mission of sins and preparation for Baptism. For he thus invokes the uncreated God, the Father of Jesus Christ, king of all nature bodily and spiritual, that he may sanctify the oil in the name of Our Lord Jesus, and give spiritual grace and efficient power and the remission of sins, and preparation of confession of Baptism, that he who is anointed, having all sin remitted, may be made worthy of Baptism, according to the commandment of the only begotten. The Apostolical constitutions are quoted in "JOANNIS FORBESII à Corsé Instructiones Historico-theologica," folio, Geneva, 1680, In Liber X, cap. 5, § 14, is as follows; In Constitutionibus quæ Apostolicæ dicuntur, et Clementi Romano tribuuntur, legimus hæc verba : Ὁ ἐκ καταφρονήσεως μὴ βουλόμενος βαπτισθῆναι ὡς ἄπιστος κατακριθήσεται καὶ ὀνειδισθήσεται, ὡς ἀχάριστος καὶ ἀγνώμων. Λέγει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος, “Ἐὰν μήτις βαπτισθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύ ματος, οὐ μὴ εἰσελθῃ εἰς τὴν βασίλειαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Καὶ πά λιν, “Ο πιστεύσας καὶ βαπτισθεὶς, σωθήσεται· ὁ δὲ ἀπιστήσας κατακριθήσεται.” Ὁ δὲ λέγων, ὅτι ὅταν τελευτῶ, βαπτίζομαι, ἵνα μὴ ἁμαρτήσω καὶ ῥυπανῶ τὸ βάπτισμα, οὗτος ἄγνοιαν ἔχει Θεοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως ἐπιλήσμων τυγχάνει· μὴ ἀναβάλ λου γὰρ ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς Κύριον· οὐ γὰρ οἶδας τί τέξεται ἡ ἐπιοῦσα. Βαπτίζετε δὲ ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ νήπια, καὶ ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσία Θεοῦ. "Αφετε” γάρ φησι, “ τὰ παιδία ἔρχεσθαι πρός με, καὶ μὴ κωλύετε αὐτά. CLEMENT. CONSTIT. APOSTOL. lib. VI, cap. 15. Id est: Qui per contemptum recusaverit baptizari, tanquam infidelis condemnabitur; et tanquam ingratus et insipiens opprobrio afficietur. Ait enim Dominus, "Nisi quis baptizatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu, non ingredietur in regnum calorum "; et rursum, “ Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit; qui autem non crediderit, condemnabitur." Qui vero dicit, “Quum moriar, accipiam baptismum, ne peccem et baptismum inquinem," hic Deum ignorat et naturæ suæ immemor est. Ne differas enim converti ad Dominum; non enim scis, quid pariet posterus dies. Baptizate autem vestros etiam infantes, et educate eos in disciplina, et monitione Dei: ait enim "Sinite parvulos venire ad me, et ne prohibete eos.” In English, as follows: APOSTOLICAL CONSTITUTIONS, B. VI, CHAP. 15. Whoever shall contemptuously refuse to be baptized, shall be condemned as an infidel, and be stamped with infamy as ungrateful and unwise. For the Lord said, "Unless a man be baptized of water and the spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven"; and again, "Whosoever shall believe and be baptized, shall be safe; but whosoever shall not believe, shall be damned. But whosoever says, "When I die, I will recieve baptism; lest I should sin and pollute baptism," is ignorant of God, and unmindful of his own nature. For you should not put off conversion to the Lord; for you do not know what the next day will produce. Baptize even your infants, and educate them in discipline and in the admonition of God; for he says, "Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not." V. THE ACTS OF PAUL AND THECLA. In the dearth of Ecclesiastical writers on the subject of Baptism, who can be proved to have lived within the first century of the Christian era, it may be as well to name a work entitled DE ACTIS PAULI ET THECLE, although it contains only one reference to the subject before us. In Gallandii Bibliotheca, vol. i, are thirteen columns on Martyrium sanctæ et gloriosa proto-martyris et Apostolatu defunctæ virginis Thecla," prefaced by "Veterum testimonia," occupying eight columns. There are sixteen chapters. The history is in three columns, the middle one of which is occupied by the original Greek. On each side is a Latin translation; one headed "Veterum interpretum, "the other headed "I. E. Grabii." At the end of the eighth chapter is this passage, bearing reference to our present subject: Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Θέκλα “ Μόνον δός μοι τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ σφρα γῖδα, καὶ οὐχ ἅψεται μοῦ πειρασμός.” Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος τῇ Θέκλα, “ Μακροθύμησον, καὶ λήψῃ τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Χριστοῦ.” Old Latin version : Et Thecla dixit ei: "Tu tantum da mihi signum Domini, et non me tanget ulla tentatio." Et Paullus: "Patientiam habe, et accipe lavacrum Regenerationis." In English: And Thecla said unto him "Give me only the seal in Christ, and temptation shall not touch me. And Paul said to Thecla "Be patient, and thou shalt receive the gift of Christ." In the "Index vocum et phrascon Græcarum," referring to the words Swpear тOû Xpiσтoû, is Baptisma Christi. And under the above is a note, as follows: Fathe "Et hac voce sacramentum Baptismi denotatur. Vide Casauboni sha animadv. in Baronii Annales, Exercit. 16. num. 11. Grab. In hanc quoque sententiam consule laudatum Suicerum in Thes. There is also the following note on Δός μοι τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ σφραγίδα : "Baptismum his verbis petiit S. Thecla; ac cadem plane phrasi Aquila ad Christianam fidem conversus dicitur airioas Tǹv év Xplora σppayida — Epiphan., lib. de ponderibus et mensuris, §15, p. 171.—Ne autem accipias hanc phrasin ista, qua presbyter Asiaticus Acta Paulli et Thecla scripsisse dicitur ætate, id est Apostolica, recentiorem esse: ecce verba Apostolici scriptoris, nempe Hermæ, lib. III, Simil. ix, § 16. "Illi igitur defuncti sigillo filii Dei signati sunt, et intraverunt in regnum Dei. Antequam enim accipiat homo nomen Filii Dei, morti destinatus est: at, ubi accipit illud sigillum, liberatur a morte, et traditur vitæ. Illud autem sigillum aqua est, in quam descendunt homines morti obligati, ascendunt vero vitæ assignati. Et illis igitur prædicatum est illud sigillum: et usi sunt eo ut intrarent in regnum Dei. Quæ ultima a Clemente Alexandrino, lib. iii, strom. p. 379 citata, Græce ita sonant : Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτοῖς τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ κηρύγματος.— 66 Duas hujus denominationis rationes dat Gregorius Nazianz. Orat. xl, pag. 639. Baptismum sigillum vocamus (oppayîda Kaλoûμev) quia est conservatio, et denominationis significatio. Quam priorem confirmat hic ipsa Thecla. GRAB.-Videsis Suicerum in Thes. Eccles., tom. II, pag. 1198, unde nonnulla exscrip XXX. ху |