the same
letter, and the spirit of the collects which were adopted for the use of
the faithful, before the invocation of saints and of the Virgin had
gained its present strong hold in the Church of Rome. For example, a
collect at Vespers teaches us to pray to God as the source from whom all
holy desires and all good counsels proceed [Hiem. 149.]; and on the
fifth Sunday after Easter this prayer is offered: "O God, from whom all
good things do come, grant, we pray Thee, that by thy inspiration we may
think those things that be good; and by thy guidance may perform the
same;" whilst on the fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, in a collect, the
spirit of which is strongly contrasted with the sentiments in both parts
of this encyclical letter, God is thus addressed: "We beseech thee, O
Lord, with thy continual pity, guard thy family, that, leaning on the
sole hope of heavenly grace, it may ever be defended by thy protection."
[Ut quae in _sola_ spe gratiae coelestis innititur, tua semper protectione
muniatur.--Hiem, 364. "Let us raise our eyes to the Blessed Virgin, who
is our greatest hope, yea, the entire ground of our hope."]

Similar materials are abundant. A whole volume, indeed, might readily be
composed consisting solely of rules and instructions, confessions and
forms of prayer, appertaining to the Virgin and the Saints, published by
authority at the present day, both in our country and on the Continent,
for the use of our Roman Catholic {384} brethren; but to which the word
of God, and the doctrine and practice of the primitive Church, are in
our estimation as much opposed as to the prayers of Bonaventura, or to
the doctrine of either of the Bernardins. It would, however, be
unprofitable to dwell on this subject at any great length. I will,
therefore, only briefly refer to two publications of this sort, to which
my own attention has been accidentally drawn: "The Imitation of the
Blessed Virgin,"[144] and "The Little Testament of the Holy
Virgin."[145]

[Footnote 144: "The Imitation of the Blessed Virgin, composed on
the plan of the Imitation of Christ. London, 1816. Approved by
T.R. Asselini, Doctor of Sorbonne, last Bishop of Boulogne. From
the French."]

[Footnote 145: "The Little Testament of the Holy Virgin,
translated from the French, and revised by a Catholic Priest.
Third Edition. Dublin, 1836."]

The first professes to be "composed on the plan of the 'Imitation of
Christ.'" Thi