THE SACRAMENTS.

SHORT EXPLANATION..

[From the Catechism.]`

What is a sacrament?—A sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace, ordained by Christ, by which grace is given to our souls.

Do the sacraments always give grace?—Yes; to those who receive them worthily.

Whence have the sacraments the power of: giving grace?-From the merits of Christ's precious blood, which they apply to our souls.

Is it a great happiness to receive the sacraments worthily?—Yes; it is the greatest happiness in the world.

How many sacraments are there?-These seven: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Order, and Matrimony.

INSTRUCTION ON THE SACRAMENTS.

THE Sacraments are sensible signs instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ for our sanctification. They are the means by which, as we are taught by the Council of Trent, "all justice is either begun, or when begun is increased, or when lost is recovered." Whatever degree of sanctity, therefore, any Christian may possess, it is principally to their influence that he is indebted for it. The entire efficacy of them all is derived from the passion and death of our blessed Saviour, and whatever graces they convey, are no other than the application of the said merits to our souls. Each sacrament confers a grace peculiar to itself, and in them all the wisdom and

goodness of the Deity has provided appropriate helps for every stage and condition of life. 1. No sooner do we come into the world, than we are made the children of God by baptism. 2. As we grow up, we are fortified under the combats which we have to sustain against our spiritual enemies by confirmation. 3. The Eucharist is the daily bread, which feeds and nourishes our souls to everlasting life. 4. If unhappily we fall in the spiritual conflict, penance is the remedy which restores life to the soul. 5. In matrimony Jesus Christ has provided graces to assuage the cares and burthens of the married state. 6. Holy orders keep up a succession of pastors in the church, and enable them faithfully to discharge their sacred functions. And lastly, when sickness forewarns the Christian, that to him the figure of this world is fast passing away, and his soul is on the verge of eternity, his departing spirit is fortified and comforted by the refreshing graces of Extreme Unction.

. Be assured, then, Christian reader, that nothing in this world is more deserving of your solicitude and care, than to be well instructed in the dispositions requisite for approaching worthily to the sacraments, that you may not, by your unworthiness, convert these instruments of grace into sources of malediction, but, on the contrary, may use them in such a manner that they may be to you abundant sources of sanctification, and may conduct you to eternal life.

THE MANNER OF LAY PERSONS BAPTIZING AN

INFANT IN DANGER OF DEATH.

Take common water, pour it on the head or face of the child, and whilst you are pouring it, say the following words:

I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE. Penance is a sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ, by means of which the sins that we commit after baptism are forgiven, and we receive strength to enable us to avoid sin for the time to come. By this sacrament, the sanctifying grace of God, which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Ghost, cleanses the soul from all the stains of sin, restores to her the favour and friendship of God, and renders her holy and beautiful in his sight. This holy and salutary institution is grounded on the words of Jesus Christ: Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven. Matt. xviii. 18. And, As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. he breathed on them, and he said to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. John, xx. 21, &c. In these words Jesus Christ gave to his apostles and their lawful successors, power and authority to absolve from all sin those who sincerely repent of their offences.

When he had said this,

A SHORT EXPLANATION.

FROM THE CATECHISM..

How many things have we to do in order to prepare for confession? Four things: 1st, We must heartily pray to God for his grace to help. us. 2nd, We must carefully examine our conscience. 3rd, We must beg pardon of God, and be very sorry from our hearts for having offended him. And 4th, We must resolve to renounceour sins, and to begin a new life for the future.

What is satisfaction? It is doing the penance given us by the priest..

Let your confession be humble, without seeking excuses for your sins, or laying the fault on others let it be entire as to the kind and number of your sins, and such circumstances as quite change the nature of the sin, or greatly increase its guilt. Be modest in your expressions, and. take care not to name any third person.

A Prayer to implore the Divine assistance in order to make a good Confession.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, who hast made me out of nothing, and redeemed me by the precious blood of thine only Son; who hast, with so much patience, borne with me to this day, notwithstanding all my sins and ingratitude; ever calling after me to return to thee from the ways of van

ity and iniquity, in which I have been quite wearied out in the pursuit of empty toys and mere shadows; seeking in vain to satisfy my thirst in muddy waters, and my hunger with husks of swine: behold, O most gracious Lord, I now sincerely desire to leave all these my evil ways, to forsake the region of death, where I have so long lost myself, and to return to thee, the Fountain of life. I desire, like the prodigal child, to enter seriously into myself, and with the like resolution to arise without delay, and to go home to my Father, though I am infinitely unworthy to be called his child, in hopes of meeting with the like reception from his most tender mercy. But, O my God, though I can go astray from thee of myself, yet I cannot make one step towards returning to thee, unless thy divine grace stir me up and assist me. This grace, then, I most humbly implore, prostrate in spirit before the throne of thy mercy, I beg it for the sake of Jesus Christ, thy Son, who died upon the cross for my sins; I know thou desirest not the death of a sinner, but that he be converted and live. I know thy merci