Gibson on Article XXVII: Of Baptism

This Article dates from 1553; but in the revision of Elizabeth’s reign, ten years later, the last paragraph was rewritten, and the language on Infant Baptism was considerably strengthened. The earlier clause had simply stated that ” the custom of the Church to christen young children is to be commended, and in any wise to be retained in the Church.” ^ The language of the Article

^t should be mentioned that though the words “per Spiritum Sanctum” stand in the Latiii edition of 1553, there is nothing to correspond to them in the English. The omission was rectified in the English edition of Jugge and Cawood in 1563.

has not been traced to any earlier source. There is nothing in the Confession of Augsburg ^ or in the Thirteen Articles of 1538 suggesting its phraseology; nor is there any resemblance between its language and that of the Eeforinatio Leyxim Ecclesiasticarum on the same subject.^

The object of the Article is to state the Church’s teaching on Holy Baptism, in view of the errors of the Anabaptists, who (1) maintained an utterly unspiritual view of the sacrament, and (2) denied that Baptism ought to be administered to infants and young children.^

There are two main subjects which come before us for consideration —

(1) The description of Baptism and its effects.

(2) Infant Baptism.

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I. The Descri;ption of Baptism and its Effects.

Each phrase in the description requires separate consideration.

(a) Baptism is … a sign of profession. So

much was admitted by Zwingli and the Anabaptists, who regarded Baptism as little more than this. The expression used in the Article may be illustrated by the language of the closing exhortation in the Office for the Public Baptism of Infants in the Book of Common Prayer, where it is said that ” Baptism doth represent unto us our profession ; which

The Article in the Confession of Augsburg (IX.) is this; “De Baptismo docent, quod sit necessarius ad salutem, quodque per baptismum offeratur gratia Dei ; et quod puerl sint baptizandi, qui per baptismum oblati Deo recipiantur in gratiam Dei. Damnant Anabaptistas, qui improbant baptismum puerorum, et affirmant pueros sine baptismo salvos fieri.”

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is to follow the example of our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto Him : that as He died and rose again for us, so should we who are baptized, die from sin and rise again unto righteousness ; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living.” ^ This view of Baptism is based directly on the language of S. Paul in Eom. vi. 4, ” We were buried with Him through baptism into death : that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life ” (cf. also Col. ii. 1 2, ” Having been buried with Him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the dead ”).

(h) It is a mark of difference whereby Christian men are discerned from other that be not

christened (a non Christianis). Just as circumcision was a mark distinguishing the Jews from all others, so also Baptism distinguishes Christians from non-Christians. It is the initial rite by which a man is, so to speak, made a Christian. But Baptism is much more than this. It it is to be regarded not only as a badge or mark, for,

• Cf. also the Collect for Easter Even (1662), “Grant, 0 Lord, that as we are baptized into the death of thy blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christy so by continually mortifying our corrupt affections we may be buried with him ; and that through the grave and gate of death we may pass to our joyful resurrection ; for His merits,” etc. Expression is also given to the same thought in the Jte/onnatio Legum Ecclesiast., De Saeramentis, cap. 3 : “Dum autem in aqua demergimur et rursus ex ilia eraergimus, Christi mors nobis primum et sepultura commendantur, deinde suscitatio quidem illius, et reditus ad vitam,” etc. See also Bishop Lightfoot on Col. ii. 12: “Baptism is the grave of the old man, and the birth of the new. As he sinks beneath the baptismal waters the believer buries there all his corrupt affections and past sins ; as he emerges thence, he rises regenerate, quickened to new hopes and a new life… . Thus Baptism is an image of his i>articipation both in the death and in the resurrection of Christ.” It is obvious how much the dramatic impressiveness of Baptism and its representative force is increased where immersion is the method employe<l.

(c) It is also a sign of regeneration or new

birth. Here it must be remembered that sacraments have been already defined in Article XXV. as ” effectual signs of grace,” and therefore, since ” Eegeneration ” is the word which the Church has ever used to describe the grace of Baptism, and to sum up the blessings conveyed in it, we must interpret “sign” in this clause as an effectual sign ; and thus the whole expression will mean that in Baptism the blessings of regeneration are not only represented, but are also conveyed to the recipient. The word Regeneration is expanded in the Church Catechism into ” a death unto sin and a new birth unto righteousness,” and explained in the following words: ” For being by nature born in sin and the children of wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace.” It has been selected by the Church, not only because of its use by S. Paul, who speaks in Titus iii. 5 of a ” laver of regeneration […] in a connection in which it can only refer to Baptism, but also because, previously to this, expression had been given to the thought of a ” new birth ” as requisite by our Lord Himself in His conversation with Nicodemus, where, after saying, ” Except a man be bom anew (or from above, dvtoOev) he cannot see the kingdom of God,” 2 He explains His words by adding the statement that a man must be

• The only other jiassage in the New Testament in which the word Ta\iyy€V€<ria occurs is S. Matt xix. 28, where it has no reference to Baptism.

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” born of water and the Spirit ” (ef v8aTo<: xal Tlvev- fiuTo^), S. John iii 3, 5.^

But though the word Regeneration sums up the special grace of Baptism, yet the precise blessings conveyed by it may seem to demand more explicit statement, and therefore the Article proceeds to define them, and to state them under at least three distinct heads.

1. By it (Latin per quod, i.e. by the signum regenera-

tionis\ as by an instrument,^ they that receive Baptism rightly (recte) are grafted into the

Church. So in the Church Catechism (dating in this part from 1549), the child is taught to speak of “my Baptism wherein I was made a member of Christ” that is, a member of His mystical body, the Church ; and the language of the Article is capable of abundant illustration from the Baptismal Offices in the Book of Common Prayer, which frequently speak of admission to the Church as one of the blessings of Baptism. Most pertinent are the words of the declaration of Regeneration to be used after the actual Baptism, which, as they date from the revision of 1552, are almost exactly con tem-

• Since exception is sometimes taken to the reference of these words to Christian Baptism, it may be well to remind the reader of Hooker’s forcible vindication of the Catholic interpretation of them, and the three arguments by which he supports it (1) Where a literal construction will stand, the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst ; (2) of all the ancients, there is not one that can be named that did ever understand it except of Baptism ; and (3) “where the letter of the law hath two things plainly expressed, icaler as a duty on our part, the Spirit as a gift which God supplieth, there is danger in presuming so to interpret it as if the clause concerning ourselves were more than needeth. By such rare expositions we may perhaps in the end attain to be thought witty, but with ill advice.”— .Efcc/. Pol. Bk. V. c. lix.

• The phrase tanquam per instrumentum was perhaps suggested by the Confession of Augsburg, which says (Article V.) that “per verbum et sacramenta, tanquam per instrumenta, donatur Spiritus Sanctus.” But the expression is not uncommon in contempoi-ary %vritings. See Hardwick, p. 414.

I)orary with the Article before us. ” Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is regenerate and grafted inio the hody of Christ’s ChurcK etc. The metaphor of “graftmg” employed here and in the Article is suggested by the language of S. Paul in Eom. xi. 17 seq.-, but throughout the Acts of the Apostles, Baptism everywhere appears as the rite of admission into the Church. Our Lord’s charge after the resurrection had been, ” Go ye and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them!’ etc (S. Matt, xxviii. 19, cf. [S. Mark] xvi. 16), and from the day of Pentecost onward the command was obeyed, and those that received the word were forthwith ” baptized.” See Acts ii. 38, 41, viii. 12, ix. 18, x. 47

XVL 15. *

2. The promises of the forgiveness of sin … are visibly signed and sealed. So

in the “Nicene” Creed the Christian is taught to say, « I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sinsr and Article IX. has already stated that “there 18 no condemnation to them that believe and are haptued ” (renatis et credentibus). With regard to the expression employed in the Article, ” signed and sealed ” (obsignantur), its force will be clearly seen when it is remembered that ” a seal is appended to a deed of gift or any other grant, when the donor, who has promised it, actually makes the thiruf promised over to the receiver, and thereby assures the possession of it to him.” i Thus the words of the Article imply that Baptism is the moment in the spiritual life in which the forgiveness of sin is actually made over to us. It is not to be inferred that Divine grace has been altogether withheld from the Catechumen. In the case of adults it must have been present, or they would never have come forward ” truly repenting, and coming to Christ by faith.” But

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what is meant is that Baptism is the decisive moment in which a person passes out of the order of nature into that of grace, and in which, according to the teaching of Scripture and the Church, the forgiveness of his sins is ” visibly signed and sealed.” Very instructive is the language of Scripture on the case of S. Paul. There can be no question that he received Divine grace at the moment of his conversion. For three days after this he was left to himself, and grace was working in his heart : “For behold he prayeth,” was the description of him given to Ananias (Acts ix. 11). But not till the time of his Baptism were his sins washed away, for the words of Ananias to him were these : ” And now, why tarriest thou ? arise, and he haptizedy and wash away thy mis, calling on His name” (Acts xxii. 16). So on the day of Pentecost those who heard Peter speak received the grace of compunction, for ” they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter, and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do ? ” but the forgiveness of their sin is connected by the Apostle with the decisive act of Baptism : ” Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you unto the remission of your sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost ” (Acts ii. 37, 38).^ With these passages before us there can be no doubt that the Church is right in thus connecting, as she has ever done, the promise of forgiveness of sin with the sacrament of Baptism.2

1 Cf. Eph. V. 25, 26 : ” Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself up for it ; that He might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word […] tov CSaros iv prifiari) ; that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.”

• The teaching of the Church may be illustrated from the Baptismal Offices, wherein we are taught to […] for this infant, that he, coming to Thy holy baptism, may receive remission of his sins by

It may be added that even John the Baptist ” preached the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins ” (S Mark 1. 4) and that the natural action of water in cleansing would almost of necessity suggest that something analogous to this in the spiritual sphere was intended to be effected by Baptism, more especially as the symbolism had been so fully recognised under the Old Covenant e 7. in the symbolic washings of the priests under the law (Lev. vm. 6) ; the cleansing of the leper (Lev. xiv. 8) ; the Psalmists prayer, ” Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin ” (Ps li 2) • and many passages in the Prophets, such as Is. i. 16 ; Ezek XXX vi. 25 ; Zech. xiii. 1, and others.

3 The promises … of our adoption to be the sons of God … are visibly signed

and sealed. So in the Catechism we have the expression I’ my baptism wherein I was made … a child of Cxod — a child, that is, by adoption and grace, for we are all children of God by creation, and Christ alone is God’s bon by nature and eternal generation ; and so (to Illustrate the language of the Article once more from the Book of Common Prayer) after a child has been baptized we are taught to thank God ” that it hath pleased [Himl to regenerate this infant with [His] Holy Spirit, to receive hxmfoT \H^\ own child hy adoption, and to incorporate

spiritual regeneration.” and pray that God would - sanctify this water to the mystical washing away of sins.” Naturally there is even more emphasis laid on this in the form for the Baptism o’^such as arlof ripe years, in whose case there is actual as well as original sin to be washed away See especially the exhortation after the Gospel : “Doubt ye not therefore, but earnestly believe that He will favourably receive these present persons, truly repenting and coming unto Him by faith ; thaZ He

Ohost ; that He will give them the blessing,” etc. The words in italic are substituted for “that He will embrace him with the arms of HU TnflTts ’” Vong passage in the Office for the Baptism of

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him into [His] holy Church. Again, the language used in the Article is entirely Scriptural. S. Paul tells us that ” when the fuhiess of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them which were under the law, that we mM receive the adoption of sons ” (ti)i; viodeaiav), Gal. iv. 4, 5; and in Rom. viii. 15-17 he says, “Ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear ; but ye received the spirit of adoption irvevfia vLoOeaia) whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God-and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him.” It is true that there is no direct mention of the nte of Baptism in this passage ; but the tense used (eXa/Sere, Aorist) points to a definite time, and that can only be the time of Baptism, with which the thought of sonship is connected by S. Paul in Gal. iii. 26, 27 : ” Ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.”

We now come to the consideration of the words by the Holy Ghost (per Spiritum Sanctum), which stand in the Article in the middle of the sentence now under consideration. As usually taken, they are connected with the words which immediately precede them, so that the Article is made to speak of ” the promises of … our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost ” being ” visibly signed and sealed.” It seems, however, unquestionable that they were originally in-

1 Compare the recognition of the same truth in the Colled forChristmcui Day: «’ Almighty God … gre.ntth^t^ve being regenerate, and made thy children by adoptum and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spint,

etc. - Sec Samlay and Headlam’s CommaUary in loe.

tended to be construed with the words that foUow, and to refer to the action of the Holy Ghost in signing and sealing the promises. ” The promises of the forgiveness of sm and of our adoption to be the sons of God? by the Holy Ghost are visibly signed and sealed.” The words are thus punctuated in the authoritative Latin edition of 1563 and m the earUest English translations.’ And though m English the natural order, if this were the meanmg would be ” visibly signed and sealed by the Holy Ghost, yet against this must be set the fact that

llZ^l-’ ,?”’”’?*”’• ”o’- ”■ No- 28), as well as in the published Latin edition, there is no stop till after obsignantur, ” promis^iones do

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the State Paper Office belonging to the same year (Elizabeth, ” Domestic ” vol X.TU Nos. 40 and 41), “our adoption to be the sons of GoTy the Ho y Spirit are visibly signed and sealed ” ; as well as in the Engl sh Uu.n published by Jugge and Cawood. The Latin MS. among the to. Papers (W ,upra. No. 41a) has no stop tUl after obsignarur bu the arranment of the words in the lines looks as if the words “per

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the Bishops, now m the Library of Corpus College, Cambridge has the

comma after ” sons of God.” ” our adoption to be^the sons of God bl ’

Holy Ghost are visib^ signed and sealed.” Of the published editions in

th« year theLat^n (Daye) has no stop till after obsignantur ; the Eng ish

of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed.” (4) The English reprint of 1628 with the Eoyal Declaration prefixed to it adopt! the same punctuation as in the edition of 1571 by Jugge and fiw™ But (5) in a print of 1662 we find the modern “Saron.”; adoption to be sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and

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him into [His] holy Church. Again, the language used in the Article is entirely Scriptural. S. Paul tells us that ” when the fubiess of the time came, God sent forth His Son, bom of a woman, born under the law, that He might redeem them which were under the law, thai we might receive the adoption of sons ” (Trjv vloOeaiav), Gal. iv. 4, 5; and in Rom. viii. 15-17 he says, “Ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear ; but ye received the spirit of adoption (irvevfia vlodeaia), whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him.” It is true that there is no direct mention of the rite of Baptism in this passage ; but the tense used (eXa/Sere, Aorist) points to a definite time, and that can only be the time of Baptism, with which the thought of sonship is connected by S. Paul in Gal. iii. 26, 27 : ” Ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ.”

We now come to the consideration of the words by the Holy Ghost (per Spiritum Sanctum), which stand in the Article in the middle of the sentence now under consideration. As usually taken, they are connected with the words which immediately precede them, so that the Article is made to speak of ” the promises of … our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost ” being ” visibly signed and sealed.” It seems, however, unquestionable that they were originally in-

^ Compare the recognition of the same truth in the Collect for Christmas Day : ” Almighty God … grant that we being regmeraU, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit,”

etc.

• See Sanday and Headlam’s Commentary in too.

tended to be construed with the words that follow and to refer to the action of the Holy Ghost in signing and sealing the promises. ” The promises of the forgiveness of sm and of our adoption to be the sons of God, by the Holy Ghost are visibly signed and sealed.” The words are thus punctuated in the authoritative Latin edition of 1563 and m the earUest English translations.^ And though m Enghsli the natural order, if this were the meaning would be ” visibly signed and sealed by the Holy Ghost, yet against this must be set the fact that

1553 m the Latin MS. signed by the royal chaplains {Staie Papers

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S^t^ Papers (ubt supra, No. 41a) has no stop till after obsignantur but

the arrangement of the words in the lines looks as if the words -per

Spiritum Sanctum ” were intended to be read with what follows rather

than with what precedes. (3) In 1571 the English MS. signed by some of

the Bishops, now in the Library of Corpus College, Cambridge has the

comma after - sons of God.” ” our adoption to be^the sons of God b; th

Holy Ghost are visibly signed and sealed. ” Of the published editions in

this year the Latin (Daye) has no stop till after obsignantur ; the English

(Jugge and Cawood) punctuates as follows : - our adoption to be the sons

of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed.” (4) The

English reprint of 1628 with the Royal Declaration prefixed to it adopts

the same punctuation as in the edition of 1571 by Jugge and Cawood

But (5) in a repnnt of 1662 we find the modern punctuation “Our

adoption to be sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and

sealed. I cannot say whether it ever occurs earlier than this, but this

IS the earliest edition in which I have discovered it.

•’/’

in the edition of 1571 there stands a comma be/mr as well as after the words, thus : ” the promises … of our adoption to be the sons of God, by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed,” which does not look as if the translators intended them to be taken closely with the preceding words. Further, whatever may be the case elsewhere, in the instance before us the Latin is unquestionably the original, and in this there is nothing unnatural in the order of the words ” per Spiritum Sanctum visibiliter obsignantur.” The words, then, should apparently be taken as a definite recognition of the action of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. By Him the promises are visibly signed and sealed. The ” new birth,” as our Lord Himself teaches us, is one of ” water and the Spirit ” (S. John iii 5) ; and as S. Paul says, ” By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body ” (1 Cor. xii. 13).^ It is clear, then, from the teaching of Holy Scripture that a new relation is formed between the baptized person and the Holy Spirit who is the instrument of his regeneration, and that in some sense the Holy Spirit is ” given ” in Baptism. As Hooker puts it with his usual accuracy, ” Baptism was instituted that they which receive the same might thereby be incorporated into Christ, and so through His most precious merit obtain as well that saving grace of imputation which taketh away all former guiltiness, as also that infused divine virtue of the Holy Ghost, which giveth to the powers of the soul their first disposition towards future newness of life.”* But it is a further question whether it is right to say precisely that the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is given in Baptism apart from Confirmation. On the one

• ‘Ev M Tf€iiiaTi denotes the means, and the <<t (into one body) the result attained,” Godet in toe. » E. P. V. Ix. 2.

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TiT Hot . ; ” ''''''' '''""gh the action 7im u . […] be predicated it is dfent Sr”lf-‘l7 the existence ofihe i! dwelling gift in the face of Acts viii. 15-17 and xix

toying on of hands which followed (in one case at least after some interval) after the actual ptmThl question cannot be dealt with further here as it i nn directly raised by the terms of the ArTcle Indid

nonis). No Scnptural authority can be urged as in

[…] '''y -’ for Sntln” So eo ‘tZ 7f , *” <‘i’-tion of Baptism Moreover, the Article contemplates the Baptism of mfants m whose ca.e faith cannot be looked LTand

confirmed and “increased.” The difficulty is a real one, and is not easily solved. But, on the whole 1 appears to the present writer that the best solution S to

Ic’etr^tLt rt -^^f -“P*- ot that wJltakS place in the baptized, and subsequent to Baptism * So

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ill the Baptismal Office, the baptized persons present are taught to use these words, which correspond in a remarkable manner to the expression before us : ” Almighty and everlasting God, heavenly Father, we give Thee humble thanks, for that Thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of Thy grace, and faith in Thee. Increase this knowledge, and confirm this faith in us evermore.” It is not claimed that this explanation of the words is altogether satisfactory ; but it appears to be more free from difficulty than any other which has yet been suggested.^

Since in some minds there appears to exist a certain amount of confusion on the subject of this Article, and a prejudice against the Church’s doctrine of baptismal Regeneration, largely due, it is believed, to a misunderstanding of the term, it may be well if, before the subject of Infant Baptism be considered, a few words are added on the distinction between regeneration, conversion, and

(6) Mark of difference, etc. , but is also

(c) A sign of regeneration or new birth, whereby, as by an instrument,

(1) They that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church.

(2) The promises of the forgive- ^

ness of sin, and I by the Holy Ghost are visibly

(3) Of our adoption to be the j signed and scaled.

sons of God, J

Faith is confirmed ; and grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God.

^ Of. Britton, Horm SaxiraimTUales, p. 185: *‘The Church ends her description of the graces conferred by the sacrament with the word ’ sealed ’ ; and here speaks of the wholesome effect of her ritual upon the persons present.” The clause is considered by Bishop Harold Browne in his work On the Articles, p. 667, where it is stated that “the Latin and English do not correspond, and appear to convey different ideas. The former would indicate that the invocation of God, which accompanies the act of Baptism, confirms faith and increases grace. The latter would imply that the prayers of the congregation might, over and above the ordinance of God, be blessed to the recipient’s soul : so that, whereas he might receive grace by God’s appointment, whether prayer accompanied Baptism or not, yet the addition of prayer was calculated to bring down more grace and to confirm faith. ”

renewal. Begeneration, as we have seen, is the Church’s name for the special grace of Baptism, and in the Church’s formularies is never used for anything else. What those blessings are has been already stated, and they need not be further described here. Conversion is in the Prayer Book spoken of but rarely : once the term is used of what we call the ” conversion ” of S. Paul ; i once of a change of religion, the turning from heathenism to Christianity ; 2 and once only in a more general sense of a turning from a life of sin to God.^ It is in this sense that it is popularly used now ; and the word well expresses an experience which is needed by all save those who, like the Baptist, have been sanctified from their mother’s womb. The difference between it and Regeneration may be expressed in this way. In Regeneration God gives Himself to the soul ; in Conversion the soul gives itself to God. It may be illustrated from the Parable of the Prodigal Son. All the time that he was in the ” far country ” the prodigal was still a son. So the man who has once been regenerated in Baptism is still a ” child of God,” even though, like the prodigal, he has wandered away from the Father’s house, and is spending his substance in riotous living. And that which m the parable is represented as the ” coming to himself ” of the prodigal, when he realised his condition and determined to arise and go to his father, and confess his sin, that in the spiritual reality is Conversion. Thus there is no sort of inconsistency in proclaiming both R^eneration and Conversion. It was just because the prodigal was a son that he could venture to arise and go

*The Collect for the Festival of the Conversion of S. Paul: “Grant that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance.”

2 Preface to the Book of Common Prayer : “The baptizing of natives in our plantations, and others converted to the faith.”

3 The third Collect for Good Friday : ” Nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but mthcr that he should be converted and live.”

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to his father, and say, Father. So also just because a person is a child of God in virtue of his Baptism, he can venture to arise and, confessing his sin, yet call God by the name of Father. Renewal, the third term mentioned above, should be distinguished from both Eegeneration and Conversion, as that which, owing to man’s natural infirmity, is constantly and even daily required in all Christians even after they are ” converted.” It is that for which we ask in the Collect for Christmas Day, in which we pray “that we, leing regenerate and made [God’s] children by adoption and grace, may daily he renewed by [His] Holy Spirit ” ; and again the prayer in the ” Order for the Visitation of the Sick,” even after the sinner is absolved there is a prayer that God will ” renew in him whatsoever hath been decayed by the fraud and malice of the devil, or by his own carnal will and frail-ness.” If the language of the Book of Common Prayer in the various passages that have been here referred to be carefully attended to, it is believed that confusion will be avoided, and that the distinction between these several terms will be clearly apprehended.

II. Infant Baptism.

The Baptism of young ohildren is in any wise to be retained in the Church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ.

In considering the evidence for this assertion it may be well to begin with (a) the silence of Scripture. It is often said that there is no command to baptize infants, and therefore they are not proper subjects for the administration of the rite. In answer to this it may be pointed out that the charge to baptize is perfectly general. There is nothing in our Lord’s words to exclude infants, and it is believed that had He intended them to

be excluded. He would have expressly said so. Indeed the silence of Scripture, so far from being an argimient against the practice, may really be turned into one in its favour, for the Apostles and all Jews were perfectly familiar with the idea of children being brought into covenant with God by means of circumcision; and therefore when Christ instituted Baptism as the rite of admission to the new Covenant, and said nothing expressly as to the age of those to whom it was to be administered, the natural inference must have been that children were proper subjects of it, else the new Covenant would be narrower than the old. Nor was the analogy of circumcision the only thing that would incline the Apostles to the practice, if, as seems almost certain. Baptism was already practised by the Jews in the admission of proselytes. The Talmud lays down the express rule that infants were to be baptized with their parents;^ and though its evidence does not positively prove that the custom was already in existence at the time of our Lord’s earthly ministry, yet the probability is very strong that the Talmud is recording a tradition which dates back to so early a date. If, then, the Apostles were accustomed (1) to circumcision, and (2) in the case of proselytes to Infant Baptism, it can hardly be doubted that to them it would have seemed natural to include infants, and admit them into the new Covenant by means of the rite enjoined for ” making disciples.”

(6) But there is positive evidence to supplement the argument from silence. When S. John iii. 5 is connected with S. Mark x. 13-16, the inference that children are proper subjects for Baptism appears irresistible. ” Except a man (ta?) be bom of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” These words teach the

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” necessity ” of Baptism for admission into the Church. But in S. Mark we are expressly told that the kingdom is ” of such ” as children ; and, as the Baptismal Office in the Book of Common Prayer reminds us, our Lord “commanded the children to be brought unto Him, blamed those that would have kept them from Him, took them in His arms, and blessed them.” Nor is the fact (mentioned by S. Mark) that He thus ” blessed them ” without its importance in this connection. It teaches us that children are capable of receiving spiritual blessings, and thus furnishes an answer to a question sometimes asked — What good can Baptism do to them ?

Thus we may say that the Baptism of young children is … most agreeable with the institution of Christ, for

(1) It was instituted as the rite of admission to His kingdom ;

(2) He Himself has laid down no limit of age ; but

(3) Asserts that children are to be allowed to come to Him, and

(4) Teaches that they are capable of receiving spiritual blessings.

(c) When we pass from the Gospels to the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, it is not surprising that there is but little which bears directly upon the subject. Wherever and whenever the Church is in a missionary stage, the Baptism of adults must be the rule — that of young children the exception. It is so in the present day, and must of necessity have been so in the days of the Apostles. But there are hints and indications which appear sufficient to warrant the inference that the Apostles must have admitted young children to Baptism where the opportunity of so doing was given them.

We shall, perhaps, be wise not to lay too much stress on the mention of whole households being baptized (Acts

XYL 15, 33 ; 1 Cor. i. 16), for it can never be proved that those particular households contained children (nor, however, on the other hand, is there the slightest evidence that they did rwt). But more to the point is it to notice that S. Peter in his address on the day of Pentecost seems expressly to point to the interest of children in the promise, and hence to their inclusion. ” Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ … for to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto Him” (Acts ii. 38, 39). And in full accordance with this, we notice that S. Paul in his Epistles sends messages to children, treating them as within the Covenant, and therefore, according to all the evidence available, as already baptized (see Eph. vi. 1; CoLiii. 20).

{d) It may be said that these indications are but slight. But there is nothing to be set against them on the other side. And the inference here drawn from them is confirmed by the fact that there is sufficient evidence from the Fathers to show that from the second century onwards the Church was familiar with the idea and practice of Infant Baptism, though, for the reason stated above, that she was still in her missionary stage, it must have been the exception rather than the rule. The Patristic evidence from the second and third centuries is here given. Beyond that period it is unnecessary to quote authorities for the practice.

Before the middle of the second century, the existence of the practice is implied in some words of Justin Martyr, who not only speaks of ” many both men and women of sixty or seventy who had been Christ’s disciples from childlwod} but also compares Baptism with

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circumcision, and speaks of it as the ” spiritual circumcision.” This is especially noteworthy, as it occurs in his Dialogue with Trypho} who was a Jew; and if the analogy failed in so important a point, it could hardly have been pressed as it is by Justin.

Towards the close of the century (a.d. 180) Irenaeus has these words : ” He came to save all by Himself — all, I say, who are regenerated by Him unto God, infants^ and little children, and boys, and young men, and those of older age.” ^

No less decisive is the language of Tertullian (200), who in his book on Baptism argues strongly against the practice, urging that the rite should be postponed till the recipients of it are growing up. But the whole force of his words depends upon the fact that Baptism was actually being administered to young children when he wrote.^

In the writings of Origen (220) there is more than one passage which bears on the subject. Thus in his Commentary on the Romans he says definitely that it is an apostolic tradition ” to administer Baptism evew to little children” and gives the reason for this ; * and in the Homilies on S. Luke he speaks to the same effect, saying that infants are baptized for the remission of sins.” ^

• “Omnes eniin venit per semetipsum salvare : onines, iuquam, qui per £um renascuntur in Deuni, infantes et parvulos et pueros et juvenes et seniores.” — Adv. Hmr. II. xxxiii. 2.

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”“Parvuli baptizantur in reiiiissionem peccatorum. Quomm pecca-

The last witness who need be cited is S. Cyprian (260). In his day we find that the analogy of circumcision was so rigidly pressed, that it was questioned whether it was lawful to administer Baptism before the eighth day after birth. The question is considered by him, and decided in the affirmative.^ From this time onwards there can be no question as to the custom of the Church permitting Infant Baptism, although in many cases it was deliberately deferred owing to the dread of post-baptismal sin. This, however, has no real bearing on the question before us ; and the passages quoted are sufficient to justify the statement made above, that from the second century onwards the Church was famHiar with the idea and practice of Infant Baptism.

torum ? vel quo tempore peccaverunt ? aut quomodo potest ulla lavacri in parvulis ratio subsistere, nisi juxta ilium sensum de quo paulo ante diximus : Nullus mundus a sorde, nee si unius diei quidem fuerit vita ejus super terram ? Et quia per baptismi sacramentum nativitatis sordes deponuutur, propterea baptizantur et parvuli. Nisi enim quis renatus fuent ex aqua et Spiritu non potuerit intrare in regnum ccclorum.”— /w Ltieam ffomilia XV. ; cf. H(m. in Lcmt. viii. § 3. ^ % Ixiv. (ed. Hartel).

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Notes

• Sadler’s Church Doctrine Bible Truth, p. 120.
• See the passages cited in Lightfoot’s Horce Hehraicce on S. Matt. iii. 6 (vol. ii. p. 56).
• Dial, cum Tryphotie, c. xliii.
• “Pro hoc et ecclesia ab Apostolis traditionem susccpit, etiam parvulis baptismam dare. Sciebant enim illi quibiis mysteriorum secreta com-missa sunt divinorum quod essent in omnibus genuinse sordcs peccati, quae per aquam et Spiritum ablui deberent.”— CVww. in Ep. ad Rmn, Bk. V. c. ix.