6. Baptism, confirmation, and orders alone are said to impress a character, in consequence of which they cannot be repeated. The following proofs of this are given by Ferraris: "1. The reason is not a priore, but the will of Christ the Lord so instituting, which sufficiently appears to us from perpetual tradition and authority of the church. But the reason of congruity is taken from Scotus, in 4, dist. 6, Quæst. 10, because, as in civil polity, three grades only are determined and special: First, when a man is admitted into the family of the prince. Secondly, when he is constituted a soldier to defend the republic. Thirdly, when he is made an officer of the prince. So there are only three grades, determined and special, impressing dignity or character, found in ecclesiastical polity. The first, when any one is received into the family of Christ, which is in baptism. The second, when he becomes a soldier of Christ, for the defence of the Christian faith, which is in confirmation. The third, when any one is constituted a leader, as one of the magistracy of Christ, and dispenser of the mysteries of God, which is in orders." Here an article of faith is attempted to be established, not by the authority of Scripture, but by tradition, and the opinion of Scotus.

2. They inform us these sacraments cannot be reiterated. That orders is repeated in the Roman Church is plain from their numerous successive ordinatións employed in the different orders in their church. The principal reasons why baptism is not to be repeated are the two following: First, because baptism conferred by heretics is valid. Secondly, because the character is impressed as fixed and indelible, and therefore baptism needs not to be repeated. But the Protestants believe it is not to be repeated because Christ does not require its repetition, the nature of baptism does not need it, and its end would not be promoted by a reiteration.

(3.) They teach that if the sacraments which cannot be iterated were received with an obstacle, they produce grace when the obstacle is removed. The Council of Trent, sess. 6, c. 4, is quoted to support this view.

7. Several questions respecting character have been proposed and answered by the theologians, some of which will tend to explain farther the doctrine under consideration.

"Question 1. Whether a character is impressed on him who, without right dispositions, receives a sacrament? Answer, affirmatively. For we will show in the sequel that sacraments conferred in heresy are ratified and not to be repeated, although they do not confer the Holy Spirit."+

"Quest. 2. How does it happen that character may be received by the wicked, although they do not receive grace; and why does it inhere permanently in the mind, although sanctifying grace may be lost?" Answer to the first. This can be done, because character does not depend on the dispositions of the receivers, like grace; so it can be reckoned among those graces gratuitously given which can be bestowed on wicked men. Answer to the second. Grace can be lost, because it depends on free-will, which is flexible toward evil, and

* Ratio a priore est, nisi voluntas Christi, Domini ita instituentis, &c.—In Sacram, art. ii, No. 34.

+ Utrum character imprimatur, &c. Bailly, de Sacram., tom iii, p. 329.

because it hath something contrary to itself, namely, sin, by which it is expelled. But character depends on the will of God, who instituted it that it should be permanent in the mind, and has nothing contrary by which it can be blotted out."*

"Quest. 3. Whether character can be blotted out? Ans. 1. It can be erased by God, when it was instituted by him. 2. Especially in this life it cannot be erased, as is plain from what has been said. 3. Nor can it be erased after this life, but it is to continue to the glory of the good and the ignominy of the wicked."+

8. Objections against the doctrine of character.

1. Roman Catholics cannot explain what character is, nor why there are only three sacraments which produce that effect, nor whence the property of character arises which cannot be erased.

2. They argue in a circle; for they say that character is impressed by some sacraments because these cannot be reiterated, and that they cannot be reiterated because they produce character.

3. The ancient doctors of the church did not understand by character the same which the Council of Trent calls by that name. Hence among the divines of the Church of Rome there is a great discrepance of opinion, and they are also at variance with the fathers. There are endlessly jarring sentiments among their doctors respecting character itself, and what pertains thereto, as we have already observed. But as the Council of Trent made this point an article of faith, the opinion of the ancient doctors must be made to tally with this dogma, and the present race of divines must not teach any thing different from the infallible decision of the council. Hence, says Bailly, after mentioning that the sentiment of Durandus was unsound, "After the Council of Trent, it was not lawful to defend that sentiment."§

X. The ceremonies and sacramentals of the sacraments.

1. We will present the reader with the views of the Roman Catholic rites connected with the sacraments, as furnished by Bailly, Dens, and Collet, their own acknowledged theologians, in their concluding chapters on the seven sacraments.

"By ceremonies here," says Bailly, "are to be understood the external acts of religion, which were instituted by Christ, his apostles, or the church, for the honour of God, reverence of the sacraments, and to excite the piety of the people. If they are referred to the sacraments, they are called sacramental rites. If they are referred to the worship of God in general, and ordained to the sanctification of man without a sacrament, as prayer in consecrated churches, blessed bread, &c., they are called sacramentals, because they have a kind of likeness to the sacraments."

Their theologians are accustomed to divide their sacramentals into six, comprehended in the following verse:—

"Orans, tinctus, edens, confessus, dans, benedicens."

This barbarous verse may be translated as follows: Praying, aspersed, eating, confessed, giving, blessing.

* Bailly.

+ Idem.

See their various sentiments quoted by Gerhard, de Charactere, tom i, pp. 336339, sec. 96.

◊ Post Concilium Tridentinum, non licet eam sententiam defendere.-De Charac., tom. iii, p. 327.

By prayer is meant the daily prayers of the faithful, especially the

Lord's prayer.

By aspersion is understood the sprinkling of holy water.

Eating refers to the blessed bread, which is also called eulogy by the divines.

The confession refers to the public one made at the eucharist, or to that at the beginning of the mass.

The word dans, giving, denotes the distribution of alms.

The term blessing expresses the blessing of the bishop or consecrated abbot.

They maintain that the church has power to institute new ceremonies, and consequently to annul or change those already in use.

The Latin tongue, too, is made use of in administering their sacraments, and none other is allowed on any account.

2. The uses of ceremonies, in their estimation, are very great. They teach that they contribute to the majesty and reverence of the sacraments, and that they promote the instruction and devotion of the people. All this might pass with very little cause for objection; but their use extends to superstitious purposes, and their ceremonies are employed in the place of charms or incantations. Take the following from Dens, who teaches nothing more than they all teach on this topic. Speaking of the use of ceremonies, he says: "To repress the power of the devil, lest he would prevent the sacramental effect, or that he may not prevent the receiver from receiving the full effect of the sacrament. This effect is particularly effected if the minister performs those rites with great devotion and fervour of spirit, especially in the prayers and benedictions."*

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3. The effects of sacramentals are numerous. We give the following from Bailly: "What are the effects of sacramentals? Answer. 1. They do not confer sanctifying grace, ex opere operato; for this is peculiar to the sacraments alone. 2. Ex opere operantis, they remit venial sins, and produce other effects, both spiritual and corporeal, as actual graces, such as remission of temporal punishment, restraining temptations, restoration of health. 3. They can also ex opere operantis remit mortal sins and produce sanctifying grace, but mediately only, as, by virtue of the prayers of the church, they furnish aids by which acts of faith and charity may be elicited. Such acts of faith immediately dispose to the reception of justice, whether in a sacrament or without the sacrament. 4. Nevertheless, they do not infallibly produce these effects when the divine promise does not ensure this, for God can deprive the sacramentals of these effects, if his divine wisdom should judge that to be just and right." The reader will at once perceive that the foregoing sentiments, generally held by the clergy of the Church of Rome, and received by their members with implicit confidence, present their ceremonies and sacramentals in the light of charms or spells.

4. The use of the Latin language in administering the sacraments presents also no small objection to the Church of Rome. This is plainly contrary to Scripture, which teaches that instructions are to be conveyed so as to be understood by the hearers. The Scriptural rea* Dens, de Sacram., No. 48, vol. v, p. 155.

Bailly, de Sacr. in fine, tom. iii, p. 395.

son too, that the edification of the people is to be consulted in religious services, proves that the use of the Latin tongue in such ministrations is not the vehicle of instruction. The consequence is, that those who depend upon this mode of information remain ignorant to a great degree of the principles of religion.

XI. Objections against the Roman Catholic views of the sacraments. These have, in a good degree, been already furnished; we shall therefore content ourselves with a few.

1. Their doctrines of the sacraments unduly exalt the priesthood. As the administration of the sacraments is the prerogative of the priesthood, this is calculated to elevate to an immoderate height this order of men. This, however, is the leading principle in the Church of Rome. In the New Testament the ministers of religion are represented as humble, and the servants of the church. But in the lofty attitude which they assume in the administration of sacraments in the Church of Rome they are represented as gods, and placed in a superhuman relation to their flocks.

2. Their doctrine concerning the sacraments, by which they teach that the sacraments confer grace, is replete with great danger to the souls of men. Well may the reproof which the prophet administers to Israel be applied to the Church of Rome: "They have forsaken the fountain of living waters, and have hewed out to themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water." Entire reliance on God is weakened, and trust in the arm of flesh is promoted. By this means God is represented as depending on man and on ceremonies in the bestowment of his grace, and the people are diverted from the source of grace, and are led to depend on man and on ceremonies in the place of trusting in God.

3. Their doctrine respecting the moral character of the administrators of sacraments has a most pernicious effect. That habitual and scandalously wicked men are tolerated and authorized to administer sacraments opens the door to every vice. It corrupts the fountains of morality. When the leaders of the people may be wicked, and yet valid administrators, their example will very soon affect the laity. For if the clergy may administer in holy things and yet be wicked, the laity may certainly receive the sacraments when defiled by sin without material danger to their spiritual interests. Such, too, is the fact, not merely in theory, but in practice.

4. The sacraments in the Church of Rome are employed rather as charms and incantations than as sober means of grace and as institutions of Christ. The sacraments are employed by them as mere amulets rather than as signs of grace, or as means of obtaining it. The bad effects of this perversion are manifest in the moral character of the members of the Church of Rome.

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CHAPTER II.

BAPTISM.

I. 1. THEIR DOCTRINE STATED: 2. Council of Florence quoted: 3. Council of Trent.-II. THE MATTER OF BAPTISM. 1. Division of it into proximate and remote: 2. Chrism or oil is used: 3. Directions respecting the matter: 4. The proximate matter: 5. The remote matter: 6. Whether baptism performed by deadly ablution be valid. Dens cited.-III. THE FORM OF BAPTISM.-IV. THE MINISTER OF BAPTISM. Any person, male or female, may baptize.-V. THE SUBJECT OF BAPTISM. 1. The baptism of adults; (1.) They must be baptized voluntarily; (2.) Must have faith; (3.) Must be penitent: 2. Baptism of insane persons: 3. Baptism of children. Roman Catechism quoted: 4. Baptism of abortives: 5. Compulsory baptism; (1.) Children without the consent of their parents; (2.) Also the children of captives; (3.) Of Jews and heretics; (4.) They claim all baptized persons as members of their Church, subject to her authority, and to be compelled to submit thereto. Council of Trent quoted. Benedict XIV. cited. Dens quoted: (5.) All Roman Catholics are bound to believe in, and use compulsion, in promoting their religion; (6.) The example of the Church of Rome accords with this theory: 6. The baptism of monsters.-VI. THE NECESSITY OF BAPTISM. 1. They make it necessary to salvation. Council of Trent cited. Roman Catechism quoted. Bishop Hay. Dens: 2. They teach the damnation of all unbaptized infants: 3. Baptism by desire or martyrdom: 4. Ten arguments against their doctrine on this point.-VII. THE EFFECTS OF BAPTISM. 1. Enumeration of its effects: 2. The fiction or hinderance to baptism: 3. Arguments against their views of the effects of baptism.-VIII. THE CEREMONIES OF BAPTISM. 1. They have many ceremonies: 2. Some precede baptism: 3. Others accompany it: 4. And others follow its administration: 5. The importance which they attach to them: 6. Arguments against them.

I. 1. HAVING treated on the sacraments in general, we will now proceed to discuss each of them in particular; and in the first place baptism, which is placed first in the list of Roman Catholic sacraments, because they consider it to be "the origin of spiritual life, and the door of entrance into the church, and by which the right is acquired of partaking of the other sacraments." They consider baptism to be a sacrament of regeneration by water in the word, by which its subjects are actually justified and regenerated.

2. The Council of Florence defines and explains baptism as follows: "Holy baptism possesses the first place among the sacraments, because it is the door of spiritual life: for by it we become members of Christ and of the body of the church. And since by the first man death hath entered into the world, we cannot (as saith the truth) enter into the kingdom of heaven, unless we are born again of water and the Holy Spirit. The matter of this sacrament is true natural water; nor is it any difference whether cold or hot. But the form is: I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Nor do we deny but also by these words, Let this servant of Christ be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, or, This person is baptized by my hands, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, true baptism is effected; since, when the principal cause from which baptism hath its virtue is the Holy Trinity; but the instrumental minister, (if the act is expressed,) which is exercised by that minister with the invocation of the Holy Trinity, perfects the sacrament. The minister of this sacrament is a priest, to

* Dens, de Bap. Præmium.