moreover also thou hast taken Lord: In this place, wherein
possession [of his vineyard]. the dogs have licked the
And after these words thou blood of Naboth, they shall
shalt add: Thus saith the lick thy blood also.

35.-EJACULATIONS OF THE SOUL AGAINST
CALUMNY.

Ps 118,121 I have done judgment and loose me from the band of
justice give me not up to this reproach, or else take me
them that slander me. Up- away from the earth.

hold Thy servant unto good. How long shall sinners, O Ps 93,3-4 Ps118,134 Redeem me from the ca- Lord, how long shall sinners lumnies of men, that I may glory?-Shall they utter and keep Thy Commandments.

Jb 3, 15

Pv 22, 10

Pv 10, 18

Eci 23, 20

Ja 3, 6

Eci 21, 27

Eci 22, 24

Eci 22, 25

Eci 8, 14

speak iniquity? shall all I beg, O Lord, that Thou speak who work iniquity?

36.-EFFECTS AND INJURY OF EVIL-SPEAKING TO

THE

Cast out the scoffer, and contention shall go out with him, and quarrels and reproaches shall cease.

Lying lips hide hatred: he that uttereth reproach is foolish.

EVIL.

Injuries and wrongs will Eci 21,5 waste riches.

As the vapour of a chimney Eci 22, 30 and the smoke of the fire goeth up before the fire, so also injurious words and reproaches and threats before blood.

The man that is accustomed to opprobrious words Mockery and reproach are Eci 27, 31 will never be corrected all the of the proud, and vengeance days of his life. as a lion shall lie in wait for him.

The tongue is a fire.

37.-EFFECTS AND INJURY OF EVIL-SPEAKING

TO THE PERSON INJURED.

Mt 5, 22

1 Pt 3,8-9

Ju 9

4 K 2, 23

24

38.-RAILING FORBIDDEN BY GOD.

Whosoever shall say to his said:

The Lord command brother, Raca, shall be in thee. But these men blasdanger of the council; and pheme whatever things they whosoever shall say, Thou know not.

hell-fire.

fool, shall be in danger of The things which thy eyes Pv 25, 8
have seen utter not hastily in
Be ye all of one mind:- a quarrel; lest afterwards
Not rendering evil for evil, thou mayest not be able to
nor railing for railing; but make amends, when thou
contrariwise, blessing: for un- hast dishonoured thy friend.
to this are you called, that If thou offer thy gift at Mt 5,23-
you may inherit a bless- the Altar, and there thou
ing.
remember that thy brother
When Michael the Arch- hath anything against thee,-
angel, disputing with the Leave there thy offering be-
devil, contended about the fore the Altar, and go first
body of Moses, he durst not to be reconciled to thy bro-
bring against him the judg- ther; and then coming, thou
ment of railing speech, but shalt offer thy gift.

39.-SCORNERS- -GOD PUNISHES THE SCORNER.

24

As he [Eliseus] was going kilns: so did he to all the cities up by the way, little boys of the children of Ammon. came out of the city, and And David returned with all mocked him, saying: Go up, the army to Jerusalem. thou bald-head; go up, thou The bow of the mighty is 1 K 2,4-5 bald-head. And looking overcome, and the weak are back, he saw them, and girt with strength. They cursed them in the Name of that were full before have the Lord; and there came hired out themselves for forth two bears out of the bread, and the hungry are forest, and tore of them two-filled: so that the barren and-forty boys. hath borne many, and she 2K 12,31 Bringing forth the people that had many children is thereof, he sawed them, and weakened. drove over them chariots Wo is me, my mother! Je 15, 10 armed with iron, and divided Why hast thou borne me a

them with knives, and made man of strife, a man of con-
them pass through brick-tention to all the earth? I

Jb 12, 4

Pv 18, 3

Pv 3, 32

have not lent on usury, and exalteth, God Who seeth
neither hath any man lent to all.
me on usury: yet all curse

me.

He shall scorn the scorners. Pv 3, 34
Despise not a just man that Eci 10, 26

The simplicity of the just is poor, and do not magnify
man is laughed to scorn. a sinful man that is rich.
The wicked man when he Despise not a man that Eci 8,6-7
is come into the depths of turneth away from sin, nor
sins contemneth; but igno- reproach him therewith: re-
miny and reproach follow member that we are all worthy
him.
of reproof.-Despise not a
man in his old age; for we
shall also become old.

Every mocker is an abomination to the Lord.

Po 11, 12 He that despiseth his friend is mean of heart.

Pv 15, 20

Pv 13, 15

Pv 14, 21

Ecl 7, 14

Eci 7, 12

2 E4,4-5

La 3, 5966

God hath showed to me to Ac 10, 28 call no man common or un

The foolish man despiseth clean. his mother.

You, my dearly beloved, Ju 17-18

In the way of scorners is a be mindful of the words
deep pit.
which have been spoken be-
He that despiseth his fore by the Apostles of our
neighbour sinneth.
Lord Jesus Christ; - Who

No man can correct whom told you that in the last
he hath despised.
time there should come
Laugh no man to scorn in mockers, walking according
the bitterness of his soul: for to their own desires in un-
there is One Who humbleth godliness.

40.-EJACULATIONS FOR AVERTING SCORNFUL
ABUSE.

Hear Thou, our God, for against me all the day.-
we are despised: turn their Behold their sitting down
reproach upon their own and their rising up, I am
head, and give them to be their song.-Thou shalt ren-
despised in a land of captivity. der them a recompense, O
-Cover not their iniquity, Lord, according to the works
and let not their sin be of their hands.-Thou shalt
blotted out from before Thy give them a buckler of heart
face, because they have Thy labour.-Thou shalt per-
mocked Thy builders. secute them in anger, and

16

Thou hast seen, O Lord, shalt destroy them from untheir iniquity against me; der the heavens, O Lord. judge Thou my judgment.- To Thee, O Lord, I turn To 3, 14Thou hast seen all their fury my face, to Thee I direct my and all their thoughts against eyes. I beg, O Lord, that me. Thou hast heard their Thou loose me from the bond reproach, O Lord, all their of this reproach, or else take imaginations against me:-me away from the earth.The lips of them that rise up Thou knowest, O Lord, that against me, and their devices I never coveted a husband,

and have kept my soul clean humbled, and kept silence
from all lust.
from good things, and my

Ps 38, 1-3, I said: I will take heed to sorrow was renewed.-I was
10-11 my ways, that I sin not with dumb, and I opened not my
my tongue.-I have set a mouth, because Thou hast
guard to my mouth when done it. Remove Thy
the sinner stood against me. scourges from me.
-I was dumb, and was Owe no man anything.

Pv 26, 22

20

41.-EFFECTS, INJURY, AND PUNISHMENT OF

TALEBEARING.

The words of a talebearer may repose.

Ro 13, 8

are as it were simple, but The stroke of a whip mak- Eci 28,21-
they reach to the innermost eth a blue mark: but the
parts of the belly.
stroke of the tongue will

Eci 28, 15- The whisperer and the break the bones.-Many have
double-tongued is accursed: fallen by the edge of the
for he hath troubled many sword, but not so many as
that were at peace. The have perished by their own
tongue of a third person tongue.

1 Ti5, 13

Tt 3, 2

1 Pt 4, 15

Eci 5, 1617

22

hath disquieted many, and The talebearer shall defile Eci 21, 31
scattered them from nation his own soul, and be hated
to nation. It hath destroyed by all: and he that shall
the strong cities of the rich, abide with him shall be hate-
and hath overthrown the ful: the silent and wise man
houses of great men. It hath shall be honoured.
cut in pieces the forces of I attended and hearkened:
people, and undone strong no man speaketh what is
nations. The tongue of a good.

third person hath cast out In many words shall be
valiant women, and deprived found folly.

them of their labours.-He I heard the reproaches of
that hearkeneth to it shall many, and terror on every
never have rest, neither shall side: Persecute him, and let
he have a friend in whom he us persecute him.

42. TALEBEARING FORBIDDEN BY GOD.
Being idle they learn to tongue, and confounded.—
go about from house to house, For confusion and repentance
and are not only idle but is upon a thief, and an evil
tattlers also, and busy bodies, mark of disgrace upon the
speaking things which they double-tongued: but to the
ought not.
whisperer, hatred,and enmity,
and reproach.

Admonish them to speak evil of no man.

Let none of you suffer as

a railer.

Be not called a whisperer, and be not taken in thy

Je 8, 6

Ecl 5, 2

Je 20, 10

Detract not one another. Ja 4, 11 Every idle word that men Mt 12, 36 shall speak they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment.

PART VI.

RELIGION AND OTHER VIRTUES CONNECTED WITH
JUSTICE WHICH BIND LEGALLY.

RELIGION is "a Moral Virtue which disposes us to give to God the worship that is due to Him as the Supreme Lord of all." * Religion does not reach the dignity of a Theological Virtue, since its immediate object is, not God Himself, but the worship due to God.† Nevertheless it is the highest of the Moral Virtues, since it has more direct relation to God than any other Moral Virtue. The Intrior and Principal Acts of Religion are Devotion and Prayer. The Exterior and Secondary Acts of Religion are of three kinds: (1) Those by which the body is offered to God; Adoration (2), those by which some exterior thing is (a) offered or (b) promised to God; and these are (a) Sacrifices, Oblations, Firstfruits, Tithes, (b) Vows. (3) Those by which something Divine-the Sacraments or the Name of God-is used by man. The Name of God is used by Religion (1) to confirm one's words; Oaths, (2) to move others; Adjuration, (3) in Invocation,

1.-MAN'S DUTIES to God.

Eci 43,29- We shall say much, and IS ALL.-What shall we 35 yet shall want words: but be able to do to glorify Him? the sum of our words is, HE for the Almighty Himself is

*S. Thomas, quæst. disp. de virt. card, a. 1.
Ibid. q. 81. a. 6.

+ Sec. sec. q. 81. a. 5.