3. And what are its effects?

They are also declared by the same apostle. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up, and, if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him."

HOLY ORDER.

1. What is holy order?

A sacrament by which bishops, priests, and others are ordained to the ministry of the

1. Holy order. From a few scattered notices in the inspired writers we gather, that our blessed Lord appointed his apostles to spread his religion and worship through the world: that they appointed others to aid them in this great work, ordaining such persons with fasting, prayer, and imposition of hands; and that this ordination conferred on the ordained certain spiritual graces adapted to their respective duties. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. (John xx. 21.) Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. (1 Cor. iv. 1.) He gave some apostles and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and teachers .... that henceforth we be no more children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. (Eph. iv. 11, 14.) Stir up the grace of God, which is in thee by the imposition of my hands. (2 Tim. i. 6.) Neglect not the grace that is in thee, which was given to thee by prophecy, with the imposition of the hands of the priesthood. (1 Tim. iv. 14.) But of the constitution of the Christian hierarchy, or of the exact form of ordination, not one of the tracts of the New Testament contains any detailed ac

altar, and receive grace to perform their respective duties.

OF MATRIMONY.

1. What is the sacrament of matrimony?

A sacrament by which the marriage covenant is sanctified and blessed, and the parties receive grace to fulfil the duties of the married state.

count for information on these subjects, we must have recourse to the most ancient ecclesiastical historians; and, when we find in their pages the same gradation of office and authority in the sacred ministry, which still prevails in the Catholic Church, described as existing in every particular Church, the only conclusion which we can rationally draw from such antiquity and universality, is, that it was established by the apostles themselves in conformity with the will of their heavenly Master. No other authority could have established it everywhere.

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1. Marriage covenant.-At first, marriage was a natural contract, by which a man and a woman, being at full liberty, pledged reciprocally their faith to each other since the establishment of civil laws, it is moreover a civil contract, which, to have any civil effect, must be concluded after the manner prescribed by the civil law and lastly, our blessed Lord made it a sacramental contract, which, to have any sacramental effect, must be made after the manner prescribed by the laws of the Church.

2. Can the marriage covenant be dissolved by human authority?

No: for our Saviour has said, “what God hath joined together, let no man put assunder." (Matt. xix. 6.)

2. Be dissolved.-Our Lord has indeed allowed divorce from cohabitation in the case of adultery by either party (Matt. v. 23; xix. 9); but the bond of marriage still exists, and will exist, till an end be put to it by death. Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her; and if the wife shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery. (Mark x. 11, 12.) Every one that putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery. (Luke xvi. 18.) A woman that hath a husband, whilst her husband liveth, is bound to the law. She shall be called an adultress, if she be with another man. (Rom. vii. 23.)

For more than a century back, the English parliament, and, almost since the adoption of the federal constitution, the different state legislatures, in this country, have occasionally passed bills of divorce in particular cases; the effect of which is, not to dissolve the bond of matrimony in the sight of God-that is beyond the power of any human authority-but to deprive the existing contract of all civil effect, and to place the persons so divorced, with respect to civil consequences, in the same situation, as if they were actually unmarried. But they are still married in conscience, and cannot in that respect avail themselves of the liberty which the law may allow to them.

Hence parties, about to contract marriage, should be aware that they are in danger of bind

3. What are the chief duties of married persons?

To love one another; to bear with one another; and to join in bringing up their children in the faith of Christ, and the practice of religion.

CHAP. II.

OF PRAYER.

1. What is prayer?

The raising up of the mind and heart to God.

2. What are the chief objects of prayer?

ing themselves to a state of misery for life, unless the object of their choice possess at least the following qualifications: compatibility of temper, goodness of moral character, and conformity in religion: for, experience has shewn that, where any one of these three is wanting, the married state frequently becomes a constant source of discomfort and woe.

3. Chief duties.-The duties of married persons are repeatedly noticed in the scriptures. See (1 Cor. vii. 3; Col. iii. 18; Eph. v. 22; 1 Pet. iii. 1.) 1. Prayer. Christ commanded his disciples to pray (Matt. xxvi. 41);-taught them how to pray (Matt. xvi. 9); and gave them the example, particularly by his prayer after the last supper (John xvii), and during his agony in the garden. (Matt. xxvi. 29; Luke xxii. 42.)

To worship our Creator, to express our gratitude for his blessings to us, to implore mercy and favours, and to solicit deliverance from present, and protection from future evils.

3. In what manner ought we to pray? With attention and devotion.

4. What is meant by praying with attention? To attend to the meaning of the prayers which we utter.

5. What by praying with devotion?

To excite in our hearts the feelings expressed by our words.

6. What is prayer without attention and devotion?

A mockery rather than prayer.

7. Why do you begin your prayers with the sign of the cross

5. Feelings expressed by our words. It is in the feelings that prayer essentially consists. Religious feelings habitually entertained are a continual prayer. To aid us in awakening such feelings certain forms of prayer have been devised, to be committed to memory, or to be read from books. But we must always remember that a mere repetition of words is not prayer to make it such, our feelings ought to correspond; not that it is always possible to avoid on these occasions distraction of mind; but, if that distraction is involuntary, it cannot destroy the intention of him who prays, nor offend that Almighty Being, to whom the prayer is addressed.

6. A mockery. This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. (Matt. xv. 8.)