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Philadelphia, Thursday, May 20, 1847.
Whole Number 7A9.
THE CATHOLIC HERALD
18 PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY
M. FITHIAN,
No. 82 South Third Street, Philadelphia.
HENRY MAJOR, Epitor.
Terms.—Two Dollars and Fifty Cents, if patd
inadvance, or Three Dollars,payable halfyearly.
No paper d until all g'
settled.
All Communications, except from Agents or
Subscribers enclosing remittances, must be post
paid, and addressed ‘+ I'o the Editor of the Ca-
tholic Herald, Philadelphia, Pa.’”
“Doetr
“From the atholie Weekly Anstrucior.
THE DYING Be
BY WM. NEWTON.
Come, mother, kigs your dying boy,
My life is waning fast,
I soon shall taste a greater joy,
Far sweeter than the past.
My spirit longs to flee away
‘To happier realms on high,
And share the everlasting day,
In mansions of the sky.
Weep not, dear mot her do not weep,
It pains your dying bi
To hear those subs, s0 oud and deep,
Our parting hours employ.
My gentle sister, check the tear
‘Phat dis thy bright biue eye,
Thy brother feels no inward fear
In having thus to die.
In afier years thoul’t think on me,
When sweetest flowers bloum,
And Lam sleeping silently
Within my narrow tomb.
When lowly thou dost bend the knee,
And mercy ask of Heaven,
In thy sweet prayer remember me,
‘That I may be forgiven.
Farewell! we soon shail meet again,
Where sorrows never come!
Then sure "us bliss to die, and gain
The saints’ eternal home.
Upon his breast the sacred sign
His feeble hand imprest;
And leaning on the arm divine,
His spirit sunk to rest.
The mother gazed upon her child—
His J.ttle course was run,
Then breath'd to Heaven in accente wild,
“Thy holy will be done !”
From the Catholic Miscellany.
In reply to some suggestions laid before us
by a few subscribers, who like many of their
brethren in this country are deprived of the
regular minisiry of a resident Priest, we
put down the following thoughts on the
several puints, in the. treatnent of which
on a’ consideratiun of the whole, we
took it for granted we were allowed some
diseretivnary power. Divested as thoroughly
as possible of every thing that could savour
of a controversial tone, they may, as alto.
gether practical suit the circumstances better,
THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM.
When a clergyman is present the Baptism
of an infant should nut be deferred beyond a
week ortendays. The custom of having the
Baptism ad ministered within three or four days
afier the birth of the child is more laudable,
because by Baptism the child is incorporated
with the church, cleansed from original sin
and by the merits of © hrist decorated and en-
riched with infused virtues, which will beuse-
fol as the faculties are developed and reason
hegins to exercise its influence :—besides, all
fear will be removed of the consequences
. Which may follow the danger to which young
children are expore
The custom of deferring the administration
of this Sacrament, until children have advance:
considerably into life, has in this country
senin a great measure from the following
eause: The difficulty in former times
of mecting with a clergyman, and which canse
still continues in “many | places. —2. That
habit of procrastination which prepeally
eauses persons to defer unnecessarily, and
often improperly, what ought to have been
done atan eatly period, but to do which is in
&
of -persons separated from our communion,
and amongst whom we live, who undervalue
the Sacrament, or whose peculiar tenets re-
quire or allow their deferring its administra-
tion,
‘The first of those causes is sufficient where
it exists ; the second is criminal in Catholics,
and the third i is not only criminal, but more-
over an i ency, lor when we beiieve
in the troth of our doctrines, why should we
plead, as a justification of our neglect, the
customs of those persons who charge us with
error in our belief
Tn the cause of infants before the use of
reason, whenever there appears any danger
of death, when no Roman Catholic clergyman
can be bad, Baptism should be administered
by some other person.
ur Saviour left in the power of every per-
son to administer this Sacrament, thovgh he
appointed his Apostles and their surcessors
the Bishops: and their assistants the Priests—
and Deacons, when properly commissioned
therefore—the ordinary ministers thereof; so
that when the proper form of words is used
and the proper matter duly applied, the Bap-
tism seriously adminisiered by any individual
of the human race is valid,even though that
person wha administers the Sacrament had
not been baptised.
The merciful and providential extension of
power was given by our loving Redeemer to
meet the exigencies of all, for as he declared,
‘unless a person be born again of water and
the Holy Ghosthe can not enter the Kingdom
of Heaven," so he left the faculty of regene~
rating by water and the [oly Ghost in the
power of evers individual, that he may not be
chargeable with excluding those who would
not otherwise have the opportunity of Baptism.
Tlowever, even amongst lay persons . who
may incase of necessity administer this Sa~
crament, our ancient J'raditions and common
usage exhibit distinctions,
By Bapusm a spiritual relationship is crea-
ted between the person who bapuses and the
person baptised ; and also between the person
who baptises and the parents of the person
baptised. The spiritual relationship: has a
prohibitory influence upon the marriage ol
those persons whom it affects. Hence, one
parent. shoold not during the life ume of the
other baptise their child, unless in case of ex
treme danger, and that no other person could
be procured to administer the Sacrament. But
in such extreme case, it would be the duty of
the parentto baptise the child, and the usual
inconvenience would not then be created, for
the law of Baptisin is a divine and indispensible
ordinance to which every other eon
aust yield, and the law establi
spiritual relationship isa i
nance from which the Church declares the
Parties to be dispensed in the case here speci-
fied. Ivis also manifest that, as the adminis
trator of this Sacrament, a person in the com-
munion of the Chureh is to be preferred to a
person separated therefrom; aman has always
been in like manner preferred for the same
purpose to a woman,
It may sometimes happen that a person who
has arrived to years of discretion, which in
ws case may be considered six ur seven years
age, or as the phrase is understood, an adult
who has not been baptised way be in danger
of death, and not likely to live until the arri
alof aclergyman, and such persons may
desire Baptism.
The case of such a person is different from
that of an infant, for certain dispositions are
necessary in this latter ease before Baptism
can be administered. ‘Those Jispusitions ought
to be more or less manifest or extensive ar-
cording to the age, eupacity and opportunities
of such persons. ‘Those dispositions are, 1,
Penance: thatis, true sorrow fue sin with
the intention of avoiding the same in future:—
a desire to satisfy God's justice, and to live in
holiness, together with sume love of a Gad of
goodness, 2. Fairu: thatis, a firm belief of
the exisience of God and of the sufferings and
death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the sincere
disposition to believe all those things which
have been revealed by him and by the Uoly
Ghost, together with a determination to learn
them shonld God granta recovery from illness,
and a further distinct determination te con-
tinue in the communion and profession of
the Roman Catholie Church. 8. Hurg, that
is, a reliance for Salvation net upon human
means or exertions, bul upon the merits of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and a confidence that
their power at any Wine, and 3, ‘The example
he will bestow aid to observe the command=
menis and thus give to us the opportunity of
meriting thro’ his grace.» 4. Cuarity, which
besides the love of God includes the love of
the neighbour, not admitting any special ha-
tred, or illwill, nor allowing of exclusions from
good will on account of country ot religious
sect. 5. If possible, the persons to be bap.
tised ought to know by memory, or at least
be well acquainted with the Lurd’s prayer, the
Creed, and the ten Commandments of God.
In addition to those it would be well to know
the Anglical salutation, the Commandments
of the Church and the names é&c. of the Sa-
craments and as much as possible of the
Christian Doctrine. 6. If the person to be
baptised were engaged in business or traffic,
the instructors should advise bim to examine
himself carefally as io his dealings, in order
that if blinded by avarice he have defrauded
or injured any person, he may have restitution
made, without which—il it. bein the power
of the sinner—God never remits asin of injus=
lice. 7. Also the penitent should examine
whether he have done any criminal injury to
the character of any person for which he
would also be bound to make reparation. 8.
Ifthe person have family and property he
ought to set them in order, so as to. prevent as
far as possible, disputes and litigation after
his death. 9. The person desiring Bap-
tism should be aided in prayer and by read-
i
5
oe
When the approach of death is apparent or
very probable, the person who is to perform
the Baptism, will endeavour to cause the
adult to recite the short acts of Contrition,
Faith, Hope and Charity so as to excite in
him the proper dispositions, and thea taking
clean water and pouring it upon the forehead
or some other principal part uf the person,
taking care to see that it flows upon the skin,
he will repeat, whilst he pours the water and
robs it on the surface, distinctly the following
words after mentioning the person's name,
« NM, Lbaptise thee in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” Vf
the person baptised be an adult it will be
right to pray with or for some time. ‘The best
prayers for the occasion then will be the same
as those for any other sick or dying person.
Should an infant or an adult be thus bap-
tised, it would be right to enter the same in a
private book which oughtto be kept for the
purpose, in which the name, age and condi-
tion of the person, and the names of the
parents, the date of the baptism and the name
of the person who performed it should be
entered.
Shoulda Person thus baptised die at that
time, such person’s body ought to be interred
in the consecrated ground, and if there were a
rdi-|a clergyman in the place, with the accus~
tomed ceremonies,
Should such person survive until the arrival
of a clergyman infurmation of the same should
be given to him, and Hf the person were capa-
ble he ought to come to the clergyman for
the purpose of proving to him, the validity of
the Baptism and of having the usual ceremo-
nies of the Church supplied.
Sponsors. As o spiritual relationship is
created between the Sponsors and the child,
and beiween the Sponsors and the parents of
the child, the Church has limited the number
of Sponsors to be admitted, to one, or two al
the most.
‘The duty of Sponsors is to answer to the
Church for the child: that they instruct it in
the doctrines of the Catholic Church when it{i
shal be capable of receiving such instruc-
tons,
‘This is a solemn and important duty :. and
therefore it is'fit that proper persons should be
selecied for its discharge. Tt cannot be ima-
gined that. persona who protest against our
doctrines as erroneous are likely to be zealous
instructors; neither can it be supposed that
persons, who look upon revealed religion tu
bea delusion, are qualified to teach that reli-
gion: hence, the chureh has always required
thatthe Sponsors should be Catholics who
believe in the truth and importance of the
decirin
Asivis also part of the duty of Sponsore
to teach children the principles of morality, it
is pla'n that persons of palpable criminal co
duct should now be selected 5 the Church has
aw prohibited their being admutted,
Many persons, regardless of the ordivances
of the Church and the principles of common
delicacy, bring forward persone thus incapa-
citatd as sponsors, ‘They do wrong, and at
the sane time place the clergyman in circum-
stances exceedingly unpleseant. Roman C@-
tholies should remember that in the perform-
ance of religious duties they are to consider
the laws and insutations of Almighty God,
and the regulations of that Church of which
they profess to be members, and not the
fashion or custom of the world.
Roman Catholics should also remember that
their charch is that which has existed from
the beginning and from which ail others have
separaied, and the alleged cause of their breth-
ren’s separation was the same which now pre-
vents their reunion with us, namely—their
assertion, that Roman Catholics have cor-
rupted the doctrines and practices of Christi-
anity. ‘Any religious union with them is
therefore an acquiescence in the propriety of
their separation: of course itis an admission
of the truth of their allegation that we are a
corrupt church which ought to be reformed
to their standard ; it is a departure from
our principles and a condemnation of our
doctrines and practices. If they desire a
reunion, and that we are not @ corrupt
church, it is more natural and proper that
they should come back to us who have
not made any change, and who would affec-
tionately rejoice in the reunion, than that we
should follow them in their variation. The
Roman Catholic, who only follows what the
whole of Christendom observed during fifieen
hundred years, and what the greatest portion
of it sull observes, can not be justly charged
with illiberality in not deserting ages and na-
tions for the purpose of adopting modern opin-
ions and novel practices, The original sepa-
ration was not made by Roman Catholics,
and if separation be unpleasant, it is more
natural and becoming that the followers of
those persons who originally created the di-
vision should heal the wourd by returning to
that Church which always adhered to the
observance of their predecessors, which has
always constituted the great bulk of Christi-
anity.
Ii cannet then be too often repeated, that
where persons charge us with error and form
separate communions in cunsequence of that
charge : and when those societies are contina-
ed upon the same principle, itis strange that
through erroneous politeness, Roman Catho-
lies should call upon those persons to bind
themselves to teach principles and doctrines,
against which they protest as superstitious
and erroneous. ‘They have thought proper to
separate themselves from us, why should we
disturb them f
+08 —__
From the Courier and Enquirer,
Nothing is more disgusting to generous
minds, nothing more injurious to belief in
Christianny, than the patnful conviction thet
is forced on us from time to time, when we
see hypocrites making capital out of a profes-
sion ot religion. When they are gross-mind=
ed, ignorant, vulgar in their ideas, person, and
language, their influence is proportionately
diminished. But when thase who by posi-
tion are looked up to as lights of public mo-
ralily, make no scruple of breaking God's
commandments as one of the means whereby
to promote his glory—when such men’ as
false witness against their neighbor, the in-
of belief in the Bible, become a great stum-
bling block to the weak,
In the Journal of Commerce of the 20th
an exhibition of this kind is presented
to the eye of its readers, The editor in his
paper of that date, affects zeal for pure morals
which would be honorable if it were only
sincere. Who would imagine that the writer
of this article isthe same individual who dis-
plaved the Bible from the deck of his Taberna-
cle for the time being, and rented it to Monk
word and writing of obscenities and impudi-
man appears eo familiar?
No doubt what ts called the table of sins in
the Catholic prayerbook, presents, especial-
ly on certain precepts of the Jecalague, op
in themselves unsuited for public drecussion.
When the Cathohe consulis them to-aid his
memory in the review, it may be, of adepre-
ne life, he is supposed to be penitent—h
the rolitude of his closei—he does it in the
presence of two witnesses only, hisconscience
and his God.
to commit any of even these shameful sins,
he is bound to confess them, to repent of them,
Mr. Hale, for instance, do not hesitate to bear”
constancy and hollowness of their professions *
Leahey asa counter of trade for the retail by '
cities with which the mind of that wretched ©
oes it before the altar of his church, or in”
If he has had the misfortune.”