'U M n M, 
•'7t9 
buried in confeerated ground. The Greek church differs 
'from the Romifh, as to the rite of baptifm, chiefly, in 
-performing it by immerfion, or plunging the infant all 
over in the water. 
The forms of adminiftering baptifm among us being.too 
■well known to require a particular defeription, we (hall 
■ only mention one or two of the more material differences 
between the form, as it flood in the fir ft liturgy of king 
Edward, and that in the Englifli Common Prayer-Book 
at prefent. Firft, the form of confecrating the water did 
.-not make a part of the office in king Edward’s liturgy, as 
it does in the prefent, becaufe the water in the font was 
changed, and confeerated, but once a month. The form 
dike wife itfelf was fomething different from tiiat now ufed ; 
■ and was introduced with a (hart prayer, that “ Jefus-Chrift, 
upon u horn (when he was baptized) the Holy G-hoft came 
■ down in th.e likenefs of a dove,'would fend down the fame 
-Holy Spirit, to fanCtify the fountain of baptifm..;” which 
prayer was afterwards left out, at the fecond review. By 
king Edward’s firft book, the minifter is to dip tl.e child 
in the water thrice ; firft, dipping the right fide ; fecond- 
ly, the left; the third time, dipping the-face toward the 
■font. This trine immerfion was a very ancient practice in 
the Chriftiun church, and ufed in honour of the Holy 
Trinity ; though fome later writers fay, it was done to re- 
prefent the death, burial, and refurredlion, of Chrift, to¬ 
gether with his three days continuance in the grave. Af¬ 
terwards, the Arians making an ill ufe of it, by perfua- 
ding the people that it was ufed to denote that the three 
perfons in the Trinity were three di ft in ft fubftances, the 
orthodox left it off, and ufed only one fingle immerfion. 
By the firft common-prayer of king Edward, after the 
child was baptized, the godfathers and godmothers were 
to lay their hands upon it, and the minifter was to put on 
him the white veftment commonly called ih z chryfme, and 
to fay, “ Take this white vefture, as a token of die iano- 
•eency, which, by God’s grace, in this holy facrament of 
baptifm, is given unto thee; and for a fign, whereby 
thou art admomftted, fo long as thou liveft, to give thy- 
-felf to innocence of living, that after this tranfttory life 
thou rnayeft be partaker of the life everlafting. Amen.” 
As foon as he had pronounced thefe w ords, he was to anoint 
the infant on the head, faying, “ Almighty God, the fa- 
ther of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath regenerated thee 
by water and the Holy Ghoft, and hath given unto thee 
remifiion of all thy^ fins; may he vouchfafe to anoint thee 
with the undfion ot his Holy Spirit, and bring thee to the 
inheritance of everlafting life. Amen;” This was mani- 
feftly done in imitation of the practice of the primitive 
church. 
Sprinkling children, infteadof dipping them in the font, 
a cuftom which at firft was allowed only in cafe of the 
•weaknefs or iicknefs of the infant, has now fo far prevail¬ 
ed, that immerfion is at length quite excluded. What 
principally tended to confirm the practice of affufion or 
fprinkling, was, that feveral of our Proteftant divines, fly¬ 
ing into Germany and Switzerland during the bloody reign 
of queen Mary, and returning home when Elizabeth came 
to the crown, brought back with them a great zeal for 
the Proteftant churches beyond fea, where they had been 
Yhcltered and received ; and Having obferved, that, at Ge¬ 
neva and fome other places, baptifm was adminiftered by 
fprinkling, they thought they could not do the church of 
England a greater fervice than by introducing a practice 
Bidlated by fo great an oracle as Calvin. This, together 
with the coldnefs of our northern climate, was what con¬ 
tributed to banifh entirely the practice of dipping infants 
in the font. 
A great difference of opinions has exifted concerning 
the efl'eiffs of baptifm, and thefe it would be endlefs to 
.enumerate. The Remonftrants and Socinians reduce bap- 
• tifm to a mere fign of divine grace. The Romanifts, on 
.the contrary, exalt its power; holding, that all fin is en- 
• rirely taken away by it; that it abfolutely confers the grace 
j unification, and confequently grace ex open operato. 
Some alfo fpeak of tin indelible c'hnrafler impveffed or, tire 
foul by if, called charaSler dominicus, and charaEier regim; 
but this is held, by others, a mere chimera ; for that the 
fpiritual character, conferred in regeneration, may eailly 
be effaced by mortal fin. Dodv.el! maintains, tlaat it is 
by baptifm the foul is made immortal; fo that thole who 
die without it will not rife again. It mil ft be added, he 
reirrains this effect to-epifcopal baptifm alone. From the 
eftedds ordinarily aftribed to baptifm, even by ancient wri¬ 
ters, it (tumid feem, that the ceremony’ is as muoffaLhea- 
tlmn as Jewilh origin; fince Chriftians do net reftrain the 
ule of it, like tire Jews, to the admifiion of.new mem¬ 
bers-into the church, but hold, with the heathens, a vir¬ 
tue in it for remitting and walking away fins. The bra- 
mins are ftill laid to baptize with this latter view, 'at-cer¬ 
tain feafons, in th.e river Ganges; to the waters whereof 
they have annexed a cleanfing or fanf.tifying quality; and 
hence it is that they fleck from all parts, even of Tarta¬ 
ry, driven by tire expectation of their being eafed of their 
load of fins. But, in this point, many Chriftians feem to 
have gon beyond the folly of the heathens. It was only 
the finaiier fins of infirmity which thefe latter held to be 
expiable by waffling; for crimes of a blacker dye, they 
allowed no water could efface them, no purgation could 
difeharge them. The Chriftian dodlrine of a total re mi ft. 
fion of fins by baptifm could not fail, therefore, to fcan- 
dalize many among the heathens, and furnifhed Julian an 
occafion of fertilizing Chriftianity itielf: “ Whoever (fays 
Ire) is guilty of rapes, murders, facrilege, or any abomi¬ 
nable crime, Jet him be waftred with water, and he will 
become pure and holy.” 
Baptifm, in the ancient church, was frequently con¬ 
ferred on Jews by violence: but the church itfelf never 
fee ms to have allowed of force on this occalion. By a ca¬ 
non of the fourth council of Toledo, it is exprefsly for¬ 
bid to baptize any againft their inclinations. That which 
looks moil like force in this cafe, allowed by law, were 
two orders of Juftinian ; one of which appoints the hea¬ 
thens, and the other Sarmaritans, to be baptized, with 
their wives and children and fervants, under pain of con- 
fifeation. By the ancient laws, baptifm was not to be con¬ 
ferred on image-makers, ftage-players, gladiator's, auriga* 
or public drivers, magicians, or even drolling beggars, till 
they quitted fuch proteftions. Slaves were not allowed 
the privilege of baptifm without the teftimony and cor- 
fent of their mafters; excepting the flaves of Jews, hea¬ 
thens, and heretics; who were not only admitted to bap¬ 
tifm, but, in confequence thereof, had their freedom. 
Voffius has a learned and elaborate work de Baptifmo, where¬ 
in he accurately difeufles all the queftions concerning bap- 
tiffn according to the doctrine of the ancients. 
Baptism by Fire, fpoken of by St. John the Baptift, 
lias occalioned much conjedture. The generality of the 
fathers held, that believers, before they enter paradife, 
are to pal's through a certain fire, which is to purify them 
from all pollutions remaining on them unexpiated. Others, 
with St. Bal'd, underftood it of the fire of hell; others 
think it io be that of tribulation and temptation. Others, 
with St. Chryfoftom, will have it denote an abundance of 
gj-acc. Others fuppofe it to mean the defeent of the Ho¬ 
ly Ghoft on the apoftles, in the form of fiery tongues. 
Laftly, others maintain, that the word Jire here is an in¬ 
terpolation ; and that we are only to read the text, He that 
Jhall come after me will baptize you with the Holy Ghcjl. In 
reality, it is not found in divers manufeript copies of St. 
Matthew. The ancient Selcucians and Hermians, under- 
Handing the paffage literally, maintained, that material 
fire was neceffary in the adminiftration of baptifm. But 
we do not find how or to what part of the body they ap¬ 
plied it, or whether they were fatisfied with obliging the 
perfon baptized to pals thro’ the fire. Valentinus rebap¬ 
tized all who had received water-baptifm, and conferred 
on them the baptifm of fire : 
Bis docuit tingi, tl'adudloque corpore flanima. 
Tertull. Carm contra Marc. 1 . *. 
Heracleon 4 
