manner, St. Ambrose discoursing to some newly baptised persons," when you entered into the baptistery, and had viewed your adversary, whom you were to renounce, you then turned about to the east. For he, that renounces the devil, is turned unto Christ." Whence, as Gregory Nazianzen observes, they did not only renounce the devil in words, but in their very habit and gesture; for they did it divested of their clothes, and with their body towards the west, and with hands stretched out against him; to this they added sometimes a collision, or striking of the hands together, and an exsufflation, or a spitting at their adversary, to express their abhorrence of him, as the author under the name of Dionysius describes it.

SECT. 5.-Why this Renunciation was made three Times.

From whom we learn also, that this renunciation was repeated three times. For in another place he thus describes the whole ceremony: the priest makes the person, who is to be baptised, to stand with his hands stretehed out toward the west, and striking them together; (the original is, ràc Xɛiρaç аπw≈švтα, which denotes collision, or striking of the hands together by way of abhorrence,) then he bids him Eμpvoñoaι tρis to Zarava, thrice exsufflate, or spit in defiance of Satan: afterwards, thrice repeating the solemn words of renunciation, he bids him thrice renounce him in that form: then he turns him about to the east, and with hands and eyes lift up to heaven, bids him συντάξασθαι τω Xois, enter into covenant with Christ. Vicecomes1 thinks this triple renunciation was made, either because there were three things, which men renounced in their baptism, the devil, his pomps and the world; or to signify the three persons of the Trinity, by whom they were adopted as sons

1 Ambros. de Initiatis, cap. ii. Ingressus ut adversarium tuum cerneres cui renunciandum mox putares, ad orientem converteris. Qui enim renunciat diabolo, ad Christum convertitur. 2 Naz. Orat. xl. de Bapt. p.

8

67. Γνώση καὶ τοῖς χρήμασι καὶ τοῖς ῥήμασιν, ὡς ὅλην αποπέμπη την ἀθείαν, Ετως ὅλη θεότητι συντασσόμενος. Dionys. de Hierarch. Eccl. cap. ii. p. 258. Γυμνὸν καὶ ἀνυπόδετον ἵστησι πρὸς δυσμὰς ἀφορῶντα, &c. p.253.

5 Vicecom. de Ritib. Bapt. lib. iii. cap. 20. p. 311.

• Ibid.

upon their renouncing Satan; or because it was usual in civil adoptions and emancipation of slaves, for the master to yield up his right by a triple renunciation, which he shews from Aulus Gellius, and Sigonius. But as the ancients are silent in this matter, I leave these reasons to the discretion of every judicious reader.

SECT. 6.--The second thing required of Men at their Baptism, was a Vow or Covenant of Obedience to Christ.

The next thing required of men at their baptism, was a Vow or covenant of obedience to Christ, which the Greeks call, συντάσσεσθαι Χριτῷ, giving themselves up to the government and conduct of Christ. This was always an indispensible part of their obligation, before they could be admitted to the ceremony of regeneration. They first renounced the devil, and then immediately promised to live in obedience to the laws of Christ. Some indeed in St. Austin's time pleaded hard for an exemption in this particular. They were willing to make a profession of faith in Christ, but not of universal obedience; and yet would impudently pretend to demand baptism of the church, notwithstanding their incorrigible temper. Against whom he wrote that excellent book, De Fide et Operibus, to shew the necessity of good works, as well as faith, to the being of a Christian; where he answers all the objections and arguments they pretended to bring from Scripture: for they pleaded Scripture for their practice. Amongst other things they urged that famous text of St. Paul," Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it; because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." Upon which they made this perverse comment: that they, who built upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, were such as added good works to their faith in Christ:

but they, who built wood, hay, stubble, were they, that held the same faith in unrighteousness and a wicked life."" And they imagined, that even these men might so be purged by certain punishments of fire, as to obtain salvation by virtue of the foundation, which they retained. To which St. Austin replies, that if this was true, "it were a laudable charity indeed, for them to endeavour that all men might indifferently be admitted to baptism, not only adulterers and adultresses, who pretended false marriages contrary to the express command of Christ, but also public harlots continuing in the basest of all professions; which yet the most negligent Church on earth never pretended to admit to baptism, till they had first forsaken that vile prostitution." They urged farther, that to deny wicked men the privilege of baptism, was to root out the tares before the time. which St. Austin replies, that this rejection of them from baptism, was not rooting out the tares, but rather not sowing them, as the devil did: they did not prohibit any that were willing to come to Christ, but only convinced them by their own confession, that they were unwilling to come to him. And therefore though these men called it a novel doctrine and practice to reject harlots and stage-players, and all that made open profession of such abominable arts, from baptism, yet he tells them, this was grounded upon the rules of ancient truth, which manifestly declared, that they

To

1 Aug. de Fide et Oper. c. xv. tom. iv. p. 30. Quod quidam ita intelligendum putant, ut illi videantur ædificare super hoc fundamentum aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos, qui fidei quæ in Christo est bona opera adjiciunt: illi autem fœnum, ligna, stipulam, qui cùm eandem fidem habeant, malè operantur. Unde arbitrantur per quasdam pœnas ignis eos posse purgari ad salutem percipiendam merito fundamenti. Ibid. Hoc si ita

est, fatemur istos laudabili charitate conari, ut omnes indiscretè admittantur ad baptismum, non solum adulteri et adulteræ, contra sententiam Domini falsas nuptias prætendentes, verùm etiam publicæ meretrices in turpissimâ professione perseverantes, quas certè nulla etiam negligentissima Ecclesia consuevit admittere, nisi ab illâ primitùs prostitutione liberatas.

* Ibid. c. xvii. Quando tales ad baptismum non admittimus, non ante tempus zizania evellere conamur, sed nolumus insuper sicut diabolus zizania seminare; nec ad Christum volentes venire prohibemus, sed eos ad Christum venire nolle, ipsâ suâ confessione convincimus.

Ibid. c. xviii. Antiquum et robustum morem Ecclesia retinet, ex illâ scilicet liquidissimâ veritate venientem, quâ certum habet, quoniam qui talia agunt, Regnum Dei non possidebunt.

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upon their renouncing Satan; or because it was usual in civil adoptions and emancipation of slaves, for the master to yield up his right by a triple renunciation, which he shews from Aulus Gellius, and Sigonius. But as the ancients are silent in this matter, I leave these reasons to the discretion of every judicious reader.

SECT. 6.-The second thing required of Men at their Baptism, was a Vow or Covenant of Obedience to Christ.

The next thing required of men at their baptism, was a vow or covenant of obedience to Christ, which the Greeks call, συντάσσεσθαι Χριτῷ, giving themselves up to the government and conduct of Christ. This was always an indispensible part of their obligation, before they could be admitted to the ceremony of regeneration. They first renounced the devil, and then immediately promised to live in obedience to the laws of Christ. Some indeed in St. Austin's time pleaded hard for an exemption in this particular. They were willing to make a profession of faith in Christ, but not of universal obedience; and yet would impudently pretend to demand baptism of the church, notwithstanding their incorrigible temper. Against whom he wrote that excellent book, De Fide et Operibus, to shew the necessity of good works, as well as faith, to the being of a Christian; where he answers all the objections and arguments they pretended to bring from Scripture: for they pleaded Scripture for their practice. Amongst other things they urged that famous text of St. Paul," Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it; because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burnt, he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." Upon which they made this perverse comment: that they, who built upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, were such as added good works to their faith in Christ:

but they, who built wood, hay, stubble, were they, that held the same faith in unrighteousness and a wicked life." And they imagined, that even these men might so be purged by certain punishments of fire, as to obtain salvation by virtue of the foundation, which they retained. To which St. Austin replies, that if this was true, "it were a laudable charity indeed, for them to endeavour that all men might indifferently be admitted to baptism, not only adulterers and adultresses, who pretended false marriages contrary to the express command of Christ, but also public harlots continuing in the basest of all professions; which yet the most negligent Church on earth never pretended to admit to baptism, till they had first forsaken that vile prostitution." They urged farther, that to deny wicked men the privilege of baptism, was to root out the tares before the time. To which St. Austin replies, that this rejection of them from baptism, was not rooting out the tares, but rather not sowing them, as the devil did: they did not prohibit any that were willing to come to Christ, but only convinced them by their own confession, that they were unwilling to come to him. And therefore though these men called it a novel doctrine and practice to reject harlots and stage-players, and all that made open profession of such abominable arts, from baptism, yet he tells them, this was grounded upon the rules of ancient truth, which manifestly declared, that they

1 Aug. de Fide et Oper. c. xv. tom. iv. p. 30. Quod quidam ita intelligendum putant, ut illi videantur ædificare super hoc fundamentum aurum, argentum, lapides pretiosos, qui fidei quæ in Christo est bona opera adjiciunt: illi autem fœnum, ligna, stipulam, qui cùm eandem fidem habeant, malè operantur. Unde arbitrantur per quasdam pœnas ignis eos posse purgari ad salutem percipiendam merito fundamenti. 2 Ibid. Hoc si ita

est, fatemur istos laudabili charitate conari, ut omnes indiscretè admittantur ad baptismum, non solum adulteri et adulteræ, contra sententiam Domini falsas nuptias prætendentes, verùm etiam publicæ meretrices in turpissimâ professione perseverantes, quas certè nulla etiam negligentissima Ecclesia consuevit admittere, nisi ab illâ primitùs prostitutione liberatas.

Ibid. c. xvii. Quando tales ad baptismum non admittimus, non ante tempus zizania evellere conamur, sed nolumus insuper sicut diabolus zizania seminare; nec ad Christum volentes venire prohibemus, sed eos ad Christum venire nolle, ipsâ suâ confessione convincimus.

• Ibid. c. xviii. Antiquum et robustum morem Ecclesia retinet, ex illâ scilicet liquidissimâ veritate venientem, quâ certum habet, quoniam qui talia agunt, Regnum Dei non possidebunt.

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