The next thin^ that excited her particular notice was a short
prayer, followed oy the 130th Psalm in Latin, " for the souls of
the deceased feithful in purgatory ; that God would grant them
the forgiveness of their sins, and that they might soon enjoy that
glory which he had destined for them in heaven." Enuly was
extremely shocked atthis petition ; for, besides its having no foun-
dation whatever in Scripture, and being decidedly contrary to the
express declarations of God, it was another insult to the perfect
and finished work of the Redeemer. After this came a number of
short prayers, addressed to St. Joseph, and several others ; then one
to the different saints whose name each person present bore, and
another to each one's guardian angel. This last, in particular,
was a masterpiece of blasphemy. It was in the following terms ;

" O holy angel, whom God has entrusted with the charge of my
conduct, I thank you for your kind attention, and entreat you to
continue it. Assist me always in my necessities ; console me in
my afflictions ; keep me from all occasions of sin *, protect me es-
pecially at the hour of death j and conduct me to the kingdom of
eternal glory."

" Where, then," thought Emily, " where is the necessity of
prayer to God, if a created being, an angel, can do ail this for us "?"
That awful moment immediately occurred to her mind, when the
disembodied spirit is called to appear before its Judge, and when,
if not clothed in the wedding-garment of the Redeemer's right-
eousness, and accepted through his blood, it must be " cast into
outer darkness." She remembered the startling question of Job,
** to which of the saints wilt thou turn V* and again shuddered, as
her fancy portrayed the horrors of that dreadful itv%taal.Hi\kfc^^\&



24 A BOMASr CATHOLIC SCSOOL.
