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Lent, General Carrington took his evening's amusement independently of her. Geraldine having obtained this favour, redoubled her endeavours to make her father's home agreeable to him, and it was not until the Shrove Tuesday that anything occurred to wound her afresh.

On that evening they entertained a large party; Geraldine tried to be happy, and certainly appeared so; all was calculated to please the heart that had not known better and dearer joys; but such was no longer the heart of Geraldine. At length the company dispersed, with the exception of a few Protestant English, and the night closed with much sportive anticipation of the " Papal shows" of Easter, and an especial display of wit on the subject of the Blessed Virgin and the saints, during which the General smiled, and our heroine, finding that she dared not explain or defend her faith, left the room, and retired to rest. In doing this she not only believed herself to be acting with discretion and prudence, but that her father would greatly applaud her; however, on the following day, after the solemn service of Ash Wednesday, when the private hours of penitential devotion, were over, and the one permitted repast had been taken, General Carrington reproved her for giving way to her feelings before Protestants; assuring her that the best plan was to let them say and do exactly as they pleased; that their folly could injure neither our Blessed Lady, nor the rest of the saints: "besides," added he, "I had my own reasons for wishing them to believe us to be like themselves, and so I still wish, if it be possible, till the affair of the islands be settled. And for this reason, if Lady or Miss Oskway call on you during Lent, receive them cheerfully, and as one of themselves, and throw in your little jokes about miracles and relicks of saints; they are innocent enough; a person may be a good Catholic without

VOL. III.-5.

believing in any of these things. Will you do so, Geraldine?"

"For your sake, papa," said she, "I will not mention that you are a Catholic, and I will not, unless I am asked, say that I am onc.":

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But this is not enough," said the General.

"It is too much!" cried Geraldine, in one of her bursts of long-repressed emotion. "Did you imagine that in becoming a Catholic all the moral qualities of my character, and all the powers of my soul and intellect, would not become Catholic also? Did you hope to see me doubting, fearing, cringing, prevaricating before scoffers, when the glorious privileges of the Church were opened to me? That, enrolled by my baptism and confirmation into the communion of saints, I should admit them only on private occasions, and when secure from intrusion, as worldlings do their poor and shabby relations? If so, you may well be disappointed! English Catholics, of these days of pseudo-liberality, may expect me to forget that Jesus Christ promised his Church that her children should, in his name, and by his power, work miracles even greater than those he had performed while on earth. They may hope that I shall give some ingenious turn to the conversation when these miracles are recounted-but no! Silence is all I can yield to filial obedience. My father will not ask for more!"

Geraldine fell on her knees, and the General, who next to Protestant ridicule dreaded a scene, raised her kindly, soothed her with the assurance that he had only spoken in raillery, and a reconciliation was effected.

CHAPTER IV.

Gentiles! with fix'd, yet awful eye,
Turn ye this page of mystery,

Nor slight the warning sound;
Put off thy shoes from off thy feet,
The place where man his God shall meet,
Be sure is holy ground!

HYMNS FOR LENT-KEEBLE.

THE Convert to Catholicity is asked, in sincere grief and astonishment, how any mind of real spirituality can adopt a religion so burdened with empty forms as the Catholic Church? But are those forms indeed empty? If so, no rational being would be burdened with them! Once, however, believing firmly that in each outward form is contained the inward spiritual gift, and there can be no torpor, no impatience felt in the external proofs of devotion and love rendered to his God by the fervent Catholic. Once believing truly in the sanctity of holy places, and that the divine blessing and the unseen ministry of the heavenly host do more especially attend the temples of the Deity, it is then no empty form which leads the Catholic to a daily attendance in the house of prayer. Once in the full confidence of faith, believing that in the "daily sacrifice" offered up in commemoration of that once perfected on the cross, and in perpetual acknowledgment that without this our high priest, without this our holy victim, we are cast out, and our God is a consuming fire. Once believing that in this mystery our adorable Redeemer is miraculously present with us, and

where, then, is the "empty form," to the pious Catholic, in the sacred service of the mass?

These had been our heroine's replies to the venerable Mrs. Leonard, whose concern at her having embraced a religion apparently less vital, pure, and interior than Protestantism, had led her to remonstrate against the change, and endeavour to reclaim her.

"This very temple-this basilica of St. Peter's,” said Mrs. Leonard, "was it not for its erection that Leo X. authorised the selling of indulgences, and aroused the mighty Luther? How can you feel ardour and devotion within its walls?"

"I do feel most truly and painfully in connexion with that subject," replied Geraldine; "for, alas! into what holy work has the enemy of souls not endeavoured to thrust himself, that he might mar the pure offering of man to his Creator? But I must, my dear friend, correct an error, which you, in common with many charitable and pious Protestants, entertain, relying upon Protestant history, apparently trustworthy. The practice of commuting the canonical penances enjoined by the primitive Church, for alms-deeds, had long prevailed. Leo the Tenth granted an indulgence, which, you know, is not a pardon for sins, no more than it is a prospective permission to commit sin, to such as contributed to the erecting of the most magnificent temple ever raised to the honour of the Deity. That there were great and manifold corruptions in the lives of the clergy, and probably in the discipline of the Church, I readily admit, and, that a consequent falling off of piety prevailed among the laity, is proved, by their rapacity in seizing on Church property, and their readiness to embrace systems of faith, which showed a path to Heaven, less beset with restraint and self-denial. I would even admit, although no proof exists of the fact, that the autho

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rised commissioners employed to dispense the indulgences, misrepresented their design and effect, for the sake of profit or influence, thus throwing disgrace on the seat of verity and apostolic descent, by selling, as it were, the spiritual gifts of the Church. And let us grant that it was thus-let us concede, that the warning to God's ancient people, the Jews, might have been applied to the rulers of His Christian Church. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.' We cannot then wonder, that, when corruption thus prevailed in the Church, reformers should arise to attack those abuses, and in this, I find them fully justified: would, that here they had stopped! but, from the abuses, they proceeded to attack the faith of the Church, in which they were not justified. They sacrilegiously put their hand to the ark: and, thus it was, that as in the revolt against the wilful Rehoboam, a second Jeroboam was permitted to arise, and call aloud, To your tents, O Israel!' and following this analogy, we cannot but perceive, first, in the instance of rebellion against the kingly power, that, although God permitted this scourge and punishment to befall the anointed king of Judah, yet His spirit accompanied not the ten tribes who revolted; the Lord of glory was not born amongst them. They are still scattered and hidden, till the day of grace shall gather them in. While, to the two faithful tribes who remained steadfast, were sent the prophets: amongst them the miracles wrought: and, at length was heard, Arise! shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!' Thus may we consider God to have permitted a deserved rebuke and humiliation to His Catholic Church, in the bereavement of the northern nations: the estrangement, contempt, and even hatred, of the tribes' who have revolted

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