the merits of the blessed mother of God and all the elect from the first just person to the last are known to contribute; and there is not the slightest ground for fearing its consumption or diminition, as well upon account of the infinite merits of Christ, as because the more persons are brought by their application to righteousness, the more is the accumulation of these merits increased."

In these words, it is apparent that the holy pontiff includes in the treasure of the church in the matter of indulgences the merits of Christ and the saints; nor does he point out a different way of their being profitable, but in the way only of suffrage or impetration. Therefore, since the merits of Christ operate in the way of payment, the same is to be said of the superabundant merits and satisfactions of the saints,although in a very inferior degree.

lum, B. Dei genetricis, omnium electorum a primo justo usque ad ultimum nierita ad miniculum præstare noscuntur; de cujus cou sumptione seu imminutione non est aliquatenus formidandum, tani propter infinita Christi merita, quam pro eo quod, quanto plures ex ejus applicatione trahuntur ad justitiam, tanto magis accrescit ipsorum cumulus meritorum."

Ibi, ut patet, S. Pontifex in thesauro ecclesiæ pro indulgentiis recondit merita Christi et sanctorum; neque indicat diversum modum quo ista prosint, nempe viâ tantum suffragii et impetrationis: Ergo cum merita Christi viâ solutionis operentur, idem dicendum de meritis et satisfactionibus superabundantibus sanctorum, quanquam in gradu valdè dispari.

From the Christian Doctrine for the Use of the Diocese of Limerick, by the Right Rev. Dr. Young, and reprinted under the sanction of the Right Rev. Dr. Tuoay.

Ques. What is the foundation of indulgences?

Ans. The superabundant satisfaction of Christ and his saints, by which the virtue of the communion of saints is applicable to any one in a state of grace, who may be indebted to God's justice.

Ques. What do you mean by doing an action well?

Ans. I mean the doing it so, or in such a manner, that God may have no cause to find fault with it.

Ques. Are good actions of any other benefit to a Christian besides making him virtuous?

Ans. Yes; for moreover every good action is meritorious, impetratory, and satisfactory.

Ques. What do you mean by a good action being meritorious?
Ans. I mean that it deserves to be rewarded by God.
Ques. What do you mean by its being impetratory?

Ans. I mean that it claims and solicits God's grace, and a continuance and increase of it.

Ques. What do you mean by its being satisfactory?

Ans. I mean that it is capable of atoning for the punishment due to sin.

Ques. Can a good action be of any service to any other besides the doer?

Ans. Yes, in consequence of the communion of saints.

Ques. How so?

Ans. By a good action one may impetrate and satisfy for others as well as himself.

Extract from the Book of the Roman Catholic Church,
by Charles Butler, Esq.-P. 109. 1825.

Definition of Indulgences.

The Roman Catholic church teaches, that God frequently remits the essential guilt of sin and the eternal punishment incurred by it, but leaves a temporal punishment to be incurred by the sinner; that this temporal punishment may consist either of evil in this life, or of temporal suffering in the next-which temporal suffering in the next life we call purgatory; that the temporal punishment may consist of both these inflictions, and that the church has received power from God to remit them either wholly or partially. This remission is called an indulgence. When the temporal punishment is wholly remitted, the indulgence is said to be plenary; when the remission is partial, the indulgence is proportionably limited. Thus an indulgence of a certain number of days, or of months, or years, is a remission, during that period of time, of the temporal punishment due to the sinner.

Bellarmine, book 1, c. 20.
On the Beatitude of the Saints.

Concerning the manner in which they know what is said to them, there are four opinions among the doctors :

1. Some say that they know them from the relation of the angels, who at one time ascend to heaven, and at another time descend thence to us.

Bellarminus de Sanctorum
Beatit. lib. 1, c. 20.

De modo autem, quo cognoscunt, quatuor sunt doctorum sententiæ; quidam dicunt, eos cognoscere ex relatione angelorum, qui nunc ad cælos adscendunt, nunc inde ad nos de

scendunt.

Alii dicunt, sanctorum animas, sicut etiam angelos, mirâ quadam

2. Others say that the souls of celeritate naturæ quodammodo

Appendix on the Worship of the Appendix de Cultu Sanctorum,&c.

strange;* for as persecutions were then raging, the pastors of the churches were more anxious to instruct and to prepare the faithful for martyrdom than to write books. Besides, very few monuments of those ages have reached us.

bet; tunc enim, furentibus persecutionibus, pastores ecclesiarum de instruendis et ad martyrium præparandis fidelibus magis solliciti erant, quam de libris scribendis. Prætereà paucissima illorum sæculorum monumenta ad nos pervenerunt.

Dr. Delahogue admits that a religious service is paid to the saints by Roman Catholics.

Appendix on the Worship of
Saints-p. 218.

Note. In the whole of this question we shall call the worship of the saints, which we defend, a religious worship, although the Tridentine Fathers did not use that word. We however only mean to express by this, that the honour which we pay to the saints reigning in heaven is greater than any civil honour whatsoever, even higher than that which can be displayed to the greatest saints who are still living; and that this honour is paid to the saints in respect of religion, and on account of God, because it is ultimately referred to the mediator Christ, and to God, who is the rewarder.

Appendix de Cultu Sanctorum.
P. 218.

Nota. In integra hac quæstione cultum sanctorum quem defendimus, religiosum appellabimus, quamvis istâ voce usi non fuerint Patres Tridentini: illâ autem nihil aliud exprimere intendimus quam istud, honorem quem sanctis in cœlo regnantibus deferimus esse quocumque civili honore majorem, illo etiam præstantiorem qui sanctissimis viris adhuc è vivis exhiberi potest; quique sanctis deferatur religionis intuitu et ob Deum, quia ultimò refertur ad Christum mediatorem et ad Deum remuneratorem.

IMAGES.

IT is admitted by Dr. Delahogue, from whose authority there is no appeal, that images were not used in the churches for the first three centuries. The practice probably crept in in the fourth century. At all events towards the close of the 6th century we find Pope Gregory the Great recommending their use as books for the ignorant, but forbidding their worship in any shape. In the eighth century the council of Constantinople, which the church of Rome repudiates, decreed their removal from the churches. The second council of Nice decreed in opposition to this, that an honorary worship was to be paid to them. The council of Frankfort, consisting of almost all the western bishops, decided in opposition to

* As far as I can recollect, the only expression Romanists can lay hold of is to be found in a fragment of Irenæus, in which he calls the Virgin our advocate; and of this the original Greek is lost, nor is there any-thing therein in the shape of prayer or invocation to her. He merely institutes a comparison between her and Eve.

both of these, that images were to be preserved in the churches, but that no sort of worship was to be paid to them. Many Romanists have denied this in defiance of all the testimony of antiquity; and, indeed, it clearly proves that the doctrine of the infallibility of general councils was not held in the eighth century: but Bellarmine and Baroius reluctantly admit the fact. In the 12th and 13th centuries latria,+ the worship due to the blessed Trinity, was evidently paid to images. For we find it recommended, not only by Romish doctors, but by canonized saints. The council of Trent reverted to the decree of the second council of Nice, viz., that an honorary worship was due to sacred images, and that all the honour paid to the image passed to the Prototype. Hence there are no assignable limits to the adoration of images, which is proved by an extract from the Bishop of Boulogne's pastoral address.

Dr. Delahogue admits, first, that there is no apostolical or divine tradition in favour of images.

Dr. Delahogue admits, secondly, that there was no public worship of images for the first three centuries.

Hence was the reason why no public worship of images can be detected in the church during the first three centuries, which even in private must have been very rare."-Appendix on the Worship of Saints, &c. p. 265.

These three councils were

↑ Bellarmine on Sacred Images, c. xx. book 2. The question proposed is, with what sort of worship are images to be honoured? There are three opinions.

The second opinion is, that the same honor is due to the image as to the exemplar, and thence that the image of Christ is to be adored with the worship of latria; the image of the blessed Virgin with the worship of hyperdulia; and the images of the other saints with the worship of dulia. Thus Alexander, part. 3, quest. 30, last art.; the Blessed Thomas, part. 3, quest. 25, art. 3; and thus also Cajetan, the Blessed Bonaventure, Marsilius, Almayn, Carthusian, and others.

Inde habetur ratio, cur tribus primis sæculis nullus in ecclesiâ deprehendatur cultus publicus imaginum, qui etiam privatim infrequens prorsus esse debuit.Appendix de Cultu Sanctorum, &c. p. 265.

all held in the eighth century.

Bellarminus de Imag. Sanctis, c. xx. lib. 2. Proponitur quæstio, quo genere cultus imagines sint honorandæ. Tres sunt sententiæ.

Secunda opinio est, quod idem honor debeatur imagini et exemplari; et proinde Christi imago sit adoranda cultu latriæ; Beatæ Maria cultu hyperduliæ, sanctorum aliorum cultu duliæ. Ita Alexander, S par. quæs. 30, art. ult. B. Thomas, 3 par. quæs. 25. art. 3; et ibidem Cajetanus, B. Bonaventura, Marsilius, Almayn, Carthusianus et alii.

The fear of countenancing heathen idolatry.