been in this manner dedicated to the whole bleffed Trinity. But have we fulfilled our part of this great covenant? Have we kept our baptifmal promises? Have we never violated and profaned, by wilful fin, thefe fouls and bodies of ours, which have been thus confecrated to God? Alas! have we not forfeited long fince the dignity of children of God, of brethren and members of Jefus Chrift, of temples of the holy Ghoft; and with it all our title to the kingdom of heaven? For all this is loft in the moment we fall away from God by mortal fin. Think well on't, and if the divine grace has hitherto kept you from being fo miferable: give glory to God; and beg a continuation of this grace: But if, on the contrary, your confcience reproaches you, with having apoftatized from the grace of Baptism; broken your covenant with God by mortal fin; and delivered up to Satan (whom you had renounced) the poffeffion of your foul, which God had confecrated for himself: O make hafte, whilst you have time, to return to your allegiance, to deteft your guilt, and to efface it by penance; to renew your former covenant; in a word to turn again to God, and he will turn again to you. Zach. i. But fee, you lofe no time; left there fhould be no more time for you: left you fhould be fuddenly overtaken by divine juftice, and fhould die in your fins. We fhall now proceed to the administration of this Sacrament; in which you will be pleased to accompany us with your attention and devotion.. After After Baptifm. The Prieft fhall speak in this manner. Let us now return moft hearty thanks to God, for the mercy he has fhewed to this child; whom, by his grace, he has wafhed from fin; whom he has fanctified for himself; and made a living member of his holy Church; in order to eternal life. But let us alfo carneftly beg of this fame Father of mercies, that he would carry on and perfect this great work of grace, which he has begun; and be himself the keeper of this his temple; and never fuffer this child to be separated from him by fin, and so to fall a prey to Satan. You that are the godfather and the godmother, and much more, you that are the parents, are bound to do your beft, to prevent fo dreadful an evil; by giving, or procuring, for your child, as foon as capable of it, all neceffary inftructions in the Christian doctrine; by giving him (or her) early impreffions, both of the fear, and of the love of God; and by keeping him (or her) out of evil company, and all the dangerous occafions of fin. This the Church of God requires at your hands; this God himself expects from you. I am also by the laws of holy Church, to put you in mind of the fpiritual kindred, which is here contracted between the goffips, and the child, and its parents; in confequence of which no man or woman can marry his, or her, godchild, nor the father or mother of their godchild. Laftly the Church, as a tender mother, follicitous, not only for the spiritual, but allo for the corporal welfare of her children, reB quires quires of her minifters, that they fhould, on these occafions, admónifh the parents, not to fuffer their child, during its infancy, to be laid in the famè bed either with them, or with its nurse, for fear of its being overlaid. This then, in the name of the Church, we charge the parents of this child diligently to obferve; as they must expect to anfwer to God and his Church, for any evil confequences, of their neglect in this particular. ADATAT): (ADK CHAPTER II. Inftructions, and exhortations, for the fick, in the adminiftration of the BLESSED EUCHARIST; and of EXTREME UNCTION. § I. In the adminiftration of the bleed Sacrament to the fick, whether it be received by way of viaticum, (that is to say, by way of preparation for death) or only by way of devotion; the Prieft fhall addrefs himself to the communicant in thefe or the like words; after having first heard his confeffion, and abfolved him from his fins, if he had any thing that troubled his confcience. Exhortation before communion. You defire now, dear brother, (or dear child) to receive the blefied Sacrament, of the body and blood of your Saviour Jefus Chrift, for the food food and nourishment of your foul, in order to eternal life: you defire, by the means of this divine communion, to be happily and holily united to him, by grace and love; that fo he may henceforward live in you, and you may live in him, and by him; and that nothing in life or death, may ever more feparate you from him. Behold here your Saviour comes to you, to answer these your pious defires: he comes to vifit you in your fickness; and he brings all his mercies and graces along with him, to beftow them all on your foul. O take care then to welcome him, by receiving him, with proper difpofitions, of faith, of humble fear, and of love. 1. Raife your heart to him by faith: firmly believe, that this Lord of glory came down from heaven, for the love of you: that he took a body and blood, of the blessed Virgin, for the love of you: that in order to redeem you from Satan, fin and hell, and to purchase mercy, grace and falvation for you; he offered up this fame body and blood, a facrifice to his Father, by dying upon the crofs, for the love of you: and that, in confequence of this love, he gives you here, in this bleffed Sacrament, the fame body and blood, with which he redeemed you, upon the cross. You firmly believe all these catholick truths, which the Church of God believes and teaches, because Jefus Chrift himself has taught them? I know you do believe them. 2. Humble yourself in the prefence of this Lord of life, whofe majefty is incomprehenfible: acknowledge B 2 knowledge yourself infinitely unworthy, that he fhould enter under your roof, to take up his abode in your breaft. O! beg of his mercy, to pardon you all the fins and offences, you have ever committed against him; and to wash them all away with his pretious blood: with that you could receive him, like Magdalen, with that contrite and humble heart, which he never defpifes. Beg of him to give you this contrition and humility and truft in his infinite goodness and mercy, that he is now coming to you, not for your condemnation, but for your falvation. 3. Yes, dear brother, (or dear child) he comes to you, to take poffeffion of your foul, to unite you to himself, and to make you his, for all' eternity. He comes out of pure love, to make you happy in him; to enfure unto you all the treafures of his grace here, and his heavenly glory hereafter. O raise your heart then to him by a moft perfect act of divine love; defiring, on your part, to embrace him with all the powers of your foul; and to make him truly welcome; by giving and confecrating your whole felf to him, for time and eternity, to be infeparably united to him by eternal love. Say from your heart, if not in words, at least in thought: Sweet Jefus, I believe in thee: O do thou increase my faith! All my hopes are in thy goodness and mercy: I love thee with my whole heart and foul; and I defire to love thee forever: O come, my God, and take full poffeffion of my foul; and let nothing in life or death evermore feparate me from thee. After |