SEC. II.-SACRAMENTS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

THE Roman Catholic Church acknowledges seven sacraments, which number, according to the catechism of the Council of Trent, is established by the Scriptures, by the tradition of the fathers, and the authority of councils.

The Seven Sacraments.

These sacraments are accompanied with several solemn and public ceremonies, with which the Church has thought fit to heighten them, notwithstanding they are not essential, since they can subsist without them however, they say that it would be a sin to omit them, unless in cases of necessity. Hence it is that the Council of Trent has pronounced anathema against those who say that the ministers of the sacraments may, without sin, despise, or omit, at pleasure, the several ceremonies received in the Church. "We are assured," says the Catechism of the Council of Trent, "that these ceremonies give us a more strict idea of, and, as it were, set before our eyes the effects which result from these sacraments, and imprint the sanctity which attends them more strongly on the minds of the faithful. They raise the minds of such as observe them religiously, to the contemplation of the most exalted things." In a word, we are assured that they excite and increase in us a true faith and spirit of charity.

The sacrament of baptism is defined by the Church as one instituted by Jesus Christ, in order to wash away original sin, and all those actual ones which we may have committed; to communicate to mankind the spiritual regeneration and grace of Jesus Christ; and to unite them as living members to their head.

Baptism.

The most essential part of the ceremony of baptism in the Catholic Church is as follows:-At the church-door the priest first asks the godfather and godmother what child they present to the Church? whether or no they are its true godfather and godmother? if they be resolved to live. and die in the true Catholic and Apostolic faith? and what name they intend to give it? All profane names, as those of the heathens and their gods, must be rejected; nevertheless, those of Hercules, Hannibal, Achilles, Urania, Diana, &c., are common enough. A Catholic priest is authorised to change the name of a child who had been baptized Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, by a Protestant minister. After the usual questions have been asked, the priest makes an exhortation to the godfather and godmother, with regard to the devotion which ought to accompany the whole performance. The exhortation being ended, the priest continues the ceremony; and calling the child by the name that is to be given it, asks it as follows:-What dost thou demand of the Church? To which the godfather answers, Faith. The priest adds, What is the fruit of faith? The godfather answers, Eternal life. The priest continues, If you are desirous of obtaining eternal life, keep God's commandments: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c. After which he breathes three times upon the child's face, but must observe not to let the child breathe upon him; and at the same time says, Come out of this child, thou evil spirit, and make room for the Holy Ghost.

This being done, with the thumb of his right hand he makes a cross on

the child's forehead, and afterwards another on its breast, pronouncing these words: Receive the sign of the cross on thy forehead, and in thine heart, &c. Whereupon he takes off his cap, repeats a short prayer, and laying his hand gently on the child's head, prays for him a second time. This second prayer being ended, the priest blesses the salt in case it was not blessed before; which being done, he takes a little of it, puts it into the child's mouth, pronouncing these words: Receive the salt of wisdom. He then repeats a third prayer; after which he puts on his cap, and exorcises the Prince of Darkness, commanding him to come forth out of him who is going to be baptized, &c. At the end of the exorcism, he again makes the sign of the cross on the child's forehead, lays his hand on its head, and repeats another prayer.

After this fourth prayer, the priest lays the end of the stole upon the child, and taking hold of his swaddling-clothes by one corner, he brings it into the church; the godfather and godmother enter at the same time, and repeat with the priest the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, as they advance towards the font, which having reached, the priest exorcises the devil once again, and after the exorcism, takes the saliva from his mouth with the thumb of his right hand; with this he rubs the child's ears and nostrils, and, as he touches his right ear, repeats a Hebrew word which signifies Do thou open; the same which JESUS CHRIST said to the man who was born deaf and dumb. Lastly, the assistants pull off its swaddling-clothes, or at least strip it below the shoulders; during which, the priest prepares the holy oils, &c.

The godfather now takes the child, ready stripped, and holds it directly over the font; the godmother then takes it by the feet, or the middle; both observing to turn it towards the east: the priest now asks the child, "Whether he renounces the devil and all his works, the pomps," &c. The godfather answers in the affirmative. This renunciation used formerly to be made on the outside of the church. The priest then anoints the child between the shoulders, in the form of a cross, and after that lays aside his purple stole, and puts on a white one; when the child is again questioned with respect to his belief, to which the godfather makes suitable answers in his name. These preliminaries being ended, the priest takes some of the baptismal water, which he pours thrice on the child's head in the form of a cross, and, as he pours it, says, I baptize," &c. taking care to mention one of the persons in the Trinity every time he pours it on. This being done, he anoints the top of the child's head with the chrisma, in form of a cross-lays a piece of white linen upon its head, to represent the white garment mentioned in Scripture, and puts a lighted taper into the child's hand, or rather into that of the godfather. Such are the ceremonies of baptism, which the priest concludes with an exhortation; but if the child's life be in danger, these ceremonies are omitted, upon condition that they shall be observed in case he recovers his health; but if he has all the symptoms of death upon him, the midwife baptizes the child without delay.

Adult persons must, if possible, be baptized by the bishop himself; and the most proper time for this ceremony is Easter, or Whitsun-eve, which are the days appointed for baptism by the ancient church. The minister who baptizes, and the candidate for baptism, must both be fasting; but

there is but very little difference between the ceremony of the baptism of catechumens, and that of children. The priest signs the catechumen several times with the sign of the cross; first on the forehead, which implies that he must take upon himself the cross of CHRIST; on the ears, in order that he may open them to the divine precepts of the gospel; on the eyes, that he may see the light of God; on the nostrils, that he may smell the fragrant odour of CHRIST; on the mouth, that he may utter the words of life; on the breast, that he may believe; on the naked shoulders, to the end that he may bear the yoke of the Lord. These signs of the cross are concluded by three more, which the priest makes over the whole person of the catechumen.

The candidates for confirmation must be fasting, and consequently receive this sacrament in the morning, because it was at that time of the day the Holy Ghost descended on the apostles. The bishop, Confirmation. before he begins the confirmation, proceeds to his private devotions, washes his hands, and puts on the white vestments; after which he turns himself about to the candidates, who stand in the same order as at baptism, viz., the boys on the right, and the girls on the left. He next repeats a prayer; which being done, he sits down, and the candidates kneel before him. If the candidates for confirmation are very numerous, the bishop stands up, and the candidates stand on the steps of the chancel of the altar; each being supported under the arm by their godfathers. The bishop now asks the name of each candidate, and has them registered, after which he dips the thumb of his right hand into the chrisma, and therewith makes the sign of the cross upon their foreheads; at the same time giving a gentle blow on the cheek to the person confirmed, and saying "Peace be with you." Immediately after, the forehead of the person confirmed is bound with a slip of linen about the breadth of two fingers; and the bishop says to him, "I confirm you by the chrisma of salvation, in the name of the Father," &c. The ceremony ends with the blessing of the persons confirmed, which is done by the bishop, who makes the sign of the cross upon them.

The Eucharist.

The priest is the sole minister empowered to consecrate the host, and the rest of the ministers of the church are allowed only to prepare the things necessary for this sacrament; he also has the privilege of communicating under both kinds, that is, of eating the bread and drinking the wine; whereas, the laity communicate only under one, viz., the bread; and it is said that this custom was introduced in order to prevent certain accidents which degraded the dignity of the sacrament. One of these was, the overgrown whiskers and beards of some who received it, which, as they sometimes reached into the cup in which the blood of JESUS CHRIST was contained, might by that means make some good Christians sick at the stomach!

Every Catholic ought to communicate at Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide, and Twelfth-tide; but every good one should, besides the seasons above mentioned, receive the sacrament on Corpus Christi day, All-Saints, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, the festival of his patron, and the anniversary of his baptism. They ought to receive fasting, and be dressed in such a manner as best suits the Christian simplicity.

The priests who present themselves to the communion receive the

sacrament immediately after the deacon and sub-deacon, before any other person; and these must have a white stole over the surplice. The ministers, who serve at the altar, communicate in the habits of their respective orders; but the acolytes, and other clerks, receive the Eucharist in their surplices. After this, the officiating priest goes down to the rails, in order to administer the sacrament to the laity; observing to begin with the person who stands first on the epistle-side. He makes the sign of the cross with the host on the person that is to receive, observing not to take his hand away till such time as the host is entirely in the mouth of the person receiving. We shall not take notice of the prayers, or other particulars, mentioned in the rituals.

If, in administering the host, or consecrated wafer, the smallest bit of it should happen to fall on the ground, it must be taken up in the most respectful manner, and the place on which it fell must be covered, for fear of treading upon the least particle of it: they must afterwards scrape the floor, and throw the shavings into the sacristy, and wash the place very clean: if it should happen to fall upon the napkin, or the veil, &c., such part of it must be washed, and the water thrown into the sacristy; if it fall on the vestments of the officiating priest, the part must be observed, and afterwards washed.

The Viaticum.

The blessed sacrament is administered as a Viaticum, or provision for a journey, to those whose life is in danger. The sick person must receive it fasting, provided he can do so with safety; and if he be not able to swallow the whole wafer, a piece of it may be given him, and afterwards some liquid; but the host must not be dipped in any liquid beforehand, on pretence that the sick person will be the better able to swallow it.

In case the sick person throws up the wafer, and that the particles of it plainly appear, they must be put into a clean vessel, and carried to the church, and there deposited in some holy and decent place," till such time as they are corrupted, after which they shall be cast into the Sacrarium, or Piscina; but if the pieces are not to be distinguished, what he has vomited up must be wiped with pieces of tow, and these must afterwards be burned, and the ashes thrown into the sacrary." The priest must take care not to give those the viaticum who are troubled with a continual coughing, or are not able to swallow or consume the host, for fear of any accident unsuitable to the dignity of the sacrament.

Whenever the viaticum is to be carried to any place, care must be taken to make the chamber, in which the sick person lies, very clean, and, also, all those parts of the house through which the host is to pass; and they should, likewise, be strewed with flowers and odoriferous herbs. The host must be laid on a table very neatly covered, on which two candlesticks, with two lighted tapers in them, shall be set; also a drinking-glass; a vessel full of wine or water to purify or wash the fingers, and a white cloth to lay before the sick person. In case the viaticum be carried in public, as is the custom in Roman Catholic countries, the rector gives notice to his parishioners, by ringing a bell, to prepare themselves to accompany the blessed sacrament with tapers and torches; to support the canopy, or give some other exterior marks of their devotion and respect. Being assembled, the priest washes his hands, as is usual in the celebration of the divine

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mysteries, and of such ceremonies as are performed by him in blessings, consecrations, &c. He then puts on the surplice, the stole, the chasuble, and goes up to the altar, accompanied or followed by other priests or clerks. Here he falls upon his knees, repeats a private prayer; and afterwards rising up, puts a white scarf about his neck, spreads the corporal on the altar, opens the tabernacle; kneels down a second time at taking out the ciborium or pix, which he lays upon the corporal; kneels a third time when he has opened it; and after having viewed the host, covers it with its little oval lid, and takes it in both his hands, which are folded in the ends of the scarf that is about his neck. He then goes under the canopy, and a clerk, with a lighted lantern in his hand, walks foremost; and two other clerks, the one holding the holy water, the corporals, and the purificatories, and the other the ritual and a little bell, march immediately after him. Next come those who carry the torches; and lastly the priest, walking under the canopy, and carrying the host raised as high as his breast. If the priest carry the viaticum to a considerable distance, the host must be put in a little silver box, or pix, inclosed in a stuff purse, and hung about his neck.

The priest, on coming into the sick man's apartment, bids peace to the house, and goes towards the table, on which he spreads the corporal, in order to set the pix, or ciborium, upon it. This being done, he, and every person present, worship the host. He then sprinkles the sick person, and also the room; during which, anthems are sung, and prayers are repeated suitable to the occasion. After this, he opens the ciborium, takes out a consecrated wafer with the thumb and fore-finger of his right hand, observing to hold it a little aloft over the top of the ciborium, which he holds in his left hand, and, turning about, advances towards the sick man, in order to administer the sacrament to him.

The communion being ended, the priest places the ciborium upon the table, observing to make a genuflexion at the same time; and afterwards rubs his finger and thumb, with which he took up the host, upon the brim of the ciborium; so that if any little piece of the wafer should happen to stick to it, he may shake it into it. He afterwards shuts the ciborium, and covers it with a little veil, kneeling at the same time; then he washes the finger and thumb which touched the host with wine and water, presented him by those of the house.

This act of devotion concludes with prayers and exhortations. If any consecrated wafers be left in the pix, or ciborium, the priest, after having blessed the sick person, returns to the church, attended by the same persons who accompanied him to the sick man's house. Being come into the church, he pronounces the indulgences granted by the sovereign pontiffs and the bishop of the diocese, and gives them his blessing; but in case there are no more wafers in the pix, the priest returns without any formality, after having repeated the prayers used after the communion of the sick. If the sick person be just expiring, the priest omits all the prayers, &c., and, in giving him the viaticum, repeats two or three words only.

When the viaticum is given to a priest, he ought to have a surplice on, and, over it, a white stole, disposed crosswise over his breast.

If a priest be obliged to carry the viaticum to any person infected