Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/222

 214 BAPTISM. [BooE conditional saving clause is introduced: $i es capa, If thou art cala- &/e of baptism. Those who c'n muster up a sufficiency of insensibility can peruse the places referred to, and they will find some of the gross- est specimens of superstition in the world, as well as full proofs of a corrupted religion and a grossly corrupt clergy. 5. Compulsory aptism, and assumed subjection of all baptized persons to the authm't$, and las of the Church of Rome. Adults are generally required to receive baptism as a voluntary act. (1.) It is different with respect to children, who may, according to their doctrine, be baptized in some cases without the consent of their parents. The following from Dens will present the doctrine of the Church of Rome in its received light. "Ca cildren be lawfully baptized witlumt the nowledge or consent of their parents ? "It is to be remarked, 1. That the question is not concerning the validity of this baptism, because it is certain that the will and intention of the parents are not necessary for this purpose." "2. Adult persons, or those having the use of reason, if they con- sent, can lawfully be baptized, although their parents are unwilling; because every person, in things pertaining to salvation, possesses this ight." "The question, therefore, is concerning tle progeny wAich have ot te use of reason." "Ansur. If the parents are baptized, whether they are heretics or Catholics, their children may lawfull)- be baptized without their con- sent; because the parents, by virtne of their own baptism, and their infants, by virtue of their nativity from their baptized parents, are SU- J-CTS (SUDXTZ) of the church. But in cases in which the parents are heretics, (i.e., Protestants,) schismatics, &c., their baptized offspring ought to be separated from the parents, lest they should be perverted. Nevertheless, though the church could make the separation without injury to the parents, this could not often be done, for several reasons, or at least not without great inconveniences; hence it is not often expedient to baptize such offspring." (2.) "If the parents are infidels or not baptized, and they are despot- ically subject to a Catholic prince, as slaves or persons taken in. war, then also in that case their infants may be baptized without the consent of their parents; becausein this case the parents may be deprived of their children without injury, as the prince comes into the place of the. parents." "But if infidels are only politically subjected to a Catholic prince, then it is commonly said with St. Thomas, against the Scotists, that they are unlawfully baptized without the 'knowledge or consent of their paints, excepting certain cases as are mentioned below." The following are the cases referred to, viz.: "1. If an infant is in danger of death; for there the reason of pro- faning the sacrament has no moraJ existence." "2. Persons always deranged may be baptized without their consent." "3. Adult persons consenting, as was said above." "4. Infants can be baptized if taken away from their parents, whe- ther justly or unjustly, when there iz no hope of their return to them." 1

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