XXXVI. CONSTANTINE THE FIRST CHRISTIAN EMPEROR. DUPIN seems to have only one passage, in writing on Constantine, relating directly to Baptism—viz : The reader may doubtless wonder that I have not spoken a word all this while of the Baptism of this Emperor; for it seems very strange that one, who took so great care of the affairs of Christians, one who was convinced of the truth of their religion, and was ignorant of no point of their docirine, should continue so long a time without initiating himself into the church by the sacrament of Baptism. And yet this was certainly so; either because he waited to receive baptism when he should be near his death, that by this Sacrament he might throughly expiate his sins, and so appear innocent before God, or else because he had some other reason for this delay. However it came to pass, he never thought of preparing himself for Baptism, until he felt himself sick; nor had he ever the imposition of the Bishop's hands to make him a Catechumen, till the year 337, a few days before his death, being then at Helenopolis, as Eusebius observes in the fourth book of this Emperor's life After this he received Baptism from the hands of Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History has been lately published, translated by Cruse, 8vo, Rivington. It seems by Dupin that Constantine wrote nothing directly on the Baptismal controversy. A. CLARKE says Constantine may be considered an Author on account of his "Oration to the Convention of the Saints," which Eusebius mentions. [Book IV, cap. 32.] A. Clarke does not mention Constantine in his "Bibliothecal Dictionary," but in his "Succession of sacred literature," where he mentions this "Oration." The British Museum has the following: "Cons. Magnus, Donatio Sylvestro Papæ cum versione Græca duplici Theod. Balsamonis et Matth. Blastaris, 4to, 1610. Also the same, Gr. Lat. cum comment. Also the same per Bart. Pincernum, de Monte Arduo, cum variorum de eadem judicio, 4to and 8vo. Also Geoponicon libri 20, 'Qui a nonnullis Dionysio Uticensi; ab aliis Constantino Magno Imper. attribuuntur,' 8vo. Lugd. 1658. The Bodleian has the first of the above mentioned. Constantine is not in the Bibliotheca veterum Patrum cura Gallandii or in the Patres of Oberthur. He is not named in Cary's Fathers on the 39 Articles, or in the Oxford Tract, no 67. XXXVII. LACTANTIUS (LUCIUS CÆLIUS FIRMIANUS). DUPIN (who classes Lactantius in the 3rd century) gives about three pages on his works-the chiefest are his "Divine Institutions" in seven books. Dupin mentions also a book of "Signs of God's anger;" and of the "Work of God”—also the "Book of Persecution," and three Poems. But Dupin does not state that any thing is said of Baptism in any of them. In POLI SYNOPSIS is the following from Lactantius, in the Comment on John iii, 5. After quoting from "Lightfoot's Harmany" and "Chemnitii Harmonia Evangelica :" Licet aqua alibi spiritum denotat, nimirum quæ refrigerat aut mundat; hic tamen phrasis-nasci ab aqua-ab iis longe diversa." LIGHTF. HARM. iii, 27. In English: Though water elsewhere means the Spirit, which refreshes or cleanses, yet here the expression "to be born of water" has a far different sense. And then from CHEM. HARM. Baptismum aquæ omnes Antiqui hic intelligunt. CHEM. SIM. LI. ..non agitur quidem de Eucharistia, sed metaphorice loquutiones tacitam habent ad illa signa Veda |