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that is, to resist all temptations to sin: 3dly, To renounce his pomps, that is, the extravagancies, the pleasures, and vanities of the world. are the promises we ourselves, as well as this child, have made; and if we do not fulfil them, we become perfidious to God, we throw ourselves back into the power of Satan, and forfeit that title which was given us in baptism to life everlasting.

¶ These, and all the Maxims of the Christian Religion are to be inculcated to the Child as he becomes capable of it, by the Parents; but if they should neglect it, it then becomes the duty of the God-father and God-mother to see that it be taught them, and such things as are necessary to be believed and known to salvation.

A SHORT INSTRUCTION.

IN THE FORM OF QUESTION AND ANSWER, ON. SOME PARTICULAR POINTS OF FAITH.

ON THE END OF MAN'S CREATION, AND ORIGINAL SIN.

Quest. WHAT is the end of man's creation? Ans. The glory of God, and happiness in everlasting life.

Q. What are the means which conduct to this end?

A. The only and true mean is grace, or justice, or charity, which, in reality, are one and

the same.

Q. What was the condition of man before he sinned?

A. He possessed original justice, and with that innumerable other blessings.

Q. What was original justice?

A. It was the justice of God communicated to man, by which man was made just, and rendered able to attain to his supernatural end.

Q. Why was it called original?

A. Because God gave it to man at his very origin or creation.

Q. How did we forfeit this original justice? A. By the transgression and fall of our first parent Adam.

Q. What constituted the guilt of the sin of Adam?

A. The transgression of the commandment of God.

Q. Besides the loss of original sanctity and justice, what were the other consequences of Adam's sin?

A. First, he fell under the anger and indignation of God; 2dly, He became subject to infirmities and to death; 3dly, He made himself the slave of the devil. In fine, the whole Adam was injured both as to body and soul.

Q. What is original sin in the descendants of Adam?

A. It is the want of original justice, by which man is made unjust, and guilty of sin. (Rom. v. 12.)

Q. What are the effects of original sin in us?
A. The same as in our first parent.

Q. How does this sin pass from one to another?

A. By the propagation of our nature; that is, men do not incur the anger of God, and the loss of original justice by imitating Adam in doing what he did, but only because from him, as from our first parent, they drew their origin by propagation and procreation. (Ps. 1. 6.)

Q. What, therefore, must ensue from the existence of original sin?

A. Either man must be eternally deprived of happiness, or a remedy must be offered to him, be which he can recover the justice he had lost; which recovery of lost justice is justification.

Q. Can you otherwise define justification?

A. Justification is a change from that state in which man is born the son of the first Adam, to a state of grace among the adopted children of God; that is, justification is a change from sin to grace, and from the privation of justice to justice.

Q. What is the true remedy, therefore, against original sin?

A. The true and only remedy is the merit of Christ; who has become for us our justice, sanctification, and redemption.

Q. Did not the merits of Christ restore justice to man?

A. Christ restored it, because he also merited it for us: and in as much as regards the soul, he either did away all the effects of sin, or made them serviceable to our merit and our crown.

Q. Will this remedy avail those to whom it is not applied?

A. No: no more than a sick man is relieved by a medicine that he does not take. For although Christ died for all, (Cor. v.) those only receive the benefit of his death to whom the merit of his passion is communicated.

ON THE APPLICATION OF THE MERIT OF JESUS CHRIST, OR JUSTIFICATION.

Q. How is the application of the merit of Christ made to us?

A. By baptism duly conferred in the first instance, and afterwards by penance and the other

sacraments.

Q. How is the merit of Christ applied to the soul by baptism?

A. In baptism man is made a member of Christ; and as every member united to the head partakes of the life and operation of the head, so the merit of Christ is communicated to every person duly baptized.

Q. What, therefore, is the effect of baptism? A. It unites the individual to Christ, and by this union it makes man a partaker of his grace and justice.

Q. How can infants be baptized who have no actual faith in Christ?

A. In the faith of the Church, and of their God-fathers and God-mothers.

ON THE OBLIGATION OF KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND THE CHURCH.

Q. Are all men, even those who are already justified, bound to keep the commandments of God and the Church?

A. Yes: because all men, and even those who are justified, are destined to everlasting life, upon the condition of keeping them.

Q. What were the ten commandments as they were written upon the tables of the Old Law?

A First, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage.

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Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven thing, nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth thou shalt not adore nor worship them. I am the Lord thy God, strong and jealous, visiting the sins of the fathers upon their children, to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy to thousands of those that love me, and keep my commandments.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

3. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath-day. 4. Honour thy father and mother.

5. Thou shalt not kill..

6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

7. Thou shalt not steal.

8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods. (Exod. xx.)

Q. To how many may these ten commandments be reduced?

A. To two: the love of God and the love of our neighbour.

Q. Is there any other definition of these ten commandments ?

A. They are the epitome of the moral code, or sum of all the laws which have been given to men by God.

Q. Is it sufficient to obey God to be saved?

A. Yes: but we cannot completely obey Goa without obeying his Church; and, therefore, that we may practise exactly the commandments of God, we must learn and practise the commandments of his Church?

Q. Are we bound to obey the commandments of his Church?

A. Yes: because Christ has said to the pastors of the Church, he that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me. (Luke x. 16.)

Q. Which are the commandments of the Church?

A. There are six principal ones: First, To keep certain appointed days holy: with obligation of hearing mass, and resting from servile works.

2. To fast Lent, vigils commanded by the Church, ember-days, and the Wednesdays and Fridays in Advent; also-to abstain from flesh on the three Rogation days, St. Mark, unless it falls in the Easter-week, the Sundays of Lent, unless. leave be given to the contrary, and all Fridays

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