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" so Ireritoriously devote themselves to the instruction
164 TU
NITED STA‘ ‘es CATHOLIC MISCELLANY.
' VOLSIX;
_to.which you’ allude’; they do ~not appreciate ¢ ne
To the Editors of, the o.8. 8. Catholic Miscellany.
Gewriemen—A P P,
hold, that Bupti i tial for Sal
‘lal of them have suppressed the ceremonies. |
Con-
sequently Catholic Theologians are under the ne-
cessity of examining—ist. What are the mattor,
“principles from w which’ you reason ; they do not
the obligations which you enforce ; yout nesertions
‘o be unfounded,
w weary oO! fie
ou
Jeomptation: they will be robbed of their innocence,
they will lose their ‘horror for vice, wey
ihe follo
and many of them consider it a mere ceremonial, and only
an initiation iato the Church ‘of God,” should ‘you judge
Sacrament, calculated to instruct and inform those,
sf anv fixad princinie. sde them. 1 1
g
will B be fami
Jiarised -with crime, and when their hab th
formediin early life, what prospect can 0 ou have of
.sucesssfully en grating virtue ‘upon this stock of evil
whicli has been dsepl ly rooted in a soil of sin? What
a task do y r Your successors hat an
aceount have jou to redder tovthe Grex Father of
_Belove , we
for a ne ow 1
God at beholding ‘he toners institutions of our
Church springing up Do, we entreat
of urage nd cherish tobe pious soulst that
of children in the way of the God o
Doing t these things, beloved: and several brethrens|y
you to our joy; you wi own
xouls. i peace which ‘the world cannot gives 3 you
will save your, people, you will procure honour for
the Church of God. . Walk steadily in that: way.
_ which, we have endeavoured to out; an
cannot fail to arrive at that paradise i in which the|
“just expect, you. ; if you become distraciea by
the ‘allurements of those who wou 4; iflo
you: Nose sight of the track.in which you have been
placed ; F you, be occupied with other cares: and
f the
80 frequently. repeated ; il, instead of ‘pressing for-
wan;
itis at your ser-
<
Princip
. ‘ ‘ ¢
dering through he d fi
vic
ae
tism is thé firat in order and most.ossential-of the
channels through which the Redeeming blood 6f a God-man
{flows to cleanse and heal our souls; I will first give a defini-
tion of a Sacrament,
A Sacramentis a visible sign permanently instituted ‘8
God to give grace.
tism is a sacrament, which cleanses us from
ripy of. Christ, aad
esus Christ instituted it, when he said to his
Apostles, Mat. ch. 2 * Go ye, therefore,
and teach all nations ; Saati
the rener and of the Son, and of the Holy Gh
he wo: ism, in gener
we
ost.’
signifies wash-
“ 1,
tiz0 .. very person comprehends,
the purification of the soul.
“The by. the term baptism understood cer-
tain legal purifications, which ¢ wey practised on their
oselytes after nt John’s act with
rosard to the ei vs in 0 dese rt was denominated
Baptism, which was noting ose, than adisposition
f penance, to prepare them, ther for the coming
of Christ, or the + reception of Christian Baptism,
which Christ was about to institute... ‘I'he bapti ism
St. John in its nature, form, efficacy ,. and necessity,
as is proved by Theo! logians,
word with energy, te shat t crown of ‘glory which is
only t
ft utherans and Calv i is Josue
lowing translation from Benaiee, which treats of that | rp,
who | duces
g them in the name of
apti ra,
ng, immasion, from the Greek words Ba ipto, Bap-|
vf
ip.
hat the action of washing yie body is-an emblem of
f Christ is absolutely different from the baptism of
» against the pretensions}
ti 2nd. Who is the
minister, or by whom that sacrament can be validly
|ediministored. ot What persons_are fit subjects to
ceive it. . What are the effects which i it pros
sth. Wat necessity is here to receive it.
6th. What is the eternal lot of those, who die with-
out Baptism. We shall ‘briefly treat of these six
que: estio! ons.
Ist. On the matter, form and ceremonies of Baptism,
¢ The universal opinion of all Christians, is thats
natural water, from a fountain, river, or rain-water, ig
the only matter with, which Baptism is validly admi-
nistered : Jesus Christ has so established it, by say-
: ing: “Ifa person is nof regenerated by water and
e Holy. Ghost, he cannot enter ‘ingdon m of
Heaven,” n° v + tiquids;
whether artificial, or natural, cannot be made Y
jin Baptism: - The Council of Trent has thus decided,
Session 7. ap. can. But the Christian
Church ever desirous to profess her faith by her ce-
remonies, ha: 3, in the con-
e. 2.
particular prayers, ult with this benedic-
tion is a rashness very condemnal ble in Protestants.
“The form or the words-made use of in the ad-
ministration of acrament are z / baptize thee
in the name -of the ¢ Father, gna of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost ; and these words of the institn-
e Gr u
{the Priest is ‘ba aptized in the
name of the father. be. dome T heologians formeriy
doubt if this was valid, because they did
not understa and the “formula of the Greeks; They
believe " that i it signilied :
&e.
from thofe whom “we love with siuce eo teeene|
», Dearly beloved, we tenet. -botler things. of you, and
male atio hus we speal For
>
mo
=
desire that every one of you s
forth the same carefulness to. the hecoinplishing of
hope to the end.: that you become not slothful, but
followers .of them who through fui and, patience
shall inherit the promises.”.. (Heb » 10, 14,
tient Herotios of the first ages, such as
) Christ, }con should pour the w nthe f the per-
» you 3 ome rest ing place where'you may indulge who has g given to that eeremun ny t fcleans-|son to be baptized, while the Minister ‘scated in a
xeureelt with worldly gratifications, your labours) ing from sin. “The Baptisin ‘of the Christian Church | chair, pronounced the form of Baptism. In this
will have been useless, your progress unavailing, the is denominated by the Fathers under many names] cas ism was invalid, -the literal. sense of
' shades of evening will descend bef ore you expe ct relative to its effects, such as Adoption, second birth, |the words was not verified : the Minister-could avt
them, night will close around 'y and you the soul, illumination, §c. properly say, 1 beptze you, but I cause you to be ba
grope t, in all probability, ‘o ‘destruction. ‘ This sacrament has beea rejected by many i an-|tized. We donot know Whether this usage still
Ma: God avert so dreadful a calamity fi
ne A
tes, t
ans, who taught that grace, which is a spiritual gift,
cannot be cummunicated or expressed by sensible {c
sig!
“©The Archonticks rejected Baptism, as an evil
invention of the God Sebahoth, that isto say, the
God of the Jews, whoin they considered as un evil
principle. ‘The Seleucians and the Hermians would
not’receive Baptism in water: they used fire, under
the pretext. that n the stist pat asserted, that
12.) Thus shall you * coine to mou vant ‘Sion’
to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerula-
Tem, and the company of many thousands of angels,
and to the Church of the fis born who are written
in. Heaven, and to he judge of all, and to the
spirits of the just ale perfcct, “and to Jesus the me-
diator of the new testament,” (He eb. xii.) through | 4
whom we have received grace,. and from whom we
expect the glory of redemption, being sprinkled and.
saetied wt his blood:
eof our Tord Jesus Christ be with
rn avis "brethren,
nm in Council, at Bakinor, ss 17th day of
October | in the year of our Lord, 1829.
tJames,, Archbishop of Baltimore
_{ Benepicr Joseru, Bishop of Bardstown,
f Jour, Bene of Charleston and V. G. of East
da, :
t Epwanoy "Bishop of Cincinnati.
of New
t Beseoioe y Ose Tip of Boston,
Winns Martuews, V. A. and Adminis-
ator of Philadelphia. :
“paward acinar D. D., Secretary.
eS
}Sosera, Bishop of St. Louis, and Adminis. the
" M. Rebille lately presented to the Paris Acad.
mie des Sciences, of his constuction, ¢
“posed of rock crystal, pace and sapphires, instead
tals.
be of opinion that the fabrication of simi-
‘Tar article would be of any utility to the arts
Joh: ‘Ba
Christ would baptize his tisciples
‘The Manicheans,
ted it.,
Of others who have changed the Sorm
““Menander baptised in his own ‘naine.
Eluseans invoked
Montanists added the name of Montanus, their foun-
der, and that of Priscila, their Prophetess, to the
sacred natnos of Father and Son. |’ e cians
the Marcosians, the Disciples of Paul ‘of *Samose
he Eumonians and- all: other Heretics, “eho: denied
ie Trinity of the Godhead, rejected the form in the
e three’ rsons, For ‘this reason
the Chureh has + Baptism :;: but she
admitted the riidity of the Baptism of other He
tics, provided the: not change the prescribed}
form, Whatever might have been their.etrors-on the
mystel
te The “Oriental Christians, Greeks, : ‘Jacobites of
ans also rejecte
own to the twelfth century,]
ave yet preserved the same belief touching the sa-
ot of Baptism. - Allo
lute necessity. rand attributed to'it the same effect
as as Cathol They hold with Catholics natural
f that sacrament ;
d three immersions.. The e only
difference exists in the form
sven of saying with the Catholic
-|&e.? they -say: ‘Suck a
name ‘of tke Father, &c.’ é “the exor.
cisms and the other ceremonicr of ‘Baptism ;: but in
case of necessity they suppress them. Protestants
avow 3 hut all of them
don not equally acknowldge i its necessity and effects;
he Marcosians, the Valentinians, ‘the Quintili-
@ Paulicians, “the “Massaii-|
The!
Downs i in their baptisms ; the} bec
- {been so bniversally
Syri a, Egyptians and Ethiopians, Nestorians and Ar-|rit
f whiom have been separated from
» ‘which: is as follows : n
ubsists i in any pla
t has ever- been held that the express invo-
cation of the three Divine absolutely no-
cessary, and it is principally by. this form of Baptista,
atthe equality and consubstantiality of the three
Divine persons of the Blessed ‘Trinity have been
proved against the Arians and other. Heretios j it
follows ofcourse, that the Baptism conferred in the
name. of rin the name of Jesus Christ i is null.
The Church has ever been careful t mine, whe-
ther the Heretics changed any thing i in a the form of
hat Sacrament, and as often us they liave had the
rshnes to doso, she has rejected their Baptisin.
jome modern infidels have asserte : that t Baptism
adopt-
conteined in the name of three p
se they found in that: system the sentimenis of
theit ound on the Divinity.’ Those wise critics
have loubt been ignorant, that it is Jesus Christ
himself that dictated and prescribed the form to his
Apostles, and that his Disciples were baptized in hig
presence. Sohn ch. 4. ver. 2. As the ceremo-
nies which precede, accompa ny and follow this sa-
crament, it is, with good reason believed, that sey :
are of Apostolic institution : we vuld no t
adopted, i they. had not their
authority from the founders ot Christianity. ‘The
Ap ostolic constitutions, the most ancient ri ary
taries, the Fathers of the secund and third a
make mention of them, not as lately established
mersion or the”
‘| intusfon of water repeated three times, others‘vf the’
sign of the c.
as superstitious, and b'
Protestants have evide
me
If the Church
ihad so base and abject an idea of it, as Protestants,