Q. What are the particular offices of good angels towards good men? A. Good angels not only protect and deliver good men from outward dangers and evils, but also suggest to them. good thoughts and affections, and excite them to good works and actions. When evil angels assail believers by temptations, the good angels are ready to succour and strengthen them, that they sink not under these temptations. At the awful hour of death they stand by the faithful, ready to comfort and assist them, and to receive and conduct their souls to the mansions of the blessed. And, finally, when the Son of man shall come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory to judge the world, the holy angels shall attend. him; and he shall send them to gather his chosen and faithful people, from one end of heaven to the other. Q. Wherein consists the ministry of bad angels? A. Bad angels are employed in trying and exercising the righteous; in punishing the wicked, and in executing vengeance upon them in another world. They set themselves in opposition to the glory of God and the salvation of mankind; though they are restrained in the exercise of their power. Q. Ought we to implore the intercession and prayers of good angels? A. We have no authority from scripture for imploring the intercession and prayers of good angels. The scripture directs us to the mediation alone of Christ Jesus, "the only mediator between God and man." To implore the aid of any other intercessors in heaven, but him, would derogate from the efficacy of his all-prevailing intercession. To address our prayers to angels and departed saints, supposes that they hear us; of course, as all men are equally bound to address these prayers to them, they must be every where present; and we thus blasphemously ascribe to them an attribute of divinity. The worship of angels and saints, and of their images, as practised in the Church of Rome, is certainly the most criminal idolatry: for it is at the time, in the place, in the posture, and with every other circumstance of divine worship; and they are addressed in the same prayers that are offered up to God and the blessed Redeemer! This worship is severely reproved by St. Paul: "Let no man deceive you in a voluntary humility and worshipping of an Jobi and ii. Rev. ii. 10. 1 Sam. xvi. 14. 1 Kings xxi, 20, &e. gels" and the worship of images is directly contrary to the second commandment. Q. Why does the Church celebrate this festival? A. The Church celebrates this festival in order to express her thankfulness to God for the many eminent advantages she and her faithful members enjoy from the ministry and assistance of good angels. Q. What instruction does this festival afford? A. It should be a subject of lively gratitude to God, and it should inspire the most elevated confidence, that he has appointed the highest order of his creatures, his pure and blessed spirits, to minister to our temporal and spiritual welfare; to guide us through life; support us in death; and convey us to his kingdom of glory. And since these holy angels constantly observe our conduct, we should ever act under the impression that we are surrounded by the most exalted and glorious society; and we should therefore be excited to holy awe, and to circumspection, and vigilance in all our conduct. We should also be excited to imitate these blessed spirits in their ready, active, and zealous obedience to the commands of their God; and, like them, to condescend to the most humble services for the good of others, and especially to advance the eternal salvation of mankind. And, lastly, we should endeavour to secure to ourselves the ministry of good angels, their protection, aid, and support, by continuing holy and faithful members of the Church; in communion with which only we can enjoy the confidence that we are "heirs of salvation." Q. What may we learn from the behaviour of St. Michael, when he disputed with the devil concerning the body of Moses? A. It is said, (Jude 9.) that St. Michael, disputing with the devil concerning the body of Moses, durst not bring a railing accusation against him. From this behaviour of St. Michael we may learn the duty of avoiding the sin of evil speaking, the seed of all evil, and the pest of society. Q. Wherein consists the nature of evil speaking? A. Evil speaking consists in divulging any evil which we know concerning our neighbour, whether true or false, whereby his good name is impaired We may be guilty of this sin by our actions as well as by our words; for significant looks or gestures, will often excite or sanction injurious surmises 5 Col. in 19. concerning others and silence itself, if it be affected or mys terious may be as effectual as the most envenomed satire. If the charges which we bring against any man be false, or doubt ful and uncertain, it is calumny or slander. If the evidence on which we proceed be insufficient, it is rash judgment. And a proneness to blame, or censure others, is called censoriousness. 1 Q. Is it never allowable to expose the faults of our neigh bour which we know to be true? A. It may be sometimes a duty to expose those faults of another which we know to be true; in order to prevent other people from being deceived or injured by him; to check his dangerous influence in society; and to fix on vice that indignation which is her just due. But the faults which we thus expose should not be merely occasional or trivial, but radical and important; and our motive in exposing them should be to do good, and not to indulge an uncharitable, envious, or censorious temper. Except when some good purpose is to be answered, we ought not to expose even the real faults of others; because we would be unwilling that all our own infirmities and errors should be exposed to public view. Real benevolence would lead to cover and to conceal, as far as justice and truth will permit, the trivial faults of others; and even their more serious errors, if only the result of sudden temptation and not of radical depravity. Q. How is the vice of evil speaking condemned in scripture? A. The scriptures rank evil speaking among the most heinous and infamous vices. "Out of the heart," says Christ, "proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, false witness, evil speakings." St. Paul ranks backbiters among those who are 66 given up to a reprobate mind," and who, in the judgment of God, are worthy of death." The same Apostle puts slanderers and revilers among those who shall not "inherit the kingdom of God ;" and when he reckons up the sins of the last times, evil speakers are in the list of that black catalogue." St. Peter joins evil speakings with malice, hypocrisy, and envy-hateful vices which we must lay aside entirely, if we desire to advance in spiritual grace and knowledge. And St. James assures us, that, however high his pretences are to religion, the religion of that man is vain who "bridleth not his tongue." k Matt. xv. 19. Rom. i. 29, 30, 32. • 1 Pet. ii. 1, 2 m 1 Cor. vi, 10. Q. Is not the vice of evil speaking a dishonourable and heinous vice? A. The vice of evil speaking robs our neighbour of what is dearer to him than life, his good name and reputation. It is a violation of that excellent rule of justice, " of doing to others as we wish they should do to us ;" and of that Christian charity which is so forcibly enjoined on us by Christ, and which is the distinguishing badge of his disciples. It discovers a weak and little mind, which is not able to bear the lustre of merit and virtue. To delight in wounding the reputation of others, is an evidence of a most unworthy and cruel disposition. Q. What are the disguises under which this vice is often concealed? A. This vice sometimes cloaks itself under the appearance of friendship, and ushers in its censures by commendations and praises. Sometimes it counterfeits a lively zeal for the glory of God; a compassionate sense of the faults of our neighbour; a love of justice; and a violent and just sorrow for the dishonour cast on religion and virtue. When these are the real motives which lead us to expose for good and necessary purposes the faults of others, they justify our conduct but when they are only the pretences under which we conceal an envious, malicious, and revengeful temper, so far from justifying, they aggravate the crime of evil speaking. Q. May we not, by encouraging this vice in others, becoma partakers of the guilt of it ourselves? A. If we feel pleasure or satisfaction at hearing the faults of others unjustly or unnecessarily exposed; if we do not endeavour, by every prudent method, to interrupt or check censorious conversation concerning others; if we do not seek to palliate and extenuate, as far as truth will allow us, their faults, and to bring forward all their virtues and good actions in order to lessen the force of even the just censure that may be cast upon them; we incur the same guilt as if, from mean and unworthy motives, we actually exposed the faults of others; or as if we unjustly detracted from their reputation and good name. Q. How may we conquer a propensity to speak evil of others? A. We shall effectually conquer a propensity to speak evil of others, if we are careful to subdue the passions which excite and nourish this propensity-our pride, which falsely not concern us. persuades us that we exalt ourselves by debasing others our envy, which makes us look upon the happiness of others with an evil eye, and excites us to disturb it; and our impertinent curiosity, which is always meddling with what does And in order to conquer this criminal and prevalent propensity, we should firmly resolve never to expose the faults of others, except when those faults are great and heinous; and when, at the same time, some good end is certainly to be answered by making them known. Q. CHAPTER XLIV. ST. LUKE the EVANGELIST, October 18. A FESTIVAL. WHAT do you mean by an Evangelist? A. The name Evangelist was at first given to those who preached the Gospel; but afterwards it was confined to those four who wrote the history of the life and preaching of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Q. What account do you give of the Evangelist St. Luke? A. St. Luke was born at Antioch, the metropolis of Syria, a city celebrated for its academies and schools, and for its eminent professors of all arts and sciences. Here the Evangelist St. Luke was educated from his childhood, and enriched with all kinds of human learning. He afterwards visited the chief academies of Asia and Greece; and then applied himself to the study of physic, in which art he beHe was also celebrated for his skill in came eminent. painting. Q. By whom was St. Luke converted, and whom did he constantly attend? A. St. Luke was probably converted by St. Paul at Antioch. He was the constant and inseparable companion of St. Paul who entertained a great affection for him, own ing him for his fellow labourer, calling him the beloved physician, and the brother whose praise is in the Gospel. He went with St. Paul to Rome, where he attended him in his sickness, and discharged some of those ministerial duties which the Apostle was prevented from discharging by his 1 7 Eus. lib. iii. chap. 4.. r Acts xvi. 10, &a |