ill ! i.;....i. ]ii'l!''i'^' / "5? PRINCETON, N. J. ""S Presented by Mr. Samuel Agnew of Philadelphia, Pa. Agnezv Coll. on Baptism, No. ^ol^ Baptism. By the same Author. THE ANCIENT LITURGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENG- LAND. Second Edition. 1846. 1 vol. 870. 155. MONUMENTA RITUALIA ECCLESIiE ANGLICANiE. 1847. 3 vols. 8vo. 21. Qs. A HISTORY OF THE MARTIN MARPRELATE CON- TROVERSY IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. 1845. 1 vol. crown 8vo. 8s. THE OUTWARD MEANS OF GRACE, A SERMON, preached in the Church of S. Mary, Totnes, at the Triennial Visitation of the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Exeter, August 11th, 1848. Printed by request. 1848. 8vo. Is. THE BLESSINGS PROMISED TO UNITED WORSHIP; AND CAN DISSENTING CONGREGATIONS CLAIM THEM? A SERMON. > 1839. 8vo. QUERIES AND REMARKS UPON A LATE PAMPHLET entitled " THE QUESTION ANSWERED." 1839. 8vo. A LETTER TO THE CLERGY UPON THE SPEECH OF THE RIGHT REVEREND THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH, in the House of Lords. May 26, 1840. 1840. 8vo. A LETTER TO THE VERY REV. WM. COCKBURN,D.D. Dean of York. Occasioned by his late " Remarks upon the Charge of the Lord Bishop of London." 1842. 8vo. A DISSERTATION BY THE REV. WILLIAM MASKELL M. A. VICAR OF S. MARY CHURCH, DEVON : AND DOMESTIC CHAPLAIN TO THE RIGHT REVEREND THE LORD BISHOP OF EXETER. " By whom was this Child baptized ? With what matter was this Child baptized ? With what words was this Child baptized ? ' Seconti dBDition* JLonUon WILLIAM PICKERING 1848 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library http://www.archive.org/details/holybaptismdisseOOmask r^ V TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD HENRY, BY DIVINE PERMISSION LORD BISHOP OF EXETER, IS MOST HUMBLY AND GRATEFULLY INSCRIBED. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Page MEANING of the term " Baptism ;"— types, and definitions of the Christian Sacrament 1 CHAPTER H. The Materia remota 29 CHAPTER HI. The Materia 'proxima 55 CHAPTER IV. Benediction of the Font 84 CHAPTER V. The Form 98 CHAPTER VI. Of Baptism " in the Name of Jesus " 144 CHAPTER VII. Canons enjoining the true Form ; — importance of the subject . 164 CHAPTER Vni. The Minister ; — of Lay -baptism, anciently in the Church Catholic 1 76 Contents, CHAPTER IX. Page Of Lay-baptism in the Church of England 206 CHAPTER X. The Necessity of Baptism ; — of the Baptism of blood .... 253 CHAPTER XL Of the Institution of the Christian Sacrament ; — of ** the Baptism of John" 279 CHAPTER XIL Hypothetical baptism ; — of iteration of baptism ; — of children \i^^\XLQ^'-'' invitis parentihus" 316 CHAPTER XIIL The Effects of Baptism ; — conclusion 349 Appendix 379 ^oI|> iSaptism' CHAPTER I. iHE term Baptism, Baptisma, signifies various modes of washing, including al- ways the idea of purification when joined with the mention of water ; and it may be taken in any of the senses in which we employ the terms, "lavatio," " tinctio," " ablutio," or the like : nor is it to be denied that principally it is to be understood of that kind of " washing," which is performed by im- mersion. The anabaptists contended that the word, to bap- tize, necessarily includes dipping or immersion ; from whence it would follow, that our Saviour, command- ing us to baptize, has commanded us to dip. This has been shewn by many writers to be altogether incorrect, and untrue.^ ^ See upon this. Wall on In- fant Baptism, vol. 2. p. 328. Vos- sms, de baptismo, p. 24. Schleus- ner, Thesaurus, verb. fiairTii^u. Tournely, de hapt. p. 4. And, especially, Suicer, TTies. Eccles. verb. ^aiTTifffxa. /' 2 Holy Baptism, In the Holy Scriptures the word is used, in at least four senses : first, literally : as where our Blessed Lord says of the Pharisees, that they eat not, " when they come from the market, except they wash." ~ And, again, in the same place, He speaks of " the washing of cups, and pots." These passages in the original are, *' £a^ ^y\ (3a7rTJ(rwi/Tai ; " and, " |3a7rTJ(7|aouf TroTvpioov Kcci ^Eo-Tuv.'' So, in the vulgate Latin : " nisi bapti- zentur," and " baptismata calicum, et urceorum." In the apocryphal book of Judith, we are told that she " went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water." ^ The Greek reads, " xat £j3a7rTK^£To : " and the Latin, '' et baptizabat se." Once more ; in the book of Eccle- siasticus ; " He that washeth himself after the touch- ing of a dead body, if he touch it again, what availeth his washing?""* In the Greek we read, " Ba7rTifo/>i£i/o? aTTo vEKpov : " and in the Latin, " Qui baptizatur a mortuo." Secondly, metaphorically ; nor do I see that we need separate the idea of purification from the word when so used, as it undoubtedly is to be attached to it in other senses. There are examples of this sym- bolical and metaphorical signification, with regard to both reception of benefit and endurance of suff'ering. For the first, we find it written in the Acts, " Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence :"^ and, in the Gospel, S. John Baptist de- - S. Mark. vij. 4. Compare S. ■* Ecclus, xxxiv. 25. •Tohn. ij. 6. , ■^ Judith, xij. 7. '^''^^- '• ^- Holy Baptism. 3 clared of our Lord ; " He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.'"^ For the latter, our Lord alluding to His Passion, said : " I have a bap- tism to be baptized with :"^ and, " Ye know not what ye ask : " was His answer to the sons of Zebedee ; " can ye drink of the cup that I drink of ? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?"^ Again, (according to the interpretation of some com- mentators,) " Else what shall they do which are bap- tized for the dead?"^ Thirdly, the term is to be understood of the legal and ceremonial ablutions observed under the old law. As, where S. Paul speaks of the " divers washings," " xat ^KZ(popoig (3a7rTJo-jaoj? :" " et variis baptismatibus."^" And the place in S. Mark, before cited, refers to both a literal and ceremonial " washing." The baptism of S. John, which was the baptism of repentance,^^ falls under the same class : being, not a sacrament but a preparation for, and preliminary to, the sacrament of baptism afterwards to be instituted. 6 S. Matt. iij. 11. 9 1 Cor. xv. 29. Upon the . ''' S. Luke. xij. 30. Compare sense of this most difficult text, S. Mark. x. 38. see Hildebrand, Ars bene mori- ^ S. Mark. x. 38. So S. Basil, endi, cap. iv. where he gives speaking of one of the martyrs, eleven interpretations which have says : " Y^inaTevcrev sig to oi'Ojxa been proposed. Also, Hartman, Tov ILvpiov }]/Liwy lr]crov 'S.piffrov de hierarchia pontificia. p. 609. f(3aTrri(Tdt] en; avrov, ovy^ viro aX- In the same epistle is another \ov,aXX vwo T^]<; oiKEia? TnaTto)>;' example; "And were all bap- ovK ev vcari, aW sv ru iSia tized unto Moses in the cloud and aljuariJ" Homil. de xl. Marty. in the sea." x. 2. ribus. § 7. I shall speak again ^^ Hebrews, ix. 10. of this '" baptism of blood." " S. Mark. i. 4. 4 Holy Baptism, To which Sacrament, fourthly, we are chiefly and especially to restrict the meaning of the term baptism, according to the use of both Scripture and the Church, from the time when our Saviour thus spoke of it to Nicodemus : " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."^" And, afterwards, to His disciples ; " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." ^^ It is of this that S. Paul writes to the Ephesians, where he reminds them, that there is " one Lord, one faith, one baptism :" and to S. Titus, where he de- clares that we are saved " by the washing of regene- ration."^* S. Peter also, that it, namely baptism, " doth now save us."^^ Besides the name of Baptism, other titles were fre- quently given anciently to this sacrament : some of which, as Bingham has observed, " were taken from the internal and spiritual effects of it ; others, from the nature and substance of the action ; others, from the conditions required in the receivers ; others, from the external circumstances and rites observed in the administration."^^ Each variety of these names served to express something of the nature or properties of the sacrament itself, and together are of great import- ^'^ S. John. iij. 5. ^^ Antiquities. Book.xi. ch.\. " S. Matt, xxviij. 19. ^^ ^^^^^^ P^^^^ ^ wo"ld refer the 14 p, , . j^ „. ... ^ student. See also Albortinus : " * ' ■ • J- • fjg eucharistia, p. 285. 549. 751. '^ Epist. 1. iij. 21. &c. Holy Baptism. 5 ance in enabling us to understand in what light it was regarded by the fathers in the first ages of the Chris- tian Faith. The same learned writer supplies several examples : as, the Divine Indulgence, or, Absolution : Regeneration :^^ Unction : Illumination '.^^ Salvation : Mystery : Seal : Gift : the Layman's priesthood : ^^ Initiation : Consummation or Perfection : etc. There is a passage in S. Gregory Nazianzen in which that father heaps up, as it were, these numerous titles given to the sacrament of baptism : He tells us, " Awpov >taAou- fxiv, p^apKT^a, (3«7rTJ(r|M,a, ^pjtr|W,a, (puri(T^ix,, oi(p^a,pcntx,g sv^vfj-a, Xovrpov 7roc,Xi'y'ysvE(rKx.g,(T(l>pa'yiaoi,7rav 071 rii/.iov. ~ ioO again. ^■^ Tertullian says: "Nos pis- ciculi, secundum f)(dvv nostrum Jesum Christum, in aqua nasci- mur." De hapt. cap. 1. And the reader will remember the often quoted place in Optatus : " Hie est piscis, qui in baptismate per invocationem fontalibus undis inseritur, ut quae aqua fuerit, a pisce etiam piscina vocitetur. Cu- jus piscis nomen, secundum appel- lationem Grsecam, in uno nomine per singulas litteras, turbam sanc- torum nominum continet t^^Sj/f, quod est Latine, Jesus Christus Filius Dei Salvator." Lih. iij . />. 62. cit. Bingham. S. xi. ch. 1. iij. " Solium balneorum vocant pis- cinam, vel quodlibet in quo con- tinetur aqua." Gloss. Mss. "Pis- cina dicitur in balneis in qua pis- cium nihil est, cum nihil piscibus simile habeat : videtur tamen a piscibus dicta propter aquam, ubi piscibus vita €st." S. Aug. lib. de dialect, c. 5. cit. Dom. Macri. Hiei'olexicon, ^^ The opening the eyes of the blind man by our Lord when He spat upon the ground and made clay, (S. John, ix.) was regarded by some of the fathers as a type of baptism. See S. Chrys. horn. 56. in Joan. S,. Ambrose, epist. 73. S. Augustine, tract, xliv. in Evang. S. Joan. This perhaps from the earlier title of " illumi- nation" given to the Sacrament. ^^ " Sacerdotium laici, id est, baptisma. Scriptum est enim, ' Regnum quippe nos et sacer- dotes Deo et Patri suo fecit.' Et iterum, ' Gentem sanctam, regale sacerdotium.' " S. Hieron. adv. Lucifer, cap. ij. ^" Orat. xl. de Bapt. cit. Bing- ham. 6 Holy Baptism. S. Basil : "BaTTTto-jaa oci'^^fJi.ccXooroiq Xvrpov, o(pXr][j,(x.TUV a(pi~ (Tig, Oavaro? ccfji.ccpTiccg, TrxXiyyivsiria ifup^^^ic, sv^vfxoc (pursivov, (Ttppccyig ccui'n-i^sipriTog, o^ri[/,oc Trpog oxjpxvov, ^acnXnocq irpo^i- ' fl "21 vov, vto\jE(ricx.g ^ccpKr^x. -1 Homil. in sanct. bapt. § 5. Compare S. Cyril. Catech. Prae- fat. § X. Also Cabasilas : de vita in Christo. lib. 2. Bibl. Patrum. torn. 26. p. 141. Another title less usual, but equally significative of the infinite privileges attached to the recep- tion of baptism, was " viaticum." This, although chiefly used with reference to the holy Eucharist, was nevertheless not restrained to that sacrament alone. Ab- solution, confirmation, and ex- treme-unction, were sometimes also so called. Because, as Al- baspinaeus has remarked, the terra may fitly be applied to that which, being received just before death, profits us in our journey towards another world. " Sic patres non prohibent," he continues, "imo imperant, ut sacro fonte intin- gantur in morte, quod baptismus ad salutem omnino requiratur et valeat: propterea Viaticum ap- pellant, etc." Observat. lib. 1. p. 74. Cf. Monumenta Ritualia, vol. 1. p. ccxxvij. note 54. It has, indeed, been suggested, that very anciently and originally baptism was styled "viaticum," because the holy eucharist, (the proper viaticum) was given im- mediately after baptism to sick persons, and even to infants. In the western Church the practice as to the last, probably continued in places till the xjth century or even later. Alcuin, speaking of infants, says ; " — hoc providen- dum est, ut nullum cibum acci- piant, neque lactentur, antequam communicent." De div. off. edit. Hittorpius. f. 64. I cannot say to what extent the custom of communicating infants was introduced into England : among the epistles of Lanfranc is one, the 33rd to Domnaldus an Irish bishop, in which the doc- trine of its necessity is very po- sitively condemned. " Revera, et procul pulsa omni ambiguitate sciatis, neque transmarinas eccle- sias, neque nos Anglos banc de infantibus tenere sententiam,quam putatis. etcr Opera, p. 317. Compare a passage in the ho- milies of S. Anselm. " Expleta in baptismo purgatione introdu- cunt eos ad sanctum altare conse- crandos victima divinae eucharis- tia3." Opera, p. 171. The Abyssinian Churches, fol- lowing the Greeks, are said still Holy Baptism. j To these let me add some of the titles which, from time to time, have been given to baptism in canons and other authoritative documents of the church of England. to retain this custom : so Fran- ciscus Alvarez asserts, quoted by F. Calixtus, disput. theol. sign. F. 3. And so the Ethiopic ritual directs in its order of baptism : as it is in the Bibliotheca Patrum. toin. 27. Compare upon the whole sub- ject of infant communion, Arcu- dius, Concordia, ecc. lib. 1. cap. xiv. Hildebrand, Ays bene mo- riendi, p. 58. Bona, JRerum Liturg. lib. 2. cap. xix. Bing- ham, Antiq. vol. 5. p. 171. and Waterland's dissertation, Works, vol. 6. p. 39. This last very- learned writer argues that the giving the holy Eucharist to mere infants, on the ground of its absolute necessity to salvation, began about the 7th century, ji. 63. Hence, when the communion of the Body and Blood of our Lord by children is spoken of by earlier writers, (as by Fulgen- tius. Innocent I., S. Austin, S. Cyprian, etc.) we must conclude that they either referred this com- munion to its reception in bap- tism ; or that the children were of the age of six, eight, or ten years. There is a curious passage in an epistle of Gilbert of Poictiers, from which it would seem, that then it was usual to communicate children, after baptism, with the chalice only. " Quoniam et pueri baptizati in solius calicis, et in- firmi in solius panis sacramento ssepe communicant: et nihil mi- nus quantum ad rem ipsam et ad incorruptionis futurae sacramen- tum accipiunt, quam illi a quibus in utroque panis scilicet et calicis sacramento in ecclesia de ipsa mensa Dominica Christus assu- mitur." Thes. Anecdot. torn. 1. p. 428. Other writers mention the same custom : Hugo S. Victor, de sacram, lib. 1. cap. xx. Hence probably arose the practice, of which we find traces about the 12th century, of giving unconse- crated wine to infants ; thus keep- ing up in appearance the earlier form, without the reality. With respect to Fulgentius, the reader should consult especially the xith ch. of his treatise de bapt. Ethiopis : in which he most clearly argues that oral participation of the holy Eucharist is not of ne- cessity, where it cannot be had. He instances in the case of sick adults, dying immediately after baptism. Bibl. Patrum. torn. ix. p. 177. From the custom of commu- 8 Holy Baptism, Not omitting to notice the strong expression of archbishop Theodore in his penitential, " prseceptum est animas eripere a diabolo per baptismum," "" I would pass on at once to the later councils of our Church. nicating immediately the newly- baptized, arose that other of de- dicating with solemn rites the baptisteries: and the rehcs of saints and martyrs were buried in them, as in churches. Thus Gregory of Tours says, that in the baptistery at Dijon " multse reliquiae sanctorum tenebantur." De vitls patrum. cap. vij. cit. Catal. in rit. Rom. torn. 1. p. 32. See also the very ancient raar- tyrology of the abbey of Corbey. <'xvij. cal. Mali. In Autissiodoro dedicatio baptisterii — ubi sunt conditSB reliquiae S. lohan. evang." Thes. Anecdot. torn. 3. p. 1375. Also, altars were erected in the baptisteries, for the purpose of celebi'ating the eucharist. Ma- billon tells us of the baptistery at Pisa : " Prope adest baptisterium in primis insigne : in cujus medio exstat fons sacer rotundo opere, cum multis fonticulis in petra ex- cisis, in quos forsan baptizandi dim immergebantur. Adhseret altare cum globo supra illud con- cavo, in quo eucharistia olim ad usum (ut veri simillimum est) recens baptizatorum asservaba- tur." IteT\ Ital. p. 184. So, also, the account of the baptistery at Ravenna, given by Ambrose Ca- maldulensis, in the 14th century : lib. xiij. epist. 3. Martene, Vet. Script, torn. 3. p. 450. I think the following statute of the diocese of Cambrai, in the same century, worth mentioning, though I am not aware of any record of its in- troduction into the churches of this country. " Juxta fontes in- stituatur piscina aperta, ubi laven- tur manus eorum qui tenuerunt puerum, et vas lavetur quo infu- sus fuit puer. Super piscinam autem illam ponatur coopercu- lum." Ibid. torn. vii. p. 1292. See the rubrics of the Sarum pontifical and manual, as they were in the xv th century ; as compared with the Leofric MS. of the xj th. Monum. ritualia. vol. \. p. 25. And the Jumieges MS. in Martene, ant. ecc. rit. torn. 1. p. 73. Compare also the rubric after our office for baptism of those of riper years. ^^ Thorpe. Ancient Laws and Institutes, vol. 2. jo. 51. So, in the penitential of archbishop Eg- bert ; " Prima remissio peccato- rum est, per baptismi lavacrum." ibid. p. 223. Compare also ve- nerable Bede. Homil. edit. Giles. torn. 5. p. 42. Holy Baptism. 9 Thus we find baptism spoken of by the council of Durham in the year 1220, as, " janua omnium sacra- mentorum, et prima tabula post naufragium, sine quo non est salus :" by a canon of the diocese of Chiches- ter in 1246, as '•'• sacramentum ingredientium :" "^ by the provincial constitutions of Othobon, " ingredienti- bus hoc mare magnum, mundum videlicet naufragiis plenum, prima tabula nos ad portum salutis adducens :" and, once more, by a canon of the diocese of Win- chester, in 1308, baptism is declared to be, "janua omnium sacramentorum, — salutis lavacrum, — sine quo ab ecclesia ad regnum coelorum minime pervenitur.""* About the period of the reformation also, Pole, arch- bishop of Canterbury, spoke of this sacrament as being ^^ " Sunt autem ecclesiastica sacramenta septem : baptismus in- gredientium, confirmatio prselian- tium, eucharistia itinerantiura, poe- nitentia redeuntium, extrema unc- tio exeuntium, ordo ministran- tium, conjugium laborantium." Wilkins. Condi, torn. \. p. 688. 24 Wilkins. Concil. torn. \. p. 574. 688. torn. 2. p. 2. 293. A provincial constitution of the church of Scotland, in the 13th century, speaks of this sa- crament as having great virtue and efficacy, " cum ab ipso Deo institutum est, et ejus sanguine rubricatum." ihid. tom.\. p.Q\4:. cf. jo.666. The Manipulus Curatorum de- clares it to be " spiritualis gene- ratio per quam homo regeneratur Christo." yb^. xj. This book is frequent in manuscript, and v^as more than once printed for the use of the English clergy in the middle ages : it is of much value as evidence of the opinions then held and taught. See Monu- menta Rit. vol. 3. p. Ixxx. note. Bishop Jewell says of it (I quote him on this point, merely as a witness, almost contemporary, to the fact,) " Manipulus Curato- rum, not long sithence thought to be a book most necessary for all parsons and curates, as contain- ing all necessary doctrine for the church of God." Works, vol. 3. p. 401. 10 Holy Baptism, the first of all the sacraments, and the gate of spiritual life ; by which we are made members of Christ, and of His body, the Church.^^ Nor, returning to an almost primitive age, ought I to omit the testimony of the venerable Bede : in a homily which has for its subject the discourse of our Lord with Nicodemus. " Videtur quidem baptizan- dus in fontem descendere, videtur aquis intingi, vide- tur de aquis ascendere : quid autem in illo lavacrum regenerationis egerit, minime potest videri. Sola hoc fidelium novit pietas, quia peccator in fontem descen- dit, sed purificatus ascendit : filius mortis descendit, sed filius resurrectionis ascendit : filius prsevaricationis descendit, sed filius reconciliationis ascendit : filius irse descendit, sed filius misericordise ascendit : filius diaboli descendit, sed filius Dei ascendit. Sola hsec ecclesia mater, qua? generat novit ; cseterum oculis inspicientium videtur talis exire de fonte, qualis intravit, totumque ludus esse quod agitur :— qui ex aqua et spiritu regene- ratur, invisibiliter in novum hominem mutatur, et de carnali efficitur spiritualis." ^^ The types and figures of Holy Baptism, under the old dispensations, were various. The Cloud, and the Red Sea, and the Levitical washings, of which S. Paul has told us ; "^ the Ark, and the Flood, of which S. ^ Reformatio Angliae. />. 7. ^^ Opera, torn. 5. p. 1 10. cf. p. ef?«Y. Aldus. 1562. Compare, in 165." — baptizari, idest,apeccati the same terms, Bishop Bonner, originalis contagione mundari." Necessarii doctrine, sign. M. iij. edit. 1555. -M Cor. x. 2. Hebrews, ix. 10. 1 1 Holy Baptism, Peter writes ; "^ and, not to speak of other types, Cir- cumcision, and " the baptism of John," were especially foreshadowings of the sacrament by which, in after ages, under the gospel, men were to be admitted into their new state, the state of salvation." ^^ ^ Epist. 1. iij. 20. " Ramum olivse columba corpo- ralis ablutam diluvii aquis detulit in arcam, Spiritus Sanctus in spe- cie columbae corporalis baptiza- tum aqua Jordanis descendit in Dominum. Nos quoque Christi et ecclesiae membra, quos non solum homines, qui erant in area cum Noe, sed et animantia quae area continebat, et ipsa quoque ligna, ex quibus eadem facta est area, figurant post acceptum undse regenerationislavacrum : perunc- tionem sacri chrismatis gratia Spiritus Sancti signamur, quam conservare in nobis intemeratam dignetur ipse, qui dedit J. C. Dominus noster, etc^ Ven. Bedse, Homil. xxiij. Opera, torn. 5. p. 172. ^^ The pool of Bethesda was frequently alluded to as a type of baptism, by the fathers ; by S. Cyril, S. Ambrose, S. Gregory, S. Chrysostom, and others. The following passage is from a very ancient author, less known than the above. " Haec piscina bap- tismatis aquas significabat. Unde non immerito probatica, id est ovina dicebatur, quoniam oves Dei fiunt qui in baptismate lavan- tur, — Haec autem piscina quinque porticus habet, in quibus — jacebat multitudo languentium, expectan- tium aquse motum. — Inde tamen languentes videbant piscinam, des- cendebant in eam et sanabantur. — Sed notandura quia solus ille sa- natur, qui prior post motionem aquae in piscinam descendit: per quem totus populus Christianus intelligitur, qui solus et unicus, prior et ultimus, unus et insepa- rabilis in aquis baptismi et lava- tur et sanatur. etc." Eusebius episc. Gallicanus. A. d. 430. Homil. Bibl. Patrum. torn. vi. p. 720. Compai-e TertuUian, de baptismo, cap. v. A somewhat similar train of thought is shewn by Thomas Waldensis : Doctvinale de sa- cram. cap. xcviij. §. 3. Opera. torn. 2. p. 577. Again, the pool of Siloam is so referred to, follow- ing the ancients, by the author of the epistle on baptism, addressed to Charlemagne. Thes. Anecdot. torn. 1. p. 15. And Rupert Tui- tiensis makes the dipping of Naa- man the leper, in the river Jordan, to be a type of the sevenfold gifts 12 Holy Baptism, Many definitions of baptism have been proposed. Philip Melancthon defined it to be, " Signum quo Deus nobiscum agit, et recipit nos in gratiam."^'' But as Bellarmin^^ has observed, and after him Tournely,^" this definition agrees with every sacrament, nay, even with the mere preaching of the Gospel: and makes baptism to be a bare sign, and not productive of sanc- tifying grace. Calvin declares : " Baptisme is a signe of the en- tringe wherewith we are receiued into the felowship of ye Church, that being graffed into Christ, we may be reckened amonge the children of God." ^^ To this, as it has been frequently remarked, the obvious objec- tions lie, that it mentions only one, and a secondary end of baptism, the mere reception into the church of Christ ; and not the principal effects, namely, regene- ration, purification, and forgiveness of sins. Again, that, (like Melancthon's) it makes baptism to be a bare sign. Again, that the same definition may be given of circumcision ; by which men were, in like manner as so described, received into the church of God, graffed into Christ the promised Saviour, and of the Holy Spirit in the sacra- tism, '• Mergimur, ut peccatum ment of baptism. De dlv. off. lib. abluatur mersione." torn. 3. p. 25. iv. ca;o. xvj. Auct. bibl. patrum. ^^ Ibid. torn. i. p. 923. ^^ De Baptismo. jo. 11. ^^ In locis coram, cit. Bellar- ^ Instit. Book. iv. ch. 15. I min. Opera. ?om. 2. ^. 111. Cf. quote from the English transla- Melancth. opera, torn. 2. p. 833. tiou, London, 1578 : not being In another place he says of bap- able to refer to the original. Holy Baptism. 13 regarded as among the number of the peculiar people of God.^^ Of earlier writers, the definition given by Hugo S. Victor is well known : " Baptismus est aqua abluendis criminibus sanctificata." ^^ But, as Aquinas objects, this falls short of the truth, for baptism is not water taken by itself alone. And he goes on to observe : " in aqua non perficitur sanctificatio, sed est ibi quse- dam sanctificationis virtus instrumentalis non perma- nens, sed fluens in hominem, qui est verae sanctificati- onis subjectum : et ideo sacramentum non perficitur in ipsa aqua, sed in applicatione aquse ad hominem, quae est ablutio : et ideo Magister in 3. dist. 4. sent, dicit, quod * baptismus est ablutio corporis exterior, facta sub forma prsescripta verborum.' Res autem, et sacra- mentuni est character baptismalis, qui est res significata per exteriorem ablutionem, et est signum sacramentale interioris justificationis, quae est res tantum hujus sacramenti, scilicet significata, et non significans." ^^ Aquinas himself approves of and adopts the defi- nition which he quotes from the Master of the Sen- ^ Tournely, in the place cited more than a public profession of above, gives also the definitions belief in the Christian religion. proposed by Socinus, Opera, torn, 3. ^.^^ ^ ^^ Sacram. vi. c. 2 1. f). 350, and by Wolchelius, de „ , * ' , , j. .,. . ' ' -* ,. . 7.7 . i> But compare the definition given, vera relimone, lib. vi. cap. 14. tt -, rrn i i a „,.,.. ro • . . wo. 1. 1 heol. de iSacram. cap. of which it IS sufiicient to say, .... . . ^ . , ^.f. , , . 1 , iM xni. m the Auctarium to Sibl. that they are not incomplete uke _"' , , -,c^„ ^ ^, //^ 1 • J T\/r 1 i.T, Patrum. torn. \.p. 1374. those of Calvm and Melancthon -^ but positively erroneous: plainly ^^ ^\xxamdi..pars.lii.qucsst.QQ. asserting baptism to be nothing art. 1. 14 Holy Baptism. tences : and with him agree the majority of the schoolmen. ^^ Duns Scotus, in adopting- and defending the defi- nition of the Master, yet makes so many additions as almost to recast it. He says ; " Dico quod baptismus est ablutio exterior, facta in aqua, hominis non inviti, ab alio abluente, et simul cum intentione debita, et certis verbis totam Trinitatem invocante, efficienter siffnans ex institutione divina ablutionem animse inte- riorem a peccato." Most of the members of this defi- nition will be found discussed as we proceed. ^'^ '^ Almost all, however, make various additions. For example ; " Baptismus est sacramentum in extei'na corporis ablutione, et legi- tima verborum enuuciatioue juxta Christi institutionem consistens." Again : " Baptismus est corpora- lis ablutio hominis in aqua facta, et verbo significata cum expressa invocatione Trinitatis, cumque in- tentione faciendi quod facit Ec- clesia." Once more : " Est ab- lutio aquae ex Domini Salvatoris institutione in nomine trium divi- narum Personarum, Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti peracta: per quam introducimur in eccle- siam." ^^ Reportat. Paris. Vib. iv. di)it. 3. qucest. ij. Notwithstanding his explanations and corrections, Duns Scotus insists strongly on the identity of the two definitions. " Quantum ergo ad definitionem Magistri, de qua quseritur, dico quod est bona, si suppleantur, et explicentur ilia quae in ipsa conti- nentur, quia tunc est eadem cum praedicta. Nam cum dicit quod est ahlutio exterior facta in aqua tangit materiam hujus sacramenti ; cum vero dicitur quod est ahlutio, non cujuscunque, sed corporis, tangitur susceptivum hujus sacra- menti, et datur intelligi ablutio corporis hominis non inviti, quia non corporis asini, vel bovis, quia ablutio non fit nisi aliquo abluente ; ideo consequenter dat intelligere ministrum hujus sacramenti. Per hoc autem quod dicit sub forma verborum, exprimit formam hujus sacramenti, et ita addendo quod addidi, habetur completa ejus de- finitio." Ibid. Compare his earlier definitions and arguments, (with the scholia,) in lib. iv. sentent, dist. 3. (jucest. 1. Holy Baptism. 15 Of the canonists, Hostiensis accepts the same defi- nition, adding, " sine qua [ablutione] nemo salvari potest." ^^ Lyndwood says : " In quo consistat istud sacramentum sunt opiniones. Prima est, quod ipsa aqua est sacramentum baptismi. Secunda est, quod passio tinctionis sive ablutionis, est sacramentum bap- tismi. Tertia est, quod character, qui in baptismo confertur, est sacramentum baptismi. Tu die, quod in baptismo sunt tria ; unum, quod est sacramentum et non res, sc. aqua abluens, sive ablutio. Secundum est res et non sacramentum, sc. peccati remissio et gratise infusio. Tertium est res et sacramentum, sc. character animse impressus in baptismo. Aqua igitur verbo Domini sanctificata, proprie est sacramentum, sicut et species panis in sacramento altaris ; et cha- racter secundario, sicut et verum Corpus Christi." '^^ "^ Summa. lib. iij. ruhr. 42. •^^ Lib. iij. tit. 24. Circa sa- cramentum. verb, sacramentum baptismi. Compare Aquinas, in the place just cited. Both Lyndwood and Hostiensis explain baptism to be the chief and most necessary of the sacra- ments : the latter in the place just cited : and the former says of Pe- nance that it must follow, not pre- cede baptism : " quia baptismus janua est et fundamentum omnium sacramentorum." Lib. v. tit. 16. c. 2. verb, unicuique. So also the Pupilla Oculi. Pars. il. cap. 1. This last work, once of so high authority in the English church, in its first chapter upon baptism, thus distinguishes the various kinds. " Triplex est baptismus : sc. fluminis, flaminis, et sanguinis. Baptismus fluminis est qui fit in aqua in forma debita : secundum consuetum morem ecclesiae. Flaminis : ut cum quis habens fidem, volens baptizari, caret bap- tismo fluminis, sive aquae, non per negligentiam seu contemp- tum ; sed quia non valet ipsum attingere ; et talem defectum sup- plet gratia Spiritus Sancti. — Bap- tismus sanguinis : ut in martyribus non prius baptizatis, qui non pos- .^ 1 6 Holy Baptism, But, not to delay in collecting the opinions suggested by various later authors in the Roman communion, I shall give that which is to be found in the Trent cate- chism. Relying upon the declaration of our Blessed Lord to Nicodemus, and upon the words of S. Paul to the Ephesians, " Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it ; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word," *^ the catechism defines baptism to be, "sacramentum regenerationis per aquam in verbo." *" The last words, " in verbo," must be understood as intended to signify the express invocation of the Holy Trinity. And we then find in the above definition, as Bellarmin and other writers have observed, the genus in the term " sacramentum ;" and the differentia, in the addition " regenerationis," sent attingere baptismum aquse ; sed in proprio sanguine baptizan- tur : vel potius merito sanguinis Christi in cruce effusi. — Inter hos baptismos talis differentia est. Baptismus fluminis debite accep- tus a tota poena liberat ; et a culpa tam originali quam actuali. — Baptismus autem flaminis totam culpam delet, et dat gratiam in usu, in quo consistit meritum. — Baptismus vero sanguinis liberat ab omni tentatione, et confert sta- tim praemium. Sed nee baptismus flaminis neque sanguinis imprimit cbaracterem: quianon imprimitur nisi in actuali usu sacraraenti : sed baptizatis baptismo sanguinis loco characteris erit aureola martyrii. Item baptismus flaminis tantum habet locum in adultis. Alii duo in parvulis : de baptismo sanguinis patet ; ut de innocentibus occisis pro Christo : de baptismo flumi- nis ; ut communiter fit in ecclesia. Item, baptismus fluminis semper valet et sufficit : alii duo, solum in articulo necessitatis." Pars. ii. cap. ]. I shall speak of these distinctions, again, presently. For some account of the Pupilla oculi, I must refer the reader to the Monumenta Rit. vol. 3. p. Ixxix. 7iote 29. « Ch. V. 25. «-2 Edit. Aldus. 1366. p. 99. Holy Baptism. 17 which distinguishes baptism from any other sacrament, whether properly or improperly so called ; inasmuch as baptism alone regenerates. " Per aquam " affords another distinction, specifying the matter ; and " in verbo," as I have explained it, would supply the form. It is not easy to refer to the formularies of the church of England, which have been authorized from time to time during the last three centuries, for any brief definition of baptism. If this seems strange, it must be remembered that the documents to be re- ferred to, during the same period, of the church of Rome, are not more explicit : for even the catechism, from which I have just quoted, has not that sanction which could alone have been given to it by the council itself of Trent. Hence, though of very high value, as a standard of teaching in that Church, it falls short when we would appeal to it as giving utterance to her dogmatical decisions. The twenty-seventh of the 39 articles asserts of baptism, that " it is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difiference, whereby Christian men are dis- cerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of regeneration or new birth, whereby, as by an instrument, [signum — per quod, tanquam per instru- mentum,] they that receive baptism rightly, are grafted into the Church ; the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost [per Spiritum Sanctum], are visibly signed and sealed ; faith is confirmed ; and grace increased by c 1 8 Holy Baptism, virtue of prayer unto God." If there had never been any of the unhappy disputes upon Regeneration which have so miserably divided our Church, this article miffht well have been looked on as a sufficient state- ment of her judgment as to that doctrine, and to be necessarily interpreted in strict accordance with her often-repeated decisions in former ages. But it is not to be denied that there were, even at that time, 1562, men of powerful influence who held low and imperfect views of the grace of God as conveyed to man in and by His sacraments ; and it was a period also, when, in order both to gain some and to retain others, incom- plete and dubious expressions were sought for rather than plain, distinct, and dogmatic assertions, which no man could misinterpret or mistake, of Catholic Truth. Hence we cannot wonder that opposite parties have appealed to the 27th article, each in support of its own views. Wherefore we can scarcely regard it as a defi- nition of the sacrament of baptism, even though there was evidence that it was ever intended to be so. The last clause, if it means any thing, as it stands in the English version, is a truism, and not to be connected with the preceding. But I shall make a brief obser- vation upon this presently. In the large addition made, some fifty years after- wards, to the catechism, we find a far clearer expla- nation of the grace given in baptism : one, which is not to be evaded by those, who readily enough refer to the article. Indeed this was to be expected : inas- much as this part was added to correct the false teach- Holy Baptism. 19 ing upon the sacraments, which had spread somewhat widely during the troubled years immediately follow- ing the reformation. The grace of baptism, and there- fore baptism itself, is declared in the catechism to be, " A death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteous- ness : for being by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace." It is not to be forgotten that, not only upon this ques- tion but on all others upon which the catechism treats, we are to regard its exposition as being of the most distinct and dogmatic character : by which, there- fore, if any doubts arise, we are bound to interpret the less open and preceding statements of the 39 articles. It will be necessary to refer to one or two books published early in the xvith century, if we would rightly understand both the article and the catechism. The articles of 1536, put forth to "stablyshe Christen quietness and unitie," and " approved by the consent and determination of the hole clergie of this realme," thus speak of baptism. That, " it was instituted and ordained in the New Testament by our Saviour Jesus Christ, as a thing necessary for the attaining of ever- lasting life, according to the saying of Christ, ' Nisi quis renatus fuit ex aqua,' etc'"^^ This, with much that follows, was incorporated into the Institution of a Christian man, or " the Bishops Book,"** which was ^' Oxford reprint. " Formu- ** Ibid, p 93. laries of Faith," p. 6. 20 Holy Baptism, published in the next year. The Necessary Doctrine, put forth six years after, adds that " the effect and virtue of this sacrament is forgiveness of sin, and grace of the Holy Ghost, as is manifestly declared in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where it is said, Do penance, and be baptized every one of you, and ye shall have forgiveness of sin, and shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." ^^ It will be important to add one or two extracts, respecting this point, from the works of archbishop Cranmer. The Institution, from which I have already extracted, I must also observe subjoins ; " Item, That it is offered unto all men, as well infants as such as have the use of reason, that by baptism they shall have remission of all their sins, the grace and favour of God, and everlasting life, according to the saying of Christ, Whosoever believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Upon this, by the way, Henry VIII. re- marks in his corrections, " They dying in that grace which by the sacrament of baptism is conferred to them, and not by sin alter the same."*^ The archbishop himself declares in his Answers to ^ Oxford reprint. " Formula- do ye penaunce." Tyndale's Tes- ries of Faith," p. 253. " Do pe- tament of 1534, and Cranmer's nance." {lerayoijcrare. " Pceniten- version of 1539, read " repent." tiam agite," is the rendering of the The Genevg, of 1557, "Amend Vulgate. Wickliffe's translation, your lives." The Rhemish of accordingtoaMS. now before me, 1582, it need scarcely be added, with which agree others which follows the Latin : " Doe pe- have been collated, follows the nance." Latin : " and petir seide to hem, '*" Works, vol. 2. p. 38. Holy Baptism, 21 the Questions on the Sacraments, that " in baptism we be regenerated and pardoned of our sin by the blood of Christ." — In his Answer to Dr. Smythe ; " In baptism we come not unto the water as we come to other common waters, when we wash our hands or bathe our bodies, but we know that it is a mystical water." — In his Answer to Gardyner, he excepts against that author's position that in baptism we receive the Spirit of Christ, and in the sacrament of His Body and Blood we receive His very Body and Blood : and he asserts, " this your saying is no small derogation to baptism, wherein we receive not only the Spirit of Christ, but also Christ Himself, whole body and soul, manhood and Godhead, unto everlast- ing life, as well as in the holy communion. — Never- theless this is done in divers respects ; for in baptism it is done in respect of regeneration, and in the holy communion in respect of nourishment and augmenta- tion." I am aware that this assertion of the arch- bishop^^ may be supported by some few places to the *'' Bishop Jewell argues, as it ment :" and therefore, they who would at first sight appear, much do not so partake, must eternally in the same way ; adducing various perish. Harding scarcely could, places from S. Augustine and according to the peculiar teaching other fathers ; hut, carefully con- of his own Church, have really sidered, I doubt whether he ought intended this. Nor, on the other to be supposed desirous of assert- hand, do S. Augustine and S. Chry- ing more than his denial of an sostom speak of the same kind of erroneous opinion which he attri- participation of the Body and butes to his adversary, Harding, Blood of our Blessed Lord, as in viz. " that Christ's body cannot the Eucharist, when they say, that be eaten, but only in the saci-a- " in baptism every man, being 22 Holy Baptism. same effect in the fathers, but surely not there so boldly and without qualifications or explanation. In- deed in the whole of this first part of his Answer to Gardyner, Cranmer's opinions upon the deep myste- ries which he was considering, shew very plainly the extent to which he was inclined to agree with the ex- treme views of the Sacramentarians, as they were called, of that day ; and his increased reliance upon his own private judgment rather than on the declared decisions of the Church. This is very evident (as every one must confess) from the passage which immediately succeeds that which I have last quoted. — Once more, in the same Answer, we find it declared that "as in baptism the priest putteth his hand to the child out- w^ardly, and washeth him with water, so must we think that God putteth to his hand inwardly, and washeth the infant with His Holy Spirit, and moreover that Christ Himself cometh down upon the child, and apparelleth him with His own Self."^^ As these extracts are for the sake of illustration, rather than of definition, I would ofier here two or three more, of the like kind, from the works of two writers, of authority, during the same century. Bishop Jewell calls baptism " the sacrament of made the member of Christ's bone." See Jewell's Works, vol. body, is then also made partaker 3. p. 25 ; vol. 2. p. 329. of the Body and Blood of Christ :" and that, "in baptism we are in- ""^ Ibid. vol. 2. p. 100; vol. 3. corporate unto Christ, and made ;:». 11.67. Compare p. 86. ibid. flesh of His flesh and bone of His p. 553. Holy Baptisfn. 23 regeneration." But not to insist on various passages to this effect, in his Treatise upon the sacraments, in which he was called upon to explain his opinions more clearly, than in a merely passing way upon other arguments, he declares, " When in baptism our bodies are washed with water, we are taught that our souls are washed in the blood of Christ." Again : " Bap- tism is our regeneration or new birth, whereby we are born anew in Christ, and are made the sons of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven ; it is a sacrament of the remission of sins, and of that washing which we have in the blood of Christ. — Infants cannot become spiritual, but by this new birth of the water and the Spirit." *9 Hooker lays down, that " many times there are three things said to make up the substance of a sacra- ment, namely, the grace which is thereby offered, the element which shadoweth or signifieth grace, and the word which expresseth what is done by the element." Of the grace only, need we inquire further into what this great divine understood by it : and I may pass on to that the more readily, as his remarks seem scarcely enough to reach to the full extent of Catholic teaching ^' Works, vol. 1. p. 225; vol. judgments of God: His mercy is 8. /). 4. 9. etc. infinite, etc. — The soberest way is " Some make doubt of those to speak least, and to leave them infants, the children of the faith- to the judgment and mercy of ful, which depart before baptism, God. Howbeit, if any should whether they be saved or not. — despise, and of wilfulness refuse It is a hard matter, and too curi- this holy ordinance, that were ous for man to enter into the damnable." Vol. 8. p. 14. 24 Holy Baptism. with regard to the " element" and " the word." For, in the eucharist, for example, "the word" has more effect than simply to express what is done by the element, inasmuch as it endues the element with its mysterious power; making, in conjunction with the other essential rites, the bread to be the Body, and the wine to be the Blood of our Blessed Lord/° So, in baptism : " the element " not alone shadoweth and signifieth, but conveyeth, grace. Of this grace Hooker speaks, most justly, shortly after : " as we are not naturally men without birth, so neither are we Chris- tian men in the eye of the Church of God but by new birth, nor according to the manifest ordinary course of the divine dispensation new-born, but by that baptism which both declareth and maketh us Christians. In which respect we justly hold it to be the door of our actual entrance into God's house, the first apparent beginning of life." ^^ Nor must I pass on without referring also to two books, claiming, as they do, a higher authority than as being merely the works of individual divines. First, the Homilies : which, speaking of the sacrifice and satisfaction made by our Saviour Christ, declare, " that infants, being baptized and dying in their infancy, are by this sacrifice washed from their sins, brought to God's favour, and made His children, and inheritors "" See the "Ancient Liturgy ^^ Eccl. Polity, ^ooyt v. c/i. 58. of the Church of England," p. §. 3. ch. 60. §. 3, cviij. et seq. 2nd edit. Holy Baptism, 25 of His kingdom of heaven." ^^ Plainly making the conveyance of the blessing to depend upon baptism. Second, the catechism of dean Nowell. " M. De baptismo ergo primum die quid censeas. A. Quum natura filii irae, id est, alieni ab ecclesia, quse Dei familia est, simus, baptismus veluti aditus quidam nobis est, per quem in eam admittimur ; unde et tes- timonium etiam amplissimum accipimus, in numero domesticorum, adeoque filiorum Dei nos jam esse ; imo in Christi corpus quasi cooptari, atque inseri, ej usque membra fieri, et in unum cum ipso corpus coalescere." Again, having explained water to be the outward sign, or matter, of the sacrament, the catechism proceeds ; " M. Qu83 est arcana et spiritualis gratia ? A. Ea duplex est ; remissio videlicet peccatorum, et regene- ratio, quae utraque in externo illo signo, solidam et expressam effigiem suam tenent."^^ I return, for an instant, to the 27th article. It has been already shewn that it is not to be understood, as having been intended to be, in any degree of complete- ness, a definition of baptism : rather, as declaratory of certain truths, which were about the middle of the sixteenth century either disputed or denied. But it is, more particularly, of the last clause that I would say a few words ; taking it as it is commonly pointed in the English version, " Faith is confirmed, and grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God." Nor need ^^ The Sermon of Salvation. ^ Edit. Randolph. Enchir. torn. Edit. Oxf. 1832. p. 25. 2. p. 212. 26 Holy Baptism, we insist now upon the Latin " vi divinse invocationis," or inquire whether the phrase may not originally have had respect not to prayer, in its common acceptation, but to the appointed Form in this sacrament, in which sense it is correct enough. Let us take it, I repeat, as it is in the English : and it certainly does seem to be a mere truism, and not to be connected with the pre- ceding part of the article. For if it is to be so connected, it might be argued (whether fairly or unfairly upon such an obscure sen- tence, against other evidence to the contrary) that the church of England has approved of the heretical notion that prayer is essential to the valid administration of the sacrament of baptism. It is not to be denied that in books of about the same period, the sixteenth cen- tury, traces are to be discovered of this opinion ; as, for example, in the Reformatio Legum ; a work which (we cannot be too thankful) is not of the slightest authority, and now serves only as a record of some of the extremes, both in faith and practice, into which our Church was upon the verge of being betrayed, if events had not been overruled to a better end by the power of the Almighty. However; this book says, in the chapter ^e sacramentorum natura ; " Prseterea verbo Dei quod intercedit et symbolorum adhibitorum naturis erudiuntur fideles de pretio nostrae redemptionis per Christum comparatse, Spiritus Sanctus et gratia in mentibus fidelium ulterius instillatur, etcJ"^^ ** De hceres. cap. xvij. Holy Baptism, 27 It has indeed been pretended that the same notion is, even at present, countenanced by the rubric of our Office of administration of private baptism. This as- sumption rests upon an ignorance of the history of this rubric, with its various alterations from time to time, and upon the ambiguity of the punctuation. It is there ordered that the minister shall " call upon God, and say the Lord's Prayer, and so many of the collects appointed to be said before in the Form of public baptism, as the time and present exigence will suffer." Nothing can be more suitable, in general, than such a rule : but, whilst it by no means supposes prayer to God to be an essential part of this sacrament, so, there can be no doubt, that if " the present exigence will not suffer" any prayer to be said, the lawful minister will fully and completely baptize, by the sole use of the appointed Matter, and the appointed Form. This is a question, however, which I shall have to speak upon again presently. To conclude, therefore, this first part of my disserta- tion. It has been well said that writers in the ancient Church described and did not attempt to define baptism, either as to the gifts, or the nature of it. Nor was the Church's language fixed on the subject, beyond the statement in the Nicene creed, " one baptism for the remission of sins."^^ Still, if we remember the plain ^^ Scriptural views of Holy either with reference to the past Baptism, p. 20. " Thus baptism or the future ; as a passage from may obviously be looked upon death, or to life ; as a deliverance 2 8 Holy Baptism, declarations given in our Common Prayer Book, of the necessity of this sacrament ; — that it is generally necessary to salvation ; and that it is of great necessity, where it may be had; — we may perhaps venture to give such a definition of it as the following : namely, that Baptism is a Sacrament, generally necessary to salvation, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, in which man is spiritually regenerated by God, by the outward washing of water, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. /V'om sin, or a renewal to holi- men's minds might from circum- ness ; a death unto sin, or a new stances be directed joromtnen^^^ to birth unto righteousness : and the one or other view." Ibid. Holy Baptism, 29 CHAPTER II. PROCEED now to the particulars of baptism. And first, of the proper Matter. Theologians, with regard to the sacra- ments, have been accustomed to distin- guish and divide this ; namely, into remote and proxi- mate : as, for example, in the Holy Eucharist the matter is, remotely, bread and wine ; proximately, the consumption of the consecrated elements.^ Again in ■^ I should be misrepresenting' the fact if I did not explain that, as regards the Eucharist, the above division has not been commonly consented to. This is not the place to insist upon or argue the correctness of it : let it suffice to say, that it appears to me to be a true solution of not a few of the difficulties which surround that deep mystery, and are involved in the discussion of it. The church of Rome allows the distinction of remote and proxi- mate matter, in six of the seven sacraments which she has declared to be instituted by our Lord. The eucharist is the exception ; nor, remembering the precision with which that church has defined the mode of the Divine Presence in the consecrated bread and wine, can we be surprised that such is the result. The council of Trent, upon the excellence of the Holy Eucharist over the other sacra- ments, has decreed : " Commune hoc quidem est sanctissimas eucha- ristise cum ceteris sacramentis, symbolum esse rei sacrae, et in- visibilis gratise formam visibilem : verura illud in ea excellens, et singulare reperitur, quod reliqua sacramenta tunc primum sanctifi- candi vim habent, cum quis illis utitur ; at in Eucharistia ipse sanctitatis auctor ante usum est." Sess. xiij. caf. 3. We may con- sent readily to the truth contained in the last clause of this sentence. 30 Holy Baptism. confirmation, as anciently administered in the church of England : then, in one respect, it was held to be oil ; in the other, to be unction. So, in baptism, the ma- teria remota is water ; and the materia pro.vima is ablution.^ Adopting this distinction, we will consider in the first place, the materia remota. The command of our Blessed Lord to His apostles, even though it stood alone, and though there were no other places in the New Testament bearing upon and explaining it, is yet, we might have supposed, suffi- ciently clear to have prevented all dispute upon this point. " Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them." But it does not stand alone. In His discourse with Nicodemus, He had before expressly declared that this *' baptizing" must be with water: " Except a man be •without agreeing to the conclusion asinus biberet sacramentum." JRe- which it is said must be drawn portat. Paris, lib. iv. dist. iij. from it. But I do not now wish qiicest. 3. The reader will see to enter further upon this ques- how this bears upon the subject of tion. the note just preceding. But, as ^ Duns Scotus says : " Aqua Scotus goes on to observe, this is est materia respectu verborum, et speaking nimis Bernardice : be- materia baptismi remota, quia per cause water is not alone the sacra- appropriationem tantum, sed ma- ment of baptism, nor is it the teria baptismi propinqua est ab- proximate matter of the invisible lutio in aqua facta, cum verbis, et grace and of the inward washing applicatio verborum ad elementum, given in that sacrament; because quod essentialiter est signum in- then all water would be the sacra- visibilis gratise, et ablutionis ani- ment of baptism, and of its in- mae interioris, et non aqua tan- visible grace. Whereas, on the turn, sicut dixit Bernar. Glossa- contrary, ablution with the Form tor: propter quod prohibuit istam [ablutio exterior cum verbis] is aquam permitti bibi ab asino, ne the " materia propinqua." Holy Baptism. 31 born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." And it is remarkable that in the same chapter we find it written, " After these things came Jesus and His disciples into the land of Judaea ; and there He tarried with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in -^non near to Salim, be- cause there was much water there : and they came and were baptized." Again, His own example, as recorded by S. Matthew ; " Jesus, when He was bap- tized, went up straightway out of the water." And S. Mark uses almost the same words. Once more, the apostle, writing to the Ephesians, says : " Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word."^ But, from the earliest ages, there have been heretics who either explained away or totally denied this truth, that pure water only is the proper matter of the sacra- ment of baptism. The various fancies of the different sects upon this subject have been collected by many writers, and I shall not do more than name two or three among them. Such, for example, as the Gnostics of whom S. Irenaius speaks ;* or, again, Tertullian : " Nuper con- ^ Ch. V. V. 25. formse a Christo tradita corrum- * Haeres.^i&.l.cajo.xxj. " Pri- pebant; isti vero et proxime se- nium sanctissimumque regenera- quentes ipsam materiam, id est, tionis nostrse mysterium, quod est aquam omnino negligendam esse baptisma, per istos Gnosticos Sa- censebant." Annot. Fr. Feuar- tanas omni ex parte labefactare dentii. in cap. xxj. p. 67. conabatur : quando illi verba illius 32 Holy Baptism, versata istic quaedam cle Caiana haeresi vipera vene- natissima doctrina sua plerosque rapuit, in primis baptismum destruens : nam fere viperee et aspides, ipsique reguli serpentes arida et inaquosa sectantur.'"^ The note upon this passage tells us, that Tertullian alludes here to Quintilla, from whom these heretics were styled Quintillians ; and Pepuzians, from Pepuza, the place from which they spread. In the next chap- ter of the same treatise, Tertullian adds concerning her ; " Quintilla monstrosissima, cui nee integre qui- dem docendi jus erat, optime notat pisciculos necare, de aqua auferens." He goes on to trace the ground of her error, to the apparent simplicity of the means by the use of which such blessings were to be obtained. And, once more, the Manicheans ; who, teaching that water was created by the evil being, rejected, by a natural consequence, baptism with water, as at least useless. " Baptismum in aqua," says S. Augustin, " nihil cuiquam perhibent salutis afferre ; nee quem- quam eorum quos decipiunt, baptizandum putant."^ Passing onwards, we find in the twelfth century a sect of Cathari, one of whose peculiar heresies was, that baptism should not be by water, but, after some sort of manner, by fire.^ I allude the more particu- ^ De Baptisrao. Opera, p. tics, who adopted similar notions. 224. " Seleuciani et Hermiani ab auc- ^ De Haeres. Opera, torn, yny toribus sic dicti, ac eodem cum p. 17. Manichaeis principio nixi, ' Bap- ' I extract an account from tismum in aqua non recipiunt,' Tourneley of some earlier here- inquit S. Augustinus L. de hsere- Holy Baptism, 33 larly to these, because a contemporary author, Eck- bert, an abbot, has left us a very curious account of sibus : et ante ipsum Philastrius in catalogo hsereseon quae sub apostolis extiterunt, ait, * eos illo aquas baptismo non uti, propter verbum hoc quod dixit Joannes Baptista, Ipse vos haptizabit in spiritu et igne :' quibus verbis constat quidem eos in aqua non baptizasse ; sed an in igne, et quomodo baptizaverint, incertum est. Sane antiquissimum esse morera in baptismo ignem seu ustionerausurpandi, constat ex He- racleone apud Clementem Alex- and. in lib. de prophet. ' Quidam,' inquit ' obsignatorum aures igni notabant.' Et de Valentino Ter- tuUianus ait: ' His docuit tingi traducto corpore flamma.' Jaco- bitae etiam a Jacobo Zanzalo Syro propagati, loco baptismatis aquae, ferro candente imprimunt in fron- tibus figuram crucis. Ignem quo- que adhibere perhibentur ^Ethi- opes." De bapt. p. 17. As regards the text from S. Matt. iij. V. 11. upon which these and other sects relied, there are various interpretations given by the earlier commentators. See Theophylus Antioch. in Bibl. Patrum. toin. 2. p. 167. But not to mention these, take the Glossa Ordin. *' Et igne, i. pro- batione tribulationis : vel spiritu in praesenti ablnit, etc." De Lyra says, himself; '^ Et igne: quia super baptizatos in primitiva ec- clesia frequenter apparebat S. in signo visibili, sicut apparuit super apostolos in Unguis ignis." So also, Hugo S. Charo makes it to signify, among other meanings, the fire of tribulation. Several of these middle-age commentators further refer the text also to pur- gatory : a notion which may be possibly traced to S. Jerome, whom Bellarmin claims as so ex- pounding it. Which, however, plainly he does not. S. Jerome's words are, upon the text : " Sive quia ignis est Spiritus Sanctus, ut Acta apostolorum decent, quo descendente, sedit, quasi ignis su- per singulos credentium ; et im- pletus est sermo Domini dicentis, Ignem veni mittei^e super tev' ram, etc, Sive quia in praesenti, spiritu baptizamur, et in futuro, igne. Apostolo quoque huic sen- sui congruente: Uniuscuj usque opus quale sit, ignis probabit." Comm. in Matt. The " fire" is probably to be understood either, metaphorically with S. Chrysostom, (as I have already said), for the graces and gifts of the Holy Ghost ; or, lite- rally, with S. Cyril of Jerusalem, of the cloven tongues, which vi- sibly descended upon the apostles 34 Holy Baptism, the manner in which they performed their rites. This Eckbert wrote a work against the several doctrines of the Cathari, and having argued against their denial of the validity of infant baptism, he proceeds to refute the error of which I have just spoken. I shall not trouble the reader with this, but extract his account of the ceremony which they used. " Hujus erroris defensionem sumitis ex verbis loannis, quse de Domino salvatore pronunciavit, dicens, '• Ille vos baptizabit in Spiritu Sancto et igne.' Hinc est quod eos quos assu- mitis in societatem Catharise vestrse, sicut audivi a quodam qui expertus fuerat secreta vestra, tali modo rebaptizatis. Convenientibus vobis in unum in ob- scuro aliquo penetrali, primum hoc diligentissime pro- curatur, ne forte per aliquam fenestram, aut per ostium quisquam eorum qui foris sunt, visu vel auditu perci- piat, quod intus geritur : — locantur luminaria copiose in parietibus cunctis : statur per ordinem in circuitu cum reverentia magna, quoniam sancta res agitur, quae tamen magis complaceat diabolo quam Deo. Statuitur in medio infelix ille, qui baptizandus sive Catharizan- dus est, et assistit ei archicatharus, tenens in manu li- bellum deputatum ad officium hoc. Quem imponens vertici ejus dicit benedictiones, quae potius maledic- tiones vocandae sunt, orantibus caeteris qui circumstant, at the day of Pentecost. See efficacy of the baptism of our Suicer, Thes.eccles. p.QQQ. But, Lord, over and beyond the bap- in whatever sense, it must, at tism of John. This will be treated least, be referred to the effect and of, in the xith chapter. Holy Baptism, ^^ et faciunt filium gehennse, non regni Dei, sicque per- ficitur ille baptismus."^ About the same period were various sects of here- tics, who, some in one way, some in another, erred as regarded the necessity of water, or of water onl^^, in the sacrament of baptism : such, for instance, as the Waldenses, who would not admit it.^ But in the thirteenth century the flagellants arose, in many parts of Germany, Poland, Hungary, and France, whose peculiar tenet appears to have been this ; " unum- quemque baptizari debere proprio sanguine per flagella de corpore excusso." It is not however quite certain whether these rejected, altogether, baptism by water also : ^° and Gerson, who wrote a treatise against them, does not accuse them of it in direct terms, although he asserts that they neglected sacramental confession and ^ Bibl. Patrum. torn, xxiii. p. 615. Eckbert continues, that this mock baptism was called baptism with fire, " propter ignem lumi- num, quae in circuitu ardent : " and he observes ; " Melius ipsa verba attendite : Baptizahit, in- quit, in igne, non juxta ignem, ut vos facitis." The common opinion of the Cathari of the middle ages was to deny the grace of baptism, and of sacraments generally, altoge- ther. Summa Renerii. (A con- temporary author, and once of the sect.) Thes. Anecdot. torn. 5. p. 1762. ° Bibl. Patrum. torn. xxiv. p. 1542. Ebrardus contra Valden- ses. cap. vj. •"^ See Tournely: de haptismo. p. 19. But from the account by ano- ther writer it would appear that they did reject it: "Nona, et ultima (quod sciam) de hac re [baptismosc] hseresis est quorun- dam, qui dicti sunt flagellantes se. Hi dixerunt baptismum aquaa jam cessasse, mutatumque esse in bap- tismum sanguinis, etc." Alphons. de Castro, advers. hceres. lib. 3. cit. Trombelli, de hajitismo, torn, iv. p. 317. 36 Holy Baptism. penance, and regarded their own self-inflicted sufferings as of more worth than martyrdom itself.^^ Not to consider or even to name the many other sects, whom writers on this subject have produced as objecting against the propriety of the use of water in baptism, several examples have occurred of modifi- cations of that error. It will suffice to mention one or two of these. First ; some were grounded upon necessity : as in cases where w^ater is not to be had. A well known instance is that of the Jew, of whom Nicephorus tells us ; '' Cum Judasus, per loca arida iter faceret, ac subito deficientibus viribus moriturus crederetur, ter superfusa in eum arena, baptizatus est, ac per banc tam insolitam et admirandam sanctorum mysteriorum initiationem, imbecillitate omni tanquam vinculo quo- dam solutus, validius quam alii, iter fecit." Now without entering into any discussion upon this, it is enough to say, that whatever effect the faith of the Jew might be allowed to have, it was not held that the " " Constat, per experientiam, quod taliter se flagellantes non curant de sacramento confessionis vel poenitentiae sacramentalis, di- centes quod hsec flagellatio potior est ad delendum peccata, quam quaecumque confessio, imo earn sequiparant nonnulli vel prsepo- nunt martyrio, quoniam facimus, inquiunt, ultro fundendo sangui- nem proprium, quod ab aliis mar- tyres pati cogebantur." Opera, torn. \. p. 636. " Dicunt, cum Christus in Cana Galilaeae circa finem convivii nup- tialis aquam mutavit in vinum rubeum, designavit quod circa fi- nem mundi baptismus aquae in baptismum sanguinis mutari de- beret ; etc" Chron. magn. Belg. cit. Raynald. ad an. 1414. n. Holy Baptism. 37 sprinkling him with sand was a baptism. For the historian proceeds : " Postquam autem domum sunt reversi, rem illam ad Dionysium Alexandriae episco- pum retulerunt. Ille vero admiratione stupens, Eccle- siam ea de re consuluit ; cui visum est aqua insuper, juxta ecclesiae traditionem, esse abluendum."^^ Another case, frequently mentioned, is that which was proposed by a Norwegian bishop to pope Gregory the ninth. I take the account given by Raynaldus, under the year 1241. " Quod ad archiepiscopum Nidrosiensem attinet, apostolicam sedem Uteris suis consuluerat, num cervisia ob aquoe penuriam in bap- tismo conferendo adhiberi posset, cui Gregorius eos qui cervisia abluti fuerant baptismum rite non susce- pisse respondit : ' Cum, sicut ex tua relatione didici- mus, nonnunquam propter aquae penuriam infantes terrse tuse contingat in cervisia baptizari, tibi tenore preesentium respondemus, quod cum secundum doctri- nam evangelicam oporteat ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto renasci, non debent reputari rite baptizati, qui in cer- visia baptizantur.' " ^^ ^^ Bibl. Patrum. torn. ii. p. inveniebat, omnino periclitantera 1132. infantem baptizavit, nulla ei inde ■'^ Annal. ad an. 1241. n. xlij. ascribitur culpa. Infantes sic per- There are replies to similar maneant in eo baptismo. Nam si questions, attributed to Siricius, aqua adfuit praesens, ille presbyter in the fourth, and to Stephen 2nd. excommunicetur, et poenitentiae in the eighth century, which give submittatur ; quia contra cano- a different conclusion. I quote num sententiam agere prsesurap- the last of these. " Si in vino sit." Cone. Labb. fom.vj.jo. 1652. quis, propterea quod aquam non With regard to both these replies, 38 Holy Baptism. The decree of the council of Trent upon the ques- tion, is said to have been directed against a heresy then spreading widely, amongst the followers of Luther and Calvin, which interpreted in a metaphorical sense only, the words of our Lord, " Except a man be born again of water, e^c." ^* The canon is ; "Si quis dixerit, aquam veram et naturalem non esse de necessitate baptismi, atque ideo verba ilia Domini nostri Jesu Christi, Nisi quis ixnatiis fait ex aqiia^ et Spiritu Scuicto, ad metaphoram aliquam detorserit ; anathema sit." But whether this be so, or not, passages have been produced by Bellarmin, Tournely, Trombellius, and others, which shew that, in cases of necessity, the foreign reformers did not hesitate to extend, accord- ing to their own fancies, the conditions within which our Blessed Lord had limited the due administration of this sacrament. Let us take one or two of these. Bellarmin says of Luther : " Interrogatus, num de- ficiente aqua, liceat baptizare in lacte, aut cerevisia, primum respondit ; judicio divino id esse committen- dum ; deinde addidit, quidquid balnei nomine nuncu- pari potest, illud esse aptum ad baptizandum. At certe balnea vini, et lactis, nedum cerevisiee fieri posse, nemo dubitavit unquam."'^ it is not. unimportant to quote the damnum ac periculum accedcret." remark of Tournely, " Si vera p. 38. He proceeds to argue et genuina essent ilia Siricii et against their genuineness. Stephani decreta, vim et auctori- ^^ Palavicinus. Hist. Cone. tatem non habere, quae nusquam Trident. Jib. ix. cap. vij. ab ecclesia probata et recepta ^•' In colloq. cap. 17. cit. Bel- I'uere; unde rei catholicse nullum larni. de hap/, lib. 1. ca/t. 2. Holy Baptism. 39 Beza wrote ; " Haec mens fuit Christi, cum panem ac vinum ad haec mysteria deligeret, ut propositis earum rerum signis, quibus corpus nostrum alitur, ve- ram alimoniam spiritualem, velut ob oculos, repr£esen- taret. Itaque a Christi sententia nihil aberrat, qui nuUo prorsus novandi studio, pro pane, et vino substi- tuat, quae etsi non parem, similem tamen alimonise analogiam habeant. Desit etiam aqua, et tamen bap- tismus alicujus differri cum sedificatione non possit, nee debeat : ego certe quovis alio liquore, non minus rite quam aqua baptizaverim. Nee aliter de his re- bus ipsi etiam superstitiosissimi scholastici scriptores censuerunt."^^ After reading this, and the unblush- ing assertion at the end of it, we may very well agree with Vossius, who remarks : " Ubi quod idem sentire dicit scholasticos, metuo, ne eum memoria fefellit." ^^ Others have not hesitated directly to accuse Bucer of stating what he knew to be false. Some similar unjustifiable alterations, though not to any great extent, and based on very different grounds, had been condemned many ages previously by the Anglo-saxon church. A practice seems to have been ^® Ad Tillium. epist. Tract. alium aliquem liquorem eundem Theolog. torn. ill. cum aqua usum habentem, et Other foreign protestants also : aquae maxime analogum substitui " Materia baptismi externa et sen- posse non plane negamus." Festus sibilis est aqua ; aut, ea deficiente, Homius, in cUsj). 45. Compare alius liquor analogicus." Polanus, Vorstius in Antibellarm. p. 367 : Sylloge Thes. pars. 2. p. 556. and Rivettus, tr. 3. §. iij. jo. 705. "Ubi aqua nulla haberi potest, ^^ De baptismo. f/i>/7. 1. ^;, 30. 40 Holy Baptism. creeping in, of mixing wine with the water in baptism. Egbert, archbishop of York, forbids this in his excerp- tions. " Sunt quidam qui miscent vinum cum aqua baptismatis non recte ; et Christus non jussit baptizari vino, sed aqua." ^^ As I have already observed, the many texts of Scripture which speak of water, and of water only, as the proper matter of the sacrament of baptism, are so clear, that we can but wonder how any disputes about it could have arisen. Nor shall I be required to delay upon the consideration of it. In addition to the places in the New Testament which have been before cited, the reader will also remember the example of S. Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch : " And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water ; and the eunuch said, See, here is water ; what doth hinder me to be baptized? — and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch ; and he baptized him." Again, S. Peter, speaking of Cornelius and his company, inquires : " Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized ? " And, once more, the same apostle in his first epistle ; " — in the days of Noah, — eight souls were saved by water ; the like figure whereunto, even baptism, doth also now save us." '^ Nor should I omit that place in the prophet Ezekiel, ^^ Excerpt, xlij. Thorpe, An- ^^ Acts. ch. viij. r. 36. Ch. x. cient laws and institutes, vol. 2. v. 46. S. Peter, epist. 1. ch. iij. p. 10.3. V. 20. Holy Baptism, 41 in which the best commentators interpret him to be alluding to the future sacrament of baptism : an inter- pretation supported (it must be also remarked) by those who prepared the short summaries prefixed to the chapters of the Bible, in our present version ; " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean." *° And, once more ; the apostle, pro- bably referring to this very passage, says, in his epistle to the Hebrews ; " Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." ^^ Regarding a thing so repeated and well known as the opinion is, upon this question, of the Fathers, it is ^^ Cli. xxxvj. V. 25. Archbishop Peckham was the compiler of a work, useful both in its design and execution, in which he reduced under their proper theological divisions, nu- merous texts of Holy Scripture, bearing upon the great doctrines of the Christian faith. This book still exists probably in manuscript in many libraries ; and it was more than once printed : although copies are scarce. The title is : " Collectaneumbibliorumquinque libris sententias divinse scripturae ad certos titulos, seu locos com- munes redigens. Autore Johanne Pechano Cantuariensis ecclesiae archiprsesule." Upon the doctrine of baptism, lib. iv. the archbishop refers to this text in Ezechiel, and, besides others, to the following : " Fons egredietur de domo Domini, et irrigabit torrentem spinarum." Joel. iij. " Erit fons patens do- mui David, et habitantibus Hie- rusalem in ablution em peccatoris et menstruatse." Zach. xiij. — Upon some texts the archbishop inserts a gloss : as, for example, still upon baptism : " Exibunt aquae vivae de Plierusalem (ec- clesia) medium earum ad mare orientale (originale) et medium earum ad mare novissimum (ac- tuale)." Zach. xiv. 21 Ch. X. V. 22. 1 42 Uo/j Baptism, quite unnecessary to do more, than submit to the reader two or three quotations. The Apostolical constitutions, in the chapter, " concerning the divine initiation of holy baptism," directs : " Deinde, aut tu, episcope, aut tibi subjectus presbyter, sacram super eos proferens nominatim invocationem Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, baptizabis eos in aqua."*" S. Justin, in his first apology, after briefly mentioning the pre- vious prayers and fasting of the catechumens, pro- ceeds : " Deinde eo ducuntur a nobis, ubi aqua est, et eodem regenerationis modo regenerantur, c[uo et ipsi sumus regenerati. Nam in nomine parentis uni verso- rum ac Domini Dei ac Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi et Spiritus Sancti lavacrum in aqua tunc suscipiunt. Dixit enim Christus, Nisi regenerati fueritis, etcT"^ TertuUian begins his treatise on baptism in these words ; " Felix sacramentum aquse nostrse, qua abluti delictis pristinee ceecitatis, in vitam aeternam libera- mur!"^^ Shortly afterwards in the same treatise, he declares ; " Omnes aquae de pristina originis prseroga- tiva sacramentum sanctificationis consequuntur, invo- cato Deo. Supervenit enim statim Spiritus de coelis, et aquis superest, sanctificans eas de semetipso, et ita ~~ Lib. III. cap. xvj. tustissimo scriptore. Aquse etiam '^ Apol. 1. §. 61. Opera., p. tit mentio, et inde colliges aquse 71. necessitatem in baptismo contra '■* Opei'a, p. 224. The note Calvini asseclas." I do not re- given upon the words, sacra- member that the term " sacra- mentum aqu(p,\i: '-Videsvocem mentum" as applied to baptism, heereticis nostris odiosam, in ve- occurs in any earlier writer. Holy Baptism. 43 sanctificatse, vim sanctificandi combibunt." S. Cyprian cites the prophecy of Ezechiel already spoken of, and concludes ; " Oportet mundari et sanctificari aquam prius a sacerdote, etcT Nor in another place does he hesitate to say : " quotiescunque autem aqua sola in scripturis Sanctis nominatur, baptisma prsedicatur."*^^ S. Augustin asks : " Quid est baptismus Christi ? Lavacrum aquse in verbo. Tolle aquam, non est bap- tismus : tolle verbum, non est baptismus."*^ Lastly, take two places from S. Ambrose, whose works abound with references to this fact : speaking of baptism, in his work de mysteriis, he inquires : " Quid vidisti ? aquas utique, sed non solas : levitas illic ministrantes, summum sacerdotem interrogantem et consecrantem." Again, in his book de Spirit u Sancto, the sixth chapter : " Sunt tamen plerique qui eo quod in aqua baptizamur et Spiritu, non putent aquse et Spiritus distare munera; et ideo non putant distare natm^am. Nee advertunt quia in illo aquarum sepelimur elemento, ut renovati per Spiritum resurgamus."^^ With regard also to the consent of rituals upon the same question, I think it may be safely asserted, that it is impossible to produce any Order of Baptism, accord- ing to the Use of any Church, whether of the East or West, at any time from the earliest ages, of which the records remain, down to the present, by which any ^'' Epist. Ixx. Opera. 23. 123. turn. in. 2. p. 408. epist. Ixiij. p. 106. -° In Joan. Tr. XV. §.4. Opera. ^'' Opera, torn. ii. ji;. 328. 616. 44 Holy Baptism. other element than water, and water only, is appointed or allowed, in which the sacrament of haptism might lawfully be administered. Nor are the decisions of the canon-law, and of canonists, less certain and direct. In the 3rd book of the Decretals we have this rescript. " Postulasti, utrum parvuli sint pro Christianis habendi, quos in articulo mortis constitutes propter aquae penuriam, et absentiam sacerdotis, aliquorum simplicitas in caput ac pectus ac inter scapulas pro baptismo salivse conspersione linivit. Respondemus, quod cum in baptismo duo semper, vide- licet verbum et elementum, necessario requirantur, juxta quod de verbo Veritas ait : ' Euntes in mundum, etc.^ eademque dicat de elemento : ' Nisi quis renatus, etc.'' dubitare non debes illos verum non habere baptis- mum, in quibus non solum utrumque prsedictorum, sed eorum alterum est omissum."-'^ And again, the De- cretum, citing the well known dictum of S. Augustin ; " Detrahe verbum, et quid est aqua, nisi aqua? acce- dit verbum ad elementum, et fit sacramentum."^^ Not to cite more, it will suffice to add the testimony of canonists received in England. Hostiensis, speaking of baptism, says : " Ad ejus formam sen essentiam duo necessaria sunt, verbum et elementum ; — elementum, id est, aqua necessaria est."-^° Lyndwood also : " Duo sunt necessaria, sc. verbum, et elementum aquae." "^^ 28 V. Decretal, lib. 3. tit. xlij. cap. ^" Summa. lib. 3. vubr. xlij, -^ Decret. Caus. 1. Qucest. 1. ^' Lib. 1. tit. 7. Quod in con- liv. stitutione. verb, leoitime factum. Holy Baptism. 45 Again, the Pupilla oculi. " Ablutio sive tinctio in aqua naturali est materiale in baptismo."^^ These, let me remark, are but echoes and explanations of the declaratory acts of English diocesan and provincial councils, to the same effect. Take, for example, this from the synod of Exeter, in 1287 ; " Duo sunt neces- saria in baptismo ; sc. verbum et elementum, utroque vel altero deficiente, nihil est quod agitur."^^ Lastly, the authority of our Book of Common Prayer. In the catechism it is asked : " What is the outward visible sign in baptism ? Water : wherein the person is baptized." And with this we must compare the question put in cases where children have been bap- tized in houses : " Because some things essential to this sacrament may happen to be omitted through fear or haste, in such times of extremity ; therefore I demand further of you. With what matter was this child bap- tized?" The rubric at the commencement of the Office having previously enjoined " Water" to be poured upon the child. And, as water is the proper and only " materia remota" of the sacrament of baptism, so is it required also that it should be pure and natural. Of these two requisites, the last may be held to be necessary, the other to be of the very highest importance. For it seems to be agreed upon that, when necessity so com- pels, accidents, such as purity or moderate impurity, ^^ Pars. 2. cap. iv. So, the ^ Wilkins. Concilia, torn. 2. Parochiale curatoruin,yb^. cvj. 5. p. 131. 46 Holy Baptism, saltness or freshness, warmth or cold, do not militate against the validity of the sacrament conferred with it : but otherwise, in cases where liquids distilled by some chemical process from flowers, etc. have been proposed to be used. Upon this subject, — one which I do not desire to enter into at any length, yet which must not be passed over as undeserving altogether our careful considera- tion, — I shall submit to the reader a passage from the Sinmna Theologica of Antoninus, in which that author has collected the various opinions and decisions of the earlier schoolmen. " Materia baptismi remota est aqua elementalis, puta naturalis ; et hoc, sive sit ter- restris, ut maris, stagni, fluminis, vel fontis ; sive ccelestis, ut pluvialis, sive resoluta ex nivibus, glacie, rore, pruina, vel grandine ; quae omnes sunt verae aquae. Simihter de aqua sulphurea, vel lixivio.^^ Dixit Petrus ^ This appears to have been a difficulty upon which many of the schoolmen and canonists seem to have hesitated. Aquinas says : " Ad quartum dicendum, quod in lixivio et in aquis sulphureorum balneorum potest fieri baptismus : quia tales aquse non incorporan- tur per artem, vel naturam aliqui- bus corporibus mixtis, sed solum alterationem quandam recipiunt ex hoc, quod transeunt per aliqua corpora." Again, below the text, in answer to the objection, " Lix- ivium non videtiir aqua pura .•" it is rephcd : " Negatur, loquendo de puritate ah hoc articulo princi- paliter intenta. §. Lixivium enim non amisit speciem aquae ex eo, quod per cineres transivit. Iste enim transitus non suffecit ad solvendum speciem aquae : licet suffecerit ad alterandum aquam, etiam quoad proprietates ejus, ut exemplificat argumentum." Sum- ma. Pars. III. QutTst. 66. Art. iv. Duns Scotus also : " De qui- busdam autem aquis dubium est si conservent, et retineant suam speciem, ut in lixivio, et in cere- visia." Iteportat. lib. iv. (list. iij. queest. 3. Holy Baptism. 47 de Palude, quod aquae, quae veniunt in usum nostrum, sunt ejusdem specie! cum elementali, quse non est sus- ceptiva saporis, vel coloris. Sapores autem, quos circa nos habent aquae nostrse, dulcis, amarus, sulphureus, et hujusmodi, non sunt in ipsa aqua ; sed in aliquo vapore admisto subjective, qui realiter differt ab ea. De brodio autem, si est expressum ex carnibus, vel pisci- bus, non est vera aqua : et sic cum eo non potest baptizari. Si autem est aqua impinguata, sic potest fieri, quia est vera aqua : nisi sit nimis condensata. Aqua artificialis non est conveniens materia, quia non est ejusdem speciei cum naturali, sicut est aqua rosacea, aqua ardens, cerevisia. Urina autem, sudor, et saliva non est conveniens materia.''^ Et quia de substantia materige est, quod sit aqua, quae possit abluere, immer- gere, vel aspergere ; bine est, quod glacies, quamvis maneat infra speciem aquse, duranti tali dispositione, non videtur conveniens materia. Fons autem baptis- terii, licet in hyeme, dum est congelatus, non possit inde baptizari, nisi igne dissolvatur ; liquefactus tamen non oportet, quod iterum benedicatur.^'' Hsec omnia idem Petrus. De aqua permixta dicit Thomas in. 3. part, qusest. ^Q. art. 4. quod quando est talis permistio, ^ " Parvuli, quos in ai'ticulo ^^ This sentence, with another mortis constitutes, propter aquae below, has reference to those penuriam, et absentiam sacerdotis. Churches, according to whose ri- aliquorum simpUcitas in caput et tuals the water is reserved for pectus, ac inter scapulas, pro bap- certain periods, whether longer or tismo, salivae conspersione linivit, shorter, in the font. I shall have verum non habent baptismum." to observe again, in a succeeding Deer. cit. p. 44. chapter, upon this custom. 48 Holy Baptism. quod tollat speciem, sicut cum per putrefactionem, vel digestionem transit in vinum, aut per additionem alte- rius liquoris in tanta quantitate, quod solvat speciem, sicut parum aquse multo vino admistum ; tunc de ea non potest fieri baptismus. Sed quando est talis alte- ratio, vel permistio, quod non solvit speciem, sicut cum calefit, vel quum aliquid solidum ponitur in aqua, quod non commiscetur, vel si aliquis liquor commisce- atur, tamen in parva quantitate, ut parum vini in multa aqua ; sic potest ibi fieri baptismus. Idem Al- bertus, qui etiam dicit, quod melius est, quod faciat calefacere aquam tempore hyemali, quia frigida posset nocere parvulo, et cum ilia aqua calefacta potest com- miscere partem de aqua consecrata. De aqua, quam faciunt alchemistse ad mutandum metalla, non potest fieri baptismus, quia mutatur species aquge."^^ To the same purpose, and in the words of preceding canonists, we find it laid down by Lyndwood : " Ex parte elementi requiritur aqua naturalis. Unde in saliva, vel in vino, aut alio liquore non tenet baptismus. Et idem, secundum Hosti.^^ si liquor alius aquse sit admixtus, prout ipse Hosti. notat. Aliqui tamen dis- tinguunt, an major pars sit de aqua, ut tunc sit bapti- zatus : secus, si minor pars sit de aqua. Sanctus Tho. dicit, quod si ex mixtura desinit species aquae, tunc in ^^ Summa. /jar. iii. tit. yaw. cap. ment in Scotus, in the place cited 13. cit. Trombelli, de sacram. above. Tom. 4. p. 322. As to chemical ^* Hostiensis, in summa. lib. 3. and distilled waters, see the argu- ruhr. xlij. §. Quae sit ejus fornaa. Holy Baptism, 49 tali liquore factus baptismus non tenet. Unde in aqua maris, item lixivio, et in aquis sulphureis, et in aliis aquis, quae ex terra, per quam transeunt, imrautantur, potest fieri baptismus : non tamen in aqua quae ratione luti admixti desinit habere puritatem suam." He pro- ceeds to some other details, already mentioned above : and continues : " Ego vero, si puerum in tali aqua permixta contingeret forsan baptizari, consulerem, ut rebaptizaretur, sicut fieret, ubi dubium est de baptismo ; viz. hoc modo. Si es baptizatus, ego te non rebaptizo : seel si 72ondian es baptizatus, ego baptizo, etc."^^ ^ Lib. 1. tit. 7. Quod in con- stitution e. verb, legitime factum. I would place here an extract from the Pupilla oculi. " Ablatio sive tinctio in aqua naturali est mate- riale in baptismo : pro quo no- tandum, quod aqua naturalis sola, et nullus alius liquor est materia conveniens baptismo : et hoc ideo, quia sic institutum est a Christo. Johan. 3. Nam aquae artificiales sunt corpora qusedam mixta ; et non dicuntur aquae nisi aequivoce. Sicut declarat Scotus super iiij. di. iij. q. iij. diffuse. Oportet igitur ad esse baptismi, quod fiat in aqua usuali, apta ad abluendum : etc." Pars. 2. cap. iv. To the same effect is the chap- ter on this subject in the Mani- pulus Curatorum: which I do not therefore extract. But at the end of it a case is put, which will serve to shew the student the curious details into which the in- quiries of mediaeval canonists and schoolmen reached : for it occurs not only in this English book, but in many foreign works of the same class. " Si esset unus puer baptizandus, juxta unura puteum profundum, et ille qui debet eum baptizare, non haberet cum quo traheret aquam de puteo, nee posset aliunde aquam habere, et puer esset in periculo mortis, nun- quid deberet eum in puteum pro- jicere, dicendo, baptizo te, etc. ? Dicendum est, quod non : quia secundum quod dicit B. Paulus ; ' Non sunt facienda mala ut inde eveniant bona.' Licet ergo ex hoc istud bonum eveniret, quod anima illius pueri salvaretur, ta- men ille qui projiceret eum faceret istud malum quod peccaret mor- taliter : et sic quantum in se esset damnaret animam suam : et qui- so Holy Baptism, Upon this whole question we may conclude, that Water being, as it undeniably is, the proper Matter of the sacrament of baptism, all possible care is to be taken, that clean, pure, and natural water only be prepared : that in cases of necessity, varying accord- ing to the variety of the case, water though it be mixed with other substances still may be admitted ; provided always that the element of natural water be in the greatest proportion : that in cases w^here, through ex- treme need, liquids have been taken, concerning which, upon subsequent inquiry, doubts exist as to their having been justly w^ithin the allowed limits, then that the hypothetical form of baptism, as in all other doubt- ful cases, should be used : and, lastly, that no baptism can be counted valid, which has been administered with any liquid, of which pure and natural water does not form a part. Many of the difficulties which have been proposed upon this point, indeed several of those specified in the extracts given above, may seem of very unlikely, even if not of impossible, occurrence. But, with one or two exceptions, it is probable that they all sprung from actual experience. In these times, and in our own Church, we, who are accustomed to the careful prepa- libet secundum exordium chari- if one is desirous to examine the tatis plus debet diligere animam question at length, Liberius. suam quam animam cujuscunque Opera, torn. 3. p. 267. Billuart. alterius." FoL vij. a. cap. 2. Summa theoL torn. viij. /). 394. Compare also, the " Parochiale Cf. Martene. Vet. Script, tom. ruratorum," fit. ix, cap. 1. And 9. p. 390. Holy Baptism. 51 ration beforehand of every thing required for the due administration of this holy sacrament/" scarcely con- template any difficulty whatever respecting, at least, the element to be used. However, history and his- torical documents, the canons of councils, and replies of bishops, and decisions of canonists, all testify that difficulties and doubts may arise. Nor will it have been, I trust, without some practical benefit, that I have ventured to direct the attention of our clergy once more to this, as well as to some other particulars, which have been of late, it may be, generally disre- garded.^^ It is not well that we should inquire too narrowly into the reasons why the element of water was chosen by our Blessed Lord, as that with which baptism was to be administered. Even if we could perceive no rea- sons, it would be sufficient for us to know, that He has *° In saying this, I am bound to protest against the neglect, which in some parishes is suffered, of not using, according to the strict injunctions of the Church, a decent Font. As year after year goes by, there is a rapid improvement in all parts of the country in this respect : nevertheless, there are churches in which the parish priests still use some small sort of bason, barely large enough to dip the hand in. This does not admit of an excuse (remembering how stringent the ecclesiastical law is, as to the necessary furni- ture of churches) even in those places where there happens to be no font belonging to the church : — (see the 81st canon of 1603) — but it is a negligence the most scandalous where there is one. *^ Still more may such inquiries and learning probably be followed by beneficial results, now that our Church is extending so widely and energetically her missionary la- bours. For it is among heathen people, and in wild and distant lands, that cases of sudden diffi- culty or emergency may be sup- posed likely to happen. 52 Holy Baptis?n. appointed it, who is supreme. But, besides this, water commends itself at once to ourselves also, being in its nature apt and suitable for the object proposed, and of all things the most readily at hand, under every cir- cumstance in which men can be placed. And the fathers, in many places, give various rea- sons. A common one is, that, as we are born again in baptism, so we are baptized in water, as the first spring and original of the created things of the earth. Thus S. Cyril of Jerusalem in answer to this very question, says : " Magnum quiddam est aqua, et ex quatuor conspicuis mundi dementis pulcherrimum. Angelorum habitatio ccelum est ; atqui ex aquis sunt cceli : terra hominum sedes est ; atqui ex aquis etiam terra. Et ante omnem creatarum rerum formationem sex diebus elabo- ratam, Spiritiis Dei ferebatiir super aquam. — Ubicun- que fcedus cum aliquibus intercedit, ibi aqua. Foedus cumNoe sancitum est, post diluvium. — Elias assumitur, sed non sine aqua : prius enim trajicit Jordanem, deinde ccelum curru ab equis subvectus permeat: etc.'"^" ^"^ The note upon this place of arutra. Quod cum Petrus dixisse S. Cyril, by his Benedictine edi- tantum videatur de terra, cum tors, deserves extracting. " Quas sub aquis delitesceret, Dei jussu ad hujus quaestionis solutionem emergente ; Cyrillus de ipsa terrse Cyrillus adfert rationes, in vete- ex aqua constitutione intellixisse rum scriptis communes sunt. judicatur, ex his quae habet Cat. Coelum et terram ex aquis orta 9. n. 9. et Cat. 16. n. 12. Coelos ait Cyrillus. Quod de terra docet, autem non ex aquis solummodo sumtum videtur ex his verbis S. fabricatos, sed aqueae etiam esse Petri. 2. epist. iij. v. 5. Kat yv naturae docet Cyrillus Cat. 9. h. i^ v^UTng, kch r;' vcarng avre- .5." Opera, p. 41. Cafech. III. Holy Baptism. si Tertullian also, in his treatise de baptismo uses a like train of reasoning, arguing (it must be remembered) against the heresy of those who rejected water in this sacrament : and he continues : "si exinde uni versa vel plura prosequar, quas de elementi istius auctoritate commemorenij quanta vis ejus aut gratia, quot ingenia, quot ojfficia, quantum instrumentum mundo ferat, ve- rear ne laudes aquse potius quam baptismi rationes videar congregasse, licet eo plenius docere non esse dubitandum, si materiam, quam in omnibus rebus et operibus suis Deus disposuit, etiam in sacramentis propriis parere fecit : si quse vitam terrenam gubernat, et in coelesti procurat."^'' Again, S. Ambrose, if we allow the commentary upon the epistle to the Romans, which is attributed to him, to be genuine : " Baptisma — per aquam celebra- tur, ut sicut aqua sordes corporis abluit, ita et nos per baptismum ab omni peccato spiritualiter purgatos nos et innovatos credamus."** S. Jerome argues in the de baptismo. Compare S. Aug. Opera, torn. 5. col. 41. §. 2. Upon all this, I must not omit to refer the reader to S. Justin, Opera, p. 9. (Ad Graecos cohor- tatio. §. 3.) and to S. Irenseus, Opera, p. 133. (Contra haeres. cap. xiv.) where those fathers re- ject this opinion ; tracing it through the earlier Gentile poets and phi- losophers. ^ Cap. iij. Opera, p. 225. cf. cap, V. ix. ^ Opera, torn. 2. App. p. 59. Compare the passage in the same father's exposition of the gospel of S. Luke. " De aqua quid lo- quar? super aquara ante ipsos mundi natales Sanctus, ut legitur, Spiritus ferebatur. O aqua, quae humano adspersum sanguine, ut praesentium lavacrorum figura praecederet, orbem terrarum la- visti ! O aqua, quae sacramentum Christi esse meruisti, quae lavas omnia, nee lavaris ! Tu incipia 54 Holy Baptism. same way in his epistle to Oceanus ; *^ and S. Anselm also declares : " sicut aqua extinguit ignem elemen- tarem, ita baptismus extinguit ignem gehennse."*^ prima, tu comples perfecta mys- teria. A te principium, in te finis : vel potius tu facis ut finera nesciamus. Te prophetico per- cussa tactu, ut sitientiura rigares corda populorum, vomuit petra : te, ciim de latere Salvatoris erum- peres, percussores viderunt, et crediderunt : et ideo regeneratio- nis nostriB de tribus una es testi- bus ; tres enim testes sunt, aqua, sanguis, et spiritus. Aqua ad lavacrum, sanguis ad pretium, spi- ritus ad resurrectionem." Opera. torn. \. p. 1514. "^ Opera, i^om. \. p. 419. Edit. Venet. 1766. 4to. ^^ Cit. Tournely de bapt. p. 29. John Gerson states six rea- sons : de vij. Sacrum. Opera. torn. 1 . p. 262. Holy Baptism, 55 CHAPTER III. AVING thus, according to the common theological division, spoken of the Mate- ^ i^ia remota, I shall proceed in this chap- ter to the consideration of the Materia proTima ; which, in the sacrament of baptism, is Ab- lution, in some way or other to be performed. And it is quite clear at once, that ablution may be, either by immersing the person to be baptized, or by sprink- ling, or by pouring water over him. It seems to be allowed upon all hands that in the earliest ages of the Church, the rule, except in cases of emergency, was to confer baptism by immersion.^ Being so, it can be referred only to the constant practice observed by the apostles. John the baptist is said by the evangelist to have been " baptizing in u^Enon near to Salim, because there was much water ^ Cf. Tournely. jo. 40, Trom- belli, de sacram. torn. 5. disser't. xj. Bingham. Christ. Ant. Booh xj. c. xi. §. 4. Vicecomes, de ant. bapt. rit. lib. 4. cap. vj. Calvbr. Rit. Eccles. p. 257. The only place which throws any doubt upon the universality of the practice, is where Lactantius writes that our Lord was baptized in Jordan, " ut etiam gentes bap- tismo, id est, purifici roris perfu- sione salvaret." Lib. iv. cap. 15. But Le Nourry has shewn that nothing is to be concluded from the use of the word perfusio in this passage. Apparatus ad bibl. max. torn. 2. p. 923. 56 Holy Baptism. there." It is recorded of our Blessed Lord also, that He, " when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water." Once more, it is written of Philip the deacon, and the Ethiopian eunuch : " they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch ; and he baptized him."'^ The conclusion to be drawn from these statements is sufficiently plain. Bingham justly observes, that S. Paul evidently alludes to this custom in many places of his epistles ; for example : '' We are buried with Him by baptism : that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." And, in another epistle : " Buried with Him in baptism, wherein ye are also risen with Him, through the faith of the operation of God, Who raised Him from the dead."^ I shall take two testimonies from the fathers. Ter- tullian writes : " Ut a baptismate ingrediar, aquam adituri, ibidem, sed et aliquanto prius in ecclesia sub antistitis manu contestamur nos renuntiare diabolo, et pompae et angelis ejus ; dehinc ter mergitamur, am- plius aliquid respondentes, quam Dominus in evan- gelio determinavit."^ And the often quoted passage in the treatise of S. Ambrose upon the sacraments. ' Interrogatus es : credis in Deum Patrem omnipo- ^ S. John. Ch. iij. v. 23. S. est:*' says S. Ambrose, de Sa- Matt. Ch. iij. v. 16. Acts, ch. cram. Uh. 2. cap. vj. viij. V. 38. ^ Rom. ch. vj.v. 4. Coloss. r/«. * De corona, cap. 3. cf. adv. ij. V. 12. " Fons quasi sepultura Praxeas. cap. 26. Holy Baptism. 57 tentem? dixisti, credo, et mersisti, hoc est, sepultus es. Iterum interrog-atus es : credis in Dominum nos- trum Jesum Christum, et in crucem ejus ? dixisti, credo, et mersisti ; ideo et Christo es consepultus : qui enim Christo consepelitur, cum Christo resurgit. Tertio interrogatus es : credis et in Spiritum Sanc- tum? dixisti, credo, tertio mersisti; ut multiplicem lapsum superioris setatis absolveret trina confessio." In the same work, S. Ambrose says in the chapter preceding : ^' Nunc disputemus quid sit quod dicitur baptisma? Venisti ad fontem, descendisti in eum, e^c." Once more ; " Hoc est vita corporis vivens, cum veniret ad fontem, et mergeretur in fontem/'^ ^ Opera, torn. 2. p. 360. Com- pare also, cited by most writers upon this subject, S. Justin, opera, p. 93. S. Cyril, catech. 2. p. 251. S. Chrysostom, horn. 6. in Epist. ad Coloss. S. Basil, de Spiritu S. cap. 27. Gregor. Nyssen, orat. catech. cap. 33. and the very ancient author under the name of Dionysius Areopagit. de eccles. hierarch. cap. 2. §. vij. S. Ambrose in the text, and many of the fathers, allude to the descent into the font. " Descen- disti in eum." Compare Tertul- lian : de bapt, cap. xx. The early ritualists frequently speak of this ; and that the descent was by a fixed number of steps. This was quite in accordance with the wide- spread and reverential feelings which, in those ages, led men to symbolize, and gladly to find sym- bols in, the sacred rites and ce- remonies of the Catholic faith. Thus, Isidore Hispalensis ; " Fons autem origo omnium gloriarum est, cujus septem gradus sunt, tres in descensu, propter tria quibus renunciamus : tres in ascensu, propter tria, quse confitemur : Sep- timus vero is est, qui et quartus, similis filio hominis, extinguens fornacem ignis, stabilimentum pe- dum, etc." De ecc. off. lib. 2. cap. xxiv. Auct. bibl. pair. torn. 1. p. 223. So also, Alcuin, cap. de Sabbato s. pasch. Ibid. p. 258. Others make the seven steps to signify the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit. 58 Holy Baptism. These passages from TertuUian and S. Ambrose bring to our notice the fact also, no less acknowledged, that the general practice of the Church antiently was, to administer baptism with the rite of trine immersion. Bingham may easily be referred to for various other authorities upon this point, to which I shall only add the 50th of the so-called Apostolical canons : "If any bishop or presbyter does not perform the one initia- tion with three immersions, but with giving one im- mersion only, into the death of the Lord, let him be deposed. For the Lord said not ; Baptize into my death ; but, Go — baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And this, from S. Gregory of Nyssa : " We immerse to the Father that we may be sanctified ; we immerse to the Son also to this same end ; w^e immerse also to the Holy Ghost, that we may be that which He is and is called. There is no difference in the sanctifi- cation."^ Hence, the constant custom of the church being so undeniable in respect of these observances, it occurs to us immediately to inquire, whether that can be ad- mitted to be a valid baptism which has not been ad- ministered by immersion, three times ; the immersion repeated at the pronunciation of the name of each Person in the Undivided Trinity ? Upon this the tes- timony of the greatest fathers is unanimous and suffi- cient, that it is valid : and that the rite of trine im- " In bapt. Christi. torn. 3. p. 372. Holy Baptism. 59 mersion does not rest upon any higher authority, high as that confessedly is, than the example and precept of the Church. An authority great enough to de- mand obedience at all times when justly exercised, but nevertheless not sufficient to add restrictions and conditions beyond or besides those, within which the Author of the sacraments has promised to convey His saving grace. The command of our Blessed Lord to His disciples was, that they should baptize : but we do not read in the Scriptures any injunction that it should be by immersion only, though unquestionably there are many allusions to that practice, as the apos- tolic one ; much less do we read that it should be re- peated three times. Rather, on the contrary, may plain notices be found in the Scriptures, shewing that, in cases of necessity, baptism was administered by sprinkling or affusion. As upon that occasion when, after the discourse of S. Peter, " they that gladly received his word were bap- tized : and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Or, again, the instance of the jailor at Philippi ; who " the same hour of the night, — was baptized, he and all his, straightway."^ ^ Acts. ch. ij. V. 41. Ch. xvj. doubt,) in a manner more than V. 33. once condemned by the judgment Compare the account (in the of the catholic church: namely annals) of the many thousands by aspersion over numbers at one baptized in one day in Lithuania : time ; as anciently in the church which was effected, if the relation of England, when the use of holy- be true, (which I am disposed to water was still retained, and now 6o Holy Baptism, The reason, already mentioned, that water may, possibly, have been appointed by our Lord, as the matter of this sacrament, on account of its being under almost all circumstances easily to be procured, is not without its weight in the consideration of the necessity of trine immersion. Because there are many cases in in the church of Rome. Raynald. ad an. 1387. n. xv. Trombelli cites the following from the martyrologies. " In ac- tis S. Laurentii, haec extant. ' Porro extensus in catasta et scorpionibus gravissime caesus est ; — tunc unus ex militibus no- mine Romanus credidit Domino Jesu Christo, et dixit beato Lau- rentio — adjuro te per Christum, qui tibi misit angelura suum, ne me derelinquas. — Veniens autem Romanus, afferens aquam misit se ad pedes beati Laurentii, ut baptizaretur, qui benedicta aqua baptizavit eum.' In actis S. Gra- tiliani haec occurrunt. ' Rogavit eum [_Grat'ilianuin'\ S. Felicis- sima, — tunc dicit ei beatus Gra- tilianus, ego quidem ostendo tibi, soror mea, viam Christi. Et tunc obtulit ei beata Felicissima ur- ceum cum aqua per illuminatio- nem suam : et baptizavit eam astante matre sua. Et dicit ei beatus Gratilianus, Baptizo te, e?c.'" torn. 5. p. 3. note. With regard to the three thou- sand baptized after S. Peter's dis- course, Arcudius appeals to it, against Hieremias, patriarch of Constantinople, who had argued for the absolute necessity of im- mersion, and insisted on an exact imitation of the circumstances of our Lord's baptism. " Doceat nos Hieremias, et probet, qua ratione apostoli per immersionem, et tri- nam immersionem uno die tria millia — potuerint baptizare ? mi- ror autem cur Hieremias non etiara flumen requirat, quando- quidem omnia fieri ad Christi Do- mini exigit normam : — tametsi per immersionem baptizatus est Chris- tus, tamen ob aliam significatio- nem, quae minime nobis convenit. Ut enim Nazianzenus ait, ascendit Jesus de aqua, secum quodam- modo demersum educens, et ele- vans mundum." Concordia ec- cles. lib. L cap. 10. He goes on to prove, that it is not certain that our Blessed Lord was in fact im- mersed in the river Jordan. On the probable practice of S. John, see also Scacchi, Sacr. Elceochr. Myroth. p. 149. On later Greek affusion, cf. Goar, Hit. p. 363. Holy Baptism, 6i which, (sometimes from one cause, sometimes from another) a sufficient quantity for that purpose cannot be obtained : or, if at hand, it might be impossible so to administer. The case of clinic reception was one which early called for the deliberation of the rulers of the church :** not to insist upon other examples, let us take the fa- mous one of Novatian, in the 3rd century. From the account which Eusebius gives, who has inserted in his history parts of the epistle of Cornelius to Fabian on the matter, Novatian had been baptized, when in dan- ger of death, on his bed. And Cornelius himself has been supposed to have entertained doubts as to the ^ " Sine dubio primam asper- sionis baptismo ansam prsebuit baptismus Y^Xivlkuv sive Graha- toriorum; hi enim gravi raorbo decumbentes Christoque adjungi expetentes aspergebantur solum- modo, neque enim aliter, com- mode fieri poterat salutari fonte." Calvbr. Eit. Eccles. p. 258. The same author mentions, in his next section, four causes wherefore the practice of immersion was gra- dually discontinued in the West : 1. " Teneritudo infantum," which would, of course, be a con- sideration of much weight in north- ern countries, and the more so, as adult baptism became the ex- ception rather than the rule. 2. " Eruhescentia" especially in fe- males, notwithstanding the great care taken to provide against un- necessary intrusion. [Upon the ancient practice in this respect, both as regarded men and women, see, amongst others, Vicecomes, de ant. hapt. rit. lib. 4. cap. x. et seqq. Trombelli, de hapt. torn. 2. Qucest. ii. cap. iij. §. 12. Bing- ham, Book. xi. ch. 11.] 3. Na- tura, as in the well known ex- amples of Constantino Coprony- mus, and Wenceslaus. 4. " tov fiairrifTfxov koi to (iairri^Eadai non semper notare immersionem sed ahlutionem in genere .•" and this, whether by immersion or by as- persion. This last reason has been already treated of. 62 Holy Baptism, validity of such a baptism, for, speaking of its having been received, he adds this expression : " Si tamen hujuscemodi baptism um suscepisse dicendus est." But it is very observable that he immediately passes on to say that Novatian had not received confirmation, nor chrism.^ In fact, it is well known that the Roman clergy did not require Novatian to be again baptized ; their objections were directed against his having been admitted, under his peculiar circumstances, to holy orders. But there is a most important epistle of S. Cyprian, also upon this subject, and in resolution of doubts which had been proposed to him regarding the same case. In that epistle, to Magnus, having discussed one matter, he proceeds : " Qusesisti, etiam, fili caris- sime, quid mihi de illis videatur qui infirmitate et lan- guore gratiam Dei consequuntur, an habendi sint legi- timi Christiani, eo quod aqua salutari non loti sint, sed perfusi." Now, from this question it is not, in the first place, quite clear that Magnus himself doubted of the substantial validity of such an administration of the sacrament, or that he doubted whether all the full ® Eccles. Hist. lih. vj. cap. 43. eludes : " Porro ut ad Novatiani Valesius has a learned note upon baptismum redeamus, hinc ma- this point, in which he considers nasse mihi videtur mos Novatia- it doubtful whether the words of norum, qui in baptismo sacrum Cornelius allude to the chrism, or chrisma non adhibebant teste only to the imposition of hands in Theodorito, in lib. 3. Haeret. fa- confirmation. However, it seems bularum ; eo quod scilicet auctor certain that Novatian received ipsorum Novatianus baptismum neither : and the note itself con- sine chrismatione accepisset." Holy Baptism. 63 privileges of baptism were so conveyed, equally as by the observance of the general practice of immersion. And it is of no little importance that we should be certain, if possible, of the exact nature of the difficul- ties which Magnus entertained. However the reply of S. Cyprian is conclusive, as to his own opinion. " Nos sestimamus in nullo muti- lari et debilitari posse beneficia divina, nee minus ali- quid illic posse contingere, ubi plena et tota fide et dantis et sumentis accipitur quod de divinis nume- ribus hauritur. Neque enim sic in sacramento salutari delictorum contagia ut in lavacro carnali et sseculari sordes cutis et corporis abluuntur, ut aphronitis et cseteris quoque adjumentis et solio et piscina opus sit, quibus ablui et mundari corpusculum possit. Alitor pectus credentis abluitur, aliter mens hominis per fidei merita mundatur. In sacramentis salutaribus neces- sitate cogente, et Deo indulgentiam suam largiente, totum credentibus conferunt divina compendia. Nee quemquam movere debet quod aspergi vel perfundi vi- dentur segri cum gratiam dominicam consequuntur, quando scrip tura sancta per Ezech. prophetam loqua- tur et dicat : Et aspergam, etc.''' The holy father cites some other texts, and continues : " Undo apparet aspersionem quoque aquae instar salutaris lavacri ob- tinere, et quando hsec in ecclesia fiunt, ubi sit et acci- pientis et dantis fides Integra, stare omnia et consum- mari ac perfici posse maj estate Domini et fidei veritate. Porro autem quod quidam eos salutari aqua et fide legitima Christi gratiam consecutos non christianos sed 64 Holy Baptism. clinicos vocant, non invenio uncle hoc nomen assu- mant. — Mea sententia hsec est ; ut christianus judice- tur legitimus quisquis fuerit in ecclesia lege et jure fidei divinam gratiam consecutus. Aut si aliquis ex- istimat eos nihil consecutos eo quod aqua salutari tan- tum perfusi sint, sed inanes et vacui sunt, non deci- piantur, ut si incommodum languoris evaserint, et convaluerint, baptizentur. Si autem baptizari non possunt qui jam baptismo ecclesiastico sanctificati sunt, cur in fide sua et Domini indulgentia scandalizantur ? An consecuti sunt quidem gratiam dominicam, sed breviore et minore mensura muneris divini ac Spiritus Sancti, ut habeantur quidem christiani, non sint tamen cseteris adsequandi ? Quin immo Spiritus Sanctus non ad mensuram datur, sed super credentem totus infun- ditur."!'' Even though we allow that both Mao^nus and Cor- nelius entertained some doubts as to the validity of baptism by sprinkling or by aiFusion only, (a matter not, as it seems to me, by any means certain,) we cannot reasonably be astonished at it, if we remember how constantly, except in cases of extreme necessity, the practice of immersion had been observed, up to the age of the apostles. So constantly indeed, that as Vicecomes, a very learned writer on the antient rites and ceremonies of baptism, has observed, trine immersion, except in cases of necessity, has been made, Epist. Ixxvi. Ad Magnum. Opera, p, 156. Holy Baptism. 65 by some, to rest even upon the authority and institu- tion of our Blessed Lord." But this is not according to the decisions of the Church herself, whenever the question has been brought forward for her authorita- tive judgement. And the difficulties which have been proposed with regard to baptism by sprinkling, or affusion, are probably to be traced to the fact, that such a mode was anciently adopted only in the case of those who were lying sick and dying upon their beds. Respecting the validity of whose baptism, the Church never doubted, as to either the manner of its being conferred, or the minister, (it might be, of lower rank than priest or bishop,) or because some of the usual solemnities of a public baptism had been omitted ; but persons of that kind w^ere looked upon, not un- naturally, with some suspicion as to the sincerity of their repentance and faith ; and it was reasonably sup- posed that they had deferred the reception of the sa- crament until driven to it, as it were, under the im- *' Viceeomes' assertion is : apud Gratianum de consecrat. " Profiteri et docere non desinam, dist. 4. Uterque enira Christi sola in aquam mersione, si neces- prseceptum de triplici mersione, sitatis usura excipias, in ecclesia quae in baptismo fieri solet, vide- baptizari licuisse. Nam divina- tur intellexisse : ut dubitandura rum literarum peritis dubium non nullo modo sit, quin ipsam quoque est, Christum, cum apostolis prss- mersionem eodem praecepto con- cepit, Euntes, etc, verbo baptizan- tineri arbitrentur." De ant. bapt. tes mersionem aquae intellexisse. rit. ac ccer. jt?. 596. Viceeomes' Quod quidem ex S. Chrysostomi argument from the word used by authoritate colligitur horn, de fide our Lord, does not rest on suffi- in Patrem, et Filium, et Spiritum cient ground, even from the sense S. — iteraque ex illo Pelagii loco of his own extracts. 66 Holy Baptism. mediate fear and peril of death. For this cause there- fore was it, and for this cause only, that strict prohi- bitions generally, and always many obstacles, were placed in the w^ay of admitting such persons into offices of dignity or trust in the Church afterwards ; for ex- ample, into holy orders. A canon, the twelfth, of the council of Neo-caesarea early in the fourth century, is much to the point : inasmuch as it expresses the prohibition, with the rea- son of it ; and states also the grounds on which it might nevertheless be relaxed : in neither case throw- ing any doubt upon the validity of the baptism. " Si quis segrotans fuerit illuminatus, non potest in presby- terum evehi. Fides enim ejus non est ex instituto, sed ex necessitate : nisi forte propter consequens ejus stu- dium et fidem, hominumque raritatem.'"^ About the same time the council of Laodicea, de- clared : " Quod oportet eos qui in morbo baptismum accipiunt, et postea convaluerunt, fidem ediscere, et nosse quod divino beneficio digni sunt habiti." Upon ^^ Concil. edit. Mansi. torn. 2. might be permitted, Balsamon co/. 541. Othei* early translations (whose gloss should be consulted) of this canon render the first says : " Nota ergo, quod utrum- clause by " Si quis — fuerit bapti- que debet concurrere, virtutis sci- zatus." The Greek is " tav vo- licet studium, et raritas hominum. auv Tiq (puTKrO?]." See the note Si enim unum eorum desit, canon of Binius on the canon : citing the observabitur." Both Zonaras and case of Novatian mentioned above. Aristenus take the same view. Ibid. col. 550. Bevereg. Pandect. Canon, torn. Speaking of the conditions un- 1. p. 412. der which a relaxation of this rule Holy Baptism, 67 this Balsamon observes ; (having spoken of the error of some who, in such a case, would rebaptize ;) " Di- cunt ergo patres, quod secundo quidem non baptiza- bitur : cogetur autem post sanitatem fidem discere, et mysterium baptismatis, et scire quod divino beneficio dignus est habitus, scilicet agnitione ejus qui vere et proprie Deus est, et remissione peccatorum, quam per sanctum baptismum assecutus est."^'' I do not think that I need say more upon this branch of the subject, or collect further evidence, and autho- rities. We may safely decide that whilst ablution by water, in some mode or other, is of the essence and substance of baptism, yet that immersion is not : and that the sacrament is validly administered, whether it be by immersion, or sprinkling, or affusion. By the Divine law, and according to the words of our Saviour, the one, namely, ablution by water, is of necessity : the manner in which this ought, in general practice, to be performed, rests upon the just autho- rity and order of the Church, acting within the limits of the power, which, in such matters, she is entitled to exercise. If the Church insists upon either mode, — as, for example, in old time by immersion, — it be- comes the bounden duty of her ministers, in all cases, except where obliged otherwise by necessity, to obey her rule : but if, as now in the ritual of our own ^•^ Bevereg. Pandect, torn. 1. p. Nice ; and the 80th of the aposto- 475. Compare also the second lical canons, of the canons of the council of 68 Holy Baptism, Church, either immersion or affusion is allowed, — and neither of them so especially recommended, or in- sisted on, as that the other is to be regarded as per- mitted rather than advised,'* — it must be left to the discretion of the minister to adopt that which he deems the most advisable, whether as agreeing with the usual practice of his own day, or in satisfaction of reason- able demands of scrupulous persons. To these remarks, I wish that it had been alto- gether unnecessary for me to add the caution, that, ablution of some kind being thus of the substance of the sacrament, the ministers of our Church should be careful, that on every occasion, ablution actually is " It may be urged that the ex- pressions of our rubric do tend (to say the least) towards advising immersion of infants, rather than mere affusion of the water. For " it shall suffice" — (I acknow- ledge that "suffice" is a word of much signification) — " it shall suf- fice to pour water upon the child, if they certify that it is weak." And therefore, if no such certifi- cation is made, the child is to be dipped. But whatever force the word " suffice " may have, it is to be remembered, that immersion is not allowed, unless as plain and decided a certification is given, " that the child may well endure it." No one, I presume, will deny that in our climate immersion might frequently be attended with some danger to an infant : brought from a distance in many instances, and unaccustomed to the use of cold water. Affusion, carefully performed, is, beyond all ques- tion, a valid administration : it is free from all risk of injury : and I must contend that, no certificate being asked or offered, the com- mon practice of our clergy now, " to pour water," is both proper and agreeable to the rubric. When they who bring the child " cer- tify" either the one way or the other, the rubric leaves no dis- cretion whatever to the priest; it becomes peremptory ; he must then, as the case may be, either dip the child in the font, or pour water upon it. Holy Baptism. 69 performed.'^ It is impossible to dispute that examples of negligence may have occurred, induced probably by the low and heretical views which some hold of the doctrine itself of Holy Baptism, and not a little in- creased by the outward indifference displayed, | in many places, towards its due administration, as evi- denced by the improper preparations which are made ; the unseemly basin, and a bare handful, it may be said, of water. Eemembering the objections, which at this time especially are brought by Romanists against the mode of administration of baptism in our Church, I would not allude to them even, far less would I admit that they have any real foundation, if, in my conscience, I could believe that they might boldly and totally be denied. But when we see the tips of fingers dipped, and scarcely dipped, into a small basin of shallow water, and a few drops (possibly attached) sprinkled upon an infant by a minister, heedless, as is evident to all around, where they may chance to fall, we must have sad reason to tremble for the validity of a sacra^ ment so conferred. We must not forget that the in- fant comes to be washed in the waters of baptism, and not the clothes sprinkled, in which it is wrapped up. The majority of theologians and canonists hold, and rightly hold, that valid baptism is conferred, even though no more than a single drop of water touch the ^^ Compare Sharp on the Rubric, 'p. 25. 7© Holy Baptism. person who is to be baptized. ^"^ This, however, strictly has respect to cases of necessity, although we must not venture to define the limits of the quantity required so exactly, as to assert that it respects cases of ne- cessity alone. But, where there is no necessity, what words can we use sufficiently strong to express our condemnation of those, who, — knowing that our Lord's command is. Baptize with water, knowing the inesti- mable privileges and blessings conveyed by the due administration of the sacrament, and knowing that the grace of the Holy Spirit is ordinarily tied down and limited within the appointed channels, — nevertheless carelessly run the risk of simulating, instead of really performing, the holy sacrament of baptism ? I have quoted Lyndwood in the note below, and Hostiensis who agrees with him, that by water, though in a very small quantity, even (we may say) by a drop, baptism is validly administered. Some writers on this subject have asserted that the drop of water, when no more (from whatever cause) is used, should be ap- plied to the head : but the better opinion, with Lynd- wood and Hostiensis, ^^ seems to be, that, although ^^ Lyndwood says, having cited for it is evident that the minister the canon-law; " sufficit quod who pronounces the form," I bap- modicastilla aquae projectaabapti- tize, efc." should also immerse, zantetangatbaptizandum. Etcon- or pour the water upon, the per- cordat ibi Hostien. qui hoc putat son before him. satis consonum esse juri et aequi- tati." lib. iij. tit. 25. Quod in " " Sufficit, quod aqua aspersa constitutione. verb. Immersio. tangat aliquam partem corporis, Lyndwood adds, not uncalled for, at dicunt Inno. ot Jo. de Deo, et the words "projocta abaptizante;" eornm sequaces." Ibid. Holy Baptism, 71 most desirable, it is not essential. These questions, as regards necessity, both as to the part to which the water may be applied, and the quantity, from what- ever cause, of the water which is immediately at hand, have respect to occasions of very infrequent occur- rence ; on which, as I may not pass them over alto- gether, I shall extract the gloss of Lyndwood upon a part of the same constitution of archbishop Peccham, already referred to. " An puer in iitero matr'is possit haptizari 1 Si nam- que adhuc esset in utero, baptizari non potest : de conse. cli. 4. c, qui in maternis. Ratio ibi redditur : ^^ et alia ratio est, quia licet talis sit notus Deo, non tamen est notus ecclesise, nee subjici potest operationi ministro- rum ecclesiae. Unde et Aug. li. 2. de baptismo par- vulorum^ sic ait : ' Sicut qui non vixerit, non potest mori; ita qui natus non fuerit, non potest renasci.' — Potest tamen talis ex speciali privilegio Dei in utero sanctificari, et nihilominus natus debet baptizari, quia per baptism um character imprimitur, et augmentum gratiee confertur, secundum Jo. in sumrna confess, li. 3. ti. 24. ^.31. qui etiam in capitulo ibi sequenti dicit, quod si puer non sit perfecte natus, tamen caput pueri vel aliud membrum apparet, si non timeatur periculum mortis, expectanda est totalis egressio pueri ex utero. Alias autem si periculum mortis immineat, tunc egressa parte principali, sc. capite, in quo operationes animae ^^ " Quia qui natus adhuc se- Neque enim dici regeneratio in eo cundum Adam non est, renasci poterit, quem generatio non prae- secundum Christum non potest cessit." Dist. iv. cap. 115. 72 Holy Baptism. magis manifestantur, ut quidam dicunt, baptizari de- bet. Non tamen sic erit de aliis partibus, ut de manu, vel pede : quamvis non noceat, si aspergantur partes illse baptismali aqua, quia divina misericordia non est arctanda. Si tamen postea puer plene nascatur, non est rebaptizandus, secundum quosdam. Et pro hac sententia facit, quod anima est tota in qualibet parte corporis. Et sic sentit Astex. dicens, quod si alia pars quam caput abluta sit, et decedat ante perfectam na- tivitatem, pie potest talis puer reputari baptizatus, ut in coemeterio sepeliatur. Scias tamen, quod si puer taliter in aliquo membro ante perfectam nativitatem aqua baptismatis ablutus, postea perfecte nascatur, et vivat ; non erit malum, si ad majorem cautelam bap- tizetur sub hac forma; Si non es bcqjtlzatus, etc.'"^^ ^^ Lib. iij. tit. 25. vej-b. maternis uteris. Very much, of course, of the interest and importance at- tached to this question, will de- pend upon the conclusion which the learned reader may come to, regarding lay -baptism ; especially, (as in such cases usually) baptism by women. I shall have to speak somewhat presently upon this point. It may not be amiss to quote the rubric of the modern Roman ritual : which, it will be seen, adopts much of the view recom- mended by the canonist in the text ; both, indeed, relying on the earlier decisions of the canon- law. " Nemo in utero matris clausus baptizari debet. Sed si infans caput emiserit, et pericu- lum mortis immineat, baptizetur in capite ; nee postea si vivus evaserit, erit iterum baptizandus. At si aliud membrum emiserit, quod vitalem indicet motum, in illo, si periculum impendeat, bap- tizetur; et tunc, si natus vixerit, erit sub conditione baptizandus. — Si vero ita baptizatus deinde mor- tuus prodierit ex utero, debet in loco sacro sepeliri." De sacram. baptixmi. tit. De baptizandis par- vulis. Besides the elaborate work of Cangiamila, compare upon this subject, Aquinas, Summa, prirs. III. quest, Ixviij. 11. who, Holy Baptism, 73 Returning, for a moment, to the subject of immer- sion, I must remind the reader, that for many ages the declaring it to be " de necessitate baptismi," that the body of the recipient should be washed with water, concludes that infants can- not be baptized " in maternis uteris." To the sanae effect, Sco- tus : Rep. Paris. Ub.'iv. disLiv. guest. 4. who answers the argu- ment derived from the examples of John the Baptist, and other saints. So does Peter Lombard. Sentent.lib. iv. dist. vj. Also the Pupilla oculi. pars. ii. cap. ij. L. Manipulus Curator um. fol. xij. Albaspinseus. Ohservat. p. 371. In short there is a general consent, it may be said, upon the question. The contrary opinion, however, in the last century, was maintained by Michael Gualdo, in a very learned work, " Bap- tism a infantium in uteris existen- tium assertum." Venet. 1723. Connected with it, is one of the inquiries sent to S. Gregory, by S. Augustine of Canterbury, in the 7th century. "X. Interro- gatio. Si prsegnans mulier debet baptizari ? — Respondit Grego- rius. Hoc non ambigo fraterni- tatem tuam esse requisitam, cui jam et responsum reddidisse me arbitror. Sed hoc quod ipse di- cere et sentire potuisti, credo quia mea apud te volueris responsiona firman. Mulier etenim prsegnans cur non debeat baptizari, cum non sit ante omnipotentis Dei oculos culpa aliqua foecunditas carnis ? — Quod ergo naturae humanse ex omnipotentis Dei dono servatum est, qua ratione poterit a sacri baptismatis gratia prohiberi ? In illo quippe mysterio, in quo omnis culpa funditus extinguitur, valde stultum est, si donum gratise con- tradicere posse videatur." Wil- kins. CoM«7. ^ow2. l.jo. 21. Bedae, Hist. JEccles. lib. 1. cap. xxvij. But it was argued, that if a woman in a state of pregnancy received manumission, her child also would be free : and therefore baptism of the one, would be also of the other. To this the school- men answered : " De manurais- sione, patet quod puer in utero matris non habet distinctam ser- vitutem a matre respectu dominii temporalis; et ideo manumissio unius est manumissio alterius ; quia tamen distinguitur a matre personaliter, ideo habet distinc- tionem sufficientem ad distincte recipiendum, et contrahendum peccatum originale sicut mater." Scotus, ut supra. See also Matt. Blastaris, Syn- tagma. Beverege. Pandect, torn. 2. p. 39. And the notes of Bal- samon, Zonaras, and Aristenus on the vjth canon of the council of Neo-caesarea, which is directed to this subject. Ibid. torn. 1. p. 406. 74 Holy Baptisfn, custom of trine immersion was observed. The fathers are full of testimonies to this fact ; which is clear from some passages also already cited above. It is well known that this practice was relaxed, in consequence of the arguments pretended to be based upon it by the Arians, who then appealed to it to prove that the Three Persons of the Undivided Trinity are distinct in substance. Still, the rite of trine immersion con- tinued in force in various parts of the Western Church : and Walafrid Strabo mentions it as of his own time, namely, in the ninth century .^° I quote the passage, as he refers to two very famous authorities upon whose decision the contrary practice was generally admitted. " Alii trinam immersionem volunt, in similitudinem triduanae sepulturse, ut in canonibus apostolorum sta- tutum habetur, et Romanorum consuetudo observat. Alii unam, propter divinitatis unitatem contendunt, ut in concilio Toletano plenissime habetur : ubi etiam commemoratur, quod B. Gregorius interroganti super hoc Leandro, inter csetera ita respondent, quia in una fide nihil officit ecclesise consuetudo diversa. Nos autem quod tertio mergimus, triduanse sepulturse sa- cramenta signamus, ut dum tertio ab aquis infans educitur, resurrectio triduani temporis exprimatur." ^^ In the same century, Pas- De fide, etc. lib. i. cap. ix. ihid. charius Radbert speaks of it as jo.493. And the ancient account, the common custom. De corpore before referred to, of the rites et sang. Domini, cap. xv. Mar- observed in baptism, addressed to tene. Vet. Script, torn. ix. p. AQQ. Charlemagne. Hies. Anecdot. Compare the treatise by the same, torn. \. p. 17. Holy Baptism. 75 Presently he continues, citing the example of S. Lau- rence,^^ " Notandum auteni, non solum mergendo, ve- rum etiam desuper fundendo, multos baptizatos fuisse, et adhuc posse ita baptizari, si necessitas sit." ^^ The canon of the council of Toledo, which Strabo refers to, is as follows : after declaring the existence of a variety, in different churches, with respect to immersion ; and having referred to the epistle of S. Gregory to Leander ; it proceeds, " Quapropter, quia de utroque sacramento quod fit in sancto baptismo a tanto viro reddita est ratio, quod utrumque rectum, utrumque irreprehensibile in sancta Dei ecclesia ha- beatur, propter vitandum autem schismatis scandalum, vel hseretici dogmatis usum, simplam teneamus bap- tismi mersionem : ne videantur apud nos, qui tertio mergunt, haereticorum probare assertionem, dum se- quuntur et morem. Et ne forte cuiquam sit dubium hujus simpli mysterium sacramenti, videat in eo mor- tem et resurrectionem Christi significari : nam in aquis ^^ See above, note 7 , p. 60. Use of his own time, and after ^ De rebus eccles. cap. 26. edit, other details, says : " Deinde bap- Hittorpius. p. 413. This author tizat eum sacerdos sub trinamer- speaks moderately of the alteration sione tantum, sanctam Trinitatem and Use of some churches different semel invocando, ita dicens : Et from his own. Not so others ; ego te baptizo in nomine Patris ; see especially the epistles of Al- et mergat semel : et Filii ; et mer- cuin, inveighing bitterly against gat iterum : et Spiritus Sancti ; et the admission of one immersion mergat tertio." Bibl. Patrum. or affusion only. Epist. 81. 69. Auct. torn. 1. p. 239. See also, cit. Trombelli. dissert, xj. jO. 23. Rabanas Maurus, de instit. cleri- The same Alcuin in his book corura. lih, 1. cap, 28. ihid. p. " de divinis officiis," describes the 576. 76 Holy Baptism. I mersio, quasi in infernum descensio est, et rursus ab aquis emersio, resurrectio est. Item videat in eo Uni- tatem divinitatis, et Trinitatem personarum ostendi : Unitatem, dum semel immergimus ; Trinitatem, dum nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti baptiza- mus."2' Indeed, several centuries after the time of Strabo, it is to be concluded from the manner in which (not to mention other writers) Aquinas has written,^* that ^' Concil. Mansi. torn. 10. col. 619. A. D. 633. For the epistle of S. Gregory see, Decret. iii. pars, de consec. dis. iv. 80. Or his works, torn. 2. col. 532. in which place is this note, which will serve also to direct the stu- dent to some other places of the fathers. " Notandum vero ante S. Gregorium concilia et patres locutos esse de trina immersione, quasi necessaria et ex Dei institu- tione. De trina mersione agitur de cons. dist. 4. cap. 78, et seqq. Dionysius Ecc. Hier. cap. 2. Ter- tuU. adversus Praxeam, cap. 27. lib. de bapt. et lib. de corona cap. 3. Basilius de Spiritu Sancto, cap. 27. August, serm. 201. de tempore. Ambros. lib. 2. de sa- cram. cap. 7. Hieronymus contra Lucif." ^ Summa. pars. in. qucest. Ixvi. a7't. viij. (The edition which I use and have referred to in this dissertation, is that of Rome, 1773, ten vols. fol. commonly said to be the best. But in this place, not an unimportant one, there is an evident error. The text con- nects the mention of the continued practice of trine immersion, with the relaxation allowed by the To- letan canon. A reading, not to speak of other objections, unsup- ported by the canon itself, as it is in the Concilia.) Therefore, I think, we have considerable evi- dence that trine immersion was observed, in those Churches, so late as the 13th century. It is certain, that some Ordines Ro- mani, of late date, direct baptism so to be administered. See Ma- billon, Mus. Ital. torn. 2. p. 106. Or, Bibliotheca Patrum. torn. 13. p. 696. Having thus Aquinas before us, 1 would add, that his opinion is clear, that immersion is not, and therefore trine immersion also is not, " de necessitate baptismi." As regards it, he says ; " ea, quae sunt per accidens, non variant Holy Baptism, 77 the custom of trine immersion was still commonly observed abroad : and it is probable, that after a con- tinuance for so long a period of time, in the absence also of any conciliar recommendation, it gave way but very slowly to the new practice, and was upheld with an immoderate zeal for its absolute necessity. In the English church, immersion, according to the Sarum and other manuals, continued to be the rule up to the middle of the sixteenth century ; ^^ and this is probably, through its frequent repetitions, to be traced back to the eleventh canon of the synod of Chalcuith, in the beginning of the ninth century : " Sciant etiam pres- byteri, quando sacrum baptismum ministrant, ut non effundant aquam sanctam super capita infantium, sed semper mergantur in lavacro ; sicut exemplum prsebuit per semetipsum Dei Filius omni credenti, quando esset ter mersus in undis Jordanis."^^ By the Common Prayer Book of 1 549, a discretion was first distinctly given to the priest to " pour water," if the infant was substantiam rei. Per se autem council of London, in the annals, requiritur ad baptismum corpo- under the year 1200, «. xvij. And ralis ablutio per aquam : unde et the comment of archbishop Lan- baptismus lavacrum nominatur, franc on the epistle to the Philip- secundum illud Ephes. 5. Sed plans: cA. iij. t;. 10. '■'■ \^ConJigu- quod fiat ablutio hoc, vel illo modo, ratus morti ejus,] in baptismo; ut accidit baptismo : et ideo talis di- enim tribus diebus jacuit Christus versitas non tollit unitatem bap- in sepulchre, sic in baptismate tismi." ibid. m't. vij. trina sit immersio." Opera, p. 159. 2^ Monum. Ritualia. vol. 1. p. 23. Compare the observation of ^^ Wilkins. Concilia^, torn. 1. Raynaldus, upon the canon of the p. 171. 78 Holy Baptism, weak. It is not unlikely, as it seems to me, that this discretion was practically allowed in the preceding ages ; but not recognized, if it may be so said, in the rubric of the various rituals. Thus, the old Ordinarye of a Chrysten ma?i speaks of the water being " put upon" the child. I am not unaware that it is the custom of some of the English clergy, in modern days, to observe trine aflPusion ; repeated at the expression of the Name of each Divine Person : according to the example of an- tiquity, when immersion was the rule, as described by Alcuin, in the note above ; and ordered in the earlier rituals of our Church. If there were no cause to sus- pect that most unhappy consequences do, indeed, sometimes result from the carelessness of thoughtless ministers, of which I have already spoken plainly, there would be no reason why we should not at once condemn such an observance, at the present time, as not merely improper, but uncalled for. Because, like all similar rites, — neither essential, nor of the substance of the sacrament to which they are attached, — -this of trine affusion rests solely upon the authority of the Church :^^ liable therefore to be appointed at one ^ The reader should refer to where he has collected the testi- the glosses of Balsamon and Zo- raony of the greatest fathers to naras upon the 50th apostolical the fact of the universal observ- canon : and especially to the note ance, in the primitive ages, of of the very learned editor himself, trine immersion, succeeded, in the in the appendix to the second Western Churches, by trine aflfu- volume of the Pandects : p. 29, sion. Holy Baptism. 79 season, and discontinued at another, as may seem to be advisable. As a mere opinion, I do not hesitate to say, that I regret that trine affusion or immersion is not distinctly ordered in our present ritual. It would, in such a case, have been scarcely within the bounds of probability, that baptism, however otherwise negli- gently administered, could, with regard to this one essential particular, ablution, ever be otherwise than actually performed. If it may be said, that our rubric leaves the observ- ance indifferent — or rather, that trine immersion or affusion is not clearly prohibited, — let us see how the matter stands. And this we can the best do, by a re- view of the ancient and later orders of the Church. The Sarum manual (with which, in this point, the York agrees) thus directs : " Deinde accipiat sacerdos infantem, — et — baptizet eum sub tr'ina mersione tantum, sanctam Trinitatem invocando, ita dicens. N. Et ego baptizo te in nomine Patris. Et mergat eum semel versa facie ad aquilonem, et capite versus orientem : et Filii : et iteru?7t mergat semel versa facie ad meridiem : et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Et mergat tertio recta facie versus aquam.'"-^ In the first Book of K. Edw. VI th. " Then the priest shall take the child in his haiids, and shall dip it in the water thrice^ — saying, N. I baptize thee, e^c." The chief alteration here is, that the right enun- ciation of the Form is not so strictly explained as in -* Monumenta Ritualia. vol. I. p. 23. 8o Holy Baptism* the ancient manuals. Probably it was thought that the universal practice would be a sufficient rule. But, — passing over the intermediate Books of 1552, 1559, and 1604, which did not receive the sanction and approval of convocation ; although to them, and particularly to that of 1552, we have to trace the original of many both additions and omissions in our present Book of Common Prayer ; — we find this rubric ordered at the last review, in 1662. " Then the 'priest shall take the child — and — shall dip it in the water discreetly and warily, saying : N. I baptize thee, etc. But if they cei^tify that the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it, saying the foresaid words." ^^ Now, if it is not to be denied, that in the year 1662, the Reviewers (forced by the difficulties of the times in which they lived) had much respect for the Books immediately preceding, yet it is no less true that they had the First Book of K. Edw. VI th also before them, with perhaps the earlier manuals of Sarum and York. And, being so, if we may draw, at any time, any conclusion as to what is or is not intended by -^ I scarcely think that any one Even if it were not right, following would argue, that in the First plain common-sense, to interpret Book it is simply ordered with this second rubric strictly accord- regard to affusion, that, " If the ing to the one which precedes it, child be weak, it shall suffice to and of which it is indeed a part, pour water upon it, saying the nothing would be gained respect- foresaid words ;" and, therefore, ing the corresponding rubrics in at that time, it would have been our present Book. There is not, equally improper to have poured between these, even an apparent water thrice, instead of once only. contradiction. Holy Baptism. 8i omissions or alterations in rubrics, surely in the one which we have been considering. If that is not plain enough, I do not comprehend what is to be understood by the word, plain. Therefore, I would argue that as the duty of the ministers of every particular Church is to obey her orders as exactly as possible, we must, according to the rubric of our present ritual, dip or pour water upon children brought to be baptized, not thrice, but, once only. It may be true that, in 1662, the object, generally, was to restore the use of the intermediate Books, rather than of the Book, so much superior, of 1549. On the other hand, in this particular, it may be that the reviewers had regard also to questions of high importance, and remembered how, centuries be- fore their time, there had been grievous errors abroad, which demanded a discontinuance of the rite of trine immersion. It must not be overlooked that among the fanatics of that unhappy age, they were not the least dangerous or busy, who held strange heresies re- garding the sacrament of baptism, and of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity. However this may be, I repeat that the rubric is clear and decided : and, lamenting the miserable scandal which lately has been brought against the validity of baptisms conferred in our Church, and still more deeply that there has ever existed a shadow of foundation for it, it remains for us earnestly to endeavour to put an end to suspicion in future, not by overstepping the bounds within which we are to work, but, by a most solemn and reverent care that G 82 Holy Baptism. we always " rightly and duly administer that holy sacrament." This subject is not to be passed away from, without one more remark. I have gone to the full length of concession, with regard to the objections to which I have alluded, in admitting that they have any foun- dation. My sole reason for that admission is, that the attention of the clergy may be especially directed, at all times, to a very careful obedience to the plain directions which they have undertaken to observe. For, stript of the gross exaggerations in which they have been involved, those objections do not rest upon any such ground, as is sufficient to warrant one Church, in rejecting wholly, and without even an attempt at discrimination or inquiry, the baptisms administered in another Church. Amonofst a multitude of minis- ters, it must be, that in every Church, in spite of warnings and exhortation, some negligence will occa- sionally happen : and, it must be confessed, the appa- rent consequences, so far as we know, will ensue. But, if we listen to the voice of true Christian charity, which " hopeth all things ;" and, not only so, but to the dictates of sound Christian theology ; all such instances (the particular occurrence of which it is almost impossible to detect and prove) are, humbly, to be left at the disposal of the Most High. If we were inclined to retort, and to receive and argue upon doctrines acknowledged by members of the church of Rome, it is obvious that we might object against the validity of the administration of any sacrament, Holy Baptism. 83 when it is made to depend upon the superadded essential of " intention" in the minister. Doubtful in such a way, and to such a degree, that no care or reverence as to all visible essentials can possibly satisfy any one, except the minister himself, of the reality of the sacrament, which he professes to per- form. 84 Holy Baptism. CHAPTER IV. ^EFORE we proceed to the consideration ^ of the next part of our subject, there is ^ still one more particular to be noticed, respecting the water used in baptism ; namely, the benediction of it. This rite, deduced from the most remote antiquity, and constantly ob- served, whenever practicable, in all branches of the catholic Church,' occupies, as might have been ex- pected, a conspicuous place in our present offices of public baptism. This previous hallowing or benediction of the water cannot, of course, be accounted an essential of the valid administration of Holy Baptism, and therefore, when necessity so requires it, it may be justly omitted. This necessity can only take place, either when bap- tism is administered by some lay person, to whom the performance of this office of hallowing is not per- mitted : or when death appears to be so immediate, as not to suffisr the least delay. In all other cases of private baptism, the prayer of benediction ought to be ^ See the various Orders, edited by Martene. De ant. Ecc. rit. torn. 1. Goar, Rituale Gt(bc. p. 353. Asseman, Codex. Lit. torn. 2. Thomasius, Codd. sa- cram. Opera, torn. 6. So also Dr. Comber. " The primitive Chris- tians did always use a prayer for the consecrating of the water." Companion, vol. 3. p. 400. Holy Baptism, 85 included by the priests of the church of England, according to her own recommendation, among those which '' the present time or exigence will suffer," as the rubric expresses it. The fact, that this benediction is not of the essence of the sacrament^ (which indeed never, that I remember, was pretended by any writer), has induced foreign protestants to speak of it as of no importance whatso- ever, in their eagerness to undervalue and disparage the sacraments in every way. It is not worth while to bring forward evidence of this from writers of extreme views : but take Chemnitz and Vossius ; ^ both these ^ It was anciently regarded as, in some sort, a sacramental, and not, therefore, a sacrament. See Waldensis, de sacramentalibus hapt. cap. 51. Opera, torn. 3. p. 331. According to the modern doc- trine of the church of Rome, sa- cramentals, strictly, are so called, not because they are ceremonies of, or pertain to, the completion of sacraments, but on account of a certain similitude which they have to them ; insomuch, that as by the one justifying grace is conveyed, so by the other is given remission of venial sins. The number of the sacramentals is comprised in the verse : " Orans, tinctus, edens, confessus, dans, benedicens." These relate, 1. to the saying of the Lord's prayer, or other pray- ers solemnly prescribed by the Church. 2. the aspersion " aqusB benedictse," of holy water. 3. signifies the " panis benedictus," which anciently, by the common practice of almost all churches, was given in the place of the eucharist to non-communicants. (See, Monmn. Hit. vol. 1. p. cclviij.) 4. The general confes- sion which precedes the celebra- tion of mass. 5. Almsgiving. 6. Benediction by bishops and ab- bots. The same theology also teaches that by sacramentals remission of venial sins is obtained, ex opere operantis, not ex opere operato. ^ Exam en concil. Trident, joarj. 2. p. 41. De Bapt. JO. 28. So, in like manner, the Wal- 86 Holy Baptism. seem to regard consecration of the water as quite unnecessary at all times, even of solemnity ; and as a relic of superstition, wisely to be discontinued. Not so, happily, did our Church judge ; she has not, by the grace of God, thrown aside all of those decent ceremonies which had been observed from century to century up to the age itself of the apostles. The benediction of the water, as it stands in our present ritual, is conveyed in plain and suitable words, though brief: " Almighty, everliving God, — regard, we beseech thee, the supplications of thy congregation ; sanctify this Water to the mystical washing away of sin ; and grant that this child now to be baptized therein, may receive the fulness of thy grace, and ever remain in the number of thy faithful and elect chil- dren ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." There can be no question that in this form of bene- diction, there is a sufficient designation of the water, at that time before the minister ; and also, a sufficient separation of it from secular and common, to holy use. It is plainly identified and set apart by the words, " this Water;" and, " therein."* Anciently in our denses, Albigenses, and other he- pient : and declaring that Jews, reticsof the middle ages; mocking sincere in their own religion, at all benedictions and ceremonies might be saved without it. Por- used in the solemn administration ter. Systema. p. 416. 418. 430. of baptism. This is scarcely to Cf. S. Augustin. hceres. 46. (Of be wondered at in sects which the Manichees.) openly denied the grace of that * This was acknowledged and sacrament : making it depend upon frequently objected against by the the faith and merits of the reci- puritans in the xvj th and xvij th Holy Baptism. 87 own Church (and still, in a vast majority of the churches of Christendom), there were several ceremonies ap- pointed, significant of the rite which was being per- formed. Indeed, the " benedictio fontis" formed a complete service in itself: the more required, at a time when the hallowed water was kept until unfit for use, ready for any baptisms which were demanded, and not poured away immediately after any one was finished.^ centuries. Thus, in the Survey of the Common prayer, 1604, the 90th query, grounded on this prayer, is : " Whether this be not an hallowing of the water, which is then in the font, that so it might be more holy, and fit for baptiz- ing?" The argument why it should not be so is curious : " as if bread and wine be not sanctified by Christ his institution, except every loafe and pot of wine be hallowed by speciall words of con- secration. — Now that which is conceived of bread and wine, may also be conceived of water in bap- tisme." jt?. 91. In other words : the water in the font need not be hallowed, hecause it is not neces- sary to consecrate, by special Form of words, the bread and wine, in the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist. About the year 1570, a tract specifying " the lawes and cere- monies of Antichrist, remaining in our English Chui'ch unre- formed," notices, amongst other things, " godfathers and godmo- thers ;" and " the conjured fonte." Parte of a Register, p. 65. ^ This Order, according to the old Use of Sarum, is to be found in the Monumenta Ritualia. vol. 1. p. 13—21. The First Book of K. Edward had also a separate Form of benediction of the font : for then the water was required to be renewed not oftener than " every month once at the least." But in that Book the only cere- mony retained was the sign of the cross, over or in the water. Bu- cer, however, who liked nothing but the weak fancies of his own brain, objected to this separate Form, and it was discontinued. But the greatest part of it was introduced into the intermediate Books, and, at length, all that was essential was restored in 1662. See Wheatley's remarks upon this. p. 338. Besides this present benediction 88 Holy Baptism. Although it may have been well that some of these ceremonies, which, during a long lapse of ages, had of fresh water in the font, when- ever it was required, there were also two occasions, Easter and Whitsuntide, when the rite was performed with especial solemnity. The Liber Festivalis (a book, I must observe, not to be quoted except as a witness to matters of fact,) explains the ancient custom of the English church. " Holy chyrche vseth all y* ester weke to go a processyon to the font, that is now the reed see to all crysten people that ben chrystened in the font. For the water in the font betokeneth the reed see, for blode and water is the wounde that was in Christes syde, in y'^ whiche the power of Pharao the fende of hell is drowned and all his myght, and chrysten people saued. And for the font is halowed on eester euen and on Whytson euen, for in y" begynnynge all chyldren abode to be chrystened unto these two dayes, and so to be chrystened at the font halowynge. But now for bycause that so many in so long abydynge were deed with- outen chrystendome, therefore holy chyrche ordeyneth now to chrysten at all times of y" yere : saue viij. dayes before these euens, y*^ chylde shall abyde to the font halowyng yf it may for perill of deth, and elles not.'\fo/. xxxij. feria. iiij. post festum palma- Tum. I may here remark, by the way, that the English church in those ages seems to have settled down into this practice, as a sort of mean between the stricter rule of the constitution of Otho, \_cap. Ad baptismum ; and see Athon's com- mentary, verb, solenniter.] in- sisting on the earlier canons, and the laxity of indifference about it which he condemned. Archbishop Peckham in 1281, practically ab- rogated the constitution of Otho ; declaring that at all other times of the year, except the eight days before those eves, people should be at liberty to bring their chil- dren to be baptized, though in no danger of death ; " juxta vetustam consuetudinem." On which word Lyndwood glosses : " Quae dici- tur optima legum interpres." Uh. iij . tit. 23. Quod in constitutione. Compare in the Saxon age, the laws of Ina, and of the Northum- brian priests. JVUkins. torn. 1. jo. 58. 218. From what archbishop Cranmer asserts in his answer to the sixth article of the Devonshire rebels (complaining of the new rubric in the Book of 1549, that baptisms were to be performed in church only on Sundays and holydays), Holy Baptisjn. 89 accumulated beyond the example of the first centuries of the Church, should have been dispensed with at the revision of our Service Book, in 1662, it must yet it would appear that even the in- junctions as to Easter and Whit- suntide had of late years been practically disregarded. " Every Easter and Whitsun-even," says the archbishop, " until this time, the fonts were hallowed in every church, and many collects and other prayers were read for them that were baptized. But all was in vain, and as it were a mocking with God. For none were baptized at those times, except it were by chance, but all were baptized be- fore." He says again, presently afterwards; " The order and form of christening was read and kept every year at Easter and Whit- suntide, but none was then chris- tened." Works, vol. 2. p. 223. I believe that the archbishop is here to be understood to be speak- ing solely of the form of hallowing the Font : which continued to be the practice on the great Eves, up to the revision of the rituals in that reign. Nor, so far as I can see, was it an improper, or even an idle ceremony, much less a mocking with God : but a keep- ing up of the memory of earlier practice in purer days, and always in expectation, at least, of some children about to be brought for baptism. It is more than absurd, — it is a sheer impossibility — to suppose that the Office of baptism itself was performed (as the words of the exti-act would at first sight seem to mean), whether any chil- dren were baptized or not : in fact, it was distinctly forbidden. I would add that at other times of the year, and under certain circumstances, delay in bringing children to be baptized proved a frequent ground of proceeding in the ecclesiastical courts, in the XV th century. See archdeacon Hale's Precedents, &c. n. vj . The restriction of solemn bap- tisms in churches, to Sundays and holy days, was much objected to by the puritans: as in the Survey of the Common Prayer, 1605. f. 84. Becon's reliques,_^^. 95. On the general inquiry into the reasons and antiquity of baptism at especial great and holy seasons, see Bingham, hook xi. ch. vj. Liber Diurnus, f. 115. and the gloss of Balsamon, and Zonaras, on the 45th canon of the council of Laodicea. Bevereg. pandect, torn. 1 . p. 474. From Alcuin it appears that, very anciently, at Easter and Pen- tecost, the hour for the solemnity was the ninth hour. De div. off. Auct, torn. 1. p. 258. 90 Holy Baptism. remain a question, whether it was not exceeding pri- mitive simplicity, to omit, altogether, any direction for an outward gesture, which should accompany the prayer of benediction. Hence arises a practi- cal difficulty, to be argued on very different grounds from those with which we were concerned, in treating of trine immersion. As regarded that, there is in our ritual now, not only no direction to observe the ancient practice, but a plain order to observe the new. This cannot be said of the rite of benediction : and I would not hastily condemn the custom, which is very widely followed by our clergy, of dipping the right hand into the font, during the recital of the words which I have specified above, as containing the form of hallowing or benediction.^ ^ In the bottom of the basin of all Fonts, which are correctly made (certainly in all ancient ones), there are a plug and a drain by which the water may be con- veyed away, when it has been used. It is a part of the duty of the priest to take care, by doing it himself after the Office is finished, that the hallowed water be so poured away. In former days, as I have already observed, the water, having received the benediction, was retained for many baptisms : either for a specified period, or so long as it would keep pure. But then there were strict injunctions that all fonts should be kept locked. See the Monu- menta Ritualia. voL 3. p. 374. At present, immediately before every administration, the rubric says, " And the Priest coming to the Font (which is then to be JiUed with pure watei^), etc." The wording of this is somewhat ambiguous ; but, coupled with the consideration that there is no per- mission to omit the prayer of be- nediction, the reasonable conclu- sion is, that the water is not to be reserved from one time to another. A repeated benediction of the same water would be improper. Hence arises another reason why the ordinaries should see that Holy Baptism. 91 There is a passage in the works of archbishop Cran- mer, in which perhaps he refers to this benediction of all churches are provided with fonts. Where basins are indecent- ly allowed to be used, the water is almost always carelessly left to be disposed of (somewhere or other) by a servant of the church. Such things as these may, possibly, seem to some persons, matters of slight or of no importance. I do not so regard them. No detail is of little consequence in the adminis- tration of the Divine Sacraments of our Blessed Lord : nor can we say how much of the irreverence so sadly shewn to them by the people now-a-days, is to be traced to the irreverence with which they have been performed by too many of the clergy. I need hardly add that after a private baptism, the water should, no less heedfuUy, be poured away by the minister. Whether hal- lowed or not, it has been put to a holy use. As to the vessel used, see the provincial constitution of archbishop Edmund : " vas vel comburatur, vel ad usus ecclesise deputetur." Wilkins. torn. \. p. 636. I would desire not to be mis- understood in insisting here, and elsewhere, on the decency, nay, the necessity, of using fonts in- stead of basins in churches. How- ever strongly urged, we must yet agree with archbishop Cranmer that " in baptism we receive the Holy Ghost, and put Christ upon us, as well if we be christened in one dish full of water taken out of the font, as if we were chris- tened in the whole font or river." Answer to Gardyner. Works. vol. 3. p. 118. But this con- sideration, most true though it is, does not alter in any degree the extent of the obligation which lies upon the clergy, to put an end as far as each one may, to the negligent permission of basins in churches, instead of fonts. Such permission is happily becoming daily of more rare occurrence : but wherever continued, it is in plain violation of reiterated canons and injunctions. I cannot believe that it is ever to be referred to any notion or fancy beyond mere carelessness and ignorance : for this would be to bring the far more serious charge of intentional disobedience with a most mean and miserable purpose. Returning to the subject of hallowing fresh water at each bap- tism, I would add that it would appear from the way in which Arcudius speaks, that the custom of the Greek Church is the same as our own. This however, in their case, arises from their prac- 92 Holy Baptism. the water, although it is not so clear as to be directly insisted on : he says, " In baptism we come not unto the water as we come to other common waters, when we wash our hands or bathe our bodies, but we know that it is a mystical water, admonishing us of the great and manifold mercies of God towards us, of the league and promise made between Him and us, and of His wonderful working and operation in us." Now, if it may be argued that possibly here the archbishop was alluding rather to the essential " Invocation," than to the accidental benediction, yet the statement is so justly adapted to the latter, that it is well deserv- ing the reader's consideration.^ tice of immersion. He says (of the water) ; " Est vera, et natu- ralis, non tamen simplex, sed be- nedicta, quam sacerdos Graecus cum vult baptizare unum, aut plures eodem tempore benedicit, et deinde in locum honestum ab- jicit. Cum enim Grseci soleant infantes totos in aquam mergere (quae etiam causa potissima est, cur aquam calefaciant) non vide- tur honestum, moraliter loquendo, ut eadem aqua, quippe quodam- modo poUuta, diu servetur, ut aliis baptizandis inservire debeat : solum inservit prsesentibus, si qui sunt, qui lustrari baptismate ve- lint." De concordia Ecc. occi- dentalis et orient, lib. 1. cap. vij. There is a rubric also, in the revised Roman ritual, which is directed to the same point. " Ubi vero baptismus fit per infusionera aquae, cavendum est, ne aqua ex infantis capite in fontera, sed vel in sacrarium baptisterii prope ip- sum fontem extractum defluat, aut in aliquo vase, ad hunc usura parato, recepta, in ipsius baptis- terii vel in ecclesise sacrarium effundatur." Catalan! explains this to be appointed because two bap- tisms should not be administered with the same water: and that the last clause of the rubric refers to cases of private baptism. Co7n- ment. in rit. Rom. torn. 1. p. 44. So, again, Barulfaldus, Comment, tit. V. § 5. ^ Works, t'o^. 3, jij. 11. Com- pare a corresponding place: ihid. p. 281. Holy Baptism. 93 I have said above, that the benediction of the font is a rite to be deduced from the most remote antiquity. The praj'er indeed, which of old was said in our Church, is grounded on the truth, according to the common consent of the fathers : " Deus, cujus Spiritus super aquas inter ipsa mundi primordia ferebatur, ut jam tunc virtutem sanctificationis aquarum natura con- ciperet : etc.''^ And again, that, as we now assert, the Almighty God " by the baptism of His well-beloved Son Jesus Christ, in the river Jordan, did sanctify water to the mystical washing away of sin."^ But, though all water has thus, so far, been sanctified, it has been the practice, from the primitive ages, specially to hallow, by prayer and benediction, that quantity of water, which is to be applied to the purposes of Christian baptism. It may be, or it may not be, too much to say that, in so doing, the Church has been simply imitating the practice of the apostles themselves. Whether the famous canon of Vincentius comes in here, may be left to the judgment of the reader. When, also, in examining the writings of the fathers he finds the prayer of invocation and the con- sequent benediction of the font mentioned, he must * Monumen. Ritualia. vol. \.p. diluendas nostrorum sordes scele- 18. rum omnium fluenta sanctificaret ^ So venerable Bede speaks : aquarum." Homil. xxiij. Opera. " Dignatus est [Filius Dei] la- torn. 5. p. 164. This is a point yari aquis Jordanicis, qui erat to which the reader's attention mundus a sordibus cunctis, ut ad will again be directed presently. 94 Holy Baptism, also decide whether it does or does not relate merely to the proper Form, " In the Name, etc."" A careful consideration of the context will enable him to distin- guish this correctly in most instances. For he must avoid applying to the rite of benediction which is not essential, any proofs which are to be referred to the true invocation of the Three Persons of the Undivided Trinity which is essential, to the right performance of the sacrament. As, for example, that place from S. Ambrose, in the canon-law : " Non omnis aqua sanat, sed aqua sanat, quae habet gratiam Christi. Aliud est elementum, aliud consecratio : — non sanat aqua, nisi Spiritus Sanctus descenderit ; etc^ ^° And where ^Ifric says of the martyr and deacon S. Lau- rence, in the case already mentioned, " he hallowed the water [^a hrsedhce Jjaet wseter gehalgode] and baptized him."" In the same way also, the otherwise somewhat obscure phrase in the famous decree of union after the council of Florence : " — quoniam cum principalis causa, ex qua baptismus virtutem habet, sit Sancta Trinitas, instrumentalis autem sit minister qui tradit exterius sacramentum, si exprimitur actus, qui per ^"^ Deconsecr. Dist. iv. c«/>. 9. trum. torn. \. p. 350. This re- On the other hand, I must notice, mark applies with greater force, that the benediction of the font perhaps, to the statement just fol- was very anciently performed with lowing in the text, from the decree a triple prayer; each Divine Per- of union, son being distinctly invocated. See Amalarius : de Eccles. Off. " Homily on the passion of S. Uh. 1. cap. xxv.Auct. hihl. Pa- Laurence, vol. 1. jo.429. Holy Baptism. 95 ipsum exercetur ministrum, cum Sanctse Trinitatis invocatione, perficitur sacramentum."^" The apostolical constitutions (and later than the beginning' of the third century they cannot be ; pro- bably, in the main, much earlier ;) are clear as to the observance of their own time, nor do they speak of it as a novel introduction. The subject is the prepara- tion for baptism. " Deinde venit ad aquam. Sacerdos autem benedicit ac laudat Dominum Deum omnipo- tentem ; etc. Ipsum ergo et nunc invocet sacerdos sub baptismum, ac dicat : ' Respice de coelo, et sancti- fica banc aquam ; da vero gratiam et virtutem, ut qui baptizatur, secundum mandatum Christi tui, cum eodem crucifigatur, et commoriatur, et consepeliatur, et consuscitetur in adoptionem quse in eo fit, ut peri- matur quidem peccato, vivat autem justitise.' "^^ The words " sanctifica banc aquam," and the sense of the remainder of this benediction, are the same, it will be remarked, as in our ritual now. Again; TertuUian, in the often-quoted tract de baptismo, seems to connect the grace which is con- veyed by the Holy Spirit in baptism with the use of invocation and benediction of the water. Whether this be so or not, he is a witness to the fact of the practice in his own day. " Igitur omnes aquae de pristina originis prserogativa sacramentum sanctifica- tionis consequuntur, invocato Deo. Supervenit enim ^^ Mansi. Condi, torn. 31. col. " Lib. 7. cap. xliij. 1035. 96 Holy Baptism. statim Spiritus de coells, et aquis superest, saiictificans eas de semetipso, et ita sanctificatse, vim sanctificandi combibunt."" S. Cyprian's testimony is undeniable : and here, again, I omit all consideration of the doctrine which he advocates. He is writing to Januarius and others, on the question of baptizing heretics, seeking admis- sion into the Church : and he says ; " divina scriptura moneat et dicat, ' ab aqua aliena abstine te, et a fonte aquse alienee ne biberis.' Oportet ergo mundari et sanctificari aquam prius a sacerdote, ut possit bap- tismo suo peccata hominis qui baptizatur abluere : quia per Ezechielem prophetam Dominus dicit : ' Et aspergam super vos aquam mundam.' Quomodo au- tem mundare et sanctificare aquam potest qui ipse immundus est, etcT'^^ Once more : S. Ambrose, in his treatise on the sacraments. " Cum forma baptismatis et usus hoc habeat, ut ante fons consecretur, et tunc descendat qui baptizandus est. Nam ubi primum ingreditur sacer- dos, exorcismum facit secundum creaturam aquse, in- " §• iv. Opera, jt*. 225. Com- pare the close of the same section. " Igitur medicatis quodammodo aquis, etc" ^^ Epist. Ixx. Opera./). 125. If the treatise sometimes as- cribed to S. Cyprian be indeed his, there is a remarkable passage in it, which might be insisted on : he is speaking of the Holy Inno- cents. " Hi nuper cruore lacteo loti primitias baptism! martyrio consecrarunt, tradentes posteris formam, ubi necessitatis articulus excluserit moram; non minus ad lavacrum animae sanguinem effi- cacem, quam sanctificatas verbis solennibus aquas." \h\A.app.p. xcij. On the text, above, from Ezekiel, see, before, j(?. 41. Holy Baptism. 97 vocationem postea et precem defert ; ut sanctificetur fons, et adsit proesentia Trinitatis seternse."^^ Again, in the fifth chapter of the second book : " Nunc ergo consideremus. Venit sacerdos, precem dicit ad fon- tem, invocat Patris nomen, prsesentiam Filii et Spiritus Sancti : utitur verbis ccelestibus." ^^ " Opera, torn. 2. p. 353. The note of the editors upon this pas- sage should be consulted : and the student will do well, also, to compare the sacramentaries of S. Gregory, and other early rituals in the large collections made by Mabillon, Martene, Asseman, and Muratori. '' Ibid. p. 357. See also, De mysteriis. cap. iij. Ibid. p. 328. and, again, the note of the editors, and the reference to bishop Fell's edition of S. Cyprian. H 98 Holy Baptism. CHAPTER V. SHALL now pass on, in this chapter, to the consideration of the second particular which is essential to the valid adminis- tration of the sacrament of Holy Bap- tism : namely, the Form. That the use of a certain form of words is believed by the church of England to be essential to the right administration of baptism, — and, again, that the use of some forms of words renders it invalid, — is clear from the questions which, by her ritual, are appointed to be put to those, who bring to the church a child, which has been baptized privately, or at home. The minister of the parish, when such a case occurs, is enjoined to examine whether the statement, that the child is indeed already baptized, is correct or incor- rect. Having inquired as to the person by whom the sacrament is said to have been administered, and as to who were present on the occasion, he is further di- rected to say ; " Because some things essential to this sacrament may happen to be omitted through fear or haste, in such times of extremity ; therefore I demand further of you, — with what words was this child bap- tized?" The form which is appointed to be used in our Church, is that which is adopted by the whole Western Holy Baptism. 99 Church, containing an express and distinct invoca- tion of the Three Divine Persons of the Undivided Trinity/ " I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." These are the words which are to be said either at the public or private baptism of infants or adults ; or, in cases of hypothetical baptism, after the declaration of the doubt. So also, in the catechism : we are told that " the person is baptized. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."" This was the ancient form from time immemorial. It thus stands in the old manuals, for all solemn and public occasions. " Ego baptizo te in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."" I have said, solemn ^ I must once more remind the reader that there are places in the fathers, in which " the benedic- tion of the water" must probably be referred, not to the prayer of benediction or consecration, of which I have spoken in the pre- ceding chapter, but to this Invo- cation or form, by virtue of which the simple element of water is suf- ficiently endued with its myste- rious powers. In all such pas- sages, the student must carefully decide for himself, to which prayer or invocation the writer alludes. Still he must not hastily conclude with Albertin, de eucharistia, lib. 1. cap. 5, that the primitive fathers knew of no other bene- dictory prayers than this Invoca- tion : for that would be nothing less than to deny the plain mean- ing of innumerable testimonies to the contraiy. Albertin himself begs the question where he as- serts, that the ancients ?nust have referred to the evangelical words " In the Name etc" because there are no other prayers instituted by our Lord for the consecration of the water. ■^ Quite in accordance were the repeated canons of the English councils. See, for example. Con- cilia, torn. 1. p. 575. 593. totn. 2. p. 131. And (for the latest) per- haps enforcing of the Latin form, the Reformatio Angliae, deer. ij. fol 7. Compare the Manipulus curatorum, cap. iij. 100 Holy Baptism. and public occasions, because it was not of absolute necessity, that the Latin form should be used : in cases of private baptism, it would frequently happen that persons ignorant of Latin might alone happen to be at hand. A constitution of archbishop Peccham, in the year 1281, is directed to this point. " Forma autem sacramenti in vulgari lingua consistit non so- lum in signis,^ verumetiam in ordine eorundem ver- borum, quibus ipsum est divinitus sacramentum insti- tutum, quo Christus Dominus illis verbis et taliter ordinatis, ut sunt in lingua Latina, regenerativam con- ^ " In signis. sc. exterioribus ; qualia sunt signatio in fronte et in pectore. Item exsufflatio. Salis datio. Item salivte ad nares et aures appositio. Item pectoris et inter scapulas cum oleo inunctio. Item fontis consecratio. Item patrinorura accessio. Item in ver- tice chrismatio. Item candidse vestis cum cereo traditio. Ista enim sunt potius de solemnitate baptismi quam de substantia, jux- ta illud metricnm : Sal, oleum, chrisma, cereus, chris- male, saliva, Flatus, virtutem baptismatis ista figurant : Ilaec cum patrinis non mutant esse, sed ornant." Ly ndwood. lih. iij . tit. 24. Com- pare the whole Office of public baptism,, reprinted in the Monu- menta Ritualia, vol. 1. The old author from whom Lyndwood quotes has compre- hended (I would add) the Essen- tials in two other lines : " Cumtincto tingens, intentio,post aqua, forma Verborum, faciunt, ut sit baptis- matis esse." Henricus de Vuriraa, in quar- tam sentent. Cf. Walafrid Strabo : de rehus Ecc. cap. 26. " Restat jam tractare de forma baptismi : quae est haec. Ego baptizo te in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Quae forma verborum, cum magna cautela et distincte est proferenda : ne vitietur, ac per hoc virtus sa- cramenti baptismi evacuetur." Pupilla Oculi. ^>«)'.?. 2. cap. iij. Holy Baptis?n. loi tulit potestatem. Dicatur ergo a sic baptizantibus, * / Christen thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;' vel alias in lingua ma- terna secundum consuetudinem patrige, vel in Gallico sic : * Je te baptize au 7iom du Fere, et du Filz, et da Sainct Esperitr'^ To return to our present Ritual. Such then being the form appointed, and such being the question with regard to it, ordered to be put to those who bring to the minister of a parish a child supposed to be already baptized, it immediately occurs to us to inquire, whe- ther the actual use of the appointed form, and of that alone, word for word as it is to be said in public, with- out any addition, alteration, or omission whatsoever, is of absolute necessity ? If it be so, it is evident, that not in this Church only but in all others, baptism ad- ministered under any other form must be invalid. For, this is not a point affecting the outward decency or solemnity, but the very substance, of the sacrament. But, — not to speak of the alteration which cannot but follow in the form, by the change from the vulgar tongue into any other, — it would be both unreasonable and contrary to the opinion of the Church, to tie down the form so exactly to the use of the certain words, ordered to be said on solemn occasions. In * " Quid si Latinus non in La- nam et apostoli variis linguis lo- tina lingua, sed in Graeca, vel in quebantur ; et forma realis potius Hebraica, vel alia extranea bap- attendenda est, quam verbalis." tizat aliquem, et profert verba Hostiensis, in Summa, lib. iii. aptaet congrua? baptismus tenet; rubr. xlij. §. 6. 102 Holy Baptism. venturing, however, to extend the limits of the words within which a valid form can be held to exist, we must be very careful not to exceed the bounds, laid down respecting them by various decisions and autho- rities of the Church. In the first place it is well known, that whilst the Western Church, for many ages, as has been already remarked, has used a form beginning, " I baptize thee," " baptizo te ;" the form, upon the other hand, in the Greek Church, has been, and continues to be, "BaTTTt^STaj SovXoq ro\i (dio\). O Suva., aq to ovofix. etc. *' Baptizatur servus Dei, etc.''^ The Armenian ritual agrees with this, and also that appointed in the churches of Antioch and Jerusalem.'' If, therefore, whether in the Latin or the vernacular of any country, it is essential that the form should commence with the words " I baptize thee" or their equivalents, the baptism administered in the Eastern ^ Goar. Rituah. Grcec. p. perspecto, cessant qusestiones ex 355. So, in the same way, at the praesentium verborum inscitia anointing which, according to that ortas." The student will frequently ritual, immediately precedes bap- find it stated in books of consider- tism : the words are " ^pjtrai 6 able authority, that the Greek covXo^," etc. " Ungitur servus form is " baptizetur." Dei." I add part of Gear's note upon ** Asseman. Codex, lit. torn. this form. " Propter dictionis 2. p. 200. 225. On the other lictTTtCiTcii affinitatem, ad aliam hand, the Coptic and Ethiopic vocem Latinam, haptizetur, com- churches order the form " I bap- menti sunt quidam Graecos in bap- tize thee." So also, the Chaldee tismate deprecatoria vel inipera- and Malabar rituals. Ibid. p. 180. tiva forma uti ; quo vel Irniter 212. Holy Baptism. 103 Churches, which I have mentioned by way only of example, must be accounted invalid. So, it might be argued with respect to other alterations, and addi- tions, of which we have frequent instances in both ancient and modern rituals. But this, I need scarcely remind the reader, is con- trary to the established and uniform doctrine of the Catholic Church. Within limits, varieties in the form have always been permitted, and baptisms adminis- tered by them are acknowledged to be valid. It will be evident presently, from what will follow, that it is scarcely possible to define exactly those limits : but, at least, it is to be allowed as a certain rule, as regards the form, that a baptism cannot be admitted to be valid which has not been given. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : or, in other words ; which has been conferred by a form, in which there is not made a plain and dis- tinct mention of each Divine Person of the ever-blessed and Undivided Trinity. This rule is to be traced for its correctness, to the source from Whence flow all the blessings which bap- tism conveys : namely, to the Author of the Sacra- ment itself. He it was Who instituted it, and He alone could direct and appoint all its details and necessary particulars. Antecedently, it depended upon His will and omniscience whether any form, or what form, was to be used : after His decision, it only remained for the members of His Church to obey His commands as strictly as they might. The commission which our 104 Holy Baptism. Blessed Lord gave to his disciples was this : " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." The consent of the fathers upon this point is una- nimous. From many places which have been collected, by various writers, from their books, I shall select a few and lay them before the reader. The tradition of the whole Church, from the first centuries to the present hour, will be found to be clear and constant : supplying, by the proof of her undeviating practice and doctrine, that which our Lord Himself, Who left her as the witness and keeper of the truth, did not ex- pressly say ; namely, that all who should seek to be admitted into the One Fold, are to be baptized under the pronounced invocation, that is in the Name, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. He gave the command : and the Church, divinely guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit, knew in- fallibly the only meaning in which that command could rightly be understood ; and, from the beginning, has both so interpreted and so obeyed it. Nor, (though such is not to be required,) does this form fail to commend itself even to our own judgment. The sacrament of baptism is the sacrament of faith ; in other words, the solemn profession upon our parts of belief in the Christian religion. Wherefore the apostle speaks to the Hebrews who had been baptized, as having been " once enlightened," and again as Holy Baptism. 105 havinof been " illuminated."^ So that the declaration of the doctrine of the Ever-blessed Trinity, — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, — was fitly to be joined for ever to the administration of baptism, as that doctrine, the truth of which, especially and above all others, the new converts were to confess. This, as concerned the recipients : so, equally, as to the minister and all who should be present. Baptism is the entrance into the Church ; the fi.rst beginning of the spiritual life ; therefore at such a time, the cer- tainty of that mysterious truth, the Trinity in Unity, — from Whence spring all the graces and blessings which the sacraments convey, — should be especially pro- claimed. In the Eucharist there is always, doubtless, a virtual and implicit recognition of the same doc- trine : but in baptism there must be an express men- tion and most plain commemoration of it.** The Sacred Scriptures themselves are not without indications that some form was used in the adminis- tration of baptism. I would leave these without re- mark, especially as upon the first I shall have to speak further presently. In the 19th ch. of the Acts, it is ' Ch. vj. V. 4. Ch. X. V. 32. See, besides others, Bull, Judi- ^ Every student in theology cium ecc. cathol. lib. iv. iij. knows how often the form in bap- Petavius. Opera, torn. 2. p. 92. tism has been appealed to in proof 103. pars. ii. p. 63. Waterland. of the true doctrine of the Trinity Moyer Lectures, viij. Melanc- in Unity, and how vainly the So- thon. Loci comm. Opera, torn. cinians of modern times have 1. p. 151. de Spiritu S. torn. 2. struggled to evade the force of it, p. 332, io6 Holy Baptism. written that S. Paul inquired of certain disciples at Ephesus (finding that they had " not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost,") unto what then they had been baptized ? " And they said, unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on Him Which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." Once more. At the commencement of the same apos- tle's first epistle to the Corinthians, complaining of their schisms, he declares that he had baptized very few persons, " Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name." And just before he had inquired, " were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" as if he said, " remember the Name in which ye were bap- tized:" — and what other could that have been, than " in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?" S. Justin in his first apology describes how baptism, in his day, was performed : and after some other par- ticulars, thus continues : " super eo qui regenerari voluerit, et peccatorum poenitentiam egerit, parentis omnium et Domini Dei nomen pronuntiatur. — Sed et in nomine Jesu Christi sub Pontio Pilato crucifixi, et in nomine Spiritus Sancti, qui per prophetas omnia ad Jesum spectantia prsenuntiavit, is qui illuminatur, abluitur."9 " Opera, p. 80. Holy Baptism, 107 " The ancient author of the Recognitions of S. Cle- ment," as he is styled by Bingham who cites the pas- sage, thus speaks of baptism : " ideo accelerate : est enim in aquis istis, misericordise vis quaedam ; quae ex initio ferebatur super eas, et agnoscit eos qui bapti- zantur sub appellatione triplicis sacramenti, et eripit eos de suppliciis futuris." Also, the same author, in a place already quoted from the third book ; " bapti- zabitur autem unusquisque vestrum in aquis perenni- bus, nomine trinae beatitudinis invocato super se, Tertullian's tract " de baptismo," is naturally re- ferred to by almost every writer on this subject. But, before we come to the chief place in it, relating to the form of words, I would remark, that in the beginning he is arguing against those who, because the rites of this sacrament are few and simple, refuse to believe in the great blessings promised in the observance of it. I shall therefore extract the entire sentence, although a part of it only bears on our immediate subject. " Nihil adeo est quod tam obduret mentes hominum, quam simplicitas divinorum operum quae in actu vide- tur, et magnificentia quae in effectu repromittitur : ut hie quoque quoniam tanta simplicitate, sine pompa, sine apparatu novo aliquo, denique sine sumptu, homo in aqua demissus, et inter pauca verba tinctus non multo vel nihilo mundior resurgit, eo incredibilis exis- timetur consecutio aeternitatis." Here, the pauca verba " Lib. vj. §. 9. lib. iij. §• f)7. Cotelerius. tovx. 1. io8 Holy Baptism, must refer to the short form, which presently after- wards the writer makes plain mention of: " Lex enim tinguendi imposita est, et forma prsescripta. Ite, in- quit, docete nationes, tinguentes eas in nomen Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." And again, in his book against Praxeas, he declares that our Lord commanded all men to be baptized, " in Patrem, et Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum, non in unum."^^ S. Cyprian states the proper form, and traces it up to the commission given to the disciples. " Dominus enim post resurrectionem discipulos suos mittens quem- admodum baptizare deberent instruxit et docuit di- cens : Data est mihi onmis potestas in coelo et in terra. Ite ergo et docete gentes omnes baptizantes eos in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Lisinuat Trinita- tem, cujus sacramento gentes baptizarentur."^^ ^' Opera, pp. 224. 229. 516. by heretics. Upon this it is well See also his contemporary S. to quote some remarks of the Hippolytus, (against Noetus) : by learned editors of S. Ambrose, whom the form is cited in proof attached to his treatise de Mys- of the Personality of the Trinity teriis. cap. iv. " Quod vero ad in Unity, cap. xiv. Routh. Opus- Stephani opinionem, exstiterunt cula. p. 66. nostra memoria, qui contra placita ^'- Opera. JO. 131. The contro- veterum eum in quibuslibet ab versy between Stephen, bishop of haeresi redeuntibus, licet in Trini- Rome, and S. Cyprian, with re- tatis nomine non baptizatis, iterari spect to rebaptization, and the baptisma vetuisse disputarent. opinion of each, are well known. Illorum momentum praecipuura It has been said that they, who, est decretum ipsius Stephani a at that time and afterwards, agreed Cypriano contra ejusdem episto- with pope Stephen, did not dis- lam relatum, scihcet, si quis ergo tinguish between any of the bap- « quacumque hceresi venerit ad tisms said to have been conferred nns, nihil innovetur, etc. Item fiM j Holy Baptism, 109 I shall add two more authorities : first, S. Ambrose, He tells us ; " Credit catechumenus in crucem Do- mini Jesu, qua et ipse signatur : sed nisi baptizatus fuerit in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, re- missionem non potest accipere peccatorum, nee spiri- tualis gratise munus haurire."^^ And S. Augustin, in his sixth book on baptism, against the Donatists: " certa sunt ilia evangelica verba, sine quibus non potest baptismus consecrari :" and again in the same Augustini locus in lib. de unico hapt. cap. 14. ita loquentis: Ste- phaniis haptismum hcereticorum in nullo iterandum esse censebat. Verum forte an non satis adver- tere amborum verba ex usu qui per ea tempora vigebat, intelli- genda; sicut Eusebius lib. 7. cap. iij. et Vincentius Lerin. comm. 1. cap. xix. satis indicant : hsere- ticos autem rebaptizari ex tradi- tione fere communi eos solos moris fuisse, qui tincti sub Trinitatis invocatione non fuerant; ut con- stat auctoritate non modo lauda- torum auctorum, sed etiam Au- gustini passim contra Donatistas, Optati Milev. Facundi, atque alio- rum. Et sane Leo Magnus eam- dera criminationem non efFugeret, nisi simili modo accipietur id quod ait epist. 89. ad Nicetam ; Qui baptismmn ab hcereticis accepte- ruiit, sola S. Spiritus invoca- tione per impositionem manuu7n conjirmandi sunt : illic enim nulla haereticorum distinctio ex- primitur. Attamen multo etiam probabilius est conditionem illam, modo baptisma in nomine Trini- tatis collatum fuerit, a Stephano exaratam esse in sua epistola. Quid enim aliud sibi voluit Fir- milianus dum ita scripsit : Illud quoque absurdum., quo non pu- tant queerendum esse, quis sit ille qui baptizaverit ; eo quod qui baptizatus sit, gi^atiam con- sequi potuerit invocata Trini- tate nominum Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti 9 Idem quoque post narratam deemoniacae cujus- dam feminse historiam subdit: Quid igitur de hujusce baptisma dicemus — maxime cut nee sym- bolum defiiit Trinitatis, etc." Opera S. Ambros. torn. 2. p. 329. The student should read the epistle of Firmilian ; it is re- printed in the very useful collec- tion by Dr. Routh. Opnscula. torn. l.jo. 221. 1"^ Opera, torn. 2. p. 330. 1 1 o Holy Baptism. section, he repeats : " Deus adest evangelicis verbis suis, sine quibus baptismus Christi consecrari non potest."'* Yet I must not pass on, without mentioning the very important canon (the nineteenth) of the council of Nice. It is directed against the Paulianists, and lays persons, returning from that heresy to the Church, under several disabilities. It begins, to our present purpose, " Concerning the Paulianists, who have come over to the Catholic Church, the decision is, that they must by all means be baptized again." It is admitted upon all hands, that the reason for this order was, because the Paulianists denied the doctrine of the Trinity, and baptized under an improper form. If I am not mistaken, neither Balsamon nor Zonaras allude to this part of the canon, their gloss being chiefly taken up with the question of the Paulianist clergy : but Beverege, after an accurate disquisition on the exact heresy which was taught by that sect, proceeds thus : '' — primo tenendum est, Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum a mortuis suscitatum, priusquam ad Patrem suum ascenderet, in mandatis dedisse, ut ad Chris- tianam religionem conversi in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti baptizarentur. Hinc Catholica Ecclesia, idque summo quidem jure, perpetuo consentit, baptismum nemini rite coUatum esse, nisi juxta Do- " Opera, torn, ix. p. 176. — gelica verba" are "in nomine Compare the 3rd book of the Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti." same work: cap. xv. in which S. Ibid. p. 115. Augustin explains that the " Evan- Holy Baptism. 1 1 1 mini institutioiiem, ' in nomiiie, etc,' celebratus fuerit. — Hinc igitur est, quod patres hi Nicaeni Catharos qui- dem ad Ecclesiam accedentes baptizari non prsecipiant, can. 8. quippe qui antea, ' in nomine Patris etc,' bap- tizati fuerint." The canon reads, " a^a(3a7rTj^£ar0ai au- Tou?." The very learned annotator observes : " Vox a>aj3a7rTt^£(r6ai hic xaTa;)(^p?). branch of the Arians: and there 97. Annott. torn. 2. p. 100. could be no reason why the bap- ^^ The Eunomians were but a tism of the one should be rejected, Holy Baptism. 169 And now, being about to close my remarks, how- ever imperfectly, upon this part of my dissertation, — the Form in Baptism, — I must warn the reader against the hasty supposition that it has been entered into at too great a length. It is true, indeed, that our usual books and treatises upon this sacrament pass it over altogether with scarcely a remark : this, perhaps, in some instances, from the nature of the argument or discussion more immediately before the writers : and, in others, where we might reasonably have expected some account of the difficulties involved in it, or the resolution of those difficulties, it is not for me to suggest excuses why so important a subject has been thus con- temptuously disregarded. For, it is important. So many councils, in all parts of the world, from the earliest ages to within almost modern times, had it been otherwise, would not have deliberated on the particulars which, constituting its essentials, render a form valid or invalid : nor, would so many of the greatest fathers of the Church have exercised themselves in defending the true form, and in opposing varieties or corruptions which were con- and not of the other, except that into the death of Christ. Lib. the one had introduced some new 5, cap. xxiv. See above, the form. The canon itself remarks ' apostolical canon against this in- of Eunomius, that he had made novation. Cf. Arcudius, de con,' alterations ; baptizing with one cordia. p. 18. Catalani, com- immersion; but Socrates adds a menf. in Hit. Rom. torn. 1. p. 35. very important particular, namely, Waterland, Works, vol. 2. p. 187. that he taught his followers to The same argument applies to the baptize, not into the Trinity, but Sabellians. 170 Holy Baptism. tinually proposed : nor, lastly, would our own Church so pointedly enjoin her parish-priests to enquire, in order that they might decide upon the reality or the nullity of any baptism which they may be required to recog- nize and allow, " With what words was this child bap- tized?" Our Blessed Lord, it is universally acknowledged, gave to His disciples a plain injunction, in what Name all nations should be baptized : " in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Whatsoever dispensations from the necessity of using this form may be pleaded, it is beyond measure requi- site that they should not be pleaded merely, or conjec- tured, but should be both proved and grounded on an authority no less than that which issued the original command. Whatsoever changes, whether by addition or alteration of terms, may be introduced, even though it be upon the judgment of whole branches of the Catholic Church, it is equally requisite that they should be clearly shown to convey fully the entire meaning of the appointed and simple words, not explaining it away, or, far less, openly militating against it. It may perhaps be said, that, in our day and in the church of England, such doubts and difficulties, as would alone justify so long an investigation as we have entered into, are not likely to arise. It is undeniable, at least, that at any time any one of them might occur. And may it not be owing, in some measure, to the want of exact enquiry, according to the strict orders of the rubric, that our parish-priests are so Holy Baptism. 171 seldom, as it must be acknowledged that they are so seldom, troubled with any difficulties great or small; or, rather, are themselves so free from all anxiety and hesitation as to the validity of baptisms privately ad- ministered, and afterwards brought before them to be admitted and allowed ? For, what questions are they generally accustomed to put to those, who bring to them children which have been " privately " baptized? I scarcely hesitate to assert, that the practice of the vast majority of our clergy is, to sum up, as it were, the four questions of the ritual into one, and ask, Has this child been bap- tized ? Thus, delivering over to the judgment, if we ma}^ so call it, of others, the decision which, as the ministers of parishes, they are themselves bound to deliberate upon and determine ; or, carelessly accept- ing the assertions of a fact, upon the evidence of per- sons who are neither qualified, nor permitted to pro- nounce upon it. I say, that they are not permitted ; nay, they are forbidden to pronounce upon it, because their witness is desired to certain circumstances ; first, as to the person by whom the child was baptized ; and, as to the persons present on the occasion ; these are preliminary points of enquiry. Next, as to two " things essential to the Sacrament, which through fear or haste in such times of extremity, may happen to have been omitted ;" namely, as to the matter and the form. Then, these facts being before the proper judge, " the minister of the parish," he is to " find " from them, whether in- 172 Holy Baptism, deed, and truly, " all things were done as they ought to be." And, if he can so determine, he is to say, " / certify you, that in this case all is well done, and ac- cording unto due order, concerning the baptizing of this child." Or, let me allow that frequently the first question of the four is put by the minister : " By whom was this child baptized?" And I again assert, that it is very seldom that the examination does not also end with that question, as with it it began. From which we can only come to one of these two reasonable conclusions ; either, that a minister is the single essential particular of a valid administration of the sacrament ; or, that, as before, the persons who bring the child are the proper judges of the sufficiency of the matter and the form. So much then, (for I am desirous not to dwell upon it) as regards the common practice of too many of our clergy. I repeat that I shall not be surprised if it shall seem to some of them unnecessary to have argued at so great a length, the subject of the form in bap- tism ; but objections from such quarters are beneath consideration. If, on the one hand, their disobedience to the careful orders of the rubric arises from contempt of that very care and caution, (which I cannot suppose to be except in most rare instances,) they should be advised, rebuked, corrected : if, on the other, from ignorance, they should be taught. And a few words, further, to those who are accus- tomed, with all diligence, to put the several questions Holy Baptism. ^7?> appointed in the ritual, upon every occasion of bringing to the church children who have been privately bap- tized/^ Not one or two of the questions, but all, and in their due order. ^•^ I do not wish to pass over altogether without notice the fact, (and I may remark upon it here) that private administration of bap- tism being allowed in cases of necessity, the Church has always strongly prohibited it at all other times. The only exception which she has been accustomed to re- cognise, is that of princes and other rulers. Thus it was ordered by the rubric of the old manuals ; " Non licet aliquem baptizare in aula, camera, vel aliquo loco pri- vate, sed duntaxat in ecclesiis in quibus sunt fontes ad hoc special- iter ordinati, nisi fuerit filius regis vel principis, aut talis necessitas emerserit propter quam ad eccle- siam accessus absque periculo ha- beri non potest." Monum. Ri- tualia, vol. \. p. 29. This kind of baptism, so allowed, was not strictly " private : " inasmuch as it was conferred with all the usual rites and ceremonies of solemn and public administration. Lyndwood observes upon and allows the exception, specified in the rubric, in his gloss on the constitution of archbishop Ed- mund. Lib. III. tit. 24. Baptis- terium. verb. domi. Quite agreeable to the rule of the English church, were the prohibitions of foreign councils ; thus, in the 14th century, a syno- dal statute of the diocese of Or- leans : " Injungimus vobis pres- byteris sub poena canonica, ne aliquem audeatis baptizare in aulis vel domibus privatorum, sed solum in ecclesiis vestris, nisi in neces- sitate, et nisi baptizandi sint filii regum et principum." Veterum script, torn, vii.p. 1290. To the same purpose a contemporary synodal of the church of Cambrai, ibid. p.V64& : compare Martene, Thes. aneedot. torn. iv. p. 684. 974. Indeed, at that period there seems to have been a great abuse in this respect : and a decree was introduced into the general body of the canon-law. Clementin. lib. iij. tit. 15. The idle desire of people to have their children baptized at home, is seldom listened to in modern days : and there are, hap- pily, now in our Church few pa- rish-priests who would consent to such a violation of the rules and spirit of their ritual. In the seventeenth century, a great laxity of practice prevailed : and 174 Holy Baptism. Now, it is not, by any means, an unlikely event, that the parties who bring the infant may not be able to state " with what words " the baptism had been conferred. This might be from many causes : from want of memory, for example ; or, again, " the same fear and haste in times of extremity," which demanded an immediate baptism,— a dying child, and anxiety, and sorrow, — may easily be supposed to have prevented an accurate observation of the exact words which the minister pronounced. It is a ready answer, " then let the priest baptize it hypothetically, as the rubric enjoins at the end of this same office ; " but I do not think it is a safe or a becoming answer. I shall speak presently on this hypothetical form, and shall here merely observe, that it cannot be so understood as to relieve the minister of the parish from all responsibility, and from the exercise of his own judgment in the immediate case before him. It can be indeed rightly resorted to. the excellent bishop Bull exerted crament of baptism reformed." himself earnestly to suppress it. Works, vol. 2. p. 22. See his life, p. 366. He says, Upon another detail, quite wor- himself in one of his charges, thy the consideration of the cler- (1708): "If private baptism gy, namely, the giving improper [cases of necessity excepted] may names to children at baptism, and be allowed, away with the fonts the power of the bishop to change in your churches ; what do they them at confirmation, I must refer signify ? to what purpose are they the reader to my observations in there? If all the authority I am the Monumenta Ritualia, vol. 1. invested with can do it, I will see p. ccx. ccxvj. this lamentable abuse of the sa- Holy Baptism. 175 when no information whatever can be obtained, as to the words which had been used. But, supposing that they who bring the child re- member, and directly testify that the minister, whoever he was, and for whatever reason, omitted to say, *' I baptize thee ; " doing no more than pour water on the child, and saying " In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," what then ? or, if he said " I baptize thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, and of the Father, and of the Holy Ghost ? " or, " in the Name of Jesus," only ? or, once more, if he said " and of the Holy Spirit?" I would further insist that, in case of such unusual alterations or omissions in the form, it is highly probable that the attention of those who were present would have been excited; they would remember it ; and be ready to bear witness to the fact. Surely, therefore, I would hope that the attempt which I have made to direct the reader to the considera- tion of the principles by which, in such difficulties, the Church has been guided, and of the rules which she has laid down, with regard to known deviations from the appointed form, may not be without some useful result ; either, in determining doubts, if there be any on occasions which none can foresee : or, in enabling the minister of a parish to apply to the particular case which may fall under his judgment, the general prin- ciples on which, as I have just said, the Church has acted. 1^6 Holy Baptism. CHAPTEE VIII. SHALL proceed now to the consideration of this question, " WTio is the proper minister of the sacrament of baptism ? " An enquiry which will be found to lead us into some examination of another question, — not a little important at this time to be answered by the clergy of the church of England, according to their best belief, either in the negative or the affirmative, — namely, the validity of lay-baptism ; or, in other words, the validity of a baptism conferred by an improper, or unauthorized minister. It is clear that the commission to baptize, as record- ed by S. Matthew, was given by our Blessed Lord, not to his followers generally, but to the eleven apostles. It was to them, and to them only, that He said ; " Go ye, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, etc.'' By these words the apostles were invested with authority to deliver this commission to others : " Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." The power then bestowed was not to die with them, but to continue, equally in their successors as in themselves, even unto the end. Indeed, it was a necessary consequence of the prophecy, that the Church on earth was to remain until the last great Day, that also there should never be wanting the due means of admitting " all nations " within her fold. Holy Baptism, 177 To whom, therefore, during their own lives, did the apostles deliver this commission ? The sacred writings tell us, not only to bishops and presbyters but to deacons. For Philip, the deacon, in Samaria, baptized " both men and women ; " and it was at his hands also that the Ethiopian eunuch received the sacrament of baptism/ So that we have the inspired example of the apostles themselves, that ministers in the inferior rank of deacons were qualified to baptize. I am not able to perceive any reason why this power or qualification was not an essential part of their com- mission as deacons, in the same way as it was, unde- niably, an essential part of the commission given to priests. The sacred history relates the acts of Philip the deacon, in such a manner, I feel confident, as would have convinced every one that, in baptizing, he was but exercising an usual and lawful office of his ministry, if there never had arisen any controversy on the matter. We are told, as it were, as a matter of course, that " he baptized." It is true, that so early in the annals of the Church, as in the apostolical canons, (concerning the antiquity of which I have already declared my opinion,) we find bishops and priests not only spoken of as the ministers of baptism, but also, in such a way, as evidently to shew that already deacons were not commonly per- mitted to exercise this particular of their duties : holding only so low a rank, — being merely (as their ^ Acts. ch. viij. 12. 38. N 178 Holy Baptism, name imports) servants and ministers, — there was ample authority in the Church to restrain the powers of their office ; which, nevertheless, would not cease fully to belong to them, if they disobediently chose unnecessarily to exercise it ; for, as I have above said, we cannot discover from the sacred records, that it was not a constant particular of their commission as deacons. The apostolical canons which plainly speak of the ministers of baptism, are these : " Si quis episcopus, vel presbyter, ex Domini ordinatione non baptizaverit in Patrem, etc. deponatur." And ; " Si quis episcopus, vel presbyter non tria unius mysterii baptismata perfe- cerit, etc. deponatur." " I say, " plainly speak," because other canons have been cited, which seem scarcely to be so relied upon, as the subject of them is not so much the administration of baptism, as the judgment which should be given respecting the validity of bap- tisms said to have been conferred before :'' which would not fall within the proper functions of a deacon, but of a priest or bishop. But, in the constitutions (so called) of the apostles, ^ Can. xlix. 1. terum, qui hsereticorum baptisma ^ They are these : the xlvijth : admiserit, deponi jubemus." Bal- " Episcopus vel presbyter, eum samon's commentary on the 47th qui vere habet baptisma, si de in- canon, confirms the view which I tegro baptizaverit, vel si eum qui here take. See Beverege. Pan- ab impiis pollutus est, non bapti- elect, canon, torn. i. p. JH. I zaverit, deponatur: etc." and the would not, however, strongly in- xlvj th : " Episcopum vel presby- sist upon it. Holy Baptism. 179 we find deacons forbidden to baptize in much more express terms : distinguishing, (as Bingham says, quo- ting one place,) the offices of presbyter and deacon from each other : and, certainly, it does so ; though whether this be rather according to the practice of the time, than to the original powers attached to, and inherent in, the respective offices, remains to be deter- mined. We there read : " Presbyter quidem doceat, offerat, baptizet, benedicat populo ; diaconus vero mi- nistret episcopo, ac presbyteris ; hoc est, ministerium seu diaconatum exerceat; sed non peragat csetera." Again, without reservation apparently, it must be acknowledged, of any kind, it is declared : " Diaconus non benedicit, non dat benedictionem ; — non baptizat ; non off*ert, etc''* In reference to these and similar passages, of which many might be collected from the writings of the primitive ages, I do not think that more can, after all, be reasonably concluded than this : that, very shortly after the days of the apostles themselves, it seemed good to the Church, so to restrain the power of admi- nistering baptism, which, by their ordination, deacons possessed, as not to permit it, except in cases of neces- sity, when a priest or bishop was not at hand. If the * Lib. 3. cap. xx. lib. 8. ccqj. text) bishops and priests have xxviij. Bingham likewise appeals authority to baptize, but all the to the 11th ch. of the 3rd book, rest of the clergy, lectors, &c., by which, without specifying the are forbidden, deacons (as Cotelerius edits the i8o Holy Baptism, diaconate, no less than the priesthood, be a divinely instituted order ; — if it be true, as the preface to our Ordinal holds, *' that from the Apostles' time there have been these orders of ministers in Christ's Church ; bishops, priests, and deacons ;" — then, also of divine institution, there must be certain functions and offices constituting each order, and distinguishing it from the others either above it, or below it. They who would argue that the right and power to baptize does not form an essential part of the office of a deacon, and yet allow it to be so as regards the priest- hood, must rely upon the sacerdotal character of the one as opposed to the other .^ But there is a very ^ The schoolmen are tolerably unanimous on this point ; see Sco- tus in IV. sent. disp. xv. cit. Card. Laura^a; and the following is the sum of the conclusions of Aquinas: " H Dicuntur autem diaconi, quasi ministri : quia videlicet ad diaconos non pertinet aliquod sacramentum principaliter, et quasi ex proprio officio praebere, sed adhibere mi- nisterium aliis majoribus in sacra- mentorum exhibitione. Et sic ad diaconum non pertinet, quasi ex proprio officio, tradere sacramen- tum baptismi, sed in collatione hujus sacramenti, et aliorum assis- tere,etministrare majoribus. Unde Isidorus, etc. \J,n deer. d. 35. c. PerJectisS] H Ad primum ergo dicendum, quod ad diaconum per- tinet recitare evang-elium in eccle- sia, et pra^dicare ipsum per mo- dum catechizantis : — non sequi- tur, quod ad diaconos pertineat officium baptizandi. H Ad tertium dicendum, quod quia baptismus est sacramentum ne- cessitatis, permittitur diaconis, necessitate urgente, in absentia majorumbaptizare; etc." Summa. Pars. III. qucest. Ixvij. art. 1. In the next article of the same question, is considered ; Utrum haptizare pertineat ad officium preshyterortim. Upon this Aqui- nas answers, generally, against the objections ; (having shewn that priests are consecrated "ut sacra- mentum corporis Christi confi- ciant;") " H Per baptismum ali- quis fit particeps ecclesiasticae unitatis, unde et accipit jus ad Holy Baptism. i8i remarkable fact against such a conclusion; and I cannot but insist upon it as an evident proof that the restriction so frequently pressed and enjoined with respect to deacons in the primitive ages was but one of discipline only, justly within the jurisdiction of the Church, and not affecting the inherent rights, and privileges, and duties of the Order. It is this ; that in the first instance in which we have any trace of the restriction, we find it applied equally to both priests and deacons. Thus, S. Ignatius writes to the church at Smyrna ; " non licet sine episcopo, neque baptizare, neque agapen celebrare : sed quodcunque ille proba- verit, hoc et Deo est beneplacitum : ut tutum ratumque mensam Domini accedendi, etideo, sicut ad sacerdotem pertinet con- secrare eucharistiam (ad quod principaliter sacerdotium ordina- \.Mv)ita ad jjroprium officium sa- cerdotis pertinefhapfizare ; ejus- dem enim videtur esse operari totum, et partem in toto disponere. ^ Ad priraum ergo dicendum, quod utrumque officium, scilicet docendi, et baptizandi, Dominus apostolis injunxit, quorum vicem gerunt episcopi : aliter tamen, et aliter. Nam officium docendi commisit eis Christus, ut ipsi per se illud exercerent, tanquam prin- cipalissimum : — officium autem baptizandi commisit apostolis, ut per alios exercendum ; — et hoc ideo, quia in baptizando nihil opera- tur raeritum, et sapientia ministri, sicut in docendo, in cujus etiam signum nee ipse Dominus baptiza- vit, sed discipuli ejus. Nee tamen per hoc excluditur, quia episcopi possint baptizare : quia, quod po- test potestas inferior, potest et superior ; unde et apostolus ibi- dem dicit, se quosdam baptizasse. 5[. — Per baptismum non adipis- citur aliquis, nisi infimum gradum in populo Christiano : et ideo bap- tizare pertinet ad minoresprincipes ecclesise, idest ad presbyteros, qui tenent locum septuaginta duorum discipulorum Christi. ^ Sacra- mentum baptismi est potissimum necessitate : sed quantum ad per- fectionem, sunt qusedam alia po- tiora, quae episcopis reservantur." Ibid. art. ij. I«2 Holy Baptism. sit quodcumque agitur."^ And Tertullian: " Superest ad concludendam materiolam, de observatione quoque dandi et accipiendi baptismum commonefacere. Dandi quidem habet jus summus sacerdos, qui est episcopus ; dehinc presbyteri et diaconi ; non tamen sine episcopi auctoritate, propter ecclesige honorem ; quo salvo, salva pax est."^ Other assertions from the fathers are quoted to the same effect by many writers ; especially the following. From S. Ambrose in his treatise on the sacraments : " Adscendisti de fonte, etc. Succinctus summus sa- cerdos ; licet enim et presbyteri fecerint, tamen exor- dium ministerii a summo est sacerdote."*^ And from the dialogue of S. Jerome against the Luciferians : " Ecclesise salus in summi sacerdotis dignitate pendet. '' Epist. ad. Smyrnseos. §. viij. Coteler. torn. 2. p. 37. ' De baptismo. cap. 17. Opera, p. 230. Bingham appeals to these and other passages, and indeed I would refer the reader to the beginning of his treatise on Lay Baptism, in which the subject is discussed in greater detail, than I either desire or have space to give to it. Among other places, he cites the following from a bishop, an anonymous con- temporary of S. Cyprian ; which, however, seems to be very doubt- ful in its application to this argu- ment, as the reader will perceive by a comparison with the con- text ; " Siquidem per nos bap- tisma tradetur, integre et solem- niter et per omnia quae scripta sunt, adsignetur, atque sine ulla uUius rei separatione tradatur : aut si a minore clero per necessi- tatem traditum fuerit, eventum exspectemus, ut aut suppleatur a nobis, aut a Domino supplendum reservetur." Opera S. Cypr. p. 360. ^ Lib. 3. cap. 1. Opera, torn. 2. p. 361. The Benedictine editors ob- serve ; " usitatum erat istis ssecu- lis, ut episcopus summi sacerdotis, ac episcopatus summi sacerdotii nomine vocarentur." Holy Baptism, 183 — Inde venit, ut sine chrismate et episcopi jussione, neque presbyter, neque diaconus jus habeant bapti- zandi."^ Theologians of the church of Rome are accustomed to distinguish between the right and power of priests and deacons, in their function of administering baptism, to a greater extent than appears to me to be fairly deducible from the testimonies and rules of the primi- tive ages. They speak of the one as the ordinary and " ex officio" minister of baptism: of the other, as ex- traordinary and by delegation. Thus Tournely says; " Minister ordinarius et ex officio ille est, qui jure ordinationis suae et acceptse a Christo auctoritatis, do- cendi et baptizandi potestatem habet. Hanc vero duobus modis habere potest, nempe vel sine uUa a superiori dependentia, quales sunt episcopi : — vel cum dependentia et subordinatione ad superiorem, quales sunt simplices sacerdotes, quibus olim baptizare non licebat nisi ex licentia episcoporum : non quidem prop- ter defectum auctoritatis acceptse in ordinatione sua, sed ad majorem episcopatus honorem et commenda- tionem. — Minister extraordinarius seu ex delegatione ille est, cui, utpote vi ordinationis suse ad functiones aliquas sacras destinato, jus baptizandi episcopi con- cedere possunt, quales sunt diaconi."^° Bellarmin also ; " Catholici doctores communi con- sensu affirmant; prime, jus baptizandi ex officio ordi- nario convenire solis sacerdotibus, id est, episcopis et ^ Opera, torn. 2. p. 182. " De baptismo. p. 272. 1 84 Holy Baptism, presbyteris, sic tamen, ut presbyteris conveniat cum subordinatione, et dependentia ab episcopis. — Secundo docent, diaconis quoque ex officio convenire baptizare, sed in absentia sacerdotum, aut eorum jussu."^^ Still more plainly, the Tridentine catechism ; upon the question " Qui propr^ii s'mt ministri baptismi. Do- ceantur igitur fideles, triplicem est eorum ordinem : ac in primo quidem episcopos et sacerdotes collocandos esse ; quibus datum est, ut jure suo, non extraordinaria aliqua potestate, hoc munus exerceant. — Quod vero sacerdotes jure suo banc functionem exerceant, ita ut prsesente etiam episcopo ministrare baptismum possint, ex doctrina patrum et usu ecclesise constat. — Quod si aliquando patres sacerdotibus sine episcopi venia, bap- tizandi jus permissum non esse dixerunt ; id de eo baptismo, qui certis anni diebus solemni cseremonia administrari consueverat, intelligendum videtur. Se- cundum ministrorum locum obtinent diaconi ; quibus, sine episcopi, aut sacerdotis concessu, non licere hoc sacramentum administrare, plurima sanctorum patrum decreta testantur."'" And, without delaying further upon this, I cannot but add, that Bingham not merely consents to, but goes beyond this position. He says ; " this point was clear among the ancients, beyond all dispute, that presbyters had only a derivative and subordinate power to baptize as well as others." ^^ *^ Opera, torn. 2. p. 122. " Lay Baptism, p. 19. Albas- ^- P. 105. edit. Aldus. 1366. pinaeus also, in his annotations on Holy Baptism. 185 But, as I have already observed, all this seems to me to make too great a distinction between the powers of the episcopate, of the priesthood, and of the diaco- nate, in the administration of baptism. If it had been said that baptisms administered either by priests or deacons against the declared will of the bishop are irregular, it would have been more correct. For the prohibition which, it is true, was laid upon deacons, it is no less true, was directed also under similar cir- cumstances against priests. If a bishop was present, neither priest nor deacon could baptize, anciently, without his license ; and if a priest was present, a dea- con was not permitted to baptize. But the prohibition against the performance by either, lay equally against both : and if a priest could baptize by virtue of his orders, so also could a deacon. In neither case was an express permission required, so that the one should act by a continually repeated delegation, as occasions happened, and not the other.^* certain Gallic councils, at the end confirms this view : where, speak- of his work on the ancient rites ing of baptism he warns the can- of the Church, takes a similar didate, " when thou goest to the view : and this, as well with re- bishops, or presbyters, or deacons, spect to the absolution of peni- (for its grace is everywhere, in tents, as to baptism. j». 415. villages and in cities, on them of low as on them of high degree, " Without desiring to press on bondsmen and on freemen, for the passage beyond its reasonable this grace is not of men, but the bounds, (so as to bear, that is, on gift is from God through men,) lay-baptism,) I think a statement approach the minister of baptism, by S. Cyril of Jerusalem, fully but approaching, think not of the I 86 Holy Baptisjn. In the first ages of the Church, when adult baptism was the rule rather than, as in later days, the exception ; and when there seldom occurred cases of such emer- gence or necessity as to require the immediate admi- nistration of this sacrament ; all catechumens were reserved until one of the great festivals appointed for the solemn celebration of holy baptism. Hence it became an office to be especially performed by the bishop himself ; and rules and restrictions were found necessary, (as we find from their constant repetition in those times,) in order to restrain this privilege, and prevent the encroachments which were certain to be attempted by priests in the presence of bishops, and by deacons in the presence of both priests and bishops/^ Nor has the western Church since the first centu- ries, at any period, altogether removed the restriction which has thus been directed against the unlimited exercise by deacons of their right to administer bap- face of him thou seest, but re- member that Holy Ghost of whom we are speaking." Catech. xvij. §. 33. Opera. />. 281. See the note also of the Benedictine edi- tor. ^^ See on this subject Thomas- sin, de heneficiis, part. 1. lib. 2. cap. xxiij. Van Espen connects the right of priests to baptize with their office as curates of parishes : that office, and with it the power independently ,yw;T/»'o/»7'o et or- dlnario, of administering solemnly the sacrament of baptism, being still (and truly so far) derived from the bishop. He adds: "NuUi presbytero, diacono, aut clerico, licet baptizare cum consuetis cae- remoniis, et extra casum necessi- tatis in aliqua parochia, sine li- centia parochi aut episcopi : quam tamen licentiam episcopus, in prae- judicium parochi, nee dare solet, nee facile dare debet." Jus ce- des, pars. II. §. 1. tit. ij. Holy Baptism, 187 tism, in virtue of their orders. This, however, was not always stated in the same manner. For example, the rituals of the English church, before the revision of her Service-books, in the six- teenth century, did not in the ordinals which were adopted in her various dioceses specify the restriction, but, on the contrary, simply declared this fact : " Dia- conum oportet ministrare ad altare, evangelium legere, baptizare, et praedicare." ^^ Then, (with the secret saying by the bishop, " Accipe Spiritum Sanctum,") after some prayers and a proper Preface, the com- mission followed to execute this office of a deacon, so largely explained as to its particulars : "In nomine Sanctse Trinitatis, accipe stolam immortalitatis : imple ministerium tuum, e^c."^^ But from age to age there were continually repeated ^° Cardinal Cajetan states the argument derived from this admo- nition in the Latin Ordinal, that in it, the duties of deacons are expressly laid down, both to preach and baptize ; and he thus meets it. " Ad hoc dicitur, quod utrumque verum est diversimode intelligendo. Nam ad diaconos spectat, et baptizare et praedicare ex impositione, hoc est, si ab episcopo, sen presbytero sibi im- ponatur. Non spectat autem ad diaconos praedicare, aut baptizare ex officio. Ratio quoque literae solida consistit, fundata super of- ficio diaconi absolute : ex quo enim officium ejus est ministrare, infer- tur rationabiliter, quod, si actibus superiorum se immiscet, nonnisi ministerialiter ad eos se habet, et propterea recte infertur, non com- petere sibi ex officio praedicare, aut baptizare, cum quo tamen stat, ut dictum est, quod utrumque po- test ei competere ex impositione : hoc enim ostendit ministrum ip- sum esse officialium eorum, qui ex officio hsec possunt." Ad Sum, Aquin. fars. iii. queest. Ixvij. art. 1. This answer seems to beg the question. " Monumenta Ritualia. vol. 3. p. 191. 198. 1 88 Holy Baptism, canons of diocesan and provincial councils directed to the limitation of this commission : summed up and enforced by the unanimous consent also of the canonists. Thus Hostiensis, on the title, btqitizare quis possit vel debeat: " Hoc officium ad presbyterum tantum, vel episcopum, et diaconum in necessitate, vel de praedic- torum mandato pertinet." ^^ Lyndwood also, in plainer terms: "In casu necessitatis, absente presbytero, potest diaconus suo jure baptizare ; — sed in ecclesia prsesente presbytero, non potest, etiamsi necessitas exigat, nisi jussus a presbytero, puta, cum multi sint qui indigent baptismo, et presbyter non potest omnibus sufficere."^'^ Now, however, in the revised ordinal of our Church, the power to baptize, and the limitation of it, are both expressed in the exposition of the duties of the dia- conate, which precedes the act itself of ordination. " It appertaineth to the office of a deacon in the church where he shall be appointed to serve, — in the absence of the priest to baptize infants, etc.'' And the deli- very of the commission follows : " Take thou authority to execute the office of a deacon." "° ^^ Siimma. Uh. ill. ruhr.yX\]. extrema necessitas imminet bapti- ^" Lib. 3. tit. 24. Baptisterium zandi, de jure suo solemniter ut habeatur. verb, diaconi. sacerdotes communiter faciunt " De ministro baptism! qualis baptizare." Pupilla Oculi. pars. esse debeat primitus est dicendum. 2. cap. ij. Pro quo nota ; quod nullus debet ^^ In the Ordinals of 1549, and solemniter baptizare in ecclesia, of 1532, the admonition more nisi sacerdos : excepto necessi- nearly followed the examples of tatis articulo. Potest vero dia- the older forms : simply declaring conus in absentia presbyteri, si that " it pertaincth to the office Holy Baptism, 189 But, whatever the truth may be as regards this question, — whether deacons administer baptism only by a delegated power, and a constantly renewed per- mission, as many argue ; or rather, as it seems to me, in virtue of their orders, though under certain rules and restrictions ; — a much more difficult inquiry is that, which is involved in what is called, the validity or the invalidity of lay-baptism. There are already many excellent treatises written upon both sides of this question, exhausting the argu- ments both for and against it, and producing almost every known testimony from the fathers and early councils. I shall not therefore think it necessary to enter into it at any length. I propose merely to lay before the reader some of the chief authorities which have been brought forward to prove the validity of lay-baptism in the Catholic Church ; and I shall then proceed to consider, in the next chapter, the same question with regard to the church of England, at the period immediately succeeding the reformation, and as her ritual stands at present. The first direct authority in favour of lay-baptism, is TertuUian. I have already quoted a part of this passage, but it will be well now to repeat it in con- nexion with what follows. "Dandi [baptismum] quidem of a deacon to baptize." The was then taken by the bishops, to addition inserted at the last Re- return as much as possible to the view, in 1662, " in the absence of ancient rules and practices of the the priest," is another among the Church. many instances of the care which 1 90 Holy Baptism . habet jus summus sacerdos, qui est episcopus : dehinc presbyteri et diaconi ; non tamen sine episcopi auctori- tate, propter ecclesiae honorem, quo salvo, salva pax est. Alioquin etiam laicis jus est, quod enim ex aequo accipitur, ex aequo dari potest, nisi episcopi jam, aut presbyteri, aut diaconi \ ocantur discentes ; Domini sermo non debet abscondi ab ullo. Proinde et bap- tismus, aequo Dei census, ab omnibus exerceri potest : sed quanto magis laicis disciplina verecundiae et mo- destiae incumbit ? cum ea majoribus competant, ne sibi adsumant dicatum episcopis officium episcopatus. ^mulatio, schismatum mater est. Omnia licere dixit sanctissimus apostolus, sed non omnia expedire. Suf- ficiat scilicet, in necessitatibus utaris, sicubi, aut loci, aut temporis, aut personae conditio compellit. Tunc enim constantia succurrentis excipitur, cum urget circumstantia periclitantis. Quoniam reus erit per- diti hominis, si supersederit praestare quod libere potuit."^^' The acknowledged peculiarities of TertuUian's opi- nions on various subjects, supply an obvious objection against the correctness of his argument, and the sound- ness of his conclusion : but the point is not so much here his opinion, as the weight which we are to attri- bute to him, as evidence to a fact. If about the same time there was a like testimony to the contrary effect ; or if TertuUian's opinion in this matter had been immediately condemned by the general voice of the Church ; or if, once more, when cited or alluded to by ^' Opera, p. 230. Holy Baptism, 191 other writers of little less than equal antiquity, his judgment had been refuted and disowned ; we could not but have regarded it, as one of those opinions which were peculiar to himself. So far, however, is it from any thing of this kind, that as Tertullian, so also do other writers when they speak of lay-baptism at all, speak of it as being valid, in cases of necessity.^" Reminding the reader of the famous case of the boys, baptized by S. Athanasius, also at that time a boy, in their play upon the sea-shore,"^ I shall pass on ^^ We may echo the words of Hooker ; speaking- of his own time : " Yea, ' Baptism by any man in case of necessity' was the voice of the whole world hereto- fore." Ecc. Polity, hook 5. ch. Ixj. §. 3. ^ It will be well however to give the account of it in a note, in the words of an historian who declares that he received the story from those who had conversed with S. Athanasius. " Tempore, quo apud Alexandriam, Petri mar- tyris diem Alexander episcopus agebat, quum post expleta solen- nia conventuros ad convivium suum clericos exspectaret in loco mari vicino : videt eminus puero- rum supra oram maris ludum imi- tantium, ut fieri solet, episcopum, atque ea quae in ecclesia geri mos est. Sed quum intentius diutine pueros inspectaret, videt ab his geri quaedam etiam secretiora et mystica. Perturbatus illico vo- cari ad se clericos jubet, atque eis, quid eminus ipse videret, ostendit. Turn abire eos et comprehensos ad se perducere omnes pueros im- perat. Quumque adessent, quis eis ludus, et quid egissent, vel quomodo, percunctatur. Illi, ut talis habet aetas, pavidi, negare primo, deinde rem gestam per ordinem pandunt, et baptizatos a se esse quosdara catechumenos confxic"* ; per Athanasium, qui ludi illius puerilis episcopus fuerat simulatus. Tum ille diligenter inquirens ab his, qui baptizati di- cebantur, quid interrogati fuerint, quidve responderint, simul et ab eo, qui interrogaverat. Ubi videt, secundum religionis nostrse ritum cuncta constare, conlocutus cum concilio clericorum, statuisse tra- ditur, illis, quibus integris inter- rogationibus et responsionibus aqua fuerit infusa, iterari baptis- 192 Holy Baptism. at once to the statements of S. Augustine. There are two places usually appealed to in his works. The one is. '' Etsi laicus aliquis pereunti dederit [baptis- mum] necessitate compulsus, quod cum ipse acciperet, quomodo dandum esset addidicit, nescio an pie quis- quam dixerit esse repetendum. Nulla enim cogente necessitate si fiat, alieni muneris usurpatio est : si autem necessitas urgeat, aut nullum, aut veniale de- lictum est. Sed etsi nulla necessitate usurpetur, et a quolibet cuilibet detur, quod datum fuerit non potest dici non datum, quamvis recte dici possit illicite da- tum."'^ It has been argued against this passage that S. Augustine is only allowing a doubt : but the fair in- terpretation to be put upon his words, and the expres- sion " nescio an pie quisquam dixerit," especially in connexion with what follows, is, not that he doubted what the truth was, but that so far as an individual he might do so, he is giving a decision upon the mat- ter. And there can be no such objection made against the passage which I am now about to quote, and which is the more remarkable, as an evidence of his own opinion, inasmuch as he declares that the question itself had never been defined by a general council. In inquiring therefore into the sense in which w^e ought to understand S. Auo-ustine in his treatise ao-ainst Parmenian, we must not fail to remember what he has mum non debere, sed adimpleri ^^ Contra epist. Parmeniani. ea qiige a sacerdotibus mos est." lib. '2. §. 29. Opera, torn. h. p. Ruffin. Hist. lib. 1. c. xiv. 43. Holy Baptism, 193 also said in other parts of his works. " Sed nobis tiitum est," are his words, " in ea non progredi aliqua temeritate sententice, quae nullo in catholico regionali concilio coepta, nullo plenario terminata sunt : id au- tem fiducia securse vocis asserere, quod in guberna- tione Domini Dei nostri et Salvatoris Jesu Christi, universalis ecclesise consensione roboratum est. Verum- tamen si quis forte me in eo concilio constitutum, ubi talium rerum qusestio versaretur, non prsecedentibus talibus, quorum sententias sequi mallem, urgeret ut dicerem quid ipse sentirem : si eo modo aifectus essem, quo eram cum ista dictarem, nequaquam dubitarem habere eos baptismum, qui ubicunque, et a quibus- cumque illud verbis evangelicis consecratum, sine sua simulatione, et cum aliqua fide accepissent." ^^ Also there is this place in S. Jerome's dialogue against the Luciferians ; forming part of a passage which I have already cited. " Sine chrismate et episcopi jussione, neque presbyter neque diaconus jus habeant baptizandi. Quod frequenter, si tamen ne- cessitas cogit, scimus etiam licere laicis."^^ ^ De baptismo. lih. vij. §. 102. mo: he will observe that S. Augus- ihid. p. 202. tine is discussing lay-baptisna not It must also be noticed, that simply in cases of necessity, but this passage, which as a mere ex- under other and more exception- tract appears sufficiently to the able circumstances, purpose, carries with it far greater "" Opera, torn. 2. ^. 182. weight, when considered with its In the commentary of Remigius, context. And the student will do a bishop, (before the year 500) on well to examine carefully the last the first epistle to the Corinthians, sections of this treatise de haptis- ch. 1. v. 17, we read: — " in pri- 194 Holy Baptism, Having transcribed these, the first notices which are to be found in the fathers upon this subject, I must refer the reader who desires to examine later evidences and authorities, from like sources, to the common books in which they may be found collected : espe- cially to Bingham's scholastical history of lay-bap- tism, on the one hand, and to Laurence's tracts, upon the other. I think, however, that I ought here to add the earliest conciliar decision of any branch of the Church. This is the very famous canon of the council of Eli- beris (Elvira in Spain) about the year 304. " Peregre navigantes, aut si ecclesia in proximo non fuerit, posse fidelem, qui lavacrum suum integrum habet, nee sit bigamus, baptizare in necessitate infirmitatis positum catechumenum : ita ut si supervixerit, ad episcopum eum perducat, ut per manus impositionem proficere possit.""^ Now, whatever restrictions this canon im- mordio eiiim fidei omnes fideles The words " qui lavacrum suum baptizabant, et non solum viri, integrum habet," have been va- sed etiam mulieres, si quando ne- riously understood. Bingham, fol- cessitas imminebat. Sed ne tan- lowing Vossius, supposes that they tum ministerium vilesceret, aut relate to clinic baptism : but Al- non recte a simplicioribus comple- baspinaeus refers them, as I have retur, crescente numero fidelium in the text, to cases of lapse after per universas civitates, et villas, baptism. Independently of other decretum est, ut tantum episcopi, post-baptismal sins, the days of et presbyteri baptizent, et, si ne- persecution had not passed away, cessitas fuerit, diaconi." Bibl. Pa- when the council of Eliberis was trum, torn. 8. p. 948. held : and the occurrence of a ^■^ Concil. Mansi, torn. 2. col. denial of the faith was one very 12. can. xxxviij. likely, and with justice, to fall I Holy Baptism, 195 posed upon the administration of baptism by lay-per- sons, — and it is clear that there are several, viz : that it should be in cases only of necessity, and not by bigamists, nor by those whose own baptism had been defiled by after lapse, — yet the fact remains, that under certain circumstances such baptisms were to be recognized as valid. In short, it must be acknowledged, that since the fourth century, every notice respecting the administra- tion of baptism by lay-persons tends to prove, that in cases of necessity it was not only to be recognized, but to be considered regular. We cannot suppose, if before the fourth century lay baptism was not only irregular but invalid, that at that time, when the prac- tice of the apostolic age was so well remembered and consented to, a change so great, in a sacrament insti- tuted by our Blessed Lord, could have been either introduced or permitted. The fathers of the Catholic Church knew well that baptism is necessary to salva- tion ; they knew well that " except a man be born again of water and of the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven;" but they knew no less the certain truth, that the Church could not extend, without a new revelation from the same Divine Source, the bounds and limits within which those blessings were to be conveyed and received. If therefore our within its contemplation. The to the canon adds ; " Cyprianus comraentary of Albaspinaeus is epist. 32, et Pacianus epist. 3. attached to the edition of the coun- integros sacerdotes vocant, non oils by Mansi : who, in a footnote lapses." 196 Holy Baptism. Blessed Lord had so tied down the administration of this sacrament, that it should not be valid except at the hands of a bishop, priest, or deacon; — and this was a fact only to be learnt from the practice and teaching of the apostles themselves ; — it is not to be conceived that within so short a period, such a change as lay-baptism would have involved, aifecting the very essence of the sacrament, could have been ventured on by the Church. Take the example of the other great sacrament, the Holy Eucharist. Equally w^ell- known to, and in- sisted on by, the primitive Church, was this doctrine also : that " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you." And yet, because the partaking of the Communion was so necessary to eternal salvation, we cannot discover the least trace of any permission, that, where the presence of a priest could not be obtained, or however urgent the necessity, a layman might consecrate the bread and wine, and make them the Body and the Blood of Christ. Far from it : the Church repeatedly prohibited all such impious intrusions upon the sacerdotal office ; acknowledging the absolute necessity of the reception (where it might be had) of the Body and the Blood of her Lord, she nevertheless where such reception was impossible, because there was not a priest to con- secrate, committed the event in humble reverence and faith to His decision and infinite mercy. Who had in- stituted the sacrament. Nor do I believe, if there had been the same strict rule from the bes^innino;, with Holy Baptism, 197 regard to the sacrament of baptism, that any relax- ation of it, to so great an extent as permitting lay-ad- ministration, could possibly have been, as I have already said, either introduced or allowed. Much stress has been laid by the advocates and the opponents of lay-baptism, upon the known fact of the allowance of schismatical baptism, in the case of the Novatians, by the Nicene council. Bingham argues, and I think with much justice, that the Novatian clergy were not only degraded, but, continuing so, to all intents became and were regarded as laymen : "^ Laurence and Waterland insist upon this recognition of such heretical or schismatical baptism having been based upon the indelible character of orders, which still remained with the Novatian and Arian clergy. This is a question which would open far too wide a field of discussion now to enter upon ; and it must be suffi- cient for me to refer the reader to Laurence's tracts, and to Waterland's two letters to Kelsall, where he will find all that can reasonably be urged against the view taken by Bingham of the decrees, in such cases, by the early councils. There was lately published an edition of Laurence's tracts, with a very excellent preface by Mr. Scott, the editor, who supports strongly the invalidity of lay- baptism, unless it rests upon a direct commission, given by the Church herself from time to time. I must quote his remarks upon the precedent of the ^ Lay-baptism. Part. 2. ch. 1. etc. 19^ Holy Baptism. Novatians, in which the argument from it is stated in clear terms, and its importance fully recognized. " Baptisms," he observes, " in the ancient church, though administered by schismatics, such as the No- vatians, &c. or by heretics, such as the Macedonians or Arians, were allowed ; for in all these cases the priests were priests, and not laymen — they had the succession — they had the sacerdotal right — they had the indelible character. This indeed may be marked as \\\QJugulum causes.'''' Bingham, as I have above said, denies this r^ and Mr. Scott having remarked on it. ^ Compare bishop Jeremy Tay- lor : Of the Office Ministerial. Works, vol. 14. p. 443. Where he speaks doubtfully upon the point whether, " heretical bishops being deposed and reduced into lay-communion, could not there- foi'e collate baptism for their want of holy orders." This part of the tract of the very learned bishop was written to disprove the validity of lay- baptism : but, as it appears to me, the question in dispute is begged throughout : as, in the beginning of the section, he says, " if the laity may be admitted to the dis- pensation" of this sacrament, " there is nothing in the calling of the clergy that can distinguish them from the rest of God's peo- ple." But not to instance in the consecration of the Blessed Eu- charist, this is almost an absurd consequence. So, again, having truly and in his nervous way of writing said, " he that worships God with a sin, shall be thanked with a damnation," he hastily concludes that baptizing infants is " a breach of a Divine institution." As to adults, the bishop declares it to be " certain that, for persons having the use of reason, God hath provided a remedy that no lay-person should have need to baptize a catechumen ; for his votum or desire of baptism shall serve his turn." But sttpposing this to be in some cases certain ; at least, it will not hold, in all cases, until it be proved that lay- administration, in necessity, is both invalid and sinful. For if it be not so, and persons are present (though neither priests nor dea- Holy Baptism. 199 goes on to say, that such denial "must rest on the assumption that there is no indelible character in the priesthood, and that heresy nulls orders, and as a con- sequence all subsequent ministerial acts. This settles the question of primitive precedent ; whichever way this matter is decided, lay-baptism follows with it." Again, in language which I am glad to quote, although I cannot consent to the argument ; " Admitting the practice in certain cases of lay-baptism_, and granting the validity of ancient schismatical baptisms, when we inquire for that common nature which, in spite of their irregularity, rendered them acceptable in the eyes of the Church, we have seen that it is the commission. Wherever this existed, however surreptitiously ob- tained, or disobediently, even sinfully, preserved, the ancient Church confessed the divine presence, and with mournful reverence refused to interfere." ^° All this would be difficult to disprove, if it were not true, both, that the primitive Church recognized and permitted baptism where no pretence of orders could be suggested ; and, that in the case of the Novatians and Arians, their baptisms were allowed by the coun- cil, without any reference or allusion whatsoever being made to the fact of their " being priests," or still " having the succession." We know that both those sects, (the one schismatical, the other heretical also) cons), then the mere desire of there no longer remains that ex- baptism, can and ought to be sup- ception " where it cannot be had." plied by the actual reception : for ^° Preface, j!?. xxv. xxviij. 200 Holy Baptism. used in their administration of the sacrament of bap- tism, the proper matter, and the proper form : we know that these were two essentials required from the beginning by the Catholic Church : we know that baptism administered by laics was accounted valid : why then should we look for any other reasons, after all arbitrary and to support a theory, in order that the recognition of Novatian baptisms by the Nicene fathers might not run counter to new opinions? Surely, if indeed those baptisms were admitted, because the administrators had, at some previous time, received- imposition of hands and an indelible character in ordination, it is not too much for us to have expected, that such a reason would have been distinctly declared by the council, as the ground of their decision. Even for this cause, if for none other, that they might not erroneously be supposed to rest upon the same founda- tion as the lay-baptisms which from the apostolic age, to the best of our belief, have always been accounted valid.^^ I cannot but conclude, therefore, that baptisms have always been reputed valid in the Catholic Church, that is, they were both recognized and forbidden to be repeated, provided only that they had been conferred ^^ It does not follow that we some way, the succession, are to must deny " the indelible charac- be referred to that cause for their ter" of orders, because we do not validity. If such was a necessary allow that baptisms administered consequence, it would not be easy by degraded priests, or by schis- to shew why re-ordinations are matics who possibly still retain, in unlawful. Holy Baptism. 201 with the proper matter and the proper form : and that the minister is not the essence of the sacrament. He is, truly perhaps, of the essence " of the right and lawful ministry of the sacrament," as K. James said at the Hampton Court conference ; but then he may equally be the right and lawful minister, whether clerk or lay. This difference must depend upon the neces- sity of the case, in which such ministration is required. The validity of the baptism, in all instances, will be the same, but not the " rightfulness," or, regularity. And, it will follow that whilst in some instances a bap- tism administered by a layman or even by a deacon, would be (not invalid, but) irregular, in another in- stance a baptism administered by a woman, would be both valid and regular. "^^ ^^ Bingham seems to doubt the " regularity " under any circum- stances of baptisms administered by women. He says "the stress of the question lies in this, whether the ancient Church allowed wo- men to baptize in extraordinary cases of extreme necessity, as she did laymen ? And here, I think, with submission to better judg- ments, she did not. — In the fourth council of Carthage, women are absolutely forbidden to baptize, without any exception. [' Mulier baptizare non praesumat.' can. 100.] Nor does S. Jerom, nor S. Austin, nor Gelasius, nor Isi- dore, grant any authority to wo- men to baptize, as they do to men. — But it will be demanded further, whether if women usurped the authority of baptizing, — was their baptism repeated as null and void, or received as valid by the Church ? as I remember no ancient author that has spoken directly and closely to this part of the question ; and there are some reasons to believe that S. Austin believed it was not to be rejected; so I leave this to the judgment of others, and further inquiry." Lay- hapt. part. 1. ch. 1. §. xvij. Agreeing, as I do, with Bing- ham in the general conclusion at which he has arrived upon this 202 Holy Baptism. In admitting the validity of baptism by women, it is at once evident that the extreme of the case before whole question, I yet cannot pass on without renainding the reader of the principle, if we may so speak of it, from which he starts in his enquiry, and insists upon, as enforcing the inevitable neces- sity of the correctness of his con- clusion. A principle unworthy of any one, who could claim but a tithe of the reputation which is justly due to him for learning and moderation : instructive, however, as evidencing the extremes into which men will sometimes be driven, by prejudice and (I fear, in this case) by political consider- ations of the most miserable kind. Bingham does not hesitate to assert, that " the whole church of England, and all the churches of the reformation, have the very essence and being of their baptism and Christianity depending upon the validity of baptism adminis- tered by heretical and schismatical clergy. For they all received their baptism from the heretical and schismatical church of Rome. According, therefore, as hereti- cal and schismatical baptism is determined to be valid or not valid, such must be the fate of these churches, etc." part. 1. ch. 1. §. 19. Compare the appendix, p. 139, Such an argument is really too contemptible for consideration. It is true that baptism by women was frequently forbidden by early decisions of the church. The fourth council of Carthage has been mentioned above ; and a like prohibition is in the apostolical constitutions, Uh. 3. c. 9. But these, and similar expressions of prohibition which are to be found in TertuUian, and other fathers, cannot justly be pressed beyond a condemnation of certain heretics, such as the Marcionites, the Pe- puzians, and the CoUyridians, who admitted the ministry of women not only in baptism but in other sacred offices. Or, they might have reference to the intrusion of women unnecessarily into the ad- ministration of this sacrament. With regard especially to the 100th canon of the fourth council of Carthage, an addition is given by Gratian, can. mulier, de con- secr. dist. 4. " nisi necessitate cogente." Peter Lombard adopts the same reading. Senten. lib. 4. dist. 6. and Pamelius in his notes upon TertuUian de hapt. c. xvij, concludes it to have been formerly the true text of the canon. But the editions by Labbe and Mansi do not admit it : nor, as both Bingham and Vossius remark, did Walafrid Strabo in his time so read it : but they do not add, that Holy Baptism, 203 us is conceded : nor do I see why such baptisms are to be rejected, if we once allow that baptisms by any layman whatsoever are to be recognized. It seems to be an unavoidable consequence that we should allow the one, if we do not deny the other. Necessity has always been regarded by the Church, as a fit reason why men, neither priests nor deacons, should baptize : and if the same necessity exists, where no man happens to be at hand, what is there, in the nature of the thing, which should prevent the administration of this sacrament by a woman ? Doubtless, it must be ventured upon, only Strabo very shortly after he has cited the canon, in effect admits the addition, declaring; "ubi in- evitabilis necessitas poscit, melius baptizari ubicunque et a quocun- que in nomine Trinitatis, quam pe- riclitantem sine remedio deperire." The midwives, licensed as they were in the church of England for so long a period, — a practice indeed, as the diocesan visitation articles will show, continued until the eighteenth century, — have some kind of similitude to the an- cient deaconesses. Morinus, de S. Ordin. pars. in. exercit. x. Calvbr, rit. eccles. lib. 1. sect. 2. cap.xxvj. Albaspinseus, ohservat. lib. 1. 24. and many others have explained the functions of that an- cient order : and the more modern midwives were required to be ap- pointed, as they had been, by ecclesiastical authority ; to be also of mature age and of an honest conversation. No small part also of the duties of the primitive dea- conesses consisted in their minis- trations before and at the period of conferring baptism : they not only were quahfied to administer the sacrament in times of urgent necessity, but they instructed the female catechumens, and prepared them, in the baptistery, to receive immersion. I must quote the 12th canon of the famous 4th council of Carthage. " Viduse vel sanc- timoniales, quae ad ministerium baptizandarum mulierum eligun- tur, tam instructse sint ad oificium, ut possint apto et sano sermone docere imperitas et rusticas muli- eres, tempore quo baptizandse sunt, qualiter baptizatori interro- gatae respondeant, et qualiter ac- cepto baptismate vivant." Mansi. Concii. fo7n. 3. col. 952. % 204 Hofy Baptism, in the last extremity, — if I may so speak, only when life appears to be fast ebbing away, and no hope left, — but so also, until a like extremity, (whatever may be said as to its validity) all lay-baptism, by any person male or female, is equally to be deferred so long as it justly may, under the penalty to be incurred by the administrator of high irregularity and sin. The argument which would have chief weight against baptism by women, is that which has been over and over again insisted on by its opponents, namely, their utter want of fitness for exercising such an office, under any circumstances, or, however pressing the necessity might be. But this unfitness, reaching to such an extent, has not been proved : and proved it ought to be, so as to annul all the testimonies which may be brought in favour of their fitness, from the general voice of the Church for many centuries, and the ab- sence, in all ages even from the beginning, of any direct and plain assertion that baptisms by women, are, because by women, invalid and to be repeated. In all such cases of necessity, not the most proper minister, but some minister, is required : and, whether male or female, the Church regards the person who administers as simply the instrument : so S. Augustin has written ; " Petrus baptizet ; hie est [Christus] qui baptizet : Paulus baptizet ; hie est, qui baptizat : Judas baptizet ; hie est qui baptizat." ^^ It may be, also, to ^^ In Joan, tract, vj. ??. 7. Holy Baptism. 205 the same effect, S. Paul : "Ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." ^* ^ Galat. c. iij. v. 28. 206 Holy Baptism, CHAPTER IX. MUST now, in the present chapter, direct the reader's attention to a question which ought to be carefully considered ; namely, what is the present rule of our Church, with regard to the validity of lay-baptism. As a ne- cessary prelude to this enquiry I shall have to produce some of the numerous decisions which, in former ages from time to time, the church of England has given, and the opinion of her greatest canonists and divines. Her present rule, if it be indeed various from her old rule, must, of course, be collected from her ritual and formularies, which have been issued and authorised during the last three centuries. Very probably many of my readers know that lay-baptism was fully re- cognized in our Church before the reformation ; but scarcely perhaps that such administration was ear- nestly insisted upon, in all cases of necessity. More- ever, the extracts which I shall make will prove far better than mere assertions, how unanimous and con- stant the judgment of the church of England, when she has explained it, has ever been in this matter.^ ^ How requisite such a produc- from the following passage in a tioii of evidence is, may be shewn winter who has certainly examined Holy Baptism. 207 But, before I proceed to this, I shall take one or two places from the general body of the canon-law, which shew the judgment also of the whole western Church during the middle ages, and the rules by which the practice of all her provinces was directed. Thus, a rescript of Urban II. in the eleventh century : " Super quibus consulit nos tua dilectio, hoc videtur nobis ex sententia respondendum : ut et baptismus sit, si instante necessitate femina puerum in nomine Trinitatis bapti- zaverit ; etc.'' ^ Again ; citing S. Augustin ; "In necessitate cum episcopi, aut presbyteri, aut quilibet ministrorum non inveniuntur, et urget periculum ejus, qui petit, ne sine isto Sacramento banc vitam finiat, etiam laicos solere dare sacramentum, quod acceperunt, solemus audire."^ And, without extracting other passages, it will be sufficient to give a part of the famous decree or in- struction of Eugenius IV. to the Armenians ; summing up, as it were, the definitions of preceding councils : "In causa necessitatis non solum sacerdos vel diaconus, sed etiam laicus vel mulier — baptizare potest, dummodo the question with some care ; un- s to be drawn from the evidence less he is to be understood to of indirect testimony." Dissen- believe that the church of Eng- ters' baptisms, &c. p. 49. The land was founded in the sixteenth italics are his own. A page or centuiy : an assertion which, I two further on this statement is presume, he would repudiate. " It qualified and explained. is well known," he says, " that ■> -r-. . oo „, , / 7. 7 Decret. pars. 11. causa. oO. our Church has never directly pronounced any decided judgment -''•'* upon this subject; that her opinion ^ De consecr. dist. iv. 21. 2o8 Holy Baptism. formam servet ecclesiae, et facere intendat quod facit ecclesia."* In producing the testimony of the English church, I shall content myself as regards the Anglo-saxon age, with citing two or three places from the peniten- * Concil. Mansi. tovi. xxxj. col. 1055. To the above extracts from the body of the canon-law, it is desi- rable to add the opinion of Aqui- nas, representing that, generally, of the schoolmen ; so that, with the canonists, the reader will be able to learn the judgment con- stantly acted on by the mediaeval Church. " Inter omnia autera sacra- menta maximse necessitatis est baptismus, qui est regeneratio hominis in vitara spiritualem : quiapueris aliter omnino subvenii-i non potest, et adulti non possunt aliter, quam per baptismum ple- nam remissionem consequi, et quantum ad culpam, et quantum ad poenam. ^ Et ideo, ut homo circa remedium tarn necessarium defectum pati non possit, institu- tum est, ut et mate7na baptismi sit communis, scilicet aqua, et minister baptismi etiam sit qui- cumque non ordinatus, ne propter defectum baptismi homo salutis suae dispendium patiatur. ^ Ergo dicendum, quod baptizare pertinet ad ordinera sacerdotalem secun- dum qnandam convenientiam, et solemnitatem : non autem hoc est de necessitate sacramenti, unde etiamsi extra necessitatis articu- lum laicus baptizet, peccat qui- dem : tamen sacramentum baptis- mi confert : nee est rebaptizandus ille, qui sic est baptizatus." " Utrmn midier possit bapti- zare. Respondeo dicendum, quod Christus est, qui principaliter bap- tizat. — IT Quia tamen caput mu- lieris est vir, non debet mulier bap- tizare, si adsit copia viri. — IF Ad secundum dicendum quod quando baptismus solemniter et ordinarie celebratur, debet aliquis sacramen- tum baptismi suscipere a presby- tero curam animarum habente, vel ab aliquo vice ejus : hoc tamen non requiritur in articulo necessi- tatis, in quo potest mulier bapti- zare. — Si tamen mulier etiam ex- tra casum necessitatis baptizaret, non esset rebaptizandus ; peccaret tamen ipsa baptizans, et alii qui ad hoc cooperarentur, vel baptismum ab ea suscipiendo, vel ei baptizan- dumaliquem offerendo." Summa. Pars. III. quest. Ixvij. art. 3. 4. Compare Scotus, Sentent. lib. iv. dist. vj. qu. 1. Reportat. Paris, lib. VI. dist. vj. Holy Baptism. 209 tial of archbishop Theodore, which brings us up almost to the period itself of the conversion under S. Augus- tin, Theodore being but the seventh in succession from him. He lays down the restriction, " Si quis baptizat pro temeritate, non ordinatus, abjiciendus extra eccle- siam, et nunquam ordinetur." Presently after, the rule ; " Omnibus fidelibus licet, ubi forte morituros invenerint non baptizatos, necessitate cogente, bap- tizare ; immo prseceptum est animas eripere a diabolo per baptismum, id est, benedicta^ simpliciter aqua, in nomine Domini, baptizare illos, in Nomine Patris, etc. intinctos aut superfusos aqua." This again is ex- plained_, by the very limitation added in a succeeding chapter, to extend to women. ^' Mulier baptizare non prsesumat, nisi cogente necessitate maxima."^ At the period of the conquest, archbishop Lanfranc, in one of his epistles, plainly asserts the practice : " Infantem quoque non baptizatum, si morte immi- nente urgeatur, a fideli laico, si presbyter desit, bap- tizari posse canones prsecipiunt, nee eum tamen, si statim moriatur, a consortio fidelium sejungunt."^ In the following centuries the councils repeat the same injunction, rather than permission. The council at London in the year 1200; " Si vero in necessitate puer baptizetur a laico, quod fieri potest a patre vel a matre, absque matrimonii prsejudicio, sequentia immer- On the proper interpretation 21. Thorpe, Ancient Laws and to be put upon this, see the re- Institutes, vol. 2. marks above, ;). 94. ''Opera, p. 317. Wilkins, ^ Cap. xxxviij.4. xhij. 3. xlviij. Concilia, torn. 1. p. 361. 2IO Holy Baptism. sionem non prsecedentia per sacerdotem expleantur." The provincial constitutions at Oxford, under Stephen Langton : " Sub eadem forma, [Baptizo te, etc.'] in lingua quam melius noverint, doceant frequenter sacer- dotes, laicos baptizare debere pueros in necessitate, et mulieres, et patrem et matreni pueri in summa neces- sitate." The constitutions of the diocese of Coventry, in 1237; "Item preecipimus, quod quilibet sacerdos parochianos sues baptizare pueros sues in necessitate secundum formam ecclesiae, super his verbis ; Ego bap- tizo te. N. etc. Et ista eadem forma dicendi servetur in Gallico sermone et in Anglico." A synodal statute of the diocese of Norwich, in the same century, to a like effect; " Sacerdotes — formam baptizandi doceant frequenter laicos in idiomate communi." The legatine constitutions of Othobon, in the year 1268, confirming the preceding and corresponding one of Otho thirty years before ; " Quia vero multorum simplicitas in baptismi collatione deficeret, cum necessitatis articu- lus immineret, nisi a ministris Christianae fidei doce- rentur, a prsedicto legato invenimus provide consti- tutum, ut parochiales presbyteri, formam baptismi firmiter addiscentes, cam parochianis suis frequenter exponant diebus dominicis'' in vulgari ; ut si articulus necessitatis emergat, in quo oporteat per ipsos aliquem ^ " Diebus dominicis. Nam marum suarum salute, tunc curio- tunc communius conveniunt po- sius instruuntur," J. de Athon. puli ad ecclesiam, et juxta morem in const. Othonis. Adbaptismum. patriae de caeteris agendis pro ani- Compare Anc. lAt.p. 50, note 59. Holy Baptism. 211 baptizari, earn sciant et valeant observare." The famous synod of Exeter, in 1287 ; " Sacerdotibus, quibus cura animarum incumbit, districte preecipimus, quod formam baptizandi parochianis suis exponant ssepius in vulgari ; videlicet, quod tempore partus aquam habeant promptam, in quam, si oportuerit, bap- tizandum parochiani immergant, dicentes ; Ego te baptizo, etc. Saepius enim accidit, quod propter mortis periculum per alium quam per sacerdotem oportebit parvulum baptizari." And, once more, the articles of visitation for the diocese of London, in 1554, in- quire ; " Whether they [the curates] have diligently moved and exhorted their parishioners, how and in what manner children should be baptized in time of necessity?"^ Having thus seen the decisions of the English coun- cils, let us turn to her canonists. Hostiensis is very brief: " Necessitate etiam in- stante, quilibet et quselibet potest baptizare : et si quis in necessitate baptizaverit, debeat postea baptizatus deportari ad sacerdotem, qui quserit, quae forma ser- ^ Wilkins, Concilia, torn. i. p. tides of Visitation last cited in the 505. 594. 642. 732. torn. ii. p. 2. text above : in which he does not 131. torn. \v. p. 106. Cf. torn. i. omit to object against this inquiry, p. 636. 656. Reformatio Anglias. as to the care taken by the parish- decret. ij. p. 7. ve7's. edit. 1562. priests in teaching their people On the restrictions laid upon how to baptize properly in times deacons compare also the Con- of necessity. He writes in his cilia, torn. 1. jo. 501. 576. usual scurrilous style, and utter The notorious John Bale pub- carelessness of all truth. Jbl. 71. lished a "declaration" of the Ar- The .xx. Article. 212 Holy Baptism, vata est, et secundum quod audiet, vol iterum bapti- zabit, vel supplebit quod est omissum,"^° Lyndwood says : ''In quo casu [in mortis periculo] satis licet laico vel patri proprium filium baptizare : ■et baptismus in hoc casu per laicum factus, alias tamen rite, bene tenet ; et sufficit ad salvationem. Sic etiam in mortis periculo licet aliquid facere, quod alias non liceret.^' A laic'is baptizati. i.e. His qui nullum ordi- nem receperunt in ecclesia. — et nota, quod id quod hie dicitur de laico, sc. quod potest in casu necessitatis baptizare, locum habet a fortiori a quocumque etiam clerico citra ordinem presbyteratus. Unde pro vero teneas, quod extra casum necessitatis, solus sacerdos est debitus minister ad sacramentum baptismi. Et peccaret mortaliter aliquis non sacerdos baptizans, praeterquam in articulo mortis. Si tamen de facto baptizaret aliquis non sacerdos extra articulum neces- sitatis, cum tamen debita intentione, et in forma eccle- siae, tenet baptismus ad effectum quod sic baptizatus non debet rebaptizari. Et idem dico de non baptizato baptizante : quia bonitas sive sanctitas ministri non est de necessitate baptismi, sed de congruentia."^^ Again : upon this clause in the constitution of arch- bishop Edmund ; si vero puer a la'ico domi jjropter ne- ^^ Summa. ?«6. III. rwi)*. xlij.3. tize them if necessaiy, at other ^^ Lyndwood refers here to the than the solemn seasons of bap- Decretum, de consecr. dist. iv. tisra, viz : Easter, and Whitsun- where in two or three chapters tide. §. xv. xvj. xvij. the case of catechumens is con- ^'^ Lib. l.tit.7. Quod in con- sidered, and license given to bap- stitutione. Holy Baptism. 213 cessitatem fiierit baptlzatus}^ " Domi. sc. ubi natus est puer, vel in alio loco quam in baptisterio ad hoc de- putato/* — Propter necessitatem. Quia forsan timetur de ejus morte imminenti, quo casu cuilibet licet bap- tizare, etiam patri. Unde et haereticus tempore ne- cessitatis potest baptizare, dum tamen cum intentione baptizandi servet formam ecclesise. Et non solum potest esse necessitas in periculo mortis, sed etiam quia in partibus est hostilitas, vel incursus latronum, aut inundatio aquarum, vel quid simile in via vel in loco, vel damnum pecuniarium : ut si sub po3na pecu- niaria esset prohibitum, ne quis ad talem locum acce- deret. Scias tamen, quod laicus sine necessitate bapti- zans peccat ; — et quod licet presbyter baptizare possit, praesente episcopo, quia de officio suo est ; tamen prae- sente presbytero clericus baptizare non debet, nee laicus praesente clerico, nee mulier praesente viro."^^ ^^ Lib. i\i.tit.24:. Baptisterium tatis articulus baptizandi puerum, habeatur. et non esset alius minister ad hoc- " "Etnota, quod extra ecclesias, magis idoneus praesens, vir bap- ubi sunt fontes baptismales depu- tizet et non mulier, nisi forte mu- tati, regulariter non licet aliquem lier bene sciret verba sacramen- baptizare : fallit tamen in liberis talia et non vir, vel aliud impedi- regum vel principum, vel ubi talis mentum subesset. H Similiter necessitas emerserit, propter quam pater vel mater non debet pro- nequeat ad ecclesiam absque pe- prium filium de sacro fonte levare riculo accessus haberi." ibid. verb, nee baptizare, nisi in extremae ne- Domi. See the remarks above, cessitatis articulo, tunc enim bene p. 173. possunt sine praejudicio copulse ^^ So, and more fully, the old conjugalis ipsum baptizare, nisi rubric of the Sarum and York fuerit aliquis alius praesens qui manuals : " Si vero vir et mulier hoc facere sciret et vellet." adessent ubi imraineret necessi- It is not, (perhaps I ought to 214 Holy Baptism. I pass on to the Pupilla oculi. "In ardua necessi- tate, quilibet homo, sive clericus sive laicus ; baptiza- say it has not been) unusual for English priests to baptize their own children, as an office espe- cially suitable to themselves : in what way suitable, I am quite at a loss to discover, even if it rested only on their own opinions of suit- ableness ; but, at any rate, to per- form such an office, except in a case of necessity, displays, if not a forgetfulness of the doctrine and mystery of the Sacrament, at least a most marvellous ignorance of all ecclesiastical rule. I have heard of a late instance in the diocese of Bath and Wells, (not, however, during the episcopacy of the pi-esent bishop nor of his pre- decessor,) where the parish-priest, during divine service, married himself: and, if it were not for the probable impossibility, it would scarcely be too much, — judging from analogous examples of care- lessness about propriety, and ca- nonical restrictions, — to expect that sometimes our clergy would try to bury themselves. The invalidity of a baptism (already alluded to incidentally, see above,/?. 123, and jo. 134. note4\.) administered, in extreme urgency, to a person by himself, is a ques- tion which has been decided by the canon-law : " Sane intimasti, quod quidam Judseus in mortis articulo constitutus, cum inter Judseos tantum existeret, in aquam seipsum immersit dicendo. Ego me baptizo in nomine, etc. Re- spondemus, quod cum inter bapti- zantem et baptizatum debeat esse discretio sicut ex verbis Domini colligitur, dicentis apostolis, Ite, baptizate, etc. memoratus Judaeus est denuo ab alio baptizandus : ut ostendatur, quod alius est, qui baptizatur, et alius, qui baptizat. Ad quod etiam designandum ipse Christus non a seipso, sed a Jo- anne voluit baptizari. Quamvis si talis continuo decessisset, ad patriam protinus evolasset, prop- ter sacramenti fidem, etsi non propter fidei sacramentum." De- cretal. Uh. III. tit. xlij. cap. De- bitum. See Porter, Sy sterna de- cret. p. AAA. Natalis Alexander, Theolog. dogmat. torn. 1.J3.239. The only argument that I re- member brought against this de- cision and rejected, was derived from the fact that a priest might receive the Holy Communion from himself. See Scotus, Re- portat. Paris, lib.iv. dist.vj. (pi. 3. Aquinas, Simvma. pars. iii. qii. Ixvj. art. 5. " Aliud enim nutriri, aliud gigni ; potest quis- quis seipsum nutrire, non potest seipsum giguere." Billuart, ciir- sus theoL torn. y'li]. p. A2A. Holy Baptism. 215 tus, sive lion baptizatus ; hsereticus, sive infidelis, — potest baptizare. Et valet baptismus a tali collatus ; dummodo liabeat intentionem baptizandi generalem vel specialem ; et servet formam traditam ab ecclesia : quia non merita ministrorum, sed virtus Christi in baptismate operatur. Nee est talis ab alio catholico rebaptizandus. — Si autem in articulo necessitatis ca- tholicus haberi possit qui baptizatus fuerit, congruen- tius est ab eo suscipere baptismum, quam a non bap- tizato. C Item pater et mater absque preejudicio copulse conjugalis, possunt in extremse necessitatis articulo proprios filios in forma ecclesise baptizare. Si tamen alii adsint qui baptizare possint, non debet pater vel mater proprium filium baptizare. C Item mulieri quamvis doctae et sanctsB, sicut in conventu, docere non licet, ita nee aliquem nisi urgente necessitatis articulo baptizare. Ideo si vir et mulier simul adeunt, ubi im- mineret articulus necessitatis baptizandi puerum, et non esset alius minister ad hoc magis idoneus prsesens, vir baptizaret et non mulier ; nisi forte mulier bene sciret verba sacramentalia baptismi proferre, et non vir ; vel aliud impedimentum subesset. — C Mutus non potest aliquem baptizare. Quod ideo est quia de es- sentia baptismi est certa forma verborum : quam mutus proferre non potest." ^^ Before I even now proceed to the consideration of the present rule of the church of England regarding lay-baptism, there is a difficulty, which I am bound to ^" Pars. 2. cap, ij. 2i6 Holy Baptism, notice, connected with much of this part of my subject, as it was also, with a former particular of it ; and which has been discussed not only by canonists and schoolmen at great length and in detail, but by very learned writers in separate treatises/^ I say, I can- not pass this difficulty by, either here or elsewhere, altogether without notice ; and I shall remark upon it, adopting the words of Lyndwood and of Hostiensis. These extracts will explain sufficiently the opinion of the doctors of the church of England during the mid- dle ages ; since when, I am not aware of any canon in our church, or authoritative rule, bearing upon the matter. The reader will not fail to perceive that the subject of these extracts, whatever may be his judgment on them, is nevertheless one which is not to be dismissed summarily, either as beneath the labour of argument, or altogether beside the question of baptism. I would ^'' I allude more particularly to a work, (more than once quoted above) not often met with, by Francisco Cangiamila ; abound- ing in learning, and in curious research applied to the subject which he has undertaken. It is divided into four books, each of ten or twelve chapters : with the title, " Embryologia sacra, sive de officio sacerdotum, raedicorum, et aliorum circa seternam parvulo- rum in utero existentium salutem." The heads of the four books are : 1, " De parochi aliorumque sacer- dotum sollicitudine pro mulieribus praegnantibus : deque industriis ad abortus impediendos, et de bap- tismo abortivorum. 2. De aux- ilio infanti nonnato prEestando matre defuncta. 3. De parocho- rum officio, ac vigilantia pro in- fantibus in partu difficili et despe- rato. 4. De Dei charitate erga nonnatos : deque auxiliis, quae illis a parentibus, parochis, episcopis, et principibus prtestanda sunt." Panormi. 1758. FoL Holy Baptisjn, 217 that it were indeed the one, or the other : but that it is not so, is evident, as soon as we set about to decide when^ i. e. as to what point of time, a living, breathing infant, becomes a proper subject of this sacrament. The moment we begin to draw the line, we are beset with difficulties and doubts. Lyndwood introduces his remarks, in a gloss upon a constitution of archbishop Peccham, on the words nati de materms uteris ; and the reader will find his observations, printed already, above,/?. 71. To the same efifect is the Pupilla oculi : ^^ which it is not necessary to quote, as it merely repeats, with one or two additions of very questionable authority, the extract, in the note above, from the Decretum. Hostiensis enters into some further details : " Quid si mulier laborat in partu, adeo quod de morte ipsius et prolis timetur — sed non potest videri, utrum sit masculus vel femina ; consulo obstetrici, quod acci- piat aquam et — dicat sic, ' Creatura Dei, ego te bap- tize, etc.' — Si proles nascitur, deportetur ad sacer- dotem, et suppleat quod deest, secundum ea, quae notantur supra. Et sive sit masculus, sive femina, creatura, vel bona res, vel cara res, vel bona dies, potest congrue appellari : sed nee vis est in nomine, cum etiam mutare possit, dum tamen in fraudem non fiat. Quid ergo si quis putet baptizare puerum, cui imponet nomen Petrus, cum forte sit puella, nunquid baptismus caret effectu ? videtur quod sic : quia in ^* Pars. ir. cap. iv. K. 21 8 Holy Baptism. sexu erratum est. Sed contra, quia non videtur, quod tales errores impediant baptismum : quantum enim ad Dei cultum, non est masculus, neque femina, neque liber, neque servus ; — et licet homo erret in sexu, non errat in persona, quam tenet, et quam baptizare in- tendit."^9 We return to the general question of the validity of lay-baptism. It has been shewn that such baptism, when administered with the proper matter and the proper form, was, from the first ages, recognised and allowed by the Catholic Church. It has been proved that the decisions of the church of England are agreeable to, and continually enjoin, that ancient and universal practice, down to the sixteenth century ; as is evident fi'om her councils and the opinions of her canonists. And, further, I hold that we have no just reason to conclude that since that time, the middle of the sixteenth century, there has been any variation in her judgment as to the validity of lay-baptism. I am well aware, that from time to time, divines of our Church have expressed doubts as to this fact, and some have denied the truth of it altogether. But these, even by their own admissions, not only form a small minority, but struggle against a constant stream of authorities who have upheld it. It is very probable, that much of the opposition which has been made to the validity of lay-baptism, is to be attributed to the consequence which flows from ^'•' Sumnia. Hh. iii. ruhr. xlij. Holy Baptism, 219 it, namely, the allowing and recognizing baptisms administered in the numberless religious communities and sects, with which this country has, so long, been overwhelmed. Hence, it has been vehemently argued, that not only the proper matter and the proper form are essential parts of a valid baptism, but a lawful minister also. Lawful, as explained to be a priest or deacon, duly and canonically ordained by a bishop. On the other hand, some take what may be called a modified view : they do not, because they cannot, refuse to acknowledge the constant and ancient rule of the Church in general, and of the English church in particu- lar ; so, they consent still to the validity of lay-baptism, when it does occur, if it is administered within the pale of the Church. But they reject baptism by dis- senters, accounting it "to be utterly invalid from the very first, it being done specifically against the autho- rity of the Church." '« '^ I quote the words (in an uu- ages when schismatical and he- published communication) of a retical baptism was certainly re- very learned friend ; who, I am cognized by the Church. I con- bound to say, has accurately ex- fess that I cannot see in what amined and considered the whole particulars such baptisms are question ; it need scarcely be against the Church, in distinction added, that he adopts the judg- to the baptisms anciently conferred ment of Waterland and Law- by the Novatians, and Arians, and rence, and of the late editor of the others. It is not to be denied, that last of these, Mr. Scott. modern dissent, as a whole, is of The argument is that dissenters' a kind of which we have no ex- baptisms are of a new character, ample whatever in the Church of being so done against the Church, the fathers : but it does not follow as was not to be found in those that therefore their baptisms are 2 20 Holy Baptism, But, without the attempt to collect the different opinions advocated by different parties, and the many objections which lie against each in its turn, — a dis- cussion which would involve other questions and diffi- culties, which do not fall within the proper scope of this dissertation, — I shall proceed to state what I believe to be the judgment, at the present time, of the church of England. Namely, this ; that she still allows the validity of all baptisms, by whomsoever administered, provided only that they have been ad- ministered with the proper matter, and the proper form.^^ And, in saying, " she allows their validity," I mean, that she does not permit any repetition of them. Not even the semblance of repetition ; for if the essential parts of the sacrament, the matter and the form, can clearly be shewn to have been rightly observed, the church of England does not suffer the hypothetical form of baptism to be used. Repeating once again, — (for it is a most important to be totally rejected more than reader should examine very care- those administered by any particu- fully the arguments there ad- lar class of ancient heretics. duced. Archdeacon Wilberforce has ^^ I need scarcely say, that, of noticedthe distinction which exists course, all baptisms administered between valid and sufficient bap- by sects whether in this or any tism : (CA. discipline, p. 112.) other country, who have not, and referring to the charge of the who repudiate, episcopal ordina- bishop of Exeter in 1842, in tion, are not to be distinguished, which " that distinction is most as regards any quality so far, from ably pointed out." The Charge other lay-baptism, in which no is printed in Stephens' collection pretence of any sort of ministry of Statutes, ^"c- p' 2023. and the or ordination is made. Holy Baptism, 221 fact, and one which has not been sufficiently considered in the attempts to settle this inquiry,) that the doctrine of the church of England upon the validity of lay- baptism up to the year 1549, had been insisted on over and over again, and was as well known to all her members both clerical and lay, as any other doctrine which she held, — repeating this, I say that if any alteration in her teaching has been, since that time, really made, we have a right to expect it to be as plain and precise as we find has been the case in similar thino's. o Thus, the teaching of the church of England, before the reformation, with respect to indulgences, and pur- gatory, and the denial of the Cup in the Holy Eucha- rist, and of the papal supremacy, and the like, was clear, definite, and open : not less so, her teaching on the same doctrines, since that period. If, therefore, she has indeed changed her belief as to the validity of lay-baptism, why can we not at once point plainly to some declaration of that change, equally open and undeniable ? Not alone as regards this question immediately before us, but with reference to much, both of doctrine and of practice, of the very highest importance, I would earnestly, in this place, urge one word of warn- ing and advice. Merely to serve a purpose, and to support a theory, let us be very careful in appealing to what we style the decisions of the church of England since the reformation, when those decisions are to be deduced, not from open and dogmatical assertions, but 222 Holy Baptism, from verbal alterations, and changes of rubrics, — from additions in one place, and omissions in another, — which no one offers as conclusive, being at the best available only to create a doubt. We do not know how soon we may be obliged to rely as our best and truest foundation, for even vital principles of our Faith, upon this ; namely, that the Church of England now holds, teaches, and insists upon, all things whether of belief or practice, which she held, taught, and insisted on, before the sixteenth century, unless she has, since that time, plainly, openly, and dogmatically asserted the contrary. Such, at any rate, is the well known rule, in the parallel case of her canons of discipline and ecclesiastical law. It is agreed that there was no alteration from the old observance, according to the long established rubrics of the Sarum and other manuals of the English church, made in the revised rituals of K. Edward vj th, or in the Book authorized during the reign of queen Elizabeth. Frequently as this has been allowed, it will be well to show it, somewhat in detail ; if for no other reason, yet for this ; that the reader may not have to refer to other volumes, even if he has them by him, which in every case is scarcely probable. The Sarum rubric (and we need specify it only) was this. " ^ Notandum est quod quilibet sacerdos parochialis debet parochianis suis formam baptizandi in aqua pura — frequenter in diebus dominicis expo- nere, ut si necessitas emergat sciant parvulos in forma ecclesise baptizare, proferendo formam verborum bap- Holy Baptism. 223 tismi in lingua materna, distincte et aperte et solum unica voce — sic dicendo, 'I cristene the .N. in the name of the Fadir, and of the Sone, and of the Holy Gost. Amen.' Vel in lingua Latina, sic : ' Ego hap- tizo te, etc' Aquam super parvulum spargendo, vel in aquam mergendo ter vel saltem semel. ^ Et si puer fuerit baptizatus secundum illam formam, caveat sibi unusquisque ne iterum eundem baptizet : e^c.""^ "^"^ Monumenta Ritualia, vo^. 1. jo. 28. Here I cannot but protest against the unfairness with which bishop Jewell occasionally argued. Take an example. In his Defence of the Apology, he makes Har- ding say, " Baptism is but a light sacrament, and may be ministered by any lay person, an old woman, so that she speak Latin, and understand not what she say. For otherwise, I trow, her doing may not stand for good." Works, vol. 5. p. 5. Now, not to speak of the impossibility of such an argument in Harding's mouth, Jewell (unlike many others of later times, after the old Service- books had become almost utterly destroyed,) must himself have known, from actual experience, the ancient rules of the English church, and the rubrics of her Manuals: by which, as the text shews above, an English form was expressly enjoined to be taught to the laity. I am utterly at a loss to account for such a mode of arguing. Compare also his Answer to Harding, (Woi^ks, vol. 2. p. 92.) where he would have his reader conclude that the priests who use prayers in a learned tongue are " for the most part, such as are hardly able to make it learned." The reason given is, because it happened that a priest ignorantly used the form, (noticed already above, p. 140) In nomine Patria, etc. Bishop Jewell was far too acute and too learned to be excused in adducing such arguments : the one known to be untrue, the other known to be a solitary instance. His works rest, generally, on a sounder foun- dation ; but these and similar ex- ceptions, when discovered, go far to weaken its solidity. The pre- sent is not an age, such perhaps as was the last century, when the English clergy take theological ar- guments on trust, and believe any statement on the mere reputation or name of the author. The editor 224 Holy Baptism. In the Books of K. Edward and queen Elizabeth, it is ordered ; '' Also [the pastors and curates] shall warn them, that without great cause and necessity, they baptize not children at home in their houses : and when great need shall compel them so to do, that then they minister on this fashion. — One of them shall name the child, and dip him in the water, or pour water upon him, saying these words ; ' i\^. I baptize thee, etc.'' And let them not doubt, but that the child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized, and ought not to be baptized again in the church." Thus stood the rubrics of the church of England down to the year 1604. But, before we proceed to the Prayer-Book put forth in that year, it will be desirable to add also an extract from the works of a writer of acknowledged authority during the reign of Elizabeth, which will shew that the ritual expressed the opinion of the soundest divines of that period. I allude to archbishop Whitgift against the authors of the Admonition, and its defender, Cartwright. These had affirmed ; " as for the baptizing b}^ laye men, — for so muche as the substance of the sacrament dependeth chiefly of the institution and worde of God, whiche is the forme, and as it were the life of the sacrament, of which institution this is one, and of the of the Oxford edition of Jewell's rected some of his misstatements, works, lately published, would have Surely, it could not have very as justly performed his duty, if he much increased the size of the had not merely verified his au- volumes ? thor's extracts, but had also cor- Holy Baptism. 225 chiefe partes, that it should be celebrated by a minis- ter." To this the archbishop replied : " Undoubtedly if this your assertion were true, there had need be some generall rebaptization throughout all Christen- dome, as well of men as of children, for certeyne it is, that that sacrament hath beene ministred to many by such, as be in no degree of the ministerie. — So far as I can reade, the opinion of all learned men is, that the essentiall forme, and as it were the lyfe of baptisme is to baptize in the name of the Father, of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost, which forme being obserued, the sacrament remayneth in full force and strength of whome soeuer it be ministred." ^^ I am bound to confess that the archbishop somewhat evades the question of baptism by women :-* and I cannot but think that Cartwright and his friends argued justly, that it was " to be collected out of the Book," i. e. the ritual. It may indeed be true, that however great the necessity, there might be time to send for the curate of the parish : but because there often might not be time, therefore the rubric gave permission to, nay ordered, some one of those who were present to bap- tize the child. And not only is there not the slightest ^ Defense of the Answer, f. p. 80. But immediately befoi'e 519. he had said, " I denie baptizing- ^ In his first Answer, he had by women to be expressed in that observed, (and if it had so re- booke." p. 79. And in his De- mained there would have been no fense he repeats this : " If they objection to be made,) " If women dyd [baptize,] yet it followeth doe baptise, they baptise in priuate not that they doe it by the autho- houses, not in the congregation." ritie of the booke." p, 504. Q 2 26 Holy Baptism, hint shewn that women were disqualified, but there was the well known long established previous custom, according to which women, on such occasions, usually did baptize. For, as Cartwright further urged, it is to be remembered, " who they be that are present, when the child is so shortly after it is borne, in great daunger of death." -^ Towards the end of the Defense, Whitgift returns to the subject again : and having stated, " for mine own experience this I dare affirme, that I haue not knowne one child so baptized in places where I haue had to do, no not since the beginning of the Q. Maiesties reigne ;" (which is a fact not unlikely, and might or might not have been ; ^^) he concludes by saying, (what we may fully consent to,) " I thinke if the circumstances of the booke be well considered, it will appeare that the meaning is, that priuate baptisme ^ All this looks still more un- words following, or the like in like the usual open and decided effect, " / christen thee, in the course of arguing which charac- name, etc. dM^xiowe other profane terizes the archbishop, when we words." Annals, vol. 1. p. 537. recollect that h censes were given in those days to midwives, and ^^ Archbishop Whitgift, from oaths exacted of them. Strype his close connection with the uni- has printed one of these, from versity, and from the various du- Parker's register, in 1567, many ties of his high station in it, could years after the Book had been in scarcely have had much experience force. The oath contains, amongst as a parish-priest. It is possible others, this clause. " Also, that that he never resided on the only in the ministration of the sacra- rectory which I remember him to ment of baptism in the time of have had, Teversham, in Cam- necessity, I will use apt and the bridgeshire. See Panic's Life of accustomed words of the same Whitgift. f. 4. and Strype, Life. sacrament, that is to say, these p. 7. Holy Baptis?n. 227 is rather to be ministred by some minister, than by any woman." -^ Many years after, in the year 1584, several demands were presented to the archbishop in a paper by the puritans, and among them the following. " That all baptyzing by mydwyffs and women — may from hence- forth be inhibited and declared voyde : and that no bishop, or any of their officers, in the admitting of mydwyffs, do give them any such authoritie to baptize, as heretofore hath bin accustomed." Whitgift an- swered ; " — that the baptism mynistred by women is lawfull and good, howsoever they mynister yt, law- fully or unlawfully (so that the institution of Christ, touching the words and element, be dulie used) no learned man ever douted, untill now of late, some one or two. — That they baptize ordinarilie and without necessitie, the Papists themselves doe not allow." ^^ Here it is to be noticed, (and it is a very signiJ&cant thing,) that the first opposers in the church of England of the validity of lay-baptism, were the disciples of John Calvin ; who had adopted not only other errors of his, but this heresy especially, that baptism where it may be had is not of necessity to salvation. It will be acknowledged, even by those who may not consent generally to my opinion otherwise, that the true doc- trine of the necessity of baptism (and of its being a 27 p. 793. astical Polity. Book 5. Ixj. I am sure that I need do no more than refer to the often-quoted ^^ Strype. Life of Whitgift. passage of Hooker, in his Ecclesi- Records. No. xvj. 228 Holy Baptism. sacrament which from its essential nature will not admit of iteration) probably led to the first recognition and allowance of lay-administration : and no less must it be acknowledged that fanciful and heretical notions of the conveyance of God's grace, and of His gift of eternal salvation to infants, in other ways than in those which He has Himself appointed, naturally produced first doubts, and then plain denials, of the validity of lay-baptism, and, in particular, of baptism by women. -^ The fact being, therefore, evident, that till the be- ginning of the l7th century, no alteration was made in the rubrics of the English ritual, affecting in any way her ancient decisions as to lay-baptism, we come now to a very important period, the year 1603, in which the conference was held at Hampton Court, and the objections of the puritans were plainly laid "^^ See Calvin. Instit. lib. 4. c. bet omnimodam baptism! necessi- XV. §. 20. et seqq. On the other tatem : quam disput. vij. refelle- hand must be compared the 16th hamus. Negamus igitur, infantes section of the same chapter, cited eo perichtari de salute, quia non by archbishop Whitgift : which, possint rite baptizari. Censemus however, has regard not so much etiam, potius quam ad baptismum to lay -baptism, as to the validity ejusmodi recurramus, cujus nee of baptism received from clergy mandatum, nee exemplum habea- of the church of Rome ; against mus in Scripturis ; refugiendum the arguments of the " Catabap- esse ad sanctas preces : quibus tistes." pie creditur eam gi'atiam posse a Vossius, speaking of the Ca- Deo extra ordinem impetrari ; tholic doctrine of the validity of quam ordinarie conferre solet per lay-baptism, says : " Omnis ejus- baptismum." De haptismo, dis- cemodi oratio pro fundamento ha- put. 10. §. viij. Holy Baptism. 229 before the highest ecclesiastical and temporal authori- ties of the land. I shall be as brief as may be regard- ing this conference, as it has been discussed already in so many works upon this subject. It must not be for- gotten, however, that whatever the result was, whether favourable or unfavourable to the continuance of lay- administration (continuance, that is, as respected direct and avowed permission) it was after all nothing more than a Conference ; it was no expression of the synodi- cal voice of either province, or even of one diocese, of the church of England. So, also, we are bound to look upon the alterations which as a Book of Common Prayer, distinguished the Book of 1604, and those which for nearly sixty years succeeded it, both from the first Book of Ed- ward the sixth, and from the present Book, in use since 1662. It rested upon no authority beyond the opinion, (great, I do not hesitate to admit) of certain bishops, and of the crown : falling far short of that, which we can alone recognize as sufficient; that is, the authority, in her provincial councils, of the whole English church. And, however weighty or however light the fact may be in controversy, it is a fact, which cannot be too often repeated and insisted on, that from the first Book of Edward VI. to the present Book of 1662, there was no Common Prayer Book, which we ought to or can admit to have been duly authorized by our Church. This, as to certain peculiarities of the Book of 1552, is of most material consequence. If it were not that dean Barlow's account of the 230 Holy Baptism, conference has always been praised, and justly, for its correctness, I should hesitate to believe that archbishop Whitgift could have spoken as he is there reported. In introducing the subject of lay-baptism, he is said to have " shewed his Majesty, that the administration of baptism by women and lay-persons was not allowed in the practice of the church : — neither do the words of the Book infer any such meaning." Surely he must have forgotten his own answer against the Admo- nition. Far more correctly did both the bishop of London (Bancroft) and the bishop of Winchester (Bilson) express the judgment of the English church ; declaring, the one ; " That those learned and reverend men, who framed the Book of Common Prayer, in- tended not by ambiguous terms to deceive any, but did indeed by those words intend a permission of private persons, to baptize in case of necessity." And the other ; " That the denying of private persons, in cases of necessity, to baptize, were to cross all an- tiquity ; — and that it was also a rule agreed upon among divines, that the minister is not of the essence of the sacrament." The result of this was " a consultation whether into the rubric of private baptism, which leaves it indiffer- ently to all, laics or clergy, the words curate or lawful minister might not be inserted, which was not so much stuck at by the bishops." Dr. Montague, in a letter written at the time, January 1603, gives somewhat a different account ; that " the king in the end won this of them [the bishops], that baptism should only be Holy Baptism, 231 administered by ministers, yet in private houses if occasion required, and that whosoever else should bap- tize should be under punishment."^" This additional statement of Dr. Montao^ue must not be passed over without one word. It must be remembered that he was dean of the chapel royal, and displayed adulation of the king, and especially of the royal conduct in this conference, exceeding, if it were possible, even that of the bishops who were concerned in it. Hence, he would naturally represent the suc- cess of the king's wishes to have been nearly complete. If his account be true we learn from it the earnestness with which the bishops withstood the royal demands ; — "in the end he won this of them;" — but on the other hand, (still, if it be true) it is very strange that we have no record of the amount of punishment which was decided on against offenders, or of any instance in which that punishment was enforced. I am inclined to believe that the bishops did not agree that those, who being lay " should baptize, should be under pu- nishment." However, a verj'^ important addition was made in the office of private baptism : the words " lawful minister" were inserted into the rubric in more places than one. And I am quite ready to allow the consequence which ^° Hist, of Conferences. jt>. 138. 100^. to bring their children, By the way ; a very scandalous within one month after birth, to enactment, passed in 3 James I. the parish church, there to be cap. 5. §. XIV. obliged all "popish baptized by a "lawful minister." recusants," under a penalty of Gibson, Codex, p. 367. 232 Holy Baptism, may fairly be deduced from these insertions ; amount- ing to this, and to no more than this : namely : that as great a discouragement to the practice of lay-bap- tism was given, upon the authority of the bishops and of the crown, as was consistent with the acknowledg- ment nevertheless of the validity of baptism, so admi- nistered, whether in cases of necessity or not. In thus plainly discouraging the practice, nothing was done beyond what had been repeated over and over again, for centuries, by the church of England ; that only as a last resource lay-baptism was to be resorted to. A writer,^^ who, with considerable ability but with little moderation, some years since attacked Sir John Nicholl's judgment on the validity of lay -baptism, has an argument which rests upon the alteration made also, in 1604, in the title of the Office. He says ; " a refer- ence to the Service Books will show that in the former the title was perfectly general ; for any thing there expressed to the contrary, the Office might be used by any one. In James' Book, this generality disap- pears, and the use of the office is limited, by the title, to *^ the minister of the parish, or any other lawful minister that can be procured." At the utmost, the limitation expressed in the title is that only of the rubric ; and it was not an unlikely addition to have been made, immediately after the conference. I am glad however to allow that it is very significant : be- •^^ Dissenters' Baptisms and Church Burials. By the Rev. Walter Blunt. Holy Baptism, 233 cause, if so, much more significant is the erasure of it, and the return to the ancient general title, which were agreed upon and authorized by both convocation and parliament in 1662. I have said that the insertion of the term " lawful minister " — supposing (which I deny) that lawful must mean ordained — amounts to no more than a very plain discouragement of lay-administration; no one can venture to assert that it positively declares the inva- lidity of baptisms so administered, from that time to the present. It might reasonably have had, nay it has had, the effect of checking, within the pale of the Church since 1662, almost entirely, such a practice ; but, when lay-baptism is conferred, whether within the Church or without her, whether by her own people not clergy, or by schismatic and heretical teachers pretending to ordination, the church of Eng- land now holds as she has ever held, that the mi- nister is not of the essence of the sacrament of bap- tism. There is a fact of the most material importance, as regards the alterations made after the Hampton Court conference, which seems to me to be conclusive, and yet has not been insisted on. It is certain that there was an outcry by the puritans at that time against, not the mere recognition, but the avowed permission, by the Church, of lay-baptism : it is little less certain that king James had adopted to a great extent the same views, and, if he could, would 234 Holy Baptism, " have won " (as Montague says) of the bishops, a judgment and distinct enunciation of its utter inva- lidity.^' He gained much of them, and rightly gained it. It was fitting, if lay-baptism had been, as seems probable, carelessly resorted to when there was no urgent necessity, that it should be, as far as possible, put a stop to. So, the words " lawful minister" were inserted. And if, with this insertion, there had been no other change, I must confess that there would have been some appearance of force in the argument which is drawn from it. But the interrogatories which were ordered to be made of those who brought the child were also altered : and it is really not to be conceived, that this was done without a purpose, directly aiming at the very doctrine which had been disputed. There was no doubt that by the old Books lay-bap- tism was permitted: now, in 1604, the words "lawful minister" would seem to deny, or perhaps rather to disallow, its validity in future. Yet the bishops who spoke so plainly at the conference would not consent to this, nor, they knew well, had it ever been the doctrine of the Church. How then was the difficulty to be met ? if the questions stood as before, they would assist the propagation of the new error. So the ques- tions were changed. The two first remained as they ^^ After the bishops had spoken, baptization, although either wo- but not till then, the king said men or laics had baptized." that he " utterly disliked all re- Holy Baptism, 235 had been. " By whom was this child baptized? Who was present when the child was baptized?" Both very fit and proper, but neither of them affecting the validity of the sacrament : for if one, why not the other ? which is absurd. And then, for the first time, comes in this statement, preceding the enquiry into the matter and the form : evidently relating to the use of the new term, " lawful minister," and as evi- dently declaring that whatever might else be meant by it, this it could not mean, that a "lawful minister" is of the essence of the sacrament of baptism. " And because some things, Essential to this Sacrament, may happen to be omitted through fear or haste in such times of extremity ; therefore I demand further of you, With what matter was the child baptized ? With what words was the child baptized ? " If it should be supposed that the last question in the Book of 1604 "Whether think you the child to be lawfully and perfectly baptized ? " has any, even the remotest bearing upon the argument before us, I can only observe, that if I thought it worth while, it might be made available to support the view which I have been insisting upon to be the correct one to be taken of the alterations at that time made. I would merely remind the reader that it was in the earlier books of Elizabeth and Edward, and was struck out at the last review in 1662. The convocation then justly decid- ing, that the minister of the parish, and not the people who happen to bring the child, is the proper judge 236 Holy Baptism, whether all things "essential to this sacrament" have been done as they ought to be.''^ I must not leave the consideration of the questions or interrogatories, v^^ithout transcribing the very im- portant rubric, v^hich, in its main feature, namely, the declaration of the constituents of a valid baptism, makes its first appearance also in the Book of 1604, by way of further prevention of the error likely enough to be attached to the use of the new term " lawful minister." " If they which bring the infant to the church do make such uncertain answers to the priest's questions, as that it cannot appear that the child was baptized with water. In the Name of the Father, etc. (which are essential parts of baptism) then let the priest baptize it, etc'' Here there is not a word said about the minister : and, as if to make assurance dou- ble sure, " the essential parts of baptism" are expressly stated. Such minuteness before the conference and the consequent alterations, would have been uncalled for, even if not out of place ; afterwards, it was nei- ther the one nor the other. ^* ^^ See above, jo. 171. this appears somewhat strange. "^ It has been argued that only It would rather be thought, that in case the parish priest finds by if an ordained person had been the the answer to the first question, minister, he could hardly have that a lawful (i. e. an ordained) used, either through inadvertence, minister has baptized the child, or fear, or haste, any other than is he to proceed further " to exa- the proper matter, and the proper mine as to the manner in which form. He would have both know- that lawful minister performed ledge and experience, and would the rite." Blunt, p. 103. But be free also from the anxiety and Holy Baptism, lyj Before I conclude this part of my subject, I would observe, briefly, upon one or two objections. Much stress has been laid, by the opponents of the recognition of the validity of lay-baptism by our Church since 1604, upon the words " lawful minister," as in- terpreted by the 23rd article, and the ordinal. It has been forgotten by both parties, that "lawful minister" in its obvious meaning, with regard to the sacrament of baptism, includes, under certain circumstances, not only persons clerical, but lay. This had always been the doc- trine of the church of England until K. James' reign ; why are we to conclude that it was suddenly repu- diated then ? I omit all notice of the discussion at Hampton Court, and of the complaints of the puri- tans ; — I take the Book of 1604, and compare it with its predecessors, of Elizabeth and Edward ; I examine the records and the rituals, the canons and decisions of the Church from the days of K. Edward to the coming of the first archbishop of Canterbury ; — and throughout the whole line and series, there is one uni- form and consistent testimony, that what we are to hurry likely enough to disturb tent which I hesitate to follow) and harass persons connected, saying, that by the earlier rituals probably by near ties, with the of Edward and Elizabeth, " pri- dying. I fully agree, therefore, vate baptism was not expected to with one of the counsel in the case be administered by a person in of Mastin v. Escott, that " it holy orders, who could hardly be clearly appears to apply to lay- supposed to be in such trouble of men," Report, p. 39. and Sir H. mind as to be unable to state Jenner, in his judgment on that what passed at the time." Ibid. case, goes even further, (to an ex- p. 282. 238 Holy Baptism, understand by the "lawful minister" of baptism, must as to his " lawfulness" depend upon the necessity of the case in which he is called upon to act. Hence, therefore, the 23rd article and the preface to the or- dinal have no legitimate bearing upon the proper interpretation to be put upon those two words, still standing in our ritual. Referred to the sacrament of baptism, the church of Rome would assent to the truth of the statements in both those formularies. She, with ourselves, would declare, that it is " unlawful for any man to administer the sacraments, before he be lawfully called and sent ;" and " that no man must execute either of the functions of bishop, priest, or deacon, unless he hath had episcopal consecration, or ordina- tion." Nevertheless that Church fully recognizes the validity of baptism administered by lay persons ; and acknowledges, that, in certain circumstances, they are its " lawful ministers." The canons of 15*75 have been much relied upon : or rather, one of them, the 12th : which, it seems agreed, was not published with the printed copies of the canons then passed in convocation. The question is, why was it omitted? probably, because happily it did not receive the royal assent. The object of the canon was to prevent lay-baptism, on the authority of the bishops, acting conjointly, as being authorized " to expound and resolve all doubts" which might arise of the true meaning of any parts of the Prayer Book. Now, in the first place, I contend that the power which the bishops thus claimed, exceeded that which \ Holy Baptism. 239 is given them in the Preface to the Prayer Book : according; to that Preface, which is also statute-law, the bishop of each diocese may resolve doubts, which parties shall propose to him ; but the bishops of the province have no authority to meet together, and put their own interpretation upon any rubrics whatsoever. This would be to enact new rubrics, not to expound old ones. And each case of doubt is to be met and resolved from time to time, by individual bishops, as it occurs. Nor am I clear, that if one parish-priest in a diocese has any doubt as to the true meaning of a rubric, and applies to the bishop for his judgment, that another, who has no doubt, would be bound to obey that judgment. It seems required, that before the bishop's judgment can be binding, there should be a doubt existing either in the mind or as to the practice of the inferior minister. But, in the second place, (to return to the canon of 1575,) it pretended " to expound and to resolve" where no doubt or ambiguity could possibly exist. It might have been politic at the time to fancy it, and to try to act upon that fancy. But common sense re- fuses to perceive the slightest ambiguity in the rubrics of the Books of Elizabeth and Edward, in this matter of lay-baptism. If any rule was ever distinct and plain, these were so. And the puritans argued most justly in insisting upon it. Therefore, this last consideration alone being de- cisive, we cannot be astonished that the royal assent was not given to the 12th canon, and that it became a 1 240 Holy Baptism. dead letter. Had it been anything more, it must have been noticed both by Hooker and at the conference. It could not have been unknown, or forgotten, but was felt to be of no real weight, and unworthy of being appealed to.^^ Once more: the Ixixth canon, of 1604, has been brought forward to prove, (that is, if in this contro- versy it can prove any thing,) if any minister being duly informed of the danger of death of an infant un- baptized, shall refuse to baptize the same, that there- fore the infant, in the judgment of the Church at that time and now, must die unbaptized. But the canon says nothing of the sort ; and might very well have been passed in any period of the history of our Church, (say, the 15th century) when lay-baptism in cases of ne- cessity was ordered, and the form, which was to be used, carefully taught. It says, and most properly, that if through the default of the minister, the child should die unbaptized, " the said minister shall be sus- ^^ The canon, moreover, is it- English church, so soon after the self inexplicable ; I am utterly at reformation, to tell them that a loss to know what is to be un- " the ministering of baptism pri- derstood by a lawful minister or vately, is no part of their voca- deacon. " Private baptism" it tion." To call this canon a reso- declares " is only to be adminis- lution of the ambiguities of the tered by a lawful minister or dea- old rubrics of the Office of private con called to be present for that baptism, is simply ludicrous, purpose, and none other." And, See the canon in Colher, vol. 2. if the term " all other persons" p. 552. Cardwell, Synodalia. really is to be understood to mean vol, \. p. 135. Wilkins, concil. " lay-persons," it certainly was vol. 4. p. 285. not requisite for the bishops of the Holy Baptism. 241 pended for three months." There can be no doubt, I repeat it, that early in the l7th century earnest mea- sures were taken to check the unreasonable and irre- gular extent, to which lay-baptism, as a practice rather than an exception, had reached. Probably the energy of some of the bishops, coupled with the alterations consequent on the Hampton Court conference, might be likely to produce a re-action ; and people, it may have been supposed, would wait occasionally too long for the attendance of the parish-priest or his deacon. Hence, if there were no other cause, there were just grounds why a canon, having especial reference to the immediate duties of the ministers of a parish, when so called for, should be passed at that convocation, urgently desiring them under a penalty, no longer to depend upon the almost certain and often unnecessary interference of lay-persons baptizing as of old, but themselves to hasten to the spot, lest, through their de- fault, any should die unbaptized.^^ ^ It is strange that in our foolish delay to offer up a prayer, times, some of the clergy, who should suffer a child to die unbap- advocate extreme doctrines re- tized, would amply deserve sus- specting the Grace in baptism, go pension according to the canon, beyond the early puritans, and But these persons have an ar- will have it that baptism cannot gument ; and we are referred to be valid except by an ordained the rubric. " First, let the minis- minister, and with previous prayer ter of the parish — call upon God, to God. This they insist upon, and say the Lord's Prayer, and however urgent the necessity, and so many of the collects appointed danger of death. I can only say, to be said before in the Form of that any "Minister," who, through Public Baptism, as the time and such his default of perverse and present exigence will suffer." Cer- R 242 Holy Baptism^ The above argument in answer to the objections founded upon the Ixixth canon, is one which would tainly, if this were all that we know of the matter, and if the clergy were justified in undertak- ing and continuing to perform the solemn duties of their office, with no more learning than is to be gleaned from the present Book alone of 1662, the rubric might seem to be ambiguous, and their argument not unreasonable. The Church however takes for granted — (1 would that she were not so frequently deceived) — takes for granted that her clergy are at some pains to ascertain by study and comparison the real meaning of her rubrics. Now, this one before us is to be traced to the First Book of 1549, in similar but plainer words ; " First, let them that be present call upon God for his grace, and say the Lord's prayer, if the time will suffer." Still, we may be told, the al- teration made in 1662, was made for a purpose. If, then, there was any purpose, it must have been to insist upon prayer, as an essen- tial to a valid administration of baptism. Why therefore, let us ask, was not some mention of it included in the examination or- dered to be made of those who bring the child? There is no re- ference to it ; nor is this all. Anciently there was a question. " Whether they called upon God for grace and succour in that ne- cessity?" And this question was actually omitted by the Book of 1662, as if providentially to pre- vent any reliance being placed upon it, to support so grievous an error. It is indeed most fitting that the Lord's Prayer and one or two of the collects at the beginning of the office of public baptism, es- pecially, if a priest officiate, that of the benediction of the water, should always be used, according to the rubric, if the exigence will suffer. But the anxiety of the reviewers in 1662 to promote this end, caused the ambiguity of which I have spoken : they wished to insert the words " so many" and therefore necessarily changed the old clause, "//"the time," into, " as the time." They could not possibly foresee the egregious folly and ignorance combined, which some of their descendants would exhibit, in consequence of this alteration. Nor should I have thought it worth while to have delayed so long, even in a note, about it, had I not heard, and often heai'd, the fact gravely in- sisted on, that therefore prayer is an essential of valid baptism. Holy Baptism. 243 doubtless have occurred to almost every one : but it is not the only one, neither the most powerful. There is another which positively destroys the force of the ob- jection altogether. It is said that the canon — (sup- ported, as it certainly is, by very frequent inquiries of bishops and archdeacons at their visitations to a like effect) — proves, that the child must necessarily, in the judgment of the church of England, die unbaptized, if, the minister neglecting to come, it dies at all.^^ This argument would prove too much : for the canon, on which such a cloud of difficulty is raised, is but a mere repetition of many, exactly to the same effect, if not in almost the same words, in times when lay -bap- tism in cases of emergency was the rule and practice of our Church. Therefore, as such canons and inqui- ries cannot mean what it is pretended they mean in the one instance, so neither can they in the other : and the canon of 1604 must necessarily be interpreted as I have already suggested that it might be. As to the earlier orders to this effect, take, for example, the canons of ^Elfric in the 10 th century: " Si non bap- tizatus infans subito apportaretur ad sacerdotem, bap- tizet eum statim in festinatione, ne moriatur paganus." And, shortly after, the ecclesiastical laws under ^thel- red : "Si quis aliquem segrotum infantem ad presby- terum apportet, tunc statim eum baptizet, et ob nullum impedimentum ilium baptizare negligat, — si absque baptismate moriatur, tunc sciat, quod in die judicii pro ^'' Blunt, Dissenters' baptisms, etc. p. 113. 244 Holy Baptism. anima ilia rationem redditurus sit Deo." And, once more, for it is needless to extract others, a canon of the council at York, in 1195; " Sub eodem tenore con- stitutionis adjicimus, ut quoties sacerdos ad puerum baptizandum invitatur, moras innectere non prsesu- mat."'' We have further to remember, in deciding upon the true interpretation which we ought to put upon the changes in the ritual made in 1604, (and in 1662 which adopted most of them,) that at that very time, a large addition, having direct reference to the two sa- craments of baptism and the supper of the Lord, was made to the catechism. If, therefore, the intention of the Church was to teach that henceforward the minister was to be of the essence of the sacrament of baptism, it is scarcely conceivable but that some plain notice should be taken of that new particular. On the con- trary, there is not even an allusion to it. The ques- tion and answer which seem to speak of the essential parts of baptism are not clearly worded, and the form is brought in rather by the way, than as being neces- sary to complete the answer to the question, which might very well have ended, as it begins, with this one word " Water." However, it is a remarkable fact, that in this addition, to which so easily might have been further added '^ by a lawful minister," and what is to be understood by " lawful," — there is not any mention of the minister at all. This omission, under 38 Wilkins. Concilia, torn. 1. p. 253. 2G9. 502. Holy Baptism, 245 all the circumstances, is as significant, as the difficulty is great to account for it, if the rulers of the church of England, either in 1604 or in 1662, did indeed intend that lay-baptism should no longer be accounted valid. Another argument of no little weight is to be drawn from the Office for baptizing such as are of riper years, which was prepared for and appended to the Book of 1662. The reason for this is expressly stated in the Preface, that it was to meet the cases of those who had never been baptized ; as the last rubric has it, of " persons not baptized in their infancy." The re- viewers could not but know how many thousand chil- dren had been baptized by all sorts of persons, pre- tending to all sorts of ordinations, during the last few years. But these did not fall within their considera- tion, being already " baptized." And their wise care was especially directed against the Anabaptists, whose peculiar heresy it was to deny baptism to infants. " It was thought convenient," says the Preface, " that there should be added — an office for the baptism of such as are of riper years ; which, although not so ne- cessary when the former Book was compiled, yet by the growth of Anabaptism, through the licentiousness of the late times crept in amongst us, is now become necessary." Here again, on any principles except those for which I have been contending, it is impos- sible to account for the total silence observed as to lay-baptism, and the " lawful minister." The bishop of Tasmania in his lectures on the catechism has some remarks, which I would make 1 246 Holy Baptism, here an observation upon ; because, independently of the general value of the work itself in which they occur, they afford a characteristic example of the treat- ment of the question before us in late years. " If we are to discard," the bishop says, " all logical subtleties and legal arguments, and to take up the common sense view of the matter, it would seem, that, (inasmuch as the administration of the sacraments ordained of Christ must be a more important duty, and a far higher privi- lege than the administration of any rite ordained of men,) if a layman can rightly baptize, — much more can he rightly confirm the baptized, consecrate churches, license ministers, or exercise any other episcopal function. ^^ Much has been said and written, in these days, respecting the validity of lay and heretical bap- tism ; and, it is argued, that, because the church of England in times past had sanctioned the practice in some cases, she, therefore, recognizes the lawfulness and efficacy of the act in all. This would be too hasty a conclusion. It must be remembered that no baptisms were performed by laymen, except by such as were specially authorized, and licensed for the purpose, by the bishop of the diocese.*'' And further such bap- tisms were performed only in extreme cases." *^ '^^ The bishop (I presume) can *" This most extraordinary scarcely be understood to mean statement is given on the autho- that "confirmation," and " licens- rity of Hook's Ch. Diet. art. Lay ing ministers" are to be looked Baptism. The proof of it would upon equally as mere " episcopal be curious, functions." ^ ^' P. 595. Holy Baptism, 247 But, whether or no we are to discard in this en- quiry logical subtleties and legal arguments, we must be very careful not to take " a common-sense view" of it. It is to a too great partiality for that mode of dealing with theological difficulties, that we have to trace very many of the errors widely prevalent among us, and much of the irreverence with which deep myste- ries of the Faith are commonly regarded. Let it be conceded that common-sense would reasonably draw the conclusion which the bishop has suggested : this may or may not be : but the doctrine of the Christian sacraments is not to be settled by an appeal to a tribunal so wavering and various in its judgments, so warped by the chances of education, so stubborn in its prejudices. Secondarily and doubtfully we may in- deed make use of its assistance : which in such ques- tions is legitimate, not in deciding, but in deliberating ; not in concluding, but in enquiring ; not in declaring what is reasonable, but in examining and testing the weight and authority of evidence. The sacraments are not to be brought down to and judged by the low level of human reason. Facts, which are apparently contrary to and certainly inexplicable by common- sense, may nevertheless be facts, truths hidden among the deep things of God. We all acknowledge that Catholic doctrines are not to be rejected solely because they may seem to be either the one or the other. Else, (not to mention other mysteries,) we may at once discard the truth that the consecrated elements in the Holy Eucharist are the Body and the Blood of 248 Holy Baptism. our Lord : or, that by the washing of water with the word sinful man is cleansed by the Holy Spirit, rege- nerated, and sanctified. I shall now conclude this enquiry into the question, Who is the proper minister of the sacrament of bap- tism ? and with respect to the judgment of the church of England, at present, regarding lay-administration, I trust that it has been sufficiently shewn, that now as of old she recognizes and admits all baptisms to be valid, by whomsoever conferred, if done with the pro- per matter and the proper form : also, that there is no evidence by which we may justly suppose, that the ancient permission which the Church always gave to lay-persons to baptize, in cases of necessity, has, during the last 200 years, been withdrawn. It will probably be objected that I have entered un- necessarily at so great a length into the latter part of this subject, namely, the present law of the church of England. But, remembering the dissatisfaction which was caused to very many of our clergy by the judg- ment given by Sir John Nicholl, in 1809, and again, by Sir Herbert Jenner, in 1841,*- both recognizing the validity of lay-baptism, I have been desirous to express my opinion, and entire agreement with those decisions : and also, the steps by which I have arrived at it. I am not ignorant that I differ from many very learned members of our Church ; nor do I hesitate to confess, that some years since I thought myself on ^ Kemp V. Wickes. 1809. Mastin v. Escott. 184U Holy Baptism. 249 this question otherwise than I now believe to be the truth respecting it. But a repeated examination, and consideration of the arguments on both sides, and a careful search into authorities which I am bound to acknowledge, have compelled me to come to the con- clusions which I have stated. Let me say again that they have not been hastily arrived at. Whilst, upon the one hand, the arguments of the counsel in the late case of Mastin v. Escott, against the validity of lay-baptism, now, in our Church, ap- peared to me (from the first) to be weak and incon- clusive, I would not, upon the other, be understood to consent to very many of the arguments and opinions urged by the counsel for the plaintiff. ^^ The judgment *^ Such (for example) as, that " schismatical and heretical bap- tism must be valid, because other- wise the church of England would be unchristianized ; for it cannot be denied that her baptism, her orders, everything she has, was derived through the church of Rome." Report, p. 169. Which is a repetition of the old absurdity put forth by Bingham. Or, again, that the Scotch kirk is a part of the Catholic Church, because^ says the Queen's Advocate, " she has been recognized as a branch of it by acts of our parliament :" a position which the learned Judge himself assented to, adding, " it is acknowledged in an act of the last session of parliament." Ibid. p. 175. This, by the way, is as much as to say, (which happily is the truth) that the Scotch kirk has never been so acknowledged by any act of the Church. Very much in both these cases was urged, upon the point of the excessive harshness and indecency which would ensue from the re- fusal to bury such persons, as un- baptized, (although wrongly so regarded) within our churchyards, andwith our solemn service. These arguments mainly sprung from a very wide assertion by Sir John Nicholl ; that, " the Church knows no such indecency as the putting into the earth of a body, without the performance of the service." But if it is true that the common 1 250 Holy Baptism. itself of Sir H. Jenner evidences the care bestowed upon it, and is much to be commended for the mode- ration of its tone. I am in hopes, also, that this whole discussion will not be without much useful result. Since the Appeal from Sir H. Jenner's judgment was decided, \ am not aware that any enquiry or controversy about the sub- ject of it has taken place. The clergy generally have silently (perhaps some sullenly ?) acquiesced : but it law gives a right to a grave, it is no less true that the Church, in certain cases, does not permit the service to be used. " Here is to he noted," says the rubric, " that the office ensuing is not to he used for any that die unhaptized, or excommunicate, or have laid vio- lent hands upon themselves." Even though, in these cases which came before the court, the parties were clearly not to be classed un- der one of these heads, did it follow that therefore they were justly entitled to be buried with the rites of our holy Church ? Possibly under the shelter of the technicalities of the law, they were so : but far different would have been the judgment of sterner and purer times. One word more upon this, a very sad and painful subject. I cannot conceive how it is, that persons can claim, either for them- selves or for their relatives, the performance of the Service ap- pointed by the Church, over their dead bodies, when, their whole lives, they have despised, and re- jected, and opposed the Church in every possible way. If there is any one part of our Ritual which, more than another, offends schismatics of this kind, Wesley- ans, Presbyterians, and the rest, it is our Office for the burial of the Dead. I have above spoken of the kirk of Scotland : at its first beginning, this was their order of burial, and was largely adopted in after-years by dissent- ing sects in this country. I do not know whether it is still in use, but, if it is, the listening to such an Office as our own, intended for Christian dead, must be indeed a trial. However, here it is ; — (was it in Sir J. NichoU's mind when he said, the Church knows no such indecency, etc. ?) — " The corpse is reverently brought to the grave, accompanied with the congregation, n-ithout any further Holy Baptism, 251 would be absurd to say that they have been convinced. Nor am I idle enough to presume that the mere state- ment of my own opinion will have much weight. The matter, however, will be reopened under, it may be, a different aspect and in different times. Let it not be forgotten that in the question of the validity of lay-baptism two points are involved. One, the judgment and decision always of the Church Catholic ; the other, the judgment and decision now of our own church, the church of England. Whether a particular Church may alter at her own will and pleasure the essentials of the sacraments of the gospel, — and, be it well considered that to reject lay-baptism is to say, and no less than to say, that the minister is of the essence of the sacrament of baptism, — making them at one time to consist in what at another time they do not consist, I shall not enquire : because I am indeed most thankful from my heart to believe, that in the doctrine of lay-baptism, as in all others of the like importance, there is not nor has there ever been any variation between the church of England and the ceremonies : which being buried, the ministei' if he be present, and required, goeth to the church, if he be not far off, and maketh some comfortable exhortation to the people touching death and resurrection." Not only no cere- monies, no service, but even only as it might happen, the presence of " the minister." I am not arguing novsr upon the fact whether they who think such an order of burial to be the pro- per one, and such as they, are right or wrong in their opinions. But this I do repeat: it is, almost beyond belief, strange, that when they die they desire to be buried in our churchyards, and with our Service. 252 Holy Baptism, Church Catholic. The judgment of both has con- stantly been the same ; that Baptism, by whomsoever administered, if with the proper Matter and the proper Form, is to be received and acknowledged.** ^^ " It was always the doctrine of the reformation," says arch- bishop Laurence, " that the ele- ment of water alone, united to the form of words prescribed by our Saviour, constituted true baptism. In confonnity, therefore, with this doctrine, our own church, in the case under contemplation [private baptism] enjoined nothing more than water and the word as abso- lutely necessary to baptismal effi- cacy ; adding, ' And let them not doubt but that the child so bap- tized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized, and ought not to be bap- tized again.'" Doctrine of the Ch. of Engl, on the efficacy of baptism, joar^ 2. p. 117. Holy Baptism. ^Sl CHAPTER X. jE, naturally, from the last division of this dissertation, pass on to the consideration of the Necessity of baptism. It was to "^ this truth that the Church further ap- pealed, in permitting, when danger of death was urgent, the sacrament of baptism to be administered by lay- persons. Theologians have been accustomed to speak of bap- tism as being necessary, either " necessitate medii," or "necessitate prsecepti."' Regarding the first of these, we rely upon the Scripture ; " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Regarding the second, also upon the Scripture ; " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Hence, therefore, the church of England carefully ^ So Dr. Featley ; (speaking of the two texts, S. John, iij. 3. S. Mark, xvj. 16 :) " Baptisme is the ordinary means of salvation ; and that baptisme is so far necessary, as well ratione prcecepti as ra- tione medii, no orthodox under- standing protestant ever denied, neither is there any reall contro- versie betweene the protestants and papists in this point ; but only verball, as doctor Reynolds ex- cellently clearly well proveth in his lectures, de censura Apocry- phorum." The Dippers Dipt. edit. 1646. p. 7. 254 Holy Baptism, admonishes her people thus. " Whereby" — (referring, that is, to the text just quoted, " Except a man, e^c") — • " ye may perceive the great necessity of this sacrament, where it may be had." And immediately afterwards we are reminded of the other text, " Go ye into all the world, etcT This necessity, with respect to the recipients of the sacrament, is binding upon all adults for both reasons : not merely as it is the only known means whereby we may be saved, and made members of the Christian Church ; but because of the command also. We baptize infants, by whom the command that it should be received cannot be understood, on account of the first reason only. Our Church, in this her admonition, has well relied upon the texts to which she appeals. " He that be- lieveth and is baptized shall be saved." It is impossible to draw any distinction here, between the two things required of us ; faith, and baptism. There is the same necessity of the one as of the other ; nor of the one only, and not the other also. And faith at least, at all times, and in some manner, has been allowed by all sects to be necessary to salvation : therefore baptism is no less so. Again ; the Same, our Blessed Lord, has said, " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." In which words there is no difference made, or allowed, — be- tween Jew or Gentile, bond or free, young or old, sex, quality, or condition, whether in the time of our Saviour only, or in all future years, — but one expressed, Holy Baptism, 255 broad, rule laid down, including all mankind from that age for ever, under its plain provisions. It is true, and many have objected this against the necessity of baptism, that immediately succeeding the promise of our Blessed Lord, " He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," this clause also is added ; " And these signs shall follow them that believe ; In My name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents ; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." The argument drawn from this is, that as we certainly no longer see these signs and wonders accompanying or following the administration of bap- tism, that sacrament cannot now be of absolute neces- sity. But, not to insist upon the common and erro- neous notion that the gift of such miraculous powers was limited to the apostolic or at least to the first ages of the Church, — an error, because we have complete evidence of miracles worked in much later days, and we neither know when such gifts were to be withdrawn, nor whe- ther they do not rather rest now upon the Church and within her, — not to insist, I say, upon this, it is evident, that the same argument if correct would prove, not so much the indifiference of baptism as the failure of faith ; and that it is no longer required of any man that he should believe, in order that he may obtain salvation. A conclusion which even the Socinians would deny. Apparently, there is a more reasonable objection to be derived from the parallel words (parallel, that is, in 256 Holy Baptism. one respect) of our Blessed Lord, when He said ; " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of man, and drink His Blood, ye have no life in you." It is undeniable that these words refer to the eucharist : yet the Church never acknow- ledged or taught that actual participation of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ is so necessary, as that without it (in the case of infants, for example,) there can be no salvation. Therefore, the objection runs, baptism is not more necessary than the sacrament of the eucharist. But the fact that the Church from the beginning has held the absolute necessity of the one, as distinguished from the absolute necessity of the other, is in itself a sufficient answer against such a conclusion. Moreover, mark the difference in the expressions used by our Saviour ; in the one case, " Except a man ^ be born again, etc.''' Eav fxn tj? yswnh. Here there is no limitation, nothing to denote some in particular and not others ; but the words are indefinite and general, spoken as of every one alike, and in the third person. On the contrary in the other, people then surrounding our Blessed Lord were addressed : of course, in them also all future members of the Church, who should be, as they were, grown up and ^ A somewhat remarkable in- warily urge it against the paedo- stance of the unwiseness of rely- baptists ; and will observe that it ing in argument only on the Eng- is said, Except a man be born, lish version of the scriptures, is etc. it is not said, a chi/d, con- mentioned by Wall. " Some of eluding from the word that he the antipajdobaptists that can read that is so born must be a man no other than the English trans- grown." Infant Baptism. voL 2. lation, will sometimes very un- p. 188. Holy Baptism, 257 capable of being taught the precepts of the Gospel. And so the command is " Except ye eat, etc.'" Nor are the last words of the text without a most significant meaning : " — ye have no life in you : " which must not be interpreted of the commencement, but the con- tinuance of spiritual life ; and in a sense very different from the " entrance into the kingdom of heaven." By that entrance the life is given, which, in after years, requires repeated support and nourishment, without which we " have no life" in us. The question how far baptism, where it cannot be obtained, may be supplied by an earnest desire of the sacrament, accompanied with sincere repentance and faith, a state which can be possible to adults only ; — ■ or, in infants, who die unbaptized, by their presumed desire, and innocence of actual sin committed by them- selves ; — these are questions which I shall not enter upon ; inasmuch as we have no sure warrant of Scrip- ture to decide them, or sufficient authority in the earliest ages to guide us towards a conclusion, which may not seem to be wise above what is written. I am w^ell contented to press no further than the just deter- minations of our Church ; that this, at least, " is cer- tain by God's word ; that children which are baptized, dying before they commit actual sin, are undoubtedly saved." ^ And this also : that baptism is necessary, " where it may be had." ^ " De parvulis hoc certissi- mum ipso reatu, si tunc a corpo- mum est, quod sublato per baptis- ribus eorum animae migrarint, 258 Holy Baptism, There were various ancient sects of heretics who denied the necessity of this sacrament : such were the followers of Quintilla of whom Tertullian speaks ; * — the Manicheans, who argued that water, as well as other material things, was created by the evil being ; ^ — the Seleucians and others of the same sort, who, insisting on the text, " He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire," despised baptism with water ; — and, not to mention more, the Messalians, who appear to have rejected all sacraments, declaring that perpetual prayer was alone necessary to sal- vation. In somewhat later days, a singular notion opposing the necessity of baptism is mentioned in a very famous epistle of pope Zachary, which I extract from, as the propounder of it was a native of these realms. " In- terea scripsit reverenda fraternitas tua, reperisse quon- dam presbyterum genere Scotum, nomine Sampson, protinus in coelum essent avola- recusantes dicunt, non oportere turae." Assert. Lutheran, confut. enarrabilis, et invisibilis virtutis per rev. patrem Joannem Rof- mysteriura per visibiles et corrup- fensem episc. fol. xllj. h. tibiles perfici creaturas : et ea quae * De baptismo. cap. 1 . He mente concipi non possunt, et in- adds ; " Sed nos pisciculi secun- corporalia, et insensibilia, per sen- dum t\Qvv nostrum Jesum Chris- sibilia et corporalia." Contra turn in aqua nascimur : nee aliter hceres. lib. 1. cap. xxi. p. 96. quam in aqua perraanendo salvi sumus." ^ " Baptismum in aqua nihil Before Tertullian, we learn cuiquam perhibent salutis afferre : from Irenseus that whilst some nee quemquam eorum quos deci- heretics mixed oil, &c. with the piunt, baptizandum putant." S. water, others rejected baptism al- Augustin. de hceres. xlvj. torn. 8. together. " AHi vero hsec omnia p. 18. Holy Baptism, 259 errantem a via veritatis, dicentem et affirmantem, sine mystica invocatione, aut lavacro regenerationis, posse fieri catholicum Christianum per episcopalis manus impositionem. Hie autem qui dicit hoc, vacuus est a Spiritu Sancto, et alienus a gratia Christi, atque a consortio sacerdotali abjiciendus. Quis enim, nisi baptizetur juxta prseceptum Domini, in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, et sic per manus impositio- nem consecretur, potest esse catholicus?"^ Wickliffe has been said to have held erroneous doc- trines upon this point. So Thomas Waldensis asserts ; and after him, Tournely and others. Trombelli takes a like view ; but I think that the passages cited from Wickliffe's works cannot be interpreted beyond the expression of his own private conjectures as to the final condition of unbaptized infants. Concerning a person so important, I shall give the passages, as they have been cited from his works.^ " Similiter delato infante fidelium ad ecclesiam, ut secundum Christi regulam baptizetur, et deficiente aqua, vel requisitis aliis, stante pia intentione totius populi, interim mor- tuo naturaliter nutu Dei : videtur grave, damnatioiiem infantis hujusmodi diflSnire, specialiter cum nee infans iste, nee populus peccavit, ut taliter damnaretur. Ubi est ergo misericors liberalitas Christi Dei, si talis proles fidelium propter illud, quod non est in potestate eorum, damnabitur, cum Deus secundum principia ^ Epist. X. ad Bonifacium. cit. '' Cf. Doctrinale. cap. xcix. Trombelli. . 208. Some editions Christus ipse praeceperit baptis- read, " illud, quod est." mum." On the difficult question, " Lib. 2. cap. xxij. docuerat what is the result, where baptism infantes necessario esse baptizan- cannot be had, he says : " Hsec dos. At necessitas ejusmodi non nostra sententia est. Quanquam tantum prsecepti, cujus illi sunt baptismo nos adstringat Deus, ubi incapaces, sed medii seu absoluta haberi potest : non tamen ita ex- supponi debet a S. Irena30. Et terno se symbolo alligare, ut non vero comparationes quibus utitur possit, aut nolit, absque eo homi- in priori testimonio, eo tendunt ut nem salvare." Disp. vij. §. 1. 17. attendenti patebit." Tournely, t^e 12 Apolog. 1. cap. 61. jo. 80. baptismo. p. 188. 264 Holy Baptism. legi collata definitio ilia, Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua, etc. obstrinxit fidem ad baptismi necessitatem."^* Once more, S. Ambrose : — for there is no need of heaping up authorities upon this point, — " Credit au- tem etiam catechumenus in crucem Domini Jesu, qua et ipse signatur : sed nisi baptizatus fuerit in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, remissionem non potest accipere peccatorum, nee spiritualis gratiae mu- nus haurire."^^ The important treatise of S. Fulgentius cle baptismo jEthiopis moiHbundi, to which I have already had occa- sion more than once to refer, was written in solution of a doubt proposed to him, upon a case which may be mentioned here. An Ethiopian boy had been care- fully taught the rudiments of the Christian faith by his masters, and was enrolled in the Church lists among the number of catechumens who were preparing to re- ceive baptism at the solemn administration at Easter. He had passed through the *' scrutinia ;" he had been exorcised ; had been taught the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. All the initiatory rites had been performed : in short, as the account states, " simul jam et quid cre- deret, et quid oraret intelligens, futuro baptismati pa- rabatur." But on the eve of the great festival he was seized with fever ; and, in a senseless state, was car- ^* Cap. xiij. p. 229. say, as some have argued, that the ^^ De Mysteriis. cap. iv. form in baptism is sufficient, if, The above quotation is impor- "in the name of Jesus" only. See tant also, as proving that S. Am- above, ;>. 155. brose could not have intended to Holy Baptism, 265 ried to the church ; where, unable to speak and answer the necessary interrogatories, he was baptized. Shortly after, he died ; ignorant of what had been done. Ful- gentius — and we must consent to the correctness of his judgment, — decides that the boy was rightly and pro- perly baptized : and that he truly received remission of his sins and spiritual regeneration. He argues that, as the Scripture has promised that " he that belie veth and is baptized, shall be saved," we cannot doubt of the salvation of such an one, in whom nothing was w^anting of the conditions required. " Officium se- cundge nativitatis in fide, et confessione, effectus autem in regeneratione consistit." With what justice there- fore, he inquires, can one who has fulfilled the condi- tions necessary on his part, namely, faith and confes- sion, be debarred from obtaining the effect of baptism, namely, regeneration? Every labourer is worthy of his hire : and the wages of the grace given in baptism, are not to be denied to him, who has performed the stipulated work. Nor is any stress to be laid upon the fact, that oral pronunciation of belief in such cases cannot be : " nihil itaque illi ad seternam beatitudi- nem consequendam vox ablata nocuit, qui quamdiu potuit, ipsa fidei confessione permansit. Ablata non est, nee mutata : nee abolitum est quod dixit, quando dicere non potuit, quia quamdiu sentire potuit, senten- tiam non mutavit."^^ ^® Bibl. Patrum. ^ow. ix.jtJ.172. baptizing the dead. See above, et seqq. The ninth chapter meets p. 3. note 9. the objection, from the error of 266 Holy Baptism. I have said above that I was not desirous to discuss the difficulty which must immediately occur to us, as to the future condition hereafter of those who, baptism being necessary to salvation, are unable to obtain it. Let us, I repeat, be content with the wise moderation of our Church, that it is " generally" necessary, that is, necessary " where it may be had." Baptism is the means appointed by our Blessed Lord by which, only, we know that we may be born again, and made heirs of eternal life : and except we are so born again, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. But, on the other hand, baptism is not an internal qualification or requisite without which, whether in ourselves or from above, it is evident we cannot be saved ; such as re- pentance, faith, justification, and sanctification. Bap- tism is a sacrament, an outward visible sign ordained by Christ Himself for the very purpose, and the single purpose, of conveying to us inward invisible spiritual graces, necessary to salvation. But the omnipotence of our Lord is not tied down to work solely by those outward and visible means. As at first He might have ordained other means, so now, it is not for one in- stant to be doubted, He can, if He pleaseth, work in- dependently of, and otherwise than by, them. Hence therefore, I would not speculate regarding that other class of persons, including thousands and tens of thousands, whose condition is similar in one respect, that they do not receive baptism, yet different in all others, inasmuch as they not only cannot obtain it, but neither desire it, nor have heard of it. In Holy Baptism, 267 these there can be no explicit wish, no sincere repent- ance, no faith. They are ignorant, — placed as they are placed in this world, under the inscrutable work- ings of the Divine Providence, — they are ignorant of the Name of Jesus Christ, and of the tidings of salva- tion. " How shall they hear without a preacher?" They cannot be condemned, we say, (it is the obvious remark) relying upon the plain dictates of natural justice, for any rejection of means of grace, which have not been offered to them, or for any contempt of a command, which has never been given to them. Nevertheless, we have no right to assert this ; how- ever strong, and apparently reasonable, our hope may be. The total silence of the scripture on this subject, is in itself a most significant fact : teaching us, in lan- guage not to be mistaken, that it is still to be among the hidden mysteries of God. I think that in nothing has the moderation of the church of England been shown more clearly, than in her constant avoidance of laying down any decision as to the future condition of infants dying unbaptized. And this, not only during the last two or three cen- turies ; but, so far as I remember, there is not any special notice taken of them, as such, or any specula- tions entered into concerning them, in her canons and provincial constitutions in former times. I would not be understood too positively, for it is not wise to attempt to prove a negative, and some statement may have escaped my notice. But, I repeat, I do not re- member to have observed any remark in the English 268 Holy Baptism, Concilia, about infants dying unbaptized, before the sixteenth century. Doubtless there are innumerable articles as to the necessity of baptism; of the grace and the salvation which it conveys ; of its being the gate of heaven, and even in one place, (to be presently cited,) that that gate is shut against the unbaptized ; and that " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot see the kingdom of God." But, still, no plain, dogmatic decision, that infants dying unbap- tized must perish everlastingly : or, on the other hand, that they will be saved by the ways, secret to us, of God's mercy. In 1536, for the first time, (as I remember) the " Articles devised by the Kings highnes to stablyshe Christen quietness," made a deliberate assertion upon this point. " Children by baptism do obtain remis- sion of their sins — and be made thereby the very sons and children of God. Insomuch as infants dying in their infancy shall undoubtedly be saved thereby, and else not."^^ This sentence was repeated in the Insti- tution of a Christian man, published in the following year : but, in the Necessary Doctrine, put forth in 1543, the article on the sacrament of baptism was re- modelled, and this assertion was cancelled ; nor has it ever again been, in any way, restored in any of our canons or formularies. It surely must seem to every- one little to be regretted that for a few, scarcely for seven, years, the English church forgot, in this respect, ^^ Formularies, etc. Oxf. p. xix. 93. 253. Holy Baptism, 269 her usual moderation, inasmuch as we have the fact of her quick correction of a statement so hasty and unadvised. ^^ ^^ I have already, just above spoken of Wickliffe, and the ob- jections brought against the pas- sages there cited, by several au- thors : originally by Waldensis : who argues that children, dying unbaptized, certainly perish, and suffer, to some extent, eternally ; in his Doctrinale, c«jo.xcix. which the student should examine. Opera, torn. 2. p. 580. And I am aware that similar statements by canonists and theologians of the middle ages were frequently made: in reliance probably upon the sup- posed treatise by S. Augustin, de fide ad Petrum, now known not to be his. There was, however, much variety in this respect. See the homily of ^Ifric, de haptismo, Vindex Eccl. Angl. torn. 3. p. 281. S. Bernard, ejowf. 77. Ger- son, Opera, torn. 3. p. 18. cf. p. 1350. Thes. Anec. torn. 5. p. 852, 882. The Trent catechism, in after years, speaks plainly, " Sed cum caeterarum rerum cog- nitio, quae hactenus expositse sunt, fidelibus utilissima habenda sit; tum vero nihil magis necessarium videri potest, quam ut doceantur, omnibus hominibus baptism! legem a Domino praescriptam esse, ita ut, nisi per baptism! gratiam Deo re- nascantur, in sempiternam mise- riam et interitum a parentibus, sive illi fideles, sive infideles sint, procreentur." p. 108. edit. Aldus. The reader will at once perceive that the clause, whether faithful or unbelieving parents, refers to the common error then prevalent, (as in modern days) that children of believers are saved whether with or without actual reception of the sacrament. But it is not necessary to discuss this at any length. I would not omit, however, to notice, as to the belief expressed by members of our own Church, this, by S. Anselm : who admits the condemnation, in some sort, of infants unbaptized, and yet with no certainty (as indeed he could have none) as to the extent of that condemnation. " Non omnes pariter in inferno torqueri mere- antur. Nam post diem judicii nullus erit angelus, aut homo, nisi aut in regno Dei, aut in inferno. Ita igitur et peccatum infantium minus est, quam peccatum Adae ; et nullus tamen sine ilia univer- sal! satisfactione salvatur; per quam et magnum et parvum di- mittitur peccatum." Opera, p. 104. It was a little before the time of S. Anselm that Peter Lombard had written of a middle 270 Holy Baptis?n. Before I leave this question altogether, there is one particular regarding it, which I ought to notice. It has, I may say, been held from the beginning in the Church, as a pious opinion, that the want of bap- tism in water is supplied, nay, more than supplied, by baptism in blood. Martyrdom, the baptismus sangui- nis, has been believed always to convey to men, the sure virtue of the baptismus fluminis, the probable but, it may be, still doubtful virtue of the baptismus fla- minis. Even if it were no more than a mere pious opinion, we should be bound to pay to it due reverence, sup- ported as it is by the voice and judgment of the greatest state ; a limhus puerorum, as it was afterwards styled. " Pro peccato original! quod a parentibus trahitur, parvuli damnabuntur : pro eo nuUam aliam ignis mate- rialis vel conscientiae vermis poe- nam sensuri, nisi quod Dei visione carebunt in perpetuum." Sentent. lib. ij. dist. 33. E. Compare the 3rd book of the Decretals, tit. xlij. cap. 3. confirming this opinion about the year 1250. " Poena originalis peccati, est carentia vi- sionis Dei." For later writers in our church, and for sentiments more in con- formity with her own wise mode- ration, I would refer the reader to the Reformatio Legum, de hceres. cap. xviij. to the citation from Jewell's works, in the note above, p. 23. to Hooker, Eccles. Polity. hook. 5. ch. Ix. to Field, of the Church : hook. 3. ch. 7. and Wall, Infant baptism, vol. 2. ch. vj. I must make one more remark : that, — whatever any others (our- selves for example, of the church of England) may think of the clear decisions which some of the later fathers and schoolmen have not hesitated to lay down, in this most mysterious and doubtful question, — at least, the disciples of Calvin cannot accuse such judg- ments of any want of charity. Pressed to their utmost bounds, those judgments are neither so contrary to the plain words of Holy Scripture, nor so uncharita- ble, as is his blasphemous heresy of particular and irrespective elec- tion to eternal life. Holy Baptism, 271 fathers of the Church. But, beyond this, there are texts of S. Scripture which must be considered to have such especial reference to this opinion, that indeed we are warranted in believing that it is a doctrine which " may be proved thereby." Not however that we must regard baptism even by blood to be either a sacrament, or true baptism, of that kind of which our Lord spoke to Nicodemus ; that without it no man could enter into the kingdom of heaven. It does not supersede baptism by water ; but it supplies the place of it, where, from necessity, the true sacrament cannot be had.^^ Martyrdom is every punishment inflicted through hatred of the name of Jesus Christ, or of the true doc- trine of His Church, and endured unto death, through love of Him, and of purity of the faith, with constancy and patience. It requires therefore two conditions ; the punishment and the cause. As to the cause, it must be remembered that the Church has received as mar- tyrs persons who have not suffered directly in behalf of the Faith generally and primarily, but secondarily, and for certain truths of it ; as, for example, S, John Baptist, in condemnation of the sin of adultery ; many of the virgin saints, in defence of chastity ; in later days, and by the church of England, Edward, king of the West Saxons, Thomas archbishop of Canter- 19 " To think that a man whose had the grace to believe, and not baptism the crown of martyrdom the honour to seal the testimony preventeth, doth lose in that case thereof with blood, were almost the happiness which so many barbarous." Hooker, hooh 5, ch. thousands enjoy, that only have Ix. §. 5. 272 Holy Baptism, bury, and Charles the first, in defence of the power and privileges of the Church. On the part of the sufferer, it may be either voluntary or involuntary : or rather, as S. Bernard has written, there may be these distinc- tions ; martyrs in both will and deed ; martyrs, in will only ; martyrs, in deed only. He says " Habemus in beato Stephano martyrii simul et opus et voluntatem ; habemus solam voluntatem in beato Joanne ; solum in beatis Innocentibus opus." ^° Concerning all these various cases we may equally appeal to Scripture. Our Blessed Lord made no dis- tinction as to age, or sex, or other qualification of that kind, when He said, " — he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it." Or, almost immediately be- fore ; " Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father Which is in heaven." ^^ And with regard to this last text, it is to be noticed that S. Augustin connects it with another in the Gospel, in which we learn the absolute necessity of baptism by water. *' He Who said" — are the words of that father — " ' Except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,' the Same said also generally, ^^ In Sermone de Innoc. torn. 1. spectu dici potest opus operantis ; 'p. 794. posteriori vero, opus operatum. " Duobus modis considerari po- Soli adulti capaces sunt martyrii, test martyrium, nempe quatenus quatenus est opus operantis ; in- est actus voluntarius alicujus vir- fantes vero, quatenus est opus tutis, fortitudinis nimirum; aut operatum." Tournely, de bap- quatenus est simpliciter pcBna in tismo,p. 219. odium Christi inflicta. Priori re- " S. Matt. ch. x. v. 39. 32. Holy Baptism. 273 * Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before my Father Which is in heaven.'"^- And, once more, it is written ; " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." =' In other places, our Lord, it is to be remembered, used the term baptism with especial reference to death '^ De civitate Dei. lib. 13. cap. In another place, he speaks of the Holy Innocents. " Etiam in- fantes illos, qui cum Dominus Jesus Christus necandus quaere- retur, occisi sunt, in honorem martyrum receptos commendat ecclesia." De lib. arhitrio. lib. 3. cap. xxiij. torn. \.p. 638. The puritans, contending against the doctrine of the Church, in the question of the grace given in baptism, found it difficult to avoid the argument drawn from the acknowledged truth, that such grace was supplied by martyrdom. This they especially felt as re- garded the Holy Innocents ; who, they declared, were saved, if saved at all, by the faith of their parents, " being within the covenant." Hence it followed that if any were the children of unbelieving parents or gentiles, they were nei- ther martyrs nor saved. Willet, in his Synopsis, cites Macrobius, an obscure author ; " It is not necessary," he writes, "to hold all those childi-en to be martyrs, and so to be saved : for Macrobius writeth, that one of Herod's sonnes, which was nursed in those parts, was slaine among the rest; the infants which were saued, were within the promise, and belonged to the covenant, and so could not be lost : their salvation depended of their free election before God." p. 569. Compare jt>. 565. "The children of the faithfull are holy alreadie, euen before they bee bap- tized: for they are within the couenant." On the other hand, compare Taverner's postil " on chylder- raasse daye." I have not Macrobius at hand, but, if I remember rightly, what he records is some jest of the emperor Augustus, when he heard of the slaughter of the young chil- dren, and that a son of Herod had been among the number ; " Melius est Herodis porcum esse quam filiura." ^■^ S. John. ch. XV. v, 13. 274 Holy Baptism. and suffering for the Faith : " Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ? " Also, again, as to the mystery of His own Passion : " I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished."^* The fathers, commonly, apply these texts to martyrdom : and some add, with S. Cyril of Jerusalem, that martyrs make confession also, according to the words of S. Paul, " being made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men : " in times of peace that we are to be bap- ■^ S. Mark. ch. X. v. 38. S. Luke. cli. xij. V. 50. Some writers have cited another text, which I submit to the reader, though scarcely to be relied upon, as it appears to me. " And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and whence came they ? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Rev. ch. vij. v. 13. It has been objected that it is wrong to speak of martyrdom as a " baptism of blood," inasmuch as it contradicts the text, " one faith, one baptism." Aquinas de- fends, as names, the three com- mon scholastic distinctions of bap- tisms; viz. aquce, sanguinis, and flaminis. " Ad primum dicen- dum, quod alia duo baptismata includuntur in baptismo aquae, qui efficaciam habet et ex passione Christi, et ex Spiritu Sancto : et ideo per hoc non tollitur unitas baptismatis. ^ Ad secundum di- cendum, quod sacramentum habet rationem signi : alia vero duo con- veniunt cum baptismo aquae, non quidem quantum ad rationem signi sed quantum ad effectum baptis- matis : et ideo non sunt sacra- menta." Summa. pars. in. qu. Ixvj. art. xj. Returning to the last two texts cited above, many passages in the fathers prove their applicability to the question before us : see Ter- tullian, de hapt. cap. xvj. with the remarks by Le Nourry, Appa- ratus ad bihl.max. torn. 2. dissert. IV. art. 4. and by bishop Kaye,jo. 445. Also S. Cyprian, de exhort, martyr. S. Ambrose, expos, in ps. 118. Holy Baptism. 275 tized with water, but in times of persecution with our own blood.-^ If w^e sought for reasons why martyrdom should be thus regarded, we cannot but thus conclude, following S. Basil."^ Baptism by water washes away sin, and makes us acceptable in the sight of God, because in it we are (as the apostle writes), " baptized into the death of Jesus Christ, and are buried with Him by baptism into death ;""^ or, as our Church first prays, that in them who are baptized the old Adam may be so buried, that the new man may be raised up in them ; and afterwards teaches us, that as Christ died and rose again for us, so we who are baptized, should die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness. All this, how- ever, though in one view real, still in another by a figure and similitude. Not in like manner, the mar- tyrs : they, w^ho have received the baptism of blood, have indeed been baptized into the death of their Lord ; and have been " buried with Him by baptism into death ; " so actually, so truly, that we cannot doubt, that having been thus "planted together in the likeness of His death, they shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection." Hence, again, we may perceive why generally the fathers have spoken of martyrdom as eminent beyond baptism ; inasmuch as, —where all the conditions of it ^ Catech. 3. §. vij. xxiv. Bihl. Patrum. torn. 24. p. ^ De Spiritu Sancto. cap. xv. 1 422. See also, Peter Blesensis, Serm. ^'' Romans, ch. vj. v. 3. 276 Holy Baptism. are fulfilled, including death, so that it is really mar- tyrdom, — it not alone supplies the want of the sacra- ment, but removes all possibility of after-sin, and introduces the sufferer at once into the glorious com- pany of the redeemed in Paradise.*^ Nor are the difficulties which have been urged against the common consent of the Catholic Church in this matter, of much weight. It has been said that the outward act of martyrdom cannot add any goodness to the inward act of faith, or love, or sincere repent- ance : (these last however do not avail alone, without baptism by water, to the remission of sins.) Nay, the apostle has declared, as if with reference to this, " though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." But, whether the act of martyrdom does add effective value and good- ness to the inward dispositions of the mind, in such a way as to supply the want of baptism by water, is the very question upon which the Church has recorded her opinion : grounding it upon those promises of her Divine Head which have regard to martyrdom, in the same way as she relies upon His other promises which relate to the sacrament of regeneration. Although, ^ The schoolmen afterwards gerit sui minoris, omnino minus drew distinctions : for example, est. etc." Doctrinale, ca/>. civ. Thomas Waldensis. " Si quis Opera, torn. 2. -p. 609. On the autem contendat, majus esse mar- general question see S. Ambrose, tyrium sacro baptismo, dici po- de ohitu Valentin. Opera. #om. 2. test: etsi secundum se majus est, p. 1188. and the note of his Be- secundum tamen quod vicariatum nedictine editors. % Holy Baptism. 277 therefore, S. Paul has affirmed that without charity, even martyrdom will not avail, yet he does not deny its effect, if there is charity : nay, rather, we may con- clude from his own words, that in such a case martyr- dom will so avail. In fact, we must also remember that he was writing to the Corinthians on quite a different subject, and condemning them for their dis- putes and contentions with one another.^^ Having thus noticed very briefly the case of those who, under the just decrees of the Most High, depart out of this life, without having received the sacrament of baptism by water, — whether through inability to obtain it, or through ignorance of its being the ap- pointed means of salvation, and of the Divine com- ^^ Nor scarcely, if we consider it, can we imagine that any one should voluntarily undergo death in behalf of the Faith, and for love of our Blessed Lord, unless by the prevenient grace of God (giv- ing him strength in such a cause to suffer pain and punishment) he has been disposed also to the ex- ercise of the true charity of which S. Paul has written. If, as all theologians have taught and all believers have been ever per- suaded, the exercise of love to- wards both God and man is neces- sary in every one who is about to die, we cannot but as confidently conclude that the Holy Spirit Who hath put it into the heart of a man to believe, and to die for that belief, should also influence the soul to acknowledge and prac- tise this necessary duty. At least, the innumerable records of the " noble army of martyrs" abun- dantly shew, that not only were they conspicuous for their con- stancy and endurance, but, in their last trials, for this above all, " charity." See upon this, especially, S. Cyprian, where, speaking of the want of charity, he says, " Quale delictum est, quod nee baptismo sanguinis potest ablui ? quale cri- men est quod martyrio non potest expiari?" De orat. Dominica. Opera, p. 212. Compare the homily of MMx'ic on the passion of S. Stephen. 278 Holy Baptism, mand, — and of those also who have, by martyrdom, been privileged to receive the baptism of blood, we may perceive, as our Church desires us, " the great necessity of this sacrament, where it may be had." Necessary, not as a mode of testifying our belief in the promises of Christ ; nor as evidencing the sincerity of our repentance ; nor as a mere seal, upon the part of God, to the forgiveness of sins, and to the blessings of His grace, already bestowed. But, necessary as the only known means by which our sin, whether actual or original, may be mystically washed away; necessary, as the only known means whereby, being (by nature and up to the very instant of our baptism) the children of wrath, we are made members of Christ, children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven ; necessary, in short, as the only known means by which we can be saved. Holy Baptism, 279 CHAPTER XI. PROPOSE now to consider a point upon which, probably, there is more variety of opinion, and an allowable variety, than upon any other, which is involved in the subject of this dissertation : namely, at what time the Sacrament of baptism was instituted ? Probably, at present, if the people of our Church were asked this question, the great majority of them would answer, without doubt or hesitation on the matter, that baptism was instituted by our Blessed Lord, when he gave the command to His disciples ; " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, etcT Nor would such an answer be entirely without support ; for some of the fathers appear to have believed the same, and S. Leo plainly declares it, in an epistle upon the pro- priety of deferring the reception of baptism, except upon just reasons, until the great festivals of Easter or Whitsuntide. " Ad cujus rei confirmationem," he says, " plurimum valet, quod ipse Dominus Jesus Christus postea quam resurrexit a mortuis, discipulis suis, in quibus omnes ecclesiarum prsesules docebantur, et formam et potestatem tradidit baptizandi, dicens : Euntes, etc. De quo utique eos etiam ante passionem 2 8o Holy Baptism, potulsset instruere, nisi proprie voluisset intclligi regc- nerationis gratiam ex sua resurrectione coepisse.'" More than this, there is the authority of at least one of the formularies of the church of England, which she has put forth from time to time. For the Necessary Doctrine, published in 1543, lays down : " As touch- ing the holy sacrament of baptism, it is to be noted, first, that this sacrament was instituted and ordained by our Saviour Jesu Christ in the New Testament, as it doth appear by Christ's own words unto His apostles, \JMatt. xxviij.] where He saith, " Go ye abroad through- out all the world, etcT And more distinctly in the homilies published in the reign of Elizabeth, we are told : " When Christ did first institute and ordain the sacrament of baptism, He sent His disciples into the whole world, willing them to baptize all nations, in the Name J etc."^ But if we enquire into some other documents and formularies of our Church, so far as she has in any way expressed her opinion on this subject, we shall find considerable variety. Thus, six years only before the Necessary Doctrine, the Institution of a Christian man was put forth ; or, as it was called, (in distinction to the latter work) the Bishops' Book. Where, if we can draw any conclusion at all from a somewhat ob- scure sentence, the institution of the sacrament of ^ Tbrn. l.jo.464.ciV. Tournely. ZTowi. 28. in Joan. crtjtJ. 3. p. 259. See also, Tertullian, de bapt. cap.xi.x\j. S. Chrysostom, ^ Homily for Whitsunday. Holy Baptism » 281 baptism is referred back to the time of our Blessed Lord's conversation with Nicodemus ; and S. John, Ch, 3. is quoted in proof of it. And the variation so soon made is the more remarkable, as we know that the two books correspond much with each other, and there can be no doubt that the first was the type of the second. Passing further back into earlier days, let us take the Pupilla oculi. In which work we find several distinctions made. " Baptismus Christi fuit institutus materialiter et inchoative ; quando Christus tactu suae mundissimse carnis vim regenerativam aquis contulit. Prseceptive ; quando dixit Nichodemo, nisi quis rena- tus, etc. Efifective ; quando Christus passus est in cruce. Usus ejus fuit inchoatus ; quando misit disci- pulos sues ad prsedicandum et baptizandum. Promul- gatus ad omnes; post passionem, Matthaei ult."^ Again, Lyndwood : " Imtitutum. Facto sc. et ex- emplo, quando Christus baptizatus est a Johanne. Verbo autem et prsecepto institutum est, quando dixit discipulis suis, ite baptizate 07nnes gentes, etc."* The language of Lyndwood and the Pupilla was derived from the fathers, through the schoolmen : who taught that the Matter of the sacrament was appointed, when our Lord was baptized Himself in Jordan. The ■^ Pars. II. cap. 1. institution solely to the command * Lih. III. #tY. 24. Circa sacra- after the resurrection; J, deAthon. mentum. Much to the same effect, Constit. Othohon. Ingredienti- though more plainly referring the bus. verh. Salvator. 282 Holy Baptism. Form, (upon which it would scarcely be reasonable to doubt, with reference to the public promulgation of it,) after His resurrection, in the often quoted text, Matt. ch. 28. f. 19. The end or object, when He said to Nicodemus, " Except a man be born again of water, etcT The effect, when He declared, " He that be- lieveth, and is baptized, shall be saved." The actual efficacy completed, when from His side there " flowed Blood and Water." It is most important to observe, that more than one of the above distinctions are still insisted upon in our ritual. It is there stated that by the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan, water was sanctified to the mystical washing away of sin; — that He, the most dearly beloved Son, " for the forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of His most precious side, both Water and Blood;" — and the three texts, S. John, ch, iij. v. 5. S. Matt. ch. xxviij. v. 19, and S. Mark, ch. xvj. v. 16, are quoted and referred to. As to the declaration, that all water was sanctified by the contact of the Body of the Divine Redeemer with the waters of the river Jordan, I may remark that it formed a ground of exception taken at the last review of our Book of Common Prayer, in 1662. "It being doubtful," say the cavilling objectors, " whether either the flood Jordan or any other waters were sanctified to a sacramental use by Christ's being baptized, and not necessary to be asserted, we desire this to be other- wise expressed." The bishops in their reply make, it must be owned, a somewhat irrelevant question : " If Holy Baptism. 283 Jordan," they ask, " and all other waters be not so far sanctified by Christ, as to be the matter of baptism, what authority have we to baptize?" But they very properly add, " And sure His baptism was dedicatio baptismi."^ This objection of the puritans was, after all, only a repetition of one made by Bucer against the ritual of 1549 : which I think it worth while to quote. " In prima precatione super infantem, optarim ista omitti, and by the baptisme of thy ivellbeloued sonne, usque, we beseeche thee, etc. quibus verbis memoratur Deum per baptisma sui benedicti Filii Jesu Christi sanctificasse fluenta Jordanis, et omnes alias aquas ad banc mysti- cam peccatorum ablutionem. Scriptura enim hsec non prsedicat ; et servit hasc loquendi forma supers titiosse opinioni, quasi aquis vis qusedam sanctificandi sit bap- tismate Christi impressa: etcj" With regard to the statement that we do not learn this fact from Holy Scrip- ture, no one (that I remember) ever pretended to find it there. But it may, nevertheless, be quite true ; and both fit and desirable to be insisted upon. It has been w^ell observed, that the great doctrine that our Blessed Lord by His baptism " sanctified water to the mystical washing away of sin," has ever been the constant belief of the whole Church, as still taught by our own. Yet it does not clearly appear in nor was it derived from any passage of the Scripture. " Whether really contained there or no, it could not have been in the first 5 Hist, of Conferences, j^. 324. 355. 284 Holy Baptism. instance obtained from that source. And yet it was taught by the ancient Church, positively and unhesi- tatingly, not as a conjecture, but as a doctrine whereof they were fully assured ; not in the way only of elo- quent or pious contrast between His baptism and our's, but as a practical truth ; not in order to account for the strangeness of His receiving baptism at the hands of His creature, but as a doctrine relating to us, as a benefit conveyed thereby to His Church."^ Besides the above opinions attempting, although variously, to decide the exact period of the institution of the sacrament of baptism, there was another, taking, as it were, a middle course. According to the fa- vourers of this, our Blessed Lord instituted baptism at some uncertain time after He had been Himself baptized by S. John, and before He sent forth His disciples, " by two and two." It really seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that the sacrament of baptism was not instituted after the Resurrection ; but at some time before the death of our Saviour, possibly at the commencement of His ministr}^ The assertions of the evangelist, S. John, appear plain to this effect. " After these things came Jesus and His disciples into the land of Judaea ; and there He tarried with them, and baptized."^ Nor, as to this text, is it without much weight, that it immedi- ately follows the discourse with Nicodemus, when, as ® Scriptural views of bapt. p. ' S. John. cli. iij. v. 22. 280. Holy Baptism, 285 many have held, the actual institution was made.® In which case, if their argument is sound, the evangelist would naturally pass on from the appointment to the observance ; and, moreover, the whole course of the narrative, from the record of our Lord's own baptism given by the Baptist in the first chapter, down to the end of this, the third, chapter, does not admit of a great lapse of time, but is to be understood as of almost immediately consecutive events. Hence the phrase " after these things," carries on (so as to include, altogether, no long space of time) the preceding " not many days ;" " after this ;" " the third day ;" " the next day." Whether it be true, however, or not, that it would be to be expected that the evangelist should, in his history, pass on from the institution to the prac- tice, it is certain, that the use of a sacrament either supposes the institution of it at some time previously, or, for the first time, makes it. There is another text, which is in the next chapter of the same gospel. Upon this, it is almost needless for me to observe, that although it is there distinctly stated that " Jesus Himself baptized not," yet, it is no less clear that " He baptized more disciples than ^ Estius suras up the opinions time, and speaks of the condition on this. Sent. lib. iv. dist. 3. §. then laid down by our Saviour, xj. See Catalani, in Nit. Horn, as the " Hfe-giving precept, — the torn. l.jo. 31. The authority of command, still secret, of the new S. Bernard is much relied on, in mystery, — the new Law." Opera, his tract on baptism; (al. epist. torn, l.jo.633. Cf. Scotus. Sent. 77.) in which he insists upon the lib. iv. dist. 3. quest, iv. institution of the sacrament at that 286 Holy Baptism, John," by the ministry of others, " His disciples." It has been said, that the baptism thus given was no other than the baptism of John, which was continued until after the Passion. But the evangelist, after he has told us that " Jesus baptized," immediately adds that (as a consequence of this) " there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying," that is, about the two administrations. Such a contro- versy would not have occurred, if the baptisms were the same. Again : if it had been the baptism of John, it would hardly have been so plainly said that " Jesus baptized ;" but rather, the Baptist himself. Hence S. Augustine concluded, " Ipsius erat baptismi sacra- mentum, ad discipulos autem ministerium pertine- bat."9 Returning to those who fix on particular facts in our Lord's life, for the institution of baptism, some, of whom Duns Scotus seems the chief,^° think it took place when He sent forth the twelve, to preach and to say " The kingdom of heaven is at hand :" and that as then He gave them power to heal the sick, and raise the dead, and cast out devils, so also He gave them their commission to baptize. I am not inclined to agree with this supposition. Others, again, and with more probability declare the institution to have ^ Epist. 263. Ad Seleucianum. ^^ Reportat. Paris, lib. iv. dist. Compare also, Tract, xv. in ij. qucest. 1. And before him, Joan. §. 3. Lombard. lib. iv. dist. iij. F. Holy Baptism, 287 been when our Lord was Himself baptized. And certainly there are many of the fathers, who declare, as does our ow^n ritual now^, that then water was set apart as the matter of this sacrament ; in other words, " sanctified to the mystical washing aw^ay of sin :" and the form also signified. Thus S. Augus- tine speaks of the Father in the voice from heaven, the Son in the Man Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit " descending from heaven like a dove."^^ Again, S. Ambrose : in the place abeady cited ; how the Lord was baptized, not desiring to be Himself purified, but to purify the waters. ^- Here comes in a question concerning which very much has been written, and upon which I shall con- tent myself with stating some only of the chief dis- tinctions which have been given, and the arguments on both sides. It being evident that the baptism of John was not the same with the baptism instituted (whensoever it was) by our Blessed Lord, in what did the diff'erence consist ? The later followers of Luther may be accused of almost explaining away all distinction between the two : and this seems to have been a natural result of their doctrine, which demanded faith only as a means of salvation, and emptied the sacraments, if we may so speak, of their powers of conveying grace. Hence " Tr. vj. in Joan. lavacro,quaminlavacrosuouniver- ^ In Luc. lib. 2. n. 83. So S. sas aquas mundavit." Adv. Lucif. Jerome; " Dominus noster Jesus totn. 2. p. 178. Cf. Bedae, horn. Christus non tam mundatus est in 23, Opera, torn. 5. p. 164. 166. 288 Holy Baptism. they taught that Christian baptism exceeds and differs from the baptism of John, only in the greater abun- dance of the spiritual gifts which it testified to and sealed." Luther himself, however, affirmed three reasons of distinction. That the one was not a sacra- ment ; that it did not remit sins ; and that they who had received it, were again baptized with the baptism of our Lord." On the other hand Melancthon taught, that the whole difference consisted in the Baptist's preaching and requiring belief in Christ who was about to suffer ; but the apostles, after the resurrection, in Him who had died and risen again : that, accord- ingly, the administration and the effects were alike in both.^^ Vossius in his eighth disputation argues against Bellarmin at considerable length, and whilst he allows ^^ Nor indeed was this differ- ^"' De baptismo Legis, etc. ence, even in degree, always in- sisted on. Reineccius asserted ^'^ In locis comm. tit. de bapt. the two baptisms to be identical, torn. 1. jl>.236. In another place " respectu causae efficientis, ma- he argues, that, because in both, terialis, formalis, ac finalis." Ar- faith was required, therefore the matura. tom.4. cap. xviij. p. 197. effect was the same; and that the Grauer declares it to be an ab- blessings conveyed by the one, surdity to suppose any distinction were equal to those by the other, between them, either of substance " Sic fide proderat baptismus Joan, or efficacy. In absurd. Calv. sicut postea prodest baptismus cap. 4. §. 69. So Zuingle, whe- apostolorum." torn. 3. p. 10. ther as to essence, effect, or end. Compare his exposition of the devera et falsa religione, cap. de first ch. of S. John. ibid. p. 618. bapt. To the same purpose pei'- Compare also Chemnitz, Examen. haps Musculus, in his common- pars. ii. p. 37. and the Magde- places, torn. 1. p. 617. and Beza, burgh ccnturiators. /«6. 1. p. 362. lib. fjucest. et respons. p. 344. Holy Baptism, 289 a superiority to the baptism of Christ, yet makes it to consist rather in degree than in kind, and admits but some slight and unimportant difference. Bellarmin had said, that the baptism of John was instituted by himself: because it is always so spoken of, as John's baptism : his, not merely as the administrator, but as the author of it. I think that we must agree with Vossius, that this cannot be true : (indeed Bellarmin qualifies it in a succeeding sentence, applying the authorship to the rites observed, more than to the bap- tism :^^) for the Holy Baptist thus speaks : " He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, etcT And the evangelist S. Luke declares, that be- fore he commenced his ministry, " the word of God came unto John in the wilderness." To the same purpose we may justly interpret the question of our Blessed Lord ; " The baptism of John, whence was it ? from heaven, or of men ? "^^ Calvin also, having first stated his own notion that repentance in baptism means regeneration, and for- giveness of sins means washing, concludes it to be therefore most certain, that the ministry of John was altogether the same which was afterward committed to the apostles. And he asks ; who against this doc- trine " will hearken to S. Chrysostom denying that forgiveness of sins was comprehended in the baptism ^^ De baptismo, cap. xx. Bellarmin makes but a faint reply ^■^ S. John, ch.'y v. 33. S. Luke, to these texts, which he notices as ch. iij. V. 2. S. Matt, ch, xxj. v, 25. grounds of objection . ibid. U 290 Holy Baptism, of John ; or to that subtilty of Augustine, that in the baptism of John, sins were forgiven in hope, but in the baptism of Christ they are forgiven in deed?"^^ The truth is that Calvin, in all this, intended to in- sinuate that forgiveness of sins was not a grace given in either the one baptism or the other. Vossius (who may be regarded as among the chief exponents of the opinions of his school upon this ques- tion) does not hesitate to declare that the two bap- tisms were alike in the form used : and that S. John baptized in the name, i.e. with the confession, and in- vocation, of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.^^ It is of course uncertain whether S. John used any form ; and if he did, in what words it was expressed. S. Ambrose/'^ and after him various fathers and the schoolmen,"^ hold that it was probably " in the Name of the Messiah about to come." ^^ Instit. hook. 4. ch. 15. §. vij. not unfairly interpreted his mean- ''' Others, however, who held ing, may be proved from the Cen- that the forms were the same, turiators, who speak of the form nevertheless had a different idea in John's baptism having been of their identity : either, that both vitiated, by the omission of the S. John and the apostles baptized name of the Holy Spirit, lib. 2. p. " In the name of Jesus ;" or, that 354. of. p. 496. " there was the same form in both, ^^ De Spiritu. S. lib. 1. cap. iij. the word of God, for John also See Basnage, Annal. torn. 1. p. taught the people to believe in 240. and Lightfoot, Horce Hebr. Jesus Christ." Willet. Synopsis, in Matt. ch. iij. p. 585. Vossius himself in a sue- ~^ Following Lombard. Sent. ceeding section, as I remark pre- lib. iv. dist. 2. F. I would remark sently, qualifies, and hesitates that bishop Bull merely declares about, his own statement. That that John did not baptize "in the he is not altogether without sup- Name of the Father, efc." Works. ])oit in his notion, and that I have vol. 2. p. 16. Holy Baptism. 291 An objection has been raised to this ; namely, that if it had been so our Blessed Lord Himself would have received the rite under that form. I scarcely think it to be a difficulty of much importance, because His reception of baptism was in the completion of a deep mystery, and " to fulfil all righteousness." Or, again, the baptism of John not being a sacrament in the same sense as are the sacraments of the Gospel, it was not necessary that it should be always given under a de- terminate form of words ; and, therefore, in the case of the Saviour Himself, Whom the Baptist knew and recognized, the rite might have been performed, with- out using any words whatever. The inquiry, however, which the Jews made of S. John, is more to the pur- pose, though even this, far from conclusive. " Who art thou ? And he confessed and denied not ; but con- fessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him. What then ? "^^ It would seem to have been unlikely that they should have doubted whether S. John were the Christ, if he indeed baptized " in the name of the Messiah about to come." How utterly unreasonable the supposition of Vossius is, is shown by his own contradiction of himself in the next page : having, as I have just said, carefully ex- plained how we are to understand his own words, he assures us that he is, nevertheless, not so to be un- derstood ; " Sed sententia est, Joannem non in suo, sed Dei nomine, qui personarum ratione est trinus, semper baptizasse." 22 S. John. ch. i. v. 20. 292 Holy Baptism, Indeed there is plain evidence, that S. John could not have used such a form, as Vossius has asserted above. Because in the Acts of the apostles, we read as follows : and I cite the whole passage, as the last verse bears upon a point just mentioned ; " — they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them. Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said. Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on Him Which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." ~^ Calvin, Vossius, and the rest, insist that the gift of the Holy Ghost was given, not only in the baptism instituted by our Lord, but in that administered by S. John, though in a less degree. Now, not to speak of the uniform consent of the fathers to the contrary, it is strange that these writers should have overlooked the force of the following passages of the New Testament : unless we acknowledge, (which I am not prepared to dispute,) that it is a characteristic of the theology which appeals to Scripture and to Scripture only, that it makes Scripture mean exactly according to the par- ticular fancies and theories of its teachers. For S. John has himself explained that one distinc- tion between the two was, that his baptism did not convey that spiritual gift. " I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but He that cometh after me 2» CA. xix. v. 2. Holy Baptism. 293 — shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." 2^ And, as if to prove that this promise did not entirely relate, as some will have it, to the outpouring and the fiery tongues upon the day of Pentecost, S. Mark omits the reference to that miracle, simply re- cording that the Baptist, in his more usual preaching, spoke only of that gift which was to be the accompa- niment, through all ages, of the baptism of Christ ; namely, the Holy Ghost. " He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." =^ But there is one testimony to an essential difference between the two, which to me is conclusive. Disciples were baptized afresh, who had received the baptism of S. John. In the Acts, in the place cited above, after S. Paul had explained to the Ephesian converts the dif- ference which distinguished the baptism of S. John, this fact is immediately added ; " When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." S. Jerome justly concludes that the first ad- ministration was imperfect ; in other words, that it could not have conveyed those spiritual blessings which are alone to be obtained by reception of the Christian sacrament. " Joannis baptisma in tantum imperfec- tum fuit, ut constet postea Christi baptismate baptiza- tos, qui ab eo fuerant baptizati." ^^ Calvin was determined to find some reply to the evidence in this narrative of the sacred historian : and ^ S. Matt. ch. iij. v. 11. ^o ^^j^^ L^^if. §. vij. torn. 2. ^ Ch. i. V. 8. p. 179. 294 Holy Baptism » I do not suppose that in the whole range even of that most unscrupulous author's writings, there is any more flagrant example than this of his utter contempt of the words of Holy Scripture, when fairly pressed by them. "I deny," he says, ''that they were baptized again." It is all one to him that S. Luke declares that they were baptized. " I deny it. — I understande it to be the baptisme of the Holy Ghost, that is to say, that the visible graces of the Spirit were given to them by the laying on of handes." This (if it means anything) means, that whereas the Scripture tells us of two cir- cumstances, baptism and confirmation, Calvin rejects the one as a false statement, and makes " the latter sentence to describe, what manner of baptism" the first sentence mentions, i. e. baptism of the Holy Ghost.^^ I must refer the reader if he wishes to learn other, and more ingenious, methods of evading the sacred his- tory, to the eighth disputation of Vossius, who himself inclines to believe that S. Luke, after all, only in- tended to inform us that these Ephesian disciples re- ceived a further supply of Divine grace, at the hands of S. Paul. Which, in short, amounts to little else than the plainer speaking of Calvin. The doctrine of the church of England, in 1550, and fully agreeable to catholic consent, is declared in the Postills which were published in that year. We are told that, " S. John putteth a difference betwene his baptisme and the baptisme of Christ, when he ^' Instit. hooh. 4. ch. 15. §. xviij. Holy Baptism. 295 saith : I baptise in water and preach penaunce. But Christ doth not only baptize in water, but also forgeu- eth syn, and sendeth the holy ghost. Mark here that S. John putteth no diiFerence bet wen y'' outward signe of water that he ministreth, and the same that Christ vseth. The exteriour signe, both of Christ and S. John is al one. — Christ doth also by his owne power, forgeue synnes, and send the holy ghoste."-*^ In like manner, some years before, Taverner justly draws the distinction which exists between the two. " Grace and sanctification were fygured by the baptisme where- wyth S. Jhon baptised. But the baptisme of Jesus Christe — is the baptisme of spirite and of lyfe, and the true sanctification or hallo wynge.""^ ^ " The Gospell on the fourth Sondaye in Aduent." Exposition. sign. c. V. This is a very valuable book, and I conceive that it has re- mained unnoticed, only on account of its extreme scarcity, which has rendered it altogether unknown. There is not a copy in either the Bodleian or Museum or Lambeth libraries. Nor do I remember to have seen it referred to in any work whatever. And yet it re- presents, at a period, perhaps, the most important that can be named in our ecclesiastical annals, the received doctrine at that time of the church of England. I shall not here discuss the exact amount of authority under which it was published: but I shall transcribe the title ; which will be quite suf- ficient (I am confident) to enable the learned reader to estimate it justly. "A Postill or Collection of moste godly doctrine vpon every gospell through the yeare, as well for Holye dayes as Sondayes, dy- gested in suche order, as they bee appoynted and set forthe in the booke of Common Prayer. Verye profytable for all Curates, Pa- rentes, maysters of housholdes, and other gouerners of youth. CuTu privilegio. Londini. Anno Domini. M.D.L." 4 to. Reynold Wolfe. I need scarcely remind the rea- der that this book was compiled to accompany the first Common Prayer Book of 1549. 29 Oxford edit. p. 21. cf. p. 64. 1 296 Holy Baptism, I should desire to end this part of my subject with one or two passages from the fathers. And first, S. Augustine. In his fifth book against the Donatists he says, " Jam nunc de baptismo Johannis videndum est quid dicatur. Baptizatos enim a Paulo eos qui jam baptismo Johannis baptizati fuissent, legimus in acti- bus apostolorum ; non ob aliud, nisi quia Johannis baptismus non fuit Christi baptismus, sed Johanni a Christo concessus, qui Johannis proprie diceretur, e^c."^° And soon after, in the next chapter, he con- tinues : " Quaere itaque, si baptismo Johannis peccata dimittebantur, quid amplius praestare potuit baptismus Christi eis quos apostolus Paulus post baptismum Johannis Christi baptismo voluit baptizari? — Qua- propter quamquam ita credam baptizasse Johannem in aqua poenitentise in remissionem peccatorum, ut ab eo baptizatis in spe remitterentur peccata, re ipsa vero in Domini baptismo id fieret."^^ So S. Ambrose, in the second book of his commen- tary on the gospel of S. Luke, upon the words of S. John, " I baptize you with water." " Non enim aqua omnis ablutio est, sed hsec inter se divisa esse non pos- sunt; et ideo aliud fuit baptisma poenitentiae, aliud gratise est."^^ Once more, TertuUian: "Baptismus ^ Cap. ix. §.10. tom.Yk. p. quia JohannesbaptizabatiriiEnon, 146. juxta Salini, Naxow. dicitur ocu- 3' §.12. lus suppliciorum : Salim ipse ad- ^- Opera, torn, 1. p. 1307. §. scendens; hoc habet interpretatio. 79. Compare his preface to the Qui ergo baptizari eligit, supplicia 37th psalm. " Audistis hodie legi praevidet ; et ideo confugit ad bap- Holy Baptism, 297 ab loanne denuntiatus jam tunc habuit qusestionem, ab ipso quidem Domino propositam Pharisaeis, coelestis ne is baptismus esset, an vero terrenus? de quo illi non valuerunt constanter respondere, utpote non intel- ligentes, quia nee credentes. Nos porro, quantula fide sumus, tantulo et intellectu possumus sestimare, divi- num quidem eum baptismum fuisse, mandatu tamen non et potestate, quod et loannem a Domino missum legimus in hoc munus, ceeterum humanum condi- tione."'' Other fathers, whom I shall not quote at length, testify to the same truth : Firmilian, that there cannot be a spiritual birth without the Spirit; and so S. Paul baptized anew, with a spiritual baptism, those who had been baptized by John before the Spirit was sent by the Lord. And S. Jerome, having inquired what more we can obtain from the baptism of Christ, if John's baptism remitted sins ; plainly declares that the baptism of John was imperfect. And Origen de- nies the baptism of S. John to have been in Christ, that is, with the gifts and graces of His baptism, but that which is in the law. And S. Chrysostom, in more than one place, that it was imperfect; indeed, destitute of the grace of the Spirit. And S. Basil ; tismatis sacramentura, ut pecca- Christo. Baptismus ergo Johannis, turn omne deponat, ne obnoxius oculus suppliciorum est : baptis- incipiat esse suppliciis. Et forte mus Christi, oculus gratiarum." supplicia prsevidet qui baptizatur Opera, torn. 1. p. 815. baptismo pcenitentiae : at vero ille gratiam spectat, qui baptizatur in ^ De baptismo. cap. x. p. 227. 298 Holy Baptism. that it was introductory and signified departure from sins. And S. Gregor}^, that John baptized not with the Spirit, but with water; because, unable to remit sins, he washes the bodies of the baptized with water, but not their minds with forgiveness. And, lastly, S. Leo : that the grace and the ground of John's baptism was other than the Christian, nor did it appertain to that virtue, whereby, through the Holy Spirit, they are reborn, of whom it is said, " who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." ^^ And to those great names I would add that of our own Bede. " Baptizabat [Joannes] baptismo poeni- tentise in confessionem et emendationem peccatorum, et preedicabat baptismum poenitentioe futurum in Christo in remissionem peccatorum : in cujus solo baptismate peccatorum remissio nobis donatur, apostolo attestante. — Quod si quserimus quare Joannes baptizaverit, cujus baptismate peccata remitti nequiverunt ; patet aperta ratio, quia prsecursionis suse servans officium, ita etiam baptizare debebat, e^c."^^ Once more, of the Anglo- saxon church, archbishop ^Elfric : " John's baptism ^ These and many other pas- For later writers see Gerson, sages to the same effect, which de vita spirituali. Opera, torn. 4. are cited over and over again in p. 5. torn. S. p. 218. Waldensis. the controversies upon this sub- Opera, torn. 2. p. 57 6.643. T>{ms ject, are collected together in the Scotus. Reportat. Paris, lib. iv. well-known work, " Scriptural dist. ij. qucest. 2. views of Holy Baptism :" to which I would refer the reader, p. 247- ^ Homil. 48. Opera, torn. 5. p. 260. 368. cf. p. 274. Holy Baptism. 299 wrought no forgiveness of sin, for he was God's mes- senger, [he waes Godes bydel] and not God." — " John's baptism washed the man without, and not within, for he gave no forgiveness of sin, as Christ did through the Holy Ghost." — " What baptism did John give ? his own baptism, with no forgiveness of sin, but for repentance and a preparation to the baptism of Christ. Those men whom John baptized were baptized again in Christ's baptism, because they could not be saved through the baptism of John. ^^ To conclude this in the words of a very learned author : " The two baptisms could scarcely be more distinct ; the one, the baptism of John ; the other, by whatsoever human agent administered, uniformly and equally, the baptism of the Lord ; the one, the baptism of repentance, looking onward only to One coming, Who should remit sins ; the other, the baptism into Him, Who remitteth them, into His own saving, all- prevailing Name ; the one, a baptism, in which they " knew not whether there be any Holy Ghost ;" the other, a baptism, in which " the Holy Ghost came upon them," and dwelt in them, and manifested His pre- sence within them. — The baptism of John was pre- paratory, the baptism of Christ perfective ; the bap- tism of John invited to repentance, the baptism of Christ gave grace upon repentance ; the baptism of ^ Homilies. ?;oZ. l.jo. 353. i7o/. Sabellius. Bihl. patrum. torn. iw. 2. p. 39. 49. The last in almost p. 2. F. cf. p. 421. G. the words of Eusebius against 300 Holy Baptism. John stood on the confines of the promised land, was allowed to see it, led men to the borders of it, guided them to it, but itself brought them not into it ; higher than the law, as he whose baptism it was, was greater than any born of the sons of men, yet less also than the least in the kingdom of heaven : greater than the baptisms of the law, as being nearer to the Redeemer, but yet restrained within the precursorial office, still a shadow of the good things to come, not the reality itself, though brought so near to the Sun of righteous- ness, as all but to be kindled with His beams ; as all but to convey that which could only be conveyed by Him, in Whom alone, as being God as well as man, we could be re-born as sons of God ; Who alone shed His precious Blood for the sins of the whole world, and in baptism washes and cleanses His Church with It."^^ ^^ Scriptural views, etc. p. 245. 249. Other distinctions might he added : such as, for example, that the baptism of John was not a sacrament, which, per se, con- ferred grace; norwas it instituted, that it should remain always in the Church, as the means by which alone men might be ad- mitted into it. Indeed, some have argued, that it ceased altogether, when the Baptist was cast into prison. Some of the schoolmen certainly speak of it as a sacra- ment, but this, in a wide and im- proper sense ; as a symbol or image of the sacrament about to be instituted : or, in the same way with Tertullian, as something oc- cupying an intermediate ground between the old and the new dis- pensations : a point at which Ju- daism ceased, and Christianity began. Adv. Marc. iv. 33. Nor again, like the Christian sacra- ment, did John's baptism convey to those who received it, an in- delible character : nor was it given to any but adults, who could listen to and obey the preaching of re- pentance. Holy Baptism, 301 If it should be asked, how is it that the apostles were not themselves baptized again, (if we are to suppose that they had received the baptism of John, which could not convey remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit,) we must remember that the gospels say nothing as to the baptism which they did really receive. S. Angus tin concludes from the words of our Blessed Lord, '■'■ He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit ; and ye are clean, but not all," that they had received the baptism of Christ.^^ Nor is the universal doctrine of the church, — that baptism is the necessary entrance into, and the first beginning of the spiritual life, — to be overlooked in the consideration of this question : for, from that we may reasonably understand, that as the apostles received the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, so also they had been previously baptized with the baptism of Christ. It is true, that our Blessed Lord might have dispensed ^ De anima. lib. 3. cap. ix. viour having declared baptism to torn, X. p. 379. be necessary to salvation, it is not The same also is urged by him probable, without direct evidence in his epistle to Seleucian, and of the fact, that the apostles should by Tertullian in his treatise on not have received it. We know baptism. The mere fact of the not why any exception should sacred records being silent does have been recognized as regarded not prove anything ; and we have them. no account given us of the bap- See a discussion of the question tisra of the first members of the in the dialogues of Hugo, arch- churches of Rome, Galatia, or bishop of Rouen. Thes. Anecdot. Ephesus : nor of S. Timothy, or torn. 5. p. 956. in which the doc- S. Titus. Nor is it a light con- trine of the middle ages is given : sideration, that, our Blessed Sa- agreeing with S. Augustine. 302 Holy Baptism. with baptism in their case : but, whilst there is, on the one hand, authority against this supposition, there is, upon the other, no proof whatever of the fact of such a dispensation.^^ But, in short, the question must be left undecided; there is no statement either the one way or the other in the Scriptures, which can lead to any certain conclusion : and, after all, the case of the apostles, — upon whom the visible descent of the Holy Ghost came ; who were elected, and especially called, and afterwards so immediately with our Lord, that He might possibly have seen fit to have conveyed to them the grace of regeneration in some other way than by the baptism of water, — is not one from which we can ^^ According to a very ancient tradition in the Church, it was said, that our Saviour Himself baptized S. Peter only : S. Peter baptized S. Andrew and the sons of Zebedee : and they, the rest of the apostles. See, against this tradition, Basnage, Annul, torn. 1. jo.273. Chemnitz insists that the apos- tles must have been baptized, but he denies with any other than John's baptism : straining beyond its due bounds the famous text John, ch. 4, v. 2. and concluding therefore the ancient tradition to be an apochryphal fable. Ea;- amen cone. Trid. pars. ii. p. 39. But the evangelist is there declar- ing the rule, and exceptions might be both expected and allowed. Or, more probably: after our Blessed Lord had Himself admi- nistered His baptism to one or more of the apostles, He might have determined in future only to use the ministry of others: and, therefore, the evangelist may well be understood according to the obvious and first meaning of his words. Compare the bishop of Lincoln's account of S. Clement of Alexandria, p. 442. The question of the baptism of the Blessed Virgin is also one on which the Scripture is silent. There are certainly reasons why, as re- gards her, the Mother of God, we may believe that an exception should have been made. But I am not called upon to enter into the subject in this place. Holy Baptism, 303 fairly argue, or which hears upon the question of the essential differences which distinguish the two baptisms. I have scarcely, in what has just been said, more than glanced at the enquiry whether the apostles received our Lord's baptism : nor do I pass on so quickly from it, for any other reason than that it does not affect the main subject of our discussion. I cannot agree with those, who regard it as a trifling* question ; as if any thing can be trifling which is mixed up with, or serves to explain, the deep mysteries of our holy Faith. The scriptures indeed are silent upon this as on many other points, on which we might perhaps beforehand have expected information. But we are not therefore hastily to assume that we are not to exercise ourselves, with all prudence, in searching out the fact, or at least the probabilities, of the case. And I must confess that it gives me pain to remember that a very learned bishop, speaking of the baptism of the apostles, has slightingly dismissed the consideration of it. "It is amusing," we are told, "to observe how greatly the ancients were perplexed with this difficulty ; and to what expedients they had recourse in order to get rid of it. They argued, for instance, that Peter was baptized, when he attempted to walk upon the sea ; and the other apostles, when the waves broke over the vessel in the storm on the lake of Gennesa- reth."*° Would that we might be quite sure, that *" Ecclesiastical hist, of the 2nd Tertullian, jo. 443. The very and 3rd Centuries, illustrated from learned prelate does not add that 304 Holy Baptism, the poverty of our theological literature during the last century and a half has not been owing to this general opinion that many questions, involving vital doctrines, are merely " amusing ;" an opinion bringing with it its fatal and most sure consequences ; a dis- paragement of objective truth ; a confusion of creeds ; barren recommendations of some few moral duties agreed upon by most of us ; and vapid dissertations on certain articles of belief thought to be important, solely because no man happens to dispute them. One other enquiry, however, remains. Why did our Blessed Lord desire to receive baptism Himself at the hands of S. John ? This is indeed a mystery, which with all reverence we must desire only so far to comprehend, as the Scriptures have revealed it to us : and this is but to a small extent. The holy Baptist would have forbad Him, saying, *' I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" And from the answer we may collect one reason why it should be so : " for thus it becometh us," said our Lord, " to fulfil all righteousness."^^ these two arguments, if arguments neminem posse hominem absque they might be called, are produced unda baptismatis perfecte justum by TertuUian himself, and, (whilst existere, et esse omnibus quamvis he speaks reverentially of the innocenter et juste viventibus ne- doubt as to the baptism of the cessarium vivificae regenerationis apostles,) rejected by him as being officium, cum me qui Spiritus sufficiently forced. Sancti opere conceptus et natus, cognoverint secundae nativitatis ■^^ " Sic enim decet nos pra^ro- subiisse, vel potius mihi conse- gare exemplum implendae omnis crasse lavacrum." Bedae, homil. justitiae, ut videlicet discant fideles 23. Opera, torn. 5. p. 165. Holy Baptism. 305 Vossius suggests that our Lord was thus, as Man obedient to the Divine command, baptized, in order that, as having been admitted into the Jewish church by circumcision, He might so be made a member of the Christian church : " ita etiam baptismum suscipere conveniebat, ut eo pacto jungeretur populo Christi- anorum."*^ A most miserable and unworthy reason ! even if we do not insist upon the evident absurdity of it. Nor is it to be passed over, viewed as a charac- teristic of the school which that writer represents ; willing to propose and to adopt anything and every- thing, however novel, which might contradict the long established opinions of the fathers of the Church. Such as that of S. Jerome, that by thus being baptized, our Lord confirmed and set His seal to the baptism of John, as being good and of divine authority : *^ or, of S. Augustine, that He might shew forth and prefigure the baptism which He was about to institute : ** or of the ancient hymn, following S. Gregory, that purifying us He might remove our sins, and destroy the old Adam in that flood : ^^ or, chiefly, that He might there ^ The Centuriators speak in ** De Trinitate. lib. xv. cap. much the same way: " Plures 26. causae sunt : — nimirura, ut ea cae- *^ Hymn for the Epiphany, remonia a Deo et hominibus ad " Lavacra puri gurgitis, suam function em initiaretur; efc." Ccelestis Agnus attigit, Lib. 1. cap. X. p. 296. Peccata, quae non detulit, I Nos abluendo sustulit." *^ In Matt. cap. 3. So Me- Compare for these and other rea- lancthon, on the gospel of S. Matt, sons which have been proposed, torn. 3. p. 261. Bellarmin, de bapt. cap. xxiij. X 3o6 Holy Baptism, sanctify water to the mystical washing away of sin, which has been already insisted on, and the authorities adduced. ^"^ I return now to the consideration of the time of the institution of this sacrament. The distinctions, and they are essential, between the baptism of our Lord and that administered by S. John, have been explained : and I have noticed the opinions given by various writers as to the actual period of institution, supposing and concluding it to have been prior to the death of the Redeemer, whether at His own baptism in Jordan, or at the discourse with Nicodemus, or at some inter- mediate or subsequent time. I am inclined to consent with those who believe that the institution of the Christian sacrament in reality took place when our Blessed Saviour was Himself baptized. We have in that fact, according to the primitive and constant and universal testimony of the Catholic Church, the hallowing of the matter of the ^^ So also S. Anselm ; whom, however, I specially name here, because in the same place, he ex- plains why S. John baptized many others, besides our Blessed Lord. " Quia si solum Dominum bapti- zasset, non deessent qui putarent sanctius fuisse baptisma Joannis, quam Christi, quasi baptismo Jo- annis solus Christus meruisset baptizari; baptismo autem Christi, genus humanum. Atque ita major videretur baptismus servi, quam baptismus Domini, etcy Homil. in evang. sec. Luc. Opera. p. 173. Compare ^Ifric. Ho- milies, vol. 2. p. 47. On the Epijihamj. In the same homily he gives the humility of our Lord as the reason why He " vouch- safed to bow His holy head to the hands of His servant." p. 4L See also, Alcuin, who offers three reasons, already noticed : de div. Off. Bibl. Patrum. Auct. torn. I. p. 230. Holy Baptism. 307 sacrament, by the contact of His Sacred Person with the waters of Jordan : and, though it may not have been plainly expounded and declared by Jesus to His disciples before His resurrection, we have the form, in the Three Persons then manifested, in Whose Name all baptisms after its publication were to be conferred. It is true that very shortly afterwards our Lord declared to Nicodemus the greatness of the necessity which should be laid on all men to receive His baptism : but the privacy of that intercourse (private as regarded its then occurrence, in the darkness and silence of the night, not in its after communication to the whole world through the holy evangelist,) was not, if we may presume to judge, so fitting an occasion for the actual institution of the sacrament of baptism, as were the day-time, and the solemn reception by the Son of Man of the rite administered by His forerunner, and the open heavens, and the Voice of the Eternal, and the Spirit of God descending like a dove, — the Three Persons, the One God, — All in One, testifying to, completing, and confirming what was then being done, and what was ever after to be done, by all men, unto the end of the world. Nor are the objections which have been brought against this view, of much weight ; at least the answers to them appear to me to be sufficient. In such en- quiries, to determine which we have not the plain and precise words of Holy Scripture, we must be content to arrive, if it may be, at that decision which seems to be the most reasonable. Certainty is not to be ex- 3o8 Holy Baptism. pected, nor is it requisite : were it so, we should have received it. And it will be well for the reader to reflect whether long established notions, (scarcely so often examined as adopted without enquiry, and main- tained without suspicion of any difficulty or doubt,) may not have prejudiced him against the opinion which I have just stated : an opinion, whether correct or incorrect, unquestionably advanced and taught by some of the greatest doctors in the Church. If it be said that the Christian baptism was not in- stituted before the resurrection of our Lord, " for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified," this would lead us to the conclusion that the baptisms administered by the disciples of Jesus, Who is said Himself to have baptized by the agency of others, were not essentially different from the baptism of John. But the chief of the distinctions between them is especially said to have been in this, that by the one the Holy Ghost was indeed given : " He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost," was the prophetic declaration of S. John, who was then speak- ing of his own baptism, as being with water only, and pointing out its inferiority. And, as more than one writer has observed, it is scarcely to be supposed that our Blessed Lord would have merely adopted the rite conferred by John, or have instituted a new one, not superior, and itself also soon to be superseded. More- over, the language of inspiration refers to a present, not to a future, sacrament. " Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the Holy Baptism. 309 Same is He Which baptizeth [0 jSaTrxji^wi/] with the Holy Ghost." '^ The very way also in which the fact is related, that " Jesus baptized, — though Jesus Himself baptized not, but His disciples," is not to be overlooked. It lays down evidently a distinction between the two bap- tisms : were it otherwise, why should it not have been simply stated that the disciples of Jesus baptized ? that is, had it been so, with no other than th^ baptism of John. But here it is asserted that He baptized, and yet, not He, but His disciples : in other words, they administered a baptism instituted by Himself ; a baptism different from the Baptist's ; a baptism infi- nitely exceeding that which it succeeded and did away with, in that it conveyed the gift of the Holy Ghost.^' There is another text, which I would not omit to notice, though I would not insist upon it. Immedi- ately after the evangelist S. Luke has told us of the baptism of our Lord, he adds, " And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." I say, this is not perhaps to be insisted on ; yet are we bound to give to the statement its full weight, joined as it is with, and so very pointedly attached to the record of, the baptism of our Lord. That great event is, let me repeat, a most deep mystery ; and when we find it '" S. John. ch. 1. V. 33. Homil. 37. 48. Opera, torn. 5. ^ Compare Venerable Bede. p. 275. 373. 3IO Holy Baptism. thus written in connexion with it, " Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost," we must be careful not to misunder- stand and explain it away, as having no bearing upon the question how far the ordinary gifts and graces of the Spirit were given to and withheld from the disci- ples of the Son of Man, before He was glorified. More than all, the text Jo, vij. 39. upon which so many difficulties have been raised, has by great commen- tators been held to refer solely to the abundant graces and visible outpouring of the Spirit after the Ascension.*^ It is true that such were not bestowed on any of the disciples or apostles during our Lord's sojourn upon earth, but it does not follow that the baptism of Christ before His death was other than that appointed after- wards, and that the Holy Ghost which ever now accom- ^^ Thus Nicolas de Lyra, in the Glossa ordinaria. " Hsec sunt verba Evangehstse exponentis ver- bum Christi praedictum de accep- tione Spiritus Sancti in signo visi- bili, sicut acceperunt apostoli die Pentecostes, quia ex ilia accep- tione facta est redundantia fidei in prsedicatione evangelii per totum orbera." Again, on the words, Which they that helieve on Him should receive : " Quamvis enim apostoli haberent gratiam Spiritus Sancti ante diem Pentecostes, non taraen ita plene, et propter hoc non receperant in signo visibili, quod denotat gratiae plenitudi- nem." So also, S. Chrysostom cited in the margin. " Etsi pro- phetse acceperunt eundem Spiri- tum ; et Joannes et alii ante re- surrectionem Christi ; tamen erat alius modus donationis futurus apertior et plenior, etc." To the same purpose Cornelius a Lapide. " Accepturi post mor- tem suam, merito ejusdem in Pen- tecoste. Licet enim ante illam apostoli, aliique sancti recepissent Spiritum Sanctum, tamen non in ilia fluviali copia et abundantia, quae in illos efFusa fuit in Pente- coste." Comment, in Joan. cap. vij. Also compare Hugo S.Charo, upon the same text. Holy Baptism. 311 panies and descends with the one, did not also in like manner accompany the administration of the other. Thus S. Augustine speaks : " Quseritur utrum qui baptizati sunt illo tempore, quo scriptum est Dominum per discipulos suos baptizasse plures quam Johannes, acceperint Spiritum Sanctum. Alio enim loco Evan- gelii sic dicitur, Spiritus enim non est datus, quia Jesus nondum erat clar'ificatus.^'^ Spiritus Sanctus latenter dabatur ante Domini clarificationem : post manifesta- tionem divinitatis ejus manifestius datus est. Et hoc dictum est, Spiritus autem nondum erat datus, id est, nondum sic apparuerat, ut omnes eum datum esse faterentur."^^ Nor, again, can it be determined from the often- quoted text in the gospel of S. Matthew, " Go ye, teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," that the institution of the sacrament took place at that time ; and was not, therefore, instituted previously. There is no doubt that then the command and the form to be observed for all ages were delivered, or rather, re- ^^ " Et facillime quidern ita Quanquam Cornelius, et qui cum respondetur, quod Dominus JesuSj eo ex gentibus crediderant, Spi- qui etiam mortuos suscitabat, po- ritura Sanctum etiam prius quam terat neminem illorum mori sinere, baptizarentur acceperint : non ta- donec post ejus clarificationem, men video quomodo et ille latro acciperent Spiritum Sanctum. Sed sine Spiritu Sancto dicere potu- occurrit animo latro ille, cui die- erit^ Memento mei, Domine, dum turn est, Amen dico tibi, Jiodie veneris in regnum tuumr ibid, mecum eris in paradiso : qui ^^ De divers, quaest. Ixij. torn. nee ipsum baptismum acceperat. vj. p. 38. 312 Holy Baptism. peated, to the apostles ; but, even if we had not other evidence of the fact of baptisms by the disciples, under the authority and in the Name of Christ, we could not reasonably have denied, upon the foundation of this text alone, that such had been administered. Once more : although it is most true that the effi- cacy of the sacraments instituted by our Lord, and therefore the efficacy of baptism, rests upon and is to be referred for its cause to His sufferings and death, — to His Atonement acceptable and well-pleasing to the Father, — yet this need not, of necessity, be retro- spective. There is in the sacraments a double per- fection ; the one essential, the other accidental. The one, as being begun from the first hour of our Lord's life on earth, still depended, as to its accidental per- fection, upon its consummation in His death. Like- wise, there is in baptism a double signification ; the one effective, the other commemorative. Effective, whether before or after the Passion, in that equally it conveyed the regenerating grace, — the death unto sin, the new birth unto righteousness — : commemorative, when all was finished, of the sufferings, and burial, and resurrection of the Lord. So was it also with respect to the ordinances under the old Law, and in the days of the patriarchs. What- soever grace they conferred, was entirely to be attri- buted to the Passion, no less clearly known to the Almighty before all ages, than after it had been, in time, exhibited in actual reality. The legal sacra- ments and sacrifices were, it is universally acknow- Holy Baptism, 313 ledged, inferior to those which we now enjoy under the gospel : if for no other cause, yet for this ; that until the Atonement was complete, they could but have regard to that which was about to be, neither truly representing nor commemorating the great fact itself. Nor were the gates of Heaven open : these were to be closed until the price of our redemption had been paid. Whatsoever were the graces accompanying the divine ordinances from the beginning, those ordinances were effective, after the Fall, solely with respect to the future and foreseen Atonement to be made by Him, Who is " the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Hence we may well say with S. Augustine of the Re- deemer, " de latere ejus in cruce pendentis lancea percusso sacramenta ecclesise profluxerunt,"^'^ whilst we limit that assertion to the price then paid and the completed satisfaction ; not extending it to signify that the sacraments were not instituted and of avail before the Passion. This is the truth as respects the eucha- rist, and we must not hastily refuse to allow it to the sacrament of baptism. Although we conclude, therefore, that the sacra- ment of baptism was instituted by our Lord before His Passion, yet it does not follow that it was of ne- cessity to be then observed and received.^^ The pub- °^ In Johan. tr. xv. cap. 4. torn. ^ The necessity and the bene- 3. p. 410. Cf. Rhabanus Mau- fits of the old legal rite of circum- rus.adv. Judaeos. cop.xxxij. Thes. cision were, of course, variously Anecdot. torn. 5. p. 472. affected from the time of the first 314 Holy Baptism. lie promulgation of all positive laws is required before they become binding ; and the law of baptism is clearly of that kind. The day of Pentecost has generally been regarded by most writers as the time when this pub- lication of the necessity of baptism was made : and that, from that day to this and so long as the world lasts, all men, to whom the knowledge of the law has come, are bound to receive this sacrament as the only known means whereby they can be saved. Upon that day, after the descent of the Holy Ghost, we find the various particulars which we might beforehand have expected upon so solemn an occasion. The place, the city of Jerusalem ; the time, towards noon ; a multi- tude of people, " devout men, out of every nation under heaven ;" the speaker, an apostle, nay, the first in place and dignity, S. Peter ; his discourse, includ- ing the chief subjects of the Christian Faith, — the institution, whether publicly made mentary, Opera, torn. 8. p. 204. known or not, of the sacrament Peter Lombard decides ; " Di- of baptism. Some have laid down cimus in Christi morte terminata four distinctions. First, that cir- esse legalia omnia. Ex tunc ergo cumcision was necessary until the circuracisio perdidit vim suam, ita institution of baptism : secondly : quod postea non profecerit, sed useful, but not necessary, from its potius obfuerit observatoribus suis. institution until the promulgation Sed usque ad oblationem vera3 of it; neither of use, nor of ne- hostise potuit prodesse. Si enim cessity, after the promulgation ; ante passionem legalia finem ha- and unlawful, as regarded the buissent, non ea imminente vetus Gentiles at least, after the council pascha cum discipulis manducas- at Jerusalem. Scotus. Sentent. set." Sent. lib. iv. dist. iij. K. ^«i.iv. f/w;. 3. quaest. iiij. These Compare bishop Bull. Harm. distinctions have been much con- apost. cap. xiv. §. 2. troverted : see, however, the com- Holy Baptism. 315 Spirit, who should be poured out upon all flesh : the Son, Who as man, having dwelt among men, was de- livered, and crucified, and raised up, and exalted to be Lord and Christ ; the Father, by Whom all had been accomplished, — the command, " Repent, and be baptized every one of you ;" and obedience to that command, " They that gladly received his word were baptized."'* ^ Tourneley, de hapt. p. 267. supposes that before this time, the obligation to receive the baptism of Christ was binding upon those to whom our Lord had explained the need of it ; as, for example, to Nicodemus. S. Bernard's epis- tle, (the 77 th) or rather treatise on baptism, addressed to Hugo S. Victor, is appealed to by almost all who have discussed this ques- tion. His opinion is decided that, at what time soever the sacrament was instituted, it was not of ne- cessity to salvation, before the public promulgation of it. " Valde injuste exigitur obeditio, ubi non praecessit auditio. — Quod ergo omnino fieri non poterat si non audiretui', quo pacto quaeso exigi debeat et antequam audiretur ? — Ex eo tempore tantum cuique coepit antiqua observatio non va- lere, et non baptizatus quisque novi praecepti reus existere, ex quo praeceptum ipsum inexcusabi- liter ad ejus potuit pervenire no- titiam." Opera, torn. 1. p. 631. 634. See also Bellarmin. de hapt. cap. V. Aquinas also concludes : " Ad primum ergo dicendum, quod etiam ante passionem Christi baptismus habebat efficaciara a Christi passione, inquantum earn prsefigurabat : aliter tamen quam sacramenta veteris legis : nam ilia erant figurae tantum, baptis- mus autem ab ipso Christo vir- tutem habebat justificandi, per cujus virtutem ipsa etiam passio salutifera fuit. — ^ Ad tertium di- cendum, quod sacramenta non sunt obligatoria, nisi quando sub praecepto ponuntur : quod quidem non fuit ante passionem. Quod enim Dominus ante passionem Nicodemo dixit. Nisi quis rena- tus, etc. magis videtur ad futurura respicere, quam ad praesens tem- pus." Summa, pars, ill. qucest. Ixvj. art. 2. 41 3i6 Holy Baptism, CHAPTER XII. |E have now considered at some length the following particulars, relating to the sacrament of Holy Baptism : namely, the definition and meaning of the term, baptism ; — the matter of the sacrament ; — the form ; — the minister, whether proper or improper, whether regular or irregular ; and the further question of the recognition of lay-baptism, now, in the church of England ; — the necessity of the reception of this sa- crament ; — the time of the institution of it ; — and the distinction between the baptisms of John and of our Blessed Lord. These, however, are but very few of the numerous circumstances and particulars which a dissertation, aiming at an^'thing like completeness, upon this great subject, would necessarily embrace. Such, for exam- ple, as these ; all worthy of the diligent inquiry of the theological student. The early and later rites and ceremonies in conferring and receiving baptism ; — the examinations which preceded it, and the qualifications which were required of all the candidates ; — the ap- pointed seasons and places at which the solemn admi- nistrations took place ; — the careful and repeated pre- paration of catechumens ; — the ancient and general use of unction, and of exorcism, and of the sign of the Holy Baptism. 317 cross ; — the previous fasting, and confession, and pro- fession of faith ; — the vestments which were worn, after the wearing of any had been introduced ; — the origin, and object, and antiquity of sponsors ; — their duty, and, by the old canon-law, their relation to those for whom they had undertaken the office ; — the proper subject who might claim and receive the sacrament, including especially the question of infant-baptism; — the case of hypothetical administration ; — and, to name no more, the blessings and the privileges which bap- tism conveys. But upon none of these points do I now propose to speak, except briefly upon the three last. Because they may all be found fully discussed in many books, easily to be procured, and commonly well known to the English clergy. Such as Bingham's Christian an- tiquities, or Dr. Wall's history of infant-baptism, or the works of Wheatley and others on the ritual, or the treatises of archbishop Lawrence, and bishop Bethell. Nor shall I do more, as regards administration hypo- thetically, and the subject of baptism, and the blessings which the sacrament conveys, than attempt to supply some facts, and suggest some considerations, which seem to have been omitted in the books which I have just named. First, hypothetical baptism. The rubric of our present ritual which allows or, rather, orders this, is as follows. " ^ ^ut if they which bring the infant to the church do make such uncertain answers to the pries fs questions, as that it cannot appear that the child was 3 1 8 Holy Baptism. baptized with water, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, {ivhich are essential parts of baptism,) then let the priest baptize it in the form before appointed for public baptism of infants ; saving that at the dipping of the child in the font, he shall use this form of words. If thou art not already baptized, N. I baptize thee in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." Nothing can be more precise than this direction, nor more agreeable to the ancient practice of the Eng- lish church. With some variations, quite unimpor- tant as to the question immediately before us, it is to be traced through the Books of Elizabeth, and Edward the VI th, up to the earlier Manuals. It stands thus, according to the old Use of Sarum. " Si vero dubitet rationabiliter sacerdos utrum infans ad baptizandum sibi oblatus prius in forma debita fuerit baptizatus vel non, debet omnia perjicere cum eo sicut cum alio quern constat sibi non baptizatum, prcEterquam quod verba sacramentalia essentialia proferre debeat sub conditione, hoc modo dicendo : N. si baptizatus es, ego non rebaptizo te : sed si nondum baptizatus es, ego baptizo te, in Nomine etc. Sub aspei'siotie vel immer- sione ut supra.'"' ^ This rubric is confirmed by a statute of archbishop Peckham, upon which Lyndwood glosses. " Ratioti- abiliter dubitet. Si enim constiterit aliquem esse bap- tizatum per hominem habentem ad hoc potestatem, ^ Monumenta Ritualia. vol. \. p. 28. Holy Baptism. 319 utputa, per presbyterum extra casum necessitatis, vel in casu necessitatis per quemcunque alium habentem intentionem baptizandi, et servantem formam ecclesise, talis non debet iterum baptizari. Iste tamen textus lo- quitur in casu dubii, ubi notatur, quod dubium potest esse sive ratione facti, sive ratione juris. Ratione facti patet exemplum, quando aliquis natus est in cap- tivitate Saracenorum : nam si quis natus est de paren- tibus fidelibus, et inter fideles nutritus, prsesumitur baptizatus. De jure autem potest esse dubium, ut quia dubitatur, an fuerit forma servata an non. Potest etiam esse dubium de facto, si infans recenter natus expositus fuerit, et in eo vel circa eum non appareant signa baptismi. Si nondum. Ex hac litera videtur, quod aliquis baptizari potest sub conditione. Sed con- tra hoc opponitur de Reg. Jur. Solutio. Die, quod quaedam est conditio de prseterito, vel de prsesenti, et ista non est proprie conditio, nee suspendit actum : et talis est ilia, de qua hie fit mentio. Alia est conditio de futuro, et talis non potest adjici in baptismo, utputa, Baptizo te si iveris Romam, vel, si feceris talem eleemo- synam. Ecclesise namque sacramenta sunt pure et simpliciter conferenda." ^ The " signs of baptism" in exposed infants are some- what explained by a canon of a council at York, in 1195. Whence it appears, that salt was placed occa- sionally by the side of the infant, as a token that the sacrament had been administered. But the canon "^ Lib. 111. tit. 24. Circa sacramentum. 320 Holy Baptism. forbids any reliance upon such an uncertain testimony : nor without a sufficient reason. " Ubi autem puer, cujus baptisma ignoratur, reperitur expositus, sive cum sale sive sine sale reperiatur, baptizetur ; cum non intelligatur iteratum, quod nescitur fuisse colla- tum."' There is a long chapter in the Pupilla oculi, on the manner of baptizing in cases of doubt, and on the ^ Wilkins. Cone. torn. l.p. 501. Another mode of attesting the previous baptism of exposed in- fants, was by placing a written paper near them, declaring the fact. This seems still to be a practice abroad; and late deci- sions of diocesan and other synods have ordered, that such schedules, alone, should not be allowed to be decisive; at least, so far as to prevent administration of the sa- crament sub conditione. " Testi- bus, non testimoniis, sit creden- dum," was the old and wise rule of the civil law ; in I. testium. 3. ff. de testihus. Cf. Benedict, xiv. Opera, torn. xij. p. 255. Compare with the canons al- ready cited, the 41st excerpt of archbishop Egbert; the 3d canon of the council of London, in 1200; the 23rd of the council at Dur- ham, in 1220; the 1st of the council at Oxford, in 1222 ; and, not to mention others, the 2nd of the synod of Exeter, in 1287. Wilkins. Concilia, torn. 1. p. 104. 505. 576. 594. torn. 2. p. 131. This form of hypothetical baptism and of administering the sacra- ment at all, in cases where evi- dence of previous reception could not be shown, or of infants de- serted by their parents, was a ground of objection taken by the puritans. See Whitgift, Z)(?/enc^ etc. p. 621. Survey of Book of C. Prayer. 1606. ;j. 112. It does not appear to have been excepted against in 1661. I would remind the reader of the place in the Octavius of Mi- nucius Felix, where he brings this charge against the heathens. " Vos enim video procreatos filios nunc feris etavibus exponere, nunc ad- strangulatos misero mortis genere elidere." He is refuting the scan- dalous accusation which was so frequently laid against the Chris- tians that their disciples were ini- tiated with the slaughter or blood of an infant. Edit. Ouzel. 1672. p. 289. Cf. p. 306. And see the very learned notes of Ermenhors- tius, Rigalt, and others. Holy Baptisfn, 321 varieties of cases which might occur. It concludes, with Lyndwood above, that the children of believing parents, in a Christian country, are to be presumed baptized, unless there is evidence to the contrary. This is a rule not to be lightly disregarded at any time ; neither is it without some bearing upon the re- baptization lately introduced by the clergy of the church of Rome in this kingdom, upon which I have already remarked.* Let it then be remembered that the ancient and wise practice was, in all such cases (I repeat it, of children of believing parents in a Chris- tian country) to require proof that baptism had not been conferred, and not proof that it had been, before the hypothetical form could rightly be resorted to. Nay, more than this ; whilst, if the baptism of such a person was objected against, it was sufficient to bring one witness only to prove it, two at least were required to establish the contrary, namely, that he had not been baptized. The Pupilla further advises that if any one should baptize a female supposing it to be a male child ; or one of two, supposing it to be the other ; the adminis- tration is to be considered valid: nevertheless, the author submits this to the judgment of other canonists, and allows the hypothetical form to be used, if his opi- nion is not held to be correct. The doctrine of inten- tion was mixed up with, and increased the difficulty of such cases. Also, another condition is specified as * Above, p. 82. Y 322 Holy Baptism, invalidating the sacrament, different from those sug- gested by Lyndwood : as ; if a person should, in ex- tremity^, baptize the child of a Jew, in this form : "I baptize thee, etc. if thy father should consent to-mor- row:" and the child dies: such a baptism is to be regarded as invalid, because the condition annexed is repugnant to the true signification of the sacramental form. " Alii dicunt," it continues, " quod ideo puer non est baptizatus ; quia licet pater pueri post modum consentiat, tamen pro mensura consensus sui puer non est capax sacramenti; cum non sit de foro ecclesiae militantis." Again, if there is a doubt as to the bap- tism of a person living, he is to be hypothetically bap- tized: but as to a person dead, his baptism is to be recognized, except there be clear evidence to the con- trary, and he is to be prayed for as a member of the church of Christ. Other varieties of doubtful cases I pass over, but if the student may, he will do well to read the whole chapter. Not only do such investiga- tions bear upon and elucidate many other intricate questions in theology, more particularly those which are concerned in the doctrine of the sacraments, but they have an especial interest, when applied to the sa- crament of baptism. If they seem to descend into minute details, some of which neither have, nor rea- sonably can be expected to have, any place in actual experience,^ yet it is to be remembered that the ge- ^ For example, this : dotes uterque caecus et surdus " Item posito, quod duo sacer- simul et semel baptizent unum 1 Holy Baptism. 323 neral rule is only to be arrived at by a careful discus- sion of every possible difficulty which might be pre- sumed to occur even to a single individual.^ It has been said that this hypothetical or conditional form was invented and introduced by the schoolmen. But, as Martene has shewn, ^ this is an erroneous and false assertion. We know how much the Catholic Church, in all ages, has abhorred the iteration of the sacrament of baptism : and yet, there are many decrees of councils, reaching up to the primitive ages, direct- ing the immediate administration of it, in cases where a previous reception was, from any cause, reasonably doubtful. Thus, on the one hand, we have the 47th of the apostolical canons, enjoining deposition as the penalty upon any priest or bishop, who should dare to rebaptize; and in the fourth century, reordinations and rebaptizations are mentioned together : " non liceat fieri rebaptizationes et reordinationes."^ Indeed, this is a point concerning which there can be no dispute. puerum neutro credente alterum baptizare, et utroque dicente sub hac forma; 'ego baptizo te, si nuUus alius te baptizet,' puer non est baptizatus : quia conditio ad- jecta est corruptiva significationis formae sacramentalis." ^ See the Pupilla oculi. fars. II. cap. vj. Compare Hostiensis. Summa. pars. in. rubr. xlij. ' De ant. ecc. rit. torn. 1. cap. 1. xvj. 10. " NonnuUi viri eru- diti existimant hujusmodi condi- tionatas formas a scholasticis theo- logis adinventas fuisse ; verum toto aberrant coelo. Nam longe ante scholasticos, certe ante annos octingentos conditionata adhibe- batur formula, id quod evincunt Isaaci Lingoniensis episcopi ca- nones; — et etiam antea S. Boni- facius Mogunt. archiepisc. in sta- tutis, decreverat, etc." ^ Mansi. Concil. torn. S.p. 885. Can. xxxviij. Codicil. Carthag. III. 324 Holy Baptism. Yet, on the other hand, we have as plain and often- repeated injunctions and decisions of the Church, that where a doubt exists as to the reception of this sacra- ment by any one, it should be administered. About the end of the fourth century, the 5th Carthaginian council decreed, and the constitution is inserted into the body of the canon-law : " Placuit de infantibus, quoties non inveniuntur certissimi testes, qui eos bapti- zatos esse sine dubitatione testentur, neque ipsi sunt per setatem idonei de traditis sibi sacramentis respondere, absque ullo scrupulo eos esse baptizandos."^ This was confirmed by two later African synods ; one, shortly after ; namely in the years 401, and 505. The Decretum, immediately after the Carthaginian canon, just cited, gives a rescript of S. Leo to the bishop of Ravenna, in which he decides that any person who is not certain of his baptism, nor can obtain evidence of it, may be baptized. The argument which arises from these considerations is, that it is utterly improbable that the Catholic Church, holding the true doctrine of " one baptism," should have been unmindful of some such qualification ^ De consecr. dist.iv. cap. cxj. Mansi. Concil. torn. 3. p. 969. The witnesses mentioned by this canon, were required under a dif- ferent state of things from that which took place in later ages. At that time, in the midst of a heathen population, the presump- tion would naturally be against the fact of a previous reception, just as in a Christian country, the presumption would be otherwise. The phrase also, " absque ullo scrupulo " is explained by the sta- tute of S. Boniface, presently cited in the text. ■1 Holy Baptism. 325 or condition, as, " If thou art not already baptized," or of some such protest as, "I intend not to rebap- tize," which was to be declared by her ministers in all such cases of doubt. Indeed it is remarkable that S. Leo, in the rescript in which he so expressly enjoins the conferring of the sacrament, notices no less plainly the apostolical sentence, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism."^" It is true, that no earlier record of a hypothetical form than the eighth century, has yet been produced ; but the observance of it must have been tacitly understood, even though not directly en- forced by canons. When we do first find it ordered, it is not spoken of as a new regulation, but, rather, as a continuance of an ancient rule. Thus, in the statutes ^^ On account of other import- ant particulars, I would extract this rescript. " Cum itaque baptismi sui nihil recordetur, qui regenerationis est cupidus, nee alter attestari de eo possit, qui sciat consecratum, nee ille, qui consecratur. Scimus qui- dem inexpiabile esse facinus, quo- ties juxta haereticorum damnata a Sanctis patribus instituta cogitur aliquis lavacrum, quod regeneran- dis semel tributum est, bis subire, apostolica reclamante sententia: quae nobis unam praedicat in Tri- nitate Deitatem, unam in fide con- fessionem, unum in baptismate sacramentum. Sed in hoc nihil simile formidatur ; quoniam non potest in iterationis crimen venire, quod omnino factum esse nescitur. Atque ideo, quoties persona talis incident, solicita primum exami- natione discutite, et longo tem- pore (nisi forte supremus finis immineat) indagate, utrum nemo penitus sit, qui testimonio suo juvare possit ignorantiam nesci- entis : et cum constiterit hunc, qui baptismatis indiget sacramento, sola inaniter suspicione prohiberi ; accedat intrepidus ad consequen- dam gratiam, cujus in se nullum scit esse vestigium : nee vereamur huic salutis januam aperire, quam nunquam ante docetur ingressus." De consecr. dist. iv. cap. cxij. 326 Holy Baptism, of Boniface, archbishop of Mentz, about the year 745, it is stated : " Si de aliquibus dubium sit, utrum sint baptizati, absque ullo scrupulo baptizentur ; his tamen verbis prsemissis: Non te rebaptizo, sed si nondum es baptizatus, efc."^^ It is not often that the English clergy are called upon to use this conditional form ; and this is owing to one or two circumstances. It is, in the first place, unusual for lay-members of our Church, even in cases of urgent necessity, to administer the sacrament of baptism ; and, secondly, if the previous question ap- pointed in our ritual, " By whom was this child bap- tized?" be answered by the giving of some known name, the two last questions, upon which, in reality, the doubts and difficulties would occur, are not often either put to those who bring the child ; or, if put, pressed to some determinate answers. Those cases, also, are infrequent, in which children who have been baptized by dissenting and schismatic teachers, are brought to the church, to be there publicly received " into the congregation of Christ's flock," and to obtain the recognition of the validity and completeness of the sacrament which it is asserted has been given to them. These again, however, are especially the instances, in which as regards both the matter and the form, variations and deficiencies and carelessness in the administration are very likely to have happened. I must not omit to add that the hypothetical form ^^ Spicilegium. torn. 9. cit, Martene. id supra. Holy Baptism, 327 ought not to be resorted to, as a mere means of escape from troublesome enquiries, and as a settling of diffi- culties or doubts which might be suggested. Were it so, the serious error of rebaptization would not seldom be the consequence ; and, in short, it never should be used, except after all diligent pains taken to arrive at the truth, whether the person has, or has not, really been baptized already. To do otherwise, in haste or idleness, might on the one hand cast contempt upon a valid administration, not difficult of proof perhaps ; or on the other might seem to give some feature of goodness to that, which must at once appear to all, except to very ignorant clergy, null and without effect. There are known rules, which will generally enable parish-priests to arrive at a sufficiently sound decision, as to whether there was a due observance of " the essential parts of baptism ;" and it is only when, first, an assertion is made that the child has been baptized, and yet, secondly, no certain information can be ob- tained as to the use of the proper matter and the proper form, that the administration of the sacrament of baptism, sub conditione, is justifiable and required. The permission, or rather the direction, by the Church to use this form at all, is owing to her firm conviction of the truth of two doctrines; the great necessity of baptism where it may be had, and the impiety of repeating it. By the adoption, therefore, of this condition, '^ If thou art not already baptized," we are enabled to satisfy every just and reasonable scruple existing either in ourselves or in others, and 328 Holy Baptism, nevertheless avoid any approach towards irreverence. Upon the first of these doctrines, the necessity of bap- tism, I have already spoken ; and a few words may be added here upon the impiety of repeating it. There are at least two texts in the epistles of S. Paul which may be referred to in proof of this sacra- ment being to be administered once, and once only. In the fourth chapter to the Ephesians it is written : " There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Again, in the epistle to the Hebrews, a passage which cannot be explained except with regard to that sacrament by which alone are conveyed regeneration and renewal and partaking of the Holy Ghost : " It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance." Fully agreeable to this doctrine is the constant teaching of the Catholic Church : as summed up and represented by S. Augustine, where he declares, " Quid sit perniciosius, utrum omnino non baptizari, an rebaptizari, judicare difficile est." ^" Again : " Re- ^~ Contra Donatist- Opera. 2. cap. ij. S. Jerome, contra Jo- tom. 9. p. 107. Cf. Tr. 57. in vinian. lib. 2. Joan. S. Ambrose, de poinit. lib. Holy Baptism, 329 generatio spiritualis una est, sicut generatio carnalis una est." ^^ More particularly I must adduce some evidence from the records of the church of England. The reader should refer to the statutes (so-called) of S. Patrick, in the fifth century, in which rebaptization is pro- hibited: and to the excerpts of archbishop Egbert." Venerable Bede has said, in his homily on the 3rd ch. of S. John ; " Sive enim hsereticus, sive schisma- ticus, sive facinorosus quisque in confessione Sanctse Trinitatis baptizet, non valet ille, qui ita baptizatus est, a bonis catholicis rebaptizari, ne confessio vel invocatio tanti Nominis videatur annullari." And again in his commentary upon the 8th ch. of Genesis, discoursing of the flood : " Eunt ergo aquae, quee arcam diluerant, et decrescunt usque ad decimum mensem, quia lavacrum baptismatis, ubi in singulis quibusque fidelium suum munus impleverit, cessat. Neque enim quisquam, si peccaverit, potest denuo eodem sacri baptismatis fonte mundari ; sed eos jam semel ablutos ac sanctificatos ad spem mittit vitse coelestis."^^ Not much later, archbishop iElfric, in his homily of the catholic faith : " Let every one know also, that no man may be twice baptized ; (bset nan man ne mot been tuwa gefuUod ;) but if a man err after his baptism, we ^^ Tr. xij. in Joan. cf. tr. xj. " Wilkins. Concilia, torn. 1. " Recte intellexit Nicoderaus, e?c. p. 5. 101. — Quomodo uterus non potest re- ^"^ Opera, torn. v. p. 1 10. torn, peti, sic nee baptismus." vij.p. 112. 330 Holy Baptism. believe that he may be saved, if with weeping he repent of his sins." ^^ I pass over, for a moment, the intervening* centuries, during which the same doctrine was insisted on, with- out any qualifications,^^ by the repeated councils of the English church, in order that I might place here the judgments of two of our greatest divines in more modern days ; namely, archbishop Whitgift, and his con- temporary, Hooker. The first has declared ; '' there is but one baptisme, wherewith it is sufficient once to be christened, seeing that baptisme once receyued doth endure for euer, as a perpetuall signe of our adoption." '^ And the other ; " Iteration of baptism once given hath been always thought a manifest con- tempt of that ancient apostolic aphorism, * One Lord, one faith, one baptism.' " ^^ These decisions might ^^ Homilies, vol. 1. p. 293. following from a draught of some Again : " Let not a man baptized articles, among archbishop Cran- in the Name of the Holy Trinity, mer's papers in the State Paper be afterward a second time bap- Office : which is important, as tized, that the invocation of the possibly it may have furnished Holy Ghost be not contemned." materials for the Articles of Edw. Hom. on the Epiphany, vol. 2. VI. " Dicimus — quod non debeat p, 49. iterari baptismus, et quod infantes ^^ I must not, however, omit debeant baptizari." Works, vol. the assertion in the articles of 4. p. 280. See the editor's note, 1536 ; " Item, that children or p. 273. men once baptized, can, ne ought ^^ Defense of the answere, p. ever to be baptized again." Re- 622. peated, almost word for word, both ^^ Eccl. Polity. Book 5. ch. Ixij. in the Institution and Necessary §. 4. Compare §. 12. Doctrine. Formularies, etc. p. I would desire to add the fol- XIX. 93. 255. Compare also the lowing from the works of Melanc- Holy Baptism, 331 easily be multiplied from the works of succeeding writers in our Church, all speaking in one and the same language ; but as it seemed well to quote the above, as evidence of their own age, a most important one, so also is it quite unnecessary to heap up further authorities in their support. Returning to the canons of the church of England in the middle ages, I shall also content myself with extracting one, a provincial constitution of archbishop Peckham, upon which Lyndwood's gloss enters into various details, worth the consideration of the student. " Si forte contingat pueros propter mortis periculum a laicis baptizari, caveant sacerdotes ne baptismum legi- time factum audeant iterare." That part of the gloss which bears upon the question now before us, is in explanation of the last word of this constitution. " Iterare. Semel enim baptizatus non debet rebaptizari. Quod si fiat, rebaptizans gra- viter punietur ; — Secundum canones, si talis clericus sit, deponi debet. Laicus vero excommunicari debet, et nee talis poterit ordinari, nisi dispensatione praeha- bita. Et hoc verum, si factum sit publicum ; secus thon : " Peccatum est, abuti no- For the doctrine of the schools, mine Dei, et invocationem veram see the Summa of Aquinas : Pars improbare : qui autem rebapti- ill. qucest. Ixvj. art. 9. Duns zant, improbant priorem baptis- Scotus, Reportat. Paris, lib. iv. mum, indicant inan em et inutilem dist. 4:. qu(Bst. v\]. See also the fuisse. Atque ita improbant veram annotations of Beverege on the invocationem Dei, factam de hoc Nicene canons. App. Pandect. baptizato." Loci, de bapt. Opera, torn. 2. p. 86. torn. 1. p. 236. Cf. torn. 3. p. 39. 222 Holy Baptism. si sit occultum : tunc peracta poenitentia potest promo- veri sine dispensatione. Et sciendum, quod ubi scien- ter fit iteratio baptismi prius legitime facti, tarn rebap- tizans quam rebaptizatus efficitur irregularis. Si vero non constat utrique sed alteri tantum, tunc sciens puni- tur, ignorans vero probabiliter excusari debet. Sed si ejus ignorantia fuit crassa et supina, debet puniri arbi- trarie Sed tunc quaeroquare baptismus legitime factus non debet reiterari ? die quod sex possunt assignari causae. Una est, quia character, qui imprimitur, inde- lebilis est, sicut in confirmatione et in ordine, et cum quadam consecratione datur : et ideo sicut aliae conse- crationes non reiterantur in ecclesia ; sic nee baptismus. Secunda causa est, quia originale peccatum, contra quod principaliter datur, non iteratur. Tertia est, quia baptismus morti Christi assimilatur : Christus autem semel tantum mortuus est, et ideo nee baptismus debet iterari. Quarta est, quia per baptismum fit universalis purgatio peccatorum. Unde si iterari posset, daretur hominibus incentivum peccandi. Quinta ratio est, quia baptismus est qusedam spiritualis generatio. Unde sicut generatio in utero non potest reiterari, sic nee baptismus. S.exta est, quia baptizatus per baptismum acquiritur Deo; et transit in dominium ejus. Unde si iterum baptizaretur, sequeretur nova et iterata ac multiplicata acquisitio dominii, quod esse non potest : quia quod semel meum est, amplius ex eadem causa meum fieri non potest.""'' '" Lib. 1. tit. 7. Quod in con- though I think it unnecessary to stitutione. To the same purpose, extract from them, are the Papilla, Holy Baptism. 333 The first four of the above reasons are taken from the third part of the Summa of Aquinas : in which place also some arguments are advanced, to shew that this sacrament might be repeated. These are, that the disciples of the Baptist were rebaptized : that the Paulianists and other heretics were, by the Nicene fathers, ordered to be baptized : that baptism is neces- sary to salvation, and yet we must sometimes doubt as to the reception of it in occasional instances : and that as the eucharist, which is the great sacrament of the Gospel, may be reiterated, so, much more, may the sacrament of baptism. The reader will at once see that these arguments are not of any weight, and three of them have been already discussed ; although not with reference to this point of the iteration of baptism, as indeed they can scarcely be said to bear on it at all. There might at first sight appear to be more in ano- ther argument, also suggested, that as sins are fre- quently repeated during man's life, so also ought bap- tism to be, which is acknowledged to be the chief means by which they are washed away. But sins after bap- tism do not deprive the sacrament of its grace once given : they impede and hinder its eflScacy, which may be again restored by earnest repentance and by abso- •pars. II. cap. ij. E. Manipulus must not be iterated, simply upon curatorum,yb?. xiv. i. the Divine Will : though he allows Scotus, who is followed by Ga- the force of other arguments, by briel Biel, rejects all these reasons : way of support. Sentent. lib. iv. restingthe fact that this sacrament dist. 6. qu. vij. 334 Holy Baptism. lution. Were it indeed otherwise, it would not prove that baptism might be again received ; but it would rather lead us into the old heresy, that every deadly sin willingly committed after baptism is sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable.-^ As to the reasons which are urged from the repeti- tion of the Holy Eucharist, it is, in one sense, conclu- sive, that that sacrament was particularly appointed by our Blessed Lord to be repeated again and again : " This do ye, as oft as ye drink it — as often as ye eat -^ " Objiciunt aliqui, si baptis- mus sigillum sit foederis initi, sal- tern rebaptizari eos debere, qui, peccatis conscientiam vastantibus, Christo, et ejus foederi renuncia- runt. Sed sponte haec corruunt, si attendamus naturam foederis, quod in baptismo obsignatur. Nam uti olim in circumcisione, ita nunc in baptismo, Deus quidem pro- mittit gratiam, et vitam seternam ; homo autem fidem, et obedien- tiam, poUicetur. Quod si a pacto resiliat homo, amittit ille quidem jus postulandi vitam aeternam ; at, qui semper pacto stat, Deus, non perdit jus suum in hominera. etcT Vossius, de bapt. disp. 17. xxiij. I may remark that this author entirely adopts the reason which, as stated in the note above, Scotus and Biel insist on. He continues in the next section : " Scrupulum etiam injicere de istis conantur, qui, fidem simulantes, baptismum perceperint. — Sed hie etiam in considerationem venit, quod de- fectus fuerit ex parte hominis, non Dei ; qui nuUi baptizato, non po- nenti obicem per peccatum, gra- tiam negat salutarem. Quare de his ita statuimus ; ubi, posita hy- pocrisi, credere incipiunt, priorem baptismum, qui antea inanis erat CcPremonia, atque ideo profanatio sacramenti, fieri sigillum ejus foe- deris, quod Deus init cum cre- dentibus." I am far from disputing the ge- neral correctness of these argu- ments : but the reader will at once perceive how inadequate they are ; they are instructive as tokens of the hue pursued by writers of the school represented by Vossius ; which, debasing the sacrament of baptism, yet is forced to confess, and to account for, the fact that it must never be iterated. Holy Baptism, 335 this bread, etc." But let us take the answer of Aqui- nas, which is addressed more against the argument drawn from the analogy of the one sacrament to the other. " Dicendum, quod utrumque sacramentum, scilicet baptismi, et eucharistise, est reprsssentativum dominicse mortis, et passionis, aliter tamen, et aliter. Nam in baptismo commemoratur mors Christi, in- quantum homo Christo commoritur, et in novam vitam regeneratur : sed in sacramento eucharistise comme- moratur mors Christi, inquantum ipse Christus passus exhibetur nobis, quasi paschale convivium, secundum illud primcG Corinth, quinto, Pascha nostrum immola- tus est Christus, itaque epulemur. Et quia homo semel nascitur, multoties autem cibatur, semel tantum datur baptismus, multoties autem eucharistia."^^ The second of the three particulars which I pro- ^^ Pars. III. qucBst.Xxw'y art. 9. Monum. Ritualia. vol. 1. p. 229. The following is the canon of Chemnitz mentions that Marcion the council of Trent directed to this advocated a repetition of baptism point : " Si quis dixerit, vere et after sin : and there were other rite collatum baptismum iteran- heretics, who argued that because dum esse illi, qui apud infideles we cannot but sin every day, so fidem Christi negaverit, cum ad we ought also daily to be baptized, poenitentiam convertitur, anathe- These were called ?;^6po/3a7rrt. 1054. 1 Holy Baptism. 359 cramentum obligatur per ejus susceptionem." ^^ If the reader wishes to examine the minute distinctions and inquiries which the schoolmen further made in this question, he will find it argued, especially, in this part of the work of Duns Scotus, and in the Summa of Aquinas.^" Notwithstanding the decrees of the councils of Trent and Florence, making the reception of this doctrine of a "character" in baptism to be dejide, the theologians of the church of Rome are obliged to confess, that not only was it not so enforced until the 15th century, but that Scripture is doubtful, to say the least, with regard to it, and that until the 12th century evident traces of it are not to be found in any writer. It follows therefore that these decisions rest only upon an inter- pretation of some passages in the New Testament, confirmed, as they say, by the constant tradition and sense of the Church ; implied, if not explicit. The Scriptures cited are these : " Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." Again; "In Whom also after that ye be- lieved, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of pro- mise." One other ; " Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemp- ^^ Sentent. lib. iv. dist. vi. qu. although siding generally either 9. Cf. Reportat. Paris. with the one or the other, yet ^ Pars. III. qu. Ixiij. There found it more difficult to decide was much variety between the what the "character" is, than judgments of these two, Aquinas what it is not. and Scotus : and their followers, 360 Holy BaptisfH. tion."^^ These are but slight foundations upon which we may build up such distinct and positive assertions, to be of necessity believed. Not that I would dispute, holding it as a pious opi- nion, that in the sacrament of baptism there is a some- thing, (I know not what to name it,) whether cha- racter, or mark, or seal, or sign, conveyed and given also, indelible, eternal ; imprinted both upon soul and body ; ever distinguishing not only in this world but in the w^orld to come those who have once received it, from all who have died unbaptized. And for this, I rely first and strongly upon the texts which have been just cited from the epistles of S. Paul. Secondly and strongly also, upon many passages in some of the greatest fathers to the like effect. Thus, not to heap up examples upon this point, we cannot but listen to S. Cyril of Jerusalem, who warns all candi- dates for holy baptism that " it is a serious matter, and solemnly to be approached : that each, so coming, is on the point of being presented to God, before innu- merable hosts of angels : ^^ that the Holy Ghost is ^^ 2 Cor. ch. j. V. 22. Ephes. present atbaptisme, and doe mag- ch. j. V. 13. ch. IV. V. 30. nifie, or honour it with their pre- ^^ That the Holy Angels are sence, and observance." Of the especially present at the solemn sacrament of the Blessed Body celebration of the Christian sacra- and Blood of C\\v\?,i. part. 2. p. ments, is a doctrine frequently IQ. edit.\QQ\. See also Albertin, insisted upon by the fathers. Bi- de euch. p. 549. shop Morton tells us, " Divine Nor for once, can I resist quot- Nazianzene teacheth [Orat. xl. ing at length a passage in the de bapt.] that the Angels are Anglo-saxon ecclesiastical insti- Holy Baptism, 361 about to set a seal upon each soul, and enlist every one under the Great King." Again, " that in baptism the Holy Ghost is present to seal the soul, and set upon it a sacred and heavenly seal, at which evil spirits tremble." ^^ Or to S. Chrysostom, and S. Augustin, comparing the indelible seal of the Spirit put, in bap- tism, upon true believers, to the mark set upon sol- diers.^^ Or to S. Gregory Nazianzen and other fathers, urging again and again upon us the remem- brance of the seal which we received in baptism, and of the mark, the " character," which was then im- pressed upon us.^^ And now, in conclusion, I desire only to make a few remarks upon a subject which, although it really seems to me not open to any dispute at all, has nevertheless been repeatedly debated during the last hundred years ; namely, the judgment of the church of England upon the doctrine of Regeneration in Baptism, as expressed and settled by herself in her modern ritual and other formularies. I have already said more than once, that tutes, which I have already cited Christ." Cit. Ancient Liturgy, jo. in another work. " Much is the cxlv. supplication and great is the hal- ^^ Catech. 3. §. iij. 17. §. xxxv. lowing, which sendeth away devils ^^ S. Chrys. Horn. 3. in 2, Cor. and putteth them to flight, as S. Aug. tr. vj. in Joan. Contra often as baptism is performed or Parmenian. lib. 2. cap. xiij. housel hallowed : and holy angels ^^ Naz. oj^at. xl. de bapt. S. hover there around, and protect Aug. loc. cit. Daraascen. defide. the deeds, and through God's lib. iv. cap. 9. S. Basil, exhort. powers support the priests, as ad bapt. n. 5. de Spiritu S. cap. often as they rightly minister to 15. 362 Holy Baptism. very learned bishops and other writers in our church have proved to demonstration that her doctrine in this matter is fully agreeable to the constant teaching of the Catholic Church from the days of the apostles : proved it, against all kinds of sophistical explanations, and deliberate assertions contradictory and false ; proved it to demonstration, in the judgment of those who are not determined to call black white, and to uphold their own opinions at whatever risk to their reputation for the common virtues of honesty and truth. But there is an argument which has not been, so far as I remember, urged in support of the real mean- ing which can alone be put upon the ritual and formu- laries of our Church ; (supposing, that is, that it does admit of doubt ;) and yet one, which cannot but have great weight. Denial of the doctrine of regenera- tion in baptism, did not spring up after the middle of the sixteenth century ; after, that is, the first altera- tions which took place in our service-books and for- mularies. Long before the time of the puritans of the commonwealth, or of the days of K. James and Eliza- beth, — before Whittaker, and Fulke, Cartwright or Travers; before even their great master, Calvin; — there were writers who had taught the same doctrine with them; this, perhaps, not with the help of the numerous supports which was given to their successors, but still with an openness and perseverance amply sufficient to make their opinions well known ; and, whether worthy of it or not, to be deliberated upon, and either approved or condemned. Holy Baptism. 363 I shall endeavour to shew the truth of this by some extracts from the works of two or three writers, of acknowledged authority of a certain kind, to which many others might easily be added, if I thought that it was in any way necessary. First, however, take the following from the Concilia : the fact of the condemnation of such errors and here- sies is evidence of the extent to which they were reach- ing ; these then were condemned in a mandate to the university of Oxford, by the archbishop, in the year 1368, together with others. *' 4, Sacramentum bap- tism! non est de lege Dei alicui parvulo decedenti requisitum ad salutem seternam, si intelligatur univer- saliter, quod nullum sacramentum, etc. error. — 6. De quolibet parvulo baptizato decedente, an salvabitur, seu damnabitur, est a quolibet catholico dubitandum : error. — 8. Non est possibile de lege communi aliquem pro solo originali peccato damnari : error.'' ^^ Again, among the tenets propounded by the Wick- lef&tes, was this ; and although, as I have stated in a preceding chapter, it may possibly be interpreted not ^* Wilkins, Concilia, torn. 3. p. strongly recommend to the reader 75. his most able and learned work on Probably much in these and the Waldenses : especially valu- similar errors is to be traced to able as an exposure of the igno- the Waldenses, Albigenses, and ranee and conceit, (if not of some- other heretics of earlier times, thing worse,) displayed by Milner Many proofs of the opinions main- in his, so-called. Church History: tained by those sects from contem- a book below the level even of the porary authors have been collected time and of the party for which it by Dr. Maitland. I cannot too was put together. 364 Holy Baptism, unfavourably and merely as objecting against a too severe opinion advanced on the contrary, it is neverthe- less itself a proposition apparently opposed to the con- stant decrees of the Church, and to the words of Holy Scripture. The reader may form his own judgment upon it. " Item, quod definient parvulos fidelium sine baptismo sacramentali decedentes, non fore salvandos, sunt in hoc praesumptuosi et stolidi. Error estr^^ In the year 1530, among other heretical propositions gathered out of books at that time dispersed actively through the country, were these : " That the children of faith be under noo lawe. — The water of the fonte hath noo more vertue in it than hath the water of ryuer. [This may be true in one sense, and has been spoken of : but then there follows,] The baptisme lyeth not in halowed water, or in other outward thinge, but in the faith oonly. — The water of baptisme is noo thinge but a signe that we must be under the standard of the crosse. — Infants be holy and clene, thoo they haue not receyued baptisme, because their parents be holy and clene." ~° ^^ Wilkins, Concilia, to7n. 3. cation, in the same year. Ibid, p. 229. cf. p. 344. p. 805. ~" Ibid. p. 729. 730. 734. As Whether in or out of place here, to the " vertue of the water of the I conceive that the reader may fonte," some help towards the true not object to my inserting, out of interpretation to be put upon the some articles de reformatione statement in the text, as intended ecclesite published by the univer- by the promulgators of it, may sity of Oxford, in 1414, a curious be obtained from a similar asser- argument against the doctrine of tion complained of by the convo- the coramunity of Christian men's Holy Baptism, 365 I shall pass on almost immediately to other state- ments which were advanced by writers, held in repute by some persons, of the early and middle part of the sixteenth century : but I would first digress shortly to make a remark or two about the peculiar teaching of Wickliffe and his followers during the preceding cen- tury. Among the many errors which they and the Lollards promulgated contrary to the great doctrines of the Church, both as to faith and discipline, their assertions in denial of Catholic truth, with regard to the sacrament of baptism, were neither so plainly ex- pressed, nor excited so much contention, as those which they advanced with regard to other doctrines, such for example as of the sacrament of the Blessed Eucharist, or of Holy Orders. The writings of Wickliffe him- self, moreover, have not (I believe) been collected; probably many are lost, and of the rest, few are to be found except, still in manuscript, in our public libra- ries. Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence from passages which have been produced against him by his contemporaries, to prove the character of his opinions upon this, as upon other subjects. I shall not do more goods, and one which I do not tur, trahit a baptismo. Pium igi- remember to have seen advanced tur esset et meritorium toti con- elsewhere. " Plerumque procla- cilio, ordinare renaedium prserais- matur a pluribus, quod si pagani sis. Cum enim Phihppus bapti- et in fi deles, suae gentilitatis errore zavit eunuchum, currum suum deposito, in sacri baptismatis fonte ab eo non abstulit, neque bona, voluerint expurgari, bona illorum quae secum attulit ad baptizan- temporalia ecclesiae consecrantur, dum." Ibid. torn. 3. f. 363. quod multos Judseorum, ut credi- 366 Holy Baptism, than lay before the reader two or three examples from the works of a very learned English author of the be- ginning of the fifteenth century, Thomas Waldensis.^^ In the following place, WicklifFe cannot be under- stood except as disputing against the necessity of bap- tism with water, and that baptism with the Spirit is of itself sufficient : thus, in anticipation, arguing upon that dangerous system, against which we are thus warned by the author of the Ecclesiastical Polity. " When the letter of the law hath two things plainly and expressly specified, Water, and the Spirit, water as a duty required on our parts, the Spirit as a gift which God bestoweth, there is danger in presuming so to interpret it, as if the clause which concerneth ourselves were more than needeth.""^ Such a mode of dealing with Holy Scripture Wickliffe did not fear to use. He says ; '' Baptismus flaminis est baptismus Spiritus Sancti. Item duo baptismi priores [sc. san- guinis et fluminis] sunt ut signa antecedentia, et ex suppositione necessaria ad istum tertium baptismum flaminis. Ideo absque dubitatione, si iste insensibilis baptismus affuerit, baptizatus a crimine est mundatus : et si ille defuerit, quantumcunque adsint priores, bap- tismus non prodest animse ad salutem. Ideo cum iste sit insensibilis tantum, et nobis incognitus, videtur 21 Wickliffe died in 1387. Wal- saec. synodale. ^. 112. densis was at the council of Pisa in 1409. Cave; Hist. Literaria, ^' Vol. 2. p. S37. I Holy Baptism, 367 mihi imprudens proesumptio taliter damnationem ho- minis, vel salvationem, ex baptismate definire."*^ None would pretend (I suppose) that baptism with water without the Spirit would save a man : but Wick- liffe therefore goes on to conclude that the Spirit with- out water can and ordinarily does so : for, he contends, if there can be no baptism without the gift of grace accompanying it, therefore whoever is baptized, (whe- ther in faith, or unbelieving, whether adult opposing or infant not opposing any obstacle) necessarily re- ceives Divine Grace, and must be saved. But, says Waldensis, S. Augustine has well distinguished be- tween the grace of the sacrament, and the sacrament of grace. For the grace of the sacrament does not desert the sacrament, whosoever may be either the minister or the recipient : as therefore the sacrament is always whole and complete, so also is the grace of the sacrament. But the sacrament of grace is when it effects in a worthy recipient that which it figures, namely, grace itself and forgiveness of sins. Which indeed neither does nor can be immediately in the case of those who receive unworthily : nevertheless, upon conversion to God, of Whom are the sacrament and the grace, the sacrament of grace at length has its effect and operation by the grace of the sacrament once for all, and, it may be, long before conferred, whose character and mark have never been removed. ^^ Trialog. cap. xij. cit. Wald. doctrin.fid. cap. xcvij. 368 Holy Baptism, Other extracts from Wickliffe's writings shew, that, like others who succeeded him, unable to resist the force of the text, " Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, ctcT he denied that the water there spoken of is to be referred to the waters of baptism : but, on the contrary, to the water which flowed from the side of our Blessed Lord upon the cross."^ -■* S. Augustin notices, not con- demning it, the opinion of some that the penitent thief did indeed receive baptism with that Sacred Water, as It sprung fi-om the Sa- viour's side. " Creditur, aqua si- mul cum sanguine exiliente de latere Domini, juxta confixus po- tuisse perfundi, atque hujusmodi sanctissimo baptismate dilui." De anima. lib, 3. cap. ix. §. 12. Opera, torn. 10.^.379. S. Hilary, de Trinit. lib. 10, and S. Jerome, epist. 13, speak of him as a martyr, inasmuch as he bore testimony to the truth, and to the Divinity of our Lord, when all others had seemed to have forsaken Him. The tra- dition of the Church is that his name was Titus : and both the eastern and western Churches set apart a day in commemoration of him. From the above exposition of the text, S. John, iij. 5. by Wick- liffe, we must perhaps refuse in strictness that originality which some have given to Calvin as to the same matter. " I believe," says Dr. Wall, " Calvin was the first that ever denied this place to mean baptism." Infant Bapt. vol. 2. p. 180. Here let me add also, (as im- portant in its bearing upon this point now befoi-e us, no less than on others more immediately pro- bably before the mind of its writer, ) the following extract from the Life of Wickliffe, by one who, both learned and moderate, is his best apologist. " If the reformation of our Church had been conducted by Wiclif, his work, in all proba- bility, would nearly have antici- pated the labours of Calvin ; and the Protestantism of England might have pretty closely resem- bled the Protestantism of Geneva. Episcopal government might then have been discarded, — and, lastly, the fatalism which lurked [scarcely lurked^ in the scholastic writings of the reformer, might then, pos- sibly, have raised up its head, and boldly demanded a place in the Confession of the National chnrch. Had Wiclif flourished in the xvj th Holy Baptism. 369 I shall take now two or three places from the books published by Tyndal. Passing over such kind of statements as, that " Tribulation is our right bap- tisme," and this, not with reference to the Catholic doctrine of martyrdom, but a tribulation which is "signified by plunging into the water ;"^ — or, that baptism without preaching helpeth not ; — or, that true baptism is within in the heart, in the spirit ;^^ — of which many examples might be brought forward ; let the reader consider the meaning in which such pas- sages as the following are to be received. " It is impossible," he says, " that the water of the riuer should wash our heartes : — and if a man alledge Christ, John in the iij chapter saying. Except a man, etc. and will therefore that the holy Ghost be present in the water, and therefore the very deede, or worke doth put away sin, I will send hym unto Paul which asketh his Galathians, whether they receaued the holy Ghost by the dede of the law, or by preaching of faith. — So now if baptisme preach me the washyng in Christe's bloud, so doth the holy ghost accompany it, and that deede of preachyng throughe faith doth put away my century, it can hardly be imagined perish in the gainsaying of such that he would have been found men as Knox and Cartwright." under the banners of Cranmer Le Bas. p. 365. and of Ridley. Their caution, their patience, their moderation, ^ I cite from his collected would scarcely have been intelli- works, edit. 1573. Pref. to the gible to him; and rather than Ohed. of a Christian man. p. 9Q. conform to it, he might, perhaps. Obedience, ji- 143. Of Sacram. have been ready, if needful, to and Cerem. p. 276. B B 370 Holy Baptism. sinnes. For the holy Ghost is no dome God, nor no God that goeth a mummynge."^^ The irreverence displayed in the conclusion of this sentence, has almost made me doubt whether I would quote it. Again ; " The inward baptisme of the soule, is the baptisme that onely auayleth in the sight of God, the new generation, — the earnest of euerlastyng lyfe, and title whereby we chalenge our inheritaunce." This inward baptism having been just before declared to be '-'■ to loue the law, and to long for the life to come.""^ Once more : " The worke of baptisme, that outward washing, justifieth us not. — Faith doth receave that promise and that righteousness, and God doth geue it and impute it to faith, and not to y^ washing. And the washing doth testifie it, and certifie us of it, as the pope's letters do certifie the belieuers of the pope's pardons. Now the letters helpe not, or hinder, etc."" This is in his exposition of the vith ch. of S. Matthew, and is further explained in his treatise " upon signes and sacramentes," where we are told that "neither our saluation so greatly standeth in baptism or any other sacrament, that we could not be saued without them, by preachyng the word onely." "^ "'' Prologue upon Leviticus, p. confirmation, Tyndal in like man- 1 3. ner taught that as the Holy Ghost -^ Expos, of vth Ch. of S. is not given "through ceremo- Matt. proL p. 187. nies," the putting on of hands ^^ P. 226. 441. It may not be doth neither help nor hinder : and out of the way to add that, as to that the use of such "gestures," Holy Baptism, 371 We go on now to another author, contemporary with Tyndal ; John Frith. He argues in like manner, that because baptism without faith cannot save a man, therefore, that with faith, and where no such obstacle as want of it, or of sincerity, or of repentance, exists, it also is a mere bare sign, working no effect, and con- veying no grace, or spiritual blessing. " This out- ward signe," he says, " doth neither geue us the spirite of God, neither yet grace that is the favour of God. For if thorough the washyng in the water the spirite or grace were geuen, then shold it folow that who soeuer were baptized in water should receive this precious gift, but that is not so, wherefore I must needes con- clude that this outward signe by any power or influ- ence that it hath, bryngeth not the spirite or fauour of God. — Baptisme bryngeth not grace, but doth tes- tifie unto the congregation that he which is baptised had such grace geuen hym before ; it is a sacrament, that is, a signe of an holy thyng, euen a token of the grace and free mercy whiche was before geuen hym." If baptism be indeed so mere and apparently worthless a ceremony, we might suppose that there would be whether by our bishops now, or tian man. f. 152. In another by the apostles as recorded in the place he does not hesitate to as- 13th eh. of the Acts, are to be sert that because women may, in regarded " as it is our maner to cases of urgent necessity, baptize, holde up our handes, when we so they may likewise minister the pray, and as some kisse their other sacraments as well as the thome nayle, and put it to their priest. Answere unto M. More. eyes, etc." Obedience of a Chris- p. 322. 372 Holy Baptism, little harm in discontinuing it altogether, and Frith thus meets this objection. " Although it seeme neuer so exterior a thing, yet ought it to be had in great price and much reuerence, because it was commanded of God to be done. Besides that it is an outward signe or witnesse unto the congregation of the invisible promise geuen before by grace unto euery priuate man."-^ I shall quote from one more writer ; it is unneces- sary for me to weary the reader with similar extracts, which might easily be collected from various books of the first half of the sixteenth century. We will there- fore only take in addition a place or two from the works of bishop Hooper. It is true that they were published before he was nominated to his bishopric, and it is very probable that he might have changed his notions on this subject afterwards, as he certainly did change, and gave up like erroneous opinions, on other matters. But this is not a question of any im- portance whatever, and even if it were so would not have the slightest bearing upon the purpose for which I now refer to his books. " Baptism," we are told, " sanctifieth no man : — external baptism is but an inauguration or external consecration of those, that first believed and were cleansed of their sin. — Infants be examined concerning repentance and faith, before they be baptized with water ; at the contemplation of the which faith, God -^ A declaration of baptisme. f. 91. 92. 94. Holy Baptism, 111 purgeth the soul." Then, proceeding to argue from the fact that a king is a true king in this realm before coronation,^" he continues : "So is it in the church of Christ: man is made the brother of Christ, and heir of eternal life by God's only mercy received by faith, before he receive any ceremony to confirm and manifest openly his right and title." ^^ In the Answer to the bishop of Winchester's book, baptism is declared to be a seal " in the assurance of remission of sin w^hich has first been in spirit received by faith ; " and, that as " the promise of God, the remission of sin, appertaineth not only unto the father, but also unto the seed of the father, — it is ill done to condemn the infants of the Christians that die without baptism, of whose salvation by the scripture we be assured." ^^ ^° " An apt similitude," says the margin : upon which there may be two opinions. ^^ A declaration of Christ and his office, ch. x. ^^ In another place, shortly after, he repeats : " we may not doubt of the salvation of the in- fants of Christians, that die be- fore they be christened." If we may well say, that there is not sufficient ground in scripture to demand our assent to conclusions which condemn infants unbap- tized, we must also feel that there is none on which to build up such positive assertions as the above. With how much more mode- ration and learning does the dean of Carlisle, early in the next cen- tury, explain the wise judgment of the church of England. " Protes- tants do not deny the vertue and efficacie of baptisme, to sanctifie men, but according to the holy scriptures, and the antient church, they teach and maintaine, that this sacrament is an instrument of sanctification, and remission of sinnes. — Our church provideth diligentlie, that all infants (if it be possible) may receive baptisme before they depart this life. But if it fall out inevitable, that new borne babes, descending of Chris- tian parents, cannot receiue this 374 Holy Baptism, The interrogatories and answers of sponsors in public and solemn baptism, are alleged to show that baptism is but " the confirmation of Christ's promises, which be in the person that receiveth the sacrament before, or else these external signs availeth nothing :" those answers being made, " then is the child christened in the name of God. The which fact doth openly con- firm the remission of sin, received before by faith." ^^ sacrament, it is more pious to hope of God's indulgence towards such infants, than to aggravate His vengeance with rigour and extremitie." White ; RepUe to Fisher, p. 176. The consequence of such un- restrained and unsound teaching by others, as well as by Hooper in those days, soon made itself evident, in a growing neglect of infant-baptism. For example, one of bishop Ridley's articles in 1550 enquired, " Whether any speaketh against baptism of in- fants ? " and again, it was ordered in the same diocese, in 1553, "that children be christened by the priest, and confirmed by the bishops, as heretofore hath been accustomed and used." Wilkins, Concilia, torn. iv. p. 61. 90. ■^^ Reprint, Parker society, p. 128. Not to insist on the omission by Hooper of all reference to the object or use of private baptism, in cases of necessity, I would refer the reader to Waterland upon this notion, so much insisted on in modern times, that baptism does not give and convex/, but seals grace and forgiveness already given. He declares that, on the contrary, baptism is " by Divine appointment, the ordinary instru- ment for conveying the grace of justification. Scripture and anti- quity are clear in this matter, and so likewise are our church-forms; particularly our baptismal offices, catechism, and confirmation." View of the doctrine of Justifica- tion. Works, vol. 6. p. 21. Taverner in his Postills uses the illustration of a seal, in its proper sense : " baptisme wythout feith (either of the party selfe, or of them that bringe hym to bap- tisme, yf it be a chylde that is baptized) is nothynge worth, but it is lyke to a paper that hath a scale hangyng to it, and hath no writynge in it. Whcrfore they that haue the visible sygnes wyth- out the inuisible feith, thev liaue Holy Baptism. 375 We learn then from these extracts out of vvritinps both before and contemporaneous with the revision of the ritual of the church of England, and her exposi- tions of doctrine set forth during the sixteenth century, the existence of a definite system of teaching upon the eiFect of, and upon the blessings conveyed by, recep- tion of the sacrament of baptism. This system had been over and over again condemned by councils, both seales wythout writinges." There is an obscurity in this passage, which the author himself explains in another postill, with especial reference to it : " Wherfore (as it was declared vnto you on the Ascension day) baptisme without fayth is as who should say, a paper sealed without any wryting in it. But ye shall alwayes vn- derstand that I excepte and speake not of the baptisme of infauntes or babes. For they be saued, if after baptisme they chaunce in theyr infauncy to dye, by the faythe of the catholyke church." 0.r/bj-^erf«V.j». 295.320. In the same manner archbishop ^^Ifric, in his homilies, speaks of the faith of the Church as avail- ing for infants : he says ; " Un- speaking children are baptized through the belief of the father and of the mother ; — for the sen- tence is very awful that Christ spake, That no unbaptized man shall come to eternal life. Now this law stands in God's church, that unspeaking children be bap- tized, and they shall be saved through the belief of other men, as through other men's sins they had been condemned." Sermon on the Lord's Epiphany, vol. 2. p, 51. Here also, by way of further illustration, I would quote once more from the book of Postills, already spoken of above ; p. 295, note 28. " Christe saith on this wise ; Excepte a man be borne of water, etc. Here thou hearest, that this regeneration and new natiuity, beginneth in baptisme. For baptisme is a signe of morte- fiynge our flesh, as S. Paule saith ; we be buried with him by bap- tisme into death, etc. and this is one part of this new natiuity. Furthermore, in baptysme the holy ghoste ys geuen vs, whych, we beyng so mortefied, doth reuyue and regenerate us agayne, ruleth, draweth, pulleth, and chaungeth vs." Sermon on Trinihje son- da)j. sign. N. viij. h. 376 Holy Baptism, diocesan and provincial, of the English church ; it was plainly opposed to the rituals which had been in use from the beginning ; it had been still insisted on, enforced, and spread by men who nevertheless be- lieved in the correctness of it, and that it was not con- trary to the truth as contained in Holy Scripture, and held by the primitive Church ; lastly, as a system, it was known to and understood by those, to whose judgment the alterations which it would be wise to make in the ancient service-books were committed. Will any person prove there is even an appearance of evidence in any of the authoritative documents and formularies of our Church during the last three hun- dred years, — in ritual, liturgy, catechism, articles, or canons, — from which we can fairly conclude that this system, so often rejected in earlier ages, was at last adopted ? I think not. Will any person point out the actual changes which were made in the ritual, in order to accommodate and make room for the admission of the new system, in place of and in contradiction to the old faith ? I think not. Or, once more ; will any person produce a plain, dogmatic assertion, agreed upon and published by the church of England, since the year 1545, condemning her ancient doctrine upon baptism? I think not. It would surely be both ridiculous and dishonest to propose such questions as the above with reference to some other doctrines, taught during several centuries by the church of England to be believed as of necessity to salvation, but now so taught no longer. For ex- Holy Baptism, ^77 ample, as to the sacraments in general, or the sacra- ment of the blessed eucharist in particular, or auri- cular confession, or purgatory, or invocation of saints. Why then may we ask them concerning the sacrament of baptism ? I can conceive one answer, and one an- swer only : namely, this ; that the Church of England now holds, teaches, and maintains, without change or alteration or addition or omission in any one par- ticular, the same faith regarding the necessity, the blessings, and the effects of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which she ever held, — whether before or since the sixteenth century, — up to the days of S. Anselm, and Bede, and S. Augustin ; up to the days of the holy apostles, when the Faith was once for all delivered to the Saints. Domine HT^ominug noster> pam atimftatJile est nomen tuum in unitietsa terra ! quoniam eletjata est magnificentia tua super coelos^ €r ore infantium et lactentium perfecisti launem* Domine Dominus noster, quant anmiratJile est nomen tuum in unitjersa terra ! ;appenljf;i:. This Appendix is to be had gratis on applica- tion to Mr. Pickering, to complete copies of the first edition. :^ppentit;p. HAVE not thought it right to make additions to this work, in a second edition, so very shortly after the pubhcation of the first. But I desire to notice, briefly, one or two difficulties which have been proposed to me, having respect chiefly to doubtful baptism, and hypothetical administration. This I shall do in an appen- dix, of which a sufficient number of copies will be printed, to bind up with the former edition. And the easiest method, as well as the most natural, will be to adopt generally the words in which the cases have been stated to me. I am not con- cerned to shew that they are all of equal importance, or of equal difficulty : my wish is that they may serve also as specimens of the various practical doubts which are involved in the subject of this dissertation. I. The first case was of a person alleged to have been bap- tized by a Wesleyan teacher, and in which the evidence was suf- ficient that both the proper Matter and the proper Form had been used. My correspondent continues : " I apprehend your opinion is clear against using the conditional form of rebap- tization in such a case ; but my question is, is there any and what form proper to be observed in admitting such a person into the Church, assuming him to be in a proper state? In our ritual the office which is appointed to be used after the administration of private baptism, seems clearly to be intended only for the case of infants privately baptized in emergency. But, supposing that it may be used equally in a case such as I have described, the rubric does not seem to be applicable : it deals only with the case of laivful ministers. Of course this does not infer any opinion towards conditional, still less unconditional, administration : but how can that office be used ? if it cannot, what other form is there ? And if no form 1 Appendix, 381 be used, how can the person receive confirmation, which imphes a repetition of a baptismal vow which was never pro- nounced ? The Wesleyan baptism, as I understand, having nothing but the essential form and matter? " Setting this last difficulty aside, I certainly always used to think that confirmation and admission to communion were all the public acts requisite in such a case, after due private examination of the candidate. " I have heard of certain admissions of Roman Catholics into our communion, under the direction of the bishop of ■, with some sort of religious service." My answer was to this effect : If, after due examination, it is evident that the alleged baptism had been administered with both the proper form and matter, it ought to be acknowledged as valid ; the minister not being of the essence of the sacrament. The assertion that the rubric, by the term " lawful minister," excludes all except priests and deacons, has been examined at great length in the dissertation ; and I trust it has been there proved, that " lawful minister," with regard to the sacrament of baptism, includes, under certain circumstances, not only persons clerical, but lay ; whether in the Church, or out of it. There is no other Office appointed to be used, in the church of England, for receiving a child, already baptized, " as one of the flock of true Christian people," than that which is sup- plementary to the Office entitled " The ministration of private baptism of children in houses :" nor can any other Form be used. Confirmation cannot supply any defects, regarding essen- tials, in an alleged baptism. If an adult, whose baptism is valid, is to be received into communion, an examination by the priest into both sincerity of repentance and purity of faith, and also a distinct renunciation by the candidate of errors hitherto held, ought to precede confirmation : which would, in a certain sense, ratify the former true baptism, and convey its own especial blessings. Upon this point, the statement of Ursinus, as given by Gennadius, is to the purpose: quoted in the Dissertation, ch.Yi. note 1. 382 Appendix, There is not, in reality, any difficulty in the enquiry " how can a person baptized by a Wesleyan receive confirmation, which implies a repetition of a baptismal vow which was never pronounced?" The case of such an one, is parallel with that of children who, having been privately baptized by a priest of the church of England, have not subsequently been, (as we commonly term it) " christened." The spon- sors, and the verbal promises made by them for infants, and the public admission into the visible body of the Church, and the signing with the sign of the cross, are, strictly, a matter of discipline : involving things of very high import- ance, and of obligation to be observed, and performed : but not, even in the remotest way, affecting the validity of the baptism already received. In all cases of private baptism — whether by a clergyman or layman, whether by a member of the Church, or by a dissenter, — the infant is presented in the faith and in the name of the whole Church of Christ, is bound in after life to perform the vows then silently made in its behalf, and receives remission of sin and regeneration and sanctification, by virtue of the Divine Promise, " He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved." I cannot but remark here, that the doubt which is thus suggested from the Office of Confirmation, and " repetition of vows which were never pronounced," is a proof of the danger of adding to and altering the offices and ritual of the Church. The ancient English ritual, from whence our present one in all its important details is derived, was in exact harmony through- out with the entire system and doctrine of the period. Take now, however, our Order of Confirmation. In the year 1662, a long addition was made to it, in the shape of a statement, (which had been in the former Common Prayer Books part of a rubric,) and of a question and answer based upon that state- ment : all very proper in itself, when properly explained and understood : but not necessary, nor proper, unless rightly understood, and unfortunately likely to lead to mistaken views of the great ordinance itself of confirmation. No one will think that I am overstating the consequence in this particular instance, who remembers how widely that error has been Appendix. 383 spread amongst us, of regarding confirmation, merely as a confirming and renewal and repetition of vows by the candi- dates; — which it is only accidentally andby way of more edifi- cation J — and not, as a being confirmed, and strengthened, and made, in it and thereby, recipients of heavenly grace, and of the Holy Spirit; — which indeed and essentially it is. " The admission of Roman Catholics, with some sort of religious service," has, I am aware, occurred in more dioceses than one, of late years. Their peculiar case, if accurately ex- amined, would probably open up many questions, on which I cannot enter : it is sufficient to remark, however, that in the diocese of (to which my correspondent referred) the persons admitted had not only been confirmed also, but were priests; and both their baptism and their ordination w^ere justly recognized and allowed : neither the one nor the other suffering iteration. I have little doubt that it is in the power of the bishop of a diocese, to draw up, publish, and use a form for admission into the communion of the church of England : as he may for consecration and reconciliation of a church, for excommunication, degradation of clergy, and the like. But it would be very well if greater care were taken and more evidence displayed of some knowledge of the subject, than is commonly shewn in the compiling of such occasional Offices. II. " What is your opinion in the case, not unusual, of a person who was never confirmed, but has been for some time a communicant? ought he to be confirmed or not?" As confirmation cannot supply essential defects in an admi- nistration of the sacrament of baptism, so neither may the reception of the Holy Eucharist supply the want of confirma- tion. Each sacrament has especial blessings attached to it : nor can it convey other gifts than those of which it has been made by Divine appointment the channel and the means. The rubric at the end of the Order for Confirmation seems to prove this, as regards the point immediately before us : it does not, upon the one hand, make reception of the holy communion to depend upon having been previously con- firmed, nor, upon the other hand, does it give the slightest hint, that confirmation can be omitted afterwards, if the 384 Appendix. Eucharist has been received. It supposes a readiness and a desire to be confirmed still to exist. III. The third case is that of a child, now about five years old, who is said to have been baptized, when not expected to live, shortly after his birth. There are some circumstances of peculiar negligence in this example : which — occurring as they did upon an occasion when, from the rank of the parties con- cerned, at least common care might have been looked for, — ■ give an appearance of reason which is much to be lamented to the objections of carelessness often alleged against the clergy in their administration of baptism. The father of the boy, a nobleman, writes as follows : " The old clergyman of the parish came down to baptize my child. He was a very indif- ferent specimen of the old school, and his hand had become not quite steady. When he baptized the child I saw it, but not in a very good light, and not quite near it. It half struck me that I did not see the water touch the child ; still I could by no means say that it did not. I said afterwards to the clergyman ; *■ Did the water touch the child ?' He answered ; ' As much as usual.' I said ; ' I do not feel sure that it has.' To which he replied ; ' Well, perhaps it did not.' — He after- wards completed the office in the church, but he omitted the sentence ' I certify you, etc.^ " I replied that, in my opinion, this was decidedly a case which demanded conditional baptism : the facts are important, that a doubt was expressed at the time, and that such miser- able replies were given by the minister, proving his own indif- ference about the matter. Here there would be no desire or attempt to iterate the baptism, if it was indeed valid originally : but to supply it, if, as is highly probable, the first administra- tion was null. Some other difficulties, however, were suggested, against the propriety of hypothetical administration: these I removed. First, by shewing, that whatever the old clergyman's general practice was, yet, that in this instance there is a doubt. The sole question is, its reasonableness. Either the child is, or is not, baptized : if baptized, administration suh coiiditione avoids all risk of iteration; if unbaptized, it supplies that, which Appendix, 385 was absolutely not existing previously, a valid baptism. — Again : that if my correspondent, (the father, and the only observant witness) could positively assert that the water did not touch the child, it would no longer be a case for condi- tional, but for simple, administration : because such a fact would directly negative the validity of the previous ceremony. As it now stands, there is no certainty either way ,• in conse- quence of a doubt, felt and expressed at the time, and over- ruled (improperly) by the minister. — Again ; that if the first administration was invalid, all that took place afterwards in church has no effect and must be utterly disregarded. — Again; that, although it is true, that the provision for conditional baptism occurs in one particular office, yet that it does not follow that that office is done and over. The provision oc- curs in the office of private baptism : and the question still is, *•' is this child baptized or unbaptized ? " The person who has authority to determine this, is properly the parish-priest. The child is taken to church ; in reply to the demand, " Has this child been already baptized ? " the facts will be stated : viz. that a doubt exists as to whether the water touched the child, that that doubt was expressed at the time, and disregarded : disregarded, not because it was certainly unfounded, but because it appeared to the minister to involve no essential consequence. Then (for it is not to be supposed that a pa- rish-priest would deliberately decide otherwise against such evidence of serious doubts) baptism would be given hypotheti- cally, and the rest of the office, as appointed, would imme- diately follow. IV. A case was referred to me of a person who had grown to the age of nearly twenty years, under the supposition that she had been, like the rest of her family, baptized. She had also been confirmed, and had received the Holy Eucharist. But, accident making it necessary, no evidence could be ob- tained of the fact of her baptism : the parish register duly contained the names of her brothers and sisters, but not her own : her father and mother had died ; and no one living could give any evidence, either one way or the other, on the matter. 1 advised that baptism should be administered con- c c 386 Appendix. ditionally; as to an adult: and, of course, confirmation also would be to be repeated. V. Another case was the following : — " An adult, having been privately baptized in infancy, wishes to be received into the Church, i. e. to have the office completed. What office is to be used in such a case, nothing of the sort appearing to be contemplated in our ritual?" This difficulty has been incidentally answered above, p,38l; but it may be well to repeat that the proper mode of receiving such a person into the visible membership and communion of the Church, is by administering confirmation ; or, (if confir- mation cannot be obtained) by admission to the reception of the Holy Eucharist, if a desire and fitness to receive confirma- tion exist. Confirmation, of course, to be sought for at the earliest possible opportunity which shall afterwards occur. The Office in our present Book, which is appointed to fol- low (completing in a certain sense) the administration of private baptism, is not to be used in the case here suggested : and my correspondent was correct in supposing that such an use of it was not contemplated. It is however to be remembered that in the Roman ritual there is a special office, entitled ; " Ordo supplendi omissa super baptizatum." I would refer the reader to that order, and he will perceive that the object and purpose of it are different from the apparently like, but really unlike, office in the English ritual. Taken in its obvious aspect this last only contemplates the admitting into the Church an infant or child baptized pri- vately in time of necessity. In the case of one privately baptized in infancy demanding such admission after attain- ing years of maturity, I have not ventured to allow the use of an office framed for another purpose, and a different emer- gency. Whether it would not have been desirable to meet the difficulty by adding such an office to our ritual may re- main a question, while it would seem to open a door to that dangerous license in ritual matters, which would alter the letter of existing forms, to suit what perhaps is their spirit. In the case under consideration the rite of public admission into the visible concreoation is not an essential of the Sacra^ 1 Appendix. 387 ment of baptism. With regard to adjuncts to the same sacra- ment two classes have been commonly distinguished : namely; those which " non solum significant sed efficiunt :" and those which " nihil efficiunt sed solum significant." Under which last may, in a wide way of speaking, be reckoned the rite (so to call it) of public admission into the Church. Of the former class, when included in the office of baptism, as anciently in the English rituals, the doctrine of the schools is, not that they confer the grace of baptism, but, that they render the soul fit to receive that grace. Exorcism is given as an ex- ample, by the omission of which the validity of baptism is untouched, but the' grace of the sacrament is supposed to remain dormant : as if a seminal virtue had been by the ad- ministration of the sacrament implanted, which the subse- quent reception of the omitted sacramental calls into ac- tivity. The conclusion therefore is, that though the proper place 'of such exorcism is before baptism, yet when omitted in the administration of baptism in time of necessity, it must be afterwards supplied: "quia, sicut impeditur efFectus bap- tismi, antequam percipiatur, ita potest impediri, postquam fuerit perceptus." Cf. Aquinas. Summa. pars. iii. qu. Ixxi. art. 3. If this rite of admission into the visible congregation were of that nature which the scholastic divines attribute to the rite of exorcism, — namely, that the omission of it hinders the grace of baptism from exhibiting its powers of fruitfulness, — the conclusion among ourselves would be, that, at whatever period of life, it ought to be performed, in order to render effective the baptism given in infancy, and in order (as it were) to set at liberty and to call forth the energies of baptismal grace, existing in a true but in a suspended life. But if, as is reasonable, we reckon our rite of admission, as analogous to those of the second class distinguished by the schools, which signify but do not confer, — and, as a specimen of which an example is instanced in the rite of putting on the white garment, — we may conclude that as its omission does not suspend the grace of the sacrament of baptism, it is right in the case of adults to admit into the Church by con- firmation and communion, and not to alter and endeavour to 388 Appe7idix. adapt our present ritual to a case which it did not contem- plate. VI. Some of the clergy advise conditional baptism to be given to persons who acknowledge that they have been bap- tized by a dissenting teacher^ if they themselves, — that is, the persons who have been so baptized, — doubt the validity of lay-administration. This recommendation seems to me to proceed from what I believe and have elsewhere shewn to be a dangerous principle, — namely, the admission, in so grave a matter as a sacrament, of an authority residing in the sub- jective doubts, however pious, of an individual mind, rather than in formal ecclesiastical decisions and principles, — I may content myself with the single caution that a sound theology <;an settle the question, only in deference to the supremacy of scripture and catholic tradition : and that it must be always an inquiry, not about feelings, but about facts. To the above statement of some doubts and difficulties which have been named to me, I would add a brief remark upon the review of my dissertation, in number Ixi. of the Christian Re- membrancer. Agreeing, as I do, with the general view taken in that article, I wish to point out a passage in which my own arguments seem to me to have been mistaken : and I am the more anxious to do this, on account of the influence which is justly attributed to the publication which I am now referring to. The reviewer says; "in case the child is alleged to have been baptized by a Wesleyan preacher, who is not the Ru- bric's any other lawful minister, etcJ" This is the exact point in dispute, between those who hold and those who deny that the church of England does still recognize the validity of lay- baptism : a question which I believe that I have decided in my dissertation in direct opposition to the assertion here made : at least, 1 have endeavoured to support my decision by argu- ment, and not simply taken it for granted. 3JnDe;c» ABLUTION, necessary. 55. To be carefully- performed. 68. One drop sufficient. 69. Should coincide with the enun- ciation of the Form. 136. Alexander, pope : his decision on the Form. 121. Ambrose, S. : on baptism " in the Name of Jesus." 155. Angels: especially present at bap- tism. 360. note. Anselm, S. : on " the baptism of John." 306. note. Apostolical Constitutions : anti- quity. 95. 164. note. Apostles : when baptized. 301. Articles: the xxvijth. 17. 349. Not a definition of baptism. 18. 25. Baptism: meaning of the term. 1. First of the sacraments. 9. Definitions. 12. 27, 28. Dif- ficulties proposed. 49. note. 122. note. 321. Our minis- trations unjustly objected to. 69. 82. " In utero matris," in- valid, 71. 216. To be by one mi- nister only. 140. " In the Name of Jesus." 144. " In the Name ofthe Holy Ghost." 158. Pri- vate, without necessity, forbid- den. 173. note. Administra- tion of it, held by some to be peculiar, ordinarily, to the sa- cerdotal character. 180. 183. By women. 201, 202. 208. note. Not to be administered, except in necessity, by parents. 213. note. Of oneself, inva- lid. 214. note. Valid, noixiQ- CQ?,%divS[y sufficient 9 220. note. Prayer, not essential. 26. 241. note. Its necessity. 253. " Fla- minis." 257.266. Supplied by martyrdom. 270. When insti- tuted. 279. 306. " Of John." 287. Of our B. Lord by S. John. 304. Has a double sig- nification. 312. Various par- ticulars not treated of in this dissertation. 316. Hypotheti- cal. 317. [And Appendix.] Ad- ministered " invitis parenti- hus." 337. 343. 345. The blessings and efifects. 349. Of the penitent thief. 368. note. A " seal." 374. note. Baptisteries : dedicated, with al- tars, etc. 8. note. Benediction : see Water. Bernard, S. : on baptism " in the name of Jesus." 162. Bethesda, the pool, a type. 11. note. Burials, " indecent," in the Scotch Kirk. 250. note. Calvin : his followers in England denied the validity of lay-bap- tism. 227. His heresy con- cerning baptism. 261. On "John's baptism." 289. His contempt for Scripture. 294. Canons: the 12th of 1575. 238. the 69th of 1604. 240. Cangiamila, his book. 216. note. Catechism : of No well. 25. Cathari : their heresy regarding the matter. 32. " Character :" in baptism. 357. 360. Defined by the school- men. 358. 390 Index. Children : anciently communicated in one kind only. 7. note. Dying unbaptized. 23. note. Bap- tized, anciently ordered to be separated from unbelieving pa- rents. 343. Christ's Body and Blood i-eceived in baptism. 21. Christen : for " baptize." 135. Clinic baptism. 63. 65. Confirmation : confounded with baptism. 258. Conditions : " de futuro," invali- date baptism. 319. 322. Cranmer, archbishop : on bap- tism. 20. Deacons : commissioned to bap- tize. 177. 185. Anciently re- strained. 179. Deaconesses. 203. note. Dead : baptism for the. 3. Effects of baptism. 349. Efficacy of baptism. 9. note. 10. 19. Equivalent Names : not permitted in the Form. 127. Essentials : and non-essentials. 100. note. Ethiopians : said to repeat bap- tism annually. 335. note. Eucharist : given to children, etc. 6. note. The Matter. 29. Not distinguished by the church of Rome. ibid. note. Only to be consecrated by a priest. 196. Its necessity. 256. Unlike baptism, may be reiterated. 334. Fire : baptism by. 33. note. Flagellants. 35. Font: necessity of it. 51. note. 90. note. Descent into it, an- ciently. 57. note. Benediction, see Water. Form : in baptism, essential. 98. 101.169. Ancientlv.99. What alterations allowable. 101. In the Greek Church. 102. 114. 120. The one appointed, rea- sonable. 104. Always used. 106. Should distinguish the agent, and the subject. 111. 115. Interpolations in some rituals. 124. Change of the Divine Names. 125. Use of it should accompany ablution. 136. How rendered invalid. 138. Must include explicit mention of the Trinity. 160. 7iote. English clergy not suf- ficiently careful in inquiring into it. 170. In " the baptism of John." 290. Frith : on the effects of baptism. 371. Greek objections to the Latin Form. 113. 7iote. Hemerobaptistae. 335. note. Homilies. 24. Hooper, bishop: on the eff"ects of baptism. 372. Hypothetical administration. 317. Not invented by the school- men. 323. 325. Why not often used in our Church. 326. Not to be hastily resorted to. 327. Why adopted by the Church. 327. Immersion: why discontinued. 61. note. Not necessary. 67. Not recommended now, in the Eng- lish ritual. 68. note. Infants : dying unbaptized. 267. 373. Off"ered for baptism, by the Church. 347. Innocents : saved by martyrdom. 273. note. Institution of baptism. 279. Be- fore the Resurrection. 284. Invocation : not always to be con- Index. 391 nected with benediction, 93. 99. note.^ Sometimes triple. 94. note. Iteration of baptism : forbidden. 324. 328. Why. 332. Jewell, bishop : 21. note. 22. sometimes unfair. 223. note. John Baptist S. : his baptism. 3. Distinct from the Christian sa- crament. 287. 293. 296. The distinction explained away by the followers of Luther. 288. note. Doctrine of the Church of England. 294. Laurence, S. ; 60. note. Lay-baptism. 189. Canons re- garding it. 194. Acknow- ledged by the Church. 195. 200. In the church of Eng- land. 206. Canon-law. 207. English councils. 208. Canon- ists. 211. Two questions in- volved. 251. [See also, 388.] Lollards : their heresy. 260. Luther: on the Matter in bap- tism. 38. Manipulus curatorum. 9. note. Martyrdom : in the place of bap- tism. 270. Eminent beyond it. 275. Matter of the sacrament of bap- tism. 29. 47. Heretical no- tions. 31. Midwives : anciently licensed. 203. note. 227. Naaman : a type. 11. note. Names of baptism : significative. 4. Names not to be given to chil- dren improperly. 174. note. " Name of Jesus," whether valid as a Form. 144. Interpretation of texts relating to it. 156. Necessity of baptism. 253. 263. As compared with the Eucha- rist. 256. Not until its pro- mulgation. 314. Novatian : his baptism. 62. His baptisms admitted. 166. note, 168. Orders : not given to recipients of clinic baptism. 66. Orsi, cardinal : on baptism " In the Name of Jesus." 161. note. Parents : except in urgent neces- sity, not to administer baptism. 213. note. Paulianists. 110. Peckham, archbishop. 41. note. Penance : " do penance," for " re- pent." 20. note. Piscis : title of. 5. note. Piscina. 5. iiote. Attached to fonts. 8. note. Postills of 1550. 295. note. 375. note. Prayer : not essential in baptism. 26. 241. note. Pregnancy ; no obstacle to recep- tion of baptism. 73. note. Private baptism, except in neces- sity, forbidden. 173. 7iote. Pupilla oculi. 15. note. Rebaptizations : by clergy of the chui'ch of Rome, in England. 69.82.321. " Reformatio legum:" not autho- ritative. 26. Regeneration : not to be explained in its mode of operation. 353. In baptism, always held by the Church. 354. 372. Denied by heretics, before the 16th cen- tury. 362. Sacrament : applied to baptism by Tertullian. 42. note. Sacramentals. 85. note. Sand : used in baptism. 36. 392 Index, Scotch kirk : not recognized by the church of England. 249. note. Scott, Rev. W. on lay-baptism. 197. " Signs " of baptism in exposed infants. 319. Siloam, the pool: a type. 11. note. Steps to the font : symbolical. 51. note. Stephen, S., pope: his acts. 118. note. " Subject " of baptism. 336. Taylor, bishop : on lay-baptism. 198. note. Thief: the penitent. 368. note. Tyndal : on the effects of bap- tism. 369. Trine immersion. 58. 74. Not necessary. 59. 78. Why, and when relaxed. 74. Continued in England. 77. Types of baptism. 10. Viaticum : baptism so called. 6. note. Waldenses : their heresy regard- ing the Matter in baptism. 35. Dr. Maitland's book. 363. note. Water : to be pure for baptizing. 50. Why chosen as the Mat- ter. 51. Benediction of it. 84. Not essential. 84, 85. In our ritual. 86. Disliked by the puritans. 87. note. Ancient English customs. 88. note. Sanctified by our Lord in Jor- dan. 282. Whitgift, archbishop : on lay- baptism. 224. Wickliffe : on the necessity of baptism. 259. On the effects of baptism. 366. Zachary, pope : his decision on the Form. 140. note. Printed by C. Whittingham, Chiswick. li!i!i:l!M:i!lii ilH!