Answers.

THE IRISH CHURCH.

SIR,-Through the medium of the Churchman's Companion I would affectionately ask the Catholics of the English Church to remember the Irish Church in their devotions during the present crisis in her history, that the Catholic verities which she holds in common with her English sister may be preserved to us through all generations, so that Ultra-Protestantism may not swallow up the truth which it is her mission to teach in this benighted land.— Yours, &c., A CATHOLIC.

"" EVERY ONE HAD FOUR FACES," EZEK. 1. 6.

Face IV. Sincere. SIR,-Many of those who now undergo the punishment due to unremitted sin in the place of purgation to come must have walked sincerely and confidently in the darkness, having never seen the light. "But if the blind lead the blind," says our Blessed SAVIOUR, "both shall fall into the ditch" and into sins, to be pardoned only by fiery penance and bitter pain. Being purged they shall at length be clean, being washed in JESUS' Blood their sins shall be forgiven, and when every taint of sin is wiped away then they may ascend at the call of their Redeemer into Heaven. I have known many who have died with the name of JESUS on their lips; they departed from a world of care, but we dare not assume that they have gone to a world of rest. Their love to CHRIST did not lead them to His

Fold, unsanctified it was not accepted, eclipsed by fear it could not be received: therefore I have said, only the letters JESUS thus spoken could not save them from the fiery trial.

To a Catholic nothing can be sweeter than approaching death, for to such the dissolution of the body is the transport of the soul; the joys or trials of the present are lost in the contemplation of His Presence in the future. O how blessed would it be were the erring Christian rightly guided there!

Many are sincere in their belief. Despising the traditions of Holy Church they carry their hereditary tradition to the tomb-That the Bible is the only ground of faith, that departures from established rites and ceremonies are the occasion multarum pravitatum, of many errors, and that the opinion of one is of more importance than the belief for centuries of many. These are sincere in their intolerance, in their blindness, in their hardness of heart. They may perish in this world, but may their heresies pass with them from the soul of man, and let them, O LORD, be converted again in the regions beyond. "Da eis Domine. Quid dabis eis? Da eis vulvam sine liberis et ubera arentia." Therefore these descend where heresy is burned away.

There are others who are sincere in their way of life. To do their duty to man that their duty to GOD may follow is their sole regard. Holding the respect of man their idol they do not know that man's duty springs from GOD's, not GOD'S from man's. Therefore these do err sincerely, and descend where love is

purged of the dross which enfolds it and heresies are burned away. Many are they who are sincere in evil; doing evil for it evil; avoiding good because it is good. Not to a place of purgation or rest we fear do these tend, but to an unfathomable hell. They are sincere in the service of Satan, according to their sincerity by him are they rewarded; as for GOD, He will punish their iniquity, He will visit their sin. Quia ventum seminabunt et turbinem metent. Therefore as chaff shall they be burned up, root and branch, like the barren figtree withering in the fertile fields of Palestine, as thorns and briars in the garden of the LORD, as the tares in the gathered harvest of His field. Not Requiescant in pace," no, but "The harvest is passed, the summer is ended," is a better epitaph for their unhallowed tombs.-Yours, &c., H. J. Y.

S. NINIAN.

SIR,-I would inform your correspondent M. H. R., that S. Ninian was the son of a petty chieftain of a British tribe and was born A.D. 357, probably on the north-west coast of Cumberland. When he was about twentyone he went to Rome, where after staying many years, he was consecrated Bishop by S. Siricius, A.D. 397, and sent by him as a missionary to the western portion of the northern counties of England and the Scottish lowlands. He fixed his see at Withern in Galloway, where he formed a religious community. He converted many of the Picts to the true faith, and after a long and laborious life fell asleep on September 16, A.D. 432, on which day his memory was celebrated in the Scottish Church as one of their chiefest saints.Yours, &c., H. A. S. N.

SIR, I have the pleasure of informing M. H. R., that S. Ninian or Minyas, was an apostle to the

Southern Picts until the year of his death 432, A.D. He built the first stone church, at Whithorn near Wigton, in which church he was interred. He is said after death to have worked various miracles. His tomb became a pilgrim shrine, and was visited by Queen Margaret of Anjou, in 1473 A.D., and by the Kings James IV. and James V. of Scotland. S. Ninian was also Bishop of the Picts.-Yours, &c., CENTIA.

[H. gives a similar account.ED. C. C.]

S. JULITTA.

SIR,-In answer to your correspondent Vivo respecting S. Julitta I find notice of two martyrs of that name. One put to death July 30, 303; the other June 16, 304. Í am inclined to think this must be a chronological error, and the two are identical.-Yours, &c., H.

COST OF BOYS' SURPLICES. SIR,-In answer to your correspondent M. D. T., I beg to say that surplices for choirs are supplied by the Sisterhood of the parish to which I belong, at the following prices.

Priest's surplices, £1. 1s.
Choir men's ditto, 14s.
Boys' ditto, 8s.

Should M. D. T. wish to send an order to this Sisterhood it can be done by addressing a letter to M. D. A., care of the Editor of the Churchman's Companion, which I will forward to the Sisters.Yours, &c., M. D. A.

SCRIPTURAL ALLUSIONS TO THE FUTURE STATE.

SIR, C. A. M. W. cannot do better than read the Bishop of Ely, (Harold Browne) on the XXXIX. Articles, Article VII.-Yours, &c., H. B.

THE OFFERTORY.

SIR,I cannot consider the apology offered by WALTER for

certain churches in reference to their employment of the Offertory by any means satisfactory.

1. He admits that they do next to nothing for missions, but he defends them, because the agents in the conduct of missions are not what we could desire. Assuming this criticism to be just, I would say, first, that a workman must get the best tools he can: it will be no excuse for him to remain idle, because his tools are indifferent. And after all, I suppose the missionary clergymen and Bishops who send them out and direct them in their several stations, are not materially worse than the home clergy.

But 2. WALTER seems to forget that it is GOD alone who "gives the increase," and if this be so, we are not likely to get any fresh blessing from Him, so long as we neglect His rule to " go and make disciples of all nations."

But again, WALTER tells that these Congregations give largely to such places as Clewer and Brighton. If they do, I must take leave to say, the fact does not appear in any of their public statements that I have seen, and I should quite have thought too that those wealthy societies could have supported themselves.

With regard to the condition of the offertory at S. Matthias', I am glad to be corrected by WALTER, who appears to be acquainted with the facts of the case. I did not write, however, without what seemed to me good authority. I had been informed that the offertory of that church had diminished nearly one half.-Yours, &c., InQUIRER.

Queries.

NON-COMMUNICATING ATTENDANCE AT THE CELEBRATION.

SIR,-I should be glad of some information on the following subjects.

As it is the custom in some

churches for the whole congregation to stay in the church during the Communion Service, to be present at the Sacrifice, though not to communicate, what would be a reason for abstaining from communicating as often as present, and how often are the faithful recommended to communicate? In what way is a priest to be regarded in the prayers of the Church for the people and minister-as offering up their prayers to GOD, or as merely praying with them?

An answer to the objection that prayers and creeds should not be sung, as for instance the responses set to music by Tallis, and the Athanasian and Nicene Creeds by other composers.

I have no doubt these things are generally understood where Catholic customs are carried out, but where that is not the case I believe that, like myself, many will be anxious for instruction.-Yours, &c., E. B.

S. JOHN VI.

SIR,-Will you or any of your readers inform me whether the text, "Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you,' S. John vi. 53, is not generally considered to apply more particularly to the Holy Sacrament?— Yours, &c., ANNIE.

THE NAMES OF THE TWO MALEFACTORS.

SIR, What authority have we for supposing the names of the two thieves crucified with CHRIST to be Dimas and Gestas? In the Gospel of the Infancy, viii. 3, (Apocrypha,) their names are mentioned as being Titus and Dumachos, but in the Gospel of Nicodemus, vii. 3, they are called Dimas and Gestas. Can this contradiction be accounted for, and is there no better authority than the Apocrypha? I shall be glad of any information on the subject.Yours, &c., F. M. A.