A SCHOLASTICAL HISTORY OF THE PRACTICE OF THE CHURCH, In reference to the Administration of BAPTISM BY LAYMEN. PART I. WHEREIN An Account is given of the Practice of the Primitive Church, the Practice of the modern Greek Church, and the Practice of the Churches of the Reformation. WITH An Appendix, containing some Remarks on the Historical Part of Mr. Lawrence's Writings, touching the Invalidity of Lay-Baptism, his Preliminary Discourse of the various Opinions of the Fathers concerning Rebaptisation and Invalid Baptisms, and his Discourse of Sacerdotal Powers. BY THE REV. JOSEPH BINGHAM, M.A. Rector of Headbourn Worthy, and Havant, Hants, and sometime Fellow of UniversityCollege, in Oxford. THE AUTHOR'S DEDICATION. TO HIS MOST SACRED MAJESTY, GEORGE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH, &c. MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN, I HUMBLY beg leave to lay at your Majesty's feet a part of a larger work, which was at first designed to promote those great and worthy ends, which your Majesty in your princely wisdom by your royal declarations has lately thought fit to recommend to your Universities and Clergy: that is, the promotion of Christian piety and knowledge, and such useful learning, as may instil good principles into the minds of younger students; upon which the prosperity of Church and State will in this and all succeeding ages so much depend. The practice of the primitive ages of the Church, when reduced into one view, seems to be one of the most proper means to effect these honourable designs; and with that consideration I have hitherto proceeded in this laborious work, not without the countenance and approbation of many worthy men, and now hope to finish it under your Majesty's favour and protection: humbly beseeching Almighty God to bless your Majesty's great designs for the good of this Church and Nation, and the Protestant interest abroad: which is, and ever shall be, the hearty prayer of Your Majesty's most loyal and obedient servant, JOSEPH BINGHAM. THE PREFACE. 1 THE first design of the following discourse, was only to have been a single chapter of the next volume of my Origines Ecclesiastica, where the order, I have proposed to observe in that work, will lead me next to pursue the several offices of the ancient Liturgy, and services of the Church, and among them, in the first place, the institution of the catechumens, together with the offices of baptism and confirmation. Here the subject matter would necessarily lead me to speak of the minister of baptism, and of rebaptisations, and the power granted to laymen, in some certain cases, to baptise. But I quickly found, that to do justice to the present subject, especially at a time when some controversies had been raised about it, it would be requisite to handle it a little more largely than would consist with the usual method I have observed in my Origines, where great variety of matter obliges me to treat upon all subjects as compendi PART I. 'The 4th of the author, but the 3d in this edition. 2 A |