out of the shade in which his singular humility would gladly have concealed it, and directing to it the eyes of all men ; and in sparing him to us so many years, it must have been the will of the great Head of the Church, the Ruler of all nations, to force upon our notice an example which would always have been most valuable, but which is at this moment especially necessary. Catholics are already far more numerous in the higher classes than they have been for many generations; and, if we may augur anything from present appearances, the Catholic faith is on the point of spreading among the English aristocracy in a manner quite without precedent. At such a moment it has pleased God to direct the attention of all men to Mr. Langdale, as a sample of what an English Catholic gentleman or nobleman should be, and of what Divine Grace can make him. As conversions are multiplied, and as young men are growing up whose parents were converted before they were old enough to choose for themselves between truth and falsehood, we shall assuredly, in too many instances, be reminded, that a man does not finally triumph over the devil and the flesh, perhaps still less over the world, by making the first great sacrifice of acknowledging himself a Catholic, and submitting, at all costs, to the successor of S. Peter. It is a great grace, and he who responds to it will receive greater graces still. But assuredly he will need more than others to bear in mind the solemn warning of Holy Scripture "When thou comest to the service of God prepare thy soul for temptation. For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation." Now as ever before it is not he that begins well, but "he that shall persevere to the end," that shall be saved. "To him that overcometh I will give to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also have overcome, and am set down with My Father on His throne." The Catholics of England, we doubt not, are heartily praying that the young men who are coming on to take the places on earth of those who have won their crowns, may, like them, persevere to the end. There are among them the sons of one much and justly honoured and lamented-Henry, seventeenth Duke of Norfolkwhom we all remember to have seen, in years past, attending upon Mr. Langdale, " as a son with a father," ready, (as we then confidently hoped,) to take his place when he should be called to his rest. But it did not so please God. He went before the man whom we hoped he would follow. What better can we ask for his sons, than that, when their time comes, they may leave behind them a record like his, before God and among men? Or what means can more tend to that end, than that they should begin life under the shadow of the blessed example, and not less blessed end, of Charles Langdale ? The Life of Father de Ravignan, of the Society of Jesus. By Father de PONLEVOY, of the same Society. Translated at S. Beunos College, North Wales. Dublin: Kelly, 1869. WE E need not tell the readers of the DUBLIN REVIEW, that this is one of the most interesting lives published of late years. The life of such a man as Ravignan, by one who shared all his counsels and his daily life, could not be otherwise. That this is in all respects a worthy translation,—the inscription in the title-page which connects it with the chief seat of theological studies in the English province of that great Society to which both the author and the subject belong, would suffice to warrant. And we have to thank the translator for putting before those who cannot quite familiarly read French, this faithful and life-like portrait of the great Jesuit. We must not trust ourselves to begin to extract anything from a volume so full of deep interest. Father Ravignan was born at Bayonne Dec. 1, 1795, on the feast of S. Francis Xavier, whose name he received. In 1813 he began his studies for the bar of Paris. When Napoleon returned from Elba, he volunteered into the royal army, escaped through great dangers into Spain, and returned after Waterloo. When peace was restored, he returned to the career of the magistracy, one much more distinct in France than among us. In 1822 he devoted himself to the Church, and in the November of the same year joined the Society of Jesus. His services in the Society are the subject of this volume. It is worth noticing that twice at different periods of his life, when his health, always very weak, had quite given way, he was unexpectedly restored, one of his penitents having offered to Almighty God her own life instead of his. Both times the offer was accepted. He died Feb. 25, 1858. We hope in an early number to make his very remarkable career the subject of an article. The Silence of Christian Transfigurations. By Rev. T. HARPER, S.J. M ANY different things may be called in different respects the foundation of Catholicity. Its scientific foundation is a sound philosophy; its argumentative foundation the evidences of credibility; its ecclesiastical foundation the dogma of infallibility; its theological foundation the dogma of God's existence and attributes. In like manner, we should be disposed to say that its ethical foundation is the ascetical principle. We do not wish to dogmatize unwarrantably. But consider any non-Catholic who heartily embraces those various truths, which are contained in the proposition, that counsels of perfection point to a far more admirable kind of life than that led by ordinary We are always disposed to regard such a non-Catholic as being on his men. road towards the Church, in quite a different sense from that in which others can be so accounted. The importance therefore is to our mind extremely great, of doing fearless battle against Protestant prejudice on this head; and of exhibiting, by every available argument, the nobleness of the religious life. We are most grateful then to the Jesuit Fathers, for taking occasion by the recent convent case, to preach and publish a course of sermons on this theme. Miss Saurin's suit has brought into prominent exhibition the well-known fact, how profound is the hatred felt by Englishmen in general, for convents, and for the idea which they represent. If then, as F. Gallwey tersely puts it, "convents are irreconcileable with the present mind of England, this island needs a re-conversion to Christianity" (p. 8).* This in fact, and nothing less, is what Englishmen have to learn: viz. the fundamental falsehood and odiousness of any standard of virtue, except the Catholic and ascetical; except the standard, which regards every man as more excellent, precisely in proportion as he lives a life of closer union with God. Our comments on the individual sermons must be very brief. They are admirable one and all; but they are of that class, which cannot be reviewed, except either very briefly indeed, or else in very great detail. F. Harper's indeed is but very partially concerned with the subject: still it is dedicated to the Sisters of Mercy; and contains a very beautiful application (p. 15) of our Blessed Lord's hidden life, to illustrate "the dull uniformity of routine, exact division of the day, devotion to menial occupations," which are regarded by the blinded, and ignorant Protestant, as the chief characteristics of life in a convent. From F. Coleridge's very striking sermon, we will select two passages, as expressing a doctrine of which it is hardly possible to exaggerate the importance. "Our actions, our words, our thoughts, are not measured and valued by God according to their substance, or their results, or their fruits, but simply according to the intention which animates them and rules them. Thus, as St. Paul teaches, we may give all our goods to feed the poor, we may even give our bodies to be burned, and yet it may profit us nothing. We may dispose of a whole fortune in alms-deeds and works of seeming devotion, from a motive, for instance, of vain glory; we may lay down our lives for some cause or principle inconsistent with charity, the true love of God, and all may be wasted or worse than wasted in the balance of His judgment. And, on the other hand, a simple and holy soul may thread a needle, or scour a floor, or dust a room, or darn a stocking, and the purity and intensity of the love of God for which she does these things, may make her actions meritorious even of the highest crowns in heaven." "All Christian perfection, whether it be that of Religious persons or not, consists in little things: in minute exactness; in strict purity of intention; in great vigilance over the thoughts, the affections, and the movements of the heart; in careful obedience; in perpetual self-sacrifice; in the utmost fidelity to the daily duties of our state of life, whatever that state may be; in child-like docility to the will of God concerning us, in whatever way He may make it manifest to us." * We wish we could share F. Gallwey's doubt, whether convents are thus detested by the great mass of Englishmen. 2 K VOL. XII.—NO. XXIV. [New Series.] By way of variety, we will extract from F. Gallwey two amusing hits at two great English institutions. "After three hundred years of experience, we do not expect much mercy from the British jury: and though we are quite aware that a jury is a great power-a kind of many-headed deity, before which, during their little hour of authority, the most learned and the most eloquent have to offer much incense, yet we never for a moment imagine, &c., &c. "If you saw the man who sits penning the declamation that is to become law among the great English nation; if you could know who his father was and who his mother, and how much he is paid for his writing; if you could converse with him and see him and handle him; possibly you would not follow his opinion on any point of importance: but because he is unseen he is a Deity. From behind the shelter of his incognito, he spreads havoc through the land. He pours a poison into the mind of the people-for a falsehood is a poison. And there is always a multitude ready to drink in such a poison for they have not time or leisure or inclination to pursue truth, and this falsehood they can have for a penny." Holy Confidence or Simplicity with God. Translated from F. Rogacci's "Unum Necessarium." London: Burns, Oates, & Co. THIS HIS is a charming little volume, and will doubtless stimulate many to seek acquaintance with the whole work from which it is extracted. As its title denotes, it is primarily ascetic; but several dogmatic questions of ascetical bearing are incidentally discussed. The "holy confidence" spoken of is considered by F. Rogacci the appropriate state of mind, for "every one who is free from mortal sin; who carefully tries to avoid venial faults, to purify his affections, to acquire the virtues that he needs, fully convinced that he is as nothing before God, and can do nothing without His help" (p. 14). Those, on the other hand, are not included in the author's subject, "who have but a slight knowledge of God, who think too much of themselves, and have an inordinate attachment to the good things of this world." As to the former class, however, he holds that they will best please God "by a sweet and confiding liberty" (p. 5). They "can pass whole days with Him with inexpressible delight," and find "the time of prayer a time of joy " (p. 12). Among the dogmatic matter incidentally introduced, is (p. 61) a consideration of attrition and contrition. F. Rogacci considers-and we heartily agree with him—that some writers enormously exaggerate the difference of difficulty between these two respective acts.* He even ventures on the May not the phrase however be misunderstood, that "the smallest degree of true love" suffices for contrition? The author means, of course, of amor super omnia,” of “sovereign love." But would he naturally be so understood? 66 66 remark, which to us certainly does not appear one whit too strong, that every man who has made some progress in the knowledge and love of God, is contrite whenever he chooses to be so" (p. 60); i.e., whenever he turns his intellect to the appropriate thoughts. Were an act of contrition so rare as some have supposed, what hope would there be for material "heretics who are in good faith, the number of whom, perhaps, is far greater than we imagine" (p. 61)? There is a different question altogether, of course, and one external to the author's theme; viz., whether even attrition is at all easily elicited, by those who are just beginning to rise from reckless habits of sin and worldliness.* Another dogmatic question treated is man's certainty of justification. The author does not hesitate to say (p. 73) "that really pious people can be quite certain of God's friendship;" though, of course, not with metaphysical certainty, still less with the certainty of faith. He shows that such an opinion is widely removed from the Protestant heresy condemned at Trent. F. Rogacci inquires also (p. 111), whether "it is true that the number of the elect is small;" and devotes twenty-five pages to the inquiry. He thinks it "probable that his opponents will find a larger company in heaven than they think" (p. 126). At the same time he draws a distinction (ib.) which seems to us of great moment. Even if the elect were comparatively very few, it would not at all follow that salvation is overwhelmingly difficult; for if there be one phenomenon more obvious on the surface than another, it is the persistency with which many Christians abstain from doing what they might most easily do to please God. For ourselves, while admitting thoroughly of course that nothing whatever can be certainly known on the matter, we fondly cherish a hope that God will show signal mercy at the last—in the way, e.g., of infusing contrition-on great multitudes : especially on those who have been under grievous spiritual disadvantage; on heathens, e.g., among whom the Gospel has never been preached. The one pervading moral of the whole work, is the unapproachable efficacy of prayer; and the happy confidence which should be entertained by all those, who are habitually given to practising prayer under due conditions. Vita Vitæ nostræ meditantibus proposita. Curante HENRICO JACOBO COLERIDGE, Societatis Jesu. Londini: Burns et Oates. WE E think that few greater benefits could be bestowed at this day on Catholic literature, than a carefully written life of our Blessed Lord; a work which, while remaining entirely faithful to long-established and certain Catholic principles, should also incorporate the many highly important results, which have been secured by that higher and more discerning criticism so characteristic of the present time. F. Coleridge mentions in his Preface, * Is not the word "wish" in p. 59 a mistranslation? It would naturally be understood to signify, we think, a velleity, rather than a firm and efficacious resolve. |