law, the seventh day, and was called the Sabbath, which
signifies rest. But, under the New Law, it is the first
day of the week which we call Sunday, or the Lord's
day.

Sunday, was substituted for Saturday in the time of
the Apostles, by divine inspiration, in memory of the res-
urrection of Jesus Christ, because it was the day upon
which Our Lord, after the labors of His mortal life, en-
tered upon His eternal rest.

This day is devoted to the honor of God, the conqueror
of death, by whom we h^ve been redeemed. " Six days
shalt thou labor, and shalt do all thy works ; but on the
seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, Thou
shalt do no work on it, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daugh-
ter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy
beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates." The
Jews observed the Sabbath so rigorously, that they pre-
pared the food required for the day upon the evening
before. The law of the Gospel is less rigid.

It permits labor required by necessity or charity, as
well as the works called liberal, such as reading, writing,
drawing, etc. But it is not allowable to engage in servile
work, that is, any toil by which we commonly gain our
livelihood, or in anything that may hinder us from the ser-.
vice of God.

It is, therefore, a great wrong to engage during this day
in mercenary labor without some urgent necessity im-
posed by divine service, public need, or the indispensable
requirements of life. Workmen who work on this day268

a christian's duty.

under the pretext of finishing a job, or from fear of losing
a customer, are not thereby exempt from sin.

The Sunday is profaned by giving ourselves up to profane
dissipation, and by alloiving ourselves criminal amusements,
such as balls and theatres.

These things, at all times forbidden, are specially so on
days consecrated to the Lord. But, of all works, there
are none so contrary to the sanctification of the day as
the works of sin, which make us the slaves of Satan. Sin,
which is always a great evil, even when committed upon
an ordinary day, assumes a fresh degree of enormity when
committed upon Sunday. Such Conduct denotes a great
forgetfulness of God, and a most marked contempt of His
holy LaW.

It is not enough to abstain from servile and criminal
works ; we ought to employ Sunday in the service of God,
by applying ourselves to acts of piety and religion. This
is the essential aim of the precept. If God commands us
to interrupt our ordinary labor, it is that nothing may
turn us aside from applying ourselves to His service. Can
God, then, be honored by an idle and supine inactivity ?
Can we sanctify the day by spending it in gambling, in
feasting, or in paying visits ? Certainly not.

That which really sanctifies the day which the Lord
has reserved to Himself is to assist at the divine office and
at public instructions ; pious reading, and, generally, all
good works whose aim is the worship of God, our sancti-
fication, and the relief of our neighbor.

It is true that God does not forbid us innocent and
moderate recreation. This is quite needful, and we may
enjoy it, but never to the prejudice of piety. Nor should
the time spent in recreation be deducted from that destined
to prayer, the singing of God's praises, and to instruction.THIRD COMMANDMENT.

269

Under the Old Law, profanation of the Sabbath- was
punished with death ; for not only did God command a
man to be stoned who had been found gathering sticks on
the Sabbath, but He also said unto Moses:—

" Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to
them : See that thou keep My Sabbath, because it is a
sign between Me and you in your generations y that ye
may know that I am the Lord who sanctifieth you. Keep
ye My Sabbath, for it is holy unto you5 he that shall
profane it shall be put to death. He that shall do any
work on it, his soul shall perish out of the midst of his
people. Six-days shall ye do work 5 on the seventh day
is the Sabbath, the rest holy unto the Lord. Every one
that shall do any work on this day shall die."
; St. Augustine, speaking of the time preceding his con-
version, says that he^ Was careful to be found at the
church as often as his most oppressive occupations per-
mitted. He went to hear the discourses which St. Ambrose,
Bishop of Milan, delivered every Sunday to the people.
His heart, touched by the eloquence of this holy man,
opened by degrees to the truth. u Thy divine word, 0
My God/7 he exclaims, u is a bread which nourishes and
fattens, an oil which maketh beautiful, and causes us to
have joy painted on the countenance ; a wine which in-
ebriates, in such sort that we taste the pleasures of Heaven,
and detach ourselves from those of earth.'7 Speaking
subsequently of holy reading, he says : u That which
touches me most of all, and that which I love above all
things, is to hear Thy Voice, O my God, in the divine
books of Thy holy Scriptures.

"It is a pleasure to me surpassing all others. The
wicked have displayed to me their vain joys, but I have
found nothing comparable to the sweetness of Thy holy270

A christian's duty.

Law." The sacred offices also afforded him ineffable con-
solations. u How often, 0 my G-od, the singing of the
psalms and hymns which I heard in the church caused
me to shed tears ! And how acutely I felt to hear Thy
praises resound from the lips of Thy chosen ! As those
divine words smote upon my ears, the truths which they ex-
press insinuated themselves into my heart, and the ardent
feelings of piety which they excited caused a great abun-
dance of tears to flow from mine eyes, but delicious tears,
which at that time formed the greatest joy of my life."
— Confessions.

Exeecises.—When was the first day of the week substituted for the
seventh as the Sabbath, and for what reason ? What does the Gospel
allow us to do on that day ? How may it be profaned ? How should
it properly be spent ?

[ The wisdom of the Creator-is most wonderfully displayed in the
institution of a day of rest. All sorts of efforts have been made to
prove it unnecessary. Horses have been worked without any pe-
riodical rest, and have suddenly dropped dead. The eminent phy-
siologist Dr. Taylor has shown that a man who never rests on Sunday
is in imminent danger of insanity, and positively shortens his life
considerably. The suicide of two eminent Judges in England some
years ago was proved to have been caused by insanity produced by
overwork. They were accustomed to write up their notes on Sunday.
Moreover, but for the instruction which is imparted to the people
on Sunday, the knowledge of God would die out of the land. It is
only by constant repetition that it is kept alive at all. When the
French Directory tried to abolish the Sunday, and instituted the
Decade, or Tenth Day, they were compelled to acknowledge the
imperative necessity of some day of rest. But experience shows
that our muscular and nervous system cannot hold out ten days
nearly so well as six. So, in France, even during the Terror,
men relapsed into the old usage. The observance of Sunday as
ordained by the Catholic Church, is a judicious mean between
the over-strictness of some and the over-laxity of others. She
recognizes that it is the Lord's day, and therefore makes His house
attractive with " the beauty of holiness." Puritanism made it hateful,
because it made it unnatural; and, to the young especially, the meet-
ing-house was a dreaded ordeal. But the Church recognizes that a
man does not suddenly metamorphose himself between the hours
of Saturday and Sunday. She ministers to him a$ a weary, toiling,
hopeful, yet too frequently sinful, creature, ^s one climbing a
steep mountain height will hold out his staff to assist one inexpert
in mountaineering, so does the Church hold out to us Sunday as a
help by the way—a help which, judiciously used, lands the devout
soul every week so much nearer home. ]" NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE BE DONE."FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

271

SECTION V.

The Fourth Commandment.

" Sweet is the image of the brooding dove :

Holy as Heaven a mother's tender love !

The love of many prayers and many tears,

Which changes not with dim, declining years;

The only love which on this teeming earth
Asks no return for passion's wayward birth.

"Ah ! bless'd are they for whom, 'mid all their pains,

That faithful and unalter'd love remains;

Who,—life wreck'd round them,—hunted from their rest,—
And by all else forsaken or distress'd,

Claim in one heart their sanctuary and shrink,
'	As I, my mother, claim my place in thine."

—Hon. Mrs. Norton.

God, by His Fourth Commandment, prescribes the duties
of inferiors toward their superiors, and of superiors to-
ward their inferiors ; for that which applies to father
and mother, applies in a certain degree to all those who
have any right or authority to command.

Children have four principal duties • to discharge to-
ward their parents. They must respect them, love
them, obey them, and succor them in need.

The first duty of children toward their parents is re-
sped. This consists in receiving with docility their
counsel and correction, to speak to them always sub-
missively, fearing to displease them, and hiding and
excusing their defects. A father and mother are the
image of Grod in respect of their children. They are in
His stead, and the depositories of His authority. To fail
in respect to them, is to fail in respect to God Himself.272

A CHBISTIAN S DUTY.

The wrong done to them falls upon Him whom they
represent. Hence, under the Old Law, God commanded
that such should be put to death. 66 He that curseth
father or mother, dying let him die."

The second duty of children is to love their parents.
Is it necessary to prove this obligation ? Is it not suffi-
cient to recall to a child all that his parents have done and
are still doing for him ? They gave him life, and as soon
as he came into the world they took care of him. In
early infancy, which demands continuous attention, he was,
so to speak, their sole solicitude. They watched over his
childhood, and, however irksome were the attentions he
needed, they devoted themselves to him joyfully. What
trouble do a father and mother give themselves ! What
hard work do they undertake to secure to their child a
happy destiny ! A child who loves not his parents can-
not be a Christian, nor even a man,—he is a monster.

The third duty that children owe to their parents is
obedience. u Children,says St. Paul, u obey your par-
ents in the Lord, for this is just." It is by this token
that you show whether you sincerely love and respect
them. A child that disobeys his parents, or only obeys
them reluctantly, has neither the respect nor love for them
which he ought to have.

In short, the fourth duty of children to their parents is
to help them in time of need ; for example, in time of sick-
ness, old age, and poverty. Under all these circumstances,
a child is bound to help them as far as he is able. One
only requires to have a heart to feel this obligation. We
ought to feel happy to repay to our parents a portion of that
which we have received from them. To be wanting in
this duty would be a monstrous ingratitude. We mustFOUBTH COMMANDMENT.

273

have stifled all natural feeling. Hence the Scriptures ex-
press themselves very strongly respecting such as are
guilty of this sin. u Of what an evil fame is he that for-
saketh his father! and he is cursed of Grod that angereth
his mother/7 by refusing to take care of her.

But if a child ought to help his parents in their tem-
poral need, much more ought he to procure them spirit-
ual help in their need, especially in old age, and in their
last illness. Many parents will owe* their eternal happi-
ness to the care of their children in procuring for them
the sacraments before death.

Children ought also faithfully to execute the last will of
their parents, and to pray and cause prayers to be said
for them.

Parents owe four things to their children : food, instruc-
tion, correction, and good example. They should be fed,
clothed, and brought up according to their condition in life.
Parents are also bound to teach them, or cause them to be
taught, the principal mysteries of the Faith, the command-
ments of God and the Church, and the prayers which they
ought to repeat every day. In what concerns their choice
of a state of life, they ought to help them with their advice,
without constraining them, and leave them at full liberty to^
follow their vocation. They are bound to watch con-
stantly over their conduct, and, if need be, to correct
them—that is, to rebuke them when they commit a fault;
but it ought to be done with mildness and cfiarity, and
not in wrath and passion.

Fathers and mothers ought to watch greatly over them-
selves, to give always a good ex;ample to their children j
never to do a wrong act in their presence ; being well as-
sured that many will be lost through having been the2t4

a christian's duty.

cause of sin in their children by setting them an evil ex-
am ple? and neglecting to bring them up in a Christian
manner.

This same commandment also enjoins upon all the
faithful submission to ecclesiastical superiors. The Pope is
the Vicar of Jesus Christ. The bishop of the diocese is
the successor of the Apostles. A parish priest is the
spiritual father of his parish j a confessor is the visible
angel who conducts to Heaven those who give him their
confidence ; every Catholic priest is the minister of Jesus
Christ for the administration of the sacraments and the
forgiveness of sins. We ought, therefore, to show them
upon all occasions the respect and obedience which are
claimed by the character with which they are invested, and
the functions which they are commissioned on the part of
God to perform. It was to all the ministers of His Church
that Christ said : " He that heareth you, heareth Me, and
he that desplseth you, despiseth Me.';

That which St. Paul wrote to the Romans relates also
to this commandment: 66 Let every soul be subject to the
higher powers, for there is no power but from God,
and those that be, are ordained of God. For he (the
Prince) is the minister of God to thee for good. Where-
fore, be subject of necessity, not only for wrath, bat also
for conscience' sake. Render therefore to all men their
dues : honor to whom honor."

There is a strict obligation to obey the laws of those
who are in power, in everything which is not contrary
to the divine precepts. Such, was the teaching of the
Apostles and the conduct of the early Christians, although
they lived under idolatrous and cruel princes who inhu-
manly caused a multitude of martyrs to die. SovereignsFOURTH COMMANDMENT.

are but men, and may have their faults. We must excuse
them, and practise the Gospel law of charity more toward
them than toward the generality of men. To wish to
gauge all their intentions is a usurpation of the rights of
God, whose representatives they are.

The Prince of the Apostles ordains the faithful not only
to submit to sovereigns, but also to those who bear their
authority, to magistrates, who are their representatives.

Masters who are entrusted with the education of chil-
dren hold the first rank after parents. Their office is to
teach religion and human science, to watch over the
conduct of their pupils, to mould their hearts and senti-
ments. They are bound to have a father's heart for
their pupils, and to discharge toward them a father's duty.

On their part, the pupils owe to their masters respect,
docility, gratitude, and love.

A master consecrates his time, his vigils, his health, to
train his pupils in science, art, and virtue,, He sacrifices
his liberty to them, and reduces himself to a kind of ser-
vitude. He supports with patience the distaste and en-
nui of repeating incessantly the same things. What a
claim, then, has he upon the hearts of those for whose wel-
fare he makes so many sacrifices, and procures such ines-
timable advantages ! The advice he gives them is neces-
sary. to avoid the dangers to which passion exposes them.

It is a salutary curb which stops them and hinders
them from plunging into the precipices wrhich yawn on
all sides beneath their feet. If they are reasonable, the
reprimands he sometimes gives them ought not to weaken
their love. He reproves them, but it is from zeal for
their education. He employs severity regretfully, and
his tenderness is always hurt by the rebukes he is com-
pelled to administer.276

a christian's duty.

We sometimes see in the world men who have been
gratified with all the opportunities of a good education,
from which they have derived scarcely any profit. They
are unfit to discharge the duties with which they are en-
trusted, and commit through ignorance an infinity of er-
rors. If you wish to discover whence comes this disorder,
ask those who knew them in their youth. They will an-
swer : u These were undisciplined spirits, full of self-im-
portance, and resolute never to yield to authority. They
never listened to anybody's advice, nor suffered the least
reproof. They considered that everything was allowable
in regard to their masters, exposing their least fault, for-
giving nothing, finding a malicious pleasure in speaking
evil of them, and making others ill-disposed toward them.
What has been the result ? They have remained ignor-
ant and full of faults, and have become useless and de-
spised men. In a word, they are bad citizens because in
their youth they were intractable disciples." Young men,
you probably do not at present feel all the obligations you
are under to those who teach you, nor the importance of
the service which they are rendering you. But one day
you-will know the value of a good education, and how
much you are indebted to them. The benefit of a good
education cannot be sufficiently appreciated. We are
not quits with those from whom we receive it by paying
them a modest stipend. The advantages we have de-
rived from them will last as long as our lives, and the
pupil's gratitude ought to have no other limit.

M. Delleglaie was transferred from a dungeon at Lyons
to Paris. It was during the Reign of Terror. His daugh-
ter would not leave him. She asked leave to be admittedFOURTH COMMANDMENT.

277

into the same conveyance, but was refused. But filial
love knows no impediment. Although of a very delicate
constitution, she made the journey on foot, and follow-
ed for more than a hundred leagues the cart in which her
father was transported. She never lost sight of it, ex-
cept to go into each town they passed to prepare food for
him, and beg at night for a coverlet, to enable him to
procure some little sleep in the different dungeons to
which he was consigned.

She watched over all his needs until they arrived at
Paris, and the devoted girl was forbidden any longer
to minister to him. Accustomed to soften the gaolers, she
determined to try to disarm her father's persecutors.
After three months of solicitations and prayers, she obtain-
ed liberty for the author of her being.—Abbe Garron, uDo
V Education"

A certain father had an unhappy son who frequently
insulted and outraged him. This father had himself been
wanting in the respect which he owed to his father, but
he sighed every day over this sin ; and each time that his
son dealt him some fresh outrage, he offered to God the
pain which he felt, imploring Him to forgive the wrong
which he had done to his father. One day that his unwor-
thy son had gone so far as to knock him down and kick
him, he exclaimed,—u You are avenging my father. I
well deserve it. Lord have mercy upon me ! "—Lasausse.

A little fellow of eleven, the eldest of a poor family con-
sisting of father, mother, and three other smaller children,
had, a few months previously, been apprenticed to a jew-
eller. He was not paid, as we may well suppose, but
dined and supped at his master's. In the morning he278

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTt.

was accustomed to receive two pence (four cents) for his
breakfast. One evening he returned home joyous, and
to his mother's great surprise exclaimed,—u Mother, here
are five shillings (a dollar) ; buy some sugar for my sister
who is sick, and a blouse for my little brother " u Where
did you get this money V she inquired. u Oh, it is mine/'
he replied ; "the pence I have had for breakfast since I
went to work have mounted up to this." The noble child
had the courage to eat only dry bread for breakfast dur-
ing thirty days, to procure the joy of bringing some little
help to his parents.

Exercises.—What are we taught by the Fourth Commandment?
What duties do children owe to their parents ? What do parents owe
to their children? Does this command teach anything respecting
the Church? Does this apply to teachers and their pupils,—and
m what way ?

[It is well to consider the nature of the reward promised to the ob-
servance of this commandment, and its accordance with the duty of
filial piety. It consists principally in length of days: they who always
preserve the grateful recollection of a benefit, deserve to be blessed
with its lengthened enjoyment: and this children do, who honortheir
parents. To those from whom they received existence they gratefully
acknowledge the obligation, and are, therefore, deservedly rewarded
with the protracted enjoyment of that existence to an advanced age.
The nature of the'divine promise also demands explanation: it in-
cludes not only the eternal life of the blessed, but also the term of
our mortal existence. Many very holy men, it is true—Job, David,
Paul—desired to die, and a long life is burdensome to the wretched ;
but the reward here promised is, notwithstanding, neither inconsider-
able nor to be despised. The additional words, " which the Lord thy
God will give thee," promise not only length of days, but also repose,
tranquillity, security, which render life happy ; for in Deuteronomy it
is not only said, " that thou mayest live a long time; " but it is also
added, ''and that it may bo well with thee;" words which the
Apostle repeats in his Epistle to the Ephesians.

These blessings, we say, are conferred on those only on whose piety
God really deems it a reward to bestow them ; otherwise the divine
promises would not be fulfilled. The more dutiful child is some-
times the more short-lived; either because his interests are best consult-
ed by summoning him from this world before he has strayed from the
path of virtue and of duty, orSbecause, when the gathering storm threat-
ens to burst upon society, carrying anarchy and ruin in its desolating
career, he is called from the troubled scene, in order to escape the uni-
versal calamity.— Catechism of the Council of 1 rent.}fifth Commandment.

279

SECTION YI.

The Fifth Commandment.

"It chanced that one in kindred near allied

Was slain by his hereditary foe.

Much by his sorrow mov'd, and more by pride,

The father vow'd that blood for blood should flow ;

And from his youth Gualberto had been taught
That with unceasing hate should just revenge be sought.

''Long did they wait ; at length the tidings came

That through a lone and unfrequented way,

Soon would Anselmo (such the murderer's name)

Pass on his journey home, an easy prey.

' Go, ' cried the father, i meet him in the wood !'

And young Gualberto went, and lay in wait for blood.

" So, as he mus'd, adown the neighb'ring slope

He saw a lonely traveller on his way ;

And, now he knows the man so much abhorred,

His holier thoughts are gone, he bares the murderous sword.

Despair and terror seized the unarm'd foe,

And prostrate at the young man's knees he fell, '

And stopp'd his hand and cried, 4 0 do not take
A wretched sinner's life ! Mercy for Jesus' sake !

u At that Most Blessed Name, as at a spell,

Conscience, the God within him, smote his heart:

His hand, for murder rais'd, unharming fell;

He felt cold sweat-drops on his forehead start;

A moment mute in holy horror stood,

Than cried, 'Joy, joy, my God ! I have not she I his blood !' "

-Southey.

*'By this commandment God forbids us to take away our
neighbor's life, or our own, upon our own authority. ^This
crime is an outrage upon the sovereign power of God, who280

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTt.

alone is the absolute Master of the life of man. It apper-
tains to Him alone to take it away, as He alone is able to
bestow it. It is the greatest injustice which can be inflict-
ed upon any man, for it takes from him that which is
dearest and most precious in the world. We are guilty
of homicide not only when we do it ourselves, but also
when we take part in it, either by ordering the crime to
be done, or by conniving with and helping him who com-
mits it.

The law of God not only prohibits murder, but anger,
contempt of our neighbor, injury and violence. It is
Jesus Christ Himself who thus expands the precept, de-
sirous that we should stifle in our hearts every emotion of
anger, every yearning for revenge. These are but the seeds
that yield murders, and St. John says : " Whosoever hateth
his brother is a murderer."

What are we to think of those who propose or accept
a duel, if not that they are very guilty before God ?
What madness to imbrue one's hands in a brother's blood
for the slightest insult, for a jest, or a word, and to
sacrifice to a false point of honor our own eternal sal-
vation and that of our neighbor ! The Greeks and Romans,
pagans as they were, never knew this barbarous usage.
They were passionately enamored of glory, but were
content to shed their blood for their country, and to draw
the sword against the enemies of the State, not against
their fellow citizens. . Duelling is therefore a crime as
opposed to humanity as to Christianity, to reason as to
religion.

It is no less a crime to take away one's own life. Life
is a deposit which God has confided to us, and which He
commands us to preserve until such time as He re-de-I'IFTH COMMANDMENT.

281

mands it. To dispose of it without His order, and despite
His prohibition, is to usurp the rights of Him who is the
sole arbiter. This crime is all the more horrible because
it is irremediable, since there is no longer time for pen-
ance, and we plunge ourselves irrevocably into eternal
damnation.

What folly is it to plunge ourselves headforemost into
the frightful torments of hell for all eternity in order to es-
cape a passing trouble !

God is not satisfied with merely forbidding us to take
away the life of the body. He also forbids all that may
injure the soul, especially scandal, (1) which deprives our
neighbor of spiritual life.

Scandal consists in leading others into sin or in turn-
ing them aside from virtue. It is a secondary kind of
murder, which, though it does not strike the senses, is
none the less real to the eyes of faith, or less criminal
before God. Hence Jesus Christ makes the most terrible
threats against those who are a subject of scandal, or an
occasion of stumbling to their brethren : : u Woe to that
man by whom scandal cometh ! He that shall scandal-
ize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were
better for him that a millstone should be hanged about
his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depths of
the sea.;?

(1) " ScandalThis word is sufficiently explained in its Scriptural
and doctrinal sense, but it is currently used in a sense somewhat
different. The Church regards as scandal all evil example ; whether
this arises from neglect of duty, or commission of flagrant sin, it is
still most grievous in its consequences. The generality of men speak
of an act as scandalous only when it is very notorious. Great sins
only have come to be regarded as scandals. The thing is to keep
them secret. Hence many abominable sinners are esteemed respect-
able because their crimes are veiled, and they would indignantly re-
pel the charge of scandal. St. Paul defines it as anything that
puts a stumbling-block in our brother's way. A pebble may be a
stumbling-block as well as a mountain.282

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

We may estimate the enormity of this sin by the horror
with which Jesus Christ would inspire us. If we con-
sider the effects of scandal, we shall admit the justice of
the punishment which Grod has reserved to it. What
does the scandalous sinner ? He opposes himself to Grod?s
design to save mankind. u It is not the will of your Fa-
ther who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should
perish/7 says Jesus. He has adopted them all as His
children j He wishes to save them all. But scandal
opposes itself to this design, because it causes them to
perish whom Grod would make happy- The scandalous
sinner nullifies the Redemption. Jesus Christ came
upon earth to save souls ; He shed His blood to ransom
them. By scandal He is robbed of these souls which cost
Him so dear. It deprives Him of the fruits of His vic-
tory, and renders the shedding of His blood in vain-
It exposes to infinite woe those for whom Jesus Christ
has merited eternal felicity.

A young man possessing virtuous dispositions, obedient
to his parents and tutors, recollected in prayer, devoted to
all his duties, is an object of God's complacency. He
has the misfortune to find himself in company with a
libertine, who glories in having no religion, who brands
virtue with an odious term of ridicule, and mocks those
that possess it. The youth, shaken by his speech, yields
to the fear of derision and censure and blushes at his
virtues. The libertine goes still further. He uses licen-
tious language in his presence, gives him evil counsel,
and supports it by his own example. The young man
learns that of which he was ignorant. He receives bane-
ful impressions, and ends by abandoning himself to the
same irregularities. Behold him, then, the slave of theFIFTH COMMANDMENT.

283

same passions, enthralled by the same vices. God would
have saved that soulJesus Christ died for it, the scan-
dalous sinner 'causes it to perish. This soul ought eternally
to joy in God, and the scandalous sinner drags it to
eternal woe. What punishment ought he not to expect! Js
there a torment too severe for such as he ? Unhappy man !
You would be horrified to imbrue your hands in your broth-
er's blood, and yet the evil you do to him is infinitely more
horrible. You would be acting less cruelly toward him if
you were to plunge a poniard into his bosom and snatch
away his life. ^This soul which you have seduced will ever-
lastingly invoke vengeance upon you. and its cries will be
heard by the Sovereign Judge. Woe, then, to him who
informs youth of evil of which they are ignorant! Woe to
him who seduces innocence by word or example ! Woe
to him who turns others from piety and virtue by insen-
sate ridicule ! Woe to him who introduces pernicious
books, contrary to religion or morals ! In short, woe
unto him who occasions scandal in any sort of way ! He
is guilty of all the sins which he superinduces, and will
be punished for all the evil which, even after his death,
may arise from the scandal which he has voluntarily
given.

Adonibesec having been vanquished by the Israelites,
they cut off his fingers and toes. Then the barbarous
king, recollecting all the cruelties that he had perpetrated,
exclaimed, " Seventy kings whose fingers and toes I
have caused to be cut off, gather up the leavings of the
meat under my table; as I have done, so hath God re-
quited me."

A few years ago, a young man named Gustave, who284

a christian's duty.

had barely reached his sixteenth year, was found dead in
his room. He had suffocated himself. This unhappy
boy was disgusted with the existence which'he had hardly
tried. What had led him to this act of folly and crime ?
Unbelief. At fifteen his father had said, " When my
son grows up I shall leave it to him to choose his God
and his religion." The moment of choice came, and the
lad chose death ! O unhappy son ! O unhappy father!

A certain student, who possessed in a high degree all
the virtues which one would desire to see in a young man,
by a misfortune too common in persons of his age, got into
the company of a villain, who, abandoned to the most
shameless passions, kindled in this young heart the guilty
fire with which his own was devoured. From that time
he became a frightful libertine. His sorrowing friends
yainly conjured him to return to the good path which he
had forsaken. God then spoke in His turn. The unhap-
py youth awoke one night, uttering cries of horror. They
hastened to him and tried to calm him. A priest was
summoned, who exhorted him to return to God. The
dying man gazed at him with wild eyes, and pronounced
in a lamentable voice these doleful words, "Woe to
him who seduced me ! It is vain for me to invoke God's
help ; I see hell opened to receive me! " Then turning
round on his side, he expired in the most agonizing de-
spair ! —Collet, u Ecolier VerteuxP

Exercises,—What is forbidden by this commandment? Why is
suicide not allowable ? What is scandal ?

[The Catholic Church has always vigorously denounced suicide. She
did so in the palmy days of Rome and Greece, when it was considered
a proof of courage to commit self-destriiction. To this day an igno-
minious burial is the just award of society to a Felo-de-se. The old
Roman fallacy that only a brave man can face self-inflicted death,
has been of late much revived in France and Germany, where sui-SIXTH COMMANDMENT.

285

cides have multiplied alarmingly. It is well for the thoughtful Chris-
tian to look at the subject carefully. Supposing

"The Almighty had not fixed His canon
'Gainst self-slaughter,"

it is obviously our duty to battle bravely against the ills of life; for
all considerations show that we should

" Rather bear the ills we have,

Than fly to others that we know not of."

The man who deserts from the army because of the hardships of a
soldier's life, is justly called a coward, and marked out as meriting
the contempt of all his comrades. Hence suicide, which is a base
desertion from the ranks of life, is th.Q worst form of cowardice.]

[But the tendency of the injunctions of Christ our Lord regarding the
observance of this commandment is, that we have peace with all men.
Interpreting the commandment, He says : u If, therefore, thou offer thy
gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath
aught against thee ; leave there thy offering, and go first to be recon-
ciled to thy brother ; and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift," etc.
(Matt. v. 24.) The spirit of this admonition inculcates the duty of
cherishing charitable feelings towards all without exception, evincing,
as they do most effectually, the virtue of fraternal charity. It will
not be doubted that hatred is forbidden by this commandment, for,
" whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." (I. John iii. 15.) From
this principle it follows, as an evident consequence, that this com-
mandment also inculcates charity and love; and, inculcating charity
and love, it must also enjoin all those duties and good offices that
follow in their train. "Charity is patient," says St Paul (I. Cor. xiii. 4) ;
we are therefore commanded patience, in which, as the Redeemer
teaches, "we shall possess our souls." (Luke xxi. 19.) tf Charity
is kind" (I. Cor. xiii. 4); beneficence is, therefore, her companion and
handmaid. The virtue of beneficence is one of very great latitude :
its principal offices are, to relieve the wants of the poor, to feeql the
hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked; and in all
these acts of beneficence we should proportion our liberality to the
wants and necessities of their objects. — Catechism of the Council of Trent.]

SECTION YII.

*	The Sixth Commandment.

" So dear to Heaven is saintly chastity.

That when a soul'is found sincerely so,

A thousand ministering angels lacquey her,

Driving far off all shapes of ill."—Shakespeare.

v By the Sixth Commandment, God forbids everything
that is contrary to purity of body and soul, which the286

a christian's duty.

Scriptures regard as abominable sins. St. Paul likens
those who are guilty of the vice of impurity to idolaters,
and declares that neither the one nor the other shall en-
ter the kingdom of God.

It is therefore forbidden by this commandment to say
or do anything whatever against public decency and pu-
rity. * Thus, it is an abominable sin in God's sight to
speak impure words or sing lascivious songs, or willingly
to listen to them ; to read books, write letters, or give
advice capable of exciting to impurity ;■* to fix one's
glances upon impious pictures or statuary ; to be indis-
creet in our looks or other actions, either in respect to
ourselves or others, in order to indulge undisciplined pro-
pensities.

There is no vice so opposed to the sanctity of God,
and which He punishes so severely as impurity. His
vengeance has more than once burst forth against those
who commit this sin. We find terrible examples in the
Scriptures. This sin will even be punished in the heathen,
who know not God, because it is contrary to the reason
which enlightens them.

In giving way to this vice, man degrades himself,
and, being naturally above the level of the beasts, he
places himself on a par with them, and confounds himself
with them. But in a Christian, one regenerated by Jesi^
Christ, it is still more heinous, because nothing is more
opposed to his vocation. It outrages the Holy Spirit,
whose temple it profanes, and Jesus Christ, whose mem-
bers it defiles.

What a crime thus to profane the Temple of God !
What sacrilege to dishonor the members of Christ ! Such a
thought ought to horrify us ; and the impression will beSIXTH COMMANDMENT.	287

intensified if we consider the disastrous consequences
this sin. 4 It ruins health, saps fortunes, disgraces fami-
lies, and covers with infamy those who are guilty of it.
A profligate, become the shame of his family and the
common talk of a town, will perish miserably in the flow-
er of his age, or drag on a languid existence of ignominy,
pain, and despair.

The consequences of this sin to the soul are even more
disastrous still. It extinguishes the light of the mind,
and renders it incapable of all serious application. A
young man given up to this shameful vice can think of
nothing stable. His passion follows him every where, and
occupies him wholly. Every kind of labor wearies him,
and renders him impatient and restless. The heart is
even more sick than the mind. He has an almost insur-
mountable repugnance for prayer, and all pious exercises.
He has become that animal man of whom St. Paul speaks,
who understands nothing of the things of God. The
very sight of good men causes pain, because their con-
duct is a silent censure upon his disorders, siu For every
one that doeth evil," says Jesus Christ, u hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, for fear that his works
should be reproved." He very speedily falls into hard-
ness of heart.

There is no vice which spreads such thick darkness over
the soul. The dearest interests fail any longer to move ;
the promises and threats of God are equally despised ;
eternal happiness or misery no longer makes any impres-
sion. Everything is sacrificed, and counted as nothing.
All that is due to others, and all that is due to one's self, is
forgotten.

Reason no longer holds the rein, but a blind and im -288

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

petuous propensity that hurries him on, and while he
makes himself a spectacle to the public, alone, he cannot
perceive himself. He goes so far even as to lose the
Faith, for religion cannot ally itself to a dissolute life.
TV stifle the remorse of conscience, and live on quietly
in sin, h^ begins to doubt the most positive truths, and
ends by believing in nothing. Hence, final impenitence.
He dies in his sin, and appears before the tribunal of God,
covered with the crimes with which his entire life was
defiled. According to the saying of Scripture, " His
bones shall be filled with the vices of youth. They shall
sleep with him in the dust of the tomb f' and thence go
with him to hell.

We are not only obliged to avoid this abominable sin,
but also the proximate occasions that lead to it 5 for, says
the Scripture, u he that loveth danger shall perish in it."
The most ordinary occasions that conduce to impurity are
the following :

I.	Excess in eating or drinking ; because these animal-
ize the soul, and render it wholly sensual, depriving it of
all feeling after God, and keeping it inclined earthward.

II.	Luxury and immodesty of dress, which becomes for
ourselves and for others an occasion of falling and of
scandal. It is an index of chastity dying or already
dead in the soul.

III.	Idleness 5 for to live without doing anything is
to be exposed to continual temptation. Idleness is the
mother of all vices.

IV.	Evil company ; for nothing is more dangerous than
the society of profligates, who have lost the fear of Goc^
and the natural sentiment of modesty, and who lead others
to do evil either by word or example.SIXTH COMMANDMENT.

289

We are frequently warned in the Holy Scriptures to
shun the wicked, and to have no dealings with them. If
the wicked would draw you into their company, it says
to all of usy u Give no heed to them." If they saj; u Come
with us/' beware lest you follow them. If you associate
with them, you will speedily become as evil as thgy. Be-
ing taught by the Truth itself that vice is a contagious
disease; that the wicked spread this contagion among
those who approach them ; that by frequenting their soci-
ety we accustom ourselves to think, speak, and act as
they, we shall be greatly culpable if we expose ourselves
to the danger of copying them. Who would live among
the plague-stricken ? No one, doubtless, for he would
be apprehensive of soon catching their disease. Evil
company is the pestilence of the soul. As those whose
entrails are impaired communicate the corruption of their
bodies by their breath, so do the wicked, by their con-
versation, communicate the corruption hidden in the depths
of their heart. What is the topic of the conversation of
young men given up to their passions ? What is the or-
dinary subject of their conversation, when they feel com-
pletely at their ease ? Alas ! they talk only of those things
that may indulge their passion. They relate complacent-
ly al] the scandalous things that they have seen and
heard; the most licentious remarks are frequently al-
lowed, and disorders are even gloried in, and vices as-,
sumed that have not been committed ; modesty is turned
into ridicule, and piety becomes an object of contempt
and derision. To what danger is a still virtuous youth
exposed at such a time, if he does not take instant flight,
and separate himself from such pernicious company !
The venom of sin enters into his heart. At first a false290

a christian's duty.

shame makes him silent,—he has not the courage to re-
prove those who are offending God, and to resist the
wrong they are doing. He is afraid of displeasing them,
or of.being ridiculed if he does not imitate them. Little
by little he becomes familiar with that which at the out-
seffhorrified him; he gives himself up to the same dis-
orders, and ends by blushing at his former modesty!

The reading of evil books fills the mind with a thou-
sand dangerous thoughts, and the imagination with a thou-
sand indecent fancies. Thence the poison passes into the
heart, carrying devastation and death. A single bad
book may corrupt a multitude of youth. This pernicious
work will pass from hand to hand, spreading its contagion
until it has infected an entire household. The effect is
still more fearful if it be one of those, abominable works
in which passionate intrigues, lascivious anecdotes, and
obscene pictures, are mixed up with impious maxims and
irreligious principles capable of destroying all fear of
God, and undermining the Faith. This barrier once
broken down, to what excess may those who have swal-
lowed the poison abandon themselves! Into what dis-
orders may they not fall! Who can arrest their descent ?
Faith is the best safeguard of morals. It is the mightiest
bulwark that can be opposed to the passions. If you
break it down, the torrent will burst its banks and ravage
everything. So long as Faith remains in the heart, it is
the principle of a return to virtue. If we commit evil,
at least we are self-condemned, we reproach ourselves ;
but what means is left to raise ourselves up from falling
if faith is lost ? Is not the evil then almost irremediable ?
Ought we not to despair of the salvation of one who has
fallen into such a condition, if we did not know that the
Divine mercy is boundless ?SIXTH COMMANDMENT.

291

O you whom this contagion has not yet reached/ nev«x
read pernicious literature. Shun with horror those wtio
offer it to you. If it should accidentally fall into your
hands, do not even look at it, lest you yield to the temp-
tation of reading it. And never say that you only read it
for information, to adorn your mind and form yfrur Style.
You can seek for these advantages in better quarters.'
There is-no lack of excellent books of all kinds which
may be read without any danger to morals. Consult some
learned man, and he will point out more than you can
read in the course of a long life. These combine grace
of style with useful information. Besides, all the advan-
tages in the world do not merit to be purchased at the
cost of innocence. If you give the preference to those
which are calculated to corrupt you, it is passion which
guides your choice.

Theatres, where the demon of lust exhibits his pomps,
with all his attractive adjuncts, in sachaway that the
most solid virtue can scarcely sustain itself, are also
to be avoided. There everything breathes voluptuous-
ness. The decorations, the effeminate songs, the acting,
the costumes, are all a snare. Nothing is more opposed
to the spirit of Christianity, which is a spirit of purity,
modesty, prayer, and penance.

To avoid all those occasions which we ought to confess,
or are bound to confess, we ought not to go there. It is
very apropos to give up the practice before presenting
ourselves at the tribunal of penance. It is the best way
to prove that we will really avoid committing this sin.
We ought also to take care not to conceal or disguise in
any manner this sort of sins in confession, for that would
be to make useless, and even sacrilegious, confessions, and
merit damnation.292

a christian's duty.

Those who wish to break themselves of this sin ought
to go to confession frequently, and to the same enlighten-
ed and pious confessor. Avoid the occasions that lead to
it. Pay particular devotion to the Most Holy Virgin,
and- every day offer to her some prayer for this inten-
sion.

The Scriptures tell us that all the human race, with-
out distinction of age or sex, was engulfed in the waters of
the Deluge because all flesh had corrupted its way before
Grod. Five infamous cities were inundated with a rain
of fire and brimstone, and, with all their inhabitants, re-
duced to ashes. Twenty-four thousand Israelites were
slain in a single day for their impurities. And God, by
His praises and His rewards, declares Himself to have
been the author of these fearful punishments. Have we
not here a manifest proof that the Lord has a horror of an
impure life, and that He oftentimes visits it, even in
this life, with the most terrible chastisements ?

Ordinarily, men addicted to luxury are short-lived.
They exhaust their natural strength and vigor soon;
whereas chaste men enjoy longer years and better health.
The latter also have their minds more active and quick,
are more apt at the study of literature, more adapted to
high political employments in the magistracy or govern-
ment, and in all other capacities requiring intelligence and
prudence.

The carnal man so deeply plunges himself into material-
ism that he becomes in some sort like a beast. He is un-
able to raise his thoughts to anything that is spiritual, and
like certain unclean animals is only delighted with the mire.
While for a moment's gratification he forfeits the graceSIXTH COMMANDMENT.	293

m

of God, and renders himself worthy of eternal punish-
ment, frequently at that same instant incurable mala-
dies are preparing agonizing sufferings for his body, poi-
soning his entire existence, and rendering every social
function impossible.

A poet has written :—

" Why ever walk, O youth, with head bent low,

And arched back, like to some laden beast ?

Why this sad look as of a heavy shame?

Why these gray hairs, these furrows on thy brow ?

Does some sore burden every thought enthral,

And lie like lead upon thy heart opprest?

'Tis the corruption of our sink impure,

Of lawless morals, a noble disgust
At the sad picture of man's misery,

That makes thee pale and loads thee thus with care.

Man is matured by thought in vernal prime,

. As fruit before its time by summer's ray.

Alas ! I err.—'Tis wild debauchery,

Of which thou art a living counterpart,

Easily known by its coarse, mocking laugh,

Its quenched glance, its cold and marble heart.

He was but twenty ! At the gambler's board,

With its wild orgies, he was well at home.

And after ? Like a dead brand is this youth,

In whose dark soul not e'en Remorse cries out!

He who thus lives is no true woman's son;

Let him into some lonely corner creep,

And, like to some vile reptile, die unwept."

u I have seen," says De la Mennais,—^ and I shall
always retain the recollection,—I have seen the unhappy
victim of a consuming lust present all the appearance of
complete decrepitude : the bald forehead, the pallid, hol-
low cheeks, the body shaky, and as though bending under
the load of vice ; exhausted in life, in thought, in love ;
already the hideous prey of dissolution, at whose aspect294	" A CHRISTIAN *S DUTY.

one expects to hear the footsteps of the gravedigger has-
tening forward to carry away the corpse ! "

Fathers and mothers, masters and mistresses, if you ever
see a bad book in the hands of your children, or your pupils,
is it too much to ask you to show at least the zeal of Di-
derot? As he did, indignantly snatch from the hands of
those dea/ to you any book in which religion is not re-
spected. It was his own book which the skeptic could not
endure to remain for an instant in his daughter's hands.
It might have been said to him, 66 If your doctrine is to be
dreaded, as you seem to admit, why spread it abroad pub-
licly f Why circulate in the great social family of men
the poisons which you deem dangerous to your own t "—\
Merault.

There is no greater thief than a bad book.—-Italian
Proverb.

66 Books are to the soul what food is to the body," says
Saint Evremond. How is it possible, then, for a soul which
is fed only upon poisons and filth not to fall ill of weak-
ness and languor ? It were a thousand times better never
to have opened a book, and to be unable to spell a sin-
gle word, than to falsify one's judgment and risk one's
morals by the perusal of certain absurd and infamous
novels.

Rousseau wrote the following concerning his own
works : u To assert and maintain equally for and against ;
persuade every one, yet believe nothing, has ever been
a favorite game of my mind. I cannot look on any one
of my books without shuddering. Instead of instructing,
I am corrupting ; instead of nourishing, I am poisoning.
But passion leads me astray, and with all my fine speeches
I am only aScoundrel."— Correspondence.	<SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.

295

Saint Louis de Gonzaga, having during his childhood
found a romance which he mistook for a good book, under-
took to read it. But he had no sooner glanced at the ti-
tle, than he threw it into the fire. He hastened to wash
his hands for having only touched the binding/ so deeply
was he convinced that there is nothing more ^ngBrous
and pernicious to innocence than this class of iSooks.

A young man fond of the world frequented plays and
read romances. But God at last led him to reflect, and
his condition filled him with horror. A few years of this
life of dissipation had changed him in such a manner that,
he no longer recognized himself. He said, u I no longer
love anybody, not even my own mother!—Humbert.

The importance accorded to the theatre is an infalli-
ble indication of the degradation of nations. This ther-
mometer has never erred.—De Maistre.

Exekcises.—What is forbidden by this Commandment? "Why is
this sin so especially hateful to God ? What are its spiritual conse-
quences ? Name some of the occasions that lead to it.	*

SECTION Till.

The Seventh Commandment.

"Suspicion always haunts the gtjilty mind:

The thief doth fear each bush an officer."

—Shakespeare.

" A wit's a feather, and a chief a rod;

An honest man's the noblest work of God."—Pope.

By the Seventh Commandmeiat, God forbids us to take
or to retain unjustly our neighbor's goods. Master of all
things, God bestows them as He wills; and He requires us296

a christian's duty.

to respect the order which His Providence has estab-
lished, prohibiting us to take from others that which He
has given them. This law is written upon our hearts.
Consult it, and you will find that it says we must not do un-
te others anything whatsoever that we would not have
them do unto us. If anything is taken from us, we cry
out against the injustice of it ; and so it is. But others
have the same right to complain when we behave unjust-
ly to them. Without justice, society could not exist. It
is therefore forbidden to do wrong to our neighbor in his
goods in any way whatever. " Thieves," says St* Paul,
" shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

It is an injustice to take the goods of others by sur-
prise, by violence, or by fraud, that is, by deceiving our
neighbor, either by false weights, or in the quality or
quantity of merchandise sold to him.

Children are not allowed to take anything from their
parents. This is a real theft, against which the Holy
Spirit speaks strongly in Scripture. He says he that
steals from father or mother, and says it is no transgres-
sion, is the partner of a murderer. How so ? It is gen-
erally the act of a young libertine/who robs his par-
ents to gratify his passions, seemingly desirous to get
hold of their succession before their death, which is too
long delayed for him. It supposes a callous, cruel "heart
divested of natural feeling.

It is also an injustice to retain the goods of others by
not paying them what is their due, such as the wages of
servants and workmen. "If any man hath done any
work for thee," said Tobias to his son, "immediately
pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thyfhired ser-
vant stay with thee at all." It is unjust not to returnSEVENTH COMMANDMENT.

297

that which was confided to us, to appropriate things found
accidentally, and to lend upon usury, that is, receiving
more than was lent. It is also unjust to cause any dam-
age to our neighbor, by destroying or spoiling anything
belonging to him, whether we do the wrong ourselves, or
whether we advise others to do it.

When anything has been taken from our neighbor, or
when we have caused him any prejudice, (1) it is not
enough to repent and ask pardon of GTod. We must re-
store to our neighbor whatever was taken from him, and
repair the damage that we have caused him.

Without this reparation, we can hope for no pardon,
nor expect any salvation. We cannot enter Heaven with
another man's goods in our possession. When this resti-
tution cannot be immediately done, we must.at least have
a sincere desire to fulfil this obligation whenever we are
able? and use every effort to do so.

This commandment also obliges us to give alms, each
according to his means, and the necessities of the poor.

The sage assures us of this when he says that we
ought to assist the poor because of the command-
ment, and not abandon him in his poverty. St. John
says, " He that hath the substance of this world, and shall
see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels
from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him VJ

(1) " PrejudiceThis word has a different sense theologically to
that given it in ordinary converse.

Here it means detriment, injury, disadvantage. Generally it is used to
express the state of mind of one who has previously formed his judg-
ment upon insufficient data. It is called by Shakespeare " a foregone
conclusion." As such, it is almost invariably the mark of a weak
mind. A prejudiced person is a term of contempt, betokening either
illiteracy or wilfulness in the person so called.a christian's duty.

Jesus Christ will sentence to eternal fire those who have
refused to assist Him in the person of the poor.

We are bound, says St. Thomas, to give alms to the poor
when they are in need, according to our estate and con-
dition, when we have more than we need.

Although alms are given directly by the distribution
of temporal gifts, nevertheless there is a still more meri-
torious act. It consists in solacing our neighbor in his
spiritual necessities and miseries, by contributing to the
salvation of his soul, either by good example or advice,
in either giving him instruction, or procuring it for him.
This is especially binding upon pastors, and all those who
are charged with the duty of instructing others, and
laboring for their sanctification and salvation.

To save a poor man's life who is in want, is doubtless a
great good, but to contribute to the salvation 'of a soul
is a work whose full value will only be known in the
next world. " He," says St. James, u who causeth a
sinner to be converted from the error of his way, shall
save his soul from death, and shall cover a multitude of
sins." And the prophet Daniel says, 66 They that are
learned shall shine as the brightness of the firmament j
and they that instruct many to justice, as stars for all
eternity."

A usurer, finding himself near death, called in a confessor.
The latter at once imposed a complete restitution. u But
what will become of my children ?" exclaimed the sick
man. u The salvation of your soul ought to be dearer
to you than the fortunes of your family/7 replied the
confessor. u No," replied the dying man, " I cannotSEVENTH COMMANDMENT.

299

make up my mind to do what yon require, and I will run
the risk/' And, having so said, he made an effort to turn
toward the wall, and immediately expired. What a death !
How it ought to make them tremble who owe all that
they possess to fraud and injustice !—Merault.

A hermit in a vision beheld Lucifer seated upon his
infernal throne ; he demanded of another demon why he
returned so late from the earth. The latter replied that
he had been delayed by his endeavors to hinder a thief
who had confessed, from restoring the goods which he
had stolen. At these words, Lucifer frowned and ex-
claimed : u Fool that thou art ! Do you not know that he
who steals another's goods is not accustomed to restore
them ? Why, then, lose all this time to hinder that which
without thy useless interference is not likely to occur ?
What sad conclusions may we not gather from this vision,
which we see so often realized in real life !—St. Alphon-
sus Liguori.

It is related in the Lettres Edifiantes that a brilliant
Tartar official, entering one of the gates of Pekin on horse-
back, dropped his purse. A poor Chinese artisan, who
had the good fortune to be a Christian, picked it up, and
ran after the horseman to restore it. But the officer,
glancing contemptuously at the man who was following
him, put his horse to a gallop. The Christian continued
running, and at last reached the house which he had seen
the horseman enter. The latter addressed him in a tone
of haughty wrath: u Who are you, and what do you
want VJ u Sir, you lost your purse at the city gate, and I
have brought it to you." " Why do you bring it ? Do
you not know that the laws of the Empire permit you to
appropriate all lost objects V7 u I know it, sir, but I am300

a christian's duty.

a Christian, and my religion obliges me to restore all lost
objects which I may find." This reply piqued the Tar-
tar's curiosity; he sought out the Catholic missionary,
was instructed in the mysteries of the Faith, and became
a zealous Christian.

Saint Louis caused researches to be made, to find out if
the kings, his predecessors, had done any wrong, either to
communities or private persons, in order to repair the
injustice that they might have done. Before undertak-
ing his first journey to the Holy Land, he caused to be
proclaimed that he was ready to repair all the wrongs
which his officers might have perpetrated. When he
learned that the Saracens had been deceived to their disad-
vantage, in the sum of ten thousand livres which was to be
paid for his ransom, he caused that amount to be paid over
to them ere his departure.

One day the Dauphin, father of Louis XVI., was hunt-
ing with the king his father in the neighborhood of Com-
piegne. His coachman wished to traverse a field where
the harvest was still standing. Having perceived it, the
prinqe ordered him to return to the high road. The
coachman remarked that they would not arrive in time
for the rendezvous. " Be it so,77 replied his master 5 u I
would rather miss ten rendezvous, than do five cents'
worth of damage in a poor peasant's field."

Louis XVI., being out hunting one day with his broth-
ers, the latter heard the horns announcing the stag's
death, and ordered the coachman to make all haste. To
obey them he was about to drive across a field of barley.
The king stopped him and ordered him to take the
high road, remarking, u That barley does not belong toEIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

301

Exercises.—What is injustice as forbidden by this commandment?
Is anything else besides repentance required for the pardon of these
sins ? What else is taught by this commandment ?

[It is noteworthy that the Catholic Church is the only body that
strictly enforces God's law of restitution. Protestant bodies vaguely
hold it, but rarely teach it, and then only in flagrant cases of
fraud.]

[The sacred act of almsgiving, besides being a Christian duty, is also
socially a benefit. When we consider the terrible disproportion be-
tween the fortuned of mankind—the hungry millions who can
scarcely find food for the passing day—we may well shudder to
think on what would happen did these men rise in their wrath against
society. Alms, in this light, becomes a social safeguard. It is a dole
that staves off the evil day. It lessens the chances of revolution; for
a hungry people are the most reckless of revolutionists. To withhold
their share of earth's good things from the poor is a manifest wrong.
Christianity uses almsgiving as one means of redressing the many
great wrongs existing in the social body.]

SECTION IX.

The Eighth Commandment.

" This above all-: to thine own self be true;

And it shall follow, as the night the day

Thou canst not then be false to any man."

■—Shakespeare.

'' An oath is a recognizance to Heaven,

Binding us over in the courts above,

To plead to the indictment of our crimes,

That those who 'scape this world should suffer there."

— Southey.

* In this Eighth Commandment, God forbids false witness
in cases of law, lying, and all speech against our neigh-
bor.

j God is truth itself. Everything that wounds the
truth offends Him. 'This is the reason of the frequent
prohibitions which He gives in the Scriptures against
speaking untruthfully. ,/This vice is also most injurious to302

a christian's duty.

the intercourse which God has established among man-
kind.

Why was speech bestowed upon them ? Was it not
that they might mutually communicate their thoughts ?
It is therefore an abuse of the gift of speech to employ it
to express the reverse of what we think.. This principle
is so clear, that the pagans understood it very well, and
some among them practised it with exactitude. Lying-
is so odious, that it is not even allowable to employ it in
jest or amusement, any more than for one's own advan-
tage or that of our neighbor.

vBut it is a much greater evil when it injures our neigh-
bor, when it tends to defame him, by attributing to him
a vice which he does not possess, or a fault which he has
not committed. This is called calumny.

^This crime contains a wickedness and blackness which
revolt all honest minds. According to the expression
of Scripture, the tongue of the slanderer is like a two-
edged sword, inflicting mortal wounds. It is not only a
neighbors fortune that is assailed by it, but his honor,
his deputation/of which it unjustly despoils him—that is, of
a something more precious than gold, for this loss is infi-
nitely more felt.

y And that which gives a crowning enormity to calumny
is when it is brought before a magistrate and religiously
confirmed by an oath, which inclines justice against the
truth. \The false witness, besides the atrocious injustice
that he commits against the innocent whom he seeks to
ruin, is guilty of a horrible impiety toward Grod, whose
awful Name he profanes and makes support lying and
wickedness !

, Those who have done wrong to their neighbor by cir-EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

303

culating false reports, are bound to repair the injustice
which they have perpetrated, and all the consequences
that have followed it. They must re-establish the good
name which they have taken away, which can scarcely
be done save by a public avowal of their imposture. But
it is only just that they should sacrifice their own repu-
tation to restore that which they have blighted.

^ This commandment also forbids detraction—that is,
making known our neighbor's faults. So long as the fault
which he h^s committed remains hid, he preserves his
reputation. If this fault is published, he is unjustly de-
prived of it. Should we like our hidden faults to be
known ? Certainly not. Then we ought to be silent about
those of our brother. In the Holy Scriptures, detraction
is placed in the number of crimes that exclude from Hea-
ven. Like fire carried by the wind, detraction passes
from mouth to mouth, consuming all and blackening what
it is unable to consume. 4 It is a restless evil which dis-
turbs society, scatters dissension among families, fill-
ing everything with confusion and . disorder. It is an
enverlomed source of hatred and revenge, and, conse-
quently, of a crowd of iniquities.

4The detractor is guilty of all the sins which he has oc-
casioned. ^He sins in all those who repeat his slander,
and in all those who listen to it. ^For we are not only
forbidden to speak ill of our neighbor, but also to listen to
it. IF people would not listen to detraction, there would
be no detractors. The complacency with which mis-
chief7makers are listened to, emboldens and authorizes
them, and by this complacency we become accomplices in
the sin.

\ Of all kinds of detraction, that which is blackest and304

A CHRISTIAN *S DUTY.

most disastrous in its consequences consists in secretly
informing a man of what some one has said or done against
him. These reports nearly always produce hatred and
a thirst for revenge in the mind of him to whom they are
made, which terminate in irreconcilable enmity. The ac-
cused, who is unaware of what is said of him, has no means
of justifying himself, or of explaining or making satis-
faction. The character of him who makes such secret
reports is traced in Scripture in these w^rds, u Six,things
there are which the Lord hateth, and the seventh His
soul abhorreth. This seventh thing is the crime of him
that soweth discord among brethren.

Nevertheless, it is permissible to i eveal the faults of
our neighbor when they are contagious and likely to do
harm to others ; but then they ought only to be revealed
to those persons who can remedy the evil and warn
others.

In so doing, far from wounding charity, we are ful-
filling a most natural and urgent duty. It is to love our
neighbor to hinder him from ruining himself and others.
It is to love him, when we prefer to his reputation his
eternal salvation, and that of those with whom he
dwells.

Although detraction is less criminal in itself than cal-
umny, it is often more baneful in its consequences.
The wrong it does to others is almost irreparable.v When
a fault is attributed to a person which he has not com-
mitted, we ought to and must retract it. By this disavowal
we may heal the wound which we have inflicted, and re-
establish his reputation, r But when the evil reported is
true, we cannot retract it, for it would be telling a lie,
which is not permitted. Thus, when we have duly re-EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

305

pented of it, it is almost impossible to restore to him that
which we have made him lose. We jet are bound to re-
pair the evil as far as we are able, by saying all the good
we can of him, to efface, or at least weaken, the evil im-
pression produced by detraction.

By the Eighth Commandment God not oniy forbids
us to speak evil of our neighbor, but also to entertain
evil opinions about him without just reasons. It is not
permitted to judge him upon feeble indications and equiv-
ocal appearances^ or to believe without proof that he
has been guilty of a fault. This is an unjust rashness,
since it exposes us to condemn the guiltless. He has a
claim upon our esteem so long as he is unconvicted, and to
withdraw it is to do him wrong,

Rash judgment is therefore contrary to justice, and
none the less contrary to charity. This virtue, so strongly
recommended in the Gospel, teaches us to think favor-
ably of our brethren, to interpret their actions generously,
and to excuse everything that is not manifestly wicked.
u Charity" saith St. Paul, u thinketh no evil." It
never sees the crime until it becomes flagrant, and does not
believe it until fully proved. And certainly,. when we
love a person, we are more disposed to think him inno-
cent than guilty. Should we like to be adjudged guilty
of a bad action, or accused of some fault without suffi-
cient reason f Doubtless not. Then let us not do unto
others that which we would not that they should do unto
us.

. It would be a still more rash judgment, and far more
criminal, to attribute bad motives to good and laudable
actions, and to suspect vicious intentions in those whose
conduct is regular and edifying. Yet nothing is more306

A CHRISTIAN^ DUTY,

common than to see malignity vomit its poison upon vir-
tuous actions. This depth of malignity, which discerns
vice through the semblance of virtue, can only issue from
a blackened and depraved soul. Good people judge the
actions of others after themselves. Being sincere and
upright themselves, they are easily persuaded that others
are so also. They are edified by an exterior appropriate
to virtue, and it never comes into their mind to think
that this exterior conceals vice. Occupied with their
own faults, for which they must give account, they can
pay no attention to those of others. And, by this chari-
table conduct toward their neighbor, they anticipate for
themselves a favorable judgment at the tribunal of God ;
for Jesus Christ has promised to judge us as we have
judged others.

Bishop Pirmus, says St. Augustine, out of charity con-
cealed in his house a man condemned to die. The
Emperor's officers asked the bishop where the man was.
"I cannot answer/7 he replied, " because I can neither
lie nor reveal the whereabouts of him you seek." The
holy man was subjected to cruel torments, and even
threatened with death, to compel him to reveal the man's
hiding-place. " I know how to suffer, and to die;" he re-
marked, 66 but I know not how to speak against truth
and my neighbor." Being brought before the Emperor,
the latter admired the virtue of this saintly bishop, and
dismissed him with the pardon of the man he had con-
cealed. This anecdote proves that we ought rather to suffer
death than to lie or wound charity toward our neighbor,
During the French Revolution of 1793, the Cure of
Autun having been arrested, the Mayor, who wished toEIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

307

save him, advised him to let the people believe that he
had taken the oath, although in reality he had refused it.
u I cannot/' replied the priest, u ransom mj life by a
lie. Grod, who does not allow me to take this oath, does
not permit me either to make others believe that I have
taken it." The Mayor no longer insisted; and the Cure
died a martyr.

To prevent the detraction which too often takes place
at meals, St. Augustine caused the following lines to, be
written over his table : —

'• Detractors, come not near this place,

Whose guilty tongues charge with disgrace

An absent brother!

Innocent talk shall here abound,

And never slanderer be found

To wound another."—Possidius.

All France and Spain deplored the death of Donosa
Cortes, Ambassador of Spain at Paris, which took place
in that capital May 3, 1853. By the general admission,
he possessed a great mind, was an eminent thinker, a
philosopher, and at the same time one of that perfect
type of Christians that can be presented to the imitation
and admiration of mankind. In the midst of the splen-
dors of birth and fortune and human dignities, he knew
how to preserve those heroic virtues .of simplicity, piety,
faith and charity, that so many souls, not less admirable,
but more timid, can only cultivate by isolating themselves
from the world, and espousing solitude. M. Louis Yeu-
illot has said of him with perfect justice : "His speech,
prompt, ardent, and sincere, was at the same time the
most inoffensive that could well be heard 5 and it was
charming to see how he always possessed so much
innocent wit." The Sister who received his last sigh says :308

a christian's duty.

" That which astonished me the most was something I
never found anywhere but in him : he never spoke evil of
anybody/'

Exekcises.—What does God forbid by the Eighth Commandment?
What is calumny ? When is it allowable to speak of our neighbor's
faults ? What else is forbidden by this commandment ?

t Modern society has developed a new form of slander, of the most
subtle and malignant type. It is called innuendo. The difference be-
tween an innuendo and an insinuation is this : An insinuation suggests
an idea by some indirect circumlocution. The speaker avoids a di-
rect and unmistakable assertion, though he contrives to leave the
same impression upon his hearer as though he had made one. He
cannot be taxed with slander, for he never said so and so : he only
insinuated it. An innuendo requires still more dexterous handling.
The speaker by carefully chosen phrases leads the mind of his hear-
er to form an impression such as he would have. It is generally very
hazy and indefinite, but what of shape it has resembles the fixed idea
in the speaker's mind. You cannot charge him with instilling the
idea, though he has done so. He has led you to draw inferences rath-
er from what he has not said, than from what he has said. Indeed, a
dreadful innuendo, sufficient to undermine a noble character, may be
conveyed by a significant look, a cynical smile, the elevation of the
eyebrows, a shrug of the shoulder, the wave of a fan, a single interjec-
tion peculiarly emphasized. These things are meant to be interpre-
ted in a certain way, and they are so interpreted ; thus they form
one of Satan's most ingenious methods of disseminating envy, hatred,
malice, and all uncharitableness. ]NINTH COMMANDMENT.

309

SECTION X.

The Ninth Commandment.

"He that hath light within his own clear breast,

May sit in the centre and enjoy bright day ;

But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts,

Benighted walks beneath the noonday sud ;

Himself is his own dungeon."—Milton.

' They talk'd of virtue and of human bliss :

What else so fit for man to settle well ?

And still their long researches met in this,

This truth of truths, which nothing can repel;

From virtue's fount the purest joys outwell,

Sweet rills of thought that clear the conscious soul;

While vice pours forth the troubled streams of hell ;

The which, howe'er disguised, at last with dole

Will through the tortured breast their fiery torrents roll."

— Triomson.

After forbidding by the Sixth Commandment all external
acts of impurity, God, by this Ninth Commandment, for-
bids all impure desires and thoughts.

Think not that it is a sufficient fulfilment of the law of
God on this head to abstain from criminal actions. No ;
this is not enough. The very desire is a crime. God,
who soundeth the heart and the reins, is not satisfied with
a merely external purity. He will have our hearts pure,
and does not allow us to wish for that which He forbids us
to do. The thought of evil, when deliberate and with con-
sent, renders us guilty in His sight 5 that is, when we
dwell on the thought and take pleasure in it. " Evil
thoughts," says the Scripture, u separate from God."
They deal death to our souls, if we do not turn our minds
away from them and reject them as soon as perceived.310

a cheistian's duty.

Thus the law of God goes to the root of the evil It
stifles it in its infancy. Experience shows us that one
does not commit criminal actions all at once. They are
reached by degrees. The evil begins with some thought
to which we listen, and upon which we voluntarily dwell.
From the thought is begotten desire, and from desire we
pass to exterior results. " Out of the heart/' says Our
Lord, u come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, for-
nications.7' This divine Master places evil thoughts at
the head of all crimes, because they are their beginning
and source.

The true mode of preventing the desire is therefore to
reject the thought; and, to hinder a bad action, we must
stifle the desire. We are not able to secure ourselves
against all evil thoughts. But we need not consent to
them. It does not depend upon us not to have evil thoughts,
but it does depend upon us not to give occasion to them,
or take pleasure in them, and to resist them when they
present themselves. We must not in this life expect a
peace exempt from conflict.

Virtue does not consist in not being assailed, but in
courageously resisting all the assaults of the passions, and
never giving an occasion to temptation.

If, despite our vigilance, it presents itself to the mind,
let us immediately turn our attention from it, lift up our
heart to God, and apply ourselves to some honest work.

It is a great remedy against the vice of impurity to
apply ourselves seriously to some useful labor, and never
at any time to be idle..

Let the demon find us always occupied, and his darts
will fall harmless. Be faithful, and fear nothing. If the de-
mon seeks-to alarm us by importunity, let us turn a deaf ear,NINTH COMMANDMENT.

311

and we have conquered. Let us cleave to God. He
will not permit us to be at any time tempted beyond our
strength. Then the temptation which we have resist-
ed, far from harming us, will become the subject of our tri-
umph, and our fidelity will merit an eternal recompense.

St. John, an anchorite, was accustomed to say that as
one who sees a ferocious beast approaching him will
mount a tree to avoid it, so he that is assailed by bad
thoughts should mount to Grod by fervent prayer, that he
may be sheltered from all danger.

When a man takes a live coal in his hands, and instant-
ly throws it away, he does not burn himself and experiences
no pain. But if he holds it only one minute, he cannot
throw it away without retaining a serious wound. It is
the same with bad thoughts in the heart. They must be
immediately cast away as we cast away live coals.—St,
Ccesar of Arle$.

St. Bernadine of Sienna had so great a horror of all that
could wound chastity, that whenever any one of his com-
panions employed any phrase slightly unguarded, he
blushed for him. His mere presence kept them within
the bounds of the strictest propriety. Whenever they
saw him approaching, they would say, u Here comes
Bernadine: let us take care what we say."

Exercises.—Name some pnnishment inflicted for sin against the
Sixth and Ninth Commandments in the Holy Bible. Mention the
saints who are special patrons of holy purity. Why are they so named ?312

a christian's duty.

SECTION XI.

The Tenth Commandment.

"Be thrifty, but not covetous ; therefore give

Thy need, thine honor, and thy friend his due :

Never was scraper brave man. Get to live,

Then live and use it; else it is not true
That thou hast gotten ; surely use alone
Makes money not a contemptible stone."

—George Herberts

"Poor and content is rich, and rich enough ;

But riches fineless, is as poor as winter
To him who ever fears he shall be poor."

—Shakespeare.

God, after forbidding by the Seventh Commandment to
take or retain any man's goods, by this, the Tenth Com-
mandment, forbids us to covet them to his prejudice

Observe the essential difference that exists between
the laws of God and those of man. The latter only
regulate external actions, because man sees only what
appears on the outside. But the Law of God prohibits
even desires and the most secret thoughts, because God
beholds the bottom of the heart.

Doubtless it is not forbidden to desire another man's
goods, when we propose to acquire them by legitimate
ways and with his consent. Otherwise, buying anything
would be forbidden. When we purchase a house or an
estate, it is because we desire to have it. But this desire
is legitimate, when, to become masters of it, we employ
means which are just and authorized by law.

What is forbidden by this commandment is a wish toTENTH COMMANDMENT.

318

acquire unjustly that which belongs to our neighbor.
It is the inordinate love of wealth, the haste to acquire
it ; it is that cupidity which St. Paul calls the root and
source of all evils.

God cursed it by the prophet Isaias in these terms:—
"Woe to you that join house to house, and lay field to
field, even to the end of place: shall ye alone dwell in
the midst of the earth ? "

Nothing is more opposed to the spirit of the Gospel
than this avidity of riches, which is always amassing,
which is never satisfied with what it has, and, fearing to
come to want, hoarding up and accumulating as if one
were never to die. A man given up to this passion
thinks only how to satisfy it. He thinks all day and
reflects all night, sacrificing his repose, his health, and
even his life. Through wishing to procure an imag-
inary happiness, which his fancy supposes to consist in
opulence, he makes himself miserable, and consumes
his years in perpetual torments. What injustice this
passion leads him to commit ! what frauds ! what violence !
He counts his conscience and his salvation as nothing?
provided he can swell his treasure.. In a word, he knows
no God but money! This is why St. Paul calls this
passion an idolatry. And Our Lord tells us in the
Gospel that u no man can serve two masters ; ye can-
not at the same time serve God and mammon,"

We are not forbidden to possess riches, because it is
Providence that gives them. But we are forbidden to
cling to them, to place our affections on them, and to
make our happiness to consist in their possession. God
does not condemn riches, but the immoderate desire to
enjoy them. Passing goods, perishable commodities, which31-1	a christian's duty.

cost a thousand pains to procure, and are only retained
with infinite anxiety, which will certainly be taken from
us one day and no fraction of which we can carry with
us; goods which will cause us all the more pain to leave
as we have been attached to them are such things ca-
pable of making us happy ! Nothing, then, can be wiser
than this lesson which the saintly king David gives us
6i If riches increase, set not thine heart upon .them."
If God has not caused you to be born in opulence, seek
not to become rich. This is the counsel which Jesus
Christ gives us: u Lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon earth, where the rust and moth consume, and where
thieves break through and steal. But lay up for your-
selves treasures in Heaven, where neither the rust nor the
moth doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break
through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also."

Tobias, who had become blind, hearing the bleating of
a kid which his wife Anne had obtained in reward of her
labor, said to her, u Take heed that it be not stolen ! Re-
store ye it to its owners ; for it is not lawful for us to eat
or to touch anything that cometh by theft." When near
his end, he gave this advice to his son :—"If any man
hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his
hire, and let not the wTages of thy hired servant stay
with thee at all."

Exercises.—What is the difference between human and divine law?
"What is forbidden by this commandment ?	«COMMANDMENTS OF THE CIIUBCH.

315

SECTION XII.

Commandments of the Church.

t{ If on our daily path our mind
Be set to halloa all we find,

New treasures still) of countless price,

God will provide for sacrifice.

" Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be
As more of Heaven in each we see,

Some softening gleam of love and prayer
Shall dawn on every cross and care.

" Such is the bliss of souls serene
When they have sworn and steadfast mean,
Counting the cost, in all to espy
Their God, in all themselves deny.

" Oh, could we learn that sacrifice,

What lights would all around us rise !

How would our hearts with wisdom talk
Along life's dullest, dreariest walk !

■X	*	n	*	*	*	*	*

"The trivial round, the common task,

Will furnish all we ought to ask:

Room to deny ourselves ; a road
To bring us daily nearer God."—KeUe.

v The Church has power to make commandments, and
we are bound to obey them, because, being led by the
Spirit of God, she speaks to us on His behalf. God will
not consider those as His children who do not look upon
her as their mother.

^This power resides in the chief pastors of the Church,
established to govern us—that is, the Pope and the Bishops.
It was to them that Our Lord said, u He that heareth
you, heareth Me." And elsewhere, " If any man will816

a christian's duty.

not hear the Church, let him be regarded as a heathen
and a publican."

The Church has always made use of this power, which
she has received from Jesus Christ. From the very
birth of Christianity the Apostles imposed different or-
dinances ; and we read in the Acts of the Apostles that St.
Paul went from city to city prescribing the observances
of the several churches, which the early Christians re-
ceived with great joy. We ought, then, to respect them
ourselves. ^It is disobedience to God when we refuse
submission to those who rule us in His name./^ ^

There are six commandments of the Church which all
faithful Catholics are bound to observe with exactitude.
They are explained in the following chapters.

A friend of a person suspected of prejudice against the
decisions of the Holy See, one day addressed him-thus :
u Give me your advice : what side ought I to take ? Shall
I think as the Pope does, or as you do He replied,
" Hold fast to the trunk of the tree, and never separate
yourself from it."—Lasausse,

u God will not condemn us if we keep His command-
ments/7 said a bad Christian, u although we put those of
the Church on one side." Some one replied, "I never
saw any one yet who despised the commandments of the
Church who observed faithfully the commandments of
God."

And do we not, by simply disobeying the Church, dis-
obey already a command of God I

Exekcises.—"Why are we bound to obey the commandments of the
Church? How many are they ?FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

CHAPTER I.

The First Commandment of the Church.

" Blessed feasts of blessed martyrs,

Holy days of holy men,

With affection's recollections

Greet we your return again.

Worthy deeds they wrought and wonders,

Worthy of the Name they bore ;

We with meetest praise and sweetest

Honor them for evermore."—Breviary Ilymn.

" For Thy dear saints, O Lord,

Who strove in Thee to live,

Who followed Thee, obeyed, adored,

Our grateful hymns receive.

" For Thy dear saints, 0 Lord,

Who strove in Thee to die,

And found in Thee a full reward,

Accept our thankful cry ;

44 Thine earthly members fit
To join Thy saints above,

In one communion ever knit,

One fellowship of love."—Caswell.

The first commandment of the Church obliges us to
hallow the festivals which she has instituted, by abstaining
from servile work, and devoting ourselves to works of
piety and religion.

Some of these festivals were established to celebrate the
mysteries of Our Lord, His Incarnation, His humble
birth, His circumcision, His manifestation to -the Gen-
tiles, His presentation in the Temple, His resurrection,
His ascension into Heaven, the descent of the Holy
Ghost, and the mystery of the divine Eucharist. These318

a christian's duty.

mysteries, being the sources of all the graces that God
vouchsafes us, and of the salvation which we expect,
their remembrance ought to excite in us sentiments of
gratitude, adoration, and confidence, and animate us to
gather in their fruits by an increase of faith, hope? and
charity.

The other festivals are intended to honor the Most
Blessed Virgin and the saints, the graces with which
God has enriched them, and the glory with which He
has crowned them. ^We recall their principal virtues, and
encourage ourselves to imitate them by the sight of the
ineffable happiness which is their recompense.

At the same time, penetrated with the sense of our
weakness, of which we are warned by constant experi-
ence, we entreat them to use their influence with God on
our behalf, and to procure for us, through the merits of
our common Mediator, grace to walk in their steps, in
order that we may reach the eternal felicity which they
enjoy.	^ .

This is why year by year the Church brings before
our eyes the benefits of God and the examples of the
saints. Under the ancient Law, God ordained a certain
number of feasts, to perpetuate the memory of the won-
ders wrhich He had wrought in favor of the Israelites,
It was after this divine pattern that the feasts of the Church
were instituted, in order to honor God, instruct the faith-
ful, and nourish their piety. The majesty of Divine Ser-
vice, the sermons heard, the sacred canticles with which
the temple resounds, transport us in spirit back to the
time and place where the mysteries were accomplished;
and we adore Jesus Christ just as if they were taking place
before our eyes. These great events, thus presented toFIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

319

our faith; and seconded by the instructions and exhorta-
tions of our pastors, augment our piety and fervor.

It is also an opportunity for the more simple among the
faithful, and even for children, to inform themselves about
the subject of the feast, and to learn its history. The
Church commands her pastors to instruct the people con-
fided to them, and she wills that parents instruct their
children. This is what God Himself prescribed to the
Israelites. After ordering them to kill each year the Pas-
chal lamb, and to celebrate the Passover, (1) He explains
the reason of this institution : 66 When your children shall
say to you, What meaneth this service ? ye shall say to
them: It is the victim of the passage of the Lord, when
He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in
Egypt, striking the Egyptians and saving our houses.

In order to hallow the festivals, we must enter into the
spirit of the Church, consider the mystery^ or the life of
the saint who is that day commemorated, praise God for
His benefits, and ask of Him the grace to profit by them.
We should excite ourselves to the practice of the virtues
which have shone pre-eminently in these saints, in order
that one day we may share the happiness which they
enjoy. We must beg of them to intercede for us with
God, and to obtain for us the help which we need.

The impious Nicanor, having resolved to deliver battle

(1) Passover, Pasch, or Feast of Easter: The feast of Our Lord's res-
urrection. The word Easter is derived from that of the Saxon god-
dess E£stre, the same deity whom the Germans properly called Ostar&,
and honored (according to Grimm, in his German Mythology) as
the divinity of the dawn. Bede tells us that the Anglo-Saxons called
the spring month Eostermonaht, and similarly Eginhard calls our
April Ostarmanoth. Naturally, therefore, the German nations called
the great Church-feast which fell at the beginning of spring Easter,
and the name continued among us, like such names as Thursday, long
after the heathen goddess had been forgotten.—Catholic Dictionary,—
Addis and Arnold.320

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

to the Jews on the Sabbath day, a certain number of other
Jews, whom necessity had retained in his army, repre-
sented to him that it was improper to fight upon a day
consecrated to God. This man, puffed up with his vain
glory, replied, u Is there a mighty one in Heaven that hath
commanded the Sabbath to be kept ? " They answered
modestly, u There is the living Lord Himself in Heaven,
the Mighty One that commanded the seventh day to be
kept.7' Then said Nicanor, UI am mighty upon earth,
and I command you to take arms and to do the King's
business." He gave battle to Judas Machabeus, but was
conquered, and his body found among the slain.

A King of Japan, recently converted, sentenced one of
his pages to death for committing some irreverence in
church. To those who urgently besought him to pardon
him,, the monarch replied in great anger : u What! we pun-
ish those who are wanting in respect to the Kings of earth,
and you would spare him who outrages, even in His tem-
ple, the Sovereign Master of Kings !"—Charlevoix.

Exercises.—What does the first commandment of the Church
teach ? Why do we honor the memory of the saints ? How should
we spend the festivals ?

[The solemn commemoration of the saints is one of the most ancient
practices of the Church. Generally the day observed was that of martyr-
dom, and was called natalitia, or birthdays, that is, the day they were
born by martyrdom to glory. When, as was often the case, as indeed it
is now frequently, the Holy Sacrifice was celebrated upon the martyr's
tomb, the commemoration of his virtues was still more inspiring.
Like banners and armor hung up in ancient cathedrals, as trophies
of some glorious victory, the very instruments of torture inspired
those who beheld them to go and do likewise. In ancient times the
bard, by his poetic narration of bygone battles and the deeds of
heroes, stirred up a spirit of emulation in the soldiery. So do the
sacred hymns that tell of Christ's champions stir the true Christian's
heart to follow in their steps.]SEQ£)ND COMMANDMENT OP THE CHUIiCH.

321

CHAPTER. II.

Second Commandment of the Church.

lC We love the place, 0 Lord,

Wherein Thine honor dwells;

The joy of Thine abode
All earthly joy excels.

" It is the house of prayer
"Wherein Thy servants meet,

And Thou, 0 Lord, art there,

Thy chosen flock to greet.

"We love Thine altar, Lord:

Oh, what on earth so dear ?

For there, in faith adored,

We find Thy Presence near.

"We love the word of life,

The word that tells of peace,

Of comfort in the strife,

And joys that never cease.

"We love to sing below
For mercies freely given;

But, oh, we long to know

The triumph song of Heaven."—Stone.

Of all acts of piety by which we ought to sanctify Sun-
days and festivals, the principal and most indispensable
is to hear Mass. The Church has made it an express
command. This sacrifice is the holiest act of religion,
and that which renders the most perfect honor to God.

The obligation to assist at Mass upon all days spe-
cially consecrated to His worship is as ancient as the
Church. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that the
first day of the week, which is Sunday, the faithful as-
sembled for the breaking of bread, that is, to offer up and322

a christian's duty.

participate of the Holy Victim. The parish Mass,
where the pastor, offers the Holy Sacrifice in the midst
of his assembled people, is a faithful imitation of that
which was observed by the first Christians ; and it is at
this Mass, celebrated by their pastor, that the faithful
ought to assist as far as they are able. In the first ages
of the Church, the bishop presided in person at the great
assembly of the faithful of his diocese. Subsequently,
when Christians became multiplied, each diocese was
divided into several parishes, to which the bishop sent
priests to govern by his authority, to instruct the faithful,
celebrate the Holy Sacrifice, and administer the sacra-
ments. Since this settlement, each parish is a family of
which the priest is the chief and father.

Is it not, then, according to order that all composing it
should meet with their head, to offer unto God the solemn
worship of adoration and sacrifice ? - The parochial Mass
is said for all the faithful united under the same pastor,
and in their name. It is therefore proper that they
should join with him in this august function,, and that
they should hear his voice. The instructions then given
are addressed to them. They are more adapted to their
requirements (which their own pastor knows best)
than those delivered elsewhere, and are therefore more
useful to them.

To comply with this precept, we are held to hear the
whole Mass. We do not comply with it if we arrive
when the Mass is well advanced, or depart before it is
over. It should be heard with attention, respect, and piety,
not contenting- ourselves with being present in body only.

To be voluntarily distracted, to look about us on all
sides, to converse, is not to hear Mass, nor to fulfil theSECOND COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

323

precept of the Church. , It is to outrage Jesus Christ • it
is to renew the opprobrium of Calvary, and to dishonor
religion. We should therefore give ourselves up to
prayer all the time of the Mass ; either employing a
book of devotions, or a Rosary, or some other method
calculated to fix the attention.

4The pious Christian will not be satisfied with merely
assisting at Mass upon Sundays and holy days. He
will also attend, as far as he is able, at the instructions and
other exercises which take place at church ; he will read
some good book or do some good works. ^It is true that
the Church has only made the precept absolute to hear
Mass on Sundays and feasts ; but piety requires some-
thing more than the literal fulfilment of the precept.

Even persecutions did not hinder early Christians from
celebrating the festivals. A Christian virgin named
Anysia was on her way to the assembly of the faithful,
when one of the Emperor Diocletian's guards perceived
her, and was struck by her modesty. In a rude man-
ner he said : u Stop ! where are you going ? Anysia,
fearing from his tone that he meant insult, made the sign
of the Cross upon her forehead to obtain grace from God
to resist temptation. The soldier was angered at receiv-
ing no answer to his question save this sign, and laying
hands upon her, he said fiercely : u Answer ! who are you,
and whither are you going ? v The maiden courageous-
ly replied, u I am a servant of Jesus Christ, and I am
going to the Lord's assembly.77 The soldier rejoined,
u I shall prevent you from going ; I will take you to sac-
rifice to the gods. To-day we worship the sun : you
shall worship him along with us.?? So saying, he tore824

a christian's duty.

from her the veil with which her face was covered.
Anysia tried to restrain him, and, breathing in his face,
exclaimed, " Wretch, Jesus Christ will punish thee !
Filled with rage, he drew his sword and thrust it through
the heart of the Christian maiden. She fell bathed in
her blood, but her soul was crowned with glory in Heaven.
—Ecclesiastical History.

A young man who witnessed a frightful catastrophe
which happened upon the Versailles Railway in 1842,
relates »the following : u On top of the cars, heaped pell-
mell and burning fiercely, I saw a young woman. She
wa« held by the centre of the body between two cars*
She made useless efforts to extricate herself, and stretched
out imploring hands for aid. She wrung her hands in
anguish, exclaiming, ( Oh, God is punishing me ! Why
am I here ? I ought to have been at Mass P'' It was
Sundaj.—Abbe Mullois.

The Emperor Constantine the Great frequently listen-
ed to the word of God for hours together, sometimes
standing. When the bishop begged of him to sit down
he replied, u It does not seem to me proper to receive sit-
ting the orders of the Sovereign of Heaven and earth."

u I will take vengeance,'7 saith the Lord in Deuter-
onomy, u upon him who will not hearken to the words of
the messenger that speaketh in My name."

If some one wished to tell you the secret of making
money, or of drawing treasures from the earth, would you
not lend him a gracious ear ? Sermons, and religious in-
structions teach you how to gain celestial treasures, and
yet you will not listen.

Exebcises. —What is the best way of sanctifying Sundays and holy
days? Hot must we satisfy the command to hear Mass?THIRD COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

325

[There is one effect of attending church which is seldom noticed. It
is its humanizing influence, as apart from the educational. The homes
of the poor, who make up the larger half of our congregations, are, for
the most part, confined, ill-ventilated, tasteless, desolate, dark and
uninviting. The daily fight to keep the wolf from the door makes
the poor housewife fretsome. Happy if she retain her religious birth-
right ! She comes out of ihe sordid atmosphere of squalor and misery
into some grandiose temple, with its hallowed calm; she gazes on
paintings, statuary, carving; she hears the noblest music, beholds the
sublimest and most imposing ceremonial. What a contrast I When
we consider the demoralizing effects of ugliness ; how gazing upon some
misshapen and tasteless thing, if only upon fetid, weather-stained
tenements, gradually stultifies the intellect and deadens the appre-
ciation of the beautiful, making the beholder satisfied with ugliness,
and satisfied to become ugly in life and conduct himself;—it is not
too mueh to say that the influence of a beautiful church has an in-
direct power in arresting the demoralization of the poor, by breathing
some sweet notes through the discords of their life, and weaving into
the dark web of existence a bright golden thread. ]

CHAPTER III.

The Third Commandment of the Church.

V 0 hateful spell of sin ! when friends are nigh.

To make stern memory tell her tale unsought,
And raise accusing shades of hours gone by,

To come between us and all kindly thought.

'"O turn and be thou turned ! the selfish tear,

In bitter thoughts of low-born care begun,

Let it flow on, but flow refined and clear,

The turbid waters brightening as they run.

"Let it flow on, till all thine earthly heart

In penitential drops has ebbed away,

Then fearless turn where Heaven hath set thy part,
Nor shudder at the eye that saw thee stray.

"O lost and found ! all gentle souls below

Their dearest welcome shall prepare, and prove,

Such joy o'er thee as raptur'd seraphs know,

Who learn their lesson at the thro'iie of love."—Keble.

By this pr&cept the Church enjoins two things. The326	a christian's duty.

first is, to go to confession at least once a year, when we
have reached the age of reason, that is, when we are ca-
pable of discerning between good and evil. The second is
to confess to our own pastor.

By this wise regulation she designed to remedy two
abuses. First} she wished to place bounds to the negli-
gence of bad Christians, who pass several years without
approaching the tribunal of penance. (1) Secondly, she
wished to anticipate the abuses of those who goto a priest
to whom they are unknown, to obtain absolution more
easily, and without being compelled to renounce their sins
and change their lives.

To fulfil the precept of the Church, we must present
ourselves once a year at the tribunal of penance, and
make a humble avowal of all our faults to our own pastor,
or, wTith his permission, to another approved priest.

Although the Church condescends to require only one
confession annually, in order not to repulse those to whom
this duty seems difficult and painful, nevertheless, she
desires us to have recourse to confession much more fre-
quently. This is shown by the words " at least. " Hence,
although it suffices, in order not to transgress the com-
mandment of the Church, to confess once in the year, it is

(1) The word penance (poenitentia) has a variety of meanings. In the
first place, it is used to express a change of mind; as when, without tak-
ing into account the nature of the object, whether good or bad, what was
before pleasing is now become displeasing to us. In this sense, the
Apostle makes use of the word when he applies it to those " whose
sorrow is according to the world, not according to God ; and, therefore,
worketh not salvation, but death." (II. Cor. viii. 10.) In the second
place, it is used to express that sorrow which the sinner conceives for
sin, not, however, for the sake of God, but for his own sake. A third
meaning is when we experience interior sorrow of heart, or give ex-
terior indication of such sorrow, not only on account of the sins which
we have committed, but also, for tjie sake of God alone whom they
offend. To all these sorts of sorrow the word poeyiitentia properly
applies. — Catechism of the Council of Trent.THIRD COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.	327

not enough to respond to her intention and to fulfil her
desire, especially when one has had the misfortune to fall
into mortal sin, God obliges all who feel guilty not to
put off their conversion to Him. We ought therefore to
address ourselves at the earliest moment to some prudent
and enlightened priest, in order to receive the necessary
counsel to aid us to recover. The precept of the Church,
far from dispensing us from this obligation, has only for
object to prevent us from stagnating in sin, which is a
wound in our souls. Now, whenever we receive a wound,
do we put off applying a remedy ? And yet sin is a far
more dangerous malady than any that can happen to the
body. When the latter is attacked by some ailment, do
wre wait a year ere sending for a physician ? But more,
do we not expose ourselves to die in mortal sin by going
without confession nearly all our life ? Besides, experi-
ence proves that confession once a year is not enough to
sustain a Christian life. . Those who limit themselves to
this are nearly always sinners ensnared by bad habits,
or at least lax and indifferent Christians.

To approach the Sacrament of Penance without due
examination of conscience and sincere contrition, is not
to accomplish the Church's precept, but to add a fresh sin
to those of which we are already guilty.

The Church has fixed no precise time for the yearly
confession ; but as in the same canon she enjoins com-
munion at Easter, it is obvious that this confession should
be made so as to serve as a preparation for the* Paschal
communion. It is therefore most suitable to present our-
selves at the tribunal during the early part of Lent, in or-
der to receive the advice of our confessor as to the best
way to prepare for this great act,328

a chkistian's duty.

The Venerable Bede relates that a certain very pious
prince named Conrad had a nobleman at his court to
whom he was very much attached on account of the great
services which he had rendered, but who, despite the en-
treaties of the prince, remained several years without ap-
proaching the tribunal of penance. Having been seized
with a dangerous illness, the king paid him a visit, and
advised him to send for a confessor, but he could obtain
no concession from him. After gazing at his visitor some
time, the unhappy man exclaimed : " There is no longer
time : hell is my portion ! And, after uttering these ter-
rible words, he expired in impenitence and despair.—
" Annals" Boole V.

A certain preacher thus began an instruction upon the
subject of postponing confession:—u My brethren, as I
came here to exercise my ministry, I beheld a most heart-
rending sight. A young man driving rapidly across
the street was upset, and the carriage broken to pieces.
He escaped death, but there was not a single member of
his body which was not convulsed with violent pains.
They gathered round him, pitied him, interested them-
selves in his fate, and spoke of sending for a doctor. 6 A
doctor ! ? he exclaimed, ' a doctor at Easter !7 The
spectators were astonished, and thought he was deranged.
You would be also astonished, my brethren, if I tell you
that this unhappy and insensate man is yourself. In
recklessly traversing the career of vice you have had a
disastrous fall. Your noblest part, the soul, is more than
wounded, it is dead. You are told of an all-potent phy-
sician, not one all-potent in himself, but through the mis-
sion which he has received from God, who is able to re-
store you to life, and you cease not to repeat, 4 Yes; atFOURTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH. 329

Easter I will seek this great physician. 7 How many even
do not place this limit to their delay !y} This comparison
made a lively impression upon the minds of his hearers,
the greater part of whom hastened to approach the tri-
bunal of penance.—Merault.

Exercises.—What is enjoined by this commandment? What is
necessary to its right fulfilment ?

[A remarkable evidence of the great value of confession as a moral
corrective and restraint is seen in the desperate efforts of the Church
of England to restore it after denouncing it for three centuries. It
was found that parental authority, and the authority of preceptors,
was fast becoming a thing of the past. The mock confession which
new so largely obtains among this section of Protestants, is made to
men who have no possible assurance that they have the power to
bind and loose.]

CHAPTER IV.

The Fourth Commandment of the Church.

tl I am not worthy, Holy Lord,

That Thou shouldst come to me 5

Speak but the word ; one gracious word
Can set the sinner free.

•' I am not worthy ; cold and bare
The lodging of my soul ;

How canst Thou deign to enter there ?

Lord, .speak and make me whole !

" I am not worthy ; yet, my God,

How can I say Thee nay ?

Thee, who didst give Thy Flesh and Blood
My ransom-price to pay !

" 0 come ! In this glad Easter hour
Feed me with Food divine ;

And fill with all Thy love and power
This worthless heart of mine."

The Church by her fourth commandment ordains that330

a christian's duty.

all the faithful should reverently receive the Holy Sac-
rament of the Eucharist at Easter, in their own parish
church, and menaces with excommunication those who
neglect this duty.

All the faithful who are judged capable by their pastor
are bound to observe this precept.

The reason which made the Church enjoin this com-
mandment is the indifference of a great number of Chris-
tians for this august sacrament; although Jesus Christ
has said in the plainest manner, "Exceptye eat the Flesh
of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, ye shall not have
life in you/7

The early Christians communicated very often. They
looked upon the Eucharist as the daily bread of God's
children, and knew no sorrow so great as to be% deprived
of it. Later on, when charity waxed cold, men became
estranged from holy Communion, and many Christians had
come to such a pass as to stay away from the Holy Table
for several years. It is to prevent such a great disorder
that the Church exacts from all her children, under se-
vere penalties, that they approach the divine Eucharist at
Easter.

But though she obliges them to come only once a year,
she yet wishes them to approach more frequently, and
especially upon solemn festivals. She herself has de-
clared, in the Council of Trent, that she wishes that the
faithful who assist at each Mass would communicate, in
order more effectually to benefit by the sacrifice.

Thus, in communicating only at Easter, although we
fulfil the bare precept of the Church, we do not carry
out her wishes to their full extent. Indeed, it is difficult
for one Communion a year*to suffice to maintain and pre-
serve the spiritual life of grace,FOURTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH. £>31

We do not comply with the precept by a bad Commun-
ion, since the Church enjoins a holy act, and not a hor-
rible sacrilege.

The Church commands us to communicate holily,
that is, with the requisite dispositions. These dispositions
principally consist in bringing a conscience purified from
all mortal sin. For this reason she permits the Easter
Communion to be delayed for a little time when there are
just and reasonable grounds. There is no more proper
motive for delay than a desire to purify ourselves ; but we
must well understand that this delay must be employed
in preparation, and that we must use every effort to
abridge it ; for, though the regulated time goes by, the
obligation to commune always remains until such time
as it is complied with.

A man who had been a bad Christian went to his parish
priest and announced his intention to fulfil his Easter
duties. "We must obey the Church," said he, u and
it says we must devoutly receive the Blessed Sacrament
at Easter." " So it does," replied the priest; u but remark
well that it says i devoutly/ which means being prop-
erly disposed. Have you the requisite dispositions ?
I very much doubt, because I know you." u You know
me as a free liver," replied his parishioner. " You wish
to make your Easter Communion to-morrow, to obey
the Church ; but there are other commandments of the
Church, for instance, to hear Mass on Sundays; yet
I never see you on Sunday at Mass, nor on festivals,
either. The commandments also say you are to sanctify
the festivals ; yet you work on those days. Again, you
are not to eat flesh on Fridays ; and though you are332

a christian's duty.

in good health? you eat meat at all times. We are
also bidden to fast at the four seasons,(1) on the vigils,
and during Lent. Do you fast at these times V1 He
replied, u I never failed to fast upon Good Friday."
66 But, besides this/' rejoined the priest, u I know that you
get intoxicated three times a week, and so well instruct
your children that they can swear and blaspheme as well
as you can." u Sir," replied the man, UI will tell you
all that in confession. Come and hear me: I wish to re-
ceive my Easter Communion." "I consent to hear your
confession," said the priest, 6C but before receiving your
Easter Communion you must reform."

Exekcises.—What is enjoined by this commandment? What ob»
ject has the Church in making it ? How ought we to approach Com-
munion ?

(1) The ember days. So called because at such times our Saxon
ancestors ate cakes baked upon the embers. They are seasons devo-
ted to ordinations. The vigil is a remnant of a very ancient usage.
It means watching, and relates to the custom of beginning the feaat
upon the evening before. It is derived from the Jews, who count
their day from sunset to sunset. All the offices proper for feasts be-
gin on the eve." THOU SHALT NOT KILL."FIFTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

333

CHAPTER Y.

The Fifth Commandment of the Church.

" Good it is to keep the fast
Shadowed forth in ages past;

"Which our own Almighty Lord
Hallowed by His deed and word.

Moses, while he fasted, saw
God, who gave to him the law ;

To Elias angels came,

Steeds of fire and cars of flame.

So was Daniel meet to gaze
On the sight of latter days,

And the Baptist to proclaim
Blessings through the Bridegroom's name.

Grant us; Lord, like them to be
Oft in prayer and fast with Thee ;

Fill us with Thy heavenly might,

Be our joy and true delight. "

The Church commands us to fast during all Lent, the
vigils of certain solemn feasts, and the three days of each
of the four Ember seasons. The fast consists in taking
only one meal, and in abstaining from certain aliments.

The Lent fast is of the highest antiquity, and comes
even from the Apostles themselves. It was established
in imitation of that of the Lord, and to prepare us to wor-
thily celebrate the great festival of Easter. This fast has
been always more rigorously observed than all others.

Upon ordinary fast-days, we are to take oar repast be-
fore Nones, that is, at three in the afternoon, wrhereas in
Lent we are to remain without eating or drinking until
after the hour of Vespers, that is, until six o'clock.

The first Christians added to this strict fast long pray-
ers, recited even during the night, living in the greatest334

a christian's duty.

retirement, and making abundant alms. But when fervor
diminished, the hour of the meal was advanced to 12
o'clock, and then it was deemed advisable to take some
foixlin the evening, to be able to support the morrow's fast.
The Church tolerates this collation, provided that it is
light, and not to be regarded as a meal, because it is es-
sential to a fast to take only one set repast.

The fast of the four seasons was established to conse-
crate these periods of the year by penance, to drawdown
the Divine blessing upon the fruits of the earth, and to
ask God to bestow good ministers upon His Church • for
it is at these times that those who are destined to the
august functions of the altar receive holy orders.

Vigils are the days preceding the principal festivals.
Formerly, the faithful assembled in church on the eve of
a great festival, and passed a part of the night in prais-
ing God by chanting psalms and the reading of holy books,
as is still done upon Christmas Eve.(l) We fast upon
these occasions to enable us better to keep the feast and
gain more benefit from it.

The obligation of doing penance is imposed upon all
the faithful without exception, but the law of fasting is
less general. We may be dispensed, for example, by
reason of ag3, or infirmities, or too hard work.

(1) The old English name for the festival of the Nativity, Christmas,
is a standing rebuke to the Protestants who still use it, for it is a
testimony to the former ascendency of the Catholic Church, whose
worship moulded even the language of the people. The festival was
named after the supreme act of worship celebrated on the day.
Hence, Christ-mass, the Nativity; Candle-mass, the Purification and
blessing of candles; Michael-mass, St. Michael's Day; Hallow-mass,
All Saints' Day ; Martin-mass ; St. Martin's Day, etc. The French
appellation for the Feast of the Nativity has the same origin. Noel is
the old Norman for nouvelle (tidings); and, indeed, this word is always
pronounced in Brittany short, the u and v being scarcely heard. In
the Gospel for the first Mass of the feast are the words, " I bring you
good tidings."FIFTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

335

In order that there may be no mistake, and to show
a spirit of submission to the Church, all persons who have
attained the age of twenty-one, and deem themselves by
reason of their condition of health, or position, entitled to
a dispensation, ought to explain the same to their pastor
or confessor, whose advice they should faithfully follow ;
for to violate the precept of fasting, without good and suffi-
cient reason, is to sin against God Himself, who commands
us to hear the Church.

We cannot too urgently recommend Christians of all
ages, and notably young folk, to practise some sort of
mortification according to their strength j for it is fitting
that all should join in mind and heart in the penance of
the Church, by making up with some other good work for
the fast which they cannot fulfil.

A bad Christian, very guilty before God, had occasion
to read a book entitled A History of Fasting. He
was much struck at seeing how rigorous were the fasts
of the early Church, and said to himself:—UI call my-
self a Christian, and 1 have never fasted. If I had lived in
the days when the penitential canons were adhered to
literally, to how many years of fasting should I have
bee^L sentenced for the many iniquities of which I have
beenT guilty The first Christians took no collation
upon f&st-days. All abstained from wine, and a great
number contented themselves with bread and water only;
and this sole meal was not partaken of until night. What
he had read, he could not get out of his mind, for it
caused him continually to make fresh reflections. At336

a chpjstian's duty.

last God touched his heart. Filled with a lively sorrow
for his sins, he determined to undergo a rigorous penance.
He entered one of those monasteries where the strictest
silence is maintained, and where they fast continually,
after lying on the bare ground and interrupting sleep to
chant, during the hours of the night, the praises of God.
—Lasausse.

Louis XVI., when twenty years of age, at the end of his
first Lent remarked, u I have got through this without
difficulty, but I shall have more merit next Lent." u How,
sire ? " asked one of the courtiers. u Because this year/?
replied the king, u I have had only the merit of absti-
nence, but next year I shall be twenty-one, and I shall
have the merit of fasting." u Fasting ! It is incompat-
ible with your occupations and exercises. After work,
you go out hunting; and how can you fast without injur-
ing your health ?" " Hunting/7 rejoined the king, u is
a relaxation for me ; but I will change my recreation if
necessary, for pleasure ought to give way to duty." The
following Lent the king hunted, but he fasted at the same
time.

Exercises.—When does the Church command us to fast? Are all
persons obliged to fast ? When are meals to be taken upon fast-days ?
What change is made in Lent m the hour ?.

[The Lent fast is certainly a wonderful instance of the wise pre-
vision of the Church as the nursing mother of the world. It occurs
in spring, a time when the human system is liable to disorders of the
blood which can only be repressed by avoiding meat and all rich
diet. Nature seems to second the Church in this, for, while perform-
ing a pious duty, we are preserving our health. At a period when
all the medical knowledge in the land was confined to one or two
monks in each monastery, it is impossible to say how much sickness
was not averted by the due observance of Lent. The ancient Brev-
iary hymn thus explains how it was formerly kept:

"More sparing therefore let us make
The words 'we speak, the food we eat;

Deny ourselves in mirth and sleep,

In stricter watch our senses keep."SIXTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHUBCH- 337

CHAPTER VI.

The Sixth Commandment of the Ohurch.

(i Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild ;

Forty days and forty nights	M

Tempted, and yet undefiled.

" Shall not we Thy sorrow share,

And from earthly joys abstain,

Fasting with unceasing prayer,

Glad with Thee to suffer pain ? " —Faber.

By this commandment the Church interdicts the use
of meat upon Fridays of each week, in order to enfeeble
our passions by mortifying our bodies. It is also in ex-
piation of our faults, and to encourage in us the spirit of
penance, which Jesus Christ has so much recommended,
and which is an abridgment of His divine morality.

We are sinners, and on this account obliged to do pen-
ance. We are sick, and must labor to be cured. We
all have sins to expiate, and it is by works of mortifi-
cation that we do so, and satisfy the Divine Justice.

We all have passions to curb, and it is only by cutting
off everything that flatters them that they can be over-
come. The Church, which knows'our need of this remedy,
and our repugnance to adopt it, comes to the aid of our
weakness. She has given us an express commandment,
the more surely to test our disposition to obey.

But, besides these general reasons, the Church, in im-
posing the law of abstinence, has particular reasons which
should not be ignored.

Friday has always been for her a day of penance, be-
cause it was upon this day that Jesus Christ died to ran-338

a christian's duty.

som us ; and it is only just that we share in His sufferings if
we would share in the grace of redemption. For this rea-
son, in the first ages of the Church every Friday was a
fast-day.

In some places Saturday is observed as a day of fasting,
in honor of Our Lord's sepulture, and to prepare for the
sanctification of Sunday. Subsequently the fast of Fri-
day and Saturday was reduced to simple abstinence from
the use of flesh, and the Church has made it a law to which
all Christians ought to submit. Children even are not ex-
empted, if they are able to observe it.

Let none be seduced by the evil arguments of the
wicked, who, making a wrong use of the words of Holy Scrip-
ture, tell us that it is not meat which defiles the soul.
No doubt it is not a distinction of aliments that in itself
honors God. But it is not a matter of indifference before
God to obey or disobey the authority which He Himself
has established. It is no indifferent matter before God to
cultivate or extinguish the spirit of penance which He has
Himself so strongly recommended. Let us not imitate
those who without any reason, or upon the slightest pre-
text, allow themselves the use of meat upon days when it
is forbidden. The more this disorder becomes common,
the more we ought to grieve, that we may not be carried
away by the torrent o'f evil example. It is, in a great
many Christians, a certain indication of the weakening of
faith, and indifference to salvation.

In one of the great towns of France, the child of parents
who were strangers to all the practices of religion pre-
pared himself to approach for the first time the Lord's
Table. It was customary in that house to eat meat uponSIXTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

339

all days alike, without distinction. The child, having been
to confession, accused himself of this fault, and his direct-
or thereupon gave him advice as to his conduct in the
future. The child promised to practise it, and the oppor-
tunity was not long in coming. The following Friday, the
table, according to custom, was served with meat. Some
was offered him, which he modestly refused. Being asked
his motive for doing so, he cited the prohibition of the
Church, and showed a desire to confine himself to a sin-
gle piece of bread for his dinner. But the wicked father,
irritated by his son's resistance, roughly ordered him to
leave the table and confine himself to his room until the
next day, without even the piece of bread which he wish-
ed to have. The child obeyed without a murmur or any
token of ill-humor. The mother, however, though as
wicked as her husband, felt moved with compassion, and
carried him something to eat during the afternoon, at the
same time reproaching him for his opposition to his fa-
ther's wishes and her own. What was her surprise to
hear this dear child reply with the most perfect calmness,
u If my papa had ordered me to do anything that I was
able to do, I would have done it directly. It is not from
obstinacy that I refused to obey him. He ordered me to
come here and remain till to-morrow without taking any
food. I can obey him in that without hurting my con-
science, and I cannot accept therefore what you so kindly
bring me."

The mother was quite confused to hear him give utter-
ance to such religious sentiments, and yet so respectful,
and left the room hurriedly to give vent to the tears
which she could no longer restrain. Going straight to her
husband, she repeated the reply which had sq much struck340

a christian's duty.

her. The latter was also filled with admiration, and both
mingled their tears together, convinced that their son was
more reasonable and better far than they. They instantly
went together to seek him. The father embraced him
tenderly, and blamed himself for the unjust harshness with
which he had treated him, and inquired where he had
learned such wise counsels. Upon learning that it was from
his confessor, he hastened to him to express his gratitude
for the care which he had bestowed upon his son, at the
same time begging him to hear his own confession. Both he
and his wife became converted. Happy child, thus to have
opened the eyes of both parents, and recalled them from
their wanderings !—Manguet.

. u At the commencement of the Lent of —said a pious
pastor, u a woman came to me in great grief and request-
ed to speak to me. Being admitted, she remained some
time motionless, and without uttering a word. I invited
her to be seated, but she seemed not to hear me. I in-
sisted, and she only replied with tears. 6 What is the
matter 1 ■ said I; 6 have you some one ill at home V She
hesitated, but at last these words escaped through her
sobs : ' Sir, you have among your penitents a young girl
of fourteen named Adele N—. She is my daughter. How
miserable I am! For six or seven years past her father
and myself have tormented her.' Here the woman stopped
and could not get on further. She sat down, apparently
oppressed with the weight of sorrow and repentance. Be-
ing somewhat recovered, she continued:—i Since that
time there has never been a Friday or Saturday that we
have not covered the poor child with bruises, because she
refused to eat meat on those days. Frequently her father
tied her to the foot of the bed, giving her work, and leav-SIXTH COMMANDMENT OF THE CHURCH.

341

ing beside her but meat and bread. This is what he did
this very morning, and we left the house. When I came
in, I found her sad and dejected, and I felt for her a little.
I do not know what I said to her, but she told me that she
was suffering and ill, and, kneeling down, exclaimed, " I
know that I ought to obey God rather than men, and I
can never promise to do what you demand of me. Still,
I fear to injure you, my dear mother, by resisting you so
long. I ask your pardon, for I can promise you nothing,
or do anything more, except to beg of God to show you
the sin you commit in eating meat yourself, and to bring
you to do penance. I beg of you, mother, to go to confes-
sion and you will see—" She was going to say more, but
I threw myself upon her neck and pressed her in my arms,
promising to follow her counsel. I come, therefore, to
inquire at what hour I shall find you in the church. My
child is still tied up. I wanted to unfasten her, but she said
that her father had tied her up, and he only ought to free
her.7

a This is what the woman said. I admired the child's
courage, and could not but regard the change produced
in the mother as God's reward granted to a perseverance
truly heroic. I have since learnt that almost a similar
scene took place in the evening when the father returned.
He followed his wife's example and also came to confes-
sion. Some time after I asked their child why she had
never told me of the bad treatment she had experienced.
She replied that she did not wish to say any ill of her par-
ents ;• this reply only increased my admiration, and I rec-
ognized the visible signs of the work of grace in this loyal
and innocent soul,"—Explanation of the Dijon Catechism.

A traveller, taking his place at a table d'hote on aFri-342

a christian's bitty.

day, informed the attendant that he would abstain. Some
of the guests smiled, and one bolder than the rest remark-
ed, " Ah, Monsieur abstains !" This was said in a derisive
tone, to which the traveller replied in an equally sarcastic
manner, u And Monsieur eats meat! " "Yes," rejoined
the other, somewhat taken down by the traveller's sarcas-
tic tone, 6i All the worse for you, sir," said the latter.
66 Do you think that a man of honor ought to prefer a beef-
steak to his conscience ? For my part, I prefer my con-
science to a beefsteak.77 The laughers took his side, and,
better than that, one of the guests, turning to him, con-
gratulated him upon his firmness in doing his duty ; add-
ing, u I will not let you be the only one here, for I shall
profit by your manly lesson, for I also am a Catholic.
Waiter, I will abstain too."—Monsignor De Segur.

Exercises.—What is enjoined by this commandment, and why?
What special reason has the Church for selecting Friday as a day of
abstinence ?

[What a contrast there is between the spirit of mortification taught
by the Church and the deification of gluttony and drunkenness
taught in the pagan world ! Their very highest act of worship was a
scene of mad revelry, St. Paul alludes to it in Eph. v. 18, where he
refers to the indecent orgies and scolia (1) of the Greeks. Some of
the most exquisite compositions of the poets were in honor of Bacchus,
and some of the finest fragments of Grecian art celebrate his sensuous
rites. It may be asked if the practical heathenism which is^slowly
creeping over Europe is not exhibiting itself most strongly in its imi-
tation of this most gross custom of paganism. Is not tbe creed of
many, " Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die " ? If a little of
the attention bestowed upon gastronomy were bestowed upon piety,
the conversion of the world would soon take place.]

(1) The Scolia were recitations of indecent songs to the music of a
lute, each singer trying to outvie the other.—See Smith's Classical
Dictionary,OF SIN.

3£3

SECTION XIII.

Of Sin.

" Evil into the mind of mortal man
May come and go, so unapproved, and leave
No spot or blame behind."—Milton (adapted).

"'He that once sins, like him who slides on ice,

Goes swiftly down the slippery ways of vice ;

Though conscience checks him, yet, those rubs gone o'er,
He slides on smoothly and looks back no more."—Dryden.

Sin, which is disobedience to the law of God, is the
greatest of all evils, because it offends God, who is su-
premely good. It is a monstrous ingratitude, for we of-
fend a God who has created us, who preserves us, and
daily loads us with His blessings.

The sinner is a cherished child who outrages a good
Father;—what heinousness ! To understand still better
the enormity of sin, let us consider what it has cost Jesus
Christ to expiate it. This thought is well calculated to
fill us with a lively horror. Behold also the terrible pun-
ishments with which God visits sin ; all the evils spread
abroad upon earth; the miseries of life, its maladies;
death, which are the dire consequences of one sole si»
committed by our first father.

There are two kinds of sin : actual, and original*
Original sin is that which belongs to us at birth. All man-
kind except the Most Blessed Virgin are defiled by this sin.
Actual sin is that which we commit voluntarily, after we
have reached the age of discretion.

Actual sin may be committed in four different ways : by-344

a christian's duty.

thoughts and desires ; by words ; by actions ; and by omis-
sions.

The law of God not only forbids bad actions : it also for-
bids bad thoughts and desires. It not only arrests the
hand and the tongue, but it regulates the mind and heart.
It is in the heart that disobedience begins. The heart is
the source of sin, of which words and actions are only
the external effects.

There are two kinds of actual sin, mortal and venial.
A sin is mortal when the matter is considerable, and
committed with perfect consent. It is venial when the
matter is light, or even if the matter be grave, provided it
is not committed with full consent.

Mortal sin is the greatest of evils. It causes us to lose
sanctifying grace, and our right to the heavenly heritage.
It inflicts death upon the soul by separating it from God,
who is its life, as the soul is the life of the body, and ren-
ders us deserving of eternal condemnation. By the com-
mission of mortal sin we become the slaves of Satan, ene-
mies of God, and the objects of His hatred and eternal
vengeance.

Can there be an evil comparable to this ? What hor-
ror, then, ought we to have of sin, and what care we should
take to avoid it f There is not one of us who ought not
to prefer to suffer rather than commit a single mortal sin.
We should flee from it as from a serpent. Now, if we
met a serpent, and had just fears of being devoured by it,
with what haste should we flee from the spot ! Fright
would cause us instantly to take flight, all the while fear-
ing lest our flight should not be prompt enough. Shall
we do less to save our souls than we do to preserve our
bodies ? If we have the misfortune to fall into mortal sin,OF SIN.

3 45

we ought at once to repent, frequently pronouncing from
the bottom of our heart acts of contrition and love to God>
and prepare ourselves to confess it as soon as possible.

Let us also avoid venial sins with the greatest caution,
that is, those which, though they do not deprive us of
sanctifying grace, yet weaken it. These, though not de-
serving eternal pains, are deserving of temporal punish-
ments. Sins which we look upon as very trifling, are
very great evils, because they offend God. Besides, ve-
nial sins, when they are neglected, insensibly lead to mortal
sins. u He that contemneth small things/' says the Holy
Spirit, " shall fall by little and little.7' Let us never com-
mit a single sin with deliberation and reflection, but rather
avoid, according to the precept of the Apostle, even u the
appearance of evil."

Wise replies of persons to whom sin was proposed.—u By
sinning I should disobey God in order to obey the devil;
what injustice, ingratitude and folly !"—66 How can I do
this wicked thing and sin against God ?" said Joseph to
Potiphar's wife.—ce It is better for me to fall into your
hands and be put to death, than to sin in the sight of the
Lord," said the chaste Susannah.—u We are ready to
die rather than transgress the laws of God," said the el-
dest of the seven Machabees.—u I have in God a master so
great, so good, so liberal, who has never done me anything
but good, from whom I expect an eternal life of glory and
felicity ; and you would have me disobey Him, offend Him,
leave Him, insult Him, and consent to incur His indigna-
tion, wrath pud vengeance."—66 Before committing a sin,
seek out some place where God is not, where He cannot
see you, nor take from you in a moment your life, to plunge346

a christian's duty.

you into hell."—u Begone ! should I not be very foolish
to poison myself in order to taste for a few moments of
the sweetness of the draught which will cause me direct-
ly afterward to suffer bitterly, and render me worthy of
eternal death, a punishment which will infallibly be inflict-
ed, if I do not repent V1—Lasaasse.

Exercises. —What is sin ? In how many ways may actual sin be
committed ? What is the difference between venial and mortal sin ?
What are the consequences of mortal sin ?

[There is a weird German legend of a creature that haunts the
Black Forest, all radiant with youth and loveliness. She lures the
traveller on over terrible hardships until at last he overtakes her, arcl
finds her hollow as a mask ! Such is sin. It deceives us with the
belief that there is enjoyment to be got out of sin, and we go on from
one degree to another till we try all it has to offer,— awaking to the
terrible consciousness that we have " given our eternal jewel to the
common enemy of man." for—nothing !

SECTION XIV.

The Capital Sins.

"Butoh ! that pang where more than madness lies !

The worm that will not sleep and never dies ;

Thought of the gloomy day and ghastly night,

That dreads the darkness, and yet loathes the light ;

That winds around and tears the quivering heart :
Ah ! wherefore not consume it and depart ? "—Byron.

"Let no man trust the first false step

Of guilt; it hangs upon a precipice

Whose steep descent in lost perdition ends."—Young.

All the sins which man can commit are ordinarily re-
duced to seven principal ones, which are called capital,
or deadly, because they are the source and principle of
all other sins.CAPITAL SIftS.

£47

The capital skis are Pride ; Avarice ; Luxury 5 Envy j
Gluttony ; Anger, and Idleness,

A young man traversing a forest had not proceeded
far ere he was attacked by a frightful monster, which had
seven large, serpent-like heads joined to a lion's body.
This animal issued from his cavern, and went straight at
him with his seven heads erect, darting forth his seven
tongues, and making the air resound with horrible shrieks.
The young man, who was strong and courageous, was not
disconcerted at the sight, but awaited him with firmness.
His only weapon was an axe hanging at his side after the
manner of the country. He seized it, and at the first
blow cut off four of the monster's heads, and with a sec-
ond two more. The dragon, weakened by this loss, re-
mained for some time stretched upon the ground. The
traveller, thinking him dead, gut up his weapon, and con-
tinued his journey without cutting off the remaining head.
He had only gone a few paces, when the monster re-
vived, and throwing himself upon him with fury, seized
him with his murderous fangs and dragged him to his
cave, where he devoured him.

Here is the explanation of this parable : 1. The drag-
on represents the seven capital sins, which we must com-
bat courageously with the arms of Faith. 2. It is not
enough to cut off six heads of the monster j if you but
leave him one you are lost. What advantage is there in
being exempt from many passions, if you have one that is
your master ? Frequently it is only a single vice that
damns a man. Examine if, in fighting the infernal lion,
you have not left him one head which is sufficient to de*
vour you. See if in resisting your passions you have not348

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

spared some favorite one, which of itself is enough to
cause your ruin. Your victory is vain if it be not com-
plete. 3. We must persevere unto the end, combat unto
death. Do not grow weary in the conflict. Give your-
self no rest until you have defeated all your enemies ;
otherwise they will overpower you when you feel secure,
and drag you with them into the abyss of hell.— Giraudeau.

Exercises.—What are the seven capital sins ?

[This division of sins into mortal and venial, over which Protestant
controversialists utter such contemptuous things, accusing the Church
of a design to lessen the heinousness of sin, has ever been adopted in
all codes of law which the world has seen. The only difference, for
instance, between the cruel laws of Draco and the humane laws of
America, is the definition of crimes and the punishments awarded to
each. Each lawgiver reserves to himself the right of deciding what
offence is great and what is small, but all agree in making this division.
According to the highest legal authority it is a fundamental principle
of equity. (See Blackstone's "Commentaries") The Judge is the inter-
preter of the law, and decides whether the offence is greater or less, and
what punishment is due to it. This is what the confessor does also ;
so that what Protestants denounce in the moral code of the Church,
is the daily practice of all our courts, and the principle of common
law.]or PRIDfi.

349

CHAPTER I.

Of .Pride.

"In pride, in reasoning pride, our error lies;

All quit their sphere and rush into the skies ;

Pride still is aiming at the blessed abodes,

Men would be angels, angels would be gods.

Aspiring to be gods, the angels fell,

Aspiring to be angels, men rebel;

And who but wishes to invert the laws
Of order, sins against th'Eternal Cause." —Pope.

"The bird that highest mounts and soars
Builds on the ground her lowly nest ;

And she that doth most sweetly sing,

Sings in the shade when all things rest.

In lark and nightingale I see

What honor hath humility." -Procter.

Pride is an inordinate esteem and love for one's self,
whose effect is to regard ourselves above all others, and to
refer everything to ourselves, and nothing to God.

Pride is offensive to God in that we give glory to our-
selves for His gifts, instead of glorifying Him. Hence
spring vanity and the inordinate desire for esteem and
praise.

- A proud man wishes all he does to be admired and ap-
plauded. If he only obtains human approbation he is sat-
isfied, He receives flattery with avidity, and seeks for
it eagerly. He carefully conceals the faults which he
has, and affects the virtues which he has not. He is con-
tinually striving to attract public attention, and to appear
better than he is; hence his contempt for his neighbor.
The exalted opinion which he has of himself and his mer-
its makes him despise others. As he deems himself very350

a chbiistian's duty.

superior to them, he behaves usually toward them with
haughtiness, speaks to them disdainfully, and assumes a
contemptuous air. From this comes disobedience. The
proud man will not submit to the orders of his superiors ;
he receives their advice ill, for all authority is repulsive
to him, and hence his forgetfulness of his true interests.
He totally neglects the care of his soul; his study, his
continual application, is to decorate his body with all the
ornaments of worldliness, and to parade his idol of flesh
and blood in order to attract worshippers.

Decency, and even respect for good morals, are fre-
quently sacrificed, if fashion and custom require it, how-
ever ridiculous it may be. How detestable is this vice !
How carefully we should shun it ! Let us recollect that
pride is odious to God and man, and that God delights to
confound the proud, whereas He giveth grace to the hum-
ble.

Christian humility is the opposite virtue to pride. The
humble man knows the depth of his own misery. He de-
spises himself, and is content to be despised by others.

If we reflect upon what we really are, what subjects
may we not find for humiliation ! Without speaking of
the infirmities of the body,—that body that came from the
dust, to which it is destined soon to return,—if we con-
sider the state of our souls, what do we find ? Ignorance
of mind, corruption of heart, a tendency to evil, an incon-
stancy in good. Of ourselves we possess only nothingness
and sin. If there is anything good and estimable in us,
we owe it to God. The advantages of mind and body,
the gifts of nature and of grace, all come from God. A
man deeply penetrated with this truth is very far from
being puffed up/ or from seeking praise, or coveting vainOF PRIDE.

351

honors. If he finds any good qualities in himself, he
gives God all the glory. Blessed are they that are lowly
in heart, for they shall be filled with the benedictions of
the Lord. Woe to the haughty and presumptuous soul, for
God will cover it with confusion. u If a man esteems him-
self wise, there is more hope of a fool than of him."

Pride will never confess itself in the wrong; hence all
correction angers it. •The proud man is like one tor-
mented with a painful abscess ; you cannot touch it with
the end of a finger without extorting cries of pain.

The proud man resembles a hedgehog. If you see
this animal running, you notice its ears, its feet, its
snout; but approach it and try to seize it, and it becomes
a ball of sharp thorns that wound your hands. In what-
ever way and upon whatever side you approach a proud
man, he is a hedgehog who wounds you.

Proud of a name which he dishonored by his vices, a
certain nobleman tried to humiliate a man of no birth,
but of great merit, by reproaching him with his mean an-
cestry. Far from being irritated, the latter smilingly re-
plied, u If my origin dishonors me, you dishonor yours."
Let us learn to respect virtue wherever we find it, and
never forget that true merit depends upon our works,
and not upon our employ or rank.

Exekcises.—What is pride? What is humility? Is pride easily
cured ?352

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER II.

Of Avarice,

"The love of gold, that meanest rage,

The latest folly of man's sinking age,

Which, rarely venturing in the van of life
While nobler passions wage 4heir heated strife,

Comes skulking last with selfishness and fear,

And dies collecting lumber in the rear."— Moore,

" Why lose we life in anxious cares
To lay in hoards for future years ?

Can these, when tortured by disease,

Cheer our sick heart or purchase ease
Can these prolong one gasp of breath,

Or calm the troubled hour of death ?"—Gay.

Avarice is an inordinate attachment to the things of
this life.

It is no sin to possess riches, but it is to fix our hearts
upon them, to seek them eagerly, to place our happiness
in their possession, and to employ unjust means to acquire
them. Avarice produces forgetfulness of God, by prompt-
ing men to make an object of worship of their wealth.
It is for this reason chat St. Paul calls avarice an idolatry.

We become indifferent to our salvation when we dwell
so anxiously upon our fortune* We are little moved by
the desire and hope of gaining eternal goods when we are
so strongly occupied in amassing temporal goods. It
is to be feared that one may cease to' be a Christian alto-
gether when he has a passion for becoming rich. This is
what the Apostle would have us understand when he says :
" Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, and
find themselves taken in the snare of the devil, and areOF AVARICE.

35a

carried away by many useless and hurtful desires, which
hurry them to death and destruction."

Avarice produces hardness toward the poor. A man
attached to his riches is insensible to the needs of the
poor. He is a stranger to the feeling of pity.

More than this, the miser forgets himself. He be-
comes insensible to his own necessities, preferring his
money to his health, or life itself, denying himself com-
mon necessaries for fear of diminishing his treasures.
He accumulates wealth (1) without using it, is poor in
the midst of his riches, and wants for everything in the
midst of abundance. What folly !

This vice also produces duplicity. To obtain the
goods of others which he covets, the miser employs lying,
fraud, and injustice. No one is more unjust than he who
loves money. u Such a man," says the Scripture, " setteth
even his own soul to sale." Once dominated by this
passion, a man no longer considers good faith, honor, or
conscience. He becomes unjust, violent—a knave, who
employs any means, even the most criminal, to swell the
hoard upon which lie has set his heart.

And what is still more deplorable is that this passion
strengthens with age. Reflection and increasing years
will weaken other passions, but avarice seems to revive
and gain new strength by age. The nearer a miser ap-
proaches to the fatal bound where he must leave all behind,
the more he clings to his miserable treasures. The nearer
the approach of death, the more he clings to his money,

(1) " Wealth.'" This word is no longer used in its original signifi-
cation. It is now employed almost exclusively for rich.es, as ' 'a wealthy
man." Formerly it meant welfare, as also did weal. It is so used in
Chaucer and Spenser. It was customary to wish a person '4 health
and wealth." It is retained in " Commonwealth," the welfare of all,
or the general interest.354

a christian's duty.

and the more he guards it as a precaution against a chi-
merical future. u Thou fool ! " says Our Lord in the Gos-
pel, uthis night do they require thy soul of thee." He
leaves his wealth to others and there only remain to him
a shroud and a grave !

Let us guard ourselves well against a passion so un-
reasonable and dangerous. Instructed in the school of
Jesus Christ, let us not seek to lay up 66 treasures upon
earth, where moth and rust corrupteth, and where thieves
break through and steal; " but let us labor to u lay up
treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt-
eth, and where thieves do not break through nor steal/'

Let us strive to acquire the opposite virtue to avarice.
This virtue is a Christian detachment from this world's
goods, whether in poverty or in opulence.

If we are poor, let us not envy those who are rich, nor
desire to become so ourselves. These frail and perishable
things only serve to irritate our desires without satisfy-
ing them. The righteous is happier with the little which
he possesses, than the wicked with his great riches. u Fear
not, my son," said the saintly Tobias to his stin ; u we lead
indeed a poor life ; but we shall have many good things if
we fear God." Having food and raiment, we ought to be
content. So, let those who have riches reflect that they
will carry nothing away with them into the other world,
and thus pour them into the bosom of the poor, that by
this means they may gain an imperishable treasure.

There is a very singular story told of a miser, with a
very . tragic conclusion. This man, possessed with the
demon of avarice, thought of nothing but accumulating
riches. Fearing lest his wealth might be stolen, he hadOF AYABIOE.

355

constructed in his cellar a subterranean cavity, wij;h an
iron door, so disguised that none could perceive it. When-
ever he had received money he carried it thither, and
contemplated at leisure the silver and gold which he made
his god. One day he bore a very large sum to this
sombre hiding-place, and, closing the door hastily behind
him, forgot to take out the key. He began to count his
mass of treasure, and, after doing so, prepared to leave ;
but to his horror he found he had shut himself in, for the
door would not open from the inside. We can imagine
his fearful position at this moment. It seems that he
cried for help, and knocked frantically for a long time ; but
who would think of looking for him in such a place ?

Still, his sudden disappearance alarmed his family, who
searched for him on all sides without learning anything.
It was thought that he had been drowned, or assassinated,
or had perished in some other way. Meanwhile, a lock-
smith who heard of the circumstances, remembered that
the miser had ordered him to make secretly an iron door
with a spring-lock, and possibly he had accidentally shut
himself in. He communicated this information to the
family, whom he led to the spot where he had made the
secret door. They opened it, and were horrified to find
the body of the miser entirely devoured by worms ! The
whole thing was then cleared up. Search was made, and
immense accumulations of treasure found,—real treasures
of wrath and malediction before God !— Baudrand.

Exeecises.—What is avarice? What are its effects upon the soul?
What virtue is opposed to avarice ?

[Moliere has exposed, with all his sarcastic wit, the miserably debas-
ing influences of avarice in L'Avare ; and Longfellow has well narrated
an occurrence similar to the one in the preceding example:

" As in at the gate we rode,behold,

A tower that is called the Tower of Gold !356

a christian's duty.

For there the Kalif had hidden his wealth,

% Heaped and hoarded and piled on high,

Like sacks of wheat in a granary ;

And thither the miser crept by stealth.

To feel of the gold that gave him health,

And to gaze and gloat with his hungry eye
On jewels that gleamed like a glowworm's spark,

Or the eyes of a panther in the dark.

" I said to the Kalif: ' Thou art old;

Thou hast no need ot so much gold;

Thou shouldst not have heaped and hidden it here,

Till the breath of battle was hot and near,

Bat have sown through the land these useless hoards,

To spring into shining, blades of swords,

And keep thy honor sweet and clear.

These grains of gold are not grains of wheat.

These bars of silver thou canst not eat;

These jewels and pearls and precious stones

Cannot cure the aches in thy bones,

Nor keep the feet of Death one hour

From climbing the stairway of thy tower !'

Then into his dungeon I locked the drone,

And left him to feed there all alone

In the honey-cells of his golden hive.

Never a prayer, nor a cry, nor a groan

Was heard from those massive walls of stone,

Nor again was the Kalif seen alive !

" When at last we unlocked the door,

We found him dead upon the floor ;

The rings had dropped from his withered hands,

His teeth were like bones in the desert sands ;

Still clutching his treasure he had died."

— Tales of a Wayside Inn.

[Tithes are commonly defined as 4' the tenth part of all fruits and prof-
its justly acquired, owed to God in recognition of His supreme do-
minion over man, and to be paid to the ministers of the Church."
They were paid by Abram, vowed by Jacob, and regulated by the Mo-
saic law. In the early Christian ages the free-will offerings of the faith-
ful supplied what was necessary both for the Divine-worship and the
support of the clergy : but as the conversion of the Western nations
proceeded, a more permanent provision was seen to be necessary.
In a canon of the Second Council of Macon (585) occurs the first ex-
press mention of the Christian obligation of paying tithes. They began
to be generally rendered in the eighth century, not earlier. Many
authors, both Catholic and Protestant, have imagined that the propor-
tion itself of one in ten was fixed by a Divine precept for ever : but
Cardinal Soglia speaks of the tithe as " a certain part, not the tenth
part; for it is sometimes greater, sometimes smaller, according to
the customs of different places."OF LUXURY.

357

The law of tithes can never be abrogated by prescription or custom,
if the ministers of the Church have no suitable and sufficient provi-
sion from other sources ; because then the natural and Divine law,
which can neither be antiquated nor abrogated, commands that the
tithe be paid.—Catholic Dictionary,—Addis and Arnold.]

CHAPTER III.

Of Luxury.

(i O luxury ! thou cursed by Heaven's decree,

How ill exchanged are things like these for thee !

How do thy potions, with insidious joy,

Diffuse their pleasures only to destroy! "—Goldsmith.

"But if indeed with reckless faith
"We trust the flattering voice

"Which whispers, 'Take thy fill ere death,

Indulge thee and rejoice

" Too surely every "setting day
Some lost delight we mourn ;

The flowers all die along our way,

Till we too die forlorn.

" Such is the world's gay, garish feast,

In her first charming bowl

Infusing all that fires the breast,

And cheats th' unstable soul.

'' And still, as loud the revel swells,

The fevered pulse beats higher ;

Till the sear'd taste from foulest wells
Is fain to slake its fire."

Luxury is a criminal affection for pleasures contrary
to Christian chastity.

Nothing is more unworthy of a man than this vice,
nothing more opposed to the holiness of our vocation. It
ought not to be even named among Christians. To think358

a christian's duty.

of this vice with the horror which it merits, we have
only to think of the ravages which it produces.

It incurs the hatred of God, estrangement from the du-
ties of religion, hardness of heart, the ruin of society, and
speedily brings to the grave those who indulge in it.

A man given over to this vice cannot be unaware that
God holds him in detestation. Hence, he can only look
upon Him as a severe avenger of the excesses which this
vice causes him to commit. He conceives in his heart
an aversion for Him who will one day punish him rigor-
ously. The exercises of religion cannot go hand in hand
with this vice, when once we have abandoned ourselves
to it. Prayer becomes wearisome, and is neglected. The
word of God condemns, and we cease to hear it. To ap-
proach the sacraments we must renounce this vice, so we
give them up.

By stifling thus the pleadings of conscience we fall
into a state of torpor, that is, insensibility, when nothing
will move us. We are blind to our duties, to our repu-
tation, to our health. We forget all our interests, and
listen to neither remonstrance nor advice, thinking only
how to gratify passion at any price. We fear nothing but
what will disturb the enjoyment of these criminal pleasures.
Hence springs that horror of death which torments the
voluptuary, because it will separate him from that which
lie loves, and force him to appear before the formidable
Judgment-seat of God!

Let us, then, detest so disastrous a vice. By God's
grace, let us try to root ourselves more firmly in the op-
posite virtue, Christian chastity, which will rule us, as re-
gards purity, according to the state in which Providence
has placed us. This beautiful virtue will render us likeOF LUXUBY.

859

unto the angels themselves. It is infinitely acceptable
to God, and He has often rewarded it in a magnificent
manner even in this life. Our Lord promises Heaven
to those who practise it: u Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God." To preserve this virtue, which
is exposed to many dangers, there are two methods, which
Jesus Christ Himself has taught us in the Gospel,—vigi-
lance and prayer. u Watch and pray/' said He, u that
ye enter not into temptation."

Watch over yourselves. This is a precaution against
whatever may assail this precious virtue. Watch over
the eyes, that they may never dwell upon any dangerous
object; watch over the ears, that they may not hear
any dangerous discourse; watch over the mind, that
it may chase away every thought and idea contrary to
purity; watch over the heart, stifling all evil desires
the very instant that they suggest themselves.

u Immediately/7 says St. Bernard, " that a bad thought
rises in your mind, reject it energetically, and it will
leave you; but if you dwell upon it, this image will pro-
duce in your mind a pleasure which is injurious to inno-
cence. This pleasure will lead to consent, consent to
action, action to habit, habit to necessity, necessity to
death eternal! " By instantly rejecting with all our
might every dangerous thought, we avoid this fearful con-
catenation of misfortunes.

Secondly, we must have recourse to prayer at the
very first motions of this passion, exclaiming like the
Apostles, 66 Lord, save me or I shall perish ! ?? Do not
wait until you are tempted ere you go to God. Pray
often and fervently either that He will preserve you from
these temptations, or give you the strength to overcome360	a cheistian's duty.

them. Ask also the aid of the Most Blessed Virgin, of
your angel guardian, and your patron saints. If you
faithfully practise this, you may be confident of gaining
the victory, and even gain advantage from the tempta-
tion by becoming more strongly rooted in virtue.

There was in a certain French town a student who
justly passed for a model of virtue, frequenting the sac-
raments in a most edifying manner. Going one Sunday
to church to perform his ordinary devotions, he met two
companions who were by no means so pious as himself.
They invited him to lunch with them at a neighboring
tavern, which he at first refused, but finally, overcome by
their persistency, consented. At table, he drank, at first
constrainedly, then with pleasure ; his reason was insensi-
bly overcome, and in this state he fell into a horrible
crime, and was struck dead in the act !

How terrible are thy judgments, O God ! How inscru-
table Thy ways ! The unhappy companions of this mis-
erable man, seized with terror, at once began to expiate
by severe penance the evil, scarcely to be atoned for, of
having plunged a soul into hell!

Exercises.—What is luxury ? What are the effects of this vice ?
How may we guard against it?

[Drunkenness is found a constant ally of the sin of impurity. The
statistics of large cities conclusively prove this. There is about
both vices a fatal adhesiveness, so to speak, which makes it terribly
hard for even a converted man to keep his thoughts pure. Im-SAUL THE ENVIOUS KING.OF ENYY.

261

purity was originally represented by the story of Circe, whose en-
chanted draught turned men to swine :

"Who knows not Circe,

The daughter of the Sun, whose charmed cup
Whoever tasted lost his upright shape,

And downward fell into a grovelling swine ?

He offers to each weary traveller
His orient liquor in a crystal glass,

To quench the drought of Phoebus, which, as they taste
(For most do taste through fond, intemperate thirst),
Soon as the potion works, their human countenance,
The express resemblance of the gods, is changed

Into some brutish form;.........

And they, so perfect is their misery,

Not once perceive their foul disfigurement,

But boast themselves more comely than before;

And all their friends and native home forget,

To roll with pleasure in a sensual sty."—Milton, " Comus
An apt portraiture of the degrading effects of impurity on soul and
body.]

CHAPTER IV.

Of Envy.

"All human virtue, to its latest breath,

Finds envy never conquer'd but by death :

The great Alcides, every labor past,

Had still this monster to subdue at last. "—Pope.

" High stations tumults, but not bliss create ;

None think the great unhappy but the great!
•	Fools gaze and envy ; Envy darts a sting

Which makes a swain as wretched as a king."—Young.

Envy is" a criminal sadness produced by another's
good.

The envious man is hurt by another's merit. He can-
not bear to be surpassed or even equalled. He is vexed,
at beholding in them the talents and virtues which he
does not possess himself, or which he would possess.alone.,362

a christian's duty.

If the sight of the advantages of others only prompted
him to imitate them, it would no longer be envy, but a
noble emulation. But this is'a feeling unknown to the
envious. He desires less to acquire these estimable qual-
ities himself than to see others deprived of them. He re-
gards the good which happens them as an evil done to
himself. Their success is his loss, their reputation, a
stain upon his own. This unhappy disposition of heart
is like a gnawing worm. It is a poison, consuming in
secret. The man becomes his own torturer. How low
and hateful is this vice ! How baneful are its consequen-
ces !

The first effect of envy is the joy caused by the mis-
fortunes of others. If those whom a man envies fall
into disgrace, he rejoices. He triumphs at their fall, and
feels a malignant pleasure in seeing them humiliated, al-
though probably those whom he treats so unworthily have
done him no harm. A vindictive man will only attack
his enemies, those from whom he has received or thinks
he has received some bad turn ; but the envious hates
those against whom he has nothing to reproach but their
virtues. Their sole crime is having too much merit and
ability. What a monster ! Is the heart of man capable
of such blackness ?

The second effect of envy is detraction and calumny.
The envious tries to obscure the reputation of those at
whose merits he is hurt. As far as he can, he weakens
the good that is said of them. He gives malignant in-
terpretations to all their actions. He turns their purest vir-
tues into vices. In his eyes, their piety is but dissimulation
and hypocrisy, their success but the result of chance, and
not of their talents.OF ENVY.

363

The third effect of envy is the effort to injure our neigh-
bor. From words the envious man gets to deeds. He
thwarts his plans, employs all sorts of means to annoy him.,
to hinder him from obtaining what he wishes, or to de-
prive him of that which he already possesses. Some-
times this leads a man on to still greater excesses, and
to the utmost violence. It was from envy that Cain slew
his brother ; it was envy that inspired Joseph's brethren
with the design first to kill him, and then to sell him for a
slave ) it was envy that led the Pharisees and doctors (1)
of the law to calumniate, persecute, and finally to
crucify the Son of God Himself.

Never, then, open your heart to this detestable vice.
Let us make every effort to acquire the opposite virtue,
that is, a Christian affection which will make us alive to
the happiness or misfortune of our neighbor in the sight
of God, and the salvation of our brethren.

This affection is none other than charity. He whom
charity animates takes part in all that happens to -his
brethren. He rejoices with them in their joy, he is afflict-
ed when they suffer. He shares with them the good
and the evil which they experience, feeling the one and
the other as though they had happened to himself.

(1) 11 Doctors.'" A word very much abused, being frequently applied

to medical practitioners who are not doctors of medicine, and grad-
ually coming to be applied-to such exclusively. In Theology it is
always used in its primary sense, according to its Latin root, to ieach.
Whether it be in law, science, medicine, or divinity, a doctor is first
of all a teacher, one supposed to be competent to teach the science in
which he has graduated. This is the sole sense of the word in Holy
Scripture. It should be borne in mind that the value of such a degree
greatly depends upon the status of the university conferring it.364

a christian's duty.

There lived in a certain town two merchants, neighbors,
who were jealous of each other, and dwelt in scandalous
enmity. One of them came to himself listening to the voice
of religion, which condemns such resentments. He con-
sulted a pious person who was in his confidence as to how
he should act in order to recover himself. His friend re-
plied :—" The best way is that which I will point out to
you. Whenever any person comes to your store to buy an
article which you have not in stock, advise him to go to
your neighbor." He did so. TJie other merchant, find-
ing out where these customers came from, became aware
of the good offices of a man whom he regarded as his
enemy. He went and thanked him, asking pardon for
the hatred which he had borne toward him and begging him
to receive him among the number of his friends. His re-
quest was granted, and religion joined those together in
amity whom interest and jealousy had separated.—Lect.
Chretiennes.

Exekcises.—What is it to be envious? What is the opposite virtue
to envy ? What are the effects of envy ? Mention some examples of
envy in the Holy Bible—three in the Old, two in the New Testament.OF GLUTTONY.

365

CHAPTER Y.

Of Gluttony.

" Some, as thou sawest, by violent stroke shall die,

By fire, flood, famine, by intemperance more,

In meats and drinks, which on.the earth shall bring
Diseases dire; of which a monstrous crew
Before thee shall appear."—Milton.

"Nor need we tell what anxious cares attend
The turbulent mirth of wine, nor all the kinds
Of maladies that lead to death's grim cave,

Wrought by intemperance."—Dryden,

" Every inordinate cup
Is unblessed, and th' ingredient is a devil.

O thou invisible spirit of wine,

If thou hast no name to be known by,

Let us call thee devil!"—Shakespeare.

Gluttony is an inordinate love of eating and drinking.
It is not forbidden to feel pleasure in eating and drink-
ing. It is by this wise arrangement that God has sea-
soned with an agreeable feeling the use of those aliments
which are necessary to our life and health. But we abuse
this benefit when we seek pleasure only.

We must eat and drink to live, and not to flatter sen-
suality. Our motive in performing this act should be to
satisfy our necessities, in order that we may be able to do
our duties and to serve God. According to the saying
of the Apostle, u Whether ye eat or drink, do all to the
glory of God."

To 'carry out this lesson of St. Paul, we must not at our
meala merely think of satisfying the body, but of comply-
ing with God's institution for preserving our lives.366

a christian's duty.

To seek only to gratify the senses is gluttony. It is
a vice unworthy of man ; it weighs down the soul, bru-
talizes the mind, ruins health, and shortens life.

u Gluttony kills more men than the sword,,says ail
ancient writer. It produces drunkenness and excess in
eating and drinking. This detestable vice degrades a
man, renders him vile, and beneath the level of the brute.
Hence, decent people are not addicted to this coarse vice,,
since education arid proper feeling are sufficient to guard
against it.

It produces sensuality, consisting in seeking out exquisite
and delicate viands, or taking things which we know are
injurious to health, because they flatter the palate, or to
eat with avidity of ordinary dishes. / How shameful for a
reasonable man to allow himself to be dominated by sen-
suality, instead of repressing its motions !

Gluttony further produces contempt for the laws of the
Church. When one is addicted to this vice, he is scarce-
ly disposed to practise the fasts and abstinences which she
ordains. He does not know what it is to mortify himself.
The law prescribing certain privations appears to him an
intolerable yoke, and he seeks some pretext to evade it,
and so he not only violates the principle of fasting, but
uses without scruple forbidden meats.

In short, gluttony produces dissension; it is in the
womb of intemperance that quarrels, hastiness and violence
are conceived. We have in the Scriptures a very strik-
ing picture drawn by the Holy Ghost Himself in these
words :—u Who hath wqe % Whose father hath woe ?
Who hath contentions % Who falleth into pits f W ho
hath wounds without cause ? Who hath redness of eyes ?
Surely they that pass their time in wine and study to
drink off their cups/'OF GLUTTONY.

367

We should therefore have a lively horror of this vice,
so unworthy of a man, much more of a Christian.

Let us practise Christian sobriety in our meals. This
virtue will regulate our eating and drinking according to
our requirements, rendering the body more robust and
prolonging life. Let us watch greatly over ourselves, in
order not to overstep the bounds of necessity in an act
which of itself tends to satisfy nature.

A Christian looks upon food as a remedy. He listens
neither to avidity nor sensuality. He avoids fastidious-
ness and the research of that which flatters the senses.
In a word, he tries to imitate Jesus Christ, who conde-
scended to submit to this humiliating act in order to give
us an example. He has always before his mind that sal-
utary advice which He has given us, u Take heed to your-
selves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with sur-
feiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and
the day of the Lord come upon you unawares." The
most proper means to recall the rules of sobriety, and to
give us strength to carry them out, is piously to repeat the
grace before and after meals. We shall thus draw down
upon us the blessing of God, and obtain grace not to offend
Him.

If you water the best-land immeasurably, it will change
into a marsh, whence will arise mischievous exhalations.
It is the same with the body. If you feed it too well it
will resemble a marsh, producing the pernicious exhala-
tions of sensuality.—-Lohner.

In the same way that clouds obscure the heavens, so
doth a too-plentiful repast obscure the soul. As tempests368

a christian's duty.

throw the elements into disorder, so the immoderate use
of aliments brings trouble to the stomach. As tl e waves
destroy the vessel, so doth drunkenness destroy the soul—
Si Chrysostom.

Too much water overturns the 'mill, and too much,
food and drink ruins the human body. Maintain, then, a
severe sobriety in eating and drinking.—Munch.

Your-stomach is a horse which carries all your bag-
gage. With wise management he can carry you far ;
but if you overload him, and give him no rest, he will
leave your baggage on the road.—Simon de Nantna.

A Persian king sent to the Calif to demand a clever
physician. The Calif hastened to comply with the re-
quest, and the physician on his arrival inquired how they
lived at court. JThey replied, u We eat only when w«
feel hungry, and never completely satisfy ourselves.'' u In
that case," rejoined the doctor, "I have nothing to do
here.??—Did. $ Education.

In the category of crimes of disorder and excess, per-
haps there is nothing so horrible and so tragic as that
which happened to a young man in Africa in the Uxm of
St. Augustine. This young man was named Cyril, and
was extremely given to drink, passing much of his life in
taverns with companions as debauched as himself. One
day that he had given way to all the excesses of intem-
perance and passion, he returned home and stabbed one
of his sisters. The father, alarmed at her cries, hastened
to her aidj and his son, rendered more infuriate, stained
his hands in the blood of him who had given him life, and
murdered his father. Another sister, who tried to defend
her father, and snatch him from the hands of this exe-
crable monster^ was also stabbed !OF GLUTTONY.

869

What crimes, what horrors, committed by one man in
a single day ! St. Augustine was speedily informed of
this dire event, and, although he had already preached
twice that day, he reassembled the people, and, ascending
the pulpit, with tears in his eyes and sighs in his heart
he communicated to his hearers the horrors which had
just been perpetrated by this son, unworthy of ever be-
holding the light. As soon as they heard the story, the
whole assembly lifted up most lamentable cries and groans.
They could not understand how a man could commit so
many and such crimes. They feared that the vengeance
and lightnings of Heaven would descend upon the town
which had produced such a monster. Saint Augustine
profited by the occasion to point out to what excesses an
unhappy passion might lead one. His tears and sobs said
more than the words of his discourse.—Belated by St
Augustine.

Exeecises.—What is gluttony ? Wherein differs the enjoyment of
eating and drinking from gluttony ? What are the effects of gluttony ?
How may gluttony be avoided ? Strive to recall four Jewish sover-
eigns, three famous generals of ancient times, who were victims of in-
temperance. Relate the history of Holofernes and his last drunken
orgy.370

a christian's duty.

CH APTER VI.

Of Anger.

" Of Jill bad things with which mankind are cursed,

Their own bad tempers surely are the worst,,J

" Full many mischiefs follow cruel wrath,

Abhorred bloodshed and tumultuous strife,

Unmanly murder, arid unthrifty scath,'*

—Spenser,

" Patience is more ofi the exercise

Of saints, the trial of their fortitude,

Making them each his own deliverer,

And victor over all

That tyranny or fortune can inflict;

For many are the sayings of the wise	%

Extolling patience as the truest fortitude."

—Milton,

There is a righteous anger aroused by our zeal to
strongly reprove those whom our mildness has been un-
able to correct, Sucfi is the anger of a father, or a mas-
ter? on beholding disorders which he is compelled to
prevent. Our Saviour Himself was stirred with .this
anger when He chased out of the Temple those who pro-
faned its sanctity. But the anger which is a mortal sin
is far different. It is an impetuous emotion of the soul,
leading us violently to repel thatN which displeases us.
It proceeds from a bad principle, and is the effect of a
passion reigning in the heart when meeting with ob-
stacles.

A proud man is angry with whatever hurts his vanity,
A miser is irritated whenever anything opposes hisOF ANGER.

371

money-getting projects. A voluptuary is indignant when
his pleasures are thwarted. This kind of anger is neither
according to Grod nor right reason. It brings trouble to the
soul, and the disorder it produces is depicted on the
countenance and the whole exterior of the man who gives
way to it. His eyes are inflamed, his voice broken, his
body trembling.

An angry man ho longer knows himself, and respects
nothing; hence the injuries which he vomits forth
against those who are the objects of his wrath. The
venom flows from his mouth in full streams. The most
atrocious slanders, the blackest calumnies, are employed
to lacerate thern, accompanied by imprecations upon
himself. Frequently his blind fury fills his mouth with
horrible blasphemies, for nothing is sacred to his wicked
tongue. Subsequently he is guilty of the utmost vio-
lence, for the most revolting cruelties scarcely suffice to
satisfy his vengeance, or appease his rage. These are
some of the baneful effects of this terrible passion.

We must therefore accustom ourselves to master its
very first emotions, and refrain from speaking when we
are aroused. We must also practise Christian meek-
ness.

This virtue will enable us to support all contradictions
that may occur, as in God's sight. It will repress all
the lively sallies that,jmger may prompt; it enables us
to show no sign of impatience or sourness, nor allow any
complaint or bitter word to escape us. We shall always
have a decent and modest air, especially toward certain
difficult tempers, whom we shall try to win by dint of
complacency.372

a christian's duty.

The meek and patient man is happy ; he pleases God.
and man. The wrathful man is unhappy, detested by God,
and accursed. Men also detest him, fly from him, and
curse him. He tortures himself, and becomes his own
hell, being also that of others. The lime bubbles up
when we pour a little water over it. It is the same with
an angry man if you offend him the lea^t thing in the
world. Beware of anger ; for as the lime, when it boils,
crumbles and falls, so the irascible man ruins his health,
and frequently digs his own grave.—Munch.

Rufinus relates that a certain solitary, feeling frequent-
ly moved to anger in his monastery, said to himself,
u I will go into the desert, that, having no person there
with whom I can have differences, I may no longer be
exposed to get angry." Having therefore retired to the
desert, he took up his abode in a cave. One day, when
he was congratulating himself upon having escaped all
occasion of wrath, it happened that his pitcher, which he
had just filled with water, from want of precaution was
upset three times running, which so annoyed him that
he seized it and broke it to pieces. As soon as he had
recovered himself he exclaimed, " The demon of arjger
has deceived me, for, although I am alone, herd(^s |i0 fail
to overcome me; and since our passions accompany us
everywhere, and have always to #be fought against, I
will return to the monastery."—Lives of the Desert Fa-
thers.

Plutarch advises a wrathful man to look at himself in
a mirror. On discovering that his appearance and ac-
tions resemble those of a lunatic, he will take an aversionOF SLOTH.

373

to anger and avoid it. We become entirely mad when
we get into a passion. (1)

Exekcises.—What is the difference between a righteous anger and
sinful anger? What are the consequences of sinful anger? What are
the effects of Christian meekness ?

CHAPTER VII.

Of Sloth.

" What is man,

If his chief good and market, of his time
Be but to sleep and feed ? A beast, no more.

Sure He that made us with such large discourse
Looking before and after, gave us not
That capability and godlike reason
To rust in us unused."—Shakespeare.

" What are we set on earth for ? Say, to toil:

Nor seek to leave thy tending of the vines,

For all the heat o' the day, till it declines,

And death's mild curfew shall from work assoil.

God did anoint thee with His odorous oil
To wrestle, not to reign.

So others shall

Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand
From thy hand and thy heart and thy brave cheer,
And God's grace fructify through them all.

The least flower with a brimming cup may stand,
And share its dewdrop with another near. "—Mrs. Browning.

Sloth-is a cowardly and voluntary disgust for work which

(1) The Romans embodied this into a pithy proverb, " Ira brevis
furor est." Shakespeare very finely depicts it :

" Anger is like
A full, hot horse, who, being allowed his way,

Self-mettle tires him ;

Being once chafed, he cannot
Be reined again to temperance ; then he speaks
What's in his heart."37 4

a christian's duty.

induces us to neglect our duties rather than make an ef-
fort.

There is no sin or irregularity to which sloth may not
lead, because it plunges the heart into a state of torpor and
weakness which hinders it from resisting evil inclinations,
It is generally called the mother of vices. -Those which
are most directly begotten of it are idleness and loss of time.
A slothful man passes his days, his months, his years, in
doing nothing, or in frivolous amusements. He neglects
the duties of religion, prayer is entirely omitted, or done
in a slovenly way, the sacraments are abandoned or re-
ceived without necessary preparations ; nor does he dis-
charge his social duties any better.

A young man addicted to sloth does not profit by the
education which is given him ; he does nothing that is set
down for him, or does it badly, without attention or appli-
cation. Hence, his mind is not cultivated, nor his mem-
ory exercised, and he quits the school or college almost as
ignorant as he entered it.

What happens ? If he obtains an important engage-
ment, requiring extensive knowledge and mformation, he
discharges it ill His ignorance display s itself, his inca-
pacity is recognized, and he falls into supreme contempt.
Useless regrets foliowr but it is too late : the loss is irrepa-
rable.	*

The second vice born of sloth is pusillanimity. The
slothful has not energy enough to undertake the smallest
thing, however easy. He is stopped by the-least obstacle ;
everything appears to him impossible, because he is un-
willing to make any effort. " Woe/; says the Scripture,
u to him that lacketh heart! " Sloth also produces incon-
stancy. If he should form a desire to correct himself, itOF SLOTH.

375

is weak, and lasts only a short time. u Desires kill the
slothful," says the Scripture ; "he willeth and he wille'th
not." He wishes one thing. to-day and another thing
to-morrow ; to-day he means well, but to-morrow he has
changed his mind.

Hence arises that lukewarmness which everywhere ac-
companies him, that is, a languor of heart which has no
taste whatever for duty. Hence that insensibility which
makes him deaf to the remonstrances and exhortations of
those who would rouse him from his stupor. Nothing
moves him, nothing touches him, neither reproaches nor
the good example placed before his eyes. What sins
abound in this cowardly and indolent soul ! The Scriptures
compare it to an uncultivated and abandoned waste : "I
passed by the field of the slothful man, and behold it was
all filled with nettles, and thorns had covered the face
thereof, and the stone wall was broken down." Lis-
ten also to the word of God which He Himself addresses
to the slothful in the Book of Proverbs : 66 Go to the ant,
thou sluggard ; consider her ways and learn wisdom ;
which, although she hath no guide, nor master, nor cap-
tain, provideth her meat for herself in the summer, and
gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou
sleep, 0 sluggard ? When wilt thou rise out of thy sleep ?
Thou wilt sleep a little,^ thou wilt fold thy hands a little to
sleep, and want shall come upon thee as a traveller, and
poverty as an armed man."

Let us ask of God the contrary virtue to sloth, which
is a holy activity. This will make us love our duties,
and render us prompt in fulfilling them, with a view to
please Him and secure our salvation. Let us not be dis-
couraged by the difficulties of !abor. Let us have a376

a christian's duty.

good heart, and God will render that easy and pleasant
which before seemed hard and painful. It is He who
has imposed the obligation of toil, and He will, help us to
practise what He has commanded. We may rest assured
that the ennui which always accompanies idleness is a
thousand times more insupportable than the most fatig-
uing labor.

Idleness resembles rust. It destroys more than work
produces. A key which is frequently used alone pre-
serves its sheen and its purity. Work is a noble flower
from which we may look for the most magnificent fruits.

Idleness resembles a stagnant pool. If the latter pro-
duces mud and unclean reptiles, the former produces vice.
He who is laborious resembles the bee, which is never
tired, and knows how to find honey in every flower.

The industrious man is attacked by only one demon,
but the slothful is a prey to legions of infernal spirits.—
Cassien.

A saintly man was wont to exclaim each time that he
heard the clock strike : u O Lord, another hour of the
sum that makes up my days is gone. I must give an
account of it, as of every moment of my life !??

The Venerable Cardinal Bellarmine, one of the most
able defenders of the Faith, was one day asked what
class of men wrere in the most favorable position to secure
their salvation. He replied : u Workmen gaining their
daily bread by the sweat of their brow; for at early
morn they begin work, which lasts until evening 5
and they have no leisure for idleness. At the same time
they find plenty of opportunities to practise virtue."

Tamerlane, in a moment of profound discouragement,
retired to his tent to reflect upon his reverses. While soOF SLOTH.

377

engaged, he perceived an ant which was trying to ascend
the partition. He knocked it down several times, but
each time it got up and began again to mount. He be-
came curious to see how far its perseverance would extend,
and knocked it down eighty times without being able to
discourage it. He grew tired before the ant did, and in his
admiration exclaimed : u Let us imitate it; we also shall
conquer by perseverance."—Lavedan.

Exercises.—What is sloth? What are its effects upon youth?
What other vices are born of it ? What virtue should we cultivate in
order to oppose it?

[On an old monastic sun-dial in a ruined English abbey may be
read these pregnant words :—Laborare est orare. The Benedictines
who formerly inhabited these ivy-covered walls are a noble example
of the maxim. Almost all the vast cathedrals were built by them,
and but for them classic literature would not be in existence. We
are awakening now to the full perception of the dignity of work-
that it is not the kind of labor which we do, but the spirit in which we
do it. If done from a high sense of duty, it

/'Makes drudgery divine."

The holy heart makes every jalace a temple and every act an act of
worship. This consideration disposes of the false notion that labor
is degrading. The first worker was God Himself. All labor, if well
done, is inherently noble. Some kinds may be more irksome than
others, but the meanest employ, if performed in a right spirit, is a
service of God.

This is so well understood now, that those who have no need to
labor for bread, voluntarily engage in labor of some kind, and are
often energetically busy.]

[What is most to be dreaded is procrastination;

" Procrastination is the thief of time."

A man, while really intending to do a. thing, puts it off and oft, until
it is never done at all. Nothing so easily leads to confirmed idleness
as this. More people are spiritually ruined by it than we think.
Now is a most signifioant word. It is all of time we can really make
sure of, and in spiritual things it is almost invariably the case that
a thing not done when the impulse seizes us is never done;]

"Bise, for the day is passing,

And you lie dreaming on;

The others have buckled their armor,

And forth to the light are gone :

A place in the ranks awaits you ;

1	Each man has some part to play ;

t	The past and the future are nothing

In the face of the stern to-day " —Miss Procter.PART SECOND.

OF THE SACRAMENTS AND PRAYER.

INTRODUCTION.

The Necessity of Grace and the Means of Obtaining It.

'' I could not do without Thee,

0	Saviour of the lost,

Whose precious blood redeemed me

At such tremendous cost;

Thy righteousness, Thy pardon,

Thy precious Blood, must be
My only hope and comfort,

My glory and my plea.

" I could not do without Thee,

For,1 oh ! the way is long,

. And I am often weary,

And sigh replaces song ;

How could I do without Thee?

1	do not know the way ;

Thou knowest, and Thou leadest,

And wilt not let me stray.

"J could not do without Thee;

No other friend can read
The spirit's strange, deep longings,

Interpreting its need ;

No human heart could enter
Each dim recess of mine,

And soothe, and hush, and calm it,

O Blessed Lord, but Thine ."—Fttber*

378" SOME FELL UPON GOOD BOIL."OF GRACE.

379

We require grace (1) to fulfil the commands of God,
and to save ourselves. Without this divine succor we
can do nothing in the order of salvation. Our Lord,
teaches us this when He said : u Without Me ye can do
nothing." And St. Paul also, in these words, ^ We are
not sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves,
but our sufficiency is of God.?? Grace is a supernatural
gift of God, granted by His mercy alone and through the
merits of Jesus Christ.

There are two kinds of grace : 1. Sanctifying grace,
which justifies us, that is, which causes us to pass from a
state of mortal sin to that of righteousness. It makes
us children of God, agreeable in His sight, and gives us
a right to the heavenly inheritance. This grace is call-
ed habitual, because it is given to remain with us. 2.
Actual grace consists in any holy and enlightened
thought, or any good motion^ which goes before,- exciting
and aiding our will to do right.

The original sin having spread thick darkness over
our minds, and corruption over our hearts, we are born
in ignorance, and with a strong inclination to evil, which
is called concupiscence.

These are the two general sources of our sins: we sin
because we are ignorant of our duties, or because, while

(1) "Grace." The theological meaning of this word is different
from that attached to it in ordinary conversation. There it is used
to express a rare development of loveliness, as when we say, "a
graceful figure," •4 the grace of her speaking countenance;" or even
elegance of deportment, as, "a gracious motion," etc. In law, it means
pardon. A sovereign grants grace to the malefactor he pardons. In
French it has all these meanings. But the Church follows St. Paul,
who uses it exclusively in one sense. St. Augustine also follows St.
Paul in this, St. Paul ascribes the origin of the divine life in the
soul, its continuance and final development, all to the unmerited
favor of God. How this disposes of the base slander of heretics that
the Church ignores the doctrine of grace which it was given to Luther
to revive " after the slumber of ages " !!380

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

knowing them, we prefer to follow our inclinations rather
than the light.

We can never escape from a state of sin, nor do good,
if God does not open the eyes of our mind, and imprint a
good motion upon our hearts by turning them toward
virtue. Grace causes us to know good ; it inspires us
with a desire after it, and gives us the strength to prac-
tise it. What would become of man, attacked as he is
from within and without, if God did not help him in his
weakness ? For, added to his natural bias to evil, he has
the temptations which he experiences on the part of Sa-
tan and of creatures. What snares the world prepares
for him on all sides ! It displays before his eyes its pomps
and falsehoods, to attract his affections and turn them
aside from God ! The devil assails him constantly, pre-
senting to his senses flattering and seductive objects,
stirring up his imagination by a thousand deceptions, and
exciting in him emotions that revolt against the spirit.
No, he could not resist so many assaults if G;od ceased to
aid him for a single moment. This is why, when we re-
cite daily the Lord's Prayer, we ask of God that His
Name may be hallowed, that His will may be done upon
earth as it is done in Heaven, that He will not abandon
us to temptation, but deliver us from evil.

It is therefore true, according to the doctrine of Jesus
Christ, that we cannot glorify the Name of God, nor do
His will, nor resist temptation, nor be delivered from the
snares of the evil spirit, except by the Tielp of God Him-
self. But with grace we can do everything; as St. Paul
says : u I can do all things in Him who strengthened
me." We have no claim to this help, otherwise it would
no longer be grace. We have no right to it whatever; GodOF GRACE.

381

bestows it of His free goodness, and by the virtue of the
merits of the Passion and death of Jesus Christ. But
He refuses this grace to none, and it is our own fault if
we do not profit by it to do good and save our souls.
God has specially annexed it to the sacraments, when re-
ceived with proper dispositions. He has promised it to
prayer when it-is well said ; we have therefore two infalli-
ble means of obtaining grace—to wit, the sacraments
and prayer.

Sanctifying grace is received through the channel of
the sacraments, especially through the sacraments of
Baptism, and Penance, which Jesus Christ has instituted
to this end. God has also promised to hear us when we
address Him in prayer, when we implore the help of His
grace, when we ask mercy in the name of His only Son,
who so loved us as to give Himself up to death for our
sakes. We can therefore obtain the grace of God, and
with this powerful assistance we can fulfil His command-
ments.

God does not enjoin impossible things 5 but He requires
us to do all that we can, and to address Him in things
which we cannot do, in order that He may aid us to do
them. God never leaves those whom He has once justi-
fied by His grace, if they do not first abandon Him. He
never ceases to protect those who cease not to be loyal to
Him.

St. Augustine resisted grace. When pressed to become
converted, he said : u Lord, a little time longer, a little
time longer ; very soon, very soon ; to-morrow, to-mor-
row ! " But, having learned of the conversion of two of the382

a christian's duty.

Emperor's officers, who, upon reading the life of St. An-
tony, had abandoned the world, and having heard a
voice which said, u Take and read ! take and read ! "
he took St. Paul's Epistles and read these words, "Live
not in debauchery and impurity." He said to himself,
u How long shall I deliberate? How long shall I put it
off day by day f Why should it not be now ? Why may
I not from this moment quit my filth and infamy ? " Then
St. Augustine co-operated with grace, and experienced
what one of these officers said : "It costs far less to be-
come the friend of God than to attain to a brilliant for-
tune, and become the friend of the Emperor* You have
only to will it. If I wish to become so, I can become so
from this moment."—Lasausse.

Richard de-Saint Victor reckons five sterilities with
which those souls are smitten who abuse God's benefits:
Sterility of action, when God withdraws the grace to do
well 5 sterility of words, when God withdraws the grace
to speak well; sterility of thought, when He withdraws
the grace to hear and conceive aright ; sterility of affec-
tion, when He withdraws the grace to-love as we ought;
and, finally, sterility of intention, when a soul deprived of
the grace of God proposes to itself only vain and unlaw-
ful objects—which is the most detestable of all sterility,
because it mars all the good we do, and produces nothing
that is not fruitless and useless.—Catechism of Rhodes.

Exekcises.—How many kinds of grace are there? What are the
two sources of sin? By" what means can we obtain grace?THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.

383

SECTION I.

Of the Sacraments in General.

'* To halls of heavenly truth admission wouldst thou win ?
Oft knowledge stands without, while love may enter in.

" God many a spiritual house has reared, but never one
. Where lowliness was not laid first, the corner-stone.

"Sin,not till it is'left,will duly sinful seem ;

A man must waken first ere he can tell his dream.

" When thou art fain to trace a map of thine own heart.
As undiscovered land set down the largest part.

"From our ill-ordered hearts we oft are fain to roam,

As men go forth who find unrest at home.

•' Sin may be clasped so close we cannot see its face,

Nor seen nor loathed till held from us a little space.

" God in His sacraments doth grant the aid sublime
Whereby from sinful earth to Heaven thou mayest climb.

" Set not thy heart on things given only with intent
To be alleviations of thy banishment.

" The Lord in lowliest guise doth deign to dwell below :

Dwell thou within His heart, secure in weal or woe.

" Ill fares the child of earth who will not entertain
On earth the stranger's grief, the exile's sense of pain.

" Mark how there still has run, unwoven from above,

Through thy life's darkest woof the golden thread of love.

" When shall the din of earth grate harshly on our ears ;

When we have once heard plain the music of the spheres ;

" When Jesus shows His face and tells us of His love,

We have begun e'en here to taste of Heaven above."

— Oswald Keaiinrje.

Jesus Christ instituted the sacraments, that is, visible
signs to which He has annexed the inestimable gift of384

a christian's duty.

justification. The sacraments, therefore, are so many-
channels by which the grace that conduces to our salva-
tion is communicated.

The sacraments are symbols which indicate to us an in-
visible grace which operates in our souls ; and they are
visible because they fall under the cognizance of our
senses.

There are seven sacraments : Baptism j(l) Confirmation ;
the Eucharist ; Penance ; Extreme Unction : Holy Orders,
and Matrimony.

There are two parts in a sacrament—the one that
we see, and the other that we believe in, but do not see.
What we see is the outward act of the minister ; that
which we see not is the invisible action of grace.

Three things are necessary to make a sacrament—the
form, the matter, and the intention to do that which the
Church does.

The objects employed in administering the sacraments
are the matter, the words are the form. These two things
have a perfect relation between them, as also with the
grace that they communicate.

For example, in Baptism the matter is water 5 the form
consists in these words, UI baptize thee in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
That is, I wash thee ; and the effect of Baptism is to purify
the soul, and impart to it a new life. The matter of Con-

(1) "Baptism." From baptismos, dipping or immersion in water.
A spiritual meaning was given to baptism by St. John the Baptist,
and the Talmud of Babylon mentions a baptism of Jewish proselytes;
but it is impossible to say when this rite arose. In any^ case, it is
certain that when Our Lord made baptism the rite of initiation into
His Church, He employed a symbolism already familiar to the Jews.
— Oath. Diet.,—Addis and Arnold.THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.

385

firmation consists in the unction with the Holy Chrism, (1)
together with the imposition (2) of hands. The form con-
sists in the words which accompany this act, and the ef-
fect of this sacrament is to give the Holy Spirit, and
augment the grace received in Baptism.

Besides sanctifying grace, each sacrament contains
another grace which is special to itself, and is called sac-
ramental grace. This is a certain right which we there
and then receive, to obtain in opportune seasons special
help to enable us to fulfil the aim of the sacrament. In
Baptism, for instance, by virtue of sacramental grace, we
receive the aid we require to lead a Christian life and pre-
serve the innocence received in the sacrament.

All the sacraments were instituted for our sanctifica-
tion; all produce this effect. But there is a difference be-
tween them which it is necessary to remark. In the first
place, Baptism and Penance were instituted to impart
the spiritual life of grace, and for this reason they are
called sacraments of the dead. The rest are to augment
the spiritual life already in us at the time of their recep-
tion. For this reason they are called sacraments of the
living, because, to receive them worthily, we must be liv-
ing the life of grace, that is, be free from mortal sin. Sec-
ondly : There are three sacraments—namely, Baptism,

(1)	" Chrism " (chrisma), literally '' anything sm eared onDenotes
in classical writers especially a scented unguent, while the common
oil was designated by a different name. But the word chrism has
been appropriated by ecclesiastical usage to signify ointment composed
of oil and balsam and solemnly consecrated by the episcopal blessing.
Pope Fabian testifies that the Apostles received the composition of
chrism from Our Lord and transmitted it to us . — Catechism of the Coun-
cil of Trent

(2)	" ImpositionFrom the Latin, and meaning laying on of hands,
In ordinary parlance, a deception.386

a christian's duty.

Confirmation, and Holy Orders— in which the soul is not
only sanctified by grace, but is also marked with a spiritual
character which consecrates us to God in a special manner,
and which cannot be effaced.

Whoever receives these sacraments with bad dispositions
does not receive sanctifying grace, but he receives the
character. More, the grace, even when received, may be
lost by sin; but the divine seal imprinted by these sacra-
ments is ineffaceable. For this reason these three sacra-
ments cannot be repeated; that is, can only be received
once by the same person.

Besides the action and words which are essential to each
sacrament, the Church, under the guidance of the Holy
Ghost, has added several ceremonies for the instruction and
edification of the faithful ; and although these ceremonies
are not absolutely necessary for the effect of the sacrament,
they are none the less venerable on account of their high
antiquity. The greater part appear to have been establish-
ed by the Apostles themselves. These ceremonies help to
make us better understand the excellence and sanctity of
the sacraments. They show us in a tangible manner with
what dispositions we ought to receive them, what effects
they produce, and what obligations they impose upon us.

The seven sacraments embrace the whole life and
all its developments. They are the foundation-stone of
the hierarchy, they announce grace, and communicate it;
in short, they complete the mystical connection between
man and God. These sacraments were prefigured by
the seven candles of which the prophet Zacharias speaks
(Zach. iv. 2), which caused oil to flow into the lamps ofTHE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL.

387

the golden candlestick which symbolized the Church.

—Catechism of Rhodes.

Who can doubt that Grod annexes His richest gifts to
the most common things ? It is related of the Roman
Emperors that on the day of their accession they were
accustomed to scatter money among the people. One of
them, of a generous disposition, scattered notes, each of
which was worth a greater or lesser sum, payable at the
public treasury upon their simple presentation. These
pieces of paper were disdained by the people ; but some
few who carefully collected them found themselves all of
a sudden very rich. And if man can give value to that
which has no value in itself, how much more can the in-
finite power of God attach value to the simplest and'most
ordinary elements !—Merault.

A zealous priest remarked with a sigh : u IIow many
ailing persons go in the season to watering-places ! They
put themselves to great expense to cure some corporal
infirmity, and every one thinks he will be cured. We
have admirable springs, adapted to all the maladies of the
soul, in the sacraments. These founts of grace infallibly
cure all those who have recourse to them with proper
dispositions. How can so many sinners neglect to repair
to these springs to draw out their salutary waters ? And
how is it that the greater part of those who do so, fail to
bring with them the necessary dispositions ? "

Exekcises.—What are sacraments? How many parts are there in a
sacrament ? What is necessary to its due administration ? What are
the matter and form of a sacrament ? What sacraments confer a spe-
cial character ?

[The sacraments admirably illustrate the appropriateness of that
fine old term for religion, "'the science of the saints." As, in a
science, we must begin with the rudiments, and slowly progress to388

a christian's duty.

more advanced stages, so the Church begins with the very dawn of
life. She fences round the path of youth with godly jealousy. As
the meek dove will become fierce when her brood is disturbed, so the
Church, in her love for youthful souls, severely denounces all attempts
to mislead them. Every day she hallows, she constantly encourages
us by the example of her " noble army of martyrs," whose feasts she
commemorates. She urges on the laggard, never allowing any to
"settle on his lees/' She keeps the fount of grace ever open for the
erring ; she feeds the hungry with the Bread of Life, and never leaves
her children, even in death. Their last moments are consecrated with
prayers, and their eyes close to this world, as they opened, amid her
solemn blessings. It is the perfect portrait of a mother's love, which
no sin or ingratitude of the child can efface,—a jewel that retains its
undimmed lustre though cast into the very mire.]

SECTION II.

OF BAPTISM.

CHAPTER I.	!

Necessity of Baptism.

" Where is it mothers learn their love?

In every church a fountain springs,

O'er which th' Eternal Dove

Hovers on softest wings.

" What sparkles in that lucid flood
Is water, by gross mortals eyed ;

But, seen by faith, 'tis blood

Out of a dear Friend's side.

" A few calm words of faith and prayer,

A few bright drops of holy dew,

Shall work a wonder there

Earth's charmers never knew.

*'0 happy arms where cradled lies,

And ready for the Lord's embrace,

That precious sacrifice,

The darling of His grace !

" Blest eyes, that see the smiling gleam

Upon the slumbering features glow,

When the life-giving stream
Touches the tender brow ! "

Baptism is a sacrament which effaces original sin and
makes us the children of God and the Church.OF BAPTISM.

389

It is the first of the sacraments in point of order, and
gives us power to participate in the rest. Our Lord in-
stituted it when He said to His Apostles : u Go ye there-
fore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."
These words are the form of Baptism, and water natu-
rally is the matter.

Jesus Christ has therefore instituted Baptism to save
men. It was to deliver them from sin, and eternal death,
which is the penalty due to sin, and render them, by a
new birth, the children of God and the Church.

Baptism remits original sin, and in adults also
effaces all actual sins which they may have committed
since they attained the age of reason. It also remits all
the penalties due to these sins. This is why the
Church has never imposed satisfaction or penance on the
newly baptized. But it does not take away the conse-
quences of original sin, which are : ignorance, concupis-
cence, the miseries of life, and the necessity of dying.
God leaves us the consequences of sin, even after He
has blotted it out, in order that they may serve to exer-
cise our virtues, by the conflict we have to sustain to do
good and shun evil. If Baptism delivered us from igno-
rance, or an inclination to evil, we should do good natu-
rally and without effort; and what merit would there be
in doing it if it cost us nothing ?

Baptism impresses upon the soul a character or spirit-
ual mark, ineffaceable, which consecrates to God those
who are baptized, and distinguishes them from those
who are unbaptized.

This character of consecration is such that the sacra-390

a christian's duty.

ment cannot be received twice, because he who is once
consecrated to God belongs to Him by an inalienable
right.

Baptism is so necessary, that none can be saved with-
out receiving it conformably to the words of Jesus Christ:
" Unless a man be born of water and the Holy Ghost, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven.??

But it may be supplied either by martyrdom, or by a
desire after it in a case where it is impossible to obtain
it. For this reason we distinguish three kinds of Bap-
tism : the Baptism of water, the Baptism of blood, and
the Baptism of desire.

It is only the Baptism by water that is a real sacra-
ment ; and if the name of Baptism is given to the other
two, it is only because they supply the want of the sac-
rament when it cannot be received, and efface original
sin. The Baptism of desire must be accompanied by a
sincere and real sorrow for sin, and with great love to
God.

The Baptism of blood consists in suffering martyrdom
for the love of God and the faith of Jesus Christ before
having been baptized. It is so called because the
Church looks on one who dies for the defence of the
faith as baptized in his own blood. He obtains the same
grace which he would have received by Baptism with
water, and in even a more perfect manner, because mar-
tyrdom is a supreme act of charity.

Saint Louis, King of France, preferred the name of
Christian which had been given him in Baptism, to the
most honorable titles according to man's estimate. He
liked the town of Poissy, where he had been baptized,OF BAPTISM.

391

more than Rheims, where he had been crowned King. In
writing letters, he was accustomed to sign, Louis de
Poissy, without assuming kingly rank. Christian means

more than King of the universe.—Catechism of Rhodes.

♦

" I knew," says the pious Boudon, u a virtuous
woman, very poor in the things of this life, but very
rich in heavenly things, filled with the spirit of Jesus
Christ, and a tender love for the Blessed Virgin. As
they were building a splendid church in the town where
she resided, she felt constrained to offer a dollar, the
fruit of her savings, as a contribution to the cost of the
sacred edifice. But the priest to whom she offered it
refused to take it, remarking that he would be more
gratified to offer her some aid, instead of receiving it
from her, because he could see by her attire that she
was poor. Then the woman, with an admirable faith, re-
plied : 61 poor! Am I not a Christian, daughter of a
great King, and heir to a great kingdom?'"—De
Brussi.

Exercises.—What is Baptism? Why was it instituted ? What is
the effect of Baptism oil the soul? Is it absolutely necessary to sal-
vation ? Supposing one to be in a position where he cannot procure
it, and yet desires to have it, can he be saved ?

['' Christians '' ( Chrislianoi). A name first given at Antioch to the fol-
lowers of Christ, about the year 43, as we learn from Acts xi. 26. The
name can scarcely have arisen from the disciples themselves, for it seems
at first to have been used contemptuously—at least this seems a fair in-
ference from Acts xxvi. 28, and I. Pet. iv. 14-16 (the only other places
of the New Testament where the word occurs), as well as from Tacitus,
Annals, xv. 44. Still less would it have come from the Jews, who
would never have admitted that the adherents of a sect which they
hated and despised could rightly claim so honorable a title as " dis-
ciples of the Messias." On the contrary, they called Christ's disciples
44 Nazarenes," " Galileans." Probably the heathens at Antioch mis-
took "Christus " for a proper name, and called the disciples "Chris-
tiani," just as they called those who adhered toPompey's party "Pom-
peiani." It was at Antioch that the first church of converts from hea-392

a christian's duty.

thenism was formed, and no doubt it then became plain to the heathens
that the doctrine of the disciples was distinct from Judaism, and this
led to the imposition of a special name. Besides the form " Chris-
tiani," we also find that of " Chrestiani," many heathens, in their ig-
norance of the Messianic doctrine, deriving Christ's name from
" Chrestos " (good), instead of from " Chrio " (to anoint).

In later times the word has been used (1) for those who imitate the
life as well as hold the doctrine of Christ ; (2) for Catholics ; (3) for
baptized persons who believe in Christ ; (4) for all baptized persons.
—Cath. Diet.,—Addis and Arnold.]

;	CHAPTER II.

The Administration of Baptism.

" Go up and watch the new-born rill

Just trickling from its mossy bed,

Streaking the heath-clad hill
With a bright emerald thread.

" Canst thou her bold career foretell,

What rocks she shall o'erleap or rend,

How far in ocean's swell

Her freshening billows send ?

"Perchance that Jittle brook shall flow

The bulwark of some mighty realm,

Bear navies to and fro

With monarohs at their helm.

" E'en so the course of prayer who knows ?

It springs in silence where it will,

Springs out of sight, and flows
At first a lonely rill.

u But streams shall meet it by and by
From thousand sympathetic hearts,

Together swelling high

Their chant of many parts."—John Henry Newman.

Baptism being so necessary to salvation, Jesus Christy in
instituting it, gave mankind every imaginable facility forTHE ADMINTSTBATION OF BAPTISM.	393

T '

obtaining it; for although ordinarily none but a priest
can baptize, and infants are to be brought to church to re-
ceive this sacrament with the usual ceremonies, yet, in
case of necessity, any person may baptize.

And this Baptism is valid, provided that ftatural water
be poured on the head while pronouncing these words,
"I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost.77

For it to be a real Baptism, the water must have touched
the body ; otherwise the Baptism must be regarded as
doubtful, and the child be afterward baptized condition-
ally. In case of reasonable doubt whether the child still
lives, or may have been previously baptized, or in any
other extraordinary circumstance, he ought to be baptized
after this manner : While pouring water over him say, u If
thou art capable of Baptism or, ".If thou art not already
baptized, I baptize thee/' etc.

Baptism being absolutely necessary to all men, those
who are converted to the Catholic faith, and have the use
of reason, are bound to receive this sacrament.

But in these cases care must be taken to prepare them
for this great act by sufficient instruction, and by the prep-
aration of their hearts, principally by exciting them to
sorrow for their sins.

Formerly Baptism was only administered to this class
of persons l>ut twice a year, on the vigils of Easter and
Pentecost, except in cases where there was danger of
death 5 and this is the origin of the custom of blessing
upon these two days the water used in Baptism.

A missionary who had penetrated into some of the re-
motest parts of America to win souls to Christ, one day394

a christian's duty.

encountered a savage whose dispositions seemed to him
to be somewhat extraordinary. As soon as he had been
duly instructed in the mysteries of our holy religion, and
that which relates to the sacraments, he administered Bap-
tism and the. Holy Eucharist to him, which he received
with the liveliest transports of gratitude and love. The
missionary continued his apostolic wanderings, and a
year elapsed ere he returned to the place where the sav-
age, now become Christian, resided. As soon as the lat-
ter was aware of the arrival of the missionary, he went to
him and begged to receive again the Holy Communion.
" Yes, my son," replied the missionary ; " but you must
previously confess the mortal sins which you may have
committed ; do not be afraid : I will aid you." u What ! "
exclaimed the savage with astonishment, u are there
Christians who, after being baptized and receiving the
Body of Jesus Christ, are so ungrateful as to outrage Him
by committing mortal sin ? Thank God, I do not think I
am guilty of any of these sins," He burst into tears, and
accused himself of only the lightest faults. The mission-
ary in his admiration blessed God at seeing that He was
served and glorified by faithful and fervent souls even
among the most savage races.

Exekcises.—Can any one else but a priest baptize,—and why?
What is required in case of lay Baptism ? Are converts to the Church
bound to be baptized ? What is the origin of the ceremony of blessing
the water in the font upon the eves of Easter and Whitsuntide ?THE CEBEHONIES OP BAPTISM.

395

CHAPTER III.

The Ceremonies of Baptism.

"In token that thou shalt not fear

Christ crucified to own,

We print the cross upon thee here.

And stamp thee His alone.

"In token that thou shalt not flinch.

Christ's standard to maintain,

But 'neath His banner manfully
Firm at thy post remain;

' In token that thou too shalt tread

The path He travelled by,.....

Endure the cross, despise the shame,

And sit thee down on high ; ■ • •

' Thus outwardly and visibly

We seal thee for His own :

And may the brow that wears His cross,

Hereafter share His crown."—Adapted.

As Baptism is the first of the sacraments, and the most
necessary, in order that we may all the more appreciate
its excellence, and understand the obligations which we
contract in receiving it, the Church has ordained that it
be administered with a great number of ceremonies.

The sign of the Cross is made very often, to indicate
that this sacrament draws all its efficacy from the Cross
of Jesus Christ, and to show that the Christian's life is con-
tinually one of crosses and sufferings, and that he ought
to walk in his Lord's footsteps.

There are also several anointings, at onetime with the
oil of the catechumens, at another with the Holy Chrism,
to indicate the interior unction of grace which the Holy396

A chkistian's duty.

Spirit sheds abroad in the soul of the baptized. For, as
the oil penetrates the flesh, strengthening it and healing
its wounds, so the grace which we receive in Baptism pen-
etrates the heart and fortifies it against passions.

The person to be baptized remains at first in the church
porch, to denote that, being the slave of Satan, he has no
right to enter further into the house of Grod because of
the original sin with which he is defiled.

There the priest marks the child with the sign of the
Cross upon forehead and breast ;• pronounces over him
the exorcisms to drive away the demon, and places
salt in his mouth, to indicate that he is about to com-
municate to him the spirit of wisdom. Then, having
again made the sign of salvation upon the infant's fore-
head, prohibiting the demon from ever violating this
august sign, he invokes the Almighty Author of all light
and truth on behalf of this new servant presented to Him.
Upon introducing the babe into the church, he calls upon
the sponsors to repeat with him the Apostles' Creed, the
Lord's Prayer, and the Angelical Salutation. Then he
makes further exorcisms, touches the ears of the babe
with saliva, asking that they may be opened to the verities
of salvation, and repels again the demon.

The exorcisms being terminated, the priest demands a
formal renunciation of Satan, and then anoints the child
with the oil of the catechumens. Then he causes him (by
his sponsors in the case of an infant) to make a profes-
sion of faith, by questioning him upon the principal points
of the Creed ; and finally, upon his express desire, he ad-
ministers the sacrament in the Name of the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost, finishing his consecration by the
unction of the Holy Chrism upon the crown of the heacLTHE CEREMONIES OF BAPTISM.

397

He is then clothed in a white robe, symbol of the innocent
soul regenerated by the holy water which has just flowed
upon his brow.

The godfather and godmother intervene in Baptism
in order to present to the Church him who is to be baptized,
to be witnesses of his Baptism, to answer for him, if he has
not attained the age of reason, and act as sureties for the
grace received in this sacrament. They are bound to
love their godchild as their spiritual child, to watch over
his education and his behavior, and that he faithfully com-
plies with the Baptismal vows. They must watch over
him by their prayers, by their example and their advice,
in circumstances where they are able to do so. They
contract with the child and his parents a spiritual alliance
which the Church makes an impediment to intermar-
riage.

After the Baptism of his children, the Dauphin, father
of Louis XVI., called for the parish register, where their
names were to be inscribed. Having opened it, he remark-
ed that the name preceding their own was that of the
son of a poor artisan, and added these beautiful words:
u You see, my children, that in the eyes of God all con-
ditions are equal, and there is no distinction but such as
comes from faith and virtue. You will one day be much
greater than this child in the eyes of others ; but if he is
more virtuous than you, he will certainly be greater."

Exercises.—Why is the sign of the Cross made so frequently in Bap-
tism ? What is the meaning of the Holy Unction ? What is the office
of godfathers and godmothers, and what are their obligations ?398

a christian's duty.

[The church porch is now used only in Baptism, but it once had
another use besides. Almost ail old churches in England have roomy-
porches, provided with stone seats. Here, in olden times, notorious
sinners who were excommunicated heard Mass, not being allowed to
enter among the congregation. The porch of Milan Cathedral may
still be seen where St. Ambrose condemned the Emperor Theodosius
the Great to do penance among the excommunicated. Another an-
cient institution, which has quite disappeared in the architecture of
modern churches, is the lych-gate, the gate leading to the chuifth-
yard, where funerals halted until the priest came to sprinkle the corpse
(Saxon, lych) with holy water. Gray alludes to it in his exquisite
Elegy,

"Slow to the churchyard gate we saw him borne."]

[A trace of the ancient ceremony of giving the white robe in Baptism
remains in the word vestry. This was originally the place where the
white robes used in Baptism were laid up, each labelled with the
owner's name. The place was hence called Vestiarius. They were relig-
iously kept until the owner disgraced himself by flagrant sin, or in-
curred excommunication, when they were solemnly and publicly burnt.
The custom of wearing white garments at Pentecost on i;he part of candi-
dates for Confirmation has given that day its present name, Whit-Sun-
day. Our words cayidid and candidate keep the wearing of white robes
before us.]PROMISES MADE IN BAPTISM.

399

CHAPTER IV.

Promises Made in Baptism.

" O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end ;

Be Thou forever near'me,

My Master and my Friend ;

I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art at my side,

Nor wander from the pathway,

If Thou wilt be my Guide.

Cl O let me feel Thee near me :

The world is ever near;

I see the sights that dazzle,

The tempting sounds I hear ;

My foes are ever near n»e,

Around me and within,

But, Jesus, draw Thou near me,

And shield my soul from sin.

" O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all that follow Thee,

That where Thou art in glory,

There shall Thy servant be.

And, Jesus, I have promised	»

To serve Thee to the end :

* O give me grace to follow
My Master and my Friend.

" O let me see Thy footmarks,

And in them plant my own ;

My hope to follow duty

Is in Thy strength alone.

0 guide me, call me, draw me,

Uphold me to the end :

And then in Heaven receive ine,

My Saviour and my Friend."—Procter.

When presented to the Church to receive Holy Bap-
tism, we were asked if we believed in Grod, if we would400

a christian's duty.

live according to the precepts of the Gospel, and if, with
all our heart, we renounced the devil, and the world with
all its pomps and maxims ; and it was not until after a
formal reply in the affirmative that we were admitted into
the number of God's children.

It was, then, before Heaven and earth, in the presence
of God and His angels, that we promised to submit to the
Law of Jesus Christ and to observe it in all its entirety.

It is true that we had not the use of reason when we
received Baptism, but these promises were made for us,
and in our name.

We have since ratified them every time that we have
made a public profession of Christianity. We also ratify
them every day when making the sign of the Cross, or
reciting the Lord's Prayer, assisting at the Sacrifice of
the Mass, or participating in the sacraments.

Consequently, we no longer belong to ourselves,—we
belong to God • our body and soul all are His.

To follow the maxims of the world, to seek its vanities,
to love the pomps of the demon, and to be ashamed of the
Gospel, is to renounce the character of a Christian, to
violate our engagements, become a prevaricator, tram-
pling under foot the Son of God, outraging the Holy Spir-
it, and ignominiously,driving Him from our hearts.

Let us never forget that these promises are written in
the Book of Life, that God keeps them in Heaven, and
that they will be the subject of the judgment which we
shall have to undergo at the hour of death. Our salvation,
our eternal destiny, depends on their faithful fulfilment.

In order not to forget them, we should often renew
them, and never cease to thank the Lord, who has snatch-PROMISES MADE IN BAPTISM.

401

ed us from the powers of darkness to call us to the king-
dom of His Son.

We read in the history of the Church that a holy
deacon named Mafurita, having baptized a young man
named Elpidophorus, had the sorrow to see him become
an apostate and a persecutor of the Christians. One day,
when, as a judge, he was publicly exercising his functions,
the holy deacon suddenly appeared, bringing with him
the white garment with which Elpidophorus had been ar~
rayed at his Baptism. u Behold !said he, " the wit-
ness of thine apostasy ! It shall accuse thee before the
tribunal of the Sovereign Judge. Behold this white robe
with which I clothed thee at the sacred font : it will call
for vengeance upon thee, and change into a robe of fire,
the flames of which will devour thee throughout all eter-
nity ! " Those who heard him were melted to tears, and
Elpidophorus retired covered with confusion.

Exercises.—"What are the promises which we made in
How often do we ratify them ? When do we violate them ?
we avoid forgetting them ?

Baptism ?
How may402

a christian's duty.

SECTION III.

OF CONFIRMATION.

CHAPTER I.

Nature and Effects of Confirmation.

" Spirit of might and sweetness too,

Now leading on the wars of God ;

Now to green isles of shade and dew
Turning the waste Thy people trod ;

" Draw, Holy Ghost, Thy sevenfold veil
Between us and the fires of youth -y

Breathe, Holy Ghost, Thy freshening gale,

Our fever'd brow in age to soothe.

" And oft, as sin and sorrow tire,

The hallowed hour do Thou renew,

When, beckon'd up the awful choir
By pastoral hands, toward Thee we drew;

" When, trembling at the sacred veil,

We hid our eyes and held our breath,

Felt Thee how strong, our hearts how frail,
And long'd to own Thee to the death.

" Forever on our souls be traced
That blessing dear, that dove-like hand,

A sheltering rock in memory's waste,

O'ershadowing all the weary land."

Confirmation, which is the second of the sacraments,
augments in us the grace of Baptism, and makes us per-
fect Christians, by imparting to us the Holy Ghost with the
abundance of His graces. This sacrament finishes that
which Baptism began, and is its completion. The grace
of Baptism is a grace of regeneration, which makes usthe effects of confikmation.

403

children of God ; that of Confirmation is a grace of
strength and of courage, which raises us to the condition
of a man, capable of fighting and conquering in rendering
our testimony to Jesus Christ, even at the cost of life.

This is what took place in the person of the Apostles.
Before the descent of the Holy Ghost they were feeble
and timid, but, directly , they were filled with His graces,
they became other men, and proclaimed Jesus Christ with
intrepidity.

The Holy Spirit still descends upon those who receive
Confirmation, and produces in them the same effects, al-
though in an invisible manner, because this miracle is no
longer necessary. But, though He does not visibly de-
scend upon those who receive Confirmation, as frequently
happened in the primitive Church, He yet sheds abun-
dantly upon them His gifts, and the fruits of which He is
the source.

The seven principal gifts of the Holy Ghost are, Wis-
dom, which causes us to relish the things of God ; Under-
standing, which opens our minds, and communicates the
light necessary to a right knowledge of the truths of re-
ligion ; Counsel, which guides us, and prompts us to
choose for the best in all matters relating to salvation;
Knowledge, which helps us to discern good from evil;
Fortitude, which causes us to repel all obstacles op-
posing salvation ; Piety, which makes us constantly ful-
fil our duty toward God, our neighbor, and ourselves ;
finally, that of the Fear of the Lord, which impresses
on our soul a respect for the Divine Majesty, mingled
with love and a filial dread of displeasing Him in anything
whate ver. (1)

(1) These sevenfold gifts are specially ascribed to the " Spirit of Je-
hovah " by the Prophet Isaias. See chap. xi. 2.404

a christian's duty.

The fruits of the Spirit are, Charity, which unites Us to
God by love ; Joy, which fills us with a holy consolation ;
Peace, which produces quietness amid the vicissitudes of
the world ; Patience, which makes us support unpleasant
things, as in God's sight; Benignity, which leads us to
solace our neighbor ; Goodness, which makes us benefi-
cent toward all men ; Longanimity, which prevents us
from reprisals under trial; Meekness, which makes us
support peaceably whatever is annoying in our neighbor ;
Faith, which makes us believe with certainty ; Modesty,
which regulates our exterior according to Gospel rules ;
Continence and Chastity, which preserve our bodies in
that holiness which becomes the temples of the Holy Ghost.

The bishops, as successors of the Apostles, are the or-
dinary ministers of Confirmation 5 the ceremonies employ-
ed in its administration are so many signs of the admi-
rable effects which it produces in the soul.

The bishop, turning toward those who desire to be con-
firmed, invokes upon them the Holy Spirit; then, holding
his hands over them, he prays that the Omnipotent will
send upon them His Spirit, filling them with His gifts.
He then takes the Holy Chrism, and anoints each one
upon the forehead in the form of the Cross, saying, " 1
sign thee with the sign of the Cross, I confirm thee with
the chrism of salvation, in the Name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.77 This prayer, and that
which accompanies it at the imposition of hands, teach us
the precious effects which this sacrament produces in those
who receive it worthily.

The Holy Chrism, compounded of olive oil and balm, is
very appropriate to make known to us the abundance,
the sweetness, and the might of grace which then fills theEFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION.

405

soul; penetrating and strengthening it, as the oil pene-
trates and strengthens the body. The balm is also a
symbol of the sweet savor of Jesus Christ, which the con-
firmed should spread abroad by the practice of all
virtues.

Although this sacrament is not absolutely necessary to
salvation, we render ourselves very culpable if we neg-
lect to receive it. We deprive ourselves of the abundant
graces which it communicates, and we disobey Jesus
Christ, who has instituted it for our progress in the life of
grace.

Julian the Apostate, having resolved to make a solemn
profession of impiety, caused great preparations to be
made for a sacrifice which he was about to offer in a
temple dedicated to the demon.(l) He repaired thither,
followed by all his court, with great pomp, in order to
give great notoriety to his impious act. All being ready,
the Emperor gave a sign to begin the rites. But, to the
astonishment of the idolatrous priests, they found them-
selves confounded and quite unable to proceed with the
abominable ceremony. More, they found that the knives,
which had been carefully sharpened, made no impression
upon the flesh of the victim ; and the fire kindled upon
the altar suddenly went out. The chief sacrificer ex-
claimed, u There is certainly here a great unknown
power which opposes itself to our ceremonies." They

(1) " Dedicated to the demon." The author here follows St. Paul:
" The things which the heathen sacrifice they sacrifice to demons,
and not to God." I. Cor. x. 20. No matter to what classic god the
temple was dedicated, the early Church rightly regarded it as the
temple of tne devil.406

a christian's duty.

therefore requested the Emperor to permit them to make
sure that there was not in his suite any Galilean who
had recently been washed with water or anointed with
balm, that is, baptized or confirmed. And there really
was in the temple a Christian page who, a few days
previously, had been confirmed and received the grace of
that sacrament. The Emperor having ordered aloud to
make the search, the youth hesitated not, but, presenting
himself to Julian, said: "Know that I am a Christian.
I have been baptized, and have only a short time since
been anointed, to strengthen me to fight. (1) I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ, who has purchased me by His
Cross ; I recognize Him as my God, and I glory in belong-
ing to Him. It is I—or rather the God whom I serve-
that has placed an obstacle in the way of the impiety about
to be performed here. I have invoked in my heart the
sacred name of Jesus Christ, and the demons could not
be acknowledged as gods. In the name of Jesus Christ,
who is the true God, the demons were compelled to fly."
The Emperor, who had been a Christian, and was well
aware of the power of Jesus Christ, was seized with a
great fear. He dreaded the effect of His vengeance, and
quitted the temple covered with confusion, without utter-
ing a word. The courageous soldier of Jesus Christ
went to the Christians and reported what had transpired.
They rendered hearty thanks to God, and recognized how
formidable to the demons are those in whom the virtue

(1) All Somans would understand this. The racers and wrestlers
were trained by having their bodies rubbed with oil. Their training
was the most irksome and cruel that can be imagined. No modern
athlete could face it* Yet St. Paul uses this as a symbol of the neces-
sary mortification of a Chfistiaji. See. I. Cor. ix. 27,EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION.

407

of Jesus Christ abides through the Sacrament of Confirm-
ation received with the right dispositions. (1)

Exercises. — What is Confirmation ? Does the Holy Ghost descend
upon the confirmed ? What are the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost ?
What are the fruits of the Spirit? What are the effects of neglecting
tfiis sacrament ?

(1) It is related that a person who, out of curiosity, went to visit a
fortune-teller, was struck by the following circumstance : He had no
sooner spoken than she screamed aloud as if smitten with violent
pain. "Get out! Get o.ut!" she exclaimed frantically; 4' you have
something about you that tortures me !" And she literally drove him
to the door, exhibiting genuine symptoms of terror. The gentleman

was so surprised that it was some time ere he could furnish an expla-
nation of this strange behavior. On narrating it to his confessor, he

was asked, " Do you wear a crucifix, or a scapular, or any sacred relic

about you?" "Yes, I wear a medal that came from Lourdes." And
this was the explanation.408

a chbistian's duty.

CHAPTER II.

The Dispositions for Confirmation.

" How sweet the fea^t of heavenly love

Spread at the Saviour's word,

For souls that hear His call and prove
Meet for His bridal board !

" Why should we fear youth's draught of joy,

If pure, would sparkle less ?

Why should the cup the sooner cloy
Which God hath deign'd to "jpless ?

"For is it hope that thrills so keen

Along each bounding vein,

Still whispering glorious things unseen ?

Faith makes the vision plain.

" The world would kill her soon ; but Faith

Her daring dreams will cherish,

Speeding her gage o'er time and death
To realms where naught can perish.

4' Or is it love, the dear delight
Of hearts that know no guile,

That all around see all things bright
With their own magic smile?

" The silent joy, that sinks so deep,

Of confidence and rest,

Lull'd in a father's arms to sleep,

Clasp'd to a mother's breast.

Who but a Christian through all life
That blessing may prolong,

Who through the world's sad days of strife
Still chant his morning song ? "

As the Sacrament of Confirmation can only be received
once, it is very important to have the necessary dispo-
sitions, that we may not be deprived of the graces spe-
cially attached to this sacrament.DISPOSITIONS FOR CONFIRMATION.

409

The chief disposition is to have a conscience purified
from all mortal sin. The state of grace, that is to say.
Baptismal innocence preserved, or restored by Penance,
is absolutely necessary for a worthy reception of Con-
firmation.

The Holy Spirit Himself assures us in the Scriptures
that "wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor
dwell in a body subject "to sin." The Sacrament of Con-
firmation is a sacrament of the living. It therefore sup-
poses the existence of the spiritual life- in the recipient.
Its effect is to increase this spiritual life; and it is impos-
sible to fortify that life in him who has already lost it.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is sometimes administered
immediately after Baptism, of which it is in a manner the
complement. To-day, in exceptional cases, it may be ad-
ministered to young children ; but in ordinary cases,
this sacrament is administered only to those who have
attained the age of reason, having discretion and suffi-
cient instruction. They must be instructed in the prin-
cipal mysteries of the Faith, and particularly in all that
appertains to this sacrament.

Besides this, to receive it with more fruit, it is very impor-
tant to prepare the soul by prayer and the practice of
Christian virtues, after the example of the Apostles, who
shut themselves up in the supper-room to prepare for the
coming of the Holy Ghost.

After the persecution which arose at Jerusalem at the
death of St. Stephen, the first martyr, the disciples were
dispersed abroad. One of the seven deacons, St. Philip,
went to Samaria, and having converted and baptized
a great number of persons, he informed the Apostles.
These sent St. Peter and St. John to them, who, when410

a christian's duty.

they had laid their hands upon them, they received the
Holy Ghost in a visible manner.

Exercises.-—What dispositions are necessary to the worthy receiv-
ing of the Sacrament of Confirmation ?

CHAPTER nr.

Obligations Imposed by Confirmation.

" Thy life was given for me,

Thy blood, O Lord, was shed,

That I might ransomed be,

And quickened from the dead;

Thy life was given for me :

What have I given for Thee ?

" Long years were spent for me

In weariness and woe,

That through eternity

Thy glory I might know ;

Long years were spent for me :

Have I spent one for Thee ?

" Thy Father's Home of light,

Thy rainbow-circled throne,

Were left for earthly night,

For wanderings sad and lone :

Yea, all was left for me :

Have I left aught for Thee ?

" Thou, Lord, hast borne for me
More than my tongue can tell
Of bitterest agony^

To rescue me from hell.

Thou sufferedst all for me :

What have I borne for Thee ?

" 0 let my life be given,

My years for Thee be spent;

World-fetters all be riven,

And joy with suffering blent.

Thou gavest Thyself for me,:

I give myself to Thee I "OBLIGATIONS IMPOSED BY CONFIRMATION. 411

Confirmation imposes upon us two principal obligations :
First, to confess the faith of Jesus Christ, even at the
peril of our lives; second, not to be ashamed of the
Gospel, or yield to human respect.

A confirmed Christian ought to witness for Jesus Christ,
that is, bravely defend the faith which He has taught us,
boldly confront all who attack it, nor fear the railleries or
menaces of men, not even death itself. The terrible
punishment with which Jesus Christ threatens those who
fail ia this duty, shows us how indispensable it is. u Every
one therefore that shall confess Me before men, I will also
confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But
he that shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him be-
fore ^My Father who is in Heaven."

Let us, then, oppose the dangerous talk of corrupt men
who would shake our faith, by a courage worthy of the
soldier of Christ. Let. us sustain our Master's interests
with all the zeal we are capable of.

Should we permit any person to tear to pieces in our
presence the reputation of a father or a friend ? Htiw can
we then permit to be outraged in our presence that God
who bestowed life upon us, who is our first Father, and
ought to be our eternal reward ?

It is especially by the purity of our morals, and the
regularity of our conduct, that we should confess Jesus
Christ, and, if possible, win to Him those who assail His
doctrine. Example is strong, and more persuasive than
words, and nothing so honors and confirms our holy re-
ligion as a virtuous and Christian life.

The bishop, when administering Confirmation, makes
the sign of the Cross upon the forehead of the candidate,
and then gives a slight blow upon the cheek, to teach412	a christian's duty.

him that he ought never to be ashamed to practise the
law of Jesus Christ, but become superior to all human
respect, that weakness unworthy of a Christian, which
hinders him from doing good, and induces him to do
wrong in order not to offend the wicked. Frequently a
young man dare not frequent the sacraments, sanctify
holy days, go to Mass, or observe fasts, because he fears
to be the butt of the ridicule of his associates, persons who
act very differently. He sees that by doing his duty he
will become the object of their raillery, and this is enough
to make him do like the rest. How injurious is this con-
duct to God ! how unreasonable it is, and what baneful-
consequences it produces ! What an insult to God, to
fear less to lose His friendship than that of men ! A^d
of what men ? Perverse men,—men who neither merit
our esteem nor confidence, and whom in our hearts we
despise. What! God commands that we should preserve
piety in our hearts by a frequent use of the means which
He himself has established for our sanctification; and, be-
cause a few young, unprincipled libertines scoff at us, we
abandon God and His worship ! We ought to blush at
our cowardice. Do we fear less to incur the displeasure
of God than that of the wicked I What a crime to give
the preference to the creature before the Creator ! If
God is on our side, what have we to fear from them ? If
God is against us, what help can they possibly give us ?
When God shall condemn us, will they rise in our de-
fence ?

What! we are ashamed at our fidelity in discharg-
ing our duty ? We ought, on the contrary, to glory in it.
Since when has virtue merited confusion and shame ?
What a reversal of ideas ! How opposed to all the lightOBLIGATIONS IMPOSED BY CONFIRMATION. 413

of reason and every natural feeling ! It is vice that ought
to blush, not virtue ; it is to crime that shame belongs;
not to innocence.

After all, what are these censors of virtue, these men
whom we are so anxious not to offend, and whose good
word we so eagerly seek ? For the most part, they are
men given up to brutal lusts, groaning beneath their
shameful yoke. A secret trouble goes with them every-
where and poisons every moment of their lives. Contin-
ually lacerated by cruel remorse, tormented by the re-
proach of conscience, (1) they would fain stifle this im-
portunate voice. It is to strengthen themselves from the
power of numbers that they are compelled to multiply
accomplices in their disorders. Yet, while they outwardly
array themselves against piety, they cannot help respect-
ing it at heart, and regret its loss. While they persecute
the righteous, they really esteem them, and envy their
lot. If they have a deposit to entrust, they prefer to
select them to take care of it. (2)

An officer distinguished by his birth and wealth was
about to obtain a vacant grade in his regiment. But he
was accused of being a Christian, and his religion exclud-
ed him from office and honors. The governor gave him
some hours wherein to reflect upon what course he meant

" Better be with the dead
Than on the tortures of the mind to lie
In restless ecstasy.

We eat our meal in fear,

And sleep in the affliction of these terrible dreams
That shake us nightly."—Macbeth.

(2) When Hume, the skeptical historian, was asked why he did not
employ servants who held his own views, he candidly admitted that
for probity and faithful service he preferred sincere Christians,414

a christian's duty.

to take* Daring this interval the bishop sought him out.
He took him by the hand, and led him to the church.
Arrived at the foot of the altar, he pointed to the sword
which he carried at his side, and then, presenting him
with, the book of the Gospels, told him to choose between
them, which he loved best. The officer, without any hes-
itation, took the sacred volume. u Cleave then to God/'
said the bishop j u He will strengthen you, and grant you
that which you have chosen. Go in peace ! 77 On
leaving the church, the officer went straight to the gover-
nor, and, having generously confessed the faith of Christ,
was condemned to death, and expired in torments.—
Merault

Exekcises.—"What are the two principal obligations imposed by-
Confirmation ? How may we show our courage for Christ ? How are
we to confess Christ before the world ?

[ There are few weapons of Satan so deadly to the Christian, es-
pecially the young Christian, as ridicule, It is at all times a dangerous
gift. When it takes the form of satire, it may excite admiration by
its sudden brilliancy/ as the lightning does, but it imparts a secret
dread. A satirist is an unloved man. One of the very greatest,
Swift, compared himself in declining years to a " poisoned rat in a
hole."(l) For, as a rale, such an one delights in his power to make
men wince by probing their sore places. This is certainly bad
enough; yet most men can find mirth in the scathing satire to which
another is subjected, so long as they are spared. And, in some cases, a
healthy and beneficial use may be made of satire. Some abuses are
best attacked this way : the keen arrow may penetrate the joints of
the armor that resists the bullet. But it becomes absolutely fiendish
when employed to shake another's faith and morals. Let us closely
analyze it. Why should a man ridicule my observance of the de-

(1) A vast genius, a magnificent genius, a genius wonderfully bright
and dazzling and strong, to seize, to know, to see, to Hash upon false-
hood and scorch it into perdition, to penetrate into the hidden mo-
tives and expose the black thoughts of men,—an awful, an evil spirit.
The 41 saera indignatio," of which he spoke as lacerating his heart,
breaks out from him in a thousand pages of his writings, and tears
and rends him.—Thackcray, English Humorists, p. 29,-30. (Amer. Ed.)OBLIGATIONS IMPOSED BY CONFIRMATION. 415

mands of religion ? He thinks I am credulous and not sufficiently
enlightened,—does he undertake to show me my error? Never!
He assumes that I am at heart a hypocrite, a canting coward, with
some ulterior purpose to serve. Why does he think so? He judges
by himself : he thinks I am like himself, and am doing what he
would do under the circumstances. Why does he want to pervert
me ? To show his power, and because every one so perverted is an
endorsement of his own wisdom. To what does he want to turn me,
or what will he give me in exchange ? To the level of the beast—a more
dangerous class of animal, the unprincipled sensualist, the selfish,
heartless, corrupt creature who usurps the name of man, but is doing
devil's work with a devil's unhallowed joy ! These reflections ought
to pluck out the sting of ridicule. Its root is envy and jealousy of
the meanest kind. There are some persons so sensitive that they
suffer acutely at the most senseless form of ridicule ; for, as Dr.
Johnson said, " A gnat may sting a lion, but it is a gnat still." It
sometimes needs more bravery to resist ridicule than to mount " the
imminent, deadly breach." }

" Unless a love of virtue light the flame,

Satire is, more than those he brands, to blame ; \

He hides behind a magisterial air
His own offences, and strips others' bare."— Cowper,

/>

" If satire charms, strike faults, but spare the man ;

'Tis dull to be as witty as you can.

Satire recoils whenever charged too high ;

Bound your own fame the fatal splinters fly."— Young.416

a christian's duty.

SECTION IV.

of the sackament of penance.

CHAPTER I.

The Nature, Form, and Necessity of Penance.

" When God smote His hands together and struck out thy soul as a
spark,

Into the organized glory of things from the deeps of the dark,
Say, didst thou shine, didst thou burn, didst thou honor the power
in the form,

As the star does at night, or the firefly, or even the little ground-
worm ?

'I have sinned,' she said,

' For my seed-light shed
Has mouldered away from His first decrees.

The cypress praiseth the firefly, the ground-leaf praiseth the worm :
I am viler than these !'

" When God on thy sin had pity and did not meet it as such,
But temper'd the wind to thy uses and softened the world to thy
touch,

At least thou wast moved in thy soul, though unable to prove it afar ;
Thou couldst carry the light like a jewel, not giving it out like a star?
' I have sinned,' she said,

' And not merited
The gift He gives, by the grace He sees !

The mine-cave praiseth the jewel, the hillside praiseth the star :
I am viler than these !'

" ' Go,' I cried, ' thou hast chosen the human and left the Divine !
Then at least have the human shared with thee their wild-berry wine ?
Have they loved back thy love, and, when strangers approached thee
with blame,

Have they covered thy faults with their kisses, and loved thee the
same ?'■

But she shrank and said,

' God over my head
Must sweep in the wrath of His judgment-seas,

If He shall deal with me sinning but only indeed the same,

And no gentler than these.' "—Mrs. Browning,NECESSITY OF PENANCE.

417

Penance is a sacrament which remits sins committed
after Baptism, however many or great, provided that the
sinner accuses himself with the necessary dispositions.

This sacrament was instituted by Christ after His
resurrection, when, breathing upon the Apostles, He said :
u Receive the Holy Ghost: whose sins ye remit they
are remitted unto them, and whose sins ye retain they
are retained.

The form of this sacrament consists in these words of
the administering priest, " I absolve thee" etc. The
three acts of the penitent, contrition, confession, and
satisfaction, must accompany absolution ; otherwise, as re-
gards remission of sins, the sacrament is valueless and
sacrilegious.

Whoever is guilty of mortal sin can obtain forgiveness
only through this sacrament; or, in case of being unable
to receive it, by an act of perfect contrition containing
an ardent desire to receive it. •

Let none say, 661 will do penance in private, and before
God." This is not enough, says St. Augustine ; we must
have recourse to the sacrament. As sins committed before
Baptism can only be remitted by that sacrament, so sins
committed after Baptism can only be remitted through the
Sacrament of Penance.

We speak only of mortal sin, for we may obtain for-
giveness of venial sins by prayer and other good works.
Yet it is always useful to confess them and receive abso-
lution, because it is the most efficacious means of obtaining
pardon, and because absolution augments grace in us. Be-
sides, it is not always easy to distinguish between mortal
and venial sins.

The Sacrament of Penance is therefore like a second418

a christian's duty.

Baptism offered to sinners who have lost the grace of the
first. But this second Baptism is painful and laborious,
demanding tears, sighs and effort. In the first, God,
willing to display His infinite mercy, holds the sinner
free of all without reserve. But in the second, mingling
justice with mercy, He will not be reconciled to him ex-
cept upon hard and humiliating conditions. Besides, the
holy rigors of Penance are not only a salutary remedy
for the rigors of past sins, but also a kind of curb, which
stops their course, repressing a man's passions and com-
pelling him to be for the future more watchful and firm in
resisting the attractions of the world and the flesh.

Three things are necessary for the worthy reception of
this sacrament—to wit, contrition, confession, and satis-
faction.

Monsignor de la Mo die d'Orleans, Bishop of Amiens,
went to confession every eight days. In the preparations
which he made to confess well, he performed three stations :
the first in hell, the second in Heaven, and the third upon
Calvary. At the outset, he entered in imagination the
abode of torment, and looked upon the place which ho
believed he had merited, in the midst of eternal, devour-
ing fires, along with demons and reprobates. He thank-
ed the Lord for not having plunged him into it, and begged
the grace he needed to preserve him from it. He then
repaired to the abode of happiness and glory, grieving
that by his sins he had closed its doors against him ; en-
treating the Lord, and invoking the saints to open them.
Then he adjourned to Calvary. There, fixing his eyes
attentively and lovingly upon Our Saviour Crucified, he said
to himself: " This is my work j I caused the pains whichNECESSITY OF PENANCE.

419

Jesus Christ endured. I have co-operated with other sin-
ners in covering the body of the God-Man with wounds,
in crucifying Him, and putting Him to death. 0 Jesus,
what harm hast Thou done to me ? How could I treat
Thee thus, who hast loved me with such excess, and whom
I ought to love with an infinite love, if I were capable of it ?
It is because Thou art infinitely kind that I love Thee and
repent of my offences against Thee." What fruit we
should derive from our confessions, what progress we
should make in the ways of God, if we followed the method
of this virtuous prelate!—Life of Bishop de la Mothe.

Exercises.—What is the Sacrament of Penance ?
tain forgiveness otherwise than by this sacrament ?
are necessary to a worthy confession ?

Can any one ob-
What dispositionsa christian's duty.

CHAPTER II.

Of Contrition,

" Thou that with pallid cheek,

And eyes in sadness meek,

And faded locks that humbly swept the ground,

From thy long wanderings won,

Before the all-healing Son
Didst bow thee to the earth, O lost and found !

When thou wouldst bathe His feet
With odors richly sweet,

And many a shower of woman's burning tear,

And dry them with that hair,

Brought low the dust to wear,

From the crowned beauty of its festal year ;

Did He reject thee then,

While the sharp scorn of men
On thy once bright and stately head was cast ?

No ! from the Saviour's mien
A solemn light serene
Bore to thy sou} the peace of God at last.

Bt^ which, O erring child,

F?9fn home so long beguiled !

Which of thin«| offerings won those words of Heaven,
. Tnat o'er the bruised reed.

Condemned of sarth to bleed,

,In music passed,—' Thy sins are all forgiven' ?

Was it that perfume, fraught
With balm and incense, brought
From the sweet woods of Araby the blest ?

Or that fast-flowing rain
Of tears, which not in vain
To Him who scorned not tears, tliy woes confessed ?
No ! not by these restored
Unto thy Father's board :

Thy peace, that kindled joy, in Heaven was mad6;
But costlier in his eyes,

By that blessed sacrifice,

Thy heart, thy full deep heart, before Him laid."

— Mrs Ilemans.OF CONTRITION.

421

Contrition is a sorrow and detestation of the sins which
we have committed, with a firm resolution not to commit
them for the future. This primary disposition is. so nec-
essary, that without it no sin whatever, even venial, can
be forgiven.

A malady which deprives us of the power of speech
excuses from confession, a sudden death exempts from
satisfaction as regards this life ; but nothing can dispense
with contrition.

God promises pardon to those alone who are converted
to Him with all their hearts, with tears and groans of pro-
found and bitter sorrow, to those who rend their hearts
and not their garments.

Contrition, to be real, should have four marks: 1. It
ought to be internal, that is, in the heart, and not merely
on the lips. It is not enough to read or pronounce acts
of contrition. It is the heart which has sinned, and it is
in the heart that we ought to feel sorrow and detesta-
tion of sin. 2. Contrition must be supernatural, that is,
excited by a motion of the Holy Spirit, and not by
nature; for, to detest sin because it has caused us
some temporal misfortune, as sickness, or the loss of
goods, is not a contrition sufficient to obtain pardon.
We must repent as in God's sight, because sin offends and
displeases Him. Repentance, then, must be produced by
grace and from motives of faith. 3. Contrition must be
supreme, rising above all other sorrow, so that we are dis-
posed to lose everything rather than fall again. We
should be more afflicted than by all the other evils in the
world. It is not necessary that this sorrow should be vis-
ible: it may be at the bottom of our heart without manifest-
ing itself externally otherwise than by works which are422

a christian's duty.

its effect and evidence. 4. Finally, contrition should
be universal, that is, extending to all the mortal sins
which we have committed. We have no real contrition,
if there is one mortal sin to which the heart remains at-
tached, because, by this attachment to a mortal sin, we
remain in opposition to God. There is, therefore, none that
we. ought not to detest, if we wish to enter into favor with
God.

To obtain this contrition, we must ask it of God by hum-
ble and fervent prayers. We can of ourselves offend Him,
but. we cannot repent as we ought without His aid. W e
must then reflect upon the motives which tend most to ex-
cite it in our hearts. Think who it is whom we have of-
fended : it is our Creator, our Father, who has load-
ed us with His benefits, who has redeemed us at the price
of His blood. What ingratitude ! Think of what we
have lost by sin : the eternal happiness reserved for us,
and to which we have no longer any claim. What a loss !
Think of what our sins expose us to : they render us
worthy of hell, that realm of tears, and rage, and despair,
and everlasting burnings. # What a horrible destiny !
Think, above all, on what Jesus Christ has suffered in ex-
piation of our sins, and in order to procure for us the grace
of pardon. It is not possible to reflect seriously upon
these great truths without being moved and stirred up to
feel hatred to sin.

There are two kinds of contrition, the perfect and the
imperfect. The latter is called attrition. Perfect con-
trition is sorrow for having offended God, because He is
supremely good and loving, and sin displeases" Him. Its
motive, therefore, is love to God. Hence its effect is to
remit sin of itself, provided it be joined to a desire to goOF CONTRITION,

423

to confession. Imperfect contrition, or attrition, is a sor-
row for having offended Grod, caused by the shame of hav-
ing committed sin, by the fear of receiving punishment,
or by the loss of eternal happiness.

Attrition, not being produced by sufficiently elevated
motives, cannot of itself remit sins ; but if joined to ab-
solution, it suffices, provided that it includes the hopes of
pardon, and the beginning of love to God. Attrition, like
perfect contrition, must be internal, supernatural, supreme
and universal.	.

A certain father had three sons, whom he sent every-
day into the fields to look after three small lambs which he
had confided to their care. It happened that one day,
while the boys were asleep, the wolves came out of the
adjoining forest and carried off the lambs. The children,
awakened by the bleating of the lambs, and seeing in the
distance the wolves carrying them off, were quite incon-
solable. But this was the cause of their grief: The el-
dest said, "-I cry because my father will beat me and
make me do penance for letting my lamb be carried off.
Otherwise I would not cry at all." The second said, "I.
-cry because of the penances I shall have to do, and
because of the grief which my father will feel* when he
knows that the wolves have eaten up my lamb." The
youngest, who cried more bitterly than the other two,
said, "My good father will be so much grieved, that I
would sooner do penance all my life than cause him so
much annoyance." The first of these children represents
a Christian who- has only a servile fear ; the second, the424

a chkistian's duty.

Christian who has only imperfect contrition 5 the third,
him who has perfect contrition.— Gaume.

Exercises.—What is contrition ? To whom does God promise par-
don ? How may we obtain contrition ? How many kinds of contrition
are there ?

CHAPTER III.

A Firm Purpose of Amendment.

44 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

4 Gome unto Me and rest ;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,

Thy head upon My breast.'

I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary and worn and sad ;

I found in Him my resting-place,

And He has made me glad.

44 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

4 Behold, I freely give

The living water : thirsty one,

Stoop down and drink and live.'

I came to Jesus and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

And now I live in Him.

411 heard the voice of Jesus say,

'I am this dark world's Light;

Look unto Me: thy mom shall rise,

And all thy day be bright.'

I looked to Jesus, and I found
In Him my star, my sun ;

And by that Light of life I'll walk
Till travelling days are done."—Bonar.

We cannot obtain pardon of our sins if we do not re-
nounce them with all our heart, and are not in the dispo-FIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT.

425

sition of King David when he said, u I have sworn, and
I will perform it; I will keep Thy righteous judgments."
God Himself explains in the Scriptures the necessity of
this firm purpose : u Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unjust man his thoughts, and let him return to the
Lord, and He will have mercy upon him." There is,
then, mercy to be hoped for by those who forsake their
sins.

God will not pardon our sins except we sincerely re-
pent ; and when repentance is sincere, it necessarily in-
cludes a firm purpose of amendment; for it would be mock-
ing God to ask pardon for a sin which we still intended to
commit.

A firm purpose of amendment may be recognized by
three marks. The first is a change of life. A young
man once proud, hasty, intractable, mendacious, negli-
gent in his duties, giddy in the exercises of piety,
becomes meek, humble, obedient, diligent in business,
truthful in speech, collected in prayer, modest xn his be-
havior in church. Here is a visible proof of the sincerity
of his resolution, and we cannot doubt his good intentions.
But may we not say of him in whom we perceive no sort
of change of behavior, that he has not truly renounced
his sins ?—that his promises were made with the lips and
not with the heart ? For it is difficult to have a sincere
repentance without amendment.

The second mark is, to avoid the occasions which or-
dinarily lead to sin.

These are of two kinds. ' The one leads to sin of itself,
as bad books*, bad songs, immodest pictures, and evil com-
panions. The other is. only an occasion, by reason of the
weakness of character of the persons engaged in it, such426

a christian's duty.

as certain professions, legitimate in themselves, but which
become a proximate occasion of offending God to such as
have neither sufficient light nor strength to perform their
duty.

We are bound to quit all such occasions ; and if we
voluntarily stay by them, it is a sign that we have not
formed a sincere purpose to correct ourselves. The
Holy Spirit warns us that u he who loveth danger shall
perish in it." It sometimes costs a great deal to separate
from the occasions of sin ; but we must resolve to make
the sacrifice, if we would not lose ourselves eternally.
This is the sense of Our Lord's words : " If thy right
eye scandalize thee, pluck it out; and if fhy right hand
scandalize thee, cut it off and cast it from thee ; for it is
expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish
rather than that thy whole body should go into hell
that is, if that which leads you into .sin be as precious as
a right hand or a right eye, you must part with it if you
wish to be saved.

Finally, the third sign of a firm purpose of amendment
is to work hard to destroy bad habits, that is, the facility
with which we commit certain sins into which we frequent-
ly fall.

To this end we must watch diligently over ourselves,
go to confession frequently, and cultivate actions opposed
to these habits ; for instance, mildness for anger, obedi-
ence for waywardness, and impose upon ourselves some
penance each time that we fall into these bad habits.

Doubtless, on account of human weakness, it may often
happen that he who has a firm purpose of amendment
may fall again into the faults which he wishes to shun.
But then let him weep before God in sorrow, and hastenFIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT.

427

to purify himself anew in confession. But if we make no
effort to conquer a bad habit j if we do not avoid the dan-
ger of relapsing into it; if our falls are as frequent as be-
fore, it is a sure sign that we have no fixed purpose of
amendment.

It is vain to chase off the flies from the dishes upon the
t^ble, if we leave anything that is sugary and attract-
ive ; for no sooner have you driven them off than they
return in stronger numbers. We must put from us all
that may attract sin ; and by this we understand proximate
occasions. Without this, sin will put in a fresh appear-
ance, and master us more easily than ever.

An habitue of a gambling-house, at which he lost
more money in five minutes than he earned in a week,
was generally accompanied by a dog whom he called
Phylax. One day he was met by a friend, who was as-
tonished at seeing him without his usual companion. 66 How
is it." he inquired, u that your Phylax is n6t with you to-
day I " u For very good reasons," replied the other.
" The last time I took him to that house which I frequent,
he was welcomed with a shower of blows which he has
not forgotten, and I could not prevail on him to accom-
pany me there again." u You must admit, then," said
his friend, with a rude candor, u that the dog is wiser
than his master, who, though duped over and over again
in the same house, yet returns none the less." This is
a striking depiction of the history of sin. The animal
for a long while remembered the blows which he had
received, and the place and occasion upon which they428

a christian's duty

were given; while man, who is so rudely smitten in his
soul each time that he sins, immediately forgets his hurts
and loses no time in returning to his sin again.—Melher.

Exercises.—What is the sign of a sincere repentance? What are
the ordinary occasions of sin ? Are we bound to avoid these ? How
are we to overcome bad habits ?

[By 44 sorrow " the Fathers of Trent understood a hatred and detes-
tation of sin ; because, in this sense, the Sacred Scriptures frequently
make use of the word— " How long," says David, " shall I take coun-
sels in my soul, sorrow in my heart all the day ? " Ps, xii. 2—and also
because from contrition arises sorrow in the inferior part of the soul,
which, in the language of the schools, is called the seat of concupiscence.
With propriety, therefore, is contrition defined a " sorrow," be-
cause it produces sorrow—a sorrow so intense that, in other days, peni-
tents, to express its intensity, changed their garments, a practice to
which Our Lord alludes when he says : "Woe to thee, Corozain ; woe
to thee, Bethsaida : for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the
miracles that have been wrought in thee, they had done penance long
since in sackcloth and ashes." (Matt. xi. 21.) To signify the intensity
of this sorrow, the " detestation of sin," of which we speak, is properly
expressed by the word contrition," a wrord which, literally under-
stood, means the breaking into small parts by means of some harder
subtance, and which is here used metaphorically, to signify that our
hearts, hardened by pride, are subdued and reduced by penance.
Hence no other sorrow, not even that felt at the death of parents, or
children, or for any other visitation, however calamitous, is called
contrition : the word is exclusively employed to express the sorrow
with which we'are overwhelmed by the forfeiture of the grace of God
and of our own innocence. It is, however, often designated by other
names : sometimes it is called "contrition of heart," because the word
" heart" is frequently used in Scripture to express the will; for, as the
heart is the principle which originates the motion of the human sys-
tem, so the will is the faculty which governs and controls the other
powers of the soul. By the holy Fathers it is also called " compunc-
tion of heart," and hence the works written by them on contrition
they prefer inscribing, treatises on "compunction of heart;" for, as
imposthumes are cut with a lancet in order to open a passage to
the virulent matter accumulated within, so the heart of the sinner is,
as it were, pierced with contrition, to enable it to emit the deadly poi-
son of sin which rankles within it. Hence, contrition is called by the
Prophet Joel a rending of the heart: "Be converted to me," says
he, i( with all your heart, in fasting, in weeping, in mourning, and
rend your hearts," (Joel ii. 12.)—Catechism of the Council of Trent]OF CONFESSION.

429

CHAPTER IV.

Of Confession.

*' Often the mourner's wayward heart

Tempts him to hide his grief and die,

Too feeble for confession's smart,

Too proud to bear a pitying eye.

How sweet in that dark hour to fall

On bosoms waiting to receive
Our sighs, and gently whisper all!

They love us—will not God forgive? .

" Then let the grief, the shame, the sin,

Before the mercy-seat be thrown ;

Between the porch and altar weep,

Unworthy of the holiest place,

Yet hoping near the shrine to keep
One lowly cell in sight of grace.

4'Nor fear lest sympathy should fail :

Hast thou not seen, in night-hours drear,

When racking thoughts the heart assail,

Then glimmering stars by turns appear.

And from the eternal home above

With silent news of mercy steal?

So angels pause on tasks of love,

To look where sorrowing sinners kneel."

The second part of the Sacrament of Penance is con-
fession, that is, accusing ourselves of our sins to an ap-
proved priest, in order to receive absolution. Every
priest at his ordination receives the power to remit sins ;
but he cannot exercise it except by a special authority
from his bishop, who fixes the locality and extent of his
jurisdiction. Every priest who has not received this
license, or who uses it without the bishop's authori-
zation, has no power to remit sins.430

a christian's duty.

There are also certain grave sins which the Pope and
the bishop alone can remit. This is done to inspire a
greater horror for these sins, which are called reserved
cases.

We must accuse ourselves of every mortal sin which
we have committed, even those which remain concealed
in the .recesses of the heart, such as evil desires, bad
thoughts, etc.

This obligation is the result of the power which Jesus
Christ gave to His Apostles, and, in their persons, to the
priests who succeed in this ministry, to remit and retain
sins in His Name ; for they cannot judge of the state of
conscience if they are unacquainted with it; and they
can only become acquainted with it by the confession of
the sinner himself. Confession ought to be humble, sin-
cere, and entire—humble, because he who confesses
ought to look upon himself as a criminal, guilty of high
treason against the Divine Majesty, and deserving of
eternal punishment. Prostrate at the feet of the minis-
ter of Jesus Christ, he makes honorable amends for the
many sins which he has committed, asking of his Judge
a pardon which he acknowledges himself unworthy to
obtain, but which he hopes for on account of the Divine
goodness. Sincere, that is to say, he must accuse
himself of his sins precisely as they were committed,
without circumlocution, artifice or exaggeration. Entire,
that is, he must declare their number, kind, and any
considerable circumstances attending them : the number,
by saying, as far as possible, how many times each sin
has been committed ; the hind, too ; for it is not enough
to say that we have greatly sinned : we must partic-
ularize each sin? whether it be theft, detraction, lying,OF CONFESSION.

431

etc., for without this the confessor cannot judge of the
state of the conscience, nor prescribe suitable remedies
and penances. We must also relate any special circum-
stances of the sin. These are of two kinds : those that
change the nature of the sin ; as thus,-—to rob a church
is not a simple robbery, but a sacrilege, which is a kind
of sin much graver than theft. Those that increase the
gravity of the sin without changing its nature ; for in-
stance, to steal from any one is a larceny ; but to take
half a dollar from a poor man who has nothing else to
live on, is a much greater sin than taking the same sum
from a rich man. This is a circumstance which ought
to be mentioned.

To be able to declare our sins in this way, we must
know them exactly ; hence the necessity of a rigid ex-
amen of conscience.

The Empress Jeanne, a princess adorned with every
virtue, had chosen for her director St, John Nepomu-
cene, Canon of Prague. Wenceslas, her husband, was a
very jealous m£n, and, suspecting her of unfaithfulness,
put the worst construction upon her most innocent actions.
One day that the Empress had been to confession, he
sought out John Nepomucene and questioned him as to
what she had revealed, demanding to know if his sus-
picions were well grounded. The saint replied that he
was unable to say anything, because the secrecy of con-
fession was inviolable, and that all information gained
through that source was as though it had never been im-
parted. The Emperor, irritated, maintained a sombre
silence, but a few days later he sent for the saint again.
He employed caresses, promises, threats, to induce him tom

a christian's duty.

reveal the confession of the Empress, but all in vain. He
caused him to be treated with the greatest inhumani-
ty, but only with the same result. Although threat-
ened with death unless he complied, the saint answer-
ed : u You may put me to death, but you will not make
me speak." In his rage, Wenceslas ordered him to be
thrown into the river with his hands and feet tied. The
martyr was soon suffocated by drowning. Pious per-
sons took up his body and placed it in a tomb, at which
a great number of miracles were soon performed.—Feller,
66 Historical Dictionary."

Exercises.—What are we to avow in confession ? From whence is the
power of the priest to remit sins derived? What is requisite to a true
confession ? Is examination of conscience necessary ?

[There are two things relating to confession that are great difficulties
to Protestants. 1. They have become so deeply imbued with the
stupid idea that the priest sets himself to forgive sins on his own ac-
count, that they revolt against it as repugnant to Scripture and even
decency. Heretics know well that the circulation of this malignant
falsehood is a sure way of setting even thoughtful persons against con-
fession. Now, take up a morning newspaper, and we read any day,
in "Term," that Judge So-and-So passed sentence of so many years'
imprisonment, or even death. Does any one su ppose that he has power
to do so on his own account ? Certainly not. He is the representative
of the executive power, as they are the representatives of the people.
In like manner, the priest in confession is a judge whose office is a repre-
sentative one. As the nation speaks through its supreme judges, as a
King or Emperor speaks through his judges, who are therefore entitled
to the same pomp and circumstance as himself, so the priest speaks
in Christ's Name, and wields the authority of Christ, specially com-
mitted to him in the person of the Apostles. The man is completely
sunk in the dignity ; we confess to the priest, not as to a mere man, but
as to the representative of Jesus Christ. 2. Many converts to the
Church, especially if they have been Ritualists, are a long time before
being convinced of the inviolability of the seal. Those who have had
their confessions discussed with a third person, and themselves in-
formed of those of other people, are scarcely to be blamed for this.
But it is remarkable that apostate priests seem to have no power
to make any "startling revelations," although their will is not
wanting. A most eminent Roman theologian, whose memory was
most tenacious on other points, even to the most bewildering
minutiae, declared that if it were to save his life he could not
recall anything that transpired in the confessional half an hourEXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE.

JP

after. Converts, ignorant of the jealousy with which the Church has
fenced around this sacrament, are haunted with a dread and suspi-
cion that the priest to whom they confess can never look upon them
with the same respect as if they had never confessed. And this
erroneous feeling makes confession more than ordinarily irksome
to them, and keeps many out of the Church who assent to all she
teaches, but are frightened at this spectre of their own conjuring.]

CHAPTER V.

Examination of Conscience.

44 All ye who seek a sure relief

In trouble and distress,

Whatever sorrows vex the mind,

Or guilt the soul oppress,

Jesus, who gave Himself for you, •

Upon the Cross to die,

Opens to you His Sacred Heart;

O to that Heart draw nigh !

" Ye hear how kindly He invites;

Ye hear His words so blest:

All ye that labor, come to Me,

And I will give you rest!'

" O Jesus, joy of saints on high,

Thou hope of sinners, h#re,

Attracted by those loving words,

To Thee I lift my prayer.

Wash Thou my wounds in that dear blood
j Which from Thy Heart- doth flow;

A new and contrite heart on all
Who cry to Thee bestow."—Faber.

The neeessity of examining our conscience is founded
upon that of confessing all the sins which we have com-
mitted, How can we do this, if we are unacquaintedm

a christian's duty.

with them ; and how can we become acquainted with them
without diligent search ? The Sacred Council of Trent
demands that we prepare for confession by a careful
scrutiny.

Without this serious examination, we are exposed to be
ignorant of our sins, and to omit to confess them, and by
this negligence to lose pardon ; so that, instead of enter-
ing into favor with God, we expose ourselves to become
more guilty in His sight.

There are certain sins which demand particular atten-
tion in our examination of conscience—to wit, sins of
omission in our duties, and sins of custom. We ought
also to examine ourselves rigidly respecting certain sins
which we are disposed to look upon as trivial, although
they are in their nature grievous. Such are, evil thoughts,
and, even oftener, sins against charity.

Before all things, we must ask of God light to thor-
oughly know ourselves; then, entering into our conscience,
let us seek out our faults with a sincere desire to know
them all in all their gravity, in order to accuse ourselves
faithfully.

In examining ourselves with a view to a general con-
fession, or one ranging over several years, some persons
may find it useful to put in writing a summary of the
sins which they find they have committed. During our
examination we shall do well to remember that God is
present, and frequently say, "Lord, make me to know the
number and enormity of my sins, and grant me, through
the merits of Jesus Christ, grace to confess them unreserv-
edly and to detest them supremely." After our exami-
nation we ought to repeat the Act of Contrition, and ex-EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE,

485

cite ourselves to hearty sorrow. It is advisable to re-
cite slowly and very attentively the Confiteor.

One day a rustic who had not made a very careful ex-
amination of conscience presented himself to a confessor,
and said, u Will you hear my confession ? " u Willingly/'
replied the priest ; u but you must recollect that God
will hear it too." The peasant was alarmed, and said,
u If God will hear my confession I should like to reflect a
little more upon what I am going to say, and examine
myself more attentively." Yes, God hears our confes-
sion, and this is why we should sift our conscience as
though God were visibly present to our eyes,

Exebcises.—Why is a serious examination of conscience necessary ?
About what sins do we require to be specially particular ? What
should we do in order to perform this examination well ?436

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER VI.

Of Sacrilegious Confession.

"'Twere better not to breathe or speak,

Than cry for strength, remaining weak,

And seem to find, but still to seek.	-

"Moreover, but to seem to find,

Ask what thou lackest : thought resigned,

A healthy frame, a quiet mind.

"Sick art thou, a divided will
Still heaping on the fear of ill
The fear of men,—a coward still.	~

"l I will go forward,' say est thou ;

' I shall not fail to find Rest now.'

Look up ! the fold is on her brow.

"If straight thy task, or if oblique,

Thou knowest not; shadows thou dost strike,

Embracing cloud, Ixion-like;

"And, owning but a little more	t

Than beasts, abidest lame and poor, ^

Calling thyself a little lower

' &

" Than angels. Cease to wail and brawl *

Why inch by inch to darkness crawl? ;

One good confession brightens all."—Adapted.

To receive absolution without the necessary disposi-
tions, is not only to render it null and void, but it is com-
mitting a fresh sin—sacrilege, because it is profaning
a sacrament. Then, instead of appeasing the anger of
God, we outrage Him, trampling under foot the blood of
the adorable Son of God, which, falling upon so unworthy
a subject, is profaned in a criminal manner, changing into
a poison the remedy provided for our cure.

What are the causes of so deplorable an evil ?the samaritan woman at the well.

("r,or> knows even our most secret thoughts.")SACRILEGIOUS CONFESSION.

437

In some it is shame at declaring certain faults. The
demon is the spirit of malice and lies, and diminishes in
their eyes the enormity of sin before they have committed
it, but magnifies it when they are about to confess it.
Nothing is more groundless than this false shame. The
confessor is bound to observe the most inviolable secrecy
by all laws human and divine. To reveal our sins to
him is in this respect as though they were never revealed
at all. Outside the sacred tribunal, he can make no use
of what has been said to him. We need not fear on his
part bitter reproaches or insults. It is charity and mild-
ness that dictate the counsels which he gives. He to
whom wre unfold ourselves is not an angel, but a man
like ourselves, surrounded by our weaknesses, and conse-
quently inclined-to have compassion upon them. He is
a faithful friend who only desires our healing, and our
return to virtue. He is a tender father who will be
touched by the mark of confidence which you give him,
and who will think only of how he can help you in such
a pressing necessity.

Does shame prevent you from revealing to a physician
some secret malady, when death would result from con-
cealment 1 Does not the love of life overcome all repug-
nance ? How, then, can we give way to shame when the
soul is hurt with a mortal wound f How is it we have not
strength to discover it to him who can apply a salutary
remedy ?

Besides, what do we gain by concealing our sins from
a confessor now ? Can we hide them from God ¥ Shall
we not have to confess them sooner or later, or else per-
ish everlastingly ? Shall we not, in that case, see these
very sins unveiled to the gaze of the universe ?438

a christian's duty.

Some are deterred from a frank confession from a fear
of not being permitted to make their first communion, or
receive the Blessed Sacrament at Easter. But nothing
is more senseless than to profane two sacraments in order
not to fail in these duties.

Among penitents who receive absolution without the
necessary dispositions, some take this apparent remission
as real, and think no more of repenting of their sins.
They profane every sacrament which they subsequently
receive, and almost always die impenitent. Others, re-
proaching themselves all their lives with so enormous a
crime, are exposed to a fearful despair, or become obdu-
rate in evil, and persevere in it till death.

u Gro in peace ! the minister of Jesus Christ has said
to both these false penitents • but God said, u Go, with
My malediction ! " The only remedy for so great an evil
is to make a general confession with all the dispositions
necessary.

On the contrary, he who has opened his heart entirely
in confession, and has Spent a suitable time in examining
himself, is well recompensed afterward for the slight trial
to which he has submitted. It occupied only a short
time, and is past, leaving the testimony of a good con-
science. He feels that his communion has been well
made. Peace reigns in his heart, and during all his life
he will bless the happy moment when he gained a victory
over himself—a victory which will secure to him a sweet
peacefulness upon earth, and his eternal salvation "after
death.

Commence your confession with that which costs most
pain in saying. This should be placed at the head ofSACRILEGIOUS CONFESSION.

439

the confession, for avowals are like medical potions : the
first require" most effort. A sinner well Known for his
crimes accosted St. Francis de Girolamo, and throwing
himself at his feet, exclaimed, u Ah, dear father, do not
drive me away ! 77 u And why should I drive you away,"
said the saint, "when Our Lord Himself goes about seek-
ing for sinners ? Let us see: how long is it since the last
confession ? 77 The penitent, weeping, could not reply.
u Ah,77 said St. Francis, 66 maybe it is twenty years ? 77
u More,77 rejoined the penitent. u Thirty, forty, then ?77
u Alas ! it is even more.77 u Fifty, then ?77 u Exactly :
fifty years ago I fled from God.77 u Fled from God !77 said
the saint. " Ah, my child, return to thy God,—to thy
Father, happy at length in thy return.77 The old sinner
sobbed, and the saint wept too, but for joy that God had
found a lost soul.— Good Words of Saints.

St. Augustine had the courage to write his Confessions,
publishing his errors and disorders, in order that it might
everywhere be known what great mercy God had mani-
fested in his behalf by forgiving his sins. The courage
he displayed in unveiling his iniquities drew down upon
him §uch great blessings that he became a noted saint.

Exercises.—How may the Sacrament of Penance be profaned?
What are the results of sacrilegious confession ? What are the benefits
of honest confession ? What lesson do we learn about concealing sins
in confession, from the history of the Samaritan woman ? Relate the
details fully.MO

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER VII.

Of the Manner of Confessing.

"When, wounded sore, the stricken heart
Lies bleeding and unbound,

One only hand, a pierced hand,

Can salve the sinner's wound.

" When sorrow swells the laden breast,

And tears of anguish flow,

One only Heart, a broken Heart,

Can feel the sinner's woe.

" When penitential grief has wept
Over some foul dark spot,

One only stream, a stream of blood,

Can wash away the blot.

'* 'Tis Jesus' Blood that washes white,

His hand that brings relief ;

His Heart is touched with all our joys,

And feels for all our grief.

" Lift up Thy bleeding hand, O Lord,

Unseal that cleansing tide ;

We have no shelter from our sin
But in Thy wounded side."

We kneel down to confess, in order to show by this
humble posture that we are confused, and penetrated
with sorrow for having offended Grod, whose minister
we recognize the confessor to be. We ought therefore
to humble ourselves interiorly/ and sincerely repent for
having had the misfortune to offend.

We give the priest the name of Father. Your con-
fessor is the father of your soul. His office in the holy
tribunal is to establish Jesus Christ in your heart, to
resuscitate in you the life of grace if you have lost it; andMANY SINS AKE FOKGIYEN BECAUSE THOU HAST LOVED MUCH."MANNER OF CONFESSING.

Ml

to increase it if you are living righteously before God.
Look upon him as a tender father who is zealous for your
salvation. If he is your spiritual father, you ought to
honor him, place great confidence in him, and be disposed
to obey him.

Before commencing the detailed account of your sins
to the Lord's minister, you must say, u Bless me, Fa-
ther, for I have sinned." Then say the Confiteor.
Then say how long it is since the last confession,—if on
that occasion you received absolution, and exactly ful-
filled the sacramental penance then imposed.

In confessing our sins, we should remember that we
accuse ourselves before a judge, and consequently we
should speak in a tone that shows that we are humbled
at having rendered ourselves guilty before God.

When you have made a complete accusation of all
your sins to the priest, you tell him that you ask pardon
of God. He who in the sacred tribunal has not a real
sorrow for his sins, lies unto God in the person of His
minister, when he says that he asks pardon of God ; and,
in lying unto God, does he not mock Him ? He then
asks of the minister to whom he has confessed, two things,
penance and absolution.

In asking for penance, the penitent begs of him to
ordain that which he ought to say, or do, in punishment
of the sins of which he has just accused himself, and to
preserve him from falling into the same faults. He knows,
or ought to know, that all iniquity, without exception, will
be punished either in this world or in the next, either
here below by the sinner himself, or, after this life, by
an avenging God.

In requesting absolution he recognizes that the priest hasm

a christian's duty.

received from Jesus Christ, the divine power of forgiving
sins. He begs him to grant him this inestimable favor, but
he adds, " If you please.77 By Christ's institution,
the confessor is established a judge. He is obliged
to observe the rules of a Christian and reasonable pru-
dence. He cannot, without betraying his ministry,
pronounce a favorable sentence, if he has reason to
think that God will not ratify it. St. Ambrose says that
mildness and criminal indulgence do not discharge(l)
the penitent, but charge the confessor. Not only is
absolution given to a sinner who has not the requisite
qualifications, valueless to him, but it becomes very in-
jurious. Ordinarily, it is the seal set to his reprobation,
the real cause of his loss.

A young person who was thought to be pious, but
had too much self-reliance, and neglected to have frequent
recourse to God, fell into a sin whose avowal costs so
much to every one guilty of it, that the mere mention of
the vice opposed to purity brings a blush. She repent-
ed of her fault as soon as she had committed it, and men-
tally resolved that, whatever it might cost her, she would
go to confession and open her heart thoroughly. She
started to do so, but on her way she seemed to hear the

(1) (l Discharge" always means, in theology, unloading. The Epis-
copal command to the clergy is called a Charge. St. Paul uses the
same word, in the same sense, to Timothy (II. iv. 1)," I charge thee."
In law, the word is also used in the sense of unloading. There is
the gaol discharge at the assizes, and the Judge delivers his charge
to the Grand Jury. It is used more generally in an imperative
sense, as a command. So Shakespeare, "Speak, I charge thee." {Ham-
let, Act I.) To charge a man with an offence is to attribute it to him;
to charge a buyer a certain pric > is to exact it from him ; to place
something in one's charge is to entrust it to him. But in the phrase,
"I have discharged my duty," it has the old meaning, quit© dif-
ferent from that in " The prisoner is discharged."OF SATISFACTION.

443

demon say: u Where are you going VJ She replied
boldly, u I am going to coyer myself with shame and con-
fusion, and defy thee." When we have had the courage
to accuse ourselves in confession of some sin which costs
us a good deal of pain to admit, we feel immediately after
such an avowal in the condition of one who has at last got
rid of a burden that weighed him down.—Lasausse.

Exercises.—Why do we kneel at confession? How ought we to
begin confession ? Why is penance imposed ?

CHAPTER VIII:

Of Satisfaction.

" Saint Augustine, well hast thou said

That of our vices we can frame
A ladder, if we will but tread

Beneath our feet each deed of shame !
" All common things, each day's events,

That with the hour begin and end :
Our pleasures and our discontents,

Are rounds by which we may ascend.
"The low desire, the base design,

That makes another's virtues less ;
The revel of the ruddy wine,

And all occasion of excess;

" All thoughts of ill, all evil deed^.

That haVe their root in thoughts of ill;
Whatever hinders or impedes

The action of the nobler will ;

(t All these must first be trampled down

Beneath our feet, if we would gain,

In the bright fields of fair renown,

The right of eminent domain.

" Standing on what too long we bore

With shoulders bent, and downcast eyes,
We may discern—unseen before—

A path to higher destinies."—Longfellow.m

a christian's dtjty.

Satisfaction, which is the third part of the Sacrament
of Penance, is a reparation of the injury done to God and
our neighbor.

To satisfy to God for our sins, is to do or suffer some-
thing to soften the anger of God, whom we have offended,
and to repair the wrong which we have done to our
neighbor.

Satisfaction, at least as regards its acceptance and the
desire to accomplish it, is absolutely necessary in order
that sin may be remitted by the Sacrament of Penance.
When we have no inclination to satisfy God, we cannot
obtain the forgiveness of our sins.

It is God who pardons them, and He alone is master of
the conditions upon which He is willing to do so. In the
Sacrament of Baptism He dispenses us from satisfaction ;
hence the ministers of the Church never impose any
penance upon those whom they baptize, whatever sins
they may have committed previously. But this is not
the same in the Sacrament of Penance. God, by the
mouth of the priest, does certainly remit the eternal penalty
if we have the necessary dispositions, but, generally, a
temporal penalty remains unsatisfied. The penitent ought
therefore to perform with fidelity the penance imposed by
his confessor, and even apply himself to the practice of
other good works, with a view to satisfy the justice of God.

Those who die before having undergone this temporal
penalty, will have to undergo it in another life. They
will finish the expiation of their sins in Purgatory. And
it is agreeable to the Justice of God that those who have
abused the first grace received in Baptism, and who have
violated their promises, should be admitted to reconcilia-
tion with more difficulty. It appertains to God's JusticeOF SATISFACTION.

445

that those who have dishonored the glorious rank of Child
of God, Member of Christ, and Temple of the Holy Ghost;
who have treated the adorable Blood wherewith they were
sanctified as a profane thing, and outraged the Spirit of
Grace, should not find the same facility of pardon as those
who have not been baptized, and whose sins, for the most
part committed in ignorance, have not the same character
of ingratitude. Besides, the mercy of God causes the
sinner to find great good even in the punishment He inflicts
upon him. He finds it a check upon his passions, a rem-
edy against his bad habits • for the satisfactions which
the confessor imposes should not only be proper to expiate
sin committed, but also to destroy the vice which was its
active cause. Such are, humiliations for pride ; almsgiv-
ing for avarice ; fasting for intemperance the mortifica-
tion of the senses for impurity. And these penances
ought to have some proportion to the sins, that is, they
should be more or less great according as the sins have
been more or less enormous, or more or less multiplied.

Penitential works are chiefly such as are imposed by
the pfiest; of which the more common are, prayer, fasting,
and almsgiving. By prayer, we understand all religious
acts, such as the reading of good books, and assiduous at-
tendance on the Divine Offices ; by fasting, everything
that mortifies the senses 5 and almsgiving comprises all the
temporal and spiritual help which we may give to our neigh-
bor.

God deigns also to accept in satisfaction all the afflictions
which may befall us, such as sicknesses, injuries, and per-
secutions.

But, in order that all these things may have any value
before God, we must endure them in a penitential spirit,446

A christian's duty.

uniting them to the sufferings and satisfaction of Jesus
Christ, by whom alone we merit and satisfy. It is Jesus
Christ alone who imparts to our actions whatever they
have of merit and value. It is He who presents them
to God, and it is out of consideration for Him that they
are accepted by the Father.

We are also bound to satisfy our neighbor when we
have done him wrong, either in his person by bad treat-
ment, or in his honor by detraction and calumny, or in
his estate by thefts or other damage.

We cannot obtain from God the pardon of our sins
when we do not reconcile ourselves to our neighbor if we
have maltreated him 5 repairing his honor if we have
blackened his reputationrestoring whatever we have
taken from him, and repairing the damage we have in-
flicted upon him.

If a soldier has been wounded by an narrow, is it enough
to draw it out of the wound? No ! the wound must be
bandaged up and suitable remedies applied. Thus, con-
fession alone is not sufficient to make penance complete:
we must also apply efficacious remedies which may pre-
serve us from sin in the future.—St. Chrysostom.

There formerly lived a St. Paul the Hermit, St. Anthony,
and St. Mary of Egypt, and numerous others who followed
in their steps, who renounced the world, and all that they
possessed on earth, plunging into the dreary desert, wear-
ing only hair shirts, and subsisting upon wild roots. It was
to satisfy God's Justice that they acted thus.—Lasausse.

Exercises.—What is satisfaction ? Is satisfaction necessary to pax-
don ? What are penitential works ? What is necessary in order to
the acceptance of our penances ? Are we bound to satisfy our neigh-
bor if wronged ?COME TO ME AND I WILL REFRESH THEE.OF INDULGENCES.

447

CHAPTER IX.

Of Indulgences.

"I op'd my eyes, before me viewed, and saw
Shadows with garments dark as was the rock ;

And when we passed a little forth I heard
A crying, ' Blessed Mary ! pray for us,

Michael and Peter ! all ye saintly host!'

I do not think there walks on earth this day
Man so remorseless that he had not yearn'd
With pity at the sight that next I saw;

Mine eyes a load of sorrow teemed, when now
I stood so near them that their semblance
Came clearly to my sight.

" Thus for themselves and us good speed imploring,

These spirits went beneath a weight like that
We sometimes feel in dreams; all sore beset, *

But with unequalled anguish, wearied all,

Bound the first circuit, purging, as they go,

The world's gross darkness off. In our behoof
If their vows still be offered, what can here
For them be vow'd and done by such, whose wills
Have root of goodness in them? Well beseems
That we should help them wash away the stains
They carried hence, that so, made pure and light,

They may spring upward to the starry spheres."

—jDante, "Purgatorio

Lest we should become affrighted and discouraged by
the rigor of the penances which we are bound to perform
on account of the enormity and number of our sins, our
Heavenly Father has found a way of sparing the weak-
ness of His children while still maintaining the sacred
rights of His justice. He has willed that the innocent
shall pay for the5 guilty, and that the superabundant satis-
factions of our brethren shall redound to our profit; and so448

a chbistian's duty.

far diminish our obligations. This means is through
Indulgences.

For instance: In a kingdom a man is guilty of a
crime, and is sentenced to death by the law. He is
about to ascend the scaffold, when some illustrious person
solicits his pardon from the monarch. The king relents,
and spares the criminal, and thus grants an indulgence.
The whole human race, in the person of Adam, rebelled
against God. It was condemned to eternal death. Im-
mediately the Son of God presented Himself and begged
for our pardon, offering to die in our stead. The Eternal
Father accepted the offer, man was reprieved, and thus
God granted an indulgence.

We see, then, that an indulgence in general is the re-
version of the merits of the just to the account of the un-
just. It is tltie source, at once consoling and terrible, of
the fraternity and solidarity that bind men together, the
basis of society, and the very essence of Christianity.

By an indulgence, correctly speaking, we must under-
stand, according to St. Liguori, " the remission of the
temporal pain which remains to be endured after the re-
mission of the ftiult and its eternal punishment-—a re-
mission accorded outside of the Sacrament of Penance by
the merits of Jesus Christ, the Most Blessed Virgin, and
the saints."

To understand the nature of indulgences, and the
effects which they produce, we must reme,mber : 1. That
all sin must be punished, either in this life or in the next*
If the sin is mortal, it must be punished in another life
eternally, without prejudice to temporal penalties. If it
is venial, it must be punished with temporal pains, either
here or in Purgatory. 2. After the remission in the Sac-OF INDULGENCES.

r&ment of Penance of either mortal or venial sins, and of
the eternal penalty due to the former, there remains gen-
erally a temporal penalty to be undergone, because it is
rare that we have the dispositions of perfect contrition
and charity which fully justify us before God.

Formerly, public penances lasting for years were im-
posed for certain sins. Men were required to pray
much, to pass their days in mourning, and their nights in
vigils and tears, to sleep upon the bare ground, fast, give
alms abundantly, and do other good works. Although
this ancient discipline no longer exists, yet the justice of
God is always the same. Sin does not deserve less pun-
ishment now than it did in the first ages.

We must absolutely suffer the temporal pains due to
sin in all their full extent and severity, either here below
or in Purgatory.

But it is matter of faith that the Church has received
power to soften them. This consoling power is contained
in the words which Our Lord addressed to Peter,when He
said : u I give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in Heaven, and whats&aver thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in Heaven." It is clear from this promise
that the Church has received from Jesus Christ, in the
person of St. Peter, who is its head, the power to open
Heaven to penitent sinners, and consequently to remove
all hindrances to their entrance, which she does by
means of indulgences.

In the first ages, the Church paid attention to the rec-
ommendatiofis of martyrs, and at their intercession she
treated with lenity those sinners in whom they were in-
terested. She also shortened the penance of those who450

a chbistian's duty.

had begun to perform it courageously, when there was a
prospect of persecution, in order that they might be
strengthened, and in a condition to resist their adver-
saries.

It is with the superabundant merits of Jesus Christ,
the Most Holy Virgin, and the saints, that the Church
acquits the debts of her children, by drawing upon this
treasury of merits enough to satisfy Divine Justice on
their behalf.

It is certain that the satisfactions of Our Lord have far
exceeded the sins of the world. They are infinite, which
the sins of the world are not. Hence those memorable
words of Pope Clement XI., which so well express the
ideas of the Church respecting indulgences : u If the Sav-
iour, immolated upon the altar of the Cross, had but shed
one drop of His blood, it had sufficed, on account of its
worth, for the redemption of the whole human race. But
He shed it all. Therefore, in order that so much merit
should not be vain and useless, how great must be the
treasure of grace which He has acquired for His Church
militant! And He has not hidden this treasure, but has
given to the Prince of the Apostles, and to his successors,
power to distribute its riches to the faithful."

It is equally certain that the saints have made much
superabundant satisfaction. What was that of the Most
Blessed Virgin, who, though exempted from sin, suffered
so much !—that of all those martyrs who? from the Bap-
tismal font, where they had just been purified, made but
one step to the scaffold, where they consummated their
sacrifice ! that of numerous other saints, who, though
scarcely guilty of trivial faults, passed their lives in aus-
terities, fasts, and privations of every,kind! Such isOF INDULGENCES.

451

the doctrine of the Church. Thus the treasury of indul-
gences is composed of the superabundant merits of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints—an
inexhaustible treasure, because the Saviour's merits are
infinite.

The remission of the temporal pains due to our sins is
not granted always in the same measure. Sometimes it
is full and entire, at other times not so. Hence the di-
vision of indulgences into Plenary and Partial.

A Plenary Indulgence is not only a remission of all
penances, sacramental and canonical, but also of all the
pains of Purgatory. The Christian who is so fortunate
as to secure this, becomes as pure as an infant fresh from
the font. If he dies in this happy state, he ascends
straight to Heaven without passing through Purgatory.
A Partial Indulgence only remits a portion of the pains
due to sin.

By a Partial Indulgence of forty or a hundred days,
seven years, etc., we are to understand the remission of
the temporal pains due to sins, however pardoned, corre-
sponding to forty or a hundred days, or seven years of
the ancient canonical penance.

The greatest of all indulgences is the Jubilee. This
is a plenary and extraordinary indulgence granted by
the Sovereign Pontiff to the Universal Church.

Besides the solemnity which accompanies it, it differs
from other indulgences, because, during the Jubilee, the
Pope grants power to confessors to absolve reserved cases,
commute simple vows, that is, to change them into other
good works.

The Jubilee, properly speaking, the Grand Jubilee,
which takes place every twenty-five years, is called the452

a christian's duty.

Holy Year. The word jubilee means return or libera-
tion. Among the Jews it took place every fifty years.
Then lands that were pledged returned to their former
owners=; the slave recovered his freedom ; debts were
cancelled, and the land remained uncultivated. It was
a year of grace and rest- The Jubilee under the Old
Law was but figurative of the Jubilee under the New.
The Christian Jubilee cancels the spiritual debts with
which the sinner is loaded ; it liberates the prisoners and
slaves of Satan, and enables us to re-enter upon the spir-
itual possessions which we have forfeited by sin.

Besides the periodical and ordinary Jubilee of the Holy
Year, the Pope may grant Jubilees to different bishops upon
occasions of great joy or sorrow in the Church. These are
called extraordinary Jubilees. It is customary for each
Pope to give one the year of his exaltation. There are
also indulgences u in the form of a Jubilee/7 which are
accompanied with a certain solemnity, and which have
certain privileges of an ordinary or extraordinary
Jubilee.

The Pope, as head of the Church, has the power to
grant throughout the Church all kinds of indulgences
according as he judges it useful and for the good of the
faithful. The bishops also may grant various indulgen-
ces in their dioceses and out of their diocese to the mem-
bers of their own charge only, over whom they still retain
their authority; but their power in this matter is limited.

To gain an indulgence, there are several conditions to
fulfil. If we do not comply with them, or even omit a
single one, if even involuntarily, we cannot gain the in-
dulgence.

Indulgences in no wise dispense with the obligation ofOF INDULGENCES.

453

doing penance; because : 1. All men without exception
are commanded to do it; 2. We ought to imitate Jesus
Christ and His saints, whose lives were a continual pen-
ance ; 3. Indulgences are only granted upon onerous
conditions, which are in themselves, in a sense, works of
penance. Indulgences are a means of aiding the sinner
in the satisfaction which he owes to God, Supplying his
own deficiencies, and not discharging him from this ob-
ligation.

A workman has contracted a debt so large that he
must labor all his life to pay it. A rich man comes on
the scene who says to him :—66 Give as much as you are
able, and if any more is wanting, I am ready to supply it,
in order that your debt may be entirely acquitted.'7
What joy and comfort this workman would feel at hearing
these words!

Well, this is the way in which the Church acts toward
us. We must perform the penitential works imposed
upon us, and do everything that is in our power. Then
she grants from the treasury of her graces as much as
we need to pay our debts, to expiate the temporal pains
due to sin.

A pious person who had been guilty of great faults in
her youth, recited with great exactitude the various pray-
ers to which the Pontiff has attached indulgences. Each
day she sentenced herself to some mortification, gave
alms according to her ability, and very frequently repeat-
ed these words : u Lord, have pity on me, now and every
instant of my life, but especially at the hour of my death.
I entreat it through the merits of Jesus Christ and by454

a christian's duty.

the intercession of Mary, and the angels and saints. I
offer Thee in the spirit of penance all that I may have to
suffer, and I wish to make satisfaction in every possible
way." When it was represented to her that the mortified
life which she led every day would shorten her existence,
she replied : "We must suffer a little in this life, not to
suffer a great deal in the next."

Exercises—What is an indulgence? Can we escape the temporal
pains due to sin ? How does the Church pay the debts of her chil-
dren ? What is the difference between a Plenary and a Partial Indul-
gence? What is the greatest of a) 1 indulgence-? Do indulgences dis-
pense us from doing penance V What false opinions do Protestants
hold about indulgences ? Refute them.DO THIS FOE A COMMEMORATION OF ME.INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST. 455

SECTION y.

OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST.

CHAPTER I.

The Institution of the Blessed Eucharist.—
Transubstantiation.

" Lo ! the Angels' Food is given
To the pilgrim who hath striven ;

See the children's Bread from Heaven,

"Which on dogs may ne'er be spent.

" Truth the ancient types fulfilling,

Isaac bound, a victim willing,

Paschal Lamb its life-blood spilling,

Manna to the fathers sent.

" Very Bread, Good Shepherd, tend us,

Jesu, of Thy love befriend us,

Thou refresh us, Thou befriend us,

Thine eternal goodness send us,

In the land of life to see.

" Thou who all things canst and knowest,

Who on earth such food bestowest,

Grant us with Thy saints^ though lowest,

Where the heavenly feast Thou showest,

Fellow-heirs and guests to be."

—Breviary, "Ecce Panis Angelorum."

The Eucharist is a sacrament which really and truly
contains the body, the blood, the soul and divinity of
our Lord Jesus Christ, under the species of bread and
wine. It is the greatest and most august of all the sac-
raments. For, whereas the other sacraments confer456

a christian's duty.

grace, the Eucharist gives us the Author of grace Him-
self. By it Jesus dwells in us, and we in Him.

Our Lord had made this promise a long time before
He instituted this sacrament, as we may read in the
Sixth Chapter of St. John's Gospel. After saying to
the Jews, "I am the living Bread which came down from
Heaven," Pie adds, u The bread which I will give is My
flesh, for the life of the world." And as the Jews
murmured, He repeated it again, and in stronger terms,
saying, u Amen, amen, I say unto you, except you eat
the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you
shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh and
drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in Him."

He fulfilled this promise on the eve of His Passion, at the
Supper, where He ate the Paschal Lamb with His disciples.
He took bread, (1) and, after giving thanks to His Father,
He brake it and gave to His disciples, saying: u This
is My Body, which is given for you. Do this for a
commemoration of Me." Then taking the cup, He said :
u Drink ye all of it. This is My blood of the New Tes-
tament, which is shed for you and for many for the re-
mission of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in mem-
ory of Me."

The elements of bread and wine which we see and
taste are visible signs which convey to us the invisible
effect of the Eucharist. They signify that the body and

(1) The fine old hymn "Pange Linguafor the office of Corpus
Christi, thus expresses it:

"That last night, at supper lying,

'Mid the Twelve, His chosen band,

•Jesus, with the Law complying,

Keeps the feast its rites demand ;

Then, more precious Food supplying,

Gives Himself with His own hand."INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST. 457

blood of Jesus Christ are the spiritual food of our souls,
as the bread and wine are the food of the body. But al-
though these elements, as to color, form, and taste, re-
main unchanged after the Consecration, there is no long-
er either bread or wine. All the substance of the bread
is changed into that of the body of Jesus Christ, and all
the substance of the wine into that of His blood ; so that
it becomes the same body that was nailed to the Cross,
and is now in Heaven.

Although we see not the body of the Lord, but only
the species, it is yet verily present. We see the sem-
blance of bread, which exists no more, but we see not the
body of Jesus Christ, which really exists.

As .it is a living and animated body, it follows that
Jesus Christ is entire under each of the two kinds, and
also entire under each particle of the same species. Un-
der the form of bread, the body of the Lord is joined with
His blood, His soul, and His divinity. Under the form of
wine, His blood is joined to his body, His soul, and His
divinity ; for, now that Jesus is glorious and immortal,
He can no longer be divided, His blood cannot be separa-
ted from His body, and we therefore receive as much in
communicating under one kind as if we communicated
under the two.

It is by virtue of the all-powerful words of Jesus Christ,
pronounced in His Name by the priest, that this wonder-
ful change of bread and wine into His body and blood
is .operated. It is Jesus Christ Himself who performs all
these wonders by means of His ministers. He who of
old changed the water into wine at the marriage of Cana ;
He who from nothing formed Heaven and earth, can do
what He will. It is as easy for Him to change one sub-458

a christian's duty.

stance into another, as to draw all things from nothing at
His simple word. We cannot understand how these mar-
vels are performed, (1) but we know that '"with God all
things are possible," and we believe it upon the word of
Jesus Christ, who has so loved us as to perform wonders in
our behalf which we cannot understand. God can perform
this prodigy, because He is all-powerful; and He really
does it, since He assures us that it is His Body. We
ought therefore to listen to His word with respect and
docility, not reason about that which exceeds reason, nor
seek for the order of nature in that which is super-natural.
Let us believe—let us believe, then, the word of Our God,
who is really present in the Eucharist. Let us believe,
despite the testimony of our senses, that there is no longer
bread and wine, for when God speaks we ought no long-
er to listen to our senses.

Our Lord, in order to unite Himself intimately with us,
has become our food; He has ordered us to drink that
game blood which He has shed for us, and to eat the Vic-
tim slain for us on the Cross, and has lavished miracles to
procure us this happiness.

Henry the Great, King of France, had the most lively
faith in the real presence of Our Lord's body and soul in
the Eucharist. Passing one day through a street near the

(1) It really is a confession of intellectual pride which, will not con-
fess tlie limited capacity of the intellect to try founder stand it. Once
admit that it is a mystery, and we admit that all our investigations are
likely to be fruitless. A squirrel in a cage, which goes round and
round without getting on a jot, is a fitlikeness of the man who attempts
to explain a mystery. In physics we meet mysteries to which we
bow, acknowledging their existence, but being unable to comprehend
them ; yet the mysteries of theology exceed these in difficulty as the
heavens exceed the earth in altitude. The soul which is able heartily
to say "Credo," ought to rest as contentedly there as a half-drowned
mariner who has set his feet upon the rock.	^INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST. 459

Louvre, he met a priest carrying the Blessed Sacrament.
He at once knelt down, and worshipped with great rever-
ence, The Duke de Sully, a Protestant, who accompanied
him, asked, u Sire, is it possible that you believe in that VJ
The King replied, u God be praised, I do believe in it,
and one must be a fool not to do so. I would give one of
the fingers of my hand to see you believe in it as I do."

It is related that one day at the military school of
Brienne, at the most solemn moment of the Mass? one of
the pupils turned his back to the altar. Young Bonaparte,
afterward Napoleon I., who was close to him, in a gener-
ous movement of indignation, seized his arm, and made him
turn about-face. u Kneel!he whispered in energetic
accents, u kneel down !and the young skeptic obeyed.

Exercises.—What is the Eucharist ? Do the bread and wine re-
main after the consecration V Does each communicant receive Our
Lord's body? Explain the line, "At supper lying 'mid the twelve."

" Transubstardiaiion." When, in the natural order, the form of a
thing is changed, that change may be properly termed a " transfor-
mation in like manner, when, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the
whole substance of one thing passes into the whole substance of an-
other, the change our predecessors in the faith wisely and appropri-
ately called "transubstantiation."

Our Lord is not in the Sacrament as in a place : place regards things
only inasmuch as they have magnitude ; and we do not say that1
Christ is in the Sacrament inasmuch as He is great or small—terms
which belong to quantity—but inasmuch as He is a substance. The
substance of the bread is changed into the substance of Christ, not
into magnitude or quantity ; and substance, it will be acknowledged, is
contained in a small as well as in a large space. The substance of air,
for instance, whether in a large or in a small quantity, and that of
water, whether confined in a vessel, or flowing in a river, must neces-
sarily be the same. As, then, the body of Our Lord succeeds to the
substance of the bread, we must confess it to be in the Sacrament
after the same manner as the bread was before consecration : whether
the substance of bread was present in a greater or less quantity is a
matter of entire indifference.—Catechism of the Council of Trent.460

a christian's duty.

In one respect, however, this substantial change differs from all
other substantial changes. In other cases, when one substance
changes into another, the accidents also change. Hero the accidents
of bread and wine remain unaltered ; and so long as they remain, the
body and blood of Christ also remain concealed beneath them. He nee
it follows that in the Eucharist there is no deception of the senses..
What we see, feel, or taste in the Blessed Sacrament is real, for the
accidents are real entities, and the accidents are all thatthe senses ever
do perceive. From the existence of the accidents reason infers that of
the substance to which they naturally correspond; but with regard to
the Eucharist this inference would be false, since faith assures us that
in this case the accidents conceal the body and blood of Christ, not
the substance of the bread and wine. It is, moreover, because the
accidents remain that the Eucharist is a Sacrament. They constitute
the outward part; they are the sensible sign of that refreshment of
the soul which follows from the worthy reception of the Blessed
Sacrament.—Catholic Dictionary, Addis and Arnold.DISPOSITIONS FOR THE HOLY EUCHARIST. 461

CHAPTER II.

Dispositions for Receiving the Holy Eucharist.

" O Food that weary pilgrims love,

O Bread of angel-hosts above,

O manna of the saints ;

The hungry soul would feed on Thee ;

Ne'er may the heart unsolaced be
"Which for Thy sweetness faints.

" 0 fount of love, 0 cleansing tide,

Which from the Saviour's pierced side

And Sacred Heart doth flow :

Bs ours to drink of Thy pure rill,

Which only can our spirit fill,

And all we need bestow.

4 Lord Jesu, whom by power divine,

Now hidden 'neatli the outward sign,

We worship and adore,

Grant, when the veil away is rolled,

With open face we may behold
Thyself forever more."

There is no sacrament which so closely unites us to
God as the Holy Eucharist. Consequently, there is none
for which we should more carefully prepare ourselves.
The more holy this sacrament is, the holier should be our
dispositions in approaching it. It is not for man, but for
God that we prepare an abode. Among these necessary
dispositions, some appertain to the soul and some to the
body.

The first disposition of the soul is purity of conscience.
According to the'precept of the Apostle, we must prove
ourselves ere we eat of that heavenly bread. And, if we462

a christian's duty.

find ourselves guilty of any mortal sin, it will be requisite
to have recourse to the Sacrament of Penance.

The Eucharist supposes the existence of the spiritual
life in the recipient. We must be living in order to be
fed. It is the God of purity who gives Himself to us,
and He is not satisfied save with a pure heart. It was to
make the Apostles comprehend this fact that Jesus wash-
ed their feet before giving them His body and blood.
For this same reason, in the Primitive Church, at the
time of the Consecration, the deacon turned himself to the
people and said : " Holy things for holy personsThe
innocence of Baptism, either preserved or repaired by
penance, is the wedding-garment without which we ought
not to repair to the feast of the Father of the family. This
purity and innocence is the chief disposition, but we must
add to it a lively faith, a firm hope? and an ardent char-
ity.

The Church calls the Eucharist the Mystery of Faith.
He who approaches it ought unhesitatingly to believe that
in receiving it he receives Jesus Christ, the same that
came into the world, who died to save us, who was glori-
ously raised, and who is now in Heaven, seated at the right
hand of the Father.

A firm hope consists in confidently expecting from Jesus
Christ all that we have asked of Him in relation to our
salvation. Since He gives Himself wholly to us, what
can He refuse us ? He declares that he who eats His
flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life, and will be
raised up at the last day. After such a promise, what
confidence we ought to have in His goodness ! Let us
then approach the Holy Table in the same disposition as
the woman in the Gospel who said within herself, "If IDISPOSITIONS FOR THE HOLY EUCHARIST.	463

may but touch the hem of His garment I shall be healed."
And she was healed that self-same hour.

The Eucharist is a sacrament of love. It was from
His incomprehensible love that Jesus Christ instituted it.
Would it not be a, monstrous ingratitude to receive it with
a cold and indifferent heart f And our love ought to be
accompanied with sentiments of profound humility, ado-
ration, and gratitude.

What is it we receive in the Eucharist ? God Himself,
the Creator ana Sovereign Master of the universe—He
whose power, holiness, and all other perfections are infinite.
And what are we ? Of ourselves we possess but sin and
nothingness. Let us, then, humble ourselves before God,
and acknowledge with the centurion that we are not worthy
to approach Him. Let us adore Him with holy fear, and
prostrate ourselves at His feet; for, though veiled be-
neath the Eucharistic symbols, He is none the less our
God. Let us rouse in our heart a boundless gratitude.
If it should be estimated by the magnitude of the benefit,,
what ought to be the extent of ours for a gift that is in-
finite !

The body also, after its manner, should contribute to
honor the Divine Guest which it is to receive. There are
two dispositions of body. The first is to be fasting. The
Church has commanded this from the earliest times, out of
respect for the august sacrament. She only excuses those
who, being dangerously ill, receive it as a Viaticum. The
second is to kneel, and maintain the most collected and
modest demeanor possible. This posture of the body
and this behavior manifest the sentiments of a soul which
profoundly abases itself before the Supreme Majesty.464

a christian's duty.

God, irritated at the obduracy of Pharoah, and moved
by the just complaints of His people, resolved to punish
this opinionated prince, and to deliver the Israelites from
the bondage under which they groaned. When the time
fixed in the eternal decrees was arrived, He sent a destroy-
ing angel, who, in a single night, slew all the first-born in
the land of Egypt. But He commanded his people to sac-
rifice on tjhe eve a lamb. It was to be eaten in each family,
and the door of each house was to be marked with its
blood, in order that the avenging angel might spare the
children of His chosen ones.

A short time after, He fed them with manna, which fell
from Heaven during forty years.

Do we not recognize, under these two events, the divine
Eucharist ? The different connections between the shad-
ow and the reality are too striking for us to be deceived.
The Israelites, who were God's people, were alone com-
manded to slay this mysterious lamb ; the exterminating
angel spared all the families ©f the Israelites whose doors
were marked with its blood. Now look at the reality.
Christians alone have the right to slay the Paschal Lamb;
the angel minister of God's vengeance spares all those
who are marked with His blood ; and Jesus Christ has
commanded the faithful frequently to renew this sacrifice,
in memory of their deliverance from the tyranny of the
devil.

The manna, that heavenly food, was a very apt figure
of the sacrament of our altars. It is called u bread from
Heaven/' It contained in itself all manner of delicious
flavors, and the Israelites only partook of it after their
deliverance from Pharoah's bondage.

The Eucharist, as Jesus Christ tells us, is 66 the livingEFFECTS OF THE EUCHARIST.

465

bread which came down from Heaven." It is the fruit-
ful source of all kinds of graces ; but we cannot feed upon
it until we have shaken off the yoke of Satan, that is, until
we have come forth from the slavery of sin.

Exercises.—What is the first disposition necessary to the reception
of the Holy Eucharist ? What ought we to believe in approaching the
Holy Eucharist? What is the sacrament of sacraments? Must we
have any special disposition of body to receive the Holy Eucharist ?.

CHAPTER III.

Effects of the Eucharist.

"Alleluia ! Bread of angels,

Thou on 3arth our food, and stay;

Here the sorrowful and sinful

Flee to Thee from day to day :

Intercessor, Friend of sinners,

Earth's Redeemer, plead for me,

Where the songs of all the sinless
Sweep across the glassy sea !

" O Thou glorious King eternal,

Thee the Lord of Lords we own ;

Born of ever blessed Mary,

Earth Thy footstool, Heaven thy throne :
Thou within the veil hast entered,

Robed in flesh, our great High Priest;

Thee on earth both Priest and Victim
In the Eucharistic feast.

" Sing unending songs to Jesus !

His the sceptre and the throne,

His the everlasting triumph,

His the victory alone :

Hark ! the songs of peaceful Zion

Thunder like a mighty flood :

Jesus out of every nation

Hath redeemed us by His blood."—Newman.466

a christian's duty.

The Eucharist produces admirable effects in those who
receive it with appropriate dispositions.

The first effect of the Eucharist is to unite us inti-
mately to and incorporate us with Jesus Christ. We may
be united to Him by faith, believing all the truths
which He has revealed. We may also be united to Him
by charity, loving Him perfectly. Faith submits the
mind to Him, charity attaches the heart. But there is a
much more perfect and intimate union than these : it is
that which arises from participating in His sacred flesh
and precious blood. This union is the proper effect of
the Eucharist. Jesus Christ gives Himself wholly to us ;
He unites His body to ours. By this union we become
one and the same body and soul with Him.

As the food which we take nourishes our body, so does
the Holy Eucharist nourish our soul. This is a perfect
resemblance 5 for in the same way that these aliments
change into our substance, so does the holy communion
transform us into Jesus Christ. This made St. Paul
say : u I live, yet now not I, but Christ liveth in me."

The second effect of the Eucharist is to increase,
strengthen, and preserve in us the spiritual life of grace.
Our divine Saviour, having become the aliment of our
souls, does not remain inactive. He bestows a new in-
crease of grace; He strengthens us in His love, and
helps us to keep this precious treasure with unswerving
fidelity.

From this springs that sustained sanctity which we
admire so much in those who communicate worthily. Do
you wish to know what? it is that sustains a young man
in a course of piety which edifies every one, in a regu-
larity of conduct which makes him a pattern to the houseEFFECTS OF THE EUCHARIST.

467

where he dwells ? It is the Holy Eucharist, which he re-
ceives frequently and with holy dispositions.

The third effect of this august sacrament is to weaken
concupiscence, and moderate the violence of our passions.

We are all born with a strong inclination to evil. It is
like a poison which has spread throughout our nature
through the first man's sin. The Eucharist does not de-
liver us wholly from this, but it weakens its malignity.
Hence, the Fathers of the Church call it an antidote, a
counter-poison. And this is really experienced by those
who frequently and worthily receive the august sacra-
ment, They find their own strength increase, and that
of their enemies diminish.

The fourth effect of the Eucharist is to give us the
pledge of eternal life and of a glorious resurrection.

Jesus Christ Himself teaches us this consoling truth:
" He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath
eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." The
life which the Eucharist communicates to the soul is a
commencement, and, as it were,- an antepast of the
blessed life. And this life will remain in us and become
eternal, if we do not of our own accord deprive ourselves
of it. This divine sacrament acts even upon the body.
It is, as it were, a seed,—a germ of immortality, which
one day will cause it to revive from the dust of the tomb
and clothe it with all glorious qualities. The presence
of Christ in us becomes a sure pledge of our immortality.
But it is only a worthy communion which can perform
these happy effects. A lukewarm communion dimin-
ishes in us the life of grace instead of increasing it. As
to a sacrilegious communion, it is sufficient to say with
St. Paul that those who have the misfortune to be guil-
ty of it, eat and drink their own condemnation.468

a christian's duty.

One day, when Our Lord was teaching in the Syna-
gogue of Capharnaum, those that heard Him put to Him
this question i " What shall we do that we may work
the works of God Jesus answered : "This is the
work of God, that you believe in Him whom He hath
sent.'7 At these words the Jews rejoined : Ci What sign
dost Thou show that we may see and may believe Thee ?
What dost Thou work ? Our fathers did eat manna in
the wilderness, as it is written, He gave them bread
from Heaven to eat." Then the Lord, taking up the word,
thus continued, u Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses
gave you not bread from Heaven, but My Father giveth
you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God
is He who cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life un-
to the world. I am the bread of life, Your fathers did
eat manna in the desert, and are dead This is the bread
which cometh down from Heaven, that, if any man eat of
it, he may not die. I am the living bread which came
down from Heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he
shall live forever; and the bread which I will give is My
flesh, for the life of the world. For My flesh is meat (1)
indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My
flesh and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him."

What can be clearer than these words, " The bread
>vhich I will give is My flesh. My flesh is meat indeed
and My blood is drink indeed " ? Do they not infallibly
demonstrate the real presence of Our Lord in the Eu-
charist ?

(1) " Meat" Hardly ever used in Scripture in our modern ?ense
of flesh, viand, but food in general. Latin, cibum. Thus, Christ
says, " My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me ; " " Labor not
for the meat that perisheth," etc. Also Shakespeare, "I warrant
you, it was meat and drink to him."EFFECTS OF THE EUCHARIST.

469

St. Denis the Areopagite says that the Holy Eucha-
rist possesses the sovereign virtue of sanctifying souls.
We read in St. Vincent Ferrer that a communion well
made produces a more beneficial effect upon the soul than
eight days of rigorous fasting. If any one, then, derives no
profit from the sacrament, the fault is his alone. The
privation of spiritual fruit which such souls experience
is not owing to the food, for, says St. Mary Magdalefte
«de Pazzi, a single communion well made sufficeth to
sanctify the soul. It proceeds from the coldness and in-
difference with which we approach it. The sacraments,
as St. Thomas says, operate according to our dispo-
sitions. Therefore, if communion produces in us lit-
tle or no fruit, the fault is entirely our own, for we do
not bring to the Holy Table the dispositions that render
it fruitful.

It was. during the Crimean war. A French Colonel
received orders to take a redoubt, and advanced like a
lion at the head of his regiment, which he electrified
with his bravery. He remained calm and impassible
amid shell and shot, as if he were on parade, or engaged at
a review. The enemy's battery, which was vigorously
defended, was at length taken. His General, astonished,
called out to him in the midst of his staff, " Colonel,
what coolness! Where have you learned such calm in
the face of such imminent danger f 17 u General," replied
the Colonel, with sublime simplicity, u I communica-
ted this morning." And all who heard him were de-
lighted to see so much courage joined to so much virtue,

Exeecises. —What is the first effect of a worthy communion ?
What is the second ? What is the third ? What is the fourth ?470

a christian's duty.

CHAPTER IV.

Of an Unworthy Communion.

"O Jesus Christ, if aught there be
That, more than all beside

In ever-painful memory

Must in my heart abide,	,

It is that deep ingratitude
Which I to Thee have shown,

Who didst for me in tears and blood
Upon the Cross atone.

" Alas, how with my actions all
Has this defect entwined !

How has it poisoned with its gall
My spirit, heart, and mind !

"Yet though the time be past and gone,

Though little more remains,

Though naught is all that can be done
E'en with my utmost pains ;

" Still will I strive, O Saviour mine,

To do what in me lies ;

For never did Thy glance divine
A contrite heart despise."*—Faber.

Those who communicate in a state of mortal sin, do
really receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but
they receive not the graces and salutary effects of this
sacrament. On the contrary, they eat and drink their
own judgment and condemnation. This is the terrible
expression employed by St. Paul. u Whoever," he says,
u shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord un-
worthily " (that is, in a state of mortal sin, which renders
us unworthy), u shall be guilty of the Body and Blood ofUNWORTHY COMMUNION.

471

the Lord. Let every man therefore try (1) himself, and so
let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that
eateth and drinketh unworthily,, eateth and drinketh
judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. ^
These words teach us what a great crime an unworthy
communion is, and what are its consequences.

It is the most horrible of all sacrileges j it is the profana-
tion of the most august of all the sacraments, and of all
that is most holy in religion. He who is guilty of it, pro-
fanes in the most outrageous manner the humanity and the
divinity of Jesus Christ As far as in him lies he joins
the Divine Saviour to iniquity, by causing His adorable
Blood to flow throilgh veins infected by sin. This
crime is a perfidious treason, resembling that of Judas.
Like him, he who is guilty of a sacrilegious commun-
ion, delivers his divine Master to His cruel foes. Like
him, after being loaded with benefits, he violates the
most sacred rights of friendship and gratitude. He
crucifies Him afresh, he makes Him the plaything of his
passions, and tramples under foot the blood of the New
Covenant. These are also the very words of the Apostle.

What are the results of so enormous a crime 1 He who
communicates unworthily eats and drinks his own judgment
and condemnation. The profane person eats and drinks
the sentence which condemns him. He incorporates him-
self with it. Food changes into the body and blood of
him who receives it; it becomes one thing with him.
In the same way, the profanereats his judgment, and, so
to speak, changes it into himself. His condemnation is

(1) " TryUsually means essay, make an effort. But in Scripture
it invariably means put to the test; as: "The word of the Lord is as sil-
ver seven times tried/" "Blessed is the man that endureth trial, for
when he is triedetc.; "Searchme, O Lord, and try me."m

a christian's duty.

not merely inscribed upon some book7 or upon tablets of
marble, but upon his own heart; it has passed into his
veins, and he carries it forever about him !

0 terrible retribution ! which can only proceed from
a God shamefully outraged. So it often happens that he
who has committed this crime falls into hardness of heart
arid blindness of. mind, which lead to final impenitence. We.
have a frightful instance in perfidious Judas. Hardly had
he received the Eucharist, than his mind became obscured
and his heart insensible. From that moment nothing
could stop him. Pie rises abruptly from the table and
consummates his crime. How did his sacrilege end ? In
despair, in death, and in eternal ruin !

We ought not, however, to conclude from this that he
who makes an unworthy communion should despair of sal-
vation. God be praised ! how great soever the crime, there
is always one resource available ; for the mercy of God is
infinite. If he has recourse to Him with a contrite and
humbled heart, he will not be rejected. The precious
blood which he has profaned can still purify him.

But the conclusion we should arrive at is, that we should
use every possible precaution against falling into so great
a misfortune; and, if we have fallen into it, to recur
promptly to the Sacrament of Penance.

The sacred writings furnish us with only one example
of unworthy communion, that of Judas. He received his
God into a soul defiled with avarice, and already cogitating
the project of betrayal. Immediately Satan enters into
him ; he sells his Master and delivers Him to His enemies.
The kiss of the Son of God, and the kind word, u Friend"
cannot touch his barbarous heart. What was the end ofUNWORTHY COMMUNION.

473

this monster, the just object of an unending execration ?
He fell into despair and became his own executioner. He
hanged himself, and his criminal entrails gushed out. His
horrible soul descended into hell, where it is for these nine-
teen centuries past. Alas ! these ages, heaped one on the
other, are not a point of that eternity which he has to
pass in that doleful abode!

In a town in the south of France, the parish children were
preparing for first communion. The retreat was over, and
the day so much wished for had at length arrived. The
sky was clear, and the sun seemed to shine with more
than usual brightness, to light the triumphant entrance of
Jesus Christ into a large number of young souls. And yet,
what a terrible scene it was destined to shine on! They
repaired to the church, and joy beamed upon every brow.
One only appeared sad and anxious. The holy sacrifice
commences, the chanting of the hymns fills all hearts with
joy, and the sacred roof resouncls with pious accents. A
crowd of lovable youth palpitate with hope and love as
the moment arrives to approach the holy table. The
Communion begins, and the most profound collectedness
is everywhere observable. Tears moisten more than one
eye, for the hidden God makes His awful presence felt to
every heart. But imagine the surprise of the assistants,
when they saw one of these young children fall suddenly
to the ground, the moment after receiving the sacred host.
They hastened to his assistance, and found him rigid,
showing no signs of life. He was carried to an adjacent
dwelling, where he was cared for. Physicians came, but
vainly essayed to restore consciousness. As soon as the
Mass was over his confessor hastened to visit him. He474

a christian's duty.

called him, bat he gave no answer. At length a slightly
convulsive movement was perceptible : he opened his hag-
gard eyes, and the confessor redoubled his kind atten-
tions, addressing him in tenderest words. Then this un-
happy child opened his livid lips and, turning to his con-
fessor, said, UI have committed sacrilege!" All present
heard him ; and he had no sooner uttered these sad words
than he expired !

Exercises.—What is the effect of an unworthy communion ? Should
those who have committed this sin despair of pardon ?

[We are apt to marvel, and perhaps feel a little incredulous upon
reading such stories as that contained in the second example above.
But ought we not rather to feel astonished that very many more such
do not occur?

When we consider the stupendous majesty that is outraged, is it not
surprising that God does not more frequently " stand up and plead His
own cause " ?]

To demonstrate the necessity of this previous preparation, the exam-
ple of the Saviour is to be proposed to the faithful. Before He gave to
His Apostles the Sacrament of His body and blood, although they
were already clean, He washed their feet, to declare that we must use
extreme diligence to bring with us to Its pai ticipation the greatest in-
tegrity and innocence of soul. In the next place, the faithful are to
understand that as he who approaches thus prepared and disposed, is
adorned with the most ample gifts of heavenly grace, so, on the con-
trary, he who approaches without this preparation and without these"
dispositions, not only derives from it no advantage, but plunges his
own soul into the most unutterable misery. It is the property of the
best and most salutary medicine, if seasonably applied, to be product-
ive of the greatest benefit, but if unseasonably, to prove most perni-
cious and destructive. It cannot, therefore, excite our surprise that
the great and exalted gifts of God, when received into a soul properly
predisposed, are of the greatest assistance towards the attainment of sal-
vation ; whilst to those who receive them without these necessary dis-
positions, they bring with them eternal death. Of this, the Ark of the
Lord affords a convincing illustration : the people of Israel possessed
nothing more precious; it was to them the source of innumerable
blessings from God ; but when borne off by the Philistines, it brought
on them a most destructive plague and the heaviest calamities, height-
ened, as they were, by eternal disgrace. Food, when received into a
healthy stomach, nourishes and supports the body; but the same food,
when received into a stomach replete with peccant humors, generates
malignant disease. — Catechism of the Council of Trent.frequent communion.

CHAPTER V.

Of Frequent Communion.

44 What wouldst thou have. O Soul,

Thou weary Soul ?

Lo ! I have sought for rest
On the Earth's heaving breast,

From pole t-o pole.

Sleep—I have bee© wtfth her,

But she gave dreams ;
Death—nay, the rest he gives

Rest only seems.

Fair Nature knows it not—

The grass is growing ;

The blue air knows it not— »

The winds are blowing :

Not in the changing sky,

The stormy sea,

Yet somewhere in God's wide world

Rest there must be.

Within thy Saviour's Heart

Place all thy care,

And learn, O weary soul,

Thy rest is there.

" Yes, in that Heart divine,

The angels bright
Find through eternal years

Still new delight.

There, racked by pain without,.

And dread within,

Hew many souls have found

Heaven's bliss begin!

Then leave thy vain attempts

To seek for peace ;

The world can never give

One soul release ; .

But in thy Saviour's Heart

Securely dwell:

No pain can harm thee, hid
In that sweet cell.m

a christian's duty.

"Then fly, O coward soul!

Delay no more;

What words can speak the joy
Fcr thee in store?

'What smiles of earth can tell
Of peace like thine ?

Silence and tears are best'

For things divine."—Procter.

After exposing in the most energetic terms the enor-
mity of unworthy communion, St. Paul thus concludes :
u Let a man prove himself, and then let him eat of that
bread and drink of that cup." lie does not say, u Keep
away from the Holy Eucharist/' The dread of unworthy
communion ought not to keep us away from it altogether j
but it ought to induce us seriously to examine our dispo-
sitions and redouble the watch over ourselves, in order
that we may frequently and worthily approach the holy
table. To communicate unworthily is doubtless a great
evil, but not to communicate at all is another. Both infalli-
bly lead to eternal death.

Tiie Eucharist is necessary to maintain the spiritual
life of grace. The forces of the soul become by degrees
exhausted like those of the body, unless we are careful to
repair them. The means which Jesus Christ has estab-
lished -to maintain these spiritual forces is the divine Eu-
charist.

" Except " says He, u ye eat the flesh of the Son of
Man, and drink His blood, ye shall not have life in you."
He has instituted this sacrament under the forms of
bread and wine, to make us feel that we ought to par-
take of it frequently. The Holy Eucharist ought to beFREQUENT COMMUNION.

477

the ordinary food of our souls, as bread and wine are the
ordinary food of the body.

In the early days of Christianity, the faithful well un-
derstood this truth. They looked upon the Eucharist as
the daily bread of the children of God. They partook of
it daily, and dreaded nothing so much as to be deprived
of it. We ought to try to have the same dispositions, and
to enter into their fervor. And let it not be said that
frequent communion was then a custom, but that the disci-
pline of the Church has since changed. It is the Chris-
tians who have changed, and relaxed their fervor, but
the mind of the Church is ever the same.

The sacred Council of Trent says that it wishes that
the faithful, every time they assist at Mass, should partici-
pate not merely spiritually, but actually in the Eucha-
rist.

Another Council expresses the views of the Church re-
specting frequent communion in these terms : " We see
with sorrow that there are Christians who are so neglect-
ful as to communicate but once a year. Therefore we com-
mand parish priests, and such as exercise the ministry
of the word, to instruct the faithful about frequent com-
munion, which was formerly the custom, and the mar-
vellous fruits which it produced at that period, and to per-
suade them that there is no more fitting means of reviv-
ing the touching times of the newborn Church than fre-
quent communion.'7

Therefore, if the Church has only rigorously enforced
communion once a year^ it is not because she believes
that this is enough to sustain the spiritual life of grace in
her children. She has limited communion to once a
year, from fear of multiplying transgressions and sacri-478

A christian's duty.

leges ; but she wishes that her children were pious enough
to communicate oftener.

They ought to do so as often as it is necessary, in order
that they may, by the virtues of the Eucharist, maintain
the life and sanctity of the soul.

If we love God we shall often unite ourselves to Him.
It is He who bids us to this sacred banquet. u Gome un-
to Me, " He says, u all ye that are weary and heavy la*
den, and I will refresh you." Come with confidence,
fearing nothing. Come to Me, your Father, and I
will give you the most touching proof of My love.
Come to Me, who am your God, and 'I will enrich you
with My most precious graces.—The safest thing which
a penitent can do in this matter is to go to confession
frequently, at least at all the great feasts, and to follow
the advice of the confessor relative to receiving com-
munion more or less frequently.

To make from time to time a spiritual communion is a
very beneficial practice. To do this, we must recollect
ourselves for a moment, produce an act of desire to really
communicate, inviting Jesus Christ to come to us, and
entreating Him to permit us to participate in the same
graces as if we had actually communicated.

A boy named Albinus, not having attained the age
when he could receive the holy communion, ceased not
to sigh after the happy day when he should receive his
God under the Eucharistic veil, and omitted nothing that
might prepare him for this pious act. He had such a
lively horror of sin; that he avoided even the appearanceFREQUENT COMMUNION.

479.

of evil. He frequently said that he would not allow the
devil to take possession of his heart before Jesus Christ.
He applied himself constantly to study all that apper-
tained to the sacrament of the altar. He was not sat-
isfied with merely retaining the words of the catechism ;
he was specially anxious to know their sense. The in-
nocence of his life, the extreme desire which he man-
ifested for holy communion, and the diligence with
which he prepared himself, induced his Reverend Father
Confessor to admit him to the holy table earlier than
children'are generally admitted. More welcome tidings
could not be told him. He thanked his director with the
liveliest transports of joy, and from that moment thought
only how to redouble his efforts to purify his heart more
and more, and to prepare for Jesus Christ an abode that
was not too unworthy of Him. Hence, previous to com-
munion, he made a retreat, during which he made a
general confession of his whole life. To see the torrents
of tears which he shed, and the acute sorrow which he dis-
played, one would have thought there was not-a greater
sinner upon earth. And yet, he had never stained the
precious robe of his innocence by any mortal sin. The
light of grace which shone in him made him look upon
the smallest faults as so many odious monsters, and he
could not console himself for having offended a God who
deigned even to become his food.

In these sentiments he passed the time of his retreat.
At length, the happy moment after which he had sighed
sa long arrived, and he had the happiness to receive his
God. It would be impossible to express the hearty feel-
ings of piety with which he was animated during this holy
act. It was a succession of sighs, tears, and transports480

a christian's duty.

of love and gratitude. u Ah, my God," he exclaimed,
u since Thou hast been so good as to give Thyself to me,
I will give myself wholly to Thee. Since Thou art so
closely united to me, nothing shall henceforth be able to
separate me from Thee. I should be the most ungrateful
of creatures if I made any reservation with a God who
has loved me without bounds."

This was not one of those fits of fervor which evapo-
rate with the circumstances which give rise to them.
The boy never forgot that happy day, nor the engage-
ments which he had contracted with his God. Com-
munion became to him a salutary aliment, which made
him visibly increase in virtue and piety. This heav-
enly food, far from satiating his hunger, only inten-
sified it, and from that time he alvvavs communicated
every fortnight. He knew that the Divine Eucharist
is as necessary to our souls as physical aliments are to
our bodies, and understood the importance of a frequent
use of this sacrament to keep us constantly in the ways
of innocence and piety.

Exercises —Is frequent communion necessary ? What does the
Council of Trent say about it ? How often ought we to communi-
cate ? How do we make spiritual communion ?THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.

CHAPTER" VI.

The Sacrifice of the Mass.

"O ! to have seen what we now adore,

And, though veiled to faithless sight,

To have known in the form that Jesus wore

The Lord of Life and Light!

Hush ! For He dwells among us still,

And a grace can yet be thine,

Which the scoffer and doubter can never know,

The Presence of the Divine.

Jesus is with His children yet,

For His word can never deceive
Go where His lowly altars rise,

And worship and believe."—Procter.

The Eucharist is not only a sacrament in which Jesus
Christ gives Himself to us to be our spiritual food, but it
is also a sacrifice in which He offers Himself to His Father
as a victim on our behalf. Our Lord was not content to
suffer once upon the Cross to ransom us, but He willed to
bequeath to His Church a sacrifice representing that of
the Cross, to be a continuation of it, which should perpet-
uate its memory until the end of time, and apply its merit
to our souls.

It was to this end that at the Last Supper, the night in
which He was betrayed, He offered to God His Father,
under the forms of bread and wine, His body and His
blood, which He gave to His Apostles, thus establishing
them priests of the New Testament. And, by these
words, Do this in memory of Mey He commanded them
and their successors in the priesthood to offer this same
body and this same blood in sacrifice, as the Catholic
Church has always understood and taught.482

a christian's duty.

This sacrifice is a commemorative figure, and a contin-
uation of that of the Cross,—a figure, because the blood of
Jesus Christ appears as separated from His body,—a
separation in semblance recalling a real separation, a
continuation and renewal, because it is the same victim,
the same sacrifice offered upon the altar as upon the
Cross.

The only difference is in the manner. Upon the Cross,
He offered up Himself, whereas upon the altar He is of-
fered up through the ministry of priests. Upon the Cross
he was offered in a bloody manner, whereas upon the
altar He is offered in an unbloody manner. Such is the
sacrifice of the Christian religion. An august sacrifice,
which alone combines in itself all the advantages symbo-
lized by the sacrifice of the ancient law, it is at once
a sacrifice of adoration, whereby we recognize the sove-
reign empire of God over all His creatures ; a sacrifice
of thanksgiving, by which we thank Him for His ben-
efits ; a sacrifice of impetration, whereby we obtain fresh
favors ; and a sacrifice of propitiation, whereby we ap-
pease His justice.

The oblation which Jesus Christ made of Himself to
His Father contained the most perfect homage that could
be offered to His divine majesty, and nothing can so
efficaciously induce Him to look upon us propitiously, as
the bringing before His eyes the cruel death to which His
beloved Son voluntarily submitted to reconcile Him to
sinners.

Instructed in the mystery of the Eucharist, persuaded
that Jesus Christ is really present upon the altar, and
that He renews and perpetuates the memory of His death,
with what piety and gratitude ought we to assist at thisTHE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.

483

august Sacrifice ! If we had been present Upon Calvary
when Our Saviour was slain for us, what would have been
our feelings? Should we not have been penetrated with
sorrow, compunction, and love at so touching a sight ?

Since the sacrifice of the Mass is the same as that of
the Cross, we should be animated by the same feelings.
We should take care to unite ourselves with the priest
who offers it, and to conform our intentions to his. He
offers it to render to God the supreme worship which is
His due, to obtain the remission of our sins, to draw down
the graces which we need, and to thank God for all that
we have received.

This sacrifice is offered to God alone, because it is the
homage of our dependence and service. We make com-
memoration of the saints simply to thank God for the
victories which He enabled them to gain through His
grace, and the glory with which He has crowned them,
and to ask them to unite their prayers with ours.

This sacrifice is offered up not only for the living, but
also for those who have died in a state of grace, and >o
whose account there remain some sins to be expiated in
purgatory.

The Church asks for these, that by the merits of this
sacrifice their souls may be solaced in the pains which
they suffer, and that they may be delivered from them1?
and enter into eternal life. This custom of offering the
sacrifice for the dead is of the highest antiquity, and
comes to us from Apostolic times.

There was a mother»of a family who had contracted
the happy habit of hearing Mass every day. She did so
on Sunday in obedience to the command of the Church ;
on Monday, for the souls in purgatory^ on Tuesday,484

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTf.

for the conversion of sinners and the perseverance of the
just; on Wednesday, in order to place herself and fam-
ily under the protection of St. Joseph ; on Thursday, to
pay her devotionsto Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament;
on Friday, to honor Christ Crucified ; and on Saturday,
to place herself and her family under the protection of
Mary. She felt assured that she had derived the great-
est advantage from this pious practice.

Sir Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England, never
failed, despite his numerous engagements, to assist at
Mass. One day, while so engaged, he was informed that
the king commanded his presence upon urgent business.
The'chancellor replied, u Have a little patience ; I have
not yet finished the presentation of my homage to a still
higher sovereign. I must wait till the end of the divine
audience." His lordship did not deem it beneath his dig-
nity to serve Mass. To those who remarked upon his
doing so, protesting that he lowered his position, he
observed, 441 consider it a real honor to render this tri-
fling service to the greatest of sovereigns."

Napoleon I., while visiting the boarding-school of Ma-
dame Campan, desired to know all that related to the fur-
niture, the dietary, the rules of the house, and the edu-
cation of the pupils. Among the rules of the Directress,
which were shown him, was one which required the pu-
pils to attend Mass on Sunday and Thursday. The Em-
peror wrote under this: " Every day"

Exfkcises.—What is the sacrifice of the Mass ? What is the proper
disposition in which to assist at Mass? Is this sacrifice offered only
for the living ?fHE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.

LE CCEUR ET LE TENSOR.

" Seigneur, vous-avez dit, vous-m£me,
Cette parole vraiment d'or :

Quelque soit le tresor qu'on aime,
Le coeur est avec le tresor !

Aux pieds de la Divine Hostie,
J'ai compris ce mot du Seigneur.

Mon tresor, c'est l'Eucharistie :

C'est done aussi 1& qu'est mon coeur !

" Mon tresor, serait-ce l'idole
Qu'on appelle l'argent ou l'or ?

Que ronge le ver ou qu'on vole?
Non : ce n'est pas \h mon tresor.

L'or de la richesse infinie
Seul a pour moi de la valeur.

Mon tresor c'est l'Eucharistie :

C'est done aussi \k qu'est mon coeur!

" Mon tresor, est-ce le feuillage
Qui m'abrite sous son reseau ?

Non : le bosquet et son ombrage
N'est que le tresor de l'oiseau !

Moi, j'aime mieux l'ombre benie
Des Tabernacles du Seigneur !

Mon tresor, c'est l'Eucharistie :

C'est done aussi 1& qu'est mon cceur!

" 0& serait-ce l'eau qui serpente
Sur l'herbe, autour de la maisou ?

Non : l'eau qui coule dans sa pente
N'est que le tresor du gazon.

Coulez sur moi, source de vie,

Source feconde du Sauveur !

Mon tresor, c'est l'Eucharistie :

C'est done aussi la qu'est mon coeur I

" Que puis-je vouloir sur la terre ?
Que puis-je desirer au Ciel?

Tout mon Ciel est dans-ce mystere
Mon univers est & l'Autel!486

a christian's duty.

Jesus est mon unique en vie,

Puisque seul il fait mon bonheur,

Mon tresor, c'est l'Eucliaristie :

C'est done aussi lh qu'est mon coeur !

" L'Autel est la divine ecole
Oii s'eclaire et grandit ma foi ;

Je m'y nourris de la parole,

Qui fait aimer la Sainte Loi.

J'apprends la douce modestie>

I/humble charite, la ferveur.

Mon tresor, c'est FEucharistie :

C'est done aussi 1& qu'est mon coeur !

" Heureux celui qui vous contemple
Au Tabernacle nuit et jour !

Mais, quand je m'eloigne du Temple
J y demeure avec mon amour

Be moi la meilleure partie
Ne saurait vous quitter, Seigneur !

Mon tresor, c'est l'Eucharistie :

C'est done aussi la qu'est mon coeur!"

—Mgr. de la Bouillerie.EXTREME UNCTION.

487

SECTION VII.

Of Extreme Unction.

*' Beside the bed whera parting life was laid,

And sorrow, guilt, and pain by turns dismay'd,
The reverend champion stood. At his control
Despair aDd anguish fled the struggling soul;

Comfort came down the trembling wretch to raise,

And his last faltering accents whispered praise."

—Goldsmith.

" Nothing in his life
Became him like the leaving it ; he died
As one that had been studied in his death
To throw away the dearest thing he owned
As 'twere a careless trifle."—bhakespeare.

Grod, who is infinitely good, has not only provided us
salutary help for the whole course of our life, while in
health, but He has established a sacrament to solace us in
times of sickness, and especially at the approach of death,
when temptations are most violent and dangerous. This
sacrament is called Extreme Unction, because it is the last
of the unctions which a Christian receives. The first unc-
tion is made in Baptism, the second in Confirmation, and
the last in sickness which threatens death.

Jesus Christ instituted Extreme Unction for the spir-
itual and corporeal relief of the sick.

The Apostle St. Japies explains it in these terms : " Is
any man sick among you ? Let him bring in the priests
of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of
faith shall save the sick; and the Lord shall raise him
up ; and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him."488

a christian's bitty.

According to these words, two things are essential to this
sacrament : the unction, and the prayer accompanying it.

The unction is made with olive oil which the Bishop con-
secrates upon Maundy Thursday. The holy oil is applied
to each of the five senses, to purify them from the sins of
which they have been the organs or instruments. The
priest at the same time repeats this prayer :—" May the
Lord, by this unction of holy oil, and of His great mercy,
pardon all the sins which thou hast committed by the
sight, hearing/' etc.

This is a powerful and efficacious prayer, because Our
Lord has promised, by the mouth of His Apostle, always
to hear it.

There are three principal effects of this sacrament.
The first is, it gives strength to the sick person to resist
the temptations of the demon, and to endure the horrors of
death. It strengthens his faith and confidence in God,
and thus fortifies him against the attacks of the demon.
It excites in his heart the desire and the hope to possess
God, and thus fortifies Iiim against the fear of death.
The more this desire is ardent, and this hope unshaken,
the less will be the fear of death. .

The second effect of Extreme Unction is to efface the
remains of sin, and the sin itself, if any remain to be
atoned for. It is for this reason that the Fathers of the
Church call it the complement and perfection of penance.
We understand by the remains of sin, a weakness and
languor of soul which remain after the sin has been par-
doned, causing us still to have an inclination for earthly
things, while we have little relish for spiritual things.
This sacrament removes such weakness, and, by detaching
us from the world, makes us desire Heaven. It alsoEXTREME TJNCTION.

489

remits venial sins, and even mortal sins that have been
forgotten, or which one is not in a condition to confess,
provided, nevertheless, that we have real contrition.
But we must, if possible, have recourse to the sacrament
of penance previously, for Extreme Unction is a sacra-
ment of the living, and ought to be received in the state
of grace.

The third effect of Extreme Unction is to render health
to the sick, if it be necessary to their salvation. We ought
not to wait till we are in extremity ere receiving this sac-
rament. . It is enough if we are ^dangerously ill ; and when
it is received with a sane and free judgment, we prepare
ourselves better, and derive more fruit therefrom. Be-
sides, by postponing it till the last moment, we run the
risk of dying without receiving it at all. It frequently
happens that those who thus delay are overtaken by
death.

Although this sacra'ment is not absolutely necessary,
we are yet bound to receive it when able. It is the or-
dinary means of obtaining a happy death. Those who
neglect it disobey the precept of Jesus Christ. They vol-
untarily deprive themselves of the graces suitable for it,
and risk a bad death, which is the greatest of all misfor-
tunes.

A father who was very dangerously ill had a daughter
about eight years old, who had profited well by the in-
structions which she had heard at catechism. Finding
herself alone with her.father she said, u Papa, you are
very ill, and the doctor says you may die to-morrow.
Mamma is weeping in her chamber, and they are trying to
console her. ' I have heard our pastor say at catechism490

a christian's duty.

* that it is a very great sin to let any one die without con-
fession, and no one dare tell you that you ought to con-
fess." UI thank you/7 said her father ; u go at once, my
child, and find the priest. May the Lord bless you! I
owe my salvation to you." The priest came, and ad-
ministered the last sacraments to the sick man, who died
next day. Several times after receiving the Blessed
Sacrament he remarked, u Without my dear little girl,
what would have become of me V7—Lasausse.

St. Martin, Bishop of Tours, St. Louis, and Louis
the Pat, kings of Franoej received Extreme Unction, and
expired upon a hair-cloth covered with ashes, to arouse
in them the strongest penitential feelings. Those who
were present at their last moments were filled with the
same sentiments.	♦

Exekcises.—Why did Jesus Christ institute Extreme ITnc+ion ?
What is essential to this sacrament? What effect has this sacra-
ment?

[Some recent discoveries in physiology, very remarkable as being
the result of years of experiment and minute observation, amply
corroborate the remarks in the text as to the extreme danger of put-
ting off repentance to the last hour. At the same timfe, tkey are a
source of comfort to those (and are they not the majority ^f manM#4 ?)
" who through fear of death are all their lifetime subject to bondage."
Upon very slender data, we have formed an opinion that sox.e mys-
terious and undefined pain attends the dying hour ; that dying has
a pain sui generis, and different from any other pain previously expe-
rienced. Such phrases as " the agonies of death," and others, are sup-
posed to represent a terrible leality. Even tery devout persons are
oppressed with dread of the possible physical pains of their last mo-
ments. Let them be comforted, and proportionately appreciate the
benefits of medical science. Such great experts as Sir William Jenner,
Sir William Geil, and others, concur in the opinion, founded on a vast
number of instances, that death does not supervene until an entire
exhaustion of the physical powers takes place. The death-rattle, so
affrighting and awful, is the last effort of the lungs to perform their
functions, the last draught of breath gurgling through the throat.
When this takes place, the patient is past pain. Death will not occur
as long as'any organ in the system retains the least activity ; conse-
quently the last moments of. most men are painless. A complete
prostration, like sinking slowly into sleep, the unconsciousness of
dissolution, characterizes the severance of soul and body. Complete,HOLY ORDERS.

491

absolute painlessness results from the entire exhaustion of all the or-
gans. Yet this may co-exist with full consciousness and the use of the
intellectual powers. Now, while this is calculated to remove a load
from the mind that has the fear of the physical pains of death sitting
like an incubus upon it, surely it is a caution to those who think to
perform in an hour the work of a lifetime !

SECTION VIII.

Holy Orders.

" A parish priest was of the pilgrim train,

An awful, reverend and religious man ;

His eyes diffused a venerable grace,

And charity itself was in his face.

Rich was his soul, though his attire was poor,

For such on earth his bless'd Redeemer, bore.

Yet had his aspect nothing of severe,

But such a face as promised him sincere.

Nothing reserved or sullen was to see,

But sweet regards and pleasing sanctity.

With eloquence innate his tongue was armed;

Though harsh the precept, yet the preacher charmed ;
He preached the joys of Heaven, the pains of hell,
And warned the sinner with becoming zeal,

But on eternal mercy loved to dwell.

With patience wrong he bore, but offered none ;

Yet of his little he had some to spare
To feed the famished and to clothe the oare :
For mortified he was to that degree,

A poorer than himself he would not see.

True priests, he said, and preachers of the Word
Were only stewards of their Sovereign Lord;

Nothing was theirs, but all the public store.

Always at hand without request,

To serve the sick, to succor the distressed,

The proud he tamed, the penitent he cheered,

Nor to rebuke the rich offender feared.

His preaching much, but more his practice wrought;

A living sermon of the truths he taught.

Such was the saint, who shone with every grace,

Reflecting, Moses-like, his Maker's Face."

—Chaucer (spelling modernized).492

A CHRISTIAN* S BITTY.

The first five sacraments are common to all Christians,
and ought to be received by all, at the seasons and under
the circumstances when their help is needed. The others
are limited to two special conditions, which, from their im-
portance and the great obligations which they impose,
have need of special graces.

The sacrament of Orders gives to the Church the pas-
tors who govern it. It is by the imposition of hands, and
the prayer with which it is accompanied, that they are
separated from the rest of the faithful, and receive pow-
er to proclaim the Gospel, administer the sacraments,
offer the holy sacrifice, and, in a word, exercise the sacred
ministry.

Jesus Christ instituted this sacrament when He called
His Apostles, and said to them, u As My Father hath
sent Me, so I send you; go, teach all nations, baptizing
them.. . .Receive the Holy Ghost; whosesoever sins ye re-
mit, they are remitted •v etc., and when, having establish-
ed the sacrifice of His body and blood, He added, " Do
this in memory of Me.7' Orders, then, is a sacrament which
confers the power to perforin ecclesiastical functions, and
the grace to do so in a holy manner.

The Apostles did not receive this power for themselves
orly, but in order to communicate it to others. We find
in Scripture that they ordained bishops, priests, and dea-
cons, by the imposition of hands ; and we read in Church
history that the first bishops established by the Apostles
ordained others to succeed them • and this succession,
which has never been interrupted, will continue in the
Church till the end of time.

The priesthood is reached through several degrees, or
orders. There are four of these which are called minor}HOLT ORDERS,

493

to wit: that of Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte ; and
three greater or holy orders : Sub-deacon, Deacon, and
priest

An estate so holy demands special dispositions in those
who embrace it. The first is, not to intrude into it of
one's self, but to be called. If we are not permitted to
enter upon another vocation without first consulting with
God to ascertain whether He has invited us to it, surely this
caution is much more necessary when the Priesthood is in
(ptestion, with its holy and sublime functions. " Ye
JMirb not chosen Me,?? said Our Lord to His Apostles,
u but I have chosen ydu, that you should go, and bring
forth fruit."

The second disposition for entering upon the ecclesias-
tical state is, to be animated with zeal for the glory of
God and the salvation of our neighbor. Woe to those
who enter upon it with merely worldly views ; who only
consult interest or ambition;who merely propose to enrich
themselves, and to live in more honor and comfort ! The
third disposition is to be of irreproachable morals. It is
to be wished that baptismal innocence were preserved,
but at least it must have been a long while recovered,
and followed by an edifying life, free from all reproach.
In short, the fourth disposition is to be in a state of grace.
It woiild be a horrible sacrilege to receive so holy a sacra-
ment with a conscience defiled by mortal sin.

Do you know what a priest is,—ye who are irritated
at the mention of the name, or smile at it scornfully f A
priest is. by his duty, the friend, the living Providence494

A christian's duty.

of all the unfortunate, the comforter of the afflicted, the
defender of the defenceless, the stay of the widow, the
father of the orphan, the repairer of all the disorders and
all the evils engendered by your passions and your per-
nicious doctrines. His whole life is but one long act
of heroic devotion to the welfare of his fellows. Which
of you could consent like hirn to exchange domestic joys,
all the enjoyments and worldly goods which men seek
with such avidity, for obscure labors, painful duties, and
functions that revolt the senses and break the heart, to
reap only, as the reward of so many sacrifices, disdain,
ingratitude, and insult ?

While you are yet plunged in a profound sleep, the man
of God has anticipated the dawn, to recommence his
round of beneficent works. He has helped the poor, visit-
ed the sick, dried the tears of the unhappy, and made those
of the penitent to flow ; taught the ignorant, strengthened
the weak, and fortified in virtue souls troubled by the storms
of passion. After a day entirely filled up with similar
good works, night comes on ; but it brings no repose. At
the hour when pleasure calls you to theatres or to fetes,
the sacred minister is summoned in great haste. A
Christian is near his end: he is going to die, perhaps of a
contagious disease. No matter :—the good pastor will not
allow one of his sheep to die without assuaging his anguish,
without surrounding him with the consolations of hope
and faith, and praying by his side to the God who died
for him, and who at that very instant gives in the sac-
rament of His love a sure pledge of immortality.

The priest is still more in the eyes of faith. He is the
minister of Jesus Christ upon earth ; His representative,
charged with the fulfilment of functions which have not
been entrusted even to angels.HOLY ORDERS.

495

Such is the priestnot such an one as aversion de-
lights to paint him, but such as he really exists in our
midst.

The Emperor Charlemagne thus expressed himself
touching the respect due to priests :—u Our fixed and
firm will is, that all our subjects shall punctually obey
their priests as the representatives of God ; for we can-
not comprehend how those can render the fidelity and
obedience that they owe to us, who are unfaithful and dis-
obedient toward God and His ministers. All those who
disobey priests shall be deposed from their dignity, even
if among their number were found my own son. They
shall be held as disloyal, guilty of high treason, divine and
human, and banished from our realm. For our kingdom
ought to be composed of Christians, and not of pagans."

St. Francis of Assisi was penetrated with such a great
respect for the priesthood that he could not bring himself to
receive ordination. He was accustomed to say that if he
met at the same moment a priest and an angel, he would
salute the former before the latter, because the priest's
power is greater than that of an angel.—St. Bonaventure.

Exercises.—What is the sacrament of Orders ? From whom do
bishops derive the authority to. ordain ? What is the first thing nec-
essary in candidates for ordination ? Aslt your teacher to relate some-
thing about the Ven. De La Salle's respect for the priesthood. Also
what Lacordaire says on this point.496

a cheistxan's duty.

SECTION IX.

Of Matrimony.

" Far other strains, far other fires,

Our marriage offering grace;

Welcome ail chaste and kind desires,

With even matron pace
Approaching down the hallowed aisle !

Where should ye seek Love's perfect smile
But where your prayers were learned erewhile,

In her own native place ?

" Where but on His benignant brow
Who wots to bless you here?

" 'Tis He who clasps the marriage band

And fits the spousal ring,

Then leaves you kneeling hand in hand,

Oat of His stores to bring
His Father's dearest blessing, shed
Of old on Isaac's nuptial bed,

Now on the board before you spread .

Of our all-bounteous King.

44 All blessings of the breast and womb

Of Heaven and earth beneath,

Of converse high, and sacred home,

Are yours in life and death.

Only kneel on, nor turn away
From the pure shrine where Christ to-day
Will store each flower ye duteous lay,

For an eternal wreath."

Marriage was instituted in the beginning of the' world,
when God gave to man as his companion the woman whom
he had formed out of his rib? and by a special blessing
granted unto them fruitfulness. To render this first insti-
tution still more sacred, Jesus-Christ raised it to the dig-OF MATRIMONY.

m

nity of a sacrament, to which he joined a special grace af-
firming this indissoluble union, and sanctifying those who
contract it. He has made it the image and sign of a
great mystery,—His eternal union with His Church.
Hence marriage has become a source of spritual disposi-
tions to those who receive it with a Christian temper.

Marriage, then, is a sacrament which sanctifies and ren-
ders legitimate the union of man and woman. It is a
sure truth that those who marry after asking counsel of
"God, and with Christian views, receive by virtue of this
sacrament graces to sanctify their state, by fulfilling faith-
fully $11 its obligations.

Before deciding upon embracing this state, we ought to
address fervent prayers to God to know if He has called
us to it. Without this, we should contract rashly, and
perhaps contrary to the will of God, an irrevocable engage-
ment, unblessed by Him, and in which our salvation would
be greatly endangered. God never fails to make known
His will to those who seek to know it with all their heart.
We should also take counsel with parents. They desire
their children's welfare, and know better than they
that which will best secure it. We ought to follow their
advice rather than our own blind inclinations in so impor-
tant a matter, upon which our happiness depends for time
and eternity.

There are three principal dispositions for receiving the
sacrament of Marriage. The first is to receive it with a
conscience purified from mortal sin, because Marriage is
a sacrament of the living, supposing the existence of the
spiritual life of grace in those who receive it. The Coun-
cil of Trent exhorts persons about to enter upon this state
to approach the Holy Eucharist, in order to draw down498

a christian's doty.

upon themselves the benedietions of Heaven. The second
disposition is to receive it with the intention of doing the
will of God, and to serve Him in this state. We ought to
make it a rule of life to please God in all our actions, even
the simplest^ and therefore with stronger reasons in an
engagement which lasts a lifetime. u We are the children
of saints," said young Tobias to Sara, (( and we must not
be joined together like heathens that know not God." Let
him who believes himself called to the marriage state, en-
ter upon it with a view to his own sanctification, and with
a desire to discharge all its obligations. The third dis-
position for the sacrament of marriage is to receive it
modestly. Bashfulness and other similar qualities agree
with the sanctity of this sacrament, and we ought to avoid
the very smallest departure from the rules imposed by
rigid good behavior. To receive the nuptial blessing with
an exterior the reverse of modest, is to offend God at the
foot of His altar, and to profane a sacrament which ought
not to be approached save with a great deal of piety and
religion.

Married persons have four obligations to fulfil: they
must live together in holy companionship and in perfect
unity 5 reciprocally preserving the conjugal faith which
they promised at the foot of the altar ; assisting each other
in time of need, and, finally, give to their children a Chris-
tian education, accustoming them early to pray to God and
perform all other acts of religion piously ; teaching them
often to repeat -maxims from the Gospels ; giving them a
good example in everything, and watching over their
conduct, to shield them from all that may lead them
astray.

In the month of Octobery 1829, a young physician re-
siding in Paris received the Sacrament of Marriage un-OF MATRIMONY.

499

der very edifying circumstances. One of his friends
introduced him to a family remarkable for piety, where
he gained the affections of their only daughter, as religious
as the rest of her family. She was soon betrothed to
the doctor, whose modesty was equal to his scientific skill.
The marriage ceremony was shortly to take place, when
the doctor called one morning on the mother of his future
wife, and requested to be allowed to speak privately to
Mademoiselle. u It is quite impossible,77 replied the lady
politely ^ u my child has not been well these two days,
and she needs rest.77 "It certainly is very painful,77 re-
joined the doctor, u not to be able to speak a single in-
stant alone with her ) I have only had the pleasure of
seeing her three or four times in society, and I have
found no opportunity of explaining my views or of know-
ing hers.77 u Your remarks pain me.,77 replied the mother,
u but my daughter may not be seen/7 u And yet I had
something important to tell her.77 u Well, I will call her
if you wish it, and you can speak to her in my presence,
for my daughter has never yet had a private interview
with any man.77 " But very soon. I am to be her hus-
band.77 u Then, Sir, my daughter will no longer belong
to me ; but till then I ought to fulfil toward her all the
duties of a prudent, Christian mother.77 u Ah, Madame,77
exclaimed the doctor, u I must confide my ideas to you.
Being myself brought up by religious parents, I have
always remained loyal to that holy religion which in-
spires your admirable conduct. The indifference exist-
ing among a certain class of men, even very learned
men, may have inspired you with some distrust. But;
far from sharing such indifference, I make it my glory
and happiness to follow in every particular the practices of500

a christian's duty.

the faith, for the more I study them, the more worthy of
respect they seem. If I have insisted so much upon a
private interview with your daughter, it was because I
wished to sound her dispositions upon this point, and to
beg her to make a general confession, and to receive the
adorable Eucharist, in order that we may receive with
the nuptial blessing all the graces which are annexed to it."

At these words, the mother could not restrain her
tears. She threw herself into the arms of the virtuous
physician and pressed him to her heart. u My son/7
she replied, u we will communicate together. Go and
see your betrothed-, and tell her I have called you my
son. Gro, pious young man j your sentiments answer for
your happiness and that of my daughter."

The pious doctor did not stop there. During eight
days he caused Mass to be celebrated, in order to obtain
an abundance of heavenly blessings. But what was
most delightful was the sight of the married pair on their
bridal day at the holy table, the one accompanied by
her mother and father ; the other by mother and grand-
mother, who all received communion together from the
hands of the priest who had first pronounced the nuptial
blessing. (1)

(1) This benediction, so frequently alluded to, is among the most

ancient prayers of the Church. Even the heretics have adopted it,

a,nd it has certainly been in use in England alone since the time of

St. Augustine of Canterbury, that is, a thousand years. It is as fol-
lows :

" May the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,

be with you, and Himself fulfil His blessing upon you: that you
may see your children's children, unto the third and fourth genera-
tion, and may afterward have everlasting life without end, through
the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with the Father and the Holy
Ghost, liveth and reigneth, God, world without end."

is noteworthy that the first portion, as far as the word "genera-
tion, is used, and has been always used, as far back as Ezra, by theCHRIST THE MODEL TEACHER.OP VOCATION.

501

What an excellent example for young people ! What
a lesson for many parents indifferent or godless ! Ah !
if every union resembled this, how happy and tranquil
society would be !

Exercises.—What is the Sacrament of Marriage? What are the
obligations of married persons ?

SECTION X.

Of Vocation.

li Thy way, not mine, 0 Lord,

However dark it be ;

Lead me by Thine own hand,

Choose out the patK for me.

"Smooth let it be, or rough,

It will be still the best ;

Winding, or straight, it leads
Right onward to Thy rest.

" I dare not choose my lot;

I would not if I might ;

Choose Thou for me, my God;

So shall I walk aright.

" Take Thou my cup, and it
With joy or sorrow fill,

As best to Thee may seem ;

Choose Thou my good or ill.

" Choose Thou for me my friends,	,

My sickness or my health ;	-

Choose Thou my cares for me,

My poverty or wealth.

"Not mine, not mine the choice
In things or great or small;

Be Thou my Guide, my Strength,

My Wisdom and my all."—Bonar.

If God assigns to the angels their mission upon earth,
and to the planets their course through space, He undoubt-502

a christian's duty.

edly marks out for men the career they must follow in or-
der to please Him and to attain to happiness. He cannot,
then, remain indifferent to the government of souls, a stran-
ger to thechoice of conditions in life. If there exists in
the world a creature capable of disturbing or seconding
the plans of Providence, undoubtedly that creature is man.
Armed with free will, endowed with reason, placed be-
tween the true and the false, .between good and evil, man
may resist or obey his Maker, and, according to the meas-
ure of his fidelity or resistance, become to the whole people
of God either a subject of edification, or a stone of stumbling.

Now, it is certain that the good or bad conduct of a man
depends almost entirely upon the state which he embraces.
If this state is such as Providence has assigned him
as the one best adapted to his character, strength, and
even weakness, we may conclude, in general, that he will
conduct himself well. If, on the contrary, led by wilful-
ness, by passion, or inconsiderateness, he embraces a state
to which God has not called him, or which He has inter-
dicted, his conduct will be bad and reprehensible. u I
look upon the choice of a state in life," says St. Gregory
Na^ianzan, " as so important*, that it decides for the re-
mainder of life whether our conduct will be good or-bad,"
The choice of a state in life resembles, then, in certain
particulars, our calling to the Faith, and even to predes-
tination. It decides for us a long series of duties to be
done and a long series of graces to be obtained ; graces
which resemble a chain drawing us heavenward and bind-
ing us to itself. If we seize this chain we are saved 5 if we
abandon it, we are lost,

Let us, then, avoid thinking that the choice of a condi-
tion of life is a matter of indifference, in which we can with-?OF VOCATION.

503

out inconvenience follow our own taste and caprice.
God will vindicate His rights : He claims to interfere,
and sometimes imposes. His will. If He destines the
greater part of mankind to a common life, He reserves to
Himself, nevertheless, the choice of chiefs for His people,
and of persons whom He will employ as instruments of
His mercy and justice in the world. He destines one to
serve the Church in the ecclesiastical state, the other to
edify the people of God in the practice of the evangelical
counsels and of a perfect life ; a third to shine in the
world by the splendor of Christian virtues and usefully
serving the state. It belongs not to us to interfere with
these characters or to change their career. A young
man called to the priesthood or to the cloister, may
not save himself by remaining in the world. Another
called to a life in the world, may be lost if he force him-
self upon the priesthood or the cloister. We may not de-
ceive ourselves with impunity in the matter of our calling
to a state of life. We are guilty when we resist the voice
of Heaven ; nor are we less so when we deafen ourselves
so as to fail to hear it It behooves us, then, to proceed in
this matter with reflection, with a full consciousness of the
cause, and especially with a feeling of perfect submission
to the will of God.

The great difficulty in this matter nearly always arises
from the inexperience of those who deliberate upon it, and
the changeableness of their affections. When young
persons begin to fix a serious eye upon their future, a
thousand varying, and often very contradictory, ideas
take possession of their minds, and hurry thein into the
greatest perplexity. Sometimes the future seems radi-504

a christian's duty.

ant, clear and bright 5 sometimes uncertain, sombre, and
threatening. On the one hand, the world displays its
riches, its grandeurs, its pleasures • on the other, Jesus
Christ, our Divine Saviour, armed with His Cross and His
Gospel, presents Himself and seems to say, "If you wish
to be happy follow Me." Vice shows itself on one hand,
surrounded by seductive attractions ; virtue, on the other,
appears in her ravishing simplicity, her heavenly meek-
ness, and her immortal rewards. (1) Sometimes the mind
only perceives but feeble glimmers ; at others it only meets
with obscurity and darkness. Sometimes the eyes are
struck with the most vivid light ; the soul struggles in
painful alternations of hope and fear, of joy and sorrow.
Earthly affections strike against divine attractions in the
depths of the heart, and its various emotions seem only to
lead to doubt and uncertainty. We must admit that this
is a painful position, and would appear insupportable if it
were to continue for a long time. But a Christian young
man comes out of it without difficulty, as soon as he lifts up
his eyes and hands to the heavens, invoking the Father
of Light. (2) As soon as he asks counsel of his Mother
Church, and gives himself up unreservedly to the supreme
decrees of Providence, God will then furnish him some
Ananias, as he did of old to St. Paul, who will enlighten him,

(1)	" Vice is a monster of such hideous mien,

That to be hated needs but to be seen."
# # # ######

"Religion, in her proper robes attired,

Needs only to be seen to be admired."—Pope.

(2)	As in the case of St. Augustine, when in the very darkest
moment of his perplexity he heard a child's voice, playing in the gar-
den outside, exclaim, " Telle ! tolle ! lege /"—"Take, take and read." In-
significant words ; but they proved God's very utterance to his soul.
See his Confessions.OF VOCATION.

505

guide him, and lead him by easy paths to a definite deter-
mination, from which will spring that conviction, that calm,
which will henceforth form all his happiness. But, to
gain the port, we must spread the sails, direct the helm,
consult the compass : I mean we must treat this matter
with a great feeling of faith, humility and fervor.—Malon.

a Every one hath his proper gift from God." u Woe
to you/' saith the Lord by his prophet, 66 apostate children,
that you would take counsel, and not of Me ; and would
begin a web, and not by My spirit."

CHAPTER I.

Signs whereby We May Know Our Vocation, and Means
to Avoid Misconception.

"One by one thy duties wait thee:

Let thy whole strength go to each,

Let no future dreams elate thee,

Learn thou first what these can teach.

" Do not look on life's long sorrow;

See how small each moment's pain;

God will help thee for to-morrow,

So each day begin again.

" Every hour that fleets so slowly,

Has its task to do or bear;

Luminous the crown and holy,

If thou set each gem with care,

u Do not linger with regretting.

Or for passing hours despond ;

Nor, the daily toil forgetting,

Look too eagerly beyond.

" Hours are golden links, God's token,

Reaching Heaven; but one by one
Take them, lest the chain be broken,

Ere the pilgrimage be done."—Procter.506

a christian's duty.

Divine Providence, having fixed for each man the po-
sition which he ought to occupy in the world, must surely
inform him of it by some unmistakable signs, These
signs exist, and the following are among those which the
saints regard as the chief:

Aptitude. The first sign whereby we may know
whether God has called us to any special condition is, to
examine whether we have, or may acquire, the qualities
necessary to enable us worthily, to discharge the obliga-
tions necessary to that condition. For instance: If you
have not sufficiently good health, virtue and intelligence
for the ecclesiastical state, the law, or medicine, you
may be certain that God does not call you to either. If
He wished you to become a priest, a lawyer, or a doctor,
He would evidently have bestowed on you the means of
becoming such.

Inclination or Attraction. The second mark of voca-
tion is a certain inclination, at once mild and strong, which
draws us toward such and such a condition—an attrac-
tion which does not easily alter, resisting all other proj-
ects and all opposition ; yet by no means disturbing the
soul—far from it—but resting it ; placing it in a state of
conscience so peacefully sweet, that it seems as though it
could not be happy elsewhere. This attraction is an in-
fallible sign of vocation, especially when after Communion
God lovingly touches our heart, and enlightens it in such
a manner, that it seems to us that if we do not embrace
this state, we shall repent at the hour of death.

Purity of Intention, It is a third mark of vocation
when we do not choose a state from any impulse of con-
cupiscence, by any desire to possess honors, riches, or
pleasures* from weakness, or to please our parents, butOF VOCATION.

507

only to do God's holy will, to save our soul, and serve our
neighbor.

Ah! why are not all hearts pure and disinterested ? The
sweet voice of the Lord, assigning to each one his place,
would be heard in the hush of passions, as it resounded in
the silence of the night to the ears of the youthful Sam-
uel, and we could not be deceived. But how difficult it
is to hear it amidst the storms of youth ! (1) Silence, then,
innocence, humility, leaving ourselves in God's hands,
unreserved confidence in our director, are the best. It is
frightful to deceive ourselves, but we are never deceived
in this matter unless we will be so.

Study your vocation early. In youth, the heart is more
fitted to receive impressions from on high, the judgment
is not yet perverted by prejudice and passion, and we
can begin to direct all our strength and efforts toward one
aim.

As your vocation is an affair of the utmost moment,
use every natural and supernatural means which God
places at your disposal in order to ascertain it. We
must not even hesitate to pass some time in retreat, if
needful, to be able to understand better the designs of
God. It is sometimes difficult to settle this grave ques-
tion in the midst of the world, among one's companions,
or in the bosom of one's family, when the moment for
dealing with this grand subject has come.

(1)	" God's voice doth sometimes fall on us with fear;

More often with a music low yet clear,

Soft whispering, ' It is I, be not afraid !'

And sometimes, mingling strangely joy and dread,
It thrills the spirit's cavern'd sepulchre
Deep as that voice which on the awe-struck ear
Of him, the three days buried, murmuring said,

* Come forth !' and he arose."—Sir Aubrey de Fere,508

a christian's duty.

I.	—Purify your conscience by a general confession, and
fix yourself well in the grace of God. A mind obscured
by the darkness of sin is hardly likely to receive the Di-
vine Light,

II.—Inform	your confessor not only of your sins, but
also of your inclinations, your intentions, your strength of
body and of mind, and any good feelings which God has
given you.

III.—Pray	much. Frequently say with David, u Show
me, 0 Lord, the way I should walk in ;"(1) and with St.
Paul, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Re-
peat these words every day, and especially in the pre-
cious moments that follow the elevation. Communicate
often for this intention, and add to your communions
some good works, such as fasting, mortification, alms,
according as your confessor may advise. Have special
recourse to St. Joseph by some fervent prayers.

IV.—Make	your decision irrespective of fortune,
honor, and parental inclination, and as in sight of eternity.
Ask yourself what you would wish to have done at the
hour of death. We shall see clearly then, and we shall
severely reproach ourselves for our culpable complacency.

V.—Immediately	your choice is made, be prompt and
courageous in its execution. God has spoken : obey at
once. Reject as temptations all thoughts that may arise
to the contrary. What a misfortune, if, having known
the will of God, you allow yourself to be turned from it by
human influence !

(1) "Lead, kindly light! amid th' encircling gloom

Lead thou me on! "—John Henry Newman.OF THE DIFFERENT STATES WE MAY CHOOSE. 509

CHAPTER II.

Of the Different States which We May Choose, and Their
Principal Obligations.

"In this great hive of beings

How very small I seem !

Am I of any moment,

And in the Eye Supreme
Can I seem any greater ?

Surely there cannot be
In His great plan of action

A work reserved for me?

1 'There is nq, strain of music
i But needeth every chord,

And in the grandest building

Each stone doth strength afford :

The small are as much needed

As those we call the great;

For each brave heart and loyal
Some noble work doth wait.

" Be ready, then,, to do it,

For God will make it clew;

To His sweet precepts listen;

Do right and never fear.

Christ was a lowly toiler,

Yet He did consecrate
A shop into a temple
To duty dedicate.

" Keep the world e'er outside thee ;

And be thy heart within
Sacred to God and Duty,

Unstained by thought of sin:

Who are the most successful,

They who do noisiest deeds?

Nay, he who self has conquered,

And Christ's pure Gospel heeds !"—Oswald Keatinge.

The ecclesiastical state is the holiest and most august of
all states. Those whom God calls to it receive the pow-510

A CHRISTIAN 8 DUTY.

er to consecrate the Body, and Blood of Jesus Christ, and
to remit sins, a sublime power not shared by angels.
Hence the priest ought to be holier than an angel, if it
were possible.

The principal dispositions required by the ecclesiasti-
cal state are : a regular life ; a purity long proved ; a very
great love of God and of holy things; zeal for the salva-
tion of souls ; estrangement from the world, the love of
study, and a pronounced taste for retirement, silence, and
prayer.

The signs whereby we may know if we are called to
this holy state are : innocence preserved since Baptism,
or restored by a long and serious penance, aptitude for ec-
clesiastical functions, and an allurement thereto which
a wise and impartial director deems supernatural.

"In the religious life one lives more purely, falls more
rarely, or recovers more quickly, walks more warily, re-
ceives more frequently the dews of heavenly graces, re-
poses with more assurance, dies with less fear, is more
quickly purified in the other life, and more abundantly
recompensed in Heaven."(l)

u The religious life is a privileged state, in which, by a
happy and admirable exchange, the things of earth are
given for those of Heaven ; the transitory for the eternal;
the land of the dead for the home of the living ; worthless
possessions for those of inestimable value. It is a life
whose brief pains acquire for us an endless happiness ;
a life partaking more of the angel than of man, and
which, even in this world, gives us the greatest possible
portion of eternal felicity."(2)

"I lack expressions to make you understand the dig-

^	(1) St. Bernard.	(2) St. Basil Magnus. ;OF THE DIFFERENT STATES WE MAY CHOOSE.

511

nity of the religions life ; and when I would praise a
state so sublime and angelical, I see myself from, poverty
of words, forced to keep silence.?,(1)

u The religious life is a flower that gleams above all
other flowers in the garden of the Church. It is a pre-
cious gem, resplendent amidst ail treasures.?'(2)

O Jacob, how lovely are thy tents, and how beautiful
thy tabernacles. O Israel ! 0 Church ! how beautiful are
thy religious houses,(3) and how well ranged thy spir-
itual battalions! How many fervent souls enjoy before-
hand the happiness that is to come, in praising God
increasingly, and in living upon the earth, by the exer-
cise of holy love, as the seraphim in Heaven !'?(4)

Here are some of the magnificent words with which
saints have celebrated the advantages of the religious
life. But, to enjoy these advantages, we must love pov-
erty, desire to live in angelical purity, have a perfect
indifference to the world, and particularly to one's own
will, and a great union with God by prayer.

But the obligations of the secular state vary with the
different positions of tradesman, soldier, doctor, etc. It

(1) St. Augustine.	(2) St. Jerome.

(3)	" Ye hermits blest, ye holy maids,

The nearest Heaven on earth,

Who talk with God in shadowy glades,

Free from rude care and mirth ;

To whom some hidden teacher brings
The secret love of rural things,

The whispers from above, that haunt the twilight vale;
Say, when in pity ye have gazed

On the wreathed smoke afar
That o'er some town, like mist upraised,

Hung, hiding sun and star,

Were ye not fain to doubt how faith could dwell
Amid that dreary glare, in this world's citadel?"

(4) St. Thomas Aquinas.512

a christian's duty.

is therefore impossible to detail them here ; but in what-
ever position Providence may place you, retain well the
following counsels :—

I.	Seek your salvation before all else. " Seek first
the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things
(earthly goods) shall be added thereunto." " Blessed is
the man that feareth the Lord, and hath great delight in
observing His precepts. His posterity shall be mighty up-
on earth, for the Lord will bless the families of the right-
eous. Glory and riches are in his house."

II.	Honor your parents. u Honor thy father in words,
in deeds, and in all patience, to the end that he may bless
thee, and that this benediction may remain until the end.
The blessing of the father establishes the house of his
children."

III.	Pity the poor. u He that hath pity upon the poor
lendeth unto the Lord." And St. John Ohrysostom says
that the interest which the Lord pays is a hundred for
one.

IV.	Sanctify the Sunday. " Keep My Sabbath and
reverence My sanctuary. I am Jehovah. If ye fulfil
My precepts and keep My commandments, I will give
you the rain in its season, and the earth shall be covered
with harvests, and the trees laden with fruit. "

Answer God's Gall.—As soon as St. Francis of Sales
was aware of the state to which God called him, his par-
ents remonstrated with him, telling him that, as the eldest
son, he was destined to be the stay and prop of the fam-
ily. But in vain. Equally vain also were their repre-
sentations that the ardor he manifested to embrace theOF THE DIFFERENT STATES WE MAY CHOOSE.

513

ecclesiastical condition was but the result of indiscreet
devotion, and that he could as well accomplish his salva-
tion in the world as in the Church. They proposed the^
most honorable and advantageous settlements, but noth-
ing could shake him. He always preferred the will of
God to that of his parents, and loved far better to re-
nounce all the temporal advantages which were promised
him, than the grace of that vocation which has elevated
him to such a high degree of sanctity.

A Chastisement. At the time when St. Benedict's repu-
tation for miracles and sanctity was world-wide, a young ec-
clesiastic applied to him to be delivered from a demon that
tormented him. The saint employed on this young man's
behalf the influence he possessed with God, and fortunately
succeeded in rescuing him from the dominion of the evil
spirit. But, after his cure, St. Benedict recommended him,
in the name of the Lord, never to seek Holy Orders, be-
cause if he was ever so daring as to do so, God would per-
mit the demon to have power over his body, in punishment
of his temerity. At first, the young man, intimidated by
this threat, made a resolution to follow the sage advice giv-
en him by the holy recluse ; but whether he gradually for-
got it, or whether overcome by the solicitations of his par-
ents, or by the bait of greed, he dared subsequently to
apply to his bishop for Holy Orders. This prelate, who
was not informed of what had passed, made no difficulty
in granting them.. But the candidate had no sooner re-
ceived them than he fell at the feet of the bishop, writh-
ing in frightful convulsions, and crying out in a lamen-
table voice that he was possessed with the devil, and had
well deserved this punishment, because, despite the pro-514

a christian's duty.

hibition made by the lips of St. Benedict, he had had
the hardihood to ask and receive Holy Orders.

Ordinarily, God does not punish in such a visible man-
ner those who are unfaithful to their vocation j but their
punishment is none the less real and terrible.

A Forced Vocation. The too-celebrated Prince Talley-
rand, who, at the end of the last century, so much afflict-
ed the Church by his deplorable apostasy, but whose ed-
ifying death in 1838 consoled the faithful, is also a
striking proof of the disastrous effects of a forced voca-
tion, and the terrible responsibility which parents assume,
when in the choice of a state in life they coerce their
child's freedom. At the age of eighty-five, upon the
threshold of eternity, the Prince de Talleyrand returned
sincerely to Ood. On the 17th May, 1883, he wrote to
His Holiness Gregory XVI., in a letter containing the
solemn expression of his repentance, u Most Holy Fa-
ther, the respect I owe to those from whom I drew life,
does not forbid me to say that my entire youth was di-
rected toward a profession for which I was not
born.

The Worldly and the Religious Life. Saint Anselm,
Archbishop of Canterbury, was one day in an ecstasy.
He seemed to see a vast flood into which had just been
cast all the filth and pollution of the earth. Its waters
were foul and putrid to an unimaginable extent, and its
course was so rapid and impetuous, that it dragged into
it all that it encountered; yet men and women, rich and
poor, young and old, precipitated themselves into its tide
every instant without a pause. The saint, very much as-OF THE DIFFERENT STATES WE MAY CHOOSE. 515

tonished at this sight, inquired how these unhappy per-
sons could live, and upon what they fed. He was told
that they were nourished with the filth which the waters
held in solution, and with this they appeared quite satis-
fied. Subsequently the vision was explained to him thus :
The rapid flood is the world, where mankind, steeped in vice
and hurried away by their passions, were in such a strange
state of blindness, that, although the continual agitation
in which they lived never allowed them a moment's repose,
yet they ceased not to believe themselves happy. After-
ward, St. Anselm was carried in spirit into a very spa-
cious park whose walls were covered with plates of silver,
which threw a great splendor around. In its midst was a
meadow covered with golden grass, but so soft and fresh
that it easily bent beneath the weight of those who sat
upon it, and returned to its pristine state when they arose,
without any appearance of being withered. The air was
pure and sweet, and all around wore so smiling and
agreeable an aspect, that it seemed a veritable earthly
Paradise, with nothing lacking to supreme felicity. The
saint, having again asked the meaning of this vision, was
told that it was a very crude representation of the relig-
ious life, and of the tranquillity enjoyed by those who
have quitted the world to attach themselves solely to the
service of God.—Rodriguez.

Unhappy End of Those who have been Deaf to the Di-
vine Call. We might cite a great number of deplorable
events which have been the portion of those who by de-
lays, or negligence, have not responded to the divine in-
vitation, and who, after a long series of calamities, have
ended by a terrible death. We merely select two or three516

a christian's duty.

of the most authentic. St. Antoninus relates, with profound
sorrow, that a young man endowed with rare talents,
called by God to the Order of St. Francis, resolved to
enter it, but put off the execution of his design. He ac-
cepted a canonry in order to adjourn the period for the
fulfilment of his vocation. A few day later he was
seized with a burning fever, and, though in full
possession of his mental faculties, he repeatedly
cried out in an alarming tone : " Oh unhappy
me ! I have despised the Voice of God! Alas ! I
am lost!" He was advised to make his confession, but
he refused, still exclaiming continually, 66 I am damned !"
It was thought at first that he was out of his mind, but
at length those present were aware that he was in full
possession of his senses. They spoke to him of God's
mercy; they urged him to kiss the crucifix, and to make
a good confession ; but he replied :—u I repeat, I will not
confess; I have seen the Lord indignant with me ; I have
heard my irrevocable sentence from His lips: 'I called
thee; thou didst refuse Me so go into hell !? " After these
words he expired. Does this fact astonish you ? And
yet it is by no means singular, for St. Anselm says :—
u How many have I seen promise and put off performing,
who have been so suddenly surprised by death that they
could neither possess that which induced them to delay,
nor execute that which they had promised !"

Here is another instance which constrains us to say,
" Just art Thou, 0 Lord, and equitable are Thy judg-
ments !"

A young man adorned with fine qualities had resolved
to quit the world. But he was dissuaded from doing so
by a friend, or rather an enemy, whose letters, full ofOF THE DIFFERENT STATES WE MAY CHOOSE.

517

tenderness, promised him such great enjoyment in secular
life that he gave up the idea of entering the house of God
altogether. The spiritual father of the seduced young
man, becoming aware of this perfidy, wrote to the sedu-
cer to cease from his diabolical work, and, if he desired
his friend's salvation, he should advise him to carry out
his good resolution ; (1) else he might have the misfortune
to experience what had recently happened to a young
man who, at the instigation of another, had abandoned
the service of God. This deserter gave himself up to
licentiousness, co-operated in a very considerable rob-
bery, and ended his life on the gibbet. But all these rep-
resentations were useless : the one persevered in his se-
ductions, and the other obeyed him. A short time only
elapsed, when the unhappy young man estranged from
the ways of God was arrested as an accomplice of a band
of robbers who had just murdered a traveller. He wrote
from his prison lo the priest that his threat had become a
prophecy, for he was in irons for an assassination which he
had not committed, but for which he would be none the
less punished, as he was unable to prove his innocence.
And shortly after, to the great disgrace of his family, he
was condemned to be executed.—u Choice of a State of
Life."—Rossigmli.

(1) It is very important to be able to distinguish between an inspi-
ration from "on high and a mere worldly thought, but a vast aggregate
of experience goes to show that in spiritual things the first thought is
the best. Carry it out there and then. Whereas in secular matters
the second thought is the best. An eminent bishop of the Catholic
Church, once a young man at Oxford, said that he once went into a
venerable old church ^ind while there was so impressed by the calm
and quiet of the place that he felt impelled to pray, to pour out p11
that was in his heart to the unseen, yet felt, presence. It was the
turning-point of his life. He declared often that he veritably be-
lieved that, had he , not prayed then, he would never afterward
have prayed at all.518

a christian's duty.

The fact which we are about to cite was published by
an eye-witness. Father Lancisius : 66 A student of the
Roman College had received from nature fine talents,
and an ample fortune. He was the nephew of a patriarch.
When he had reached the age to choose a state in life,
he requested to make a retreat, to which he applied him-
self with the most edifying feelings, displaying a great
delicacy of conscience. Toward the close he asked me,
with a certain anxiety, whether it was a sin to disobey
an inspiration to become a religious. I understood at
once wThat he meant, and replied, ' No; since the religious
life is not commanded, but counselled/ I added, however,
that it wras very dangerous to reject such invitations, and
men often damned themselves, not for the sin of not hav-
ing embraced the religious state, but for other sins which
they would have easily avoided in the cloister. The un-
happy youth, instead of believing me, wanted to make
an experiment. A short time after, he left Rome and
repaired to the Academy of Macerata, for the study of law.
Very soon his piety diminished, he neglected the sacra-
ments, and associated with young freelivers; reading
bad books, and giving himself up to all sorts of pleasures
and excesses. One morning, after a night passed at the
gaming-table, he had a quarrel w7ith some one as he was
going home, and was killed in the street. This mishap
took place under the college windows, possibly that the
young man might all the better comprehend why it had
happened. The unhappy youth cried, 6 Confession ! Con-
fession ! 1 One of the Fathers heard him, and hastened
to his side with all speed. But alas !—may He even grant
the soul's life did not expire with that of the body !—
the poor fellow expired before the priest could reach him.OF THE DIFFERENT STATES WE MAY CHOOSE. 519

Such was the terrible mandate issued by an infinitely
just God ! i Because I have called, and you have refused,
you have despised^My counsels. I also will laugh at your
calamity, I will mock when your death cometh. When
an unforeseen disaster overtakes them, then they shall
cry, but I will not hear them, because they would not
follow My counsels.'

This young man thought only of the present, and cared
only to know if it was a sin or not to refuse to embrace
the religious life. God, who foresaw his catastrophe,
granted him the means of averting it, but he would not
avail himself of them. If we desired to relate all the ex-
amples of those rebels who came to a terrible end, in or-
der to make known the punishments which they have
experienced, we should reckon a great number of dead,
to judge by the way in which many die in the world, to
whose walks God has not called them.—HossignolL520

a christian's duty.

PART SECOND.'

OF PRAYER.

CHAPTER I.

The Necessity of Prayer.

44 It is the spirit with reverence must obey
Our Maker's will, to practise what He taught;

Make not the flesh thy counsel when thou pray :
'Tis enemy to every virtuous thought.

" Even as Elias, mounting to the sky,

Did cast his mantle to the earth behind,

So, when the heart presents the prayer on high,

Exclude the world from traffic with the mind.

"Nothing more grateful in the highest eyes,

Nothing more firm in danger to protect us ;

Nothing more forcible to pierce the skies,

And not depart till mercy do respect us ;

And as the soul life to the body gives,

So prayer revives the soul, by prayer it lives."

— Southwell. (A. D. 1562.)

We have spoken of the sacraments as a primary
means of obtaining grace ; prayer is the second. It is
an elevation of the heart and mind toward God, in order
to render to Him the duty we owe Him, and obtain such
things as we need. Prayer is an indispensable duty
which cannot be omitted without sin.I

NECESSITY OF PRAYER.

521

Jesus Christ gave a special commandment concerning
it, and this precept is frequently repeated in the Gospel.
"Watch," says He, u and pray. Men ought always to
pray and not to faint." Hence the reproach which
He made to His disciples : u Hitherto ye have asked
nothing in My name : ask and ye shall receive." He
practised Himself what He commanded. He often
passed whole nights in prayer, and His entire life was
one continuous prayer. Certainly, Jesus had no need of
prayer for Himself, but He wished to give us an example,
and induce us to give ourselves up to this holy exercise.
We required His prayers, and that He should show us
how much we need to pray for ourselves.

This sacred exercise is an indispensable necessity ; and,
if even the Gospel had not made it a positive law to pray,
and to pray without ceasing, the consciousness of our
misery alone suffices to prove its necessity. The con-
stantly renewed requirements of our soul and body warn
us to have recourse to Him who alone can remedy them.
Is it not the lot of the miserable to moan and entreat for
help ?

Our indigence is extreme, and the goods we require
are of infinite value. God is ready to bestow them, and
He not only permits, but commands us to ask for them.
Not that He is unaware of our needs ; He knows them
better than we know them ourselves. Yet He requires
that we lay them bare before Him, that we may the
more ardently desire the good things which He has pre-
pared for us, and, by these desires, render ourselves more
capable of receiving them.

The desire after spiritual things is intensified by prayer,
and the more ardent this desire is, the more we receive522

a christian's duty.

from God. " He filleth those who are hungry, but the
rich He sends empty away ??—that is, those who deem
themselves rich and in need of nothing.

If God granted His benefits without waiting for our
prayers, we should be ready to attribute them to ourselves.
But when, after feeling our misery and impotence, we have
recourse to Him, we can no longer dissimulate our depend-
ence even from ourselves. We are compelled to admit
that we can do nothing without Him, and that every-
thing we receive from Him is a gift of His pure liberality.
This humble avowal of our indigence disposes us to re-
ceive His benefits abundantly.

Let us apply ourselves, then, to this holy exercise.
Let us never suppose that, in order to discharge this es-
sential duty, it suffices to devote a few minutes to it hur-
riedly, and then pass the rest of the day without one
thought of God. We must often have recourse to prayer,
and persevere in it for a long time. God loves to be solicit-
ed, pressed, importuned. He does not weary of listening
to us. The treasury of His grace is infinite, and we can
do nothing which is so pleasing to Him as to ask inces-
santly to draw upon it. Earthly kings do not allow every
kind of person to address them. It is a favor accorded
but to their favorites, and then only at certain times.
But it is not so with God. He permits us to speak to
Him at all hours. He even commands us to do so with
all freedom, and He is offended if we do not present our-
selves before Him. What an honor for a vile creature to
approach thus to his God! to communicate to Him his
thoughts, his anxieties, his wishes, with a holy boldness
and a sweet confidence ! Is it not despising His
goodness to refuse to profit by the favor which HeNECESSITY OF PRAYER.

523

grants us of hearing us, and taking an interest in all that

we say ?

What respiration is to the body, prayer is to the soul.
If respiration is stopped at intervals, or is made witH diffi-
culty, the body fares ill. In the same way, if prayer is
lacking, or only rarely made, the soul fares ill, and risks
great danger. If respiration is stopped altogether, the
body dies. If prayer entirely ceases, the soul dies also.
—Faber.

A soul that never prays, is like a soldier in the midst
of a group of foes eager to slay him. It is like a pilot
who commits himself to the stormy seas without rudder
or compass. It is like a town besieged on all sides, but
whose walls are undefended. Woe to him who does not
feel the necessity of prayer, and consequently does not
pray at all!

"Prayer," says St. Teresa, u is the gate through
which the Lord hands us His graces. If this gate is
closed, what is to become of us ? Alas ! I have made the
experiment. I had the misfortune to abandon mental
prayer, and every day I became less Christian. If I had
not resumed this sacred exercise, I should have been
lost."—Life of St. Teresa.

David, although upon the throne of a kingdom whose
affairs fully occupied his time, was accustomed to pray
seven times a day, as he himself tells us. He arose in
the night to pray. Inspired by God, he composed his
sublime canticles called the Psalms, which are, and have
ever been, the chosen medium of the Church's praise.

Several great princes, such as Charlemagne, St. Louis,524

a christian's duty.

and the Emperor St. Henry, religiously observed the
practice of reciting every day the office of the Church,
and rose at midnight to join in the Matins.

An author above suspicion, who wrote under the influ-
ence .of the Eighteenth Century philosophy, then in ail
its freshness and its violent hatred to Christianity, has
made the following observations : u Under the Romans,
upon placing one's self at table, the master of the house
took a cup of wine and poured some drops upon the
ground. These libations were a homage rendered to
Providence. (1) In all ages, Christians, both before and
after meals, have made a prayer to God, thanking Him
for the repast they have partaken of, or were about to par-
take of. Is it not very reprehensible, and at the same
time very ridiculous, that, during the last fifty years in
France, this most natural act of gratitude and religion has
been looked upon by persons in high life as an insignificant
and puerile ceremony, an ancient usage which our new and
better style ought to proscribe ? Our inferiors become
ungrateful to Grod, following our own example, and then
become by degrees ungrateful to otfrselves,"

Exercises. —Is prayer absolutely necessary, and why has God or-
dained it ? What is its effect upon the soul ?

(1) This custom is still observed by the English peasantry, who
have not the slightest idea of its meaning. It was specially a libation
to Bacchus, and was accompanied by the invocation,^ " Be propitious,
0 Bacchus !"EFFICACY OF PBAYER.

525

CHAPTER II.

The Efficacy of Prayer.

" Be not afraid to pray—to pray is right;

Pray, tho' there seem no hope ; but ever pray,

.Though hope be weak, or sick with long delay;

Pray in the darkness, if there be no light.

Far is the time, remote from human sight,

When war and discord on the earth shall cease,
Yet every prayer for universal peace

Avails the blessed time to expedite.

Whate'er is good to wish, ask that of Heaven,

Though it be what thou canst no.t hope to see;

Pray to be perfect, though material leaven
Forbid the spirit so on earth to be ;

But if for any wish thou darest not pray,

Then pray to God to cast that wish away."

—Coleridge (Adapted).

Everything is promised to prayer. It obtains all it
seeks, when properly made. Tiiis is a truth repeated up-
on almost every page of Scripture. The promise of Jesus
Christ is formal: "Ask*andye shall receive ; seek and
ye shall find *, knock and it shall be opened unto you.
All things whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe
and you shall receive, and they shall come unto you."
And He is not satisfied with merely saying that a well-
said prayer is heard. He assures us by an oath : 16 A men,
amen, I say to you, if you ask the Father anything in
My Name, He will give it you."

To dissipate all our doubts, He adds this proof, which
is capable of reviving the spirit of the most discouraged :
u What man is there among you, of whom, if his son shall
ask bread, will he reach him a stone? Or, if lie shall ask
him a fisli; will he reach him a serpent ?■ If you, then7526	a christian's doty.

being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give
good things to them that ask Him ! 11 After so explicit a
promise, we must have lost all faith to doubt the efficacy
of prayer. If we reckon upon the promises of a good
man, how much more ought we to reckon upon the prom-
ises of Jesus Christ, who is the truth itself! To admit
distrust into our hearts is to do Him an injury. And
whence comes this distrust ? Is it from our conscious
unworthiness ? But is not God's goodness to us altogether
gratuitous ? But the very avowal of our unworthiness
is a claim upon ar mercy which the greatest crimes
cannot exhaust, and which invites the greatest sinners
to come to it with all confidence. Is it not in the Name
of Jesus Christ that we pray ? And is not our un-
worthiness covered by His infinite merits ? No, the
prayer of the humble sinner has never been rejected.
It rises even to- the throne of Grace, and draws down
a glance of mercy upon him who makes it.

u Is there any one," says the prophet, u that has in-
voked the Lord and been despised ? Our fathers cried
unto the Lord, and He delivered them : they hoped in the
Lord, and were not confounded." Whoever calls on the
name of the Lord shall be saved. This full, complete and
unbounded confidence honors God. It is a homage ren-
dered to His power, to His goodness, and His fidelity t)
His promises. It obtains all it seeks ; God refuses it
nothing.

Moses prayed upon the mountain, and the enemies of
the people of God were conquered ; Judith prayed, and
her country was delivered; the pious King Ezekias
prayed, and God revoked the sentence of death which HeEFFICACY OF PRAYER.

527

had pronounced against liim ; the publican prayed in
the Temple, and went forth justified 5 the sinful woman
prayed, and her sins wer6 forgiven ; the thief prayed up-
on the cross, and, though laden with the most enormous
crimes, he obtained pardon.

This is why St. John says: 66 And this is the confi-
dence which we have toward Him, that whatsoever we
shall ask according to His will, He heareth us ; and we
know that He heareth us whatsoever we ask ; we know
that we have the petitions which we request of Him." Let
us not, then, plead our weakness when exhorted to prac-
tise this virtue. Let us not say that our evil inclinations
hurry us away, that we cannot resist the violence of
our passions. We can pray, and prayer will sustain our
weakness : wre can pray, and prayer will fortify us
against our evil inclinations 5 we can pray, and prayer
will modify our evil passions. Do we need grace to
practise wisdom, let us ask it of God, and He will grant
it. u If any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who
giveth to all men abundantly and upbraideth not, and it
shall be given him." We never fail, then, to obtain from
God the help which we solicit in a becoming way, and. if
we fail to do so, the fault is always ours. It is because
we do not apply to Him with the proper dispositions, and
especially with that confidence which obtains all things.

St. John Chrysostom does not hesitate to say that pray-
er is, in a manner, even more powerful than God Him-
self, because it succeeds in bending Him so as to retract
the sentences which He has pronounced against us.
Here is an instance : The Israelites, having transgressed
the laws of God by setting up a golden calf to worship,528

a christian's duty.

God, who was always merciful, seems to dread the pow-
er of the intercession of Moses. " Let Me alone/' He
says to His servant, '"that My wrath may be kindled
against them, and that I may destroy them.'* But, over-
come by the urgent prayers of Moses, He did not execute
the evil which He had pronounced against them.

Exercises.—Has Christ promised to hear prayer? Give some ex-
amples of successful prayers. Why should our unworthiness be an
argument in favor of, instead of against, prayer ?QUALITIES OP PRAYEE.

523

CHAPTER III.

Qualities of Prayer.

" Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered, or unexpressed;

The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast;

Prayer is the burthen of a sigh,

The falling of a tear ;

The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.

" Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try ;

Prayer che sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high ;

Prayer is the Christian's yital breath,

The Christian's native air;

His watchword at the gates of death :

He enters Heaven with prayer.

" Prayer is the contrive sinner's voice,

Returning from his ways;

While angels in their songs rejoice,

And cry, ' Behold he prays !'

Nor prayer is made on earth alone:

The Holy spirit pleads,

And Jesus on the Eternal throne
For sinners intercedes.

" O Thou by whom we come "to God,

The Life, the Truth, the Way ;

The path of prayer Thyself has trod :

Lord ! teach us how to pray !Montgomery.

The great advantages of prayer are dependent on the
manner in which we perform the duty. To pray well, it
must first of all be in the name and through the merits530

a christian's duty.

of Jesus Christ. This is why the Church ends all her
prayers with the words: " Through Jesus Christ our
Lord."

Secondly, we must pray attentively, that is to say,
think upon God and that which we ask of Him.

God listens far more to the utterances of the heart than
those of the lips. Prayer is an elevation of the soul to-
ward God. It is not praying to think of any other thing
when we speak to God. It is true that involuntary dis-.
tractions do not render a prayer bad. But God is offend-
ed at those to which we give occasion through our own
fault, or which are not rejected as soon as perceived.
Then we merit the reproach which God made of old to
the Jews: 66 This people honoreth Me with their lips, but
their heart is far from Me."

Thirdly, we must pray with confidence. Our Lord, in
promising to hear our prayers, always makes this condi-
tion,—provided they are said in faith. Generally He
said to those who applied to Him to be healed, " Accord-
ing to your faith be it unto you." Our confidence cannot
be too strong, because it rests upon the power of God, who
can do infinitely fnore than we ask ; upon mercy that is
boundless ; and upon the infinite merits of Jesus Christ,
in whose name we pray. What! we address ourselves
in temporal need to a rich, powerful, and tried friend, and
yet fail to address .ourselves to God even in our spiritual
needs, although He has invited and commanded us to
come to Him as to a loving Father ! Does not mistrust
like this wrong His tenderness? What is man's good-
ness compared with that of God ?

Finally, we must pray with perseverance.

; God, who is infinitely wise and good, sometimesQUALITIES' OF PKAYER.

531

to grant that which we ask of Him. This delay is not a
refusal, but a trial. He would have us know by this the
value of His gifts, increase the ardor of our desires, and
dispose us to receive them in greater abundance. We
ought not to be discouraged, nor grow tired of praying.
Jesus Christ commands it; and? to make us understand the
necessity of perseverance^ he employs two comparisons.
The first is that of a poor widow who by her importuni-
ties at length touched the heart of a wicked judge, and
compelled him to do her justice; the second is that of
a man who goes in the middle of the night to a friend to
borrow three loaves. The latter refuses to get up, but
the other is not to be repulsed, and continues knocking at
the door until his perseverance is rewarded, and he ob-
tains what he asked. Our Lord concludes this parable
with an earnest and pressing invitation to pray without
ceasing, and by a formal promise to grant all that we
shall ask of Him with perseverance. Perhaps the very
moment that we cease to pray is that which God has chosen
to hear us. Let us well remember this : it is prayer
which asks? but it is perseverance which obtains,

When we take a spoonful of food or medicine, we can
hardly perceive any salutary effect which it produces in
the system. We ought not to be astonished if, after
making our prayer, we,are not answered on the spot.

It is with prayer as with the drop of water, which, says
an old Latin proverb, ends by hollowing the stone, not by
its inherent strength, but by the frequency of its fall.

To demand of God to be always heard on the spot, is532

a christian's duty.

to wish to lower the Sovereign Lord to the condition of a
slave, to whom we say, u Go, and he goeth ; come, and he
cometh; do this, and he doeth it."

It was the custom of a young child to offer his heart to
God very fervently every morning, which was like the
soul of all the actions which he performed throughout the
day.

" If,'7 said he, u I omit this duty, as has sometimes
happened, I am giddy all the remainder of the day."
This child, who was then only twelve years old, died with
sentiments of rare piety. When near his end, he cried
out from time to time, " My God, I have offered every
day the sacrifice of my heart to Thee : now I offer up the
sacrifice of my life ! 79

Let us imitate this pious child, and be exact, like him,
in offering our hearts to God every morning, that we may,
like him, die in sentiments of true piety.—Arvisenet,

Exercises.—What is an essential condition in all prayers ? What
things are necessary in every proper prayer ?tHE LORDS PRAYER.

533

SECTION II.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

CHAPTER I.

Of What We Should Ash of God.

" Consider it,

This outer world we tread on, as a harp,—
A gracious instrument, on whose fair strings
We learn those airs we shall be set to play
When mortal hours are ended. Let the wings,
Man, of thy spirit move on it as wind,

And draw forth melody. Why shouldst thou yet
Lie grovelling? More is won than e'er was lost :
Inherit. Let thy day be to thy night
A teller of good tidings. Let thy praise
Go up as birds go up, that, when they wake,
Shake off the dew and soar.

So take Joy home,
And make a place in thy great heart for her,
And give her time to grow, and cherish her;

Then will she come, and oft will sing to thee
When thou art working in the furrows; ay,
Or weeding in the sacred hour of dawn.

It is a comely fashion to be glad:

Joy is the grace we say to God.

Art tired ?

There is a rest remaining. Hast thou sinned ?
There is a sacrifice. Lift up thy head ;
The lovely world and the over-world alike
Ring with a song eterne,—a happy rede,
4 Thy Father loves thee.' "—Jean Tngelow.

v Our Lord Himself has taught us what to ask of God,
and the manner in which we are to ask it. He has
condescended Himself to draw up the petition which we584

a chbistian's duty.

are to present to the Eternal Father in His Hame, and
has left us an excellent form of prayer, which for this
reason is called the Lord's Prayer. u Jesus Christ/7
says St. Cyprian, u among other counsels and salutary
precepts which He has given to His people to lead them
to salvation, has prescribed a form of prayer, in order
that we may the more easily be heard by the Father, when
we address to Him the very prayer which His own Son
has taught us. Let us, then, pray as our Master and our
God has taught us. It is a prayer very agreeable to
God, as coming from Himself, arresting His attention by
the words of Jesus Christ, and the Father will recognize
the words of His Son when we pray. Since it is Jesus
Christ who is our advocate with the Father, let us em-
ploy the very words of our Intercessor. He assures us
that the Father will grant all that we ask in His Name.
How much more readily will He grant it if we ask not
only in Christ's name, but in His own words I" Hence
the Church makes continuous use of this divine prayer.
She begins and ends all her offices with it, and specially
recalls it in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. True Ca-
tholics never fail to repeat it every day at morning and
evening.

The Lord's Prayer is composed of a short preface and
seven petitions. The first three relate to God, and the
remaining four to ourselves. It is the rule by which
we ought to form our sentiments and desires.

We can employ other words in our prayers, but we
can never ask of God anything but what this prayer
comprises. Every other request not contained in it is
unworthy of a Christian, and cannot be agreeable to God.
The preface consists of these words, Our Father, who artTHE LORD'S PRAYER.

535

in Heaven. In these few words Jesus Christ has com-
bined all that is most likely to induce God to hear us, as
well as to inspire our own hearts with sentiments of re-
spect, love, and confidence.

We call God our Father. Jesus Christ commands us
to do so. God is our Father by creation, since He gave
us life and formed us in His own image j He is still more
so by the grace of regeneration, since in Baptism He
has adopted us as His children in Jesus Christ.

" Behold what manner of charity the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God." " Because ye are sons," says St. Paul, u God
hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father!"—My Father. O name full of sweetness
and charm! Whstt love, what gratitude, what con-
fidence, it ought to excite in our hearts ! If it be true
that God is your Father, can you fear that your prayer
will be rejected, when you recall to Him a name which
He has assumed on our account with so much delight ?
What will He not grant to a child who prays to Him,
after receiving him among the number of His children by
a grace which anticipated his prayers and desires I Fear
only to render yourself by disobedience unworthy to be
called a child of God, for nothing else can stop the course
of His grace, or the effect of your prayers.

Each of us, in addressing God, says, " Our Father," not
" My Father," because, having all of us the same Father,
and expecting from Him the same inheritance, we ought
not merely to pray for ourselves, but also for all our breth-
ren. So we see that it is not in our own name that we pray?
but in the name of Jesus Christ, and in union with the536

x christian's duty.

whole body of the Church of which we are members. (1)
We add,—ivho art in Heaven. For, although God is in
all places by His immensity, we nevertheless look upon
the heavens as the throne of His glory. It is there that
He displays His magnificence, and reveals Himself to His
elect unveiled and without a cloud. It is to Heaven that
we are called ourselves; it is our country, the heritage
destined for us by our Father. Whenever, then, we
commence to pray, let us elevate our thoughts and desires
to Heaven. Let us join with the company of blessed
spirits, exciting in our hearts the hope and desire to
possess God.

Tertullian says that the Lord's Prayer is not only an
epitome of all other prayers, but also contains all Our
Saviour's doctrine. Thus, He teaches us to aspir^ to
heavenly things above all else, to forgive our enemies,
etc., in such a way that we might appropriately call this
prayer a summary of the Gospel.

" It is now," said St. Francis of Assisi, after being dis-
inherited on account of his great munificence to the poor—

(1) An idea of that system of interminable connection which
binds together the whole human family may be obtained by every-
one who will examine the several ingredients of his physical, in-
tellectual and social condition ; for he will not find one of these cir-
cumstances of his lot that is not directly an effect or consequence of
the conduct, or character, or constitution of his progenitors, and of
all with whom he has had to do. If they had been other than they
were, he also must have been other than he is. And then our pre-
decessors must in like manner trace the qualities of their being to
theirs ; thus the link ascends to the common parent of all ; and thus
must it descend,—still spreading as it goes from the present to the last
generation of the children of Adam.—Natural History of Enthusiasm,
page 149,

Consequently any prayer intended for the use of mankind con-
sidered as a whole, must recognize this fact; and no other pray#r
does so save the Lord's Prayer.THE LOBD'S PRAYER.

u it is now that I can truly say, L Our Father who art
in Heaven/ Ah ! what nobility can a Christian claim !
God is his Father!"

A young shepherd had a habit of praying while pas-
turing his sheep. When asked if he did not often feel
weary while remaining so long alone in the country, he
replied that the u Our Father " was enough to shorten
the time and make it pleasant, because he found in it a
continuous source of new and consoling thoughts and good
ideas, so that he sometimes needed an entire week to
meditate upon the whole of it.

St. Hugh, Bishop of Grenoble, being constantly sick,
did scarcely anything else during the whole night than
recite the Lord's Prayer. His attendant represented to
him that the constant repetition of this prayer was likely
to be injurious to his health. The bishop replied,
"Undeceive yourself; the recital of such a beautiful prayer
is not likely to do me any harm: I feel, on the contrary,
that it does me a great deal of good."—Lasausse.

Exercises.—Of what is the Lord's Prayer composed ? Why do we
call God our Father? Why do we say " Our Father" and not "'My
Father"?

[" Who art in IleavenAll who have a correct idea of the Divinity,
agree that God is everywhere present. This, however, is not to be
understood as if He consisted of parts, filling and governing one
place with one part, another place with another ; for God is a
spirit, and is, therefore, indivisible. Who would presume to circum-
scribe within the limits of any place, or confine to any particular spot,
Him who says of Himself, " Do I not fill the heavens and the earth ? "
(Jer. xxii. 24.) Yes, by His power and virtue He fills heaven and
earth, and all things contained therein. He is present with all things,
creating them, or preserving them when already created ; whilst He
Himself is confined to no place, is circumscribed by no limits, is de-
fined by nothing to prevent His being present everywhere by His im-
mensity and omnipotence. "If," says the Psalmist, *•I ascend into
heaven, thou art there." (Ps. cxxxiii. 8,)—Catechism of the Gouncil of
Trent.]538

A christian's dut1.

CHAPTER II.

(t hallowed be thy name."

" Love is a flower that will not die

For lack of leafy screen,

And Christian hope can cheer the eye

That ne'er saw vernal green.

Then be ye sure that love can bless,

Even in this crowded loneliness,

Wherever moving myriads seem to say,

' Go ! Thou art naught to us, nor we to thee. Away ! '

" There are in this loud, stunning tide
Of human care and crime,

With whom the melodies abide

Of the everlasting chime;

Who carry music in their heart
Through dusky lane and wrangling mart,

Plying their daily task with busier feet
Because their secret souls some holy strain repeat.

" The glorious Gospel sheds a light.

On mammon's gloomiest cells,

As on some city's cheerless night

The tide of sunrise swells,

Till tower and dome and bridge-way proud
Are mantled with a golden cloud,

And to wise hearts this certain hope is given,

No mist that man may raise shall hide the eye of Heaven."

It is but proper and just that our first desire and re-
quest should have for its object the glory of God. If we
are His children, nothing ought to be dearer to us than
the honor and glory of our Father. We commence, there-
fore, by asking that His Name should be sanctified, thatTHE LORD'S PRAYER.

539

is, honored and glorified.(1) The Name of God is holy
in itself, and can acquire no new degree of sanctity; but
it is very often dishonored by the talk and conduct of men.

What we ask in these words is, that the Holy Name of
God may become known, praised and adored by all His
creatures j that all tongues may bless Him ; that all the
universe may render the homage which is due to His
Sovereign Majesty, and that His glory may spread
throughout the countries of the earth.

There are still infidel nations who know not God. We
ask Him to bring them forth from the darkness in which
they are enshrouded, and call them to the glorious light
of the Gospel. There are heretics who know Him, but do
not render Him a pure worship. We ask that they may
renounce their error, recognize the truth, and enter into
the bosom of the Church out of which there is no salva-
tion. In short, there are bad Christians who do not serve
God, who even outrage Him by their sins, and profane and
blaspheme His awful Name. . We ask that they may be
converted to God by a sincere repentance, and begin to
glorify Him by an edifying life.

We pray also for the just, who already honor the Name
of God by their virtues, to the end that these may increase,
and that they may persevere until the end in righteous-

(1) "Hallowed." Old Saxon, meaning set apart for holy uses, conse-
crated. It is still retained in the calendar in All Hallows l)ay, or Nov. 1.
Shakespeare speaks of Hallowmass, that is, the Mass of All Saints. It
expresses a shade more than its modern substitute, sacred ; as in the
beautiful passage about the Nativity,

" So hallowed and so gracious is the time."

Formerly a king or priest or bishop was said to be hallowed when
anointed with the chrism, and a monk or a nun upon taking vows.
Holiness is but a corruption of hallowedness. The ancient phrase By
our halidame, or. By our Holy Dame; the Blessed Virgin, was common
until the time of Charles II.540

A CHRISTIANS DtJTY.

ness. But what we should specially desire is, to sanctify
the Name of God ourselves, consecrating all our life to its
glory, and causing others to glorify it.(l)

We sanctify the Name of God by our thoughts, in hum-
bling ourselves profoundly before His Divine Majesty, and
never thinking of God, or of things appertaining to God,
save with a profound respect and religious veneration.
We sanctify the Name of God by our words, in never
speaking of God except with an internal feeling of ado-
ration and holy fear. We sanctify it by our actions, in
leading an exemplary life, which leads others to praise and
serve God.

When, therefore, we pronounce this request, u Hallowed
be Thy Name," we ought to have a sincere desire to pro-
cure the glory of God as far as we possibly can; to
bring others to honor Him, and inspire them by our dis-
course and our example with a love of truth and a taste for
piety. Without this desire, our lips will belie our hearts,
and our words will but testify against us, since we do not
wish for that which we appear to ask. What shall we
say of those who, while asking God that His Name may
be sanctified, lead others to offend it $

(1) The principal object to which this petition refers is, that all.recog-
nize and revere the Spouse of Christ, our most holy mother the Church,
in whom alone is that copious and perennial fountain which cleanses
and effaces the stains of sin ; from whom we receive all the sacraments
of salvation and sanctification, which are, as it were, so many celes-
tial conduits, conveying to us the fertilizing dew which sanctifies the
soul ; to whom alone, and to those whom she embraces and fosters in
her maternal bosom, belongs the invocation of that divine Name which
alone, under heaven, is given to men whereby they can be saved.
(Acts iv. 12.)—Catechism of the Council of TrenttHE LORD S PRA30EJEL

S4i

A well-conducted child will always bless the name of
his father, and his greatest pleasure is to hear him praised,
as his greatest grief would be to see him despised. It is
thus that a Christian behaves toward God. his heart is
animated with zeal for the glory of His Master; he is
afflicted at the indolence of the cowardly, and the blas-
phemy of the wicked fills him with alarm.

In the era of chivalry, when the prince received an in-
jury, his knights never allowed him to fight himself to ob-
tain the reparation of his own honor. They fought for
him, and entered joyously into the lists to avenge the
affront offered to their master. So ought we to enter
courageously into the arena to defend the honor of Our
Father who is in Heaven.(1)

Exercises.—What do we request in the first petition of the Lord's
Prayer ? How do we sanctify the Name of God ?

[Among the Jews there was one name applied to God which was
called the incommunicable or untransferable name, founded on the pas-
sage, " I am Jehovah : that is My Name, which I will not give unto an-
other." This Name was never pronounced by the Jew except with
tokens of the lowliest reverence. As a substitute, the name Adonai
was used. This custom was founded upon an erroneous rendering
of Leviticus xxiv. 16 , from which it was inferred that the mere utter-
ance of the name constituted a capital offence. According to many,
the etymology of the word Jehovah is found in the passage "God
said to Moses : I am who am" (Exod. iii. 14.), and is composed of
three tenses of the verb to be united together : " havah, he was; hovah,
being, ox he is; and Je, which, when placed before the three radical
letters of a verb in Hebrew, indicates the future, he will be."—Dictionary
of the Bible,—Smith.]

(1) Headers of Roman history will recall the case of the Horatii and
Curiatii. At the coronation of an English sovereign, a champion,
mounted, and wearing full armor, rides into the banqueting-hall, and
challenges all enemies of the newly crowned to take up his gauntlet,
which he dashes on the floor.a. christian's duty.

Hymn.

" Holy God, we praise Thy Name !

Lord of all, we bow before Thee !
All on earth Thy sceptre claim,

All in Heav'n above adore Thee ;
Infinite Thy vast domain,

Everlasting is Thy name.

" Hark ! the loud celestial hymn

Angel choirs above are singing !
Cherubim and Seraphim,

In unceasing chorus praising,

Fill the heavens with sweet accord:

Holy ! Holy ! Holy Lord.

'' Lo ! the apostolic train

Join, Thy sacred name to hallow !
Prophets swell the loud refrain,

And with white-robed martyrs follow ;
And from mom till set of sun
Through the Church the song goes on.

" Holy Father, Holy Son,

Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee,
While in essence only One,

Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,

While we own the mystery.

" Thou art King of glory, Christ!

Son of God, yet born of Mary,

For us sinners sacrificed,

And to death a tributary:

First to break the bars of death,

Thou hast open'd Heaven to faith."THE LOKD S PKAYEB.

543

CHAPTER III.

" THY KINGDOM COME."

"Thy kingdom come !

I heard a seer cry : ' The wilderness,

The solitary place,

Shall yet be glad for Him, and He shall bless
(Thy kingdom come) with His revealed face
The forests ; they shall drop their precious gum,

And shed for Him their balm ; and he shall yield
The grandeur of His speech to charm the field.

Then all the soothed winds shall drop to listen

(Thy kingdom come) ;

Comforted waters, waxen calm, shall glisten
With bashful tremblement beneath His smile ;

And Echo ever the while
Shall take, and in her awful joy repeat
The laughter of His lips —(Thy kingdom come);

And hills that sit apart shall be no longer dumb ;

No, they shall shout and shout,

Raining their lovely loyalty along the dewy plain,

And valleys round about.

And all the well-contented land, made sweet
With flowers she opened at His feet.

Shall answer : shout and make the welkin ring,

And tell it to the stars, shout, shout and sing ;

Her cup being full to the brim,

Her poverty made rich with Him,

Her yearning satisfied to its utmost sum ;

Lift up thy voice, 0 Earth, prepare thy song !

It shall not yet be long.

Lift up, O Earth, for He shall come again,

Thy Lord : and He shall reign, and He shall keign !
Thy kingdom come.'" - Jean Ingelow.

By these words, u Thy Kingdom come/' we do not ask
that God may possess a sovereign power over all His544

a christian's duty.

creatures. This sovereignty necessarily and essentially
belongs to Him. None can withdraw themselves from
His dominion. But there is another reign, the reign of
grace, with which we must co-operate, and which God
has made dependent upon our consent — an entirely
spiritual reign, in which the soul, prevented (1) and
aided by grace, freely and voluntarily obeys all Grod?s
inspirations ; conforming itself in all things and with-
out reserve to His good pleasure ; executing faithfully all
his behests, and has no other rule of conduct but His divine
Law and Commandments ; a reign in which the heart
gives itself to God of its own accord, in order that He may
possess it entirely, and govern it as He will, so as to detach
it from all earthly affections and free it from all human
lien. This is the kingdom which we pray that God may
establish in us even now.

There is also a reign of glory where God has prepared
for His elect an immortal crown 5 where He will give
Himself to them to be enjoyed by them forever 5 where
He will spread over them all the treasures of His riches;
where He will inebriate them with the abundance of the
good things of His house, and with a torrent of delights ;
where they shall reign with Him throughout all ages.
This is the reign which we desire to see come to pass.

What we ask is that God may reign in the present in
our hearts, and one day cause us to reign with Him in
glory.

In making this prayer we should sincerely desire that

(1") " PreventedGoing before,—what is meant by the modern
word superinduced. \ It is always used in this sense in Scripture and
theology, but of late years has,become entirely inverted, meaning to
hinder. It is the same with the word " let" which meant to impede,
to hinder, but now means to permit.THE LORD'S PRAYER.

545

the reign of sin, the reign of our passions, should be over-
thrown, and that our mind, our heart, and body should be
subjected to God, who is their Master and only Lord. If
we are dominated by bad habits, and subjugated by vices,
we should groan under this miserable slavery, desiring to
break our fetters and enter into the liberty of the children
of God. We should then raise our thoughts and wishes
above this earth, which to us is only a place of exile ;—-
sighing after our country,(1) where we shall reign with
Jesus Christ in the midst of eternal delights. This ought
to be the object of our desires and hopes, the consolation of
our toils and pains;

The life of man, short as it is in duration, is full of mis-
eries. How can we, who are destined to an eternal life,
be so attached to this transitory existence ? How can we
fear the separation from this mortal and corruptible body,
which hinders us from seeing God, and uniting with the
society of blessed spirits ? What can happen to us so for-
tunate as to quit this prison-house, leave this visible world,
where we are exposed to all kinds of danger, where every-
thing is a snare to us, and we run the risk of perishing every
instant ? A good Christian has always before his eyes the
reward that awaits him. He looks upon himself as a travel-
ler upon earth, and as already a citizen of Heaven,(2) by
the liveliness of his faith and hope. Seated by the banks
of Babel's stream, he weeps bitterly at the remembrance of

(1)	This thought is admirably expressed in the ancient Breviary
Hymn, " 0 Quanta Qualia:"

" Now in the meanwhile, with hearts raised on high,

We for our country must pine and must sigh ;

Seeking Jerusalem, dear native land,

Through our long exile on Babylon's strand.1'

(2)	11 For our citizenship is in Heaven." (Phil. iii. 20.)546

a christian's duty.

the heavenly Jerusalem, (1) his true country. He often
lifts up his eyes toward the holy hills which are the abode
of peace, where his everlasting inheritance awaits him,
where Jesus Christ is to crown him and make him happy
for evermore.

u The loss of my goods is of little moment,v said a martyr
of the Faith; u Heaven remains. This is the true heritage
of my Father, of which none can despoil me. In a mo-
ment I shall take possession of it."

Exekcises.—What is the reign of grace in the soul ? What is the reign
of glory which we pray may come? What should be our conduct in
making this prayer ?

[ In reading the ancient Liturgies and writings of the Fathers, one is
struck by the intensity of their faith in Heaven. They realized it. It
was closely interwoven with every thought and act, however common-
place. The light of Heaven shone all over the vale of the shadow of
death through which their martyr steps were passing. It was brought
out in strong relief'as a contrast which made present things at their
worst endurable, for the sake of " the glory hereafter to be revealed."
In exile, it was their home ; in hunger and thirst it fed them with the
bread of Heaven and "the wine of angels." Its angels were their con-
stant companions; they rehearsed, by faith and love, " songs of praise
to sing above." There is a well-known picture of a great artist repre-
senting the hour when a Christian is to be led forth to martyrdom.
You see the raging lions impatient for their prey, and the eager, savage
crowd, tier above tier, ready to gloat over his agonies, He is sleeping,
and on his bosom lies a rough cross clasped tightly. But what a ra-
diant smile lights up his countenance ! It seems to irradiate his dun-
geon with a "light that never was on land or sea" ! We know well
whence it comes: He sees up earth's dark glade,

" The gate of Heaven unclosed."

It is very profitable to study this subject in the light of the ancient
hymns which the labors of Cardinal Newman and Dr. Neale, John Ke-
ble and F. W. Faber, have made known to the public from whom they
were so long hidden. Contrast the tangibleness, the objediveness of

(1) The Breviary Hymn, " Urbs beata," thus begins:

"Blessed City, heavenly Salem,

Vision dear of peace and love."

This hymn is attributed to St. Bernard. A fine paraphrase by Faber
thus begins :

" O heavenly Jerusalem,

Of everlasting halls,	v

Thrice blessed are the people
Thou storest in thy walls."THE LORD'S PRAYER,

547

Heaven compared with the misty indefiniteness of our day. I can
only cite a few specimens. Lactantius and St. Ephrem the Syrian excel
in lovely imagery. Heaven is a happy retribution : the dawning of the
day: the home of the elect: the cure of all sickness: true vision of
true beauty: the one mansion of glory: the ocean without a shore:
the fountain of refreshment: the victor's laurel: the golden Jerusalem
flowing with milk and honey: the halls ot Zion thronged with white-
robed priests and kings : ever green pastures: the tearless home: the
ceaseless song: the trysting-place: the land of freedom to the slave :
the Father's house. We might add many, many more, comprising all
the most cherished thoughts of the soul in its aspirations after the
place which Jesus prepares for His own.]

CHAPTER IV.

"THY WILL BE DONE ON EAKTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."

" O deem not they are blest alone

Whose lips a peaceful tenor keep ;

The power that pities man has shown
A blessing on the eyes that weep.

" The light of smiles shall fill again
The lids that overflow with tears,

And dreary hours of woe and pain

Are promises of happier years.

" There is a day of sunny rest

For every dark and troubled night,

And grief may bide an evening guest,

But joy shall come with early light."

— W. C.Bryant.
"My God, My Father, while I stray
Far from my home on life's rough way,

O teach me from my heart to say,

Thy will be done !

" Though dark my path, and sad my lot,

Let me be still and murmur not, 1
, Or breathe the prayer divinely taught,

Thy will be done.

"If but my fainting heart be blest
With Thy sweet Spirit for its guest,

My God, to Thee I leave the rest,

Thy will be done."—Charlotte Elliott.548

A CHRISTIAN^ DUTi;.

In order to obtain from our heavenly Father the inher-
itance, which He reserves for us, and the kingdom He des-
tines for us, we must do His will. Our Lord Himself warns
us in the Gospel that u not every one that saith unto
Me; Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven-,
but he that doeth the will of My Father who is in
Heaven."

There is in God a will which is the rule of our duty,
by which He commands the good and preserves us from
the evil. It was this will which the prophet desired to ex-
ecute when he said, " Teach me to do Thy will; make
me to walk in the way of Thy commandments ; give to
my heart the relish of Thy holy ordinances." This divine
will is revealed in the commandments of God and the
Church, and in the warnings of our superiors.

Thus, in saying to God, " Tliy will be done on earth as
it is in Heaven," we ask grace to observe His laws, to obey
the Church and all whom she has commissioned to guide
us. We desire that our obedience should be as perfect as
is that of the angels and the blessed in Heaven. There all
obey God with promptitude, punctuality and ardor. Do
we obey Him in like manner ? Do we faithfully keep His
commandments, and are we submissive to those who rep-
resent Him and are in His stead ? This prayer can only
be uttered seriously when the heart accords with the
tongue. It is lying to God to ask with our lips what the
heart has no desire after.

There is a will of God which is the source of all events
in life. All that happens in the world is regulated by
the will of God. It does not rest with us either to stop
or delay the occurrence of a single event. Our duty in
reference to this divine will is to worship it, to submit toTHE LORD'S PRAYER.

549

it, accepting resignedly the evils that He is pleased to
send us, receiving the blows He deals us as inflicted by a
father's hand. God allows these ills to befall us because
He has merciful designs respecting us. If He sends us
afflictions, it is because He wishes, to save us, and would
have them expiate our sins. Hence, it is rather from
goodness than from justice that He punishes us in this
life. This makes the Apostle say, u Whom .the Lord
loveth He correcteth, 77 and strikes those whom He re-
ceives among the number of His children, treating them
as children by so doing ; " for what son is he whom the
father chasteneth not ?77

What, then, we ask of God in these words, u Thy will
be done on earth as it is in Heaven,77 is, to support
with entire submission all the pains which He is pleased
to send us; so that, whatever happens us, He may find
us always patient, resigned, and in perfect conformity
of heart and mind to the designs of His Providence.
We cannot make this prayer as we ought unless we re-
nounce our own will, or try to renounce it. There is
nothing so profitable for us as subjection to the will of
God. Man is lost only by preferring his own will to
that of God, and he is saved only by preferring God's
divine will to his own. u Take away self-will,77 says
St. Bernard, u and there will be no longer a hell.'7

Our Lord has given us the example of this perfect
conformity to the will of God. "I came down from
Heaven, " said He, u not to do My own will, but the will of
Him that sent Me." And elsewhere, 66 My meat is to do
the will of Him that sent Me.77 Indeed, the whole life of
Our Lord was but the exact fulfilment of His Father's
orders/ Jf He was born in a stable, if He passed His550

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTt.

youth in humble obscurity, and His later years in the
exercise of a painful ministry, it was because His Father
sent Him, and He regulated all His proceedings by the
orders which He had received from Him. He died by
the most ignominious of punishments, because the will
of His Father, not his own, was to be obeyed.

When St. Louis was informed of the death of Queen
Blanche, his mother, his first movement was to shed co-
pious tears but, coming speedily to himself, he prostrated
himself before the Supreme Arbiter of life and death, ex-
claiming, u I thank thee, O God, for having so long pre-
served to me a mother so worthy of all my affections. It
was a gift of Thy mercy, and Thou hast again resumed
Thine own. What right have I to complain f It is true
that I loved her tenderly ; but since it pleases Thee to
take her from me, may Thy holy name be blessed for-
ever." Such was the tenderness of heart and the resig-
nation of this incomparable monarch. We never grow
tired of admiring so much virtue, or of blessing the holy
religion which produced it.— Velly.

Exebcises.—What is the will of God, and how do we k&ow it? In
saying " Thy will be done," what do we ask of God ?THE LORD'S PBAYEE.

551

CHAPTER Y.

" GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD."

u Give us our daily Bread,

O God, the Bread of strength*

For we have learned to know
How weak we are at length.

As children we are weak,

As children must be fed ;—

Give us Thy Grace, 0 Lord,

To be our daily Bread.

" Give us our daily Bread,

To cheer our fainting soul,

The feast of comfort, Lord,

And peace to make us whole;

For we are sick of tears,

The useless tears we shed ;

Now give us comfort, Lord,

To be our daily Bread.

" Give us our daily Bread,

The Bread of Angels, Lord,

By us so many times

Broken, betrayed, adored:

His Body and His blood;

The feast that Jesus spread:

Give Him—our life, our all—

To be our daily bread."—Procter.

After the three first petitions, which relate to the glory
of Grod, we ask of our heavenly Father that which is need-
ful for us each day both for the life of soul and body.

God is the source of all good. It is He who provides
for all our necessities in the orde-r of nature and of grace.
We are all before him destitute and poor, having nothing552

A CHRISTIANS DUTY.

but what we receive from His beneficent hands. u The
eyes of all creatures/' says the Prophet, u wait upon Thee,
and Thou givest them food in due season. Thou openest
Thy hands, and they are filled with Thy good things."
Even the rich themselves are obliged to ask each day for
their bread, as a recognition that all they possess is from
the hands of God, that they hold it by His liberality, and
might lose it in a thousand ways if He did not preserve it
for them.

Let us note well that we do not ask of God superfluous
riches, or wherewith to satisfy our sensuality and pride,
but simply our bread—that is, what is absolutely necessary
for our subsistence according to our condition in life.
And we are only to ask it for the passing day ; for our
Lord forbids us to be anxious about the morrow, which we
are not sure may ever come for us. Pie would have us re-
pose on His Providence and have recourse to Him each
day, well assured that we shall find in Him a kind Father
most disposed to grant all that is necessary for His chil-
dren.

u Be not solicitous/' He says, u what ye shall eat or what
ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. Tour
Father who is in Heaven knoweth that ye have need of all
these things. Be not therefore solicitous for to-morrow,
for to-morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for
the day is the evil thereof."

This confidence in Providence nevertheless ought not
to beget idleness and presumption. God will not encour-
age idleness. But He orders us to do all that depends on
ourselves, and, when we have done so, to confide in Him,
and count upon the inexhaustible treasures of His good-
ness* The manna was given to the Israelites in theTHE LORD'fcT PRAYER.	553

desert day by day for forty years, and all that time it
never once failed. So much for the needs of the body.(l)
We have also a soul which needs spiritual food. It is
this bread of the soul which we principally ask in this
petition. The food of our soul is the word of God: it is
His grace, and the divine Eucharist.

The word of God nourishes our souls. It preserves the
good and enables them to progress in righteousness.
It cures the sinner, and restores in him the life of grace
which he has lost. It is the ordinary method which God
employs to cause to enter and grow in our souls the knowl-
edge and love of the truths of salvation. We ought never
to neglect to hear the word of God. We should listen to
it respectfully, with attention, and a desire to profit by it.

Grace is as necessary for the life of the soul, as material
bread is for the life of the body. It is grace which sustains
the soul, fortifying it, and enabling it to act. We have
continual need of it. God wills that we ask it of Him ur-
gently every day.

Finally, Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Holy
Eucharist is the food of our soul. u Amen, amen, I say

(1) Those things which are necessary to human existence, or, at
least, to its comforts, are almost innumerable ; and this knowledge of
our wants and weaknesses will stimulate us to have recourse to our hea-
venly Father, humbly to solicit every blessing of soul and body, of
Heaven and of earth. We will also have recourse to prayer with
greater confidence if we reflect on the goodness of God, whose ears
are always open to the cries of His children. Whilst He exhorts us
to ask for bread, He promises to bestow it abundantly on us, if we ask
it as we ought: by exhorting, He enjoins it as a duty : by enjoining it
as a duty. He pledges Himself to give it; and by pledging Himself to
give it, He inspires us with the donfident expectation of obtaining it.
—Catechism of the Council of Trent.554

a christian's duty.

unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink His blood, ye shall not have life in you. I am the
living Bread which came down from Heaven. He that
eateth of this Bread shall live forever.77

The Christians of the first ages received this celestial
bread every day. It is much to be wished that we might
imitate them, for our souls fall sick through weakness, and
die when they neglect to nourish themselves. But, since
we must have a pure heart to receive the Holy Eucharist,
when we ask God each day to give us this Bread of life,
we ask of Him purity of heart, which places us in a con-
dition to receive it profitably.

u Lord,77 said King Solomon, u give me neither riches
nor poverty. Do not condemn me to absolute indigence,
lest my natural weakness lead me to despair ; nor give me
abundance of riches, lest, being lifted up by pride, I should
stupidly imagine myself able to do without Thee. Give
me only what is necessary to live on, and teach me that it
is from Thy generous hand that I hold all that I possess;
to the end that I may glorify Thee without ceasing, who
art my Lord and God.77

Exercises.—What do we ask in this petition? Does this petition
apply to the soul as well as to the body ? What is the special food of
the soul ?THE LORD'S PRAYER.

555

CHAPTER VI.

" FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THEM
THAT TRESPASS AGAINST US."

" Think gently of the erring one,

And let us not forget,

However darkly stained by sin,

He is our brother yet.

Heir of the same inheritance,

Child of the self-same God,

He hath but stumbled in the path
Which we in weakness trod.

" Speak gently to the erring one,

For is it not enough
That innocence and peace have gone,

Without thy censure rough?

It sure must be a weary lot

That sin-crushed heart to bear,

And they who Share a happier fate,

Their chidmgs well may spare.

" Speak kindly to the erring.one;

Thou yet mayst lead hi m back,

With holy words and tones of love,

From misery's thorny track ;

Forget not thou hast often sinned,

And sinful yet may be ;

Deal gently with the erring one,

As God has dealt with thee."

A God so good, a Father so tender, ought to find in His
children only perfect docility to His holy law, and a con-
stant and inviolable fidelity. Such ought to be the con-
duct of men in regard to God, but, instead, they offend
Him every day, the greater part abandon Him, violate
His commandments in the most essential points, and out-
rage Him by the greatest crimes. Even the just frequent-555

a christian's duty.

ly fall into faults that grieve the Holy Spirit. It is true
they do not commit those crimes which kill the soul and
separate it from God, but every day they do things which
displease Him. "If we say that we have no sin," says
St. John, u we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us." Hence our divine Saviour, who knew the weakness of
our nature, has made it a duty to ask every day for the
pardon of our offences.

He has included this petition in the prayer which He
has taught us only because He wills to forgive us; He
would not have prescribed it if He had had no intention
to grant it. But we must not forget that without con-
trition no sin, whether mortal or venial, can be remitted.
God forgives those only who are sorry for having offended
Him, and are resolved to fall no more. Nor must we ex-
cuse ourselves from praying under pretext that we deem
ourselves far removed from this disposition ; we ought, on
the contrary, to pray to God to obtain it. In saying, u For-
give us our trespasses," (1) we ask of God the grace of
sincere penitence, in order to obtain by this means the
pardon of our sin. When we are in this frame of mind,
we are sure to be favorably heard, and to attain to a per-
fect reconciliation with God..

(1) " TrespassesThis ancient word is somewhat older even than the
word sin. It is always used convertibly with it, and finds an exact equiv-
alent in transgression. It seems to have originated in the times when
property was not divided by hedges, walls, or other tokens of owner-
ship, and only the rudest kind of landmarks obtained. The removal
of these was denounced by God in the severest terms, because such
encroachment generally originated in covetousness and a desire to
overreach. Such intrusion was called a trespass. It grew to mean
encroachment upon and invasion of any person's rights. Sin is an invasion
of the rights of God, and therefore the worst form of trespass. In
law it still retains its original meaning. The law of trespass deals with
offences against real estate, and strictly means an invasion of the
owner's rights. The petition in question is variously translated, " For-
give us our debts," and " Forgive us our sins." (So in Shakespeare,
Othello, Act II.) This comes nearer the Latin debita.THE LORD'S PRAYER.

55 7

But would it be just to desire that God should forgive
Us our offences, while we refuse to pardon our neighbor
the offences which he has committed against us t Would
it be reasonable to expect that God should be indulgent
toward us, and forgive the wrongs we have done to Him,
if we wish to resent those we have received ?

We say to God every day, u Forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive them that trespass against us." The pardon
which we grant to others is thus the measure of that
which we ask of God for ourselves. If we forgive our
neighbor, God will forgive us. If we refuse to forgive
him, God will refuse to forgive us.

To make this request, and yet cherish resentment in
our hearts against those who have offended us, is there-
fore saying to God, "Forgive me not, because I will not
forgive others who have given me pain • avenge Thyself
upon me, for I intend to avenge myself upon them." It
is to pronounce the sentence of our own condemnation,
asking God to treat us as we treat others.

St. John the Almoner, hearing that a certain lord re-
fused to forgive his enemy, invited him to assist at th©
Holy Mass which he was about to celebrate. As it was
customary for all persons present to repeat the Lord's
Prayer aloud, the saint made a sign to the acolyte to stop
at the words uForgive us our trespasses as we forgive them
that trespass against its" so that the nobleman repeated
them all alone. Then the saint turned toward him, and
said with firmness, u What have you just done ? You have
pronounced your sentence ! You have toll God not558

a christian's duty.

to forgive you, because you will not forgive.77 Struck
with these words, the lord prostrated himself* before the
altar, and promised all that the saint demanded. A
perfect reconciliation ensued.

Henry IV. was one day reproached for treating the
Liguers, his irreconcilable enemies, with so much lenity.
He replied, u God forgives me, and I ought to forgive
too. He forgets my faults, and I ought to forget those of
my people. Let those who have sinned repent, and let no
one say anything more to me about it.77

Exercises.—What do yon mean by the words, "Forgive us our
trespasses " ? Why is this mercy made dependent upon our forgiving
others ?THE LORD'S PRAYER.

559

CHAPTER VII.

" LEAD CS NOT INTO TEMPTATION."

*e Let thy gold be cast in the furnace,

Thy red gold precious and bright;

Do not fear the hungry fire,

With its caverns of burning light;

And thy gold shall return more precious,

Free from every spot and stain;

For gold must be tried by fire,

As a heart must be tried by pain.

** In the cruel fire of sorrow

Cast thy heart: do not faint or wail;

Let thy hand be firm and steady,

Do not let thy spirit quail;

But wait till the trial is over,

And take thy heart again ;

For as gold is tried by fire,

So a heart must be tried by pair.!

" I shall know, by the gleam and glitter
Of the golden chain you wear,

By your heart's calm strength in loving,

Of the fire they have had to bear.

Beat on, true heart, forever,

Shine bright, strong, golden chain;

And bless the cleansing fires.

And the furnace of living pain."—Procter.

It is not enough that God of His mercy has pardoned
the sins which we have already committed : we need
His grace to preserve us from committing them anew.

We are every moment exposed to this by reason of the
temptations which assail us. This is why we implore
the protection of God in saying, u Lead us not into tempr
tation we ask that, having respect4o our weakness, He560

a christian's duty.

will turn aside temptation from us, or give us the grace
to overcome it.

The world, the flesh, and the devil conspire together to
effect our ruin. The world tempts us by its bad examples,
by its discourses, by its maxims. The demon tempts us,
in making upon our senses and imagination impressions
which tend to suggest evil thoughts and desires. There
is no kind of device which he does not employ to make us
fall. He surrounds us, ever seeking to devour us. In short,
concupiscence, that is, the vicious inclination with which
we were born, and which gives us a bias to evil, tempts us.
It is within us like a domestic foe, and furnishes weapons to
the world and the devil wherewith they may attack us
more successfully. %To be tempted is not a sin ; it is even
at times an advantage, by reason of the merit we gain in
resisting it. But to consent to temptation is a sin. If,
from fear of offending God, we repress the very first emo-
tions which are stirred within us, and firmly refuse to con-
sent to evil, there is no sin. This resistance is even a vir-
tuous act, which God will one day reward. But if, after
perceiving it, we dwell upon it with gratification, then it
becomes culpable. Although in itself temptation is not a
sin, yet it is always dangerous.

Yet we do not ask of God to be exempted from all
temptations, for they are inseparable from life, which is a
warfare and a ceaseless conflict. (1) The greatest saints
have been tempted. Our Lord Himself consented to be
tempted, in order to teach us the way to overcome temp-

(1)	" From darkness and from dreariness

We ask not full repose :

Only be Thou at hand to bless

Our trial hour of woes,"—Newman.THE LORD'S prayer.	561

tation, and to merit the grace for us to clo so. What we
ask is, not to be abandoned in temptation. (1)

We are so weak that the least temptation is capable of
overturning us. Our only resource is in God's grace.
We fly therefore to Him, humbly avowing our own im-
potence, and asking Him to spare us these severe temp-
tations to which we yield, and that He will deign to give
us strength to come forth victorious from all others with
which lie is pleased to try us.

With the protection and help of God, we have nothing to
fear. He is powerful enough to enable us to surmount all
our temptations, and even to derive profit from them. He
will do this if we only watch over ourselves, and never
rashly expose ourselves to danger, and implore the help of
His grace in the temptations which we encounter unavoid-
ably. Then we shall not combat single-handed. God
Himself will fight with us, and victory is certain. u God
is faithful," says St. Paul, " who will not suffer you to be
tempted above what you are able, but will even make
with temptation issue, that ye may be able to bear it."
God's word cannot fail. He is pledged to help those
who trust in Him and invoke His aid. They may be at-
tacked, but nothing can harm them as long as God is
their refuge. He will make them to come forth from the

(1) This petition is translated fromtheLatin, "Et ne nosindueas in
tentationem;" in French, "Ne nous abandonnez pas h la tentation."
In English it has been rendered, "Lead us not into temptation;" " Give
us not over to temptation;" "Suffer us not to be led into temptation;'1'
"Bring us not unto trial." In all of which we discern shades of the
original meaning. St. Paul repudiates the idea that God tempteth any
man; and St. John thus describes the rationale of temptation : "Lust,
when conceived, bringeth forth sin," that is, the first beginning is in
the imagination, a false picture of some unreal pleasure photographed
on the brain. This is the crucial point. If we put our foot down firm-
ly then, the temptation cannot progress to its next stage.562

a christian's duty.

battle with advantage. Temptation will serve to perfect
them, to strengthen their virtues, and enable them to per-
severe unto the end.

u Lord, the wound in Thy side is very large/' said St.
Philip Neri, u but if Thou dost not prevent me, I shall
make it still larger by my unfaithfulness. Never leave
me an instant to myself, dearest Lord ; otherwise I shall
perish."

" Where wert Thou, Lord ? " exclaimed St. Catharine,
after sustaining an attack of violent temptation,—11 where
wert Thou, Lord 1 " She seemed to hear a voice reply :—
" In the depths of thy heart, to sustain thee. It was I that
inspired thee with that great horror of the evil which the
demon suggested."

The more a tree is shaken by the winds, the more pow-
er it has to resist them : its roots spread themselves, and it is
stable. So it is with virtue, fortified by temptations firm-
ly resisted.

To experience no temptation whatever is the portion
of the blessed ; to endure temptations and overcome
them is the lot of the Christian ; to be tempted and
yield is the lot of the demon.—St. Anselm.

Exebcises.—What do *we ask in this petition ? To we ask to be ex-
empted from temptation ? May we reasonably hope to be delivered
from temptation ?THE LORD'S PRAYER.

563

CHAPTER VJII.

" BUT DELIVER DS FROM EVIL."

*' Lord of our life, and God of our salvation,

Star of our niglit and hope of every nation,

Hear and receive Thy Church's supplication,

Lord God Almighty.

See round Thine Ark the hungry billows curling,

See how Thy foes their banners are unfurling ;

Lord, while their darts envenomed they are hurling,

Thou canst preserve us.

" Lord, Thou canst help when earthly armor faileth,

Lord, Thou canst save when deadly sin assaileth,

Lord, o'er Thy Church nor death nor hell prevaileth;

Grant us Thy peace, Lord.

u Grant us Thy help till foes are backward driven,

Grant then Thy truth, that they may be forgiven,

Grant peace on earth, and, after we have striven,

Peace in Thy Heaven."

We terminate this prayer by asking that God will de-
liver us from evil, that is, the miseries of this life, the en-
emies of our salvation, and from eternal damnation.

To how many ills are we subject in this life ! With
how much bitterness is it replete ! Maladies and pains
besiege the body, trouble, anxiety and sorrow assail the
soul. Truly does the Church call the earth upon which
we dwell "a vale of tears."

We do not ask to be wholly freed from all these mis-
eries. This privilege does not belong to our present
state. What we ask is, to be delivered from those which
may become the occasions of sin, or be hurtful to our
salvation.

There is really no evil but such as hinders our justifi-564

a christian's duty.

cation. If infirmities, poverty, and calamities are called
evils, it is only because they cast trouble into the soul,
and expose it to impatience, murmuring, and despair,
because we have not enough virtue to support them with-
out sinning. But the evils which are patiently endured,
far from being prejudicial, serve to purify us, and contrib-
ute to our justification. They are much more benefits
than evils, however painful they may be. They are, in
the order of Providence, the chastisement of sin, and a
means of attaining to eternal happiness. a We must
through great tribulations enter into the kingdom of God/'
says the Apostle. Nevertheless, it is permissible to wish
and to ask to be delivered from these evils, provided we
make this prayer with an entire submission to the will of
God, and are disposed to endure them without murmur, if
God considers them necessary or useful to our salvation.
By praying thus, and persevering in* our prayer, we
find the true remedy for our evils. God will hear
us, either by delivering us from them, or giving us the
strength to support them, which is, after all, most to our
benefit.

We ask to be delivered from the enemies of our salva*
tion, and especially from the devil, who is the cruelest of
all. This spirit of darkness, not satisfied with having
seduced our first parents, and having drawn down upon
their posterity a deluge of evils, ceases not to make war
upon us. But God stays his fury, and prescribes bounds
beyond which he cannot pass.

Finally, we ask God to deliver us from eternal damna-
tion, which is the culmination of all evils, the supreme
evil, an evil irreparable and everlasting. In this abyss of
evils, in this fatal eternity, no more evils will existTHE LORD'S PRAYER.

565

to be delivered from, for we must forever endure the load
of the divine vengeance and wrath.

In that abyss there is no more redemption to be hoped for,
no more happiness to expect/no more salvation to ask
for, but a combination of all the evils to be endured, and
that for all eternity ! With what ardor, with what
perseverance, we ought to ask to be delivered from this
frightful evil! Ought we ever to weary of repeating
this prayer, so long as God, in His mercy, is pleased to
hear and grant our petition ?

The great St. Basil, Archbishop of Ooesarea, rather than
sin by yielding to the demands of the Arian Emperor
Valens, who persecuted the Catholics, steadfastly resisted
his will. The Emperor ordered the Prefect Modestus to
threaten the saint with the confiscation of his goods, exile,
tortures and death> if he refused to obey. Basil replied to
the Prefect, "I am not liable to confiscation, since I
have only a few books, and these rags which I wear.
Where will you exile me ? Heaven is my country. Any
tortures to which you can subject me will not last long, I
am so weak ; and I look upon it as happiness to f ufFer for
Christ. If you think to intimidate me by the threat of
death, know that in my eyes death is a boon. I can
lose all, suffer all, and die, rather than sin." The Prefect
returned to the Emperor to give an account of his mission.
u Prince," said he, " we are conquered ; Basil fears only
one thing, and that "is sin."

Exercises.--What do we mean by this last petition ? What are the
evils which we ask to be delivered from ? Has this petition any ref-
erence to another life ? What is the greatest and only evil ?566

a christian's duty.

SECTION III-

the angelical salutation.

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

" Througli the wide world thy children raise
Their prayers, and still we see
Calm are the nights and bright the days
Of those that trust in thee.

" Mary, the dearest name of all,

The holiest and the best;

The first low word that Jesus lisped,

Laid on His mother's breast.

" Mary, the name that Gabriel spoke ;

The name that conquers hell;

Mary, the name that through high Heaven
The angels love so well.

"Mary,—our comfort and our hope,—

O may that word be given
To be the last we sigh on earth,:—

The first we breathe in Heaven !"— Procter.

After God, the worthiest object of our worship and
homage is the Most Holy Virgin, Mother of God. She
was chosen before all ages to be the living temple of the
Eternal wisdom, and the glorious instrument of human
salvation. Favored from the Conception (which was im-
maculate) with the most excellent and divine gifts, she
was a perfect pattern of all virtues, and the holiest of crea^
tures. By a special privilege she was exempted from all
sin. By her august quality as Mother of God, she is el-
evated above all saints and angels, whose Queen she is.
Hence the devotion which the Church pays to her is spe-
cial, and not appropriate to any other saint.HAIL ! FULL OF GRACE."THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.

567

Full of goodness, she feels for us a mother's tenderness.
We have really become her children ever since Jesus, dy-
ing upon the Cross, gave her to be a mother to St. John,
and to all Christians in his person. She is our Mother.
What name can be more tender, more touching, more
calculated to inspire feelings of entire confidence for her,
and induce us to hope from her all the help we require !
She is aware of our miseries. Her heart melts over our
necessities when we unfold them to her in confidence.
"No person," says St. Bernard, 66 has ever invoked her
without experiencing her protection.'7

She takes a singular interest in the salvation of young
persons, of whose weakness she is aware. She knows to
how many dangers they are exposed. She sees the con-
flicts they have with the demon, the snares he spreads for
them, his efforts to rob them of their innocence, and she pro-
tects them in a special manner when they have recourse to
her. There are a thousand instances of persons whom ghe
has preserved from the shoals of youth.. To cite only one :
It was through the assistance of this Queen of Virgins that
St. Francis de Sales was delivered in his youth from a
dangerous temptation which had tormented him for a long
while.

We may conceive how powerful her intercession is
with God, if we reflect that she has all the interest of a
cherished mother. Her power is unlimited, because the
love of Jesus Christ for His Mother is infinite. Her Son,
who is all-powerful, refuses nothing to the tenderest of
mothers. He shares, so to speak, His authority with her.
There is no mediation or recommendation equal to that of
His august Mother. He has established her as the arbiter
of His treasures, and the dispenser of the graces which568

a christian's duty.

He sheds upon men. He would have us apply to her to
obtain everything from Him.

We should therefore apply to the Most Holy Virgin
with the confidence of a child who throws himself into
his mother's arms. Let us have a tender devotion for her,
and we shall find that none ever invoke her help in vain.
Let us call upon her in dangers and temptations ; if some
cloud arises ill our minds, or some passion disturbs our
heart; in our perplexities and troubles, let us think of her.
Let her name be upon our lips, and still more in our
.hearts. She will comfort us, dissipate our doubts, cairn
our agitation, and support our feebleness. If we are right-
eous, she will confirm us in virtue, and make us to per-
severe and increase in righteousness. If we have had the
misfortune to fall into some sin, let us promptly repair to
tiris Mother of mercies. She is the refuge of sinners, and
will reconcile* us with her Son. Let us beg of her to obtain
for us the grace of sincere conversion. She will ask and
gain for us those powerful aids which will enable us to
come forth from the slavery of the devil, and enter into the
sweet liberty of the children of God.

In whatever condition we may be, let us reflect upon
the virtues which have shone in her, especially her pro-
found humility and inviolable purity, and apply ourselves
to follow her example. By thus living we shall be of the
number of her true children, and she will become our
Mother. As long as we are under her safeguard we shall
not be lost.

The most excellent prayer that we can address to the
Most Holy Virgin is that which the Church so frequently
uses, and nearly always appends to the Lord's Prayer. This
prayer, so august in its simplicity, recalls to memory theTHE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.

569

mystery of the Incarnation. It contains in few words the
most perfect eulogy of the Blessed Virgin. It is calcula-
ted to excite our confidence by reminding us of what she
can do with God, and what we may expect from her good-
ness to us. This prayer is called the Angelical Saluta-
tion.

It commences with the words with which the Angel
Gabriel addressed the 'Blessed Virgin when announcing
the Mystery of the Incarnation : u Hail, 0 Virgin, full of
grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women"
These latter words were repeated a short time afterward
by St. Elizabeth, at the visit which she received from the
Mother of God; and she added this : u And blessed is the
fruit of thy womb" The Church has subjoined the fol-
lowing words :—" Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
sinners, now and at the hour of our death. AmenP In recit-
ing this prayer, we ought to have the intention, of thank-
ing God for the benefit of the Incarnation, to honor the
Most Holy Virgin, who had such a great share in this mys-
tery, and to testify our confidence in her powerful inter-
cession.

Hail, 0 Holy Virgin ! You have borne in your chaste
womb the very Author of grace, and have received from
His indwelling fulness a superabundance of graces which
has rendered you the most perfect of creatures. The
Lord is with thee by a most intimate presence. It was
from thee, out of thy very substance, that His body was
formed. Thou hast been loaded with divine benedictions,
and earth unites with Heaven in blessing thee. The fruit
of thy womb is the source of this benediction, which is
spread over the whole world, and communicated to every
nation. Holy Mary, Mother of God, thou beholdest our570

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

misery, thou art sensible of our wants ; pray, then, for us
now. We are sinners : obtain for us the grace of penitence,
and the pardon of our sins. Obtain for us the virtues of
which thou didst set so excellent an example, especially
humility and purity. Pray for us at the hour of our death.
We are thy children : redouble thy tender efforts on our
behalf during our terrible passage from time to eternity.
Sustain us in this final conflict^ Fortify us against the
terrors of death. Grant that we may expire with the
sacred names of Jesus and Mary upon our lips. Present
us thyself before the throne of thy Son, who will then be
our Judge, and obtain for us a favorable award !

In the year 1683, the Turks, proud of the successes
which they had just gained over the imperial forces, re-
solved to push their conquests beyond the Danube,
even beyond the Rhine. Already their countless battal-
ions were marching upon Vienna to besiege it. All fled
at their approach, ancl the Emperor, Leopold I., feel-
ing himself powerless to stop this impetuous torrent,,
had hurriedly quitted the capital. The court left by one
gate of the city as the barbarians entered it by another.
Their plans were speedily formed, their camp in position,
batteries raised, and the trenches opened with a fearful
rapidity upon the vigil of the Assumption. To crown
the disaster, a church caught fire, and the arsenal was
threatened, which would have destroyed all the ammu-
nition, and produced a terrible explosion, bringing with
it frightful evils. But Mary, who had been invoked
without ceasing, and with the greatest confidence, did not
abandon those who had cast themselves into her arms.
Upon the Feast of the Assumption the fire suddenly ceased,THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.

571

and courage and hope revived, in the hearts of the down-
cast.

Meanwhile the Turks pursued their enterprise with
incredible activity. Their formidable artillery rained
shell and ball upon the city day and night. On the 31st
August their works were so far advanced that the rival
soldiers fought each other in trenches with the stakes of
the palisades. Vienna, that bulwark of Christianity,
already nearly reduced to ashes, was about to fall under
the yoke of the impious Ottoman. But what may not be
obtained by a real confidence in the Mother of God !
Upon the Feast of the Nativity the soldiers and inhab-
itants redoubled their prayers, and that same day they re-
ceived an extraordinary intimation of prompt and certain-
aid. Soon afterward they beheld standards displayed
upon the adjacent hills. It was the great Sobieski with
his Poles; a small army, it is true, but the favor of
Heaven, won by the piety of the troops and their leader,
was to make them' a scourge to the barbarians, and the
saviors of Vienna and of Christendom. On the morn-
ing of the 12th, Sobieski attended Mass, serving it him-
self, kneeling, and with his arms stretched out in the
form of a cross. He communicated, solemnly placing
himself and his soldiers under the protection of the
Blessed Virgin, and with them received, in the name of
the Sovereign Pontiff, a solemn benediction. Full of ar-
dor and fresh confidence, he exclaimed, "Now let us
march under the all-powerful protection of the Mother of
God !"

In a short time the little army beheld the vast camp of the
infidels stretched out before them, with its numerous squad-
rons and thundering artillery. They were seized with an572

a christian's duty.

involuntary dread, and declared that God alone could
give them the victory. But the Poles had prayed with
faith by the intercession of Mary, and even now their pray-
ers are heard. The Khan of Tartary, affrighted at the vigor
of the first onslaught, receded, and fled with great haste.
He drew after him the Grand Vizier, who was compelled
to follow him, gnashing his teeth with rage. The rout
was soon complete, the plain was choked up with corpses,
and the Danube engulfed thousands of fugitives. All
the munitions and artillery, as well as the standard
of Mahomet himself, fell a prey to the conquerors.

Meanwhile, Sobieski made his entry into Vienna with
the Emperor, and, full of gratitude for the favor which he
• had received, intoned himself the. Te.Deum. From that
time forward, this religious monarch caused to be carried
with him a picture of Our Lady of Loretto which he had
found miraculously. It represented two angels sustaining
a crown above the Mother of God, and bearing a scroll,
on which was written, Through this picture, of Mary y John
shall conquer.

And we too shall conquer without doubt, despite the
fury of the enemies of our salvation. We shall always be
victorious if we have recourse to the Mother of God.—

Ecclesiastical History.

Exercises.—Who is the most worthy object of our devotion after
God ? What reasons have we for believing the intercession of the
Blessed Virgin to be powerful ? What is the most acceptable prayer
that we can address to her ?THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

573

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

" O purest of creatures ! sweet Mother ! sweet Maid !

The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid !

Dark night hath come down on us, Motfier ! and we
Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea !

" Deep night hath come down on this rough-spoken world,
And the banners of darkness are boldly unfurl'd,

And the tempest-tost Church—all her eyes are on thee :

They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea J

" The Church doth what God had first taught her to do:
He look'd o'er the world to find hearts that were true;
Through the ages He look'd, and He found none but thee,
And He loved thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea !

" He gazed on thy soul; it was spotless and fair,

For the empire of sin it had never been there;

None had e'er owned thee, dear Mother, but He,

And He bless'd thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea !

" Earth gave Him one lodging—'twas deep in thy breast.
And God found a home where the sinner finds rest *,

His home and His hiding-place both were in thee,

He was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea !

" Oh, blissful and calm was the wonderful rest

That thou gavest thy God in thy virginal breast;

For the Heaven He left He found Heaven in thee,

And He shone in thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea ! "—Fdber.

Mary is Immaculate ; in her there is no stain. From
eternal years did the Lord and Father of men look down
upon her as a daughter in whom He was well pleased.
She it was of whom it was spoken, when addressing our
first parents, a promise was made that she shall ci ush571

a christian's duty.

the serpent's head, while he shall " lie in wait for her
heel."(l)

" There is not a spot in thee/' ('?) says the inspired
writer ; and the Church, re-echoing the sentiment, lias de-
clared that "by a special grace and privilege of God, in
virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, her Son, the Re-
deemer of mankind, Mary was, from the first moment of
her conception, preserved free from the stain of original
sin." (3)

Angelic voices lead the hymn of praise, and declare
Mary " full of grace." (4) Since u the Lord is with"
her, she is truly

Fairest of mortals, vase of all blissful grace." (5)

Mary is the u Daughter of a mighty Father, Mother of
the Son and Saviour, Spouse of the Eternal Spirit." (6)
Her purity is a blossom which did ne'er d^cay, and she
"the sweetest gift to man e'er given," of whom all ages
declare, 66 Macula non est in te." (7)

Our Immaculate Queen is "Mary, of whom was born Je-
sus, the Son of the Most High ; " (8) for " the infinite good-
ness of God, wishing to withdraw the human race from the
deplorable state into which the fall of the first man had
plunged it, predestined Mary to be the mother of Jesus
Christ, Our Saviour, and preserved her from original sin
out of respect to this incomparable dignity."(9)

" Mary is blessed among women as proclaimed by the
Angel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth. She is, then, blessed
above Eve, who was created in justice and innocence,

(1) Gen. iii. 15.	(2) Cant. iy. 7.

(3)	Bull promulgating the Immaculate Conception.

(4)	St. Luke i, 28.	(5) Hymn, " Fairest of Mortals."

(6) Ibid., " Macula non est in'te."	(7) Ibid.

(8) St. Matt. i. 16 ; St. Luke i. 32. (9) "Part. Examen," p. 456.THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

575

and consequently must have been, from the first moment
of her conception, purer and holier than our first mother
when she came forth from the hands of her Creator."(l)

What angels spoke, and inspired relatives proclaimed,
u the Catholic Church. .. .has never ceased to declare, to
cherish,.. .as a doctrine divinely received and compre-
hended in the deposit of heavenly revelation."(2)

u As the waters of the Jordan ceased to flow in pres-
ence of the Ark of the New Covenant, so the waters of
original sin ceased to run in presence of Mary," (3) who
is the tabernacle which 66 the Most High hath sancti-
fied." (4) Hence, " when the days were accomplished in
which figures and prophecies were to be realized in the
person of the Messiah, the Almighty resolved that Sts.
Joachim and St. Anne should give her to the world who
was to be the Mother of the world's Redeemer. _. .From
the first moment of her existence, Mary was full of grace,
and more agreeable to God than all the saints ; nay, than
all the combined angels of Heaven. . . .With the Church,
we must declare that Mary is all fair, that she is free
from stain, even from the taint of common humanity. . ..
Hence, says St. Augustine, 6 when sin is mentioned, we
must always except the Most Blessed Virgin.' "(5)

Mary is truly " Queen and Virgin pure, with every grace
replete but what is again most consoling to us is, that she
is the kind protectress of the poor, 66 and pities our needy
state."(6)

(1)	Meditations on M. B. V. M., by Bro. Philippe, p. 27.

(2)	Bull, Im. Con.	(3) St. Francis De Sales.

(4) Ps. xlv. 5.	(5) Medit. V. D. La Salle, Im. Con.,

Yol. II., p. 730.

(6) Hymn; "Hail, Mary, Queen."576

a chkistian's duty.

Is it any wonder, then, that we speak the praises of her
whom "the King himself wishes to honor, and whom all
generations shall call blessed " ? Praise her as we may,
our songs shall fail to reach the good tidings long sincy
sung by angel voices; extol her power as we will, we
must fall short of paying homage such as she received
from the Eternal Son of the Father, "who went down to
Nazareth, and was subject77 to her. Howsoever we magni-
fy her holiness, our measure will be but an echo of that
which Mother Church sings when she declares that the
Sun of Justice did not dread to enter her immaculate womb.

But " the Immaculate Conception is a mystery of pu-
rity and holiness ;----to honor it properly, and prove our-

selves worthy of the protection of the ' Virgin Conceived
Without Sin/ we must fly from evil, and from its every
occasion. We must excite in our hearts the most absolute
horror of everything that can displease God, and cherish
the most ardent and constant desire to lead holy lives, to
advance from virtue to virtue, in imitation of Our Bless-
ed Mother, until we attain that degree of perfection to
which our Sovereign Lord has called us.??(l)

The day of Lepanto will be an eternal monument of
the power of the Mother of God, because it is to her
that the Church owes that famous victory of the Chris-
tians over the Turks in the year 1571. Selim, the son
of Soli man, having become master of the Isle of Cyprus,
burst with a powerful army upon the Venetians, prom-
ising himself no less than the empire of the world. The
holy Pope Pius V., Philip II.? King of Spain, and the

(1) Medit. cm M. B. V M., by Bro. Philippe.THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

577

Venetians combined their forces to repulse the common
enemy. Although the armies were very unequal, the
Christians, relying upon the protection of the .Blessed
Virgin, were by 110 means doubtful of the issue. All
Europe was in prayer. The faithful flocked in crowds
to Our Lady of Loretto, to implore the assistance of
Heaven through the intercession of the Mother of God.
Don John of Austria, the Commander-in-Chief, vowed
to go in person and visit that sanctuary. The Christians
obtained their request. The two fleets joined battle on
October 7, at six o'clock in the morning. The fight
raged until evening, the enemy being utterly defeated.
Forty thousand men, one hundred and sixteen pieces of
heavy ordnance, a hundred and fifty lesser cannon, one
hundred and eighty galleys, and seventy others that
were stranded, were the trophies of this splendid victory.
Don John of Austria, as soon as his affairs were com-
pleted, started in mid-winter to fulfil his vow, without
being deterred by the rigor of the season.

In commemoration of this famous day, Pius V. estab-
lished the solemn Feast of the Rosary, which Gregory
Xni. afterward transferred to the first Sunday in Oc-
tober.

Exeecises.—Repeat some of tlie sayings of Holy Church, the Sacred
Scriptures, and the saints, in Mary's honor. Is the Immaculate
Conception " a new doctrine " ? Show that it is not, from the words
quoted from the Bull declaring the Immaculate Conception an article
of faith. What arguments are here given to show that it is fitting that
Mary should be Immaculate in her Conception ?578

a christian's duty.

SECTION IV.

The Happiness of the Christian Life.

" Who but a Christian through all life
That blessing may prolong ;

Who through the world's sad day of strife
Still chant his morning song?

14 Fathers may hate lis or forsake:

God's foundlings then are we ;

Mother o.n child no pity take,

But we shall still have Thee.

" We may look home and seek in vain
A fond, fraternal heart,

But Christ hath given His promise plain
To do a brother's part.

" Nor shall dull age, as worldlings say,

The heavenward flame annoy :

The Saviour cannot pass away,

And with Him lives our joy.

"Ever the richest, tenderest glow
Sets round th' autumnal sun ;

But there sight fails ; no heart can know
The bliss when life is done."—Keble.

41 Thrice blest whose lives are faithful prayers,

Whose loves in higher love endure ;

What souls possess themselves so pure,

Or is there blessedness like theirs ? "—Tennyson{

It is only too common to form a false idea of the Chris-
tian life, and to look upon it as sad, irksome and dis-
agreeable. Nothing is more false, nothing more unjust,
than the prejudices thus spread abroad against virtue and
piety. It is very important, dear children, to secure youHAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

579

against this dangerous error, or to undeceive you, if you
have already fallen into it. It is important to convince
you that happiness is the lot of virtue. If you doubt it,
listen to the Holy Spirit, who assures us, in a thousand
places of Scripture, that justice,™the exact observance
of the laws of God,—is always accompanied with peace
of mind, with the delightful feelings produced by a good
conscience, and consequently that virtue, and virtue alone,
renders a man truly happy.(l)

Wherever fidelity in the observance of God's law is
spoken of, there peace is regarded as inseparable from
righteousness. And how energetically the Holy Spirit
expresses Himself on this point ! — " O my son, keep My
precepts faithfully. They shall be unto thee a source of
joy and peace. He that keepeth the law of the Lord,
his dwelling shall be in peace.v

Mark that He does not say merely, u He shall find peace,
—he shall enjoy peace-; " but, u His dwelling shall be in
peace : she shall abide with Him." He shall be, as it were,
surrounded with the advantages of peace. (2) And this
peace is abundant and deep, comparable to a river whose
salutary waters never cease to flow. Hence that pure
and lively joy, that intimate, enduring, and solid pleasure
which the just enjoy. u Happy, then, is the man who de-
lights in the law of the Lord. He shall be like a tree
planted by the water-side, bearing , excellent fruit, and
whose foliage shall not wither."

The promises of Jesus Christ in the Gospel are not less

(1)	O happy soul,. that all the way

" To Heaven hath a summer's day !"—Crashaw.

(2)	" His calm and blameless life
Does with substantial blessedness abound,

And the soft wings of peace cover him round."—Cowley,580

a chkistian's duty.

formal, nor less positive. He declares in terms clear and
precise that His ;yoke is easy and His burden light, and
that those who bear them find rest to their souls.(1) It is
therefore a truth based upon the Word of God, that a
Christian life is a happy life, and that there is no true and
solid happiness but in faithfully observing the law of God.

This truth is also based upon experience. I will cite
a witness who is above suspicion, a witness who made
trial of both sides—that of the sinner, and that of the vir-
tuous man : I mean St. Augustine. Before his conver-
sion he had led an altogether worldly life, a sensual life,
passing a great many years in forgetfulness of God and in
licentiousness. Recalled &t length to virtue, this is how
he explains the matter in his Confessions : u My God,
Thou hast broken my bonds. May my heart and tongue
forever praise Thee for leading me to take up Thy light
burden and carry Thy sweet yoke ! How sweet and
pleasant I found it to renounce the vain pleasures of the
world ! How much joy I have felt in giving up that
which I feared to lose ! For Thou, who art the only real
pleasure capable of satisfying a soul, in estranging me
from all these false pleasures, didst enter in and fill their
place, Thou who art the true and supreme sweetness. My
mind was given up to the aching cares begotten of ambi-
tion, the love of riches, and a desire to plunge into the
mire of criminal delights, when I commenced to taste the
pleasure of communing with Thee, 0 my God ; (2) who
art my light, my riches, and my salvation."

(1)	Art thou weary, art thou laden,

Art thou sore distressed ?

' Come to Me,' saith One, 'and, coming,

Be at rest.' "—St. Ephrem the Syrian.

(2)	" 0 taste and see that the Lord is sweet." (Psa. xxxiii. 9.) " If
so "be ye have tasted that the Lord is sweet." ( I. Peter ii. 3.)HAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

581

You hear, dear children,-—a life of sin and disorder is
a hard slavery in which one is torn by continual disquie-
tude.^) On the contrary, a virtuous life is calm and
full of consolations. It is true that we must resist and do
violence to our passions, but this resistance costs little to
a soul that has once tasted God,(2) The sacrifices we
have to make are amply repaid by the testimony of a
good conscience, and the hope of eternal happiness, which
fills the soul with joy. That which St Augustine expe-
rienced, all who have faithfully served God have expe-
rienced also. Do you not know many of these souls so
loyal in the fulfilment of duty ? Mark that pure and in-
nocent joy, that simple and modest gayety, that equable
temperament, which everywhere accompanies them.
The serenity of their soul is imprinted upon their brow.
The profound calm which they enjoy, and the peace of
their hearts, shines, so to speak, in their countenance.
Poubt not that this calm, this peace, is the fruit of vir-
tue. (3)

But why need we refer to the example of strangers ?
Know you not yourself the happiness which accompanies
virtue 1 Recall the period of your youth, when, moved
by God, you were purified from all your sins, or, admit-

(1)	"The way of transgressors is hard."—Proverbs.

(2)	" Celestial Sweetness unalloyed,

Who eat Thee hunger still ;

Who drink of Thee still feel a void
Which Thou alone canst fill."—St. Bernard,

(3)	There is observable in the most amiable of worldly characters a
certain incompleteness. It is like a picture in outline. We can im-
agine what it would be if filled in with glowing colors. Nearly all
the virtues are there, but they are in embryo, and about them all
there is an indecision, & disquietude, that shows the heart has not at-
tained its desire. When conversion takes place, it is like the unde-

. fined child developing into manhood, and proves the accuracy of
Pope's remark, " The Christian is the highest type of man582

A CHRISTIAN S DUTY.

ted for the first time to the Holy Table, you proved how
good the Lord is to those that love Him. Then your
heart, freed from the bonds of passion—your heart, pure
in God's sight—relished only Him, desired but Him,
sighed but for Him alone. With what joy was your heart
then suffused! What delicious peace then filled your
soul ! How sweet were the tears you shed upon the bosom
of so loving a Father ! You desired then to be always
in that "happy condition, and never to be otherwise. Ad-
mit it, then—pay this homage to religion—admit, then,
that never have you passed moments so sweet,—that
that day was the brightest day ofyourlife. Then you com-
prehended this verity, that none can be happy except in
serving God. (1) Then you were penetrated with the
sentiments which animated the prophet wlfen he said :
u Yea, my God, one day passed in Thy service is far
preferable to entire years passed in the company of sin-
ners." If you have preserved these pious feelings, this
precious relish for virtue, bless the Lord. You can
easily understand all that has been said about the hap-
piness of the Christian life-.

If, on the contrary, virtue, which heretofore possessed
so many charms for you, to-day seems out of place and
tiresome, accuse only your own faithless neglect of duty.
If you had walked constantly in the ways of God, you

(1) This truth has been lately enforced in a most striking way by
the autobiographies of two most eminent philosophers, both Deists.
If any one but themselves had written what they have about their
life, it would have been set down to bigotry and prejudice ; yet in
the whole range of autobiography we challenge any one to produce
two lives so dreary and miserable as those of Mill and Carlyle. Their
existence was like a waste blasted by lightning, upon which the
smallest blade of happiness feared to grow. And if this be the log-
ical result of infidelity, the skeptic who dreams that it is the high
road to happiness may well stand aghast.HAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

588

would have enjoyed an unalterable peace. There still
remains a resource open to you : make a generous re-
solve to observe exactly the law of the Lord, and to
overcome your first repugnance to it. Return to your
Father: a sigh will disarm Him;'a tear will appease
Him. Very soon you will feel in your soul those inte-
rior consolations and ineffable delights which made your
happiness in the days of your innocence.

"Can any be unhappy in serving Thee, 0 my God, who
art the source of all good ? No, Lord, no ! Thy yoke is
sweet, and Thy burden is light. Thou h^.st created us
for Thyself, and our heart is ill at ease until it rests in
Thee. (1) Vainly do I seek my happiness outside of Thee.
I shall but find false good, which will leave my heart void,
or breed ills which will fill it with trouble and anxiety-
Thou hast said, 0 my God, 1 There is no peace to the
wicked.' Agonizing remorse, continual alarm, devour-
ing cares—this is their portion. (2) He who carries iniq-
uity in his bosom, carries also trouble and affright. But
how different from this is the lot of a soul that fears Thee,

0	God! It is always calm, always contented, always hap-
py. Undoubtedly it has sacrifices to make, but the unc-
tion of Thy grace makes these sacrifices easy, and even
agreeable. It has pains to suffer, but how light they seem
compared with the consolations with which it is filled I

1	do not hesitate, Lord, to embrace the side of virtue,
persuaded that a good man's life is a thousandfold sweeter

(1)	St. Augustine, Confessions.

(2)	" Beware what earth calls happiness: beware
All joys but joys that never can expire:

Who builds on less than an immortal base,

Fond as he seems, condemns his joy to death."—Young.584

a christian's duty.

than that of the sinner. (J) I will faithfully observe Thy
holy law, and by this fidelity I shall secure to myself all
the happiness I can possibly enjoy upon earth, and that
perfect happiness reserved in Heaven for all who have
led Christian lives."

At a time when the purple fever was raging in Paris,
carrying off numbers of the poor before they could reach
the Hotel Dieu, (2) the community of priests of St. Marcel,
no longer equal to the task imposed on them of attending
to the dying, felt obliged to call in the aid of the religious
Orders. A venerable Capuchin offered his services. He
went to a low stable, where lay a victim of the contagion,
an old man, nigh to death, and lying upon a heap of dis-

(1)	In law, cases are decided by "the weight of evidence." Why
not decide this all-important question on the same grounds ? We
ask any candid person to weigh the evidence in favor of this proposi-
tion : Goodness and happiness are inseparable, and decide if it is not
overwhelmingly greater than that proposition which asserts that a man
may be happy without religion. So^ that if happiness be our aim, quite
independent of any idea of an liereafter, or even of responsibility, a
good life is proved to be the surest means of attaining it.

(2)	The Hotel-Dieu was founded by St. Landry, the eighth Bishop
of Paris, about the middle of the seventh century. The buildings
were successively increased by the chapter of Notre-Dame, to whom
the hospital belonged, by St. Louis, by the Chancellor Duprat, and by
Henry IV.; so that it may with truth be said that this receptacle of all
human ills expanded in proportion as those sufferings were multiplied,
and that charity increased in an equal ratio with affliction.

Charity—an exclusively Christian virtue, unknown to the ancients
—originated in Jesus Christ. It was this virtue that principally dis-
tinguished Him from the rest of mankind, and it was in Him the seal
of the regeneration of human nature.

The primitive believers, instructed in this great virtue, formed a
general fund for the relief of the poor, the sick and the traveller.
This was the commencement of hospitals. The Church, having be-
come more opulent, founded for the afflicted, institutions worthy of
herself. From that moment works of beneficence had no bounds. A
flood of charity may be said to have burst upon the wretched, hereto-
fore unheeded by the prosperous of the world. It will perhaps be
asked, How, then, did the ancients manage if they had no hospitals ?
They had two methods, which Christians have not, to rid themselves of
the poor and the unfortunate—infanticide and slavery. — Chateaubriand.HAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

585

gusting rags, lie was alone. A litter of straw served as
his bed, and there was no article of furniture in the place—
not a table or a chair ; all had been sold to procure some
few drops of broth in the earlier stages of his disease, Up-
on the black, bare walls hung a crucifix, an axe, and two
saws. These, with his arras, which he could no longer
move, constituted all his fortune. u Take heart, my
friend, " said the confessor ; u God is doing you a great
favor. You are going to quit the world, where you have
suffered so much misery.u What suffering ? " replied
the dying man in a faint voice. uYou are deceived: I
have never complained of my lot; the sight of my crucifix
comforted me in the midst of my toil. Religion made me
happy, and I lfved contented. The tools which you see
procured me bread, which I ate with delight; and I have
never been envious of the tables I have seen. I was poor ;
but with health, and the fear of God5 I have never lacked
necessaries. If I should regain my health—which I do
not believe—I shall go to church, and continue to bless the
hand of God, who up till now has taken care of me. Ah,
Father, how lovely religion is, what precious treasures it
contains! Peace, contentment, and happiness are the
lot of those who love it ! r(l)

The confessor, who was as much edified as surprised at
such language, could not repress his astonishment; and,
after thanking God for the favor He had shown him in
leading him to this wretched place, he said to the sick
man, 66 Although your present life has not been so iin-

(1)	"For me, my heart, that erst did go

Most like a tired child at a show,

That sees through tears the mummers leap,

Would now its wearied vision close,

Would childlike on His love repose
Who giveth His beloved sleep."—Mrs. Browning.586

a christian's duty.

happy, yet you must make up your mind to quit it, for we
must submit to the will of God." The sick one replied
in a firm voice and with a calm gaze, "No doubt every
one-must go in his turn. I have known how to live, and
I know how to die. I thank God, who has given me life,
and makes me to pass through death to reach Him. I
feel that the moment draws near. Grant me the succor of
the Church : it is all I need now.'7 (1)

This man died as he had lived, a predestinated person,
leaving his confessor and his neighbors admiring what
religion can do with a heart that is docile to the workings
of grace.	.

Exercises.—What is the result of keeping God's law? Have we
any assurance that the Christian life is a happy one ? If this life
se^ms distasteful, whose fault is it, and what is the remedy ?

[There is no subject so deserving of serious thought as the awful waste
that goes on in the world. Compared with the good actions resulting
from a right use of our faculties, which tend to benefit mankind,
how vast and incalculable is the evil resulting from a perversion and
misuse of those faculties ! Of all wastes, none is so terrible as [soul-
waste, because it is irreparable. In all worldly concerns the idea
uppermost is, " What shall it profit?" The quays, the exchange, the
banks, the stores, the streets of evei-y great city, are continually agi-
tated, and kept in activity by this one consideration. It is safe to
say that no man in a worldly matter does anything without first
thinking, "How much shall I get by doing £his?" And this is a
natural law, the pursuance of which in a legitimate way is not only
proper, but honorable. But when you ask a man to apply this to his

(1) Any day, in dur crowded cities, you may see a priest summon-

ed to a sick-call. He climbs some crazy staircase, or half-broken ladder,
and there, in a corner of some frowsy room, on a heap of rags or straw,

he finds a victim of poverty, perhaps oppression ; but now,_poor no

longer. The King of Kings has come into that chamber, and angels

chant their " Holy, Htfty, Holy," around the wretched, paltry table on

which their Lord is pleased to recline. There are words of confession

and of pardon, and the bread of life is given as the soul's stay on
its last journey. Angels fan that fevered face, cherubs look smilingly
into those glazing eyes ; the soul flies, and makes its appearance be-
fore the Eternal tribunal bearing stamped upon it the seal of salva-
tion. — Card. Wiseman, " Lectures on the Eucharist"RELIGIOUS PRACTICES.

587

eternal interests, he refuses. If ever the question of profit and loss
should be considered, surely it is in reference to this. What is there
to lose ? Health ; reputation ; peace of mind ; hope ; eternal happi-
ness ; God ; Christ. What is there to gain? Will any one dare to
put it down ? Will the libertine dare to think on the utmost grati-
fication his sins have afforded him, and not feel that "le jeu ne vent
pas la chandelle " ! What is there to gain, we ask ? And from the
depths of eternity the lost wail forth the reply, " Nothing ! Nothing ! "
Who in commercial matters would risk even a dollar with the cer-
tainty of losing it? Yet, if there is one thing positive in this world,
it is that fast men, libertines, whose sole creed is sensual pleasure,
have unanimously concurred that they would never have begun
their career, had they foreseen how wretchedly trivial and unsatisfac-
tory are the results. (1) An infidel writer has recently said, "All
things must be now tested by utility." Be it so. Then what is the
utility of a sensual and animal life? Is it useful to the man himsell?
No. He confesses it. Is it useful to society at large ? They enact
laws against it as a baneful nuisance. Is it useful to earth ? It makes
a man loathsome to his kind ; a miasma to be avoided ; a token of
what a man may become who despises all restraint. Is it useful to
Heaven? Close the page ! ! <( What shall it profit a man. if he gain
the whole world, and lose himsel^ ?"]

RELIGIOUS PRACTICES.

" Oh blessed trust, oh sense of endless rest,

Like the beloved John,

To lay our head upon the Saviour's breast,

And thus to journey on !"—Longfellow.

A true child of Mary will apply himself faithfully to
fulfil the duties of a Christian, and, in order to do" this, he
will observe what follows :—

I. He will often tiave recourse to prayer in need, and
never fail to say devoutly his morning, and evening pray-
er. He will count it a happiness to assist at the Holy
Mass, every day, if possible.

(1) '' A goodly apple rotten at the core."— Shakespeare.53S

A CHRISTIAN'S DUTY.

II.	He will repeat every cUy some prayer in honor of
Mary, such as the Memorare, or Salve Regina ; or a dec-
ade of the Rosary.

III.	Every day he will react something from the Scrip-
tures, or some pious book, such as the Imitation of Christ,
or theirs of the Saints, and take care never to peruse
a bad book. He will show his parents some marks of
respect every day.

IV.	He will choose only virtuous friends, and fly from
a libertine as from a serpent.

V.	He will use every effort to recover from a state of
mortal sin, if he has had the misfortune to fall into it.

VI.	He will piously assist at the Holy Mass, and other
offices of the Church, every Sunday and festival, and com-
municate at least once a month, according as his confessor
may advise.

VII.	In short, he will never forget that he is upon earth,
only to serve God, and that upon his faithful discharge
of this duty depends his eternal happiness or misery.

Praised and adored forever be the most holy Sacrament
of the Altar.

A Prayer to the Blessed Virgin.

Most holy Mother of God, humbly prostrate at thy feet,
I come to offer myself to thee, as the protectress of youth.
I come to present my reverence and love as to the Queen
of angels and of men. I revere thee as the Mother of the
Incarnate Word. I would therefore choose thee this day
for my Mother, in order to obtain by thy powerful inter-
cession all the help I need in the afflictions and trials
which may befall me. Preserve me, O Most Holy Virgin,EJACULATORY PRAYERS.

589

from all misfortune, especially from sin, that may hinder
me from one day enjoying the happiness of seeing thee,
loving thee, and contemplating thee in the abode of the
blessed, where I entreat thee to prepare a place for me.
Amen.

Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.

Ejaculatory Prayers.

(Suitable for elevating the heart to God during the day, and to be sug-
gested to the dying, to enable them to die happily.)

I.	My God, I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, and I
love Thee with all my heart.

II.	Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts. The
earth is full of Thy glory. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

(There are one hundred days' indulgence for repeating this once a
day.)

III.	Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart, my
mind, and my life !

(One hundred days' indulgence each time repeated.)

IV.	Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last
agony,

(One hundred days' indulgence each time repeated.)

V.	Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, grant that I may depart
in peace and in your holy company.

(One hundred days' indulgence each time repeated.).

VI.	Praised and blessed every moment be the most
holy and most divine Sacrament of the Altar !

(One hundred days' indulgence if repeated once a day.}

VII.	Eternal Father, I offer to Thee the most precious590

a christian's duty

Blood of my Saviour Jesus, in satisfaction for my sins, and
for all the needs of Thy Holy Church.

(One hundred days indulgence each .time repeated.)

My Jesus, have mercy !

(One hundred days' indulgence each time repeated,)

May the most just, most high, and most amiable will of
God be done, praised, and eternally exalted in every-
thing.

(One hundred days' indulgence if repeated once a day.)

Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary.

(One hundred days' indulgence each time repeated.)

Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation.

(Three hundred days' indulgence each time repeated.)

Most sweet Jesus, be not my judge, but my Saviour !

(Fifty days'indulgence each time repeated.)

My God, come to my help ; Lord, make speed to save
me!

Save us, Lord ! without Thee we perish.

My Jesus, how happy I should be if I had never offend-
ed Thee !

Lord, have pity upon me a sinner !

My God, have pity upon me according to Thy great
mercy.

0 God of my salvation, suffer me not for a moment of
pleasure to lose an eternity of happiness.

My God and Saviour, remember that I am Thy child
and Thou art my Father.

0 Lord, Thou hast created us for Thyself, and we can-
not be happy without Thee.

Grant, my God, that I may love Thee as far as I am
capable of loving.

Lord, teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God.EJACULATORY PRAYERS.

591

Suffer me, 0 God, rather to die loving Thee, than to live
offending Thee.

0 Jesus and Mary, you are my love, my treasure, and
my life >

0 Lord, Thou art the God of my heart and my portion
for all eternity.

O Jesus, my supreme good, grant that I may love Thee
above all things.

May Thy praises, G God, be ever on my lips, and Thy
love ever in my heart.

O Jesus, my Saviour, reign Thou alone in my heart.

Divine Heart of Jesus, may Thy celestial flame enlight-
en our minds and enkindle our hearts.

0 God of my soul, how right and sweet it is to love Thee !

God of mercy, in Thee have I put my trust J let me never
be confounded.

O Mary conceited without sin, pray for us who have re-
course to Thee.

0 JVIary, Queen of Angels and all saints, pray for us !

0 Mary, gate of Heaven, intercede for us.

My holy angel guardian, protect me from all the enemies
of my salvation.

All ye choirs of angels, pray for us !

My holy Patron, pray for me, intercede for me.

All ye holy men and women, saints of God, intercede
for us !

May the souls of all the-faithful departed, through the
mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.592

a christian s duty.

RULE OF LIFE.

Necessity of such a Rule.

It is not enough to do well: we must well do it, that is,
do it orderly. It is the way to discharge our obligations
with greater facility, more perfectly, more meritoriously,
and more constantly. There is nothing so important as
to consult God and an enlightened director as to regula-
ting your actions, the time of performing them, the
manner in which you ought to perform them, and the
Christian spirit that ought to animate you. As such reg-
ulations must necessarily vary according to the circum-
stances in which we find ourselves, we can only give here
some general outlines, useful to all persons, whatever their
situation. Christian youth will find special directions
either for passing their vacation, or preserving themselves
virtuously in the world.

Religious Duties.

"When morning gilds the skies,
My heart, awaking, cries,
' May Jeans Christ be praised !'
Alike at work or prayer,

To Jes'us I repair :

' May Jesus Christ be praised !'

" When sleep her balm denies,
My silent spirit sighs,
' May Jesus Christ be praised j'
When evil thoughts molest,

With this I shield my breast,
' May Jesus Christ be praised !'RELIGIOUS DUTIES.	593

4' Does sadness fill my mind,

A solace here I find :

4 May Jesus Christ be praised !'

Or fades my earthly bliss.

My comfort still is this :

'May Jesus Christ be praised !'

"Be this while life is mine
My canticle divine :

' May Jesus Christ be praised !'

Be this the eternal song
Through ages all along,

* May Jesus Cfhrist be praised !' "

I.	In the morning, on rising, give your heart to God,
and make the sign of the Cross with holy water ; say your
prayers directly you are up, and before leaving your
room, in order not to risk omitting them. Repeat them
at the foot of a crucifix, which ought always to be found
in the chamber of a good Christian. Never omit to ex-
amine your conscience beforehand, and make strong res-
olutions to pass the day holily. After prayer, devote at
least a quarter of an hour to meditation, or to a meditated
reading, either in the Imitation, or The Spiritual Combat,
or any other work designated by your confessor.

II.	If possible, assist at the Holy Mass every day. Al-
ways use a prayer-book. On Sundays, attend the par-
ish Mass, and do not neglect Vespers, but, if prevented,
supply their place by prayers and pious reading. Make
it a point of duty to hear the word of God every time
you are able.

III.	Say evening prayers in common, in order to make
them more efficacious and fervent, and to discharge the
obligation we are under toward our dependants. If
they cannot be said in the family, say them privately in
your chamber. Omit nothing, and say them carefully,594

a christian's duty.

despite drowsiness and fatigue. Especially make a care-
ful examination of conscience, and repent from the bot-
tom of your heart of all the sins committed during the
day. After prayer, read over some portion of the sub-
ject upon which you are going to meditate next morning.
Go to sleep with holy thoughts, repeating a prayer to
the Most Holy Virgin.

IV.	Keep up the pious practices of your infancy. Nev-
er omit grace before and after m$at, or be ashamed of it.
Remain loyal to the devotions which you have chosen,
especially devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Most
Holy Virgin, St. Joseph, your Angel Guardian, and the
souls in Purgatory, Make it a point to have always
about you a scapular and a rosary, and, when they are
worn out, replace them without delay. Repeat every
day at least one decade of the rosary, and repeat it en-
tirely, if you have time. If you are able, pay a visit to
the Blessed Sacrament.

V.	Support trial and suffering with resignation.
Practise some voluntary mortification, especially at meals,
abstaining from all that is not necessary to satisfy hun-
ger, and merely intended to gratify the palate, or flatter
sensuality. Mortify yourself in ordinary, commonplace
things, such as renouncing the doing of useless things.
Watch carefully over your eyes. Repress your curiosity
to learn certain news. Restrain a repartee or witticism,
which is contrary to charity, or which is flattering to
your self-esteem. Seek nothing that flatters sensuality.
Regulate your most innocent pleasures, and sometimes
abstain from the most allowable ones. Cut off in
your habits all that tends to vanity and indolence.
Cultivate straightforward manners toward persons forRELIGIOUS DITTIES.

5W

whom you feel antipathy. Thus to mortify one's self, it is
necessary to establish the empire of grace and destroy
that of nature.

VI.	Do not share the culpable negligence of worldlings
relative to religious instruction. Read and study regu-
larly some good religious book. Look upon this study
as very commendable, and very necessary for your salva-
tion. Especially attend sermons assiduously, and with a
sincere desire to profit by them, considering that the
word of God is the spiritual bread of our souls, and that
to hear it with distaste is to show ourselves spiritually
ill 5 to deprive ourselves habitually of it is to be dead;
while hearing it contemptuously is a token of reproba-
tion.

VII.	Join some pious association, such as the Congrega-
tion of the Holy Virgin, the Conference of St. Vincent de
Paul, etc. Always associate yourself with the work of
the Propagation of the Faith, and Peter's Pence. Cul-
tivate that zealous-mindedness inseparable from love to
God, and, to this end, lend efficient help to all works of
piety and charity, such as certain subscriptions in favor
of the Church, or the poor ; the circulation of good lit-
erature, etc. Take great care that your dependants
practise religion.

VIII. Go to confession frequently. Do so every week,
if you desire to advance in perfection. Do so at least once
a month, if you wish to work seriously at your salvation.
When you have the misfortune to fall into any grave
fault, confess it without delay, that you may not expose
yourself to the danger of being lost. On the day of con-
fession, read over the regulations you have set your-
self, and examine if they have been well kept. In case596

a christian's duty**

you discover any negligence, do not be discouraged, but
exert yourself to be more faithful in the future.

IX.	Communicate as often as you can, under the guid-
ance of an enlightened confessor. »Doso especially upon
the festivals of Our Lord and the Holy Virgin. Upon
the eve of communion, prepare yourself by practising
some good work, such as almsgiving, mortification, recit-
ing the rosary, etc. On the day of communion, withdraw
from all dissipating company, and maintain retirement and
self-collectedness.

X.	Every month take a day to prepare for death, and
do that day all you would do if you were dying. Every
year select a favorable time and place to make a retreat
of two or three days.

Duties of Family and Society.

" Wouldst thou lead a useful life,
Wouldst thou miss a world of strife,
Have thy bark serenely glide
Smoothly down life's earthly tide,
See the bright and sunny side ?

Then do right !

" Wouldst thou have of men good-v/ill,
Find a good in every ill,

Pass along in goodly cheer.

Never held in coward fear,

Have a mind and conscience clear ?
Then do .right !

" Wouldst thou save thy earthly form
From disease's blight and storm,
Prosper without selfish end,

Find in all a brother, friend,

Each a helping hand to lend ?

Then do right!DUTIES OF FAMILY AND SOCIETY.

597

"Wouldst thou truest friendship know,

Wouldst thou pure and holy grow,

Every tempter wisely scan.

Hold thy passions under ban,

Rise a truer, higher man ?

Then do right! "—Bryant.

I.	Be full of respect and submission to your father and
mother. Try ever to contribute to their joy and comfort.
Have great deference for their advice in everything
which is not contrary to the law of God.

II.	Never allow yourself to blame their conduct. If
it be reprehensible, leave judgment to God, praying the
while more fervently for their salvation.

III.	Take pleasure in family gatherings. Look upon
the society of your parents and brothers and sisters as
the most agreeable and profitable.

IV.	Live in cordial union with your brothers and sis-
ters. Edify them in every way, and, if you are older
than the rest, try to lead them to the practice of virtue,
and watch over their conduct.

V.	Observe on all occasions the rules of Christian
politeness. Be mild, affable and obliging toward all
with whom you have dealings.

VI.	Make only visits of charity or politeness. Avoid
dangerous calls. Be very reserved with strangers, and
only associate with friends of known piety. Shun young
men who are too free of speech, or even profess maxims
that are too worldly and too little conformable to the
Christian mind.	.	■ .

VII.	Know how to endure patiently the defects of others.
Be attentive to the sick, and full of charity toward the
poor ; stir yourself up to a generous practice of the precept
commanding almsgiving by remembering the magnificent598

a christian's duty.

rewards promised in Scripture. Add to the temporal
the spiritual alms of good advice.

VIII.	In your conversation be not critical nor detracting ;
make no rash judgments. Allow yourself to do nothing
that may *shock propriety, charity, or religion.

IX.	Be not gloomy, easily taking offence, and a foe to
innocent recreation. Be severe toward yourself, but gentle
toward others. Make it a rule to be most easy and
agreeable in your manners, and, in £Pword, make virtue
lovable.

X.	Be ever on your guard against human respect, and
never set any value upon what people may say. In
your conversation, never sacrifice your principles to a
false notion of politeness. In all your conduct be firm and
unshaken when it is a question of the duties of religion,
or the precepts of the Church, and in all other matters
show an extreme amiability.

Duties Relative to the Employment of Time.

'' Why sitt'st thou by that ruined hall,

Thou aged carle so stern and gray ?

Dost thou its former pride recall,

Or ponder how it passed away ?

" ' Know'st thou not me ?' the deep voice cried,
' So long enjoyed, so oft misused—

Alternate in thy fickle pride
Desired, neglected, and accused ?

" ' Before my breath, like blazing flax,

Man and his marvels pass away,
* And changing empires wane and wax
Are founded, flourish, and decay.

" ' Redeem mine hours ; the space is brief,

While in my glass the sand-grains shiver,
And measureless thy joy or grief
When Time and thou shalt part forever.''

—Sir Waiter Sooif.DUTIES 'RELATIVE TO EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. 599

I.	Rise at one regular hour in the morning, and ac-
quire the habit of going to bed early, so as to be able
to get up early.

II.	Be very exact in the distribution of your time, and
decide beforehand the occupation of each hour as far as
possible. Never allow yourself to follow taste or caprice
in what you do, but duty and reason.

III.	Guard well against indolence. Be always occupied
with something useful and serious. Whatever is irksome
in your labor accept in the -spirit of penance. Unite
your intention in labor with that of Jesus Christ, that you
may always perform it meritoriously and joyously.

IV.	Never read a periodical or newspaper which is ir-
religious or has equivocal tendencies j nor any bad book, or
one you know nothing about. Read only approved books,
or those recognized as good by competent persons. Avoid
frivolous reading as a loss of time. Never have a bad or
suspicious book in your library. Consult some well-in-
formed person on the formation of your library, and the
choice of your reading.

V.	Do not frequent too many pleasure-parties. Con-
duct yourself always with moderation and reserve, and be
always active, Use amusements as remedies which ought
not to become injurious, or dangerous, nor too frequent, j
nor too continuous. Never engage in any game of chance, j

VI.	Take your recreation with your family, or at
least with tried friends.

VII.	Avoid frequenting bars, and such-like places ot
resort, and appear as seldom as you can at evening parties
©ther than family gatherings.

VIII.	Make a rule of never going to a ball, or a theatre.
Recollect that nothing is so ruinous to a young man's vir-a christian's duty.

tue. These amusements are only calculated to deal death
to the soul ; how, then, can we consent to expose that soul
to a peril to which we would not expose our body for
anything the world could offer t

IX.	Show yourself always active and persevering in
your daily employ. Never put off till to-morrow what
you can do to-day. Whether employed in the service
of the family or of a stranger, do at opce^ a^ in the best
possible manner, what you are set to do. Have at heart the
interests of him by whom you are employed.

X.	In all your occupations, think in the first place of
God, in order to render to Him all the glory. Act only
under the guidance of His illumination, and rely always
upon the help of His holy grace. Watch over yourself,
observing the continual recurrence of self-esteem which
imperceptibly glides into the best of actions. At the
beginning of every action, raise your heart to God, re-
newing your intention every time the clock strikes, and
accustoming yourself to the use of ejaculatory prayer.APPENDIX.

Sin having entered into the world, error was not slow
in following. From their hellish abode went forth u three
great errors/ to which all the errors of both ancient and
modern times may be referred. These three monstrous
errors, which have unceasingly tended to predomi-
nate over the human race, are: Rationalism, Materialism,
and Pantheism, These three errors may be comprised
in one, which is their beginning and their end—namely,
Satanism."—Qaume

Behold the trinity of error. Behold all error as op-
posed to all truth. Behold the effort of the spirit of lies
to frustrate the effects of the Incarnation. " As is
easily seen, these errors tend to render radically im-
possible the belief in the dogma of the Incarnation.
Rationalism : If the highest wisdom be to believe in
Reason alone, the Incarnation is chimerical; Materialism :
If all things be matter, the Incarnation is absurd ; Pan-
theism : If all things be God, the Incarnation is useless."
— Gaume.

To expose these systems is to refute them. Yet there
is here a veritable Proteus. He will take all imaginable
shapes to escape. In ancient times he showed himself
principally under the forms of Polytheism, Skepticism
and Epicureanism. In modern times he may be detected

601602

APPENDIX.

under the guise of Gnosticism, Rationalism,, and Liberal-
ism. Do not, however, be deceived: only hold him
fast; eventually he will return to his original form ; then
let him go, saying: 66 Behold what he was all the time —
error."

It may be asked : What is the cause of these errors ?
How has the human mind, destined to sip the nectar of
divine truth, descended so low as to drink the impure
waters of error, and to call them sweet? How has it
come to admit systems which contain more of what is ab-
surd than truth does of what is incomprehensible ? The
first cause is pride; men u liked not to have God in their
knowledge," and, therefore, " they became vain in their
thoughts and their foolish heart was darkened." The
second cause is to be found in the fact that these systems
give the reins to all the passions; ufor reason closes her
eyes when she lends an ear to the appeals of feeling."

Yet men are to be found who advocate these systems;
men who, constituting themselves teachers, charge with
ignorance the rest of mankind. And what proof do they
advance? By their own admission, none whatever.
What right, then, have they to call on mankind to give
up its cherished beliefs for mere theories which they do
not, and which they own they cannot, prove ? A few
words, however, on each system separately.

RATIONALISM.

At all times there has been a disposition in man to
believe only what accords with his mind. It was, how-
ever, at the time of the religious revolution of the 16thAPPENDIX.

603

century that this disposition first took its present definite
form.

There is a praiseworthy Rationalism, or rather reason-
ableness, which consists in conforming to the principles
of Reason. Reason must preside over the practical deci-
sions of life, otherwise man ceases to be a rational being.
It must precede Faith, for it must recognize the latter
and admit its claims.

Rationalism, however, as now understood, denotes an
excessive reliance on Reason in the investigation of
religious truth. A Rationalist is a man who will not be-
lieve in a truth of religion, or in a truth connected with
religion, unless he understands it, unless he sees it by
reasons taken from his own intellect.

How criminal is Rationalism ! Proud Reason rises up
against Religion. Not content with ignoring her creden-
tials, it summons her before its tribunal, and commits the
glaring injustice of judging the superior by the inferior.

But also how absurd ! How can Reason be the meas-
ure of all things? It would be easier to put the ocean*
into a pint vessel, than for the finite mind of man to en-
compass all being. If the Rationalist were consistent,
he might win some respect; but no ; acting like other
men of common sense when it is a question of the ordina-
ry affairs of life, it is only as a convenient means of
getting rid of the importunities of religion that he shuts
himself up in his Rationalistic principles.

Men believe many things they do not understand.
The trees put forth their leaves. Facts like this are
readily admitted, because they cannot be denied ; yet
the reason for them is hidden in the bosom of Nature.

Men trust one another in the important affairs of life,604

APrENDIX,

most of which are not within the range of their investi-
gation. He would justly be convicted of having no
common sense, who, before taking the pill prescribed by
a physician, would want to analyze it.

Without this submission to the word of others, society
cannot exist. If, then, we cannot do otherwise in regard
to these least things, how can we do otherwise in re-
gard to greater, the reason of which is in the bosom of
the Infinite ?

What does Reason require in order to admit facts
that are not evident ? Surely, it can ask nothing
more than to see, clearly, such a connection between the
testimony and the truth of the fact, that it is impossible
for the fact not to be true. Who does not see that when
many witnesses testify to a fact, and when it is clearly
established that they were not deceived themselves, did
not wish to deceive others, and could not have deceived,
even if they wished—who does not see that such a fact
must be accepted under pain of denying the possibility
of any historic proof ?

The Rationalist is not satisfied with this ; he, then,
belies his name, and, properly speaking, is most irrational.

u I believe all that I see to be truesuch is the creed
of the Rationalist; and as the passions exercise a consid-
erable influence over his vision, his creed will soon be
reduced down to 661 believe all that I like." His moral
code is equally simple ; for he can do all he likes.

How fatal is Rationalism ! The mind is left without
any great principle to enlighten it, and eventually drifts
into the gulf of Agnosticism, the latest form of Ration-
alism.

What does the Agnostic believe ? Let him speak forAPPENDIX.

605

himself: u i There is no reality beyond the phenomerTa,
testified to by consciousness and the senses. What tile
study of matter does not reveal is a dream, a shadow.
There is no supernatural order. I have proved Christ
myth, the Gospels clever forgeries, and Christianity
huge imposition.'	'	v

u This is indeed a new dispensation. It is the
gospel of negation, and the Agnostic is its mis-
sionary. But in the name of whom or of what does
he come ? Assuredly, not in the name of common sense,
for the common sense of the whole world holds with ab-
solute certainty the very opposite. Not in the name of
revelation, for he denies the possibility of a revealed re-
ligion. Not in the name of human authority, for he
recognizes no authority beyond himself. Not in the name
of reason, for, in bringing himself to this conviction, he
ignores the primary laws of all reason." (1)

The Agnostic forgets that his denials do not affect the
reality of things, and that, though unknowable to him-
self, the supernatural may still be knowable to others.

What is left to such a mind to serve as a guide ?
What else than the caprices of the heart, those passions
which destroy the peace and honor of families, and take
away all security from society ?

MATERIALISM.

Everywhere to-day we see an undue importance given
to material interests and material civilization.

Materialism is the doctrine of those who hold that

(1) Culture of the Spiritual Sense; Azarias.606

APPENDIX.

nothing exists but matter, or that nothing is worthy of
any consideration but matter. He, then, is a materialist
who lives solely for the material comforts of life. He is
a materialist who places material things and considera-
tions on"a par with spiritual. He is a materialist who
s&es rrothing in man but matter, who considers that the
powet^ of thinking and willing are due to his superior
organization : that " the brain secretes thought as the
liver does bile."

How absurd is Materialism ! If nothing exists but
matter, how has the whole human race become firmly
persuaded of the existence of spirits ? Whence could
come the idea of anything above matter ? How are we
to explain the time-honored custom of paying respect to
the dead otherwise than by the fact that 66 we do not all
die v ?

All physicists teach that matter is inert, that it can-
not move itself. . There must, then, be something above
matter to set it in motion; Universal gravitation does
not suffice, for this force by itself would bring all matter
to a centre and keep it there.

Again, matter cannot think; for all the activities
which the atoms of matter show are attractions and re-
pulsions ; but the activity of thought is in no respect
like these activities.

And if the power of thinking be denied of each atom,
it is absurd to attribute it to a number of atoms, no mat-
ter how arranged or organized. Will the combination of
any number of zeros produce unity ?

How degrading is Materialism! According to his
creed, which consists in believing that he is a brute, the
only duty of the materialist is to secure for his inclina-APPENDIX.

607

tions and desires the greatest amount of gratification.
For him virtue and vice are empty words ; the voice of
conscience, an unreasonable prejudice ; the noblest acts
of benevolence, the grandest acts of sacrifice, dislappeaiy.
and the family and society are everywhere under the
sway of a despicable egotism.	^ ^

PANTHEISM.

Pantheism is not a new theory. It was the-first which
presented itself to the human mind unillumined by di-
vine light and destitute of the idea of creation.

Pantheism is the doctrine of those who say that God
is made up of all things. All is God—the stone, the
grass, all animals, man himself,- whether a Vincent de
Paul drying the tears of the afflicted, or a Robespierre
drinking the blood of his fellow-citizens. The Pantheist
considers himself as a part of God, one of the innumera-
ble manifestations of the great whole, soon, like the
bubble which rises for an instant on the surface of the
sea, to return to the common mass.

If Pantheism be true, how did man acquire the strange
idea that he is a different person from others ? How did
he allow himself to be deluded into thinking that he
shall have to render an account of his actions to a higher
Being ?

Pantheism is stupid in theory and execrable in practice.
What idea can we form of a being that is spirit and mat-
ter at the same time ? When men love and hate each
other, it is this god loving and hating itself. Life and608

APPENDIX.

death are but this god living and dying at the same time.
What is all this but a jumble of contradictions ?

Making man part of G-od, this system takes from man
all responsibility for his actions, and leaves him free to
dias he likes. Woe; then, to society when the principles
of Pantheism become prevalent! The subtle logic of
the passions will soon reveal what is contained in these
principles. The poor man will learn that he is wrong in
contenting himself with a piece of bread steeped in
sweat, when liberty has no other rule than length of arm
and strength of muscle.

Pantheism is a stupid conception which originated
the absurd cosmogonies of ancient Greece, Egypt, and
India, and which is reproduced to-day under the forms
of the Evolutionism of Spencer, the Protoplasmic system
of Huxley, and the Development theory of Darwin.

A glance at these dreams will suffice.

Herbert Spencer, an Englishman, born in 1820, is the
author of several works in which he teaches that there
is nothing but force, which, according to the degree of its
development, produces here a plant and there an animal.

Who ever saw force without some agent exerting it ?
How can force direct itself ? Does not steam-force; to be
utilized, require an engine ; and the engine itself an in-
telligent agent ?

u To assert that all material and spiritual substances
are but force or a collection of correlated forces, is to as-
sert a mere hypothesis for which no real proof is adduced
or can be adduced. Force supposes an agent or substan-
tial principle from which it proceeds ; and it is as intelli-
gible to say that everything is motion or time, as to sayAPPENDIX.

609

that everything is force ; for we can as well conceive
motion apart from something moving, as we can conceive
force without some agent exerting it."—Hill.

Thomas Huxley, born in England in 1825, advanced
the view that life originates spontaneously from -matter.
He noticed a certain substance in vegetable cells ^ this he
called protoplasm, and declared it was the physical basis of
life.

Strange that we should seek the living among the dead !

Nothing is easier than to make assertions, but the in-
stance has yet to be found in which any species of organ-
ism has been developed from purely inorganic matter.

Huxley's experiments are made on dead matter; now,
whatever he may discover regarding dead matter, he
has yet to bridge the chasm which separates dead mat-
ter from living matter.

Charles Darwin, born in England in 1809, in his
Origin of Species endeavors to show that each ani-
mal species is only a modification of a lower species,—
that man himself is but a highly developed monkey.

While the facts accumulated by Mr. Darwin show very
conclusively that each species is capable of certain modi-
fications which adapt it to the circumstances under which
it lives, not an instance has yet been brought forward in
which one species was developed from a totally different
species.

It is repugnant to reason to affirm that one species can
produce another of a superior nature. How can it give
powers it does not possess ?

Moreover, facts are opposed to Darwin's theory610

APPENDIX.

1st. Geology shows that many higher species of plants
aiid animals flourished in the world before some of the
lower species made their appearance.

2d. The well-known sterility of hybrids shows the im-
mutability, of species.

3d. Animals have never been known to improve- The
habits o£ each species, its manner of living, have always
been the same in the same circumstances. What animals
learn from man they cannot teach their offspring.

If Mr. Darwin persists in believing that he is descended
from the monkey, being a personal affair, he is free to
keep his opinion; but he ought not to call on others to
adopt his tenets.

Even in the absence of all proof, the doctrine of man's
spiritual origin, exercising as it does an elevating and
ennobling influence on the individual and society, has a
claim to the adhesion of every reasonable mind,CONTENTS.

I*AGE.

Approbation............................................. < iii—

Preface.................................................... v

Introduction................................................ vil

BOOK FIRST.—OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND
LOVE OF GOD.

PART FIRST. .

OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD,

CHAP. I. The Apostles' Creed.............................. 7

II. Of God and Creation.

" I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator
of Heaven and Earth/'

The Necessity of Eevelation...............................11

" III. I Believe in God .".... ........................

Of the Existence of God............. ..................18

" IV. " I Believe in God/' etc...........................

Of the Unity of God.............................. 23

" V. " I Believe in God," etc...........................

The Perfections of God............................ 27

" VI. " I Believe in God," etc..........................

Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity..............- -. 36

4 4 VII. " I Believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator
of Heaven and Earth. "

. ' , Of the Creation................................... ^

SECTION II.

Op Angels and of Men.

CHAP. I. Of the Angels.......................... ..................47

" II. Of Men ............ - - • ................................................^

" III. Of the Spirituality and Immortality o3? the Soul. .	54

" IV. The Fall of Man........... ................................58612

CONTENTS.

SECTION III.

PAGE.

Article II.—" And in Jesus Christ, His Only Son, Our Lord."

CHAP. I. The promse of a Redeemer...................... 65

" II. Development of the Promises.—Future Conversion

of the Gentiles ...................68

SECTION IV.

Of the Incarnation, Birth and Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
CHAP. I. " Who was Conceived by the Holy Ghost; Born of
the Virgin Mary."

The Mystery of the Incarnation................... 76

CHAP. II. The Incarnation and itsEesults.................. 80

" III. Birth of -Our Lord Jesus Christ .................. 83

(t IV. The Doctrine of Jesus Christ. ................... 87

SECTION V.

I. Life of Our Jesus Christ.— His Miracles. ......... 91

" II. Of the Virtues of Our Lord....................... 95

SECTION VI.

Of the Mystery of .Redemption.

CHAP. I. " Suffered under Pontius Pilate : was Crucified." 100
'• II. " He was Dead and Buried",. ........... ......... 110

SECTION VII.

Consequences of the Death of Jesus Christ.-—His

Resurrection.

"He Descended into Hell ; the Third Day He
Rose again from the Dead."

CHAP. I. " He Descended into Hell"................... 113

" II. " The Third Day He Rose again from the Dead." 115
" III. Proofs of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus

Christ....................................... 120

SECTION VIII.

Ascension of Our Lord Jesijs Christ. -
"He Ascended into Heaven, and Sitteth at the Right

Hand of God, the Father Almighty "..,............ 124CONTENTS.

613

SECTION IX.

Of Death and Judgment.

From Thence He Shall Come to -Judge-thee
Living and the Dead."

PAGE.

CHAP. i. Of Death ...................................... 129

II. Of Judgment..................... ..........^ 135

SECTION X,

' Of the Holy Spirit.

' I Believe in the Holy Ghost "........................... 141

SECTION XI.

Of the Church.

"I Believe in The Holy Catholic Church."

CHAP. I. The Establishment of the Church............ 146

" II. Results of the Establishment of the €hurch.—

Constancy of the Martyrs .......... ..... 154

" III. The Primacy of the Church Conferred upon

St. Peter..................................................160

" IV. Marks of the Church.......................... 170

" Y, No Salvation Out of the Church..........176

" YI. Tiif Teaching of the Church................... 181

" VII. Of the Holy Scriptures and Tradition......... 188

4' VIII. The Communion of Saints....................... 194

SECTION XII.

u The Forgiveness of Sins".............................. 198

SECTION XIII

" The Resurrection of the Body "...................... 202

SECTION XIV.

Of Our Last End.

" The Life Everlasting	............................206

CHAP. I. Of Purgatory.....................................208

" II. Of Paradise, .........................,............212

u III. Of Hell ...______________________________________ ....	218614

CONTENTS.

SECTION XY.

Of the Profession of Christianity, and the Sign of page,
the Cross............................................ 223

PART SECOND.

OF THE LOVE OF GOD.

SECTION I.

Of the Commandments in General..................

SECTION II.

Of the First Commandment.

I am the Lord thy God : Thou Shalt not
Have Strange Gods before Me. '

CHAP. I. Of Faith....................... ................................233

II. Of Hope ........................................................................238

" III. Of Charity..........................................................................244

" IV. Of Adoration....................................................................251

CHAP. Y. Respect for the Church..............................................257

SECTION III.

The Second Commandment............................... 261

SECTION 1

The Third Commandment....................,............ 266

SECTION V.

The Fourth Commandment—............................ 271

SECTION VL

The Fifth Commandment................................. 279CONTENTS.	615
SECTION VII.

PAGE

The Sixth Commandment............................................285

SECTION VIII.

The Seventh Commandment...............................	%95

SECTION IX.

The Eighth Commandment......... .......................................301

SECTION X.

The Ninth Commandment...........................................................339

SECTION XL

The Tenth Commandment................................................................312

SECTION XII.

Commandments of the Church............................................315

CHAP. I. The First Commandment of the Church......................317

" II. The Second Commandment of the Church.................321

'* III. The Third Commandment of the Church. .................325

" IV. The Fourth Commandment of the Church...............329-

" Y. The Fifth Commandment of the Church......................333

" VI. The Sixth Commandment of the Church......................337

SECTION XIII.

Of Sin.................................................................................343

SECTION XIV

The Capital Sins............................................................£46

CHAP. I. Of Pride.................................................349

" II. Of Avarice..................... ........-.............352

" III. Of Luxury..........................................................357

" IY. Of Envy..................... ......................361

44 Y. Of Gluttony....................................................365

" YI. Of Anger..............................................................................370

" YII. Of Sloth.............................................373616

CONTENTS.

PART SECOND.

OF THE SACRAMENTS AND PRAYER.

INTRODUCTION.

PAGE

The Necessity of Grace and the Means of Obtaining It............378

SECTION I.

Of the Sacraments in General............................................................383

SECTION IL

Of Baptism.

CHAP. I. Necessity of Baptism................!..........................388

44 II. The Administration of Baptism.........................392

44 III, The Ceremonies of Baptism..........................395

[ 4' IV. Promises Made in Baptism_____________________________399

SECTION III.

Of Confirmation.

CIIAP. I. Nature and Effects of Confirmation...................402

44 II. The Dispositions for Confirmation................................408

44 III. Obligations Imposed by Confirmation............................410

SECTION IV.

Of the Sacrament of Penance.

CHAP. I. The Nature, Form, and Necessity of Penance. .....	416

44 II. Of Contrition...........................................420

4 4 III. A Firm Purpose of Amendment.... ............................424

44 IV, Of Confession. ..................................	429

44 V. Examination of Conscience..........................433

44 VI. Of Sacrilegious Confession. ......................436

44 VII. Of the Manner of Confessing ......................440

44 VIII. Of Satisfaction....................................443

44 IX. Of Indulgences.....................................................447CONTENTS.

617

SECTION Y.

Or the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

CHAP. I. ^'he Institution of the Blessed Eucharist, and	page

of Transubstantiation..........................455

" II. Dispositions for Receiving the Holy EuchXrist	4(jl

" III. Effects o!: the Eucharist............"465

" IV. Of an Unworthy Communion..................470

" V. Of Frequent Communion.............................475

" VI. The Sacrifice of the Mass........................4«1

SECTION VII.

Of Extreme Unction............... ..................................487

SECTION VIII.

Holy Orders .............................................................491

SECTION IX.

Of Matrimony.................................................496

SECTION X.

Of Vocation...----.......................................501

CHAP. J. Signs whereby We May Know Our Vocation,

and Means to Avoid Misconception........................505

" II. Of the Different States which We May Choose

and Their Principal Obligations...................509

PART SECOND.

Of Prayer.

CHAP. I. The Necessity of Prayer..............................................520

'' II. The Efficacy of Prayer............................525

" III. Qualities of Prayer.................................529618

CONTENTS.

SECTION II.

The Lord's Prayer.

CHAP. I. Of what We Should Ask of God.........................533

" II. "Hallowed be Thy Name".......................538

" III. 4 ' Thy Kingdom Come ".........................................543

IV, " Thy Will be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven '' .	547

" V. Ci Give us This Day Our Daily Bread "........................551

u VI. Forgive us Our Trespasses as We Forgive Them

that Trespass against Us "........................................555

" VII. ''Lead us not into Temptatton "....................................559

" VIII " But Deliver us from Evil "........................................563

SECTION III.

The Angelical Salutation.

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin........................ ....	566

The Immaculate Conception..................................................................573

SECTION IV.

The Happiness of the Christian Life........................................578

Religious Practices..............................................................................587

RULE OF LIFE.

Necessity of such a Rule......................................................................592

Duties of Family and Society...... .........................596

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