George Hay

“ But if a man act according to the dictates of his conscience, and follow exactly the light of reason which God has implanted in him for his guide, is that not sufficient to bring him to salvation? A. This is, indeed, a specious proposition; but a fallacy lurks under it. When man was created, his reason was then an enlightened reason. Illuminated by the grace of original righteousness, with which his soul was adorned, reason and conscience were safe guides to conduct him in the way of salvation. But by sin this light was miserably darkened, and his reason clouded by ignorance and error. ”

“ Carlo Dolci's place in art is not altogether unlike that of some of his living countrymen in the world of music. There are Italian musicians known to all of us who have such a gift of sweetness that we cannot endure their melodies for long. A song now and again, or some sparkling little work for piano or violin, gives us a passing thrill of pleasure, and then we turn with complete content to the clearer atmosphere and more serene moods of the great masters whose works endure for all time. ”

“ Now it is the true religion of Jesus Christ, the true doctrine of His gospel, which is justice and light; all false doctrines are injustice and darkness: it is by our holy faith that we belong to Christ, and are temples of the living God; all false religions flow from the father of lies, and make those who embrace them unbelievers; therefore all participation, all fellowship, all communication with false religions, is here expressly forbidden by the Word of God. ”

“ Is there the smallest reason to suppose that salvation can possibly be found among "ravenous wolves, seducers of the flock, speakers of perverse things?" Is it possible to be saved in "pernicious sects, damnable heresies, false doctrines, dissensions, and offenses contrary to the doctrine received from the Apostles"? Can those be safe guides to Heaven whom the Word of God declares to be "enemies of the Cross of Christ," and "antichrists, whose end is destruction," who fall under the curse of the Apostle, "to whom the mist of darkness is reserved?" ”

“ Yet he is by no means to be despised, for he saw through his own little [21] window a view of the pageantry of life that must have made him happy, and was destined to stimulate generations that have passed and generations still unborn. His pictures do not lack sincerity, and do not fail to express the best that was in him. He saw Holy Families and saints and living sitters with an eye that insisted upon beauty and righteousness. He painted with exquisite finish, with delicate colouring, and with a measure of enthusiasm that the years have not dimmed. ”

“ If it be so absolutely necessary to do penance for our sins, and to imitate the sufferings of Jesus Christ, who shall be saved? for do we not see wickedness and vice everywhere reign, and penitential works in a manner banished from among us? Does not self-love universally prevail, and every one study only his own interest, ease, pleasure, and convenience? Nay, have not the generality of mankind a settled aversion to penance? ”

“ Paul describes them to us in a very strong light, as follows: "I, therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation in which ye are called with all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity; careful to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. One body, one spirit, as ye are called in one hope of our calling; one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in us all." ”

“ When a member of the Church goes to such religious meetings, whether to be present at their service or to hear their sermons, he never fails to give the greatest scandal; his going is a matter of triumph, and sometimes of derision, to those out of the Church, and causes affliction and offence to the faithful. It is an encouragement to the weak to do the same, lessens their esteem and respect for their holy faith, and gives those who are without occasion to bring such unhappy examples as a motive to induce others to do the same, as experience itself teaches. ”

“ What will it profit a man to know all things else, if he be ignorant of his God and of his Saviour? What though he understand the motions of the stars, the measure of the earth, and the whole circle of human sciences, if he be ignorant of that important science, the science of the saints, which alone will conduct him to eternal bliss? " If any man consents not," says St Paul, " to the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to that doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and strifes of words," I Tim. ”

“ Would not a man be a fool to prefer his own interpretation of the civil law of the land in opposition to the unanimous decision of the whole body of judges and lawyers? Besides, in so delicate a matter as religion, in which experience shows how jealous men commonly are of their own opinions, does not such unanimity evidently show the finger of God to be there? What but an overruling Providence could keep such multitudes of men united in religion who so widely differ in everything else? ”

“ What license does it give to the caprice of the human mind! It is therefore of the utmost consequence to examine the ground of this opinion, to see if we can safely trust our salvation to it. It is doubtless the interest of atheists and deists to adopt this opinion, to extol it with the highest praises for liberality of sentiment and charity; but a Christian who believes the Gospel will not receive it so readily: he knows that the Scriptures contain the truth of God, and; that it is unsafe to trust our soul to any maxim, however specious, which is not, grounded on their sacred oracles ”

“ To him, as to Fra Angelico, faith was a real and living thing, and like the great monk who died at ripe age while he was yet a boy, Gian Bellini became a lover of the world in its most picturesque aspect, accepting without hesitation the traditional explanation of its creation. ”

“ At present the gates of Hell seem opened, and infidelity of every kind stalks lawless on the earth; the sacred truths of religion are reviled and denied, the Gospel adulterated by countless contradictory interpretations; its original simplicity disfigured by loftiness of speech and the persuasive words of human wisdom. A thousand condescensions and compliances are permitted in the unchangeable doctrines of Faith and the pure maxims of morality and "the narrow way that leads to life" converted into "the broad road that leads to destruction." ”

“ And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of timber planks - behold I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life under heaven. ”

“ No man's work can be judged properly save in relation to his circumstances and his time, and, in order that we may avoid the danger of underrating Carlo Dolci's achievement and dismissing for obvious faults what we should praise for merit, we are forced to consider the case carefully lest we treat a deserving man with injustice. Bearing time, place, and limitations in mind, it is possible then to consider the painter without the prejudice that the most glaring defects of his art are calculated to arouse. ”

“ Besides, if a person once begin to hesitate about the importance of his religion, what esteem or regard can he have for the laws, rules, or practices of it? Self-love, always attentive to its own satisfaction will soon tell him that, if it be not absolutely necessary to be of that religion, much less necessary must it be to submit to all its regulations; hence liberties are taken in practice, the commands of the Church are despised, the exercises of devotion neglected, and a shadow of religion introduced under the show of liberal sentiments, to the destruction of all solid virtue and piety. ”

“ A. From this plain reason, that as heaven is a place of infinite happiness and never-ending bliss, great must be the malignity of sin, which alone can deprive us of that kingdom, and banish us for ever from all good. And as hell is a place of infinite misery and never-ending woe, dreadful must be the malice of sin, which alone condemns a soul to that never-ending torment. Now sin is the only thing that can do either of these things. The malice of men and devils can never deprive us of heaven, nor bring us to hell, if we be free from the guilt of sin. ”

“ And how unworthy of our vocation, and dishonorable to our religion, if, being members of the same body, servants of the same master, and children of the same father, united together in so many strong ties of religion, we should live in animosity and enmity with each other? ”

“ Now the malignity of mortal sin is such that it banishes the grace of God entirely from the soul, and makes it positively hideous and loathsome in His sight; whereas venial sin does not entirely banish the grace of God from the soul, but it obscures its lustre, diminishes its splendour, and stains its brightness. It does not render the soul positively hateful to God, but it makes her less pure, less holy, less beautiful, and consequently less agreeable in His sight. It does not destroy friendship between God and the soul so as to make them enemies ”

“ What, then, is to be said of those who, being brought up in a false religion, have no opportunity of hearing of the True Church and Faith of Christ, or who hear of it only in a false and odious light? Can such as these be saved if they live and die in their separation from the Communion of the Church of Christ, and in invincible ignorance of the truth? ”

“ This sacred sign of the cross is a means of reminding us of the two great and most important truths of our holy religion, the Unity and Trinity of God, and the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, which two mysteries are the sum of all Christian knowledge; for there are two things in this life which it is chiefly important to know - our last end, for which we were created, to which all our desires ought to tend, and in which our true and perfect happiness is only to be found ”

“ Can any words express more clearly that to know Jesus Christ, and to hear His voice, and follow Him-----that is, to believe and obey Him-----are the distinguishing marks of His sheep, to whom He gives eternal life? ”

“ So that though a person had been guilty of the most enormous sins, yet if upon his sincere repentance he receives the grace of baptism, and should die in that happy state, his soul would go at once to heaven, having nothing to hinder its entrance into that seat of bliss and happiness. And this is the reason why, when grown-up persons are baptized, no penitential works are imposed upon them, which is one great difference between this sacrament and that of penance, in which latter, though the guilt and eternal punishment be remitted, yet a debt of temporal punishment still remains to be paid. ”

“ And though such a soul were, in the remotest wilds of the world, God could send a Philip, or an Angel from Heaven, to instruct him, or by the superabundance of his internal grace, or by numberless other ways unknown to us, could infuse into his soul the knowledge of the truth. ”

“ A. Sacramental grace is that particular actual grace which is peculiar to each sacrament, and which strengthens the worthy receiver and enables him to perform the duties and accomplish the ends for which each particular sacrament was intended. Thus in baptism we receive strengthening grace to enable us to lead a Christian life; in confirmation, to profess our faith in the midst of all dangers, and resist all the enemies of our souls in the holy communion, to preserve and augment the life of the soul, and the love of God; in penance, to preserve us from falling back into sin ”

“ Nothing is of greater efficacy to give others a favorable opinion of our holy religion than a good life. This is a living argument which teaches the most ignorant and convinces the most obstinate. And hence we find this repeatedly commanded in the Scriptures on purpose to give edification to those who are without, and to excite them to glorify God. "So let your light shine," says Jesus Christ Himself, "before men, that they, seeing your good works, may glorify your heavenly Father." ”

“ We are composed of a body and a soul; and in our present state of weakness and corruption, the latter is in such subjection to the former that things purely spiritual seldom make a proper impression upon us; nay, by far the greater part of mankind are so enslaved to their senses, that they seem incapable of comprehending anything but what falls under the notice of these organs; so that even the great truths of religion, which they are bound to know, must be suited to their capacity, and made easy and familiar to them by similitudes taken from sensible objects. ”

“ Here, then, lies the difference: when a member of the Church of Christ considers his religion, he cannot have any reasonable grounds of doubt concerning it, and the more he examines, the more convinced he must be of its truth. But one brought up in a false religion, if he thinks at all, cannot fail to perceive the strongest grounds of doubt; and the more he examines, the more its falsehood must appear, for falsehood can never bear the light of unbiased and impartial examination. ”

“ Where we are persuaded of these two things, we can have no reasonable doubt of the truth of what we hear; but if either of these be wanting, we can have no certain faith in such testimony. Now, though in the ordinary course of life the testimony of other men is a very general and extensive source of knowledge, and in many cases must be entirely depended upon; yet, as all men are liable to be mistaken themselves, or to deceive us, therefore human faith, properly speaking, cannot be said to carry an absolute certainty along with it. ”

“ At the end of the world the Son of Man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth: then shall the just shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," Mat. xiii. 41 . Thus the whole posterity of Adam shall receive their eternal doom either in heaven or hell, in eternal happiness or eternal misery. ”

“ After all those dreadful forerunners of this great day, a raging fire like a torrent shall spread over the whole world, and execute the final sentence of destruction upon all creatures that shall then be on the face of the earth, and reduce the whole to smoke and ashes. ”

“ The Catholic Church alone possesses, as her undivided property, the glorious character of Catholic. In her communion alone, numbers of holy apostolic men have abounded in all ages, who, leaving all they possessed or could expect in this world, and burning with zeal for the conversion of souls to God, have dedicated themselves entirely to carry the light of the Gospel to those who " sat in darkness and in the shadow of death," and to bring heathen nations to the knowledge of Jesus Christ. ”

“ Ask, if all these forbidden meats were not as good in themselves as any others, and as much the creatures of God? But those who make this objection only show their own gross ignorance; for in eating flesh on forbidden days the sin does not consist in anything evil in the meat itself at those times more than at any other, but in disobedience to the command of God and His church, and in preferring our own unrestrained appetite, or the fear of the world, and what men will say, to the will of the most high God, and to the obedience which we owe to His commands. ”

“ It makes us sensible of the grievousness of our sins. Our great misfortune is, that we have not a just idea of sin; we think too lightly of it; and if we had nothing to suffer for it in this world, we would be apt to lose all horror of it, and consequently would take no care to avoid it; but when we see that Almighty God absolutely requires that we should do penance for sin, this shows us that there is something more dreadful in sin than we had imagined. ”

“ In every mortal sin, then, there are these two enormous evils - to wit, the turning away from God, Who is infinitely good, and the very fountain of goodness and life, and the embracing in His stead the monster sin, by the allurements of some deceitful appearance of an imaginary happiness, justly compared to a broken cistern that can hold no water, but only filth and mud. ”

“ The true spirit of penance shows the sinner the multitude and grievousness of his sins in their true colours, excites a horror and detestation of them, and a proper sense of his own demerits for being guilty of them, and renders him willing to undergo any sufferings as a just punishment. ”

“ But if, after she has long exercised herself in holy works, and laid up stores of riches in heaven by their means, she should at last fall into one mortal sin, such is the venomous poison of that monster, that in an instant it consumes all the treasures of her past virtuous life, and reduces her to a deplorable state of the most abject poverty. This God Himself declares in these strong terms: " If the just man turns himself away from his justice, and do iniquity, according to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? ”

“ Not that grace takes away all the effects of sin from the soul; for concupiscence, or that proclivity to sin which followed upon the loss of original justice, still remains; neither does it destroy those evil habits which we have contracted by actual sin; but it strengthens the soul against both, and enables us to fight against and overcome them: for these effects of sin are not sins in themselves, except in as far as we consent to them; when we faithfully resist them they cannot hurt us, but are the field of our victory, and the increase of our crown. ”