used by the priest while he anoints the sick person: "By this holy anointing, and of His own most tender mercy, may the Lord forgive thee whatever thou hast committed by thy sight," &c. The eyes, the ears, the nostrils, the mouth, the hands, the feet, are each anointed, and the words of the form repeated, varying the termination with each of the different senses. The oil which is used should have been blessed by a Bishop on the previous Maundy Thursday. If it be necessary at the end of the year to give extreme unction before the fresh oil can be procured, it is right to do so; but it is unlawful to use the oil of a former year when the newly-blessed oil may be had.

The subject of this sacrament is any person who has been baptised, has come to the use of reason, and is in danger of death by sickness. Baptism, as we have already seen, is the gate of the other sacraments, and consequently must be received before them; and as extreme unction is instituted as a remedy for the effects of sin, it can only be received by those who have in a greater or less degree incurred its guilt. Finally, the recipient should be in danger of death by sickness. Thus infants and all who have never had the use of reason are incapable of receiving this sacrament. So also soldiers going into battle, or criminals led to execution, or sailors on a perilous voyage, cannot receive extreme unction, because, though they are in danger of death, it is not from sickness. No one should attempt, therefore, to receive this sacrament who is not considered dangerously ill; but at the same time its reception should not be put off to the last extremity, because one of the effects of this sacrament is in some cases to recover people from sickness,-because of the danger of dying without it, and because, when persons are so near their end, they are often incapable of disposing themselves in a fitting manner to receive its graces. As soon as the illness becomes serious, and there is a probability of death, the friends of the sick man should warn him of the necessity of preparing himself, and should take care a priest is sent for.

As extreme unction is a sacrament of the living, it ought to be received in the state of grace, and therefore

confession will usually be a part of the preparation required. When confession cannot be made, for instance, if the sick man be speechless, he should endeavour at least to make an act of perfect contrition, in order to receive the benefit of absolution, and to dispose himself as far as he is able for the effects of extreme unction.

CHAP. CXX. Effects of Extreme Unetion, and its Minister. 1. EXTREME Unction cleanses the soul from venial sin, and also from the unknown mortal sins which have not been remitted in any other way, provided of course the sick man be truly penitent, that is, provided that he has at least attrition: "If he be in sins," says St. James, "they shall be forgiven him" (St. James v. 15).

2. It takes away the remains of sin. By the remains of sin we mean: (1) Any hidden guilt existing in the soul, which for want of sufficient contrition, or for any other reason, has not been removed by the Sacrament of Penance. (2) The evil dispositions left by the sins which have been already forgiven, for example, a difficulty in doing good, and a tendency to relapse into former guilt. (3) The temporal punishment due to sin. Extreme unction removes these consequences either wholly or in part, according to the good dispositions in which it is received.

3. Like the other sacraments of the living, it increases habitual grace, and gives sacramental grace or a title to actual graces, to enable the sick man to endure with patience and resignation the sufferings to which he is subject, and to resist the temptations which beset his last hour.

4. If God sees it expedient, this sacrament restores bodily health: "The prayer of faith shall save the sick man, and the Lord shall raise him up" (St. James v.).

Some persons are anxious to put off the reception of extreme unction to the last moment, because they seem to regard it as a prelude to certain death; while in truth, if it had been received earlier, it might have led to their recovery. It cannot be doubted that miraculous cures

are sometimes effected by extreme unction; but the beneficial effects which it generally exercises on bodily health are produced in an indirect way. The grace of the sacrament soothes the soul, lessens the fear of death, and brings on such calm and peace of mind as often to lead to the restoration of health. If God be pleased to work a direct miracle, it is never too late for Him to do so; but if the sacrament is to act as a natural remedy, indirectly restoring health in the way just explained, it must be received in due time, otherwise, like ordinary remedies which are applied too late, it will not produce its effects. Extreme unction can only be received once during the same danger. If, however, the sick man recover and again relapse into the same or any other dangerous illness, it should be again received.

The minister of extreme unction must be a priest: "Is any man sick among you? let him bring in the priests of the Church." Any priest can validly administer this sacrament, but the proper minister is the parish priest of the sick person, or one of his assistants.

CHAP. CXXI. On Holy Orders: its Nature, Institution, Matter, and Form.

THE Church of God, being by Divine institution one visible body, kept together by visible signs,-by faith which cometh of hearing, and by external discipline,-implies in its constitution two distinct classes,-those who administer and those who receive the sacraments, those who preach and those who believe, those who govern and those who obey.

St. Paul says, "To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Wherefore He saith: Ascending on high He led captivity captive: He gave gifts to men. And He gave some apostles and some prophets, and others some evangelists, and others some pastors and doctors. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto

:

the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ: that henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive. But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in Him who is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in charity" (Eph. iv. 7-16).

The Apostle here plainly tells us that our Lord established a hierarchy, i.e. a sacred body of teachers and rulers, to keep His people in one faith, and build them up in the way of salvation. The Evangelists narrate the occasion of His so doing. After His resurrection He came to His Apostles, and said to them, "All power is given Me in heaven and in earth: go ye, therefore, teach ye all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world" (St. Matt. xxviii. 20). "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (St. Mark xvi. 15). The authority which our Divine Lord received from His Father He here bestows on His Apostles; and on them, as the terms of the commission show, not as individuals, but as heads of the Church for ever. Hence His words prove that there will always be persons to stand in the place of the Apostles, and inherit their authority as preachers of the Gospel and administerers of the sacraments.

It has been seen that our Lord gave His Apostles and their successors power to consecrate and offer the Holy Eucharist, as a sacrifice in memory of His death; and further, that He bestowed on them authority to forgive or retain sins (St. John xx. 21-23). There are, then, two kinds of power in the Church. 1st. Jurisdiction, or power over the mystical body of Christ, which includes a right of governing the faithful at large, and judging the individual conscience before God. 2dly. The power to administer

sacraments and offer sacrifice, which is called power over Christ's natural body. This twofold power forms the priesthood, and resides in its fulness, first, in the Bishop of Rome, the successor of St. Peter, whom our Lord constituted the Rock of His Church, the feeder of His flock, to whom He gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and next, in the body of bishops in union with St. Peter's See. To the Pope and to the collective episcopate alone does it belong to define matters of faith. Each bishop has jurisdiction over the particular district assigned to him, called a diocese, wherein he governs the priests and the faithful. Subordinated to the bishop, and deriving from him his jurisdiction, 'is the simple priest, who has to preach the word, administer the sacraments, offer sacrifice, and direct in the way of salvation those committed to his charge.

Besides the priesthood, there are other orders or kinds of ministerial power which, more or less remotely, subserve it according to their office. In all there are seven orders in the Church,-priest, deacon, subdeacon, acolyte, exorcist, reader, and porter. The first three are called holy or greater orders, the last four minor or lesser. Observe, the priest comprehends both the bishop and simple priest, or presbyter; for a bishop is only a complete priest. Having spoken of the priesthood, it will be well to speak of each of the other orders in succession. And first of the deacon.

We read in the Acts of the Apostles (ch. vi.), that "when the number of the disciples increased, there arose a murmuring of the Greeks against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve, calling together the multitude of the disciples, said: It is not reason that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables. Wherefore look ye out among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word. And the saying was liked by all the multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte