The mirror of faith
Subtitle: your likness in it
Publisher: D. Lane & Son
Published: 1875
Place of publication: London, England
Language: eng
Table of contents: title: CONTENTS.; title: PART FIRST.; title: GOD MADE YOU.; title: STRANGE NEWS — OUR PRESENT PLATFORM (introductory) 1; title: 1. What it comes to 1; title: 2. The child's new power — its dangers — the key of knowledge 4; title: 3. Holy Mother the Church and the new platform 6; title: 4. "The Mirror of Faith" 9; title: Chapter I.— OUT OF NOTHING 10; title: 1. Almost a gloomy thought 10; title: 2. A pleasure to which it gives birth 11; title: 3. Love and confidence more than filial 12; title: 4. The duties of a child 13; title: Chapter II.— YOUR BODY 13; title: 1. A caution to those who would learn 13; title: 2. Your body wonderful in its construction 14; title: 3. The most learned acknowledge they know little about it 16; title: 4. He who made it tells us to leave the care of it to Him — natural guides 17; title: 5. Your body a sacred charge — your duties concerning it 19; title: Chapter III.— YOUR SENSES 19; title: 1. The anatomy of your senses not our present business 19; title: 2. How your senses serve you 20; title: 3. Likes and dislikes 20; title: 4. The sense of touch — pain a defender against harm 23; title: 5. Another providential arrangement 24; title: 6. Cleanliness is next to godliness 25; title: Chapter IV— YOUR SENSES (contd.); title: — Sight and hearing 27; title: 1. Sight and hearing blessings not fully appreciated 27; title: 2. Your sight gives knowledge to your soul 27; title: 3. Your hearing extends that knowledge — how far? 28; title: 4. The first fruits of these senses — what you must do with them 28; title: 5. Sight, hearing and the will — a word about the deaf and dumb 29; title: 6. The senses instruments of the soul 30; title: 7. The senses good servants, but bad masters — a little lecture 31; title: Chapter V.— GOD'S IMAGE AND LIKENESS 34; title: 1. Revelation and exact knowledge about the soul 34; title: 2. Those fall into absurdities who reject revelation 35; title: 3. A second absurdity 37; title: 4. The privilege faith gives you 38; title: 5. Faith — wisdom — and the Catechism 39; title: 6. The Catechism on our present subject — the end attained by philosophy without its trouble 39; title: 7. And what no human philosophy can tell, over and above 41; title: 8. One answer in the Catechism contains more than we need at present 41; title: 9. We know more of what a spirit is not than what it is — why so? 41; title: 10. Your soul is a spirit — a contrast, yet a likeness 42; title: Chapter VI.— GOD'S IMAGE AND LIKENESS (continued) — UNDERSTANDING AND WILL 43; title: 1. A spirit known by its powers — the understanding 43; title: 2. Various uses of your understanding — the superiority it imparts 44; title: 3. Free will — does it make man like God? — a question 45; title: 4. Why God gave you free will — God's will — your liberty and the end for which God gave it 46; title: 5. Something in which your will is still like to God 48; title: 6. Lessons to be drawn from this 49; title: 7. Summing up 50; title: Chapter VII. — GOD'S IMAGE AND LIKENESS (continued) — immortality 50; title: 1. Immortality a free gift — the doctrine of preservation 50; title: 2. Gives new features to your whole being 51; title: 3. No picture a likeness without it — the saxon warrior's parable 52; title: 4. The significance this gift gives to life — it makes time precious 53; title: 5. The value of your actions for immortality is in proportion to the amount of love they contain 54; title: 6. The effect of this gift on the joys and sorrows of life 55; title: 7. It renders eternal all other gifts — it gives us God 55; title: 8. It makes life the beginning of eternity 57; title: 9. Your growing debt of gratitude 58; title: Chapter VIII.— YOURSELVES 59; title: 1. "And he became a living soul" — God's description of man 59; title: 2. The union of many separate things — nearly all soul 60; title: 3. Mutual dependence between soul and body 60; title: 4. A link between the soul and the visible world — mutual good offices 61; title: 5. Sympathy between body and soul 61; title: 6. Your will a power of the soul — an ascetical maxim explained 62; title: 7. Summing up of our first part 63; title: 8. Love — conformity to God's will - our Blessed Lady your model and teacher 64; title: PART SECOND.; title: WHAT SIN DID TO YOU.; title: Chapter I.— YOUR PROSPECTS 65; title: 1. Life an accumulated joy — our conclusions so far from "The Mirror of Faith" 65; title: 2. An impulse to be cherished 66; title: 3. The effect of obeying this impulse 67; title: 4. A game rendered earnest by opposition 68; title: 5. A great mistake 69; title: 6. An uncalled for proceeding — a storm that has come and gone — a warfare in which you have more strength with than against you 69; title: Chapter II.— THE STORM 71; title: 1. A sin and a mistake — the preliminary error of Lucifer 71; title: 2. The first rebel and his followers 72; title: 3. St. Michael — true nobility — first act of humility 74; title: 4. The Christian's watchword 76; title: 5. God determines to create man — an humble inquiry 76; title: 6. The devil meditates mischief 77; title: 7. How he goes about it — Eve's mistake 77; title: 8. A few lessons for us 78; title: Chapter III. — ITS EFFECTS 80; title: 1. An unenviable acquaintance 80; title: 2. A concert-room turned into a Bedlam — a double parable 80; title: 3. Man — what he was — and what he still may be — explanations 81; title: 4. Our first parents' eyes opened to a great uproar 83; title: 5. How many make themselves subject to the same misery — second part of parable explained 84; title: Chapter IV.— THE SUN OF JUSTICE 85; title: 1. A picture of what happened to you 85; title: 2. A storm in the night — a bright morning — a gentle shower 86; title: 3. God's compassion — the promise 86; title: 4. The sun of justice — the traces of the storm — the way — the truth and the life 87; title: Chapter V.— HE IS WELL CARED WHOM GOD TAKES CARE OF 88; title: 1. A glance at our loss and gain 88; title: 2. Man at best little able to take care of himself 89; title: 3. Sin's traces and the remedies 89; title: 4. The refreshing shower — our position altered, hardly for the worse 90; title: Chapter VI.— THE BLINDED UNDERSTANDING AND FAITH 90; title: 1. A well proved fact — idolatry a creation of the passions 90; title: 2. A curious way of satisfying a desire to be like God 92; title: 3. More folly — manufactured gods — devilry and roguery 92; title: 4. A lesson paganism should teach 93; title: 5. We need not, however, go so far to learn it 93; title: 6. The worst form of blindness 94; title: 7. The flood-gates of extravagance opened 95; title: 8. Quarrelling Christianity 96; title: 9. A happy family 96; title: 10. Faith God's remedy for our blindness 98; title: 11. Jesus Christ points out the relation evidence bears to faith 100; title: 12. Why, in spite of evidence, men refuse to believe God's word 100; title: 13. A sense in which it is necessary to become as little children 101; title: 14. The spirit of childhood the spirit of faith 102; title: 15. Faith the safeguard and the guide 102; title: 16. The greatest of all certainties 103; title: 17. Practical remarks 103; title: 18. The blessings of a living faith 103; title: Chapter VII.— THE WEAK WILL AND THE GOSPEL 104; title: 1. Twofold weakness of the will 104; title: 2. How the passions draw the will by blinding the understanding 105; title: 3. Two remedies for a double weakness 105; title: 4. Reason for describing absurdities 106; title: 5. Evils it is a misfortune to know much of 106; title: 6. The inaction of an engine without fire 106; title: 7. An opportunity worse than wasted 107; title: 8. A mistake with two had effects 108; title: 9. An advice to the wise 109; title: 10. Innocence without love, a doomed beauty 110; title: 11. A reason for what we see 111; title: 12. Is the devil's a pleasant yoke? 111; title: 13. The remedy — Gospel influence 112; title: 14. Awe 112; title: 15. The first spark of love 113; title: 16. The first prayer 113; title: 17. The true love-story of redemption, etc. 113; title: 18. Something to be deplored 114; title: 19. Gospel warnings 114; title: 20. Gospel promises 116; title: 21. A Gospel reminder 116; title: 22. A guide for every circumstance in life 116; title: 23. The Gospel is yours — use it 117; title: Chapter VIII. — THE POWER THAT RULES THE STORM 118; title: 1. Why absurdities must not be treated seriously 118; title: 2. Religions made by passion, versus common sense 118; title: 3 Calvinism — degradation — blasphemy — false humility and cant 119; title: 4. A new rendering of Scripture required 122; title: 5. Canting literature wide-spread 122; title: 6. Calvinism and the Church, contraries 123; title: 7. How the children of the Church become the slaves of passion 123; title: 8. About grace 124; title: 9. A conqueror or a slave — an important epoch 126; title: 10. A time to become strong or weak in 126; title: 11. The importance of the involved question, etc 127; title: 12. Your case stated 127; title: 13. The start, half the battle, etc 128; title: 14. Grace to be had for the asking — intercession 129; title: 15. Practical conclusions 130; title: Chapter IX.— YOUR LEADER IN SUFFERING AND DEATH 130; title: 1. The best path through this vale of tears 130; title: 2. Subjection to God, the truest freedom 131; title: 3. A narrow path — a bridge over a precipice 131; title: 4. A rough place after all for enjoyment 132; title: 5. The ardour of childhood joined to the courage of a soldier 132; title: 6. What makes the world a vale of tears 132; title: 7. The image which banishes complaint 133; title: 8. The sufferings of God's children small compared with those of others 134; title: 9. Hardly sufficient to make you like Jesus Christ 134; title: 10. Sufferings rendered glorious 134; title: 11. Death sweet to those who have served God 134; title: 12. Sufferings almost a joy 135; title: 13. Tour leader — His imitation 135; title: 14. What is your cross after all? — necessary self-denial 135; title: Chapter X.— DIVINE COMPASSION 136; title: 1. Feelings suggested by this subject — the inheritance of fallen man 136; title: 2. Compassion immediately succeeds the fall, etc 137; title: 3. Jonas and Nineva — compassion and petulance 138; title: 4. Our inheritance — it has given faith to our blindness — the Gospel to our weakness — grace to the passions 139; title: 5. A stretch of divine compassion 140; title: 6. Danger of venial sin 140; title: 7. Conversion of the sinner — the Sacrament of compassion 141; title: 8. Small requirements for receiving 141; title: 9. Patience — the holy sacrifice — refuge of sinners — saint's prayers — power of God's word, etc. 141; title: 10. The obvious effect of the study of divine compassion 141; title: PART THIRD. REDEEMING LOVE.; title: Chapter I. — AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD 142; title: 1. In what sense we understand redeeming love 142; title: 2. A coincidence 143; title: 3. The virtuous pride which comes from its contemplation — the second throne near Jesus 144; title: 4. Jesus and Mary representatives of restored nature in heaven 145; title: 5. The reason for bringing this prominently before you 145; title: 6. No new theory 146; title: 7. God's method of silencing the voice of man's degradation 147; title: 8. Jesus sanctifies each stage of life 147; title: 9. To be like Jesus no unattainable desire, etc 148; title: 10. A pride which truly humbles — its value 149; title: Chapter II.— THE ETERNAL FATHER'S GIFT 150; title: 1. What simplicity really means 150; title: 2. An unreasonable use of reason 150; title: 3. Ground on which simplicity is wisdom 151; title: 4. The eternal Father's gift 152; title: 5. A childlike inquiry — wisdom and goodness 152; title: 6. Providence 153; title: 7. Justice and mercy reconciled by this gift 154; title: 8. The only place in which God's justice does not get its due 155; title: 9. Prayer for the conversion of sinners therefore acceptable 156; title: 10. Practical lessons 156; title: 11. The love of the Giver measured by the greatness of His gift 157; title: 12. Conversion only the beginning of sanctification 158; title: 13. Forgetfulness of this turns the life of many upside down 159; title: 14. A Scripture parable 160; title: 15. The sum of the effects of the eternal Father's gifts 162; title: Chapter III.— BOUGHT BY JESUS' BLOOD 163; title: 1. The language of faith 163; title: 2. Its different effect on different people, etc 163; title: 3. In what sense Jesus' blood bought you 164; title: 4. A subject, not for speculation, but for meditation 164; title: 5. Jesus accepts His office of Redeemer 165; title: 6. His eagerness to shed His blood for you 165; title: 7. Jesus, gives, to purchase your love, what was not necessary to buy your redemption 166; title: 8. The effects of this familiar truth 167; title: Chapter IV.— YOUR ELDEST BROTHER 168; title: 1. A preliminary remark 168; title: 2. Adoption 168; title: 3. Your family likeness — St. Paul again 170; title: 4. Your acquired nobility — Christ's merits 171; title: 5. His kindness for you 171; title: 6. His compassion — His sufferings — His protection 172; title: 7. Practical conclusions - 172; title: 8. A dangerous power — the effect it should have 173; title: Chapter V.— YOUR DIVINE GUEST 174; title: 1. A necessary explanation 174; title: 2. An incontestable fact 174; title: 3. " The Mirror of Faith," a corrective 175; title: 4. More than a relationship — a power within 175; title: 5. St. Paul on this subject 176; title: 6. An important question, etc 176; title: 7. The conditions of the Holy Ghost's indwelling 177; title: 8. How you should treat your Divine Guest 178; title: 9. A lamentable fact — who is to blame? 180; title: 10. Why I put the remedy in your own hands 181; title: 11. A Scripture symbol explained 182; title: 12. The necessity of listening to the voice of the Holy Ghost — inspirations, etc 184; title: 13. Begin at the beginning — effects of this devotion 185; title: Chapter VI.— GOD'S FRIENDS 186; title: 1. "As familiar as household words" 186; title: 2. No matter of chance — cause and effect 187; title: 3. Catechism 188; title: 4. God's condescension 188; title: 5. How low God puts the requirements of this friendship, etc 190; title: 6. The effect this knowledge should have 191; title: 7. Tepidity — a warning 191; title: 8. Indeliberate frailties not tepidity 193; title: 9. How indulgent God is to those who love Him 194; title: 10. The main object of God's friendship — perfection 194; title: 11. The method of its increase 195; title: 12. Correspondence with grace 196; title: 13. Why you should do your best 196; title: 14. Your teacher and helper 197; title: Chapter VII.— YOUR DIVINE FOOD 198; title: 1. Reasons for my selection 198; title: 2. Why the Blessed Sacrament necessarily comes in here 199; title: 3. The Christian's sacrifice, companion and food — the sacrifice 199; title: 4. A truth which should make you anxious to hear Mass 200; title: 5. An apology 201; title: 6. The Christian's food — an argument against exaggeration 202; title: 7. A natural inference — a parable, etc. 202; title: 8. A pause to consider the holiness of your vocation 204; title: 9. God's great condescension again — the parable of the marriage feast 205; title: 10. Why so many keep from this divine banquet 206; title: 11. The invitation of Jesus to His children 207; title: Chapter VIII. — HEAVENLY COMPANIONS 207; title: 1. An old adage reversed 207; title: 2. Familiarity between the saints and God's friends 208; title: 3. A household practice akin "to the language of faith" 208; title: 4. Doctrine of the communion of saints 208; title: 5. The Blessed Virgin — patron saints, etc 209; title: 6. The power this heavenly society gives us 210; title: 7. Other effects — encouragement in good 210; title: 8. The memory of saints we have known and conversed with 211; title: 9. Your angel guardian — a tradition - — his watchfulness 212; title: 10. His patient concern for your salvation 213; title: 11. A word about spiritualism 214; title: 12. In conclusion 215; title: Chapter IX.— THE HAPPY CHOICE 215; title: 1. A Scriptural illustration of our course in this third part 215; title: 2. A course the more allowable by reason of infant Baptism 216; title: 3. A fact which makes early choice imperative 217; title: 4. A warning voice needed 217; title: 5. Children the best choosers — childhood the best time to make the choice 218; title: 6. The way of the commandments — the way of sin and self-will 218; title: 7. An universal intention — a road easily kept on, with much difficulty regained 218; title: 8. The real question — a choice you have no right to make 219; title: 9. How men come to choose the wrong road — the effect of ignorance 220; title: 10. Phantom giants in the way 220; title: 11. First and second giant 220; title: 12. The attack on the two giants 221; title: 13. The slaughter of the second giant — the death of the soul 222; title: 14. God's sacrament of compassion — an apparent difficulty becomes a proof 223; title: 15. Your case stated — the difference between the two roads 224; title: 16. The benefit of remembering these things 226; title: 17. A consideration more powerful than self-interest 226; title: PART FOURTH BAPTISM.; title: Chapter I. — COMING HOME TO OUR SUBJECT 227; title: 1. An artist's lay figure, etc 227; title: 2. Assistance in an artist's task, etc 227; title: 3. A description of you worse than useless 228; title: 4. Creation lost sight of in the blaze of redeeming love 229; title: 5. Hence my course 230; title: 6. In the second and third part the same 231; title: Chapter II.— THE AVERTED DOOM 232; title: 1. Home from our rambles 232; title: 2. An undecided question 232; title: 3. The real question, etc 233; title: 4. What the doom might have been, and is not 233; title: 5. A sad dilemma — on one side despair 234; title: 6. On the other ignorance and false hope, etc 235; title: 7. An argument from what is which shows what might have been 235; title: 8. A proof of what ignorance can do 236; title: 9. A third source of evil averted 237; title: 10. A double reason for speaking of the tyranny of passion 237; title: 11. Something more important even than ignorance of evil 238; title: 12. The lesson of passion read aright 238; title: 13. What that lesson has always been 239; title: 14. An objection answered 240; title: 15. The averted doom again 242; title: Chapter III.— DIVINE HASTE 243; title: 1. Shadow throws out the beauty of our picture 243; title: 2. A sublime sacrament bestowed upon an unconscious infant 244; title: 3. Some of its accompanying graces 244; title: 4. God's reasons for this haste 245; title: 5. Lay Baptism 245; title: 6. Anxious provisions against dangers 246; title: 7. A prerogative of want of confidence 246; title: Chapter IV.— ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE CHURCH 247; title: 1. Ceremonies the groundwork of an instruction — sponsors, etc. 247; title: 2. The first question, etc. 249; title: 3. A common fallacy explained, etc. 249; title: 4. The second question, answer, etc. 252; title: 5. The first hint to the devil to begone 252; title: 6. The sign of the cross on the forehead and breast 253; title: 7. A word about the sign of the cross 253; title: 8. The two following prayers explained, etc. 254; title: 9. The humiliation of the devil, etc. 256; title: 10. A prayer for the gift of knowledge, etc. 256; title: Chapter V.— WITHIN THE DOORS 257; title: 1. A resume — admission into the Church 257; title: 2. Baptism a contract — the invitation, and what it contains 258; title: 3. A relationship we have scarcely mentioned 259; title: 4. The profession of faith, etc. 260; title: 5. The obligation of faith incurred 260; title: 6. The child's first prayer 260; title: 7. Approaching the font — second exorcism 261; title: 8. The ceremony of the Gospel miracle, etc 262; title: 9. The declaration of war, etc 262; title: 10. The devil's agents more to be feared than the devil himself — in what sense the flesh is an enemy 263; title: 11. Distorted, ideas — one-sided quotation of St. Paul 263; title: 12. In what sense the flesh is renounced 264; title: 13. Where the real evil lies 267; title: 14. How God's children rule themselves 268; title: 15. A few words of advice 268; title: 16. About the affections 269; title: 17. Something requiring caution 271; title: 18. A truly happy omen — why I give the world a chapter to itself 271; title: Chapter VI.— GOD'S GREAT ENEMY 272; title: 1. The advantages of warfare 272; title: 2. An enemy more to be feared than war 273; title: 3. The world a moral pestilence, etc. 273; title: 4. Important question — Does the world exist? 275; title: 5. Jesus Christ and the world 275; title: 6. The world which God hates 276; title: 7. Condemnations from the Gospel 276; title: 8. From the epistles — St. Paul — St. James — St. John 277; title: 9. Symptoms the only proof of the existence of a pestilence — St. John's definition 278; title: 10. Impiety its first ingredient 281; title: 11. Impenitence a quality of the world 281; title: 12. Pride of life 282; title: 13. Concupiscence of the eyes — a self-seeking world 283; title: 14. A test of true unworldliness — vocations 284; title: 15. A smothered fire 286; title: 16. The enemy of "The Mirror of Faith" 286; title: 17. The only antidote 287; title: Chapter VII.— BAPTISM 288; title: 1. New proofs of a sacred consecration 288; title: 2. Anointed with holy oil, etc. 288; title: 3. What the changing of the stole means 290; title: 4. Baptism a choice to be ratified 290; title: 5. The solemn sacramental act 290; title: 6. The Blessed Trinity and the baptized child — a family picture 291; title: 7. This picture not an imaginary one 292; title: 8. The Holy Ghost and the baptized child, etc. 298; title: 9. The anointing with chrism 294; title: 10. The two concluding ceremonies — the light and the white garment 294; title: 11. The pax 295; title: Chapter VIII.— YOUR FINISHED PICTURE 296; title: 1. Lights and shades 296; title: 2. Its component parts — creation 297; title: 3. Your body — its senses 297; title: 4. Your soul, its powers — immortality, etc. 298; title: 5. The shadow — lessons and conclusions 298; title: 6. Our tour into the promised land, etc. 299; title: 7. The averted doom — ceremonies — engagements — enemies — the great sacrament 300; title: 8. Two questions and their answers 301; title: Chapter IX.— GROWN-UP CHILDREN AND PARENTS 303; title: 1. A providential arrangement 303; title: 2. A propensity with an object — a proposal 304; title: 3. Example of St. Paul — a chasm to be bridged over 304; title: 4. Objections answered 305; title: 5. A personal benefit to be derived from this proposal 306; title: 6. A word about the special subject chosen 307; title: 7. Address to parents — Blanche of Castile the type of a class — the peculiarities of the times, etc. 308; title: APPENDIX.; title: The ceremonies of Holy Baptism, according to the Roman Ritual 309