that when a man stole, even “to satisfy his hungry soul,” “he shall restore seven-fold; he shall give all the substance of his house;" but of course the law of the Bible has nothing to do with the Popish code of morals.

Again: He who takes a considerable sum by small thests is bound to restore only so much, that the amount which he retains may no longer be serious!! And although a kind of caveat is inserted that this is dangerous in practice, according to some authors, and that penitents should be obliged to make restitution, even of the smallest thefts; yet this is enjoined only on the ground of expediency, not because it is an absolute obligation!

The sum and substance of the whole chapter is briefly this, that if Protestant parents wish to have their children effectually trained up as candidates for the penitentiary, we recommend to them the schools in which the morals of Peter Dens are inculcated.

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE sections which treat of injuries committed against the good name of another, and of the restitution which is due in such cases, I shall omit. The 119th sect. treats

Of injuries against the body of a neighbour.

OF SUICIDE.

"There are various means by which injury is inflicted on the body of a neighbour; namely, suicide, homicide, mutilation, adultery, incest, fornication, rape, and the things which are included in these, as duelling, abortion, whipping, imprisonment, &c., which are forbidden respectively by the fifth (i. e., the sixth) commandment of the Decalogue Thou shalt not kill;' or by the sixth, (seventh,) Thou shalt not commit adultery.'

"What is suicide?

"Suicide is, when any one without the command or permission of the divine authority inflicts death upon himself. "Is it lawful to kill one's self?

"Ans. To kill one's self directly and intentionally, without divine authority, is a most grievous sin.

"It is proved, 1. from the command, Thou shalt not kill;' for if it is not permitted by the force of this commandment to kill a neighbour, much less one's self; as every one is nearest to himself.

"2. To kill one's self is contrary to the inclination of nature; because every thing preserves and guards itself against harm; but no exception against this inclination ought to be admitted, unless it is clear that it has been made by the author of nature.

"The suicide therefore sins against God, who has reserved to himself the power of life and death; he sins also against the state, a member of which he takes away without her consent and against himself by violating the law of preserving his own life, which was granted to him by God never to be abrogated; also, by offending against charity, by which every one is bound to love himself.

"St. Jerome, writing on Jonas, ch. i., seems to teach that it is lawful to kill one's self for the preservation of chastity: but in this point we must, with St. Augustine and St. Thomas, differ from him, &c.

"As for the Holy Virgins, who are said to have killed themselves lest they should be violated, it must be said, with St. Augustine, THAT THEY DID IT BY THE DIRECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Some excuse them by reason of ignorance, which, in regard to them, could be at least not very criminal.

"As to the direction of the Holy Spirit, or divine authority to kill one's self or others, Peter Marchantius correctly admonishes that it cannot be presumed, but ought to be most clearly evident; because, in such cases, fraud and illusion of the devil may easily intervene.

"From these remarks it is plain, that acts in themselves fatal, are never lawful against one's self, those which in themselves and their own nature tend to death: as cutting the throat, strangling, taking poison, &c.

"Can a judge who is guilty of death lawfully kill himself, as he can kill others?

"Ans. No; because that judge is not a judge of himself, but must be judged by others.

"Can a judge condemn any criminal to kill himself?

"Ans. The negative answer seems proper: because such power is not necessary to the state, as other modes of punishing criminals are supplied: nor is it clear that God has granted this power to the state.

"Hence authors teach that a person condemned to die of hunger, cannot abstain from food secretly offered, nor take the poison which he might be condemned to take.

"Is it lawful to leap into a river, in which a man must certainly be drowned, in order to baptize an infant, which would otherwise die without baptism?

"Ans. No: because the immediate effect of such a leap would be his own death; and the baptism of the child by no means follows from this, but only from the application of the matter and form. We are indeed bound, in order to succour such a child to expose ourselves to risk of death; but it is one thing to expose one's self to the danger of death, and another to kill one's self.

"Is it lawful to leap from a tower on fire, in order to avoid the severer pains of burning, when in either case there is no hope of escaping death?

"Ans. Yes, probably at least then, if by leaping from the tower he does not accelerate his death; the reason is, because that leap is immediately an escape of a greater evil, namely, a more painful death; and hence it seems that permissively he may have recourse to the less painful death which follows from it."

Whenever any of the traditions or doctrines of Holy Church are contradicted by the moral law, or are plainly at variance with opinions now generally received, an expla nation is always at hand. If the saintship of any of the gods or goddesses of Rome is rendered problematical by the manner of their lives or their death, some Father is prepared with a pious suggestion, and this is at once received as per fectly satisfactory; v. g., the Holy Virgins who committed

suicide, and who are invoked with great fervour by their admirers, killed themselves BY THE DIRECTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Thus God is made to suspend the operation even of his moral law in order to preserve the idols of Rome from suspicion! If this is not blasphemous presumption, what crime is there which deserves the name?

Of all the cases of conscience that ever tormented a casuist, surely there are few so perplexing as that which is proposed towards the close of the last section, relative to the immersion of an infant which is in danger of dying without baptism?

Of Indirect Suicide. (120.)

"Is it lawful to kill one's self indirectly, or to do or neglect any thing from which, though not intended, death may follow?

"Ans. In itself considered, no: because death would thus certainly be voluntary in the cause, or might be so construed; and therefore it is sinful, unless a sufficient reason for so doing is afforded.

"Therefore, they are guilty of suicide, 1. who, for trifling reasons, expose themselves to danger of death: as, for instance, fool-hardy rope-dancers, or such as take poisons for the sake of vain-glory, unless they know how to meet the danger by means of an antidote, so that it may be morally removed.

"2. They who accelerate death by surfeit, drunkenness, drinking heated wine, immoderate passions, &c.

"3. Sick persons refusing ordinary remedies, which would probably be an advantage, and would not do any harm, if there is danger of death from their neglect.

"It is to be observed that the abovementioned persons sin so much the more as they accelerate death, and so long as they are in this state of grievously injuring themselves, so long are they in constant mortal sin, and unworthy of absolution.

"Do they sin, who shorten their days through austerities? "Ans. It is a rare thing that days are shortened by moderate austerity of life, but life is rather prolonged. Be

sides, although certain austerities might abbreviate life somewhat, yet if they are moderate they are lawful: because the subjection of the flesh, and the manifold spiritual advantage, which immediately accrue from it, overcome this bad effect: this, also, the common experience of the Saints proves.

"Yet immoderate austerities are unlawful as fatal to a person. Nor is there ever any need of them for primary purposes. But those are regarded as immoderate under which nature cannot be sustained, or a person is rendered unable properly to perform his duties: and so far are they from producing the effect that by them the body is subjected to the Spirit, that it is rather hindered from obeying the Spirit on account of languor.

"It is to be observed, 1st. from the Saints, Philip Nerius, and Francis Sales, that they are to be more highly esteemed, who, mortifying the flesh with the moderation of reason, are wholly devoted to correcting the understanding, and subjecting and conforming their own will to the divine, than they, who neglecting the care of the mind wish to afflict the body alone.

"2d. That in undergoing austerities, every one depends upon the suggestion and direction of his own confessor, notwithstanding any private imagination and will.

“It was said at the commencement of this number, unless a sufficient reason for so doing is afforded; and hence a pastor administering the Sacraments to persons infected with the plague with the risk of contagion, the soldier continuing in his station at the peril of his life for the common good, &c., are not to be blamed, but very greatly commended.

"For a similar reason, the soldier does not sin, who first ascends the wall, and sets fire to a train of powder in order to overthrow a tower, although he sees that he will certainly be killed in consequence.

"He also appears probably excusable, who being placed on an enemy's ship sets fire to a train of powder in order that the ship and the enemy may perish, even with his own certain destruction, if the liberty of his country may accrue from it; the case is otherwise, if it would not ensue, for this reason, for instance, that many other ships of the enemy might still remain.

"Yet that soldier would be culpable, who should do the