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Cummiskey’s Catholic Family Library , No. 5. 
 
 THE 
 
 CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN 
 
 INSTRUCTED 
 
 IN THE 
 
 SACRAMENTS, SACRIFICE, CEREMONIES, 
 
 y 
 
 AND 
 
 OBSERVANCES OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 BY WAY OF QUESTION AND ANSWER. 
 
 BY THE MOST REV. DR. CHADDONER. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 V 
 
 PUBLISHED BY EUGENE CUMMISKEY, 
 
 130 SOUTH SIXTH STREET. 
 
 1841. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 # 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ItlUy 
 
 ^ CT' 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The design of the following sheets being to explain 
 the doctrine and ceremonies of the Catholic Church, 
 and to vindicate the same from the misrepresentations of 
 our adversaries, the reader, whether Catholic or Pro¬ 
 testant, may reasonably expect that I should not send 
 them abroad into the world without taking some notice 
 of a late performance of Dr. Conyers Middleton’s, enti¬ 
 tled, “A letter from Rome, showing an exact Conform¬ 
 ity between Popery and Paganism; or the Religion 
 of the present Romans derived from that of their hea¬ 
 then Ancestors.” This being a work directly levelled 
 against some part of the ceremonies of the Church, and 
 having been received with great applause by many in 
 England, so as to have passed through three editions in 
 the space of a few years ; it is to comply with so reasona¬ 
 ble an expectation that I have determined to employ my 
 preface in making some animadversions upon this let¬ 
 ter of the Doctor; to which, though consisting of se¬ 
 venty pages in quarto, I hope, with the help of God, in 
 one short sheet to give a full and satisfactory answer. 
 
 The chief particulars which the Doctor objects against 
 in the religion of modern Rome, and upon which he 
 grounds the parallel which he pretends to make be¬ 
 tween popery and paganism, are these: 1st, The use 
 of incense and perfume in churches: 2dly, The use 
 of holy water: 3dly, The burning of lamps and candles : 
 4thly, Offerings or votive gifts : 5thly, Images, which he 
 jumbles together with the veneration of the saints: Gthly, 
 Chapels on the way-side for the devotion of travellers, 
 crosses and sometimes chapels upon hills; 7thly, Pro- 
 > cessions: 8thly, Miracles, with which, it seems, he is 
 very much offended wherever he meets them, and there¬ 
 fore he dwells longer upon that subject than any other. 
 All these things he pretends to discover in the religion 
 
 3 
 
4 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 of the old pagans; and therefore imagines he has a right 
 to conclude, that the modern Romans have derived their 
 whole religion from them. 
 
 Before I proceed to examine these particulars, and to 
 answer the Doctor’s objections against them, I cannot 
 but take notice of a piece of foul play in him, unworthy 
 of that candour of which he makes profession, and which 
 he acknowledges he met with in all those whom he had 
 the honour to converse with at Rome, which is, that 
 having undertaken in his title-page to show an exact 
 conformity between the religion of the present Romans 
 and that of their pagan ancestors ; and in the body of his 
 book having more than once given the preference to the 
 latter, yet in drawing his parallel he has been so disin¬ 
 genuous as to dissemble, on the one side, all the grosser 
 superstitions of the Pagans, and for the most part only 
 to take notice of certain observances, which were in no 
 otherwise criminal than in being applied to the wor¬ 
 ship of false gods, and on the other side he has quite 
 passed over in silence the most substantial parts of the 
 religion of the present Romans, and only cavilled at 
 some ceremonies or matters of less importance. For, 
 can the Doctor really think, that the belief of the Scrip¬ 
 ture, and of the creeds, is no part of the religion of 
 Rome 1 Is not the one, true, and living God worship¬ 
 ped there in three persons, the Father, and the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost'? Do not the people universally 
 believe in Jesus Christ] Is not the eacharistic sacrifice 
 offered in all their churches, in memory of his death 
 and passion] Is not the word of God preached amongst 
 them; the divine office, consisting of psalms, Scripture 
 lessons, &c. daily sung; the sacraments frequented, 
 &c.] And which of all these things has been derived 
 to the modern Romans from their heathen ancestors] 
 But it was not for the Doctor’s purpose to take any 
 notice of any of these things, not so much as even of 
 the articles of the profession of faith, published by Pope 
 Pius IV., which he very well knows to be the standard 
 of what he calls popery, and yet has not so much as of¬ 
 fered to show any conformity in any one of them (except- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 9 
 
 ing the articles of saints and their images, which he 
 grossly misrepresents) with the doctrine or practice of 
 the pagans. To such shifts as these are persons 
 unhappily driven, who are resolved to maintain a bad 
 cause. 
 
 But let us see what these gross superstitions are, 
 upon which the Doctor grounds his charges against the 
 modern Romans, and would have his readers believe they 
 are no better than Pagans. In the first place, he instances 
 the use of incense in churches; and we may presume 
 he is too well acquainted with the rules of rhetoric not 
 to rank in the front some of those which he esteems the 
 strongest arguments ; so that he looks upon this as one 
 of the most notorious instances of heathenish supersti¬ 
 tion. But has he any thing to urge against it from 
 Scripture, the only rule of a Protestant’s faith 1 Not 
 one single word. On the contrary, if he had been as well 
 read in the Scriptures, as he would seem to be in the 
 heathen poets, he would have found the use of incense 
 in the temple of God, and that by God’s own ordinance,* 
 in records of a far more ancient date than any he can 
 produce for the use of it among the heathens, who in 
 this, as in many other things, did but mimic the sacred 
 ceremonies prescribed in the law of God. And certainly 
 a person who has been but moderately versed in the 
 sacred writings, will be surprised to find the use of in¬ 
 cense ranked by the Doctor amongst heathenish rites, 
 since it is so frequently mentioned with honour in God’s 
 holy w r ord ; as w T hen the psalmist desires that his prayer 
 may ascend as incense in the sight of God, Psalm cxli. 
 2; as the prophet Malachy (as his wmrds are rendered 
 in the Protestant Bible) foretells, chap. i. 11, that in 
 the church of Christ, incense shall be offered in every 
 place to God’s holy name; as when St.John in the 
 Revelation, chap. v. 8, and chap. viii. 4, &c., represents 
 to us odours and incense burning before God in the 
 heavenly Jerusalem. For, allowing these texts to be 
 figurative, yet we are not to suppose that the sacred 
 
 * See Exod. xxx. 7, 8; xl. 27. Lev. xvi. 12, &c. 
 
 1 * 
 
6 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 penmen would describe to us the service either of the 
 militant or triumphant church, by figures borrowed from 
 heathenish superstition. As for what the Doctor has 
 alleged against the use of incense out of the Acts of 
 the Martyrs, who chose rather to die than offer incense 
 to false gods, and out of the law of Theodosius, which 
 confiscates the places in which the pagans had offered 
 incense to their deities, he could not but know, that all 
 this was utterly foreign to his purpose: but if he had 
 a mind to be informed of the antiquity of the ceremonial 
 use of incense amongst the Christians, he might have 
 found it in the most ancient liturgies, and even in the 
 very canons attributed to the apostles, can. 3. 
 
 The next thing the Doctor objects against as hea¬ 
 thenish, is the use of holy water, which he pretends to 
 derive from the heathens, because he finds in his poets 
 that the pagans of old, in entering into their temples, 
 used to be sprinkled with water; and he thinks he has 
 discovered in some scraps of old Greek verses, that there 
 was salt mingled with this water; and, which is still a 
 more wonderful discovery, in poring upon old medals, 
 he imagines he has found out something not unlike a 
 sprinkling-brush among the things used by the pagan 
 priests. But what a pity it is that amongst all these 
 great discoveries he has not met with any account of the 
 heathens ever making use of water sanctified by the 
 word of God and prayer, in the name, and by the virtue 
 of Jesus Christ: for this is what we call holy water, 
 and this the pagans never used. As for the rest, we find 
 mention of holy water, that is, water sanctified for reli¬ 
 gious uses, in the most sacred records of the divine law, 
 long before the heathens abused it to their superstition: 
 See Numb. xix. And the Doctor might with full as 
 good a grace have proved the sacrament of baptism to 
 be a heathenish practice, from the pagans’ use of water 
 in their temples, as to have alleged it against holy water; 
 which is with us a memorial of our baptism, as that in 
 the old law was a figure of it. As for the yearly festival 
 which the Doctor says is celebrated with great solemnity 
 in the month of January, and is called the Benedic- 
 
PREFACE* 
 
 7 
 
 tion of Horses, I never yet met with it in the Roman 
 Calendar; and though 1 have spent the greatest part of 
 my life abroad, never saw nor heard of any such cere¬ 
 mony as that which he pretends is practised upon that 
 day by the monks of St. Antony, near St. Mary Major, 
 in Rome. But however this be, we may hope there is 
 nothing heathenish in this ceremony, since the Doctor, 
 who is so good a Christian, procured, though it was, 
 as he says, at the expense of eighteen pence, his own 
 horses to be blessed by these good monks, p. 20. 
 
 The third thing which the Doctor quarrels with, as 
 derived from the heathens, is the burning of lamps before 
 the altars, and setting up wax candles to burn in the 
 time of divine service. This, he says, was first intro¬ 
 duced by the Egyptians; for w’hich he quotes in the 
 margin, Clement of Alexandria Stromat, 1, 1. c, 16. 
 But this author says no such thing, and the true ori¬ 
 ginal of setting up lights or burning lamps in temples, 
 is to be found in the law of God,Exod. xxv. and xxxvii. 
 And as the devil affected to have his temples, altars, 
 priests, sacrifices, and all other things which were used 
 in the worship ot the true God, so no wonder that he 
 procured also to have lamps set up in his temples in 
 imitation of those which by the law of God were appoint¬ 
 ed to burn before the sanctuary. The Doctor therefore 
 is very much mistaken, when he too hastily concludes 
 that every ceremony used by the heathens in the worship 
 of their false gods is consequently heathenish, and as 
 such ought to be banished from thew r orship of the true 
 God, since the greatest part of these ceremonies were 
 indeed borrowed by the heathens from the worship of 
 the true God. 
 
 Next to the lamps or wax-lights burning before the 
 altars, he falls upon the number of offerings or votive 
 gifts hung up, in testimony of cures or deliverances, 
 around the altars, or the shrines of the saints : all which 
 he takes for downright heathenism, because he finds the 
 footsteps of the like offerings hung up in the temples 
 of the heathens. But here let him take notice once 
 for all, that practices in themselves innocent, are not 
 
8 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 rendered unlawful by having been abused by the hea* 
 thens to their superstition ; that all that was heathenish 
 in this case was the referring and dedicating these things 
 to the honour of their false deities; and that it cannot 
 be disagreeable to the true and living God that such as 
 believe they have received favours from him, by the 
 prayers of his saints, should make a public acknowledg¬ 
 ment of it. 
 
 The Doctor could not but be sensible, that the thino-s 
 which he has hitherto objected against had nothing hea¬ 
 thenish in their nature, and that not one of them was 
 ever condemned or prohibited by the law of God ; and, 
 therefore, since truth would furnish him with no arms 
 in order to make out his charge of idolatry and heathen¬ 
 ish superstition, in which he pretends that modern Rome 
 equals or exceeds'her pagan ancestors, he is forced to 
 call in to his assistance misrepresentation and slander. 
 For what is it else but the grossest misrepresentation 
 and downrio-ht slander to charge the Church of Rome, 
 as he does, p. 29, of the finishing act and last scene of 
 genuine idolatry , in crowds of bigot votaries prostrating 
 themselves before some image of wood or stone , and paying 
 divine honours to an idol of their own erecting? The 
 Doctor should have remembered here what he promised 
 in his preface, viz. to produce, for what he should charge 
 upon us, such vouchers as we ourselves would allow to 
 be authentic. Instead of which we are, it seems, upon 
 his bare word, without either proof or witness, to believe 
 a charge w’hich in itself is highly improbable, and which 
 every one, that is acquainted with the doctrine and prac¬ 
 tice of the Catholic Church, knows to be absolutely 
 false. The second Council of Nice, to which the Council 
 of Trent refers in the decree concerning images, de¬ 
 clares that divine honour (Latria) is not to be given them, 
 Acts vii., and the Council of Trent, sess. 25, declares, 
 that we are not to believe there is any divinity or virtue 
 in them, for which they are to be worshipped; that we 
 are not to pray to them, nor put our trust in them. And 
 every child among us knows, that if we keep with 
 respect the images or pictures of Christ and his saints, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 9 
 
 it is not to make them our gods, as the heathens did 
 their idols, nor to give them the honour that belongs to 
 God ; but, by the honour we show to the memorials, to 
 express our esteem, love, and veneration for the persons 
 represented by them, and tofiise them as helps to raise 
 our thoughts and affections to heavenly thino-s. 
 
 But the easier to make out this charge of idolatry 
 against us, the Doctor has made an important discovery, 
 which he fathers upon St. Jerome, though indeed it is 
 an invention of his own; which is, that all images of the 
 dead are idols, and consequently are liable to ^all those 
 censures which in the Scripture, in the fathers, and in 
 the laws of Christian emperors, are pronounced against 
 idols. An important discovery, indeed ! by which°it ap¬ 
 pears, that, after all the pretences of his own church to 
 a thorough reformation, she has not yet got rid of idols, 
 but has them everywhere standing, and new ones daily 
 erected, in spite of the law of God ; and that not only in 
 every private house, inhabited by her children, (scarce 
 one of which is found without some image or picture of 
 the dead,) but also in her very churches, out of which 
 though she has generally removed the images of Christ, 
 (which it is hoped the Doctor will not look upon to be 
 idols, if he believes the resurrection of his Redeemer,) 
 yet she has brought in, in their stead, the images of 
 Moses and Aaron, who are certainly dead ; and, what is 
 worse still, has introduced dead lions and unicorns into 
 the sanctuary, in place of the cross of Christ; though 
 this also of late has been erected upon the top of the 
 chief church of the kingdom, surrounded with many 
 other of the Doctor’s idols, to the great offence of the 
 Puritans, who are the only people that will thank the 
 Doctor for the pains he has been at to furnish them with 
 arms against the Established Church. Though it is to 
 be feared, if they take for good the Doctor’s definition of 
 an idol, their zeal against idolatry may raise some scru¬ 
 ple in them, with relation to the images of kings 
 deceased, which they carry in their pockets, or hoard 
 up their in bags, and which, it is thought, they worship 
 more than either their living king or any deity what¬ 
 soever. 
 
10 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 What then is the real difference between idols (Lat. 
 Simulacra) and those images or pictures which we 
 have in our churches ] It is this, that idols, according 
 to the ecclesiastical use of the word, adopted by the 
 holy fathers and all antiquity, are only such images as 
 are set up for gods, and honoured as such; or in which 
 some divinity or power is believed to reside by their 
 worshippers, who accordingly offer prayers and sacrifice 
 to them, and put their trust in them. Such were the 
 idols of the Gentiles, and such were those images of the 
 dead, of which St. Jerome speaks, (in chap. 37. Isaias;) 
 viz. the gods of those nations which Senacherib and his 
 predecessors the Asyrian kings had destroyed ; which, 
 having been no better than the images of men doubly 
 dead, were by Senacherib and his servants foolishly and 
 impiously compared to the true and living God. So that 
 it is true enough that these idols were images of the 
 deacL, which is all that St. Jerome asserts;* but it is 
 not true, that all images of the dead are idols, which 
 is what Dr. Middleton would infer. I shall only add, 
 with relation to St. Jerome, that he expressly affirms 
 that the saints are not to be called dead, but living; 
 and therefore their images are out of the question, 
 E contra Vigilant. Sancti non appellantur mortui sed 
 viventes . 
 
 “ But our notion of the idolatry of modern Rome 
 (says the'Doctor, p. 31) will be much heightened still, 
 and confirmed, as oft as we follow them into those tem¬ 
 ples, and to those very altars which were built originally 
 and dedicated by their heathen ancestors, the old Ro¬ 
 mans, to the honour of their pagan deities; where w~e 
 shall hardly see any other alteration than the shrine of 
 some old hero filled now by the meaner statue of some 
 modern saint.” There is another trifling difference, 
 which he does not think worth while to take notice of; 
 which is, that all these temples are now dedicated to the 
 service of the true and living God ; that the word of God 
 is there preached, the divine praises sung, and the great 
 
 * Quae idola intelligimus imagines mortuorum. In cap. 37, 
 Isaiffi. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 11 
 
 eucharistic sacrifice, the memorial of the passion of 
 Jesus Christ, daily celebrated ; whereas before they 
 were dedicated to the worship of the devil. 
 
 But, besides this, the Doctor cannot be ignorant that 
 the modern Roman altars are not the same as those the 
 heathens made use of for their sacrifices; that the 
 image of Christ crucified is placed upon all our altars, 
 not to be worshipped as a god, like those idols which he 
 calls the shrines of his old heroes, but as a memorial of 
 Christ’s passion; that the churches, though called by 
 the names of the saints whose relics are there reposited, 
 or memory celebrated, are not erected to the saints, much 
 less to their images, but the God of the saints; that 
 our devotion to the saints goes no farther than the de¬ 
 siring their prayers; and that their pictures or images 
 are no more with us than their memorials, which we°re- 
 spect for their sakes. 
 
 But the Doctor, it seems, is offended that the Pantheon 
 and other temples of the pagans have been changed into 
 churches of the blessed Virgin and the saints, and thinks 
 that the old possessors (the heathen deities) had a better 
 title to them than the Mother of Christ or his martyrs; 
 and declares, that he should be much more inclined to 
 pay his devotion to a Romulus or Antonine, than to (the 
 illustrious martyrs) Laurence or Damian, p. 33, 34. I 
 suppose, by the same rule, he must take it very ill to 
 find so many popish churches, nigher home, changed 
 into Protestant temples, without so much as taking the 
 pains to christen them anew : so that, without going to 
 Rome, we may find a Laurence, an Albian, and a great 
 number of other Romish saints in the very heart of Lon¬ 
 don. For since he openly declares, that the pagan deities 
 had a juster title to religious veneration than any of these 
 saints, consequently a church of St. Laurence must 
 needs give more offence than a temple of Bacchus. 
 
 But some may possibly apprehend, from the way that 
 the Doctor speaks of the martyrs of Christ, that he is no 
 greater friend to Christianity in general than he is to 
 popery: for though some ancient heretics have objected 
 of old to the Catholic church, as he now does, that we 
 
12 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 had but changed our idols in worshipping the saints in¬ 
 stead of the pagan deities, (which was the objection of 
 Vigilantius and of Faustus the Manicham, as we learn 
 from the writings of St. Jerome against Vigilantius, 
 and of St. Augustine against Faustus, 1. 20, c. 21,) yet 
 no one, that pretended to the name of Christian, ever 
 ventured to prefer the pagan deities before the martyrs 
 of Christ. This was an extravagance that none but 
 Julian the Apostate was capable of, from whom the 
 Doctor has copied it. See St. Cyril of Alexandria, 1. 6, 
 contra Julianum. 
 
 As to what he tells us upon hearsay, that some of the 
 images of the saints were originally statues of the pagan 
 deities, and others designed by the sculptors or painters 
 for the representation of their own mistresses; till he 
 brings some better authority for it, than it is said , we 
 shall not think it worth while to take any notice of it. 
 For if, in things that he positively asserts, he makes no 
 scruple of advancing notorious untruths, as when he tells 
 us, p. 33, that many of the Romish saints were never 
 heard of but in our legends ; and that many more have 
 no other merit but that of raising rebellions in defence of 
 their idols and throwing whole kingdoms intoconvulsions 
 for the sake of some gainful imposture: if, I say, in 
 such things as these, which he affirms to be certain, he 
 advances such falsehoods, who will venture to believe 
 what he tells only upon hearsay 1 
 
 His pretending to derive the name of St. Orestes from 
 Mount Soracte is ridiculous beyond measure : and his 
 suspecting that some who are honoured as martyrs w'ere 
 originally no other than the heathen deities, by reason 
 of some affinity which he decovers in their names, is a 
 groundless suspicion, as anyone will be convinced, that 
 is not entirely a stranger to ancient church history; 
 in which we find, by innumerable instances, that as a 
 great part of the primitive saints and martyrs had been 
 converts from paganism, so a great many of their names 
 had no small affiinity with those of the heathenish dei¬ 
 ties ; and sometimes were the very same, as in the New 
 Testament itself we find a Dionysius, Acts xvii. 34, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 13 
 
 which is the Greek name of Bacchus, and Her¬ 
 mes, Rom. xvi. 14, which is the Greek name of Mer¬ 
 cury. 
 
 As to what he writes of Julia Evodia, no such saint 
 was ever honoured in our church, much less any saint 
 Viar, so that these petty stories, like the inscriptions 
 which he alleges, which are the works of private persons 
 without any authority, are not worth our notice, no more 
 than Usher’s conjecture concerning St. Amphibalus, or 
 Mabillon’s concerning St. Veronica : for allowing them 
 both to be as well grounded as the Doctor can desire, it 
 will only follow that there has been a mistake in the 
 name of the ecclesiastic harboured by St. Alban, and 
 that of the pious woman, on whose handkerchief our 
 Saviour imprinted the image of his face. But after all, 
 neither the one nor the other was ever canonized by the 
 church, nor are their names found in the Roman mar- 
 tyrology. 
 
 I cannot comprehend why the Doctor, p. 44, should 
 bring in the adoration of the hosts, which he calls the 
 principal part of worship, and the distinguishing article 
 of faith in the creed of modern Rome; of which he con¬ 
 fesses he cannot find the least resemblance or similitude 
 in any part of the pagan worship ; unless it were to dis¬ 
 prove that exact conformity, which in his title-page he 
 had promised to prove betwixt popery and paganism; 
 or rather to make way for alleging against us the au¬ 
 thority of Tully, which he prefers before that of the 
 apostles and evangelists, of the absurdity of believing 
 that to be God which we receive under the sacramental 
 veils : an absurdity, which the Doctor could have had 
 no room to have objected to us, had he not forgotten his 
 own catechism, which informed him, that the body and 
 blood of Christ are verily and indeed taken and received 
 by the faithful in the Lord’s Supper. For if the faithful 
 in this system may not he said to feed upon their 
 
 God, neither can they in the system of transubstantia- 
 
 tion. 
 
 But now the Doctor is pleased to leave the churches, 
 and make an excursion into the country, the whole face 
 
 2 
 
14 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 of which, as he is pleased to tell us, p. 44, has the visible 
 characters of paganism upon it; because of the little 
 chapels which frequently occur upon the way, where tra¬ 
 vellers often kneel down to say a prayer; and because of 
 the many crosses everywhere erected. And who will 
 dare presume after this to open his mouth in favour of 
 popery, when he understands that the Doctor has de¬ 
 monstrated, by what he has discovered in his travels, 
 that all Papists are pagans ; because their very travel¬ 
 lers are so superstitious as sometimes to kneel down and 
 say a prayer before a country chapel, where they find 
 some memorial of Christ’s passion; and because they 
 have everywhere erected that antichristian standard, 
 the cross of Christ ? But what is still more heathenish 
 in the Doctor’s eyes, is that these little oratories or 
 crosses are sometimes under trees, and sometimes upon 
 the tops of hills, which he ingeniously interprets to be 
 the high-places condemned in the Old Testament. But 
 the truth is, and all Papists are convinced of it, that a 
 place is neither better nor worse for divine worship, be¬ 
 cause it is on a high place or low; near trees or at a 
 distance from them: and what was condemned of old 
 in the high-places mentioned in the Scripture, was not 
 their being upon hills, for God is no less the God of the 
 mountains than of the valleys ; and his temple in Je¬ 
 rusalem was built upon a hill, viz. on Mount Moria, 
 2 Paral. iii. 1; but they were condemned because the 
 worship there exhibited was either heathenish or schis- 
 matical, that it was either given to strange gods, or, if 
 to the God of Israel, was given contrary to his appoint¬ 
 ment, who had forbidden sacrifice to be offered in any 
 other places but in his temple at Jerusalem ; see Deut. 
 xii.5, 11, 13, 14. 
 
 From the country the Doctor returns again to the 
 towns, and there quarrels with the images and altars 
 "which he pretends to meet with everywhere, and which 
 he takes to be visible marks of paganism : but were the 
 old pagans to come to life again, and to understand 
 whose images these are, viz. of Jesus Christ, of his bless¬ 
 ed Mother, of his apostles and martyrs, by whose 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 15 
 
 preaching, labours, and blood, paganish superstition was 
 banished out of the world, and who, upon that account, 
 are now honoured, they would be far from being of the 
 Doctor’s mind, and would look upon these images as 
 evident proofs of these people being Christians, who 
 show so much regard for Christ and his saints. 
 
 But in the towns the Doctor is also offended with pro¬ 
 cessions, which, as he is pleased to say, are seen on every 
 festival of the Virgin, or rather Romish saint, which 
 he supposes to be the sacrifices, pomps, and dances, 
 mentioned by Plutarch in Numa, p. 16, and concludes 
 that these processions must needs be heathenish, the 
 more because he finds in Apuleius, an account of some¬ 
 thing like a procession performed by the heathens in 
 honour of their gods. But the Doctor might have found 
 an account of a religous procession in an author much 
 more ancient than Apuleius, amongst the worshippers of 
 the true God, if he would have consulted 2 Kings vi. 
 I fear the Doctor has no great opinion of this kind of 
 monuments of antiquity: the less, because he finds 
 therein frequent mention of miracles, which are things 
 he never can digest, wherever he meets them. 
 
 But the pagans, it seems, pretended to miracles, and 
 therefore the Romish religion which pretends to miracles 
 must needs be paganish. It is a pity the Doctor did not 
 here speak out in favour of his friends the freethinkers, 
 and argue thus: the pagans pretended to build their 
 religion upon miracles; therefore the Jewish religion of 
 old, and the Christian now, both which appeal to miracles 
 as their first and chief foundation, are no better ground¬ 
 ed than paganism. But, even in the instances which 
 the Doctor alleges, (and we may be sure he has picked 
 out such as he thought most for his purpose,) it is easy 
 to take notice that the miracles pretended to by the pa¬ 
 gans had no probable grounds to support them, no num¬ 
 ber of witnesses to attest them, no contemporary writers 
 to vouch from them, but, as in the case of the victory 
 supposed to have been gained over the Latins by the as¬ 
 sistance of Castor and Pollux, all was built upon a popular 
 
16 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 opinion, or the testimony of one or two that pretended 
 to have seen those deities; which was greedily swal¬ 
 lowed by the general and the senate as a token of the 
 divine favour, who thereupon erected a temple to them. 
 Whereas, in the case which the Doctor supposes to be 
 parallel to this, of the victories gained against the in¬ 
 fidels in the holy wars, by the assistance of the martyrs, 
 these saints, as appears by what he has in the margin, 
 were seen by both the Christian and infidel army ; and 
 the history of it was written, as we learn from the Doc¬ 
 tor himself, by an eyewitness. 
 
 But whether the miracles which he has pitched upon 
 for the subject of his ridicule be true or false, there is 
 nothing at least heathenish in them, and consequently 
 nothing that can be of any service to him to make out 
 the exact conformity, which he pretends to demonstrate, 
 between popery and paganism. In the mean time, the 
 Doctor is not ignorant, that it is not upon such things as 
 most of those are which he alleges, that we lay any 
 stress ; neither have we any need to appeal to them; for 
 God has been pleased in every age to work far more 
 evident miracles in his church, by the ministry of his 
 saints: in raising the dead to life, in curing the blind 
 and the lame, in casting out devils, in healing in a mo¬ 
 ment inveterate diseases, and the like stupendous works 
 of his power, attested by the most authentic monuments, 
 and very frequently (as may be seen in the acts the 
 canonizations of the saints) by the depositions of in¬ 
 numerable eyewitnesses, examined upon oath ; and by 
 the public notoriety of the facts; whi£h kind of mi¬ 
 racles, so authentically attested, will be to all ages a 
 standing evidence, that the church, in whose commu¬ 
 nion they have all been wrought, is not that idolatrous 
 pagan church which the Doctor pretends, but the true 
 Spouse of Christ, which alone has inherited in all ages 
 that promise which the Lord made at his departure, St. 
 John xiv. 12, 13. ‘ Amen, amen, I say unto you he that 
 believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do, 
 and greater than these shall he do. Because I go to 
 the Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in 
 my name, that w'ill I do.’ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 17 
 
 And here I might take my leave of the Doctor, for 
 what he adds, p. 65, &c., to derive the church sanctua¬ 
 ries from the asylum opened by Romulus to receive 
 fugitives, the authority of the pope from the pagan pon¬ 
 tiff, and the religious orders from the colleges of the 
 Augurs, Falii, &c., is so very weak, that it would betri¬ 
 fling away my time to take any notice of it. But, before 
 we part, I must put the Doctor and his friends in mind 
 that some people will naturally infer, from what he ima¬ 
 gines he has so fully proved, viz. that popery and pa¬ 
 ganism stand upon the same bottom, and that one is 
 no better than the other; they will infer, I say, that 
 the orders which his church pretends to have by suc¬ 
 cession from the Church of Rome are no more valid than 
 if they proceeded from an Indian Brachman or a Ma* 
 liometan dervise. (Chandler’s Sermon, p. 36.) And by 
 the selfsame way of arguing, by which he pretends to 
 demonstrate an exact conformity between the religion 
 of the present Romans and that of their heathen ances¬ 
 tors, these same gentlemen will, with a much fairer show 
 of probability, prove an exact conformity between the 
 religion by law established, and popery. The conse¬ 
 quence of which will be, if the Doctor be not mistaken 
 in his parallel, that English protestancy is no better than 
 heathenish idolatry. 
 
 But that I may not seem to say this without reason, 
 let us suppose that Chandler, or some other of the same 
 stamp, should take into his head to charge the church 
 by law established, with popery: and to this purpose 
 should heap together all that he could of ceremonies, 
 observances, &c., which Protestants have retained from 
 the old religion, and in one of his learned declama¬ 
 tions deliver himself as follows to his dissenting audi¬ 
 tory : 
 
 “ Beware, my dearly beloved, of these people who call 
 themselves the Church of England; for their religion is 
 wholly derived from that of their Romish ancestors, and 
 has an exact conformity or uniformity rather with pope- 
 ty, and consequently with paganism, from which, as 
 Dr. Middleton has lately demonstrated, the Papists have 
 
 2 * 
 
18 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 borrowed their whole religion. Now mark ye, my 
 beloved, how plainly I shall prove that these people who 
 call themselves Protestants have taken their whole reli¬ 
 gion from the Papists. 
 
 “ 1st, Their churches are the very same which were 
 originally built by their popish ancestors, and are still 
 dedicated to the same popish saints, as formerly they 
 were, though one of their owm divines plainly tells them 
 they had better have dedicated them to Bacchus or Ve¬ 
 nus. Now, of all the honours that the Papists have ever 
 given to their saints, this of dedicating temples to them 
 w r as certainly the greatest, far greater then that of kiss¬ 
 ing their relics or desiring their prayers; and, conse¬ 
 quently, if the Church of Rome w r ere ever guilty of ido¬ 
 latry in relation to the saints, her daughter, the Church 
 of England, stands guilty of the same, which has ten 
 churches dedicated to Mary for one dedicated to 
 Christ. 
 
 “2dly, In their churches they have altars too, like the 
 Papists; and what should altars do there, if they did not 
 offer sacrifice like the Papists'? To these altars they 
 cringe and bow T ; which is giving religious honour, w hich 
 God has appropriated to himself, to insensible creatures, 
 and therefore is no better than dowmright idolatry. In 
 many places they have over these altars images and 
 pictures, like the Papists, in spite of the second com¬ 
 mandment. And though they are pleased to tell us that 
 they worship them not, yet what can w T e think when 
 we see them perpetually bowing down to that w r hich is 
 indeed no more than an image, viz. the name of Jesus* 
 which of all images of Christ has the least of solid 
 substance in it, as being only formed in the air by the 
 empty sound of the two syllables of his name. But 
 what respect they have for images we may judge by 
 that which they show to the cross, which they have late¬ 
 ly erected in the highest place of the capital city of the 
 kingdom; and so much are they bewitched with the 
 notion of this standard of popery, that they look upon 
 none rightly baptized without being signed with the sign 
 of the cross. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 19 
 
 “ 3dly, Their liturgy or comm on prayer-book is wholly 
 popish, and at the best but a bungling imitation of the 
 Romish Mass: from this they have borrowed their col¬ 
 lects, lessons, &c., and a great part of what they call 
 their communion service. Their orders of bishops, 
 priests, and deacons, both as to the name and thing, were 
 taken from Rome; and from thence they all pretend to 
 derive their succession. Their way of ordaining minis¬ 
 ters resembles that of the Papists; and is equally blas¬ 
 phemous, in their bishops pretending to give the Holy 
 Ghost, with the powder of forgiving and retaining sins. 
 Their surplices are but the rags of the whore of Baby¬ 
 lon. Their organs and music in their churches, their 
 singing boys, their anthems and Te Deums are all po¬ 
 pish invention. 
 
 “4thly, Their church government by archbishops, 
 and bishops, their spiritual courts, their dignities of 
 deans, archdeacons, prebendaries, &c., are all visibly 
 derived from the Papists; and like the Papists, their 
 bishops pretend to give confirmation; in which they are 
 the less excusable, because in their very articles of reli* 
 gion, art. 25, they declare that confirmation comes of 
 a corrupt following of the apostles. The same thing 
 they declare with regard to the popish sacrament of 
 penance or priestly absolution, and yet have retained it 
 in their order for the visitation of the sick; where thej - 
 prescribe auricular confession and a form of absolution 
 the same in substance as that used in the Church of 
 Rome. 
 
 “5thly, Like the Papists they pay an idolatrous wor** 
 ship to the elements of bread and wine, to which they 
 kneel at the time of communion : and their declaring 
 (contrary to the express words of their catechism) 
 that they do not believe the body and blood of Christ to 
 be there, does but aggravate their guilt beyond that of 
 the Papists, because these believe that in the sacra¬ 
 ment they worship Christ, whereas our pretended Pro¬ 
 testants believe they have nothing there but bread and 
 'wine. 
 
 u 6thly, They observe days like the Papists in honour 
 
20 
 
 PREFACE* 
 
 of the saints and angels; which, if it be not religious 
 worship, I know not what it is. They pray to be de¬ 
 fended by the angels in their collect for Michaelmas-day, 
 which is rank popery. Their calendar is full of popish 
 saints. They prescribe fasts and abstinence like the 
 Papists; and from them have taken into their books the 
 fasts of Lent, Vigils, Ember-days, and Fridays : though, 
 to give them their due, this part of popery, for a long 
 time, has been found nowhere but in their books. 
 
 “In fine, their godfathers and godmothers in baptism, 
 their churching of women after child-bearing, their whole 
 order of matrimony, their consecration of churches, their 
 anointing of kings, and such like observances, are no 
 better than popery; and, in a w r ord, the wdiole face of 
 their religion, both in town and country, is an exact 
 resemblance of that of their popish forefathers. And, 
 consequently, since popery and paganism stand upon 
 a level, I cannot but conclude, that English protestan- 
 cy is nearly allied to paganism. For whilst we see these 
 pretended Protestants worshipping at this day in the 
 same temples, at the same altars, sometimes before the 
 same images, and always with the same liturgy, and 
 many of the same ceremonies, as the Papists did, they 
 must have more charity, as well as skill in distinguish¬ 
 ing, than I pretend to, who can absolve them from the 
 same crime of superstition and idolatry with their popish 
 ancestors.” Dr. Middleton, p. 70, 71. 
 
 So far the nonconformist, agreeably to the copy 
 which the Doctor has set him in his parallel between 
 popery and paganism. Now, this kind of rhetoric, I 
 am persuaded, whatever effect it might have with regard 
 to Dissenters, would excite no other emotions in the 
 minds of Church-Protestants than those of indignation 
 or contempt; and the same would be their dispositions 
 with regard to Dr. Middleton’s performance, if they 
 w r ould make use of the same weights and measures in 
 our own case as in their own. 
 
 I shall add no more, but that I cannot but apprehend 
 that the Doctor, in pretending to impeach us of pagan¬ 
 ism, has impugned the known truth; a tmth so evident* 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 21 
 
 that notwithstanding the violent humour of Luther, and 
 all his bitter declamations against us, yet he could not 
 help acknowledging, in his book against the Anabap¬ 
 tists, “That under the papacy are many good Christian 
 things, yea, all that is good in Christianity; and that 
 Protestants had it from thence. I say, moreover,” says 
 he, “ that under the papacy is true Christianity, even 
 the very kernel of Christianity.” So far the father and 
 apostle of the Reformation, who, whilst he is forced to 
 grant that we have the very kernel of Christianity, I 
 fear has kept nothing for himself but the shell. If the 
 Doctor, in quality of one of his children, has inherit¬ 
 ed any part of his treasure, I do not envy him the 
 inheritance, but shall leave him in the quiet possession 
 of it. 
 
THE 
 
 CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN 
 
 INSTRUCTED 
 
 IN THE 
 
 > 
 
 SACRIFICE, SACRAMENTS, CEREMONIES, 
 
 AND 
 
 OBSERVANCES OF THE CHURCH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. , , 
 
 ON THE SIGN OF THE CROSS. 
 
 Q. Why do you treat of the sign of the cross before 
 you begin to speak of the sacraments 1 
 
 A. Because this holy sign is made use of in all the 
 sacraments, to give us to understand that they all have 
 their whole force and efficacy from the cross, that is, 
 from the death and passion of Jesus Christ. What 
 is the sign of Christ, says St. Augustine,* which all 
 know, but the cross of Christ, which sign, if it be not 
 applied to the foreheads of the believers, to the water with 
 which they are baptized, to the chrism with which they 
 are anointed, to the sacrifice with which they are fed, 
 none of these things is duly performed. 
 
 Q. But did the primitive Christians make use of the 
 sign of the cross only in the administration of the sacra¬ 
 ments ? 
 
 A, Not only then,but also upon all other occasions; 
 at every step, says the ancient and learned Tertullian,')' at 
 every coming in and going out, when we put on our 
 clothes or shoes, when we wash, when we sit down to 
 table, when we light a candle, when we go to bed; what¬ 
 soever conversation employs us, we imprint on our 
 foreheads the sign of the cross. 
 
 * Tract 119 in Joan. t L. de Corona Milit. c. 3. 
 
 •23 
 
24 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of this frequent use of the 
 sign of the cross'? / 
 
 A . It is to show that we are not ashamed of the cross 
 of Christ; it is to make an open profession of our be¬ 
 lieving in a crucified God; it is to help us to bear al¬ 
 ways in mind his death and pasion; and to nourish 
 thereby in our souls the three divine virtues of faith, 
 hope, and charity. 
 
 Q. How are these three divine virtues exercised in the 
 frequent use of the cross'? 
 
 A. 1st, Faith is exercised, because the si cm of the 
 cross brings to our remembrance the chief article of the 
 Christian belief, viz., The son of God dying for us upon 
 the cross. 2dly, our hope is thereby daily nourished 
 and increased; because this holy sign continually re¬ 
 minds us of the passion of Christ, on which is grounded 
 all our hope for mercy, grace, and salvation. 3dly, 
 Charity, or-the love of God, is excited in us by that 
 sacred sign, by representing to us the love which God 
 has showed us in dying upon the cross for us. 
 
 Q. In what manner do you make the sign of the cross ? 
 
 A. In blessing ourselves, we form the sign of the 
 cross, by putting our right hand to the forehead, and so 
 drawing, as it w r ere, a line dowm to the breast or stomach, 
 and then another line crossing the former, from the left 
 shoulder to the right; and the words that we pronounce 
 at the same time are these : ‘ In the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;’ by which we 
 make a solemn profession of our faith in the blessed 
 Trinity. But, in blessing other persons or things, we 
 form the cross in the air, with the right hand extended 
 towards the thing we bless. 
 
 o 
 
 Q. Have you any thing more to add in favour of the 
 cross, and the use of signing ourselves with the sign of 
 the cross 1 
 
 A. Yes, the cross is the standard of Christ, and is 
 called by our Lord himself, St. Matt. xxiv. 30, the sign 
 cf the Son of Man. It is the badge of all good Chris¬ 
 tians, represented by the letter Tau,* ordered to be set 
 as a mark upon the forehead of those that were to escape 
 
 * St. Hierom. upon Ezck. ix. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 25 
 
 the wrath of God. Ezekiel ix. 4. It was given by our 
 Lord to Constantine, the first Christian emperor, as a 
 token and assurance of victory, when he and his whole 
 army, in their march against the tyrant Maxentius, saw 
 a cross formed of pure light above the sun, with this in¬ 
 scription : 4 By this conquerwhich account the his¬ 
 torian Eusebius, in his first book of the life of Constan¬ 
 tine, declares he had from that emperor’s own mouth. To 
 which we may add that the sign of the cross was used 
 of old by the holy fathers as an invincible buckler against 
 the devil, and a powerful means to dissipate his illu¬ 
 sions ; and that God has often made it an instrument 
 in their hands of great and illustrious miracles, of which 
 there are innumerable instances in ancient church his¬ 
 tory, and in the writings of the fathers, which it would 
 be too tedious here to recount. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OF THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM. 
 
 Q. What do you mean by a sacrament ? 
 
 A. An outward sign or ceremony of Christ’s institu¬ 
 tion, by which grace is given to the soul of the worthy 
 receiver. J 
 
 Q. What are the necessary conditions for a thing- to 
 be a sacrament I 6 
 
 A. These three. 1st, It must be a sacred sign, and 
 eonseq uent ly, as to the outward performance, it must be 
 visible or sensible. 2dly, This sacred sign must have 
 annexed unto it a power of communicating grace to the 
 
 soul. 3dly, This must be by virtue of the ordinance or 
 institution of Christ. 
 
 Q. How then do you prove that baptism is a sacra¬ 
 ment, since the Scripture nowhere calls it so ? 
 
 A. Because it has these three conditions. 1st, It is 
 an outward visible sign, consisting in the washing with 
 water, with the form of words prescribed by Christ. 
 2dly, It has a power of communicating orace to our 
 souls in the way of a new birth ; whence if is called by 
 
 3 J 
 
26 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 the apostle, Tit. iii. 5, 4 the layer of regeneration and 
 renovation of the Holy Ghost.’ 3dly, We have the or¬ 
 dinance and institution of Christ, St. Matt, xxviii. 19: 
 4 Go teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ And St. 
 John iii. 5 : 4 Except a man be born again of water and the 
 Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ 
 
 Q. In what manner must baptism be administered so 
 as to be valid ? 
 
 A. It must be administered in true natural water, with 
 this or the like form of words : 4 1 baptize thee in the 
 name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
 Ghost;’ which words ought to be pronounced at the 
 same time the water is applied to the person that is 
 baptized, and by the same minister, who ought to have 
 the intention of doing what the church does. 
 
 Q. What if these words, 4 1 baptize thee,’ or any one 
 of the names of the Three Persons, should be left out ? 
 
 A. In that case it would be no baptism. 
 
 Q. What if the baptism should be administered in 
 rose-water, or any of the like artificial waters'? 
 
 A, It would be no baptism. 
 
 Q. Ought baptism to be administered by dipping or 
 by pouring of the water; or by sprinkling of the water? 
 
 A. It may be administered validly any of these ways ; 
 but the custom of the church is to administer this sa¬ 
 crament either by dipping in the water, which is used 
 in the East, or by pouring of the water upon the person 
 baptized, which is more customary in these parts of 
 Christendom. Moreover, it is the custom in all parts 
 of the Catholic church, and has been so from the apos¬ 
 tles’ days, to dip or pour three times, at the names of the 
 three divine Persons; though we do not look upon this 
 so essential, that the doincr otherwise would render the 
 baptism invalid. 
 
 Q. What think you of those w’ho administer baptism 
 so slightly, that it is doubtful whether it may in any 
 sense be called an ablution or washing; as, for instance, 
 those that administer it only with the fillip of a wet 
 finger ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 27 
 
 A. Such as these expose themselves to the danger of 
 administering no baptism. 
 
 Q. What do you think of baptism administered by 
 heretics, or schismatics 1 
 
 A, The church receives their baptism, if they observe 
 the Catholic matter and form ; that is, if they baptize 
 with true natural water, and have the intention of doing 
 what the church does; pronouncing at the same time 
 these words : i I baptize thee in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ 
 
 Q. What think you of baptism administered with the 
 due forms of words, but without the sign of the cross ] 
 
 A. The omission of this ceremony does not render 
 the baptism invalid. 
 
 Q. What is your judgment of the baptism said to be 
 administered by some modern Arians, 6 In the name of 
 the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Ghost V 
 
 A, Such a corruption of the form makes the baptism 
 null and invalid. 
 
 Q . What is the doctrine of the church as to baptism 
 administered by a layman or woman 1 
 
 A, If it be attempted without necessity, it is a crimi¬ 
 nal presumption; though even then the baptism is valid, 
 and is not to be reiterated ; but, in a case of necessity, 
 ’when a priest cannot be had, and a child is in immedi¬ 
 ate danger of death, baptism may not only validly, but 
 also lawfully be administered by any person whatsoever. 
 In which case a cleric, though only in lesser orders, is 
 to be admitted preferably to a layman, and a man 
 preferably to a woman, and a Catholic preferably to a 
 heretic. 
 
 Q . How do you prove that infants may be baptized 
 who are not capable of being taught or instructed in 
 the faith 1 
 
 A. I prove it, 1st, By a tradition which the church 
 has received from the apostles,* and practised in all 
 ages ever since. Now, as none were more likely or 
 
 * St. Irenaeus, 1. 2, c.39. Origen, I. 5, in c. 6, ad Rom. St. Cyprian 
 Ep. ad Fidum. St. Chrysostom, Horn, ad Neophyes St. Augustine* 
 1. 10 de Gen. c. 23, &c. 
 
28 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 better qualified than the apostles, to understand the true 
 meaning of the commission given them by their Master 
 to baptize all nations, so none were more diligent than 
 they to execute faithfully this commission according to 
 his meaning, and to teach their disciples to do the same. 
 St. Matt, xxviii. 20. So that what the church has re¬ 
 ceived by tradition from the apostles and their disciples 
 was undoubtedly agreeable to the commission of Christ. 
 
 Secondly , I prove it by comparing together two texts 
 of Scripture, one of which declares that without baptism 
 no one can enter into the kingdom of Heaven; St. John 
 iii. 5: 4 Except a man be born again of water and the 
 Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ 
 The other text declares that infants are capable of this 
 kingdom; St. Luke xviii. 16: 4 Suffer little children to 
 come to me, and forbid them not; for of such is the 
 kingdom of God and consequently they must be capable 
 of baptism. 
 
 Thirdly , Circumcision in the old law corresponded 
 with baptism in the new" law, and w ? as a figure of it: 
 Coloss. ii. 11,12. But circumcision was administered to 
 infants, Gen. xvii. Therefore baptism in like manner 
 is to be administered to infants. 
 
 Fourthly , We read in scripture of whole families 
 baptized by St. Paul, Acts xvi. 15 and 33. 1 Cor. i. 16. 
 Now, it is probable that in so many w’hole families there 
 were some infants. 
 
 Fifthly , As infants are not capable of helping them¬ 
 selves by faith and repentance, were they not capable 
 of being helped by the sacrament of baptism, they could 
 have no share in Christ, and no means to be delivered 
 from original sin; and, consequently, almost one-half of 
 mankind, dying before the use of reason, must inevitably 
 perish, if infants were not to be baptized. 
 
 Sixthly , If infants’ baptism were invalid, the gates of 
 hell w’ould have long since prevailed against the church ; 
 yea, for many ages there would have been no such thing 
 as Christians upon earth; since for many ages before 
 the Anabaptists arose, all persons had been baptized in 
 their infancy; which baptism, if it were null, they were 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 29 
 
 no Christians, and consequently there was no church. 
 Where then was that promise of Christ, St. Matt. xvi. 
 19 : ‘ Upon this rock I will build my church, and the 
 gates of hell shall not prevail against it?’ And St. 
 Matt, xxviii. 20: ‘ Lo, I am with you always, even to 
 the end of the world V 
 
 Besides, if infants’ baptism be null, the first preachers 
 of the Anabaptists had never received baptism, or had 
 received it from those who never had been baptized. A 
 likely set of men for bringing back God’s truth banished 
 from the World, who had not so much as received the 
 first badge or character of the Christian; and who, so 
 far from having any orders or mission, had not so much 
 as been baptized. 
 
 Q . How do you prove against the Quakers that all 
 persons ought to be baptized. 
 
 A, From the commission of Christ, St. Matt, xxviii. 
 19: ‘Go teach all nations, baptizing themKin the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ 
 From that general sentence of our Lord, St. John iii. 
 5: ‘ Except a man be bom again of water and the Holy 
 Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ From 
 the practice of the apostles, and of the first Christians, 
 who were all baptized. Thus we read, Acts ii. 38, with 
 relation to the first converts to Christianity at Jerusalem, 
 when they asked of the apostle what they should do, 
 that Peter said unto them, ‘ Do penance and be baptized, 
 every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ.’ And 
 ver. 41: ‘ They therefore that received his word were 
 baptized,’ &c. Thus we read of the Samaritans convert¬ 
 ed by Philip, Acts viii. 12,13, that ‘ They were baptized, 
 both men and women. Then Simon himself also be¬ 
 lieved, and being baptized,’ stuck close to Philip; as 
 was also the eunuch of Queen Candace, ver. 30, 38. 
 Thus we find Paul baptized by Ananias, Acts ix. 18. 
 Cornelius and his friends by order of St. Peter, Acts x. 
 47,48. Lydia and her household, by St. Paul, Acts 
 xvi. 15, &c. In fine, from the perpetual belief and 
 practice of the whole church, ever since the apostles’ 
 days, which in all ages and all nations has ever admi* 
 
 3* 
 
30 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 nistered baptism in water to all her children, and never 
 looked upon any as Christians until they were baptized. 
 Now, 4 if a person will not hear the church, let him be 
 to thee as a heathen and a publican.’ St. Matt, xviii. 17* 
 
 Q. How do you prove from Scripture that the apostles 
 gave baptism in water 1 
 
 A . From Acts viii. 36, 38. ‘ See, here is water,’ said 
 the eunuch to St. Philip, ‘ what doth hinder me from 
 being baptized 1 —and they went down into the water, 
 both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.’ 
 And Acts x. 47, 48 : 4 Can any man forbid water,’ said 
 
 St. Peter, 4 that these should not be baptized, who have 
 received the Holy Ghost as well as we 1 and he com¬ 
 manded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ.’ Where we see that even they who re¬ 
 ceived the Holy Ghost, and consequently had been bap¬ 
 tized by the Spirit, were nevertheless commanded to be 
 baptized in water. Hence St. Paul, Ephes. v. 25, 26, 
 tells us that 4 Christ loved the church, and delivered 
 himself for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by 
 the laver of water, in the word of life.’ And Iieb. x. 
 22: 4 Let us draw near with a true heart, in fulness of 
 faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 
 and our bodies washed with clean water.’ 
 
 Q. What are the effects of the sacrament of bap¬ 
 tism 1 
 
 A, 1st, It washes away original sin, in which we 
 are all born, by reason of the sin of our first father, 
 Adam. 2dly, It remits all actual sin, which we ourselves 
 have committed, (in case we have committed any before 
 baptism,) both as to the guilt and pain. 3dly, It infuses 
 the habit of divine grace into our souls, and makes us 
 the adopted children of God. 4thly. It gives us a right 
 and title to the kingdom of heaven. 5thly, It imprints 
 a character or spiritual mark in the soul. 6thly, In fine, 
 it lets us into the church of God, and makes us children 
 and members of the church. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that all sins are remitted in 
 baptism 1 
 
 A . From Actsii. 38. Do penance and be baptized, every 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED, 31 
 
 one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remis¬ 
 sion of sins:’ Acts xxii. 16. 4 Arise and be baptized,’ 
 
 says Ananias to Paul, and wash away thy sins, (in the 
 Greek, be washed from thy sins,) calling- upon the 
 name of the Lord.’ Ezekiel xxxvi. 25. ‘I will pour 
 clean water upon you, and you shall be cleansed from 
 all your filthiness.’ Hence, in the Nicene creed, we con¬ 
 fess one baptism unto the remission of sins. 
 
 Q. May not a person obtain the remission of his sins, 
 and eternal salvation, without being actually bap¬ 
 tized ? 
 
 A, In two cases he may. The first is, when a per¬ 
 son not yet baptized, but heartily desiring baptism, is 
 put to death for the faith of Christ, before he can have 
 that sacrament administered to him; for such a one is 
 baptized in his own blood. The second case is, when 
 a person that, can by no means procure the actual admi¬ 
 nistration of baptism, has an earnest desire of it, joined 
 with a perfect love of God, and repentance of his sins, 
 and dies in the disposition ; for this is called the baptism 
 of the Holy Ghost; Baptismus Flaminis. 
 
 Q. From whence has baptism the power of conferring 
 grace, and washing away our sins I 
 
 A . From the institution of Christ, and in virtue of his 
 blood, passion, and death. From whence also all the 
 other sacraments have their efficacy. For there is no 
 obtaining mercy, grace, or salvation, but through the 
 passion of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Q . In what manner must a person, that is come to 
 years of discretion, prepare himself for the sacrament of 
 baptism 1 
 
 A . By faith and repentance : and therefore it is neces¬ 
 sary that he be first well instructed in the Christian 
 doctrine, and that he firmly believe all the articles of 
 the Catholic faith. 2dly, That he be heartily sorry for 
 all his sins, firmly resolving to lead a good Christian 
 life, to renounce all sinful habits, and to make full satis¬ 
 faction to all whom he has any ways injured. 
 
 Q. But what if a person should be baptized without 
 being in these dispositions ? 
 
34 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A, In that case he would receive the sacrament and 
 character of baptism, but not the grace of the sacrament 
 nor the remission of his sins, which he cannot obtain 
 until by a sincere repentance he detests and renounces 
 all his sins. 
 
 Q. Is it necessary for a person to go to confession be¬ 
 fore he receives the sacrament of baptism ? 
 
 A. No, it is not: because the sins committed before 
 baptism are washed away by baptism, and not by the 
 sacrament of penance; and therefore there is no need 
 of confessing them. 
 
 Q. What think you of those that put off for a lonp 
 time their children’s baptism ? 
 
 A . I think they are guilty of a sin, in exposing them 
 to the danger of dying without baptism : since, as daily 
 experience ought to convince them, young children are 
 so quickly and so easily snatched away by death. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OF THE CEREMONIES OF BAPTISM ; AND OF THE MANNER 
 
 OF ADMINISTERING THE SACRAMENT IN THE CATHOLIC 
 
 CHURCH. 
 
 Q. W’hy does the church make use of so many cere* 
 monies in baptism 1 
 
 A . 1st, To render thereby this mystery more venerable 
 to the people. 2dly, To make them understand the 
 effects of this sacrament, and w’hat the obligations are 
 which they contract in the sacrament. 
 
 Q. Are the ceremonies of baptism very ancient ? 
 
 A . They are all of them very ancient, as may be de¬ 
 monstrated from the writings of the Holy Fathers; and 
 as we know r no beginning- of them, w r e have reason to 
 conclude that they come from apostolic tradition. 
 
 Q. In w’hat places does the church administer the sa¬ 
 crament of baptism ] 
 
 A. Regularly speaking, and excepting the case of ne¬ 
 cessity, she does not allow baptism to be administered 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTEP. 33 
 
 anywhere else but in the churches which have fonts, 
 the water of which by apostolical traditions is solemn¬ 
 ly blessed every year on the vigils of Easter and Whit- 
 Sunday. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of having godfathers and 
 godmothers in baptism? 
 
 A. 1st, That they may present to the church the per¬ 
 son that is to be baptized, and may be witnesses of his 
 baptism. 2dly, That they may answer in his name, and 
 be sureties for his performance of the promises which 
 they make for him. 
 
 Q . What is the duty of godfathers and godmo¬ 
 thers ? 
 
 A. To see, as much as lies in them, that their god¬ 
 children be brought up in the true faith, and in the 
 fear of God; that they be timely instructed in the whole 
 Christian doctrine, and that they make good those en¬ 
 gagements which they have made in their name. 
 
 Q. May all sorts of persons be admitted for godfathers 
 and godmothers ? 
 
 A . No: but only such as are duly qualified for dis¬ 
 charging the obligations of a godfather or godmother. 
 Upon which account none are to be admitted that are 
 not members of the Catholic church ; none whose lives 
 are publicly scandalous; none who are ignorant of the 
 Christian doctrine, &c. Rit. Rom. 
 
 Q. How many godfathers and godmothers may a per¬ 
 son have in the Catholic church? 
 
 A . The Council of Trent, sess. 24, chap. 2, orders, 
 That no one should have any more than one godfather 
 and one godmother: That the spiritual kindred, which 
 the child and its parents contract with the godfathers 
 and godmothers, and which is an impediment of mar¬ 
 riage, may not be extended to too many persons. 
 
 Q. In what order or manner does the Catholic church 
 proceed in the administration of baptism? 
 
 A. 1st, The priest having asked the name of the per¬ 
 son that is to be baptized, (which ought not to be any 
 profane or heathenish name, but the name of some saint, 
 
34 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 by whose example he may be excited to a holy life, and 
 by whose prayers he may be protected) inquires of him; 
 ‘JF, what dost thou demand of the church of God?* 
 To which the person himself, if at age, or the godfather 
 and godmother for him, answer, Faith : by which is meant 
 not the bare virtue, by which we believe w’hat God 
 teaches, but the whole body of Christianity, as compre¬ 
 hending both belief and practice; into which the faith¬ 
 ful enter by the gate of baptism. The priest goes on 
 and asks; ‘ What does faith give thee V Answ. Life 
 everlasting. 
 
 Priest. ‘ If then thou wilt enter into life, keep the com¬ 
 mandments, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy 
 whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy 
 whole mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.’ 
 
 After this, the priest blows three times upon the face 
 of the person that is to be baptized, saying, ‘ Depart out 
 of him or her, 0 unclean spirit, and give place to the 
 Holy Ghost, the Comforter.’ This ceremony was prac¬ 
 tised by the universal church long before St. Augustine’s 
 days, who calls it* a most ancient tradition; and it is 
 used in contempt of Satan, and to drive him away by the 
 Holy Ghost, who is called the Spirit or breath of God. 
 
 Then the priest makes the sign of the cross on the 
 forehead and on the breast of the person that is to be 
 baptized, saying, ‘ Receive the sign of the cross upon 
 thy forehead, and in thy heart; receive the faith of the 
 heavenly commandments, and let thy manners be such 
 that thou mayest now be the temple of God.’ This sign 
 of the cross upon the forehead, is to give us to under¬ 
 stand, that we are to make open profession of the faith 
 of a crucified God, and never to be ashamed of his cross ; 
 and the sign of the cross upon the breast is to teach 
 us, that w r e are always to have Christ crucified in our 
 hearts. 
 
 After this, there follow some prayers, for the person 
 that is to be baptized, to beg of God to dispose his soul 
 for the grace of baptism. Then the priest blesses 
 6ome sal , and puts a grain of it in the mouth of the 
 
 * L. de Nuptis, c. 18 and 29. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 35 
 
 person that is to be baptized. By which ancient cere¬ 
 mony we are admonished to procure and maintain in 
 our souls true wisdom and prudence ; of which salt is 
 an emblem or figure, inasmuch as it seasons and gives 
 a relish to all things. Upon which account it was com¬ 
 manded in the law, Lev. ii. 23, that salt should be 
 used in every sacrifice or oblation made to God; to 
 whom no offering can be pleasing where the salt (?f dis¬ 
 cretion is wanting. We are also admonished by this ce¬ 
 remony so to season our souls with the grace of God as to 
 keep them from the corruption of sin, as we make use of 
 salt to keep things from corrupting. 
 
 Then the priest proceeds to the solemn prayers and 
 exorcisms, used of old by the Catholic church in the ad¬ 
 ministration of baptism, to cast out the devil from the soul 
 under whose power we are born by original sin. ‘I exor¬ 
 cise thee,’ says he, ‘ O unclean spirit, in the name of the 
 Father, + and of the Son, -f- and of the Holy Ghost, 
 + that thou mayest go out, and depart from this servant 
 of God, JV. For he commands thee, 0 thou accursed 
 and condemned wretch, who with his feet walked upon 
 the sea, and stretched forth his right hand to Peter that 
 was sinking. Therefore, O accursed devil, remember 
 thy sentence, and give honour to the living and true God. 
 Give honour to Jesus Christ, his Son, and to the Holy 
 Ghost, and depart from this servant of God, N. For 
 our God and Lord Jesus Christ has vouchsafed to call 
 him to his holy grace and blessing and to the font of 
 baptism.’ Then he signs the forehead with the sion 
 of the cross, saying, ‘And this sign of the holy cross, 
 which we imprint on his forehead, mayest thou, O cursed 
 devil, never dare to violate, through the same Christ our 
 Lord. Amen.’ 
 
 All that has been hitherto set down of the prayers and 
 ceremonies of baptism, is usually performed in the porch 
 or entry of the church, to signify that the catechumen 
 or person that is to be baptized, is not worthy to en¬ 
 ter into the church, until the devil first be cast out of his 
 soul. But after these prayers and exorcisms the priest 
 
36 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 reaches forth the extremity of his stole to the catechu¬ 
 men ; or, if it be an infant, lays it upon him, and so in¬ 
 troduces him into the church, saying-, 4 A 7 , come into the 
 temple of God, that thou mayesthave part with Christ, 
 unto everlasting life. Amen.’ 
 
 Being come into the church, the priest, jointly with 
 the party that is to be baptized, or, if it be an infant, 
 with the godfather and godmother, recites aloud the 
 apostles’ creed and the Lord’s prayer. Then reads an¬ 
 other exorcism over the catechumen, commanding the 
 devil to depart in the name, and by the power of the 
 most blessed Trinity. After which, in imitation of 
 Christ, who cured with his spittle the man that was 
 deaf and dumb, St. Mark vii. 32, &c., he wets his finger 
 with his spittle, and touches first the ears of the cate¬ 
 chumen, saying, 4 Ephphetha,’ that is, be thou opened : 
 then his nostrils, adding these words, ‘unto the odour 
 of sweetness.’ 4 But be thou put to flight, O devil, for 
 the judgment of God will be at hand;’ by which cere¬ 
 mony the church instructs her catechumens to have their 
 ears open to God’s truth, and to smell its sweetness; and 
 begs this grace for them. 
 
 Then the priest asks the person that is to be baptized, 
 4 iV, Dost thou renounce Satan?’ To which the per¬ 
 son himself, if at age, otherwise the godfather and god¬ 
 mother in his name, answer, I renounce him. The priest 
 goes on, ‘And all his works?’ Answ. I renounce 
 them. Priest. 4 And all his pomps ?’ Answ*. I renounce 
 them. 
 
 This solemn renouncing of Satan, and his works, 
 and his pomps, in the receiving of baptism, is a practice 
 as ancient as the church itself, and in a particular man¬ 
 ner requires our attention: because it is a promise and vow 
 that we make to God, by which w T e engage ourselves to 
 abandon the party of the devil, to have nothing to do with 
 his works, that is, with the w 7 orks of darkness and sin ; 
 and to cast away from us his pomps, that is, the maxims 
 and vanities of the world. It is a covenant we make 
 with God, by w hich we,on our parts, promise him ouralle- 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 37 
 
 giance, and to fight against his enemies: and he, on his 
 part, promises us life everlasting, if we are faithful 
 to our engagements. But in the moment we break this 
 solemn covenant by wilful sin, we lose both the grace 
 of baptism, and all that title to an eternal inheritance 
 which we received in baptism, together with the dignity 
 of children of God ; and become immediately slaves to 
 the devil, and children of hell. 
 
 After this renouncing Satan, and declaring war against 
 him, to give us to understand what kind of arms we are 
 to procure in this spiritual conflict, the priest anoints 
 the catechumen upon the breast, and between the shoul¬ 
 ders, with holy oil, which is solemnly blessed by the 
 bishop every year on Maunday-Thursday; which out¬ 
 ward unction is to represent the inward anointing of the 
 soul by divine grace, which, like a sacred oil, penetrates 
 our hearts, heals the wounds of our souls, and fortifies 
 them against our passions and concupiscences. Where 
 note, that the anointing of the breast is to signify the ne¬ 
 cessity of fortifying the heart with heavenly courage, to 
 act manfully, and to do our duty in all things; and the 
 anointing between the shoulders is to signify the ne¬ 
 cessity of the like grace to bear and support all the ad¬ 
 versities and crosses of this moral life. The words 
 which the priests uses at this conjuncture are, 4 1 anoint 
 thee with the oil of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord, 
 that thou mayest have eternal life, Amen.’ 
 
 Then the priest asks the catechumen, W, Dost thou 
 believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven 
 and earth]’ Answ. I believe. Priest. ‘Dost thou 
 believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who 
 was born, and who suffered for us V Answ. I believe. 
 Priest. ‘ Dost thou believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy 
 Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the For¬ 
 giveness of Sins, the Resurrection of the Body, and Life 
 everlasting]’ Answ. I believe. Which answers are made 
 either by the catechumen himself, if able, or by the 
 godfather and godmother, and imply another part of 
 the covenant of baptism, viz. the covenant of faith; by 
 which we oblige ourselves to a steady and sincere pro- 
 
38 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 fession of the great truths of Christianity, and that not 
 by words alone, but by the constant practice of our 
 lives. 
 
 After this the priest asks : 4 JV r , wilt thou be baptized ? 
 Answ. I will. Then the godfather and godmother 
 both holding or touching their godchild, the priest 
 pours the water upon his head three times, in the form 
 of a cross; or, where the custom is to dip, dips him three 
 times, saying at the same time these words: 4 JV, I 
 baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost. 5 Which words are pronounced 
 in such manner, that the three pourings of the water 
 concur with the pronouncing of the three names of 
 the divine Persons. For the form is to be pronounced 
 but once. 
 
 But if there be a doubt whether the person has been 
 baptized before or not, then the priest makes use of this 
 form : 4 JV, If thou art not already baptized, I baptize 
 thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost. 5 
 
 Then the priest anoints the person baptized on the 
 top of the head in the form of a cross with holy chrism, 
 which is a compound of oil and balm, solemnly conse¬ 
 crated by the bishop. Which ceremony comes from 
 apostolical tradition, and gives us to understand, 1st, That 
 in baptism we are made partakers with Christ, (whose 
 name signifies anointed,) and have a share in his unction 
 and grace. 2dly, That we partake also in some man¬ 
 ner in his dignity of king and priest, as all Christians 
 are called by St. Peter, 1 Pet. ii. 9, a royal or kingly 
 priesthood, and therefore we are anointed, in this qua¬ 
 lity, as kings and priests are anointed. 3dly, That 
 we are consecrated to God by baptism, and therefore are 
 anointed with holy chrism, which the church is accus¬ 
 tomed to make use of in anointing all those things 
 which she so solemnly consecrates to the service of 
 God. 
 
 The prayer which the priest recites on this occasion 
 is as follows : 4 May the Almighty God, the Father of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ +» anoint thee with the chrisn 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 39 
 
 of salvation, in the same Christ Jesus our Lord, unto 
 life everlasting, Amen.’ Then the priest says,‘Peace 
 be to thee.’ Answ. And with thy spirit. 
 
 After which the priest puts upon the head of the per¬ 
 son that has been baptized, a white linen cloth, common¬ 
 ly called the chrism, in place of the "white garment with 
 which the new Christians used formerly to be clothed, 
 in baptism, to signify the purity and innocence which 
 we receive in baptism, and which we must take care to 
 preserve until death. In putting on this white linen, the 
 priest says, ‘Receive this white garment, which thou 
 mayest carry unstained before the judgment seat of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal life, 
 Amen.’ 
 
 Then he puts a lighted candle into the hand of the 
 person baptized, or of the godfather, saying, ‘Receive 
 this burning light and keep thy baptism without reproof; 
 observe the commandments of God, that when our Lord 
 shall come to his nuptials, thou mayest meet him toge¬ 
 ther with all the saints in the heavenly court, and mayest 
 have life eternal, and mayest live forever and ever, 
 Amen.’ Which ceremony alludes to the parable of the 
 ten virgins, St. Matt, xxv., who took their lamps and 
 went forth to meet the bridegroom, and admonishes us 
 to keep the light of faith ever burning by the oil of 
 good works; that whensoever our Lord shall come, 
 we may be found with our lamps burning, and may go 
 in with him into the eternal life of his heavenly king¬ 
 dom. 
 
 Lastly . The priest, addressing himself to the person 
 baptized, says, ‘ iV, Go in peace, and the Lord be with 
 thee, Amen.’ Then he admonishes as well the pa¬ 
 rents, as the godfather and godmother, of their respective 
 duty, with regard to the education and instruction of 
 their child; and of the care which the church requires 
 of the parents not to let the child lie in the same bed 
 with them or with the nurse, for fear of its being over¬ 
 laid. And, lastly, informs them of the spiritual kindred 
 which is contracted between the gossips and the child, 
 as also between the gossips and the parents of the child; 
 
40 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 which makes it unlawful for them afterwards to marry 
 with those with whom they are thus spiritually allied. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OF THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION, AND OF THE MANNER 
 
 OF ADMINISTERING IT. 
 
 Q . What do you mean by confirmation 1 
 
 A. A sacrament by which the faithful after baptism 
 receive the Holy Ghost, by the imposition of the hands 
 of the bishop and prayer, accompanied with the unction or 
 anointing of their foreheads with holy chrism. 
 
 Q . Why do you call it confirmation! 
 
 A, From its effect, which is to confirm or strengthen 
 those that receive it in the profession of the true faith, 
 to make them soldiers of Christ, and perfect Christians, 
 and to arm them against their spiritual enemies. 
 
 Q. How do you prove from Scripture, that the apostles 
 practised confirmation ! 
 
 A . I prove it from Acts viii. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, where 
 we read of St. Peter and St. John confirming the Sa- 
 maritans. They 4 prayed for them that they might re¬ 
 ceive the Holy Ghost, .... then they laid their hands 
 upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost,’ &c., item. 
 Acts xix. 5, 6 : 4 They were baptized in the name of the 
 Lord Jesus. And when Paul had imposed his hands on 
 them, the Hol} r Ghost came upon them.’ It is of con¬ 
 firmation also that St. Paul speaks, Heb. vi. 1,2: 4 Not 
 laying again the foundation, &c., of the doctrine of bap¬ 
 tism and imposition of hands,’ &c. And 2 Cor. i. 21, 
 22 : 4 Now he that confirmeth us with you in Christ, and 
 that hath anointed us, is God : who also hath sealed us, 
 and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.’ 
 
 Q. How do you prove that confirmation is a sacra¬ 
 ment! 
 
 A. 1st, Because it is plain from Acts viii. that the 
 visible sign of the imposition of hands lias annexed to it 
 an invisible grace, viz. the imparting of the Holy Ghost: 
 consequently, confirmation is a visible sign of invisible 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 41 
 
 grace, and therefore is a sacrament. 2dly, because the 
 church of God, from the apostles’ days, has always be¬ 
 lieved it to be a sacrament, and administered it as such. 
 See St. Dionysius, L. de Eccles. Heriarch, c. 4. Ter- 
 tullian L. de Baptismo , c. 7. L . de Resurredione car - 
 ms, c. 8. L. Proescrip adversus Hseresus , c. 4. St. 
 Cornelius Epist . Fabium Antioch, apud Eusebium , 
 
 L. 6 . Histor . c. 43. St. Cyprian, Epist, 70, ad Janua - 
 rium, Epist . 72, Stephanum Paparn, Epist, 73, ad 
 Jubaianum, Epist, 74, ad Pompeium. Firmilian, Epist, 
 ad St. Cyprianum, The Council of Bliberis, Can. 38. 
 TAe Council of Laodicea , Can. 48. St. Oyrz7 o/* Jeru¬ 
 salem, Catech. 3. My stag, St. Parian, Epist, 1 3, ad 
 
 Symnon, & in .Sermonc de Baptismo St. Ambrose, L, 
 de iis qui mysteriis initiantur, c, 7. TAe Author of the 
 Books of the Sacraments attributed to St. Ambrose, L . 
 3, c. 2. St. Optat. of Milevis, L. 7 contra Parmenianum, 
 St. Hierome in Dialogo contra Luciferianos. St. In- 
 nocentius, Epist, 9, ad Dicentium, St. Augustine, Tract, 
 6 , in Epist, 1 . Joannis, L. 2 , contra Literas Petilani, c, 
 104, &c. St. o/* Alexandria, ad Joelis, 2, 24. 
 
 St. i>eo Pope, Serm, 4. de native. Theodoret in comment . 
 ad C antic. 1, 3. St. Gregory the great, Homil. 17, zn 
 
 Evangelia, &c. 
 
 Who is the minister of this sacrament 1 
 
 A. The ordinary minister of this sacrament is a bishop 
 only. 
 
 Q. Can this sacrament be received any more than 
 once! 
 
 A. No, because, like baptism, it imprints a character 
 or spiritual mark in the soul, which always remains. 
 Hence, those that are to be confirmed are obliged to be 
 so much the more careful to come to this sacrament wor¬ 
 thily, because it can be received but once; and if they 
 then receive it unworthily, they have no share in the 
 grace which is thereby communicated to the soul; 
 instead of which, they incur the guilt of a grievous sa¬ 
 crilege. 
 
 Q. In what disposition is a person to be, in order to 
 
 approach worthily to the sacrament of confirmation 1 
 
 4* 
 
42 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. He must be free from mortal sin, and in the state 
 of grace; for the Holy Ghost will never come into a 
 soul which Satan possesses by mortal sin. 
 
 Q. In what manner then must a person prepare him¬ 
 self for the sacrament of confirmation 1 
 
 A . 1st, he must examine his conscience, and if he 
 finds it charged with wilful sin, he must take care to 
 purge it by a good confession. 2dly, He must frequently 
 and fervently call upon God to dispose his soul for re¬ 
 ceiving the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Q. What kind of grace does this sacrament commu¬ 
 nicate to the soul ? 
 
 A . It communicates to the soul the fountain of all 
 grace, the Holy Ghost, with all its gifts ; but more in 
 particular a fortifying grace to strengthen the soul against 
 all visible and invisible enemies of the faith. 
 
 Q. Is then this sacrament absolutely necessary to sal¬ 
 vation ? 
 
 A. It is not so necessary, but that a person may be 
 saved without it: yet, it w r ould be a sin to neglect it, 
 when a person might conveniently have it; and a crime 
 to contemn or despise it. 
 
 Q. What kind of persons stand most in need of the 
 grace of this sacrament I 
 
 A . Those that are the most exposed to persecutions upon 
 account of their religion, or to temptations against faith. 
 
 Q. At what age may a person be confirmed 1 
 
 A . Ordinarily speaking, the church does not give con¬ 
 firmation until a person is come to the use of reason, 
 though sometimes she confirms infants; in which case 
 great care must be taken, that they be put in mind, when 
 they come to the use of reason, that they have received 
 this sacrament. 
 
 Q. What is the obligation that a Christian takes upon 
 himself in confirmation ? 
 
 A . He lists himself there for a soldier of Christ; and 
 consequently is obliged, after having received this sa¬ 
 crament, to fight manfully the battles of his Lord. 
 
 Q, May a person have a godfather or godmother in 
 confirmation ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 43 
 
 A. He may by way of an instructer and an encou- 
 rager in the spiritual warfare; and this godfather or god¬ 
 mother contracts the like obligations as in the sacrament 
 of baptism, and the same spiritual kindred. 
 
 Q. May a person that is confirmed take a new name? 
 
 A, It is usual to do so, not by way of changing one’s 
 name of baptism, but by way of adding to it another 
 name of some saint, to whom one has a particular de¬ 
 votion, and by whose prayers he hopes to acquit him¬ 
 self more faithfully of the obligations of a soldier of 
 Christ. 
 
 Q. Is a person obliged to receive this sacrament fast¬ 
 ing? 
 
 A . No, he is not, though it is advisable so to re¬ 
 ceive it. i 
 
 Q. In what manner is the sacrament of confirmation 
 administered ? 
 
 A. First: The bishop turning towards those who are 
 to be confirmed, with his hands joined before his breast, 
 says, * May the Holy Ghost come down upon us, and 
 the power of the Most High keep you from sin.’ 
 
 A, Amen. 
 
 Then signing himself with the sign of the cross, he 
 says, 4 Our help is in the name of the Lord.’ 
 
 Am. Who made heaven and earth, &c. 
 
 Then extending his hands towards those that are to 
 be confirmed, (which is w’hat the ancients call the impo¬ 
 sition of hands,) he prays that they may receive the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 Bishop. Let us pray. 
 
 0 Almighty, everlasting God, who hast vouchsafed to 
 regenerate these thy servants by water and the HolyGhost, 
 and who hast given them the remission of all their sins; 
 send forth upon them thy sevenfold Holy Spirit, the 
 Comforter, from heaven. 
 
 Answ. Amen. 
 
 Bish. The spirit of wisdom and of understanding. 
 
 Answ. Amen. 
 
 Bish. The spirit of council and of fortitude. 
 
 Answ . Amen. 
 
44 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Bisk. The spirit of knowledge and of piety. 
 
 Answ. Amen. 
 
 Bish. Replenish them with the spirit of thy fear, and 
 sign them with the sign of the-{-cross of Christ, in thy 
 mercy, unto life everlasting. Through the same Jesus 
 Christ, thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with 
 thee in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, one God, for 
 ever and ever. Amen.’ 
 
 Then the bishop makes the sign of the cross with holy 
 chrism, upon the forehead of each one of those that are 
 to be confirmed, saying, LV, I sign thee with the sign 
 of the cross. I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, 
 in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 After which he gives the person confirmed a little blow 
 on the cheek, saying, Bax tecum , that is, Peace be with 
 thee. 
 
 Then the bishop, standing with his face towards the 
 altar, prays for those that have been confirmed, that the 
 Holy Ghost may ever dwell in their hearts, and make 
 them the temple of his glory. And then dismisses them 
 with this blessing; ‘Behold, thus shall every man be 
 blessed, who feareth the Lord. May the Lord bless you 
 from Sion, that you may see the good things of Jerusa¬ 
 lem all the days of your life; and may have life everlast¬ 
 ing. Amen. 
 
 Q. I would willingly be instructed in the meaning of 
 these ceremonies: therefore pray tell me first why the 
 church makes use of chrism in confirmation, and what 
 this chrism is 'l 
 
 A. Chrism is a compound of oil of olives and balm 
 of Gilead, solemnly consecrated by the bishop on Maun- 
 day-Thursday: and the unction, or outward anointing 
 of the forehead with chrism, is to represent the inward 
 anointing of the soul in this sacrament with the Holy 
 Ghost. The oil, w r hose properties are to fortify the 
 limbs, and to give a certain vigour to the body, to as¬ 
 suage our pains, &c., represent the like spiritual effects of 
 the grace of this sacrament in the soul. And the balm, 
 which is of a sweet smell, represents the good odour or 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 45 
 
 sweet savour of Christian virtues, and an innocent life, 
 with which we are to edify our neighbours after having 
 received this sacrament. 
 
 Q. Why is this unction made on the forehead, and in 
 form of the cross ? 
 
 A. To give us to understand that the effect of this 
 sacrament is to arm us against worldly fear and shame: 
 and therefore we receive the standard of the cross of 
 Christ upon our foreheads, to teach us to make an open 
 profession of his doctrine and maxims; and not to 
 flinch from this profession, for fear of any thing that the 
 world can either say or do. 
 
 Q • What is the meaning of the bishop’s giving a 
 little blow on the cheek to the person that is confirmed 1 
 
 A. It is to imprint in his mind, that from this time 
 forward he is to be ready, like a true soldier of Jesus 
 Christ, to suffer patiently all kinds of affronts and injuries 
 for his faith. 
 
 . Q* And why does the bishop, at the same time that he 
 gives the blow, say, Peace be with thee I 
 
 A. To signify that the true peace of God, which, as St. 
 Paul says,* exceeds all understanding, is chiefly to be 
 found inpatient suffering for God and his truths. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 OF THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST. 
 
 Q. What do you mean by the sacrament of the Eu¬ 
 charist ? 
 
 A. The sacrament which our Lord Jesus Christ in¬ 
 stituted at his last supper, in which he gives us his 
 body and blood under the forms or appearance of bread 
 and wine. 
 
 Q. Why do you call this sacrament the Eucharist I 
 
 A. Because the primitive church and the holy Fa¬ 
 thers]- have usually called it so : for the word Eucharist 
 
 * Philip, iv. 7. 
 
 t St. Justin, in Apolog. 2. St. Irenreus, 1. 4, c. 34. Tertullian L. 
 
 c ‘ Cyprian Epist. 54. First Council of Nice, 
 
46 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 in the Greek signifies thanksgiving, and is applied to this 
 sacrament, because of the thanksgiving which our Lord 
 offered in the first institution of it, St. Matt. xxvi. 27. 
 St. Mark xiv. 23. St. Luke xxii. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24. And 
 because of the thanksgiving with which w r e are obliged 
 to offer and receive this great sacrament and sacrifice, 
 w r hich contains the abridgment of all God’s wmnders, the 
 fountain of all grace, the standing memorial of our re¬ 
 demption, and the pledge of a happy eternity. This 
 blessed sacrament is also called the holy communion, 
 because it unites the faithful with one another, and with 
 their head, Christ Jesus. 1 Cor. x. 16, 17. And it is 
 called the supper of the Lord, because it was first insti¬ 
 tuted by Christ at his last supper. 
 
 Q. What is the faith of the Catholic Church concern¬ 
 ing this sacrament ? 
 
 A. That the bread and wfine are changed by the con¬ 
 secration into the body and blood of Christ. 
 
 Q . Is it then the belief of the church that Jesus 
 Christ himself, true God and man, is truly, really, and 
 substantially present in the blessed sacrament 1 
 
 A. It is; for where the body and blood of Christ are, 
 there his soul also, and his divinity must needs be. And, 
 consequently, there must bew’hole Christ, God and man: 
 there is no taking him in pieces. 
 
 Q. Is that which they receive in this sacrament the 
 same body as that w hich was bom of the Blessed Virgin, 
 and which suffered for us upon the cross. 
 
 A. It is the same body: for Christ never had but one 
 body: the only difference is, that then this body was 
 mortal and passible; it is now’ immortal and impas¬ 
 sible. 
 
 Q. Then the body of Christ in the sacrament cannot 
 be hurt or divided, neither is it capable of being digested 
 or corrupted ? 
 
 A. No, certainly, for though the sacramental species, 
 or the outward forms of bread and w r ine, are liable to these 
 changes, the body of Christ is not. 
 
 Q. Is it then a spiritual body! 
 
 A. It may be called a spiritual body, in the same sense 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 47 
 
 as St. Paul, 1 Cor. xv. 44, speaking- of the resurrection 
 oi the body, says, 4 It is sown an animal body, it shall 
 rise a spiritual body not but that it still remains a true 
 body, as to all that is essential to a body; but that it 
 
 partakes in some measure of the qualities and properties 
 ot a spirit. r 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 THE FIRST PROOF OF THE REAL PRESENCE, FROM THE 
 
 WORDS OF CHRIST AT THE FIRST INSTITUTION OF THIS 
 BLESSED SACRAMENT. 
 
 fn r u P. roy , e the real presence of the body 
 and blood of Christ m this sacrament? J 
 
 A;, 1 P/° ve il fire, 1 from the express and plain words 
 of C-hnst himself, the eternal truth, delivered at the time 
 of the first institution of this blessed sacrament, and 
 recorded in no less than four different places in the New 
 Testament; viz., St. Matt. xxvi. 26,27. St. Mark xiv. 
 
 2 , 2 ’ 24 \ bt - xxu. 19. 1 Cor. xi. 24, 25. In all 
 
 these places Christ himself assures us what he Mves us 
 m the blessed sacrament is his own body and blood. 
 
 St. Matt. xxvi.: ‘ Take ye, and eat: this is my bodv_ 
 
 1 his is my blood of the new testament, which shall be 
 shed for many unto remission of sins.’ St. Mark xiv. : 
 
 A~[ e y e ’ rhls my body—This is my blood of the 
 new testament, which shall be shed for many.’ St. 
 
 Lu T k . e . xxu ;' ‘ [ h ; s is my body which is given for you 
 -IMs is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, 
 which shall be shed foryou.’ 1 Cor. xi.: ‘ This is my body 
 which shall be delivered for you—This chalice is the 
 new testament in my blood.’ Now, the body, which 
 was given and sacrificed for us, the blood of the new 
 testament, which was shed for us, is verily and indeed 
 
 Chrk? y and b ° 0d of Christ - Therefore, what 
 
 ££* "Af T ln l hlS b!essed ^crament is his real 
 body and blood: nothing can be more plain. 
 
 V. Why do you take these words of Christ at his 
 
48 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 last supper according to the letter, rather than in tha 
 figurative sense? 
 
 A. You might as well ask a traveller why he chooses 
 the high-road rather than to go by-paths, with evident 
 danger of losing his way. We take the words of Christ 
 according to their plain, obvious, and natural meaning, 
 agreeably to that general rule acknowledged by our 
 adversaries,* that in interpreting Scripture, the literal 
 sense of the words is not to be forsaken, and a figurative 
 one followed, without necessity; and that the natural 
 and proper sense is always to be preferred, where the 
 case will admit it. It is not therefore incumbent upon 
 us to give a reason why we take these words of Christ 
 according to their natural and proper sense; but it is our 
 adversaries’ business to show a necessity of taking them 
 otherwise. The words themselves plainly speak for 
 us; for Christ did not say, This is a figure of my body; 
 and, This is a figure of my blood ; but he said, This is my 
 body, and, This is m) r blood. It is their duty, as they 
 tender the salvation of their souls, to beware of offering 
 violence to texts so plain, and of wresting them from 
 their evident meaning. 
 
 However, we have many reasons to offer, why we take 
 the words of Christ (which he spoke at his last supper 
 in the institution of the blessed sacrament) in their most 
 plain, natural, and obvious meaning. First , Because he 
 was then all alone with his twelve apostles, his bosom 
 friends and confidants, to whom he was always accus¬ 
 tomed to explain in clear terms whatever was obscure 
 in his parables or other discourses to the people. St. 
 Mark iv. 21: ‘To you,’ says he to his disciples, ‘it is 
 given to know the mystery (the secrets) of the kingdom 
 of God ; but to them that are without, all things are done 
 in parables.’ And ver. 34: ‘Without parable he did not 
 speak unto them; but apart, he explained all things to his 
 disciples.’ St. John xv. 15 : ‘I will not now call you ser¬ 
 vants : for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. 
 But I have called you friends: because all things what- 
 
 * Dr. Harris’s Sermon on Transubsiantiatiou, p 7,8. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 49 
 
 soever I have heard of my Father, I have made known 
 to you.’ How then is it likely that on this most im¬ 
 portant occasion of all, when, the very night before his 
 death, he was taking his last leave and farewell of these 
 his dear friends, he should deliver himself to them in 
 terms which (if they are not to be taken according to 
 the letter) are obscure beyond all example, and not any¬ 
 where to be paralleled ? 
 
 ! Secondly , He was at that time making a covenant, 
 which was to last as long as time itself should last; 
 he was enacting a law, which was to be forever ob¬ 
 served in his church; he was instituting a sacrament, 
 which was to be frequented by all the faithful until he 
 should come; he was, in fine, making his last will and 
 testament, and therein bequeathing to his disciples, and 
 to us all, an admirable legacy and pledge of his love. 
 Now, such is the nature of all these things, viz., of a 
 covenant, of a law, of a sacrament, of a last will and 
 testament, that, as he that makes a covenant, a law, 
 &c., always designs, that what he covenants, appoints, 
 or ordains, should be rightly observed and fulfilled; 
 so, of consequence, he always designs that it should 
 be rightly understood ; and therefore always expresses 
 himself in plain and clear terms in his covenants, 
 laws, &c. This is what all wise men ever observe 
 in their covenants, laws, and last wills, industriously 
 avoiding all obscure expressions, which may give 
 occasion to their being misunderstood; or to conten¬ 
 tions and lawsuits about their meaning. This is what 
 God himself observed in the old covenant; in all the ce¬ 
 remonial and moral precepts of the law; in all the com¬ 
 mandments, in the institution of the legal sacraments, 
 &c. All are expressed in most clear and plain terms. 
 It can then be nothing less than impeaching the wisdom 
 of the Son of God, to imagine that he should make his 
 new law and everlasting covenant in figurative and ob¬ 
 scure terms, which he knew would be misunderstood by 
 the greatest part of Christendom; or to suppose that he 
 should institute the chief of all his sacraments, under 
 such a form of words, which, in their plain, natural, and 
 
 5 
 
50 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 obvious meaning, imply a thing so widely different from 
 what he gives us therein, as his own body is from a bit 
 of bread ; or, in fine, to believe that he would make his 
 last will and testament in words affectedly ambiguous 
 and obscure; which, if taken according to that sense 
 which they seem evidently to express, must lead his 
 children into a pernicious error concerning the legacy 
 that he bequeaths them. 
 
 In effect, our Lord certainly foresaw that his words 
 would be taken according to the letter by the bulk of all 
 Christendom; that innumerable of the most learned 
 and most holy would understand them so, that the 
 church even in her general councils would interpret his 
 words in this sense. It must be then contrary to all 
 probability that he who foresaw all this would affect to 
 express himself in this manner in his last will and tes¬ 
 tament, had he not meant what he said, or that he should 
 not have somewhere explained himself in a more clear 
 way, to prevent the dreadful consequence of his w’hole 
 church’s authorizing an error in a matter of so great 
 importance. 
 
 Q. Have you any other reason to offer for taking the 
 
 words of the institution according to the letter, rather 
 
 than in a ficrurative sense 1 
 
 ® # 
 
 A. Yes, we have for so doing, as I have just now hint¬ 
 ed, the authority of the best and most authentic inter¬ 
 preter of God’s word, viz. his holy church ; which has 
 always understood these words of Christ in their plain, 
 literal sense, and condemned all those that have pre¬ 
 sumed to wrest them to a figure. Witness the many 
 synods held against Berengarius; and the decrees of the 
 general councils of Lateran, Constance, and Trent. 
 Now, against this authority, hell’s gates shall never 
 prevail ; St. Matt. xvi. 18. And with this interpreter 
 Christ has promised, that both he himself and the Holy 
 Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, should abide forever: St. 
 Matt, xxviii. 20, and St. John xiv. 16, 17. 
 
 Q. But are not many of Christ’s sayings to be under¬ 
 stood figuratively, as when he says, that he is a door, a 
 vine, &c. ? And why then may not also the words of the 
 

 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 51 
 
 institution of the blessed sacrament be understood figu¬ 
 ratively 1 
 
 A. It is a very bad argument to pretend to infer that 
 because some of Christ’s words are to be taken figura¬ 
 tively, therefore all are to be taken so: that because in 
 his parables or similitudes his words are not to be taken 
 according to the letter, therefore we are to wrest to a 
 figurative sense the words of the institution of his solemn 
 covenant, law, sacrament, and testament at his last 
 supper: that because he has called himself a door, or 
 a vine, in circumstances in which he neither was, nor 
 ever could be misunderstood by any one, (he having 
 taken so much care in the same places to explain his own 
 meaning,) therefore he would call bread and wine his 
 body and blood, in circumstances in which it was natu¬ 
 ral to understand his words accord mu' to the letter, as 
 he foresaw all Christendom would understand them, and 
 yet has taken no care to prevent this interpretation of 
 them. 
 
 There is therefore a manifold disparity between the 
 case of the expression you mention, viz., I am the door, 
 the vine, &c., and the words of the last supper, ‘this is 
 my body, this is my blood.’ 1st, Because the former are 
 delivered as parables and similitudes, and consequently 
 as figures; the latter are the words of a covenant, sa¬ 
 crament, and testament, and therefore are to be under¬ 
 stood according to their most plain and obvious mean¬ 
 ing. 2dly, Because the former are explained by Christ 
 himself in the same places in a figurative sense, the lat¬ 
 ter are not. 3dly, Because the former are worded in 
 such a manner as to carrv with them the evidence of a 
 figure, so that no man alive can possibly misunderstand 
 them, or take them in any other than a figurative mean¬ 
 ing; the latter are so expressed, and so evidently imply 
 the literal sense, that they that have been the most desi¬ 
 rous to find a figure in them have been puzzled to do 
 it :* and all Christendom has for many ages judged with- 
 
 * It was the case of Luther himself, as we learn from his epistle 
 to his friends at Strasburg, tom. 5, fol. 502, and of Zuinglius, as we 
 learn from his epistle to Pomeranus, f. 250. 
 
52 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 out the least scruple that they ought to be taken accord¬ 
 ing to the letter. 4thly, Because the church of God 
 has authorized the literal interpretation of the words of 
 the institution of the blessed sacrament; not so of those 
 other expressions. In fine, because, according to the 
 common laws and customs of speech, a thing may indeed, 
 by an elegant figure, be called by the name of that 
 thing of which it has the qualities or properties; and 
 thus Christ, by having in himself the property of a door, 
 inasmuch as it is by him that we must enter into his 
 sheepfold, St. John x. 9 ; and the property of the vine, 
 in giving life and fruit to its branches, St. John xv. 1; 
 might, according to the usual laws of speech, elegantly 
 call himself a door and a vine; but it would be no ele¬ 
 gant metaphor to call bread and wine, without making 
 any change in them, his body and blood ; because bread 
 and wine have in themselves neither any similitude, nor 
 quality, nor property of Christ’s body and blood ; as it 
 would be absurd, for the same reason, to point at 
 any particular door or vine, and say, this is Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Q. But may not the sign or figure, according to the 
 common laws of speech, be called by the name of the 
 thing signified 1 And have we not instances of this 
 nature in Scripture; as when Joseph, interpreting the 
 dream of Pharaoh, Gen. xli. 26, says, 4 the seven good 
 kine are seven yearsand our Lord, interpreting the 
 parable of the sower, St. Luke viii. 11, says, 4 the seed 
 is the word of Godand St. Paul, 1 Cor. x. 4, says, 
 ‘the rock was Christ V 
 
 A. In certain cases, when a thing is already known 
 to be a sign or figure of something else, which it signi¬ 
 fies or represents, it may, indeed, according to the com¬ 
 mon laws of speech and the use of the Scripture, be said 
 to be such or such a thing, as in the interpretation of 
 dreams, parables, ancient figures, and upon such like 
 occasions; where, when a thing is said to be this or that, 
 the meaning is evident; viz. that it signifies or repre¬ 
 sents this or that. But it is not the same in the first 
 institution of a sign or figure; because, when a thing 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 53 
 
 is not known beforehand to be a sign or representation 
 of some other thing, to call it abruptly by a foreign name 
 would be contrary to all laws of speech, and both ab¬ 
 surd and unintelligible. As, for instance, if a person by 
 an art of memory had appointed within himself, that an 
 oak tree should be a sign or memorandum of Alexander 
 the Great, and, pointing to the tree, should gravely tell 
 his friends, (who were not acquainted with his design,) 
 This is that hero that overcame Darius, such a proposition 
 as this would justly be censured as nonsensical and un¬ 
 worthy of a wise man; because such a figure of speech 
 would be contrary to all laws of speech, and unintelligi¬ 
 ble. Just so would it have been, if our Saviour at his 
 last supper, without giving his disciples any warning 
 beforehand, any meaning to speak figuratively, and with¬ 
 out their considering beforehand the bread and wine as 
 signs and representations of any thing else, should have 
 abruptly told them, ‘This is my body, this is my blood,’ 
 had he not meant that they were so indeed. For, ab¬ 
 stracting from the change which Christ was pleased to 
 make in the elements by his almighty word, a bit of 
 bread has no more similitude to the body of Christ, than 
 an oak tree has to Alexander the Great. So that nothing 
 but the real presence of Christ’s body and blood could 
 verify his words at his last supper, or vindicate them 
 from being highly absurd and unworthy the Son of 
 God. 
 
 Q. But do not those words which our Lord spoke, St. 
 Lukexxii. 19, ‘ Do this for a commemoration of me,’ suf¬ 
 ficiently clear up the difficulty, and determine his other 
 words to a figurative sense. 
 
 A. These words, ‘ Do this for a commemoration of me,’ 
 inform us indeed of the end for which we are to offer up, 
 and to receive the body and blood of Christ, viz., for a 
 perpetual commemoration of his death, 1 Cor. xi. 26, 
 but they no way interfere with those other words, ‘This 
 is my body, and this is my blood,’ so as to explain away 
 the real presence of Christ’s body and blood. For why 
 should Christ’s body and blood be less present in the 
 sacrament, because we are commanded in the receiving 
 
54 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 of them to remember his death 1 Certainly St. Mat¬ 
 thew and St. Mark-, who in their gospels have quite 
 omitted these words, 4 Do this in remembrance of me,’ 
 never looked upon them as a necessary explication of 
 the words of the institution, or as any ways altering 
 or qualifying the natural and obvious meaning of these 
 words, This is my body, this is my blood. 
 
 Q. But does not the remembrance of a thing suppose 
 it to be absent 1 ? for, otherwise, why should we be com¬ 
 manded to remember it] 
 
 A. Whatsoever things we may be liable to forget, 
 whether really present or really absent, may be the ob¬ 
 ject of our remembrance; and thus we are commanded 
 in Scripture to remember God, Deut. viii. 18. Eccles. 
 xii. 1, though in him we live, move, and have our being, 
 Acts xvii. 28. So that this command of remembering 
 Christ is no ways opposite to his real presence: but the 
 most that can be inferred from it is, that he is not visi¬ 
 bly present; which is very true; and, therefore, lest 
 we should forget him, this remembrance is enjoined. 
 Besides, if we hearken to the apostle, 1 Cor. xi. 26, 
 he will inform us that what we are commanded to remem¬ 
 ber is the death of Christ; now, the death of Christ 
 is not a thing really present, but really past, and there¬ 
 fore a most proper subject for our remembrance. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 THE SECOND PROOF OF THE REAL PRESENCE, FROM 
 
 ST. JOHN, VI. 51, &C. 
 
 Q, What other proof have you for the real presence 
 of Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament of the Eu¬ 
 charist, besides the words of the institution, This is my 
 body, and this is my blood. 
 
 A. We have a very strong proof in the words of 
 Christ, spoken to the Jews in the 6th chapter of St. John, 
 where, upon occasion of the miracle of feeding the mul¬ 
 titude with five loaves, having spoken of the necessity 
 of believing in him who is the living bread that came 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 55 
 
 down from heaven, he passes from this discourse con¬ 
 cerning faith, to speak of this sacrament, ver. 51, &c. 
 ‘ I am the living bread, which came down from heaven. 
 If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and 
 the bread that I will give, is my flesh for the life of the 
 world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, 
 saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 
 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen, I say unto you: 
 Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
 blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth 
 my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life : 
 and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is 
 meat indeed : and my blood is drink indeed : He that 
 eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, 
 and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and 
 I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, the same also 
 shall live by me. This is the bread that came down 
 from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and 
 are dead. He that eateth this bread shall live forever.’ 
 In which words the eating of Christ’s flesh, and the 
 drinking his bl ood, is so strongly, so clearly, and so 
 frequently inculcated, and we are so plainly told, that 
 the bread which Christ was to give, is that very flesh 
 which he gave for the life of the world, that one must 
 be resolved to keep one’s eyes shut against the light, if 
 one will not see so plain a truth. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that Christ in this place is 
 speaking of the blessed sacrament ? 
 
 Jl. By comparing the words wdiich he spoke upon this 
 occasion with those which he delivered at his last supper 
 in the institution of the blessed sacrament. In the one 
 place he says, 4 the bread that I will give is my flesh, 
 which I will give for the life of the world;’ in the other, 
 taking bread and distributing it, he says, 4 this is my 
 body which is given for you.’ Where it is visible that the 
 one is a promise which the other fulfils, and consequently 
 that both the one and the other have relation to the 
 same sacrament. Hence we find, that the current sense 
 of the holy fathers has always explained these of the 
 sixth chapter of St. John, as spoken of the sacrament. 
 
56 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 See St. Iremeus, L. 4, c. 34. Origin Horn. 16, upon 
 Numbers. St. Cyprian upon the Lord’s Prayer. St. 
 Hilary, in his eighth Book of the Trinity. St. Basil, 
 in his Moral Rules, Reg. 1, c. 1. St. Cyril, of Jeru¬ 
 salem, Catech. My stag. 4. St. Ambrose, of the myste¬ 
 ries, c. 8. St. John, Chrysostom, St. Augustine, and St. 
 Cyril, of Alexandria, writing upon the sixth chapter of 
 St. John. St. Epiphanius Haeresi 55, Theodoret L. 4. 
 Hist. Eccles. c. xi., &c. 
 
 Q. But does not Christ promise eternal life, St. John 
 vi. 51, 54, and 58, to every one thateateth of that bread 
 of which he is there speaking; which promise cannot 
 be understood with relation to the sacrament, which 
 many receive to their own damnation, 1 Cor. xi. 29 1 
 
 A. He promises eternal life to every one that eateth 
 of that bread ; but this is to be understood, provided 
 that he eat it worthily, and that he persevere in the 
 grace which he thereby receives. And in this sense it 
 is certain that this sacrament gives eternal life : where¬ 
 as the manna of old had no such power, ver. 54. In 
 like manner our Lord promises, St. Matt. vii. 7, 8, that 
 every one that asketh shall receiveand yet many ask 
 and receive not, because they ask not as they ought. St. 
 James iv. 3. Thus St. Paul tells us, Rom. x. 13, that 
 ‘whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall 
 be saved which also certainly must be understood, 
 provided they do it worthily and perseverantly; lest 
 this text contradict that other, St. Matt. vii. 21. ‘Not 
 every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into 
 the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of 
 my Father who is in heaven.’ Thus, in fine, Christ 
 tells us, St. Mark xvi. 16, ‘He that believeth and is 
 baptized shall be saved.’ And yet many believe and are 
 baptized, like Simon Magus, Acts viii. 13, who, for 
 want of a true change of heart, or of perseverance in 
 good, are never saved. 
 
 Q. But if those words of Christ, St. John vi. 52, 53, 
 &c., be understood of the sacrament, will it not follow 
 that no one can be saved without receiving this sacra¬ 
 ment, and that also in both kinds; contrary to the be- 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 57 
 
 lief and practice of the Catholic church, since our Lord 
 tells us, verse 54, 4 Amen, amen, I say unto you : Ex- 
 cept you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
 blood, you shall not have life in you.’ 
 
 A. It follows from those words that there is a divine 
 precept for the receiving- this blessed sacrament, which 
 if persons wilfully neglect, they cannot be saved. So 
 that the receiving this sacrament either actually, or in 
 desire, is necessary for all those that are come to the 
 3 T ears of discretion; (not for infants, who are not capable 
 of discerning the body of the Lord : 1 Cor. xi. 29.) But 
 that this sacrament should be received by all in both 
 kinds, is not a divine precept, nor ever was understood 
 to be such by the church of God, which always believed 
 that under either kind Christ is received whole and 
 entire, and, consequently, that under either kind we 
 sufficiently comply with the precept of receiving his 
 flesh and blood. 
 
 . Q • Why may not these words of Christ, St. John 
 vi. 51, 52, 53, &c., be taken figuratively, so as to mean 
 no more than the believing in his incarnation and 
 death 1 
 
 A. Because it w r ould be too harsh a figure of speech, 
 and unbecoming the wisdom of the Son of God, to ex¬ 
 press the believing in him by such strange metaphors 
 as eating his flesh, and drinking his blood, such 
 as no man ever used before or since. And to re¬ 
 peat and inculcate these expressions so often, to the 
 great offence both of the Jews, and even of his own dis¬ 
 ciples, who upon this account went back and walked no 
 more wdth him, ver. 60, and 66 ; w T hen he might so easily 
 have satisfied both the one and the other, by telling them 
 that he meant no more by all that discourse, than that 
 they should believe in him. 
 
 Q. Did then the Jews and those disciples who cried 
 out, ver. 60, 4 This is a hard saying, and w’ho can hear 
 it V understand our Saviour right, or did they mistake 
 his meaning 1 
 
 A . They understood him right, so far as relates to the 
 real receiving his flesh and blood; but as to the manner 
 
58 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 of receiving they understood him not; since they had 
 no thoughts of his giving himself whole and entire, 
 veiled in a sacrament, but apprehended the eating of his 
 flesh, cut off from his bones, and drinking of his blood, 
 according to the vulgar manner of other meat and 
 drink, which we digest and consume. However, their 
 not understanding him seems not to have been so faulty 
 as their refusing to believe him: hence our Lord repre¬ 
 hends not their want of understanding, but their not 
 believing, ver. 64. And Peter, in the name of the 
 apostles, ver. 68,69, in opposition to those disciples that 
 had fallen off, says, 4 Lord, to whom shall we go 1 thou 
 hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are 
 sure that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 
 So that these people ought, like the apostles, to have 
 submitted themselves to believe what they as yet under¬ 
 stood not; and not to have run away from him, who by 
 his evident miracles proved himself to be the Son of God, 
 and consequently incapable of an untruth. By which 
 example, we may see how much more wisely Catholics 
 act (who in this mystery, like the apostles, submit them¬ 
 selves to believe what they cannot comprehend, because 
 they know that Christ has the words of eternal life) 
 than those who, like the apostate disciples, cry out, 
 ‘ This is a hard saying, and who can hear it V and there¬ 
 upon will walk no more with Christ and his church. 
 
 Q. What did our Lord say to his disciples, who were 
 offended with his discourse concerning the eating of his 
 flesh? 
 
 A. Ho said unto them, ver. 61, 6*2, ‘Doth this offend 
 you ? what, and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend 
 up where he was before V which words are variously 
 interpreted, and may either be understood to signify that 
 they who made a difficulty of believing that he could give 
 them his flesh to eat then, whilst he was visible amongst 
 them, would have much more difficulty of believing it 
 after he was gone from them by his ascension : or else 
 Christ, by mentioning his ascension, would correct their 
 mistaken notion of giving them his flesh and blood, in 
 that gross manner which they apprehended: or, in fine, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 59 
 
 he mentioned his ascension into heaven, to convince 
 their incredulity, by the evidence of so great a miracle, 
 which at once was to demonstrate both his almighty 
 power and the truth of his words. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the following words, ver. 
 64: 6 It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth 
 nothing: the words that I have spoken to you, are spirit 
 and life. ’ 
 
 JL. The meaning is, that the flesh separated from the 
 spirit, in the manner which the Jews and incredulous 
 disciples apprehended, would profit nothing: for what 
 would it avail us to feed upon dead flesh, separated from 
 the soul and divinity, and consequently from the life- 
 giving spirit? But then it would be blasphemy to say 
 that the flesh of Christ, united to his spirit, (in that man¬ 
 ner in which the Catholic church believes his flesh to 
 be in the blessed sacrament, accompanied with his soul 
 and divinity,) profits nothing: for if the flesh of Christ 
 were of no profit, he would never have taken flesh for us, 
 and his incarnation and death would be unprofitable to 
 us ; which is the height of blasphemy to affirm. 
 
 What means, the flesh profits nothing ? says St. Au¬ 
 gustine, writing upon this text. Tract 27, in Joan. It 
 profits nothing, as they understood it; for they under¬ 
 stood flesh as it is torn in pieces in a dead body, or sold 
 in the shambles; and not as it is animated by the spirit. 
 Wheretore it is said, the flesh profits nothing, in the 
 same manner as it is said, knowledge puffeth up : 1 
 Cor. viii. 1. Must we then fly from knowledge? God 
 forbid: what then means, knowledge puffeth up ? That 
 is, if it be alone without charity ; therefore the apostle 
 added, but charity edifieth. Join therefore charity to 
 knowledge, and knowledge will be profitable, not by 
 itself, but through charity : so here also the flesh pro¬ 
 fiteth nothing, viz. the flesh alone; let the spirit be 
 joined with the flesh, as charity is to be joined with 
 knowledge, and then it profits much. For if the flesh 
 profiteth nothing, the Word would not have been 
 made flesh, that he might dwell in us. So far St. Au¬ 
 gustine. 
 
60 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Besides, according to the usual phrase of Scripture, 
 flesh and blood are often taken for the corruption of our 
 nature, as for man’s natural sense and apprehension, 
 &c. As when it is said, 1 Cor. xv. 50, 4 that flesh and 
 blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.’ And St. 
 Matt. xvi. 17 : 4 Flesh and blood hath not revealed it 
 unto thee,’ &c. And in this sense the flesh profiteth no¬ 
 thing, but it is the spirit and grace of God that quicken- 
 eth and giveth life to our souls. And as the words which 
 our Lord had spoken to them tended to insinuate to 
 them so great a sacrament, in which they should receive 
 this spirit, grace, and life in its very fountain, therefore 
 he tells them, 4 the words that I speak to you, are spirit 
 and life.’ 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 OTHER PROOFS OF THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST’S BODY 
 AND BLOOD IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 
 
 Q. Have you any other proofs from Scripture of the 
 real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the 
 blessed sacrament] 
 
 A . Yes, 1 Cor. x., where the apostle, to discourage 
 Christians from having any thing to do with the sacri¬ 
 fices offered to idols, says, ver. 16, ‘The chalice of be¬ 
 nediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of 
 the blood of Christ! And the bread, which we break, 
 is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord.’ 
 
 Secondly , 1 Cor. xi. 27. 4 Therefore, whosoever shall 
 eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unwor¬ 
 thily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of 
 the Lord.’ How so, if w r hat the unworthy receiver takes 
 be no more than bread and wine ! 
 
 Thirdly , 1 Cor. xi. 29 : 4 For he that eateth and drink- 
 eth unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, 
 not discerning the body of the Lord.’ How shall he 
 discern it, if it be not there really present! 
 
 Q. Have you any thing more to add, by way of proof 
 out of Scripture ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 61 
 
 A. Yes, from the ancient figures of the eucharist, 
 which demonstrate that there is something more noble 
 in it than bread and wine, taken only in remembrance 
 of Christ. 
 
 Q. What are those ancient figures ? 
 
 A . There are many; but I shall take notice chiefly of 
 three, viz. the paschal lamb, the blood of the testament, 
 and the manna from heaven. 
 
 Q • How do you prove that these three were figures 
 of the eucharist ? 
 
 A. I prove it with regard to the paschal lamb, (which 
 is acknowledged at all hands to have been a type of 
 Christ,) because it is visible, that the rites and ceremo¬ 
 nies of it prescribed, Exodus xii., had chiefly relation to 
 eating of it; and consequently to this typical lamb in 
 the Old Testament, corresponds in the New Testament 
 the Lamb of God, as eaten by his people in this sacra¬ 
 ment : which for this reason was instituted immediately 
 after our Lord had eat the passover with his disciples, 
 that the figure might be both explained and accomplish¬ 
 ed, and might make way for the truth. See concerning 
 this figure the current sense of the fathers in Tertul- 
 lian, L. 4, in Marcionem; St. Cyprian, L. de umtate 
 Ecclesiag; St. Hierome in c. 26, St. Matthaei; Chrysos¬ 
 tom, Homil. de Proditione Judae; St. Augustine, L. 2, 
 contra Literas Petiliani, c. 37; St. Gaudentius Tract. 
 2, in Exod.; St. Cyril, of Alexandria, contra Nestor, p. 
 112 ; Theodoret in 1 Cor. xi.; St. Leo Serrn. 7. de Pas- 
 sione Domini; Hesychius in c. 23, Levit.; St. Gregory 
 Horn. 22, in Evang. 
 
 Secondly , That the blood of the testament with which 
 Moses sprinkled the people, Exod. xxiv. and Heb. ix. 
 saying, 4 This is the blood of the testament which God 
 hath enjoined to you,’ was a figure of the blood of Christ 
 in this sacrament, our Lord himself sufficiently declared 
 by evidently alluding to this figure, when he gave the 
 cup to his disciples, saying, 4 This is my blood of the 
 new testament,’ St. Matt. xxvi. 28. St. Mark xiv. 24, 
 or, 4 This cup is the new testament in my blood,’ St. 
 Luke xxii. 20. 1 Cor. xi. 25. 
 
 6 
 
62 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Thirdly , That the manna was a figure of this sacra¬ 
 ment, appears from St. John vi. 58. ‘Not as your 
 fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth 
 this bread shall live forever.’ And from 1 Cor. x. where 
 the apostle, speaking of the figures of our sacrament in 
 the old law, and taking notice of the cloud, and the 
 passage of the Red Sea, as figures of baptism, ver. 1 
 and 2; in the third and fourth verses, gives the manna 
 and the water from the rock as figures of the eucharist. 
 The same is the current doctrine of the holy fathers, and 
 is sufficiently demonstrated from the analogy which is 
 found between the manna and this blessed sacrament. 
 For w T hich see the annotations, in the Doway Bible, 
 upon the XVI. chapter of Exodus. 
 
 Q. How do you prove from these ancient figures the real 
 presence of Christ’s body and blood in this sacrament 1 
 
 A. Because, if in this sacrament there were nothing 
 more than bread and wine, taken in remembrance of 
 Christ, and as types and figures of his body and blood, 
 then would the figures of the old law equal the sacra¬ 
 ments of the new law, yea, far excel them. For who 
 does not see that the paschal lamb was a more noble type 
 and far better representing Christ than bread and wine'? 
 Who does not perceive that the blood of victims solemn¬ 
 ly sacrificed to God was a better figure of Christ’s blood 
 than the juice of the grape? Who can question but the 
 heavenly manna, which is called the bread of angels, 
 and was so many ways miraculous, was far beyond the 
 bread of men? W^ho will not acknowledge that it is 
 something more excellent and divine to foretell things 
 to come, than only to commemorate things past ? It must 
 therefore be visible to every Christian, that if the paschal 
 lamb, the blood of the testament, and the manna were 
 types of Christ, given to us in this sacrament; that 
 this sacrament itself must be somethinar more than 
 
 o 
 
 a type, figure or remembrance of Christ; and con¬ 
 sequently must contain and exhibit him really to us. 
 
 Q. But why may not a person suppose that the 
 figures of the Old Testament might equal or excel the 
 sacrament of the New ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 63 
 
 A, No one that pretends to the name of Christian can 
 suppose this, since the apostle assures us that the old 
 law had nothing but ‘a shadow of the good things to 
 come.’ Heb. x. 1. That all its sacrifices and sacra¬ 
 ments were but 4 weak and needy elements,’ Gal. iv. 9, 
 and that it was annulled by reason of 4 the weakness and 
 the unprofitableness thereof.’ Heb. vii. 18. And does 
 not the very nature of the things assure us, that the figure 
 must be inferior to the things prefigured. 
 
 Q. Have you any other argument from Scripture in fa¬ 
 vour of the real presence of our Lord’s body in the blessed 
 sacrament 1 
 
 A. Yes. Those innumerable texts of Scripture which 
 prove the unerring authority of the church of Christ, 
 and the indispensable obligation of the faithful to follow 
 the judgment of the church, and to rest in her decisions, 
 plainly demonstrate that to be truth which the church 
 has so loner ago declared with relation to this controver- 
 sy; and that all Christians are obliged to yield to this 
 decision. 
 
 Q. When did the church decide this matter % 
 
 A . As soon as ever it was called in question, that is, 
 about seven hundred years ago, in the days of Berenga- 
 rius, who was the first that openly attacked the doctrine 
 of the real presence, and was thereupon condemned by 
 the whole church in no less than fourteen councils held 
 during his lifetime in divers parts of Christendom; and 
 the determination of these councils was afterwards con¬ 
 firmed by the general councils of Lateran, Constance, 
 and Trent. 
 
 Q. What Scripture do you bring to show that all Chris¬ 
 tians are obliged to submit to these decisions of the coun- 
 cils and pastors of the church 1 
 
 A. St. Matt, xviii. 17 : 4 If he neglect to hear the 
 church, let him be to thee as a heathen and a publican.’ 
 St. Luke x. 1G : 4 He that heareth you, heareth me, and 
 he that despiseth you, despiseth me, and he that despiseth 
 me, despiseth him that sent me.’ St. John xx. 21: 4 As 
 my Father hath sent me, even so I send you:’ Heb. xii. 
 
64 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTS 
 
 7 : ‘ Remember your prelates who have spoken the word 
 of God to you: whose faith follow.’ Ver. 17: ‘Obey 
 your prelates, and be subject to them.’ 1 John iv. 6 : 
 ‘He that knoweth God, heareth us; (the pastors of the 
 Church) he that is not of God heareth us not: by this we 
 know 7 the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.’ And 
 what w r onder that Christ should require this submission 
 to his Church, and her pastors, and teachers, whom he 
 has given for the perfecting of the saints, &c., that we 
 henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and 
 carried about with every wind of doctrine: since even 
 in the old law he required, under pain of death, a sub¬ 
 mission to the synagogue and her ministers in their de¬ 
 cision relating to the controversies of the law; as may 
 be seen, Deut. xvii. 8, 9, &c. , 
 
 Q. What Scripture do you bring to show 7 that the 
 Church is not liable to be mistaken in these decisions'? 
 
 Ji. This is evidently proved from a gTeat many texts 
 both of the Old and New Testaments : in which w 7 e are 
 assured, 1st, ‘ That the church is the pillar and ground of 
 the truth,’ 1 Tim. iii. 15. and consequently not liable to 
 error. 2dly, ‘That Christ has built his church upon 
 a rock, and that the gates of hell (the pow r ers of 
 darkness and error) shall not prevail against her,’ St. 
 Matt. xvi. 18. 3dly, that Christ (w 7 ho is the ‘way, the 
 truth and the life,’ St. John xvi. 6,) ‘will ahvays be 
 with the teachers of his church, even to the end of the 
 world,’ St. Matt, xxviii. 20. 4thly, That the Holy 
 Ghost, the Spirit of truth, shall abide forever w r ith these 
 same teachers of the church, St. John xvi. 16, 17, 
 ‘and guide them unto all truth,’ c. xvi. 13. 5thly, 
 That God has made a covenant w r ith the church, that 
 his Spirit, and his words, which he has put in her mouth 
 at the time w r hen our Redeemer came, should not 
 depart out of her mouth, nor out of the mouth of 
 her seed, nor out of the mouth of her seed’s seed, 
 from henceforth and forever,’ Isaiah lix. 20, 21. 
 Gthly, That God -has made a solemn oath to his 
 church, like that which he made to Noah, that he 
 W'ould not be wroth with her, nor rebuke her, Isaiah 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 65 
 
 liv. 9, 10; ‘that he has promised to be her everlasting 
 light,’ Isaiah lx. 18, 19, &c., 6 and to set his sanctuary in 
 the midst of her for evermore,’ Ezek. xxxvii. 6; all 
 which is inconsistent with her being led astray by dam¬ 
 nable errors; and thus the Scripture, by plainly giving 
 testimony to the church and church authority, plainly 
 also gives testimony to the truth of Christ’s real pre¬ 
 sence in the eucharist, which has been so often declared 
 by that authority. 
 
 Q. Besides these arguments from Scripture and church 
 authority, have you any thing else to allege in proof of 
 the real presence I 
 
 A- First, The authority of all the ancient fathers, whose 
 plain testimonies may be seen in an appendix to a book 
 entitled ‘A Specimen of the Spirit of the Dissenting 
 Teachers, &c.; anno 1736.’* 
 
 Secondly, The perpetual consent of the Greeks, and 
 all the oriental Christians, demonstrated by Monsieur 
 Arnauld and the Abbe Renaudoit in their books bearing 
 title, La perpetuite de La Foy, &c. confirmed by the 
 authentic testimonies^ of their patriarchs, archbishops, 
 
 * See also The Faith of Catholics, ed. 1836. 
 
 t See ^ ie testimony of seven archbishops of the Greek 
 church, Perpetuite , iii. p. 569, the testimonies of the arch¬ 
 bishops and clergy of the isles of the Archipelago, &c. p. 572, 
 &c. ; of divers abbots and religions, chap. iv. and v,; of four 
 patriarchs of Constantinople; of the patriarchs of Alexandria, 
 and of thirty-five metropolitans or archbishops, anno 1762, 
 chap. vi. p. 623; of the churches of Georgia and Mingre- 
 lia, chap. vii. p. 634 ; of the patriarch of Jerusalem, and 
 of several other archbishops, abbots, &c., p. 703. Of Ma- 
 carious and Neophyrus, patriarchs of Antioch, p. 723, &c.; 
 of Mocroditus, patriarch of Constantinople, Response Ge¬ 
 nerate, p. 151. See also the orthodox confession of the 
 oriental church, signed by the four patriarchs and many 
 other bishops, ibidem, p. 138. That the same is the faith 
 of the Armenians, is proved by the testimonies of Havia- 
 dour, an Armenian prelate, of Uscanus, Bishop of St. 
 Sergius; also of David, the patriarch, and other bishops 
 and priests of the Armenians given at Aleppo, anno 1668. 
 
66 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 bishops, abbots, &e., by the decrees of their synods* 
 against Cyril Lucar, by the writings of their ancientj- 
 and modern divines ; and by all their liturgies: and ac- 
 
 In the appendix to the first volume of the Perpetuity p. 
 78, 81, 8*2. Of James, patriarch of the greater Armenia, 
 and many ether bishops and priests. Response Generale, 
 L. 1, chap, xviii. Of the archbishops of the Armenians 
 in Constantinople, Adrianople, and Amasaea, ibid. Of 
 Cmciadorus, patriarch of the lesser Armenia, with other 
 bishops and priests, anno 672, tom. 3. Perpetuite, p. 774. 
 Of the Armenians, of Grand Cairo, anno 1671. And of 
 several bishops, at Ispahan, the same year, ibid. p. 775 
 and 778. See also in the first and third volume of the 
 Perpetuite, and in the Response Generale, many other at¬ 
 testations of the belief of the Moscovites, Jacobites, or 
 Surians Cophts, Maronites, and Nestorians, touching the 
 real presence and transubstantiation. 
 
 * See the acts of the synods of Constantinople, under the 
 patriarch Cyril, of Bersea, anno 1639. And of the synod 
 under the patriarch Parthenius, anno 1642. And of the 
 synod of Cyprus, anno 1668. 
 
 y See (besides the testimonies of the Greek fathers of the 
 first six centuries) Anastasius of Sina, in his Odegos; Ger- 
 manus, patriarch of Constantinople, in his Theoria; St. 
 John Damascene. Orat. 3 de Imaginibus, Lib. 2. Parallel, 
 c. 5, L. 4. Fidei Orthodox®, c. 13. The second Council 
 of Nice, of 350 bishops, Act 6. Elias Cret. Comment in 
 Orat 1. St Greg. Naz. Nicephorus, Patriarch of Con¬ 
 stantinople, Antirhetico 2. Theodorius Studites, Antirhe- 
 tico 1, Num. 10. Theophylactus ad Cap. 26. Samonus, 
 Bishop of Gaza, in Discep. contra Achmet Saracenum. 
 Nicholas, of Methone, de Corp. et Sang. Christ Nicholas 
 Cabefilas, Mark, of Ephesus and Bessarion; qui omnes in 
 tuis opusmli* , says Bishop Forbes de Euch. L. 1, c. 3, aper - 
 tissime Tran eubst ant iationem confitentur. Jeremias, Pa- 
 triarcho in Resp. 1 and 2 ad Lutheranos. Gabriel Phila- 
 delph. de Sacrament The Greeks, of Venice, in Resp. 
 ad Cardinal. Guis. Agapius, &c. See also in the two addi¬ 
 tional volumes of Renaudoit to the Perpetuite de La Foy, 
 &c., the concurrent testimonies of the divines of the other 
 oriental sects, and of all their liturgies. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 67 
 
 knowledged by many* Protestant witnesses. Now, 
 what can be a more convincing evidence of this doc¬ 
 trine having been handed down by tradition from the 
 apostles, than to see all sorts of Christians, which have 
 any pretensions to antiquity, all agreeing in it ? 
 
 Thirdly , Both ancient and modern church history 
 furnish us with many instances of miracles the best 
 attested, which from time to time have been wrought in 
 testimony of this same truth: of which in divers parts 
 of Christendom there are standing monuments to this 
 day. It would be too tedious to descend to particulars, 
 and so much the less necessary, because all the miracles 
 of Jesus Christ himself, as they prove that he could not 
 be a liar, so they demonstrate that what he gives us in 
 this sacrament is verily and indeed his body and blood, 
 as he has so clearly told us. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 TRANSUBSTANTIATION PROVED. OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 
 
 Q. What do you understand by transubstantiation I 
 
 A. That the bread and wine in the blessed sacrament 
 are truly, really, and substantially changed by consecra¬ 
 tion into the body and blood of Christ. 
 
 Q. In what then does the Catholic doctrine of transub¬ 
 stantiation differ from the consubstantiation maintained 
 by the Lutherans ? 
 
 * Sir Edwin Sandy's relation of the Religions of the 
 West, p. 233. Dr. Potter's Answer to Charity mistaken, p. 
 225. Bishop Forbes de Euch. L. 1, c. 3, p. 412. Crutius 
 in Germanio-graecia, L. 5, p. 226. Danawerus L. de Ec- 
 cles. Grasc. hodierna, p. 46, dec. Hence Dr. Philip Nicho- 
 lai, a Protestant, in his first book of the Kingdom of Christ, 
 p. 22, writeth thus: “ Let my Christian readers be assured, 
 that not only the churches of the Greeks, but also the Rus¬ 
 sians, and the Georgians, and the Armenians, and the Indians, 
 and the Ethiopians, as many of them as believe in Christ, 
 hold the true and real presence of the body and blood of the 
 Lord,” &c. 
 
68 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. It differs in this, that Luther and his followers 
 maintain the real presence of the body and blood of 
 Christ in the bread and wine, or with the bread and wine; 
 whereas the Catholic church believes that the bread 
 and wine are converted into the body and blood of Christ, 
 so that there remains nothing of the inward substance of 
 the bread and wine after consecration, but only the out¬ 
 ward appearances or accidents. 
 
 Q. How do you prove this transubstantiation 1 
 
 A. First , From the texts of Scripture above quoted, 
 especially from the words of the institution, St. Matt, 
 xxvi. 26, &c., and from the words of Christ, St. 
 John vi. 52, &c., for our Lord, when he first gave the 
 blessed sacrament, did not say, 4 In this, or with this, is 
 my body and blood :’ but he said, 4 this is my body and 
 this is my blood.’ Neither did he say, St. John vi. 52. 
 ‘In the bread that I will give, will I give you my flesh,’ 
 &c.; but he said, 4 The bread that I will give is my flesh 
 for the life of the world.’ 
 
 Secondly , From the tradition of the ancient fathers, 
 whose doctrine may be seen in the book above quoted. 
 
 Thirdly, From the authority and decision of the church 
 of God in her general councils of Lateran , Constance , 
 and Trent. 
 
 And, indeed, supposing that the words of Christ, in 
 
 the institution of the blessed sacrament, are to be taken 
 
 according to the letter, as both Catholics and Lutherans 
 
 agree, the most learned Protestants have often urged 
 
 against Luther and his followers, that the Catholic 
 
 transubstantiation is more agreeable to the letter of 
 
 © • • 
 
 Christ’s words than the Lutheran consubstantiation. 
 See the Bishop of Meaux’s Ilistorie des Variations, 
 L. 2, Num. 31, 32, 33. 
 
 Q. But does not St. Paul, 1 Corinth, x. and xi. speak¬ 
 ing of the sacrament after consecration, call it bread ? 
 
 A. He does, and so do we; 1st, Because it is the 
 bread of life, the food and nourishment of the soul: 2dly, 
 Because it still retains the qualities and accidents of 
 bread, and has the whole outward appearance of bread; 
 and, therefore, according to the Scripture phrase, is called 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 09 
 
 bread, as angels appearing in the shape of men, are 
 oftentimes in Scripture called men. See St. Luke xxvi. 
 4. Acts i. 10, &c. 3dly, Because it was consecrated from 
 bread, and, therefore, according to the usual method 
 of speaking in Scripture, is called bread, because it was 
 made from bread; as man is called dust, Gen. iii. 19, 
 because made out of dust: and the serpent is called a 
 rod, Exod. vii. 12, because made from a rod, &c. 
 
 Besides, we have two very good interpreters, that 
 inform us what this bread is, of w’hich St. Paul is there 
 speaking, viz. the same apostle, w^hen he tells us, 1 Cor. 
 x. 16, that 4 the bread which we break is the communion 
 of the body of Christand our Saviour himself, when he 
 tells us, St. John vi. 52, 4 The bread that I will give is 
 my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ 
 
 Q. But what will you say to our Saviour’s calling the 
 sacrament the fruit of the vine, St. Matt, xxxvi. 29 \ 
 
 A. If it were certain our Saviour had so called the 
 consecrated wine of the blessed sacrament, it would 
 prove no more than St. Paul’s calling the ether kind 
 bread ; that is, it would only show that the name of 
 wine, or the fruit of the vine, might be given to it from 
 having the accidents and appearance of wine, and having 
 been consecrated from wine. But there is all the rea¬ 
 son in the world to think, that this appellation of the 
 fruit of the vine was given by our Saviour, not to the 
 consecrated cup or chalice, but to the wine of the pas¬ 
 chal supper, which they drank before the institution of 
 the sacrament: this appears evident from St. Luke, who 
 thus relates the whole manner, chap. xxii. 
 
 Ver. 14, 4 \\ hen the hour was come, he satdowm, and 
 the twelve apostles with him. 
 
 15 ‘And he said to them, With desire I have de¬ 
 sired to eat this pasch with you before I suffer. 
 
 16 4 For I say to you, that from this time I will not eat 
 it, till it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 
 
 17 4 And having taken the chalice he gave thanks and 
 6aid: Take, and divide it among you. 
 
 18 ‘For I say to you, that I will not drink of the fruit 
 of the vine, till the kingdom of God come. 
 
70 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 19 i And taking bread, he gave thanks, and brake, 
 and gave to them, saying: This is my body which is 
 given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. 
 
 20 ‘In like manner the chalice also, after he had 
 supped, saying: This is the chalice the new testament 
 in my blood which shall be shed for you. 
 
 21 ‘But yet behold, the hand of him that betrayeth 
 me is with me on the table,’ &c. 
 
 Where it is visible, that it was not the sacramental 
 cup, but that which was drunk with the passover, to 
 which our Saviour gives the name of the fruit of the 
 vine. 
 
 Q. But if the bread and wine do not remain after 
 consecration, what then becomes of them ? 
 
 A. They are changed by the consecration into the 
 body and blood of Christ. 
 
 Q. How can bread and wine be changed into the body 
 and blood of Christ] 
 
 A. By the almighty power of God, to whom nothing 
 is hard or impossible, who formerly changed water into 
 blood, and a rod into a serpent, Ex. vii., and water into 
 ■wine, St. John ii.; and who daily changes bread and wine 
 by digestion into our body and blood. 
 
 Q . But do not all our senses bear testimony, that the 
 bread and wine still remain ] 
 
 A . No, they only bear testimony that there remains 
 the colour and taste of bread and wine, as indeed there 
 does: but as to the inward substance, this is not the ob¬ 
 ject of any of the senses, nor can be perceived by any 
 of them. 
 
 Q. Are not our senses then deceived in this case ] 
 
 A. Properly speaking they are not, because they truly 
 represent what is truly there, viz. the colour, shape, 
 taste, &c. of bread and wine. But it is the judgment 
 that is deceived, when, upon account of this colour, 
 shape, taste, &c., it too hastily pronounces that this is 
 bread and wine. 
 
 Q. But are we not sufficiently authorized, by the tes¬ 
 timony of the senses, to make a judgment of a thing’s 
 being in effect, that which it has all the appearance of? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 71 
 
 Regularly speaking we are, when neither reason 
 nor divine authority interpose itself, to oblioe us to make 
 another judgment. And thus the miracles and the 
 resurrection of Christ were demonstrated to the apostles 
 by the testimony of their senses. But the case would 
 have been altered had God himself assured them that 
 what appeared to be flesh and bones, was indeed another 
 thing : for in such a case they ought certainly to have be¬ 
 lieved the testimony of God, rather than their own senses. 
 
 . Can you give me any instances in which the tes- 
 . i j ’s senses has represented one thino-, and 
 
 the divine authority of God’s w T ord has assured us, that 
 
 it was not indeed what it appeared to be, but quite an¬ 
 other thing? ^ 
 
 A. Yes, we have many such instances in Scripture; 
 as when angels have appeared in the shape of men, Gen. 
 xix. St. Matt, xxvni. St. Mark xvi. &c.; and the Holv 
 Ghost, m the shape of a dove, St. Luke iii. 22, &c. " 
 
 Q. Is there not then any of our senses that we may 
 trust to, in relation to the judgment that we are to 
 
 make concerning the inward part of the sacrament of the 
 eucharist? 
 
 A. \es, we may safely trust to the sense of hearing-, 
 which informs us by the word of God, and the authori¬ 
 ty ot the church of God, that wfliat appears to be bread 
 a ?“ y ine * n Ihts sacrament, is indeed the body and blood 
 ot Christ;^now, faith comes by hearing, saith St. Paul, 
 Kom. x. 17, and hearing by the word of God. 
 
 Q. But if the substance of the bread and wine be 
 not there, what is it then that gives nourishment to our 
 bodies when we receive this sacrament? 
 
 A. This sacrament was not ordained for the nourish¬ 
 ment of the body, but of the soul; though I do not 
 eny but the body also is nourished, when we receive the 
 blessed eucliarist, not by the substance of bread and wine, 
 which is not there, nor by the body and blood of Christ, 
 which is incorruptible, and therefore cannot be digested 
 lor our corporal nourishment; but by the quantify and 
 other accidents of the bread and wine, (if, with the Aristo- 
 elian philosophers, you suppose them really distinguish- 
 
72 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 ed from matter and substance,) or by another substance, 
 which the Almighty substitutes, when, by the ordinary 
 course of digestion, the sacramental species are changed, 
 and the body and blood of Christ cease to be there. 
 
 Q. But how can the accidents of bread and wine re¬ 
 main, without the substance ? 
 
 A, By the Almighty power of God : which answer, 
 if it satisfy you not, I remit you to the Cartesian philo¬ 
 sophers, who will tell you, that as the body and blood 
 of Christ, in the sacrament, are contained precisely in 
 the same circumscription and dimensions as the bread 
 and wine were before the consecration, it follows of 
 course that they must affect our senses in the same man¬ 
 ner: now, colour, taste, &c., according to modern philo¬ 
 sophy are nothing but the affections of our senses. See 
 Purchot, Part 1, Phys. 2, Sect. 5, cap. 1. 
 
 Q. How can the whole body and blood of Christ be 
 contained in so small a space as that of the host; nay, 
 even in the smallest sensible particle of it? 
 
 A. By the same Almighty power by which a camel 
 can pass through the eye of a needle: with men this 
 is impossible, says our Saviour, St. Matt. xix. 26, and 
 St. Mark x. 27, ‘but not with God, for with God all 
 things are possible.’ 
 
 (J. How can the body of Christ be both in heaven, 
 and at the same time in so many places upon earth? 
 
 A . By the same Almighty power of God, which we 
 profess in the very first article of our creed, when we 
 say, ‘I believe in God the Father Almighty.’ So that 
 it is a question better becoming an infidel than a Chris¬ 
 tian to ask, How this can be ? when we are speaking of 
 a God to whom nothing is impossible; and who would 
 not be God indeed, if he could not do infinitely more 
 than we can conceive. It is like the Jewish question, St. 
 John vi. 53, ‘ How can this man give us his flesh to 
 eat ?’ As if the power of God w r ere not as incompre¬ 
 hensible as himself; and as if it were not worse than 
 madness for weak mortals to pretend to fathom this 
 immense depth of the power of the Almighty by the short 
 line and plummet of human reason. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 73 
 
 Q. But is it not an evident contradiction for the 
 same body to be at once in two places ? 
 
 / ^ ot . at . ali ; no more than for one God to subsist 
 
 or onesouT ta C hP 6 f ° nS ! T° perSOn in two natures ! 
 heart nr tl/ , ° nce both ln the h ead and in the 
 
 as when Chrirt°f hT b ® ° nCe in the self ' SM e place; 
 
 being shut St T°h y Cam ^ n t0 tbe disciples, the doors 
 oemg shut, St. John xx. 26, or the same body, after 
 
 be “"***“ after riWS 
 
 f? ” evident 
 
 A. Because thousands of as good philosophers and 
 
 * issss’ftsi csstss 
 
 !?i«Tof tl Sigh, J P “ lbi ' i,) ' ° f tb “ e lhi ".”> * U» 
 
 . Q. But what need was there that Christ should leave 
 us h ] s real body and blood in this sacrament Jince 
 without tins real presence he might have bequeathed 
 the self-same graces to our souls ? i a 
 
 al«o h He ™ 1 £ ht ’ lnd 'r ed ’ if so he had pleased; as he might 
 also have brought about the salvation of mankind /he 
 
 d so pleased, without becoming man himself and dv 
 
 ing upon a cross for us: but he'chose these wondrots' 
 
 * h i S We ’ and most proper to 
 h; . ove h ,rn * And who shall presume to call 
 
 m to an account why he has condescended so far ? 
 
 Q,. But are not the body and blood of Christ liable 
 to be hurt and abused in the sacrament ? 
 
 A. I he body and blood of Christ is now immortal 
 
 ffif S t b h a “ d incorruptible, and consequently not 
 liable to be hurt, nor divided, nor corrupted • thouo-h 
 it may be said, indeed, to be ’abused by fhe unwortS 
 
 xi r 27 l,n 'r ,it ; h a [ ld Up , on Ulat account, St. Paul, 1 Cor 
 
 S2o bb ,t.i c hS is ^. ,,,i * ” •*» 
 
74 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Of the Bread and Wine made use of in this Sacrament 
 
 Q. What kind of bread does the Church make use 
 of for the sacrament of the eucharist ? 
 
 A. The Church of Rome makes use of wafers of un¬ 
 leavened bread ; that is, of bread made of fine wheaten 
 flour, with no other mixture but pure water. 
 
 Q. Why does not the Church make use of common 
 bread for this sacrament ? 
 
 A. Because she follows the example of Christ, who 
 at his last supper, when he first instituted and gave the 
 blessed sacrament to his disciples, made use of unleav¬ 
 ened bread. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that ? 
 
 A. I prove it, because the day in which Christ first 
 gave the blessed sacrament, was, according to St. Matt, 
 xxvi. 17, St. Mark xiv. 12, and St. Luke xxii. 7, ‘ the 
 first day of unleavened bread.’ Now upon that day, 
 and for the whole following week, there was no other 
 bread to be found in Israel; and it was even death 
 to use any other but unleavened bread, as we learn 
 from Exodus xii. 15. ‘Seven days shall ye eat un¬ 
 leavened bread, even the first day ye shall put away 
 leaven out of your houses ; for whosoever eateth leav¬ 
 ened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that 
 soul shall be cut off from Israel;’ ver. 19. ‘Seven 
 days shall there be no leaven found in your houses,’ 
 &c. So that it is plain that our Saviour made use of 
 unleavened bread at his last supper, and that there was 
 no other bread used at that time. 
 
 Q. Is there any other reason why we should prefer 
 unleavened bread ? 
 
 A. Yes, unleavened bread is an emblem or symbol 
 of sincerity and truth. Hence St. Paul admonishes 
 us, 1 Cor. v. 7 and 8, ‘ to purge out the old leaven of 
 malice and wickedness, and to feast with the unleav¬ 
 ened bread of sincerity and truth.’ 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 75 
 
 sacrarnent?^ ^ ° f WinC d ° y0U make use of for thia 
 
 difmn w^ ne ° f i he S, ra P e > with "’hich by apostolical tra- 
 aiticu we mingle a little water. 
 
 Q. Has the practice of mingling water with wine 
 been always observed from the aposdes’ days ? 
 
 church* rZ “2 th , at t [! rou g hou t the whole 
 
 , 2 ® V St t lShn ’ A P° l °S- 2 < SL Irenaus, L. 5, 
 
 n E P lstoLa 63, ad Cacillium, &-c. 
 
 Dies he . S ave the cup to his disci- 
 
 ptes, mingle water with wine ? 
 
 ther'mpntt prokable he did: though the scripture nei- 
 t ermentmns the water nor the wine : but only speaks 
 
 of his giving them the cup: However,the ancient and 
 
 “itClf ° f th ' , rC f! “ Probability cornea 
 
 originally from the example of Christ. 
 
 them i mr H mT+i! 10t S ° me ™y stery or secret meaning in 
 the mingling the water with the wine in the chalice ? 
 
 ’„ y es, it represents to us, first the union of the hu- 
 
 2dW th d dlV - nS ”r at ' lre in the P erson of Son of God • 
 S’ t tbe un)on of the faithful with Christ their head ; 
 
 Christ 6 Wat6r and bl °° d tbat flowed from the side of 
 
 the Q rnalTir y nf 1 l 0Ur L ° rd appoint bread and wi «e for 
 tne matter or this sacrament? 
 
 imftothe wf USe br ? d and wine ’ bei ng- mostnourish- 
 
 gTace* of this sa’ W6re . he P ro P er to represent the 
 
 ment of thf/n i ram om t ’ wblch 13 the food and nourish- 
 ment of the soul. 2dly, Because bread and wine are 
 
 Gra h nes°Se d ° f , man y individuals, (viz. Grains or 
 
 therefore a = d th°"t c P u rfect Union of them a11 5 “d 
 
 r . e ’ as the holy fathers take notice, are a most 
 
 Chn * 1 . yp6 i °/ Symbo1 °f Christ’s mystical body the 
 
 mend°to Zl !T y , which our Lo " d ™ld reLm! 
 
 that of St. Paul i'cor bhl ® * ac ™™ ent —■According to 
 
 to ” *™ *>' P«*™ Pf 
 
 bvthe^itw °i b c r thin ?. 3 , are signified or represented | 
 by the outward forms of bread and wine in this sacra- , 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. They are chiefly designed to signify or represent 
 to us three things; the one now past, viz. the passion 
 of Christ, of which they are the remembrance : an¬ 
 other really present, viz. the body and blood of Christ, 
 of which they are the veil i a third to come, viz. ev* 
 erlasting life* of which they are the pledge. 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Of Communion in one Kind. 
 
 n 
 
 Q,. Why do not the faithful in the Catholic Church 
 receive under the form of wine, as well as under the 
 form of bread ? 
 
 A. The Catholic Church has always looked upon it 
 to be a thing indifferent, whether the faithful receive 
 in one kind or both ; because she has always believed 
 that they receive Jesus Christ himself, the fountain of 
 all grace, as much in one kind as in both : but her cus¬ 
 tom and discipline for many ages has been to adminis¬ 
 ter this sacrament to the laity only in one kind, viz. un¬ 
 der the form of bread, by reason of the danger of spill¬ 
 ing the blood of Christ, if all were to receive the cup, 
 which discipline was confirmed by the general Coun¬ 
 cil of Constance in opposition to the Hussites, who had 
 the rashness to condemn, in this point, the practice ot 
 the universal Church. 
 
 Q,. Did the Catholic Church never allow of the com 
 munion in both kinds ? 
 
 A. She did, and may again, if she pleases ; for this 
 is a matter of discipline, which the Church may regu¬ 
 late or alter, as she shall see most expedient for the 
 good of her children. 
 
 Q. What do you mean, when you say, this is a mat¬ 
 ter of discipline ; I thought communion of one kind 
 had been looked upon in the Catholic Church as a mat¬ 
 ter of faith ? 
 
 A. You must distinguish in this case between that 
 which is of faith, and that which is of discipline only. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 77 
 
 It is a matter of faith, that under one kind we receive 
 Chnst whole and entire, and the true sacrament; and 
 that there is no command of Christ for all the faithful 
 
 LT e r^u b °* kdlds : So far both is and ^er was 
 SfaMflb Church ; for her faith is unal- 
 
 t^rable. But then, whether the blessed sacrament 
 should actually be administered to the laity in one kind 
 or in both, that is to say, what is most proper or expe¬ 
 dient for the Church to practise or ordain in this par¬ 
 ticular, considering the circumstances of time, place, 
 &c.! this is what I call a matter of discipline, which 
 may be different in different ages, without any altera- 
 tion of the faith of the Church. 
 
 , dld i^t Christ command the receiving in 
 
 both kinds, St. Matt. xxvi. 27, ‘ Drink ye all of it ?’ 
 
 A. 1 hese words were addressed to the twelve Apos¬ 
 tles, who were all that were then present; and the pre- 
 
 , th6m a “ ful f ed 5 ‘And they all drank of 
 it. St. Mark xiv. 23. Now it is certain, that many 
 thmgs were spoken in the gospel to the Apostles in 
 
 ° f the Church > "' hich were not di¬ 
 rected to the laity; as when they were commissioned 
 
 to preach and baptize, St. Matt, xxviii. 19, 20, and to 
 absolve sinners, St. John xx. 22, and upon this very oc¬ 
 casion to do what Christ had done; that is, to conse- 
 rate and administer this sacrament in remembrance of 
 him, St. Luke xxn. 19. And consequently, it is no ar¬ 
 gument that all are obliged to drink of the cup, be¬ 
 cause Christ commanded all the Apostles to drink of it: 
 ”° “°[ e , than tha ‘ f 11 . are obliged to consecrate the sac- 
 
 d?fit nt ’-p beC K U l e f lnst comrnanded all the Apostles to 
 CIO it. 101 both these commands were delivered at the 
 
 person™ 6 ' Up0 " ** ^ occasion ’ and t0 the same 
 
 « n ™\h»l W } ly Sh ° Ul , d the A P° stles - and their succes¬ 
 sors, the bishops and priests of the Church be com- 
 
 whv d6 h d t u d rm k ° f the CUp rather than 1116 lait y ? Or 
 ■why should Christ, at the first institution of the sacra- 
 
 ent, consecrate and give it in both kinds, if all Chris- 
 
 ns were not always to receive it in both kinds ? 
 
 A. 1 o satisfy both these queries at once, you are to 
 
78 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 take notice that the blessed eucharist, according to the 
 faitli of the Catholic Church, and as we shall show here¬ 
 after, is a sacrifice as well as a sacrament; and of this 
 sacrifice, by the institution of Christ, the Apostles, and 
 their successors, the bishops and priests of the Church, 
 are the ministers ; whom he has commanded to offer it 
 in remembrance of his death, St. Luke xxii. 19. Now 
 this sacrifice in remembrance of Christ’s death, for the 
 more lively representing the separation of Christ’s 
 blood from his body, requires the separate consecration 
 of both kinds, and therefore the priests, that are the 
 ministers of this sacrifice, receive at that time in both 
 kinds, and Christ, in the first institution of this sacri¬ 
 fice, consecrated and gave both kinds, designing with¬ 
 out doubt that it should be so received, at least by the 
 ministers. 
 
 Q,. But why should not the nature of the sacrament 
 as much require both kinds to be received by all, as the 
 nature of the sacrifice requires both kinds to be conse¬ 
 crated ? 
 
 A. Because the nature of the sacrament consists in 
 being the sign and cause of grace; now under either 
 kind there is both a sufficient sign of grace, viz. of the 
 nourishment of the soul, and at the same time the foun¬ 
 tain and cause of all grace, by the real presence of 
 Christ, in whom are locked up all the treasures of 
 grace ; so that the nature of the sacrament sufficiently 
 subsists in cither kind. But the nature of the sacrifice 
 particularly requires the exhibiting to God, the body 
 and blood of his Son, under the veils that represent the 
 shedding of his blood, and his death; and therefore, 
 the nature of the sacrifice requires the separate conse¬ 
 cration of both kinds ; which, being consecrated, must 
 be received by some one, and by no one more properly 
 than bv the minister. 
 
 Q. Does not Christ say, St John Vi. 53, ‘ Except ye 
 eat of the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, 
 ye shall not have life in you ?’ 
 
 A. He does : and in the same chapter, ver. 57, 58, he 
 tells us, ‘He that eatetli me, even he shall live by me j 
 and, he that eateth of this bread 6hall live forever*’ 
 
TUB CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 79 
 
 Which texts are easily reconciled, if we consider that 
 according" to the Catholic doctrine, and according to 
 the truth, whosoever receives the body of Christ most 
 certainly receives his blood at the same time; since the 
 body,, which he receives, is a living body, (for Christ 
 
 C i an ^| e n ° more ’ R° m » 9,) which cannot be without 
 the blood. There is no taking Christ by pieces ; who¬ 
 ever receives him, receives him whole. 
 
 Q,. But are not the faithful deprived of a great part 
 of the grace of this sacrament, by receiving only in one 
 
 A. No: because the grace of this sacrament beino* 
 annexed to the real presence of Christ, who is the foun¬ 
 tain of all grace; and Christ, being as truly and really 
 present in one kind as in both, consequently he brino-s 
 with him the same grace to the soul, when received in 
 one kind, as he does when received in both. 
 
 Q. Is it not then a privilege, granted to the priests 
 above the laity, to receive in both kinds ? 
 
 A ‘ N °;7 heir receivin £ in b( ^th kinds, as often as 
 they say Mass, is no privilege, but the consequence of 
 the sacrifice which they have been offering as youmav 
 gather from what I have told you already": For, as for 
 other times, when they are not saying Mass, no priest, 
 bishop or pope, even upon his death-bed, ever receives 
 otherwise than in one kind. 
 
 O'* blave you any thing more to add in favour of 
 communion in one kind ? 
 
 A. Yes; 1st, That the scripture in many places, 
 speaking of the holy communion, makes no mention of 
 the cup. See St. Luke xxiv. 30, 31. Acts ii. 42, 46, 
 xx. /. 1 Cor. x. 17. 2dly, That the scripture promises 
 . e eternal t0 th em that receive in one kind, St. John 
 vi. 51, 57, 58. 3dly, That the ancient Church most 
 certainly allowed of communion in one kind, and prac¬ 
 tised it on many occasions. See Tertullian, L. 2 ad 
 Uxorem, c. 5; St. Denys of Alexandria, Epist. ad Fabi- 
 um Antioch, recorded by Eusebius, L. 6, Histor. c. 34: 
 St. Cyprian, L. de Lapis; St. Basil, Epist. 269; St. Am’ 
 JET d eSatyro Fratre ; Paulinus in Vita Ambrosii, &c 4 
 Sthly, That many learned Protestants have acknowh 
 
80 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 edged, that there is no command in scripture for all to 
 receive in both kinds. See Luther, in his epistle to the 
 Bohemians ; Spalatensis de Rep. Eccles. L. 5. c. 6 ; 
 Bishop Forbes, L. 2 de Eucharist, c. 1,2; White, Bish¬ 
 op of Ely, Treatise on the Sabbath, p. 79 ; Bishop Mon¬ 
 tagu, Orig. p. 79. 
 
 Q,. But what would you say further to a scrupulous 
 soul, which, through the prejudice of a Protestant edu¬ 
 cation, could not be perfectly easy upon this article ? 
 
 A. I should remit such a person to the Church and 
 her authority, and to all those divine promises recorded 
 in scripture, by which we are assured, that in hearing 
 the Church and her pastors, we are secure ; that Christ 
 and his holy Spirit shall be always with them, to guide 
 them into all truth; and that the gates of hell shall 
 never prevail against this authority. So that a Chris¬ 
 tian soul has nothing to fear, in conforming herself to 
 the authority and practice of the Church of God; but 
 very much in pretending to be wiser than the Church, 
 or making a scruple to hear and obey her spiritual 
 guides. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Of the Manner of administering this blessed Sacra¬ 
 ment : Of Devotion before and after Communion: 
 
 Of the Obligations of receiving it; and of its Ef¬ 
 fects . 
 
 Q. In what manner is the blessed eucharist admin¬ 
 istered to the people ? 
 
 A. After the communion of the priest in the Mass, 
 such of the people as are to communicate, go up to the 
 rail before the altar, and there kneel down; and taking 
 the towel, hold it before their breasts, in such manner, 
 that if, in communicating, it should happen that any par¬ 
 ticle should fall, it may not fall to the ground, but be 
 received upon the towel. Then the clerk, in the name 
 of all the communicants, says the Contiteor, or the gen- 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 81 
 
 era! form of confession, by which they accuse them¬ 
 selves of all their sins to God, to the whole court of 
 
 * nf r T est tbe Prayers and intercession of 
 both the triumphant and militant Church. After which 
 
 < P" est h tu ™V ] ? t ? wards th e communicants, says : 
 May the Almighty God have mercy on you, and 
 
 Amen 6 ’ y ° U y ° Ur Slns ’ and brin ° f 011 to everlasting life. 
 
 ‘May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant you 
 Amen 1 ’ abso utlon and remission of all your sms. 
 
 tbe taking the particles of the blessed 
 
 nmltrn 1 ’ whlch ar . e designed for the communicants, 
 and holding one of them, which he elevates a little over 
 
 me pix or paten, pronouncing the following words: 
 
 nT-bth n ^v Be \ that is ’ ‘ Behold the'Lamb of 
 God. behold he who taketh away the sins of the world.’ 
 
 &r ’ that [ ep ( e T ats * b £ ee tlmes > ‘ Domine non sum dignus, 
 
 enter nmw L ° rd ’ J am , worth y that thou shouldst 
 enter under my roof: speak but only the word, and my 
 
 soul shall be healed.’ After which he distributes the 
 
 holy communion, making the sign of the cross with the 
 
 one Se < C CVi ted Pa n‘ Cle “ P ° n 6ach one > and saying to each 
 r n \ Corpus Domini nostn, Sfc .’ ‘ The body of our 
 
 iner Amen^ lrlSt preServe soul unto life everlast- 
 
 istSmlto W tt\“ eriS 1116 WeSSed sacrament adn ™ 
 
 A. The Catholic Church has always practised the 
 
 eudnrkff 30 " 16 cons ? crated particles of the blessed 
 euchanst for communicating the sick ; and where she 
 
 njoys free exercise of religion, takes care that this 
 
 lessed sacrament be carried to them with a religious 
 
 come s n '^’ H ten f d r th h # hts ’ &c - When the paries? 
 comes into the chamber where the sick person lies he 
 
 •says, ‘peace be to this house.’ Ans ‘And to ah 
 
 that dwell therein. ’ Then setting down the pix with 
 
 ?ov5 S l Sa T“!' Up °" the table ’ which must be 
 covered with a clean linen cloth, he takes holy water 
 
 spniikles the sick person and the chamber, saying 
 
 ‘Asperges, &c.’ ‘Thou shall sprinkle me, O Lorfj 
 
82 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed : thou shalt wash 
 me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.’ Psal. 1. 
 Have mercy on me, O God, according’ to thy great 
 mercy. Glory be to the Father, &c., Then he again 
 repeats the Anthem, 4 Thou shalt sprinkle me, &c.’ 
 After which he adds, 4 Our help is in the name of 
 the Lord.’ Ans. Who made heaven and earth. 
 Priest. O Lord, hear my prayer. Ans. And let my 
 cry some unto thee. Priest. The Lord be with you. 
 Ans. And with thy spirit. Priest. Let us pray. 
 
 THE PRAYER. 
 
 O Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, 
 graciously hear us ; and vouchsafe to send thy holy 
 angel from heaven, to guard, to cherish, protect, visit, 
 and defend all that dwell in this habitation, through 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Then the priest, coming to the sick person, endeav¬ 
 ors to dispose him, and to prepare him for receiving 
 the blessed sacrament; and, if he has any sin upon 
 his conscience, hears his confession, and absolves him. 
 After which the sick person, or some other in his 
 name, says the Confiteor ; and the priest says, 4 May 
 the Almighty God have mercy on thee, &c.’ as above. 
 4 Behold the Lamb of God, &c.’ 4 Lord, I am not wor¬ 
 thy, &c.’ And in giving the blessed sacrament, if it 
 be by way of Viaticum, or preparation for death, he 
 says, 4 Receive, brother, (or sister,) the Viaticum of the 
 body of our Lord Jesus Christ, who may guard thee 
 from the wicked enemy, and bring thee to everlasting 
 life. Amen.’ But if the sick person be not in danger 
 of death, the priest, in giving the blessed sacrament, 
 pronounces the usual form ; 4 May the body of our 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul to life everlasting. 
 Amen.’ 
 
 After which the priest says the following prayer: 
 
 O Holy Lord, Almighty Father, eternal God, we 
 beseech thee with faith, that the sacred body of our 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 83 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ thy Son may be available to this 
 our brother (or sister) that has received it as a med 
 cine to eternity, both for body and soul • throue-h the 
 
 wUh r fhee SUS t C h hrist - th y Son ’ who liveth andfeign- 
 and eveJ Amen ° f the Ghost - ^ever 
 
 of the ^lessp'd'"^ remaln ln ,be P* x an y other particles 
 e bJ essed sacrament, the priest gives the bene- 
 
 So°unceftr ith * he sick Won: otherwise he 
 
 p onounces the usual blessino- making- the sio-n nf 
 
 and saying, ‘ May the blessing of Almighty God 
 
 Sion S "; * ni “» '*»'!■ 4S 
 
 f • n wbat disposition of soul is a person obliged 
 ment? ° rder l ° r6Ceive Wortbil J the blessed sS 
 
 fre^'at^lpait ,. obb g® d to be in the state of grace, and 
 
 from the ^uiltT ? , U r'f ° f m ° rtal sin -• ^at is to say, 
 of weioht of the p ny W transgression, in any matter 
 Thereal’ ,f * f le co “dments of God, or his Church. 
 
 ?u It of °"ta] t ‘ S ’ 6CaUSe a 80111 tbat is under ‘he 
 fhe devil and ti V" e " e my to G odj and a slave to 
 for a so, lin th Jt would be a ^ievous crime 
 
 and Mnnd State , t0 P resu >ne to receive tlie body 
 
 of St Paul°l Carpi’ oq 110 * 1 ’ fucording to the doctrine 
 ao herself. ’ ° 29, would be receiving damnation 
 
 so greaTan evi] 6 ? “ * PerS ° n t0 d ° in order to Prevent 
 
 himself- 1 ’ y ° U ’ l C °^ xL 28 ’ that be is to ‘try 
 
 48 *»•rr~ni.2*2 
 
 And wt| at, if upon examination, he finds his rnn 
 science charged with any weighty matter ? 
 
 ... ‘r>k ® "! USt take care to discharge it, in the manner 
 that Christ has appointed, viz. by a hearty r ne t-mce 
 
 soul to C th re COnfesslon >• la y‘ n g open the state of his 
 
 John y “ wh red JUdgeS to whora Cbrist said, St. 
 John xx. 2o, Whose sms you shall forgive, they are 
 
84 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 forgiven; and whose sins you shall retain, they are re¬ 
 tained.’ 
 
 Q,. What else is required of a person that is to re¬ 
 ceive the blessed sacrament ? 
 
 A. He must be fasting, at least from midnight; for 
 so the Church commands, agreeable to a most ancient 
 and apostolical tradition. So that if, through inadver¬ 
 tence, a person has taken any thing, though it were no 
 more than one drop or crumb, after twelve o’clock at 
 night, he must by no means receive that day; it would 
 be a crime to attempt it. 
 
 Q. Is there no exception from this rule ? 
 
 A. Yes, the case of danger of approaching death is 
 excepted; for then persons are permitted to receive 
 the blessed sacrament by way of Viaticum, though 
 they are not fasting. 
 
 Q,. What kind of devotion do you recommend to a 
 Christian that is preparing himself for the holy com¬ 
 munion ? 
 
 A. Besides the clearing his conscience from sin by 
 a good confession, I recommend to him, 1st, To think 
 well on the great work he has in hand, to consider at¬ 
 tentively who he is, and who it is that he is preparing 
 to receive, and earnestly to beg of God to make him 
 worthy. 2dly, To propose to himself a pure intention, 
 viz. the honour of God, and the health of his own soul; 
 and in particular, that by worthily receiving Christ, he 
 may come to a happy union with him, according to that 
 of St. John vi. 56, ‘He that eateth my flesh, and 
 drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.’ 3dly, 
 To meditate on the sufferings and death of his Re¬ 
 deemer, in compliance with that command of our Lord, 
 St. Luke xxii. 19, ‘ Do this in remembrance of me.’ 
 4thly, To prepare himself by acts of virtue, more es¬ 
 pecially of faith, love, and humility ; that so he may 
 approach to his Lord with a firm belief of his real pres¬ 
 ence in this sacrament, and of his death and passion, 
 with an ardent affection of love to him who has so 
 much loved us, and with a great sentiment of his own 
 unworthiness and sins, joined with a firm confidence 
 in the mercies of his Redeemer. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 85 
 
 Q. What ought to be a Christian’s behavior at the 
 time of receiving this blessed sacrament ? 
 
 A. As to the interior, he ought to have his soul at 
 that time full of the sentiments we have just now 
 mentioned of faith, love, and humility. And as to the 
 exterior, he ought to have his head erect, his eyes 
 modestly cast down, his mouth moderately open, and 
 his tongue a little advanced on his under-lip, that so 
 the priest may conveniently put the sacred host on his 
 tongue, which he must gently convey into his mouth, 
 and after having moistened it for a moment or two on 
 his tongue, swallow it as soon as he can, in all which 
 he is carefully to avoid, 1st, The putting his mouth to 
 the towel; 2dly, The chewing with his teeth, or raising 
 the host to the roof of his mouth ; 3dly, The letting the 
 sacred particle quite dissolve in his mouth; 4thly, The 
 spitting soon after communion. But if the particle 
 should happen to stick to the roof of his mouth, let 
 him not be disturbed, nor put his finger in his mouth 
 to remove it; but gently remove it with his tongue as 
 soon as he can, and so convey it down. 
 
 Q. What devotion do you recommend after com¬ 
 munion ? 
 
 A. 1st, Adoration, praise and thanksgiving, in order 
 to welcome our dear Saviour upon his coming under 
 our roof. He,re then let the soul cast herself at the 
 feet of her Lord: let her, like Magdalen, wash them 
 in spirit with her tears; or, if she dares presume so 
 high, let her embrace him with the Spouse in the Can¬ 
 ticles, and say, 4 I have found him whom my soul loves ; 
 
 I will hold him, and shall not let him go.’ Let her, 
 like the royal prophet, invite all heaven and earth to 
 join with her in praising her Lord ; and let her excite 
 all her powers to welcome him. 2dly, I recommend 
 to the devout communicant to make a present or offer¬ 
 ing to Christ, in return for his having given himself. 
 The present that he expects is our heart and soul, 
 which, with all its faculties, ought on this occasion to 
 be offered and consecrated to our Lord. 3dly, At this 
 time the soul ought to lay all her necessities before her 
 Redeemer, and not neglect so favorable a conjuncture 
 
86 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 of suing for his mercy and grace, both for herself and 
 the whole world; for those more especially whom she 
 is in particular obliged to pray for: and above all 
 things let her pray, that nothing in life or death may 
 ever separate her from the love of him whom she has 
 here received, and chosen for her Lord and Spouse for¬ 
 ever. 
 
 Q,. What do you think of those that spend little 
 or no time in recollection and devotion after commun¬ 
 ion ? 
 
 A. I think they put an affront upon Christ in so 
 quickly turning their backs upon him; and that they 
 Avrong their own souls, which by this neglect are robbed 
 of those graces and comforts which they would have 
 received if they had staid in his company. 
 
 Q. Have you any thing more to recommend after 
 communion ? 
 
 A. I have this to recommend with regard to the 
 whole following day, that a person take care to be more 
 than ordinarily recollected, and very much upon his 
 guard against the snares of the enemy, who is never 
 more busy than upon this occasion to fling some temp¬ 
 tation or provocation in a Christian’s way, by which he 
 may disturb the soul, and rob her of the treasure w r hich 
 she has received ; and therefore it behoves Christians 
 to be cautious against this wicked enemy and all his 
 stratagems, lest by putting us into a passion, or other¬ 
 wise drawing us into sin, he quickly put Christ out of 
 our souls. 
 
 If you desire to be more perfectly instructed in what 
 relates to this blessed sacrament, and the devotion that 
 is proper before and after communion, I refer you to 
 Father Lewis de Granada’s Memorial of a Christian 
 Life, book III. Dr. Gobinet’s second volume of the In¬ 
 struction of Youth ; or Mr. Gother’s little book of In¬ 
 structions and Devotions for Confession and Commun¬ 
 ion. 
 
 Q. Are all Christians that are come to the years of 
 discretion, under an obligation of receiving this sacra¬ 
 ment? 
 
 A. They certainly are, 1st, By a divine precept or 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 87 
 
 commandment of Christ, St. John vi. 54. < Except you 
 eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, 
 you shall not have life in you.’ Which precept obliges 
 to the receiving sometime at least in our life, and at our 
 death. 2dly, By a precept or commandment of the 
 Church published in the great Council of Lateran, anno 
 1215 ; by which all the faithful are obliged to receive 
 at least once a year, and that within the Easter-time, 
 (which begins on Palm-Sunday and lasts till Low-Sun- 
 day) except the person, by the advice of his pastor, 
 should, for some just reason, be permitted to put off his 
 communion till another time. 
 
 Q,. What is the penalty imposed by this council on 
 such as neglect their Easter communion ? 
 
 A. The council orders that such offenders should be 
 excluded the Church, and, if they die in this transgres¬ 
 sion, be deprived of Christian burial. 
 
 Q. Are persons then actually excommunicated that 
 neglect their Easter communion ? 
 
 A. No, they are not, till superiors pronounce the sen¬ 
 tence of excommunication against them: because the 
 council does not actually inflict this penalty, but only 
 orders or authorizes the inflicting of it. 
 
 Q. If a person has passed by the time of Easter, or 
 was hindered from communicating at that time, is he 
 obliged to communicate afterwards, as soon as he can ? 
 
 A. Yes, he is ; at least if you speak of one that has 
 been a whole year without communicating; for the 
 Church precept obliges to the receiving at least once a 
 year. For the same reason, a person that has not been 
 at communion within a year, and foresees that he shall 
 be hindered at Easter, ought to anticipate his Paschal 
 communion, by receiving beforehand. 
 
 Q,. And what if a person has made a sacrilegious 
 communion at Easter, has such a one satisfied the pre¬ 
 cept of the Church P 
 
 A. No, certainly. (See the 55th proposition con¬ 
 demned by Innocent XI.) And therefore such a one 
 remains obliged to communion, in the same manner as 
 if he had not communicated at all. 
 
S8 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. At what age are Christians obliged by the pre 
 cept of the Church to communicate ? 
 
 A. As soon as they come to the years of discretion, 
 as it is expressed in the Council of Lateran : that is, 
 when they have that perfect use of reason, and are so 
 well instructed in their duty as to be able to discern the 
 body of the Lord, and to receive it with due reverence 
 and devotion. Now this happens in some earlier, in 
 others later; but seldom earlier than about ten years of 
 age. 
 
 CL But what if a child, that is between seven and ten 
 years of age, should be in evident danger of death ? 
 
 A. Many divines are of opinion, if such a one be 
 come to the use of reason (which is commonly presum¬ 
 ed after seven years of age) that he may, or even ought 
 to receive, because of the command of Christ, St. John 
 vi. 54. So Saurez, Navarrus, &c. 
 
 Q. What are the effects of this blessed sacrament in 
 the worthy receivers ? 
 
 A. It is the food, nourishment, strength, and life of 
 the soul, by supplying it with sanctifying grace, by re¬ 
 pairing its forces, by arming it against its passions and 
 concupiscences, by maintaining it at present in the life 
 of grace, and bringing it to life and glory everlasting; 
 according to that of St. John vi. 51, ‘The bread that 
 I will give is my flesh, for the life of the worldand 
 ver. 58, ‘ He that eateth of thi3 bread shall live for¬ 
 ever.’ 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 i 
 
 Of the Worship of Christ in this Sacrament: where also 
 of Benedictions and Processions, 
 
 Q. What kind of honor is due to this blessed sac¬ 
 rament ? 
 
 A. Divine honour and adoration, inasmuch as it con¬ 
 tains truly and really the divine Person of Jesus Christ, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 89 
 
 the Son of God ; who, as he is truly God, ought most 
 certainly to be adored, wheresoever he is. 
 
 Q. Is there no danger of idolatry in this practice ? 
 
 A. No, certainly ; because this honour is not paid to 
 the outward veil, or the sacramental signs, but to Jesus 
 Christ, who lies hidden there: now Jesus Christ is no 
 idol, but the true and living God. 
 
 Q,. But if the doctrine of the real presence and tran- 
 substantiation should not be true, should we not then at 
 least be guilty of idolatry P 
 
 A. We are as positively certain, by divine faith, of 
 the truth of the doctrine of the real presence, and of 
 transubstantiation, as Protestants can be of the divin¬ 
 ity of Jesus Christ; and therefore we are as much out 
 of the reach of the danger of idolatry, in worshipping 
 Christ in this sacrament, as they are in worshipping him 
 in heaven. I shall add, for their further satisfaction, 
 that some of their best divines have discharged us from 
 all danger of idolatry in worshipping Christ in this sac¬ 
 rament; as they may find in Dr. Jeremy Taylor’s Lib¬ 
 erty of Prophesying, sect. 20, numb. 26, and Mr. Thorn¬ 
 dike’s Just Weights and Measures, ch. 19, p. 125. Dr. 
 Taylor’s words on this subject deserves to be remark¬ 
 ed. He writes as follows, “ Idolatry is a forsaking the 
 true God, and giving divine worship to a creature, or 
 to an idol; that is, to an imaginary God.— Now it is 
 evident that the object of their (the Catholics’) adora¬ 
 tion, in the blessed sacrament, is the only true and 
 eternal God, hypostatically joined with his holy hu¬ 
 manity, which humanity they believe actually present, 
 under the veil of the sacramental signs. And if they 
 thought him not present, they are so far from wor 
 shipping the bread in this case, that themselves pro¬ 
 fess it idolatry to do so. Which is a demonstration 
 that their soul has nothing in it that is idolatrical; the 
 will has nothing in it but what is a great enemy to 
 idolatry; and nothing burns in hell but proper will.” 
 So far this learned Protestant prelate. 
 
 Q,. Why does the Catholic Church reserve the bless¬ 
 ed sacrament in her churches ? 
 
 She reserves the blessed sacrament in tabernacles 
 
 8 * 
 
90 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 upon her altar partly that she may have it there to carry 
 to the sick at all hours, whenever they shall be in need 
 of it; and partly for the comfort of her children, who 
 by this means have Jesus Christ always amongst them, 
 and may come when they please to visit him. Thi3 
 custom of reserving the blessed sacrament, is as ancient 
 as Christianity, as appears from the most* certain mon¬ 
 uments of antiquity. And it is upon account of the 
 blessed sacrament, reserved in the tabernacle, that a 
 lamp hangs before the altar to burn there day and night, 
 and that we kneel as often as we pass before the taber¬ 
 nacle. 
 
 Q. Why is the blessed sacrament, upon certain days, 
 exposed to the view of the people in remonstrance set 
 up upon the altar ? 
 
 A. It is to invite the people to come there to adore 
 Jesus Christ, and to excite in them a greater devotion 
 by the sight of their Lord, veiled in these sacred mys¬ 
 teries. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the benediction given 
 on certain days ? 
 
 A. It is a devotion practised by the Church, in order 
 to give adoration, praise and thanksgiving to God, for 
 his infinite goodness and love, testified to us in the in¬ 
 stitution of this blessed sacrament, and to receive at 
 the same time the benediction or blessing of our Lord 
 here present. 
 
 Q,. Why is the blessed sacrament sometimes carried 
 in solemn procession through the streets ? 
 
 A. To honour our Lord there present with a kind of 
 triumph, and thereby to make him some sort of amends 
 for the injuries and affronts which are so frequently of¬ 
 fered to this divine sacrament; and to obtain his bless¬ 
 ing for all those places through which he passes. 
 
 •Tertullian 1. 2, ad Uxorem, c. 5j St Cyprian, I. de Lap- 
 sis, tec. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 91 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Of the Sacrifice of the Mass . 
 
 Q. What do you mean by the Mass ? 
 
 A. The Mass is the liturgy of the Catholic Church, 
 and consists in the consecration of the bread and wine 
 into the body and blood of Christ, and the offering up 
 of the same body and blood to God, by the ministry of 
 the priest, for a perpetual memorial of Christ’s sacrifice 
 upon the cross, and a continuation of the same to the 
 end of the world. 
 
 Q,. Why is this liturgy called the Mass ? 
 
 A. Some think this word is derived from the Hebrew 
 word missach , Deut. xvi. which signifies a voluntary of¬ 
 fering ; others are of opinion, that it is derived from the 
 misla , or missio , that is, from the dismission of the cat¬ 
 echumens and others, who were not permitted ancient¬ 
 ly to be present at this sacrifice. But be this as it will, 
 the name is of very ancient use in the Church, as ap¬ 
 pears from St. Ambrose, 1. 2, Epist. 14, ad Soronem; 
 St. Leo, Epist. 81, ad Dioscorum; and St. Gregory, 
 Horn. 6, in Evangelia. 
 
 Q. Is the Mass properly a sacrifice ? 
 
 A. Yes, it is. 
 
 Q. What do you mean by a sacrifice ? 
 
 A. A sacrifice, properly so called, is an oblation or 
 offering of some sensible thing made to God by a law¬ 
 ful minister, to acknowledge by the destruction or oth¬ 
 er change in the thing offered, the sovereign power of 
 God, and to render him the homage due to his supreme 
 Majesty. 
 
 Q,. How then is the Mass a sacrifice ? 
 
 A. Because it is an oblation of the body and blood 
 of Jesus Christ, offered under the outward and sensible 
 signs of bread and wine to God, by the ministry of the 
 priests of the Church, lawfully consecrated and em¬ 
 powered by Christ; and this oblation is accompanied 
 with a real change and destruction of the bread and 
 wine, by the consecration of them into the body and 
 
92 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 blood of Christ, and a real exhibiting of Christ our vic¬ 
 tim, heretofore immolated upon the cross, and hem 
 mystically dying in the separate consecration of the 
 two different species ; and this oblation is made to God 
 to acknowledge his sovereign power, to render him our 
 homage, and for all the other ends for which the sacri¬ 
 fice is offered to his divine Majesty 
 
 Q. What are the ends for which sacriflcs of old wat 
 offered, and is still to be offerea to God ? 
 
 A. For these four ends: 1st, For God’s own honour 
 and glory, by acknowledging his sovereignty and pay¬ 
 ing him our homage ; 2dly, To give God thanks for all 
 his blessings; 3dly, To beg pardon for our sms ; 4thly, 
 To obtain grace and all blessings from his divine Maj¬ 
 esty. 
 
 Q,. Have the servants of God, from the beginning of 
 the wmrld, been always accustomed to honour him with 
 sacrifices ? 
 
 A. Yes, they have. Witness the sacrifice of Abel, 
 Gen. iv. the sacrifice of Noah, Gen. viii. the sacrifice 
 of Melchisedec, Gen. xiv. the sacrifices of Abraham, 
 Gen. xv. and xxii. the sacrifices of Job, ch. i. and xln, 
 and the many different kinds of sacrifices prescribed in 
 the law of Moses. Of these ancient sacrifices some 
 were holocausts, or whole burnt-offerings, in which the 
 victim or host was wholly consumed by fire, and thereby 
 given fully to God without reserve for the more per¬ 
 fect acknowledgment of his sovereignty. Others were 
 sin-offerings or sacrifices offered for sins : others were 
 pacific or peace-offerings; and these w r ere either offer¬ 
 ed in thanksgiving for blessings received, or forobtain- 
 ing of graces and favours from the divine Majesty 
 Again, some were bloody sacrifices, in which the vie 
 tim was slain; others unbloody, as the sacrifice of Mel¬ 
 chisedec, which was bread and wine, Gen. xiv. the sac¬ 
 rifices of fine flour with oil and frankincense, of un¬ 
 leavened cakes, &c., prescribed Levit. ii. of the scape 
 goat, Levit xvi. &c. 
 
 Q. Were these sacrifices of the law of nature, and 
 of the law of Moses agreeable to the divine Majesty ? 
 
 A. They were, as often as they were accompanied 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 93 
 
 with the inward sacrifice of the heart; not for any vir¬ 
 tue or efficacy that they had in themselves, as being 
 but weak and needy elements, but in view of the sac¬ 
 rifice of Christ, of which they all were types and fig¬ 
 ures, and in consideration of the faith of those that of¬ 
 fered them, by which they believed in a Redeemer to 
 come, whose blood alone was capable to reconcile them 
 to God. 
 
 Q,. Why are all these sacrifices now abolished ? 
 
 A. Because thev were but figures of the sacrifice of 
 Christ, and therefore were to give place to his sacri¬ 
 fice, as figures to the truth. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that these ancient sacrifices 
 had no power nor efficacy of themselves, and were to 
 make way for another sacrifice, viz. that of Christ? 
 
 A. This is evident from many texts of scripture ; 1 
 shall only alledge one at present, viz. Psalm xxxix. 
 spoken in the person of Christ to his Father : 4 Sacri¬ 
 fice and oblation thou wouldst not; but ears thou hast 
 perfected to me, (or as St. Paul reads it, Heb. x. 5, a 
 body thou hast prepared for me) holocaust and sin of¬ 
 fering thou didst not require, then said I, behold I 
 come.’ 
 
 Q. What is then the sacrifice of Christians under 
 the new law ? 
 
 A. We have no other sacrifice but that of Christ, 
 which he once offered upon the cross ; and daily offers 
 by the ministry of his priests upon the altar in the eu- 
 charist. 
 
 Q. Is the sacrifice of the cross and that of the eu- 
 charist the same sacrifice, or two distinct sacrifices ? 
 
 A. It is the same sacrifice; because the victim is the 
 selfsame, viz. Jesus Christ; and the priest or princi¬ 
 pal offerer is also the selfsame Jesus Christ: it was he 
 that offered himself upon the cross : it is he that offers 
 himself upon the altar. The only difference is in the 
 manner of the offering ; because in the sacrifice of the 
 cross, Christ really died, and therefore that was a 
 bloody sacrifice; in the sacrifice of the altar, he only 
 dies mystically, and therefore this is an unbloody sac¬ 
 rifice ; I say he dies mystically, inasmuch as his death 
 
94 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 is represented in the consecrating apart the bread and 
 wine, to denote the shedding of his sacred blood, from 
 his body, at the time of his death. 
 
 Q. Why do you say, that Jesus Christ is the priest 
 that offers the sacrifice of the altar, since there is al¬ 
 ways another priest to perform this office ? 
 
 A. Because the priest that officiates in the Mass, of¬ 
 ficiates as Christ’s vicegerent, and in his Person; and 
 therefore when he comes to the consecration of the el¬ 
 ements, in which this sacrifice essentially consists, he 
 speaks not in his own name, but in the name and per¬ 
 son of Christ, saying, ‘ This is my body, this is the cha¬ 
 lice of my blood, &c.’ So that Christ himself is the 
 principal priest; the officiant only acts by his authority, 
 in his name and person. 
 
 Q,. But what need was there of the sacrifice of the 
 altar, since we are fully redeemed by the sacrifice of 
 the cross ? 
 
 A. 1st, That we might have in the sacrifice of the 
 altar a standing memorial of the death of Christ. 2dly, 
 That by the sacrifice of the altar the fruit of his death 
 might daily be applied to our souls. 3dly, That his 
 children might have, till the end of the world, an ex¬ 
 ternal sacrifice, in which they might join together in the 
 outward worship of religion, as the servants of God 
 from the beginning of the world had always done. 
 4thly, That in and by this sacrifice they might unite 
 themselves daily with their high-priest and victim 
 Christ Jesus, and daily answer the four ends of sacri¬ 
 fice. 
 
 Q,. What proofs have you that the Mass is properly 
 a sacrifice ? 
 
 A. Because as we learn from many plain texts of 
 scripture, quoted in the foregoing chapter, and from the 
 perpetual tradition of the universal church, in the con¬ 
 secration of the holy eucharist, the bread and wine are 
 really changed into the body and blood of Christ; and 
 consequently in and by this consecration, the real body 
 and blood of Christ our victim, which for us was im¬ 
 molated upon the cross, is in the Mass exhibited and 
 presented to God. Therefore the Mass is properly a 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 95 
 
 sacrifice, and the same sacrifice as that which Christ of¬ 
 fered upon the cross. And that this sacrifice is propi¬ 
 tiatory for the obtaining of the remission of our sins, 
 we learn from the very words of Christ our Lord, at the 
 first institution of it at his last supper, when in the con¬ 
 secration of the elements, speaking in the present 
 tense, he tells us, (as his words are in the original 
 Greek,) 4 This is my body which is broken or sacrific¬ 
 ed for you,’ 1 Cor. xi. 24; 4 This is my blood of the 
 New Testament which is shed for many for the remis¬ 
 sion of sins,’ Matt. xxvi. 28, St. Mark xiv. 24, or, 4 This 
 cup is the New Testament in my blood, which (cup) is 
 shed for you, viz. for the remission of your sins.’ 
 
 Q. Have you any other texts of scripture for the 
 sacrifice of the Mass ? 
 
 A. Yes, besides many figures of this sacrifice in the 
 Old Testament (of which the most evident is that of 
 the bread and wine offered by Melchisedec the priest 
 of the most high God, Gen. xiv. according to whose or¬ 
 der Christ is said to be a priest forever, Psalm cx. and 
 that as the holy fathers* take notice, by reason of this 
 sacrifice of the eucharist) we have the prophecy of 
 Malachy, chap. i. 10, 11, where God rejecting the Jew¬ 
 ish sacrifices, declares his acceptance of the sacrifice 
 or pure offering which should be made to him in every 
 place among the Gentiles ; which text the ancient fa¬ 
 thers, both Greek and Latin, urge to show that the eu¬ 
 charist is a sacrifice. See St. Justin in dialoo-. cum 
 
 _ o 
 
 Tryphone ; St. Irenseus 1. 4, c. 32 ; St. Chrysostome, in 
 Psal. 92; St. Augustine, 1. 18, de dvitate Dei , c. 35, &c. 
 
 In the New Testament we have, Heb. xiii. 10, where 
 the Apostle tells us, that under the new law we have 
 an altar, (and consequently a sacrifice) whereof they 
 have no right to eat who serve the tabernacle. That 
 is, they who continue in the service of the old law, 
 
 *St. Cyprian, Epist. 63; St. Chrysostome, Horn.35, de Gen.; 
 St. Epiphanius, Hier. 55; St. Jerome, Epist. 126, ad Evang.; 
 St. Augustine, Cone. 1, in Ps. 33,1. 15; de Civ. D. c. 22; Lei. 
 18, c. 35, &c.; St. Cyril, 1. 2; Glaphyrs Theodoret Qu. 64, in 
 
 Gen. 
 
96 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 and, 1 Cor. x. from ver. 14 to 21, the same apostle 
 makes a parallel between the partakers of the Chris¬ 
 tian sacrifice and those that partake of the Jewish and 
 heathenish victims, so as evidently to suppose, that the 
 Christian table which he mentions, ver. 21, is an altar, 
 where Christ is mystically immolated, and afterwards 
 eaten by the faithful, as in the Jewish and heathenish 
 sacrifices the victim was first offered on the altar, and 
 then eaten by the people. From whence the Apostle 
 infers, that they who were partakers of this great sac¬ 
 rifice of the body and blood of Christ, ver. 16, ought 
 not to be partakers with devils, by eating of the meats 
 sacrificed to idols, ver. 21. The sacrifice of the Mass 
 is also mentioned in the l‘3th chapter of the Acts of the 
 Apostles, ver. 2, where what we read in the Protestant 
 Testament, 4 As they ministered to the Lord and fast¬ 
 ed,’ &c. in the Greek original is, 4 as they were sacri¬ 
 ficing to the Lord, and lasting, the Holy Ghost said, 
 Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where- 
 unto I have called them.’ W here the word which we 
 have rendered in English, sacrificing, is the sellsame 
 which to this day is used by the Greeks to express the 
 sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 Besides these arguments from scripture for the sac¬ 
 rifice offered to God in the blessed eucharist, we have 
 the authority and the perpetual tradition of the Church 
 of God, from the days of the Apostles. Witness the 
 most ancient liturgies of all the Churches and nations, 
 Latins, Greeks, Goths, Syrians, Armenians, Egyptians, 
 Ethiopians, Indians, &c. Witness the manifold testi¬ 
 monies of councils and fathers of all ages; w itness 
 the frequent use in all Christian antiquity of the names 
 of altar, sacrifice, oblation, priest, &c. Witness, in 
 fine, the universal consent of Christians of all denom¬ 
 inations before Luther’s time, in offering up the eucha¬ 
 rist as a sacrifice ; which is a matter of fact that can¬ 
 not be contested. To which, if we add another truth, 
 no less notorious, viz. that no one of our adversaries 
 can pretend to assign the time in which the use of this 
 sacrifice first begun; we cannot have a more certain 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 97 
 
 proof of an apostolical tradition. It is the rule which 
 St. Augustine gives to discern apostolical traditions by, 
 1. 4, de Bapt. c. 24. 
 
 Q. But does not St. Paul say, Heb. x. 14. that 
 Christ, by one offering, viz. that of the cross, hath per¬ 
 fected forever them that are sanctified P What room 
 then can there be for the sacrifice of the Mass P 
 
 A. What the Apostle says is certainly true, that the 
 sacrifice of Christ upon the cross, is that one offering 
 by which we are perfected forever, because the whole 
 world was redeemed by that one sacrifice, and all other 
 means of our sanctification or salvation have their force 
 and efficacy from that one offering. Yet as that one 
 offering, by which Christ has perfected forever them 
 that are sanctified, is no way injured by his supplica¬ 
 tions which as man he makes for us to his Father in hea¬ 
 ven, where, as the same Apostle tells us, Heb. vii. 25, 
 ‘ He ever liveth to make intercession for us so neither 
 is it any ways injured, but highly honoured by the re¬ 
 presenting the same offering to God in the sacrifice of 
 the altar. 
 
 Q. But the apostle tells us, Heb. xi. 25, that Christ 
 does not offer himself often, what say you to this ? 
 
 A. He speaks there of offering himself in a bloody 
 manner, by dying for the redemption of the world; 
 which was to be but once. But though the price of our 
 redemption was to be paid but once, yet the fruit of it 
 was to be daily applied to our souls, by those means of 
 grace which Christ has left in his Church, that is, by 
 his sacraments and sacrifice. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Of hearing Mass: where also of the Order and Ceremo¬ 
 nies of the Mass; and the Devotion proper for that 
 Time . 
 
 Q. Are the faithful obliged to be present at the sac¬ 
 rifice of the Mass ? 
 
 9 
 
*8 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. They are obliged by a precept of the Church to 
 be present thereat upon all Sundays and holidays. 
 
 Q,. Why does the Church oblige all her children to 
 assist at the sacrifice of the Mass upon all Sundays and 
 holidays ? 
 
 A. That as Sundays and holidays are particularly 
 set apart for the worship of God, and the sanctification 
 of their souls, they may answer these ends by assem¬ 
 bling together on these days, to commemorate the 
 death of Christ, and to offer to God this most solemn 
 worship of sacrifice, by the hands of the priest, and of 
 their high-priest Christ Jesus : 1st, in testimony of 
 God’s sovereignty, and as a homage due to his divine 
 majesty: 2dly, to give thanks for all his blessings gen¬ 
 eral and particular : 3dly, to beg mercy and pardon for 
 all their sins: 4thlv, to obtain all necessary graces 
 from the fountain of all grace. 
 
 Q. Why might not this as well be done without 
 going to hear Mass ? 
 
 A. Because, as we have seen in the foregoing chap¬ 
 ter, the Mass is a sacrifice instituted by Christ to be 
 offered for all those ends. And as in this sacrifice 
 Christ himself is both the priest and the victim, who 
 here presents to his eternal Father that same body and 
 blood by which we were redeemed; it must be evident, 
 that there can be no better means of adoring God, and 
 offering our homage to him, than by uniting ourselves 
 to this sacrifice of his only Son ; no more acceptable 
 thanksgiving than that which is here offered, by and 
 through Jesus Christ; no means of obtaining mercy 
 and pardon comparable to this oblation of the blood of 
 the Lamb: in fine, no more seasonable time for obtain¬ 
 ing the favours of heaven, than when we appear before 
 the throne of grace with him and through him, in whom 
 his Father is always well pleased. 
 
 Q. In what disposition of soul ought persons then to 
 go to hear Mass ? 
 
 A. They ought to go as if they were going to mount 
 Calvary, to be present at the passion and death of their 
 Redeemer; since the mass is indeed the same sacri¬ 
 fice as that which he there offered. And consequently 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 99 
 
 there can be no better devotion for the time of the Mass 
 than that which has relation to tlie passion of Christ, 
 which is therein commemorated and represented to the 
 eternal Father. And all the faithful, when they are at 
 Mass, should endeavour to put their souls in the like 
 dispositions of adoration, thanksgiving, love, and re¬ 
 pentance for their sins, with which a good Christian 
 would have assisted at the sacrifice of the cross, had 
 he been present there. 
 
 Q. What think you of those, who, during the time oi 
 Mass, instead of attending to this great sacrifice, suffer 
 themselves to be carried away with wilful distractions ? 
 
 A. Such as these do not hear Mass, that is, they do 
 not fulfil the Church precept, nor satisfy the obligation 
 of the day, but rather mock God, whilst outwardly they 
 pretend to honour him, and their heart is far from him. 
 
 Q. What then do you say to those who, during the 
 time of the Mass, are laughing and talking, or pass 
 that time in criminal amusements ? 
 
 A. These not only are guilty, like the former, of 
 breaking the Church precept, but also must answer for 
 the scandal that they give by their ill example, and for 
 their hindering others from attending to their duty ; as 
 well as for their profaning those most sacred myste¬ 
 ries, by such an unchristian behavior at this holy time. 
 
 Q. I should be glad if you would explain to me the 
 order and ceremonies of the Mass : and first, pray what 
 is the meaning of the priest’s vestments ? 
 
 A. The priest, in saying Mass, represents the person 
 of Christ, who is the high-priest of the new law, and 
 the Mass itself represents his passion ; and therefore, 
 the priest puts on these vestments, to represent those 
 with which Christ was ignominiously clothed at the 
 time of his passion. Thus, for instance, the Amice rep¬ 
 resents the rag or clout with which the Jews muffled 
 our Saviour’s face, when at every blow they bid him 
 prophesy who it was that struck him. St. Luke xxii. 
 64. The Alb represents the white garment with which 
 he was vested by Herod. The Girdle, Maniple, and 
 Stole, represent the cords and bands with which he 
 was bound in the different stages of his passion. The 
 
100 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Chasuble, or outward vestment, represents the purple 
 garment with which he was clothed as a mock king; 
 upon the back of which there is a cross, to represent 
 that which Christ bore on his sacred shoulders. Lastly, 
 The priest’s tonsure or crown, is to represent the crown 
 of thorns which our Saviour wore. Moreover, as in the 
 old law, the priests that were to officiate in sacred 
 functions had, by the appointment of God, vestments 
 assigned for that purpose, as well for the greater de¬ 
 cency and solemnity of the divine worship, as to signi¬ 
 fy and represent the virtues which God required of his 
 ministers, so it was proper, that in the Church of the 
 New Testament, Christ’s ministers should, in their sa¬ 
 cred functions, be distinguished from the laity by their 
 sacred vestments, which might also represent the vir¬ 
 tues which God requires in them: thus the Amice, 
 which is first put upon the head, represents divine 
 hope, which the Apostle calls the helmet of salvation; 
 the Alb, innocence of life ; the Girdle, (with which the 
 loins are begirt,) purity and patient-suffering, the la¬ 
 bours of this mortal life; the Stole, the sweet yoke of 
 Christ to be borne in this life, in order to a happy im¬ 
 mortality in the next; in fine, the Chasuble, which as 
 uppermost, covers all the rest, the virtue of charity. 
 
 In these vestments the Church makes use of five col¬ 
 ours, the white, on the feast of our Lord, of the blessed 
 Virgin, of the angels, and of the saints that were not 
 martyrs ; the red, on the feast of Pentecost, of the in¬ 
 vention and exaltation of the cross, and of the Apos¬ 
 tles and martyrs ; the green, on the greatest part of the 
 Sundays ; the violet, in the penitential times of Advent 
 and Lent, and upon Vigils and Ember-days ; and the 
 black upon Good-Friday, and in the Masses for the 
 dead. 
 
 Q. Why is there always a crucifix upon the altar at 
 the time of Mass ? 
 
 A. That as the Mass is said in remembrance of 
 Christ’s passion and death, the priest and people may 
 have always before their eyes the image that represents 
 his passion and death. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 101 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of having lighted candles 
 upon the altar at the time of Mass ? 
 
 A. 1st, To honour the triumph of our King, which 
 is there celebrated by these lights, which are tokens of 
 our joy, and of his glory. 2dly, To denote the light of 
 faith, with which we are to approach him. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of making a reverence to 
 the altar ? 
 
 A. 1st, because the altar is a figure of Christ, who 
 is not only our sacrifice and our high-priest, but our al¬ 
 tar too, inasmuch as we are to offer our prayers and 
 sacrifices through him. 2dly, Because the altar is the 
 seat of the divine mysteries, and therefore deserves our 
 reverence. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of the use of incense in 
 
 o 
 
 the Mass and other offices of the Church ? 
 
 A. Incense is an emblem of prayer, ascending to 
 God from a heart inflamed with his love, as the smoke 
 of incense ascends on high from the fire of the censer. 
 Hence the royal prophet, Psal. cxl. says, ‘Let my pray¬ 
 er, O Lord, be directed like incense in thy sight.’ And 
 St. John in the Revelation, c. v. 8, and c. v. iii. 4, saw 
 the four and twenty elders and the angel offering up 
 to God odours and incense, which were the prayers of 
 the saints. Moreover the incensing of the altar, of the 
 priest, &c. is, according to the use of the Church, a to¬ 
 ken of honour to the thing that is incensed : not of di¬ 
 vine honour, since we also incense the whole choir and 
 the people, but of a due respect for the things of God, 
 for his ministers and people. 
 
 Q,. What is the use of singing, and of organs, in the 
 divine service ? 
 
 A. To help us to raise our hearts to heaven, and to 
 celebrate with greater solemnity the divine praises. 
 
 Q. Tell me now, if you please, the different parts of 
 the Mass, and the ceremonies thereof, that I may be 
 the better instructed in this heavenly sacrifice. 
 
 A. 1st, The priest standing at the foot of the altar, 
 having made a low reverence, begins with the sign of 
 the cross, saying, In Nomine Patris , ^c. In the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
 
 9 * 
 
102 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 and then recites alternately with the clerk the 42d 
 Psalm, Judica me Deus , fyc. Judge me, O God, &c. 
 composed by David, in the time that he was persecuted 
 by Saul, and kept at a distance from the tabernacle or 
 temple of God, and expressing his ardent desires and 
 hopes of approaching to God’s altar, and offering praise 
 and sacrifice to him. And therefore this Psalm is most 
 proper here, as expressing the sentiments of soul, with 
 which we ought to come to this holy sacrifice. 
 
 2dly, The priest, bowing down at the foot of the 
 altar, says the Confiteor, or general confession, acknowl¬ 
 edging his sins to God, to the whole court of heaven, 
 and to all the faithful there assembled, and begging 
 their prayers to God for him: and the clerk repeats the 
 same in the name of the people; to the end that both 
 priest and people may dispose themselves for this great 
 sacrifice, by a sincere repentance for their sins. Our 
 adversaries object against this form of confession, be¬ 
 cause therein we confess our sins to the saints; as if 
 this was giving them an honour that belongs to God 
 alone, not considering that the confessing of our sins 
 to any one, so far from being an honour peculiar to God, 
 is what we are directed in scripture to do to one an¬ 
 other, St. James, v. 16. And accordingly in this very 
 form, which we call the Confiteor, we not only confess 
 our sins to God, and to his saints, but the priest also 
 confesses to the people, and the people to the priest. 
 
 3dly, The priest in going up to the altar begs for 
 himself and the people, that God would take away 
 their iniquities that they may be worthy to enter into 
 his sanctuary. Then coming up to the altar he kisses 
 it in reverence to Christ, of whom it is a figure; and 
 going to the book he reads what is called the Introit, 
 or entrance of the Mass; which is different every day, 
 and generally an Anthem taken out of the scripture, 
 with the first verse of one of the Psalms, and the G/o- 
 ria Patri , to glorify the blessed Trinity. 
 
 4thly, He returns to the middle of the altar, and says 
 alternately with the clerk the Kyrie Eleison , or Lord 
 have mercy on us, which is said three times to God the 
 Father ; three times, Christe Eleison , or Clirist have 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 103 
 
 mercy on us, to God the Son; and three times again, 
 Kyrie Eleison, to God the Holy Ghost. This frequent¬ 
 ly calling for mercy, teaches us the necessity of ap¬ 
 proaching to this sacrifice with a penitential spirit, and 
 that the best devotion for this beginning of the Mass, 
 is to offer up to God the sacrifice of a contrite and 
 humble heart. 
 
 5thly, After the Kyrie Eleison , the priest recites the 
 Gloria in Excelsis , Glory be to God on high, &c. being 
 an excellent hymn and prayer to God, the beginning of 
 which was sung by the angels at the birth of Christ 
 This being a hymn of joy, is omitted in the Masses for 
 the dead, and in the penitential times of Advent, Lent, 
 &c. After this the priest, turning about to the people, 
 says, 4 Dominus vobiscum ,’ ‘the Lord be with you.’ 
 Answ. ‘Et cum Spiritu tuo ,’ 4 and with thy spirit.’ 
 Then returning to the book, he says, 4 OremusJ 4 Let 
 us pray ; ’ and then reads the collects or prayers of that 
 day, concluding them with the usual termination, 4 Per 
 Dominum nostrumfyc. 4 Through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ,’ &c. with which the Church commonly con¬ 
 cludes all her prayers, as hoping for no mercy, grace or 
 blessing, but through our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 
 6thly, After the collects, is read the lesson or epis 
 tie of the day, (and upon the Wednesdays and Satur¬ 
 days in the Ember-weeks several lessons or epistles) at 
 the end of which the clerk answers, 4 Deo Gratias i. e. 
 4 Thanks be to God ; ’ to give God thanks for the heav¬ 
 enly instructions contained in that divine lesson of 
 holy writ. The lesson or epistle is followed by the 
 gradual or tract, consisting of some devout verses 
 taken out of scripture ; to which are joined the alle¬ 
 luias, to praise God with joy, excepting in the peniten¬ 
 tial time between Septuagesima and Easter, for then 
 alleluia is not said. 
 
 7thly, After the epistle and gradual, the book is re¬ 
 moved to the other side of the altar, in order to read 
 the gospel of the day ; which removal of the book rep¬ 
 resents the passing from the preaching of the old law, 
 figured by the lesson or epistle, to the gospel of Jesus 
 Christ, published by the preachers of the new law. 
 The priest before he reads the gospel, makes his 
 
104 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 prayer, bowing down before the middle of the altar, 
 that God would cleanse his heart and his lips, that he 
 may be worthy to declare his gospel. At the begin¬ 
 ning of the gospel both priest and people make the 
 sign of the cross, 1st, upon their foreheads, to signify 
 that they will not be ashamed of the cross of Christ 
 and his doctrine; 2dly, upon their mouth, to signify 
 that they will profess it in words ; 3dly, upon their 
 breast, to signify that they will always keep it in their 
 hearts. During the gospel the people stand, to show, 
 by this posture, their readiness to go and do what¬ 
 soever they shall be commanded by their Saviour in 
 his divine word. At the end the clerk answers, in the 
 name of the people, 4 Laus iibi Christe ,’ 4 Praise be to 
 thee, O Christ; ’ to give praise to our Redeemer for his 
 heavenly doctrine; and the priest kisses the book, in 
 reverence to those sacred words which he has been 
 reading out of it In the high or solemn Mass, the 
 gospel is sung by the deacon, and lighted candles are 
 held by the acolyths on each side, to denote the light 
 which Christ brought us by his gospel. 
 
 8thly, After the gospel upon all Sundays, as also up¬ 
 on the feasts of our Lord, of the blessed Virgin, of the 
 Apostles, and of the doctors of the Church, the priest 
 standing at the middle of the altar, recites the Nicene 
 Creed and kneels down at these words, 4 Et homo /ac¬ 
 tus estj 4 And was made man,’ in reverence to the mys¬ 
 tery of our Lord’s incarnation. Then turning about to 
 the people, he greets them with the usual salutation, 
 4 Dominus vohiscum ,’ 4 The Lord be with you.’ Ans. 
 4 Et cum spiritu tuo ,’ 4 And with thy spirit.’ Afler 
 which he reads a short sentence of scripture called the 
 Offertory, and then takes off the veil from the chalice, 
 in order to proceed to the offering up the bread and 
 wine for the sacrifice. 
 
 9thly, He offers first the bread upon the paten, or lit¬ 
 tle plate ; then pours the wine into the chalice, ming¬ 
 ling with it a little water, and offers that up in like 
 manner, begging that this sacrifice may be accepted 
 of by the Almighty for the remission of his sins, for 
 all there present, for all the faithful living and dead, 
 and for the salvation of the world. Then bowing 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 105 
 
 down, he says, ‘ In the spirit of humility, and in a con 
 trite mind, may we be received by thee, O Lord: and 
 so may our sacrifice be made this day in thy sight, 
 that it may please thee, O Lord God.’ Then he blesses 
 the bread and wine with the sign of the cross, invok¬ 
 ing the Holy Ghost, saying, ‘Come thou, the Sanc¬ 
 tifier, the Almighty, and eternal God, and bless ^ this 
 sacrifice prepared for thy holy name.’ After this he 
 goes to the corner of the altar, and there washes the 
 tips of his fingers, saying, £ LcivaboJ fyc. ‘ I will wash 
 my hands among the innocent, and I will encompass thy 
 altar, O Lord,’ &c. as in the latter part of the 25th Psalm. 
 This washing of the fingers denotes the cleanness and 
 purity of soul with which these divine mysteries are 
 to be celebrated ; which ought to be such, as not only 
 to wash away all greater filth, but even the dust which 
 sticks to the tips of our fingers, by which are signified 
 the smallest faults and imperfections. 
 
 lOthly, After washing his fingers the priest returns 
 to the middle of the altar, and there bowing down, 
 begs of the blessed Trinity to receive this oblation in 
 memory of the passion, resurrection, and ascension of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, and for an honourable commem¬ 
 oration of the blessed Virgin and of all the saints, that 
 they may intercede for us in heaven, whose memory 
 we celebrate on earth. Then turning about to the 
 people, he says, ‘ Orate Fratres ,’ fyc. that is, ‘ Brethren, 
 pray that my sacrifice and yours may be made accept¬ 
 able in the sight of God the Father Almighty.’ The 
 clerk answers in the name of the people, ‘ May the 
 Lord receive this sacrifice from thy hands, to the praise 
 and glory of his own name and for our benefit, and 
 that of all his holy Church.’ 
 
 llthly, Then the priest says, in a low voice, the 
 prayers called the Secreta, which corresponds to the 
 collects of the day, and are different every day. He 
 concludes by saying aloud, 6 Per omnia scecula saculo- 
 rum} that is, ‘World without end.’ Ans. Amen. Then 
 after the usual salutation, ‘ The Lord be with you,’ 
 Ans. ‘ And with thy spirit,’ he admonishes the people 
 to lift up their hearts to God (Sursum cor da) and to 
 
106 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 join with him in giving thanks to our Lord. ( Gredicts 
 agamus Domino Deo nostro.) To which the clerk an¬ 
 swers, 4 Dignum et justum est ,’ 4 It is meet and just.’ 
 Then follows the Preface, so called because it serves 
 as an introduction to the Canon of the Mass; in which, 
 after solemnly acknowledging ourselves bound in duty 
 ever to give thanks to God, through his Son Jesus 
 Christ, whose majesty all the choirs of angels ever 
 praise and adore, we humbly beg leave to have our 
 voices admitted together with theirs in that celestial 
 hymn, 4 Sanctus , Sanctus ,’ £>'c. i. e. 4 Holy, Holy, Holy, 
 Lord God of hosts. The heavens and earth are full 
 of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he 
 that comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the 
 highest.’ 
 
 12thly, After the Preface follows the Canon of the 
 Mass, or the most sacred or solemn part of this divine 
 service, which is read with a low voice, as well to ex¬ 
 press the silence of Christ, in his passion, and his 
 hiding at that time his glory and his divinity, as to 
 signify the vast importance of that common cause of 
 all mankind, which the priest is then representing as 
 it were in secret to the ear of God, and the reverence 
 and awe with which both priest and people ought to 
 assist at these tremendous mysteries. The Canon 
 begins by the invoking the Father of mercies, through 
 Jesus Christ his Son, to accept this sacrifice for the 
 holy Catholic Church, for the pope, for the bishop, for 
 the king, and for all the professors of the Catholic and 
 Apostolic faith, throughout the whole world. Then 
 follows the Memento , or commemoration of the living, 
 for whom, in particular, the priest intends to offer up 
 that Mass, or who have been particularly recommend¬ 
 ed to his prayers, &c. To which is subjoined a re¬ 
 membrance of all there present, followed by a solemn 
 commemoration of the blessed Virgin, the Apostles 
 and martyrs, and all the saints, to honour their mem¬ 
 ory. by naming them in the sacred mysteries, to com¬ 
 municate with them, and to beg of God, the help of 
 their intercession, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 
 Then the priest spreads his hands over the bread 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 107 
 
 and wine, which are to be consecrated into the body 
 and blood of Christ, (according to the ancient ceremony 
 prescribed in the Levitical law, Levit. i. 3, 4, 16, that 
 the priest or persons who offered sacrifice, should lay 
 their hands upon the victim, before it was immolated,) 
 and he begs that God would accept this oblation which 
 he makes in the name of the whole Church, and that 
 he would grant us peace in this life, and eternal salva¬ 
 tion in the next. Then he blesses the bread and wine 
 with the sign of the cross (a ceremony frequently re¬ 
 peated in the Mass, in memory of Christ’s passion, of 
 which this sacrifice is the memorial; and to give us to 
 understand that all grace and sanctity flow from the 
 cross of Christ, that is, from Christ crucified) and he 
 prays that God would render this oblation blessed, re¬ 
 ceived, approved, reasonable, and acceptable, that it 
 may be made to us the body and blood of his most 
 beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ. Then he proceeds 
 to the consecration, first of the bread into the body of 
 our Lord, and then of the wine into his blood; which 
 consecration is made by the words of Christ pronounced 
 by the priest in his name, and as bearing his person : 
 and this is the chief action of the Mass, in which the 
 very essence of this sacrifice consists ; because, by the 
 separate consecration of the bread and wine, the body 
 and blood of Christ are really exhibited and presented 
 to God, and Christ is mystically immolated. 
 
 Immediately after the consecration follows the ele¬ 
 vation, first of the host, then of the chalice, in remem¬ 
 brance of Christ’s elevation upon the cross, and that 
 the people may adore their Lord veiled under these 
 sacred signs. At the elevation of the chalice, the 
 priest recites these words of Christ, 4 As often as you 
 shall do these things, you shall do them in remembrance 
 of me.’ Then he goes on making a solemn commem¬ 
 oration of the passion, resurrection, and ascension of 
 Christ, and begging of God to accept this sacrifice, 
 as he was pleased to accept the oblation of Abel, 
 Abraham, and Melchisedec; and to command that it 
 may by his holy angel, be presented upon the altar 
 above, in presence of his divine majesty, for the bene- 
 
108 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 fit of all those that shall partake of these mysteries 
 here below. 
 
 Then the priest makes the Memento or remembrance 
 for the dead ; praying for all those that are gone before 
 us with the sign of faith, and rest in the sleep of peace ; 
 and in particular for those for whom he desires to offer 
 this sacrifice, that God would grant them a place of 
 refreshment, light and peace, through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Then raising his voice at JVobis quoque pec - 
 catoribus , and to us sinners, &c. he strikes his breast in 
 token of repentance, like the humble publican in the 
 gospel, and begs of God mercy and pardon, and to be 
 admitted into some part and society with the holy 
 Apostles and martyrs, through Christ our Lord. He 
 goes on,‘ By whom, O Lord, thou dost always create, 
 sanctify, enliven, bless and give us all these good things.’ 
 Then kneeling down, and taking the sacred host in his 
 hand, he makes the sign of the cross with it over the 
 chalice, saying, ‘Through him, and with him, and in 
 him, is to thee, God the Father in the unity of the 
 Holy Ghost, all honour and glory; 5 which last words 
 he pronounces elevating a little the host and chalice 
 from the altar; and then kneels down, saying, with a 
 loud voice, ‘ Per omnia stecula sceculorum .’ ‘ For ever 
 
 and ever.’ Answer, Amen. 
 
 13thly, After this follows the ‘ Pater NosterJ or 
 4 Lord’s Prayer,’ which is pronounced with a loud 
 voice; and in token of the people’s joining in this 
 prayer, the clerk in their name says aloud, the last 
 petition, * Sed libera nos a malo ,’ ‘ But deliver us from 
 evil.’ The priest answers, Amen: and goes on with 
 a low voice, begging that we may be delivered from 
 all evils past, present and to come; and by the in¬ 
 tercession of the blessed Virgin, and of all the saints, 
 be favoured with peace in our days, and secured from 
 sin and all disturbances, through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Then he breaks the host, in imitation of Christ’s 
 breaking the bread before he gave it to his disciples, 
 and in remembrance of his body being broken for us 
 upon the cross; and puts a particle of it into the chalice, 
 ■aying to the people, ‘ The peace of the Lord be alwaya 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 109 
 
 with you.’ Answer, 4 And with thy spirit.’ This cer¬ 
 emony of mixing a particle of the host with the species 
 of wine in the chalice represents the re-uniting of 
 Christ’s body, blood, and soul at his resurrection; and 
 the priest’s wish or prayer for peace, at the time of this 
 ceremony, puts us in mind of that i Pax vobisj or 
 4 Peace be unto you,’ which our Lord spoke to his 
 disciples when he first came to them after his resur¬ 
 rection, St. John xx. 19, 21, 26. 
 
 14thly, Then follows the 4 Agnus Dei , fy*c.’ which the 
 priest pronounces three times, striking his breast in 
 token of repentance; the words are, 4 Lamb of God, 
 who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on 
 us.’ At the third time, instead of, have mercy on us, 
 he says, grant us peace. After the Agnus Dei , follow 
 three prayers, which the priest says to himself by way 
 of preparation for receiving the blessed sacrament. 
 After which kneeling down, and then rising and taking 
 up the blessed sacrament, he three times strikes his 
 breast, saying, 4 Domine , non sum dignus , fyc.’ 4 Lord, 
 I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my 
 roof; but only thou say the word, and my soul shall 
 be healed.’ Then receiving the sacred host he says, 
 4 The body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul 
 to life everlasting, Amen.’ Having paused awhile, he 
 proceeds to the receiving of the chalice, using the like 
 words, 4 The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c.’ 
 Then follows the communion of the people, if any are 
 to receive. 
 
 15thly, After the communion, the priest takes first 
 a little wine into the chalice, which is called the first 
 ablution, in order to consummate what remains of the 
 consecrated species in the chalice ; and then takes a 
 little wine and water, which is called the second ab¬ 
 lution, upon his fingers, over the chalice, to the end 
 that no particle of the blessed sacrament may remain 
 sticking to his fingers, but that all may be washed into 
 the chalice and so received. Then wiping the chalice, 
 and covering it, he goes to the book and reads a versicle 
 of the holy scripture, called the Communion, because 
 it was used to be sung in the high Mass, at the time 
 
 10 
 
110 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 that the people communicated. After this, he turns 
 about to the people with the usual salutation, Dominus 
 vobiscum; and then returning to the book, reads the 
 collects, or prayers called the Post-communion: after 
 which he again greets the people with Dominus vo¬ 
 biscum ; and gives them leave to depart, with 4 Ite Missa 
 est i. e. 4 Go, the Mass is done.’ Here, bowing before 
 the altar, he makes a short prayer to the blessed 
 Trinity; and then gives his blessing to all there pres¬ 
 ent, in the name of the same blessed Trinity, 4 Bene 
 dicat vos , £yc.’ 4 May the Almighty God, the Father, 
 
 ❖ and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, bless you.’ He 
 concludes, reading at the corner of the altar, the 
 beginning of the gospel according to St. John, which 
 the people hear standing: but at these words, Verbum 
 caro factum est , The word was made flesh, both priest 
 and people kneel, in reverence to the mystery of Christ’s 
 incarnation. The clerk at the end answers, 4 Deo 
 gratias ,’ ‘thanks be to God.’ And then the priest 
 departs from the altar, reciting to himself the Bcnedicite , 
 or the canticle of the three children, inviting all crea¬ 
 tures in heaven and earth to bless and praise our 
 Lord. 
 
 Q,. In what manner ought the people to be employed 
 during the Mass ? 
 
 A. In such prayers and devotions as are most 
 suitable to that holy sacrifice; which having so close 
 a relation to the passion of Christ, is then best heard 
 when the assistants turn the attention and affections of 
 their souls towards the mysteries of the passion of our 
 Lord, which are there represented. 
 
 Q. Is it not a good way of hearing Mass to ac¬ 
 company the priest through every part of it, so as to 
 accommodate one’s devotion to what he is then about ? 
 
 A. It is a very good and profitable way: Not that 
 the very prayers of the priest, in the Canon and Con¬ 
 secration, are always proper for the people, but that in 
 every part of the Mass it is proper that the people 
 should use such prayers as are adapted to what the 
 pnest is then doing. 
 
 Q. What kind of prayers and devotions then do you 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. Ill 
 
 esteem the best adapted to the several parts of the 
 Mass ? 
 
 A. I should recommend, 1st, In the beginning of 
 the Mass an earnest application of the soul to God, by 
 way of begging his divine grace for the worthily and 
 profitable assisting at this sacrifice. 
 
 2dly, At the Confiteor, and what follows until the 
 Kyrie Eleison inclusively, I should advise the assistants 
 to an humble confession of their sins to God, with a 
 most hearty repentance and earnestly begging his 
 mercy. 
 
 3dly, At the Gloria in excelsis , let them join in that 
 heavenly hymn, and excite their souls to the affections 
 expressed therein. 
 
 4thly, At the Collects, let them recommend to God 
 their own necessities and those of the whole Church. 
 
 5thly, At the Epistle, Gradual, and Gospel, either 
 let them attend to the heavenly lessons contained in 
 them ; or, if they have not the convenience for this, 
 let them employ themselves in giving thanks to God 
 for revealing to us his divine truths, and instructing us 
 not only by his servants the prophets and Apostles, 
 but also by his son; and begging of God that their 
 lives may be always conformable to the maxims of his 
 gospel. 
 
 6thly, At the Credo, let them recite it to themselves, 
 with a lively faith of these great truths contained in it. 
 
 7thly, At the Offertory, let them join with the priest 
 in offering up first the host, and then the chalice, for 
 themselves and for the whole Church; but let them at 
 the same time unite themselves closely with their High- 
 Priest Christ Jesus, and with him, through him, and in 
 him, offer up their hearts and souls to God, to be con¬ 
 secrated to his divine service, and changed into him; 
 and in particular at the mingling of the water with the 
 wine in the chalice, let them pray lor this happy union 
 with God. 
 
 Sthly, At the Lavabo, when the priest washes his 
 fingers at the corner of the altar, let them excite in 
 their souls a hearty act of repentance, and beg to be 
 washed from their sins in the blood of the Lamb. 
 
112 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 9thly, When the priest turns about and says, Oi'oti 
 Fratres, let them pray that God would accept of that 
 oblation for his own honour and their salvation. 
 
 lOthly, At the Preface, let them raise up their hearts 
 to God at Sursum Corda , and pour forth their souls in 
 thanksgiving to him; joining themselves with the 
 heavenly choirs, and with them humbly and fervently 
 pronouncing that sacred hymn, ‘ Sajictus , Holy, 
 
 Holy. Holy, Lord God of Hosts, &c.’ 
 
 llthly, During the Canon of the Mass, let them, 
 together with the priest, and together with the invisible 
 priest, Christ Jesus, offer up the sacrifice, for the four 
 ends of sacrifice, viz. 1. For God’s honour, adoration 
 and glory. 2. In thanksgiving for all his benefits, and 
 especially for our redemption through Jesus Christ. 3. 
 To obtain mercy and pardon through him for all their 
 sins. 4. To obtain all graces and blessings of which 
 they stand in need. Let them all join in the solemn 
 commemoration that is here made of the passion, 
 resurrection and ascension of the Son of God, and of 
 the glory of his Church triumphant in heaven. 
 
 I2thly, At the Memento for the living, let them 
 earnestly recommend to God their parents, friends, ben¬ 
 efactors, &c. their superiors, spiritual and temporal; 
 those that have particularly desired their prayers ; those 
 that are in agony, or other great necessities, temptation, 
 or affliction ; those to whom they have given scandal or 
 ill example ; their enemies, and all unbelievers and sin¬ 
 ners, that God may convert them ; in fine, all true 
 servants of God, and all such, for whom God would 
 have them to pray. 
 
 13thly, At the Consecration and Elevation, let them 
 again offer themselves to God with and through Christ, 
 and with all the reverence of their souls adore their 
 Lord there really present under the sacramental veils. 
 
 ]4thly. At the Memento for the dead, let them repre¬ 
 sent to the eternal Father this victim which takes away 
 the sins of the world, in behalf of all the faithful de¬ 
 parted in the communion of the Church, and particularly 
 of their relations, friends, &c. and those who stand 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 113 
 
 most in need of prayers, or for whom God is best 
 pleased that they should pray. 
 
 15thly, At the Pater JYoster , let them join in that 
 heavenly prayer ; begging in the first petition (Hallowed 
 be thy name) the honour and glory of God’s name ; 
 in the second petition, the propagation of his kingdom 
 here upon earth, and that they may have a share in 
 his kingdom in Heaven; in the third petition, the 
 perfect accomplishment of his will by all, and in all: 
 in the fourth, the participation of the bread of life ; 
 in the fifth, the forgiveness of their sins ; in the sixth, 
 the grace of God against temptations; and in the 
 seventh, a deliverance from all evils. 
 
 IGthly, At the breaking of the host, let them remem¬ 
 ber Christ’s body broken for them upon the cross, and 
 let them pray for that peace which the priest wishes 
 them, with God, with their neighbours, and with them¬ 
 selves. 
 
 17thly, At Agnus Dei, fyc. let them, in the spirit of 
 humility and contrition, beg mercy and pardon for 
 their sins. 
 
 ISthly, During the following prayers, and whilst the 
 priest is receiving, let them make a spiritual communion. 
 1. By a lively faith, of the real presence of the Lamb 
 of God slain for our sins, and of the abundance of 
 grace which he brings to those that receive him 
 worthily. 2. By an ardent desire of partaking of this 
 life-giving food. 3. By humbly acknowledging at the 
 Domine, non sum dignus, and heartily bewailing their 
 unworthiness and sins, which hinder them from daring 
 to approach to this heavenly table. 4. By fervent 
 prayer, begging that Christ would communicate to 
 them some share in those graces which he brings with 
 him to the worthy receiver, and that he would come at 
 least spiritually to their souls, and take possession of 
 them, and unite them to himself by an indissoluble 
 band of love. 
 
 19thly, After the communion, let them return thanks 
 to God for the passion and death of his Son, and for 
 having been permitted to assist at these divine 
 mysteries, let them receive with humility the bene 
 
 10 * 
 
114 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 diction given by the priest in the name of the blessed 
 Trinity; let them beg pardon for their negligences and 
 distractions ; and so ottering themselves and all their 
 Undertakings to God, depart in peace. 
 
 Q. What advice would you give to those who through 
 indisposition, or other unavoidable impediments, are 
 not able to assist at Mass upon a Sunday or Holy-day ? 
 
 A. I would advise them to endeavour to hear Mass 
 at least in spirit, according to the method prescribed 
 by Mr. Gotner, for the absent, in the little book of 
 instructions and devotions for hearing Mass. 
 
 Q. What if a person, through the absolute necessity 
 of his unhappy circumstances, should be tied to a 
 place where he can never hear Mass, do you think he 
 might not then be allowed to join in prayer with those 
 of another communion, by way of supplying this defect? 
 
 A. No, certainly. It is a misfortune, and a great 
 misfortune, to be kept like David, w hen he was per¬ 
 secuted by Saul, at a distance from the temple of God, 
 and his sacred mysteries ; but it would be a crime 
 to join one’s self upon that account with an heretical or 
 schismatical congregation, wdiose worship God rejects 
 as sacrilegious and impious. In such a case therefore 
 a Christian must serve his God alone to the best of his 
 power, by offering to him the homage of prayer, ado¬ 
 ration, contrition, &,c. And must frequently hear Mass 
 in spirit, by joining himself with all the faithful through¬ 
 out the earth, wherever they are offering to God that 
 divine sacrifice; ever sighing after these heavenly 
 mysteries, and praying for his delivery from that 
 Babylon, which keeps him at a distance from the tem¬ 
 ple of God. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Of the saying Mass in Latin. 
 
 Q. Is it not a great prejudice to the faithful, that 
 the Mass is said in Latin, which is a language that the 
 generality of them do not understand ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 115 
 
 A. It is no prejudice to them at all, provided they 
 be well instructed in the nature of this sacrifice, and 
 taught (as we have explained above) how to accompany 
 the priest with prayers and devotions adapted to every 
 part of the Mass; such as they commonly have of 
 their manuals or other prayer-books. Hence it is 
 visible to any unprejudiced eye, that there is far more 
 devotion amongst Catholics at Mass, than there is at 
 Protestants’ common-prayer. 
 
 Q,. But is not the Mass also a common prayer, that 
 ought to be said alike by all the faithful ? 
 
 A. It is a common sacrifice that is offered for all, 
 and in some manner by all; but as for the particular 
 form of prayers used by the priest in the Mass, there is 
 no obligation for the faithful to recite the same; all 
 that God or his Church expect from them is to assist at 
 that sacrifice with attention and devotion; and this 
 they fully comply with, when they endeavour to follow 
 the directions given above, and use such prayers as are 
 best adapted to each part of the Mass ; though they be 
 not the selfsame as the priest uses. 
 
 Q. Can you explain to me by some example how a 
 person may devoutly and profitably assist at this sac¬ 
 rifice, though he be ignorant of the prayers which the 
 priest is saying ? 
 
 A. Yes. What do you think if you or any good 
 Christian had been present upon Mount Calvary, when 
 Christ was offering himself upon the cross a sacrifice for 
 the sins of the whole world ; would not the very sight 
 of what was doing (provided that you had the same faith 
 in Christ as you have) have sufficed to excite in your 
 soul most lively acts of love of God, thanksgiving for 
 so great a mercy, detestation of your sins, &c. though 
 you could neither hear any word from the mouth of 
 Christ your high-priest, nor know in particular what 
 passed in his soul ? Just so in the Mass, which is the 
 same sacrifice as that which Christ offered upon the cross, 
 because both the priest and the victim are the same; 
 it is abundantly sufficient for the people’s devotion, to 
 be well instructed in what is then doing, and to excite 
 m their souls suitable acts of adoration, thanksgiving, 
 
TIG THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 repentance, foe. though they understand not the par¬ 
 ticular prayers used by the priest at that time. 
 
 I must add, that for the devoutly and profitably con¬ 
 curring in sacrifice offered to God, it is not even ne¬ 
 cessary that the people should hear or recite the same 
 prayers with the priest, but that the very seeing of 
 him is more than God was pleased to require in his 
 law. Hence we find, St. Luke i. 10, that the whole 
 multitude of the peopje were praying without, when 
 Zacharias went into the temple to burn incense. And 
 Levit. xvi. 17, it was expressly ordered, that there 
 should be no man in the tabernacle or temple, when 
 the high-priest went with the blood of the victims into 
 the sanctuary to make atonement. 
 
 Q,. But does not St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiv. condemn the 
 use of the unknown tongues in the liturgy of the 
 Church ? 
 
 A. He has not one word in that whole chapter of the 
 liturgy of the Church ; but only reprehends the abuse 
 of the gift of tongues, which some amongst the Co- 
 rinthians were guilty of, who out of ostentation affected 
 to make exhortations or extemporary prayers in their 
 assemblies, in languages utterly unknown, which for 
 want of an interpreter could be of no edification to the 
 rest of the faithful. But this is far from being the 
 practice of the Catholic Church, where all the exhorta¬ 
 tions, sermons, and such like instructions, are made in 
 the vulgar language; where no new unknown extem¬ 
 porary prayers are recited but the ancient public 
 liturgy and office of the Church, which, by long use 
 are well known, at least as to the substance, by all the 
 faithful; where, in fine, there is no want of interpreters, 
 since the people have the Church offices interpreted 
 into their ordinary prayer-books; and the pastors are 
 commanded to explain to them the mysteries contained 
 in the Mass. Council of Trent, Sess. 22. chap. 8. 
 
 Q,. But why does the Church celebrate the Mass in 
 Latin, rather than in vulgar language ? 
 
 A. 1st, Because it is her ancient language, used in 
 all her sacred offices even from the Apostles’ days 
 throughout all the western parts of the world: and 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 117 
 
 therefore the Church, which hates novelty, desires to 
 ceJebrate her liturgy in the same language as the saints 
 have done for so many ages. 2dly, For a greater 
 uniformity in the public worship ; that so a Christian, 
 in whatsoever country he chances to be, may still find 
 the liturgy performed in the same manner, and in the 
 same language to which he is accustomed at home : 
 and the Latin is certainly of all languages the most 
 proper for this, as being the most universally studied 
 and known. 3dly, To avoid the changes to which all 
 vulgar languages, as we find by experience, are daily 
 exposed. For the Church is unwilling to be chopping 
 and changing her liturgy at every turn of language. 
 
 Q. Have any other Christians, besides Roman 
 Catholics, ever celebrated their liturgy in a language 
 which the greater part of the people did not under 
 stand ? 
 
 A. Yes : it is the practice of the Greeks, as we learn 
 from Alex. Ross, in his View of the Religions of 
 Europe, p. 481 ; and Mr. Breerwood in his Inquiries, 
 chap. 2. p. 12. It is the practice of all other sects of 
 Christians in the east and south, viz. of the Armenians, 
 of the Syrians, of the Nestorians, of the Cophts or 
 Egyptians, of the Abassians or Ethiopians, who all use 
 in their liturgies their ancient languages, which have 
 long since ceased to be understood by the people : as 
 we learn from Monsieur Renaudot in his Dissertation 
 upon the Oriental'Liturgies; chap. 6. And as for 
 Protestants, we learn from Dr. Heylin’s History of the 
 Reformation, p. 128, &c. that in Queen Elizabeth’s 
 time, “ The Irish parliament passed an act for the uni 
 formity of common prayer; with permission of saying 
 the same in Latin, where the minister had not the 
 knowledge of the English tongue. But for translating 
 it into Irish there was no care taken. The people are 
 required by that statute, under several penalties, to 
 frequent their Churches, and to be present at the read¬ 
 ing the English liturgy, which they understood no more 
 
 than they do the Mass. By which means-we have 
 
 furnished the Papists with an excellent argument 
 against ourselves, for having the divine service cele- 
 
113 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 brated in such a language as the people do not under¬ 
 stand.” Thus Dr. Heylin. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Penance : Of Confession , and the 
 Preparation for it: Of Absolution , fyc. 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by a sacrament of penance? 
 A. An institution of Christ, by which our sins are 
 forgiven ; which we fall into after baptism. 
 
 Q,. In what does this institution consist ? 
 
 A. On the part of the penitent it consists in these 
 three things, viz. contrition, confession, and satisfac¬ 
 tion: and on the part of the minister, in the absolution 
 pronounced by the authority of Jesus Christ So that 
 penance is a sacrament by which the faithful that have 
 fallen into sins, confessing the same with a true re¬ 
 pentance, and a sincere purpose of making satisfaction 
 to God, are absolved from their sins by the ministers 
 
 of God. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that the. ministers of God have 
 any such power as to absolve sinners from their sins ? 
 
 A. I prove it from St. John xx. 22, 23, where Christ 
 said to his ministers, ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost; 
 whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto 
 them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.’ 
 And St. Matt xviii. 18. ‘Verily 1 say unto you, what¬ 
 soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, 
 and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed 
 
 in heaven.’ .. , 
 
 Q. But was this power given to any besides the 
 
 Apostles ? 
 
 A. It was certainly given to them and to their suc¬ 
 cessors till the end of the world ; no less than the 
 commission of preaching, baptizing, &c. which, though 
 addressed to the Apostles, was certainly designed to 
 continue with their successors, the pastors of the Church 
 for ever, according to that of Christ, Matt, xxviii. 20. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 119 
 
 ‘ Lo 1 am with you always even till the end of the 
 world.’ And so the Protestant Church understands 
 these texts, in the order for the visitation of the sick, 
 m the common prayer book, where she prescribes a 
 form of absolution the same in substance as that used 
 in the Catholic Church, viz. 
 
 ‘ 0u 5 Lord Jesus Christ, who hath left power to his 
 Church to absolve all sinners who truly repent and 
 believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine 
 offences : and by his authority committed to me, I ab¬ 
 solve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.’ 
 
 Q. Is it then your doctrine that anv man can for¬ 
 give sins ? 
 
 A. We do not believe that any man can forgive 
 sms by his own power, as no man by his own power 
 can raise the dead to life: because both the one 
 and the other equally belong to the power of God. 
 But as God has sometimes made men his instruments 
 m raising the dead to life ; so we believe that he has 
 been pleased to appoint that his ministers should in 
 virtue of his commission, as his instruments, and by his 
 power absolve repenting sinners: and as this is evident 
 from the texts above quoted, it must be false zeal, under 
 pretext of maintaining the honour of God, to contradict 
 this commission which he has so evidently oiven to his 
 Church. D 
 
 sinners thus be encouraged to go 
 on m their evil ways, upon the confidence of beino- 
 absolved by the pastors of the Church, whenever they 
 please, from their sins ? 
 
 A. The pastors of the Church have no power to 
 absolve any one without a sincere repentance, and a 
 hrm purpose of a new life ; and therefore, the Catholic 
 doctrine of absolution can be no encouragement to anv 
 man to go on in his sins. y 
 
 Q. What then is required on the part of the sinner 
 m order to obtain forgiveness of his sins in the sacra¬ 
 ment of penance ? . 
 
 A. Three things, viz. contrition, confession, and 
 satisfaction. By contrition we mean, 4 a hearty sorrow 
 
120 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 for having offended so good a God, with a firm purpose 
 of amendment.’ By confession we mean, ‘a full and 
 sincere accusation made to God’s minister, of all mor¬ 
 tal sins, which after a diligent examination of con¬ 
 science, a person can call to his remembrance.’ By 
 satisfaction, we mean, 4 a faithful performance of the 
 penance enjoined by the priest.’ 
 
 Q. What preparation then do you recommend before 
 confession, in order to discharge one’s self well of this 
 important duty ? 
 
 A. A person that is preparing himself for confession 
 has four things to do before he goes to confession. 1st, 
 He must pray earnestly to God for his divine grace, 
 that he may be enabled to make a true and good con¬ 
 fession. 2dly, He must carefully examine his own 
 conscience, in order to find out what sins he has com¬ 
 mitted, and how often. 3dly, He must take due time 
 and pains to beg God’s pardon, and to procure a hearty 
 sorrow for his sins. 4thly, He must make firm reso¬ 
 lutions with God’s grace to avoid the like sins for the 
 future, and to fly the immediate occasions of them. 
 
 Q. Why must he begin his preparation by praying 
 earnestly to God for his divine grace ? 
 
 A. Because a good confession is a work of the ut¬ 
 most importance, and withal a difficult task, by reason 
 of the pride of our hearts, and that fear and shame 
 which is natural to us, and which the Devil, who is a 
 mortal enemy to confession, seeks to improve with all 
 his power. And therefore a Christian, that desires to 
 make a good confession, ought in the first place to 
 address himself to God by fervent prayer for his divine 
 assistance. And the more he finds the enemy busy to 
 instil into him an unhappy fear or shame, the more 
 earnestly must he implore the mercy and grace of God 
 upon this occasion. 
 
 Q,. In what manner must a person examine his con¬ 
 science in order to make a good confession ? 
 
 A. He must use a moral diligence to find out the 
 sins he has committed ; which requires more or less 
 time and care, according to the length of time from 
 his last confession, and the greater or less care that he 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 121 
 
 usually takes to the state of his conscience. The com¬ 
 mon method of examination, is to consider what one 
 has done against any of the commandments of God; 
 what neglects there may have been of Church pre¬ 
 cepts ; how one has discharged one’s self of the common 
 duties of a Christian, and of the particular duties of 
 one’s respective station of life ; how far one has been 
 guilty of any one of the seven sins, which are com¬ 
 monly called capital, because they are the springs or 
 fountains from whence all our sins flow, &c. AiTd for 
 the helping of a person’s memory in this regard, the 
 table of sins which is found in the manual, or other 
 prayer-books, may be of no small service. 
 
 Q. Is a person to examine himself as to the number 
 of times that he has been guilty of this or that sin ? 
 
 A. Yes: because he is obliged to confess as near as 
 he can, the number of his sins. But in sins of habit, 
 which have been of long standing and very numerous, 
 it will be enough to examine and confess the length 
 of time that be has been subject to such a sin, and how 
 many times he has fallen into it, in a day, in a week, or 
 month, one time with another. 
 
 Q,. What method do you prescribe to a person, in 
 order to procure that hearty sorrow for sin, which is 
 
 the most necessary part of the preparation for con¬ 
 fession ? 
 
 A. The best method to procure it is to beg it heartily 
 of God; for it must be his gift. None but God can 
 give that change of heart, which is so essential to a 
 good confession, and he has been pleased to promise, 
 St. Matt. vii. 7, ‘Ask and it shall be given you: seek 
 and ye shall find: knock and it shall be opened unto 
 you.’ To this end also, pious meditation and con¬ 
 sideration, and devout acts of contrition, which are 
 found in books of devotion, will much contribute, if 
 read leisurely and attentively, so as to sink into the 
 heart But because many persons content themselves 
 in running over in haste the Prayers before Confession, 
 which they meet with in their books, with little or no 
 change in the heart, which perhaps is grown hard by 
 
122 THE CATHOL C CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 sinful habits, it is to be feared their performances are 
 too often nothing worth in the sight of God. 
 
 Q. What then do you advise in the case of habitual 
 sinners, in order to procure a true change of heart ? 
 
 A. I advise them to a spiritual retreat for some days, 
 in which being retired as much as possible from the 
 noise of the world, they may think on the great truths 
 of religion, of the end" for which they came into this 
 world ; of the benefits of God, of the enormity of sin, 
 of the sudden passing away of all that this world ad¬ 
 mires, of the four last things, of the passion of Christ, 
 &c.; that so the serious considerations of these great 
 truths, joined to retirement and prayer, may make a 
 due impression on their hearts, and effectually convert 
 them to God. Those whose circumstances "w ill not 
 permit them to make a regular retreat, may at least 
 endeavour, during some days, to think as often a.nd as 
 seriously as they can upon the truths above-mentioned; 
 and by frequently and fervently calling upon the Father 
 of mercies, in the midst of all their employments, may 
 hope to procure to themselves the like grace. . ? 
 
 Q. What must be the chief motive of a sinner s 
 sorrow and repentance, in order to qualify him for 
 absolution ? 
 
 A. Divines are not perfectly agreed in the resolution 
 of this query: but all are perfectly agreed in advising 
 every one to aim at the best motive he can; and that 
 the best and safest way is to renounce and detest our 
 sins for the love of God above all things. 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by the resolution of amend¬ 
 ment, which you suppose to be a necesary ingredient 
 
 in the preparation for confession ? 
 
 A I mean a full determination of the soul to fly lor 
 the future all wilful sin, and the immediate occasions 
 
 of it .. A 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by the immediate occasions 
 
 of sin ? .. 
 
 A. All such company, places, employment, diver¬ 
 sions, books, &c. which are apt to draw a person to 
 mortal sin, either in deed, word, or in thought. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 123 
 
 Q. And is a person indispensably obliged to avoid 
 all such immediate occasions of sin ? 
 
 A. He is obliged to avoid them to the very utmost 
 of his power, according to that gospel rule of parting 
 even with a hand or an eye, that is an occasion of of¬ 
 fence to the soul, St. Matt, xviii. 8, 9. 
 
 Q. What scripture do you bring to recommend the 
 confession of our sins to God’s ministers ? 
 
 A. 1st, The precept of God in the Old Testament, 
 Numb. v. 6, 7. 4 When a man or woman shall commit 
 
 any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the 
 Lord, and that person be guilty, then they shall con¬ 
 fess their sin which they have done,’ &c.’ 2dly, The 
 example of the people that hearkened to the preaching 
 of St. John the Baptist, who were baptized by him, 
 ‘ confessing their sins,’ St. Matt. iii. 6. 3dly, The pre¬ 
 scription of St. James v. 16. 4 Confess your sins one 
 
 to another;’ that is, to the priests, or elders of the 
 Church, whom the Apostle had ordered to be called 
 for, v. 14. 4thly. The practice of the first Christians, 
 Acts xix. 18. ‘Many that believed came, and con¬ 
 fessed and declared their deeds.’ 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that there is any command 
 of Christ, for the confession of our sins to his ministers ? 
 
 A. I prove it from the commission which Christ has 
 given to his ministers, St. John xx. 22, 23. 4 Receive 
 
 ye the Holy Ghost; whose soever sins you remit they 
 are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins you 
 retain, they are retained.’ And St. Matt, xviii. 18. 
 
 4 Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on 
 earth, shall be bound in heaven : and whatsoever you 
 shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.’ For 
 it is visible, that this commission of binding- or loosing, 
 forgiving or retaining sins, according to the merits of 
 the cause and the disposition of the penitent, cannot 
 be rightly executed without taking cognizance of the 
 state of the soul of him who desires to be absolved 
 from his sins by virtue of this commission; and conse¬ 
 quently cannot be rightly executed without confession. 
 So that we conclude with St. Augustine,* that to pre- 
 
 * Homil. 49. Inter. 50. 
 
124 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 tend it is enough to confess to God alone, is making 
 void the power of the keys given to the Church, St. 
 Matt. xvi. 19; that it is contradicting the gospel, and 
 making void the commission of Christ. 
 
 Q. Are Christians then obliged to confess all their 
 sins to the ministers of Christ ? 
 
 A. They are obliged to confess all such sins as are 
 mortal, or of which they have reason to doubt, lest they 
 may be mortal; but they are not obliged to confess 
 venial sins, because as these do not exclude eternally 
 from the kingdom of heaven, so there is not a strict 
 obligation of having recourse for the remission of them 
 to the keys of the Church. 
 
 Q. But by what rule shall a person be able to make 
 a judgment whether his sins be mortal or venial? 
 
 A. All those sins are to be esteemed mortal which 
 the word of God represents to us as hateful to God, 
 against which he pronounces a wo, or of which it de¬ 
 clares, that such as do those things shall not enter into 
 the kingdom of heaven: of these we have many in¬ 
 stances, Rom. i. 29, 30, 31. 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Galat. 
 v. 19, 20, 21. Ephes. v. 5. Apocalypse xxi. 8.; and in 
 the Old Testament, Isai. v. Ezek. xviii. &c. But though 
 it be very easy to know that some sins are mortal, and 
 others but venial, yet to pretend to be able always 
 perfectly to distinguish which are mortal and which are 
 not, is above the reach of the most able divines ; and 
 therefore a prudent Christian will not easily pass over 
 sins in confession, under the pretence of their being 
 venial, unless he be certain of it. And this caution is 
 more particularly necessary in certain cases, where 
 persons being ashamed to confess their sins, are willing 
 to persuade themselves they are but venial; for in such 
 cases it is much to be feared, lest their self-love should 
 bias their judgment. 
 
 Q,. Is it a great crime to conceal through shame or 
 fear, any mortal sin in confession ? 
 
 A. Yes, it is a great crime; because it is telling a 
 lie to the Holy Ghost; for which kind of sin Ananias 
 and Saphira were struck dead, by a just judgment of 
 God, Acts v. It is acting deceitfully with God, and 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 125 
 
 that m a matter of the utmost consequence. It is a 
 sacrilege, because it is an abuse of the sacrament of 
 penance, and is generally followed by another greater 
 sacrilege, in receiving unworthily the body and blood 
 of Christ. And what is still more dreadful, such sin¬ 
 ners seldom stop at the first bad confession and com¬ 
 munion, but usually go on for a longtime in these sins, 
 and very often die in them. But it is not only a great 
 crime to conceal one’s sins in confession, it is a great 
 folly and madness too; because, such offenders, if they 
 have not renounced their faith, know very well that 
 these sins must be confessed, or that they must burn 
 for them ; and they cannot be ignorant, that these bad 
 confessions do but increase their burden, by adding to 
 It the dreadful guilt of repeated sacrileges which they 
 will have far more difficulty of confessing, than these 
 very sins of which they are now so much ashamed. 
 
 Q,. Have you any instances in Church History, of 
 remarkable judgments of God, upon those that have 
 presumed to approach to the blessed sacrament, with¬ 
 out making a sincere confession of their sins ? 
 
 A. Yes, we have several recorded by St. Cyprian, 
 (L. de Lapsis,) and other grave authors; but the most 
 common, and indeed the most dreadful punishments of 
 these sins, is a blindness and hardness of heart, which 
 God justly permits such sinners to fall into, and which 
 is the broad road to final inpenitence. 
 
 Q. Have you any thing to offer by way of encourage¬ 
 ment to sinners to confess their sins sincerely ? 
 
 A. Yes, 1st, The great benefit that their souls will 
 reap in the remission of their sins, promised by Christ, 
 St Matt, xviii. 18. and St. John xx. 22, 23. and the 
 other advantages which an humble confession of sins 
 brings along with it; such as a present comfort and 
 ease of conscience, a remedy against future sins, direc¬ 
 tions and prescriptions from the minister of God, for 
 the curing the spiritual maladies of the soul, &c. 2dly, 
 That by this short passing confusion, which will last 
 but a moment, they will escape the dreadful shame of 
 having their sins written on their foreheads at the last 
 day to their eternal confusion. 3dly, That the greater 
 
 11 * 
 
126 THE CATHOLIC CHRI3TIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 their sins have been, the greater will be the joy, as of 
 the whole court of heaven, so of their confessor here 
 upon earth, to see their sincere conversion to God 
 testified by the humble confession of their shameful 
 sins : Upon which account, so far from thinking worse 
 of them, he will conceive far greater hopes of their 
 future progress, and a more tender affection for them. 
 4thly, That by the law of God and his Church, whatever 
 is declared in confession can never be discovered di¬ 
 rectly or indirectly to any one, upon any account what¬ 
 soever, but remains an eternal secret betwixt God and 
 the penitent soul; of which the confessor cannot, even 
 to save his own life, make any use at all to the penitent’s 
 discredit, disadvantage or any other grievance whatso¬ 
 ever. Vide Dea'etum lnnoceniii XI. die 18 JVovemb. 
 Anno 1682. 
 
 Q. But suppose it has been the sinner’s misfortune 
 to have made a bad confession, or perhaps a great 
 many bad confessions, what must he do to repair this 
 fault, and to reinstate himself in God’s grace ? 
 
 A. He must apply himself to God by hearty prayers 
 for his grace and mercy ; and so prepare himself to 
 make a good general confession of all his sins, at least 
 from the time of his going astray: Because all the 
 confessions that he has made since he began to conceal 
 his sins were all sacrilegious, and consequently null 
 and invalid ; and therefore must be all repeated again. 
 
 Q. But is he obliged in this case to confess again 
 those sins which he has confessed before ? 
 
 A. He is, because the concealing of any one mortal 
 sin in confession makes the whole confession nothing 
 worth ; and all the following confessions, until this fault 
 is repaired, are all null; and therefore they must all be 
 made again. But if it be to the same confessor who 
 has a confused remembrance of the sins before con¬ 
 fessed, it may suffice for the penitent to accuse himself 
 in general terms of all that has been confessed before ; 
 and then to specify in particular the sins that have 
 been omitted, together with the number of the bad 
 confessions and communions that have been made by 
 him. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 127 
 
 Q. Are there any other cases in which the confession 
 is nothing worth, and consequently must be made again, 
 besides this case of concealing mortal sin ? 
 
 A. Yes, if the penitent has taken no care to examine 
 his conscience, or to procure the necessary sorrow for 
 his sins, or a true purpose of amendment, his confession 
 is good for nothing, and must be repeated; and also, 
 if the priest to whom he has made this confession has 
 not had the necessary faculties and approbation. 
 
 Q,. What if the penitent, through forgetfulness, pass 
 over some mortal sin in confession ? 
 
 A. This omission, provided there was no considerable 
 negligence which gave occasion to it, does not make 
 the confession invalid. But then the sin that has been 
 thus omitted must be confessed afterwards, when the 
 penitent remembers it: and if he remembers it before 
 communion, it ought to be confessed before he goes to 
 communion; if he remembers it not till after commu¬ 
 nion, he must confess it in the next confession. 
 
 Q. Is a person obliged to confess the circumstances 
 of his sins ? 
 
 A. He is obliged to confess such circumstances as 
 alter the kind or nature of the sin; and also, such as 
 notably aggravate the guilt; but in modest and decent 
 terms, particularly in confessing the circumstances of 
 sms against chastity. 
 
 Q,. Would it be a crime to neglect the penance or 
 satisfaction enjoined by the priest? 
 
 A. Yes, it would; the more because we ought to 
 regard the penance enjoined as an exchange which 
 Hod makes of the eternal punishments, which we have 
 deserved by sin, into these small penitential works. 
 
 Q,. Has the Church of God always enjoined penances 
 to sinners ? 
 
 A. Yes, she has, and in the primitive times much 
 more severe than now-a-days, when three, seven, or 
 ten years of penance used to be imposed for sins of 
 impurity, perjury, &c. 
 
 Q,. Does the Church at present approve of giving 
 ordinarily very slight penances for very great sins ? 
 
 A. So far from it, that the Council of Trent, Sess 
 
128 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 14, chap. 8, gives us to understand, that a confessor, by 
 such excessive indulgence, is in danger of drawing 
 upon his own head the guilt of his penitent’s sins, and 
 declares that a priest ought to enjoin a suitable penance 
 according to the quality of the crime and the penitent’s 
 ability. 
 
 Q. Ought the penitent to content himself with per¬ 
 forming the penance enjoined, so as to take no farther 
 thought about making satisfaction to God for his sins ? 
 
 A. No, by no means ; for it is to be feared, that the 
 penance enjoined is seldom sufficient to take off all the 
 punishment due to God’s justice upon account of her 
 sins : and it is certain, that the more a penitent is 
 touched with a hearty sorrow for his offences against 
 God, the more he will be desirous of making satisfac¬ 
 tion, and revenging upon himself by penitential se¬ 
 verities the injury done to God by his sins. Hence the 
 life of a good Christian ought to be a perpetual penance. 
 
 Q,. What then do you recommend to a penitent, be¬ 
 sides the performance of his penance, in order to cancel 
 the punishment due to his sins, and to make satisfaction 
 to the divine Justice? 
 
 A. I recommend to him, 1st, Ever to maintain in 
 himself a penitential spirit, and in that spirit to perform 
 all his prayers ; daily offering up to God the sacrifice 
 of a contrite and humble heart. 2dly, I recommend to 
 him almsdeeds, both corporal and spiritual, according 
 to his ability. 3dly, Fasting, and other mortifications; 
 especially the retrenching all superfluities in eating, 
 drinking, and sleeping; all unnecessary diversions, and 
 much more all such as are dangerous ; all idle curiosity, 
 vanity, &c. 4thly, I recommend to him to have re¬ 
 course to indulgences, and to perform with religious 
 exactitude the conditions thereunto required. 5thly, 
 Jn fine, I recommend to him to take from the hands of 
 God, in part of penance for his sins, all sicknesses, 
 pains, labors, and all other crosses whatsoever, and 
 daily to offer them up to God to be united to and sancti¬ 
 fied by the sufferings and deatli of Jesus Christ 
 
 Q. What is the form and manner of confession ? 
 
 A. The penitent, having duly prepared himself by 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 129 
 
 prayer, by a serious examination of his conscience, and 
 a hearty contrition for his sins, kneels down at the con¬ 
 fession chair on one side of the priest, and making the 
 sign of the cross upon himself, asks the priest’s blessing, 
 saying, 4 Pray, Father, give me your blessing.’ Then 
 the priest blesses him in the following words: 4 The 
 Lord be in thy heart, and in thy lips, that thou mayest 
 truly and humbly confess all thy sins, in the name of 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
 Amen.’ After which the penitent says the Confiteor, 
 in Latin, or in English, as far as Med Culpa; fyc. and 
 then accuses himself of all his sins, as to the kind, num¬ 
 ber, and aggravating circumstances; and concludes 
 with this or the like form: 4 Of these, and all other 
 sins of my whole life, I humbly accuse myself; I am 
 heartily sorry for them, I beg pardon of God, and pen¬ 
 ance and absolution of you my ghostly father.’ And 
 so he finishes the Confiteor, 4 Therefore, I beseech 
 thee,’ &c. And then attends to the instructions given 
 by the priest, and humbly accepts the penance en¬ 
 joined. 
 
 Q. What is the form of absolution ? 
 
 A. 1st, The priest says, 4 May the Almighty God 
 have mercy on thee, and forgive thee thy sins, and 
 bring thee to life everlasting, Amen.’ 
 
 Then stretching forth his right hand towards the 
 
 o o 
 
 penitent, he says, 4 May the Almighty and merciful 
 Lord give thee pardon, absolution, and remission of thy 
 sins, Amen.’ 
 
 4 Our Lord Jesus Christ absolve thee, and I, by his 
 authority, absolve thee, in the first place, from every 
 bond of excommunication or interdict, as far as I have 
 power and thou standest in need: in the next place, 
 1 absolve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
 Amen.’ 
 
 4 May the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merits 
 of the blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the saints, and 
 whatsoever good thou shalt do, or whatsoever evil thou 
 shalt suffer, be to thee unto the remission of thy sins, the 
 
130 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 increase of grace, and the recompense of everlasting 
 life, Amen. 
 
 Q. In what case is a confessor to defer or deny ab¬ 
 solution ? 
 
 A. The rule of the Church is to defer absolution, 
 excepting the case of necessity, to those of whose dis¬ 
 position the confessor has just cause to doubt, and to 
 deny absolution to those who are certainly indisposed 
 for it; which is the case of all such as refuse to forgive 
 their enemies, or to restore ill-gotten goods, or to for¬ 
 sake the habits or immediate occasions of sin, or, in a 
 word, to comply with any part of their duty, to which 
 they are obliged under mortal sin. Rit. Rom. de Sacra¬ 
 mento Pceniteniice. 
 
 Q. How do you prove, from all that has been said, 
 that penance, i. e. the confession and absolution of sin¬ 
 ners, is properly a sacrament ? 
 
 A. Because it is an outward sign of inward grace, 
 ordained by Jesus Christ; which is the very notion and 
 definition of a sacrament: the outward sign is found in 
 the sinner’s confession, and the form of absolution pro¬ 
 nounced by the priest; the inward grace is the remis¬ 
 sion of sins promised by Jesus Christ, St John xx. 22, 
 23, and the ordinance of Christ is gathered from the 
 same place, and from St Matt, xviii. 18. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Of Indulgences and Jubilees. 
 
 Q. What do you mean by indulgences? 
 
 A. There is not any part of the doctrine of the 
 Catholic Church that is more grossly misrepresented 
 by our adversaries than this of indulgences ; for the 
 generality of Protestants imagine that an indulgence 
 is a leave to commit sin, or, at least, that it is a pardon 
 for sins to come ; whereas, indeed, it is no such thing. 
 There is no such power in heaven or earth that can 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 131 
 
 give leave to commit sin; and consequently there is 
 no giving pardon beforehand for sins to come. All 
 this is far from the belief and practice of the Catholic 
 Church. By an indulgence, therefore, we mean no 
 more than a releasing to true penitents the debt of tem¬ 
 poral punishment, which remained due to their sins, 
 after the sins themselves, as to the guilt and eternal 
 punishment, had been already remitted by the sacra¬ 
 ment of penance, or by perfect contrition. 
 
 Q. Be pleased to explain this a little farther. 
 
 A. That you may understand this the better, take 
 notice, that in sin there are two things; there is the 
 guilt of the sin, and there is the debt of the punishment 
 due to God upon account of the sin. Now upon the 
 sinner’s repentance and confession, the sin is remitted 
 as to the guilt, and likewise as to the eternal punish¬ 
 ment in hell, due to every mortal sin; but the repentance 
 and conversion is seldom so perfect as to release the 
 sinner from all debt of temporal punishment due to 
 God’s justice, which the penitent must either discharge 
 by the way of satisfaction and penance ; or, if he be 
 deficient therein, he must expect to suffer hereafter, in 
 proportion to this debt which he owes to the divine 
 Majesty. Now an indulgence, when duly obtained, is 
 a release from this debt of temporal punishment. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove, that after the guilt of sin and 
 the eternal punishment has been remitted, there re¬ 
 mains oftentimes a debt of temporal punishment due to 
 the divine Justice ? 
 
 A. I prove it, 1st, from scripture; where, to omit 
 other instances, we find in the case of king David, 2 
 Sam. xii. that although upon his repentance the prophet 
 Nathan assured him,v. 13, that the Lord hath put away 
 his sin, yet he denounced unto him many temporal pun¬ 
 ishments, which should be inflicted by reason of this 
 sin: which accordingly after ensued. See v. 10, 11, 
 12, 15. 2dly, I prove it from the perpetual practice of 
 the Church of God, of enjoining penances to the re¬ 
 penting sinners, in order to cancel this punishment due 
 to their sins. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that the Church has received 
 
132 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 a power from Christ of discharging a penitent sinner 
 from this debt of temporal punishment, which remains 
 due upon account of his sins ? 
 
 A. I prove it by that promise of our Lord, made to 
 St. Peter, St. Matt. xvi. 19. ‘1 will give unto thee the 
 
 keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou 
 shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and 
 whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in 
 heaven.’ Which promise, made without any exception, 
 reservation, or limitation, must needs imply a power of 
 loosing or releasing all such bonds as might otherwise 
 hinder or retard a Christian soul from entering heaven. 
 
 Q. Did the primitive Church ever practise any thing 
 of this nature ? 
 
 A. Yes, very frequently, in discharging penitents, 
 when there appeared just cause for it, from a great 
 part of the penance due to their sins, as may be seen 
 in Tertullian, St. Cyprian, and other ancient mon¬ 
 uments : And of this nature was what St Paul himself 
 practised in forgiving, as he says, 2 Cor. ii. 10, in the 
 person of Christ, that is, by the power and authority 
 received from him, the incestuous Corinthian, without 
 waiting his going through a longer course of penance. 
 
 Q. But were these primitive indulgences understood 
 to release the punishment due to sin in the sight of 
 God, or only that which was enjoined in the Church in 
 her penitential canons P 
 
 A. Both one and the other, as often as they were 
 granted upon a just cause: according to what our 
 Lord had promised, St. Matt, xviii. 18. ‘Verily I say 
 unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be 
 bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on 
 earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ 
 
 Q,. What conditions are necessary for the validity of 
 an indulgence ? 
 
 A. 1st, On the part of him that grants the indulgence, 
 besides sufficient authority, it is necessary that there 
 be a just cause or motive for the grant; for, according 
 to the common doctrine of the best divines, indulgences, 
 granted without cause, will not be ratified by Almighty 
 God. 2dly, On the part of him that is to obtain the 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 133 
 
 indulgence, it is requisite that he duly perform the 
 conditions prescribed, such as going to confession and 
 communion, fasting, alms, prayers, &c. and that he be 
 in the state of grace ; for it is in vain to expect the 
 remission of the punishment due to sin, whilst a person 
 continues in the guilt of mortal sin. 
 
 Q,. Does the indulgence so far remit all temporal 
 punishment as to free a penitent from all obligation of 
 doing penance for his sins ? 
 
 A. No; for the obligation of doing penance for sin 
 and leading a penitential life, is an indispensable duty. 
 Hence the Church usually enjoins penitential works, 
 in order for the obtaining of indulgences. And the 
 opinion of the learned Cardinal Cajeran, and others, 
 is highly probable that one condition for attaining to 
 the benefit of an indulgence, in the release of the 
 punishment of the next life, is a disposition to do 
 penance in this life; for the treasure of the Church, 
 out of which indulgences are granted, is intended by 
 our great master for the relief of the indigent; yet not 
 so as to encourage the lazy, who refuse to labour at 
 all for themselves. 
 
 Q. Are you then of opinion, that a Christian receives 
 no farther benefit by an indulgence, than he would do 
 by the penitential works which he performs for the 
 obtaining of that indulgence P 
 
 o o 
 
 A. I am far from being of that opinion : for, according 
 to that way of thinking, no benefit would be reaped 
 from the indulgence, but only from the works, performed 
 for the obtaining of it: whereas, the Church of God 
 has declared, in the Council of Trent, that 4 Indulgences 
 are very wholesome to Christian people.’ Sess. 25. 
 But what many divines maintain is that, regularly 
 speaking, there is required, though not an equality, yet 
 some proportion at least between the works to be done 
 for the obtaining of an indulgence, and the indulgence 
 itself: and this I believe to be true. See Soto in 
 4tum. Dist.. 21. Q,. 2, Art. 2. and Sylvius in Sup. Q. 25, 
 Art. 2. Q,usesito 2. Conclus. 5. 
 
 Q. What is meant by the treasure of the Church, 
 ©ut of which indulgences are said to be granted ? 
 
 12 
 
134 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. The treasure of the Church, according to divines, 
 are the merits and satisfaction of Christ and his saints, 
 out of which the Church, when she grants an indulgence 
 to her children, offers to God an equivalent for the 
 punishment which was due to the divine Justice. For 
 the merits and satisfaction of Christ are of infinite 
 value, and never to be exhausted, and the source of all 
 our good; and the merits and satisfactions of the saints, 
 as they have their value from Christ, and through him 
 are accepted by the Father, so by the communion, 
 which all the members of Christ’s mystical body have 
 one with another, are applicable to the faithful upon 
 earth. 
 
 Q. What is meant by a plenary indulgence ? 
 
 A. That w'hich, when duly obtained, releases the 
 whole punishment that remained due upon account of 
 past sins. 
 
 Q,. What is meant by an indulgence of seven years, 
 or of forty days ? 
 
 A. By an indulgence of so many years or days is 
 meant the remission of the penance of so many years 
 or days, and consequently of the punishment corre¬ 
 sponding to the sins, which, by the canons of the Church, 
 would have required so many years or days of penance, 
 Bellarmin, 1. 1. de Indulg. c. 9. And thus, if it be true, 
 that there ever were any grants of indulgence of a 
 thousand years or more, they are to be understood 
 with relation to the punishment corresponding to the 
 sins, which according to the penitential canons would 
 have required a thousand or more years of penance. 
 For since, by these canons, seven or ten years of 
 penance were usually assigned for one mortal sin of 
 lust, perjury, &c. it follows, that habitual sinners, ac¬ 
 cording to the rigour of the canons, must have been 
 liable to great numbers of years of penance, and per¬ 
 haps some thousands of years. And though they could 
 not be expected to live so long as to fulfil this penance; 
 yet, as by their sins, they had incurred a debt of pun 
 ishment proportionable to so long a time of penance, 
 these indulgences, of so many years, if ever granted, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 135 
 
 (which some call in question) were designed to release 
 them from the debt. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of indulgences for the dead ? 
 
 A. They are not granted by way of absolution, 
 since the pastors of the Church have not that jurisdic¬ 
 tion over the dead : but they are only available to the 
 faithful departed, by way of suffrage, or spiritual 
 vsuccour applied to their souls out of the treasure of 
 the Church. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of a jubilee ? 
 
 A. A jubilee is so called from the resemblance it 
 bears with the jubilee-year in the old law,*Levit. xxv. 
 and xxvii. (which was a year of remission, in which 
 bondsmen were restored to liberty, and every one 
 returned to his possessions) is a plenary indulgence 
 granted every twenty-fifth year, as also upon other 
 extraordinary occasions, to such as being truly penitent, 
 shall worthily receive the blessed sacrament, and per¬ 
 form the other conditions of fasting, alms and prayer* 
 usually prescribed at such times. 
 
 Q,. What then is the difference betwixt a jubilee 
 and any other plenary indulgence ? 
 
 A. A jubilee is more solemn, and accompanied 
 with certain privileges, not usually granted upon other 
 occasions, with regard to the being absolved by any 
 approved confessor from all excommunications and 
 other reserved cases, and having vows exchanged into 
 the performance of other works of piety. To which 
 we may add, that as a jubilee is extended to the whole 
 Church, which at that time joins as it were in a body 
 in offering a holy violence to heaven by prayers and 
 penitential works; and as the cause for granting an 
 indulgence at such times is usually more evident, and 
 more or greater works of piety are prescribed for tho 
 obtaining it, the indulgence of consequence is likely to 
 be much more certain and secure. 
 
 Q. What are the fruits which usually are seen 
 amongst Catholics at the time of a jubilee ? 
 
 A. As at that time the Church most pressingly in¬ 
 vites all sinners to return to God with their whole 
 hearts, and encourages them by setting open her 
 
136 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 spiritual treasure in their favour, so the most usual 
 effects of a jubilee are the conversions of great numbers 
 of sinners, and the multiplying of all sorts of good 
 works amongst the faithful. So far it is from being 
 
 o o 
 
 true, that indulgences are an encouragement to sin, 
 or an occasion of a neglect of good works, as our 
 adversaries unjustly object. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction . 
 
 Q. What do you mean by extreme unction ? 
 
 A. I mean the anointing of the sick, prescribed St. 
 James v. 14, 15. ‘ Is any one sick among you, let him 
 
 call for 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 ease him; and if he be in sins, they 
 shall be forgiven him.’ 
 
 Q. Plow do you prove that this anointing of the sick 
 is a sacrament ? 
 
 A. Because it is the outward sign of an inward 
 grace, or a divine ordinance, to which is annexed a 
 promise of grace in God’s holy word. The anointing, 
 together with the prayers that accompany it, are the 
 outward sign; the ordinance of God is found in the 
 words of St. James above quoted: the inward grace is 
 promised in the same place, ‘ The prayer of faith shall 
 save the sick man—and if lie be in sins, they shall be 
 forgiven him.’ 
 
 Q. How do you prove that this ordinance was de¬ 
 signed for all ages, and not only for the time of the 
 apostles ? 
 
 A. Because the words of the scripture in which this 
 ordinance is contained are no way limited to the 
 Apostles’ time, no more than the words of the ordinance 
 of baptism, St. Matt, xxviii. and because the Church ot 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 137 
 
 i 
 
 God, the best interpreter of his words and ordinances, 
 has practised it in all ages. 
 
 Q. To what kind of people is the sacrament of ex¬ 
 treme unction to be administered ? 
 
 A. To those who, after having come to the use of 
 reason, are in danger of death by sickness; but not to 
 children under the age of reason, nor persons sentenced 
 to death, &c. 
 
 Q. Can the same person receive the sacrament of 
 
 extreme unction more than once ? 
 
 A. Yes, but not in the same illness, except it should 
 be of long continuance, and that the state of the sick man 
 should be changed so as to recover out of the danger, 
 and then fall into the like case again. 
 
 Q. What are the effects and fruits of the sacrament 
 
 of extreme unction ? 
 
 A. 1st, It remits sins, at least such as are venial, for 
 mortal or deadly sins must be remitted, before receiving 
 extreme unction, by the sacrament of penance and 
 confession. 2dly, It heals the soul of her infirm¬ 
 ity and weakness, and a certain propension to sin 
 contracted by former sins, which are apt to remain in 
 the soul, as the unhappy relics of sin; and it helps to 
 remove'something of the debt of punishment due to past 
 sins. 3dly, It imparts strength to the soul, to bear more 
 easily the illness of the body, and arms her against the 
 attempts of her spiritual enemies. 4thly, If it be expedi¬ 
 ent for the good of the soul, it often restores the health 
 ofthe body. 
 
 Q. What kind of oil is that which is made use of m 
 the sacrament of extreme unction ? 
 
 A. The oil of olives, solemnly blessed by the bishop 
 every year on Maunday-Thursday. 
 
 Q,' What is the form and manner of administering 
 
 this sacrament ? 
 
 A. 1st, The priest, having instructed and disposed 
 the sick person to this sacrament, recites, if the time 
 permits, certain prayers prescribed in the Ritual, to beg 
 God’s blessing upon the sick, and that his holy angels 
 may defend them, that dwell in that habitation, from 
 all evil. 2dly, Is said the Confiteor, or general form 
 
138 TH* CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 of confession and absolution ; and the priest exhorts all 
 present to join in prayer for the person that is sick; 
 and if opportunity permit, according to the quality or 
 number of persons there present, to recite the seven 
 penitential Psalms with the Litanies, or other prayers 
 upon this occasion. 3dly, Tiie priest, making three 
 times the sign of the cross upon the sick person, at 
 the name of the blessed Trinity, says, ‘ In the name of 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
 may all power of the devil be extinguished in thee, by 
 the laying on of our hands, and the invocation of all 
 the holy angels, archangels, patriarchs, prophets, Apos¬ 
 tles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all the saints. 
 Amen. ’ 4thly, Dipping his thumb in the holy oil, he 
 anoints the sick person in the form of the cross, upon 
 the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands and feet; at each 
 anointing making use of this form of prayer: ‘ Through 
 this holy unction, and his own most tender mercy, may 
 the Lord pardon thee whatever sins thou hast committed 
 by thy sight. Amen.’ And so of the hearing, and the 
 rest, adapting the form to the several senses. 5thly, 
 After this the priest goes on ; ‘ Lord have mercy on us 
 Christ have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us 
 Our Father, &c. And lead us not into temptation. 
 R. But deliver us from evil. V. Save thy servant 
 R. Trusting in thee, O my God. V. Send him O 
 Lord, help from thy sanctuary. R. And do thou de¬ 
 fend him from Sion. Y. Be to him, O Lord, a tower 
 of strength. R. From the face of the enemy. V. 
 Let not the enemy have any power over him. R. Nor 
 the Son of iniquity be able to hurt him. V. Lord, 
 hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee. 
 V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit’ 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O Lord God, who hast said by thy Apostle James. 
 Is any one sick among you ? Let him call for 
 the priests of the Church, and let them pray over him, 
 anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and 
 the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 139 
 
 shall ease him; and if he be in sins they shal^be re¬ 
 mitted to him ; heal, we beseech thee, O our Redeemer, 
 by the grace of the Holy Ghost, the maladies of this 
 sick man, cure his wounds, and forgive him his sins, 
 and expel from him all .pains of mind and body, and 
 mercifully restore unto him perfect health, both as to 
 the interior and exterior, that being recovered by thy 
 mercy, he may return to his former duties. Who 
 with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest 
 one God, forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Look down, we beseech thee, O Lord, on thy servant 
 N. fainting under the infirmity of his body, and re 
 fresh a soul which thou hast created: that he, being im¬ 
 proved by thy chastisements may be saved by thy medi 
 cine. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O Holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting God, 
 who, by imparting the grace of thy benediction to sick 
 bodies, preservest, according to the multitude of thy 
 mercies, the work of thy hands; favourably attend to 
 the invocation of thy name, and deliver thy servant 
 from his illness, and restoring him to health, raise him 
 up by thy right hand, and strengthen him by thy virtue, 
 defend him by thy power, and restore him with all de¬ 
 sired prosperity to thy holy Church. Through Christ 
 our Lord. Amen. 
 
 As to what belongs to the order of the visitation of 
 the sick, and the prayers and devotions proper upon 
 that occasion, as also the manner of assisting those that 
 are dying, consult the Roman Ritual; out of which I 
 shall present you with the following form of the recom¬ 
 mendation of a departing soul. 
 
140 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Order of the Recommendation of a Soul that i3 
 
 just departing . 
 
 Q,. What is the form or order of the recommenda¬ 
 tion of a soul to God in its last passage ? 
 
 A. 1st, There is a short Litany recited, adapted to 
 that occasion ; then the following prayers. 
 
 Go forth, O Christian soul, from this world, in the 
 name of God the Father Almighty, who created thee; 
 in the name of Jesus Christ the Son of the living God, 
 who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Ghost, 
 who sanctified thee; in the name of the angels and the 
 archangels ; in the name of the thrones and domina¬ 
 tions ; in the name of the principalities and powers ; 
 in the name of the cherubims and seraphims; in the 
 name of the patriarchs and prophets; in the name of 
 the holy apostles and evangelists ; in the name of the 
 holy martyrs and confessors; in the name of the holy 
 monks and hermits; in the name of the holy virgins, 
 and of all the saints of God: Let thy place be this 
 day in peace, and thy abode in the holy Sion. 
 Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 O God most merciful, O God most clement, O God, 
 who, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, 
 blottest out the sins of the penitent, and graciously 
 remittest the guilt of their past offences; mercifully 
 regard this thy servant N. and vouchsafe to hear him, 
 who with the whole confession of his heart begs for 
 the remission of all his sins. Renew, O most merciful 
 Father, whatever has been corrupted in him through 
 human frailty, or violated through the deceit of the 
 enemy; and associate him as a member of redemption 
 to the unity of the body of the Church. Have com¬ 
 passion, O Lord, on his sighs ; have compassion on his 
 tears, and admit him, who has no hope but in thy mercy, 
 to the sacrament of thy reconciliation. Through 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED- 141 
 
 I recommend thee, dear brother, to the Almighty 
 God, and commit thee to his care, whose creature thou 
 art; that when thou shalt have paid the debt ot all 
 mankind by death, thou mayest return to thy Maker, 
 who formed thee of the slime of the earth. When thy 
 soul therefore shall depart from thy body, let the re¬ 
 splendent multitude of the angels meet thee : let t le 
 triumphant army of the martyrs, clad in their white 
 robes, conduct thee: let the glorious company or 
 illustrious confessors encompass thee : let the choir ot 
 joyful virgins receive thee : and mayest thou meet with 
 a blessed repose in the bosom of the patriarchs: Let 
 Christ Jesus appear to thee with a mild and cheerful 
 countenance, and order thee a place amongst those that 
 are to stand before him for ever: mayest thou never 
 know the horror of darkness, the gnashing in flames or 
 racking torments. May the most wicked enemy, with 
 all his evil spirits, be forced to give way : may he trem¬ 
 ble at thy approach in the company of angels, and fly 
 away into the vast chaos of eternal night. Let God 
 arise, and his enemies be dispersed: and let them that 
 hate him fly before his face: let them, like smoke, 
 come to nothing, and as wax that melts before the fire, 
 so let sinners perish in the sight of God, but may the 
 iust feast and rejoice in his sight. Let then all the 
 leo-ions of hell be confounded and put to shame, and 
 may none of the ministers of satan dare to stop thee in 
 thy way. May Christ deliver thee from torments, who 
 was crucified for thee. May Christ deliver thee from 
 eternal death, who vouchsafed to die for thee. May 
 Christ the Son. of God place thee in the delightful 
 garden of his Paradise, and may he, the true Shepherd, 
 number thee amongst his sheep. Maybe absolve thee 
 from all thy sins, and place thee at his right hand in 
 the lot of his elect. Mayest thou see thy Redeemer 
 face to face, and standing always in his presence, be¬ 
 hold with joyful eyes the most clear truth. Mayest 
 thou be placed amongst the companies of the blessed, 
 and enjoy the sweetness of the contemplation ot thy 
 God, for ever. Amen. 
 
142 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Receive thy servant, O Lord, into the place of salva* 
 tion, which he hopes for from thy mercy. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant from all the 
 perils of hell, from pains and all tribulations. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Enoch and Elias from the common death 
 of the world. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Noah from the flood. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant as thou 
 deliveredest Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans. R. 
 Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Job from his sufferings. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Isaac from being sacrificed by the hand 
 of his father Abraham. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredst Lot from Sodom and the flames of fire. R. 
 Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Moses from the hands of Pharaoh king of 
 Egypt. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Daniel from the lions’ den. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest the three children from the fiery furnace, 
 and from the hands of a wicked king. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Susannah from her false accusers. R. 
 Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest David from the hands of king Saul and 
 from the hands of Goliah. R. Amen. 
 
 Deliver, O Lord, the soul of thy servant, as thou 
 deliveredest Peter and Paul out of prison. R. Amen. 
 
 And as thou deliveredest the most blessed St. 
 Thecla, virgin and martyr, from three most dreadful 
 torments, so vouchsafe to deliver the soul of this thy 
 servant, and make it rejoice with thee in the joys of 
 heaven. R. Amen. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 143 
 
 We commend to thee, O Lord, the soul of thy ser¬ 
 vant N. And we beseech thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, 
 the Saviour of the world, that thou wouldst not refuse 
 to admit into the bosom of thy patriarchs, a soul for 
 which, in thy mercy, thou wast pleased to come down 
 upon earth. Own him for thy creature, not made by 
 any strange gods, but by thee the only living and true 
 God; for there is no other God but thee, and none that 
 can equal thy works. Let his soul rejoice in thy pres¬ 
 ence, and remember not his former iniquities and 
 excesses, the unhappy effects of passion or evil con¬ 
 cupiscence, for although he has sinned he has not re¬ 
 nounced the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Ghost; 
 but believed, and had a zeal for God, and faithfully 
 worshipped him who made all things. 
 
 Remember not, O Lord, we beseech thee, the sins 
 of his youth, and his ignorance ; but according to thy 
 great mercy, be mindful of him in thy heavenly glory. 
 May the heavens be opened to him, and may the 
 angels rejoice with him. Receive, O Lord, thy ser¬ 
 vant into thy kingdom. Let St. Michael the archan¬ 
 gel of God, conduct him, who is chief of the heavenly 
 host. Let the holv angels of God come to meet him, 
 and carry him to the city of the heavenly Jerusalem. 
 May St. Peter the Apostle receive him, to whom God 
 has given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. May 
 St. Paul the Apostle assist him, who was a vessel of 
 election. May St. John the chosen Apostle of God 
 intercede for him, to whom were revealed the secrets 
 of heaven. May all the holy Apostles pray for him, 
 to whom our Lord gave the power of binding and 
 loosing. May all the saints and elect of God intercede 
 for him, who in this world had suffered torments for 
 the name of Christ; that he, being delivered from the 
 bonds of the flesh, may deserve to be admitted into 
 the glory of the kingdom of heaven: through the 
 merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father 
 and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
144 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 After which, if the sick person still continues to 
 labour in his agony, it may be proper, as the Ritual 
 prescribes, to continue reciting other Psalms and 
 prayers adapted to those circumstances. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the lighting of a blessed 
 candle, and keeping it burning during a person’s 
 agony ? 
 
 A. This light represents the light of faith in which 
 a Christian dies, and the light of glory which he looks 
 for. Besides, these candles are blessed by the Church, 
 with a solemn prayer to God, to chase away the devils 
 from those places where they shall be lighted. 
 
 Q,. What is the form of blessing candles? 
 
 A. The Ritual prescribes the following prayer: 
 
 
 V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. 
 
 R. Who made heaven and earth. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, bless 
 *£4 by our prayers these candles ; pour forth upon them 
 by the virtue of the holy cross thy heavenly bene¬ 
 diction, who hast given them to mankind to chase away 
 darkness ; and may they receive such a blessing, by 
 the sign of the holy <4> cross, that in what place soever 
 they shall be lighted or set up, the rulers of darkness, 
 with all their ministers, may depart, and trembling fly 
 away from those dwellings ; nor presume any more to 
 disturb or molest those that serve thee the Almighty 
 God, who livest and reignest for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 Q,, What is the meaning of tolling the passing-bell 
 when a person is expiring ? 
 
 A. To admonish the faithful to pray for him, that 
 God may grant him a happy passage. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 145 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Of the Office for the Burial of the Dead . 
 
 Q,. What is the manner and order of burying the 
 dead in the Catholic Church ? 
 
 A. The pastor or parish priest, accompanied by his 
 clerics, goes to the house of the deceased, and having 
 sprinkled the body or coffin with the Holy water, recites 
 the Anthem, 4 If thou observe iniquities, O Lord, O 
 Lord who shall sustain it;’ with the 129th Psalm, De 
 profundis , 4 From the depth, I have cried,’ &c. in the 
 end of which he says, 4 Eternal rest give to him, O 
 Lord.’ R. 4 And let perpetual light shine upon him.’ 
 Then he repeats the Anthem, 4 If thou shalt observe 
 iniquities,’ &,c. 
 
 After this, the body is carried to the Church, the 
 clergy going before, two and two, after the manner of 
 a procession, and singing the 50th Psalm, 4 Miserere ,’ 
 ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great 
 mercy,’ &c. and the people following the corpse, and 
 praying in silence for the deceased. When they are 
 come to the Church, the corpse is set down in the 
 middle of the Church, with the feet towards the altar 
 (except the deceased was a priest, in which case the 
 head is to be towards the altar) and wax tapers are 
 lighted and set up round the coffin. Then, if time 
 and opportunity permit, is recited the Dirge, that is, 
 the office of the matins and lauds for the dead, followed 
 by a solemn Mass for the soul of the deceased, accord¬ 
 ing to the most ancient custom of the universal 
 Church. 
 
 The Dirge and Mass being finished, the priest stand¬ 
 ing at the head of the deceased, begins the office of 
 the burial as follows: 
 
 Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord, 
 for no one shall be justified in thy sight, except thou 
 vouchsafe to grant him the remission of all his sins. 
 Let not therefore, we beseech thee, the sentence of thy 
 
 13 
 
146 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 judgment fall upon him, whom the true supplication of 
 Christian faith recommendeth to thee: but by the as¬ 
 sistance of thy grace let him escape the judgment of 
 thy vengeance, who, whilst he was living, was marked 
 with the sign of the holy Trinity: who livest and 
 reignest for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
 Then the Choir sings the following Responsary. 
 
 Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal death, at that 
 dreadful day, when the heavens and earth shall be 
 moved, when thou shalt come to judge the world by 
 fire. V. I am struck with trembling, and I fear, 
 against the day of account, and of the wrath to come ; 
 when the heavens and earth shall be moved. V 
 That day, a day of wrath, of calamity and misery, a 
 great and most bitter day, when thou shalt come to 
 judge the world by fire. V. Eternal rest give to him, 
 O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. 
 Deliver me, O Lord, &c. as before , till the Verse , ‘ I 
 am struck,’ &c. 
 
 Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us. 
 Lord have mercy on us. Our Father, &c. (Here the 
 priest puts incense into the thurible, and then going 
 round the coffin, sprinkles with Holy water, and after¬ 
 wards incenses the body, and then concludes the 
 Lord’s Prayer.) V. Lead us not into temptation. R. 
 But deliver us from evil. V. From the gate of hell. 
 R. Deliver his soul, O Lord. V. Let him rest in 
 peace. R. Amen. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. 
 And let my cry come to thee. V. The Lord be with 
 you. R. And with thy spirit 
 
 Let us pray 
 
 O God, to whom it belongs always to show mercy, 
 and to spare, we humbly beseech thee for the soul of 
 thy servant N. which thou hast this day commanded to 
 depart out of this world, that thou wouldst not deliver 
 it up into the hands of the enemy, nor put it out of thy 
 memory for ever, but that thou wouldst order it to be 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 147 
 
 received by the holy angels, and conducted to Para¬ 
 dise, its true country: that since it has believed and 
 hoped in thee, it may not suffer the pains of hell, but 
 take possession of everlasting joys, through Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 After this, whilst the body is carried towards the 
 place of its interment, is sung or said the following 
 Anthem. 
 
 May the angels conduct thee into Paradise, may the 
 martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and bring thee to 
 the holy city of Jerusalem, may the choir of angels 
 receive thee, and mayest thou have eternal rest with 
 Lazarus, who was formerly poor. 
 
 When they are come to the grave, if it has not been 
 blessed before, the priest blesses it by the following 
 prayer, which is the same that we make use of in this 
 kingdom, in blessing the mould or earth, which we put 
 in the coffin with the corpse, in the private burial 
 office. 
 
 O God, by whose tender mercy the souls of the 
 faithful find rest, vouchsafe to bless this tomb, and 
 depute thy holy angel to guard it, and absolve from all 
 the bonds of sin the souls of those whose bodies are 
 here interred, that with thy saints they may ever 
 rejoice without end in thee. Through Christ our Lord. 
 Amen. 
 
 Then the priest sprinkles with Holy water, and 
 afterwards incenses both the corpse of the deceased 
 and the grave. Then, whilst the body is put in the 
 earth, is sung or said the following Anthem, with the 
 Canticle Benedidus , or the song of Zacharias, St. 
 Luke i. 65, &c. 
 
 I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth 
 in me, although he be dead, shall live; and every one 
 that liveth, and believeth in me, shall not die for ever. 
 St, John xi. 25. 
 
148 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Or else (as it is the custom in many places) when the 
 body is put in the earth, the priest, with the assistants, 
 recites the penitential Psalm, Miserere. 
 
 Then the priest says, Lord have mercy on us. Christ 
 have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on us. Our 
 Father, &c. (Here he sprinkles the body with Holy 
 water.) V. And lead us not into temptation. R. But 
 deliver us from evil. V. From the gate of hell. R. 
 Deliver his soul, O Lord. V. Let him rest in peace. 
 R. Amen. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let 
 my cry come unto thee. V. The Lord be with you. 
 R. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Grant, O Lord, this mercy to thy servant deceased, 
 that he (or she) may not receive a return of punishment 
 for his (or her) deeds, who in his (or her) wishes has 
 held fast by thy will; that as here true faith has joined 
 him (or her) to the company of thy faithful, so thy 
 mercy there may associate him (or her) to the choirs of 
 angels. Through Christ our Lord, Amen. 
 
 V. Eternal rest give to him, O Lord. R. And let 
 perpetual light shine upon him. V. Let him rest in 
 peace. R. Amen. May his soul, and the souls of all 
 the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest 
 in peace. 
 
 Then the priest, returning from the grave, recites 
 the Psalm, 1 De profundis ,’ with the Anthem, ‘If thou 
 shalt observe iniquities, O Lord, O Lord who shall 
 sustain it?’ 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Of Prayers for the Dead , and of Purgatory. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of prayers for the dead ? 
 A. Praying for the dead is a practice as ancient as 
 Christianity, received by tradition from the Apostles, 
 as appears by the most certain monuments of antiquity. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 149 
 
 and observed by the Synagogue or Church of God in 
 the Old Testament, as appears from 2 Machab. xii. 
 written long before Christ’s coming, and followed by 
 the Jews to this day. A practice grounded upon 
 Christian charity, which teaches us to pray for all that 
 are in necessity, and to implore God’s mercy for all 
 that are capable of mercy ; which we have reason to 
 be convinced is the c&se of y 
 brethren, and therefore we pray for them. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that the practice of praying 
 for the dead is as ancient as Christianity ? 
 
 A. From Tertullian, in his book of the Soldiers 
 Crown, chap. 3, written about a hundred years after 
 the death of the Apostles; where he reckons the ob¬ 
 ligations for the dead upon their anniversary days 
 amongst the immemorial traditions observed by all 
 Christians : and in his book de Monogami4, chap. 10, 
 where he affirms it to be the duty of a Christian widow 
 to pray for the soul of her husband, and to beg a re¬ 
 freshment for him, and to keep his anniversaries. See 
 St. Cyprian, epist. 06. Arnobius, 1. 4. Eusebius, 1. 4. 
 de Vita Constantini, c. 71. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 
 Catech. Mystag. 5. St. Gregory Nazianzen, Orat. 10, 
 &c. Hence, St. John Chrysostom, Horn. 3, upon the 
 epistle to the Philippians, tells us, that it was ordained 
 by the Apostles that the dead should be commemorated 
 in the sacred mysteries; and St. Augustine, serm. 32, 
 4 de Verbis Apost. § 2,’ that it was a practice received 
 from the fathers, and observed by the universal Church. 
 And it appears from St. Epiphanius, User. / 5, that 
 Aerius was ranked amonerst the heretics by the Church 
 in the fourth century, for denying that the prayers of 
 
 the living did the dead any good. 
 
 Q,. Is it any argument, in favour ol prayers for the 
 dead, that it was practised by Judas Machabseus, and 
 by the Jews before the coming of Christ? 
 
 A. Yes, a very great argument; 1st, Because this 
 practice is expressly approved in the 12th chapter of 
 the second book of Machabees; which books, by many 
 councils and fathers, are ranked amongst the divine 
 scriptures. 2dly, Because the Jews in those days 
 
 13 * 
 
150 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 were undoubtedly the people of God. 3dly, Because as 
 Dr. Taylor writes, Lib. of Prophesying, sect. 20, numb. 
 11, p. 265. “ We find by the history of the Machabees 
 
 that the Jews did pray and make offerings for the dead, 
 which also appears by other testimonies, and by their 
 form of prayers still extant, (which they used in the 
 captivity.) Now it is very considerable, that since our 
 blessed Saviour did reprove all the evil doctrines and 
 traditions of the Scribes and Pharisees, and did argue 
 concerning the dead and the resurrection against the 
 Sadducees, yet he spake no word against this public 
 practice, but left it as he found it; which he who came 
 to declare to us all the will of his Father would not 
 have done, if it had not been innocent, pious, and full 
 of charity.” 
 
 Q. But what reason is there to believe that our 
 prayers can be of any service to the dead ? 
 
 A. The same reason as there is to believe that our 
 prayers are of service to the living; for whether we 
 consult the scripture, or primitive tradition, with rela¬ 
 tion to the promises or encouragements given in favour 
 of our prayers, we shall nowhere find the dead excepted 
 from the benefit of them ; and the perpetual practice of 
 the Church of God, which is the best interpreter of the 
 scripture, has, from the very beginning, ever authorized 
 prayers for the dead, as believing such prayers ben¬ 
 eficial to them. 
 
 Q. But are not they that have past this mortal life 
 arrived to an unchangeable state of happiness or 
 misery, so that they either w r ant not our prayers, or 
 cannot be bettered by them ? 
 
 A. Some there are, though I fear but few, that have 
 before their death so fully cleared all accounts with 
 the Divine Majesty, and washed away all their stains 
 in the blood of the Lamb, as to go straight to heaven 
 after death; and such as those stand not in need of 
 our prayers. Others there are, and their numbers are 
 very great, who die in the guilt of deadly sin, and such 
 as these go straight to hell, like the rich glutton in the 
 gospel, St. Luke xvi. and therefore cannot be bettered 
 by our prayers. But, besides these two kinds, there 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 151 
 
 are many Christians, who, when they die, are neither 
 so perfectly pure and clean, as to exempt them from 
 the least spot or stain, nor yet so unhappy as to die 
 under the guilt of unrepented deadly sin. Now such 
 as these the Church believes to be, for a time, in a 
 middle state, which we call purgatory; and these are 
 they who are capable of receiving benefit by our 
 prayers. For though we pray for all that die in the 
 communion of the Church, because we do not certainly 
 know the particular state in which each one dies, yet 
 we are sensible that our prayers are available for those 
 only that are in this middle state. 
 
 Q,. But what grounds have you to believe that 
 there is any such place as a purgatory, or middle state 
 of souls ? 
 
 A. We have the strongest grounds imaginable from 
 all kind of arguments, from scripture, from perpetual 
 tradition, from the authority and declaration of the 
 Church of God, and from reason. 
 
 Q. What grounds have you for purgatory from 
 scripture ? 
 
 A. 1st, Because the scripture teaches us in many 
 places, that it is the fixed rule of God’s justice, 4 to 
 render to every man according to his works.’ See 
 Psalm lxii. 12. St. Matt. xvi. 27. Rom. ii. 6. Rev.xxii. 
 12, &c. So that according to the works which each 
 man has done in the time of his mortal life, and ac¬ 
 cording to the state in which he is found at the moment 
 of his departure out of this life, he shall certainly receive 
 reward or punishment from God. Hence it evidently 
 follows, that as by this rule of God’s justice, they that 
 die in great and deadly sins, not cancelled by repent¬ 
 ance, will be eternally punished in hell; so by the 
 same rule, they that die in lesser or venial sins (which 
 is certainly the case of a great many) will be punished 
 somewhere for a time, till God’s justice be satisfied, and 
 this is what we call purgatory. 
 
 2dly, Because the scripture assures us, Rev. xxi. 
 27, that 4 there shall in no*wise enter into the heavenly 
 Jerusalem any thing that defileth, or that is defiled.’ 
 So that if the soul is found to have the least spot or 
 
152 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 stain, at the time of her departure out of this life, she 
 cannot in that condition go straight to heaven. Now, 
 how few are there that depart this life perfectly pure 
 from the dregs and stains to which we are ever subject 
 in this state of mortality ? and yet God forbid that 
 every little spot or stain should condemn the soul to 
 the everlasting torments of hell. Therefore, there 
 must be a middle place for such souls as die under these 
 lesser stains. 
 
 3dly, Because the scripture assures us, St. Matt. xii. 
 36, that we are to render an account hereafter to the 
 great Judge, even ‘ for every word ’ that we have 
 spoken; and, consequently, every idle word, not can¬ 
 celled here by repentance, is liable to be punished by 
 God’s justice hereafter. Now no one can think that 
 God will condemn a soul to hell for every idle word ; 
 therefore there must be another place of punishment 
 for those that die guilty of these little transgressions. 
 
 4thly, Because St. Paul informs us, 1 Cor. iii. 13, 
 14, 15, that ‘ every man’s work shall be made manifest,’ 
 by a fiery trial; and that they who have built upon the 
 foundation, which is Christ, wood, hay, and stubble, 
 (that is, whose works have been very imperfect and 
 defective, though not to the degree of losing Christ) 
 ‘shall suffer loss; but themselves shall be saved, yet 
 so as by fire.’ Which place cannot be well explained 
 otherwise than by the fire of purgatory. 
 
 5thly, Because our Lord tells us, St. Matt. xii. *32, 
 that ‘ whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it 
 shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither 
 in the world to come.’ Where our Lord (who could 
 not speak any thing absurd, or out of the way) would 
 never have mentioned ‘ forgiveness in the world to 
 come,’ if sins not forgiven in this world could never be 
 forgiven in the world to come. Now if there may be 
 forgiveness of any sin whatsoever in the world to come, 
 there must be a middle place or purgatory; for no sin 
 can enter heaven to be forgiven there, and in hell there 
 is no forgiveness. 
 
 Add to these texts of scripture the prison mentioned, 
 St, Matt. v. 26, out of which a man ‘ shall not come till 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTEP. 153 
 
 he has paid the uttermost farthing ; ’ and ‘ the spirits in 
 prison,’ to which our Saviour is said to have gone to 
 preach, 1 Pet. iii. 18, 19, 20. 
 
 Q,. What grounds have you for purgatory from per¬ 
 petual tradition ? 
 
 A. Because, as we have seen already, the Jewish 
 Church, long before our Saviour’s coming, and the 
 Christian Church, from the very beginning, have offered 
 prayers and sacrifice for the repose and relief of the 
 faithful departed, as appears from innumerable testi¬ 
 monies of the fathers, and from the most ancient litur¬ 
 gies of all Christian Churches and nations, Romans, 
 Greeks, Syrian^, Armenians, Nestorians, Egyptians, 
 Ethiopians, Indians, Mosarabes, &c. Which consent, 
 so ancient and so universal, of all ages, and of all na¬ 
 tions, before protestantism, is a most convincing argu¬ 
 ment that this practice came by tradition from the 
 Apostles ; and consequently that the belief of a purga¬ 
 tory is an apostolic tradition; for what sense could 
 there be in praying for the repose and relief of the 
 souls of the faithful departed, if there were no middle 
 place, but all went straight to heaven or hell ? 
 
 Q. What grounds have you for the belief of a pur¬ 
 gatory from the authority of the Church P 
 
 A. Because the Church of Christ has declared that 
 there is a purgatory, as well by condemning of old 
 Aerius for a heretic, for denying that the prayers of the 
 living did the dead any service, as also by the express 
 definitions of her general Councils. Now the Scrip¬ 
 ture most evidently teaches us, in many places, that 
 we are to hear and obey the Church, and that Christ 
 and the Holy Ghost will be always with the Church to 
 guide her into all truth, and that the gates of hell shall 
 not prevail against her. So that what the Church has 
 thus declared, can be no error, but must absolutely be 
 a most certain truth. 
 
 Q. What grounds have you for the belief of a pur¬ 
 gatory from reason ? 
 
 A. Because reason teaches these two things; 1st, 
 That every sin, be it ever so small, is an offence of 
 God, and consequently deserves punishment from the 
 
154 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 justice of God; and therefore that every person that 
 dies under the guilt of any such offence unrepented, 
 must expect to be punished by the justice of God. 2dly, 
 That there are small sins, in which a person may hap¬ 
 pen to die, that are so small, either through the levity 
 of the matter, or for want of a full deliberation in the 
 act, as not to deserve everlasting punishments. From 
 whence it plainly follows, that, besides the place of 
 everlasting punishments, which we call hell, there must 
 be also a place of temporal punishment for such as die 
 in those lesser offences, and this we call purgatory. 
 
 Q. But does not the blood of Christ sufficiently 
 purify us from all our sins, without any other purga¬ 
 tory ? 
 
 A. The blood of Christ purifies none that are once 
 come to the use of reason, from any sin without repent¬ 
 ance ; and therefore such sins as have not been here 
 recalled by repentance, must be punished hereafter, 
 according to their gravity, by the divine Justice, either 
 in hell, if the sins be mortal; or, if venial, in purgatory. 
 
 Q,. Do you then think, that any repentance can be 
 available after death ? 
 
 A. No ; but God’s justice must take place after 
 death, which will render to every man according to his 
 works. So that we do not believe that the repentance 
 of the souls that are in purgatory, or any thing else 
 that they can do, will cancel their sins; but they must 
 suffer for them till God’s justice be satisfied. 
 
 Q. Are they not then capable of relief in that state ? 
 
 A. Yes, they are, but not from any thing that they 
 can do for themselves, but from the prayers, alms, and 
 other suffrages offered to God for them by the faithful 
 upon earth, which God in his mercy is pleased to ac¬ 
 cept of by reason of that communion which we have 
 with them, by being fellow members of the same body 
 of the church, under the same head, which is Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 Q. But what do you say to that text of scripture, 
 Eccles. xi. 3. 1 If the tree fall towards the south, or 
 towards the north, in the place where the tree falleth 
 there shall it lie ? ’ 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 155 
 
 A. I say that it is no way evident that this text has 
 relation to the state of the soul after death ; but if it be 
 so understood as to have relation to the soul, it makes 
 nothing against purgatory, because it only proves what 
 no Catholic denies ; viz. that when once a soul is come 
 to the south, or to the north, that is, to heaven or hell, 
 its state is unchangeable. 
 
 Q,. But does not the scripture promise rest after 
 death to such ‘ as die in the Lord,’ Rev. xiv. 13 ? 
 
 A. Yes, it does, but then we are to understand, that 
 those are said to die in the Lord, who die for the Lord 
 by martyrdom; or at least those who, at the time of 
 their death, are so happy as to have no debts nor stains 
 to interpose between them and the Lord. As for others 
 who die but imperfectly in the Lord, they shall rest 
 indeed from the labours of this world ; but as their 
 works that follow them are imperfect, they must expect 
 to ‘receive from the Lord according to their works.’ 
 
 Q. Christ said to the thief upon the cross, St. Luke 
 xxiii. ‘this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise;’ 
 what appearance then is there that any one dying in 
 God’s grace should go to purgatory ? 
 
 A. The case of this penitent thief, to whom Christ 
 was pleased to give a full discharge at once of all his 
 sins, was extraordinary, as his faith and confession was 
 extraordinary; and therefore to make a general rule 
 from this particular instance is a bad way of arguing; 
 the more, because we have reason to be convinced, that 
 not one in a thousand dies so perfectly penitent as to 
 be perfectly purified before death from all the dregs of 
 sin, which was the particular grace granted to this 
 penitent thief. 
 
 If you ask me, what is meant by Paradise in that 
 text, and how the penitent thief could be with Christ 
 that day in Paradise, before our Lord had taken pos¬ 
 session of heaven for himself and us, by his resurrection 
 and ascension P I answer, that our Lord descending 
 after death into limbo, to the holy fathers, made that 
 place a Paradise, by manifesting his glory to those hap¬ 
 py souls: and this was the Paradise into which he in¬ 
 troduced the penitent thief immediately after his death. 
 
156 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by the sacrament of holy 
 Orders ? 
 
 A. A sacrament by which the ministers of Christ 
 are consecrated to their sacred functions, and receive 
 grace to discharge them well. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that holy Orders are a sacra¬ 
 ment ? 
 
 A. Because they are a visible sign of an invisible 
 grace, and that by divine institution, or by the ordi¬ 
 nance of Christ, which alone can annex the gift of 
 grace to any outward rite or ceremony. The outward 
 and visible sign is found in the imposition or laying of 
 the bishop’s hands and prayer: after which sort we 
 find the seven deacons ordained, Acts vi. 6, and St 
 Paul, and St. Barnabas, Acts xiii. 3. The invisible 
 grace conferred by this imposition of hands, is attested, 
 2 Tim. i. 6. 4 Stir up the grace of God, which is in 
 
 thee by the imposition of hands.’ And the divine in¬ 
 stitution of holy Orders is gathered, as well from the 
 use of the Apostles, and the perpetual tradition of the 
 Church, as from those texts in which Christ bequeathed 
 the whole power of the priesthood to his disciples, and 
 to their successors, St. Luke xxii. 19. 4 Do this in re¬ 
 
 membrance of meand St. John xx. 22, 23. 4 Receive 
 ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they 
 are remitted unto them ; and whose soever sins ye re¬ 
 tain, they are retained.’ 
 
 Q. By what steps do persons ascend in the Catholic 
 Church to the Order of priesthood ? 
 
 A. 1st. They must be initiated by the clerical ton- 
 sure, which is not properly an Order, but only a pre¬ 
 paration for Orders. The bishop cuts off the extremities 
 of their hair, to signify their renouncing the world, and 
 its vanities; and he revests them with a surplice, and 
 so receives them into the clergy ; they making at the 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 157 
 
 same time a solemn profession of taking the Lord for 
 their inheritance and portion for ever. 
 
 2dly, They must pass through the minor or lesser 
 orders, which have been received from the primitive 
 Church, viz. the Orders of porter or doorkeeper of the 
 Church; lector, or reader of the lessons in the divine 
 Office ; exorcist, whose function is to read the exor¬ 
 cisms and prayers of the Church over those who are 
 possessed or obsessed by the devil; and acolyth, whose 
 function is to serve the Mass, light the candles in the 
 Church, &c. All these are ordained by receiving from 
 the bishop the instruments or books belonging to their 
 respective offices, and solemn prayers prescribed in the 
 Pontifical. 
 
 3dly, From the minor Orders they are promoted to the 
 Order of subdeacon, which is the first of those that are 
 called holy. In the conferring this Order, the bishop 
 puts the candidates in mind, that hitherto they have 
 had their liberty to quit the ecclesiastical calling, and 
 engage themselves by marriage in the world ; but if 
 they will be ordained subdeacons, which he leaves to 
 their choice, they are thereby tied for ever to the ser¬ 
 vice of God and his Church in the state of perpetual 
 continence. Subdeacons also are obliged to the ca¬ 
 nonical hours of the church office, and in the High 
 Mass assist the deacon in his ministry. 
 
 4thly, From the Order of sub deacons they are ad¬ 
 vanced to the Order of deacon, which is conferred upon 
 them by the imposition of the bishop’s hand, and by de¬ 
 livering to them the book of the gospels. The deacon’s 
 office is to assist the bishop or priest in the sacrifice 
 of the Mass, to sing and preach the gospels, to bap¬ 
 tize, &c. 
 
 5thly, From the Order of deacon the next ascent is 
 to the Order of priest, or presbyter, above which is the 
 Order of bishops, amongst whom the chief is called the 
 Pope. 
 
 Q. In what manner is the Order of priesthood ad¬ 
 ministered ? 
 
 A. The person that is to be ordained is presented to 
 the bishop by the archdeacon, desiring, in the name of 
 
 14 
 
158 THE CATHOLIC CHRI3TIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 the Church, that he may be promoted to priesthood, and 
 bearing testimony of his being worthy of that office. 
 Then the bishop publishes to the clergy and people 
 there present the designed promotion, that if any one 
 has any thing to allege against the person that is to 
 be ordained, he may freely declare it If no one ap- 
 bears to allege any thing against him, the bishop pro¬ 
 ceeds to admonish him of the duties and functions of 
 the priesthood, and to exhort him to a diligent discharge 
 thereof. After which, both the bishop and the person 
 that is to be ordained, prostrate themselves in prayer, 
 whilst the litanies are sung or said by the choir or cler¬ 
 gy there present; which being ended, the bishop stands 
 up, and the person that is to be ordained kneeling, the 
 bishop first, and then all the priests there present, one 
 after another, lay both their hands on his head, which im¬ 
 position of hands is immediately followed by the solemn 
 prayers of consecration, and by revesting him with the 
 priestly ornaments; then the Holy Ghost is invoked 
 by the hymn, Veni Creator. After which the bishop 
 anoints the hands of the person ordained, and then de¬ 
 livers into his hands the chalice with the wine and wa¬ 
 ter, and the patent with the bread, saying, ‘ Receive the 
 power to offer sacrifice to God, and celebrate Mass, as 
 well for the living as for the dead, in the name of the 
 Lord.’ Then the person ordained says Mass with the 
 bishop, and receives the holy communion at his hands. 
 At the end of the Mass the bishop again imposes his 
 hands upon him, saying those words o f Christ: St. John 
 xx. 22, 23, ‘ Receive the Holy Ghost: whose sins thou 
 shaft forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins 
 thou shaft retain, they are retained.’ After which he 
 receives from him the promise of obedience, and gives 
 him the kiss of peace. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED* 159 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Of the Superiority of the Bishops , and of the Suprem¬ 
 acy of the Pope. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that besides priests or pres¬ 
 byters, there has been always in the Church the Order 
 of bishops superior to that of priest ? 
 
 A. I prove it both from scripture and perpetual tra¬ 
 dition. The New Testament, in several places, men¬ 
 tions bishops, as Philip, i. 1. 1 Tim. iii. 2. Tit. i. 7. Acts 
 xx. 28. And it is visible that the angels of the seven 
 Churches of Asia, mentioned in the 1st, 2d, and 3d 
 chapters of the Revalation, were the bishops of those 
 sees, and accordingly had a jurisdiction over them. It 
 is no less visible, from the epistles of St. Paul to Tim¬ 
 othy and Titus, that both one and the other were bish¬ 
 ops, with power of ordaining inferior priests; and 
 Timothy, in particular, is instructed by the Apostles, 
 in what manner he is to comport himself to the priests 
 under him, 1 Tim. v. 17, 19. And as for perpetual tra¬ 
 dition, it is evident from all kind of monuments, and 
 from the most ancient Church history, that the Church 
 has always been governed by bishops, and that the Apos¬ 
 tles every where established bishops. Thus St. Irenseus, 
 L. 3. C. 3. Tertullian, L. de Prescrip, and other ancients 
 assure us, that Linus and Clement were ordained bish¬ 
 ops by St. Peter and St. Paul for the See of Rome. 
 Thus Eusebius, and other ancient monuments, inform 
 us, that St. Mark was the first bishop of Alexandria, 
 and was succeeded by Anianus ; that Evodius and 
 Ignatius, disciples of the Apostles, were, after St. Peter, 
 the first bishops of Antioch; that St. James was con¬ 
 stituted by the Apostles the first bishop of Jerusalem, 
 and had for successor Simeon the son of Cleophas; 
 that St. Polycarp was made bishop of Smyrna by St. 
 John, &c. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that amongst bishops one 
 should be head, and have a jurisdiction over the rest? 
 
 A. Because Christ has so appointed, who gave that 
 
160 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 preeminence to St. Peter with respect to the rest of 
 the apostles ; as appears from St. Matt. xvi. 18, 19, 
 when, in reward of his faith and confession, he con¬ 
 firmed to him the name of Peter, or Rock; and pro¬ 
 mised to him, that upon this rock he would build his 
 Church, and the gates of hell should not prevail against 
 it; and that he would give him the 4 keys of the king¬ 
 dom of heaven,’ &c. And from St. John xxi. 15, &c. 
 when our Lord, after having asked St. Peter, 4 Dost 
 thou love me more than these ? ’ three times, commit¬ 
 ted to him the charge of all his lambs and sheep, with¬ 
 out exception; that is, of his whole Church. Hence, 
 St. Matthew, chap. x. 2, reckoning the names of the 
 twelve Apostles, says, 4 The first, Simon, who is called 
 Peter.’ Now, it does not appear that he could be said 
 the first, upon any other account but by reason of his 
 supremacy; for that he was first in age is more than 
 appears, and that he was first in calling is not true; 
 for St. Andrew came to Christ before Peter, and was 
 probably the elder brother; and certain it is, that the 
 Evangelists, in reckoning up the names of the Apostles, 
 upon several occasions, neither follow the order of 
 their age nor of their calling ; yet we always reckon 
 Peter in the first place, and sometimes more clearly to 
 intimate his preeminence, name him alone as chief or 
 prince; as, St. Mark i. 36, 4 Simon, and they that 
 were with him: ’ St. Luke ix. 32, 4 Peter, and they 
 that were with him: ’ Acts ii. 14 , 4 Peter standing up 
 with the eleven: ’ Acts v. 29, 4 Peter and the 
 
 Apostles answered and said,’ &c. where the Protestant 
 translation has put in the word 4 other Apostles,’ as 
 clearly seeing that the former expression (which is that 
 of the original) too clearly expressed St. Peter’s being 
 something more than the rest. 
 
 It is also worth observing, that our Lord was pleased 
 to teach the people out of St Peter’s ship, St Luke v. 
 3; that he ordered the same tribute to be paid for 
 himself and Peter, St. Matt. xvii. 27 ; that he par 
 ticularlv prayed for Peter, that his faith should not 
 fail, and ordered him to confirm or strengthen h>s 
 brethren, St Luke xxii. 32, &c. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 161 
 
 Hence St. Peter’s supremacy is acknowledged by 
 the perpetual tradition of the holy fathers. See 
 Origen, on the 6th chapter to the Romans, and in his 
 5th Homily upon Exodus; St. Basil, of the Judgment 
 of God, t. 2, p. 402; St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, in his 2d 
 Catechesis: St. Epiphanius, Hser. 51, § 17, & Hser. 
 54, § 7, and in his Anchoratus, § 6, p. 14, 15: St. John 
 Chrysostom in his 2d Homily on the 50th Psalm, in his 
 54th Homily upon St. Matthew, &c. St. Cyril, of 
 Alexandria, in his 12th Book upon St. John: St. 
 Austerius, Bishop of Amassea, in his sermon upon St. 
 Peter and St. Paul; and among the Latins, St. Cyprian, 
 Epist. 70, to Januarius: St. Optatus of Milevis, 1. 2, 
 and 7 : St. Ambrose, 1.10, upon St. Luke : St. Hierome, 
 in his 1st book against Jovinian: St Augustine, 1. 2 
 de Baptismo, c. 1: St. Leo, Epist. 84, to Anastasius: 
 St. Gregory the Great, 1. 4, Epist. 32, &c. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that St. Peter was to have a 
 successor in this office of chief bishop of the Church ? 
 
 A. Because as Christ established his Church to 
 remain till the end of the world, St. Matt, xxviii. 20, 
 so most certainly he designed that the form of govern¬ 
 ment which he established in his Church should remain 
 for ever. Hence, supposing the supremacy of St. 
 Peter, which we have proved above from scripture, it 
 cannot be questioned, but that our Lord designed that 
 this supremacy, which he appointed for the better gov¬ 
 ernment of his Church, and the preserving of unity, 
 should not die with Peter, no more than the Church, 
 (with which he promised to remain for ever,) but should 
 descend, after Peter’s decease, to his successors. For 
 it is not to be imagined, that Christ should appoint a 
 chief bishop for the government of his church, and 
 maintaining unity in the Apostles’ time, and design 
 another kind of government for succeeding ages, when 
 there was like to be so much greater danger of schism, 
 and consequently so much greater need of one head 
 to preserve all in one faith and one communion. 
 
 Q,. But how do you prove that the Pope or bishop 
 of Rome is the successor of St. Peter ? 
 
 A, I prove it, 1st, Because the Church never ac- 
 
 14 * 
 
1(32 
 
 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 knowl edged any other for her chief pastor: and no 
 other does, or ever did, put in a claim to the spiritual 
 supremacy in quality of St. Peter’s successor; so that, 
 supposing what has been proved, that Christ appointed 
 a chief pastor for his Church, the bishop of Rome must 
 be the man. 
 
 2dly, I prove it from the current sense of the holy 
 fathers and councils that have acknowledged this 
 supremacy in the see of Rome and her bishops. See 
 St. Ignatius, disciple of the Apostles, in the beginning 
 of his epistle to the Romans, where he calls the Church 
 of Rome the presiding Church; St. Irenaeus, 1. 3, c. 
 3, who calls the same the greatest and most ancient 
 Church, founded by the two most glorious Apostles, 
 Peter and Paul; and adds, that all sectaries are con¬ 
 founded by the Roman tradition; for to this Church, 
 by reason of its more powerful principality, says he, it 
 is necessary that every Church resort, or have recourse; 
 in which (Church) the apostolical tradition has always 
 been preserved by those that are in every place ; and 
 St. Cyprian, in his 55th epistle to pope Cornelius, where 
 he calls the see of Rome, the chair of Peter, and the 
 principal Church from which the priestly unity has its 
 origin. Ecclesiam Principalem , unde Unitas Sacerdo- 
 talis exorta est. 
 
 See also St. Optatus, Bishop of Milevis, in his 2d 
 Book against Parmenianus, the Donatist Bishop of 
 Carthage : where he thus addresses himself to his adver¬ 
 sary. You cannot pretend to be ignorant that Peter 
 held first the bishop’s chair in the city of Rome, in 
 which Peter, head of all the Apostles sat; in which one 
 chair unity might be maintained by all, lest the rest 
 of the apostles should each one claim his own separate 
 chair. So that he is now a schismatic, and an offender, 
 who against this single chair erects any other. In this 
 one chair, which is the first of the properties of the 
 Church, Peter first sat; to him succeeded Linus, to 
 him Clement, &c. Give you now an account of the 
 origin of your chair, you who claim to yourselves the 
 holy Church. 
 
 And St. Jerome, writing to pope Damasus, Epist 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 163 
 
 57, tells him, I am joined in communion with your 
 holiness, that is, with the chair of Peter: upon that 
 rock I know the Church is built: whoever eats the 
 lamb out of this house is profane: whosoever is not in 
 (this) Ark shall perish in the deluge, &c. 
 
 And St. Augustine in his Psalm against the Do- 
 natists thus addresses himself to these schismatics. 
 Come brethren, says he, if you have a mind to be in¬ 
 grafted in the vine, it is a pity to see you lopped off m 
 this manner from the stock. Reckon up the prelates 
 in the very see of Peter ; and in that order of fatheis 
 see which has succeeded which. This is the rock 
 over which the proud gates of hell prevail not. And 
 in his 16*2d Epistle he tells the Donatists, that in the 
 see of Rome the principality (or supremacy) of the 
 apostolic Church was ever acknowledged. Semper 
 Apostoliea Cathedra viguit Pnncipatus. 
 
 And St. Prosper, in his dogmatic Poem against the 
 enemies of grace, calls Rome the see of Petei, which 
 heino- madelto the world the head of pastoral dignity, 
 rules' by religion all that which she possesses not by 
 her arms. And to the same effect St. Leo the Great, 
 in his first Sermon upon St. Peter and St. Paul, thus 
 addresses himself to Rome : these are they who have 
 advanced thee to this glory, that being made the head 
 of the world, by being St. Peter’s see, thou hast a 
 wider extent of religious empire than of earthly 
 dominion. For though by thy many victories thou hast 
 extended thy dominions far and near, by sea and land, 
 yet that which has been subdued by the labour of thy 
 arms is not so much as that which has been made 
 subject to thee by Christian peace. All these fathers 
 hitherto quoted, flourished within four hundred years 
 
 after the passion of Christ. 
 
 The supremacy of the bishops of Rome has also 
 been acknowledged by many general Councils: as by 
 the general Council of Ephesus, in the sentence of 
 deposition against Nestorius, anno 431, by the general 
 Council of Chalcedon, in their epistle to St. Leo, anno 
 451, by the general Council of Constantinople, anno 
 «38o| in their epistle to pope Agatha: not to mention 
 
164 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 the decrees of later general Councils, especially the 
 fourth of Lateran, anno 1215, the second of Lyons, 
 anno 1274, and that of Florence, anno 1439. Though 
 as pope Galasius, long ago, in the council of Rome of 
 seventy bishops, anno 494, has declared, 4 The Roman 
 See hath not its preeminence over other Churches 
 from any ordinances of Councils, but from the words 
 of our Lord and Saviour in the gospel , 1 Thou art Peter, 
 and upon this rock I will build my Church/ &c. 
 
 Q. But has the pope or bishop of Rome, in every 
 age since the days of the Apostles, exercised this 
 supremacy over other Churches ? 
 
 A. Yes, most certainly : in the very age immediately 
 after the Apostles, that is, in the second century, pope 
 Victor threatened to excommunicate the bishops of 
 Asia Minor, for keeping Easter at an undue time, 
 Eusebius, 1. 5, Histor. Eccles. c. 25. And though it is 
 probable he relented upon the remonstrances of St. 
 Irenaeus and others, yet no one of them all charged 
 him with usurping an authority which did not of right 
 belong to him. In the third century, St. Cyprian, epist. 
 67, wrote to pope Stephen, desiring him to despatch 
 his letters into the province and to the people of Arles, 
 by which they might be authorized to depose Marcianus 
 the bishop of Arles, and substitute another in his 
 
 place. Dirigantur in Provinciam - a te liter#, 
 
 quibns absente Marciano , alius in locum ejus substil- 
 uatur . 
 
 In the fourth century, pope Julius cited St. Atha^ 
 nasius, bishop of Alexandria, that is to say, the second 
 patriarch of the Church, to his Council at Rome, to 
 answer the accusations of his adversaries ; who ac¬ 
 cordingly did appear, and was there cleared. See St. 
 Athanasius’s Apology against the Arians, num. 29, 
 
 р. 148, of the new edition; and Theodoret, 1. 2, Histor. 
 
 с. 3. The same pope, as we learn from the historian 
 Socrates, 1. 2, c. 15, and Sozomenus, 1. 3, c. 8, about 
 the same time restored by his authority to their re¬ 
 spective Sees, from whence they had been deposed by 
 the Eusebians, St Paul, bishop of Constantinople, St 
 Lucius, bishop of Adrianople, Marcellus, bishop of 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 165 
 
 Ancyra in Galatia, and Asclepas, bishop of Gaza in 
 Palestine; and this, as Sozomenus expressly words it, 
 because, by reason of the dignity of his See, the care 
 of all belonged to him. In the fifth century, pope 
 Celestine deputed St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, 
 to proceed as his delegate to the excommunication of 
 Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople, tom. 3, Concil. 
 Labbe, p. 349. And in the same century, St. John 
 Chrysostom, and St. Flavian, both Patriarchs of Con¬ 
 stantinople, unjustly deposed by numerous Councils in 
 the East, appealed from their judgment, the one to 
 pope Innocent I., the other to pope Leo the Great. See 
 the epistle of St. John Chrysostom to pope Innocent, 
 and the 23d epistle of St. Leo. In the sixth century, 
 pope Agapetus deposed Anthymus, patriarch of Con¬ 
 stantinople ; not to mention many other instances in 
 all these centuries of the exercise of the pope’s 
 jurisdiction over other Churches; and as for the fol¬ 
 lowing ages there is no dispute. 
 
 From all which it follows, that the Protestant pre¬ 
 tences of the Pope’s having received the supremacy 
 from Phocas, the emperor of Constantinople, who began 
 to reign anno 602, is a groundless fiction, like the idle 
 tale of pope Joan. 
 
 Q. But does not our Lord intimate, St. Luke xxii. 24, 
 25, 26, that amongst his disciples none should be the 
 chief or head ? 
 
 A. No; but only that 4 he that is the greatest should 
 be as the younger, and he that is chief as he that doth 
 serve,’ ver. 26. Which words, so far from denying, 
 evidently suppose a chief; which is farther confirmed 
 by our Lord’s alleging himself for an example in the 
 following verse, who was most certainly chief. So 
 that w r hat is here recommended, is not equality of juris¬ 
 diction, but humility in superiors. 
 
 Q. But does not St. Paul say, 2 Cor. xii. 11, 4 In 
 nothing am I behind the very chiefest Apostle, though 
 I be nothing ;’ where was then St. Peter’s supremacy ? 
 
 A. It is visible that St. Paul speaks with regard to 
 Ms labours, miracles and doctrine, in which he was in¬ 
 ferior to none; but whether St. Peter or he had a supe- 
 
16G THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 rior jurisdiction, was foreign to the matter he had then 
 in hand, and therefore no wonder that he takes no no¬ 
 tice of it. 
 
 Q. If St. Peter was head, how came St Paul to 
 withstand him to his face at Antioch, Gal. ii. 11 ? 
 
 A. Because, as the Apostle tells us in the same 
 place, he was to blame, viz. in withdrawing himself 
 from the table of the Gentiles, for fear of giving offence 
 to the Jews: and this it was that St. Paul reprehended, 
 because of the danger of the Gentiles taking scandal 
 thereby. But this no way disproves St. Peter’s superi¬ 
 ority, since no one doubts, but that a superior, when in 
 fault, may sometimes lawfully be reprehended by an 
 inferior. 
 
 And, after all, do our adversaries imagine that the 
 enhancing the dignity and authority of St Paul makes 
 any thing against the bishop of Rome, who indeed in¬ 
 herits the succession both of St Peter and St Paul, 
 who both honoured Rome with their preaching and 
 with their death. 
 
 Q. But some Protestants doubt whether St. Peter 
 ever was at Rome. What say you to this ? 
 
 A. Grotius, a learned Protestant, writes that, ‘no 
 Christian ever doubted but St Peter was at Rome.’ In 
 Synopsi Criticorum, p. 1540. H. And Chamierus, 
 another learned Protestant, tells us, that ‘ all the fathers 
 with great accord have asserted that Peter went to 
 Rome, and governed that Church.’ Omnes Patres 
 magno consensu asseruerunt Petrum Romam esse profec- 
 tum , eamque Ecclesiam administrasse : 1. 13, c. 4, § 2. 
 And Dr. Pearson, the Protestant bishop of Chester, one 
 of the most eminent men amongst the Protestant writers 
 ever known, has demonstrated, by innumerable argu¬ 
 ments, that Peter was at Rome, and that the bishops 
 of Rome are his successors. See Pearson’s Opera 
 Posthuma, printed at London, anno 1G83, p. 27, &,c. 
 
 Q. Does the scripture any where affirm that St 
 Peter was at Rome ? 
 
 A. St Peter’s first epistle seems to affirm it, chap, 
 v. 13, where, by Babylon, the best interpreters under¬ 
 stand Rome, so called by the Apostle, as afterwards bv 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 167 
 
 St. John in the Apocalypse, because of its being then 
 the chief seat both of the empire and of heathenish 
 idolatry, as formerly Babylon had been. And so this 
 place is understood by S. Papias, disciple of the apos¬ 
 tles, and Clement of Alexandria, alleged by Euseb. 1. 2, 
 Hist. c. 15, and by St. Hierome, 1. de Scriptor. in 
 Marco; by venerable Bede, (Ecumenius, and others. 
 Nor is there any probability that the Babylon here 
 mentioned could be that in Chaldaea, which at this time 
 was nothing but a heap of ruins ; nor that in Egypt, 
 which was but a very inconsiderable place in those 
 days, and in which no monuments of antiquity give us 
 the least hint that St. Peter ever preached. 
 
 But if the scripture had been entirely silent in this 
 matter, we have it proved by universal tradition, 
 which is the means by which we come to the knowl¬ 
 edge of the scripture itself. And, indeed, there is a 
 more universal tradition for St. Peter’s being at 
 Rome, than there is for many parts of the scripture 
 which Protestants receive : for whereas many of the 
 ancient fathers have called in question some books of 
 scripture; for instance the Revelation, the epistle to 
 the Hebrews, &c. and there is scarce any part of the 
 Bible or New Testament, but what has been rejected 
 by some heretics of old; yet we cannot find that St. 
 Peter’s being at Rome was ever called in question by 
 any single man, infidel or Christian, Catholic or heretic, 
 for thirteen or fourteen hundred years after Christ. 
 Though all heretics and schismatics, as being always 
 enemies of the Church of Rome, would have been most 
 glad to have called in question this succession of St. 
 Peter (which the bishops of Rome ever gloried in) had 
 not the matter of fact been out of dispute. 
 
 The ancient fathers that have attested St. Peter’s 
 being at Rome, besides many others, are St Irenius, 
 1. 3, c. 3. St. Denys, Bishop of Corinth, Caius and 
 Origen, alleged by Eusebius in his Church History, p. 
 71, 78 ; Tertullian, 1. de Prsescript. c. 36, and in 
 Scorpiaco, c. 5. St Cyprian, Epist. 52, and 55. Arno- 
 bius, 1. 2, contra Gentes. Lactantius, 1. de Morte 
 
1G8 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Persecutorum, c. 2. Eusebius, 1. 2, Hist. c. 14, p. 
 52, 1. 3. c. 4, p. 74. St. Athanasius, in Apolog. de 
 fuga sua, p. 331. St Cyril, of Jerusalem, Catech. 6, p. 
 54. St. Ambrose, 1. 4. Hexam. c. 8. St. Jerome de 
 Scriptoribus Eccles. in Petro & in Marco, and in his 
 Chronicon ad Annum 43 and 69. Sulpitius Severus, 
 1. 2. Hist. St. Augustine, 1. de Hser. c. 1, Epist. 53. 
 ]. 2. contra Lit. Petil. c. 51. St John Chrysostom, Tom. 
 5, Horn. 12. Orositus, 1. 7, c. 6. St. Peter Chrysologus, 
 Epist ad Eutych. St. Optatus, 1. 2, contra Parmenia. 
 Theodoret in Epist. ad Rom. and 1. 1. Hseret. Fab. c 
 1, &c 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Of the Celibacy of the Clergy, 
 
 Q. W hat is the reason why the Catholic Clergy are 
 not allowed to marry ? 
 
 A. Because at their entering into holy Orders, they 
 make a solemn promise to God and the Church to live 
 continently. Now the breach of such a promise as this 
 would be a great sin : w itness St. Paul, 1 Tim. v. 11, 
 12, where, speaking of widows, that are for marrying, 
 after having thus engaged themselves to God, he says, 
 ‘They have damnation, because they have castoff their 
 first faith ; 5 that is, their solemn engagement made to 
 God. 
 
 Q. But why does the Church receive none to holy 
 Orders, but such as are willing to make this solemn 
 
 engagement ? 
 
 A. Because she does not think it proper that they, 
 who by their office and functions, ought to be wffiolly 
 devoted to the service of God, and the care of souls, 
 should be diverted from these duties by the distractions 
 of a married life. 1 Cor. vii. 32, 33, ‘He that is un¬ 
 married, careth for the things that belong to the Lord, 
 how he may please the Lord: but he that is married, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 169 
 
 careth for the things that are of the world, how he may 
 please his wife.’ 
 
 Q,. But was it always a law in the Church that the 
 clergy should abstain from marriage ? 
 
 A. It was always a law in the Church, that bishops, 
 priests and deacons, should not marry after having re¬ 
 ceived holy Orders; and we have not one example, in 
 all antiquity, either in the Greek or Latin Church, of 
 any such marriage : but it has been at some times, and 
 in some places, as at present among the Greeks, per¬ 
 mitted for priests and deacons to continue with their 
 wives which they had married before their ordination, 
 though even this was disallowed by many ancient 
 canons. 
 
 The 27th of the apostolic canons allows none of the 
 clergy to marry but those that are in the minor orders, 
 that is, Lectors and Cantors. The Council of Neocse- 
 sarea, which was more ancient than that of Nice, in 
 its first canon orders, that if a priest marries he would 
 be deposed. The Council of Ancyra, which was held 
 about the same time, orders the same thing with regard 
 to deacons, except they protested at the time of their 
 ordination that they could not live unmarried, and were 
 therefore presumed to be dispensed with by the bishop. 
 Concil. Ancyra, Can. 10. 
 
 The great Council of Nice, in the third canon, for¬ 
 bids clergymen to have any women in their house, 
 except it be mother, sister, or aunt, &c. A caution, 
 which would never have been thought on, if they had 
 been allowed to have wives. 
 
 In the West, the Council of Illiberis, which was held 
 about the close of the third century, canon 33, com¬ 
 mands bishops, priests, deacons, and subdeacons to ab¬ 
 stain from their wives, under pain of degradation. The 
 second Council of Arles, can. 2, ordains that no 
 married man be made priest, unless he promise con¬ 
 version, that is, to live continently. The second Coun¬ 
 cil of Carthage, can. 2, ordains, that bishops, priests, 
 and deacons, should live continently, and abstain from 
 their wives; and this because the Apostles so taught, 
 and all antiquity observed. Ut quod Apostoli docuerunt , 
 
 15 
 
170 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Sy ipsa servavit antiquitas , nos quoqae custodiamus. 
 And the fifth Council of Carthage, anno 398, can. 2, 
 ordains in like manner, that all bishops, priests, and 
 deacons should abstain from their wives, or be deposed. 
 There are many other ancient canons to the like effect, 
 as well as decrees of the ancient popes ; as of Siricius, 
 in his epistle to Himmerius bishop of Tarragona, c. 7; 
 of Innocent I. in his epistle of Victricius bishop of 
 Roan, c. 9; of St. Leo the Great, epist. 82, to Anas- 
 tasius, c. 3 and 4. 
 
 Hence St. Epiphanius, who flourished in the East in 
 the fourth century, in his great work, against all here¬ 
 sies, Haer. 59, writes thus: ‘ The Church does not 
 admit him to be a deacon, priest, bishop, or subdeacon, 
 though he be a man of one wife, who makes use of 
 conjugal embraces.’ He adds, that this ‘ is observed 
 in those places chiefly in which canons of the Church 
 are exactly kept, which being directed by the Holy 
 Ghost, aims always at that which is most perfect; that 
 those who are employed in divine functions may have 
 as little as can be of worldly distractions.’ And St. 
 Jerome, epist. 50, ‘ Bishops, (says he,) priests, and 
 deacons, are chosen either virgins or widowers, or from 
 the time of their priesthood perpetually chaste.’ He 
 affirms the same in his book against Vigilantius, by the 
 name of the Churches of the East, and of Egypt, and 
 of the see Apostolic ; and of all bishops, in his book 
 against Jovinianus. See also Origen, Horn. 13, upon 
 Numbers ; Eusebius, 1. 1, Demonstr. Evang. c. 9; and 
 St John Chrysostom, Ilomil. de Patientia Job. 
 
 If you ask the reason, why the Church has insisted 
 so much in all ages upon this point of discipline? Be¬ 
 sides the reason alleged above out of St Paul, I Cor. 
 vii. 32, 33, ‘The reason of single life for the clergy,’ 
 says Mr. Thorndyke, an eminent Protestant divine, in 
 his letters at the end of Just Weights and Measures, p. 
 239, ‘ is firmly grounded by the fathers and canons of 
 the Church upon the precept of St Paul, forbidding 
 man and wife to part, unless for a time to attend unto 
 prayer, 1 Cor. vii. 5. For priests and deacons being con¬ 
 tinually to attend upon occasions of celebrating the eu- 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 171 
 
 charist. which ought continually to be frequented; if 
 others be to abstain from the use of marriage for a time, 
 then they always.’ Thus far Mr. Thorndyke. 
 
 Q. But were not the Apostles married ? 
 
 A. Some of them were, before they were called to 
 the apostleship ; but we do not find that they had any 
 commerce with their wives after they were called by 
 Christ. St. Jerome expressly affirms that they had 
 not, Epist. 50. And this seems to be clear from St. 
 Matt. xix. 27, where St. Peter says to our Lord, Be¬ 
 hold we have forsaken all things and followed thee. 
 For that among the all, which they had forsaken, wives 
 also were comprehended, is gathered from the enumera¬ 
 tion made by our Saviour in the 29th verse, where he 
 
 expressly nameth wives. T t 
 
 Q. But does not St. Paul say, 1 Cor. ix. 5, Have 
 we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as 
 
 other Apostles,’ &c. ? . , ... ,, , 
 
 A The Protestant translation has wilfully corrupted 
 
 the text in this place ; it should have been translated, a 
 woman, a sister. The Apostle speaks not of his wife; 
 for it is visible he had none, from 1 Cor. vn. 7, 8. But 
 he speaks of such pious women, as, according to the 
 custom of the Hebrew nation, waited upon the Apostles 
 and other teachers, serving them in necessaries ; as 
 they had done also upon our Lord in the time of his 
 mortal life, see St. Luke viii. 2, 3. Though St. Paul, 
 that he might be less burthensome to the faithtuJ, 
 chose rather to serve himself, and live by the work ot 
 
 his own hands. . .. ~ 
 
 Q. Does not the Apostle, 1 Tim. iii. ^ and 12, re¬ 
 quire that bishops and deacons should be the ‘husbands 
 
 of one wife ? ’ , 
 
 A. The meaning of the Apostle is not that every 
 
 bishop, priest, or deacon should have a wife; foi he 
 himself had none; and he declares, 1 Cor. vii. 8, ‘ 
 say to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them 
 if they abide even as I.’ But his meaning is, that none 
 should be admitted to be a bishop, priest, or deacon 
 that had been married more than once ; which law has 
 ever since been observed in the Catholic Church: for 
 
172 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 since it was not possible in those days of the first 
 preaching of the gospel (when there were few or no 
 converts, either among the Jews or Gentiles, but such 
 as were married) to have found a sufficient number of 
 proper ministers if they had not admitted married men, 
 they were consequently obliged to admit such to the 
 ministry; but still with this limitation, provided they 
 had not been twice married. But now the Church has 
 a sufficient number of such as are trained up to a sin¬ 
 gle life, and are willing to embrace perpetual conti¬ 
 nence; and therefore prefers such to the ministry, and 
 is authorized so to do by the Apostle, 1 Cor. vii. 32, 33, 
 38. And if, after having consecrated themselves to 
 God in this kind of life, they should be for looking back, 
 and engaging in a married life, they are expressly con¬ 
 demned by the same Apostle, 1 Tim. v. 12. 
 
 Q. Is it not said, Heb. xiii. 5, 4 Marriage is honour¬ 
 able in all ? ’ 
 
 A. The Protestant translation has strained the text 
 to make it say more than the original, which may full 
 as well be rendered in the imperative mood, thus : 4 let 
 marriage be honourable in all, and the bed undefiled ; 
 for whoremongers and adulterers God will judge; ’ 
 which is rendered in the Protestant translation by the 
 imperative, 4 let your conversation be without covetous¬ 
 ness, ? &c. So that the true meaning of this text is, 
 that married persons should not dishonour their holy 
 state by any liberties contrary to the sanctity of it; but 
 not to allow marriage to those who have chosen the 
 better part, and consecrated themselves by vow to God. 
 
 Q. But is not forbidding marriage called a doctrine 
 of devils ? 1 Tim. iv. 3. 
 
 A. It certainly was so in those of whom the 
 Apostle there speaks, viz. the Gnostics, the Marcion- 
 ites, the Encratites, the Manicheans, and many other 
 heretics, who absolutely condemned marriage as the 
 work of the devil. For our part, no body reverences 
 marriage more than we do; for we hold it to be a 
 sacrament, and forbid it to none but those that have 
 voluntarily renounced it to consecrate themselves more 
 wholly to the divine service: and in such as these 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 173 
 
 St. Paul condemns it as much as we; see 1 Tim. v. 
 12. That these same heretics also condemned ab¬ 
 solutely the use of all kinds of meat, not on fasting 
 days only, (as was also practised by the Church,) but 
 at any time whatsoever; because they looked upon all 
 flesh to be from an evil principle, So that it i& evi- 
 dent these were the men of whom the Apostle, 1 1 im. 
 iv. intended to speak. 
 
 Q. But do you think that a vow of contmency so 
 strictly obliges any person, that it would be a sin m 
 
 such a person to marry ? „ n , 
 
 A. Yes, most certainly ; because the law ot uocl 
 
 and nature requires that we should keep our vows to 
 God. Deut. xxiii. 21, 22, 23, ‘ When thou shalt vow a 
 vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay 
 it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee ; 
 and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear 
 to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone 
 out of thy lips, thou shalt keep and perform. Psalm 
 lxxvi 11, ‘Vow and pray unto the Lord your God. 
 Eccles. v. 4, ‘ Pay that which thou hast vowed. Better 
 it is that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldst 
 vow and not pay.’ For if it be a crime to break our 
 faith with man, how much more with God ? It you say, 
 that the state of continency is not more acceptable to 
 God than that of marriage, and therefore cannot be the 
 proper matter of a vow, you contradict the doctrine ot 
 the Apostle, 1 Cor. vii. 38, ‘He thatgiveth his virgin m 
 marriage, doth well 5 but he that ^ 1V G th ) 
 
 better.’ 
 
 Hence St. Augustine, 1. de Bono Viduitatis, c. 11, 
 affirms, that the breach of such a vow ot chastity is 
 worse than adultery: and St. John Chrysostom, (ad 
 Theodorum Lapsum,) ‘ Though you call it marriage a 
 thousand times, yet I maintain it is much worse than 
 adultery.’ Hence the Council of Illibens, can. 13; the 
 fourth Council of Carthage, can. 104; and the great 
 Council of Chalcedon, can. 15, excommunicate those 
 
 who presume to marry after such a vow. What would 
 
 the Church of those ages have thought of a religion in¬ 
 troduced into the world by men that had notoriously 
 
 15 * 
 
174 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 broke through those most solemn engagements, and who 
 raised the fabric of their pretended reformation upon 
 thousands of broken vows ? 
 
 Q. But all have not the gift of continency ; why then 
 should the first reformers be blamed, if, finding they 
 had not this gift, they ventured upon marrying with 
 nuns ? 
 
 A. Continency is not required of all, but such as 
 have by vow engaged to keep it: and therefore, before 
 a person engages himself by vow, he ought certainly to 
 examine whether he has a call from God, and whether 
 he can go through with what he thinks of undertaking: 
 but after he has once engaged himself by vow, he is 
 not now at liberty to go back: but may assure himself, 
 that the gift of continence will not be denied him, so 
 that he uses proper means to obtain and preserve it, 
 particularly prayer and mortification, which, because 
 Luther laid aside, by quitting his canonical hours of 
 prayer and other religious exercises, to which he had 
 been accustomed in his convent, no wonder if he had 
 lost the gift of continency, which he owns lie enjoyed 
 whilst he was a popish friar. 4 Whilst I was a 
 religious (says he) I observed chastity, obedience and 
 poverty: and, in short, being wholly disengaged from 
 the cares of this present life, I wholly gave myself up 
 to fasting, watching and prayer.” In Gal. 1. 15, t 5 
 Witemb. fol. 291. 2. But as soon as he commenced 
 reformer, to demonstrate that he was changed for the 
 worse, he declares, he had so far lost this gift, that he 
 could not possibly live without a woman. Sermon, de 
 Matrim. t 5, fol. 119. 1. 
 
 Q. But does not Christ say, concerning continency, 
 St. Matt xix. 11, 4 All men cannot receive this saying: ’ 
 and St. Paul, 1 Cor. vii. 9, 4 If they cannot contain, let 
 them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn ? ’ 
 
 A. No: both these texts are wilfully corrupted in 
 the Protestant Testament Where he speaks not of 
 such as have vowed chastity, but of other Christians, 
 whom he advises rather to marry than to burn with 
 unlawful lust here, and for unlawful lust hereafter. 
 And the same advice is most frequently inculcated by 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 175 
 
 Catholic divines. But as for those that have vowed 
 chastity, they must make use of other means to prevent 
 this burning, particularly prayer and lasting. But 
 what a wretched case must that of the adversaries of 
 the celibacy of the clergy be, when to maintain it they 
 have in so many places wilfully corrupted the scriptuie . 
 and what a melancholy case it must be, that so many 
 thousands of well-meaning souls should be wretchedly 
 deluded with the pretence of God’s pure word, when 
 instead of this, they have nothing put m their hands 
 but corrupted translations, which present them with a 
 mortal poison, instead of the food of life P 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Of Religious Orders and Confraternities . 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of so many religious 
 Orders in the Catholic Church, under different denom¬ 
 inations ? are not all Catholics of the same religion f 
 
 A. Yes, certainly, all Catholics, and consequently 
 all these religious, though called by different denomi¬ 
 nations, are all of one religion, professing one and the 
 same faith, acknowledging one and the same Church 
 authority, and all the decisions of the Church; subject 
 to one and the same head, and closely united together 
 
 in one communion. . . 
 
 Q. In what then do these religious Orders differ 
 
 one from another, if they are all of one religion ? 
 
 A They differ in having different rules and con¬ 
 stitutions prescribed by their respective founders ; diffe¬ 
 rent habits ; different exercises of devotion ana penance ; 
 different institutes; some wholly sequestered from the 
 world, and addicted to prayer and contemplation ; others 
 employed in preaching, teaching and converting souls ; 
 others tending the sick, redeeming captives, &c. so as 
 to make a beautiful variety in the Church of 1 God of 
 different companions, all tending towards Christian 
 perfection, though by different exercises, according to 
 the spirit of their respective institutes. 
 
176 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. Are not all these religious consecrated to God by 
 certain vows ? 
 
 A . Yes: there are three vows which are common 
 to them all, viz. of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 
 By the vow of poverty, they renounce all property to 
 the things of this world, so as to hate nothing at their 
 own disposal; by the vow of chastity, they renounce all 
 carnal pleasures ; and by the vow of obedience, they 
 give up their own will to follow that of God in the per¬ 
 son of their superior. 
 
 Q,. How do we know that this voluntary poverty, 
 perpetual chastity, and entire obedience, are agreeable 
 to God ? 
 
 A. That voluntary poverty, or renouncing the goods 
 and possessions of this world, is agreeable to God, is 
 evident from St. Matt. xix. 21, ‘If thou wilt be 
 perfect, go and sell all thou hast, and give to the poor, 
 and thou shalt have a treasure in heaven; and come 
 and follow me.’ That perpetual chastity is agreeable 
 to God, is no less evident, from St. Matt xix. 12, 
 ‘ There be eunuchs, which have made themselves eu¬ 
 nuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake—he that is 
 able to receive it, let him receive it.’ And that an 
 entire obedience to lawful superiors must needs be 
 agreeable to the divine Majesty, is evident, because 
 obedience is better than sacrifice; since by obedience 
 we give up to God, and for God, that which is nat¬ 
 urally most dear to us, viz. our liberty, and that which 
 stands most in the way of our soul’s welfare, viz. our 
 own will and self love. 
 
 Q. Ought any Christians to embrace this state of 
 life without a call from God ? 
 
 A. No, certainly ; it would be rashness to attempt it. 
 
 Q. How shall any person know if he have a call from 
 God to this state of life? 
 
 A. By consulting God, his Director, and his own 
 heart. In choosing a state of life every one ought to 
 consult God, in the first place, by fervent prayer, 
 begging daily of him like the convert, St. Paul, Acts 
 ix. 6, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?* He 
 ought also to consult with a virtuous and prudent 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 177 
 
 director, and to lay open to him the inclinations of his 
 heart, and the motives upon which he is inclined to 
 embrace this kind of life; for there is no better proof 
 of a call from God than when a person, after having 
 consulted God by prayer, finds in himself a strong in¬ 
 clination to a religious life, and that for a long time, 
 and upon motives which have nothing in them of self 
 love, but are such as could not be suggested but by the 
 grace of God. 
 
 Q. What are the motives upon which a Christian 
 should embrace a religious life ? 
 
 A. To do penance for his sins; to fly from the 
 dangers and corruptions of this wicked world ; to con¬ 
 secrate himself wholly to the service of God, and 
 sanctify himself by the exact observance of his vows, 
 and all the exercises of a religious life ; and to tend 
 without ceasing to Christian perfection. 
 
 Q. But may it not be feared, that young persons 
 may too rashly engage themselves by vows in a 
 religious state for which they are not fit ? 
 
 A. To prevent this inconvenience, the Catholic 
 Church suffers none to be professed in any order of 
 men or women without a year’s noviceship, by way of 
 probation or trial. 
 
 Q. Is a religious state of life very ancient in the 
 Church of God ? 
 
 A. Yes, very ancient; for not to mention St. John 
 Baptist’s life in the wilderness, St. Luke i. 30, and 
 the lives of the first Christians of Jerusalem, who had 
 all things common, and sold their possessions and 
 goods, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 
 &c. Acts ii. 44, 45, 46, in which they exhibit a speci¬ 
 men of a religious life; we learn from the most certain 
 monuments of antiquity, that even in the three first 
 centuries there were religious men, whom Eusebius 
 calls Ascetae, and great numbers of nuns or virgins 
 consecrated to God ; though neither the one nor the 
 other was as yet formed into the regular monasteries 
 till the beginning of the fourth century. 
 
 About the middle of the third century, St. Paul the 
 first hermit, flying from the fury of the persecution 
 begun by Decius, in the year 289, retired into the 
 
178 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 desert of Thebais, and there passed ninety years and 
 upwards in a lonesome cave, in conversation with God. 
 His wonderful life is extant, written by St. Jerome. 
 
 About the year 271, St. Anthony, a young gentleman 
 of Egypt, left his estate and the world to consecrate 
 himself to a religious life. He found, at his first re¬ 
 tirement, some others that had already undertaken that 
 kind of life, though few in number, and those living 
 near the towns or villages; but he, by his example, 
 drew great numbers after him into the desert, and is 
 generally looked upon as the author and father of a 
 monastic life. His life is written by the great St. Atha¬ 
 nasius, and is full of excellent lessons of spirituality. 
 
 About the year 313, St Pachomius retired from the 
 world, and, after having lived some time in solitude 
 with St. Palemon, became the father of many religious, 
 and the first founder of the famous congregation of 
 Tabenne, to which he prescribed a rule which he had 
 received from an angel. 
 
 From these beginnings, the deserts of Egypt and of 
 Thebais soon were peopled with innumerable solita 
 ries, and all those parts were full of religious of both 
 sexes of admirable virtue ; insomuch, that w'hen Rufinus 
 visited those countries in the latter end of the fourth 
 century, he found in the city of Oxyrincus alone, ten 
 thousand religious men, and twenty thousand nuns. 
 
 From Egypt, this kind of life, so agreeable to the 
 principles of the gospel, and the spirit of Christianity, 
 quickly spread itself though all parts of the world in¬ 
 habited by Christians. St Hilarian, having learned 
 St. Anthony’s way of living, began to practise the like 
 in Palestine about the beginning of the fourth century; 
 and that country also was quickly replenished with 
 religious men and women : whilst St. James, afterwards 
 hishop of Nisibis, St. Julian Sabas, and other great 
 servants of God, whose lives and miracles are recorded 
 by Theodoret in his Philotheus, propagated the same 
 way of living in Syria and Mesopotamia. About the 
 same time, or not long after, the deserts of Pontus and 
 Cappadocia began also to be inhabited by religious 
 men, whose manner of life was embraced by those two 
 great lights of the Church, St Gregory Nazianzen and 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 179 
 
 St. Basil; the latter of which composed an excellent 
 rule for his religious, professed to this day by the 
 Greek and Russian monks, and by some in Poland and 
 
 11 As for the Western parts of the Church, we find that 
 the monastic life had already gained a great footing 
 there in the fourth century. St. Augustine informs us 
 of a monastery near the walls of Milan, full of good 
 religious men, under the care of St, Ambrose, 1. », 
 Confess, chap. 6. And of several such religious socie¬ 
 ties at Rome, in his book of the Manners of the Catho¬ 
 lic Church, chap. 33. Of a religious house near 
 Treves, in Germany, where two courtiers, upon reading 
 the life of St. Anthony, consecrated themselves to God, 
 
 1, 8, Confess, c. 6, And the same St. Augustine, upon 
 his return into Africa, ader his conversion, propagated 
 the same kind of life in that part of the world also. 
 
 In France, the great St, Martin, bishop of lours, in 
 the fourth century, whose apostolic life and miracles 
 are recorded by Sulpicius Severus, founded the mo¬ 
 nastery of Marmoutier, in which he united together in 
 one the clerical and monastical life, as St. Fuse bins 
 had done before him at Verceli in Piedmont. But the 
 most famous monastery in all France was that of the 
 isle of Lerines, founded towards the close of the fourth 
 century, by St. Honoratus, afterwards bishop of Arles ; 
 which was the fruitful parent of many great saints and 
 illustrious prelates. 
 
 As for our British islands, though we know not the 
 particular time when the first monasteries began to be 
 established, yet we are assured, that we were not long 
 behind our neighbours in embracing this, kind of life. 
 The monastery of Bangor, in Wales, in which there 
 were above two thousand monks, was veiy ancfen *, 
 and we are told of an ancient monastery at Winches¬ 
 ter, before the English Saxons came over into this 
 land. As for Ireland, St, Patrick, who established 
 Christianity there, settled also the monastic discipline 
 amongst his converts; which from thence was propa¬ 
 gated to the Piets in Scotland, by St. Columba, alias 
 Columkil, the apostle of that nation, who having hist 
 
 V 
 
180 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 fouhded in Ireland the famous abbey of Dearmach, 
 afterwards passing- into Scotland, founded that of the 
 isle of Hy; from which two monasteries many others, 
 as well in Ireland as in Scotland, had their origin as 
 following the institute of the aforesaid St. Cohimba, 
 of whom Ven. Bede, in his third book of Ecclesiastical 
 History of the English Church, chap. 4, writes thus: 
 ‘ Of whose life and words (he speaks of St. Columba) 
 some writings are said to be preserved by his disciples. 
 But whatsoever he has himself, this we know of him 
 for certain, that he has left successors renowned for 
 much continency, the love of God, and regular ob¬ 
 servance.’ 
 
 From this monastery of the isle of Hy,St. Aidan, the 
 first bishop of Lindisfarn, and many other apostolic 
 preachers came, who preached and established Chris¬ 
 tianity among the Northern English, as St. Augustine 
 and his companions did amongst those of the South, 
 St. Felix amongst the East English, and St. Birinus 
 amongst those of the West. 
 
 Q. I should be glad to know which are the chief 
 religious Orders that flourish at present in the Church 
 of God ; together with the names of their founders, the 
 time of their first institution, &c. 
 
 A. I shall endeavour to satisfy you as briefly as I can. 
 And, first as to the East. The Orders that flourish 
 there, are those of St. Anthony, and of St. Basil, of 
 which we have spoken already. 
 
 In the West, St. Augustine, upon his return into 
 Africa, about the year 390, with divers others his com¬ 
 panions, entered into a religious society, wherein he 
 lived for three years before his coming to Hippo. And 
 after his coming to that city, where he -was first made 
 priest, and afterward bishop, he erected a monastery 
 within his own house, living there with his clergy in 
 common; to which institute the Canon regulars of St. 
 Augustine owe their original, who have flourished ever 
 since in the Church of God, and have branched out into 
 divers congregations, as that of St John Lateran, that 
 of St Victor, of St Genovefa, &c. As the hermits of 
 St. Augustine’s Order, commonly called Austin friars, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED 181 
 
 derive their institute from his first religious society, 
 before his coming to Hippo. Those hermits were 
 translated from the deserts into towns, by pope Inno¬ 
 cent the Fourth, to the end that their godly conversa¬ 
 tion might he more profitable to their neighbours. 
 From this Order Luther apostatized in the lbth cen¬ 
 tury, and like the dragon, Revel, xn. 4, ‘ drew with 
 him the third part of the stars of heaven, (that is, great 
 numbers of religious of all denominations,) k and cast 
 
 them to the earth.’ 
 
 Towards the end of the 5th century, St. Benedict, 
 vulgo Bennet, retired from the world ; and after having 
 practised for many years a religious life m a most 
 eminent degree of perfection, founded twelve monas¬ 
 teries in Latium ; and the thirteenth at Mount Cassim, 
 in the kingdom of Naples, from which he happily 
 passed to the mountain of eternity, in the sixth century. 
 He composed an excellent rule, which was afterwards 
 embraced by almost all the religious of the West, till 
 towards the twelfth century, and has furnished the 
 Church of God with innumerable prelates and aposto¬ 
 lic men, and heaven with innumerable saints, lne 
 wonderful life of St. Benedict was written by St. 
 
 Gregory the Great in his dialogues. 
 
 From the rule of St. Benedict many other Orders 
 have sprung, besides the Benedictines, as the Cluma- 
 censes, so called from their first abbey of Cluny in 
 France These were instituted by St. Odo, in the 
 tenth century, and for a long time flourished in great 
 sanctity. The Camaldulenses, institutes by St. Ito- 
 muald, amongst the Apennine mountains about the 
 year 1000, and to this day edifying the Church, yielding 
 a sweet odour of sanctity to all that come near them. 
 The monks of Valombrosa, instituted by St. John Gaul- 
 bert in the 11th century, and called from the place of 
 their first institution. The Cistercians, so called from 
 their first abbey, founded about the end of the eleventh 
 century by St. Robert, abbot of Molesme in France. 
 St. Robert being obliged to return to his abbey ot 
 Molesme, left for his successor, St. Albencus, who was 
 succeeded by St Stephen Harding, an Englishman, 
 
 16 
 
152 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED, 
 
 who had the happiness to receive St. Bernard into his 
 society, by whose preaching and miracles this Order 
 was wonderfully propagated, and the religious of it, 
 from him, are commonly called Bernardines. Of this 
 Order is the famous abbey of La Trape in France, 
 which in these, our days, has renewed the austerities 
 and abstracted lives of the primitive religious. I pass 
 over several other religious professing the rule of St. 
 Benedict, as the Silvesterines, the Grandimontenses, 
 the Celestines, so called from St. Peter Celestine their 
 founder, the Olivetants, &c. 
 
 Towards the end of the eleventh century, St. Bruno, 
 a doctor of Paris, with six companions, retired from 
 the world to the desert mountains of Carthusia, in the 
 diocess of Grenoble in Dauphine, and there laid the 
 foundation of the Order of the Carthusians, formerly in 
 England called the Charter-house monks; who to this 
 day have happily preserved their primitive fervour, 
 keeping perpetual silence, (only when they are singing 
 the praises of God,) perpetual abstinence, wearing al¬ 
 ways a rough hair shirt, and continually employed in 
 prayer and contemplation. 
 
 About the year 1120, St Norbet, who had ex¬ 
 changed the court life for the voluntary poverty 
 recommended by the gospel, founded an Order of 
 Canon regulars, from him called Norbertines, and 
 Premonstratenses, from Premonte, the place of their 
 first abbey, in the diocess of Laon in France. 
 
 In the same age also was instituted in France, the 
 Order of the blessed Trinity, for the redemption of cap¬ 
 tives out of the hands of infidels, by St. Johnde Matha, 
 and St. Felix de Valois, two holy priests and solitaries 
 invited to this charitable work by divine visions. As 
 in the following a^e another Order was instituted in 
 Spain for the same end, by St. Peter Nolascus. This 
 is commonly called, the Order of our Lady de Mercede, 
 or of the redemption. 
 
 About the year 1200, the Carmelites were first 
 brought into Europe, and were quickly spread through 
 all parts of Christendom, w r here they have flourished ex¬ 
 ceedingly : nowhere more than heretofore in England, 
 where from the colour of their mantles they were called 
 
THE CATHOLI0 CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 1® 
 
 white friars. These were original y hermits living upon 
 Mount Carmel, who whilst the Christians were m pos¬ 
 session of Syria and the Holy Land, were assembled 
 together by Aimeric the patriarch of Antioch, andl re¬ 
 ceived a rule from Albert patriarch of Jerusalem. Tins 
 rule was afterwards mitigated by the pope, but em¬ 
 braced again in its full extent by St. Theresa m the lbUi 
 century, and by the friars and nuns that Mow her 
 form, and are called Discalced, or barefoot Carmehtes. 
 
 Not loner after the Carmelites coming into Rurop , 
 God was pleased to raise two new Orders, which have 
 flourished from that time to this day; and furnished 
 the Church with several popes, innumerable cardinals, 
 bishops, ecclesiastical writers, and apostolic men; a , 
 have both been very fruitful in saints, viz. 1 ne Order 
 
 of St Dominick, and that of St. Francis. The Domini¬ 
 cans or Friars Preachers, were instituted for preachm* 
 the o-ospel to infidels and sinners, which they have done 
 with great success. These were formerly in our coun¬ 
 try called Black Friars, from the colour of their cloak 
 o/’outward habit, which is black, as the Franciscans 
 were called Gray Friars. St. Francis would have his 
 religious, for humility, called Friars Minors, whom he 
 trained up in great poverty and pename. And so 
 great and speedy was the increase of this Older, that 
 fn a chapter held by the saint himself, at Assisium, 
 there were assembled no less than five thousand reli- 
 2 -ious This Order at present is the most numerous m 
 the Church of God, and is divided into three chief 
 branches under their respective generals, viz. the Co 
 vensuals, the Observants, and the Capuchins. ^ T 
 Observants are again subdivided into Cordelier^, 
 collects, &c. Besides which, there is the congregation 
 of St. Peter of Alcantara, which is the strictest of all. 
 The nuns who follow the rule of St. Francis, are com¬ 
 monly called Poor Clares, from St. Clare, who first 
 received the habit from St. Francis, and was the first 
 abbess. Besides these there are Capuclnnesses or 
 Penitents, nuns of the third Order of St. Francis, &c. 
 
 Other Orders, that have been founded between the 
 
 beginning of the thirteenth century an ^ the ^, 1X ^-n 
 are the Servites, or servants ol the blessed Virgin, 
 
184 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 instituted about 1232, by seven gentlemen of Florence, 
 who retired themselves to a neighbouring mountain to 
 do penance; the Crucigeri, or Clutched Friars, though 
 these, by some, are supposed to have been much more 
 ancient; the Jesuati, instituted by St. John Colombin, 
 anno 1356 ; the Brigittins, by St. Brigit, anno 1360; 
 the Hieronnimites, by Pedro Ferdinando, anno 1383; 
 the Minims, by St. Francis of Paula, about the year 
 1450, &c. 
 
 The sixteenth century gave rise to several new 
 Orders: the Theatins, or Regular Clerks, were insti¬ 
 tuted anno 1528, by St. Cajetanus Thianaeus, a man 
 of apostolic life. This Order flourishes very much in 
 Italy, as well as the Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of 
 St. Paul. 
 
 The Jesuits, or Society of Jesus, were instituted by 
 St. Ignatius of Loyola, anno 1540, as a troop, or com¬ 
 pany of auxiliaries, to assist the pastoral clergy in that 
 time of the Church’s greatest necessity ; to labour in 
 the conversion and sanctification of souls; to train up 
 youth in piety and learning; to defend fhe faith against 
 heretics, and propagate it amongst infidels: in all which 
 particulars, this Order has done signal services to the 
 Church in these two last centuries. 
 
 About the same time, .St. John de Deo founded an 
 Order of religious brethren, to take care of the sick, 
 and to provide for them all necessary assistance both 
 for soul and body. 
 
 In the beginning of the seventeenth century, St. 
 Francis de Sales, bishop of Geneva, instituted the 
 Order of the nuns of the Visitation of the blessed Vir¬ 
 gin. And thus have I given you a short account of 
 the chief orders that flourish in the Church. 
 
 Besides these religious Orders, there are certain 
 regular congregations of clergy living in common, 
 though not under the tie of religious vows: as the 
 Oratorians, instituted by St. Philip Nerius, in the ^six¬ 
 teenth century ; the Fathers of the Christian Doctrine 
 the Lazarians, or Fathers of the Mission, &c. 
 
 Q. Are there not also many confraternities amongst 
 the Catholics, in which many of the laity are enrolled ? 
 pray what is the meaning of these confraternities ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 185 
 
 A. These confraternities, or brotherhoods, are cer¬ 
 tain societies or associations, instituted for the en¬ 
 couragement of devotion, or for promoting of certain 
 works of piety, religion, and charity ; under some rules 
 or regulations, though without being tied to them, so 
 far as that the breach or neglect of them would be sin¬ 
 ful. The good of these confraternities is, that thereby 
 good works are promoted, the faithful are encouraged 
 to frequent the sacraments, to hear the word of God, 
 mutually to assist one another by their prayers, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Matrimony , and of the JVuptial 
 
 Benediction » 
 
 Q. When was matrimony instituted? 
 
 A. It was first instituted by God Almighty between 
 our first parents in the earthly Paradise, Gen. li. and 
 this institution was confirmed by Christ in the New 
 Testament, St. Matt xix. 4, 5, 6, where he concludes, 
 ‘ What God hath joined together, let no man put asun¬ 
 der.’ And our Lord, to show that this state is holy, 
 and not to be condemned or despised, was pleased to 
 honour it with his first miracle, wrought at the wedding 
 of Cana, St. John ii. 
 
 Q. What are the ends for which matrimony is in¬ 
 stituted ? 
 
 A. For the procreation of children, which may serve 
 God here, and people heaven hereafter; for a remedy 
 against concupiscence, and for the benefit ot conjugal 
 society, that man and wife may mutually help one 
 another, and contribute to one another’s salvation. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that matrimony is a sacra¬ 
 ment ? 
 
 A. Because it is a conjunction made and sanctified 
 by God himself, and not to be dissolved by any power 
 of man, as being a sacred sign or mysterious represen¬ 
 tation of the indissoluble union of Christ and his Church* 
 
 16 * 
 
186 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED 
 
 Hence St. Paul, Eph. v. 31, 32, expressly calls it a 
 ‘ gTeat sacrament or mystery,’ with regard to Christ and 
 his Church; and as such it has been always ac¬ 
 knowledged in the Catholic Church. See St Ambrose, 
 1. 1, de Abraham, e. 7; St. Augustine, 1. de Bono Con- 
 jug. c. 18 and 24. 1. de Fide et Operibus, c. 17. 1. de 
 Nuptis et Concep. 10, &c. 
 
 Q. Does matrimony give grace to those that re¬ 
 ceive it? 
 
 A. Yes, if they receive it in the dispositions that 
 they ought, it gives a grace to the married couple to 
 love one another according to God, to restrain the vio¬ 
 lence of concupiscence, to bear with one another’s 
 weaknesses, and to bring up their children in the fear 
 of God. 
 
 Q,. How comes it then that some marriages are un¬ 
 happy, if matrimony be a sacrament which gives so 
 great a grace ? 
 
 A. Because the greatest part do not receive it in the 
 dispositions they ought: they consult not God in their 
 choice, but only their own lust or temporal interest; 
 they prepare not themselves for it, by putting them¬ 
 selves in the state of grace ; and too often are guilty of 
 freedoms before marriage, which are not allowable by 
 the law of God. 
 
 Q. In what dispositions ought persons to receive the 
 sacrament of matrimony ? 
 
 A. They ought to be in a state of grace, by con¬ 
 fession : their intention ought to be pure, viz. to em¬ 
 brace this holy state for the ends for which God insti¬ 
 tuted it; and if they be under the care of parents, &c. 
 they ought to consult them, and do nothing in this kind 
 without their consent. 
 
 Q. In what manner does the Catholic Church pro¬ 
 ceed in the administration of matrimony ? 
 
 m 
 
 A. 1st, She orders that the banns should be pro¬ 
 claimed on three Sundays, or festival-days, before the 
 celebration of marriage; to the end, that if any one 
 knows any impediment why the parties may not by the 
 law of God, or his Church, be joined in matrimony, he 
 may declare it. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 187 
 
 2 dly, The parties are to be married by their own 
 parish priest, in the presence of two or three witnesses. 
 
 3dly, The parties express, in the presence of the 
 priest, their mutual consent, according to the usual 
 form of the Church ; after which the priest says, I join 
 you in matrimony, in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 4thly. The priest blesses the ring according to this 
 form. 
 
 V . Our help is in the name of the Lord. 
 
 A. Who made heaven and earth. 
 
 V. O Lord hear my prayer. 
 
 A. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 V. The Lord be with you. 
 
 A. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Bless, ^ O Lord, this ring, which we bless in 
 thy name, that she that shall wear it, keeping inviolable 
 fidelity to her spouse, may ever remain in peace and 
 in thy will, and always live in mutual charity. Through 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Then the priest sprinkles the rin^ with Holy water; 
 and the bridegroom taking it, puts it on the fourth fin¬ 
 ger of the left hand of the bride, saying, ‘ In the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. 
 Amen.’ Here also, according to the custom of Ireland, 
 the bridegroom puts some gold and silver into the hand 
 of the bride, saying, ‘With this ring I thee wed, this 
 gold and silver I give thee, and with all my worldly 
 goods I thee endow.’ 
 
 After this the priest says, V. Confirm, O God, this 
 which thou hast wrought in us. A. From thy holy 
 temple which is in Jerusalem. Lord have mercy on 
 us. Christ have mercy on us. Lord have mercy on 
 us. Our Father, &c. And lead us not into temptation. 
 A. But deliver us from evil. V. Save thy servants. 
 A. Trusting in thee, O my God. V. Send them help, 
 O Lord, from thy sanctuary. A. And defend them 
 from Sion. V. Be to them, O Lord, a tower of strength 
 
188 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED* 
 
 § 
 
 A. Against the face of the enemy. V. O Lord hear 
 my prayer. A. And let my cry come to thee. V* 
 The Lord be with you. A. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Look down, O Lord, we beseech thee, upon those 
 thy servants, and afford thy favourable assistance to 
 thy own institution, by which thou hast ordained the 
 propagation of mankind; that they who are joined 
 together by thy authority, may be preserved by thy 
 aid. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 5thly, After this, if the nuptial benediction is to be 
 given, the priest says the Mass appointed in the Missal, 
 for the bridegroom and the bride ; and having said the 
 Pater JYoster , turning about to the new married couple, 
 he says over them the following prayers. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Mercifully give ear, O Lord, to our prayers, and let 
 thy grace accompany this thy institution, by which 
 thou hast ordained the propagation of mankind; that 
 this tie, which is made by thy authority, may be 
 preserved by thy grace. Through our Lord Jesus 
 Ciirist, &c* 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O God, who by thy omnipotent hand didst create all 
 things of nothing! who at the first forming of the 
 world having made man to the likeness of God, didst 
 out of his flesh make the woman, and give her to him 
 for hi3 help, and by this didst inform us that what in 
 its beginning was one, ought never be separated: 
 O God, who by so excellent a mystery hast consecrated 
 this union of both sexes, that thou wouldst have it be 
 a type of that great sacrament which is betwixt Christ 
 and his Church: O God, by whom this contract and 
 mutual commerce has been ordained, and privileged 
 with a blessing, which alone has not been recalled, 
 either in punishment of original sin, or by the sentence 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 189 
 
 of the flood, mercifully look on this thy servant the 
 bride, who being now to be given in marriage, earn¬ 
 estly desires to be received under thy protection. May 
 love and peace abound in her; may she marry in Christ 
 faithful and chaste; may she ever imitate those holy 
 women of former times ; may she be as acceptable to 
 her husband as Rachel, as discreet as Rebecca ; may 
 she in her years and fidelity be like Sarah, and may 
 the author of evil at no time have any share in her 
 actions ; may she be steady in faith and the command¬ 
 ments ; may she be true to her engagements, and flee 
 all unlawful addresses; may she fortify her infirmity 
 by thy discipline ; may she be gravely bashful, ven¬ 
 erably modest, and well-learned in the doctrine of 
 heaven ; may she be fruitful in her offspring; may she 
 be approved and innocent; and may her happy lot be 
 to arrive at length to the rest of the blessed in the 
 kingdom of heaven : may they both see their children’s 
 children to the third and fourth generation, and live 
 to a happy old age. Through the same Lord Jesus 
 Christ, &c. 
 
 After the priest’s communion, they both receive the 
 blessed sacrament, and in the end of the Mass, before 
 the usual blessing of the people, the priest turns to the 
 bridegroom and bride, and says, 
 
 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God 
 of Jacob be with you, and may he fulfil his blessing in 
 you, that you may see your children’s children to the 
 third and fourth generation, and afterwards enter into 
 the possession of everlasting life, by the help of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ; who, with the Father and the 
 Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth God for ever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 Then the priest admonishes them to be faithful to 
 one another, to love one another, and to live in the 
 fear of God, and exhorts them to be continent, by 
 mutual consent, at the times of devotion, and especially 
 at the times of fasting, and of great solemnities, and .so 
 he finishes the Mass in the usual manner. 
 
190 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. Is there any obligation of receiving this nuptial 
 benediction when persons are married ? 
 
 A. The Church wishes that it were never omitted 
 in the first marriage, when it may be had, because of 
 the blessing it draws down from heaven, and it would 
 certainly be a fault for persons to marry without it, 
 when and where it may be had. 
 
 Q,. Why does not the Church allow of this nuptial 
 benediction, when the man or woman has been once 
 married before.? 
 
 A. Because the second marriage does not so per¬ 
 fectly represent the union of Christ and his Church, 
 which is an eternal tie of one to one. 
 
 Q,. Why does not the Church allow of the solemnity 
 of marriages from the first Sunday of Advent till after 
 Twelfth-day, and from Ash-Wednesday till after Low- 
 Sunday ? 
 
 A. Because the times of Advent and Lent are times 
 of penance, as the times of Christmas and Easter are 
 times of extraordinary devotion, and therefore are not 
 proper for marriage feasts, or such like solemnities. 
 
 Q. What are the duties of married people to one 
 another ? 
 
 A. You shall hear them from Scripture. 
 
 Ephes. v. 22, ‘ Let women be subject to their hus¬ 
 bands, as to the Lord.’ Ver. 23, ‘Because the man 
 is the head of the woman, as Christ is the head of the 
 Church: he is the Saviour of his body.’ Ver. 24, 
 ‘ Therefore, as the Church is subject to Christ, so also 
 let women be to their husbands in all things.’ Ver. 
 25, ‘ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved 
 the Church, and delivered himself for it’ Ver. 28, 
 ‘So ought also husbands to love their wives as their 
 own bodies: lie that loveth his wife, lovetli himself.’ 
 Ver. 29, ‘ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but 
 nourisheth it, and cherisheth it, as Christ also doth the 
 Church.’ Ver. 30, ‘Because we are members of his 
 body, of his flesh, and of his bones.’ Ver. 31, ‘ For 
 this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, 
 and shall adhere to his wife, and they shall be two in 
 one flesh.’ (Gen. ii.) Ver. 32, ‘This sacrament i3 
 great, but I say in Christ and in the Church.’ Ver. 33, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED 191 
 
 ‘ However, let every one of you in particular love his 
 wife as himself; and let the wife reverence the hus¬ 
 band.’ See to the same effect, Colos. iii. 18, 19. 
 
 1 St. Peter iii. 1 , ‘Let women be subject to their 
 husbands, to the end, that if any believe not the word, 
 they may be gaihed without the word by the conversa¬ 
 tion of the women.’ Ver. 2, ‘Beholding your chaste 
 conversation in fear.’ Ver. 3, ‘Whose adorning let it 
 not be in the outward plaiting of the hair, or laying 
 on gold round about, or putting on apparel.’ Yer. 4 *, 
 ‘ But the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptibility 
 of a quiet and modest spirit, which is rich in the sight 
 of God.’ Ver. 5, ‘For in this manner heretofore also 
 holy women, hoping in God, adorned themselves, 
 being subject to their husbands.’ Yer. 6 , ‘As Sarah 
 obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters 
 you are,’ &c. Yer. 7, ‘Husbands, in like manner 
 dwelling with them according to knowledge, give 
 honour to the women as to the weaker vessel, as to 
 the joint heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers 
 may not be hindered.’ 
 
 1 Cor. vii. 3, 4 Let the husband render the (marriage) 
 debt to the wife ; and in like manner the wife to her 
 husband.’ Yer. 4, ‘ The wife hath not power of her 
 own body, but the husband ; and in like manner the 
 husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.’ 
 Yer. 5, ‘Defraud not one another unless perhaps by 
 consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to 
 prayer, and return again together to the same, lest 
 Satan tempt you on account of your incontinency.’ 
 Ver. 6 , ‘Yet this I speak according to indulgence, not 
 according to command.’ Yer. 7, ‘For I would have 
 you all to be as myself, &c.’ Ver. 10, ‘ But as to them 
 who are joined in wedlock, it is not I but the Lord 
 commands that the wife depart not from the husband.’ 
 Ver. 11, ‘But if she shall depart, that she remain un¬ 
 married, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not 
 the husband put away his wife.’ 
 
 Titus ii. 4, ‘ They may teach the young women 
 prudence, that they love their husbands, be tender of 
 their children.’ Ver. 5, ‘ Discreet, chaste, sober, having 
 
192 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 care of the house, gentle, submissive to their husbands, 
 that the word of God be not blasphemed.’ 
 
 There are also excellent documents for married 
 people in the book of Tobias, ch. vi. 16. ‘Then the 
 angel Raphael said to him, Hear me, and I will show 
 thee who they are over whom the devil can prevail.’ 
 Ver. 17, ‘ For they who in such manner receive matri¬ 
 mony as to shut out God from themselves to their lust, 
 as the horse and the mule, which have not understand¬ 
 ing : over them the devil hath power.’ Ver. 22, ‘ Thou 
 shalt take the virgin with the fear of the Lord, moved 
 rather for the love of children than for lust, that in 
 the seed of Abraham thou mayst obtain blessing in 
 children.’ And chap. iii. 1G, ‘ Thou knowest, Lord, 
 that I never coveted a husband, and have kept my 
 soul clean from all concupiscence.’ Ver. 16, ‘I never 
 kept company with them that play, nor with them that 
 walk in lightness did I make myself a partner.’ Ver. 
 17, ‘ But a husband I consented to take, with thy fear, 
 not with my lust.’ 
 
 And chap. iii. 8, ‘ Thou madest Adam of the slime 
 of the earth, and gavest him Eve for his helpmate.’ 
 Ver. 9, ‘And now, Lord, thou knowest that not for 
 fleshly lust do 1 take my sister to wife, but only for 
 the love of posterity, in which thy name may be 
 blessed for ever.’ 
 
 Q. What are the duties of married people with 
 regard to the education of their children ? 
 
 D • , 
 
 A. They are obliged to train them up from their 
 very infancy in the fear of God, and to give them early 
 impressions of piety; to see that they be instructed 
 in the Christian Doctrine, and that they be kept to 
 their prayers and other religious duties ; in fine, to 
 give them good example, and to remove from them the 
 occasions of sin, especially bad company and idleness. 
 
 Q. Does the Catholic Church allow her children to 
 marrv with those that are not of her communion ? 
 
 A. She has often prohibited such marriages, as 
 may be seen in the sixteenth canon of the council of 
 Illiberis, the 10th canon of the Council of Laodicea, 
 the 14th canon of the Council of Chalcedon, the 67th 
 canon of the Council of Agde, &c. Though some- 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 193 
 
 times, and in some places, pastors of the Church, for 
 weighty reasons, have been forced to dispense with 
 this law, and to celebrate such marriages. 
 
 Q. Why is the Church so averse to these kind of 
 marriages ? 
 
 A. 1st, Because she would not have her children 
 communicate in sacred things, such as matrimony is, 
 with those that are out of her communion. 2dly, Be¬ 
 cause such marriages are apt to give occasion to dis¬ 
 sensions in families, whilst one of the parties draw 
 one way, the other another. 3dly, Because there is a 
 danger of the Catholic party being perverted, or at 
 least of not beinor allowed the free exercise of reli- 
 gion. 4thly, Because there is a danger of the chil¬ 
 dren being brought up in error, of which we have 
 seen some sad instances. Where note, that those 
 bargains are by no means to be allowed of by which 
 the contracting parties agree to have the boys brought 
 up in the religion of the father, and the girls to follow 
 the mother. God and his Church will have no such 
 division, nor give up thus their right to any one. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Of the Churching of Women after Childbearing . 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of the churching of wo¬ 
 men after childbearing? Is it that you look upon 
 them to be under any uncleanness, as formerly in the 
 old law, or to be any ways out of the Church by 
 childbearing ? 
 
 A. No, by no means; but what we call the church¬ 
 ing of women is nothing else but their coming to the 
 Church to give thanks to God for their safe delivery, 
 and to receive the blessing of the priest upon that 
 occasion. 
 
 Q,. What is the form and manner of churching of 
 women ? 
 
 A. The woman that desires to be churched, kneels 
 
 17 
 
194 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 down at the door or entry of the Church, holding a 
 lighted candle in her hand; and the priest, vested 
 with his surplice and stole, sprinkles her first with 
 Holy water, and then says: 
 
 V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. 
 
 R. Who made heaven and earth. 
 
 Anthem. This woman shall receive a blessing from 
 the Lord. 
 
 Psalm 23. 
 
 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the 
 compass of the world, and all that dwell therein. 
 
 Because he has founded it upon the seas, and pre¬ 
 pared it upon the rivers. 
 
 Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord, or 
 who shall stand in his holy place ? 
 
 The innocent of hands, and clean of heart, that 
 hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn to his neigh¬ 
 bour in guile. 
 
 He shall receive blessing of the Lord, and mercy of 
 God and his Saviour. 
 
 This is the generation of them that seek him, of 
 them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. 
 
 Lift up your gates, ye princes, and be ye lifted up, 
 O eternal gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. 
 
 Who is the King of Glory ? The Lord, strong and 
 mighty ; the Lord, mighty in battle. 
 
 Lift up your gates, ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O 
 eternal gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. 
 
 Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of power, 
 he is the King of Glory. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, &c. 
 
 As it was in the beginning, &c. 
 
 Anthem. The woman shall receive a blessing from 
 the Lord, and mercy from God her Saviour; for this is 
 the generation of them that seek the Lord. 
 
 After this the priest stretches out to her hand tne 
 end of his stole, and so introduces her into the Church, 
 saying, Come into the temple of God, adore the Son of 
 the blessed Virgin Mary, who has given to thee to be 
 fruitful in thy offspring. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 195 
 
 Then she kneels before the altar, giving thanks to 
 God for his benefits bestowed on her, whilst the priest 
 prays as follows: 
 
 Lord have mercy on us. Christ have mercy on us* 
 Lord have mercy on us. Our Father, &c. V. And 
 lead us not into temptation. A. But deliver us from 
 evil. V. Save thy handmaid, O Lord. A. Trusting 
 in thee, O my God. V. Send her help, O Lord, from 
 thy sanctuary. A. And defend her from Sion. V. 
 Let not the enemy have any power over her. V. Nor 
 the Son of iniquity presume to hurt her. V. O Lord 
 hear my prayer. A. And let my cry come to thee. 
 V. The Lord be with you. A. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Almighty everlasting God, who, by the blessed Vir¬ 
 gin Mary’s happy bringing forth, hast changed into 
 joy the pains of the faithful in their childbearing; 
 mercifully look down on this thy servant, who comes 
 with joy to thy holy temple to return thee thanks; and 
 grant that after this life she may, by the merits and 
 intercession of the same blessed Mary, deserve to be 
 received with her child into the joys of everlasting 
 happiness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Then the priest sprinkles her again with Holy wa¬ 
 ter, in the form of the cross, saying, May the peace 
 and blessing of Almighty God the Father, and the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost, come down upon thee, and 
 remain with thee for ever. Amen. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Of the Fasts of the Catholic Church. 
 
 SECTION I. Of Fasting and Abstinence in general . 
 
 Q,. Have you any reason to think that fasting and 
 abstinence is agreeable to God. 
 
 A. Yes, certainly: John the Baptist’s abstinence is 
 
196 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 commended, St. Luke i. 15, and St. Matt. iii. 4. And 
 Anna the prophetess is praised, St. Luke ii. 37, for 
 serving God with fastings and prayers night and day. 
 The Ninivites by fasting obtained mercy, Jonas iii. 5. 
 Daniel joined fasting with prayer, Dan. ix. 3, and by 
 fasting was disposed for heavenly visions, Dan. x. 3, 7, 
 12. The royal prophet humbled his soul in fasting, 
 Psalm xxxiv. (alias xxxv.) Ezra and Nehemiah sought 
 and found seasonable aid from God by fasting, Ezra 
 viii. 23, and Nehemiah i. 4. And God, by the prophet 
 Joel, calls upon his people (Joel ii. 12) ‘to turn to him 
 with all their hearts in fasting, weeping, and mourn¬ 
 ing.’ 
 
 Q. But did our Lord Jesus Christ design that his 
 followers should fast P 
 
 A. Yes, he not only gave them an example by fast¬ 
 ing forty days, St. Matt. iv. 2, and prescribed to them 
 lessons concerning fasting, St. Matt. vi. 16, &c., but 
 also expressly affirmed, that after the bridegroom 
 should be taken from them, that is, after his passion, 
 resurrection and ascension, all his children, that is, all 
 good Christians, should fast, St. Matt. ix. 15. St, 
 Mark ii. 20. St Luke v. 35. Hence we find the 
 Christians at Antioch fasting, Acts xiii. 2; and Paul 
 and Barnabas ordained with prayer and fasting, ver. 3, 
 and priests ordained by them in every Church with 
 prayer and fasting, Acts xiv. 23, and the Apostles 
 ‘approving themselves as the ministers of God—in 
 fasting,’ 2 Cor. vi. 4, 5, &c. 
 
 Q. Has fasting any particular efficacy against the 
 devil ? 
 
 A. Yes: ‘This kind (of devils) can come forth by 
 nothing but by prayer and fasting,’ saith our Lord, St. 
 Mark ix. 29. 
 
 Q. What are the ends for which Christians are to 
 fast, and for. which the Church prescribes days of fast¬ 
 ing and abstinence ? 
 
 A. 1st, To chastise ourselves, and to do penance 
 for our sins, that so, like the Ninivites, we may obtain 
 mercy of God. 2dly, To curb and restrain our passions 
 and concupiscences, and to bring the flesh under sub¬ 
 jection to the spirit 3dly, To be enabled by fasting 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 197 
 
 to raise our souls the easier to God, and to offer him 
 purer prayer. 
 
 Q. What are the rules prescribed by the Catholic 
 Church with regard to eating on fasting days P 
 
 A. 1st, The Church prohibits all flesh meats on 
 fasting days, and in Lent, eggs also, and cheese: foi- 
 merly wine was prohibited ; but this prohibition, by a 
 contrary custom, has been long since laid aside. 2dly, 
 The Church allows her children but one meal on 
 fastincr days; besides which, custom has introduced a 
 small ^collation at night. 3dly, The meal which the 
 Church allows on fasting days must not be taken till 
 towards noon: formerly, for the first twelve hundred 
 years of the Church, the meal was not to be taken in 
 Lent before the evening ; and on the other fasting days 
 not till three o’clock in the afternoon. These rules 
 regard the days of fasting ^ but as to those that aie 
 only days of abstinence, such as the Sundays in Lent, 
 the three Rogation days, and the Fridays and Satur¬ 
 days throughout the year, were only obliged to abstain 
 from flesh on those days, but no ways confined to one 
 
 meal. . _ , _ 
 
 Q. But why does the Church prohibit flesh on days 
 
 of fasting and abstinence ? 
 
 A. Not that she looks upon any meats unclean by 
 the new law, but she does it that her children may 
 better comply with the ends of fasting, viz. mortification 
 and penance, by abstaining on those days from that 
 kind of food which is most nourishing and agreeable, 
 Q. But is not this condemned by the Apostle, 1 
 Tim. iv. 3, where he calls it ‘ the doctrine of devils 
 to command to abstain from meats which God hath 
 created to be received with thanksgiving ? ’ 
 
 A. The Apostle speaks of the doctrine of those, 
 who, with the Marcionites, Manichseans, and other 
 heretics, forbid the use of meat, not as the Church 
 does, by way of mortification and penance, on days of 
 fasting and humiliation, but as a thing absolutely un¬ 
 clean, and unlawful to be used at any time, as coming 
 from an evil principle. All that know any thing of 
 Church history, know that it was the system of many 
 
 17 * 
 
198 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 heretics, who also upon the same account absolutely 
 condemned marriage, as tending to the propagation of 
 the flesh. Now they that know these things are 
 guilty of the highest injustice, pretending that these 
 words of the Apostle were levelled at the Catholic 
 Church, when their own conscience must tell them 
 that they were designed for another set of people. 
 The Catholic Church is far from condemning the use 
 of God’s creatures in proper times and seasons; but 
 she neither does, nor ever did, think all kind of diet 
 proper for days of fasting, and in this particular 
 the modern Church is so far from going beyond the 
 primitive Christians, that on the contrary, all kind of 
 monuments of antiquity make it evident, that our 
 forefathers, in the first ages of the Church, were more 
 severe in their abstinence than we now are. 
 
 Q. But does not the Apostle say, 1 Cor. x. 25, 
 ‘Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking 
 no questions for conscience sake ? ’ 
 
 A. He speaks not this with relation to the days of 
 fasting, as if any sorts of meat might be eaten on 
 fasting days ; but he speaks, as it is visible from the 
 context, with regard to the meats offered to idols ; 
 which some weak brethren were so much afraid of 
 eating, that upon this account they durst not eat the 
 meat sold in the shambles, lest it might have been 
 offered to idols. Upon the same principle the Apostle 
 adds, ver. 27, ‘ If any of them that believe not, invite 
 you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is 
 set before you eat, asking no question for conscience 
 sake. 5 Ver. 28, ‘But if any man say unto you, This 
 is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake 
 that showed it, and for conscience sake,’ &c. 
 
 Q. Do you take it then to be a sin to eat meat on 
 fasting days, or otherwise to break the Church-fastS 
 without necessity ? 
 
 A. Yes, certainly ; because it is a sin to disobey 
 our lawful superiors, and more particularly to disobey 
 the Church of God. ‘ If he neglect to hear the Church, 
 let him be to thee as a heathen and a publican,’ St* 
 Matt, xviii. 17. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 199 
 
 Q. Does not Christ say, St. Matt. xv. 11, ‘That 
 which goeth into the mouth doth not defile a man ?’ 
 
 A. True: it is not any uncleanness in the meat, as 
 many heretics have imagined, or any dirt or dust which 
 may stick to it by eating, without first washing the 
 hands (of which case our Lord is speaking in the text 
 you quote) which can defile the soul; for every creature 
 of God is good, and whatsoever corporal filth enters 
 in at the mouth is cast forth into the draught; but that 
 which defiles the soul, when a person transgresses the 
 Church-fast, is the disobedience of the heart, in 
 breaking the precept of the Church, which God has 
 commanded us to hear and to obey. And thus an 
 Israelite would have been defiled in the time of s the 
 old law, by eating of blood or swine’s flesh; and thus 
 our first parents were defiled by eating the forbidden 
 fruit, not by the uncleanness of the food, but by the 
 disobedience of the heart to the law of God. 
 
 Q. What are the conditions that ought to accompany 
 & Christian faith, to make it such a fast as God has 
 chosen ? 
 
 A. The great and general fast of a Christian is to 
 
 o o 
 
 abstain from sin; and God would not accept of the 
 fasts of the Jews, Isaiah lviii., because on the days of 
 their fasting they were found doing their own will 
 and oppressing their neighbours. So that the first 
 condition that ought to go along with our fasts is to 
 renounce our sins; the second is to let our fasts be 
 accompanied with alms-deeds and prayer, Tob. xii. 
 viii.; the third, to endeavour to perform them in a pen¬ 
 itential spirit. 
 
 Q,. What persons are excused from the strictness of 
 the church fast ? 
 
 A. Children under age, sick people, women that are 
 with child, or that give suck ; likewise those that upon 
 fasting days are obliged to hard labour; and, in a 
 word, all such who, through weakness, infirmity, or 
 other hinderance, cannot fast without great prejudice or 
 danger: where note 1st, That if the cause be not 
 evident, a person must have recourse to his pastor for 
 dispensation. 2dly, That in some of the above men¬ 
 tioned cases a person may be excused from one part 
 
200 THK CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 of the fast, and not from another; or may be excused 
 from fasting, and yet not from abstinence. 3dly, That 
 such as for some just cause are dispensed with from 
 fasting, ought to endeavour, as far as their condition 
 and circumstances will allow, to be so much the more 
 diligent in their devotions, more liberal in their alms, 
 more patient in their sufferings, and to make up the 
 interior spirit of penance what is wanting to the out¬ 
 ward fast 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the Fast of Lent . 
 
 Q. When did the Church first begin to observe the 
 fast of Lent ? 
 
 A. We know no beginning of it; for it is a fast 
 that has been observed by the Church from the time 
 of the Apostles, and stands upon the same foundation 
 as the observation of the Lord’s day, that is, upon 
 apostolical tradition. 
 
 Q. Have the ancient fathers often mentioned the 
 solemn fast of forty days, which we call Lent ? 
 
 A. Yes: it is mentioned by the holy fathers in 
 innumerable places; who also inform us, that they had 
 received it by tradition from the Apostles, see St* 
 Jerome, epist. 54, ad Marcellum, and St. Leo the 
 Great, serm. 43, and 46. And the transgressors of 
 this solemn fast are severely punished by the 68th 
 Canon of the Apostles. 
 
 Q,. Have you any thing else to offer to prove that 
 the fast of Lent comes from an ordinance of the 
 Apostles? 
 
 A. Yes : it is proved by that rule of St. Augustine, 
 epist 118, to Januarius, viz. That what is found not 
 to have had its institution from any Council, but to 
 have been ever observed by the universal Church, that 
 same must needs have come from the first fathers, the 
 founders of the Church, that is, from the Apostles* 
 But the fast of Lent is not found to have had its insti* 
 tution from any Council, but to have been observed in 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 201 
 
 all ages, from the very beginning, amongst all Christian 
 people from East to West: therefore the fast of Lent 
 is an apostolical ordinance and tradition. 
 
 Q. For what ends was the fast of Lent instituted ? 
 
 A. 1st, That by this yearly fast of forty days, we 
 might imitate the fast of our Lord, St. Matt. iv. 2. 
 2dly, That by this institution we might set aside the 
 tithe, or tenth part of the year, to be more particularly 
 consecrated to God by prayer and fasting; as it was 
 commanded in the law, to give God the tithes of all 
 things. 3dly, That by this forty days’ fast, joined with 
 prayers and alms-deeds, we might do penance for the 
 sins of the whole year. 4tlily, That we might at this 
 time enter into a kind of spiritual exercises, and a 
 retreat from the world; to look more narrowly into the 
 state of our souls, to repair our decayed strength, and 
 to provide effectual remedies against our usual failings 
 for the time to come. 5thly, That by this solemn fast 
 we might celebrate in a more becoming manner the 
 passion of Christ, which we particularly commemorate 
 in the Lent. In fine, that this fast might be a prep¬ 
 aration for the great solemnity of Easter, and for the 
 Paschal communion. 
 
 Q,. In what spirit would the Church have her chil¬ 
 dren undertake and go through the fast of Lent ? 
 
 A. In a penitential spirit, that is, with a deep sense 
 of repentance for having offended God ; an earnest 
 desire and resolution of a new life, and of mortifying 
 and chastising themselves for their sins. These les- 
 sons she inculcates every day in her Office and Liturgy ; 
 witness the hymns prescribed for this holy time, the 
 responsories, the collects, tracts, &c. I shall give you 
 a specimen of the spirit of the Church in this regard, 
 by setting down some passages of the scripture, which 
 she orders to be read in the canonical hours of prayer 
 every day during this time. 
 
 1. At Lauds, Isaiah lviii. ‘Cry out, cease not, raise 
 thy voice like a trumpet, and declare to my people their 
 wickedness, and to the house of Jacob their sins.’ 
 
 2. At Prime, or the first hour, Isaiah lv. ‘ Seek the 
 Lord whilst he may be found, call upon him whilst he 
 is near.’ 
 
202 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 3. At Terce, or the third hour, Joel ii. ‘Be converted 
 to me with your whole heart, in fasting, and weeping, 
 and mourning; and rend your hearts, and not your 
 garments, saith the Lord Almighty.’ 
 
 4. At Sext, or the sixth hour, Isaiah lv. 4 Let the 
 wicked man forsake his ways, and the unjust man his 
 thoughts ; and let him return to the Lord, and he will 
 have mercy on him ; and to our God, for his mercy is 
 great.’ 
 
 5. At None, or the ninth hour, Isaiah liii. 4 Break 
 thy bread to the hungry, and bring in the needy and 
 the harbourless into thy house: when thou shalt see 
 the naked, clothe him, and despise not thy own flesh.’ 
 
 6. Ad Vesperas, or Evening-song, Joel ii. 4 Between 
 the porch and the altar, the priests, the ministers of the 
 Lord shall mourn, and they shall say, Spare, O Lord, 
 spare thy people; and let not thy inheritance fall into 
 reproach, for the nations to domineer over them.’ 
 
 To the same effect she often repeats in her Office 
 the following exhortation: ‘Let us repent and amend 
 the sins which we have ignorantly committed, lest, 
 being suddenly overtaken by the day of our death, we 
 seek for time of penance ; and be not able to find it.’ 
 
 And again: 4 Behold now is an acceptable time, be¬ 
 hold now are the days of salvation ; let us recommend 
 ourselves in much patience,’ &c. 
 
 Q,. Why do you call the first day of Lent, Ash- 
 Wednesday ? 
 
 A. From the ceremony of blessing ashes upon that 
 day, and putting them on the foreheads of the faithful, 
 to remind them that they must very quickly return to 
 dust; and therefore must not neglect to lay hold of this 
 present time of mercy, and like the Ninivites and other 
 ancient penitents, do penance for their sins in sackcloth 
 and ashes. The prayers which are said by the Church, 
 for the blessing of the ashes, are directed for the ob- 
 taining of God the spirit of compunction, and the re¬ 
 mission of sins for all those who receive those ashes; 
 and the priest, in making the sign of the cross, with 
 the ashes on the forehead of each one of the faithful, 
 says these words: 4 Remember, man, that thou art dust, 
 and into dust thou shalt return.’ 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 203 
 
 Q,. Was it ever the custom of the Catholic Church 
 to meet on that day to curse sinners ? 
 
 A. No; but to pray to God to obtain mercy for 
 sinners. 
 
 Q,. What benefit is it to the faithful to have regular 
 times of fasting appointed by the Church, rather than 
 to be left to their own discretion to fast when they 
 please ? 
 
 A. 1st, It is to be feared, that many would not fast 
 at all, were they not called upon by these regular fasts 
 of the Church. 2dly, It is not to be doubted, but that 
 sinners may more easily and readily find mercy, when 
 they join thus all in a body with the whole Church of 
 God, in suing for mercy. 
 
 Q,. But is this mercy to be expected, if sinners only 
 mortify themselves in point of eating, and in all other 
 things indulge themselves in their accustomed liber¬ 
 ties ? 
 
 A. It is certain, that the true spirit of penance, 
 which is the spirit of Lent, requires that they should 
 be mortified, not only in their eating, but also by re¬ 
 trenching all superfluities in other things, as in drink 
 ing, sleeping, idle visits, and unnecessary divertise- 
 ments, according to that of the Church Hymn for Lent. 
 
 Utamur ergo parciiis 
 Verbis , cibis et potibus , 
 
 Somnojjocis , et ardiiis 
 Perstemus in custodia. 
 
 Q. What do you think of preparing for Lent by a 
 carnival of debauchery and excess? 
 
 A. I think it is a relic of heathenism, infinitely 
 opposite to the spirit of the Church. The very name 
 of Shrove-tide, in the language of our forefathers, signi¬ 
 fies the season or time of confession; because our an¬ 
 cestors were accustomed, according to the true spirit 
 of the Church, to go to confession at that time, that so 
 they might enter on the solemn fast of Lent, in a man¬ 
 ner suitable to this penitential fast. 
 
 Q. Why is the Evening Office, or Vespers, said 
 before dinner, on all days in Lent excepting Sundays ? 
 
204 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. It is a relic of the ancient custom of fasting in 
 Lent till the evening. 
 
 Q,. Why is the Alleluia laid aside during the time 
 of Lent ? 
 
 A. Because it is a canticle of joy, and therefore is 
 omitted in this time of penance: but instead of it, the 
 Church, at the beginning of all the canonical hours of 
 her daily Office, repeats those words ; 4 Praise be to 
 thee, O Lord, King of everlasting Glory.’ 
 
 Q. Why is the fifth Sunday in Lent called Passion 
 Sunday ? 
 
 A. Because, from that day till Easter, the Church, 
 in a particular manner, commemorates the passion of 
 Christ. 
 
 Q. Why are the crucifixes and altar-pieces covered 
 during this time, in which we celebrate Christ’s pas¬ 
 sion ? 
 
 A. Because the Church is then in mourning for her 
 Spouse, who in his passion was truly a hidden God, by 
 concealing his divinity, and becoming for us ‘ as a 
 worm, and no man, the reproach of men, and the out¬ 
 cast of the people,’ Psalm xxi. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of other Days of Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic 
 
 Church 
 
 Q. Does the Church observe any other days of fast* 
 mg and abstinence, besides the forty days of Lent P 
 
 A. Yes; she fasts upon the Wednesdays, Fridays, 
 and Saturdays, in the four Ember-weeks ; and upon 
 the vigils or eves of some of her festivals ; as also upon 
 Wednesdays and Fridays in Advent; and she abstains 
 from flesh on the three Rogation days, on St Mark’s 
 day, and on the Fridays and Saturdays throughout the 
 year. 
 
 Q. Which do you call the four Ember-weeks ? 
 
 A. The four Ember-weeks, are the weeks in which 
 the Church gives Holy Orders, at the four seasons of 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 205 
 
 the year, viz. the first week in Lent, Whitsun-week, the 
 third week in September, and the third week in Ad¬ 
 vent ; and they are called Ember-weeks, from the cus¬ 
 tom of our forefathers, of fasting at that time in sack¬ 
 cloth and ashes, or from eating nothing but cakes 
 baked under the embers, and from thence called Ember- 
 bread. 
 
 Q,. Why has the Church appointed these fasts of the 
 Ember-days at the four seasons of the year ? 
 
 A. 1st, That no part of the year might pass without 
 offering to God the tribute of a penitential fast. 2dly, 
 That we might beg his blessing on the fruits of the 
 earth, and give him thanks for those which we have 
 already received. 3dly, That all the faithful might 
 join at these times in prayer and fasting to obtain of 
 God worthy pastors; these being the times of their 
 ordination. Thus the primitive Christians fasted at the 
 times of the ordination of their ministers, Acts xiii. 2 
 and 3, and chap. xiv. 22. 
 
 Q,. Why does the Church fast upon the eve or vigils 
 of some holidays ? 
 
 A. To prepare her children, by mortification and 
 penance, for the worthily celebrating those days. 
 
 Q,. Why do we abstain upon Fridays P 
 
 A. Because our Lord suffered for us upon a Friday. 
 From this rule of abstaining upon Fridays, we except, 
 if Christmas day occur upon a Friday or Saturday, we 
 do not abstain on that day. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the three Rogation days ? 
 
 A. The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, before 
 Ascension-day, are called the three Rogation days, or 
 days of solemn supplication and prayer. On these 
 days we keep abstinence, and in every parish we go 
 in procession, singing the Litanies, to beg God’s bless¬ 
 ing upon the fruits of the earth, and to be preserved 
 from pestilence, fimine, &c. Upon the same account 
 we keep abstinence on the day of St. Mark, April 25, 
 with the like solemn supplications and Litanies. 
 
 Q. And what is the meaning of keeping abstinence 
 upon Saturday ? 
 
 A. Because Saturday was the day that our Lord lay 
 
 18 
 
206 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 dead m the monument, and a day of mourning to hia 
 disciples. This abstinence is also a proper preparation 
 for the solemnity of the Lord’s Day. 
 
 N. B. That in the East, instead of the Saturday, 
 they fast upon the Wednesday, as being the day on 
 which the Jews held their council against Christ, and 
 on which he was sold by Judas. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Of the Church Office , or the Canonical Hours of Prayer 
 
 in the Catholic Church. 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by the Church Office ? 
 
 A. It is a form of prayer, consisting of Psalms, 
 Lessons, Hymns, &c. used by all the clergy, and by 
 the religious of both sexes in the Catholic Church. 
 This office is divided into seven parts, commonly called 
 the Seven Canonical Hours, according to the different 
 stages or stations of Christ’s passion, viz. the Matins 
 or Midnight Office, to which are annexed the Lauds, 
 or Morning Praises of God ; the first, third, sixth, and 
 ninth hours of prayer, commonly called prime, terce, 
 sext, and none; the Vespers, or Even-song; and the 
 Complin, All these are duly performed by the clergy 
 and religious every day, according to that of the Royal 
 Prophet, Psalm cxviii. 4 Seven times in the day I gave 
 praise to thee.’ 
 
 Q. Have you any warrant in scripture for these dif¬ 
 ferent hours of prayer ? 
 
 A. Yes; as to the Midnight Office, King David 
 tells us, Psalm cxviii. that‘he arose at midnight to 
 confess to God ; ’ and we find that St Paul and Silas, 
 even in prison, 4 prayed at midnight and sung praises 
 to God,’ Acts xvi. 25, 
 
 As for the Lauds, or praises of God at break ot day, 
 they are also recommended to us by the example of the 
 Psalmist, Psalm lxii. 4 O God, my God, to thee do 1 
 watch from the morning light; ’ and by the admonition 
 of the Wise man, Wisd. xvi. 28, 4 That we ought to 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 207 
 
 get up before the sun to bless God, and at the rising 
 of the light to adore him.’ 
 
 Of Prime, or the first hour of prayer at sunrising, 
 we may understand that of the Royal Prophet, Psalm 
 v. On the morning thou shalt hear my voice,’ &c. 
 At Terce, or the third hour of prayer, it was, that the 
 Apostles received the Holy Ghost, Acts ii. 15. At 
 Sext, or the Sixth hour, St. Peter was praying when he 
 Was called by a vision to open the Church to the Gen¬ 
 tiles, Acts x. 9. And we read also of St. Peter, with 
 St. John, going up to the temple to the 4 ninth hour of 
 prayer,’ Acts iii. 1. For Vespers, or even-song, and 
 Complin, which are evening prayers, we have the ex¬ 
 ample of the Royal Prophet, Psalin liv. ‘ In the even-* 
 ing, and the morning, and at noonday, I will speak and 
 declare, and he will hear my voice.’ Hence we find, 
 that the night Office, the morning praises, the third, 
 sixth, and ninth hours of prayer, and the even-song, 
 were, among the primitive Christians, regularly observ¬ 
 ed, not only by the clergy, but also by the rest of the 
 faithful; to which the religious afterwards added the 
 Prime and Complin. 
 
 Q. Can you give me a short scheme of the canon¬ 
 ical hours of prayer, according to the Roman Bre¬ 
 viary ? 
 
 A. Matins begin with the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail 
 Mary, and the Apostles’ Creed: then, after a Versicle 
 or two, to call for God’s assistance, and the Gloria 
 Patri, &c. follows the 94th Psalm, (alias 95.) by which 
 we invite one another to praise and adore God. Then 
 comes a hymn, which is followed by the Psalms, with 
 their proper anthems, and the lessons of the day, with 
 their responsories. In the Matins, for Sunday, we 
 read eighteen Psalms, and nine lessons; on festivals, 
 and saints’ days, we read nine psalms and nine lessons, 
 divided into three Nocturns: on Ferial, or common 
 days, we read twelve psalms and three lessons. The 
 psalms are so distributed, that in the week we go 
 through the whole Psalter: the lessons are partly 
 taken°out of the scriptures of the Old and New Tes¬ 
 tament, partly out of the acts of the saints, and the 
 
208 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED 
 
 writings and homilies of the holy fathers. Upon fast¬ 
 ing days, and during the whole Paschal time, and upon 
 all Sundays from Easter to Advent, and from Christ¬ 
 mas till Septuagesima, we close the^ Matins with the 
 Te Deum. 
 
 In the Lauds we recite seven psalms, and one of the 
 scripture canticles, with their respective anthems, and 
 a hymn, then the canticle Benedictus, with the prayer 
 or prayers of the day: and in the end an anthem and 
 prayer of the blessed Virgin Mary. 
 
 The Prime begins with the Pater, Ave, and Creed, 
 Deus in adjutorium, &c. Gloria Patri, &c. After which 
 there follows a morning hymn, the 53d Psalm, (alias 54,) 
 with a part of the 118th, (alias 119,) to which, on Sun¬ 
 days, is prefixed the 117th Psalm, and subjoined the 
 Athanasian Creed. Then follows an anthem, a capitu- 
 lum, or short lesson, with its responsory, and divers 
 prayers to beg God’s grace for the following day. 
 
 Terce, Sext, and None, begin with Pater, Ave, &c. 
 and consist each of them of a proper hymn, and six 
 divisions of the 118th Psalm: which excellent psalm 
 the Church would have her clergy daily recite, because 
 every verse of it contains the praises of God’s holy law 
 and commandments, or excites the soul to the love and 
 esteem thereof, or in fine, prays for the grace to fulfil 
 the same. After the psalm follows an anthem; then a 
 short lesson, responsory and prayer: and each hour is 
 concluded with a Pater Noster. 
 
 Vespers, or even-song, are begun also with Pater, 
 Ave, &c. and consist of five psalms, with their anthems, 
 a short chapter or lesson, a hymn, and the Magnificat, 
 or canticle of the blessed Virgin Mary, with its proper 
 anthem, and a collect or prayer, to which are usually 
 joined three or four commemorations, consisting of an¬ 
 thems, verses and prayers. 
 
 Complin consists of the Lord’s Prayer, the Confiteor, 
 &,c. four psalms, an anthem, hymn, lesson, responsory, 
 the canticle Nunc dimittis, with its anthem, and some 
 short prayers, which are closed with an anthem and 
 prayer of the blessed Virgin, and the Pater, Ave, and 
 Creed. 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Of the Festivals of the Catholic Church : Where also 
 of the Holy Week , and the Ceremonies thereof 
 
 Q. What are the days which the Church commands 
 to be kept holy ? 
 
 A. 1st, The Sundays, or the Lord’s day, which we 
 observe by apostolical tradition, instead of the Sabbath. 
 2dly. The feasts of our Lord’s Nativity, or Christmas- 
 day; his Circumcision, or New-Year’s day ; the Epiph¬ 
 any, or Twelfth-day, Easter day, or the day of our 
 Lord’s Resurrection, with the Monday following, the 
 day of our Lord’s Ascension; Whit-sunday, or the day 
 of the coming of the Holy Ghost, with the Monday 
 Following ; Trinity Sunday ; Corpus Christi, or the feast 
 of the blessed Sacrament. 3dly, We keep the days 
 of the Annunciation, and Assumption of the blessed 
 Virgin Mary. 4thly, We observe the feast of All¬ 
 saints; of St. John Baptist; of the holy x4postles, St* 
 Peter and St. Paul. 5thly, In this kingdom we keep 
 the feast of St. Patrick our principal patron. 
 
 Q. What warrant have you for keeping the Sun¬ 
 day, preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the 
 Saturday ? 
 
 A. We have for it the authority of the Catholic 
 Church, and apostolical tradition. 
 
 Q,. Does the scripture any where command the Sun¬ 
 day to be kept for the Sabbath ? 
 
 A. The scripture commands us to hear the Church, 
 St. Matt, xviii. 17. St. Luke x. 16, and to hold fast the 
 traditions of the Apostles, 2 Thess. ii. 15, but the 
 scripture does not in particular mention this change 
 of the Sabbath. St. John speaks of the Lord’s day* 
 Rev. i. 10, but he does not tell us what day of the 
 week this was, much less does he tell us that this day 
 was to take place of the Sabbath ordained in the com¬ 
 mandments : St. Luke also speaks of the disciples 
 meeting together to break bread on the first day of the 
 week, Acts xx. 7. And St. Paul, 1 Cor. xvi. 2, orders 
 that on the first day of the week the Corinthians should 
 
 18* 
 
210 THE CATHOLTC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 lay by in store what they designed to bestow in charity 
 on the faithful in Judea: but neither one nor the other 
 tells us, that this first day of the week was to be hence¬ 
 forward the day of worship, and the Christian Sabbath: 
 so that truly, the best authority we have for this is the 
 testimony and ordinance of the Church. And there¬ 
 fore, those who pretend to be so religious observers of 
 the Sunday, whilst they take no notice of other festi¬ 
 vals ordained by the same Church authority, show that 
 they act by humour, and not by reason and religion; 
 since Sundays and holydays all stand upon the same 
 foundation, viz. the ordinance of the Church. 
 
 Q. But ought it not to be enough to keep one day 
 in the week, according as it was prescribed in the com¬ 
 mandments, without enjoining any other festivals or 
 holydays; especially since it is expressly said in the 
 commandment, 4 Six days shalt thou labour and do all 
 thy work,’ Exod. xx. 9? 
 
 A. God did not, in the Old Testament, only appoint 
 the weekly Sabbath, which was the Saturday, but 
 moreover ordained several other festivals, commanding 
 them to be kept holy, and forbidding all servile work 
 on them. As the feast of the Pasch or Passover; the 
 feast of Pentecost; the feast of the Sound of Trumpets, 
 on the first day of the tenth month ; the feast of Atone¬ 
 ment, on the tenth day of the same month, the feast of Ta¬ 
 bernacles, on the fifteenth day of the same month, &c. 
 See the 23d chapter of Leviticus. So that when it is 
 said in the law, 4 Six days shalt thou labour,’ &c. this 
 must needs be understood, in case no holyday came 
 in the week; otherwise the law would contradict itself. 
 
 Q,. But does not St. Paul reprehend the Galatians, 
 Gal. iv. 10, 11, for observing days, and months, and 
 times, and years? 
 
 A. This is to be understood either of the superstitious 
 observation of lucky or unlucky days, &c. or, as it is 
 far more probable from the whole context, of the 
 observation of the Jewish festivals; which, with the 
 old law, were now abolished, but were taken up by 
 the Galatians, together with circumcision, upon the 
 recommendation of certain false teachers: but far was 
 it from the design of the Apostle to reprehend their 
 
THE CATHOJLtc CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 211 
 
 observation of Christian solemnities, either of the Lord, s 
 day, or of other festivals observed by apostolical tra¬ 
 dition, or recommended by the authority ol the Church 
 of Christ. For these come to us recommended by 
 Christ himself, who says to the pastors of his Church, 
 
 ‘ He that heareth you, heareth me ; and he that despiseth 
 
 vou, despiseth me,’ St. Luke x. 16. 
 
 Q,. What was the reason why the weekly Sabbath 
 was change-d from the Saturday to the Sunday ? 
 
 A. Because our Lord fully accomplished the work 
 of our redemption by rising from the dead on a Sun¬ 
 day, and by sending down the Holy Ghost on a Sunday: 
 as therefore the work of our redemption was a greater 
 work than that of our creation, the primitive Church 
 thought the day, in which this work was completely 
 finished, was more worthy her religious observation 
 than that in which God rested from the creation, and 
 should be properly called the Lord’s day. 
 
 Q,. But has the Church a power to make any alter¬ 
 ations in the commandments of God ? 
 
 A. The commandments of God, as far as they con¬ 
 tain his eternal law, are unalterable and indispensable $ 
 but as to whatever was only ceremonial, they cease to 
 oblige, since the Mosaic law was abrogated by Christ's 
 death. Hence, as far as the commandment obliges 
 us to set aside some part of our time for the worship 
 and service of our Creator, it is an unalterable and 
 unchangeable precept of the eternal law r , in which the 
 Church°cannot dispense: but forasmuch as it pre¬ 
 scribes the seventh day in particular lor this purpose, 
 it is no more than a ceremonial precept of the old law, 
 which obligeth not Christians. And therefore, instead 
 of the seventh day, and other festivals appointed by 
 the old law, the Church has prescribed the Sundays 
 and holydays to be set apart for God’s worship ; and 
 these we are now obliged to keep in consequence of 
 God’s commandment, instead of the ancient Sabbath. 
 
 Q. What was the reason'of the institution of other 
 
 festivals besides the Lord’s day ? 
 
 A. That we might celebrate the memory of the chief 
 mysteries of our redemption ; that we might give God 
 thanks for his mercies, and glorify him in his saints. 
 
212 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. In what manner ought a Christian to spend the 
 Sundays and holydays ? 
 
 A. In religious duties; such as assisting at the 
 great sacrifice of the Church, and other public prayers, 
 reading good books, and hearing of the word of God, &c. 
 
 Q. Why does the Church prohibit all servile works 
 upon Sundays or holydays? 
 
 A. That the faithful may have nothing to take them 
 off from attending to God’s service, and the sanctifica¬ 
 tion of their souls upon these days. And certainly, a 
 Christian that has any religious thoughts, can never 
 think much of devoting now and then a day, to that 
 great business, for which alone he came into this world. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the institution of Christ¬ 
 mas ? 
 
 A. To celebrate the birth of Christ; to give God 
 thanks for sending his Son into the world for our 
 redemption; and that we may, upon this occasion, 
 endeavour to study and to learn those great lessons of 
 poverty of spirit, of humility, and of self-denial, which 
 the Son of God teaches us from the crib of Bethlehem. 
 
 Q,. What is the reason that on Christmas-day Mass 
 is said at midnight ? 
 
 A. Because Christ was born at midnight 
 
 Q,. Why are three Masses said by every priest upon 
 Christmas-day ? 
 
 A. This ancient observance may be understood to 
 denote three different births of Christ; his eternal 
 birth from his Father, his temporal birth from his 
 mother, and his spiritual birth in the hearts of good 
 Christians. 
 
 Q. Are all the faithful obliged to hear three Masses 
 on Christmas-day ? 
 
 A. No, they are not: though it would be very com¬ 
 mendable so to do. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the time of Advent 
 before Christmas ? 
 
 A. It is a time appointed by the Church for devotion 
 and penance, and is called Advent or coming, because 
 ill it we prepare ourselves for the worthy celebrating 
 the mercies of our Lord’s first coming, that so we may 
 escape the rigour of his justice at his second coming* 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 213 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of New-Year’s day ? 
 
 A. It is the octave of Christmas, and the day of 
 our Lord’s circumcision, when he first began to shed 
 his innocent blood for us: and on this day we ought 
 to study how we may imitate him by a spiritual circum¬ 
 cision of our hearts. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of the Epiphany, or Twelfth- 
 day ? 
 
 A. It is a day kept in memory of the coming of the 
 Wise men of the East, to adore our Saviour in his 
 infancy: and it is called Epiphany, or Manifestation, 
 because our Lord then began to manifest himself to 
 the Gentiles. The devotion of this day is to give 
 God thanks for our vocation to the true faith, and 
 like the wise men to make our offerings of gold, 
 frankincense, and myrrh, that is, of charity, prayer, and 
 mortification to our new-born Saviour. On this day 
 the Church also celebrates the memory of the baptism 
 of Christ, and of his first miracle of changing water into 
 wine in Cana of Galilee. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of Candlemas-day ? 
 
 A. It is the day of the Purification of the Blessed 
 Virgin after childbearing, and of the presentation of 
 our Lord in the temple ; when the just man Simeon, 
 who had a promise from the Holy Ghost of seeing the 
 Saviour of the world before his death, received him 
 into his arms, and proclaimed him to be the light of the 
 Gentiles. Upon this account, the Church upon this 
 day make a solemn procession with lighted candles, 
 which are blessed by the priest before Mass, and 
 carried in the hands of the faithful, as an emblem of 
 Christ, who is the true light of the world. And from 
 this ceremony this day is called Candlemas, or the 
 Mass of candles. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the Annunciation, or 
 Lady-day, the 25th of March P 
 
 A. It is the day of our Lord’s Incarnation, when he 
 was first conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of 
 the blessed Virgin Mary: and it is called the Annun¬ 
 ciation, from the message brought from heaven on this 
 day to the Virgin by the angel Gabriel 
 
214 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the Holy Week before 
 Easter ? 
 
 A. It is a week of more than ordinary devotion in 
 honour of the passion of Christ 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of Palm Sunday ? 
 
 A. It is the day in which our Lord, being about to 
 suffer for us, entered into Jerusalem, sitting upon an 
 ass, as had been foretold by the prophet Zachariah, 
 chap. ix. ver. 9, and was received with hosannas of 
 joy, accompanied by a great multitude bearing branches 
 of palms in their hands. In memory of which we go 
 in procession round the Church on this day, bearing 
 also branches of palms in our hands, to celebrate the 
 triumphs of our victorious king. 
 
 Q, What is the meaning of the Tenebrse Office in 
 holy week ? 
 
 A. The Matins of Christ’s passion, which formerly 
 used to be said in the night, and are now said in the 
 evening, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, in 
 holy week, are called the Tenebrse Office, from the 
 Latin word, which signifies darkness ; because towards 
 the latter end of the Office, all the lights are extin¬ 
 guished in memory of the darkness which covered all 
 the earth, whilst Christ was hanging upon the cross: 
 and at the end of the Office, a noise is made to repre¬ 
 sent the earthquake and splitting of the rocks, which 
 happened at the time of our Lord’s death. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of Maunday-Thursday ? 
 
 A. It is the day on which Christ first instituted 
 the blessed sacrament; and began his passion by his 
 bitter agony and bloody sweat. From the Gloria in 
 excelsis of the Mass of this day, till the Mass of Easter 
 Eve, our bells are silent throughout the Catholic Church, 
 because we are now mourning for the passion of Christ. 
 Our altars are also uncovered and stripped of all their 
 ornaments, because Christ, our true altar, hung naked 
 upon the cross. On this day also, prelates and supe¬ 
 riors wash in the Church the feet of their subjects, 
 after the example of our Lord, St. John xiii. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of visiting the sepulchres 
 upon Maunday-Thursday ? 
 
 A. The place where the blessed sacrament is re- 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 215 
 
 served in the Church, in order for the Office of Good 
 Friday, (on which day there is no consecration,) is by 
 the people called the sepulchre, as representing by 
 anticipation the burial of Christ. And where there are 
 many Churches, the faithful make their stations to visit 
 our Lord in these sepulchres, and meditate on the 
 different stages of his passion. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of Good Friday ? 
 
 A. It is the day on which Christ died for us upon 
 the cross. The devotion proper for this day, and for 
 the whole time in which we celebrate Christ’s passion, 
 is to meditate upon the suffering of our Redeemer, to 
 study the excellent lessons of virtue, which he teaches 
 us, by his example, in the whole course of his passion; 
 especially his humility, meekness, patience, obedience, 
 resignation, &c., and above all, to learn his hatred of 
 sin and his love for us ; that we may also learn to hate 
 sin, which nailed him to the cross; and to love him 
 lhat has loved us even unto death. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of kneeling to the cross 
 and kissing it on Good Friday ? 
 
 A. It is to express, by this reverence outwardly ex¬ 
 hibited to the cross, our veneration and love for him, 
 who upon this day died for us on the cross. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of Holy Saturday ? 
 
 A. It is Easter Eve, and therefore in the Mass of 
 this day the Church resumes the Alleluias of joy, 
 which she had intermitted during the penitential time 
 of Septuagesima and Lent. On this day is blessed the 
 Paschal candle, as an emblem of Christ, and his light 
 and glory ; which burns during the Mass from Easter 
 until Ascension, that is, during the whole time that 
 Christ remained upon earth after his resurrection. 
 This day and Whitsun-eve were anciently the days 
 deputed by the Church for solemn baptism, and there¬ 
 fore on this day the fonts are solemnly blessed, 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of Easter ? 
 
 A. It is the chief feast of the whole year, as being 
 the solemnity of our Lord’s resurrection. The devo¬ 
 tion of this time is to rejoice in Christ’s victory over 
 death and hell; and to labour to imitate his resurreo* 
 
216 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 tion, by arising from the death of sin to the life of 
 grace. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of Ascension day ? 
 
 A. It is the yearly memory of Christ’s ascending 
 into heaven, forty days after his rising again from the 
 dead, and therefore it is a festival of joy, as well by 
 reason of the triumphs of our Saviour on this day, and 
 the exaltation of our human nature, by him now exalted 
 above the angels : as likewise, because our Saviour has 
 taken possession of that kingdom in our name, and is 
 preparing a place for us ; and, in the mean time, he 
 there discharges the Office of our High Priest and our 
 Advocate, by constantly representing his death and 
 passion to his Father in our behalf. It is also a part 
 of the devotion of this day, to labour to disengage our 
 hearts from this earth, and earthly things, to remember 
 that we are but strangers and pilgrims here, and to 
 aspire after our heavenly country, where Christ our 
 treasure is gone before us, in order to draw our hearts 
 thither after him. 
 
 Q. What is the most proper devotion for the time 
 between Ascension and Whitsunday ? 
 
 A. To prepare ourselves for the Holy Ghost, as the 
 Apostles did by retirement and prayer, and to purify 
 our souls from sin, especially from all rancour and im¬ 
 purity. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of the solemnity of Whit¬ 
 sunday or Pentecost? 
 
 A. It was a festival observed in the old law, in 
 memory of the law having been given on that day in 
 thunder and lightning; and it is observed by us now 
 in memory of the new law, having been promulgated 
 on this dayby the Holy Ghost’s descent upon the Apos¬ 
 tles in the shape of tongues of fire. The proper de¬ 
 votion of this time is to invite the Holy Ghost into our 
 souls by fervent prayer, and to give ourselves to his 
 divine influences. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of Trinity Sunday ? 
 
 A. The first Sunday after Pentecost is called Trinity 
 Sunday, because on that day we particularly com¬ 
 memorate that great mystery of Three Persons in 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 217 
 
 one God, and glorify the blessed Trinity for the whole 
 work of our redemption, which we have celebrated in 
 the foregoing festivals. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the solemnity of Corpus 
 
 Christi ? ^ , 
 
 A. It is a festival observed by the Church, to give 
 
 God thanks for his goodness and mercy in the insti¬ 
 tution of the blessed Sacrament; and to this end are 
 ordained the processions and benedictions of this octave. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of the feast of the Inven¬ 
 tion, or finding of the cross, May the 3d ? 
 
 A. It is a day of devotion in memory of the miracu¬ 
 lous finding of the cross of Christ, by the empress 
 Helen, mother to Constantine the Great; and the chief 
 devotion of the Church upon this day, as well as upon 
 that of the Exaltation of the Cross, Sept. 14, is to cele¬ 
 brate the victorious death and passion of our Redeemer, 
 
 Q,. What are the days observed by the Church in 
 honour of our Lady, the blessed Virgin Mary ? 
 
 A. Besides her Purification and the Annunciation, 
 of which we have already spoken, we observe the day 
 of her Conception, Dec. 8, the day of her birth, or Na¬ 
 tivity, Sept. 8, and the day of her happy passage to 
 eternity, Aug. 15, which we call her Assumption, it 
 being a pious tradition, that she was taken up to heaven 
 both in body and soul, though not till after she had paid 
 the common debt by death. We also keep the day of 
 her Presentation or consecration to God in the temple, 
 Nov. 21, and of her Visitation, July 2, but only the 
 Annunciation and Assumption are now holydays of 
 obligation. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of keeping the festivals of 
 the blessed Virgin Mary, and of other saints ? 
 
 A. 1st, To glorify God in his saints, and to give him 
 thanks for the graces and glory bestowed upon them. 
 2dly, To communicate with these citizens of heaven, 
 and to procure their prayers for us. 3dly, To encour¬ 
 age ourselves to imitate their examples. 
 
 Q. Does not the Church also observe some days of 
 devotion in honour of the Angels? 
 
 A. We observe Michaelmas day in honour of Sfi 
 
 19 
 
218 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Michael the Archangel, and of all the heavenly legions. 
 We also commemorate an illustrious apparition of St. 
 Michael, May 8, and we keep the day of our Angel 
 guardians, Oct. 2, to give God thanks for giving his 
 angels a charge over us; though these are not days 
 of obligation. 
 
 Q,. How do you prove that we have angels for our 
 guardians ? 
 
 A. From St. Matt, xviii. 10, ‘ Take heed that ye 
 despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, 
 that in heaven their angels do always behold the face 
 of my Father who is in heaven.’ Heb. i. 4, 4 Are they 
 not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for 
 them who shall be heirs of their salvation ?’ 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Of the Invocation of Angels and Saints. 
 
 Q. What is the doctrine and practice of the Catho¬ 
 lic Church, with regard to the invocation of angels and 
 saints ? 
 
 A. We hold it to be pious and profitable to apply 
 ourselves to them, in the way of desiring them to pray 
 to God for us; but not so as to address ourselves to 
 them, as if they were the authors or dispensers of par¬ 
 don, grace, or salvation; or as if they had any power to 
 help us independently of God’s good will and pleasure. 
 
 Q. But in some of the addresses made to the saints 
 or angels, I find petitions for mercy, aid, or defence; 
 what say you to that ? 
 
 A. The meaning of those addresses, as far as they 
 are authorized by the Church, is no other than to beg 
 mercy of the saints in this sense, that they would pity 
 and compassionate our misery, and would pray for us. 
 In like manner, when we beg their aid and defence, 
 we mean to beg the aid and defence of their prayers; 
 and that the angels, to whom God has given charge 
 over us, would assist us and defend us against the 
 angels of darkness. And this is no more than what 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 219 
 
 the Protestant Church asks in the collect for Michael 
 mas day, praying, that as the holy angels always serve 
 God in heaven, so by his appointment they may succour 
 and defend us upon earth. 
 
 Q,. Have you any reason to believe that it is pious 
 and profitable to beg the prayers of the saints and 
 angels ? 
 
 A. We have the same reason to desire the saints 
 and angels to pray for us, and to believe it profitable so 
 to do, as we have to desire the prayers of God’s servants 
 here upon earth ; or as St. Paul had to desire so often 
 the prayers of the faithful, to whom he wrote his epis¬ 
 tles. See Rom. xv. 30. Ephes. vi. 18, 19. 1 Thess. 
 
 v. 25. Heb. xiii. 13. For if it be pious and profitable 
 to desire the prayers of sinners here upon earth, (for 
 all men here upon earth must acknowledge themselves 
 sinners,) how can it be otherwise than pious and profita¬ 
 ble to desire the prayers of saints and angels in heaven ? 
 Is it that the saints and angels in heaven have less 
 charity for us than the faithful upon earth ? This can¬ 
 not be, since charity never faileth, 2 Cor. xviii. 8, and 
 instead of being diminished, is increased in heaven. 
 Or is it that the saints and angels of heaven have less 
 interest with God than the faithful upon earth? Nei¬ 
 ther can this be said, for as they are far more holy and 
 pure, and more closely united to his divine Majesty than 
 the faithful upon earth, so must their interest in heaven 
 be proportionally greater. Or is it, in fine, that the 
 saints and angels have no knowledge of what passes 
 upon earth, and therefore are not to be addressed for 
 their prayers? Neither is this true, since our Lord 
 assures, ‘ that there is joy in the presence of the angels 
 of God over one sinner that repenteth,’ St. Luke xv. 10. 
 Which could not be, if the citizens of heaven knew 
 nothing of what passes here upon earth. 
 
 Q. Have you any instances in scripture of the angels 
 or saints praying for us, or offering up our prayers to 
 God? 
 
 A. Yes: Zachar. i. 12, 4 The angel of the Lord 
 answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou 
 not have mercy on Jerusalem, and on the cities of 
 Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these 
 
220 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED* 
 
 threescore and ten years?’ Rev. v. 8, ‘The four and 
 twenty elders fell down before the lamb, having every 
 one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which 
 are the prayers of the saints.’ Rev. viii. 3, 4, 4 And 
 another angel came and stood at the altar, having a 
 golden censer; and there was given unto him much 
 incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all 
 saints upon the golden altar which was before the 
 throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers 
 of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s 
 hands.’ 
 
 Q. Have you any instances in scripture of asking 
 the blessing or prayers of angels or saints ? 
 
 A. Gen. xlviii. 15, 16, 4 God, before whom my 
 fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which 
 fed me all my life long until this day, the angel which 
 redeemed me from all evil, bless these boys.’ Rev. i. 
 4, 4 Grace be unto you, and peace from him who is, 
 and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven 
 spirits which are before his throne.’ But if there had 
 been no instances in scripture, both reason and religion 
 must inform us, that there cannot possibly be any harm 
 in desiring the prayers of God’s servants, whether they 
 be in heaven or upon earth. 
 
 Q. At least there is no command in scripture for 
 desiring the prayers of the angels or saints ; what say 
 you to this ? 
 
 A. The scripture did not command St. Paul to de¬ 
 sire the prayers of the Romans, nor does it command a 
 child to ask his father’s blessing, nor the faithful to 
 kneel at their prayers, or pull off their hats when they 
 go to Church, yet these things are no less commendable, 
 as being agreeable to the principles of piety and reli¬ 
 gion, and so it is with regard to the invocation of the 
 saints and angels. In the mean time, we are sure that 
 there is no law nor command in scripture against any 
 of these tilings, and consequently that they are guilty 
 of a crying injustice, who accuse us of a crime for beg¬ 
 ging the prayers of the saints, for 4 where there is no 
 law there is no transgression,’ Rom. iv. 15. 
 
 Q. Does not God say, Isaiah xlii. 8, 4 1 will not give 
 my glory to another ? ’ 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 221 
 
 A. Yes: but that makes nothing against desiring 
 the saints to pray to God for us; for this is no more 
 robbing God of his honour, than when we desire the 
 prayers of the faithful here below. 
 
 Q,. But does it not argue a want of confidence m 
 God’s mercy, to have recourse to the prayers of the 
 saints ? 
 
 A. No, by no means ; no more than it argues a want 
 of confidence in God’s mercy, to have recourse to the 
 prayers of our brethren upon earth. Bhe truth is, 
 though God be infinitely merciful, and ready to hear 
 our prayers, yet it is our duty, and his will, that we 
 should neglect no means by which we may be forwarded 
 in our progress to a happy eternity : and therefore it is 
 agreeable to his divine Majesty, that we should both 
 pray ourselves without ceasing, and that we should 
 also procure the prayers of our brethren, whether in 
 heaven or on earth, that he may have the honour, and 
 we the profit of so many more prayers. 
 
 Q,. Have you any proof or instances in scripture 
 that God will more readily hear his servants when they 
 intercede for us, than if we alone were to address our¬ 
 selves to him P 
 
 A. Yes: Job xlii. 7, 8, ‘ The Lord said to Eliphaz 
 the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and 
 against thy two friends ; for ye have not spoken of me 
 the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. There¬ 
 fore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, 
 and go to my servant Job, and offer up lor yourselves 
 a burnt offering, and my servant Job shall pray for 
 you, for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after 
 your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing 
 that is right, like my servant Job.’ 
 
 Q. But is it not an injury to the mediatorship of Christ 
 to desire the intercession of the angels and saints ? 
 
 A. No more than when we desire the intercession 
 of God’s servants here ; because we desire no more of 
 the saints than we do of our brethren upon earth, that 
 is, w r e only desire of them to pray for us, and with us, 
 to him that is both our Lord, and their Lord, by the 
 merits of his Son, Jesus Christ, who is both our Medi¬ 
 ator, and their Mediator. 
 
222 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Q. Does not St. Paul say, 1 Tim. ii. 5, 4 There is 
 one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the 
 man Jesus Christ;’ and does not this exclude the inter¬ 
 cession of the saints ? 
 
 A. The words immediately following are, ‘Who 
 gave himself a ransom for all; ’ so that the plain mean¬ 
 ing of the text is, that Christ alone is our Mediator of 
 redemption. But as for intercession and prayer, as 
 nothing hinders us from seeking the mediation of the 
 faithful upon earth to pray for us, so nothing ought to 
 hinder us from seeking the like from the saints and 
 angels, though neither the one nor the other can obtain 
 any thing for us any other way than through Jesus 
 Christ, who is the only Mediator, who stands in need 
 of no other to recommend his petitions. 
 
 Q. Have you any thing else to add in favour of the 
 Catholic doctrine and practice of the invocation of 
 saints P 
 
 A. Yes: 1st, That it is agreeable to the ‘commu¬ 
 nion of saints,’ which we profess in the Creed, and of 
 which the Apostle speaks, Heb. xii. 22,23,24, ‘Ye 
 are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the 
 living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innu¬ 
 merable company of angels ; to the general assembly 
 and Church of the first-born, which are written in 
 heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits 
 of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator 
 of the new covenant,’ &c. 
 
 2dly, That it is agreeable to the doctrine and prac¬ 
 tice of the ancient fathers, saints, and doctors of the 
 Church, and this by the confession even of our adver¬ 
 saries. ‘I confess,’ says Mr. Fulk, in his Rejoinder to 
 Bristow', p. 5, ‘that Ambrose, Augustine, and Ilierome, 
 held invocation of the saints to be lawful;’ and upon 
 2 Pet. i. § 3, fol. 443, that in Nazianzen, Basil, and 
 Chrysostom, is mention of invocation of saints, and that 
 Theodoret also speaks of prayers to the martyrs : and 
 the Centuriators of Magdeburg, in their fourth century, 
 col. 295, allege several examples of prayers to saints in 
 St Athanasius, St. Basil, St Gregory Nazianzen, St 
 Ambrose, Prudentius, St. Epiphanius, and St Ephrem. 
 All which fathers, together wdth St. Augustine, St 
 
THE CATHOLIC 
 
 CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 223 
 
 Jerome, &c. are also charged by Mr. Bnghtman (in 
 Apocalypse, c. 14, p. 382,) of establishing idolatry by 
 invocation of saints, worshipping of relics, and such 
 like wicked superstitions. And Mr. Thorndyke, in 
 Epilog, par. 3, p. 358, writes thus: ‘ It is confessed, 
 that the lio*hts both of the Greek and Latin Chuich, St* 
 Basil, St.°Gregory Nazianzen, St. Gregory Nyssene, 
 St Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Chrysostom, 
 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Cyril of Alexandria, Iheo- 
 doret, St. Fulgentius, St. Gregory the Great, St. Leo, 
 and more, or rather all after that time, have spoken to 
 the saints, and desired their assistance.’ See Meianc- 
 thon, quarta Parte Operum, p. 218 ; Kemmtius, exam, 
 par. 3, p. 200 ; Beza in Prsef. Nov. Test.; Archbishop 
 Whitgift’s Defence against Cartwright, p. 473; and 
 
 Daille, Advers. Lat. Tradit. p. 53. 
 
 3dly, That it stands upon the same bottom as all 
 
 other Christian truths, viz. upon the authority of the 
 Church of Christ, which the scripture commands us to 
 hear, with which both Christ and his holy Spirit will 
 remain for ever, and against which the gates of hell 
 shall not prevail. See St. Matt. xvi. 18. xvm. 17. 
 xxviii. 20; St. Luke x. 16: St. John xiv. 16,17,26, 
 
 and xvi. 13. _ , _ , , . ir 
 
 4thly, That it has been authorized by God himself, 
 
 by innumerable miracles in every age, wrought in fa¬ 
 vour of those that have desired the prayers and inter¬ 
 cession of the saints. See St. Augustine s City ot 
 God, 1. 22, c. 8. 
 
 Q. But what do you say to Coloss. n. 18, where fet. 
 Paul condemns the religion or worship of angels ; and 
 to Rev. xix. 10, where the angel refused to be wor¬ 
 shipped by St. John ? , 
 
 A. I say, that neither one nor the other mdkes any 
 
 thin°- against desiring the angels or saints to pray to 
 God” fo^us, for this is not giving them any adoration 
 or divine worship, no more than when we desire the 
 prayers of one another. Now it was adoration, or di¬ 
 vine worship, which the angel refused to receive froni 
 St. John, Rev. xix. ‘I fell at his feet to worship him, 
 says the Apostle ; and it was a superstitious worship, 
 and not the desiring of the prayers of the angels, which 
 
224 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 is condemned by St. Paul. Coloss. li. 6 A superstitious 
 worship,’ I say, either of bad angels, of whom the Apos¬ 
 tle speaks, ver. 15, or of good angels, in such a manner 
 as to leave 4 Christ not holding the head,’ says the Apos¬ 
 tle, ver. 19, such was the worship which many of the 
 philosophers (against whom St. Paul warns the Colos- 
 sians, ver. 8) paid to angels or demons to whom they 
 offered sacrifices, as to the necessary carriers of intelli¬ 
 gence between the gods and men. Such also was the 
 worship which Simon Magus, and many of the Gnostics 
 paid to the angels, whom they held to be the creators 
 of the world. See Theodoret, 1. 5, Hser. Fab. c. 9. 
 
 Q. What do you think of making addresses to the 
 angels or saints upon your knees ? Is not this giving 
 them divine worship ? 
 
 A. No more than when we desire the blessing of 
 our fathers or mothers upon our knees ; which is in¬ 
 deed the very case, since that we ask of our parents, 
 when we desire their blessing, is that they would pray 
 to God for us; and this same we ask of the angels and 
 saints. 
 
 Q,. But is it not giving to the angels and saints the 
 attributes of God, viz. omniscience and omnipresence, 
 that is, knowing all things, and being every where, if 
 you suppose that they can hear or know all our ad¬ 
 dresses made to them ? 
 
 A. No: we neither believe the angels and saints to 
 be every where, nor yet to have the knowledge of all 
 things, though we make no question but they know our 
 prayers, since the scripture assures us that they offer 
 them up to God, Rev. v. 8, and viii. 3, 4. 
 
 If you ask me, how they can know our prayers 
 without being every where, and knowing all things ? 
 
 I answer, that there are many ways by which they 
 may know them. 1st, The angels may know them by 
 being amongst us in quality of our guardians ; and the 
 saints may know them by the angels, whose conversa¬ 
 tion they enjoy. 
 
 2dly, Both angels and saints may see them and 
 know them in God, whom they continually see and 
 enjoy, or by revelation from God, as in God they see 
 the repentance of sinners. St. Luke xv. 10. For they 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 225 
 
 that see God face to face, by the light of glory, discern 
 all his divine attributes, and in them innumerable 
 secrets impenetrable to nature. And therefore, though 
 they themselves are not every where, yet, by contem¬ 
 plating him that sees and knows all things, they have 
 a vast extent of knowledge of things that pass here 
 below. ‘In thy light shall we see light,’ says the 
 royal prophet, Psalm xxxv. (alias xxxvi. 9.) And ‘ we 
 shall be like to him,’ says St. John, 1 John iii. 2, ‘for 
 we shall see him as he is.’ For ‘ now we see,’ says 
 St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiii. 12, ‘ through a glass darkly, but 
 then face to face: now I know in part: but then shall 
 I know, even as also I am known.’ 
 
 3dly, Both angels and saints may know our petitions 
 addressed to them, by the ordinary way by which spirits 
 Bpeak to one another, and hear one another, and that 
 is, by our directing our thoughts to them with a desire 
 of opening our minds to them; for we can no otherwise 
 understand or explain the speech and conversation of 
 spirits, who having neither tongues nor ears, must con¬ 
 verse together by the directing of their thoughts to one 
 another. Now this kind of conversation by the thoughts 
 may extend to ever so great a distance, as being inde¬ 
 pendent on sound and all other corporal qualities, and 
 consequently independent on distance. 
 
 Besides all this, the saints, while they were here 
 upon earth, knew very well the miseries we labour 
 under in this vale of tears; they also know that good 
 Christians earnestly desire to be helped by the prayers 
 of God’s saints; and as they knew this whilst they 
 were here upon earth, so they know it still. Conse¬ 
 quently, as their charity prompts them to pray for the 
 faithful in general, so it is not to be doubted, but they 
 pray more particularly for those who stand most in 
 necessity of their prayers, or most earnestly desire 
 their prayers; it being the property of charity, which 
 is perfect in heaven, to act in this manner. Hence it 
 follows, that though we are even to suppose that the 
 saints did not know in particular our addresses, yet it 
 would still be profitable to desire their prayers, because 
 they certainly pray for Christians in general, and for 
 
226 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 those more particularly who desire the help of their 
 prayers. 
 
 In fine, the experience of seventeen hundred years, 
 and the innumerable favors that have been granted in 
 every age to those that have desired the prayers of the 
 angels and saints, has convinced the Church of God, 
 that this devotion is both pleasing to God and profitable 
 to us ; and therefore we may dispense with ourselves 
 from a curious inquiry into the manner of their know¬ 
 ing our requests, since we find by experience so great 
 benefit from them. 
 
 Q. Does not the prophet Isaiah say, chap, lxiii. 16, 
 that 4 Abraham is ignorant of us ? ’ 
 
 A. His meaning is plain, that the fatherly care and 
 providence of God over his people was infinitely be¬ 
 yond that of Abraham and Israel, who were their 
 parents according to the flesh. 4 Doubtless thou art 
 our Father,’ says the prophet, 4 though Abraham be ig¬ 
 norant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O 
 Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer,’ &c. In the 
 mean time, that Abraham was not ignorant of what 
 passed amongst his children (though before Christ had 
 opened heaven by his death, the patriarchs did not as 
 yet enjoy the beatific vision) is clear from what we 
 read, St. Luke xvi. 25, 26. 
 
 And here I cannot but take notice, how strangely 
 unreasonable the notions of some people are, who 
 make a scruple of allowing any knowledge to the 
 saints and angels of God, whilst they are ready enough 
 to grant that the devils both know our works and hear 
 the addresses of their impious invokers; as if these 
 wretched spirits of darkness, by nature alone, could 
 know more than the saints, who, besides the light of 
 nature, enjoy the light of grace and glory; or, as if 
 those rebels had acquired any greater degree of per¬ 
 fection and knowledge by their fall, than they would 
 have had if they had remained angels. 
 
 Q. But can you prove from scripture, that the saints 
 enjoy God in heaven before the general resurrection? 
 
 A. Yes; this is visibly the doctrine of St Paul, 2 
 Cor. v. 1, 4 For we know, that if our earthly house of 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 227 
 
 this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building 
 of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens.’ Yer. 6 and 7, 4 Therefore we are always con¬ 
 fident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the 
 body, we are absent from the Lord; (for we walk by 
 faith, and not by sight;) we are confident, I say, and 
 willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be 
 present with the Lord.’ Where he visibly supposes, 
 that the souls of the saints, when let loose from their 
 bodies by death, enter into the eternal tabernacles, are 
 present with the Lord, and enjoy his sight. The same 
 thing he supposes, Philip, i. 23, 24, 4 1 am in a strait 
 betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with 
 Christ; which is far better. Nevertheless to abide in 
 the flesh is more needful for you.’ 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Of the Devotion of Catholics to the blessed Virgin 
 Mary; of her perpetual Virginity; of the Beads , 
 Rosary , and Angelus Domini. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the great respect and 
 devotion of Catholics to the blessed Virgin Mary ? 
 
 A. It is grounded, 1st, upon her great dignity of 
 Mother of God, and the close relation which she has 
 thereby to Jesus Christ her son ; for how is it possible 
 to love and honour Christ with our whole heart, and 
 not value and love his blessed Mother ? 
 
 2dly, It is grounded upon that supereminent grace 
 which was bestowed upon her to prepare her for that 
 dignity; upon account of which she was saluted by 
 the angel Gabriel, St. Luke i. 28,‘full of grace,’ (which 
 the Protestants, who are no great friends to this ever- 
 blessed Virgin, have chosen rather to translate highly 
 favoured ;) and both by the angel and by St. Elizabeth, 
 St. Luke i. 42, she is styled, ‘Blessed among women.’ 
 
 3dly, It is grounded upon her extraordinary sanctity; 
 for if she was full of grace before she conceived in her 
 womb the fountain of all grace, to what a degree of 
 
228 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED, 
 
 sanctity of grace must she have arrived during so 
 many years as she lived afterwards ? especially since 
 she bore nine months in her womb the author of all 
 sanctity, and had him thirty years under the roof, ever 
 contemplating him and his heavenly mysteries, St. 
 Luke ii. 19 and 51; and on her part never making any 
 resistance to the affluence of his graces ever flowing 
 in upon her happy soul. 
 
 4thly, It is grounded upon that supereminent degree 
 of heavenly glory, with which God has now honoured 
 her, in proportion to her grace and sanctity here upon 
 earth, and the great interest she has with her blessed 
 Son, and through him with his heavenly Father. 
 
 Q. Is there any thing in scripture that insinuates 
 this great devotion, that should be in all ages to this 
 blessed Virgin ? 
 
 A. Yes, it was foretold by herself in her Canticle, 
 St. Luke i. 48, 4 Behold from henceforth all generations 
 shall call me blessed.’ 
 
 Q. Do you then allow divine honour or worship to 
 the blessed Virgin Mary ? 
 
 A. No, certainly ; the Church in this, as in all other 
 things, keeps the golden mean between the two ex¬ 
 tremes : she condemns those that refuse to honour this 
 blessed Mother of God; but those much more that 
 would give her divine worship. She thinks no honour 
 that can be given to any pure creature too great for 
 this blessed Virgin: but as she knows that there is an 
 infinite distance still between her and God, she is far 
 from offering sacrifice to her, or paying her any wor» 
 ship that belongs to God alone. And whatever honour 
 she gives the Mother, she refers it to the glory of the 
 Son, as the chief motive and end of all her devotions, 
 
 Q,. But why do you call the blessed Virgin the 
 Mother of God ? 
 
 A. Because she is truly the Mother of Jesus Christ, 
 who is true God and true man, and consequently she is 
 truly the Mother of God; not by being Mother of the 
 Divinity, but by being Mother of him, who in one and 
 the same Person, is both God and man. Hence she is 
 called by St. Elizabeth, Luke i.‘the Mother of my 
 Lord.’ 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 229 
 
 Q. Why does the Church in her hymns and anthems 
 style the blessed Virgin, Mother of grace, and Mother 
 of mercy? 
 
 A. Because she is the Mother of him who is the 
 fountain of all grace and mercy; and is both most 
 willing by reason of her supereminent charity, and 
 most able by her great interest with her Son to obtain 
 grace and mercy for us. 
 
 Q,. And why is she styled the queen of heaven, or 
 the queen of angels and saints ? 
 
 A. Because shie is the Mother of the King of Hea¬ 
 ven, and the greatest of all the saints. 
 
 Q,. What then do you think of those that presume 
 to say she was no more than any other woman; nor 
 ought to have any regard or honour paid to her ? 
 
 A. Such as these have very little regard to Jesus 
 Christ, whose Mother they treat with such contempt. 
 
 Q,. And what do you think of the opinion of those 
 that say, she had children by St. Joseph, after the 
 birth of our Saviour ? 
 
 A. This was a heresy condemned by the Church 
 near fourteen hundred years ago, as contrary to apos¬ 
 tolical tradition, and to the very Creed of the Apostles, 
 which styles her Virgin. And that indeed she had 
 determined by vow never to know man, the holy fathers 
 gather from her words to the angel, St Luke i. 34, 
 6 How shall this be, for I know not man ? ’ 
 
 Q,. Who then were they that are called in the scrip¬ 
 ture the brethren of our Saviour ? 
 
 A. They are named by S^Mark vi. 3, James and 
 Joses or Joseph, and Jude, and Simon or Simeon: 
 these were the sons of Mary, the wife of Cleophas, 
 whom the gospel calls the sister, that is, the near kins¬ 
 woman of the blessed Virgin, and therefore her sons 
 are called our Saviour’s brethren, according to the 
 usual scripture phrase, by which those that are near 
 akin are called brothers and sisters. 
 
 If you ask me how I prove that Mary the wife of 
 Cleophas was mother to James and Joses, &c., I prove 
 it evidently by comparing the gospels together: St. 
 Matthew, chap, xxvii. ver. 56, acquaints us, that amongst 
 
 20 
 
230 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 the women who had followed our Saviour from Galilee 
 ministering to him, and who were present at his death, 
 were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James 
 and Joses, &c. which same thing is attested by St. 
 Mark, chap. xv. ver. 40. Now St. John, xix. 25, ex¬ 
 pressly informs us, that this Mary, who stood by the 
 cross, was sister to the blessed Virgin, and wife of 
 Cleophas: so that James, Joses, &c. as it is manifest 
 from the gospel, were not children of our Lady, but 
 of our kinswoman Mary, the wife of Cleophas. 
 
 Q. But why then is our Saviour called her first¬ 
 born, St. Matt. i. 25, and St. Luke ii. 7 P 
 
 A. It is a Hebrew phrase, not signifying that any 
 were born after him, but that no one was born before 
 him. 
 
 Q. And why is it said of St. Joseph, St. Matt, 
 i. 25, ‘that he knew her not till she had brought 
 forth,’ &c. 
 
 A. This also was said according to a propriety of 
 speech amongst the Hebrews, to signify what was 
 not done before without meddling with the question 
 what was done after : this latter being foreign to the 
 great point which the Evangelist had then in view, 
 which was to assure us that Christ was born of a 
 virgin. We have examples of the like expressions 
 in the Old Testament; as when, Psalm cix. (alias cx.) 
 it is said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my 
 right hand till I make my enemies thy footstool.’ 
 Will he therefore cease to sit at the right hand of 
 his Father, after his enemies are made his footstool? 
 No certainly. 
 
 Q,. What is the common address which the Church 
 makes to the blessed Virgin Marv ? 
 
 A. The angelical salutation of the Hail Mary: a 
 great part of which is taken out of the gospel, St. Luke 
 l 2(3, and 42 ; and the other part is added by the Church 
 to beg the prayers of the blessed Virgin for us 
 sinners. 
 
 Q. Why do Catholics so often repeat the Hail 
 Mary ? 
 
 A. To commemorate the Incarnation of the Son 
 of God; to honour his blessed Mother, and to desire 
 her prayers. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the Beads ? 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 231 
 
 A. It is a devotion consisting of a certain number 
 of Our Fathers, and Hail Marys, directed for the ob¬ 
 taining of blessings from God, through the prayers 
 and intercessions of our Lady. 
 
 Q,. But is it not highly absurd, that according to 
 the common way of saying the Beads, there are re¬ 
 peated ten Hail Marys for one Our Father? 
 
 A. It would be absurd indeed, and blasphemous 
 too, if the meaning of this were to signify that the 
 blessed Virgin is either more powerful or more merci¬ 
 ful than her Son ; or that we have a greater confi¬ 
 dence in her than in him: but we are far from any 
 such notions. 
 
 Q. Why then is the Hail Mary repeated so much 
 oftener in the Beads than the Lord’s Prayer ? 
 
 A. Because the Beads, being a devotion particularly 
 instituted to commemorate the Incarnation of Christ, 
 and to honour him in his blessed Mother, it was 
 thought proper to repeat so much the oftener that 
 prayer which is particularly adapted to these ends. 
 In the mean time it may be proper to take notice, 
 1st, That if in the Beads there be ten Hail Marys 
 said for one Our Father; in the Mass and Office of 
 the Church almost all the prayers are directed to 
 God alone. 2dly, That every Hail Mary, both by 
 the nature of the prayer, and the intention of the 
 Church, is directed more to the honour of the Son 
 than of the Mother; as well because the Church, in 
 honouring the Mother, has principally.in view the 
 honour of the Son ; as also because this prayer par¬ 
 ticularly relates to the Incarnation of Christ; and if 
 withal it begs the prayers of the blessed Virgin, it is 
 plain that he is more honoured to whom we desire 
 she should address her prayers, than she, whom we 
 ordv desire to pray for us. 
 
 To which, if we add, that her prayers are ten times 
 better and more acceptable to God than ours, it will 
 appear no ways absurd that we should frequently 
 desire her prayers. For as to the repetition of the 
 same prayer, it is what is recommended to us by 
 the example of our Lord, St. Matt. xxvi. 42, 44, &c., 
 and has nothing of absurdity in it. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of the Rosary ? 
 
 A. The Rosary is a method of saying the Beads, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 so as to meditate upon the Incarnation, Passion, 
 and Resurrection of Christ. And it is divided into 
 three parts, each part consisting of five Mysteries, 
 to be contemplated during the repeating of five 
 decads or tens upon the Beads. The first five are 
 called the five joyful Mysteries: viz. the Annuncia¬ 
 tion, when our Lord was first conceived in his 
 Mother’s womb; the Visitation, when the blessed 
 Virgin visited her kinswoman St. Elizabeth, and by 
 her was declared blessed among Women, &c.; the 
 Nativity of our Lord; his Presentation in the Tem¬ 
 ple, together with the Purification of the blessed 
 \ jrgin ; and his being found in the Temple in the midst 
 of the Doctors, &c. The five next are called the 
 dolorous or sorrowful Mysteries, as having relation to the 
 Passion of Christ; and are his Prayer and Agony in the 
 garden ; his being scourged at the Pillar ; his Crowning 
 with Thorns; his Carriage of the Cross ; and his Cru¬ 
 cifixion and Death. The five last are called the five 
 glorious Mysteries, viz. the Resurrection of our Lord; 
 his Ascension into Heaven; the Coming of the Holy 
 Ghost; the Assumption of the blessed Virgin; and 
 her Coronation ; together with the eternal Glory of the 
 Saints in the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of giving three tolls with the 
 bells every morning, noon, and night, in all Catholic 
 countries ? 
 
 A. This is to remind the faithful of the great mystery 
 of the Incarnation of the Son of God; and it is the prac¬ 
 tice of all good Christians, when they hear these bells, to 
 perform the devotion which we call the Angdus Domini. 
 
 CL What is this devotion, and in what manner is it 
 performed ? 
 
 A. The bell tolls three times, with a short space be¬ 
 tween each time. At the first toll we say, ‘The Angel 
 of the Lord declared to Mary, and she conceived of tne 
 Holy Ghost; ’ then we sav the Hail Mary, &c. At the 
 second toll we say, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, 
 be it done to me according to thy word,’ Hail Mary, &c. 
 At the third toll we say, ‘ And the Word was made 
 flesh, and dwelt amongst us ; ’ Hail Mary, &c. Then 
 we conclude with the following prayer. 
 
 Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 233 
 
 our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ 
 thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, 
 may, by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory 
 of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our 
 Lord, Amen. 
 
 This devotion is used in all Catholic countries, and is 
 called the Angelus Domini , from the first words, the 
 Angel of the Lord, &c. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Of the Use and Veneration of Relics in the Catholic Church, 
 
 Q. What do you mean by Relics ? 
 
 A. The dead bodies or bones of the saints we call 
 Relics ; as also whatever other things have belonged 
 to them in their mortal life. 
 
 Q. And what is the doctrine and practice of the 
 Church with regard to these things ? 
 
 A. We keep such things as these with a religious 
 respect and veneration for the sake of those to whom 
 they have belonged, but principally for the sake of him 
 to whom the saints themselves belonged ; that is, for 
 the greater glory of God, who is glorious in his saints, 
 and to whom is referred all the honour that is given 
 to his saints. 
 
 Q. What reasons has the Church for showing this 
 respect to the dead bodies or bones of the saints ? 
 
 A. 1st, Because they have been the victims and the 
 living temples of God, in which his divine Majesty 
 has, in a particular manner inhabited, and which he 
 has sanctified by his presence and grace: and there¬ 
 fore, if God required of Moses, Exod. iii. 5, and ot 
 Joshua, Josh. v. 15, to loose their shoes from oft" their 
 feet, in respect to the ground on which they stood, 
 as being rendered holy by his presence, or that of his 
 angels, we must conclude, that it is agreeable to his 
 divine Majesty that we should testify the like honour 
 to that venerable earth of the bodies of his saints, 
 which he in such an extraordinary manner has sanc¬ 
 tified, by abiding in them as in his temples. 
 
 20 * 
 
234 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 2dly, We know that the bodies of the saints are 
 preordained to a happy resurrection and eternal 
 glory, and upon this account also deserve our respect. 
 
 3dly, The bodies and other relics of the saints have 
 been, and are daily the instruments of the power of 
 God, for the working of innumerable miracles, which 
 God, who is truth and sanctity itself, would never 
 have effected, if it had not been agreeable to him 
 that we should honour and respect these precious 
 remnants of his servants. 
 
 4thly, The relics and shrines of the martyrs and 
 other saints serve very much to encourage the faith¬ 
 ful to an imitation of their virtues, and to help to raise 
 their souls from the love of things present, to the love 
 of things eternal. 
 
 Q. Did the primitive Christians show this respect to 
 the relics of the saints ? 
 
 A. Yes: nothing is more evident from all kind of 
 monuments of antiquity, than that the veneration of the 
 relics of the saints is one of the most ancient things in 
 Christianity. The learned Church Historian, Eusebius, 
 1. 7, c. 19, relates that St. James’ chair was kept with 
 great veneration by the Christians of Jerusalem, from 
 the Apostles’ time, till the days in which the historian 
 wrote, that is, till the beginning of the fourth century. 
 The acts of the martyrdom of St. Ignatius, bishop of 
 Antioch, disciple of the Apostles, who suffered at Rome, 
 anno 107, written by the Christians who accompanied 
 him to Rome, bear record, that his holy relics were car¬ 
 ried to Antioch by the Christians, and left to that 
 Church as an inestimable treasure. The Christians 
 of Smyrna, in the account that they give of the martyr¬ 
 dom of their holy bishop St. Polycarp, disciple of the 
 Apostles, inform us, that the faithful carried away his 
 relics, which they valued more than gold and precious 
 stones, Euseb. Hist. 1. 4, c. 15. And that this veneration 
 of relics was approved by all the most holy and most 
 learned bishops and doctors of the Church, and con¬ 
 demned by none but infidels and heretics, such as Julian 
 the Apostate, Eunomius, and Vigilantius, may be seen 
 in the writings of the holy fathers. See St. Basil, in Ps. 
 115, t. 1, p.274. Hom'd. 5, in Martyrem Julittam, p. 
 217. Horn. 20 in 40. Martvres, p. 479. St. Gregory 
 Nyssen, Orat. de S. Theodoro Martyre, t. 3. St. Gregory 
 
THE CATHOLIC 
 
 CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 235 
 
 % 
 
 Nazianzen, Orat. 3, in Julianum, 1.1, p. 76, 77. St. Cyril 
 of Jerusalem, Catech. 18. St. John Chrysostom, ad Pap. 
 Ant. Horn. 40, 47, 59,1. contra Gentiles, Horn. 26, in 2 
 Cor. 2, &c. St. Ambrose, Epist. 22. St. Hierome, 1. ad- 
 versus Vigilantium. St. Augustine, 1. 9. Confess, c. 7. 
 Serm. 92, de Diversis, 1. 22, of the City of God, c. 8. 
 Epist. 103. Theodoret, 1. 8, contra Grrncos, &c. To 
 pass over many others, who all agree in approving this 
 practice: and all or most of them bear record, that God 
 also has approved it by innumerable miracles. 
 
 Q,. But have you any instance in scripture of miracles 
 wrought by the bones of God’s saints, or other things 
 belonging to them ? 
 
 A. Yes; we read 2 (alias 4) Kings xiii. 21, of a dead 
 man raised to life by the touch of the bones of the 
 prophet Elisha; and Acts xix. 12, 4 that from the body 
 of Paul, were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs or 
 aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the 
 evil spirits went out of them.’ 
 
 Q. But does not Christ reprehend the Scribes and 
 Pharisees for building up and adorning the sepulches 
 of the prophets, St. Matt, xxiii. 29, 30, 31 P 
 
 A. He does not reprehend them for the action, which 
 in itself was good, but for their wicked dispositions; 
 inasmuch as, whilst they should seem to honour the 
 prophets, and thereby obtain the favour of the people, 
 they sought all the while to fill up the measure of their 
 fathers, by persecuting unto the death the Lord of 
 prophets. 
 
 Q,. What kind of honour does the Catholic Church 
 allow to relics ? 
 
 A. An inferior and relative honour, as to things be¬ 
 longing to God’s saints; but by no means divine honour. 
 
 Q. But are not candles allowed to burn before them? 
 and are they not sometimes fumed with incense ? 
 
 A. These are honours indeed, but such as we may 
 give to one another; as in effect we incense in the 
 Church both clergy and people, and burn candles to 
 our princes upon occasions of joy: for since these 
 honours are no ways appropriated to God either by the 
 nature of the things in themselves, or bv any divine 
 ordinance, why may not the Church of God allow them 
 to the relics of the saints ? not as divine honours, hut 
 fcs tokens of our love and respect to them ; of our joy 
 
^36 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 for the triumphs of Christ in his saints, and as emblems 
 of their eternal life, light, and glory. 
 
 Q. Does not this practice of the veneration of relics 
 expose the faithful to the danger of idolatry and super¬ 
 stition, by honouring false relics ? 
 
 A. No. 1st, Because the Church of God, by her 
 public canons, and her zealous pastors, takes what care 
 she can to prevent such impostures. 2dly, Because, 
 if by the wickedness of men it should sometimes hap¬ 
 pen that the faithful should be imposed upon in this 
 regard, so far as to honour a false relic for a true one, 
 there would be neither any idolatry nor superstition 
 in the case, but a mistake, on their part, innocent, as 
 when a charitable Christian relieves an impostor or a 
 hypocrite, innocently believing him to be a real object 
 of charity. 
 
 Q. But if the Church has so much zeal against false 
 relics, how comes she to tolerate them in so many 
 cases, as when divers Churches pretend to possess the 
 body of the same saint, for some or other of these 
 must be false relics ? 
 
 A. You are too hasty in concluding that these must 
 needs be false relics, 1st, Because it often happens that 
 some part of the body of a saint is in one place, and 
 some part in another, in which case both places claim 
 the body of such a saint, and though they really pos¬ 
 sess only a part of it; and yet neither the one nor the 
 other is therefore to be charged with honouring false 
 relics. 2dly, Many of the saints and martyrs have 
 borne the same names, and hence it easily happens, 
 that relics, which indeed belong to one saint, are at¬ 
 tributed to another of the same name. 3dly, There 
 have been many ancient martyrs, whose names at 
 present are not known, whose relics nevertheless have 
 been all along honoured by the Church: now it was 
 easy that the ignorance of some, or the vanity of 
 others, might attribute to them the names of other 
 saints: so that these may be true relics, notwith¬ 
 standing they do not all belong to the saints to whom 
 they are attributed. 
 
 Q. What is the meaning of making pilgrimages to 
 the shrines or other memorials of the saints? 
 
 A. To honour God in his saints, to excite devotion 
 by the sight of those places sanctified by these 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 237 
 
 heavenly pledges, and to obtain graces and blessings 
 of God, by the prayers of the saints : for though God 
 be every where, and his bounty and mercy be not 
 confined to any particular place, yet the experience 
 of all past ages convinces us, that it is bis holy will 
 and pleasure to bestow his favours more plentifully, 
 and to show more frequent and miraculous effects of 
 his power and goodness in some places than in others, 
 see St. Augustine, epist. 137. 
 
 Q. Have not Catholics a more than ordinary vene¬ 
 ration for the wood of the cross, the nails, thorns, and 
 other instruments of Christ’s passion ? 
 
 A. Yes, they have, because these things have so 
 close a relation to the passion of Christ, by which we 
 were redeemed, and have been sanctified by the blood 
 of our Redeemer. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Of the Use of Pictures and Images in the Catholic Church, 
 
 Q. What is the doctrine of the church with regard 
 to pictures or images of Christ and his saints? 
 
 A. 1st, That it is good to keep them and retain 
 them, and to have them in churches, not only for 
 ornament, and for the instruction of the ignorant, 
 but for the honour and reme»mbrance of Christ and 
 his saints, and for to help to raise our thoughts and 
 hearts to heavenly things. 2dly, That there is a 
 relative honour due to them, by reason of the persons 
 whom they represent. See the second council of 
 Nice, Act. 7, and the council of Trent, Sess. 25. 
 
 Q,. Does the catholic church give divine worship 
 to the pictures or images of Christ or his saints ? 
 
 A. No, by no means: the second council of Nice, 
 in the 7th Action or Sessions, has expressly declared, 
 that divine worship is not to be given them ; to which 
 the council of Trent, in the 25th Session, has added, 
 that we ‘ are not to believe that there is any divinity 
 or power in them for which they are to be worshipped: 
 and that we are not to pray to them, nor put our 
 trust or confidence in them.’ 
 
 Q, But does not the first (or second) command- 
 
2r38 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 ment absolutely forbid the making of any image, or 
 the likeness of anything in heaven, earth, or sea? 
 
 A. No: it only forbids the making of idols, that is, 
 of such images as are made for gods, and are wor¬ 
 shipped as such; or in which a divinity or divine 
 virtue and power is believed to reside. Hence the 
 ancient version of the Septuagint (which is venerable 
 by having been made use of by the apostles them¬ 
 selves) renders the words of the commandment thus, 
 4 thou shalt not make to thyself an idol,’ &c. And 
 that God does not absolutely forbid the making of 
 the likeness of any thing, is not only the general be¬ 
 lief of all Christians, who carry about with them 
 without scruple the likeness of their kings in the 
 current coin of their respective countries, but is 
 visible from scripture, wherein God commanded the 
 making of two cnerubimsof beaten gold, to be placed 
 over the ark of the covenant in the very sanctuary, 
 Exod, xxv. 18, 19, 20, 21, and in like manner com¬ 
 manded the making of the brazen serpent, for the 
 healing of those who were bit by the fiery serpents, 
 Numb. xxi. 8, 9, which serpent was an emblem of 
 Christ, St. John iii. 14, 35. 
 
 Q. But at least does not God forbid by this command¬ 
 ment all honour or reverence to pictures or images ? 
 
 A. He forbids all honour or reverence to idols or im¬ 
 age gods, but not the relative honour which catholics 
 snow to the pictures of Christ and his saints, for the sake 
 of the persons represented by them, for it is visible, that 
 the same images which, by this commandment are for¬ 
 bid to be honoured, are also bv the express words of the 
 commandment forbid to be ma3e. Now, few or no Chris¬ 
 tians suppose that the pictures of Christ, or his saints 
 are forbid to be made ; therefore they cannot infer from 
 this commandment, that they are forbid to be honoured, 
 since this commandment does not speak of them at all, 
 but only of idols or images set up to be worshipped for 
 gods. 
 
 Q. What then do you mean by this relative honour, 
 which you allow to the pictures of Christ and his saints ? 
 
 A. fey a relative honour, I mean an honour which 
 Is given to a tiling, not for any intrinsic excellence or 
 dignity in the thing itself, but only for the relation 
 which it has to something else, which it represents or 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 239 
 
 brings to our remembrance ; as when Christians bow to 
 the name of Jesus, which is an image of remem¬ 
 brance of our Saviour to the ear as the crucifix is 
 to the eye. 
 
 Q. Have you any instances of this kind of relative 
 honour allowed by protestants? 
 
 A. Yes: in the honour they give to the name of 
 Jesus, to their churches, to the altar, to the bible, to 
 the symbols of bread and wine in the sacrament, to 
 the king’s chair, &c. Such also was the honour 
 which the Jews gave to the ark and cherubims, to the 
 sanctuary, &c. and which Moses and Joshua gave to 
 the land on which they stood, as being holy ground, 
 Exod. iii. 5. Josh. v. 15. 
 
 Q. How do you prove that there is a relative hon¬ 
 our due to the images or pictures of Christ and his 
 saints ? 
 
 A. Because it is evidently agreeable, as well to 
 nature and reason, as to piety and religion, to express 
 our esteem and affection for those whom we honour 
 and love, by setting a value upon all things that belong 
 to them, or have any relation to them. Thus good 
 Christians, that love God with their whole hearts, 
 honour all things that are dedicated to his service, 
 or that are memorials of him, or have a relation to 
 him ; as his temples, his altars, his name, his word, his 
 sacraments, the sacred vessels, &c. And thus it is 
 that we honour the effigies of Christ, of his blessed 
 Mother, and of the saints, as memorials and represen¬ 
 tations of them, and as helps to raise our thoughts to 
 them. And is it not thus that a loyal subject, a duti¬ 
 ful child, a loving friend, value the pictures of their 
 kings, father, or friend? And would not these very 
 men that make no scruple of abusing the image of 
 Christ, severely punish such as would abuse the image 
 of the king ? 
 
 Q. Do you then allow of worshipping God by an 
 image ? 
 
 A. If you mean by worshipping God by an image, the 
 raising up our hearts to God, by or upon occasion of the 
 sight pf the picture or image ; or referring to Jesus Christ 
 and to his worship whatever honour or respect we show 
 to his picture or image ; there can be no reason to dis¬ 
 allow the worshipping of God by a picture or image. 
 
240 tHe catholic Christian instructed. 
 
 But if worshipping God by an image be so understood, 
 as if the divinity in some particular manner resided in 
 the image ; or some virtue or power, for which it should 
 be worshipped or trusted in ; or as if our worship or 
 prayers were believed to be more acceptable to God 
 and to have more influence upon him, when offered or 
 presented by or through any such image; such kind 
 of worshipping God by an image is not only not allowed 
 but condemned by the Catholic Church. See the Coun¬ 
 cil of Trent, Sess. 25. 
 
 Q. What means then the blessing of crucifixes or 
 other images, if no virtue or power be believed to reside 
 in them after they are blessed ? 
 
 A. The Church blesses all things that are used about 
 the altar ; not by way of imparting to them any intrinsic 
 power or virtue, but by way of dedicating them to the 
 divine service, and begging God’s blessing for those that 
 make use of them; so that whatever advantage may be 
 supposed in the use of them, after they are blessed more 
 than before, is wholly to be attributed to the prayers of 
 the Church. 
 
 Q. But are there not certain images to which great 
 miracles are attributed; therefore Catholics must believe 
 that in these, at least, there is some divinity, virtue, or 
 power ? 
 
 A. There have been many instances of undoubted 
 miracles wrought by God, in the Churches of the blessed 
 Virgin and other saints, in favour of those that have 
 sought their prayers and intercession before the pictures 
 of images. But these miracles are not to be attributed 
 to any divinity or power in the image, but to the Almighty 
 power of God, moved to work these wonders by the 
 prayers of the saints, and bearing testimony thereby to 
 the faith of his Church, and showing his approbation of 
 her religious practices. 
 
 Q. What do you think of the images or pictures of 
 God the Father, or of the blessed Trinity ? 
 
 A. I think that no corporeal image can bear a resem¬ 
 blance with the Divinity: and consequently that it would 
 be unlawful to pretend to make any such likeness or 
 resemblance. But where no such resemblance is pre¬ 
 tended, I do not take it to be more unlawful to paint 
 God the Father, under the figure of a venerable man, 
 because he was so represented in the vision of Daniel, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 241 
 
 chap. vii. ver. 9, than it is to paint the Holy Ghost under 
 the figure of a dove, because ne appeared so when Christ 
 was baptized, St. Matt. iii. 16. 
 
 Q. What do you think of the charge of idolatry laid 
 to the Church by some of her adversaries, upon account 
 of the use and veneration of images ? 
 
 A. I think that nothing could be more visibly unjust 
 than such a charge. Since idolatry is giving divine 
 honour and service to an idol, or false God: which is 
 far from being the case of the Catholic Church. We 
 acknowledge one only true and living God, in three 
 persons, Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost: to him 
 alone do we offer sacrifice or any other divine honours. 
 Him alone do we adore in spirit and truth. Whatever 
 else in heaven or on earth we religiously honour, we 
 honour for his sake, and for the relation it has to him. 
 And as for the worship of idols or false gods, it has been 
 banished out of the world by the labo urs and preaching 
 of our Church alone : so far are we from abetting idol¬ 
 atry. 
 
 Q. What then do you think of the parallel which 
 some would make between the heathen and Catholic 
 worship ? 
 
 A. I think that it is infinitely unjust and unreasona¬ 
 ble, as must appear to any unprejudiced mind by the 
 following remarks. 
 
 1st, Catholics adore and offer sacrifice to one only 
 true and living God: the Heathens adored and offered 
 sacrifices to many false gods. 
 
 2dly, The supreme object of Catholic worship is the 
 sacred Trinity blessed for evermore : the supreme ob¬ 
 ject of the Heathen worship was the sun, or some other 
 part of God’s creation; or else some wicked man, or 
 more wicked devil. For Heathen idolatry, according 
 to the Apostle, Rom. i. 25, ‘ changed the truth of Goa 
 into a lie, and worshipping and serving the creature 
 more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.’ The 
 sun and his symbol, the fire, was of old the sovereign 
 god of the Persians ; as he was of late of the inhabitants 
 of Peru: the same was worshipped as their chief god 
 by the Phoenicians under the name of Baal; by the 
 Ammonites under the name of Moloch ; by the Moab¬ 
 ites under the name of Chamos: by the Accaronitea 
 
 21 
 
242 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 under the name of Beelzebub; by those of Gaza, under 
 the name of Marnas, &c. according to Vossius, Sel- 
 den, and the whole nation of the critics, alleged by the 
 Protestant doctor Parker, test. p. 97. Him tney called 
 the king of heaven; as they called the moon or As- 
 tarte the queen of heaven. Of like nature was the 
 sovereign object of the worship of the Egyptians, viz. 
 Ammon the ram, and Osyris the bull, which are the 
 two first signs of the Zodiac, and were worshipped as 
 symbols of the sun, according to doctor Parker, Ibidem. 
 The chief god of the Grecians and Heathen Romans, 
 was Jupiter, who was originally a king that reigned in 
 Crete; as the wiser Heathens have acknowledged. He 
 was not esteemed eternal by any of them; but the son 
 of Saturn, that is, of time ; and by much posterior to 
 heaven and earth. As for his idols and oracles, he who 
 gave answers thereby was no God, but an arch devil, as 
 Christians have ever believed. 
 
 3dly, Catholics honour, though not with any part of 
 divine worship, the angels and saints of God, as belong¬ 
 ing to him, and as truly worthy of honour, upon account 
 of the excellent gifts of grace and glory received from 
 him: but they ask nothing of them but what they know 
 must come from God’s hands; and therefore their usual 
 address to them is, Pray for us. The Heathens not only 
 give the sovereign worship of adoration and sacrifice to 
 their inferior deities, but looked upon them in many re¬ 
 spects independent of their chief god (whilst they made 
 him, himself independent upon fate) una accordingly they 
 addressed themselves to them not as intercessors, (for in 
 the whole Heathen theology we shall scarce find an 
 Ora pro nobis) but as distributers of blessings and gifts 
 to men, according to their different offices and powers. 
 
 4thly, Those whom the Catholics honour with an in¬ 
 ferior veneration for God’s sake, are indeed the ministers 
 and servants of the one true God. The inferior deities 
 of the Heathens were wicked wretches, such as Mars, 
 Bacchus, Hercules, Venus, &c. or rather devils, as we 
 learn from many texts of scripture. See Levit. xvii. 7. 
 De liter, xxxi. 17. Ps. cvi. 37. 1 Cor. x. 20. 
 
 othly, As to images ; not to speak of the immense dis¬ 
 tance between the objects represented by Catholics and 
 bv Heathens, it is certain that the Heathens, at least the 
 
TIIE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 243 
 
 generality of them, believed the very idols to be gods; 
 for which see Gen. xxii. 30, 32. Exod. xx. 23. Levit. 
 xix. 4. Judges xviii. 24. 2 Kings xvii. 29, and xix. 18. 
 Isai. xliv. 17. Jerem. ii. 26, 27. Acts xix. 26. And 
 as for those who would seem to be more refined in their 
 notion and worship, they believed at least that the idols 
 by consecration became the bodies of their gods, the 
 places of their peculiar residence, the symbols of their 
 presence, and the seats of their power. And accordingly 
 these, as well as the others, offered prayers and sacrifice 
 to the idols, and gave them the names of the deities 
 which they worshipped in them. Now we neithei be¬ 
 lieve our images to be gods, nor to be the bodies of God, 
 nor the peculiar places of his residence, nor symbols oi 
 his presence, nor to have any power or virtue in them; 
 nor do we put our trust in them, or pray to them, or 
 offer sacrifice or other divine honours to them. There¬ 
 fore there is no similitude between the Heathen worsnip 
 
 and ours. 
 
 As for the Jewish worship of the golden calf in the 
 wilderness, and afterwards of the calves of Jeroboam at 
 Bethel and Dan, which some are willing to extenuate, as 
 if they did not take these images to be gods, but thereby 
 only meant to worship the God of Israel, the Scripture 
 gives us a quite different account; witness these texts, 
 Exod. xxxii. 8, ‘They have made them a molten calf, and 
 have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and 
 said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought 
 thee up out of the land of Egypt.’ Ver. 31, 4 They have 
 made them gods of gold.’ Psalm cvi. (alias cv.) 19, 20, 
 21, 4 They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the 
 molten image: they changed their glory (their God) 
 into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass : they for¬ 
 got God their Saviour, which had done great things m 
 Egypt.’ Acts vii. 39,40,41, 4 To whom our fathers would 
 not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts 
 turned back again into Egypt, saying to Aaron, Make us 
 
 gods to go before us.-And they made a calf in those 
 
 days, and offered sacriffce to the idol, and rejoiced in the 
 works of their own hands. Then God turned and gave 
 them up to worship the host of heaven.’ And of the 
 calves of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xii. 28, 4 Pie made two calves 
 of gold, and said unto them, Behold thy gods, O Israel, 
 
244 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt; ’ and 
 ver. 32, ‘He sacrificed to the calves that he had made 
 and 1 Kings xiv. 9, ‘He is accused by the prophet 
 Abijah, to have gone and made him other gods and 
 molten images,’ and ‘ to have cast the Lord behind his 
 back.’ 2 Chron. xi. 15, ‘ He ordained him priest for the 
 high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which 
 he had made.’ 2 Chron. xiii. 8, ‘ There are with you 
 golden calves, which Jeroboam made unto you for gods.’ 
 Ver. 9, ‘ Have ye not cast out the priest, &c. and made 
 
 you priests after the manner of the nations-of them 
 
 that be no gods.’ Ver. 10, ‘But as for us, the Lord is 
 our God.’ 
 
 But if any one will be contentious and maintain that 
 these idolatrous Israelites intended to worship in these 
 calves, not the Egyptian Osiris, nor any other false 
 divinity, but the God of Israel, because Aaron (who 
 made the calf against his will by compulsion of the peo¬ 
 ple) seems to give it the proper name of the God of Israel, 
 Exod. xxxiii. 5, ‘To-morrow is a feast to the Lord.’ 
 Supposing this to be true, their worship would still have 
 been idolatrous, and these calves properly idols ; because 
 they believed (as is manifest from the texts above quoted) 
 these very calves to be gods ; or, if you will have it so, 
 to be the Lord of Israel ; or, at least, that the divinity 
 had upon their dedication insinuated itself into them; 
 and accordingly they gave divine praises and offered 
 sacrifice to them. Now to believe any image to be 
 God, or to imagine any divinity, power, or virtue in it, 
 for which it is to be worshipped, or to offer sacrifice to 
 an image, is an idolatrous worship, and cannot be 
 excused, however the image be pretended by its wor¬ 
 shippers to represent the true God. 
 
 Q. Is there not in one of the Church hymns, and in 
 one of the anthems of the Roman Breviary, a prayer to 
 the cross ? How then do you maintain that the Catholic 
 Church does not attribute any power to images, nor prays 
 to them ? 
 
 A. The prayer you speak of is not directed to the 
 wood of the cross, but Christ crucified, bv a figure of 
 speech, as when St. Paul says, Gal. vi. 14, that he glories 
 in the cross of Jesus Christ 
 
1 HE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 245 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Of Exorcisms , and Benedictions , or Blessings of Crea¬ 
 tures in the Catholic Church , and of the Use of Holy 
 Water . 
 
 Q. What do you mean by Exorcism ? 
 
 A. The rites and prayers instituted by the Church for 
 the casting out devils, or restraining them from hurting 
 persons, disquieting places, or abusing any of God’s 
 creatures to our harm. 
 
 Q. Has Christ given his Church any such power over 
 the devils ? 
 
 A. Yes, he has: see St. Matt, x. 1; St. Mark iii. 13; 
 St. Luke ix. 1; where this power was given to the 
 Apostles; and to the seventy-two disciples, St. Luke 
 x. 19; 4 and two other believers, St. Mark xvi. 17. And 
 that this power was not to die with the Apostles, nor 
 to cease after the Apostolic age, we learn from the 
 perpetual practice of the Church and the experience of 
 all ages. 
 
 Q,. What is the meaning of blessing so many things 
 in the Catholic Church P 
 
 A. We bless Churches, and other places set aside for 
 divine service; altars, chalices, vestments, &c. by way 
 of devoting them to holy uses. We bless our meats 
 and other inanimate things which God has given us for 
 our use, that we may use them in moderation, in a man¬ 
 ner agreeable to God’s institution; that they may be 
 serviceable to us, and that the devil may have no power 
 to abuse them to our prejudice. We bless candles, salt, 
 water, &c. by way of begging of God that such as reli¬ 
 giously use them may obtain his blessing, &c. 
 
 Q. But does it not savour of superstition to attribute 
 any virtue to such inanimate things as blessed candles, 
 Holy Water, Agnus Dei’s, &c. P 
 
 A. It is no superstition to look for a good effect from 
 the prayers of the Church of God ; and it is in virtue of 
 these prayers that we hope for benefit from these things 
 when used with faith, and daily experience shows that 
 our hopes are not vain. 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by .Agnus Dei’s ? 
 
 21 * 
 
246 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 A. Wax stamped with the image of the Lamb of God, 
 blessed by the Pope with solemn prayers, and anointed 
 with the holy chrism. \ 
 
 Q. What warrant have you m scripture for blessing 
 inanimate things ? 
 
 A. 1 Tim. iv. 4,5, 4 Every creature of God is good, and 
 nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving : 
 for it is sanctified by the word of God in prayer.’ 
 
 Q,. Why does the Church make use of the sign of the 
 cross in all her blessings and consecrations ? 
 
 A. To signify that all our good must come through 
 Christ crucified. 
 
 Q,. What do you mean by Holy Water P 
 
 A. Water sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 
 
 Q. What is the use of Holy Water ? 
 
 A. It is blessed by the Church in solemn prayers, to 
 beg God’s protection and blessing upon those that use 
 it, and in particular that they may be defended from all 
 the powers of darkness. 
 
 Q. Is the use of Holy Water very ancient in the 
 Church of God ? 
 
 A. It is very ancient, since it is mentioned in the 
 Apostolical Constitutions, 1. 8, c. 29. And as for the 
 English nation in particular, it is visible from the epistles 
 of St. Gregory the Great, 1. 9, epist.71, 4 that we received 
 it together with our Christianity.’ 
 
 Q. Have the holy fathers and ancient Church Writers 
 left upon record any miracles done by Holy Water ? 
 
 A. Yes, they have; more particularly upon those 
 occasions when it has been used against magical en¬ 
 chantments and the power of the devil. See instances 
 in St. Epiphanius, Haer. 30; in St. Hierome, in the Life 
 of St. Hilarion ; in Theodoret, 1. 5, Iiistor. Eccl. c. 21; in 
 Palladius Histor. Laus. c. 6, &c. 
 
 Q. What is the order and manner of blessing Holy 
 W ater ? 
 
 A. 1st, The priest signs himself with the sign of the 
 cross, saying, 4 Our help is in the name of the Lord.’ 
 Ans. 4 Who made heaven and earth.’ Then he proceeds 
 to the blessing of the salt which is to be mingled with 
 
 the water, saying, 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 247 
 
 The Exorcism of the Salt. 
 
 1 exorcise thee, O creature of salt, by the living + 
 God, bv the true + God, by the holy + God ; by that 
 God, who by the prophet Elisha commanded thee to be 
 cast into the water to cure its barrenness, that thou 
 mayest by this exorcism be made beneficial to the faith¬ 
 ful, and become to ail them that make use of thee health¬ 
 ful both to soul and body, and that in what place soever 
 thou wilt be sprinkled, all illusions and wickedness and 
 crafty wiles of Satan may be chased away and depart 
 from that place; and every unclean spirit commanded in 
 his name, who is to come to judge the living and the deacl^ 
 and the world by fire. Amen. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O Almighty and everlasting God, we most humbly 
 implore thy infinite mercy that thou wouldst vouchsafe 
 by thy piety to bless -f~ and to sanctify -f- this thy crea¬ 
 ture of salt, which thou hast given for the use of man¬ 
 kind : that it may be to all that take it for the health of 
 mind and bodyand that whatever shall be touched or 
 sprinkled with it, may be free from all uncieanness, and 
 from all assaults of wicked spirits, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, &c. 
 
 After this the Priest proceeds to the blessing of the water , 
 
 as follows. 
 
 I exorcise thee, O creature of water, in the name of 
 God the Father Almighty, and in the name of Jesus 
 Christ + his Son our Lord, and in the virtue of the Holy 
 + Ghost; that thou mayest by this exorcism have power 
 to chase away all the power of the enemy; that thou 
 mayest be enabled to cast him out and put him to flight 
 with all his apostate angels, by the virtue of the same 
 Jesus Christ our Lord, who is to come to judge the 
 Jiving and the dead, and the world by fire. Amen. 
 
248 THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O God, who for the benefit of mankind hast made use 
 of the element of water in the greatest sacraments, mer¬ 
 cifully hear our prayers and impart the virtue of thy 
 blessing -f- to this element, prepared by many kinds of 
 purifications; that this thy creature made use of in thy 
 mysteries may receive the effect of thy divine grace 
 for the chasing away devils and curing diseases; and 
 that whosoever shall be sprinkled with thus water in the 
 houses or the places of the faithful, may be free from all 
 uncleanness, and delivered from evil; let no pestilential 
 spirit reside there, no infectious air; let all the snares of 
 the hidden enemy fly away ; and may whatever envies 
 the safety or repose of the inhabitants of that place be 
 put to flight by the sprinkling of this water, that the 
 welfare which we seek by the invocation of thy holy 
 name may be defended from all sorts of assaults. 
 Through our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. 
 
 Then the Priest mingles the salt with the water , saying , 
 
 May this salt and water be mixed together in the name 
 of the Father, -f- and of the Son, -f- and of the Holy + 
 Ghost. Amen. 
 
 V. Lord be with you. 
 
 R. And with thy spirit. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O God, the author of invincible power, King of an 
 empire that cannot be overcome, anti for ever magnifi¬ 
 cently triumphant; who restrainest the forces of the 
 adversary, who defeatest the fury of the roaring enemy, 
 who mightily conquerest his malicious wiles; we pray 
 and beseech thee, O Lord, with dread and humility, to 
 regard with a favourable countenance this creature of 
 salt and water, to enlighten it with thy bounty, and to 
 sanctify it with the dew of thy fatherly goodness, that 
 wheresoever it shall be sprinkled all annoyance of the 
 unclean spirit may depart, and ali fear of the venomous 
 
THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTED. 249 
 
 serpent may be chased away, through the invocation of 
 thy holy name; and that the presence of the Holy Ghost 
 may be every where with us, who seek thy mercy. 
 Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with thee and the 
 same Soly Ghost liveth and reigneth one God, for ever 
 and ever. Amen. 
 
 The Blessing being ended,, the Priest sprinkles himself 
 and the people with the water , sayings 
 
 Anthem. Thou shalt sprinkle me, O Lord, with hyssop, 
 and I shall be cleansed$ thou shalt wash me, and I snail 
 be made whiter than snow. 
 
 Psalm. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy 
 
 great mercy, &c. 
 
 Glory be to the Father. 
 
 After which he repeats the Anthem, ‘ Thou shalt sprinkle,’ 
 &c. Then returning to the altar, he says, 
 
 V. O Lord, show us thy mercy. 
 
 R. And give us thy salvation. 
 
 V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 
 
 R. And let my cry come to thee. 
 
 V. The Lord be with you. 
 
 R. And with thy spirit 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Hear us, O holy Lord, Almighty Father, everlasting 
 God, and vouchsafe to send thy holy an^el from heaven 
 to guard, cherish, protect, visit, and defend, all that 
 dwell in this habitation. Through Christ our Lord. 
 
 Amen. 
 
The Preface 
 
 Page. 
 
 . 3 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter 1. 
 
 Of the Sign of the Cross.23 
 
 Chapter II. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Baptism.25 
 
 Chapter III. 
 
 Of the Ceremonies of Baptism, and of the Manner of admin¬ 
 istering this Sacrament in the Catholic Church.32 
 
 Chapter IV. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Confirmation, and of the Manner of ad¬ 
 ministering it.40 
 
 Chapter V. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of the Eucharist... 45 
 
 Section I. 
 
 The first Proof of the real Presence from the Words of Christ 
 at the first Institution of this blessed Sacrament.47 
 
 Section II. 
 
 The second Proof of the real Presence, from St. John vi. 51, 
 
 &c.54 
 
 Section III. 
 
 Other Proofs of the real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood 
 in the Blessed Sacrament. 60 
 
 Section IV. 
 
 Transubstantiation proved 5 Objections answered.67 
 
 Section V. 
 
 Of the Bread and Wine made use of in this Sacrament.74 
 
 Section VI. 
 
 Of Communion in one Kind.76 
 
 Section VII. 
 
 Of the Manner of administrating this blessed Sacrament; of 
 Devotion before and after Communion; of the Obliga¬ 
 tion of receiving it, and of its Effects. SO 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 251 
 
 Page. 
 
 Section VIII. 
 
 Of the Worship of Christ in this Sacrament; Where also of 
 
 Benedictions and Processions. 88 
 
 Chapter VI. 
 
 Of the Sacrifice of the Mass. 91 
 
 Chapter VII. 
 
 Of hearing Mass; where also of the Order and Ceremonies 
 
 of the Mass, and the Devotion proper for that Time... 97 
 
 Chapter VIII. 
 
 Of the saying Mass in Latin. 114 
 
 Chapter IX. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Penance; of Confession, and the 
 
 Chapter X. 
 
 Of Indulgences and Jubilees. 13d 
 
 Chapter XI. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. 136 
 
 Chapter XII. 
 
 The Order of the P^ecommendation of a Soul that is just de¬ 
 parting. 140 
 
 Chapter XIII, 
 
 Of the Office for the Burial of the Dead. 145 
 
 Chapter XIV. 
 
 Of Prayers for the Dead, and of Purgatory. 148 
 
 Chapter XV. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.*. 156 
 
 Chapter XVI. 
 
 Of the Superiority of Bishops, and of the Supremacy of the 
 
 Pope.*.*. 1^9 
 
 Chapter XVII. 
 
 Of the Celibacy of the Clergy. 168 
 
 Chapter XVIII. 
 
 Of Religious Orders and Confraternities. 175 
 
 Chapter XIX. 
 
 Of the Sacrament of Matrimony, and of the Nuptial Bene¬ 
 
 diction ... l 8 ^ 
 
252 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Pag** 
 
 Chapter XX. 
 
 Of the Churching of Women after Childbearing. 193 
 
 Chapter XXI. 
 
 Of the Fasts of the Catholic Church.... 195 
 
 Section I. 
 
 Of Fasting and Abstinence in general. 195 
 
 Section II. 
 
 Of the Fast of Lent.200 
 
 Section Illr 
 
 Of other Days of Fasting and Abstinence in the Catholic 
 Church. 204 
 
 Chapter XXII. 
 
 Of the Church Office, or the Canonical Hours of Prayer in 
 the Catholic Church. 206 
 
 Chapter XXIII. 
 
 Of the Festivals of the Catholic Church ; Where also of the 
 
 Holy Week, and the Ceremonies thereof.209 
 
 Chapter XXIV. 
 
 Of the Invocation of Angels and Saints. 218 
 
 
 
 Chapter XXV. 
 
 Of the Devotion of Catholics to the blessed Virgin Mary; 
 of her perpetual Virginity; of the Beads, Rosary, and 
 Angelns Domini . 227 
 
 Chapter XXVI. 
 
 Of the Use and Veneration of Relics in the Catholic Church 233 
 
 Chapter XXVII. 
 
 Of the Use of Pictures and Images in the Catholic Church.. 237 
 
 Chapter XXVIII. 
 
 Of Exorcisms and Benedictions or Blessings of Creatures in 
 the Catholic Church, and of the Use of Holy Water.... 245