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duty, which are by many learned men amongst themselves confessed not to be contained in Scripture.

fession, to make us withstand the devil and to regain the friendship of God."-Prayer Book for the Young, p. 272.

But, unfortunately, Christ nowhere tells us that Confession is necessary like Baptism and Holy Communion, and all that the Ritualist can do is to infer and contort, and "twist a fact to suit his theory."

"Q. 13. Since the Scripture may be misunderstood, have they no judge to determine the sense of it?

A. They say it belongs to the Church of Rome to judge of the sense of Scripture, and no one may presume to interpret the Scripture contrary to the sense which Mother Church hath held and doth hold.

What the Church doth teach is the express Word of God, and what is taught against the sense and consent of the Church is the express Word of the Devil."

"Your faith must be entire, because it does not rest on your own private opinion." "You must not choose your own religion, but believe all the truth that God teaches in His Church."- The Plain Guide, published by MASTERS & Co., p. 5.

"As to the first assault; if the enemy begin to tempt you with his false arguments, retire at once from the understanding to the Will, saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan, father of lies, for I will not even hear thee; enough for me to believe what the Holy Catholic Church believes." And do not, as far as possible, give place to questions about the faith, however plausible they may seem, but regard them as prompted by the Devil in order to stir up anxiety. But if, however, you are not in time to turn your thoughts quite away, stand firm and unmoved, so as not to yield to any reason AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE which the adversary may allege; for all will be garbled, or wrongly quoted, or misinterpreted, although it may appear to you to be good, clear, and conclusive.

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And if the subtle serpent demands of you what the Catholic Church believes, do not answer him, but seeing his device, and that he only wants to catch you in your words, make an inward

act of more lively faith; or else to make him burst with indignation, reply, that the Holy Catholic Church believes the truth; and if the Evil One should ask in return, "What is the truth?" you reply "Even that which she believes."-The Spiritual Combat, pp. 206-7, advertised as the English Catholics' Library.

This blind guidance tallies with renunciation of the mental powers quoted in Part II. on pages 124 and 125. Yet another

ACT OF FAITH.

"I most firmly believe, O my God, whatever Thy Holy Catholic Church believes and teaches, because Thou, who art the unfailing Truth, hath revealed it to her." English Catholics' Vade Mecum, p. 12.

ACT OF FAITH.

"I believe, O my God, all the truths Thou hast made known to us by Thy Holy Church. I desire to live and die in this faith. O Holy Church of Christ, the more men hate thee the more will I love thee!* Lord, draw close the bonds that bind me to Thy Church; give me a spirit of perfect obedience to its lawful pastors. In its bosom I was made Thy child, and in its bosom would I live and die. Amen."-Prayer Book for the Young, p. III.

This sounds very much as if we are blindly to hug and kiss the chains of our mental slavery, and to obey the priest as the truthful minister of a truthful Church in disobeying our great High Priest's (Jesus Christ's) command to "Search the Scriptures,"† a command the early Church thought fit to comply with ; but the modern Church is too knowing. It is a case of the "Almighty She" (so ably exposed by the World of Cant), whose voice, so loud, so dictatorial, and anon so sweet and insinuating, drowns the real and identical words of our Saviour. At the same time † St. John v. 39. + Acts xvii. II.

* The opposition shop.

that the Ritualist teaches this belief in the infallible Church, a consciousness seems to pervade him and to occasion the words, "Don't put the Church above the Saviour; if you do this you sin very much, and must pray for pardon." Page 72 of The Plain Guide, which reeks from first to last with Churchosophy, if one may coin a word.

Q. 20. Whither do the souls of those go that die in a state of grace, but are not sufficiently purged from their sins, or have not had a plenary indulgence for the remission of them?

A. Such go to purgatory, a place of torment in the other world, near to Hell, where they are to continue until they have made full satisfaction for their sins, and are thoroughly purged and prepared for Heaven, whereinto no unclean thing can enter.

Q. 22. Of what continuance is the punishment of that state?

A. It is but for an appointed time; and the person is to continue in it until he is purged from his sin and has suffered the punishment due to it.

Q. 23. Is there no way by which the souls of those that are in purgatory may be delivered out of that prison, and their time of torment shortened?

A. They may be helped and delivered by the suffrages of the faithful that are alive, that is by prayers, alms and masses, etc.

"It is true that the overflowing love of God bestows upon the souls in purgatory a happiness beyond expression great, but then this happiness does not in the least diminish the pain, rather the pain is constituted by this love finding itself unimpeded: the more perfect the love of which God makes the soul capable the greater the pain. In this manner the souls in purgatory at the same time experience the greatest happiness and the most excessive pain; and one does not prevent the other.". St. Catherine of Genoa, quoted on p. 15 of The Waiting Church, by WALTER PLIMPTON, published by G. J. PALMER.

"I commend unto Thee also, O Blessed Saviour, the souls of the faithful departed. Comfort them with the light of Thy countenance; give them the pardon of all their sins: and accept for them our prayers and the pure sacrifices which are offered in Thy Holy Church." Prayer Book for the Young, p. 56.

"May the Judge, before whom thou must appear, accept thee, purge thee from all earthly stain, purify thee with the purification of the sanctuary, and draw thee into His bosom of endless rest, forgiven for evermore. Amen.

"May the place of waiting be to thee refreshment, light, perfect cleansing, endless growth of divine beauty," etc.-Prayer for the departed. Canon CARTER'S Treasury of Devotion, p. 314.

Perhaps the reader had better turn to St. John v. 24, where Christ certainly does not teach the existence of a place of even the mild purging and cleansing of the Ritualist where departed souls seem to need "comfort." If at once in Paradise like the thief the purification is unneeded, but probably thieves, criminals and such like do get straight to heaven, but the superior saints, like God's holy priests, need an extra cleansing before they can enter into His presence. If so, this is as it should be, because Christ says, "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Q. 29. Of what doth the service in the Church of Rome consist?

A. It consists of prayers and hymns offered to God, angels, and saints; of lessons taken out of the Scriptures and legends; and of the professions of faith in the Creeds.

Q. 32. What are the objects of worship in the Church of Rome ?

A. Besides the Blessed Trinity, Angels, the Virgin Mary and Saints.†

* St. Matt. ix. 13.

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FORM OF CONFESSION. "I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary, to all Saints, and to Thee, my Ghostly Father,' etc., ending with "Wherefore I beg Blessed Mary, all Saints, and Thee, my Ghostly Father, to pray to the Lord our God for me."-English Catholics' Vade Mecum, p. 35. On p. 42 of the same is a "Petition for the prayers of the Blessed Virgin and the Saints."

"Call upon the Lord asking also for the help of the Blessed Virgin and all the Saints, and then you will be certain to gain the victory."-Spiritual Combat, P. 52, advertised as English Catholics' Library.

"And at other times we may also ask for graces through the prayers of the Blessed Virgin and other Saints, who have great

† Refer to Matt. iv. 10, as to whether either Romanist or Ritualist obey God's command.

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these memories" mother's pains for her child), "you will bring to bear a sweet pressure upon the Divine Son, who is ever ready to hear your prayer."

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Lastly, contemplate the most Holy Virgin herself, remember. ing how Divine Providence from all eternity has chosen her to be the mother of the Author of grace and pity. So there is no one beneath her Blessed Son, so full of tenderness, no one whose prayers are so powerful." "No one ever faithfully asked that her prayers might be granted to them and asked in vain."—Ibid., pp. 156-7.

66 Daily entreat the Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, and ask for the prayers of the Blessed Virgin, that St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, may also aid you."-Ibid., p. 161.

There is a Ritualist church in this neighbourhood where a picture of the Madonna and Child is hung over a small altar with flowers, etc.; and this church was ministered to by a member of the Society of the Holy Cross.

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Litanies and prayers to God for the assistance of His Holy angels abound in all ritualistic books. As a converse to all this St. Paul shews us in Heb. i. 6, that "all the angels of God worship Him," that is Christ, and in Rev. xxii. 8, 9, St. John tells how he "fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not;

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