"3. Generally, in all sins of licentiousness, the circumstances are to be asked both of the person confessing, and of the person with whom, or about whom the sin has been committed; whether she is single, married, bound by a vow, a relative, &c. "4. As for external sins of licentiousness between two persons, the confessor ought to ask, whether those persons live together in the same house: because when once the sense of shame is taken away, such dwelling together is most dangerous; and therefore, ordinarily, they should, without dissimulation, be separated. Farther, it should then be asked, how long they have thus lived together, what sacraments they have frequented, &c.; as is taught more at large in the Treatise concerning Penance." The chapters which treat of the injury and restitution due in case of adultery, and the manner of making such restitution, I decline translating. The Treatise concerning Contracts, which constitutes the remainder of the 3d volume, contains nothing of special interest to the general reader. CHAPTER XXVIII. VOL. IV. commences with a Treatise on the Virtue of Religion. "Religion is defined as a virtue exhibiting the worship due to God, as the first principle of all things. It is also rightly defined by others, a virtue inclining the will to pay the worship of latria due to God. Religion is a supernatural virtue connected with charity," &c. At the close of No. 3. the following question is asked. "How can all the worship of religion be said to be due to God, when there are works of supererogation, by which God is worshipped; suppose the vow of chastity? "I answer with Wiggers, that all our works are rightly said to be due to God; because we are in every way the servants of God; yet as God does not exact all these works, as to the exercise of the act, as though due by a special precept, in this sense, some are called works of supererogation; for there are no works of pure liberality in man with respect to God. Besides, this worship is said to be due to God, because it is due, or can be paid to no other." No. 12 treats of the necessity of prayer to salvation. "Is there a command to pray? "St. Thomas teaches the affirmative answer, q. 83. art. 2., &c., saying,-To ask (or pray) falls under a precept of religion, which precept is plainly enjoined,' John xvi. 24, where it is said, Ask and ye shall receive. The catechism of the Council of Trent teaches the same. But this precept is divine and natural. "When is the precept of praying obligatory? "Ans. Wiggers, Sylvius, Layman, and other scholastics enumerate many occasions in which the precept of prayer is obligatory, either in itself or by some circumstance according to the ordinary laws of God; namely, "1. About the beginning of the use of reason. Thus Wiggers, Boudart, &c., teach. "2. In danger of death. Sylv., Boud., Laym., Bec. "3. In grievous temptation. Wigg., Boud., Van Roy. "4. When it is necessary to begin some arduous work. Sylv. "5. When the sinner is obliged to prepare himself for a state of grace; or when some sacrament is to be received or administered. Wigg. "6. In any necessity of the church, state, or community. Wigg., Laym. "7. Also in our own necessity or danger, or in that of our neighbour, especially in spiritual, according to the rule by which charity obliges; when, indeed, prayer will appear to be a very convenient means of obviating the necessity. Less., Laym., and St. Thom., &c. "8. That the precept of prayer is obligatory on festival days, St. Thomas indicates in the passage already cited, say. ing: 'The appointed time of prayer seems determined by the church for all people; as by the statute of the canons they are obliged on festival days to be present in the divine services, especially in the sacrifice of the mass, that they may conform their intention to the ministers praying for the people. * "It ought to be observed that not every defect of prayer induces mortal sin, &c." From No. 16 to No. 24, the Lord's prayer is explained and discussed. No. 25. Concerning the angelic salutation. "Hail Mary, full of grace, &c. "The pious devotion of the faithful from the most ancient custom of the church in its infancy, observes, that after the Lord's prayer, the angelic salutation be recited, that through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may obtain what we ask from God: for she, next to Christ, is our hope. "The angelic salutation consists of three parts: the first part contains the salutation of the archangel Gabriel; the second, the words of St. Elizabeth to Mary, spoken by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; the third part contains the prayer of the church, invoking the patronage of the Virgin Mother of God: but this part is believed to have been added in the 5th cent., against the heresy of Nestorius, who denied that Mary was to be called Deipara, or the Mother of God. "Marchantius, in the Hortus Pastorum, book 2, de Spe., Tract. 4, furnishes a more ample explanation of the angelic salutation, for the use of preachers." No. 26. Concerning the Rosary. "From the Lord's prayer and the angelic salutation, is framed the celebrated form of prayer, approved by the church, which is called the Rosary, containing fifteen decades of angelic salutations, fifteen Lord's prayers intervening, in which are called to mind the principal mysteries of the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. "In this Rosary, the fifteen mysteries are disposed in this order that first, the five joyful mysteries may be remembered, viz: 1. The annunciation of the Blessed Vir. Mary; 2, the visitation; 3, the nativity of Christ; 4, Jesus pre sented in the temple at the feast of the purification of the B. M. V., (i. e., the Blessed Virgin Mary,); 5, Jesus found in the temple. "Five dolorous mysteries follow: 1. The sorrow of Christ in the garden; 2, his scourging; 3, his crowning with thorns; 4, the bearing of the cross; 5, the crucifixion. "Five glorious mysteries are added: 1. The resurrection of the Lord; 2, his ascension; 3, the advent of the Holy Spirit; 4, the ASSUMPTION of B. M. V.; 5, the CORONATION of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in heaven. 66 It is proper, in catechisms and sermons, to teach the faithful these mysteries of the Rosary, because they contain an idea of the life of Christ. "The practice of reciting the Rosary, is that the person praying in the recitation of each decade represents to himself one of these mysteries, and bows his head at the names of Mary and Jesus, and salutes the same as though represented and formerly constituted in such mystery." No. 27. Concerning Litanies. "St. Gregory encouraged the use of the litanies of all saints which form of praying had been practised in the church long before him, &c. "The litanies of the B. M. V. of Loretto, were approved in subsequent periods, by the custom of the church, and the authority of the Popes, in which the B. Virgin Mary is called by various peculiar and metaphorical names, in order that prayer to her at any time may be protracted without weari ness. "Observe, that these two litanies alone have been approved by the church as public prayers: and hence these two only may be publicly sung in the divine service, according to the decree of Clement VIII., and the declaration of the S. Congreg. Rit. in Alexand., May 15, 1608. "Yet in this general prohibition, the litanies approved by the Apostolic See do not seem to be included, such as it is commonly affirmed the litanies of the holy name of Jesus are, from the circumstance that Sixtus V. Const. Reddituri has conceded 300 days of indulgence to those who recite them, as Luc. Ferraris remarks after others in, &c., &c.. "It would appear that litanies, which are everywhere found in prayer-books, approved by the censor, may be recited by private persons. *The following is the litany of the Blessed Virgin, as furnished on p. 128 of the Catholic Companion, published with the approbation of the Right Rev. Dr. Kenrick. THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN. ANTHEM. We fly to thy patronage, O holy mother of God! despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us from all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin! Lord have mercy on us, Christ have mercy on us, Lord have mercy on us, Christ hear us, Christ graciously hear us, God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us, God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us, Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother unviolated, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of our Redeemer, Vessel of singular devotion, Tower of David, Pray for us. |