fundamentally; for difficulties are found in all parts of moral theology, and especially in positive law.

"But I flatter myself that I have diminished the number, and rendered a service to many priests in laying down sure rules for them, and for the persons whom they are to direct.

"Unwilling to advance anything which was not certain, I had often recourse to the Roman Bullary, for the practical part, in order to read myself the Bulls of the Popes which I quote, and to be sure of their contents; I have made use of the decisions of the Congregation of Indulgences obtained on different occasions; I availed myself of the assistance of Bishops and theologians on the spot, of several books well known in Rome, and above all, of a collection of Plenary and Partial Indulgences, printed there in 1818, with the express approbation of the Congregation of Indulgences. The 7th edition of this important collection in Italian, (Raccolta,) was published in Rome in 1831, in which it is laid down, that, if any doubt arose respecting the Indulgences contained in the work, or with regard to the conditions for gaining them, reference should be made to this last edition, corrected and considerably enlarged by the author.

"I have endeavoured to be concise, clear, simple, and methodical upon each point, and to avoid useless erudition, and tedious discussions. In this last edition (printed in 1836,) I have made use of the seventh edition of the Roman collection above mentioned."

Such an authority being my guide, there is no danger that I should lead others astray. There is very little in the following abridgement, which is not taken from the work of the Right Rev. Dr. Bouvier, Bishop of Mans.

Should my humble efforts to serve the public fail in producing as much good as I would wish, I hope I shall not on that account be unrewarded; inasmuch as I have been labouring in the service of a master, who rewards his servants far beyond their deserts: but on the other hand, should the public give my little publication a favourable reception, besides the hope of a future reward, I shall have the delightful feeling arising from the reflection that I have been in any way useful to my fellow man, particularly where his spiritual interest is so much concerned.

The profit arising from the sale of the work is intended for the education of the poor of my parish.

ON

INDULGENCES IN GENERAL.

In order to understand what an indulgence is, it is necessary to have a clear idea of the punishment due for sin. We must therefore distinguish between two sorts of actual sin, Mortal, and Venial. Mortal sin deserves everlasting punishment, so that a person dying guilty only of one, would be eternally excluded from the kingdom of God, and every participation in the happiness of the saints. This is an article of our faith.

God in his infinite goodness has furnished the sinner with an easy means of escaping this

dreadful punishment, viz., the Sacrament of Penance, or perfect contrition with an intention of confessing when a person can do so.

After the guilt and eternal punishment due for sin have been remitted, the repentance is seldom so perfect as to remit or release the sinner from all debt of temporal punishment due to God's justice on account of the sin.

It is an article of our faith defined in express terms by the Council of Trent, (Sess: 14. Can. 12.,) that the eternal punishment is remitted without restriction, but there generally remains some debt of temporal punishment more or less, according to the sins or dispositions of the penitent which must be expiated here or hereafter.

It was upon this principle that the ancient penitential Canons were founded, imposing a penance of three-seven-ten-fifteen or twenty years fasting on bread and water, privations and humiliations to continue during a man's whole life, and all this for one sin! and it was never thought nor dreaded that such penances, or atonements ever exceeded the measure of God's justice.

If the Church at present or in succeeding

centuries treats her children with more gentleness, it is not from a conviction that they are less guilty, or that their sins do not deserve such chastisement, or that she has formerly acted wrong; she has never given us any reason to think that her original discipline was too severe-The sword of God's justice hangs over our heads now as well as at that time-We can make atonement by prayer, fasting, alms, submitting with a penitential spirit to the reverses of fortune and every other species of punishment with which Almighty God is pleased to inflict us, but such as die without making sufficient atonement or abundantly satisfying God's justice in this world will have abundant cause to repent of their tepidity, and abuse of God's mercy and patience; for we cannot form any idea of the intensity of the flames of Purgatory, even venial sin unexpiated in this life will be severely punished in Purgatory.

All these points are so many articles of Catholic faith of which we are not at liberty to doubt, and which can be supported by the most convincing reasons even were they disputed. We must therefore, retain those fixed