begin by smaller sins, which neglected, draw on to greater. A little motion of anger indulged, led Cain to murder his own brother; an impure glance of the eye encouraged, dragged on a David to adultery and murder; and an inordinate attachment to riches, uncorrected, brought Judas to betray his master. (2.) All the foregoing reasons shew the same thing; for, by venial sins indulged, we become more disagreeable to God, our love to him is weakened, and his to us; we are rendered more unfit for receiving his graces, and they are given more sparingly; our passions become strong er, and we grow weaker; and then what is to be the consequence when the time of temptation comes, but that we fall into mortal sin? (3.) Venial sins lead us on step by step towards mortal sin, and take off by degrees our horrors at it. It would be impossible for one to step from the ground to the top of a high stair all at once; taking one step after another, he goes up with the greatest ease. A modest person would be shocked at the proposal of any of the greatest crimes of impurity; but, if she gives ear to words of a double meaning, and takes pleasure in them, this will easily pave the way to bad thoughts; from this it is but a step to desires; and if these be encouraged, they will lead on to undue liberties in actions, and so, step by step, she will be carried on to every excess. (4.) By committing small sins without remorse, or with affection, we contract a custom of transgressing the law, which, the more it is indulged, the stronger it will become. (5.) It is certain that our nature, if left to itself, would lead us into all crimes; and we have no other way to hinder this, but by curbing its desires. Now, experience teaches us, that the more we yield to these desires, the stronger they become; the more liberty we give nature, the more unruly she grows. (6.) Many venial sins are of such a nature, that

that they became mortal, if often repeated: such are all sins of injustice, working upon forbidden days, and the like. (7.) It is often very difficult to distinguish where the limits are between mortal and venial sins; and therefore a person who indulges himself in these last, exposes himself to the continual danger of falling into the former. Now, he that loveth the danger shall perish in it," Ecclus. iii. 27. (8.) A thing that is in itself only venial, very often, from the circumstances, becomes mortal.

Q. 24. How can a thing in itself venial," become mortal, from the circumstances?

A. From different causes: (1.) If his affection, who commits it, be so great towards the object of a sin in itself venial, that he would be ready to offend God mortally, rather than not do it, his doing it with such a disposition is a mortal sin. (2.) If one commits a venial sin for an end mortally sinful; for example, if one should steal a little poison of small value, in order to poison his neighbour, this intention makes the stealing the poison itself a mortal sin, though he should be prevented from the using it as he intended. (3.) If one commits a sin in itself venial, but which, by mistake, he believes to be mortal, it becomes a mortal sin to him. (4.) If a sin, in itself venial, be the occasion of great scandal, it becomes mortal to the person who commits it, on account of its scandal. (5.) Ifa venial sin be committed out of a contempt of the divine law, this contempt makes it mortal. Q. 25. What are the proper remedies of sin? A. There are two principal remedies for the great evil of sin; one on the part of man, which is a sincere repentance; the other on the part of God, which is the grace of Jesus Christ. These two remedies are both of absolute necessity; for it is impossible that we should be delivered from the guilt

VOL. 1.

2 B

of our actual sins, without a sincere repentance; and it is impossible for us to repent as we ought, without the assistance of divine grace; and, though we have a sincere repentance, that alone cannot deliver us from our sins, without the infusion of sanctifying grace into our souls. So that the grace of our Saviour is the great remedy which alone can heal the wounds which the soul receives from sin, and wash away its guilt; and repentance on our part is a condition absolutely required, to dispose the soul for receiving that grace, and without which it is impossible that this grace should be bestowed upon us.

CHAPTER XVII.

OF REPENTANCE.

Q. 1. WHAT is repentance?

A. Repentance, which is also called penance, is the sincere conversion of the heart from sin to God. To understand this, we must observe, that in sin there are two great evils, which Almighty God himself describes with astonishment in these words, "Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this!........ for my people have done two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have digged to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water," Jerem. ii. 12. In every mortal sin, then, there are these two enormous evils, to wit, the turning away from God, infinitely good, and the very fountain of goodness and life, and the embracing, in his stead, the monster sin, by the allurement of some deceitful appearance of an imaginary happiness, justly compared to a broken cistern that can hold no water, but only

filth and mud. Wherefore repentance, which is the opposite of sin, and the destroyer of sin, must have these two opposite conditions, the turning away from sin with horror, detestation, and sorrow, for having offended so great a God, and the returning back to God, to embrace him by love, and faithfully to obey his holy law.

Q. 2. What are the principal parts of which true repentance is composed?

A. The principal parts of true repentance are these three; (1.) A sincere regret and sorrow of heart for our having offended so good a God by sin. (2.) A firm and determined resolution of never offending him again, followed by an effectual change of life and manners. (3) A voluntary punishing ourselves for the sins we have commit ted, in order to repair the injury done to God by sin, and satisfy, in some measure, his offended justice.

SECTION I.

OF THE SORROW OF REPENTANCE.

Q. 3. What is meant by sorrow for having offended God by sin?

A. Sorrow is a painful feeling of the mind, when any evil comes upon ourselves, or upon those we love; and, if we ourselves have been the occasion of bringing eyil upon these we love, our displeasure and pain at their suffering are still the greater. When therefore we have a sincere love of God, and consider our sins as a grievous outrage and injury, by which we have offended him; and, on that account, feel a regret in our heart, a pain and displeasure in our mind; that pain, that regret, and displeasure, is the sorrow which constitutes true repentance. Hence this sorrow is founded in a sincere love of

God, a hatred and a detestation of sin, as being an offence and injury to God.

Q. 4. What are the qualities which this true sorrow of repentance ought to have?

A. Chiefly these following: (1.) It ought to be internal, that is, seated in the heart and mind; not a mere outward sorrow of words or other external signs, nor even a more sensible sorrow, which some tender,affectionate people are very apt to have, and which shews itself in sobs and tears, but without any real change of the heart; but it ought to be in the mind and heart; in the mind, by a full conviction of the evil of sin, and the injury it is to so good a God; and in the heart, which, having a sincere love of God, feels a real pain and regret for having ever displeased him. Where this is, there true sorrow is, though there be neither sighs nor tears; but where this is not, the sighs and tears will be of no avail. (2.) It ought to be supernatural, that is, rising from supernatural motives, through the grace of God. A person may be sorry for his sins; because by them he has brought disease, or loss, or disgrace upon himself. A sorrow of this kind will never find mercy with God. This is a mere sorrow of the world; but not a sorrow according to God. Now the Scripture tells us, that it is only the sorrow that is according to God, which worketh penance steadfast unto salvation; but the sorrow of the world worketh death, 2 Cor. vii. 10. The sorrow of true repentance must arise from our having offended so good a God, from our ingratitude to Jesus Christ, from the danger our sins have put us in, of being eternally separated from God whom we love, and of being eternally condemned among his enemies in hell fire, from the fear of God's judgments, and from the horror of sin, on account of its opposition to God. These are supernatural motives which our faith teacheth us,