corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam." For, as a flower is germinally contained in the bud, and only as the bud swells and opens becomes unfolded to the sight, so the principle of sin, though for a while latent, exists from earliest infancy within us; and, growing with our growth, too soon unfolds itself and becomes visible. Now, since this taint of birth-sin might even in the case of infants be supposed a preventive on death to their entrance into Christ's heavenly kingdom, therefore, in Origen's opinion, Christian baptism was needed, even in their case, to wash away the taint. Such, I say, was his explanation of the matter; and such, consequently, his testimony to the fact of the general practice at that time, as regarded Christian families, of infant baptism.

5. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, an eminent Latin Father, nearly contemporary with Origen, is reported to have presided, A.D. 254, over a Council of sixty-six bishops at Carthage; which was called to consider,— not whether infant baptism was lawful, but whether infant baptism ought to be deferred till the eighth day after birth, in accordance with the appointment of that day in the Old Testament Church for the Jewish initiatory rite of circumcision. And the conclusion arrived at by the Council was, that there was no reason for even so far deferring it; but that it might be fitly administered at any the earliest day after the child's birth.*

Thus is our inference from the indirect New Testament intimations in favour of infant Christian baptism as both lawful and proper, in cases where the parent or head of a family might have previously embraced Christianity, confirmed by the direct evidence of early Church history; testifying as it does to the fact of infant baptism having been a recognised practice in such cases from before the time of St. John's death, and thenceforward continuously afterwards.

As to the mode of ministering the baptismal rite, it Cyprian, Ep. 64 to Fadus.

was in the earliest age of Christianity ministered, at least far the most generally, by dipping or immersion. So, for example, in the case of the baptism by Philip of the Ethiopian eunuch.* And so too the Reformers of our Church prescribed this as the mode generally to be observed. Accordingly, as in preparation for it, there will often be seen in old English churches baptistries large enough for the immersion of infants beneath the water contained in them. And it is to this mode of baptism that allusion is made, both in the baptismal service itself, and in the teaching of our Church Catechism concerning baptism: there being signified in the rite, it is there said, (very much as was said long before by St. Paul,)+ "a death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness;" in which words the allusion is to the dipping of the baptized child under water, and its uprising again out of it.-But this is not the only mode ordained by our Church. Where the child is weakly, direction is given for its baptism by pouring water on it, or sprinkling it. Which alternative mode of ministering the rite was also practised in the early Church; and was called clinical baptism, as being applied most frequently to adults reclining from infirmity, or sickness. In our own Church, this latter mode of ministration has long since come into general and almost universal use, in consequence doubtless of infants, not adults, being here the chief subjects of baptism; and *Acts viii. 38. + Rom. vi. 3, 4.

So the Rubric. "If the sponsors shall certify that the child may well endure it, the priest shall dip it in the water discreetly and warily. But, if they shall certify that the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water on it."

§ So Bingham, xi. 11, 5; citing Cyprian, Ep. 69.

Observe that the original Greek verb baptize, does not necessarily mean to dip in water. See Mark vii. 4; Dan. iv. 33 ẞаπтw (Sept.); etc.:-also John the Baptist's well-known prophecy, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire," as compared with its primary fulfilment on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended under the figure of tongues of fire, and sate on each o the apostles.

of the very natural fear of risk to a tender infant's health from its immersion under water in our cold climate.* In this case too, I need hardly say, a spiritual signification may be inferred from Holy Scripture to attach to the rite; there being figured by it the Holy Spirit's cleansing influence upon the soul. So in Ezekiel xxxvi. 25:"Then will I sprinkle clean (or cleansing) water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you a new heart also I will give you, and a new spirit; and I will put my Spirit within you."

A change, blessed indeed, from the state of corrupt nature, as figured in either mode of ministration of the baptismal rite; whether that of rising out of the death of sin to the new life of righteousness, or that of a renewed and clean heart and spirit: and one only to be effected by the agency of that triune Jehovah, in whose name so emphatically we are baptized," the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

Which being so, and since the blessings of the baptismally initiated state, though only indeed conditionally promised, (conditions to be spoken of in a subsequent Lecture,) were in our Church Reformers' opinion inestimably great even for young children,-baptism being the divinely appointed mode of transition from our natural state of alienation from God through sin, to a state of relationship with Him as a God of covenanted mercy through the Lord Jesus,+ and with the assured help of the Holy Spirit (unless resisted) to enable us to the fulfilment of the required conditions of repentance

*Mr. Lansing, the American missionary in Egypt, in his recently published book, called "Egypt's Princes," pp. 224, 225, mentions that even as far south as Luxor death sometimes occurred to weakly infants from baptismal immersion.

+ Previous to baptism (just as in the case of Jewish children previous to their circumcision) our Church of course regards the children of Christian parents as participants through their parents' Christianity in the blessings of the Christian covenant. So I Cor. vii. 14: "Now (viz., through the faith even of one Christian parent) are your children holy."

and faith, since, I say, in our Reformers' opinion the change of state baptismally initiated is thus nothing less than a kind of new birth, as for persons now grafted into Christ's visible Church, unto the blessed hope (compare 1 Peter i. 3) of being, or becoming, on the conditions just alluded to, members of Christ, children of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven,* it seemed right to them that in our Church ordinances not even the youngest should be debarred from so entering into it.-No doubt conditions such as these imply in their fulfilment the development in a measure, and actual exercise, as they open, of spiritually renewed faculties. But who can say how early this may be with a child? We read of one (Luke i. 15) who was sanctified by the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. And the heavenly inspired grace of holy, loving, saving faith may breathe, and not very seldom has been seen to breathe, from a child's heart, long ere the reasoning faculty has acquired strength. So soon as this is the case (and evidence, if it be so, will scarce fail of becoming visible to Christian parents of spiritual discernment), then, in our Church's view, though not till then, comes the actual realization, or appropriation, of the hopes and blessings set forth and signified in baptism. So speaks its 17th Article; with which, as also with its other Articles' doctrine on the baptismal subject, as the code of our Church's

*So our Baptismal Service, and our Church Catechism, as compared with, and illustrated by, the 27th of our Church Articles. "Baptism is a sign of regeneration, or new birth; whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; and the promises of forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed.'

It will be remembered, as before mentioned (p. 6), that confirmation, ministered in the patristic post-apostolic times to infants, was then considered requisite, as well as baptism, to the child's Christian new birth. So Cyprian, cited above (p. 6); also Nemesianus in the Carthaginian Council, under Cyprian; Manifestum est utroque sacramento debere eos renasci."-Much puzzled is Dr. Pusey by this Oxf. Tract 67, p. 153, note. What when confirmation was delayed?

most authoritative teaching, all that occurs in the Baptismal Service and in the Catechism on the same subject should ever be compared. "Being called," it says, "by God's Spirit, they through grace [it may be even thus early, or it may be later in life] obey the call: [such is ever the process:] they be justified freely: they be made the children of God by adoption."

But, since the promise of baptismal blessing is only conditional, and acceptance of the conditions is required from the candidate, according to the New Testament examples,* ere baptism can be rightly ministered to him by Christ's appointed minister, how can this be made to consist with infant baptism; seeing that infants not only cannot perform, but cannot even understand, and so cannot undertake for any future time, the conditions? Just as it is asked in our Catechism, "Why then are infants baptized, when, by reason of their tender age, they cannot perform the required conditions of faith and repentance?" To which question the answer is, cause they promise them both [i.e. both faith and repentance] by the mouths of their sureties or sponsors; which promise, when they come to age, themselves are bound to perform."-As early as Tertullian's time, A.D. 200, such we find from Church history, was the use made of sponsors.†

"Be

And thus, you see, the case is very much like that of the son and heir of one of the old barons of Norman times, when the father at death left his eldest son an infant. By the laws of feudal tenure he had held his castle and estate on the conditions, solemnly engaged to by him, of doing certain acts of homage and service to the king; such, for example, as arming and bringing into the field a certain number of his retainers to the

*Acts viii. 12. Also verse 37; "Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest be baptized. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Of this verse, however, the MS. authority is suspected.) Then they went down both into the water, and Philip baptized him."

+ Tertull. De Bapt. c. 18. See Bingham, xi. 8. 1-4.