of' beptism, they misht not be admitted into beeyen. Hence, without waiting to have this sacrament a?ministered by its proper minister, and in the proper place, and accompanied by what they deem very import- ant ceremonies, any person, whether male or female, young or old, righteous or wicked, Christian, Jew, pagan, or infidel, may baptize. The most unseemly speed is made to preserve the expiring infant from destruction, by administering baptism in an irregular manner. Many instances of this might be given, were it' deemed necessary'. The baptism of mo?-e ?.f?r?, whose mothers die in childbirth, has occupied to a Perplexing extent the IlLinds of the ablest theologians of the Roman Catholic Church. Believing, as they do, that unbaptized infants cannot enter heaven, they have been much perplexed to know how to baptize unborn children. The methods proposed and practised are so inhuman in themselves, though prompted by piety and superst/- t/on, that we cannot here recite them. They teach to have recourse to surgical operations when no other method will succeed, of which .their employ many. Surgeons are somethnes called on to exercise thetr art in order to save the unborn ciffld from perdition by baptism. But ministers of Parishes are particularly instructed to make themselves 8o far acquainted with the surgeoh's art as to become operators in cases where it is certain that their mothers will die, that their oil'spring can be ])reserved alive, at least so long as to be baptized. The instruc- tions g/yen in cases of this kind are such as to forbid us to translate them. And indeed we cannot, in justice to our own modesty or that of our readers, give the original Latin of those forbidden narratives to be found in Roman Catholic books on this topic. The most revolting parts of the science of obsteuics are far more proper for the perusal of all than the instructions respecting tiffs single case with which their standard Latin works abound. But as they have transgressed the in- junction of Scripture by' treating of those things which ought not to be spoken of, we cannot follow them in this forbidden path. We ca?t h?d?o refer to some of the works and places where this topic is treated Fin. � Whether baptism of abortives can be said to be a doctrine of the Church of Rome, if we consult its principal standards, may be ques- tioned; nevertheless, it seems to grow out of their doctrine, and is of extensive practice in their church. Dens, in his body of divinity, teaches that abortive ciffldren are to be baptized at every stage of their growth, from concept/on to maturity. He devotes nearly two octavo pages in g/ring directions concerning their baptism, under the head De Bapti. sin, do F(?fu aAortivo, Of BaI, tiain ?' an a/,ortive F?elu?; where the most revolting directions are given, which we cannot repeat. t At the end of his tract on baptism he gives a long dissertation of eighteen octavo pages, De Baprtwandis A?ort/?/s, in which he argues in form in the most indelicate manner respecting this subject. When doubts are en- tertained whether the object is a fit subject for baptism, the following
- See ?,ollet de ]hpt., c. 6, vol. iv, p. 171, ed. 1772: Parb. Bafily do Bapt., c. 7,
_jp?op. ii, tom. iii, i)p. 46?, 466. Deqs-de Dept., No. ?.4, vol. v, pp. 196-198. App. .?o. &, i)p. 468-464. Denedict XlY., de Syno(to, vol. ii, e. &, p. 85; also vol. iii, p. � 10? et.Tm?m, de Bept., ?J,. S5. 1 ,Goocle
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