These scraps of heathen morality, from Aristotle and Cicero, are succeeded in each catechism by The Fruits of the Holy Ghost. "Q. How many are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? "A. They are twelve; 1. Love; 2. Joy; 3. Peace; 4. Long-suffering; 5. Gentleness; 6. Goodness; 7. Faith; 8. Meekness; 9. Patience; 10. Modesty; 11. Temperance; 12. Chastity. "Q. Name the seven Corporal works of Mercy. "A. 1. To feed the hungry; 2. To give drink to the thirsty; 3. To clothe the naked; 4. To harbour the stranger and needy; 5. To visit the sick; 6. To minister to prisoners and captives; 7. To bury the dead."-(p. 68.) The authority for this seventh work of mercy is the Apocryphal History of Tobit,—a book which contains unscriptural doctrines and contradictory statements; countenances magical fumigations against the devil; and is suspected to be a forgery of subsequent date to the Christian era. Yet the Romanist could associate it to a portion of a most solemn discourse of the Son of God, and the Tractarian imitates him! PAPIST. "Q. How prove you that these works deserve to be rewarded? "A. Because Christ hath promised the kingdom of heaven, as the reward of them. Come, O blessed of my father, (saith he) and possess ye the kingdom, &c., for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat,' &c., St. Matt. xxv. 35, 36. "Q. How many are the works of mercy, spiritual? "A. Seven also. 1. To give counsel to the doubtful; 2. To instruct the ignorant; 3. To admonish sinners; 4. To comfort the afflicted; 5. To forgive offences; 6. To bear patiently the troublesome; 7. To pray for the quick and dead."-(Abridg. ch. xv.) "Q. How show you these good works to be meritorious? "A. Out of Dan. xii. 3. They who instruct others to justice, shall shine like stars to all eternity. The succeeding answers in the Popish Catechism are substantially the same; the substance of what extends over some pages in the Romanist, being condensed into one sentence by the Tractarian. The contrary virtues are also given under each head. The following, like much other phraseology, is almost unintelligible to the members of the Reformed Church of England, and needs the explanation which the Romanist affords, but which it would have been obviously most imprudent for the Tractarian to given: The effrontery of the assertion, that "the most scrupulous care" has been taken to admit nothing contrary to the system of the Church of England, will appear marvellous when we learn that her authorized documents declare "what enormities and abuses have been in the three chief principal points, which they called the three essentials, or three chief foundations of religion, that is to say, obedience, chastity, and wilful poverty. . . Honour be to God, who did put light into the heart of ... King Henry VIII . . to put away all such superstitious and pharisaical sects, by Antichrist invented, and set up against the true word of God-- -God grant us all to feed of the sweet and savoury bread of God's own word, and (as Christ commanded) to eschew all our pharisaical and papistical leaven of man's feigned religion, which although it were before God most abominable and contrary to God's commandments and Christ's pure religion, yet it was praised to be a most godly life, and highest state of perfection, as though a man might be more godly and more perfect by keeping the rules. . . of men, than the commandments of God." (Hom. Good Works, p. 111. TRACTARIAN. The four last things expounded. "Q. What are the four last things? "A. Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven. "Q. What mean you by death? "A. That we are all mortal, and must once die; how soon, we know not, and therefore should be always prepared for it. Q. What is the best preparation for a good death? "A. A good, holy, and religious life, ever bewailing and confessing our sins, and striving to walk more and more perfectly in all God's commandments. "Q. What do you understand by judgment? PAPIST. The Four last things expounded. "Q. What are the four last things? "A. Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven. "Q. What understand you by death? "A. That we are all mortal, and must once die; how soon we are uncertain, and therefore we must be always prepared for it. "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.' "Q. What understand you by judg ment?' TRACTARIAN. "A. That beside the general judgment of the world, our souls shall receive their particular judgment at the tribunal of Christ. "Q. How must we prepare ourselves against this judgment? "A. By often remembering 'that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' Heb. x. 31. "Q. What do you mean by hell? "A. I mean a place, where such as die guilty of mortal sin' shall be tormented for ever and ever.'Rev. xx. 10. "Q. What understand you by heaven? "A. I understand a place, where the chosen and faithful servants of God, who die in a state of grace, shall live with him for ever in perfect happiness. "Q. What benefit have you by the frequent memory of these last things? "A. Very great benefit: 'Whatsoever, says the wise man, thou takest in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss.' Ecclus. vii. 36. (p. 74-76.) A. To remember often that of Heb. x. 31 [quoted] and 2 Cor. xi. 21. [quoted]. 6. Q. What understand you by hell? "A. That such as die in mortal sin, shall be tormented there both day and night, and for ever and ever, Apoc. xx. 21; St. Mark viii. 44. "Q. What understand you by heaven? "A. That the elect and faithful servants of God shall for ever reign with him in his kingdom. 1 Cor. ii. 9 [quoted]. "Q. What profit is there in frequent memory of all these things? "A. Very great according to that In all thy work remember the last things, and thou shalt never sin. Eccles. vii. 40, which God of his great mercy give us grace to do. Amen."-(Abridg. ch. xxi.) The catechism concludes with "the Christian's daily exercise," of which we give a specimen : TRACTARIAN. CHAPTER XVI. The Christian's daily Exercise. "Q. What is the first thing you should do in the morning? "A. I should make an act of adoration, and offer my heart and soul to God. "Q. What should you do next? "A. I should rise diligently, dress myself modestly, and entertain myself with good thoughts. "Q. What are those good thoughts? "A. Thoughts on the goodness and mercy of God, who has given me another day wherein to labour for the salvation of my soul: which day perhaps may be my last. PAPIST. CHAPTER IX. The Christian's daily Exercise. "Q. What is the first thing you should do in the morning? "A. I should make the sign of the cross, and offer my heart and soul to God. "Q. What should you do next? "A. I should rise diligently, dress myself modestly, and entertain myself with good thoughts. "Q. What are those good thoughts? "A. Such as thoughts on the goodness of God, who grants me this day to labour in it for the salvation of my soul; which day perhaps may be my last. |