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THE

CATECHISM

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

PUBLISHED BY COMMAND

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Pon EFS THe FLETH,

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TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY THE REV. J. DONOVAN, PROFESSOR, KC. ROYAL COLLEGE, MAYNOOTB.

PIII III ION

SAPEOLIC SCHOOL: BOOK Co.

New York

HOLY REDEEMER LIBRARY, WINDSOR

DECREE

OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

Tas* the faithful may approach the Sacraments with greater reverence and devotion, the Holy Synod commands all Bishops not only to explain, ina manner accommodated to the capacity of the receivers, the nature and use of the Sacraments, when they are to be administered by themselves; but also to see that every Pastor piously ana prudently do the same, in the vernacular language, should it be necessary and convenient. ‘This exposition is to accord with a form to be prescribed by the Holy Synod for the adminis- tration of all the Sacraments, in a Catechism, WHICH BISHOPS WILI TAKE CARE TO HAVE FAITHFULLY TRANSLATED INTO THE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE, AND EXPOUNDED TO THE PEOPLE BY ALL PASTORS.

Cope. fnd. Sess 24. de Reform.c. 7

THE

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE

Tue Roman Carecuism, of which an English translation is now sub mitted to the public, was composed by decree of the Council of Trent ; and the same venerable authority commands all Bishops “ to take care that it be faithfully translated into the vernacular lan- guage, and expounded to the people by all pastors.” !

The Fathers of the Council had examined with patient industry, and, in the exercise of their high prerogative, had defined, with un- erring accuracy, the dogmas of faith which were then denied or dis- puted: but the internal economy of the Church, also, solicited and engaged their attention; and accordingly, we find them employed in devising measures for the instruction of ignorance, the ameliora- tion of discipline, and the reformation of morals.

Amongst the means suggested to their deliberative wisdom for the attainment of these important ends, the Roman Catechism has been deemed not the least judicious or effective. The ardour and industry of the “ Reformers” were actively einployed, not only in the publi- cation of veluminous works, “ to guard against which required, per- haps, little labour or circumspection;” but, also, in composition of “innumerable smaller works, which, veiling their errors under the semblance of piety, deceived with incredible facility the simple and the incautious.”* To meet the mischievous activity of such men, and to rear the edifice of Christian knowledge on its only secure and solid basis, the instruction of its authorized teachers; to afford the faithful a fixed standard of Christian belief, and to the Pastor a pre- scribed form of religious instruction $ to supply a pure and perennia! fountain of living waters to refresh and invfgorate at once the Pastor

* Cone. Trid Sess. 24. de Reform. cap. 7 2 Pref. page 15 3

6 PREFACE.

and the flock, were amongst the important objects contemplated by the Fathers of Trent in the publication and translation of the {Loman Catechism. '

They, too, are amongst the objects, which were contemplated by those, who urged the present undertaking, and which influenced the Translator’s acceptance of the task. Coincidence of circumstances naturally suggests a concurrence of measures; and it requires little discernment to discover the coincidence that exists between the pre- sent circumstances of this country and those which awakened and alarmed the vigilance of the Fathers of Trent. Ireland, indeed the Empire, has been inundated with pernicious tracts, teeming with vituperative misrepresentations of the dogmas of the Catholic faith, and loaded with unmeasured invective against the principles of Catholic morality. “ Innumerable smaller works, veiling their errors under the semblance of piety,” have been scattered with unsparing hand “ amongst the ignorant and incautious:” efforts are still made (the object is avowed) “to promote the principles of the Reforma- tion,” by unsettling the religious convictions of the people; and we are fortified by the example of the Fathers of Trent in the hope, that an antidote eminently calculated to neutralize the poison, which has been so industriously diffused, to abate prejudice, instruct ignorance, promote piety, and confirm belief, will be found in a work containing a comprehensive summary of the dogmas of the Catholic faith, and a no less comprehensive epitome of the principles of Catholic morality

To another, and, happily, an increasing class of the community the present volume cannot fail to prove a useful acquisition—to those who, anxious only for truth, desire to know the real principles of Catholics, could they arrive at a knowledge of them through the me dium of a compendious and authoritative exposition. Whilst inquiry struggles to burst the bonds in which prejudice and interested mis representation have long bound up its freedom, and would still oppress its energies, it would not become Catholics to look on with in. difference. We owe it to truth, to aid these growing efforts of en- lightened reason : the voice of charity bids us assist the exertions of honest inquiry : we owe it to our ourselves to co-operate in removing the load of obloquy under which we still labour; and, if it were pos sible for us to be insensible to these claims, there is yet an obligation from which nothing can exempt us—it is due to religion to make her known as she really is. To these important ends we cannot, per- haps, contribute more effectually, than by placing within the reach

' Pref. pages 13, 14.

PREFACE. ?

of all, a Work explanatory of Catholic doctrine, and universally ac- knowledged authority in the Catholic Church. '

To the Pastor, upon whom devolves the duty of public instruction, the “ Catechismus ad Parochos” presents peculiar advantages __ Inits pages he will discover a rich treasure of theological knowledge, admi- rably adapted to purposes of practical utility. The entire economy of religion he will there find developed to his view—the majesty of God, the nature of the divine essence—the attributes of the Deity, their transcendent operations—the creation of man, his unhappy fall—the promise of a Redeemer, the mysterious and merciful pian of redemption—the establishment of the Church, the marks by which it is to be known and distinguished—the awful sanction with which the Divine Law is fenced round, the rewards that await and animate the good, the punishments that threaten and awe the wicked—the nature, number and necessity of those supernatural aids instituted by the Divine goodness to support our weakness in the arduous con flict for salvation—the Law delivered in thunder on Sinai, embracing the various duties of man, under all the relations of his being—finally, the nature, necessity and conditions of that heavenly intercourse that should subsist between the soul and its Creator; the exposition of that admirable prayer composed by the Son of God—all this, corn- prehending as it does, the whole substance of doctrinal and practical religion, and at once instructive to Pastor and people, the reader will find in the “ Catechismus ad Parochos,” arranged in order, expound- ed with perspicuity, and sustained by convincing argument.

Besides a general index, one pointing out the adaptation of the several parts of the Catechism to the Gospel of the Sunday will, it is hoped, facilitate the duty of public instruction, and render this Cate- chism, what it was originally intended to be, the manual of Pastors.

Such are the nature and object of the present work: a brief sketch

| On this subject the following observations, from the pen of a Protestant Clergyman, are as eandid as they are just :—“ The religion of the Roman Catholics ought always, 1n strictness, to be considered apart from its professors, whether kings, popes, or inferior bishops; and its tenets and its forms, should be treated of separately. To the acknowledged creeds, catechisms, and other formularies of the Catholic Church, we should resort for a faithful description of what Roman Catholics do really hold, as doctrines essential to salvation; and as such held by the faithful in all times, places, and countries. Though the Catholic forms in some points may vary in number and splendour, the Catholic doctrines cannot;—though opinions may differ, and change with circumstances, articles of faith remain the same. Withouta due and constant consideration of these facts, no Protestant can come to a right understanding respecting the essential faith and worship of the Roman Catholics. It has been owing to a want of this dis crimination, that so many absurd, and even wicked tenets, have been palmed upon our brethren of the Catholic Church: that which they deny, we have insisted they religiously hold; that which the best informed amongst them utterly abhor, we have held up to the detestation of mankind, as the guide of their faith, and the rule of their actions. ‘This is not fair: it is not

dving to others as we would have others to do unto us.”—The Religions of all ations by the Rev. J. Nightingale, 7. 12.

rr,

8 PREFACE.

of its history must enhance its worth, and may, it is hoped, prove ac ceptable to the learned reader.

It has already been observed, that the Roman Catechism owes ita origin to the zeal and wisdom of the Fathers of Trent: the Decree of the Council for its commencement was passed in the twenty-fourth session ; and its composition was confided to individuals recommended, no doubt, by their superior piety, talents and learning. ‘That, du- ring the Council, a Congregation had been appointed for the execu- tion of the work, is matter of historic evidence;' but whether, be- fore the close of the Council, the work had actually been commenced, is a point of interesting, but doubtful inquiry. * It is certain, how- ever, that amongst those who, under the superintending care of the sainted Archbishop of Milan, were most actively employed in its com- position, are to be numbered three learned Dominicans, Leonardae Marini, subsequently raised to the Archiepiscopal throne of Lancia- no,* Francisco Foreiro, the learned translator of isaias,* and Aigi- dius Foscarrari, Bishop of Modena,*® names not unknown to history and to literature.° Whether to them exclusively belongs the comple- tion of the Catechism, or whether they share the honour and the merit with others, is a question which, about the middle of the last century, enlisted the zeal and industry of contending writers. The Letters and Orations of Pogianus, published by Lagomarsini, seem however, to leave the issue of the contest no longer doubtful. Of these letters one informs us, that three Bishops were appointed by the Sovereign Pontiff to undertake the task :* of the three Dominicans already mentioned, two only had been raised to the episcopal dignity ; and hence a fourth person, at least, must have been associated to their number and their Jabours. That four persons had been actually appointed by the Pontiff appears from the letter of Gratianus to Cardinal Commendon:* and after much research, Lagomarsini has discovered that this fourth person was Muzio Calini, Archbishop of Zara.*° The erudite and accurate Tiraboschi has arrived at the

! Pogianus, vol. 2. p. xviii. 2 Palavicino, lib. xxiv. e. 13. 3 Epistole et Orationes Julii Pogiani, edite a Lagomarsini, Rome, 1756, vol. 2. p. xx. a Bien de vita ac rebus gestis, S. Caroli Borromei, lib. 1. c. 8. annot. 3. apud Pogianum,

§ Tabularium Ecclesia Romane. Leipsic, 1743. j

6 Foreiro’s translation and commentary on Isaias may be seen in the “ Recueil des granda critiques.”

7 “ Datum est negotium a Pontifice Maximo tribus episcopis,” &c. Pog. Ep. et Orat. vol. 3. p. 449

8 ........“ad eam rem quatuor viros Pius delegit,” &e. Pog. vol. 1. p. xvii.

9 Calini assisted at the Council, as Archbishop of Zara, and died Bishop of Terni, in 1570 Yt weuld appear from Tiraboschi that he belonged to no religious order. Heis called “huoma di molte lettere e molta pieta.”” See MSS. notes found in the library of the Jesuit College in Fermo; also MSS. letters of Calini apud Pogian. vol. 2. p. xxii. Palavicino storia del C. di Trento, 1.15. c. 13

PREFACE. §

same conclusion : he expressly numbers Calini amongst the authors of the Roman Catechism.‘ ‘The MSS. notes, to which Largomarsini refers in proof of this opinion, mention, itis true, the names of Galesinus and Pogianus with that of Calini: Pogianus, it !s universally acknow- ledged, had no share in the composition of the work ; and the passage, therefore, must have reference solely to its style. With this inter- pretation, the mention of Calini does not conflict; the orations delivered by him in the Council of Trent prove, that in elegance of Latinity he was little inferior to Pogianus himself; and the style, therefore, might also have employed the Jabour of his pen.

Other names are mentioned as possessing claims to the honour of having contributed to the composition of the Trent Catechism, amongst which are those of Cardinal Seripandus, Archbishop of Sa lerno, and legate at the Council to Pius the Fourth, Michael Medina, and Cardinal Antoniano, secretary to Pius the Fifth: but Tiraboschi omits to notice their pretensions; and my inquiries fave not been rewarded with a single authority competent to impeach the justness of the omission. Their names, that of Medina excepted, he frequently introduces throughout his istory; in no instance, however, does he intimate that they had any share in the composition of the Roman Catechism ; and his silence, therefore, lam disposed to interpret asa denial of their claim.

The work, when completed,” was presented to Pius the Fifth, and was handed over by his holiness for revisal to a Congregation, over which presided the profound and judicious Cardinal Sirlet.° The style, according to some, was finally retouched by Paulus Manutius ;* according to others, and the opinion is more probable, it owes this last improvement to the classic pen of Pogianus.° Its uniformity, (the observation is Lagomarsini’s) and its strong resemblance to that of the other works of Pogianus, depose in favour of the superiority of his claim.° The work was put to press under the vigilant eye of the laborious and elegant Manutius,’ published by authority of Pius the Tifth, and by command of the Pontiff translated into the lan-

' See Tiraboschi Storia della Letteratura Italiana, T. vii. part 1. p. 304, 308. vid. Script. Ordin Predic. vol. 228. Rome, 1784. 2 It was finished anno 1564. Catechismum habemus jam absolutum, &c. Letter of 8. Charles Borromeo to Cardinal Hosius, dated December 27th, 1564, Pog. 2. lvii. 3 Ibid. ‘To Cardinal Sirlet, Biblical literature owes the varie lectiones in the Antwerpiau Polyglot. ae aaten Hist. Eccl. T. 7. p. 156. Ed. Venet. 1738. Apostolus Zeno. Anotat in Bibl Elog bal T. 11. p. 136. Ed. Venet. 1733. 5 Lagomarsini Not. in Gratian. Epist ad Card. Commend. Rome, 175 Voi. 2. p. xxxiv 7 Pog. vol. 2 p xxxix

B

10 PREFACE.

guages of Italy, France, Germany, and Poland.' To the initiated ay apology is, I trust, necessary for this analysis of a controversy which the Translator could not, with propriety, pass over in silence, :nd on which so much of laborious research has been expended. To detail, however, the numerous approvals that hailed the publication of the work, recommended its perusal, and promoted its circulation, would, perhaps, rather fatigue the patience, than interest the curio- sity of the reader.* Enough, that its merits were then, as they are now recognised by the Universal Church; and the place given amongst the masters of spiritual life to the devout A’Kempis, “second only,” says Fontenelle, * to the books of the canonical Scripture,” has been unanimousiy awarded to the Catechism of the Council of Trent, asa compendium of Catholic theology.

Thus, undertaken by decree of the Council of Trent, the result « the aggregate labours of the most distinguished of the Fathers wh composed that august assembly, revised by the severe judgment, and polished by the classic taste of the first scholars of that classic age, the Catechism of the Council of Trent is stamped with the impress of superior worth, and challenges the respect and veneration of every reader.

In estimating so highly the merits of the original, it has not, however escaped the Translator’s notice, that a work purely theological and didactic, treated in a severe, scholastic form, and, therefore, not recommended by the more ambitious ornaments of style, must prove uninviting to those who seek to be amused, rather than to be instruct ed. The judicious reader will not look for such recommendation the character of the work precludes the idea: perspicuity, and an elaborate accuracy, are the leading features of the original; and the Translator is, at least, entitled to the praise of not having aspired te higher excellencies. ‘To express the entire meaning of the author attending rather to the sense, than to the rumber of his words, is the rule by which the Roman Orator was guided in his translation of the celebrated orations of the two rival orators of Greece.? From this general rule, however just, and favourable to elegance, the Trans-

' It was printed by Manutius before the end of July, 1566, but not published until the Sep. tember following, when a folio and quarto edition appeared at the same time, accompanied with an Italian translation, from the pen of P. Alessio Figgliucci, O. P. Sabutin. in vité Pii, V Oe ee iets authorities are Bulls 102, 105, of Pius V. in Bullar. p. 305, 307; Brief of Greg. XU. 1553; Epist. Card. Borrom ; Synods of Milan, 1565; of Beneventum, 1567; of Ra venna, 1568 ; of Meaux, 1569; of Geneva, 1574; of Melun, (national) 1576; of Rouen, 158] ; o1 BKourdeaux, 1553 ; of Tours, 1583 ; of Rheims, 1583; of Tolouse, 1590; of Avignon, 1594; of

Aqiuieia, 1586, &c. &e. * De opt. gen. orat. n. 14.

PREFACE, il

lator has felt it a conscientious duty not unfrequently to depart, in the translation of a work, the phraseology of which is in so many instances, consecrated by ecclesiastical usage. Whilst, therefore, he has endeavoured to preserve the spirit, he has been unwilling to lose sight of the letter: studious to avoid a servile exactness, he has not felt himself at liberty to indulge the freedom of paraphrase : anxious to transfuse into the copy the spirit of the original, he has been neo less anxious to render it an express image of that original. ‘The reader, perhaps, will blame his severity: his fidelity, he trusts, may defy reproof; and on it he rests his only claim to commendation.

By placing the work, in its present form, before the public, the Translator trusts he shall have rendered some service to the cause of religion: should this pleasing anticipation be realized, he will deem the moments of leisure devoted to it well spent, and the reward mors than commensurate to his humble labours.

MaysoorH COLLEGE.

June 104h, 1820.

PREFACE

TO THE CATECHISM

OF

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

INTENTION OF THE COUNCIL——-OBJECT AND AUTHORITY OF THE WORK—ITS USE AND DIVISION.

Sucu is the nature of the human mind, so limited are its in- tellectual powers, that, although by means of diligent and labori- ous inquiry it has been enabled of itself to investigate and dis- cover many divine truths; yet guided solely by its own lights it could never know or comprehend most of those things by which eternal salvation, the principal end of man’s creation and forma- tion to the image and likeness of God, is attained. ‘‘ The invi- sible things of God, from the creation of the world, are,”’ as the Apostle teaches, ‘‘ clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made: his eternal power also and divinity.”? But ‘the mystery which had been hidden from ages and generations” so far transcends the reach of man’s understanding, that were it not ‘** manifested to his saints to whom God,” by the gift of faith, ** would make known the riches of the glory of this mystery, amongst the Gentiles, which is Christ,”’? it had never been given to human research to aspire to such wisdom

But, as ‘‘ faith cometh by hearing,’’* the necessity of the assi- duous labour and faithful ministry of a legitimate teacher, at all times, towards the attainment of eternal salvation is manifest, for it is written, ‘how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they be sent?’’* And, indeed, never, from the verv creation of the world, has God most merciful and benignant been wanting to his own; but “at sundry times and in divers manners spoke, in times past, to the Fathers by the

Rom. i. 20. 2 Coloss. i. 26, 27. 3 Rom. x. 17 4 Rom. x. 14, 15 13

Insufficiea

of hu man ree som

And of au thorized teachers

a4

The px, ters of tur Cuurch w be heard

Peculiar necessity of pastoral instruction in these days.

Activity of the

PREFACE.

Prophets ;””! and pointed out, in a manner suited to the times and circumstances, a sure and direct path to the happiness of heaven. But, as he had foretold that he would give a teacher, ‘‘ to be the light of the Gentiles and salvation to the ends of the earth;’’2 ‘in these days he hath spoken to us by his Son,’ whom also by a voice from heaven, ‘‘ from the excellent glory,”+ he has commanded all to hear and to obey; and the Son “hath given some apostles, and some prophets, and others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers,’’> to announce the word of life; that we be not carried about like children with every wind of doc- trine, but holding fast to the firm foundation of the faith, “‘ may be built together into a habitation of God in the Holy Ghost.’’« That none may receive the word of God from the ministers f the Church as the word of man, but as the word of Chrisi, xhat it really iss; the same Saviour has ordained that their mi- aiszty should be invested with such authority that he says to them; ‘he that hears you, hears me; and he that despises you, despises me ;’’7 a declaration which he would not be understood to mike to those only to whom his words were addressed, but likewise to all who, by legitimate succession, should discharge the mistry of the word, promising to be with them ‘all days. even to the consummation of the world.’’8 As this preaching of the divine word should never be inter- rupted in\ke Church of God, so in these our days it becomes necessary tz labour with more than ordinary zeal and piety to nurture and strengthen the faithful with sound and wholesome doctrine, as with the food of life: for * false prophets have gone forth into the world’’® « with various and strange doctrines”’” to corsupt the minds of the faithful; of whom the Lord hath said ‘I sent them not, and they ran; I spoke not to them, yet they

- proyhesied.”"" In this unholy work, to such extremes has their

impety, practised in all the arts of Satan, been carried, that it would seem almost impossible to confine it within bounds ; and did we not rely on the splendid promises of the Saviour, who declared that he had “ built his Church on so solid a foundation, that the Lutes of hell should never prevail against it,’"* we should be filled with most alarming apprehension lest, beset on every wide by such a host of enemies, assailed by so many and sucl: formidable vagines- the Church of God should, in these days fall beneath ~aeir cembined efforts. To omit those illustrious ! Heb. i. 1. 2 bs. x'tx. 6. 3 Heb. 1. 2. 4 2 Pet. i. 17.

5 Eph. iv. 11. 6 Eph ¥ 22. 7 Luke x. 16. 8 Matt. xxviii. 20 $1 John iy. 1. 10 He. siti. 9. \ Jerem. xxiii.21 12 Matt. xvi. 18.

PREFACE.

siates which heretofore professed, in piety and holiness, the Ua tholic faith transmitted to them by their ancestors, but are now gone astray, wandering from the paths of truth, and openly de- elaring that their best claims of piety are founded on a total abandonment of the faith of their fathers: there is no region however remote, no place however securely guarded, no corner of the Christian republic, into which this pestilence has not sought secretly to insinuate itself. ‘Those, who proposed to themselves to corrupt the minds of the faithful, aware that they could not hold immediate personal intercourse with all, and thus pour into their ears their poisoned doctrines, by adopting a dif- ferent plan, disseminated error and impiety more easily and ex- tensively. Besides those voluminous works, by which they sought the subversion of the Catholic faith; to guard against which, however, containing, as they did, open heresy, required, perhaps, little labour or circumspection ; they also composed in- numerable smaller books, which, veiling their errors under the semblance of piety, deceived with incredible facility the simple and the incautious.

15

‘The Fathers, therefore, of the general Council of Trent, anx- Object ane

ious to apply some healing remedy to an evil of such magnitude, were not satisfied with having decided the more important points of Catholie doctrine against the heresies of our times, but deem-

atthority of this work

ed it further necessary to deliver some fixed form of instructing -

the faithful in the truths of religion from the very rudiments of Christian knowledge ; a form to be followed by those to whom are lawfully intrusted the duties of pastor and teacher. In works of this sort many, it is true, have already employed their pens, and earned the reputation of great piety and learning. The Fathers, however, deemed it of the first importance that a work should appear, sanctioned by the authority of the Holy Synod, from which pastors and all others on whom the duty of impart- ing instruction devolves, may draw with security precepts for the edification of the faithful ; that as there is ‘one Lord, one faith,”’! there may also be one standard and prescribed form of propound- ing the dogmas of faith, and instructing Christians in all the du- ties of piety.

As, therefore, the design of the work embraces a variety of matter, the Holy Synod cannot be supposed to have intended to comprise, in one volume, all the dogmas of Christianity, with that minuteness of deiail to be found in the works of those who pro-

1 Eph. iv. 5.

its subyex matte

¥ +#1pal

tuings to be olwerved

bz the Pas- tor in com- municating instruction.

Fire.

Turd.

PREFACE.

fess tc treat of all the institutions and doctrines of religion. Suck a task would be one of almost endiess labour, and manifestly ille suited to attain the proposed end. But, having undertaken to mstruct pastors and such as have care of souls in those things that belong peculiarly to the pastoral office and are accommodated to the capacity of the faithful ; the Holy Synod intended that such things only should be treated of as might assist the pious zeal of pastors in discharging the duty of instruction, should they not be very familiar with the more abstruse questions of theological dis- putation.

Such being the nature and object of the present work, its order requires that, before we proceed to develope those things severally which comprise a summary of this doctrine, we pre- mise a few observations explanatory of the considerations which should form the primary object of the pastor’s attention, and which he should keep continuaily before his eyes, in order to know to what end, as it were, all his views and labours and stu- dies are to be directed, and how this end, which he proposes to himself, may be facilitated and attained.

The first is always to recollect that in this consists all Chris tian knowledge, or rather, to use the words of the Apostle, * this is eternal life, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.””!_ A teacher in the Church will, there- fore, use his best endeavours that the faithful desire earnestly ‘* to know. Jesus Christ and him crucified,’’? that they be firmly con- vinced, and with the most heart-felt piety and devotion believe, that ‘‘ there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby they can be saved,’’? for he is the propitiation for our sins.’’4

But as ‘“‘ by this we know that we have known him, if we keep his commandments,’’® the next consideration, and one intimately connected with the preceding, is—to press also upon their atten- tion that their lives are not to be wasted in ease and indolence, but that ‘* we are to walk even as Christ walked,”’® ‘* and pursue,” with unremitting earnestness, ‘justice, godliness, faith, charity, patience, mildness ;”’7 for, ‘‘ he gave himself fcr us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse ‘o himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works.”’® ‘These things the Apostle commands pastors to speak and to exhort.

But as our Lord and Saviour has not only declared, but has also proved by his own example, that ‘* the Law and the Prophets

| John xvii. 3. 2 1Cor. ii. 2. 3 Acts iv. 12. 4 1 Johr ii. 2. § ] John ii. 3. 6 1 John ii. 6. 71 Tim. vi. 11 8 Tit. ii 14

— —~

PREFACE

depend on love, ' an! 23 ac.nuuing to the Apostle, chanty is the end of t 2 o).n.wandments, and the fulfilment of the law,? it is unquestiunably a paramount duty of the pastor, to use the utmo3i assiduity to excite the faithful to a love of the infinite goodness of God towards us; that burning with a sort of divine ardour, they may be powerfully attracted to the supreme and all oerfect good, to adhere to which is true and solid happiness, as ts fully experienced by him who can say with the Prophet; * What have I in heaven but thee? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth?”% This, assuredly, is that more excellent way‘ pointed out by the Apostle, when he refers all his doc- trines and instructions to charity which never faileth ;’’5 for whatever is proposed by the pastor, whether it be the exercise of faith, of hope, or of some moral virtue ; the love of God should be so strongly insisted upon by him, as to show clearly that al? the works of perfect Christian virtue can have no other origin, no other end than divine love °

But as in imparting instruction of any sort, the manner of Fourte

communicating it is of considerable importance, so in conveying instruction to the people, it should be deemed of the greatest moment.—Age, capacity, manners and condition demand atten- tion, that.he, who instructs, may become all things to all men, and be able to gain all to Christ,7 and prove himself a faithful minis- ter and steward,® and, like a good and faithful servant, be found worthy to be placed by his Lord over many things.® | Nor let him imagine that thos. committed to his care are all of equal capacity or like dispositions, so as to enable him to apply the same course of instruction, to lead all to knowledge and piety ; for some are, ‘‘ as it were new-born infants,’ others grown up in Christ, and others in some sort, of full maturity. Hence the necessity of considering who they are that have occasion for milk, who for more solid food,'' and of affording to each such nutrimeut of doctrine as may give spiritual increase, ‘‘ until we all meet in the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God into a perfect man, into the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ.’’ * This the example of the Apostle points out to the observance of all, for, ‘he is a debtor to the Greek and the Barbatiau, to the wise and to the unwise :”’ ” thus giving all who ure called to this ministry, to understand that in announ-

1 Matt. xxii. 40. 21 Tim.i.5. Rom. xiii. 8 3 Psalm lxxii. 25.

41 Cor. xii. 31. 5 1 Cor. xiii. 8. 6 ] Cor. xvi. 14. 7 1 Cor. ix. 22.

©4Cor.iv.1,2. 9% Matt. xxv. 23. 19 1 Pez. ii. 2. '! ] Cor. ii. 2 Heb vy. 19 my

12 Eph. iv. 13. '3 Rom. i. 14. 2* Cc

Where the doctrines ef Christi- enity are contained.

Division of

the work.

Firm part

PREFACE.

cig the mysteries of faith, and ineulcating the precepts o% morality, the instruction is to be accommodated to the Capacity and intelligence of the hearers; that. whilst the minds of the strong are filled with spiritual food, the little ones be not suffered to perish with hunger, “asking for breaa, whilst there is none to break it to thein.”’ ?

Nor should our zeal in communicating Christian knowledge be relaxed, because it is sometimes to be exercised in expounding matters apparently humble and unimportant, and, therefore, com- paratively uninteresting to minds accustomed to repose in the contemplation of the more sublime truths of religion. If the wisdom of the eternal Father descended upon the earth in the meanness of our flesh, to teach us the maxims of a heavenly life, who is there whom the love of Christ does not compel? to be- come little in the midst of his brethren; and, as a nurse fostering her children, so anxiously to wish for the salvation of his neigh- bour, that as the Apostle testifies of himself, he desires to deliver not only the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, but even his own life for them.%

But all the doctrines of Christianity, in which the faithful are to be instructed, are derived from the word of God, which inclades Scripture and tradition. ‘To the study of these, therefore, the pastor should devote his days and his nights, always keeping in mind the admonition of St. Paul to ‘Timothy, which all who have the care of souls should consider as addressed to theinseives ; “Attend to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine, 4 for all Scripture divinely inspired, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be per- fect, furnished to every good work.” &

But as the truths revealed by Almighty God, are so many and so various, as to render it no easy task to comprehend them, or, having comprehended them, to retain so distinct a recollection ot them as to be able to explain them with ease and promptitude when ocvasion may require; our predecessors in the faith have very wisely reduced them to these four heads—The Apostle’s Creed—The Sacraments—The ten Commandments—and the Lord’s Prayer. The Creed contains all that is to be held aecord- ing to the discipline of the Christian faith, whether it regard the knowledge of God, the creation and government of the world ; or the redemption of man, the rewards of the good and the pu-

‘Heb. v.14 Lamen. iv. 4. 2 2 Cor. v. 14. 31 Thess. ii. 7,8 4] Tim. iv. 13. 5 2 Tim. iii. 6, 17

eee. ———S—C eee

PREFACE. 18

nishments of the wicked. ‘The doctrine of the seven Sacraments Secon comprehends the signs, and, as it were, the instruments of grace. ae The Decalogue, whatever has reference to the law, ‘the end Third Pan whereof is charity.” } Finally, the Lord’s Prayer contains what- Tourth ever can be the object of the Christian’s desires, or hopes, or x prayers. ‘The exposition, therefore, of these, as it were, com- mon-places of sacred Scripture, includes almost every thing to be known by a Christian.

We, therefore, deem it proper to acquaint pastors that, when- Applica-

tion of the ever they have occasion, in the ordinary discharge of their Catechism

duty, to expound any passage of the Gospel, or any other part ae ae of Scripture, they will find its substance under some one of S¥48y: the four heads already enumerated, to which they will recur,

as the source from which their exposition is tobe drawn. ‘Thus,

if the Gospel of the first Sunday of Advent is to be explained,

*¢ There shall be signs in the sun and in the moon, &c.? what-

ever regards its explanation is contained under the article of the

creed, ** He shall come to judge the living and the dead,” and by imbodying the substance of that article in his exposition, the pas-

tor will at once instruct his people in the creed and in the Gos-

pel. Whenever, therefore, he has to communicate instruction

and expound the Scriptures, he will observe the same rule of re- ferring all to these four principal heads, which, as we have alrea-

dy observed, comprise the whole force and doctrine of Holy Scripture.

He will, however, observe that order which he deems best ete suited to persons, times and circumstances. Walking in the the expla- footsteps of the Fathers, who to initiate men in Christ the Lord tia raed and instruct them in his discipline begin with the doctrine of faith, we have deemed it useful to explain first in order what ap- pertains to faith.

As the word faith has a variety of meanings in the Sacred hed Scriptures, it may not be unnecessary to observe that here we here speak of that faith by which we yield our entire assent to what- ever has been revealed by Almighty God. ‘That faith thus un- derstood is necessary to salvation no man can reasonably doubt; particularly 2s the Sacred Scriptures declare that ‘“* Without faith it is impossible to please God.’’ 3 For as the end proposed to man as his ultimate happiness is far above the reach of the human understanding, it was, therefore, necessary that it should be made known to him by Almighty God. This know-

‘] Tim. 1. 5. 2 2 Luke xxi. 25. 3 Heb. xi. 6.

PREFACE.

ledge is nothing else than faith, by which we yield our unhesita

ting assent to whatever the authority of our Holy Mother the Church teaches us to have been revealed by Almighty God: for the faithful cannot doubt those things of which God, who is truth itself, is the author. Hence we see the great difference that existe between this faith which we give to God, and the credence which we yield to profane historians. But faith, though comprehen- sive, and differing in degree and dignity, [for we read in Scrip- ture these words, ** O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt’? and ‘great is thy faith,’? and ‘* Increase our faith,”* also ‘“‘ Faith without works is dead’’* and ‘“* Faith which worketh by charity ;5”’| is yet the same in kind, and the full force of its definition applies equally to all its degrees. Its fruit and advan- tages to us, we shall point out when explaining the articles of the Creed. ‘The first, then, and most important points of Chris- tian faith are those which the holy Apostles, the great leaders and teachers of the faith, men inspired by the Holy Ghost, have divi

ded into the twelve articles of the Creed: for as they had re- ce*ved a command from the Lord to go forth “into the whole wor.d,”’ “‘as his ambassadors, and preach the Gospel to every creature, © they thought proper to compose a form of Christian faith, ‘that all may speak and think the same thing;” 7 and that amongst those whom they should have called to the unity of faith, no schisms should exist; but that they should be per- fect in the same mind, and in the same spirit. This profession of Christian faith and hope, drawn up by themselves, the Apos- tles called a ‘* symbol,” either because it was an aggregate of the combined sentiments of all; or because, by it, as by a common sign and watch-word, they might easily distinguish false bre- thren, deserters from the faith, “‘ unawares brought in,” ® ‘* who adultered the word of G@od,’’® from those who had pledged an oath of fidelity to serve under the benner of Christ.

1 Mat. uv 31 2 Matt. xv. 28, 3 Luke xvii. 5.

4 J, 5 Gal v.6 6 2Cor v 18.19,2G Mark xvi. 15. 7 1 Cor. Gal ii. 4. 9 2 Cor. ii. 17

THE CATECHISM

OF

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

PART Ee

ON THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE CREED.

ARTICLE I:

*] BELIEVE IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH.”

AmonesT the many truths which Christianity proposes to our Divisien of

belief, and of which separately, or collectively, an assured and the Creed firm faith is necessary, the first and one essential to be believed by all, is that which God himself has taught us as the foundation of truth, and which is a summary of the unity of the divine essence, of the distinction of three persons, and of the actions which are peculiarly attributed to each. ‘The pastor will inform the people that the Apostles’ Creed briefly comprehends the doc- trine of this mystery. For, as has been observed by our prede- cessors in the faith, who in treating this subject, have given proofs at once of piety and accuracy, the Creed seems to be divided into three principal parts, one describing the first Person of the di- vine nature, and the stupendous work of the creation—another, the second Person, and the mystery of man’s redemption—a third, comprising in several most appropirate sentences, the doc- trine of the third Person, the head and source of our sanctification. These sentences are called articles, by a sort of comparison fre- quently used by our forefathers ; for as the members of the body are divided by joints (articuliz) so in this profession of faith, whatever is to be believed distinctly and separately from any thing else, is appositely called an article.

‘*T BELIEVE IN Gop.”’| The meaning of these words is this ; Import of I believe with certainty, and without a shadow of doubt profess eee my belief in God the Father, the first person of the Irinity, who in God.”

21

22 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

by his omnipotence created from nothing, preserves and governs the heavens and the earth, and all things which they encompass : and not only do I believe in him from r y heart, and profess this belief with my lips, but with the greatest ardour and piety tend towards him, as the supreme and most perfect good. Let it suf- fice thus briefly to state the substance of this first article: but as great mysteries lie concealed under almost every word, the pas- tor must now give them a more minute consideration, in order that, as far as God has permitted, the faithful may approach, with fear and trembling, the contemplation of the glory of the divine Majesty.

The word ‘believe,’ therefore, does not here mean ‘to think,” ‘* tc imagine,”’ ‘‘ to be of opinion,” but, as the Sacred Scriptures teach, it expresses the deepest conviction of the mind, by which we give a firm and unhesitating assent to God reveal- ing his mysterious truths. As far, therefore, as regards the use of the word here; he, who firmly and without hesitation is con-

Certainty vinced of any thing, is said ‘‘to believe.” 1 Nor is the know- “€Faitt edge derived through faith to be considered less certain, because its objects are not clearly comprehended ; for the divine light in which we see them, although it does not render them evident, yet sheds around them such a lustre as leaves no doubt on the mind regarding them. ‘‘ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shone in our hearts,’’? “ that the Gospel be not hidden to us, as to those that perish.”’ 3 Excludes From what has been said, it follows that he who is gifted with curiosity this heavenly knowledge of faith, is free from an inquisitive cu- riosity ; for when God commands us to believe, he does not pro- pose to us to search into his divine judgments, or inquire into their reasons and their causes, but demands an immutable faith, by the efficacy of which, the mind reposes in the knowledge of eternal truth. And indeed, if, whilst we have the testimony of the Apostle, that ‘* God is true and every man a liar ;”*4 it would argue arrogance and presumption to disbelieve the asseveration of a grave and sensible man affirming any thing as true, and urge him to support his asseveration by reasons and authorities ; what temerity and foliy does it not argue in those, who hear the words of God himself, to demand reasons for the heavenly and saving doctrines which he reveals? Faith, therefore, excludes not only all doubt, but even the desire of subjecting its truths to demon- stration.

But the pastor should also teach, that he who says, ‘I be- lieve,”’ besides declaring the inward assent of the mind, which is an internal act of faith, should also openly and with alacrity profess and proclaim what he inwardly and in his heart believes : for the faithful should be animated by the same spirit that spoke by the lips of the prophet, when he said: ‘I believe, and there: fore did I speak,”’® and should follow the example of the Apos tles who replied to the princes of the earth: ‘* We cannot but

i 3

1 Rom. iv. 18—21 2 2Cor. iv. 6. 3 Ibid. v 3 4 Rom. iii 4 > Ps exv 1

—

On the first artice of the Creed.

speak the things which we have seen and heard.”’! ‘This spirit should be excited within us by these admirable words of St.Paul. **T am not ashamed of the Gospel, for itis the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth ;’’? sentiments which derive additional force from these words of the same Apostle: ‘* With the heart we believe unto justice ; but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’’$

“Ix Gop” ] From these words we may learn, how exalted are the dignity and excellence of Christian philosophy, and what a debt of gratitude we owe to the divine goodness ; we to whom it is given at once to soar on the wings of faith to the knowiedge of a being surpassing ia excellence and in whom all our desires should be concentrated. For in this, Christian philo- sophy and human wisdom differ much; that guided solely by the light of nature, and having made gradual advances by reasoning on sensible objects and effects, human wisdom, after long and laborious investigation, at length reaches with difficulty the con- templation of the invisible things of God, discovers and under- stands the first cause and author of all things ; whilst on the con- trary Christian philosophy so enlightens and enlarges the human mind, that at once and without difficulty it pierces the heavens, and illumined with the splendours of the divinity contemplates first the eternal source of light, and in its radiance all created things ; so that with the Apostle we experience with the most exquisite pleasure, ‘and believing rejoice with joy unspeaka- ble.”’*4 that ** we have been called out of darkness into his admi- rable light.”’ > Justiy, therefore, do the faithful profess first to believe in God ; whose majesty, with the prophet Jeremiah, we declare “incomprehensible,’’® for, as the Apostle says, ‘* He dwells in light inaccessible, which no man hath seen or can see :”’? and speaking to Moses, he himself said ** No man shall see my face and live.”* ‘The mind, to be capable of rising to the contenr plation of the Deity, whom nothing approaches in sublimity, mus‘ be entirely disengaged from the senses ; and this the natural con- dition of man in the present life renders impossible.

*‘ God,” however, “ left not himself without testimony ; doing good from heaven; giving rains and fruitful seasons, filling cur hearts with food and gladness.”? Hence it is that philosophers conceived no mean idea of the Divinity ; ascribed to him nothing corporeal, nothing gross, nothing compound ; considered him the perfection and fulness of all good, from whom, as from an eter- nal, inexhaustible fountain of goodness and benignity, flows every perfect gift to all creatures ; called him the wise, the author of truth, the loving, the just, the most beneficent; gave him, also, many othe‘ appeliations expressive of supreme and absolute per- fection ; and said that his immensity filled every place, and his omnipotence extended te every thing. ‘This the Sacred Scrip- tures more clearly express, and more fully develope, as in the

1 Acts iv. 20 2 Rom. i. 14. 3 Rom. x. 10. 41 Peti.8. $1 Pet. iu. 9. ¢ Jerem. xxxii. 19. 7 1 Tim. vi. 16 £ Exod. xxxiii. 10 9 Acts xiv. 16.

Chrishan philosophy superior te human wisdom

Human reason, however, capable of obtain ing a know ledge of God from lus works

The know- ledge de-

rived from faith more

easy and secure.

Unity of Bed.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

following passages: ‘* God is a spirit;”' ** Be ye perfect, even as your Father, who is in heaven, is also perfect ;’’? ‘all things are naked and open to his eyes ;’’3 ‘* Oh! the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God ;’’4 ** God is true ;’’5 «©T am the way, the truth and the life ;”® ‘* Thy right hand is full of justice ;’’7 ** Thou openest thy hand, and fillest with bless- ing every living creature ;’’* and finally: ‘* Whither shall I go from thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy face? IfI as- cend into heaven, thou art there; if I descend into hell thou art there ; if I take wing in the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea ; even there also shat] thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me,”’ &e.® and * Do I not fill heaven and — earth, saith the Lord?’ ‘These are great and sublime truths regarding the nature of God; and of these truths philosophers attained a knowledge, which, whilst it accords with the authority of the inspired volume, results from the investigation of created things.

But we must, also, see the necessity of divine revelation, if we reflect that not only does faith, as we have already observed, make known at once to the rude and unlettered, those truths, a knowledge of which philosophers could attain only by long and laborious study ; but also impresses this knowledge with much greater certainty and security against all error, than if it were the esult of philosophical inquiry. But how much more exalted must not that knowledge of the Deity be considered, which can- not be acquired in common by all from the contemplation of na- ture, but is the peculiar privilege of chose wno are illumined by the light of faith?

This knowledge is contained in the articles of the Creed which disclose to us the unity of the divine essence, and the distinction of three persons; and also that God is the ultimate end of our being, from whom we are to expect the fruition of the eternal happiness of heaven: for we have learned from St. Paul, that ‘God is a rewarder of them that seek him.” " ‘The greatness of these rewards, and whether they are such as that human knowledge could aspire to their attainment, we learn from these words of Isaias uttered long before those of the Apostle; ‘* From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears : without thee, O God, the eye hath not seen what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee.” ® From what has been said, it must also be confessed that there is but one God not many Gods; for as we attribute to God su- preme goodness and infinite perfection, it is impossible that what is Supreme and most perfect could be common to many. If a being want any thing that constitutes this supreme perfection, it is therefore imperfect, and cannot be endowed with the nature of God. ‘This is also proved from many passages of the Sacred

1 John iv. 24. 2 Matt. v. 48. 3 Heb. iv. 13. 4 Rom. xi. 33. § Rom. iii. 4. 6 John xiv. 6. 7 Ps. xlvii. 11. 8 Ps. exliv. 16. 9 Ps. exxxvir 7, 8, 9, 10, &c. 10 Jer. xxiii. 24. \l Heb. xi. 6

12 ] Cor. ii. 9—14. 3 Tsa. lxiv. 4

. i cele i

On the first article of the Creed,

Scripture ; for it is written, ** Hear, O Israel, the Lord our Goa, is one Lord ;’’! again, ‘* Thou shalt not have strange gods before me,’’? is the command of God: and again he often admonishes us hy the prophet, ‘* I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God.” 5 ‘The Apostle also expressly declares ; ** one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.’ * It should not, however, excite our surprise if the Sacred Scriptures sometimes give the name of God to creatures :5 for when they call the prophets and judges gods, they do so not after the manner of the Gentiles; who, in their folly and impiety, formed to themselves many gods ; but in order to express, by a manner of speaking then not unusual, some eminent quality or function conferred on them by the divine munificence. Christian faith, therefore, believes and professes, as is declared in the Nicene Creed in confirmation of this truth, that God in his nature, substance and essence is one ; but soaring still higher, it so understands him to be one that it adores unity in trinity and trinity in unity. Of this mystery we now proceed to speak, as it comes next in order in the Creed.

‘Tue Fatuer”’| As God is called ‘* Father’? for more rea- sons than one, we must first determine the strictly appropriated meaning of the word in the present instance. Some also on whom the light of faith never shone, conceived God to be an eternal substance from whom all things had their beginning, by whose providence they are governed and preserved in their order and state of existence. As, therefore, he, to whom a fa- mily owes its origin, and by whose wisdom and authority it is governed, is called a father; so by analogy from things human, God was called Father, because acknow ledged to be the crea- tor and governor of the universe. ‘The Sacred Scriptures also use the same appellation, when, speaking of God, they declare that to him the creation of all things, power and admirable provi- dence, are to be ascribed: for we read, ‘‘Is not he thy Father that hath possessed thee, and made thee, and created thee?’’® And again, ‘“* Have we not ali one Father? Hath not one God created us 277

But God, particularly in the New Testament, is much more frequently, and in some sense peculiarly called the Father of Christians, who *“ have n“t received the apmit, of bondage in fear, but have received ‘he apirit of adoption of sons, whereby they cry abba nner :” ¢ tor the Father hath bestowed on us that manner of charity, that we should be called, and be the sons of God ;” ® **and if sons, Aeirs aiso, heirs, indeed, of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,’ «* who is the first-born amongst many

Propriety of the word “ Father” as applied to God.

God in a special manner the “ Father” of Chris lians.

brethren, "' for which cause he is not ashamed to cail them bre-

thren.’? * Whether, therefore, we look to the common title of crea- tion and conservation ; or to the special one of spiritual adoption,

Deut. vi. 4. 2 Exod. xx 3. 3 Is. xliv. 6; xlviii 12. 4 Eph. iv. 5.

Ps. lxxxi.J. Exod. xxii.28. 1 Cor. viii. 5. 6 Deut xxxii. 6 T Mal. ii. 10 8 Rom. viii. 15. 9 ] John iii. 1. 1 Rom. viii. 17 Rom. vuis 29. 12 Heb. ii. 11- D

26

The name of ‘ Father’ implies plurality of persons

The Tri- aity,

The Fauer the first person.

Curiosity to be avoid- ed in ex- emining the myste- of the Miity

The Catechism of the Councw of Tent

the tern: ‘“* Father,’’ as applied to God by Christians, is a ake appropriate.

But the pastor will teach the faithful that, on hearing the word ‘‘ Father,” besides the ideas already unfolded, their minds should rise to the contemplation of more exalted mysteries. Under the name of ‘* Father,’’ the divine oracles begin to unveil to us a mysterious truth which is more abstruse, and more deeply hidden in that inaccessible light in which God dwells—a mysterious truth which human reason not only could not reach, but even conceive to exist. ‘his name implies, that in the one essence of the Godhead is proposed to our belief, not only one person, but a distinction of persons: for in one Divine nature there are three persons ; the Father, begotten of none; the Son, begotten of the Father before all ages ; the Holy Ghost, proceeding ‘from the Father and the Son from all eternity.

But in the one substance of the Divinity the Father is the first person, who with his only begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost is one God and one Lord, not in the singularity of one person, but in the trinity of one substance. ‘hese three persons, (for it would be impiety to assert that they are unlike or unequal in any thing) are understood to be distinet only in their peculiar rela- tions. ‘Che Father is unbegotten, the Son begotten of the Fa- ther, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from both; and we confess the essence of the three Persons, their substance to be so the same, that we believe that in the confession of the true and eternal God, we are piously and religiously to adore distinction in the Persons, unity in the essence, and equality in the ‘Trinity. When we say that the Father is the first person, we are not to be understood to mean that in the’l'rinity there is any thing first or last, greater o1 less—let no Christian be guilty of such impiety, for Christianity proclaims the same eternity, the same majesty of glory in the three Persons—but tiie Father, because the beginning without a be- ginning, we truly and unhesitatingly affirm to be the frst per- sou, who, as he is distinct from the others by his peculiar rela- tion of paternity, so of him alone is it true that he begot the Son from eternity : for, when in the Creed we pronounce together the words ** God’? and ** Father,’’ it intimates to us that he is God and Father from eternity.

But as in nothing is a too curious inquiry more dangerous, o1 error more fatal, than in the knowledge and exposition of this, the most profound and difficult of mysteries, let the pastor in- struct the people religiously to retain the terms used to express this mystery, and which are peculiar to essence and person ; and let the faithful know that unity belongs to essence, and distine-

- tion to Persons. But these are truths which should not be made

matter of too subtile disguisition, when we recollect that * he, who is a searcher of majesty, shall be overwhelmed by glory.’” We should be satisfied with the assurance which faith gives us that we have been taught these truths by God himself; and te

t Prov. xxv £7

le ee ic

— |

On the first article of the Creed.

dissent from his oracles is the extreme of folly and misery. He has said: ** Teach ye all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;’’* and again, *‘ there are three who give testimony in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one.’ ? Let him, however, who by the divine bounty believes these truths, con- stantly beseech and implore God, and the Father, who made all things out of nothing, and orders all things sweetly, who gave us power to become the sons of God, and who made known to us the mystery of the ‘Trinity; that admitted, one day, into the eternal tabernacles, he may be worthy to see how great is the fe- eundity of the Father, who contemplating and understanding him- self, begot the Son like and equal to himself; how a love of cha- rity in both, entirely the same and equal, which is the Holy Ghost, preceeding from the Father and the Son, connects the begetting and the begotten by an eternal and indissoluble bond ; and that thus the essence of the ‘Trinity is ‘one and the distinction of the three persons periect.

“Atmicuty.” | ‘Ihe Sacred Scriptures, in order to mark the piety and devotion with which the God of holiness is to be adored, usually express his supreme power and infinite majesty in a variety of ways; but the pastor should impress particularly -2 the minds of the faithful, that the attribute of omnipotence is “zt by which he is most frequently designated. ‘Thus he says uf himself, “I am the Almighty God;’’* and again, Jacob when sending his sons to Joseph thus prayed for them, ‘* May my /mighty God make him favourable to you.”* In the Apocalypse also it is written, ‘*’The Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty :’’* and in another place the last day is called ‘‘ the day of Almighty God.’’® Sometimes the same attribute is expressed in many words ; thus: ‘‘ no word shall be impossible with God :’’7 ‘Is the hand of the Lord unable?”?* ‘Thy power is at hand when thou wilt.”® Many other passages of the same import might be adduced, all of which convey the same idea which is cleariy comprehended under this single word ** @/mighty.” By it we understand that there neither is, nor can be imagined any thing which God cannot do ; for he can not only annihilate all created things, and in a moment summon from nothing into existence many other worlds—an exercise of power, which, however great, comes in some degree within our comprehension—but he ean do many things still greater, of which the human mind can form no conception. But though God can do all things, yet he cannot Sie, or deceive, or be deceived; he cannot sin, or be ignorant of any thing, or cease to exist. ‘These things are com- patible with those beings only whose actions are imperfect, and are ertirely incompatible with the nature of God, whose acts are xll-perfect. ‘To be capable of these things is a proof of weakness,

1 Matt xxviii. 19 2 1 John v. 7. 3 Gen. xvii. 1. 4 Gen. xlii. 14 § Apoc. 1. 8. 6 Apoc. xvi. 14. 7 Luke i 37. § Num. xi. 23. 9 Wied xii 18

Why the powe soe majesty of God are designated by many names, m the Sacree Scriptures. That of Almighty most fre quent

Its mean ng

28 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

not of supreme and infinite power, the peculiar attribute of God Thus, whilst we believe God to be omnipotent, we exclude from him whatever is not intimately connected, and entirely consist ent with the perfection of his nature. Omnipo- But the pastor should point out the propriety and wisdom of rate det having omitted all other names of God in the Creed, and of tribute of having proposed to us that alone of “ Almighty” as the object God men- of our belief; for by acknowledging God to be omnipotent, we eyes also of necessity acknowledge him to be omniscient, and to hold all things in subjection to his supreme authority and dominion. When we doubt not that he is omnipotent, we must be also con- vinced of every thing else regarding him, the absence of which would render his omnipotence altogether unintelligible. Besides, nothing tends more to confirm our faith, and animate our hope, than a deep conviction that all things are possible to God: for whatever may be afterwards proposed as an object of faith, however great, however wonderful, however raised above the natural order, is easily and at once believed, when the mind is already imbued with the knowledge of the omnipotence of God. Nay more, the greater the truths which the divine oracles an- nounce, the more willingly does the mind deem them worthy of belief ; and should we expect any favour from heaven, we are not discouraged by the greatness of the desired boon, but are cheered and confirmed by frequently considering, that there is nothing which an omnipotent God cannot effect. Necessity With this faith, then, we should be specially fortified when- ef faith ir ever we are required to render any extraordinary service to our mighty’ neighbour, or seek to obtain by prayer any favour from God. Its necessity in the one case, we learn from the Redeemer him- self, who, when rebuking the incredulity of the Apostles, said to them, ‘If you have faith as a mustard-seed, you shall say to this mountain, remove from hence thither, and it shall remove ; and nothing shall be impossible to you :’’? and in the other, from these words of St. James, ‘Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by.the wind. ‘Therefore, let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.’ This faith brings with it also many advantages. It forms us, ir the first place, to all humility and lowliness of mind, according to these words of the Prince of the Apostles: ‘*Be you hum- bled, therefore, under tlhe mighty hand of God.”* It also teaches us not to fear where there is no cause of: fear, but to fear God alone,* in whose power we ourselves and all that we have are placed;> for our Saviour says, “I will show you whom you shall fear; fear ye him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell.”’® This faith is, also, useful to enable us to know and exalt the infinite mercies of God towards zs: he who reflects on the omnipotence of God, cannot be se

Matt. xvii. 20 2 James i. 6, 7. 3 ] Pet. v. 6, 4 Ps. xxxii 8 33.10 5 Wisd vii. 16. 6 Luke xii. 5

On the first article of the Creed. 39

angrateful as not frequently to exclaim, “He that is mighty hath done great things to me.” +

When, however, in this article we call the Father “ Almighty,’” Not three let no person be led into the error of excluding, therefore, from anes its participation the Son and the Holy Ghost. As we sav the mighty. Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Ghost is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but one God, so, in like manner, we confess that the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty, and, yet, there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. The Father, in particular, we call Almighty, because he is the source of all origin; as we also attribute wis- dom to the Son, because the eternal word of the Father; and goodness to the Holy Ghost, because the love of both. ‘These, however, and such appellations, may be given indiscriminately to the three Persons, according to the rule ‘of Catholic faith.

*¢ CREATOR oF Heaven anv Earrn’’| The necessity of having Fromwhag

previously imparted to the faithful a knowledge of the omni- wee ae, potence of God, will appear from what we are now about to made the explain with regard to the creation of the world. For when world already convinced of the omnipotence of the Creator, we more readily believe the wondrous production of so stupendous a work. For God formed not the world from materials of any sort, but created it from nothing, and that not by constraint or necessity, but spontaneously, and of his own free will Nor was he im- pelled to create by any other cause than a desire to communicate to creatures the riches of his bounty; for essentially happy in himself, he stands not in need of any thing; as David expresses it: ‘I said to the Lord, thou art my God, for of my goods thou hast no need.” But as, influenced by his own goodness, ‘ he hath done all things whatsoever he would,’’* so in the work of the creation he followed no external form or model; but con- templating and, as it were, imitating the universal model con- tained in the divine intelligence, the supreme Architect, with in finite wisdom and power, attributes peculiar to the Divinity, created all things in the beginning: ‘he spoke and they were made, he commanded and they were created.”* ‘The words ‘‘ heaven” and ‘ earth” include all things which the heavens and the earth contain; for, besides the Heavens, which the Prophet ealled ‘*the work of his fingers,’’> he also gave to the sun its brillianey, and to the moon and stars their beauty: and that they may be ** for signs and for seasons, for days and for years,”® ie so ordered the celestial bodies in a certain and uniform course, that nothing varies more their continual revolution, yet nothing more fixed than that variety.

Moreover, he created from nothing spiritual nature, and angels Creation e innumerabie to serve and minister to him: and these he replen- 4"8°* ished and adorned with the admirable gifts of his grace and pow- er. That the devil and his associates, the rebel angels, were gifted at their creation w th grace, clearly follows from these

' Luke 149. 2 Ps. xv. 2. 3 Ps. exiii. 3. 4 Ps. xxxii.9 cxlviii. & § Ps. viii. 4. * Gen. i 14.

Their fal!

Creation of the earth.

Of Man

God the Creator of all

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

words of the Sacred Scriptures <‘‘'The devil stood not in the truth ;”2 on which subject St. Augustine says, ‘In creating the angels he endowed them with good will, that is, with pure love, by which they adhere to him, at once giving them existence, and adorning them with grace.”** Hence we are to believe that the an- gels were never without ‘ good will,”’ that is, the love of God. As to their knowledge we have this testimony of Holy Scripture : «Thou, Lord, my King, art wise according to the wisdom of an Angel of God, to understand all things upon earth.”’? Finally, Da- vid ascribes power to them in these words ; ‘* mighty in strength, executing his word;’’* and on this account, they are often called in Scripture the ‘* powers’’ and ‘ the hosts of heaven.”’ But al- though they were all endowed with celestial gifts, very many, however, having rebelled against God, their Father and Creator, were hurled from the mansions of bliss, and shut up in the dark dungeons of hell, there to suffer for eternity the punishment of their pride. Speaking of them the Prince of the Apostles says : ‘‘ He spared not the angels that sinned ; but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes, to the lower hell, into torments, to be reserved unto judgment.’’>

The earth, also, God commanded to stand in the midst of the world, rooted in its own foundation, and ‘** made the mountains to ascend, and the plains to descend into the place which he had founded for them.” ‘That the waters should not inundate the earth, ‘‘ he hath set a bound which they shall not pass over, nei- ther shall they return to cover the earth.”® He next not only clothed and adorned it with trees, and every variety of herb and flower, but filled it, as he had already filled the air and water, with innumerable sorts of living creatures.

Lastly, he formed man from the slime of the earth, immortal and impassable, not, however, by the strength of nature, but by the bounty of God. His soul he created to his own image and likeness ; gifted him with free will, and tempered all his motions and appetites, so as to subject them, at all times, to the dictate of reason. He then added the invaluable gift of original righteous- ness, and next gave him dominion over all other animals—By re- ferring to the sacred history of Genesis the pastor will make him- self familiar with these thirfgs for the instruction of the faithful.

What we have said, then, of the creation of the universe, is to be understood as conveyed by the words ‘‘ heaven and earth,” and is thus briefly set forth by the prophet: ‘* Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth: the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded :’’7 and still more briefly by the Fathers of the Council of Nice, who added in their Creed these words, “of ail things visible and invisible.”” Whatever exists in the universe, and was created by God, either fails under the senses, and is in- cluded in the word * visible,”’ or is an object of perception to tba mind, and is expressed by the word “invisible.”

! John viii. 44. 2 Aug. lib. 12. de Ciyit. Dei, cap. 9. 3 2 Kings mv. 20. Ps. cii. 20. 52Pe 1.4 & Ps. ciii. 8, 9. 7 Ps. Ixxxviii. 12.

Die a a ee a es

On the second article of the Creed.

We are not, however, to understand that the works of God, when once created, could continue to exist unsupported by his omnipotence: as they derive existence from his supreme power, wisdom and goodness, so unless preserved continually by his su- perintending providence, and by the same power which produced them, they should instantly return into their original nothing. This the Scriptures declare, when they say, ‘* How could any thing endure if thou wouldst not? or be preserved, if not called by thee?’ But not only does God protect and govern all things by his providence; but also by an internal virtue impels to mo- tion and action whatever moves and acts, and this in such a man- ner, as th2i aithough he excludes not, he yet prevents the agency of secondary causes. His invisible influence extends to all things, and as the wise man says: ‘It reacheth from end to end, mighty, and ordereth all things sweetly.”’? This is the reason why the Apostle, announcing to the Athenians the God whom not know- ing they adored, said; ** He is not far from every one of us: for in him we live and move and have our being.’

Let thus much suffice for the explanation of the first article of the Creed: it may not, however, be unnecessary to add that the creation is the common work of the three Persons of the Holy and undivided ‘Trinity—of the Father, whom, according to the doctrine of the Aposiles, we here declare to be ‘* Creator of hea- ven and earth ;”"—of the Son, of whom the Scripture says, ** all things were made by him ;’’* and of the Holy Ghost, of whom it is written, ‘‘ The Spirit of God moved over the waters:’” and again, ‘* By the word of the Lord the heavens were established and all the power of them by the Spirit of his mouth.” ©

ARTICLE II. ‘* AND IN JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY SON, OUR LORD.”’

Tuat wonderful and superabundant are the blessings which flow to the human race, from the belief and profession of this article we learn from these words of St. John ; ‘* Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the son of God, God abideth in him and he in God ;’”7 and also from the words of Christ our Lord, proclaim- ing the Prince of the Apostles blessed for the confession of this truth ; ‘* Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood have not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.’’8 This sublime truth is the most fit... basis of our salvation and re- demption.

But as the fruit of these admirable blessings is pest known by considering the ruin brought on man, by his fall from that most

Wisdom xi. 26. 2 Wisdom. viii. 1 3 Acts xvii. 27, 28. 4 John i. 3. § Gen. i. 2. 6 Ps. xxii. 6 7 1 John iv. 15. 8 Mat xvi 17.

31

The pre- server and governer

Creation, the work ofthe three Persons.

The great blessings which flow from the belief and profession ot this arg cle.

How we may lears

32

io estumate their value

Belief aud profession of this arti- cle neces- sary to sal- vation.

The pro- mise of a Saviour

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

happy state in which God had placed our first parents, let the pastor be particularly careful to make known to the faithful. the cause of this common misery and universal calamity. When Adam had departed from the obedience due to God, and had vioe lated the prohibition, ‘‘of every tree of Paradise thou shalt eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt no} eat, for in what day soever thou shalt eat it. thou shalt die the death ;”* he fell into the extreme misery of losing the sanctity and righteousness in which he was created ; and of becoming sub- ject to all those other evils, which are detailed more at large by the holy Council of Trent.? ‘The Pastor, therefore, will not omit to remind the faithful, that the guiit and punishment of original sin were not confined to Adam, but justly descended from him, as from their source and cause, to all posterity. ‘The human race, having fallen from their elevated dignity, no power of men or angels could raise them from their fallen condition, and replace them in their primitive state. ‘To remedy the evil, and repair the loss, it became necessary that the Son of God, whose merits are infinite, clothed in the weakness of our flesh, should remove the infinite weight of sin, and reconcile us to God in his blood

The belief and profession of this our redemption, as God de- clared from the beginning, are now, and always have been, neces- sary to salvation. In the sentence of condemnation, pronounced against the human race immediately after the sin of Adam, the hope of redemption was held out in these words, which denoun- ced to the devil, the loss which he was to sustain by man’s re- demption: ‘*1 will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.’’? The same promise he again often confirmed, and more distinctly signified his counsels to those chiefly whom he desired to make special objects of his predilee- tion: amongst others to the patriaren Abraham, to whom he often declared this mystery, but then more explicitly when, in obedi- ence to God’s command, he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac : ‘* Because,”’ says he, ‘‘thou hast done this thing, and hast not spared thy only begotten son for my sake; I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand that is by the sea shore. ‘Thy seed shall possess the gates of their enemies, and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”* From these words it was easy to infer that he, who was to deliver man- kind from the ruthless tyranny of Satan, was to be descended from Abraham ; and that, whilst he was the Son of God, he was to be born of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh. Not long af- ter, to preserve the memory of this promise, he renewed the same covenant with Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. When in a vision Jacob saw a ladder standing on earth, and its top reach- ing to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending by it,° he also heard the Lord saying to him, as the Scripture

’ Gen. ii 16,17. 2 Sess. 5. Can. 1. & 2.—Sess. 6. Can. 1. & 2. 3 Gen. iii. 15 4 Gen. xxii. 16, 17, 18. 5 Gen. xrviil. 12.

On the second article of the Creed.

testifies; **I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac ; the land, wherein thou sleepest, I will give to thee and to thy seed ; and thy seed shall be as the «lust o1 the earth ; thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in thee and thy seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.’** Nor did God cease afterwards to excite in the posterity of Abraham, and in many others, the hope of a Saviour, by renewing the recollection of the same promise ; for, after the establishment of the Jewish republic and religion, it became better known to his people. Many types signified, and prophets foretold the numerous and invaluable b.essings which our Redeemer, Christ Jesus, was to bring to mankind. And, indeed, the prophets, whose minds were illu- -minated with light from above, foretold the birth of the Son of God, the wondrous works which he wrought whilst on earth, his doctrine, manners, kindred, death, resurrection, and the other mysterious circumstances regarding him;? and all these as graphically as if they were prssilg before their eyes. With the exception of the time only, we can discover no difference be- tween the predictions of the prophets, and the preaching of the 2postles, between the faith of the ancient patriarchs, and that of Christians—But, we are now to speak of the several parts of this Article.

** Jnsvs’’ |'This is the proper name of the man-God, and signifies Saviour; a name given him not accidentally, or by the judg- ment or will of man, but by the counsel and command of God. For the angel announced to Marv his mother: ‘ Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus.”? He afterwards not only commanded Joseph, who was espoused to the Virgin, to call the chiid by that name, but also declared the reason why he should be so called: ‘* Joseph,”’ says he, ‘*Son of David, fear not to take Mary thy wife, for that which is born in her is of the Hely Ghost; and she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins,’’* In the Sacred Scriptures we meet with many who were called by this name—the son of Nave, for instance, who succeeded Moses, and, by special privilege denied to Moses, conducted into the land of promise, the people whom Moses had delivered from Egvpt;> and Josedech, whose father was a priest.° But how much more appropriately shall we not deem this name given to him, who gave light and liberty and salvation, not to one people only, but to all men, of all ages—to men oppressed, not by famine, or Egyptian, or Babylonish bondage, but sitting i the shadow of death and fettered by sin, and riveted in the gall ing chains of the devil—to him who purchased for them a righ) to the inheritance of heaven, and reconciled them to God te

Gen. xxviii. 13,14. 2 Is. vin. 14; viii. 3; 1x. 5; xi. 1—53 per totum Jer. xxiii 3.xxx.9. Dan. vii. 13; ix. 24 3 Luke i. 31. ; 4 Matt. i 20, 21. 5 Eccl. xlvi. 1 o Agg.1.1

E

2a

Meaning o! the name Jesus, by whom and why givep

Lhe name Christ, why added to that of Jesus.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

Father In those men, who were designated by the same name, we recognise so many types of Christ our Lord, by whom these blessings were accumulated on the human race. All other names, which were predicted to be given by divine appointment to the Son of God, are to be referred to this one name Jesus,‘ for whilst they partially glanced at the salvation which he was to purchase for us, this fully embraced the univer sal salvation of the human race.

‘“Curist’] To the name ‘Jesus’ is also added that of ‘*Christ,” which signifies the ‘‘ anointed ;”” a name expressive of honour and office, and not peculiar to one thing only, but common to many; for, in the old law priests and kings, whom God, on- account of the dignity of their ofice, commanded to be anointed, were called Christs Priests, because they commend the peo- ple to God by unceasing prayer, offer sacrifice to him and depre- cate his w rath.—Kings, because they are entrusted with the go- vernment of the people, and to them principally belong the au- thority of the law, the protection of innocence, and the punish- ment of guilt. As, therefore, both seem to represent the majesty of God on earth, those who were a appointed to the royal or sacer- dotal office, were anointed with oil. Prophets also were usually anointed, who, as the interpreters and ambassadors of the im- mortal God, unfolded to us the secrets of heaven, and by salu- tary precepts, and the prediction of future events. exhorted to amendment of life. When Jesus Christ our Saviour came into the world, he assumed these three characters of Prophet, Priest, and King, and is, therefore, called ‘* Christ,” having been anoint- ed for the discharge of these functions, not by mortal hand, or with earthly ointment, but by the power of his ‘heavenly Father, and with a spiritual oil; for the plenitude of the Holy Spirit, and a more copious effusion of all gifts, than any created being is capable of receiving, were poured into his soul. ‘This the prophet clearly indicates, when he addresses the Redeemer in these words. <‘‘'Thou hast loved justice, and hatest iniquity, therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness before thy fellows.’’* The same is also more explicitly declared by the prophet Isaiah: ‘*'The Spirit of the Lord,” says he,** is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me; he hath sent me to preach to the meek.’’> Jesus Christ, therefore, was the great prophet and teacher,® from whom we have learned the will of God, and by whom the world has been taught the knowledge of the Father; and the name of Prophet belongs to him pre-emt cae because all others who were dignified with that name were his disciples, sent principally to announce the coming of that Prophet who was to save all men. Christ was also a Priest, not, indeed of the tribe of Levi, as were the priests of tke old law, but of that of which the prophet David sang:

1 Is. vin. 14; viii. 8: ix. 6. Jer. xxm-6. 21 Kings xii 3 xvi. 6, xm 7 3 Lev. viii. 30. 3 Kings xix. 15, 16. 4 Ps. xliv. 8 SIs Ini. be - § Deut. xvi. 15

On the second article of the Creed.

‘Thou art a Priest for ever according to the order of Melchise- dech.”’* This subject the Apostle fully and accurately developes in his epistle to the Hebrews.? Christ not only as God, but as man, we also acknowledge to be a King: of him the angel testi- fies; ‘‘ He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”* ‘This kingdom of Christ is spiritual and eternal, begun on earth, but perfected in heaven: and, indeed, ne discharges by his admirable providence the du- ties of King towards his Church, governing and protecting her against the open violence and covert designs of her enemies, mparting to her not only holiness and righteousness, but also power and strength to persevere. But, although the good and the bad are contained within the limits of this kingdom, and thus all by right belong to it; yet those, who, in conformity with his commands, lead unsullied and innocent lives, experience, beyoad ali others, the sovereign goodness and beneficence of our King. Although descended from the most illustrious race of kings, he obtained not this kingdom by hereditary or other human right, but because God bestowed on him as man all the power, dignity, and majesty of which human nature is susceptible. ‘To him, therefore, God delivered the government of the whole world, and to this his sovereignty, which has already commenced, all things shall be made fully and entirely subject on the day of judgment.*

«His onty Son’’] In these words, mysteries more exalted with regard to Jesus are proposed to the faithful, as objects of their belief and contemplation—that he is the Son of God, and true God, as is the Father who begot him from eternity. We also confess that he is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, equal in all things to the Father and the Holy Ghost; for, in the divine Persons nothing unequal or unlike should exist, or even be ima- gined to exist; whereas we acknowledge the essence, will and power of all to be one; a truth clearly revealed in many of the oracles of inspiration, and sublimely announced in this testimony of St. John: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God, and the Word was with God.’’5

But, when we are told that Jesus is the Son of God, we are not to understand any thing earthly or mortal of his birth; but are firmly to believe, and piously to adore that birth by which, from all eternity, the Father begot the Son; a mystery which reason cannot fully conceive or comprehend, and at the contem- plation of which, overwhelmed, as it were with admiration, we should exclaim with the prophet: ‘* Who will declare his gene- ration?’ Qn this point, then, we are to believe that the Son is of the same nature, of the same power and wisdom with the Fa- ther; as we more fully profess in these words of the Nicene Creed: “ And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, born of the Father before all ages, God of God, true God of true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all

Ps. cix.4 Heb.y.5. 2Heb.v.& vii. 3Lukei.33. 41 Cor 15. 25—27 5 John i 1. 6 Is. liii. 8.

Christ, the Son of God and true God.

His eternal generation incompre- hensible.

36

His unity of person.

Why called by different names.

Why called ‘our Lord.’

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

things were made.’’ Amongst the different comparisons em ployed to elucidate the mode and manner of this eternal gene ration, that which is borrowed from thought seems to come near est to its illustration; and henee St. John calls the Son ‘ the word :’* for as the mind, in some sort looking into and under- standing itself, forms an image of itself, which Theologians ex press by the term ‘ word ;”’ so God, as far, however, as we may compare human things to divine, understanding himself, begets the eternal Word. Better, however, to contemplate what faith proposes, and, in the sincerity of our souls, believe and confess that Jesus Christ is trae God and true man—as God, begotten of the Father before all ages—as man, born in time of Mary, his virgin mother. Whilst we thus acknowledge his twofold nativity, we believe him to be one Son, because his divine and human natures meet in one person. As to his divine generation he has no brethren or coheirs ; being the only begotten Son of the Father, whilst we mortals are the work of his hands: but, if we consider his birth as man, he not only calls many by the name of brethren, but regards them as brethren—they are those who, by faith have received Christ the Lord, and who really, and by works of charity, approve the faith which they internally profess ; and hence it is that he is called by the Apostle: ‘ the first born amongst many brethren.’’?

«Our Lorp’’?| Of our Saviour many things are recorded ir Scripture, some of which clearly apply to him as God, and some as man; because from his different natures he received the different properties which belong to each. Hence, we say with truth, that Christ is Almighty, Eternal, Infinite, and these attributes he has from his divine nature: again, we say of him that he suffered, died, and rose again, which manifestly are pro- perties compatible only with his human nature.

Besides these, there are others common to both natures; as when in this article of the Creed, we say : ‘‘ our Lord ;”’ a name strictly applicable to both. As he is eternal, as well as the Fa- ther, so is he Lord of all things equally with the Father; and, as he and the Father are not, the one, one God, and the other, another God; but one and the same God; so likewise he and the Father are not, the one, one Lord, and the other, another Lord. As man, he is also, for many reasons, appropriately call- ed *‘ our Lord ;’’ and first, because he is our Redeemer, who de- livered us from sin. ‘This is the doctrine of St. Paul: ‘“ He humbled himself,’’ says the Apostle, ‘*‘ becoming obedient unto death ; even to the death of the cross: for which cause God hath also exalted him, and hath given him a name, that is above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those that are in heaven, on earth and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glor¥ of God the Father.’ And of himself he says, after his resur- rection: ‘‘ All power is given me in heaven, and on earth.’ *

‘ fohn i. 1 2 Rom. viii. 29. 3 Phil. ii, 8—11. 4 Matt. xxvili. 18

On the third article of the Creed.

He 1s, also, called «* Lord,”’ because in one person both natures, the human and divine, are united; and though he had not died for us, he had yet deserved, by this admirable union, to be con- stituted common Lord of ali created things, particularly of those who, in all the fervour of their souis, obey and serve him.

It remains, therefore, that the pastor exhort the faithful to the consideration of these his claims to the title of ‘our Lord;” that we, who, taking our name from him are called Christians, and who cannot be ignorant of the extent of his favours, par- ticularly in having enabied us to understand all these things by fa:th, may know the strict obligation we, above all others, are under, of devoting and consecrating ourselves for ever, like faith- ful servants, to our Redeemer and our Lord. This we promised when, at the baptismal font, we were initiated and introduced into the Church of God; for we then declared that we renounced the devil and the world, and gave ourselves unreservedly to Jesus Christ. But if, to be enrolled as soldiers of Christ, we consecrated ourselves by so holy and solemn a profession to our Lord, what punishments should we not deserve were we, after our entrance into the Church, and after having known the will and laws of God, and received the grace of the sacraments, to

form our lives upon the laws and maxims of the world and the

devil; as if, when cleansed in the waters of baptism, we had pledged our fidelity to the world and to the devil, and not to Christ our Lord and Saviour! What heart so cold as not to be inflamed with love by the benevolence and beneficence exer- cised towards us by so great a Lord, who, though holding us in his power and dominion, as slaves ransomed by his blood, yet embraces us with such ardent love as to call us not servants, but friends and brethren?’ ‘This, assuredly, supplies the most Just and, perhaps, the strongest claim to induce us always to acknowledge, venerate and adore him as ‘‘ our Lord.”

ARTICLE IL.

‘6 WHO WAS CONCEIVED OF THE HOLY GHOST, BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY.”

37

Matter foe exhortation supplied by this Arti- cle.

‘‘ Wo was CONCEIVED oF THE Hoty Guost’’ | From what Incarna- has been said in the preceding Article, the faithful are given to tion of the

understand that, in delivering us from the relentless tyranny of Satan, God has conferred a singular and invaluable blessing on the human race: but, if we place before our eyes the economy of redemption, in it the goodness and beneficence of God shine forth with incomparable splendour and magnificence. ‘The pas- tor, tren, will enter on the exposition of this third Article, by

! John xv 14 4

Son of God

38 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

developing the grandeur of this mystery, which the Sacred Serip tures very frequently propose to our consideration as the princi pal source of our eternal salvation. Its meaning he will teach ta be, that we believe and confess that the same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when he assumed human flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived like other men, from the seed of man, but in a manner transcending the order of nature, that is, by the power of the Holy Ghost ;* so that the same person, remaining God as he was from eternity, became man,? what he was not before, ‘That such is the meaning of these words is clear from the confession of the Holy Council of Constantinople, which says: ‘* who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and became incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was mapEe MAN.” ‘The same truth we also find unfolded by St. John the Evangelist, who imbibed from the bosom of the Saviour himself, the know- ledge of this most profound mystery. When he had thus de- clared the nature of the divine Word: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” he concludes, ** And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us.’’? ‘Thus, ** the Word,”’ which isa person of the divine nature, assumed human nature in such a manner that the person of both natures is one and the same: and hence this admirable union preserved the actions and properties of both natures, and, as we read in St. Leo, that great pontiff, «The lowliness of the inferior, was not consumed in the glory of the superior, nor did the assumption of the inferior diminish the glory of the supe- rior.’”* The work But as an explanation of the words, in which this Article is pel expressed, is not to be omitted, the pastor will teach that when three Per- We Say that the Son of God was conceived by the power of the sons of the Holy Ghost, we do not mean that this Person alone of the Holy 'y- Trinity accomplished the mystery of the incarnation Although the Son alone assumed human nature, yet all the Persons of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, were authors of this mystery. It is a principle of Christian faith, that what- ever God does extrinsically, is common to the three Persons, and that one neither does more than, nor acts without another But that one emanates from another cannot be common to all; for the Son is begotten of the Father only, the Holy Ghost pro- ceeds from the Father and the Son: but whatever proceeds from them extrinsically, is the work of the three Persons without dif- ference of any sort, and of this latter description is the inearna- tion of the Son of God. Ate sl gpiep Of those things, notwithstanding, that are common to all, the btted to sacred Scriptures often attribute some to one person, some te the Holy another: thus, to the Father they attribute power over all things + Ghost. to the Son, wisdom; to the Holy Ghost love; and hence, as the mystery of the incarnation manifests the singular and bound ess

1 Matt. 1. 20 2 John i. 14 3 John 1. 1—14. 4 Serm. i..de Nat

On the third articce of the Creed.

love of God towards us, it is, therefore, ii some sort peculiarly attributed to the Holy Ghost.

In this mystery we perceive that some thiigs were done which transcend the order of nature, some by the power of nature: thus, in believing that the body of Christ was formed from the most pure blood of his Virgin Mother, we acknowledge the operation of human nature, this being a law common to the forma- tion of all human bodies. But what surpasses the order of nature and human comprehension is, that, as soon as the Blessed Virgin assented to the announcement of the angel in these words, ** Be- hold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word,’ the most sacred body of Christ was immediately formed, and to it was united a rational soul ; and thus, in the same instant of time, he was perfect God and perfect man. ‘That this was the astonishing and admirable work of the Holy Ghost can- not be doubted; for according to the order of nature, nobody, unless after a certain period of time, can be animated with a hu- man soul.

Again, and it should overwhelm us with astonishment; as soon as the soul of Christ was united to his body, the Divinity became united to both; and thus at the same time his body was formed and animated, and the Divinity united to body and soul. Hence, at the same instant, he was perfect God and perfect man, and the most Holy Virgin, having at the same moment, conceiy- ed God and man, is truly and properly, called Mother of God and maa. This, the Angel signified to her when he said: “ Be- hold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High.”? ‘The event verified the pro- pheey of Isaiah : «* Behold a Virgin shall conceive, and bring fortli a Son.’ Elizabeth also, when, filled with the Holy Ghost, she understood the conception of the Son of God, declared the same truth in these words: ‘* Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?”’* But, as the body of Christ was formed of the pure blood of the immaculate Virgin without the aid of man, as we have already said, anc by the sole opera- tion of the Holy Ghost; so also, at the moment of his concep- tion, his soul was replenished with an overflowing fulness of the Spirit of God, and a superabundance of all graces ; for God gave not to him, as to others adorned with graces and holiness, his Spirit by measure, as St. John testifies ;° but poured into his soul the plenitude of all graces so abundantly, that ‘+ of his ful- ness we have all received.’*®

Although possessing that Spirit by which holy men attained the adoption of sons of God, he cannot, however, be called the adop**4 Son of God; for being the Son of God by nature, the grave, or name of adoption can, on no account, be deemed ap- plicable to him.

’ Luke 1. 38. 2 Luke 1. 31, 32. 3 Isaiah vii 14. 4 Luke: «3 5 John iii. 34. 6 Johr. i. 16 ;

In what na tural, and

in what su pernatural

The Di si-

nity united to the hu manity of

Christ

The Virgin truly mo- ther of God and man.

The soul at Christ re- plenished from his conception, with all grace

Christ the Son of God by nature, not by adoption

tlow we are w reap fruit unto salvation from the belief of this Article.

Chrsst oorn ofa Virgin.

Manner of

bis birth.

The Catecnism of the Council of Trent.

These heads comprise the substance of what sored to us ta demand explanation regarding the admirable mystery of the con- ception. ‘l'o reap from them abundant fruit of salvation, the faith- ful should particularly recall to their recollection, and frequent- ly reflect, that it is God who assumed human flesh; but that the manner of its assumption transcends the limits of our com- prehension, not to say, of our powers of expression; finally, that he vouchsafed to become man, in order that we mortals may be regenerated children of God. When to these subjects, they + hali have given mature consideration, let them, in the humility of faith, believe and adore all the mysteries contamed in this Arti- cle, nor indulge a curious inquisitiveness by investigatg and scrutinizing them—an attempt scarcely ever unattended with danger.

Born or tHe VirGIN Mary’ | ‘These words comprise another part of this Article of the Creed, in the exposition of which the pastor shouid exercise considerable diligence ; because the faithful are bound to believe, that Christ our Lord was not only conceived by.the pow er of the Holy Ghost, but was also ‘born of the Virgin Mary.” ‘The words of the Angel, who first announced the happy tidings to the world, declare with what transports of joy, and emotions of delight, the belief of this mystery should be meditated by us: * Behold.” savs he, 4 bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the pee- ple.”* The song chanted by the heavenly host clearly conveys he same sentiments: * Glory, ” say they, to God in the high- est: and on earth, peace to men of good-will.” Hence e, Tes began the fulfilment of the splendid promise mae by Almighty God to Abraham, th: aut in his seed all the natiovs of the envi should be blessed ;? for Mary, whom we truly proclaim and venerate as Mother of God, because she brought * ortn him who is, at once, God and man, was descended from \“ing David.4 But as the conception itself traiscends ‘ne order W nature, so also, the birth of the man-God presents to our cc \templation nothing but what is divine.

Besides, a circumstance wonderful beyond expressic™; or con- ception, he is born of his Mother without any diminuticy of her maternal virginity ; and as he afterwards went forth fram the sepulchre whilst it was closed and sealed, and entered the room in which his disciples were assembled, ‘‘ the doors being shut;’”* or, not to depart from natural events which we witness every day, as the rays of the sun penetrate, without breaking or in- juring, in the least, the substance of glass ; after alike, but more incomprehensible manner, did Jesus Christ come forth from his mother’s womb without injury to her maternal virginity, which,

- immaculate and perpetual, forms the just theme of our eulogy.

This was the work of the Holy Ghost, who, at the conception and birth of the Son, so favoured the Virgin Mother as to im:

' Luke ii. 10 2 Luke ii. 14. 3 Gen. xxii. 18. 4 Matt. i. 1. 6. 5 John xx. 19.

On the third article of the Creed.

part to her fecundity, and yet preserve inviolate her perpetual virginity.

‘The Apostle, sometimes, called Jesus Christ the second Adam, and institutes a comparison between him and the first: for ‘as in the first all men die, so in the second all are made alive ;’"! and as in the natural order, Adam was the father of the human race ; so, in the supernatural order, Christ is the author of grace and of glory. ‘The Virgin Mother we may also compare to Eve, making the second Eve, that is Mary, correspond with the first; as we have already shown that the second Adam, that is, Christ, corresponds with the first Adam. By believing the serpent, Eve entailed malediction and death on mankind ;? and Mary, by be- lieving the Angel, became the instrument of the divine goodness in bringing life and benediction to the human race.* From Eve we are born children of wrath; from Mary we have received Jesus Christ, and through him are regenerated children of grace. ‘I'o Eve it was said: ‘In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children :’’* Mary was exempt from this law, for preserving her virginal in- tegrity inviolate, she brought forth Jesus the Son of God, with- out experiencing, as we have already said, any sense of pain.

The mysteries of this admirable conception and nativity being, therefore, so great and so numerous, it accorded with the views of Divine Providence to signify them by many types and pro- phesies Hence the Holy Fathers understood many things which we meet in the Sacred Scriptures to relate to them, par- ticularly that gate of the Sanctuary which Ezechiel saw closed ;° the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, which became a great mountain and filled the universe ;° the rod of Aaron, which alone budded of all the rods of the princes of Israel 57 and the bush which Moses saw burn without being consumed. The holy Evangelist describes in detail the history of the birth of Christ, and, as. the pastor can easily recur to the Saered Volume, it is unnecessary for us to say more on the subject.

But he should labour to impress deeply on the minds and hearts of the faithful these mysteries, ‘* which were wriiten for our instruction ;’”*° first, that by the commemoration of so great a benefit they may make some return of gratitude to God, its author; and next, in order to place before their eyes, as a mo- del for imitation, this striking and singular example of humility. What can be more useful, what better caiculated to subdue the pride and haughtiness of the human heart, than to reflect, fre- quently, that God humbles himself in such a manner as to as- sume our frailty and weakness, in order to communicate to us his grace and glory—that God becomes man, and that he * at whose nod,’ to use the words of Scripture, ** the pillars of hea- ven fear and tremble.’’' bows his supreme and infinite majesty :0 minister to man—that he whom the angels adore in heaven

t1Cor.xy. 21, 22. 2 Eccl. xxv. 33. 3 Eph. i. 3. 4 Gen. iii. 16. 5 Ezech. xliv. 2. 6 Dan. ii. 35. 7 Num. xvii. & 8 Exod. ii. ¥ § Luke ii. W Rom. xv. 4. Job xxvi. 11.

4* e

4)

Christ compared to Adam, Mary to Eve

Types ana figures of luis concep uon and nativity.

The lesson which this mystery conveys

42

The digni- ty which it confers on man.

The influ- ence which ; it should have on his life

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Is born on earth!! When such is the goodness of God towards us, what, I ask, what should we not do to testify our obedience to his will? With rvhat promptitude and alacrity should we not love, embrace, and perform all the duties of Christian hu- mility? The faithful should also know the salutary lessons which Christ teaches at his birth, before he opens his divine lips ;——he is born in poverty,—he is born a stranger under a roof not his own,—he is born in a lonely crib—he is born in the depth of winter! ‘These circumstances, which attend the birth of the man-God, are thus recorded by St. Luke: ‘* And it came to pass, that, when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delive ered, and she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”? Could the Evangelist comprehend under more humble terms the majesty and glory that filied the heavens and the earth? He does not say, tere) was no room in the inn, but ‘* there was no room for him who says: mine ts the earth and the fulness thereof ;”* and this destitution of the man-God another Ev angelist reegrdes in Ne words; ‘*‘ He came unto his own, and his own received him not.’

When the faithful have placed these things before their eyes, let them also reflect, that God condescended to assume the low- liness and frailty of our flesh in order to exalt man to the high est degree of dignity; for this single reflection alone supplies sufficient proof of the exalted dignity of man conferred on him by the divine bounty—that he who is true and perfeet God vouchsafed to become man; so that we may now glory that the Son of God is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, a privi- lege not given to angels, ** for no where,’ says the apostle «doth he take oon of the angels: but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold.’

We must sae take care, that these singular blessings rise not in judgment against us; that, as at Bethlehem, the place of his nativity, he was denied a dwelling ; so also, now that he is no longer born in human flesh, he be not denied a dwelling in our hearts, in which he may be spiritually born: for, through an earnest desire for our salvation, this is the object of his most anxious solicitude. As then, by the power of the Holy Ghost and in a manner superior to the order of nature, he was made man and was born, was holy and eveu holiness itself; so does it become our duty ‘to be born, not of blood nor of the will of flesh, but of God ;’’> to walk, as new creatures in newness of spirit:® and to preserve that holiness and purity of soul that be- come men regenerated by the Spirit of God.7 Thus shall we reflect some faint image of the holy conception and nativity of the Son of God, which are the objects of our firm faith, and believ- ing which we revere and adore ‘‘ in a mystery, wisdom of God which was hidden.’’§

| Luke ii. 6, 7 2 Ps. xlix. 12. 3 John 1. 11. 4 Heb. u 16 s John i. 13 € Rom. vi. 4—7 7 2Cor. iii. 18 SiGorsne a

On the fourth article of the Creed 43

ARTICLE IV.

*SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DEAD, AND ” BURIED.

‘‘ SUFFERED UNDER Pontius Pivare, was cruciriep”’ | How Necessity necessary the knowledge of this Article, and how assiduous the as . pastor should be in stirring up, in the minds of the faithful, the and fae frequent recollection of our Lord’s passion, we learn from the quentexpe apostle when he says, that he knows nothing but Christ, and pice ath him crucified. In illustrating this subject, therefore, the great- est care and pains should be taken by the pastor, that the faith- ful, excited by the remembrance of so great a benefit, may be entirely devoted to the contemplation of the goodness and love of God towards us.

The first part of this Article (of the second we shall treat here- What this after,) proposes to our belief, that when Pontius Pilate governed parece me the province of Judea, under Tiberius Cesar, Christ the Lord proposes ta was nailed to a cross. Having been seized as a malefactor, our belief mocked, outraged, and tortured, in various forms, he was finally crucified. Nor can it be matter of doubt that his soul, as to its inferior part, was not insensible to these torments; for as he really assumed human nature, it is a necessary consequence that he really, and in his soul, experienced a most acute sense of pain. Hence these words of the Saviour: ‘‘ My soul is sorrow- ful, even unto death.’’? Although human nature was united to the divine person, he felt the bitterness of his passion as acutely as if no such union had existed ; because in the one person of Je- sus Christ were preserved the properties of both natures, human and divine ; and, therefore, what was passible and mortal remain- ed passible and mortal; and again, what was impassibie and immortal, that is his divine nature, continued impassible and immortal.

But, if we find it here recorded with such historical minute- Why the aess, that Jesus Christ suffered when Pilate was procurator of att Judea,? the pastor will explain the reason—it is, that by fixing specially the time, as the apostle does, in the sixth chapter of his first recorded. Episile to Timothy, so important and so necessary an event may be ascertained by all with greater certainty ; and to show tat the event verified the prediction of the Saviour; ‘They shall deliver him to the Gentiles, to be mocked, and scourged, and erucified.’’*

That he suffered the particular death of the cross is also to be Wh Chreat

° » . lea one traced to the economy of the divine councils, ** that whence death ¢rocg. came, thence life might arise.” ‘The serpent, which overcame our first parents by the fruit of the tree, was himself overcome by Christ on the wood of the cross. Many reasons, which the

1 Cor. ii. 2.. 2 Mat xxvi 38 Mark xiv 34 31Tim v.13 4 Mat xx. 19

i4

Historical

part of this article not to be omit- ted.

Figures and prophe- cies of the passion and death cf the Sa- viour.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Holy Fathers have evolved in detail, may be adduced to show the congruity of the Saviour’s having suffered the death of the cross, rather than any other; but enough that the faithful be ins formed by the pastor, that that species of death, because con« fessedly the most ignominious and humiliating, was chosen by the Saviour, as most consonant, and best suited to the plan of redemption; for not only amongst the Gentiles was the death of the cross deemed execrable and loaded with disgrace and in- famy, but also amongst the Jews; for in the law of Moses, the man is pronounced ‘ accursed, who hangeth on a tree.’’4

But the historical part of this Article, which has been narrated by the Holy Evangelists with the most minute exactness, is not to be omitted by the pastor; in order that the faithful may be familiarly acquainted with, at least, the principle heads of this mystery, which are of more immediate necessity to confirm the truth of our faith. For on this Article, as on a sort of founda- tion, rest the religion and faith of Christians, and on this foun- dation, when once laid, the superstructure rises with perfect security. If any other truth of Christianity presents difficulties to the mind of man, the mystery of the cross must, assuredly, be considered to present still greater difficulties. We can searce- ly be brought to think that our - salvation depends on the cross, and on him, w tho for us, was fastened to its wood. But in this, as the apostle says, we may admire the supreme wisdom of divine providence ; ‘‘for seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God: it pleaseth God by the foolishness of our preaching, to save them that believe.”? We are not, therefore, to be surprised, that the Prophets, before the coming of Christ, and the apostles after his death and resurrection, laboured so industriously to convince mankind that he was the Redeemer of the world, and to bring them under the power and obedience of him who was crucified.

Knowing, therefore, that nothing is so far above the reach of human reason as the mystery of the cross, Almighty God, im- mediately from the fall of Adam, ceased not, both by figures and by the oracles of the Prophets, to signify the death by which his Son was to die. Not to dwell on these figures, Abel who fell a victim to the envy of his brother,? Isaac who was com- manded to be offered in sacrifice,* the lamb immolated by the Jews on their departure from Egypt, and also the brazen ser pent lifted up by Moses in the desert,® were all figures of the passion and death of Christ the Lord. ‘That this event was fore- told by many Prophets, is a fact too well known to require de- velopement here. Not to speak of David, whose Psalms em- brace the principal mysteries of redemption,? the oracles of Isaias are so clear and _graphic,® that he may be said rather ta have recorded a past, than predicted a future even}?

1 Deut. xxi. 23. Gal. iii. 13. 21 Cor. i. 21. 3 Gen iv. 8. 4 Gen. xxii. 6—8. 5 Exod. x1. 5—7 6 Num. xxi. 8, 9. John iii. 14. 7 Psalms ii xxi. Ixvi. cix 8 Isai. liii. 9 Hier. Epist. ad Paulin. ante finem

—— 7

On the fourth article of the Creed.

‘DeapD anv surieD”’ |] When explaining these words, the pas- tor will propose to the belief of the faithful, that Jesus Christ, after his crucifixion, was really dead and buried. It is not with- out just reason that this is proposed as a separate and distinet ob- ject of belief; there were some who denied his death upon the eross. ‘The apostles, therefore, were justly of opinion, that to such an error should be opposed the doctrine of faith contained in this Article of the Creed, the truth of which is placed beyond the possibilty of doubt, by the concurring testimony of all the Evangelists, who record ‘that Jesus “ vielded up the ghost.’’4 Moreover, as Christ was true and perfect man, he of course, was, also, capable of dying, and death takes place by a separa- tion of the soul from the body. When, therefore, we say that Jesus died, we mean that his soul was disunited from his body ; ; not that his divinity was so separated. On the contrary, we firmly believe and profess that, when his soul was dissociated from his body, his divinity continued always united both to his body in the sepuichre, and to his soul in Limbo. It became the Son of God to die, ‘that through death he might destroy him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil; and might deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their life- time subject to servitude.’”

It was the peculiar privilege of the Redeemer to have died when he himself decreed to die, and to have died, not so much by external violence, as by internal assent; not only his death, but also its time and place were ordained by him, as we learn from these words of Isaias: ‘‘ He was offered, because it was his own will.”’* ‘The Redeemer, before his passion, declared the same of himself: ‘‘f lay down my life,”’ says he, ‘that I may take it again. No man taketh it away from me; but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to lay it down; and I have power to take it again.’’* As to time and place, when Herod insidiously sought the life of the Saviour, he said: ** Go, and tell that fox: behold I cast out devils, and perform cures this day and to-morrow, and the third day I am consummate. But yet I must walk this day, and to-morrow, and the day fol- lowing, because it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jeru- salem.”’> He, therefore, offered himself not involuntarily or by external coaction; but of his own free will. Going to meet his enemies, he said, ‘‘ 1 am he;° and all the punishmentswhich in- justice and cruelty inflicted on him he endurea voluntarily.

When we meditate on the suffering gs and torments of the Re- deemer, nothing is better calculated ie excite in our souls, sen- timents of lively gratitude and love, than to reflect that he endur- ed them voiuntarily. Were any one to endure, by compulsion, every species of suffering, for our sake, we should deem his claims to our gratitude very doubtful; but were he to endure leath freely, and for our sake only, having had it in his power

! Mat. xxvii. 50. Mark xv. 37. Luke xxiii. 46. Jonn xx. 3b 2 Heb. ii. 10 14,15 3 Isauus liii. 7. 4 John x.17,18. 5 Luke xiii. 32, 33 6 John xvili &

Christ really died

His divin ty united te hissouland body whilst separated by death.

His deeth voluntary

and, there fore, the stronger claim to our grati- tude and love.

46

Why the word “ bu- ried” is mentioned in this article.

The body of Christ incorrupt in the se- pulchre.

Burial, pas- sion, and death, refer to Christ as man, not as God.

Dignity of him who tuflers.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

to avoid it; this indeed is a favour so overwhelming, as to de prive even the most grateful heart, not only of the power of re- turning due thanks, but even of adequately feeling the extent of the obligation. We may hence form an idea of the transcendant and intense love of Jesus Christ towards us, and of his divine and boundless claims to our gratitude.

But if, when we confess that he was buried, we make this, as it were, a distinct part of the Article, it is not because it presents any difficulty which is not implied in what we have said of his death; for believing, as we do, that Christ died, we can also easily believe that he was buried. ‘The word ‘buried’? was added in the creed, first, that his death may be rendered more certain, for the strongest proof of a person’s death is the inter- ment of his body; and, secondly, to render the miracle of his resurrection more authentic and illustrious. It is not, however, our belief, that the body of Christ was alone interred: these words propose, as the principal object of our belief, that God was buried; as, according to the rule of Catholic faith, we also say with the strictest truth, that God was born of a virgin, that God died; for, as the divinity was never separated from his body which was laid in the sepulchre, we truly confess that God was buried.

As to the place and mamner of his burial, what the Evangelists record on these subjects will be found sufficient for all the pur- poses of the pastor’s instructions.t ‘There are, however, two things which demand particular attention ; the one, that the body of Christ was, in no degree, corrupted in the sepulchre, accord- ing to the prediction of the Prophet: ‘Thou wilt not give thy Holy One to see corruption 5” the other, and it regards the seve- ral parts of this Article, that burial, passion, and also death, ap- ply to Jesus Christ, not as God, but as man: to suffer and die are incidental to human nature only, although they are also attributed to God, because predicated with propriety of that per- son who is, at once, perfect God and perfect man.

When the faithful have once attained the knowledge of these things, the pastor will next proceed to explain those particulars of the passion and death of Christ, which may enable them, if not to comprehend, at least to contemplate the infinitude of so stupendous a mystery. And, first, we are to consider who it is who suffers.—'T'o declare, or even to conceive in thought, his dignity, is not given to man.—Of him, St. John says, that he is «the Word which was with God;’’and the apostle describes him in these sublime terms: ‘this is he, whom God hath ap- pointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world ; who being the brightness of his glory, and the figure of /is substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high.’’* In a word, Jesus Christ, the man-Goc, suf

1 Mat. xxvii. 60. Mark xv. 46. Luke xxiii. 53. John mx. 38 2? Psalm xy. 10. Acts ii 31 3 John i. 1, 2 4 Heb. 1. 3.2

On the fourth article of the Creed.

fers! ‘The Creator suffers for the creature—The Master for the servant—He suffers, by whom the elements, the heavens, men and angels were created, ‘of whom, by whom, and in whom, are all things.’’*

It cannot, therefore, be matter of surprise that, whilst he agu- nized under such an accumulation of torments, the whole frame of the universe was convulsed, and, as the Scriptures inform us, ‘¢the eartn trembled, and the rocks were rent, and the sun was darkened, and there was darkness all over the earth.’’? If, then, even mute and inanimate nature sympathized with the sufferings of her dying Lord, let the faithful conceive, if they can, with what torrents of tears they, ‘the living stones of the edifice,’’? should evince their sorrow.

The reasons why the Saviour suffered are also to be explain- ed, that thus the greatness and intensity of the divine love to- wards us, may the more fully appear. Should it then be asked why the Son of God underwent the torments of his most bitter passion, we shall find the principal causes in the hereditary contagion of primeval guilt ; in the vices and crimes which have been perpetrated from ‘the beginning of the world to the present day; and in those which shall be perpetrated to the consumma- tion "et time. In his death and passion the Son of God contem- plated the atonement of all the sins of all ages, with a view to efface them for ever, by offering for them to his Eternal Father, a superabundant satisfaction; and thus the principal cause of his passion will be found in his love of us.

Besides, to increase the dignity of this mystery, Christ not only suffered for sinners; but the very authors and ministers of all the torments he endured were sinners. Of this the apostle reminds us in these words addressed to the Hebrews: * Think, diligently, on him who endured such opposition from sinners against himself; that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds.”** In this guilt are involved all those who fall frequently into sin; for, as our sins consigned Christ our Lord to the death of the cross, most certainly, those who wallow in sin and ini- ‘quity, as far as depends on them, “crucify to themselves again the Son of God, and make a mockery of him.”> This our guilt takes a deeper die of enormity when contrasted with that of the Jews: according to the testimony of the apostle, ‘if they had known it, they never would have crucified the Lord of Glory :’”® whilst we, on the contrary, professing to know him, yet denying

5 him by our actions, seem, in some sort, to lay violent hands on

him.?

But that Christ the Lord was also delivered over to death by che Father and by himself, we lezrn from these words of Isaias: ‘*For the wickedness of my people have I struck him ;’’* and a

‘ttle before, when, filled with the Spirit of God, he sees the ! Rom. xi. 36 2 Mat. xxvi. 51. Luke xxiii. 44, 45. 31 Peter ii. 5 4 Heb. xii. 3. 5 Heb. vi. 6. * 6] Cor. ii. 8- 7 Titi. 16

5 Tsaias lui. 8.

Reflacuon

Reasons

why hesu: fered : firs reason, his love of us

Second reason, tO atone for original and actua} sin.

Christ teu vered ovel to death by the Father and by himself

Bitterness of his

passion. 1

108]

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Lord covered with stripes and wounds the same prophet says

‘*We all, like sheep, have gone astray, every one hath turnev aside into his own way ; and the Lord ‘hath laid on him the iné- quities of us all.”’? But of the Saviour it is written, ‘if he will lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed.”’? ‘This the apostle expresses in language still stronger when, on the other hand, he wishes to show us how confidently we should trust in the boundless mercy and goodness of God: “ He that spared not even his own Son,” says the apostle, ‘ but delivered him up for us all, how hath he not also, with him, given us all things ?’’8

The next subject of the pastor’s instruction is the bitterness of the Redeemer’s passiou. If, however, we bear in mind that ‘*his sweat became as drops of blood, trinkling down upon the ground ;’’* and this, at the sole anticipation of the torments and agony which he was soon after to endure, we must, at once, perceive that his sorrows admitted of no increase; for if, and this sweat of blood proclaims it, the very idea of the impending evils was so overw helming, what are we to suppose their actual endurance to have been?

‘That our Lord suffered the most excruciating torments of mind and body is but too well ascertained. In the first place, there was no part of his body that did not experience the most agonising torture—his hands and feet were fastened with nails to the cross— his head was pierced with thorns and smitten with a reed—his face was befouled with spittle and buffeted with blows—his whole body was covered with stripes—Men of all ranks and conditions were also gathered together ‘* against the Lord and against his Christ.”>—Jews and Gentiles were the aavisers, the authors, the ministers of his passion—Judas betrayed him®— Peter denied him7—all the rest deserted him’—and, whilst he hangs from the instrument of his execution, are we not at a loss which to deplore, his agony or his ignominy—or both ? Surely no death more shameful, none more cruel could have been devised than that which was the ordinary punishment of guilty and atrocious malefactors only—a death the tediousness of which aggravated the protraction of its exquisite pain and excruciating torture! His agony was increased by the very constitution and frame of his body. Formed by the power of the Holy Ghost, it was more perfect and better organised than the bodies of other men can be, and was, therefore, endowed with a superior suscep- tibility of pain, and a keener sense of the torments which it endured : and as to his interior anguish of mind, that, too, was no doubt extreme; for nose amongst the saints who had to en- dure torments and tortures, were not without conselation from above, which enabled them not only to bear their violence pa- tiently, but, in many instances, to feel, in the very midst of them, elate with interior joy. ‘I rejoice,’ says the apostle, ‘‘in my

! Tsaias lili. 6. 2 Isaias lui. 10. 3 Rom. viii. 32. 4 Luke xxii. 44 + Psaln ii. 2 6 Matt. xxvi. 47. 7 Mark xiv. 68. 70, 71 8 Matt. xxvi. 5#

On the fourth article of the Creed.

sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are w anting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh for his body, which is the Church ,’? and in another place, ** I am filled with comfort; I exceedingly avound with joy in all our tribulation.’*? Christ our Lord tempered with ng admixture of sweetness the bitter chalice of his passion; but permitted his human nature to feel as acutely, every species of torment, as if he were only man, and not, also, God.

The blessings and advantages which flow to the human race, from the passion of Christ, alone remain to be explained. In the first place, then, the passion of our Lord was our deliverance from sin ; for, as St. John says: ‘* He hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood ;’”* ‘* He hath quickened. you together with him ;”’ says the Apostle, ‘‘ forgiving you all offen- ces, blotting out the hand writing of the decree that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he hath taken aw av the same, fastening it to the cross.”* He has rescued us from the tyranny of the devil, for our Lord himself says ; * Now is the judgment ot the world ; now shall the prince of this world be east out; and L, if L be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.”’ He discharged the punishment due to our sins ; * and, as nO Sa- crifice more grateful and acceptable could have been offered to God, he reconciled us to the Father,® appeased his wrath, and propitiated his justice. Finally, by atoning for our sins, he opened to us heaven, which was closed by the common sin of mankind, according to these words of the Apostle; ‘* We have, therefore, brethren, a confidence in the entering into the Holies by the blood of Christ.’

Nor are we without a type and figure of this mystery in the old law ; those who were prohibited to return into their native country, before the death of the high-priest,® typified, that, until the supreme and eternal High- Priest, Christ Jesus, had died, and by dying opened heaven to those who, purified by the sacra- ments, and gifted with faith, hope, and charity, become partakers of his passion; no one, however just may have been his life, could gain admission into his celestial country.

The pastor will teach that all these inestimable and divine blessings flow to us from the passion of Christ; first, because the satisfaction which Jesus Christ has, in an admirable manner, made to his Eternal Father for our sins, is full and complete ; and the price which he paid for our ransom uot only equals but far exceeds the debts contracted by us. Again, the sacrifice was most acceptable to God, for when offered by his Son on the altar of the cross, it entirely appeased his wrath and indignation. This the Apostle teaches, when he says : Christ loved us, and delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness.”® Of the redemption which he pur- chased the prince of the Apostles says: ‘** You were not re-

' Coloss. i. 24. 22 Cor. vii. 4. 3 Rey. i.5 4 Col. 1i. 13, 14. 6 John xii. 31, 32. 6 2 Cor. v. 19. 7 Heb. x. 19 8 Num. xxxv 25, 9Ephv2 5 &

The bless ings of

which it is the plente ons source

I,

II

IV

Type and figure of the re-

demption.

Christ pus chased ous redemp- ‘ion.

40 The Catechism of the Council of Trint.

deemed with corruptible things, as gold and silver, fom you. vain conversations of the tradition of your fathers ; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled.” inhis pas | Besides these inestimable blessings. we have also received pane ee another of the highest importance. In the passion alone, we example of have the most illustrious example of the exercise of every virtue. every vir Patience, and humility, and exalted charity, and meekness, and tae. obedience. and unshaken firmness of soul, not only in suffering for justice-sake, but also in meeting death, are so conspicuous in the suffering Saviour, that we may truly say, that, on the day of his passion alone, he offered, in his own person, a living ex- emplification of all the moral precepts, which he ineuleated du- ring the entire time of his pubtic ministry. ‘This exposition of the saving passion of Christ the Lord, we have given briefly— Would to God ! that these mysteries were always present to our minds, and that we learned to sufler, to die, and to be buried with Christ; that, cleansed from the stains of sin, and rising with him to newness of life, we may at length, through his grace and mercy, be found worthy to be made partakers of ths glory of his celestial kingdom.

AR FICLEAY

* HE DESCENDED INTO HELL, THE THIRD DAY HE AROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD.”’

Know- ‘* HE DESCENDED INTO HELL’’ | ‘Io know the glory of the se-

ledge of pulture of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which we have last treated,

this Article

most im. !S highly important; but of still higher importance is it to the

portant. faithful to know the splendid triumphs which he obtained, by having subdued the devil and despotled the powers of hell. Of these triumphs, and, also, of his resurrection, we are now about to speak ; and, although the latter presents to us a subject which might with propriety, be treated under a separate and distinet head, yet, following the example of the holy Fathers, we have deemed it judicious to imbody it with his descent into hell.

What tts In the first part of this Article, then, we profess that, imme-

first ekg diately after the death of Christ, his soul descended into hell,

sn eo and dwelt there whilst his body remained in the grave : and alse that the same Person of Christ was, at the same time, in hell and in the sepulchre. Nor should this excite our surprise ; for we have already, frequently said, that although his soul was se- parated from his body, his divinity was never separated from soul or body.

Meaningof But as the pastor, by explaining the meaning of the wora

the word hell, in this place, may throw considerable light on the exposi-

“ hell” in ; : “ae 2 Sa kikclo tion of this Article, it is to be observed, that by the word hell, is

1] Pet. i. 18. 19

On the fifth article of the Creed.

not here meant the sepulchre, as some have not less impiously than ignorantly, imagined ; for, in the preceding Article we learned that Christ was buried: and there was no reason why the Apostles, in delivering an article of faith, should repeat the same thing in other and more obscure terms. Hell, then, here signifi>s those secret abodes in which are detained the souls that have not been admitted to the regions of bliss ; a sense in which the word is frequently used in Scripture. ‘Thus, the Apostle says, that, ‘“‘at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth and in hell ;’’* and in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter says, that Christ the Lord was again risen, ** having loosed the sorrows of hell.’’*

These abodes are not all of the same nature, for amongst them, is that most loathsome and dark prison in which the souls of the damned are buried with the unclean spirits, in eternal and inextin- guishable fire. ‘This dread abode is called Gehenna, the bottom- less pit, and, strictly speaking, means hell. Amongst them is also the fire of purgatory, in which the souls of just men are cleansed by a temporary punishment, in order to be admitted into their eter- nal country, ‘‘ into which nothing defiled entereth.”’> ‘The truth of this doctrine founded, as holy councils declare,* on Scripture, and confirmed by apostolical tradition, demands diligent and fre- quent exposition, proportioned to the circumstances of the times in which we live, when men endure not sound doctrine. Lastly, the third kind of abode is that into which the souls of the just, who died before Christ, were received, and where, without ex- periencing any sort of pain, and supported by the blessed hope of redemption, they enjoyed peaceful repose. ‘To liberate these souls, who, in the bosom of Abraham, were expecting the Sa- viour, Christ the Lord descended into hell.

But we are not to.imagine that his power and virtue only, but we are also firmly to believe that his soul also, really and sub- stantially descended into hell, according to this conclusive testi- mony of David: ‘ Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.’”*> But, although Christ descended into hell, his supreme power was still the same; nor was the splendour of his sanctity in any degree obscured. His descent served rather to prove, that what- ever has been already said of his sanctity was true ; and that as he had previously demonstrated by so many miracles, he was truly the Son of Ged.

This we shall easily understand by comparing the descent of Christ, in its causes and circumstances, with that of the just— They descended as captives :° He as free and victorious amongst the dead, to subdue those demons by whom, in consequence of primeval guilt, they were held in captivity—they descended, some to endure the mos acute torments, others, though exeimpt from actual pain, yet deprived of the vision of God, and of the glory for which they sighed, and consigned to the torture of sus-

'PhiJip ii.10. = 2 Acts ii. 24 3 Apoc. xxi. 27. 4 Trid. Conc. Sess. 25 js 5 Ps. xv. 10 6 Ps. Ixxxvii. 5,6.

lis differ ent meat ings.

UI

The soul of Christ really de scended into he

Difference between his descent and that o others.

Why he petted:

The second part of the Article.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

pense ; Christ the Lord descended, not to suffer, but to liberate from suffering the holy and the just who were held in painful cap- tivity, and to impart to them the fruit of his passion. His su- preme dignity and power, therefore, suffered no diminution by his descent into hell.

Having explained these things, the pastor will, next, proceed to teach that the Son of God descended into hell, that, clothed with the spoils of the arch-enemy, he may conduet into heaven those holy fathers, and the other just souls, whose liberation from prison he had already purchased. ‘This he accomplished ‘n an admirable and glorious manner, for his august presence, at once shed a celestial lustre upon the captives ; filled them with inconceivable joy ; and imparted to them that supreme happi- ness which consists in the vision of God; thus verifying his promise to the thief on the cross: ‘* Amen, I say to thee, this cay thou shalt be with me in Paradise.’’* ‘This, deliverance of the just was, long before, predicted by Ozeas, in these words: “©Q Death! I will be thy death, O Hell! I will be thy bite :’” and also by the prophet Zachary: ‘* Thou, also, by the blood of thy testament, hast sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water ,’’* and lastly, the same is expressed by the Apostle in these words: ‘ Despoiling the principalities and powers, he hath exposed them confidently, openly triumphing over them in himself.’’4

However, to comprehend still more clearly the efficacy of this mystery, we should frequently call to mind, that not only those who were born after the coming of the Saviour, but, also, those who preceded that event from the days of Adam, or shall sue ceed it to the consummation of time, are included in the redemp tion purchased by the death of Christ. Before his death and resurrection, ieaven was closed against every child of Adam ~ the souls of the just, on their departure from this life, were borne to the bosom of Abraham; or, as is still the case with those who require to be freed from the stains of sin, or die in- debted to the divine justice, were purified in the fire of purga- tory.

Another reason, also, why Christ descended into hell is, that there, as well as in heaven and on earth he may prociaim his power and authority ; and that ‘‘ every knee of things in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, should bend at his name.’’® And here, who is not filled with admiration and astonishment when he contemplates the infinite love of God to man! Not satisfied with having undergone for our sake a most cruel death he penetrates the inmost recesses of the earth, to transport into bliss the souls whom he so dearly loved, and whose liberation from prison he had achieved at the price of his blood !

We now come to the second part of the Article, and how in defatigable should be the labours of the pastor in its exposition *

t Luke xxiii. 43. 2 Ozeas xii. 14. 3 Zach. ix. 11. 4Col. ii. 15 5 Phil. ii. 10

On the fifth article of the Creed.

we learn trom these words of the Apostle to Timothy; ‘ Be mandful that the Lord Jesus Christ is risen again from the dead :””' words no doubt, addressed not only to ‘Timothy, but to all who have care of souls. But the meaning of the Article is, that after Christ the Lord had expired on the cross, on the sixth day and ninth hour, and was buried on the evening of the same day by his disciples, who with the permission of the go- vernor Pilate, laid the body of the Lord, when taken down from the cross, in a new tomb, in a garden near at hand; his soul was reunited to his body, early on the morning of the third day after his death, that is on the Lord’s-day ; and thus he, who was dead during those three days, returned to life, and rose from the embraces of the tomb.—By the word resurrection, however, we are not merely to understand that Christ was raised from the dead ; a privilege common with him to many others : but that he rose by his own power and virtue, a singular prerogative pecu- liar to him alone ; for it is incompatible with our nature, nor was it ever given to man to raise himself, by his own power, from death to life. This was an exercise of power reserved for the omnipotent hand of God, as these words of the Apostle de- clare ; ‘‘for, although he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God.’ This divine power, having never been separated, either from his body whilst in the grave, or from his soul whilst disunited from his body, existed in both, and gave to both a capability of reuniting ; and thus did the Son of God, by his own power, return to life, and rise again from the dead. This David foretold, when, filled with the spirit of God, he prophesied in these words: ‘* His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy.’’* ‘This we, also, have from the divine lips of the Redeemer himself: ‘1 lay down my life,” says he, ‘‘that I may take it again; and I have power to lay it down, and power to take it again.”* To the Jews he also said, in confirmation of his doctrine: ** Des- troy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Al- though the Jews understood him to have spoken thus of the magnificent temple of Jerusalem, built of stone: yet, as the Scripture, testifies in the same place, ‘*he spoke of the :emple of his body.”* We sometimes, it is true, read in Scripture, that he was raised by the Father ;? but this refers to him as man; as those passages, which, on the other hand, say that he rose by his own power, relate to him as God.°®

It is also the peculiar privilege of Christ to have been the first who enjoyed this divine prerogative of rising from the dead, for he is called in Scripture * the first begotten ‘of the dead :”9 and also, ‘‘ the first born from the dead ; 7710 the Apostle also says, “Christ is risen from the dead, the first fruits of them that sleep: for by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection

12Tim.ii.8. 22Cor.xiii.4. ‘Ps. xeviit 2 4 John x. 17, 18. $Johnu 19. 6 John ii. 21. 7 Acts ii. 24; iii.15. 8% Rom. viii 34 9 Apoc. i. 5. 0 Col. i. 18

5*

53

Its mean ing

Res urrec- uon supe rior to the natural power of ima.

Christ “ the first be ten of dead.”

54

Chris. rose again cn the third day.

Why on the third day.

Accord- mg to the Scriptures’ why added to the ereed.

The Catechism of the Corsreil of Trent.

of the dead: and, as in Adam all die, so, also, in Christ all shal: be made alive ; but every one in his own order; the first fruits Christ, then they that are of Christ, who have believed in his coming.’? These words of the Apostle are to be understood of a perfect resurrection, by which we are resuscitated to eternal life, being no longer subject to death. In this resurrection Christ the Lord holds the first place; for, if we speak of resurrection, that is, of a return to life, subject to the necessity of again dying, many were thus raised from the dead before Christ ;? all of whom, however, were restored to life to die again ; but Christ the Lord, having conquered death, rose again to die no more, according to this clear testimony of the Apostle : ‘* Christ rising agai: from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no longer have dominion over him.’’*

‘“THe Tuirp Day’ | In explanation of these additiona! words of the Article, the pastor will inform the people, that Christ did not remain in the grave during the entire of these three days, but, as he lay in the sepulchre during an entire natural day, during part of the preceding day, and part of the following, he is said, with strictest truth, to have lain in the grave for three days, and on the third day, to have risen again from the dead. ‘To declare his divinity, he deferred not his resurrection to the end of the world; whilst at the same time, to prove his huma- nity, and the reality of his death, he rose not immediately, but on the third day after his death, a space of time sufficient to prove that he had really died.

Here the Fathers of the first Council of Constantinople added the words, ‘‘ according to the Scriptures,” which they recived from Apostolical tradition, and imbodied with the creed, because the same Apostle teaches the absolute necessity of the mystery of the resurrection, when he says: ‘‘ If Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain, for you are yet in your sins.”* Hence, admiring our belief of this Article, St. Augustine says: ‘‘Jt is of little moment to be- lieve that Christ died; this, the Pagans, Jews, and all the wicked believe; in a word, all believe that Christ died; but, that he rose from the dead is the belief of Christians ; to believe that he rose again, this we deem of great moment.’’® Hence it is, that our Lord very frequently spoke to his disciples otf his resurrection ; and seldom or never of his passion without ad> verting to his resurrection. Thus, when he said: ‘The Son of Man shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon; and after they have scourged him, they will put him to death ;” he added ; ‘*and the third day he shall rise again.”’®> Also, when the Jews called upon him to give an attestation of the truth of his doctrine by some miraculous sign, he said: ‘* A sign shall not be given them but the sign of Jonas the Prophet: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in

11 Cor. xv. 20—23 23 Kings xvii. 22. 4 Kings iv. 34. 3 Rom. y1. 9. “1 Cor. xv. 14.17 August in Ps. exx. 4. © Luke xviii. 32, 33 Matt. xvi. 27

On the fifth articte of the Creea

the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the bosom of the earth.”

‘To understand, still better, the force and meaning of this Ar- ticle, there are three things which demand attentive considera- tion: first, the necessity “of the resurrection ; secondly, its end and objec: ; thirdly, the blessings and advantages of w hich it is to.us the source. With regard to the first, it was necessary that he should rise again, in order to manifest the justice of God; for it was most congruous that he, who, through obedience to God, was degraded, ean loaded with ignominy, should by him be exalted. This is a reason assigned by the Apostle i in his Epis- tle to the Philippians: ** He humbled himself,” says he, « be- coming obedient unto death ; even unto the death of the cross; for which cause God, also, hath exalted him.’’? He rose, also, to confirm our faith, which 1s necessary to justification: the resur- rection of Christ from the dead by his own power, affords an irrefragable proof of his divinity. It also nurtures and sustains our hope, for, as Christ rose again, we rest on an assured hope, that we too, shall rise again ; the members must necessarily arrive at the condition of their head. This is the conclusion which St. Paul draws from the reasoning which he uses in his epistles to the Corinthians,® on Thessalonians ;4 and Peter, the prince of the Apostle, says: Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his great mercy, hath regenera- ted us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto the inheritance incerruptible.”> Finally, the resurrection of our Lord, as the pastor will inculcate, was necessary to complete the mystery of our salvation and redemp- tion : by his death, Christ liberated us from the thraldom of sin, and restored to us, by his resurrection, the most important of those privileges which we had forfeited by sin. Hence these words of the Apostle: ‘‘ He was delivered up for our sins, and rose again for our justification.”® ‘That nothing, therefore, may be wanting to perfect the work of our salvation, it was necessary that. as he died, he should, also, rise again from the dead.

From what has been said we can perceive the important ad- vantages which the resurrection of our Lord has conferred on the faithful ; in his resurrection, we acknowledge him to be the immortal God, full of glory, the conqueror of death and hell: and this we are firmly to believe and openly to profess of Chriss Jesus.

Again the resurrection of Christ effectuates our resurrection. not unty as its efficient cause, but also as its model. ‘Thus with regard to the resurrection of the body, we have this testimony of the Apostle: ‘* by a man came death, and by a man the re- surrection of the dead.’’? To accomplish the mystery of our redemption in all its parts, God made use of the humanity of Christ as its efficient instrument, and hence, his resurrection is

! Luke xi. 29. Matt. xii. 39, 40 2 Philip. ii. 8, 9. 31 Cor «v.12 41Thes. iv. 14. 51Peteri.3.4. &Rem iv 25. 71 Cor xy. 2

53

Three

things which are

here to be explained I. Necessity of the re- surrection

Il Its end and object.

»

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the efficient cause of ours. It is also, the model : his resurrection was the most perfect of all; and as his body, rising to immor- tal glory, was changed, so shall our bodies also, Refare frail and mortal, be restored and clothed with glory and immortality : in the language of the Apostle; ‘‘ we ‘look for the Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ, who will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory.’”?

The same may be said of a soul dead in sin: how the esur- rection of Christ is proposed to such a soul as the model of her resurrection, we learn from the same Apostle, when he says ; ‘¢ Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we aiso may walk in newness of life; for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection ;” and a little after, ‘* knowing that Christ, rising from the dead, dieth no more, death shall no more have dominion over him; for in that he died to sin, he died once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. So do you also reckon, that you are dead to sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’”?

From the resurrection of Christ, therefore, we should derive two important lessons of instruction; the one, that, after we have washed away the stains of sin, we should begin to lead a

new life, distinguished by integrity, innocence, holmeses modesty, justice, penearence: and humility ; ; the other, that we should so persevere in that newness of life. as never more, with the divine assistance, to stray from the paths of virtue on which we have once entered.

Nor do the words of the Apostle prove only that the resurree- tion of Christ is proposed as the model of our resurrection ; they also, declare that it gives us power to rise again; and imparts to us strength and courage to persevere in holiness and righteous- ness, and in the observance of the commandments of God. As his death not only furnishes us with an example, but also sup- plies us with strength to die to sin; so also, his resurrection invigorates us to attain righteousness ; that worshipping God in piety and holiness, we may walk in the newness of life to which we have risen; for the Redeemer achieved principally by his re- surrection, that we, who before died with him to sin, and to the world, may rise, also, with him again to a new discipline and manner of life.

The principal proofs of this resurrection from sin which demand observation, are comprised in these words of the Apostle: ‘* If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.’’? Here, he distinctly tells us, that they, whose desire of life, honours, riches, and re- pose, are directed chiefly to the place in whith Christ dwells, have truly risen with him: but when he adds: ‘ Mind the things that are above, not the things that are on the earth ,’’* he gives this, as it were, as another standard, py which we may

} Phil. iii. 20, 21 2 Rom. vi 4—6. 9—11 3 Col. iii. 1. 4 Col. iii. 2

ae

On the sixth article of the Creed.

ascertain if we have truly risen with Christ; for as a relish for food ind cates a healthy state of the body: so, with regard to the soul, if we relish ‘* whatever is true, whatever is modest, whatever is just, whatever is holy,’’' and experience within us a sense of the sweetness of heavenly things; this we may con- sider a very strong proof, that with Christ we have risen to a new and spiritual life.

ARTICLE. VI.

' HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY.”

HE ASCENDED INTO Heaven’’}] Filled with the Spirit of G..., and contemplating the blessed and ylorious ascension of ou word int’ heaven, the prophet David exhorts all to celebrate ina splendid triumph, with the greatest joy and gladness: ** Clap you nanas,’ said he, ‘all ye nations, shout unto God with the voice of jvy. od is ascended with jubilee, and the Tord with the sound wi wumpet.”? ‘The pastor will hence learn the obli- gatio: smposed on him, of explaining this mystery with unre- mitting assiauiy, and of taking especial eare that the faiihful not only see it wita the light of faith, and of the understanding ; but still more, wnat, as far as it is in his power to accomplirh, they make it their study, with the divine assistance, to reflect its image in their lives and actions.

With regard, then, to the exposition of this sixth Article, which has reference, principally, to the divine mystery of the ascension ; we shali vegin with its first part, and point out its force and meaning. ‘That Jesus Christ, having fully accom- plished the woix of redemption, ascended, as man, body and soul, into heaven, the faithful are unhesitatingly to believe; for as God, he neve: ivisook heaven, filling as he does all places with his divinity.

The pastor 1s, aiso, to teach that he ascended by his own power, not by the power of another as did Elias, who was taken ip into heaven in a fiery chariot ;° or, as the prophet Habacue ;* or Philip, the deacon, who were borne through the air by the divine power, and traversed the distant regions of the earth.® Neither did he ascend into heaven, solely by the exercise of his supreme power as God, but also, by virtue of the power which he possessed as man; although human power alone was insufli- cient to raise him from the dead, yet the virtue, with which the blessed soul of Christ was endowed, was capable of moving the body as it pleased, and his body, now glorified, readily obeyea ‘ts impuls ve dominion. Hence, we believe that Christ ascended

! Phil. iv. 8 2 Ps. xivi. 1. 6. 3 4 Kings ii. 1] ‘Dan xiv 35 5 Acts viii. 39

I

3?

Triumpha the ascen- sion, how to be cele- brated by Christians

First pert of the Art cle: What it teaches us to be- leve.

IL

CL.

58

Second part of the Article

A trope.

What the

word ‘sit- teth’ means here.

History of the ascen- gion.

All other mysteries refer to it as to the'r end and comple- tion. Tenor of the Sa- viour's life compared with his as- cension.

Keasons of the ascen- ion.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

into heaven as God and man, by his own power.—We now come to the second part of the Article.

““SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF Gop THE FaTHER AL- micuty”’| In these words we observe a trope, that is, the changing of a word from its literal, to a figurative meaning, a thing not unfrequent in Scripture, when, accommodating its lan- guage to human ideas, it attributes human affections and human members to God, who, spirit as he is, admits of nothing ¢ >rpo- real. But, as amongst men, he who sits at the right hand is considered to occupy the most honourable place, so, transferring the idea to celestial things, to express the glory which Christ, as man, enjoys above all others, we confess that he sits at the right hand of his Eternal Father. ‘This, however, does not imply position and figure of body: but declares the fixed and permanent possession of royal and supreme power and glory, which he received from the Father; as the Apostle says : ‘* rais« ing him up from the dead, and setting him on his right hand in the heavenly places, above all principality, and power, and virtue and domination, and every name that is nan.ed, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and he hath subjected? all things under his feet.’’? ‘These words manifestly imply tha, this glory belongs to our Lord, in so special a manner, that it cannot consist with the nature of any other created being ; and hence, in another place, the Apostle asks: ‘To which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand, ’till I make thine enemies thy footstool 2”?

But the pastor will explain the sense of the Article, more at large by detailing the history of the ascension, of which the evangelist St. Luke has left us an admirable description, in the Acts of the Apostles. In his exposition, he will observe, in the first place, that all other mysteries refer to the ascension, as to their end and completion ; as all the mysteries of religion commence with the Incarnation of our Lord, so his sojourn on earth terminates with his ascension into heaven. Moreover, the other Articles of the Creed, which regard Christ the Lord, show his great humility and lowliness: nothing can be conceived more humble, nothing more lowly, than that the Son of God assumed the frailty of our flesh, suffered and died for us ; but nothing more magnificently, nothing more admirably proclaims his sovereign glory and divine majesty, than what is contained in the present and preceding ar- ticles, in which we declare, that he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of his Eternal Fathe~

When the pastor has accurately explained these truths, he will next inform the faithful, why our Lord ascended into heaven.— He ascended because the glorious kingdom of the highest hea- vens, not the obscure abode of this earth, presented a suitable dwelling-place to him whose glorified body, rising from the tomb, was clothed with immortality.—He ascended, not only to possess

! Dionys. Areop. Epist. 1x. 2 Eph. 1. 20—22, Athan. Serm. 1 contra Ariars —

Basil. lib. de Spir. Sanct. e. v3. 3 Heb i. 13. 4 Actsi

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On the sixth ariicle of the Creed.

the throne of glory, and the kingdom which he purchased at the price of his blood, but also to attend to whatever regards the sal- vation of his people.—He ascended, to prove thereby that * his kingdom is not of this world,’”! for the kingdoms of this world are terrene and transient, and are based upon wealth and the power of the flesh; but the kingdom of Christ is not as the Jews expected, an earthly, but a spiritual and eternal kingdom. Its riches, too, are spiritual, as he shows by placing nis ind in the heavens, where they, who seek most earnestly the things that are of God, abound most in riches and in abundance of all good things, according to these words of St. James: ** Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him ?’”

He also ascended into heaven, in order to teach us to follow him thither in mind and heart, for as, by his death and resurree- tion, he bequeathed to us an example of dying and rising again in spirit; so by his ascension he teaches us, though dwelling on earth, to raise ourselves in thought and Besar to bey en, ** con- fessing that we are pilgrims and strangers on the earth,® seeking a country ;”’ * fellow-citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God ;’* ‘for,’ says the same Apostle, ‘* our conversation is in heaven.”’>

The extent and unspeakable greatness of the blessings, which the bounty of God has bestow ed on us with a lavish hand, w ere, long before, as the Apostle interprets him, sung by David in these words: ‘* He ascended on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.’’® On the ‘enth day after his ascension, he sent down the Holy Ghost, with whose power and plenitude he nlled the multitude of the faithful, then present, and fulfilled his splendid promise: ‘* It is expedient for you that I go; for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but, if I go, I will send him to you.’’ He also ascended into heaven, according co the Apostle, ** that he may appear in the presence of God for us,’’> and discharge for us the office of advocate with the Father: ** My, little children,” says St. John, ‘* these things I write to you, that you may not sin, but if any man sin, we have an ad- voeate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the just, and he is the pro- pitiation for our sins.”® ‘There is nothing from which the faith- ful should derive greater joy than from the reflection that Jesus

Christ is constituted our advocate and intercessor with the Fa-

ther, with whom his influence and authority are supreme. Finally, by his ascension, he has prepared for us a place, as he had promised, and has entered, as our head, in the name of us all, into the possession of the glory of heaven.*? Ascending into heaven, he threw open its gates, which had been closed by the sin of Adam ; and, as he foretold his disciples, at his last supper, secured to us a way by which we may arrive at eternal

i John xviii. 36 2 James iu. 5. 3 Heb. xi. 13, 14. 4 Eph. ii. 19. 5 Philip. iii. 20. 6 Ps. Ixvii. 19. Eph. iv.& 7 John xvi. 7, 8. Acts i 4,5 ® Heb. ix. 24. 9] John ii. 1,2. © John xiv 2

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happiness. In order to demonstrate this by the event, he intro duced, with himself into the mansions of eternal bliss, the souls of the just whom he had liberated from prison.

A series of important advantages followed in the train of this admirable profusion of celestial gifts : in the first place the merit of our faith was considerably augmented; because faith has for its object those things which fall not under the senses, and are’ far raised above the reach of human reason and intelligence. If therefore, the Lord had not departed from us, the merit of ow faith should not be the same, for Jesus Christ has said: ** Bless- ed are they who have not seen and have believed’? Jn the nex? place, it contributes much to confirm our hope: befieving thar Christ, as man, ascended into heaven, and placed our nawre a the right hand of God the Father, we are animated with a strene hope that we, as members, shall also ascend thither, to be there united to our head, according to these words of our Word bim- self: ‘‘ Father, I will, that where I am, they, also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me.’”?

Another most important advantage, flowing from the ascension. is, that it elevates our affections to heaven, aud inflames them with the Spirit of God; for, most truly has tt heen said. that, ‘6 where our treasure is, there, also, is our heart.’? And, in- deed, were Christ the Lord dwelling on earth, the contempla- tion of his person, aud the enjoyment of his presence, must ab- sorb all our thoughts, and we should view the author of such blessings only as man, and cherish towards him 4 sort of earthly affection : but, by his ascension into heaven, he has spiritualized our affection for him, and has made us venerate and love as God. him who, now absent, is the object of our thoughts, not of our senses. ‘This we learn, in part, from the exampie ef the Apos- tles, who, whilst our Lord was personally present with them, seemed to judge of him, in some measure, humanly ; and, in part. from these words of our Lord himself: ‘* It is expedient for you that I go.’’* The affection, with which they loved him when present, was to be perfected by divine love, and that, by the coming of the Holy Ghost; and, therefore, he immediately sub- joins: ‘If 1 go not, the Paraclete will not come to you.” ;

Besides, he thus enlarged his dwellingplace on earth, that is, his Church, which was to be governed by the power and guid. ance of the Holy Spirit; and left Peter the prince of the Apos. tles, as chief pastor, and supreme head upon earth, of the un: versal Church. ‘Some, also, he gave Apostles, some Prophets, and other some Evangelists, and other some Pastors and Doc- tors,’’> and, thus, seated at the right hand of the Father, he con- tinually bestows different gifts on different men; according t the words of St. Paul: ‘+ 'T’o every one of us is given grace, at cording to the measwe of the giving of Christ.’’6

Finally, what was already said of his death and ‘esurrection

' John xx. 29 2 John xvii. 24. 3 Matt. vi. 21. $ John xvi. 7 5 Eph. iv il. 6 Eph. iv 7

On the seventh article of the Creed.

the faithful will deem not less true of his ascension; for, al though we owe our redemption and salvation to the passion of Christ, whose merits opened heaven to the just, yet his ascen- sion is not only proposed to us as a model, which teaches us to look on high, and ascend in spirit into heaven: but also im- parts to us a divine virtue which enables us to accomplish what it teaches

ARTICLE VII.

** FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE ” DEAD.

Jesus Curist is invested with three eminent offices and fune- tions, those of Redeemer, Patron, and Judge. Butas, in the prece- ding Articles, we have shown that the human race was redeemed by his passion and death ; and as, by his ascension into heaven, it is manifest that he has undertaken the perpetual advocacy and patronage of our cause; it next follows, that, in this Article, we set forth his character as judge. ‘The scope and intent of the Arule is to declare, that on the last day he will judge the whole human race: the Sacred Scriptures inform us, that there are two comings of Christ, the one, when he assumed human flesh, for our salvation, in the womb of a virgin; the other, when he shall come, at the end of the world, to judge mankind. ‘This coming is called, in Scripture, ‘‘ The day of the Lord:’’ ‘ The day of the Lord,”’ says the Apostie, ‘* shail come, as a thief in the night ;’”! and our Lord himself says : ‘* Of that day and hour no- body knoweth.”? In proof of the last judgment, it is enough to adduce the authority of the Apostle: ‘* We must all,’’ says he ‘‘ appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done whether it be good or evil.” Sacred Scripture abounds 1m tes- timonies to the same effect, which the pastor will meet, every- where, throughout the Inspired Volume,* and which not only establish the truth of the dogma, but also place it, in vivid c¢o- lours, before the eyes of the faithful: that as, from the begin- ning, the day of the Lord, on which he was clothed with our flesh, was sighed for by all, as the foundation of thei: hope of deliverance ; so also, after the death and ascension of the Son of God, the second day of the Lord may be the object of our most earnest desires ; ‘‘ looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God.’’°

But, with a view to the better explanation of this subject, the pastor is to distinguish two distinct periods at which every one

11 Thess. v. 2. 2 Matt. xxiv. 36. Mark viii. 32. 32 Cor v. 10. 41 Kings ii. 10. Iasias 1. 12. 19; xiii. 9. Jerem. cxx. 23. Dan vi. 9. Joel uJ 5 Tit. ‘i. 13.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

must appear in the presence of God, to render an account of all his thoughts, words, and actions, and receive sentence according: ly, from the mouth of his judge: the first, when each one departs this. life ; for he is instantly placed before the judgment seat of God, where all that he had ever done, or spoken, or thought, during life, shall be subjected to the most rigid scrutiny; and this is called the particular judgment: the second, when, on the same day, and in the same place, all men shall stand together before the tribunal of their judge, that, in the presence and hearing of a congregated world, each may know his final doom: an announcement which will constitute no small part of the pain and punishment of the wicked, and of the remuneration and re- wards of the just; when the tenor of each man’s life shall appear in its true colours. ‘This is called the general judgment; and it becomes an AOE RE duty of the pastor to show why, be- sides the particular judgment of each individual, a general one should also be passed upon the assembled world. The first rea son is founded on circumstances that must augment the rewards or aggravate the punishments of the dead. ‘Those who depart this life sometimes leave behind them children who imitate the conduct of their parents, dependants, followers ; and others whe admire and advocate the example, the language, the conduct of those on whom they depend, and whose example they follow ; and as the good or bad influence of example, affecting as it does,

the conduct of many, is to terminate only with this world ; jus tice demands that, in order to form a preper estimate ik the good or bad actions of all, a general judgment should take place.

Moreover, as the character of the virtuous frequently suffers from misrepresentation, whilst that of the wicked obtains the commendation of virtue; the justice of God demands that the former recover, in the presence and with the suffrage of a con gregated worid, the good name of which they had been unjustly deprived before men.

Again, as the good and the bad perform their good and bad actions not without the co-operation of the body, these actions are common to tlle body as their instrument; and the body, there- fore, should participate with the soul in the eternal rewards of virtue, or the everlasting punishments of vice; and this can only be accomplished by means of a general resurrection and of a ge- neral judgment.

Finally, it was important to prove, that in prosperity and ad- versity, which are sometimes the promiscuous lot of the good and of the bad, everything is ordered by an all-wise, all-just, and ali-ruling Providence: it was therefore, necessary not only, that rewards and punishments should await us in the next life ; but that they should be awarded by a public and general judgment » that thus they may be better known and rendered more conspicn- ous to all; and that, in atonement for the querulous murmur- ings, to which, on seeing the wicked abound in wealth and flourish in honours, even the Saints themselves, as men, have

On the seventh article of the Creed.

sometimes given expression ; a tribute of praise may be offered by ali to the justice and providence of God. ‘ My feet,’’ says the Prophet, ‘were almost moved, my steps had well nigh slipt; because [ had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners :’’ and a little after: ‘* Behold ! these are sinners, and yet abounding in the world, they have obtained riches ; and I said, then have I in vain justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent ; and I have been scourged all the day; and my chastisement hath been in the morning. This has been the frequent complaint of many, and a general judgment is, therefore, necessary, lest, perhaps, men may be tempted to say that God, * walking about the poles of heav en,’”? regards not the earth. Wisely, therefore, has this truth been made one of the twelve articles of the Christian creed, that hould any be tempted to doubt for a moment, their faith may ve confirmed by the satisfactory reasons which this doctrine presents to the mind. Besides, the just should be encouraged by the hope, the wicked appalled by the terror of a future judg- ment; that knowing the justice of God, the former may not be disheartened, and, dreading his eternal judgments, the latter may be recalled from the paths of vice. Hence speaking of the last day, our Lord and Saviour declares, that a general judgment will, one day take place, and describes the signs of its approach ; that seeing them, we may know that the end of the world is at hand.* At his ascension also, to console his Apostles, over- whelmed with grief at his departure, he sent Angels, who said to them: ‘** This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven.’’*

That this judgment is ascribed to Christ our Lord, not only as God, but also as man, is expressly declared in Seripture : for ilthough the power of ; judging is common to all the Persons of the blessed Trinity, yet it is specially attributed to the Son, be- eause to him also in a special manner, is ascribed wisdom. But that as man, he will judge the world, is confirmed by the testi- mony of our Lord himself when he says: ‘‘ As the Father hath life in himself; so he hath given to the Son also, to have life in himself; and he hath given hin power to do judgment, beeause he 1s the Son of Man.’’® There is a peculiar propriety in Christ’s sitting in judgment on this occasion ; that as sentence is to be pronounced on mankind, they may see their judge with their eyes, and hear him with their ears, and thus learn their final doom, through the medium of the senses. Most just is it also, that he who was most iniquitously condemned by the judgment of men, should himself be, afterwards seen by all men sitting in judgment on all. Hence the prince of the Apostles, when ex- pounding, in the house of Cornelius, the principal dogmas of Christianity, and teaching that Christ was suspended from a sross, and put to death by the Jews, and rose the third day

Ps. Ixxii. 2,3. 12—14 2 Job xxii. 14. 3 Matt. xxiv. 29. 4 Actai IL. John v 26, 27.

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to life, added: ‘‘and he has commanded us to preac:, and u testify to the people, that this is he, who was appointed of God . to be the judge of the living and the dead.””*

The Sacred Scriptures also inform us, that the general judg- ment shall be preceded by these three principal signs, the preach- ing of the Gospel throughout the world, a defection from the faith, and the coming of Antichrist. *‘'This Gospel of the king- dom,”’ says our Lord, ‘* shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall come the consum- mation.’’2 ‘The apostle also admonishes us that we be not se- duced by any one, ‘‘as if the day of the Lord were at hand ; for unless there come a revoit first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,”the judgment will not come.

The form and procedure of this judgment the pastor will easily learn from the oracles of Daniel,* the writings of the Evangelists and the doctrine of the Apostle. ‘The sentence, also, to be pro- nounced by the judge, is here deserving of more than ordinary attention. Looking to the just standing on his right, with a coun- tenance beaming with joy, the Redeemer wiil pronounce sentence on them, with the greatest benignity, in these words : ‘* Come ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.”’> ‘That nothing can be con- . ceived, more delightful to the ear than these words, we shall comprehend, if we only compare them with the sentence of con demnation to be hurled against the wicked; and call to mind that by them the just are invited from labour to rest, from th vale of tears to the mansions of joy, from temporal misery te eternal happiness, the “ward of their works of charity.

Turning next to those who shall stand on his left, he will pour out his justice on them in these words: ‘** Depart from me, ye cur- sed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” These first words, ** depart from me,”’ express the heaviest pu- nishment with which the wicked shall be visited—their eternal banishment from the sight of God, unrelieved by one consolatory hope of recovering so great a good. ‘This divines call ‘ the pain of loss,’’ because in hell, the wicked shall be deprived of the light of the vision of God.? ‘The words ‘ ye cursed,” which are added, must augment to an extreme degree, their wretched and calamitous condition. Jf when banished from the Divine pre- séncee, they could hope for blessing of any sort, it might be to them some source of consolation; but deprived of every such expectation that could alleviate calamity, the divine justice, whose severity their crimes have provoked, pursues them with every species of malediction. ‘The words, * into everlasting fire,’ which follow, express another sort of punishment, called by Divines ‘‘the pain of sense; because, like other corporal punishments, amongst which, no doubt, fire produces the most

1 Acts x. 42. 2 Matt. xxiv. 14. 32 Thess. i. 2, 3. 4 Dan. vii. 9;

5 Matt. xxv.34. 6 Matt. xxv. 41. 7 Chrysost. in Matth. hom. 23. August Serm. 181. de temp. Greg. lib. 9. moral. cap. 46 ;

On, the e.ghth article of the Creed.

intense pain, it is felt through the organs of sense. When moreover, we reflect that this. pain is to be eternal, we are at once satisfied that the punishment of the damned admits of no increase.

These sre considerations, which the pastor should very tre- quently press upon the attention of the faithful; the truth which this Article announces, seen with the eyes of faith, is most efli- eacious in bridling the perverse propensities of the heart, and withdrawing souls from sin.t Hence we read in Ecclesiasticus : ** Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.”’? And in- deed, it is almost impossible to find one so prone to vice, as not to be capable of being recalled to the pursuit of virtue, by the reflection—that the day will come when he shall have to render an aecount before a most rigorous judge, not only of all his words and actions, but even of his most secret thoughts, and shall suffer punishment according to his deserts. But the just man must be more and more excited to cultivate justice, and, although doomed to spend his life in want, and obloquy, and torments, he must be transported with the greatest joy, when he looks forward to that day on which, when the conflicts of this wretched life are over, he shall be declared victorious in the hearing of all men; and admitied into his heavenly country, shall be crowned with divine, and these, also, eternal honours. It becomes, therefore, the duty of the pastor to exhort the faith- ful to model their lives after the best manner, and exercise them selves in every practice of piety ; that thus they may be enabled to look forward with greater security, to the great coming day of the Lord, and even as becomes children, desire it most earnestly

ARELEG GLE VLii. ‘61 BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST.’’

Hirnerto we have expounded, as far as the nature of the subject seemed to require, what regards the first and second Persons of the Holy Trinit. It now remains to explain what the Creed contains with regard to the third Person, the Holy Ghost. On this subject, also, the pastor will omit nothing that study and assiduity can effect; for on this, and the preceding Articles, error were alike unpardonable. Hence, the Aposile is eareful to instruct some amongst the Ephesians, with regard to the Person of the Holy Ghost. Having asked if they had received the Holy Ghost, and having received for answer, that they did not so much as know the existence of the Holy Spirit, he imme- diately subjoins : ‘* In whom, therefore, were you baptised ?’’—

' Aug. serni. 128. de temp. Greg. hom. 39. in Evang Bernard serm.1 in festo ouninm Sonera. 2 Eccles. vii. 40. 3 Acts xix. 2

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The Catechism of the Council of Tren.

to signify that a distinct knowledge of this Article is most ne- cessary to the faithful. From it they derive this spectal fruit— considering, attentively, that whatever they possess, they pos sess through the bounty and beneficence of the Holy Spirit they learn to think more modestly and humbly of themselves and to place all their hopes in the protection of God, which is the first step towards consummate wiedaes and supreme happiness

The exposition of this Article, therefore, should begin with the meaning here attached to the words, Holy Ghost; for, as this appellation is equally tr ze when applied to the Father and the Son, (both are spirit, both holy,) and also includes angels, and the souls of the just ; care must be taken that the faithful be not led into error by the ambiguity of the words. ‘The pastor, then. will teach, in this Article, that by the words Holy Ghost, is un- derstood the third Person of the blessed Trinity ; a sense in which they are used, sometimes in the Old, and frequently in the New Testament. ‘Thus David prays: ** Take not thy Holy Spirit from me ;’’? and in the Book of Wisdom we read: ‘* Who shall know thy thoughts, except thou give wisdom, and send thy Holy Spirit from above 2772 _ And in another place: ‘+ He crea- ted her in the Holy Ghost.’? We are also commanded, in the New Testament, to be en ‘‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost :’’* we read that the most holy Virgin conceived of the Holy Ghost ;> and we are sent by St. John to Christ, ‘* who baptiseth us in the Holy Ghost ;’’® with a variety of other passages in which the words Holy Ghost oceur.

Nor should it be deemed matter of surprise, that a proper name is not given to the third, as to the first and second Per- sons: the second Person is designated by a proper name, and called Son, because, as has been explained in the preceding Articles, his eternal birth from the Father is properly called ge- neration. As, therefore, that birth is expressed by the word ge- neration; so the Person, emanating from that generation, is properly called Son, and the Person, from whom he emanates, Father. But as the production of the third Person is characterised by no proper name, but is called spiration and procession ; the Person produced is, consequently, characterised by no proper name. As, however, we are obliged to borrow, from created objects, the names given to God, and know no other created means of communicating nature and essence than that of genera- tion; we cannot discover a proper name to express the manner in which God communicates himself entire, by the force of his love. Unable, therefore, to express the emanation of the third Person, by a proper, we have recourse to the common name of Holy Ghost; a name, however, peculiarly appropriate to him who infuses into us spiritual life, and without whose holy inspiration, we can do nothing meritorious of eternal life

’ Ps. 1. 12, 13. 2 Wis. ix. 17. 3 Eccles. 1. 9. 4 Matt xxviii. 19 5 Matt. i. 20. Lukei. 35. 6 John 33.

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On the eighth article of the Creed.

But the people, when once acquainted with the import of t.e name, should, first of all, be taught that he is equally God with the Father and the Son, equally omnipotent, eternal, perfect, the supreme good, infinitely wise, and of the same nature with the Father and the Son. All this is, obviously enough, implied by the force of the word “in,” when we say: ‘I believe in the Holy Gnost ;”’ which, to mark the particularity of our faith, is prefixel to each Person of the Trinity; and is also clearly es- tablished by many passages of Scripture: when, in the Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter says: ‘ Ananias! why hast thou con- ceived this thing in thy heart?’ he immediately adds: ‘thou hast not lied to men but to God ;’ calling him, to whom he had before given the name Holy Ghost, immediately after, God.

The Apostle, also, writing to the Corinthians, interprets what he says of God, as said of the Holy Ghost: ‘There are,” says he, ‘diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all;’’ “* but,’’ continues he, “all these things one and the same spirit worketh, ‘dividing to every one according as he will.’”? In the Acts of the Apostles, also, what the pro- phets attribute to one God, St. Paul ascribes to the Holy Ghost; thus Isaias had said: “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? and I said: Lo! here am I, send me. And he said: Go, and thou shalt say to this people: Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears :’”3 Having cited these words, the Apostle adds: ‘*‘ Well did the Holy Ghost speak to our fathers, by Isaias the prophet.’

Again, the Sacred Scriptures, by annexing the Person of the Holy Ghost to those of the Father and the Son; as when bap- tism is commanded to be administered, ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,”’ leaves no room whatever to doubt the truth of this mystery: for if the Father is God, and the Son God, why not confess that the Holy Ghost, who is united with them in the same degree of honour, is also God? Besides, baptism administered in the name of any crea- ture, can be of no effect: ‘‘ Were you baptised in the name of Paul?’’> says the Apostle, to show that such baptism could have availed them nothing to salvation. Having, therefore, been baptised in the name of the Holy Ghost, we must acknowledge the Holy Ghost to be God.

But this same order of the three Persons, which proves the divinity of the Holy Ghost, is observable in the epistle of St. John: ‘* There are three who give testimony in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one ;””® and, also, in that noble eulogy, or form of praise to the Trinity: ‘* Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,” which closes the psalms and divine praises.

' Acts vy. 3, 4. 21 Cor. xii. 6, 11. 3 Isaias vi. 8—10. 4 Acts xxvii. 2A, 5 1 Cor. i. 13. 61 John v. 7

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Finally, not to omit an argument which goes, most f reib 7 * establish this truth, the authority of Holy Seripture proves, that whatever faith attributes to God, belongs equally to the Hely Ghost: to him is ascribed, in Scripture, the honour of temples: ‘* Know you not,” says the Apostle, ‘* that your members are the temple of «the Holy Ghost ;’* and also sanctificatior ,* vi- vification,? to search the depths of God,* to speak by the pro- phets,® and to be present in all places ;° all of which are attrie buted to God alone.

The pastor will, also, accurately explain to the faithful, that the Holy Ghost is God, so as to be the third Person in the di- vine nature, distinet from the Father and the Son, and produced by their will. ‘To say nothing of other testimonies of Scripture, the form of baptism, taught by the Redeemer,’ furnishes an ir- refragable proof that the Holy Ghost is the third Person, self- existent in the divine nature, and distinct from the other Persons: a doctrine taught, also, by the Apostle, when he says: ‘The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communication of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.”8 This same truth, is still more explicitly declared in the words which were here added by the Fathers of the first Couneil of Constantinople, to refute the impious folly of Macedonius : ** And in the Holy Ghost the Lord and giver of life, who pro- eeedeth from the Father, and the Son: who, together with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.”’ ‘Thus, by confessing the Holy Ghost to be “ Lord,” they declare, how far he excels the angels, who are the per- fection of created intelligence ; for, “ they are all,” says the Apostle, ‘* ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation.’

They, also, designate the Holy Ghost: ‘*'The giver of life,” because the soul lives more by an union with God, than the body is nurtured and sustained by an 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.”

With regard to the words immediately succeeding : ‘* who proceedeth ‘from the Father and the Son,” the faithful are to be taught, that the Holy Ghost proceeds by eternal procession, from the Father and the Son, as from one principle: a truth propounded to us by an ecclesiastical rule, from which the least departure is unwarrantable, confirmed by the authority of the Sacred Scriptures, and defined by the Councils of the Church. Christ himself, speaking of the Holy Ghost, says: ‘* He shall glorify me, because he shall receive of mine ;’’*° and we, also, find that the Holy Ghost is, sometimes, called, m Scripture, “the Spirit of Christ,” sometimes, ‘the Spirit of the Father” is, one time, said to be sent by the Father,! another time, by the

+1 Cor. vi. 19. 22 Thess. ii. 13. 1 Petr. i. 2. 3 John vi. 64,

+2 Cor. iii.6; 1Cor.ii.10. 52 Petr ii21. 6 Wis.i.7. 7 Matt. xxviii. 19. 8 2 Cor. xiii 13. ® Heb. i. 14. 10 John xvi 14 "John xiv 26

—

_—

On the erghth article of the Creed.

Son ;* thus signifying, in unequivocal terms, that he proceeds alike from the Father and the Son. ‘ He,” says St. Paul, *‘ who has not tne Spirit of Christ belongs not to him.’’? In his epistle to the Galatians, he also calls the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Christ: ‘* God,”’ says he, * hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father.’’* In the Gos- pel of St. Matthew, he is called the Spirit of the Father: * It is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speak- eth in you;’’* and our Lord himself said, at his last supper: ‘* When the Paraclate cometh, whom I will send you, the Spirit of Truth, who proceedeth from the Father, he shall give testi- mony of me.’ On another occasion, he declares, that he is to be sent by the Father: ‘* whom,” says he, ‘ the Father will send in my name.’® Understanding by these words, the pro- cession of the Holy Ghost, we come to the inevitable conclusion, that he proceeds from the Father and the Son. ‘This exposition embraces the doctrine to be taught with regard to the Person of the Holy Ghost.

It is, also, the duty of the pastor to teach that there are cer- tain admirable effects, certain exalted gifts of the Holy Ghost, which are said to originate and emanate from him, as from a perennial fountain of goodness. Although the extrinsic works of the most Holy ‘Trinity are common to the three Persons, yet many of them are attributed, specially to the Holy Ghost; giving us to understand that they arise from the boundless love of God towards us: for as the Holy Ghost proceeds from the divine will, inflamed, as it were, with love, we can comprehend that these effects which are referred, particularly, to the Holy Ghost, are the result of the boundless love of God towards us.

Hence it is, that the Holy Ghost is called a eirr; for by a gift we understand that which is kindly and gratuitously be- stowed, without reference to anticipated remuneration. What- ever gifts and graces, therefore, have been bestowed on us, by Almighty God, and ‘‘ what have we,” says the Apostle, ‘ that we have not received from God?’’? we should piously and gratefully acknowledge, as bestowed by the grace and gift of the Holy Ghost.

These gifts are numerous: not to mention the creation of the world, the propagation and government of all created beings, as noticed in the first Article; we proved, a little before, that tne giving of life is, particularly, attributed to the Holy Ghost, and the propriety of this attribution is further confirmed by the tes- timony of the prophet Ezekiel: “1 will give you spirit and you shall live.”® ‘The prophet Isaias, however, enumerates the effects peculiarly attributed to the Holy Ghost: ‘ ‘The spirit of wisdom, and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord:’’® effects which are called the gifis of the Holy

1 John xv. 26. 2 Rom. viii. 9. 3 Gal. iv. 6. 4 Matth. x. 20. s John xv. 26. ¢ Jolin xiv. 26. 71 Cor. iv. 7 ® Ezek. xxxvii. 6. 9 Isaias xi 3

The gifts of the Holy Ghost.

Justifying Grace, the transcen- dant gift of the Holy Ghost.

Why this Article is to be care- fully ex- plained.

Wao is to be called a eeretic.

The Catechism of the Council o, Trent

Ghost, and, sometimes, the Holy Ghost. Wisely, therefore, does St. Augustine admonish us, whenever we meet the wora Holy Ghost, in Scripture, to distinguish whether it mezns the third Person of the Trinity, or his gifts and operations ‘+ they are as distinct as the Creator is from the creature. he dili gence of the pastor, in expounding these truths, should be the greater, as it is from these gifts of the Holy Ghost that we de rive rules of Christian life, and are enabled to know if the Holy Ghost dwells within us.

But the grace of justification, ** which signs us with the holy spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance,’’? tran scends his highest gifts: it unites us to God, in the closest bonds of love—lights up within us the sacred flame of piety— forms us to newness of life—renders us partakers of the divine nature—and enables us ‘* to be called and really to be the sons or -“'God.772=

ARTICLE BX: ** ] BELIEVE THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Ir will not be difficult to estimate the care with which the pastor should explain this ninth Article to the faithful,> if we attend to the following important considerations: that, as S. Augustine observes,® the prophets spoke more plainly and ex- plicitly of the Church than of Christ, foreseeing that on this a much greater number may err and be deceived, than on the mystery of the incarnation: after ages were to behold wicked men, who, imitative as the ape, that would fain pass for one of the human species, arrogate to themselves exclusively the name of Catholic, and, with effrontery as unblushing as it is impious, assert that with them alone is to be found the Catholic Chureh— Secondly, that he, whose mind is deeply impressed with this truth, will experience little difficulty in avoiding the awful danger of heresy ; for a person is not to be called a heretic so soon as he errs in matters of faith: then only is he to be so called, when, in defiance of the authority of the Church, he maintains impious opinions, with unyielding pertinacity. As, therefore, so long as he holds what this Article proposes to be believed, no man can be infected with the contagion of heresy ; the pastor should use every diligence, that the faithful, knowing this mystery, and prepared against the wiles of Satan persevere in the true faith.

But this Article hinges upon the preceding one, for, having

1D. August. lib. 15. de Trinit. cap. xviii. 19. 2 Eph. i. 13. §] John iii. 1. 2 Peter i. 4 4 Council Trid. Sess. 6. §] Johniii. 1. 2 Peteri 4. 6S. Aug. in Ps. xxx. 15

On the ninth artice of the Creed.

already established that the Holy Ghost is the source and giver of all holiness, we here confess our belief in the Church which he has endowed with sanctity.

As the word Ecclesia (church) which is borrowed from the Greek, has been applied, since the preaching of the Gospel, to sacred things, it becomes necessary to explain its meaning. ‘The word Ecclesia (church) means a calling forth; but writers afterwards used it to signify a council or assembly. Nor does it matter whether the word is used in reference to the professors of a true or a false religion: in the Acts of the Apostles it is said of the people of Ephesus, that, when the town-clerk had appeased a tumultuous assemblage, he said: ‘“ and if you in- quire after any other matter, it may be decided in a lawful as- sembly”’ (Ecclesia) :1 | ‘The Ephesians, who were worshippers of Diana, are thus called by the Apostle, ‘‘ a lawful assembly” (Ecclesia): Nor are the Gentiles only, who know not God, called a church or assembly, (Ecclesia): the councils of wicked and impious men are also, sometimes, called by the same name: **T have hated the assembly (Ecclesiam) of the malignant,” says the Psalmist, ‘‘and with the wicked I will not sit.”"* However, in ordinary Scripture-phrase, the word was afterwards used to designate the Christian commonwealth only, and the assemblies of the faithful; that is of those who were called by faith to the light of truth, and the knowledge of God; who, forsaking the darkness of ignorance and error, worship the living and true God in piety and holiness, and ‘serve him from their whole hearts. In a word, ‘the Church,” says S. Augustine, ‘‘ consists of the faithful dispersed throughout the world.’

Under the word ‘* Church” are comprehended no unimpor- tant mysteries, for, in this ‘calling forth,’ which the word Ecclesia (church) signifies, we at once recognize the benignity and splendour of divine grace, and understand that the Church is very unlike all other commonwealths: they rest on human reason and human prudence; this, on the wisdom and councils of God; for he called us by the interior inspiration of the Holy Ghost, who, through the ministry and labour of his pastors, and preachers, penetrates into the hearts of men.

Moreover, from this calling we shall better understand the end which the Christian should propose to himself, that is, the knowledce and possession of things eternal, when we reflect why the faithful, living under the law, were of old, called a synagogue, that is, a congregation: as 8. Augustine observes, *‘they were so called, because, like cattle which usually go to- gether, they looked only to terrestrial aud transitory things ;’”* and hence the Christian people are called a church, not a syna- gozue, because, despising terrestrial and tinnsitory things, they aspired only to things heavenly and eternal.

Many other names, replete with mysteries, are employed, by an easy deflection from their original meaning, to designate the

\ Acts xix. 29. 2Ps.xxv.5 23S Aug. in Ps.cxux. 4 Aug. in Ps. lxxvii. boo.

6

Mearing of the word Ecclesia; (church)

Mysteries

which the word com prises.

Other names of theChure’

II

IV

The

Church

triumphant and snili-

fant ;

Traumph-

ant;

Militant.

Composed ef the good and

vad.

E)

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Christian commonwealth: by the Apostle it is called * the House and Edifice of God,’ when writing to Timothy, he says, “If I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth.’’* It is called a house because it consists, as it were, of one family, governed by one Father, and enjoying a community of all spiritual goods. It is also called the flock of Christ, of which he is ** the door and the shepherd.’’? It is called the spouse of Christ: “I have es- poused you to one husband,” says the Apostle to the Corin- thians, ‘‘that I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ :’”3 and writing to the Ephesians, he says: ‘* Husbands, love your wives, as Christ, also, loved the Church, and delivered himself up for it :’’* and, also, speaking of marriage, he says: ‘* This is a great sacrament, but I speak in Christ and in the Church.’”* Finally, the Church is called the body of Christ, as may be seen in the epistles of St. Paul to the Ephesians,® and Colos- sians :7 appellations each of which has considerable influence in exciting the faithful to prove themselves worthy the bound- less clemency and goodness of God, who chose them to be his people.

Having explained these things, it will be necessarv to enu- merate the several component parts of the Church, --* point out their difference, in order that the faithful may the better comprehend the nature, properties, gifts, and graces. of the Church, the object of God’s special predilection; and uncea- singly offer to the divine majesty the homage of their grateful praise. ‘I'he Church consists principally of two parts, the one ealled the Church triumphant, the other, the Church militant.® The Church triumphant is that most glorious and happy assem- blage of blessed spirits, and of those souls who have triumphed over the world, the flesh, and the devil, and, now exempt from the troubles of this life, are blessed with the fruition of ever- lasting bliss. ‘The Church militant is the society of all the faith- ful still dwelling on earth, and is called militant, because it wages eternal war with those implacable enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil. We are not, however, hence to infer that there are two Churches: they are two constituent parts of one Church; one part gone before, and now in the possession of its heavenly country; the other, following every day, until, at length, united to its invisible head, it shall repose in the frui- tion of endless felicity.®

The Church militant is composed of two classes of persons, the good and the bad, both professing the same faith and par- taking of the same sacraments ; yet differing in their manner of life and morality. ‘The good are those who are linked to- gether not only by the profession of the same faith, and the yar-

11Tim. iii. 15 = 2 Ezek. xxxiv. 5. John x.7. 32Cor.m. 2. _4 Eph. v. 25 § Eph. v 32. 6 Eph. i. 23. 7 Colos.1. 24. 8 Aug. Ench. ec. 10 9 Aug. lib. i. de Civ. Dei, c. 9

On the ninth article of the Creed.

lucipation of the same sacraments; but also by the ee of grace, and the bond of charity: of whom St. P aul says: ‘lhe Lord knoweth who are his.” Who they are that compose this class we, also, may remotely conjecture ; pronounce with cer- tainty we cannot.2 Of this part of his Church, therefore, our Lord does not speak, when he refers us to the Church, and com- mands us to lear and to obey her:* unknown as is that portion of the Church, how ascertain with certainty, whose decision to recur lo, W aa authority to obey? ‘The Church, therefore, as the Sacred Scriptures, and the writings of the holy men. who are gone before us, testify, includes within her fold the goed and the bad: and this interpretation is sustained by the Apostle, when he says: ‘There is one body and one spirit.”* Thus understood, the Chureh is known, and is compared toa city built ' on a mountain, and seen from every side.® As all must yield obedience to her authority, it is necessary that she may be known by all. ‘That the Church is composed of the good and the bad we learn from many paral ables contained in the Gospel : thus, the kingdom ef heaven, that is, the Church militant, is compared to a net cast into ihe sea,® to a field in which tares were sown with the good grain,’ to a threshing floor on which the grain is mixed up with the chaif,* and, also, to ten virgins, five of whom were wise, and five foolish ;¥ and, long be- fore, we trace a figure and striking resemblance of the Church in the ark of Noah, which contained not only clean, but also unclean animals.’® But, although the Catholic faith uniformly and truly teaches that the good and the bad belong to the Church, yet the same faiti declares thet the condition of both is very different: the wicked are ecniained in the Church, as the chaff is mingled with the grain on the threshing floor, or as dead members, sometimes, remain attached to a living body. Hence, there are but three classes of persons excluded from her pale, infidels, heretics and schismatics, and excommunicated persons ; infidels, because they never belonged to, and never knew the. Church, and were never made partakers of any of her sacraments ; heretics and schismatics, because they have sepa- rated from the Church, and belong to her, only as deserters be- long to the army from which they have deserted. It is not, however, to be denied, that they are stil] subject to the jurisdic- tion of the Church, inasmuch as they are liable to have judg- ment passed on their opinions, to be visited with spiritual punish- ments, and denounced with meinen: Finally, excommunicated persons, because excluded by her sentence from the number of her children, belong not to her communion until restored by re- pentance. But with regard to the rest; however wicked and flagitious, it is certain that they still belong to the Chureh ; and of this the faithful are frequently to be reminded, in order to be convinced that, were even the lives of her ministers de-

(2T'm in 19. 2Conc. Trid. Sess. 6. c.12. 3 Matt. xviii. 17 4 Eph iv. 4. 5 V[att vy. 15. 6 Matt.. xiii. 47. 7 Matt. xiii. 24. 8 Lake j iii. 17. 9 Batt. xxv. 1, 2. 10 Gen. vii. 2. 1 Pet. iii. 20

7 K

Figures aud com parisons of the Chureh

‘Those wne are excjud-

_ ©0 froma her

pale,

74

Uther ap- plications of the word Church.

Distinctive marks of theChurch.

Untty.

A visible nead neces-

Sary to pre-

berve unily

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

based by crime, they are still within her pale, and, therefore idse no yart of the power, with which her ministry invests them.

But portions of the Universal Church are, also, usually called a Church, as when the Apostle mentions the Church at Corinth,‘ at Galatia,? at Laodicea,’ at 'Thessalonica.+ ‘The private houses of the faithful, he, also, calls Churches: the Church in the house of Priscilla and Aquila he commands to be saluted :> and in another place, he says: ‘* Aquila and Priscilla, with their domestic Church, salute you much.’® Writing to Philemon, he makes use of the same word, in the same sense.? Some- times, also, the word Church is used to signify the prelates and pastors of the Church: “If he will not hear thee,’’ says our Lord, ‘tell it to the Church.”’® Here the word Church means the authorities of the Church. ‘The place in which the faithful assemble to hear the word of God, or for other religious pur- poses is, also, called a Church ;° but, in this Article, the word is specially used to signify the good and the bad, the governing and the governed.

The distinctive marks of this Church are also to be made known to the faithful, that thus they may be enabled to estimate the extent of the blessing, conferred by God on those who have had the happiness to be born and educated within her pale The first mark of the true Church is described in the Creed of the Fathers, and consists in unity: ‘* My dove is one, my beau- tiful one is one.’’!° So vast a multitude, scattered far and wide. is called one, for the reasons mentioned by St. Paul in his epistle te the Ephesians: ‘* One Lord, one faith, one bap- tism.”**! "This Church has, also, but one ruler and one governor, the invisible one, Christ, whom the Eternal Father ** hath made head over all the Church, which is his body ;’’?? the visible one, him, who, as legitimate successor of Peter the prince of the Apostles, fills the apostolic chair.

That this visible head is necessary to establish and preserve unity in the Church is the unanimous accord of the Fathers ; and on this, the sentiments of St. Jerome, in his work against Jovinian, are as clearly conceived as they are happily expressed: “ One,”’ says he, ‘‘is chosen, that, by the appointment of a head, all occasion of schism may be removed ;’’!3 and to Da- mascus, ‘‘ Let envy cease, let the pride of Roman ambition be humbled: I speak to the successor of the fisherman, and to the disciple of the cross. Following no chief but Christ, I am united in communion with your Holiness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that on that rock is built the Church. Whoever wili eat the lamb outside this house is profane: who- ever is not in the ark of Noah shall perish in the flood.” ‘The

IZ Cor. 1: ¥. 2 Gal.1. 2 3 Colos. iv. 16. 41 Thess.i. 1. 5 Rom. XVi. 3--0. 6] Cor xvi.19 = Phil. i.2 ' 8 Mat. xviii. 17 1 Cor. xi. 18. 10 Cant. vi. 8. 'L Eph. iv. 2 Eph. i. 22, 23

‘8S. Hyeron. lib. 1. contr. Jovin. in med et epist 57

On the ninth article of the Creed.

samv doctrine was, long before, established by S. 8. Irenzeus,' and Cyprian :* the latter, speaking of the unity of the Church, observes: ‘*'The Lord said to Peter, ‘1 say to thee Peter! thou art Peter: and upon this rock I will build my Church :’® he builds his Church on one ; and although, after his resurrec- tion, he gave equal power to all his Apostles, saying, ‘ As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost ;”* yet, to display unity, he disposed, by his own autho- rity, the origin of this unity, which had its beginning with one, . &e.”’ Again, Optatus of Milevis says: ‘* Itcannot be ascribed to ignorance on your part, knowing, as you do, that the episco- val chair, in which, as head of all the Apostles, Peter sat, was, first, fixed by him in the city of Rome, that in him alone may be preserved the unity of the Church; and that the other Apos- tles may not claim each a chair for himself; so that, now, he, who erects another, in opposition to this single chair, is a schis- matic and a prevaricator.”° In the next place, S. Basil has these words: ‘‘ Peter is made the foundation, because he says : ‘ Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God:’ and hears in re- ply that he is a rock; butalthough a rock, he is not such a rock as Christ, for in himseif Christ is, truly, an immoveable rock, but Peter, only by virtue of that rock; for God bestows his dignities on others: He is a priest, and he makes priests; a rock, and he makes a rock: what belongs to himself, he be- stows on his servants.’"® Lastly, S. Ambrose says: ‘* Should any one object, that the Church is content with one head and one spouse, Jesus Christ, and requires no other; the answer is obvious ; for, as we deem Christ not only the author of all the Sacraments, but, also, their invisible minister; (he it is who baptises, he it is who absolves, although men are appointed by him the external ministers of the sacraments) so has he placed over his Church, which he governs by his invisible spirit, a man to be his vicar, and the minister of his power: a visible Church requires a visible head, and, therefore, does the Saviour appoint Peter head and pastor of all the faithful, when, in the most ample terms, he commits to his care the feeding of all his sheep ;7 desiring that he, who was to succeed him, should be invested with the very same power of ruling and governing the entire Church.”

The Apostle, moreover, writing to the Corinthians, tells them, that there is but one and the same Spirit who imparts grace to the faithful, as the soul communicates life to the mem- bers of the body.* Exhorting the Ephesians to preserve this unity, he says, ‘* Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” As the human body consists of many members, animated by one soul, which gives sight to the eyes.

' Tren. lib. 3. contr. heres. cap. 3. 2 B. Cyprian. de simp. preel. in principo re. 3 Matt. xvi. 18. 4 John xx. 21, 22.

5 Pp Initio lib. 2 ad Parmen. 6 Basil. hom. 29. quee est de penit

sd xxi, 15 8 Cor. xii 11, 12 9 Eph. iv 3

15

76

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

hearing to the ears, and to the other senses, the power of dis charging their respective functions; so, the mystical body of Christ, ‘which is the Chureh, is composed of many faithful. The hope, to which we are patient is, also, one, as the Apostle tells us in the same place :* we all hope for the same consummation, eternal life. Finally, the faith, which all are bound to believe and to profess, is one: ‘‘ Let there be no schisms amongst you;’4 and baptism, which is the seal of our solemn initiation into the Christian faith, is, also, one.

Another distinctive mark of the Church is holiness, as we learn from these words of the prince of the apostles: ‘ You are a chosen generation, a holy nation.”’* ‘The Church is called holy, because she is consecrated and dedicated to God ;° as other things, such as vessels, vestments, altars, when appropriated and dedicated to the worship of God, although material, are called holy ; and, in the same sense, the first-born, who were dedi- cated to the Most High God, were, also, called holy.®

It should not be deemed matter of surprise, that the Church. although numbering amongst her children many sinners, is called holy ; for as those who profess any art, although they should depart from its rules, are called artists; so the faithful, although offending in many things, and violating the engagements, to the observance of which they had solemnly pledged themselves, are called holy, because they are made the people of God, and are consecrated to Christ, by baptism and faith. Hence, 8. Paul calls the Corinthians sanctified and holy, although it is certain that amonst them there were some, whom he severely rebuked as carnal, and, also, charged with grosser crimes.’ She is, also, to be called holy, because, as the body, she is united to her head, Christ Jesus,® the fountain of all holiness, from whom flow the graces of the Holy Spirit, and the riches of the divine bounty S. Augustine interpreting these words of the prophet: ‘ Pre- serve my soul because 1 am holy,’’® thus admirably expresses himself: ‘‘ Let the body of Christ boldly say, let also, that one man, exclaiming from the ends of the earth, beldly say, with Christ his head, and under Christ his head; I am holy: for he received the grace of holiness, the grace of baptism and of re- mission of sins:’’ and a little after: ‘*If all Christians and all the faithful, having been baptized in Christ, have put him on, according to these words of the Apostle: ‘as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ :’?° if they are made members of his body, and yet say they are not holy, they do an injury to their head, whose members are holy.’’2? 1? Moreover, the Church alone has the legitimate worship of sa crifice, and the salutary use of the sacraments, by which, as the efficacious instruments of divine grace, God establishes us in true holiness; so that to possess true holiness we must belong

| Eph. iv. 4. 21 Cors1.10. 3 Eph. iv. 5. 41 Pet. ii 9. 5 Levit. xxvii. 28. 30. 6 Exod. xiii. 12. 71 Cor. 1. 2. 1 Cor. iii. 3 8 Eph. iv. 15, 16. 9 Ps. Ixxxv 2. 10 Gal. iii. 27

"' Eph. v. 26, 27 30. (2 St Aug. in Psalm Ixxxv 2.

On the ninth article of the Creea T2

to this Church. ‘The Church, therefore, it is clear, is holy,* and holy, because she is the body of Christ, by whom she is sanctified, and in whose blood she is washed.? #

The third mark of the Church is, that she is Catholic, that is OL universal ; and justly is she called Catholic, because, as S. Au- Catholics gustine says: ‘She is diffused by the splendour of one faith from the rising to the setting sun.”** Unlike republics of human _institution, or the conventicles of heretics, she is not cirewm- scribed within the limits of any one kingdom, nor confined to the members of any one society of men; but embraces, within the amplitude of her love, all mankind, whether barbarians or Scythians, slaves or freemen, male or female. ‘Therefore it is written, * ‘Thou hast redeemed us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us to our God, a kingdom.”® Speaking of the Church, David says: ‘Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy posses- sion:”® and also, “I will be mindful of Rahab and of Baby- lon knowing me:’’?? and ** 7’his man and ¢het man is born in her:’’® ‘To this Church, * built on the foundation of the Apos- tles and Prophets,’’® belong all the faithful who have existed from Adam to the present day, or who shall exist, in the pro- fession of the true faith, to the end of time; all of whom are founded and raised upon the one corner stone, Christ, who made both one, and announced peace to them that are near, and to them that are afar. She is, also, called universal, because all who desire eternal salvation must cling to and embrace her, like those who entered the ark, to escape perishing in the flood. This, therefore, is to be taught as a most just criterion, to dis- tinguish the true from a false Church.

The true Church is, also, to be known from her origin, which we she derives under the law of grace, from the Apostles ; for her es doctrines are neither novel nor of recent origin, but were deli- vered, of old, by the Apostles, and disseminated throughout the world. Hence, no one can, for a moment, doubt that the impi- ous opinions which heresy invents, opposed, as they are, to the doctrines taught by the Church from the days of the Aposues to the present time, are very different from the faith of the true Church. ‘That all, therefore, may know the true Catholic Church, the Fathers, guided by the Spirit of God, added to the Creed the word “ aposroric ;’*"* for the Holy Ghost, who pre sides over the Church, governs her by no other than Apostolic men; and this Spirit, first imparted to the Apostles, has, by the infinite goodness of God always continued in the Church. But

! Eph. i. 1—4 2 Eph. i. 7. 13; v. 26.

3 De sanctitate Ecclesi vide Justin. Mart. in utraque A pol. Tert. in Apol Aug bontr. Fulg c. 17 Gregor. Moral. L. 37. c. 7.

4S. Aug. serm. 131 & 181. de temp. 5 Apoc. v.9, 10. Psi. &

7 Ps. ixxxvi 4. 8 Ps, Ixxxvi. 5 & Eph. ii. 20. 10 Gen. vii. 7.

"' De vere. Ecclesie notis vide Aug. contra epist. fundamenti, cap. 4. Tertul. lib eto de prescript.

7 fad

Fi s of hechirch

The Church to be believ- ed, and how?

The

Yhurch

4y whom sounded.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

as this one Church, because governed by the Holy Ghost, can. not err in faith or morals, it necessarily follows, that all other societies arrogating to themselves the name of Church, because guided by the spirit of darkness, are sunk in the most perni- cious errors both doctrinal and moral.

But as the figures of the Old ‘Testament have considerable influence in exciting the minds of the faithful, and recalling to their recollection these most salutary truths, and are, principally on this account, mentioned by the Apostle, the pastor will not pass by so copious a source of instruction. Amongst these figures the ark of Noah holds a GEES place. It was constructed by the command of God,* in order, no doubt, to signify the C hurch, which God has so constituted, as that who- ever enters her, through baptism, may be safe from all danger of eternal death, while such as are not within her, like those who were not in the ark, are overwhelmed by their own crimes.

Another figure presents itself in the great city of Jerusalem,” which, in Scripture, often means the Church. In Jerusalem oniy was it lawful to offer sacrifice to God, and in the Church of God only are to be found the true worship and true sacrifice which can, at all, be acceptable to God. Finally, with regard to the Church, the pastor will teach how to believe the Church can constitute an article of faith. Reason, it is true, and the senses are competent to ascertain the existence of the Church, that is, of a society of men devoted and consecrated to Jesus Christ; nor does faith seem necessary in order to understand a truth which is acknowledged by Jews and ‘Turks. but it is from the light of faith only, not from the deductions of reassx that he mind ean comprehend the mysteries, which, as has been already glanced at, and as shall be, hereafter, more fully deve- loped, when we come to treat of the Sacrament of Orders, are contained in the Church of God. As, therefore, this Article, as well as the others, is placed above the reach, and defies the rials of the human understanding, most justly do we con- fess, that human reason cannot arrive at a knowledge of the origin, privileges and dignity of the Church; these we can con- template only with the eyes of faith.

This Church was founded not by man, but by the immortal God himself, who built her upen a most solid rock: ** The Highest Himself,” says the Prophet, ‘hath founded her.’ Hence, she is called ‘* The inheritance of God,’* ‘* The peo ple of God,’’* and the power, which she possesses, is not from man but from God. As this power, therefore, cannot be of hu- man origin, divine faith can alone enable us to understand that the keys of the kingdom of Heaven are deposited with the Church, that to her has been confided the power of remitting sins ;’ of denouncing excommunication ;° and of consecrating

' Gen. vi. 14. 2 Gal. iv. 26, Heb. xii. 22. Deut, xii, 11—14. 18, 21. 8 Ps. Ixxxvi. 5. 4 Ps. ii. 8. 5 Osee. li. 1. 6 Matt. xvi. 1 7 John xx. 23. 8 Matt. xviii. 17.

On the ninth article of the Creed.

the real body of Christ ;1 and that her children have not here a permanent dwelling, but look for one above.*

We are, therefore, bound to believe that there is one Holy Catholic Church ; but, with regard to the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we not only believe them, but, also, believe 1n them ; and hence, when ‘speaking of each dogma, we make use of a different form of expression, professing to believe the holy, not 1n the Holy Catholic Church ;* by this difference of expression, distin- guishing God, the author of all things, from his works, and ac- knowledging ourselves debtors to the divine goodness for all these exalted benefits bestowed on the Church.

‘©THE COMMUNION OF SAINTs.”’

Tue Evangelist St. John, writing to the faithful on the di- vine mysteries, tells them, that he undertook to instruct them on the subject; ‘‘ that you,”’ says he, ‘* may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”* ‘This ‘ fellowship” consists in the Communion of Saints, the subject of the present Article. Would, that, in its exposition, pastors imitated the zeal of St. Paul and of the other Apostles !5 for not only does it serve as an interpretation of the preceding Article, and is a point of doctrine productive of abund- ant fruit; but it also teaches the use to be made of the myste- ries contained i in the Creed; because the great end, to which all our researches and knowledge are to be directed, is our admission into this most august and blessed society of the saints, and our steady perseverance therein, “giving thanks, with joy, to God the Father who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light.’’®

The faithful, therefore, in the first place, are to be informed that this Article is, as it were, a sort of explanation of the pre- ceding one, which regards the unit,, sanctity, and catholicity of the Church: for the unity of the Spirit, by which she is governed, establishes among all her members a community of spiritual blessings, whereas the fruit of all the Sacraments is common to all the faithful, and these Sacraments, particularly baptism, the door, as it were, by which we are admitted into the Church,’ are so many connecting links which bind and unite them to Jesus Christ. ‘That this Communion of Saints implies a communion of Sacraments, the Fathers dleclare in these words of the Creed: *“‘I confess one L2ptism.’’* After baptism, the Eucharist holds the first place in reference to this communion ; and after the Eucharist, the other Sacraments; for, although

1 Heb. xiii.10. 2 Heo. xiii, 14. 3 Aug. serm. 13°. de. temp 4 John i. 3. * Aug. in Joan. Tract. 32. 6 Col. i. 12° 7 Aug 1. 19, contr. Faustum. e. 12 > Damase. lib. 4. de fide orthodox. cap. 12. 1 Cor. 12.

We believe theChurch, not in the Church

ah his Aro cle to be carefully explained,

In what “ the Com munion of Saints” consists.

80

A. seriptin- ral illustra tion of this zormmu- mon:

This com- munion how far commo* to the wicked.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

common to all the Sacraments, because all urtte us to God, and render us partakers of him whose grace they communicate to us, this communion belongs, in a peculiar manner, to the Eucharist, by which it is directly accomplished.’

But there x, also, another communion in the Churekh, which demands attention: every pious and holy action, done by one, belongs to and becomes profitable to all, through charity, ‘* which seeks not her own.’’? In this we are forfied by the concur- rent testimony of St. Ambrose, who explaining these words of the Vsaimist; ‘*I am a partaker with all them that fear thee,’’ observes: ‘* As we say that a member is partaker of the entire hody, so are we partakers with all that fear God.” Therefore, has Christ taught us to say, ‘‘our,” not * my’ bread;* and the other petitions of that admirable prayer are equally general, not confined to ourselves alone, but directed, also, to the general interest, and salvation of all. ‘This com- munication of goods is often, very appositely illustrated in Serip- ture by a comparison borrowed from the members of the hu- man body : in the human body there are many members, bit though many, they, yet, constitute but one body, in which each performs its own, not all, the same functions. Al] do not enjoy equal dignity, or discharge functions alike useful or honourable ; nor does one propose to itself its own exclusive advantage, but that of the entire body.® Besides, they are so well organised and knit together, that if one suffers, the rest naturally sympathise with it, and if, on the contrary, one enjoys }.... ui, the feeling of pleasure is common to all. ‘The same may be voserved of the Church; although composed of various members ; of dif ferent nations, of Jews, Gentiles, freemen and slaves, of rich and poor ; yet all, initiated by faith, constitute one body with Christ, who is their head. ‘To each member of the Church, is, also, assigned its own peculiar office ; and as some are appointed apostles, some teachers, but all for the common good ; so to some it belongs to govern and teach, to others to be subject and to obey.

But, the advantages of so many and such exalted blessings, bestowed by Almighty God, are pre- eminently enjoyed by those

who lead a Christian life in charity, and are just and beloved of -

God ; whilst the dead members, that is, those who are bound in thraldom of sin, and estranged from the grace of God, although not deprived of these advantages. so as to cease to be members of this body, are yet, as dead members, deprived of the vivifying principle which is communicated to the just and pious Chris- tian. However, as they are in the Church, they are assisted in recovering lost grace and life by those who are animated by the Spirit of God, and are in the enjoyment of those fruits which are no doubt, dered to such as are, entirely, cut off from the com- munion of the Church.§

'1 Cor. x. 16. 21 Cor. xiii. 5. 3S. Ambr. in Ps. exviii. serm. 8. v. 62 4 Matt. vi. 11 51 Cor. xi. 14. 6 Avg. in Ps. 70 serm. 2.

F ) :

ee An

On the tenth article of the Vreeu.

But the gifts, which justify and endear vs to God, are ot eratuiou®

alone common: ‘graces gratuitously grantea,”’ suc!: as know- ‘edge, prophecy, the gifts of tongues ‘and of miracles, and others , of the same sort,! are common, also, and are granted even to | the wicked; not, however, for their own, but for the general | good ; for the building up of the Church of God. Thus, the

_cift of healing is given, not for the sake of him who heals, but

for the sake of him who is healed. In fine, every true Chris- tian possesses nothing which he should not consider common to all others with himself, and should, therefore, be prepared promptly to relieve an indigent fellow-creature ; for he that is blessed with worldly goods, and ses his brother in want, and will not assist him, is at once convicted of not having the love

of God within him.? Those, therefore, who belong to this holy communion, it is manifest, enjoy a sort of happiness here below, and may truly say with the Psalmist: ‘‘ How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. Blessed are they who dwell in thy house, O Lord !’"8

rs geeg DM EOE Bd Die en, ‘* THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.”’

Tue enumeration of this amongst the other Articles of the Creed, is alone sufficient to satisfy us, that it conveys a truth,

83

y granted’ ommon to iem with

he good

The beliet of this Ar- licle neces

which is not only in itself a divine mystery, but also a mystery cary to sak very necessary to salvation. We have already said that, with- vation.

out a firm belief of all the Articles of the Creed, Christian piety is wholly unattainable. However, should a truth, which ought to bring intrinsic evidence to every mind, seem to require any other authority in its support; enough that the Redeemer, a short time previous to his ascension into heaven, ‘‘ when open- ing the understanding of his disciples, that they might under- stand the Scriptures,” bore testimony to this Article of the Creed, in these words: “It behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day, and that penance and re- mission of sins, should be preached, in his name, unto all nations,

beginning at Jerusalem.’’* Let the pastor but weigh well these Obliga ieo words, and he will readily perceive, that the Lord “has laid him ee po under a most sacred obligation, not only of making known to ploir +10

the faithful, whatever regards religion in general, but also of ex- the janls

plaining, with particular « care, this article of the Creed. On this point of doctrine, then, it is the bounden duty of the pastor to teach that, not only is ‘forgiveness of sins” to be found in the Catholic Church, as Isaias had foretold in these words: ** The

! 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 2] John iii. 17 3 Ps. Ixxvxiii, 2. 5. 4 Luke xxiv. 46, 47

L

Baptism remits al! sins and the punisli- ments d2 to then:

The power

of the keys iven to eChurch.

This power extends lo all sins.

But*s con- famed to bi- shops and priesis.

The Catechasm of the Council of Trent.

people that dwell therein shall have their iniquity taken away trom them; but, also, that in her resides the power of for giving sins ;* which power, if exercised duly, and according ta the laws ene by our Lord, iS, we are bound to believe, such as, truly to pardon and remit sins.

But, when we first make a profession of faith at the baptisma font, and are cleansed in its purifying waters, we receive this pardon entire and unqualified ; ; So that no sin, original or actual, of © commission or omission, remains to be expiated, no punishmen to be endured. ‘The grace of baptism, however, does not give exemption from all the infirmities of nature: on the contrary, contending, as we each of us have to contend, against the mo- tions of concupiscence, which ever tempts us to the commission of sin, there is scarcely one to be found amongst us, who op- poses so vigorous a resistance to its assaults, or who guards his salvation so vigilantly, as to escape all the snares of Satan.?

It being necessary, therefore, that a power of forgiving sins, distinct from that of baptism, should exist in the Church, to her were entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven, by which each one, if penitent, may obtain the remission of his sins, even though he were a sinner to the last day of his life. This truth is vouched by the most unquestionable authority of the Sacred Scriptures : in St. Matthew, the Lord says to Peter: ‘I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; ; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall The bound also in heaven; anq whatever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed also in hea ven :’’* and again, ‘* whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed also in heayen.’’> Again, the testimony of St John assures us that the Lord, breathing on the Apostles, zatd ‘Receive ye ine Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’’® Nor is the exercise of this power restricted to. part'cular sins, for no crime, however heinous, canbe committed, whi 1 the Church has not power to forgive: as, also, there is no sinner, however abandoned, none, however depraved, who shouid not confidently hope for pardon, provided he sincerely repent of his past transgressions.? Neither is the exercise of this power restricted to particular times; fer whenever the sin- ner turns from his evil ways, he is not to be rejected, as we learn from the reply of our Lord to the prince of the Apostles, asking how often we should pardon an offending brother, whether seven times: ‘* Not only seven times,” says the Re- deemer, ‘* but even seventy times seven.’’®

But if we look to its ministers, or to the manner in which it is to be exercised, the extent of this power will not eppear so great; for it is a power not given to all, but to bishops and

1Jsaias xxxiii. 24. 2 Aug. homil. 4S. cap. 3. 3 Trident, Sess. v. can. 5 Aug. 1, 2, de peccat. merit. c. 28. 4 Matt. xvi.19. 5 Matt. xviii. 18. © John xx. 23 7 Ambros. lib. 1. de poenit. c. 1, 2. Aug in Ench. e. 93 > Matt xviii. 21, 22

On the tenth article of the Creed

priests only ; and sins can be forgiven only through the Sacre- merts, when duly administered. ‘The Church has received -10 power otherwise to remit sin.*

But to raise the admiration of the faithful, for this heavenly gift, bestowec on the Church by the singular mercy of God to- wards us, and to make them approach its use with the more lively sentiments of devotion; the pastor will endeavour to point out the dignity and the extent of the grace which it im- parts. If there be any one means better calculated than another to accomplish this end, it is, carefully to show how great must be the efficacy of that which absolves from sin, and restores the unjust to a state of justification. ‘This is, manifestly, an effect of the infinite power of God, of that same power which we be- lieve to have been necessary to raise the dead to life, and to summon creation into existence.* But if it be true, as the au- thority of St. Augustine assures us it is,® that, to recall a sinner from the state of sin to that of righteousness, is even a greater work than to create the heavens and the earth from nothing, though their creation can be no other than the effect of infinite power ; it follows, that we have still stronger reason to consider the remission of sins, as an effect proceeding from the exercise of this same infinite power. With great truth, therefore, have the ancient Fathers declared, that God alone can forgive sins, and that to his infinite goodness and power alone is so wonder- ful a work to be referred: ‘‘I am he,” says the Lord himself, by the mouth of his prophet, ‘* I am he, who blotteth out your iniquities.”** ‘The remission of sins seems to bear an exact ana- logy to the cancelling of a pecuniary debt: as, therefore, none but the creditor can forgive a pecuniary debt, so the debt of sin, which we owe to God alone, (and our daily prayer is: ‘ for- give us our debts,’’®) can, it is clear, be rorgiven by him alone, and by none else.

But this wonderful gift, this emanation of the divine bounty, was never communicated to creatures, until God became man Christ our Lord, although true God, was the first who, as man, received this high prerogative from his heavenly Father: ‘* That you may know,” says he to the paralytic, ‘that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, rise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.’’® As, therefore, he became man, in order to bestow on man this forgiveness of sins, he communicated this power to bishops and priests in the Church, previously to his ascension into heaven, there to sit for ever at the right hand of God. Christ, however, as we have already said, remits sin by virtue of his own authority ; all others by virtue of his authority delegated to them as his ministers.

If, therefore, whatever is the effect of infinite power claims ‘

pur highest admiration, and commands our profoundest reve-

! Trid. Sess. 14. c. 6. Hier epist. 1. post med. Ambr. de Cain et Abel, c. 4 2 Trid. Sess. 6. c. 7. & Sess. 14. 1, 2. &c. tract. 7. 2. in Joan.

* Aug. lid. 1. de pecc. merit. c. 23. 1.50. hom. 23. Ambr. de Abel, al 4.

4 Isaies wri. 25. 5 Matt. vi, 11 6 Matt ix. 6. Mark ii 9, 16

Ite inesti- maole value.

First giveu to Christ as Man,

Mortal sin how grea: an evil.

The faith- ful should have re- eourse to the exer- cise of this power.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

rence; we must readily perceive that this gift, bestowea on the Church by the bounteous hand of Christ our Lord, is one of inestimable value. ‘The manner, too, in which God, in the full ness of his paternal clemency, resolved to cancel the sins of the world, must powerfully excite the faithful to the contemplation of this great blessing: it was his will that our offences should be expiated in the blood of his only begotten Son, that he should voluntarily assume the imputability of our sins, and suffer a most cruel death; the just for the unjust. the innocent for the guilty.t When, therefore, we reflect, that ‘we were not redeem- ed with corruptible things, as gold or silver, but with the pre- cious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled ;”” we are naturally led to conclude that we could have received ne gift more salutary than this power of forgiving sins, which pro. claims the ineffable providence of God, and the excess of his love towards us.

This reflection must produce, in all, the most abundant spiritual fruit; for whoever offends God, even by one mortal sin, instantly forfeits whatever merits he may have previously acquired through the sufferings and death of Christ, and is en- tirely shut out “from the gate of heaven, which, when already closed, was thrown open to all by the Redeemer’s passion And, indeed, when this reflection enters into the mind, impos- sible not to feel impressed with the most anxious solicitude, and contemplating the picture of human misery which it presents to our view. But if we turn our attention to this admirable power with which God has invested his Church; and, in the tirm belief of this Article, feel convinced that to every sinner is offered the means of recovering, with the assistance of divine grace, his former dignity ; we can no longer resist sentiments of exceeding joy, and cladness, and exultation, and must offer immortal thanks to God. If, when labouring under some severe malady, the medicines prepared for us by the art and industry of the physician, generally become grateful and agreeable to us; how much more grateful and agreeable should those remedies prove, which the erisdom of God has established to heal our spiritual maladies, and restore us to the life of grace; remedies which, unlike the medicines used for the recovery of bodily health, bring with them, not, indeed, uncertain hope of recovery, but certain health to such as desire to be cured.

The faithful, therefore, having formed a just conception of the dignity of so excellent and exalted a blessing, should be ex- horted to study, religiously, to turn it, also, to good account: for he who makes no use of what is really useful and necessary affords a strong presumption that he despises it; particularly as, in communicating to the Church the power of forgiving sins. the Lord did so with the view, that all should have recourse te this healing remedy; for, as without baptism, no man ean be cleansed from original sin, so, without the sacrament of penance,

1 Pet. iii. 18 21 Pet i. 18, 19.

On the eleventh article of the Creed.

which is another means instituted by God to cleanse from sin, he who desires to recover the grace of baptism, forfeited by actual mortal guilt, cannot recover lost innocence.

But here the faithful are to be admonished to guard against the danger of becoming more propense to sin, or slow to re- pentance, from a presumption that they can have recourse to this plenary power of forgiving sims, which, as we have e already said, is unrestricted by time; for as such a propensity to sin, must, manifestly, convict them of acting injuriously and contu- maciously to this divine power, and must, therefore render them unworthy of the divine mercy; so, this slowness to repentance must afford great reason to apprehend, lest overtaken by death, they may, in vain, confess their belief in the remission ‘of sins, which their tardiness and procrastination have, deservedly, for- feited.*

ARTICLE XI. ‘6 THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.”

Tuat this Article supplies a convincing proof of the truth of our faith, is evinced by the circumstance of its not only being aug in the Sacred Scriptures, to the belief of the faithfui,

ut also fortified by numerous arguments. ‘This we scarcely find to be the ease with regerd to ‘the other Articles: a cireum- stance which justifies the inference that on it, as on its most solid basis, rests our hope of salvation; for according to the reasoning of the Apostle, ‘‘If there be no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen again; and if Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.’’? The zeal and assiduity, therefore, of the pastor in its exposition should not be inferior to the labour which impiety has expended in fruitless efforts to overturn its truth. ‘That eminently im- portant advantages flow to the faithful from the knowledge of this Article will appear from the sequel.

And, first, that in this Az:icle the resurrection of mankind is ealled ‘the resurrection of the body,” 1s a circumstance which deserves attention. ‘The Apostles had for object, (for it is not without its object,) thus to convey an important truth, the im- mortality of tae soul. Lest, therefore, contrary to the Sacred Scriptures, which, in many places, teach the soul to be immor- tal, any one may imagine that it dies with the body, and that both are to be resuscitated, the Creed speaks only of “the re- surrection of the body.” ‘The word, “caro,” which is used

' Aug. in Joar. Tract. 23 et lib. 50 homil. 41. Ambross. lib. 2. de peenit. e. 1, 2. £11. 1 Cor. rv. 13, 14. 3 Wis. ii. 23°11 4 Matt x. 28; tii. 31, 3%.

8

$5

Danger of its abuse te be avoided

Importanse of this An ticle.

‘The re rection mankind why calied “the resup rection of tLe body.”

8o

Proofs of the resur- rection of the body

Illustrated by compa- mesons

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

in the symbol, translated literally, means “flesh.” a word,

which, though of frequent occurrence in Scripture to signify the whole man, soul and body, as in Isaias, ‘ All flesh is grass ;”’- and in St. John, **’'The Word was made flesh ;’’? is, however used, here, to express the body only; thus giving us to under: stand, that of the two constituent parts of man, one only, that is the body, is corrupted, and returns to its original dust ; whilst the soul remains incorrupt and immortal. As then, without dying, a man cannot be said to return to life ; so the soul, which never dies, could not, with propriety, be said to rise again. The word body, is, also, mentioned, in order to confute the heresy of Hymeneus and Philetus, who during the life-time of the Apostle, asserted, that, whenever the Scriptures speak of the resurrection, they are to be understood to mean not the resur- yection of the body, but that of the soul, by which it rises from the death of sin to the life of grace.* ‘The words of this Ar- ticle, therefore, clearly confute the error, and establish a real resurrection of the body.

But it will be the duty of the pastor to illustrate this truth by examples taken from the Old and New Testaments, and from all ecclesiastical history. In the Old ‘Testament, some were restored to life by Elias,* and Elizeus ;> and in the New, be sides those who were raised to life by our Lord,® many were resuscitated by the Aposties, and by others.? ‘Their resurree tion confirms the doctrine conveyed by this Article, for believing that many were recalled from death to life, we are also naturally led to believe the general resurrection of all; and the principa fruit which we should derive from these miracles is to yield te this Article our most unhesitating belief. ‘I'o pastors, ordimarily conversant with the Sacred Volumes, many Scripture proofs will, at once, present themselves; but, in the Old ‘Testament, the most conspicuous are those afforded by Job, when he says, ‘that in his flesh he shall see God;’’s and by Daniel when, speaking of those ‘* who sleep in the dust of the earth,” he says, ‘“some shall awake to eternal life, others to eternal reproach.’’$ In the New ‘Testament the priiicipal passages are those of St. Matthew, which record the disputation which our Lord held with the Sadducees ;*° and those of the Evangelists which relate to the last judgment.’ ‘To these we may also add, the accurate reasoning of the Apostle, on the subject, in his episues to the Corinthians,’2 and 'Thessalonians.**

But, incontrovertibly as is this truth established by faith, i will, notwithstanding, be of material advantage to show from analogy and reason, that what faith proposes to our belief, nature acknowledges to accord with her laws, and reason with her dic- tate. ‘Io one, asking how the dead should rise again, the Apostle answers; ‘‘ Foolish man! that which thou sowest is

1 Tsaias xl. 6 2 John i. 14. 32 Tim. ii. 17. 43 Kings xvii. 21,22 § 4 Kings iv. 34; xiii. 21. 6 Matt. ix.25. Luke vii. 14,15. John xi 43, 44 7 Acts ix. 40; xx. 10. & Job xix 26. 9 Dan. xii. 2 10 Matt. xxii. 31

i John v. 25; xxviii. 29. 12] Cor. xv ‘34 Thess iv 13

On: the eleventh article of the Creed.

jot quickened, exvept it die first; and that which thou sowest, chou sowest not the body that shall be; but bare grain as of wheat, or of some of the rest; but God giveth it a body as he will :’”’ and a little after, ‘* It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption.”! St. Gregory, calls our attention to many other arguments of analogy tending to the same effect: ‘ The sun,’’ says he, ‘‘is every day withdrawn from our eyes, as 1t were, by dying, and is again recalled, as it were, by rising again: trees ‘yse, and again, as it were, by a resurrection, resume their ver- dure : seeds die by putrefaction, and rise again by germination.’”

The reasons, also, adduced by ecclesiastical writers, are well ealeulated to establish this truth. In the first place, as the soul is immortal, and has, as part of man, a natural propensity to be united to the body, its perpetual separation from it must be con- sidered contrary to nature. But as that which is contrary to nature, and offers violence to her laws, cannot be permanent, it appears congruous that the soul should be reunited to the body; and, of course, that the body should rise again. ‘This argu- ment, our Saviour himself employed, when, in his disputation with the Sadducees, he deduced the resurrection of the body from the immortality of the soul.*

In the next place, as an all-just God holds out punishments to the wicked, and rewards to the good, and as very many of the former depart this life unpunished for their crimes, and of the latter unrewarded for their virtues; the soul should be re- united to the body, in order, as the partner of her crimes, cr the companion of her virtues, to become a sharer in her punishments or her rewards.* ‘This view of the subject has been admirably treated by St. Chrysostom in his homily to the people of An tioch.> ‘To this effect, the Apostle speaking of the resurrection, says, “If in this life only, we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable.’’® ‘These words of St. Paul cannot be supposed to refer to the misery of the soul, which, because immortal, is capable of enjoying happiness in a future life, were the body not to rise; but to the whole man; for, unless the body receive the due rewards of its labours, those, who, like the Apostles, endured so many afflictions and calamities in this life, should necessarily be ** the most miserable of men.” On this subject the Apostle is much more explicit in his epistle to the Thessalonians: ‘‘ We glory in you,” says he, ‘in the Churches of God, that you may be counted worthy of the king- dum of God, for which, also, you suffer: seeing it is a just thing with God to repay tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power; in a flame of fire, yielding vengeance to them who know not God, and who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.””?

«1 Cor xv. 36—42. 2S. Gregor. lib. 14. moral. ce. 28--30. 3 Matt. xxii. 23 4 Damasce. lib. 4. de fide orthod. cap. 28. Ambros. lib. ie fide resurr. 5S. Chrysostom, homil. 49 and 50. 6 1 Cor. xv. 19.

72 Thess. i. 4

Proved by argumenta from rea- son

The resur- rection of all not the same.

All shall die to rise again,

All shal! Yise in their pwn bodies.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

Again, whilst the soul is separated from the bouy, man cannu enjoy the consummation of happiness, replete with every good; for as a part, separated from the whole, is imperfect. the soul veparated from the body must be imperfect; and, therefore, that nothing may be wanting to fill up the measure of its happiness, the resurrection of the body is necessary. By these, and simi- lar arguments, the pastor will be able to instruct the faithful in this Article.

He shouid also, carefully explain, from the Apostle, who are to be raised to life. Writing to the Corinthians, St. Paul says, ‘‘as in Adam ail die, so, also, in Christ all should be made alive." Good and bad, then, without distinction, shall all rise from the dead, although the condition of all shall not be the same—those who have done good, shall rise to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

When we say ‘‘all,’”” we mean those who shall have died before the day of judgment, as well as those who shail then die. That the Church aequiesces in the opinion which asserts that all, without distinction, shall die, and that this opinion is more consonant to truth, is recorded by the pen of St. Jerome,” whose authority is fortified by that of St. Augustine.? Nor does the Apostle, in his epistle to the Thessalonians, dissent from this doctrine, when he says; ‘*'The dead who are in Christ shall rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air.”’* St. Ambrose explaining these words says, ‘ In that very taking up, death shall anticipate, as 11 were by a deep sleep, and the soul, having gone forth from the body, shall in- stantly return ; ; for those w ip are alive, when taken up, shall die, that, coming to the Lord, they may receive their souls from his presence ; because in his presence they cannot be dead.’’§ This opinion is fortified by the authority of St. Augustine in his book on the City of God.®

But as it is of vital importance to be fully convinced that the identical body, which belongs to each one of us during life, shall, though corrupt, and dissolved into its original dust, be raised up again to life; this, tuo, is a subject which demands accurate explanation from the pastor. It is a truth conveyed by the Apostle i in these words; ‘ This corruptible must put on incorruption ;”? emphatically designating by the word ‘* this,” the identity of our bodies. It is aiso, evident from the prophecy of Job, than which nothing can be more express: ‘* I shall see my God,” says he, ‘* whom I myself shall see, and mine eyes behold, and not another.’’® Finally, if we only consider the very definition of resurrection, we cannot, reasonably, entertain a shadow of doubt on the subject; for resurrection, as Damas-

11 Cor.xv.22. 2S. Hieron. epist. 152. 3 August. de Civit. Dei. lib. xx. ¢. 20 41 Thess. y 15,16 5 In 1. epist. ad Thess. c. 4 6 Lib. xx ¢ 20 71 Cor. xv. 53. > Job xix. 26, 27.

On the eleventh article of the Creed.

vane defines it, is ‘*a return to the state from which one tias fallen.”’* Finally, if we consider the arguments by which we have already established a future resurrection, every doubt on the subject must, at once, disappear. We have said that the body is to rise again, that ‘*every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil.”? Man is, therefore, to rise again, in the same body with which he served God, or was a slave to the devil;

that in the same body he may experience rewards, and a crown of victory, or endure the severest punishments, and never end ing torments.

Not only will the body rise, but it will rise endowed with whatever constitutes the reality of its nature, and adorns and ornaments man: according to these admirable words of St. Augustine: “There shall,. then, be no deformity of body ; if some have been overburdened with flesh, they shall not resume Its entire weight; whatever shall exceed the proper habit shall be deemed superfluous. On the other hand, should the body be wasted by the malignity of disease, or the debility of old age, or be emaciated from any other cause, it shall be ‘reeruited by the divine power of Jesus Christ, who will not only restore the body, but repair whatever it shall have lost through whe wretch- edness of this life.* In another place he s says; ** Man shall not resume his former hair, but shall be adorned with such as will become him, according to these words of the Redeemer, ‘The very hairs of your head are all numbered :’* God will re- store them according to his wisdom.’’®

The members, becanse essential to the integrity of human nature, shall ali be restored: the blind from nature or disease, the lame, the maimed, and the paralysed shall rise again with per- fect bodies : otherwise the desires of the soul, which so str: ongly incline it to a union with the body, should be far from satisfied ; and yet we are convinced, that in the resurrection, these Hee shall be fully realized. Besides, the resurrection, like the creation, is clearly to be numbered amongst the principal works of God. As, therefore, at the creation, all things caine perfect from the hand of God; so, at the resurrection shall all things be perfectly restored by the same omnipotent hand.

These observations are not to be restricted to the bodies ot the martyrs ; of whom St. Augustine says: ‘+ As the mutilation which they suffered should prove a deformity, they shall rise with all their members; otherwise those who were beheaded should rise without a head. ‘The scars. however, which they received, shall remain, shining like the wounds of Christ, with a brilliancy far more resplendant than that of gold and of precious stones.”® ‘The wicked too, shall rise with all their members, although they should have been lost through their own

' Damase. lib. iv de fid. orthod. 28. 22Uor v. 10. 3S Aug. 1. xxii de Cavit. Dei, c 19-—21. & Ench. c.86—S9___ Hierm. Epist. 59 61 ; “Luke xii. 7. °&S. Aug Ench. c. Ixxxvi. 6 Lib. xxii. de Civ, Dei, ¢. 20

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

fault: for the greater the number of members which they shall have, the greater shall be their torments; and, therefore, this restoration of members, will serve to increase, not their happi- ness, but their misery. Merit or demerit is ascribed not to the members, but to the person to whose body they are united: to those, therefore, who shall have done penance, they shall be restored as sources of reward; and to those who shall have con- temned it, as instruments of punishment. If the pastor bestow mature consideration on these things, he can never want words or ideas to move the hearts of the faithful, and enkindle in them the flame of piety; that, considering the troubles of this life, they may look forward, with eager expectation, to that blessed glory of the resurrection which awaits the just.

It now remains to explain to the faithful, in an intelligible manner, hew the body, when raised from the dead, although substantially the same, shall be different in many respects. ‘To omit other points, the great difference between the state of all bodies when risen from the dead, and what they had previously been, is, that, before the resurrection, they were subject to dis- solution; but, when reanimated, they shall all, without distine- tion of good and bad, be invested with immortality. This ad- mirable restoration of nature is the result of the glerious victory of Christ over death; as it is written, ‘*He shall cast death down headlong for ever ;’! and, ‘‘O Death! I will be thy death ;”’? words which the Apostle thus explains, ‘and ihe enemy death shall be destroyed last;’’* and St. John, also, says, ** Death shak be no more.’’* ‘There is a peculiar congruity in the superiority of the merits of Christ, by which the power of death is overthrown,® to the fatal effects of the sin of Adam, and, it is cousonant to the divine justice, that the good enjoy endless felicity; whilst the wicked, condemned to everlasting torments. ‘* shall seek death, and shall not find it; shall desire to die, and deatn shall fly from them.’’® Immortality, therefore will be common to the good and to the bad.

Moreover, the bodies of the saints when resuscitated, shall be distinguished by certain transcendant endowments, which will ennoble them far beyond their former condition. Amongst these endowments, four are specially mentioned by the Fathers, which they infer from the doctrine of St. Paul, and which are called

quailties. 7 ; The first is * impassibility,”” which shall place them beyond

the reach of pain or inconvenience of any sort. Neither the piercing severity of cold, nor the glowing intensity of heat = affect them, nor can the impetuosity of waters hurt them. — L is sown,” says the Apostle, ‘‘ in corruption, 1t shall rise in meor tuption.”’® ‘This quality, the schoolmen call impassibility, not ‘neorruption: in order to distinguish it as a property peculiar te

: fait: 2 Osee xin. 14. 31 Cor. xv. 26. 4 Apoc. L. € > eb i. 6 hood ix. 7 De his Aug. Serm. 99.de temp Amat

im com. in 1. ad Cor. c. 19. <1 Cor. xv. 42.

On the eleventh article of the Creed.

a glorified body. The bodies of the damned, though incorrupti- ole, shall not be impassible : they shall be capable of expe- riencing heat and cold, and of feeling pait:.

The next quality is ‘* brightness,’’ by which the bodies of the saints shall shine like the sun; according to the words of our Lord recorded in the Gospel of St. Matthew: ‘'The just shall shine as the sun, in the kingdom of ‘hir Father.’’! ‘To remove the possibility of doubt on the subject, he left us a splendid ex- emplification of this glorious quality in his transfiguration.* ‘This quality the Apostle sometimes calls glory, sometimes brightness . ** He will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of his glory :’’® and again, ‘It is sown in dishsnour, it shall rise in glory.”* Of this glory the Israelites beheld some image in the desert; when the face of Moses, after he had been in the presence of, and had conversed with God, shone with such resplendent lustre that they could not look on it. This srightness is a sort of refulgence reflected from the supreme happiness of the soul—an emanation of the bliss which it en- joys, and which beams through the body. Its communication ‘s analogous to the manner in which the soul itself is rendered happy, by a participation of the happiness of God. Unlike the rormer, this quality is not common to all in the same degree. All the bodies of the saints shall, it is true, be equally impassi- ble: but the brightness of all shall not be the same: for, ac- cording to the Apostle; ‘¢ One is the glory of the sun, another the glory ut the moon, and another the glory of the stars, for star differeth from star in glory: so also, is the resurrection of Ue dead.’”®

‘To this quality is united that of ‘‘agility,’’ as it is called, by which the body shall be freed from the burden that now presses ‘t down; and shall require a capability of moving with the ut- nost facility and celerity, wherever the soul pleases, as Si. Au- zustine teaches in his book on the City of God,’ and St. Jerome on Isaias. Hence these words of the Apostle; ‘It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power.’”

Another quality is that of ‘“ subtilty ;’’ a quality which sub- jects the body to the absoiute dominion of the soul, and to an entire obedience to her control: as we infer from these words of the Apostle; “It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body.”*° ‘These are the principal points on which the pastor will dwell in the exposition of this Article.

But in order that the faithful may know what fruit they are to reap from a knowledge of so many and such exalted mys- teries; the pastor will proclaim, in the first place, that to God, who has hidden these things from the wise, and made them known to little ones, we owe a debt of boundless gratitude! How many men, eminent for wisdom and learning, who never

| Matt. xiii. 43. 2 Matt. xvib 2 2 Pauiyp- ni. 21 41 €or. xv. 43. € Exod. xxxiv. 29. 2 Cor. iii. 7. 6 1 Cor. xv*% 41, 42 7 Aug. de Civ. Dei, Ab. nail. c. 18. 20, et lib. xxii. c. 11. s Hieron. in Isaiam, cap. 40 91 Cor. xv. 43. ‘0 1 Cor. xv. 44

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent

arrived at a knowledge of this truth? Aware, then, of nis spe. cial predilection towards us, in making known to us this sublime truth—to us who could never aspire to such knowledge—it be- comes our duty to pour forth our gratitude in unceasing praises of his goodness and clemency.

Another important advantage to be derived from deep reflec- tion on this Article is, that in it we shall experience a balm, to heal the wounded spirit, when we mourn the loss of those who were endeared to us by friendship or connected with us by blood; a balm which the Apostle himself administered to the Thessalonians when writing to them ‘concerning those who slept.”

But in all our afflictions and calamities, the thought of a fu ture resurrection must bring relief to the troubled heart; as we learn from the example of Job, who supported himself under an accumulation of afflictions and of sorrows, solely by the hope of, one day, rising from the grave, and beholding the Lord his God.?

It must also, prove a powerful incentive to the faithful to use every exertion to lead lives of rectitude and integrity, unsullied by the defilement of sin; for, if they reflect, that those riches of inconceivable value, which God will bestow on his faithful servants after the resurrection, are now proposed to them as rewards ; they must find in the reflection the strongest induce- ment to lead virtuous and holy lives. On the other hand, no- thing will have greater effect in subduing the passions, and withdrawing souls from sin, than frequently to remind the sin- ner of the miseries and torments with which the justice of God will visit the reprobate, who, on the last day, shall rise to the resurrection of judgment.®

AR ELOL Exh ‘STIFE EVERLASTING.”

Tue wisdom of the Apostles, our guides in religion, suggested to them the propriety of giving this Article the last place in the Creed, which is the summary of our faith; first, because, after the resurrection of the body, the only object of the Chris- tian’s hope, is the reward of everlasting life; and secondly, in order that perfect happiness, embracing as it does, the fulness of all good, may be ever present to our minds, and absorb all our thoughts and affections. In his instructions to the faithful, the pastor, therefore, will unceasingly endeavour to light up in their souls, an ‘ardent desire of the proposed rewards of eternal tife; that thus they may look upon whatever difficulties they

') Thess, iv. 13. 2 Job xix. 26. John v. 29.

~~

On the twelfth article of the Creed.

may experie ice in the practice of religion, as light, and even agreeable, and may yield a more willing and an entire obedi- ence to God.

But as many mysteries lie concealed under the words, which are here used, to declare the happiness reserved for us ; they are to be explained in such a manner as to make them intelli- gible to all, as far as their respective capacities will allow. ‘The faithful, therefore, are to be informed, that the words, * life everlasting,” signify not only that continuity of existence, to which the devils and the wicked are consigned, but also, that perpetuity of happiness which is to satisfy the desires of the blessed. In this sense they were understood by the * ruler,” mentioned in the Gospel, when he asked the Redeemer: ** Lord! what shall I do to possess everlasting life?”! As if he had said, what shall I do, in order to arrive at the enjoyment of everlasting happiness? In this sense they are understood in the Sacred Volumes, as is clear from a reference to many pas- sages of Scripture.?. The supreme happiness of the blessed is thus designated, principally to exclude the notion that it con- sists in corporeal aud transite-y things, which cannot be ever- lasting.®

The word ‘blessedness”’ is insuilicient to express the-idea, particularly as there have not been wanting men, who, inflated with the vain opinions of a false philosophy, would place the supreme good in sensible things ; but these grow old and perish, whilst supreme happiness is defined by no limits of time. Nay, more, so far is the enjoyment of the goods of this life from conferring real happiness, that, on the contrary, he who is cap- tivated by a love of the world, is farthest removed from true happiness: for it is written: ‘‘ Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world; if any one love the world, the iove of the Father is not in him:’* and a little after, ‘‘'The world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof.’’® ‘The pastor, therefore, will be careful to impress these truths on the minds of the faithful, that they may learn to despise earthly thin.s, and to know that, in this world, in which we are not citizens, but sojourners,® happiness is not to be found. Yet, even here below, we may be said, with truth, to be happy in hope; “if denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we live soberly, and justly, and godly ir this world; looking for the blessed hope and coming of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”? Meany “who seemed to tlemselves wise,’’* not understanding these things, and imagining that happiness was to be sought in this life, became fools and the victims of the most deplorable calamities.

These words, ‘ Life everlasting,” also teach us that, contrary to the false notions of some, happiness once attained can never

! Luke xviii. 18. 2 Matt. xix. 29; xxv. 46, Rom. vi. 22. 3 Aug. de Civ Dei, lib. 19. c.11. 41 John ii. 15. 5] John ii. 17. ©1 Pet ii 11. 7 Tit i. 11. 13. § Rom. L 22

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent

be lost. Happiness is an accumulation of good without admux ture of evil, which, as it fills up the measure of man’s desires must be eternal. He who is blessed with its enjoyment must earnestly desire its continuance, and, were it transient and un- certain, should necessarily experience the torture of continual apprehension.‘

The intensity of the happiness which the just enjoy in their celestial country, and its utter incomprehensibility to all but to themselves alone, are sufficiently conveyed by the very words which are here used to express that happiness. When, to ex- press any idea, we make use of a word commen to many others, we do so, because we have no proper term by which to express it clearly and fully. When, therefore, to express happiness, we adopt words which are equally applicable to all who are to live for ever, as to the blessed; we are led to infer that the idea pre- sents to the mind something too great, too exalted, to be ex- pressed fully by a proper term. ‘True, the happiness of heaven is expressed in Scripture by a variety of other words, such as, the ** Kingdom of God,’’” ‘ of Christ,’ ‘* of heaven,’’* ** Para- dise,”’> “the Holy City,”’ ‘‘the New Jerusalem,’® ‘“‘my Fa- ther’s house ;”’7 yet it is clear that none of these appellations is sufficient to convey an adequate idea of its greatness.

The pastor, therefore, will not neglect the opportunity which this Article affords, of inviting the faithful to the practice of piety, of justice, and of all the other virtues, by holding out to them such ample rewards as are announced in the words “life everlasting.”” Amongst the blessings which we instinctively desire, life is, confessedly, esteemed one of the greatest: by it principally, when we say “life everlasting,” do we express the happiness of the just. If then, during this short and chequered period of our existence, which is subject to so many and such various vicissitudes, that it may be called death rather than life, there is nothing to which we so fondly cling, ncthing which we love so dearly as life; with what ardour of soul, with what earnestness of purpose, should we not seek that eternal happi- ness, which, without alloy of any sort, presents to us the pure and unmixed enjoyment of every good? ‘The happiness of eternal life is, as defined by the Fathers, ‘‘an exemption from all evi!, and an enjoyment of all good.’ ‘That it is an exemp- tion from all evil, the Scriptures declare in the most explicit terms: ‘they shall no more hunger and thirst,” says St. John, ‘neither shall the sun fall on them, nor any heat;””* and again, ‘‘ God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes : and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow, shall be any more, for the former things are passed away.””?° But the glory of

1 Vid. Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. 12. cap. 20. lib. 22. c. 29, & 30. de libero arbit. cap. 25. de verb. Domini, serm. 64, & serm. 37, de Sanctis. 2 Acts xiv. 22. 3 2 Pet. i. 11. 4 Matt. v. 3. 20. 6 Luke xxiii. 43. 6 Apoc. xxi. 10. 7 John xiv. 2. 8 Chrysost. in 30. cap. ad Theod. lapsum. Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. 22. cap. 30 Anselm, epist 2. et de similit. €. 47. et seq. 8 Apoe. vil. 16 ‘0 Apoe. xxi. 4.

On the twelfth article of the Creed.

the blessed shall be without measure, and their solid joys ard pleasures without number. ‘The mind is incapable of compre- hending or conceiving the greatness of this glory: it can be known only by its fruition, that is, by entering into the joy of the Lord, and thus satisfying fully the desires of the human heart, Although, as St. Augustine observes, it would seem easier to enumerate the evils from which we shall be exempt, than the goods and the pleasures which we shall enjoy ;' yet we must endeavour to explain, briefly and clearly, these things which are calculated to inflame the faithful with a desire of arriving at the enjoyment of this supreme felicity.

Before we proceed to this explanation, we shall make use of a

distinction, which has been sanctioned by the most eminent writers on religion; it is, that there are two sorts of goods, one an ingredient, another an accompaniment of happiness. ‘The former, therefore, for the sake of perspicuity, they have called essential ; the latter, accessory. Solid happiness, which we may designate by the common appellation, ‘ essential,’ con- sists in the vision of God, and the enjoyment of his eternal beauty who is the source and principle of all goodness and per- fection: ‘¢’This.”” says our Lord, “ is eternal life, that they may Know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.”’? These sentiments St. John seems to interpret, when he says; ‘* Dearly beloved! We are now the sons of God; and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him, as he is.”** ‘These words inform us that the hap- piness of heaven consists of two things: to see God such as he is in his own nature and substance, and to be made like unto him.

‘Those who enjoy the beatific vision, whilst they retain their own nature, shall assume a certain admirable and almost divine form, so as to seem gods rather than men; and why they as- sume this form, becomes at once intelligible, if we only reflect that every thing is known from its essence, or from its resem- blance and external appearance:” but as nothing resembles God, so as to afford, by that resemblance, a perfect knowledge of him, no creature can behold his divine nature and essence, un- less admitted by the Deity to a sort of union with himself; ac- cording to these words of St. Paul: ‘‘ We now see through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face.”* The words, ‘in a dark manner,” St. Augustine understands to mean that we see him in a resemblance calculated to convey to us some faint

‘notion of the Deity.° ‘This, St. Denis clearly shows, when he says: ‘‘ The things above cannot be known by comparison with the things below; for, the essence and substance of any thing incorporeal must be known, through the medium of that which is corporeal: particularly as a resemblance must be less gross

' Serm. vi. 4. de verb. Domini et de Symb ad Catech. lib. 3 2 John xvii. 3 21 John iii. #1Cor. xui 12. 5 Aug. lib.15 de Civ. Dei. c. 9

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Happiness two-fold, essential and acces sory

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An illustra- tion of tais truth

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The acces- sories ot happiness.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

and more spiritual, than that which it represents, as we know from universal experience. Since, therefore, we can find no thing created, equally pure and spiritual with God, no resem blance can enable us, perfectly to comprehend the divine es sence.”** Moreover, all created things are circumscribed within certain limits of perfection ; but God is circumscribed by ne limits, and therefore nothing created can reflect his immensity. The only means, therefore, of arriving at a knowledge of the divine essence, is that God unite himself in some sort to us

and after an incomprehensible manner, elevate our minds to s higher degree of perfection, and thus render us capable of con- templating the beauty of his nature. ‘This the light of his glory will accomplish: illumined by its splendour, we shall see God the true light, in his own light.2 The blessed always see God present, and by this greatest and most exalted of gifts, ** being made partakers of the divine nature,’’? they enjoy true and solid happiness. Our belief of this truth should therefore be animated by an assured hope of one day arriving, through the divine goodness, at the same happy term; according to these words of the Nicene Creed: ‘‘I expect the resurrection of the dear: and the life of the world to come.’ ‘These are divine truths which defy the powers of human language, and mock the limite of human comprehension. We may, however, trace some re semblance of this happy change in sensible objects, for as iror

when acted on by fire, becomes ignited, and, whilst it is suk

stantially the same, seems changed into fire, which is a differer

substance; so the blessed, who are admitted into the glory of heaven, and who burn with a love of God, although’ they cease not to be the same, are yet affected in such a manner, as that they may be said with truth to differ more from the inhabitants of this earth, than iron, when ignited, differs from itself when cold.

‘To say all in a few words: supreme and absolute happincés, which we call essential, consists in the possession of God; for what can he want to consummate his happiness, who possesses God, the fountain of all good, the fulness of all perfection ?

To this happiness, how ever, are appended certain gilts which are common to all the blessed, and which, because more within the reach of human comprehension, are generally found more effectual in exciting the mind and inflaming the heart. These the Apostle seems to have in view, when, in his epistle to the Romans, he says: ‘‘ Glory, and honour, and peace, to every one that worketh good.” ‘The biessed shall enjoy glory, not only that glory whick we have already shown to constitute es- sential happiness, or to be its inseparable accompaniment; but also that glory which consists in the clear and comprehensive knowledge, which each of the blessed shall have of the singu lar and exalted dignity of his companions in glory.

!Dionys. Areop. de. divin. nom. c. 1 2 Ps. xxxv. 10. oa? Fen 4 Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib xxii ec. 30 5 Rom. 1. 10

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On the twelfth artrcle of the Creed.

But how distinguished must not that honour be which is eon- '

erred by God himself, who no longer calls them servants, but friends,’ brethren,? and sons of God!* Hence the Redeemer

will address his elect in these words, which at once breathe infinite love, and bespeak the highest honour: ‘*Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared {or you.””* Justly, then, may we exclaim with the psalms dat ng friends, O God ! are made exceedingly honourable.”’® ‘They shall also receive the highest praise from Christ the Lord, in presence of his Heavenly Father, and before the assembled hosts of heaven. And, if nature has interweven in the human heart, the desire of honour, particularly when conferred by men eminent for wis- dom, who are, therefore, the most authoritative vouchers of merit; what an accession of glory to the blessed, to evince to- wards each other the highest veneration ?

To enumerate all the delights with which the souls of the blessed shall be inebriated, would be an endless task: we can- not even conceive them in idea: with this truth, however, the minds of the faithful should be deeply impressed, that the hap- piness of the saints is full to over flowing, of all those pleasures which can be enjoyed or even desired i in this life, whether they regard the powers of the mind or the perfection of the body: a consummation more exalted in the manner of its accomplish- ment, than, to use the words of the Apostle, ‘“‘eye hath seen, ear heard, or the heart of man conceived.”®>—The body, which was before gross and material, having put off mortality, ‘and now refined and spiritualized, shall no longer stand in need of corpo- ral nutriment: whilst the soul shall be satiated with that eternal food of glory, which the master of that great feast will minister, in person, to all.7_ Who will desire rich apparel or royal robes, where these appendages of human grandeur shall be superse- ded; and all shall be clothed with immortality and splendour, and adorned with a crown of imperishable glory! And, if the possession of a spacious and magnificent mansion forms an in- gredient in human happiness, what more spacious, what more magnificent, can imagination picture, than the mansion of heaven, illumined, as it is throughout, with the blaze of glory which encircles the Godhead! Hence, the prophet, contem- plating the beauty of this dwelling-place, and burning with the desire of reaching those mansions of bliss, exclaims : ‘* How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.’’> ‘That the faithful may be all filled with the same sentiments, and utter the same language, should be the object of the pastor’s most earnest desires ; as it should be of his zealous labours. ‘‘In my Father’s house,” says our Lord, ‘‘ there are many mansions,’’® in which shall be wstributed rewards of greater and of less value, according to

' John xy. 14. 2 Matt. xii. 49. 3 Rom. viii. 15, 16 * Matt. xxv. 34. 5 Ps. cxxxviii. 17 © 1 Cor. ii. 9. 7 Luke xii. 37. 8 Ps. Ixxxili. 1 2 § John xiv. 2.

9 N

y?

ic:0 fie,

I'he se cond,

The third

The fourth

The fifth

The sixth

The se venth

aR

flow to ar- rive at the enjoyment of this hap- piness.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

each one’s deserts: for ‘‘ He who sowetl sparingly, shall reap sparingly: and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap of blessings.’”*

The pastor, therefore, will not only move the faithful to a de- sire of arriving at this happiness; but will frequently remind them that, infallibly to attain it, they must possess the virtues of faith and charity; they must persevere in the exercise of prayer, and the salutary use of the sacraments, and in a faithful discharge of all the good offices which spring from fraternal charity. ‘Thus, through the mercy of God, who hes prepared that blessed glory for those who serve him, shall be one day fulfilled the words of the prophet: ‘* My people shall sit in the beauty of peace, and in the tabernacles of confidence and of wealthy rest.’’?

13 Cor 1.6 2 [enins xxx 18

THE CATECHISM

OF

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

PART II. ON THE SACRAMENTS.

lr the exposition of every part of the doctrines of Christianity demands knowledge and assiduity on the part of the pastor, that of the Sacraments, which, by the ordinance of God, are a ne- cessary means of salvation, and a plenteous source of spiritual advantage, demands, in a special manner, the application of his combined talents and industry. ‘Thus, by accurate and frequent instruction, shall the faithful be enabled to approach worthily and with salutary effect, these inestimable and most holy insti- tutions ; and the pastor will not depart from the rule laid down in the divine prohibition : ‘* Give not that which is holy to dogs. neither cast ye your pearls before swine.’’*

As then we are about to treat of the Sacraments in general, it is proper to begin, in the first place, by explaining the force and meaning of the word “Sacrament,” and removing all am- biguity as to its signification, in order the more easily to com- prehend the sense in which it is here used. ‘The faithful, there- fore, are to be informed that the word Sacrament is differently understood by sacred and profane writers ; and to point out its different acceptations will be found pertinent to our present pur- pose. By some it has been used to express the obligation which arises from an oath, pledging to the performance of some service ; and hence, the oath by which soldiers promise mili- tary service to the state, has been called a military Sacrament. Amongst profane writers, this seems to have been the most or dinary meaning of the word. But, by the Latin Fathers, who have written on theological subjects, the word Sacrament is used to signify a sacred thing which lies concealed. The Greeks, to express the same idea, made use of the word ‘ Mystery.” This, we understand to be the meaning of the word, when, in

! Vid. Concil Trid. Sess 17 2 Matt. vil & 99

A know- ledgeofthe the Sacra- ments par- ucularly necessary.

Different meanings of the word “ Sacra- ment.”

100

Hil

Sacrament,

a word of ancient ec- clesiastical usage.

Definition ofa Sacra- ment.

Definition bxplained.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the epistles to the Ephesians, it is said: ‘that he might make known to us the mystery (sacramentum) of his will ;”* and te Timothy, * great is the mystery (sacramentum) of godliness ; pr and in the book of Wisdom: * They knew not the secrets (sacramenta) of God.? In these and many other passages the word Sacrament, it will be perceived, signifies nothing more than a holy thing that lies concealed. Tne Latin Fathers, therefore, deemed the word no inappropriate term to express a sensible sign, which at once, communicates grace to the soul of the receiver, and declares, and, as it were, places before the eyes the grace which it communicates. St. Gregory, however, is of opinion that it is called a Sacrament, because through its instru- mentality, the divine power secretly operates our salvation, under the veil of sensible things.*

Let it not, however, be supposed that the word Sacrament is of recent ecclesiastical usage. Whoever peruses the writings of S. S. Jerome,> and Augustine,® will at once perceive, that ancient ecciesiastical writers made frequent use of the werd ««Sacrament,’’ and sometimes also of the word ‘ symbol,” or ‘‘mystical or sacred sign,”’ to designate that of which we here speak. ‘Thus much will suffice in explanation of the word Sacrament: and indeed, what we have said applies equaliy to the Sacraments of the old law: but superseded, as they have been, by the gospel law and grace, instruction regarding them were superfluous.

Besides the meaning of the word, which alone. has hitherto engaged our attention, the nature and efficacy of that which it expresses demand our particular inquiry ; and the faithful must be taught what constitutes a Sacrament. ‘That the Sacraments are amongst the means of attaining righteousness and salvation, cannot be questioned: but of the many definitions, each of them sufficiently appropriate, which may serve to explain the nature of a Sacrament, there is none more comprehensive, none more perspicuous, than that of St. Augustine: a definition which has since been adopted by all scholastic writers : ‘¢‘ A Sacrament,” says he, ‘is a sign of a sacred thing ;”’ or in other words of the . same import; ‘*A Saerament is a visible sign of an invisible grace, instituted for our justification.”

The more fully to develope this definition, the pastor will explain it in all its parts. He will first observe, that sensible objects are of two sorts: some invented as signs, others not in- vented as signs, but existing absolut ‘ely and in themselves. To the latter class, almost every object in nature may be said to be- long; to the former, spoken and written languages, military standards, images, trumpets, and a multiplicity of other things of the same sort, too numerous to be mentioned. ‘Thus, with regard to words; take away their power of expressing ideas,

!Eph.1.9. 21 Tim.iii.16. 3Wisd.ii.22. 4 D.Greg.in 1. Reg. cap. 16. vers. 13. 5 Vid. Hieron. in Amos, ¢. 1, v. i. & Iren. ¢. i. v. 15.

6 Aug. in Joan. Tract. 80. in fine, et contra Faust. lib. 19. ¢. 11. Cypr. epist. 15, et hb de bapt. Christ. 7D. Aug. lib. 10. de Civ. Dei, c. 5. & epist 2.

a

On the Sacraments.

and you seem to take away the only reason for their invention, Chey are, therefore, properly called signs: for, according to St. Augustine, a sign, besides what it presents to the senses, is a medium through which we arrive at the knowledge of something else : from a footstep, for instance, which we see traced on the ground, we instantly infer that some one whose footstep appears has passed.'

A Sacrament, therefore, is clearly to be numbered amongst those things which have been instituted as signs: it makes known to us by external resemblance, that which God, by his invisible power, accomplishes in our souls.?_ ‘I'o illustrate what we have said by an example; baptism, for instance, which is administered by external ablution, accompanied with certain solemn words, signifies that by the power of the Holy Ghost, all the interior stains and defilements of sin are washed away, and that he soul is enriched and adorned with the admirable gift of heavenly justification ; whilst, at the same time, the baptismal ablution, as we shall hereafter explain in its proper place, ae- complishes in the soul, that of which it is externally significant. ‘That a Sacrament is to be numbered amongst signs is clearly inferred from Scripture. Speaking of circumcision, a Sacrament of the old law which was given to Abraham, the father of all believers,? the Apostle, in his epistle to the Corinthians, says ; *‘and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the justice of the faith which he had ;’’* and in another place ; ‘* All we,” says he, ** who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death :°’? words which justify the inference that baptism signi- fies, to use the words of the same Apostle, that ‘* we are buried together with him by baptism into death.’ ‘To know that the Sacraments aie signs, is important to the faithful. ‘This know- ‘edge will lead them more readily to believe, that what they signify, zontain, and effectuate, is holy and august; and recog- nising their sanctity, they will be more disposed to venerate and adore the beneficence of God displayed towards us in their in- stitution.

We now come to expiain the words, ‘sacred thing,’’ which constitute the second part of the definition. ‘To render this ex- planation satisfactory we must enter somewhat more minutely into the accurate and acute reasoning of St. Augustine on the variety of signs.”

Of signs some are called natural, which besides making them- selves known to us, also convey a knowledge of something else ; an effect, as we have already said, common to all signs. Smoke, for instance, is a natural sign from which we immediately infer the existence of fire. It is called a natural sign, because it im- plies the existence of fire, not by arbitrary institution, but by its

' Aug. lib. 2. de doct. Christ. c. 1. 2 Aug. de doct. Christ. lib. 3. c. 9. et epist. 23. et de Catch. erud. ¢ 26. potest rideri Tertul. de resur. carnis. c. 8. et Greg. in 1. Reg. lib. 6. c. 3. post init, — 3 Gen. xvii. 10. 4 Rom. iv. 12. 5 Rom. vi. 3. 6 Kom. vi. 4 7 Lib. 1. de doctr. Christ. c. 1 g*

10)

A Sacra- ment proy ed to be

“a sign,”

Also, “a sacred thing.’

Of signs, some are

nataral ;

102

seme con- ventional.

Signs in- tituted by God : some significant only: others sig- nificant and effi- tient.

Meaning of the words

* sacred thing.”

A fuller explana- tion of aSa- crament.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

intimate connexion with that element: when smoke aj pears we are at once convinced of the existence of latent fire.*

Other signs are not natural, but conventional, invented an¢ instituted by men to enable them to commune one with another, mutually to convey their sentiments and communicate theit counsels. ‘Che variety and multiplicity of such signs may be inferred from the circumstance, that some belong to the eyes, some to the ears, some to each of the other senses. When we intimate any thing by a sensible sign, for instance, by removing a military standard, it is obvious that such intimation can reach us only through the medium of the eyes; and it is equally ob- vious that the sound of the trumpet, of the lute, and of the lyre, instruments which are not only sources of pleasure, but fre- quently signs of ideas, is addressed to the ear. Through the lat- ter sense, are also conveyed words, which are the best medium of communicating our inmost thoughts.

Besides those signs of which we have hitherto spoken, and which are conventional ; there are others, and confessedly of more sorts than one, which are of divine appointment. Some were instituted by God, solely to indicate something, or reeal its recollection: such were the purifications of the law, the showbread, and many other things which belonged to the Mo- saic worship ;? others not only to signify, but, also, to accom- plish what they signify. Among the latter, are manifestly to be numbered the Sacraments of the New Law. ‘They are signs instituted by God, not invented by man, which we believe, with an unhesitating faith, to carry with them that sacred efficacy of which they are the signs. Having, therefore, shown that signs present a variety of appearances ; the ‘‘ sacred thing’? which they contain, must also exist under a variety of forms.

With regard to the proposed definition of a Sacrament, divines prove, that by the words ‘‘ sacred thing,” is to be understood the grace of God, which sanctifies the soul and adorns it with every virtue; and of this grace they consider the words -» sacred thing,’’ an appropriate appellation, because by its salu- tary influence the soul is consecrated and united to God.

In order, therefore, to explain more fully the nature of < Sa- erament, the pastor will teach that it is a thing subject to the senses ; and, possessing by divine institution, at once the power of signifying sanctity and justice, and of imparting both to the receiver. Hence, it is easy to perceive, that the images of the saints, crosses, and the like, although signs of sacred things, cannot be called Sacraments. That such is the nature of a Sa- crament is easily proved by applying to each of the Sacraments what has been already said of baptism, viz. that the solemn ab- lution of the body not only signifies, but has power to effect a sacred thing which is wrought in the soul by the invisible ope- ration o the Holy Ghost.

1 Aug. de doct. Christ. lib. 2. c. 1. et seq. 2 Aug. de doct. Christ. lib. 3. c. 9. Exod. xii. 15. Concil. Trid. Sess. 7. de Saci

On the Sacraments.

It 1s also pre-eminently, the property of these mystical signs, ustituted by Almighty God, to signify, by divine appointment, more than one thing, and this applies to all the Sacraments. All declare not only our sanctity and justification, but also two other things most intimately connected with both—the passion of our Lord, which is the source of our sanctification, and evernal life to which, as to its end, our sanctification should be referred. Such, then, being the nature of all the Sacraments, the doctors of the Church justly hold, that each of them has a threefold significancy ; reminding us of something passed, indicating something present, foretelling something future. When we say that this is an opinion, held by the Doctors of the Church, let it not be imagined that it is unsupported by Scriptural authority. When the Apostle says: ‘* All we who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death ;”* he gives us clearly to un- derstand that baptism is cailed a sign, because it reminds us of the death and passion of our Lord. When he says: “ We are buried together with him ly baptism into death, that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so, we

‘also, may walk in newness of life ;’2 he also clearly shows,

that baptism is a sign which indicates the infusion of divine grace into the soul, enables us by its eflicacy to form our lives anew, and renders the performance of all the duties of true piety at once easy and inviting.- Finally, when he adds: ‘If we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection ;’’* he teaches that baptism gives no obscure intimation of eternal life also, which we are to reach through its efficacy.

Besides the different significations already evolved, the Sa- craments also not unfrequently indicate and mark the presence of more than one thing. ‘The holy Eucharist, for instance, at | once signifies the presence of the real body and blood of Christ, and the grace which it imparts to the worthy receiver. What has been said, therefore, cannot fail to supply the pastor with arguments to prove, how much the power of God is displayed— how many hidden miracles are contained in the Sacraments ; that thus all may know and feel their obligation to reverence them with the most profound veneration, and to receive them with the most ardent devotion.

But, of all the means employed to make known the proper use of the Sacraments, there is none more effectual than a care- ful exposition of the reasons of their institution. Amongst these reasons, for there are many, the first is the imbecility of the human mind: we are so constituted by nature, that no one can aspire to mental and intellectual knowledge, unless through the medium of sensible objects. Impelled, therefore, by his good- ness towards us, and guided by his wisdom, the Sovereign Creator of the universe, in order to bring the mysterious effects of his divine power nore immediately “within the sphere of our com-

1 Rom. vi 3 2 Rom vi. 4 3 Rom. vu. 5

103

Every Sa crament signifies three things

A Seem nent some- times signi es the sence 0 more than

one thing.

The Sacra ments, wh, instituted. First

104

Becond.

Third

Fourth.

The Catechism of the Council of Tren.

prehension, has ordained that it should be manifested to us through the intervention of certain sensible signs. As St. Chry sostom happily expresses it: ‘‘ If man were not clothed with a material body, these guod things would have been presented te him unveiled by sensible forms ; ; but, as he is composed of body and soul, it was absolutely necessary to employ sensible signs, in order to assist in making them understood.”

Another reason is, because the mind yields a reluctant assent to promises ; and hence, God, from the beginning of the world, very frequently, and in express terms points our attention to the promises which he had made; and when designing to execute something, the magnitude of which might weaken a belief in its accomplishment, he confirms his promise by signs, which some- times appear miraculous. When, for instance, Gad sends Moses to deliver the people of Israel; and Moses commissioned as he was by God, and shielded by his protecting arm, still hesi- tates, fearing his incompetency to the task imposed on him, or the incredulous rejection of the divine oracles on the part of the people, the Almighty confirms his promise by many signs.? As, then, in the old law, God ordained that every important promise should be confirmed by certain signs ; so, in the new, our divine Redeemer, when he promises pardon of sin, divine grace, the communication of the Holy Spirit, has instituted cer. tain sensible signs which are so many pledges of the inviolability of his word—pledges which we are well assured he will not fail to redeem.®

A third reason is, that the Sacraments bring, to use the words of St. Ambrose, the healing remedies and medicines, as it were, of the Samaritan mentioned in the Gospel. God wishes us te have recourse to them in order to preserve or recover the health of the soul ; for, through the Sacraments as through its proper chan- nel, should flow into the soul the efficacy of the passion of Christ, that is the grace which he purchased for us on the altar of the cross, and without which we cannot hope for salvation. Hence, our most merciful Redeemer has bequeathed to his Chureh, Sacraments stamped with the sanction of his word, and sealed with the security of his promise, through which, provided we make pious and devout use of these sovereign remedies, we firmly believe that the fruit of his passicn is really conveyed to our souls.

A fourth reason why the institution of the Sacraments may seem necessary is, that there may be certain marks and symbols to distinguish the faithful; particularly as, to use the words of St. Augustine, ‘‘no society of men, professing a true or a false religion, can, as it were, be incorporated, unless united and held together by some federal bond of sensible signs.”’> Both these objects, the Sacraments of the new law accomplish ; distinguish-

Chrys. hom. 83. in Matt. & hom. 60. ad Pop. Antioch. 2 Exod. iii. 10, 11 [bid.iv.2. 3 Aug. lib. 4. de baptis. contra Donatist. cap. 24. 4 Ambr lib. 5. de Sacr.c.4. 5D. Aug. lib. 19. contra Faust.c 11 & de vera rel. c 17 Basil. ix exh. ad bapt

i 7 oe

On the Sacraments.

ing the Christian from the infidel, and connecting the ‘athful by a sort of sacred bond. :

Again, the Apostle says: ‘* With the heart we believe unto justice; but with the mouth confession is made unto salva- tion.”! ‘These words, also, afford another very just reason for the institution of the Sacraments—by approaching them, we make a public profession of our faith in the face of all men. ‘Thus. when we stand before the baptismal font, we openly pro- fess our belief in its etiicacy, and declare that, by virtue of its salutary waters, in which we are washed, the soul is spiritually cleansed and regenerated. ‘The Sacraments have also creat in- fluence, not only in exciting and exercising our faith, but also in inflaming that charity with which we should love one ano- ther; recollecting that, by participating of these mysteries in common, we are knit together in the closest bonds of union, and are made members of one body.

Finally, and the consideration is of the highest importance in the study of Christian piety, the Sacraments repress and sub- due the pride of the human heart, and exercis+ the Christian in the practice of humility, by obliging him to a subjection to sen- sible elements; that thus, in atonement for his criminal defec- tions from God to serve the elements of this world, he may yield to the Almighty the tribute of his obedience. ‘These are princi- pally what appeared to us necessary for the instruction of the faithful, in the name, nature, and institution of a Sacrament. When they shall have been accurately expounded by the pastor, his next duty will be to explain the constituent parts of each Sacrament, and the rites and ceremonies used in its adminis- tration.

in the first place, then, the pastor will inform the faithful, that the ‘sensible thing’? which enters into the definition of a Sacrament as already given, although constituting but one sign, is of a twofold nature: every Sacrament consists of two things ; “matter,” which is called the element, and ‘ form.’? which is commonly called ‘the word.’’ ‘This is the doctrine of the Fathers of the Church, upon which the testimony of St Augus- tine is familiar to all: ‘*’The word,” says he, ‘is joined to the element, and it becores a Sacrament.’’? By the words * sen- sible thing,”’ therefore, the Fathers understand not only the mat- ter or element, such as water in baptism, chrism in confirmation, and oil in extreme-unction, all of which fall under the eye; but also the words which constitute the form, and which are ad- dressed to the ear. Both are clearly pointed out by the Apostle, when he says. ‘‘ Christ loved the Church, and delivered him- self up for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life.’’*®> Here the matter and form of the Sacrament are expressly mentioned. But in order to explain, more fully and c'early, the particular efficacy of each, the words which compose the form were to be added to the matter; for

Rom x 10 2 Aug. in Joan,tract. 80 J Eph v 2 O

10a

Sixth

Every Se crament consists of matter and

form

.06

The Sacra- iments of the New Law, excel those of the Old

Sacraments administer- ed with cer- tain cere- monies ; and why

First rea- son.

Second

Third

Number of the Sacra- ments, use- ful to be known.

Theirnum- ber, seven

The Catechisin of the Council of Trent.

of all signs, words are evidently the most significant, and with out them it would be difficult to comprehend \ whai the matter of the Sacraments may designate and declare. Water, for instance, | has the quality of “cooling as well as of cleansing, and may be symbolic of either. In baptism, therefore, unless the words were added, it might be matter of conjecture, of certainty it could not, which was signified; but when the words which compose the form are added, we are no longer at a loss to understand, that baptism possesses and signifies the power of cleansing.?

{n this, the Sacraments of the New Law excel those of the Old, that there was no definite form, known to us, of adminis- tering those of the Old, a circumstance which rendered them uncertain and obscure, whiist, in those of the new, the form is so definite, that any, even a casual, deviation from it renders the

Sacrament null; and it is therefore expressed in the clearest -

terms, and such as exclude the possibility of doubt. These then are the parts which belong to the nature and substance of the Sacraments, and of which every Sacrament is necessarily composed.

To these are added certain ceremonies, which although not to be omitted without sin, unless in case of necessity, yet, if at any time omitted, because not essential to its existence, do not invalidate the Sacrament. It is not without good reason, that the administration of the Sacraments has been, at all times, from the earliest ages of the Church, accompanied with certain solemn ceremonies. ‘There is, in the first place, an obvious propriety in manifesting such a religious reverence to the sacred myste- ries, as to appear to handle holy things holily. ‘These ceremo- nies also serve to display more fully, and place as it were be- fore our eyes, the effects of the Sacraments, and to impress more deeply on the minds of the faithful the sanctity of these sacred institutions. They also elevate to sublime contemplation the minds of those who behold them with respectful and reli gious attention ; and excite within them the virtues of faith and of charity. ‘lo enable the faithful therefore to know, and un- derstand clearly, the meaning of the ceremonies made use of in the administration of each Sacrament, should be an object of special care and attention te the pastor.

We now come to explain the number of the Sacraments; a knowledge of which is attended with this advantage, that the greater the number of supernatural aids to salvation which the faithful shall understand to have been provided by the divine goodness, the more ardent the piety with which they will direet all the powers of their souls to praise and proclaim the singular beneficence of God.

The Sacraments then of the Catholic Church are seven, as is proved from Scripture, from the unbroken tradition of the Fathers, and from the authoritative definitions of councils.2, Why

! Aug. de doct. Christi, lib. ii. e. 3. 2 Trid. sess. 7. 248 1 de sac. in gen. Conc. Flo. in dee ac Arm. D. Th. p 3. q. 63. art. 1

On the Sacraments.

they are neither more nor less, may be shown, at least witl some degree of probability, even from the analogy that exists between natural and spiritual life. In order to exist, to preserve existence, and to contribute to his own and to the public gooa, seven things seem necessary to man—to be born—to grow—to be nurtured—to be cured when sick—when weak to be strength- ened—as far as regards the public weal, to have magistrates in- vested with authority to govern—and, finally, to perpetuate him- self and his species by legitimate offspring. Analogous then as all these things obviously are, to that life by which the soul lives to God, we discover in them a reason to account for the number of the Sacraments. Amongst them, the first is Baptism, the gate, as it were, to all the other Sacraments, by which we are born again to Christ. ‘The next is Confirmation, by which we grow up, and are strengthened in the grace of God: for, as St. Augustine observes, ‘“‘to the Apostles who have already re- ceived baptism, the Redeemer said: ‘ stay you in the city till you be indued with power from on high.’ ‘The third is the Eucharist, that true bread from heaven which nourishes our souls to eternal life, according to these words of the Saviour ; ** My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.””? The fourth is Penance, by which the soul, which has caught the contagion of sin, is restored to spiritual health. The fifth is Extreme Unction, which obliterates the traces of sin, and invi- gorates the powers of the soul; of which St. James says: ‘if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.’ ‘The sixth is Holy Orders, which gives power to perpetuate in the Church the public administration of the Sacraments, and the exercise of all the sacred functions of the ministry. The seventh and last is Matrimony, a Sacrament instituted for the legitimate and holy union of man and- woman, for the conservation of the human race, and the education of children, in the knowledge of reli- gion, and the love and fear of God.

All and each of the Sacraments, it is true, possess an admira- ble efficacy given them by God: but it is well worthy of re- mark, that all are not of equal necessity or of equal dignity, nor is the signification of all the same. Amongst them three are of paramount necessity, a necessity, however, which arises from different causes. The universal and absolute necessity of bap- tism, these words of the Kedeemer unequivocally declare :— ‘* Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’’> The necessity of Pe- nance is relative : Penance is necessary for those only who have stained their baptismal innocence, by mortal guilt: without sin cere repentance, their eternal ruin is inevitable. Orders, too, although not necessary to each of the faithful, are of absolute general necessity to the Church.® But, the dignity of the Sa-

1D. Aug. ep 173.et Luke xxiv. 49, 2 John vi. 55. 3 James v. 15 4 Luke v. 14 5 John iii. 5 6 Trid. 1. Sess. 7, can. 3,4. de Sacr. in germ

D. Th. p.3.q 65. art. 4.

L07

Uxplamed va

Baptism.

Confirma, lion.

Eucharist

Penanca

Extreme- Unction.

Holy Or- ders

Matri- mony.

All the Sw craments not equal y necessary

108

The Eu- charist ex cels all the others in dignity

Christ, the author of the Sacra- wents.

Men, their

ministers.

The un- worthiness of the mi- nister dues not affect the validity of the Sa- eraments

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

craments considered, the Eucharist, for holiness, and for the number and greatness of its mysteries, is eminently superior te all the rest. ‘These, however, are matters which will be more easily understood, wnen we come to explain, in its proper place, what regards each of the Sacraments.?

We come, in the next place, to ask from whom we have re- ceived these sacred and divine mysteries: any boon, however excellent in itself, receives no doubt an inereased value and dignity from him by whose bounty it is bestowed. The aues- tion, however, is not one of difficult solution : justification comes a God; the Sacraments are the wonderful instruments of justification ; one, and the same God in Christ, must, therefore, ve the author of justification, and of the Sacraments.? ‘The Sacra- ments, moreover, contain a power and efficacy which reach the inmost recesses of the soul; and as Ged alone has power to enter into the sanctuary of the heart, he alone, through Christ, is manifestly the author of the Sacraments. ‘That they are in- teriorly dispensed by him, is also matter of faith; according to these words of St. John: ‘* He who sent me to baptize with water, said to me; he upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit de- scending, and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’’8

But God, although the author and dispenser of the Sacra. ments, would have them administered in his Church by men, not by angels: and to constitute a Sacrament, as constant tra- dition testifies, matter and form are not more necessary than is the ministry of men.

But, representing as he does, in the discharge of his sacred functions, not his own, but the person of Christ, the minister of the Sacraments, be he good or bad, validly consecrates and con- fers the Sacraments ; provided he make use of the matter and form instituted by Christ, and always observed in the Catholic Church, and intends to do what the Church does in their ad- ministration. Unless, therefore, Christians will deprive them- selves of so great a good, and resist the Holy Ghost, nothing can prevent them from receiving, through the Sacraments, the fruit of grace.* ‘That this was, at all times, a fixed and well de- fined doctrine of the Church, is established beyond all doubt by St. Augustine, in his disputations against the Donatists ;> and should we desire Scriptural proof also, we have it in the words of St. Paul; *‘I have planted, Apollo watered ; but God gave the increase.” Neither he that plants, therefore, nor he that waters, is any thing, but God who gives “the increase.” As, therefore, in planting trees, the vices of the planter do not im- pede the growth of the vine, so, and the comparison is suffi:

1 Dionys. lib. de Eccles. Hier. c. 3.

2 Ambr. lib. 4. de Sacr. cap. 6. D. Tho. p. 3. a 62. Trid Sess 7. can. 1 de Sacr m gen. lib. de Eccles. dog. & Cassian. collat. 7. 18. 3Johni 33.

4 Trid. Sess. 7. de Sac. in gen. c. 11 & 12. re. Naz. in Orat in S. bapt. Ambr de his qui myst. init. cap. 5. Chrysost. hom. 8. in 1 Cor.

5 A ig. contra Crescen. lib. 4. c. 20. contra Donat. lib. 1. c. 4 &lib.2 contra lit. P-ul + 47. 6 1 Cor. iii. 6.

ee

On the Sacraments.

ciently inielligible, those who were planted in Christ by the ministry of bad men, sustain no injury from guilt which is not their own. Judas Iscariot, as the Holy Fathers infer from the Gospei of St. John,* conferred baptism on many ; and yet none of those whom he baptized are recorded to have been baptized again. To use the memorable words of St. Augustine: ‘ Judas baptized, and yet after him none were rebaptized : John bap- tized, anc after John they were rebaptized, because the baptism administered by Judas was the baptism of Christ, but that ad- ministered by John was the baptism of John :* not that we prefer Judas to John, but that we justly prefer the baptism of Christ, although administered by Judas, to the baptism of John although administered by the hands of John.’

But, let not the pastor, or other minister of the Sacraments, hence infer that he fully acquits himself of his duty, if, disre- garding integrity of life and purity of morals, he attend only to the administration of the Sacraments in the manner prescribed. True, the manner of administering them is a matter of the high- est importance ; but it is no less true, that it does not constitute all that enters into the worthy discharge of this duty. It should never be forgotten, that the Sacraments, although they cannot lose the divine efficacy inherent in them, bring eternal death and everlasting perdition on him who dares to administer them with hands stained with the defilement of sin. Holy things, and the observation cannot be too often repeated, should be treated holily, and with due reverence :* ‘To the sinner,” says the prophet, ‘*God has said: why dost thou declare my justices, and take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing that thou hast hated discipline ?”’> If then, for him who is defiled by sin it is unlaw- ful to speak on divine things, how enormous the guilt of thas man, who, with conscious guilt, dreads not to consecrate witb polluted lips these holy mysteries—to take them—to touch them —nay more, with sacrilegious hands, to administer them te others 25 The symbols, (so he calls the Sacraments) * the wicked,” says St. Denis, ‘‘ are not allowed to touch.’ It therefore becomes the first, the most important duty of the minister of these holy things, to aspire to holiness of life, to ap proach with purity the administration of the Sacraments, and so to exercise himself in the practice of piety, that, from their fre- quent administration and use, they may every day receive, with the divine assistance, a more abundant effusion of grace.

When these important matters have been expiained, the effects of the Sacraments present to the pastor the next subject of instruction; a subject, it is hoped, which will throw consi- derable light on the definition of a Sacrament as already given.

The principal effects of the Sacraments are two; sanctifying grace, and the character which they impress. The former, that is, the grace which we, in common with the doctors of the

1 Jonn iv. 2. ‘ 2 Ac’s xix. 3—9. 3 Aug. in Joan. 4 Aug. in Joan. tract. 5. & contra Cres:. lib. 2 c 6. D. Thom. p. 3. q. 93. art. 4. 6 Ps. xlix. 16. € Conc. Trid can 6 7S. Dion. de Eccl. Hier ce. 1.

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The effec of the Se craments.

Justifying grace.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Chuw-f, call sanctifying grace, deservedly holds the first place That this is an effect produced by the Sacraments, we know from these words of the Apostle: ‘* Christ,”’ says he, ‘loved the Church, and delivered himself up for it; that he might sane- tify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life.’ But how so great and so admirable an effect is produced by the Sacraments, that, to use the words of St. Augustine, ‘‘ water cleanses the body, and reaches the heart:’’* this, indeed, the mind of man, aided by the light of reason alone, is unequal to comprehend. It ought to be an established law, that nothing sensible can, of its own nature, reach the soul; but we know by the light of faith, that in the Sacraments exists the power of the Omnipotent, effectuating that which the natural elements cannot of themselves accomplish.*

That on this subject no doubt may exist in the minds of the faithful, God, in the abundance of his merey, was nleased, from the moment of their institution, to manifest by exterior mira- cles, the effects which they operate interiorly in the soul: this he did, in order that we may always believe that the same in- terior effects, although inaccessible to the senses, are still pro- duced by them. To say nothing of that which the Seripture re- cords—that, at the baptism of the Redeemer in the Jordan, ‘ ‘The heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost appeared in the form of a dove;’’* to teach us, that when we are washed in the sa- cred font, his grace is infused into our souls—to omit these splendid miracles which have reference rather to the consecra tion of baptism, than to the administration of the Sacraments— do we not read, that on the day of Pentecost, when the Apos: tles received the Holy Ghost, and were, thenceforward, inspired with greater courage and firmer resolution to preach the faith. and brave danger of every sort for the glory of Christ, * there came suddenly a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind com- ing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and there appeared to them parted tongues, as it were of fire.’ These visible effects give us to understand that, in the Sacra- ment of Confirmation, the same spirit is given us, and the same strength imparted, which enable us resolutely to encounter, and with fortitude to resist, our implacable enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil.6 As often as these Sacraments were ad- ministered by the Apostles, so often, during the infancy of the Church, did the same miraculous effects follow ; and they ceased not to be visible until the faith had acquired maturity and strength.

From what has been said of sanctifying grace, the first effect of the Sacraments, it also clearly follows, that there resides in the Sacraments of the New Law, a virtue far more exalted and

1 Eph. v. 25, 26. 2S. Aug. in Joan. tract. 80. 3 De hoc effectu sacramen. vid. Trid. Sess. : can. 6, 7, 8. de sacr. Aug. tract. 26 in Joan. & contr. Faust. c.16 & 17, & in 3 Ixxvii. 1G ee 4 Matt. iii.16. Marki.10. Luke iii. 5 Acts i. 2, 3. § Aug. lib. quest. Vet. oe Nov. Test. q. 93.

On the Sacraments

efficacious than that of the ‘Sacraments of the Old,? which, as ‘*‘ weak and needy elements,” sanctified such as were defiled to the cleansing of the flesh,’ but not of the spirit. ‘They were, therefore, instituted as signs only of those things, which were to be accomplished by the Sacraments of the new law—WNSacra- ments which flowing from the side of Christ, ‘* who, by the Holy Ghost, offered himself unspotted unto God, cleanse our consciences from dead works, to serve the living God,’’* and thus work in us, through the blood of Christ, the grace which they signify. Comparing them, therefore, with the Sacraments of the old law, we shall find that not only are they more efiica- cious, but, also, more exuberant of spiritual advantages. and stamped with the characters of superior dignity and holiness.®

The other effect of the Sacraments, an effect, however, not common to all, but peculiar to three, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, is the character which they impress on the soul. When the Apostle says: ‘‘ God hath anointed us, who also hath sealed us, and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts,’’® he clearly designates by the word ‘“ sealed,”’ this sacramental cha- racter, the property of which is to impress a seal and mark on the soul. ‘This character is, as it were, a distinctive and inde- lible impression stamped on the soul ;’ of which St. Augustine says: ‘‘Shall the Christian Sacraments accomplish less than the bodily mark impressed on the soldier? ‘That mark is not stamped on his person anew, as often as he resumes the military service which he had relinquished; but the old one is recog- nised and approved.’’s

This character has a two-fold effect, it qualifies us to receive or perform something sacred, and distinguishes us one from an- other. In the character impressed by Baptism, both effects are exemplified: by it we are qualified to receive the other Sacra- ments; and the Christian is distinguished from those who pro- fess not the name of Christ. The same illustration is afforded by the characters impressed by Confirmation and Holy Orders: by the one we are armed and arrayed as soldiers of Christ, pub- liely to-profess and defend his name, to fight against our domes- tic enemy, and against the spiritual powers of wickedness in the high places, and are also distinguished from those who, being newly baptized, are, as it were, new-born infants: the other combines the power of consecrating and administering the Sacraments, and also distinguishes those who are invested with this power, from the rest of the faithful. ‘The rule of the Ca- tholic Church is, therefore, inviolably to be observed : it teaches that these three Sacraments impress a character and are never to be reiterated.

! Aug. lib. 19 contr. Faust. c. 13, & in Ps. Ixxxiii. Ambr. lib. de Sacr. c. 4.

° Gal, iv. 9 3 Heb. ix. 13. 4 Heb. ix. 14 -

& Aug. lib. 2. de Simb. c. 6, & in Joan. Tract. 15, & lib. 15. de Civit. Dei, c. 26

§ 2 Cor. i. 21. 7 Trid. ib. can.

§ De hoc charact. vide Aug. lib. 2. contr. ep Parm. c. 33, & ep. 50, circa. meds wm, & tract. 6, in Joan. & lect. 1. contr. Crescen. c. 30. item D. Thom. p 3. q. 63

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Its effect two-fold

112 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Twothings On the subject of the Sacraments in genera, these are the ie ie matters of instruction which we proposed to deliver. In com tae Pastur, municating them to the faithful, the pastor will keep in view, Le sed p incipally, two things: the one, to impress on the minds of the pethe Sa- faithful a deep sense ‘of the honour, respect and veneration, due eraments to these divine and celestial gifts; the other, to urge on all the necessity of having recourse, piously and religiously, to those sacred institutions established by the God of infinite merey, for the common salvation of all; and of being so inflamed with the desire of attaining Christian perfection, as to deem it a deplorable loss to be, for any time, deprived of the salutary use, particularly, of Penance, and of the Holy Eucharist. ‘These important ob- jects the pastor will find little difficulty in accomplishing, if he press frequently on the attention of the faithful, what we have already said on the august dignity and salutary efficacy of the Sacraments—that they were instituted by the Lord Jesus, from whom nothing imperfect can emanate—that when admi- nistered, the most powerful influence of the Holy Ghost is pre- sent, pervading the inmost sanctuary of the soul—that they pos- sess an admirable and unfailing virtue to cure our spiritual maladies, and communicate to us the inexhaustible riches of the passion of our Lord—in fine, that the whole edifice of Christian piety, although resting on the most firm foundation of the cor- ner stone, unless supported on every side by the preaching of the divine word, and by the use of ‘the Sacraments, must, it is greatly to be apprehended, having partially yielded, ultimately fall to the ground; for as weare ushered into spiritual life by means of the Sacraments; so, by the same means, are we nur-

tured and preserved, and grow to spiritual increase.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM.

Importance FRom what has been hitherto said on the Sacraments in gene of the * ral, we may judge how necessary it is, to a proper understand How ledee ing of the doctrines of the Christian faith, and to the practice cramentsin Of Christian piety, to know what the Catholic Church proposes particular. to our belief on the Sacraments in particular. ‘That a perfect OfBaptism. knowledge of Baptism is particularly necessary to the faithful, an attentive perusal of the epistles of St. Paul, will force upon the mind. The Apostle, not only frequently, but also in language the most energetic, in language full of the Spirit of God, re- news the recollection of this mystery, exalts its transcendant dignity, and in it places before us the death, burial, and resur- rection of our Lord, as objects of our contemplation and imita tion.1 The pastor therefore, can never think that he has be

Rom. vi. 3. Cobos. ii. 12. 13.

On the Sacrament of Baptism,

stowed sufficient labour and attention on the exposition of this Sacrament. Besides the great festivals of Easter and Pentecost, festivals on which the Church celebrated this Sacrament with the greatest solemnity and devotion, and on which particularly, according to ancient practice, its divine mysteries are to be ex- plained ; the pastor should, also, take occasion, at other times, to make it the subject matter of his instructions.!

For this purpose, a most convenient opportunity would seem to present itself, whenever the pastor, when about to administer this Sacrament, finds himself surrounded by a considerale num- ber of the faithful: on such occasions, it is true, his exposition cannot embrace every thing that regards baptism; but he can develope one or two points with greater facility, whilst the faith- ful see them expressed, and contemplate them with devout at- tention, in the sacred ceremonies which he is performing. Thus each person, reading a lesson of admonition in the person of him who is receiving baptism, calls to mind the promises by which he had bound himself ic the service of God when initiated by baptism, and refiects whether his life and morals evince that fidelity to which every one pledges himself, by professing the name of Christian.

To render what we have to say, on this subject, perspicuous, we shall explain the nature and substance of the Sacrament; premising, however, an explication of the word Baptism. The word Baptism, as is well kncwn, is of Greek derivation. Al- though used in Scripture to express not only that ablution which forms part of the Sacrament, but also every species of ablution,® and sometimes, figuratively, to express sufferings ; yet it is em ployed, by ecclesiastical writers, to designate not every sort of ablution, but that which forms part of the Sacrament, and is administered with the prescribed sacramental form. In this sense, the Apostles-very frequently make use of the word, in accordance with the institution of Christ.*

This Sacrament, the Holy Fathers designate also by other names St. Augustine informs us that it was sometimes called tne Sacrament of Faith; because, by receiving it, we profess our faith in all the doctrines of Christianity :* by others it was denominated ‘Illumination,’’ because by the faith which we profess in baptism, the heart is illumined: ‘ Call to mind,” says the Apostle, alluding to the time of baptism, ‘ the former days, wherein being illumined, you endured a great fight of afflic- tions.””> St. Chrysostom, in his sermon to the baptized, calls it a purgation, through which ‘‘ we purge away the old leaven, that we may become a new paste :’’* he, also, calls it a burial, a planting, and the cross of Jesus Christ :’ the reasons for all these appellations may be gathered from the epistle of St. Paul

! pe hoe usu antiquo vid. Tertul. lib. de Baptis. c.19 Basil. in exhort. ad bapt

Amb. lib. de myst. Pasche. 2 Mark vii. 4. ; 3 Rom. vi. 3. 1 Pet. iii. 21. Octo baptismi geneva vid. Damase. lib. 4. de fide orthod 10. * D. Aug. epist. 25. in fin. 5 Heb. x. 32. ® 1 Cor. v 7.

7S. Chrysost. x: 5 10* |e

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to the Romans. St. Denis calls it the beginning of the most holy commandments, for this obvious reason, that baptism 1s, as it were, the gate through which we enter into the fellowship of Christian life, and begin thenceforward, to obey the command- ments.2. ‘This exposition of the different names of the Sacra- ment of baptism, the pastor will briefly communicate to the people.®

With regard to its definition, although sacred writers give many, to us that which may be collected from the words of our Lord, recorded in the Gospel of St. John, and of the Apostle, in his epistle to the Ephesians, appears the most appropriate : “ Unless,” says our Lord, a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;’” and, speaking of the Church, the Apostle says: ‘ cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life.””> From these words, Baptism may be accurately and appropriately defined: ‘ ‘The Sacrament of regeneration by water in the word.” By nature, weare born from Adam, children of wrath; but by baptism we are regenerated in Christ, children of mercy ; for, ** He gave power to men to be made the sons of God, to-them that believe in his name, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.’’6

But, define Baptism as we may, the faithful are to be informed that this Sacrament consists of ablution, accompanied, necessa- rily, according to the institution of our Lord, by certain solemn words.? This is the uniform doctrine of the Holy Fathers; a eae eee ed by the authority of St. Augustine: ‘ The word,”’ says he, ‘‘ is joined to the element, and it becomes a Sa- crament. ” "That these are the constituents of Baptism, it be- comes more necessary to impress on the minds of the faithful, that they may not fall into the vulgar error of thinking, that the baptismal water, preserved in the sacred font, constitutes the Sacrament. ‘Then only is it to be called the Sacrament of Bap- tism, when it is really used in the way ef ablution, accompanied with the words appointed by our Lord.®

But, as we first said, when treating of the Sacraments in general, that every Sacrament consists of matter and form ; it is therefore, necessary to point out what constitutes each of these in the Sacrament of Baptism. The matter then, or element of this Sacrament, is any sort of natural water, which is, simply, and without addition of any kind, commonly called water; be it sea-water, river-water, water from a pond, well, or fouaenee our Lord has declared that, ‘* Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”’* The Apostle also says, that the Church was cleansed

* Rom. vi. 3. 2S. Dion de Eccl. Hier. c. 2. 3 De variis baptis. nom. vid. Gregor. Nazianz. orat. in sancta lumina. et a Alex. lib. 1. Poedag. cap. 6. 4 John iii. 5. 3 Eph. v. 26. 6 John i. 12, 13. > Matt. xxvii. 19.

8 Hae de revid. Chrysost. hom. 24. in Joan. Aug. lib. 6. contra. Donatist. c. 25 Cone Fiorent. et Trid. item August. tract. 80 in Joan. $John in 5

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On the Sacrament uf Baptism. ha

‘“‘by the laver of water;’’* and in the epistle of St. John, we read these words :—‘‘ There are three that give testimony on earth ; the spirit, and the water, and the blood.’’? ‘The Serip- ture affords other proofs which establish the same proof. When, however, the baptist says that the Lord will come, ‘* who will baptise in the Holy Ghost, and in fire ;’’* he is not to be under- stood to speak of the matter, but of the effect of baptism, pro- duced in the soul by the interior operation of the Holy Ghost; or, if not, of the miracle performed on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost descended on the Apostles, in the form of fire,* as was foretold by our Lord, in these words; ‘* John, indeed, baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence.’’>

That water is the matter of Baptism, the Almighty signified Figure and

both by figures and by prophecies, as we know from holy prime Scripture: According to the prince of the Apostles, ia his first epistle, the deluge which swept the world, because ‘ the wick- edness of men was great on the earth, and all the thoughts of their hearts were bent upon evil,’’® was a figure of the waters of Baptism.’ ‘l’o omit the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian,° and the admirable virtue of the pool of Bethsaida,? and many simi- lar types, manifestly symbolic cf this mystery; the passage through the Red Sea, according to St. Paul, in his epistle to the Corinthians, was typical of the waters of Baptism.‘ With re- gard to the oracles of the prophets, the waters to which the pro- phet Isaias so freely invites ali that thirst,‘ and those which Ezekiel saw in spirit, issue from the temple,’* and also, ‘ the fountain” which Zachary foresaw, ‘‘ open to the house of Da- vid, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the washing of the sinner and of the unclean woman,’’** were, no doubt, so many types which prefigured the salutary effects of the waters of Baptism.

The propriety of constituting water the matter of baptism, of Water, the nature and efficacy of which it is at once expressive, St. Je- Me nd rome, in his epistle to Oceanus, proves by many arguments.’* baptism Upon this subject, however, the paster will teach, that water, which is always at hand, and within the reach of all, was the fittest matter of a Sacrament which is essentially necessary to all ; and, also, that water is best adapted to signify the effect of baptism. It washes away uncleanness, and is, therefore, strik- ingly illustrative of the virtue and efficacy of baptism, which washes away the stains of sin. We may also add that, like water which cools the body, baptism in a great measure extin- guishes the fire of concupiscence in the soul.’®

But, although, in case of necessity, simple water unmixed Ciram ‘Eph ~ 26. 21 John v. 8. 3 Matt. Hi. 11. 4 Acts ii 3 5 Acts i. 5. § Gen. vi. 5. 71 Pet. iii. 20, 21. s 4 Kings v. 14 9 John v. 2. 10 1 Cor. x. 1,2 " Tsaias ly. 1. 12 Ezek. xlvu. 1. !3 Zach. xiii. 1 4 D, Hieronymus epist. 85.

15 De materia bapt. vid. Conc. Florent. et Trid. sess. 7, can. 2, & de consecrat dist. 4, item D. Thom. p. 3. q. 56, art. 5.

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In what !t Cufsls.s

and when instituted,

What co

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

with any other ingredient, is sufficient for the matter of baptism, yet, when administered in public with solemn ceremonies, the Catholic Church guided by apostolic tradition, the more fully to express its efficacy, has uniformly observed the practice of adding holy chrism.* And, although it may bedoubted whether this or that water be genuine, such as the Sacrament requires, it can never be matter of doubt that the proper and the only matter of baptism is natural water.

Having carefully explained the matter, which is one of the two parts of which the Sacrament consists, the pastor will evince equal diligence in explaining the second, that is the form, which is equally necessary with the first. In the explication of this Sacrament, a necessity of increased care and study arises, as the pastor will perceive, from the circumstance that the know- ledge of so holy a mystery, is not only in itself a source of pleasure to the faithful, as is generally the case with regard to religious knowledge, but, also, very desirable for almost daily practical use. This Sacrament, as we shall explain in its proper place, is frequently administered by the laity, and most fre- quently, by women; and it, therefore, becomes necessary to make all the faithful indiscriminately, well acquainted with whatever regards its substance.

The p: astor, therefore, will teach, in clear, unambiguous lan- guage intelligible to every capacity, that the true and essential form of baptism is: ‘*T BAPTIZE THEE IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE Son, AND OF THE Hoty Guost :” a forin delivered by our Lord atael Saviour when, as we read in St. Matthew, he gave to his Apostles the command: ‘ Going teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”’* By the word * baptizing,” the Catholic Church, instructed from above, most justly understands that the form of the Sacrament should express the action of the minister, and this takes place when he pronounces the words : *¢T baptize thee.”’ Besides the minister of the Sacrament, the person to be baptized and the principal efficient cause of baptism should be mentioned. ‘The pronoun ‘ thee.” and the names of the Divine Persons are, therefore, distinctly added; and, thus, the absolute form of the Sacrament is expressed in the words already mentioned : ‘* 1 baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’’ Baptism is the work not of the Son alone, of whom St. John says: ‘* This is he who. baptizeth ;’"? but of the three Persons of the blessed ‘Trinity. By saying, however, ‘‘ in the name,” not names, we distinetly declare that in the Trinity there is but one nature and Godhead. The word ‘‘name’’ is here referred not to the persons, but to the divine essence, virtue and power, which are one and the same in the three Persons.*

It is however to be observed, that of the words contained in

1 Ambr. lib. I. sacr. c. 2. et Innoc. lib. 1. deer tit. 1. ¢. 3. 2 Matt. xxviii. 19. 3 John i. 33. 4Vid Aug. contra Donatist. lib. 6. c. 25. D. Thom, p. 3. q. 66. art. 5

-s"”

On the Sacrament of Baptisn.

this form, which we have shown to be the true and essential one, some are absolutely necessary, the omission of them ren- dering the valid administration of the Sacrament impossible ; whilst others, on the contrary, are not so essential as to affect its validity. Of the latter kind is, in the Latin form, the word *‘ego,”’ (I) the force of which is included in the word * bap- tizo,”’ (I baptize.) Nay more, the Greek Church, adopting a different manner of expressing the form, and being of opinion that it is unnecessary to make mention of the minister, omits the pronoun altogether. ‘The form universally used in the Greek Church is: ‘ Let this servant of Christ be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghest.’”’ It ap- pears, however, from the opinion and definition of the Council of Florence, that the Greek form is valid, because the words of which it consists, sufficiently express what is essential to the va- lidity of baptism, that is, the ablution which then takes place. If at any time the Apostles baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ only,’ they did so, no doubt, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in order, in the infancy of the Church, to render their preaching in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ more illustrious, and to proclaim more effectually his divine and infinite power. If, however, we examine the matter more closely, we shall find that the Greek form omits nothing which the Saviour himself commands to be observed; for the name of Jesus Chirist implies the Person of the Father by whom, and that of the Holy Ghost in whom he was anointed. However, the use of this form by the Apostles becomes, perhaps, matter of doubt, if we yield to the opinions cf Ambrose® and Basil,® Holy Fathers eminent for sanctity and of paramount authority, who interpret ** baptism in the name of Jesus Christ” as con tradistinguished to ‘* baptism in the name of John,’’ and who say that the Apostles did not depart from the ordinary and usual form which comprises the distinct names of the three Persons. Paul, also, in his epistle to the Galatians, seems to have ex- pressed himself in a similar manner: ‘ As raany of you,”’ says he, **as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ :’’*

instruction of the faithful: but, as in the administration of the Sacrament, the legitimate ablution should also be observed, on this point too the pastor will explain the doctrine of the Chureh. He will briefly inform the faithful that, according to the com- mon practice of the Church, baptism may be administered by immersion, infusion, or aspersion; and that administered in either of these forms it is equally valid. In baptism water is used to signify the spiritual ablution which it accomplishes, and

! Actn. 38, viii. 16 ; x. 48; xix. 5. 2 Ambr. lib. 1. de Spiritu Sancto, e. 3. Basil lib. 1. de Spiritu Sancto, ec. 12. 4 Gal. iii. 27

Lig

sential, What now essential, to it

Bapusm in the name of Christ only.

fiapusm may be ad ministered by immer sion, infu- sion, or aspersion

418

Two im- portant matters to be observ- ed in its ad- ministra- tion.

Baptism when insti- vuted.

Water con- secrated to the use cf baptism, wnen Christ was baptized

Lhe Catechism of the Council of Trent.

on this account baptism is called by the Apostle, a *‘ laver.”’ This ablution takes place as effectually by immersion, whe was for a considerable time the practice in the early ages of the Church, as by infusion, which is now the general practice, or by aspersion, which was the manner in which Peter baptized, when he converted and gave baptism to about three thousand souls.”’? It is also matter of indifference to the validity of the Sacranient, whether the ablution is performed once or thrice; we learn from the epistle of St. Gregory the great to Leander, that baptism was formerly and Le) still be validly administered in the Church in either way.? The faithful, however, will follow the practice of the particular Church to which they belong.

The pastor will be particularly careful to observe, that the baptismal ablution is not to be applied indifferently to any part of the body, but principally to the head, which is pre-eminently the seat of all the internal and external senses; and also that he who baptizes is to pronounce the words which constitute the form of baptism, not before or after, but when performing the ab- lution.

When these things have been explained, it will also be ex- pedient to remind the faithful that, in common with the other Sacraments, baptism was instituted by Christ. On this sub- ject, the pastor will frequently point out two different periods of time which relate to baptism—the one the period of its institu- tion by the Redeemer—the other, the establishment of the law which renders it obligatory. With regard to the former, it is ciear that this Sacrament was instituted by our Lord, when, being baptized by John, he gave to the water the power of sanc- tifying. St. Gregory Nazianzen* and St. Augustine testify that to the water was then imparted the power of regenerating to spiritual life. In another place St. Augustine says: ‘ From the moment that Christ 13 immersed in water, water washes away al. sins :’’> and again the Lord is baptized, not because he had oe- easion to be cleansed, but by the contact of his pure flesh to purify the waters, and impart to them the power of cleansing.” The circumstances which attended the event afford a very strong argument to prove that baptism was then instituted by our Lord. The three persons of the most Holy Trinity, in whose name baptism is conferred, manifest their august presence—the voice of the Father is heard—the Person of the Son is present—the Holy Ghost descends in form of a dove—and the heavens, into which we are enabled to enter by baptism, are thrown open.®

Should we, however, ask how our Lord has endowed water with a virtue so great, so divine; this indeed is an inquiry which transcends the power of the human understanding. ‘That when our Lord was baptized, water was consecrated to the salutary usc of baptism, deriving, although instituted before the

'Eph % 2 Acts ii. 41. 3 Greg. lib. i. regist. epist. 41 4 Gre 4 nat. Salvat. circa finem. 5 Aug. serm. 29. 36, 37. de temp 6 Mutt. iii. 16,17. Marki.i0.11 Luke ii. 21, 22.

‘

tit a

On the Sacrament of Buptism. rie

passion, all its virtue and efficacy from the passion, which is the consummation, as it were, of all the actions of Christ—thus, in- deed, we sufficiently comprehend. '

‘The second period to be distinguished, that is, when the law ‘lhe law q

of baptism was promulgated, also admits of no doubt. ‘The alae Holy Fathers are unanimous in saying, that after the resurrec- fileaieal tion of our Lord, when he gave to his Apostles the command : ‘Go, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;’’* the law of baptism became obligatory, on all, who were to be saved. This is to be inferred from these words of St. Peter: ‘* who hath re- generated us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, from the dead ;’’* and also from the words of St Paul; ** He delivered himself up for it:’’ (he speaks of the Church) that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life.’’* In both passages, the obligation of baptism is referred to the time, which followed the death of our Lord. These words of our Lord: ‘ Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,’’> refer also, no doubt, to the time subsequent to his passion. If then the pastor use all diligence in explaining these truths accurately to the faithful, imposstble that they should not fully appreciate the high dignity of this Sacrament, and enter- tain towards it the most profound veneration ; a veneration which will be heightened by the reflection, that the Holy Ghost, by his invisible agency, still infuses into the heart, at the moment of baptism, those blessings of incomparable excellence, and of inestimable value, which were so strikingly manifested, by mi racles, at the baptism of Christ our Lord. Were our eyes, like those of the servant of Eliseus,® opened to see these heavenly things, who so insensibie as not to be lost in rapturous admira- tion of the divine mysteries, which baptism would then present to the astonished view! when, therefore, the riches of this Sa- crament are unfolded to the faithful by the pastor, so as to enable them to beheld them, if not with the eyes of the body, with those of the soul illumined with the light of faith, is it not rea- sonable to anticipate similar results ?

In the next place, it appears not only expedient but necessary, ‘The miu» to say who are ministers of this Sacrament; in order that those ers of the to whom this office is specially confided, may study to perform pie its functions, religiously and holily ; and that no one, outstep- ping as it were, his proper limits, may unseasonably take pos- session of, or arrogantly assume, what belongs to another; for, as the Apostle teaches, order is to be observed in all things.”

The faithful, therefore, are to be informed that of those who Bishops adminiser baptism there are three gradations: bishops and pap ape priests hold the first place ; to them belongs the administration aire,

1 Vid. Hieron. in com. in.3. cap. Matt. Aug.serm. 36. de temp. 2 Mark xvi. 15 Matt. xxviii. 19. 3] Pet. i. 3. 4 Eph. v. 25, 26. 5 Tohn iii. 5. 84 Kings vi. 17. 71 Cor. xv. 40.

i20

Deacons by permissicn.

A.i persons in case of necessity ; but with- out its so- lemn cere- monies.

In this, the goodness and wis- dom of God to be admired.

Order to be observed the mi- nisters of baptism.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

of this Sacrament, not by any extraordinary concession of power but by right of office ; ‘for to them, in the persons of the Apos tles, was “addressed the command : ‘* Go, baptize.’’! Bishops, it is true, not to neglect the more weighty charge of instructing the faithful, generally leave its administration to priests; but the authority of the Fathers. and the usage of the Church, prove that priests exercise this function of the ministry by a right in- herent in the priestly order, a right which authorises them te baptize even in presence of the bishop. Ordained to consecrate the Holy Eucharist, the Sacrament of peace and unity,® it is necessary that they be invested with power to administer all those things, which are required to enable others to participate of that peace and unity. If, therefore, the Fathers have at any time said, that without the leave of the bishop, the priest has not power to baptize; they are to be understood to speak of that baptism only, which was administered on certain days of the year with solemn ceremonies.

Next to bishops and priests, are deacons, for whom, as numerous decrees of the holy Fathers attest, it is not lawful, without the permission of the bishop or priest to administer baptism.*

Those who may administer baptism, in case of necessity, but without its solemn ceremonies, hold the third and Jast place ; and in this class are included all, even the laity, men and wo- men, to whatever sect they may belong. ‘This power extends, in case of necessity, even to Jews, infidels, and heretics ; pro- vided, however, they intend to do what the Catholie Church does in that act of her ministry. Already established by the decrees of the ancient Fathers and Councils, these things have been again confirmed by the Council of ‘Trent, which denounces anathema against those who presume to say, ‘* that baptism, even when administered by heretics, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the intention of doing what the Church does, is not true baptism.’’

And here let us admire the supreme goodness and wisdom of our Lord, who, seeing the necessity of this Sacrament for ah, not only instituted water, than which nothing can be more com- mon, as its matter ; but also placed its administration within the jurisdiction of all. In its administration, however, as we have already observed, all are not allowed to use the solemn ceremo- nies ; not that rites and ceremonies are of higher dignity, but because they are of inferior necessity to the Sacrament.

Let not the faithful, however, imagine that this office is given promiscuously to all, so as to supersede the propriety of observ- ing a certain order amongst those who administer baptism: when a man is present, a woman; when a clerk, a laymear ;

1 Matt. xxviii. 19. 2 jsid. lib. 2 de offic. Eccles. cap. ¢

3] Cor. x. 17. 4 Distinct. $3. cap. 13.

5 'Tyid. sess. 7. can. de consec. dist. 4. cap. 24. Aug. lib. 7. contra Donatist. cap 51. et ibid. lib. 3. cap. 10. et lib. 2. contra J’armen. et Coantall Lat. cap. 1. et Jona Florent. in decr. Eugenii-

On whe Sacrament of Baptisni

when a priest, a simple clerk, siiould not administer this Sacia- meut Midwives. however, when accustomed to its administra tion, are not to be found fault with, if sometimes, when a man is present, who is unacquainted with the manner of its adminis- tration, they perform what may otherwise appear to belong more properly to men.

To those who, as we have hitherto explained, adininister bap- tism, another ciass of persons is to be added, who, according to the most ancient practice of the Church, assist at tic baptismal font; and, who, although formerly called hy served writers by the common name of sponsors or sureties, are now called God- fathers and God-mothers.* As this is an office common almost to all the laity, the pastor will ‘each its principal duties, with care and accuracy. He will, in the first instance, explain why at baptism, besides those who administer the Sacrament, God- fathers and God-mothers are alse required. ‘ibe propriety of the practice will at once appear, if we keep in view the nature of baptism, that it 1s a spiritual regeneration, by which we are born children of God; of which St. Peter says: ‘* As newborn in fants desire the rational milk without guile.”? As, therefore, every one, after his birth, requires a nurse and instructor, by whose assistance and assiduity he is brorght up, and formed to learning and morality ; so those, who, by ‘tie eflicacy of the re- generating waters of baptism, are born to spiritual life, should be intrusted to the fidelity and prudence of some one. frem whom they may imbibe the precepts of the Christian religion, and the spirit of Christian piety; and thus grow up gradually in Christ, until, with the divine assistance, they at length arrive at the full growth of perfect manhood. ‘This necessity must appear still more imperious, if we recollect, that the pastor, who is charged with the pubiic care of his parish, has not sufficient time to undertake the private instruction of children in the rudiments of faith. For this very ancient practice, we have tnis illustrious testimony of St. Denis: ‘‘ Itoccurred,”’ says he, ** to our divine leaders,”? (so he calls the Apostles,) ‘‘ and they in their wisdom ordained, that infants should be introduced into the Chureh, in this holy manner—that their natural parents should deliver them to the care of some one well skilled in divine things, as to a master under whom, as 2 spiritual father and guardian of his salvation in holiness, the child may lead the remainder of his life.”* ‘The same doctrine is confirmed by the authority of Higinus.*

The Church, therefore, in her wisdom, has ordained that not only the person who baptizes, contracts a spiritual affinity with the person baptized, but also the sponsor with the God-child and its parents : so that marriage cannot be lawfully contracted by them, and if contracted, it is null and void.

Tert. 1. de bapt.c. 18. et de coron. milit. cap. 3 21 Pet. u. 2. 3 Dionys. de Eccl. Hier. c. 7. parte 3. 4 Habetur de cunsec. dist. 5 cap. 100. et Leo, pp. ib. e. 101 et Cone. Mogunt iw cap 191 et 30.q 1 ml 0

Sponse ms,

of ancien

insuituuon, why insti- tute

Affinity contracted in baptum what and between whom

122 The Catechism vf the Councu of Lent.

pane The faithful are also to be taught the duty of sponsurs; for ponmm™ ~such is the negligence with which the office of sponsor is treated

in the Church, that its name only remains ; whilst few, if any, have the least idea of its sanctity. Let all sponsors then, at ali times recollect that they are strictly bound to exercise a constant Vigilance over their spiritual children, and carefully to instruct them in the maxims of a Christian life ; that they may approve themselves through life, such as their sponsors promised they should be, by the solemn ceremony of becoming sponsors. On this subject, ‘the words of St. Denis demand attention : Speak- ing in the person of the sponsor, he says: ‘* I promise, by my constant exhortations to induce this child, when he comes to a knowledge of religion, to renounce os) thing opposed to his Christian calling, and to profess and perform the sacred pro- mises, which he made at the baptismal font.’ St. Augustine also says: ‘I most earnestly admonish you, men and women, who have become sponsors, to consider that you stood as sureties before God, for those whose sponsors you have undertaken to become.”’* And, indeed, it is the paramount duty of every man, who undertakes any office, to be indefatigable in the discharge of the duties which it imposes; and he, who solemnly professed to be the teacher and guardian of another, should not abandon to destitution him whom he once received under his eare and protection, as long as he should have occasion for either. Speak- ing of tve duties of sponsors, St. Augustine comprises, in a few words, the lessons of instruction which they are bound to in cuicate upon the minds of their spiritual children: ‘ ‘They ought,”’ says he, ‘‘ to admonish them to observe chastity, love justice, cherish charity ; and, above all, they should teach them the Creed. ihe Lord’s prayer, the ten commandments, and the rudiments of the Christian religion.’’? Who are Hence, it is not difficult to decide, who are inadmissible as a sponsors. ‘Fo those, who are unwilling to discharge its duties Sponsors. With fidelity, or who cannot do so with care and accuracy, this sacred trust, ne doubt, should not be confided. Besides, there- fore, the natural parents, who, to mark the great difference that exists between this spiritual and the carnal bringing up of youth, are not permitted to undertake this charge, heretics, Jews parti- cularly, and infidels, are on no account to be admitted to the office of sponsor. The theughts and cares of these enemies of the Catholic Church, are, continually, employed in een by falsehood, the true faith, and subverting all Christian piety.* Number of ‘The number of sponsors is also limited by the Council of Sponsors. ‘Trent, to one male or female; or at most, to one male and one female ; because a number of teachers may confuse the order of discipline and instruction ; and also to prevent the multiplica-

1 Loco sup. cit. 64 2D. Aug. serm. 163. de temp. et ser. 215

2 Serm, 165, de temp. de cons. dist. 4. c. 120.

430 q. i cap.1 D Thom. p. 3.q. 67 art. 8. ad 2. ex Mogunt. Concil. de consec dutt. 4. cap. 102.

On the Sacrament of Baptism.

tion of affinities, which must impede a wider diffusion of society by means of lawful marriage.*

If the knowledge of what has been hitherto explained, be, as it is, of importance to the faithful, itis no 1ess important to them to know, that the law of baptism, as established by our Lord, extends to all, in so much, that unless they are regenerated through the grace of baptism, be their parents Christians or in- fidels, they are born to eternal misery and everlasting destruc tion. ‘The duty of the pastor, therefore, demands of him a fre quent exposition of these words of the Gospel: ‘* Unless aman be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’”*

That this law extends, not only to adults, but also to infants, and that the Church has received this its interpretation from Apostolic tradition, is confirmed by the authority and strength- ened by the concurrent testimony of the Fathers. Besides, it is not to be supposed, that Christ our Lord, would have with- held the Sacrament of baptism, and the grace which it imparts from children, of whom he said: ‘‘ Suffer the little children, and stay them not from coming unto me; for the kingdom of heaven is for such’’*—from children whom he embraced—upon whom he imposed hands—whom he blessed.* Moreover, when we read that an entire family was baptized by St. Paul,°® chil- dren, who are included in their number, must, it is obvious, have also been cleansed in the purifying waters of baptism. Cir cumcision, too, which was a figure of baptism, affords a strong argument in proof of this primitive practice. ‘That children were circumcised on the eighth day is universally known.® If, then, circumcision, ** made by hand, in despoiling of the body of the flesh,”’? was profitable to children, shall not baptism, which is the circumcision of Christ, not ‘* made by hand,” be also profi- table to them? Finally, to use the words of the Apostle, ‘if by one man’s offence, death reigned through one ; much more they who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift, and of jus- tice, shall reign in life through one, Jesus Christ.’’® If, then, through the transgression of Adam, children inherit the stain of primeval guilt, is there not still stronger reason to conclude, that the efficacious merits of Christ the Lord must impart to them that justice and those graces, which will give them a title to reign in eternal life? ‘Chis happy consummation baptism alone can accomplish.’ ‘The pastor, therefore, will inculeate the ab- solute necessity of administering baptism to infants, and of gra-

1 De cone. dist. 4. c. 101. et Concil. Trid. sess. 14. c. 10. de refor. Matrim. 2 John iii. 5. De his vide Clem. pp. epist. 4. in med. Aug. in Joan. tract. 13. e. de Eccles. dogm. cap. 24. Amb. de iis qui myst. initiantur, c. 4. Concil Lateran. c.}

‘Trid. sess. 7. can. 51. 3 Matt. xix. 14. 4 Mark x. 16. 5] Cor. i. 16. Acts xvi. 33. 6 Gen. xxi. 4. Ley. xii. 3. Lukei. 59; ii. 21 7 Coloss. ii. 11. 8 Rom. vy. 17.

9Cone. Trid. sess. 5.decret. de peccato Origin. et sess. 7.de baptism. cap. 12—14 Dionys. de Eccles. Hier. cap. 7. Cyprian. ep. 59. Aug. epist. 28. et lib. de 1. peccat mert. c. 23. Chrys. hom. de Adamo de Eva. Cone. Milevit. c. 2. et de consec.

dist 4 passim.

123

The law uf baptism extends

to all.

Infant

Baptisrw

proved Ey

II

IV

Moral re flection.

124

Faith, how imparted to infants in baptisrn.

Children to be baptized with as lit- tle delay as possible.

Adults to be invited and prepar- ed to re- ceive bap- tism.

[.

If

iil

IV

Baptism of adults, why rics ie

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

dually forming their tender minds to pitty, by Christian pre cept; according to these admirable words of the Wiseman: ‘ A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it.’”!

That when baptized they receive the mysterious gifts of faith cannot be matter of doubt; not that they believe by the formal assent of the mind, but because their incapacity is supplied by the faith of their parents, if the parents profess the true faith, if not, (to use the words of St. Augustine) ‘by that of the uni- versal society of the saints ;’’* for they are said with propriety to be presented for baptism by all those, to whom their initia- tion in that sacred rite was a source of joy, and by whose cha- rity they are united to the communion of the Holy Ghost.

The faithful are earnestly to be exhorted, to take care that their children be brought to the church, as soon as it can be done with safety, to receive solemn baptism: infants, unless baptized, cannot enter heaven, and hence we may well conceive how deep the enormity of their guilt, who, through negligence, suffer them to remain without the grace of the sacrament, long- er than necessity may require; particularly at an age so ten- der as to be exposed to numberless dangers of death. With regard to adults who enjoy the perfect use of reason, persons, for instance, born of infidel parents, the practice of the primitive Church points out a different manner of proceeding: to them the Christian faith is to be proposed; and they are earnesily to be exhorted, allured, and invited to embrace it. If con- verted to the Lord God, they are then to be admonished, not to defer baptism beyond the time prescribed by the Church: it is written, ‘‘ delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day ;’’* and they are to be taught, that in their regard perfect conversion consists in regeneration by baptism. Besides, the longer they defer baptism, the longer are they de- prived of the use and graces of the other Sacraments, which fortify in the practice of the Christian religion, and which are accessible through baptism only. ‘They are also deprived of the inestimable graces of baptism, the salutary waters of which not only wash away all the stains of past sins, but also enrich the soul with divine grace, which enables the Christian to avoid sin for the future, and preserve the invaluable treasures of right- eousness and innocence: effects which, confessedly, constitute a perfect epitome of a Christian life.®

On this class of persons, however, the Church does not con- fer this Sacrament hastily: she will have it deferred for a cer- tain time; nor is the delay attended with the same danger as in the case of infants, which we have already mentioned: and should any unforeseen accident deprive adults of baptism, theiv

! Prov. xxii. 6. 2 Ep. 23 ad Bon.

3 Aug. lib. 3de orig. anim. c. 9. et lib. 1. de pece. merit. c. 2, et ep. 28

4 Eccl. v. 8.

5 Tertul. lib. de poenit. cap. 6. et de prescript. cap. 41. Cypr epist. 13. de eunsee dist. 4. c. 64. et 6% s\ug. lib. de fide et operib. c. 9.

—_—

On the Sacrament of Baptism.

intention of receiving it, and their repentance for past sins, will avail them to grace and righteousness. Nay, this delay seems to be attended with some advantages.—The Church must take particular care, that none approach this Sacrament, whose hearts are vitiated by hypocrisy and dissimulation; and, by the inter- vention of some delay, the inientions of such as solicit baptism, are better ascertained. In this wise precaution originated a de- cree, passed by the ancient councils, the purport of which was, that Jewish converts, before admission to baptism, should spend some months in the ranks of the Catechumens. ‘lhe candidate for baptism is, also, thus better instructed in the faith which he is to profess, and in the morality which he is to practise ; and the Sacrament, when administered with solemn ceremonies, on the appointed days of Easter and Pentecost only, is treated with more religious respect

Il

IV

Sometimes, however, when there exists a just cause to ex- Whennot

elude deiay, as in ike case of imminent danger of death, its ad-t

ministration is not to be deferred; pazticularly, if the person to"

be baptized is well instructed in the mysteries of faith. ‘This we find to have been done by Philip, and by the prince of the Apostles, when, without the intervention of any delay, the one baptized the Eunuch of queen Candaces, the other, Cornelius, as soon as they professed a willingness to embrace the faith of Christ.*. The faithful are, also, to be instructed in the ne- cessary dispositions for baptism, that, in the first place, they must desire and purpose to receive it; for, as in baptism we die to sin and engage to live a new life, it is fit that it be adminis- tered to.those, only, who receive it of their own free will and accord, and is to be forced upon none. Hence, we !earn from holy tradition, that it has been the invariable practice of the Church, to administer baptism to no individual, without previ- ously asking him if he be willing to receive it.2_ ‘This disposi- tion even infants are presumed not to want—the will of the Chureh, when answering for them, is declared in the most ex- plicit terms.

Insane persons, who are favoured with lucid intervals, and, | during these lucid intervals, express no wish to be baptized, are | not to be admitted to baptism, unless in extreme cases when;

o be defer ed.

nsane per

sons, whem

o be ba ized a

death is apprehended. In such cases, if, previously to their in- When not

sanity, they give intimation of a wish to be baptized, the Sa- erament is to be administered ; without such indication previ- ously given, they are not to be admitted to baptism ;* and the same rule is to be followed with regard to persons in a state of lethargy. But if they never enjoyed the use of reason, the au- thority and practice of the Church decide, that they are to be baptized in the faith of the Church, on the same principle that children are baptized, before they come to the use of reasen,

' Acts viii. 38, and x. 48. E 2 Aug. lib, de pen. medi. c. 2. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 63. § 7. * 1). Thom. 3. p. q. 86. ar. 12.

LEY

126 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Three con- Besides a wish to be baptized, in order to obtain the grace ae i of the Sacrament, faith, for the same reason, is also necessary : adults, | our Lord has said: ‘+ he that believes and is baptized shall be faith, com- saved,”’!_ Another necessary condition is compunetion for past Leap sins, and a fixed determination to refrain from their future com- purpose of mission: should any one dare to approach the baptismal font, axing a slave to vicious habits, he should be instantly repelled, for what so obstructive to the grace and virtue of baptism, as the obdurate impenitence of those who are resolved to persevere in the indulgence of their unhallowed passions? Baptism should be sought with a view to put on Christ and to be united to him; and it is, therefore, manifest that he who purposes to persevere in sin, should be repelled from the sacred font, particularly if we recollect that none of those things which belong to Christ and his Church, are to be received in vain, and that, as far as regards sanctifying and saving grace, baptism is received in vain by him who purposes to live according to the flesh, and not according to the spirit.2, As far, however, as regards the validity of the Sacrament, if, when about to be baptized, the aduit intends to receive what the Church administers, he no doubt, validly receives the Sacrament. Hence, to the vast mul- titude, who, as the Scripture says, “being compunct in heart,” asked him and the other Apostles what they should do, Peter answered: “Do penance and be baptized, every one of you;”? and in another place: “ Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”* Writing te the Romans, St. Paul also clearly shows, that he who is baptized should en- tirely die to sin; and he therefore admonishes us , “not to yield our members as instruments of iniquity unto sin; but present

ourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead.”* Reflections Frequent reflection upon these truths cannot fail, in the first 1. place, to fill the minds of the faithful with admiration of the in- finite goodness of God, who, uninfluenced by any other conside- ration than that of his own tender mercy, gratuitously bestow- ed upon us, undeserving as we are, a blessing such as baptism 11. —a blessing so extraordinary,-so divine! If, in the next place, they consider how spotless should be the lives of those, who have been made the objects of such singular munificence, they cannot fail to be convinced of the imperative obligation imposed upon them, to spend each day of their lives in such sanctity and religious fervour, as if it were that on which they had received the sacrament and were ennobled by the grace of baptism. To inflame their minds, however, with a zeal for true piety, the pas- tor will find no means more efficacious than an accurate expo-

. . sition of the effects of baptism.

Effects of As, then, these effects are to afford matter of frequent in- Baptism. struction, that the faithful may be rendered more sensible of the high dignity to which they are raised by baptism, and may never suffer themselves to be degraded from its elevation by the

Mark xvi.14. 2QRom. viii. 1. 3Actsii.38. 4 Acts ii.19 §& Rom. vi. 13

On the Sacrament of Baptism.

disguised artifices or open assaults of Satan, they are to be taught, in the first place, that such is the admirable efficacy of this sacrament as to remit original sin, and actual guilt however enormous. ‘This its transcendant efficacy was foretold long be fore by Ezekiel, through whom God said: “I will pour upon you clean water, and you shal! be cleansed from all your filthi- ness.” ‘The Apostle also, writing to the Corinthians, after hav- ing enumerated a long catalogue of crimes, adds: ‘*such you were, but you are washed, bud you are sanctified.’’? ‘That such was, at all times, the doctrine of the Catholic Church, is not matter of doubtful inquiry: ‘** By the generation of the flesh,” says St. Augustine, in his book on the baptism of infants, “* we contract original sin only ; by the regeneration of the Spirit, we obtain forgiveness not only of original, but also of actual guilt.”"> St. Jerome, also, writing to Oceanus, says: ‘‘ All sins are forgiven in baptism.’** ‘To obviate the possibility of doubt upon the subject, the Council of Trent, to the definitions of for- mer Councils, has added its own distinct declaration, by pro- nouncing anathema against those, who should presume to think otherwise, or should dare - ussert ‘‘that although sin is for- given in baptism, it is not enurely removed, or totally eradicat- ed; but is cut away in such a manner, as to leave its roots still firmly fixed in the soul.”’> ‘To use the words of the same holy Council: ‘‘ God hates nothing in those who are regenerated, for in those who are truly buried with Christ, by baptism, unto death,® ‘ who walk not according to the flesh,’ there is no con- demnation :? putting of the old man, and putting on the new, which is created according to God,® they become innocent, spotless, innoxious, and beloved of God.”’

That concupiscence, however, or the fuel of sin, still remains, as the Council declares in the same place, must be acknow- ledged :° but concupiscence does not constitute sin, for, as St. Augustine observes, ‘in children, who have been baptized, the guilt of concupiscence is removed, the concupiscence itself re- mains for our probation ;” and in another place: ‘ the guilt of concupiscence is pardoned in baptism, but its infirmity re- mains.’ Concupiscence is the effect of sin, and is nothing more than an appetite of the soul, in itself repugnant to reason. If unaccompanied with the consent of the will, or unattended with neglect on our part, it differs essentially from the nature of sin. ‘This doctrine does not dissent from these words of St. Paul: ‘I did not know concupiscence, if the law did not say: ‘thou shalt not covet.’”’'* ‘The apostle speaks not of the im- portunity of concupiscence, but of the sinfulness of the interio

' Ezek. xxxvi. 25. 21 Cor. vi. 11.

3 Lib. 1. de pec. meril. et remu.c.15. 4 Epist. 85. ante medium. 5 Sess. 5. can. 5. 6 Rom. vi. 4.

7 Rom, viii. 1. ee iv. 22. 24.

® De hoc effectu baptismi vide insuper ee i

b. 1. contra duas ep. Velag.c so et. 3. c. 5. in Enchir. c. 64. et lib. 1. de nupt. et concup. c. 25. item Greg. lib 9 ep. 39. Concil Vienn. et Flor in mater. de Sacrament.

© Aug. I. 2. de pec. mer. remiss. c. 4. 't Rom. vii. 7.

127

firet effect

Concu piscence which re- mairs after bapt em, no sin,

128

Figure of

baptism il- lustrative

of its first

effect.

Second ef- fect of bap- lism

This doc- trine not in- consistent with the practice of the pri- mitive Church.

Baptism gives no

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

act of the will. in assenting to its solicitations. ‘The sanie dec. trine is taught by St. Gregory, when he says: ‘If there are any who assert that, in baptism, sin is but superficiahy effaced. what can savour more of infidelity than the assertion? By the Sacrament of Baptism sin is utterly eradicated, and the soul ad- heres entirely to God.”* In proof of this doctrine he has re- course to the testimony of our Lord himself, who says in St John: ‘* He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet but he is wholly clean.’’?

But should illustration be desired, an express figure and image of the efficacy of baptism will be found in the history of the le prosy of Naaman the Syrian, of whom the Scriptures inform us, that when he had washed seven times in the waters of the Jordan, he was so cleansed from his leprosy, that his flesh became ‘like the flesh of a child.”’? ‘The remission of all sin, original and actual, is therefore the peculiar effect of baptism. ‘That this was the object of its institution by our Lord and Savionr, is a truth clearly deduced from the testimony of St. Peter, to say nothing of the array of evidence ‘hat might be adduced from other sources: ‘* Do penance,” says he, ** and be baptized every ons of vou, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins.’’4

But in baptism, not only is sin forgiven, but with it all the punishment due to sin is remitted by a merciful God. ‘To communicate the virtue of the passion of Christ is an effect common to all the Sacraments; but of baptism alone does the Apostie say, that ‘‘ by it we die and are buried together with Christ.”* Hence the Churei has uniformly taught, that to im- pose those offices of piety, usually called by the Fathers werks of satisfaction, on him, who is to be cleansed in the salutary waters of baptism, would be derogatory in the highest degree to the dignity of this Sacrament. Nor is there any disere- pancy between the doctrine here delivered and the practice of the primitive Church, which of old commanded the Jews, when preparing for baptism, to observe a fast of forty days. The fast thus imposed was not enjoined-as a work of satisfaction: it was a practical lesson of instruction to those who were to receive the Sacrament ; and one well calculated to impress upon their minds a deeper sense of the august dignity of a rite, of which they were not admitted to be participators, without devoting some time to the uninterrupted exercise of fasting and prayer.

But, although the remission by baptism of the punishments due to sin cannot be questioned, we are not hence to infer that

iL. 9. Reg. epist. 39. 2 John xiii. 10. > 4 Kings v. 14.

4 Acts ii. 38. De concupiscentia remanente in baptizatis vide Aug. lib 1. de pec. merit. et remiss. c, 39. item lib.1, contra duas Epist. Pelag. c. 13. lib. 3. ¢. 3 in medio, et lib. 1. de nupt. et concup. c. 23. et 25. item lib. 6. contra Julian q. 5 et de verb. Apost. serm. 6.

§ Rom. vi. 3,4. Col. ii. 12.

Quod pene peccatis debite remittantur in baptismo, vide Ambros. in c. 11. ad ftom. Aug. |. 1.de nupt. et concupis. ¢ 33. et in Ench. c. 4. D. Thom p. 3. q. 69. art. 2. unde nec ulla est imponenda peenitentia. Greg. ]. 7. regist. Episc. 24. et habetur de consecrat. distinct. 4. cap ne quod absit. D. Thom. 3 p q. 68. art 5.

a a

On the Sacrament of Baptism. 125

t gives the offender an exemption from undergoing the punish- exempoan ments awarded by the civil laws to public delinqueney—that, £™ the for instance, it rescues from the hand of justice the man who is o: the civit legally condemned to forfeit his life to the violated laws of his !« country. We cannot, however, too highly commend the reli-

gion and piety of those princes, who, on some occasions, remit

the sentence of the law, that the giory of God may be the more strikingly displayed in his Sacraments. Baptism also remits

all the punishment due to original sin in the next life, and this

it does through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. By bap-

lism, as we have already said, we die with Christ, ‘ for if,”

says the Apostle, ‘* we have been planted together in the like-

ness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his re- surrection.’”!

Should it be asked why, after baptism, we are not exempt in These in- this life from these inconveniences, which flow from original peas is sin, and restored by the influence of this Sacrament to that state sinal See of perfection, in which Adam, the father of the human race, why not was placed before his fall; for this two principal reasons are lbs assigned: the first, that we, who by baptism are united to, and ~ become members of Christ’s body, may not be more honoured than our head. As, therefore, Christ, our Lord, although clothed from his birth with the plenitude of grace and truth, was not divested of human infirmity, until, having suffered and died, he rose to the glory of immortality ; it cannot appear extraordinary, if the faithful, even after they have received the grace of justifi- eation by baptism, are clothed with frail and perishable bodies ; that after having undergone many labours for the sake of Christ, and having closed their earthly career, they may be recalled to life, and found worthy to enjoy with him an eternity of bliss.

The second reason why corporal infirmity, disease, sense of ul pain, and motions of concupiscence, remain after baptism, is, that in them we may have the germs of virtue from which we shall hereafter receive a more abundant harvest of glory, and treasure up to ourselves more ample rewards. When, with patient resignation, we bear up against the trials of this life, and aided by the divine assistance, subject to the dominion of reason the rebellious desires of the heart, we may and ought to cherish an assured hope, that the time will come when, if with the Apostle we shall have ‘fought a good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith, the Lord, the just judge, will render to us, on that day, a crown of justice, which is laid up for us.’”

Such seems to have been the divine economy with regard to An ilu the childrez of Israel: God delivered them from the bondage tration of Egypt, having drowned Pharaoh and his host in the sea ;° yet he did not conduct them immediately into the happy land of promise. He first wied them by a variety and multiplicity of sufferings ; and when he afterwards placed them in posses- sion of the promised land. he expelled from their native terri-

* Rom. vi. 5 2 Tim. iv. 7. 7 Exod. xiv. 27

130

Baptism, the source of happi- ness to the Christian, evenin this life.

Third et- fect of bap- tism.

Fourth ef- fect of bap- usin

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

tories, the other inhabitants; whilst a few other nations, whom they could not exterminate, remained, that the people or God might never want occasions to exercise their warlike fortitude and valour.?

To these we may add another consideration, which is, that if to the heavenly gifts with which the soul is adorned in bap- tism, were appended temporal advantages, we should have good reason to doubt whether many might not approach the baptis- mal font, with a view to obtain such advantages in this life, rather than the glory to be hoped for in the nest; whereas the Christian should always propose to himself, not the delusive and uncertain things of this world, ‘* which are seen,”’ but the solid and eternal enjoyments of the next, ‘* which are not seen.’”? This life, however, although full of misery, does not want its pleasures and joys. ‘Io us, who by baptism are engrafted as branches on Christ,? what source of purer pleasure, what ob- jeet of nobler ambition, than, taking up our cross, to follow him as our leader, fatigued by no labour, retarded by no danger in pursuit of the rewards of our high vocation ; some to receive the laurel of virginity, others the crown of doctors and confessors. some the palm of martyrdom, others the honours appropriated to their respective virtues? These splendid titles of exalted dignity none of us should receive, had we not contended in the race, and stood unconquered in the conflict.

But to return to the effects of baptism, the pastor will teach that, by virtue of this Sacrament, we are not only delivered from what are justly deemed the greatest of all evils, but are also enriched with invaluable goods. Our souls are repienished with divine grace, by which, rendered just and children of God we are made coheirs to the inheritance of eternal life ; for it is written, ‘* he that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved;’’4 and the Apostle testifies, that the Church is cleansed, ** by the laver of water, in the word of life.’’> But grace, according to the definition of the Council of Trent, a definition to which, under pain of anathema, we are bound to defer, not only remits sin, but is also a divine quality inherent in the soul, and, as it were a brilliant light that effaces all those stains which obseure the lustre of the soul, and invests it with increased brightness and beauty. ‘This is also a clear inference from the words of Scripture ‘when it says, that grace is ‘* poured forth,’’? and aiso when it calls grace, ** the pledge” of the holy Ghost.®

‘The progress of grace in the seul is also accompanied by a most splendid train of virtues; and hence, when writing to Titus, the Apostle says: ‘* He saved us by the laver of regene- ration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost, whom he hath poured

' Judges ii. 1, 2. 2 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18 3 John xv. 2. 4 Mark xvi. 16. > Ephes. v. 26. 6 Sess. 6, 7, de justifie. 7 Tit. ii. 6.

8 Eph. i. 14.—2 Cor. i. 22, et v. 5.—Quid sit gratia de qua hie vide August. lib. 1. de peccat. merit. et remiss. c. 10 item de spiritu et litera, c. 28, versus finera. Berm ard, serm. 1. in coena domini.

On the Sacrament of Baptism

forth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour ;’”* St. Augustine, in explanation of the words, ‘‘ poured forth on us avundantly,”’ says, ‘‘that is, for the remission of sins, and for abundance of virtues.’’?

By baptism we are also united to Christ, as members to their head: as, therefore, from the head proceeds the power by which the different members of the body are impelled to the proper performance of their peculiar functions; so from the fulness of Christ the Lord, are diffused divine grace and virtue through all those who are justified, qualifying them for the performance of all the offices of Christian piety.*

We are, it is true, supported by a powerful array of virtues. It should not, however, excite our surprise if we cannot, without much labour and difficulty undertake, or, at least, perform acts of piety, and of moral virtue. If this is so, it is not because the goodness of God has noi bestowed on us the virtues from which these actions emanate; but because there remains, after bap- tism, a severe conflict of the flesh against the spirit,* in which, however, it would not become a Christian to be dispirited or grow faint. Relying on the divine goodness, we should confi- dently hope, that by a constant habit of leading a holy life, the time will arrive, when ‘* whatever things are modest, whatever just, whatever holy,’’* will also prove easy and agreeable. Be these the subjects of our fond consideration; be these the ob- jects of our cheerful practice ; that *‘ the God of peace may be with us.”’5-

By baptism, moreover, we are sealed with a character that can never be effaced from the soul, of which, however, it were here superfluous to speak at large, as in what we have already said on the subject, when treating of the Sacraments in general, the pastor will find sufficient matter on the subject, to which he may refer.”

But as from the nature and efficacy of this character, it has been defined by the Church, that this Sacrament is on no ac- count to be reiterated, the pastor should frequently and diligently admonish the faithful on this subject, lest at any time they may err on a matter of such moment. ‘The doctrine wuich prohi- bits the reiteration of baptism, is that of the Apostle, when he says: ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism.’* Again, when exhorting the Romans, that dead in Christ by baptism, they lose not the life which they received from him, he says: ‘In

' Tit. iii. 5, 6.

2 De hoc effectu baptismi vide Chrysost. hom. ad Neoph. et baptus. Damas. lib. 2, de fide Orthod. c. 36. Lactant. lib. 3, Divin. Instit, c. 25. Aug. Epist 23. ad Boniface. item lib. 1, de peccat. merit. et remiss, c. 29, Prosp. |. 2, de vocat. Gent. ce, 9-

3 Quod per baptismum Christi capiti ut membra connectamur, vide August. epist. 23, item lib. 1, de pec, meritis et remiss. c. 16. Prosp. de voc. Gent. 1. 1, c. 9.

rnard. serm. 1. in Cena Dom. D. Thom. 3, p. q. 69. art. 5.

4 Gal v. 17. 3 Philip, iv. 8.

6 2 Cor. xiii. 11.—Vide hac de re Aug. lib. v. contra Julian. c. 2, et 5, item de peccal. merit. et remiss. lib. 1. c. 3. ;

7 Vide Aug lib 6, cortra Donatist cap. 1. et in epist. Joan. tract. 5. Trid. seas. 7.

* Eph. iv 5.

\3

Fifth effect of baptism.

Difficulty of practis- ing Virtue even alter baptism, whence it arises, how to be com bated.

Sixth eflect of baptism

Baptism not to be repeated and why

132

Not repeat- ed, eyen when ad- ministered condition- ally.

When to to be admi- nistered condition-

al y

Seventh effect of baptism.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

that Christ died to sin, he died once;’* he seems clearly te signify that as Christ cannot die again, neither can we die again by baptism. Hence the Church openly professes that she be- lieves ‘‘ one baptism ;’’ and that this accords with the nature and object of the Sacrament appears from the very idea of bap- tism, which is a spiritual regeneration. As then, according bY the laws of nature, we are born but once, and ‘our birth,”

St. Augustine observes, ‘* cannot be repeated,’’? so, in the sue pernatural order, there is but one spiritual regeneration, and, therefore, baptism can never be administered a second time.?

Nor let it be supposed, that this Sacrament is repeated by the Church, when she admits to the baptismal font those of whose previous baptism reasonable doubts are entertained, making use of this form: ‘if thou art already baptized, I baptize thee not again; but if thou are not already baptized, I baptize thee in name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost °’ in such cases baptism is not to be considered as repeated (its. repetition would be an impiety), but as holily, because condition- ally administered.

In this, however, the pastor should use particular precaution, in order to avoid certain abuses which are of almost daily oe- currence, to the no small irreverence of this Sacrament. ‘There are those who think that they commit no sin by the indiscrimi- nate administration of conditional baptism: if a child is brought before them, they imagine that inquiry as to its previous bap- tism is unnecessary, and accordingly proceed, without delay, to administer the Sacrament. Nay more, having ascertained that the child received private baptism, they hesitate not to repeat its administration conditionally, making use, at the same time, of the solemn ceremonies of the Church! Such temerity in- curs the guilt of sacrilege, and involves the minister in wha? theologians call an ‘‘irregularity.”” It has been authoritatively decided by pope Alexander, that the conditionai form of bap- tism is to be used only when, after due inquiry, doubts are en- tertained of the validity of the previous baptism ;* and in no other case can it ever be lawful to administer baptism a second time, even conditionally.

Besides the many other advantages which accrue to us from baptism, we may look upon it as the last, to which all the rest seem to be referred, that it opens to us the portals of Heaven, which sin had closed against our admission. All these effects, which are wrought in us by virtue of this Sacrament, are dis- tinctly marked by the circumstances which, as the Gospel re- lates, accompanied the baptism of our Saviour. ‘The heavens

! Rom. vi. 10. 2 In Joan. tract. 11.

3 Hac de re vide Trid. Sess. 7, de baptismo, can. 11. et 13. item Concil. Cartha ean. 1, Vien. ut habetur in Clem. 1. lib. de sum. Trinit. D. August. tract. 11 in Joan. Beda in capite 3, Joan. Leo Mag. epist. 37, et 39, D. Thom. 3. p. q. 66, a. 9.

4 Lib. 1. Decretal. tit. de baptismo. c. de quidem.

» De irregularitate cujus hic est mentio, vid, apostat. et reit. baptism. ec. ex litte:

rarum, et de Consecr dist. 4. c. eos qui. et lib. 3 decretal. de baptismo et ejus ef- fectu. c. de quibus.

On tne Sacrament of Baptism.

were opened and the Holy Ghost appeared descending upon Christ our Lord, in form of a dove ;! by which we are given to understand, that to those who are baptized are imparted the gifts of the Holy Spirit, that to them are unfolded the gates of Hea- ven, opening to them an entrance into glory; not, it is true, immediately after baptism, but in due season, when freed from the miseries of this life, which are incompatible with a state of bliss, they shall exchange a mortal for an immortal life.

These are the fruits of baptism, which, as far as regards the efficacy of the Sacrament, are, no doubt, common to all; but as far as regards the dispositions with which it is received, it is no less certain that all do not participate equally of these hea- venly gifts and graces.

It now remains to explain, clearly and concisely, what re- gards the prayers, rites, and ceremonies of this Sacrament. ‘I'o rites and ceremonies may, in some measure, be applied what the Apostle says of the gift of tongues, that it is unprofitable to speak, unless he who hears understands.? ‘They present an image, and convey the signification of the things that are done in the Sacrament; but if the people understand not their force and significancy, they can be of very little advantage to them. To make thom understood, therefore, and to impress the minds of the faithful with a conviction that, although not of absolute necessity, they are of very great importance, and challenge great veneration, are matters which solicit the zeal and industry of the pastor. This, the authority of those by whom they were instituted, who were, no doubt, the Apostles, and also the ob- ject of their institution, sufficiently prove. ‘That ceremonies contribute to the more religious and holy administration of the Sacraments, serve to exhibit to the eyes of the beholder a lively picture of the exalted and inestimable gifts which they contain, and impress on the minds of the faithful a deeper sense of the boundless beneficence of God, are truths as obvious as they are unquestionable.?

But that in his expositions the pastor may follow a certain order, and that the people may find it easier to recollect his in- structions, all the ceremonies and prayers which the Church uses in the administration of baptism, are to be reduced to three heads. The first comprehends such as are observed before coming to the baptismal font—the second, such as are used at the font—the third, those that immediately follow the adminis- tration of the Sacrament.

In the first place, then, the water to be used in baptism should be previously prepared: the baptismal water is consecrated with the oil of mystic unction ; and this cannot be done at all times, but, according to ancient usage, on the vigils of certain festivals, whick: are justly deemed the greatest and the most holy solem-

- Matth. iii. 16. 21 Cor. xiv. 2,

3 De eis ritibus vide Dion. cap. 2. de Eccles. Hier. Clem. Epist. 3. Tertul. lib. de corona milit. et de baptism. passim. Origen. hom. 12. in num. Cypr. Epist. 70. item vide de consecr dist. 4

12

133

=fticacy of he Sacra- nent com- mon to all. not so its gifis and graces. The pray- ers, rites, and cere- monies of baptism, to be explain ed.

Reduceaw three heads

L. The water consecra- tion of.

134 The Catechism of the Council of Tren.

nities in the year, and on which alone, except in cases of neces- sity, it was the practice of the ancient Church to administer baptism.t But although the Church, on account of the dangers to which life is continually exposed, has deemed it expedient to change her discipline in this respect, she still observes with the greatest solemnity the festivals of Easter and Pentecost, on which the baptismal water is to be consecrated. The person After the consecration of the water, the other ceremonies that at bap- precede baptism, are next to be explained. ‘The person to be stands at_ baptized is brought or conducted to the door of the church, and per ere is forbidden to enter, as unworthy to be admitted into the house : of God, until he has cast off the yoke of the most degrading servitude of Satan, devoted himself unreservedly to Christ, and pledged his fidelity to the just sovereignty of the Lord Jesus.? Catecheti- The priest then asks what he demands of the Church of God; a and having received the answer, he first instructs him catecheti- cally, in the doctrines of the Christian faith, of which a profes- sion is to be made in baptism. This practice of thus commu- nicating instruction originated, no doubt, in the precept of our Lord, addressed to his Apostles: ‘* Go ye into the whole world, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to ob- serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you;’* words from which we may learn that baptism is not to be administered until, at least, the principal truths of religion are explained. But as the catechetical form consists of question and answer; if the person to be instructed be an adult, he himself answers the interrogatories; if an infant, the sponsor answers according to the prescribed form, and enters into a solemn engagement for the child. | The exor- The exorcism comes next in order: it consists of words of . am. sacred and religious import, and of prayers; and is used to | expel the devil, to weaken and crush his power. ‘To the ex orcism are added other ceremonies, each of which, being mys- The salt. ical, has its clear and proper signification.® When, for in- stance, salt is put into the mouth of the person to be baptized, it evidently imports, that by the doctrines of faith, and by the gift of grace, he shall »e delivered from the corruption of sin, shall experience a relish for good works, and shall be nurtured Thesignof with the food of divine wisdom.® Again, his forehead, eyes, Hecrss. breast, shoulders, ears, are signed with the sign of the cross, to declare, that by the mystery of baptism, the senses of the per- son baptized are opened and strengthened, to enable him to

- Cypr epist. 70. item Basil. de Spiritu S. e. 27. et de consec. dist. 4. c. in Sabbato

2 Tertul. de corona milit. c. 3. Cyril. Hierosol. Catech. 8

3 Clem. Rom. epist. 3. Aug. de fide et oper. ec. 9.

4 Mark xvi.15. Matth. xxviii. 19, 20.

5 De exorcismis vide Tertul. de prescript. c. 41. Cypr. epist. 2. Aug lib 2. de gratia Dei et peccat. orig. cap. 40. et lib. 2. de Nupt. et concupis. cap. 26. optat. Lib, 4. contra Parmenianum. gs! Bet lib. Esdre, c. 9. Isid. lib. 2. de offic. eccl c. 20. et Aug. lib 1. com

c é

On the Sacrament of Baptism.

receive God, and to understand and observe his commandments.* His nostrils and ears are next touched with spittle, and he is then immediately admitted to the baptismal font: by this cere- monv we understand that, as sight was given to the blind man, mentioned in the Gospel, whom the Lord, having spread clay on his eyes, commanded to wash them in the waters of Siloe ;* so by the efficacy of holy baptism, a light is let in on the mind, which enables it to discern heavenly truth.*

After the performance of these ceremonies, the person to be baptized approaches the baptismal font, at which are performed other rites and ceremonies, which present a summary of the obligations imposed by the Christian religion. In three distinct interrogatories, he is formally asked by the minister of religion, *‘ dost thou renounce Satan !”’ “and all his works ?”’ * and all his pomps ?’’—to each of which he, or the sponsor in his name replies in the affirmative. Whoever, then, purposes to enlist under the standard of Christ, must, first of all, enter into a sa- cred and solemn engagement to renounce the devil and the world, and, as his worst enemies, to hold them in utter detes- tation.*

He is next anointed with the oil of catechumens on the breast and between the shoulders—on the ovreast, that by the gift of the Holy Ghost he may lay aside error and igno- rance, and receive the true faith; for ‘* the just man liveth by faith’’>—on the shoulders, that by the grace of the Holy Spint he may be enabled to shake off negligence and torpor, and en- gage actively in the performance of good works; for * faith without works is dead.’

Next, standing at the baptismal font, he is interrogated by the minister of religion in inese words: ‘* Dost thou believe in God, the Father Almighty?” to which is answered; ‘I be- lieve ;”’ a like interrogatory is proposed with regard to the other articles of the creed, successively ; and thus is made a solemn profession of faith. ‘These two engagements, the renunciation of Satan and all his works and pomps, and the belief of al! the articles of the creed, including, as they do, both faith and prac- tice, constitute, it is clear, the whole force and discipline of the law of Christ.7

When baptism is now about to be administered, the priest asks him if he will be baptized; to which an answer in the affir- mative being given by him, or, if an infant, by the sponsor, the priest performs the ablution, ‘‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” As man, by yielding the assent of his will to the wicked suggestions of Satan, fell under @ just sentence of condemnation; so God will have none en-

' De signo crucis vide Tertul. lib. de resurr. carn. Basil. lib. de spiritu Sancto Chrys. contra gentes et alios. 2 John ix. 7.

3 De saliva Am. lib. 1. de sacram. 1. et de 1is qui myst. init. c. 1]. et de consecr distinct. 4. c. postea. ars

4 Tertul. lib. de coron. mil. c. 13. et de spectac.¢ 4. et de Idol. c.6.Cypr epi’ 7.54

5 Gal. iii. LI. 6 James ii. 26.

7 Cyvil. Hier. Catech. 2 et 3

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‘The spittle

IL. The renur: ciation.

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The willof the person to be bap- tized ask- ed, and when as- certained, baptism is administer ed.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

1ulled in the number of his soldiers, but those whose service is veluntary ; that by a willing obedience to his commands they may obtain eternal salvation.

After the person has been baptized, the priest anoints with chrism the crown of his head, thus giving him to understand, that from the moment of his baptism, he is united as a member to Christ, his head, and ingrafted on his body ; and that he is, therefore, called a Christian, from Christ, as Christ is so called from Chrism. What the Chrism signifies, the prayers offered by the priest, as St. Ambrose observes, sufficiently explain.*

On the person baptized the priest then puts a white garment, saying, ‘‘receive this white garment, which mayest thou carry unstained before the judgment-seat of our Lord Jesus Christ ; that thou mayest have eternal life. Amen.’’ Instead of a white garment, infants because not formally dressed, receive a white kerchief, accompanied with the same words. According to the doctrine of the Holy Fathers this symbol signifies the glory of the resurrection to which we are born by baptism, the bright- ness and beauty with which the soul, when purified from the stains of sin, is invested, and the innocence and integrity which the person who has received baptism, should preserve through life.?

To signify that faith received in baptism, and inflamed by charity, is to be fed and augmented by the exercise of good works, a burning light is next put into his hand.

Finally, a name is given, which should be taken from some person, whose eminent sanctity has given him a place in the catalogue of the Saints: this similarity of name will stimulate to the imitation of his virtues and the attainment of his holiness; and we should hope and pray that he who is the model of our imitation, may also, by his advocacy, become the guardian of our safety and salvation. Hence we cannot mark in terms too strong, our disapprobation of the conduct of those who, with a perverse industry, search for, and whose delight it is to distin- guish their children by, the names of heathens; and what is still worse, of monsters of iniquity, who, by their profligate lives, have earned an infamous notoriety. By such conduct they practically prove, how little they regard a zeal for Christian piety, who so fondly cherish the memory of impious men, as to wish to have their profane names continually echo in the ears of the faithful.

This exposition of baptism, if given by the pastor, will be found to embrace, almost every thing of importance, which re- gards this Sacrament. We have explained the meaning of the word ‘‘ baptism,” its nature and substance, and also the parts of which it is composed—we have said by whom it was inst:tuted

' Lib. 1. de Sacram. Dionys. Eccl. Hierar. c. 3. Cyril. Hieros. Catech. 3. Basil lib. de Spiritu Sancte, c. 27.

2 Dionys. loco citato. Amb. de iis qui myst. init. c. 8.

3 De hoc cereo vide Gregor. Nazian. serm. de bapt. Gregor. Turon. lib. 5 cap

il Niceph. inst. Eccle. tic. 3. c. 12

On the Sacrament of Confirmation.

—who are the ministers necessary to its administration—who should be, as it were, the tutors, whose instructions should sus- tain the weakness of the person baptized—to whom baptism should be administered, and how they should be disposed—what are the virtue and efficacy of the Sacrament. Finally, we have developed, at sufficient length for our purpose, the rites and cere- monies that should accompany its administration. ‘he pastor will recollect that all these instructions have principally for ob- ject, to induce the faithful to direct their constant attention and solicitude to the fulfilment of the sacred and inviolable engage- ments into which they entered at the baptismal font, and to ) lead lives not unworthy the sanctity of the name and profession of Christian.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION.

lr ever there was a time that demanded the assiduity of the pastor in explaining the Sacrament of Confirmation, it is doubt- less the present, when there are found in the Church of God many by whom it is altogether omitted; whilst very few study to derive frum it the fruit of divine grace, which its worthy re- ception imparts. ‘hat this divine blessing, therefore, may not seem through their fault, and to the serious injury of their im- mortal souls, to have been conferred in vain, the faithful are to be instructed, on Whitsunday, and on such other days as the pastur shall deem convenient, in the nature, efficacy, and dignity of this Sacrament; so as to make them sensible that not only is it not to be neglected, but that it is to be approached with the greatest reverence and devotion.

To begin therefore with its name, the pastor will inform the faithful that this Sacrament is called Confirmation, because, if no obstacle is opposed to its efficacy, the person who receives it, when anointed with the sacred chrism by the hand of the bishop, who accompanies the unction with these words: ‘I sign thee with the sign of the cross, and confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father, and of the Non, and of the Holy Ghost,” is confirmed in strength by receiving new virtue, and becomes a perfect soldier of Christ."

That confirmation has all the conditions of a true Sacrament has been at all times, the doctrine of the Catholic Church, as Pope Melchiades,* and many other very holy and ancient pon- tiffs expressly declare. ‘The truth of this doctrine St. Clement could not have confirmed in stronger terms than when he says. ** All should hasten, without delay to be born again to God, and then to be sealed by the bishop, thatis, to receive the seven-fold

1 Cone. Aur. c. 3, item Flor. 2 Epist. ad Episcop. Hispan ec 2. ep 4, ante finem. 12* S

13?

Urgent ne cessity of explaining the Sacra- ment of confirma- tion in these days

Why call

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gifi of the Holy Ghost; for, as we have learned from St, Pe ter, and as the other Apostles taugiit in obedience to the com. mand of our Lord, he who contumeliously and not from necess sity, but voluntarily neglects to receive this Sacrament, cannot possibly become a perfect Christian.” This same doctrine has been confirmed, as may be seen in their decrees, by the Urbans, the Fabians, the Eusebius’s, pontiffs who, animated with the same spirit, shed their blood for the name of Christ It is also fortified by the unanimous testimony of the Fathers, amongst whom Denis the Areopagite, bishop of Athens, teach- ing how to consecrate and make use of the holy ointment, says: ‘* The priest clothes the person baptized with a garment emblematic of his purity, in order to conduct him to the bishop; and the bishop signing him with the holy and divine ointment, makes him partaker of the most holy communion.”* Of such importance does Eusebius of Caesarea deem this Sacrament, that he hesitates not to say, that the heretic Novatus could not receive the Holy Ghost, because, having received baptism, he was not, when visited by severe illness, sealed with the sign of chrism.? On this subject we might adduce testimonies the most conclusive from St. Ambrose in his book on the Initiated, and from St. Augustine in his works against the epistles of the Donatist Petilian: so convinced were they, that no doubt could exist as to the reality of this Sacrament, that they not only taught the doctrine, but confirmed its truth by many passages of Scripture, the one applying to it these words of the Apostle: ‘«‘ Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption,’’® the other, these words of the Psalmist: ‘‘ like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard of Aaron,’’® and also these words of the same Apostle, ‘*'The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us.’’7

Confirmation, although said by Melchiades to have a most in- timate connexion with baptism,® is yet an entirely different Sa- crament: the diversity of the grace which each Sacrament con- fers, and the diversity of the external sign employed to signify that grace, obviously constitute them different Sacraments. As by the grace of baptism we:are begotten to newness of life, and by that of confirmation grow to full maturity, ‘‘ having put away the things of a child,’’® we can hence sufficiently compre- hend that the same difference which exists in the natural order between birth and growth, exists also in the supernatural, be-

' Habes decreta horum Pontifieum de consecrat. dist. 5,

2S. Dionysius de Eccles. Hierar. ec. 2. 3 Lib. 6. histor. cap. 43. 4 Lib. de iis qui myst. initiantur. ¢. 7, lib. 2, c. 104. 6 Eph. iv. 3 6 Psalm exxxii. 2.

7 Rom. v. 5.—Confirmationem esse sacramentum habes insuper ex Ambros. de Sacr. lib. 3, c, 2, lib. de Spiritu Sancto, c. 6 et 7, item Aug. de Trinit. lib. 15, c. 26, et in epist. Joan tract. 3 et 6, et in Psalmis 26, et ante hos omnes —Tertul. lib. de Re- surr. car. Cypr. epist. 7—Origen, hom. 9, in Levit. Hieron. contr. Lucif. Cyril Hieros. Catech. 3.

+ Epist. ad Epise Hisp. in med $1Cor. xii U1

On the Sacrament of Confirmation.

tween baptism which regenerates, and confirmation which im- parts full growth and perfect spiritual strength.

Again, if the new difficulties which the soul has to encoup ter, demand the aid of a new and distinct Sacrament, it is ob- vious that as we have occasion for the grace of baptism to stamp upon the soul the impress of the true faith, so it is of the ut- most advantage that a new grace fortify us with such intrepidity of soul, that no danger, no dread of pains, tortures, death, have power to deter us from the profession of the true faith. Hence, Pope Melchiades marks the difference between them’ with mi- nute accuracy in these terms: ‘In baptism,’’ says he, ‘ the Christian is enlisted into the service, in confirmation he is equipped for battle: at the baptismal font the Holy Ghost im- parts the plenitude of innocence, in confirmation the perfection of grace; in baptism we are regenerated to life, after baptism we are fortified for the combat; in baptism we are cleansed in confirmation we are strengthened; regeneration saves by its own efficacy those who receive baptism in peace, confirmation arms and prepares for the conflict.’’! These are truths not only re- corded by other Councils, bui specially aeaned by the Council of Trent, and we are therefore no longer at liberty not only to dis- sent from, but even to entertain the least doubt regarding them.*

But, to impress the faithful with a deeper sense of the sanc- tity of this Sacrament, the pastor will make known to them by whom it was instituted ; a knowledge the importance of which with regard to all the Sacraments, we have already pointed out. He will, accordingly, inform them that not only was it instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, but as St. Fabian Bishop of Rome testifies, the chrism and the words used in its administration were also appointed by him: a fact of easy proof to those who believe confirmation to be a Sacrament, for all the sacred myste- ries are beyond the power of man, and could have been insti- tuted by God alone.®

Of the component parts of the Sacrament, and, first, of its matter, we now come to treat. ‘The matier of confirmation is chrism, a word borrowed from the Greek language, and which, although used by profane writers to designate any sort of oint- ment, is appropriated, by eeciesiasticai usaze, to signify oimtment composed of oil and balsam, and solemnly consecrated by the episcopal benediction. A mixture of oi! and balsam, therefore, constitutes the matter of confirmation; and this mixture of dif- ferent elements at once expresses the manifold graces of the Holy Ghost, and the excellence of this sacrament. ‘That such is its matter the Church and her councils have uniformly taught ; and the same doctrine has been handed down to us by St. De- nis, and by many other fathers of authority too great to be ques- tioned, particularly by Pope Fabian,* who testifies that the Apostles received the composition of chrism from our Lord, and

! Loco citato. 2 Laod can 48. Meld c. 6. Florent, et Constant. Trid. sess. 7. 3 Epist 2, initio. 4 Epist. 3. ad Fpisc. Orient

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Instituted by Christ

lts mahes Chriem

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transmitted it to us.t To declare the effects of Confirmation, no sacramental matter could have been more appropriate than chrism: oil, by its nature unctuous and fluid, expresses the ple nitude of divine grace which flows from Christ the head, througa the Holy Ghost, and is poured out, ‘like the precious oint ment on the head, that ran down upon the beard of Aaron, to the skirt of his garment ;’’* for‘*God anointed him with the oil of gladness, above his fellows,’’? and ‘of his fulness we all have received.’’* Balsam, too, the odour of which is most grateful, signifies that the faithful, made perfect by the grace of Confirm ation, diffuse around them, by reason of their many virtues, suck. a sweet odour that they may truly say with the Apostle; ‘“* We are the good odour of Christ unto God.’ Balsam has also the quality of preserving incorrupt whatever it embalms; a quality well adapted to express the virtue of this Sacrament; prepared by the heavenly grace infused in Confirmation, the souls of the faithful may be easily preserved from the corruption of sin.

The chrism is consecrated with solemn ceremonies, by the bishop. ‘That this its solemn consecration is in accordance with the instructions of our Lord, when at his last supper he com- mitted to his Apostles the manner of making chrism, we learn from Pope Fabian, a man eminently distinguished by his sanc- tity, and by the glory of martyrdom.® Indeed, reason alone demonstrates the propriety of this consecration ; for in most of the other sacraments, Christ so instituted the matter as to im- part to it holiness; it was not only his will that water should constitute the matter of the Sacrament of Baptism, when he said: ‘‘ Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter the kingdom of God ;’’7 but he also, at his own baptism, imparted to it the power of sanctifying ; ‘«The water of baptism,” says St. Chrysostome, ‘* had it not been sanctified by contact with the body of our Lord, could not cleanse the sins of believers.’’® As, therefore, our Lord did nat consecrate by using the matter of confirmation, it becomes ne- cessary to consecrate it by holy and devout prayer, which is the exclusive prerogative of bishops, who are constituted the ordi- nary ministers of this Sacrament.

The other component part of this Sacrament, that is to say, its form, comes next to be explained. ‘The faithful are to be admonished that when receiving Confirmation, they are, on hearing the words pronounced by the bishop, earnestly to ex- cite themselves to sentiments of piety, faith, and devotion, that on their part no obstacle may be opposed to the heavenly grace of the Sacrament. ‘The form of Confirmation consists of these words: ‘* I sigN THEE WITH THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, AND J]

‘Vid. Aug. in Ps. 44. vers. 9. et lib. 13. de Trinit. cap. 26. Greg. in 1. cap. can Conc. Laod. cap, 48. et Carth. 2 c. 2. et 3. c. 39. Dionys. de Eccl. Hierar. ec. 2, et 4 De oleo vide Ambr. in Ps. 118 et lib. de Spiritu Sancto, cap. 3. Cyprian Epist. 70

2 Ps. cxxxii. 2. 3 Ps. xliv. 8. 4 John i. 16. 5 2Cor.ii 15.

®S. Fab. papa, uti supra. + John iii. 5.

* Hom. 4. oper. imperf. et habetur de consec. dist. 4. c. Nunquid.

On the Sacrament of Confirmation.

CONFIRM THEE WITH THE CHRISM OF SALVATION, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE Son, AND OF THE Ho Ly Guost.” Were we to acknowledge the incompetency of reason to esta- blish the truth and strict propriety of this form, the authority of the Catholic Church, by which it has been at all times taught and recognised, would alone be sufficient to dispel all doubt on the subject: judging of it, however, by the standard of reason, we arrive at the same conclusion. ‘The form of the Sacrament should embrace whatever is necessary to explain its nature and substance; with regard to the nature and substance of Con- firmation, there are three things that demand particular atten- tion, the divine power, which, as a primary cause, operates in the Sacrament; the spiritual strength which it imparts to the faithful unto salvation; and lastly, the sign impressed on him who is to engage in the warfare of Christ. ‘The words ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” with which the form closes, sufficiently declare the first; the second is comprised in the words, ‘‘[ confirm thee with the chrism of salvation; and the words, ‘I sign thee with the sign of the cross,’’ with which the form opens, convey the third. To whom principally, is intrusted the administration of this Sacrament, is a matter io which the pastor will also call the at- tention of the faithful. ‘There are many, according to the pro- phet, who run and yet are not sent; and hence the necessity of informing the faithful who are its true and legitimate ministers in order that they may really receive the Sacrament and grace of Confirmation. That bishops alone are the ordinary minis- ters of this sacrament, is the doctrine of Scripture; we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that when Samaria had received the Gospel, Peter and John were sent to them and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: ** for he was not yet come upon any of them, but they were only baptized, in the name of the Lord Jesus.”* Here we find that he who admi- nistered baptism, having only attained the degree of deacon, had no power to administer confirmation ; its administration was reserved to a more elevated order of the ministry, that is, to the Apostles alone. Whenever the sacred Scriptures speak of this Sacrament, they convey to us the same truth. We have also the clearest testimony of the Fathers, and, as may be seen in the decrees of their Popes, of Urban, of Eusebius, of Damasus, of Innocent, and of Leo. In confirmation of the same doctrine, we may also add that St. Augustine loudly complains of the cor- rupt practice which prevailed in the Churches of Egypt and Alexandria in his day, a practice according to which priests presumed to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation **

! Trid. Sess. 23. c. 4. et can. 7. 2 Acts viii, 14. 16.

3 Episcopum ministrum esse ordinarium Confirmationis tradunt Urbanus Papa Epist. ad omnes Christianos in fine ; Eusebius Papa Epist. 3. ad Episcop. Tuscim et Campanie Damasus Papa, Epist. 4. ad Pros. et ceteros Epise. Orthod. circa med. Innocentius Papa Epist. 1. ad Veren. c. 3. Leo Papa Epist. 88. ad Germans at Galli. Episc. Melchiades Papa, Epist. ad Epise. Hispanie. Clemens item Papa,

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A sponsor required, and why

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The faith ful to be ir structed in the ageana dispositions for Contfir- mation.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

To illustrate the propriety of restricting the exercise of this function to the episcopal office, the following comparison may be found not inappropriate. As in the construction of an edifice, .1€ artisans, who are inferioi agents, prepare and dispose mor- tar, lime, timber, and the other materials; whilst, however, the completion of the work belongs to the architect; so in like man- ner should Confirmation, which is as it were the completion of the spiritual edifice, be administered by no other than episcopal hands.

In Confirmation, as in Baptism, a sponsor is required. If the gladiator who presents himself as a combatant, has ocea- sion for the skill and address of a master, to direct him by what thrusts and passes he may, without endangering his own safety, despatch his antagonist, how much more necessary to the faith- ful is a guide and instructer, when, sheathed as it were in the panoply of this sacrament, they engage in the spiritual confiict, in which eternal salvation is to reward the success of the victor. Sponsors therefore are, with great propriety, required in the ad- ministration of this Sacrament. also; and the same affinity which, as we: have already shown, is contracted in Baptism, impeding the lawful marriage of the parties, is also contracted in Confirmation.?

To pass over in silence those who have arrived at such a degree of impiety, as to have the hardihood to contemn and despise this Sacrament; since in receiving Confirmation it fre -juently happens, that the faithful betray inconsiderate precipi

ition or unpardonable neglect, it is the. duty of the pastor to make known the age and dispositions which its sanctity de- mands.

They are, in the first place, to be informed that this Sacra- ment is not essential to salvation; but that although not essen- tial, itis not therefore to be omitted: on the contrary, in a mat- ter so holy, through which the gifts of God are so liberally bestowed, the greatest care should be taken to avoid all neglect ; and what God proposed for the common sanctification of all, all should desire with intense earnestness.” Describing this admira- ble effusion of the Holy Spirit, St. Luke says: ‘* And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house, where they were sitting:” and a little after, ‘‘ and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” From these words we may infer, that as the house in which they were assembled, was a type and figure of the church, the Sacrament of Confirmation, which had its existence for the first time on that day, is intended for the use of all the faithful. This is also an easv inference from the nature of the Sacrament: Confir-

Epist 4. Concil Wormaciense, ec. 8. et Florent de Sacram. Horum summorum Pontificum Epist. habentur in tomis Conciliorum fere omnes in primo juxta eujus- que wtatem. Vide insuper August. in quest. novi Testam. quest. 42.

' Trid. Sess. 24. c. 2. de reform. matrim,

2 De consec. dist. 5. c. 2. et 3 item Cone. Aurel. c. 3. Hugo de sanct. Vict. de Sacram. lib. 2. » 7 c. 39 3 Acts ii. 2. 4. 4

On the Sacrament of Confirmation.

mation is necessary for those who have occasion for spiritual sncrease, and hope to arrive at religious perfection; but to this all should aspire, for as Nature intends that all her children should grow up and reach full maturity, although her wishes are not always realized; so it is the earnest desire of the Ca- tholie Church, the common mother of all, that those whom she has regenerated by Baptism, may be brought to perfect matu- rity in Christ. ‘This happy consummation can be accomplished only through the mystic unction of Confirmation; and hence it is clear, that this Sacrament is equally intended for all the faithful.

It is to be observed, that the Sacrament of Confirmation may be administered to all, as soon as they have been baptized ; but, until children shall have reached the use of reason, its adminis- tration is inexpedient. If not postponed to the age of twelve, it should therefore be deferred until at least that of seven. Con- firmation has not been instituted as necessary to salvation ; but to enable us to be armed and prepared, whenever we may be ealled upon, to fight for the faith of Christ; and for this con- flict no one will consider children, not yet arrived at the use of reason, fit subjects.

From what has been said, it follows, that persons of mature years who are to be confirmed, must, if they hope to receive the grace of this Sacrament, not only bring with them faith and devotion, but also be pierced with heartfelt compunction for the grievous sins into which they may have had the misfortune to fall. The pastor, therefore, will labour to induce them to have previous recourse tu the tribunal of penance, will endeavour to excite them to fasting and other exercises of devotion, and will exhort them to the revival of that laudable practice of the ancient Church, of receiving the Sacrament of confirmation fasting.’ To induce the faithful to enter into these dispositions would appear no difficult task, if they but learn to appreciate the bless- mgs and extraordinary effects which flow from this Sacrament.

The pastor therefore will teach, that in common with the other sacraments, Confirmation, unless some obstacle be op- posed by the receiver, imparts new grace. We have already shown, that it is the property of these sacred and mystic signs, at once to indicate and produce grace; and as we cannot ima- gine grace and sin to coexist in the soul, it follows, as a neces- sary consequence, that it also remits sin.

Besides these properties, common alike to this and the other Sacraments, it is the peculiar characteristic of confirmation to perfect the grace of baptism: those who are initiated into the Christian religion, share, as it were, the tenderness and infirmity of new-born infants; but they afterwards gather strength from the Sacrament of chrism, to combat the assaults of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and are confirmed in faith to confess and glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. From this last

! D Th. p. 3. q. 72. a ad. 2 Cone. Aur. c. 2.

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mentioned circumstance it arose, no doubt, that the Sacrament was distinguished by the name of confirmation. ‘This its naine is not, as some with equal ignorance and impiety have imagin- ed, derived from the supposed circumstance of baptized persons, when grown to maturity, formerly presenting themselves before the bishop to confirm their adherence to the faith of Christ, which they had embraced in baptism; an opinion, according to which, confirmation would not seem to differ from cateche- tical instruction. Of such a practice no proof can be adduced, no vestige traced; and this sacrament is called Confirmation, because by virtue of it, God confirms in us what was com- menced in baptism, and conducts to the perfection of solid Christian virtue.’

Not only does this Sacrament confirm; it also increases dis vine grace in the soul: ‘* The Holy Ghost,” says Melchiades, «who descends with salutary influence on the waters of bap- tism, imparts the plenitude of grace to innocence : in confirma- tion, the same Holy Ghost gives an increase of divine grace and not only an increase, but an increase after a wonderful man- ner.2. This extraordinary efficacy of confirmation, the Serip- tures beautifully express by a metaphor: ‘*stay you in the city,” says our Lord speaking of this Sacrament, ‘until you be indued with power from on high.’’*

To show the divine efficacy of this Sacrament, (and this, no doubt, will have great influence on the minds of the faithful) the pastor has only occasion to explain the effects which it pro- duced on the Apostles themselves. Before, and even at the very time of the passion, so weak and listless were they, that no sooner was our Lord apprehended, than they all fied ;* and Peter, who was destined to be the rock and foundation of the Church, and who had displayed an unshaken constancy, and an intrepid spirit to be dismayed by the appearance of no dan- ger,° was so terrified at the voice of one weak woman, as to deny once, and again, and a third time, that he was a disciple of Jesus Christ.6 Even after the resurrection they remained, through fear of the Jews, shut up in a house, the doors being closed.’ But how extraordinary the revolution! On the day of Pentecost, filled with the grace of the Holy Ghost, they fear- lessly, and in defiance of all danger, proclaim the Gospel, not only through Judea, but throughout the world ;° they deem it the greatest happiness, to be thought worthy to suffer contumely, chains, tortures, and crucifixion itself, for the name of Christ.?

Confirmation has also the effect of impressing a character ; and hence, as we said before, with regard to baptism, and as will be more fully explained in its proper place, with regard to

1 Trid. Sess. 7 can. 1 de confir. 2 De cons. dist. 5 ¢. Spiritus. Euseb. Emus. hom. in die Pent.

3 Juuke xxiv. 49. 4 Matth. xxv. 56. 5 Matth. xvi. 18—26. 51 6 Matth. xxvi. 70. 72. 74. 7 John xx. 19 5 Acts 11.1

® Acts v. 41.

On the Sacrament of Confirmation.

orders, it is on no account to be administered a second time. It these things are frequently and accurately explained, it is al- most impossible that the faithful, knowing the utility and dig- nity of this Sacrament, should not use every exertion to receive it with piety and devotion.!

The rites and ceremonies used in the administration of this Sacrament, now remain lightly to be glanced at: the advantages of this explanation the pastor will at once see, by reverting to what we have already said on this subject, in its proper place. The forehead of the person to be confirmed is anointed with sacred chrism; for in this Sacrament the Holy Spirit pours himself into the souls of the faithful, and imparts to them increased strength and courage, to enable them in the spiritual contest, to fight manfully, and to resist successfully their most implacable foes. ‘They are therefore told, that henceforward, they are not to be deterred by fear or shame, feelings of which the counte- nance is the principal index, from the open confession of the name of Christ.* Besides, the mark by which the Christian is distinguished from all others, as the soldier is distinguished by his peculiar military badges, should be impressed on the fore- head, the most dignified and conspicuous part of the human form.

The festival of Pentecost was also chosen for its solemn ad- ministration, because the Apostles were then strengthened and confirmed by the power of the Holy Ghost ;? and also to remind the faithful, by the recoliection of that supernatural event, of the number and magnitude of the mysteries contained in that sacred unction.

The person, when confirmed, receives a gentle slap on the cheek from the hand of the bishop, to remind him, that as a courageous champion, he should be prepared to brave with un- conquered resolution, all adversities for the name of Christ.

Finaiiy, he receives the kiss of peace, to give him to under- stand that he has been blessed with the fulness of divine grace, and with that ‘* peace which surpasseth all understanding.’’* These things will be found to contain a summary of the expo- sition to be given by the pastor on the Sacrament of confirma- tion; but let them be delivered, not so much in the cold language of formal instruction, zs in the burning accents of fervent piety ; so as to penetrate into the minds, and inflame the hearts of the faithful.

! Confirmationem non esse iterandam, vide de Consec. dist. 5. c. dictum est, et cap. de hom. D. Thom. p. 3. q 72. art. 5.

2 Rhaban. lib. 1. de iustit. cleric. c. 30. et habetur de consec. dist. 5, c. novias Aug. in Ps. 141, D. Thom. 3. p. q. 71. art. 9. {

3 Acts ii. 2. 4 Phil.iv. 7

13 -

143

Its rites and ceremonivs explaued.

Unction of the fore- head.

Sign of tne cross

Why admt- liistered at Pentecost.

The gentle slap on the cheek.

The kiss of

peace.

146

Dignity of the Eucha- nist, matter of frequent exposition, to deter

’ from its abuse.

Ita institu- tion.

Why call- ed “the Encharist.”

The Catechism of the Council of T> ent.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST.

OF all the sacred mysteries bequeathed to us by our Lord, as unfailing sources of grace, there is none that can be comparee to the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist; for no crime, therefore, is there reserved by God a more jennie vengeance than for the sacrilegious abuse of this adorable Sacrament, which is replete with holiness itself. ‘The Apostle, illumined with wisdom from above, clearly saw and emphatically an- nounced these awful consequences, when having declared the enormity of their guilt, ‘‘ who discern not the body of the Lord,” he immediately added, ‘therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep.’’? ‘That the faithful, there- fore, deeply impressed with the divine honour due to this hea- venly Sacrament, may derive from its participation, abundant fruit of grace, and escape the just anger of God, the pastor will explain with indefatigable diligence, all those things which seem best calculated to display its majesty.

Following the example of St. Paul, who declares to the Co- rinthians what he had received from the Lord, the pastor will begin by explaining to the faithful the circumstances of its insti- tution: these he will find thus clearly recorded by the Evange- list—our Lord, who ‘* having loved his own, loved them to the end,’’® to give them some admirable and divine pledge of this his love, aware that the hour was come when he should pass out of this world to the Father, by an effect of wisdom which transcends the order of nature, devised a means of being alwavs present with his own. Having celebrated the feast of “the pas- chal lamb with his disciples, that the figure might give way to the reality, the shadow to the substance, ae fears took bread, and giving thanks to God, blessed and brake, and gave to his disciples, and said, take ye and eat: ‘This is my body, which

shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me: and taking the chalice also after he had supped, he said, this chalice is the New ‘Testament in my blood: this do, as often as you shall drink it in commemoration of me.’’?

Satisfied that language could supply no one word sufficiently comprehensive to give full expression to the dignity and excel- lence of this Sacrament, sacred writers have endeavoured ta ee it by a variety of appellations. It is sometimes called conn) he E ucharist,’’ a word which may be translated, ‘* the good grace,”’ or ‘the thanksgiving :”’ the propriety of the one appears from two considerations: the Eucharist gives a foretaste of eter-

! Dionys. de Eccl. Hier. c. 6. et de consee. dist. ¢. 2. nihil in.

21 Cor. xi. 30. 3 John xii 1.

4 Matth. xxvi.26. Mark xiv. 22. Luke xxii. 19. _1Cor. xi. 24. De Ench. insta tutione vide T'rid. Sess. 13, c. 2, de Euch. Leo serm. 7, de Pass. c. 3, Euseb. Emise hom. 4, et habetur de consee. dist 2. 1. quin corpus.

>

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

nal life, of which it-is written: ‘* The grace of God is life ever- lasting :’"* it also contains Christ our Lord, the true grace, and the source of all heavenly gifts. The other translation is no less appropriate, for when we offer this most spotless victim, we render to God a homage of infinite value, in return for ail the benefits which we have received from his bounty, particu- larly for the inestimable treasure of grace bestowed on us in this Sacrament. The word “ thanksgiving,’”’ also accords with the conduct of our Lord, when instituting this mystery : **Taking bread, he brake it, and gave thanks.”? David too, contemplating the grandeur of this mystery, says, ‘‘ He hath made a remembrance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord: he hath given food to them that fear him ;’’ but he had premised these words of thanksgiving: ‘“ His work is praise and magnificence.’’+

It is also frequently called ‘*'The Sacrifice,” of which we shall treat more at large in the subsequent part of this exposi- tion. It is also called ** Communion,”’ a word borrowed from the Apostle, when he says: ‘* The chalice of benediction which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? And the bread which we break, is it not the participation of the body of the Lord?’ ‘This Sacrament,”’ to use the words of Damascene, ‘‘ unites us to Christ, and renders us partakers of his flesh, and of his divinity, reconciles us to each other in the same Christ, and consolidates us as it were into one body.’® Hence it is also called the Sacrament of peace and charity ; giving us to understand how unworthy the name of Christians are they who indulge in enmity; and that hatred, discord, and strife are to be banished the society of the faithful, as their worst enemies ; an obligation which becomes still more impera- tive when we reflect that in the daily oblation of the sacred mysteries, we profess to study with watchful solicitude, to pre- serve peace and charity inviolate. Sacred writers also frequently

call it ** The Viaticum,”’ as well because it is the spiritual food “

by which we are supported during our mortal pilgrimage: as also, because it prepares for us a passage to eternal happiness and everlasting glory. Hence, in accordance with the ancient practice of the Church, none of the faithful are suffered to de- part this life without being previously fortified with this living bread from heaven. ‘The name of “The Supper,” has also been sometimes given to this Sacrament by the most ancient Fathers, in imitation of the Apostle,?7 because it was instituted

' Rom. vi. 23.

2 Mark xxvi. 26. xiv. 22. Luke xuii. 19. 1 Cor. xi 24.

3 Psalm ex. 4, 5.

4 Psalm cx. 3. Chrysost. hom, 24 in 1 ad Cor. ad hme verba, Calix benedic- tionis. Cypr. lib. de lapsis. Ambr lib. 5. de Sacr. c. 3. D. Th. p. 3 q. 73, a. 4.

5 1 Cor. x. 16.

6 Damase. lib. 4. de fid. orthod. c.4. Vid. Iren. lib. 5, c. 7, Chrys. hom. 44 et 45 in Joan. Cyrill. in lib. 7. in Joan. c, 13. Cyrill. Hier. Catech. 4, Aug. Tract. 26, in Joan. Trid. sess. 13. de Euchar. in preef: Concil. Niccen. 21, Cart. 4, c. 77 et 26, q 6, passim. 7 1 Cor. xi. 20.

147

The Eu- charist dew signated by other appella- uons: “ Sa@ crifice,”

“ commu- nion.”

“The Sa- ment of peace and charity.’

Viat- cum.”

“The Sup rer.”

i48

The Eu- charist to be conse- crated anc received, fasting.

A Sacra: ment.

The name of Sacra- ment, giv- en to many things in the Eucha- Tist, strict v upplies to the species only.

The Eu- eharist dif fers from the other Sacra- ments,

HE

II.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

by our Lord at the saving mystery of The Last Supper.! his circumstance, which regards the time of its institution, does not however, justify the inference that the Eucharist is to be con- secrated or received by persons not fasting: the salutary prac- tice of consecrating and receiving it fasting, introduced, as an- cient writers record, by the Apostles, has always been observed in the Church.?

Having thus premised an explanation of the names by which this Sacrament is distinguished, the pastor will teach that it has all the qualities of a true Sacrament, and is one of the seven which have been at all times recognised and revered by the Catholic Church. Immediately after the consecration of the chalice, it is called ‘‘a mystery of faith ;’’ and to omit an almost innumerable host of sacred writers, vouchers of the same doc- trine, that the holy Eucharist is a Sacrament is demonstrated by the very nature of a Sacrament. It has sensible and outward signs : it signifies and produces grace in the soul; and all doubt as to its institution by Christ is removed by the Apostle and the Evangelists. ‘These circumstances, combining as they do to establish the truth of the Sacrament, supersede the necessity of pressing the matter by further argument.*

That in the Eucharist there are many things to which sacred writers have occasionally given the name of Sacrament, the pastor will particularly observe: sometimes its consecration, sometimes its reception, frequently the body and blood of our Lord which are contained in it, are called the Sacrament; be- cause, as St. Augustine observes, this Sacrament consists of twe things, the visible species of the elements, and the invisible flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.t We also say that this Sacrament is to be adored,®> meaning of course, the body and blood of our Lord. But all these, it is obvious, obtain the name of Sacrament in its less strict sense: the species of bread and wine, strictly speaking, constitute the Sacrament.

The great points of difference between this and the other Sa- craments are easily understood ; the other Sacraments are per- fected by the use of their matter, that is, by their administra- tion; baptism, for instance, becomes a Sacrament when the ab- lution has been performed: the Eucharist is constituted a Sa- crament by the sole consecration of the elements, and when pre- served in a pyxis, or deposited in a tabernacle, under either species, it ceases not to be a Sacrament. In the material ele- ments of which the other Sacraments are composed, no change takes place ; in baptism, for instance, the water, in confirma- tion, the chrism, lose not in their administration, the nature of water and of oil; whilst in the Eucharist, that which before

' Cypr. de ccena. Domini. 2 Aug. Epist. 188, c. 6.

3 Aug. lib. 3. de Trinit. cap. 4, et 1. 20, contra Faust. cap. 13, Ambr. lib. 1. de sacram. cap. 2. ‘rrid. sess. 13. de Kuch. c. 5. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 73. art. 1.

4 De Catec. erud. lib. 5. c. 16. August. hic ad sensum potius quam ad verba ci latus ; sed lege hac de materia librum Lanfranci contra Berengarium~ constat. 23, tantum capitibus: vide de consecr. dist. 2. fere tota.

4 Trid. sess. 15, de Euch. cap. 5. et can. 6,

| | |

Rss

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

eonsecration was bread and wine, becomes, after consecration really and substantially the body and blood of our Lord.

But although in the Eucharist the sacramental matter consists of two elements, that is, of bread and wine, yet, guided by the authority of the Church, we profess that they are elements, not of wo, but of one Sacrament. This is proved by the very number of the Sacraments, which, according to the doctrine of es tradition, and the definitions of the Councils of Late- ran,? Florence.? and ‘Trent,® is confined to seven. It also fol- lows from the nature of the Holy Eucharist; the grace which it imparts renders us one mystic body; and to accord with what it accomplishes, the Eucharist must constitute but one Sacrament—-one, not by consisting of one element, but by sig- nifying one thing. Of this the analogy which exists between this our spiritual food, and the food of the body, furnishes an illustration. Meat and drink, although two different things, are used only for one object, the sustenance of the body ; so should the two different species of the Sacrament, to signify the food of the soul, be significant of one thing only, and constitute therefore but owe Sacrament. ‘The justness of this analogy is sustained by these words of our Lord: ‘My flesh is meat in- deed, and my blood 1s drink indeed.’’*

What the Sacrament of the Eucharist signifies, the pastor will also carefully explain, that on beholding the sacred myste- ries, the faithful may also, at the same time, feed their souls on the contemplation of heavenly things. This Sacrament, then, is significant of three things—the passion of Christ, a thing past—divine grace, a thing present—and eternal glory, a thing future. It is significant of the passion of Christ: ‘ This do,” says our Lord, *‘for a commemoration of me.’’> ‘As often,” says the Apostle, ‘‘as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until he come.”® It is significant of divine grace, which is infused, on receiving this sacrament, to nurture and preserve the soul.?7 As by Bap- tism, we are begotten to newness of life, and by Confirmation, are strengthened to resist Satan, and to profess openly the name of Christ; so, by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, are we spi- ritually nurtured and supported. It is also significant of eter- nal glory, which, according to the divine promises, is reserved for us in our celestial country. These three things, distinguished as they are by different times, past, present, “and future, the Holy Eucharist, although consisting of different species, marks as significantly as if they were but one.

To consecrate the Sacrament validly, to instruct the faithful in that of which it is the symbol, and to kindle in their souls an ardent desire of possessing the invaluable treasure which it signities, it is of vital importance that the pastor make himself

! Ex Conciliis citatis Lateranense generale sub Innocent Il.—Non numerat qui Jem distincte septem Sacramenta, sed ex variis Canonib. satis clare colliguntur

2 Florent. in doct. de sacrem. . 3 Trid. sess 7, can. 1. 4 John vi. 56. 5 Luke xxii. 19 61 Cor xi. 26. 7 Tertul. de Resur. carnis, c. & i3*

149

The Sacra- met tal matter composed of two ele- ments, but consttu- tive of one Sacrament.

The Eu charist sig nifies three

things.

Il

The mattea of this Sa- crament,

150

The sacra- mental bread, wheaten.

Also, un- leavened.

Objection answered.

Lhe Catechism of the Councii of Trent.

acquainted with its matter. ‘The matier of this Sacrament ie two-fold, consisting of wheaten bread, and of wine pressed from the grape, mixed with a little water. ‘The first element, then, (of the latter we shall treat hereafter) is bread: as the Evan- gelists, Matthew, Mark,? and Luke,’ testify : «* Christ our Lord,” say they, ‘‘took bread into his hands, blessed, and brake it, saying, THIS Is My Bopy ;’’ and according to St. John, he deno- minated himself cread in these words: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.’’*

As, however, there are different sorts of bread, composed of different materials, such as wheat, barley, pease, or made in dif- ferent manners, such as leavened and unleavened; it is to be observed that, with regard to the former, the sacramental mat- ter, according to the words of our Lord, should consist of wheaten bread ; for when we simply say bread, we mean, ac- cording to common usage, ‘‘ wheaten bread.’’* This is also dis- tinctly declared by a figure of the Holy Eucharist in the Old Testament: the Lord commanded that the loaves of proposition which prefigured this Sacrament, should be made of ‘ fine flour.’’®

As, therefore, wheaten bread alone is the prover matter of this Sacrament, a doctrine handed down by Apostolic tradition, and confirmed by the authority of the C: utholic Chureh ; it may also be inferred from the circumstances in which the Eucharist was instituted, that this wheaten bread should be unleavened@ It was consecrated and instituted by our Lord, on the first day of unleavened bread, a time when the Jews were prohibited by the law, to have leavened bread in their houses.?7 Should the words of the Evangelist St. John, who says that all this was done before the Passover, be objected, the objection is one of easy solution: by ‘the day before the Pasch,’’* St. John under- stands the same day, which the other Evangelists designate ‘the first day of unleavened bread.” He had for object, prin- cipally, to mark the natural day, which does not corimence until sunrise; and the first natural day of the Pascli, therefore, being Friday, ‘the day before the Pasch’’ means Thursday, on the evening of which the festival of unleavened bread be- gan, and on which our Lord celebrated the Pasch and insti- tuted the Holy Eucharist. Hence, St. Chrysostome understands the first day of unleavened bread to be the day, on the evening of which the unleavened bread was to be eaten.* ‘The peculiar propriety of the consecration of unleavened bread, to express that integrity and purity of heart, with which the faithful should approach this Sacrament, we learn from these words of the

1 Matt. xxvi. 26. . 2 Mark xiv. 22 3 Luke xxn 19.

4 John vi. 41. Vide de conseer. dist. 2. c. 1. et 2. et 53, ubi habes de hac matena decreta Alexandr. Pap. in 1. Epist. ad omnes Orthodoxos et Cypr. lib. 2. Hpist 3. et Ambr. |. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. vide etiam Iren. |. 4. c. 34. et 1. 5. ¢. 2

5D). Th..3 p 9:74 -e-3 6 Lev. xxiv. 2.

7 Matt. xxvi. 17. Mark xiv. 12. Luke xxii. 7. Vide |. 3. decretal. tit. de cele brat. Missarum, c. ult. ubi habes auctoritatam Honorii Bae 3.

8 John xiii. 1. 9 In Math. hom. 83.

——

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Apostle: ‘* Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleavened ; for Christ our Pasch is sacrificed. Therefore, let us feast not with the old leaven, not with the lea- ven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.’”!

This property of the bread, however, is not to be considered <o essential as that its absence must render the Sacrament null : both sorts, leavened and unleavened, are called by the common name, and have each the nature and properties, of bread.* No one, however, should on his own individual authority, have the emerity to depart from the laudable rite, observed in the Chureh to which he belongs; and such departure is the less warrantable in priests of the Latin Church, commanded, as they are, by authority of the supreme Pontiff, to celebrate the sacred mys- leries with unleavened bread only. With regard to the first element of this Sacrament, this exposition will be found suffi- ciently comprehensive. We may, however, observe in addition, that the quantity of bread to be used is not determined, depend- ing as it does upon the number of communicants, a matter which cannot be defined.

We come next to treat of the second element of this Sacra- ment, which forms part of its matter, and consists of wine, pressed from the grape, mingled with a litle water. ‘That our Lord made use of wine, in the institution of this Sacrament, has been at all times the doctrine of the Catholic Church. He Aimself said: *‘I will not drink, henceforth, of this fruit of the vine, until that day.”’* On these words of our Lord, St. Chry- sostome observes: ** Of the fruit of the vine, which certainly produces wine, not water; as if he had it in view, even at so early a period, to crush by the evidence of these words, the heresy which asserted that water alone is to be used in these mysteries.””> With the wine used in the sacred mysteries, the Church of God, however, has always mingled water, because, as we know on the authority of councils and the testimony of St. Cyprian, our Lord himself did so;° and also because this admixture renews the recollection of the blood and water which issued from his sacred side. The word water we also find used in the Apocalypse, to signify the people,’ and, therefore, water mixed with wine signifies the union of the faithful with Christ their head. This rite, derived from apostolic tradition, the Catholic Church has at all times observed. ‘The propriety of mingling water with the wine rests, it is true, on authority so grave, that to omit the practice would be to incur the guilt of mortal sin; however, its sole omission would be insufficient to render the Sacrament null. But care must be taken not only to mingle water with the wine, but also to mingle it in small quan-

: 1 Cor. v. 7, 8. 2 Concil Florent. sess. ult-

2 Lib. 2. decret. de celebr. miss. c. final 4 Matt. xxvi. 29. Mark xiv. 25 5 Thon. 33. 4. Matth.

* Cyp. lib. 1. epist, 3. Trid. sess. 22. de sacrif. miss. c. 7 et can. 9.

* Apoc. xvii. 15.

15)

Unleaven ed bread not essen- tial.

‘Thesecona element, wine of the grape, min- sled with 4 little wa- ter.

{52

Peculiar aptitude of these ele- ments.

I

ul

I

IV

The form to be used in the con-

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

dty; for in the opinion of ecclesiastical writers, the water 1s changed into wine. Hence, these words of Pope Honorius: *©A pernicious abuse has prevailed, for a long time, amongst you, of using in the holy sacrifice a greater quantity of water than of wine; whereas in accordance with the rational practice of the Universa! Church, the wine should be used in much greater quantity than the water.”’* We have now treated of the only two elements of this Sacrament; and although some dared to do otherwise, many decrees of the Church justly enact that no celebrant offer any thing but bread and wine.?

We now come to consider the aptitude of these two elements to declare those things of which they are the sensible signs. In the first place, they signify Christ, the true life of the world; for our Lord himself has said: ‘* My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.’’? As, therefore, the body of our Lord Jesus Christ nourishes to eternal life those who receive it with purity and holiness, with great propriety is this Sacrament composed principally of those elements which sustain life; thus giving the faithful to understand that the soul is nurtured with grace by a participation of the precious body and blood of Christ. These elements serve also to prove the dogma of the real presence. Seeing, as we do, that bread and wine are every day changed by the power of nature, into human flesh and blood, we are, by the obvious analogy of the fact, the more readily induced to believe that the substance of the bread and wine is changed, by the celestial benediction, into the real body and blood of Christ.* 'This admirable change also contributes to illustrate what takes place in the soul. As the bread and wine, although invisibly, are really and substantially changed into the body and blood of Christ, so are we, although interi- orly and invisibly, yet really renewed to life, receiving in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the true life. Moreover, the body ofthe Church, although one, and undivided, consists of the union of many members, and of this mysterious union nothing is more strikingly illustrative than bread and wine. Bread is made from many grains, wine is pressed from many grapes, and thus are we too, although many, closely united by this mysterious bond of union, and made as it were one body.

The form to be used in the consecration of the bread, we now come to explain; not, however, with a view that the faith-

secrationof ful should be taught these mysteries, unless necessity require

the bread, proved from Scrip- ture ;

it, (a knowledge of them is obligatory on ecclesiastics alone) but to obviate the possibility of mistakes on the part of the ce- lebrant, through ignorance of the form ; mistakes, were they to occur, as discreditable to the minister, as derogatory to the dig- nity of the divine mysteries. From the Evangelists Matthew and Luke, and also from the Apostle, we learn that the form ot

Habetur 1. 3. Decretal, de cel. miss. ec. 13. 2 Vid. de consecr. dist. 2. c. 1. 2. et seq John 1. 4H. 4 Damas. |. 4. de fid. orthod. c. 14

. os

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

the Sacrament consists in these words: *‘rHIs is My BoDY.”

We read that when they had supped, “ Jesus took bread, and blessed and brake and gave to his disciples, saying: take and eat, THIS Is my Bopy;’ and this form of consecration, made use of by Jesus Christ, has been uniformly and inviolably ob- served in the Catholic Church. ‘The testimonies of the Fathers in proof of its legitimacy, may be here omitted; to enumerate them would prove an endless task. ‘The decree of the Council of Florence to the same effect, because of easy access to all, it is also unnecessary to cite. ‘The necessity a every other proof is superseded by these words of the Saviour: «This do for a commemoration of me.’’? ‘This command of our Lord embraces not oniy what he did, but also what he said, and has more immediate reference to his own words uttered not less for the purpose of effecting, than of signifying what they effected.

That these words constitute the form is easily proved from reason alone. Ihe form of a Sacrament is that which signifies what is accompiished in the Sacrament: what is accomplished in the Eucharist, that is the conversion of the bread into the true body of our Lord, the words * this is my body,” signify and declare ; they therefore constitute the form. ‘The words of the Evangelist, ‘* he biessed,”’ go to support this reasoning. They are equivalent to saying : “taking bread, he blessed it, saying, this is my body.’* ‘The words, “*take and eat,”’ it is true, precede the words “this is my body,’’ but they evidently express the use, not the consecration or the matter, and cannot, therefore constitute the form. But although not necessary to the consecration of the Sacrament, they are uot. however, on any account, to be omitted. ‘The conjunction * for,” has also a place amongst the words of consecration ; otherwise it would follow that if the Sacrament were not to be administered to any one, it should not, or even could not be consecrated ; whereas, that the priest by pronouncing the words of our Lord, according to the institution and practice of the Church, truly consecrates she proper matter of the Sacrament, although it should after- wards happen never to be administered, admits not the least shadow of doubt.

‘The form of the consecration of the wine, the other element of this Sacrament, is, for the reasons assigned with regard to the bread, necessary to be accurately known, and clearly understood by the priest. It is firmly to be believed that the form of con- secrating the chalice is comprehended in these words: “ THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL TESTA- MENT: THE MYSTERY OF FAITH: WHICH SHALL BE SHED FOR YOU. AND FOR MANY TO THE REMISSION oF sINS.”’> ‘These words

1 Mait. xxvi. 26. Mark xiv. 22. Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24.

2 Luke xxii. 19. In decret. de sacram. item Trid. sess. 13. c. 1.

3 Quod ad Patres attinet, vid. Amb. |. 4. de sacram. c. 4. et 5. Chrys. hom, de prodit. Jude. Aug. L. 3. de Trinit.c.4. Iren. |, 4. contr. heer. c. 34. “Orig. lib. 8. eontr. Celsum. Hesivh. 1. 6. in Levit. c. 22. Cyril. Alex. epist. ad Calosorum epis- = Tertul. 1. 4. contr. Mare. in Hiesr. epist. i.

Matt. xxvi. 26. 5 Decretal. |..3 de celeb. miss. c. 6

U

153

from the Fathers and Coun coils

trom re@ son.

The form

to be used in the con secrauion O48 the wine preved from Senp

ture;

154

trom tradi- tion,

from rea- son.

Expresses three ef- fects of the blood of the Saviour.

I. II.

lil.

The form of conse- 2rating the wine, ex- olained.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

are for the most part taken from Scripture. Some of them, however, have been preserved in the Church by apostolic tra- dition. ‘The words ‘this is the chalice’? are taken from St Luke,’ and are also mentioned by the Apostle. ‘The words that immediately follow. ‘‘of my b'eod, or my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for you, and for many to the remission of sins,”’ are taken in part from St. Luke,? and in part from St. Matthew.* ‘The words ‘and eternal,” and also the words ‘‘the mystery of faith,’ have been transmitted to us by holy tradition, the interpreter and guardian of Catholic unity. Of the legitimacy of this form we cannot entertain a shadow of doubt, ae attend to what has been already said of the form used in the consecration of the bread. ‘The form to be used in the consecration of this element, should, confessediy, consist of words signifying that the substance of the wine is changed into the blood of our Lord: this the werds already eited clearly declare; and therefore, they alone exclusively constitute the form.

They also express certain admirable fruits produced by tne blood of Christ, which was shed on Calvary, fruits which he- long in a special manner to this Sacrament. Of these one is admission into the eternal inheritance to which we hay ave acquired a right by ‘the new and everlasting testament:’° another is Admission to righteousness by “the mystery of faith,”’ for ‘God hath proposed” Jesus ‘to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to the showing of his justice, that he himself may be just, and the justifier of him, who is of the faith of Jesus Christ :°’ a third is the remission of sin.7

But as the words of consecration are replete with mysteries, and are most appropriate in their application to our present sub- ject, they demand amore minute consideration. When, there-

‘ fore, itis said: ‘* This is the chalice of my blood,’ these words

are to be understood to mean: ‘his is my blood which is contained in this chalice.”’ ‘The mention of ‘*the chalice,” at the moment of its consecration, to be the drink of the faithful is peculiarly appropriate: without its mention as the vessel i. which it is contained, the words: ‘*'This is my blood,” would not seem sufficiently to designate this supernatural species of drink. Next follow the words : “of the New ‘Testament ;’

they are added to give us to understand, that the blood of the Saviour is not now given figuratively, as in the Old Law, of which we read in the Apostle, that without blood a ‘Pestament is not dedicated ;? but really and truly given, a prerogative pe- euliar to the New Testament. Hence the Apostle says: ‘*’There- fore, Christ is the mediator of the New ‘Testament, inat by means of his death, they who are called may receive ihe pru- mise of eternal inheritance.”?® ‘The word “eternal” refers ta

) Luk= xxii. 20. 21) Gorsxi: 20: 3 Luke xxii. 20. 4 Matt. xxvi. 28 5 Heb. x. 20. xiii 20. 6 Rom. iis. 25, 26 7 Heb, ix. 12. 8 Decret. |. 3. de cel Miss ec. 8.

o Heb. ix. 18. 10 Heb. ix. 15.

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

che eternal inheritance, our title to which has been purchased by Christ the Lord, the eternal 'Testator. ‘The words ‘+ mystery of faith,’ which are added, exclude not the reality, but signify that what lies concealed under the veil of mystery, and is far removed from the ken of mortal eye, is to be believed with the certainty of faith. Here, however, these words bear an import entirely different from that which they have when applied to baptism. Here, the mystery of faith consists in this, that we see by faith the blood of Christ, veiled under the species of wine; but baptism is properly called by us ‘the Sacrament,” by the Greeks, ‘‘the mystery of faith,” because it comprises the entire profession of the faith of Christ. ‘There is also an- ther reason why the blood of our Lord is called ‘* the mystery of faith.’”’ In its belief human reason experiences the greatest difficulties, because faith proposes to us to believe that the Son of God, God and man, suffered death for our redemption, a death signified by the Sacrament of his blood. His passion, therefore, is more appropriately commemorated here, in the words, ‘* which shall be shed for the remission of sins,”’ than at the consecration of his body. ‘The separate consecration of the blood places before our eyes, in more vivid colours, his passion, crucifixion, and death. ‘The additional words, ‘for you and for many,” are taken, some from St. Matthew, some from St. Luke,? and under the guidance of the Spirit of God, combined together by the Catholic Church. ‘They serve em- phatically to designate the fruit and advantages of his passion. Looking to the efficacy of the passion, we believe that the Re- deemer shed his blood for the salvation of all men; but look- ing to the advantages, which mankind derive from its efficacy, we find, at once, that they are not extended to the whole, but to a large proportion of the human race. When, therefore, our Lord said: ‘for you,’ he meant either those who were pre- sent, or those whom he had chosen from amongst the Jews, amongst whom were, with the exception of Judas, all his dis- eiples with whom he then conversed; but when he adds, * for many,’ he would include the remainder of the elect from amongst the Jews and Gentiles. With great propriety there- fore, were the words, for all, omitted, because here the fruit of the passion is alone spoken of, and to the elect only did his passion bring the fruit of salvation. ‘This the words of the Apostle deciare, when he says, that Christ was offered once, to take away the sins of many ;° and the same truth is conveyed in these words of our Lord recorded by St. John: “I pray for them, I pray not for the world; but for them whom thou hast given me, because they are thine.’’* ‘The words of conse- eration also convey many other truths; truths, however, which the pastor by the daily meditation and study of divine things, and aided by grace from above, will not find it difficult to dis cover.

| Matt. xxvi. 28. 2 Luke xxii. 20 3 Heb ix. 26 4 John xvi. 9.

155

156

This sub- lime inys- tery to be Judged of by faith, not by the senses.

The words of conse- eration effect three

T

tr

The real presence ved Scrip-

The Catechism of ihe Council of Trent.

To return to those things, of which the faithful are on no ae count to be suffered to remain ignorant, the pastor, aware of the awful denunciation of the Apostle against those who discern not the body of the Lord, will, first of all, impress on the minds of the faithful, the necessity of detaching, as much as possible, their minds and understandings from the dominion of the senses, for were they, with regard to this sublime mystery, to consti- tute the senses the only tribunal to which they are to appeal, the awful consequence must be, their precipitation into the ex- treme of impiety. Consulting the sight, the touch, the smell, the taste, and finding nothing but the appearances of bread and wine, the senses must naturally lead them to think, that this Sa- crament contains nothing more than bread and wine. ‘Their minds, therefore, are as much as possible to be withdrawn from subjection to the senses, and excited to the contemplation of the stupendous power of God.

The Catholic Church, then, firmly believes, and openly pro- fesses that in this Sacrament, the words of consecration accom- plish three things ; first, that the true and real body of Christ, the same that was born of the Virgin, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, is rendered present in the Holy Eucharist;* secondly, that however repugnant it may ap- pear to the dictate of the senses, no substance of the elements remains in the Sacrament;? and thirdly, a natural consequence from the two preceding, and one which the words of consecra- tion also express, that the accidents which present themselves to the eyes, or other senses, exist in a wonderful and ineffable manner without a subject. ‘The accidents of bread and wine we see; but they inhere in no substance, and exist indepen- dently of any. The substance of the bread and wine is so changed into the body and blood of our Lord, that they, alto- gether, cease to be the substance of bread and wine.

To proceed in order, the pastor will begin with the first, and give his best attention to show, how clear and explicit are the words of our Saviour, which establish the real presence of his body in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. When our Lord says: ‘This is my body, this is my blood,’’* no man however igno- rant, unless he labours under some obliquity of intellect, can mistake his meaning: particularly if he recollect, that the words ‘*body”’ and ‘** blood’’ refer to his liuman nature, the real as- sumption of which by the Son of God no Catholic can doubt. To use the admirable words of St. Hilary, a man not less emi- nent for piety than learning: ‘* When our Lord himself de- clares, as our faith teaches us, that his flesh is meat indeed, what room can remain for doubt?’ ‘The pastor will also ud-

'1 Cor. xi. 29.

2 Vide Dionys. de Eccl. Hierarch. c. 3, Ignat. Epist. ad Smyr. Just. Apol. 2, Tren. 1. 4, c. 34, et l. 5. c. 2. Trid. Sess. 13, c. 1, de Euch.

3 Cypr. de ecena domini Euse. Emiss. hom. 5. de Pasch. Cyril. Hyercs. Catech. 1 Set 4, Ambr. 1. 4,de Sacram. c. 4, Chrysost. hom. 83. in Matt. et 60, ad op. Antioch

4 Matt. xxvi. 28. Mark xiv. 22,24. Luke xxii. 19.

6S. Hilar. l. 8,de Trinitat. super illa verba velut unum

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

duce another passage from Scripture in proof of this sublime truth: having recorded the consecration of bread and wine by our Lord, and also the administration of the sacred mysteries to the Apostles, by the hands of the Saviour, the Apostle adds: ** But let a man prove himself, and so eat of that bread and drink of the chalice, for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.’* If, as heresy asserts, the Sacrament presents nothing to our veneration but a memorial and sign ot the: passion of Christ, why exhort the faithful, in language so energetic to prove themselves? The answer is obvious: by the heavy denunciation contained in the words ‘ judgment,” the Apostle marks the enormity of his guilt, who receives un- worthily and distinguishes not from common food the body of the Lord, concealed beneath the eucharistic veil. ‘The preced- ing words of the Apostle develope more fully his meaning; **The chalice of benediction,”’ says he, ‘* which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? and the bread which we break, is it not the participation of the body of the word ?”

words which prove to demonstration the real presence of Jesus Christ in the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist.

‘These passages of Scripture, are, therefore, to be expoundea by the pastor, and he will emphatically press upon the attention of the faithful, that their meaning, in itself obvious, is placed beyond all doubt by the uniform interpretation and authority of the Holy Catholic Church. ‘That such has been at all times the doctrine of the Church, may be ascertained in a two-fold manner; by consulting the Fathers who flourished in the early ages of the Church and in each succeeding century, who are the most unexceptionable witnesses of her doctrine, and all of whom teach in the elearest terms, and with the most entire una- nimity, the dogma of the real presence ; and also by appealing « the Councils of the Church, convened on this important sub ject. To adduce the individual testimony of each Father would prove an endless task—enough, that we cite, or rather point out a few, whose testimony will afford a sufficient criterion by which to judge of the rest. Let St. Ambrose first declare his faith: in his book on “the Initiated’’ he says, that the same true body of our Lord, which was assumed of the Virgin, is received in this Sacrament; a truth which he declares .s to be believed with the certainty of faith; and in another place he distinctly tells us, that before consecration it is bread, but after consecration it is the flesh of Christ. St. Chrysostome, another witness of equal fidelity and weight, professes and proclaims this myste- rious truth, particularly in his sixtieth homily on those who re- ceive the sacred mysteries unworthily ; and also in his forty- fourth and forty-fifth homilies on St. John: ‘+ Let us,” says he, ‘“‘obey, not contradict God, although what he says may

1 Cor. xi. 28, 29. 21 Cor. x. 16 3 Lib. 4, de Sacr. c. 4, et de iis qui myster init. c. 9. vide et de consec. awt 2 plurim. in locis. 4

15. :

‘rom tre jition,

158 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

seem contrary to our reason and our sight: his words cannot deceive, our senses are easily deceived.”' With the doctrine thus taught by St. Chrysostome, that uniformly taught by St. Augustine fully accords, particularly when in his explanation of the thirty-third Psalm, he says: ‘*To carry himself in his own hands, is impossible to man, and peculiar to Christ alone; he was carried in his own hands, when giving his body to be eaten, he said, This is my body.’”* ‘To pass by Justin and Ire- neus, St. Cyril, in his fourth book on St. John, declares in such express terms, that the body of our Lord is contained in this Sacrament, that no sophistry can distort, no captious interpre- tations obscure his meaning. Should the pastor wish for addi- tional testimonies of the Fathers, he will find it easy to add the Hilaries, the Jeromes, the Denises, the Damascenes, and a host of other illustrious names, whose-sentiments on this most im- portant subject he will find collected by the labour and industry cf men eminent for piety and learning.® From Another means of ascertaining the belief of the Church on Councils. matters of faith, is the condemnation of the contrary doctrine. That the belief of the real presence was that of the universal Church of God, unanimously professed by all her children, is demonstrated by a well authenticated fact. When in the ele- venth century, Berengarius presumed to deny this dogma, assert- ing that the Eucharist was only a sign, the innovation was im- mediately condemned by the unanimous voice of the Christian world. ‘The Council of Vercelli, convened by authority of Leo IX., denounced the heresy, and Berengarius himself re- tracted and anathematized his error. Relapsing, however, into the same infatuation and impiety, he was condemned by three different Councils, convened, one at ‘Tours, the other two at Rome: of the two latter. one was summoned by Nicholas IL., the other by Gregory VII. The general Council of Lateran held under Innocent III., further ratified the sentence ; and the faith of the Catholic Church, on this point of doctrine, was more fully declared and more firmly established in the Councils of Florence and Trent. And con- If, then, the pastor carefully explain these particulars, his sae labours will be blessed with the effect of strengthening the weak, and administering joy and consolation to the pious ; (of those who, blinded by error, hate nothing more than the light of truth, we waive all mention) and this two-fold effeet will be more securely attained, as the faithful cannot doubt that this 1. dogma is numbered amongst the articles of faith. Believing and confessing as they do, that the power of God is supreme,

|

' st. Chrys. ad popul. Antioch. homil. 60 et 61.

?Divus Augustinus in Psalm xxxiii. Conc. 1, a medio ad finem usque. Cyril. “1b. 4, in Joan. c. 33, et 14, et lib. 1,c.13. Inst. Apolog. 2, sub finem ad Antonium Pium.

3Tren. lib. 5, contra heretic. et lib. 5,in Joan. c. 34. Dionys. Eceles. Hier . 3, Hilar. lib. 8. de Trinit. Hieron. epist.ad Demascen. Damas lib. 4, de or thod. fid. ¢. 14

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

they must also believe that his omnipotence can accomplish the great work which we admire and adore in the Sacrament of the Eucharist ; and again, believing as they do, the Hely Catholic Church, they must necessarily believe that the doctrine ex- pounded by us, is that which was revealed by the Son of God.

But nothing contributes more to light up in the pious soul that spiritual joy, of which we have spoken; nothing is more fertile of spiritual fruit, than the contemplation of the exalted dignity of this most august Sacrament. From it we learn how great must be the perfection of the gospel dispensation, under which we enjoy the reality of that, which under the Mosaic Law was only shadowed by types and figures. Hence St. De- ais, with a wisdom more than human, says that our Church is a mean between the synagogue and the heavenly Jerusalem, and participates of the nature of both.t The perfection of the Holy Catholic Church, and her exalted glory, removed only by sue degree from heaven, the faithful cannot sufficiently admire. In common with the inhabitants of heaven, we, too, possess Christ, God and man, present with us; but they, and in this they are raised a degree above us, are admitted to the actual enjoyment of the beatific vision; whilst we, with a firm and unwavering faith, offer the tribute of our homage to the Di- vine Majesty present with us, not, it is true, ina manner visi- ble to mortal eye, but hidden by a miracle of power, under the veil of the sacred mysteries. How admirably does not this Sa- crament, also, display to us the infinite love of Jesus Christ to man! It became the goodness of the Saviour not to withdraw from us that nature which he assumed for our sake, but to de- sire, as far as possible, to dwell permanently amongst us, at all times strictly verifying the words: ‘* My delight is to be with the children of men.’”?

Here the pastor will also explain to the faithful, that in this Sacrament are contained not only the true body of Christ, and all the constituents of a true body, but also Christ whole and entire— that the word Christ designates the man-God, that is to say, one Person in whom are united the divine and human natures—that the holy Eucharist, therefore, contains botn, and whatever is in- cluded in the idea of both, the divinity and humanity whole and entire, the soul, the body and blood of Christ with all their componert parts—all of which faith teaches us are contained in the Sacrament. In heaven the whole humanity is united to the divinity in one hypostasis, or person, and it were impious, therefore, to suppose that the body of Christ, which is contain- ed in the Sacrament, is separated from his divinity.*

The pastor, however, will nox fail to observe, that in the Sa- erament all are not contained after the same manner. or by the same efficacy: some things, we say, the efficacy of consecra-

1 De Eccl. Hierar. c. 3. p. 1. _ 2 Prov vii. 31. 3 Vide de consec. dist. 2, multis in locis, item Amb. de iis qui myst. ini. ¢ 9, D C p.3.q. 76, art 1

159

The digm ty confer-

red on the Church by the institu. tion of this Sacrament

Christ

whole and enure, pre- serntin this Secrament

In this Sa crament, some things ef

i60

fected by the words of conse- cralion, some by concomi!- tance,

"The ele- ments, why sepa- rately con- secreted.

Christ, whole and entire in each parti- cle of either spe- cies.

Transub- stantiation

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

tion accomplishes ; for as the words of consecration effectuate what they signify, sacred writers usually say, that whatever the form expresses, is contained in the Sacrament by virtue of the Sacrament; and hence, could we suppose any one thing to be entirely separated from the rest, the Sacrament, in their opinion, would be found to contain solely what the form expresses. But, some things are contained in the Sacrament, because united to those which are expressed in the form; for instance, the words «This is my body,’ which comprise the form used to conse- crate the bread, signify the body of the Lord, and hence, the body of the Lord is contained in ‘the Eucharist. by virtue of the Sacrament. As, however, to the body are united his blood, his soul, his divinity, they too must be found to coexist in the Sacra- ment; not, however, by virtue of the consecration, but by virtue of the union that subsists between them and his body ; and this theologians express by the word ‘* concomitance.”’ Hence it is clear that Christ, whole and entire, is contained in the Sacra- ment; for when two ee are actually united, where one Is, the other must also be. Hence it also follows, that Christ, whole and entire, is contained under either species, so that as under the species of bread, are contained not only the body, but also the blood and Christ entire, so in like manner, under the species of wine are contained not only the blood, but also the body and Christ entire. ‘These are matters on which the faithful cannot entertain a doubt. Wisely, however, was it ordained that two distinct consecrations should take place: they repre- sent in a more lively manner, the passion of our Lord, in which his blood was separated from his body ; and hence, in the form of consecration we commemorate the effusion of his blood The sacrament is to be used by us as the food and nourish- ment of our souls; and it was most accordant with this its use, that it should be instituted as meat and drink, which obviously constitute the proper food of man.

The pastor will also inform the faithful, that Christ, whole aud entire, is contained not only under either species, but also in each particle of either species: ‘* Each,”’ says St. Augustine, ‘receives Christ the Lord entire in each particle: he is not diminished by being given to many, but gives himself whole and entire to each.’’! ‘This is also an obvious inference from the narrative of the Evangelists: it is not to be supposed that the bread used at the Last Supper was consecrated by our Lord in separate parts, applying tle form particularly to each, but that all the sacramental bread then used, was consecrated in sufficient quantity to be distributed amongst the Apostles, at the same time and with the same form. ‘That the consecration of the chalice also, was performed in the same manner, is obvious from these words of ihe Saviour: ‘‘ Take and divide it amougst you.

What has hitherto been said is intended to enable the pastor

' August. de consec. dist. 2. c, singulis. ? Luke xaii. 17.

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

to show, that the body and blood of Christ are really and truly contained in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. ‘That the sub- stance of the bread and wine does not continue to exist in the Sacrament after consecration, is the next subject of instruction which is to engage his attention; a truth which, although well ealculated to excite our profound admiration, is yet a necessary consequence from what has been already established. If, after consecration, the body of Christ is really and truly present under the species of bread and wine, not having been there before. it must have become so by change of place—by creation —or by transubstantiation. It cannot be rendered present by change of place, because it would then cease to be in heaven, for whatever is moved must necessarily cease to occupy the place from which it is moved. Still less can we suppose it to be rendered present by creation, an idea which the mind in- stantly rejects. In order that the body of our Lord be present in the Sacrament, it remains, therefore, that it be rendered pre- sent by transubstantiation, and of course, that the substance of the vread entirely cease to exist. Hence our predecessors in the faith, the Fathers of the general Council of Lateran,’ and of Florence,? confirmed by solemn decrees the truth of this Article. In the Council of ‘Trent it was still more fully defined in these words: “If any one shail say, that in the holy Sacra- ment of the Eucharist the substance of the bread and wine re- mains, together with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, iet him be anathema.’’*® ‘The doctrine thus defined is a natural inference from the words of Scripture. When insti- tuting this Sacrament, our Lord himself said: ‘this is my body :”** the word ‘ this,” expresses the entire substance of the thing present; and therefore, if the substance of the bread re- Sei. our Lord could not have said: ‘* Zhis is my body.” In St. John he also says: ‘The bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world:’’> the bread which he promises to give, he here declares to be ‘his flesh.’ A little after he adds: ** Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you:’’® and again, ** My flesh 1s meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.”’? When, there- fore, in terms so clear and so explicit, he thus calls his flesh *» meat indeed,” and his blood * drink indeed,”’ he gives us suf- ficiently to understand, that the substance of the bread and wine no longer exists in the Sacrament. Whoever turns over the pages of the Holy Fathers will easily perceive, that, on the doctrine of ‘T'ransubstantiation, they have been at all times una- nimous. St. Ambrose says: ‘* You say, perhaps, ‘ this bread is av other than what is used for common food :’ before consecra- -on it is indeed bread; but, no sooner are the words of conse-

' Lateran. Concil. c. 1.

? Flor. in epist. Eugenii IV. data ad Arm, et a Concilio approbata.

3 Trid. sess. 13, can. 4.

« Matt. xxvi. 26. Mark xiv 22. Luke xxi. 18. 1 Cor. xi. 24.

& John vi. 52. 6 John vi. 54. 7 John vi 56

14* X

(ot

pruveu jrom ree 8O!).

Fiom the Councils ot the Church-

rom Seriprure

From the

concurres testimony of the Fa- there

162

The En- eharist, why called breac after eonsecra- tion.

The man- ner in which inis conversion is to be ex- plaine.{ to the people.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

¢:ation pronounced, than from bread it beccmes the flesh ot Christ.”""_ ‘To prove this position more clearly, he elucidates it by a variety of comparisons and examples. In another place, when explaining these words of the Psalmist: ‘* Whatsoever the Lord pleased he hath done in heaven and on earth,”® he says: ‘‘ Although the species of bread and wine are visible, yet faith tells us that after consecration, the body and blood of Christ are alone there.’’? Explaining the same doctrine almost in the same words, St. Hilary says, that although externally it appear bread and wine, yet in reality it is the body and blood of the Lord.*

Here the pastor will not omit to observe to the faithful, that we should not at all be surprised, if even after consecration, the Encharist is sometimes called bread: it is so called because it has the appearance and still retains the natural quality of bread, which is to support and nourish the body. ‘That such phrase- ology is in perfect accordance with the style of the Holy Scrip- tures, which call things by what they appear to be, is evident from the words of Genesis, which say, that Abraham saw three men, when, in reality, he saw three angels ;° and the two angels also, who appeared to the Apostles after the ascension of our Lord, are called not angels, but men.°

‘No explain this mystery in a proper manner is extremely dif- ficult. On the manner of this admirable conversion, the pastor, however, will endeavour to instruct those who are more ad- vanced in the knowledge and contemplation of divine things « those who are yet weak may, it were to be apprehended, be overwhelmed by its greatness. This conversion, then, is so effectuated that the whole substance of the bread and wine is changed by the power of God, into the whole substance of the body of Chaist, and the whole substance of the wine, into the whoie substance of his blood, and this, without any change in our Lord himself: he is neither begotten, nor changed, nor in- creased, but remains entirely and substantially the same. This sublime mystery St. Ambrose thus declares: ‘* You see how efficacious are the words of Christ; if, then, the word of the Lord Jesus is so powerful as to summon Creation into existence, shall it not require a less exercise of power, to make that sub- sist, whicn already has existence, and to change it into another

thing??? Many other Fathers, whose authority is too grave to. g 4 y, £

be questioned, have written to the same effect: ‘* We faithfully confess,”’ says St. Augustine, ‘* that before consecration it is bread and wine, the produce of nature; but after consecration it is the body and blood of Christ, consecrated by the blessing.’** «The body,” says Damascene, ‘‘is truly united to the divinity the body assumed of the virgin; not that the body thus assumed

1 Lib. 4, de sacr. c. 4. et c. 5, c. 4 2 Ps. exxxiv. 6.

3 De consec. dist. 2. c. omnia.

4 Hilar. de Trin. lib S, et de consec. dist. 2. cap. 28. 5 Gen. xviii. 2. 6 Acts i. 10. vid. D. Thom. 3, p. q. 75, art. 3 et 4. 7 D. Ambr. lib. 4 de sacr c.4@

8 Citatur de consec. dist. 2, can. Nos. autem.

ae

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. L6a

descends from heaven, but that the bread and wine are changed

into the body and blood of Christ.”"* ‘This admirable change, ‘This con- as the Council of Trent teaches, the Catholic Church most ap- versivn ap propriately expresses by the word * transubstantiation.”** When, a par in the natural order, the form of a being is changed, that change substantia- may be properly termed ‘a transformation;” in like manner, "°" when, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole substance

of one thing passes into the whole substance of another, the

change our predecessors in the faith wisely and appropriately

ealled “ transubstantiation.”’ But according to the admonition A mystery so frequently repeated by the Holy Fathers, the faithful are to eae be admonished against the danger of gratifying a prurient curi- searched osity, by searching into the manner in which this change is into. effected. It mocks the powers of conception, nor can we find

any example of it in natural transmutations, nor even in the wide

range of creation. ‘The change itself is the object not of our comprehension, but of our humble faith; and the manner of

that change forbids the temerity of a too curious inquiry.®

The same salutary caution should also be observed by the The same pastor, with regard to the mysterious manner in which the body salutary of our Lord is contained whole and entire under the least par- Souin ne- ticle of the bread.* Such inscrutable mysteries should scarcely cessary ever become matter of disquisition.. Should Christian charity, however, require a departure from this salutary rule, the pastor will recollect first to prepare and fortify his hearers, by reminding them, that ‘no word shall be impossible with God.’’

The pastor wil! next teach, that our Lord is not in the Sacra- ‘The body ment as in a place: place regards things, only inasmuch as they arene ia have magnitude ; and we do not say that Christ is in the Sacra- ioe Rape ment inasmuch as he is great or small, terms which belong to ment, not quantity, but inasmuch as he is a substance. ‘The substance of * i" the bread is changed into the substance of Christ, not into mag- at nitude 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 instances whether in a large or in a small quantity, and that of water whether confined in a vessel, or flowing in a river, must necessarily 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 the bread was present in greater cr less quantity is a matter of entire indif- ference.

We now come to the third effect produced by the words of The acer consecration, the existence of the species of bread and wine in Salis the Sacrament without a subject, an effect as stupendous as it is mea tetany admirable. What has been said in explanation of the two pre- without a ceding points, must facilitate the exposition of this mysterious —

1 Lib. 4, de orthod. fid. c. 14. ;

2 Ite: sess. 13, c. 4, et can. 2, et de consec. distinct. 2, c. panis, 3 Eccl. m1. 22 4 ag 3, p. q. 76, Trid. sess. 13, c. 3, et can. 3, et Florent. in decret. Eugen & e i. 37

164

Duties of piety to- wards this Sacrament.

The Eu- charist, why insti- tuted un- der the forms of bread and wine.

The salu- tary effects ef the Eu- charist to be fully ex- plained to all, and aow.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

truth. We have SUEY proved that the body and blood of our Lord are really and truly contained in the Sacrament, to the entire exclusion of the substance of the bread and wine: the accidents cannot inhere in the body and blood of Christ: they must, therefore, contrary to the physical laws, subsist of them selves, inhering in no subject. ‘This has been, at all times, the doctrine of the Catholic Church; and the same authorities by which we have already proved, that the substance of the bread and wine ceases to exist in the Eucharist, go to establish its truth. But it becomes the piety of the faithful, omitting subtle disquisitions, to revere and adore in the simplicity of faith, the majesty of this august Sacrament; and with sentiments of gra- titude and admiration, to recognise the wisdom of God in the institution of the holy mysteries, under the species of bread and wine. ‘l'o eat human flesh, or to drink human blood, is most revolting to human nature, and, therefore, has God in his infinite wisdom, established the administration of the body and blood of Christ, under the forms of bread and wine, the ordi- nary and agreeable food of man. From its administration under these forms, also flow two other important advantages: it obvi- ates the calumnious reproaches of the unbeliever, to which a manducation of the body and blood of our Lord, under human form, must be exposed; whilst, by receiving him under a form in which he is. impervious to the senses, our faith is augmented, ‘* which,” as St. Gregory observes, ‘*has no merit in those thus, which fall under the jurisdiction of reason.”? But what has been hitherto said on this subject, demands much prudent precaution in its exposition; and in this the pastor will be guided by the-capacity of his hearers, by times and circum stances.

With regard to the salutary effects of this Sacrament, these, because most necessary to be known by all, the pase: will ex- pound to all, indiscriminately and without reserve. What we have said at such length on this subject, is to be made known to the faithful, principally with a view toemake them sensible of the advantages which flow from its participation, advantages too numerous and important to be expressed in words, and amongst which the pastor must be content to select one 01 two points for explanation, to show the superabundant graces with which the holy mysteries abound. ‘To this end it will be found conducive, to premise an explanation of the nature and efficacy of the other Sacraments, and then compare the Eucha rist to the living fountain, the other Sacraments to so many rivulets. With great truth is the Holy Eucharist called the fountain of all grace, containing as it does, after an admi-

1} Vid. de consecr. dist. 2,c. Nos autem et Decretal. lib. 1, tit. de caleb. Miss ec cum Matt. et D. Th. 3, p. q. 75, a. 3, et q. 77, a. 4

2 Hom. 26, super Evangelia, vid. ‘Cyril. lib. 4, in Joan. ¢. 22, Cypr.de Coena Do mn Ambr. de Sacram. lib. 4, c. 4, Aug. Tract. 27, in Joan. D. Thom. p. 3, q. 74,8

et q. 75, a. 1.

3 Trid. sess. 13, c.3, et can, 5, Iren. lib. 4, c. 14, Cyril. lib. 4. in Joan ec. 11 et 14 Chrysost, hom. 45, in Joan. D. Thom. 3, p. q. 79.

Ee

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

table manner, the source of all gifis and graces, the author of all the Sacraments, Christ our Lord, from whom as from their source, they derive all their goodness and perfection. ‘This comparison, therefore, serves to show how great are the trea- sures of grace, which are derived from this Sacrament. It will also be found expedient to consider attentively the ne- ture of bread and wine, the symbols of this sacrament: what bread and wine are to the body, the Eucharist is, in a superior order, to the health and joy of the soul. It is not, like bread and wine, changed into our substance; but, in some measure, changes us into its own nature, and to it we may apply these words of St. Augustine: ‘1 am the food of the grown; grow and thou shalt partake of this food; nor shalt thou change me into thee, as thou dost thy corporal food, but thou shalt be changed into me.”* If then ‘‘ grace and truth come by Jesus Christ,’’* these spiritual treasures must be poured into that soul, ‘which receives with purity and holiness, him who says of him- self: ** He that eatetli my flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth *n me and I in him.’’* ‘Those who piously and religiously receive this Sacrament, receive, no doubt, the Son of God into their souls, and «re united, as living members, to his hody ; for it is written: ‘*‘ He that eateth me, the same also shall live by me ;””* and also: ‘* The bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world.’’> Explaining these words of the Saviour, St. Cyril says: ‘“‘'The Eternal Word, uniting him- self to his own flesh, imparted to it a vivifying power; it be- came him, therefore, to unite himself to us after a wonderful manner, through his sacred flesh and precious blood, which we receive .n the bread and wine, consecrated by his vivifying benediction.’’6 But when it is said, that this Sacrament imparts grace, it is not intended to mean that, to receive this Sacrament with advan- tage, it is unnecessary to be previously in the state of grace. Natural food can be of no use to a person who is already dead, and in like manner the sacred mysteries can avail him nothing, who lives not in Spirit. Hence this Sacrament has been insti- tuted under the forms of bread und wine, to signify, that the object of its institution is not to recall to life a dead soul, but to preserve life to a living one. We say that this Sacrament im- parts grace, because even the first grace, which all should have before they presume to approach this Sacrament, least they **eat and drink judgment to themselves,’’? is given to none un- fess they desire to receive the Holy Eucharist, which is the end of all the Sacraments, the symbol of ecclesiastical unity, to which he who does not belong, cannot receive divine grace Again, as the body is not only supported but increased by na- tural food, from which we derive new pleasure every day ; so also the life of the soul is not only sustained but invigorated by

' Lib. 7. Conf. c. 10. Vid. Ambr. lib. 5. de sacr. c. 4 et Crys. hom. 45. in Joan. 2? John i. 17. 3 John vi. 57, 4 John vi. 58. 5 John vi. 52

6 Lib. 4. in Joan, e. 12, 14. et ep. 10. ad Nestor. 7] Cor. xi. 29.

163

To comm nicate Wor thily we must be in the state of grace.

166 The Catechism of the Councu of Trent. feasting on the Eucharistic banquet, which imparts to it an m creasing zest for heavenly things. With strictest truth and pro priety, therefore, do we say that this Sacrament, which may be well compared to manna, ‘‘ having in it all that is delicious, and the sweetness of every taste,”’ imparts grace to the soul.

Il. That the Holy Eucharist remits lighter offences, or, as they The Eu- are commonly called, venial sins, cannot be matter of doubt ere Whatever losses the soul sustains by falling into some slight sins. offences, through the violence of passion, these the Eucharist,

which cancels lesser sins, repairs in the same manner, not to depart from the illustration already adduced, that natural food, as we know from experience, gradually repairs the daily waste caused by the vital heat of the system. . Of this heavenly Sa- crament justly, therefore, has St. Ambrose said: ‘* This daily bread is taken as aremedy for daily infirmity.”’? This, however, is to be understood of venial imperfections only.

IU. The Holy Eucharist is also an antidote against the contagion feanan- of sin, and a shield against the violent assaults of temptation. eT the Lt is, as it were, a heavenly medicine, which secures the soul contagion against the easy approach of virulent and deadly infection. St, ee Cyprian records that when, in the early ages of the Church

Christians were hurried in multitudes by tyrants, to torments

and death, because they professed the name of Christ, they re-

ceived from the hand of the bishop, the Sacrament of the body

and blood of our Lord, lest, perhaps overcome by excess of

ty. torments, they should yield in the saving conflict. It also re- Represses presses the licentious desires of the flesh, and keeps them in tercer due subjection to the spirit: in proportion as it inflames the soul with the fire of charity, in the same proportion does i* ne-

V. cessarily extinguish the fire of concupiscence. Finally, to nar Facilitates yow within the compass of a few words all the advantages and the attain- . “Le . ment of | blessings which emanate from this Sacrament, the Holy Evcha- eternal life. rist facilitates to an extraordinary degree, the attainment of eter-

nal life: ‘‘He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,’ says the Redeemer, ‘hath everlasting life, and I will raise bim up on the last day.”’® The grace which it imparts, Lrings peace and tranquillity to the soul; and when the hour shal: have arrived in which he is to take his departure from this mortal life, like another Elias, who in the strength of his miraculous repast, walked to Horeb the mount of God,® the Christian, imvi- gorated by the strengthening influence of this heavenly food shall wing his way to the mansions of everlasting glory an@ These ef never-ending bliss. All these important particulars the pastor recls ex-

will be able fully to expound to the faithful, if he but dilate ox

: Wisd. xvi. 20.

+ Lib. 4. de Sacram c. 6 et lib. .. 4. Innucent. Ii. lib. 4 de myst. Misr c. 44 Crrill. lib. 4. in Joan, c. 17. et lib. 3. c. 36. Inter opera D. Bernardi habetur cujus dam sermo domini, qui incipit: PANEM ANGELORUM, et sizgularis €a de Euchar videatur, et D. Thom. 3. p. q. 79.

3 4ng traci. 26. in Joan. 4 Lib. 1. Epist. 2. ad Cornel

3 John vt. 55. Vii Chrys. de sacerdotic, dial. c. D. Thom. 8. p. q. 79. act. 2

§3 Rangs xx. 8

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

the sixth chapter of St. John, in which are developed the mani- fold effects of this Sacrament; or if, glancing through the life and aetions of our Lord, he shows that if they who received him beneath their roof during his mortal life,t or were restored ‘o health by touching his vesture, or even the hem of his gar- ment,? were justly deemed happy, how much more happy we, into whose souls, resplendent as he is with unfading glory, he disdains not to enter, to heal all our spiritual wounds, to enrich us with his choicest gifts, and to unite us to himself !

But to excite the faithful to emulate better gifts,* the pastor will also point out who they are who derive these inestimable blessings from a participation of the holy mysteries, reminding them that Christians may communicate differenty and with dif- ferent effects. Hence our predecessors in the faith, as we read in the Council of 'T'rent,* distinguished three classes of commu- nicants—Some receive the Sacrament only: such are those sin- ners who dread not to approach the hely mysteries with pol- luted lips and depraved hearts, who, as the Apostle says, ‘* eat and drink unworthily.”’> Of this class of communicants St Augustine says: ‘* He who dwells not in Christ, and in whom Christ does not dwell, most certainly eats not spiritually his flesh, although earnally and visibly he press with his teeth the Sacrament of his flesh and blood.’’® Not only, therefore, do those who receive the Holy Eucharist with these dispositions, obtain ne fruit from its participation, but, as the Apostle says, ‘*‘they eat and drink judgment to themselves.”7 Others are said to receive the Holy Eucharist in spirit only : they are those who, inflamed with a lively ‘faith that worketh by charity,’’§ participate in desire, of this celestial food, from which they re- ceive, if not the entire, at least very considerable fruit. Lastly, there are some who receive the Holy Eucharist both spiritually and sacramentally, those who, according to the advice of the Apostle, having first proved themselves,’ approach this divine

16

plained and ius trated

The man- ner of com municating threefold

Sacramea 4 Ilys

Spirituaity

Sacramen tally, and spiritually.

banquet, adorned with the nuptial garment,'® and derive from it

all those superabundant graces which we have already mentioned. ‘Those, therefore, who, having it in their power to receive, with due preparation, the Sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord, are yet satisfied with aspiritual communion only, manifestly deprive themselves of a heavenly treasure of inestimable value,

We now come to point out the manner in which the faithful sneuld be previously prepared for sacramental communion. ‘To demonsirate the necessity of this previous preparation, the ex- ample 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 de- élare chat we must use extreme diligence to bring with us to its particspation the greatest integrity and innocence ot soul. In

' Luke xix. 9. 2 Matt xiv. 36 and ix. 20. 1 Cor. xii. 31 4 ise consecr. dist. 2. can. 46 sess. 13. cap. 8. » 1 Cor. xi. 29 €4an Joan. tract. 16, et contra Donat. lib. 5. c. 8. * 1 Cor. xi, 29 sal. v 6. 91 Cor. xi. 28. ‘0 Matt. xxii. 11

Necessity of previowl prepara- tion

168

®irst pre. paration °

Sevond,

Third

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the next place, the faithful are to understand that as he who aps proaches thus prepared and disposed, is adorned with the most ample gifts of heavenly grace, so on the contrary, he who ap- proaches without this preparation and without these disposi- tions, 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 productive of the greatest benefit, but if unseasonably, to prove most pernicious 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 salvation; whilst to those who receive them without these necessary dispositions, 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 ianume- rable blessings from God; but, when borne off by the Philis- tines, it brought on them a most destructive plague and the heaviest calamities, heightened, as they were, by eternal dis- grace.* Food when received into a healthy stomach nourishes and supports the body ; but the same food, when received into a stomach replete with peccant humours, generates malignant disease.”

The first preparation, then, which the faithful should make, s to distinguish table from table, this sacred table from profane tables,® this celestial bread from common bread. This we do when we firmly believe, that the Eucharist really and truly con- tains the body and blood of the Lord, of him whom the angels adore in heaven, ‘‘at whose nod the pillars of heaven fear and tremble,’’* of whose glory the heavens and the earth are full. This is to discern the body of the Lord, in accordance with the admonition of the Apostle,® venerating rather, the greatness of the mystery, than too curiously investigating its truth by idle disquisition. Another very necessary preparation is to ask our- selves, if we are at peace with, if we sincerely and from the heart love our neighbour. ‘If, therefore, thou offerest thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest, that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.’ We should in the next place, carefully examine our consciences, lest perhaps they be defiled by mortal guilt, which sincere repentance alone can efface. This severe scrutiny is necessary in order to cleanse the soul from its defile- ment, by applying to it the salutary medicine of contrition and confession. ‘The Council of Trent has defined, that no one

' ] Kings v. toto.

2? De preparatione ad Euch. requisita vide Trid. sess. 13. c. 7. et can. 11. Basil. . 172. regul. brey. et serm. 2. de hapt. Cyprian. toto fere lib. de Lapsis, agendo de cenit. Aug. serm. 1. de Tem Chrys. hom. 44, 45, 46. in Joan. et in Matt. hom. 83

21 Cor. x. 21. 4 Job xxvi. 11. 3 Isa. vi. 3

6 1 Cor. xi. 29, * Matt. v. 24, 25.

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

conscious of mortal sin, and having an opportunity of recurring to a confessor, however contrite he may deem himself, is to ap- proach the Holy Eucharist, until he has been purified by sacra- mental confession. We should also reflect in the silence of our own hearts, how unworthy we are that God should bestow on as this divine gift, and with the Centurion, of whom our Lord declared, that he found not ‘* so great faith in Israel,’ “e should ‘exclaim: *‘ Lord, [ am not worthy that thou shouldst enter uader my roof.’*? We should also put the question to ourselves, whether we can truly say with Peter: ‘ Lord, thou knowest that I love thee ;’* and should recollect, that he who sat down at the marriage feast without a nuptial garment, was cast into exterior darkness, and condemned to eternal torments.*

Our preparation should not, however, be confined to the soul: it should also extend to the body. We are to approach the Holy Eucharist fasting, having neither eaten nor drunk, at least from the preceding midnight.* ‘The dignity of so great a Sa- crament also demands, that married persons abstain from the marriage-debt, for some davs previous to communion, an ob- ervance recommended by the example of David, who, when about to receive the show-bread from the hands of the priest, aeclared, that he and his servants had been “clean from women for three days.”’® ‘These particulars contain a summary of the principal things to be observed by the faithful, preparatory to receiving the sacred mysteries; and to these heads may be re- duced, whatever other preparations piety will suggest to the devout communicant.?

But that none may be deterred by the difficulty of the prepa- ratior from approaching the Holy Eucharis:, the faithful are frequently to be reminded that they are all bound to receive this Sacrament; and that the Church has decreed that whoever neglects to approach the holy communion once a year, at Easter, subjects himself to sentence of excommunication. However, let not the faithful imagine that it is enough to receive the body of the Lord once a year only, in obedience to the decree of the Church: they should approach oftener; but whether monthly, weekly, or daily, cannot be decided by any fixed universal rule. St. Augustine, however, lays down a most certain rule applicable to all—* Live,”’ says he, ‘‘ in such a manner as to be able to re- ceive every day.”» It will therefore be the duty of the pastor frequently to admonish the faithful, that as they deem it neces- sary to afford daily nutriment to the body, they should also feel

' Sess. 13. can. 11. Chrys. hom. 30, in Genes. et 20. in Matth. Cypr. in lib. de

Lapsis.

2 Matt. viii. 8. 10. 3 John xxi. 15. 4 Matt. xxii. 12. 13.

5 Vid. Aug. Lows us: e. 6. et lib. lad inquis. Januarii ec. 6.

® J Kings xxi. 3 4

7 Greg. in Sa prsions 10. ad interrog. Aug. et hab. 23 q. 4, c. 7. Aug. serm. 2 de temp. et 2, 4.

s Concil. Lat. c. 28. et habetur lib. 5. Decret. tit. de Poenit. et remiss. cap. omnis utriusque sexus Trid. sess. 13, 9.

2St. Aug. de verbis Domini, ser. 28. qui desumptus est ex. Amb. lib. 5. de sacram. c. 4.

15 ¥

163

Fourth,

Fifth,

Sixth.

All be and to commiu- nicate once a year, at Easter.

Importance of frequent comma. nion.

170

Daily com- munion, the prac- tice of the ancient hurch.

Thrice a year, sub- sequently decreed.

Finally oncea year

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

solicitous to feed and nourish the soul every day with this hea. venly food. The soul stands not less in need of spiritual, than the body of corporal food. Here it will be found most useful to recapitulate the inestimable advantages which, as we have already shown, flow from sacramental communion, and the manna also which was a figure of tuis Sacrament, and of which the [staelites had occasion to partake every day, may be used as a further illustration.t ‘The Fathers, who earnestly recom- mended the frequent participation of this Sacrament, may be adduced as additional authority to enforce the necessity of fre- quent communion; and the words, * thou sinnest daily, receive daily,’’ convey the sentiments not alone of St. Augustine, but of all the Fathers who have written on the subject.?

That there was a time when the faithful approached the Holy Communion every day, we learn from the Acts of the Apostles All who then professed the faith of Christ, burned with such pure and ardent charity, that devoting themselves, as they did unceasingly, to prayer and other works of piety,’ they were found prepared to communicate daily. ‘This devout practice, which seems to have been interrupted for a time, was again partially revived by Pope Anacletus, a most holy martyr, whe commanded, that all the ministers who assisted at the holy sa- crifice, should communicate, an ordinance, as the Pontiff declares, of Apostolic institution. It was also for a long time the prae- tice of the Church. that, as soon as the sacrifice was ended, the priest, turning to the congregation, invited the faithful to the holy table in these words: ‘* Come, brethren, and receive the communion ;”’ and those who were prepared, advanced to re ceive the holy: mysteries with hearts animated by the most fer. vent devotion.®> But subsequently, when charity and devotion declined amongst Christians, and the faithful very seldom ap- proached the holy communion, it was decreed by Pope Fabian, that all should communicate thrice every year, at Christmas, at Easter, and at Pentecost, a decree which was afterwards con- firmed by many Councils, particularly by the first of Agath.® Such, at length, was the decay of piety, that not only was tis holy and salutary practice unobserved, but communion was de- ferred for years. ‘Che Council of iaterane therefore, decreed - that all the faithful should communicate, at least, once a year, at Easter, and that the omission should be chastised by exclu-

' Exod. xvi. 21, 22.

2 Ad frequentem communionem hortantur Augustin. de verbis Domini serm, 28. sed hic sermo cum non sit August. sed Ambr. lib. 5. de sacram ¢. 4. rejectus est in appendicem tomi 10. item vide eundem Aug. Epist. 118. c. 3. item, Ignat. ad Ephes. satis ante finem. Basil. Epist. ad Cesar. patr. Ambr. lib. 3. de saer. ec. 4. Chrysost. hom. 61. ad pop. Antioch. Cypr. de Ora. Dominica ad hee verba, panem nostram quot Hieron. Epist. 28, ad Lucin. vers. finem. Cyril. c. 3. in Joan. c. 37. vide etiam de consecr. dist. 2. per multa capita hae de re.

3 Acts il. 42. 46. 4 De consee. dist. 2, e. 10.

5 De quotidiana communione vide Dionys. de Eccles. Hierarch. c. 3, parte 2 Hieron. Epist. 28, ad Lucin. Greg. lib. 2, dialog. c. 23. Item vide lib. de Ecc] dog mat. c, 93, et citatur de consec. dist. 2, e. 13.

6 Fab. decret. habes de cons. dist. 2. ¢, 16. et ib. citatur Concil. Agathense ec. 18 ce. seculares.

On the Sacrament of the Eucnarist.

sion from the society of the faithful.t But although this law, sanctioned, as it is, by the authority of God and of his Church, regards all the faithful, the pastor, however, will teach that it does not extend to persons who have not arrived at the years of discretion, because they are incapable of discerning the Holy Eucharist from common food, and cannot bring with them to this Sacrament, the piety and devotion which it demands. ‘To extend the precept to them would appear inconsistent with the institution of this Sacrament by our Lord: ‘'Take,’’ says he, **and eat,’’? words which cannot apply to infants, who are evi- dently incapable of taking and eating. In some places, it is true, an ancient practice prevailed of giving the Holy Eucharist even to infants ;° but, for the reasons already assigned, and for other reasons most consonant to Christian piety, this practice has been long discontinued by authority of the same Church. With regard to the age at which children should be admitted to communion, this the parents and confessor can best determine : to them it belongs to ascertain whether the children have ae- quired a competent knowledge of this admirable Sacrament, and desire to taste this bread of angels.

From persons labouring under actual insanity the Sacrament should also be withheld. However, according to the decree of the Council of Carthage, it may be administered to them at the close of life, provided they had evinced, previously to their in- sanity, a sincerely pious desire of being admitted to its partici- pation, and if no danger arising from the state of the stomach or other inconvenience or indignity, is to be apprehended.*

As to the rite to be observed in the administration of this Sa- crament, the pastor will teach that the law of the Church inter- dicts its administration under both kinds to any but to the offi- ciating priest, unless by special permission of the Church. Christ, it is true, as has been explained by the Council of Trent,° instituted and administered to his Apostles, at his last supper, this great Sacrament under both kinds; but it does not follow of necessity, that by doing so he established a law ren- dering its administration to the faithful under both species impe- rative. Speaking of this sacrament he himself frequently men- tions it under one kind only: * If,’ says he, ‘‘ any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world,” and, ‘* He that eateth this bread shall live for ever.’"® ‘The Church, no doubt, was influ- enced by numerous and cogent reasons, not only to approve but confirm by solemn decree, the general practice of communica- ting under one species. in the first place, the greatest caution

' Citat, lib. 5. deer. tit. de pen. et remiss. c. omnes utriusque sexus. rd

2 Matt. xxvi. 26. 3 Cypr. de Lapsis post med. 4 Conc. Cath. 4. 76.

5 Sess. 21. decem. sub utraque specie can. 1. 2. 3.

§ John vi. 52. 59. Unius tantum speciei usum sufficere ad perfectam commu monem colliges ex Tertull. lib. 2. ad uxorem. Cypr. de Lapsis. Orig. hom. 13. in Ex od. Basil. epist. ad Ceesar. patr. Aug. ep. 86. Hier. in Apol. ad Pammach. Chrysos*. hom. 41. operis imperf. in Matth.

LZ

To whom the obliga- tion of thi law ex tends.

The Eu- charist an- ciently given loin fants.

When to be given, when not to be givex to Insane persons.

To be re ceived un der both kinds by the officia ting p” est only, «dl why

172

IV

Priests alone, the ministers of the Eu- charist

The laity prohibited to touch the sacred vessels,

Efficacy of

the Eucha- Fist not af- fected by

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

was necessary to avoid accident or indignity, which must be- come almost inevitable, if the chalice were administered in a crowded assemblage. In the next place, the Holy Eucharist should be at all times in readiness for the sick, and if the spe- cies of wine remained long unconsumed, it were to be appre- hended that it may become vapid. Besides, there are many who cannot bear the taste or smell of wine; lest, therefore, what is intended for the nutriment of the soul should prove nox- ious to the health of the body, the Church, in her wisdom, has sanctioned its administration under the species of bread alone. We may also observe that in many places wine is extremely scarce, nor can it be brought from distant countries without in- curring very heavy expense, and encountering very tedious and difficult journeys. Finally, a circumstance which principally influenced the Church in establishing this practice, means were to be devised to crush the heresy which denied that Christ, whole and entire, is contained under either species, and asserted that the body is contained under the species of bread without the blood, and the blood under the species of wine without the body. This object was attained by communion under the spe- cies of bread alone, which places, as it were, sensibly before our eyes, the truth of the Catholic faith. ‘Those who have writ- ten expressly on this subject, will, if it appear necessary, fur- nish the pastor with additional reasons for the practice of the Catholic Church in the administration of the Holy Eucharist.

To omit nothing doctrinal on so important a subject, we now come to speak of the minister of the sacrament, a point, how- ever, on which scarcely any one is ignorant. ‘The pastor then will teach, that to priests alone has been given power to con- secrate and administer the Holy Eucharist. ‘That the unvary- ing practice of the Church has also been, that the faithful re- ceive the Sacrament from the hand of the priest, and that the priest communicate himself, has been explained by the Council of Trent;’’? and the same holy Council has shown that this practice is always to be scrupulously adhered to, stamped, as it is, with the authoritative impress of Apostolic tradition, and sanctioned by the illustrious example of our Lord himself, who, with his own hands, consecrated and gave to his disciples, his most sacred body.?

To consult as much as possible, for the dignity of this so au- gust a Sacrament, not only is its administration confined exelu- sively to the priestly order, but the Church has also, by an ex- press law, prohibited any but those who are consecrated to re- Jigion, unless in ease of necessity, to touch the sacred vessels, the linen, or other immediate necessaries for consecration. Priests and people may hence learn what piety and holiness they should possess who consecrate, administer, or receive the Holy of Holies. The Eucharist, however, as was observed with regard to the other Sacraments, whether administered by

Sess. 13, c. 10. 2 Matt, xxvi. 26. Mait. xiv. 23

On the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

noly or unholy hands, is equally valid. It is of faith that the efficacy of the Sacraments does not depend on ‘he merit of the minister, but on the virtue and power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

With regard to the Eucharist as a Sacrament, these are the principal points which demanded explanation. Its nature as a sacrifice we now come to explain, that pastors may know what are the principal instructions to be communicated to the faithful regarding this mystery, on Sundays and holidays, in compli- ance with the decree of the Council of ‘Trent. Not only is this Sacrament a treasure of heavenly riches, which if we turn to good account will purchase for us the favour and friendship of heaven ; but it also possesses the peculiar and extraordinary value, that in it we are enabled to make some suitable return to tod for the inestimable benefits bestowed on us by his bounty. Ii duly and legitimately offered, this victim is most grateful and most acceptable to God. If the sacrifices of the old law, of which it is written: ‘‘ Sacrifices and oblations thou wouldst not:’? and also, “If thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would, in- deed, have given it: with burnt-offering thou wilt not be de- lighted,’’? were so acceptable in his sight that, as the Scripture testifies, from them *‘ he smelt a sweet savour,’’* that is to say, they were grateful and acceptable to him; what have we not to hope from the efficacy of a sacrifice in which is immolated and offered no less a victim than he, of whom a voice from heaven twice proclaimed: ‘*'This is my beloved Son, in whom Tam well pleased.”> ‘This mystery, therefore, the pastor will carefully explain to the people, that when assembled at its cele- bration, they may learn to make it the subject of attentive and devout meditation.

He will teach, in the first place, that the Eucharist was insti- tuted by our Lord for two great purposes, to be the celestial food of the soul, preserving and supporting spiritual life, and to give to the Church a perpetual sacrifice, by which sin may be expiated, and our heavenly Father, whom our crimes have often grievously offended, may be turned from wrath to mercy, from the severity of just vengeance to the exercise of benignant clemency. Of this the pascha! lamb, which was offered and eaten by the Israelites as a sacrament and sacrifice, was a lively figure.® Nor could our divine Lord, when about to offer him- self to his eternal Father on the altar of the cross, have given a more illustrious proof of his unbounded love for us, than by bequeathing to us a visible sacrifice, by which the bloody sa- erifice, which, a little after, was to be offered once on the cross was to be renewed, and its memory celebrated daily throughout the universal Church even to the consummation of time, to the great advantage of her children.

The difference between the Eucharist as a sacrament and racrifice is very great, and is two-fold: as a sacrament it is per-

Sess. 22. princip. 8 2 Ps. xxxix. 7. Ps. 1. 18. 4Gen viii. 21. > Matt. iii. 17 6 Deut. 16.

15*

17a

the merit or demer't of the mi mister. The Su- charist a sacrifice

Instituted for two great ends

Reflection

The diffe rence be- tween the

i74

Eucharist as a sacra- ment and sacrifice, two-fold.

This sacri- fice when, and by whom in- stituted.

Sacrifice due to God

alone

Figures and pro- vhecies of this sacri fice.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

fected by consecration, as a sacrifice all its efficacy consista is its oblation. When deposited in a tabernacle. or borne to the sick, it is, therefore, a sacrament, not a sacrifice. As a sacra- ment, it is also to the worthy receiver a source of merit, and brings with it all those advantages which we have already men- tioned ; as a sacrifice it is not only a source of merit, but also of satisfaction. As, in his passion, our Lord merited and satis- fied for us, so in the oblation of this sacrifice, which is a bond of Christian unity, Christians merit the fruit of his passion, and satisfy for sin.

With regard to the institution of this sacrifice, the Council of Trent has obviated all doubt on the subject, by declaring that it was instituted by our Lord at his last supper, whilst it de- nounces anathema against all who assert that in it is not offered to God a true and proper sacrifice ; or that to offer means no- thing more than that Christ gives himself to be our spiritual food.*| That sacrifice is due to God alone, the holy Council also states in the clearest terms.2 The solemn sacrifice of the Mass is, it is true, sometimes offered to honour the memory of the Saints; but it is never offered to them, but to Him alone who has crowned them with unfading glory. Never does the officiating minister say: ‘I offer sacrifice to thee, Peter, or to thee, Paul ;’’ but whilst he offers sacrifice to God alone, he ren- ders him thanks for the signal victories won by the martyrs, and implores their patronage, ‘‘ that they whose memory we cele- brate on earth, may vouchsafe to intercede for us in heaven.’ The doctrine of the Catholic Church with regard to this saeri- fice, she received from our Lord, when at his last supper, com- mitting to his Apostles the sacred mysteries, he said: ‘ This do, for a commemoration of me.’’* He then, as the holy Sy- nod has defined, ordained them priests, and commanded them and their successors in the ministry, to immolate and offer in sacrifice his precious body and blood.* Of this the words of the Apostle to the Corinthians also afford sufficient evidence : “‘ You cannot,”? says he, ‘drink the chalice of the Lord, and the chalice of devils : you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord, and of the table of devils.”’® As then, by the ** table of devils,”” we understand the altar upon which saerifice was offered to them; so by ‘“‘the table of the Lord,’’ to bring the words of the Apostle to an apposite conclusion, shou!d be un- derstood the altar on which sacrifice was offered to the Lord.

Should we look for figures and prophecies of this sacrifice in the Old Testament, we find, in the first place, that its insti tution was clearly foretold by Malachy in these words: ** From the rising of the svn, even to the going down thereof, my name

' Vid. Trid. de Sacrif. Missee c. 1. 3. Dionys. lib. 17,de Eccles. c. 3. Ignat. epixt ad Smyrn. Tert. lib. de Orat. Iren, lib. 4. c. 32. Aug. lib. 10. de Civit. Dei, e. 10. et fib. 17. c. 20. et bb. 18. ¢. 35. et lib. 10. c. 13. et lib. 22. c. 8. et alibi passim. Vide etiam. Sess. 22. te sacrific. Miss, c. 1. et can. 1 and 2.

2 Trid. Synod. sess. 21. c. 3. 3 Aug. contra Faust. lib, 20.¢.21

4 Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24. 5 Conc. Trid. sess. 22. ¢. 1 « i Cor. x. 21.

In the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacri- fice, snd there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.’ This saving victim was also foretold, as well before as after the promutgation of the Mosaic law, by a variety of sacrifices; for this aloue, as the perfection and completion of all, comprises all the advantages which were typified by the other sacrifices. In none of whe sacrifices of the old law, however, do we discover a more Jively image of the Eucharistic sacrifice than in that of Melchisedeen.? Our Lord himself, at his last Supper, offered to his Eternal father his precious body and blood under the appearances of vread and wine, at the same time declaring nimself, ‘‘ a priest tor ever according to the order of Melchise- dech.”*

We, therefore, wonfess that the sacrifice of the Mass is one and the samme sacrifice with that of the cross: the victim is one and the sume, Christ Jesus, who offered himself, once only, a bloody sacrifice on the altar of the cross. The bloody and un- bloody +tctim is still one and the same, and the oblation of the cross v. daily renewed in the eucharistic sacrifice, in obedience to the ecruamand of our Lord: ‘* This do, for a commemoration of me.”* ‘The priest is aiso the same, Christ our Lord: the m_nisters who offer this sacrifice, consecrate the holy mysteries not in their own but in the person of Christ. ‘This the words of consecration declare: the pitest does not say: ‘* This‘is the body of Christ,”’ but, ** This is my body ;” and thus invested with the character of Christ, he changes the substance of the bread and wine into the substance of his real body and blood.’ ‘That the holy sacrifice of the Mass, therefore, is not only a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, or a commemoration of the sacrifice of the cross ; but also a sacrifice of propitiation, by which God is ap- peased and rendered propitious, the pastor will teach as a dogma defined by the unerring authority of a general Council of the Church.® If, therefore, with pure hearts and a lively faith, and with a sincere sorrow for past transgressions, we immolate and offer in sacrifice this most holy victim, we shall, no doubt, re- ceive from the Lord ‘‘ merey and grace in seasonable aid.’’? So acceptable to God is the sweet odour of this sacrifice, that through its oblation he pardons our sins, bestowing on us the gifts of grace and of repentance. This is the solemn prayer of the Church: as often as the commemoration of this victim is celebrated, so often is the work of our salvation promoted, and the plenteous fruits of that bloody victim flow in upon us abundantly, through this unbloody sacrifice.

The pastor will also teach, thst such is the eflic-cy of this

acrifice, that its benefits extend not only to the celebrant and

{ Malach. 1. 11. 2 Gen. xiv. 18. 3Heb. vii. 17. P's. crx. 4.

4 Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24. ‘

5 Chrys. hom. 2. in 2. ad Timoth. et hom. de prod. Jude. Ambr. lib. 4. de Se cram. c. 4. 6 Trident sess. 22. de sacri£f Misse, ¢. 2. et can. 3.

7 Hebr. iv 16.

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The sacr- fice of the Mass the same with that of the cross.

The Mass, a sacrifice of praise, thanks- giving, and propitia- tion.

Availahe to the liv:

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ing aud the dead.

Common to all the faithful.

Its rites and ceremo- nies.

Necessity of the sa- erament of Penance.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

communicant, but also to all the faithful whether living or nums bered amongst those who have died in the Lord, but whose sins have not yet been fully expiated. According to apostolic tra- dition the most authentic, it is not less available when offered for them than when offered in atonement for the sins, in alle- viation of the punishments, the satisfactions, the calamities, or for the relief of the necessities, of the living.t It is hence easy to perceive, that the mass, whenever and wherever offered, be- cause conducive to the common interests and salvation of all, is to be considered common to all the faithful.

This great sacrifice is celebrated with many solemn rites and ceremonies: of these rites and ceremonies let none be deemed useless or superfluous: all on the contrary tend to display the majesty of this august sacrifice, and to excite the faithful, by the celebration of these saving mysteries, to the contemplation of the divine things which lie concealed in the eucharistic sacrifice. On these rites and ceremonies we shall not enter at large: they require a more lengthened exposition than is compatible with the nature of the present work; and the pastor has it in his power te consult on the subject, a variety of treatises composed by men eminent alike for piety and learning. What has been said will, with the divine assistance, be found sufficient to ex- plain the principal things which regard the Holy Eucharist both as a sacrament and sacrifice.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE.

As the frailty and weakness of human nature are universally known and felt, no one can be ignorant of the paramount ne- cessity of the Sacrament of Penance. If, therefore, in the ex- position of the different matters of instruction, we are to mea- sure the assiduity of the pastor by the weight and importance of the subject, we must come to the conclusion that, in ex pounding this Sacrament, he can never be sufficiently assiduous. {ts exposition demands an accuracy superior to that of baptism. Baptism is administered but once, and cannot be repeated ; penance may be administered and becomes necessary, as often as we may have sinned after baptism, according to the defini- tion of the Fathers of ‘Trent. ‘* For those who fall into sin after baptism,”’ say they, ‘‘ the sacrament of penance is as ne- cessary to salvation, as is baptism for those who have not been already baptized.” On this subject the words of St. Je- rome, which say, that penance is ‘a second plank,’ are uni- versally known, and highly commended by all who have written

1 rid. Synod. sess. 22. cap. 206. 2Sess 6 de Just. cap. 14. et Sess. 14. de pcenit. cap. 3. in 3 cap. 3 Hieron. ad he verba, Ruit Hierusalem, et epistola 8.

On the Sacrament of Penance.

on this Sacrament. As he who suffers shipwreck has no hope of safety, unless, perchance, he seize on some plank from the wreck; so he that suffers the shipwreck of baptismal innocence, unless he cling to the saving plank of penance, may abandon all hope of salvation. ‘These instructions, however, are intended not only for the benefit of the pastor, but also for that of the faithful at large, whose attention they may awaken, lest they be found culpably negligent in a matter of all others the most important. Umpressed with a just sense of the frailty of human nature, their first and most earnest desire should be, to advance, with the divine assistance, in the ways of God, flying sin of every sort. But should they, at any time, prove so unfortunate as to fall, then, looking at the infinite goodness of God, who like the good shepherd binds up and heals the wounds of his sheep, they should have immediate recourse to the sacrament of penance, that by its salutary and medicinal efficacy their wounds may be healed.?

But to enter more immediately on the subject, and to avoid all error to which the ambiguity of the word may give rise, its different meanings are first to be explained. By penance some understand satisfaction; whilst others, who wander far from the doctrine of the Catholic faith, supposing penance to have no reference to the past, define it to be nothing more than newness of life. ‘The pastor, therefore, will teach that the word (peni- tentia) has a variety of meanings. In the first place, it is used to express a change of mind; as when, without taking into ac- count 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.’’? In the second place, it is used to express that sorrow which the sinner conceives for sin, not however for sake of God, but for his own sake. A third meaning is when we experience interior sorrow of heart, or give exterior indication of such sor- row, not only on account of the sins which we have committed, but also for sake of God alone whom they offend. To all these sorts of sorrow the word (penitentia) properly applies.

When the Sacred Scriptures say that God repented,’ the ex- pression is evidently figurative: when we repent of any thing, we are anxious to change it; and thus, when God is said to

'! Ezech. xxxiy. 16. De Poenitentia e patribus antiquis scripserunt Tertul. librum unum. Cypr. epistoias plures et unui lib. de Lapsis, Pacianus lib. unum et duas epistolas ad Symproniam, ac de poenit. et confession. seu paran. ad peenit. Ambros. libros duos peenit. Chrysost. Homilias 10. et sermon. de pcenit. Ephrem. lib. et ser- mon. de peenit. Fulgentius lib. 2. de remission. peccatorum ad Euthymium, et sess. 14. de peenit. cap. 3. Greg. Nyssenus orationem de poenit. Basil. homil. unam qué est postrema variarum, Augustin. denique lib. unum de vera et falsa poeni- tentia, et librum insignem de peenitenti medicina. His adde Marcum Eremitam cujus extat de peenitent. liber unus, sed caute legendus: de eo vide Bellarmin. de Seript. Eccles. Qui non habet Patres supra citatos, videat in Decreta Gratiani de penitent. 7. distinctiones.

2 2 Cor. vii. 10, 3Gen. vi.6.- 1 Kings xv.11. Ps.ev. 45. Jer. xxvi 3

ITT

Different meanings of the word penance.

If].

In what sense Go is said to repent

Meaning of nance ere

Pe:>-2e as e~- ale.

Supjses faith.

Proved to be a virtue. 1.

Ul.

The Catechism of the Counci! of Trent.

change any thing, the Scriptures, accommodating their language to our ideas, say that he repents. Thus we read that ‘it re- pented him that he had made man,’’* and also that it repented him to have made Saul king.”

But an important distinction is to be made between these dif- ferent significations of the word: to repent, in its first meaning, argues imperfection—in its second, the agitation of a disturbed mind—in the third, penance is a virtue and a sacrament, the sense in which it is here used.

We shall first treat of penance as a virtue, not only because it is the bounden duty of the pastor to form the faithful, with whose instruction he is charged, to the practice of every virtue ; but also, because the acts which proceed from penance as a vir- tue, constitute the matter, as it were, of penance as a sacrament; and if ignorant of it in this latter sense, impossible not to be ignorant also of its efficacy as a sacrament. ‘The faithful, there- fore, are first to be admonished and exhorted to labour strenu- ously to attain this interior penance of the heart, which we call a virtue, and without which exterior penance can avail them very little.s ‘This virtue consists in turning to God sincerely and from the heart, and in hating and detesting our past trans- gressions, with a firm resolution of amendment of life, hoping to obtain pardon through the mercy of God. It is accompanied with a sincere sorrow, which is an agitation and affection of the mind, and is called by many a passion, and if accompanied with detestation, is, as it were, the companion of sin. It must, how- ever, be preceded by faith, for without faith no man can turn te God. Faith, therefore, cannot on any account be called a part of penance.* ‘That this inward affection of the soul is, as we have already said, a virtue, the various precepts which enforce its necessity prove; for precepts regerd those actions only, the performance of which implies virtue. Besides, to experience a sense of sorrow at the time, in the manner, and to the extent which are consonant to reason and religion, is no doubt an ex- ercise of virtue: and this sorrow is regulated by the virtue ot penance. Some conceive a sorrow which bears no proportion to the enormity of their crimes: ‘“ There are some,’ says So- lomon, ‘who are glad when they have done evil;’’® whilst others, on the contrary, consign themselves to such morbid melancholy and to such a deluge of grief, as utterly to abandon all hope of salvation. Such perhaps was the condition of Cain when he exelaimed: ‘* My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon :’’® such certainly was the condition of Judas, who, ‘* repenting,”” hanged himself in despair, and thus sacri- ficed soul and body.? Penance, therefore, considered as a

! Gen. vi. 6. 21 Kings xv. 11.

3 Vide Amb. in sermone de pcen. et citatur. de pcenit. dist. 3. cap. poenitentia. Aug. lib. de vera et falsa poen. c. 8. et habetur de peen. 3. c. 4. Greg. hom. 34 in fevang. et lib. 9. Kegist. Epist. 39.

4 Trid. Sess. 14. de peen. ¢. 3, can. 4.

5 Prov. ii. 14. § Gen. 1v. 13. 1 Matt. xxvii. 3.

en

On the Sacrament of Penance.

virtue, assists us in restraining within the bounds of moderation our sense of sorrow.

That penance is a virtue may also be inferred from the ends which the penitent proposes to himself. ‘Ihe first is to destroy sin and efface from the soul its every spot and stain; the se- cond, to make satisfaction to God for the sins which he has committed, and this is an act of justice towards God. Be- tween God and man, it is true, no relation of strict justice can exist, so great is the distance between the Creator and the creature ; yet between both there is evidently a sort of justice, such as exists between a father and his children, be- tween a master and his servants. ‘The third end is, to rein- state himself in the favour and friendship of God whom he has offended, and whose hatred he has earned by the turpitude of sin. ‘That penance is a virtue, these three ends which the penitent proposes to himself, sufficiently prove.

We must also point out the steps, by which we may ascend to this divine virtue. ‘The mercy of God first prevents us and converts our hearts to him; this was the object of the pro- phet’s prayer: ‘Convert us, O Lord! and we shall be con- verted.”’*—I]lumined by this celestial light the soul next tends to God by faith: ‘* He that cometh to God,” says the Apostle, ‘must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek nm.’? A salutary fear of God’s judgments follows, and the soul, sontemplating the punishments that await sin, is recalled from the paths of vice: ‘*As a woman with child,’ says Isaias, ‘when she draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so are we become in thy presence, O Lord !’’’—We are also animated with a hope of obtaining mercy from God, and cheered by this hope we resolve on a ehange of life.—Lastly, our hearts are inflamed by charity ; and aence we conceive that filial fear which a dutiful and ingenuous thild experiences towards a parent. ‘Thus, dreading only to offend the majesty of God in any thing, we entirely abandon the ways of sin. ‘These are, as it were, the steps by which we ascend to this most exalted virtue, a virtue altogether heavenly ind divine, to which the Sacred Scriptures promise the inheri- tance of heaven: ‘* Do penance,’’ says the Redeemer, *‘ for the kingdom of heaven is at hand:’’* ‘If’? says the prophet Eze- kiel, ‘‘ the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die:’’® ‘I desire aot, saith the Lord, the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live ;’’® words which are evidently un- derstood of eternal life.

With regard to external penance, the pastor will teach that it is that which constitutes the sacrament of penance: it consists of certain sensible things significant of that which passes inte-

1 Jerem, xxx. 18, 2 Heb. xi. 6. 3 Tsa. xxvi, 17. 4 Matt. iv. 17 5 Ezek. xviii. 21. ® Ezek. xxxiii. 11.

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The de- grees by which we attain this virtue.

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Penance a a sacra- crament,

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Why insti tuted by our tart.

Penance roved to @ a sacra-

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent

riorly in the soul; and the faithful are to be informed, in the first place, why the Redeemer was pleased to give it a place among the Sacraments. His object was, no doubt, to remove, in a great measure, all uncertainty as to the pardon of sin pre- mised by our Lord when he said: ‘If the wicked do penance for all his sins, which he hath committed, and keep all my com- mandments, and do judgment and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die.””* Pronouncing upon his own actions, every man has reason to question the accuracy of his own judgment, and hence, on the sincerity of interior penance the mind must be held in anxious suspense. ‘lo calm this our solicitude, the Redeemer instituted the sacrament of penance, in which we cherish a well founded hope, that our sins are forgiven us by the absolution of the priest, and the faith which we justly have in the efficacy of the Sacraments, has much influence in tran- quillizing the troubled conscience and giving peace to the soul. The voice of the priest, who is legitimately constituted a minis- ter for the remission of sins, is to be heard as that of Christ himself, who said to the lame man: ‘*Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee.’’?

Moreover, as salvation is unattainable but through Christ and the merits of his passion, the institution of this sacrament was in itself accordant to the views of divine wisdom, and pregnant with blessings to the Christian. Penance is the crzmel through which the blood of Christ flows into the soul, wasnes away the stains contracted after baptism, and calls forth from us the grateful acknowledgment, that to the Saviour alone we are in- debted for the blessing of a reconciliation with God.

That penance is a sacrament the pastor will not find it diffi- cult to establish: baptism is a sacrament because it washes away all, particularly original sin: penance also washes away all sins of thought or deed committed after baptism; on the same principle, therefore, penance is a sacrament. Again, and the argument is conclusive, a sacrament is the sign of a sacred thing, and what is done externally, by the priest and penitent, is a sign of what takes place, internally, in the soul: the peni- tent unequivocally expresses, by words and actions, that he has turned away from sin: the priest, too, by words and actions, gives us easily to understand, that the mercy of God is exer- cised in the remission of sin: this is, also, clearly evinced by these words of the Saviour: ‘I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever sins you loose on earth, shall be loosed, also, in heaven.’’* ‘The absolution of the priest, which is expressed in words, seals, therefore, the remission of sins, which it accomplishes in the soul, and thus is penance in- vested with all the necessary conditions of a sacrament, and is, therefore, truly a sacrament.

That penance is not only to be numbered amongst the sacra-

- Ezek. xviii. 21.

2 Matt. ix. 2. Vid. Cone. Trid. sess. xiv c. 1.1m noc. 1. Epist. 91 inter epist Aug + Matt xvi 19

On the Sacransnt of Penance

ments, but aso amongst the sacraments that may be repeated, the faithful are next to be taught. ‘I’o Peter, asking if sin may be forgiven seven tim2s, our Lord replies: ‘1 say, not seven times, but seventy times seven.” Whenever, therefore, the mi- nistry of the priest is to be exercised towards those who seem to diffide in the infinite goodness and mercy of God, the zealous pastor will seek to inspire them with confidence, and to reani- mate their hopes of obtaining the grace of God. ‘This he will find it easy to accomplish by expounding the preceding words of or Lord, by adducing other texts of the same import, which are to be found numerously scattered throughout the Sacred Volume; and by adopting those reasons and arguments which are supplied by St. Chrysostome in his book * on the fallen,” and by St. Ambrose in his treatise on penance.”

As, then, amongst the sacraments there is none on which the faithful should be better informed, they are to be taught, that it differs from the other sacraments in this: the matter of the other sacraments is some production of nature or art; but the acts of the penitent, contrition, confession, and satisfaction, constitute, as has been defined by the Council of ‘Trent, the matter as it were (quasi materia) of the sacrament of penance. ‘They are called parts of penance, because required in the penitent, by di- Vine institution for the integrity of the Sacrament and the full and entire remission of sin. When the holy synod says, that they are ‘‘the matter as it were,”’ it is not because they are not the real matter, but because they are not, like water in baptism and chrism in confirmation, matter that may be applied exter- nally. With regard to the opinion of some, who hold that the sins themselves constitute the matter of this sacrament, if well weighed, it will not be found to differ from what has been al- ready laid down: we say that wood which is consumed by fire, is the matter of fire; and sins which are destroyed by penance, may also be called, with propriety, the matter of penance.

The form, also, because well calculated to excite the faithful, to receive with fervent devotion the grace of this sacrament, the pastor will not omit to explain. ‘The words that compose the form are: ‘*I aBsoLVE THEE,’’ as may be inferred not only from these words of the Redeemer: ‘* Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven ;’’* but also from the same doctrine of Jesus Christ, as recorded by the Apostles. That this is the perfect form of the sacrament of penance, the very nature of the form of a sacrament proves. ‘The form of 4 sacrament signifies what the sacrament accomplishes: these words “‘T absolve thee” signify the accomplishment of absolution from ain through the instrumentality of this sacrament; they there- fore constitute its form. Sins are, as it were, the chains by

2 Chrys. a5 ib. de | habetur de peenit. dist. 3. ¢ talis. Amb. de . 5. lib. de laps. repar. et habetur de poenit. dist. J. ¢ talis. Am peenit. lib, 1. c, 1. et 2. vid. et Aug. lib. de vera et falsa poenit. c. 5. citatur de pw nit. dist. c. 3. adhue instant. 4 3 Sess. 24. de poenit. c. 3 et ean 4 4 Matt. xviii. 18

16

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The sacra- ment of pe nance may be repeat- ed.

[ts matter

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Why ac- eorpanied with pray- ers.

Reflection

The rites to be ob- served in receiving this sacra- ment.

Its advan- tages.

Lhe Catechism of the Council of Trent.

which the soul is fettered, and from the bondage af which it 1s “loosed” by the sacrament of penance. ‘This form is not less true, when pronounced by the priest over him, who by meaas of perfect contrition, has already obtained the pardon of his sins. Perfect contrition, it is true, reconciles the sinner to God, but his justification is not to be ascribed to perfect contrition alone, independently of the desire which it includes of receiving the sacrament of penance. Many prayers accompany the form, not because they are deemed necessary, but in order to remove every obstacle, which the unworthiness of the penitent may op

pose to the efficacy of the sacrament. Let then the sinner pour. out his heart in fervent thanks to God, who has invested the ministers of his Church with such ample powers! Unlike the authority given to the priests of the Old Law, to declare the leper cleansed from his leprosy,’ the power with which the priests of the New Law are invested, is not simply to declare that sins are forgiven, but, as the ministers of God, really to absolve from sin; a power which God himself, the author and source of grace and justification, exercises through their mi- nistry.

The rites used in the administration ag this sacrament, also demand the serious attention of the faithful. They will enable them to form a more just estimate of the blessings which it be- stows, recollecting that as servants, they are reconciled to the best of masters, or rather, as children, to the tenderest of fa thers. ‘They will, also, serve to place in a clearer point of view, the duty of those who desire, and desire every one should, to evince their grateful recollection of so inestimable a favour. Humbled in spirit, the sincere penitent casts himself down at the feet of the priest, to testify, by this his humble demeanour, that he acknowledges the necessity of eradicating pride, the root of all those enormities which he now deplores. In the minister of God, who sits in the tribunal of penance as his legitimate judge, he venerates the power and person of our Lord Jesus Christ; for in the administration of this, as in that of the other sacraments, the priest represents the character and dis- charges the functions of Jesus Christ. Acknowledging him- self deserving of the severest chastisements, and imploring the pardon of his guilt, the penitent next proceeds to the confession of his sins. ‘To the antiquity of all these rites St. Denis bears the most authentic testimony.”

To the faithful, however, nothing will be found more advan- tageous, nothing better calculated to animate them to frequent the sacrament of penance with alacrity, than the frequent expo- sition of the inestimable advantages which it confers. ‘They will then see, that of penance it may be truly said: that * its root is bitter, but its fruit sweet.” The great efficacy of penance is, therefore, that it restores us to the favour of God, and anites

) Levit. xiii, 9. et xiv. 2. 2 In epist. ad Demoph. Vid et Tertul. lib. de poenit, ¢. 9

On the Sacrament of Penance.

us to him in the closest bonds of friendship.’ From this recon- ciliation with God, the devout soul, who approaches the sacra- ment with deep sentiments of piety and religion, sometimes ex- periences the greatest tranquillity and peace of conscience, a tranquillity and peace accompanied with the sweetest spiritual joy. ‘There is no sin, however grievous, no crime however enormous or however frequently repeated, which penance does not remit: ‘If,’ says the Almighty, by the mouth of his pro- phet, ‘the wicked do penance for all his sins, which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment and justice, living he shall live and shall not die; I will not re- member all his iniquities which he hath done.’’? ‘If,’ says St. John, ** we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins ;”’* and a little after he adds: ‘If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the just ; and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.’’* If, therefore, we read in the pages of inspiration, of some who earnestly implored the mercy of God, but implored it in vain, itis because theydid not repent sincerely and from their hearts.» When we also meet in the Sacred Seriptures and in the writings of the Fathers, pas- sages which seem to say, that some sins are irremissible, we are to understand such passages to mean, that it is very difficult to obtain the pardon of them. A disease may be said to be incurable, when the patient loathes the medicine that would ac- complish his eure; and, in the same sense, some sins may be said to be irremissible, when the sinner rejects the grace of God, the proper medicine of salvation. ‘To this effect St. Augustine says: ‘ When, after having arrived at a knowledge of God, through the grace of Jesus Christ, any one opposes ‘the fellow- ship of the faith, and maliciously resists the grace of Jesus Christ, so great is the enormity of his crime, that, although his guilty conscience obliges him to acknowledge and declare his guilt, he cannot submit to the humiliation of imploring par- don.’”6

To return to penance, to it belongs, in so special a manner, the efficacy of remitting actual guilt, that without its interven- tion we cannot obtain or even hope for pardon. It is written: ** Unless you do penance, you shall all perish.’’? ‘These words of our Lord are to be understood of grievous and deadly sins, although, as St. Augustine observes, venial sins also require some penance: “If,” says he, ‘* without penance, venial ‘sin could be remitted, the daily penance, performed for them by the Church, would be nugatory.’’s

But as, on matters which, in any degree, affect moral actions, it is not enough to convey instruction in general terms, the pas-

‘Cone. Trid. sess. 14. can. 3, &e. 1. de owas 2 Ezek. xviii. 21 22

31 John i. 9. 41 John ii. 5 2 Mach. ix. 13.

6 Lib. 1. de sermon. Domini in monte, c. "42. ev-44. et retract. lib. c. 8,19 Aug verm. 1. de verbis Domini, et epist. 50. ad Bonif. 7D uke xiii. 3. 5.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

tor will be careful to expound, severally, all those particulars which may give the faithful a knowledge of that penance, which is unto salvation. ‘Fo this sacrament, then, it is peculiar that, besides matter and form, which are common to all the sacra- ments, it has, also, as we said before, what are called integral parts of penance, and these integral parts are contrition, con- fession, and satisfaction. ‘* Penance,’’ says St. Chrysosteme, ‘‘induces the sinner cheerfully to undergo every rigour; his heart is pierced with contrition; his lips utter the confession of his guilt; and his actions breathe humility, and are accepted by God as a satisfaction.”? ‘These component parts of penance are such as we say are necessary to constitute a whole. ‘The human form, for instance, is composed of many members, of hands, of feet, of eyes, &c. of which, if any are wanting, man is justly deemed imperfect, and if not, perfect. Analogous to this, penance consists of the three parts which we have already enu- merated; and although, as far as regards the nature of penance, contrition and confession are sufficient for justification, yet, if unaccompanied with satisfaction, something is still wanting to its integrity. So connected then are these parts one with the other, that contrition and a disposition to satisfaction precede confession, and contrition and confession precede satisfaction. Why these are integral parts of penance may be thus explained —We sin against God by thought, word, and deed: when re- curring to the power of the keys, we should, therefore, endea- vour to appease his wrath, and obtain the pardon of our sins, by the very same means, by which we offended his supreme majesty. In further explanation we may also add, that penance is, as it were, a compensation for offences, which proceed from the free will of the person offending, and is appointed by the will of God, to whom the offence has been offered. On the part of the penitent, therefore, a willingness to make this com- pensation is required, and in this willingness chiefly consists contrition. ‘Che penitent must also submit himself to the judg- ment of the priest, who is the vicegerent of God, to enable him to award a punishment proportioned to his guilt; and, hence, aie clearly understood the nature and necessity of confession and satisfaction.

But as the faithful require instruction on the nature and effi- cacy of these parts of penance, we shall begin with contrition, a subject which demands to be explained with more than ordi- nary care; for as often as we call to mind our past transgres- sions, or offend God anew, so often should our hearts be pierced with contrition. By the Fathers of the Council of Trent, con- trition is defined: ‘* A sorrow and detestation of past sin, with a purpose of sinning no more.’’? Speaking of the motion of che will to contrition, the Council, a little after, adds: ‘ if joined with a confidence in the mercy of God, and an earnest desire

| Hom. 1]. que est de peenit. Vid. cone. Trid 14 de peenit, cap. 3. et can. 4. Iter cone. Flor. in doctrin. de Sacram. 2 Eai. sers. 14.

On the Sacrament of Penance

vf performing whatever is necessary to the proper reception of the Sacrament, it thus, at length, prepares us for the remission of sin.” From this definition, therefore, the faithful will per- ceive that contrition does not simply consist ir ceasing to sin, purposing to enter, or having actually entered, on a new life: it supposes, first of all, a hatred of sin, and a desire of atoning for past transgressions. ‘This, the cries of the holy Fathers of antiquity, w hich are poured out in the pages of inspiration, suf- ficiently prove:* ‘*I have laboured in my groaning ; * says Da- vid, “every night I will wash my bed ;”’ and again, ** "The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.’’? ‘I will recount to thee all my years,”’ says the prophet Isaias, ‘in the bitterness of my soul.”’> ‘These and many other expressions of the same im- port, were called forth by an intense hatred and a lively detes- tation of past transgressions.

But, although contrition is defined **a sorrow,” the faithful are not thence to conclude, that this sorrow consists in sensible feeling: contrition is an act of the will, and as St. Augustine observes, sorrow is not penance, but the accompaniment of pe- nance.* By ‘sorrow’ the Fathers of ‘Trent understood a hatred and detestation of sin; because, in this sense, the Sa- ered Scriptures frequently make use of the word: ‘* How long,”’ says David, ** shall I take counsels in my soul, sorrow in my heart all the day?’’> 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 pro- priety, therefore, is contrition defined a ‘* sorrow,’’ because 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; ‘* Wo to thee, Coro- zain; wo 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.’ ‘To signify the intensity of this sorrow, the ‘‘ detestation of sin,’ of w a we speak, is properly expressed by the word *‘ contrition,” word which, literally understood, means the breaking into small parts by means of some harder substance, 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 which is felt for 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 1s 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 system; so, the will

'Vid de peenit. dist. 1. c. et venit, et ibid. dist. c. totam. 2 Ps. vi. 7—9 $ Isa. xxxviii. 15. 4 Homil. 50. 5 Ps. xii. 2. © Matt xi. 2)

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is the faculty which governs and controls the other powers of the soul. By the holy Fathers it is also called ** compunction 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 poison 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, ‘with all your hearts in fasting, in weeping, in mourning, and rend your hearts.’’?

That for past transgressions the sinner should experience the deepest sorrow, a sorrow not to be exceeded, will easily appear from the following considerations. Perfect contrition is an act of charity, emanating from what is called filial fear: the mea- sure of contrition and charity should, therefore, it is obvious, be the same: but the charity which we cherish towards God,? is the most perfect love ; and, therefore, the sorrow which contri- tion inspires, should also be the most perfect. God is to be loved above all things ; and whatever separates us from God is, there fore, to be hated above all things. It is, also, worthy of ob- servation, that to charity and contrition the language of Serip- ture assigns the same extent: of charity it is said: * Thou shall hae the Lord thy God with thy zwhele heart :’’* of contri- trition: ** Be converted with thy w shole heart.””5 Besides, if it is true, that of all objects which solicit our love, God is the su- preme good, and no less true, that of all objects which deserve our execration sin is the supreme evil; the same principle which prompts us to confess that God is to be loved above all things, obliges us also of necessity to acknowledge that sin is to be hated nove all things. ‘hat God is to be loved ahove all things, so that we should be prepared to sacrifice our lives rather than offend him, these words of the Redeemer deelare : ‘He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me:’’® ** He that will save his life shall lose it.”"7_ As cha- rity, it is the observation of St. Bernard, recognises neither measure nor limit, or to use his own words, as ‘* the measure of loving God is to love him without measure,’’® so the measure of hating sin should be, to hate sin without measure. Besides, our contrition should be supreme not only in degree, but also in intensity, and thus perfect, excluding all apathy and indiffe- rence, according to these words of Deuteronomy: ‘* When thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him: yet so if thou seek him with all thy heart, and ali the affliction of thy soul ;’’9 and of the prophet Jeremiah: ‘thou shalt seek me and shalt find me, when thou shalt seek me with all thy heart; and J

' Chrysost. de compunct. cordis. Triden. de summo bono, lib. 2. ¢. 12.

2 Joel ii. 12. 3] John iv. 7. 4 Deut. vi. 5. 5 Joel ii. 12 6 Matt. x. 37. 7 Matt. xvi. 25, Mark vu. 365.

* Lib. de diligendo Deo circa med. 9 Deut. iv, 29.

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On the Sacrament of Penance.

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will be found by thee, saith the Lord. If, however, our con- trition be not perfect, it may, nevertheless, be true and efficacious ; for as things which fall under the senses frequently touch the heart moze sensibly than things purely spiritual, it will some- times happen that persons feel more intense sorrow for the death of their children, than for the grievousness of their sins. Our contrition may also be true and efficacious, although unac- companied with tears. ‘That sorrow for his sins bathe the of- fender in tears, is, however, much to be desired and com- mended. On this subject the words of St. Augustine are admi- rable: ‘* The spirit of Christian charity,”’ says he, * lives not within you, if you lament the body from which the soul has de- parted, but lament not the soul from which God has departed.’’” ‘lo the same effect are the words of the Redeemer above cited: ** Wo to thee, Corozain, wo to thee, Bethsaida, for if in ‘Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in thee, they had long since done penance, in sack- cioth and ashes.’’? Of this, however, we have abundant illus- tration in the well known examples of the Ninevites,* of David,° of the woman caught in adultery,® and of the Prince of the Apostles,” all of whom obtained the pardon of their sins, im- ploring the merey of God with abundance of tears.

The faithful are most earnestly to be exhorted to study to di- rect their contrition specially to each mortal sin into which they may have had the misfortune to fall: ‘* I will recount to thee,”’ says Isaias, ‘‘all my years in the bitterness of my soul :’’* as if he had said, «*I will count over all my sins severally, that my heart may be pierced with sorrow for them all.” In Eze- kiel, also, we read : “If the wicked do penance for all his sins, he shall live.”® In this spirit, St. Augustine says: ‘ Let the sinner consider the quality of his sins, as affected by time, place, variety, person.’’"° In the work of conversion, however, the sinner should not despair of the infinite goodness and mercy of God: he is most desirous of our salvation; and, therefore, refuses not to pardon, but embraces, with a father’s fondness, the prodigal child, the moment he returns to a sense of his duty, and is converted to the Lord, detesting his sins, which he will afterwards, if possible, recall, severally, to his recollection, and abhor from his inmost soul. ‘The Almighty himself, by the mouth of his prophet, commands us to hope, when he says: “The wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him, in what day soever he shall turn from his wickedness.’’"*

To convey a knowledge of the most important qualities of true contrition, what has been said will be found sufficiently comprehensive. In these the faithful are to be accurately in- structed, that each may know the means of attaining, and may have a fixed standard by which to determine how far he may be

lJer xxix. 33. 2 Ser. 41. de sanctis. 3 Matt. xi. 21.

4 Jongs ili. 6. 5 Ps. 6 and 50. 6 Luke vii, 37.48 51. 7 Luke xxii 62. 8 Isa. xxxviil. 15 9 Ezek. xviil. 21

Lib. de vera et Ziza relig. cap. 14 ‘l Ezek. xxxiiil. 12

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

removed from the perfection of this virtue. We must. then, in the first place, detest and deplore all our sins: if our sorrow and detestation extend only to some, our repentance cannot be sincere or salutary: ‘‘ Whosoever shall keep the whole law,” says St. James, ‘‘ but offend in one point, is become guilty of all.”* In the next place, our contrition must be accompanied with a desire of confessing and satisfying for our sins: dispo- sitions of which we shall treat in their proper place. ‘Thirdly, the penitent must form a fixed and firm purpose of amendment of life, according to these words of the prophet: ‘If the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed, and keep all my commandments, and do judgment and justice, living he shall live, and shall not die: I will not remember all his iniquities which he hath done;” and a little after; **Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities, and iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your trans- gressions, by which you have transgressed, and make your- selves a new heart.’’? ‘To the woman caught in adultery the Redeemer himself imparts the same lesson of instruction : “* Go thy way, and sin no more,’’? and also to the lame man whom he cured at the pool of Bethsaida: ‘* Behold, thou art made whole, sin no more.”’* ‘That a sorrow for sin, and a firm purpose of avoiding sin for the future, are indispensable to contrition, is the dictate of unassisted reason. He who would be reconciled to a friend, must regret to have injured or offended him; and the tone and tenor of his conduct must be such that the charge of violating the duties of friendship cannot, in future, justly attach to his character. ‘These are principles to which man is bound to yield obedience ; the law to which man is subject, be it natu- ral, divine, or human, he is bound to obey. If, therefore, by force or fraud, the penitent has injured his neighbour in his pro- perty, he is bound to restitution: if, by word or deed he has injured his honour or reputation, he is under an obligation of repairing the injury, according to the well known maxim of St. Augustine: ‘ the sin is not forgiven unless what has been taken away is restored.’’> In the fourth and last place, and the con dition is no less important, true contrition must be accompa- nied with forgiveness of the injuries which we may have sus- tained from others. ‘This our Lord emphatically declares and energetically inculcates, when he says: “If you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences; but if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.’ ‘These are the con- ditions which true contrition requires. There are other accom- paniments which, although not essential, contribute to render contrition more perfect in its kind, and which will reward, without fatiguing the industry of the pastor.

It will conduce in an eminent degree, tc the spiritual interests

{ James ii. 10. 2 Ezek. xviii. 21, 22. 3 John viii. 12 4 John v. 14. 5 Epist. v. 4. 6 Matt. vi. 14.

On the Sacrament of Penance.

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of the faithful, if the pastor press frequently upon their attention, ance of the eflicacy and importance of contrition. ‘To make known the ‘Mttition

truths of salvation should not be deemed a full discharge of the duty of the pastor: his zeal should be exerted to persuade them to the adoption of these truths as their rule of conduct through life, as the governing principle of all their actions. Other pious exercises, such as alms, fasting, prayer, and the like, in them- selves holy and commendable, are sometimes, through human infirmity, rejected by Almighty God ; but contrition can never be rejected by him, never prove unacceptable to him: ‘ A con- trite and humbled heart, O God!’ exclaims the prophet, “thou wilt not despise.” Nay more, the same prophet declares that, as soon as we have conceived this contrition in our hearts, our sins are forgiven: ‘I said, I will confess my injustice to the Lord, and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.’” Of this we have a figure in the ten lepers, who, when sent by our Lord to the priests, were cured of their leprosy, before they had reached them ;° to give us to understand, that such is the eflicacy of true contrition, of which we have spoken above, that through it we obtain from God the immediate pardon of our sins.

To excite the faithful to contrition, it will be found very sa- lutary if the pastor point out the spiritual exercises conducive to contrition. ‘This is to be accomplished by admonishing them, frequently to examine their consciences, in order to ascertain if they have been faithful in the observance of those things which God and his Church require ; and should any one be conscious of crime, he should immediately accuse himself, humbly solicit pardon from God, and implore time to confess, and satisfy for his sins. Above all, let him supplicate the aid of divine grace, by which he may be fortified against a relapse into those crimes, the commission of which he now penitently deplores. ‘The faith- ful are also to be excited to a hatred of sin, arising from the consideration of its baseness and turpitude, and of the evils and calamities of which it is the poisoned source, estranging us, as it does, from the ftiendship of God, to whom we are already indebted for so many invaluable blessings, and from whom we might have expected to receive gifts of still higher value, and consigning us to eternal death, to be the unhappy victims of the inost excruciating torments.

Having said thus much on contrition, we now come to con- fession, which is another part of penance. ‘The care and exact- ness which its exposition demands, must be at once obvious, if we only reflect, that whatever of piety, of holiness, of religion, has been preserved to our times in the Church of God, is, ir the general opinion of the truly pious, to be ascribed in a great measure, under divine Providence, to the influence of Confes- sion. It cannot, therefore, be matter of surprise, that the enemy of the human race, in his efforts to level to its foundation the

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

fabric of Catholicity, should, through the agency of the minis« ters of his wicked designs, have assailed, with all his might, this bulwark of Christian virtue. The pastor, therefore, will teach, in the first place, that the institution of confession is most useful and even necessary.

Contrition, it is true, blots out sin; but who is ignorant, that to effect this, it must be so intense, so ardent, so vehement, as to bear a proportion to the magnitude of the crimes which it effaces? ‘This is a degree of contrition which few reach, and hence, through perfect contrition alone, very few indeed could hope te obtain the pardon ef their sins. It, therefore, became necessary, that the Almighty, in his mercy, should afford a less precarious and less difficuit means of reconciliation, and of sal- vation; and this he has done, ia his admirable wisdom, by giving to his Church the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Ac- cording to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, a doctrine firmly to be believed and professed by all her children, if the sinner have recourse to the tribunal ef penance with a sincere sorrow for his sins, and a firm resolution of avoiding them in future, although he bring not with him that contrition which may be sufficient of itself to obtain the pardon of sin; his sins are for- given by the minister of religion, through the power of the keys. Justly, then, do the Holy Fathers proclaim, that by the keys of the Church, the gate of heaven is thrown open;' a truth which the decree of the Council of Florence, declaring that the effect of penance is absolution from sin, renders it imperative on all, unhesitatingly to believe.”

To appreciate the advantages of confession, we should not lose sight of an argument which has the sanction of experience. To those who fame led immoral lives, nothing is found so use- ful towards a reformation of morals, as sometimes to disclose their secret thoughts, their words, their actions, to a prudent and faithful friend, who can guide them by his advice, and assist them by his co-operation. On the same principle must it prove most salutary to those, whose minds are agitated by the conscious- ness of guilt, to make known the diseases and wounds of their souls to the priest, as the vicegerent of Jesus Christ, bound te eternal secrecy by every law human and divine. In the tribu- nal of penance they will find immediate remedies, the healing qualities of which will not only remove the present malady, but also prove of such lasting efficacy as to be, in future, an anti- dote against the easy approach of the same moral disease.

Another advantage, derivable from confession, is too impor- tant to be emitted: confession contributes powerfully to the preservation of social order. Abolish sacramental confession, and, that moment, you deluge society with all sorts of secret crimes—crimes too, and others of still greater enormity, which men, once that they have been depraved by vicious habits, will

' Ambr. serm. 1, de quadrag. citatur de peenit. dist. 1. c. ecce nunc. August lib 2 de adul. conjug. 59. Chrysost, de sacerdot. lib. 3. ? Flor. Cone. in decreto Eugenii. IV. de poenit. dist. 6. c. sacerdos.

On the Sacrament of Penance.

not dread to commit in open day. ‘The salutary shame that attends confession, restrains licentiousness, bridles desire, and coerces the evil propensities of corrupt nature.

Having explained the advantages of confession, the pastor will next unfold its nature and efficacy. Confession, then, is defined “ A sacramental accusation of one’s self, made to obtain pardon by virtue of the keys.’’ It is properly called * an ae- cusation,”’ because sins are not to be told as if the sinner boasted of his crimes, as they do, ‘‘ who are glad when they have done evil ;”* nor are they to be related as idle stories or passing oc- currences, to amuse: they are to be confessed as matters of self-accusation, with a desire, as it were, to avenge them on ourselves. But we confess our sins with a view to obtain the pardon of them; and, in this respect, the tribunal of penance differs from other tribunals, which take cognizance of capital offences, and before which a confession of guilt is sometimes made, not to secure acquittal but to justify the sentence of the aw. The definition of confession by the Holy Fathers,? al- though different in words, is substantially the same: ‘ Confes- sion,’ says St. Augustine, ‘is the disclosure of a secret dis ease, with the hope of obtaining a cure ;’’? and St. Gregory, *‘ confession is a detestation of sins:’* both of which accord with, and are contained in the preceding definition.

The pastor will next teach, with all the decision due to a revealed truth, a truth of paramount importance, that this Sa- crament owes its institution to the singular goodness and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ordered all things well, and solely with a view to our salvation.* After his resurrection, he breathed on the assembled Apostles, saying: ‘* Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven ; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’’® By in- vesting the sacerdotal character with power to retain as well as

to remit sins, he thus, it is manifest, constitutes them judges in he causes on which this discretionary power is to be exercised. This he seems to have signified when, having raised Lazarus from the dead, he commanded his Apostles to loose him from he bands in which he was bound.’ This is the interpretation of St. Augustine: “they,” says he, “the priests, can now do more: they can exercise greater clemency towards those who confess, and whose sins they forgive. ‘The Lord by the hands of his Apostles delivered Lazarus, whom he had already raised from the dead, to be loosed by the hands of his disci- ples; thus giving us to understand that to priests was given the power of loosing.’’* ‘To this, also, refers the command given by our Lord to the lepers cured on the way, to show themselves

! Prov. ii. 14. 2 Chrysost. 20, in Genes.

3 Aug ser. 4, de verbis Domini. 4 Greg. hom. 40. in Evangel.

5 Vid. Trid. sess. 14. de peenit. c. 5. et can. 6. Aug. lib. 50. hom. homil. 64, et titatur de peenit. dist. 1. c. agite. Orig. hom. 1. in Psal. 37. Chrysost. de sacerd. lib 2

6 John xx. 22, 23. 7 John xi. 44

8 De vara et falsa poenit. c. 16. et serm. 8. de verbis Domini.

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Nature and efficacy of confession.

Instituted by Christ I.

tg2

Il

Rites and eeremonies used at eonfession.

Confession hecessary-

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

to the priests, and subject themselves to their judgment? In vested, then, as they are, by our Lord with power to remit and retain sins, priests are, evidently, appointed judges of the mat- ter ou which they are to pronounce; and as, according to the wise admonition of the Council of Trent, we cannot form an accurate judgment on any matter, or award to crime a just pro- portion of punishment, without having previously examined, and made ourselves well acquainted with the cause; lence arises a necessity, on the part of the penitent, of making known to the priest, through the medium of confession, each and every sin.? This doctrine, a doctrine defined by the holy synod of Trent, the uniform doctrine of the Catholic Church, the pastor will teach. An attentive perusal of the Holy Fathers will pre- sent innumerable passages throughout their works, proving in the clearest terms that this Sacrament was instituted by our Lord, and that the law of sacramental confession, which, from the Greek, they call ‘‘ exomologesis,”’ and ‘* exagoreusis,”’ is to be received as evangelical. ‘That the different sorts of sa- crifices, which were offered by the priests for the expiation of different sorts of sins, seem, beyond all doubt, to have reference to sacramental coneasionl an examination of the figures of the Old ‘Testament will also evince.

Not only are the faithful to be taught that confession was in- stituted by our Lord; but they are aiso to be reminded that, by authority of the Church, have been added certain rites and solemn ceremonies, which, although not essential to the Sacra- ment, serve to place its dignity more fully before the eyes of the penitent, and to prepare his soul, now kindled into devotion, the more easily to receive the grace of the Sacrament. When, with uncovered head, and bended knees. with eyes fixed on the earth, and hands raised in supplication to heaven, and with other indications of Christian humility not essential to the Sacrament, we confess our sins, our minds are thus deeply impressed with a clear conviction of the heavenly virtue of the Sacraments, and also of the necessity of humbly imploring and of earnestly im- portuning the mercy of God.

Nor let it be supposed that confession, although instituted by our Lord, is not declared by him necessary for the remission of sin: the faithful must be impressed with the conviction, that he who is dead in sir :s to be recalled to spiritual life by means of sacramental confession, a truth clearly conveyed by our Lord himself, when, by a most beautiful metaphor, he calls the power of administering this sacrament, ‘‘the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” ‘To obtain admittance into any place, the concur- rence of kim to whom the keys have been committed is neces- sary, and therefore, as the metaphor implies, to gain admission

! Luke xvii. 14.

2 Sess. 14. c. 5. et can. 7. de pcenit. Sacerdotes esse pecatorum judices docent August. lib. 20. de civit. Dei, c. 9. Hieron. epist. 1. ad Heliod. Chrysost. lib. 3. de Sacerd. et hom. 5. de verbis Isai. Greg. hom. 26. in Evang. Ambr. lib. 2.de Cain eap. 4. Trid. sess. 14. de peenit, c. 5. can. 7 3 Matt xvi. 19.

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On the Sacrament of Penance

into heaven, its gates must be opened to us by the power of the keys, confided by Almighty God to the care of his Church. This power should otherwise be nugatory: if heaven ean be entered without the power of the keys, in vain shall they to whose fidelity they have been intrusted, assume the prerogative of prohibiting indiscriminate entrance within its portals. ‘This doctrine was familiar to the mind of St. Augustine: “ Let no man,”’ says he, ‘*say within himself; ‘I repent in secret with God; God, who has power to pardon me, knows the inmost sentiments of my heart:’ was there no reason for saying: * whatsoever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven ;’* no reason why the keys were given to the Church of God ?’’? The same doctrine is recorded by the pen of St. Ambrose, in his treatise on penance, when refuting the heresy of the Nova- tians, who asserted that the power of forgiving sins belonged solely to God: ‘* Who,” says he, ‘yields greater reverence to God, he who obeys or he who resists his commands? God commands us to obey his ministers; and by obeying them, we honour God alone.’’®

As the law of confession was, no doubt, enacted and esta- blished by our Lord himself, it is our duty to ascertain, on whom, at what age, and at what period of the year, it becomes vbligatory. According to the canon of the Council of Lateran, which begins: ** Omnis utriusque sexus,”’ no person is bound by the law of confession until he has arrived at the use of rea- son, a time determinable by no fixed number of years.* It may, however, be laid down as a general principle, that children are bound to go to confession, as soon as they are able to discern good from evil, and are capable of malice ; for, when arrived at an age to attend to the work of salvation, every one is bound to have recourse to thé tribunal of penance, without which the sinner cannot hope for salvation. In the same canon the Church has defined the period, within which we are bound to discharge the duty of confession: it commands all the faithful to confess their sins at least once a year.> If, however, we consult for our eternal interests, we will certainly not neglect to have recourse to confession as often, at least, as we are in danger of death, or undertake to perform any act incompatible with the state of sin, such as to administer or receive the sacraments. ‘he same rule should be strictly followed when we are apprehensive of forgetting some sin, into which we may have had the misfortune to fall: to confess our sins, we must recollect them; and the remission of them we can only obtain through the sacrament of penance, of which confession is a part.

But as, in confession, many things are to be observed, some of which are essential, some not essential to the sacrament, the faithful are to be carefully instructed on all these matters ; and the pastor can have access to works, from which such instructions

1 Lib. 50 hom. 49. 2 Matt. xviii. 18. 3 Lib. 1. de peen, 2 * Lat. conc. cap. 22 5 Lat. cone. cap. 21. 17 2B

Confession ool igatory, al what age.

At what

time.

Integrt essential te a good (om fession, im what it consists.

194

Aggrava- ing cir- cumstan- ees when necessary te be men- tioned in confession.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

may easily be drawn. Amongst these matters, he will, cn nu account, omit to inform the faithful, that to a good confession integrity is essential. All mortal sins must be revealed to the minister of religion: venial sins, which do not separate us from the grace of God, and into which we frequently fall, although as the experience of the pious proves, proper and profitable to be confessed, may be omitted without sin, and expiated by a variety of other means.‘' Mortal sins, as we have aiready said, although buried in the darkest secrecy, and also sins. of desire only, such as are forbidden by the ninth and tenth command- ments, are all and each of them to be made matter of confes- sion. Such secret sins often inflict deeper wounds on the soul, than those which are committed openly and publicly. Itis, however, a point of doctrine defined by the Council of Trent ;? and as the holy Fathers testify, the uniform and universal doc- trine of the Catholic Church: ** Without the confession of his sin,’ says St. Ambrose, ‘‘no man can be justified from his sin.’”’> In confirmation of the same doctrine, St. Jerome, on Ecclesiastes, says; ‘‘ If the serpent, the devil, has secretly and without the knowledge of a third person, bitten any one, and has infused into him the poison of sin; if unwilling to disclose his wound to his brother or master, he is silent and will not do penance, his master who has power to cure him, can render him no service,” ‘fhe same doctrine we find in St. Cyprian, in his sermon on the lapsed: ‘* Although guiltless,”’ says he, **of the heinous crime of sacrificing to idols, or of having pur chased certificates to that effect ; yet. as they entertained the thought of doing so, they should confess it with grief, to the priest of God.’’* In fine, such is the unanimous voice, such the unvarying accord of all the Doctors of the Church.’

In confession we should employ all that care and exactness which we usually bestow upon worldly concerns of the greatest moment, and al! our efforts should be directed to effect the cure of our spiritual maladies and to eradicate sin from the soul. With the bare enumeration of our mortal sins, we should not be satisfied ; that enumeration we should accompany with the relation of such circumstances as considerably aggravate or ex- tenuate their malice. Some circumstances are such, as of them- selves to constitute mortal guilt; on no account or occasion whatever, therefore, are such circumstances to be omitted. Has any one imbrued his hands in the blood of his fellow man? He must state whether his victim was a layman or an ecclesi- astic. Has he had criminal intercourse with any one? He

! Quomodo venialia dimittantur vide Aug. in Ench, cap 71. citatur de ponies dist. 3. c, de quotidianis, et in Cone. Tolet. 4. cap. 9.

2 Sess. 14. de poenit. c. 5. et can. 7.

3 Lib. de Paradiso, c. 4. c, 1. super illud: si mordeat serpens

4 Circa finem.

5 Smgula peccata mortalia confiteri opertere docent August lib. de vera e falsa pcenit, cap. 10. Gregor. homil. 10. super Ezekiel. Ambr. lib. de parad. cap. 14 Hieron. in Ecclesiast. c. 10 Cypr. de lapsis circa finem. Vid. et de peenit. dist. % tap. sunt plures, &e. pluit et ibid. dist. 1. c. quea. poen. et ibid. pass

On the Sacrament of Penance.

must state whether the female was married or unmarried, a re- lative or a person consecrated to God by vow. ‘These are cir- cumstances which alter the species of the sins: the first is called simple fornication ; the second adultery ; ; the third incest; and the fourth sacrilege. Again, theft is numbered in the catalogue of sins ; but if a person has stolen a guinea, his sin is less griev- ous than if he had stolen one or two hundred guineas, or a con- siderable sum; and if the stolen money were sacred, the sin would be still aggravated. ‘Io time and place the same obser- vation equally applies; but the instances in which these cir- cumstances alter the complexion of an act, are so familiar and are enumerated by so many writers, as to supersede the neces- sity of a lengthened detail. Circumstances such as these are, therefore, to be mentioned; but those, which do not consider- ably aggravate, may be lawfully omitted.

So important, as we have already said, is integrity to confes- sion, that if the peritent wilfully neglect to accuse himself of

some sins which should be confessed, and suppress others, he not only does not obtain the pardon of his sins, but involves himself in deeper guilt. Such an enumeration cannot be called sacramental confession: on the contrary, the penitent must re- peat his confession, not omitting to accuse himself of having, under the semblance of confession, profaned the sanctity of the sacrament. But should the confession seem defective, either because the penitent forgot some grievous sins, or because al- though intent on confessing all his sins, he did not explore the recesses of his conscience with extraordinary minuteness, he is not bound to repeat his confession: it will be sufficient, when he recollects the sins which he had forgotten, to confess them to .@ priest on a future occasion. We are not, however, to exa- mine our consciences with careless indifference, or evince such negligence in recalling our sins to our recollection, as if we were unwilling to remember them; and should this have been he case, the confession must be reiterated.

Our confession should also be piain, simple, and undisguised, not clothed in that artificial language with which some invest it, who seem more disposed to give an outline of their general man-

ner of living, than to confess their sins. Our confession should be such as to reflect a true image of our lives, such as we ourselves know them to be, exhibiting as doubtful that which is doubtful, and as certain that which is certain. If, then, we neglect to enumerate our sins, or introduce extraneous matter, our confes- sion, it is clear, wants this quality.

Prudence and modesty in explaining matters of confession are also much to be commended, and a superfluity of words is to be carefully avoided: whatever is necessary to make known the nature of every sin, is to be explained briefly and modestly.

Secrecy should be strictly observed as well by penitent as priest, and, hence, because in such circumstances secrecy must be insecure, no one can, on any account, confess by mes- senger or letter

198

When un- necessary.

Conceal- ment ofa sin In cone fession a grievous crime: the confession to be re peated,

Omission ot asin through forgetful- ness does not render iL necessa- ry to re- peat the confession.

Confession should be plain, sim ple, undis guised,

prudent, and mo dest

Secrecy ts be observ- ed by priest and peni tent

186

Frequent confession

The minis- ter of the

sacrament of penance.

Any priest, the minis-

terin anex- treme case.

Qualifica- bons of the minister.

Kuow- ledge.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

But above all, the faithful should be most careful to cleanse their consciences from sin by frequent confession: when op- pressed by mortal guilt, nothing can be more saluiary, so pre- carious is human life, than to have immediate recourse to the tribunal of penance; but could we even promise ourselves length of days, yet should not we who are so particular in whatever re- lates to cleanliness of dress or person, blush to evince less con- cern in preserving the lustre of the soul pure and unsullied from the foul stains of sin.

We now come to treat of the minister of this sacrament—That the minister of the sacrament of penance must be a priest pos- sessing ordinary or delegated jurisdiction, the laws of the Church sufficiently declare: whoever discharges this sacred function must be invested, not only with the power of orders, but also eth that of jurisdiction. Of this ministry we have an illustrious proof in these words of the Redeemer, recorded by St. John : ‘‘ Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven, and whose sins you shall retain they are retained ;”’! words addressed not to all but to the Apostles oniy, to whom, in this function of the ministry, priests succeed. ‘This admirably accords with the economy of religion, for as the grace imparted by this sacrament emanates from Christ the head, and is diffused through his members, they who alone have power to consecrate his true body, should alone have power to administer this sacrament to his mystical body, the faithful; particularly as they are quali- fied and disposed by means of the sacrament of penance, to re- ceive the Holy Eucharist. The scrupulous care which, in the primitive ages of the Church, guarded the right of the ordinary priest, is very intelligible from the ancient decrees of the Fa- thers, which prov ided, ‘that no bishop or priest, except in case of necessity, presume to exercise any function in the parish of another without the authority of the ordinary ;” a law which derives its sanction from the Apostle, when he commanded Ti- tus to ordain priests in every city,? to administer to the faithful the heavenly food of doctrine and of the sacraments. But in case of imminent danger of death, when recourse cannot be had to the proper priest, that none may perish, the Council of Trent teaches that, avcording to the ancient practice of the Church of God, it is then lawful for any priest, not only to remit all sorts of sins, whatever faculties they might otherwise require, but also to absolve from excommunication.®

Besides the power of orders and of jurisdiction, which are of absolute necessity. the minister of this sacrament, holding as he does, the place at once of judge and physician, should also be gifted with knowledge and prudence. As judge, his knowledge, itis evident, should be more than ordinary, for by it he is to examine into the nature of sins, and, amongst the various sorts of sins, to judge which are grievous and which are not, keeping in view the rank and condition of the person. As physician,

Johr xx. 23. 2 Tit. 1. 5. 3 Sess. 14. c. 6. de peenit.

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On the Sacrament of Penance.

he fas also occasion for consummate prudence, for to him it belongs to administer to the distempered soul those sanative medicines, which will not only effect the cure of her present malady, but prove preservatives against its future contagion.? The faithful, therefore, will perceive the great importance to be attached to the choice of a confessor, and will use their best en- deavours to choese one who is recommended by integrity of life, by learning and prudence, who is deeply impressed with the awful weight and responsibility of the station which he holds, who understands well the punishment due to every sin, and ean also discern who are to be loosed and who to be bound.

But as all are anxious, that their sins should be buried in eternal secrecy, the faithful are to be admonished that there is no reason whatever to apprehend, that what is made known in confession will ever be revealed by any priest, or that by it the penitent can, at any time, be brought into danger or difficulty of any sort. All laws human and divine guard the inviolability of the seal of confession, and against its sacrilegious infraction the Church denounces her heaviest chastisements.? ‘* Let the priest,” says the great Council of Lateran, ‘ take especial care, neither by word nor sign, nor by any other means whatever, to betray, in the least degree, the sacred trust confided to him by the sinner.’’

19"

<ridence

Integrity of life.

The seal ot confession

Having treated of the minister of this sacrament, the order Negli-

of our matter requires, that we next proceed to explain some general heads, which are of considerable practical import- ance with regard to confession. Many, to whom, in general, no time seems to pass so slowly as that which is appointed by the laws of the Church for the duty of confession, so far from giving due attention to those other matters, which are obviously most efficacious in conciliating the favour and friendship of God, are placed at such a distance from Christian perfection, as scarcely to recollect the sins, which are to be the matter of their confession. As, therefore, nething is to be omitted, which can assist the faithful in the important work of salvation, the priest will be careful to observe, if the penitent be truly contrite for his sins, and deliberately and firmly resolved to avoid sin for the future. If the sinner is found to be thus disposed, he is to be admonished and earnestly exhorted, to pour out his heart in gratitude to God for this invaluable blessing, and supplicate un- ceasingly the aid of divine grace, shielded by which he may securely combat the evil propensities of corrupt nature. He should also be taught, not to suffer a day to pass, without de- voting a portion of it to meditation on some mystery of the passion, in order to excite himself to an imitation of his great model, and inflame his heart with ardent love for his Redeemer. The fruit of such meditation will be, to fortify him more and more, every day, against all the assaults of the devil; for, wha’

1 Ex Basil. in reg. brevibus, q. 1. 29. 2 Ex Leonis Pape epist. 80.

gence vs sinners,

The con fessor wil observe if the peni- tent be tru ly contrite How to be treated if contrite

198

If not con trite:

If fond of justifying or extenu- ating his quilt:

if under the inftu- ence ofa false shame:

It indolent or negli- gent

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

otlier reason is there, why our courage sinks, and our strength fails, the moment the enemy makes even the slightest attack on us, but that we neglect by pious meditation, to kindle within us the fire of divine love, which animates and invigorates the soul? But, should the priest perceive, that the penitent gives equivocal indications of true contrition, he will endeavour to in- spire him with an anxious desire for it, inflamed by which he may resolve to ask and implore this heavenly gift from the merey of God.

The pride of some, who seek by vain excuses to justify or extenuate their offences, is carefully to be repressed. If, for instance, a penitent confesses that he was wrought up to anger, and immediately transfers the blame of the excitement to another, who, he complains, was the aggressor; he is to be reminded, that such apologies are indications of a proud spirit, and of a man who either thinks lightly of, or is unacquainted with the enormity of his sin, whilst they serve rather to aggravate than extenuate his guilt. He, who thus labours to justify his con- duct, seems to say, that then only will he exercise patience, when no one injures or offends him, a disposition than which nothing can be more unworthy of a Christian. A Christian should lament the state of him who inflicted the injury, and, yet, regardless of the grievousness of the sin, he is angry with his brother: having had an opportunity of honouring God by his exemplary patience, and of correcting a brother by his Chris- tian meekness, he converts the very means of salvation into the means of injuring his own soul.

Still more pernicious is the conduct of those, who yielding to a foolish bashfulness, cannot induce themselves to confess their sins. Such persuns are to be encouraged by exhortation, and to be reminded, that there is no reason whatever why they should yield to such false delicacy ; that to no one can it appear sur- prising, if persons fall into sin, the common malady of the hu- man race, and the natural appendage of human infirmity.

‘There are others who, either because they seldom approach the tribunal of penance, or because they have bestowed no care or attention on the examination of their consciences, know not well how to begin or end their confession. Such persons deserve to be severely rebuked, and are to be taught that before any one approaches the tribunal of penance, he should employ every di- ligence to excite himself to contrition for his sins, and that this he cannot do without endeavouring to know and recollect them severally. Should then the confessor meet persons of this class, entirely unprepared for confession, he should dismiss them without harshness, exhorting them in the kindest terms, to take some time to reflect on their sins, and then return; but, should they declare that they have already done every thing in their power to prepare, as there is reason to apprehend, that, if sent away, they may not return, their confession is to be heard, pare ticularly if they manifest some disposition to amend their lives, and can be induced to aecuse their own negligence, and promise

On the Sacrament of Penance.

to atone for it at another time, by a diligent and accurate seru- tiny of conscience. In such cases, however, the confessor will proceed with caution. If, after having heard the confession, he is of opinion that the penitent did not want diligence in exa- mining his conscience, or sorrow in detesting his sins, he may absolve him; but if he has found him deficient in both, he will, as we have already said, admonish him to use greater care in his examination of conscience, and will dismiss him in the kind- est manner.

But as it sometimes happens, that females, who may have forgotten some sin in a former confession, cannot bring them- selves to return to the confessor, dreading to expose themselves to the suspicion of having been guilty of something grievous, or of looking for the praise of extraordinary piety, the pastor will frequently remind the faithful, both publicly and privately, that no one is gifted with so tenacious a memory, as to be able to recollect all his thoughts, words, and actions, that the faithful, therefore, should they call to mind any thing grievous, which they had previously forgotten, should not be deterred from re- turning to the priest. ‘These and many other matters of the same nature, demand the particular attention of the confessor in the tribunal of penance.

We now come to the third part of penance, which is called satisfaction. We shall begin by explaining its nature and effi- cacy, because the enemies of the Catholic Church have hence taken ample occasion, to sow discord and division amongst Chris- tians, to the no small injury of the Christian Commonwealth. Satisfaction, then, is the full payment of a debt, for when satis- faction is made, nothing remains to be supplied. Hence, when we speak of reconciliation by grace, to satisfy is the same as to do that which may be sufficient to atone to the angered mind for an injury offered; and thus, satisfaction is nothing more than ‘* compensation for an injury done to another.’ Hence theo- logians make use of the word ‘ satisfaction,” to signify the com- pensation made by man to God, by doing something in atone- ment for the sins which he has committed.

‘This sort of satisfaction, embracing, as it does, many degrees, admits of many acceptations. ‘The first degree of satisfaction, and that which stands pre-eminently above all the rest, is that by which whatever is due by us to God, on account of our sins is paid abundantly, although he should deal with us according to the strictest rigour of his justice. ‘This, we say, has appeased God and rendered him propitious to us, and for it we are in- debted to Christ alone, who, having paid the price of our sins on the cross, offered to his Eternal Father a superabundant sa- isfactien. No created being could have paid so heavy a debt ‘orus: “He is the propitiation for our sins,” says St. John, “and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”’* (his satisfaction, therefore, is full and superabundant, commen-

41 John ii. 2

ios

A remedy for false modesty om the part of the peni- lent

Satisfac-

lion,

200

{I

The Catechism of the Councal of Trent.

surate to all sorts of sins perpetrated by the human race. it givea to man’s actions merit before God; without it they could avail him nothing to eternai life. ‘This David seems to have had in view, when, having asked himself, ‘* what shall I render to the Lord, for ai] die things that he hath rendered to me ?’”! and find- ing nothing worthy of such blessings but this satisfaction, which he expressed by the word * chalice,” he replies: **1 will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.’”?

‘There is another sort of satisfaction, which is called canoni- cal, and is performed within a certain fixed period of time. Hence, according to the most ancient practice of the Church, when penitents are absolved from their sins, some penance is imposed, the performance of which is commonly called ‘ satis- faction.”

Any sort of punishment endured for sin, although not imposed by the priest, but spontaneously undertaken by the sinner, is also called by the same name: it belongs not, however, tc penance as a sacrament: the satisfaction which constitutes part of the sacrament is, as we have already said, that which is imposed by the priest, and which must be accompanied with a deliberate and firm purpose carefully to avoid sin for the future. To satisfy, as some define it, is to pay due honour to God, and this, it is evident, no person can do, who is not resolved to avoid sin. To satisfy is also to cut off all occasions of sin, and to close every avenue of the heart against its suggestions. In accordance with this idea of satisfaction, some have considered it a cleansing, which effaces whatever defilement may remain in the soul from the stains of sin, and which exempts us from the tempora! chastisements due to sin.

Such being the nature of satisfaction, it will not be found dif- ficult to convince the faithful of the necessity imposed on the penitent, of satusfying for his sins: they are to be taught that sin Carries in its train two evils, the stain which it affixes, and the punishment which it entails. ‘The punishment of eternal death is, it is true, forgiven with the sin to which it was due, yet, as the Council of ‘Trent declares, the stain is not always entirely effaced, nor is the temporal punishment always remit- ted.? Of this the Scriptures afford many evident examples, as we find in the third chapter of Genesis,* in the twelfth and twenty-second of Numbers,> and in many other places. ‘That of David, however, is the most conspicuous and illustrious.— Already had Nathan announced to him: ‘’'The Lord also hath taken away thy sin, thou shalt not die ;’’® yet the royal penitent voluntarily subjected himself to the most severe penance, im- ploring, night and day, the merey of God, in these words: ‘Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my iniquity and my sin is always before

! Ps. cxv. 12. 2 exy. 13. 3 Sess. 14. c. 8. can. 12 et 14. 4 Gen. iii. 17 5 Num. xii. 14. 22. 33, 34. 6 2 Kings xii. 13.

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On the Sacrament of Penance.

me.” Thus did he beseech God to pardon not only the crime,

out also the punishment due to it, and to restore him, cleansed from the stains of sin, to his former state of purity and integrity. This is the object of his most earnest supplications to the throne of God, and yet the Almighty punishes his transgression with the death of his adulterous offspring, the rebellion and deatn of his beloved son Absalom, and with the other heavy chastisements with which his vengeance had already threatened him. In Exodus too the Almighty, although yielding to the importunity of Moses, he had spared the idolatrous Israelites, threatens the enormity of their crime with heavy chastisement;? and Moses himself declares, that the Lord will take vengeance on it, even to the third and fourth generation. ‘That such was at all times the doctrine of the Fathers, a reference to their writings will place beyond the possibility of doubt.

Why in the sacrament of penance, as in that of baptism, the punishment due to sin is not entirely remitted, is admirably ex- plained in these words of the Council of ‘Trent: ** Divine jus- tice seems to require, that they who through ignorance sinned before baptism, should recover the friendship of God in a dif- rerent manner from those, who, freed from the thraldom of sin

and the slavery of the devil, and having received the gifts of the

Holy Ghost, dread not knowingly to violate the temple of God and grieve the Holy Spirit. It also consists with the divine mercy not to remit our sins without satisfaction, lest, taking oc- casion hence, and imagining our sins less grievous than they are, injurious, as it were, and contumelious to the Holy Ghost, we fall into greater enormities, treasuring up to ourselves wrath against the day of wrath. ‘These satisfactory penances have, no doubt, great influence in restraining from sin, in bridling, as it were, the passions, and rendering the sinner more vigilant and cautious for the future.”* Another advantage resulting from them is, that they serve as public testimonies of our sorrow for sin, ana atone to the Church who is grievously insulted by the crimes of her children: ‘* God,’’ says St. Augustine, ‘ despises not a contrite and humble heart, but, as heartfelt grief is gene- rally concealed from others, and is not communicated by words or other signs, wisely, therefore, are penitential times appointed by those who preside over the Church, in order to atone to the Church, in which sins are forgiven.’ Besides, the example pre- senied by our penitential practices, serves as a lesson to others, how to regulate their lives, and practise piety: seeing the pu- nishments inflicted on sin, they must feel the necessity of using the greatest cireumspection through life, and of correcting their former evil habits. ‘he Church, therefore, with great wisdom

Pas 1455. 2 Exod. xxxii. 8, 9. }

3 Vide Aug. lib. 2. de peccat. merit. et remiss. cap. 34. et contra Faust. lib. 22. cap. 66. et presertim in Joan. tractat. 124. paulo ante med. Greg. lib. 9. moral. cap 24. t. hom. 8. ad pop. Antioch, Interum. Aug. Euch. cap. 30. gps ta lib. 2, cap. 5. vide item canones peenitentiales apud Anton. Aug. vel in actie eet Mediolan.

4 Sess. 14. de poenit. cap 8. .C

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The pu- nishment due to sin, why not re mitted by penance as by baptism

Advanta- ges of ca- nonica. | nance.

II

ul

202

Wisely in- stituted by the Church.

By pe- nance we are made like unto Christ.

Two ef- fects pro- duced in the soul by sin, remov- ed by pe- nance.

Penance disarms the

The Catechism of the Counci of Trent.

ordained, that those who by their scandalous disorders may have given public disedification, should atone for them by publie penance, that others may be thus deterred from their commis- sion. ‘his has sometimes been observed even with regard to secret sins, wlen marked Ly peculiar malignity.t But with re- gard to public sinners, they, as we have already said, were never absolved until they had performed public penance. Mean- while, the pastor poured out his prayers to God for their salva- tion, and ceased not to exhort them to do the same. ‘This salu- tary practice gave active employment to the zeal and solicitude uf St. Ambrose; many, who came to the tribunal of penance hardened in sin, were by his tears softened into true contrition.? But in process of time the severity of ancient discipline was so relaxed, and charity waxed so cold, that in our days many seem to think inward sorrow of soul and grief of heart unnecessary and deem the semblance of sorrow sufficient.

Again, by undergoing these penances we are made like unto the image of Jesus Christ our head, inasmuch as he himself suffered — and was tempted,® and, as St. Bernard observes, ‘‘no thing can appear so unseemly as a delicate member under a head crowned with thorns.’’* 'I’o use the words of the Apostle, ‘* we are joint-heirs with Christ, yet so if we suffer with him;’> and again: ‘* If we be dead with him, we shall live also with him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with him.’’®

St. Bernard also observes, that sin produces two effects in the soul; the one, the stain which it imparts, the other, the wound which it inflicts; that the turpitude of sin is removed through the merey of God, whilst to heal the wound infliet- ed, the medicinal care applied by penance is most necessa- rv; for as after a wound has been healed, some scars remain which demand attention, so with regard to the soul, after the guilt of sin is forgiven, some of its effects remain, from which the soul requires to be cleansed. St. Chrysostome also fully confirms the same doctrine, when he says: ‘* Not enough that the arrow has been extracted from the body, the wound which it inflicted must also be healed: so with regard to the soul, not enough that sin has been pardoned, the wound which it has left, must also be healed by penance.’ St. Augustine, also, frequently teaches that penance exhibits at once the merey and the justice of God, his mercy by which he pardons sin, and the eternal punishment due to sin, his justice by which he exacts temporary punishment from the sinner.®

Finally, the punishment which the sinner endures, disarms the vengeance of God, and prevents the punishments decreed

| Vide Aug. lib. 5, de civit. Dei cap. 26. et ep. 54. et lib. 50. hom. 49. et de vera et falsa poen. passim. Ambr. lib: 2. de poenit. c. 10. et citatur de poen. dist. 3. cap reperiuniur. Cypr. de lapsis multis in locis. Conc. Agath. cap. 35. et citatur. dist 50. cap. poeniientes.

2 Paulinus et ejus vita. 3 Heb. ii. 17. 4 Serm. 5. de omn. sanct

atom vill. 17. 62 Tim. ii. 11, 12.

7 Serm. 1. in coena Domini. Hom. 80. ad Pop. Antioch. < In Ps. |. ad hee verba, ECCE ENIM VENIT.

a a oe

On the Sacrament of Penance. 203

against us, according to these words of the Apostle: ‘*If we Divine would judge ourselves, we should not be judged; but whilst ‘engeance we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.’”"' These matters, if explained to

the faithful, must have considerable influence in exciting them

to penance.

Of the great efficacy of penance we may form some idea, if The efficy we reflect that it arises entirely from the merits of the passion ¢y of pe- of our Lord Jesus Christ: it is his passion that imparts to our {nies en- good actions the two-fold quality of meriting the rewards of tirely from eternal life, so that a cup of coid water given in his name shall i ce

° ° Petje ° a9 rist not be without its reward,? and, also, of satisfying for our sins.* Nor does this derogate from the most perfect and superalundant satisfaction of Christ, but, on the contrary, renders it still more conspicuous and illustrious; the grace of Jesus Christ appears to abound more, inasmuch as it communicates to us not only what he alone merited, but also what, as head, he merited and paid in his members, that is, in holy and just men. ‘This it is that imparts such weight and dignity to the good actions of the pious Christian; for our Lord Jesus Christ continually infuses his grace into the devout soul united to him by charity, as the head to the members, or as the vine through the branches, and this grace always precedes, accompanies, and follows our good works: without it we can have no merit, nor can we at all sa- tisfy God. Hence it is that nothing seems wanting to the just: by their works done by the power of God, they fulfil the divine law, as far as is compatible with our present condition, and can merit eternal life, to the fruition of which they shall be admit- ted, if they depart this life adorned with divine grace: ‘ He,” says the Redeemer, ‘that shall drink of the water that I will give him, shall not thirst for ever; but the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.’’4

In satisfaction two things are particularly required; the one, Two things that he who satisfies be in a state of grace, the friend of God: eels works done without faith and charity cannot be acceptable to _ vi mate God: the other, that the works performed be such as are of faction their own nature painful or laborious. ‘I'hey are a compensa- tion for past sins, and, to use the words of St. Cyprian, ‘ the redeemers, as it were, of sins,’ and must, therefore, be such as we have described. It does not, however, always follow Note that they are painful or laborious to those who undergo them : the infiuence of habit or the intensity of divine love frequently renders the soul insensible to things the most difficult to be endured. Such works, however, do not, therefore, cease to be satisfactory: it is the privilege of the children of God to be so inflamed with his love, that whilst undergoing the most cruel tortures for his sake, they are either entirely insensible to them,

1 Cor. xi. 31, 22. 2Matti.x.42 | 3 Vid. de peenit. sess 14. cap. 8. et can. 13, 14. et sess. 6. de justific, c. 18 4 John iv. 14. 5 Lib. 1. Epist. 3, post. med.

204

Every #orn of satisrre tion includ ed under three feads

Use and advantage of afflic- taons.

One can satisfy for another.

Note.

Lilustra- tion.

Note

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

or at least bear them not only with fortitude but with the grat est joy.

The pastor will teach that every species of satisfactior. is in cluded under these three heads, prayer, fasting, and alms-deeds which correspond with these three sorts of goods, those of the soul, of the body, and what are called external goods, all of which are the gifts of God. ‘Than these three sorts of satis- action, nothing can be more effectual in eradicating sin from the soul. Whatever is in tne world is the lust of the flesh, the ‘lust of the eyes, or pride of life,’’! and fasting, alms-deeds, and prayer are, it is obvious, most judiciously employed as an- tidotes to neutralize the operation of these three causes of spirit- ual disease ; to the first is opposed fasting ; to the second, alms- deeds; to the third, prayer. If, moreover, we consider those whom our sins injure, we shal] easily perceive why all satisfac- tion is referred principally to God, to our neighbour, and to our- selves; God we appease by prayer, our neighbour we sa- tisfy by alms, and ourselves we chastise by fasting.

But, as this life is checkered by many and various afflictions the faithful are to be particularly reminded, that afflictions coming from the hand of God, if borne with patience, are an abundant source of satisfaction and of merit; but, if borne with reluctant impatience, far from being the means of atoning for past sins, they are rather the instruments of the divine wrath. taking just vengeance on the sinner.

But in this the merey and goodness of God shine conspi cuous, and demand cur grateful acknowledgments, that he has granted to our frailty the priviiege that one may satisfy for an- other. ‘This, however, is a privilege which is confined to the satisfactory part of penance alone, and extends not to contrition and confession : no man can be contrite or confess for another ; whilst those who are gifted with divine grace may pay through others what is due to the divine justice, and thus we may be said in some measure to bear each other’s burdens.2? This is a doctrine on which the faithful cannot for a moment entertain a doubt, professing, as we do, in the Apostle’s Creed, our belief in the ‘Communion of Saints.” Regenerated, as we all are, to Christ in the same cleansing waters of baptism, partakers of the same sacraments, and, above all, of the same heavenly food, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are all, it is manifest, members of the same mystical body. As then the foot does not perform its functions solely for itself, but also,for sake of the other members, and as the other members perform their respective functions, not only for their own, but also for the common good; so works of satisfaction are common to all the members of the Chureh. ‘This, however, is not universally true in reference to all the advantages to be derived from works of satisfaction : of these works some are also medicinal, and are so many specific remedies prescribed to the penitent, to heal

! 1 John ii, 16. 2 Gal vi. 2.

On tae Sacrament of Penance.

the depraved affections of the heart; a fruit which, it is evident, they alone can derive from them, who satisfy for themselves, Of these particulars touching the three parts of penance, con- trition, confession, and satisfaction, it is the duty of the pastor to give an ample and clear exposition.

The confessor, however, will be scrupulously careful, before he absolves the penitent whose confession he has heard, to in- sist that if he has been really guilty of having injured his neigh- bour in property or character, he make reparation for the injury : no person is to be absolved until he has first faithfully promised to repair fully the injury done; and, as there are many who, although free to make large promises to comply with their duty in this respect, are yet deliberately determined not to fulfil them, they should be obliged to make restitution, and the words of the Apostle are to be strongly and frequently pressed upon upon their minds: *‘ He that stole, let him now steal no more ; but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.””*

But, in imposing penance, the confessor will do nothing ar- ditrarily ; he will be guided solely by justice, prudence, and piety ; and in order to follow this rule, and also to impress more deeply on the mind of the penitent the enormity of sin, he will find it expedient to remind him of the severe punishments in- flicted by the ancient penitentiai canons, as they are called, for certain sins. ‘The nature of the sin, therefore, will regulate the extent of the satisfaction: but no satisfaction can be more salutary than to require of the penitent to devote, for a certain number of days, a certain portion of time to prayer, not omit- ting to supplicate the divine mercy in behalf of all mankind, and particularly for those who have departed this life in the Lord. Penitents should, also, be exhorted to undertake of their own accord, the frequent performance of the penances usually imposed by the confessor, and so to order the te..or of their fu- ture lives that, having faithfully complied with every thing which the sacrament of Penance demands, they may never cease stu- diously to practise the virtue of penance. But, should it be deemed proper sometimes to visit public crimes with public pe- nance, and should the penitent express great reluctance to submit to its performance, his importunity is not to be readily yielded to: he should be persuaded to embrace with cheerfulness that which is so salutary to himself and to others. ‘These things, which regard the sacrament of Penance and its several parts, the pastor will teach in such a manner as to enable the faithful not only to understand them perfectly, but, also, with the Divine assistance, pivusly and religiously to reduce them to practice.

! Ephes iv 23 is

208

No person to be ab solved, un ul he has promised faithfully to repair the injury done.

Penance how to be imposed.

Publie crimes t2 be visited with pub lie pe- nance.

206 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION.

ThisSacra- ‘*In all thy works,” says Ecclesiasticus, ‘‘ remember thy na bine last-end, and thou shalt never sin su words which convey tc the subject the pastor a silent admonition, to omit no opportunity of exhort: of frequent ing the faithful to constant meditation on their last end. The instruction. sacrament of Extreme Unction, because inseparably associated with this awful recollection, should, it is obvious, form a sub- ject of frequent instruction, not only inasmuch as it is eminently useful to develope the mysteries of salvation, but also because death, the inevitable doom of all men, when frequently recalled to the minds of the faithful, represses the licentiousness of de- praved passion. ‘Thus shall they be less appalled by the ter- rors of approaching dissolution, and will pour forth their gra- titude in endless praises to God, whose goodness has not only opened to us the way to true life in the sacrament of Baptism, but has also instituted that of Extreme Uncetion, to afford us, when departing this mortal life, an easier access to heaven. ThisSacra. In order, therefore, to follow, in a great measure, the saine ment why order observed in the exposition of the other sacraments, we none oe will first show that this sacrament is called ‘“* Extreme Unction,”’ tion because amongst the other unctions prescribed by our Lord to his Church, this is the last to be administered. It was hence called by our predecessors in the faith, ‘* the sacrament of the anointing of the sick,’ and also, ‘“‘ the sacrament of dying per- sons,’’ names which naturally lead the minds of the faithful to the remembrance of that last awful hour.? Proved to That Extreme Unction is, strictly speaking, a sacrament, is Bees first to be explained ; and this the words of St. James, promul- I gating the law of this sacrament, clearly establish: “Is any man,” says he, ‘‘sick amongst 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 man; and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.’ When the Apostle says: ‘if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him,” he ascribes to Extreme Unction, at once the nature and efficacy u of a sacrament. ‘That such has been at all times the doctrine of the Catholic Church, many Councils testify, and the Coun- cil of ‘Trent denounces anathema against all who presume to teach or think otherwise.* Innocent III., also, reeommends this sacrament with great earnestness to the attention of the Note faithful. ‘The pastor, therefore, will teach that extreme Une:

| Eccles. vii. 40.

2 Vid. Hugon. de Sacr. part. 15. c. 2. Pet. Dam. serm 1. de dedicat. Eccles

3 James v. 14. 4 Sess. 43. de Extrem. Unc. ec. 1. et can. 3.

sInnoc. ep. 1. ad Decent. c. 8. et citatur dist. 95. c. illud superflunm: .ters Conc. Cabilon. c. 48 Wormacience e. 72 Constan. et Floren.

se

On the Sacrament of Extreme Uncetion.

tion is a true sacrament, and that, although ad:inistered with many unctions, performed each with a peculiar prayer, and un- der a peculiar form, it constitutes but one sacrament—one, not

‘by the inseparable continuity of its parts, but, like every thing

composed of parts, by the perfection of the whole. As an edi- fice which consists of a great variety of parts, derives its per- fection from one form, so is this sacrament, although composed of many and different things, but one sign, and its efficacy is that of one thing of which it is the sign.

The pastor will also teach what are the component parts of this Sacrament, its matter and form: these St. James does not omit, and each is replete with its own peculiar mysteries.’ Its element, then, or matter, as defined by many Councils, particu- larly by the Council of ‘frent, consists of oil of olives, conse- erated by episcopal hands. No other sort of oii can be the mat- ter of this Sacrament; and this its matter is most significant of its efficacy. Oil is very efficacious in soothing bodily pain, and this Sacrament sooths and alleviates the pain and anguish of the soul. Oil also contributes to restore health and spirits, serves to give light, and refreshes fatigue ; and these effects cor- respond with and are expressive of those produced, through the divine power, on the sick, by the administration of this Sa- crament. ‘These few words will suffice in explanation of the matter.

With regard to the form, it consists of the following words, which contain a solemn prayer, and are used at each anointing, according to the sense to which the unction is applied: ‘** By His Hoty Uncrion, AND THROUGH HIS GREAT MERCY, MAY Gop INDULGE THEE WHATEVER SINS THOU HAST COMMITTED BY SIGHT, SMELL, TOUCH, &c. &ec.”’ ‘That this is the true form of this Sa- crament, we learn from these words of St. James: ‘* Let them pray over him, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick man ;’’? words which intimate that the form is to be applied by way of prayer, although the Apostle does not say of what par- ticular words that prayer is to consist. But this form has been handed down to us by apostolic tradition, and is universally re- tained, as observed by the Church of Rome, the mother and mistress of all churches. Some, it is true, alter a few words, as when for “* God indulge thee,” they say, ‘* God remit,” or ‘* spare,’ and sometimes, ** heal whatever thou hast committed ;”’ but the sense is evidently the same, and, of course, the form observed by all is strictly the same. Nor should it excite our surprise that, whilst the form of each of the other Sacraments either absolutely signifies what it expresses, such as, ‘1 baptise thee,” or “1 sign thee with the sign of the cross,” or is pro nounced, as it were, by way of a command, as in administering Holy Orders, ‘* Receive power,”’ the form of Extreme Unction

alone is expressed by way of prayer. ‘The propriety of this

difference will at once appear, if we reflect, that this Sacrament

James v. 14. 2 James v. 14. 15.

218

Its matter

Its form

Expresses by way of prayer ang why.

208

Adminis- tration of this Sacra- ment, why accompa nied with maby pray- ers.

This Sa- crament stituted by Curist.

Note

[xtreme Unetion, to whom and when to be adminis- tered.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

is administered not only for the health of the soul, but also fo that of the body; and as it does not please Divine Providence at all times, to restore health to the sick, the form consists of a prayer, by which we beg of the divine bounty that which is not a constant and uniform effect of the Sacrament.

In the administration of this Sacrament, peculiar rites are also used ; but they consist principally of prayers, offered by the priest for the recovery of the sick person. ‘There is no Sacra- ment the administration of which is accompanied with more numerous prayers ; and with good reason, for then, in a special manner, the faithful require the assistance of pious prayers Not only the pastor, in the first place, but, also, all who may be present, should pour out their fervent aspirations to the throne of grace, in behalf of the sick person, earnestly recommending him, soul and body, to. the divine mercy.

Having thus shown that Extreme Unction is to be numbered amongst te Sacraments, we infer, and the inference is just, that it owes its institution to our Lord Jesus Christ, and was subsequently made known and promulgated to the faithful, by the Apostle St. James. Our Lord himself, wouid, however, seem to have given some indication of it, when he sent his dis- ciples, two and two, before him; for the Evangelist informs us that ‘* going forth, they preached that all should do penance , and they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.’ This anointing cannot be supposed to have been invented by the Apostles: it was com- manded by our Lord. Nor did its efficacy arise from any na- tural virtue peculiar to oil; its efficacy is mystical, having been instituted to heal the maladies of the soul, rather than to cure the diseases of the body. ‘his is the doctrine taught by the Fathers of the Church, by the Denises, the Ambroses, the Chrysostomes, by Gregory the Great ; and Extreme Uncetion is to be recognised and venerated as one of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church.

But although instituted for the use of all, Extreme Unction is not to be administered indiscrimixately to all. In the first place, it is not to be administered t+ persens in sound health, accord- ing to these words of St. James: *Is any one sick amongst you ?’’* and, as reason also proves, it was instituted as a remedy not only for the diseases of the soul, but also for those of the body: this can apply to the sick only, and therefore, this Sa- crament is to be administered to those only, whose malady is such as to excite apprehensions of approaching dissolution. It is, however, a very grievous sin to defer the Holy Uncetion until, all hope of recovery now lost, life begins to ebb, and the sick person is fast verging into a state of insensibility. It is obvious that if administered whilst the mental faculties are yet unimpaired, whilst reason still exercises her dominion, and the mind is capable eliciting acts of faith, and of directing the will

1 Mark v1 12, 13 2 James v. 14

On the Sacrameu of Extreme Unction. We

to sentiments of piety, the Sacrament must contribute to a more abundant participation of the graces which it imparts. ‘This heavenly medicine, therefore, in itself at all times salutary, the pastor will be careful to apply, when its efficacy can be aided by the piety and devotion of the sick person. Extreme Une- tion, then, can be administered only to the sick, and not to per- sons in health, although engaged in any thing however danger- ous, such as a perilous voyage, or the fatal dangers of battle. It cannot be administered even to persons condemned to death, and already ordered for execution. Its participation is also de- nied to insane persons, and to children incapable of committing sin, who, therefore, do not require to be purified from its stains, and also to those who labour under the awful visitation of mad- ness, unless they give indications, in their lucid intervals, of a disposition to piety, and express a desire to be anointed. ‘To persons insane from their birth, this Sacrament is not to be ad- ministered ; but ifa sick person, whilst in the possession of his faculties, expressed a wish to receive xtreme Unction, and afterwards becomes delirious, he is to be anointed.

The Sacred Unction is to be applied not to the entire body, How to oe but to the organs of sense only—to the eyes the organs of sight, aca to the ears of hearing, to the nostrils of smelling, to the mouth =~ of taste*and speech, to the hands of touch. The sense of touch, it is true, is diffused throughout the entire body, yet the hands are its peculiar seat. This manner of administering Extreme Unction is observed throughout the universal Church, and ac- cords with the medicinal nature of this Sacrament. As in cor- poral disease, although it affects the entire body, yet the cure is applied to that part only which is the seat of the disease, so in spiritual malady, this Sacrament is applied not to the entire body, but to those members which are properly the organs of sense, and also to the loins, which are, as it were, the seat of concupiscence, and to the feet, by which we move from one place to another.

Here it is to be observed, that, during the same illness, and Jt may be whilst the danger of dying continues the same, the sick person slegarr is to be anointed but once ; should he, however, recover after he has been anointed, he may receive the aid of this Sacrament, as often as he shall have relapsed into the same danger. ‘This Sacrament, therefore, is evidently to be numbered amongst those which may be repeated.

But as every obstacle which may impede its efficacy should Prepara- be removed with the greatest care, and as nothing is more op- Pare pesed to it than a state of mortal guilt, the pastor will follow the worthily uniform practice of the Catholic Church, and not administer Extreme Unction, until the penitent has gonfessed and received.

He will then earnestly exhort the sick person, to receive this

Sacrament with the same sentiments of faith which animated

the primitive Christians, who presented themselves to the Apos-

tles to be healed by them. ‘The health of the soul is to be the

first object of the sick man’s prayers, the second, that of the 18* 2D

2106

The minis- ter of this Sacrament

Note

Its ndvar - tages.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

body, should it tend to his eternal interests. ‘The faithful should be convinced, that the solemn and holy prayers, which are offered by the priest, not in his own name, but in that of the Church and of its divine Founder, are heard by Almighty God; and they cannot be too earnestly exhorted, to be careful to ac- company the administration of the Sacrament, with all the sane- tity and religious fervour that become that awful hour, when the dying Christian is about to engage in the last conflict, and the energies of the mind as well as of the body seem to be enfee- bled.

With regard to the minister of Extreme Unction, this too we learn from St. James, when he says: ‘+ Let him bring in the priests :"’? by the word ‘* priests,”’ as the Council of ‘Trent has defined,” he does not mean elders or persons advanced in years, or of elevated rank, but priests duly ordained by bishops with the imposition of hands. ‘The admini&tration of this Sacrament, therefore, is committed to priests, not however to every priest, in accordance with the decree of the Church; but to the proper priest, who has jurisdiction, or to another authorized by him. In this, as in the other Sacraments, it is also to be distinctly recollected, that the priest is the representative of Jesus Christ and of his Church.

The advantages, which flow from this Sacrament, are’ also te be explained more minutely, that if the sick are influenced by no other consideration, they may, at least, yield to this, for we are disposed to measure every thing by its utility. ‘The pastor, therefore, will teach, that the grace of this Sacrament remits sins, especially lighter offences, or, as they are commonly called, venia} sins. Its primary object is not to remit mortal sins. For this the Sacrament of penance was instituted, as was that of baptism for the remission of original sin. Another advantage arising from Extreme Unction is, that it removes the languor and in- firmity entailed by sin, with all its other inconveniences. ‘The time most seasonable for the application of this cure is, when we are visited by some severe malady, which threatens to prove fatal ; for nature dreads no earthly visitation so much as death, and this dread is considerably augmented by the recollection of our past sins, particularly if the mind is harrowed up by the poignant reproaches of conscience; as it is written: ‘* They shall come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their ini- quiues shall stand against them to convict them.”* A source of alarm still more distressing is the awful reflection, that, in a few moments, we shall stand before the judgment-seat of God, whose justice will award that sentence, which our lives may have deserved. ‘The terror inspired by these considerations frequently agitates the soul with the most awful apprehensions ; and to calm this terror nothing can be so efficacious as the Sa- crament of Extreme Unction. It quiets our fear, illumines the gloom in which the soul is enveloped, fills it with pious and

' James v. 14. 2 Sess. 14, c. 3. 3 Wisdom tv. 20

é

On the Sacrament of Orders.

holy joy, and enables us to wait with cheerfulness the coming of the Lord, prepared to yield up all that we have received from his bounty, whenever he is pleased to summon us from this world of wo. Another, and the most important advantage de- rived from Extreme Uncetion, is, that it fortifies us against the violent assaults of Satan. ‘The enemy of mankind never ceases to seek our ruin: but to complete our destruction, and, if possi- ble, deprive us of all hope of mercy, he more than ever increases his efforts, when he sees us approach our last end. This Sa- erainent, therefore, arms and strengthens the faithful against the violence of his assaults, and enables them to fight resolutely and successfully against him. ‘Tanquillized and encouraged by the hope of the divine merey, the soul bears up with fortitude against every difficulty, experiences an alleviation of the burden of sickness, and eludes with greater ease, the artifice and cun- ning of the enemy, who lies in wait for her. Finally, the re- covery of health, if advantageous to the sick person, is another effect of this Sacrament. However, should this effect not follow, it arises not from any defect in the Sacrament, but from weak- ness of faith on the part of him by whom it is received, or of him by whom it is administered ; for the Evangelist informs us, that our Lord wrought not many miracles amongst his country- men, because of their incredulity.t_ It may, however, be pro- per to observe, that Christianity, now that it has taken deep root in the minds of men, stands less in need of the aid of such miracles in our days, than in the early ages of the Church. Nevertheless, our faith is here to be strongly excited, and what- ever it may please God in his wisdom to do with regard to the health of the body, the faithful should be animated with an as- sured hope of receiving from it spiritual health and strength, and of experiencing, at the hour of their dissolution, the truth of these consoling words: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.’’2

We have thus briefly explained the sacrament of Extreme Unction. If the heads of the matter be developed by the pas- tor more at large, with the diligence which their importance de- mands, the faithful, no doubt, will derive from their exposition abandant fruit of piety.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF ORDERS.

21

Note.

From an attentive consideration of the nature of the other The Sacre Sacraments we shall find little difficulty in perceiving, that, so ment of

dependent are they all on that of orders, that without its inter- vention some could not ex'st, or be administered, whilst others

' Matt. xiii. 58 2 Apoc xiv 13

ers,

r why to be

explained

bo tne peo- e.

Il.

[V.

D:gnity of this Sacra- ment.

J

Those who Bre to re-

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

snv.ild be stripped of the religious rites and solemn ceremonies and of that exterior respect which should accompany their ad ministration. ‘The pastor, therefore, following up his exposi tion of the sacraments, will deem it a duty to bestow, also, ov the Sacrament of Orders, an attention proportioned to its im- portance. ‘This exposition cannot fail to prove salutary, in the first place, to the pastor himself, in the next place, to those who may have embraced the ecclesiastical state, and finally to the faithful at large—to the pastor himself, because, whilst explain- ing this Sacrament to others, he himself is excited to stir up within him the grace which he received at his ordination—to others whom the Lord has called to his sanctuary, by inspiring them with the same love of piety, and imparting to them a knowledge of those things which will qualify them the more easily to advance to higher orders—to the faithful at large, by making known to them the respect due to the ministers of reli- gion. It also not unfrequently occurs, that, amongst the faith- ful there are many who intend their children for the ministry whilst yet young, and some who are themselves candidates for that holy state; and it is proper that such persons should not be entirely unacquainted with its nature and obligations.*

The faithful then are to be made acquainted with the exalted dignity and excellence of this sacrament in its highest degree, which is the priesthood. Priests and bishops are, as it were, the interpreters and heralds of God, commissioned in his na‘ne to teach mankind the law of God, and the precepts of a Chris- tian life—they are the representatives of God upon earth. Im- possible, therefore, to conceive a more exalted dignity, or func- tions more sacred. Justly, therefore, are they called not only angels,? but gods,® holding, as they do, the place and power and authority of God on earth. But the priesthood, at all times an elevated office, transcends in the New Law all others. in dignity. The power of consecrating and offering the body and blood of our Lord and of remitting sin, with which the priesthood of the New Law is invested, is such as cannot be comprehended by the human mind, still less is it equalled by, or assimilated to, any thing on earth. Again, as Christ was sent by the Father,* the Apostles and Disciples by Christ,§ even so are priests invested with the same power, and sent ** for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and the edification of the body of Christ.’’

This office, therefore, is not to be rashly imposed on any one: to those only it is to be intrusted, who, by the sanctity

! Qui spectat ad mores eorum qui in aliquo ordine ecclesiastico sunt, videndum est, immo sciendum Conc. Trid. in posteriore parte cujusque sessionis, que est de. reformatione ; quod vero attinet a ordinem ut est sacramentum, vide idem Cone sess. 13. et de singulis ordinationibus vide Cone. Carthag. IV. sub Anastasio Pont-. fice. anno 398

2 Mal. il. 7. 3 Ps. Ixxxi. 6. 4 John viii. 36. 5 Matt. xxviii 19.

6 Ephes. iv. 12.—De sacerdotii dignitate vide Ignat. epist. ad Smyrn. Amb. lib 5 epist. 32. et lib. 10. ep. 82. Chrysost. hom. 60. ad pop. Antioch, et in Matt how 83. Nazian. orat. 17. ad suos cives.

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On the Sacrament of Orders.

of their lives, by their knowledge, their faith, and the s pru- dence, are :apable of sustaining its weight: ‘+ Nor let any one take this honour to himselr,”’ says the Apostle, ** but he that is ealled by God as Aaron was.”' ‘This call from God we recog- nise, in that of the lawful ministers of his Church. Of those, who would arrogantly obtrude themselves into the sanctuary, the Lord has said: **I sent not the prophets, and yet they ran :*" euch sacrilegious intruders bring the greatest misery on them- selyes, and the heaviest calamities on the Church of God. But as in every undertaking the end proposed is of the highest im- portance, (when the end is good, every thing proceeds well) the candidate for the ministry should first of all be admonished to propose to himself no motive unworthy of so exalted a sta- tion; an admonition which demands particular attention in these our days, when the faithful are but too unmindful of its spirit: there are those whe aspire to the priesthood with a view to secure to themseives a livelihood, who, like worldlings in mat- ters of trade or commerce, look to nothing but sordid pelf True, the natural and divine law command, that to use the words of the Apostle, ‘he that serves the altar, should live by the altar;’ * but to approach the altar for gain, this indeed were a sacrilege of the blackest die. Others there are whom a love of honours, and a spirit of ambition conduct to the altar; others whom the gold of the sanctuary attracts ; and of this we require no other proof than that they have no idea of embracing the ecclesiastical state unless preferred to some rich ecclesiastical benefice. These are they whom the Lord denounces as * hire- lings,’’> who, to use the words of Ezekiel, ‘feed themselves, and not the sheep.”’® Their turpitude and profligacy have not only tarnished the lustre and degraded the dignity of the sacer- dotal character in the eyes of the faithful, but the priesthood brings to them in its train the same rewards which the Apostle- ship brought to Judas—eternal perdition.

But they who, in obedience to the legitimate call of God, un- dertake the priestly office, solely with a view to promote his glory, are truly said ‘to enter by the door.” The obligation of promoting his glory is not confined to them alone; for this were all men created—this the faithful in particular, consecrated, as they have been, by baptism to God, should promote with their whole hearts, their whole souls, and with all their strength. Not enough, therefore, that the candidate for holy orders propose to himself to seek in all things the glory of God, a duty com- mon alike to all men, and particularly incumbent on the faithful : he must also be resolved to serve God in holiness and right- eousncss, in the particular sphere in which his ministry is to be exercised. As in an army, all obey the command of the general, whilst amongst them some hold the place of colonel, some of captain, and others stations of subordinate rank: so in

Heb. v. 4. 2 Jerem. xxni 2) 3 Vid. dist, 23. multis in capitibus. 1Cor. ix. 13 5 John x 19 Ezek. xxxiv. 1.

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The power conferred by the Sa- crament of Orders, two-fold, of turisdic- aon, and of orders.

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the Church, whilst all without distinction should be earnest is the pursuit of piety and innocence, the principal means of ren dering homage to God; to those, however, who are initiated in the Sacrament of Orders, speciai offices belong, on them special functions devolve—to offer sacrifice for themselves, and for all the people—to instruct others in the law of God—to exhort and ,orm them to a faithful and ready compliance with its injune- tions—and to adminster the Sacraments, the sources of grace In a word, set apart from the rest of the people, they are en- gaged in a ministry the most sacred and the most exalted.

Having explained these matters to the faithful, the pastor wiil next proceed to expound those things which are peculiar to this Sacrament, that thus the candidate for orders may be enabled to form a just estimate of the nature of the office to which he as- pires, and to know the extent of the power conferred by Al- mighty God on his Church and her ministers. ‘This power is two-fold, of jurisdiction, and of orders: the power of orders has reference to the body of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, that of jurisdiction to his mystical body, the Church; for to this latter belong the government of his spiritual kingdom on earth, and the direction of the faithful in the way of salva- tion. In the power of Orders is included not only that of con _ secrating the Holy Eucharist, but also of preparing the soul fos its. worthy reception, and whatever else has reference to the sacred mysteries. Of this the Scriptures afford numerous at- testations, amongst which the most striking and weighty are contained in the words recorded by St. John and St. Matthew on this subject: ‘As the Father hath sent me,” says the Re deemer, ‘‘1 send you: Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shal] retain, they are retained ;’"? and again, ‘* Amen, I say unto you, whatever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.’*? ‘These passages, if expounded by the pastor from the doctrine, and on the authority of the Fathers, will shed considerable light on this important subject.

This power far transcends that which was given to those,: who, under the law of nature, exercised a special superintend- ence over sacred things. The age anterior to the written law must have had its priesthood, a priesthood invested with spirit ual power: that it had a law cannot be questioned: and so in- timately interwoven are these two things with one another, that, take away one, you of necessity remove the other.* As then, prompted by the dictate of the instinctive feelings of his nature, man recognises the worship of God as a duty, it follows as a necessary consequence, that, under every form of government, some persons must have been constituted the official guardians

1 John xx. 2], 22, 23. 2 Matt. xviii. 18.

3 Vid. de consecr. dist. 2. cap. nihil in sacrificiis, Cone. Trid. sess, 22. cap 1. lem lin. 4. c. 34. Aug. lib. 19. de civit. Dei. cap. 23.

4 Heb. vil. 12.

i ie

On the Sacrament of Orders.

tf sacred things, the legitimate ministers of the divine worship ; and of such persons the power might, in a certain sense, be ealled spiritual.

With this power the priesthood of the Old Law was also in- vested ; but, although superior in dignity to that exercised un- der the law of nature, it was far inferior to the spiritual power enjoyed under the Gospel dispensation. ‘The power, with which the Christian priesthood is clothed, is a heavenly power, raised above that of angels: it has its source not in the Leviti- eal priesthood, but in Christ the Lord, who was a priest not according to Aaron, but according to the order of Melchise- dech.' He it is who, endowed with supreme authority to grant pardon and grace, has bequeathed this power to his Church, a power limited, however, in its extent, and attached to the sacraments.

To exercise this power, therefore, ministers are appointed and solemnly consecrated, and this solemn consecration is de- nominated ‘* Ordination,”’ or ** the Sacrament of Orders.” ‘To designate this Sacrament, the word ‘‘ Orders’? has been made use of by the Holy Fathers, because its. signification is very comprehensive, and, therefore, well adapted to convey an idea of the dignity and excellence of the ministers of God. Under- stood in its strict and proper acceptation, order is the disposition ef superior and subordinate parts, which, when united, present a combination so harmonious as to stand in mutual and accord- ant relations. Comprising then, as the ministry does, many gradations and various functions, and disposed, as all these gra- dations and functions are, with the greatest regularity, this Sacra- ment 1s very appropriately called ‘+ the Sacrament of Orders.”

That Holy Orders are to be numbered amongst the Sacra- ments of the Church, the Council of ‘Trent establishes on the same principle to which we have so often referred in proving the other Sacraments. A Sacrament is a sensible sign of an invisible grace, and with these characters Holy Orders are in- vested: their external forms are a sensibie sign of the grace and power which they confer on the receiver: Holy Orders, therefore, are really and truly a Sacrament.” Hence the bishop, handing to the candidate for priest’s orders, a chalice which contains wine and water, and a patena with bread, says: ‘ Re- ceive the power of offering Sacrifice,’ &c., words which, according to the uniform interpretation of the Church, impart power, when the proper matter is supplied, of consecrating the Hoiy Eucharist, and impress a character on the soul. ‘To this power is annexed grace duly and lawfully to discharge the priestly. office, according to these words of the Apostle: “I admonish thee, that th-u stir up the grace of God which is in

1 Heb. vii. 11.

2 Sess. 23. de ordine. ordinem esse sacramentum vid. Trid. segs. 23. de ordine. ec. 1. et 3. et can. 3, 4, 5. Conc. Florent. in decret. de saer. Aug. lib. 2. contr. epist Parmen. cap. 13. de bono conjug. cap. 24. et lib. 1. de bapt contra Donat. c 1 Leo. epist. 18. Greg. in c. 10. libr. 1. Reg

Name of this Sacra ment.

Orders, a Sacrament

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Tonsure, ‘te form, prigin, and ‘mport.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

thee, by the imposition of my hands; for God hath no given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of sobriety.’”*

With regard to the number of orders, to use the words of the Councii of Trent, ‘* As the ministry of so exalted a priesthood is a divine thing, it was meet, in order to surround it with the greater dignity and veneration, that in the admirable economy of the Church there should be several distinct orders of minis- ters, intended by their office to serve the priesthood, and so disposed, as that, beginning with the clerical tonsure, they may ascend gradually through the lesser to the greater orders.” Their number, according to the uniform and universal doctrine of the Catholic Church, is seven, Porter, Reader, Exorcist, Acolyte, Sub-deacon, Deacon, and Priest.2_ ‘That these compose the number of ministers in the Church may be proved from the functions necessary to the solemn celebration of Mass, and to the consecration and administration of the Holy Eucharist, for which they were principally instituted. Of these some are greater, which are also called ** Holy,” some lesser, which are called ‘* Minor Orders.”’ ‘The greater or Holy Orders are Sub- deaconship, Deaconship, and Priesthood; the lesser or Minor Orders are Porter, Reader, Exorcist, and Acolyte. ‘lo facili- tate the duty of the pastor, particularly when conveying instrue- tion to those who are about to be initiated in any of the orders, it is necessary to say a few words on each.

We shall begin with the tonsure, which is a sort of prepara- tion for receiving orders: As persons are prepared for baptism by exorcisms, and for marriage by espousals, so those who are consecrated to God by tonsure, are prepared for admission to the Sacrament of Orders. 'Tonsure declares what manner of person he should be, who desires to receive orders: the name of ** Clerk,” (clericus) which he receives then for the first time, implies® that thenceforward he has taken the Lord for his inhe- ritance, like those who, in the Old Law, were consecrated to the service of God, and to whom the Lord forbade that any por- tion of the ground should be distributed in the land of promise saying, ‘‘lam thy portion and thy inheritance.”* This, al- though true of all Christians, applies in a special manner to those who have been consecrated to the ministry.° In tonsure the hair of the head is cut in form of a crown, and should be worn in that form, enlarging the crown according as the eccle- siastic advances in Orders. ‘Ihis form of the 'Tonsure the Church teaches to be of Apostolic origin: it is mentioned by the most ancient and venerable Fathers, by St. Denis the Areopagite,®

‘Tim. i. 6.

? Horum ordinum rreminerunt Dionys. lib. Ecel. Hier. cap. 3. Cornel. Papa in epist. ad ab. episcop Antioch. extat apud Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. 6. cap. 35 Cone. Carth. 4. can. 4. et seq. Ignat. epist. ad Antioch.

3 xAneos, sors. a lot. T. 4 Num. xviii. 20.

5 Vid. Hieron. epist. 2. ad Nepot. et citatur 12. q. 1. c. clericus.

€ Dionys. de Eccles. Hier. c. 6, part. 2.

|

On the Sacrament of Orders.

by St. Augustine,‘ and by St. Jerome.* According to these venerable personages the ‘lonsure was first introduced by the prince of the Apostles, in honour of the crown of thorns which was pressed upon the head of the Redeemer; that the instrument devised by the impiety of the Jews for the ignominy and tor- ture of Christ may be worn by his Apostles as their ornament and glory. It was also intended to signify that the ministers of religion are, in all things, so to comport themselves, as to carry about them the figure and the likeness of Christ. Some, however, assert that tonsure is an emblem of the royal dignity, which belongs peculiarly to those who are specially called to the inheritance of God: for to the ministers of the Church be- longs, in a peculiar manner, what the Apostle Peter says of all Christians: ‘* You are a chosen generation, a royal priest- hood, a holy nation.’’s Others are of opinion that tonsure, which is cut in form of a eirele, the most perfect of all figures, is emblematic of the superior perfection of the ecclesiastical state; or that, as it consists of cutting off hair, which is a sort of superfluity, it implies a contempt of worldly things, and a detachment from all earthly cares and concerns.

The order of Porter follows ‘Tonsure: its duty consists in taking care of the keys and door of the Church, and in suf- fering none to enter to whom entrance is prohibited. ‘The Por- ter also assisted at the Holy Sacrifice, and took care that no one should approach too near the altar or interrupt the celebrant. To the order of Porter also belonged other functions, as is clear from the forms used at his consecration: taking the keys from the altar and handing them to him, the bishop says: ‘* Conpucr YOURSELF AS HAVING TO RENDER AN ACCOUNT ‘TO GOD FOR THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE KEPT UNDER THESE KEYS.” ‘l‘hat in the ancient Church this office was one of considerable dignity may be inferred from still existing ecclesiastical observances ; for to the Porter belonged the office of treasurer of the Church, to which was also attached that of guardian of the sacristy ; sta- tions the duties of which are stiil numbered amongst the mast honourable functions of the ecclesiastic.*

The second amongst the Minor Orders is that of Reader: to him it belongs to read to the people, in a clear and distinct voice, the sacred Scriptures, particularly the Nocturnal Psalmody ; and on him also devolves the task of instructing the faithful in the rudiments of the faith. Hence the bishop, in presence of the peopie, handing him a book which contains what belongs to the exercise of this function, says: ‘* RECEIVE (THIS BOOK,) AND BE YOU A REHEARSER OF THE Worp OF GOD, DESTINED, IF YOU APPROVE YOURSELF FAITHFUL AND USEFUL IN THE DISCHARGE

' Aug. serm. 17. ad Fratres in Eremo.

? Hier. in cap. 44. Ezek. vid. Rhaban. Maur. lib. de institut. cleric. Bed. lib. hist 5. Angi. c. 22.

31 Pet. ii. 9.

4 De Ostiario vid. Trid. sess. 23. de reform. c. 17. Cone. Tolet. c.6 et citatur. dist. 25. Ostiar. Isid. lib. de Eccl. c. 14. et dist. 25. c. perlectis, et apud Baron, Annal Eccl. an. 34. num. 287. et an. 44. num. 78. et num. 80

19 2E

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OF YOUR OFFICE, TO HAVE A PART WITH THOSE WHO FROM THE BEGINNING, HAVE aCQUITTED THEMSELVES WELL IN THE MINISTRY OF THE DIVINE WORD.’”?

The third order is that of Exorcist: to him is given power to invoke the name of the Lord over persons possessed by un- clean spirits. Hence the bishop, when initiating the Exorcist, hands him a book containing the exorcisms, and says: ‘ TaKe THIS AND COMMIT IT TO MEMORY, AND HAVE POWER TO IMPOSE HANDS ON PERSONS POSSESSED, BE THEY BAPTIZED OR CATECHU- MENS.’”?

The fourth and last amongst the Minor Orders is that of Aco- lyte: the duty of the Acolyte is to attend and serve those in holy orders, Deacons and Sub-deacons, in the ministry of the altar. ‘The Acolyte aiso attends to the lights used at the cele- bration of the Holy Sacrifice, particularly whilst the Gospel is read. At his ordination, therefore, the bishop, having carefully admonished him of the nature of the office which he is about to assume, places in his hand a light, with these words: ‘* RECEIVE THIS WAX-LIGHT, AND KNOW THAT HENCEFORWARD YOU ARE DE- VOTED TO LIGHT THE CHURCH, IN THE NAME OF THE Lorp.” He then hands him empty cruits, intended to supply wine and water for the sacrifice, saying: ‘* RECEIVE THESE CRUITS, WHICH ARE TO SUPPLY WINE AND WATER FOR THE EUCHARIST OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. IN THE NAME OF THE Lorp.’”?

Minor Orders, which do not come under the denomination of Holy, and which have hitherto formed the subject-matter of our exposition, are, as it were, the vestibule through which we ascend to holy orders. Amongst the latter the first is that of Sub-deacon: his office, as the name implies, is to serve the Deacon in the ministry of the altar: to him it belongs to pre- pare the altar-linen, the sacred vessels, the bread and wine ne- cessary for the Holy Sacrifice, to minister water to the Priest or Bishop at the washing of the hands at Mass, to read the Epistle, a function which was formerly discharged by the Dea- con, to assist at Mass in the capacity of a witness, and see that the Priest be not disturbed by any one during its celebration. These functions, which appertain to the ministry of the Sub- deacon, may be learned from the solemn ceremonies used at his consecration. In the first place, the bishop admonishes him that by his ordination he assumes the solemn obligation of per- petual continence, and proclaims aloud that he alone is eligible. to this office, who is prepared freely to embrace this law. In the next place, when the solemn prayer of the Litanies has been recited, the Bishop enumerates and explains the duties and fune- tions of the Sub-deacon. ‘This done, each of the candidates for

| Vid. Cypr. epist. 33. et Tertull. de prescript. c. 61. et apud Baron. Annal. Eccl anno. 34. num. 287. et an. 54. 78, 79. an. 153. num. 93. an. 456. num. 20.

2 De Exorcist. vid. supra cit. auctores et apud Baron. Annal. Eecl. an. 34. num acer 44. num. 78. et num. 80. an. 237. num. 89. an. 56. num. 5. et num. 8. 9. 10

3 De Acolytis vid. etiam Cypr. epist. 55 et apud Baron. Annal. Eccl. an. 44 num. 39. et num. 80

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On the Sacrament of Orders.

ordination receives from the Bishop a chalice and consecrated patena, and froin the Archdeacon, cruits filled with wine and water, and a basir. and towel for washing and drying the hands, to remind him that he is to serve the Deacon. ‘These ceremo- nies the bishop accompanies with this solemn admonition: ‘SEE WHAT SORT OF MINISTRY IS CONFIDED TO you: I apMmo- NISH YOU THEREFORE SO TO COMPORT YOURSELVES AS TO BE PLEAS- ING IN THE SIGHT OF Gop.” Additional prayers are then recited, and when, finally, the bishop has clothed the Sub-deacon with the sacred vestments, on putting on each of which he makes use of appropriate words and ceremonies, he then hands him the book of the Epistles, saying: ‘* Receive THE Book or THE EPIsTLES, AND HAVE POWER TO READ THEM IN THE CHURCH OF Gob, BOTH FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD.””!

The second amongst the Holy Orders is that of Deacon: his ministry is more comprehensive, and has been always deemed more holy: to him it belongs constantly to accompany the bishop, to attend him when preaching, to assist him and the priest also during the celebration of the Holy Mysteries, and at the administration of the Sacraments, and to read the Gospel at the Sacrifice of the Mass. In the primitive ages of the Church, he not unfrequently exhorted the faithful to attend to the divine wership, and administered the chalice in those Churches, in which the faithful received the Holy Eucharist under both kinds In order to administer to the wants of the necessitous, to him was also committed the distribution of the goods of the Church. ‘T. the Deacon also, as the eye of the bishop, it belongs to in quire and ascertain who within his diocess lead lives of piety and edification, and who do not; who attend the Holy Saeri- fice of the Mass and the instructions of their pastors, and who do not; that thus the bishop, made acquainted by him with these matters, may be enabled to admonish each offender pri- vately, or, should he deem it more conducive to their reforma- tion, to rebuke and correct them publicly. He also calls over the names of catechumens, and presents to the bishop those who are to be promoted to orders. In the absence of the bishop and priest, he is also authorized to expound the Gospel to the people, not however from an elevated place, to make it under- stood that this is not one of his ordinary functions. ‘That the greatest care should be taken, that no unworthy person be ad- vanced to the office of Deacon, is evinced by the emphasis with which the Apostle, writing to ‘Timothy, dwells on the morals, the virtue, the integrity which should mark the lives of those who are invested with this sacred character.?. ‘The rites and ceremonies used at his ordination also sufficiently convey the same lessun of instruction. ‘The prayers used at the ordination

' De Subdiaconis preter auctores supra citatos vide Cypr. epist, 24. et epist. 42. dist. 17. c. presbyteris, Can. Apost. can, 25. Conc. Carthag. 4. can. 5. Arelat. 2. can. 2. Aurel. 3. cap. 2. Eliber. can. 33 Leo 1. Epist. 82. item apud Baron. Annal. Eccl. an 44 nu:a. 79. et 80. an. 253, num. 72. num, 97. an. 239 num 21. an. 324. nura. 128 an. 588. nim. 48. an. 589. num. 6. en. 1057. num. 32. 21 Tim iii. 8.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

of a Deacon are more numerous and solemn than at that of a Sub-deacon: his person is also invested with the sacred stole: of his ordination as of that of the first Deacons who were or- dained by the Apostles,’ the imposition of hands also forms a part; and, finally, the book of the Gospels is handed to him by the bishop with these words: ‘* RECEIVE POWER TO 7EAD THE GosPEL IN THE CHURCH OF GOD, AS WELL FOR THE LIVING AS FOR THE DEAD, IN THE NAME OF THE Lorp.’””

The third and highest degree of all Holy Orders is the Priest- hood. Persons raised to the Priesthood the Holy Fathers dis- tinguish by two names: they are called ‘ Presbyters,’”’ which in Greek signifies elders, and which was given them, not only to express the mature years required by the Priesthood, but still more, the gravity of their manners, their knowledge and pru- dence: ‘‘ Venerable old age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years; but the understanding of a man is grey hairs :’** they are also called ‘“ Priests,’ (Sacerdotes) because they are consecrated to God, and to them it belongs to admi- nister the sacraments and to handle sacred things.

But as the Priesthood is described in the Sacred Scriptures as two-fold, internal and external, a line of distinetion must be drawn between them, that the pastor may have it in his power to explain to the faithful the Priesthood which is here meant.

The interna! Priesthood extends to all the faithful, who have been baptized, particularly to the just, who are anointed by the Spirit of God, and by the divine grace are made living members of the High-priest Christ Jesus. ‘Through faith inflamed by charity, they offer spiritual sacrifices to God on the altar of their hearts, and in the number of these sacrifices are to be reckoned good and virtuous actions, referred to the glory of God. Hence we read in the Apocalypse: ‘‘ Christ hath washed us from our sins in his own blood, and had made us a kingdom and priests to God and his Father.’ The doctrine of St. Peter to the same effect we find recorded in these words: ‘ Be you also as living stones, built up, a spiritual house, a holy priest- hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”’> ‘The Apostle also exhorts us, ‘‘to present our bodies a living sacrifice. holy, pleasing unto God, our reasonable ser- vice ;’’® and David had said long before: ‘* A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit; a contrite and humble heart,-O God! thou wilt not despise.”’? ‘That all these authorities regard the internal Priesthood, it requires little discernment to discover.

The external Priesthood does not extend indiscriminately ta

! Acts vi. 6.

? De Diaconis preter citatos supra vid. Clem. Rom. Constit. Apostol. lib. 2. ¢. 6 Cypr. de lapsis. Amb. lib. 1, offic. c. 41. Leo 1. serm. de S. Laurent. Clem. Rom. epist. 1. ad Jacob. Fratrem Domini, Hier. epist. 48. et apud Baron. Annal. Eccl. an. 33. num. 41. an. 34. num. 283. an. 285 et 287. an. 34. num. 316. an. 44. num. 78 et 80. an. 57. num. 31 et num. 195. an. 58. num. 102, an. 112. num. 7. 8. 9. an. 316 num. 48, an, 324. num. 325. an 325. num. 152. an. 40]. num. 44 et 47. an. 508. num 15. an. 741. mn :m. 12 3 Wisd. 4. 8.

4 Apoc. i. 5 6 5 1 Pet. ii. 5 6 Rom. xii. 1 7PaL19

On the Sacrament of Orders. 22

the great body of the faithful; it is appropriated to a certain class of persons, who, being invested with this august charae- ter, and consecrated to God by the lawful imposition of hands and the solemn ceremonies of the Church, are devoted to some particular office in the sacred ministry.

This distinction of Priesthood is observable even in the Old This dis Law. We have already seen that David spoke cf the internal pin cha Priesthood; and with regard to the external, the numerous com- the Old mands delivered by God to Moses and Aaron in reference to it, Law are too well known to require special mention. Moreover, the Almighty appointed the tribe of Levi to the ministry of the tem- ple. and forbade by an express law that any member of a differ- ent tribe should assume that function; and Osias, stricken by God with leprosy for having usurped the sacerdotal office, was visited with the heaviest chastisement for his arrogant and sacri- legious intrusion.‘ As, then, we find this same distinction of We here internal and external Priesthood in the New Law, the faithful speak of

5 the exter- are to be informed that we here speak of the external only, for nal priest that alone belongs to the Sacrament of Holy Orders. hood.

The office of the Priest is then, as the rites used at his con- Its office secration declare, to offer sacrifice to God, and to administer the paved Sacraments of the Church: the bishop, and after him the priests ey a who may be present, impose hands on the candidate for priest- which it 1s hood; then placing a stole on his shoulders, he adjusts it in Sree form of a cross, to signify that the priest receives strength from U. above, to enable him to carry the cross of Jesus Christ, to bear the sweet yoke of his divine law, and to enforce this law, not by word only, but also by the eloquent example of a holy life.

He next anoints his hands with sacred oil, reaches him a chalice m. tontaining wine and a patena with bread, saying: ‘* RECEIVE POWER TO OFFER SACRIFICE TO GoD, AND TO CELEBRATE Mass

AS WELL FOR THE LIVING AS FOR THE DEAD.” By these words

and ceremonies he is constituted an interpreter and mediator between God and man, the principal function of the Priesthood. Finally, placing his hands on the head of the person to be or- IV dained, the bishop says: ‘Receive ve tue Hory Guost; WHOSE SINS YOU SHALL FORGIVE, THEY ARE FORGIVEN THEM:

AND WHOSE SINS YOU SHALL RETAIN, THEY ARE RETAINED ;’”2

thus investing him with that divine power of forgiving and re- taining sins, which was conferred by our Lord on his disciples —These are the principal and peculiar functions of the Priest-

hood.

The Order of Priesthood, although essentially one, has dif- The pness

5

ferent degrees of dignity and power. ‘The first is confined to Hood, ale those who are simply called Priests, and whose functions we has differ.

have now explained. ‘The second is that of Bishops, who are entdegrees

placed over their respective Sees, to govern not only the other ait aoe

Amb. lib. 4. de sacram. cap. 1. August. lib. 10: de civ. Dei, c. 6 et 10 Leo germ. 3. de Annivers. Pontific. 2 Par. 26. 18, 19. 2 John iii xx. 22,23

19*

222

a

IT],

[Instruction to the faith- ful on this

Sacrament.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

ministers of the Church, but also the faithful; and, with sleep Jess vigilance and unwearied care, to watch over and promote their salvation. Hence the Sacred Scriptures frequently call them ‘the pastors of the sheep ;’’ and their office, and the duties which it imposes, are developed by Paul in his sermon to the Thessalonians, recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.* Peter also has left for the guidance of Bishops a divine rule; and if their lives harmonize with its spirit, they will no doubt be esteemed, and will really be, good pastors. But Bishops are also called ‘ Pontiffs,’’ a name borrowed from the ancient Romans, and used to designate their Chief-priests. The third degree is that of Archbishop: he presides over several Bishops, and is also called ‘* Metropolitan,” because he is placed over the Metropolis of the Province. Archbishops, therefore, (al- though their ordination is the same,) enjoy more ample power, and a more exalted station than bishops. Patriarchs hold the fourth place, and are, as the name implies, the first and supreme Fathers in the Episcopal order. Formerly, besides the Sove- reign Pontiff, there were but four Patriarchs in the Church: their dignity was not the same; the Patriarch of Constantino ple, although last in the order of time, was first in rank—an honour conceded to him as Bishop of Constantinople, the capi- tal of the imperial world. Next to the Patriarchate of Con- stantinople, is that of Alexandria, a see founded by the Evan- gelist St. Mark by command of the prince of the Apostles. ‘The third is the Patriarchate of Antioch, founded by St. Peter, and the first seat of the Apostolic See; the fourth and last, the Pa- triarchate of Jerusalem, founded by St. James, the brother of our Lord.

Superior to all these is the Sovereign Pontiff, whom Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, denominated in the Council of Ephesus, ‘‘the Father and Patriarch of the whole world.” Sitting in that chair in which Peter the prince of the Apostles sat to the close of life, the Catholic Church recognises in his person the most exalted degree of dignity, and the full amplitude of jurisdiction ; a dignity and a jurisdiction not based on synodal, or other human constitutions, but emanating from no less an authority than God himself. As the successor of St. Peter, and the true and legitimate vicar of Jesus Christ, he, therefore, presides over the Universal Church, the Father and Governor of all the faithful, of Bishops, also, and of all other prelates, be their station, rank, or power what they may.®

From what has been said, the pastor will take oceasion to in- form the faithful what are the principal offices and functions of Eeclesiastical Orders, and their degrees, and, also, who is the minister of this Sacrament.

Acts xx. 28, 21 Pet. v. 2. 3 De primatu Summi Pontificis vid. Anacl. epist. 3. c. 3. et citatur dist. 22. ¢. Sa crosancts. Greg, lib. 7. epist. 64 et 65. Nicol. Pap. epist. ad Mediolanens. eu vitat

dist. 22. :. omnes, vid. item eadem dist. c. Constantin. Cone. Chalced. in ep d Leonem.

On the Sacrament of Orders.

That to the Bishop belongs exclusively the administration of this Sacrainent is matter of certainty, and is easily proved by the authority of Scripture, by traditional evidence the most un- equivocal, by the unanimous attestation of all the Holy Fathers, by the decrees of Councils, and by the practice of the Univer- sal Church. Some Abbots, it is true, were occasionally per- m tted to confer Minor Orders: all, however, admit that even this is the proper office of the Bishop, to whom, and to whom alone, it is lawful to confer the other Orders: Sub-deacons, Deacons, and Friests are ordained by one Bishop only, but ac- cording to Apostolic tradition, a tradition which has always been preserved in the Church, he himself is consecrated by three Bishops.

We now come to explain the qualifications necessary in the candidate for Orders, particularly for Priesthood. From what we shall have said on this subject, it will not be difficult to de- cide what should also be the qualifications of those who are to be initiated in other Orders, according to their respective offices and comparative dignities. ‘That too much precaution cannot be used in promoting to Orders is obvious from this considera- tion alone: the other Sacraments impart grace for the sanctifi- cation and salvation of those who receive them—Holy Orders for the good of the Church, and therefore for the salvation of all her children. Hence it is that Orders are conferred on certain appointed days only, days on which, according to the most an- cient practice of the Church, a solemn fast is observed, to ob- tain from God by holy and devout prayer, ministers not unwor- thy of their high calling, qualified to exercise the transcendant power with which they are to be invested, with propriety and to the edification of his Church.

In the candidate for priesthood, therefore, integrity of life is a first and essential qualification, not only because to procure, or even to permit his ordination, whilst his conscience is bur- dened with the weight of mortal sin, is to aggravate his former guilt, by an additional crime of the deepest enormity ; but, also, because it is his to enlighten the darkness of others by the lustre of his virtue, and the bright example of innocence of life. The lessons addressed by the Apostle to ‘Titus and to ‘Timo- thy should, therefore, supply the pastor with matter for instruc- tion; nor should he omit to observe, that whilst by the cor- mand of God bodily defects disqualified for the ministry of the altar in the Old Law, in the Christian dispensation such exclu- sion rests principally on the deformities of the mind. The candidate for Orders, therefore, in accordance with the holy practice of the Catholic Church, will first study diligently to purify his conscience from sin in the Sacrament of Penance.

In the Priest we also look not merely for that portion of knowledge which is necessary to the proper administration of the Sacraments: more is expected—an intimate acquaintance

! Tit. i. and 1] Tim. in

223

The minis

ler

of the

Sacramem of Orders a Bishop

Necessity of extreme caution in promoung to Orders.

Qualifica tions for

the hoo

eas I.

224

Note

On whom Orders are not to be conferred

Effecis of the Sacra- ment of Ircers.

it

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

with the science of the Sacred Volume should fit him to imstrucg the faithful in the mysteries of religion, and in the precepts of the Gospel, to reclaim from sin, and excite to piety and virtue. The due consecration and administration of the Sacraments, and the instruction of those who are committed to his care in the way of salvation, constitute two important duties of the pastor. “The lips of the priest,’’ says Malachy, ‘shall keep know- ledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth; because he is the “angel of the Lord of Hosts.’’! ‘To a due consecration and administration of the Sacraments, a moderate share of know- ledge suffices : but to instruct the faithful in all the truths and duties of religion, demands considerable ability, and extensive knowledge. In all priests, however, recondite learning is not demanded: it is sufficient that each possess competent know- ledge to discharge the duties of his own particular office in the ministry :

The Sacrament of Orders is not to be conferred on very young, or on insane persons, because they do not enjoy the use of reason: if administered, however, it no doubt impresses a character. ‘The age required for the reception of the different Orders may be easily known by consulting the decrees of the Council of ‘Trent. Persons obligated to render certain stipu- lated services to others, and therefore not at their own disposal, are inadmissible to Orders; persons accustomed to shed blood, and homicides, are also excluded from the ecclesiastical state by an ecclesiastical law, and are irregular. ‘The same law ex- cludes those whose admission into the ministry may and must bring contempt on religion; and hence illegitimate children, and all who are born out of lawful w edlock, are disqualified for the sacred ministry. Finally, persons who are maimed, or who labour under any remarkable personal deformity, are also ex- cluded; such defects offend the eye, and frequently incapacitate for the discharge of the duties of the ministry.

Having explained these matters, it remains that the pastor unfold the effects of this Sacrament. It is clear, as we have already said, that the Sacrament of Orders, although primarily instituted for the advantage and edification of the Chureh, im- parts grace to him who receives it with the proper dispositions, which qualifies and enables him to discharge with fidelity the duties which it imposes, and amongst which is to be numbered the administration of the Sacraments. As baptism qualifies for their reception, so Orders qualify for their administration, Or- ders also confer another grace, which is a special power in re- ference to the Holy Eucharist; a power full and perfzet in the priest, who alone can consecrate the body and blood of our Lord, but in the subordinate ministers, greater or less in propor tion to their approximation to the sacred mysteries of the altar This power is also denominated a spiritual character, which, ty a certain interior mark impressed on the soul, distinguishes the

1 Malach. ii. 7.

ee ee eee eee

On the Sacrament of Matrimony.

ecclesiastic from the rest of the faithful, and devotes them spe- cially to the divine service. ‘This the Apostle seems to have had in view, when he thus addressed Timothy: ‘* Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the imposition of the hands of the priesthood ;’** and again, “I admonish thee, that thou stir up the grace of God, which is in thee by the imposition of my hands.’”?

On the Sacrament of Orders let thus much suflice. Our purpese has been to lay before the pastor the most important particulars upon the subject, in order to supply him with matter upon which he may draw for the instruction of the faithful, and their advancement in Christian piety.

ON THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY.

As it is the duty of the pastor to propose to himself the holi- ness and perfection of the faithful, his earnest desires must be in full accordance with those of the Apostle, when, writing to the Corinthians, he says: ‘I would that all men were even as my- self ;’*? that is, that all embraced the virtue of continence. If tnere be any one blessing superior to every other, it surely falls to the lot of him who, unfettered by the distracting cares of the world, the turbulence of passion tranquillized, the unruly de aires of the flesh extinguished, reposes in the practice of piety and the contemplation of heavenly things. But as, according to the same Apostle, ‘* every one hath his proper gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that,”’* and marriage is gifted with many divine blessings, holding, as it does, a place amongst the Sacraments of the Church, and honoured, as it was, by the presence of our Lord himself, it becomes the ob- vious duty of the pastor to expound its doctrine; particularly when we find that St. Paul, and the prince of the Apostles, have, in many places, minutely described to us not only the dignity but also the duties of the married state. Filled with the Spirit of God, they well understood the numerous and import- ant advantages which must flow to Christian society from a knowledge of the sanctity and an inviolable observance of the obligations of marriage ; whilst they saw that from an igno- rance of the former, and a disregard of the latter, marriage must prove the fertile source of the greatest evils, and the hea- viest calamities to the Church of God.

The nature and import of marriage are, therefore, to be first explained ; for as vice not unfrequently assumes the semblance of virtue, care must be taken that the faithful be not deceived

'] Tim, iv. 14. 22 Tim. i. 6 1 Cor. vii. 7. 41 Cor vu. 7 Z - 5 John ii. 2.

2F

220

A life of continence to be de-

sired by all.

The sane- lity of mar riage.

Nature and im

of marriage to be first explained.

226

Meaning of the word

“ matri- mony.”

« Wed lock.”

“ Mar- riage.”

Definition * of matri- mony, ex- planation of

In what marriage consisis.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

by a false appearance of marriage, and thus stain their souls with the turpitude and defilement of wicked lusts. ‘To give them com- petent and correct information on this important subject, we shall begin with the meaning of the word ‘ Matrimony.” It is called ‘* Matrimony,”’ because the principal object whieh a female should propose to herself in marriage is to become a mother ; (matrem) or because to a mother it belongs to conceive, bring forth, and train up her offspring. It is also called ‘* wed- lock,” (conjugium) from the conjugal union of man and wife ; (a conjugendo) because a lawful wife is united to her husband, as it were, by a common yoke. It is called ‘* marriage,” (nup- tiz) because, as St. Ambrose ebserves, the bride veiled her face (se obnuberent) through modesty, a reverential observance which would also seem to imply that she was to be subject to her husband.*

Matrimony, in the general opinion of divines, is defined ‘* ‘The conjugal and legitimate union of man and woman, which is to last during life.” In order that the different parts of this defi- nition may be better understood, the pastor will teach that, al- though a perfect marriage has all these conditions, viz. internal consent, external assent expressed by words, the obligation and tie which arise from the contract, and the marriage debt by which itis consummated; yet the obligation and tie expressed by the word “union,” alone have the force and nature of marriage. ‘The peculiar character of this union is marked by the word ‘‘conjugal,”’ distinguishing it from other contracts by which persons unite to promote their common interests, engage to render some service for a stipulated time, or enter into an agree- ment for some other purpose, contracts all of which differ essentially from this “conjugal union.” Next follows the word ‘legitimate ;”’ for persons excluded by law cannot contract marriage, and if they do their marriage is invalid. Persons, for instanee, within the fourth degree of kindred, a boy before his fourteenth year, and a female before her twelfth, the ages established by the laws,? cannot contract marriage. ‘The words ‘«‘ which is to last during life,’’ express the indissolubility of the tie, which binds husband and wife.

Hence, it is evident, that in that tie consists marriage. Some eminent divines, it is true, say that it consists in the consent, as when they define it : **'he consent of the man and woman ;”’ but we are to understand them to mean that the consent is the efficient cause of marriage, which is the doctrine of the Fathers of the Council of Florence; because, without the consent and contract, the obligation and tie cannot possibly exist. But it is of absolute necessity that the consent be expressed in words which designate the present time. Marriage is not a simple

' De his nomin. vid. Aug. lib. 19. cextr. Faust. c. 26. Ambr. lib. 1 de Abraham c. 9. in fine. item vid, 30. q. 5. c. foemina, et 33. q. 5. c. Mulier. Isidor. lib. de Eeel

officiis c. 19. ; 2 Such laws, the reader wi!l perceiv2, are of a local nature, and vary in different

eomnteies.—-T.

i a .

On the Sacrament of Matrimony.

donati n, but a mutual contract; and therefore the consent of one of the parties is insufficient, that of both necessary to its va- lidity ; and to declare this consent, words are obviously the medium to be employed. If the internal consent alone, with- out any external indication, were sufficient, it would then seem to follow as a necessary consequence, that were two persons, living in the most separate and distant countries, to consent to marry, they should contract a true and indissoluble marriage, even before they had mutually signified to each other their con- sent by letter or messenger; a consequence as repugnant to reasen as it is opposed to the decrees and established usage of the Church.

It has been wisely provided that the consent of the parties to the marriage contract be expressed in words which have re- ference to the present time. Words which signify a future time promise, but do not actually unite in marriage: it is evi- dent that what is to be done has no present existence: what does not exist can have little or no firmness or stability : a pro- mise of marriage, therefore, does not give a title to the rights of marriage. Such promises are, it is true, obligatory; and their violation involves the offending party in a breach of faith: but although entered into they have not been actually fulfilled, and cannot therefore constitute marriage. But he who has once entered into the matrimonial alliance, regret it as he afterwards may, cannot possibly change, or invalidate, or undo the com- pact. As then the marriage contract is not a mere promise, but a transfer of right, by which the man yields the dominion of his person to the woman, the woman the dominion of her person to the man, it must therefore be made in words which desig- nate the present time, the force of which words abides with un- diminished efficacy from the moment of their utterance, and binds the husband and wife by a tie which can never be dis- solved, but by death of one of the parties.

Instead of words, however, it may be sufficient for the va- lidity of the marriage contract to substitute a nod or other une- quivocal sign of tacit consent: even silence, when the result of female modesty, may be sufficient, provided the parents an- swer for their daughter. Hence the pastor will teach the faith- ful that the nature and force of marriage consists in the tie and obligation ; and that, without consummation, the consent of the parties, expressed in the manner already explained, is sufficient to constitute a true marriage. It is certain that our first parents before their fall, when, according to the Holy Fathers, no consummation took place, were really united in marriage.* The holy Fathers, therefore, say that marriage consists not in its consummation, but in the consent of the contracting parties ; a doctrine repeated by St. Ambrose in his book on virginity.?

Having explained these matters, the pastor will proceed to teac., tnat matrimony is to be considered in two points of view,

i Gen. ii 22. 2 De instit. virgin. cap. 6.

227

The con- sent of the partes to be express edin words which have refer. ence to the present ume.

A nod or other une quivocal sign may be suffi- cient.

Consum- mation newt

necessary.

two.

228

hatural aud sacra- mental.

Natura. marriage instituted hy God.

Indissolu- ble.

Marriage not obliga- tory on all

Marriage why insti- muted

i:

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

either as a natural union, (marriage was invented not by man but by nature) or as a sacrament, the efficacy of which transcends the order of nature; and as grace perfects nature, (** That waa not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural ; after- wards that which is spiritual,’’) the order of our matter requires that we first treat of matrimony as a natural contract, and next as a sacrament.

The faithful, therefore, are to be taught, in the first place, that marriage was instituted by God We read in Genesis, that “God created them male and female, and blessed them saying: ‘Increase and multiply:’” and also: ‘It is not good for a man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto him- self. ‘Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam; and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman, and brought her to Adam; and Adam said: this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shali be called woman, because she was taken out of man: wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; and they shall be two in one flesh.’ *? ‘Tnese words, according to the authority of our Lord himself as we vead in St. Matthew, establish the divine institution of Ma- trimony.*

Not only did God institute marriage; he also, as the Coun cil of ‘Trent declares, rendered it perpetual and indissoluble :4 «what God hath joined together,” says our Lord, ‘let not man separate.”’> As a natural contract, it accords with the duties of marriage that it be indissoluble; yet its indissolubility arises principally from its nature as a sacrament; and this it is that, in all its natural relations, elevates it to the highest perfection. Its dissolubility, however, is at once opposed to the proper education of children, and to the other important ends of mar- riage.

But the words ‘increase and multiply,” which were uttered by Almighty God, do not impose on every individual an obliga- tion to marry: they declare the object of ‘the institution of mar-- riage; and now that the human race is widely diffused, not only is there no law rendering marriage obligatory, but, on the con- trary, virginity is highly exalted and strongly recommended in Scripture as superior to marriage, as a state of greater perfection and holiness. On this subject the doctrine taught by our Lord himself is contained in these words: ‘‘ He that ean take it, let him take it ;’§ and the Apostle says: « Concerning virgins I have no commandment from the Lord; but I give counsel as having obtained mercy from the Lord to be faithful.””7

But why marriage was instituted is a subject which demands exposition—The first reason of its institution is because nature mstinctively tends to such 2 union; and under the vicissitudes

9

1] Cor. xv. 46. 2 Gen. i. 27, 28. Gen ii. 18. 21, 22, 23, 24. 3 Matt. xix. 6. 4 Sess. 24. init. 5 Matt. xix. © 6 Matt. xix. 12. 7 1 Cor. vii. 25

ey

On the Sacrament of Matrimony. J

of life and the infirmities of old age, this union is a source of mutual assistance and support. Another is the desire of family,

not so much, however. with a view to leave after us heirs to inherit our property and fortune, as to bring up children in the true faith and in the service of God. ‘That such was the prin- cipal object of the Holy Patriarchs when they engaged in the mar- ried state, we learn from the Sacred Volumes; and hence the angel, when informing ‘Tobias of the means of repelling the vio- lent assaults of the evil demon, says: ‘I will show thee who they are over whom the devil can prevail; for they who in such manner receive matrimony, as to shut out God from them- selves and from their mind, and to give themselves to their lust, as the horse and mules which have not understanding, over them the devil hath power.” He then adds: ‘thou shalt take the virgin with the fear of the Lord, moved rather for love of children than for lust, that in the seed of Abraham thou mayest obtain a blessing in children.’’! This was also amongst the reasons why God instituted marriage from the beginning ; and therefore married persons who, to prevent conception or procure abortion, have recourse to medicine, are guilty of a most heinous crime—nothing less than premeditated murder. The third reason is one which is to be numbered amongst the consequences of primeval transgressions: stript of original in- nocence, human appetite began to rise in rebellion against right season; and man, conscious of his own frailty, and unwilling to fight the battles of the flesh, is supplied by marriage with an antidote against the licentiousness of corrupt desire. ‘* For fear of fornication,”’ says the Apostle, ‘* let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband ;”’ and a little after, having recommended to married persons a tempo- rary abstinence from the marriage debt, ‘‘ to give themselves to prayer,” he adds: ‘ Return tovether again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency.’”?

These are ends, some one of which, those who desire to cor- tract marriage piously and religiously, as becomes the children of the Saints, should propose to themselves. If to these we add other concurring causes which induce to contract marriage, such as the desire of leaving an heir, wealth, beauty, illustrious descent, congeniality of disposition, such motives, because not inconsistent with the holiness of marriage, are not to be con- demned: we do not find that the Sacred Scriptures condemn the patriarch Jacob for having chosen Rachel for her beauty, in preference to Lia.*

These are the instructions which the pastor will communi- cate to the faithful on the subject of marriage, as a natural con- tract: as a sacrament he will show that marriage is raised to a superior order, and referred to a more exalted end. The ori- ginal institution of marriage, as a natural contract, had for object the propagation of the human race: its subsequent elevation to

Tob. ¥. 16, 17,18 22 _ 21 Cor. vu. 2 3 Gen. xxix 20

224

iL

Note.

Note

Matrimony as a Sacra- ment, su- perior to the natural contact

230

Exempli- fies the union of Christ and his Church.

Marriage a Sacrament.

It signifies and confers

grace

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the dignity of a sacrament is intended for the procreation and education of a people in the religion and worship of the true God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Redeemer would exemplify the close union that subsists between him and his Church, and his boundless love towards us, he declares this divine mystery principally by alluding to the holy union of man and wife; and the aptitude of the illustration is evinced by this, that of all human relations no one is so binding as that of marriage, and those who stand in that relation are united in the closest bonds of affection and love. Hence the Sacred Serip- tures, by assimilating it to marriage, frequently place before us this divine union of Christ with his Church.

That marriage is a sacrament has been at all times held by the Church as a certain and well ascertained truth; and in this she is supported by the authority of the Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians: ‘* Husbands,” says he, ‘*should love their wives, as their own bodies: he who loveth his wife, loveth himself, for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as Christ doth the Church, for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh. ‘This is a great sacrament, but I speak in Christ, and in the Church.”! When the Apostle says: ‘* This is a great sacrament,’ he means, no doubt, to designate marriage ;? as if he had said: ‘The conjugal union between man and wite, of which God is the author, is a sacrament, that is, a sacred sign of the holy union that subsists between Christ and his Church. ‘That this is the true meaning of his words is shown by the Holy Fathers who have inter- preted the passage; and the Council of ‘Trent has given to it the same interpretation.? The husband therefore is evidently compared by the Apostle to Christ, the wife to the Church ;* ‘¢the man is head of the woman, as Christ is of the Chureh;’’? and hence the husband should love his wife, and again, the wife should love and respect her husband, for ‘‘ Christ loved his — Church, and gave himself for her;’’ and the Church, as the same Apostle teaches, is subject to Christ.

That this sacrament signifies and confers grace, and in this the nature of a ae emene principally consists, we learn from these words of the Council of Trent: ‘* The grace which per- fects that natural love, and confirms that indissoluble union, Christ nimself, the author and finisher of the sacraments, has merited for us by his passion.”® ‘The faithful are, therefore, to be taught, that, united in the bonds of mutual love, the hus- band and wife are enabled, by the grace of this sacrament, to repose in each other’s affections; to reject every criminal attach- ment; to repel every inclination to unlawful intercourse; and

1 Eph. v. 28. 2 Pertull. lib. de Monog. Aug. de fide et oper. c. 7. lib. de nupt. et concup. ¢ 10. et 12. 3 Sess. 24. 4 Ambr. in epist. ad Ephes.

5 Eph. v. 23. ° Sess. 24. de matrim.

On the Sacrament of Matrimony.

in every thing to preserve ‘* marriage honourable, and the bed undefiled,””!

The great superiority of the sacrament of matrimony to these marriages which took place before or after the Law, we may learn from the following considerations—The Gentiles, it is true, looked upon marriage as something sacred, and therefore considered promiscuous intercourse to be inconsistent with the law of nature: they also held that fornication, adultery, and other licentious excesses should be repressed by legal sanctions ; tut their marriages had nothing whatever of the nature of a sa- crament. Amongst the Jews the laws of marriage were observed with more religious fidelity, and their marriages, no doubt, were more holy. Having received the promise that in the seed of Abraham all nations should be blessed,? it was justly deemed a matter of great piety amongst them to beget children, the off- spring of a chosen people, from whom, as to his human nature, Christ our Lord and Saviour was to descend ; but their marriage also wanted the true nature of a Sacrament. Of this it is a fur- ther confirmation, that whether we consider the law of nature after the fall of Adam, or the law given to Moses, we at once perceive that marriage had fallen from its primitive excellence and sanctity. Under the Law of Moses we find that many of the Patriarchs had several wives at the same time, and, should 4 cause exist, it was subsequently permitted to dismiss one’s wife, having given her a bill of divorce ;? both of which abuses have been removed by the Gospel dispensation, and marriage restored to its primitive state.

That polygamy is opposed to the nature of marriage is shown ay our Lord in these words: ‘For this cause a man shall leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they two shall be in one flesh. ‘Therefore,’’ continues the Redeemer, ‘*now they are not two but one flesh.’’* ‘The Patriarchs, who, by the permission of God, had a plurality of wives, are not on that account to be condemned: the words of the Redeemer, however, clearly show that marriage was instituted by God as the union of two only; and this ‘he again expressly declares when he says: ‘‘ Whoever shall dismiss his wife, and shall marry another, doth commit adultery, and he that shall marry her that is dismissed, committeth adultery.”’> If a plurality of wives be lawful, we can discover no more reason why he who marries a second wife whilst he retains the first should be said to be guilty of adultery, than he who, having dismissed the first, takes to himself a second. Hence, if an infidel, in accordance with ihe laws and customs of his country, has married several wives, the Church commands him, when converted to the faith, to look upon the first alone as his lawful wife, and to separate from ‘ie others

That marriage cannot be dissolved by divorce is easily proved

23

I's supe- riorily to Cenule and Jewish marriage

Polygamy opposed to the nature oft mar- riage.

Marnage

trom the same testimony of our Lord: if by a bill of divorce ge a 2.

' Heb. mis. 4. 2 Gen. xxii. 18, 3 Deut. xxiv.1 Matt. xx. 7. * Matt. xix. 9. 5 Matt. xix. 9 .

232

Beneficial eonse-

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the matrimonial link were dissolved, the wife might lawfully, and without the guilt of adultery, take another husband ; yet our Lord expressly declares, that ‘* whoever shall dismiss his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery.”! ‘The bond of marriage, therefore, can be dissolved by death alone, and this the Apostle confirms when he says: ‘* A woman is bound by the law, as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband die, she is at liberty : let her marry whom she wiil, only in the Lord.” and again: ‘To them that are married, not J, but the Lord commandeth, that the wife depart not from her husband, and if she depart, that she remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband.’’? ‘Thus to her who has separated from her husband, even for a just cause, the only alternative left by the Apostle is to remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: the Church, unless mfluenced by very weighty causes, does not sanction the separation of husband and wife.

That this the law of marriage may not appear too rigorous, its

quences of beneficial consequences are to be presented to the consideration

its indisso- lubility. iB

18 |

Ill

IV.

Three ai: vantages arising from mar riage

of the faithful. In the first place, they should know that the choice of a companion for life should be influenced by virtue and congeniality of disposition, rather than by wealth or beauty ; a consideration which confessedly is of the highest practical im- portance to the interests of society. Besides, if marriage were dissoluble by divorcee, married persons could scarcely ever want causes of dissension, which the inveterate enemy of peace and virtue would never fail to supply ; whereas, when the faith- ful reflect that, although separated as to bed and board, they are still bound by the tie of marriage, and that all hope of a second marriage is cut off, they are more slow to anger and more averse to dissension ; and if sometimes separated, feeling the many in- conveniencies that attend their separation, their reconciliation is easily accomplished through tke intervention of friends. Here, the salutary admonition of St. Augustine is also not to be omit- ted by the. pastor: to convince the faithful that they should not deem it a hardship to be reconciled to their penitent wives, whom they may have put away for adultery. <‘ Why,” says he, ‘‘ should not the Christian husband receive his wife, whom the Church receives’ Why should not the wife pardon her adulterous but penitent husband, whom Christ has pardoned ? When the Scriptures call him who keeps an adultress ‘a fool,’? it means an adultress who afier her delinquency refuses to repent, and perseveres in the career cf turpitude which she had commenced,’’* In perfection and dignity, it is clear there- fore, from what has been said, that marriage amongst the Jews and Gentiles is far inferior to Christian marriage.

The faithful are also to be informed that there are three ad- vantages which arise from marriage, offspring, faith, and the sacrament; advantages which alleviate those evils which the

( Matt. xix. 8. Luke xiv. 18. 21 Cor. vii. 39. Prov xvui 21 4 Lib. de adult. conjug. c. 6. et 9.

On the Sucrament of Matrimony.

Apostle points out when he says: ‘* Such shall have tribulation of the flesh 3’! and which render that intercourse, which with- out marriage should be deservedly reprobated, an honourable union.2. ‘The first advantage, then, is that of legitimate off- spring; an advantage so highly appreciated by the Apostle, that he says: ‘*'T he woman shall he saved through child-bear- ing.’’8 These words of the Apostle are not, however, to be understood to refer solely to the procreation of children: they also refer to the discipline and edueation by which children are reared to piety; for the Apostle immediately adds: “If she continue in faith,” ‘Hast thou children,’ says Ecclesias- ticus, ** instruct them and bow down their neck from their childhood :’’* the same important lesson is inculeated by the Apostle; and of such an education the Scripture affords the most beautiful illustrations in the persons of ‘Tobias, Job, and of other characters eminent for sanctity. But the further deve- lopment of the duties of parents and children we reserve for the exposition of the Fourth Commandment.

The next advantage is faith, not the habitual faith infused in baptism, but the fidelity which the husband plights to the wife and the wife to the husband, to deliver to each other the mutual dominion of their persens, and to preserve inviolate the sacred engagements of marriage. ‘This is an obvious inference from ihe words of Adam on receiving his consort Eve, which, as the Gospel informs us, the Redeemer has sanctioned by his appro- hation: ‘* Wherefore,’ says our protoparent, ‘‘a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; and they shali be two in one flesh.’ Nor are the words of the Apostle less explicit: ‘‘ The wife,” ays he, ** hath not power of her own body ; but the husband.”® Hence against adultery, be- zause it violates this. conjugal faith, the Almighty justly decreed in the Old Law the heaviest chastisements.?7. ‘This matrimonial faith also demands, on the part of husband and wife, a singular, holy, and pure love, a love not such as that of adulterers, but such as that which Christ cherishes towards his Church. ‘This is the model of conjugal love proposed by the Apostle when he says: ‘*Men, love your wives, as Christ also loved the

Yhureh.”5 ‘The love of Christ for his church was great, not an interested love, but a love which proposed to itself the sole happiness of his spouse.

The third advantage is called the sacrament, that is the indis- soluble tie of marriage: ‘The Lord,” says the Apostle, ** hath commanded that the wife depart not from her husband, and if she depart, that she remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband; and that the husband dismiss not his wife.’’? If, as a sacrament, marriage is significant of the union of Christ with iis Church, it follows that as Christ never separates himself

1 Cor. vii. 28 2 Vid. Aug. lib. 5. contr. Tul. cap. 5. 3] Tim. ii 15. 4 Eccl. vii. 25. 5 Gen. ii. 24. Matt. xix 5. 61 Cor. vii. 4. 7 Num, v. 12. 8 Ephes. y. 25. 9 1 Cor. vii. 10

20* 2G

Note.

234

Ul

Duties of a wife.

I.

IIL.

IV

Rites ob- served i1 the admi- nistrauion of mar- riage.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

from his Church, so a wife, as far as regards the tie of marriage, can never be separated from her husband.

‘The more easily to preserve the happiness of this holy union undisturbed by domestic broils, the pastor will instruct the faith. ful in the duties of husband and wife, as inculeated by St. Paul and by the prince of the Apostles.1_ It 1s then the duty vf the husband to treat his wife liberally and honourably it should not be forgotten that Eve was called by Adam ‘his companion :”’ “The woman,’ says he, ‘‘whom thou gavest me as a companion.”’ Hence it was, according to the opinion of some of the Holy Fathers, that she was formed not from the feet but from the side of ma n3 as, on the other hand, she was not formed from his head, in order to give her to under- stand that it was not hers to command but to obey her husband. The husband should also be constantly occupied in some honest pursuit, with a view as well to provide necessaries for his fa- mily, as to avoid the languor of idleness, the root of almost every vice. He is also to keep all his family in order, to correct their morals, fix their respective employments, and see that they discharge them with fidelity. On the other hand, the duties of a wife are thus summed up by the prince of the Apostles : * Let wives be subject to their husbands ; that if any believe not the word, they may be won withcut the word, by ‘the conversation of the wives ; considering your chaste conversation with fear: whose adorning let it not be the outward plaiting of the hair, or the wearing of gold, or the putting on of apparel, but the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptibility of a quiet and meek spirit, which is rich in the sight of God. For after this manner, heretofore, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands, as Sarah cbeyed Abraham, calling him Lord.”* ‘To train up their children in the practice of virtue, and to pay particular at- tention to their domestic concerns, should also be especial ob- jects of their attention and study. Unless compelled by neces- sity to go abroad, they should also cheerfully remain at home ; and should never leave home without the permission of their husbands. Again, and in this the conjugal union chiefly con- sists, let them never forget that, next to ‘God, they are to love their husbands, to esteem them «above all others, yielding to them, in all things not inconsistent with Christian piety, a will- ing and obsequious obedience.

Having explained these matters, the pastor will next proceed to instruct his people in the rites to be ‘observed in the admini- stration of marriage. Here, however, it is not to be supposed that we give in detail the laws that regulate marriage : these have been accurately fixed, and are detailed at large in the de- cree of the Council of Trent on marriage, a decree with which the pastor cannot be unacquainted. Here, therefore, it will suf:

| Vid. Aug. lib. 1. de adult. conjug. ce. 21 et 22. et de bono conjug. car. 7 et con eupis. lib. 1. ¢. 10. 21 Pet. iii. 1, 2

4

ea

On the Sacrament of Matrimony.

fice to admonish him to study to make himself acquainted, from the doctrine of the Council, with what regards this sub- ject, and to make it a matter of assiduous exposition to the faithful.*

But above all, lest young persons, and youth is a period of life marked by extreme weakness and indiscretion, deceived by the specious but misapplied name of marriage, may rush into hasty engagements, the result of criminal passion; the pastor cannot too frequently remind them that, without the presence of the parish-priest, or of some other priest commissioned by him or by the ordinary, and that of two or three witnesses, there can be no marriage.

The impediments of marriage are also to be explained, a subject so minutely and accurately treated by many writers on morality, of grave authority and profound erudition, as to ren- der it an easy task to the pastor to draw upon their labours, particularly as he has occasion to have such works continually in his hands. The instructions, therefore, which they contain, and also the decrees of the Council with regard to the impedi- ments arising from ‘spiritual affinity,” from ‘the justice of public honesty,” and from ‘ fornication,” the pastor will peruse with attention and expound with care and accuracy.

The faithful may hence learn the dispositions with which they should approach the sacrament of marriage: they should con- sider themselves as about to engage, not in a human work, but ta a divine ordinance; and the example of the Fathers of the Old Law, by whom marriage, although not raised to the dignity of a sacrament, was deemed a most holy and religious rite, evinces the singular purity of soul and sentiments of piety, with which Christians should approach so holy a sacrament.

But, amongst many other matters there is one which demands the zealous exhortation of the pastor, it is, that children pay it as a tribute of respect due to their parents, or to those under whose guardianship and authority they are placed, not to engage in marriage without their knowledge, still less in defiance of their express wishes. In the Old Law children were uniformly given in marriage by their parents; and that the will of the parent is always to have very great influence on the choice of the child, is clear from these words of the Apostle: ‘* He that giveth his virgin in marriage doth well; and he that giveth her not, doth better.’

Finally, with regard to the use of marriage, this is a subject which the pastor will approach with becoming delicacy, avoid- ing the use of any expression that may be unfit to meet the ears of the faithful, that may be calculated to offend the piety of some, or excite the laughter of others. ‘*'The words of the Lord are chaste words;’’* and the teachers of a Christian people should make use of no language that is not characterized by gravity, and that does not breathe purity of soul. ‘Iwo les-

1 Sess. 24 decret. de refurmat. matrimon. 21 Cor. vii. 38. 3 Ps. xi. 7.

238

Youth to be admonish- ed on the subject of marriage.

The impe diments of marriage.

The dispo- sitions with which the sacrament

of marriage is to be ap proached.

Clandes- tine mar. riage.

Iwo lee sons of in- struction which re- gard the use of mag riage

236

Lhe Catechism of the Council of Trent.

sous of instruction are, then, to be specially pressed upon the attention of the faithful: the first, that marriage is not to be sought from motives of sensuality, but that its use is to be re- strained within those limits, which, as we have already shown, are fixed by God. ‘They should be mindful of the exhortation of the Apostle: ‘‘'They,” says he, ‘‘ that have wives, let them be as though they had them not.”+ ‘The words of St. Jerome are also worthy of attention: ‘* the love,’ says he, ‘* which a wise man cherishes towards his wife, is the result of judgment, not the impulse of passion: he governs the impetuosity of de- sire, and is not hurried into indulgence. What greater turpi- tude than that a husband should love his wife, as the seducer loves the adulteress.’’? But as every blessing is to be obtained from God by holy prayer, the faithful are also to be taught sometimes to abstain from the marriage debt, in order to devote themselves to prayer. ‘This religion continence, according io the proper and pious injunction of our predecessors in the faith, is particularly to be observed for at least three days previous to communion, and for a longer time during the solemn and peni- tential season of Lent. ‘Thus will the faithful experience the blessings of the holy state of marriage by a constantly increasing accumulation of divine grace; and living in the pursuit and practice of piety, they will not only spend this mortal life in peace and tranquillity, but will also repose in the true and firm hope, ‘* which confoundeth not,”’? of arriving one day, through the divine goodness, at the fruition of that life which is eternal.4

! 1 Cor. vii. 29. 2S. Hier. lib. 1. contra. Iovian. in fine. 3 Rom. v. 8. 4 Vid. 33. q. 4. per totan et de consecr. dist. 2. cap. omnis homo. Hier. in a libris contra Jovian, post medium inter epist. num. 50. et in c. 12. Zach. supes Tied “in die planctus magnus erit fructus thori immaculat:.”

SS

a a gS eee eee rrerl hele meee —V7—_—_V0Om—!—_—-_ —_—-

THE

CATECHISM

OF

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT.

PART ITI. ON THE DECALOGUE.

Tuart the Decalogue is an epitome of the entire law of God is the recorded opinion of St. Augustine.t_ The Lord, it is true, had uttered many things for the instruction and guidance of his people ; yet two tables only were given to Moses. ‘They were made of stone, and were called * the tables of the testimony,” and were to be deposited in the ark; and on them, if minutely examined and well understood, will be found to hinge whatever else is commanded by God. Again. these ten commandments are reducible to two, the love of God and of our neighbour, on which ‘depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’’

Imbodying then, as the Decalogue does, the whole Law, it is the imperative duty of the pastor to give his days and nights to its consideration; and to this he should be prompted by a desire not only to regulate his own life by its precepts, but also to instruct in the law of God the people committed to his care. ** "The lips of the priest,’ says Malachy, ‘‘ shall keep know- ledge, and they shall seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of the Lord of Hosts.’’® ‘To the priests of the New Law this injunction applies in a special manner; they are nearer to God, and should be ‘ transformed from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord.”’* Christ our Lord has said that they are ‘the light of the world:’’> they should, therefore, be *‘a light to “them that are in‘ darkness, the instructers of the foolish, the teachers of infants;’® and “if a nan be over- taken in any fault, those who are spiritual should instruet such aone.’? In the tribunal of penance the priest holds the place of a judge, and pronounces sentence according to the nature of the offence. Unless, therefore, lie is desirous that his ignorance

'Questio 140. super Exod. =? Matt. xxii. 40. ? Mal. ii. 7 42Cor ui. 18 * Matt. v. 14. ® Rom. ii.19.20 7Gal. vi. J 237

The Deca logue an

epitome of the entire law ofGod

To be care fully stu- died and explained by the pas

tor.

238

Motives for its observ- ance.

The writ- ten law, why given.

Note

Considera- tions calcu- lated to en- force its ob- servance.

J

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

should prove an injury to himself, and an injustice to others, he must bring with him to the discharge of this duty, the greatest vigilance, and the most intimate and practised acquaintance with the interpretation of the Law, in order to be able to pro- nounce according to this divine rule on every omission and commission; and that, as the Apostle says, he teach sound doctrine, doctrine free from error, and heal the diseases of the soul, which are the sins of the people, that they may be ‘‘ac- ceptable to God, pursuers of good works.’”?

In the discharge of this duty of instruction, the pastor will propose to himself and to others such considerations, as may be best calculated to impress upon the mind the conviction, that obedience to the law of God is the duty of every man; and if in the Law there are many motives to stimulate to its ob- servance, there is one which of ail others is powerfully im- pressive—it is, that God is its author. True, it is said to have been delivered by angels,* but its author, we repeat, is God. Thus, not only the words of the Legislator himself, which we shall subsequently explain, but also, innumerable other pas- sages of Scripture, which the memory of the pastor will readily supply, bear ample testimony. Who is not conscious that 2 law is inscribed on his heart by the finger of God, teaching him to distinguish good from evil, vice from virtue, justice from injustice? ‘The force and import of this unwritten law do not conflict with that which is written. How unreasonable then to deny that God is the author of the written, as he is of the unwritten law.

But, lest the people, aware of the abrogation of the Mosaic Law, may imagine that the precepts of the Decalogue are no longer obligatory, the paster will inform them, that these pre- cepts were not delivered as new laws, but rather as a renewal

nd development of the law of nature: its divine light, which was obscured and almost extinguished by the crimes and the per- versity of man, shines forth in this celestial code with increased and renovated splendour. ‘The Ten Commandments, however, we are not bound to obey because delivered by Moses, but be- cause they are so many precepts of the natural law, and have been explained and confirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ.

But it must prove a most powerful and persuasive argument for enforcing its observance, to reflect that the founder of the Law is no less a person than God himself—that God whose wisdom and justice we mortals cannot question—whose power and might we cannot elude. Hence, we find that when by his prophet, he commands the Law to be observed, he proclaims that he is ‘the Lord God.” The Decalogue, also, opens with the same solemn admonition: ‘I am the Lord thy God ;’4 and in Malachy we read the indignant interrogatory: “If I am a master, where is my fear?* ‘That God has vouchsafed to give us a transcript of his holy will, on which depends our eternal

'2Tim.iv.3. 2Titii 14. 3Galiii 19. 4 Exod.xx.2. 5 Malach i &

On the Decalogue.

salvation, is a consideration which, besides animating the faith- ful to the observance of his commandments, must call forth the expression of their grateful homage in return for his beneficent condescension. Hence the Sacred Scriptures, in more pas- sages than one, setting forth this invaluable blessing, admonish us to know our own dignity, and to appreciate the divine bounty : ‘*This,”” says Moses, ‘‘is your wisdom and under- standing in the sight of nations, that hearing all these precepts they may say: ‘behold a wise and understanding people, a great nation;’’’! ‘* He hath not done in like manner to every nation ;”’ says the royal psalmist, *‘ and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them.’”?

The circumstances which accompanied the promulgation of the Law, as recorded in the Sacred Volumes, also demand the attention of the pastor; they are well calculated to convey to the minds of the faithful an idea of the piety and humility with which they should receive and reverence a Law delivered by God himself.—'Three days previous to its promulgation, was announced to the people the divine command, to wash their garments, to abstain from conjugal intercourse, in order that they may be more holy and better prepared to receive the Law, and on the third day to be in readiness to hear its awful an- nouncement. When they had reached the mountain from which the Lord was to deliver the Law by Moses, Moses alone was commanded to ascend; and the Lord descending from on high with great majesty, filling the mount with thun- der and lightning, with fire and dense clouds ; spoke to Moses, and delivered to him the Law.* In this the divine wisdom had solely for object to admonish us to receive his Law with pure and humble minds, and to impress the salutary truth, that over the neglect of his commands impend the heaviest chastisements of the divine justice.

The pastor will also teach that the commandments of God are not difficult of observance, as these words of St. Augustine are alone sufficient to show: ‘‘ How, I ask, is it said to be im- possible for man to love—to love, I say, a beneficent Creator, a most loving Father, and also, in the persons of his brethren, to love his own flesh? Yet,* ‘he who loveth has fulfilled the Law.’’*> Hence, the Apostle St. John expressly says, that ‘*the commandments of God are not heavy ?’’* for, as St. Ber- nard observes, ‘‘ no duty more just could be exacted from man, none that could confer on him a more exalted dignity, none that could contribute more largely to his own interests.’’? Hence in this pious effusion addressed to the Deity himself, St. Augus- tine expresses his admiration of his infinite bounty: ‘* What,” says he, “is man thou wouldst be loved by him? And if ne loves thee not, thou threatenest him with heavy punishment—ls it not punishment enough that I love thee not?”

! Deut. iv. 6. 2 Ps. exlvii. 20 3 Exod. xix. 10. et sey 4 Aug. serm. 47. de temp. 5 Rom. xiii. 8. 61Johuv 3. 1 Lib. de diligendo Deo, lib. 1. Confess. c. 5

238

The cir- cumstan- ces which attended its promul gation.

Note.

240

Human in firmity no plea for its non-ob- gervance.

All bound to obey its injanc- tions.

Note-

Fruits of its observ- ence

Lhe Catechism of the Council of Trent.

But should any one plead human infirmity to exculpate him- self from not loving God, it is not to be forgotten that he whe demands our love ‘* pours into our hearts by the Holy Ghost” the fervour of his love,‘ ‘‘ and this good Spirit our Heavenly Father gives to those that ask him.’’? ‘* Give what thou com- mandest,”’ says St. Augustine, ‘‘and command what thou plea- sest.”’? As then, God is ever ready by his divine assistance to sustain our weakness, especialiy since the death of Christ the Lord, by which the prince of this world was cast out; there is no reason why we should be disheartened by the difficulty of the undertaking ; to him who loves, nothing is difficult.*

To show that we are all laid under the necessity of obeying

the Law is a consideration, which must possess additional weight in the enforcement of its observance ; and it becomes the more necessary to dwell on this particular in these our days, when there are not wanting those who, to the serious injury of their own souls, have the impious hardihood to assert that the observance of the Law, whether easy or difficult, is by no means necessary to salvation. ‘This wicked and impious error the pastor will refute from Scripture, by the authority of which they endeavour to defend their impious doctrine. What then are the words of the Apostle? ‘* Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumeision is nothing, but the keeping of the command- ments of God.’’5 Again, inculcating the same doctrine, he says: «© A new creature, in Christ, alone avails ;’’ by a ‘‘new crea- ture,”’ evidently meaning him who observes the commandments of God; for, as our Lord himself testifies in St. John, he whe observes the commandments of God loves God: ‘If any one love me,’’ says the Redeemer, “he will keep my word.”’ A man, it is true, may be justified, and from wicked may = come righteous, before he has fulfilled by external acts each of the divine commandments; but no one who has arrived at the use of reason, unless sincerely disposed to observe them all, car be justified.

Finally, to leave nothing unsaid that may be calculated te induce to an observance of the Law, the pastor will point out how abundant and sweet are its fruits. ‘This he will easily ac- complish by referring to the eignteenth psalm, which celebrates a praises ‘of the divine Law, amongst which its highest eulogy

, that it proclaims more eloquently the glory and ‘the majesty of God than even the celestial orbs, w hieh by their beauty and order, excite the admiration of the most barbarous nations, and compel them to acknowledge and proclaim the glory, the wis- dom, and the power of the Creator and Architect of the uni verse. The Law of the Lord” also ‘ converts souls :’ knowing the ways of God and his holy will through the me-

jo) dium of his Law, we learn to walk in the way of the Lord. It

! Rom. v. 5. 2 Luke ii. 13.

3 Lib. 10. confess. c. 29. 31 et 37. Item de bono persever. c. 20.

‘ Aug. in Ps. iii. Barn. Serm. de Dom. in ramis palm. item in serm. de Magda.- +1 Cor. vii. 19 6 Gal. vi. 15 7 John xiv 21.23. -

On the First Commandment.

also, ** gives wisdom to little ones :’*' they alone who fear God are truly wise. Hence, the observers of the Law of God are filled with a profusion of pure delights, are enlightened by the knowledge of the divine mysteries, and are blessed with an ac- cumulation of pleasures and rewards as well in this life, as in the life to come.

In our observance of the Law, however, we should not be actuated so much by a sense of our own advantage as by a re- gard for the holy w ill of God, unfolded to man by the promul- gation of his Law : if the irrational part of creation is obedient to this his sovereign will, how much more reasonable that man should live in subjection to its dictate ?

A further consideration which cannot fail to arrest our atten- tion, is, that God has pre-eminently displayed his clemency and the riches of his bounty in this, that whilst he might have com- manded our service without a reward, he has, notwithstanding, deigned to identify his own glory with our advantage, thus ren- dering what tends to his honour, conducive to our interests. This is a consideration of the highest importance, and one which proclaims aloud the goodness of God. ‘The pastor then will not fail to impress on the minds of the faithful this salutary truth, telling them in the language of the prophet whom we have last quoted, that ‘‘in keeping the commandments of God there is a great reward.’ Not only are we promised those blessings which seem to have reference to earthly happiness, to be ** blessed in the city, and blessed in the field ;’’? but we are also promised ‘*a very great reward in heaven,’’* ‘ good measure, pressed down, shaken togetiier, and running over,’’S which, aided by the divine merey, we merit by our actions when recommended by piety and justice.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.

**] 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 GODS BEFORE ME: THOU SHALT NOT MAKE TO THYSELF A GRAYEN THING, &c.’’6

Tue law announced in the Decalogue, although delivered to the Jews by the Lord from the summit of Sinai, was originally written by the finger of nature on the heart of man,7 and was therefore readered obligatory on mankind at all times by the Author of nature. It will, however, be found very salutary to

explain with minute attention the words in which it was pro- ' Ps. xviii. 8. 2 Ps. xviii. 12. 3 Deut. xxviii. 2 { Matt. v 12 5 Luke vi. 38 6 Exod, xx 2. 7 Rom. i. 19, 20

21 2H

241

To be ob served for sake of God,

A great reward awaits

its observ ance.

The woras of the law and the his- tory of the people of

Israel to be explained

bax

An epi- tome of their his-

tory.

The people of Israel, why cho- sen by Gad.

The Israel ites why éonsigned te such trials.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

claimed to the people of Israel by Moses, its minister and inter- preter, and to present to the faithful an epitome of the myste- rious economy of Providence towards that people.

The pastor will first show, that from amongst the nations of the earth, God chose one which descended from Abraham 5 that it was the divine will that Abraham should be a stranger in the land of Canaan, the possession of which he had promised him; and that, although for more than forty years he and his posterity were wanderers, before they obtained possession of the land, God withdrew not from them his protecting care. «They passed from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another people; he suffered no man to hurt them, and he re- proved kings for their sakes.” Before they went down into Egypt, he sent before them one by whose prudence they and the people of Egypt were rescued from famine. In Egypt such was his paternal kindness towards them, that although opposed by the power of Pharaoh who sought their destruction, they increased to an extraordinary degree; anu when severely harassed and cruelly treated as slaves, he raised up Moses as a leader to conduct them from bondage with a strong hand—This their deliverance is particularly referred to in these opening words of the Law; ‘¢fam the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

Having premised this brief sketch of the history of the peo- ple of Israel, the pastor will not omit to observe, that from amongst the nations of the earth one was chosen by Almighty God whom he called “his people,’’ and by whom he would be known and worshipped ;* not that they were superior to other nations in justice or in numbers, and of this God him- self reminds them, but because, by the multiplication and ag- grandizement of an inconsiderable and impoverished nation, he would display to mankind the extent of his power and the riches of his goodness. Such having been the circumstances of the Jewish nation, ‘* He was closely joined to them, and loved them,’’? and Lord of heaven and earth as he was, he disdained not to be called ‘* their God.”’ ‘The other nations were thus to be excited to a holy emulation, that seeing the superior happiness of the Israelites, mankind might em- brace the worship of the true God; as St. Paul says that by placing before them the happiness of the Gentiles and the knowledge of the true God, ‘he provoked to emulation those who were his own flesh.”

The pastor will next inform the faithful that God suffered the Hebrew Fathers to wander for so long a time, and their posterity to be oppressed and harassed by a galling servitude in order to teach us, that to be friends of God we must be ene- mies of the world, and pilgrims in this vale of tears; that ap entire detachment from the world gives us an easier access te the friendship of God; and that admitted to his friendship we

' Py, civ. 11 2 Deut. vi. 6, 7. 3 Deut. x. 15. 4 Rom. xi. 14.

——T 4

On the First Commandment.

may experience the superior happiness enjoyed by those who serve God rather than the world. ‘This is the solemn admoni- tion of God himself: ‘* yet they shall serve him, that they may know the difference between my service and the service of a kingdom of the earth.’”!

The pastor will also remind the faithful that God delayed the fulfilment of his promise until after the lapse of more than four hundred years, in order that the Israelites might be sus- tained by faith and hope; for, as we shall show more particu- Jarly when we come to explain the First Commandment, God will have his children centre all their hopes and repose all their confidence in his goodness.

Finally, the time and place, when and where the people of Israel received this law, deserve particular attention. ‘They received it when, having been delivered from the bondage of Egypt, they had come into the wilderness; in order, that im- pressed with a lively sense of gratitude for a blessing still fresh in their recollection, and awed by the dreariness of the wild waste in which they journeyed, they might be the better dis- posed to receive the law. ‘l'o those whose bounty we have experienced we are bound by ties of reciprocity; and when man has lost all hope of assistance from his fellow man, he then seeks refuge in the protection of God. We are hence given to understand, that the more detached the faithful are from the allurements of the world, and the pleasures of sense, the more disposed are they to lend a willing ear to the doc- trines of salvation: ‘* whom shall he teach knowledge,” says Isaias, ‘‘and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? Them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away from the breasts.’’?

The pastor, then, will use his best endeavours to induce the faithful to keep continually in view these words, ‘I am the Lord thy God.” From them they will learn that he who is their Creator and conservator, by whom they were made, and are preserved, is also their legislator, and that they may truly say with the Psalmist: ‘* He is the Lord our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.’ The frequent and earnest inculeation of these words will also serve to induce the faithful to a more willing observance of the law, and a more cautious abstinence from sin.

The words, “* who brought thee out of the land of Egypt and the house of bondage,’’ come next in order; and, whilst they seem to relate solely to the Jews liberated from the bond- age of Egypt, are, if considered in their implicit reference to universal salvation, still more applicable to Chrisuans, who are liberated, not from the bondage of Egypt, but from the slavery of sin, and ** the power of darkness, and are translated into the kingdom of his beloved Son.”’* Contemplating in the vision of prophecy the magnitude of this favour, the prophet Jere-

2 Par. xii. 8 2 Isa. xxviii. 9 3 Ps xciv. 7 4Col i 13

The fulfil- ment of the divine pro- mises why so long de ferred.

The time and place in which the law was deli- vered why

chosen

Note

Opening words of the Deca- logna

A strong incentive to the love ct God

244

PMivision of the Deca- logue.

This pre- cept com- mands and prohibits : what it eommands.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

miah exclaims: ‘ behold the days come, saith the Lord, wher it shall be said no more: the Lord liveth that brought forth the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but the Lord liveth that brought the children of Israel out of the land of the North and out of all the lands to which I cast them out; and I will bring them again into their land which I gave to their Fathers. Behold, I will send many fishes, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them, &c.”* Our most indulgent Father has ‘ gathered together” through his beloved Son, his ‘children that were dispersed,’” that, ‘* being made free from sin and made the ser- vants of justice,’’? ‘* we may serve before him in holiness and justice all our days.’’* Against every temptation, therefore, the faithful should arm themselves with these words of the Apostle as with a shield: ‘‘ shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein?’”’> We are no longer our own: we are his who died and rose again for us: he is the Lord our God who has purchased us for himself at the price of his blood. Shall we then be any longer capable of sinning against the Lord our God, and crucifying him again? Being made truly free, and with that liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, let us, as we heretofore yielded our members to serve injustice, henceforward yield them to serve justice to sanctification.

‘‘'T HOU SHALT NOT HAVE STRANGE GODS BEFORE ME.’®] ‘The Decalogue naturally divides itself into two parts, the first em- bracing what regards God, the second what regards our neigh- bour; the duties which we discharge towards our neighbour are referred to God; then only do we fulfil the divine precept which commands us to love our neighbour, when we love him in God. ‘This division of the Decalogue the pastor will make known to the faithful; and he will add that the commandments which regard God, are those which were inscribed on the first table of the law.

He will next show that the words which form the subject matter of the present exposition contain a two-fold precept; the one mandatory, the other prohibitory When it is said; ‘Thou shalt not have strange gods before me,”’ it is equiva~ lent to saying; ‘‘thou shalt worship me the true God: thou shalt not worship strange gods.”’ ‘The former contains a pre- cept of faith, hope, and charity—of faith, for, acknowledging God to be immoveable, immutable, always the same, faithful, we acknowledge an eternal truth in the recognition of these his attributes : assenting therefore to his oracles, we necessarily yield to him all faith and authority—of hope, for who can con- template his omnipotence, his clemency, his beneficence, and not repose in him all his hopes ?—of charity, for who can behold the riches of his goodness and love, which he lavishes on us with so bounteous a hand, and not love him? with this

1 Jerem. xvi. 14, et seq. 2 John x. 52. Rom. vi. 18. * Luke i. 74, 75. 5 Rom. vi. 2 6 Exod. xx. 3.

On the Honor and Invocation of the Saints 248

exalted claim upon our obedience therefore commence, with this conclude all his commandments: ‘1 am the Lord.”

‘The negative part of the precept is comprised in these words: What it “thou shalt not have strange gods before me.” ‘This our Prohibits divine legislator subjoins, not because it is not implied in the positive part of the precept, which says equivalently: ‘thou shalt worship me the only God,”’ for if he is God, he is the only God; but on account of the blindness of many, who of old professed to worship the true God, and yet adored a multi- tude of gods. Of these there were many even amongst the Israelites, whom Elias reproached with having ‘“ halted between two sides,’’* and also amongst the Samaritans, who worshipped the God of Israel and the gods of the nations.?

Having thus explained the precept in its two-fold import, the This first pastor will observe that this is the first and principal command- bers ment, not only in order, but also in its nature, dignity, and superior excellence. God is entitled to infinitely greater love and to importance higher authority with regard to his creatures than the masters '? th rest or monarchs of the earth. He created us, He governs us, He nurtured us even in the womb, brought us into existence, and still supplies us by his provident care with all the necessaries of life. Against this commandment therefore transgress all who How vie have not faith, hope, and charity ; a numerous class, amongst lated. whom are those who fall into heresy, who reject what the church of God teaches ; those who give credit to dreams, divi- nation, fortunetelling, and such superstitious illusions; those who despairing of salvation trust not in the goodness of God; and also those who place their happiness solely in the wealth of this world, in health and strength, in personal attractions, or mental endowments. But these are matters which the pastor will find developed more at large in treatises on morality.*

ON THE HONOUR AND INVOCATION OF THE SAINTS.

,

In the exposition of this precept, the faithful are also to be ae- ‘The hu-

curately taught that the veneration and invocation of angels and "ur and Invocation

saints, who enjoy the glory of heaven, and the honour which of the the Catholic Church has always paid even to the bodies and samts not

ashes of the saints, are not forbidden by this commandment.4 Eons Were a king to prohibit by proclamation any individual to as- command ment

! 3 Kings xviii. 2i. 2 4 Kings xvii. 33.

3 De variis istis peccatis vide dist. 24. q. 2. multis in capitibus. Aug. in lib. de di- vinat. demon. cap. 5. et citatur 26. q. 4. a. secundum. Origen. hom, 5. in Joshue et habet 26. q. 2. c. sed et illud Aug. lib. 2. de doct. Christian. cap. 19. and 20. et ci- tatur eodem cap. illud quod est. Conc. Carth. 4. cap. 19. vid. place 26. q. 2, 3 et 5.

4 Vid. Trid. sess. 17. de Sacrif. Miss. c. 3. et sess. 25. sub princip. cap. de Invo- vat. Sanctorum. Item vid. Synod. 7. act. 6. in fine. item Aug. lib. 8. de civit. Dei. c. 27. et lib. 10. c. 1. et lib. 21. contra Faust. c. 21. Basil. Hom. 20. in 40. Mar. et 26. de Mar. Mamman: item Nazian. orat. in laud. S. Cyprian.

21*

246

Angels re- fused to be worship- ped by men, on what occa- sions. To ge honour-

and invo- ked.

To honour the saints does not detract from, but

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

sume the regal character, or accept the honours due to the royal person, how unreasonable to infer from such an edict a prohi- bition that suitable honour and respect should be paid to his magistrates? Of this nature is the relative honour paid by the Catholic Church to angels and saints. When, walking in the footsteps of those exalted characters, whose names are recorded in the Old Testament, she is said ‘* to adore the angels of God,” she venerates them as the special friends and servants of God, but gives not to them that supreme honour which is due to God alone.

True, we sometimes read that angels refused to be worship ped by men;? but the worship which they refused to accept was the supreme honour due to God alone: the Holy Spirit who says: ‘‘Honour and glory to God alone,”? commands us also to honour our parents and elders ;? and the holy men who adored one God only, are also said in Scripture to have ‘* adored,”’ that is supplicated and venerated, kings. If then kings, by whose agency God governs the world, are so highly honoured,* shall it be deemed unlawful to honour those angelic spirits, whom God has been pleased to constitute his ministers, whose services he makes use of not only in the government of his Church, but also of the Universe, by whose invisible aid we are every day delivered from the greatest dangers of soul and body? Are they not, rather, to be honoured with a veneration greater, in propor- tion as the dignity of these blessed spirits exceeds that of kings ? Another claim on our veneration is their love of us, which, as the Scripture informs us,° prompts them to pour out their prayers for those countries over which they are placed by Providence, and for us whose guardians they are, and whose prayers and tears they present before the throne of God.® Hence our Lord admonishes us in the Gospel not to offend the little ones, ‘‘ be- cause their angels in heaven always see the face of their Father who is in heaven.’’? Their intercession, therefore, we invoke, because they always see the face of God, and are constituted by him the willing advocates of our salvation. ‘To this their invocation the Scriptures bear testimony—Jacob invoked, nay compelled, the angel with whom he wrestled, to bless him,’ declaring that he would not let him go until he had blessed him; and not only did he invoke the blessing of the angel whom he saw, but also of him whom he saw not: ‘* The an- gel,”’ says he, ‘* who delivered me out of all evil, bless these children.’’?

From these attestations we are justified in concluding, that to honour the saints ‘* who sleep in the Lord,” to invoke their intercession, and to venerate their sacred relics and ashes, far from diminishing, tends considerably to increase the glory of

' Apoc. xix. 10. Apoc. xxii. 9. 21 Tim.i.17. Exod. xx. 2. Levit. xx. 11,

3 Deut. v. 16. 4 Gen. xxiii. 7. 2 Kings xxiv. 20. 1 Par. 29. 26 § Dan. x. 13. 6 Tob. xii. 12. Apoc. viii. 3. 7 Matt. xviii. 10. 8 Gev. xxxii. 26. Osee xii. 4.

9Gen xlyui. 16

On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints.

God, in proportion as the Christian’s hope is thus animated and fortified, and he himself excited to the imitation of their virtues. This is a doctrine which is also supported by the authority of the second Council of Nice,! the Council of Gangre,*? and of Trent,® and by the testimony of the Holy Fathers.t— In order however that the pastor may be the better prepared to meet the objections of those who impugn this doctrine, he will consult particularly St. Jerome against Vigilantius, and the fourth book, sixteenth chapter of Damascene on the orthodox faith ;> and what, if possible, is still more conclusive, he will appeal to the uniform practice of Christians, as handed down by the Apostles and faithfully preserved in the Church of God.® But what ar- gument more convincing, than that which is supplied by the admirable praises given in Scripture to the saints of God! If the inspired Volume celebrates the praises of particular saints, why question for a moment the propriety of paying them the same tribute of praise and veneration?? Another claim which the saints have to be honoured and invoked is, that’they ear- nestly importune God for our salvation, and obtain for us by their intercession many favours and blessings. If there is joy in heaven for the conversion of one sinner,’ can the citizens of heaven be indifferent to his conversion, or neglect to assist him by their prayers? When their interposition is solicited by the penitent, will they not rather implore the pardon of his sins, and the grace of his conversion? Should it be said that their patron- age is unnecessary, because God hears our prayers without the intervention of a mediator, the objection is at once met by the observation of St. Augustine: ‘There are many things,”’ says he, ** which God does not grant without a mediator and interces- sor:’’® an observation the justness of which is confirmed by two illustrious examples—Abimelech and the friends of Job were par- doned but through the prayers of Abraham and-of Job.*° Should it be alleged, that to recur to the patronage and intercession of the saints argues want or weakness of faith, the answer of the Cen- turion refutes the allegation: his faith was highly eulogized by our Lord himself; and yet he sent to the Redeemer “ the An- cients of the Jews,’’ to intercede with him to heal his servant.

True, there is but one Mediator, Christ the Lord, who alone has reconciled us through his blood,*? and who, having accom- plished our redemption, and having once entered into the Holy of Holies, ceases not to intercede for us ;'* but it by no means

' Niceeu. Cone. 2. act. 6.

? Gangr. Can. xx. et citatur dist. 30. cap. si quis per superbiam.

3 Trid. sess. 25. item Cone. Chalced. sub finem et in 6. Synod. General. ec. 7. et Cone. Geron. ec. 3. Aurel. 1. c. 20.

4 Damase. de orth, fid. lib. 4. ¢. 6. >» Lib. 4. de orth. fid. ec. 16.

* Dionys. ec. 7. Hier. Eccles. Iren. lib. 5. contra heres. c. 19. Athan. serm. in Evangel. de sancta Deip. Euseb. lib. 13. preepar. Evang. ¢. 7. Cornel. pap. epist. 1 Hilar. in Ps. 126. Ambr. in lib. de viduis.

7 Eccl xliv. xlv. xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. xlix. lib. Hebr. xi. 8 Luke xv. 7. 10. * Aug. quest. 149 super Exod. serm. 2. et 4. de St. Steph Gen. xx Matt. viii. 5. Luke vii. 3. 127 Tim. ii. 5.

'3 Heb. ix. 12 et 7. 25

247

adds to the honour due to God.

The Coun- cils.

‘The fa- thers.

Apostolic

tradition,

Seripture

The saints assist us by their pray ers.

Objection

Answer

Objection

Answer

248

The invo- cation of Saints pro- yed by the miracles wrought at theirtombs,

and con- firmed by the efficacy of relics.

These words do not contain a distinct precept.

Do not pro- hibit the use of im- ages.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

follows, that it is therefore unlawful to have recourse to the in- tercession of the saints. If, because we have one mediator Christ Jesus, it were unlawful to ask the intercession of the saints, the Apostle would not have recommended himself with so much earnestness to the prayers of his brethren on earth.- In his capacity as Mediator, the prayers of the living should derogate from the glory and dignity of Christ not less than the interees sion of the saints in heaven.

But what incredulity so obstinate but must yield to the evi- dence in support of the honour and invocation of the saints, which the wonders wrought at their tombs flash upon the mind ? The blind see, the lame walk, the paralyzed are invigorated, the dead raised to life, and evil demons are expelled from the bodies ofmen! ‘hese are authentic facts, attested not, as frequently happens, by very grave persons who have heard them from others ; they are facts which rest on the ocular attestation of wit- nesses, whose veracity is beyond all question, of an Ambrose,? and an Augustine.* But why multiply proofs on this head If the clothes, the kerchiefs,t and even the very shadows of the saints, whilst yet on earth, banished disease and restored health and vigour, who will have the hardihood to deny that God can still work the same wonders by the holy ashes, the bones and other relics of his saints who are in glory? Of this we have a proof in the resuscitation of the dead body which was let down into the grave of Eliseus, and which, on touch- ing the body of the prophet, was instantly restored to life.®

‘‘'T HOU SHALT NOT MAKE TO THYSELF A GRAVEN THING, NOR THE LIKENESS OF ANY THING 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 SERVE THEM.’’®

Some, supposing these words to constitute a distinct precept, reduce the ninth and tenth commandments into one. St. Au- gustine holds a different opinion: considering the two last to be distinct, he refers these words to the first commandment ;7 and this division, because well known and much approved in the Catholic church, we willingly adopt. As a very strong argu- ment in its favaur, we may, however, add the propriety of an- rexing to the first commandment its sanction, the rewards or punishments attached to its observance or violation ; a propriety which can be preserved in the arrangement alone which we nave chosen.

‘This commandment does not prohibit the arts of painting or sculpture; the Scriptures inform us that God himself commanded images of Cherubim,* and also the brazen serpent? to be made;

! Rom. xv. 30. Heb. xiii. 18. 2 Ambr. epist 85. et serm. 95. 3 Aug. de civit. Dei, lib. 22. c. 8. et epist. 137. 4 Acts v. xix. 12 et 5. 15. 54 Kings xiii. 21. 6 Exod. xx. 4.

7 Vid. Aug. super Exod. quest. 71. and in Ps. 32. serm. 2. Sententia D. Aug. de preeceptorum distinctione magis placet Ecclesiz Vid. D. Thom.i 2. queest. 100 art.4 8 Exod xxy.18 3 Kings vi. 27 9 Num xxi. 8, 9.

On the Honour and Invocation of the Sams.

and the vonclusion, therefore, at which we must arrive, is that images are prohibited only in as much as they may be the means of transferring the worship of God to inanimate objects. as though the adoration offered them were given to so many Gods.

By the violation of this commandment the majesty of God is grievously offended in a two-fold manner: the one, by wor- shipping idols and images as gods, or pelieuing that they pos- sess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our w orship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them, as the Gentiles did, who placed their hopes in idols, and whose idolatry the Scrip- ures universally reprobate: the other, by attempting to form a representation of the Deity, as if he were visible to mortal eyes, or could be represented by the pencil of the painter or the chisel of the statuary. ‘ Who,” says Damascene, ‘* can repre- sent God, invisible, as he is, incorporeal, uncireumscribed by limits, and incapable of being described under any figure or form?” ‘This subject, however, the pastor will find treated more at large in the second Council of Nice.* Speaking of the Gentiles, the Aposile has these admirable words: ‘They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into a likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of four- footed beasts, and of creeping things.’’> Hence the Israelites, when they exclaimed before the molten calf: ‘These are thy Gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,’’* are denounced as idolaters ; because they ‘* changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.” :

When, therefore, the Almighty forbids the worship of strange gods, with a view to the utter extinction of all idolatry, he also prohibits the formation of an image of the Deity from brass or other materials, as Isaias declares when he asks: ‘*’So whom then have you likened God, or what image will you make for hirz?”’® ‘That this is the meaning of the prohibitory part of the precept is proved, not only from the writings of the Huly Fathers, who, as may be seen in the seventh General Council, give to it this interpretation ; but also from these words of Deuteronomy, by which Moses sought to withdraw the Israelites from the worship of idols: ‘* You saw not,” says he, ‘* any similitude in the day that the Lord God spoke to you in Horeb, from the midst of the fire.”’? ‘These words this wisest ef legislators addressed to the people of Israel, lest through error of any sort, they should make an image of the Deity, and transfer to any thing created, the honour due to God alone.

To represent the Persons of the Holy ‘Trinity by certain forms, under which, as we read in the Old and New ‘Testa- ments, they deigned to appear, is not to be deemed contrary to religion, or the “Law of God. Wh» so ignorant as to believe that such forms are express images of the Deity ?—forms, as

1 Damas. lib. 4. de ortrod. fid, ¢ 17. 2 Cone. Nicen. 2 act. 3 3 Rom. i. 23. 4 Exod. xxxii. 4 5 Ps. cv. 20. 6Isa.x1.18. Acta vii. 40. > Deut. iv. 25, 16.

21

249

Prohibit two things

Their meaning

‘l'o repre-

sent any of the Persona of the 'Tri- ey under

ES not prohibited.

250

The saine doctrine true with regara to angels ;

Forms which re- present the Holy Ghost ;

the Saints, and also the Re- deemer.

The lawful use of im- ages.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the pastor will teach, which only express some attribute or ac- tion ascrited to God. ‘Thus. Daniel describes ‘*'The Ancient of Days, seated on a throne, and before him the books opened ;”” to signify his eternity and wisdom, by which he sees and judges all the thoughts and actions of men.* Angels, also, are represented under human form and winged, to give us to under- stand that they are actuated by benevolent feelings towards us, and are always prepared to execute the ministry of God to man: ‘‘ they are all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation.”’? ‘That attributes of the Holy Ghost are represented under the forms of a dove, and of tongues of fire, as we read in the Gospel? and in the Acts of the Apostles,* is a matter too well known to require lengthened exposition.

But to make and honour the images of our Lord, of his holy and virginal Mother, and of the Saints, all of whom appeared in human form, is not only not forbidden by this command- ment, but has always been deemed a holy practice, and the surest indication of a mind deeply impressed with gratitude towards them. ‘This position derives confirmation from the mo- numents of the Apostolic age, the General Councils of the Church, and the writings of so many amongst the Fathers, emi- nent alike for sanctity and learning, all of whom are of one ae- cord upon the subject. But the pastor will not content himself with showing the lawfulness of the use of images in churches, and of paying them religious respect, when this respect is re- ferred to their prototypes—he will do more—he will show that the uninterrupted observance of this practice up to the present time has been attended with great advantage to the faithful; as may be seen in the work of Damascene, on images,° and in the seventh General Council, which is the second of Nice.®

But as the enemy of mankind, by his wiles and deceits, seeks to pervert even the most holy institutions, should the faithful happen at all to offend in this particular, the pastor, in accordance with the decree of the Council of ‘Trent,7 will use every exertion in his power to correct such an abuse, and, if ne- cessary, explain the decree itself to the people. He will also inform the unlettered, and those who may be ignorant of the proper use of images, that they are intended to instruct in the history of the Old and New Testaments, and to revive the recollection of the events which they record ; that thus excited io the contemplation of heavenly things we may be the more ardently inflamed to adore and love God. He will, also, in- form the faithful that the images of the Saints are placed in churches, not only to be honoured, but that, also, admonished by their example we may imitate their lives and emulate thei virtues.®

! Dan. vii. 13. 2 Heb. i. 14. 3 Mat. 11.16. Marki. 10. Luke iii. 22 John i. 32 4 Acts il. 3. > Lib. 4. de fid. orthod. cap. 17

6 Nic. Sya. passim. 7 'Trid. Con. Sess. 29.

> De cultu et usu imaginum vid. Concil Niccen. 1. act 7. Histor. tripart, lib. 6

| |

On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints.

*T am THE Lorp Tuy Gop, MIGHTY, JEALOUS, VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION OF THEM THAT HATE ME, AND SHOW- ING MERCY UNTO THOUSANDS OF THEM THAT LOVE ME, AND KEEP My comMANDMENTS.”’] In this concluding clause of the first commandment, two things occur which demand exposition. The first is, that whilst, on account of the enormous guilt ineurred by the violation of the first commandment, and the propensity of man towards its violation, the punishment is here properly proposed : it is also appended to all the other com- mandments. Every law enforces its observance by some sanc- tion, by rewards and punishments ; and hence the frequent and numerous promises of God, which are recorded in Scripture. To omit those that we meet almost in every page of the Old Testament, we read in the Gospel: ‘If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments ;’’! and again : ** He that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter heaven ;’”? and also ; ** Every tree that doth not yield good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the fire ;’** ** Whosoever is angry with his brother shall be guilty of the judgment ;’’* “If you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your of- fences.’’® ‘The other observation is, that this divine sanction is to be proposed in a very different manner to the spiritual and to the carnal Christian: to the spiritual who is animated by the Spirit of God,® and who yields to him a willing and cheerful obedience, it is, in some sort, glad tidings, and a strong proof of the divine goodness: in it he recognises the parental care ot a most loving God, who, now by rewards, again by punish- ments, almost compels his creatures to adore and worship him. The spiritual man acknowledges the infinite goodness of God in vouchsafing to issue his commands to him, and to make use of his service to the glory of the divine name; and not only does he acknowledge the divine goodness, he also cherishes a strong hope that, when God commands what he pleases, he will also give strength to fulfil what he commands. But to the carnal man, who is not yet disenthralled from the spirit of servi- tude, and who abstains from sin more through fear of punish- ment than love of virtue, this sanction of the divine Law, which closes each of the commandments, is burdensome and severe. He is, therefore, to be supported by pious exhortation, and to be led, as it were, by the hand, in the path pointed out by the Law of God. ‘These two classes of persons the pastor, there-

ce. 41. Eus. lib. 8. Hist. Eccl. c. 14, Cyril. lib. 6. contr. Jul. Aug. lib. 1. de consensu Evang. c, 10, vid. item. sextam Synod. can. 82. et Conc. Rom. sub. Greg. IIL. et Cone. Gentiliac. Item et aliud Rom. sub Stephano III. Vid. etiam lib. de Rom. Pontif. in vita Sylvestri. Item Lactant. carm. de pass. Dom. Basil orat. in S. Bar- laham, Greg. Nyss. orat. in Theod. Prud. Hym. de S. Cas. et hym. de S. Hippolyt Ttem apud Baron. Annal. Eccles. an 57. num. 116. et deinceps. vid. interum Aug contra Faust. lib. 22. c. 73.

' Matt. xix. 17. 2 Matt. vii. 21. 3 Matt. iii. 10. and vii. 19

4 Matt. v. 23. 5 Matt, vi. 15. 6 Rom. viii. 14.

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Zeal in the service of God.

The Catechism of the Counc of Trent.

fore, will keep in view, as often as he has occasion to explaiy any of the commandments.

The carnal and spiritual are, however, to be excited by two considerations, which are contained in this concluding clause, and are well calculated to enforce obedience to the divine Law The one is, that when God is called ‘‘ The Strong,” the force of that appellation requires to be fully expounded to the faith- ful; because, unappalled by the terrors of the divine menaces, the flesh frequently indulges in the delusive expectation of esca- ping, in a variety of ways, the wrath of God and his menaced judgments. But when deeply impressed with the awful con- viction that God is ‘‘ The Strong,’’ the sinner will exclaim with David: ‘* Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy face?’’! ‘The flesh, also, distrusting the promises of God, sometimes magnifies the power of the enemy to such an extent, as to believe itself unable to withstand his assaults; whilst on the contrary, a firm and unshaken faith, which relies confidently on the strength and power of God, animates and confirms the hopes of man: it exclaims with the Psalmist: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear ?””

The second consideration is the jealousy of God. Man is sometimes tempted to think that God, indifferent whether we contemn or observe his Law, takes no concern in human affairs, an error which is the source of the greatest disorders; but when we believe that God is a jealous God, the reflection tends powerfully to restrain us within the limits of our duty towards him. ‘The jealousy attributed to God does not, how ever, imply agitation of mind: it is that divine love and charity by which God will suffer no human creature to resist his sove- reign will with impunity, and which ‘destroys ali those who are disloyal to him.’ The jealousy of God, therefore, is the most impartial justice, the calmness of which is undisturbed by the least commotion, a justice which repudiates as an adulteress the soul which is corrupted by erroneous opinions and criminal passions ; and in this jealousy of God, evincing as it does his boundless and incomprehensible goodness towards us, we re- cognise at once a source of pure and unmixed pleasure. It de- clares that the soul is his spouse, and what stronger tie of affec- tion, or closer bond of union can bind him to us? God, there- fore, when frequently comparing himself to a spouse or hus- band, he calls himself a jealous God, demonstrates the excess of his love towards us.

The pastor, therefore, will here exhort the faithful, that they should be so warmly interested in promoting the worship and honour of God, as to be said with more propriety to be jealous of, rather than to love him; imitating the example of Elias, who says of himself: ‘* With zeal nave I been zealous for the

(Ps exxxviii. 7. 2 Ps. xxvi. 1 3 Ps. Ixxii 27

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On the Honour and Invocation of the Sats.

Lord God of Hosts ;’! or rather of Jesus Christ himself, who says: ‘The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.’’?

‘The pastor should also set forth the terrors denounced in the menaces of God’s judgments—menaces which declare that he will not suffer sinners to run their iniquitous career with impunity ; but will chastise them with the fondness of a parent, or punish them with the rigour of a judge; and which, on another occasion, are thus expressed by Moses: ‘ 'Thou shalt snow that the Lord thy God is a strong and faithful God, Keeping his covenant and merey to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand genera- lions; and repaying forthwith them that hate him, so as to destroy them without further delay, immediately rendering to them what they deserve.”’* ‘* You will not,”’ says Josue, ‘be able to serve the Lord; for he is 2 holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not sea your wickedness and sins. If you leave the Lord and serve strange gods, he will turn and will afflict you, and will destroy you.’’* The faithful are also to be taught, that the punishments ‘here threatened await the third and fourth generation of the impious and wicked; not that the children are alw ays visited with the chastisements due to the delinquency of their parents, but that, although they and their children may go unpunished, their posterity shall not all estan the wrath and vengeance of the Almighty. Of this we have an illustra- tion in the life of king Josias: God had spared him for his singular piety, and allowed him to be gathered to the tomb of his fathers in peace, that his eyes might not behold the evils of the times that were to befall Judah and Jerusalem, on ac- count of the wickedness of his father Manasseh ; vet, after his decease, the divine vengeance so overtook his posterity, that even the children of Josias were not spared.5

The words of this commandment may perhaps seem to be at variance with the sentence pronounced by the prophet: ‘* The soul that sins shall die;’’® but the authority of St. Gregory, supported by the concurrent testimony of all the ancient fathers, satisfactorily reconciles this apparent contradiction: ‘* Who- ever,” says he, ‘follows the bad example of a wicked father is also bound by his sins; but he, who does not follow the ex- ample of a wicked father, shall not at all suffer for the sins of the father. Hence it follows that a wicked son, who dreads not to superadd his own malice to the vices of his father, by which he knows the divine wrath to have been excited, is burdened not enly with his own additional sins, but also with those of his wicked father.—It is just that he who dreads not to walk in the footsteps of a wicked father, in presence of a rigor- ous judge, should be subjected in the present life to the punish- ment invoked by the crimes of his wicked parent.’’7

13 Kings xix. 10. 2 Ps. Ixviii. 10. John ii. 17. 3 Deut. vii. 9, 10. « Josue xxiv. 19, 20. 3 2 Par. 36. iii. 6. 4 Kings xxii. 20. 6 Ezech. xviii. 4 7 Extatlocus Greg. lib. 15. moral. c. 31. Vid. Aug. epist. 75. D. Thom. 1. 2. q. 87 art. 8. 22

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The Law rot to be violated with unpu hity.

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An appa- rent con-

tradiction reconciled

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The mercy ef God ex- eeeds his justice.

The wick- ed hate God.

The good are in- fluenced by Jove in the observance of his Liw.

This com- mandment, why dis- tinct from the first

Demands assiduous exposition.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

‘That the goodness and mercy .f God far exceed his justice is another observation, which the pastor will not fail to make to the faithful: he is angry to the third and fourth generation ; but he bestows his mercy on thousands.

The words: ‘Of them that hate me” display the grievous- ness of sin: what more wicked ? what more detestable than to hate God, the supreme goodness and sovereign truth? This, however, is the crime of all sinners: for as he who observes the commandments of God, loves God,t so he who despises his Law, and violates his commandments, is justly said to hate God. The concluding words: ‘And them that love me,” point out the manner and motive of observing the Law of God: those who observe the divine Law should be influenced in its observance by the same love and charity which they bear to Ged; a principle which applies with equal force and truth to the exposition and observance of all the other command: ments

oO S.—OoooOOowowowqwTw?>

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT.

‘6 PHOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN.’

Tis precept is necessarily comprised in the former, which commands us to worship God in piety and holiness: He who is to be honoured must also be spoken of with reverence and must forbid the contrary, according to these words of Malachy : «© The son honoureth the father, and the servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honour 23 Yet, on account of the importance of the obligation which it imposes, God would make this law,whick commands his name to be honoured, a distinct precept; and this he does in the clearest and simplest terms. ‘his observation must have much influence in con vineing the pastor, that on this point it is not enough to speak in general terms : that its importance is such as to require to be dwelt upon at considerable length, and to be explained to the faithful in all its bearings with distinctness, clearness, and ac- curacy.*

‘This assiduity on the part of the pastor cannot be deemed superfluous: there are not wanting those who are so blinded by the darkness of error as not to dread to blaspheme his nam:, whom the angels glorify ; and who are not deterred by the di- vine commandment from shamefully and daringly outraging his divine majesty ,every day, or rather every hour and moment of

! John xiv. 21. 2 Exod. xx. 7. 3 Malach. i. 4 4 Ne hoc precepto vid. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 122. art. 3. item et 1. 2. q. 100, art >

On the Second Commandment.

the day. Who is ignorant that every assertion is accompanied with an oath? that every conversation teems with curses and imprecations? ‘Io such lengths has this impiety been carried, that one scarcely buys, or sells, or transacts ordinary business of any sort, without interposing the solemn pledge of an oath, and even in matters the most unimportant and trivial, thousands of times rashly appealing to the most holy name of God! It therefore becomes more imperative on the pastor, not to neglect, carefully and frequently, to admonish the faithful of the grievousness and horror of this detestable crime.

But in the exposition of this commandment, the pastor will show, that, besides a negative, it also contains a positive precept commanding the performance of a duty, and will give to each a separate exposition.—In the first place, to facilitate the eyplana- tion of these matters, it is necessary to know what the precept commands, and what it prohibits. It commands us to honour the name of God, and when solemnly appealing to him by an oath, to do so with due reverence: it prohibits us to contemn the divine name, to take it in vain, or swear by it falsely, un- necessarily, or rashly. When therefore we are commanded to honour the name of God, the command, as the pastor will show, is not directed to the letters or syllables of which that name is composed, or in any respect to the mere name; but to the im- port of a word used to express the Omnipotent and Eternal Majesty of the Godhead, Trinity in unity. Hence we at once perceive the superstition of those amongst the Jews who, whilst they hesitated not to write, dared not to pronounce the name of God, as if the divine power consisted in the letters of which it is composed, and not in their signification.

In the annunciation of the divine precept, the word ‘* name,” although oceurring in the singular number, ‘Thou shalt not take the name of God,” is not to be understood to refer to any one name in particular: it extends to every name by which God is generally designated. He is called by many names, such as ‘the Lord,” ‘the Almighty,” **the Lord of Hosts,” ‘the King of Kings,” ‘‘the Strong,”’ and by others of similar import, which we meet in Scripture ; all of which are entitled to the same veneration.

The pastor will also teach how the name of God is to be ho- noured. Christians, whose tongues should every day celebrate the divine praises, are not to be ignorant of a matter so important, indeed so necessary to salvation. The name of God may be honoured in a variety of ways; but all seem to be included under the following heads.—His name is honoured, when we openly and confidently confess him to be our Lord and our God ; and not only acknowledge but proclaim Christ to be the author of our salvation. It is also honoured when we pay a re- ligious attention to his Word, which announces to us his sove- reign will; make it the subject of our daily meditation ; and by reading or hearing it, study, aceording to our respective capa- cities and conditions of life, to become acquainted with its

28

Contains a negative and a pow live pre- cept.

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The com mandment refers to every name by which God is de- signated.

The name ef God, hew ho- noured.

as

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saving truths. Again, we honour and venerate the name of God when from a sense of religious duty we celebrate his praises, and under all cireumstances, whether prosperous or adverse, return him unbounded thanks; saying in the laysuage of the prophet: ‘* Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all he hath done for thee.” Amongst the Psalms of David we have many, in which, animated with singular piety towards God, the Psalmist chants in sweetest strains the divine praises. We have also the admirabie example of Job, who, when visited with the heaviest and most appalling calamities, never cessed, with lofty and unconquered soul, to give praise to God. When, therefore, we labour under affliction of mind or body; when oppressed by misery and misfortune ; let us instantly direct all yur thoughts, and all the powers of our souls, to the praises of God, sa aying with Job: ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord.””? The name of God is not less honoured when we confidently invoke his assistance, either to relieve us from our afflicticns, or to give us constancy and strength to endure them with forti- tude. ‘This is in accordance with his own wishes: ‘* Call upon me,” says he, ‘*in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me ;’’? and we have illustrious examples of such supplications in the sixteenth, forty-third, and one hundrea and eighteenth Psalms, and also in many other parts of Serip- ture.—Finally, we honour the name of God, when we solemnly call upon him to witness the truth of what we assert; and this solemn appeal differs much from the means of honouring the divine name already enumerated. ‘Those means are in their own nature so good, so desirable, that our lives, day and night, could not be more happily or more holily spent than in such practices of piety: ‘I will bless the Lord.” says David, ‘at all times, his praise shall be always in my meouth:’’* but with regard to oaths, althuugh in themselves lawful, they should sel- dom be used. ‘The reason of this difference is, that oaths are constituted as remedies to human frailty, and a necessary means of establishing the truth of what we advance. As it is inexpe- dient to have recourse to medicine, unless when it becomes ne- cessary, and as its frequent use is most pernicious; so, with regard to oaths, we shveuld never recur to them, unless when there is weighty and just cause; and a frequent recurrence to them, far from being advantageous, is on the contrary highly prejudicial. Hence the excellent observation of St. Chrysos- tome: ‘* Oaths were introduced amongst men, not at the be-

ginning of the world, but long after ; when vice had overspread the earth; when the moral world was convulsed to its centre, and universal confusion reigned throughout; when, to complete the picture of human depravity, man debased the dignity of his nature by prostrating himself in degrading servitude to idols: then it was that God was appealed to as a witness of the truth, when, considering to what a height perfidy and wickedness had

1Ps cil. 2 Job i. 21 2 Ps. xlix. 15. 4Ps. xxx %

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On the Second Commandment

risen, it was with difficulty that man could be induced to credit the assertion of his fellow-man.’"!

But as in explaining this part of the commandment our chief object is, to teach the faithful the conditions necessary to ren- der an oath reverential and holy, it is first to be observed, that to swear, whatever the form of the oath may be, is nothing else than to call God to witness: to say ** God is my witness,” and to swear by his holy name, are exactly the same. ‘To swear by creatures, in order to gain credit for what we say, is an oath: to swear by the holy Gospels, by the cross, by the names or relies of the saints, and ali such solemn atiésiations, are also oaths. Of themselves, it is true, such objects give no weight or authority to an oath: its derives its obligation from God, whose divine majesty shines forth in them: and hence to swear by the Gospel is to swear by God himself, whose revealed word itis. This holds equally true with regard to those who swear by the saints, who are the temples of "God, who believed the truth of his Gospel, were faithful to its dictates, and diffused its doctrines amongst the remotest nations of the earth. This is also true of oaths uttered by way of execration, such as that of St. Paul: “I call God to witness upon my soul:’? by this form of oath we subject ourselves to God as the avenger of falsehood. We do not, however, deny that some of these forms may be used without constituting an oath; but even in such cases it will be found useful to observe what has been said with regard to an oath, and to direct and regulate such forms by the same rule and standard.

Oaths are of two kinds, aflirmatory and promissory : an oath is aflirmatory when, under its solemn sanction, we affirm any thing, past, present, or to come; such as the affirmation of the Aposile in his Epistle to the Galatians: ‘* Behold! before God, I lie not *’* An oath is promissory when we promise the cer- tain performance of any thing; such as that of David, who swore to Bethsabee his wife, by the Lord his God, that Solo- mon should be heir to his kingdom and successor to his throne ;* and this class of oaths also includes comminations.

But although to constitute an oath it is sufficient to call God to witness, yet to constitute a holy and just oath many other conditions are required ; and these it is the duty of the pastor carefully to explain. ‘The other conditions, as St. Jerome ob- serves,° are briefly enumerated in these words of the prophet Jeremiah: ‘*Thou shalt swear: as the Lord liveth, in truth and in judgment, and in justice ;’’® words which briefly sum up ali the conditions, which constitute the perfection of an oath -—truth, judgment, justice.

Truth, then, holds the first place in an oath: what we swear must be true; that is, he who swears must believe what he sears to be true, founding his conviction not upon rash grounds

‘ Ad. pop. Antioch. hom. 26. 2 2 Cor. i. 23. 3 Gal. 1. 20. 43 Kings 1. 17. 5 St. Hieron in hune ocum 6 Jerem.iy 2

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or vain conjecture, but upon motives of undoubted credibility Truth is a condition not less necessary, as is obvious, in a pro missory than in an affirmatory oath: he who promises must be disposed to perform and fulfil his promise at the appointed time. As no conscientious man will promise to do what he considers to be a violation of the commandments, and in opposition to the will of God; so, having promised and sworn to de what is law- ful, he will adhere with fidelity to the sacred and solemn en- gagement; unless, perhaps, change of circumstances should se alter the complexion of the case, that he could not stand to his

romise without incurring the displeasure and enmity of God That truth is necessary to a lawful oath David also declares. when, having asked who is worthy to sit in the tabernacle of the Most High, he answers: ‘ He that sweareth to his neigh- bour, and deceiveth not.’’?

The second condition is judgment: an oath is not to be taken rashly and inconsiderately, but after mature deliberation and calm reflection. When about to take an oath, therefore, we should first consider whether it be or be not necessary, and whether the case, if well weighed in all its circumstances, be of sufficient im- portance to demand an oath. Many other circumstances of time, place, &c. are also to be taken into consideration ; and in taking an oath we should never be influenced by love or hatred, or any other passion, but by the nature and necessity of the case. Without this calm and dispassionate consideration, an oath must be rash and hasty ; and of this character are the irre ligious affirmations of those, who, on the most unimportant and trifling occasions, swear from the influence of bad habit alone. This criminal abuse is but too prevalent amongst buyers and sellers, of whom the latter, to sell at the highest price, the former to purchase at the cheapest rate, make no scruple to strengthen with an oath, their praise or dispraise of the goods in question. Judgment and prudence therefore are necessary, and hence Pope Gelasius, a pontiff of eminent piety, decreed that an oath should not be administered to children before their four- teenth year, because before that period their tender age is in- competent to perceive so acutely, and to balance so accurately, the nice distinctions of things.

The third and last condition of an oath is justice ; a condition which in promissory oaths demands particular attention. Hence, if a person swear to do what is unjust or unlawful, he sins by taking the oath, and adds sin to sin by executing his promise. Of this the Gospel supplies an example. Herod bound himself by oath to grant the request of Herodias, as a reward for the pleasure which she afforded him by dancing: she demanded the head of John the baptist; and Herod criminally adhered to the rash oath which he had sworn.? Such was also the oath taken by the Jews, who, as we read i. the Acts of the Apostles, bound themselves by oath not to eat. until they had shed the blood of Paul.$

1 Ps. xiv. 4. 2 Matt. xiv. 7. 3 Acts xxiii. 12.

; ; d 4

On the Second Commandment.

An oath therefore accompanied, and guarded as it were by these conditions, is no doubt lawful, a position which is easily and satisfactorily established. ‘The law of God, the purity and sanctity of which will not be questioned, not only permits but commands such an oath to be taken: ‘*'Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God,” says Moses, ‘‘ and shalt serve him only, and

thou shalt swear by his name:’* ‘All they,” says David,

‘shall be praised that swear by him.’’* ‘The inspired Volume also informs us, that the Apostles, whose bright example it can- not be unlawful for Christians to follow, sometimes made use of oaths: they are recorded in the Epistles of St. Paul.¢ Even the angels have sometimes sworn: ‘‘’The angel,” says St. John in his Apocalypse, ‘‘ swore by him who lives for ever.” In fine, God himself, the Lord of angels, has sworn, and, as we read in many passages of the Old ‘Testament, has confirmed his promises with an oath. ‘This he did to Abraham and to David ;8 and of the oath sworn by the Almighty David says: ‘'The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech.”’7

To him who considers the matter attentively and in all its bearings, its origin and its end, it can be no difficult matter to explain the reasons why the taking of an oath is not only law- ful but even laudable. An oath has its origin in faith, by which we believe God to be the author of all truth, who cannot deceive or be deceived, ‘* to whose eyes all things are naked and open,’’* who, in fine, superintends in an admirable manner all human affairs, whose providence governs the world: imbued with this faith we appeal to God as a witness of the truth, to whom it were wicked and impious not to yield implicit belief. With regard to the end of an oath, its scope and intent is to establish the justice and innocence of man, and to terminate disputes and contests: this is the doctrine of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrews.? Nor does this doctrine at all clash with these words of the Redeemer, recorded in St. Matthew: ‘* You have heard that it was said of old; thou shalt not commit perjury, but thou shalt perform thy oaths to the Lord: but I say to you not to swear at all; neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; neither by the earth, because it is the footstool of his feet; neither by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great king: neither shalt thou swear by .ny head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. Let your talk be yea, yea; no, no; and that which is over and above these is of evil. ’*° It cannot be asserted that these words condemn oaths universally and under all circumstances: we have already seen that the Apostles and even our Lord himself swore frequently: the ob ject of the Redeemer was rather to reprove the perverse opinion of the Jews, which taught them to think that to justify the

Ps. xviii. 8. 2 Deut. vi. 13. 3 Ps, lxii 12. 42Cor. i. 23. Philem.1.8. 1 Thess. ii. 10. 5 Apoc. x. 6 6 Heb. vi. 17. Gen, xxii. 16. Exod. xxxiii. 1. 7 Ps. cix. 4.

8 Heb. iv. 13. ® Heb. vi 16. © Matt. v. A—S7

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

taking of an oath, its truth alone was sufficient. Hence even on the most trivial occasions they did not hesitate to make frequent ase of oaths, and to exact them from others. This practice the Redeemer condemns and reprobates; teaching that an oath is never to be taken, unless necessity require so solemn a pledge. Oaths have been instituted as remedies for human frailty ; and bespeaking, as it does, the inconstancy of him who takes, or the contumacy of him who exacts it, and who refuses to yield his assent without it, an oath has its souree in the corruption: of our nature, and can therefore be justified by necessity alone.

But to explain the words of the Redeemer—When our Lord says: ‘Let your speech be yea, yea; no, no,’’? he evidently forbids the habit of swearing in familiar conversation and on trivial matters: he therefore admonishes us particularly against an habftual propensity to swearing; and this admonition the pastor will impress deeply and repeatedly on the minds of the faithful. ‘That countless evils grow out of the unrestrained habit of swearing is a melancholy truth supported by the evidence of Scripture, and the testimony of the Holy Fathers. ‘Thus we read in Ecclesiasticus: ‘* Let not thy mouth be aceus- tomed to swearing ; for in it there are many falls ;”’* and again: ‘* A man that sweareth much shall be filled with iniquity, and a scourge shall not depart from his house.’’? In the works of St. Basil, and also in the treatise of St. Augustine against lying, the pastor will find abundant matter on this subject.*

Having hitherto explained the positive, we now come to explain the negative part of the commandment. By it we are forbidden to take the name of God in vain; and he who, not guided by prudent deliberation, but hurried on by rashness, dares to take an oath, ts guilty of agrievous sin. ‘This the very words of the commandment declare: ‘‘'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.’’ In these words the Al- mighty would seem to assign the reason why a rash oath is so grievous a crime :—It derogates from the majesty of him whom we profess to recognise as our Lord and our God. ‘This com- mandment, therefore, forbids to swear falsely, because he who does not hesitate to appeal to God to witness falsehood, offers a grievous injury to the divine Majesty, charging him either with ignorance, as though the truth could be concealed from his all-seeing eye, or with injustice and depravity, as though the Eternal ‘Truth could bear testimony to falsehood.

Amongst false swearers are to be numbered not only those who affirm as true what they know to be false, but also those who swear to what is really true, believing it to be false.* The essence of a lie consists in speaking contrary to one’s convic- tion; and such persons, therefore, as swear to what they -e- lieve to be false, are evidently guilty of a lie, and therefore of perjury. On the same principle, he who swears to that which

' Matt. v. 37. 2 Keel. xiii. 9. 3 Eccl. xx. 12. 4 Basil. in Psal. 14. ad hee verba: quijurat proximo suo, et Aug. lib. de mendac e, 14. Vid. 12. q. 2. c. primum est. 5Ler xix 12

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On the Second Commandment.

he thinks to be true, but which, although he swears according to his conviction, is really false, also incurs the guilt of perjury ; unless he has used moral diligence to arrive at the truth. He who binds himself by oath to the performance of any thing, not intending to fulfil his promise, or having had the intention neglects its “performance, is also guilty of perjury; and this equally applies to those who, having bound themselves to God by vow, neglect its fulfilment.

This commandment is also violated, if justice, which is one of the three conditions of an oath, be wanting; and hence he who swears to commit a mortal sin, to perpetrate murder, for instance, violates this commandment, although he should have really intended to commit the crime, and his oath should have possessed what we before pointed out as a necessary condition of every oath, that is, truth. ‘To these are to be added oaths sworn through a sort of contempt; such as an oath not to ob- serve the Evangelical counsels of celibacy and poverty. None, it is true, are obliged to embrace these counsels, but by swear- ing to their non-observance, they are contemned and violated. This commandment is also sinned against, and the second con- dition of an oath, which is ‘ judgment,” is violated by swear- ing on slight grounds and mere conjecture, although what is sworn be true, and believed to be so by him who swears; be- cause, notwithstanding its truth, it still involves a sort of false- hood ; for he who swears with such indifference exposes him- self to extreme danger of perjury. ‘To swear by false gods is likewise to swear falsely: what more opposed to truth than to appeal to lying and false deities as to the true God?!

But as the Scripture, when it prohibits perjury, adds: ‘* Thou shalt not profane the name of thy God,’’? it therefore prohibits all irreverence not only to his name, but also to those things to which, in accordance with this commandment, reverence is due; such as the Word of God, the majesty of which has been recognised and revered not only by the pious, but also some- times by the impious, as we read in Judges of Eglon, king of the Moabites.? But he who, to support heresy and impiety, wrests the Sacred Scriptures from their genuine and true mean- ing, is guilty of the most flagrant irreverence towards the Divine Word; and of this we are admonished by these words of the prince of the Apostles: ‘There are some things hard to be un- derstood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”* It is also a shameful irreverence of the Scripture, to pervert the words and sentences which it contains, and which should be mentioned with due reverence, to some profane purpose, such as scurrility, fable, vanity, flattery, detraction, superstition, satire, and the like. Such profanation of the Divine Word the Councii of ‘Trent commands to be severely reprehended.> In

'Vid Aug. epist. 54. 2 Lev. xix. 12. 3 Judges iii. 20 { Pet. wi. 16 5 Sess. 4, in fine

Note.

VI

Vin

Vill

Ix

262

XII.

Sanction of this pre- cept.

Its wisdom to be deve- loped by

the pastor.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the next place, as they who under severe affliction implore the assistance of God, so they, who invoke not his aid, deny him due honour; and these David rebukes when he says: ‘ 'They have not called upon the Lord, they trembled for fear where there was no fear.”’! Still more enormous is the guilt of those who, with impure and impious lips, dare to curse or blaspheme the holy name of God, that name which is to be blessed and praised above measure by all his creatures, or even the names of the Saints who reign with him in glory. Shuddering, as it were, at its very mention, the Sacred Scriptures sometimes ex- press the crime of which they are guilty, by the word ‘ bene diction.’’?

As, however, the dread of punishment has often a powerful effect in checking the licentiousness of crime, the pastor, in order the more effectually to excite, and the more easily to induce to an observance of this commandment, will diligently explain the remaining words, which are, as it were, its ap- pendix, and which run thus ; ‘‘ For tHE LorD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS THAT SHALL TAKE THE NAME OF THE Lorp His Gop IN VAIN.”’S

In the first place the pastor will teach, that in the annexation of threats to the violation of this commandment reason discovers the wisest ends: it demonstrates at once the grievousness of sin and the goodness displayed in our regard by a beneficent God, who, far from desiring the death of the sinner, deters by these salutary threats from incurring his severity, doubtless in order that we may experience his kindness rather than his anger. ‘he pastor will urge this consideration, a consideration to be dwelt on with indefatigable earnestness, in order that the faithful may be made sensible of the grievousness of the crime, may detest it still more, and may employ increased care and caution to avoid its commission.

He will also observe how prone Christians are to this sin, since God has not only issued a command for its prevention, but has also enforced this command by so severe a sanction. The advantages to be derived from this consideration are indeed incredible: as nothing is more injurious than a listless security, so the knowledge of our own weakness is attended with the most salutary consequences. He will next observe that the punishment, which awaits the violation of this commandment, is not fixed and determinate ; the threat is general: it declares that he who is guilty of the violation shall not escape unpunish- ed. The chastisements, therefore, with which we are every day visited, should impress upon our minds the enormity of this crime. ‘They admonish us, in language the most intelligible, that the violation of this commandment cannot pass with im- punity ; that the heaviest punishments will overtake him whe profanes the name of God; a consideration which it is hoped must excite to future vigilance.

Ps. xiii. 5. et lili. 26 23 Kings xxi. 13. Jobi. 11 et 9 Exod. xx. 7.

On the Third Commandment.

Deterred therefore by a holy and salutary dread, the faithful should use every exertion to avoid the violation of this com- mandment: if ‘for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account on the day of judgment;’*! how sevene the account which they shall have to render, whose crime in- volves the awful guilt of contemning the name of the Eternal

God!

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT.

“REMEMBER THAT THOU KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY. SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOUR 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 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 HEA- VEN 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.’”?

Tus commandment, as is required by the natural order, pre- scribes the external worship which is due to God, and is, as it were, a consectary of the preceding commandment. If we sin- cerely and devoutly yield internal worship to God, guided by the faith and hope we have in him, we cannot but honour him with external worship and thanksgiving :* this duty we cannot easily discharge whilst occupied in worldly affairs ; and hence the necessity of appointing a fixed time for its performance. As, therefore, this commandment, if duly observed, is produc- tive of much fruit, it is of the highest importance that the pastor use the utmost diligeuce in its exposition. The word * Re- member,” with which the commandment commences, must animate him to the zealous performance of this duty: if the faithful are commanded to ‘‘ remember’ this commandment, it becomes the duty cf the pastor to recall it trequently to their recollection.

The importance of its observance may be inferred from the consideration, that a faithful compliance with its injunctions facilitates the observance of ali the other commandments. Amongst the other works of piety by which the Sabbath is to be sanctified, the faithful are bound to assemble in the Church

' Matt. xu. 36. 2 Exod. xx. 8. 3Vid. Trid. decret. de ciborum delectu et festis diebus, sess. ult. sub finem. tem D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 122. art. 4. item de consecrat. dist. 3. multis capitib.

264

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What this command - ment pre-

scribes.

Import- ance of its exposition,

and observ ance.

464

Note.

{ts 1 poui- Gon: ih what it dif- fers from the other ecmmané wens

fn whem agrees with them.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

to hear the divine word: when they have thus learned the jus- tifications of the Lord, they will be prompted to the faithful and willing observance of his holy Law. Hence the sanctification of the Sabbath is very often enforced in Scripture, as may be seen in Exodus,’ Leviticus,’ Deuteronomy,? and in the prophe- cies of Isaias,* Jeremiah,® and Ezekiel,® all of which contain this precept which commands the observance of the Sabbath.7 Princes and magistrates are to be admonished and exhorted to Jend the sanction and support of their authority to the pastors of the Church, particularly in upholding and extending the worship of God, and in commanding obedience to the spiritual injunctions of the pastor.

With regard to the exposition of this commandment, the faithful are to be carefully taught in what it accords with, and in what it differs from the others, in order that they may under- stand why Christians observe not the Sabbath, but the Lord’s- day. ‘The point of difference is evident: the other command- ments of the Decalogue are precepts of the natural law, obli- gatory at all times and unalterable, and hence, after the abroga- tion of the Law of Moses, all the commandments contained in the two tables are observed by Christians, not however because their observance is commanded by Moses, but because they accord with the law of nature and are enforced by its dictate : whereas this commandment, if considered as to the time of its fulfilment, is not fixed and unalterable, but is susceptible of change. and belongs not to the moral but ceremonial Law. Neither is it a principle of the natural law: we are not in- structed by the natural law to worship God on the Sabbath- rather than on any other day. ‘The Sabbath was kept holy from the time of the liberation of the people of Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh: the obligation was to cease with the abrogation of the Jewish worship, of which it formed a part; and it therefore was no longer obligatory after the death of Christ. Having been, as it were, images which shadowed the light and the truth, these ceremonies were to disappear at the coming of that light and truth, which is Christ Jesus. Hence St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians, when reproving the observers of the Mosaic rites, says: ‘‘ you observe days and months and times and years; I am afraid of you lest perhaps I have laboured in vain amongst you ;’’® sentiments which are also to be found in his Epistle to the Colossiare.? On the dif- ference between this and the other commandments these ob- servations will suffice.

As to tneir accordance, it consists not in rites and ceremonies, Sat in as much as this commandment, in common with the o.hers, expresses a moral obligation, founded on the law of nature. ‘The worship of God and the practice of religion,

| Exod. xvi. 20. 3. 2 Lev. xvi. 19. 23. 26. 3 Dent. v.

4Tsa. lvi. 58. 66. 5 Jerem, 17. 6 Ezek. xx. 22, 23. 46.

7 De preed. verb. Dei, vid Trid. sess. 5. c. 2. vide et singulare hac de re libellum 8 Caroli Borrom in actis Eccles. Mediol. vide etiam acta eccles. Bononiens

* Galat. iv. 10 9 Col. ii. 16.

_ ae

On the Third Commandment.

which it comprises, have the natural law for their basis: the anbidden impulse of nature prompts us to give some time to the worship of God; and this is a truth demonstrated by the unanimous consent of all nations, who, accordingly, consecrated festivals to the public solemnities of religion. ‘As nature re- quires some time to be given to necessary relaxation, to sleep, and to the repose and refreshment of the body; so she also requires, that some time be devoted to the mind, to refresh and invigorate its energies by heavenly contemplation. Hence the necessity of consecrating some time to the worship of the Deity and to the practice of religion, duties which, doubtless, form part of the morallaw. ‘The Apostles therefore resolved to consecrate the first day of the week to the divine worship, and ealled it the Lord’s-day :”” St. John in his Apocalypse makes mention of “the Lord’s-day ;’"! and the Apostle com- mands collections to be made * on the first day of the week,’”2 that is, according to the interpretation of St. Chrysostome, on the Lord’s-day; and thus we are given to understand that even then the Lord’s-day was kept holy in the church.

in order that the faithful may know what they are to do, what to avoid, on the Lord’s-day, it will not be found foreign to his purpose, if the pastor, dividing the commandment into four parts, explain each part with minute accuracy. In the first place, then, he will explain generally the meaning of these words: ‘* Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.” ‘The word ‘‘remember’’ is appropriately made use of at the beginning of the commandment, to signify that the sane- tification of that particular day belonged to the ceremonial law Of this it would seem to have been necessary to ad- monish the people, for, although the law of nature commands us to give religious worship to God, it fixes no particular day for the performance of that duty. ‘They are also to be taught, that from these words we may learn how we should employ our time during the week ; that we are to keep constantly in view the Lord’s-day, on which we are, as it were, to render an account to God for the manner in which we have spent the week : and that therefore uur occupations and conduct should be such as not to be unacceptable in the sight of God, or, as it is written, be to us ‘*an occasion of grief, and a seruple of heart.”* Finally, we are taught, and the instruction demands our serious attention, that there are but too many circum- stances which may lead to a forgetfulness of this commandment, such as the evil example of others who neglect its observance, and an inordinate love of amusements, which frequently with- draw from the holy and religious observance of the Lord’s-day

We now come to the meaning of the word * Sabbath.”

1 1.10. 2 sost. hom. 13. in Corinth. Amb. item et Theophylact. vid. etiam. Can. A post. t. 67. Ignat. Epist. ad Magnes. Just. apol. 2. Tertul. in apol. e. 16. et de Coron. milit ¢. 3. et de idol. c. 14. et Cyp. epist. 33. Clement. Alex. lib. 5. Strom. satis ante finem. Orig. hom. 7. in Exod. 3] Kings xxv 31 23 21

265

An illus Iration

The Jew- ish Sab- bath when and by whom changed te the“ Lord’

day"

This com- mandment divided into four parts.

ul

iu

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Meaning of the word

“Sabbs th.

Sanctifica- tion of the Sabbath

The true meaning of the pre- cept.

Second part of the command- ment: its meaning.

The Sab- bath why fixed for the divine worship.

{te mystic meaning.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Sabbath is a Hebrew word: it signifies cessation; to keep the Sabbath, therefore, means to cease from labour; and in this sense the seventh day was called the ‘‘ Sabbath,”’ (it is so called by God in Exodus) because, having finished the creation of the world, God rested from all the work which he had done. Not only the seventh day, but, in honour of that day, the entire week was subsequently called ‘+ the Sabbath;” and in this meaning of the word, the Pharisee says in St. Luke: “I fast twice in a Sabbath.’’? ‘Thus much will suffice with regard to the signification of the word ‘* Sabbath.”

In the words of the commandment, the sanctification of the Sabbath is a cessation from bodily labour and worldly business, as is clear from the following words: ‘Thou shalt do no work on it.” This alone, however, does not comprise the meaning of the commandment: if it did, it would have been sufficient to say in Deuteronomy, ‘‘ observe the day of the’ Sabbath;’’s but it is added, ‘* and sanctify it;’’ and these additional words prove that the Sabbath is a day sacred to religion, set apart for works of piety and exercises of devotion. The Sabbath, there- fore, we sanctify by devoting it to duties of piety and religion ; and this is evidently the Sabbath, which Isaias calls * delight- ful;’** when thus spent, it is the delight of God and of his faithful servants. If then to this religious and holy observance of the Sabbath we add works of mercy, the rewards proposes to our piety in the same chapter are numerous and most im- portant. ‘The true and proper meaning, therefore, of this commandment tends to this, that we take special care to set apart some fixed time, when, disengaged from bodily labour, and undisturbed by worldly cares, we may devote our whole being, soul and body, to the religious worship of God.

The other part of the precept declares that the seventh day was consecrated by Almighty God to his worship: ‘* Six days,” says he, ‘shalt thou labour, and do all thy works ;”” but on ‘«the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God ;’ that is to say. the Sabbath is consecrated to the Lord, and on that day we are to render him the duties of religion, and to know that the seventh day is a sign of his rest. ‘he Sabbath was conse- crated to the worship of God, because it must have proved in- convenient to leave to a rude people the choice of a time of worship, lest, perhaps, they may be led to imitate the idolatrous rites of Egypt. ‘The seventh day was, therefore, chosen for the worship of God, and its dedication to that end is replete with mystery. Hence in Exodus,° and in Ezekiel? the Lord calls it ‘‘a sign:”” ‘I gave them,” says he, ‘*‘ my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them; and that they might know that lam the Lord that sanctify them.’’® It was a sign that man should dedicate and consecrate himself to God, whereas even the very day is dedicated and consecrated to him: it is

' Gen. ii. 3. Exod xx.21, Deut. v.12. 2 Luke xvui. 12. 3 Deut. v 12 4 Isa. lviii. 13. 5 Isa. lvin. 6. 6 Exod. xxxi. 13. 7 Ezek. xx. 12. 8 Deut v. 15

On the Third Commandment.

holy because devoted in a special manner to holiness and to re- ligion. It was also a sign, and, as it were, a memorial, of the stupendous work of the creation. ‘To the Jews it was also a traditional sign, reminding them that they had been delivered by the hand of God from the galling yoke of Egyptian bondage. This the Almighty himself declares in these words: ** Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand and a stretched outarm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the Sabbath day.”

It is also a sign of the spiritual and celestial Sabbath. ‘The spiritual Sabbath consists in a holy and mystical rest, wherein the old man, being buried with Christ, is renewed to life, and studies to act in accordance with the spirit of Christian piety : ** vou were, therefore, darkness,’’ says the Apostle, ‘* but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light; for the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice and truth, having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.”! ‘The celestial Sabbath, as St. Cyril observes on these words of the Apostle, ‘There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people of God,”? ® is that life which we shall enjoy with Christ, in the fruition of all good, when sin shall be no more, according to these words of Isaias: ‘* No lion shall be there, nor shall any mischievous beast go it, nor be found there; but a path and a way shall be there, and it shall be called the holy way;’’* for the souls of the saints enjoy the plenitude of happiness in the vision of God. ‘The pastor therefore will exhort and animate the faithful in the words of the Apostle: ‘+ Let us hasten there- fore to enter into that rest.’’®

Besides the Sabbath, the Jews observed other festivals which were instituted by the divine law, and the end and aim of which was to awaken in the people the recollection of the principal favours conferred on them by the Almighty. On these festivals the pastor will see Leviticus,’ Numbers,’ and Deuteronomy ;° and on the moral objects contemplated in the institution of such festivals, he may also consult St. Cyril,® and St. ‘Thomas.*°

But the Chureh of God has in her wisdom ordained that the celebration of the Sabbath should be transferred to ** the Lord’s- day:’’ as on that day light first shone on the world, so by the esurrection of our Lord on the same day, by whom was thrown open to us the gate to eternal life, we were called out of dark- ness into light; and hence the Apostle would have it called **the Lord’s-day.”” We also learn from the sacred Volume that the first day of the week was held sacred for other reasons : on that day the work of the creation commenced, and on that lay the Holy Ghosi descended upon the Apostles. From the

' Eph. v. 8 2 St. Cyril. Lat. lib. 4. in Joan. c. 51 3 Heb. iv. 9. 4 Isa. xxxv. 9. s Heb. iv. 11. 6 Levit. xii - Num. xxix. 8 Deut. vi.

9 Cyril. de adoratione in spiritu et verit. lib 17 io D Thom. 1. 2. gq. 102. art. 4. ad 10

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The spirit ual Sab-

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The cele tial Sab- bath; its meaning.

Other tes tivals ub- served by the Jews.

The Sab-

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Other fes- tivals why mstituted : their order

Sloth and indolence condemn- ed: no servile work to be deferred to the Lord’s- day.

The thirt part of the command- ent, what hibits.

I

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

very infancy of the church other days were also appointed by the Apostles, and by their successors in after-times, to be kept holy, in order to commemorate the special gifts bestowed on us Christians. Amongst these days the most conspicuous are those which were instituted to honour the mysteries of our redemption, and next to them, those which are dedicated to the most blessed Virgin Mother, to the Apostles, Martyrs and other Saints who reign with Christ, and in the celebration of whose victories the divine power and goodness, which triumphed in them are praised, due honour is paid to their memories, and the faithful are excited to the imitation of their virtues.

And as the observance of the precept is very strongly en- forced in these words: ‘* Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works; but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God ;” the pastor should therefore carefully explain them to the people. ‘They implicitly admonish him that the faithful are to be exhorted not to waste their lives in indolence and sloth, but mindful of the words of the Apostle, and in ae- cordance with his command, ‘‘ do their own business, and work with their own hands.’ ‘These words also enjoin as a duty that ‘in six days we do all our works,”’ and admonish us not to defer to the Sunday or holiday what should have been done during the other days of the week, and what if deferred must withdraw our attention from the sanctification of the Sabbath.

The third part of the commandment comes next to be ex- plained. It points out, to a certain extent, the manner in which we are to keep holy the Sabbath day, and explains particularly what is prohibited to be done on that day: ‘*’Thou shalt do no work on it,’ says the Lord, ‘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.”” These words teach us, in the first place, to avoid whatever may interfere with the worship of God on the Sabbath day; and hence it is not difficult to perceive that all servile works are forbidden, not be- cause they are improper or evil in themselves, but because they withdraw from the worship of God, which is the great end of the commandment. ‘The faithful should be still more careful! not to profane the Sabbath by sin, which not only withdraws the mind from the contemplation of divine things, but entirely alienates us from the love of God.* But whatever regards the celebration of divine worship, such as the decoration of the altar or church on occasion of some festival, and the like, although servile works, are not prohibited ; and hence our Lord himself says: ‘* The priests in the temple break the Sabbath, and are without blame.”’* Neither are we to suppose that this com- mandment forbids attention to those things on the Sabbath, which if neglected on tiat day perish to the proprietor. Their preservation is no violation of the commandment, and is ex-

' 1 Thess. iv. 1]

2 Vid. Aug. tract. 3 in Joan. et in Ps, xxxi. serm. 1. et lib. de decem chordis ¢.3 3 Matt. xii. 5.

a

On the Third Commandment

pressly permitted by the sacred canons. ‘There are many other things which our Lord declares lawful to be done on Sundays and holydays, and which may be seen by the pastor in St. Matthew and St. John.

But to omit nothing that may interfere with the sanctification of the Sabbath, cattle are mentioned in the commandment, be- cause their use must prevent its due observance. If cattle be employed on the Sabbath, human labour also becomes necessary : they do not labour alone, but assist the labours of man. The prohibition of the empleyment of cattle is therefore a conse- quence of the prohibition of human labour; they are correllative; one supposes the other. If then God commands the exemption of cattle from labour on the Sabbath, still more imperative is the obligation to avoid all acts of inhumanity towards servants, or others whose labour and industry we employ in our service.

The pastor should also not omit to inform the faithful how they are to sanctify Sundays and holydays; and amongst other means he will not forget to mention the obligation of visiting the temple of God, and there, with heartfelt piety and devotion, assisting at the celebration of the holy sacrifice of the Mass ;+ and also the duty of approaching frequently the sacraments of the Church, instituted for our sanctification and salvation, to heal our spiritual maladies.2 Nothing can be more seasonable or salutary than frequent recourse to the tribunal of penance ; and to this the pastor will be enabled to exhort the faithful by recurring to what we have already said in its proper place on the sacrament of penance. But not only will he excite his people to have recourse to the sacrament of penance—he will also zealously exhort them again and again, to approach fre- quently the holy sacrament of the Eucharist. Sermons are also in those days to be heard by the faithful with attention and reverence—nothing is more intolerable, nothing more unworthy of a Christian than to despise the words of Christ, or hear them with indifference. Devout prayer and the praises of God should also frequently exercise the piety of the faithful on Sundays and holydays; and an object of their special attention shculd be to attend particularly to catechetical instruction, in order to learn those things which form to a Christian life; and to practise with assiduity these duties of Christian piety, viz. giving alms to the poor, visiting the sick, administering consolation to the afflicted. ‘* Religion clear and undefiled before God and the father is this,’ says St. James, **to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation.’’*

From what has been said it is easy to perceive, how this commandmeat may be violated: but the pastor will also deem

' Cone. Agath. c. 47. Aurel. c.8. Tribur. c.35. Vide de cons. dist 1 cap is- saz et cum ad celebrandas, et omnes fideles.

2 Aog. de Eccl. dogm. c. 53. et citatur de cons. dist. 2 c. quotidien.

3 Justin. Apol. 2. et ex Act Apost. c. 20. 7. Aug. lib. 50. hom. 26. et cit. 1. aut, fap. interroga.

4 James i. 27. Sic faciebant veteres Christiani, test. Just. Apol. 2. Tertull. in

Apol. et in lib ad martyres et in lib. 2. ad uxorem prope finem

223*

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Sundays and holy - days how to be sane tified.

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Reason ableness of

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

it a duty to impress on the minds of the faithful the conviction. that this commandment is to be observed with pious zeal and the greatest exactitude. ‘lo the attainment of this end it will materially conduce, if he make them understand and see clearly, how just and reasonable it is to devote certain days, exclusively, to the worship of God, to acknowledge, adore, and venerate him from whom we have received such innumerable and inesti- mable blessings. Had God commanded us to offer him, on each day of our lives, the tribute of religious worship, would it not be our duty, in return for the inestimable and infinite bene- fits which his bounty has showered on us, to endeavour to obey the command with promptitude and alacrity? But now that the days specially consecrated to his service are but few in number, is it not as unreasonable as it is criminal to neglect so sacred a duty, or to discharge it with reluctance ?1

The pastor will next point out the importance of a faithful compliance with this precept. ‘Those who are faithful in its observance are admitted, as it were, into the divine presence, io commune freely with God; for in prayer we contemplate the increated majesty, and hold free converse with the Deity; in hearing religious instruction, we hear the voice of God, which reaches us through that of his pious and zealous minister; and at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we adore Christ the Lord, present on our altars. ‘These are amongst the spiritual advan- tages, of which a faithful compliance with this commandment is the pure and plenteous source. But those, who altogether neglect its fulfilment, resist God and his Church: they are ene- mies of God and of his holy laws; and the facility with which the commandment may be fulfilled is at once a proof and an aggravation of their guilt. We should, it is true, be prepared to undergo the severest labour for sake of God; but in this commandment he imposes on us no labour; he only commands us to disengage ourselves from worldly cares on those days which are to be kept holy. ‘To refuse obedience to this com- mandment is, therefore, a proof of extreme temerity ; and the punishments with which its infraction has been visited should be a salutary admonition to Christians.?

In order, therefore, to avoid this guilt and these punishments, we should frequently ponder this word: ‘+ Remember,’’ and place before us the important advantages, which, as we have already seen, flow trom the religious observance of Sundays and holydays, and also numerous other considerations of the same tendency, which the good and zealous pastor will develope at large to his peopie as circumstances may require.

' Vid, de consecr. dist. 1. et in decret. Titul. de feriis et Conc. Matisc. 2. c. 1. et 37. 'Tribur. ec. 35. Ignat. in p. ad Philip. Leon. serm. 3. de quadrag. Aug. serm 151. de temp. 2. Num xv. 32. et seq.

Or the Fourth Commandment.

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT.

{£)NOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER, THAT THOU MAYEST BE LONG-LIVED UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD WILL GIVE THEE.’”!

Tue preceding commandments, having God as their imme- diate end, take precedence in order as well as in dignity and importance ; but those which follow, although ultimately referred to God as the end contemplated in the love of our neighbour, have for their immediate object to instruct us in the duty of loving our neighbour, and, therefore, deservedly hold the next place. Hence our Lord himself has declared, that these two commandments, which inculcate the love of God and of our neighbour, are like unto each other.2 The advantages arising from a faithful observance of this commandment can scarcely be expressed in words, bringing with it, as it does, not only its own fruit, and that in the richest abundance and of superior excellence, but also affording a test of the sincerity of our love for God: ‘ He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth,” says St. John, ‘‘ how can he love God whom he seeth not ?’’8 In like manner, if we do not honour and reverence our parents whom we see, how can we honour or reverence God, the su- preme and best of parents, whom we see not? and hence the obvious analogy and accordance of both commandments.

The application of this commandment is of very great lati- tude : besides our natural parents, there are many others whose power, rank, usefulness, exalted functions, or office, entitle them to parental honour. It also lightens the labour of parents and superiors: amongst the duties which devolve on them, the principal one is to mould the lives of those who are placed under their care, according to the maxims of the divine law, and the performance of this duty must be considerably fa- cilitated, if it be universally felt, that to honour parents is an obligation, sanctioned and commanded by no less an authority than that of God himself. ‘To impress the mind with this truth, it will be found useful to distinguish the commandments of the first from those of the second table. ‘This distinction, therefore, the pastor will first explain, and will accordingly teach that the divine precepts of the Decalogue were written on two tables, one of which, in the opinion of the Holy Fathers, contained the three preceding, the other the remain

! Exod. xx. 12.

2 Matt. xxii. 39. Mark xi. 31. Vid. Aug. in Ps. xxxii. serm. 1. item lib. 3 do foctrin. Christ. c. 10. et lib. 50. hom. 38. D Thom. 2. 2. queest. 17, art. 8,

31 John iv. 20.

27)

Accord- ance of thu with the preceding command- ments.

Extent of its app. ica tion

Difference between the com- mand- ments of the first and second tables.

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The Catechism of the Councu of 1'rent.

ing seven commandments of the Decalogue.t This order ot the commandments is very apposite, for by it their nature and object are also distinguished: whatever is commanded or pro- hibited in Scripture by the divine law springs from one of two principles, the love of God or of our neighbour: and in the discharge of every duty we must be actuated by this love. The three preceding commandments teach us the love which we owe to God, and the other seven, the duties which we owe to domestic and publie society. ‘The distinction, therefore, which refers some to the first, others to the second table, is not without good ground: in the three first, God, the supreme good, is, as it were, the subject matter, in the others, the good of our neighbour: the first propose the supreme, the others the proximate object of our love: the first regard the ultimate end, the others those duties which refer to that end.?

Again, the love of God terminates in God himself, for God is to be loved above all things for his own sake; but the love of our neighbour originates in, and is to be referred to, the love cf God. If we love our parents, obey our masters, respect our superiors, our ruling principle in doing so should ~ be, that God is their Creator, and wishes to give pre-eminence to those by whose co-operation he governs and protects all others ; and as he requires that we yield a dutiful respect to such persons, we should do so, because he deems them worthy of this honour. If then we honour our parents, the tribute ig paid to God rather than to man; and accordingly we read ir. the tenth chapter of St. Matthew, which, amongst other mat- ters, treats also of duty to superiors; ‘* He that receiveth you, receiveth me ;"? and the Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephe- sians, giving instruction to servants, says: ‘‘Servants, be obe- dient to them that are your lords according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to Christ: not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.””4

Moreover, no honour, no piety, no devotion can be rendered to God, worthy of him towards whom love admits of infinite inerease, and hence our charity should become every day more fervent towards him, who commands us to love him ‘* with our whole heart, our whole soul, and with all our strength:’> but the love of our neighbour has its limits, for we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves; and to outstep these limits, sy loving him as we love God, were a crime of the blackest enormity. ‘If any man come to me,” says our Lord, ‘‘and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and

‘Vid. Clem. Alexan. lib. 6. Strom. satis ante finem, Aug. in Exod. q. 71 ©. Thom. J. 2. q. 100. art. 4. ; é

2Vid Ang. in Ps. xxxii. serm. 1. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 122. art. 1 et 2. et in opuso 7. cap. de primo precepto. 3 Matt. x. 40.

4Ephes. vi. 5, 6. Vid. Aug. lib. 3. de doct. Christ. c. 12. et lib. 4. Conf c. #- 12. Prosper. lib. 3. de vita contempl. c. 13. Bernard. de diligende Deo. :

s Deut.vi 5 Luke x.27 Matt. xxii. 37—39.

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On the Fourth Commandment.

orethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also; he cannot be my disciple ”’! To him who would first attend the burial of his father, and then folow Unrist, our Lord says, to the same effect ; ‘* Let the dead oury their dead ;’’* and the same lesson of instruction is more clearly conveyed in these words of St. Matthew: ‘* He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me.’ Parents, no doubt, are to be affectionately loved, and highly respected ; but religion requires that supreme honour and homage be given to him alone, who is the sove- reign Creator, and universal Father, and that our love for our parents be referred to our eternal Father who is in heaven. Should, however, the injunctions of parents be at any time apposed to the commandments of God, children, are, of course, to prefer the will of God to the desires of their parents, always keeping in view the divine maxim: ‘* We ought to obey God rather than men.’’*

Having premised this exposition, the pastor will proceed to ex- plain the words of the commandment, beginning with ** honour.” To * honour” is to think respectfully of any one, and, in every relation in which he may be considered, to hold him in the highest estimation. It includes love, respect, obedience, and reverence, and is here used with great propriety in preference to the word * fear’ or “love;”’ although parents are also to te much loved and feared. Respect, and reverence are not always the accompaniments of love, neither is love the insepa- rable companion of fear; but honour, when proceeding from ‘the heart, combines both fear and love.

The pastor will next explain who they are, whom the com- mandment designates as fathers: for although it refers pri- marily to our natural fathers, yet the word has a secondary meaning; and, a matter at which we have already gianced, includes, as we know from numerous passages of Scripture, many others who are also entitled to due honour. In the first place, the prelates of the Church, her pastors and clergy, are called fathers, after the example of the Apostle: ‘‘I write not these things,” says he, ‘*to confound you; but I admonish you as my dearest children: for if you have ten thousand in- structers in Christ; yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus by the Gospel I have begotten you.’’* We also read in Ee- clesiasticus : ‘* Let us praise men of renown, and our fathers in their generation.”® ‘Those who govern the state, to whom are intrusted power, magistracy, or empire, are also called fathers ; thus Naaman was called father by his servants.?_ ‘To those, to whose care, fidelity, probity and wisdom, others are committed, such as pastors, instructers, masters, and guardians, is also given he name of father; and hence the sons of the prophets calle¢ Elias* and Eliseus® by this name. Finally, aged men, whose years entitle them to our respect, we also call fathers. In the

1 Luke xiv. 26. 2 Luke ix. 60. 3 Matt. x. 37. 4 Act v. 29 ,» Cor. iv. 14—16 6 Eccl. xliv. 1. 7 4 Kings v. 13 s4 Kings u 12 o 4 Kings xiii. 14.

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‘To “ho nour,” meaning ol

Whom the command- ment «le- signs’ @ Fathers.

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Mothers > be loved and ho- noured.

Naturo of the hanour due tc pa-

rents.

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

instructions of the pastor, however, it will not be forgotten te enforce particularly the obligation we are under, of honouring all who are entitled to be denominated fathers, especially our natural fathers, of whom the divine commandment particularly speaks. ‘hey are, as it were, representatives of the one, great, immortal, and universal Father: in them we behold the image of our own origin: from them we have received existence * them God made use of to impart to us the soul with all its faculties: by them we have been conducted to the sacraments, formed to society, blessed with education, and instructed in purity and holiness of life.*

The pastor will teach that the name of “* mother” is also men- tioned in this commandment, and with good reason, awakening in us, as it does, a grateful recollection of the benefits which we have received from her; of the claims which she has to our dutiful affection ; of the care and solicitude with which she bore us, the pain and travail with which she brought us forth, and the Jabour and anxiety with which she watched over our infant years.

Moreover, the honour which children are commanded to pay to their parents should be the spontaneous offering of sincere and dutiful love. ‘This respectful regard they challenge upon the strongest titles—they who, for love of us, decline no labour, spare no exertion, shrink from no danger; whose highest plea- sure it is to indulge in the reflection that they are beloved by their children, the dear objects of their parental solicitude and affection. Joseph, when next to majesty, he enjoyed in Egypt the highest station, and the most ample power, received his father with honour, when he went down into Egypt ;* Solomon rose to meet his mother as she approached; and having paid her the tribute of filial respect, placed her on a royal throne on his right hand.°

We also owe to our parents other duties of -espect, such as to supplicate God in their behalf, that they may lead prosperous and happy lives, beloved and esteemed by all who know them, and most pleasing in the sight of God and of his saints. We also honour them by submission to their wishes and inelinations : ‘* My son,” says Solomon, ‘‘ hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother; that grace may be added to thy head, and a chain of gold to thy neck.’’* ‘ Children,” says St. Paul, “‘obey your parents in the Lord, for this is just ;’’> and also, ‘children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.” ‘This doctrine is con- firmed by the example of those who were most eminent for sanctity: Isaac, when bound for sacrifice by his father, meekly obeyed ;’ and the Rechabites, not to depart from the counsel of their fathers, always abstained from wine. We also honour

| De officiis filiorum erga parentes vid. Antomum 4 igustinum Jib. 10. tit 19. 2 Gen. xlvi. 3 3 Kings ii. 19. 4 Proverbs i 8, 9.

5 Ephes, vi. 1. 6 Col. iu. 20. 7 Gen xxii 9-

* Terem. xxx *. 6.

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On the Fourth Commandment.

-our parents by the imitation of their good example: .o study

the life of another, as a modei for imitation, is the highest mark of esteem. We honour them when we not only ask but follow their counsels; and also when we relieve their necessities, supplying them with necessary food and raiment, according to these words of the Redeemer: ‘* why do you also transgress the commandments of God for your tradition? For God said: ‘Honour father and mother ;’ and ‘ he that shall curse father or mother dying let him die.’ But you say ; whosoever shall say to father or mother, the gift whatsoever proceedeth from me, shall profit thee ; and shalt not honour his father or his mother ; and you have made frustrate the commandment of God for your own tradition.””!

But if at all times it is our duty to honour our parents, this duty becomes still more imperative, when they are visited by severe illness: we should then pay particular attention to what regards their eternal salvation, taking especial care that they duly receive the last sacraments, consoling them with the frequent conversa tion of pious and religious persons, who may strengthen their weakness, assist them by their counsel, and animate them to the hope of a glorious immortality ; that having risen above the concerns of this world, they may fix their thoughts and affections entirely on God. ‘Thus blessed with the sublime virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and fortified by the sacraments of the Church, they will not only look at death without dismay, for death is the lot of all men ; but will hail it as the bright opening to a blessed immortality.

Finally, we honour our parents when, after they have been summoned from this world, we discharge the last offices of filial piety towards them, giving them an honourable interment, attend- ing to the celebration of their obsequies, their anniversaries, the oblation of the holy sacrifice for the repose of their souls, and faithfully executing their last wills.

But we are bound to honour not only our natural parents, but also those who are entitled to be called fathers, such as bishops and priests, kings, princes, and magistrates, tutors, guardians and masters, teachers, aged persons and the like, all of whom are entitled, some in a greater, some in a less degree, to share our love, our obedience, our assistance. Of bishops and other pastors St. Paul says: ‘‘Let the priests that rule well be esteemed worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.”? What proofs of ardent love for the Apostle the Galatians must have given may be inferred from the illustrious testimony in which he has recorded their bene- volence: ‘TI bear you witness,” says he, ** that if it could be done, you would have plucked out your own eyes, and would have given them to me.’’* ‘The priest is also entitled to receive

‘ Matt xv. 3—6. Subveniendum esse parentibus, vid. Basil. hom. de honore pa- rentum et in Hexam. hom. 9. Amb. lib. 5. Hexam. c. 16. Cone. Gangr. can. 6. Vid. tem dist. 86. multis in locis Hier. Jib. 2. Commentar. in Matt. Aug. lib. 1. queest. Evang cap. 14. 21 Tim. y. 17 3 Gal. iv. 15

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Others whe are entitled to the name of father to be honour- ed.

Bishops

and priests how to be apron

Ail.

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Princes and public function- aries to be honoured.

Note.

Princes, when to be abeyed.

When not to be obey- ed.

Reward promised to the obser- vance of this com- mandment.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

whatever is necessary for his support: ‘* Who,” says Se Paul, “‘serveth as a soldier at his own charges ?** ‘ Give honour to the priests,” says Ecclesiasticus, ‘‘ and purify thyself with thy arms; give them their portion, as it 1s commanded thee, of the first fruits and of purifications.’’? ‘The Apostle alse teaches that they are entitled to obedience: ‘* Obey your pre- lates, and be subject to them; for they watch as being to render an account of your souls.”* Nay, more, Christ himself eom- mands obedience even to wicked pastors: ‘* Upon the chair of Moses have sitten the Scribes and Pharisees: all things, therefore, whatsoever they shall say to you, observe ye and do ye; but according to their works do ye not, for they say and do not.’’

The same rule is to regulate our conduct towards princes and magistrates, and all others to whose authority we are subject ; and the honour and obedience due to them are explained at large by the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans :* He also com- mands us to pray for them; and St. Peter says: ‘* Be ye subject therefore to every human creature for God’s sake: whether it be to the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him.”?7 The honour which we render them is referred to God: it is paid to their exalted dignity, which is derived from and emblematic of the divine power; and in which we recog- nise a superintending Providence, who has committed to them the administration of the State, and who makes use of them as the ministers of his power.® It is not that we respect the pro- fligacy or wickedness of the man, should such moral turpitude debase the lives of public functionaries—no; we revere the authority of God with which they are invested. ‘Therefore it is, and it may appear to some matter of surprise, that, be their sentiments towards us the most inimical, be their hostility the most immitigable, their personal enmity and hostility do not, however, afford a just cause to release us from the duty of sub- missive respect to their persons and authority. ‘Thus the Serip- tures record the important services rendered by David to Saul, at a time when David was the innocent object of his hatred: ‘‘ With them that hated peace,” says he, *“* [ was peaceable.” But should they issue a wicked or unjust mandate, they are on no account to be obeyed: such a mandate is not the legitimate exercise of power, but an act of perverse injustice.

Having expounded these matters severally, the pastor will next 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

1] Cor. 1x. 7.

2 Eccl. vii. 33, 34. Decimas solvendas esse vid. Cone. Aurel. 1. c. 17. Matiscon 2.¢. 5. Forojul. c. ultim. Lat. Magn. c. 53. Trid. sess. 25. c. 13. vid. item multa ce pita 16. q. 1 et 7. et Tit. decimis in decr. D. Th, 2. 2. q. 87. 3 Heb. xiii. 17

4 Matt. xxiii. 2, 3. 5 Rom. xiii. 6] Tim. ii. 2.

7} Pet. ii. 13,14. Vid. Tertull.in Apol.6 30 et 32. et ad Scap. c. 2.

8 Vid. Aug. lib. 5. de civit Dei, c. 10, 11. 14, 15. 9 Ps. cxix 7

On the Fourth Commandment.

deserve to be blessed with its lengthened enjovment; and this children do, who honour their parents. ‘lo those from whom they received existence they gratefully acknowledge the obliga- tion, 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 includes nct only the eternal life of the blessed, but also the term of our mortal existence, according to these words of the Apostle: ‘* Godliness is profitable to ali things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.’ 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 which is here promised is, notwithstanding, neither inconsiderable, 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 be weil with thee ;’® words which the Apostle repeats in his Epistle to the Ephesians.”

These biessings, 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 sometimes the more short-lived; either because his interests are best consulted by summoning him from this world, before he has strayed from the path of virtue ané@ of duty, according to these words of the Wise man: * He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul;’’> or because, when the gathering storm threatens to burst upon society, carrying anarchy and ruin in its desolating career, he is called from the troubled scene, in order to escape the universal calamity. ‘Thus, when God avenges the crimes of mortals, his virtue and salvation are secured against the dangers to which they might otherwise have been exposed ; or else, he is spared the bitter anguish of wit- nessing the calamities of which, in such melancholy times, his friends and relations might become the victims. ‘I'he just man,” says the Prophet, ‘is taken away from before the face of evil.”* The premature death of the good, therefore, gives just reason to apprehend the approach of calamitous days.

But, if Almighty God holds forth rewards to remunerate filial dutifulness, he also reserves the heaviest chastisements to punish filial ingratitude and impiety: it is written: ‘* He that curseth his father or mother shall die the death:’’*° ‘* he that afflieteth his father and chaseth away his mother, is infamous and un- happy: “*he that curseth his father and mother, his lamp shall be put out in the midst of darkness ;’’** ‘“ the eye that mocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother

1] Tir. iv. 8. 2Job iii. 3 Ps. cxix. 5. 4 Phil. ii. 17.

* 2Cor. v.2. © Deut. v. 16. 7 Eph. vi. 3. s Wisd. iv. 10, 1

9Isa. lvii.1. '° Exod. xxi. 17 Lev. xx. 9. |! Prov. xix. 26. ‘2 Prov. xx. 20 24

LT

This re ward ne alwa pte las on dutiful children, and bh

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Duties of parents to- wards their ehildren.

Three things to be avoided by pais

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and the young eagles eat it.”! ‘There are on record many instanmes of undutiful children, who were made the signal objects of the divine vengeance. ‘The disobedience of Absalom to his father David did not go unpunished: he perished miserably: three lances transfixed his body.2 But of those who resist the spi- ritual authority of the priest it is written: ‘* He that will be proud, and refuse to obey the commandment of the priest who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, by the decree of the judge that man shall die.’’

As, then, the law of God commands children to honour their parents and render them an obsequious obedience, so are there reciprocal duties which parents owe to their children, to bring them up in the knowledge and the practice of religion, and to give them the best precepts for the regulation of their lives ; that instructed in the truths of religion, and prepared to make these truths the guiding principles of their conduct through life, they may preserve inviolate their fidelity to God, and serve him in holiness. ‘This duty of parents is beautifully illustrated in the conduct of the parents of the chaste Susanna.*_ ‘The pastor, therefore, will admonish parents to be to their children models of the virtues, which it is their duty to inculcate, of justice. chastity, modesty, and, in a word, of every Christian virtue. He will also admonish them to guard particularly against three things, in which they but too often transgress.—In the first, place, they are not by words or actions to exercise too much harshness towards their children: this is the instruction of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Colossians: ** Fathers,” says he, ‘‘ provoke not your children to indignation, lest they be discou- raged.’’> Parental severity may, it is to be apprehended, break the spirit of the child, and render him abject and timid, afraid of every thing, and is therefore to be deprecated: instead of indulging intemperate passion, the parent should reprove in the spirit of parental correction, not of revenge. Should a fault be committed which requires reproof and chastisement, the parent should not, on the other hand, by an unseasonable indulgence, overlook its correction: children often become depraved by too much lenity and indulgence; and the pastor, therefore, will deter from such criminal weakness, by the warning example of Heli, who, in the misguided fondness of a father’s feelings, for- got his duty to religion, and was in consequence visited with the heaviest chastisements.® Finally, in the instruction and education of their children, let them not follow the pernicious example of many parents, whose sole concern it is to leave their children wealth, riches, an ample and splendid fortune ; who stimulate them not to piety and religion, or to honourable and virtuous pursuits, but to avarice, and an increase of wealth;

! Prov. xxx. 17. 2 Kings xvii. 14.

3 Deut. xvii. 12—Vid. Clem. epist. 3. sub init. item ep. 1. etiam sul) imt. Ambr lib. 1. 2. offic. c. 24. Hieron. epist 1. post med. vid. item 11. q. 3. e. I-13.

4Dan xiii. 3. 2 Col. iii. 21 6] Kings ii. 3, 4

On the Fifth Commandment.

and whc, provided their children are rich and wealthy, are re- gardless of those qualities which would render them truly es- timable, and secure their eternal salvation. Language cannot express, nor can thought conceive, any thing to exceed in turpitude the criminal conduct of such parents, of whom it is true to say, that instead of bequeathing wealth to their children, they leave them rather their own wickedness and erimes for an inheritance; and instead of conducting them to heaven, lead them to perdition. ‘The pastor therefore will impress on the minds of parents salutary principles for the guidance of their conduct, and will excite them to imitate the virtuous example of Tobias ;t that having thus trained up their children to the service of God, and to holiness ef life, they may, in turn, experience at their hands abundant fruit of filial affec- tion, respect, and obedience. |

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

‘©THOU SHALT NOT KILL.”

Tue great happiness proposed to the peacemakers, of being called «the children of God,” should prove a powerful ex- citement to animate the zeal of the pastor in explaining with diligent accuracy the obligations imposed by this command- ment. No means more efficacious can be adopted to promote peace and harmony amongst mankind, than the due and holy and universal observance of the law announced by this com- mandment, if properly explained. ‘Then might we hope that, united in the strictest bonds of union, mankind would live in perfect peace and concord. ‘The necessity of explaining this commandment to the faithful is evinced by two consideratiuns. Immediately after the earth was overwhelmed in universal de- luge, the first prohibition issued by the Almighty was, that man should not imbrue his hands in the blood of his fellow man: **T wiil require the blood of your lives,’’ says he, ‘ at the kand of every beast, and at the hand of man.’’® In the next place, amongst the precepts of the Old Law expounded by our Lord, this commandment holds the first place, as may be seen by consulting the fifth chapter of St. Matthew, w here the Re- deemer says: ‘* It has been said thou shalt not kill,” &e.* ‘The faithful should also hear with willing attention the exposition of acommandment, the observance of which must be the se- curity of their own lives: these words, ‘*‘Thou shalt not kill,” emphatically forbid the shedding of human blood; and they

' Tob. iv 2 Exod. xx. 13. 3 Gen ix. 5. 4Matt v 2]

279

Utility and necessity of explain- ing this command- ment.

Note.

286

Its obsiga- tion two- fold; pro- hibitory, and man- datory.

Exceptions to the first. I.

The C ieelioann of the Council of Trent.

should be heard by all with the same pleasure as if God, ex: pressly naming each individual, were to prohibit injury to be offered him under a threat of the divine anger, and the heaviesi chastisement of the divine wrath. As, then, the announce- ment of this commandment must be heard with pleasure, se should its observance be to us a pleasing duty.

In its development our Lord himself points out its twofold obligation ; the one forbidding to kill, the other commanding us to cherish sentiments of charity, concord, and friendship to- wards our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally, te endure with patience every inconvenience which the unjust aggression of others may inflict. With regard to the prohibitory part of the commandment, the pastor will first point out the limits which restrict the prohibition. In the first place, we are not prohibited to kill those animals which are intended to be the food of man: if so intended by Almighty God, it must be lawful for us to exercise this jurisdiction over them. ‘* When,” says St. Augustine, ‘‘ we hear the words ‘ thou shalt not kill,’ we are not to understand the prohibition to extend to the fruits of the earth which are insensible, nor to irrational animals, which form no part of the great society of mankind.’”!

Again, this prohibition does not apply to the civil magistrate, to whom is intrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which he punishes the guilty and protects the innocent. The use of the civil sword, when wielded by the hand of justice, far from involving the crime of murder, is an act of paramount obedience to this commandment which prohibits murder. ‘The end of the commandment is the pre- servation aud security of human life, and to the attainment of this end the punishments inflicted by the civil magistrate, who is the legitimate avenger of crime, naturally tend, giving seeu- rity to life by repressing outrage and violence. Hence these words of David: ‘* In the morning I put to death all the wicked of the land; that f might cut off all the workers of iniquity from the city of the Lord.’’? In like manner, the soldier is guiltless who, actuated not by motives of ambition or cruelty, but by a pure desire of serving the interests of his country, takes away the life of an enemy in a just war.* ‘There are on record instances of carnage executed by the special command of God himself: the sons of Levi, who had put to death so many thousands in one day, were guilty of no sin: when the slaughter had ceased, they were addressed by Moses in these words: ** you have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord.”**

Death, when caused by accident, not by intent or design, is not murder: ‘* He that killed his neighbour ignoramtly,”’ says

' De civit. Dei. lib. 1. ¢. 20. item de monb. Manich. lib. 2. e. 13—15.

2 Ps. c. 8. Aug. epist. 154. et citat. 23. q. 5. cap. de occidendis. item epist. 54 e. citatur ibid. cap. non est iniquitatis. Vide adhuc ibid. alia capita et D. Thom. 2 2. q. 64. a. 2. et q. 108. a. 3.

3 Aug. de civit. Dei. c. 26 citatus 23. q. 5. cap. miles: Vide item de bello D Thom. 2. 2. g. 40 per 4. art 4 Exod. xxxii. 29.

On the Fifth Commanily ent.

the book of Deuteronomy, ‘and who is proved to have hau no hatred against him yesterday, and the day before, but to have gone with him to the wood, to hew wood, and in cutting down the tree, the axe slipt out of his hand, and the iron slipping from the handle struck his friend and killed him, shall live.”’* Such accidental deaths, because inflicted without intent or design, in- volve no guilt whatever, and in this we are fortified by the opi- nion of St. Augustine: ‘God forbid,”’ says he, ‘ that what we do for a good or lawful end should be imputed to us, if, con- trary to our intention, evil accrue to any one.’? ‘There are, however, two cases in which guilt attaches to accidental death : the one, when it is the consequence of an unlawful act ; when, for instance, a person strikes a woman in a state of pregnancy, and abortion follows. ‘The consequence, it is true, may not have been intended, but this does not exculpate the offender, because the act was in itself unlawful. ‘The other case is, when death is caused by negligence, incaution, or want of due cireum- spection.

If a man kill another in self-defence, having used every pre- caution consistent with his own safety to avoid the infliction of death, he evidently does not violate this commandment.

These are the instances in which human blood may be shed without the guilt of murder; and with these exceptions the pre- sept birds universally with regard to the person who kills, the person killed, and the means used to kill. As to the person who kills, the commandment recognises no exception whatever, be he rich or powerful, master or parent: all, without exception of person or distinction of rank, are forbidden to kill. With regard to the person killed, the obligation of the law is equally extensive, embracing every human creature ; there is no indi- vidual, however humble or lowly his condition, whose life is not shielded by this law. It also forbids suicide. No man possesses such absolute jurisdiction over himself as to be at liberty to put a period to his own existence ; and hence we find that the commandment does not say, ‘thou shalt not kill an- other,” but simply, ‘Thou shalt not kill.” Finally, if we con- sider the numerous means by which murder may be committed, the law admits of no exception: not only does it forbid to take away the life of another by laying violent hands on him, by means of a sword, a dagger, a stone, a stick, a halter, or by ad- ministering poison; but also strictly prohibits the accomplish- ment of the death of another by counsel, assistance, or any other means of co-operation.

The Jews, with singular dulness of apprehension, thought that to abstain from shedding human blood was enough to sa- tisfy the obligation imposed by this commandment. But the Christian, who, instructed by the interpretation of Jesus Christ, has learned that the precept is spiritual, and that it commands

' Deut. xix. ; 2Vide Aug. epist. 154. et citatur 23. q. 5. c. de occidendis. Item vide multa tapita dist. 5. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 64.a.8. Trid Sess. 14. de reform. c. 7.

24* 2N

281

‘l'wo cases in which guilt at- taches to accidental death

Vi.

With these excepuons, the prohi- bitory part universal in its obli- gauon, with re- gard to the person who kills, the person killed, and the means used lo kill.

Note

Prohibits not omy murder bus anger,

282 The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

us not only to keep our hands unstained, but our hearts pure and undefiled, will not deem such a compliance sufficient: him the Gospel has taught, that it is unlawful even to be angry with a brother: ‘* But I say to you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of judgment; aud whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of a council; and whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be guilty of the hell of fire.’ From these words it clearly follows that he who is angry with his brother, although he may conceal his resent- ment, is not exempt from sin; that he who gives indication of that anger sins grievously ; and that he who dreads not to treat his brother with harshness, and to utter contumelious reproaches against him, sins still more grievously.”

Anger, This, however, is to be understood of cases in which no just wien law- cause of anger exists. ‘To animadvert on those who are placed ; under our authority, when they commit a fault, is an occasion of anger, which God and his laws permit; but even in these circumstances the anger of a Christian should be the dictate of duty, not the impulse of passion, for we should be temples of the Holy Ghost, in which Jesus Christ may dwell.? Our Lord has left us many other lessons of instruction which regard the perfect observance of this law, such as ‘‘ not to resist evil; but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other; and to him that will contend with thee in judgment and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him; and

whosoever will free thee one mile, go with him other two.’ Remedies From what has been already said, it is easy to perceive how against the propense man is to those sins which are prohibited by this ea commandment, and how many are guilty of murder, if not in mandment. fact, at least in desire. As then the sacred Scriptures prescribe remedies for so dangerous a disease, to spare no pains in making them known to the faithful becomes an obvious duty of the i pastor. Of these remedies the most efficacious is to form a just conception of the wickedness of him who imbrues his hands in the blood of his fellow-man. ‘The enormity of this sin is set forth by attestations of Holy Scripture as strong as they are numerous. In the inspired Volume God pours out the deepest execrations against the murderer, declares that of the very beast of the field he will exact vengeance for the life of man, com- manding the beast that sheds human blood to be put to death * Note And if the Almighty commanded man to abstain from the use of blood, he did so for no other reason than to impress on his mind the obligation of entirely refraining, both in act and de- a sire, from the enormity of shedding human blood. ‘The mur- derer is the worst enemy of his species, and consequently of na- ture : to the utmost of his power, he destroys the universal work

' Matt. vy. 22.—De ira vide Basil. hom. 10. Chrysost. hom. 29. ad pop. Antioch. D, Thom. 22. quest. 108. per totam.

2 Vide Aug. de serm. Dom. in monte, lib. 1. D. 'Thom. 2. 2. q. 158. a. 3.

31 Cor. w. 19. Me tae

4 Matt. vy 39, Vide Aug. epist. 5. ad Mar. et de serm. Domini in monte lib. 2. c. 20. 2 Gen. 1x. 5, 6.

On the Fifth Commandment.

of God by the destruction of man, for whose sake God declares that he created all things: nay, as it is prohibited in Genesis to take away human life, because God created man to his own image and likeness, he, therefore, who destroys his image offers creat injury to God, and seems, as it were, to lay violent hands on God himself! David, ein) a mind illumined from above, deeply impressed with the enormity of such guilt, characterizes the sanguinary in these words: ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood * He does not simply say, “they kill,” but, “ they shed blood ;”” words which serve to set that execrable crime in its true light, and to mark emphatically the barbarous cruelty of the murderer. With a view also to describe energetically how the murderer is precipitated by the impulse of the devil into the commission of such an enormity, he says: ‘* Their feet are swift.”

But the tendency of the injunctions of Christ our Lord, re- garding the observance of this commandment, is, that we have peace with all men. Interpreting the commandment he says: ‘*‘]: therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou re- member that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy offering, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother; and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift,’ &c.* In unfolding the spirit of this admonition, the pastor will show that it inculeates the duty of cherishing charitable feelings towards all without exception, feelings to which, in his exposition of this command- ment, he will exhort with the most earnest solicitude, evincing, as they do most effectually, the virtue of fraternal charity. It will not be doubted that hatred is forbidden by this command- ment, for, ** whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer ;’** from this prinviple it follows as an evident consequence, that the commandment also inculeates charity and love ; and inculeating charity and love it must also enjoin all those duties and good offices which follow in their train. ‘+ Charity is patient,” says St. Paul;* we are therefore commanded patience, in which, as the Redeemer teaches, ‘‘ we shall possess our souls.’’> ** Cha- rity is kind;’® beneficence is, therefore, her companion and hand-maid. ‘The virtue of beneficence is one of very great latitude: its principal offices are to relieve the wants of the poor, to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked; and in all these acts of beneficence we should pro- portion our liberality to the wants and necessities of their objects.

These works of beneficence and goodness, in themselves exalted, become still more illustrious when done towards an enemy, in accordance with the command of the Saviour: ‘** Love your enemies, do go.d to them that hate you:’7? ‘If thine enemy be hungry,” says St. Paul, ‘ give him to eat: if he thirst, give him to drink ; for doing this, ‘thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome

1 Ps. xiii. 5. 2 Matt. v. 24. 31 John iii. 15, 41 Cor. xiii. 4. 5 Luke xxi. 19 61 Cor xiii. 4 7 Matt. v. 44

284

Note

Manda part ofthe command. ment, in- culeates charity to all men

And also the duties of charity.

Ik

284

Three con- siderations to enforce

forgiveness

ef injuries. [.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

evil by good.”! Finally, if we consider the law of charty_ which is ‘‘ kind,” we shall be convinced that tc practise the good offices of mildness, clemency, and other kindred virtues, is a duty prescribed by that law.

But a duty of pre-eminent excellence, and that, too, which is the fullest expression of charity, and to the practice of which we should most habituaie ourselves, is to pardon and forgive from the heart the injuries which we may have received from others. ‘To a full and faithful compliance with this duty the Sacred Scriptures, as we have already observed, frequently admonish and exhort, not only pronouncing those who do so ‘‘blessed,’’ but also declaring that, whilst to the sinner, who neglects or refuses to comply with this precept, pardon is denied by the Almighty, it is extended to him who discharges this duty of charity towards an offending brother.? But, as the desire of revenge is almost natural to fallen man, it be- comes necessary for the pastor to exert his utmost diligence not only to instruct but also earnestly to persuade the faithful, that a Christian should forget and forgive injuries; and as this is a duty frequently inculcated by theological writers, he will consult them on the subject, and furnish himself with the cogent and appropriate arguments urged by them, in order to be enabled to subdue the pertinacity of those, whose minds are obstinately bent on revenge.°

The three following considerations, however, demand par- ticular attention and exposition.—First, to use every effort to persuade him, who conceives himself injured, that the man of whom he desires to be revenged, was not the principal cause of the less sustained or of the injury inflicted. This is ex- emplified in the conduct of that admirable man, Job: when violently assailed by men and demons, by the Labeans, the Chaldeans, and by Satan, without at all directing his attention to them, as a righteous and holy man he exclaimed with no less truth than piety: ‘“‘’The Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away.’* ‘The words and the example of that man of patience should, therefore, convince Christians, and the conviction is most just, that whatever chastisements we endure in this life come from the hand of God, the fountain of all justice and mercy. He chastises us not as enemies, but, in_ his infinite goodness, corrects us as children. ‘To view the matter in its true light, men, in these cases, are nothing more than the minis- ters and agents of God. One man, it is true, may foster the worst feelings towards another: he may harbour the most malignant hatred against him; but, without the permission of God, he can do him no injury. Hence Joseph patiently en- dured the wicked counsels of his brethren,> and David the

! Rom. xii. 20.

2? Vide Deut. xxxii, 35. item 1 Reg. 25 32, 33. item 26. 6. 7 8. 9. item 2 Reg. 19. 20. Ps. 7.5, Eccl. xxviii. per totum. Isa. lviii. 6. Matt. vi. 14. et in Evangelie passim. Vide item Tertul. in Apol. c. 3] et 37. Aug. in Joan tract. 81. lib. 50. hom Hom. 6. item ser. 61 et 168. de temp

3 Vid. que citantur numero 18. 4 Job i. 21. 5 Gen. xlv. 5-

ae ee a ae

On the Fifth Commandment.

mjuries inflicted on him by Semei.* ‘Io this also applies an argument which St. Chrysostome has ably and learnedly handled : it is that no man is injured but by himself? Let the man, who considers himself injured by another, consider the matter calmly and dispassionately, and he will feel the justness of the observation: he may, it is true, have experienced injury from external causes; but he is himself his greatest enemy, by wickedly contaminating his soul with hatred, malevolence, pues envy.

The second consideration to be explained by the pastor em- braces two advantages, which are the special rewards of those, who, influenced by a holy desire to please God, freely forgive injuries. In the first place, God has promised that he who forgives shall himself obtain forgiveness ;* a promise which proves how acceptable to God is this duty of piety. In the next place, the forgiveness of injuries ennobles and perfects our nature; for by it man is, in some degree, assimilated to God, *“ who maketh his sun to shine on the good and the bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.’’*

Finally, the disadvantages which arise from the indulgence of revenge are to be explained. The pastor will place before the eyes ‘of the unforgiving man a truth which has the sanction of experience, that hatred i is not only a grievous sin, but also that a continued habit of indulgence renders it inveterate. ‘The man, in whose heart this passion has once taken. deep root, thirsts for the blood of his enemy: day and night he longs for revenge: continually agitated by this perverse passion, his ‘mind seems never to repose from malignant projects, or even from thoughts of blood; and thus phrensied by hatred, never, or at least not without extreme difficulty, can ‘he be induced gene- rously to pardon an offending brother, or even to mitigate his hostility towards him. Justly, therefore, is revenge compared to a festering wound, from which the weapon has never been extracted.

There are also many evil consequences, many sins which follow in the train of this gloomy passion. Hence these words of St. John: ** He that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, be- eause the darkness hath blinded his eyes.”> He must therefore frequently fall; for how, possibly, can uny one view in a favourable light the words or actions of him whom he hates ? Hence arise rash and unjust judgments, anger, envy, deprecia- tion of character and other evils of the same sort, in which are often involved those who are connected by ties of friendship or blood; and thus does it frequently happen that this one sin is the prolific source of many.

Hatred has been denominated ‘‘ the sin of the devil,’ and not without good reason: the devil was a murderer from the

‘2 Kings xvi. i0. 2 Tom. 3. in hom. quod nemo lditur nisi a seipso. Matt. xviii. 33. +Matt v. 48. 5 1] John ii. 11

288

08

Hatred de nominated “the sin of the devil”

286

Remedies against ha- tred

J

Order in which this command- ment oc- curs, pro- priety of.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

beginning ; and hence our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of Gou when the Pharisees sought his life, said, that ‘* they were be- gotten of their father the devil.’’!

But besides the reason already adduced, which afford good grounds for detesting this sin, other and most efficacious reme- dies are prescribed in the pages of inspiration; and of these remedies the first and greatest is the example of the Redeemer, which we should set before our eyes as a model for imitation. When scourged with rods, crowned with thorns, and finally nailed to a cross, he, in whom even suspicion of fault could not be found, ‘ the sprinkling of whose blood speaketh better than that of Abel,” poured out his last breath a prayer for his exe- cutioners: ‘‘ Father,” says he, ‘‘ forgive them, for they know not what they do.’

Another remedy prescribed by Ecclesiasticus is to call to mind death and judgment: ‘* Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin ;’’4 as if he had said: frequently and again and again reflect that you must soon die, and, as at the hour of death you will have occasion to invoke the infinite mercy of God, his pardon and peace, you should now, and at all times, place that awful hour before your eyes, in order to extinguish within you the consuming fire of revenge; for, than the for- giveness of injuries and the love of those who may have in- jured you or yours, in word or deed, you can discover ne

means better adapted, none more efficacious to obtain the mercy of God.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

‘S THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.”®

As the bond which subsists between man and wife is one of strictest union, nothing can be more gratifying to both than te know that they are objects of mutual and undivided affection ; and as, on the other hand, nothing inflicts deeper anguish than the alienation of the legitimate love which they owe to each other, this commandment, which prohibits concubinage and adultery, follows with propriety, and in order, that which pro- tects human life against the hand of the murderer. It pro- hibits to violate or sunder, by the crime of adultery, the holy and honourable union of marriage, a union which is generally the source of ardent affection and love.

John viii. 44. 2 Luke xxiii. 34 3 Heb. xis. 24. 4 Eccl. vii. 40. 5 Exod, xx. 14.

7

On the Sixth Commandment.

In the exposition of this commandment, the pastor has ov- sasion for extreme caution and prudence, and should treat with great delicacy a subject which requires brevity rather than co- piousness of exposition ; for there is great reason to apprehend, that by detailing too diffusely the variety of ways in which men depart from the observance of this law, he may perhaps light upon those things, which, instead of extinguishing, serve rather to inflame corrupt passion. As however the precept contains many things which cannot be passed over in si- lence, the pastor will explain them in their proper order and place.

This commandment, then, resolves itself into two heads; the one expressed, which prohibits adultery; the other implied, which ineuleates purity of mind and body.’ To begin with the prohibitory part of the commandment, adultery is the defile- ment of the lawful bed, whether it be one’s own or another’s: if a married man have criminal intercourse with an unmarried woman, he violates the integrity of his marriage bed; and if an unmarried man have intercourse with a married woman, he defiles the sanctity of the marriage bed of another.

But that every species of licentiousness and every violation of chastity are included in this prohibition of adultery, is proved by the concurrent testimonies of St. Augustine and St. Am- brose,* and that such is the spirit of the commandment is an inference borne out by the authority of the Old as well as of the New Testament. In the writings of Moses, besides adultery, other sins against chastity are punished: the book of Genesis records the judgment of Judah against his daughter-in-law :* ** that there should be no harlot amongst the daughters of Is- rael,” is an excellent law of Moses, found in Deuteronomy :* “Take heed to keep thyself, my son, from all fornication,’’® is the exhortation of Tobias to his son; and in Ecclesiasticus we read: ‘* Be ashamed of looking upon a harlot.’® In the Gospel, too, Christ the Lord says: ‘‘From the heart came forth adulteries and fornications, which defile a man ;’’? and the Apostle Paul expresses his detestation of this crime frequently, and in the strongest terms: ‘‘ This,” says he, ‘is the will of God, your sanctification ; that you should abstain from fornica- tion: * Fly fornication :’”? ‘*Keep not company with forni- cators."”?° ** Fornication, and all uncleanness and covetousness, let it notso much as be named among you, as becometh saints :”"™" ** Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers

' Vide 32.q. 4. ¢, meretrices ; item ibid. multa alia capita; item Amb. de Abra- ham. c. 4. Hier. contr. Jovin. lib. 1. et 2. item in cap. 5. epist. ad Gal. ad illa verba manifest. autem; item in c. 5.ad Ephes.ad hee verba, viri! diligite; Aug. de bono conjug. c. 16 et lib. 22. contra Faust. cap. 47, 48. item in queest. Deut. q 37. ad cap 23. iterum Amb. in serm. de St. Joan. qui sic incip. diximus superiore Dominica est, 65. item. Greg. in moral. lib. 12. c. 21. D. Thom. 1. 2. q. 100. a. 5. et 2.2.

q. 122. a. 6. : 2 Amb. lib. 1. officior. 1. c. 50. in fine. Aug. ques. 71. super Exod. _ 3 Gen, xxxviii. 14. 4 Deut. xxii. 17. 5 Tob. iv. 13. 6 Eccl. xli. 35. 7 Matt. xvi. 19. 81 Thess. iv. 3 ° 1 Cor. vi. 18. 10 1 Cor. v. 9. ' Eph. v. 3.

251

Extreme caution and pru- dence ne- cessary in the exposi- tion of this commaend- ment

Resolves itself inte two heads First heau

Prohibits every v10 lation of chastry.

28x The Cetechism of the Council of Trent.

Nira with mankind shall possess the kingdom of God.”’! But adultery is thus strictly forbidden, because to the turpitude common alike to it and to other excesses it adds the sin of injustice, not only against our neighbour, but also against civil society. Cer- tain it also is, that he, who abstains not from other sins against chastity, will easily fall into the crime of adultery. By the prohibition of adultery, therefore, we at once see that every sort of immodesty, impurity, and defilement is prohibited ; nay that every inward thought against chastity is forbidden by this commandment is clear, as well from the very force of the law, which is evidently spiritual, as also from these words of Christ our Lord: * But I say to you, that whosoever shall see a wo- man to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.’’?

Admoni- This is the outline of those things which we have deemed

tion to the Sathorn gs : :

pastor. proper matter for public instruction: to it, however, the pastor will add the decrees of the holy Synod of ‘Trent against adul- terers, and those who keep hariots and concubines ;* omitting many other species of immodesty and lust, of which each in- dividual is to be admonished privately, as circumstances of time and person may require.

Second We now come to explain the positive part of the precept.

head The faithful are to be taught, and earnestly exhorted, to cul- tivate with zealous assiduity, continence and chastity, ‘* to cleanse themselves from all defilements of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.’’* The virtue of chastity, it is true, shines with a brighter lustre in those who, with holy and religious fidelity, lead a life of perpetua) continency : an ordinance in itself admirable, in its origin di vine: yet it is a virtue which belongs also to those who lead a life of celibacy; or who, in the married state, preserve them selves pure and undefiled from unlawful desire. ‘The Holy Fathers have delivered many important lessons of instruction which teach to subdue the passions, and to restrain sinful plea sure: the pastor, therefore, will make it his study to explair them accurately to the faithful, and will use the utmost dili- gence in their exposition.® |

Remedies Of these instructions some relate to thoughts, some to ac- |

against the tions. ‘The remedy prescribed against sins of thought consiste

thiscom- 2 our forming a just conception of the turpitude and evil of this mandment. crime; and this knowledge will lead more easily to the con- E siderations which prompt to its detestation. ‘The evil of this crime we may learn from this reflection alone; by its com- inission, the perpetrator is banished and excluded from the kingdom of God; an evil which exceeds all others in mag- “o nitude. ‘This calamity is, it is true, common to every mortal sin; but to this sin it is peculiar, that fornicators are said to sin against their own bodies, according to the words of St

1] Cor. vi. 9. 2 Matt. v. 27, 28. 3 Sess. 24. c. 24. de reform. 4 2Cor. vii. 1. » Vid. D. Thom. 2. 2 q 15]. Trid. 24. de matrim. c. 3. et sess. 25. de regular.

err

On the Sixth Commandment.

Paul: ‘Fly fornication: every sin that a man doth 1s without the body; but he that committeth fornication, sinneth agaist his own body.’? The reason is, that, by violating its sanctity, he does am injury to his own body; and hence the Apostle writing to the Thessalonians says: ‘* This is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication, that every one-of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God.”? Again, it is an aggravation of the sinner’s guilt, that by the foul crime of fornication, the Christian makes the members of Christ the members of an har- lot, according to these words of St. Paul: “ Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? ! Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid; or know you not, that he who is joined to an harlot is made one body?’ Moreover, a Chris- tan, as St. Paul testifies, is ‘* the temple of the Holy Ghost; and to violate this temple, what is it but to expel the Holy Ghost?

But the crime of adultery involves that of grievous injustice. If, as the Apostle says, they who are joined in wedlock are so ~ubject to each other, that neither has power or right over his or her body, but both are bound, as it were, by a mutual bond of subjection, tne husband to accommodate himself to the will of the wife, the wife to the will of the husband ; most certainly if either dissociate his or her person, which is the right of the other, from him or her to whom it is bound, the offender is guilty of an act of flagrant injustice, and of a grievous crime.$

As dread of infamy strongly stimulates to the performance of duty, and deters from the commission of crime, the pastor will also teach that adultery brands its guilty perpetrators with an indelible stigma: ** He that is an adulterer,”” says Solomon, **for the folly of his heart shall destroy his own soul: he gathereth to himself shame and dishonour, and his reproach shall not be blotted out.’’®

The grievousness of the sin of adultery may be easily in- ferred from the severity of its punishment. According to the law promulgated by God in the Old Testament, the adulterer was condemned to be stoned to death ;7 and even for the crimi- nal passion of one man, (the facts are recorded in the inspired Volume) not only the perpetrators of the crime, but also, as we read with regard to the Sichemites,> sometimes the inhabitants of an entire city have been destroyed. ‘The Sacred Scriptures abound with examples of the divine vengeance invoked by such crimes ; such as the destruction of Sodom and of the neigh- bouring cities,® the punishment of the Israelites who committed fornication in the wilderness with the daughters of Moab,*® and

11 Cor. vi. 18, 2 1 Thess. rv. 3—5. 31 Cor. vi. 15, 16 4 1 Cor. vi. 19. 5 1 Cor. vii. 4. 6 Proy. vi. 32. 7 Levit. xx. 10. yor? viii. 5 8 Gen. xxxiv 25 9 Gen. xix. 2 © Num. xxv. 4 25 20

iil.

IV

Adultery a grievous Lujustica

Brands the adulterer with in- famy

Its grie- vousness may be in ferred from the severi- ty of its pu nishment

290

Remnedies against the concupis- cence of the flesh.

T

I.

OI

Iv

On the Sixth Commandment.

the slaughter of the Benjamites ;t examples which the pastor will adduce to deter from similar enormities.

The punishment of death may not, it is true, always awai such criminality ; but it does not therefore always -escape the visitations of the divine wrath. ‘Ihe mind of the adulterer is frequently a prey to agonizing torture: blinded by his own :miatuation, the heaviest chastisement with which sin can be visited, he is lost to all regard for God. for reputation, for honour, for family, and even for life; and thus, utterly aban- doned and useless, he is undeserving of confidence in any matter of moment, and incompetent to the discharge of duty of any sort. Of this we find signal examples in the persons of David and of Solomon. David had no sooner fallen into the crime of adultery than he degenerated into a character the very re- verse of what he had been before; from the mildest of men becoming a monster of cruelty, and consigning to death Urias, a man who had deserved well of him ;? whilst Solomon, having abandoned himself to the lust of women, abandoned the true religion, to follow strange gods.* ‘Ihis sin, therefore, as Osee observes, plucks out the heart, and often blinds the under- standing.*

We now come to the remedies which are applicable to this moral disease.—The first is studiously to avoid idleness: for, accoyding to Ezekiel, it was by yielding themselves up to its enervating influence, that the Sodomites plunged into all the turpitude of the most base and criminal lust.* In the next place, intemperance in eating and drinking is carefully to be avoided : ‘*T fed them to the full,”’ says the prophet, ‘* and they committed adultery.”’® Repletion and satiety beget lust, as our Lord in- timates in these words: ‘‘'l'ake heed to yourselves, lest per- haps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunken- ness;’? ‘*Be not drunk with wine,” says St. Paul, ‘ wherein is luxury.”’? But the eyes, in particular, are the inlets to eri- minal passion, and to this refer these words of our Lord; “If thine eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and east it from thee.’’ The prophets, also, frequently speak to the same effect: “I made a covenant with mine eyes,” says Job, ‘* that I would not so much as think upon a virgin.”’?? Finally, there are on record innumerable examples of the evils which have their origin in the concupiscence of the eyes: to it we trace the fall of David;'! the king of Sichem fell a victim to its seductive influence ;*2 and the elders, who became the false accusers of the chaste Susanna, afford a melancholy example of its banefui effects.'*

‘Too much ornamental elegance of dress, which solicits the eye, is but too frequently an occasion of sin; and hence the

! Judges xx. *2 Kings xi. and xii. 3 3 Kings x.

4 Osee iv. J]. 5 Ezek. xvi. 49. 6 Jerem. v. 7.

7 Luke xxi. 31 s Ephes. v. 18. 9 Matt. v. 29, 30 10 Job xxxi 1 12 Kings xi 2 ‘2 Gen. xxxiv 2

3 Dan. xiii. 8

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

admonition of Ecclesiasticus: ‘Turn away thy face from a woman dressed up.”? A passion for dress often characterizes female weakness : it will not, therefore, be unseasonable in the pastor to give some attention to the subject; mingling reproofs with admonition, in the impressive words of the Apostle Peter: «‘ Whose adorning,” says he, ‘let it not be the outward plait- ing of the hair, or the wearing of gold, or the putting on of apparel;””? and also in the language of St. Paul: “ Not with plaited hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly attire.”’* Many females, adorned with gold and precious stones, have lost their only true ornament, the gem of female virtue.

Next to the excitement of desire, usually provoked by too studied an elegance of dress, follows another, which is indecent and obscene conversation. Obscene language is a torch which lights up the worst passions of the young mind; and an in- spired Apostle has said, that ‘evil communications corrupt good manners.”’* Indelicate and lascivious songs and dances seldom fail to produce the same fatal effects, and are, therefore, cautiously to be avoided. In the same class are to be num- bered soft and obscene books: possessing, as they do, a fatal influence in exciting to filthy aliurements, and in kindling criminal desire in the mind of youth: they are to be shunned as pictures of licentiousness, and incentives to turpitude.®

But to avoid with the most scrupulous care the occasions of sin, which we have now enumerated, is to remove almost every excitement to lust; whilst frequent recourse to confession and to the Holy Eucharist operates most efficaciously in subduing its violence. Unceasing and devout prayer to God, accom- panied by fasting and alms-deeds, has the same salutary effect, Chastity is a gift of God :° to those who ask it ‘‘aright” he de- nies it not; nor does he suffer us to be tempted beyond our strength.? But the body is to be mortified, ana the sensual appetites to be repressed not only by fasting, and particularly, by the fasts instituted by the Church, but also by watching, pious pilgrimages, and other penitential austerities. By these and similar penitential observances is the virtue of temperance chiefly evinced; and in accordance with this doctrine, St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, says: ‘‘ Every one that striveth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things ; and they indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one ;’’® and a little after; ‘‘] chastise my body, and bring it into subjection, lest, perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become reprobate ;” and in another place; ‘‘ Make not provision for the flesh in its cone eupiscence.”’®

! Eccl. ix. 8. 2] Pet. iii. 3. 3] Tim. ii. 9. 41 Cor. xv. 33.

5 Parochus imprimis curet, ut que de sacris imaginibus a Sacrosancto Concilio Tridentino pie religioseque cunstitituta sunt, ea sanctissime serverttur. Vid. sess 25. decret. de invocal, &c. vener. et. sacris imagin. © 1 Cor. vii. 7.

71 Cor. x. 13. Vid. Tert. de Monog. in fine Nazianz. orat. 3. Basil. de virg. ultra

medium. Chrys. et Hieron. in c. 16. Matt. Aug. lib. 6. confess. c. 11. * 1 Cor. ix. 25. 9 Rom, xiii. 14.

29

VI. & VN

VIII.

292

The obser- vance of this com- mandment strongly in- culcated in the early ages of

the church: the same practice to be followed in our days.

This com- mandment, a proof of the love of God to- wards us, and aclaim on our gratitude.

Division of the com- mandment.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT.

‘6 THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.’”?

Tuart, in the early ages of the church, it was usual to imprese on the minds of the faithful the nature and force of this coms mandment, we learn from the reproof uttered by the Apostle against some who were most earnest in deterring others from vices, in which they themselves were found freely to indulge : ‘*'Thou therefore,” says he, ‘‘ that teachest another, teachest not thyself: thou that preachest that men should not steal, stealest.’’2 The salutary effect of such instructions was, not only to correct a vice which was then very prevalent, but, <lso, to repress turbulent altercations, and other causes of mischief, which generally grow out of theft. It is a melancholy truth, that in these our days men are unhappily addicted to the same vice: the peace of society is still frequently disturbed by the mischiefs and calamities consequent to theft; and the pastor, therefore, following the example of the Holy Fathers, and the masters of Christian discipline, will urge this point, and will explain with care and assiduéty the force and meaning of this commandment.

In the first place, the care, diligence and industry of the pas- tor will be exercised in unfolding the infinite love of God to man: not satisfied with having fenced round our lives, our persons, our reputation, by means of these two commandments, * thou shalt not kill,” «thou shalt not commit adultery ;”’ he defends, and, as it were, places a guard over our property, by adding the prohi- bition, ‘** Thou shalt not steal.’”” Other meaning these words cannot have than that which has been already mentioned in ex- pounding the other commandments: they declare that God for- bids our worldly goods, which are placed under his sovereign protection, to be taken away or injured by any one.? Our gra- titude to God, its author, should, then, be proportioned to the magnitude of the benefit conferred on us by this law; and, as the truest test of gratitude, and the best means of returning thanks to God, consists not alone in lending a willing ear to his pre- cepts, but, also, in putting forth in our lives practical evidence of our sincere approval of them, the faithful are to be animated and inflamed to a strict observance of this commandment.

Like the former precepts, this also divides itself into two parts: the one, which prohibits theft, is mentioned expressly ; of the other, which enforces kindliness and liberality, the spirit

* Exod. xx. 15. 2 Rom. ii. 21. 3 Vid. D. Thom. 1. 2.q. 100. art. 3 et 2. 2. q. 122. art. 6.

Jn the Seventh Commandment.

and force are implied in the former. We shall therefore begin with the first: ‘*‘Thou shalt not steal.’’ It is to be observed, that by the word * theft” is understood not only the taking away of any thing from its rightful owner, privately and with- out his consent; but also, the possession of that which belongs to another, contrary to the will, although not without the know- ledge, of the true owner. ‘hat the detention of the property of another, under these circumstances, constitutes theft is un- deniable, unless we are prepared to say, that he who prohibits theft does not also prohibit rapine, which is accomplished by violence and injustice ; whereas, according to St. Paul, ‘ ex- tortioners shall not possess the kingdom of God;’’! and the same Apostle declares, that extortion of every sort is to be avoided.”

Although rapine, which, besides the deprivation of his pro- perty, offers a violent outrage to the injured party, and subjects him to insult and contumely, is a more grievous sin than theft,® yet it cannot be matter of surprise, nor is it without good reason, that the divine prohibition is expressed under the lighter name of ‘theft,’ not under the heavier one of ‘“rapine:’ theft is more general and of wider extent than rapine; a crime of which they alone can be guilty, who are superior to their neighbour in brute force. It is obvious, however, that when lesser crimes are forbidden, greater enormities of the same sort are also pro- hibited.‘

The unjust possession and use of what belongs to another are expressed by different names. To take any thing private from a private individual is calied ‘theft ;’’ from the public, peculation: to enslave and appropriate the freeman or servant of another is called * man-stealing:”’ to steal any thing sacred is called ‘* sacrilege ;’’ a crime the most enormous and sinful of all, yet so common in our days, that what piety and wisdom had appropriated to the divine worship, to the support of the ministers of religion, and to the use of the poor, is employed in satisfying the cravings of individual avarice, and converted into a means of ministering to the worst passions.

But, besides actual theft, the will and desire are also forbidden by the law of God: the law is spiritual: it regards the soul, the principle of our thoughts and designs: ‘ From the heart,” says our Lord, ‘* come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies.’’>

The grievousness of the sin of theft is sufficiently seen by the light of natural reason alone: it is a violation of justice which gives to every man his own. In order that every man, unless we dissolve all human society, may securely possess what he has justly acquired; it is necessary that stability be given to the distribution and allotment of property, fixed, as it has been, by the law of nations from the origin of society, and

11Cor vi.10, 2 Vid. Aug. q. 71. in Exod. et citatur. 32. q. 4.¢ 3 1 Cor. v.10. 4 Vid. D. Thom. c. 2.66 art. 4 et 9, item 14, q. 4. c. penale. 3 Matt. xv. 19.

25*

. meretrices.

294

* Theft,” definition of.

« Rapine”a more griey: ous crime than theft. the latter why men- tioned in the com- mandment.

Different denomina. tions of theft. L&o IIL.

IV

A desire of theft prohi- bited.

Grievous ness of the sin of theft

24

Ih.

Necessity and diffi- culty of restitution

Different sorts of theft.

rE

Bf

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

confirmed by human and divine laws. Hence these words of the Apostle, ‘* Neither thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.” The long train of evils, however, which theft entails upon society, are an attestation at once of its mischievousness and enormity. It gives rise to hasty and rash judgments: it engenders hatred: originates enmities; and sometimes subjects the innocent to cruel condemnation.

What shall we say of the necessity imposed by God on all of satisfying for the injury done? ‘* Without restitution,” says St. Augustine, “the sin is not forgiven.’’® The difficulty of making such restitution, on the part of those who have been in the habit of enriching themselves with their neighbour’s pro- perty, we may learn not only from experience and reflection, but also from the testimony of the prophet Habaccuc: ** Wo to him that heapeth together what is not his own. How long also doth he load himself with thick clay?’ ‘The possession of other men’s property the prophet calls ‘thick clay,” from which it is difficult to emerge and disengage one-self. .

Such is the variety of thefts, that it is difficult to enumerate them: to theft and rapine, however, as to their sources, all others may be traced; and the exposition of these two will therefore suffice. ‘To inspire the faithful with a detestation of them, and to deter from such enormities, are objects which will engage all the care and assiduity of the pastor. But to pros ceed—They who buy stolen goods, or retain the property of others, whether found, seized on, or pilfered, are also guilty of theft: “If you have found, and not restored,” says St. Augustine, ‘‘you have stoien.’’* If the true owner cannot, however, be discovered, whatever is found should go to the poor ;° and if the finder refuse to yield it up for their use, he gives evident proof, that, were it in his power, he would make no scruple of stealing to any extent. ‘Those who, in buying or selling, have recourse to fraud, and lying words, involve themselves in the same guilt: the Lord will avenge their frauds. But those who for good and sound merchandize sell bad and unsound, or who defraud by weight, measure, number, or rule, are guilty of a species of theft still more criminal and unjust: it is written, **’Thon shalt not have divers weights in thy bag:’’® «* Do not any unjust thing,”’ says Leviticus, ‘*in judg- ment, in rule, in weight or in measure. . Let the balance be just, and the weights equal, the bushel just, and the sextary equal :”’7 to which passages we may add these words of Solo- mon: ‘ Divers weights are an abomination before the Lord: a deceitful balance is not good.’’s

It is, also, a downright theft, when labourers and artizans

! Cor. vi. 10. 2 Epist. liv. 3 Habae. ii. 6.

4 Lib. 50. hom. Hom. 9. et de verbis Apost. serm. 19.

5 It is unnecessary to remind the learned reader that human laws may affect this decision —T.

® Deut. xxv. 13 7 Lev. xix. 35, 36 Prov xx. 23.

On the Seventh Commanament.

exact full wages from those, to whom they have not given just and due labour; nor are unfaithful servants and stewards any otner than thieves; nay they are more detestable than other thieves, against whom every thing may be locked; whilst against a pilfering servant nothing in a house can be secure by bolt or lock. ‘They, also, who extort money under false pre- tences, or by deceitful words, may be said to steal, and their guilt is aggravated by adding falsehood to theft. Persons charged with oflices of public or private trust, who altogether neglect or but indifferently perform the duties, whilst they enjoy the emoluments of such offices, are also to be reckoned in the number of thieves. ‘Io detail the various other modes of theft, invented by the ingenuity of avarice, which is versed in ail the arts of gleaning together the fruits of injustice, were a tedious and complicated enumeration. ‘The pastor, therefore, will next come to treat of the other general head, to which sins prohibited by this commandment are reducible; first, however, admonishing the faithful, to bear in mind the precept of the Apostle: ‘**’They that will become rich fall into temptation, and the snare of the devil;’’ and also the words of the Re- deemer: ‘ Ai! things whatsoever you will that men do to you, do you also to them ;’”? and finally the admonition of ‘Tobias: **See thou never do to another what thou wouldst hate to have done to thee by another.’”*

Rapine is more comprehensive than theft: those who pay not the labourer his hire are guilty of rapine, and are exhorted to repentance by St. James in these words: ‘Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries which shall come upon you:”’ He subjoins the cause of their repentance; ‘ Be- hold,” says he, ‘‘ the hire of the labourers, who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud has been kept back by you, erieth ; and the ery of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.”’* ‘his sort of rapine is condemned in terms of the strongest reprobation in Leviticus,> Deuteronomy,® Malachy,’ and Tobias.* Amongst those who are guiliy of rapine are also included persons who do not pay, who turn to other uses or appropriate to themselves, customs, taxes, tythes, and such revenues, which are the property of those who pre- side over the Church, and of the civil magistrate.

To this class also belong usurers, the most cruel and relent- less of extortioners, who, by their usurious practices, plunder and destroy the poor. Whatever is received above the princi- pal, be it money, or any thing else that may be purchased or estimated by money, is usury; for it is written in Ezekiel: ** Thou hast taken usury and increase ;” and in Luke our Lord says: ‘‘ Lend hoping for nothing thereby.’"*? Even among the Gentiles usury was always considered a most grievous and vdious crime; and hence the question, ‘* What is usury?”

1 Tim, vi. 9. 2 Matt. vii. 12. 3 Tob. iv. 26. 4 James v. ], 4.

5 Lev. xix. 13. 6 Deut. xxiv. 14. 7 Mal. iii. 5. 8 Tob. iv. 15. 9 Ezek. xxii. 12. and xviii. 3. 10 Luke vi. 33.

Note.

Different sorts of re pine.

Usury

296

Presitive part of the precept: restitution ; who are bound to.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

which was answered by asking, ‘‘ What is murder?”” ‘The rea son why it was thus characterized is, that he who lends at usury sells the same thing twice, or sells that which has no real exist ence.*

Corrupt judges, whose decisions are venal, and who, bought over by money or other bribes, decide against the poor and the necessitous, however good their cause, also commit rapine. Those who defraud their creditors, who deny their just debts, and, z!so, those who purchase goods on their own, or on an- other’s credit, with an engagement to pay for them at a certain time, and do not redeem their pledge, are guilty of the same crime of rapine; and it is an aggravation of their guilt, that, in consequence of their want of punctuality and their fraud, prices are raised, to the no small injury of the public. ‘To such per- sons David alludes, when he says, ‘‘ The sinner shall borrow and not pay again.’”?

But, in what language of abhorrence shall we speak of those, who, themselves abounding in wealth, exact with rigour what they lend to the poor, who have not wherewithal to pay them; and who take as pledges even the necessary covering of their wretched applicants, in defiance of the divine prohibition; “If thou take of thy neighbour a garment in pledge, thou shalt give it him again before sunset, for that same is the only thing wherewith he is covered, the clothing of his body, neither hath he any other to sleep in: it he ery to me I will hear him, be- cause I am compassionate.’ Their rigorous exaction is justly termed ‘‘ rapacity,”’ and is therefore rapine.*

Amongst those whom the Holy Fathers pronounced guilty of rapine are persons who, in times of scarcity, store up their corn, thus producing a dearth; and this also holds good with regard to all necessaries for food, and the. purposes of life. ‘These are they against whom Soloman hurls this execration, ‘* He that hideth up corn, shall be cursed among the people.”> Such persons the pastor will admonish of their guilt, and will reprove with more than ordinary freedom ; and to them he will explain at large the punishments which await such delinquency.

So far for the negative part of the precept—We now come to the positive part, in which the first thing to be considered is satisfaction or restitution; for without satisfaction or restitution the sin is not forgiven. But, as the law of restitution is binding not only on the person who commits theft, but also on the pers son who is a party to its commission, to determine who are in- dispensably bound to this satisfaction or restitution is a matter which demands explanation. ‘These form a variety of classes. The first (‘*imperantes’”’) consists of those who order others to steal, and who are not only the authors and accomplices of theft,

! De usura vid. 14. q. 1. et q. 4. passim. vid. item titulum de usuris in Decretab- bus et D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 78. item Amb. lib. de Tob. c. 14.

2 Ps. xxxvi. 2]. 3 Exod. xxii. 26, 27.

4 ae habes de pignor. in decretal {ib. 3. tit. 21. vid. Amb. lib. 5. de offic.¢ &

5 Prov. xi. 6.

On the Seventh Commandment.

but also the most criminal in its commission. Another class **suasores”’) embraces those, who, like the former in will, but unlike them in power, are equally culpable; who, when they €annot command, persuade and encourage others to commit theft. A third class (**consentientes”’) is composed of those who are a consenting party to the theft commritted by others. The fourth class (* participantes *) is that of those who are accom- plices in and derive gain from theft; if that can be called gain, which, unless they repent, consigns them to everlasting tor- ments. Of them David says: “If thou didst see a thief, thou didst run with him.’”? The fifth class of thieves («non prohi- bentes”’) are those who, having it in their power to prohibit theft, so far from opposing or preventing it, fully and freely suf- fer and sanction its commission. The sixth class (‘non indi- cantes’’) is constituted of those who are well aware that the theft was committed, and when it was committed; and yet so far from discovering it, are as silent on the subject as if it had never oc- curred. ‘The seventh, and last (** custodes’’) comprises all who assist in the accomplishment of theft, who guard, patronise, receive or harbour thieves; all of whom are bound to make res- titution to those from whom any thing has been stolen, and are to be earnestly exhorted to the dicchar: ge of so necessary a duty. Neither are those who approve (““approbantes’ *) and commend thefts entirely innocent of this crime: children also and wives who steai from their parents and husbands are not guiltless of theft.

This commandment also implies an obligation to sympathize with the poor and the necessitous, and to relieve them under their difficulties and distresses from the means with which we have been blessed, and by rendering them the good offices which charity inculeates. On this subject, which cannot be i too frequently or copiously, the pastor will find abundant

atter to enrich his discourses in the works of those very holy ae: St. Cyprian,? St. Chrysostome,’ St. Gregory Nazianzen,* and other eminent writers on alms-deeds. It is theirs to inspire the faithful with an anxious desire and a cheerful willingness to succour the distresses of those, who depend for a precarious subsistence on the bounteous compassion of others.

The necessity of alms-deeds should also form the subject mat- ter of the pastor’s instructions: the faithful are to be strongly impressed with the obligation imposed on them of being really and practically liberal to the poor; and to this effect the pastor will urge the overwhelming argument that, on the day of final retribution, the Judge of the living and the dead will | hurl against the uncharitable man the indignant sentence of irrev ocable con- demnation; and will invite in the language of eulogy, and intro-

' Ps. xlix. 18, 2 Cypr. lib. de opera et eleemosyn. 3 Chrysost. hom. 32. ad pop. Antioch. et hom. 33. et 34. in Math. vid. etiam aom. 16. 37. ad pop. Antioch. 4 Nazianz. orat. de pauperum amore. August. serm. 50 et 227.de tempore: item hom. 18, 19, 28. 45. 2P

297

Il. IV

VI

VILL & IX

To relieve the neces- sitous, an obligation imposed by this com mandment

Alms- deeda

298

Frugality recom- mended

Scriptural authority.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

duce into his heavenly country, those who have exercised merey towards the poor. ‘Their respective sentences have been already pronounced by the lips of the Son of God: ‘‘ Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you ;’”’—** De- part from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” ‘The pastor will also cite those texts of Scripture which are calculated to persuaue to the performance of this important duty: ‘* Give and it shall be given to you.’ He will cite the promise of God, than which imagination can picture no remuneration more abundant, none more magnificent: ‘* There is no man who hath left house, or brethren, &e. that shall not receive an hundred times as much now in this time; and in the world to come life everlasting ;”8 and he will add these words of our Lord: ‘* Make unto your- selves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.”*

But the pastor will explain the different heads into which this duty naturally resolves itself; and will remind the faithful, that whoever is unable to give may, at least, lend to the poor where- withal to sustain tes according to the command of Christ our Lord: ‘‘ Lend hoping for nothing thereby.’ The singular happiness, which is the reward of such an exercise of mercy, is attested by David in these words: ** Acceptable is the man that showeth mercy and lendeth.’’® But should it not be in our power otherwise to relieve distress, to seek, by labour and the work of our hands, to procure the means of doing so is an act of benevolence, by which we attain the double purpose of avoid- ing idleness and of discharging a duty of Christian piety. To this the Apostle exhorts all by his own example: ‘* For your- selves,”’ says he, writing to the Thessalonians, ‘know how you ought to imitate us ;’ 7 and again, ‘* Use your endeavour to be quiet, and that you as your own business, and work with your own hands, as we commanded you;’’* and to the Ephesians: ‘s He that stole, let him steal no more; but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.’’®

We should also practise frugality, and draw sparingly on the kindness of others, that we may not be a burden or a trouble to them. ‘This exercise of temperance is conspicuous in all the Apostles, but pre-eminently so in St. Paul: writing to the Thes- salonians he says: ‘* You remember, brethren, our labour and toil; working night and day lest we should be chargeable to any of you, we preached amongst you the Gospel of God ;’’1° and again: ‘*In labour and in toil, we worked night and day, lest we should be chargable to any of you.’’*t

‘To inspire the faithful with an abhorrence of all sins against this commandment, the pastor will recur to the prophets and the other inspired writers, to show the detestation in which God

Matt. xxv. 34. 41 2 Luke vi. 38. * Mark x. 29, 30. 4 Luke xvi. 9. 5 Luke vi. 35. 6 Ps. exi. 5. 7 2 Thess. iii. 7. s 1 Thess. iv. il. - 9Eph. iv 28. ‘0 ] Thess. ii. 9 2 Thess. iii. &

On the Seventh Commandment.

holds the crimes ot theft and rapine, and the awful threats which he denounces against their perpetrators: ‘* Hear this,’’ exclaims the prophet Amos, *‘ you that crush the poor, and make the needy of the land to fail, saying, when will the month be over, and we shall sell our wares, and the Sabbath, and we shall open the corn; that we may lessen the measure, and increase the sickle, and may convey in deceitful balances?”* Many passages in Jeremiah,? Proverbs,® and Ecclesiasticus,* breathe the same spirit; and these, doubtless, are the seeds from which have sprung great part of the evils, which in our times overspread the face of society.

That Christians may accustom themselves to acts of gene- rosity and kindness towards the poor and the mendicant, an exercise of benevolence inculcated by the second part of this commandment, the pastor will place before them those ample rewards which God promises, in this life and in the next, to the beneficent and the bountiful.

But, as there are not wanting those who would even excuse their thefts, they are to be admonished that God will accept no excuse for sin; and that their excuses, far from extenuating, serve only to aggravate their guilt. How insufferable the per- versity of those men of exalted rank, who stand excused in their own eyes by alleging, that, if they strip others of what belongs to them, they are actuated not by cupidity or avarice, but by a desire to maintain the grandeur of their families, and the station of their ancestors, whose estimation and dignity must fall, if not upheld by the accession of another man’s property. Of this mischievous error they are to be disabused; and are to be con- vinced, that to obey the will of God and observe his command- ments is the only means to preserve and augment their wealth, and to enhance the glory of their ancestors. His will and commandments once contemned, the stability of property, no matter how securely settled, is overturned; kings are dethroned, and hurled from the highest pinnacle of earthly grandeur; whilst the humblest individuals in society, men towards whom they cherished the most implacable hatred, are sometimes called by God to occupy the thrones, which their rapacity had forfeited. ‘The intensity of the divine wrath, kindled by such cruel in- justice, God himself declares in these words, which are recorded in Isaias: ‘* Thy princes are faithless, companions of thieves ; they all love bribes; they run after rewards. Therefore, saith the Lord, the God of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: Ah! I will comfort myself over my adversaries; and | will be revenged of my enemies; and I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross.’’°

Some there are, who plead in justification of such conduct, not the ambition of maintaining hereditary splendour and aa-

' Amos viii. 4, 5. 2 Jer. v. et xxi. et xxii. 3 Prov. xxi. 4 Eccl. x.

5 Vid. Trid. sess. 22. decret. de reform. cap. 11. itera Conc. Aurel. 3. c, 13. 22 Paris. J. c. 1. Taron. 2, c. 25. Aurel. 5. c. 15. Mogunt. ap 6. 11. Worm. «. 75. Aquisgr. c. 88. vid. et 1. 2. q. 2. variis in capit.

298

Libera.ty to the poos

Excuses of ame

300

Note.

tll.

IV

1.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

cestral glory, but a desire of acquiring the means of living in greater ease, affluence and elegance. Such false excuses are also to be exposed and refuted: they are to be taught how im- pious is the conduct, how unacceptable to God the prayers, of those who prefer any earthly advantage to the will and the glory of God; and are to be made sensible of the magnitude of the offence, offered to him, by a neglect of his precepts And yet what real advantage can there be in theft? Of how many very heavy curses is it not the source? ‘* Confusion and repentance,”’ says Ecclesiasticus, ‘is upon a thief.’’* But, suppose no temporal punishment to overtake the thief, does he not offer an insult to the divine name? does he not oppose the most holy will of God? does he not contemn his salutary pre- cepts? is not this contempt of the divine precepts the source of all the error, and all the dishonesty, and all the impiety, which inundate the world?

But, do we not sometimes hear the thief contend that he is not guilty of sin, because, forsooth, he steals from the rich and the wealthy, who, in his mind, do not even perceive, not to eay, suffer injury from the loss? Such an excuse is as wretched as its tendency is baneful. Others imagine that they should be acquitted of guiit, because they have contracted such a habit of stealing, as not to be able to gain an easy victory over the passion, or to desist from the practice. If such persons listen not to the admonition of the Apostle: ‘* He that stole, let him now steal no more,’’? let them recollect the awful punishment that awaits their obstinacy in crime, nothing less than an eter- nity of torments.—Some excuse themselves by saying that it was impossible to resist the seasonable opportunity that pre- sented itself: the proverb is trite; ‘* those, who are not thieves, are made so by opportunity.”” Such persons are to be dis suaded and deterred from such wickedness, by reminding them that it is our duty to resist every evil propensity: were we to yield instant obedience to the impulse of inordinate desire; what measure, what limits to the most criminal and flagitious excesses? Such.an excuse, therefore, is marked by more than ordinary turpitude, or rather is an avowal of unbridled licen- tiousness and unrestrained injustice. ‘To say that you do not commit sin, because you have no opportunity of sinning, is almost to acknowledge, that you are always prepared to sin when opportunity offers.—There are some who say that they steal in order to gratify revenge, having themselves suffered the same injury from others. In answer to such offenders, the pastor will urge the unlawfulness of returning injury for injury ; that no person can be a judge in his own cause; and that still less can it be lawful to punish ene man for the crimes of an- other.

Finally, some find a sufficient justification of theft in their own embarrassments, alleging that they are overwhelmed with

! Ecel. v. 17 2 Eph. iv 28.

On the Eighth Commandment.

debt, which they cannot pay off otherwise than by theft. Such persons should be given to understand, that no debt presses more heavily than that from which, each day of our lives, we pray to be released in these words of the Lord’s Prayer: ** For- give us our debts ;’"' and to swell the debt which we owe to God, in order to liquidate that which is due to man, is the ex- treme of infatuation. It is much better to be consigned to an earthly prison than to be cast into the prison of hell: it is far a greater evil to be condemned by the judgment of God, than by that of man; nor should it be forgotten, that, under such trying circumstances, it becomes our duty to have recourse to the assistance and mercy of God, that, in his goodness, he may relieve us from all our difficulties.

Other excuses are also preferred, which the judicious and zealous pastor will not find it difficult to meet; that thus he may one day be blessed with a people, ‘followers of good works ”’?

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

“THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGH- 23 BOUOR.

THE great utility, nay the absolute necessity, of bestowing serious attention on the exposition of this commandment, and of impressing upon the minds of the faithful the obligation which it enforces, we learn from these words of St. James: “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man ;” and again, ** The tongue is indeed a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how small a fire what a great wood it kindleth, &c.”4 From these words of St. James we learn two salutary truths: the one, that the vice of the tongue is of great extent, a truth which derives additional confirmation from these words of the prophet, ‘* Every man is a liar ;”> whence this moral disease would seem to be almost the only one which extends to all mankind: the other, that the tongue is the source of innumerable evils. ‘Through its wicked instrumentality are often lost the property, the character, the life, the salvation of the injured person, or of him who inflicts the injury; of the injured person, whose feelings, impatient of control, impotently avenge the contumely flung upon them; of the person who in- flicts the injury, because, deterred by a perverse shame and a false idea of what is called honour, he cannot be induced to

| Matt. v:. 12 2 Tit. ii. 14. 2 Exod. xx. 16. 4 James iii 2 5 5 Ps. exv 11.

2h

301

Importance of this pre- cept; its salutary tendency & motive of gratitude to God

302

Note.

This pre- eept man- datory and prohibi- tory.

What it prohibits

Who is our ‘neigh-

to give false testi- mony against jur- selves.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

satisfy the wounded feelings of him whom he has offended Hence, the faithful are to be exhorted to pour out their souls in thanksgiving to God, for a commandment of such salutary tendency, a commandment which not only forbids us to injure others. but also, on the same principle of obedience to its dic- tate, forbids others to injure us.

In its exposition we shall proceed as we have dene with regard to the others, pointing out in it two laws, the one pro- hibiting to bear false witness; the other commanding us, having laid aside all dissimulation and deceit, to measure our words and actions by the standard of truth ; a duty of which the Apos- tle admonishes the Ephesians in these words: ‘* Doing the truth in charity, let us grow up in all things in him.”

With regard to the prohibitory part of this commandment, although by false testimony is understood whatever is positively but falsely affirmed of any one, be it for or against him, be it in a public court or be it not; yet the commandment specially prohibits that species of false testimony, which is given on oath in a court of justice; because, the words of a person who thus solemnly takes God to witness, pledging his holy name for his veracity, have very great weight, and possess the strongest claim to credit. Such testimony, therefore, because dangerous, is specially prohibited. When no legal exceptions can be taken against a sworn witness, and when he cannot be convicted of palpable dishonesty and wickedness, even the judge himself cannot reject his testimony, especially as it is commanded by divine authority, that ‘‘in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand.’”?

In order that the faithful may have a clear comprehension of this commandment, the pastor will explain who is ow ‘‘neighbour,”’ against whom it is unlawful to bear false wit- ness. According to the interpretation of Christ the Lord, our neighbour is he who wants our assistance, whether bound to us by ties of kindred or not, whether a fellow-citizen or a stranger, a friend or an enemy.? ‘To suppose it lawful to give false evidence against an enemy, whom by the command of God and of our Lord we are bound to love, were an error of the worst description. Moreover, as in the order of charity every man is bound to love himself, and is thus, in some sense, his own neighbour, it is unlawful for any one to bear false wit- ness against himself; he who does so is guilty of a suicidal act, and, like the suicide, brands himself with infamy and dis- grace, and inflicts a deep wound on himself and on the church of which he is a member. ‘This is the doctrine of St. Augus- tine: ‘*To those,” says he, ‘*who understand the precept properly, it cannot appear lawful to give false testimony against one’s-self, because the words ‘against thy neighbour’ are sub- joined in the commandment: the standard of loving our neigh- dour is the love which we cherish towards ourselves; and,

Eph. iv. 15 2 Deut. xix. 15. Matt. xviii. 16. Luke x. 36, et seq

On the Eighth Commandment.

therefore, as it is prohibited to bear false witness against our neighbour, it must also be prohibited to bear false witness against ourselves.””?

But if we are forbidden to injure, let it not be inferred that we are therefore at liberty to serve our neighbour, by false tes- timony, however dear the relation in which he may stand to- wards us. We cannot compromise truth to consult for the feel- ings or the interests of any man. Hence, St. sAugustine to Crescentius teaches from the words of the Apostle, that a lie, although uttered in unmerited commendation of any one, is to be numbered amongst false testimonies. ‘Treating of that pas- sage of the Apostle: ‘* Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have given testimony against God, that he hath raised up Christ whom he hath not raised, if the dead rise not again,’’? he says: ‘* The Apostle calls it false testimony to utter a lie with regard to Christ, although it seems to redound to his praise.’’> It also not unfrequently happens, that by favouring one party we injure the other: false testimony is certainly the occasion of misleading the judge, who, yielding to such evidence, is sometimes obliged to decide against jus- tice, to the injury ef the innocent. ‘The successful party, who has gained his suit by means of perjured witnesses, emboldened by impunity, and exulting in his iniquitous victory, is soon familiarized to the work cf corruption and to the practice of subornation; and ultimately becomes so depraved, as to enter- tain a hope of attaining his ends, however iniquitous they may be, through the same wicked instrumentality. ‘To the witness himself it must be a source of the most painful uneasiness, to be conscious that his falsehood and perjury are known to him by whom he has been purchased, and who has turned them to his own account; yet, encouraged by success, he becomes every day more practised; his mind is familiarized to its own auda- cious impiety ; and his conscience is callous to all feelings of remorse. ‘This precept, then, prohibits deceit and perjury on the part of witnesses; and the same prohibition extends also to plaintiffs, defendants and advocates, to relations and friends, to solicitors ; in a word, to all who have any concern in suits at law.

Finally, God prohibits all testimony which may inflict injury or injustice, be it matter of legal evidence or not. In Leviti- cus, where the commandments are repeated, we read: ‘** Thou shalt not steal ; thou shalt not lie; neither shall any man de- ceive his neighbour.’** ‘To none, therefore, can it be matter of doubt, that this commandment condemns lies of every sort, as these words of David explicitly declare: **’ Thou wil’ destroy all that speak a lie.’’>

This commandment forbids not only false testimony, but, also, the detestable propensity and practice of detraction; a moral

' Lib. 2. de civit. Dei. c. 20. 2 1 Cor. xv. 15. 3 Ad Crescentium. cap. 12—14. 4 Lev xix. 11, 5 Ps v.7

304

Forbiddex to give false testi- mony in order to serve any one.

IIL

All false tesumomes lies, &e strictly prohibited.

Tt also ;ro hibits de- traction.

304

{]] xstration.

Various sorts of detrac- tion, and calumny.

I. & II.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

pestilence, which is the poisoned source of innumerable and calamitous evils. This vicious habit of secretly reviling and calumniating character is reprobated in almost every page of the Sacred Scriptures: ‘* With him,’’ says David, “I would not eat;’' and St. James: ‘* Detract notone another, my brethren.’”* The inspired Volume abounds not only with precepts on the subject, but, also, with examples which declare the enormity of the vice of detraction. Haman, by a crime of his own in- vention, had incensed Assuerus against the Jews ; and the con- sequence of the calumny was a royal mandate for the destruc- tion of an unoffending people.? Innumerable examples, which illustrate the same wicl «d tendency of the sins of calumny and detraction, are to be fi ud in the pages of sacred history ; and these the pastor will . «luce, to deter his people from a crime of such magnitude.

But, to see in its full light the deformity of this sin, we must know, that reputation is injured not only by calumniating the character, but, also, by exaggerating the faults, of others. He who gives publicity to the secret sin of any man, at a time, ina place, or before persons, in which or before whom, the mis- chievous communication is unnecessary, incurs the just impn- tation of a detractor and a slanderer.

But, of all sorts of calumnies the worst is that which is le- velled against the Catholic doctrine and its teachers: persons who extol the propagators of error and of unsound doctrine are involved in similar criminality ; nor are those to be dissociated from their number, or their guilt, who, instead of reproving, lend a willing ear, and a cheerful assent, to the calumniator, As we read in St. Jerome,* and St. Bernard,® ‘* Whether the detractor or the listener be the more criminal, it is not so easy to decide; if there were no listeners, there would be no de- tractors.”

‘To the same class of detractors belong those who continue to foment division, and excite dissension, and who feel a malig- nant pleasure in sowing discord; dissevering, by fiction and falsehood, the closest friendships ; loosing the dearest social ties, and impelling to endless hatred and hostility the fondest friends. Or such pestilent characters the Lord expresses his detestation in these words : ‘* Thou shalt not be a detractor nor a whisperer among the people.’’® Of this description were many of the advisers of Saul, who strove to alienate his affection from, and to exasperate his enmity against, David.7

Finally, amongst the transgressors of this commandment are to be numbered those wheedlers and sycophants, who insinuate their blandishments and hollow praises into the ears, and gain upon the hearts of those, after whose interest, money, and ho- nours they hanker; as the prophetsays, ‘‘ calling good evil, and

1 Ps. c. 5. 2 James iv. 11. 3 Esth. 13. 4 St. Hieron. ep. ad Nepotianum circa finem.

5 Bernard. lib. 2 de consider. ad Eugen. in fine.

& Lev. xix. 16. 71 Kings xxiv. and xxvi.

On the Eighth Commandment.

evil good.”"* Sueh characters David admonishes us to repel and banish from our society: ‘*'The just man,’’ says he, * shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me ; but let not the oii of the sinner fatten my head.’’* ‘This class of persons may not, it is true, speak ill of their neighbour; but they inflict on him the deepest wounds, causing hina, by praising his vices, to con- tinue enslaved to them.to the end of his life. Of this species ot flattery the most pernicious is that which proposes to itself for object the injury and the ruin of others. Saul, when, to procure the death of David, he sought to expose him to the ruthless sword of the Philistine, addressed him in these sooth- ing words : ‘* Behold my eldest daughter Merob, her will I give thee to wife: only be a valiant man, and fight the battles of the Lord ;’"* and the Jews thus insidiously addressed our Lord : ‘** Master, we know that thou art a true speaker, and teachest the way of God in truth.’’*

Still more pernicious is the language addressed sometimes by friends and relations to persons labouring under a mortal disease, and on the point of death; flattering them that there is no dan- ger of dying, telling them to be of good spirits, dissuading them from the confession of their sins, as though the very thought should fill them with melancholy, and, finally, withdrawing their attention from all concern about, and meditation upon, the dangers which beset them in their last perilous hour. In a word, lies of every sort are prohibited, but a lie uttered against or re- garding religion, is one of extreme impiety.

God is also grievously offended by those opprobrious invec- tives which are termed lampoons and libels, and such contu- melious slanders.®

To deceive by a jocose or officious lie, although neither useful nor injurious to any one, is, notwithstanding, altogether un- worthy of a Christian; and of this the Apostle admonishes us when he says, * Putting away lying, speak ye the truth.’ This vile practice begets a strong tendency to frequent and se- rious lying, and from jocose, men contract a habit of uttering deliberate lies, lose all character for truth, and ultimately find it necessary, in order to gain belief, to recur to continual swearing.

Finally, the first part of this commandment prohibits dissimu- iation. It is sinful not only to speak but to act deceitfully. Actions as well as words are signs of our ideas and sentiments ; and henee our Lord, rebuking the Pharisees, frequently calls them ** hypocrites.”,—So far with regard to the negative, which is the first part of this commandment.?

We now come to explain the meaning of the second part— Its nature and the obligations which it imposes demand, that trials be conducted on principles of strict justice and according

t tsa. v. 20. 2 Ps. clx. 5. 3] Kings xvii. 17. 4 Matt. xxii. 16. 5 De libellis famosis vid. Bullam Pii V. 147. datam anno 1572. et Bullam Grego- ni mee 4. datam eodem anno. Eph. iv. 25.—Vid. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 110. art. 3. et 4, id. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 21]. per totam. 26* 20

a05

Note

Note.

Note

VIIL.

Jocose ana officious lies prohi- bited.

Evil ef

such lies

All dissi- mulation prohibited

Mandatory part of the precept: trials, on

306

what prili- ciples to be eonducted.

The obliga- tion im- posed on yudges.,

On the accused when con- ‘scious of their own guilt

On wit- nesses bound to tell the whole euth.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

io law, and that men do not prejudge the cause, or usurp the right of pronouncing on its merits; for, as the Apostle says, ‘‘it were unjust to judge another man’s servant.’ Such an assumption may lead men to decide without a sufficient knowe ledge of the case ; and of this we have an example in the con- duct of the priests and scribes, who passed judgment on St. Ste- phen.? ‘The magistrates of Philippi furnish another example of the same criminal conduct: ‘*'They have beaten us publicly,” says St. Paul, * uncondemned, men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privately.’

This commandment also requires, that the innocent be not condemned, nor the guilty acquitted; and that he who is in- vested with judicial authority suffer not his judgment to be warped by interest, or biassed by hatred or partiality. ‘This is the admonition addressed by Moses to the elders, whom he had constituted judges of the people: ‘‘ judge that which is just ; whether he be one of your country or a stranger. ‘There shall be no difference of persons, you shall hear the little as well as the great; neither shall you respect any man’s person, be- eause it is the judgment of God.’’4

With regard to an accused person, who is conscious of his own guilt, when interrogated according to the forms of judicial process, God commands him to confess the truth.° By that confession he, in some sort, bears witness to, and proclaims the praise and glory of God; and of this we have a proof in these words of Joshua, when exhorting Achan to confess the truth. «‘ My son,”’ says he, ** give glory to the Lord the God of Israel.’"*

But, as this commandment chiefly regards witnesses, the pas- tor will also give to it, in this point of view, a due share of attention. ‘he spirit of the precept goes not only to prohibit false, but also to enforce the obligation of giving true evidence. In human affairs, to bear testimony to the truth is a matter of the highest importance, because there are innumerable things of which we must be ignorant, unless we arrive at a knowledge of them on the faith of witnesses. In matters with which we are not personally acquainted, and which, however, we have occasion to know, what so important as true evidence ?—on this subject we have the recorded sentiments of St. Augustine: ‘* He who conceals the truth, and he who utters falsehood, are both guilty; the one, because he is unwilling to render a service; the other, because he has the will to render a disservice.”? We are not, however, at all times, and under al) circumstances, obliged to disclose the truth ; but when, in a court of justice, a witness is legally interrogated, he is bound to tell ** the whole ~

! Rom. xiv. 4 2 Acts vii. 59. 3 Acts xvi. 57.—Vid. in 6 lib. c. tit. 7. de privilegiis c. 1. et ibidem lib. 2. tit. 2. de foro competenti. 4 Deut. i. 16.

, As these forms and their import differ in different countries, this decision is conditional, and does not apply to the practice of our courts of justice —T. 6 Josh. vii. 19.—Vid. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 96. per totas quatuor articulos,

Heec sententia citabatur olim a Gratiano ex Aug. sed apud Aug. non est m venta: similiter legitur apud Isid. lib. 3. c. 59.

On the Eighth Commandment.

truth.””. Here however, witnesses should be most circumspect, Note lest, trusting too much to memory, they affirm for certain what they have not fully ascertained.

Solicitors and counsel, plaintiffs and defendants, remain still On solic to be treated of. ‘The former will not refuse to contribute their ™ and services and legal assistance, when the necessities of others call — for their interposition. In such circumstances, humanity will prompt them to plead the cause of suffering innocence, and a love of justice will prevent them from engaging in the defence of an unjust cause. They will not protract by cavils, or en- courage through avarice suits at law; and as to remuneration, in that they will be regulated by the principles of justice and of equity.’ Plaintiffs and accusers are to be admonished, to avoid On plain- creating danger to any one by unjust charges, yielding to the aes influence of love, or hatred, or any other undue motive. Finally, ra to all conscientious persons is addressed the divine command, in all their intercourse with society, in every conversation, to speak the truth at all times from the sincerity of their hearts ; to utter nothing injurious to the character of another, not even of those by whom they know they have been injured and persecuted; always recollecting, that so near is the relation that subsists between them, so close the social link that unites them, that they are all members of the same body.

In order that the faithful may be more disposed to avoid the Wretched degrading vice of lying, the pastor will place before them the paced extreme wretchedness and turpitude of the liar. In the Sacred af lying. Scriptures the devil is called ‘the father of lies ;”’ ** Because he I stood not in the truth, he is a liar and the father thereof ;’’? and, to nl banish from amongst the faithful so great an enormity, the pastor will subjoin the mischievous consequences of which this vice is the impure source. ‘These consequences are without number ; and the pastor, therefore, must be content with pointing out their principal heads. In the first place, he will inform them how = q grievously lies offend God, how deeply a liar is hated by God:

‘Six things there are,” says Solomon, ‘‘ which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth; haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to ruy into mischief, a deceitful witness that uttereth lies, &c.”* ‘The man, therefore, whois gy thus the object of God’s sovereign wrath, who will shelter from the awful punishments which hang over his devoted head? Again, what more wicked, what more base than, as St. James V says, ‘“‘with the same tongue, by which we bless God and the Father, to curse men, who are made after the likeness of God, so that out of the same fountain flows sweet and bitter water.’’* The tongue, which was before employed in giving praise and VI glory to God, by lying treats the Author of truth, as far as on it tepends, with ignominy and dishonour; and hence, liars are

! Vid. 14. q. 5. c.non sane D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 71. art. 5. 2 John viii. 44. 3 Prov. vi. 16. &c. 4 James iii 9. 11.

808

vu

Note

Evil conse- quences of.

Loquacity to be avoid- ed.

Excuses pleaded by

ars.

Note.

Il

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

excluded from a participation in the bliss of heaven. ‘To Davie asking, ‘* Lord! who shall dwell in thy tabernacle ?”’ the Holy Spirit answers, ‘* He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue.’ Lying is also attended with this very great evil; it is an almost incurable disease. The guilt of the calumniator cannot be pardoned, unless satisfaction be made to the calumniated person, a difficult duty to those who, as we have already observed, are deterred from its performance by false shame, and a foolish idea of dignity; and hence, he who perseveres in this crime, perseveres in a course which must ulti- mately lead to everlasting perdition. Let no one indulge the delusive hope of obtaining the pardon of his calumnies or detractions, until he has repaired the injury which they have inflicted, be it offered in a court of justice, or in private and familiar conversation.

But the evil consequences of lying are not confined to indi- viduals: they extend to society at large. By duplicity and lying good faith and truth, which form the closest links of human society, are dissolved ; confusion ensues ; and men seem to differ in nothing from demons.

The pastor will also teach, that loquacity is to be avoided. By avoiding loquacity the other evils of the tongue will be ob- viated, and a preventive opposed to lying, from which loqua- cious persons can scarcely abstain.

Finally, there are those who would seek to justify their duplicity, and defend their violations of truth, on a principle of prudence, alleging that they lie in season. To this erroneous pretext the pastor will apply the divine truth; ‘* The wisdom of the flesh is death ;’** he will exhort his people in all their difficulties and dangers to trust in God, not in the artifice of lying; and will tell them that, in dangers and difficulties, to have recourse to subterfuge is to declare, that they trust more to their own prudeuce than to the providence of God. ‘Those who charge others with being the cause of their speaking false- hood, by having first deceived them, are to be taught the unlaw- fulness of avenging their own wrongs; that evil is not to be rendered for evil, but rather that evil is to be overcome by good.? Were it even lawful, it would not be our interest, to make such a return: the man who seeks revenge by uttering falsehood inflicts very serious injury on himself. ‘Those who plead human frailty are to be taught, that it is a duty of religion to im- plore the Divine assistance, and not to yield to human infirmity. ‘Those who, in excuse of their guilt, allege habit, are to be admonished to endeavour to acquire the contrary habit of speaking the truth; particularly as evil habit, far from extenu- ating, is an aggravation of guilt. ‘There are some who adduce in their own Justification the example of others, who, they con- tend, constantly indulge in falsehood and perjury: such persons are to be reminded that bad men are no to be imitated, but

Ps sxivenlose 2 Rom. viii. 6. 3 Rom. xii. 17 2)

On the Ninth md Tenth Commandments.

seproved and corrected ; and that, when we ourselves are ad- dicted to the same vice, our admonitions have less influence in reprehending and correcting it in others. With regard to those who defend their conduct by saying, that to speak the truth is often attended with inconvenience ; these the pastor will meet by urging that such an excuse is an accusation, not a defence ; whereas it is the duty of a Christian to suffer any in- convenience rather than utter a falsehood. ]

There are two other classes of persons who seek to justify a departure from truth; the one who say that they tell lies for joke sake; the other who plead motives of interest, because, forsooth without having recourse to lies, they can neither buy nor sell to advantage. Both the pastor will endeavour to reform ; the first, by urging the inveteracy of the vicious habit which the practice of lying begets, and by strongly impressing a truth revealed by Jesus Christ, that *‘ for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account in the day of judgment:’ the second class, whose excuse involves their own accusation, he will reprove with greater severity, professing as they do, to yield no credit or authority to these words of our Lord : ‘* Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be given you besides.’’*

THE NINTH AND TENTH COMMANDMENTS

*THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOUR’S HOUSE ; NEITHER SHALT THOU DESIRE HiS WIFE, NOR HIS SERVANT, NOR HIS HAND-MAID, NOR HIS OX, NOR HIS ASS, NOR ANY THING THAT IS

393 HIS.

Ir is to be observed, in the first place, that these two precepts, which were delivered last in order, furnish a general principle for the observance of all the rest. What is commanded in these two amounts to this, that to observe the preceding precepts of the law, we must be particularly careful not to covet; because he who covets not, content with what he has, will not desire what belongs to others, but will rejoice in their prosperity ; will give glory to the immortal God; will render to him boundless thanks ; will observe the Sabbath, that is, will enjoy perpetual repose; will respect his superiors; and will in fine, injure no man in word or deed or otherwise ; for the root of all evil is con- eupiscence, which hurries its devoted victims into every species of tnormity.* ‘These considerations, if well weighed, must serve to

' Matt. xii. 36. 2 Matt. vi. 33. 3 Exod. xx. 17. 4 Vid. Aug. lib. 1 Retract. c. 15. et epist. 200. et lib, 9. de civitate Dei, c. 4 et 5

sui

EE

Meanrng of these com mand- ments; their eff cacy in 86 curing the observanos of the others.

a1)

These two col, mand- ments why united ; diffrence between thein.

Necessity of their proniulga- ton

1

Why added to the other gommand- nonts.

IE

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

induce the pastor to explain what follows with increased diligenee and the people to hear his exposition with increesed attention.

But, although we have united these two commandments be: cause, their object the same, the manner of treating them should be the same; yet the pastor, when exhorting and admonishing the faithful, will treat them conjointly or separately, as he may deem most convenient. If, however, he has undertaken the ex- position of the Decalogue, he will point out in what these two commandments are dissimilar; how one concupiscence differs from another, a difference noticed by St. Augustine, in his book of questions on Exodus.t The one looks only to utility and in- terest, the other to unlawful desire and criminal pleasure; he, for instance, who covets a field or house, pursues profit rather than pleasure, whilst he, who covets another man’s wife, yields to a desire of pleasure, not of profit.

Of these two commandments the promulgation was necessary for two reasons; the first is to explain the sixth and seventh, for, although reason alone is competent to inform us, that to pro- hibit adultery is also to prohibit the desire of another man’s wife, because, were the desire lawful, its indulgence must be so too; yet blinded by sin, many of the Jews could not be induced to believe that such desires were prohibited by God. Nay, even after the promulgation, and with a knowledge of this law, many, who professed ihemselves its interpreters, continued in the same error, as we learn from these words of our Lord recorded in St. Matthew: “* You have heard that it was said to them of old; ‘thou shalt not commit adultery ;’ but I say to you, that who- soever shall see a woman to lust after her, hath already com- mitted adultery with her in his heart.’’? ‘The second reason for the promulgation of these two commandments is, that they dis- tinetly, and in express terms, prohibit some things of which the six and seventh commandments contain but an implied pro- hibition. ‘The seventh commandment, for instance, forbids an unjust desire or endeavour to take what belongs to another ; but ihis prohibits even to covet it, on any account; although we may, without a violation of law or justice, obtain possession of that from which we know a loss must accrue to our neighbour.

But, before we come to the exposition of the commandment, the faithful are first to be informed, that by this law we are taught not only to restrain our inordinate desires, but also to know the bound- less love of God towards us. By the preceding commandments, God had, as it were, fenced us round with safeguards, securing us and ours against injury of every sort; but by the annexation of these commandments, he had for object principally, to provide against the injuries which we might inflict on ourselves by the indulgence of inordinate desires ; and which should follow as a natural consequence, were we at liberty to covet all things indis criminately. By this law, then, which forbids to covet, God has

' Quest. 77. in Exod. Vid. item D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 122. a. 7. ad 3. et 4 2 Matt v 28.

On the Nintn and Tenth Commandments.

ppposed a resistance to the keenness of desire, which excites to every evil, but which, blunted in some degree by virtue of this law, is felt less acutely ; that thus freed from the annoying im- portunity of the passions, we may devote more time to the per- formance of the numerous and important duties of piety and religion which we owe to God.

Nor is this the only lesson of instruction which we derive from tais commandment: it also teaches us that this divine law is to be observed not only by the external performance of. the duties which it enforces, but also by the internal coneurrence of the mind: so that between divine and human laws there is this difference, that human laws are fulfilled by an external compliance alone, whereas the laws of God (God sees the heart) require purity of heart, sincere and undefiled integrity of soul. The law of God, therefore, is a sort of mirror, in which we be- held the corruption of our own nature; and hence these words of the Apostle: «I had not known concupiscence, if the law did noi say: ‘thou shalt not covet.’ Concupiscence, which is the fuel cf sin, and which originated in sin, is always inherent in our fallen nature: from it we know that we are born in sin; and, therefore, do we humbly fly for assistance to him, who alone can efface the stains of sin.

In common with the other commandments these also are partly mandatory, partly prohibitory. With regard to the pro- hibitory part, the pastor will make known to the faithful what sort of concupiscence is prohibited by this law, lest some may cousider that which is not sinful to be sinful, such as the con- cupiscence mentioned by the Apostle, when he says: ‘* The flesh lusteth against the spirit ;’’* and that which was the object of David’s most earnest desires: ‘* My soul hath coveted to long for thy justifications at all times.”** Concupiscence, then, is a certain commotion and impulse of the mind, urging to the desire of pleasures which it does not actually enjoy; and as the other propensities of the soul are not always sinful, neither is the impulse of concupiscence. It is not, for instance, sinful to desire meat and drink, when cold to wish for warmth, when warm to wish to become cool. ‘This species of concupiscence _was originally implanted in the human breast by the Author of Nature; but, in consequence of primeval prevarication, it passed the limits prescribed by Nature, and became so depraved, that it frequently excites to the desire of those things, which conflict with the spirit, and are repugnant to reason. How- ever, if well regulated, and kept within proper bounds, it is still the source of many blessings to the world.

In the first place, it prompts us by fervent prayer to suppli- vate God, and humbly to beg of him those things, which are the objects of our most earnest desires. Prayer is the inter- preter of our wishes ; and did not this well regulated concupis- eeuce exist within us, Christians would not so often address the

* Rom. vu. 7. 2Gal.v 17 Ps. exviii 20

Thesecom mand- ments rt ly prohibi tory, partly mandatory Concupis- cence, lWo fold.

I

Advan- tages of the first sort of concupis- cence.

al.

What sort ef concu-

peg ae is ere prohi- bited.

Why pro- eiite.

I.

Il.

This con- eupiscence asin; when com- mitted.

The Ca. «sm of the Council of Trent.

giver of all good gifts in prayer. It also imparts in our esumation a higher value to the gifts of God: the pleasure derived from the realization of our wishes, and the value which we set on the objects which they pursue, are proportioned to their intensity ; and the gratification which we thus receive from the desired object serves also to increase our devotion and gratitude to God. If then, it is, at any time, lawful to covet, it will be readily conceded, that every species of concupiscence is not forbidden. St. Paul, it is true, says that ‘* concupiscence is sin;’’? but his words are to be understood in the same sense as those of Moses, whom he cites ;? a sense conveyed by the Apostle himself, when, in his Epistle to the Galatians, he calls it ** the coneu- piscence of the flesh:” ‘* Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.”’? ‘That natural, well regulated concupiscence, therefore, which passes not its proper limits, is not prohibited ; still less is that spiritual desire of the virtuous mind, which prompts to those things that war against the flesh, and to which the Sacred Scriptures exhort us: ‘* Covet ye my words :’’+ ** Come over to me all ye that desire me.”’> It is not, then, the mere motion of concupiscence, directed equally, as it may be, to a good or a bad object, that is prohibited by these commandments : it is the indulgence of criminal desire ; which is called ‘‘ the concupiscence of the flesn,’’ and ‘‘ the fuel of sin,’ and which, when it sways the assent of the mind, is always sinful. ‘That which the Apostle calls ‘* the concupis- cence of the flesh’ is alone prohibited; that is to say, those motions of corrupt desire which are contrary to the dictates of reason, and outstep the limits prescribed by God.

This concupiscence is condemned, either because it desires what is evil, such as adultery, drunkenness, murder, and such heinous crimes, of which the Apostle says: ‘* Let us not covet evil things, as they also coveted ;’® or because, although the objects may not be bad in themselves, yet circumstances concur to render the desire of them criminal, when, for instance, they are prohibited by God or his Church. We are not warranted in desiring that which itis unlawful to possess; and hence, in the Old Law, it was criminal to desire the gold and silver from which idols were wrought, and which the Lord forbad * any one to covet.’’? Another reason why this sort of concupiscence is condemned is, that it has for its object that which belongs to another, such as a house, servant, field, wife, ox, ass, and many other things; all of which, as they belong to another, the law of God forbids us to covet. ‘The desire alone of such things, when consented to, is criminal, and is numbered among the most grievous sins. When the mind, yielding to the impulse of evil desires, is pleased with, or does not resist, evil, sin is necessarily committed, as St. James, pointing out the beginning and progress of sin, teaches, when he says: ‘* Every man is

1 Rom. vii. 20. 2 Exodus xx. 17 3 Gal. v. 16. 4 Wisdom vi. 12 6 Eccl. xxiv. 26. 61 Cor. x. 6. 7 Deut. vii. 25, 26.

eee

On the Ninth and Tenth Conunandments.

tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away anu allured: then, when concupiscence hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; but sin, when it is completed, begetteth death.’! When, therefore, the law says: ‘hou shalt not covet,’’ it means that we are to restrain our desires from those things which belong to others: a thirst for what belongs to others is intense and insatiable: it is written: ‘* A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money ;”** and of him Isaias says; ‘* Wo to you that join house to house, and lay field to field.’’*

But a distinct explanation of each of the words, in which this commandment is expressed, will place the deformity and grie- vousness of this sin in a clearer light. ‘The pastor, therefore, will teach that by the word ‘* house” is to be understood not only the habitation in which we dwell, but, as we know from the usage of the inspired writers, the entire property of its owner. Thus to signify that God had enlarged their means and amelio- rated their condition, he is said in Exodus to have built houses for the midwives. Frem this interpretation, therefore, we perceive, that we are forbidden to indulge an eager desire of riches, or to envy others their wealth, or power, or rank, content with our own condition, be it humble or elevated. ‘T’o desire the glory won by others is also prohibited, and is included in the word ‘ house.”

Next follow the words, ‘nor his ex nor his ass,”’ from which we learn that it is unlawful to desire not only things of greater value, such as a house, rank, glory, because they belong to others ; but, also. things of little value, whatever they may be, animate or inanimate. ‘I'he words, ‘‘ nor his servant,’’ come next, and include slaves as well as other servants, whom it is not less unlawful to covet than the other property of our neigh- bour. With regard to freemen, who, induced by wages, aflec- tion or respect, serve voluntarily, it is unlawful, by words, or hopes, or promises, or rewards, to bribe or solicit them, under any pretext whatever, to leave those to whose service they have freely bound themselves; and if, before the period of their engagement has expired, they leave their masters or employers, they are to be admonished, on the authority of this command- ment, to return by all means, until they shall have completed their full time of service. ‘The word ‘* neighbour” is men- tioned in this commandment, to mark the wickedness of those, who covet neighbouring tenements, lands, houses and the like, which lie in their immediate vicinity; for neighbourhood, which consists in friendship, is transformed by covetousness from love into hatred. But this commandment is by no means transgressed by those, who desire to purchase or have actually purchased, at a fair price, from a neighbour, the merchandize which he has for sale: instead of doing him an injury, they, on

1 James i. 14. Vid. D. Thom. 1.2. q. 4. art. 78.8. item August. lib. 12. de Trimit c. 32. item de serm. Dom. in monte c. 23. Greg. hom. 19. in Evang. et lib. 4. Morat.e 27. et in respons. 1]. ad interrog. Aug. Hieron. in Amos. c.1.

2 Eccl. v.9 3 Isa. v: 8. 4 Exod.i 21

27 2R

313

Exposition of the words of the com- mand- ments ;

“ house,” what it signifies

“Nor his servant.”

“Thy neigh- bour.”

314

To covet our neigh- bour’s wife. meaning of, grievous- ness of,

Note.

The same principle applies to females who are betrothed, and to those who are conse- crated to religion.

A parti- cnlar case.

Remedies against covetons ness.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

the contrary, render him a considerable service, because to hiw the money is much more convenient and useful than the mer- chandize of which he disposes.

The commandment, which forbids us to covet the goods ot our neighbour, is accompanied with another, which forbids to covet our neighbour’s wife; and which prohibits not only that criminal concupiscence, which tempts the adulterer to desire the wife of another, but, also, the wish to be united to her in marriage. When, of old, a bill of divorce was permitted, it might easily happen, that she, who was repudiated by one husband, might be married to another; but this our Lord forbad, lest husbands might be induced to abandon their wives, or wives conduct them- selves with such peevish moroseness towards their husbands, as to impose on them a sort of necessity of repudiating them. But, in the Gospel-dispensation, this sin acquires a deeper shade of guilt, because, the wife, although separated from her husband, cannot marry another during his lifetime. ‘To him, therefore, who wishes to be unitéd in marriage to another man’s wife, the transition from one criminal desire to another is easy ; he will de- sire either the death of the husband or the commission of adultery.

The same principle holds good with regard to females whe have been betrothed to another: to covet them in marriage is also unlawful; aud whoever strives to dissolve the contract, by which they are affianced, violates the most sacred engagements of plighted faith. And if to covet the wedded wife of another is highly criminal, it is no less so to desire in marriage the vir- gin who is consecrated to religion and to the service of God. But should any one desire in marriage a woman who is already married, supposing her to be unmarried, and not disposed, had he known that she was already married, to indulge such a

desire, he does not violate this commandment. Pharaoh? and

Abimelech,? as the Scripture informs us, were betrayed into this error; they wished to take Sarah to wife, supposing her to be unmarried, and the sister, not the wife of Abraham.

In order to make known the remedies calculated to neutralize the evil consequences of the vice of covetousness, the pastor will explain the positive part of the commandment. God then commands, that ‘if riches abound, we set not our hearts upon them :’* that we be prepared to sacrifice them to a love of piety and religion: that we contribute cheerfully towards the relief of the poor; and that, if we ourselves are consigned to poverty, we bear it with patience and with a holy joy. And, indeed, liberality to the poor is a most effectual means of extinguishing in our own hearts the desire of what belongs to another. But, on the praises of poverty and the contempt of riches, the pastor will find little difficulty in collecting abundant matter, for the instruction of the faithful, from the Saered Scriptures and the works of the Fathers.*

1 Gen. xii. 2 Gen, xx. 3 Ps. Ix. 11.

Vid. Hier. ep. 1. ad Heliod. et 8. ad Demetriadem, et 150. ad Hedebiam quest 1 et 16.ad Pammach. item Basil. in regul. fusius disputatis, interrog. 9. Chrys. ip

On the Ninth and Tenth Commandments.

To desire, with all the ardour and all the earnestness of our souls, the consummation, not of our own wishes, but of the holy will of God, as it is expressed in the Lord’s Prayer, is a further duty inculeated by this law. It is his will that we be made en.nent in holiness; that we preserve our souls pure and undefiled; that we practise those spiritual duties which are opposed to sensuality ; and that, having subdued our unruly appetites, and repressed the inordinacy of those senses which supply matter to the passions, we enter, under the guidance of reason and of the spirit, upon a virtuous course of life.

But, to extinguish the fire of passion, it will be found most efficacious to place before our eyes the evils which are insepa- rable from its criminal indulgence. Amongst those evils the first is our subjugation to the tyranny of sin: in him who is obedient to the impulse of passion, sin reigns uncontrolled ; and hence the admonition of the Apostle: ‘‘ Let not sin, there- fore, reign in your mortal body, so as to obey the lusts thereof.’”! By resisting the ascendancy of the passions, we weaken the power and subvert the tyranny of sin; but by its indulgence we expel God from his throne, and introduce sin in his place. Again, concupiscence, as St. James teaches,” is the impure source from which flows every other sin: ‘ All that is in the world,” says St. John, ‘‘is the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life.”* A third evil of sensuality is, that it darkens the understanding: blinded by passion the sinner deems the objects of criminal desire, whatever they may be, lawful and even laudable. Moreover, concupiscence stifles the seed of divine word, sown in our souls by God, the great husbandman: ‘* Some,” says St. Mark, ‘are sown among thorns; these are they who hear the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust after other things, entering in, choke the word, and it is made fruitless.’’*

But they who, more than others, are the slaves of concu- piscence, and whom, therefore, the pastor will exhort with greater earnestness and assiduity, are those who are addicted to improper diversions, or who immoderately abuse such as are in themselves lawful; and also, merchants, who wish for dearth, and, because they cannot sell at too high, and purchase at too low, a price, cannot bear that others, by engaging in business, contravene their oppressive monopoly. ‘They, too, offend in this particular, who, with a view to gain by buying or selling, wish to see their neighbour reduced to want. Sol- diers, also, who thirst for war, in order to enrich themselves with plunder; physicians, who wish for the spread of disease ; lawyers, who are anxious for a number of causes and litiga-

ep. ad Rom. ad hee verba, “ salutate Priscam.” Cassian. lib. de institut. Monach. 13, et 33. et Collat. 24. c. 26. Greg. hom. 18. Ezech. Amb. in c. 6. Luc. Leon. mag. in serm. de omnibus Sanctis. Aug. lib. 17. de civ. Dei, et epist. 98. ad Hilar, ex epist. 109. %

1 Rom. vi. 12. 2 James ui. 14. 3 1 John ii. 16. 4 Mark iv. 18, 19

318

Manda part of ‘i command-

ment

Remedies against concupi®- cence.

L

I,

IV

316

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

tions; and artizans who, greedy of gain, and with a view te increase their own profits, wish for a scarcity of the necessary articles for food and raiment, are all offenders against this com- mandment. ‘They, too, who, envious of the praise and glory won by the achievements of others, strive to tarnish, in some degree, their fame, sin against this commandment; particularly if they themselves are worthless characters, persons of no estimation in society: fame and glory are the meed of virwe and industry, not of indolence and inexertion.

THE

CATECHISM

OF

THE COUNCIL OF TRENT

PART IV. ON PRAYER.

Amongst the duties of the pastoral office, it is one of the highest importance to the spiritual interests of the faithful, to instruct them in Christian prayer; the nature and eflicacy of which must be unknown to many, if not enforced by the pious and faithful exhortations of the pastor. ‘To this, therefore, should the care of the pastor be directed in a special manner, that the faithful may understand how and for what they are to pray.

Whatever is necessary to the performance of the duty of prayer is comprised in that divine form, which Christ our Lord vouchsafed to make known to his Apostles, and, through them and their successors, to all Christians. ‘The sentiments which it expresses, and the words in which they are conceived, should, therefore, be so deeply impressed on the mind and memory, as to enable us to address it to God promptly and at all times. To assist the pastor, however, in teaching the faithful to pray, we have selected and set down from these writers, whose repu- tation for talents and learning on this head commands the highest respect, whatever appeared to us most instructive on the subject, leaving it to the pastor to draw upon the same source for further information, should he deem it necessary.'

In the first place, then, the pastor is to teach the necessity of prayer; a duty not only recommended by way of counsel, but also enforced by positive precept. Our Lord himself has said: ‘* We should pray always ;’’? and this necessity of prayer the Church declares in the prelude, if we may so call it, pretxed to the Lord’s prayer in her liturgy: ‘* Admonished by salutary

' De oratione scripserunt Tertullian. Cyprian. Aug. ep. 111. ad. Probam. Chryeost. hom. 15. Cassian. lib. 9. Coliat. D. Thom. in opuse. et 2. 2. q. 85. per 17 art. 2 Luke xviii. 1.

27* 317

Duty of the pastor.

The Lords

prover to e commit-

ted to me

mory

318

VII

On the utility of prayer

First fruit of prayer.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

precepts, and taught by divine instruction, we presume to say, ‘Our Father, &c.’”? Seeing, therefore, the necessity of prayer to the Christian, and at the solicitation of his disciples, ** Lord teach us to pray,’ the Son of God gave them a prescribed form of prayer, and encouraged them to hope, that the objects of their petitions would be granted. He himself was to them a model of prayer: he not only prayed assiduously, but watched whole nights in prayer.2 The Apostles, also, did not omit to deliver precepts on the subject: on this duty St. Peter,’ and St. John are incessant in their admonitions to the faithful; and St. Paul, not unmindful of its importance, frequently admonishes us of the salutary necessity of prayer.’ Besides, so various are our temporal and spiritual necessities, sc numerous the blessings which we expect to receive, that we must have recourse to prayer as the best organ to communicate our wants, and the surest channel through which to receive whatever succour‘we need. Of God nothing is due to us: it is ours, therefore, to supplicate his goodness. He has constituted prayer as a ne- cessary means for the accomplishment of our desires ; and its necessity becomes still more obvious, when we reflect, that there are blessings which we cannot hope to obtain otherwise than through prayer. Holy prayer, such is its efficacy, is a most powerful means of casting out demons: ‘* this kind of demon is not cast out but by prayer and fasting.’

Those, therefore, who do not practise assiduous prayer, rob themselves of the means of obtaining from God gifts of singular value. ‘To succeed in obtaining the object of your desires, not enough that you ask that which is good; your intreaties must also be assiduous: ‘* Every one that asketh,”’ says St. Jerome, ‘*‘receiveth: if, therefore, it will not be given you, it is because you do not ask it: ‘ ask, therefore, and you shall receive.’ ”’7

But prayer is not only a necessary, but also, a most pleasing and salutary exercise of devotion, from which we reap, an abundant harvest of spiritual fruit. On these fruits of prayer, the pastor will consult spiritual writers, and, when necessary for the instruction of the faithful, will draw copiously upon their labours. We have, however, made a selection from their accumulated treasures, which appeared to us to suit the present purpose.

The first fruit which we receive from prayer is, that by prayer we honour God; prayer is, in some sort, a proof of religion ; and is compared, in Scripture, to incense : ** Let my prayer,”’ says David, ‘* be directed as incense in thy sight.’’8 By prayer we confess our subjection to God, whom we ac- knowledge and proclaim to be the author of all good; in whom alone we centre all our hopes; who alone is our refuge, in all dangers; and whose protecting care is the bulwark of our sal-

! Luke xi. 1. 2 Luke vi. 12. 31 Pet. ui. 7. et iv. 19. 41 John iii. 21, 22 5 Phil. iv. 6. 1 Thess. v.17. i Tim. ii. 1. 6 Matt. xvii. 20.

7 Mate be 8. Luke xi. 10. John xvi. 23,24. Hier. in cap. 7. Matt.

S Ps. cx]. 2.

On Prayer.

vation. Of this fruit of prayer we are admonished, in these words of the Psalmist; ‘* Call upon me in the day of trouble ; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’’!

Another most pleasing and invaluable fruit of prayer, when heard by God, is, that it opens to us heaven; ‘ Prayer is the key of heaven,” says St. Augustine ; ‘‘ prayer ascends, and mercy descends; high as are the heavens, and low as is the earth, God hears the voice of man.’’? Such is the utility, such the efficacy of prayer, that through it we obtain the plenitude of heavenly gifts the guidance and aid of the Holy Spirit, the security and preservation of the faith, escape from punishment, protection under temptation, victory over the Devil; in a word, there is, in prayer, an accumulation of spiritual joy: * Ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.’’s

Nor can we, for a moment, doubt that God is, at all times, ready to hear our petitions ; a truth to which the sacred Scrip- tures bear ample testimony. As, however, the texts which go to establish it are easy of access, we shall content ourselves with citing a few from the Prophet Isaias. ‘* Then,”’ says he, ‘shalt thou call, and the Lord will hear: thou shalt ery, and he will say, ‘ here I am ;’”* and again, ‘It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will hear: as they are yet speaking, I will hear.”’> With regard to instances of persons, who have obtained from God the objects of their prayers, they are almost innumerable, and too much within the reach of all to require special mention.

But our prayers are sometimes unheard? ‘True; and God then consults, in a special manner, for our interests, bestowing on us other gifts, of higher value, and in greater abundance ; or withholding what we ask, because, far from being necessary or useful, its concession would prove not only superfluous, but even injurious. ‘God,’ says St. Augustine, ‘‘ denies some things in his mercy, which he grants in his wrath.”® Some- umes, also, such is the remissness and negligence with which we pray, that we ourselves do not attend to what we say. If prayer is an elevation of the soul to God,’ and if, whilst we pray, the mind, instead of being fixed upon God, is lost in wandering distractions, and the tongue s!urs over the words at random, without attention, without devotion, with what propriety can we give to such empty sounds the name of prayer? We should not, therefore, be at all surprised, if God does not com- ply with our requests ; we who, by our negligence, and by our ignorance of the very object of our petitions, afford practical proof that we are regardless of being heard by him; or who, if we pray with attention, solicit those things, which, if granted, must be prejudicial to our eternal interests. ‘To those who

pray with devout attention, God grants more than they ask. 1 Pg. xlix. 15. 2 Sent. 226. de tem 2 John xvi. 24. 4 Is. viii. 9. 3 Is. Ixy. 24. ® Aug. init. serm. 33, de verb. Domini; item in Joan. tract. 73

7 De orationis definitione vic. Damascen. libr. 3. de fid. orthod. c. 24 Aug. de sermone Domini in monte, c. 7. #2 sezmon. 230. de tempore.

318

Second fruit

God ever ready to hear our petitions.

Why our prayers amt sometimes unheard

To devout prayer God grants

Third fruit of prayer.

Fifth.

Sixth

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

This the Apostle declares, in his epistle to the Ephesians ;! and the same truth is unfolded in the parable of the prodigal son, who would have deemed it a kindness to be admitted into the number of his father’s servants ; but who was received, by a forgiving parent, with more than a parent’s fondness.?_ Nay, when we are properly disposed, God accumulates his favours on us, even when we ask them not; and this, not only with abundance, but also with a readiness, which anticipates our desires. Without waiting for their utterance, God prevents the inward and silent aspirations of the poor, according to.these words of Scripture: ‘* The Lord hath heard the desire of the poor.’

Another fruit of prayer is, that it exercises and augments the Christian virtues, particularly the virtue of faith. As they, who have not faith in God, cannot pray as they ought; ‘* How can they call on him, whom they have not believed ?’’* so, the faithful, in proportion to the fervour of their prayers, possess a stronger anda more assured faith in the protecting providence of God, which requires, principally, that, in all things which we have occasion to supplicate from his bounty, we submit ourselves to his sovereign will. God, it is true, might bestow on us all things abundantly, although we asked them not, nor even thought of them, as he bestows on the irrational creation all things necessary for the support of life: but our most boun- tiful Father wishes to be invoked by his children; he wishes that, praying as we ought each day of our lives, we may pray with increased confidence; by acceding to our petitions, he wishes, every day, to give fresh proofs and manifestations of his parental kindness towards us.

Our charity is also augmented by prayer. Recognizing God as the author of every blessing, and the source of every good, we cling to him with the most devoted love. As those who cherish a sincere and mutual affection, become more ardently attached by frequent interviews and interchanges of sentiment so the more frequent the aspirations which the pious soul breathes to God, and the closer the converse which she enjcys with him, by imploring his bounteous mercy, the more exquisite is the sense of delight which she experiences, and the more ardently is she inflamed to love and adore him. He will, therefore, have us to make use of the exercise of prayer, that, burning with the desire of asking what we are anxious to ob- tain, we may thus make such advances in spiritual life, «as to be worthy to obtain those blessings, which the soul, before dry and contracted, was incapable of receiving.®

Moreover, God would have us to know, and always to keep in recollection, this revealed truth, that, unassisted by his heavenly grace, we can of ourselves do nothing, and should, therefore, apply ourselves to prayer, with all the powers of our

| Ephes. iii. 20. 2 Luke xxv. 35Pey Kal 4 Rom. x. 14. 3 Vid. Aug. epist. 121. c. 8.

On Prayer.

souls. The weapons which prayer supplies are most power- ful against our most implacable foes: ** With the cries of our prayers,” says St. Hilary, *‘we must fight against the devil and his armed hosts.””!

From prayer, we also derive this important advantage, that, inclining as we do, to evil, by the innate corruption of our own hearts, and to the indulgence of sensual appetite, God permits us to bring him, in a special manner, present to our minds; that, whilst we address him in prayer, and endeavour to merit his gifts and graces, we may be inspired with a love of inno- cence, and, by effacing our sins, be purified from every stain of guilt.

Finally, as St. Jerome observes, prayer disarms the anger of God. Hence, these words addressed to Moses, ‘* Let me alone,”? when Moses sought to interpose his prayer for the protection of a guilty people. Nothing is so efficacious in appeasing God, when his wrath is kindled; nothing so effec- tually averts his fury, whea provoked; nothing so powerfully arrests his arm, when already uplifted to strike the wicked, as the prayers of the pious.

The necessity and acvantage s of Christian prayer being thus explained, the faithful showid also know how many, and what are the parts of which itis composed. ‘That this knowledge appertains to the perfect discharge of the duty of prayer we learn from the Apostle, when, in his Epistle to Timothy, ex- horting to pious and holy prayer, he carefully enumerates the parts of which it consists: ‘+I desire therefore first,’’ says he, ** that obsecrations, prayers, postulations and thanksgivings be made for all men.’ Although the shades of distinction be- tween these different.parts of prayer are delicate and refined, yet the pastor, should he deem the explanation useful to his people, will consult, on the subject, the writings of St. Hilary and St. Augustine.+ But as there are two principal parts of prayer, petition and thanksgiving, the sources, as it were, from which all the other spring, they appeared to us of too much import- ance to be omitted. When we offer to God the tribute of our worship, we do so either to obtain some favour, or to return him thanks for those with which his bounty every day enriches and adorns us; and each of these God himself declares to be a necessary part of prayer: ‘* Call upon me,”’ says he, * in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’’5

Who does not know how much we stand in need of the good- ness and beneficence of God, if he but consider the extreme destitution and misery of man? Who that has eyes to see, and understanding to judge, and does not know how much the will of God inclines, and how liberal is his bounty towards us?

' Hilar. in Psal. 63. 2 Exod. XXXL. 10. 31 Tim. ii. 1.

4 Hilar. in Psal. 140. ad illa verba, “dirigatur oratio.” Aug. epist. 59. ad Paulin. ante med, vid. item Cassian. Colla. 9. c. q. et seq. item D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 83. 7 Psal. xlix. 15. Vid. Basil. lib. Const. monast. ec. 2.

28

3%:

Seventh

Eighth

Ninth

The par and de- grees of prayer.

Goodness and benef cence of God, how

necessary to us.

322

Note

Subordi- nate degrees of the two principal parts of prayer.

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The Catechism of the ouncil of Trent

Wherever we cast our eyes. wherever we turn our thoughts, the admirable light of the divine goodness and beneficence beams upon us. What have we that is not the gift of his bounty? If, then, al] things are the gifts and favours bestowed on us by his goodness, why should not every tongue, as much as possible, celebrate the praises of God, and every heart throb with the pulsation of gratitude, for his boundless beneficence ?

Of these duties of petition and thanksgiving each contains many subordinate degrees. In order, therefore, that the faithful may not only pray but also pray in the best manner, the pastor will propose to them the most perfect manner of praying, and will exhort them to it with the greatest earnestness. What, then, is the best manner and the most exalted degree of prayer ?—That which is made use of by the pious and the just, who, resting on the solid foundation of the true faith, rise successively from one degree of purity and of fervour in prayer to another, until, at length, they reach that height of perfection, whence they can contemplate the infinite power, beneficence, and wisdom of God; where, too, they are cheered with a bright prospect, and animated with the assured hope, of BOS not only those blessings which engage their desires in this life, but, also those unutterable rew ards, which lie beyond the confines of this world, and which God has pledged himself to grant to him who piously and religiously implores his assistance.’ Soaring as it were to heaven on these two wings, the soul approaches, in fervent desire, the throne of the Divinity; adores with rapturous praise and thanksgiving, that Great Being from whom she has received such inestimable blessings; and, like an only child, animated with singular piety and profound veneration, lays open tu her most beloved Father all her wants. ‘This sort of prayer the Sacred Scriptures express by the words ‘ pouring out:” ‘In his sight,’ says the prophet, ‘* I pour out my prayer, and before him if declare m y trouble ;’’? as if he had said; ‘* From him | suppress, from bim J conceal nothing, but pour out my whole soul in prayer, flying with confidence into the bosom of God, my most loving father.” To this holy exercise the Sacred Scriptures exhort us in these words: ‘‘ Pour out thy heart be- fore him,’’® ‘*and cast thy care upon the Lord.”’* ‘This is that degree of prayer to which St. Augustine alludes when he says: ‘What faith believes, that hope and charity implore.’’®

Another degree of prayer is that of those, who, pressed down by the w eight of mortal guilt, strive, however, with what is called dead faith, to raise themselves from their prostrate con- dition, and to ascend to God; but, in consequence of their Jan- guid state and the extreme weakness of their faith, cannot raise themselves from the earth. Impressed with a just sense of the enormity of their crimes, and stung with remorse of conscience,

1 Vid. D. Bernard. serm. 4. de quadrag. et in serm. de quatuor modis orandi. Basil. loco jam citato. 2 Ps. exli. 3 3 Ps. 1x1. 9. 4 Ps. liv. 23. 5 Ench, cap vil

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On Prayer.

they bow themselves down with humility, and, far as they are removed from him, implore of God a penitential sorrow, the pardon of their sins, and the peace of reconciliation. The prayers of such persons are not rejected by God: they are gra- ciously heard by him; nay, in his mercy, he generously invites such sinners to have recourse to him; ‘* Come to me, all you that labour, and are heavily laden, and I will refresh you.”* Of this class of sinners was the Publican, who, not daring to raise his eyes towards heaven, left the temple, as our Lord declares, more justified than the Pharisee.*

A third degree of prayer is that which is offered by those, who have not as yet been illumined with the light of faith; but who, whilst the divine goodness lights up in their souls the fee- ble glimmerings of the law of nature, are strongly excited to the desire and pursuit of truth, to arrive at a knowledge of which is the object of their most earnest prayers. If they persevere in such dispositions, God, in his mercy, will not neglect their earnest endeavours, as we sve verified by the example of Cor- nelius the centurion ;° against none who desire it sincerely are the doors of the divine mercy closed.

The last degree is thai of ihose, who, not only impenitent but obdurate, adding crime to erime, and enormity to enormity, yet dare frequently to ask pardon of God for those sins, in which they are resolved to persevere. Under such circumstances, and with such dispositions, who would presume to ask pardon even of his fellow-man? ‘Io ihe prayer of such sinners God turns a deaf ear, as it is recorded in Scripture of Antiochus: ‘* ‘Then this wicked man prayed to the Lord, of whom he was not to obtain mercy.”* Whoever lives in this deplorable condition should be exhorted to wean himsei from all affection to sin, to turn to God in good earnest and from the heart.

As, under the head of each petition, we shall point out in its proper place, what is, and what is not a proper object of prayer, it will here suffice to admonish the faithful, in general terms, to ask of God such things as are just and good; lest, suing for

‘what is not conformable to his known will, they may be an-

swered in these words: ‘“* You know not whai you desire.’’5

Whatever it is lawful to desire, it is lawful to pray for: the promise of our Lord is unlimited: ‘* You shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you;’® words which ensure all things to pious prayer.

In the first place, then, to refer every thing to God, the Su- preme Good, the great object of our love, the centre of all our desires, is the principle which should regulate all our wishes. In the next place, those things which unite us most closely to God should be the objects of our most earnest desires ; whilst those which would separate us from him, or occasion that sepa- ration, should have no share in them. From this principle we

' Matt. xi. 28. 2 Luke xviii. 9. et seq. 3 Acts x. 8. 4 Mach ix. 13. 5 Matt xx 22. 6 John xv.

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may learn how, after the supreme and perfect good, we are te desire and ask from God our Father those other things which are called goods. With regard to those which are called external goods, and, as it said, belong to the body, such as health, strength beauty, riches, honours, glory, which often supply matter and give occasion to sin, and which, therefore, it is not always either pious or salutary to ask, they are not to be objects of our prayers without this limitation, that we pray for them, because neces- sary, at the same time, referring to God the motive of our prayer. It cannot be deemed unlawful to pray for those things for which Jacob and Solomon prayed; ‘‘ If,’’ says Jacob, ‘* he shall give me bread to eat and raiment io put on, the Lord shall be my God ;’”! ** Give me,”’ says Solomon, * only the necessaries of life.”*? Whilst, however, we are supplied by the bounty of God with food and raiment, we should not forget the admonition of the Apostle: ‘* Let them that buy, be as if they possessed not ; and those that use this world, as if they used it not; for the figure of this world passeth away ;’? and again, * If riches abound, set not your hearts upon them.’”’* ‘To us, therefore, belong only their use and advantage, with an obligation, how- ever, as we learn from God himself, of sharing with the indi- gent. If we are blessed with health and strength, if we abound in other external and corporal goods, we should recollect that they are given to us in order to enable us to serve God with greater fidelity, and as the means of lending assistance to the wants and necessities of others.

But genius and the acquirements that adorn it, such as erudi- tion and the arts, it is also lawful to pray for, provided our prayers are accompanied with this condition, that the advantages which they afford, serve to promote the glory of God, and our own salvation. ‘That, however, which is to be absolutely and unconditionally the object of our wishes, our desires, our pray- ers, is, as we have already observed, the glory of God, and, next to it, whatever can serve to unite us to that supreme good, such as faith, the fear and love of God; but of these we shall treat at large, when we come to explain the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer.

The objects of prayer known, the faithful are next to be taught

for whom they are pray. Prayer comprehends petition and

thanksgiving; and we shall, therefore, first treat of petition. We are, then, to pray for all mankind, without exception of enemies, nation, or religion : every man, be he enemy, stranger or infidel, is our neighbour, whom God commands us to love and for whom, therefore, we should discharge a duty of love, which is prayer. ‘To the discharge of this duty the Apostle exhorts when he says: ‘I desire that prayer be made for all men.’”’> In such prayers the spiritual interests of our neighbour should hold the first, his temporal, the second place

1Gen xxviii. 20. 2 Prov. xxx. 8. 31 Cor. vii. 30 31 * Ps. lxi. 11 51 Tim ii.1

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This duty we owe to our pastors before all others, as we learn from the example of the Apostle in his Epistle to the Colossians, in which he solicits them to pray for him, ‘+ that God may open unto him a door of speech ;”"' a solicitation which he also re- peats in his Epistle to the ‘Thessalonians.? In the acts of the Apostles, we also read that ** prayers were offered in the church without intermission for Peter.”’*® St. Basil, in his ** Morals,”’ urges to a faithful compliance with this salutary obligation: ** We must,” says he, ** pray for those who preside over the word of truth.”* ‘That it is incumbent on us to offer up ow prayers for princes is obvious from the recorded sentiments of the same Apostle. Who does not know what a singular bless- ing the Commonwealth enjoys in a religious and just prince ? We should, therefore, beseech God to make them such as they ought to be, fit persons to rule over those who are subject to their authority.®

To offer up our prayers also for the good and pious is a practice sanctioned and supported by the authority of holy men. Even the good and the pious have occasion for the prayers of others ; and this is a wise dispensation of Providence, that, aware of the necessity they are under of being aided by the prayers of those who are inferior to them in sanctity, they may not be inflated with pride. Our Lord has also commanded us, * to pray for those that persecute and calumniate us ;’® and the practice of praying for those who are not within the pale of the Church, is, as we know on the authority of St. Augustine, of Apostolic origin.? We pray that the faith may be made known to infidels ; that idolators may be rescued from the error of their impiety; that the Jews, emerging from the darkness with which they are encompassed, may arrive at the light of truth ; that heretics, returning to sound- ness of mind, may be instructed in the true faith; and that schis- matics, connected by the bond of true charity, may be united to the communion of the Catholic Chureh, from which they have separated. ‘The great efficacy of such prayers, when poured from the heart, is evinced by a variety of examples. Numerous instances occur every day in which God rescues individuals of every class which we have enumerated from the powers of dark- ness, and transfers them into the kingdom of his beloved Son, from vessels of wrath making them vessels of mercy ; and that, in realizing so happy a consummation, the prayers of the pious have considerable influence, no one can reasonably doubt.

Prayers for the dead that they may be liberated from the fire of purgatory are of Apostolic origin ; but this subject we have already treated at large, when expounding the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.* ‘Those who are dead in sin derive little advan-

' Col. iv. 3. 21 Thess. v. 25. 3 Acts xii. 5. 4 Basil. lib. Moral. Reg. 56. cap. 5. item. hom. uw Isaiam. 5 Vid. Tertull. Apol. c. 30. et ad Scap. c. 2. 5 Matt. v. 44.

7 Vid. Aug. Epist. 10.ad Vital. Cypr. de Orat. Dom. Item Ccelestinum Papam Epist. 1, c. 11. > Dionys. cap. lib. de Eccles. Hierarch. c. 6, 7. Clem. Pap. ep. 1. et lib. Constit. Apol. Tertul. de Ciron. milit. et in exhort. ad castit. et in lib. de monog. Cypr. ep. 66

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tage from prayers and supplications ; yet it is the part o/ Chris tian charity to offer up our prayers and tears for them, in order if possible to obtain their reconciliation with God. With re« gard to the execraticns uttered by holy men against the wicked, it is certain, from the concurrent exposition of the Fathers, that they are either prophecies of the evils which are to befall them, or denunciations against the erimes of which they are guilty, that the sinner may be saved, but sin destroyed.1

In the second part of prayer, which is ‘* thanksgiving,” we render most grateful thanks to God for the divine and immortal blessings which he has always bestowed, and still continues to bestow on the human race. ‘This duty we discharge, prin- cipally, when we give singular praises to God for the victory and triumph which, aided by his goodness, the saints have achieved over their domestic and external enemies. ‘To this sort of prayer belongs the first part of the Angelical Salutation. When we say by way of prayer: ** Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women,” we render to God the highest praise and return him most grateful thanks, because he accumulated all his heavenly gifts on the most Holy Virgin; and to the Virgin herself, for this her sin- gular felicity, we present our respectful and fervent congratula- tions.” ‘To this form of thanksgiving the church of God has wisely added prayers to, and an invocation of, the most holy Mother of Ged, by which we piously and humbly fly to her patronage, in order that, by interposing her intercession, she may conciliate the friendship of God to us miserable sinners, and may obtain for us those blessings which we stand in need of in this life and in the life to come. Exiled children of Eve, who dwell in this vale of tears, should we not earnestly beseech the Mother of mercy, the advocate of the faithful, to pray forus? Should we not earnestly implore her help and assistance? "That she pos- sesses exalted merits with God, and that she is most desirous to assist us by her prayers, it were wicked and impious to doubt.?

That God is to be prayed to and his name invoked is the language of the law of nature, inscribed upon the tablet of the human heart: it is also the doctrine of revelation, in which we hear God commanding: ‘+ Call upon me in the day of trouble ;’”4 and, by the word ‘* God,” are to be understood the three per- sons of the adorable Trinity. We must also have recourse to the intercession of the saints who are in glory. ‘That the saints are to be prayed to is a truth so firmly established in the chureh of God, that the pious mind cannot experience a shadow of doubt on the subject; and as this point of Catholic faith was explained in its proper place, under a separate head, to

! Vid. Aug. de serm. Dom. in monte lib. cap. 22. et serm. 109, de temp.

2 Vid. Aug. Ench. c. 100. et 21. de civit. Dei, c. 24. et lib. 20. contr. Faust c. 2]

3 Aug. Serm. 18. de Sanctis. Ambr. in 1. c. Luce. Bern. hom. 3. in “ Missus est.” Item lib. 5.c. 19. Athan. in Ey.de Sancta Deipara. Aug. Serm. 2. de annunt. Nazianz. in orat. de St. Cyprian. 4Ps. xix 1b:

On Prayer.

that explanation we refer the pastor and others. "To remove, however, the possibility of error on the part of the unlettered, it will be found useful to explain to the faithful the difference between the invocation of the saints, and the prayers which are offered to God.

We do not address God and the saints in the same manner; God we implore to grant us the blessings of which we stand in need, and to deliver us from the dangers to which we are ex- posed ; but the saints, because they are the friends of God, we solicit to undertake the advocacy of our cause with him, to obtain for us, from him, all necessaries for soul and body. Hence, we make use of two different forms of prayer ; to God, we properly say, ‘*Have mercy on us,” ‘* Hear us;’’ but to the saints, ‘* Pray for us.”” The words ‘* Have merey on us,” we may also address to the saints, for they are most merciful ; but we do so on a different principle ; we beseech them to be touched with the misery of our condition, and to interpose in our behalf, their influence and intercession before the throne of God. In the performance of this duty, it is strictly incumbent on all not to transfer to creatures the right which belongs ex- clusively to God; and when, kneeling before the image of a saint, we repeat the Lord’s Prayer, we are also to recollect, that we beg of the saint to pray with us, and to obtain for us those favours which we ask of God, in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer ; in fine, that he become our interpreter and intercessor with God. ‘That this is an office which the saints discharge, we read in the Apocalypse of John the Apostle.*

‘Before prayer, prepare thy soul, and be not as a man that tempteth God,’’? is an admonition which has all the weight and authority of revelation. He whose conduct is in direct oppo- sition to his ‘prayers, who, whilst he holds familiar converse with God, suffers his mind to wander, tempts God. As, there- fore, the dispositions with which we pray are of such vital im- portance, the pastor will teach his pious hearers how to pray. The first disposition, then, which should accompany our pray- ers, is an unfeigned humility of soul, an acknowledgment of our unworthiness, and a conviction that, when we approach God in prayer, our sins render us undeserving, not only of receiving a propitious hearing from him, but even of appearing in his pre- sence. ‘This preparation is frequently mentioned in the in- spired Volume: ‘*‘ He hath had regard to the prayer of the humble,’’ says David, ** and he hath not despised their peti- tions ;’8 “The prayer of him that humbleth himself,” says Ecclesiastieus, ‘* shall pierce the clouds.’’* But on a condition of such obvious importance, we abstain from citing many texts of Seripture. ‘Two examples, however, at which we have already glat.ced, and which are apposite to our purpose, we shall not pass over in silence. ‘The publican, ** who, standing

Apoc viii. 3. 2 Eccl. xviii. 25. 3 Ps c. 18 4 Eccl. xxxv 21

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afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards heaven, * and the woman, a sinner, who, moved with sorrow, washed the feet of Christ our Lord, with her tears,’ illustrate the great efficacy which Christian humility imparts to prayer.

‘The next disposition is a feeling of poignant sorrow, arising from the recollection of our past sins, or, at least, some sense of regret, that we do not experience that poignancy of sorrow. If the sinner bring not with him to prayer both, or, at least one of these dispositions, he cannot hope to obtain the pardon of his sins. :

There are some crimes, such as violence and murder, which oppose the greatest obstacles to the efficacy of our prayers, and we must, therefore, preserve our hands unstained by outrage and crueity: ‘* When you stretch forth your hands,” says the Lord, “i will turn away my eyes irom you; and when you multiply prayer, I will not hear, for your hands are full of blood.’ Anger and strife we should also studiously avoid: they have great influence in preventing our prayers from being heard: ‘I will that men pray in every place,” says St. Paul, ‘lifting up pure hands, without anger and contention.” Im- placable hatred for injuries received is another obstacle to the efficacy of prayer, which we cannot be too cautious in avoiding: under the influence of such feelings, it is impossible that we should obtain from God the pardon of our sins. ‘* When you shall stand to pray,’ says our Lord, ‘forgive, if you have aught against any man;’’> ‘but if you will not ‘eye men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.””®

Insensibility and inhumanity to the poor we should also scrupulously avoid, if we hope that our prayers shall prove ac- ceptable to God; ‘* He that stoppeth his ear,”’ says the book of Proverbs, ‘** against the oy of the poor, shall also ery himself, and shall not be heard.”? What shall we say of pride? Its hatefulness in the sight of God, we learn from these words of St. James: ‘+ God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.’’* What of the contempt of the divine oracles? ‘* He that turneth away his ears,’’ says Solomon, “ from hearing the law, his prayer shall be an abomination.” Here, however, we are not to understand that the humble acknowledgment of the injuries done to our neighbour, of murder, anger, insensi- bility to the wants of the poor, of pride, contempt of the divine oracles, i in fine, of any other sin, is excluded from the objects of prayer, provided we implore pardon from God for these crimes.

Of this preparation of the soul, another essential quality is faith. Without faith, we can have no knowledge of the omni- potence or mercy of God, which are the sources of our confi- dence in prayer: ‘All things whatsoever you shall ask ir prayer, believing,”’ says the Redecmer! ‘** you shall receive.’’*#

1 Luke xvill. 13. 2 Luke vii. 37. Visani5: 41 Timi 8 5 Mark xi. 25. 6 Matt vi. 15. 7 Prov. xxi. 13. ®* famesiv 6. 1 Pet. y.5 9 Prov. xxviii. 9. 10 Matt. xxi. 22.

On Prayer

vn these words of our Lord, St. Augustine, speaking of faith, says, ‘‘ without faith, itis in vain to pray.’’! Prayer, then, as we have already said, to be efficacious, must be sustained by a firm and unwavering faith, as the Apostle shows by this strong an- tithesis: ** How shall they call on him whom they have not believed?’ Believe, then, we must, in order to pray, and that we be not wanting in that faith which renders prayer available. Faith it is that prays, and unwavering prayer gives strength to faith. ‘I’o this effect is the exhortation of the martyr Igna- tius, to those who approach the throne of God in prayer: ‘ Be not of doubtful mind in prayer; blessed is he who hath not doubted.” ‘To obtain from God the objects of our prayers, faith, and an assured confidence, are, therefore, of the first im- portance, according to the admonition of St. James; ‘* Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.’’

There is much to inspire us with confidence in prayer. Amongst the motives to confidence, are to be numbered the beneficence and bounty of God, displayed towards us, when he commands us to call him ‘ Father,” thus giving us to under- stand that we are his children; the numberless instances on record of those whose prayers have been heard; and the media- tion of our chief advocate, Christ the Lord, who is ever ready to assist us: We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the just; and he is the propitiation for our sins ;’’4 **Christ Jesus, that died, yea, that is risen also again, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us ;’’° “for there is one God, and one mediator of God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” ‘+ Wherefore, it behoved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high-priest before God.’’? Un- worthy, then, as we are, of obtaining our requests, yet cousider- ing, and resting our claims upon, the dignity of our great Mediator and Intercessor, Jesus Christ, we should hope and trust most confidently, that, through his merits, God will grant us all that we ask in the proper spirit of prayer. Finally, the Holy Ghost is the author of our prayers; and under his guid- ing influence, we cannot fail to be heard. ‘+ We have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba, (Father.)”’ ‘This spirit succours our infirmity, and enlightens our ignorance, in the discharge of the duty of prayer; ‘and,’ continues the Apostle, *‘ asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.’’* Should we, then, at any time waver, not being sufficiently strong in faith, let us say, with the Apostle, ‘* Lord increase our faith ;’79 and, with the father of the blind man mentioned in the Gospel, ** Help my unbelief.””'° But what most ensures the accomplish- ment of our desires, is the union of faith and hope with that correspondence on our part to the will of God, which makes us

'! Epist. 10. ad Hier 2 Rom. x.14, 3 James i. 6. 4] John ii. 12 6 Rom. viii. 34. 6] Tim. ii. 5. 7 Heb. ii. 17 8 Rom, viii, 15, 26 % Luke xvii. 5. 10 Mark ix, 23.

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regulate all our thoughts and actions, and prayers by the stan dard of his divine law, and the dictates of his sovereign pleas sure: ‘‘If,’’ says he, ** you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you.’ In order, however, that all our prayers may be thus graciously heard, we must, as was previously observed, first bury in oblivion all injuries, and cherish sentiments of good will and beneficence towards all men.

The man- ‘The mannerof praying is, also, matter of the highest moment.

ner of pray- Tn itself prayer, it is true, is good and salutary ; yet, if not ap-

sen! plied in a proper manner, itis unavailing: ‘* You ask,” says St. James, ‘‘ and receive not; because you ask amiss.’’? ‘The

pastor, therefore, will instruct the faithful in the best manner of

private and public prayer, and in the rules which have been de-

livered on this subject, according to the discipline of Christ our

i; Lord. We must, then, pray ‘ in spirit and in truth ;’8 and this we do when our prayers are the aspirations of an interior and

intense ardour of soul.* | This spiritual manner of praying does

Mental. not exclude the use of vocal prayer ; but mental prayer, which is the outpouring of a soul inflamed with the vehemence of heavenly desires, deservedly holds the first place ; and, although not uttered with the lips, is heard by Him to whom the secrets of hearts are naked and open. He heard the prayer of Anna, the mother of Samuel, of whom we read, that she prayed, shed- ding many ‘‘ tears and only moving her lips?’ Such was, also, the prayer of David, for he says: ‘“ My heart hath said to thee, my face hath sought thee ;’” and in the perusal of the in- spired Volume similar examples will frequently oecur.

Vocal. But vocal prayer has also its advantages, and is sometimes necessary : it quickens the attention of the mind, and kindles the fervent devotion of the heart. ‘* We sometimes,” says St. Augustine, ‘* animate ourselves to more lively sentiments of de- votion, by having recourse to words and other signs calculated to kindle the tans of our desires ; filled with pious emotion we find it impossible to restrain the current of our feelings, and accordingly we pour them out in the fervid accents of prayer ; whilst the soul exults with joy, the tongue should also give utterance to that exultation.”’? Vocal prayer, as we know from numerous passages of the Acts of the Apostles, and of the Epistles of St. Paul, was used by the Apostles ; and, following their example, it become us also to offer to God the entire sacrifice

Private of soul and body. As, however, there are two sorts of vocal

ead pore: prayer, private and public, it is to be observed, that private prayer is employed in order to assist attention and devotion § whereas, in public prayer, instituted, as it has been, to excite the piety of the faithful, the utterance of the words is, at certain fixed times, indispensably required.

! John xv. 7. 2 James tv. 3. 3 John iv. 23. ! De hac ratione orandi in spiritu et veritate vid. Cyrill. Alex. per. 17 libros m tegros ; item D. Thom. 2. J. queest. 83. art. 12. 5 1 Kingsi. 10. 13.

6 Ps xxvi. 8. 7 St. Aug. ad. Probam. cap. 8, 9, 10.

On Prayer.

This practice of praying in spirit, a practice, too, peculiar to Christians, is unknown amongst infidels, of whom Christ our Lord has said, ‘* When you pray, speak not much, as the hea- thens; for they think that in their much speaking they may be heard. Be not you, therefore, like to them, for your Father knoweth what is needful for you before you ask him.’* He therefore prohibits ‘* much speaking :”’ but long prayers, which proceed from the eagerness of devotion, and an ardour of soul, that burns with an enduring intensity, he not only does not re- ject, but on the contrary, recommends by his own example. Not only did he spend whole nights in prayer,* but also, ‘‘ prayed the third time, saying the selfsame words,’’* and the inference, therefore, to be drawn from the prohibition is, that prayers consisting of mere empty sounds are not to be addressed to God.*

Neither do the prayers of the hypocrite proceed from the heart; and from the imitation of their example, Christ our Lord deters us in these words: ** When ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites that love to stand and pray in the synagogues, and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men: Amen 1 say, to you they have received their reward. But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee.’’> Here the word ‘ chamber’? may be understood to mean the human heart, into which it is not enough to enter; it should also be closed against every distrac- tion; andthen will our Heavenly Father, who sees intuitively our most secret thoughts, hear our prayers, and grant our petitions.

Another necessary condition of prayer is importunity. The great efficacy of incessant solicitation, the Redeemer exemplifies by the conduct of the judge, who, whilst ** he feared not God, nor regarded man,’’ yet overcome by the importunity of the widow, yielded to her intreaties.° In our prayers to God we should, therefore, be importunate; nor are we to imitate the example of those sluggish souls, who become tired of praying, if, afier having prayed once or twice, they succeed not in ob- taining the object of their prayers. We should never be weary of a duty, taught us by the authority of Christ our Lord and of his Apostles ; and should the mind at any time relax, we should beg of God by prayer the virtue of perseverance.

The Son of God will also have us present our prayers to the Father in his name: for, by his merits and the grace of his mediation, our prayers acquire such weight, that they are heard by ovr heavenly Father; ‘* Amen, Amen, I say unto you, if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto you have not asked any thing in my name: ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full.”7_ “If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that will I do.’’s

' Matt. vi. 7, 8. 2 Luke vi. 12. 3 Matt. xxvi. 44.

4 Vid. Aug. ep. 121. ad Probam. c. 9. 5 Matt. vi. 5, 6 « Luke xviii. 2, 3. 7 John xvi. 23, 24. 5 John xiv 14.

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Prefatory words to the Lord’: Prayer

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Be it ours, therefore, to emulate the fervour of holy men in prayer; and to prayer let us unite thanksgiving, imitating the example of the Apostles, who, as may be seen in the Epistles of St. Paul, always observed this salutary practice. ‘To prayer let us unite fasting and alms-deeds. Fasting is most intimately connected with prayer: When cloyed with meat and drink, the mind is so pressed down as not to be able to raise itself to the contemplation of God, or comprehend the utility of prayer.? Alms-deeds have also an intimate connexion with prayer. What pretension has he to charity, who, blessed with the means of affording relief to those who depend for subsistence on the bounty of others, refuses to stretch forth the hand of mercy to a neighbour and a brother? With what countenance can he, whose heart is devoid of charity, demand assistance from the God of charity, unless he, at the same time, implore the par- don of his sins, and humbly beg of God.to infuse into his soul the divine virtue of charity ? ‘This triple remedy was, there- fore, appointed by God to aid man in the attainment of salvation. When we offend God by sin, wrong our neighbour, or injure ourselves, we appease the wrath of God by prayer: by alms- deeds we redeem our offences against man; and by fasting we appease God, and efface from our own souls the stains of sin. Each of these remedies, it is true, is applicable to every sort of sin: they are, however, peculiarly adapted to those which we have specially mentioned.

THE LORD’S PRAYER.

‘*‘ OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN.”

As this form of Christian prayer, delivered by Jesus Christ, is of such importance as to have required the preceding prefa- tory words, which inspire those who approach God piously to approach him also more confidently, it becomes the duty of the pastor to premise a distinct and perspicuous exposition of them. ‘The pious Christian will thus have recourse to prayer with increased alaerity, knowing that in prayer he communes with God, as with a father. ‘To consider the words alone,

! Vid. hac de re Aug. in Psal. 42. in fine et lib. de perfect. justitia resp. 17. item St. Leonis serm. 1. de jejunio septimi mentis. Petr. Chrys. serm. 43. Bern. in sent. sententia 11.

? Orationem Dominicam explicant Tertul. in lib. de ora. Cypr. in lib. de Orat. Domin. Cyril. Hierosp. Catech. 5. Mystag. Chrysost. hom. de orat. Dom. Hier. Theoph. Euthim. in cap. 6. Marc. Ampr. lib. 4. de sacram. ec. 4. Aug. ep. 121. ad Probam. item de serm. Dom. in monte lib. 2. c. 5. 6, 7, 8. 16. et hom. 42. item da bono perseverantie c. 2. et seqq. et serm. 126. 135. et 182. de temo. item. Cassian collat. 7 <. 18, 19, 20, 21. D. Thom. in opuscul. et. 2. 2. q. 83. a. 9.

NS i

On the Lord’s Prayer.

which compose this preface, they are, indeed, very few in number; but, looking to the matter, they are of the highest importance, and are replete with mysteries

“Farner” ] The first word which, by the command and institution of our Lord, we utter in (the Greek and Latin forms of) this prayer is ‘* Father.”’ ‘The Redeemer, it is true, might have commenced this prayer with a word more expressive “of majesty, such as ‘Creator,’ or ‘* Lord ;’’ yet these he omitted, as they might be associated am ideas of terror, choosing rather an expression which inspires !ove and confi- dence. What name more tender than that of Father? a name at once expressive of indulgence and love.'

The propriety of the word « Father,’’ as applied to God, the F faithful may be taught from the works of Creation, Government and Redemption. God created man to his own image and likeness, an image and likeness which he impressed not on other creatures ; and, on account of this peculiar privilege with which he adorned man, he is appropriately designated in Scrip- ture the Father of all men, the Father not alone of the faithfu} but of all mankind.

His government of mankind supplies another argument for the propriety of the appellation. By the exercise of a special stiperintending providential care over us and our interests, he manifests the love of a Father towards us. But to comprehend more clearly the force of this argument, which is drawn from his paternal care over us, it may be necessary to say a few words on the guardianship of those celestial spirits whom he has appointed to watch over, and protect us

Angels are commissioned by Divine Providence to guard the human race, and be present with every man to protect him from injury. As parents, when their children have occasion to travel a dangerous way, infested by robbers, appoint persons to guard and assist them in case of attack; so has our Heavenly Father placed over each of us, in our journey towards our heavenly country, angels, guarded by whose vigilant care and assistance, we may escape the ambushes of our enemies, repel their fierce attacks, and proceed directly on our journey, secured by their guiding protection against the devious tracts into which our treacherous enemy would mislead us, and pursuing steadily the path that leads to heaven.

The important advantages which flow to the human race from this special superintending Providence, the functions and the administration of which are intrusted to angels, who hold a middle place between man and the Divinity, appear from nu- merous examples recorded in Scripture ;_ w hich prove that an gels, as the ministers of the divine goodness, have frequently wrought wonderful things in the sight of men ; and from which we are to infer, that innumerable other important services are rendered to us by the invisible ministry of angels, the guar-

Vid. D. Leon. serm. 6. de nat. Dom. D. Thom. 1. p. quest. 33. art. 1

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God, wh called Fa ther.”

First proof of the pro- piety of the appel- lation.

Second proof.

Guardian angels, their minis try

Proofs

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Utility of this expo- sition ; it

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

dians of our safety and salvation. ‘The angel Raphael, wha was appointed by God the companion and guide of 'Tobias,? ‘¢ eonducted him and brought him safe again.’’? He assisted to save him from being devoured by a large fish, and pointed out to him the singular virtue of its gall and heart:* he expelled the evil demon, and, by fettering and binding up his power, protected ‘Tobias from injury: he taught the young man the true and legitimate rights of marriage, and restored to the elder Tobias the use of his sight.*

The angel who delivered the prince of the Apostles also at- fords abundant matter of instruction on the admirable advantages which flow from the care and guardianship of angels. ‘To this event, therefore, the pastor will also call the attention of the faithful : he will point to the angel illuminating the darkness of the prison; awakening Peter by touching his side; loosing his chains ; bursting his bonds; admonishing him to rise, and, taking his sandals and other apparel to follow him.* He will also direct their views to the same angel restoring Peter to liberty ; conducting him out of prison through the midst of the guards ; throwing open the door of his prison; and ultimately placing him in safety without its precincts. ‘The sacred Scriptures, as we have already observed, abound ‘in examples which give us an idea of the magnitude of the benefits conferred on us by the ministry of angels, whose tutelary protection is not confined to particular occasions or persons, but extends to each individual of the human race, from the hour of his birth.

In the exposition of this point of doctrine, the diligence of the pastor will be rewarded with one important advantage: the

evinces the minds of the faithful will be interested, and excited to acknow-

goodness of

God

ledge and revere the paternal care and providence of God.® In the first place, the pastor will here exalt and proclaim the riches of the goodness of God to man, of that God, who, not- withstanding that ever since the transgression of our first parents, who entailed upon us the evil consequences of sin, we have never ceased to offend him by innumerable crimes and enormi- ties, even to the present hour, yet retains his love for us, and still continues his special care over us. ‘lo imagine that he is unmindful of his creatures were insanity, and nothing less than to hurl against the Deity the most blasphemous insult. God is angry with the people of Israel, because they suppose them- selves deserted by his care: tempting the Lord, they said, “Is the Lord amongst us or not?”’7 And again, ‘* ‘The Lord seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth.’ ‘The faithful are, therefore, to be deterred by these authorities from the impiety of imagining that God can at any time be forgetful of man. The Israelites, as.we read in Isaias, make the complaint against God; and its unreasonableness God exposes by a similitude,

| Tob. v. 6. 2Tob. xil. 3 Tob. vi. 4 Tob. xu. 5 Acts xii. —

6 Si de angelorum creatione et excellentia vis agere, redi ad primum symnok articulum supra. pag. 24 7 Exod. xvii. 7. 8 Ezek. viil. 1

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On the Lord’s Prayer.

which breathes nought but kindness: ‘*Sion said, the Lord hath firsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten me:” to whieh God answers, ‘‘ Can a woman 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. Behold, I have graven thee in my hands.”*

Indisputably as these passages establish this truth, yet, to bring home to the minds of the faithful an absolute conviction, that atno time does God forget man, or withdraw from him the offices of paternal love, the pastor will add to the evidence of this truth, by introducing the example of our first parents, by which it is so strikingly illustrated. When you hear them sharply reproved for having violated the command of God ; when you hear their condemnation pronounced in this awful sentence, ‘* Cursed is the earth in thy work: with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life: thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth;’’? when you see them driven out of Paradise ; when, to extinguish all hope of return, you read that a fiery cherub was stationed at the entrance, brandishing ‘a flaming sword, turning every way ;’’* when you know, that to avenge the injury done him, God consigned them to every affliction of mind and body; when you see and know all this, would you not be led to pronounce that man was lost irrecoverably ? That he was not only deprived of all assistance from God, but also abandoned to every species of misery? But, although the storm of the divine wrath burst over his guilty head, yet the love of God shot a gleam of consolation across the dark- ness that enveloped him. ‘The sacred Scriptures inform us, that ‘the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them,’’* a convincing proof, that at no time does God abandon his creature man.

That no injuries offered to God by mzn can exhaust the divine love, is a truth contained in these words of David, ** Will God in his anger shut up his mercies?” And Habaceue, ad- dressing himself to God, distinctly says, ‘*When thou art angry, thou wilt remember mercy.’® ‘* Who is a God like to thee,”’ says Micheas, ‘‘ who takest away iniquity, and passest by the sin of the remnant of thy inheritance? He will send his fury in no more, because he delighteth in mercy.”” When, therefore, we imagine that God has abandoned us, that we are deprived of his protection, then, in an especial manner, does he, of his infinite goodness, seek after and protect us; for in his anger he stays the sword of his justice, and ceases not to pour out the inexhaustible treasures of his mercy.

The creation and government of the world, therefore, display, in an admirable manner, the singular love and protecting care of God; but amongst these, the great work of redemption

1 Isa. xlix. 14—16 2 Gen. iu. 17, 18. 3 Gen. iii. 23, 24 4 Gen. iii. 21. 5 Ps, Ixxvi 10. 6 Hab. ill. 2. 7 Mich. vii. 18.

Baa

Further elucidauoa of the same ire

Note.

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Reciprocal affection due to God.

God loves whilst he chastises.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

stands out so prominently, that this God of boundless bene. cence, our Father, has by this third benefit, crowned, and shed a lustre on the other invaluable blessings bestowed on us by his bounty. ‘The pastor, therefore, will announce to his spirit ual children, and will sound continually in their ears, this over whelming manifestation of the love of God towards us, in order that they may know that, by redemption, they are become, in an admirable manner, the children of God: **He gave them power,” says St. John, ‘‘to be made the sons of God, who are born of God.” ‘Therefore it is, that baptism, which we re- ceive as the first pledge and memorial of redemption, is called ‘‘the sacrament of regeneration ;’’ for thereby we are born children of God: ‘*’That which is born of the Spirit,” says our Lord, ‘‘is spirit: we must be born again ;’’? and the Apos- tle Peter says, ‘* Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, by the word of the living God.’ By virtue of our redemption, we have received the holy Spirit, and are dignified with the grace of God, by which we are adopted sons of God: ** You have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear,”’ says St. Paul, ‘* but you have received the sovirit of adoption of sous, whereby we cry, Abba, (Father.)”’* Of this adoptiun, the force and efficacy are explained by St. John, in these words: ‘‘ Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God.’’>

These truths explained, the pastor will remind the faithful of the reciprocal affection which they owe to God, our most loving Father, beeause, by this means, they will comprehend what love and piety, what obedience and veneration, they should ren- der to their Creator, Governor, and Redeemer, and with what hope and confidence they should invoke his name.

But to instruet the ignorance, and correct the perversity of such as may imagine that prosperity is the only proof of the love vf God, and that adversity, with which he may please to visit us, indicates his hostility, and the utter alienation of lus love; the pastor will show, that when the hand of the Lord touches us,® it is not with hostile purpose, but to heal by strik- ing. If he chastises the sinner, 1t is to reclaim him by salutary severity, and to rescue him from everlasting perdition, by the infliction of present punishment. He visits our iniquities with a rod, and our sins with stripes; but his mercy he taketh not away from us.?7 The faithful, therefore, are to be admonished to recognise, in such chastisements, a proof of his paternal love, to keep in their memory, and on their lips, these words of the patient Job: ‘*He woundeth, and cureth: he striketh, and his

hands shall heal ;’’§ and to adopt these sentiments, and repeat

these words of the prophet Jeremiah, spoken in the name of the people of Israel: ‘*'Thou hast chastised me, and I was instruct

1 John i. 12, 13. 2 John iii. 6, 7. 3] Pet. i. 23. 4 Rom. vi. 15 ‘1 Ep. iii. 1. 6 Job xix. 2]. 7 Ps. Ixxxviil. 34. s Job v. 18.

On the Lord’s Prayer

ed, a8 a young bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Convert me, and I shall be converted, for thou art the Lord my God.’ Let them also keep before their eyes the example of ‘Tobias, who, when he felt the hand of God upon him, visiting him with blind- ness, exclaimed, ‘‘I bless thee, O Lord God of Israel, because thou hast chastised me.’’*

Here the faithful should guard with the utmost caution, against the error of believing, that any afflictions or calamities befali them, without the knowledge of God. He himself assures us, that a hair of our head shall not perish ;* they should rather be cheered by these words, which we read in the Apocalypse : “Such as love, [ rebuke and chastise ;’’* and all their appre- hensions should be calmed by these exhortary words, addressed by St. Paul to the Hebrews, ** My son, neglect not the disci- pline of the Lord, neither be thou wearied whilst thou art re- buked by him; for whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth ; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.’”

**Qur”}] When, under the name of Father, we all invoke God, calling him emphatically *‘ our Father,’ we are taught that, as a necessary consequence of the gift and right of divine adop- tion, we are brethren, and should love one another as brethren : ‘** You are all brethren,’”’ says the Redeemer, ‘ for one is your Father, he that is in heaven;’’® and hence, in their Epistles, the Apostles call all the faithful brethren. Another necessary con- quence is, that, by the same divine adoption, not only are all the faithful united in one common brotherhood, but also called, and really are, brethren of the only begotten Son of God, who assumed our nature. Hence, the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, speaking of the Son of God, says, * He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‘I will declare thy name to my brethren.’”’? ‘This, David had, so many centuries before, prophesied of the Redeemer; and our Lord himself says to the woman mentioned in the Gospel, ‘* Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall see me.”* ‘This he said after his resurrection, when he had put on immortality, lest it should be supposed that this fraternal relation was dissolved by his resurrection, and ascension into heaven. So far is the resurrec- tion of Christ from dissolving this bond of union and love, that, from the very throne on which he will sit on the last day, re- splendent with majesty and glory, to judge a congregated world, even ‘the least’’ of the faithful shall be called by the name of brethren.9

But how, possibly, can we be other than brethren of Christ, called as we are, co-heirs with him? He is the first-begotten, appointed heir of all ;'® but we, begotten in the next place, are co-heirs with him, according to the measure of heavenly gifts, and according to the degree of love with which we approve our-

‘Jer. xxu. 18. 2 Tob. xi. 17. 3 Luke xxi. 18. 4 Apoc. iii. 19 5 Heb. xii. 5. 6 Matt. xxiii. 8, 9. 7 Heb. ii. 11,12. Ps. xx. 23. 8 Matt. xxviii. 10 9 Matt. xxv. 40. 10 Rom. viil. 17. Heb. i. 2.

29 2U

We are not to murmur against his will

Weare all brethren of Christ.

I

Note

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‘The word *our” to be uttered with heartfelt piety.

Our de- meanour towards others should be- speak fra- ternal! re- gard: our common brother- hood.

This doc- trine to be forcibly in- culcated by the pastor

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

selves servants and co-operators of the Holy Ghost. By the inspiration of the Holy Ghost we are animated to virtue, and te meritorious actions; supported by his grace, we are inflamed to engage with fortitude in the combat for salvation, the success ful termination of which, and of our earthly career, will be re- warded by our Heavenly Father with that imperishable crowr of justice, which is reserved for ail who shall have run the same course; ‘‘for God,” says the Apostle, ‘*is not unjust, that he should forget our work and our love.””!

But with what sentiments of heartfelt piety we should. utter the word ‘our,’ these words of St. Chrysostome declare: ‘‘ God,” savs he, ‘‘ willingly hears the prayer of a Christian, not only when offered for himself, but for another. Necessity obliges us to pray for ourselves; charity exhorts us to pray for others. ‘The prayer of fraternal charity,” he adds, ‘is more acceptable to God than that of necessity.’’?

On the subject of prayer, a subject so important, so salutary, it becomes the duty of the pastor to admonish and exhort all his hearers, of every age, sex, and rank, to be mindful of this com- mon brotherhood, ‘and, instead of arrogating to themselves an insolent superiority over others, to exhibit in their conduct the bearing and the tone of fraternal regard. ‘True, there are many gradations of office in the Church of God, yet that diversity of rau is far from severing the bond of this fraternal relationship ; in the same manner as variety of use and diversity of office do not cause this or that member of the same body to forfeit the name or functions of a member. ‘The monarch, seated on his throne, and bearing the sceptre of royal authority, as one of the faithful, is the brother of all who are within the communion of the Christian faith. ‘There is not one God the Creator of the rich, another of the poor: one of, kings, another of subjects ; but there is one God, who is common Lord and Father of all. Considering their spiritual origin, the nobility of all is, there- fore, the same, born, as we all are, of the same spirit, through the same sacrament of faith, children of God, and co-heirs to the same immortal inheritance. ‘The wealthy and the great have not one Christ for their God, the poor and the lowly another; they are not initiated by different sacraments; they do not expect a different inheritance. No, we are all brethren: in the language of the Apostle, ‘‘ We are members of Christ’s body, of his flesh, and of his bones.’’? ‘* You are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus ; for as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female ; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’’*

This is a subject which the pastor should handle with all possible care: on its consideration he cannot expend too much knowledge and ability: because it is not less calculated to fortify

! Heb. vi. 10. 2 Chrys. hom. 14, operis imperfecti in Matt. 3 Eph v. 30. Gal. in. 26, 27 28.

On the Lord’s Prayer.

and sustain the indigent and the lowly, than to restrain and repress the arrogance of the rich, and the pride of the powerful. It was to remedy this evil, that the Apostle so forcibly pressed on the attention of the faithful this principle of fraternal charity.

When, therefore, O Christian, you are about to address this prayer to God, remember that you, as a son, approach God your Father; and when vou begin the prayer, and utter the words ‘‘ our Father,” reflect, for a moment, how exalted the dignity to which the infinite love of God has raised you. He commands you to approach him, not with the reluctance and timidity of a servant approaching his Lord, but with the eager- ness and the security of a child flying to the bosom of his fa- ther. Consider, also, with what recollection and attention, with what care and devotion, you should approach him in prayer. You must approach kim as becomes a child of God: your prayers and actions must be such, as not to be unworthy of that divine origin with which it has pleased your most gracious God to ennoble you ; a duty to which the Apostle exhorts, when he says, ‘“‘ Be ye, therefore, followers of God, as most dear children ;”* that of us may be truly said, what the Apostle wrote to the Thessalonians, ‘* You are all the children of light, and the children of the day.’”2

** Wuo art In Heaven’’} All who have a correct idea of the Divinity agree, that God is every where 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 aspirit, and is, therefore, indivisible. Who would presume to circumscribe 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?’ Yes, by his power and virtue he fills heaven and earth, and all things contained therein. He is pre- sent 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 defined by nothing to prevent his being present everywhere by his immensity and omnipotence. “Tf,” says the Psalmist, ‘I ascend into heaven, thou art there.’’+

God, although present in all places, and in all things, and, as we have already observed, circumscribed by no limits, is, how- ever, frequently said in Scripture, to have his dwelling in the heavens, because the heavens which we see are the noblest part of the visible world, undecaying in splendour, excelling all other objects in power, magnitude, and beauty, and moving with uniform and harmonious revolution. ‘lo elevate the soul of man to the contemplation of his infinite power and majesty, which shine forth with such splendour in the expanse of heaven, God, therefore, declares that his dwelling is in the heavens. He also frequently declares that there is no part of creation

1 Eph. v. 1. 21 Thess. v. 5. 3 Jer. xxii. 24 4 Ps. cxxxviii.8. Aug. lib. 1. Conf c. 3. D Thum. 1. pq. Sart 2

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In what spirit we should ut ter the words “our Father.”

God every where, in what sense

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Objects and order of our prayers.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

that is not filled by his divinity and power, which are every: where present. In the consideration of this subject, the faithful will, however, propose to themselves not only the image of the universal Father of mankind, but also that of God reigning in heaven, in order that, when approaching him in prayer, they may recollect that heart and scul are to be raised to heaven. ‘The transcendant nature and divine majesty of our Father whe is in heaven, should inspire us with as much Christian humility and piety, as the name of father sheuld fill us with love and confidence

These words also inform us what are to be the objects of our prayers. All oursupplications offered for the useful and neces- sary things of this life, unless united to the bliss of heaven, and referred to that end, are to no purpose, and are unworthy of a Christian. Of this manner of praying, the pastor, there- fore, will admonish his pious hearers, and will strengthen the admonition with the authority of the Apostle: ‘ If,” says he, ‘‘you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth.”’*

‘6 HALLOWED BE THY NAME.”

Wuart should be the objects and the order of our prayers,

we learn from the Lord and Master of all; for as prayer is the envoy and interpreter of our wishes and desires, we then pray as we ought, when the order of our prayers corresponds with that of their objects. ‘True charity admonishes us te consecrate stituting in himself alone the supreme good, he justly com- mands our particular and especial love ; and this love we cannot cherish towards him, unless we prefer his honour and glory to all created things. Whatever good we or others enjoy, what- ever, in a word, man can name, must yield to him, because emanating from him, who is the supreme good. In order, therefore, that our prayers may proceed in due order, our divine Redeemer has placed this petition, which regards our chief good, at the head of the others; thus teaching us that, before we pray for any thing for our neighbour or ourselves, we should pray for those things which appertain to the glory of God, and make known to him our wishes and desires for their accom- plishment. ‘Thus shall we remain in charity, which teaches us to love God more than ourseives, and to make those things which we desire for sake of God the first, and what we desire for ourselves the next object of our prayers.

* Coloss. iii. 1, 2

On the Lord’s Prayer. 34}

But as desires and petitions regard things which we want, Object of and as God, that is to say, his divine nature, can receive no this pellen accession, nor can the Divinity, adorned as he is, after an in- Shida God effable manner, with all perfections, admit not of increase, the — faithful are to understand that what we pray for to God regard- ing himself, belongs not to his intrinsic perfections, but to his external glory. We desire and pray that his name may be better known to the nations ; that his kingdom may be extended; and that the number of his faithful servants may be every day increased; three things, his name, his kingdom, and the num- ber of his faithful servants, which regard not his essence, but his extrinsic glory.

When we pray that the name of God may be hallowed, we What we mean that the sanctity and glory of his name may be increased; peel and here the pastor will inform his pious hearers, that our Lord ra does not teach us to pray that it be hallowed on earth as it is L. in heaven, that is, in the same manner, and with the same per- fection, for this is impossible; but that it be hailowed through love, and from the inmost affection of the soul. ‘True, in itself, his name requires not to be hallowed; ‘“‘it is holy and terrible,”’* even as he himself is holy; nothing can be added to the holiness which is his from eternity ; yet, as on earth he is much less honoured than he should be, and is even some- times dishonoured by impious oaths and blasphemous execra- tions ; we, therefore, desire and pray that his name may be celebrated with praise, honour, and glory, as it is praised, honoured, and glorified in heaven. We pray that his honour and glory may be so constantly in our hearts, in our souls, and on our lips, that we may glorify him with all veneration, both internal and external, and, like the citizens of heaven, celebrate, with all the energies of our being, the praises of the holy and glorious God. We pray that, as the blessed spirits in heaven praise and glorify God with one mind and one accord, mankind may do the same; that all men may embrace the religion of Christ, and, dedicating themselves unreservedly to God, may believe that he is the fountain of all holiness, and that there is nothing pure or holy that does net emanate from the holiness of his divine name. According to the Apostle, the Church is cleansed ‘* by the laver of water in the word of life;’’? mean ing by ‘the word of life,” the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, in which we are baptized and sancti- fied. As, then, for those on whom his name is not invoked, fh there can exist no expiation, no purity, no integrity, we desire and pray that mankind, emerging from the darkness of infidelity, and iilumined by the rays of the divine light, may confess the power of his name; that seeking in him true sanctity, and re- ceiving by his grace the sacrament of baptism, in the name of the holy and undivided Trinity, they may arrive at perfect holi- ness.

' Ps. xeviii. 3. 2 Eph. vy. 26 29* ;

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Our prayers and petitions also regard those who ave fes feited the purity of baptism, and sullied the robe of innocence, thus introducing again into their unhappy souls the foul spirit that before possessed them. We desire, and beseech God, that in them also may his name be hallowed; that, entering into themselves, and returning to the paths of true wisdom, they may recover, through the sacrament of penance, their lost holiness, and become pure and holy temples, in which God may dweil.

We also pray that God would shed his light on the minds of all, to enable them to see that ‘‘ every good and perfect gift, coming from the Father of light,’’t proceeds from his bounty, and to refer to him temperance, justice, life, salvation. Ina word, we pray that all external blessings of soul and body, which regard life and salvation, may be referred to him, whose hands, as the Church proclaims, shower down every blessing on the world. Does the sun, by his light, do the other hea- venly bodies, by the harmony of their motions, minister to man? is life maintained by the respiration of that pure air which surrounds us? Are all living creatures supported by that profusion of fruits, and of vegetable productions, with which the earth is enriched and diversified? Do we enjoy the blessings of peace and tranquillity, through the agency of the civil magistrate? All these, and innumerable other bless- ings, we receive from the infinite goodness of God. Nay, those causes, which philosophers term ‘‘ secondary,”’ we should consider as instruments wonderfully adapted to our use, by which the hand of God distributes to us his blessings, and showers them upon us with liberal profusion.

But the principal object to which this petition refers is, that ali recognise and revere the Spouse of Christ, our most holy mother the Church, in whou 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 sanctifi- cation, which are, as it were, so many celestial conduits, con- veying 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.?

The pastor will urge with peculiar emphasis, that it is the part of a dutiful child not only to pray for his father in word, but, in deed and in work, to endeavour to afford a bright exes ample of the sanctification of his holy name. Would to God that there were none, who, whilst they pray daily for the sanc- tification of the name of God, violate and profane it, as far as on them depends, by their conduct; who are sometimes the guilty cause why God himself is blasphemed; and of whom

! James 1. 17 ? Acts iv. 12. Vid. Aug. serm, 181. de tempore et Greg lib. 35. Moral. c. 6

On the Lord’s Prayer.

the Apostle has said: ** The name of God through you is blas- phemed amongst the Gentiles,”* and Ezekiel: + They entered amongst the nations whither they went and profaned my holy mame, where it was said of them, this is the people of the Lord, and they are come forth out of his land.’’» ‘Their lives and morals are the standard by which the unlettered multitude judge of religion itself and of its founder: to live, therefore, according to its rules, and to regulate their words and actions according to its maxims, is to give others an edifying example, by which they will be pow erfull y stimulated to praise, honour, and glorify the name of our Father who is in heaven. ‘To ex- cite others to the praise and exaltation of the divine name is an obligation, which our Lord himself has imposed on us: ‘ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven;’’$ and the prince of the Apostles says: ‘* Having your conversation good among the Gentiles, that, by the good works which they shall behold in you, they may glorify God in the day of visitation.’’*

‘THY KINGDOM CUME.””

Tue kingdom of heaven, which we pray for in this second petition, is the great end to which is referred, in which termi- nates, all the preaching of the Gospel: from it St. John the Baptist commenced his exhortation to penance, ‘* Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand;’’* and with it the Saviour of the world opens his preaching.® In that admirable discourse on the mount, in which he points out to his disciples the way to everlasting life, having proposed to himself, as it were, the subject-matter of his discourse, he commences with the kingdom of heaven: ** Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;"’? and to those who would detain him with them, he assigned as the cause of his departure the neces- sity of preaching the kingdom of heaven: ‘**‘To other cities, also, | must préach the kingdom of God ; therefore am I sent.’”8 This kingdom he afterwards commanded the Apostles to preach ;® and to him who expressed a wish ‘to go and bury his father,” he replied: ‘* Go thou, and preach the kingdom of God ;’’?° and after he had risen from the dead, ** for forty days speaking to his Apostles, he spoke of the kingdom of God.’

This second petition, therefore, the pastor wil] treat with the greatest attention, in order to impress on the minds of the faith- fu. 1s paramount importance and necessity. In the first place,

! Rom. ii. 24. 2 Ezek. xxxvi. 20. 3. Matt. v. 16. 41 Pet i. 12. 3 Matt. iii. 2. 6 Matt. iv. 17. 7 Matt. v. 3. % Luke iv. 43- 9 Matt. x. 7 © Luke ix. 60 " Actsi.3

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The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

ne will find its judicious and accurate exposition much facili tated by the reflection, that the Redeemer himself commanded this petition, although united to the others, to be also offered separately, in order that we may seek with the greatest earnest- ness the object of our prayer: ‘*Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be given you besides.”

And, indeed, so great is the abundance of heavenly gifts con- tained in this petition, that it embodies all things necessary for the security of soul and body. ‘The king, who pays no atten- tion to those things on which depends the safety of his kingdom, we should deem unworthy of the name. What then must be the solicitude, what the providential care, with which the King of kings guards the life and safety of man? When, therefore, we say, ‘** Thy kingdom come,”’ we compress within the small compass of this petition all that we stand in need of in our pre- sent pilgrimage or rather exile, and all this God graciously pro- mises to grant us: He immediately subjoins: ‘‘ All these things shall be given you besides ;”’ thus unequivocally declaring, that he is that king who, with bountiful hand, bestows upon man an abundance of all things; in the contemplation of whose in- finite goodness David was enraptured when he poured out these words of inspired song: ‘*’The Lord ruleth me, and I shall want nothing.’”*

Not enough, however, that we utter an earnest petition for the kingdom of God; we must also make use of all those means, by which it is sought and found. ‘The five foolish virgins ut- tered the same earnest petition in these words: ‘* Lord, Lord, open to us ;’’> but they used not the means necessary to secure its attainment, and were, therefore, excluded: ‘* Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.’’# ;

The priest, therefore, who is charged with the care of souls, will draw from the exhaustless fountain of inspiration those powerful motives, which are calculated to excite the faithful to the desire and pursuit of the kingdom of heaven; which por- tray in vivid colouring our deplorable condition; and which should make so sensible an impression upon them, that entering into themselves they may call to mind that supreme felicity and those unspeakable joys with which the eternal abode of God our Father abounds. [n this nether world we are exiles, inha- bitants of a land, in which, also, dwell those demons who wage against us an interminable warfare; who are the determined and implacable foes of mankind. What shall we say of those intestine conflicts and domestic battles in which the soul and the body, the flesh and the spirit, are continually engaged against each other?> in which we have always to apprehend defeat; nay, in which instant defeat becomes inevitable, unless we be defended by the protecting hand of God. Feeling this weight

' Matt. vi. 33 2 Ps. xxii. 1. 3 Matt. xxv. 11. 4 Matt. vii. 21. » Gal. v. 17.

On the Lord's Prayer.

tf misery the apostle exclaims: ‘* Unhappy man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death.’”!

The misery of our condition, it is true, strikes us at once of itself, but, if contrasted with that of other creatures, it strikes us still more forcibly. Although irrational and even inanimate, hey are seldom seen to depart from the acts, the instinets, the movements imparted to them by nature, so as to fail of obtain- ng their proposed and determinate end. ‘This is too obvious in he irrational portion of creation, in beasts, fishes, and birds, to require elucidation; but if we look to the heavens, do we not behold the verification of these words of David? « For ever, O Lord, thy word standeth firm in the heavens.’’2 Constant in their motions, uninterrupted in their revolutions, they never de- part in the least from the laws prescribed by the Creator. The earth, too, and universal nature, as we at once perceive, adhere strictly to, or, at least depart but very little from the laws of heir being. But, unhappy man is often guilty of this deordi- nation: he seldom realizes his good purposes, but generally abandons and despises what he has well commenced: his best resolutions, which pleased for a time, are often suddenly aban- doned ; and he plunges with blind precipitancy into designs as degrading as they are pernicious. What then is the cause of tnis misery and inconstancy? Manifestly a contempt of the divine inspirations. We close our ears to the admonitions of God, ovr eyes to the divine lights which shine before us, our hearts against those salutary precepts which are delivered by our heavenly Father.

To paint to the eyes of the faithful the misery of man’s con- dition, to detail iis various causes, and to point out the remedies prescribed for its removal, are, therefore, amongst the objects which should employ the most zealous exertions of the pastor ; and, in the discharge of this duty, his labour will be not a little facilitated by pressing into his service what has been said on the subject by St. Chrysostome and St. Augustine, men eminent for sanctity ; and still more by consulting our exposition of the Creed. Who so abandoned as, with a knowledge of these truths, and aided by the preventing grace of God, not to endea- vour, like the prodigal son mentioned in the Gospel,’ to rise from his abasement, and hasten into the presence of his heavenly Father and king ?+

Having explained these matters, the pastor will proceed to point out the advantages to be derived by the faithful from this petition, and the objects for which it sues. ‘This becomes the more necessary, as the words, *‘ kingdom of God,” have a va- riety of significations, the exposition of each of which will not be found without its advantages in elucidating other passages of Scripture, and is here indispensably necessary.

1 Rom. vii. 24. 2 Ps. exviii. 89, 3 Luke xv.

4 Vid. Chrys. in Ps. 118. et in c. 4. Isai. et hom. 62. ad pop. Antioch, item. et hom. 69, et in serm. de vanit. et brevit. vite. Aug. lib. 10, Confess. c. 28 et 31 et lib 21 de civit. Dei, c. 14. et lib. 21 c. 22.

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The words * kingdom of God,” ordinarily signify not only that power which he possesses over all men, and over universa creation, a sense in which they frequently occur in Scripture but, also, his providence which rules and governs the world, “¢In his hands,” says the Prophet, are ail the ends of the earth.! The word ‘‘ends” includes those things, also, which lie buried in the depths of the earth, and are concealed in the most hidden recesses of creation; and in this sense Mardochius exclaims: **O Lord, Lord, Almighty King, for all things are in thy power, and there is none that can resist thy will: juan art Lord of all, and there is none that can resist thy majesty.’

By ‘‘the kingdom of God” is also alee that special providence by which God ,otects, and watches over pious and SE) men; and of this David speaks, when he says: ‘* The Lord rules me, I shall want nothing,’’* and Isaias: ‘* The Lord our king he will save us.’’* But, although, even in this life, the pious aa holy are, as we have already observed, placed, in a special manner, under this kingly power of God; yet our Lord himself informed Pilate, that his kingdom was not of this world,® that is to say, had not its origin in this world, which was created, and is doomed to perish. ‘This is the temporary tenure on which empire is held by Kings, Emperors, Commonwealths, Rulers, and all whose titles to the government of States and Provinces is founded upon the desire or election of men, 0: who, in the absence of legitimate title, have intruded them selves, by violent and unjust usurpation, into sovereign power Not so Christ our Lord, who, as the prophet declares, is ap pointed king by God,® and whose kingdom, as the Apostle says, is ‘justice :’’ ‘The kingdom of God is justice and peace, and jey in the Holy Ghost.’’” Christ our Lord reigns in us by the interior virtues of justice, faith, hope, and chas:ty, which con- stitute us a portion, as it were, of his kingdom. Subject, in a peculiar manner, to God, we are consecrated to his worship ; and, as the Apostle said, ‘I live, yet not. I, but Christ liveth in me;’’> so may we too say, ‘I reign, yet not I, but Christ reigneth in me.”

This kingdom is called ‘* justice,’ because it has for its basis the justice of Christ our Lord; and of it our Lord says in St. Luke: ‘*’The kingdom of God is within you.” Jesus Christ, it is true, reigns by faith in all who are within the bosom of our Holy Mother, the ‘church ; yet does he reign in a special man- ner over those, who avinated by faith, enlivened by hope, and inflamed by charity, have yielded themselves pure and living members to God, and in whom the kingdom of God’s grace is said to consist.

By the words ‘+ kingdom of Gud”’ is also mean that kingdom of his glory, of which Christ our Lord says in St. Matthew :

1 Ps. xerv. 4. 2 Esth. xii. 9. 3 Ps, xxii. 1. ‘Isa. xxxili, 22. 6 Jokn xviii. 36 6 Ps. 11. 6. 7 Rom. xiv. 15. Gal. ii 29. Luke xvii. 21.

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On the Lord’s Prayer.

«Come ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom which was prepared for vou from the beginning of the world.”’! This kingdom the thief, acknowledging his crimes, begged of him in these words: ‘* Lord, remember me, when thou comest into thy kingdom ;’? of this kingdom St. John speaks when he says; ‘* Unless a man be born again of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God ;”’* and of it the Apostle says in his epistle to the Ephesians: ‘‘ No fornicator, or un- clean, or covetous person (which is a serving of idols) hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.’’* To it also refer some of the parables made use of by our Lord, when speaking of the kingdom of heaven.®

But the kingdom of grace must precede that of glory ; in him, in whom his grace does not reign, his-glory cannot reign. Grace, according to the Redeemer, is ‘a fountain of living water springing up to eternal life ;’”° nor can we designate glory otherwise than a certain perfect and absolute grace. Whilst we are clothed with this frail mortal flesh ; whilst, faint and wandering in this gloomy pilgrimage and dreary exile, we are separated from God, rejecting the aid of the kingdom of grace which supported us, we often stumble and fall; but when the light of the kingdom of glory, which is perfect, shall have shone upon us, we shall stand for ever firm and immovea- ble. Then shall every imperfection be eradicated, and every ‘nconvenience removed ; then shall every infirmity be strength- ened and every weakness invigorated; in a word, God himself will then reign in our souls and bodies. But on this subject we dwelt already at considerable length, in the exposition of the Creed.7

Having thus explained the ordinary acceptation of the words, * kingdom of God,” we now come to point out the particular objects contemplated by this petition. In this petition we pray that the kingdom of Christ, that is, his Church, may be enlarged ; that Jews and infidels may embrace the faith of Christ, and the knowledge of the true God ; that schismatics and heretics may return to soundness of mind, and to the com- munion of the Church of God, which they have deserted; and that thus may be fulfilled the words of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of Isaias: ** Enlarge the place of thy tent, and stretch out the skins of thy tabernacles; lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes, for thou shalt pass on to the right hand and to the left, for he that made thee shall rule over thee.’’8 And again, ‘* The Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising; lift up thy eyes round about and see: ail these are gathered together, they are come to thee: thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up at thy side.’’?

But it is a melancholy truth, that, in the church of God,

Matt. xxv. 34. 2 Luke xxiii. 4. 3 John iii. 5. 4 Epn. v. 5.

5 Matt. xiii. 6 John iv. 14, 7 See article, ‘ Resurrection of the body.” 8 Ts. liv. 2. 9 Ts. Ix. 3.

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there are to be found those ‘* who profess they know God, but -.n their works deny him ;’’! whose conduct is a reprozch to the faith which they glory to profess; who, by sinning, become the dwelling-place of the devil, where he exercises uncontrolled dominion. ‘Therefore do we pray that the kingdom of God may also come to them, by which, the darkness of sin being dispelled from around them, and their minds being illumined by the rays of the divine light, they may be restored to thei lost dignity of children of God ; that, heresy and schism being removed, and all offences and causes of sins being eradicated from his kingdom, our heavenly Father may cleanse the floor of his church; and that, worshipping God in piety and holiness, she may enjoy undisturbed peace and tranquillity.

Finally, we pray that God alone may live, alone may reign, within us ; that death may no longer exist, but may be absorbed in the victory achieved by Christ our Lord, who, having broken and scattered the power of his enemies, may, in his might, subject all things te his dominion.

‘The pastor will atso be mindful to teach the faithful, and this the nature of the petition demands, the thoughts ana reflections with which their minds should be impressed, in order to offer this prayer devoutly to God. He will exhort them, in the first place, to consider the force and import of that similitude of the Redeemer: ‘‘ The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field: which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof, goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”? He who knows the riches of Christ the Lord wili despise all things when compared to them: to him, wealth, riches, power, will appear as dross; nothing can be com- pared to, or stand in competition with that inestimable treasure, Whoever, then, is blessed with this knowledge, will say with the Apostle, ‘« I count all things to be but loss, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ.”’? ‘This is that precious jewel of the Gospel, to purchase which, he who sells all his earthly goods shall enjoy an eternity of bliss.* Happy we, should Jesus Christ shed so much light on our minds, as to enable us to discover this jewel of divine grace, by which he reigns in the hearts of those that are his. ‘Then would we be prepared to sell all that we have on earth, even ourselves, to purchase and secure its possession; then might we say with confidence, ‘* Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?’’ But would we know the incomparable excellence of the kingdom of God’s glory, let us hear the concurring sentiments of the Prophet and of the Apostle: ‘* Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.’”®

To obtain the object of our prayers, it will be found most available to consider seriously who we are; children of Adam,

! Tit. 1. 16. 2 Matt. xiii. 44. 3 Phil. ili. 8. 4 Matt. xxiii. 45 5 Rom. vill. 35. 6 Js. lxiv. 2. 1 Cor. ii. 9.

On the Lord’s Prayer. y

exiled from Paradise by a just sentence of banishment, and deserving, by our unworthiness and perversity, to become the objects of God’s hatred, and to be doomed to eternal punishment. ‘This consideration should excite in us sentiments of unfeigned humility, sentiments, too, which our prayers should piously breathe. Diffiding entirely in ourselves, like the publican, we will fly to the mercy of God: attributing all to his bounty, we will render immortal thanks to him who has imparted to us his Holy Spirit ; that Holy Spirit encouraged by whom we are emboldened to say, ** Abba, Father.’ We will also be careful to consider what is to be done, what avoided, in order to arrive at the kingdom of heaven. We are not called by God to lead lives of ease and indolence ; he himself declares, that ** the kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away ;’* and if we will enter into life, we must keep the commandments.’ Not enough, therefore, that we seek the kingdom of God: we must also use our best exertions for its attainment ; and it is a duty incumbent on us to co-operate with the grace of God, in pursuing the path that leads to heaven. God never abandons us; he has promised to be with us at all times ; and we have, therefore, only not to forsake God, or abandon ourselves.

In this kingdom of God, which is his Church, he has pro- vided all those succours by which he defends the life of man, and accomplishes his eternal salvation; whether they are invi- sible to us, such as those which we receive from the ministry of the hosts of angelic spirits, or visible, such as we receive from the sacraments, those unfailing sources of celestial virtue. Defended by these safeguards, not only may we securely defy the assaults of our most determined enemies, but may even lay prostrate, and trample under foot, the fell tyrant himself, with all his infernal legions.

In conelusion, let us, then, earnestly implore of God the effusion of his Divine Spirit, that he may command us to do all things in accordance with his holy will; that he may over- throw the empire of Satan, so as to have no power over us on the great accounting day; that Christ may be victorious and tri- umphant; that the divine influence of his law may be spread throughout the world; that his ordinances may be observed; that there be found no traitor to, no deserter from, his standard ; and that all may so conduct themselves, as to come with joy into the presence of God their King, and may reach the possess- ion of the celestial kingdom, prepared for them from all eternity in the fruition of endless bliss with Christ Jesus.

Rom. viii. 15. 2 Matt. xi. 12 5 Matt. xix. 17. 30

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The Catechism of the Councit of Trent

** THY WILL BE DONE.’

Tuts should be the prayer of all who desire to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Christ our Lord has said, ‘* Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doth the will of my Father who is in hea- ven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ;’’! and therefore does this petition immediately sueceed that which prays for the coming of his kingdom.

But in order that the faithful may appreciate the necessity of the object of this petition, and may estimate the numerous and salutary gifts which we obtain through its concession, the pas- tor will direct their attention to the misery and wretchedness in which primeval guilt has involved mankind. From the begin- ning, God implanted in all creatures an inborn desire of pursuing their own happiness, that, by a sort of natural impulse, they may seek and desire their proper end, an end from which they never deviate, unless impeded by some external obstacle which opposes their progress. ‘This propensity existed originally in man, and, endowed, as he is, with reason and judgment, was in him a noble and exalted principle, impelling him earnestly te desire God: but, whilst irrational creatures, which, coming from the hand of God, were good, preserved their instinctive impulse, and thus continued, and still continue, in their original state and condition, man, unhappy man, no longer guided by the innate principle of his being, ran into a devious course, and lost not only original justice, with which he had been super- naturally gifted and adorned, but, also, weakened the predomi- nant desire of the soul, infused into it by the Creator, the love of virtue. ‘* All have gone aside: they are become unprofitable together; there is none that doth good, no, not one.’’? ‘* Man is inclined to evil from his youth.’ Hence, it is not difficult to perceive, that of himself nv man is wise unto salvation; that all are prone to evil; and that man is a slave to innumerable corrupt propensities, which hurry him along with precipitancy to anger, hatred, pride, ambition, and almost to every species of evil.

Although continually beset by these evils, yet, and this is the greatest evil of all, many of them appear to us not to be evils, a melancholy proof of the calamitous condition of fallen man, who, blinded by passion, sees not that what he deems salutary generally contains a deadly poison; whilst those things which are really good and virtuous, are shunned as the cont-ary. Of this false estimate and corrupt judgment of man, God ‘hus expresses his detestation : ‘* Wo to you that call evi! good, and good evil ; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet. and sweet for bitter.’’*

' Matt. vii. 21. 2 Ps. lii. 4. 3 Gen. viii. 21 Isa. v. 20.

On the Lord’s Prayer. 38)

{n order, therefore, to delineate in vivid colouring the misery Scriptural of our condition, the sacred Scripture compares us to those who a have lost the natural sense of taste, and who, in consequence, loathing wholesome food, relish only what is unwholesome. It also compares us to sick persons, for as they, whilst in a weak state, are unable to fill those offices, or discharge those duties, which require the vigour and activity of health ; so, neither can we, without the assistance of divine grace, perform those actions which are acceptable to God. Should we even, thus unassisted, be able to accomplish some good, it is but trivial, and of little or no advantage towards the attainment of salvation. ‘To love and serve God as we ought is more than our natural strength can accomplish in our present feeble condition, unless assisted by the grace of God.

Another most appropriate comparison is that by which we iL are likened to children, who, with a fickleness characteristic of their age, are, if left to their own discretion, hastily caught by every thing that presents itself. We, indeed, are children, the moment we are destitute of the divine protection : like them we too are the dupes of our own imprudence ; and no less silly, we amuse ourselves with frivolous conversations, and fritter away our time in unprofitable pursuits. Wisdom, therefore, reproves us in the words: ‘‘O children, how long will you love childishness, and fools covet those things which are hurtful to themselves ;’* and the Apostle thus exhorts us: ‘* Do not become children in sense.”? We, however, are the dupes of No‘e. greater folly and grosser error than children: they may, as they advance in years, arrive at the wisdom of manhood; but, unless guided and assisted from above, we can never aspire to the di- vine wisdom which is necessary to salvation. Unassisted by God, and having spurned those things which are really good, we rush on voluntary destruction.

Should, however, the soul emerge from the darkness in which Salutary it is enveloped, and discover in the light of divine grace the mi- cies oe series which encompass her; should man, awakening from the ledge. lethargy which oppressed his faculties, feel the law of the mem- bers, and the desires of sense, opposed to the spirit ; should he despise the evil propensities of his nature which incline him to evil; must he not seek an effectual remedy for the enormous mass of misery entailed on us by the corruption of nature? Will he not sigh for the happiness which attends a conformity with the holy will of God, which is, and ought to be the rule of a Christian life. ‘This it is that we implore, when we ad- dress these words to God: ‘Thy will be done.” Having fallen into this state of misery by disobeying and despising the divine will, God vouchsafes to propose to us, as the sole correet- ive of all our evils, a conformity to his holy will, which by sin ning we despised : he commands us to regulate all our thoughts and actions by this standard; and for the accomplishment of

' Prov. 1. 22 2 James iv 1

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this important end, we humbly address this prayer to God «Thy will be done.”

The same should also be the fervent prayer of those. in whose souls God already reigns; who have been already illumined with the divine light, which enables them to obey the will of God. Although thus gifted and thus disposed, they have still to struggle against the solicitations of passion, the offspring of innate degeneracy and corruption; and were we of their num- ber, we should still be exposed to great danger from our own frailty, and should always apprehend, lest, drawn aside and allured by our concupiscences, ‘* which war in our members,” we should again stray from the path of salvation. Of this dan- ger our Lord admonishes us in these words: ‘* Watch ye and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is prompt but the flesh weak.’’? It is not in the power of man, not even of him who is justified by the grace of God, to reduce the irregular desires of the flesh to such a state of utter sub- jection, as that they may never afterwards rebel. By justify- ing grace, God, no doubt, heals the wounds of the soul; but it is not true that he also removes the infirmity of the flesh, as we may infer from the words of the Apostle: ‘*1 know that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my flesh, that which is good.’”?

The moment the first man forfeited original justice, which enabled him to bridle the passions, reason was no longer able ‘© restrain them within the bounds of duty, or to repress those inordinate desires, which are repugnant even to reason. Hence the Apostle says, that sin, that is the incentive to sin, dwells in the flesh; giving us to understand that it does not, like a stranger, make a temporary stay with us, but, as an inhabitant

of ‘our earthly house of this habitation,”* takes up its per-

petual abode in our members. ‘Continually beset, then, as we are, by domestic enemies, we see at once the necessity of taking refuge under the divine protection, and of praying that the will of God may be done in us.

In the next place, the pastor will explain to the faithful the force of this petition, and omitting many questions of scholastic disputation, which the erudition of some Doctors of the Chureh has discussed not less usefully than copiously, we shall content ourselves with saying, that, in the Lord’s Prayer, the word ‘* will” is that which is commonly called ‘* the will of sign,” (‘* voluntas signi,”’) and signifies what God commands or ad- monishes us to do or to avoid. Here, therefore, the word ‘* will’? comprehends all things which are proposed to us as the means of attaining heaven, whether they regard faith or

5

morals ; all things, in a word, which Christ our Lord has com-

manded or prohibited either in person or through his Church; and in the same sense are to ke understood these words of the

' Matt. xxvi.41. Vid. Hieron. lib, 2. adversus Iovin. et Aug. de Heres, 6. ? Rom. vii 18 3 2 Cor. v. 1.

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On the cord’s Prayer

Apostle: ‘Become not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God.’”*

When, therefore we say, ‘**’Thy will be done,” we first beseech our Heavenly Father to enable us to obey his divine commands, and to serve him all the days of our lives in holi- ness and justice; to do all things in accordance with his will and pleasure; to perform all those duties of which we are admonished in the pages of inspiration ; guided and assisted by him, to conduct ourselves in every thing as becomes those *‘ who are born, not of the will of flesh but of God ;’’ following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was made obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross. Finally, we be- seech him to enable us to be prepared to suffer all things rather than depart even in the least from his holy will. None desire or love more ardently the objects of this petition than they, to whom it is given to contemplate the surpassing dignity of him who obeys God. ‘They, it is, who comprehend this truth, that to serve and obey God is to reign: ‘* Whoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven; he is my brother and sister and mother ;’? in other words: ‘To him am I most closely united by all the bonds of the tenderest love.”’

The saints, with scarcely a single exception, failed not to make the principal gift contemplated by this petition the object of their fervent prayers. All, indeed, have in substance made use of this admirable prayer; but not unfrequently in different words. David, whgse inspired strains breathe such sweetness, pours out the same prayer in various aspirations: ‘*O! that my ways may be directed to keep thy justifications :”’? ** Lead me into the path of thy commandments.’’* ‘ Direct my steps according to thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.’’> In the same spirit he says: ‘* Give me understanding, and I will learn thy commandments :’’® **’Teach me thy judg- ments :”’? ** Give me understanding that I may know thy testi- monies.” He often expresses the same sentiment in other words; and these passages the pastor will carefully notice, and explain to the faithful; that all may know and comprehend the plenitude and profusion of salutary gifts which are comprehended in the first part of this petition.

[n the second place, when we say, ** Thy will be done,”’ we express our detestation of the works of the flesh, of which the Apostle says: ‘* The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, &c.’’® » ‘If you live according to the flesh you shall die.”’'° In this prayer we also beg of God not to suffer us to yield to the suggestions of sensual appetite, of our lusts, or our infirmities, but to govern our will by the will of God. ‘The sensualist, whose every thought is fixed on, whose every care is absorbed in, the tran

i Eph. xv. 37. 2 Matt. xii. 50. Bernard. serm. 3. de S. Andrea 3 Ps. exvi. 5 4 Ps. exvill. 35. > Ps. exvili. 133.

6 Ps. exvili 73. 7 Ps. exviii. 108. 8 Ps. exviil. 125

9 Gal. v. 13 lo Rom. villi 13

30* ye

3a

What we pray for im this peti- lion.

il III. IV

Note.

‘This peti- tion very frequentl used by the

saints.

Of what We express our detesta- tion in thie petition

Note.

B54

Vi

Difficw ty of offe ring this peti- tion from the heart.

vil

Scriptura! illustra- tions.

Vill.

Beripturai Wusrration

Lhe Catechism of the Councii of Trent.

sient enjoyments of this world, is far removed from the fulfil ment of the will of God; borne along by the tide of passion, he indulges in the gratification of his licentious appetites: in this gratification he places ail his happiness, and pronounces him blessed, who succeeds in its attainment. We. on the econ- trary, beseech God, in the language of the Apostle, that ** we make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscence ;* but that his will be done.”’

It is not without a struggle with corrupt nature, that we can bring ourselves to beg of God not to satisfy our inordinate appetites; this disposition of soul is difficult of attainment ; and by offering such a prayer we seem in some sort to hate ourselves. ‘I’o those who are slaves to the flesh such conduct appears folly ; but be it ours cheerfully to incur the imputation of folly for the sake of him, who has said: * If any man will come after me, let him hate himself.’’? Better to desire what is right and just, than to obtain what is opposed to reason and religion, and to the laws of God. Unquestionably the condition of the man, who attains the gratification of his rash and inordi- nate desires, is less enviable than that of him, who cbtains not the object of his pious prayers.

Our prayers, however, have not solely for object, that God should deny us what accords with our inordinate desires, viti- ated as they are in their source: but, also, that he would not grant us those things for which, under the persuasion and im- pulse of the devil, who transforms himself into an angel of light, we sometimes pray, believing them to be good. ‘The desire of the prince of the Apostles, to dissuade our Lord from his determination to meet death, appeared not less reasonable than religious: yet our Lord severely rebuked him, because it originated, not in supernatural motives, but in natural feeling. What stronger proof of love towards the Redeemer than that evinced by the request of St. James and St. John, who, filled with indignation against the Samaritans for refusing to enter- tain their Divine Master, besought him to command fire to descend from heaven and consume those insensible and in- human men? Yet they were reproved by our Lord in these words, ** You know not of what spirit you are; the Sen of man came not to destroy but to save.’’

We should beseech God that his will be done, not only when our desires are inordinate or appear to be inordinate, but, also, when they are not inordinate ; when, for instance, the will obeys the instinctive impulse which prompts it to desire what is neces- sary for our preservation, and to reject the contrary. When about to pray for such things, we should say from our hearts, ‘* thy wil: be done ;” in imitation of the example of him, from whom we receive salvation and the discipline of salvation ; who, when agitated by a natural dread of torments, and of a cruel and ignominious death, bowed in that agonizing hour with meek

! Rom. xiii. 14. 2 Matt. xv'.24 Luke ix 23. 3 Luke ix. 54

. | .

On the Lord’s Prayer.

submission to the will of his Heavenly Father: ‘* Not my will but thine be done.’”!

But, such is the degeneracy of our nature, that, even when we have contravened our inordinate desires, and subjected them to the will of God, we cannot avoid sin without his assistance, by which we are protected from evil, and directed in the pur- suit of good. ‘lo this petition, therefore, we must have recourse, beseeching God to perfect in us those things which his grace has begun ; to repress the turbulent emotions of desire ; to sub- ject our sensual appetites to the voice cf reason; in a word, to render us entirely conformable to his holy will. We pray that the whole world may receive the knowledge of his will; that the mystery of God, hidden from all ages and generations, may be made known to all. We, also, pray for the form and model of this obedience, that our conformity to the will of God be re- gulated according to the rule odserved by the blessed angels and the choirs of other celestial spirits ; that, as they sponta- neously and with ecstatic pleasure, obey God, we too may yield a cheerful obedience to his will in the manner most acceptable to him.

God also requires, that in serving him we be actuated by the greatest love, and by the most exalted charity : that, whilst we devote ourselves entirely to him, with the hope of receiving heaven as the reward of our fidelity, we look forward to that reward, because it has pleased the Divine Majesty that we should cherish that hope. Let all our hopes, therefore, be based on the love of that God, who proposes as its reward the happiness of heaven. ‘There are some who love to serve another, but who do so, however, solely with a view to some recompense, which is the end and aim of their love; whilst others, influenced by love alone, and by generous devotedness, look to nothing else in the services which they render, than the goodness and worth of him whom they serve ; and in being able to render him these services deem themselves happy. ‘This is the meaning of the terms appended to the petition, and of the apposition between the words, ** On earth as it is in Heaven.”’

It is, then, our duty to endeavour, as much as possible, to be obedient to God, as we have said the blessed spirits are, whose praises in the performance of this exercise of profound obedience are celebrated by David in the psalm in which occur the words *¢ Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts ; ye ministers of his that do his will.’ Should any one, however, adopting the interpreta- tion of St. Cyprian, understand the words, ‘*in heaven,” tu mean in the good and the pious, and the words * on earth,” the wicked and the impious, we do not disapprove of the interpre- tation ; by the word ‘* heaven”’ understanding ** the spirit,” and by the word * earth” ** the flesh,” that all creatures may in all things obey the will of God.?

| Luke xxii. 42 2 Pa, ci. 21

Bho

Without grace we cannot avoid sin,

IX.

God how ta be served.

Imperfect love.

Perfect love,

Note

Vhat our bedience » God is.

356

This pe- tition con- tains thanks- giving.

Note.

A powerful motive to

revere the will of God.

The dispo- tion of mind in which this petition should be offered.

Obedience to the will of God,

man’s high- est dignity.

f uportant

admonition.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

This petition also includes thanksgiving. We revere the most holy will of God, and in transports of joy celebrate all his works, with the highest praise and gratulation, knowing that he has done all things well. God is, confessedly, omnipotent * and the consequence necessariiy forces itself on the mind, that all things were created at his command: he is the supreme good ; we must, therefore, confess that all his works are good, for to all he imparted his own goodness. If, however, the hu- man intellect cannot fathom all the mysterious depths of the divine economy, banishing every doubt from the mind, we un- hesitatingly declare, in the words of the Apostle, that ‘* his ways are unsearchable.””?

We, also, find a powerful incentive to revere the holy will of God in the reflection, that by him we have been deemed worthy to be illumined by his heavenly light; who hath de- livered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.’”?

8ut, to close our exposition of this petition, we must revert to a subject at which we glanced at its commencement: itis, that the faithful, in uttering this petition, should be humble and lowly in spirit; keeping in view the violence of inordinate and innate desire, which revolts against the will of God; recollecting that in this duty of obedience, man is excelled by all other creatures, of whom it is written, ‘* All things serve thee ;’’$ and reflecting, that he who, unsupported by the divine assistance, is unable to undertake, not to say, perform, any thing acceptable to God, must be, of all other beings, the weakest.

But, as there is nothing greater, nothing more exalted, as we have already said, than to serve God, and live in obedience to his law, what more desirable to a Christian, than to walk in the ways of the Lord; to think nothing, to undertake nothing, at variance with his will? In order that the faithful may adopt this rule of life practically, and adhere to it with greater fidelity, the pastor will recur to the pages of inspiration for examples of individuals, who, by not referring their views to the will of Gad, have failed in all their undertakings.

Finally, the faithful are to be admonished to acquiesce im- plicitly in the simple and absolute will of God. Let him, who thinks that he occupies a place in society inferior to his deserts, bear his lot with patient resignation: let him not abandon the sphere in which Providence has placed him; but abide in the vocation to which he has been called. Let him subject his own judgment to the will of God, who consults better for our inte- rests than we can do, by adopting the suggestions of our own desires. If oppressed by poverty, harassed by distress, or goaded by persecution ; if visited by troubles or afflictions of any sort: let us recollect, that none of these things happen without the permission of God, who is the Supreme Arbiter of all things. We should, therefore, not suffer our minds to be toe

1 Rom. xi. 33. 2 Col. i. 13. 3 Ps. exvin 91.

On the Lord's Prayer. 35?

much disturbed by them, but bear up against them with forti- tude ; having always on our lips the words of the Apostles, * The will of the Lord be done ;”"' and, also, those of holy Job, ** As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done: blessed be the

14278

name of the Lord.

** GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.”

Tue fourth and following petitions, in which we particularly Order ef and expressively pray for “the necess ary succours of soul and oe peti body, have reference to those which preceded. According to "°"™” the order of the Lord’s Prayer, we ask for what regards the body and its preservation, after that which regards God. As man’s creation and being terminate in God as his ultimate end, so, in like manner, the goods of this life have reference to those of the next; and it is with a view to the former, that we should desire and pray for the latter. This we should do, either be- cause the divine order so requires, or because we have occasion for these aids to obtain those divine blessings, and, assisted by them, to attain our proposed end, the kingdom and glory of our Heavenly Father, and the reverential observance of those com- mands which we know to emanate from his holy will. In this Note. petition, therefore, we should propose to ourselves nothing but God, and his glory.

In the discharge of his duty towards his people, the pastor, In asking therefore, will endeavour to make them understand, that, in pray- for tempo- ing for temporal blessings, our minds and our desires are to be [#00 directed in conformity with the law of God, from which we are desires are not to Swerve in the least. By praying for the transient things riches of this world, we but too often transgress ; for, as the Apostle the law of says, ‘* We know not what we should pray for as we ought.’’® God. These things, therefore, ‘‘ we should pray for as we ought,” Note. lest, praying for any thing as we ought not, we receive “from God for answer, ** You know not what you desire.’’4

To ascertain what petition is good, and what the contrary, Means of the purpose and intention of the petitioner is an infailible crite- Sacer: rion. To pray for temporal blessings, under an impression that oinienten they constitute the sovereign good ; to rest in them, as the ulti- in offering mate end of our desires, and to seek for nothing else ; this, nc pert: unquestionably, is not to pray as we ought; for, as St. Augus- tine observes, ‘* we ask not these tem poral things as our good, but as necessaries.’’> ‘The Apostle, also, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, teaches, that whatever regards the necessary pur-

! Acts xxi. 14. 2 Job i. 21. 3 Rom. viii. 26. 4 Matt. xx. 22. 5 Lib. 2. serm. Dom. in monte. c. 16. item. ep. 121. ¢. 6

358

smportance of this peti- ton.

Difference between the state of innocence apd of fallen na- ture -

Note

Note.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

poses of life is to be referred to the glory of God: ‘ Whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do, do all to the glory of God.’’!

In order that the faithful may see the importance of this peti- tion, the pastor will advert to the necessity of external things, in order to support life; and this they will the more easily comprehend, by comparing the wants of our protoparent with those of his posterity. ‘True it is, that, although in a state of spotless innocence, from which he himself, and, through his transgression, all his posterity fell, he had occasion to use food for the refection of the body ; yet, between his wants, and those to which we are subject, there exists a wide diversity. He stood not in need of clothes to cover him, of a house to shelter him, of weapons to defend him, of medicine to restore health, nor of many other things which are necessary to us for the protection and preservation of our weak and frail bodies : to enjoy immor- tality, it had been sufficient for him to eat of the fruit which the tree of life spontaneously yielded; whilst he and all his posterity should have been exempt from the labour of cultivating the earth in the sweat of their brow. Placed in that habitation of pleasure in order to be occupied, he was not, in the midst of these delights, to lead a life of listless indolence ; but to him no employment could be troublesome, no duty unpleasant. Occu- pied in the cultivation of those beautiful gardens, his care would have been always blessed with a profusion of fruits the most delicious, his labours never disappointed, his hopes never blasted.

His posterity, on the contrary, are not only deprived of the fruit of the tree of life, but also condemned to this dreadful sen- tence, ‘* Cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life; thorns and this- tles shail it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken; for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.”? Our condition, therefore, is entirely different from what his and that of his pos- terity would have been, had he continued faithful to God. All things have been thrown into disorder, and have undergone a melancholy deterioration ; and of the evils consequent to prime- val transgression, it is not the least, that the heaviest cost, and labour, and toil, are frequently expended in vain ; either because the crops are unproductive, or because the fruits of the earth are destroyed by noxious weeds, by heavy rains, by storms, hail, blight, or blast. Thus is the entire labour of the year quickly reduced to nothing, by the inclemency of the weather, or the sterility of the soil; a calamity with which we are visited in punishment of cur crimes, which provoke the wrath of God, and prevent him from blessing our labours ; whilst, at the same

'1 Cor. x. 31. 3 Gen. iii. 17.

|

On the Lord’s Prayer.

time, the dreadfu. sentence first pronounced against guilty man is still recorded against us.!

In treating this subject, therefore, the pastor will exert him- self to impress on the minds of the faithful, that if these mis- fortunes and miseries are incidental to man, the fault is entirely his own; that he must labour and toil to procure the necessa- ries of life, but that unless God bless his labours, all his hopes must prove illusory, all his exertions fruitless: ** Neither he that planteth is any thing, nor he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.’’? ‘* Unless the Lord build the house, they fabour in vain that build it.’

The pastor, therefore, will teach that 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 the faithful to have recourse to their heavenly Father, humbly to solicit every blessing of soul and body, of heaven and of earth. ‘They will imitate the example of the prodigal, who, when he began to experience want in a strange land, unable to obtain even the husks of swine, on which to satisfy the cravings of hunger, at length, returning to himself, saw that, for the evils that oppressed him, he could expect no remedy from any one but from his father.t They will also have recourse to prayer with greater confidence, if they 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 him- self to give it, he inspires us with the confident expectation of obtaining it.

When the minds of the faithful are thus animated and en- couraged, the pastor will next evolve the objects of this petition ; and, first, what is the nature of the bread for which it prays. In the sacred Scriptures the word ‘bread’ has a variety of meanings, but particularly the two following: first, whatever is necessary for the sustenance of the body, and for our other cor- poreal wants ; secondly, whatever the divine bounty has bestowed on us for the life and salvation of the soul. In this petition, then, according to the interpretation and authority of the holy Fathers, we ask those sucesurs of which we stand in need in this life; and those, therefore, who say that such prayers are unlawful, deserve no attention. Besides the unanimous concur- rence of the fathers, many examples in the Old and New Tes- taments refute the error, Jacob, pledging a vow to heaven, prayed thus: ‘If God shall be with me, and shall keep me in the way by which I walk, and shall give me bread to eat, and rai- ment to put on, and I shall return prosperously to my father’s house, the Lord shall be my God; and this stone, which I have set up for a title, shall be called the house of God; and of all

\ Gen. iii. 17. ZF Cor tir & 3 Ps. exxvi. 1 { Luke xv

359

Duty of the pastor.

Necessity of this prayer.

Scriptural example

Motives te confidence

Objects of this prayea 1

860

Rete.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

things thou shalt give to me I will offer tithes to thee.”? Solo. mon prayed fora competency in these words: ‘* Give me neither beggary nor riches; give me only the necessaries of life.’’ Nay, the Saviour himself commands us to pray for those things which, it will not be denied, are temporal blessings: ‘* Pray that your flight be not in the winter, or on the Sabbath.’’? St. James, also, says, ‘‘ is any one of you sad? Let him pray. Is

he cheerful in mind? Let him sing;’* and the Apostle thus »

addresses himself to the Romans; ‘I beseech you, therefore, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and by tke charity of the Holy Ghost, that you help me in your prayers for me to God, that I may-be delivered from the unbelievers that are in Judea.’’* Since, then, God permits us to ask these temporal favours, and as this form of prayer was delivered by our Lord Jesus Christ, that it constitutes one of the seven petitions can no longer be matter of doubt.

We, also, ask our daily bread, that is to say, necessary suste- nance, and, under the name of bread, whatever is necessary for food and raiment. In this sense Elizeus makes use of the word, when admonishing the king to give bread to the Assyrian soi- diers, who received a considerable quantity of flesh meat ;° and of Christ our Lord it is written, that ‘* he entered into the house of a certain prince of the Pharisees on the Sabbath-day, to eat bread ;’”” that is to say, to eatanddrink. ‘To comprehend fully the meaning of the petition, it is also to be observed, that oy the word bread, we are not to understand a profusion of exqui- site meats, and of rich clothing, but what is inits quality simple, and in its object necessary, UE to these words of the Apos- tle: ‘* Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content ;’”8 and of Solomon, as already quoted ; ** Give me only the necessa- ries of life.”’® Of this frugality in diet and clothing, we are admo- nished in the next word of the prayer: when we say ‘* our,”’ we pray for the means of satisfying the necessary wants of nature, not of upholding extrav agance, or pampering voluptuousness. We do not, however, by using the word ‘ our,”’ imply that of our- selves, and independently of God, we can acquire these means: ‘* All expect of thee,” says David, ‘‘ that thou give them food in season : what thou givest to them they shall gather up: when thou openest thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.’’2¢ And again, ‘* The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord; and thou givest them meat in due season.’’'t Why, then, do we eall that for which we pray ‘‘ our bread?”” ‘The reason is, because it is necessary for our sustenance, and is given to us by God, the universal Father, whose providence feeds all living creatures ; and, also, because we are to obtain it, lawfully, not by fraud, or injustice, or theft. Whatever we obtain by fraudulent means is not our property ; it is the property of another; and it very

! Gen. xxviii. 20. 2 Prov. xxx. 8. 3 Matt. xxiv. 20 4 James v. 13. 5 Rom. xv. 30. 6 4 Kings vi. 22. 7 Luke xiv. 1. $1 Tim. vi. 8 * Prov xxx. 8. 10 Ps. cili. 27. U Ps. exliv. 15

On the Lord’s Prayer.

generally happens that the injustice is embittered by the aequi- sition, the enjoyment, or, at least, by the loss of such ill-gotten property ; whilst, on the contrary, the fruits of honest industry are enjoyed in peace and happiness; ‘* Thou shalt eat the la- bours of thy hands,’ says the prophet; ‘blessed art thou, and it shall be well with thee.”"*| ‘To those, then, who strive, by honest industry, to procure the means of subsistence, God promises the fruit of his blessing in these words: ** The Lord will send forth a blessing on thy storehouses, and on all the works of thy hands and will bless thee.”* ‘The object of the petition, however, is not solely to beg of God to grant us to make use of the fruits of our labour and industry, and of his bounty : these we truly call ours ; but we also pray that he may grant us enlightened judgment, to use with prudence and pro- priety what we have acquired by honesty and industry.

** Damy’’] This word also conveys an admonition to frugality, of which we spoke in the preceding paragraph. We do not pray for delicacy, or variety of meats: we pray for that alone which satisfies the necessary demands of nature; and the Chris- tian should blush, who, loathing with fastidious palate ordi- nary meat and drink, looks for the rarest viands and the richest wines

The word “ daily’? conveys a no less severe censure on those, against whom Isaiah holds out this awful menace: ‘* Wo to you that join house to house, and lay field to field, even to the end of the place: shall you alone dwell in the m.(st of the earth ?’’ The cupidity of such men is insatiable : ** A covetous man,”’ says Solomon, *‘ shall not be satisfied with money.’’* ‘They that will become rich,”’ says St. Paul, * fall into temptation, and the snare of the devil.’’®

We, also, call it ‘*our daily bread,” because we use it to regain the waste of vital energy, which suffers a daily diminution from the natural heat of the human system.

Finally the word “ daily” implies the necessity of unceasing prayer, in order that we may not swerve from the practice of loving and serving God, and that we may be thoroughly con- vineed of this truth, that upon him we depend for life and sal- vation.

«Give vs” ] What ample matter for instruction is afforded by these two words: what motives they supply to worship and reverence the infinite power of God, in whose hands are all things; what reasons to detest the execrable pride of Satan, who said, ** To me all things are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them ;’" are reflections too obvious not to strike even the most superficial; for by the sovereign pleasure of God are all things dispensed, and preserved, and increased.

But it may be asked, what necessity have the rich to pray for their daily bread, possessing, as they do, abundance of every

! Ps. exxvii. 2. 2 Dent. xxviii. 8. 3 Isa. v. 8. 4 Ecc) v.9 51 Tim. vi. 9. 6 Luke tv. 6

31 22

261

{II

This word admonish- es to fru- gality.

Condemns cupidity.

Noes.

Note.

‘These two words con tain import ant matter

of instrue-

tion.

In what sense appli- cable to tne nich.

Note

“give me.’ 1.

Force of.

We here ask for spi- ritual food, tnd what.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

thing. ‘They «re under the necessity of praying thus, not that those things in which they abound may be given them, but that they lose not what they possess. Let the zich, therefore, learn hence the lesson taught by the Apostle, ‘* not to be high-minded, nor to trust in the uncertainty of riches, but in the living God;

who giveth us abundantly ail things to enjoy.” As a reason for the necessity of this petition, St. Chrysostome says, that in it we not only pray for the means of subsistence, but, also, that “our daily bread” may ve supplied by the hand of God, which Imparts to ita salubrious and salutary ‘influence, rendering it nu

tritive, and preserving t the body in subiection to the soul.?

But why say ‘* give us,”’ in the piural number, not ‘* give , me,” in the singular? Because it is a duty of Christian cha- rity, that each individual be not only solicitous for himself, but, also, active in the cause of his neighbour ; ; and that, whilst he attends to his own interests, he forget not the interests of others. Add to this, that the gifts which God bestows, he bestows, not with a view that he to whom they are given should possess them exclusively, or live luxuriously in their enjoyment; but that he may divide his superfluities with others. As St. Ambrose and St. Basil say, ‘It is the bread of the hungry that you withhold ; it is the clothes of the naked that you lock up: it is the redemp- tion, the freedom, the money of the wretched, that you hide under the earth.’

‘Tris pay’? | ‘These words remind us of the common in- firmity of mortals. Although distrustful of being able, by his own exertions, to procure permanent subsistence, who does not feel confident of being able to procure necessary food for one day at least? Yet even this confidence God will not permit us to cherish: he commands us to ask him even for our daily bread. As, then, we all stand in‘need of daily bread, it follows as a necessary consequence that we should make dailv use of the Lord’s prayer.

We have thus far treated of that bread which we use to nou- rish and support the body, and which God, ‘*who maketh his sun to rise on the good and the bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust,”4 bestows, in his admirable beneficence, indis- criminately on the good and the bad. It now remains to treat of that spiritua! bread, which is, also, the object of this petition of the Lord’s Prayer, and which comprehends every thing neces- sary for the safety and salvation of the soul. The soul, not less than the body, is nourished by a variety of food: the word of God, for instance, is the food of the soul; for Wisdom says, ‘*Come, eat of my bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you.’”’> When God deprives men of this his word, a privation frequently involved by our crimes, he is said to visit the human race with famine; ‘I will send forth,” saye he, ‘*a

11 Tim. vi. 17. 2 Hom. 14. oper. imperf. in Matt.

3S. S. Basil. hom. 6. variorum, Aug. et Ambr. serm. 81. Matt. v. 45. 3 Prov. ix 4.

On the Lord’s Praye.

famine into the land, not a famine of bread, or a thirst of water, but of hearing the word of the Lord.’’* And as an ineapability of taking food, or, having taken it, of retaining it, is a sure sign of approaching dissolution ; so, it is a strong proof of the utter hopelessness of salvation, to reject the word of God, or, hearing ', to be unable to endure it, and to utter against God the blas- phemous cry, ‘‘ Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.’? Such is the infatuation, such the blindness of those who, disregarding the authority of the Catholic Church, of her legitimate pastors and prelates, and revolting against the spiritual power with which they are invested, have joined the standard of heretics, who corrupt the word of God.

Christ our Lord is, also, the bread of the soul: ‘*1 am,” says he, **the living bread that came down from heaven.’’* It is incredible with what exquisite pleasure and joy this bread filis devout souls, even when agitated by the rude shocks and afflic- tions of this life; and of this we have a strong illustration in the holy choir of the Apostles, of whom it is recorded, that ‘ they went out from the presence of the council rejoicing.’’* ‘The lives of the saints are replete with similar examples ; and it is of these interior delights, which replenish the souls of the just, that God speaks when he says, ‘To him that overcometh I will give the hidden manna.’’>

But Christ our Lord, really and substantially present in the sacrament of the Eucharist, is pre-eminently this bread. Of this ineffable pledge of his love, which he bequeathed to us when about to return to his Father, he said, ‘‘ He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, Ee: in me, and [ in him.’’® * Take ye and eat: THIS Is My Bopy.’’? But, for those matters, which will serve to instruct the faithful on this subject, the pastor will revert to what we have already said, especially, on this sacra- ment. ‘The Holy Eucharist is called ‘our bread,’’ because it is the spiritual food of the faithful only, that is, of those who, uniting charity to faith, cleanse their souls from sin in the sacra- ment of penance, and, mindful that they are children of God, receive and adore this divine mystery with all [ae holiness and veneration to which they can excite themselves.* It is called “daily” for obvious reasons: it is offered daily to God in the holy sacrifice of the altar, and is given to those who desire to receive it with piety and holiness ; and we should, also, receive it daily, or, at least, live in such a manner as to be worthy, as far as human infirmity will allow, to receive it daily. Let him who, on the contrary, is of opinion, that the soul should not partake of this saving banquet but at distant intervals, hear the words of St. Ambrose: ‘If it is daily bread, why partake of it but once a year ?’”®

ff Amos viii. 11. 2 Job xxi. 14 3 John vi. 41. 4 Acts v. 41. Apoe. ii. 17 6 John vi. 57. 7 Matt xxvi. 26 1Cor. xi. 24. s Vid. Tertul. lib, de orat. Cypr. item de orat. Aug. et alios, locis citatis pag. 476 * Lib. 5. Sa. c. 4 vide etiam de consec. dist 2.

363

An lustre tion.

4}

Note

8A4

The issue of this rayer to e confined to God.

Duty of the rich.

ihe pas- sion of Christ dis- lays the ove vot God towards man

Object ot

this peti- tion.

Its exposi- tion: the |

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

In the exposition of this petition the faithful are to be empha tically exhorted, when they have honestly used their best con sideration and industry to procure the means of subsistence, to confide the issue to God, and to suvmit their own wishes to the will of him, ‘* who shall not suffer the just to waver for ever.’”! God will either give what they ask, or he will not: if he does, their wishes are realized; if not, it is an unequivocal proof that what they desire would tend to promote neither their interests nor their salvation ; whereas, it is denied to the pious, of whose salvation God is more careful than even they themselves.

Finally, in the exposition of this petition, the pastor will ex- hort the rich to recollect, that they are to look upon their wealth as the gift of God, bestowed on them in order that they may divide it with the necessitous; and with this truth the words of the Apostle, in his Epistle to Timothy, will be found to aecord, and will supply the pastor with abundant matter to elucidate this subject in a manner conducive to the eternal interests of his people.?

‘© AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE ALSO FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.”

‘* FoRGIVE US oUR DEBTS’ | Many things display the infinite power of God, his wisdom and goodness. Cast our eyes, turn our thoughts, where we may, we are struck with unequivocal manifestations of his omnipotence and goodness ; but if there be any one thing which, more than another, eloquently proclaims his boundless love for man, that most assuredly is the ineffable mystery of the passion of Jesus Christ, that perennial fountain which washes away the defilements of sin, and in which, under the guidance and goodness of God, we desire to be merged and purified, when we address him in these words: ‘‘ Forgive us our debts.”

This petition comprises a summary, as it were, of those bene- fits which have been accumulated on the human race through the merits of Jesus Christ, as was foretold by Isaias: ‘The iniquity of the house of David shall be forgiven, and this is all the fruit, that the sin thereof should be taken away.’ ‘This is also the language of David, proclaiming those blessed who have the happiness to partake of that fruit: ‘* Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven.”’* ‘The pastor, therefore, will examine and explain, with minute attention, a petition so important to salvation. :

In it we enter on a new form of praver: in the preceding peti

' Bg, liv. 23. 2] Tim. vi. 17 3 Isa. xxvii. 9. 4 Ps. xxzi. 1

| | .

On the Lord’s Prayer.

tions, we ask from God not only spiritual and eternal, but also temporal and transient blessings ; but in this we deprecate the 2vils of the body and of the soul, of this life, and of the life to come. As, however, to obtain the object of our prayers, we must pray as we ought, it appears expedient to explain the dis- positions, with which this prayer should be offered to God. ‘The pastor, then, will admonish the faithful, that he who comes to offer this petition must, first, acknowledge, and, in the next place, feel compunction for his sins. He must also firmly believe that God is willing to pardon the sinner when thus dis- posed, lest, possibly, the bitter remembrance and acknowledg- ment of his sins may lead the sinner to despair of mercy, as was the case with Cain,’ and Judas,? who looked on God as an avenger of crime, and not, also, as a God of clemency and of merey. In presenting this petition to the throne of God, we should, therefore, be so disposed as that, whilst we acknowledge our sins in the bitterness of our souls. we also fly to him as toa Father, not a Judge, imploring him to deal with us not in his justice but in his mercy.

We shall be easily induced to acknowledge our sins, if we but listen to God himself declaring by the mouth of David, ‘** They are all gone aside; they are become unprofitable to- gether ; there is none that doth good, no not one.”* Solomon speaks to the same effect; ‘* ‘I'here is no just man upon earth, that doth good and sinneth not ;’’* and to this subject are also applicable these words of Proverbs : ** Who can say, my heart is clean, and I am pure from sin?”’> St. John also makes use of the same sentiment as an argument against pride: ‘+ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;’® and ine Prophet Jeremiah, ‘*'Thou hast said, I am without sin and am innocent; and therefore, let thy anger be turned away from me. Behold, I will contend with thee in judgment, because thou hast said, I have not sinned.” ‘These sentiments Christ our Lord, who spoke by their lips, confirms in this petition, in which he command us to confess our sins 3 and the Council of Milevis forbids to interpret it otherwise : «* Whoever says, that these words of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘ for- give us our debts,’ are to be said by holy men in humility, and not in truth, let him be anathema.’’* How wicked to pray, and at the same time to lie, not to men but to God; and yet this is the crime of him, who, with his lips, says that he asks to be for- given, but, in his heart, that he has no debts to be forgiven.®

In the acknowledgment of our sins, it is not enough that we eall them to mind lightly; we must recount them with bitter regret ; the heart must be pierced with compunction ; the soul must melt with sorrow. On this subject of compunction, there- fore, the pastor will bestow his best attention, in order that his

1 Gen. iv. 13. 2 Matt. xxvii. 4, 5. 3 Ps. xiii. 3. 4 Eccl. vii. 21. 5 Prov. xx. 9. 6 John i. 8. 7 Jer. ti. 25. 8 Conc, Milev. c.}—9

> Vid. Trid. sess. 6. de justificatione ¢ 1). item Aug. in Ench. e. 17. %1

365

dispositions which it demands

Motive to the ac- knowledg- ment of ous sins.

We must recountouwl sins with bitter re- gre.

366

Zeal of the pastor in this re- spect ; tur pitude of sin.

Uualamities and mise-

ries which ain entails.

The wick- ed are at war with

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

hearers may not only recall to their recollection their sins and iniguities, but may, also, recall them with tears of penitential sorrow ; that, penetrated with heartfelt contrition, they may betake themselves to God their Father, humbly imploring him to pluck from the soul the poisoned stings of sin.

The zeal of the pastor should not, however, content itself with sketching the turpitude of sin; it should also depict the unworthiness and baseness of man, who, rottenness and corrup- tion that he is, dares to outrage the majesty of God, which no created intelligence can comprehend, and his transcendant dig- nity, which no created tongue can describe. ‘This picture of the baseness of man borrows a deeper shade from the conside- ration, that God has created us; that he has redeemed us; and that his goodness has heaped upon us countless blessings, the value of which is not to be appreciated. And why thus grossly outrage God? ‘That, estranged from our Father, the supreme good, and lured by the base rewards of sin, we may devote ourselves to the devil, to become his wretched slaves. Language is inadequate to describe the cruel tyranny which he exercises ove’ those, who, having shaken off the sweet yoke of Christ, and having broken the bond of love which binds the soul to God our Father, have gone over to their relentless enemy, the devil. ‘Therefore, is he called in Seripture, ‘* The prince and ruler of this world,’ ‘the prince of darkness,’’? ‘ and king over all the children of pride ;’’* and to those who are thus the victims of his tyranny, apply with great truth these words of Isaias: ** O Lord our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us.’’*

Are we so insensible as to be unmoved by the base violation of the sacred covenant which bound us to God? If so, let our insensibility yield, at least, to the calamities and miseries into which sin plunges its votaries. It violates the sanctity of the soul, which is wedded to Jesus Christ; it profanes the temple of the living God ; and it thus involves the sinner in the awful denunciation conveyed by the Apostle in these words : ‘* Ifany violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy.”> Innume- rable are the evils of which sin is the poisoned source ; their magnitude is thus expressed by David: ‘* There is no health in my flesh, because of thy wrath; there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.’’® He marks the virulence of the disease, by declaring that it left no part of his frame uninfected; the poison of sin entered even into his very bones; in other words, it infected his understanding, and his will, the two great facul- ties of the soul. Describing this wide-spreading and destructive contagion, the sacred Scriptures designate sinners by ‘the lame,”’ ‘* the deaf,” ‘the dumb,” ‘the paralyzed.”

But, besides the anguish which he felt on account of the wickedness of his sins, David was afflicted yet more by the

' John xiv. 30 2 Eph. vi. 12. 3 Job xli. 25. 47s xxvi. 13. 5 1 Cor. iii. 17. 5 Ps, xxxvil. 4.

On the Lord’s Prayer.

consciousness of having provoked the wrath of God. The wicked are at war with ‘God, whom their crimes so grievously affend. ‘* Wrath and indignation,’’ says the Apostle, ‘ tribula- tion and anguish upon every soul of man that worketh evil.’”! The sinful act, it is true, is transient, but the guilt of sin re- mains ; and that guilt the wrath of God pursues as the shadow follows the body. Pierced by these stings of the divine wrath, David was excited to sue for the pardon of his sins; and that the faithful, imitating the royal penitent, may learn to grieve, that is, to become truly contrite, and to cherish the hope of pardon, the pastor will place before their eyes and press upon their attention, the example of his penitential sorrow, and the lessons of instruction which it conveys.*

The importance of such instruction in teaching us to grieve for our sins, God himself declares by the mouth of his prophet: exhorting Israel to repentance, he admonishes her to awake to a sense of the evils which flow from sin: ‘ Know thou, and see that it is an evil and a bitter thing for thee, to have left the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not with thee, saith the Lord the God of Hosts.’’* ‘They who are strangers to these senti- ments, who know not these feelings of heartfelt sorrow, are said by the Prophets Isaias, Ezekiel, and Zachary, to have ‘‘ hard hearts,’’* ‘*stony hearts,’ “ hearts of adamant ;’’8 like stone they are insensible to all feeling of sorrow, and devoid of every principle of life, that is, of the salutary consciousness of their own infatuation and abandonment.

But lest, terrified by the enormity of his crimes, the sinner despair of obtaining pardon, the pastor will animate him to hope by the following considerations ; he will remind him that Christ our Lord gave power to his Church to remit sins, as is declared in one of the articles of the Creed ; and that this peti- tion makes known to us the extent of the divine goodness and bounty towards us, for if God were not disposed to pardon the penitent sinner, he would not have commanded him to ask for pardon: ‘** Forgive us our debts.’’ We should, therefore, be firmly convinced, that commanding us, as he does, to solicit, he will, also, extend to us his paternal compassion ; the petition fully implies that God is so dissosed towards us, that he is willing to pardon the truly penitent. ‘True, he is that God against whom we sin by disobedience; the designs of whose wisdom we frustrate, as far as depends on us ; whom we offend, whom we outrage in word and deed; but he is, also, a most be- neficent Father, who has it in his power to pardon all our trans- gressions ; and who not only declares his willingness to exer- cise this power, but also urges us to sue to him for pardon, and teaches us how to ask it. It cannot, therefore, be matter of doubt that, with his gracious assistance, we have it in our power

sae . ad ' . . “Whe 0 conciliate the divine favour. ‘This attestation of the willing-

! Rom. ii. 8,9 2 Ps. |. 3 Jer. ii. 19. 4 Is. xlvi. 12 5 Ezek. xxxvi 26 6 Zacn. vii. 12

367

L uility ot

. this in-

strucuion.

The sinner to be en- couraged te hope for pardon

I,

ll

Note

2638 The Catechism of t e Council of Trent.

ness of God to pardon sin, increases faith, nurtures hope, an inflames charity; and it will, therefore, be found useful to enlarge upon this subject by citing Scriptural authorities to this effect, and by referring to examples of individuals whose re- pentance God rewarded with the pardon of the most grievous crimes. As, however, in our exposition of the prefatory words of the prayer, and of that part of the creed which speaks of the forgiveness of sins, we have been as diffuse on the subject aa its matter required, the pastor will revert to those places for whatever he may deem necessary for further illustration ; the rest he will draw from the fountains of inspired wisdom. He will also pursue the same plan of instruction which was fol- lowed in the other petitions, making known to the faithful the meaning of the word * debts ;”’ without this knowledge they may ask for something different from the real objects which this petition contemplates. What we In the first place, then, we are to know that m it we pray not SEY for exemption from the debt due to God on so many accounts, petition. the payment of which is essential to salvation ; that of loving I. him with our whole heart, our whole soul, and with all our Il. strength. Neither do we ask to be exempted from the duties of obedience, worship, veneration, or any similar obligation in- What we cluded in the word * debt.” We pray to be delivered from our pray for. = sins: this is the interpretation of St. Luke, who, instead of ‘* debt,”’” makes use of the word ‘ sins ;””! for by their commis- sion we become guilty before God, and incur a debt of punish- ment, which we must liquidate by satisfaction or by suffering. Such was the debt of which Christ spoke by the mouth of his prophet ; ‘“ ‘Then did I pay that which I took not away ;’? from which we mav infer that we are only debtors, but also Unable to unequal to the payment of the debts w hich we contract. Of pares Be himself the sinner is totally incapable of making satisfaction : we we must. must, therefore, fly to the divine mercy; and as justice, of which a: God is most tenacious, is an equal and corresponding attribute the merits tO Mercy, we must have recourse to prayer, and to the advocacy of Christ. . of the passion of Christ, without which, no one ever obtained the pardon of sin; from which, as from its source, flow all the force and efficacy of satisfaction. Such is the value of the price paid by Christ our Lord on the cross, and communicated to us through the sacraments received either actually or in desire that it obtains and accomplishes for us the pardon of our sins, Note. which is the object of our prayer in this petition. We ask pardon not only for our venial offences, for which pardon may be easily obtained, but also for grievous mortal sins, of which the petition cannot procure forgiveness, unless it derive that efficacy from the Sacrament of Penance received, as we have already said, either actually or in desire. Meamngof ‘The word ‘our,’”’ is here used in a sense entirely different

See from that in which we said, ‘‘ our daily bread ;”’ that bread is

{ Luke xi. 4. 2 Ps, Ixvai. 5.

On the Lord’s Prayer.

‘- ours,’’ becat se given us by the munificence of God; the sins which we commit are ** ours,’ because with us rests their guilt. | They are our own free acts, otherwise they could not be imputed to us as sins ; sustaining, therefore, the weight, and confessing the guilt of our sins, we ; implore the divine clemency, which is necessary for their expiation. In this confession we seek not to palliate our guilt, nor to transfer the blame to others, as our first parents Adam and Eve did ;‘ no, we unbosom ourselves unreservedly, a and as we really are, pouring out, if we are wise, the prayer of the Prope : Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses in sins.”

We do not say, ‘“ tates me,’’ but ‘forgive us ;’’ because, in virtue of the fraternal relation and mutual charity subsisting between all men, we are each bound to be solicitous for the common salvation of all; and, when we pray for ourselves, it is our duty to pray also for others. ‘This manner of praying, delivered by our Lord, and subsequently received and always retained by the Chureh of God, was most strictly observed and enforced by the Apostles. In the Old and New Testaments we find this ardent zeal and intense earnestness in praying for the salvation of others, strikingly exemplified in the conduct of Moses and of Paul; the former besought God in these words : ‘+ Either forgive them this trespass; or, if thou dost not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written ;’? the latter: «I wished myself to be an anathema from Christ, for sake of my brethren.’*+

‘‘ AS WE ALSO FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS’ |] ‘Ihe word ‘ as,”

may be understood in two senses: it has the force of a com- |‘

parison when we beg of God to pardon us our sins, as we pardon the wrongs and contumelies which we receive at the hands of those who injure us. It also marks a condition, and in this sense we find it interpreted by Christ our Lord: ‘If you will forgive men their offences, your Heavenly Father will forgive you “also your offences: but if you will not oraee men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.” Either sense, however, equally implies the necessity of ee ness on our part, intimating, as it does, that, to obtain from God the pardon of our offences, we must also extend pardon to those from whom we may have received injury. Such is the rigour with which God exacts from us the pardon of inju- ries, and the tribute of mutual affection and love, that he rejects and despises the gifts and sacrifices of those who are not recon- ciled one to another. ‘lo conduct ourselves towards others, as we would have them to demean themselves towards us, is an obligation founded also upon the law of nature: unparalleled, then, must be the effrontery of him, who, whilst feelings of hostility to a brother rankles in his breast, soticits from God the pardon of offences.

! Gen. iii. 12, 13. 2 Ps. exl. 4. 3 Exodris xxxii. 32. 4 Rom. ix. 3. 5 Matt. vi. 14. 3A

368

ferent from that of our” in the pre- ceding petitivn

Why each person says, “ for- give us,” not forgive “me.”

Note.

The word as,” may be under- stood in Two senses, both meant here.

3870

To be for- given we must for-

give.

Arguments to enlorce forgive- ness.

Il.

Ill.

Caution to the pastor, forgiveness of injuries how to be under- stood.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

Those, therefore, who have sustained injuries from others should be prepared and prompt to pardon, urged to it as they are, by this form of prayer, and elgg by the conmmend of God: coat thy brother sin against thee, reprove him; and if ke sin against thee seven times in a day, and seven times a day be converted unto thee, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.”! ‘The Apostle, too, and before him Solomon, said, “If thine enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink ;’4 and we read in St. Mark: ‘* When thou standest to pray, for= give, if thou hast ought against any man; that also your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your sins.’

But as, owing to the corruption of our nature, there is no- thing to which man yields a more reluctant assent than to the pardon of injuries, the pastor will exert all the powers and all the resources of his mind to bend the obstinacy of the faithful to this exercise of mildness and mercy, so necessary to a Chris- tian. He will dwell on those passages of the divine oracles, in which we hear God himself commanding us to pardon our enemies ; and will proclaim, and it is strictly true, that a dispo- sition to fergive injuries, and to love their enemies from the heart, is hel strongest evidence of their being the children of God. By loving our enemies we image faut. in some sort, the loving forbearance of God, our Father, w ho, by the death of his Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition, and reconciled to himself the human race, who before were his avowed ene- mies. ‘I’o close this instruction the pastor will urge the com: mand of Christ our Lord, to which the Christian cannot refuse obedience without degrading himself to the lowest degree, and bringing confusion on his guilty head: “* Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven.’’*

‘This, however, is a subject which demands consummate prudence on the part of the pastor, lest, disheartened by the difficulty, and yet knowing the necessity, of observing this pre- cept, any of his hearers should yield to despondency. ‘There are some, who, aware of the obligation of burying in voluntary oblivion the injuries which they may have sustained, and o° loving those by whom thev have been inflicted, desire to comply with these duties, and do comply with them as far as they are able, and yet find that they cannot entirely obliterate from their minds the recollection of the injuries which they have suffered. There still lurks in the mind some lingering grudge, which harrows up conscience, and fills the mind “with. alarming appre- hensions, lest, not having simply and sincerely forgiven, they may be guilty of disobedience to the command of God. ‘The pastor, therefore, will here explain the opposite desires of the flesh and of the spirit; the one prone io revenge, ‘the other pre- pared to pardon; from which contrariety arise continued strug

Luke xvii. 3. 2 Rom. xii. 20. Prov. xxv. 21, 22 2 Mark xi. 25. 4 Matt. v. 44.

On the Lord’s Prayer.

gles and conflicts. He will show that, if the appetites of cor- rupt nature are ever reclaiming against, and opposed to the dic- tates of reason, we are not, however, to yield to any misgivings regarding our salvation, provided the spirit perseveres in the duty and determination of forgiving injuries, and of loving every being stamped with the image of God.

Some, perhaps, there are, who, because they have not yet succeeded in bringing themselves to forgive injuries, and to love their enemies, are deterred by the condition contained in this petition, as already explained, from repeating the Lord’s Prayer. To remove from their minds so pernicious an error, the pastor will adduce the two following considerations: first, that whoever belongs to the number of the faithful offers this prayer in the name of the entire Church, which must necessarily con- tain within its pale some pious persons, who have forgiven their debtors the debts mentioned in the petition; and secondly, that when we offer this prayer to God, we also pray for whatever is necessary to enable us to comply with the petition. We pray for the pardon of our sins, and the gift of sincere repentance: we pray for a deep sense of sorrow: we pray for a hatred of sin; and we pray ior the grace of confessing our offences truly and piously to the minister of God. As, then, it is necessary that we pardon those who have done us injury or injustice, when we ask pardon of God, we also ask strength to be reconciled to those, against whom we harbour feelings of hatred. It, there- fore, becomes the duty of the pastor to correct the gross and dangerous error of those, who fear that to utter this prayer would be to exasperate the anger of God; an apprehension as groundless as it is mischievous. It is his to exhort them to the frequent use of this prayer, in which they beseech God our Father, to grant them grace to pardon those who have injured them, and to love those who have hated them.

But that our prayer be heard, we should first seriously reflect that we are suppliants at the throne of God, soliciting from him that pardon which he never refuses to the penitent; that we should therefore, possess that charity, and that piety which be- come penitents; and that it becomes us in a special manner to keep before our eyes our crimes and enormities, and to expi- ate them with our tears. ‘I’o this consideration we should add the greatest circumspection in guarding for the future against the occasion of sin, and against whatever may possibly expose us to the danger of offending God our Father. Of these pre- cautions David was not unmindful: ** My sin,”’ says he, ‘is always before me ;”"' and again: ‘I will water my couch with my tears.”* Let each one also propose to himself the glowing fervour which animated the prayers of those, who besought God to pardon their sins, and who obtained the object of their earnest entreaties; such as the publican, who, through shame and grief, standing afar off, with eyes fixed on the ground, smote his breast,

1 Ps. 1.5. 2 Ps. vi. 7.

Those wha have not yet for- given theis enemies areto maka use of this prayer; and why ¢ I.

U.

Means of rendering our prayer efficacious

L

3872

1V

Note.

Dangers ot relapse.

Lhe Catechism of the Council of Trent.

erying, *‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner;’”? and also the woman, ‘*a sinner,” who, having washed the feet of our Lord, and wiped them with her hair, kissed them ;? and lastly, — the prince of the Apostles, who, ‘going forth wept bitterly.’”

They should next consider that ihe enon men are, and ne more liable to moral contagion, the greater the necessity they are under of having recourse to numerous and frequent remedies: the remedies of a soul lebouring under spiritual disease are penance and the Holy Eucharist; and to these, therefore, they should have frequent recourse. ‘The Sacred Scriptures inform us that alms-deeds are also an efficacious remedy for healing the wounds of the soul. ‘Those, therefore, who desire to offer up this prayer with pious dispositions, should kindly assist the poor according to the means with whic: Providence has blessed them. ‘That alms exert a powerful influence in effacing the stains of sin we learn from these words of Tobias: ‘* Alms deliver from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.”* ‘To the same truth Daniel bears testimony, when, admonishing Nebuchodonoser, he says: ‘* Redeem thou thy sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of mercy to the poor.’

But the highest species of benevolence, and the most com- mendable exercise of mercy, is to forget injuries, and to cherish good-will towards those who injure us, or ours, in person, pro- perty, or character. Whoever, therefore, desires to experience in a special manner the mercy of God, let him present to God all his enmities, pardon every offence, and pray for his enemies from his heart, embracing every opportunity of deserving wel’ of them. ‘This, however, is a subject which we have alread) explained, when treating of murder, and to that exposition we, therefore, refer the pastor. He will, however, conclude’ what he has to say on this petition with the reflection, that nothing is or can be imagined more unjust than that he, who is so rigorous towards his fellow-man as to extend indulgence to no one, should demand of God to be gracious and merciful towards himself.

‘* AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION.”

Wuen the children of God, having obtained the pardon of their sins, and being now inflamed with the desire of devoiing themselves to the divine service, sigh for the coming of the kingdom of heaven; ard when, engaged in the performance of all the duties of piety towards God, they depend entirely on his paternal will and providential care; then it is, no doubt. that the

! Luke xviii. 13. 2 Luke vii. 38. ? Matt. xxvi. 75. 4 Tob. ‘xii. 9. 5 Dan. iv. 24.

On the Lord's Prayer.

enemy of mankind employs all his artifices, and exerts all his powers against them, assailing them with such violence as to justify the apprehension, that, wavering in their good resolu- tions, they may relapse into sin, and their condition be thus rendered much worse than before their conversion to God To them may be justly applied these words of the Apostle: “It had been better for them not to have known the way of jus- tice, than, after knowing it, to turn back from that holy com- mandment which was delivered to them.’ Therefore does our Lord command us to offer this petition, in order that we may commend ourselves daily to God, and implore his paternal care and assistance, well assured that when destitute of his protec- tion, we must be caught in the ambushes of our erafty enemy. Nor is it in this petition alone that he commands us to beg of God not to suffer us to be led into temptation: addressing his Apostles on the eve of his death, and declaring them * clean,’’? he says: ‘‘ Watch ye and pray that ye enter not into tempta- tion.” This admonition, reiterated by our Lord on so solemn and affecting an occasion, makes it particularly incumbent on the pastor to spare no pains in exciting the faithful to a frequent use of this prayer, that beset, as they all are, on every side and on each day of their lives, by the dangers in which their enemy the devil seeks to involve them, they may unceasingly ery out: ‘*Lead us not into temptation ;”’ thus supplicating the protec- tion of God, whose arm is alone able to crush the efforts of the infernal enemy.

The necessity of the Divine assistance the faithful will under- stand, if they but reflect on their own weakness and ignorance ; if they call to mind these words of Christ our Lord: ‘* The spirit indeed is prompt, but the flesh weak ;’** and if they con- sider the heavy calamities and misfortunes that must befall men through the instigation of the devil, if not upheld and assisted by the strong arm of the Omnipotent. Of this our frailty what more striking example than that which the holy choir of the Apostles affords? Evincing, as they had already done, such resolute courage, they however trembled at the first alarm ; and abandoning the Saviour, fled from the scene of danger. A more instructive lesson still is presented to us in the conduct of the prince of the Apostles. Loud in professing more than ordinary fortitude, and singular love towards Christ our Lord, and confiding in his own strength, Peter said: ‘Though I should die with thee, I will not deny thee ;”* yet in a few mo- ments after, affrighted by the voice of a poor servant maid, he protested with an oath that he knew not the Lord. Doubtless, his strength was unequal to his ardour, when he professed such devotedness to his Lord: but if the confidence, which they reposed in the weakness of human nature, has betraved men vf eminent piety into the most grievous sins, what just cause

2 Pet. ii. 21. 2 John xiii. 10. 3 Matt. xxvi. 41 4 Matt. xxvi 41 5 Matt. xxvi. 35

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be

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

of serious apprehensions to the mass of mankind, who are se far inferior to them in holiness.

The pastor, therefore, will place before the eyes of the faith ful the conflicts in which we have continually to engage, the dangers which we have to brave, assailed, as we are on ail sides, by the world, the flesh, and the devil; and this as long as the soul shall dwell in the perishable tabernacle of the body Who has not had melancholy experience of the evil effects of corrupt passion, of anger and concupiscence? Who is not harassed by their assaults?) Who does not feel the poignancy of their stings? Who does not burn with these torches that smoulder within him? In truth, so numerous are these assaults, so varied these attacks, that it is extremely difficult to escape unhurt. Besides the enemies that dwell and live within us, there are also other most inveterate foes, of whom it is written: ‘Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood ; but against prin- cipalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.’ The efforts of our domestic enemies are seconded by the attacks of the devils from without, who assail us openly, and also in sinuate themselves by secret stratagem into our souls; in so much, that it is not without extreme difficulty that we can elude their malignity. ‘These the Apostle calls ** princes” on account of the excellence of their nature: (their nature is superior to that of man, and of every visible creature) he calls them ‘ prin- cipalities and powers,’’ because they excel not only by their nature but also by their power: he calls them ‘rulers of the world of this darkness,’’ because they rule not the world of light and of glory, that is to say, the good and the pious; but the world of darkness and of gloom, that is, those who, blinded by the debasement and darkness of a wicked and flagitious life, are contented to be the slaves of the devil, the prince of dark- ness. He also calls the evil demons ‘the spirits of wicked- ness.”’ ‘There is a wickedness of the flesh and of the spirit: the former inflames to sensual lusts and criminal pleasures : the latter to wickedness of purpose and depravity of desire ; and these belong to the superior part of the soul, and are more criminal than the former, in the same proportion that reason is superior to sensual impulse. ‘This wickedness of Satan the Apostle denominates ‘‘in the high places,’’ because his chief aim is to deprive us of the inheritance of heaven.

We may hence learn that the power of the infernal enemy is formidable, his courage undaunted, and his hatred cruel and implacable. He wages against us a perpetual war with such immitigable fury, that with him there is no peace, no cessation of hostilities. Of his audacity we may form an idea from the words of Satan recorded by the Prophet; ‘I will ascend inte heaven ;’”? he attacked our first parents in Paradise ; he assailed the Prophets; he beset the Apostles, and as our Lord declares,

1 Eph vi. 12 2 Isa xiv. 13.

-

On the Lord’s Prayer.

“he would sift them as wheat;’! in fine, his audacity was not deterred from aggression on the person of our Lord him- self! His insatiable desire, his unwearied perseverance, are thus expressed by St. Peter; ‘* vour adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour.’’? Nor are we tempted by one demon only ; sometimes a host of infernal spirits combine in the assault. ‘This was avowed by the evil spirit, who, when asked his name by Christ our Lord, replied; **‘ My name is legion,’’® that is a host of demons, which tormented their unhappy victim; and of another it is written, that ‘* he took with him seven other spirits more wicked than himeeif, and entering in they dwelt there.’’*

There are many who, because they feel not the impetuous assaults of the devil, may imagine that this picture of his power is more fanciful than true. No wonder that such persons are not attacked by the devil, whereas they surrender to him at discretion. ‘They possess neither piety, nor charity, nor any other Christian virtue ; they are entirely subject to the dominion of the devil; and becoming, as they do, the willing abodes of the infernal tyrant, there needs no temptation to ensure their ruin. But those wno have dedicated themselves to God, lead- ing a heavenly life upon earth, are the chief objects of the assaults of Satan; against them he harbours th€ most malignant -hatred; for them he is continually laying snares.

The Sacred Scriptures abound in examples of holy men, who, although firm and resolute, fell victims to his open vio- lence or his covert artifice. Adam, David, Solomon, and others, whom it were tedious to enumerate, have experienced the furious assaults and crafty cunning of the spirits of darkness, which human wisdom and human strength are unabie to elude or combat. Who then can deem himself sufficiently secure, when abandoned to his own weakness? Hence the necessity of offering up pure and pious prayer to God, imploring him ‘not to suffer us to be tempted above our strength, but to make issue with temptation, that we may be able to bear it.’

But should any of the faithful, through weakness or ignorance, dread the power of the devil, they are to be exhorted to take refuge in the harbour of prayer, whenever they are overtaken by the storm of temptation. ‘The power and pertinacity of Satan, however great, are not, in his unquenchable hatred of mankind, such as to enable him to tempt and torment as much, and as long, as he pleases; all his power is subject to the con- trol and permission of God. Of this we have a conspicuous example in Job; the devil could have touched nothing belong- ing to him, if God had not said, ** Behold, all that he hath ts im thy hand ;”’ whilst, on the other hand, he and his children. and all that he possessed, should have been entirely and at once destroyed by the devil, if God had not said, ‘Only put not

! Luke xxii. 31. 2 1 Pet. v. 8. 3 Mark v 9 4 Matt. xii. 45. > | Cor.'x: 12

378

Its neces sity to the wicked.

To the good.

Noto.

In temp tion.

Note

‘« Tempta-

man, how tempted.

To be led mto temp- tation, meaning of.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

forth thy hand upon his person.”’! Nay, so restricted 6 the power of the devil, that he could not even enter into the swine mentioned in the Gospel, without the permission of God.?

To understand the force of this petition, it is necessary to show the meaning of the word ‘temptation,’ as here em- ployed, and also, what it is to be led into temptation. ‘Io tempt is to sound, to probe, him who is tempted, that, eliciting from him what we desire, we may extract the truth. In this mean- ing of the word, God does not tempt; for what is it that is unknown to God? «All things are naked and open to his eyes.”’* Another species of temptation consists in pushing our scrutiny far, having some further object in view, either for a good or a bad purpose; for a good purpose, as when worth is tried, in order that it may be rewarded and honoured, and its example proposed as a model for imitation, and as a motive to give glory to God. ‘This is the only sort of temptation which consists with the divine attributes, and of it we have an illus- tration in these words of Deuteronomy: ‘* The Lord your God tries you, that it may appear whether you love him or not.’ In this sense, God is also said to tempt those who are his, when he visits them with want and infirmity and cther calami- ties, with a view to try their patience, and in them to present to others an example of Christian virtue. ‘Thus was Abraham tempted to offer his son in sacrifice,> and became a singular

example of obedience and patience, worthy of being preserved’

in the records of all future ages; thus also ‘Tobias, of whom it is written, ‘‘ Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.’””®

Man is tempted for a bad purpose, when impelled to sin or destruction. ‘This is the peculiar province of the devil; he tempts mankind, to deceive and precipitate them into ruin; and is, therefore, called, in Scripture, ‘*the tempter.”7 In these temptations, at one time stimulating us from within, he makes use of the agency of the passions; at another time, assailing us from without, he makes use of depraved men as his emis- saries; and employs, with a fatal efficiency, the services par- ticularly of hereties, who, ‘sitting in the chair of pestilence,’’s which, instead of being the chair of truth, is converted into that of error, scatter, with profuse hand, the deadly seeds of false doctrine, unsettling and precipitating into the gulf of per dition their deluded adherents, who draw no line of distinction between vice and virtue, and who are of themselves but too much inciined to evil.

We are said to be led into temptation, when we yield to its wicked suggestions. ‘This takes place in a two-fold manner: first, when, abandoning our position, we rush into the evil to which we are allured by the agency of others. God tempts no man thus: he is the oceasion of sin to none; ‘‘he hateth all

' Job i. 12. 2 Matt. viii. 31. Mark liv. 12. Luke viii. 32.

3 Heb. iv. 13 4 Deut. xiii. 3. > Gen. xxil 1.

® Tob. xii. 13 Matt.iv 3 Peale

7 | : ; ;

On the Lord's Prayer.

who work iniquity ;""' and, accordingly, we read in St. James, «*Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God ; for God is not a tempter of evils.”? ‘The man, who, althou.gh he does not tempt us, nor co-operate in tempting us, has it in his power to prevent us from being tempted, or from yielding to temptation, and does not, is also said to lead us into temptation. God suffers the good and the pious to be thus tempted ; but he does not leave them unsupported by his grace. Sometimes, however, we fall, being left to ourselves by the just and rigorous judgments of God, in punishment of our crimes.

God i is also said to lead us into temptation, when we abuse, to our own destruction, the blessings which he bestows on us as the means of promoting our eternal salvation, and, like the prodigal child, dissipate in voluptuousness our F'ather’s sube stance, obedient to the impulse of our bad passions.* In such circumstances we may truly say what the Apostle says of the Law: ‘The commandment that was ordained to life, the same was found unto death to me.”’** Of this Jerusalem, as Ezekiel testifies, affords an apposite exemplification. Enriched and adorned by the Almighty with blessings of every sort, inso- much that God said, “by the mouth of his Prophet, «Thou wast peifect through my beauty, which I had put upon thee ;”> loaded with an accumulation of divine gifts, Jerusalem, far from evincing gratitude to God, from whom she had received, and was still receiving, so many favours; far from making use of those heavenly ifts for the end for which they were bestowed, the attainment of her own happiness, and laying aside all hope and every idea of deriving from them celestial fruit, ungrateful Jerusalem, sunk in luxury and abandonment, looked only to the enjoyment of her present superabundance. ‘This is a sub- ject on which Ezekiel dwells at considerable length, in the chapter to which we have already referred, and to which the pastor may recur. ‘The inference, however, is obvious: itis, that those whom God permits to convert the abundant means, with which his Providence has blessed them, into instruments of vice, are equally guilty of ingratitude with the unhappy Jerusalem.

The Sacred Scriptures sometimes express the permission of God in language, which, if understood literally, would imply a positive act on the part of God; and this scriptural usage also demands attention. In Exodus it is said, ‘1 will harden the heart of Pharaoh ;’® and in Isaias, ‘* Blind the heart of this people ;’’? and the Apostle, writing to the Romans, says, «© God delivered them up to shameful affections, and to a repro- bate sense :’® but these, and similar passages, we are not to understand as implying any positive act on the part of God; they express his permission only.®

' Ps, v. 5. 2 James 1. 13. 3 Luke xv. 12. 1 Rom. vi. 10. 5 Ezek. xvi. 14. 6 Ex. iv. et vii. 7 Isa. vi. 10. 5 Rom. i. 26 9 Vid. Iren. lib. 4. conira heret. cap. 48. Tertull. lib. 2. contra Mare. 14. Aug. lib. de priedest et gratia, z. 1. et de preed. sanct. cap. 9. et lib. de grat. et lib. arbxt. cap. 2]—23. D. Thom [. p. quest. 87. art. 2 et 22. qurest. 15, 3

32*

in

Iilustrs- tion.

Note.

Scriptura phrase- ola er viatrad.

378

Meaning of this peti- tion: ad- vantage of temptation.

Whit we pray for in this peti- tion. I. IT.

\\

Objects

of our thoughts and reflec- tions in presenting this peti- tion

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

These observations premised, it will not be difficult to com- prehend the object for which we pray in this petition. We de not ask to be totally exempt from temptation: human life is one continued temptation ; and this state of probation is useful and advantageous to man. ‘Temptation teaches us to know ourselves, that is, our own weakness, and to humble ourselves under the powerful hand of God; and by fighting manfully, we expect to receive a never-fading crown of glory; ‘ for he that striveth for the mastery is not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”"? ** Blessed is the man,” says St. James, “ that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive the crown of life, which God hath promised to them that love him.”’* If we are sometimes hard pressed by the temptation of the enemy, it will also cheer us to reflect, ‘* that we have a High-priest to help us, who can have compassion on our infirmities, tempted himself in all things.’

What, then, do we pray for in this petition? We pray that the divine assistance may not forsake us; that we yield not to temptation, deceived by the artifice of the wicked one; that we give not up the victory, worsted in the contest; and that the grace of God may be at hand to succour us when our strength fails, to refresh and invigorate us on the evil day. We should, therefore, implore the iaine assistance, in general, under all temptations, and, in particular, when assailed by any particular temptation. ‘l'his we find to have been the conduct of David, under almost every species of temptation: against lying, he prays in these words: ‘Take not thou the word of truth utterly out of my mouth :’’* against covetousness, ‘Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness :’> and against the vanities of this life, and the allurements of coneu- piscence, he prays thus; ‘* ‘Turn away my eyes, that they may not behold vanity.”® We pray, therefore, that we yield not to evil desires, and be not wearied in enduring temptation ; ; that we deviate not from the way of the Lord; that in adversity, as in prosperity, we preserve equanimity and fortitude; and that God may never deprive us of his protection. Finally, we pray that God may crush beneath our feet the head of the serpent.

The pastor will next exhort the faithful to those things which, in offering this petition, should constitute the chief objects of their thoughts and reflections. It will, then, be found most efficacious, when offering this prayer, to distrust our own strength, aware of our extreme infirmity; and, placing all our hopes of safety in the divine goodness, and relying on the di- vine protection, to encounter the greatest dangers with great- ness of soul; calling to mind particularly the many instances on record of persons animated with this hope, and thus arming thensselves with resolution, who were delivered by Almight God from the fangs of Satan. When Joseph was assailer

‘2 Tim. ii. 5. 2 James i. 12. 3 Heb. iv. 15 § Ps. exvili- 43. 2 Ps. exviii. 36 6 Ps. exviii. 37

1 ; . '

On the Lord’s Prayer.

py the criminal solicitations of a maddening woman, did not God rescue him from the imminent danger, and exalt him to the highest pitch of glory?* Did he not preserve Susannah, when beset by the ministers of Satan, and on the point of being made the victim of an iniquitous sentence? Nor should the divine interposition in her behalf excite our surprise ; ‘her heart,” says the Prophet, ‘trusted in God.’? How exalted the praise, how great the glory of Job, who tri- umphed over the world, the flesh, and the devil! ‘There are yn record many similar examples, to which the pastor should refer, in order to exhort with earnestness his pious hearers to this hope and confidence.

‘The faithful should also reflect under whose standard they fight against the temptations of the enemy: they should con- sider that their leader is no less a person than Christ the Lord, who won the laurels of victory in the same combat. He over- came the devil: he is that ‘stronger man’? mentioned in the Gospel, who, ‘*coming upon the strong armed man,’’ over- came him, deprived him of his arms, and stripped him of his spoils. Of his victory over the world, we read in St. John: ‘‘ Have confidence: I have overcome the world:’’® in the Apo- calypse, he is called ** the conquering lion ;”’ and it is said that, ‘conquering, he went forth to conquer :”’* and by his victory he has given power to others to conquer. ‘The Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews abounds with the victories of holy men, ‘* who by faith conquered kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions.’’® Whilst we read of such achievements, we should also take into account the victories which are every day won by men eminent for faith, hope, and charity, in their domestic and exterior con- flicts with the devil ; victories so numerous and so signal, that, were we spectators of them, we should deem no event of more frequent occurrence, none of more glorious issue. Of the dis- comfiture of the wicked one, St. John says, ‘*I write unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.’’®

We must, however, recollect that Satan is overcome not by’

indolence, sleep, wine, revelling, or lust; but by prayer, labour, watching, fasting, continence, and chastity: ‘* Watch ye and pray, that ye enter not into temptation,” is, as we have already said, the admonition of our Lord. They who make use of these weapons in the conflict are sure to put the enemy to flight: **From them who resist the devil,” says St. James, ‘he will fly.’’®

In these victories, however, which are achieved by holy men, let no one indulge feelings of self-complacency, nor flatter him- self that, by his own single unassisted exertions, he is able to withstand the hostile assaults of the devil. This is not within the power of human nature, nor within the competency of

' Gen. xxix. 7. 2 Dan. xiii. 61. 3 John xvi. 33. 4 Apoc. vy. 5. s Heb m. 33. 6 1 John il. 13. 7 Matt. xxvi. 41. 8 Jumes iv 7

378

Illustra tions.

Note

Without

the divine assistance we can de

nothing.

380

The re- wards which await our victories over temp> ‘avon.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

numan frailty. In order that we may ascribe to God alone the victory, and may thank him alone for its achievement, by whose guidance and assistance alone we can be victorious, the strength by which we lay prostrate the satellites of Satan, comes from God, ‘‘ who maketh our arms as a bow of brass; by whose aid the bow of the mighty is overcome, and the weak are girt with strength ; who giveth us the protection of salvation ; whose right hand upholdeth us :**? ‘* who teacheth our hands to war, and our fingers to battle.”? ‘To this we are exhorted by the example of the Apostle: ‘** Thanks to God,” says he. ** who hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.’’ The voice from heaven, mentioned in the Apocalypse, also pro- claims God to be the author of our victories: ‘* Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; because the accuser of our brethren is east forth; and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.’ ‘That the victory obtained over the world and the flesh belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ, we learn from the same authority ; ‘© They shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall over- come them.’’® On the cause and the manner of conquering temptation, thus much will suffice.

These things explained, the pastor will propose to the faithful the crowns prepared by God, and the eternal and superabundant rewards reserved for those who conquer. ‘To this effect he will cite divine authorities from the same inspired Epistle: ‘* He that shall overcome shall not be hurt by the second death ;”’ and in another place: ‘* He that shall overcome, shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, and J will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.’’® A little after, our divine Lord himself thus addresses John: “‘ He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall go out no more :””? and again: ‘* ‘f’o him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne; as I also have overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne.’ Finally, having unveiled the glory of the saints, and the never-ending bliss which they shall enjoy in heaven, he adds, ‘* He that shall overcome shall possess these things.’”®

1] Kings ii. 4. 2 Pg. xvii, 39. 31 Cor. xv. 57, 4 Apoc. xii. 10. 5 Apoc. xvii. 14. 6 Apoc. ili. 5. 7 Apoc. iii. 12. 8 Apoc. iii. 21 9 Apoc. xxi. 17

On the Lord's Prayer.

‘6 RUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.’

Tuis petition, with which the Son of God concludes this prayer, embodies the substance of all the rest. ‘lo mark its force and weight, praying on the eve of his passion for the salvation of mankind, he thus concluded: **I pray thou keep them from evil.”"* ‘The force and efficacy of the other petitions, he, as it were, epitomized in this form of prayer, which he delivered by way of precept, and confirmed by example. If we obtain what is comprehended in this prayer, the protection of God against evil, that protection which enables us to defeat, with security and safety, the machinations of the world and the devil, we are fortified by the authority of St. Cyprian in aflirm- ing, that nothing more remains to be asked.*

Such, then, being the nature of this petition, the diligence of ihe pastor in its exposition should be commensurate to its im- portance. ‘The difference between it and the preceding petition consists in this, that in the one we beg to avoid sin, in the other, to escape punishment. It cannot, therefore, be necessary to remind the faithful of the numerous evils and calamities to which we are exposed, and how mucli we stand in need of the divine assistance. ‘The picture of our misery has been drawn in lively colours by sacred and profane writers; but the dangers which beset himself and others have given each one a melancholy ex- perience of the number and magnitude of the miseries incidental to human life. We are all convinced of the truth of these words of holy Job, which was exemplified in his own sufferings : ‘**Man, born of woman, and living for a short time, is filled with many miseries. He cometh forth like a flower, and is destroyed, and fleeth as a shadow, and never continueth in the same state.”’* ‘That no day passes without its own trouble or inconvenience is evinced by these words of our Lord: ‘*Sufli- cient for the day is the evil thereof ;’’* and indeed, the condition of human life is pointed out by our Lord himself, when he ad- monishes us, that we are to take up our cross daily, and follow him.®

Feeling, therefore, as every one must, the labours and dangers inseparable from human life, it will not be difficult to convince them, that to implore of God deliverance from evil is an impera- tive duty: a duty to the performance of which they will be the more easily induced, as no motive exercises a more powerful influence on human action than a desire and hope of deliverance from those evils, which oppress, or impend over them. ‘To fly to God for assistance in distress is a principle implanted in the human mind by the hand of nature ; as it is written, ** Fill their faces with shame, and they shal] seek thy name, O Lord.’’®

1 John xvii. 15. 2 Lib. de orat. citat. 3 Job xiv. 1. 4 Matt. vi. 34 5 Luke ix. 23. 6Ps Ixxxii. 17,

38)

This pe- tiuon an

bl ia gc a all the others

Diligence of the pas tor in its exposition, difference between it and the preceding petition ; te be often re- peated.

Our dan- Bae and difficulties serve to convince us of the necessity of prayer. Note.

332

How t pray ; oruer to be ob- served in ourprayers.

Difference between the prayers of the infidel and af the Christian.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent.

If, then, in calamities and dangers the unbidden impulse of nature prompts men to cafl on God, it surely becomes the duty of those, to whose fidelity and prudence their salvation is ins trusted, to instruct them, in a special manner, in the proper per- formance of this duty. There are some who, contrary to the command of Jesus Christ, invert the order of prayer: he, who commands us to have recourse to him in the day of tribulation,? has also prescribed to us the order in which we should solicit the divine favours. It is his will that, before we pray to be de- livered from evil, we prav that the name of God be sanctified ; that his kingdom come, and so of the other petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, which are so many gradations by which we ascend to this their summit. Yet there are those who, if their head, their side, or their foot, ache; if they sustain loss of pro- perty ; if menaces or dangers from an enemy alarm them; if famine, war, or pestilence afflict them, omit all the other petitions of the Lord’s Prayer, and ask only to be delivered from these evils. This preposterous practice is at variance with the express com- mand of Christ: ‘Seek first the kingdom of God.”? ‘To pray, therefore, as we ought, when we beg to be delivered from calamities and evils, we should have in view the greater glory of God. ‘Thus, when David offered this prayer: ** Lord rebuke me not in thine anger,’’ he subjoined the reason, ‘* For there is no one in death, that is mindful of thee, and who shall confess to thee in hell ;’’? and, having implored God to have merey on him, he added: *I will teach the unjust thy ways; and the wicked shall be converted to thee.’’*

The faithful are to be excited to the adoption of this salutary manner of praying, and to an imitation of the example of the prophet; and at the same time, their attention should also be pointed to the marked difference that exists between the prayers of the infidel and those of the Christian. The infidel, too, begs of God to cure his diseases, and to heal his wounds, to deliver him from approaching or impending ills; but he places his prin- cipal hope of recovery, or deliverance in the remedies provided by nature, or prepared by art. He makes no scruple of using medicine no matter by whom prepared, no matter if accom- panied by charms, spells, or other diabolical arts, provided he can promise himself some hope of recovery. Not so the Chris- tian: when visited by sickness or other adversity, he flies vw God as his sovereign refuge; in him does he centre all his hopes of returning health; him only does he acknowledge as the author of all good, adoring him as his deliverer, and ascrib- ing to nim whatever healing virtue resides in medicines, cou- vinced that then only are they efficacious, when it is the divine will that they should be so. They are given by God to man to heal his corporal infirmities ; and hence these words of Eccle- siasticus: ‘The Most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them.’’> He, therefore,

| Ps. xlix. 15 2 Matt. vi. 33 3 Ps, vi. 6. 4)Paalols 5 Reel. xxxvui @

| | | |

On the Lord’s Prayer.

who has pledged his fidelity to Jesus Christ, does not place his principal hope of recovery in such remedies: he places it in God the author of these medicines, and the Sacred Seriptures condemn the conduct of those who, confiding in the power of medicine, seek no assistance from God. Nay more, those, who regulate their lives by the laws of God, abstain from the use of all medicines, which are not evidently intended by Al- mighty God to be medicinal; and, were there even a certain hope of recovery by using any other, they abstain from them as so many charms and diabolical artifices.

The faithful, then, are to be exhorted to place their confidence in God: our most bountiful Father has commanded us to beg of him our deliverance from evil; and commanded as we are, by him to implore his goodness, we must cherish a hope of obtaining the object of our prayers. Of this truth the Sacred Scriptures afford many illustrations, that they whom reasoning may not inspire with confidence, may be compelled to yield to a strong array of examples. Abraham, Jacob, Lot, Joseph, and David are unexceptionable attestations of the divine goodness ; and the numerous instances recorded in the New Testament of persons rescued from the greatest dangers, by the efficacy of devout prayer, are so familiar as to supersede the necessity of crowding the page with citations. On this subject therefore, we shall content ourselves with one sentence from the prophet, which is sufficient to confirm even the weakest mind: ‘ The just cried, and the Lord heard them; and delivered them out of all their troubles.’’?

We now come io explain the force and nature of the petition, in order that the faithful may understand that in it we by no means solicit deliverance from every species of evil. There are some things which are commonly considered evils, and which, notwithstanding, are fraught with advantage to those who endure them: such was the sting of the flesh experienced by the Apostle, that, by the aid of divine grace, power might be perfected in infirmity. When the pious Christian learns the salutary influence of such things, far from praying for their removal, he rejoices in them exceedingly. It is, therefore, against those evils only, which conduce not to our spiritual in- terests, that we pray; not against such as are auxiliary to our salvation. The full force of the petition, therefore, is, that freed from sin, we may also be freed from the danger of temptation, and from internal ard external evils; that we may be protected from water, fire, and lightning; that the fruits of the earth may be preserved ; that we be not visited by dearth, sedition, or the horrors of war; that God may banish disease, pestilence, deso- lation from us; that he may keep us from slavery, imprisonment, exile, treason, treachery, and from all those evils which fill man- kind with terror and misery. Finally, we pray that God would remove all occasions of sin and iniquity

' Paral. xvi. 12 2 Ps xxxili 18. * 2 Cor. xii. 17.

In sicknesa our confi- dence should be place 1 in God

Some things are commonly considered evils whick are not rea. evils ; meaning of the petition.

484

God deil- vers us from evil in a variety of ways.

Note.

The devil specially called “the evil one,” and why.

I

The Catechism of tne Council of Trent.

We do not however pray to be delivered solely from those things, which all look upon as evils; with them we also de- precate those things which almost all consider to be good, such as riches, honours, health, strength, and even life itself, rather than that they should prove destructive or detrimental to our immortal souls. We also beg of God that we be not cut off by a a sudden death ; that we provoke not his anger against us; that we be not condemned to suffer the punishments reserved for the wicked; that we be not sentenced to endure the fire of purgatory, from which we piously and devoutly implore the the liberation of others. ‘This is the explanation of this petition given by the Church in the Mass and Litanies: in it we be- seech God to avert from us all evil past, present, and to come.

‘The goodness of God delivers us from evil in a variety of ways. He prevents impending evils, as we read with regard to the Patriarch Jacob: the slaughter of the Sichimites had exasperated the fury of his enemies; but God delivered him from their hands: ‘The terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.’ 1 ‘The blessed, who reign with Christ the Lord in heaven, have been delivered by the divine assistance from all evil; but, although the Almighty delivers us from some evils, it is not his will that, whilst journeying in this our mortal pilgrimage, we should be entirely exempt from all. The con- solations with which God sometimes refreshes those who labour under adversity are, however, equivalent to an exemption from all evil; and with these the prophet consoled himself when he said: ** According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart thy consolations have rejoiced my soul.” God, moreover, delivers men from evil when he preserves them unhurt in the midst of extreme danger: thus did his protecting arm save the three children who were thrown into the fiery furnace,® and Daniel, who was east into the lion’s den, and who also escaped unhurt.*

According to the interpretation of St. Basil, St. Chrysostome, and Augustine, the devil is specially called ‘the evil one ;’’ because he was the author of man’s transgression, that is, of his sin and iniquity ; and because God makes use of him as an instrument to chastise the impiety of sinners. ‘The evils which mankind endure in punishment of sin are appointed by God; and this is the meaning of these words of the prophet Amos - ‘* Shall there be evil in a city which the Lord hath not done ?”” and also of Isaias: ‘*I am the Lord and there is none else: 1 form the light and create darkness: I make peace and create evil.”’®> The devil is also called evil, because, although we lave never done any thing to provoke his hostility, he wages per- petual war against us, and pursues us with mortal hatred: but, if we put on the armour of faith and the shield of innogence,

‘ Gen. xxxv. 5. 2 Ps, Ixiii. 19. 3 Dan. vi 22. 4 Dan. iii. 50. > Amos iii. 6. olsa. xlv. 7

On the Lord's Prayer.

he can have no power to hurt us. He, however, unceasingly tempts us by external evils and every other means of annoyance within his reach; and therefore do we beseech God to detiver us from evil.!

We say “from evil,’’ not ‘* from evils,’’ because the evils which we experience from others we ascribe to the arch enemy as their author and instigator. ‘This is also a reason why we shoulc be less disposed to cherish sentiments of resentment towards our neighbour, turning our hatred and anger against Satan himself, by whom men are impelled to inflict injuries. If, therefore, your neighbour has injured you in any respect, when you bend in prayer to God your Father, beg of him not only ta deliver you from evil, that is, from the injuries, which your neighbour inflicts ; but also to rescue your neighbour from the power of the devil, whose wicked suggestions impel man to deeds of injustice.*

Finally, we should know, that 1i by prayers and vows we are not delivered from evil, we should endure our afflictions with patience, convinced that it is the will of God that we should so endure them. If, therefore, God hear not our prayers, we are not to yield to feelings of peevishness or discontent: it is ours to submit in all things, to the divine will and pleasure, convinced that what happens in accordance with the will of God, not that which, on the contrary, is agreeable to our own wishes, is really useful and salutary to us. In fine, that during our mortal career we should be prepared to meet every species of affliction and calamity, not only with patience, but even with joy, is a truth which the zealous Pastor should press upon the attention of his pious hearers. ‘All that will live godly in Christ Jesus,” says St. Paul, ‘shall suffer persecution :’’? ** Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven ;’’# and again, our Lord himself says: ‘* Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so enter into his glory.’’> A ser- vant, then, should not be greater than his master; and as St. Bernard says, ‘* Delicate members do not become a head crowned with thorns.’ ‘The example of Uriah challenges our admiration and imitation: when urged by David to remain at home, he replied: ‘The ark of God, and Israel, and Judah, dwell in tents; and shall I go into my house ?’’?

If to prayer we bring with us these reflections and these dis- positions, although encompassed by evils on every side, like the three children who passed unhurt amidst the flames, we shall be preserved through the perilous ordeal; or at least, like the Maechabees, we shall bear up against adverse fortune with firm- ness and fortitude. In the midst of contumelies and tortures we shall imitate the blessed examples of the Apostles, who, after

Isa. xlv 7. 2 Chrysost. hom, 20. in Matt. et hom. 5 in Job. Aug. in Ecclesiast. dogm. cap. 57 Basil. in hom. quod Deus non sit auctor malorum, non procul a fine.

32 Tim. iii. 12. 4 Acts xiv. 21. 5 Luke xxiv. 26 6 Serm. 5, de omnibus Sanctis. 7 2 Kings xi. 1 33 3C

385

We say from evi! not from evils, and “ hy.

Patience under con. tinned affliction

Exampies

Other exampies

386

The seal of the Lord’s prayer; fruits of this con- cluding word; and of prayer in general.

Example.

Note

The Catechism of the Council of Trenz.

they had been scourged, ‘* rejoiced exceedingly that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus ’’ Like them, we too shall sing in transports of joy: ‘ Princes have persecuted me without cause ; and my heart hath been in awe of thy words; I will rejoice at thy words, as one that hath found great spoil.’”*

MEN.

Tuts word ‘‘ Amen,” St. Jerome, in his commentary on St Matthew, calls what it really is, ‘*the seal of the Lord’s prayer.’” As then we have already admonished the faithful with regard to the preparation to be made before holy prayer, so we deem it necessary that they should know, why we close our prayers with this word, and also what it signifies: devotion in conclud ing does not yield in importance to attention in beginning, our prayers to God. The faithful, then, are to know that the fruits, which we gather from the conclusion of the Lord’s prayer, are numerous and abundant; and of these, the richest is the attain- ment of the objects of our prayer, a matter on which we have already been sufficiently diffuse. By this concluding word, not only do we obtain a propitious hearing from God, but also receive other blessings of a higher order still, the excellence of which surpasses all powers of description. By prayer, as St. Cyprian observes, we commune with God; and thus the divine Majesty is, after an inexplicable manner, brought nearer to those who are engaged in prayer than to others, and enriches them with peculiar gifts. Those, therefore, who pray devoutly, may not be inaptly compared to persons who approach a glowing fire: if cold, they derive warmth; if warm, they derive heat, from its intensity. Thus, also, those who approach God in prayer depart with a warmth and ardour proportioned to their faith and fervour: the heart is inflamed with zeal for the glory of God: the mind is illumined after an admirable manner; and the soul is enriched exceedingly with a plenteous effusion of divine grace, as it is writ- ten, ‘Thou hast prevented him with blessings of sweetness.’”4 Of these astonishing effects of prayer, Moses affords an illustrious example ; by intercourse and converse with God, Moses shone with the reflected splendours of the Divinity, so that the Israel- ites could not look upon his eyes or countenance.®

Those who pray with such fervour enjoy, in an admirable manner, the benignity and majesty of God: ‘*In the morning,” says the prophet, ‘I will stand before thee and will see ; because thou art not a God that wiilest iniquity.”® “The more familiar

1 Acts v. 4. 2 Ps. exviii. 161. 3 In Matt. vi. 6. 4 Ps. xx. 4° 5s Exod xxxiv 35. 2 Cor. iii. 13. 6 Ps, v. 5.

On the Lord’s Prayer. 307

these truths are to the raind, the more piously do we venerate, and ihe more fervently do we worship God, and the more de- lightfully do we taste, ‘* how sweet is the Lord, and how blessed is the man that hopeth in him.’ Encircled by light from above, then do we also discover our own lowliness, and how exalted is the majesty of God: ‘Give me,” says St. Augustine, ‘ to know thee; give me to know myself.’’ Distrusting our own strength, we thus throw ourselves unreservedly upon the good- ness of God, not doubting that he, who cherishes us in the bosom of his paternal love, will afford us in abundance whatever is necessary to the support of life and the attainment of salva- tion. Thus do our hearts beat with warmest gratitude to God, and our lips, in accents of rapturous devotion, speak his praise ; following the example of David, who commenced by praying ; ‘Save me from all them that persecute me ;”’ and concluded with these words: ‘I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice; and will sing to the name of the Lord the Most High.’”*

There are extant innumerable prayers of the saints, which The breathe the same spirit, beginning with sentiments of reveren- caer tial fear, and ending with consolatory and joyous hope. ‘This breathe spirit, however, is eminently conspicuous in the Psalms of Da- this spint vid. Agitated by fear, he says: ‘* Many are they who rise up against me: many say to my soul, there is no salvation for hiiu in his God;” but at length, armed with fortitude, and filled with holy joy, he adds: ‘I will not fear thousands of the peo- ple surrounding me.’’® In another Psalm, after he had lamented his misery, reposing confidence in God, and rejoicing exceed- ingly in the hope of salvation, he says: ‘*In peace in the self- same, I will sleep, and I will rest.”’* Again, with what terror must he not have been agitated when he exclaimed: ‘* O Lord, rebuke me not in thy indignation, nor chastise me in thy wrath ;” yet, on the other hand, what confidence and joy must not have beamed upon him when he added: ‘ Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.”> When filled with dread of the divine wrath, with what lowliness and humility does he not implore the divine assistance: ‘* Save me, O Lord, by thy name, and judge me in thy strength ;”® and yet, in the same psalm he adds these words of joy and confidence; ‘* Behold, God is my help; and the Lord is the helper of my soul.’’ Let him, therefore, who has recourse to holy prayer approach God his Father, fortified by faith and animated by hope, not despairing to obtain, through the divine mercy, those blessings of which he stands in need.

The word “‘ amen,” with which the Lord’s prayer concludes, Particular contains, as it were, the germs of many of those reasons and means reflections which we have already evolved. Indeed, so frequent “amen” im

was tnis Hebrew word in the mouth of the Saviour, that it Sa a ‘ Mass. \ Ps, xxxiii. 9 2 Ps, vii. 3—18 3 Ps. iii. 3. 7 4 Ps, iv. 9. 5 Ps. vi, 2. 9. 6 Ps, 53. 3.

The word % amen,” by many interpreted differently.

It fixes at- tention, ar id enlivens hope.

The Catechism of the Council of Trent

pleased the Holy Ghost to have it still retained in the Charep of God. Its meaning may be said to be: ‘know that thy prayers are heard ;’’ it is in substance, as if God condescended to return an answer to the supplicant, and graciously dismissed him, after having heard his prayers with a propitious ear. ‘This interpretation has been approved by the constant usage of the Church of God: in the sacrifice of the Mass, when the Lord’s prayer is said, she does not assign the word ‘‘amen,’”” to the assistant, who answers, ‘but deliver us from evil:’’ she re- serves it as appropriate to. the Priest himself, who, in quality of interpreter between God and man, answers ‘‘amen,”’ thus intimating that God has heard the prayers of his people. This practice, however, is not common to all prayers, but is peculiar to the Lord’s prayer. In every other instance the assistant answers ‘‘amen;’’ because, in every other, it only expresses the acquiescence of the people, and the community of their desires and prayers; in this it is an answer, intimating that God has heard the petition of his supplicant.

By many, the word ‘‘amen” is differently interpreted: the Septuagint interprets it, ‘so be it:’’ others translate it, * verily,” or ‘truly ;” Aquila renders it, *‘ faithfully.” Which of these versions we adopt, is a matter of little importance, provided we understand it to have the force already mentioned, that of the Pastor confirming the concession of what has been prayed for; an interpretation to which the Apostle lends the weight of his authority in his Epistle to the Corinthians; where he says: ‘‘ All the promises of God are in him it is ;+ therefore also by him, amen to God, unto our glory.”

To us also this word is very appropriate, containing, as it does, some confirmation of the petitions which we have already pre- sented at the throne of God, and fixing our attention when engaged in holy prayer; for it not unfrequently happens that, in prayer, a variety of distracting thoughts divert the mind to other objects. Nay, more, by this word we most earnestly beg

of God that all our preceding petitions may be granted, or rather, -

understanding that they have been all granted, and feeling the divine assistance powerfully present with us, we cry out in the inspired words of the prophet: ‘* Behold God is my helper; and the Lord is the protection of my soul ;’’* nor can we for a moment doubt, that God is moved by the name of his Son, and by a word so often uttered by the divine lips of him, ** who,” as the Apostle says, ‘‘ was always heard for his reverence.’”*

1 2 Cor. 1. 20. sv zurw ro ves in ipso, scilicet Christo, sunt est, that 1s to say, are ratified in Christ.—T. 2 Ps, liii. 6. 3 Heb. v. 7.

THE END.

PRAXIS CATECHIS

SEU

ivf [,

CATECHISMUS

SINGULAS ANNI DOMINICAS DISTRIBUTUS

IN

ET EVANGELIIS

ACCOMMODATUS.

DOMINICA PRIMA ADVENTUS.

Erxunt signa 1x Sore, er Luna, &e.

Luc. xxi. 25, &c.J—Hoc Evangelium |

ad argumentum de judicio generali tra-

ducendum est. Quare hic recurrat Pa- |

rochus ad articulum Symboli. “Inde venturus est judicare vivos et mortuos,” p. 61, et seqq. prout. faciendum precipi-

tur, p. 18, vel secundum aliarum Ecclesia- |

Tum ritum.

Ecce rex Tuvus venir tist, &c. Marr. | xxi. 5, &c.]—Hic opportuné tractabit |

parochus ea, que de Incarnatione, et causis adventfis Christi Domini nostri habentur art. 2. et 3. Symboli Apostolici, p. 31, et 37.

NIETIS ASINAM ALLIGATAM, ET PUL-

LAM CUM EA; sotvitrs, &c.]—D. Atha- |

nasius in sermone de verbis hujus Evan- | gelii ostendit ex hoc loco Apostolis et eorum successoribus factam esse potesta- tem solvendi eos qui, instar asinorum, peccatorum pondere pressi, ad eos con- fugerent. Quare hic populo exponet Parochus que habentur de confessione, p. 189, et seqq. et absolutione, p. 181, et de potestate remittendi peccata in Ec- clesia, p. 82, et seqq.

DOMINICA SECUNDA.

Jum aupisseT JoANNES IN VINCULIS, &c. To Es qui ventounts gs, &c. Marra. xi. 2, &c.J—Ista Joannis interrogatio tam sedula, ostendit quanto cum studio cu- rare debeamus, ut de rebus fidei, et nos, et ii, qui nobis subsunt, rité, et 2 Catho-

cis doctoribus instruamur.

hure argumento inserviunt initio Cate-|

389

QvuID ERGO BAPTIZAS,

chismi, usque ad primum Symboli arti culum,

In vincctts.J—Fides usque ad vincula,

immo ad necem usque, cm opus est, et a judice urgemur, profitenda est: nea est satis eam pectore inclusam habere, quantumvis rectam et sinceram, ut osten- ditur, p. 22, et seqq. vel “ Erunt signa in Sole et Luna,” &c. ut Dominica pre- cedenti.

DOMINICA TERTIA.

ConFESSUS EST ET NON NEGAYVIT, JOAN. L

20, &c.|—Ex hoc loco simpliciter verum fateri docemur, nec intermiscere jusjuran- dum, ut nobis fides adhibeatur. Vide quanto, et sub quibus penis jurare pro- hibitum, in 2. precepto, p. 254, et seqq. SI TU NON ES Cunistus, &c.J—Agendum hic de min- istris baptismi, de quo, p. 119, et seq. et quomodo sese habeant in dispensatione Sacramentorum Christus Dominus et minister, quantiim ad effectum Sacra- menti, p. 108, et seqq.

Cusus rGo Nox sum pieNnus, &c.]—Hic

monere parochus populum sibi creditum debet ut se pro festis natalitiis ad sacram synaxim preparet, et agere de condigna tanti hospitis (cujus corrigiam calceamenti solvere indignum se Joannes Baptista censet) susceptione, vide de preparatione ad Eucharistiam, p. 167, vel “ Cum audisset Joannes in vinculis, ut in Dominica precedenti.”

DOMINICA QUARTA.

Vide que ANNo qurINTopEcIMo tmrEntt TrBERt

Cxsanis, &c. Luc. iii. 1.]—Cur hie 33*

390

principum mundi fiat mentio, eadem ratio afferri potest, que affertur in arti- culo 4, Symboli de eodem Pontio Pilato.

Facrum Est yeRBumM DomInrI sSuPER Joannem, &c.]—Quoniam Joannes non nisi a Deo legitimé vocatus officium verbi Dei predicandi exercuit: ideo hic de legitima vocatione ininistrorum Ec- clesie parochus disseret, ut habetur de sacram. Ordinis, p. 212, et seqq. legiti- mosque, eos mimistros non esse dicat, qui missi non sunt, ut traditur in pre- fatione.

In peserto.]—Hic de probitate et morum integritate ministrorum verbi (qui sunt sacerdotes) agatur ex eodem loco 212, et seq. et de castitate, que eis, quando fiunt subdiaconi, indicitur, ut hab. ibidem.

Przpicans BarrisMUM PNITENTIE. |— Quomode adulti, qui baptismum susci- pere debent, affecti esse debeant, et pre- terite eos vite peuitere, traditur, p. 126, et seqq.

Parate yram Domini, RECTAS FACITE semitas Der nostRi.J—Hic de prepa- ratione ad Eucharistiam, de qua in supe- riorl Dominica, et de necessaria manda- torum Dei observantia, de qua, p. 237, et seqq. vel. “et confessus est, et non negavit,” ut in Dominica precedenti.

IN DIE NATIVITATIS DOMINI.

PEPERIT PRIMOGENITUM FILIUM sUUM, &c. Luc. ii. 7, &c.]—Explicetur articu- lus Symbolii Narus ex Maria Vireine. Qui est hujus loci maximé proprius, de quo, p. 38, et seqq. HEodem die ad Missam majorem.

IN PRINCIPIO ERAT VERBUM, ET VERBUM ERAT, &c. Joan i. 1, &c.]—Quoniam hic locus dum agitur de eterna Christi Do- mini generatione adducitur, p. 35, hinc parochus petet hujus loci expositionem.

Ev yERBUM cARo FAacTUM EST.|—Hic ex- ponatur mysterium Incarnationis prout habetur, p. 36, et seqq.

GLORIAM QUASI UNIGENITI A PATRE.]— Quomodo hic unigenitus sit etiam patre noster, vide p. 337.

DOMINICA INFRA OCTAVAM NATIVITATIS.

Er TUAM IPSIUS SANIMAM PERTRANSIBIT |

Gxapius, &c. Luc. ii. 35, &c.J—Ex hac Simeonis predictione ansam sumere

poterit parochus explicandi, cur Deus | fideles jam baptizatos, quos filios habet |

carissimos, non eximat ab incommodis vite hujus, qua de re agitur, p. 129, et

Praxis Calechismi.

quo confugiendum tunc sit, de quo 4 318, et seq.

Non RECEDEBAT A TEMPLO JEJUNIIS FI oRrATIONIBUS, &c.|—De privata et pub lica oratione habes, p. 330. Quomoda ad orationem, et jejunium et eleemosyna jungenda sint, p. 331, et quomodo ista tria conducant ad satisfactionem pecca- torum, p. 332, et seqq. et. 204.

IN CIRCUMCISIONE DOMINI.

| Er POSTQUAM CONSUMMATI SUNT DIES OCTO, UT CIRCUMCIDERETUR PUER, &C, Lue. ii. 21, &c.J—Quoniam circumci- sioni successit Baptismus, hic in genere dici poterit de vi, et efficientia Sacramen- torum nove legis supra antique legis Sacramenta, ut habetur, p. 111.

Vocarum Est NoMEN EJusS Jesus, &c.|— Quam convenienter hoc nomen inditura fuerit Christo Domino, et quare, vide p. 33.

Observandum hic etiam est pueris nunc in baptismo, et olim in circumcisione nomen esse imponendum: cujus rei queenam sit ratio, et quale nomen puero imponi de- beat, habes, p. 136. Denique cum im- positio nominis sit una ex ceremoniis in baptismo usitatis, hide baptismi cereemo- niis et ritibus apta concio haberi poterit, p- 133, et seqq.

IN DIE EPIPHANLAE.

VIDIMUS ENIM STELLAM EJUS IN ORIENTE, &c. Marru. ii. 2, &c.J|—Quoniam non inepté per hance stellam philosophica de Deo scientia potest intelligi, sicut per re- sponsum sacerdotum fidei lumen, non malé hic adaptari poterunt que de differ- entia sapientie Christiane a Philoso- phica notitia habentur, p. 23.

Er procipENTES ADORAVERUNT EUM, &c Marrnu. ii. 11, &c.]—Hie de adoratione Dei, que Larrta dicitur, et simul de ve- neratione Sanctorum, que Dcrra nomi- natur. Vide in expositione Decalogi p. 237, et 245, usque ad secundum precep- tum. Hic agi etiam potest de Eucharis- tim veneratione et adoratione. Nam si eundem Christum, quem Magi adorave- runt presentem in Eucharistia agnosci- mus, et confitemur; ut disertis verbis probatur, p. 159, et seqq. si pil esse vO« lumus, cur non eque ac Magi eum advu« tabimus? Vide p. 146, et seqq.

DOMINICA INFRA OCTAVAM EPIPHANL®.

SECUNDUM CONSUETUDINEM NUPTIH FAC Tx suNT, Luc. ii. 42, &c.]—De observa

Praxis Catechism.

tione dierum festorum, lege, p. 267, et seqy- :

Er erat suspirus i1txis, &c.)—De offi- cio ‘iberori erga parentes, vide p. 271, et siqq.

DOMINICA SECUNDA POST EPIPHANIAM.

Noprre Facts sunt 1n Cana Gatit=m, &c. Joan, ii. 1, &c.]—De Sacramento Matrimonii, vide p. 225, et seqa.

Hoc FECIT Jesus INITIUM SIGNORUM

svonum.]—Hee conversio aque in vi-

num valet plurimiim ad confirmandos

rudiores in fide Transsubstantiationis, que fit in augustissimo Altaris Sacra- mento: de qua vide p. 161, et seqq.

DOMINICA TERTIA.

Ecce Lerrosus VENIENS ADORABAT EUM, Marra. viii. 2, 3, &c.J—Per lepram heresim significari dicunt Patres. Qui vero sunt censendi heretici, et qui a castris Ecclesiz, ut olim leprosi ejicendi, habetur, p. 70, et seqq.

Vane, osrenne TE Sacennotr.]—De honore Sacerdotibus Domini, et Ecclesiz prefectis exhibendo, vide p. 275.

Vanr, estenpe re Sacerpoti, &c.J— Longé excellentiorem virtutem nostris Sacerdotibus tributam docet Chrysosto- mus lib. 3, de Sacerd. quam Mosaicis, quéd illi oblatos sibi leprosos non mun- darent; sed mundatos tantiim esse de- clararent; nostri ver6 hominem _ pec- eati lepra maculatum, dum absolutionis beneficium rite preparato impendunt, veré emundant, et perfecte sanitati resti- tuunt. Hic de potestate clavium Sacer- dotibus concessa, ut habetur, p. 82, et sequentibus,

DOMINICA QUARTA.

AscENDENTE Jesu IN NavicuLam, Marrn. viii. 23.]—Inter multa, que Ecclesiam representant, est navicula illa seu arca Noe, de qua, p. 74. Hic ergo de Ec- clesia Catholica, et notis, quibus inter- noscitur, parochus agere poterit: prout habetur, p. 73, seqq.

DoMINE SALVA Nos, PERIMUS.]—Quoniam nullum est tempus, in quo ita hominum vita, quam in propinquo anime exitu, periclitetur ; ideo parochus ex hoc loco hortari poterit suos subditos ut cim mortis dies instabit, ad Deum maximé recurrant, et extreme unctionis Sacra- mentum accipiant, de quo, p 206, et se- quentibus.

39)

Qvatis EST HIC, QUIA VENTI ET MARE OBEDIUNT ¥1?}—Quomodc¢ creature omnes eum, quem a Deo ab mitio acce- perunt, cursum teneant hom.ne dempto, vide p, 350,

DOMINICA QUINTA,

Er INIMICUS HOMO SUPERSEMINAVIT ZIZANIA, &ec. Maren, xiii. 25, &I—Ta Ecclesia duo sunt hominum genera, boni, qui tritici nomine designantur ; improbi nomine zizaniorum, vide p. 72, et seqq. Vel per zizania intelliguntur odia, atque rixe, quas pater dissentionis Diabolus seminare conatur in agro filiorum pacis, cujus morbi remedium habes, p. 281, 285, et 286. .

Iximicus Homo Hoc Frcrr.}—De odio demo- num in nos, et ad tentandum audacia et perversitate, vide p. 374 ; et ut omnis mali culpe auctor, mali vero pene sit exactor vide p. 378.

DOMINICA SEXTA.

SIMILE EST REGNUM CQ&LORUM GRaNO stnapis, Marru. xiii, 31, &c.]—Quo- niam juxta Doctores per granum sinapis fides intelligitur ; hic tractanda sunt, que de ejus necessitate habentur, p. 24, et quomodo servanda sint ea que fide cre- denda proponuntur, p. 26, et 27, et ejus excellentia et quantum differat Christiana de Deo sapientia et philosophica divina- rum rerum notitia, p. 23.

Cum avurem creyerit.J—Fidem augeri posse traditur, p. 329,

[renUM SIMILE EST REGNUM C@LORUM FERMENTO, QUOD ACCEPTUM MULIER.]— Hance mulierem Ecclesiam interpretantur, que in doctrina fidei aut morum (per fermentum designata) errare non posse traditur, p. 77.

Donec FERMENTATUM EST TOTUM.]—Hie de communione Sanctorum et meritoruns participatione explicari possunt, quay sunt, p. 79, et seq.

DOMINICA IN SEPTUAG

SIMILE EST REGNUM CHELORUM HOMINI Pac TRiramitras, Marra. xx. 1, &c.J]—Hie paterfamilias est Deus, qui cur pater dicatur, habes, p. 25, et 26. 332, et 333,

RECEPERUNT IPSI SINGULOS DENARIOS.]—- Denarii nomine ccelestis beatitudo desig- natur, quain hic paterfamilias alacriter et sinceré in vinea sua, id est, in cultura mandatorum divinorum laborantibus prestnt. De hoc vite wterne denarie lege ju diffuse trad mtur, p. 92, et seq

892

et 241, 343, e1 seqg. Hujus vero beatitu- | dinis consequende certam viam, ac ratio- nem habes, p. 346, et seqq. Item. exhor- tatio ad colendam hance vineam mandato- rum illustris habetur, p. 238, et seqq.

Bincuios pENAnRIOS, &c.}]—In ceelo tamen | varietas est meroedis, et glorie, pro ra- tione laboris et aflectus, quo quis opera-

tur, p. 88, et 99. DOMINICA IN SEXAG.

Exirr QUI SEMINAT SEMINARE SEMEN

suum, &c. Luc. viii. 5, &c.]—Semen hoc in terram sparsum est verbum Dei, exponente Domino, de quo, vide p. 362, et quomodo sit audiendum, vide prefet. Venit Dianoxus, &c.]—De demonis co- natu, et impugnatione habes, p. 376, et seqq.

Er a SOLLICITUDINIBUS ET DIViTIIS, &c.] —Quantiim divitie et effrenes rerum temporalium cupiditates impediant hujus divini seminis fructum habes, p. 350, et

seq. DOMINICA IN QUINQUAG.

TrapDETUR ENIM GENTIBUS, ET ILLUDE-

tur, Luc. xviii. 32, &c.]—Ut Christi milites ejus crucem tamquam vexillum sui ducis contuentes, ad arma peenitentie sumenda exstimulentur, ideo hoc Evan- gelium ineunte quadragesima legitur, quod passionis Dominice summam com- plecitur, quo loco non importuné paro- chus exponet, que de Passione Domini fusé traduntur, p. 43, etseqq. Vel si in aliud tempus commodius differre malit hoe argumentum ; hodie alteram Evan- gelii partem pertractabit, ut sequitur. Cactus QUIDAM SEDEBAT SECUS vIAM. |— Hic cecus genus humanum denotabat, de cujus post peccatum statu misero, vide p- 350.

Jesu ritt Davin mIsERERE MEI.]—Hic quomodo Deum aliter oremus ac Sanctos ex hac formula demonstrabis, ut habes, p. 327. Porro si angustiis, aut tribulationibus premimur, aut re aliqua indigemus, ad Dominum cum hoe ceco nobis recurren- dem est, precibusque sollicitandus Deus, ut nobis adsit. Vide de necessitate et utilitate orationis, p. 317.

Quip Trei vis Factam.|—Hic causas, ob quas clementissimus Deus vult a nobis rogari, etiam si sciac quibus rebus indi- geamus, ex p. 318, et 319, proferes.

FERIA IV. CINERUM.

Cum auTEM gENuUNATIS. &c. Marra. v1. 16, &c.J]—Cim quadragesime jejunium

Praxis Catechismi.

eo nomine sit institutum, ut totius ann peccata hac quasi solemni mulcta redi- meremus, hodié parochus excitare fide- lem populum debebit ad peenitentiam amplectendam, de cujus necessitate scri- bit, p. 81, et 180, docere quibus gradibus ad pcenitentiam licet ascendere, p. 179, et quibus operum generibus pro peccatis satisfacere possimus, p. 204, et seqq.

NoLITE THESAURIZARE VOBIS THESAUROS IN TERRA ]—Vide adversus eos qui opes congerere undequaque studeant, p. 292. 294, et seq.

THESAURIZATE VOBIS THESAUROS IN cceLo.]|—Quoniam parochi frequenter fidelem populi ad eleemosinas pauperi- bus erogandas excitare debent: hic hoe studiosé preestabunt ex his que habentur, p- 314, 315, et seq. et 372.

DOMINICA PRIMA QUADRAGE- SIM.

Ur TenTARretur A Dianotro, &c. Marra iv. 11, &c.]—Cim sit tentatio vita ho- minis super terram, ut dicit Job, vil. hie de tentatione agendum, de generibus tentationum, ad quid permittantur homi- nes tentari, quibus armis tentationibus resistendum, et cetera hujusmodi, que habentur, p. 375, et seqq-

Won IN soLOo PANE VIVIT Homo.|—De pane spiritali de quo hic agit Christus Dominus, vide p. 362, et seq.

ANGELIs suis Deus mannavit, &c.|—De Angelorum custodia erga homines, p. 333, et 334,

Domixum Deum Tuum aporaBts.]—De adoratione Dei que fide, spe et charitate, perficitur, vide p. 244,

DOMINICA SECUNDA QUADRA GESIM A.

Assumesir Jesus Perrum, er Jaconum, ET JOANNEM, ET DEDUXIT Eos, &c. Marra. xvii. 1, &c.]—Hic afferri possunt ea, que de loco et tempore, quo homines ad divina contemplanda aptiores sunt, habentur, p. 243.

Bonvum Est nos uic Essx.|—Hic tractari possunt, que de summa eorum dignitate, qui Deo obediunt, habentur, p. 358. Vel de intimis hominum sanctorum gaudiis, p- 363. Poterunt etiam Parochi de duo- decimo articulo hic habere sermonem, de quo, p. 92, 93.

| Hic Est FILIUS MEUS DILECTUS, &c.]—

Hic de eterna filii generatione latissimus sese offert dicendi campus, de qua, p. 35.

-

Me

Praais Catechismi.

et sey. vel secundum aliarum Ecclesiarum ritum,

Muaserere met FILI Davin, Marrn. xv. 22, &c.)—Hiec typum habes perfect oratio- | nis quantum spectat ad duas conditiones, | quz in oratione maximé desiderantur, fidem videlicet, et perseverantiam, de | quibus, p. 329, et seqq.

Fina MEA MALE TORQUETUR A DEMONIO, &c.J]—Hujus mulieris exemplo Parentes monentur diligentem liberorum curam gerere ; de qua, p. 278.

Dimirre EAM, QUIA CLAMAT POST Nos, &c.]—Si Apostoli in hac vita degentes, adhuc pro se soliciti pro Chananea inter- vellant, et exaudiuntur, et in celo mutire zen audebunt, inquit D. Hieron, contra Vigilantium. Hic de intercessione, Sanc- torum, prout habetur p. 246, seqq.

DOMINICA TERTIA.

Er ernar Jesus tsicrens Demoniun, Ev ILLUD ERAT MUTUM, Luc. xi. 14., &c.] Dezmonis proprium est eum, quem possi- det, reddere mutum, id est, 4 confessione peccati revocare. Sed tamen non est alia ratio ejeciendi Demonis, quam ut Iinguam solvas ad detegendum coram Sacerdote peccatum, vide que de Con- fessione habentur, p. 189, et seqq.

OMNE REGNUM IN SEIPSUM DIVISUM DESO- LaBrrun.J—Ecclesia est Christi regnum, ut habetur, p. 346. Id autem, ut in seipsum non sit divisum, unum esse ne- cesse est, unde hic de unitate Ecclesie agendum est, ex p. 74, et seq.

RevertTar IN DomMuUM meEAM.]—De rela- bentium in peccati gravitatem, p. 47. Et quid post confessionem agendum, p. 204, et seq.

Tounc ASSUMIT ALIOS SEPTEM SPIRITUS NEquiores sE.]—Hic locus p, 374, in- ducitur ad probandum non unum tantum demonem, sed plures etiam interdum hominem tentare ; patet autem ex hoc loco demonem acrius eos tantare, qui ab eo defecerunt, ut est p. 375, et seqq.

Beatcs VENTER QUI TE PORTAVIT.]— Glorificatione B. Marie Virginis hoc Evangelium concluditur ; de qua habes, p. 39, 40, 326.

DOMINICA QUARTA

UsprE EMEMUS PANES, UT ET MANDUCENT att &c. Joan, vi. 5. &c.J]—Hic apte explicari poterit illa petitio Dominicw orationis; “ Panem nostrum quotidia- num da nobis,” p. 357, et seqq.

Notandnm preterea gudd panis iste vim |

ae

393

etiam halebat sedandi sitim, ut tenent doctores. Ita et panis Eucharistie laicis pro calice est. Lege de Communione sub una specie, p, 171, 172.

Hoc avrem pickBar TANTANS EUM.J— Quomodo Deus hominem tentet, vide p. 376, et seq.

Disrrisuir piscumpENtiavs.]—Christus non distribuit, sed dedit Apostolis, et illi distribuerunt turbe, Matth., xiv. 19, Sie 4 mundi initio per Patriarchas et Pro- phetas, et postea per Apostolos eorumque successores Deus verbum Dei et sacra- menta subministrat, ut habetur p. 13, 14, et 108. Christus tamen est qui hee omnia precipué efficit, p. 108,

Hic est vert Proparra.}—De gratiarum actione, p. 326.

DOMINICA IN PASSIO.

QuI EX VOBIS ARGUET ME DE PECCATO? Joan, viii. 46, &c.}—Innocentia Christi in hodierno Evangelio convenienter pro- fertur in medium, ut in promtu sit nobis causa Dominice Passionis quam hodie representare incipit Ecclesia, nimirum non propria illius delicta, sed nostra, De causis Passionis Christi habes, p. 47.

St VERITATEM pico von1s.}—Mendacic cavere docemur de quo mula p. 301, et seqq.

Qui ex Deo Est, versa Der avpir, &c.] —De verbo Dei audiendo, p. 16, et 362.

NoMNE BENE DICIMUS NOS QuiA SAMARI- tTanus, &c.]—Ex hoc loco Parochus an- sam poterit arripere ad excitandos suos Fideles ad injurias condonandas, qua de re multa habentur, p. 364, et seqq.

Sep wHononiFico Parnem ET yos IN- HONORASTIS ME.|—Christus sepe, et a multis graviter inhonoratur, sed ab iis maximeé qui ejus verbum vel malé inter- pretando, vel ad vana convertendo pol- Juunt, de quo, p. 262.

TuLERUNT ERGO LAPIDES, UT JACERENT IN Eum.]—Ex hoe loco perspici potest, et tempus et genus mortis 2 Christo de- lectum fuisse, qua de re, p. 43, et seqq,

DOMINICA IN RAMIS PALMARUM,.

Evangelium utin prima Dominica Advents, de quo ibid. Cceterum quoniam ad Eu- charistiam percipiendam ex precepto Ecclesiz eo tempore omres discretione prediti obligantur, ideo ex his Evangelii verbis “Ecce Rex tuus venit tibi man suetus,” ad ejus sumptionem Fideles hortari poterit parochus ey his que ha- bentur, p. 147, 148, 163, et deinceps

394 Praxis Catechismi.

et quoniam parentes utplurimum negli- gentissimi sunt ad liberos suos ad Eu- charistie perceptionem fresentandos, ideo eis maximé Parochus inculeabit, qu de cetate ad quam pueri ad eam per- cipiendam tenentur, et habentur, p. 171. In pir sancro Parascreyes.]—Hoc die quoniain solemnis de mysterio Passionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi concio haberi solet; ideo preterea, que in expositione art. 4. Syiboli habentur, p. 43, et seqq. hee insuper hoc die tractari posse viden- tur. De singulari amore, quo Deus genus humanum frosecutus est, cum illud morte unigeniti filii sui redimere voluerit, de quo, p. 336. De primi

IIS, ACCEPIT PANEM.j—Hic locus pro prius est ad probandum utramque Eu- charistig speciem laicis necessari6 now exhibendam, de quo multa, p. 171, et seq.

FERIA TERTIA POST PASCHA.

SrTetit JESUS IN MEDIO DISCIPULORUM

suorum, Luc. ‘xxiv. 36, &c.J—Hie de quatuor dotibus corporis gloriosi agi potest, ut habetur, p. 90. et seq.

Pax vosis.]—Quoniam regnum Dei, teste

Apostolo, pax est et gaudium in Spiritu Sancto: Hic quale sit reznum Christi in pios tractari potest, ut habetur, p. 346.

parentis lapsu et miseriis, que illum con-| PR#&D1caARE IN NOMINE EJUS PHNITEN-

secute sunt, de quibus, p. 32, 250, et seqq. quomodo ex passione Christi omnis Temissio peccatorim emanarit, de quo, p- 84, et 368, et proinde omnia Sacra- menta ex hac Christi passione virtutem acceperunt, ut est, p. 110, et 111. De sacrificio Christi tam cruento quam in- cruento ex p. 175. De satisfactione et merito Christi, de quo, p. 202, et 203.

TIAM ET REMISSIONEM PECCATORUM.|— Quomodo penitentiz predicatio a Christo Apostolis injuncta sit ex hoc ipso loce probatur p. 81. Unde potes tam exposi- tione articuli de remissione peccatorum, quam ex his que de Sacramento peni- tentiz hic habentur, longissimam habere concionem.

Denique quomodo nulli unquam patuit,; DOMINICA PRIMA POST PASCHA, sed nec patere quidem potest aditus ad regnum czlorum sine hac de redemptionis humane per Christum fide, ut est, p. 31, idque esse summam et cardinem totius Christiane religionis, scire Jesum Chris- tum, et hune crucifixum, ut habetur, p. 16.

Cum SERO ESSET DIE ILLA, UNA SABBATO- rum, Joan, xx. 19, &c.]—Christi resur- rectio nostre est resurrectionis exemplar, quam maxime stabilire necesse fuit, ut pariter nostra stabiliretur quibus autem tum Scripturis, tam rationibus nostra sta- biliatur resurrectio, vide p. 55, 85, et seqq. “Una sabbatorum” autem quid sit vide, p. 265.

Quorum REMISERITIS PEeccATA, JoaN. XX. 23, &c.]—De potestate clavium sacerdo- tibus concessa, p. 82, et seq. et 350.

Mitre DIGITUM TUUM IN LOCO CLAVORUM, &c.]—Qualia futura sunt corpora post resurrectionem, et cur Christus et mar- tyres cicatrices retinebunt, habes, p. 89, et seqq.

DOMINICA PASCHA.

Scrrexit, non est nic, &c., Manc. xvi. 6. &c.J]—De resurrectione Domini ex- ponetur artic. Symboli Apostolici, “ Ter- tia die resurrexit a mortuis,” p. 50.

FERIA SECUNDA POST PASCHA.

Er pvo EX DISCIPULIS JESU IBANT IPSA DIE IN CASTELLUM, Xxiv. 13, &c.J]— Quoniam fieri vix potuit ut Parochus DOMINICA SECUNDA POST omnia, que ad resurrectionem Christi PASCHA. pertinent pridié explicuerit, ideo hoc die poterit ea que pretermisit, ex eo loco| Eco sum Pasror nonvs, x. 11, &e.J—

repetere.

Oporrvuir Patt Curistum, ET ITA IN-

TRARE IN GLORIAM suAM.]—Hic locus

est proprius causas exponendi ob quas!

necesse fuit Christum resurgere, que habentur, p. 55, et exemplo Christi fideies hortandi ut omni studio incumbant ut velesti regno potiantur ; quod habetur p. 343, et de commodis tribulationis, p. 378, et seq.

Bir FACTUM EST DUM RECUMBERET cum |

Pastorum nomine comprehenduntur non solim Episcopi et animarum rectores, sed etiam Reges, Magistratus, Parentes, et Magistri. Quid veré Pastores ejuse modi ovibus debeant, et quid vic’ssim. oves Pastoribus, habes p. 273, et seq.

MeERrcENARIUS AUTEM, ET QUI NON EST

Pasror.J—Quis sit iste mercerarius et non pastor, vide p. 213, et seq.

Er FIEt UNUM OVILE ET UNUS PasToR.]

—Hic de unitate Ecclesiz, de qua p. 74,

Praxis Catechismi. 398

et seqq. Unoque universali Ecclesie Pastore D. Petro, et D. Petri successore Rom. Pontifice, de quo p. 74, et seq. et 222, e. 223.

DOMINICA TERTIA POST PASCHA.

Mopicum, ET NON yIpDEBITIS ME, Joan. xvi. 16, &c.J—Efficax consolationis genus, dum temporarius meror pro Christo susceptus. eternis gaudiis com- pensatur. Vide que de vita eterna ha- bentur, p. 92, et seqq.

Vos VERO CONTRISTAKIMINI, MUNDUS AUTEM GAUDEBIT. |—Quare perversi mi- nus, pii verd acrius, 4 demonibus infes- tentur, et proinde illi gaudeant, {sti veré tristentur, vide p. 375.

eTITIA VNSTRA VERTETUR IN GAU- vium, &c.J—Spe futurorum bonorum quomodo alacri et constanti animo ad- versa omnia toleraro debeamus, vide, p. 91, et seqq. et cur Deus sinat affligi bonos, p. 378, et seq.

DOMINICA QUARTA.

Sri ENIM NON abierno, Paraciirus NoN VENIET, Joan. xvi. 7. &c.]—De Spiritu Sancto, deaue admirandis ejus effectibus, et donis habes, p. 66, 67, et seqq.

ArcuET MUNDUM DE pPEccaTo, &c.J— Spiritis Sancti proprium munus est, corda et compunctionem movere, et pec- cantem intrinsecus arguere. Que autem contritio vera sit, quasque res ea habere debeat, p. 182, et seqq. Huic etiam re-

DOMINICA FuST ASCENS

Cum AUTEM VENERIT Paracuirus, qui

A PATRE PROCEDIT, JOAN. xv. 26, &c,)— Hic de processione Spiritis Sancti a Patre et Filio, ex p. 68, et seqa.

Ur omnis Qui yos INTENFICIT, JOAN. XVi-

2, &c.|—Hic preceptum Decalogi “ Non occides,” exponi poterit, de quo, p. 279, et seqq.

ARBITRETUR SE OBSEQUIUM, &c.]—De

omnibus adversis et calamitatibus hujus vite idem judicandum est quod he his, que Christi causa patimur. nempe eas esse magnum Dei in nos beuevolentia signum, ut habetur, p. 336.

IN FESTO PENTECOST.

Sr QUIS DILIGIT ME SERMONEM MEUm R-

yabit, Joan, xiv. 23, &c.]—Spiritus Sanctus ideo credentibus datur, ut ser- monem Dei qui Decalogo comprehendi- tur, servare possint, ad quam rem, ut promptiores sint, adferat parochus que habentur initio explicationis Decalogi, p. 237, et seqq. vel quoniam, p. 240, hic locus adducitur ad probandum Dei mandata non esse impossibilia, ideo de hac re aget ex, p. 239.

Vel hodié exponet que traduntur de Con-

firmationis Sacramento, p. 137, et seq. Quandoquidem tali die Apostolos a Spiritu Sancto confirmatos fuisse docent Patres.

FERIA SECUNDA POST PENTA- COSTEN.

ferri possunt ea que, de peccatis que | Sic ENIM Devs DILEXIT MUNDUM, UT

remitti non possunt, habentur, p. 183. |

DOMINICA QUINTA.

Sr quip PETIERITIS ParREM IN NOMINE mEO, Joan. xvi. 23, &c.]|—De oratione, et ejus adjunctis hic proprius est decendi locus, de qua, p. 317, et seq.

Usaue Mono NON PETISTIS QUIDQUAM, &c.]—Hic proprié de modo quo Deum per Christum orare debemus, de quo, p. 829, et seqq. Hic etiam locus, p. 331, adducitur ad probandum in nomine Christi orandum esse.

IN FESTO ASCENSIONIS DOMINI.

Finium suUM UNIGENTUM DARET, Joan, iii. 16.]—Hic locus proprius est ad ea populo exponenda, que de eximia charitate celestis Patris in genus huma- num, in creatione, et gubernatione de- monstrata; sed multo magis in Redemp- tione habentur, p. 336, et seq.

Ur OMNIS QUI CREDIT IN EUM, NON

pEreat.)—Hic quomodo fides in Cris tum omnibus hominibus ab omni evo necessaria fuerit, docendum est ex, p. 31, et seq.

Qui CREDIT IN EUM, NON JUDICATUR. ]-

De verbo “credere” habes, p. 22, que hie accommodare poteris: ex qua etiam dis cendi forma Filium Dei vere Deum esse demonstrabis, ex p. 67.

Assumrvs EST IN CHLUM, ET SEDET A Quota NON CREDIT IN NOMINE UNIGENITI

pextris Der, Mare. xvi. 19, &c.J— Hoc ir loco artic. Symb. Apostolici qui | de Ascensione est, explicabitur, p. 57, et

|

seqq.

Fixit.]—Quomodo Dei filius sit unigent tus poteris declarare ex his, que habentur p. 31, et contra qua ratione bic unigeni tus fratres habeat, p. 337, et 338.

396 Praxis Catechismi.

FERIA TERTIA POST PENTE- COSTEN.

QuI NON INTRAT PER OSTIUM IN OVILE ovium, Joan. x. 1, &c.j—Hic locus pro- prius est ad ea explicanda, que de ligiti- ma ordinatione ministrorum Hcclesie habentur, p. 212, et seqq. de ligitimo ministro Sacramenti ordinis, p. 223.

Er overs yocem xrJus aupiunt.|—De obedientia et honore, qui debetur Episco- pis et sacerdotibus agitur, p. 275, et seq.

ALIENUM AUTEM NON SEQUUNTUR.]— Hereticorum ministros non esse sequen- dos, vide p. 14, qui autem eos sequuntu non oves sed hsdi sunt, p. 376.

IN FESTO SANCTISS. TRINITATIS

Data EST MIHI POTESTAS IN CHLO ET in TERRA, Marra. xxviii. 18, &c.|—Hic explicanda sunt que de regno Christi in pios, et ratione qua regnat in suis Fideli- bus, habentur, p. 346, et seqq. de regno eitam glorie ejusdem, p. 347, item de potestate ipsius in Sacramentis tam in- stituendis quam conferendis, p. 108, et de potestate item clavium ejusdem, qua remittuntur peccata, p. 82, et seqq.

Barrizanres £0s.]—Hic locus adducitur ad probandum, quo tempore baptismus obligare cxperit, p. 118, et ideo necessi- tate ejusdem, et presertim in infantibus ea proferri possunt que habentur, p. 122, et deinceps.

In nomrne Parris er Fru er Sprrrrvus sancTI.]—Hic de materia et forma bap- tismi, que sunt, p. 114, 115, 116, et seq. accurate agendum est. Hic etiam de Sanctissime et gloriosissime Trinitatis mysterio poterunt agere Parochi, de quo .p. 26, et seqq. Docebunt autem pre- ser‘im vulgus imperitum Sanctissimam Trmitatem pingi et formari non posse,

subsidiis produci possunt que habentzy, p- 361, et seq. vel de eleemosynis, p. 328, 332.

Hyvocrira! £JICE PRIMUM TRABEM.J—

De hypocritis quorum orationes Domi nus rejicit, habes, p. 331. Item secun- dum aliquos,

Nisi QUIS VENATUS FUERIT, &c. Joan, iii.

3, &c.J—Hic de necessitate baptismi, qui in nomine Sanctissime Tinitatis con- fertur, de ejus effectibus, et in universum quicquid de eo habetur, p. 112, et seq, explicabit.

IN FESTO CORPORIS CHRISTI.

Caro ENIM MEA VERE ES? cIBUS, &c.

Joan, vi. 56, &c.]—De Eucharistie Sa- cramento, p. 146, et seq.

DOMINICA SECUNDA POST PEN-

TECOSTEN, Que est infra Octavam Corporis Christi.

Homo QUIDAM FECIT C@NAM MAGNAM,

&c. Luc. xvi. 1, &c.]—Cenz nomine, que sub finem dici sumitur, celestis gloria nobis significatur, quam hic pater- familias in ipsa vite clausula beatis do- nabit. In hoe argumentum, vide que ponantur, p. 94, et seq. et 353. Vel cene nomine cum Paulo, 1 Cor. ii. in- telligitur Sacrosanctum Christi corpus in Sacramento altaris: de que vide, ut supra, p. 146, et seq.

Er CuPERUNT OMNES SIMUL EXCUSARE,]

—Quoniam omnes he excusationes ex mala concupiscentia proveniunt, ideo hic adversus concupiscentias pravas agendum erit, ex p. 309, et seq. Simulque miseria nostra ob oculos ponenda, qui ea respui- mus, que salutaria nobis sunt, rebus autem perniciosis nos addicimus, ut hi fecerunt, p. 350, et seq.

atque adeo si quando pingatur, illam pic-| Vituam em1.]—Vide in superbos, et ambi-

turam proprietates quasdam illius expri- mere, ut habetur, p. 249, et seqq.

DocenTES EOS SERVARE QUECUNQUE MANDAVI.}—Hic de necessitate, et possi- bilitate servande legis divine proferentur, que habentur, p. 239, et seqq.

IN EADEM DOMINICA.

Estore ERGO MISERCIORDES SICUT ET

PATER VESTER C@LESTIS, &c. Luc. vi.|

36, &c.|—De hoc Evangelio in Domi- nica, 4, juxta aliarum Ecclesiarum morem.

Date ET DanituR yonis.J]—Hic de com- municandis cum proximis hujus vite

tiosos, qui per hune designantur, que habentur, p. 299, et seq.

Juca BoUM EMI QuUINQUE.]—Vide in ava-

ros, p. 313, et seq.

Uxonrem puxt.]—Hic detestanda libido, et

commendanda continentia et castitas, que aditum nobis ad celorum regnum facilem prebet, vide p. 288, et seq. Vel secundum alios.

Homo QUIDAM ERAT DIVES QUI INDUEBA-

tur, &c. Luc. xvi. 1, &c.J]—De varie tate in vestibus fugienda, vide que ha bentur, p. 290, et 291. Et quomodo Necessariis tantum repus ad victum et vestitum pertinentibus contenti esse de beamus, p. 360.

Praxis Catechism. 397

Sgruntus est IN INFERNO.J]—Ecce que pena maneat improbos, qui morte preoc- cuvati sceleribus pleni decedunt, de qua, p. 64, et 65.

Ur rorraretrur as Ancexts.]—Inter An- gelorum officia hoc non postremum est, vide vp, 335, et seq.

ls strum Asnanm.]—De rcaptaculis ani- Mmarum post mortem habes, p. 51, et seq.

DOMINICA TERTIA POST PENTE- COSTEN.

GUADIUM ERIT IN CLO SUPER UNO PEC- CATORE PCENITENTIAM AGENTE, &c. Luc. xv. 7, &c.]—Inter cetera, que ad peenitentiam, agendam peccatorem exsti- tmulare debent, est ista celitum letitia, qua perfruuntur ob peccatoris conver- sionem, Plura habes in hane sententiam, p- 176, et 247, vel Homo quipam FEcIT ut in Dominica precedenti.

DOMINICA QUARTA POST PENTE- COSTEN.

Cum TURBA IRRUERENT IN JrsuUM UT Aub. versum, &c. Luc. v. 1, &c.]— Vide exhortationem ad audiendum dili- genter verbum Dei, p. 14, et in prefat. Et quomodo pro captu cujusque tradenda sitdoctrina Evangelii, ibidem infra ; idque presertim diebus festis audiendum, p. 263.

ASCENDENS IN UNAM NAVEM, QUA ERAT. Simonts, &c.]—Petri navem non alterius ex Apostolis ingressus est Christus ut hoc suo facto insinuaret Petrum cum successoribus caput esse et principem pastorum Ecclesie: de hac tu, vide p. 74, et seq. et 222.

Ext a me Domsne.J—Qui ad sacram synaxin accedunt, in Petri exemplo et centurionis, Matth. viii. agnoscant esse se tanti hospitis presentia indignissimos: vide que de preparatione Eucharistie traduntur, p. 167, et seq. vet secundim aliarum Ecclesiarum ritum.

Esrore ERGO MISERICORDES SICCT ET PA- ter, &c. Luc. vi. 36, &c.}|—Ut Christus nobis condonet, prius condouare ipsi de- bemus iis 4 quibus lesi fuerimus. Vide expiicationem illius petitionis: ‘ Dimitte nobis debita nostra,” &c. p. 364, et seq. Vide item de hoc Evang. in festo Tinit.

DOMINICA QUINTA POST PENTE- COSTEN.

AUDISTIS QUIA DICTUM FST ANTIQUIS. Now occipes, &c. Marrn, v. 33, &c.J— Hujts loci erit hoc decalogi p-eceptum exponere, prout habetur, p. 279, et seq.

Eco AUTEM DICO VOBIS, OMNIS QUI IRA®

cirur.]—Heec verba exponuntur, p. 281 et seq.

Avpistis QUIA DICTUM EST ANTIQUIS.

Non macuapenis, &c.J]—Hic similiter exponatur hoc preceptum, de quo habe- tur, p. 286, vel “cum turbe irruerent in Jesum, ut supra.”

DOMINICA SEXTA.

MISEREOR SUPER TURBAM, QUIA ECCE

JAM TRIDUO SUSTINENT ME. Manc, Vill. 2, &c.]|—Preter ea, que notata sunt in Dominica quarta Quadragesime poterit Parochus ea hue proferre, que de paterna Dei de hominibus cura habentur, p. 332, et seq.

Si DIMISERO EOS JEJUNOS DEFICIENT IN

v1a.]—Hic de imbecillitate hominum, qui nullum opus Deo gratum sine adjumento Dei possunt instituere, agendum est, ut habetur, p. 350, et seq. vel, “ Audistis quia dictum est antiquis, Non occides, ut supra.”

DOMINICA SEPTIMA POST PEN- TECOSTEN.

Arrenpire a Fatsis Propneris, &c.

Marra. vil. 15, &c.]—-Hic cavendum precipitur ab hereticis, Quis verd cen- sendus sit hereticus habes, p. 73. Quo- modo autem hi, cim in Ecclesia non sint, ab ea puniri possint, p. 73. Quibus au- tem artibus hi falsi prophete utantur ad impia sua dogmata infundenda, habes, p. 14.

In 1GNeEM miITTETtUR, &c.]—De hoc igne

infernali, p. 51,

Sep Qur FACIT VOLUNTATEM PaTRIS MEI,

&c.J|—Hec sententia est velvti methodus brevissima, docens qua ratione ad regnum celorum pervenire possimus: quare quis cumque cupimus illud adipsci, hance sen- tentiam pre oculis habere debemus, vide p- 350, et deinceps, ubi hec teriia petitio, “Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in celo et in terra,” explicatur. Vel “ Misereor super turbam,” ut in precedenti Dominica.

DOMINICA OCTAVA POST PENTE-

COSTEN.

ReppE RATIONEM VILLICATIONIS TU,

Luc, xvi. 2, &c.]|—De ratione reddenda, cum unusquisque migrat é vita, vide p 61.

] aAcITE VOBIS AMICOS DE MAMMONA INIe

avurraris.]—Ideo divites 4 Deo bonis cw mulantur, ut pauperibus ea eragent, p 363. Hic ad eleemosynas suos patery

398 Praxis Catechism.

exhortari Parochus, prout est, p. 298, 299, et 328. Hic etiam locus pro inter- cessione Sanctorum facit, de qua, p. 245, et seq. 326, et 327; vel “Attendite a falsis prophetis,” ut in precedenti Domi- nica, sicque deinceps omnia Evangelia que consequenter in reliquis Dominicis proponuntur, in quibusdam Ecclesiis, in precedenti Dominica legi consueverunt, quod notare supersedimus.

DOMINICA NONA POST PENTE- COSTEN.

F LEVIT SUPER ILLAM, J.uc. xix.41.]—Flevit Christus, ut nos flere doceat. Quomodo vero in peenitudine erratorum sint adhi- bende lacrym#, et quam diligenter pro- curande, habes, p. 186, ubi de contritione agitur.

Quia st coGNovisses ET TU.]|—Summa est stattis nostri miseria nostram miseriam non agnoscere, vide p. 350.

QuIA VENIENT PIES IN TE, ET CIRCUMDA- BUNT TE, &c.]—Hierusalem in exem- plum punitur hujus hominis, qui, multis a Deo beneficiis ornatus, male eis in sui perniciem abutitur, vide p. 377.

DOMINICA DECIMA.

Hc apup se oranar, Luc. xvii. 11, &c.} —Quibus virtutibus oratio debeat esse co- mitata, ut Deo placeat, et ab eo exaudia- tur, vide p. 327, et seq.

Devs PROPITIUS ESTO MIHI PECCATORI, ]— Hoc veri penitentis exemplum inter alia proponitur, p. 327. Quare cum istius tum aliorum exemplo, qui habentur ibi- dem et p. 184, 185, ad veram poeniten- tiam Parochi fideles excitabunt. Est preterea exemplum eorum, qui, ciim pec- catores sint, Deum orant et exaudiuntur, p. 322. Denique quanta humilitate ad Deum precaturi accedere debeamus hic demonstratur, p. 328.

Qci SE EXALTAT, HUMILIABITUR.]— Christi humilitatis exemplum maximum pondus habet ad nostram superbiam de- primendam, p. 43.

DOMINICA XI.

Er DEPRECABANTUR EUM, UT ILLI IMPO- vat mMaNcm, Mare, vil. 32, &c. j—Isto- rum exemplo, qui Christum pro muto et

surdo ad cum adducto, ut sanaretur, in-_

terpellant, monemur pro aliis orare. Quomodo vero id faciendum et pro qui- bus orandum habes, p. 324, et seq. Misir DIGITOS IN AURICULAS EJUS.]— Christi exemplo pueris in baptismo, aures, oculi, pectus, humeri signo crucis

recte insigniuntur. Vide de his et slit baptismi ceremoniis, et earum significa: tione, p. 133, et seq.

SuspIcrENS IN C@LUM INGEMUIT, &c.]—

Cim Deus sit ubique, cur potius in coe lum quam alid oculus ccnvertamus, et cur in ceelis esse dicatur, p. 339. Pra terea quoniam sacre litere nos surdos et cecos, et omnibus membris captos sepe appellant: ut habetur, p. 366, hic de malis que peccatum invehit, ut ibidem habetur, disserere Parochus commodé poterit.

DOMINICA XII.

Diticges Dominum Deum TUUM Ex TOTG

corpnE Tuo, &c. Luce. x. 37, &c.J—In hane sententiam populo proponantur, que habentur initio explicationis Decalo- gi, p. 237, usque ad secundum precep- tum, vel quia hoc Evangelium concurrit cum Dominica decima-septima, posterio- rem hujus Evangelii partem priori pre- termissa exponet.

Homo quiIpAM DESCENDEBET AB HieEnv-

SALEM IN Hrertco, &c.]|—Hominis hujus ita miserabiliter a latronibus vulne- rati nomine, Doctores intelligunt hu- manam naturam post Ade lapsum, que, quot, qualia, et quanta, vulnera acceperit, habes, p. 31, 32, et 350, et seq. 358, et seqq. et 382, et seq. sepeque alibi.

SAMARITANUS AUTEM INFUNDENS OLEUM,

&c.J—Hic de Sacramentis agat Paro- chus, que a nostro Samaritano, id est a Christo instituta sunt, tamquam remedia contra vulnera humane nature, per Ade lapsum inflicta, ut habetur, p. 103, 104.

Curam intius Hase.]—Nota genus hu-

manum et Ecclesiam uni homini a Christo commissam, qua de re vide, p. 74, et seq.

QuIs HORUM VIDETUR FUISSE PROXIMUS.]

Ex hoe loco quis sit proximus explica- tur, p. 302.

DOMINICA XIII.

JESU PRECEPTOR, MISERERE NosTRI, Luc.

xvii. 13, &c.|-De nomine Jesu, vide p. 33,

Irx, OSTENDITE VOS SACERDOTIBUS, &e,]

Vide que in hance sententiam dicta sunt Dominica secunda post Epiphaniam : vide preterea, p. 191, ubi nominatim hic locus adducitur. Quomodo item benefi cio contritionis peccata remittantur, ex hoc loco probatur, p. 188, et 189. Qua tamen confessionem requirit, ut habetur, p- 184, et 190.

Ne soLiciTl SITIS ANIM VESTRHE, &c,

Marvru, vi. 25, &c-]—Quantum immo- derata solicitudo congerendarum opum

Praxis Catechismi.

extereque cupiditates anime saluti ob- sint, vide p 312, et seq. et hujus morbi remedium habes, p. 314, et seq.

Beitr PATER VESTER QUOD OMNIBUS HIS txpicetis.|}—Etiamsi Deus sciat desi- deria nostra et indigentiam, cur ei preces porrigamus, p. 320.

Primum qumnite rEGNUM Der, &c.]— De iis que petenda sunt et quo ordine, habentur, p. 323, et seq. et 340, et seq. Porro hic commodé secunda petitio Do- minice orationis tota explicabitur, ut ha- betur, p. 343, et seq.

Er atc omNta ADJTIENTUR Vosis, &c.J— Quatenus temporalia petenda, p. 359, et 360.

DOMINICA XV.

Er RESEDIT QUI ERAT MORTUUS, Luc. Vii. 15.]—Si hic mortuus et quidam alii sint revocati ad vitam, quomodo intelligen- dum quod Christus primus omnium re- surrexerit, vide p. 53. Hic tractari po- terit articulus Symboli Apostolici penult. de carnis resurrectione p. 85, et seq.

DOMINICA XVI.

Sr nicer Sapsaro cunare, Lue. xiv. 3, &c.]—De Sanctificatione dierum festo- rum, et 4 quious tunc abstinendum, quidve agendum sit, habes, p. 268, et seq.

Com ryyiraTus FEeRtIs aD NupPTias, &c.] —Hic locus est cohortandi Christianos omnes, ne alii aliis se preferant, ut est, p- 338, neve ambitiosi sint honorumque cupidiores, ut est, p. 41.

DOMINICA XVII.

Diiices Domtxcem Deum tuvm, Marrs. xxii. 37, &c.]—Vide Evangelium Domi- nice xii. ut supra.

Quip vosis vivetcr DE CurisTo, &c.]-— Christus quomodo sit David filius, vide p- 40. Quomodo item non sit flius David ratione Divinitatis, habes, p. 36.

DOMINICA XVIII.

Er vinexs autem Jesus FIDEM EORUM, Marta. ix. 2, &c.]—Ecce quantum fide aliena moveatur Deus ad aliquod donum alteri non modo non petenti, sed ne cogi- tanti quidem impertiendum. Hine fit ut in baptismo infantes regenerationis fiant participes, non quia mentis su@ assen- tione credant, sed quia susceptorum, vel parentum, (si fideles fuerint) sin minus,

| Remirrountrur Tint peccata tua, &c.]—~

399

fide muniantur, p. 124; et de patrinis, p. 120, et seq.

Christum ut hominem primum omnium potestatem remittendorum peccatorum habuisse ex hoc loco probatur, p. 83 Porro dum Sacerdos, jurisdictionem ha bens vel ordinariam vel delegatam, rite penitenti peccata remittit, non minus absolvitur, quam paralyticus, quantum est ex parte Sacram. De forma absolu- tionis habes, p. 181, et 182.

Hie srasenemat, &c.J]—De blasphemia habetur, p. 261, et de juramento, p. 251 et seq.

DOMINICA XIX.

QuI NUPTIAS FECIT FILIO suo, Marra xxii. 2, &c.]—Quibus de causis vir et mulier conjungi debeant, vide p. 229, et que sponse magis sint querende, p. 230, et de mutuis viri et mulieris officiis, p. 233, et seg. et quod Deum orandi causa certis temporibus a matrimonii officio abstinere debeant, p. 236. Item de tribus matrimonii bonis; p. 233.

ConTUMELIIS AFFECTOS OCCIDERUNT, &c, —De contumelia, detractione, murmura- tione, cxterisque vitiis quibus proximua leditur, vide p, 303, et seq.

Non HABENS VESTEM NUPTIALEM, &c.]— Vesten: hance nuptialem vestis candida, vel sudariolum quod baptizatis datur, designat, de quo p. 135.

MITTITE IN TENEBRAS EXTERIORES, &c.] —De sententia et pena damnatorum, p. 64,

DOMINICA XX.

Erat quipam ReGuvs, cvsUs FILIUS IN- FIRMABATUR, Joan. iv. 46, &c.]—Unde tot miseriz et adversitates, et que quot- que ille sint, p. 358. Quo in malis et rebus adversis confugiendum, p. 375, et 380. Hic exponi poterit ultima petitio Dominice orationis: “Sed libera nos a malo,” p. 381.

DOMINICA XXI.

Reppe quup veses, Marru. xviii. 28, &c.] —Restitutio penitenti est necessaria, an- tequam absolvatur, quia “non dimittitur peccatum, nisi restituatur ablatum,” ut inquit Augustinus: vide de restitutione, p. 294, e 296. Item de furto, rapina, usuris et aiiis illicitis rerum usurpationi- bus, p. 294, et seq.

Ecclesie Catholice (ut aif \ugustinus) | Si yon remisenitis, &c.]—Hie expona

400

tur petitio illa orationis Dominice : “ Di- mitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus,” &c. p. 364, et seq.

DOMINICA XXII.

Macistrer! scIMUS QUIA VERAX ES, Marru. xxii. 16, &c.]—Genus assenta- tionis pessimum, que ad proximi calami- tatem et perniciem adhibetur. De adu- latione habes p. 304, et 305. “Quia verax es,” &c. De mendacio vide, p. 303, et seq. ubi notatur hoc ipsum testi- monium ex hoe Evangelio decerptum.

ReppirteE qum sunt Ca#saris Cmsari,

&c.]—Vide que debentur principibus et |

superioribus in potestate constitutis, p. 276.

DOMINICA XXIII. POST PENTE- COSTEN.

Ecce PRINCEPS UNUS ACCESSIT ET ADORA- BAT EUM DICENS, Matru. ix. 18, &c.|— Hic differentia, qua infideles et Christiani a morbis liberari cupiunt, de qua p. 382, et quomodo in morbis ad Deum, non ad prestigiatorum incantationes sit recur- rendum, ibid p. 383.

Frira M¥A MODO DEFUNCTA EsT.]——Hic de morte 2t novissimis, de quibus sepe ad populum agendum esse precipitur, p. 65, et 206

Praxis Catechismi.

|Sr TETIGERO TANTUM FIMBRIAM VESTi: mENTI.|—Hice de reliquiis Sanctorum, e cultu, et veneratione earam aget Parochua ex, p. 320, et seq.

|Er cum ventsser Jests 1x Domum princiets, &c.]|—Hic de ratione juvandi mortuos per sacrificlum Misse et ora- tiones, de qua p. 175, et 326, vel in qui- busbam Ecclesiis legitur Evangelium Dominice IV. Quadragesime, de quo ibidem. Si plures sint Dominice inter Pentecosten et Adventum, servetur quod de his in Breviarii rubricis habetur.

DOMINICA XXIV. POST PENTE COSTEN.

|CumM ERGO VIDERITIS ABOMISATIONEM DESOLATIONIS STANTEM IN LOCO SACRO Marra. xxiv. 15, &c.]—Hic de signis precedentibus diem judicii agendum est, de quibus, p. 64.

ORATE AUTEM NE FIAT FUGA VESTRA, &C.] —Hic locus ad probandum temporalia a Deo peti posse inducitur, p. 360, unde de hoe argumento Parochi etiam agere poterunt, de quo tum ibidem, tum p. 323 et 324, agitur.

| Sep PROPTER FLECTOS BREVIABUNTUR

DIES ILLI.]—Hic de demonum potestate

poterit agi qui quantum possunt, et

quamdiu volunt, homines tentare nop | possunt. ut habetur, p. 37&, et seq

s7ENERAL INDEX.

Abbots, permitted sometimes to admin- | Angels, with wisdom and power . 36 ister Minor Orders = : 223 | ‘To be honoured ; 245 Abraham, his pilgrimage : 242 | Why represented in human form 250 Abraham’s bosom : - 51 | Their care of man . 333 Absolved, who are tc be ‘ 177 | Their obedience to God 355 Absolution, form of - ° 181 Angel, taught Tobias many things 334 Power of, to whomconfided . 196 | Angelical salutation, the Church has Accidents, remain in the holy Eucha- added to it prayers to the Virgin 326 rist without a subject : 163 In it God is honoured 326 Adam, misery brought by him on him- Anger, when sinful, when not 282 self and on his posterity 358 | Articles of the Creed— In a state of imnocence wanted food The first ° r ° . 21 to recruit his strength 358 Thesecond . = - 2 31 Difference between his necessities The third - : 2 . 37 and ours . 358| Thefourth . . . 3 43 Sin, the cause of his wants. 358 | The fifth < 50 Although in Paradise, was not to The sixth : ° : 57 lead a life of indolence ; but his The seventh . : . 61 labour not painful - 358| Theeighth . . ° : 65 His posterity deprived of the fruit Whenetee 9 on) St pe i 7C of the tree of life, and cursed by The tenth : . ° ‘ 87 God = - 358 | The eleventh = . . A Compared with Christ . Az) ach nertwelfiy et me Ya. sia 9% Adultery, what . 287 | Ascension of Christ, declares his ma- Why prohibited after murder . 286 jesty and glory : 58 Its enormity - 289] Reasons for 58 Its injustice : 289! Christ ascended as man, "soul and Its prohibition includes that of every body, into heaven 3 57 species of impurity - 287| The ascension of Christ, the end, Also evil thoughts 288 as it were, to which all the other It impresses a peculiar mark of de- mysteries are referred : 58 gradation . . . 289 | Avarice, reprehension of - 312 Tts evils and punishment . 4 289, 290 Almsdeeds, their necessity . 297 | Baptism, sacrament of il2 Exhortation to : 298| Knowledge of, very necessary 112 We are bound to ahcete in eater to When to be explained me the bestow them on the necessitous 298 pastor 113 To be united to prayer 332] The signification of ‘the word 113 A medicine to cure the wounds of The sacrament of, by what names the soul. 372 expressed . : : 113 Affinity of sponsors, with whom < con- Its definition as a sacrament . 114 tracted - ae 121,142] Its matter 114 Amen, its significauon at the end of The baptismal water not the sacra- the Lord’s Prayer 2 387 ment 2 ° ° ° 115 Why reserved to the priest in the Water, its matter Preis 115 Sacrifice of the Mass - 387] Figures of baptism . 115 Angels, creation of —. é 29} Chrism, why used in baptism 115 Adorned with grace from their Form of baptism 116 creation ° . . 30] Different amongst the Grecks 11° 3E 34* 401

402

General Index

Baptism, why administered by the Beatitude, accessaries of 96 Apostles in the name of Jesus 117 Benignity of God resc.es us from evil May be administered in three differ- in many ways : J84 entways . on Benediction of God, tne cause why May be “fiisinascee by one or our works prosper 0 = 359 three ablutions 118} Bishops alone confer holy orders . 225 Words of form, to be pronounced Their office : 221 with the ablution “ : 118] Blasphemy of God and of his saints a Head to be washed ; 118 grievous crime . 3 E 26) Instituted by Christ our Lord, end Blessings, temporal 357, 358 when 118} So many helps to optain spiritual Its power of sanctifying, when given blessings - - - 357 to water . 118) Bread, signification of ° 353 When the obligation of receiving baptism commenced. n 118| Catechism, its necessity 15 Ministers of . “ 119 Adapted te the comprehension of Order to be observed amongst 120 all classes . 15 Why priests may baptize in pr2- Character impressed, the effect of sence of the bishop. 3 129 three of the sacraments 111 Necessary to salvation 5 123} What it accomplishes inus . 11] To be administered to infants . 123 | Charity, two precepts of - : 271 Infants baptized in the faith of To our neighbour originates in the their parents and of the Church 124 love of God c A = 271 lo be baptized as soon as possible 124] Its duties 5 283 The manner of administering bap- Whom it embraces as 3 its objects 284 tism to adults different from that Chastity belongs not only to virgins, of administering it to infants 124 but also to such as lead a life of When to be immediately conferred celibacy, as well as to those who upon adults ny ; : 125 live in a married state : 288 Dispositions which should be To be digit ie with most vigilant brought to it by adults 126 CI 6 : ‘ . 288 Those who are to be baptized asked Its preservatives 288, 290 if they wish to be admitted to the Cautions in avoiding the occasions sacrament 4 125, 135 of its violation . 291 When to be administered to the in- Ceremonies, &c. of baptism reduced sane and the lethargic 125, 126| to three heads. = 133 To obtain its grace, faith necessary 126) Rites, &c. of the sacrament of ¢ con- Requires penitence as a condition 126 firmation . ‘ - > 145 Remits and eradicates every sin 127 Of penance . : 7 192 Concupiscence remains after, but Of extreme unction : : 209 does not constitute sin : 127 | Christ, his kingdom spiritual . 35 Proper eflect of baptism the remis- Two natures of : : < 36 sion of all sin 128| Why called our Lord . 36 Remits sin, and the punishments Not to be called the Son of God by due to sin 128 adoption, but by nature : 39 Remits not the punishment due to Derived his origin according to the the civil laws . : 129 flesh from David “ : 40 Restores not our nature to its ori- Why called a second Adam. 41 ginal perfection, and why . 129| Reads us a salutary lesson of humi- Its fruits 3 : - 127 lity in his birth 2 42 Impresses a character. c 131; Expiated our crimes by his blood 84 To repeat it a sacrilege . ° 131} Instituted all the sacraments . 108 Opens heaven 132} Is our brother c ° : 337 ‘The baptismal font, how and when His resurrection severs not the consecrated - 133 ties of brothernood subsisting be- In baptism, names to be imposed 136 tween him and man 337 Its csremonies 133) Should be imitated by submitting Beatituue—see the elenenth aa our will to the will of God 355 twelfth articles of the Creed 85, 92; The mystery of his passion the Essential happiness, in what it consists 96 greatest manifestation of God’s Illustrations of <5 oes . 96 power and goodness 364

General Index.

( wrist, the mediation uf his passion

obtains the pardon of our sins

( wistian philosophy superior to hu-

Tran wisdom

The spiritual origin of all Chris:

tians the same .

The science of a Christian compre-

| Cone upisce nee, “ Thou shalt not covet,”

368 meaning of - ° | “Thy neighbour's wife” 23| Danger of such criminal thoughts Confession, its importance 338 Why instituted : . Its necessity .

hended in one thing . . 16,19} Its nature and efficacy

What should engage ‘the labours of

a Christian teacher. :

! wrch, its proper acceptation . How it differs from the synagogue Designated by a variety of names Militant and triumphant Figures and comparisons of Who excluded from .

Distinctive marks of Pe -Visible head of :

Unity . . . 7 Sanctity ‘ = * Catholicity . . . ° Apostolicity

Infallible criterion by which to distin-

guish the true froma false Church

Cannoterr .

True worship of God only in the true Church - s .

God, her founder

That she possesses the keys of the kingdom of heaven, known by faith .

Why we say “ [believe the ‘Church, 7 not in the Church - :

\ ‘eric, derivation and oe of the

word °

Clerical tonsure, its origin and sig-

nification . § pmmunion, one of the eines of the Eucharist a : 3

Preparation for . Obligatory on all, at least ‘at Easter Under one kind. ‘ 1 oncupiscence, what, and via prob ited." Remains in baptized persons, “but

does not constitute sin - Assails even the just . 2 The root of all evil e :

Not always sinful

Implanted in us by God a asa nator

ral propensity . a Depraved by primeval prevariestion When well- regulated, attended with

certain advantages .

Why called “sin” by St. Paul

Who are most enslaved to it .

Antidotes against. “

H ow known to be sinful ,

To covet aneighbour’s property and to covet his wife, how they differ

Its definition u : E 16 Its rites ané ceremonies 71| Called “an accusation,” and why Confession, judgment pronounced in

71 its tribunal different from that pro- 72 | nounced in courts of civil law

73| Instituted by the goodness and 73 mercy of Christ . 3

74 Figures of -

74| Law of, who bound by . .

| When obligatory on children . 77| ~~ Its minister 77| Not to be profaned by idle excuses Guilt of those who, through false

77 | shame, conceal sins in confession

78; Requires diligent examination of conscience

78 Confessor, when he should dismiss the

78 penitent without absolution .

Confidence in prayer, motives to . Confirmation, sacrament of 78 Name of F ° ° ° A sacrament . 79 Difference between it and ‘baptism Instituted by Christ ° 216 Why called the sacrament of chrism Chrism, its matter . ° ° 216, Consecrated by a bishop “ Why made of oil and balsam 147. +The ceremonies and time of its con- 167 secration . 169| Accompanied with prayer 171| Form of | Three things to be observed 3 in 312{| Its proper minister . . Why it requires a sponsor 127| Affinity contracted with the sponsor 352| Atwhatageto be received . 309| Appertains equally to all Christians 311 Adults who receive it shou'd be pierced with sorrow to- their sins i Should, before receiving it, ‘ave re- oH course to confession .

Imparts a new grace P : 311 Its effects é J

312} Cannot be reitenatnd: 7 7

315 Its rites and ceremonies

315| At what time in particu.ar to be

312 administered < - : Contrition, what ;

310| Its efficacy

When to be repeated ; 193,

403

General Index

186 | Eucharist, to be consecrated, and re-

404

Contrition, its intensity 7 Requires a particular sorrow for

every mortal sin . . 187

What it requires . ° . 187 Motives to ° ° ‘5 188, 189 Fruit of ° . . 189 Names of ° 185

Creature, new in ‘Christ, mit ‘ 240 ‘ross of Christ, its value 368

C rown of glory prepared for the just 380

Debts from which we petition to be

released, why called ours. Decalogue . Is an epitome of all laws A

Its commandments reducible to the twe cardinal precepts of charity

Decalogue, its emanating from God a strong motive to its observance

With what majesty promulgated

Delicacies of the table not a fit cae of prayer .

Demon, transforming himel into an angel of light, persuades us to desire as good what Is the contrary

Why called “the evil one” “

To him attributable all the evils of which our neighbour is apparently the cause : . °

Their assaults .

Why called the princes and rulers of darkness

Against whom they do not level ‘their attacks . ° .

Their power restrained. .

Descent of Christ to hell . ° Reason of :

Devil, with what design he tempts us Why called “the tempter”. What means he uses to tempt us

Doctrine of the Catholic faith, in what contained .

Christian doctrine, fae heads a

iJnemies, love of, a most exalted exer-

cise of charity . . 283,

Those who love their enemies are the children of God. 4

To be forgiven, if we hope for for-

giveness A ; . ae be loved .

he unforgiving Bhoald bes of God

fis grace to forgive . °

Our invisible eneinies ¢ Eucharist, those deprived of, suffer a

great spiritual loss . . Its institution : . Its dignity and excellence .

Designated by a variety of names Why called communion

ceived fasting : : One of the sever sacraments In it we adore the body and biood of Christ 148, What properly constitutes the sacra- ment of Difference between it and the other sacraments ° Its nature as a sacrament constituted by the consecration of the matter Is one sacrament, not many. Signifies three things : .

148,

Its matter twofcld F

Why in it a little water is mixed with wine ; : 150,

What signified by the bread and wine a A ; “

Its form - = = 153;

Form of the consecration of the wine :

The words of consecration effects three things

Contains the real body and blood of Christ .

Is not merely a sigy cf the body of

Christ 5 ; x Its fruits - ‘ = Contains Christ erd re - é

What it contains ie “concomi- tance” 5

The two consecrat‘oas, why sepa- rately made : :

Christ whole and entire eoneaned in every particle of either species

The substance of bread and wine remain not after consecration

Why called bread and wine after consecration

Wonderful Soene, which Gree place in the sacrament of the, called transubstantiation Z

Not to be examined with too curious a scrutiny 5

How Christ is present in 1 the "Eu charist

The species of bread and wine re- main without any subject .

Administration of, why instituted by Christ under the pe of bread

and wine . 5 : The source of all erica . S How it imparts grace °

“The first grace” not given to man without having received the Eu- charist, at least in desire '

The end of all the sacraments

Prefigured by the manna

Its advantages - C c

Three ways of receiving -

15¢€ 159 157 164 160

160

General Tidex.

Eucharist, those who, when they are prepared to receive the body of the Lord sacramentaily, receive it only in desire, deprive themselves of the greatest blessings

Unlawful for any to approach, with- outsacramental confession, should a priest be accessible, and the con- science be burdened with mortal sin.

The marriage debt to be ‘abstained from for some days before receiv- ing it . “ . 4

To be received often

Was received daily by the faithtiul, in the early ages of the Church

Denied to those who have not ar- rived at the use of reason.

Denied to infants, and why.

Denied to the insane :

Not administered to the laity under both species .

Why this custom was established by the Church

Power of consecrating, given to priests alone .

The unconsecrated not allowed to touch the sacred vessels

A sacrifice 2 c

A victim most acceptable to God

Instituted by Christ for two rea- sons .

Asa eacrament, has the effect of meriting ; but as a sacrifice, has the effect not only of meriting, but also of satisfying . -

Sacrifice of, when instituted

Figures and prophecies of

An ineffable pledge of love

Why called “ our bread”

Why called “ our daily bread”

See sacrifice .

Evils, when we suffer, we should fly to God for refuge =

We pray not for deliverance from all evil °

Some things commonly thou ght evil, yet very advantageous . .

Those only we deprecate, which are of no spiritual advantage

From what evils we should pray to be delivered 2

The evils of which our neighbour is apparently the cause, to be at- tributed to the devil. °

Exemption from evil to be asked of God . - - ° .

Extreme "nction : -

When wo be administered

How to be administered

.

209

| Faith necessary to salvation Its degrees many What we are first to believe ° The knowledge derived from Fatth much more certain than that which is founded on human rea- son . In God’s Omnipotence how useful and necessary . : In the me was always ne- cessi ary . . Of old same as ours ; . Must precede penance Necessary in prayer Firmness of, principal thing in prayer | False testimony, what . Injuries which it inflicts . .

167

way Forbidden not only in a court of 171 justice but also in every other 171 place .

Against ourselv es unlawful . 171 Includes lies

Fasting and alms-deeds to be united with prayer—See Alms-deeds Father, signification of, as applied to

172 God.—See First Article of the Creed 3 172} Why the first person of the B. 173 Trinity is called “ Father” 173 Fathers, who are called . Z Fathers of every description to be 173 honeured ~ “ God the Father of all A Name of Father, as applied to God inspires confidence ia prayer 173 | See parents

174 | Festivals commanded to be ohacnved

174| Why instituted - 363 Other festivals besides the Sabbath 363 observed by the Jews 363 The most solemn festivals a the 174 church

How to be phere by Christians 381 | Figure of Christ’s conception and Na-

tivity £ .

383 Of his cross . A : ;

Of confession -

383 | Flattery, a detestable vice . 304, Flatterers guilty of sean and de- traction : . Food of the soul, variety of

Form of the Sacrament of Baptism

383 383

Of Confirmation . - f Of the Eucharist . ‘ . 385 Of Penance . - -

Of Extreme Unction Form of prayer to God and the Saints

different = Fornication, evils which it carri ¥s with it .

381 206 208

405

Ii¢ 20 26

23 28

32 33 178 228 329 302 302

302 302 303

297

289

£06 General Index. |

Fornication. detestation of 5 287 | God, without ins aid and assistance

Frugality should be practised 2 298 we cannot aspire to Christian Fruit of the tree of life ; : 358 wisdom 35 Requires the greatest love i in every Gain, the fruit of honest are 360 thing we do in his service 356 Glory, what . . 397| All his works good . ° : 356 Of God, how prayed for . : 341| Imparted his goodness to all his Of the Saints incomprehensible 94 works . A : 356 God, one only and not more 2 24| Why in particular we venerate his Why called Father . - 25, 26 | holy will. - . - 3856 Omnipotent . - : - 28| His ways unsearchable . : 356 The Creator of all A 29| Consults for our interests better

Preserves and governs hat he

than we can desire

356

created : A c 31| All things necessary for Afe to be Te- Said figuratively “ to repent” c 177 ferred to his glory - “ 356 The author of the written and un- His infinite power to be adored 361

written Law A : 238! He is ready to pardon the sins of Easy to love him . - 5 239 the penitent - . . 367 Why called jealous 252 Is offended by sin . - : 367 Why he menaces punishment to the Ts a most bountiful Father : 368

third and fourth generations 253 His justice most rigorous : 368 His justice yields to his goodness 254 How he tempts his own . 376 His name, how honoured 255 How he suffers the good to be Many names given to him 255 tempted 376 How to be praised 255| How said to lead us into temptation 376 Holds him not guiltless who Gees Gives us power to pela Satan

his name in vain . 257 under foot . - - 379 To be loved first, and after lai our Gives us power to overeonta our

parents : : 2 : 272 enemies - 579 His providence over man. - 333| His goodness rescues from evil in

Forgets not man

His benignity and mercy towards man

His love manifested in our redemp- tion -

Is prompted to inflict chastisement, not by a feeling of hostility but of love

more ways than one .

Wishes not that we should be ex- empt from every inconvenience Administers consolation to those who labour under adversity . Employs the devil as an instrument

for inflicting punishment on the

Why he chastises those whom he wicked 5 385 loves 336 | God-fathers in baptism, (See Bap-

Is not ignorant of our ir calamities 337 tism) . < = ° 112 Is the God of all é . : 337 | Grace, Suhel 347 Is every where, and how . = 339 | How conferred ‘by the Eucharist 146 Why he is said to be in heaven 339 ;

How loved from the heart : 340 | Hatred, a diabolical crime . . 285 The first thing to be asked of him 340 Remedies against . - 286 In what manner we pray that his Hebrews, why chosen by God 5 242

name may be sanctified : His name, “ holy and ba oe needs no sanctification .

Their deliverance from Egypt . Their oppression, why tolerated by God

How it is sanctified in all. - 341 When and where they received the

God’s name to be sanctified in deed, Law from God . : 246 and not in word only . ° 342| The promises made to them, why

His provident care of man 342 not accomplished until after the

Has not called us to ease and indo- lapse of four hundred years . 243 lence : ; “ é 349 | Hell, signification of the word . 50 Never forsakes us 349} How Christ descended into . 51

Lends us his aid to attain the king- dom of heaven

Cannot be loved by us as he ought, without the help of his grace

349

351

What places designated by the name of Heretics, ew hse nuit to rae seminate their impious doctrines

General Index.

flaretics—who is to be considered a heretic Holy Ghost, we should not be ignorant of Proper signification of the wortls “ Holy Ghost” - Why no proper name is given to the Holy Ghost Equal in ali things to the Father and

the Son God - Proceeds from the Father ‘and the Son Z ‘ . : Gifts of . F :

Why called a gift Homicide, what sort of, not prohibit- ed by the fifth commandment Honour.

The precept of honoring parents Propriety of the word “ honour,” used in the precept - Honour to be paid to parents of every description R -

Duties of honour due to them

Honour to be paid them after their death :

Blessings obtained by those who honour their parents

An untimely death to be apprehend- ed by such as despise their parents

Hope, what deaition to God Shaul be

inspired by the hope of obtaining the happiness of heaven

Should be based on the love of God

We sbould hope to obtain the a don ofoursins .

In temptation, what motives to in-

as

spe . Should rest on ‘the divine protec- tion

Husband, duty of, towards his wife Towards his family Hypocrites, pray not from the heart

Jealousy, what attributed to God Jesus, the son of God, was alone able to reconcile us to God .

Great profit reaped by those who believe Jesus Christ to be the son of God -

Significatior. of the word Jesus :

How it comprehends every other name given tothe Saviour .

Jesus Christ, King, ere and Prophet .

Tle Son of God, and true God Jews, (see Hebrews) . of Christ and of his saints, not snly lawful but also very useful

407 Images, what should be the sentiments 70 of those who pray before the images of the saints 32” 65 | Incarnation of the Word of inestima- ble value 37 66] Mystery of, not accomplished by one ‘Person only of the Trinity . 38 66| No confusion of natures caused by 38 Why attributed peculiarly to the 67 Holy Ghost 38 67 In the mystery of the incarnation, some things above, some accord- 68 ing to, the order of nature ~ 39 69 Wonders accomplished in > 39 69 | Inconveniences to be born patiently 385 Industry honest, its fruits : - 361 280 Blessed by God 4 5 . 361 273 | Infants (see Baptism) 112 271 | Infidels converted to the faith should adhere to their first wives Per) | 280 | Ingratitude of man towards God . 366 Inhumanity to the poor to be avoided 275 | by him who would be heard ‘y 274 | God . : 328 Injuries, every means should be em- 275 ployed to persuade Christians to forget them 370 276 Should be forgiven by him who would be pardoned by God 32 God demands of us to forget them 370 277 Advantages obtained by those who forgive them : 285 Troubles incidental to those who do 355 not forgive them 285 355 Remedies against hatred 286 A wiilingness to forgive wifiidient. 367 although i nature reas re- claim 370 375, =—- To forget i injuries the best species of charity 283 375, Those refuse to forget injuries 234 | should say in the Lord’s Prayer, 234 | “forgive us our trespasses” . 371 331 | Instruction of the Pastor to be accom- modated to all . . . 17 252 | Interior joy of the saints . 363 The issue of every thing to be left to 32 God a . e . 364 Judgment, last. ° ; ' 61 Of Christ twofold a ° 61 31 General, its necessity . . 62 33| To be administered in civil courts according to justice and law . 306 33 | Judge of all, why Christ will be . 58, 63

Judges who are venal, guilty of rapine 396 Cannot reject sworn evidence . 302 Jurisdiction, power of, how proved 198 Original justice given to man, not as an appendage of his nature, but

as a supernatural gift .

34 38 242

250 28

408

Qastification of a sinner, the work of

God’s infinite power Not to be attained by those who ¢ are not prepared to observe all the

83

commandments of God . 240 Keys, power of, its necessity ° 82 Dignity and extensive power of 82 All have not the power of A 82 Kings are to be obeyed : hye etO Kingdom of heaven . 3 - 343 Its excellence . . 348 Helps given by God to attain it. 349 Those who desire to enter, should pray to God that his will may be accomplished 350 To be prayed for before all other things 5 343 Prayer for, accompanied with many blessings 5 . 344 Of Christ not of this world - 346 Why called justice . 4 - 346 What it is . : . - 346 Within us : . . 346 Which is the Church 5 347 How prayed for 4 . 346, 348

Of the grace of God in whom, &c. 346 Of the glory of God, what oi Sol Of grace, why put before that of

glory . 347 Of Christ, the Church, its propa tion z : ah tote Of God, how ite comes to sinners 348 Law, of nature, what . 238 Same as the written Law eas Violated by the unforgiving 2 uO Not difficult to be observed 239 The law is to be obeyed 240 Of the Decalogue, not a new law, but the law of nature set in a clear light . = ESS With what majesty promulged - 239 Benefit of observing the . . 241 More readily observed by knowing God to be our Lord A se eee Of every description, induces to its observance by hope of reward or fear of punishment A a 2451 Manner of keeping . 254 Of God, to be keptin sincerity of soul 311 Is, as it were, a mirror in which we behold our deformities. A eual Of divine and human institution, difference between ° Be etal Legitimate teacher necessary : 13 Life eternal, what it signifies 3 93 Expresses the happiness of heaven better than the word “ blessed- MESS aI. : B : 93

General Index.

Life, man’s, on earth a temptation sia And salvation depend on God 361 Loquacity to be avoided - - 308 Lying of every sort, to be evoided, see Eighth Commandment . 2, SOL Magistrates, honour due to = 216 When to be obeyed, when not . 276 Man formed after God’s image and likeness - 30 Created last of all, ‘and endowed with immortality, not as the con- dition of his nature, but by the free giftof God . : 4 30 His fall “ : ° . 32 What he owes to the Redeemer 37 What he owes to God = . 336 His misery - 350, 345 The sin of entailed by Adam . 358 Though justified, cannot reduce the lusts of the flesh to entire subjec- tion . oo Sentence of condemnation pronoun: ced against him . = 358 His instability 3 ° - 345 His weakness 364

Should be desirous of God’s honour 252 Compared to sick persons 351 Compared to children 2 35l Mary, B. Virgin. see third Article of the Creed. Mass, sacrifice of, same as that of the

cross. : Petr Not merely porniieureag but also propitiatory 175 Offered in behalf of, and profitable to the dead. ieiede Its rites and ceremonies not super- fluous 176 Matter of the Saemniene of the Euche- rist, see Eucharist : Rerepe le Of Penance, see Penance 6 aloe Of Extreme Unction, see Extreme Unction : c 3 206 Matrimony, derivation of : - 226 Designated by various names . 226 Definition Of irre - 3 «226 Its nature, in what it consists . 226 Not contracted by words which re- late to future time - 227 Validly contracted by a nod or other sign, Instead of words . on eeu Requires not consummation in or- der to its validity ; consent of the parties sufficient . c 22 May be considered in a twofold light, in ‘ts natural relations, and asa Sacrament . 2 +s 228 Indissoluble a 5 - 228, 232 Advantages of its indissolubility 233

General Index. 409

Matrimony, three advantages arising Misery of man. : 356

from marriage . ° F 232

Why instituted . . . 228] Names given to those who a e bap-

Its nature as a Sacrament R 229 tised,—(see Baptism) 112

Is one of the seven Sacraments 230 | Name of God, how to be sanctified i in

Instituted by God. . ~ 230 all 34]

Signifies and communicates grace 230 His mnie « holy aud fernble” Popes

An excellence communicated to it not our sanctification . . 344 in the Gospel dispensation which How sanctified in all : ° 34° it did not possess before : 231| ‘To be sanctified in deed and not in

Matrimony ofthe Jews. 231 word . ; . ; ° 342

Matrimony consists in the union of twoonly . ° . . 231] Our neighbour, who . A : 302

Impediments of _. : 235 | Oaths ~ 256

Dispositions of those who contract Obedience to the will of God . 355 it P : . . . 235 | Observance of the Sabbath, - 264

Its use . 235| Offestivals, . 3 P 267

Cannot be contracted by persons le- Order, what - : : : 215 gally disqualified ° - 226| Orders, seven . ° 216

Holy and Minor Orders ~ F 216 Holy Orders, why reckoned amongst

the Sacraments of the Church 215 Sacrament of, imprints a character 224

Constituted by consent... 226

That consent expressed in words re- lating to the present time. 227

Words necessary in order to express

mutual consent . 227) ‘Tonsure . - f - 216 Consent of one party only insuf- Order of Porter 2 F 217 ficient for the validity of a 227} Of Reader ~ - - . 217 The words, “increase and multi- Of Exorcist . “ : A 218 ply,” impose not a necessity on Of Acolyte . . . ° 218 all of embracing the married state 228 Of Sub-Deacon ° . 5 218 Polygamy opposed to the nature of Of Deacon . - : : 219 matrimony . . . “ 231| Of Priest A - 220 Clandestine . 235| Holy Orders impose an obligation Uembers, thouzh dead, do not cease to perpetual continency - 218 to belong co the body of Christ 80} ‘To whom they should be adminis- Murder, forbidden without any excep- tered . 223

tion . : - ° - 281| Conferred on certain ‘appointed days 225

A grievous sin 282} Not to be conferred on boys or in- Law against, to be heard with sane persons - . ° 224 pleasure. 279; Impart grace . 224

Lives of all protected by this law 280 Of one’s self unlawful. . 281

Age required for the reception of 224 Those who are to be ordained,

ee ———e————eeeEeEeeeEeEeEeEeEEeEEeEeEEE~EEr EEEy7E~hh Eh Eh Eby EEE Ss

The law against, stays not only the should first have recourse to the hand but also the desires of the Sacrament of Penance - 225 heart 281

Two things contained i in this law 280 | Parents, duty of, towards their children 278

Medicine, given by God to man . 382} When not tobe obeyed . 2 273

What reliance to be Bes on its Honour due to - - 271, 274

efficacy . 383| Should avoid extreme indulgence Merits our, founded on "the passion of and extreme severity towards Christ : . : 203 their children = é 278

Do not derogate from ae - 203 Punishment of disobedience to . 278

Possible for us to merit when aided Passion of Christ, a manifestation of by the grace of God. ~ 203 the power and goodness of God 364

Ministers of Baptism,—(see Baptism) 112} To be frequently proposed to the

Of Confirmation,—(see Confirma- consideration of the faithful . 44 tion) . 137| The time of, why specially recorded 43

Of penance, should be learned fend Reasons of . : 2 47 prudent,—(see Penance) . 176| Bitterness of . . . 48

Of the Sacrament of Orders,—(see Benefits of . F 49 Orders) . . a 216| Procures the pardon ‘of sin 264

3F 35

410

Passion—from it emanates all the virtue of our satisfaction 5 Pasters of the Church to be heard, as Christ himself . : .

To be obeyed ° : ° Penance, its necessity . ° .

Its neglect, the cause of serious in-

jury to our souls . ° .

Penance considered as a virtue

As a Sacrament ° .

Various significations of . 4

Preceded by faith . : °

Why a virtue : :

By what degrees we arrive at . The Scriptures propose heaven as a reward of . : . Eternal, a Sacrament 5 Why instituted by God . Matter and form of . :

Rites and ceremonies of Fruits of = Constituent parts of. : - Public, why enjoined for public transgressions : . Two things to be observ ed i in Requires restitution . s Penitent, what he should propose to himself - . Perjury, what, (see Second and Eighth Commandments) 254, Committed many ways . : Proneness of man to :

368

301 261 262

Visited by punishment in many ways 262

Pride, very offensive to God : reculiar relations of the Divine Per- sons What belongs es them not a fit ob- ject of curious investigation . Philosophy, Christian, differs from the

wisdom of the world . A Philosophers, their opinions concern- ing God $ 4 5 5 Pope, the Head of the Catholic Church “ His supreme dignity and jurisdic- tion of divine right . 4

Is the Supreme Governor of the Universal Church, the successor of St. Peter, and Christ’s vicar on

earth . : Prayer, we pray first to God and then to the saints . °

Best method of praying . =

For whom we should pray 5

We should pray to the saints .

In what sense we beg of them to take pityonus .

We should pray in spit and in truth . ° .

infidels cannot do so

328 26 26 23 24 74

222

222

326 322 324 326

327

330 331

General Index.

Prayer—we should offer up our pray-

ers in the name of Christ .

The Divine Majesty ea wk him who prays .

To pray is to commune with God

To pray is to honour God .

Christ spent whole nights in .

Manner of . : .

Benefits of

Many degrees of, and of shanks- giving : ° os (i

Mental . ; : Fi .

Vocal

Sinner’s, when heard by ‘God with

propitious ear. “ = Necessary : . Its efficacy with God C ° Confidence in = . .

A proof of religion . ° : An acknowledgment of our subjec-

tion to God 3 . . The key of heaven . . : Its parts . : ° .

Two principal parts of ° .

Of such as have not been illumined by the light of faith . .

Of those to whom God refuses to

lend a willing ear = - Should be offered for the wicked For thedead . ;

For those who suffer in Purgatory,

rests on the author of the Apostles. -

33]

386 386 318 318 330 318

322 330 330

322 317 318 329 318

318 319 321 322

323 323

326 325

325

For those who are ina sate pee mor- |

tal sin, comparatively of little ad-

vantage . . . . Preparation for - : - Sins to be avoided by such as

would have their pees: heard by

God! . Rendered odious by contempt of the

Law of God 5 3 Admits of no wavering . - Mental, excludes not vocal : Mental, of higher excellence than

VOCAl ieee ° : Public and private . :

A weapon against the devil . Order to be observed in . ° Preposterous order observed by

some in their prayers . . Lord’s prayer, its exposition = Preface of . : Preachins that of the divine word never to be interrupted .

Preachers of the divine word, their authority 5 S . ° Their mission . 5

Precepts of the Decalogue—(see De- calogue) : : .

226 327

328

328 329 330

330 330 37€ 382

382 332 317

14

14 14

237

General Index.

Preparation for communion, what it

ought to be, how necessary . 167 Prests alone have the power of conse- crating the Eucharist . - 172 As Confessors, bound to inviolable secrecy ° 197 Called gods and angels “ ° 202

Priests of the New-Testament su-

perior to those of the Old. 202 Their power very great 202, 214 Mercenary, should not be 213 Enter into the church by the door 213 Under every law. : 214 When the sacerdotal power is given

to the Priest by the Bishop 215 Ceremonies used in the ordination

of , : . ° ° 221 Two duties of : 224

Priesthood, functions of, to be confided

tono person rashly . 212

Order of, though one has different

degrees of dignity and power 221 When instituted by Christ = 174 Dignity and excellence of . 212 Qualities required in the candidate

for the ; 223 Who are said to be called to the 213 Power of, twofold . = 214 In the Gospel dispensation, has its

origin from Christ 4 215 Twofold : ° . 220

Providence of God_s- ° 344, 346 Purgatory, fire of ° ° . 5] Rapine - 293 A more grievous sin ‘than theft . 293 Different sorts of . 295 More comprehensive than ‘theft. 295 Redemption, its benefit to us = 336 Relapse, grievousness of . 373 Remedies of a distempered soul, pen- ance and the Eucharist 372 Remission of sin, power of, resides in

the church . ° 82 Vested by Christ in the bishops ‘and

priests of his Church . - 82

The faithful should have recourse to the exercise of this power . Obtained through the blood of Christ 84 Unattainable, — eat pen- ance. . 183 Restitution necessary toa penitent 294, 296

Who are bound to . ° A 296 Resurrection of Christ 52 Accomplished by his own power 53 Its blessings first enjoyed by Christ mmself 53 Took place on “the third day, how to be understood . . . 54

The mystery of, necessary : 55

Resurrection—its end .

Lessons of instruction which it “fur- nishes ° . .

Spiritual, proofs of . ° .

OF the dead, the foundation of our faith .

Of man, why called the resurrection of the body . ° . .

Of the body proved .

Different condition of those who shall riseagain .

Before the general, all men n without exception shall die .

Our bodies shall rise again clothed with immortality .

Qualities of those who shall rise with glorified bodies . . Fruits to be gathered from a know-

ledge of the article upon the

Rewards eternal = - ° Riches, not to be loved . :

The rich, why they should ask for their daily bread .

Should look upon their wealth as the giftofGod .

Why blessed by God with wealth

Sabbath, its signification = =

Its sanctification : Its sanctification, why so often c com- mended in Holy Scripture

Why consecrated to God .

A sign . ° . .

Works permitted on . :

Works prohibited on : <

Celestial .

Transferred to the Lord’ e-day, why

How observed . . . Sacrament, what ~ = 2

Meaning of the word -

Justice and salvation attained by

Definition of

* Sacred thing,” in the definition of, means the grace of God -

To be numbered amengst those things which have been instituted as signs F °

Signify and produce holiness .

Signs instituted by God . .

Signify various things

Of the Gospel dispensation, why i in- stituted .

Consist of two things, matter ‘and form .

Of the new law have a prescribed form, a departure from which, renders their administration in-

valid . - ° Ceremonies of, cannot be omitted without sin . 2 . °

411 55

56 56

85

85 86

88 88 90 9 90

380 314

106 104

412 General Indez. Sacraments—their omission does not Satisfaction—every species of. redu- invalidate the Sacrament 106 cible to three heads. : 204 The Sacraments, why administered Inconveniences and labours inflicted with solemn ceremonies 5 106 | by God, if borne with patience, Necessity of 2 . . ° 107 satisfactory . : . ° 204 Number of . ° . 106| Can be offered by one for another 204 Excellence of < . : 108| Promise of, to be made by the peni- Difference of ts : < 107 tent, who has injured his neigh- Author of, Christ . : 108 bour in property or character, be- Administration of, vis confided to fore he receives absolution . WOE man . * 2 108} What to be observed, when impos- Ministers of, represent the person ing punishment by way of . 205 of Christ . 5 : 108| To be proportioned to the guilt of Confer justifying grace 109 the transgressor . : 205 How pernicious when administered Works of, should be spontaneously with an impure conscience . 109 undertaken by the penitent . 205 Effects of : : : 109 | Seal of the Lord’s prayer . - 386 Excellence of, compared with those Sensualists estranged from God . 353 of the Old Law . > : 110 | Service of God, its dignity . < 356 Three imprint a character A 111 |Sins, irremissible, how to be under- Support the Christian edifice . 112 stood . 183 Are validly administered by wicked Punishment of, entailed upon us by men, if they observe every thing Adam . 5 32 regarding their due administration 108 | Of thought should be confessed 194 Difference between a Sacrament and Two consequences of 202 a Sacrifice . ; 173} So provoke God, that he refuses to Sacrifice offered to God alone and not bless our labours . . 358 to the Saints 5 174 | We are all subject to ° ° 365 Of the Cross and of the Mass, the Our acknowledgment of 365 same . - 175| Basenessof . E = : 366 Saints, communion of, how useful and Contagion of . : : 365 what it signifies : 79 Though past in act, remain in guilt 367 By the communion of, all Christians Always pursued by the divine wrath 367 made one body . ° 80| A deep sense of, and sorrow for, ne- Veneration of, derogates not a cessary 367 but increases, the glory of God 246} God ever ready to pardon the : sins” Patronage of, not superfluous 247 of the penitent . : 367 Patronage of, not opposed to the Impossible to be avoided without mediatorship of Christ . : 247 the divine aid. . ° 358 Images of, not prohibited by the Sponsors—(see baptism) . : 112 divine law + 248 | Suicide, unlawful ° * 286 Satan—see devil and demon. 354, 376 | Superfluities to be he to the poor 364 Satisfaction, its necessity . e 200! Swearing . 254 Name of, whence derived : 199} What he wo. swears should con- Various acceptations of . 199 sider . 258 What sort of, reconciles us to God 200 | Symbol, apostolic, who so called . 20 Canonical . sath ae 200| Divided into three parts . . 21 Of Christ abundant | 199 An integral part of the sacrament of Tears of penitential sorrow desirable 187 penance . : 4 200 | Temptation, when assailed by, we Undertaken by ourselves 3 200 should have recourse to prayer 375 Definition of . . ° . 200| Should pray to God that we be not Virtue of 5 . : 200, 203 led into ‘ é A 373 Does not obscure, but renders more What . : : 2 ° 376 illustrious the acre of Many sorts of - ° : 376 Christ - : ° 203| Man’s life a temptation . . 378 True, conditions of - 203 | ‘To be patiently endured . 378 He who offers, should be just - 203 | What we should beg of God under 378

He tempts, who does not prevent

Painful works undertaken by way temptation . .

of . : : . 203 377

General Index.

Yemptation—God tempts, how . Man tempted to evil - . Tempter, the devil, why called. Thanksgiving to be united to prayer Theft, the commandment forbidding it gives security to property Why the Seventh Commandment makes mention of theft and not of rapine What is understood by ‘the word theft This commandment a manifestation of God’s goodness towards us Theft, that is the unjust possession and use of another’s property, de- signated by various names. The very intention of committing theft, pend by the law of God

How grievous the sin of . -

Its enormity, obvious from its con- sequences . - ° °

Many species of . : .

Not excusable .

Excuses alleged in palliation of Dishonours the name of God . Testimony—(see witness) . : Trinity, what common, what not com- mon, to the Persons of

Vessels sacred, not to be touched by unconsecrated hands Vice of the tongue, of great extent From it arises innumerable evils Virginity highly commended Unction—(see extreme unction)

Wars, intestine of man a - Of the sinner with God . - Wetching overcomes temptation .

376 376 376 332

292

293 292

292

292

293 293

294 294 299 299 300 301

38

172 301 301 225 206

Wife, should be subject to her hus- band . : . ° ° Duties of Why the ancient fathers. were : ale lowed a plurality of wives.

Woman, why taken out of the side of

man . Will of God, why we "pray ‘that it be done . Sentiments of him who say hs ‘thy will be done” . Witness, false, commandment against This commandment ayaa and prohibitory . The commandment against bearing false witness bridles the tongue False, what . . Prohibited not only in, but also out of, courts of justice . : How many ways a man’s reputation is injured by falsehood To bear witness, is to praise God Is of very great use in society . Should be careful not to affirm as true, what he does not know to be true . : Word of God, food of the soul . Famine of ° Word of the pastor to be heard as ; the word of God é : Incarnation of “ the Word”

Words, the most significant signs Works, good cannot be performed without the grace of God. Unacceptable to God without faith and charity . ‘ .

Of satisfaction

344 | Worship, external due to Goa .

366 376

Zeal in the service of God

35*

203,

4.a

35]

203 204 263

‘omy Mee one 1o)

BX 1958 .E5 1870 SMC Catholic Church. The Catechism of the

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