Si^rrssa&-'*^ -^^ €nm\l UTOOTitg ^itotg THE GIFT OF ..rA;^J?L^rud<<^. .. Iu.,fa.-Sr:cr:<^^^ . A- V.^^.M: 0.7..M(- ( f'flf Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029395799 THE CATECHISJ THE COUNCIL OF TRENT PUBLISHED BY COMMAND POPE PIUS THE EIETH. TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY THE REV. J. DONOVAN, PkOFESSOR, &C. ROYAL COLLEGE, MAYNOOTH. NEW-YORK : THE CATHOLIC PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 126 NASSAU STREET. Ik DECREE OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. That the faithful may approach the Sacraments with greater reverence and devotion, the Holy Synod commands aJl Bishops not only to explain, in a 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 and 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 will TAKE CARE TO HAVE FAITHFULLY TRANSLATED INTO THE VERNACULAR LANGUAGE, AND EXPOUNDED TO THE PEOPLE BY ALL PASTORS. Ccnc. Trid. Sesa 24. de Reform, c. 7 THE TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. The Roman Catechism, of which an Enghsh 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 judicioits or effi^ctive. The ardour and industry of the " Reformers" were actively employed, not only in the publi- cation of voluminous 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 aflR)rd the faithful a fixed standard of Christian belief, and to the Pastor a pre- scribed form of religious instruction ; to supply a pure and perennial fountain of living waters to refresh and invigorate at once the Pastor 1 Cone. Trid Sess. 24. de Reform, cap. 7. ^ Pref. page 15 f) PREFACE. and the flock, were amongst the hnportant objects (. Bntemplated by the Fathers of Trent in the publication and translation of the Roman 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 o( honest inquiry : we owe it to our ourselves to co-operate in removinc the load of obloquy under vi^hich we still labour ; and, if it were pos sible for us to be insensible to these claims, there is yet an obligatior- from which nothing can exempt us — ^it is due to religion to make hej kndwn as she really is. To these important ends we cannot, per- haps, contribute more effectually, than by placing within the reach ' Pre£ pages 13, 14. PREFACE. 7 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. In its 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 plan 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, com- 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 1 On this subject the following observations, from the pen of a Protestant Clergyman, arc as candid as they are just : — " The religion of th# Koman Catholics ought always, in strictness, lo be considered apart from its professors, whether kings, popes, or inferior bishops ; and its tenets, and its forms, should be treated of separately. To tlie acknowledged creeds, catechisms, and other formularies of the Catholic Church, we should resort for a faithful description of whal Koman Catholics do really hold, as doctrines essential to salvation ; and as such held by the faithful in all times, places, and countries. Tliough the Catholic formfi in some points may vary in number and splendour, the Ca'tholic doctriTies cannot ; — tliough opinions may differ, and change with circumstances, articles of faith remain the same. Without a due and constant consideration of these facts, no Protestant cijn 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 tlie Catholic Cliurch': that wliich 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 tlieir faith, and the rule of their actions. This is not fair; it is not doing to others as we would have others to do unto us." — Tlte Religions of all Nations, by the Rev. J. Nightingale, j-. 12. 8 PREFACE. of its history must enhance its worth, arid may, it is hoped, prove ac ceptable to the learned reader. It has already been observed, that the Roman Catechism owes its 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, Leonardo Marini, subsequently raised to the Archiepiscopal throne of Lancia- no, ' Francisco Foreiro, the learned translator of Isaias, * and ^gi- 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, enhsted 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 appoipted 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 labours. 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. c. 13. 3 Epistote et Orationes Julii Pogiani, edits a Lagomarsini, Romro, 1756, vol. 2. p. xx. ■1 Oltrochius de lita ac rebus gestis, S. Caroli Borromsei, lib. 1. c. 8. annot. 3. apud Poeianum vol. 2. p. XX. r o . '■ Tabularium Ecclesiae Romanaj. Leipsic, 1743. " Foreiro's translation and commentary on Isaias may be seen in the " Recueil des grands critiquea." ' " Datum est negotium a Pontifice Maximo tribus episcopis," &c. Pog. Ep. et Orat vol. 3. p. 449. ^ "ad eam rem quatuor viros Pius delegit," &c. Pog. vol. 1. p. xvii. B Calini assisted at the Council, as Archbishop of Zara, and died Bishop of Temi, in 1570 It would appear from Tiraboschi that he belonged to no religious order. He is called " huomo di molte lettere e molta pieta." f!ee MSS. notes found in the librarj- of the Jesuit College in Fermo; also MSS. letters of Calini apud Pogian. vol. 2. p. xxii. Pilavxino Istoria del C. di Trento, 1. 15. c. 13 PREFACE. S same conclusion : he expressly numbers Calini amongsf the authors of the Roman Catechism, ' The MSS. notes, to which Largomarsini refers in proofofthis opinion, mention, it is true, the names of Galesinus and Pogianus with that of Calini: Pogianus, it is 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 Latinify he was little inferior to Pogianus himself; and the style, therefore, might also have employed the labour 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 Plus the Fourth, Michael Medina, and Cardinal Antoniano, secretary to Pius the Fifth; but Tiraboschi omits to notice their pretensions; and my inquiries have 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 history; 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 as a denial of their claim. * The work, when completed, * was presented to Pius the Fifth, and was haftded 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 Fifth, and by command of the Pontiff translated into the lan- ' See Tiraboschi Storia della Letteratura Italiana, T. vii. pari 1. p. 304, 308. vid. Script. Oruiii Prosdic. vol. 228. RomiE, 1784. ' It was finished anno 1564. Catechismum haberaus jara absolutum, &c. LetterofS. Charles Borromeo to Cardinal Hosius, dated December 27th, 1564, Pog. 2. Ivii. 3 Ibid. To Cardinal Sirlet, Biblical literature owes the variee lecliones in the Antwerpiaii Polyglot. 1 Graveson Hist. Eccl. T. 7. p. 156. Ed. Venet 1738. Apostolus Zerio. Anolat in Bjbl Elog Hal. T. 1 1 . p. 136. Ed. Venet. 1733. s Lagomarsini Not. in Gratian. Epist ad Card. Commend. Romse, 1755 Vol. 2. p. xxxiv. ' Fog. vol. 2 .p. xxxix B 10 PREFACE. guages of Italy; France, Germany, And Poland. ' To the initiated no apology is, I trust, necessary for this analysis of a controversy which the Translator could not, with propriety, pass over in silence, and 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 arc now, recognised by the Universal Church; and the place given amongst the masters of spiritual life tothedevoutA'Kempis," second only," says Fontenelle, " to the books of the canonical Scripture," has been unanimously awarded to the Catechism of the Council of Trent, as a compendium of Catholic theology. Thus, undertaken by decree of the Council of Trent, the result of the aggregate labours of the most distinguished of the Fathers who 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 T/anslator'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 to higher excellencies. To express the entire meaning of the author, attending rather to the sense, than to the r umber 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 wa? printed by Maniitiua before the end of July. 1566, but not publislied until the Sej> lember following, when a folio and quarto edition appeared stt the same time, accomnnnie.l null an Italian translation, from the pen of P. Alessio Figgliucci, 0. P. Sabutin. in vilu Pii V 1 og. vol. 2. xl. 2 Amon^t these authorities are Bulls 103, 105, of Pius V. in Bullar. p. 305, 307- Brief of ^'^S- Xllf 15b3; I.pist. Card. Borrom ; Synods of Milaii, 1565; of Beneventum, 1567; of Ra- yenna, 1568 ; of Meaux, 1569 ; of Geneva, 1574 ; of Melun, (national) 1576 ; of Rouen, 1581 ■ of J.ourdeaux,]5S3; of Tours, 1583; of Rheims, 1583 ; of Tolouse, 1590; of Avignon, 1594; o( Aqmieia, 1586, &c. &c. o < i "• ' Do opt gen. orat. n. 14. PREFACE. 11 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 no 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 mory than commensurate to his humble labours. Maynooth College. Jun3 lOlh, 1829. PREFACE TO THE CATECHISM OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. INTENTION OF THE COUNCIL OBJECT AND AUTHORITY OF THE WORK ITS USE AND DIVISION. Such is tlie nature of the human mind, so limited are its in- Insufficien- cy of hu tellectual powers, that, although by means of diligent and labori- man rea ous inquiry it has been enabled of itself to investigate and dis- cover many divine truths ; yet guided solely by its o>vn 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- ^ecessity ° of reve sible things of God, from the creation of the world, are," as the lation 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 feaints 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- And of au duous labour and faithful ministry, of a legitimate teacher, at all [eachera. 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 very 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 " Rom. x. 14, l.'j. 2 1.3 14 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 ;"=' " 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 earned 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." « The pas- That none may receive the word of God from the ministers tors of the Church to of the Ohurch as the word of man, but as the word of Christ, ® ^^ ■ what it really is i the same Saviour has ordained that their mi- nistry should be invested with such authority that he says to them ; " he that hears you, hears me ; and he that despises you, despises me •"'' a declaration which he would not be understood to make to those only to whom his words were addressed, but likewise to all who, by legitimate succession, should discharge the ministry of the word, promising to be with them "all days, even to the consummation of the world." ^ Peculiar As this preaching of the divine word should never be inter- of pS'oral rupted in the Church of God, so in these our days it becomes instruction necessary to labour with more than ordinary zeal and piety to days. 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 corrupt the minds of the faithful ; of whom the Lord hath said oflhe*^ " ^ ^^"* ^'"^ "'**' ^^^ *^y '""^ ' ^ ^P"'^^ "°* t° them, yet they •• Reform- prophesied."" In this unholy work, to such extremes has their *''^- ' impiety, 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 gates of hell should never prevail against it,"'^ we should be filled with most alarming apprehension lest, beset on every side by such a host of enemies, assailed by so many and such formidable engines, the Church of God should, in these days, fall beneath their combined efforts. To omit those illustriouJ ' ?«,''• !• 1- ' Is. xlix. 6. 3 Heb. i. 3. 4 2 Pet i 17 9fteJi l^V'--^h ' Luke r. 16. ' 8 Matt. xxviiL 20. •> 1 John IV. 1. 10 Heb. an. 9. n Jejem. ixiu. 21. 1= Matt. xvi. 18. PREFACE. 15 states which heretofore professed, in piety and holiness, the Ca- tholic faith transmitted to them by their ancestors, but are no «■; gone astray, wandering from the paths of truth, and openly de- claring that their best claims of piety are founded on a total abandonment of the faith of their fathers : there is no regicm 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. The Fathers, therefore, of the general Council of Trent, anx- Object ma f -, /■ 1 -J anlhority ious to apply some healing remedy to an evil of such magnitude, of this were not satisfied with having decided the more important points ^™^ of Catholic doctrine against the lieresies of our times, but deem- 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 li«sub;en\ matter, the Holy Synod cannot be supposed to have intended to comprise, in one volume, all the dogmas of Christianity, with that minuteness of detail to be found in the works of those who pro- ' Eph. iv. 5. 16 PREFACE. fess to treat of all the institutiofts and doctrines of religion. SucU a task would be one of almost endless labour, and manifestly ill- suited to attain the proposed end. But, having undertaken to instruct pastors and such as ha^ e care of souls in those things thai 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. Principal Such being the nature and object of the present work, its obsenred " order requires that, before we proceed to develope those things by the Pas- severally which comprise a summary of this doctrine, we pre- lor in com- "^ .... municating mise a few observations explanatory of the considerations which ■ should form the primary object of the pastor's attention, and which he should keep continually 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. First 'JThe 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."* Second. 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 ;"'' for, " he gave himself fcr us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse io himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works." ^ These things the Apostle commands pastors to speak and to exhort. Tliird But as our Lord and Saviour has not only declared, but has also proved by his own example, that " the Law and the Prophets I John rvii. 3. =1 Cor. ii. 2. » Acts iv. 12. i ] Joht ii. 2. siJohnu. 3. siJohnii. 6. 'ITim. vi. 11. 8 TiL ii. 14. PREFACE. 17 depend on love," ' and as, according to the Apostle, charity is the end of the commandments, and the fulfilment of the law,'' it is unquestionably a paramount duty of the pastor, to use the utmost 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 perfect good, to adhere to which is true and solid happiness, as ia 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;"' 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 all 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 Founli. 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,' 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 those 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 afibrding to each such nutriment 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 Barbarian, to the wise and to the unwise :" " thus giving all who are called to this ministry, to understand that in announ- ' Matt. xxii. 40. 2 1 Tim. i. 5. Rom. xiii. 8. s Psalm Ixxii. 25. •< 1 Cor. xii. 31. * 1 Cor. xiii. 8. 6 ] Cor. xvi. 14. ^ 1 Cor. ix. 22. 8 1 Cor.iv. 1, 2. 3 Matt. xxv. 23. "> 1 Pet. ii. 2. " 1 Cor. iii. 2. Heb. v. 12 '2 Eph. iv. 13. , 13 Rom. i. 14. 2* C 18 PREFACE. cing the mysteries of faith, and inculcating the precepts of 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 bread, whilst there is none to break it to thein." ' Fifth 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 CQntemplation 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 Tis 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.^ Where the But all the doctrines of Christianity, in which the faithful are of ChrUti- *•" ^^ instructed, are derived from the word of God, which includes anity are 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 themselves ; "Attend to reading, to exhortation, and to doctrine,'' 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." ' Division of But as the truths revealed by Almighty God, are so many and rhe work. . i • , 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 occasion 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 First part. Lord's Prayer. The Creed contains all that is to be held accord- ing to the discipline of the Christian faith, whether it regard the knowledge of God, the creation and government of the worid ; or the redemption of man, the rewards of the good and the pu- ' Heb. V. 14. Lamen. iv. 4. 2 2 Cor. v. 14. 3 ] Thess ii 7 8 4 1Tim.iv. 13. 5 2 Tim. iii. : 6, 17 PREFACE. ' 19 nlshments of the wicked. Tlie doctrine of the seven Sacraments Second comprehends the sigils, and, as it were, the instruments of grace. The Decalogue, whatever has reference to the law, " the end Tl"''' Pa'' whereof is charity," ^ Finally, the Lord's Prayer contains what- ronrth ever can be the object of the Christian's desires, or hopes, or 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- ^^„'of J^o ever they have occasion, in the ordinary discharge of their Catechism , •' , n ■, r-, 1 1 totheGos- duty, to expound any passage of the Gospel, or any other part pel of the of Scripture, they will find its substance under some one of *""'"*y- the four heads already enumerated, to which they will recur, as the source from which their exposition is to be 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 ^n^with" suited to persons, times and circumstances. Walking in the theexpla- footsteps of the Fathers, who to initiate men in Christ the Lord the Creed, and instruct them in his discipline begin with the doctrine of faith, wp 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 u^'erstood 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 as the Sacred Scriptures declare that " Without faith it is impossible to please God." ' 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- 1 1 Tim. i. 5. 2 2 Luke xxi. 25. 3 Heb. xi. 6. 20 PREFACE. ledge is nothing else than faith, by which we yield our unhesita ting assent to whatever the authority of our Holy Mother thu 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 exists 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, " 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;' "J 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 anil teachers of the faith, men inspired by the Holy Ghost, have divi- The Creed ded into the twelve articles of the Creed : for as they had re- pose/by ceived a command from the Lord to go forth " into the whole tho Apos- world," " 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;" ^ 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 God,"^ from those who had pleclged an oath of fidelity to serve under the banner of Christ. 1 Matt. XIV 31. 2 Matt xv. 28. 3 Luke xvii. 5. ■! James ii. 17. « Gal. V. 6 6 2 Cor. v. 18, 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15. 7 i Cor. i. 10. 8Gal. ii.4. 9 2 Cor. ii. 17. THE CATECHISM OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT, PART I. ON THE TWELVE ARTICLES OF THE CREED. ARTICLE L " I BELIEVi; IN GOD, THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH." Amongst the many truths which Christianity proposes to our Division oi belief, and of which separately, or collectively, an assured and "'^ CrecJ. 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 (articulis) so in this profession of faith, whatever is to be believed distinctly and separately from any thing else, is appositely called an article. " I BELIEVE IN God."] The meaning of these words is this ; Import of I believe with certainty, and without a shadow of doubt profess 'Y,j"[?"|'' my belief in God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, who in Rod." 21 2?- Certainty "f Faith. Excludes iiuriosity. Open pro- fession of. 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 my 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," " to 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- vinced of any thing, is said " to believe." i Nor is the know- ledge 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." " From what has been said, it follows that he who is gifted with 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 ;"* 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 folly does it not argue in those, who hear the words of God himself, to demand reasons for the heavenly and savino' 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 spoko 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. ties who replied to the princes of the earth : " We cannot but I Rom. iv. 18—21. 2 2 Cor. iv. 6. 3 ibid. v. 3. ' Ps. crv. 1. 4 Bom. iii. 4. On thejirst article of the Creed. 2S speak the things which we have seen and heard."' This spirit should be excited within us by these admirable words of St.Paul: "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for itis the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth ;"2 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."^ "In God"] From these words we may learn, how exalted p£^ are the dignity and ex;cellence of Christian philosophy, and superior lo what a debt of gratitude we owe to the divine goodness ; we to human whom it is given at once to soar on the wings of faith to the ^^ "'"■ knowledge of a being surpassing in 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,"* that " we have been called out of darkness into his admi- rable light." 5 Justly, therefore, do the faithful profess first to believe in God ; whose majesty, with the prophet Jeremiah, we declare "incomprehensible," ° for, as the Apostle says, " lie dwells in light inaccessible, which no man hath seen or can see :"' and spealdng to Moses, he himself said " No man shall see my face and live."' The mind, to be capable of rising to the contem- plation of the Deity, whom nothing approaches in sublimity, must 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 Human good from heaven ; giving rains and fruitful seasons, filling our however, hearts with food and gladness."' Hence it is that phildsophers capable conceived no mean idea of the Divinity ; ascribed to him nothing ?^ °''^'"' corporeal, nothing gross, nothing compound ; considered him the lefge of perfection and fulness of all good ; from whom, as from an eter- God from 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 other appellations expressive of supreme and absolute per- fection ; and said that his immensity filled every place, and his omnipotence extended to every thing. This the Sacred Scrip- tures more clearly express, and more fully develope, as in the I Ao^s. iv. 20 ' Rom. i. 16. s Rom. x. 10. * 1 Pet. i. 8. ' s I Pet. ii. 9. 6 Jerem. xxxii. 19. i 1 Tim. vL 16. 8 Exod. xxxiu. 10 9 Acts xiv. 16. secure. "i 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 ;"2 " all things are naked and open to his eyes ;"' " Oh ! the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God ;"* " God is true ;" = " I am the way, the truth and the life ;"^ " Thy right hand is full of justice ;"' " 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 ? If I 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 shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me," &c.» 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. The know- But we must, also, see the necessity of divine revelation, if rivfd from ^^ reflect that not only does faith, as wo have already observed, faith more make known at once to the rude and unlettered, those truths, a easy and 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 result 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 those who 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 oui 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." "* tJnity of 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. = Matt. v. 48. 3 Heb. iv. 13. * Rom. xi. 33. 5 Rom. lii. 4. 6 Jbhn xiv. 6. 7 Ps. xlvii. 11. 8 ps. cxliv. 16. 9 Ps. cxxxviii. 7, 8, 9, 10, &c.. '<> Jer. xxiii. 24. " Heb. xi. 6 12 1 Cpr. ii. 9—14. 13 Isa. Ixiv. 4. On the first article of the Creed, 25 Scripture ; for it is written, " Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, is one Lord;"' again, " Thou shalt not have strange gods before me," 2 is the command of God : and again he often admonishes us by the prophet, " I am the first, and I am the last, and besides me there is no God." ^ 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 :' 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. " The Father"] As God is called " Father" for more rea- ^/^^'^^^^ sons than one, we must first determine the strictly appropriated .< Father" meaning of the word in the. present instance. Some also on as applied whom the light of faith never shone, conceived God to be an '°^<«'- eternal substance from w^hom 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 Acknowledged 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 all one Father ? Hath not one God created us ?"7 But God, pai'ticularly in the New Testament, is much more God m a frequently, and in some sense pecviliarly called the Father of mannerthe Christians, who " have not received the spirit of bondage in "Father" fear, but have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby •they cry abba Father;" = " for the Father hath bestowed on us that manner of charity, that wc should be called, and be the sons of God ;" ' " and if sons, heirs also, heirs, indeed, of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,"'" "who is the first-born amongst many brethren, " for which cause he is not ashamed to call them bre- thren." '^ Whether, therefore, we look to the common title of crea- tion and conservation ; or to the special one of spiritual adoption, 1 Deut. vi. 4. 2 Exod. xx. .3. 3 Is. xliv. 6 ; xlviii. 12. 'i Eph. iv. 5. 5 Ps. Ixxxi. ]. Exod. xxii. 28. ICor. viii. 5. 6 Deut. xxxii. 6 ^ Mai. ii. 10. s Rom. viii. 15. 9 1 Johniii. 1. m Rom. yui. 17 1' Rom. viu.29. '2 Heb.u. 11. D of Chris- tians. 28 The name cf 'Father' implies plurality of persons The Tri- nity. The Father the first person. Curiosity to be avoid- ed in ex- amining the myste- ry of the Trinity. The Catechism of the Council of Trent the term " Father," as applied to God by Christians, is alike 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. This 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. These three persons, (for it would be impiety to assert that they are unlike or unequal in any thing) are understood to be distinct only in their peculiar rela- tions. The 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 theTrinity there is any thing first or last, greater or 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 the Father, because the beginning without a be- ginning, we truly and unhesitatingly affirm to be the first per- son, 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, or 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 distinc- tion to Persons. But these are truths which should not be made matter of too subtile disquisition, 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 to ' Prov. XXV. 27. On the first article of the*Creed. ■■'' 2' 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 taberna'cles, he may be worthy to see how great is the fe- cundity 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, proceeding 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 perfect. " Almighty."J The Sacred Scriptures, in order to mark the whytlie ■ piety and devotion with which the God of holiness is to be power and adored, usually express his supreme power and infinite majesty Goi?are° in a variety of ways ; but the pastor should impress particularly designated on the minds of the faithful, that the attribute of omnipotence is^''^ """"y that by which he is most frequently designated. Thus he says the Sacred of himself, " I am the Almighty God ;" ^ and again, Jacob Scriptures, when sending his sons to Joseph thus prayed for them, " May That ,of my Almighty God make him favourable to you." * In the Almighty Apocalypse also it is written, " The Lord God, who is, who ^uent '" 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 :" ' "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 clearly comprehended under this single word " Almighty." By it we Its raean- 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 can do many things still greater, of which the human mind can form no conception. But though God can do all things, yet he cannot lie, 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 entirely incompatible with the nature of God, whose acts are all-perfect. To be capable of these things is a proof of weakness, ' Matt, xxviii. 19. 2 \ John v. 7. ^ Gen. xvii. 1. i Gen. riiii. 14. 5 Apoc. i. 8. 6 Apoc. xvi. 14. ' Luke i. 37. ' Num. xi. 23. 9 Wisd. xii. 18. 28 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. not of supreme and infinite power, the peculiar attribute of God Thus, wliilst 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. Oranipo- But the pastor should point out the propriety and wisdom of the onl^at ^^^^^S 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 the'creed. ^'®° 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- noimce, 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- G if"' Ai" ^^^''^ ^^ ^^^ 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, in 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 the 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 us : he who reflects on the omnipotence of God, cannot be so ' Matt. xvii. 20. 2 James 1. 6, 7. 3 1 Pet v. 6. i Ps. xxxii. 8. 33. 10. s Wisd vii. 16. 6 Luke xii. 5. On the first article of the Creed. 26 ungrateful 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 butone/fl- its participation the Son and the Holy Ghost. As we say 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 f goodness to the Holy Ghost, because the love of both. These, however, and such appellations, maybe given indiscriminately to , the three Persons, according to the rule of Catholic faith. . " Creator of Heaven and Earth"] The necessity of having Fromwhat, previously imparted to the faithful a knowledge of the omni- ^j, ' q^j 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 ^■'"■'" 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 h;ith 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 called " the work of his fingers,"* he also gave to the sun its brilliancy, and to the moon and stars their beauty : and that they may be " for signs and for seasons, for days and for years,"^ he 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 m innumerable to serve and minister to him : and these he replen- •^''S*'* 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 with grace, clearly follows from these ■ Luke i. 49. ^ Ps. xv. 3. 3 Ps. cxiii. 3. 4 Ps. xxxii. 9 ; cxlviii. 5 » Ps. viii. 4. 6 Gen. i. 14. 30 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. words' of the Sacred Scriptures : " The devil stood not in the truth ;"^ 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 Their fall jn 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."* Creation of The earth, also, God commanded to stand in the midst of the ihe earth. y^Q^y^ 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. Of Man. 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 things for the instruction of the faithful. God the What we have said, then, of the creation of the universe, is to ^.reator o ^^ understood as conveyed by tlie words " heaven and earth," and is thus, briefly set forth by the prophet : " Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth : the wofld and the fulness thereof thou hast founded:" ' and still more briefly by the Fathers of the Council of Nice, who added in their Creed these words, "of all things visible and invisible." Whatever exists in the universe, and was created by God, either falls under the senses, and is in- cluded in the word " visible," or is an object of perception to the mind, and is expressed by the word " invisible." ' John viii. 44. ' Aug. lib. 12. de Civit. Dei, cap. 9. 3 2 Kin^s xiv 20 4 Ps. cii. 20. « 2 Pet. ii. 4. 6 ft. ciii. 8, 9. 7 Ps. U^xvui. 12.' On the second article of the Creed. 31 We are not, however, to understand that the works of God, The pre- when once created, could continue to exist unsupported by his Iny^tlo," 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 that although 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 ordeveth 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 oTNCreation, the Creed : it may not, however, be unnecessary to add that the fejjetoce creation is the common work of the three Persons of the Holy Persons, and undivided Trinity — of the Father, whom, according to the ( doctrine of the Apostles, 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 XL "and in JESUS CHRIST, HIS ONLY SON, OUR LORD." That •wonderful and superabundant are the blessings which The great flow to the human race, from the belief and profession of this blessings article we learn from these words of St. John ; " Whosoever shall which flow confess that Jesus is the son of God, God abideth in him and he bTSf and " in God ;"' and also from the words of Christ our Lord, proclaim- profession ing the Prince of the Apostles blessed for the confession of this cfe**"^ "'" truth ; " Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona : for flesh and blood have not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven."^ This sublime truth is the most firm basis of our salvation and re- demption. But as the fruit of these admirable blessings is oest known by How we considering the ruin brought on man, by his fall from that most may leam 1 Wisdom xi. 26. 2 Wisdom viii. ]. s Acts xvii. 27, 28. * John i. 3. 5 Gen. 1. 2. 6 Ps. xxxij. 6 7 1 John iv. 15. 8 Mat xvi 17. 32 to estimate their value Belief and profession of this arti- cle neces- sary to sal- vation. The pro- mise of a Saviour. Same pro- mise re- newed. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. happy state in Avhich God hall placed our first parents, let thC 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 vio- lated the prohibition, "of every tree of Paradise thou shalt eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not 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 guilt and punishment of original sin were not confined to Adam, but justly descended from him, as from their source ajid 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 : " I 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 predilec- tion : amongst others to the patriarch 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 Saltan, was to be descended from AhraliamLand that, whilst he was the Son of God, he was-tQiie born oTtheseed of Abraham according to/thefleshjj'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. ^ Sess. 5. Can. 1. & 2.— Sess. 6. Can. 1. & 2. s Gen. iii. 15 4 Gen. xxii. 16, 17, 18. 5 Gen. xxviii. 18. 071 the second article of the Creed. 3? testifies ; " I am the Lord God of Abraham tliy 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 dust of 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 blessings 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 f and all these as graphically as if they werepasshigbefore 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 apostles, between the faith of the ancient patriarchs, and that of Christians — But, we are now to speak of the several parts of this Article. " JESus"]]This is the proper name of the man-God, and signifies Meaning o( Saviour ; a name given him not accidentally, or by the judg- J*^ "''j"^ ment or will of man, but by the counsel and command of God. whom and For the angel announced to Mary his mother : " Behold thou why given 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 child 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 Holy 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 tor Moses, conducted into the land of promise, the people whom Moses had delivered from Egypt ;' 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 in 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 right to the inheritance of heaven, and reconciled them to God the ' Gen. xxviii. 13, 14. 2 is. vii. 14 ; viii. 3 ; ix. 5 ; xi. 1 — 53 per totum. Jer. xxiii 5: XXX. 9. Dan. vii. 13; ix. 21. a Luke i. 31. 4 Matt. i. 20, 21. ' Eccl. xlvl. 1. 8 Agg. i. 1. E 1^4 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. Ihename "Christ"] To the liame "Jesus" is also added that of added'to**^ "Christ," which signifies the "anointed;" a name expressive of that of honour and office, and notpecviliar to one thing only, but common Jesus. to many ; for, in the old law priests and kings, whom God, on account of the dignity of their office, 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 wrath. — 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 appointed to the royal or sacer- dotal office, were anQmtedjvith oil.' Prophets also were usually anointed, who, as uie 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 PropJie.t,-P-riest, andiCiitg, -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 sanje 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-emi- nently, 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 the old law, but of that of which the prophet David sang : 1 la. vii. 14; viii. 8; ix. 6. Jer. xxiii. 6. =1 Kings xii. 3 xvi. 6, xxiv. 7 a l«v. viii. 30. 3 Kings xix. 15, 16. i Ps. xliv. 8. 6 Is. Ixi. 1. 8 Deut. xviii. 15. On the second article of the Creed. 35 " 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, he 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, imparting 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, beyond all 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 a][lthepoweri_dignity, and majesty of which human nature is~suiceptible. To him, th^ereforerGScTdelivered IK'govennireTrt'Df'thewhdle world, and to this his sovereignty, which has aliready commenced, all things shall be made fully and entirely subject on the day of judgment.* " H-is ONLY S6n"] In these words, mysteries more exalted Chnst, the with regard to Jesus are proposed to the faithful, as objects of g^j tJ^ their belief and contemplation — that he is the Son of God, and God. 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 wit?i God."* But, when we are told that Jesus is the Son of God, we are His eternal not to understand any thing earthly or mortal of his birth ; but generation are firmly to believe, and piously to adore that birth by which, hS?^?e!' from all eternity, the Fatlier -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, cjnsubstantial to the Father, by whom all iPs. cix.4. Heb.v.5. 2Heb.v.&vii. S Luke i. 33. 4 i Cor. 15. 85— 27. sjohni 1. 6Is. liii.8. 36 77te 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 hence 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 true 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 His unity he has no brethren or coheirs ; being the only begotten Son of of person. t})e 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."'' Wlwrallod " OuR Lord"] Of our Saviour many things are recorded in by different 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. Whycalled Besides these, there are others common to both natures ; as 'our Lord.' ^hen 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 everyknee should bendof 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 glory of God the Father."' And of himself he says, after his resur- rection : " All power is given me in heaven, and on earth."* ' John i. 1. 2 Rom. viii. 29. s Phil. ii. 8—11. * Matt, xxviii. 18. On the third article of the Creed. 37 He is, 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 all created things, particularly of those who, in all the fervour of their souls, obey and serve him. It remains, therefore, that the pastor exhort the faithful to the Matter for consideration of these his claims to the title of "our Lord;" exhortation that we, who, taking our name from him are called Christians, thB^A^rti-'' and who cannot be ignorant of the extent of. his favours, par- cle. ticularly in having enabled us to understand all these things by faith, may know the strict obligation we, above all others, are under, of devoting and consecrating ourselves for ever, like faith- fuj 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 IIL " WHO WAS CONCEIVED OF THE HOLY GHOST, BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY." " Who WAS conceived of the Holy Ghost"] From what incama- has been said in the preceding Article, the faithful are given to 'i™ "f <'"• 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, then, will enter on the exposition of this third Article, by ' John XV. 14. 38 Tlie Cateehism of the Council of Trent. developing the grandeur of this mystery, which the Sacred Scrip- tures very frequently propose to our consideration as the princi- pal source of our eternal salvation. Its meaning he will teach to 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 befoie. That such is the meaning of these words is clear from the ponfession 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 made 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 is a 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 but of°he' ^'^Pressed, is not to be omitted, the pastor will teach that when ttiree Per- "^^ ^^Y that the Son of God was conceived by the power of thfe- sons of tlie Holy Ghost, we do not mean that this Person alone of the Holy Trinity. 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 incarna- tion of the Son of God. ^^y ^P«|^; Of those things, notwithstanding, that are common to all, the buted to ' Sacred Scriptures often attribute some to one person, some to 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 boundless ' Matt. i. 20. 2 John i. 14. s John i. 1—14. 4 germ. i. de Nat On the third article of the Creed. 39 love of God towards us, it is, therefore, in some sort peculiarly attributed to the Holy. Ghost. In this mystery we perceive that some things were done which Inwhatna- transcend the order of nature, some by the power of nature : tural, and thus, in believing that the body of Christ was formed from the pernatural. 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 w ith a hu-_ _^ m an souL ~. — ■ — -——--_ . — -——""■ Sgain, and it should overwhelm us with astonishment ; as The Divi- soon as the sot^t of Ghrist was united to his body, the'Divinity >% ""i'^d became united to both; and thus at" the same time his body was ,^nity of ' formed and animated, and the Divinity united to body and soul. Christ. Hence, at the same instant, he was perfect God and perfect man, and the most Holy Virgin, having at the same moment, conceiv- ed God and man, is truly and properly, called Mother of God Jhe Virgin^ and man. This, the Angel signified to her when he said : " Be- J^^JI^^ hold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son, and man. 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- phecy of Isaiah : " Behold a Virgin shall conceive, and bring forth 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 The soul ot was formed of the pure blood of the immaculate Virgin without pien^h^i the aid of man, as we have already said, and by the sole opera- from his tion of the Holy Ghost ; so also, at the moment of his concep- conception, tion, his soul was replenished with an overflowing fulness of the grace. 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 chnst the the adoption of sons of God, he cannot, however, be called the Son of God adopted Son of God ; for being the Son of God by nature, the 2t"by"^' grace, or name of adoption can, on no account, be deemed ap- adoption, plicable to him. ' Luke i. 38. 2 Luke i. 31, 32. ' Isaiah vii. 14 < Luke i. 43. c T_l ::: o^ a T-l._ i iC 40 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. These heads comprise the substance of what appeared to us to demand explanation regarding the admirable mystery of the con- How we ception. To reap from them abundant fruit of salvation, the faith- are to reap ful should particularly recall to their recollection, and frequent- s^vation ly reflect, that it is God who assumed human flesh ; but that from the the manner of its assumption transcends the limits of our com- "h-^A^ °\ prehension, not to say, of our powers of expression ; finally, that t sArUcie. j^^ vouchsafed to become man, in order that we mortals may be regenerated children of God. When to these subjects, they shall have given mature consideration, let them, in the humility of faith, believe and adore all the mysteries contained in this Axti- cle, nor indulge a curious inquisitiveness by investigating and scrutinizing theni'^an attempt scarcely ever unattended with danger. Chnstbora BoRN OF THE ViRGiN Mary"] These words comprise oi a Virgin, another part of this Article of the Creed, in the exposition of which the pastor should exercise considerable diligence ; because the faithful are bound to believe, that Christ our Lord was not only conceived by the power 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," says he, "I- bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the peo- ple."* The song chanted by the heavenly ho«t clearly conveys the same sentiments : " Glory," say they, to God in the high- est : and on earth, peace to men of good-will."" Hence, also, began the fulfilment of the splendid promise mat\e by Almighty God to Abraham, that in his seed all the natioivs of the earth should be blessed ;' for Mary, whom we truly proclaim and venerate as Mother of God, because she brought 'orth hira who is, at once, God and man, was descended from l^^in^ David.* But as the conception itself transcends the order i>f nature, so also, the birth of the man-God presents to our ct cieraplation nothing but what is divine. Manner of Besides, a circumstance wonderful beyond expressici or con- his birth, ception, he is born of his Mother without any diminuticn of her maternal virginity ; and as he afterwards went forth from 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 a like, 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 eulogV. 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. s John XX. 19. On the third article of the Creed. ^'' part to her fecundi ty, and yet preserve inviolate her jgerEStuaL V vlJ^fartyr" ■"" "" ^J ■"""Tire Apostle, sometimes, called Jesus Christ the second Adam, Christ and institutes a comparison between him and the first : for " as compared in the first all men die, so in the second all are made alive ;"* Marv^to' and as in the natural order, Adam was the father of the human Eve. race ; so, in the supernatural order, Christ is the author of grace and of glory. The YJJS'" Mother3Sj».ayLalgflj;omgareJo_Eje, making the second^EiSi..t|S{53iaryv-correspflnd-«i^[t^^ as we-have alreaay^shown that the secon(fAdam, that is, CJirist, 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. To 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. Types ami therefore, so great and so numerous, it accorded with the views figures of of Divine Providence to signify them by many types and pro- ^on^and^^ phesies. Hence the Holy Fathers understood many things nativity. 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 f the rod of A aron, which alone budded of all the rods of the princes of Israel ;i and the bushjvhich Moses saw burn without being consumed.^ The holy'Evangel'ist describes in detail the history of the birth of Christ,' and, as the pastor can easily recur to the Sacred Volume, it is unnecessary for us to say more on the subject. ■^" But he should labour to impress deeply on the minds and The lessons hearts of the faithful these mysteries, " which were written for which this our instruction ;"*" first, that by the commemoration of so great TOmreS 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 calculated 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 to minister to man — that he whom the angels adore in heaven 1 ICor.xv. 21, 22. 2 EccI. xxv. 33. 3 Eph. i. 3. 4 Gen. iii. 16. 5 Ezech. xliv. 2. « Dan. ii. 35. 1 Num. xvii. 8. s Exod. iii. 2. 9 Luke ii. ") Rom. xv. 4. 11 Job xxvi. 11. 4* F 42 TTie 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 lo testify our obedience to his will? With what 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 inan-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 delivered, 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 filled the heavens and the earth ? He does not say, there was no room in the inn, but "there was no room for him who says : mine is the earth and the fulneSs thereof T'*' and this" destitution of the man-God another Evangelist records in these ww^jJi-H-ejaJ5eunto his own, and his own received him not."' j The digni-" Wlien the feitHiul have placed these things before TOmrTyeS', coi^ereon' ^^' ^^'^ ^^^° reflect, that God condescended to assume the low- man, liness and frailty of our flesh in order to exalt man to the high- est degree of dignity ; for this single reflection alone supplies suiRcient proof of the exalted dignity of man conferred on him by the divine bounty— that he who is true and perfect God vouchsafed to become man ; so that we may now glory that thfr, 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 hold of the angels : but of the seed of Abraham he taketh hold."* ' '"<— .-_^L--- The influ- We must also take care, that these singular blessings rise not ?"h ^m"'' '"' judgment against us ; that, as at Bejhlehem^he place of his have on his nativity, he was denied a dwelling ; so also, now that he is no life. 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 tlie Holy Ghost, and in a manner superior to the order of nature, he was made man and was born, was holy and even holiness itself; so does it bec6me 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.' 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."* 1 Luke ii. 6, 7. ' Ps. xlix. 12. ' John i. 11. t Heb. ii 16. s John i. 13. e Rom. vi. 4—7. 7 2 Cor. iii. 18. 8 1 Cor. ii. 7 On the fourth article of the Creed. 43 ARTICLE IV, " SUFFEUED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DEAD, AND BURIED." " Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified"] How Necessity necessary the knowledge of this Article, and how assiduous the ^.^^ledge pastor should be in stirring up, in the minds of the faithful, the and fre- frequent recollection of our Lord's passion, we learn from the quentexpo- apostle when he says, that he knows nothing but Christ, and thi°ar°icle. 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 gove rned artbFe the province of Judea, under Tiberius Caesar, Christ the Lord proposes to was nailed to a cf6ss.'~TTaviii|^l55Sirierzed"a¥'a"iiiareia^ our belief: m&cked7T3t[W5ge371in3Torturedrin~van& Ee"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 oi_ pain.^nfenceTKeselratir"ofTRe"SavTdiiT:" "TuTTeven 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 impassible and immortal, that is his divine nature, continued impassible and Immortal. But, if we find it here recorded with such historical minute- Why the ness, that Jesus Christ sufiered when Pilate was procurator of p^i°n *° 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. Epistle to Timothy, so important and so necessary an event may be ascertained by all with greater certainty ; and to show that the event verified the prediction of the Saviour ; " They shall deliver himjo the Gentiles, to be mocked, and scourged, and cruciHed.^^~. "' —■»— - — , That he suffered the particular death of the cross is also to be WlyChnst traced to the economy of the divine councils, " that whence death gj^gg. 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 1 Cor. ii. 3. = Mat. xxvi. 38. Mark xiv. 34. 3 1 Tim. vi. 13. 4 Mat xx. 19. 44 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. Holy Fathers have evolved in detail, may be adduced to shcit the congruity of the Saviour's having suffered the death of the cross, rather than any other ; but enough that the faithful be in- 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 deatli 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."' Historical But the historical part of this Article, which has been narrated articie^raiT ^^ ^^ Holy Evangelists with the most minute exactness, is not to be omit- to be omitted by the pastor ; in order that the faithful may be ted. 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 scarce- ly be brought to think that our salvation depends on the cross, and on him, who 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. Figures Knowing, therefore, that nothing is so far above the reach of cr's'of''th' '^""1^'^ reason as the mystery of the cross, Almighty God, im- passion and mediately from the fall of 4dam, ceased not, both by figures ggd death of ^y the oracles of the Prophets, to signify the death by whidi \SmeT ^'^ ^°^ ^^^ ^ *''^- N°' *o 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 to have recorded a past, than predicted a future event." 1 Deut. xxi. 23. Gal. iii. 13. 2 i Cor. i. 21. 3 Gen. iv. 8. ■i Gen. xxii. 6— 8. 6 Exod. xi. 5— 7. « Num. xxi. 8, 9. John iii. 14. ' Psalms ii. xxi. Ixvi. cix. s laai. liii. 9 Hier. EpisL ad Paulin. ante finem. ^ On the fourth article of the Creed. 45 "Dead and buried"] When explaining these words, the pas- Christ tor will propose to the belief of the faithful, that Jesus Christ, really died after his crucifixion, was really dead and buried. It is not with- out just reason that this is proposed as a separate and distinct ob- ject of belief; there were some who denied his death upon the cross. 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 "yielded up the ghost."^ 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 His divini- firmly believe and profess that, when his soul was dissociated tjrunitedto from his body, his divinity continued always united both to his bodTwMst body in the sepulchre, and to his soul in Limbo. It became the separated Son of God to die, " that through death he might destroy him ^V d«a">. ' 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 His death when- he himself decreed to die, and to have died, not so much voluntary, 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: "I 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 \_ 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- 1 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, " I am he;° and all the punishments which in- justice and cruelty inflicted on him he end'urea voluntarily. When we meditate on the sufferings and torments of the Re- and, tnere- deemer, nothing is better calculated to excite in our souls, sen- *""«' ^^ timents of lively gratitude and love, than to reflect that he endur- clSnf to ed them voluntarily. Were any one to endure, by compulsion, our grati- ever^spSStes -of 'Siifrering, for our sake, we should deem his |"<|eand claims to our gratitude very doubtful ; but were he to endure death freely, and for our sake only, having had it in his power ' Mat. xxvii. 50. Mark xv. 37. Luke xxiii. 4fl. John xix. 30. 2 Heb. ii. 10. 14, 15. 3 Isaius liii. 7. ' i John x. 17, 18. » Luke xiii. 32. 33 ^ John xviii. 5. 46 TJie 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. Why the But if, when we confess that he was buried, we make this, as word " bu- it were, a distinct part of the Article, it is not because it presents mentioned ^"7 diiBculty which is not implied in what we have said of his in this death ; for believing, as we do, that Christ died, we can also article. 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 s 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. The body As to the place and manner of his burial, what the Evangelists incorrupt record on these subjects will be found sufficient for all the pur- in the se- poses of the pastor's instructions.^ There are, however, two pulchre. 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 Burial, pas- Holy One to see corruption ;'' the other, and it regards the seve- sion, and ral p.arts of this Article, that burial, passion, and also death, ap- loChrLus P'y *° Jesus Christ, not as God, but as man: to suffer and man, not as die are incidental to human nature only, although they are also Ood. attributed to God, because predicated with propriety of that per- son who is, at once, perfect God and perfect man. Dignity of When the faithful have once attained the knowledge of these suflera. " 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.— To 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 lis 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-God, suf- 1 Mat. xxvii. 60. Mark xv. 46. Luke xxiii. 53. John xix. 38. 5 Psalm XV. 10. Acts ii. 31. 3 John i. 1, 3 4 Heb. i. 2, 3. On the fourth article of the Creed. 47 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 ago- Reflection 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- Reasons cd, that thus the greatness and intensity of the divine love to- whyhesu- wards us, may the more fully appear. Should it then be asked reason, his why the Son of God underwent the torments of his most bitter love of us. 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 of time. ^ In iiis- death and'passion the Son of God contem- plated" the aTtonement 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 Second only suffered for sinners ; but the very authors and ministers of atone"'for all the torments he endured were sinners. Of this the apostle original reminds us in these words addressed to the Hebrews: " Think, and actual 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 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 Christ deli the Father and by himself, we learn from these words of Isaias : T^^^u' "For the wickedness of my people have I struck him ;"' and a the Father little before, when, filled with the Spirit of God, he sees the ?? Isaias liii. 6. ' Psalm ii. 3. 2 IsaSaa liil. 10. 6 Matt. xxvi. 47. s Rom. viii. 32. 'Markjiiv.68.70,71. 4 Luke xxii. 44 8 Matt. XXVI. Sf On the fourth article of the Creed. 49 sufferings for you, and fill up those things that are wanting 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 aoound with joy in all our tribulation."" Christ our Lord tempered with no 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, The blcss- from the passion of Christ, alone remain to be explained. In ^§iehitis the first place, then, the passion of our Lord yas our deliverance the plente- from sin ; for, as St. John says : " He hath loved us and washed ""s snurce 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 away the same, fastening it to the cross."* He has rescued us from the tyranny ii. of the devil, for our Lord himself says ; " Now is the judgment of the world ; now shall the prince of this world be cast out ; and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself."^ He discharged the punishment due to our sins ; and, as no sa- m. crifice more grateful and acceptable could have been offered to iv. 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 Etolies by the blood of Christ."' Nor are we without a type and figure of this mystery in the Type and old law ; those who were prohibited to return into their native ^g"* °^ country, before the death of the high-priest,^ typified, that, until demptiou. 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 countryi The pastor will teach that all these inestimable and divine Christ pui blessings flow to us from the passion of Christ; first, because chased out the satisfaction which Jesus Christ has, in an admirable manner, [fj,^™'^ made to his Eternal Father for our sins, is full and complete ; and the price which he paid for our ransom not 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. "s Of the redemption which he pur- chased the prince of the Apostles says : " You were not re- 1 Coloss. i. 24. 2 2X:or. vii. 4. 3 Rev. i. 5. « Col. ii. 13,14. 6 John xii. 31. 32. « 2 Cor. v. 19. 'Heb. x.l9. s Num. xxxv. 25, SEphiv. 2. 5 G 50 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. deemed with corruptible things, as gold and silver, from yon; yaih conversations of the tradition of your fathers ; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled."' In his pas- Besides these inestimable blessings, we have also received sionhehas another of the highest importance. In the passion alone, we example of ^^yf^ thcimost illustrious example of the exercise of every virtue, every vir- Patiencfe, and humility, and exalted charity, and meekness, and '''®' obedience, tmd unshajcen firmness of soul, not- only in suffering for justice-sake, but £sg in meeting death, are so conspicuous in the suffering Saviour^ fhat we may truly say, that, on the day of his passion alone, tie offered, in his own person, a living ex- emplification of 111 the moral precepts, which he inculcated__dji- ring the entire timfr-of hife pi^blic ministry. This exposition of the saving passion of ^fist the Lord, we have given briefly — Would to God"!, that ,theie mysteries were aWays present to our minds, and that we learned to suffer, 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 the glory of his celestial kingdom. ARTICLE V " HE DESCENDED INTO HELL, THE THIRD DAY HE AROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD." Know- "He DESCENDED INTO hell"] To kuow the glory of the se- fh^^A °M pu^tire of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which we have last treated, most im- is 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 despoiled the powers of hell. Of these triumphs, and, also, of his resurrection, we ard now about to speak ; and, although the latter presents to us a subject which might with propriety, be treated under a separate and distinct head, yet, following the example of the holy Fathers, we have deemed it judicious to imbody it with his descent into helh- What Its In the first part of this Article, then, we profess that, imme- ^ro'raes'to ^^^^^^Y ^f'^'^ ^^^ death of Christ, his soul descended into hell, nur belief; and dwelt there whilst his body remained in the grave : and also that the same Person of Christ was, at the same time, in hell and in the sepulchre. Nor should this excite our surprise j 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. Meanineof But as the pastor, by explaining the 'meaning of the word "heU" hi ^®^^' ^" '^'® place, may throw considerable light on the exposi- aiisArticle t'on 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. 51 not here meant the sepulchre, as some have not less impiously than ignorantly, imagined ; for, in the preceding Article w,e learned that Christ was buried : and there was no reason whv the Apostles, in delivering an article of faith, should repeat the same thing in «ther and more obscure terms. Hell, then, here signifies 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 shpuld bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth and in hell-;"* and in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter says, that C^ist the Lord'was again risen, " having loosed the sorrows of hilr."'' These abodes are not all of the same Jjjature, for amongst them, its differ- is that most loathsome and dark prison in which the souls of the ?°' mean- damned are buried with the unclean spirits, in eternal and inextin- '"^^'j. guishable fire. This dread abode is called Gehenna, the bottom- less pit, and, strictly speaking, means hell. Amongst them is also ir. the fire of purgatory, in which the souls of just men ari; 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, III. 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 The soul we are also firmly to believe that his soul also, really and sub- ofChrist stantially descended into hell, according to this conclusive testi- scencfed"' raony of David : " Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell."* But, into hell. 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 God. This we shall easily understand by comparing the descent of Difference Christ, in its causey and circumstances, with that of the just — between They descended as captives :^ He as free and victorious amongst gn^'^that of the dead, to subdue those demons by whom, in consequence of others. primeval guilt, they were held in captivity — they descended, some to endure the mos acute torments, others, though exempt 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- ' Philip, ii. 10. 2 Acts ii. 24. s Apoc. xici. 27. ■> Trid. Cone. Sess. 25. 6 Ps. XV. 10. « Ps. l^xxvii. 5, 6. 52 llie 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. Why he Having explained these things, the pastor will, next, proceed descended, to teach that the Son of God descended into hell, that, clothed '■ with the spoils of the arch-enemy, he may conduct into heaven those holy fathers, and the other just souls, whose liberation from prison he had already purchased. This he accomplished In 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 day thou shalt be with me in Paradise."^ This, deliverance of the just was, long before, predicted by Ozeas, in these words : " O 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."* II. 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 suc- ceed it to the consummation of time, are included in the redemp- tion purchased by the death of Christ. Before his death and resurrection, heaven was closed against every child of Adam ; ihe 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. HI-. Another reason, also, why Christ descended into hell is, that there, as well as in heaven and on earth he may proclaim 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 ! TlioBecmd We now come to the second part of the Article, and how in ?"rrtcle. * defatigable should be the labours of the pastor in its exposition ; 1 Luke xxiii. 43. 2 Ozeas xiii. 14. sZach. ii. 11. 4Col. ii. 15 6 Phil. u. 10. On the Jifth article of the Creed. 53 we learii from these words of the Apostle to Timothy ; " Be Timdful 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 Its mean- is, that after Christ the Lord had expired on the cross, on the ™S- 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 qn 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 Ke?jrrec- are not merely to understand that Christ was raised from the J5°",y"f^e dead ; a privilege common with him to many others : but that he natural rose by his own power and virtue, a singular prerogative pecu- powei*of 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. Tliis 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 b,y 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: "I 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 temple 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 Christ ''liio who enjoyed this divine prerogative of rising from the dead, for ^'^' ¥§'"' he is called in Scripture " the first begotten of the dead :"^ and dead." also, " the first born from the dead;"^" 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 I 2 Tim. ii. 8. 2 2 Cor. xiii. 4. sPs. xcvii. 2. < John x. 17, 18. tJohnii 19. «Johnii.21. ' Acts ii. 24 ; iii. 15. 8 Rom. viii. 34. 9Aix)c. i. 5. 'OC'oLi. 18 54 The Catechism of the Coiaicil of Trent. of the dead : and, as in Adam all die, so, also, in Christ all shall 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 again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no longer have dominion over him."' Christ rose " The Third Day"] In explanation of these additional '^g"'''™ Avords of the Article, the pastor will inform the people, that day.*^ "^ 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. Why on To declare his divinity, he deferred not his resurrection to the the third end of the world; whilst at the same time, to prove his huma- '■'^y- 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. Accord- Here the Fathers of the first Council of Constantinople added iTigto the^ the words, " according to the Scriptures," which they received why'added ^'^°™ Apostolical tradition, and imbodied with the creed, because 10 the the same Apostle teaches the absolute necessity of the mystery ireed. pf ^jjg 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 oi this Article, St. Augustine says : " It 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 of 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 sio-n, 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 1 1 Cor. XV. 20—23. 2 3 Kings xvii. 22. 4 Kings iv. 34. s Rom. vi. S. ' 1 Cor. XV. 14. 17. * August in Pb. cxx. 4. <> Luke xviii. 32, 33. Matt. xvi. 21. On the fifth article of the Creea. 55 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- Three ticle, there are three things which demand attentive considera- ^jj)^ j,re tion : first, the necessity of the resurrection ; secondly, its end here to bn and object ; thirdly, the blessings and advantages of which it is explained, to us the source. With regard to the first, it was necessary that I. he should rise again, in order to manifest the justice of God ; Jf^the^re?^ for it was most congruous that he, who, through obedience to surreeiion. God, was degraded, and loaded with ignominy, should by him be exalted. This is a reason assigned by the Apostle 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 is 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,' and Thessalonians ;* 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 incorruptible."* Finally, II. the resurrection of our Lord, as the pastor will inculcate, was ^^'^.s^f' a" faith should not be the same, for Jesus Christ has f.aid : " Bless- II ed are they who have not seen and have believed "* I'n the nox« place, it contributes much to confirm our hope : believing \hv.\ Christ, as man, ascended into heaven, and placed our nature ai the right hand of God the Father, we are animated with a sti-onp hope that we, as members, shall also ascend thither, to be there united to our head, according to these words of our Tiord him- self: "Father, I will, that where I am, they, also, whom thou hast given me, may be with me."'' III. Another most important advantage, flowing from the ascension, is, that it elevates our affections to heaven, and inflames them with the Spirit of God; for, most truly has it been said, that, " 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 sucb blessings only as man, and 'cherish towards him a sort of earthlv 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 example of 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 I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you." IV. 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 uni- 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 to the words of St. Paul : " To every one of us is given grace, ac- cording to the measure of the giving of Christ."" V Finally, what was already said of his death and resurrection ■ John XX. 29. = John xvii. 24. ^Maltvi. 21. iJohnxviT 6Eph. iv II. 6£ph. iv. 7. On the seventh article of the Creed. 61 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 Christ is invested with three eminent offices and func- The three tions, those of Redeemer, Patron, and Judge. But as, in the prece- ^"^^ °^ ding Articles, we have shown that the human race was redeemed by his passion and death ; ^nd 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. Thg_scope and intent of the Meaningor. Article is to declare, that on the last day he will judge the whole the Article, human race : the Sacred Scriptures inform us, that there are two ^|^i,\ •eoiiiiug!!! Uf 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 Apostle, " shall 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 halh done, whether it be good or evil."'' Sacred Scripture abounds in 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 co- 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 theii 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, thes Two judg- pastor is to distinguish two distinct periods at which every one ™enta. 1 1 Thess. V. 2. 2 Matt xxiv. 36; Mark xiii. 32. ' 2 Cor. v. 10. 4 I Kings ii. 10. laaias ii. 13. 19 ; xiii. 9. Jerem. xxx. 23. Dan. vii. 9. Joel ii. I 6 Tit. u. 13. 6 &2 The Catechism of the Council of Trerd. must appear in the presence of God, to render an account of all his thoughts, words, and actions, and receive sentence according- Particular, 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 General 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 tribi:nal 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 Why a ge- in its true colours. This is called the general judgment ; and it neral judg- becomes an indispensable duty of the pastor to show why, be- sides the particular judgment of each individual, a general one I. 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 thp conduct of their parents, dependants, followers ; and others who 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 proper estimate of the good or bad actions of all, a general judgment should take place, ir. 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 world, 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 the body as their instrument ; and the body, there- forej 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 ail-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 conspicu- 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 III. IV. On the severdh article oj the Creed. 63 sometimes given expression ; a tribute of praise may be offered by all to the justice and providence of God. " My feet," says the Prophet, ' were almost moved, my steps had vrell nigh slipt ; because I 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 heaven,"" regards not the earth. Wisely, therefore, has this truth been made one of the twelve articles of the Christian creed, that should any be tempted to doubt for a moment, their faith may be confirmed by the satisfactory reasons which this doctrine presents to the mind. Besides, the just should be encouraged V 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 Christ not God, but also as man, is expressly declared in Scripture : for ™1y ^ although the power of judging is common to all the Persons of olso'as ihe blessed Trinity, yet it is specially attributed to the Son, be- manum- eause to him also in a special manner, is ascribed wisdom. But ^Jfr 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 him power to do judgment, because he is the Son of Man."* There is a peculiar propriety in Christ's Why as 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 cross, and put to death by the Jews, and rose the third day 1 PS. Ixxu. 2, 3. 12—14. 2 Job xxii. 14. 3 Matt. xxiv. 29. < Acts ill. ' 6 John V 26, 27. 64 Signs which are to precede the general judgment The last sentence. The good The bad The Catechism of the Council of Trent. to life, added : " and he lias commanded us to preaci; , and to 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.'"* 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 revolt 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 will 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 the vale of tears to the mansions of joy, from temporal misery to eternal happiness, the reward 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. If when banished from the Divine pre- sence, 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. ' 2 Thess. ii. 2, 3. 4 Dan. vii. 9. 6 Matt XXV. 34. 6 Matt xxv. 41. ' OhrysBsfc in Matth. hom. 23. August Scrm. 181. de temp. Greg. lib. 9. moral, cap. 46. On the eighth article of the Creed. 6« 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 ire considerations, which the pastor should very fre- The faiih- quentiy press upon the attention of the faithful ; the truth which frequemly this Article announces, seen with the eyes of faith, is most eiii- remindDd cacious in bridling the perverse propensities of the heart, and ?*,''"' ''**' withdrawing souls from sin.* 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 account 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 Avant, 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 admitted 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 test 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 '.he Lord, and even as becomes children, desire it most earnestly. ARTICLE VIIL ' I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY GHOST.' Hitherto we have expounded, as far as the nature of. the Necessity subject seemed to require, what regards the first and :second P^^^"',''/" Persons of the Holy Trinity. It now remains to explain what Ghost" ^ 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 Apostle is careful 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. serm. 128. de temp. Greg. Horn. 39. in Evang. Bernard, serm. 1. in festo aunium Sanctorum. 2 Ecclea. vii. 40. 3 Acts xix. 2. 6* I 66 Meaning of the words HolyGhost \Vhy the third Per- son of the holy Trini- ty has no proper name. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. to signify that a distinct knowledge of this Article is most ne- cessary to the faithful. From it they derive this special 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 wisdom 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 true 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 ?"" And in another place : " He crea- ted her in the Holy Ghost."^ We are also commanded, in the New Testament, to be baptised, "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 occur. 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. ii. 17. ' Ecclca. i. 9. 4 Matt xxviii. 19. s Matt. i. 20. Luke i. 35. e John i. 33. On the eighth article of the Creed. C7 But the people, when once acquainted with the import of the The Holy name, should, first of all, be taught that he is equally God with g(,mi'j„ the Father and the Son, equally omnipotent, eternal, perfect, the God with supreme good, infinitely wise, and of the same nature with the '''^ Father Father and the Son. All this is, obviously enough, implied by |"„ the force of the word "in," when we say: "I believe in the i. Holy Gnost ;" which, to mark the particularity of our faith, is prefixed to each Person of the Trinity ; and is also clearly es- 11. 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 III he says of God, as said of the Holy Ghost : " There are," says he, " diversities of operations, but the same God, who Vorketh 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- IV phets attribute to one God, St. Paul ascribes to the Holy Ghost ; thus Isaias had said : " I heard the voice of the Lprd, 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 :"^ Having cited these words, tlie 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 V. Holy Gbost 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 Soil, and of the Holy Ghost," leaves no room whatever to dohbt 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- vi 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 viL 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. I Acts V. 3,4. 2 1 Cor. xii. 6, 11. s Isaias vi. 8— 10. 'i Acts xxviii. 25. 5 1 Cor. i. 13. elJoIinv. 7. C8 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. nil. Finally, not to omit an argument which goes, most forcibl 7 to establish this truth, the authority of Holy Scripture proves, that whatever faith attributes to God, belongs equally to the Holy Ghost : to him is ascribed, in Scripture, the honour of temples : " Know you not," says the Apostle, " that your merhbers are the temple of " the Holy Ghost ;"^ and also sanctification," vi- vification,^ to search the depths of God,^ to speak by the pro- phets,' and to be present in all places f all of which are attri- buted to God alone. The Holy The pastor will, also, accurately explain to the faithful, that Ghostadis- the Holy Ghost is God, so as to be the third Person in the di- fromth?™ ■*'ine nature, distinct from the Father and the Son, and produced Father and by their will. To say nothing of other testimonies of Scripture, the Son. tjjg f^j.^^ ^f baptism, taught by the Eedeemer,' furnishes an ir- refragable proof that the Holy Ghost is the third Person, self- existent in the divine rtature, 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."^ This same truth, is still more explicitly declared in the words, which were here added by the Fathers of the first Council of Constantinople, to refute the impious folly of Macedonius : " And in tlie Holy Ghost the Lord and giver of life, who pro- ceedeth 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. "^ Why called They, also, designate the Holy Ghost: "The giver of life," the "giver because the soul lives mare 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." His proces- With regard to the words immediately succeeding : " who sion from proceedeth from the Father and the Son," the faithful are to be "^d rti''*^'^ taught, that the Holy Ghost proceeds by eternal procession. Son. 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, in 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 1 Cor. vi, 19. 2 2 Tliess. ii. 13. 1 Petr. i. 2. 3 John vi. 64. 4 2Cor.iii.6; ICor. ii. 10. 62Petri.21. 6 wis. i. 7. 7 Matt, xxviii. 19. «2Cor.xiii. 13. sHeb. i. 14. '« John xvi 14. M Johnxiv. 26. On the eighth article of the Creed. 6S 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 intc^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- The gifts tain admirable effects, certain exalted gifts of the Holy Ghost, ^^1^^°^^ 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 gift ; 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 : " I 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 JLord:"^ effects which are called the gifts of the Holy 1 John XV. 26. 2 Rom. viii. 9. 3 Gal. iv. 6. ' Matth. x. 20. 6 John XV. 26. 6 John xiv. 26. 7 1 Cor. iv. 7. s Ezek. xxxvii. 6. 9 Isaias xi. 3. 70 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Ghost, and, sometimes, the Holy Ghost. Wisely, thereforCi does St. Augustine admonish us, whenever we meet the woro Holy Ghost, in Scripture, to distinguish whether it means the third Person of the Trinity, or his gifts and operations :» they are as distinct as the Creator is from the creature. The dili gence of the pastor, in expounding these truths, should be thr 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 Hoi) Ghost dwells within us. Justifying But the grace of justification, " which signs us with the holy Grace, the spirit of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance,"^ trau S'^ift of ^^^^^^ ^is highest gifts : it unites us to God, in the closest th"lfoly° bonds of love — lights up within us the sacred flame of piety — Giiost. 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 of " God."= * ARTICLE IX. " I BELIEVE THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH. Why this Jx will not be difficult to estimate the care with which the w"'o'care- pastor should explain this ninth Article to the faithful,^ if we fully ex- attend to the following important considerations : that, as S. plained. 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 impjous, assert that with them alone is to be found the Catholic Church — Secondly, that he, whose mind is deeply impressed with this truth, will experience little difficulty in avoiding the awful Wlio is to danger of heresy ; for a person is not to be called a heretic so be called a goon 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, p'ersevere in the true faith. But this Article hinges upon the preceding one, for, having ' D. August, lib. 15. de Trinit. cap. xviii. 19. 2Eph.i. 13. s 1 John iii. 1. 2 Peter i. 4, ■! Council Trid. Sess. 6. » 1 John iil 1. 2 Peter i. 4. 6 g. Aug. in Ps. ixx. 15 On the ninth article of the Creed. 71 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 Meaning Greek, has been applied, since the preaching of the Gospel, to gg^g™!''^ sacred things, it becomes necessary to explain its meaning. The (churchj' 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) :* 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 : " I have hated the assembly (Ecclesiam) of the malignant," says the Psalmist, " and with the wicked I v/ill 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 m piety and holiness, and serve him from their whole hearts. In a vioxA, " the Church," says S. Augustine, " consists of the faithful dispersed throughout the world."' Under the word " Church" are .comprehended no unimpor- Mysteries tant mysteries, for, in this "calling forth," which the vi^ord ^^''^^ Ecclesia (church) signifies, we at once recognize the benignity prises. 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 In what it which the Christian should propose to himself, that is, the ^I?^"™ knowledge and possession of things eternal, when wc reflect gogue. why the faithful, living under the law, were of old, called a synagogue, that is, a congregation : as S. Augustine observes, " they were so called, because, like cattle which usually go to- gether, they looked only to terrestrial and transitory things ;"* and hence the Christian people are called a church, not a syna- gogue, because, despising terrestrial and transitory things', they aspired only to things heavenly and eternal. , Many other names, replete with mysteries, are employed, by Other an easy deflection from their original meaning, to designate the jj^echurch- 1 Acts xix. 39. 2 Pa. xxv. 5. s g^ ^ug. jn pg. cxiix. < Aug. in Ps. Ixxvii. Ixnd. 72 TVte 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 1.^ 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 II. 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 III. 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:"^ 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."' IV. 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 :' appellations each of which has considerable influence in exciting the faithful to prove themselves worthy the bourid- • less clemency and goodness of God, who chose them to be his- people. The Having explained these things, it will be necessary to enu- Church tnerate the several component parts of the Church, and point tnumphant ,.,.„ . ^ , f , ,.-,,.i , ,. and mill- out their diiierence, m order that the laitnlul may the better tan' ; 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. The Church consists principally of two parts, the one called the Church triumphant, the other, the Church militant.* Triumph- 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- JMilitant. 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.' Composed The Church militant is composed of two classes of persons, °^^Ain°°^ the good and the bad, both professing the same faith and par- bad, taking of the same sacraments ; yet diflfering 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 par- 1 1 Tim. iii. 15. = Ezek. xxxiv. 5. John x. 7. '2 Cor, xi. 2. 'i Eph. v. 25 6F.ph. V. 32. 6Eph. i. 23. 'Colos.i. 24. 8Aug. Ench. c.lO 9 Aug. lib. ii. de Civ. Dei, c. 9. On the ninth article of the Creed. 73 licipation of the same sacraments ; but also by the spirit of grace, and the bond of charity : of whom St. Paul says : " The Lord knoweth who are his."* Who they are that compose this class we, also, may remotely conjecture ; pronounce with cer- tainty we cannot.^ Of this part of his Church, therefore, our Lord does not speak, when he refers us to the Church, and com- mands us to hear and to obey her :^ unknown as is that portion of the Church, how ascertain with certainty, whose decision to ' recur to, whose 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 good and the bad : and this interpretation is sustained by the Apostle, when he says : " There is one body and one spirit."* Thus Figures understood, the Church is known, and is compared to a city built ™4 *''™" on a mountain, and seen from every side.' As all must yield of the obedience to her authority, it is necessary that she may be Church, known by all. That the Church is composed of the good and the bad we learn from many parables contained in the Gospel : thus, the kingdom of heaven, that is, the Church militant, is compared to a net cast into the 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 chaff,^ and, also, to ten virgins, five of whom were wise, arid five foolish ;" and, long be- fore, we trace a figure and striking resemblance of the Church in the^ark of Noah, w^hich 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 faith declares that the condition of both is very different : the wicked are contained in the Church, as the chaff is mingled with the grain on the threshing floor, or as dead mem.bers, sometimes, remain attached to a living body. Hence, there are but three classes of persons excluded from Those wno her pale, infidels, heretics and schismatics, and excommunicated ^^^ exelud- persons ; infidels, because they never belonged to, and never ^"le™™ 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 still 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 anathema. 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 Church ; and of this the faithful are frequently to be reminded, in order to be convinced that, were even the lives of her ministers de- i S Tim. ii. 19. = Cone. Trid. Sess. 6. c. 12. 3 Matt, xviii. 17. ■< Eph. iv. 4. s Matt. v. 15. « Matt. xiii. 47. ' Matt. xiii. 24. s Luke iii. 17. 9 Matt. XXV. 1, 3. 10 Gen. vii. 2. 1 Pet. iii. 20. 7 K 74 Other ap- plications of the word Church. Distinctive marks of the Church. I. Unity. A visible nead neces- sary to pre- serve unity. 77*6 Catechism of the Council of Trent. based by crime, they are still within her pale, and, therefore lose no part 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 to 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 ;"*^ 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 will eat the lamb outside this house is profane : who- ever is not in the ark of Noah shall perish in the flood." The 1 2 Cor. i. 1. 6 Rom. xvi. 3-5. 'iCor.xi.ia 2 Gal. i. 2. 6 I Cor. xvi. 19. ■o Cant vi. 8. 3 Colos. iv. 16. 7 Phil. i. 2. "Eph-iv. 5. '3 S. Hyeroa lib. 1. contr. Jovin. in med. et epist 57 "IThess.i. 1. 8 Mat xviii. 17. '2Eph.i. 22,33 On the ninth article of the Creed. 75 same doctrine was, long before, established by S. S. Irenaeus,* and Cyprian :^ the latter, speaking of the unity of the Church, observes: "The Lord said to Peter, ' I 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 alsp send you. Eeceive 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, &c." Again, Optatus of Milevis says : " It cannot be ascribed to ignorance on your part, knowing, as you do, that the episco- pal 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 ; but although a rock, he is not such a rock as Christ, for in himself 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 ;' 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 Unity of them, that there is but one and the same Spirit who imparts f*"* tob*"' grace to the faithful^ as the soul communicates life to the mem- preserved, bers of the body.* Exhorting the Ephesians to preserve this unity, he says, " Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in I- the bond of peace."^ As the human body consists of many members, animated by one soul, which gives sight to the eyes, > Iren, lib. 3. contr. hseres. cap. 3. 2 B. Cyprian, de simp. prsBel. in principio fere. ^ Matt. xvi. 18. ■" John xx. 21, 22. ' 3 Optat Initio lib. 3. ad Parmen. ^ Basil, horn. 29. quse est de psenit, ' John xxi, 15. s 1 Cor. xii 11, 12. 9 Eph. iv. 3. Holine; 78 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. hearing to the ears, and to tlie other senses, the power of dis charging their respective functions ; so, the mystical body of Christ, which is the Cliurch, is composed of many faithful. The hope, to which we are called, 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 ;"^ and baptism, which is the seal of our solemn initiation into the Christian faith, is, also, one.' If- 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, S. 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 I 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, boldly 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."^* ^' Moreover, the Church alone has the legitimate worship of sa crifice, and the salutary use of the sacraments, by which, as thp efficacious instruments of divine grace, God establishes us v> true holiness ; so that to possess true holiness we must belong 1 Eph. iv. 4. 2 1 Cor. i. 10. 3 Eph. iv. 5. 4 1 Pet. ii. 9. 6 Levit. xxvii. 28. 30. 6 Exod. xiii. 12. ' ] Cor. i. 2. 1 Cor. iii. 3. 8 Eph. iv. 15, 16. 9 Ps. Ixxxv 2, m Gal. iii. 27. " Eph. V. 26, 27. 30. 12 St. Aug. in Psalm Ixxxv. 2. On the ninth article of the Creed 77 to this Church. The Church, therefore, it is clearj 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, iii. universal ; and justly is she called Catholic, because, as S. Au- Catholiei. 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 circum- 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 " This man and that man is born in lier :"^ 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 IV. she derives under the law of grace, from the Apostles ; for her ^P°^'o'''^' 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 Apostles 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 " apostolic ;"" 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 I Eph. i. 1— 4. 2 Eph. i. 7. 13 ; v. 26. 3 De sanctitate Ecclesise vide Justin. Mart, in utraque Apol. Tert. in Arol. Au^. contr. Fulg. c. 17. Gregor. IMoral. L. 37. c. 7. 4S.Aug.senn. 131 & 181. de temp. 6 Apoc. v. 9, 10. sPs.ii. 8. ' Ps. Ixxxvi. 4. s Pa. Ixxxvi. 5 9 Eph. ii. 20. i" Gen. viL 7. " De verae. Ecclesise notia vide Aug. contra epist fundamenti, cap. 4. Tertul. lib vto de prescript. 7* 78 Figures of iheChurch. The Church to be believ- ed, and how? The Church by whom founded. 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 conspicuous place. It was constructed by the command of God,* in order, no doubt, to signify the Church, 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 only 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 reason, that the mind can 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 strength, 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 upon 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 iGen. vi, 14. 2 Gal. iv. 26. Heb.xii. 22. Deut, xii. 11— 14. 18, 21. ' P*. Ixxxvl. 5. ■! Ps. ii. 8. 6 Osee. ii. I. 6 Matt. xvi. 19 ' John XX. 23. » Matt xviii. 17. On the ninth article of the Creed, 79 ihe real body of Christ ;^ 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 We believe Catholic Church ; but, with regard to the three Persons of the J^t^nJfJ'o''' Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we not Church only believe them, but, also, believe in them ; and hence, when speaking of each dogma, we make use of a different form of expression, professing to believe the holy, not in the Holy Catholic Church ;^ by this difference of expressiouj 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. The Evangelist St. John, writing to the faithful on the di- This Arti- vine mysteries, tells them, that he undertook to instruct them on '^^^ ^ ^ the subject ; " that you," says he, " may have fellowship with us, explain^, 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 !' 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 in the- Creed ; because the grSat 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 In what that this Article is, as it were, a sort of explanation of the pre- " "^^ ^°°J. ceding one, which regards the unity, sanctity, and catholicity Saints" of the Church : for the unity of the Spirit, by which she is consists, 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 declare in these words of the Creed : " I confess one baptism."^ 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 jjeo. xiii. H. 3 Aug. serm. 131. de. temp. 4 John i. 3. • Aug. in Joan. Tract 32. 6 Col. i. 12. ' Aug. 1. 19, contr. Faustum. c. 11. » Damasc. lib. 4. de fide orthodox, cap. 12. 1 Cor. 13. 80 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Dommu- nion: common to all the Sacraments, because all unite 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 is, also, another communion in the Church, whicli 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 fortified by the concur- rent testimony of St." Ambrose, who explaining these words of the I'salmist ; " I am a partaker with all them that fear thee," observes : " As we say that a member is partaker of the entire l)ody, so are we partakers with all that fear God." Therefore, has Christ taught us to say, " our,'" not " mjf bread;* and the other petitions of that admirable prayer are equally general, not confined to ourselves alone, but directed, A scriptu- also, to the general interest, and salvation of all. This com- tionoftliis' munication of goods is often, very appositely illustrated in Scrip- ture by a comparison borrowed from the members of the hu- man body : in the human body there are many members, but though many, they, yet, constitute but one body, in which each performs its own, not all, the same functions. All 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 health, the feeling of pleasure is common to all. The same may be observed 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 membef 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 surch 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, denied to such as are, entirely, cut off from the com- munion of the Church." This com- munion how far cotnmo- !othe wicked. 1 1 Cor. X. 16. 2 1 Cor. xiii. 5. s S. Ambr. in Ps. cxviii. serm. 8. v. 63. 4 Matt. vi. 1 1. 1 Cor. xii. 14. e Aug. in Ps. 70. eetin. 2. On the tenth article of the Creed. 81 But the gifts, which justify and endear us to God, are lot "Oraces alone common : " graces gratuitously granted," such as know- f™'""^gy' ledge, prophecy, the gifts of tongues and of miracles, and others common to of the same sort," are common, also, and are granted even to 'jj^™ ™'h the wicked ; not, however, for their own, but for the general ' ^ S"" • good ; for the building up of the Church of God. Thus, the gift 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 (jommon 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 sees 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 ]jord of hosts ! my soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. Blessed are they who dwell in thy house, Lord '."^ ARTICLE X. • THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.' The enumeration of this amongst the other Articles of the The belief Creed, is alone sufficient to satisfy us, that it conveys a truth, °/ *is Ar- • • .. 1. tlCl6 nCCGS- which IS not only in itself a divine mystery, but also a mystery sary to sal- very necessary to salvation. We have already said that, with- vatioa 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 OMigaJoii words, and he will readily perceive, that the Lord has laid him °' '^^ P^' under a most sacred obligation, not only of making known to plain it to the faithful, whatever regards religion in general, but also of ex- thepec^lo. 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 1 Cor. xiii. 2. 2 1 John iii. 17. 3 Ps. Ixxxiii. 2. 5. i Luke xxiv. 46, 47. L 83 TVie Catechism of the Council of Trent. people that dwell therein shall have their iniquity taken away from them ;"' but, also, that in her resides the power of for- giving sins ;' which power, if exercised duly, and according to the laws prescribed by our Lord, is, we are bound to believe, such as, truly to pardon and remit sins. Baptism But, when we first make a profession of faith at the baptisma, remits all f^jjj^ ^^^^ ^^^ cleansed in its purifying waters, we receive this the punish- pardon entire and unqualified ; so that no sin, original or actual, of ments duo commission or omission, remains to be expiated, no punishmen to them. jQ j^g 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.' The power It being necessary, therefore, that a power of forgiving sins, of the keys distinct from that of baptism, should exist in the Church, to hei liieChurch. 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 be bound also in heaven ; and whatever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed also in hea- ven :"* and again, " whatever you shall bind on earth shall bt bound also in heaven ; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven."* Again, the testimony of St John assures us that the Lord, breathing on the Apostles, said " Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you shall retain, they Thispower are retained."^ Nor is the exercise of this power restricted to extends to particular sins, for no crime, however heinous, can be committed, whiuh the Church has not power to forgive : as, also, there is no sinner, however abandoned, none, however depraved, who should not confidently hope for pardon, provided he sincerely repent of his past transgressions.' Neither is the exercise of this power restricted to particular times ; for 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 is con- But if we look to its ministers, or to the mar.ner in which il fined to bi- jg {<, i,e exercised, the extent of this power will not appear so finops and l r -^ • » • ^ n , . .' . . . *^ priests. great ; lor it is a power not given to all, but to bishops and ' Isaias xxxiii. 24. ^ Aug. homil. 49. cap. 3. s Trident, Sess. v. can. 5 Aug. 1, 2, de peccat merit, c. 28. i Matt xvi. 19. 6 Matt, xviii. 18. « John xx. 23 1 Ambros. lib. 1. de pcenit. o. 1, 2. Aug. in Ench. c. 93. » Matt, xviii. 21, 22. On the tenth article of the Creed. 83 priests only ; and sins can be forgiven only through the Sacra- ments, when duly administered. The Church has received no power otherwise to remit sin."^ But to raise the admiration of the faithful, for this heavenly Its incsti- gift, bestowed 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 efiect 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 onr daily prayer is : " for- ^give us our debts,"') can, it is clear, be forgiven by him alone, and by none else. But this wonderful gift, this emanation of the divine bounty. First given was never communicated to creatures, until God became man ^ m * 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 The great our highest admiration, and commands our profoundest reve- gif;^ > Trid. Sess. 14. v. 6. Hier. epist 1. post med. Ambr. de Cain et Abel, vi. 4. 2 Trid. Sess. 6. c. 7. & Sess. 14. 1, 2. &c tract. 7. 2. in Joan. 3 Aug. lib. 1. de pecc. merit, e. 23. 1. 50. hom. 23. Ambr. de Abel, cap. 4. ■I Isaias xliii. 25. 'Matt.vi. 11. 6 Matt. ix. 6. Marls il. 9, 10. 84 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Mortal siti; how great an evil. rence ; we must readily perceive that this gift, bestowed on tlifi 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.* 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 undeiiled ;"'' we are naturally led to conclude that we could have received no 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 firm 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 gladness, 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 wisdom 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 cise of this 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 to this healing remedy ; for, as without baptism, no man can be cleansed from original sin, so, without the sacrament of penance, The faith- ful should have re- course to the exer- 1 Pet iii. 18. a 1 Pet i. 18, 19. On the eleventh article of the Creed. 85, 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. Uut here the faithful are to be admonished to guard against Danger of the danger of becoming more propense to sin, or slow to re- b^^y,^jgjj| pontance. from a presumption that they can have recourse to this plenary power of forgiving sins, which, as we have 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. " THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY.' That this Article supplies a convincing proof of the truth of Iraportanco Dur faith, is evinced by the circumstance of its not only being °^/g ' proposed, in the Sacred Scriptures, to the belief of the faithful, but also fortified by numerous arguments. This we scarcely find to be the case with regard to the other Articles : a circum- 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 laboflr 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 Article the resurrection of mankind is The resur- called "the resurrection of the body," is a circumstance which >"s<=tionof deserves attention. The Apostles had for object, (for it is not whycahed v/ithout its object,) thus to convey an important truth, the im- "theresuf- mortality of the soul. Lest, therefore, contrary to the Sacred [he'SSv^' Scriptures, vrhich, 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 Joan. Tract 33. et lib. 50. homil. 41. Ambross. lib. a. de poenit. c. 1, 2. &11. 3 1 Cor. XV. 13, 14. 3 Wis. ii. 23;iii. 4. Malt x. 28; xxii. 31, 32. 8 36 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Froofa of the resur- rection of tlie body. in the symbol, translated literally, means " flesh :" a worfl, 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- re(!tion 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 frorr 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 wert resuscitated by the Apostles, and by others.' Their resurrec tion confirms the doctrine conveyed by this Article, for believing that many were recalled from death to life, we are also naturall) led to believe the general resurrection of all ; and the principa! fruit which we should derive from these miracles is to yield tc this Article our most unhesitating belief. To pastors, ordinarily 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 ;"* 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 principal 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 epistles to the Corinthians,** and Thessalonians.*' • illustrated But, incontroverlibly as is this truth established by faith, it 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. To one, asking how the dead should rise again, the Apostle answers ; " Foolish man ! that which thou sowest is 1 Isaias xl. 6. 2 John i. 14. 3 2Tira. ii. 17. ■> 3 Kings xvii. 21,22 6 4 Kings iv. 34 ; xiii. 21. 6 Matt. ix. 25. Luke vii. 14, 15. John xi. 43, 44 ' Acts ix. 40 i XX. 10. . 8 Job xix. 26. 9 Dan. xii. 2. 'o Matt. xxii. 31 " John y. 25 ; xxviii. 29. 12 1 Cor. xv. " 1 Thess. iv. 13 Djr compa- ruions On the eleventh article of the Creed. 87 not quickened, except it die first ; and that which thou so west, thou 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 everyday withdrawn from our eyes, as it were, by dying, and is again recalled, as it were, by rising again : trees lose, 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 Proved by calculated to establish this truth. In the first place, as the soul argumenu is immortal, and has, as part of man, a natural propensity. to be joi, 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, or 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, becaiise 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 thib life, should necessarily be " the most miserable of men." On this subject the Aposde 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- dom 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 1 Cor XV. 36—42. 2 g. Gregor. lib. 14. moral, c. 28—30. 3 Matt. xxii. 23. 4 Damasc.lib. 4. de fide orthod. cap. 28. Ambros. lib. dc fide lesurr. s S. Chrysostom, homil. 49 and 50. 6 1 Cor. xr. 19. '3Thess. i.4. The resur- rection of all not the same. All shall die to rise again. 8b Hie Catechism of the Council of Trent, Again, whilst the soul is separated from the body, man cannut enjoy the consummation of happiness, replete with every good; for as a part, separated from the whole, is imperfect, the soul separated 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 faitliful in this Article. He should also, carefully explain, from the Aposile, who are to be raised to life. Writing to the Corinthians, St. Paul says, " as in Adam all die, so, idso, 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 shall then die. That the Church acquiesces 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 it were by a deep sleep, and the soul, having gone forth from the body, shall in- stantly return ; for those who 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.^ All shall But as it is of vital importance to be fully convinced that the rise in their identical body, which belongs to each one of us during life, ownbodies. g]^a,ll, though corrupt, and dissolved into its original dust, be laisedup again to life; this, too, is a subject which demands accurate explanation from the pastor. It is a ti-uth conveyed by the Apostle in these words ; " This corruptible must put on incorruption ;"' emphatically designating by the word " this," the identity of our bodies. It is also, 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- " 1 Cor. XV. 22. 2 s. Hieron. epist 153. s August, de Civit. Dei. lib. xx. c. 20. 4 1 Thess. V 15, 16. « In 1. epist. ad Thess. c. 4. 6 i^b. xx. c. 20. '1 Cor. XV. 53. 8 Job xix. 26,27. On the. eleventh article of the Creed. 89 eeiie defines it, is " a return to the state from which one has 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 In what whatever constitutes the reality of its nature, and adorns and ?''*'? *''® ornaments man : according to these admirable words of St. siiau nge, 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 recruited by the divine power of Jesus Christ, who will not only restore the body, but repair whatever it shall have lost through the wretch- edness of this life."^ In another place he 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, because essential to the integrity of human j\one shall nature, shall all be restored : the blind from nature or disease, the "se maim- lame, the ftiaimed, and the paralysed shall rise again with per- ^ ' feet bodies : otherwise the desires of the soul, which so strongly incline it to a union with the body, should be far from satisfied ; and yet we are convinced, that in the resurrection, these desires shall be fuUy 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 came 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 scars the martyrs ; of whom St. Augustine says : "As the mutilation ofthemar- which they sufliered should prove a deformity, they shall rise remain to with all their members ; otherwise those who were beheaded their glory; should rise without a head. The scars, however, which they "^^ ""^"j" received, shall remain, shining like the wounds of Christ, wicked with a brilliancy far more resplendant than that of gold and of shall be re- precious stones."" The wicked too, shall rise with all theii ^^l^^^ members, although they should have been lost through their own their pu- nishment. t Damasc. lib. iv de fid. orthod. 28. 2 2 Cor. v. 10. 3 S. Aug. 1. xxii. de Civit. Dei, c. IS— 21. & Ench, c. 86—89. Hierm.Epist. 59. 61. 4 Luke xii. 7. ' S. Aug Ench. c. Ixxxvi. ^ Lib. xxii. de Civ. Dei, c. 20 8* M 90 The bodies of the good and of the bad shall rise immor- tal This, the result of the victory of Christ over death. The qua- lities of a glorified body. Impass bihty. 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, how 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 distinc- tion of good and bad, be invested with immortality. This ad- mirable restoration of nature is the result of the glorious victory of Christ over death ; as it is written, " He shall cast death down headlong for ever ;"^ and, " Death ! I will be thy death ;"" words which the Apostle thus explains, "and the enemy death shall be destroyed last;"* and St. John, also, says, " Death shall 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 consonant 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 death 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 " qualities."' The first is " impassibility," which shall place tliem beyond the reach of pain or inconvenience of any sort. Neither the piercing severity of cold, nor the glowing intensity of heat can affect them, nor can the impetuosity of waters hurt them. " It is sown," says the Apostle, " in corruption, it shall rise in incor- ruption."* This quality, the schoolmen call impassibility, not incorniption : in order to distinguish it as a property peculiar to ' Isa. XXV, 8. 2 Ogee xiii, 14. ^ Heb. ii. 14. c Apoc, ix. G. in com. in 1. ad Cor. e. 15. SI Cor. XV. 26, ' De his Aug. Serm. ! 8 1 Cor. XV. 48. 4 Apoc. li. 4. I. de temp. Ambr. On the eleventh article of the Creed. SI a glorified body. The bodies of the damned, though incorrupti- ble, shall not be impassible : they shall be capable of expe- riencing heat, and cold, and of feeling pain. The next quality is "brightness," by which the bodies of the Bngiitnesa, 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 their Father."^ To remove the possibility of doubt on the subject, he left us a splendid ex- eniplification 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 dishonour, 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 onit.^ This brightness 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 is analogous to the manner in which the soul itself is rendered happy, by a participation of the happiness of God. Unlike the former, this quality is not common to all in the same degree. All the bodies of tlie 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 of the moon, and another the glory of the stars, for star differeth from star in glory : so also, is the resurrection of the dead."" To this quality is united that of " agility," as it is called, by Agility, which the body shall be freed from the burden that now presses it down ; and shall require a capability of moving with the ut- most facility and celerity, wherever the soul pleases, as St. Au- gustine teaches in his book on thp 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- Subtiiiy jects the body to the absolute 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 Ad van- to reap from a knowledge of so many and such exalted mys- je^^pi^edi- teries ; the pastor will proclaim, in the first place, that to God, tation on who has hidden these things from the wise, and made them 'i^ •'^'■■ known to little ones, we owe a debt of boundless gratitude! 'j. How many men, eminent for wisdom and learning, who never 1 Matt xiii. 43. 2 Matt xvii. 2. 3 Philip, iii. 21. 4 i Cor. xv. 43. s Exod. xxxiv. 29. 2 Cor. iii. 7. 6 1 Cor. xv. 41, 42. 7 Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. xiii. c. 18. 20, et lib. xxii. c. II. s Hieron. in Isaiam, cap. 40. p 1 Cor. xv. 43. '0 1 Cor. xv. 44 02 ITie Catechism of the Council of Trent. arrived at a knowledge of this truth ? Aware, then, of his spo 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. II. 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."» III. 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.» IV. 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 bestovr on his faithful servants after the resurrection, are now proposed to them as rewards ; they must find in the reflection the strongest induce- V ment to lead virtuous and holy lives. On the other hand, no- thing will have greater efiect 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.' ARTICLE Xn. " LIFE EVERLASTING." Why the The wisdom of the Apostles, our guides in religion, suggested inhe'""^^ to them the propriety of giving this Article the last place in Creed. 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 afiections. 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 life ; that thus they may look upon whatever diificulties they ' I Thess. iv. 13. 2 Job xix. 26. John v. 89. On the twelfth article of the Creed. 93 may experience 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 Its mean are here used, to declare the happiness reserved for us ; they ™S- 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 and transitory things, which cannot be ever- lasting.^ The word "blessedness" is insufficient to express the idea. Why call- particularly as there have not been wanting men, who, inflated lyj^. with the vain opinions of a false philosophy, would place the ing 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 love 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 things, 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 in this world ; looking for the blessed hope and coming of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ."' Many " who seemed to themselves 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 True hap- to the false notions of some, happiness once attained can never P™^^ 1 Luke xviii. 18. 2 Matt xix. 29 ; xxv. 46, Rom. vi. 22. 3Aug. deCiv.Dei, lib.l9.c.ll. 4lJohnii. 15. siJohnii. 17. «lPet. ii.ll. 7Tit.ii. II. 13. 8Rom.i.22. 94 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. must be be lost. Happiness is an accumulation of good without admix everlast- ^^j.g ^f g^jj^ 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 happU The intensity of the happiness which the just enjoy in their i'T°te^^ celestial country, and its utter incomprehensibility to all but to aiid'mcom- themselves alone, are sufficiently conveyed by the very words prehensi- which are here, used to express that happiness. When, to ex- press any idea, we make use of a word common 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 terra. 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 ;"' yet it is clear that none of these appellations is sufficient to convey an adequate idea of its greatness, a powerful The pastor, therefore, will not neglect the opportunity which incentive jjjjg j^j-ticle affiDrds, 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, nothing 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 evil, 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 libera arbit. cap. 25. de verb. Domini, serm. 64, & serm. 37, de Sanctis. 2 Acts xiv. 22. 3 2 Pet. i. n. 4 Matt v. 3. 20. , 6 Lulie xxiii. 43. 6 Apoc. xxi. 10. 7 John xiv. 2. 8 ChrysosL in 30. cap. ad Theod. lapsum. Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. 22. cap. 30. Ansplm. cpist 2. et de similit. c. 47. et seq. 8 Apoc. vii. 16. 10 Apoc. x.xi. 4. On the twelfth article of the Creed- 95 the blessed shall be without measure, and their solid joys and pleasures without number. The mind is incapable of compre- liending 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 Happiness distinction, which has been sanctioned by the most eminent e^^ntial writers on religion ; it is, that there are two sorts of goods, one and acces- an ingredient, another an accompaniment of happiness. The ^<"y- 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 ^im, 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 tlleir Effectof own nature, shall assume a certain admirable and almost divine "}^. beatific form, so as to seem gods rather than men ; and why, they as- theblessed 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, How com- so as to afford, by that resemblance, a perfect knowledge of {^'S^^ 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. » ] John iii. 4 1 Cor. xLi. 12. . 5 Aug. lib. 15. de Civ. Dei, c. 9. 96 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, eqjially 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 no 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 a 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." 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 dead, and the life of the world to come." These are divine truths which defy the powers of human language, and mock the limits Anillustra- of human comprehension. We may, however, trace some re- J'™ °*^ ''^'^ semblance of this happy change in sensible objects, for as iron, when acted on by fire, becomes ignited, and, whilst it is sub- stantially the same, seems changed into fire, which is a difi'erent 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. In whates- To say all in a few words : supreme and absolute happiness, sentialhap- which we call essential, consists in the possession of God ; for Ss"s.^^ ' what can he want to consummate his happiness, who possesses God, the fountain of all good, the fulness of all perfection ? The acces- To this happiness, however, are appended certain gifts which Bories of j^jg 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 epislle to the Romans, he says : " Glory, and honour, and peace, to every one that worketh good."* The blessed shall enjoy glory, not only that glory which 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. ' Ps. xxxv. 10. ' 2 Pet. i. 4. < Aug. de Civ. Dei, lib. xxii. c. 30. 6 Rom. ii. 10. On the twelfth article of the Creed. 97 But how distinguished must not that honour be which is con- The "iret. ferred by God himself, who no longer calls them servants, but friends,^ brethren,'' and sons of God !' Hence the Redeemer wUl 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 for you."* Justly, then, may we exclaim with the psalmist: " Thy friends, God ! are made exceedingly honourable."* They shall also receive the highest praise from Christ the Lord, in preseiibeof his Heavenly Father, and before the assembled hosts of heaven. And, if nature^has interwoven in the human heart, the desire of These- 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 The third 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 overflowing, of all those pleasures which can be enjoyed or even desired 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 The fourth, 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 The fifth, food of glory, which the master of that great feast will minister, in person, to all.' Who will desire rich apparel or royal robes. The sixth, 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 The se- 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, v/ith 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 distributed rewards of greater and of less value, according to I John XV. 14. 2Mattxii. 49. 3 Rom. viii. 15, 16. 'Mattxxv.34. '5 Ps. cxxxviii. 17 6 1 Cor. it 9. 'Lukexii. 37. » Ps. Ixxxiu. 1, 2. 3 John xiv. S. 9 N 98 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. each one's deserts : for " He who soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly : and he who soweth in blessings, shall also reap ,of blessings,"^ How to ar- The pastor, therefore, will not only move the faithful to a de- rive at the gjj.g (jf arriving at this happiness ; but will frequently remind ofthihap- them that, infallibly to attain it, they must possess the virtues piness. 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 has 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."^ ' 2 Cor ix. 6. 2 igajas xxxii. 18 THE CATECHISM OF 1 HE COUNCIL OF TRENT. PART II. ON THE SACRAMENTS. If the exposition of every part of the doctrines of Christianity A know- demands knowledge and assiduity on the part of the pastor, that 'edge of the of the Sacraments, which, by the ordinance of God, are a ne- mentspar- cessary means of salvation, and a plenteous source of spiritual tioularly advantage, demands, in a special manner, the application of his "^<=«*^a'y- comhined 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. Different it is proper to begin, in the first place, by explaining the force meanings and meaning of the word " Sacrament," and removing all am- °s'acr™"' biguity as to its signification, in order the more easily to com- ment." 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 i. 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 II 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 1 VH. Concil. Trid. Sess. 17. 2 Matt vii. 6. 99 100 in Sacrament, -a word of ancient ec- clesiastical usage. Definition of a Sacra- ment. Definition explained. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. * the epistle to the Ephesians, it is said : " that he might make known to us the mystery (sacramentum) of his will ;"* and to Timothy, " great is the mystery (sacramentum) of godliness ;"" 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 fiyes 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 ecclesiastical writers made frequent use of the word " 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 equally 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 o'f 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 Sacrament 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 absolutely and in themselves. To the latter class, almost every object in nature may be said to be- long; to the former, spokfen and written languages, military standards, images, trumpets, and a multiplicity of other things of the same sort, too numerous to be mentioned. Thus, witli regard to words ; take away their power of expressing ideas, iEph.i.9. 21Tim.iii.)6. 3Wisd.ii.22. « D. Greg, in 1. Reg. cap. 16. vers. 13. 6 Vid. Hieron. in Amos, c. 1, v. i. & Iren. c. i. v. 15. « Aug. in Joan. Tract. 80. in fine, et contra Faust, lib. 19. c. II. Cypr. epist. 15, et lih de bapt. Christ. i D. Aug. lib. 10. de Civ. Dei, c. 5. &epi3t. 2. On the Sacraments. 101 and you seem to take away the only reason for their invention. They are, therefore, properly called signs : for, according to St. Augustine, a sign, besides what it presents to.the senses, is a ijiedium 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 A Sacra- thoje things which have been instituted as signs : it makes ^l\ ^^ known to us by external resemblance, that which God, by his "a sign." invisible power, accomplishes in our souls.* To 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 tlie interior stains and defilements of sin are washed away, and that the 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, ac- 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 are signs, is important to the faithful. This know- ledge will lead them more readily to believe, that what they signify, contain, 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 explain the words, " sacred thing," which Also, " a 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.' i Of signs some are called natural, which besides making them- Of signs, selves known to us, also convey a knowledge of something else ; ™"J® ¥? 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. c. 26. potest videri Tertul. de resur. camis. c. 8. et Greg, in 1. Reg. lib. 6. c. 3. post init. 3 Gen. xvii. 10. < Rom. iy. U. * Rom. vi. 3. 6 Rom. vi. 4 1 Lib. 1. de doctr. Christ c. 1 . 9* 103 Bome con- ventional. Signs in- tituted by God: some significant only: others sig- nificant and effi- Meaning of the words " sacred thing." A fuller explana- tion of a Sa- crament. TTie Catechism of the Council of Trent. intimate connexion with that element : when smoke appetirs we are at once convinced of the existence of latent fire,* Other signs ftre not natural, but conventional, invented and instituted by men to enable them to commune one with another, mutually to convey their sentiments and communicate their counsels. The 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 recall 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 cany 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 a Sa- crament, 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 tiling which is wrought in the soul by the invisible ope- ration ot.' the Holy Ghost. > Aug. de doct. Christ, lib. 2. o. 1 . et seq. ^ Aug. de doct. Chridt. Ub. 3. c. 9. Exod. xii. 19. Concil. Trid. Sess. 7. de Saci On the Sacraments. 103 It is also pre-eminently, the property of these mystical signs, Every Sa- instituted by Almighty God, to signify, by divine appointment, "giSfies more than one thing, and this applies to all the Sacraments. All three declare not only our sanctity and justification, but also two 'l""ss other things most intimately connected with both — the passion of our Lord, which is the source of our sanctification, and eternal life to which, as to its end, our sanctification should be referred. Such, then, being the nature of all the Sacraments, the doctors of \)^e 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 tha 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 called a sign, because it reminds us of the death and passion of our Lord. When he says : " We are buried together with him by 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;"'' he also clearly shows, that baptism is a sign which indicates the infusion of divine grace into the soitl, enables us by its efficacy 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 beeri 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- ^ Sacm- craments also not unfrequently indicate and mark the presence times dmT of more than one thing. The holy Eucharist, for instance, at fiesthepre once signifies the presence of the real body and blood of Christ, ^^"'^^ "^ and the grace which it imparts to the worthy receiver. What ^e"huig? 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 The Sacra use of the Sacraments, there is none more effectual than a care- inents,why ful exposition of "the reasons of their institution. Amongst these Firet!""' ' 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 more immediately within the sphere of our com- • Rom. VI. 3 a Kom. vi. 4 s Rom. vi. 5 104 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. 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 good things would have been presented to him unveiled by sensible forms ; but, as he is composed of body and soiil, it was absolutely necessary to employ sensible signs, in order to assist in making them understood."' Second. Another, reason is, because the mind yields a reluctant assent to promjses ; 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, God 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 pld 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 tl\e 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 notfaU to redeem.^ Third. 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 to 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 efiicacy 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 Church, 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 passion is really conveyed to our souls. 1. 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. Augiistine, " 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. hoin.83. in Matt. & hom. 60. ad Pop. Antioch. 2 Exod. iii. 10, 11. Ibid. IV. 2. 3 Aug. lib. 4. de baplis. contra Donatist. cap. 24. ■! Ambr. lib. 5. de Sacr. c. 4. sp. Aug. lib. 19. contra Faust, c. 11 &deverarcl. c 17. Basil, in cxh. ad bapt. On the Sacraments. ) 05 ing the Christian from the infidel, and connecting tlie .feithAil by a sort of sacred bond. Again, the Apostle says : " With the heart we believe unto Fifth 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 efficacy, and declare that, by virtue of its salutary waters, in which we are washed, the soul is spiritually cleansed arid regenerated. The .Sacraments have also great 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 Sixtli. in the study of Christian piety, the Sacraments repress and sub- due the pride of the human heart, and exercib« 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. Every &i- that the " sensible thinar" which enters into the definition of a crament consists oi Sacrament as already given, although constituting but one sign, matter and is of a twofold nature : every Sacrament consists of two things ; form "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 beconres 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 clearly, the particular efficacy of each, the words which compose the form were to be added to the matter ; for • Rom. X. 10 ' Aug. in Joan,tract 80. 3 Eph. v 25 o 1 06 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. of all signs, words are evidently the most significant, and with- out them it would be difficult to comprehend what 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.* The Sacra- In this, the Sacraments of the New Law excel those of the ihe"New ^^^' ^^^^ ^'^^'^^ "^^^ "" definite form, known to us, of adminis- Law, excel tering those of the Old, a circumstance which rendered them those of uncertain and obscure, whilst, in those of the new, the form is the o d. g^ 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. Sacraments To these are added certain ceremonies, which although not administer- to be omitted without sin, unless in case of necessity, yet, if at tai™cere"' ^"7 *™^ Omitted, because not essential to its existence, do not monies ; invalidate the Sacrament. It is not without good reason, that and why. ^\^Q administration of the Sacraments has been, at all times, from the earliest ages of the Church, accompanied with certain solemn First rea- ceremonies. There is, in the first place, an obvious propriety sun- in manifesting such a religious reverence to the sacred myste- ries, as to appear to handle holy things holily. These ceremo- ccond. j^jgg g^jgjj serve to display more fully, and place as it were be- fore our eyes, the effects of the Sacraments, and to impress riiore deeply on the minds of the faithful the sanctity of thes( Third. ' 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. To 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 to the pastor. .Number of We now come to explain the number of the Sacraments ; a the Sacra- knowledge of which is attended with this advantage, that the folto be'^' greater the number of supernatural aids to salvation which the known. faithful shall understand to have been provided by the divine goodness, the more ardent the piety with which they will direct all the powers of their souls to praise and proclaim the singular beneficence of God, Theirnum- The Sacraments then of the Catholic Church are seven, as ber, seven, jg proved from Scripture, from the unbroken tradition of the Fathers, and from the authoritative definitions of councils.' Why I Aug. de doct. Christi, lib. ii. c. 3. 2 Trid. sess. 7. can I de sac. in gen. Cone. Flo. in dec. ad Arm. D. Tli. p. 3. q. 63. art. 1 , On the Sacraments. 107 they are neither more nor less, may be shown, at least with Explained some degree of prqbability, even from the analogy that exists V'^^^°S/- between natural and spiritual life. In order to exist, to preserve existence, and to contribute to his own and to the public good, 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 perjpetuate him- ■jelf and his species by legitimate ofTspring. Analogous then as all these things obviously are, to that life by which the soul lives to God, we discover in them a reasoji to account for the number of the Sacraments. Amongst them, the first is Baptism, the Baptism, gate, as it were, to all the other Sacraments, by which we are , born again to Christ. The next is Confirmation, by which we Confirma- 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. Eucharist, that true bread from heaven which nourishes our souls to eternal life, according to these words of tlie Saviour ; " My flesh is meat indeed, aifd my blood is drink indeed."'' The fourth is Penance, by which the soul, which has caught Penancew the contagion of sin, is restored to spiritual health. The fifth is Extreme- Extreme Unction, which obliterates the traces of sin, and invi- Unction, 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 Holy Or- Orders, which gives power to perpetuate in the Churcli the '^^'■^• public administi-ation of the Sacraments, and the exercise of all the sacred functions of the ministry.* The seventh and last is Matri- Matrimony, a Sacrament instituted for the legitimate and holy ™™y- 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- aU the Sa- ble efficacy given them by God: but it is well worthy of re- craments mark, that all are not of equal necessity or of equal dignity, nor is necessary^ 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 Redeemer unequivocally declare : — " Unless a man be born again of water and tlie 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 generd necessity to the Church.^ But, the dignity of the Sa- ' D. Aug. cp 1 3. et Luke xxiv. 49. 2 John vi. 55. 3 James v. 1 5. 4 Luke V. 11 sjohniii. 5, « Trid. 1. Seas. 7, can. 3, 4. de Sacr. in germ. D. Th. p. 3. q. 65 art. 4. 108 The Eu- charist ex- eels all ihe others in dignity. Christ, the author of the Sacra- ments. Men, their ministers. The un- worthiness ol the tni- nister does not affect ihe validity of the Sa- craments The Catechism of the Council of Trent. craments considered, the Eucharist, for holiness, and fot the number and greatness of its mysteries, is eminently superior to all the rest. These, however, are matters which will be more easily understood, when 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 increased value and dignity from him by whose bounty it is bestowed. The ques- tion, however, is not one of difficult solution : justification comes from God; the Sacraments are the wonderful instruments of justification ; one, and the same God in Christ, must, therefore, be 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 God 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 shall see the Spirit de- scending, and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost."^ 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, riot 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. q. 62. Trid. Sess. 7. can. 1 de Sacr, in gen. lib. de Eccles. dog. & Cassian. collat. 7. 18. s John i 33. 4 Trid. Sess. 7. de Sac. in gen. c. 11 & 12. Greg. JMaz. in Orat in S. bapt Ambr de his qui myst. init. cap. 5. Chrysost. horn. 8. in 1 Cor. 5 A ig. contra Crescen. lib. 4. c. 20. contra Donat. lib. 1. c. 4. &lib. S. contra lit, Pitil. c. 47. 6 1 Cor. ui. 6. On the Sacraments. 109 ciently intelligible, 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 Gospel 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, and 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, To admi- hence infer that he fully acquits himself of his duty, if, disre- 32^^'.*^ garding integrity of life and purity of morals, he attend only to merits iu the administration of the Sacraments in the manner prescribed, ^fat? "f True, the manner of administering them is a matter of the high- grievous est importance ; but it is no less true, that it does not constitute crime 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 talte 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 that man, who, with conscious guilt, dreads not to consecrate with polluted lips these holy mysteries — to take them — to touch them — ^nay more, with sacrilegious hands, to administer them to others ?" 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 explained, the The effocn effects of the Sacraments present to the pastor the next subject "rameS? of instruction ; a. subject, it is hoped, which will tiirow consi- derable light on the definition of a Sacrament as already given. The principal effects of the Sacraments are two ; sanctifying Justifying grace, and the character which they impress. The former, that ^'^^ is, the grace which we, in common with the doctors of the 1 John iv. 2. ' Ac's xix. 3 — 5. 3 Aug. in Joan. ^ Aug. in Joan, tract. 5. & contra Cresc. lib. 3 c. 6. D. Thom. p. 3. q. 93. art 4. 6 Ps. xlix. 16. * Cone. Trid. can. 6. i S. Dion, de Eccl. Hier c. 1. 10 110 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Church, 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 sanc- 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.^ The grace That on this subject no doubt may exist in the minds of the of the Sa.- faithful, God, in the abundance of his mercy, was pleased, from why, of old, the moment of their institution^ to manifest by exterior mira- proved by cles, the effects which they operate interiorly in the soul : this miracles, j^g jjj^ j^^ gy^gj. ^j,j^j. ^g y^^j 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 Scripture 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.^ 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. The Sacra- From what has been said of sanctifying grace, the first effect the"^w "^ ^^ Sacraments, it also clearly follows, that there resides in Jaw superi- *-he Sacraments of the New Law, a virtue far more exalted and ' Eph. V. 25, 26. 2 S. Aug. in Joan, tract. 80. ' De hoc eifectu Eacramen. vid. Trid. Sess. 7, can. 6, 7, 8. de sacr. Aug. tract. 26 in Joan. & contr. Faust, c. 16 & 17, & in Ps. Ixxvii. 15, 16. 4 Matt iii. 16. Mark i. 10. Luke iii. 22. 6 Acts L 2, 3. 6 Aug. lib. qusBst Vet. & Nov. Test. q. 93. On the Sacraments 111 efficacious than that of the Sacraments of the Old,* which, as or to those "weak and needy elements," sanctified such as were defiled to of the old. 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 — Sacra- ments which flowing from the side of Christy " who, by the Holy Ghost, ofiered 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 effica- 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 efiect, however, not Three of common to all, but peculiar to three. Baptism, Confirmation, and *® Sacra- Holy Orders, is the character which they impress on the soul. OTe^a'^a- When the Apostle says : " God hath anointed us, who also hath racter. 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."* This character has a two-fold effect, it qualifies us to receive Its effect or perform something sacred, and distinguishes us one from an- two-fold 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- licly 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 nevei to be reiterated. ' Aug. lib, 19 contr. Faust, c. 13, & in Ps. liraxiii. Ambr. lib. de Saer. c. 4. 2 Gal. iv. 9 3 Heb. ix. 13. 4 Heb. ix. 14. 6 Aug. lib. 2. de Simb. c. 6, & in Joan. Tract 15, & lib. 15. de Civit Dei, c. 26 6 2 Cor. i. Si. 1 Trid. ib. can. 8 De hoc charact. vide Aug. lib. 2. contr. ep Farm. c. 33, & ep. 60, birca. medi- um, & tract 6, in Joan. & lect 1, contr. Crcscen. c. 30. item D. Thom. p. 3. q. 66. 1 1 3 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Tvyothuigs On the subject of the Sacraments m general, these are the ill vfevv'bv niatters of instruction which we proposed to deliver. In com- the Pastor, municating them to the faithful, the pastor will keep in view, "l *"^tf '^ principally, two things : the one, to impress on the minds of the of tiie Sa- faithful a deep sense of the honour, respect and veneration, due cramcnis. 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 mercy, 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 diflSculty in accomplishing, if he press frequently on the attention of the faithful, what we have already said on the august dignity and salutary efiicacy of the Sacraments — that they were instituted by the Lord Jesus, from whom nodiing imperfect can emanate — that when admi- nistered, the mpst powerful influence of the Holy Ghost is pre- sent, pervading the irimost 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 we are 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- of "heS* 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.* The pastor, therefore, can never think that he has be iRom. vi. 3. Colos. ii. 12,13. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 113 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 When most to present itself, whenever the pastor, when about to administer gj,,] ^J. this Sacrament, finds himself surrounded by a considerale num- plained 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 to the service of God when initiated by baptism, and reflects 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. Meaning ol we shall explain the nature and substance of the Sacrament ; JJ"® ^°'''' „ . premising, however, an explication of the word Baptism. The ^^ '^'"' word Baptism, as is well known, is of Greek derivation. Al- though u^ed 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 other names. St. Augustine informs us that it was sometimes called names ot the 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 ^e.se appellations may be gathered from the epistle of St. Paul 1 Jso hoc usu antiquo vid. Tertul. lib. de Baptis. c. 19. Basil, in exhort, ad bapt Arab. lib. de myst. PaschB. 2 Mark vii. 4. 3 Rom. vi. 3. 1 Pet. iii. 21. Octo baptism! geneva vid. Damasc. lib. 4. de lido orthod. 10. " D. Aug. epist. 25. in fin. 6 Heb. x. 32. 6 1 Cor. v 7. ' S. Chrysost x. 5. 10* P 114 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Definition at. to the Romans.* St. Denis calls it the beginning of the mosi holy commandments, for this obvious reason, that baptism is, as it were, the gate through which we enter into the fellowship of Christian life, and begin thenceforward, to obey the command- ments." 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, we are 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."^ But, define Baptism as we may, the faithful are to be informed Sacrament jjjat jj^jg 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 doctrine proved 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 of 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 fountain : our Lord has declared that, " Unless a man be bom again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."8 The Apostle also says, that the Church was cleansed InwLatlhe Its matter. > Rom. vi. 3. 2 S. Dion, do Eccl. Hier. c. 2. ' De variis baptls. nom. vid. Gregor. Nazianz. orat in sancta lumina. et Clem. Alex. lib. 1. Pcedag. cap, 6. * John iii. 5. s Eph. v. 26. 6 John i. 12, 13. 7 Matt, xxviii. 19. s Hac de revid. Chiysost horn. 24. in Joan. Aug. lib. 6. contra. Donatist. c. 25 CaoB. Florent. et Trid. item August, tract BO in Joan. 8 John iii 5. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 115 "by the laver of water;"' and in the epistle of St. Tohn, we read these words : — " There are three that give testjmony on earth ; the spirit, and the water, and the blood."^ The Scrip- ture affprds 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 tif 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 P™P'>ecies Scripture : According to the prince of the Apostles, in his first epistle, the deluge whicli 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.' To omit the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian,* and the admirable virtue of the pool of Betlisaida,^ and many simi- lar types, manifestly symbolic of 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 all 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- ~!?Xer'oi rome, in his epistle to Oceanus, proves by many arguments.'* baptism Upon this subject, however, the pastor 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 av/ay 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 Chrmm, 1 Eph V 26. 2 1 John v. 8. ^ Matt iii. 11. 4 Acts ii. 3 6 Acts i. 5. ' « Gen. vi. 5. '1 Pet iii. 20, 21. s 4 Kings v. 14. ? John V. 2. '» 1 Cor. x. 1, 2. " Isaias Iv. 1. 12 Ezek. xlvu. 1. !3 Zach. xiii. 1 '^ D. Hieronymus epist 85. 15 De materia bapt vid. Cone. Florent et Trid. sess. 7, can. 2, & de consecrat dist 4, item D. Thom. p. 3. q. 56, art 5. 116 why used III baptism. Fomi of baptism to be care- fully ex- plained. In what it consists, and when instituted. Wlmt es- 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 be doubted 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 pastor, therefore, will teach, in clear, unambiguous lan- guage intelligible to every capacity, that the true and essential form of baptism is : "I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost :" a form delivered by our Lord and 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 : " I 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 : " I 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 distinctly 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 ' Ambr. lib. 1. sacr. c. 2. et Innoc. lib. 1. deer. tit. 1. c. 3. 3 Matt, xxviii. 19. s John i. 33. * Virf. Aug. contra Donatist. lib. 6. c. 25. D. Thom, p. 3. q. 66. art. 5. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 117 this form, which we have shown to be the true and essential seniial, one, some are absolutely necessary, the omission of them ren- ^gentlS^ dering the valid administration of the Sacrament impossible ; to it 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 Ghost." 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 Baptism in ' Jesus Christ only,^ they did so, no doubt, by the inspiration *f^Q™™f of the Holy Ghost, in order, in the infancy of the Church, to only. 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 Christ implies the Person of the Father by whom, and that 0^ 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 of 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 many of you," says he, " as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ :"* meaning that they were baptized in the faith of Christ, and with no other form than that commanded by him to be observed. What has been said on the principal points which regard the Iiaptism matter and form of the Sacrament will be found sufficient for the ™?5^ ^f"?' /.■1/.T. •! !■• • (.1 mmisterea instruction of the faithful : but, as m the administration of the by immer- Sacrament, the legitimate ablution should also be observed, on si""> i^f"- this point too the pastor will explain the doctrine of the Church. ^™sLi 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 ' Aet ii. 38 , viii. 16 ; x. 48 j xix. 5. 2 Ambr. lib. 1. de Spiritu Sancto, c. 3. • 3 Basil, lib. 1. de Spiritu Sancto. c. 12. < Gal. iii. 27. 118 Two im- portant matters to be observ- ■ed in its ad- ministra- tion. Baptism wiien insti- tuted. Water con- secrated to the use of baptism, when Christ w!>,s baptized Tlie 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, which 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 Sacrament, 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 may still be validly administered in the Church in either way.' The faithful, howeveir, 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 clear 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 )3 immersed in water, water washes away all sins :"° and again. the Lord is baptized, not because he had oc- casion 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 use of baptism, deriving, although instituted before the ' Eph. V. 26. 2 Acta ii. 41. 3 Greg. lib. i. regist episL 41. ^ Greg. orat. in nat. Salvat. circa finem. 5 Aug. serm. 29. 36, 37. de temp. 6 Matt. iii. 16, 17. Mark i. 10, 11. Luke ii. 21, 22. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 1 1 passion, all its virtue and efficacy from the passion, which is the consummation, as it w.ere, of all the actions of Christ — this, in- deed, we sufficiently comprehend.* The second period to be distinguished, that is, when the law The law oi of baptism was promulgated, also admits of no doubt. The •"'Pt'sm. Holy Fathers are unanimous in saying, that after the resurrec- muigated 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, impossible 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 insensible 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 behold them, if not with the eyes of the body, with those of the soul illumined with the light of faith, is it nqt rea- sonable to anticipate similar results ? In the next place, it appears not only expedient but necessary. The minis- to say who are ministers of this Sacrament ; in order that those ^rs of the to whom this office is specially confided, may study to perform nfent" 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 Bishofs administer baptism there are three gradations : bishops and b^'^J'^fft^^f priests hold the first place ; to them belongs the administration office : 1 Vid. Hieron. in com. in. 3. cap. Matt Aug. serm. 36. de temp. 2 Mark xvi. 15. Matt, xxviii. 19. 3 1 Pet. i. 3. " Eph. v. 25, 25. s John iii. 5. ^4 Kings vi. 17. ' 1 Cor. xiv. 40. 120 TTie 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 to 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 certaiii days of , the year with solemn ceremonies. Deacons by Next to bishops and priests, are deacons, for whom, as ponnission. m,j|^gi.(j,js decrees of the holy Fathers attest, it is not lawful, without the permission of the bishop or priest to administer baptism.* All persons Those who may administer baptism, in case of necessity, but nece^ltv^ without its solemn ceremonies, hold the third and last place ; but with-' and in this class are included all, even the laity, men and wo- out its so- rnen, to whatever sect they may belong. This power extends, mmiie's?'^^' ^"^ ^^^ °^ necessity, even to Jews, infidels, and heretics ; pro- vided, however, they intend to do what the Catholic 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 baptisip."^ In this, the ^^d here let us admire the supreme goodness and wisdom of and wS-^ ^^'^ Lord, who, seeing the necessity of this Sacrament for all, (lom of not only instituted water, than which nothing can be more com- Shnired!"^ 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. Ofdertobe Let not the faithful, however, imagine that this office is given bytiiemi- promiscuously to all, so as to supersede the propriety of observ- austers of ing a certain order amongst those who administer baptism : .baptism. when a man is present, a woman ; when a clerk, a layman ; 1 Matt xxviii. 19. 2 isid. lib. 2. de offic. Eccles. cap. 4. 3 1 Cor. X. 17. 4 Distinct. 93. cap. 13. 5 Trid. sess. 7. can. de consec. dist. 4. cap. 24. Aug. lib. 7. contra Donatist. cap .y. etibid. lib. 3. cap. 10. et lib. 2. contra Parmen. et Council. Lat. cap. 1. et Cone, Florent in deer. Gugenii. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 131 when a priest, a simple clerk, should not administer this Sacra- ment. 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, administer bap- Sponsors, tism, another class of persons is to be added, who, according to 9' a™'?"' the most ancient practice of the Church, assist at the baptismal „(,„ jnsti-' font ; and, who, although formerly called by sacred writers by tute 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 teach 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 also required. The propriety of the practice will at once appear, if we keep in view the nature of baptism, that it is 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 brought up, and formed to learning and morality ; so those, who, by the efficacy of the re- generating waters of baptism, are born to spiritual life, should be intrusted to the fidelity and prudence of some one, from 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 public 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 this illustrious testimony of St. Denis : " It occurred," says he, " to our divine leaders," (so he calls the Apostles,) " and they in their wisdom ordained, that infants should be introduced into the Church, m 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 a 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 Affinity only the person who baptizes, contracts a spiritual affinity wjtli "„ ^^^^ the person baptized, but also the sponsor with the God-child what and and its parents : so that marriage cannot be lawfully contracted between by them, and if contracted, it is null and void. • Tert. 1. de bapt. c. 18. et de coron. milit. cap. 3. 2 1 Pet ii. 2. 3 Dionys. de Eccl. Hier. c. 7. parte 3. 4 Habctur de consec. dist. 5. cap. 100. et Leo, pp. ib. c. 101. et Cone Mogiint ib. cap. 101. et 30. q. 1. u o 122 The Catechism if the Council of Trent. Duties of The faithful are also to be taught the duty of sponsors; for Sponsors, g^^jj jg ^j^g 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 all 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 every 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 care and protection, as long as he should have occasion for either. Speak- ing of the duties of sponsors, St. Augustine comprises, in a few words, the lessons of instruction which they are bound to in- culcate 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, the Lord's prayer, the ten commandments, and the rudiments of the Christian religion."' Hence, it is not difficult to decide, who are inadmissible as sponsors. To those, who are unwilling to discharge its duties with fidelity, or who cannot do so with care and accuracy, this sacred trust, no doubt, should 'not be confided. Besides, there- fore, the natural parents, who, to mark the great diflierence 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 thoughts and cares of these enemies of the Catholic Church, are, continually, employed in darkening, 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- Who are inadmissi bleas Sponsors. 1 Loco sup. cit 64. 2 D. Aug. serm. 163. do temp, et ser. 215 i Serm, 165, de temp, de cons. dist. 4. c. 120. 4 30 q. 1 cap. 1 D. Thom. p. 3. q. 67. art 8. ad 2. ex Mogunt. Concil. de consec dist. 4. cap. 102. On the Sacrantent of Baptism. 123 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 The law ui it is, of importance to the faithful, it is no less important to them gxiraX to know, that the law of baptism, as established by our Lord, to all. 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 destruo tion. ' The duty of the pastor, therefore, demands of him a fre quent exposition of these words of the Gospel : " Unless a man 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, In&nt and that the Church has received this its interpretation from proved" Apostolic tradition, is confirmed by the authority and strength- I. ened by the concurrent testimony of the Fathers. Besides, it II 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 UI. 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 iv 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 1 Finally, to use the words of the Apostle, " if V 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 ? This happy consummation baptism alone can accomplish." The pastor, therefore, will inculcate the ab- Moral re solute necessity of administering baptism to infants, and of gra- fiecuon. 1 De cone. dist. 4. c. 101. et Concil. Trld. sess. 14. c. 10. de refer. Matrim. 2 John lii. 5. De his vide Clem. pp. ejiist. 4. in med. Aug. in Joan, tract. 13. ei de Eccles. dogm. cap. 24. Amb. de iis qui myst. iniiiantur, c. 4. Concil Lateroa c. !. Trid. sess. 7. can. 51. 3 Matt xix. 14. i Mark x. 16. s 1 Cor. i. 16. Acts ivi. 33. 6 Gen. xxi. 4. Lev. xii. 3. Luke i. 59 ; ii. 21 7 Coloss. ii. 11. 8 Rom. v. 17. Cone. 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. merit c. 23. Chrys. hom. de Adamo de Eva. Cone. Milevit c. 2. et de consec. dist 4 passim. • 124 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. dually forming their tender minds to piety, 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."' Faith, how That when baptized they receive the mysterious grifts of faith to infants cannot be matter of doubt ; not that they believe by the formal inbaptism. 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. Children to The faithful are earnestly to be exhorted, to take care that with aa'ut their children be brought to the church, as soon as it can be tie delay as done with safety, to receive solemn baptism: infants, unless possible, 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- Adults to der as to be exposed to numberless dangers of death." With be invited regard to adults who enjoy the perfect use of reason, persons, ed to re- ' foi' instance, born of infidel parents, the practice of the primitive ceive bap- Church points out a difierent manner of proceeding : to them tism. jjjg Christian faith is to be proposed ; and they are earnestly l'[ 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, nr. 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' IV. 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.° Baptism of On this class of persons, however, the Church does not con- adults, why fej. this Sacrament hastily : she will have it deferred for a cer- I. ' 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, their 1 Prov. xxii. 6. = Ep. 23 ad Bon. 3 Aug. lib. 3 de orig. anim. c. 9. et lib. 1. de pecc. merit, c. 3, et ep. 28. 4 Eccl. V. 8. 6 Tertiil. lib. de poenit. cap. 6. et de prtescript. cap. 41. Cypr. epist. 13. de conseo ivtt 4, c. 64. et 65. Aug. lib. de fide et operib. c. 9. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 125 intention of receiving it, and their repentance for past sins, will avail them. to grace and righteousness. Nay, this delay seems II 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 intentions 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. The candidate iii. 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 IV the appointed days of Easter and Pentecost only, is treated with more religious respect Sometimes, however, when there exists a just cause to ex-whennot elude delay, as in the case of imminent danger of death, its ad- to be defer ministration is not to be deferred ; particularly, 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, ag 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 learn from holy tradition, that it has been the invariable practice of the Church, to administer baptism td no individual, without previ- ously asking him if he be willing to receive it." This disposi- tion even infants are presumed not to want — the will of the Church, when answering for them, is declared in the most ex- plicit terras. Insane persons, who are favoured with lucid intervals, and, In^neper- ' during these lucid intervals, express no wish to be baptized, are to"bg w" not to be admitted to baptism, unless in extreme cases when tized and death is apprehended. In such c%ses, if, previously to their in- whennot. sanity, they give intimation of a wish to be baptized, the Sa- crament is to be administered ; without such indication previ- ously given, they are not to be admitted to baptism f 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 reason. 1 Acts viii. 38, and x. 48. 2 Aug. lib. de pcen. medi. c. 2. D. Thorn. 3. p. q. 63. $ 7. ' 0. Thorn. 3. p. q. 86. ar. 12. 11* 126 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Tlireecon-I Besides a wish to be baptized, in order to obtain the grace quired i™'K ''^^ Sacrament, faith, for the'same reason, is also necessary : adults, lour Lord has said : " he that believes and is baptized shall be faith, comJgaved."^ Another necessary condition is compunction for past and'^r &n|sins, and a fixed determination to refrain from their future com- purpose of mission :' should any one dare to approach the baptismal font, avoiding ^ gjjj^g jg 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 ; d,nd it is, therefore, manifest that he who purposes to persevere in sin, should be repelled from the sacred font, particularly if we recollect that hone 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 1 not according to the spirit." As far, however, as regards the I validity of the Sacrament, if, when about to be baptized, the I adult intends to receive what the Church administers, he no I 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 to 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 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 II. — 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 efiects of baptism. EflTects of As, then, these effects are to afibrd matter of frequent in- Bnptism. gtruction, that the faithful may be rendered more sensible of the high dignity to which they are raised by baptism, and may never suff"er themselves to be degraded from its elevation by the iMarkxvi. 14. ^Rom. viii. 1. 3 Acts ii. 38. ^Actsiii. 19. of the heart, we may and ought to cherish an assured hope, that the time will come when, if with tlie 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 serems to have been the divine economy with regard toAnilius the children of Israel : God delivered them from the bondage tration. of Egypt, having drowned Pharaoh and his host in the sea f yet he did not conduct them 'immediately into the happy land of promise. He first tried 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- I Rom vi. 5 ' Tim. iv. 7. ' Exod. xiv. 87 R 130 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 of God might never want occasions to exercise their warlike fortitude and valour.* ' III. 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 next ; 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."'' Baptism, This life, however, although full of misery, does not want its ofhaDiri-" Pls^sui'ss and joys. To us, who by baptism are engrafted as iiess to the branches on Christ,' what source of purer pleasure, what ob- Christian, ject of nobler ambition, than, taking up our cross, to follow him Ufe."*" "^ ^^ °^^ 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 replenished 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;"* 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 obscure 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 also when it calls grace, " the pledge" of the holy Ghost.^ Fourth ef- The progress of grace in the soul is also accompanied by a usn) ™°®' 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 1 Judges iii. 1,2. 2 2 Cor. iv. 17, 1& 8 John xv. 2. 4 Mark xvi. 16. s Ephes. v. 26. 6 Sess. 6, 7, de justific. ' Tit. iii. 6. 8 Eph. i. 14. — 2 Cor, i. 22, et v. 5. — Quid sit gratia de qua hie vide August lib. I. de peccat merit, ct remiss, c. 10. item de spiritu et litera, c. 28, versus finem. Bern- nrd, serm. 1. in coena domini. Third ef- fect of bap. tism. On the Sacrament of Baptism. 131 forth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour ;"' St, Augustine, in explanation of the words, "poured forth on US abundantly," 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 Fifth effect head : as, therefore, from the head proceeds the power by which of baptism, 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. Difficulty. It should not, however, excite our surprise if we cannot, without of practis- much labour and difficulty undertake, or, at least, perform acts ewn aftM of piety, and of moral virtue. If this is so, it is not because the baptism, goodness of God has not bestowed on us the virtues from which whence it^ these actions emanate; but because there remains, after bap- tobe'eom- tism, a severe conflict of the flesh against the spirit,* in which, bated, 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."' By baptism, moreover, we are sealed with a character that Sixth eflect can never be effaced from the soul, of which, however, it \vere of baptism. 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 Baptism been defined by the Church, that this Sacrament is on no ac- ""' 'o ba count to be reiterated, the pastor should frequently and diligently ancTwhy admonish the faithful on this subject, lest at any time they may err on a matter of such moment. The doctrine which 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 1 Tit. Hi. 5, 6. 2 De hoc effectu baptismi vide Chrysost hom. ad Neoph. et ttaptis. Damas. lib. SJ, de fide Orthod. c. 36. lactant. lib. 3, K vin. Instit, c. 25. Aug. Epist. 23, ad Bonifac. item lib. 1, do peccat merit et remiss, c. 29, Frosp. 1. 2, de vocat. Gent. c. 9. 3 Quod per baptismum Christi capiti ut membra connectamur, vide August cpist 23, item lib. 1, de pec. meritis et remiss, c. 16. Prosp. de voe. Gent 1. 1, e. 9. Bernard, serm. 1. in Coena Dom, D. Thorn. 3, p. q. 69. art 5. ■I Gal. V. 17. 5 Philip, iv. 8. 6 2 Cor. xiii. 11. — ^Vide hac de ro Aug. lib. v. contra Julian, c. 2, et 5. item de peccat merit, et remiss, lib. 1. e. 3. ^ ' Vide Aug lib. 6, contra Donatist cap. 1. et in epist Joan, tract 5, Trid. sets. 7. ' Eph. iv. 5. ]»2 Not repeat- ed, even when ad- ministered condition- ally. When to to be admi- nistered condition- ally. Seventh ofTect of banlism. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. that Christ died to sin, he died once ;"* he seems clearly to 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 to the laws of nature, we are born but once, and " our birth," as St. Augustine observes, " cannot be repeated, "° so, in the su- 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 avojd certain abuses which are of almost daily oc- 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 I Such temerity in- curs the guilt of sacrilege, and involves ,the minister in what theologians call an " irregularity." It has been authoritatively decided by pope Alexander, that the conditional 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. can. 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. ■l Lib. I. Decretal, tit. de baptismo. c. de quidem. » De irregularitate oujus hie est menlio, vid, apostat et reit baptism, c. ex litte- rarum, et de Conseci dist. 4. c. eos qui. et lib. 3. decretal, de baptismo et ejus ef- foctu. c. de quibus. On tne Sacrament of Baptism. 133 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 efScacy of the feacrament, are, no doubt, common to all ; but as "'^ f^m'- far as regards the dispositions with which it is received, it is mon to all. no less certain that all do not participate equally of these hea- not so its venly gifts and graces. 1^^^^'," It now remains to explain, clearly and concisely, what re- The pray- gards the prayers, rites, and ceremonies of this Sacrament. To ers.r>'es, rites and ceremonies may, in some measure, be applied what monies of the Apostle saj's of the gift of tongues, that it is unprofitable to baptism, to speak, unless he who hears understands.'^ 'f hey present an- ^j explain 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 them 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 ceiemonies 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 faithiul 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 Reauceaio order, and that the people may find it easier to recollect his in- threeheads 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 foUov? the adminis- tration of the Sacrament. In the first place, then, the water to be used in baptism should r. be previouslj'- prepared: the baptismal water is consecrated with Tlie water the oil of mystic unction ; and this cannot be done at all times, tioii of. but, according to ancient usage, on the vigils of certain festivals, which are justly deemed the greatest and the most holy solem- ■ Matth. iii. 16. 2 1 Cor. xiv. 2. 3 De eis ritibus vide Dion. cap. 2. de Eccles. Hier. Clem. Epist. 3. Tertul. lib. do corona milit. et de baptism, passim. Origen. hom. 12. in num. Cypr. Epist. 70. item vide de consecr dist 4 1^ 134 The person lo be bap- tized stands at the church door. Catecheti- cal instruc- laon. The exor- cism. ' The salt. The sign of ti e cross. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. 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.'' 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. After the consecration of the water, the other ceremonies that precede baptism, are next to be explained. The person to he baptized is brought or conducted to the door of the church, and 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.' The priest then asks what he demands of the Church of God ; 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 exorcism comes next in order : it consists of words of 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- tical, 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 be delivered from the corruption of sin, shall experience a relish for good works, and shall be nurtured with the food of divine wisdom.' Again, his forehead, eyes, 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 • Cj'pr epiat. 70. item Basil, de Spiritu S. c. 27. ct de consec. dist. 4. c. in Sabbato 2 Tertul. de corona milit c. 3, Cyril. Hierosol. Calech. 8. 3 Clem. Rom. epist, 3. Aug. de fide et oper. c. 9. 4 iWark xvi. 15. JMatth. xxviii. 19, 20. 6 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. - 6 Bed. in lib. Esdree, c. 9. Isid. lib. 3. de oiBc. eccl. c. 20. et Aug. lib. 1. con- ies'), c. 11 On the Sacrament of Baptism. 1 35 receive God, and to understand and observe his commandments.' His nostrils and ears are next touched with spittle, and he is The spittle, then immediately admitted to the baptismal font : by this cere- mony 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 ir- baptized approaches the baptismal font, at which are performed cja^o™'"' 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 The oil of breast and between the shoulders — on the breast, 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 Spiiit he may be enabled to shake ofl^ 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 Theproies the minister of religion in these words : " Dost thou believe sionof 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 all 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.' When baptism is now about to be administered, the priest Thewillo/" asks him if he will be baptized ; to which an answer in the pffir- •*>« person mative being given by him, or, if an infant, by the sponsor, the J°2e| ^^ priest performs the ablution, " in the name of the Father, and ed, 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 baptism is u just sentence of condemnation; so God will have none *m- administer ed. 1 De signo crucis vide Tertul. lib. de resurr. cam. Basil, lib. de spiritu Sancto Chrys. contra gentes et alios. 2 John ix. 7. 3 Be saliva Am. lib. 1. de sacram. 1. et de lis qui myst. init. c. 1. et de consecr distinct 4. c. postea. 4 Tertul. lib. de coron. mil. c. 13. et de spectac.r- 4. et de Idol. c.6. Cypr. epis* 7. 54. 5 Gal. iii. 11. e James ii. 261, 1 Cyril Hier. Catech. 2 et 3. 136 III. The oil of chrism. The white garment Tlie burn- ing light. The name, its utility, Its selec- Recapitu- i.-ition. The Catechism of the Council of Trent, rolled in the number of his soldiers, but those whose service is voluntary ; that by a willing obedience to his commands they may obtain eternal salvation. After the person has been baptized, the priest anoirits 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 sthnulate 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 guardia-n 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 instituted ' Lib. 1. de Sncram. Dionys. Eccl. Hierar. u, 3. Cyril. Hieios, C.'atech. 3. Basil lib- de Spiritu Sancto, c. 27. 3 Dionys. loco citato. Amb. de iis qui myst init. c. 8. 3 De hoc cereo vide Gregor. Nazlan. serra. de bapt. Gregor. Turon. lib. 5. cap 1 1 Miceph. inst. Eccle. lie. 3. c. 12. On the Sacrament of Confirmation. 137 — 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. The 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. If ever there was a time that demanded the assiduity of the Urgent no- pastor in explaining the Sacrament of Confirmation, it is doubt- cessityof G xdIq irj in PT less the present, when there are found in the Church of God the Sacra- many by whom it is altogether omitted ; whilst very few study ment of to derive from it the fruit of divine grace, which its worthy re- j^^ ™^ ception imparts. That this divine blessing, therefore, may not these days 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 pastor 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 Why call faithful that this Sacrament is called Confirmation, because, if ^^^P'^- 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 Son, 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 Cinfirma. has been at all times, the doctrine of the Catholic Church, as '">" ^ S"' 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, that is, to receive the seven-fold ' Cone. Aur. c. 3, item Flor. ^ Epist. ad Episcop. Hispan. c 2. ep. 4, ante finem. \ 12* S 138 ' Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. gift of the Holy Ghost; for, as we have learned 'from St. Pe- ter, and as the other Apostles taught in obedience to the "com- mand of our Lord, he who contumeliously and not from neces- 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 ofder 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 Ceesarea deem this Saci'ament, 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 confirijied 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."' ■ Confirma- Confirmation, although said by Melchiades to have a most in- tirely^difFe- timate connexion with baptism,' is yet an entirely different Sa- rent from crament : the diversity of the grace which each Sacrament con- baptism, fgyg^ gjjj tjjg 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 Pontificum de consecrat disL 5. 2 S. Djonysius de Eccles. Hierar. c. 2. 3 jjb. 6. histor. cap. 43. < Lib. de iis qui myst. initiantur. c. 7, lib. 2, c. 104. 6 Eph. iv. 30. a Psalm cxxxii. 2. 7 Rom. V. 5. — Confirmationem ease sacramentum habes insuper ex Ambros. de Saor. lib. 3, c. 2, lib. de Spiritu Sancto, c. 6 et 7, item Aug. de Trinit lib. 1 5, c. 26, et in epist. Joan tract 3 et 6, et in Pealmis 26, et ante hos omnes.— Tertul. lib. de Re- surr. car. Cypr. epist. 7.— Origen, hom. 9, in LeviL Hieron. contr. Lucif. Cyril Ilieros, Catech. 3. 8 Epist. ad Episo. Hisp. in mqd. ' 9 1 Cor; xii 11 On the Sacrament of Confirmation, ' 139 tween baptism which regenerates, and confirmation wliich im- parts, full growth and perfect spiritual strength. Agaifl, if the new difficulties which the soul has to encoun- ij . 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. Hencq, 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 ; al 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 v/e 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, but specially defined 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 sane- Instituted 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 alpne.^ Of the component parts of the Sacrament, and, first, of its Its matter, matter, we now come to treat. The matter of confirmation is ^'i"^™- chrism, a word borrpwed from the Greek language, and which, although used by profane writers to designate any sort of oint- ment, is appropriated, by ecclesiastical usage, to signify ointment composed of oil and balsam, and solemnly consecrated by the episcopal benediction. A mixture of oil 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. «. 6. Florent et Constant. Trid. sess. 7. 3 Epist. 2, initio. * Epist. 3. ad Episc. Orient 140 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Propriety transmitted it to us.* To declare the effects of Confirmation, as 'te mat- "^^ sacramental matter could have been more appropriate than ter. chrism : oil, by its nature unctuous and fluid, expresses the pie nitude of divine grace which flows from Christ the head, through 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"Godanointedhim withtheoil 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, such a sweet odour thnt 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. Chrism, fpjjg chrism is consecrated with solemn ceremonies, by the crated, and bishop. That this its solemn consecration is in accordance with by bishops the instructions of our Lord, when at his last supper he cora- ""'y- 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 ;"' 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 not 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. iorraot The other component part of this Sacrament, that is to say, rnentof™' ''^ form, comes next to be explained. The faithful are to be Confirma- 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 I 1 Vid. Aug. in Ps. 44. vers. 9. et lib. 13. de Trinit cSp. 26. Greg, in 1. cap. can. Cone. Laod. cap. 48. et Carth. 2 c. 3. ct3. c. 39. Dionys. de Eccl. Hierar. c. 2. et 4 De oleo vide Ambr. in Ps. 118 et lib. de Spiritu Sancto, cap. 3. Cyprian Epist 70 3 Ps. cxxxii. 2. spa, xliv:8. " John i. 16. a 2 Cor. ii. 15. 6 S. Fab. papa, uti supra. -. John iii. 5. < Horn. 4. oper. imperf. et habetur de consec. dist. 4, c. Nunquid. lion On the Sacrament of Confirmation. 141 CONFIRM THEE WITH THE CHRISM OF SALVATION, IN THE NAME OF THE Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Were we to adcnowledge 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, " I 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 The bishop Sacrament, is a matter to which the pastor will also call the at- i^' ordinary 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 Gogpel, 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 iu 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. = Acts viii. 14. 16. 3 Episcopum ministrum esse ordinarium Confinnationis tradunt Urbanus Papa £pist. ad omnes Christianos in fine j Eusebius Papa Epist. 3. ad Episcop. Tusciae etCampaniae Damasos Papa, Epist; 4. ad Pros, et cseteros Episc. Orthod. circa med; Innocentius Papa Epist. I. ad Veren. c. 3. Leo Papa Epist. 88. ad Germanae et Galliee. Episc. Melchiades Papa, Epist, ad Episc. Hispaniee. Clemens item Pana, 142 Propriety of restrict- ing ConBr- matioii to A sponsor required, and why. Conse- quent affi- nity. The faith ful to be in Blructed in the age and dispositions for Confir- mation. Confirma- tion insti- tuted for the use of all the faithful. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. To illustrate the propriety of restricting the exercise of this function to the episcopal office, the follpwing comparison may be found not inappropriate. As in the construction of an edifies, the artisans, who are inferior 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 occa- sion for the skill and address of a master, to direct him by wKat 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 iustructer, when, sheathed as it were in the panoply of this sacrament, they engage in the spiritual conflict, 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 Sa:crament ; since in receiving Confirmation it fre- I (uently 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 SaCTa-- ment is not essential to salvation ; but that although not essen- tial, it is 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 eff'usion 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 easy inference from the nature of the Sacrament : Confir- Kpist 4. Concil Wormaciense, c. 8. et Florent de Sacram. Horum summorum Pontificum Epist. habentur in tomis Conciliorum fere omnes in primojuxta cvgus- que Eetatera. Vide insuper August, in queest. novi Testam. qussL 42. ' Trid. Sess. 24. c. %. 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. f 7. c. 39 3 Acts ii. 2. 4. On the Sacrament of Confirmattoii. 143 mation is necessary for those who have occasion for spiritual increase, and hope to arrive at religious perfection ; but to thjs 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- tholic Church, the common mother of all, that those whom she has regenerated by Baptism, irjay 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 Thopropet be administered to all, as soon as they have been baptized ; but, *se f"' 'ts 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 •— «cs" to enable us to be armed and prepared, whenever we may be called 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 Disposi- years who are to be confirmed, must, if they hope to receive t'ops.forre' the grace of this Sacrament, not only bring with them faith and vi-orthfy 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 to 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- ings and extraordinary eflTects which flow from this Sacrament. The pastor therefore will teach, that in common with the Effects of other sacraments, Confirmation, unless some obstacle be op- '^P^^^^- posed by the receiver, imparts new grace. We have already ' i. 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 IJ 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 glojiify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, From this last 1 D. Th..p. 3. q. 72. a ad. 2 Cone. Aur. c. 2. I'll The Catechism of the Council of Trent. mentioned circumstance it arose, no doubt, that the Sacrament An error, was distinguished by the name of confirmation. • This its name refuted. jg 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, Avhich 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.^ III. Not only does this Sacrament confirm ; it also increases di- 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." This extraordinary eflicacy of confirmation, the Scrip- 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."^ -ts efficacy To show the divine efficacy of this Sacrament, (and this, no illustrated, 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 fled ;* 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.^ 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." IV 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 ' Trid. Sess. 7 can. 1 de confir. 2 Do cons. dist. 5. c. Spiritus. Euseb. Emis. hom. in die Pent. s Luke xxiv. 49. 4 Matth. xxvi. 56. 5 Mattli. xvi. 18—26. 51. « IMatth. xxvi. 70. 72. 74. 7 John XX. 1 9. 8 A.ct8 ii, 1, » Acts V. 41. On the Sacrament of Confirmation, 145 orders, it is on no account to be administered a second time. If these things are frequently and accurately explained, it is al- most impossible that the faitliful, 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 itsritesand Sacrament, now remain lightly to be glanced at : the advantages of ceremonies this explanation the'pastor will at once see, by reverting to what ^^^ *"'^ we have already said on this subject, in its proper place. The Unction of forehead of the person to be confirmed is anointed with sacred {I*® ('"'®' 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 sign of tne distinguished from all others, as the soldier is distinguished by •'"'ss his peculiar military badges, should be impressed on the fore- head, the most dignified and conspicuous part of the humaii form. The festival of Pentecost was also chosen for its solemn ad- whyadmi- ministration, because the Apostles were then strengthelied and nisteredat confirmed by the power of the Holy Ghost ;3 and also to remind ^° ^""^ " the faithful, by the recollection 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 The gentle cheek from the hand of the bishop, to remind him, that as a ^'^P^™ *^ courageous champion, he should be prepared to brave with un- conquered resolution, all adversities for the name of Christ. Finally, he receives the kiss of peace, to give him to under- The kiss of stand that he has been blessed with the fulness of divine grace, P"*"^ 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, as in the burning accents of fervent piety ; so as to penetrate into the minds, and inflame the hearts of the faithful. ' Confirraationem non esse iterandam,-vidc de Consec. dist. 5. c. dictum est, 6t cap. de hom. D. Thom. p. 3, q. 72. art. 5. 2 Rhaban. lib. 1. de instit cleric, c. 30. et habetur de consec. dist. 5, u. novio Aug. in Ps. 141, D. Thom. 3. p. q. 71. art. 9. 3 Acts ii. 2. ■• Phil. iv. 7. 13 T HG The Catechism of the Council of Trent. ON THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST. Dignity of tile Euclia- rist, matter offrotiuent exposition, to deter from its abuse. Its institu- tion. Wliy call- ed " the t^ncharist." Of all the sacred mysteries bequeathed to us by our Lord, as unfailing sources of grace, there is none that can be compared to the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist ; for no crime, therefore, is there reserved by God a more terrible 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 always 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, " Jesus 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 to express it by a variety of appellations. It is sometimes called " The Eucharist," 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 consec. dist. c. 2. nihil in. .2 1 Cor. xi. 30. sjohnxiii. 1. * Matth. xxvi. 26. Mark xiv. 22. Luke xxii. 19. .1 Cor. xi. 24. De Euch. insU tntione vide Trid. Sess. 13, o. 2, de Euch. Leo serm. 7, de Pass. c. 3, Euseb. Emiss liom. 4, et habetur de consec. dist 2. 1. quin corpus. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 147 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 all 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 The Eu- shall treat more at large in the subsequent part of this exposi- chanst de- tion. It is also called " Communion," a word borrowed from b|'*otlier the Apostle, when he says : " The chalice of benediction which appella- we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? ^rf^e"'*' And the bread which we 'break, is it not the participation of the " eommu- body of the Lord V'^ " This Sacrament," to use the words of nio"-" 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; "TheSa- giving' us to understand how unworthy the name of Christians ™^'''' "^ are they who indulge in enmity ; and that hatred, discord, and ^Irih,-/" 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 " Viati- 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 "The Sup- been sometimes given to this Sacrament by the' most ancient l^*'' Fathers, in imitation of the Apostle,' because it was instituted 1 Rom. vi. 23. 2MarkAvi.26. ?iv. 22. Luke xxii. 19. lCor.xi24. 3 Psalm ex. 4, 5. 4 Psalm ex. 3. Chrysost. hom, 24 in 1 ad C-'or. ad hffic v(srba, Calix benedic- tionis. Cypr. lib. de lapsis. Ambr. lib. 5. de Sacr. c. 3. D. Th. p. 3, q. 73, a. 4. s 1 Cor. X. 16. 6 Dama.sc. lib. 4. de fid. orthod. c. 4. Vid. Iren. lib. 5, e. 7, Chrys. hom. 44 et 43 in Joan. Cyrill. in lib. 7, in Joan. c. 13. Cyrill. Hier. Catech. 4, Aug. Tract 26, in Joan. Trid. se3S. 13. de Euchar. in proefl Concil. Nicoen. 21, Cart 4, c. 77 et 26, q 6, passim. '' 1 Cor. xi. 20. 148 Tlie Cattchism of the Council of Trent. The Eu- by our Lord at the saving mystery of The Last Supper.* This brcOTse". circumstance, which regards the time of its institution, does not crated and however, justify the inference that the Eucharist is to be con- received, secrated or received by persons not fasting : the salutary prac- fasting. ^jgg jj£ consecrating and receiving it fasting, introduced, as an- cient writers record, by the Apostles, has always been observed in the Church." A Sacra- Having thus premised an explanation of the names by which ment. j|,jg 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 argumeht.^ The name 'fhat in the Eucharist there are many things to which sacred ment, giv- vvriters have occasionally given the name of Sacrament, the enp-to many pastor will particularly observe: sometimes its consecration, the"&icha- sometimes its reception, frequently the body and blood of our list, strictly Lord which are contained in it, are called the Sacrament; be- applies to cause, as St. Augustine observes, this Sacrament consists of two otily!''*"^^ things, the visible species of the elements, and the invisible flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.* 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 nam6 of Sacrament in its less strict sense : the species of bread and wine, strictly speaking, constitute the Sacrament. The Eu- The great points of difference between this and the other Sa- charist dif- craments are easily understood ; the other Sacraments are per- ihe^oth" fected by the use of tlieir matter, that is, by their administra- Sacra- tion ; baptism, for instance, becomes a Sacrament when the ab- mente, 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 iii a tabernacle, under either II. 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 coena. 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. Trid. sess. 13. de Euoh. c. 5. D. Thorn. 3. p. q. 73.' art. 1. 4 De Catec. erud. lib. S. c. 16. August, hie ad scnsum potius quam ad verba ci- tatus ; sed lege hac de materia librum Lanfranci contra Berengarium ■ constat 23, tantum capitibus : vide de consecr. dist. 2. fere tota. s Trid. sess. 15, de Euch. cap. 5. et can. 6, Oji the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 1 49 consecration 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 TheSapra- of two elements, that is, of bread and wine, yet, guided by the ™™t^j authority of the Church, we profess that they are elements, not composed of two, but of one Sacrament. This is proved by the very of twoele- number of the Sacraments, which, according to the doctrine of ctSiu-"' apostolic tradition, and the definitions of the Councils of Late- five of one ran,' Florence, » and Trent,'' is confined to seven. It also fol- Sacrament, 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 one Sacrament. The justness of this analogy is sustained by these words of our Lord: "My flesh is meat in- deed, and my blood is drink indeed."* What the Sacrament of the Eucharist signifies, the pastor The Ea- will also carefully explain, that on beholding the sacred myste- charist sig ries, the faithful may also, at the same time, feed their souls on things. the, contemplation of heavenly things. This Sacrament, then, is significant of three things — ^e passion of Christ, a thing past — divine grace, a thing present — and eternal glory, a thing fotuire. It is significant of the passion of Christ: "This do," I- 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 H- this sacrament, to nurture and preserve the soul.' 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- III. 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 b^ujjjj^a.^ To consecrate the'Sacfaraent validly, to instruct the faithful The matter in that of which it is the symbol, and to kindle in their souls °^ *'^ ^"^ an ardent desire of possessing the invaluable treasure which it signifies, it is of vital importance that the pastor make himself ' Ex Conciliis citatis I.ateranense generale sub Innocent II. — Non numerat qui lem distincte septem Sacraraenta, sed ex variis Canonib. satis clare coUiguntur 2 Florent in iloct. de sacrem. 3 Trid. sess 7, can. 1. ^ John vi. 56. 3 Lul(e xxii. 19. ^ i Cor. 3d. 25. ' Tertul. de Resur. camis, c. 8. 13* 150 The sacra- mental bread, wheaten. A.lso, un- 'eavened. Objection answered. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. acquainted with its matter. The matter of this Sacrament is two-fold, consisting of wheaten bread, and of wine pressed from the grape, mixed with a litde 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 body ;" and according to St. John, he deno- minated himself bread 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 proper matter of this Sacrament, a doctrine handed down'by Apostolic tradition, and confirmed by the authority of the Catholic Church ; 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 br^ad, a time when the Jews were prohibited by the law, to have leavened bread in their houses.' 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 commence until sunrise ; and the first natural day of the Pasch, therefore, being Friday, " the day before the Pasch" means Tliursday, 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. H bt. CJhrys. ad popul. Antioch. homil. 60 et 61.. ''Divus AugustinuB in Psalm xxxiii. Cone. 1, a medio ad finem usque. Cyril. !ib. 4, in Joan, c 33, et 14, et lib. 1, c. 13. Inst. Apolog. 2, sub finem ad Antomum Pium. 3 Iren. lib. 5, contra hertetic. et lib. 5, in Joan. e. 34. Dionys. Eccles. Hier. I'. 3, Hilar, lib. 8. de Trinit. Hieron. epist ad IMmoscen. Damas. lib. 4, de or Ihod. lid. c. 14. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 159 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 Holy Catholie II Church, they must necessarily believe that the doctrine ex- pounded by us, is that which was revealed by the Son of Gotl. But nothing contributes more to light up in the pious sou] The digni- that spiritual joy, of which we have spoken; nothing is more ty«"nfer- fertile of spiritual fruit, than the contemplation of the exalted church by dignity of this most august Sacrament. From it we learn how the institu- great must be the perfection of the gospel dispensation, under gaoramMt* which we enjoy the reality of that, which under the Mosaic Law was only shadowed by types and figures. Hence St. De- nis, 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.* The perfection of the Holy Catholic Church, and her exalted glory, removed only by one 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, in a 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 Christ Sacrament are contained not only the true body of Christ, and all ^'^g p"^ the constituents of a true body, but also Christ whole and entire— sent in this that the word Clirist designates the man-God, that is to say, one Sacrament Person in whom are united the divine and human natures — that the holy Eucharist, therefore, contains both, 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 component 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, willnot fail to observe, that in the Sa- Inth^Sa crament all are not contained after the same manner, or by the "™" ' sameeihcacy: some tmngs, we say, the efiicacy of consecra- things ef- 1 De Ecel. Hierar. e. 3. p. 1. 2 Prov. viii. 31. 3 Vide de consec. dist. 2, multia in locis, item Amb. de iis qui myst ini« c- 9, D r. p, 3.q. 76,art 1. 160 fected by the words of conse- cration, some by concomi- tance. The ele- ments, why sepa- rately con- senrated. I /'hrist, whole and entire in each parti- cle of either spe- cies. Transub- stantiation The Catechism of the Council of Trent. tioii accomplishes ; for as the words of consecration effectuaife 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- ipent ; 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 things 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 heuce, 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 and 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 the 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 the Saviour : " Take and divide it amongst you."'' What has hitherto been said is intended to enable the pastor > August, de consec. dist, 2. c, singulis. ' Luke xxii. 17. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 101 to show, that the body and blood of Christ are really and truly proved 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 whioli is to engage his attention ; a truih which, although well calculated 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 bread entirely cease to exist. Hence our predecessors in Fiom the the faith, the Fathers of the general Council of Lateran,^ and C'rancils of Florence,^ confirmed by solemn decrees the truth of this c'Imrch. Article. In the Council of Trent it was still more fully defined in these words : " If any one shall 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, let him be anathema."' The doctrine thus defined is a I'Vom natural inference from the words of Scripture. When insti- Scnpmre 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- mained, our Lord could not have said : " This 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 is 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 From the pages of the Holy Fathers will easily perceive, that, on the concurrent doctrine of Transubstantiation, they have been at all times una- of the Fa- iiimous. St. Ambrose says : " You say, perhaps, ' this bread is thers ao Other than what is used for common food :' before consecra- won it is indeed bread ; but, no sooner are the words of conse- 1 Lateran. Concil. c. 1. ' Flor. in epist. Eugenii IV. data ad Arm, et a Concilio approbata. ! Trid. sess. 13, can. 4. « Matt. xxvi. 26. Mark xiv 22. Luke xxi. 18. 1 Cor. xi. 24 6 John vi. 52. 6 John vi. 54. ' John vi. 56. 14* X 102 7%e Catechism of the Council of Trent. cration pronounced, than from bread it becomes the flesh of Christ."* To prove this position more clearly, he elucidates it by a variety of comparisons and examples. In another place, when explaining these vcords 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.* The Eu- Here the pastor will not omit to observe to the faithful, that cli^rist, y^Q should not at all be surprised, if even after consecration, the toead after Eucharist is sometimes called bread : it is so called because it consecra- has the appearance and still retains the natural quality of bread, tion. vifhich is to support and nourish the body. That such phrase- ology is in perfect accordance with the style of the Holy Scrip- tures, whicii 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.' The man- To explain this mystery iu a proper manner is extremely dif- "^h'h th' fi*'"!** OJ* ^^^ manner of this admirable conversion, the pastor, conversion however, will endeavour to instruct those who are more ad- is to be ex- vanced in the knowledge and contemplation of divine things : Se'DeoiSe. *^o^® '^^^ ^'^^ 7^* 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 Christ, and the whole substance of the wine, into the whole 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, which already has existence, and to change it into another thing?"' Many other Fathers, whose authority is too grave to 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 ' Lib. 4, de sacr. c. 4. et c. 5, c. 4. 2 p^. cxxxiv. 6. 3 De consec. disL 2. c. omnia. 4 Hilar, de Trin. lib 8, et de consec. dist 3. cap. 28. 5 Gen. xviii. 2. 6 Acts i. 10. vid. I). Thom. 3, p. q. 75, art. 3 et 4. ' D. Ambr. lib. 4. de sacr c. 4 ' Citatur de consec. dist. 2, can. JNos. autem. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. ' 163 descends from heaven, but that the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ."^ This admirable change, Thiscou- as the Council of Trent teaches, the Catholic Church most ap- version ap- propriately expresses by the word "transnbstantiation."" When, eaUe™ran- 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 called " transubstantiation." But according to the admonition A mystery so frequently repeated by the Holy Fathers, the faithful are to "'".'° ^ be admonished against the danger of gratifying a prurient curi- searched osity, by searching into the manner in which this change is "it"- 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 coraprehehsion, but of our humble faith ; and the manner of that change forbids the temerity of a too curious inquiry.^ The same salutary cauiion 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- agakfne- ticle of the bread.* Such inscrutable mysteries should scarcely cessarv. 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 will next teach, that our Lord is not in the Sacra- The body ment as in a place : place regards things, only inasmuch as they of our Lord have magnitude ; and we do not say that Christ is in the Sacra- thriacra- 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 ^^ in a the bread is changed into the substance of Christ, not into mag- ^ '"'^' nitude or quantity ; and substance, it will be acknowledged, i^^ contained in a small as well as in a large space. The substance of air, for instance, whether in a large or in a small quantity, and that of water whether confined in a vessel, or flowing in a river, must 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 or less quantity is a matter of entire indif- ference. We now come to the third effect produced by the words of The ai-ci- consecration, the existence of the species of bread and wine in dents re- the Sacrament without a subject, an effect as stupendous as it is Eucharist adVnirable. What has been said in explanation of the two pre- without a ceding points, must facilitate the exposition of this mysterious ^"''J^"'- 1 Lib. 4, de orthod. fid. c. 14. 2 Trid. sess. 13, c. 4, at can. 2, et de consec. distinct. 2, r. panis. ' Eccl. lii. 22. * D. Thorn. 3, p. q. 76, Trid. sess. 13, c. 3, et can. 3, et Florent. in decret. Eugen. « Luke i. 37. 164 • The Catechism of the Council of Trent. truth. We have already 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 nuties of tt;uth.^ But it becomes the piety of the faithful, omitting subtle P'^'X'"- disquisitions, to revere and adore in the simplicity of faith, the Sacrament, 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 The Eu- and wine. To eat human flesh, or to drink human blood, is charist, most revolting to human nature, and, therefore, has God in his ruted'un-' infinite wisdom, established the administration of the body and der the blood of Christ, under the forms of bread and wine, the ordi- bre°d nd ^^^7 ^"'' agreeable food of inan. From its administration under wine. 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, " lias no rnerit in those things, 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. The salu- With regard to the salutary effects of this Sacrament, these, oTSi Eu-*^ because most necessary to be known by all, the pastor will ex- charist to pound to all, indiscriminately and without reserve.' What we be fully ex- have Said at such length on this subject, is to be made known au'and '° *° *^^ faithful, principally with a view to make them sensible now. 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 or two points for explanation, to show the superabundant graces I. 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. diat. 2, c. Nos autem et Decretal, lib. 1, tit. de Caleb. Miss. c. cum Matt, et D. Th. 3, p. q. 75, a. 3, et q. 77, a. 1. 2 Horn. 26, super Evangelia, vid. Cyrill. lib. 4, in Joan, c, 22, Cypr.de Coena Do mini. Ambr.de Sacram. lib. 4, c. 4, Aug. Tract. 27, in Joan. D. Thorn, p. 3, q. 74, a 1, etq.75,a. 1. 3 Trid. sess. 13, c.3,et can. 5, Iren. lib. 4, c. 14, Cyril. lib. 4. in Joan. c. 11 et 14. ChtysoBti'hom. 45, in Joan. D. Thorn. 3, p. q. 79. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. ■ 1 65 rable manner, the source of all gifts 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 shovjr how great are the trea- sures of grace, which "are derived from this Sacrament. It will also be found expedient to consider attentively the na- n 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 measurcj, changes us into its own nature, and to it we may apply these words of St. Augustine : " I am the food of tlie grown ; g»pw and thou shalt partake of this food ; 'nor shall thou change me into thee, as thou dost thy corporal food, but thou sjialt be changed into me. "^ If then "grace and truth comejoy Jesus !■ Christ,"" these spiritual treasures must be poured intcAhat soul, '' ""J"*'" which receives with purity and holiness, him who says of him- self: " He that eatetli my -flesh and drinketh my blood, abideth in me and I in him."^ Those who piously and religiously receive this Sacrament, receive, no doubt, the Son of God into their souls, and are united, as living members, to his body ; 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 in the bread and wine, consecrated by his vivifying benediction. "° But when it is said, that this Sacrament imparts grace, it is Tocommu- not intended' to mean that, to receive this Sacrament with advan- ^\^^™' tage, it is unnecessary to be previously in the state of grace, must be in Natural food can be of no use to a person who is already dead, thestateaf and in like manner the sa'cred mysteries can avail him nothing, who lives not in Spirit. Hence this Sacrament has been insti- tuted under the forms of bread and wine, to signify, that the objoct 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 ihe 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- less 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 1 Lib. 7. Conf. c. 10. Vid. Ambr. lib. 5, de sacr. c. 4 et Crys. hom. 45. in Joan. 2 John i. 1 7. 3 John vi. 57. ■• John vi. 58. = John vi. 52. 6 Lib. 4. ill Joanl c. 12, 14. et ep. 10. ad Nestor. ' I Cor, xi. 29. 166 n. The Eu- charist re- mits venial sins. in. Is an an- tidote against the contagion of sins. IV. Represses concupis- cence. V. Facilitates the attain- ment of etemallife. These ef feels ex- The Catechism of the Council of Trent, feasting on the Eucharistic banquet, which imparts to it an in 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 svireetness of every taste," imparts grace to the soul.* That the Holy Eucharist remits lighter offences, or, as they are commonly called, venial sins, cannot be matter of doubt. Whatever losses the soul sustains by falling into some slight 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 a remedy for daily infirmity."^ This, however, is to be understood of venial imperfections only. The Holy Eucharist is also an antidote against the contagion of sin, and a shield against the violent assaults of temptation.' It is, as it were, a heavenly medicine, which secures the soul against the easy approach of virulent and deadly infection. St. 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 torments, they should yield in the saving conflict.* It also re- presses the licentious desires of the flesh, and keeps them in due subjection to the spirit : in proportion as it inflames the soul with the fire of charity, in the same proportion does it ne- cessarily extinguish the fire of concupiscence. Finally, to nar- row within the compass of a few words all the advantages and blessings which emanate from this Sacrament, the Holy Eucha- 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 him up on the last day."* The grace which it imparts, brings peace and tranquillity to the soul ; and when the hour shall 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, invi- gorated by the strengthening influence of this heavenly food, shall wing his way to the mansions, of everlasting glory and never-ending bliss. All these important particulars the pastor will be able fully to expound to the faithful, if he but dilate on 1 Wisd. xvi. 20. 2 Lib. 4. de Sacrara. c. 6. et lib. c. 4. Innocent. III. lib. 4. de myst. Miss. c. 44. Cyrill. lib. 4. in Joan, c. 17. et lib. 3. c. 36. Inter opera D. Bemardi habetur cujus- dam sermo domini, qui incipit : FANEM A]NGEIX)RUIM, et singularis est de Euchar. videatur, et D. Thom. 3. p. q. 79. 3 Aug. tract. 26. in Joan. 'i Lib. 1. Epist 2. ad Cornel. 5 John vi. 55. Viii Chrys. de sacerdolic, dial, c. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 79. art 3. "SKingsxix.S On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 167 the sixth chapter of St. John, in which are developed the mani- plained fold effects of this Sacrament ; or if, glancing through the life ^"^ 'P"* and actions of our Lord, he shows that if they who received him beneath their iroof during his mortal life,* or were restored to health by touching his vesture, or even the hem of his gar- ment,^ weife 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 The man- will also point out who they are who derive these inestimable "^f^f <=om- blessings from a participation of the holy mysteries, reminding threefold: them that Christians may communicate differenuy and with di& ferent effects. Hence our predecessors in the faith, as we read in the Council of Trent,* distinguished three classes of commu- nicants — Some receive the Sacrament only : such are those sin- Sacramen ners who dread not to approach the holy mysteries with pol- '""y' 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 carnally 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 no fruit from its participation, but, as the Apostle says, " they eat and drink judgment to themselves."' Others are Spiritually 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, Sacramen- there are some who receive the Holy Eucharist both spiritually ^^fe "^^ and sacraraentally, those who, according to the advice of the Apostle, having first proved themselves," approach this divine 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 a spiritual communion only, manifestly deprive themselves of a heavenly treasure of inestimable value. We now come to point out the manner in which the faithful should be previously prepared for sacramental communion. To Necessity demonstrate the necessity of this previous preparation, the ex- "^'pfevioui ample of the Saviour is to be proposed to the faithful. Before tion. he gave to his Apostles the Sacrament of his body and blood, although they were already clean, he washed their feet, to de- (ilare that we must use extreme diligence to bring with us to its participation the greatest integrity and innocence of spul. In 1 Luke xix. 9. 2 Matt xiv. 36 and ix. 20. 3 1 Cor. xii. 31. 4 De consecr. dist. 2. can. 46 sess. 13. cap. 8. s 1 Cor. xi. 29. 6 In Joan, tract. 16. et contra Donat lib. 5. c. 8. '1 Cor. xi. 29. s Gal. V. 6. 9 1 Cor. xi. 28. '» Matt. xxii. 1 1 168 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. the next place, the faithful are to understand that as he who ap- 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, tliat 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 illustra- bring with them eternal death. Of this, the Ark of the Lord lion. affords a convincing illustration : the people of Israel possessed nothing more precious ; it was to them the source of innume- 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." First pre- The first preparation, then, which the faithful should make, paration ; jg ^^ distinguish table from table, this sacred table from profane tables,' this celestial bread frorri common bread. This we do w4ien 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 Pecond, 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 ofTerest 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 Third ghalt ofiier 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 1 1 Kings V. toto. 2 De prasparatione ad Euch. requisita vide Trid, seas. 13. c. 7. et can. 11. Basil, q. 172. regul. brev. et serm. 2. de hapt, Cyprian, toto fere lib. de Lapsis, agendo de Poenit. Aug. serm. 1. de Temj. Chrys. hom. 44, 45, 46. in Joan, et in Matt. hom. 83 3 1 Cor. X. 21. iJobxxvi. 11. sUa. vi. 3 1 Cor. xi. 29. T Matt v. 24, 25. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. \ 69 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 Fourth, own hearts, how unworthy we are that God should bestow on ns this divine gift, and with the Centurion, of whom our Lord declared, that he found no't " so great faith in Israel," we should exclaim : " Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter , under my roof."'' We should also put the question to ourselves, Fifth, 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 : Sixth. 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 days previous to communion, an ob- servance recommended by the example of David, who, when about to receive the show-bread from the hands of the priest, declared, 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- All bound ration from approaching the Holy Eucharisi, the faithful are ^. commu- frequently to be reminded that they are all bound to receive a yea^'at™ this Sacrament ; and that the Church has decreed that whoever Easter, neglects to approach the holy communion once a year, at Easter, subjects himself to sentence of excommunication.^ However, Importance let not the faithful imagine that it is enough to receive the body of frequent of the Lord once a year only, in obedience to the decree of the nio„. 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 1 Sess. 13. can. II. Chrys. hom. 30, in Genes, et 20. in Matth. Cypr. inlib. de ' Lapsis. 2 Matt. viii. 8. 10. 3 John xxi. 15. i Matt xxii. 12, 13. 3 Vid. Aug. epist. 118. e. 6. etlib. l.ad inquis. Januarii c. 6. eiKingsxxi. 3. 4,5. ' Greg, in responsione 10. ad interrog. Aug. et hab. 33. 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. 9 St. Aug. de verbis Domini, ser. 28, qui desuraptus est ex. Amb. lib. 5. de sacrara. e. 4. 15 Y 170 Daily com- munion, the prac- tice of ihe ancient Cliurch. Thrice a year, sub- Bequently decreed. Finally, onceayear 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 this Sacrament, and of which the Israelites had occasion to partake every day, may be used as a further illustration.^ 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 piire and ardent charity, that devoting themselves, as they did unceasingly, to prayer and other works of piety,^ they were found prepare^ 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, who 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 prac- 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 this holy and salutary practice unobserved, but communion was de- ferred for years. The Council of Lateran, therefore, decreed that all the faithful should communicate, at least, once a year, at Easter, and that the omission should be chastised by exclu- 1 Exod. xvi. 21, 22. 2 Ad frequentem communionem hortantiir Auguatin. de verbis Domini serm, 28. sed hie sermo cum non sit August sad Ambr. lib. 5. de sacram c. 4. rejeetus est iu appendicem tomi 10. item vide eundem Aug. Epist. 118. c. 3. item, Ignat ad Ephes. satis ante finem. Basil. Epist. ad Cffisar. patr. Ambr. lib. 3. de sacr. c. 4. Chrysost. horn. 61. ad pop. Antioch. Cypr. de Ora. Dominica ad heec 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 hac de re. 3 Acla ii. 42. 46. ■• De consec. dist 2, c. 10. 6 De quotidiana communione vide Dionys. d'e Eccles. Hierarch. c. 3, parte 2, Hieron. Epist 28, ad Lucin. Greg. lib. 2, dialog, c. 23. Item vide lib. de Eccl dog- mat c. 53, et citatur de consec. dist 2, c. 13. 6 Fab. decret habes de cons, dist 2. c. 16. et ib. citatur Concil. Agathense c. 18. c. seeculares. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 171 sion from the society of the faithful.* But although this law, To whom sanctioned, as it is, by the authority of God and of his Church, }iJ,n°^/'fiJ[g regards all the faithful^ the pastor, however, will teach that it law ex does not extend to persons who have not arrived at the years tends. 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 TheEu- even to infants f but, for the reasons already assigned, and for ^fg^f' ""' other reasons most consonant to Christian piety, this practice given to in- has been long discontinued by authority of the same Church. f™ts. 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 ac- quired a competent knowledge of this admirable Sacrament, and desire to taste this bread of angels. From persons labouring under actual insanity the Sacrament When to should also be withheld. However, according to the decree of *"? S'™"' the Council of Carthage, it may be administered to them at the to be given close of life, provided they had evinced, previously to their in- to insane sanity, a sincerely pious desire of being admitted to its partici- P*"^""^- 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- To be re crament, the pastor will teach that the law of the Church inter- jeH^oth" diets its administration under both kinds to any but to the ofE- lunds by ciating priest, unless by special permission of the Church. ^° officia Christ, it is true, as has been explained by the Council of onlyfand Trent,' instituted and administered to his Apostles, at his last why. 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 i ' Citat. lib. 5. deer, tit de psen. et remiss, c. omnes utriusque sexus. 2 Matt. xxA-i. 25. 3 Cypr. de Lapsis post med. ^ Cone. Cath. 4. 76. s Sess. 31. decem. sub utraque specie can. 1. 2. 3. ^ John vi. 52. 59. Unius tantum specie! usum sufBcere ad perfectam commu- nionem colliges ex TertuU. lib. 2. ad uxorem. Cypr. de Lapsis. Orig. hom. 1 3. in Ex- od. Basil, epist. ad Caesar, patr. Aug. ep. 86, Hier. in Apol. ad Pammach. Chrysost hom. 41. operis imperf. in Matth. 172 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. II m IV. V. ■was necessary to avoid acr.ident 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 tKis 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 exclu- sively to the priestly order, but the Church has also, by an ex- press law, prohibited any but those who are consecrated to re- ligion, unless in case 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 Efficacy of they should possess who consecrate, administer, or receive the riBt not^at' Holy of Holies. The Eucharist, however, as was observed fec'ed by with regard to the other Sanraments, whether administered by Priests al }ne, the ministers of the Eu- c:h.irist. The laity prohibited to touch the sacred vessels, iSsc. • Sess. 13, c. 10. s Matt. xxvi. 35. Matt. xiv. 23 On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. ]7!> holy or unholy hands, is equally valid. It is. of faith that the the merit efficacy of the Sacraments does not depend on *he merit lof the °f thTml" minister, but on the virtue and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, nister. With regard to the Eucharist as a Sacrament, these are the TheEu- principal points which demanded explanation. Its nature as a 33^™^* 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 God for the inestimable benefits bestowed on us by his bounty. If 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-ofTering 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 Iieaven twice proclaimed : "This is my beloved Son, in whom T am 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- Instituted tuted by our Lord for two great purposes, to be the celestial g°g^™„jg 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 paschal 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- Reflection 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- crifice, 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 Thedifle- sacrifice is very great, and is two-fold : as a sacrament it is per- [™ en'the ' Seos. 22. princip. 0. 8 = Ps. xxxix. 7. ' Ps. 1. 18. •! Gen viii. 21. >Mattiii.l7. SDeut. 16. 15* 174 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Eucharist fected by consecration, as a sacrifice all its efficacy consists in menrtmd '*® oblation. When deposited in a tabernacle, or borne to the sacrifice, sick, it is, therefore, a sacrament, not a sacrifice. As a sacra- two-fold, ment, it is also to the worthy receiver a source of merit, and brings with it all those advantages which we have ali:eady 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. This sacri- With regard to the institution of this sacrifice, the Council of ^''a b ''™' Trent has obviated all doubt on the subject, by declaring that whom in- it was instituted by our Lord at his last supper, whilst it de- stituted, 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 Sacrifice food.* That sacrifice is due to God alone, the holy Council alOTe" ^ ^^° states in the clearest terms.'' 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 sacri- 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 sacrifice was offered to them; so by "the table of the Lord," to bring the words of the Apostle to an apposite conclusion, should be un- derstood the altar on which sacrifice was offered to the Lord. Figures Should we look for figures and prophecies of this sacrifice and pro- jn the Old Testament, wc find, in the first place, that its insti- ?liis sacri"- tution was clearly foretold by Malachy in these words : " From S'«. the rising of the sun, even to the going down thereof, my name 1 Tid. Trid. de Sacril Missse c. 1. 3. Dionys. lib. 17. de Eccles. c. 3. Ignat, epist ad Smym. Tert lib. de Orat. Iren. lib. 4, c. 32. Aug. lib. 10. de Civit. Dei, c. 10. et lib. 17. c. 20. et li b. 18. c. 35. et lib. 10. c. 13. et lib. 22. c. 8. et alibi passim. Vide etiam. Sess. 22. je sacrifio. iVIissse, c. 1. et can, 1 and 2. 2 Trid. Synod, sess. 2) . c. 3. 3 Aug. contra Faust, lib. 20. c. 21. < Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24. 6 Cone. Trid. sess. 22. c. 1. el Cor. x. 21. On the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 175 is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there 'is sacri- fice, and 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 vi'as also foretold, as well before as after the promulgation of the Mosaic lavi^, by a variety of sacrifices ; for this alone, as the perfection and completion of all, comprises all the advantages which were typified by the other sacrifices. In none of the sacrifices of the old law, however, do we discover a more lively image of the Eucharistic sacrifice than in that of Melchisedech.^ Our Lord himself, at his last Supper, offered to his Eternal father his precious body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine, at the same time declaring himself, " a priest for ever according to the order of Melchise- dech."= We, therefore, confess that the sacrifice of the Mass is one The sacn- and the same sacrifice with that of the cross : the victim is one ^® °{h^^ and the same, Christ Jesus, who offered himself, once only, a same with bloody sacrifice on the altar of the cross. The bloody and un- *at of the bloody victim is still one and the same, and the oblation of the ""^^' cross is daily renewed in the eucharistic sacrifice, in obedience to the command of our Lord : " This do, for a commemoration of me."* The priest is also the same, Christ our Lord: the ministers 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 priest 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 The Mass, and thanksgiving, or a commemoration of the sacrifice of the „/ *"|f°® cross ; but also a sacrifice of propitiation, by which God is ap- thanks- ' peased and rendered propitious, the pastor will teach as a dogma giving, and defined by the unerring authority of a general Council of the Son!'''*' 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 " mercy 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, that such is the eflSccy of this Available acrifice, that its benefits extend not only to the celebrant and '" ^^ ^^' 1 Malach. i. 11. =Gen.!av. 18. 3Heb.vii. 17. I's-cix. 4. 4 Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cof. xi. 24. s Chrys. horn. 2. in 2. ad Timoth. et horn, de prod. Judse. Ambr. lib. 4. de Sa- sram. c. 4. ^ Trident, sess. 22. de sacrif, Missse, c. 2. et can. 3. 7 Hebr. iv. 16. 176 77te Catechism of the Council of Trent. iiigaiidtho communicant, but also to all the faithful whether living or num- ■ 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 Common to for the relief of the necessities, of tlie living.* It is hence easy f''thf*l *° 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. Its rites and This great sacrifice is celebrated with many solemn rites and ^es"""' 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 to 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. Necessity As the frailty and weakness of human nature are universally ifthesa- known and felt, no one can be ignorant of the paramount ne- '?enance.° 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. Its 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 Trid. Synod, seas. 22. cap. 206. 2 Sess. 6. de Just. rap. 14. et Sess. 14. de poenit. cap. 3. in 3 cap. 3 Hieron. ad hxc verba, Ruit Hierusalem, et epistola 8, On the Sacrament of Penance. 177 on this Sacrament. As he who suifers 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 feithful at large, whose attention they may awaken, lest they be found culpably negligent in a matter of all others the most important. Impressed 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 Different all error to which the ambiguity of the word may give rise, its ^^the'minl different meanings are first to be explained. By penance some penance, 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 (poeni- tentia) has a variety of meanings. In the first place, it is used I 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 li- 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 in. 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 (poenitentia) properly applies. When the Sacred Scriptures say that God repented,^ the ex- In what pression is evidently figurative : when we repent of any thing, ?ense God we are anxious to change it ; and thus, when God is said to repent 1 Ezech. xxxiv. 16. De Poenitentia e patribus antiquis scripsernnt Tertul. libriim unum. Cypr. epistolas ptoes et unum lib. de Lapsis, Paciauua lib. unum et duas epistolas ad Symproniam, ac de pceiiit. et confession, seu paran. ad poenit. Ambros. libros duos poenit. Chrysost. Homilias 10. et sermon, de poenit Ephrem. lib. et ser- mon, de poenit, Fulgentius lib. 2. de remission, peccatorum ad Euthymium, et sess. 14. de poenit. cap. 3. Greg. Nyssenus orationem de poenit. Basil, homil. unam qusB est poatrema variarum, Augustin. denique lib. unum de vera et falsa poeni- tentia, et librum insignem de poenitentite medicina. His adde Marcum Eremitam cujus extat de poenitent. liber unua, sed caute legendua : de eo vide Bellarmin. de Script. Eecles. Qui non habet Fatres supra citatos, videat in Decreta Gratiani do poenitent 7. distinctiones. 2 2 Cor. vii. 10. 3 Gen. vi. 6. 1 Kings xv. 1 1. Ps. cv. 45. Jer. xxvi. 3 z US Meaning of {jenance lere. Penj'se aa supposes /hiih. proved to oe R virtue. 1. tl. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. cliange 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.^ 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, hoi)ing 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 to 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 rfegard 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 of penance. Some conceive a sorrow which bears no proportion to the enormity of their crimes : " There are some," says So- lomon, "who aft 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 exclaimed : " 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. ^ 1 Kings xv. 11. 3 Vide Amb. in sermone de pten. et citatur. de pconiL dist 3, cap. poenitentia. Aug. lib. de vera et falsa poen. c. 8. et habetur de piBii. 3. c. 4. Greg, horn, 34^ in Kvang. et lib. 9. iiegist. Epist. 39. 4 Trid. Sess. 14. de poen. c. 3. can. 4. 5 Prov. ii. 14. « Gen. iv. 13. i Malt xrvii. 3. On the Sacrament of Penance. 17'J virtue, assists us in restraining within the bounds of mocleration our sense of sorrow. That penance is a virtue may also be inferred from the ends m which the penitent proposes to himself. The 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 The de- to this divine virtue. The mercy of God first prevents us and ^hfchwc converts our hearts to him ; this was the object of the pro- attain this phet's prayer : " Convert us, O Lord ! and we shall be con- virtue, verted."* — Illumined by this celestial light the soul next tends CO God by faith : " He that cometh to God," says the Apostle, IL ' must believe that he is, and is a re warder to them that seek iiim."^ A salutary fear of'God's judgments follows, and the soul, ni sontemplating the punishments that await sin, is recalled from fhe 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, Lord!"' — We are also animated with a hope of obtaining V mercy from God, and cheered by this hope we resolve on a ehange of life. — Lastly, our hearts are inflamed by charity ; and F- aence we conceive that filial fear which a dutiful and ingenuous Thild experiences towards a parent. Thus, dreading only to flffend the majesty of God in any thing, we entirely abandon the ways of sin. These are, as it were, the steps by which we tscend to this most exalted virtue, a virtue altogether heavenly Heaven ind divine, to which the Sacred Scriptures promisfe the inheri- '^® rewani ranee of heaven : " Do penance," says the Redeemer, "for the ° P^"*"'"'' 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 QOt, saith the Lord, the death of the wicked, but that the wicked lurn 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 Penance as is that whicL constitutes the sacrament of penance : it consists » ^»"»- of certain sensible things significant of that which passes inte- '^™'"^'- I Jerem. xxxi. 18. 2 Heb. xi. 6. ' Isa. xxvi. 17. 4 Matt. iv. 17 5 Ezelt xviii. 31. « Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 180 Why insti- tuted by our Lord. I. ir. Penance proved to oe a sacra- ment 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 pro- 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. To 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 divme wisdom, and pregnant with blessings to the Christian. Penance is the channel through which the blood of Christ flows into the soul, washes 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 difii- 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- 1 Ezek. xviii. 81. 2 MatL h. 2. Vid. Cone. Trid. sess. xiv. c. 1. in noc. 1 . Epist 91 inter epist Aue. 5 Matt xvi. 19. On the Sacravusnt of Penance. 181 ments, but aAo amongst the sacraments that may be repeated, The sacra- the faithful are next to be taught. To Peter, asking if sin may nance°inay be forgiven seven times, our Lord replies: "I say, not seven be repeat- 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 o.ir Lord, by addvicing 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 lismattef. 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 in sins themselves constitute the matter of this sacrament, if well y^'^^ ^^"^ its TUfittpr 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, vrith propriety, the matter of penance. 'rhe form, also, because well calculated to excite the faithful, ts ftriji. 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 a sacrament signifies whatthe sacrament accomplishes: these words "I absolve thee" signify the accomplishment of absolution from sin through the instrumentality of this sacrament ; they there- fore constitute its form. Sins are, as it were, the chains by 1 Matt xviii. 22, 2 Chrys. 1. 5. lib. de laps, repar. et habetur de poenit dist 3. c. talis. Amb. de poenit. lib, 1. c, 1. et 2. vid. et Aug. lib. de vera et falsa pcenit. c. 5. citatur de poa- iiit. dist. c. 3. adhuc instant, 3 Sess. 24. de poenit. c. 3. et can 4 < Matt, xviii. IS. 16 182 Wh/ ac- companied with pray- ers. Roflection. The rites lo be ob- served in receiving this sacra- ment. I Is advan- tages. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. which the soul is fettered, and from the bondage of which it ia "loosed" by the sacrament of penance. This form is not less true, when pronounced by the priest over him, who by means 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 of 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 whicli 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 tlie 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 ibund 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 unites < Levit. xiii. 9. et xiv. 2. 2 In epist ad Demoph. Vid. et Tertul. lib. de poenit c. 9. On the Sacrament of Penance. 183 us to him in the closest bonds of friendship. ' From this recon- H- 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 III. joy. There is no sin, however grievous, no crime however IV 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 Note, the pages of inspiration, of some who earnestly implored the mercy of God, but implored it in vain, it is because theydid not repent sincerely and from their hearts.* When we also meet in the Sacred Scriptures 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 difRcult 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 cure ; 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."i= To return to penance, to it belongs, in so special a manner. Penance the efficacy of remitting actual guilt, that without its interven- "eeesaary tion we cannot obtain or even hope for pardon. It is written : the pardon " Unless you do penance, you shall all perish."' These words of sin. 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."' But as, on matters which, m any degree, affect moral actions, The threo it is not enough to convey instruction in general terms, the pas- integral ' Cone. Trid. sess. 14. can. 3, &c. 1. de poenitenfc 2 Ezelt. xviii. 21, 22. 3 1 John i. 9. 4 1 John ii. 1, 2. 5 2 Mach. ix. 13. 6 Lib. 1. de sermon. Domini in monte, c. 42. et 44. et retract, lib. c. 8, 19. Aug. serm. 1. de verbis Domini, ct epist. 50. ad Bonif. 7 Luke xiii. 3. 5. 8 Aug. lib. 50. hom. 50. item epist 168. et Ench. cap, 71. 184 parts of penance. Their na- ture. Their coi> nexiou. Why inte- gral parts. Contrition defined and ex- plained. 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. 'I'o this sacrament, then, it is peculiar that, besides aiatter 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. Chrysostome, "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 ofl'ended 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. The 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."' Spealiing of the motion of the will to contrition, the Council, a little after, adds : " if joined with a confidence in the mercy of God, and an earnest desire ' Horn. 1 1 . qu8e est do poenit. Vid. cone. Trid. 14. de posnit, cap. 3. et oan. 4. Item, cone. Flor. in doctrin. de Sacram. 2 Ead. sess. 14. On the Sacrament of Penance. 185 of 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, tlierefore, the faithful will per- ceive that contrition does not simply consist in 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, which 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 Thesorrow are not thence to conclude, that this sorrow consists in sensible '^h'^^ '^^' feeling: contrition is an act of the will, and as St. Augustine quires ex- observes, sorrow is not penance, but the accompaniment of pe- plained, nance.* By "sorrow" the Fathers of Trent understood a hatred and detestation of sin ; because, in this sense, the Sa- cred 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 Propriety the intensity of this sorrow, the "detestation of sin," of which oftheword we speak, is properly expressed by the word "contrition," a tion"'"' 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 is called " contrition Sometimes of heart," because the word " heart" is frequently used in "^^^ ^-^ Scripture to express the will, for as the heart is the principle, names. which originates the motion of the human system ; so, the will I Vid. de poenit. dist 1. c. et venit„et ibid, dist c. totam. ^ Ps. vi. 7 — 9 3 Isa. xxxviii. 15. ■• Homil. 50. s Ps. xii. 2. « Matt xi. 31 16* 2 A 1S6 The Catechism of the Cowxil of Trent. oe su- preme in degree. 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 iby 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."^ This sor- That for past transgressions the sinner should experience the niw should 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 Scrip- ture assigns the same extent : of charity it is said : " Thou shall love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart :"* of contri- trition : " Be converted with thy whole heart."^ 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 above all things. That God is to be loved above all things, so that we should be prepared to sacrifice our lives rather than ofiiend him, these words of the Redeemer declare : "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me :"" " He that will save his life shall lose, it."' As cha- rity, it is the observation of St. Bernard, recognises neither measure nor limit, or to use his own words, as " thfe 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 indifie- 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 all the afiliction of thy soul;"^ and of the prophet Jeremiah : " thou shalt seek me and shalt find me, when thou shalt seek me with all thy heart; and I And also in inten- iiity. 1 Chrysost de coinpunct cordis. Triden. de summo bono, lib. S. e. 12. 2 Joel ii. 12. siJohniv. 7, 'iDeut. vi.5. sjoelii. 12 6 Matt. X. 37. 1 Matt xvi. 25. Mark vii. 35. <> Lib. de diligendo Deo circa med. 9 Deut iv, 29. On the Sacrament of Penance. 187 will be found by thee, saith the Lord."' If, however, our con- imperfect trition be not perfect, it may, nevertheless, be true and efficacious ; contrition for as things which fall under the senses frequently touch the JJ^eaml heart more sensibly than things purely spiritual, it will some- efficacious, 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- Tears de- companied with tears. That sorrow for his sins bathe the of- sirable, but fender in tears, is, however, much to be desired and com- sory?^"^^ 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."^ To 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- cloth 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 mercy of God with abundance of tears. The faithful are most earnestly to be exhorted to study to di- Contrition rect their contrition specially to each mortal sin into which ^^'^ ex- they may have had the misfortune to fall: "I will recount to thee," mortalsins. 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. Note, 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 The quaii true contrition, what has been said will be found sufficiently ^^ of true 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 m>iy be 1 Jer. xxix. 13. 2 Ser. 41. de Sanctis. 3 Matt. xi. 21. 4 Jonas iii. 6. ' s Ps. 6 and 50. « Luke vii. 37. 48. 51. 7 Luie xxii. 62. ' Isa. xxxviiL 15. ' Ezek. xviii. 21. 1" Lib. de vera et falsa relig. cap. 14. " Ezek. xxxiii. 12 tions. ' ?8 77je Catechism of the Council of Trent. I- 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 ofiend in one point, is become guilty of II all."' In the next place, our contrition must be accompanied with a desire of confessing and satisfying for our sins : dispo- III- 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- niustra- 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 peniteftt 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 IV- 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. Bfficacy It will conduce in an eminent degree, to the spiritual interests and import- iJameaii.lO, 2Ezelt. xviii. 21,22. ^Johnviii.U * John V. 14. 6 Epist. v. 4. o Matt vi. 14. On the Sacrament of Penance. 189 of the faithful, if the pastor press frequently upon their attention, ance of the eflicaey and importance of contrition. To make known the co"'"'"""- 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 efficacy 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- Spiritual lutary if the pastor point out the spiritual exercises conducive exercisea COflQUPlVC to contrition. This is to be accomplished by admonishing them, to contri- frequently to examine their consciences, in order to ascertain if tion. they have been faithfiJl in the observance of those things which God and his Church require ; and should any one be conscious rr. of crime, he should immediately accuse himself, humbly solicit III. pardon from God, and implore time to confess, and satisfy for his sins. Above all, let him supplicate the aid of divine grace, iv by which he may be fortified against a relapse into Ihose crimes, the commission of which he now penitently deplores. The faith- V 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 friendship 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 most excruciating torments. Having said thus much on contrition, we now come to con- Confession, fession, which is another part of penance. The care and exact- j!^™'^''" ness which its exposition demands, must be at once obvious, if r. we only reflect, that whatever of piety, of holiness, of religion, has been preserved to our times in the Church of God, is, in the general opinion of the truly pious, to be ascribed in a great measure, under divine Providence, to the influence of Oonfes' sion. It cannot, therefore, be matter of surprise, that the enemy of the human race, in his efforts to level to its foundation the 1 Ps. 1. 19. = Ps. xxxi. 5. 3 Lake xvu. 14. 190 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. fabric of Catholicity, srhoiild, through tlie 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^ II 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 to obtain the pardon of their sins. It, therefore, became necessary, that the Almighty, in his mercy, should afford a less precarious and less difficult means of reconciliation, and of sal- vation ; and this he has done, in 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 of 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. •Tustly, 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." in To appreciate the advantages of confession, we should not lose sight of an argument which has the sanction of experience. To those who have 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 to eternal secrecy by every law hum Ambr. serm. 1, de quadrag. citatur de poenit dist, 1. c. ecce nunc. August lib. 2 de adul. conjug. 59. Chrysost de eacerdot. lib. 3. ' Floi'. Cone, in decreto Eugenii. IV. de poenit. diet. 6. c, sacerdos. On the Sacrament of Penance. 191 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 advantage's of confession, the pastor Natureand will next unfold its nature and efScacy. Confession, then, is efficacjrof defined " A sacramental accusation of one's self, made to obtain pardon by virtue of the keys." It is properly called " an ac- 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 law. 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 instituterl revealed truth, a truth of paramount importance, that this Sa- by Chrisi. 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- vdsting the sacerdotal character with power to retain as well as to remit sins, he thus, it is manifest, constitutes them judges in the 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 the 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 [I. by our Lord to the lepers cured on the way, to show themselves 1 Prov. ii. 14. 2 Chrysost 20, in Genes. 3 Aug. ser. 4, de verbis Domini. ^ Greg. horn. 40. in Evangel. 5 Vid. Trid. sess. 14. de poenit. c. 5. et can. 6. Aug. lib. 50. horn, horail. 64, et citatur de pcenit. dist, 1. c. agite. Orig. horn. 1. in Fsal. VI. Cbrysost, de sacerd. lib 3 6 John XX. 22, 23. ' John xi. 44. 8 De vera et falsa poenit. c. 16. et serm, 8. de verbis Domini. 1 92 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 on 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 ; hence 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 III. 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- , orifices, which were offered by the priests for the expiation of different sorts of sins, seem, beyond all doubt, to have reference to sacramental confession, an examination of the figures of the Old Testament will also evince. Rites and Not only ate the faithful to be taught that confession was in- ceremonies stituted by our Lord ; but they are also to be reminded that, by confession S'U'hority 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. Confession Nor let it be supposed that confession, although instituted by necessary, 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 sin, is 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 him to whom the keys have been committed is neces- sary, and therefore, as the metaphor implies, to gain admission 1 Luke xvii. 14. 2 Sess. 14. c. 5. et can. 7. de poenit Sacerdotes (use pecatorum judices decent August, lib. 20. de civit. Dei, c. 9. Ilieron. epist. 1. ad Pleliod. Chrysost. lib. 3. de Sacerd. et horn. 5. de verbis Isaiie. Greg. horn. 26. in Evang. Ambr. lib. 2. de Cain, cap. 4. Trid. sess. 14. de poenit. c. 5. can. 7. ^ Matt. xvi. 19. On the Sacrament of Penance. 1 1)3 into heaven, its gates must be opened to us by the power of the iieys, confided by Almighty God to the care of his Church. This power should otherwise be nugatory: if heaven can 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 1"' 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 resist* 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- Confession Wished by our Lord himself, it is our duty to ascertain, on obligatoiy. whom, at what age, and at what period of the year, it becomes ^ge. obligatory. According to the canon of the Council of Lateran, v/hioh 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 the tribunal of penance, without which the sinner cannot hope for salvation. In the same canon the Church At what 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. The same rule should be strictly followed when we are apprehensive of forgetting some sin, into which we may have Jiad tlie 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 integrity of which are essential, some not essential to the sacrament, the essential tu faithful are to be carefully instructed on all these matters ; and the fef^on, in ' pastor can have access to works, from which such instructions what it consists. I Lib. 50. hom. 49. = Matt xviii. 18. a Lib. 1. de poen. 2 * Lat. cone. cap. 22. s Lat. cone. cap. 21. 17 2B 194 Aggrava- ting cir- iTumstan- ces when necessary to be men- tioned in confession. 77*6 Catechism of the Council of Trent. may easily be drawn. Amongst these matters, he will, on no 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 already said, although buried in the darkest secrecy, and also sins of desire only, such as are forbidden by the nintli 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. It is, 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, " ho 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 vrill not do penance, his master who has power to cure him, can render him no service." The 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, theiy 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 all 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 > Quomoilo venialla dimittantur vide Aug. in Ench, cap. 71. citatur de poenit. dist 3. c, de quotidianis, et in Cone. Tolet. 4. cap. 9. 3 Sess. 14. de poenit. o. 5. et can. 7. 3 Lib. de Paradiso, c. 4. c, 1. super illud : si mordeat serpens. 4 Circa finem. 5 Singula peocata mortalia confiteri oportere decent August, lib. de vera et falsa poenit, cap. 10. Gregor. homil. 10. super Ezekiel. Ambr. lib. de parad. cap. 14. Hicron. in Ecclesiaet. c. la Cypr. de lapsis circa finem. Vid. et de pcsnit. diet 3l rap. sunt plures, &c. pluit et ibid, disb 1, c. quem pcen. et ibid, pass On the Sacrament of Penance. 195 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. To 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. When un- therefore, to be mentioned; but those, which do not consider- "^•^^^^^'y- ably aggravate, may be lawfully omitted. So important, as we have already said, is integrity to confes- Conceal- sion, that if the penitent wilfully neglect to accuse himself of mentofa • • •/ o sin m coH" some sins which should be Confessed, and suppress others, he fession a not only does not obtain the pardon of his sins, but involves grievous himself in deeper guilt. Such an enumeration cannot be called co™|jaion* sacramental confession : on the contrary, the penitent must re- to be re- peat his confession, not omitting to accuse himself of having, peaied. under the semblance of confession, profaned the sanctity of the sacrament. But should the confession' seem defective, either Omission oJ because the penitent forgot some grievous sins, or because al- Ji^'" though intent on confessing all his sins, he did not explore the forgettiil- recesses of his conscience with extraordinary minuteness, he is ness does not b6und to repeat his confession : it will be sufficient, when "t°ng™fs^ he recollects the sins which he had forgotten, to confess them to ry to re- a priest on a future occasion. We are not, however, to exa- peat tlie 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 the case, the confession must be reiterated. Our confession should also be plain, simple, and undisguised, Confessi()u not clothed in that artificial language with which sorrie invest it, should be who seem more disposed to give an outline of their general man- pie,' uS ner of living, than to confess their sins. Our confession should be guised, 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 confessioii prudent, are also much to be commended, and a superfluity of words is and mo- to be carefully avoided : whatever is necessary to make known ihe nature of every sin, is to be explained briefly and modestly. Secrecy should be strictly observed as well by penitent Secrecy to as priest, and, hence, because in such circumstances secrecy e|b''DriS- must be insecure, no one can, on any account, confess by mes- and peni- Sanger or letter. teut 19G Frei]uent conlession. The minis- ter of the sacrament of penance. Any priest, the minis- ter in an ex- treme case. Qualifica- tions of ttie minister. Know- le'lge. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. But above all, the faitlifiil s Cap. 21. 17* 198 If not con- trite: If fond of justifying or extenu- ating his guilt: if under the influ- ence of a false siiamo : If indolent or negli- gent. Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. other 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, iJiat 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 mercy 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 ailother, 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 shi, whilst they serve rather to aggravate than extenuate his guilt. He, who thus labours to justify his con- Quct, seems to say, that then only will hp 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 persons 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 penai;ce, 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 theii; gins, 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, Ihey may not return, their confession is to be heard, par- ticularly if they manifest some disposition to amend their lives, and can be induced to accuse their own negligence, and promise On the Sacrament of Penance. 199 to atone for it at another time, by a diligent and accurate scru- 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 A remedy forgotten some sin in a former confession, cannot bring them- J^oU^on selves to return to the confessor, dreading to expose themselves the part of to the suspicion of having been guilty of something grievous, or t'i« Pfi""- 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 Satisfac- 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, its difFe- • admits of many acceptations. The first degree, of satisfaction, ^n'^e- 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, oflfered to his Eternal Father a superabundant sa- tisfaction. No created being could have paid so heavy, a debt for us : " He is the propitiation for our sins," says St. John, " and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."' This satisfaction, therefore, is full and superabundant, commen- > 1 John ii. 2. 200 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. siirate to all sorts of sins perpetrated by the human race : it gives to man's actions merit before God ; without it they could avail him nothing to eternal life. This David seems to have had in view, when, having asked himself, " what shall I render to the Iiord, for all the things that he hath rendered to me ?"' and find- ing nothing worthy of such blessings but this satisfactioji, which he expressed by the word " chalice," he replies : " I will take the chalice of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.'"' II. 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." III. 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, to f)enance 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 wliich must be accompanied witli 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 ofl!" 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 temporal chastisements due to sin. Necessity Such being the nature of satisfaction, it will not be found dif- of satisfac- gc^it to convince the faithful of the necessity imposed on the penitent, of satisfying 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 efiaced, nor is the temporal punishment always remit- ted.' Of this the Scriptures afl^ord 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 mercy of God, in these words: " Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my iniquity and ray sin is always before iPa. cxv. 12. ^cxv. 13. »Sess. 14. u, 8, can. 12 et 14. 1 John ii. 16. = Gal. vi. 2. On the Sacrament of Penance. 205 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 Noperaon he absolves the penitent whose confession he has heard, to in- goiyej'L,. sist that if he has been really guilty of having injured his neigh- til he has hour in property or character, he make reparation for the injury : promised no person is to be absolved until he has first faithfully promised t"''™;/ to repair fully the injury done ; and, as there are many who, the injury although free to make large promises to comply with their duty ^'"^^• in this respect, are yet deliberately determiued 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 sufl^ereth need."* But, in imposing penance, the confessor will do nothing ar- Penance bitrarily ; he will be guided solely by justice, prudence, and jj^™'^;!'" 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 penitential canons, as they are called, for certain sinsj The nature of the sin, therefore, will regulate the extent of the satisfaction : but no satisfaction c4n 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 tenor of their fu- ture lives that, having faithfully complied with every thing which the sacrament of Penance demands, they may never cease stu- diouslv to practise the virtue of penance. But, should it be Public deemed proper sometimes to visit public crimes witli public pe- P"™?^,^ nance, and should the penitent express great reluctance to submit with pub. to its performance, his importunity is not to be readily yielded lie pe- 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 hi such a manner as to enable the faithful not only to' understand them perfectly, but, also, with the Divine assistance, piously and religiously to reduce them to practice. ' Ephes. iv. 28. 18 206 The Catechism of the Council of Trait. ON THK SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION. ThisSacra- "In all thy works," says Eccleslasticus, " remember tliy ■?""' , last end, and thou shalt never sin ;'" words which convey to 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, gacrameiit 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 Unction, to afford us, when departing this mortal life, an easier access to lieaven. ThisSacia- In order, therefore, to follow, in a great measure, the same ment why order observed in the exposition of the other sacraments, we tremeUnc- ""''^' ^"^^^ 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 be a Sacra- g^gt jq jjg 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 Extrejne Unction, at once the nature and efficacy n of a sacrament. That such has been at all times the doctrifie 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, recommends this sacrament with great earnestness to the attention of the No,B faithful.* The pastor, therefore, will teach that extreme Unc- ' Eocles. vii. 40. 3 Vid. Hugon. de Sacr. part. 16. o. 2, Pet. Dam. serm. 1. de dedicat Ecclea. 3 James v. 14. 4 Sess. 43. de Extreni. Unc. c. I. et can. 3, 6lnnoo. ep. 1. ad Decent, c. 8. et citatur dist. 95. c. illud superfluum: .tei» Cone. Cabilon. c. 48 Wormacience c. 72 Constan. et Floren. On the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. 207 tion is a true sacrament, and that, although administered witli mahy 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 Its matter 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 Trent, consists of oil of olives, conse- crated by episcopal hands. No other sort of oil 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, ita form, which contain a solemn prayer, and are used at each anointing, according to the sense to which the unction is applied : " By THIS Holy Unction, an0 through his great mercy, may God INDULGE THEE WHATEVER SINS THOU HAST COMMITTED BY SIGHT, SMELL, TOUCH, &c. &e." 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 consists 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 Expresse-i surprise that, whilst the form of each of the other Sacraments '•y way of either absolutely signifies what it expresses, such as, " I baptise ^hy. thee," or "I 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. I't. 15. 208 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. is administered not only for the health of the soul, but also for that of the body ; and as it does not please Divine Providenfce, 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 eifect of the Sacrament. Adminis- In the administration of this Sacrament, peculiar rites are also tiation of used ; but they consist principally of prayers, offered by the mentfwhy pnest for the recovery of the sick person. There is no Sacra- accompa- ment the administration of which is accompanied with more niedvvith ^ numerous prayers ; and with good reason, for then, in a special many pray- ^^^^^^^ jj^g 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. ThisSa- Having thus shown that Extreme Unction is to be numbered crameut amongst the Sacraments, we infer, and the inference is just, by Christ, t^^' i' "^^^ i'^ institution to our Lord Jesus Christ, and was subsequently made known and promulgated to the faithful, by the Apostle St. James. Our Lord himself, would, 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 Note. 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 efEcacy arise from any na- tural virtue peculiar to oil ; its efEcacy is mystical, having been instituted to heal the maladies of the soul, rather than to cure the diseases of the body. This is the doctrine taught by the Fathers of the Church, by the Denises, the Ambroses, the Chrysostomes, by Gregory the Great ; and Extreme Unction is to be recognised and venerated as one of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. Extreme But although instituted for the use of all, Extreme Unction is Unct on, to not to be administered indiscriminately to all. In the first place, whento'be i' '^ ^'^^ *o be. administered to persons in sound health, accord- ndmiais- ing to these words of St. James : " Is any one sick amongst tered. y^y ?>>3 a,nd, as reason also proves, it vvas 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 Unction 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 ' Mark vi. 12, 13. 3 James v. 14 On the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. 20t» to sentiments of piety, the Sacrament must contribute to a more abundant participation of the graces which it imparts. Tliis heavenly medicine, therefore, in itself at all tii^^s salutary, the pastor will be careful to apply, when its effica'cy can be aided by the piety and devotion of the sick person. Extreme Unc- 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 iildications, in their lucid intervals, of a disposition to piety, and express a desil'e to be anointed. To persons insane from their birth, this Sacrament is not to be ad- ministered; but if a sick person, whilst in the possession of his faculties, expressed a wish to receive Extreme Unction, and at'terwards becomes delirious, he is to be anointed. The Sacred Unction is to be applied not to the entire body, How to tin but to the organs of sense only — to the eyes the organs of sight, |a""n's*«'"- 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 It may be whilst the danger of dying continues the same, the sick person ^^^^^^^ is to be anointed but once ; should he, however, recover after he has been anointed, he may receive the aid of this Sabfathent, as often as he shall have relapsed into the same dangerj 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- '">.". for '«= posed 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 confessed and received. He will then earnestly exhort the sick person, to receive this Sacrament with the same sentiments of faith which ainimated 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 tlie 18* 2D 210 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 sanc- 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. The minis- With regard to the minister of Extreme Unction, this too Ave terofthis jearn 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 administration 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. Note. 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, itsndvan- The advantages, which flow from this Sacrament, are also to 'ages. ije explained mtfre minutely, that if the sick are influenced by no other consideration, they may, at least, yield to this, for we I. 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, venial sins. Its primary object is not to remit mortal sins. For this the Sacrament of penance was instituted, as was that of baptism II. 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 ir.conveniences. 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 poignapt reproaches of conscience ; as it is written : " They shall come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their ini- quities shall stand against them to convict them."^ A source of alarm still more distressing is the awful reflection, that, jn 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 I James v 14. 2 gess. 14, c. 3. 3 Wisdom iv. 20 On the Sacrament of Orders. 211 .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- IV rived from Extreme Unction, 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- crament, therefore, arms and strengthens the faithful against the violence of his assaults, and enables them to fight resolutely and successfully against him. Tranquillized and encouraged by the hope of the divine mercy, the soul bears up witli 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- V 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.* It may, however, be pro- Note- 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 Cliurch. Nevertheless, our faith is here tq 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.'" 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 abundant fruit of piety. ON THE SACRAMENT OF ORDERS, From an attentive consideration of the nature of the other The Sacm- Sicraments we shall find little difficulty in perceiving, that, so i?"?*"*" dependent are they all on that of orders, that without its inter- vi,hy to be vention some could not exist, or be administered, whilst others explained ' Matt. xiii. 58. 2 Apoc. xiv. 13. Tlie Catechism of the Ctuncil of Trent. to the neo- cnould be stripped of the religious rites and solemn ceremonies ^ and of that exterior respect which sliould accompany their ad ministration. The pastor, therefore, following up his exposi tion of the sacraments, will deem it a duty to bestow, also, ou 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 II. others whom the Lord has called to his sanctuary, by inspiring them with tho same love of piety, and imparting to them a knowledge of those things which will quality them the more III. easily to advance to higher orders — to the faithful at large, by making known to them the respect due to the ministers of reli- IV. 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.* Dignity of The faithful then are to be made acquainted with the exalted this Sacra- ,}ignity and excellence of this sacrament in its highest degree, I which is the priesthood. Priests and bishops are, as it were, the interpreters and heralds of God, commissioned in his name 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, theiefore, to conceive a more exalted dignity, or func- tions more sacred. Justly, therefore, are they called not only angels,' bat 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 oifering 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."^ Those who This office, therefore, is not to be rashly imposed on any are to re- 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 Cone. Trid. in posteriore parte cujusque sessionis. qute est do reformatione ; quod vero attinet a ordinem ut est sacramenlum, vide idem Cone sess. 13. et de smgulis ordinatlonibus vide Cone. Carthag. IV. sub Anastosio Ponli- fice. anno 398. 2Mal.ii. 7. sPa. lxxxi.6. •< John viii, 36. sMatt. xxviii. 19. 6 Ephes. IV. 12. — De sacerdotii dignitate vide Ignat. epist ad Smyrn. Amb. lib 5 cpist 32. et lib. 10. ep. 82. Chrysost. hom. 60. ad pop. Antioch, et in Matt, hoin 83. Nazian. orat. 17. ad suos cives. On the Sacrament of Orders. 213 of their lives, by their knowledge, their faith, and their pru- ceive Or- dence, are capable of sustaining its weight : " Nor let any one ^e'^aUgJ. take this honour to himself," says the Apostle, "but he that is theirviewi called by God as Aaron was."' This call from God we recog- anddispo- 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:"'' such sacrilegious intruders bring the greatest misery on them- selves, 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 who aspire to the priesthood with a view to secure to themselves 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 duly com- mon alike to all men, and particularly incumbent on the faithful : he must also be resolved to serve God in holiness and right- eousness, 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 'Ileb. V. 4. 2 Jerem. xxiii, 21, 3 Vid. dist, 23. multis in capitibus. ICur. ix. 13. sjohnx. 12. 6 Ezek. xxxiv, 1. 214 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. the Church, whilst all without distinction should be earnest in 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, special office* 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 form them to a faithful and ready compliance with its injunc- 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. The power Having explained these matters to the faithful, the pastor will ■^""th"!"^ next proceed to expound those things which are peculiar to this crament of Sacrament, that thus the candidate for orders may be enabled to Orders form a just estimate of the nature of the office to whirh he as- iutisdic-'" pires, and to know the extent of the povirer conferred by Al- lion.andof mighty God on his Church and her ministers. This power is orders. 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 fo- ils 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, " I send you : Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall 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. Greainess 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. 21, 22, 23. 2 Matt, xviii. 18. 1 Vid. de consecr. dist, 2. cap. nihil in sacrificiis, Cone. Trid. sess. 22. cap. 1. Irca lio. 4. c. 34. Aug. lib. 19. de civit. Dei, cap. 23. < Ileb. vii. 12. of this po'ver. On the Sacrament of Orders. 21o of sacred things, the legitimate ministers of the divine worship; and of such persons the power might, in a certain sense, be called 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- cal 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 Name of and solemnly consecrated, and this solemn consecration is de- '•'■^ Sacra- 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 of 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 is very appropriately called " the Sacrament of Orders," That Holy Orders are to be numbered amongst the Sacra- Orders, a ments of the Church, the Council of Trent establishes on the Sacrament 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 sensible sign of the grace and power which they confer on the receiver: H0I5I 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 Holy 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 online, ordinem esse sacramentum vid. Trid. sess. 23. de ordine. c. I. et 3. et can. 3, 4, 5. Cone. Florent. in decret. de sacr. 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. il6 Number of Onlera. Tonsure, its form, origin, and '.mport. 77(6 Catechism of the Council of Trent. thee, by the imposition of my hands ; for God hath not 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 thn Council 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." 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. To facili- tate the duty of the pastor, particularly when conveying instruc- 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 h-aw, were consecrated to the service of God, and to whom the Lord forbade that any por- tion of %e ground should be distributed in the land of promise saying, " I am thy portion and thy inheritance."' This, al- though true of all Christians, applies in a special manner to tho?e 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. This 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. 3 Horum ordinum nreminerunt Dionys. lib. Eocl. Ilier. cap. S. Cornel. Papa in epist ad Fab. episcop Antiocli. exliit apud Euseh. Hist. Ecoles. lib. 6. cap. 35 Cone. Carth. 4. can. 4. et seq. Ignat. epist. ad Antioch. 3 x>.«(os, sors. a lot. T. i Num. xviii. 20. 5 Vid. Hieron. epist 2. ad Nepot. et citatur 13. q, 1. c. clericus. c Dionys. de Eccles. Hier. c. 6. part. 2. Oji the Sacrament of Orders. 2n by St. Augustine,* and by St. Jerome.^ According to these venerable personages the Tonsure 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 cany about them the figure and the likeness of Christ. Some, however, assert that tonsure is all 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."^ Others are of opinion that tonsure, which is cut in form of a circle, the most perfect of all figures, is emblematic of the superior perfection of the ecclesiastical state ; or that, as it consists of cutting oif 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 Porter, 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 ; " Conduct YOURSELF AS HAVING TO RENDER AN ACCOUNT TO GoD FOR THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE KEPT UNDER THESE KEYS." That in the ancient Church ^his oflice 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 still numbered amongst the most honourable functions of the ecclesiastic* The second amongst the Minor Orders is that of Reader : to Reader liim 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 people, 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 WoRD OF GoD, DESTINED, IF YOU APPROVE YOURSELF FAITHFUL AND USEFUL IN THE DISCHARGE ' Aug. serm. 17. ad Fratres in Eremo. 2 Hier. in cap, 44. Ezek. vid. Kliaban. Maur. lib. de insti^ut. cleric. Bed. lib. hist 5. Angl. c. 22. 3 1 Pet. ii. 9. 4 De Ostiario vid. Trid. sess. 23. de reform, c. 17. Cone. Tolet c. 6. et cilatur. dist. 25. Ostiar. Isid. lib. de Eccl. c. 14. et dist 25. c. perlec'Js, et apud Baron. Annal, Eccl. an. 34. num. 287. et an. 44, num. 78. et num. 80 19 2E 21S The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Ksorcist Acolyte. Snb-dna con. or 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, vifhen 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 "3 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 also 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 LoRD." 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 EuCHARlST OF THE BLOOD OF Christ, in the name of the Lord."^ Minor Orders, which do not come under the denomination ol 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 fnnctions, 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 p'ace, when the solemn prayer of the Litanies has been recited, the Bishop enumerates and explains the duties and func- tions of the Sub-deacon. This done, each of the candidates for ' Vid. Cypr. epist. 33. et Tertull. de prescript o. 61. et apud Baron. Annal. Eccl. anno. 34. num. 287. et an. 54. 78, 79. an. 153. num. 93. an. 456. num. 20. 2 Do Exorcist, vid. supra oil. auctores et apud Baron. Annal. Eccl. an. 34. num. 287. an. 44. num. 78. et num. 80. an. 237. num. 89, an. £6. num. 5. et num. 8. 9. 10. 11.12 ■1 De Acolytis vid. etiam Cypr. epist, 55. et apud Baron, Annal. Eccl. an. 44. num. 39. et num. 80. On the Sacrament of Orders. 219 ordination receives from the Bishop a chalice and consecrated patena, and from the Archdeacon, cruits filled with wine and water, and a basin 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 admO' NISH YOU THEREFORE SO TO COMPORT YOURSELVES AS TO BE PLEAS- ING IN THE SIGHT OF GoD." Additional prayers are then recited, and when, finall)'^, 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 of the Epistles, and have power to read them in the Church of God, both for the living and the dead."* The second amongst the Holy Orders is that of Deacon : his Deacon, 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 worship, 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. To 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 Sacri- 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 ofiice 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 lesson of instruction. The prayers used at the ordination 1 De Subdiaconis praeter auctores supra citatos vide Cypr. epist. 34. et epist. 42. dist. 17. c. presbyteris. Can. Apost. can. 25. Cone. Carthag. 4. can. 5. Arelpt 2. can. 2. Aurel. 3. cap. 2. Eliber. can. 33. Leo I. Epist. 82. item apud Baron. Annal. Eocl. an 44 num. 79. et 80. an. 253, num. 72. num. 97. an. 239 num 21. an. 324. num. 128. on. 588. num. 48. an. 689. num. 6. an. 1057. num. 32. 2 j Tim. iii. 8. 220 PncBt The Priest- hood, two- fold; Internal, and exter- nal. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. of a Deacon are more numerous and solemn tlian 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 tjsad the Gospel in the Church of God, as well for the living as for the dead, in the name of the lord."" 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 distinction 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 internal 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 ns 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 aflilicted spirit ; a contrite and humble heart, O God ! thou wilt not despise."' That all tjiese authorities regard the internal Priesthood, it requires little discernment to discover. The external Priesthood docs not extend indiscriminately to 1 Acta vi. 6. 2 De Diaconis prosier citatos supra vid. Clem. Rom. Constlt. Apostol. lib. 2. c. G Cypr. de lapsis. Amb. lib. I. ofTio. c. 41. Leo 1. serm. do S. Laurent. Clem. Rom. epist. 1. ad Jacob.. Fratrem Domini, Ilier. epist 48. et apud Baron. Annal. Eccl. an. 33. num. 41. an. 34. num. 283. an. 885 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. 401. num.44 et47. an. SOS. num. 15. an. 741. num. 12 s wisd. 4. 8. < Apoe. i. 5, 6 * 1 Pet. ii. 5. 6 Rom. xii. 1. 7 Pa. 1, 19. On the Sacrament of Orders. 23 the great body of the faithful ; it is appropriated to a certain class of persons, who, being invested with this augiist charac- 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 dU- I(aw. We have already seen that David spoke of the internal 'i"«=''°" "!> 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 ^g^g^,"^. 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 P^ved Sacraments of the Church: the bishop, and after him the priests rites by* who may be present, impose hands on the candidate for priest- which it is hood ; then placing a stole on his shoulders, he adjusts it in '^""'Y'°''' form of a cross, to signify that the priest receives strength from if. 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 tlie eloquent example of a holy life. He next anoints his hands with sacred oil, reaches him a chajicc Hi. containing wine and a patena with bread, saying : " Receive I'OWER TO OFl'ER SACRIFICE TO GoD, AND TO CELEBRATE MaSS AS WELL FOR THE LIVING AS FOR THE DEAD." By thcSe 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 ye the Holy Ghost ; WHOSE sins you SHALL FORGIVE, THEY ARE FORGIVEN THEM: AND WHOSE SINS YOU SHALL RETAIN, THEY ARE RETAINED ;"" 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 ynesu ferent degrees of dignity and power. The first is confined to Ij?'"^'i*'' 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 ^j ™ver ' Amb. lib. 4. de sacram. cap. 1. August, lib. 10, de civ. Dei, c. 9 «' 10. Leo. term. 3. de Annivers. PontiBc. 3 Par. 26. 18, ]9. 2Johniii xx.22,23 19* 222 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. I- ministers of tlie Church, but also the faithful ; and, with sleep ^' less 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 oflice, 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 in. 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, IV. 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 PoutifF, 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 la.st, the Pa- triarchate of Jerusalem, founded by St. James, the brother of our- Lord. V. 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 Cfniversal 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.' insfTuctinn From what has been said, the pastor will take occasion to iii- I°i''* rii'''" ^°^'" ^^^ faithful what are the principal offices and functions of Sacrament. Ecclesiastical Orders, and their degrees, and, also, who is the minister of this Sacrament. ■ Acls XX. 28. 2 1 Pet. v. 2. 3 De primatu Summi PontiScis vid. Anacl. epiat. 3. c. 3. et citatiir dist. 22. c. Sa crosancta. Greg. lib. 7. epist. 64 et 65. Nicol. Pap. epist. ad Mediolanens. et citat dist. 22. c. omiies, vid. item eadem dist. c. Constantin. Cone. Chalced. in ea ad Leonem. On the Sacrament of Orders, 223 That to the Bishop belongs exclusively the administration of The minia- this Sacrament is matter of certainty, and is easily proved by ga'^ffrngn, the avilhority of Scripture, by traditional evidence the most un- of Orders equivocal, by the unanimous attestation of all the Holy Fathers, a Bishop by the decrees of Councils, and by the practice of the Univer- sal Church. Some Aljbots, it is true, were occasionally per- mitted to confer Minor Orders : all, however, admit that even this is the proper office of the Bishop, to whqm, and to whom alone, it is lawful to confer the other Orders : Sub-deacons, Deacons, and Priests 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 Necessity candidate for Orders, particularly for Priesthood. From what °^ extreme we shall have said on this subject, it will not be difficult to de- promoting cide what should also be the qualifications of those who are to to Orders, 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 d^out 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 Qualifica- a first and essential qualification, not only because to procure, J'°°' C""" or even to permit his ordination, whilst his conscience is bur- hood, dened wiih the weight of mortal sin, is to aggravate his former I- guilt, by an additional crime of the deepest enormity ; but, also, because it is his to enlighten the darkness of others by the liistre 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 com- 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 pr^actice 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 n knowledge which is necessary to the proper administration of the Sacraments : more is expected — an intimate acquaintance 'Tit.i. andlTim. ill. Note. On whom Orders are not to be conferred. 224 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. with the science of the Sacved Volume should fit him to instruct 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 wlio 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. Tlie 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 diffisrent 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 wedlock, 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 Church, 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 perfect 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. III. This power is also denominated a spiritual character, which, by a certain interior mark impressed on the soul, distinguishes the Effects of the Sacra- ment of Orders. I. ir. ' Ma'ach. ii. 7. On the Sacrament of Matrimony. 23 o 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, vi^hen 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 sutlice. Our purpose 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 THK SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY. As it is the duty of the pastor to propose to himself the holi- A life of ness and perfection of the faithful, his earnest desires must be in continence full accordance with those of the Apostle, when, writing to the sired by nil. Corinthians, he says : " I would that all men were even as my- self ;"' that is, that all embraced the virtue of continence. If there be any one blessing superior to every other, it surely falls to the lot of him who, unlettered by the distracting cares of the world, the turbulence of passion tranquillized, the unruly de- sires of the flesh extinguished, reposes in the practice of piety and the contemplation of heavenly things. But as, according The sane- to the same Apostle, " every one hath his proper gift from God, ''.'y "f >nar 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 Nature explained ; for as vice not unfrequently assumes the semblance ®"^ import of virtue, care must be taken that the faithful be not deceived to be first explained. ■ II Tim. iv. 14. 2 2 Tim. i..6. , = ] Cor. vii. 7. 4 1 Cor. vii. 7 ' John ii. 2. 2F 226 Tlie Catechism of (he Council of 7^-ent. the wora " matri mony." " Wed lock." " Mar- riage." Doflnidon of matri- mony, ex- planation af 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 Meaningof shall begin with the meaning of the word " Matrimony." It is called " Matrimony," because the principal object which 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 conjiigendo) because a lawful wife is united to her husband, as it were, by a common yoke. It is called " num-iage," (nup- tise) because, as St. Ambrose observes, 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, air 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 it is 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 instance, 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 tliat tie consists marriage. Some eminent divines, it is true, say that it consists in the consent, as when they define it : " The consent of the man and woman ;" but we are to understand them to mean that the consent is the efficient cause of marriagCi 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 Fn what marriage conaista. ' De his nomin. vid. Aug. lib. 19. contr. Faust c. 28. Ambr. lib. 1. do Abraham c. 9. in fine, item vid. 30. q. 5. c. fcemiiia, et 33. q. 5. c. Mulier. Isidor. Ub. de Eccl olficiis c. 19. s Such laws, the reader will perceiv?, are of a local nature, and vary in different Fiiuntries. — ^T. On the Sacrament of Matrimony. 227 donation, but a mutual contract ; and therefore tlie 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 leason as it is opposed to the decrees and established usage of the Church. It has been wisely provided that the consent of the parties The con- to the marriage contract be expressed in words which have re- sent of the ference to the present time. Words which signify a future Se"'xpres»- time promise, but do not actually unite in marriage : it is evi- edin words dent that what is to be done has no present existence : what which does not exist can have little or no firmness or stability : a pro- enceto the mise of marriage, therefore, does not give a title to the rights present 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 deatli of one of the parties. Instead of words, however, it may be sufficient for the va- a nod or lidity of the marriage contract to substitute a nod or other une- otherunB quivocal sign of tacit consent : even silence, when the result ^^^ay of female modesty, may be sufiicient, provided the parents an- besuffi- 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 Conaum- parties, expressed in the manner already explained, is sufficient mation noi to constitute a true marriage. It is certain that our first parents "^''^^'"y- before their fall, when, according to the Holy, Fathers, no consumination took place, were really united in marriage.' The holy Fathers, therefore, say that marriage consists not in its consummation, but iajthe consent of the contracting, parties ; a doctrine repeated by St. Ajmbrose in his book on virginity." Having explained these matters, the pastor will proceed to MarriagB teach that matrimony is to be considered in two points of view, two-fold, 1 Gen. ii. 22. 2 De instit virgin, cap. C. 228 natural md sucra- mental. Natural = marriage instituted by God. indissolu- ble. Marriage not obliga- toryr on all Marriage wliy insti- tuted I. 77/6 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 was 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 ns 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 shall be called woman, because she was taken out of map : wherefore a man shall leave father and motlier, and shall cleave to his wife ; and they shall be two in one flesh.' "* These words, according to the authorit)'- of our Lord himself as we read 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 :* "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 can 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."' But why marriage was instituted is a subject which demands exposition — The first reason of its institution is because nature instinctively tends -to such a union ; and under the vicissitudes 1 1 Cor. XV. 46. 3 Matt. xix. 6. e Matt xlx. 12. 2 (Jon. i. 27, 28. Geu ii. 18. 21, 22, 23, 24. * Sess. 24. init. ' Matt. xix. 6. ' 1 Cor. vii. 25. On the Sacrament of Matrimony, 22M of life anJ the infirmities of old age, this union is a source of mutual assistance and support. Another is tlie desire of family, U. 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 tlie 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 Noie. 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 III. consequences of primeval transgressions t 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 together again, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency."^ These are ends, some one of which, those who desire to con- jjjote 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 tlie pastor will communi- Matrimony cate to the faithful on the subject of marriage, as a natural con- ^ "■ Sacra- tract: as a sacrament he will show that marriage is raised to a periorto" .superior order, and referred to a more exalted end. The ori- the natural ginal institution of marriage, as a natural contract, had for object ™°"'""- the propagation of the human race : its subsequent elevation to I Tob. vi. 16, 17, 18. 22. 2 1 Cor. vu. 2. »Gen. xxix 20 'iSO 77ie 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 Exempli- God, and of our Lord Jesus Christ. When the Redeemer union'oi" Would exemplify the close union that subsists between him and Oiristand his Church, and his boundless love towards us, he declares this his Church, 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 Scrip- tures, by assimilating it to marriage, frequently place before us this divine union of Christ with his Church. Marriage a That marriage is a sacrament has been at all times held by Sacrament ^j^g 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 owil 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. 'I'his is a great sacrament, but I speak in Christ, and in the Church."^ \Vhen the Apostle says : " This is a great sacrament," h^ means, no doubt, to designate marriage;^ as if he had said: The conjugal union between man and wife, 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 Church;"* 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, ft signifies That this sacrament signifies and confers grace, and in this iind confers t^e nature of a sacrament 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 himself, 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 ; id reject every criminal attacli- ment ; to repel every inclination to unlawful intercourse ; and • Eph. V. 28. 2 TertuU. lib. de Monog. Aug. de fide qt oper. c. 7. lib. de nupt. et conoup. c. 10. et 12. 3 Sess. 24. 4 Ambr. in epist. ad Ephes. s Eph. V. 23. 6 Sess. 24. de matrim. On the Sacrament of Matrimony. 231 in every thing to preserve " marriage honourable, and the bed undefiled.'" . The great superiority of the sacrament of matrimony to those Itssupe- marriages which took place before or after the Lavif, we may """lyto learn from the following considerations — The Gentiles, it is and Jewish true, looked upon marriage as something sacred, and therefore marriage 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 ; but 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 a cause exist, it was subsequently permitted to dismiss one's wife, having given her a bill of divorce ;" both of which abuses have been renjoved by the Gospel dispensation, and marriage restored to its primitive state. That polygamy is opposed to the nature of marriage is shown Polygamy by our Lord in these words: "For this cause a man shall opposed*! leave father and mother, and cleave to his wife, and they two of mar?" shall be in one flesh. Therefore," continues the Redeemer, riage. " now they are not two but one flesh."* The Patriarchs, who, by the perniission 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 disrnissed, 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 the 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 the others That marriage cannot be dissolved by divorce is easily proved Mamaga from the same testimony of our Lord : if by a bill of divorce jijdisaolu- 1 Heb. xiii. 4. ^ Gen. xrii. 18, 3 Deut xxW. 1. Matt. xii. 7. * Matt xix. 9. ' Matt xix. 9 232 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, comraitteth 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 will, only in the Lord." and again : " To them that are married, not \, 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 influenced by very weighty causes, does not sanction the separation of husband and wife. Beneficial That this the law of marriage may not appear too rigorous, its ^uences of beneficial consequences are to be presented to the consideration its indisso. of the faithful. In the first place, they should know that the lubilipr. 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- II. portance to the interests of society. Besides, if marriage were dissoluble by divorce, married persons could scarcely ever want causes of dissension, which the inveterate enemy of peace HI- 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 IV. to dissension ; and if sometimes separated, feeling the many in- conveniencies that attend their separation, their reconciliation is V. easily accomplished through the 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 after her delinquency refuses to repent, and perseveres in the career of turpitude which she had comrtienced."* Li perfection and dignity, it is clear there- for*, from what has been said, that marriage amongst the Jews Th ee d- ^""^ Gentiles is far inferior to Christian marriage, vantages The faithful are also to be informed that there are three ad- arising vantages which arise from marriage, ofl^spring, faith, and the riage.""" sacrament; advantages which alleviate those evils which the ' Matt xix. a Luke xiv. 18. = 1 Cor. vii. 39. ' Prov. xvui. 21 4 lib. de adult, cunjug. c. 6. et 9. On the Sacrament of Matrimony. 233 Apostle points out when he says : " Such shall have tribulation of the flesh;"' and which render that intercourse, which with- out marriage should be deservedly reprobated, an honourable union.^ The first advantage, then, is that of legitimate ofT- I spring ; an advantage so highly appreciated by the Apostle, that he says : " The woman shall be saved through child-bear- ing."* 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 education by which children are reared to piety ; for the Apostle immediately adds : " If she continue in faith." " Hast thou children," says Ecclesias- tinus, " instruct them and bow down their neck from their childhood :"* the same important lesson is inculcated by the Apostle ; and of such an education the S.criplure affords the most beautiful illustrations in the persons of Tobias, Job, and of other characters eminent for sanctity. But the further deve- Note, 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 U. 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 persons, and to preserve inviolate the sacred engagements of marriage. This is an obvious inference from the words of Adam on receiving his consort Eve, which, as the Gospel informs us, the Redeemer has sanctioned by his appro- bation : " Wherefore," says our protoparent, " a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; and they shall be two in one flesh."' Nor are the words of the Apostle less explicit : " The wife," says he, " hath not power of her own body; but the husband."'' Hence against adultery, be- cause it violates this conjugal faith, the Almighty justly decreed in the Old Law the heaviest chastisements.'' 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 Church."^ 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- in. 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 his Church, it follows that as Christ never separates himself 1 ] Cor. vii. 28. 2 vid. Aug. lib. 5. contr. Tut. cap. 5. 3 ] Tim. ii. 15. * Eccl. vii. 25. 6 Gen. ii. 24. Matt. xix. 5. 6 i Cor. vii. 4. '' Num. V. 12. 8 Ephes. v. 25. 9 1 Cor. vii. 10. 20* 2 G 234 Duties of a husband. I. III. Duties of i wife. I. n. in. IV. Rites ob- served ir the admi- nistration ofmar- riogo. 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. Tlie 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 inculcated by St. Paul and by the prince of the Apostles.' It is then the duty of the husband to treat his wife liberally and honourably: it should not be forgotten that Eve was called by A'dam "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 man ; 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 without 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 obeyed 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,r 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- 1 Vid. Aug. lib. 1. de adult conjug. c. 31 et g2. et de bono coniug. car. 7. et con- iupis. lib. 1. c. 10. 2 1 pet. iii. 1, 2. On the Sacrament of Matrimony. 235 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 Youthfobe life marked by extreme weakness and indiscretion, deceived by admonish- the specious but misapplied name of marriage, may rush into subject of hasty engagements, the result of criminal passion ; the pastor ™arriage, 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 The impe- subject so minutely and accurately treated by many writers on diments of morality, of grave authority and profound erudition, as to ren- "^^"'^S«' 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 The ^dispo- should approach the sacrament of marriage : they should con- ^'''?"^™^'' sider themselves as about to engage, not in a human work, but sacrament in a divine ordinance ; and the example qf the Fathers of the ofmarriage Old Law, by whom marriage, although not raised to the dignity proau'hed'^ 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 ciandes- the zealous exhortation of tlie pastor, it is, that children pay it as ^ne mar- 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 tlieir 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 TwoIcs- which the pastor will approach with becoming delicacy, avoid- ^""^ of '»■ ing the use of any expression that may be unfit to meet the ^jHch'te- ears of the faithful, that may be calculated to offend the piety gard the of some, or excite the laughter of others. " The words of the H^® of n>a^ 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. Two les- 1 Sess. 24, decret de reformat, matrimon. • 2 1 Cor. vii. 38. 3 Pa. xi. 7, 286 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. sons of instruction are, then, to be specially pressed upon the I. 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 no*t hurried into indulgence. What greater turpi- tude than that a husband should love his wife, as the seducer n. 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 to 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, " whicli confoundeth not,"* of arriving one day, through the divine goodness, ni the fruition of that life which is eternal.* ' 1 Cor. vii. 29. = S. Hier. lib. 1. contra. lovian, in fine. 3 Rom. v. 5. •• Vicl. 33. q. 4. per totan et de consecr. dist. 2. cap. omnis homo. Hier. in apoU pro lihris conira lovian. post medium inter episU num. 50. et in c. 12. Zach. super. iJlud : " In die planctus magnus erit fructiis thori imm-iculati." THE CATECHISM THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. PART III. ON THE DECALOGUE. That the Decalogue is an epitome of the entire law of God The Deca IS the recorded opinion of St. Augustine.* The Lord, it is true, logue an had uttered many things for the instruction and guidance of his tt^e'entire people ; yet two tables only were given to Moses. They were lawofGod 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."'' Lribodying then, as the Decalogue does, the whole Law, it To be care- is the imperative duty of the pastor to give his days and nights fully stu- to its consideration ; and to this he should be prompted by a eipja^nfd desire not only to regulate his own life by-its precepts, but also by the pa»- 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 lig^t 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 man be over- taken ill any fault, those who are spiritual should instruct such a one."' 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, he is desirous that his ignorance 1 Qusestio 140. super Exod. 2 Matt xxii. 40. 'Mai. ii. 7. 4 2Cor. ui. 18 6 Matt. v. 14. « Rom. ii. 19, 20. ^ Gal. vi. 1 237 238 Tlie 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."" Motivesfor ^'^ ^■'^ discharge of this duty of instruction, the pastor will its observ- 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 all 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 siipply, bear ample testimony. Who is not conscious that a law is inscribed on his heart by the finger of God, teaching him to distinguish good from evil, vice from virtue, justice from injustice 1 The force and import of this unwritten law do not conflict with tliat which is written. How unreasonable then to deny that God is the author of the written, as he is of the unwritten law. The writ- But, lest the people, aware of the abrogation of the Mosaic ten law. Law, may imagine that the precepts of the Decalogue are no why given. iQ„ggr obligatory, the pastor 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 Note. ^"'^ 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. Considera- I^"' '' "1"^* prove a most powerful and persuasive argument lions calcu- for enl'orcing its observance, to reflect that the founder of the latedtoen- j^g^^ jg ,jjj ]ggg ^ person than God himself — that God whose force Its 00- . , , . . ^ , . , servanee. Wisdom and justice we mortals cannot question — whose power r. 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 ;"* and in Malachy we read the indignant interrogatory : " If I am a master, where is my fear ?"* That God has vouchsafed to give n lis a transcript of his holy will, on which depends our eternal l2Tim.iv.3. 2 Tit ii. 14. 'Gal.iii. 19. ieor.\ii. 19. eGal. vi. 15. ' John xiv. 21. 23. On the First Commandment. 241 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 enligiitened 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 To be ob- actuated so much by a sense of our own advantage as by a re- ^^f™" "«■ gard for the holy will of God, unfolded to man by the promul- God. 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- A great tion, is, that God has pre-eminently displayed his clemency and '■^™?"1 the riches of his bounty in this, that whilst he might have com- iu, obaerv manded our service without a reward, he has, notwithstanding, ""ce. 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 together, and running over,"'^ which, aided by the divine mercy, we merit by our actions when recommended by piety and justice. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. •'I AM THE LORD THY QOD, 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 GRAVEN THING, &C."^ The law announced in the Decalogue, although delivered to The worai the Jews by the Lord from the summit of Sinai, was originally of tlie law. written by the finger of nature on the heart of man,'' and was ^ro of dw' therefore rt.idered obligatory on mankind at all times by the people of Author of nature. It will, however, be found very salutary to '^™,^'. '^ explain with minute attention the words in which it was pro- 1 Ps. xviii. 8. 2 Ps. xviii. 12. 3 Deut. xxviii. ? < Matt, v. 13 * Luke vi. 38. 6 Exod. xx. 2. ' Rom. i. 19, 80. 21 2 H 24S Tlie 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. An epi- The pastor will first show, that from amongst the nations of their hfs- *^^ earth, God chose one which descended from Abraham; lory. that it was the divine will that Abraham shonld 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 extraordinfiry degree ; anu wiieu 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; "I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Theppople Having premised this brief sketch of the history of tfie peo- oflsrael, pie of Israel, the pastor will not omit to observe, that from sen'byCjQd. 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. Sucli 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 Israel- The pastor will next inform the faithful that God suffered iteswhy ^jjg Hebrew Fathers to wander for so long a lime, and their to such posterity to be oppressed and harassed by a galling servitude •rials. 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 to the friendship of God ; and that admitted to his friendship we 'Ps. civ. II. 2 Deut. vii. 6, 7. > Deut. x. ]9. Jerem. xvi. 14, etseq. ^Johnxi. 52. Rom. vi. 18. * Luke i. 74, 75. 5 Rom. vi. 2. e Exod. xx. 3. On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints. 245 exalted claim upon our obedience therefore commence, with this conclude all his commandments : " I am the Lord." The negative part of the precept is comprised in these words : What U " thou shah not have strange gods before me." This our prohibiia 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 conunand- <=ommand- ^ ,. ,, ...'^ *,.. , ment of ment, not only in order, but also in its nature, dignity, and superior excellence. God is entided to infinitely greater love and to importance higher authority with regard to his creatures than the masters *" *® "^'^ 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 vio- have not faith, hope, and charity ; a numerous class, amongst ^""'' 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 ai;- The ho- curately taught that the veneration and invocation of angels and P™' ™^ saints, who enjoy the glory of heaven, and the honour which of the the Catholic Church has always paid even to the bodies and samtonot ashes of the saints, are not forbidden by this commandment.* b^^hi"'^'' Were a king to prohibit by proclamation any individual to as- command- ment 1 3 Tfings xviii. 21. 2 4 Kings xvii. 33. 3 De variis istis peccatis vide dist. 24. q. 2. multis in capitibus. Aug. in lib. de di- viriat. demon, cap. 5. et citatur 26. q. 4. a. secundum. Origen. hom, 5. in Joshue et habei 25. q. 2. c. sed et illud Aug. lib. 2. de doct. Christian, cap. 19. and 20. et ci- tatur eodem cap. illud quod est. Cone. Carth. 4. cap. 19. vid. plura 26. q. 2, 3 et 5. ■I Vid. Trid. sess. 17. de Sacrif Missae. c. 3. et sess. 25. sub princip. cap. de invo- cat. 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 V.6. de Mar. Mamman : item Nazian. orat. in laud. S. Cyi nan. 21* 246 Angola re- fused to be worship- ped by men, on what occa- sions. To be honour- ad, and invo- ked. To honour the saints does not detract m>m, but The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Slime 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, wallcing in tlie 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 worshipped 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, fat from diminishing, tends considerably to increase the glory of ' Apoc. xix. 10. Apoo. xxii. 9. 2 j Tim. i. 17. Exod. xx. 2. Levit. xix 11. s Dout. v. 16. i Gen. xxiii. 7. 2 Kings xxiv. 20.' 1 Par. 29. 20. s Dan. X. 13. e Tob. xii. 12. Apoo. viii. 3. 7 Matt, xviii. 10. s Gen, xxxii. 26. Osee xii. 4. « Gen xlviii. 16 On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints. 247 God, in proportion as the Christian's hope is thus animated and adds to the fortified, and he himself excited to the imitation of their virtues, j °q^_ "" This is a doctrine which is also supported by the authority of the second Council of Nice,* the Council of Gangre,'* and of TheCoun- Trent,^ and by tlie testimony of the Holy Fathers.* In order ^J^^; ^ however that the pastor may be the better prepared to meet the thers. objections of those who impugn ihis doctrine, he will consult particularly St. Jerome against Vigilantius, and the fourth book, sixteenth chapter of Damascene on the orthodox faith f and Apostolic what, if possible, is still more conclusive, he will appeal to the tradition, uniform practice of Christians, as handed down by the Apostles and faithfully preserved in the Church of God.' But what ar- Scripture 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 the saints have to be honoured and invoked is, that they ear- ^^^ ™^ nestly importune God for our salvation, and obtain for us by ers. their intercession many favours and blessings. If there is joy in heaven for the conversion of one sinner,* can the citizens of heaven he 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- Objection 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 Answer 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 Objection, 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 Answer. 1 Niceen. Cone. 2. act. 6. 2 Gangr. Can. xx. et citatur dist. 30. cap. si quia per superbiam. 3 Trid. sess. 25. item Cone. Chalced. sub iinem et in 6. Synod. General, c. 7. et Cone. Geron. c. 3. Aurel. 1. c. 29. 4 Damasc. de orrh, fid. lib. 4. c. 6. ^ Lib. 4. de orth. fid. c. 16. 6'Dionys. c. 7. Hier. Eccles. Iren. lib. 5. contra hseres. c. 19. Athan. serm. in Evangel, de sancta Deip. Euseb. lib. 13. preepar. Kvang. c. 7. Cornel, pap. epist. 1. Hilar, in Ps. 128. Ambr. in lib. de vidnis. ' Eccl. xliv. xlv. xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. xlix. lib. Hebr. xi. 8 Luke xv. 7. 10. 9 Aug. quiest. 149 super Exod. serm. 2. et 4. de Sl Steph. 10 Gen. XX. » Matt viu. 5. Luke vii. 3. 1= 1 Tim. ii. 5. "' Heb. ix. 13 et 7. 25. 248 Tlie 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 interces sion of the saints in heaven. Theinvo- But what incredulity so obstinate but must yield to the evi- cation of (]ence in support of the honour and invocation of the saints, ved by the which the wonders wrought at their tombs flash upon the mind 1 miracles The blind see, the lame walk, the paralyzed are invigorated, the Sdrtomte' ^^^'^ raised to life, and evil demons are expelled from the bodies of men ! These 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 con- and an Augustine.' But why multiply proofs on this head ? fli™ ffi ^^ ^^ *^^ clothes, the kerchiefs,* and even the very shadows of ol' relics, 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.^ " Thou 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 I'NDER THE EARTH : THOU SHALT NOT ADORE THEM NOR SERVE THEM."' These Some, supposing these words to constitute a distinct precept, words do reduce the ninth and tenth connnandments into one. St, Au- a distinct gusline holds a different opinion : considering the two last to be precept distinct, he refers these words to the first commandment ;'' and this division, because well known and much approved in the Catholic church, we willingly adopt. As a very strong argu- ment in its favour, we may, however, add the propriety of an- nexing 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 have chosen. Do not pro- This commandment does not prohibit the arts of painting or hibit the sculpture ; the Scriptures inform us that God himself commanded ^gg_ ' images of Cherubim," and also the brazen serpent^ to be made; ' Rom. XV. 30. Heb, xiii. 18. 2 Ambr. epist 85. et serm. a"). 3 Aug. de civlt. Dei, lib. 22. c. 8. et epist 137. 4 Acts v. xii. 12 et5. 15. s 4 Kings xiii. 21. » Exod. xx. 4. 7 Vid. Aug. super Exod. quEst 71. and in Ps. 32. serm. 2. Sententia D. Aug. de prseceptonim dislinctione magis placet Ecclesiee Vid. D. Thorn, i. 2. quoBst. ICO. art 4. « Exod. XXV. 18. 3 Kings vi. 27. o Num. xxi. 8. 9. On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints. 249 and the conclusion, 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 Prohibit grievously offended in a two-fold manner : the one, by wor- ^^'° '""'S» shipping idols and images as gods, or believing that they pos- sess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our worship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them, as the Gentiles did, who placed their hopes in idols, and whose idolatry the Scrip- tures 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, uncircumscribed 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 Apostle has these admirable words : " They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into a likenes^ 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 Their gods, with a view to the utter extinction of all idolatry, he also ™eanmg. prohibits the formation of an image of the Deity from brass or other materials, as Isaias declares when he asks : " To whom then have you likened God, or what image will you make for him ?"" That this is the meaning of the prohibitory part of the precept is proved, not only from the writings of the Holy 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 of 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 To repre- forms, under which, as we read in the Old and New Testa- ?hePerso?u ments, they deigned to appear, is not to be deemed contrary to oftheTri- religion, or the Law of God. Whi so ignorant as to believe nity under that such forms are express images jf the Deity ? — forms, as forms, not prohibited. I Damaa. lib. 4. de ortrod. fid. n. 17. 2 Conc. NicEn. 2 act 3 3 Kom. i. 23. * Emd. xxxii. 4 » Ps. cv. 20. 6 Isa. xl. 18. Acts vii. 40. ' Deut iv. 15, 16. 21 250 The same doctrine true with regard to angels ; Forms wliich 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, whioh only express some attribute or ac- tion ascribed to God. Thus, Daniel describes " The Ancient of Davs, 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 tmder- 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 attrtbutes of the Holy Ghost are represented under the forms of a dove, and of tongues of fire, as we read in the GospoP 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 ac- cord upon tlie 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,' will use every exertion in his power to correct such ah abuse, and, if ne- cessary, explain the tlecree 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 to the conteiTiplation 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 theii viriues.* > Dan. vii, 13. 2 Heb. i. 14. > Mat lii. 16. Mark i. 10. Luke iii. 23. John i. 32 < Acts ii. 3. s Lib. 4. de fid. oriliod. cap. 17. 6 Nic. Syn. passim. i Trid. Con. Sess. 25. ' De cuitu et usu imaginum vid. Concil. JMiccen. 1. act 7. Histor. tripart, lib. 6 On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints. 251 " I AM THE liORD THY GoD, MIGHTY, JEALOUS, VISITING THE INIdUITY 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 tliis Concluding clause of the first In these commandment, two things occur which demand exposition, concluding The first is, that whilst, on account of the enormous guilt things'de- incurred by the violation of the first commandment, and the mand ex- propensity of man towards its violation, the punishment is here P'an^''""- 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 east 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 n 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 of 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 a.lso give strength to fulfil what he command,s. 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- c. 41. Eus. lib. 8. Hist. Eccl. c. 14. Cyril, lib. 6. contr. Jul. Aug. lib. 1. de consensu Evarig. c, 10. vid. item, sextam Synod, can. 82. et Cone. Rom. sub. Greg. III. ot 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- laliam, Greg. Nyss. orat in Theod. Priid. Hym. de S. Cas. et hym. de S. Hippolyt. Item apud Baron. Annal. Eccle^. an 57. num. 116. et deinceps. vid. interum Aug. contra Faust, lib. 22. c. 73. ' IVIatt. 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. 252 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. fore, will keep in view, as often as he has occasion to explain any of the commandments. They also The carnal and spiritual are, however, to be excited by two twoaren- considerations, which are contained in this concluding clause, merits for and are well calculated to enforce obedience to the divine Law Mioe rfT" '^'^^ °"^ '®' *^' "'^^^ ^""^ '* e,^\\f:A " The Strong," the force La,Y. of that appellation requires to be fully expounded to the faith- 1 ful ; because, unappalled by the terrors of the divine menaces, the flesh frequentjy indulges in the delusive expectation of esca- ping, in a variety of ways, the wrath of Ggd 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 sufiier no human creature to resist his sove- reign will with impunity, and which " destroys all 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. Zeal in the The pastor, therefore, will here exhort the faithful, that they service of 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 have I been zealous for the I Ps cxxxviii. 7. 2 Ps. xxvi. 1 s Pa. Ixxii. 87. On the Honour and Invocation of the Saints. 253 Lord God of Hosts ;"* or rather of Jesus Christ himself, who says : " The zeal of thj' house hath eaten me up."" The pastor should also set forth the terrors denounced in The Law the menaces of God's judgments — menaces which declare that yfii'^ 5^ he will not suffer sinners to run their iniquitous career with with imp* impunity ; but will chastise them with the fondness of a parent, •"ty- or punish them with the rigour of a judge; and which, on another occasion, are thus expressed by Moses : " Thou shalt Kwow that the Lord thy God is a strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand genera- tions ; 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 a holy God, and mighty and jealous, and will not forgive 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, Note, that the punishments here threatened await the third and fourth generation of the impious and wicked ; not that the children are always visited with the chastisements due to the delinquency of their parents, but that, although they and iheir children may go unpunished, their posterity shall not all escape 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 ; yet, after his decease, the divine vengeance so overtook his posterity, that even the children of Josias were not spared.* The words of this commandment may perhaps seem to be at Anappo- variance with the sentence pronounced by the prophet : " The P'j*^?"" soul that sins shall die ;"^ but the authority of St. Gregory, reconciled 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 only 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 invokedby the crimes of his wicked parent."' iSKingsxix. 10. = Ps. Ixviii. 10. John ii. 17. 3 Deut vii. 9, 10. i Josue xxi V. 19, 20. * 2 Par. 36. iii. 6. 4 Kings xxii. 20. 6 F.zech. xviii. 4. 7 Extat locus Greg. lib. 15. moral, c. 31. Vid. Aug. epist. 75. D. Thom. 1. 2. q. 87 art. 8. 22 254 Tho mercy of God ex- ceeds his justice. The wick- ed hate God. The good are in- fluenced by Jove in the observance of his Law. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. That the goodness and mercy c 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 hale 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,* 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 God ; a principle which applies with equal force and truth to the exposition and observance of all the other command- ments. THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. ■ THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN."" This com- mandment, why dis- tinct from the lirst Demands assiduous exposition. This 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 witli reverence and must forbid the contrary, according to these words of Malac'hy : «' The son honoureth the father, and the servant liis master: if then I be a father, where is my honour ?"" Yet, on account of the importance of the obligation which it imposes, God would make this law, which commands his name to be honoured, a distinct precept ; and this he does in the clearest and simplest terms. This observation must have much influence in con- vincing 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 name, 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. s IWalnch. i. 6. < De iioc pracepto vid. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 122. art 3. item et 1. 2. q. 100, art 5. On the Second Commandment. 255 the (lay. Who is ignorant that every assertion is accompanied with an oath ? that every conversation teems with curses and imprecations ? To such lengths has this impiety been carried, that one scarcely buys, or sells, or transacts ordinary business of any sort, M^ithout 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 grie'vousness and horror of this detestable crime. But in the exposition of this commandment, the pastor will Contains a show, that, besides a negative, it also contains a positive precept negative commanding the performance of a duty, and will give to each a Jivepr^' separate exposition. — In the first place, to facilitate the explana- cept. 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 Not«. 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 consistedjn the letters of which it is composed, and not in their signification. In the annunciation of the divine precept, the word " name," The com although occurring in the singular number, " Thou shalt not mandment take the name of God," is not to be understood to refer to any everynamo one name in particular: it extends to every name by which by which God is generally designated. He is called by many names, sj^'ted 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- The name noured. Christians, whose tongues should every day celebrate the of Go'l> nivine praises, are not to be ignorant oi a matter so important, noured. 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 i 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- n. 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, according to our respective capa- cities and conditions of life, to become acquainted with its 256 Tlie Catechism of the Council of TVent. III. saving trutlis. Again, we honour and venerate the name of God when from a sense of religious duty we celebrate his praises, and under all cirRumstances, whether prosperous or adverse, return him unbounded ihanks ; saying in the language of the prophet: " Bless the Lord, 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 admirable example of Job, who, when visited with the heaviest and most appalling calamities, never ceased, 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 our thoughts, and all the powers of our souls, to the praises of God, saying with Job : " Blessed be the name of the Lord."* IV. The name of God is not less honoured when we confidently invoke his assistance, either to relieve us from our afflictions, 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 shall glorify me ;"' and we have illustrious examples of such supplications in the sixteenth, forty-third, and one hundred and eighteenth Psalms, and also in many other parts of Scrip- V. 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 Oaths all times, his praise shall be always in my nicuth :"* but with "'^T'*^ h regard to oaths, although in themselves lawful, they should sel- taken. 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 should 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 hjmself 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 iPs. cii.l. 2Jobi.2I. sPs.xlix. 15. < Ps. xxxiii, iS. On the Second Commandment. 25"? 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 Different object is, to teach the faithful the conditions necessary to ren- o°ihg°^ der an oath reverential and holy, it is first to be observed, that i. 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 II. 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 relics of the saints, and all such solemn attestations, 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 it is. This holfls 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 ID. 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, affirmatory and promissory : an oath Oaths are is afBrmatory when, under its solemn sanction, we affirm any affirmatory . . * siiQ pro- thing, past, present, or to come ; such as the affirmation of the missory. Apostle 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 Conditions to witness, yet to constitute a holy and just oath many other of a lawfu.. 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 all the conditions, which constitute the perfection of an oath — truth, judgment, justice. Truth, then, holds the first place in an oath : what we swear Truth, must be true ; that is,- he who swears must believe what he swears to be true, founding his conviction not upon rash grounds 1 Ad. pop. Antiooh. hom. 26. = 2 Cor. i. 23. 3 Gal. i. 20. ■• 3 Kings i. 17. 5 St. Hieron in hunc locum. ejerem. iv2. 22* 2K 858 The Catechism of the Council of Ti^mt. 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 do what is law- ful, he will adhere with fidelity to the sacred and solemn en- gagement; unless, perhaps, change of circumstances should so alter the complexion of the case, that he could not stand to his promise 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."' 'iiilgment. 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 aflirmations 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. Justice. 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 in the Acts of the Apostles, bound themselves by oath not to eat, until they had shed the blood of raul.» • FB. xiv. 4. s Matt. xiv. 7. 3 Acts xxiii. 12. On the Second Commandment. 259 An oath therefore accompanied, and guarded as it were by An oath these conditions, is no doubt lawful, a position which is easily aceompa- and satisfactorily established. The law of God, the purity and ,|,gsg ^on- sanctit}' of which will not be questioned,* not only permits but ditions, commands such an oath to be taken : " Thou shalt fear the lawful. Lord thy God," says Moses, " and shalt serve him only, and thou shalt swear by his name:"'' "All they," says David, U- " shall be praised that swear by him."^ The inspired Volume III 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 IV 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 V. read in many passages of the Old Testament, has confirmed his promises with an oath. This he did to Abraham and to David ;^ 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."'' 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 Objection, 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 swejr 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 vhy 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 evii."'" It cannot be asserted that these words condemn oaths universally Its solution and under all circumstances : we have already seen that the Aposdes 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 1 Ps. xviii. 8. 2 Deut. vi. 13. 3 Ps. Ixii. 12. 1 3 Cor. i. 23. Philem. i. 8. 1 Thess. ii. 10. s Apoc. x. 6. Heb. vi. 17. Gen. xxii. 16. Exod. xxxiii. 1. 7 Ps. cix. 4. 8 Heb. iv. 13. 9 Heb. vi 16. lo Matt v. 34—37. 2f)0 Explana- tion of the words of the Re- deemer. Negative part of the rommand- Sovv vio- Xted. 1. & II. III. 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 use 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 source 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 habitual 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 Fatliers. Thus we read in Ecclesiasticus : " Let not thy mouth be accus- 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, is guilty of a grievous 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 oatli 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 liis 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 aflirm 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 be- lieve to be false, are evidently guilty of a lie, and therefore of perjury. On the same principle, he who swears to that which 1 Matt. y. 37. 2 Eccl. xiii. 9. s Eccl. xxm. 12. * Basil, in Psal. 14. ad htec verba : qtii jurat proximo suo, et Aug. lib. de mendac c. 14. Vid. 13. q. 2. c. primum est. "^ — -■- "■ "Lev xix 12 On the Second Commandment. 201 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 IV- 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 ifa\e. 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 v 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- VII. 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 VIII ' likewise to swear falsely : what more opposed to truth than to appeal to lying and false deities as to the true God P But as the Scripture, when it prohibits perjury, adds: " fhou IX 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 X 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 Council of Trent commands to be severely reprehended.^ In 1 Vid. Aug. epist. 54. 2 Lev. m. 12. ' Judges iii, 20. > Pet. iii. 10. 5 Sess. i. in fine. cept 202 77ie Catechism nf the Council of Trent. XI. 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 XII. 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."^ Sanction As, however, the dread of punishment has often a powerful "JJm^ P""*^" 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 lord his God in vain."= lis wisdom Ih the first place the pastor will teach, that in the annexation 'o ''dlf^*'' °^ threats to the violation of this commandment reason discovers •ne pasior. the wisest ends : it demonstrates at once the grievousness of I. 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. The 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. II 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 III. 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 a,re 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 who profanes the name of God ; a consideration which it is hoped must excite to future vigilance. )'8. xiii. 5. et liii. 86. 2 3 Kings xri. 13. Job i. 11. et ii. 9. >Exo(l. xx.7. On the Third Commandment. 203 Deterred therefore by a holy and salutary dread, the faithful Practical should use every exertion to avoid the violation of this com- conclusion mandment : if " for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account on the day of judgment;"' how severe 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 TIIY 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."'' This commandment, as is required by the natural order, pre- ^^''' *''■? scribes the external worship which is due to God, and is, as it mentpre- were, a consectary of the preceding commandment. If we sin- scribes, cerely and devoutly yield internal worship to God, guided b)'' 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- ^rapon- tive of much fruit, it is of the highest importance that the pastor exposition, use the utmost diligence in its exposition. The word " Re- member," v.'ith 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 of the pastor to recall it frequently to their recollection. The importance of its observance may be inferred from the andobserv- consideration, that a faithful compliance with its injunctions facilitates the observance of all 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 xii. 36. 2 Exod. xx. 8. ' Vid. Trid. decret. de ciborum delectu et festis diebus, sess. ult sub finem. Item D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 133. art. 4. item de consecrat. dist. 3. multis capitib. 204 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 of'en 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.' Note. Princes and magistrates are to be admonished and exhorted to lend 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. Its exgosi- With regard to the exposition of this commandment, the " h° " '"iif. f*'*^f'^^ ^'^^ '•° ^^ carefully taught in what it accords with, and fers from it* what it differs from the others, in order that they may under- the other stand why Christians observe not the Sabbath, but the Lord's- command- ^j^y.^ rpj^^ 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 Colossians," On the dif- ference between this and the other commandments these ob- servations will suffice, 'n what it As to their accordance, it consists not in rites and ceremonies, agreeswith but in as much as this commandment, in common with the others, expresses a moral obligation, founded on the law of nature. The worship of God and the practice of religion, 'Exod, xvi.20. 31. 2 Lev. xvi. 19. 23. 26. 'Dent v. 1 laa. Ivi. 68. 66. 6 Jerem. 17. 6 Ezek. xx. 22, 23. 46. ^ ' De proed. verb. Dei, vid. Trid. sess. 5. c. 2. vide et singulare hac de re libellum S Caroli Borrom in aotis Eccles. Mediol. vide etiam acta eccles. Bononiena. »Galat. iv. 10. sCol. ii. 16. On the Third Commandment. 265 which it comprises, have the natural law for their basis: the imbidden 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- An illus- quires some time to be given to necessary relaxation, to sleep, fition. 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 moral law. The Apostles therefore resolved to The Jew- consecrate the first day of the week to the divine worship, bajhwhen and called it " the Lord's-day :" St. John in his Apocalypse and by malies mention of " the Lord's-day ;"^ and the Apostle com- whom mands collections to be made, " on the first day of the week,"" 5ie™K)rd's that is, according to the interpretation of St. Chrysostome, on day.' the Lord'6-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, This com- what to avoid, on the Lord's-day, it will not be found foreign Sit?^™"' to his purpose, if the pastor, dividing the commandment into into four four parts, explain each part with minute accuracy. In the parts, 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 sanc- 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 our 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 scruple of heart."' Finally, we are taught, and the instruction demands nj. 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 Apoo. i. 10. 2 Chrysost. horn. 13. in Corinth. Amb. item etTheophylact. vid. etiani. Can. Apost. t. 67. Ignat Epist ad Magnes. Just. apol. 2. Tertul. in apol. c. 16. et de Coron. milit. c. 3. et de idol. c. 14. et Cyp. epist. 33. Clement. Alex. lib. 5. Strom, satis ante finem. Orig. hom. 7, in Exod. 3 1 Kings xxv. 31. 33 2 L 36G Meaning of the word "Sabbath." Sanctifica- tionof the Sabbath. The true meaning of the pre- cept. Seconci part of the command- tnent: its meaning. The Sab- bath why fixed for the divine worship. [ts mystic meamng. II The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Sabbath is a Hebrew word : it signifies cessation ; to lieep 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;"^ 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 proposed 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. The 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 EzekieF 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 I am 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 1 Gen. ii. 3. Exod. xx. 21. Deut. v. 13. 2 Luke xviii. 12. 3 Deut. v. 12. 4 Isa. Iviii. 13. s Iso. Iviii. 6. 6 Exod. xxxi. 13. iEzek.xx.12. 8Deut. v. 15. On the Third Commandment. 267 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 HI traditional sign, reminding them that they had been delivered by the hand of God from the galling yoke of Egyptian bondage. 'I'his 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 out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the Sabbath day." It is also a sign of the spiritual and celestial Sabbath. The The spiii:- spiritual Sabbath consists in a holy and mystical rest, wherein u^Iif^t the old man, being buried with Christ, is -renewed to" life, and meaning, studies to act in accordance with the spirit of Christian piety : " you 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 The celes- celestial Sabbath, as St. Cyril observes on these words of the l'*}ip.'''^g Apostle, " There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people meaning. 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 Oiliei (es were instituted by the divine law, and the end and aim of which 'i™'^ "b- was to awaken in the people the recollection of the principal theTewsf favours conferred on them by the Almighty. On these festivals the pastor will see Leviticus,^ Numbers,' and Deuteronomy f and on the moral objects contemplated in the institution of such festivals, he may also consult St. Cyril,^ and St. Thomas.*" But the Church of God has in her wisdom ordained that the The Sab- celebration of the Sabbath should be transferred to " the Lord's- 'j** why day:" as on that day light first shone on the world, so by the to ""he resurrection of our Lord on the same day, by whom was thrown Lord's- open to us the gate to eternal life, we were called out of dark- ^^V-"^ ness into light ; and hence the Apostle would have it called "the Lbrd'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 day the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles. From the 1 Eph. V. 8. 2 St. Cjrrir. Lat. lib. 4. in Joan. c. 51. 3 Heb. iv. 9. 4 Isa. XXXV. 9. 5 Heb. iv. 11. 6 Levit, xxiii 7 Num. xxix. 8 DeuL vi. 9 Cyril, de adoratione in spiritu et verit lib. 17. 10 D. Thorn. 1. 2. q. 103. art. 4. ad 10. 268 The Catechism of the Council of Tient. Other fes- very infancy of the church other days were also appointed ^^rif Td^ by the Apostles, and by their successors in after-times, to be iheir order 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 riiost 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. Sloth and And as the observance of the precept is very strongly en- indolence forced in these words : " Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt cd : no do all thy works ; but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of the servile Lord thy God ;" the pastor should therefore carefully explain deferred to them to the people. They implicitly admonish him that the the Lord's- faithful are to be exhorted nOt to waste their lives in indolence •^^y- and sloth, but mindful of the words of the Apostle, and in ac- 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 t6 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 The third part of the commandment comes next to be ex- part of the plained. It points out, to a certain extent, the manner in which ment,what we are to keep holy the Sabbath day, and explains particularly t prohibits, 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 I. 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 seirvile 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 II. 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 ATiat it alienates us from the love of God." But whatever regards the •lermits. 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 [I. without blame."' Neither are we to suppose that this com- mandment forbids attention to those things on the Sabbath, which if neglected on that day perish to the proprietor. Their preservation is no violation of the commandment, and is ex- 1 1 Thess. iv. II. 2 Vid. Aug. tract. 3. in Joan, et in Ps. xxxi. serm. 1. et Ub. de decern chordis c. 3. 3 Matt xii. 5. On the Third Commandment 269 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 Cnttle not of the Sabbath, cattle are mentioned in the commandment, be- '1 '"' f™' 1 • • J 1 Tc 1 1 ployed on cause their use must prevent its due observance, li cattle be the Sab- employed on the Sabbath, human labour also becomes necessary : bath ; and they do not labour alone, but assist the labours of man. • The ^ ^" prohibition of the employment 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 Sundays they are tq sanctify Sundays and holydays ; and amongst other 5" g how means he will not forget to mention the' obligation of visiting to be sane the temple of God, and there, with heartfelt piety and devotion, ti^ed. assisting at the celebration of the holy sacrifice of the Mass ;* and also the duty of approaching frequently the sacraments of II, the Church, instituted for our sanctification and salvation, to heal our spiritual maladies.'' Nothing can be more seasonable ni. 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 Ifave recourse to the sacrament of penance — he will I^- also zealously exhort them again and again, to approach fre- quently the holy sacrament of the Eucharist. Sermons are also V. 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 VI. also frequently exercise the piety of the faithful on Sundays and holydays ; and an object of their special attention should be to VII attend particularly to catechetical instruction, in order to learn ^m those things which form to a Christian life ; and to practise with assiduity these duties of Christian piety, viz. giving alms IX. 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 Keason commandment 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. Mis- sas 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. q. lib. cap. interroga. 4 James i. 27. Sic faciebant veteres Christiani, test. Just. Apol. 3. TertuU. in 4pol. et in lib- ad martyres et in lib. 8. ad uxorem prope finem. 23* '^70 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. this torn- it a duty to impress on the minds of the faithful the convictioni .imnument ^j^^j ^j^jg commandment is to be observed with pious zeal and the greatest exactitude. To 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- Note. mable blessings. Had God commanded us to offer him, on each day of o\ir 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 ?' Importance The pastor will next point out the importance of a faithful ufitsobser- compliance with this precept. Those who are faithful in its \uiice. , ^ , . K K . , ,. . [. observance are admitted, as it were, into the divine presence, to ' 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 tlirough 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 n. 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." Note 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 people as circumstances may require. ' Vid. de consecr. dist. 1. et in decret Titul. do feriis et Cone. Matiso. 2. c. 1. et 37. Tribur. c. 35. Ignat. in p. ad Philip. Leon. serm. 3. de qiiadrag. Aug. eerm. 151. de temp. 2 Num. xv. 32. et soq. On the Fourth Commandment. 271 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. ' HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER, THAT THOU MAYEST BE LONG-LIVED UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD WILL GIVE THEE."* The preceding commandments, having God as their irame- Accord- diate-end, take precedence in order as well as in dignity and ^ij^°he importance ; but those which follow, although ultimately referred preceding to God as the end contemplated in the love of our neighbour, command- 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.'' 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?"' 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- Extentof tude : besides our natural parents, there are many others whose Jj^^'' 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, kccording 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- 1 Exod. XX. 12. i Matt xxii. 39. Mark xii. 31. Vid. Aug. in Ps. xxxii. serm. 1. item lib. 3. de doctrin. Christ, c. 10. et lib. 50. hom. 38. D. Tliom. 2. 2. qusest. 17. art. 8. 3 1 John iv. 20. 272 77ie Catechism of the Council of IVent. Note. ing seven commandments of the Decalogue.' This order ol 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 public 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.'' Difference Again, the love of God terminates in God himself, for God between jg ^g i^g loved above all things for his own sake ; but the mand- love of our neighbour originates in, and is to be referred ments of to, the love of God. If we love our parents, obey our masters, and sMond I'^^pect our siiperiors, our ruling principle in doing so should tables. be, that God is their Creator, and wishes to give pre-eminence I- 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 is paid to God rather than to man ; and accordingly we read in 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."* II. Moreover, no honour, no piety, no devotion can be rendered to God, worthy of him towards whom love admits of infinite increase, and hence our charity should become every day more fervent towards him, who commands us to love him " with our Note. 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, by loving him as we love God, were a crime of the blackest enormity. "If any man come tome," says our Lord, "and hate not his father and mother, and wife and children, and 1 Vid. Clem. Alexan. lib. 6, Strom, satis ante finem, Aug. in Exod. q. 71. D. Thorn. 1.2. q. 100. art, 4. 2 Vid Aug. in Ps. xxxii. serm. 1. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 122. art. 1 et 2. et in opusc 7. cap. de prime prsecepto. ' Matt x. 40. •lEphes. vi. 5, 6. Vid. Aug. lib. 3. de doot. Christ, c. 18. et lib. 4. Conf. c 9— 12. Prosper, lib. 3. de vita contempt, c. 13. Bernard, de diligendo Deo. s Deut. vi. 5. Luke x. 27. Matt. xxii. 37—39. On the Fourth Commandment. 273 brethren 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 follow Onrist, our Lord says, to the same effect ; « Let the dead bury 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 Note. opposed to the commandments of God, children, are, of course, to prefer the will of God to the desires of their parents, always keeping in vievsr the divine maxim : " We ought to obey God rather than men."* Having premised this exposition, the pastor will proceed to ex- tq "ho- plain the words of the commandment, beginning with " honour." nour," To " honour" is to think respectfully of any one, and, in every ™?*™"S 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 be 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- Whom the mandment designates as fathers : for although it refers pri- command- marily to our natural fathers, yet the word has a secondary signatesa meaning; and, a matter at which we have already glanced, Fathers, includes, as we know from numerous passages of Scripture, many others who are also entitled to due honour. In the first L 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 Ec- n. clesiasticus : "Let us praise men of renown, and our fathers in their generation."^ Those who govern the state, to whom are HI- intrusted power, magistracy, or empire, are also called fathers ; thus Naaman was called father by his servants." To those, to 1\ whose care, fidelity, probity and wisdom, others are committed, such as pastors, instructers, masters, and guardians, is also given the name of father ; and hence the sons of the prophets called Elias' and Eliseus^ by this name. Finally, aged men, whose V. years entitle them to our respect, we also call fathers. In the 1 Luke xiv. 26. 2 Luke ix. 60. ^ Matt x. 37. ■• Act v. 29. 5 1 Cor. iv. 14—16. e Eccl. xllv. 1. ■? 4 Kings v. ,13 8 4 Kings ii 12. 9 4 Kings xiii. 14. 2M 274 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. Note. instructions of the pastor, however, it will not be forgotten to 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. They 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.* Mothers to The pastor will teach that the name of " mother" is also men- •"^ '<"■«'! tioned in this commandment, and with good reason, awakening noured. i" "®' ''^ '' 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 labour and anxiety with which she watched over our infant years. Nature of Moreover, the honour which children are commanded to pay the honour to their parents should be the spontaneous offering of sincere rents. '"'' ^""^ dutiful love. This respectful regard they challenge upon I. 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 f 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.' n. We also owe to our parents other duties of respect, such as to supplicate God in their behalf, that they may lead prosperous and happy lives, beloved and esteemed by all who know them, [If. and most pleasing in the sight of God and of his saints. We also honour them by submission to their wishes and inclinations : " 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 IV. their fathers, always abstained from wine.* We also honour 1 De ofliciis filiorum erga parentes vid. Antomum Augustinum lib. 10. tit 19. 2 Gen. xlvi." 3 3 Kings ii. 19. * Proverbs i. 8, 9. » Ephes. vi. 1. 6 Col. iii. 20. 7 Gen. xxii. 9. " Terem. xxxv. 6. On the Fourth Commandment. 275 our parents by the imitation of their good example : ^o study the life of another, as a model 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, VI 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 VII. 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 tipn oj 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 VIII 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 Others who also those who are entitled to be called fathers, such as bishops f f «"''''^<1 and priests, kings, princes, and magistrates, tutors, guardians of father to and masters, teachers, aged persons and the like, all of whom ^ honour- 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 Bishops esteemed worthy of double honour, especially they who labour f"'* priests in the word and doctrine.'"' What proofs of ardent love for hoMured^ the Apostle the Galatians must have given may be inferred from I. the illustrious testimony in which he has recorded their bene- volence : " I 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 II. ' Matt. XV. 3 — 6. Subveniendum esse parentihus, vid. Basil, hom. de honore pa- rentum et in Hexam. hom. 9. Arab. lib. 5. Hexam. c. 16. Cone. Gangr. can. 6. Vid. item dist. 86. multis in locis Hier. lib. 2. Commentar. in Matt. Aug. lib. 1. qusest. Evang. cap. 14. 2 j Tim. v. 17. SQal. iv. 15 27G The Catechism of the Council of Trent. in. JNote. Princes and public function- axies to be lionoured. Note. whatever is necessary for his support : " Who," says Si.. Paul, " serveth as a soldier at his own charges ?"' " Givt honour to the priests," says Ecclesiasticus, " and purify thyself with thy arms ; give them their portion, as it is commanded thee, of the first fruits and of purifications."^ The Apostle also 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 com- 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."' 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 tjie Scrip- 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, " I was peaceable. "^ When not But should they issue a wicked or unjust mandate, they are on to be obey- jjq account to be obeyed : such a mandate is not the legitimate exercise of power, but an act of perveKe injustice. Reward Having expounded these matters severally, the pastor will 'h°"'h^'^"' ^^^^ consider the nature of the reward promised to the ob- vance of servance of this commandment, and its accordance with the this com- duty of filial piety. It consists principally in length of days: mandment. jjjgy ^^j^^ always preserve the grateful recollection of a benefit 1 1 Cor. IX. 7. 2 Eccl. vii. 33, 34. Beciraas solvendas esse vid. Cone. Aurel. 1. c. 17. Matiscon. 3. c. 3. Forojul. c. ultiin. Lat. Magn. c. 53. Trid. sess. 25. c. 13. vid. item multa ca- pita 16. q. 1 et 7. et Tit decimis in deer. D. Th. 3. 2. q. 87. 3 Heb. xiii. 17 4 Matt xxiii. 2, 3. 5 Rom. xiii. 6 1 Tim. ii. 2. 7 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. Vid. TertuU. in Apol. 6. 30 et 32. et ad Soap. c. 2. 8 Vid. Aug. lib. 6. de civit Dei, c. 10, 11. 14, 15. o Ps. cxix. 7. Princes, when to be obeyed. On the Fourth Commandment. ^Ti deserve to be blessed with its lengthened enjoyment ; and this children do, who honour their parents. 'I'o 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 not 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 all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."* Many vpry 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 well with thee ;"^ words, which the Apostle repeats in his Epistle to the Ephesians.' These blessings, we say, are conferred on those only, on Thisre- whose piety God really deems it a reward to bestow them, ^"ays°' otherwise the divine promises would not be fulfilled. The conferred more dutiful child is sometimes the more short-lived ; either "{jfj""*"' because his interests are best consulted by summoning him and why. from this world, before he has strayed from the path of virtue I. and 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 n. 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- KI- nessing the calamities of which, in such melancholy times, his friends and relations might become the victims. " The just man," says the Prophet, " is taken away from before the face of e\i\."^ The premature death of the good, therefore, gives Note, just reason to apprehend the approach of calamitous days. But; if Almighty God holds forth rewards to remunerate filial Punish- dutifulness, he also reserves the heaviest chastisements to punish "lent pf its filial ingratitude and impiety : it is written : " He that cur^eth his father or mother shall die the death:"'" " he that afiiicteth 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 raocketh at his father, and that despiseth the labour of his mother UTim. iv. 8. sjobiii. sps.cxix. 5. ■! Phil. ii. 17. '2Cor. V. 2. 6Deut. V. 16. 'Eph. vi. 3. s Wisd. iv. 10, 1 V 9 Isa. 1 vii. 1. i» Exod. xxi. 17. Lev. xx. 9. " Prov. xix. 28. '2 Prov. xx. 20 24 278 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. in bearing him, let the ravens of the brooks pick it out, and tho young eagles eat it."^ There are on record many instances 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 JVoie lances transfixed his body." 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."' Duties of As, then, the law of God commands children to honour their parents to- parents and render them an obsequious obedience, so are there children.^" 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. Three He will also admonish them to guard particularly against three j|""Sf \° things, in which they but too often transgress. — In the first iiy imrenta, place, they are not by words or actions to exercise too much i- harshness towards their children : this is the instruction of St. Paul in his Epistle to the Golossians : " 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 II. 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 III. 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. ^ Kings xviii. 14. 3 Deut. xvii. 12. — Vid. Clem, epiat. 3. sub init. item ep. 1. etiam suli init Ambr lib. 1. 2. ofRc. 0. 24. Hieron. epist 1. post med. vid, item 1 1. q. 3. c. 11 — 13. 1 Dan. xiii. 3. s Col. iii. 21 . « 1 Kings ii. 3, 4. On the Fifth Commandment. 279 and who, 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 lo say, that instead of bequeathing wealth to their children, they leave them rather their own wickedness and crimes 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 ;* that having thus trained up their children to the service of God, and to holiness of 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."* The great happiness proposed to the peacemakers, of being Utility and called " the children of God," should prove a powerful ex- necessity citement to animate the zeal of the pastor in explaining with jng tte'"" diligent accuracy the obligations imposed by this command- 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 considerations. 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 : " I will require the blood of your lives," says he, " at the hand 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. Matthevir, where the Re- deemer says : " It has been said thou shalt not kill," &c.* The Note, faithful should also hear with willing attention the exposition of a commandment, 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. SExod. XX. 13. 3Genix.5. "Matt. v. 21. 280 The Catechism 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 heaviest chastisement of the divine wrath. As, then, the announce- ment of this commandment must be heard with pleasure, so should its observance be to us a pleasing duty. Iisobliga- In its development our Lord himself points out its twofold fold; pro- obligation ; the one forbidding to kill, the other commanding us hibitoty, to cherish sentiments of charity, concord, and friendship to- dato"'*"' '^^^'■'^s our enemies, to have peace with all men, and finally, tc 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 Kxceptions limits which restrict the prohibition. In the first place, we are to the first. ^^^ 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."^ n. 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 and 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 secu- 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 I might cut off all the workers of inicjuity III. 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, IV. 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."* V. Death, when caused by accident, not by intent or design, is not murder : " He that killed his neighbour ignorantly," says ' De civit. Dei. lib. 1. c. 20. item de raorib. Manich. lib. 2. c. 13— IS. 2 Ps. c. 8. Aug. epist. 154. et citat 23. q. 5. cap. de occidendis. item epist. 54 et dtatur ibid. cap. non est iniquitaliB. Vide adhuc ibid, alia capita et D. Thorn. 2. 2. q.64. a. 2. etq. 108. a. 3. 3 Aug. de civit. Dei. c. 26. citotus 23. q. 5. cap. miles. Vide item de bello D. Thom. 3. 2. q. 40. per 4. art. ' 4 Exod. xxxii. 29. On the Fifth Commmidivent. 281 the book of Deuteronomy, " and who is proved to have had no hatred against him yesterday, and the day before, but to have gone with him to the wood, to hew vvood, 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. Two cases however, two cases in which guilt attaches to accidental death : '° which the one, when it is the consequence of an unlawful act ; when, ^hes to for instance, a person strikes a woman in a state of pregnancy, accidental 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 circum- spection. If a man kill another in self-defence, having used every pre- VI. 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 W"* "^^^ without the guilt of murder ; and with these exceptions the pre- ^he pro™^' cept binds universally with regard to the person who kills, the bitory part person killed, and the means used to kill. As to the person y^^^^r^al who kills, the commandment recognises no exception whatever, gation" be he rich-or powerful, master or parent : all, without exception with re- of person or distinction of rank, are forbidden to kill. With person' ^^* regard to the person killed, the obligation of the law is equally who kills, extensive, embracing every human creature ; there is no indi- *® peraon vidual, however humble or lowly his condition, whose life is the means not shielded by this law. It also forbids suicide. No man "sed to 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 shall 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 Prohibita . that to abstain from shedding human blood was enough to sa- murderbm tisfy the obligation imposed by this commandment. But the anger. Christian, who, instructed by the interpretation of Jesus Christ, has learned that the precept is spiritual, and that it commands ' Deut xir. 2 Vide Aug. epist. 154 et citatur 23. q. 5. c. de oecidendis. Item vide multa capita disfc 5. D. Thom. 2. 2. q. 64. a. 8. Trid Sess. 14. de reform, o. 7. 24* 2N 282 77ie Catechism of the Council of Trent. lis 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 ; and 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 when 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 vW^io "'^ Pt'opense man is to those sins which are prohibited by this ofthiscom- 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 haiids 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- ll 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. V. 22.— De ira vide Basil, hom. 10. Chrysost hom. 29. ad pop. Antioch. D. Thorn. 22. qusest. 108. per totam. ' Vide Aug, de serm. Dom. in monte, lib. 1. D. Thom. 2, 2. q. 158. a. 3. 3 1 Cor. vi. 19. ■• Matt. V, 39. Vide Aug. epist. 5. ad Mar. et de aerm. Domini in monte, hb. 3. c. 20. 5 Gen. ix. 5, 6. On the Fifth Commandment. 283 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 great injury to God, and seems, as it were, to lay violent hands on God himself! David, with a mind illumined from above, jVote 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- Mandatory gardinff the observance of this commandment, is, that we have pa>''oft'«= peace with all men. Interpreting the commandment he says : ment, in- " I;' therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou re- culcates member that thy brother hath aught against thee ; leave there aii^,"^^''' 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 inculcates 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 principle it follows as an evident consequence, that the commandment also inculcates charity and love ; and inculcating^ And also charity and love it must also enjoin all those duties and good 'he duties offices which follow in thejr train. " Charity is patient," says St. Paul ;* we are therefore commanded patience, in which, as I. the Redeemer teaches, " we shall possess our souls."* "Cha- rity is kind ;"° beneficence is, therefore, her companion and n 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 ourliberality to the wants and necessities of their objects. These works of beneficence and goodness, in themselves IIL 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 :"' " 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 I Ps. xiii. 6. 2 Matt. v. 24. 3 1 John iii. J 5. 4 1 Cor' xiii. 4. ^ Lulie xxi, 19. ^ 1 Cor. xiiL 4. 7 Matt V. 44. 284 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. evil by good."* Finall}'-, if we consider the law of charily, which is " kind," we shall be convinced that to 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 habituate 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.' Three con- The three following considerations, however, demand par- fil^fJifi?,!^? ticular attention and exposition. — First, to use every effort to xo enlorce i , . , ^. , . ■,,.•■ , i , ,. forgiveness persuade him, who conceives himself injured, that the man oi of injuries, whom he desires to be revenged, was not the principal cause of the loss 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 Satain, without at all directing his attention to them, as a righteous afid 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. 5 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. i?xviil. per totum. Isa. Iviii. 6. Matt. vi. 14. et in Evangelio Fassim. Vide item Tertul. in Apol. c. 31 et 37. Aug. in Joan tract. 81. lib. 50. hom. lorn. 6. item ser. 61 et 168. de temp 3 Vid. qiiiE citantur numero 18. < Job i. 21. " Gen. xlv. 5. On the Fifth Commandment. 286 injuries inflicted on him by Semei.* To this also applies an argument which St. Ghrysostome 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, and envy. The second consideration to be explained by the pastor em- n 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 m 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 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 word's of St. John: " He that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darknes^, and knoweth not whither he goeth, be- cause the darkness hath blinded his eyes."* He must therefore frequently fall ; for how, possibly, can any 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 Hatred do- not without good reason : the devil was a murderer from the "^'g^*of the deviU" ' 2 Kings XVI. 10. 2 Tom. 3. in hom. quod nemo lasditur nisi a seipso. 3 Matt, xviii. 33. ■! Matt. v. 48. 5 1 John ii. 1] 286 Remedies against iia- tred. I The Catechism of the Council of Trent. beginning; and hence our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sonof Goct, 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 Kedeemer, 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 ;"* 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 no means better adapted, none more efficacious to obtain the mercy of God. THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT, " THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY."* command' D.ent oc- :;urs, pro- priety ofl Order in As the bond which subsists between man and wife is one of which this strictest union, nothing can be more gratifying to both than to 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. < Eccl. vii. 40. 3 Luke xxiii. 34. 6 £xod. XX. 14. !Heb.xil.24. On the Sixth Commandment. 287 In the exposition of this commandment, the pastor has oc- Extreme casion for extreme -caution and prudence, and should treat with caution great delicacy a subject which requires brevity rather than co- dencene- piousness of exposition ; for there is great reason to apprehend, eessary m that by detailing too diffusely the variety of ways in which *'' ^'f'Sf'' men depart from the observance of this law, he may perhaps command- light upon those things, which, instead of extinguishing, serve ment. rather to inflame corrupt passion. As however the precept contains many things which cannot be passed over in si- lence, the pastor will explain thera in their proper order and place. This commandment, then, resolves itself into two heads ; the Resolves one expressed, which prohibits adultery; the other implied, l^!,] "^^ which inculcates purity of mind and body.* To begin with First heau 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 Prohibit* of chastity are included in this prohibition of adultery, is proved T"^"^ Y"' by the concurrent testimonies of St. Augustine and St. Am- chastity, 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 yon should abstain from fornica- tion :"* " Fly fornication :"^ "Keep not company with forni- cators."*" " Fornication, and all uncleanness and covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints :"" " Neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor hers 1 Vide 32. (j. 4. c, 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 ilia verba, manifest, autera ; item in c. 5. ad Ephes. ad hsc verba, viri ! diligite ; Aug. de bono conjug. c. 36 et lib. 22. contra Faust, cap. 47, 48. item in quEBSt. 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. Thorn. 1. 2. q. 100. a. 5. el 2, 2. q. 122. a. 6. 2 Amb. lib. 1, offieior, 1. c. 50. in fine. Aug. q]ti8e|. 71. super Exod. 3 Gen. xxxviii. 14. 4 Deut. xxiii. 17. s Tob. iv. 13. 6 Eccl. xli. 35. V Matt xvi. 19, 8 1 Thess, iv. 3 ' 1 Cor, vi. 18, 10 1 Cor, v, 9, » Eph, v. 3. 288 Note. Admoni- tion to the pastor. Second head. Remedies n^ainst tlie violation of this com- mandment. I. n. 77te Catechism of the Council of Trent. 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."'* This is the outline of those things which we have deemed 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 harlots 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. We now come to explain the positive part of the precept. 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 perpetual 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 explain them accurately to the faithful, and will use the. utmost dili- gence in their exposition.^ Of these instructions some relate to thoughts, some to ac- tions. The remedy prescribed against sins of thought consists in our forming a just conception of the turpitude and evil of this crime ; and this knowledge will lead more easily to the con- siderations which prompt to its detestation. The evil of this crime we may learn from this reflection alone ; by its com- mission, the perpetrator is banished and excluded from the kingdom of God; an evil which exceeds all others in mag- 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 1 Cor. vi. 9. 3 Matt v. 37, 28. 3 Sess. 24. 0. 24. de reform. i2Cor. vii, 1. * t Vid. D. Thorn. 2. 2 q 15] , Trid. 24. de matrim. o. 3. et sesa. 25. de regular. On the Sixth Commandment. 2S0 Paul: "Fly fornication : every sin that a man doth is without the body ; but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body."^ The reason is, that, by violating its sanctity, he does an 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 I'l- 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- ly tian, 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. Adultery a If, as the Apostle says, they who are joined in wedlock are so grievous subject to each other, that neither has power or right over his '"J™'""' or her body, but both are bound, as it were, by a mutual bond of subjection, the 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 Brands the- of duty, and deters from the commission of crime, the pastor adulterer will also teach that adultery brands its guilty perpetrators with amy.'"' 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- its gfje. ferred from the severity of its punishment. According to the vousness law promulgated by God in the Old Testament, the adulterer ftrJedfrom was condemned to be stoned to death ;' and even for the crimi- tlie severi- nal passion of one man, (the facts are recorded in the inspired tyofitspu- Volume) not only the perpetrators of the crime, but also, as we "'^ ™f"'' 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 neiffh- bouring cities,^ the punishment of the Israelites who committed fornication in the wilderness with the daughters of Moab,*° and 1 1 Cor. vi. 18. 2 1 Thess. iv. 3—5. 3 1 Cor. vi. 1 5, 16.. 4lCor.vi. 19. siCor. vii. 4. eProv. vi. 32. 7 Levit. XX. 10. jo"i i vii;, 5 s Gen. xxxiv 25. 9 Gen. xix. 24. ojNum. XXV. 4. 25 -20 290 On the Sixth Commandment. the slaughter of the Benjamites ;* examples which the pastoi will adduce to deter from similar enormities. II. The punishment of death may not, it is true, always await such criminality ; but it does not therefore always escape the visitations of the divine wrath. The mind of the adulterer is frequently a prey to agonizing torture : blinded by his own infatuation, the heaviest chastisement with wliich 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.^ This sin, therefore, as Osee observes, plucks out the heart, and often blinds the under- standing.* Kenicdies We now Come to the remedies which are applicable to this against the ^loral disease. — The first is studiously to avoid idleness : for, cence of according to Ezekiel, it was by yielding themselves up to its .ho Hesh. enervating influence, that the Sodomites plunged into all the turpitude of the most base and criminal lust.* In the next place, II. intemperance in eating and drinking is carefully to be avoided : " I 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 : " Take heed to yourselves, lest per- haps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunken- ness ;"' "Be not drunk with wine," says St. Paul, " wherein in is luxury."^ But the eyes, in particular, are the inlets to cri- minal passion, and to this refer these words of our Lord ; " If thine eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee."" The prophets, also, frequently speak to the same efl^ect: "I made a covenant with mine eyes," says Job, " that I would not so much as think upon a virgin."'" Finally, tliere 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 ;'" and the elders, who became the false accusers of the chaste Susanna, afibrd a melancholy example of its baneful effects." :v Too much ornamental elegance of dress, which solicits the eye, is but too frequently an occasion of sin ; and hence the < Judges nx, 2 2 Kings xi. and xii. ° 3 Kings xi. 4 Osee iv. 1 1. ^ E^ek. xvi. 49. e Jerem. v. 7. ' Luke xxi. 31. s Ephes. v. 18. » Matt v. 29, 30 'ojobxxxi 1. "2Kingsxi. 8. » >a Gen. xxxiv. 2. '3 Dan. xiii. S. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. 291 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 v 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, thlit "evil communications corrupt good manners."* Indelicate and lascivious songs and dances VI. & VH seldom fail to produce the same fatal effects, and are, therefore, cautiously to be avoided. In the same class are to be num- ^J^'- bered soft and obscene books : possessing, as they do, a fatal influence in exciting to filthy allurements, 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 IX. X. sin, which we have now enumerated, is to remove almost every ''xn/^ 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, and 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 stri*feth for the mastery, refraineth himself from all things ; and Ihey indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one;"* and a little after; "I chastise my body, and bring it into subjf ction, 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 con- cupiscence."^ 1 Eccl. ix. 8. 2 1 Pet. iii. 3. 3 1 Tim. ii. 9. 4 1 Cor. xv. 33. 5 Parochus imprimis curet, ut qate de sacris iiriaginibus a Sacrosancto Concilio Trideutino pie reiigioseque cunstitituta sunt, ea sanctissime serventur. Vid. soss, 25. decret de invocal, &c. vener. et. sacris imagin. e i Cor. vii. 7. 7 1 Cor. X. 13. Vid. Tert de Monog. in fine Nazianz, orat. 3. Basil, do virg. ultra, medium. Chrys. et Hieron. in c. 16. Mat^ Aug. lib. 6. confess, e. 11. * 1 Cor. ix. 25. 9 Rom. xiii. 14. 292 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent, THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. " THOU SHALT NOT STEAL."* The obser- That, in the early ages of the church, it was usual to impress vance of on the minds of the faithful the nature and force of this com- mand^'nt niandment, we learn from the reproof uttered by the Apostle strongly in- against some who were most earnest in deterring others from culcatedin vices, in which they themselves were found freely to indulge: ages of'*' "Thou therefore," says he, " t]>at teachest another, teachest the church: not thyself: thou tliat preachest that men should not steal, pracS^to stealest."*" The salutary effect of such instructions was, not befoUowed only to correct a vice which was then very prevalent, but, also, in our days, 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 assiduity the force and meaning of this commandment. This com- In the first place, the care, diligence and industry of the pas- "prrofof *' ^"'^ ^'^^ ^^ exercised in unfolding the infinite love of God to man : the love of not Satisfied with having fenced round our lives, our persons, our God to- reputation, by means of these two commandments, " thou shalt andaclai'm ""' kill," "thou shalt not commit adultery;" he defends, and, as on our it were, places a guard "over our property, by adding the prohi- giatitude. 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 l^st 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. Division of Like the former precepts, this also divides itself into two rnan*dment P^'^'^ ' ^^^ °"^' ^^^'^^ prohibits theft, is mentioned expressly ; of the other, which enforces kindliness and liberality, the spirit ' Exod. XX. 15. 2 Rom. ii. SI. , > Vid. D. Thorn. 1. 2. q. 100. art. 3 et 2. 8. q. 122. art. 6. On the Seventh Commandment. 293 and force are implied in the former. We shall therefore begin with the first : " Thou shalt not steal." It is to be observed, " Theft," that by the word " theft" is understood not only the taking definitioa 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. That 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 Apo»tle declares, that extortion of every sort is to be avoided.^ Although rapine, which, besides the deprivation of his pro- "Rapine"a perty, offers a violent outrage to the injured party, and subjects moregnev- him to insult and contumely, is a more grievous sin than theft,' thiin theft: yet it cannot be matter of surprise, nor is it without good reason, the latter that the divine prohibition is expressed under the lighter name ^^lei^in' of " theft," not under the heavier one of " rapin'e :" theft is the corn- more general and of wider extent than rapine ; a crime of which niandment. 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 Different are expressed by different names. To take any thing private °^°°n'j,"''- from a private individual is called " theft ;" from the public, theft, peculation : to enslave and appropriate the freeman or servant I- & U of another is called " man-stealing :" to steal any thing sacred ID- is tailed " sacrilege ;" a crime the most enormous and sinful jy 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 A desire of by the law of God: the law is spiritual: it regards the soul, b^f/^''™'"' 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 Grievous- the light of natural' reason alone: it is a violation of justice "•"^^rf.''?? , . ,o . T J .u 1 sin of theft 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 ' 1 Cor. vi. 10, 2 vid. Aug. q. 71. in Exod. et citatur. 32. q. 4. e, meretrices. 3 1 Cor. V. 10. 'I Vid. D. Thorn, c. 2. 66. art. 4 et 9. item 14, q. 4. c. poenalo. 5 Matt XV. 19. , 25* 294 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Necessity and diffi- culty of Different wrlsof (lielL I. 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 upori 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 1 " Without restitution," says restitution. 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 pro- 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 stolen."* 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 11. 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 weigiit, measure, number, or rule, are guilty of a species of theft still more criminal and unjust : it is written, "Thou, 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 :"' 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."' ill. It is, also, a downright theft, when labourers and artizans 1 Cor. vi. 10. 2 Epist. liv. a Habac. ii. 6. 4 Lib. 50. horn. Horn. 9. ct de verbis Apost. serm. 19. 5 It is unnecessary to remind the learned reader that human laws may affeol this decision. — T. n Deut. xxv^ 13 7 Lev. xix. 35, 36. 8 Prov. xx. 23. On the Seventh Commanament. 29& exact full wages from those, to whom they have not given just and due labour ; nor are unfaithful servants and stewards any- other 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- V tences, or by deceitful words, may be said to steal, and their guilt is aggravated by adding falsehood to theft. Persons VI. charged with offices 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. To detail the various other modes of theft, VII. invented by the ingenuity of avarice, which is versed in all 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, Note, 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: " All 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 Different not the labourer his. hire are guilty of rapine, and are exhorted s?'^of''* to repentance by St. James in these words : " Go to now, ye "i. 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, crieth ; anTl the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth."* This sort of rapine is condemned in terms of the strongest repVobation in Leviticus,* Deuteronomy,^ Malachy,' and Tobias.' Amongst those who are guilty of II 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 t'sury 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 m 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 odious crime; and hence the question, "What is usury?" 1 1 Tim. vi. 9. 2 Matt vii. 12. 3 Tob. iv. 26. * James v. 1, 4. 5 Lev. xix. 13. - Deut. xxiv. 14. ' Mai. iii. 5. 8 Tob. iv. 15. Ezek. X3ui. 12. and xviii. 8. i!i Lulce vi. 33. 306 IV. VI. VII. Positive part of tlie precept : restitution ; who are oound to. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. \yhich 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, also, 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 siuiset, for that same is the only thing wherewith he is covered, the clothing of his body, neither hath he any other to sleep in : if he cry 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 per- 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 Deoretali- bus et D. Thorn. 2. 2. q. 78. item Amb, lib. de Tob. c. 14. 2 Ps. xxxvi. 21. s Exod. xxii. 26, 27. 4 Titulum babes de pignor. in decretal, lib. 3. tit. 21. vid. Amb. lib. 5. de olSc. c. 6. ' Prov. xi. 6. On the Seventh Commandment, 2C7 but also the most criminal in its commission. Another class u. (" siiasores") embraces those, who, like the former in will, but unlike thera in power, are equally culpable ; who, when they cannot command, persuade and encourage others to commit theft. A third class ("consentientes") is composed of those who ni. are a consenting party to the theft committed by others. The iv 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 t)avid says: "If thou didst see a thief, thou didst run with him."' The fifth class of thieves ("non prohi- V bentes") are those who, having it in their power to prohibit thfift, so far from opposing or preventing it, fully and freely suf- fer and sanction its commission. The sixth class ("non indi- vj. 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 VII. 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 discharge of so necessary a duty. Neither are those who approve (" approbantes") and commend vin. &IX thefts entirely innocent of this crime : children also and wive.s who steal from their parents and husbands are not guiltless of theft. This commandment also implies an obligation to sympathize To relieve with the poor and the necessitous, and to relieve them under ^'^ neces- their difficulties and distresses from the means with which we obligation have been blessed, and by rendering them the good offices imposed by which charity inculcates. On this subject, which cannot be *iscom- urged too frequently or copiously, the pastor will find abundant matter to enrich his discourses in the works of those very holy men, 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- Alms- ter of the pastor's instructions : the faithful are to be strongly deeds, 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 irrevocable 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 nom. 16. 37. ad pop. Antioch. * Nazianz. orat. de pauperam amore. August, serm. 50 ct227.de tempore; item horn. 18, 19,28. 45. 2P 208 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. (luce into his heavenly country, those who have exercised mercy towards the poor. Their respective sentences have been already pronounced by the lips of the Son of God : " Come, ye blessed of ray 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 persuaae 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, &c. that shall not receive an hundred times as much now in this time ; and in the world to come life everlasting ;"' 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 life, 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 ;"? and again, " Use your endeavour to be quiet, and that you do your own business, and work with your own hands, as we commanded you ;"" and to the Ephesians : " 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 suifereth 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;"" and again: "In labour and in toil, we worked night and day, lest we should be chargable to any of you."*' Scriptural To inspire the faithful with an abhorrence of all sins against authority, this Commandment, the pastor will recur to the prophets and the other inspired writers, to show the detestation in which God Frugality recom- mended. 1 Matt. XXV. 34. 41. 6 Lulte vi. 35. » Eph. iv. 28. 2 Luke vi. 38. 6 Ps. cxi. 5. i" 1 Thess. ii. 9. siMarkx. 29,'30. ' 2 Thess. iu. 7. "i Luke xvi. 9. 8 1 Thess. iv. 11. " 2 Tlioss. iii. 8. On the Seventh Commandment. 299 holds the crimes of 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- Liberality rosity and kindness towards the poor and the mendicant, an •" '^'^ P"™' 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 Excuses of their thefts, they are to be admonished that God will accept no "left. 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 accgssion of another man's property. Of this mischievous error they are to be disabused ; and are to be con- vincedi 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 froin 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 I will be revenged of ray enemies ; and I will turn ray hand to thee, and I will clean pufge away thy dross."^ Some there are, who plead in justification of such conduct, jj not the ambition of maintaining hereditary splendour and an- 1 Amos viii. 4, 5. 2 Jer. v. et xxi. et xxii. ' Prov. xxi. 4 Eccl. x. 5 Vid. Trid. sess. 22. decret. de reform, cap. 11. itein Cone. Aurel. 3. c. 13. 22. Paris. 1. c. 1. Taron. 8. c. 25. Aurel. 5. c. 15. Mogunt. lap. 6. 11. Worm. c. 75. A-quisgr. c. 88. vid. et 1. 2. q. 2. variis in capit. 300 TTie 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. Note. 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 1 -II. 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 IV. say, suffer injury from the loss ? Such an excuse is as wretched as its tendency is baneful. Others imagine that they should be acquitted of guilt, 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- V. 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 one man for the crimes of an- other. VII. Finally, some find a sufficient justification of theft in their own embarrassments, alleging that they are overwhelmed with I Ecel. V. 17; 3 Eph. iv. 28. On the Eighth Commandment. 301 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 "2 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. " THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE VTITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGH- BOUR."^ The great utility, nay the absolute necessity, of bestowing importatice serious attention on the exposition of this commandment, and of thispre- of impressing upon the minds of the faithful the obligation sliutary which it enforces, we learn from these words of St. James : tendency a " If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man ;" ™o''.yfi °f 1 - ml • • 1 1 T 1 1 It 1 gratitude and agam, " Ihe tongue is indeed a little member, and boasteth to God. great things. Behold how small a fire what a great wood it kindleth, &c."* 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 1 Matt vi. 12. 3 Tit. ii. 14. 3 Exod. xx. 16. 4 James iii. 3. 5. 6 Ps. cxv. 11. 26 302 Note. This pre- cept man- datory and prohibi- lory. What it prohibits. Who is our " neigh- bour :" unlawful to give •alse testi- mony against our- selves. TTie 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 soula 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 done 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 our " neigiibour," 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 neighbpur' are sub- joined in the commandment : the standard of loving our neigh- bour is the love which we cherish towards ourselves ; and, Eph. iv. 15. 2 Deut. xix. 15. Matt, xviii. 16. 3 Luke x. 36, et seq On the. Eishth Commandment. 303 '8 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 Forbidden we are therefore at liberty to serve our neighbour, by false tes- ^^^^^. timony, however dear the relation in which he may stand to- mony in wards us. We cannot compromise truth to consult for the feel- order to ings or the interests of any man. Hence, St. Augustine to pn"***^^ Crescentius teaches from the words of the Apostle, that a lie, I. although uttei'ed 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 11. 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 of the innocent. The successful party, who HI- has gained his suit by means of perjured witnesses, emboldened by impunity, and exulting in his iniquitous victory, is soon familiarized to the work of 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 wordj tp all who have any concern in suits at law. Finally, God prohibits all testimony which may inflict injury au false or injustice, be it matter of legal evidence or not. In Leviti- testimonies, cus, where the commandments are repeated, we read : " Thou g'triet'SP shalt not steal ; thou shalt not lie ; neither shall any man de- prohibited, 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 wilt destroy all that speak a lie."* This commandment forbids not only false testimony, but, also, It also pro- the detestable propensity and practice of detraction ; a moral '"''''? ^'^ I Lib. 2. de civit. Dei. c. 20. 5 1 Cor. xv. 15. 3 Ad Crescentium. cap. 12—14. < Lev. xix. 11. 5 Ps, v. 7. 304 77te Catechism of the Council of Trent. Various sorts of detrac- tion, and calumny. I. & II. III. IV. 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 niustration. 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 wicked tendency of the sins of calumny and deti'action, are to be found in the pages of sacred history ; and these the pastor will adduce, to deter his people from a crime of such magnitude. But, to see in its full light the deforjnity 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, in a place, or before persons, in which or before whom, the mis- chievous communication is unnecessary, incurs the just impu- tation of a detractor and a slanderer. i 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. Of 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.' 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 I Pa. c. 5. 2 James iv. 11. s EstU. 13. ■1 St. Hieton. ep. ad Nepotianum circa finem. 5 Bernard, lib. 2. de consider, ad Eugen. in fine. 6 Lev. xix. 16. ■ 7 1 Kings xxiv. and xxvi. VI. vn. On the Eighth Commandment, 305 evil good."* Such 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 oil 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 him, by praising his vices, to con- tinue enslaved to them to the end of his life. Of this species Note of 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 Nofe. friends and relations to persons labouringunder 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. Note. lies of every sort are prohibited, but a lie uttered against or re- garding religion, is one of extreme impiety. God is also grievously ofiended by those opprobrious invec- VIII. tives which are termed lampoons and libels, and such contu:- melious slanders.' To deceive by a jocose or officious lie, although neither useful Jocose mu nor injurious to any one, is, notwithstanding, altogether un- ""'"''"s worthy of a Christian ; and of this the Apostle admonishes us bited. when he says, " Putting away lying, speak ye the truth."' This vile practice begets a strong tendency to frequent and se- Evil of 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- All dissi- lation. It is sinful not only to, speak but to act deceitfully, mulation Actions as well as words are signs of our ideas and sentiments ; ^" and hence 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 — Mandatory Its nature and the obligations which it imposes demand, that part of the trials be conducted on principles of strict justice and according {riai^''on 1 Isa. V. 20. 2 Ps. fiix. 5. 3 \ Kings xviii. 17. 4 Matt. xxii. 16. 5 De libellis famosis vid. BuUara Pii V. 147. datatn anno 1572. et Bullam Grego- rii XIII. 4. datam eodem anno, 6 Eph. iv. 25.— Vid. D. Thorn. 2. 2. q. 110. art. 3. et 4. ' Vid. D. Thorn. 2. 2. q. 211. per totam. 26* 2 Q J06 what prin- ciples to be ronducted. The obliga- tion im- posed on judges. On the accused when con- scious of their own guilt On wit- bound to (ell the whole truth. Tim Catechism of the Council of Trent. to 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 know- 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, " unconderaned, 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- cause it is the judgment of God."* 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. The 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 tliere are innumerable things of which we must be ignorant, unless we arrive at a linowledge 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 all 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 ' Uom. xiv. 4 3 Acts vii. 59. 3 Acts xvi. 37 — ^Vid. in 6 lib. c. tit. 7. de privilegiis c. 1. et ibidem lib. 2. tit. 2. de foro competenti. '> Deut. i. 16. 5 As these forms and their import differ in difierent countries, this decision is conditional, and does not apply to the practice of our courts of justice. — ^T. Josh. vii. 19. — Vid. D. Thorn. 2. 2. q. 96. per tolas quatuor articuloa. ' Hajc sententia citabatur olim a Gratiano ex Aug. sed apud Aug. non est in venta : similiter legitur apud Isid. lib. 3. c. 59. On the Eighth Commandment. 307 trutli." Here, however, witnesses should be most circumspect, jvotc. lest, trusting too much to memory, they affirm for certain what they have not fully ascertained. Solicitors and counsel, plaintiffs and defendants, remain still Onsolici to be treated of. The former will not refuse to contribute their '<"«a"d 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 oae by unjust charges, yielding to the tiffiandde influence of love, or hatred, or any other undue motive. Finally, 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 "^ss and extreme wretchedness and turpitude of the liar. In the Sacred of ^'ing;* 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 I'- 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 m. 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 run into mischief, a deceitful witness that uttereth lies, &c."' The man, therefore, who is jy. 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 depends,/ with ignominy and dishonour; and hence, liars are ' Vid. 14. q. 5. c. non sane D. Thorn. 3. 2. q. 71. art. 5. 2 John viii. 44. 3 Prov. vi. 16. &c. 4 James iii. 9- 11. 308 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. excluded from a participation in the bliss of heaven. To David asking, " Lord '. who shall dwell in thy tabernacle ?" the Holy Spirit answers, " He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath VII. 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- Noto 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. Kvil conse- But the evil consequences of lying are not confined to indi- quencesoE 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, lioquacity The pastor will also teach, that loquacity is to be avoided. to be avoid- gy 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. Excuses Finally, there are those who would seek to justify their &s "^ duplicity, and defend their violations of truth, on a principle r. of prudence, alleging tliat they lie iu'season. To this erroneous Note. 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 II to their own prudence 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 Jll. 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. IV. 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 I Vs. xiv. 1. 3. 2 Rom, viii, 6. i Rom. xii. 17 21 On the Ninth and'Tenth Commandments. 300 reproved 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 vi 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 VIJ sake ; the other who plead motives of interest, because, forsooth VIII. 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 fi/st 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 HIS. "3 It is to be observed, in the first place, that these two precepts. Meaning ol which were delivered last in order, furnish a general principle *''^^ •=<""■ for the observance of all the rest. What is commanded in these meats'- two amounts to this, that to observe the preceding precepts of their effi- the law, we must be particularly careful not to covet ; because '^""y '".ff" 11 ■ T_ L i 1 1 Ml 1 • curing the he who covets not, content with wtiat tie has, will not desire observance what belongs to others, but will rejoice in their prosperity ; will "fthe 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- cupiscence, which hurries its devoted victims into every species of enormity.* These considerations, if well weighed, must serve to 1 Matt. xii. 36. = Matt vi. 33. 3 Exod. xx. 17. ■• Vid. Aug. lib. 1. Retract, c. 15. et epist. 200. et lib. 9. de civitate Dei, c. 4 et 5- il ) Th.'.50 two coumand- mcnts why iinif.ed ; difference between them. Necessiity of their proBiulga- lion I VVhyadded to the other command- c:ionts. 1. TTie Catechism of the Council of Trent. induce the pastor to explain what follows with increased diligence, and the people to hear his exposition with increased 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.* 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 themselves 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 tlie promulgation of these two commandments is, that they dis- tinctly, and in express terms, prohibit some things of which the six and seventli 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 this 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 faitliful 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 ' Qutest. 77. in Exod. Vid. item D. Thorn. 2. 2. q. 122. a. 7. ad 3. et 4 5 Matt v 28. On the Ninta and Tenth Commandments. 31 1 opposed 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 ri. from this 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 concurrence of the mind : so that between divine and human laws there is this difference, ithat 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- hold the corruption of our own nature ; and hence these words of the Apostle : " I had not known concupiscence, if the law did not say : ' thou shalt not covet.' "* Concupiscence, which is the fuel of 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 Thesecom partly mandatory, partly prohibitory. With regard to the pro- ™an rollat 7 c- 1 8,- 1 9, 20, 21 . D. Tiiom. in opuscul. et, 2. 2. q. 83. a. 9. On the Lord's Prayer. 333 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. " Father"] The first word which, by the command and God, wliy institution of our Lord, we utter in (the Greek and Latin forms j^],'jfM' ' of) this prayer is " Father." The Eedeeraei:, 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 with ideas of terror, choosing rather an expression which inspires love 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 First proof faithful may be taught from the works of Creation, Government °^}^^ P^?" •r o ' pri6tv 01 and Redemption. God created man to his own image and theappel- likeness, an image and likeness which he impressed not on lation. 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 faithful but of all mankind. His government of mankind supplies another argument for Second the propriety of the appellation. By the exercise of a special P""*" superintending 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 Guardian human race, and be present with every man to protect him from angels, injury. As parents, when their children have occasion to travel Jj)^"^™""^- 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 attaicks, 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 Proofi 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 ;" which -prove that an gels, as the ministers of the divine goodness, hav6 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. heoTi. serm. 6. de nat Dom. D. Thorn. 1. p. quest. 33. art. 1, 334 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. I. dians of our safety and salvation. The angel Rap]iae],'who was appointed by God the companion and guide of Tobias,* " conducted 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,* II. The angel who delivered the prince of the Apostles also af- 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, III. 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. Utility of jjj the exposition of this point of doctrine, the diligence of 8ito)n*i^it ^^ pastor will be rewarded with one important advantage : the evinces the minds of the faithful will be interested, and excited to acknow- goodness of jg jgg ^^^ 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. To 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 LordEimongst.us or not?"' 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, iTob. y.6. 2Tpb. Kii. sTob. vi. •! Tob. xii. s Acta xii. ' Si de angelorum creatione et excellentia vis agere, redi ad priTnum symboli articulum supra, pag. 24. ' Exod. zvii. 7. s Ezek. viii. 1. On the Lord's Prayer. 335 which breathes nought but kindness : " Sion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and the Lord hath forgotten rae :" to which 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 ray hands."* Indisputably as these passages establish this truth, yet, to Further bring home to the minds of the faithful an absolute conviction, elucjdauon that at no lime does God forget man, or withdraw from him the truth, offices of paternal love, the pastor will add to the evidence of I- 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 thera 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 ihe 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 guiUy 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 man can exhaust the 11. divine love, is a truth contained in these words of David, " Will God in his anger shut up his mercies ?"* i And Habaccuc, 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, Note, 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, Third in an admirable manner, the singular love and protecting care P™"*"- of God ; but amongst these, the great work of redemption 1 Isa. xlix. 14—16. 2 Gen. iii. 17, 18. 3 Gen. iii. 23, 24. * Gen. lii. 21. 5 Ps. Ixxvi. 10. o Hab. iii. 2. 7 Mich. vii. 18. 330 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. stands out so prominently, that this God of boundless benefa- cence, our Father, has by this third benefit, crow^ied, 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 spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry, Abba, (Father.)"' Of this adoption, 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."* Reciprocal 'I'hese truths explained, the pastor will remind the faithful of durtuGod. ^^^ reciprocal affection which they owe to God, our most loving ' Father, because, 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. God loves But to instruct the ignorance, and correct the perversity of cliasMses^ such as may imagine that prosperity is the only proof of the love of God, and that adversity, with which he may please to visit us, indicates his hostility, and the utter alienation of his 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, it 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.' 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- " John i. 12, 13. ' = John iii. 6, 7. ' 3 ] Pet i. 23. 4 Rom. viii. 15. siEp. iii.l. ejobxix. 21. 7 Pa. Ixxxviii. 34. b Job v. 18. On the Lord's Prayer. , 337 ed, as 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 ihe."^ Here the faithful should guard with the utmost caution, Wearcnui against the error of believing, that any afHictions or calamities tomunmir befall them, without the knowledge of God. He himself assures ^saj'ist hb 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, I 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."^ "Our"] When, under the name of Father, we all invoke Wearcaii 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 brethten, 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 hencei, 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 Note 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.' But how, possibly, can we be other than brethren of Christ, n. 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- 1 Jer. xxxi. 18. 2 Tob. xi. 17. 3 Luke xxi. 18. ■! Apoc. iii. 10. s Heb. xii. 5. 6 Matt, xxiii. 8, 9. 7 Heb. ii. 11, 12. Ps. xxi. 23. 8 Matt xxviii. 10. 9 Matt. xxv. 40. lo Rom. viii. 17. Heb. i. 2. 29 2U 338 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- Irme to bo forcibly in- culcated by the pasl'ir. 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 to 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 crown of justice, which is reserved for all who shall have run the same course; "for God," says the Apostle, "is not unjust, that he shoiUd 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," says 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 rank 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. 3 Eph V. 30. 2 Chrys. hom. 14, opens imperfecti In Matt. Gal. iii. 26, 27, 28. On the Lord's Prayer. 33& 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 In what prayer to God, remember that you, as a son, approach God j^Jfu'iJ^ui. your Father ; and when you begin the prayer, and utter the ter the words " our Father," reflect, for a moment, how exalted the words"our 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 v^ith 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 him 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 afe all the children of light, and the children of the day."" " Who art in Heaven"] All who have a correct idea of the God every- Divinity agree, that God is everywhere present. This, however, where, m is not to be understood, as if he consisted of parts, filling and governing one place with one part, another place with another ; for God is a spirit, and is, therefore, indivisible. Who would presume to 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. "If," says the Psalmist, "I ascend into heaven, thou art there."* ' God, although present in all places, and in all things, and, as Why said we have already observed, circumscribed by no limits, is, how- ^^espo- ever, frequently said in Scripture, to have his dwelling in the heaven, heavens, because the heavens which we see are the noblest I- part of the visible world, undecaying in splendour, excelling all other objects in power, magnitude, and beauty, and moving with uniform and harmonious revolution. To elevate the soul of W- man to the contemplation of his infinite pc^wer and majesty, which shme forthwith 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. 2 1 Thess. v. 5. 3 Jer. xxii. 24. < Pa. cxjcxviii. 8. Aug. lib. 1. Conf o. 3. D Thorn. I. p. q. 8. art 2. 340 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Tient. that is not filled by his divinity and power, which are every- III 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 hira in prayer, they may recollect that heart and soul are to be raised to heaven. The transcendant nature and divine majesty of our Father who is in heaven, should inspire us with as much Christian humility and piety, as the name of father should fill us with love and confidence. IV. These words also inform us what are to be the objects of our prayers. All our supplications 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 Note. 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."* " HALLOWED BE THY NAME. Objects and order of our prayers. What 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 to 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 hira, 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 ourselves, 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. > CqIoss. iii. 1, 2. On the Lord's Prayer. 341 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 H"speiiiion QS it Tfi- accession, nor can the Divinity, adorned as he is, after an in- gards God. effable manner, with all perfections, admit not of increase, the faithful are to understand that what we pray for to God regard- ing liimself, 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; ^?!''^'''? and here the pastor will inform his pious hearers, that our Lord tiou. does not teach us to pray that it be hallowed on earth as it is I- in heaven, that is, in the same manner, and with the same per- fection, for this is impossible ; but that it be hallowed 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 andone. 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 not 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, n there can exist no expiation, no purity, no integrity, we desire and pray that mankindj emerging from the darkness of infidelity, and illuniined 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- l Ps. xcviii. 3. ■ 2 Eph. v. 29* 342 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. m Our prayers and petitions also regard those who have kf feited the purity of baptism, and sullied the robe of innoceme, 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 dwell. IV 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,"^ proceeds from his bounty, and to refer to him temperance, justice, life, salvation. In a 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. V But the principal object to which this petition refers is, that all recognise and revere the Spouse of Christ, our most holy mother the Church, in whom alone is that copious and perennial fountain, which cleanses and effaces the stains of sin ; from whom we receive all the sacraments of salvation and 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." Note. 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 ex- 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 i. 17. ' Acts iv. 12. Vid. Aug. serm, 181. de tempore et Greg lib. 35. Moral, c. 6. On the LorcVs Prayer. ^43 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 name, 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 powerfully 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 : " Havjng 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 COME. The kingdom of heaven, which we pray for in this second The king- petition, is the great end to which is referred, in which termi- ^oni°f nates, all the preaching of the Gospel : from it St. John the the great Baptist commenced his exhortation to penance, "Do penance, end to for the kingdom of heaven is at hand ;"' and with it the Saviour Qogpei *" of the world opens his preaching.^ In that admirable discourse referred, 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, I must preach the kingdom of God ; therefore am I sent."^ 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 will treat with the Dutyoftha greatest attention, in order to impress on the minds of the faith- P^'*"' ful its paramount importance .and necessity. In the first place, " Rom. ii. 24. 2 Ezek. xxxvi. 20. ' Matt. v. 16. ■! 1 Pet U. 12. 5 Matt iii. 2. 6 Matt iv. 17. ' Matt v. 3. s Luke iy. 43- 9 Matt X. 7. "1 Luke ix. 60. « Acts i. 3 344 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. he 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."* Compre- And, indeed, so great is the abundance of heavenly gifts con- neSof this '^'"^^ 'i" *'s petition, that it embodies all things necessary for petition. 'h^ 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 oOr pre- sent pilgrimage or rather ejcile, and all this God graciously pro- mises to grant us : He immediately subjoins : " AH 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."^ Means of Not enough, however, that we utter an earnest petition for the obtaining kingdom of God ; we must also make use of all those means, asli'inTiris ^Y which it is sought and found. The five foolish virgins ut- petition. 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."* Motives to The priest, therefore, who is charged with the care of souls, theadop- ^yiU 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 shoujd 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. In 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 mstarit defeat becomes inevitable, unless we be defended by the protecting hand of God. Feeling this weight 'Mattvi. 33 sPs. xxii. 1. 3 Matt, xxv, 11. i Matt vii.21. s Gal. v. 17. tior.ofthese means. I. On the Lord's Prayer. 54 5 of misery the Apostle exclaims : " Unhappy man that I ■ksx, who shall deliver me from the body of this death."* The misery of pur condition, it is true, strikes us at once of in 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 instincts, 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, Lord, thy word standeth firm in the heavens."^ Constant in their motions, uninterrupted in their revolutions, they never de- Dart 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- iiation : 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 this misery and inconstancy ? Manifestly a contempt of the divine inspirations. We close our ears to the admonitions of God, our 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- Duty of the dition, to detail its various causes, and to point out the remedies pastor, 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 Meanmgof point out the advantages to be derived by: the faithful from this ,'J^J'j'''*' petition, and the objects foriwhich it sues, , This becomes the of God." more necessary, as the words, " kingdom of God," hsve 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. ' Rom. vii. 24. 2 pg. cxviii. 89. 3 Luke xv. ■• Vid. Chrys, in Ps. 1 18. et in c. 4, Isai. et hom. 62. ad pop. Antioch, item, et hom. 69. et in serm. de vanit. et brevit. vitae. Aug. lib. 10, Confess, c. 38 et 31 et lib. 21. de civit Dei, c. 14. etlib. 21. c. 23. 2X 54 a 77je Catechism of the Council of Trent. I- The words " kingdom of God," ordinarily signify not only that power which he possesses over all men, and over universal 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 all 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 Mardochajus exclaims : " O Lord, Lord, Almighty King, for all things are in thy power, and there is none that can resist thy will : thou art Lord of all, and there is none that can resist thy majesty."^ n. By " the kingdom of God" is also understood that special providence by which God protects, and watches over pious and Note. holy 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 and 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, oi 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 - joy in the Holy Ghost."" Christ our Lord reigns in us by the interior virtues of justice, faith, hope, and charity, 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;"8 so may we too say, "I reign, yet not I, but Christ reigneth in me." This king- This kingdom is called "justice," because it has for its basis ^Md""^ the justice of Christ our Lord ; and of it our Lord says in St. nee," ^'^' 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 animated 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. UI. By the words " kingdom of God" is also meant that kingdom of his glory, of which Christ our Lord says in St. Matthew : I Ps. xciv. 4. 2 Eath. xiii. 9. ' Ps. xxii. 1. « laa. xxxiii. 22. ( John iviii. 36. e Ps, ii, 6. 7 Rom. xiv. 15. 8 Gal. ii 29. Luke xvU. 21, On *he Lord's Prayer. HH " Come ye blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world."' This kingdom the thief, acknowledging his crimes, begged of him in these words : " Lord, remember me, when thou coraest 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 tiie kingdom of grace must precede that of glory ; in him, The king- in whom his grace does not reign, his glory cannot reign. "J"™ °^ Grace, according to the Eedeemer, is "a fountain of living Ifglo^^ 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 o"f 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 inconvenience 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.' Having thus explained the ordinary acceptation of the words. Objects of " kingdom of God," we now come to point out the particular *'^ P®"' objects contemplated by this petition. In this petition- we ' i. 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."^ 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: all these are gathered together, they are come to theS : thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up at thy side."8 But it is a melancholy truth, that, in the church of God, H 1 M5tt. XXV. 34. 2 Luke xxiii. 4. 3 John iii. 5. 1 Eph. v. 5. 5 Matt xiii. ^ John iv. 14. 'See article, "Resurrection of the body." 8ls.liv. 2. 9l9. Ix, 3. B48 77ie Catechism of the Council of Trent. there are to be found those " who profess they know God, but ■.n their works deny him ;"* whose conduct is a reproach 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. HI. 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 to his dominion. Dutjrof the The pastor will also be mindful to teach the faithful, and this pastor. the nature of the petition demands, the thoughts and 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 will 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 To obtain the object of our prayers, it will be found most the objects available to consider seriously who we are: children of Adam, ofour ' Tit i. 16. 2 Matt xiii. 44. ' 3 Phil. iii. 8. ■1 Matt, xxiii. 45. 6 Kom. viii. 35. 6 Is. Ixiv. S. ICor. ii. 9. On the LorcVs Prayer. S49 exiled from Paradise by a just sentence of banishment, and payers, deserving, by our unworthiness and perversity, to become ^^'^^ the objects of God's hatred, and to be doomed to eternal disposition.- punishment. This consideration should excite in us sentiments '^^ f™''^- 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 Note. kingdom of God : we must also use our best exertions for its attainment ; and it is a duty iilcumbent onus 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- Succours tc vided all those succours by' which he defends the life of man, be found in and accomplishes his eternal salvation ; whether they are invi- jj^ ^" 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 conclusion, let us, then, earnestly implore of God the IV. effusion, of his Divine Spirit, that he rnay command us to do all things in accordance with his holy will ; that he may over- throvir 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. vUi. 15. ' = Matt. xi. 12. 3 Matt. xix. 17. 30 S50 Hie Catechism of the Council of Trent. " THY WILL BE DONE. . Propriety This should be the prayer of all who desire to enter into the Sfis'after^ kingdom of heaven. Christ our Lord has said, " Not every one the pre- that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of ceding pe- heaven ; but he that doth the will of my Father who is in hea- ution. ^gjj^ jjg gjjjj^jj gj^jgj, jj^jg jj^g kingdom of heaven ;'" and therefore does this petition immediately succeed that which prays for the coming of his kingdom. Itaneces- But in order that the faithful may appreciate the necessity of Eityimisery tj,g object of this petition, and may estimate the numerous and I. 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 to 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, thatof himself no 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, II. 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 contrary. Of this false estimate and corrupt judgment of man," God thus expresses his detestation : " Wo to you that call evil 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. = Ps. lii. 4. ' Gen. yiii. 81. " Isa. v. 20. On the Lord'i ^rayer. 351 In order, therefore, to delineate in vivid colouring the misery Scriptural of our condition, the sacred Scripture compares us to those who 'Gustation, 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 VL 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 monient 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- f^®^?"*^ series which encompass her ; should man, awakening from the ledge, lethargy which oppressed his faculties, feel the law of the meni- 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 imploie, 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 correct- 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. i. 22 2 James iv l 352 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. this important end, we humbly address this prayer to God. "Thy will be done." This peti- The same should also be the fervent prayer of those, in whose sa r" to^the ®°"^® ^"^ already reigns ; who have been already illumined just. with the divine light, which enables them to obey the will of I- 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 II- 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 : " I know that there dwelleth not in me, that is to say, in my flesh, that which is good."^ ni- The moment the first man forfeited original justice, which enabled him to bridle the passions, reason was no longer able to 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- Aoie 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. Meaning of In the next place, the pastor will explain to the faithful the " fhv^wiu " f°''''^ *'f *^'® petition, and omitting many questions of scholastic disputation, which the erudition of some Doctors of the Church 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 morals ; all things, in a word, which Christ our Lord has com- manded or prohibited either in person or through his Church ; and m the same sense are to be understood these words of the ' Matt xxvi. 41. Vid. Hieron. lib, 2. adversus lovin. et Aug. de Hseresi, 6. • Rom. vii 18. 3 2 Cor. y. ], On the IjOtWs Prayer, 353 A.postle : " Become noi unwise, but understanding what is the will of God."i When, therefore we say, " Thy will be done," we first What we beseech our Heavenly Father to enable us to obey his divine fi^^'Le"'" commands, and to serve him all the days of our lives in holi- tion. ness and justice; to do all things in accordance writh his will I- and pleasure ; to perform all those duties of which we are nf. admonished in the pages of inspiration ; guided and assisted by IV 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- V. 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 Note, 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 dothe 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 This peti- make the principal gift contemplated by this petition the object ''"nvery of their fervent prayers. All, indeed, have in substance made used by the use of this admirable prayer ; but not unfrequently in different saints, words. David, whose 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 petitioni In the second place, when we say, " Thy will be done," we Of what express our detestation of the works of the flesh, of which the ^^T't^ Apostle says: "The works of the flesh are manifest, which tion in this are these, fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, fee."" "If petition, 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 Note.. thought is fixed on, whose every care is absorbed in, the tran ' Eph. XV. 17. 2 Matt. xii. 50. Bernard, serm. 3. de S. Andrea. 3 Ps. cxviii. 5. 4 Ps. cxviii. 35. •'' Ps. exviii. 133. 6 Ps. cxviii. 7.3. ■? Ps. cxviii. 108. » Ps. cxviii. 125. 9 Gal. V. 13. » lo Rom. viii 13. 30* 2 Y 351 VI. Uifliuulty of oflfering this peti- tion from •he heart. VII Scriptural illustra- tions. Vlll. Scriptural illuBiratJou The Catechism of the Council 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 all his happiness, and pronounces him blessed, who succeeds in its attainment. We, on the con- 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 satisly our inordinate appetites ; this disposition of soul is diflBcult of attainment ; and by oifering such a prayer we seem in some sort to hate ourselves. To 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 obtains not the object of his pious prayers. Our prayers, however, have not solely for object, that God should deny lis 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 Son of man came not to destroy but to save."* We should beseech God that his will be done, not only when our desires ai;e 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 will 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 ijt. 23. 3 Lnko ix. 54. On the Lord's Prayer, 355 submission to the. will of his Heavenly Father : " Not my will but thine be done."' But, suuh is the degeneracy of our nature, that, even when Without we have contravened our inordinate desires, and subjected them l^^^^" to the will of God, we cannot avoid sin without his assistance, avoidsin. by which we are protected from evil, and directed in the pur- suit of good. To this petition, therefore, we must have recourse, IX. beseeching God to perfect in us those things which his grace has begun ; to repress the turbulent emotions of desire ; to sub- X. ject our sensual appetites to the voice of reason ; in a word, to XI. render us entirely conformable to his holy will. We pray that XII. the whole world may receive the knowledge of his will ; that XIII the mystery of God, hidden from all ages and generations, may be made known to all. We, also, pray for the form and model XIV. of this obedience, that our conformity to the will of God be re- gulated according to the rule observed 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 Godhowio greatest love, and by the most exalted charity : that, whilst we *"* served, 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 Imperfect do so, however, solely with a view to some recompense, which '°™- is the end and aim of their love ; whilst others, influenced by Perfect love alone, and by generous devotedness, look to nothing else '°^8- 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 Note. 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 'Vhatoui obedient to God, as we have said the blessed spirits are, whose *^'™.<=8 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," to 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. i Ps. cii. 21. 356 This pe- tition con- tains thanlcs- giving. Note. A powerful piotive to revere the will ofGod. Tlie dispo- tion of mind in which this petition should be offered. Obedience to the will of God, man's high- est dignity. Important admonition. TTie 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 necessarily 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 inind, 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."'' But, to close our exposition of this petition, we must revert to a subject at which we glanced at its commencement : it is, 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 God, 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 afiliciions of any sort : let us recollect, that none of these things happen without the permission of God, who is the Supreme Arbiter of .•\11 things. We should, therefore, not suffer our minds to be too 1 Horn. xi. 33. = Col. i. 13. sPs. cxvili 91. On the Lord's Prayer. So'i 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 name of the Lord."" ■ GIVE us THIS DAY OUR DAILY BttEAD. The fourth and following petitions, in which we particularly Order cf and expressively pray for the necessary succours of soul and *® P**"" 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- fortempo- ing for temporal blessings, our minds and our desires are to be Wa our directed in conformity with the law of God, from which we are desires aro not to swerve in the least. By praying for the transient things tpbecon- 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."* To ascertain what petition is good, and what the contrary. Means of the purpose and intention of the petitioner is an infallible crite- ascertain- rion. To pray for temporal blessings, under an impression that offntemion 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, '^'^ P^*"" unquestionably, is not to pray as we ought; for, as St. Augus- tine observes, " we ask not these temporal things as our good, but as necessaries."^ The Apostle, also, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, teaches, that whatever regards the necessary pur- 1 Acts xxi. 14. 2 Job i. 81. 3 Rom. viii. 26. < Matt. XX. 33. ^ Lib. 2. serm. Dom. in monto. c. 16. item, ep. 131. c. 6. 358 Tlie 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."^ Importance In order that the faithful may see the importance of this peti- iif this peti- tion, the pastor will advert to the necessity of external things, '^°"" in order to support life ; and this ihey will the more easily comprehend, by comparing the wants of our protoparent with Difference those of his posterity. True it is, that, although in a state of between spotless innocence, from which he himself, and, through his innocence transgression, all his posterity fell, he had occasion tji use food and of for the refection of the body ; yet, between his wants, and those Men na- j^ 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 Note 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 shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shall 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 Note. 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 our crimes, which provoke the wrath of God, und prevent him from blessing our labours ; whilst, at the same • 1 Cor. X. 31. 2 Gen. iii. 17. On the Lord's Prayer. 359 time, the dreadful sentence first pronounced against guilty man is still recorded against us.' In treating this subject, therefore, the pastor will exert him- Dutyof th« self to impress on the minds of the faithful, that if these mis- pastor, 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 labour in vain that build it."' The pastor, therefore, will teach that those things which are Necessity necessary to human existence, or, at least, to its comforts, are "f'h's 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 Scriptural strange land, unable to obtain even the husks of swine, on which e^^ample- 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.* They will also Motives to have recourse to prayer with greater confidence, if they reflect confidence 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- Objects of couraged, the pastor will next evolve the objects of this petition ; ''"^ prayor- 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 succours 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. '1 Cor. iii. 7. ' Ps. cxxvi. 1. * Luke xv a 60 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. things thou shall give to me I will offer tithes to thee."* Solo- mon prayed for a 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 vphich, 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 the 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. 1 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 sol- 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 Note. bread ;"^ that is to say, to eat and drink. To comprehend fully the meaning of the petition, it is also to be observed, that by the word bread, we are not to understand a profusion of exqui- site meats, and of rich clothing, but what is in its quality simple, and in its object necessary, according to these words of the Apos- tle : " Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content ;"^ and of Solomon, as already quoted ; " Give me only the necessa- ries of life."" Of this frugality in dietand 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 extravagance, or pampering voluptuousness. Note. 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."" And again, " The eyes of all hope in thee, O Lord ; and thou givest them meat in due season."" Why, then, do we call 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. s Matt. xxiv. 20. * James v. 13. i Rom. XV. 30. 6 4 Kings vi. 22. i Luke xiv. 1. si Tim. vi. 8. » I'rov. XXX. 8. 10 Ps. ciii. 27. " Ps. cxliv, 15 On the Lord's Prayer. . 361 generally happens that the injustice is embittered by the acqui- Jition, 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 shall eat the la- bouis 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 m. 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. " Daily"] This word also conveys an admonition to frugality, This word of which we spoke in the preceding paragraph. We do not adraonish- pray for delicacy, or variety of meats : we pray for that alone ^ifL.™' which satisfies the necessary demands of nature; and the Chris- tian should blush, who, loathing with fastidious palate ordi- narj' meat and drink, looks for the rarest viands and the richest wines. The word " daily" conveys a no less severe censure on those, Condemns against whom Isaiah holds out this awful menace : " Wo to you cupidity, that join house to house, and lay field to field, even to the end of the place : shall you alone dwell in the midst of the earth ?"^ The cupidity of such men is insatiable: " A covetous man," says Solomon, " shall npt be satisfied with money."* " They that will becomri 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 Note, 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 Note, prayer, in order that we may not swerve from the practice of loving and serving God, and that we may be thoroughly con- vinced of this truth, that upon him we depend for life and sal- vation. " Give us"] What ample matter for instruction is afforded These two by these two words : what motives they supply to worship and ™"?s con- reverence the infinite power of God, in whose hands are all ant matter things ; what reasons to detest the execrable pride of Satan, who of instruc- 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 In what for their daily bread,' possessing, as they do, abundance of every clbr tuf-' rich. * Ps. cxxvii. 2. 2 Deut. xxviii. 8. 3 jga. v. 8, 4 Ecc). V. 9. 5 1 Tim. vi. 9. s Luke iv. 6. 31 2Z 362 Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. thing. They are 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 rich, 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 ; Note who giveth us abundantly all 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 be supplied by the hand of God, which imparts to it a salubrious and salutary influence, rendering it nu- tritive, and preserving the body in subjection to the soul.^ Why"give But why say " give US," in the plural number, not "give ns,|' not me," in the sinsular ? Because it is a duty of Christian cha- J ■ 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. II. 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. "^ Force of. " This day"] 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 tliis 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 daily use of the Lord's prayer. We here We have thus far treated of that bread which we use to nou- rfmal'food "^^ ^"'' support the body, and which God, " who maketh his and what sun to rise on the good and the bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust,"'' bestows, in his admirable beneficence, indis- criminately on the good and the bad. It now remains to treat of that spiritual bread, whicli is, also, the object of this petition of the Lord's Prayer, and which comprehends every thiug neces- sary for the safety and salvation of the soul. The soul, not less 1 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," says he, " a ' 1 Tim. vi. 17. 2 Horn. 14. oper. iraporE in Matt. 3 S. S, Basil, horn. 6. variorum, Aug. et Ambr.,serm. 81. Matt. v. 45. 5 Frov. ix '5. On the Lord's Prayer. 363 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 incapability Anifiustra 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 it, to be unable to endure it, and to utter against God the blas- phemous cry, " Depart from us, we desire not the knovi'ledge 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 : " I am," says II. he, " the living bread that came down from heaven."^ It is incredible with what exquisite pleasure and joy this bread fills 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 lu. 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, abideth in me, and I in him."° " Take ye and eat : this is my body."' But, for those matters, which Note 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 tiieir 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 the holiness and veneration to which they can excite themselves.' It is called " daily" for obvious reasons : it is oiTered daily to God in the holy sacrifice of the altar, and is given to those who desire lo 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 bat once a year T"^ 1 Amos viii. 1 1. 2jobxxi. 14. 3 John vi. 41. '• Acts v. 41. i Apoc. ii. 17. 6 John vi. 57. ' Matt xxvi. 26. I Cor. xi. 24. 8 Vid. Tertul. lib, de orat. Cypr. item de orat. Aug. et alios, locis citatis pag. 476. 9 Lib. 5. Sa, c. 4. vide etiam de consec. dist. 3. 3ft4 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. The issue In the exposition of this petition the faithful are to be empha °^^^ tically exhorted, when they have honestly used their best con- heconfined sideration and industry to procure the means of subsistence, to 10 God. confide the issue to God, and to submit 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. Duty of the 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 accord, and will supply the pastor with abundant matter to elucidate this subject in a manner conducive to the eternal interests of his people." rich. " AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE ALSO FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS." The pas- " FoRGivE US OUR DEBTs"] Many things display the infinite sion. of power of God, his wisdom and goodness. Cast our eyes, turn plays'the °'^'" thoughts, where we may, we are struck with unequivocal foveof God manifestations of his omnipotence and goodness ; but if there be towards j^„y. ^^g 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." Object of This petition comprises a summary, as it were, of those bene- thispeti- .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. Its exiosi- In it we enter on a new form of prayer : in the precedinar neti- tionrthe; "^ "^ ^ " ^ ' Ps. liv. 23. 2 1 Tim. vi. 17. 3 Isa. xxvii. 9. 4 Ps. xxxi. 1. tion, On the Lord's Prayer. 365 lions, we ask from God not only spiritual and eternal, but also dispositions temporal and transient blessings; but in this we deprecate the ?''"*j' evils of the body and of the soul, of this life, and of the life to come. As, however, Ito 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 I. to offer this petition must, first, acknowledge, and, in the next place, feel compunction for his sins. He must also firmly n. 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 loolied on God as an avenger of crime, and not, also, as a God of clemency and of mercy. 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 to a 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 Motive to but listen to God himself declaring by the mouth of David, ^no^'jgd„. " They are all gone aside; they are become unprofitable to- mentofour gether ; there is none that doth good, no not one."'' Solomon ™s. speaks to the same effect ; " There 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, ray heart is clean, and I am pure from sin 1"^ 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 the 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 ; 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 We muat call them to mind lightly ; we must recount them with bitter reeountour regret ; the heart must be pierced with compunction; the soul bitter re^ must melt with sorrow. On this subject of compunction, there- gret. fore, the pastor will bestow his best attention, in order that his iGen. iv.l3. 2 Matt, xxvii. 4, 5. spg.xiii.s. 4Eccl.vii.21. oProv. XX. 9. 6Jolini.8. 7jer.ii.25. s Cone. Mile v. e. 7— 9 3 Vid. Trid. sess. 6. de justificatjone ell. item Aug. in Ench. c. 17. 31 306 Zeal of the pastor in ihis re- spect ; tur- pitude of (Calamities and mise- ries wliich sin entails. The wick- ed are at war with (ted. 77ie Catechism of the Council of Trent. hearers may not only recall to their recollection their sins and iniquities, but may, also, recall them with tears of penitential sorrow ; that, penetrated with heartfelt contrition, they may betake themselves to God tlieir 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 bj' 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 over 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 lie called in Scripture, " 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 : "If any 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 th'e anguish which he felt on account of the wickedness of his sins, David was afflicted yet more by the ' John itiv. 3a * Is livi. 13. 2Eph.vi. 12. MCor.ui. 17. sjobxli.25. 6 Ps. xxxvii. 4. On the Izard's Prayer. 367 consciousness of having provolsed the wrath of God. The wicked are at war with God, whom their crimes so grievously offend. " 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 Utilityof 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 ;"° 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 ovt^n infatuation and abandonment. But lest, terrified by the enormity of his crimes, the sinner The sinner despair of obtaining pardon, the pastor will animate hira to co™*edto hope by the ibllowing considerations ; he will remind him that hope for Christ our Lord gave power to his Church to remit sins, as is pardon, 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 disposed 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 lexer- 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 N°'« doubt that, with his gracious assistance, we have it in our power to conciliate the divine favour. This attestation of the willing- ' Rom. ii. 8, 9. 2 Ps. 1. 3 Jer. ii. 19. •• Is. xlvi. 12. 5 Ezek. ixxvi. 25. « Zach. vii. 12 3Gd What we do not pray for in this petition. I. II. What we pray for. Unable to satisfy for ouraelves, we must have re- course to the merits ofChrisU Note. Meaning of " our" in Ihisdif- Tlie Catechism of the Council of Trent. ness of God to pardon sin, increases faith, nurtures hope, and 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 as 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. In the first place, then, we are to know that m it we pray not for exemption from the debt due to God on so many accounts, the payment of which is essential to salvation ; that of loving him with our whole lieart, our whole soul, and with all our strength. Neither do we ask to be exempted from the duties of obedience, worship, veneration, or any similar obligation in- cluded in the word " debt." We pray to be delivered froin our 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 may infer that we are only debtors, but also unequal to the payment of the debts which we contract. Of himself the sinner is totally incapable of making satisfaction : we must, therefore, fly to the divine mercy ; and as justice, of which God is most tenacious, is an equal and corresponding attribute to mercy, we must have recourse to prayer, and to the advocacy 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, whitih is the object of our prayer in this petition. We ask pardon not only for our venial ofliences, 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. The word " our," is here used in a sense entirely different from that in which we said, " our daily bread ;" that bread is > Luke xi. 4. 2 Ps. Ixviii. .5. On the LorcVs Prayer. ' 3C9 ♦ ours," becai se given us by the munificence of God ; the sins ferent from which we commit are " ours," because with us rests their g-uilt. '?"''?,r our in rhey are our own free acts, otherwise they could not be imputed the pre- to us as sins ; sustaining, therefore, the weight, and confessing ceding the guilt of our sins, we implore the divine clemency, which is P^''''""' 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, and as we really are, pouring out, if we are wise, the prayer of the prophet : " Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses in sins."'' We do not say, " forgive me," but " forgive us ;" because. Why each in virtue of the fraternal relation and mutual charity subsistinff P®"^™^ " SrLvs tor- between all men, we are each bound to be solicitous for the give' us," common salvation of all ; and, when we pray for ourselves, it "»' forgive is our duty to pray also for others. This manner of praying, '^^^' delivered by our Lord, and subsequently received and always retained by the Church 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"] The word " as," The word may be understood in two senses: it has the force of a com- "as,"may parison when we beg of God to pardon us our sins, as we stood in ' pardon the wrongs and contumelies which we receive at the two sense*, hands of those who injure us. It also marks a condition, and ^"'li'"'^*"' 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 forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences."* Either sense, however, equally implies the necessity of forgive- 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 injuiy. 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. To 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, solicits from God the pardon of offences. iGen.iii. ]2, 13. 2Pa, cxl.4. 3 Exodus xxxii. 32. < Rom. ix. 3. sMatt. vi. 14. 3 A 370 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. To be for- Those, therefore, who have sustained injuries from others, given we should be prepared and prompt to pardon, urged to it as they give. '^''fii by this form of prayer, and also by the command of God : " If thy brother sin against thee, reprove him ; and if he 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 ;"° 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."^ Arguments But as, owing to the corruption of our nature, there is no- lo eiiftrce thing to which man yields a more reluctant assent than to the neS^^' 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- I. tian. He will dwell on those passages of the divine oracles, in which we hear God himself commanding us to pardon our II. enemies ; and will proclaim, and it is strictly true, that a dispo- sition to forgive injuries, and to love their enemies from the heart, is the strongest evidence of their being the children of God. By loving our enemies we image forth, in some sort, the loving forbearance of God, our Father, who, by the death of his Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition, and reconciled to himself the human race, who before were his avowed ene- III. mies. To 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."* Caution to This, however, is a subject which demands consummate the jpastor; prudence on the part of the pastor, lest, disheartened by the oTmjuries^ difficulty, and yet knowing the necessity, of observing this pre- how to be cept, any of his hearers should yield to despondency. There under- g^g ggme, who, aware of the obligation of burying in voluntary oblivion the injuries which they may have sustained, and oif loving those by whom they have been inflicted, desire to complj 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 to revenge, the other pre- pared to pardon ; from which contrariety arise continued striig ' Luke xvii. 3. 2 Rom. xii. 20. Prov. xxv. 21, 22. 3 Mark xi. 25. < Matt. v. 44. On the LorcCs Prayer. 371 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 Those who succeeded in bringing themselves to forgive injuries, and to have not love their enemies, are deterred by the condition contained in given their this petition, as already explained, from repeating the Lord's enemies Prayer. To remove from their minds so pernicious an error, the ""'0/1^ pastor will adduce the two following considerations : first, that prayer; whoever belongs to the number of the faithful offers this prayer and why ? 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 IT. 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 for 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 tlie 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 niischievpus. 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 Means of that we are suppliants at the throne of God, soliciting from him rendering that pardon which he never refuses to the penitent; that we efficadoul should therefore, possess that charity, and that piety which be- j 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. To this consideration we should add II. the greatest circumspection in guarding for the future against the occasion of sin, and against whatever may possibly expose us to the danger of oflTending 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 in. 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. iPs.1,5. 2Ps. vi.7. 372 The . Catechism of the Council of Trent. crying, "0 God, be merciful to me si 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, Peter the prince of the Apostles, who, "going forth wept bitterly ."« ^V They should next consider that the weaker men are, and the more liable to moral contagion, the greater the necessity they are under of having recourse to numerous and frequent remedies : the remedies of a SDul labouring 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 which 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 makeih 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."* Nolo. 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, Jet him present to God all his enmities, pardon every offence, and pray for his enemies from his heart, embracing every opportunity of deserving well of them. This, however, is a subject wliich we have already 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. Dangers o! "When the children of Godi having obtained tlie pardon of relapse. their sins, and being now inflamed with the desire of devoting themselves to the divine service, sigh for the coming of the kingdom of heaven ; and when, enggged 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. ■1 Tob. .\ii. 9. Dan. iv. 24, On the Lord's Prayer. 373 (memy 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 fesoiu- tions, they may relapse into sin, and their condition be thys 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 crafty 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 cry 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- Necessity stand, if they but reflect on their own weakness and ignorance ; "fthis peti- if they call to hiind these words of Christ our Lord : " The "j; 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 niustra- 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- Note, 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 Note- reposed in the weakness of human nature, has betrayed men of eminent piety into the most grievous sins, what just cause 1 2 Pet. ii. 21. 2 John xiii. 10. 3 Matt. xxvi. 41. 4 Matt. xxvi. 41. s Matt xxvi. 35. a74 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. of serious apprehensions to the mass of mankind, who are so far inferior to them in holiness. II- 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 all 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 wiih these torches that smoulder within him ? In truth, so numerous are these assaults, so varied these attacks, that it is extremely difficult to escape in. 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 diiHculty that we can elude Note. 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 rrfle 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. IV 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 into heaven ;"" he attacked our first parents in Paradise ; he assailed the Prophets ; he beset the Apostles, and as our Lord declares, ' Eph. vi. 12. 2 Isa. xiv. 13. On the Lord's Prayer. 375 " 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 ; " your 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 V. 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 himself, and entering in they dwelt there."* There are many who, because they feel not the impetuous its neccs- assaults of the devil, may imagine that this picture of his power sity to the 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 tliose who have dedicated themselves to God, lead- To the ing a heavenly life upon earth, are the chief objects of the so™, assaults of Satan ; against them he harbours the 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 unable to elude or combat. Who then can deem himself sufficiently secure, when abandoned to his own weakness ? Hence the necessity of Nolo, 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, in terapap dread the power of the devil, they are to be exhorted to take t'™- refuge in the harbour of prayer, whenever they are overtaken by the storm of temptation. The power and pertinacity of N(>te 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 is in 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. s 1 Pet v. 8. 3 Mark v. 9 4 Matt. xii. 45. 5 1 Cor. x. 13. 376 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. forth thy hand upon his person."^ Nay, so restricted is the power of the devil, that he could not even enter into the swine mentioned in the Gospel, without the permission of God.^ "Tempta- To understand the force of this petition, it is necessary to '''"''". , show the meaning of the word " temptation," as here em- i. ■ ployed, and also, what it is to be led into temptation. To 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 n. 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 other 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 w^st acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee."° Man, how Man is tempted for a bad purpose, when impelled to sin or tempted, 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."' 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 heretics, who, " sitting in the chair of pestilence,"^ which, instead of being the chair of truth, is converted into that of error, scatter, with profuse hand, the deadly seeds of false doctrine, nnseltling 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 inclined to evil. To be led We are said to be led into temptation, when we yield to its totion!"''' wicked suggestions. This takes place in a two-fold manner : jneaningof. 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 occasion of sin to none ; " he hateth all, ' Job i. 12. 2 Matt viii. 31. Mark liv. 12. Luke viii. 32. 3Heb. iv. 13. 4 Deut. xiii. 3. s Gen. xxii, 1. ' Tob. xii. 13. Matt, iv 3. 8 Ps. ;. j. On the Lord's Prayer. 377 who work iniquity;"* and, accordingly, we read in St. James, "Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted ijy God ; for God is not a tempter of evils. "^ The man, who, IT. although 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 is also said to lead us into temptation, when we abuse, H'- 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 Father's sub- 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 niustra- 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 perfect 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 gifts 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 : it is, that Note, those whom God permits to convert the abundant means, with which his Providence has blessed them, into instruments of vic( , , are equally guilty of ingratitude with the unhappy Jerusalem. The Sacred Scriptures sometimes express the , permission of Scriptural God in language, which, if understood literally, would imply phrase- a positive act on the part of God ; and this scriptural usage pi^e^' also demands attention. In Exodus it is said, " I 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.^ • Pa. V. 5. 3 Jaraes i. 13. ' Luke xv. 12. •> Rom. vii. 10. 5 Ezek. xvi. 14. 6 Ex. iv. et vii. ' Isa. vi. 10. « Rom. i. 26. 9 Vid. Irsan. lib. 4. contra hoBret.' cap. 48. TertuU. lib. 2. contra Marc. 14. Augf. lib. de prsedest et gratia, c. 1. et de pned. sanct. cap. 9. et lib. de grat. et lib. artnt. cap. 21—23. D. Thorn 1. p. qusest. 87. art. 2 et 22. quiest. 15. 32* 3 B 378 Meaning of tliis peti- tion: ad- vantage of temptation. What we pray for in this peti- tion. I. 11. III. IV Objects of our thoughts and reflec- tions in presenting this peti- tion. I. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. These observations premisecl, it will not be difficult to com- preliend the object for which we pray in this petition. We do 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 divine assistance, in general, under all temptations, and, in particular, when assailed' by any particidar teinptation. Tliis 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 ray mouth :"* against covetousness, "Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness :"' and against the vanities of this life, and the allurements of concu- 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 rna)' 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 themselves with resolution, who were delivered by Almighty God from the fangs of Satan. When Joseph was assailed ' 2 Tim. ii. 5. • Ps. cxviii. 43. ^ James i. 13. > Ps. cxviii. 36. 3 Heb. iv.]."!. 6 Ps. cxviii. 37 On the Lord's Prayer. . 379 by the criminal solicitations of a maddening woman, did not lUustm- God rescue him from the imminent danger, and exalt him to ''"■''^ the highest pitch of glory P 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 on record many similar examples, to which the pastor should refer, in order to exhort with earnestness his pious hearers to this hope and con/idence. The faithful should also reflect under whose standard they II. fight against the teraptatiops 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 ill. to the Hebrews abounds with the victories of holy men, " who by faith conquered kingdoms, stopped the mouttis of lions. "^ Whilst we read of such achievements, we should also take into IV account the victories which are every day won by men eminent for faith, hope, and charily, 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 mSn, 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 Note, 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. Without let no one indulge feelings of self-complacency, nor flatter him- 'he divine self that, by his own single una.ssisted exertions, he is able to we cando withstand the hostile assaults of the devil. This is not within nothing, the power of human nature, nor within the competency of I Gen. xxix. 7. 2 Dan. xiii. 61. ' John xvi. 33. * Apoc. v. 5. » Heb XI. 33. 6 1 John ii. 13. ' Matt. xxvi. 41. 8 James iv. 7. 380 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 ; whoso 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 cast 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 sufliice. 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 totion.^™^ 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 I 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 : " To 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."^ The re- wards which, await our victories > I Kings ii. 4. 4 Apoc. xii. 10. ' Apoc. iii. 12. 2 Ps. xvii. 35. 5 Apoc. xvii. 14. 8 Apoc. iii. 21 3 1 Cor. XV. 57. 6 Apoc. iii. 5. 9 Apoc. xxi. 17. On the Lord's Prayer. 381 " BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.' This petition, with which the Son of God concludes this Thispe- iirayer, embodies the substance of all the rest. To mark its '''',°" i>" !.•',., . , -,. .^, epitome of force and weight, praying on the eve oi his passion lor the all the salvation of mankind, he thus concluded: "I pray thou keep others. 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 affirm- ing, that nothing more remains to be asked." Such, then, being the nature of this petition, the diligence of Diligence the pastor in its exposition, should be commensurate to its im- "f'hepaa- rv^t 1-rn i • i , T . . tOrilllta portance. Ine dmerence between it and the preceding petition exposition; consists in this, that in the one we beg to avoid sin, in the other, difference to escape punishment. It cannot, therefore, be necessary to andthe" ' remind the faithful of the numerous evils and calamities to which preceding we are exposed, and how much we stand in need of the divine petition; to assistance. The picture of our misery has been drawn in lively peated. 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 lif^. 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 : "Suffi- 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 Our dan- inseparable from human life, it will not be difficult to convince §^^.*'?,'? them, that to implore of God deliverance from evil is an irapera- serve to tive duty : a duty to the performance of which they will be the convince more easily induced, as no motive exercises a more powerful neceEsityot influence on human action than a desire and hope of deliverance prayer, from those evils, which oppress, or impend over them. To fly Note. 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 shall seek thy name, O Lord."° ' Johnxvii. 15. 2 Lib. de orat. citat. sjobxiv. 1; •• Matt vi. 34. 5 Luke ix. 23., 6 Ps. Ixjudi. 17. 3S2 llow tc pray ; order to be ob- served in ourprayers. Difference between the prayers of the infidel and of the Christian. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. If, then, in calamities and dangers the unbidden impulse of nature prompts men to call on God, it surely becomes the duty of those, to whose fidelity and prudence their salvation is in- 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 pray 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 afilict 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 oflTered 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 mercy 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 lo 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 him whatever healing virtue resides in medicines, con- 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 halh created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them."* He, therefore, 1 Ps. xlix. 15 5 Matt. vi. 33. ' Ps. vi. 6. < Ps. 1. 15. 5 Ecol. xxxviii 1 Un the Lord's Prayer. 383 who has pledged his fidelity to Jesus Christ, does not place his principal hope of recovery in siioh remedies : he places it in God the author of these medicines, and the Sacred Scriptures 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 sickness in God: our most bountiful Father has commanded us to beg ourconfi- of him our deliverance from evil ; and commanded as we arc, should be by him to .implore his goodness, we must cherish a hope of placed in obtaining the object of our prayers. Of this truth the Sacred ^'"*' Scriptures afford many illustrations, that they whom reasoning, may not inspire with conftdenee, 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 weakes,t mind : " The just cried, and the Lord heard them ; and delivered them out of all their troubles."'' We now come to explain the force and nature of the petition, Some in order that the faithful may understand that in it we by no things a™ means solicit deliverance from e\ery species of evil. There ^°I"?J 'i , . , . , ^ ' • 1 , ■, , considered are some thmgs which are commonly considered evils, and evilswhict which, notwithstanding, are fraught with advantage to those nrenotreai who endure them : such was the sting of the flesh experienced meaning by the Apostle, that, by the aid of divine grace, power might of the be perfected in infirmity.' When the pious Christian learns petition- 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 and 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, imprisonrrjent, 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. 1 Paral. xvi. 12 2 Ps. xxxiii 18. 3 2 Cor. n'A. 17 3S4 The. Catechism of ike Council of Trent. We do not however pray to be delivered solely from those things, which all look vipon 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. God deli- The goodness of God delivers us from evil in a variety of vera us ways. He prevents impending evils, as we read with regard .TvarfeU of 'o '^^^ Patriarch Jacob: the slaughter of the Sichimites had ways. 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."* 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 Kote. 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 cast into the lion's den, and who also escaped unhurt.* The devil According to the interpretation of St. Basil, St. Chrysostome, specially and Augustine, the devil is specially called " the evil one ;" evil one" ° because he was the author of man's transgression, that is, of and why. his sin and iniquity ; and because God makes use of him as an I. 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 tiie 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 : I form the light and create darkness : I make peace and create ir. evil."" The devil is also called evil, because, although we have 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 innocence, : Gen. xxxv. 5. a Ps. Ixlii. 19. s Dan. vi. 22. 4 Dnn. iii. 50, 6 Amoa iii. 6. 6 Isa, xlv. 7. On the Lord's Pmyer. 389 lie 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 deliver us from evil.' We say " from evil," not " from evils," because the evils vve say which -we experience fro'm others we ascribe to the arch enemy from evil, as their- author and instigator. This is also a reason why we "yiig™^^ should _be less disposed to cherish sentiments of resentment why.' towards our, neighbour, turning our hatred and anger against Satan himself, by whom rhen 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 to deliver you from evil, that is, from the infuries, 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 if by prayers and vows ,we Patience are not delivered from evil, we should endure our aflflictions under eon- with patience, convinced that it is the will of God that we affljcrion 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 trtith 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- Examples, vant, then, should not be greater thatt 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- other positions, although encompassed by evils on every side, like the examplea three children who passed unhurt amidst the flames, we shall be preserved through the perilous ordeal ; or at least, like the Macchabees, 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 ' laa. xlv. 7. 3 Chrysost. honi, 20. in Matt et hom. 5 in Job. Aug. in Ecclesiast dogm. cap. 57.. Basil, in hom. quod Deus non sit auctormalorum, non procul a iine. 3 2 Tim. iii. 12. * Acts xiv. 21. 6 Luke xxiv. 26. c Serm. 5, de omnibus Sanctis. ' 2 Kings xi. 1 33 3 C 386 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. they had been scourged, "rejoiced exceedingly thfet they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the nama of Jesus.'" Lilie 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, a« one that hath found great spoil. "^ ' MEN. The seal of This word "Amen," St. Jerome, in his commentary on St. the LorU's Matthew, calls what it really is, "the seal of the Lord's prayer."' frmts of A.3. then we have already admonished the faithful wil,h regard to ihiscon- th^ preparation to be made before, holy prayer, so we deem it '^'''^;"S necessary that they should know, why we close our prayers ofpra'yerin with this word, and also what it signifies : devotion in conclud- ijeneral. jng 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 au inexplicable manner, brought nearer to those v/ho 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 glqwing 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 Example, exceedingly with a plenteous effusion of divine grace, as it is writ- ten, "Thou hast prevented hiiji with blessings of sweetness."* 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.^ Nota 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 wiliest iniquity,"" The more familiar 1 Actsiv. 4. 2 Ps. cxviii. 161. 3 In Matt. vi. 6. * Ps. \l. 4. i> Exod xsxiv. 35. 2 Cor. iii. 13. " Ps. v. 5. Oh the Lord's Prayer. ■ 387 these truths are to the mind, the more piously do we Venerate^ and the 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 hifn."^ Encircled by light from above, then do we also discover out own lowliness, and how exalted is the majesty of God: "Giv,e m,e," 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 ug 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- fhe^l^tg tial fear, and ending with consolatory and joyous hope. This breathe spirit, however, is eminently conspicuous in the Psalms of Da- 'hjs spirit, 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 holj'joy, he adds : "I will hot fear thousands of the peo- ple surrounding jiiQ."' In another Psalm, after he had lamented his misery, reposing confidfence in God; and rejoicing exceed- ingly in the hope of salvation, he says,: " In peace in the self- Siiiiie, I will sleep, and I will rest."* Again, with what' terror must he not have been agitated when he-exclaimed :: " OLordj 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 iii. thy strength ;"^ and j^et, in the same psalm he adds these words of joy and confidence ; ',' Behold, God is my help.;' and the Lord is the helper of ray soul." Let him, therefore, who has recourse to holy prayer approach God his Father,- fprtified 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 gerals of many of those reasons and JJ^™"^° reflections which we have already evolved. Indeed, so frequent "amen" in .1 ■ TT 1 ' 1 • ., ,1 I- .1 c, • ,1 _. ■! this prayer and in the was this Hebrew word in the mouth of the Saviour, that it ''"^P™?!' 1 Ps. xxxiii. 9. 2 Ps. vii. 3— 18. aps. iii.3. 1 * Ps. iv. 9. s Ps. vi, 2. 9. 6 Ps. 53. 3. 883 The Catechism of the Council of Trent. pleased the Holy Ghost to have it still retained in tlie Church 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 instahce 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. The word By many, the word " amen" is differently interpreted : the by marly Septuagint interprets it, " so be it:" others translate it, " verily," interpreted Or " truly ;" Aquila renders it, " faithfully." Which of these differently, 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." It fixes at- To us also this word is vfery appropriate, containing, as it does, enlivens some confirmation of the petitions which we have already pre- hope. 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 woi"d so often uttered by the divine lips of him, " w,ho," as the Apostle says, " was always heard for his reverence."' ' 2 Cor. i. SO. 11/ auTu TO vsi, in ipso, scilicet Christo, sunt est, that is to say, oro ratified in Clirist,— T. 2 Ps. liii. 6. s Heb. v: 7. THE END. PRAXIS CATECHISM I, SEU CATECHISMUS SINGULAS ANNI DOMINICAS DISTRIBUTUP ET EVANGELIIS ACCOMMODATUS. DOMINICA PRIMA ADVENTUS. bjBuiTT siBurx IS Sole, et Lhita, &c. Luc. xxi. 35, &c.] — Hoc Evangeliuhi ad argumentum tie judicio generali tra- ducondum est. Quare hlc reeurrat Pa- rochus ad arliculum Symholi. "Inde venturus est.judicare vivos et mortnos," p. 61, et seqq. prout. faciendum praecipi- ■ tur, p. 18, vol secundum aliarum Ecclesia- rum ritum. ECCE nnX TDUS VENIT 'tIBI, &C. MaTT. xxi. 5, &c.] — Hic opportand tractabit parochus ea, quae de Incarnatione, et causis adventus Christi Domini nostri habentur art. 2. et 3. Symboli Apostolici, p. 31, et 37. InvENIETIS ASIKAM AI.HCATAM, ET PUL- lAM CUM EA ; SOLVITE, &C.] D. Atha- nasius in sermone de verbis huj us Evan- gelii ostendit ex lioc 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 qufe habentur de confessione, p. 189, et seqq. et absolutione, p. 181, et de potestate remittendi peccata in Eo- clesia, p. 82, et seqq.' > -DOMINICA SECUNDA. I'UM AUllISSET JOAWJfES IN TINCULJS, &C. To Es aui vESTUHUs Es, &e. Matth. xi. 3, &c.] — Ista Joannis interrogatio tam sedula, ostendit quanto cum studio cu- rare debeamus, ut de rebus fidei, et nos^ et ii, qui nobis subsunt, rit£, et a Catho- licis doctoribus instruamur. Vide quse huic argumento inserviunt initio Cate- 389 chismi, usque ad primum Symboli arti-- culum. , In'tincdlis.] — Fides usque ad vincula, immd ad necem usque, cum opus est, et a judice urgemur, profitenda est : nee est satis earn pectore inclusam habere, quantumvis rectam et sinceram, ut osten- ditur, p. 22, et seqq. vel "Eruntsigna in Sole et Luna," &c. ut Dominica pras- cedenti. DOMINICA TERTIA. CoSFESoUS EST ET NOST WEGAVIT, .ToAW. 1. 30, &c.] — ^Ex hoc loco simpliciter verura fateri docemur, iiec intermiscere jusjuran- dum, ut nobis fides adhibeatur. Vide quanto, et sub quibus psnis jurare pro- hibitum, in 2. praecepto, p. 254, et seqq. Quid er&o baptizas, si tu non es CnnisTus, &c.] — Agendum hlc de min- istris baptismi, de quo, p. 119, et seq. et • quomodo sese habeant in dispensationc Sacramentorum Christus Dominus et minister, quantum ad elTectum Sacra- menti, p. 108, et seqq. CUJUS EGO KOX SUM BIGIfUS, &C.] Hic monere parochus populum sibi creditum debet ut se pro festis natalitiis ad sacram synaxim prseparet, et agerc de condigna tanti hospitis (cujus corrigiam calceamenti solvere indignum se .loannes Baptista censet) susceptione, vide de prsparatione ad Eucharistiam, p. 167, vel " Cum audisset Joannes in vincuhs, ut in Dominica pnecedenti." DOMINICA QUARTA. AlfNO aUINTODECIMO IMPEBII TiBEttll C^sAiiis, &c. Luc iii. 1.] — Cur Uc 33* 390 Praxis Calechismi. principum' niundi fiat nientio, cadem ratio aSerri potest, qusD affcrtur io- ai'ti- culo 4. Symboli de codem Pontio Pilato. Factum est teubum Domini supke JoANSEM, &c.] — Quonjam Joannes non nisi a Deo legitime vocatus ofRcium veibi Dei predicandi exercuit: ideo hjc de legitima vocatione ministrorum Ec- clesiffi parochus disseret, ut habetur de sacram. Ordinis, p. 212, et seqq. legiti- mosque, eos ministros non esse dicat, qui missi non sunt, ut traditur in prse- falione. Ix DESKUTO.] — Hic de probitate et moium integritate ministrorum verbi (qui sunt sacerdotes) agatur cxeodem loco 212, et seq. et de castitate, qua; eJs, quando fiunt subdiaconi, indicitur, ut hab. ibidem. PaiEDICANS BaPTISMUM POSyiTKNTIiE.] Quomodo adulti, qui baptismpm susci- pere debent, affecti esse debeant, et proj- teritte eos vitae poenitere, traditur, p. 126, ct seqq, Pauatk viam Domini, hectas pacite SEMiTAS Dei nostki.] — Hic de prtepa- ratione ad Eucharistiam, de qua in supe- rior! Dominica, et de necessaria manda- torum Dei observantia, de qua, p. 237, et seqq. vel. " et confessus est, et non negavit," ut in Dominica prEecedenti. m DIE NATIVITATIS DOMINI. pEPEniT PBIMOGENITDM FIIIDM SCCM, &c. Ltic. ii. 7, (fee] — Explicetur articu- lus . Symboli. Natcs ex Maui a ViRDiNE. Qui est hujus loci maxime pfoprius, de quo, p. 38, ot seqq. Eodem die ad Missam majorem. Iw PRINCIrlO ERAT TERBUM, ET VERBUM ERAT, &c. Joan i. 1, &c.] — Quoniam hic • locus dum a:gitur de seterna Christi Do- mini generatione adducitur, p. 35, hinc paroclius petet hujus loci e.\positionom. Et verbum caho factu.ii est.] — Hic ex- ponatur mysterium Incarnationis prout habetur, p. 36, et seqq. (iLOHIAM dCASI UNIGENITI A PATBE.] Quomodo hic unigenitus sit etiam patre noster, vide p. 337. DOMINICA INFRA OCTAVAM NATIVITATIS. IIt TUAM IPSIUS ANIMAM rERTRANSIBIT cLADius, &c. Ldc. ii. 35, &c.] — Ex hac Simeonis prtedictione ansam sumere poterit parochus explicandi, cur Deus iideles jam baptizatoa, quos filios habet uarissimos, non eximat ab incommodis vitffl hujus, qua de re agitur, p. 129, el qu6 confugiendum tunc sit, do quo p 318, et seq. Non recedebat a templo jejuniis et oBATioNiBus, &(;.] — De privata et pub lica oratione habes, p. 330. Quomodo 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. Et POSTaUAM CONSUMMATI SUNT DIES OCTO, UT CIBCUMCIDEBETUB PUEU, &C. Luc. ii. 21, &c.] — Quoniam circumci- sioni successit Baptismus, hic in genere dici poterit de vi, et efficientia Sacramen- torum novse legis 'supra antiqusE legis Sacramenta, ut habetur, p. 111. VoCATUM EST SOMEN EJUS JeSUS, &C.]—f Quam convcni^nter hoc nomen inditum fuerit Christo Domino, et quare, vide p. 33. Observandum hic etiam est pucris nunc in , baptismo, et olim in circumcisione nomen esse imponendum : cujus rei qucenam sit ratio, et quale nomen puero imponi de- boat, habes, p. 136. Denique cum im- positio nominis sit una excerffimoniis in baptismo usitatis, hide baptismi cerirma- niis et ritibus apta concio haberi poterit, p. 133, et seqq.. IN DIE EPIPHANIjE. Vidimus ekim steliam ejus in Oriente, &c. Matti(. ii. 2, &c.]— Quoniam non inept^ per hahc steliam philosophica de Deo scientia potest intelligi, sicut per rc- sponsum sacerdotum fidei lumen, non male hic adaptari poterunt qua de differ- entia sapientifB Christians a Philoso- phica notitia habentur, p. 23. Et pbocidextes adoraverunt eum, &c. Matth. ii. 1 1, &c.]— Hic de adoratione Dei, quie Latbia dicitur, et simul de ve- neratione Sanctorum, qum Dulta nomi- natur. Vide in expositione Decalogi p. 237, et 245, usque ad secundum prsecep- tum. Hic agi etiam potest de Eucharis- tiae veneratione et adoratione. Nam si eundem Christum, quem Magi adorave- runt prassentem in Eucharistia agnosci- mus, et confilemurj ut disertis verbis probatur, p. 159, et seqq. si pii esse vo- lumes, cur Bon ffique ac Magi eum ado- rabimusl Vide p. 146, et seqq. . DOMINICA INFRA OCTAVAM EPIPHANI^. Secundum consuetudinem nuptijj fac- TM sunt, Ldc. ii. 42, &c.]— De observa Praxis Catechismi. 391 ,tione diorum festorum, lego, p. 267, ef; seqq. Et bkat subditus illis, &c.] — De ofR- cio liberoril erga parqiites, vide p. 271, et seqq. DOMINICA SECUNDA POS'r EPIPHANIAM. NuPTIJ! FACT35 SUST IN CaSA GalILIE^, &c. Joan, ii. I, &c.] — De Sacramento Matrimonii, vide p. 225, et seqq. Hoc FECIT jKSnS IKITIUM 'SIONOaUlK suoTiUM.] — Ha!c conversio aqua in vi- num valet plurimum ad confirmandos rudiores in fide Transsubstantiationis, • quse fit, in augustissimo Altaris Sacra- mento : de qua vide p. 161, et seqq. DOMINICA TERTIA. ECCE LePROSCS TEJTIESS ADOHAJIAT T.VIH, Matth. viii. 3, 3, &c.] — Per lepram haeresim significari dicunt Patres. Qui verd sunt censendi hieretici, et qui a castris Ecclesise, ut olim leprosi ejicenJi, habetur, p. 70, et seqq. Vade, ostendf, te Saceiidoti.] — De honore Sacerdotibus Domini, et Ecclesise praefecds exhibendo, vide p. 275, VaDE, OSTENllF. TE SaCEBDOTI, &C.] Long^ excellenliorem virtutem nostris Sacerdotibus tvibutam docet Chrysosto- mus lib. 3, de Sacerd. quam Mosaipis, qu6d illi obtatos sibi leprosos noil munT darent ; sed mundatos tantim esse de- clararent; nostri vero hominem pec- cati lepr^ maculatum, dum absolutionis beneficium rite prseparato impendunt, vere emundant, et perfectse sanitati resti- tuunt. Hic de potestate clavium Sacer- dotibus concessEl, ut habetur, p. 82, et sequentibu*. DOMINICA QUAKTA. ASCENDESTE JeSU IN KAVICCIAM, MaTTH. viii. 23.] — Inter multa, quae Ecclesiam rej)rffiscntant, est navicula ilia sen area Noe, de qua, p. 74. Hic ergo de Ec- clesia Catholica, et notisj quibus iriter- noscitur, parochus agere poterit: prout habptur, p. 73, seqq. DoMINE SALVA NOS, PERIMUB.] QuOUiam nullum est tempus, in quo Ita hominum vita; quam in propinquo animae exitu, periclitetur ; ideo parochus ex hoc loco hortari poterit sues subditos ut cum mortis dies instabit, ad Deum maxime recurrant, et extremae tmctronis Sacra- mentuni accipiant, de quo, p. 206, et se- qucntibus. QCTAIIS EST HIC, aUIA TENTI ET MAKE OHEDiirsT Ell] — Quomodo creaturse omnes eum, quem £l Deo ab initio acce- perunt, cursum teneant homine dempto, vide p. 350. DOMINICA QUINTA. Et inimicus homo supkiiseminavit zizANiA, &c. Matth. xiii. 25, &c.] — In Ecclesia duo sunt hominum genera, boni, qui tritici nomine designantur ; improbi nomine zizaniorum, vide p. 72, et seqq. Vel per zizania intelliguntur tidia, atque rixEB, quas pater dissentionis Diabolus seminare conatur in agro filiorum pacis, cujus moibi reniedium habes, p. 281, 285, ot 286. Inimicus HOMO HOC fecit.]— Deodiodsemo- num in nos, et ad tentanduni audacia et perversitate, vide p. 374 ; ef ut oranis mali culpae auctor, mali vero paensE sit exactor, vide p. 378. DOMINICA SEXTA. SiMiLF, EST hegnum cmionuM; gbano siNAPis, Matth. xiii. 31, &c.] — Qao- niam juxta Doctores per granum sinapis fides intelligitur ; hic tractanda sunt, qu£3 de ejus necessitate habentur, p. 24, et quomodo servanda sint ea quae fide cre- denda proponuntur, p. 26, et 27, et ejus exoellentia et quantum difFerat Christiana de Deo sapientia et philosophica divina- rum rerum notitia, p. 23. Cum autem cinEVERiT.] — Fidecri augeri posse traditur, p. 329, Iterum siMiiE estC resnum casLonuM FERMENTO, Q.UOD ACCEPTUM MULIiB.] Banc mulierem Ecclesiam interpretantur, quffi in doctriha fidei aut morum (pel fexmentum designata) errare non posse traditur, p. 77. DoNEC, FERMENTATUM EST TOTUM.]— rHic de comraunione Sanctorum et meritorum participatione explicari possunt, quset sunt, p. 79, et seq. DOMINICA IN SEPTUAG SlMIlE EST BEGNUM CCELOHUM HOMINI Pa- TRIFAMILIAS, MaTTH. XX. 1, &C.] Hic paterfamilias est Deus, qui cur pater dieatur, habes, p. 25, et 26. 332, et 333. Keceperunt ipsi singulos benarios.] — Denarii nomine coelestis beatitude desig- natur, quam hic paterfamilias alacriter et sincere in vinea sua, id, est, in cultura mandatorum divinorum laborantibus praestat. De- hoe vitas setemae denario lege quae diffuse traduntur, p. 92, et seq 392 Praxis Catechismi. et 241, 343, et seqq. Hujus vero beatitu- dinis consequendse certain viam, ac ratio- nem habes, p. 346, et seqq. Item, exhor- tatio ad colendam banc vineam mandato- rum illustris habetur, p. 238, et seqq. SmoTTtos DEivAitios, &c.] — In ccbIo tamen varietas est meroedis, et gloriEe,.pro ra- tione laboris et affectus, quo quis opera- tur, p. 88, ct 99. DOMINICA IN SEXAG. GxiIT ani SEMINAT SEMINAllE SEMEN suuM, <&c. Luc. viii, 5. &c.] — Semen hoc in terram sparsum est verbum Dei, exponente Domino, de quo, vide p. 362, ct quomodo sit audiendum, vide prsefet. Vesit Diabolus, &c.] — De daemonis co- natu, et impugnatione habes, p. 376, ct seqq. Et A SOmCITDBIIflBUS ET DIVITIIS,&C.] ^Quantum divitiae et effrcenes reram temporalium cupiditates impediant hujus divini seminis fructum habes, p. 350, et seq. DOMINICA IN QUINQUAG. TllADETUn ENIOT GeKTIBUS, ET ILLITDE- TCK, Luc. xviii. 32, &c.] — Ut Christi . milites ejus crucem tamquam vexillum sui ducis contuentes, ad arma poenitentiie sumenda exstimulentur, ideo hoc Evan- gelium ineunte quadragesim^ legitur, quod passionis Dominicse summam com- plecitur, quo loco non importun^ paro- chus exponet, quse de Passione Domini fus^ traduntur, p. 43, et seqq. Vel si in aliud' tempus commodius differre malit hoc argumentum ; hodie alteram Evan- gelii partem pertractabit, ut sequitur. CoJCUS aUIDAM SEDKBAT SECUS VIAM.] Hie ccEcus genus humanum denotabat, de cujus post peccatum statu misero, vide p. 350. Jesu riLi David misebere mei.] — Hie quomodo Deum aliter oremus ac Sanctos ex liac formula demonstrabis, ut habes, p. 327. Porro si angustiis, auttribulationibus premimur, aut re aliqua indigeraus, ad Dominum cum hoc cjeco nobis recurren- dem est, precibusque sollicitandus Deus, ut nobis adsit. Vide de necessitate et utilitate orationis, p. 317. -Quid tibi vis faciam.] — 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. < 400 Praxis Catechismi. tur pelitio ilia orationis UominicsB : " Di- mitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos ijimittimus," &c. p. 364, et seq. DOMINICA XXII. Magister ! sciMus aciA tehax es, Matth. xxii. 16, &c.] — Genus assenta- tionis pessimum, qus ad proximi calami- tatem et peniiciem adhibetur. Dc adu- latione habes p. 304, et 305. "Quia vcrax es," &c. De mendacio vide, p. 303, et seq. ubi notatur hoc ipsum testi- monium ex hoc Evangelio decerptum. KeDDITB vim sunt CiESAKIS C^SAIII, &c.] — Vide quffi debentur principibus et superioribus in potestate constitutis, p. 276. DOMINICA XXni. POST PENTE- COSTEN. Ecci: FltlSCEFS UNUS ACCESSIT ET ADOHA- BAT EOM DICESS, MaTTH. ix. 18, &C.] Hie diGferentia, qua infideles et Christiani a morbis liberaii cupiunt, de qua p. 382., et quomodo in morbis ad Deum, non ad praestigiatorum incantationcs sit recur- rendum, ibid p. 383. FitiA MEA Mono defuncta EST.] — Hic de morte et novissimis, de quibus sispe ad populum agendum esse prscipitur, p. 65, et 206. Si tetigebo tastum fimbhiam testi. MExTi.] — Hic de reliquiis Sanctorum, ^* cultu, et veneratione earum aget Parochus ex, p. 320, et seq. Et cum tknisset Jesus in Domum pbincipis, tStc] — Hicde rationejuvandi mortuos per sacrificium Missje et ora- tiones, de qua p. 175, et 326, vel in qui- busbam Ecclesiis legitur Evangelium Dominies IV. Quadragesimse, de quo ibidem. Si plures sint Dominicce inter Pentecosteri et Adventum, servetur quod de his in Breviarii rubricis habetur. DOMINICA XXIV. POST PENTE- COSTEN. Cum ebgo videritis abomiitationem BESOLATIOiriS STANTEM IN LOCO SACRO, Mattb. xxiv. 15, &c.] — Hic de signis praecedentibus diem judicii agendum est, de quibus, p. 64. Orate autem ne eiat fcoa testra, &c.] — Hic locus ad probandum temporalia a Deo peti posse inducitur, p. 360, unde de hoc argumento Parochi etiam agere poterunt, de quo turn ibidem, tum p. 323, et 324, agitur. SeB PROPTER EIECTOS BRETIABUNTUR DIES iLLi.] — Hic de dsmonum potestate poterit agi qui quantum possunt, et quamdiu \olunt, homines tentare non possunt. ut habetur, p. 375, et seq. GENERAL INDEX. Abbots, permitted sometimes to admin- ister Minor Orders . . 223 Abraham, his pilgrimage . . 243 Abraham's bosom ... 51 Absolved, who are tc be . . 177 Absolution, form of . . . 181 Power of, to whom confided . 196 Accidents, remain in' the holy Eucha- rist without a subject . 1 63 Adam, misery brought by him on him- self and on his posterity , 358 In a state of innocence wanted food to recruit his strength . 358 ^yiDifference between his necessities and ours . . . 358 Sin, the cause of his wants . 358 Although in Paradise, was not to lead a life of indol6nce ; but his labour not painful . . 353 His posterity deprived .of the fruit of the tree of life, and cursed by God .... 358 Compared with Christ . . 42 Adultery, what . . . 287 Why prohibited after murder . 286 Its enormity . . . 289 Its injustice . . . 289 Its prohibition includes that of every species of impurity . 287 Also evil thoughts . . ' 288 It impresses a peculiar mark of de- gradation .... 289 Its evils and punishment . 289, 290 Almsdeeds, their necessity , . 297 Exhortation to . . . 298 We are bound to labour, in order to bestow them on the necessitous 398 • To be united to prayer . 332 A medicine to cure tJie wounds of the soul .... 372 Affinity of sponsors, with whom con- tracted i. . . 121,142 Amen, its signification at the end of the Lord's Prayer . . ' 387 Why reserved to the priest in the Sacrifice of the Mass . 387 Angels, creation of . . . 29 Adorned with grace from their creation .... 30 3E Angels, with wisdom and power . 30 To be honoured . . 245 Why represented in human form 250 Their care of man . . . 333 Their obedience to God . . 355 Angel, taught Tobias many things 334 Angelical salutation, the Church has added to it prayers to the Virgin 320 In it God is honoured 326 Anger, when sinful, when not . 282 Articles of the Creed — The first .... 21 The second . . . . 31 The third .... 37 The fourth .... 43 The fifth 50 The sixth .... 57 The seventh . . . . 61 The eighth .... 65 The ninth .... 70 The tenth .... 81 The eleventh .... 85 The twelfth .... 92 Ascension of Christi declares his ma- jesty and glory . . 58 Reasons for ... 58 Christ ascended as man, soul and body, into heaven . . 57 The ascension of Christ, the end, as it were, to which all the other mysteries are referred . 58 Avarice, reprehension of . . 312 Baptism, sacrament of . . 112 Knowledge of, very necessary 113 When to be explained by the pastor . . . . 113 The signification of the word 1 13 The sacrament of, by what names expressed . . . 113 Its definition as a sacrament , . 1 14 Its matter . . . 1 14 The baptismal water not the sacra- ment . . ^ . . 115. Water, its matter . . 115. Figures of baptism . J 15. Chrism, why used in baptism. 115. Form of baptism i. . 116 Different amongst the Greeks ' 117 34* 401 402 General Index. Baptism, why atlministered by the Apostles in the name of Jesus 117 May be administered in three differ- ^ entways . . . • 117 May be administered by one or three ablutions . . • 118 Words of form, to be pronouijced with the ablution . . 118 Head to be washed . . 118 Instituted by Christ our Lord, and when . . . . 118 Its power of sanctifying, when given to water . .118 When the obUgation of receiving baptism commenced .. . 118 Ministers of . . . . 119 Order to be observed amongst . 120 Why priests may baptize in pre- sence of the bishop . . 120 Necessary to salvation . . 123 To be administered to infants . 123 Infants -baptized in the faith of their parents and of the Church 124 To be baptized as soon as possible 124 The manner of administering bap- tism to adults different from that of administering it to infants 124 When to be immediately conferred upon adults >.. . . 125 Dispositions which should be brought to it by adults . 126 Those who are to be baptized asked if they wish to, be admitted to the sacrament ■ ■ • 125, 135 When to be administered to the in- sane and the lethargic 125, 126 To obtain its grace, faith necessary 126 Requires penitence as a condition 126 Remits and eradicates every sin 127 Concupiscence remains after, but does not constitute sin . 127 Proper effect of baptism the remis- sion of all sin . , 128 Remits sin, arid the punishments due to sin ... 1 28 Remits not the punishment due to the civil laws . . . 129 Restores not our nature to its ori- ginal, perfection, and why . 129, Its fruits .... 127 Impresses a character . . 131 To repeat it a sacrilege . . 131 Opens heaven , . . . 132 The baptismal font, how and when consecrated . , . 133 In baptism, names to be imposed 1 36 Its ceremonies . . . 133 r Beatitude — see tlie eleventh and twelfth articles of the Creed 85, 92 Essential happiness, in what it consists 96 Illustrations of . , . 9G Beatitude, accessaries af . . 90 Benignity of God rescues us from evil in many ways . . 384 Benediction of God, the cause why our works prosper . . 359 Bishops alone confer holy orders . 22U Their office . . . 221 Blasphemy of God and of his saints a grievous crime . . . 261 Blessings, temporal . 357, 359 ■ So many helps to obtain spiritual blessings ' . . . 357 Bread, signitication of . . 359 Catechism, its necessity . . 15 Adapted to the comprehension of all classes ... 15 Character impressed, the effect of three of the sacraments . Ill What it accomplishes in us . Ill Charity, two precepts of . . 271 To our neighbour originates in the love of God ... 271 Its duties .... 283 Whom it embraces as its objects 284 Chastity belongs not only to virgins, but also to such as lead a life of celibacy, as well as to those who live in a married state . 288 To be preservcH with most vigilant care 288 Its preservatives . . 288, 290 Cautions in avoiding tlie occasions of its violation . . . 291 Ceremonies, &c. of baptism reduced to three heads . . . 133 Rites, &c. of the sacrament of con- firmation .... 145 Of penance . . . . 193 Of extreme unction . . S09 Christ, his kingdom, spiritual . 35 Tw» natures of . . . 36 Why called our Lord . . 36 Not to be called the Son of God by adoption, but by nature . 39 Derived his origin according to the flesh from David . . 40 Why called a second Adam . 41 Reads us a salutary lesson of humi- lity in his birth . . 42 Expiated our crimes by his blood 84 Instituted all the sacraments . 108 Is our brother . . . 337 His resurrection severs not the ties of brotherhood subsisting be- tween him and man . 337 Should be imitated by submitting our will to the will of God 355 The mystery of his passion the greatest manifestation of God's power and goodness . 364 General Index. 403 I irist, tile mediatian of his passion obtains the pardon of our sins i iristian -philosophy superior to hu- man wisdom The spiritual origin of all Chris- tians the same . . The science of a Christian compre- hended in one thing . . 1 6, 1 What should engage the labours of a Christian teacher ( lurch, 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 Visible head of . . . Unity Sanctity .... Catholicity .... Apostolicity Infallible criterion by which to distin- guish the true from a false Church Cannot err . . . . True worship of God only in the true Church God, her founder I*hat she possesses the keys of the kingdom of heaven, known by faith . . , . Why we say." I believe the Church," not in the Church ( '^ric, derivation and meaning of the word Clerical tonsure, its origin and sig- nification , ( Dmmunion, one of the names of the Eucharist Preparation for . . . Obligatory on all, at least at Easter 1 69 Under one kind . . . 171 I oncupiscence, what, and why prohi- bited .... Remains in baptized persons, but does not constitute sin . Assails even the just The root of all evil Not always sinful ' Implanted in us by God as a natu- ral propensity . ■ . . Depraved by primeval.preyarication 311 When well-regulated, attended with certain advantages . . 31 1 Why called "sin" by St. Paul 312 Wllo are most enslaved to it . 315 Antidotes against . • • 315 How kpown to be sinful , . . 312 To covet a neighbour's property and til covet his wife, how they differ 310 368 23 338 78 79 216 216 147 167 313 127 352 309 311 311 Concupiscence, " Thou shalt not covet," meaning of . , '. 313 " Thy neighbour's wife" . 314 Danger of such criminal thoughts 314 Confession, its importance . 189 Why instituted . . . 191 ' Its necessity . . . 192 Its nature, and efficacy . . 191 Its definition . . . 191 Its rites and ceremonies . 192 Galled " an accusation," and why 191, Confession, judgment pronounced in its tribunal different from that pro- nounced in courts of civil law 191 Instituted by the goodness, and mercy of Christ . . 191 Figures of . . . 19T Law of, who bound by . . 193 When obligatory on children . 1 93 When to be repeated . 193, 195 ^ Its minister . . . 196 Not to be profaned by idle excuses 198 Guilt of those who, through false shame, conceal sins in confession 198 Requires diligent examination of conscience . . . 199 Confessor, when he should dismiss the penitent without absolution . 199 Confidence in prayer, motives to . 329 Ccftifirmation, sacrament of . 137 Name of .... 137 A sacrament . . . . 137 Difference between it and baptism 138 Instituted by Christ . . 139 Why called the sacrament of chrism 140 Chrism, its matter . . . 139 Consecrated by a bishop . 140 Why made of oil and balsam 140 The ceremonies and time of its con- secration . . . . 140 Accompanied with prayer . 141 .Form of .... 141 Three things to be observed in 141 Its proper minister . . 141 Why it requires a sponsor . 142 Affinity contracted with the sponsor 1 42 At what age to be received . 142 Appertains equally to all Christians 143 Adults who receive it shoc'd be pierced with sorrow to." their bjns 143' Should, before receiving it, have re- course to confession . . 143 Imparts a new grace . . 143 Its effects . . . . 143 Cannot be reiterated . . 145 Its rites and ceremonies . . 145 At what time in particular to be , administered • , • • 145 Contrition,, vf hat . .184 Its efficacy . , 1 88 404 General Index. Contritioji, its intensity . • 186 Requires a particular sorrow for every mortal sin ■ • 187 What it requires . ■ • 187 Motives to . . . 188, 189 Fruit of .... 189 Names of . • • • 185 Creature, new in Clirist, what . 240 Cross of Clirist, its value . . 368 Crown of glory prepared for the just 380 Debts from which we petition to be released, why called ours ■ 368 Decalogue .... 237 Is an epitome of all laws . 237 Its commandments reducible to the two cardinal precepts of charity 237 Decalogue, its emanating from God a strong motive to its observance 238 With what majesty promulgated 339 Delicacies of the table not a fit object^ of prayer . . . 361 Demon, transforming himself into an angel of light, persuades us to desire as good what is the contrary 354 Why called "tlie evil one" . 384 To him attributable all the evils of which our neighbour is apparently the cause . . . 38S Their assaults . . . 374 Why called the princes and rulers of darkness . . . 374 Against whom they do not level their attacks . . . 375 Their power restrained . . , 375 Descent of Christ to hell . . 50 Reason of . . . . 52 Devil, with what design he tempts us 376 Why called " tlie tempter" . 376 What means he uses to tempt us 376 Doctrine of tlie Catholic faith, in what contained . . . . 18 Christian doctrine, four heads of 18 Enemies, love of, a most exalted exer- cise of charity . . 283, 284 Those who love their enemies are the children of God . . 370 , To be forgiven, if wc hope for for- giveness . . . . 369 To be loved .... 370 Thn unforgiving should beg of God the grace to forgive . . 371 Our invisible enemies . . 374 Eucharist, those deprived of, suCer a great spiritual loss . . 164 Its institution . . . 146 Its dignity and excellence . 147 Designated by a variety of names 147 Why called communion . 147 Eucharist, to be consecrated, and re- ceived fasting . . 148, 169 One of the seven sacraments ' 148 In it wo adore the body and blood of Christ . . . 148, 169 What properly constitutes the sacra- ment of • I • • • 148 Difference between it and the other sacraments . . . 14S Its nature as a sacrament constituted by the consecration of the matter 148 Is one sacrament, not many . 149 Signifies three things . . 149 Its matter twofold . . 150 Why in it a little water is mixed with wine . . 150, 165 What signified by the bread and wine .... 152 Its form . . . 153, 180 Form of the consecration of the wine . . . . 153 The words of consecration effects tliree tilings . . . 156 Contains the real body and blood of Christ .... 159 Is not merely a Sign of the body of Christ . . . . 157 Its fruits . . . . 164 Contains Christ entire . . 160 What it contains by "concomi- tance" . . . . 160 The two consecrations, why sepa- rately made . . , 1 60 Christ whole and entire contained in every particle of either species IbO The substance of bread and wine remain not afler consecration 1 6 1 Why called bread and wine after consecration . . . 162 Wonderful change which takes place in the sacrament of the, called transubstantiation . 163 Not to be examined with too curious a scrutiny . . . . 163 How Christ is present in the Eu- charist . . . . 163 The species of bread and wine re- main without any subject . 164 Administration of, why instituted by Christ under the species of bread and wine . . . . 164 The source of all grace . . 165 How it imparts grace , . 165 " The first grace" not given to man without having received the Eu- charist, at least in desire . 165 The end of all the sacraments . 165 Prefigured by the manna . 166 Its advantages . . . 16P Three ways of receiving . . 16'' General. Index. 405 Eucharist, those who, when they are prepared to receive the body of the Lord sacramentally, receive it only in desire, deprive themselves of the greatest blessings . 1 87 Unlawful for any to approach, with- out sacramental confession, should a priest be accessible, and the con- science be burdened with mortal sin .... . 169 The marriage debt to be abstained from for some days before receiv- ing it ...... 169 To be received often . '. 169 - Was received daily by the faithiiil, in the early ages of the Church 170 Denied to those v?ho have not ar- rived at the use of reason . 171 Denied to infants, and why . 171 Denied to the insane . . 171 Not administered to the laity under both species . . . 171 Why this custom was 'established by the Church . . . 172 Power of consecrating, given to priests alone . . . 172 The unoonsecrated not allowed to touch the sacred vessels . 172 A sicrifice . . . . 173 A victim most acceptable to God -173 Instituted by Christ for two rea- sons . . . . , 173 As a sacrament, has the effect ' of meriting; but as a sacrifice, has the . effect not only of meriting, but also of satisfying . . 173 Sacrifice of, when instituted . 174 Figures and prophecies of . 174 An ineffable pledge of love . 363 Why called " our bread" . 363 Why called " our daily bread" . 363 See sacrifice 1 74 Evils, when we suffer, we should fly to God for refuge . . 381 We pray not for deliverance from all evil .... 383 Some things commonly thought evil, yet very advantageous - . 3S3 Those only we deprecate, which are of no spiritual advantage . 383 From what evils we should pray to be delivered . . . 383 The evils of which our neighbour is apparently the icause, to be at- tributed to the devil . . 385 Exemption from evil to be asked of ^ God . . . . . . 381 Extreme Unction ... 206 When to be administered . 208 . How to be administered . 209 19 20 20 23 23 Faith necessary to salvation Its degrees many What we are first to beUeve The knowledge derived from Faith much _ more certain than that which'is founded on human rea- son . ' . In God's Omnipotence how useful and necessary In the redemption was always ne- cessary .... 32 Of old same as ours . . 33 Must precede penance . . 1 78 Necessary in prayer . ■ 228 Firmness of, principal thing in prayer 329 False testimony, what . . 303 Injuries which it inflicts . . 303 Forbidden not only in a court of justice but also in every other place ..... 303 Against ourselves unlawful . 302 Includes lies .... 303 Fasting and alms-deeds to be united with prayer. — See Alms-deeds 397 Father, signification of, as applied to God. — See First Article of the Creed .... 21 Why the first person of the B. Trinity is called "Father" . 21 Fathers, who are called . . 375 Fathers of every description to be honoured .... 275 God the Father of all . . 333 Name of Father, as applied to God inspires confidence in prayer 329 See parents .... 278 Festivals commanded to be observed 268 Why instituted . . . 268 , Other festivals besides the Sabbath observed by the Jews . . 267 The most solemn festivals of the- church .... 267 How to be observed by Christians 269 Figure of Christ's conception and Na- tivity . . . . 41 Of his cross .... 44 Of confession . . . 191 Flattery, a detestable vice . 304, 30b Flatterers guilty of calumny and de- traction .... 305 Food of the soul, variety of . 363 Form of. the Sacrament of Baptism 116 Of Confirmation . . . 140 Of the Eucharist . .< . 163 Of Penance .... 181 Of Extreme Unction . . 207 Form of prayer to God and the Saints different .... . .827 Fornication, evils which it carries with it 389 406 Fornication, detestation of . Frugality should be practised Fruit of the tree of life General Index. 287 298 358 360 3^7 341 94 24 25,26 28 29 31 177 238 239 252 253 254, 255 255 255 257 272 333 334 Gain, the fruit of honest industry Glory, what Of God, how prayed for . Of the Saints incomprehensible God, one only and not more Why called Father Omnipotent The Creator of all . Preserves and governs what he created Said figuratively " to repent" The author of the written and written J-iaw Easy to love him Why called jealous Why he menaces punishment to the third and fourth generations His justice yields to his goodness His name, how honoured Many names given to him How to be praised . Holds him not guiltless who takes his name in vain . To be loved first, and after him our parents • . His providence over man . Forgets not man His benignity and mercy towards man 336 His love manifested in our redemp- tion 336 Is prompted to inflict chastisement, not by a feeling of hostility but of love . . • . ■ 336 Why he chastises those whom he loves . t . • • 336 Is not ignorant of our calamities Is the God of all . . . Is every where, and how . Why lie is said to be in heaven How loved from the heart The first thing to be asked of h\m In what manner we pray that his name may be sanctified His name, " holy and terrible," needs no sanctification . How it is sanctified in all God's name to be sanctified in deed, and not in word only . His provident care of man Has not cailed us to ease and indo- lence .... Never forsakes us . 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 351 337 337 339 339 340 340 341 341 341 342 342 349 349 349 God, without his aid and assistance we cannot aspire to Christian wisdom . . . • 351 Requires the greatest love in every thing we do in his service . 355 All his works good . . . 356 Imparted his goodness to all his works . . . . . 356 Why in particular wo venerate his holy will .... 356 His ways unsearchable . . 356 Consults for our interests better than we can desire . . 356 All things necessary for life to be re- ferred to his glory . . 356 His infinite power to be adored 361 He is ready to pardon the sins of the penitent . . . 367 Is offended by sin . . . 367 Is a most bountiful Father . 368 His justice most rigorous . 368 How he tempts his own . . 376 How he suifers the good to be tempted .... 376 How said to lead us into temptation 376 Gives us power to trample Satan under foot .... 379 Gives us power to overcome our enemies .... 379 His goodness rescues from evil in more ways than olie . . 384 Wishes not that we should be ex- empt from every inconvenience 384 Administers consolation to those who labour under adversity . 384 Employs the devil as an instrument for inflicting punishment oa the wicked .... 385 God-fathers in baptism, (See Bap- tism) 112 Grace, what .... 347 How conferred by the Eucharist 146 Hatred, a diabolical crime . . ■- 285 Remedies against . . . 286 Hebrews, why chosen by God . 242 Their deliverance from Egypt . 243 Their oppression, why tolerated by God 243 When and where tiiey received the Law from God . . . 246 The promises made to them, why not accomplished until after the lapse of four hundred years . 243 Hell, signification of the word . 50 How Christ descended into . 51 What, places designated by the name of .... . 51 Heretics, their insidious artifices to dis- seminate their impious doctrines 14 General Index. 407 Heietics — who is to be considered a heretic . . . . 70 tloly Ghost, we should not bo ignorant of 65 Proper sigrvification of the words "Holy Ghost" ... 66 Why no proper name is given to the Holy Ghost • ? • • 66 Equal in all things to tlje Father and the Son .... 67 God ' . . . . . 67 Proceeds from the Father and the Son 68 Gifts of . .. . . , . 69 Why called a gift ... 69 Homicide, what sort of, not prohibit- ed, by the fifth commandment 280 Honour . .. .. . . 273 The precept of honoring parents 271 Propriety of the word " honour," as used in the precept' . . 280 Honour to be paid to parents of every description . . . 275 Duties of honour due to them . 271- Honour to.be paid them after their death 275 Blessings obtained by those who honour their parents . . 270 \n untimely death to be apprehend- ed by such as despise their parents .... 277 ■ Hope, what devotion to God should be i ' inspired by the hope of obtaining the happiness of heaven , 355 Should be based, on the love of God 355 We should hope to obtain the par- don of our sins . . . 367 In temptation, what motives to in- spire . . . '. . 375 Should rest on the divine protec- tion 375 Husband, duty of, towairds his wife 234 Towards his family . . . 234 Hypocrites, pray not from the heart 331 Jealousy, what attributed to God . 252 Jesus, liie son of God, was alone able to reconcile us to God . . 32 Great profit reaped by those who believe Jesus Christ to be the son of God . . . . 31 Signification of the word Jesus . 33 How if comprehends every other name given to the Saviour . 33 Jesus Christ, King, High-priest, and Prophet .... 34 The Son of God, and true God . 38 Jews, (see Hebrews) . . . 242 Images of Christ and of his saints, not only lawful but also very useful 250 Images, what should be the sentiments of those who pray before the images of the saints . . 337 Incarnation of the Word of inestima- ble value .... 37 Mystery of, not accomplished by one Person only of the Trinity . 38 No confusion of natures caused by 38 Why attributed peculiarly to the Holy Ghost . • . . . 38 In the mystery of the incarnation, some things above, some accord- ing to, the order of nature . 39 Wonders accomplished in . 39 Incdnveniences to be born patiently 385 Industry honest, its fruits . . 361 Blessed by God . . .361 Infants (see Baptism) . . .112 Infidels converted to the faith should adhere to their first wives . 231 Ingratitude of man towards God . 366 Inhumanity to the poor to be avoided by. him who .would be heard by Gqd 328 Injuries, every means should be em- ployed to persuade Christians to forget them .... 370 Should be forgiven by him who would be pardoned by God . 328 God demands of us to forget them 370 Advantages obtained by those Vi'ho forgive them . . . 283 Troubles incidental to those who do not forgive them . . 285 Remedies against hatred . . 286 A willingness to forgive sulEcient, although .corrupt nature may re- claim . . . ,, . 370 ■ To forget injuries the best species of charity . , . . 283 Those who refuse to forget injuries should say in the Lord's Prayer, " forgive us our trespasses" . 371 Instruction of the Pastor to be accom- modated to all . . . 17 Interior joy of the saints . . 363 The issue of every thing to be left to God . . . .' . 364 Judgment, last . . . . 61 Of Christ twofold. . . . 61 General, its necessity . . 62 To be administered in civil courts according to justice and law . 300 . Judge of all, why Christ will b® • ^8, 63 Judges who are venal, guilty of rapine 396 Cannot reject sworn evidence . 302 Jurisdiction, power of, how proved 19.6. Original justice given to man, not as an appendage of liis nature, but as a supernatural gift . . 29- 408 , General Index. Justification of a sinner, the work of God's infinite power . .83 Not to be attained by those wlio are ,not prepared to observe all the commandments of God . . 240 Keys, power of, its necessity . 82 Dignity and extensive power of 82 All have not the power of . 82 Kings are to be obejred . . 276 Kingdom of heaven . . . 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 .... 343 Prayer for, accompanied with many blessings .... 344 Of Christ not of this world . 346 Why called justice . . . 346 What it is .... 346 Within us .... 346 Which is the Church ." . 347 How prayed for . . 346, 348 Of the grace of God in whom, &c. 3') 6 - Of the glory of God, what . 397 Of grace, why put before that of glory • 347 Of Christ, the Church, its propaga- tion 347 Of God, how it comes to sinners 348 238 Law, of nature, what Same as the written Law Violated by the unforgiving Not difficult to be observed The law is to be obeyed Of the Decalogue, not a new law, but the law of nature set in a clear light .... M'ith what majesty piomulged . Benefit of observing the More readily observed by knowing God to be our Lord Of every description, induces to its observance by hope of reward or fear of punishment Manner of keeping Of God,tobekeptln sincerity of soul 311 Is, as it were, a mirror in which we behold our deformities . Of divine and human institution, difference between Legitimate teacher necessary Life eternal, what it signifies Expresses the happiness of heaven better than the word " blessed- 370 239 240 238 239 241 243 251 254 311 311 13 93 93 Life, man's, on earth a temptation S/C And salvation depend on God . 36 1 Loquacity to be avoided . . 303 Lying of every sort, to be svoided, see Eighth Commandment . . 301 Magistrates, honour due to . . 276 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.gift of God ... 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 352 Sentence of condemnation pronoun- ced against him . . . 358 His instability . . . 345 His weakness . . . 364 Should be desirous of God's honour 252 Compared to sick persons . 351 Compared to children . . 351 Mary, B. Virgin, see third Article of the Creed .... 38 Mass, sacrifice of, same as that of the cross . . . . ,175 Not merely commemorative, but also propitiatory . . .175 Offered in behalf of, and profitable ' to the dead .... 176 Its rites and ceremonies not super- fluous 176 Matter of the Sacrament of the Eucha- rist, see Eucharist , . 146 Of Penance, see Penance . . 196 Of Extreme Unction, see ' Extreme Unction .... 206 Matrimony, derivation of . .226 Designated by various names . 226 Definition of ... . 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 . . 227 Requires not consummation in or- der to its validity ; consent of the parties sufficient . . . 227 May be considered in a twofold light, in its natural relations, and as a Sacrament . . . 228 Indissoluble . . . 228, 232 Advantages of its indissolubility 232 General Index. 409 Matrimony, three advantages arising from marriage - . , . ' . 232 Wliy instituted \ . . . / 228 Its nature as a Sacrament . 229 Is one of the seven Sacraments 230 Instituted by God j . . 230 Signifles and communicates grace 230 An excellence communicated to it in the Gospel dispensation wliich it did not possess before . 231 Matrimony of the Jews . . 231 Matrimony consists in the union of two only . . . . 231 Impediments of. . . . 235 Dispositioris of those who contract it . Its use .... Cannot be contracted by persons le- gally disqualified Constituted by consent That consent expressed in words re- lating to the present time Words necessary in order to express mutual consent . Consent of one party only insuf- ficient for the vaUdity of The words, " increase and multi- ply," impose not a necessity on all of embracing the married state 228 Polygamy opposed to the nature of matrimony .... Clandestine .... Members, though dead, do not cease to belong co the body of Christ ♦lurder, forbidden without any excep- tion . . > . . A giievous sin Law against, to be heard with pleasure .... Lives of all protected by this law Of one's self unlawful The law against, stays not only the hand but also the desires of the heart .... Two tilings contained in this law medicine, given by God to man . What reliance to be placed on its efficacy . . . Merits our, founded on the passion of Christ .... 203 Do not derogate from it . . 203 Possible for us to merit when aided by the grace of God . . 203 Ministers of Baptism, — (see Baptism) 112 Of Confirmation, — (see Confirma- tion) 137 Of penance, should be learned and prudent, — (see Penance) , . 176 Of the Sacrament of Orders, — (see Orders) .... 216 3F 235 235 226 226 227 227 S27 231 235 80 281 282 279 280 281 281 280 382 383 Misery of man . . . , ' 350 Names given to those who are bap- tised, — (see Baptism) . 112 Name of God, how to be sanctified in all . _ . . . . 341 His name, " holy and terrible," needs not our sanctification . . 341 How sanctified in all , . 341 To be sanctified in deed and not in word 342 Our neighbour, who . . . 302 Oaths 256 Obedience to the will of God . 355 Observance of the Sabbath, . 264 Of festivals 267 Order, what 215 Orders, seven . . . . 216 Holy and Minor Orders . .' 216 Holy Orders, why reckoned amongst the Sacraments of the Church 215 Sacrament of, imprints a character 224 Tonsure 216 Order of Porter ... 217 Of Reader . . . . 217 Of Exorcist .... 218 Of Acolyte .... 218 Of Sub-Deacon . . . 218 Of Deacon .... 219 Of Priest . . . ■ . 220 Holy Orders impose an obligation to perpetual continency . 218 To whom they should be adminis- tered ... . 223 Conferred on certain appointed days 22S Not to be conferred on boys or in- sane persons . . . 224 Impart grace . - . . . _224 Age required for the reception of 224 Those who are to be ordained, should first have recourse to the Sacrament of Penance . 223 Parents, duty of, towardstheir children 278 When not to be obeyed . . 273 Honour due to . . 2.71, 274 Should avoid extreme indulgence and extreme severity towards their children . . . 278 Punishment of disobedience to . 278 Passion of Christ, a manifestation of the power and goodness of God 364 To be frequently proposed to the consideration of the faithful . 44 The time of, why specially recorded 43 Reasons of ... . 47 Bitterness of ... . 48 Benefits of ... . 49 Procures the pardon of sin . 364 35 410 General Index. Passion — from it emanates all the virtue of our satisfaction . 368 Pastors of the Church to be heard, as Christ himself . . . 14 To be obeyed ... 275 Penance, its necessity - . . 17C Its neglect, the cause of serious in- jury to our souls . . . 177 Penance considered as a virtue 1 78 As a Sacrament . . . 179 Various significations of . . 1 77 Preceded by faith . . . 1 78 Why a virtue . . . 178 By what degrees we arrive at . 179 The Scriptures propose heaven as a reward of . . . . 179 Eternal, a Sacrament . . 180 Why instituted by God . . 180 Matter and form of - . . 181 Kites and ceremonies of . . 182 Fruits of .... 182 Constituent parts of . . 184 Public, why enjoined for public transgressions . . . 202 Two things to be observed in . 203 Requires restitution . . ,. 296 Penitent, what he should propose to himself . . . . 176 Perjury, what, (see Second and Eighth Commandments) . 254, 301 Committed many ways . . 261 Proneness of man to . . 262 Visited by punishment in many ways 262 Pride, very offensive to God . 328 Peculiar relations of the Divine Per- sons 26 What belongs to thera not a fit ob- ject of curious investigation . 26 Philosophy, Christian, differs from the wisdom of the world . . 23 Philosophers, their opinions concern- ing God 24 Pope, the Head of the Catholic Church .... 74 His supreme dignity and jurisdic- tion of divine right . . 222 Is the Supreme Governor of the Universal Church, the successor of St. Peter, and Christ's vicar on earth 222 Prayer, we pray first to God and then to the saints . . . 326 Best method of praying . . 322 For whom we should pray . 324 We should pray to the saints . 326 In what sense We beg of them to take pity on us . . . 327 We should °pray in spirit and in truth 330 Infidels cannot do so . , 331 Prayer — we should offer up our pray- ers in the name of Christ . 331 The Divine Majesty approaches him who prays .... 386 To pray is to commune with God 386 To pray is to honour God . 318 Christ spent whole nights in . 318 Manner of .... 330 Benefits of .... 318 Many degrees of, and of thanks- giving .... 322 Mental . . . • . . 330 Vocal 330 Sinner's, Tvhen heard by God with propitious ear . . . 322 Necessary . . . . 317 Its efficacy with God . . 318 Confidence in ... 329 A proof of religion . . . 318 An acknowledgment of our subjeCr tion to God . • . 318 The key of heaven . , . 319 Its parts 321 Two principal parts of . , 322 Of such as have not beerj illumined by the light of faith . . 323 Of those to whom God refuses to lend a willing ear . . 323 Should be .offered for the wicked 326 For the dead .... 325 For those who suffer in Purgatory, rests on the authority of the Apostles .... 325 For those who are in a state of mor- tal sin, comparatively of little ad- vantage .... 326 Preparation for ... 327 Sins to be avoided by such as would hSve their prayers heard by God 328 Rendered odious by contempt of the Law Cif God . , . 328 Admits of no wavering . , 329 Mental, excludes not vocal . 330 Mental, of higher excellence than vocal 330 Public and private . . . 330 A weapon against the devil . 376 Order to be observed in . . 382 Preposterous order observed by some in their prayers . . 382 Lord's prayer, its exposition . 332 Preface of . . . . 317 Preaching, that of the divine word never to be interrupted . 14 Preachers of the divine word, their authority .... 14 Their mission .... 14 Precepts of the Decalogue — (see De- calogue) .... 237 General Index. 411 Preparation for communion, what it ought to be, how necessary . 167 Priests 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 . 302,214 Mercenary, should not be . 213 ' Enter into the church by the door 213 Under every law . . . -314 When the sacerdotal power is given to the Priest by the Bishop . 315 Ceremonies used in the ordination of 221 Two duties of ... * 224 Priesthood, functions of, to be confided . to no person rashly . . 212 Order of, though one has diiferent 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 . . 215 Twofold .... 220 Providence of God . . 344,346 Purgatory, fire of ... 51 Rapine 293 A inore 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 . 84 btained through the blood of Christ 84 Unattainable, except through pen- ance. 183 Restitution necessary to a penitent 294, 296 Who are bound to . . . 296 Resurrection of Christ . . 52 Accomplished by his own power 53 Its blessings first enjoyed by Christ himself .... 53 Took place on the third day, how to be understood ... . 54 The mystery of, necessary . 55 Resurrection — its end ... 55 Lessons of instruction which it fur- nishes .... 56 Spiritual, proofs of , . ■. 56 Of the dead, the foundation of our faith ..... 85 Of man, why called the resurrection of the body . ' . . . 85 Of the body proved ... SG Different condition of those who shall rise again ... 88 Before the general, all men without ' exception shall die . . 88' Our bodies shall rise again clothed with immortality . . . 90 Qualities of those who shall rise with glorified bodies . . 9t Fruits to be gathered from a know- ledge of the article upon the 90 Rewards eternal . . . 380 Riches, not to be loved . . 314 The rich, why they should ask for their daily bread . . . 361 Should look upon their wealth as the gift of God ... 364 Why blessed by God with wealth 364 Sabbath, its signification . . 266 Its sanotification . . > . 266 Its sanctification, why so often com- mended in Holy Scripture . 264 Why consecrattd to God . 266 A sign 267 Works permitted on . . 268 Works prohibited on . . 268 Celestial .... 267 Transferred to the Lord's-day, why 267 How observed , . . 267 Sacrament, what . . . 100 Meaning of the word . . 99 Justice and salvation attained by ICO Definitipn of . . . . 100 " Sacred thing," in the definition of, means the grace of God . 102 To be numbered amongst those things which have been instituted as signs ..... 101 Signify and produce hoUness . 100 Signs instituted by God , . 100 Signify various things . . 102 Of the Gospel dispensation, why in- stituted . . , . 103 Consist of two things, matter and form 105 Of the new law have a prescribed form, a departure from which, renders their administration in- valid . . . ■ . . 106 Ceremonies of, cannot be omitted without sin . . . . lOS 412 General Index. Sacraments — their omission does not invalidate the Sacrament . 106 The Sacraments, why administered with solemn ceremonies . 106 Necessity of . . . . 107 Number of . . . . 106 Excellence of ... 108 Difference of . . . 107 Author of, Christ ... 108 Administration of, why confided to man 108 Ministers of, represent the person of Christ .... 108 Confer justifying grace . . 109 How pernicious when administered with an impure conscience . 109 Effects of .... 109 Excellence of, compared with those of the Old Law . . . 110 Three imprint a character . Ill Support the Christian edifice . 112 Are validly administered by wicked men, if they observe every thing regarding their due administration 108 Difference between a Sacrament and a Sacrifice . . .' . 173 Sacrifice offered to God alone and not to the Saints . . . 1 74 Of the Cross and of the Mass, the same 175 Saints, communion of, how useful and what it signifies ... 79 By the communion of, all Christians made one body ... 80 Veneration of, derogates not from, but increases, the glory of God 246 Patronage of, not superfluous . 247 Patronage of, not opposed to the mediatorship of Christ . . 247 Images of," not prohibited by the ' divine law . . . 248 Satan — see devil and demon 354, 376 Satisfaction, its necessity , . 200 Name of, Whence derived . 199 Various acceptations of . . 199 Vi'hat sort of, reconciles us to God 200 Canonical .... 200 Of Christ abundant . .* 199 An integral part of the sacrament of penance .... 200 Undertaken by ourselves . 200 Definition of . . . . 200 Virtue of . . . 200, 203 Docs not obscure, but renders more illustrious the satisfaction of Christ .... 203 True, conditions of . . 203 He who offers, should be just . 203 Painful works undertaken by way of 203 Satisfaction — every species of, redu- cible to three heads . . 204 Inconveniences and labours inflicted by God, if borne with patience, satisfactory .... 204 Can be offered by one for another 204 Promise of, to be made by the peni- tent, who has injured his neigh- bour in property or character, be- fore he receives absolution . 205 What to be observed, when impos- ing punishment by way of . 205 To be proportioned to the guilt of the transgressor . . . 205 Works of, should be spontaneously undertaken by the penitent . 205 Seal of the Lord's prayer . . 386 Sensualists estranged from God . 353 Service of God, its dignity . . 356 Sins, irremissible, how to be under- stood ..... 183 Punishment of, entailed upon us by Adam 32 Of thought should be confessed 194 Two consequences of . . 202 So provoke God, that he refuses to bless our labours . . 358 Wo are all subject to . . , 3C5 Our acknowledgment of . 365 Baseness of . . . . 366 Contagion of . . '. . 36S Though past in act, remain in guilt 367 Always pursued by the divine w^ath 367 A deep sense of, and sorrow for, ne- cessary .... 367 God ever ready to pardon the sins of the penitent . . . 367 Impossible to be avoided without the divine aid . . . 355 Sponsors — (see baptism) . . 112 Suicide, unlawful . . . 286 Superfluities to be given to the poor 364 Swearing 354 What he who swears should con- sider 258 Symbol, apostolic, who so called . 20 Divided into three parts . . 21 Tears of penitential sorrow desirable Temptation, when assailed by, we should have recourse to prayer Should praytoGodthat we be not led into What .... Many sorts of Man's life a temptation . To be patiently endured . What we should beg of God under 378 He tempts, wlio does not prevent temptation .... 377 187 375 373 376 876 378 378 General Index. 413 Temptation — God tempts, how . 376 Man tempted to evil . . 376 Tempter, the devil, why called , 376 Thanksgiving to be united to prayer 332 Theft, the commandment forbidding it gives security to property . ' 292 Why the Seventh Commandment makes mention of theft and not of rapine .... 293 What is understood by the word theft 293 This commandment a manifestation of God's goodness towards us 292 Theft, that is the unjust possession and use of another's property, de- signated by various names . 292 The very intention of committing theft, prohibited by the law of God 293 How grievous the sin of . . 293 Its enormity, obvious fVom its con- sequences .... 294 Many species of . . . 294 Not excusable . . . 299 Excuses alleged in palliation of 299 Dishonours the name of God . 300 Testimony — (see witness) . . 301 Trinity, what common, what not com- mon, to the Persons of . 38 Vessels sacred, not to be touched by unconsecrated hands . . 172 Vice of the tongue, of great extent 301 • From it arises innumerable evils 301 Virginity highly commended , 225 Unction — (see extreme unction) 206 Wars, intestine of man . . 344 Of the sinner with God . . 366 Watching overcomes temptation . 376 Wife, should be subject to her hus- band 234 Duties of .... 234 M'hy the ancient fathers were al- V lowed a plurality of wives . 231 Woman, why takeli out of the side of man . . . ' . . 334 Will of God, why we pray that it be done . . . . . 351 Sentiments of him who says, " thy will be done" , . . 554 Witness, false, commandment against 30 ' This commandment mandatory and prohibitory .... 303 The commandment against bearing false witness bridles the tongue 301 False, what . . .' . 303 Prohibited not only in, but also out of, courts of justice . . 303 How many ways a man's reputation is injured by falsehood . 304 To bear witness, is to praise God 306 Is of very great use in society . 306 Should be careful not to affirm as true, what he does not know to be true .... 307 Word of God, food of the soul . 363 Famine of ... . 363 Word of the pastor to be heard as the word of God . . . 13 Incarnation of " the Word" . 37 Words, the most significant signs 106 Works, good cannot be performed without the grace of God . 35 1 Unacceptable to God without faith and charity , . . 203 Of satisfaction . . 203, 204 Worship, external due to God . 263 Zeal in the service of God . 352 35*