nal glory. This efficacious power and grace of the Holy Ghost, was visibly seen in the Apostles after his coming; who, before, were full of fear, and without hearts and tongues to defend themselves; but immediately after his coming, were filled with fortitude, and boldly preached Christ to the world, and even rejoiced, that they were thought worthy to suffer affronts for the name of Jesus. It is this seven-fold grace of the Holy Ghost is the proper effect of confirmation; not the Gratiæ gratis Datæ, not those extraordinary gifts of tongues, or miracles, or prophecy, &c. numbered by St. Paul to the Corinthians. 1 Cor. xii. For these were given more for the conversion of infidels, than for our sanctification, and were not the ordinary effect of this sacrament, as is plainly proved, in that the faithful in the primitive church did not all receive all those extraordinary gifts with confirmation, but one had the gift of tongues, another the gift of prophecy, another of miracles, &c. as St. Paul testifies. Besides, the seven-fold grace of the Holy Ghost, which enables us to perform all the duties of our christian state, is by far the more excellent gift.

As in baptism, so in confirmation, we have a god-father or god-mother, and may have both, but one suffices, and those who stand sponsors, contract the same spiritual affinity with the party confirmed, and with his parents as in baptism, and the same impediments of marriage arises from it.

This sacrament may be received immediately after baptism, whether in your infancy, or when you are of age, which seems to have been once the general practice, as it is in the Greek church at present; but in the Latin church the common practice is, not to give confirmation, but to such as are come to the use of reason.

EXHOR. Give thanks to God, O christian, for the institution of this great sacrament, which you either have received, or are to receive; which gives such strength, and enables you to withstand all the enemies of your soul. O think of the divine person that descends upon you, as upon the Apostles and Disciples at Pentecost. Adore him as the same God with the Father and the Son, with your whole heart. Think of those graces

and gifts he bestows upon you: they infinitely exceed all the gifts and blessings of nature; for these enrich the soul in order to a future eternal glory: gifts which, in their effects, will abide by you for all eternity. As to you, who have already been confirmed, see if you have complied with the grace given you therein, or not rather abused it. O recal yourself, and if through weakness and frailty, you have gone astray, have recourse to the sacrament of penance, by which sanctifying grace is recovered. God is ever merciful to a truly penitent sinner. As to you, who are to be confirmed, see you come with a right disposition; remember you must be in a state of grace to receive it worthily; for mortal sin is opposite to all grace, and must needs frustrate the effect of the sacrament. In a word, endeavour to preserve unblemished the spiritual character which is signed upon your soul, that it may appear, one day, not to your shame, but to your glory.

SECT. I.

OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST.

The Holy Eucharist a Sacrament.

2. WHAT

HAT is the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist? A. It is the body and blood of Jesus Christ, true God and man, under the forms of bread and wine. Q. In what manner is he there present ? A. By the true and real presence of his divine and human nature, and not in figure only, as hereticks would have it. Q. When did Christ ordain this sacrament? A. At his last supper. Q. By what power is it wrought? A. By the divine power. Q. What is the matter of it? A. Wheaten bread, and wine of the grape.. Q. What is the form of it? A. This is my body, this is my blood. Q. What are the effects of it? A. It increases grace, and nourishes the soul in spiritual life: He that eats this bread shall live forever.

INSTRUC. The Holy Eucharist is the third sacrament in the order of grace; in the first, we are re-born

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children of grace; in the second, we are strengthened and confirmed, so to become perfect christians; in this we are nourished, in order to eternal life. This sacrament contains, under the species or appearance of bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ, truly, really, and substantially, and not in figure only; for Christ himself convinced his disciples of the contrary; when they contended among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Did he answer, They were to eat it only in figure? No: he answered, That they were to eat it really and indeed: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood you shall not have life in you; for my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. What he there promised that he gave to the Apostles at his last supper, as the Evangelists testify: Take ye and eat, this is my body. This is my blood of the New Testament, which shall be shed for many, for remission of sins. St. Matthew xxiv. This is my body; this is my blood of the New Testament, which shall be shed for many. St. Mark xiv. 22. This is my body, which is given for you; this is the cup, the New Testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you. St. Luke xxii. 19. The church and holy fathers ever took it as such. This is done by an omnipotent power, beyond the reach of man to fathom it is done by the same Almighty power, that <wrought such wonders throughout the old law; that changed the rivers and waters of Egypt into blood, and blood into waters again; that changed the water into wine in Cana; that made the world out of nothing; and cannot he, who made all things out of nothing, make one thing of another.

26.

:

As the body and blood of Christ are truly and really present, by virtue of these words, This is my body; this is my blood: and as his body and blood are not now in a state of division, but union; and his body and soul are not now separated by death, but united again by his resurrection; and moreover, as his human nature has ever been united to his divine Person, by that insepara ble union which made him God and man; hence it follows clearly, that Christ our Lord, true God and man, is really present, and received in the holy Eucharist,

whole and entire, under each kind; the same who was born of the Virgin Mary, the same who suffered, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven: the same body and blood of Christ, as to its substance, but different as to its manner of being in this sacrament; as the bodies we now live in, shall, after the resurrection, be the same in substance, though different in quality.

all

This divine Sacrament our Saviour instituted at his last supper, when having eat the Paschal lamb, which was a figure of the true Lamb of God, who was to die for the sins of mankind: He took bread and blessed it and broke it; and gave it to his disciples, and said, take ye and eat; this is my body. And taking the Chalice, he gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye of this; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which shall be shed for many for remission of sins. St. Matt. xxvi. 26. And that this sacrament might remain with us to the end of the world, he made his Apostles priests, and gave them power to do as he had done, saying to them, Do this in remembrance of me.

The essential matter of this is wheaten bread, and wine of the grape; it cannot subsist of any other, be cause these were used and prescribed by Christ himself at his last supper; and in these are signified the two principal effects of this divine sacrament; for as bread and wine are our natural food, by which life is sustained upon earth; so the holy Eucharist is the supernatural and divine food of our souls, by which we live forever; this is declared at our receiving it: The body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul to life everlasting. Again, as there are many grains of wheat united in one loaf, and many grapes are mingled in one cup of wine; so all the faithful, who are many in number, are united together in one body, under one head, by the bond of charity, in the participation of this sacrament. The form lies in the words of Christ, pronounced by the priest, in the consecration of the bread and wine: This is my body, this is my blood; which words are taken from the sacred mouth of Christ, spoke in his name, and by his order and authority, who commanded his disciples to do as he had done: it is not then men, but

God, who works this divine change by man. And hence it appears that none but a priest is a minister of this sacrament, who by lawful ordination, is a successor to the Apostles in the priesthood; for they alone were present at the institution of it; and all other ministers of it must have authority and power from them, to do as our Saviour did; that is, to consecrate and deliver it to the people, as he did to his Disciples. And to make a more solemn distinction between priest and laity, all those who are not in holy orders, are forbid even to touch or handle such things as are used in the act of consecration, unless some great necessity do excuse it.

As to the effect of this sacrament, it was instituted to be the food of our souls, and is given us under the outward forms of such things as we eat and drink, that those ontward signs might represent the inward effect: for it gives vigour, life, health, strength, and refreshment to the soul, as food does to the body and whatever food can do in respect to our natural life, the same effect the holy Eucharist has, as to the spiritual life; inasmuch as the soul is thereby fortified against all interior corruptives, as well as exterior attacks of the Devil; preserved from mortal sin which is the death of the soul, and at last brought to life eternal: He that eats of this bread shall live for ever.

EXHOR. O adorable sacrament! O mystery of mys teries! Admire, O christian, the divine power of God therein, who works a thing so far beyond the reach of our understanding! Adore his goodness and wisdom, in providing you a spiritual banquet, set forth with the delights and splendour of heaven. Praise his mercy and love, in making himself the miraculous food of our soul. O sacred Bread, which comes down from heaven, giving us life everlasting!-Presume not as some, to dive into this, or any other mystery of your faith, infinitely beyond the reach of your comprehension: but with an humble heart and sincere mind, submit your sense, your reason, your understanding, to the almighty power of God. The same omnipotent God, who said at the creation, Let it be made, now says to you, This is my body; and since he has declared himself to be really present therein, who will dare to say, he is not? Remember, one