whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?" (1 John iv. 20.) Who honours the king and despises his image? and who honours the image and despiseth the original ?* Or again: since the Pharisees knew that it was indeed the great commandment, and put the question to him, tempting him; He wished to show them that the simple acknowledgment of one only GOD, was not sufficient for salvation; he not only said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with all thy soul," but he added, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," which was himself. Otherwise, had he replied to their question alone, it would have been enough to say, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy GOD;" and he would not have added, " and thy neighbour as thyself:" according to what he says elsewhere, "This is eternal life that they may know thee, the only true GOD, and JESUS Christ whom thou hast sent." (St. John xvii. 3.) And observe, he does not say, "Thou shalt know the Lord thy God," but "thou shalt love." For to know that there is a true GOD is almost the property of human nature; but to love him is the property only of a devout and upright heart. And whosoever shall love God with all his heart, it is not possible but that he come also to the knowledge of his Son; that is, of his neighbour. For that very love of GOD which is in him, enlightening him, will be a guide to him to come to the knowledge of the Son also. "On these two commandments, dependeth the whole law and the prophets." For he that loveth his neighbour, will not kill; neither will he lie to him whom he loveth; neither will be bear false witness against him whom he loveth; nor will he lay hold of his wife. Sicut odium omne malum suggerit, sic dilectio omne bonum." As hatred suggests all evil, so love is the mother of all good. Whence the apostle speaks of "Faith that worketh by charity." (Gal. v. 6.) So, also, since all the preaching of the prophets and of the law was from the Father and the Son, by whom any one that knoweth his neighbour, that is, the Son of GOD, came to the first and great commandment, so as to love GOD the better because he came to the knowledge of him through himself. "And the Pharisees being gathered together, JESUS asked them, saying: What think you of Christ? whose son is he? They say to * Let our unhappy brethren who are spiritual Iconoclasts, examine seriously this doctrine; and say whether they can be right in refusing a relative honour to the images of Christ, and his saints, of the dear remembrance of our dying Lord, and of his faithful followers. him, David's." The Jews, thinking him man, tempted him; for they never would have tempted him, had they believed him to be the Son of God. Christ, therefore, wishing to show that he saw through the fallacy of their hearts;' that it was not man whom they tempted, but GOD, "who can be tempted of no man ;" would neither declare to them openly the truth regarding himself, nor yet be silent. He would not tell them openly, lest taking hold of an occasion of evil, the Jews should rage blaspheming. Nor would he be wholly silent respecting the truth, for to this end he had come, to manifest the truth. He therefore proposed to them a question in like manner; that while he was silent, the very question should show to them who he was. How could be called his lord, who was born of him? A question, I think, that may be put not only against the Pharisees, but against the heretics. For, according to the flesh, he was truly the son of David; but the Lord, according to his divinity. If, then, Christ is called according to ⚫ the flesh, the Christ; or, according to the flesh, is ordered to sit on the right hand of the Father; as the heretics hastening to compose what is false from this equality, suppose, never would Christ have denied that he was the Son of David. For we may have a son who may be after us; but the Lord cannot, unless he be either with us, or before us. Now Christ, according to the flesh, is after David, according to his divinity before him. Therefore, he signifies that He was before him; therefore he showed that he was his Lord; he showed that he would be ordered to sit; he who now was, that is, the only begotten GOD. "And no man was able to answer him a word; neither durst any man, from that day forth, ask him any more questions." The confusion of many had thus become the instruction of all; for if we believe that all things are done according to the Providence of GOD, we shall understand why Christ, on their ceasing to ask questions, yet ceases not to teach; but that Christ was silent because they durst not ask him any more questions; for He that hath set bounds to the sea, setteth also limits to the power of the devil striving against him, whensoever he pleaseth. NEW CATHOLIC MISSION, HACKNEY. LAST month we had the pleasure of announcing the opening of a new mission in the crowded district of Saffron-hill; we have again the satisfaction of observing that a temporary chapel has been opened in the equally destitute neighbourhood of Hackney,-in London-lane, opposite St. Thomas-square. The august sacrifice was offered up on the 7th ult. for the first time, by the Very Rev. Joseph Herrezuelo, and a powerful appeal made by the Rev. Dr. Kirwan in aid of the mission. This is as our hearts desire. Only let a humble chapel be opened, and with God's blessing, in a wondrous short time a congregation of Catholics will rally round it. In every district of London-we may say of England, there are abundance of Catholics, who though sadly deficient in all other respects, have yet the seeds of faith, though dormant, within them, though so far lost as almost to have abandoned it practically, that is, too often by the scandal of an irregular and careless life. To such, the opening of a new mission is, as it were, a voice calling them from the dead. Many, by GoD's blessing, hearken to its call, and returning to their religious duties, in a short time, by virtue of the holy sacraments, repair what a scandalous remissness had impaired. But it is not for these alone that we feel glad that the opportunity of return be afforded, it is for that large and growing class of anxious inquirers, that like new life and blood are continually flocking in to fulfil the number of GoD's elect in his holy Church. Let us assist, then, the pious and devout object of our good bishop, with our alms, great or small, feeling assured that a better channel for our superfluous means could not be found, than those which his earnest and unceasing charity provides for the good of the flock entrusted to his apostolical charge. Subscriptions in aid of this important mission will be received by the Right Rev. Dr. Griffiths, 35, Golden-square; by the Very Rev. John Rolfe, Finsbury-circus; by J. F. Triebner, Esq., F.S.A., 81, Old Broadstreet; by Mr. Wm. Harrison, Mole-street, Hackney; and by the Editor of the Catholic Magazine. 577 SONNET. ADDRESSED TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LADY P "Quoniam mille anni ante oculos tuos tanquam dies hesterna quæ præteriit." (Psalm xc. 4.) LADY! the time seems long since last we heard The music of thy voice. Its tone recalls, The dimly gleaming forest and the bird O'er their enraptured gaze. Noteless, unheard, And pensive moonlight, tell of life's decay, While musie wakes the thoughts that heavenward soar. Feast of St. Philip Benit. 1842. REVIEW. 1. An Account of the recent Conversion, at Rome, of Alphonse Ratisbonne, a Jew of Strasburg, translated from the Original Narrative of the Baron de Bussière, and edited, with a Preface, by M. J. Quin, Esq. 12mo. London: C. Dolman, New Bond-street, and T. Jones, Paternoster-row. The Conversion of M. Marie Alphonse Ratisbonne, narrated by himself in a letter to M. Desgeunettes, Curé of Notre Dame des Victoires, Paris. Translated from the French. 18mo. London: T. Jones, Paternoster-row. WE feel rather surprised that hitherto so little notice has apparently been taken of the interesting pamphlet now before us. We wish the charge of endeavouring to draw the attention of our readers thereto had fallen into other hands more capable of doing justice to it. Never theless, we can no longer refrain from using our feeble efforts to give still more publicity to an occurrence which must afford the highest gratification to every true Catholic. We know not how to give expression to the feelings of wonder and admiration with which we were impressed on reading this account of the miraculous conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne, who from a determined Jew, was instantaneously changed to a fervent disciple of Christ. And how was this effected? We cannot do better than give the account of the supernatural event from the work itself; first observing, that the Baron de Bussière, who was the instrument the Almighty was first pleased to make use of for the conversion of Ratisbonne, had succeeded, with some difficulty, in persuading him (Ratisbonne) to wear a medal of the Blessed Virgin, and also to invoke her intercession, by repeating the invocation "Memorare" of St. Bernard, which after much solicitation he promised, more in joke than in earnest, to comply with, as it is very happily related, pp. 4-5. The following is the extract above alluded to: 66 Thursday, 20th January, 1842.-Ratisbonne had not yet made a single step towards the truth; his determination still seemed unchangeable, his manner was still as full of raillery as ever, and his thoughts still remained bent on the things of this earth. Towards mid-day, he happened to go into the Café in the Place d'Espagne, to read the journals. He there found my brother-inlaw, Edward Humann; he chatted with him upon the news of the day with a gaiety of mind which excluded every idea of his having anything else to think of for the momnet. Upon leaving the Café he met the Baron A. de Lotzbeck, who lived at the same hotel with him. He talked to him upon trivial matters : he spoke of the ball, and of the pleasure he had derived from the brilliant entertainment given by the Prince Torlonia. Assuredly, had anybody then said to him' You shall be a Catholic in two hours,' he would have pronounced his informant a madman. At one o'clock I was obliged to go to the Church of St. Andre della Fratte, to make arrangements for the obsequies of the next day. Behold, as I was going along, whom should I meet in the Via Condotti but Ratisbonne; he then came with me. We entered the Church, and he perceiving the preparations for the funeral service, asked me what they meant. 'They are for a friend whom I have just lost-M. Laferronnays, whom I loved exceedingly.' He then walked up and down the nave for a while, with a cold and indifferent look, as much as to say, 'What a paltry affair this church is!' In the meantime I had occasion to go into the interior of the convent; upon my return, after an absence of a few moments, I could no where see Ratisbonne. At length, looking about, I found him upon his knees, in the chapel of St. Michael the archangel. I approached him; I touched his shoulder |