Q. What are the daughters of sloth? A. Tepidity, pusillanimity, indevotion, weariness of life aversion from spiritual things, and distrust of God's mercy. Q. What are the remedies of sloth? A. To remember that of Jeremiah xlviii. 10. Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently. And to consider with what diligence men do worldly business. Q. What is the virtue opposite to sloth? A. Diligence, which makes us careful and zealous in performing our duty both to God and men. "Take heed, watch and pray, for you know not when the time is." St. Matt. xiii. 33. "Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for many I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able." St. Luke xiii. 14. CHAP. XIX. The Sins against the Holy Ghost Expounded.. Q. HOW many are the sins against the Holy Ghost? A. Six: despair of salvation, presumption of God's mercy, to impugn the known truth, envy at another's spiritual good, obstinacy in sin, and final impenitence. Q. What is despair of salvation? A. It is a diffidence in the mercies and power of God, as also in the merits of Jesus Christ, as if they were not of force enough to save us. This was the sin of Cain, when he said, My sin is greater than that I can deserve pardon. Gen. iv. 13. And of Judas, When casting down the silver pieces in the temple, he went out and hanged himself. St. Matt, xxvii. 4, 5. Q. What is presumption of God's mercy? A. A foolish confidence of salvation, without leading a good life, or taking any care to keep the commandments; such as they entertain who think they will be saved by faith only, without good works. Q. What is it to impugn the known truth? A. To argue obstinately against known points of faith, or to prevent the way of ur Lord by forging lies and slander, as Heretics do, when they teach the ignorant people, that Catholics worship images as God, and give angels and saints the honour which is due to God; or that the l'ope for money M 122 The Sins against the Holy Ghost gives us pardon to commit what sins we please; than all which, greater falsehoods cannot be invented. Q. What is envy to another's spiritual good? A. A sadness or repining at another's growth in virtue and perfection; such as sectaries seem to have when they scoff and are troubled at the frequent fasts, prayers, feasts, pilgrimages, almsdeeds. vows, and religious orders of the Catholic Church, calling them superstitions and fooleries, because they have not in their churches any such practices of piety. Q. What is obstinacy in sin? A. A wilful persisting in wickedness, and running on from sin to sin, after sufficient instructions and admonition. Q. How show you the malice of this sin ? A. Out of Heb. xvi. 26. If we sin willingly, after the knowledge of the truth received, now there is not left an host for sins, but a certain terrible expectation of judgment. Q. What other proof have you ? A. Out of 2 St. Pet. ii. 21. It was better for them not to know the way of justice, than after the knowledge to turn back from the holy commandment which was given them, Q. What is final impenitence? A. To die without either confession or contrition for our sins as those do of whom it is said, "With a hard neck, and with uncircumcised hearts and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost." Acts vii. 51. And in the person of whom Job speaks, saying, "Depart thou from us, and we will not have the knowledge of thy ways." Job xxi. 24. Q. Why is it said that those sins should never be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come ? A. Not because there is no power in God or in the sacraments to remit them, if we confess them, and be sorry for them, (excepting only final impenitence,) of which we read, "There is a sin to death for that I say not that any man ask." 1 St. John iv. 16, but because men very seldom do hearty penance for them. Q. How prove you that? A. Out of St. John i. 9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all iniquity. CHÁP. XX. Sins that cry to Heaven for Vengeance Expounded. Q. HOW many such sins are there? A. Four. Q. What is the first of them? A. Wilful murder, which is a voluntary and unjust taking away another's life. Q. How show you the malice of this sin? A. Out of Gen. iv. 10, where it is said to Cain, "What hast thou done? the voice of the blood of thy brother crieth to me from the earth: now, therefore, shalt thou be cursed upon the earth.” And Matt. xxvi. 52, "All that take the sword, shall perish by the sword." Q. What is the second? A. The sin of Sodom, or carnal sin against nature, or lust with a different sex. Q. What is the scripture proof of this? A. Out of Gen. xix. 13, where we read of the Sodomites, and their sin. "We will destroy this place because the cry of them hath increased before our Lord, who hath sent us to destroy them." (And they were burnt with fire from Heaven.) Q. What is the third? A. Oppressing of the poor, which is a cruel, tyrannical, and unjust dealing with inferiors. Q. What other proof have you of that? A. Out of Exod. xxii. 21. Ye shall not hurt the widow and the fatherless: If you do hurt them, they will cry unto me, and I will hear their cry, and my fury shall take indignation, and I will strike thee with the sword. And out of Isa. x. 3, 2. Woe to them that make unjust laws, that they might oppress the poor in judgment, and do violence to the cause of the humble of my people. Q. What is the fourth? A. To defraud working men of their wages, which is to lessen or detain it from them. Q. What proof have you of it? A. Out of Eccl. xxxiv. 37. He that sheddeth blood, and he that defraudeth the hired man, are brethren. And out of St. James v. 4, Behold the hire of the workmen that have reaped your fields, which is defrauded by you, crieth, and their cry hath entered into the ears of the Loid God of Sabaoth. CHAP. XXI. The four last things Expounded. Q. WHAT are the four last things? A. That we are mortal, and shall once die; how soon we are uncertain, and therefore we must be always prepared for it. Q. How prove you that? A. Out of Heb. ix. 27. It is decreed for all men once to die. And St. Mait. xxv. 13. Watch ye therefore, because ye know not the day nor the hour. Q. What is the best preparation for death? A. A godly life, and to be often doing penance for our sins, and saying with St. Paul, "I-desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ." Phil. i. 33. Q. What else? A. To remember often that of St. Mati. xvi. 25. He that will save his life shall lose it, and he that shall lose his life for me shall find it. Q. What understand you by judgment? A. I understand, that (besides the general judgment at the iast day) our souls, as soon as we are dead, shall receive their particular judgment at the tribunal of Christ, according to that, "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from henceorth now, saith the spirit, they rest from their labours, for their works follow them." Apoc. xiv. 13. Q. What is the best preparation for this judgment? A. To remember often that of Heb. x. 31. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And that of Cor. xi. 21, For if we did judge ourselves, we should not be judged. Q. What understand you by Hell? A. That such as die in mortal sin, ehall be tormented there both day and night, and for ever and ever. Apoc. xx. 21. There shall be weeping, howling, and gnashing of teeth; the worm of conscience shall always gnaw them, and the fire that torments them shall never be extinguished. St. Mark viii. 44, 45. Q. What understand you by Heaven? A. That the elect and faithful servants of God shall for ever reign with him in his kingdom, Where he bath such de lights and comforts for them, as neither eye hath secn nor ear hath heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man. Cor. ii. 9. Q. How prove you that ? A. Out of St. Matt. vii 21. He that doth the will of my Father who is in Heaven, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Q. What profit is there in the frequent memory of all those things? A. Very great according to that, " In all thy works remem ber the last things, and thou shalt never sin," Eccles. vii. 40, which God of his great mercy give us grace to do. Amen. CHAP. XXII. The Order and Canon, and Ceremonies of the Mass, Expounded. Q. WHAT is the mass? A. It is the unbloody sacrifice of Christ's body and blood, under the form of bread and wine. The word Mass, used in English, being derived from the Latin word, Missa. Q. Who instituted the substance or essence of the Mass? A. Our Saviour Christ at his last supper, when he consecrated (i. e.) converted the substance of bread and wine into his own true body and blood, and gave the same to his disciples, under the outward forms of bread and wine, commanding them to do what he had done in commemoration of him. Luke xxii. 19. Q. Who ordained the ceremonies of the Mass? A. The church, directed by the Holy Ghost. Q. For what end did the church ordain them? A. To stir up devotion in the people, and reverence to the sacred mysteries. Q. For what other end? A. To instruct the ignorant in spiritual and high things by sensible and material signs; and by the glory of the Church Militant to make them comprehend something of the glory of the triumphant church. Q. What warrant hath the church to ordain ceremonies ? A. The authority of God himself in the old law, command |