412 



BAPTISM BAPTISTS. 



generally adopted a new name. The immersion of 

 the whole body was omitted (inly in the case of the 

 sick, who could not leave their beds. In tlii 

 sprinkling was substituted, which was called clinic 

 iiifitism. The Greek church, as well as the schis- 

 matics in the East, retained the custom of immersing 

 the whole body; but the Western church adopted, 

 in the i:Hh century, the mode of baptism by sprink- 

 ling, which has IH-CII continued by the Protestants, 

 the Baptists (i|. \ .) only c\ceptcd. The introduction 

 of this mode of baptism was owing to the great in- 

 convenience which arose from Uie immersion of the 

 whole body in the northern climates of Europe. The 

 custom of sprinkling thrice, in the administration of 

 the rite, spread with the diffusion of the doctrine of 

 the Trinity. In the first centuries of the Christian 

 era, when, generally speaking, adults only joined 

 the new sect, the converted (catechumens, q. v.) were 

 diligently instructed ; the power of this sacrament 

 to procure perfect remission of sins was taught, and, 

 while some converts delayed their baptism from a 

 feeling of sinfulness not yet removed, others did the 

 sinie from the wish to gratify corrupt desires a little 

 longer, and to have their sins forgiven all at once. 

 Hut the doctrine of St Augustine, that the unbap- 

 tized were irrevocably damned, changed this delay 

 into haste, and made the baptism of children general. 

 The death of a martyr, however, who perished while 

 yet a catechumen, was accounted equally effectual 

 for salvation with baptism. This was called baptimna 

 tangiihiis (baptism of blood, q. v.). When, in the 5th 

 century, Christianity became more firmly established, 

 and the fear of the relapse of Christian proselytes 

 into their former faith, which had so often occurred 

 in the period of persecution, diminished, the baptism 

 of children became still more general, and is now the 

 common custom of Christians, with the exception of 

 the Baptists. In America, however, it is not so uni- 

 versally practised as in Europe. The abuse of this 

 rite by the Montanists, in Africa, who baptized even 

 the dead, could be abolished only by severe punish- 

 ments ; but, in Roman Catholic countries, the prac- 

 tice of baptizing church-bells continues to this day 

 a custom which first came into use in the 10th cen- 

 tury. This is done from the belief that the ringing 

 of such bells during a thunder-storm serves to protect 

 the neighbourhood. As baptism is a sacrament, and 

 considered by the Catholics so very efficacious, the 

 Romish church has strictly prohibited the re-baptism 

 of baptized heretics, on their conversion to Catholi- 

 cism. Anti-trinitarians, only, are to be baptized 

 again. Protestants, of course, acknowledge the vali- 

 dity of the baptism of other Protestant sects, as well 

 ^as of that of the Catholic church. The Roman and 

 Greek Catholics consecrate the water of baptism, but 

 Protestants do not. The exorcism (q. v.) is not abo- 

 lished in all Protestant countries. The act of bap- 

 tism is accompanied only wiUi the formula, that the 

 person is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, 

 and Holy Ghost ; but this act, among most Chris- 

 tians, is preceded by a confession of faith, made, by 

 the sponsors, in the name of the person to be bap- 

 tized, if a child. Even in the ancient church, every 

 person, when baptized, was attended by a Christian 

 friend of the same sex, who became responsible for 

 the faith of the new Christian, and promised to take 

 care of his spiritual welfare. The form still remains, 

 though the promise is not very strictly complied with 

 in most cases. After baptism in the Catholic church, 

 the baptized person receives milk and honey, as a 

 symbol of his spiritual youth ; and the spiritual privi- 

 leges which he acquires as a Christian are all indi- 

 cated by symbols ; thus the salt of wisdom is given, 

 the garment of innocence is put on, &c. The Catholic 

 church acknowledges three kinds of baptism, that of 



water, fire, nnd blood (baptisma fluminis, flammac, 

 sangiiinis). The first is the common one ; the se- 

 cond is perfect love of God, connected with a sincere 

 and ardent, desire to lie liaptizcd ; the third is the 

 martyrdom of a catechumen for the Christian faith. 

 All three are equal in their etlect. The Koinish 

 church acknowledges, that all persons not bapti/.cd 

 are damiu d, even infants ; but it does not stale what 

 they are to suffer ; for even Si AiiiiMinc, the stern- 

 est and severest preacher of this doctrine, deemed it 

 hard that those who had not yet sinned should he- 

 damned for eternity in consequence of the sin of 

 Adam; and he thinks that their suffering will he 

 slight. Some scholastic theologians have thought 

 that the pain they were to endure would consist in 

 separation from God. The Jansenists believe in the 

 total damnation of infants not baptized. Dante, who 

 so strictly adhered to the dogmas of his church, but 

 always retained his sensibility to the feelings of hu- 

 manity, gives, in the fourth canto of his Inferno, a 

 place to all virtuous heathens, and infants not bap- 

 tized, separate from the other part of hell ; and it is 

 easily seen with what reluctance he placed them there. 



BAPTISM OF BLOOD. Tertullian gave this name to 

 martyrdom before baptism, and to the death of mar- 

 tyrs in general, which he, and, after him, other 

 Christian fathers, considered as another and n.om 

 effectual baptism for purification from sins, and 

 urgently recommended to believers. 



BAPTISM BY FIRE. This phrase, used by John the 

 Baptist, has given rise to much conjecture. The 

 generality of the fathers hold, that believers, before 

 they enter paradise, must pass through a certain fire, 

 which is to purify them from all pollutions remaining 

 unexpiated. But some, with St Basil, understand it 

 of the fire of hell ; others of that of tribulation and 

 temptation ; while a few will have it, with St Chry- 

 sostom, to denote abundance of graces. Some sup- 

 pose it to mean the descent of the Holy Ghost on the 

 apostles, in the form of fiery tongues ; others main- 

 tain that the word fire is an interpolation, and that 

 the true reading of the text is, " He that shall come 

 after me will baptize you with the Holy Ghost" 



BAPTISTS ; a Protestant sect, distinguished by their 

 opinions respecting the mode and subjects of bap- 

 tism. With regard to the former, they maintain the 

 necessity of immersion, from the signification of the 

 word farngu, to dip, used by the sacred writers ; 

 from the performance of the rite in rivers in the pri- 

 mitive ages, and from the phraseology used in de- 

 scribing the ceremony. With regard to the subjects, 

 they consider that baptism ought not to be adminis- 

 tered to children nor infants at all, nor to adults in 

 general, but to those only who profess repentance 

 and faith. This they defend from the language of 

 scripture, " Repent, and be baptized," &c., and from 

 the existence of catechumens in the ancient churches, 

 who were instructed before they were baptized. 

 They are sometimes called Anti-padubaptists, to ex- 

 press their variance from those who defend infant 

 baptism, and who are called Padobaptists. The 

 peculiar sentiments of this denomination liave spread 

 so much among other sects, that we find Baptists 

 equally among Calvinists and Arminians, Trinitari- 

 ans and Unitarians. 



The Baptists, of all descriptions, adopt the Inde- 

 pendent or Congregational form of church govern- 

 ment, and all their ecclesiastical assemblies disclaim 

 any right to interfere with the concerns of individual 

 churches. The meetings of the members of different 

 congregations are held for the purpose of mutual 

 advice, and not for the general government of the 

 whole body. 



The Particular Baptists of England, the Baptists 

 of Scotland and Ireland, the Associated Baptists ot 





