would never admit of this custom at all, lest it should seem to belong to the sacrament of baptism, when our Saviour only intended it as a lesson of humility. And other Churches for the same reason abrogated the custom, where it had been received. And others, who retained it, that they might recommend it by fixing it to some more sacred time, and yet distinguish it from the sacrament of baptism, chose either the third day of the Octaves, or the Octave after baptism itself, as most convenient for this purpose. Among the Churches, which wholly refused, or abrogated this custom, the Spanish Church is one, which in the Council of Eliberis made a canon against it; forbidding at once, the exacting any gift or reward for administering baptism, lest the priest should seem to sell what he freely received; (of which I have given a full account,' in speaking of the revenues of the Church;) and also forbidding the priests, or any other of the clergy, to wash the feet of such as were baptised. Among those Churches which never received this custom, we may reckon the Roman Church; and among those which always received it, the Church of Milan, whose practice is opposed to the Roman by St. Ambrose, or whoever was the author of the Book "De sacramentis, et de iis qui mysteriis initiantur," among his works. He says, in the Church of Milan, the bishop

et à baptismi sacramento distinguerent vel diem tertium octavarum, quia ternarius numerus in multis sacramentis maxime excellit, vel etiam ipsum octavum, ut hoc facerent, elegerunt.

Con. Eliber. can. 48. Emendari

1 Book v. chap. iv. s. 14. placuit, ut hi qui baptizantur (ut fieri solet) nummos in concham non mittant, ne sacerdos, quod gratis accepit, pretio distrahere videatur. Neque pedes eorum lavandi sunt à sacerdotibus vel clericis. 8 Ambros.

de Sacram. lib. iii. cap. i. Succinctus summus sacerdos pedes tibi lavit.Non ignoramus quòd Ecclesia Romana hanc consuetudinem non habeat, cujus typum in omnibus sequimur et formam: hanc tamen consuetudinem non habet, ut pedes lavet. Vide ergò ne propter multitudinem declinarit. Sunt tamen qui dicant, et excusare conentur, quia hoc non mysterio faciendum est, non in baptismate, non in regeneratione: sed quasi hospiti pedes lavandi sunt. Aliud est humilitatis, aliud sanctificationis. Denique audi, quia mysterium est, et sanctificatio. "Nisi lavero tibi pedes, non habebes mecum partem." Hoc ideo dico, non quòd alios reprehendam, sed mea officia ipse commendem. In omnibus cupio sequi Ecclesiam Romanam, sed tamen et nos homines sensum habemus. Ideò quod alibi rectiùs servatur, et nos rectè custodimus.

was used to wash the feet of the baptised. But the Roman Church had not this custom: and he thinks, they might decline it, because of the multitude of those that were baptised. But they of the Roman Church pleaded, "that it was not to be done by way of mystery in baptism or regeneration, but only by way of humility, as the custom of washing the feet of strangers." But on the contrary, the Church of Milan pleaded, "that this was not merely a business of humility, but of mystery and sanctification, because Christ said to Peter, except I wash thy feet, thou hast no part with me." "This I urge," says our author, "not to reprehend others, but to commend my own office. For though we desire to follow the Roman Church, yet we are men that have our senses about us. And therefore we observe that practice which we conceive to be righter in other churches." He adds further," that this was not done to obtain remission of sins, for that was already done in baptism but because Adam was supplanted by the devil, and the serpent's poison was cast upon his feet, therefore men were washed in that part for greater sanctification, that he might have no power to supplant them any further." These were the reasons given by the Church of Milan, for their adhering to this practice: but they were not so strong as to prevail with others, and so this custom never got any great footing in the Christian Church.

SECT. 11.-A General Reflection upon the whole preceding Discourse, with Relation to the Practice of the present Church.

I have now gone over the most material ceremonies and usages of the Church observed about the administration of baptism, as well those that went before, as those that accompanied the action itself, and those that followed after; and, as near as I could, delivered them in the same order and manner as she herself observed

Ibid. in Baptismate omnis culpa diluitur. Recedit ergò culpa; sed quia Adam supplantatus à Diabolo est, et venenum ei suffusum est supra pedes, ideo lavas pedes ut in eâ parte, in quâ insidiatus est serpens, majus subsidium sanctificationis accedat, quo posteà te supplantare non possit. He repeats this reason in his Book de Initiatis, cap. vi.

them. And shall here close the discourse only with one general reflection, which may be of some use to vindicate the practice of the present Church, and give satisfaction to such sober dissenters as scruple our office of baptism, for the sake of an innocent significant ceremony or two retained in it. The candid reader may observe throughout this discourse, that not only one or two, but many significant ceremonies were observed by the Ancient Church in the administration of baptism; particularly the sign of the cross was used at least four or five times in the whole process of the action. Therefore they, who now raise objections against the present office, had they lived in the primitive times, must have had much more reason to complain of the ancient practice. And yet we do not ordinarily find objections raised against the baptism of the Church, upon the account of the ceremonies she used therein; no, not even by those who in other things differed from her. Which consideration, methinks, should a little satisfy those, who really value the peace and unity of the Church, and be an argument to them not to dissent from the practice of the present Church, for those things which must more forcibly have obliged them to have been dissenters in all ages. I know not how far this consideration may prevail upon any, but I know how far it ought to prevail upon all that love the peace, and study the quiet of the Church, and therefore I could not but in this place here, seasonably suggest it.

CHAP. V.

Of the laws against Rebaptization both in Church and

State.

SECT. 1.-But one Baptism, properly so called, allowed by the Church: and why?

To what has been said about baptism, it will not be improper to add something about the laws made both in Church and State, against the repetition of it, when once duly performed. The Ancients generally determine against a re

of imposition of hands descends from the Acts of the Apostles; yet in many places it was observed rather for the honour of the chief priesthood, than for any absolute necessity of the thing. For otherwise, if the Spirit was only obtained by the prayer of the bishop, those men must be in a deplorable condition, that were baptised in villages and castles and remote places by presbyters and deacons, and died before the bishop could come to visit them." All therefore that was necessary to salvation, was conferred in baptism, which ministered such a portion of the Spirit, as was sufficient to cleanse men from sin, and qualify them for eternal life. So that when some of the Ancients say, "That baptism does not minister the Spirit, which was only given by imposition of hands in confirmation," as Cornelius pleads in his letter against Novatian; and Tertullian, who says, "that we do not obtain the Holy Ghost in baptism, but are only cleansed in the water, and prepared for the Holy Ghost;" they are to be understood, as meaning only that the Holy Ghost is not given in that full measure at baptism, as afterward by imposition of hands. They do not deny, that baptism grants men remission of sins by the power of the Holy Ghost; but only, that there are some further effects and operations of the Holy Spirit, which are not ordinarily conferred on men but by the subsequent invocation of the Spirit, the increase of which men were to desire, and to receive imposition of hands in order to obtain it. In which sense it is said in the Gospel," that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because the Apostles had not yet received that plentiful effusion of it in the gift of tongues, which they afterwards had on the day of Pentecost," though they had before received such a measure of it, as both enabled them to work several sorts of miracles, and also qualified them in every respect for the kingdom of Heaven.

qui in Villulis aut in castellis aut in remotioribus locis per presbyteros et diaconos baptizati ante dormierunt, quàm ab episcopis inviserentur. 1 Ap. Euseb. lib. vi. cap. xliii. Te're μò tuxŵv, nõç àv tõ'Ayis ПIvevματος ἔτυχε. * Tertul. de Bapt. cap. vi. Non quòd in aquâ Spiritum Sanetum consequamur, sed in aquâ emundati, sub angelo Spiritui Sancto præparamur.

VOL. III.

SECT. 8.-How they punished those that neglected it.

But though the Ancients did not think this imposition of hands so absolutely necessary, as that the want of it should exclude those, who were baptised, from the kingdom of Heaven: yet they thought fit to punish the neglect of it, by setting some marks of disgrace and public censure upon such, as voluntarily and carelessly omitted it, when they had opportunity to receive it. Such men were ordinarily denied the privilege of ecclesiastical promotion and holy orders. As appears from the objection made against Novatian, "that he ought not to be ordained, because being baptised privately with clinic baptism, he had afterward neglected to receive his consummation from the hands of the bishop, which he ought to have done by the laws of the Church," and to this purpose the Council of Neo-Cæsarea has a canon, forbidding such to be ordained; which is made part of the code of the Universal Church. The Council of Eliberis also excludes such, as have not " Lavacrum integrum," their own baptism completed by imposition of hands, from the privilege of giving baptism to others, which in cases of necessity they allowed to all other laymen. So far they thought fit to discountenance the contempt and neglect of confirmation, though they neither esteemed it a distinct sacrament from baptism, nor of absolute necessity to salvation, but only as a proper means to strengthen men in their Christian warfare.

CHAP. IV.

Of the remaining Ceremonies of Baptism following Confirmation.

SECT. 1.--Persons newly baptised, clothed in White Garments.

MUCH about the same time as the unction of confirmation was administered to persons newly baptised, they were also

1 Euseb. lib vi. c. 48.

Con. Eliber. can. 38.

Con. Neo Cæsar. can. 12.