The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

———304 BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION.men, countenance its celebration 1 and, while themselvespractising this foul sorcery, and leading others by their influenceto practise it, they affect to be shocked at the impietiesof modern socialism ! We excuse not Voltaire andthe other high priests of infidelity ; but it is indisputablethat they treated the human understanding with more respectthan do the stoled and mitred sorcerers, who firstcreate, then eat their god. What are the rubrics of theRomish Church, but recipes for the manufacture of holy salt,holy mortar, holy ashes, holy incense, holy bells, holy oil,holy water, and we know not how many other things besides ?And the instructions regarding this unearthly kind of manufactureare plentifully mixed with exorcisms for driving thedevil out of oil, out of buildings, and out of infants. For,with striking but characteristic inconsistency, while, accordingto the theory of original sin, as we have explainedit, man's nature is entire and sound, according to theformula of baptism he is possessed by a demon. " Comeout of this body, unclean spirit !"So runs the summons utteredby priestly lips, and addressed to the supposed occupantof every infant brought to the baptismal font.Accordingto the dogmatic view, man has no corrupt element in hisconstitution ;according to the ritual, he is a demoniac, andremains a demoniac till the baptismal vvater restores him tohis right mind. What, in form or essence, is awanting inthe following scene, to entitle it to be regarded as a piece ofgenuine witchcraft? It is the exorcism of water in order toits being used in baptizing. Following the classic modelwhich thewords of Hecate to the three weird sisters furnish," Your vessels and your spells provide,Your charms, aud everything beside,"the rubric proceeds :" First, let the vessel be washed and cleansed, and then filled with clearwater ; tlion lot the sacrificing priest, in his surplice (or alb) and stole,with the clerks or other priests, if thoy be at hand, with the cross, two