Q. 29. What are the signs by which we may know if we have the true spirit of penance?

A. "By their fruits ye shall know them." The surest signs that this holy spirit resides in the soul, are the effects it produces. These we have in a great measure seen already, but they are minutely enumerated by St. Paul, in these words: "Behold this self-same thing, that you were made sorrowful according to God, how great carefulness doth it work in you; yea defence, yea indignation, yea fear, yea desire, yea zeal, yea revenge," 2 Cor. vi. 11. (1.) Carefulness; to wit, about the great concerns of salvation, convincing the sinner of the supreme importance of that great affair, and of the vanity of all other pursuits; and, therefore, makes him careful and diligent to secure it. (2.) Defence; this carefulnes is not an idle anxiety of mind, but an active principle, which makes us use all necessary means for defending our soul against all its enemies by prayer, spiritual reading, frequenting the holy sacraments, and other such helps to salvation. (3.) Indignation, and hatred against sin, and all the dangerous occasions of sin, which the spirit of penance makes us fly from and avoid, though otherwise as useful or dear to us as a hand or an eye. (4.) Fear; to wit, of the judgment of God, and of hell-fire, and especially the fear of ever offending against so good a God, which is the beginning of true wisdom, and makes us "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." (5.) Desire, to wit, of flying as far from sin as possible, and of daily advancing our soul in the union and love of God, giving "us a hunger and thirst after justice." (6.) Zeal for the glory of God, and for destroying all his and our real enemies, to wit, our own unmortified passions, by self-denial and mortification; and for promoting his honour to the utmost of our power, considering the infinite obli

gations we have to his goodness. (7.) Revenge, vindicating the rights of the Divine justice, by cheerfully punishing ourselves for our past sins. Happy those in whom all these blessed fruits of the true spirit of penance are found!

Q. 30. What are the means by which we may obtain the spirit of penance?

A. (1.) The spirit of penance is the gift of God, as our holy faith teaches; for when St. Peter gave an account to the brethren of the conversion of the Gentiles, in the person of Cornelius and his friends, "they glorified God, saying, God then hath also to the Gentiles given repentance unto life," Acts xi. 18. And St. Paul exhorts Timothy," with modesty to admonish them that resist the truth, if peradventure God may give them repentance to know the truth," 2 Tim. ii. 25. Nay, it is one of the most necessary gifts we can receive from God, for without it there is no salvation for sinners. Now, the Scripture assures us, that "our heavenly Father will readily give his holy spirit to them that ask it," Luke xi. 13. Consequently the first and principal means to obtain the holy spirit of penance, is humble and fervent prayer. This the holy servants of God well knowing, were assiduous in their prayers for this purpose, "Convert me, O Lord, and I shall be converted," saith Jeremiah, "for thou art my God," Jer. xxxi. 19.; and David, "Convert us, O Lord! and we shall be converted; shew thy face, and we shall be saved," Ps. lxxix. Where this prayer is frequently repeated. (2.) We must avoid and fly from all those things which would hinder the spirit of penance from coming to our souls; such as idle company, dissipating diversions, plays, dancing, jesting, profane reading, and vain apparel, &c. All which things dissipate the heart, fill the mind with a world of idle ideas, carry off the thoughts from every thing serious, and are

quite opposite to, and destructive of, the spirit of penance; and, therefore, are particularly unbecoming, and unworthy to be thought of in penitential times. (3.) We must apply ourselves seriously. to the consideration and practice of those things which promote and excite the true penitential dispositions in the soul; such as serious meditation on the last things, and the great truths of eternity, the practice of self-denial and mortification, with works of charity and mercy; for experience shews, that as those who live pleasant lives, and pamper the body, never acquire the true spirit of penance whilst they live in that manner; so those who practise the works of penance, soon obtain the true spirit of it. (4.) Serious and frequent meditation on the great evils of sin, which contributes in a particular manner to excite the true spirit of penance in the soul, by giving us a just sense of the heinous evil of sin, of the greatness of the injury done by it to. God, and of the dreadful consequences it has with regard to ourselves; and the want of this knowledge, or the not reflecting upon it, is one of the principal causes why we fall so easily into the misery of sin.

SECTION V.

OF THE WORKS OF PENANCE.

Q. 31. What is understood by works of pehance?

A. By works of penance is understood any kind of punishment which the sinner willingly undergoes, in order to satisfy for his sins; and, as the nature of punishment requires that it be painful and afflicting to self-love; so any thing whatsoever that is naturally painful and afflicting to us, and 2 E

VOL. I.

which we willingly undergo with the view of doing penance for our sins, is a penitential work.

Q. 32. Why do you say that is naturally painful and afflicting to us?

A. Penance or punishment is what naturally gives pain; if it gave no pain it would be no punishment. Now, it may sometimes happen, that a penitential work which naturally gives pain, yet in certain circumstances may give a person no pain at the time he uses it; but it does not cease on that account to be a penitential work even to that person. Thus some find no difficulty in abstaining from flesh; others find little or no pain in fasting; yet, if these people, when obedience requires it, perform these works out of a penitential spirit, they are truly penitential works to them. In like manner, a person may be so far advanced in the love of God, and in the virtue of holy mortification, as to have, in a great measure, conquered the natural inclinations of flesh and blood, and even to find pleasure in those things which are naturally painful to us; yet this is so far from lessening the value of the penitential works of that person, that it greatly increases it, and shews the ardour of his love to God, from which they proceed.

Q. 33. Why do you say, with a view of doing penance?

A. Because, though the work be ever so painful, yet, if we undergo it without the view and intention of doing penance, it will be no penance at all; and, if done with any bad view, will even be displeasing to God: as our Saviour expressly declares, of all the three great penitential works of fasting, alms-giving, and prayer, if they be done with the view of gaining praise from men," Matth. vi. The reason is, because, in order to be a penitential work, it must proceed from the spirit of penance. This is the root, this is the principal

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part of penance, without which the exterior works signify nothing. And God Almighty puts such a value upon this internal disposition, that though the external work be but very small, yet, if it proceed from, and be accompanied with, a true penitential spirit, it becomes of great value before him. What can be of less value than to give a cup of cold water to a thirsty person? Yet Christ himself declares, that if done for his sake, it shall not want its reward. In like manner, what can be a smaller penitential work, than to deprive one's self of a drink of water? Yet it is recorded in sacred writ, as a very great action of David, that when three of his valiant men, at the risk of their lives, brought him water out of a cistern, which he had taken a longing for, "he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord," 2 Kings (Sam.) xxiii. 16. This ought to be a great comfort to those who are not able to do great things: let them do the little they can, with a true penitential spirit, and it will be accepted.

Q. 34. Into how many classes are penitential works divided?

A. Into three classes, (1.) Those which we are commanded to undergo, under pain of sin, if we disobey. (2.) Those which are left to our own free choice, according to our particular wants, without any other command but the general one of doing penance for our sins; and (3.) Those which we are forced to undergo, by the order of Providence, whether we will or not; but it is left to ourselves to make the proper penitential use of them.

Q. 35. What are the penitential works which we are commanded to undergo, under pain of sin, if we disobey.

A. Chiefly these following: (1.) The confession of our sins in the sacrament of penance. This is a