Q. How declare you that?

A. Because the Father was with her, as with his Spouse, the Son as with his Mother, the Holy Ghost was with her, as with his choicest tabernacle.

Q. Are they also now with her?

A. They are in glory, and will be so for all eternity. The Second Part of the Hail Mary.

Q. WHAT is the second part of it?

A. Blessed art thou among women, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, JESUS.

Q. Who made this part?

A. These words, Blessed art thou among women, were first delivered by the angel; and after with the rest, uttered by St. Elizabeth, being inspired by the Holy Ghost. Luke i. 28, 42.

Q. What understand you by Blessed art thou among women?

A. I understand, she alone was chosen out amongst all women to be the Mother of God, and therefore ought to be blessed and praised by all women.

Q. Why by married women?

A. Because their children are made the sons of God by the nativity and merits of her Son, of whom she daily also begs blessings for them.

Q. Why by virgius?

A. Because she is their queen and chiefest patroness, and obtains for them of her Son Jesus, the gift of chastity.

Q. Why by widows?

A. Because she is their best example, and advocate to their Spouse, her Son.

Q. What means, Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus?

A. It means, that Jesus is her true and natural Son, and in him she is the author of all our blessings, and to be blessed both by men and angels.

Q. Why are Catholics such great honourers of the name of Jesus?

A. Because it is a name above all names, as you have heard in the creed; and as St. Paul exhorts, saying,

"all whatsoever you do in word or work, do all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father by him." Colos. iii. 17.

The Third Part of the Hail Mary.

Q. WHAT is the third part of the Hail Mary? A. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen.

Q. Who made this part?

A. The holy Catholic Church in the Council of Ephesus, the year of our Lord 431, (Pope Celestine presiding,) against Nestorius, the heretic, who denied our blessed Lady to be the Mother God, and would only have her called the Mother of Christ. See Baronius, tom. 5. An. 4. 31.

Q. What means, Pray for us sinners now?

A. It means, that we need divine assistance every

moment.

Q. What means, And at the hour of our death?

A. It meaneth that we then especially shall need the aid of blessed Mary, and her Son Jesus, and therefore do daily beg it. The word Amen, signifies, let it be done, or be it so.

CHAP. VII.

Charity Expounded.

Q. What is Charity?

A. It is the gift of God, or a supernatural quality infused by God into the soul of man, by which we love God above all things, and our neighbours as ourselves, for God's sake.

Q. Why is it called supernatural ?

A. Because it is not in the power of nature to obtain it, but by the special grace and gift of God.

Q. Is charity imputed as protestants would have it, or is it a quality truly inherent in the soul?

A. It is truly inherent in the soul, as wisdom is inherent in a soul that is wise, and love in a soul that loveth.

Q. How prove you that?

A. First out of Rom. v. 5. "The charity of God which is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, which is given us."

Secondly, out of Dan. vi. 22. "Before him (i. e. God) justice hath been found in me."

Thirdly, out of Ephes. iii. 17, 18, where St. Paul prays for his brethren, "That Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts: that, being rooted and founded in charity, you may be able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height, and depth."

Q. What is it to love God above all things?

A. To be willing to lose all things, rather than the grace or love of God by mortal sin.

Q. Who has this love?

A. They who keep the commandments of God, according to that, "This is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not heavy." 1 John v. 3.

Q. Hath not he charity then, that breaks any of the commandments?

A. He hath not; for "he that saith, he knoweth God, and doth not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." 1 John ii. 4.

Q. What is it to love our neighbours as ourselves? A. To wish him as much good as we wish ourselves, and to do him no wrong.

Q. Who is our neighbour?

A. All men, women, and children, even those who injure us, or differ from us in religion, but especially Catholics.

Q. Why so?

A. Because they are the images of God, and redeemed with the blood of Christ.

Q. Why especially Catholics?

A. Because they are all members of the mystical body of Christ, which is the church.

Q. Whence ariseth the obligations of loving our neigh

bour?

A. Because God hath commanded it: and if one shall

say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.' 1 John, iv. 20.

Q. Are we not also bound to love our enemies?

A. We are, according to that, "It was said of old, Thou shalt not kill: but I say unto you, Love your enemies." Matt. v. 43, 44.

Q. What kind of love are we bound to show to our enemies?

A. We are bound to use a civil behaviour towards them, to pray for them in general, and to be disposed to do any charitable office for them when their necessity require it.

Q. What is the highest act of charity?

A. To give our life for God's honour, and the salvavation of our neighbour.

Q. Why is charity the greatest and most excellent of virtues?

A. Because it is the life of all the rest, "Faith without charity is dead." James ii. 26.

Q. What state of life do we conceive to be of greatest perfection?

A. That which of its own nature and proper institution obligeth to the highest and greatest charity, for charity is perfection, and such is the state not only of bishops, but also, as many probably think, of pastors who have the charge of souls.

Q. How prove you that?

A. Out of 1 John xv. 13; "Greater charity than this no man hath, that a man yield his life for his friends," which is the proper obligation of every parish priest, according to that, "The good pastor giveth his life for his sheep," John x. 12.

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Q. How prove you the necessity of charity? A. Out of John iv. 16. He that remains in charity, remains in God, and God in him," and chap. iii. ver. 14, 'He that loves not, remains in death."

Q. What are the effects of charity?

A. It destroys sin. "Charity covers a multitude of sins," James v. 20, and gives spiritual life to the soul. "In this we know that we are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren." 1 John iii. 14.

CHAP. VIII.

Of the Commandments in general.

Q. WHAT is the principal aim or end of the commandments?

A. To teach us the will and pleasure of the eternal God, or the love of God, and our neighbour. "He that loveth his neighbour hath fulfilled the law." Rom. xiii. 8.

Q. Why are the commandments (excepting the determination of the sabbath-day) called the commandments of the law of nature?

A. Because God wrote them in the heart of man at the creation, being the very dictates of natural reason. Q. When did he renew them in the written law? A. When he gave them to Moses on mount Sinai, in thunder and lightning, written in two tables of stone. Exod. xx.

Q. Why in thunder and lightning?

A. To move us to a careful observance of them.

Q. Are all men bound to know the commandments? A. For the substance of them they are, because they' are the rule of our whole life and actions.

Q. How do you prove them to be only ten?

A. Out of Deut. iv. 13. "He shewed his covenant which he commanded you to do, and the ten words which he wrote in two tables of stone."

Q. By what kind of sins are the commandments broken? A. By mortal sins only; for venial sins are not strictly speaking contrary to the end of the commandments, which is charity.

Q. How declare you that?

A. Because a venial sin, for example, a vain word, an officious or jesting lie, which hurts nobody, the theft of a pin or an apple, is not of weight enough to break charity between man and man, much less between God and man.

Q. Is it possible for us to keep all the commandments. A. Not only possible, but necessary and easy, by the assistance of God's grace.

Q. How do you declare that?

A. Because God is not a tyrant to command impos