power of the word makes a priest become honcurable and venerable, when he is separated from the community of the vulgar by a new benediction. For he who before was only one of the common people, is now immediately made a ruler, and president, a teacher of piety, and a minister of the secret mysteries: and all these things he does without any change in his body or shape; for to all outward appearance he is the same that he was, but the change is in his invisible soul, by an invisible power and grace." Pope Leo goes one step further, and tells us," that baptism makes a change not only in the water, but in the man that receives it, for thereby Christ receives him, and he receives Christ, and he is not the same after baptism that he was before, but the body of him that is regenerated is made the flesh of him that was crucified." From all which it is easy to observe, that in all these cases, the change which they speak of is not made in the substance of the things, but in the qualities only; the water is not the blood of Christ substantially and really, but only symbolically and mystically: nor is a man changed into the flesh of Christ thereby any other way, than as he is made a living member of his mystical body, participating of that Spirit whereby he rules and governs his Church, as the head of it. So that when the Ancients speak of a divine change or transelementation (for as yet the word transubstantiation was not known) in the bread and wine in the eucharist, they are to be interpreted, as here we do in baptism, of a change in qualities and powers, and not in substance: since all the words they used to express that change, are equally verified in the waters of baptism after consecration.

SECT. 5.-How far these Prayers of Consecration were reckoned necessary in the Church.

I must further observe, to avoid all mistakes, that when the Ancients speak of an absolute necessity of invocation of God to consecrate the waters of baptism, they then do

Leo, Serm. xiv. de Passione. p. 62. Susceptus à Christo, Christumque suscipiens, non idem est post lavacrum, qui ante baptismun fuit, sed corpus regenerati fit caro crucifixi.

not mean any new forms of prayer instituted by the Church, but the very form of baptism instituted by Christ, which they rightly suppose to be an invocation of the Holy Trinity: in which sense, no baptism can be duly performed without an invocation to consecrate the water, though it may be performed in times of exigency, without the additional prayers of the Church,1

CHAP. XI.

Of the different Ways of Baptising by Immersion, Trine Immersion, and Aspersion in the Case of Clinic Baptism.

SECT. 1.-- All Persons anciently divested in Order to be baptised.

HAVING thus far considered all things preceding the very act of baptising, we are now to inquire into the manner how that was usually performed, whether by dipping and total immersion, or by aspersion and sprinkling, which is now the more general practice of the Church. There is no question made but that either of these ways does fully answer the primary end of baptism, which is to purify the soul and not the body, by washing away sin. But yet the Ancients thought, that immersion or burying under water, did more lively represent the death and burial and resurrection of Christ, as well as our own death unto sin, and rising again to righteousnes: and the divesting or unclothing the person to be baptised, did also represent the putting off the body of sin in order to put on the new man, which is created in righteouness and true holiness. For which reason they observed the way of baptising all persons naked and divested, by a total immersion under water, except in some paticurlar cases of great exigency, wherein they allowed of sprinkling, as in the case of clinic baptism, or where there was a scarcity of water. That persons were divested in order to be baptised is evident, partly from what has been said before of the unction, which was administered not only on the

1 Vid. Albertin. de Eucharist. lib. i. p. 18. v. 22.

head, but on other parts of the body; partly from express testimonies which affirm it; and also from the manner of baptising by immersion, which necessarily presupposes it. St. Chrysostom speaking of baptism, says,' "men were as naked as Adam in paradise, but with this difference: Adam was naked because he had sinned, but in baptism a man was naked that he might be freed from sin the one was divested of his glory, which he once had, but the other put off the old man, which he did as easily as his clothes." St. Ambrose says, " men came as naked to the font, as they came into the world ;" and thence he draws an argument by way of allusion, to rich men, telling them, "how absurd it was, that a man who was born naked of his mother, and received naked by the Church, should think of going rich into heaven." Cyril of Jerusalem takes notice of this circumstance, together with the reasons of it, when he thus addresses himself to persons newly baptised: "As soon as ye came into the inner part of the baptistery, ye put off your clothes, which is an emblem of putting off the old man with his deeds: and being thus divested ye stood naked, imitating Christ, that was naked upon the cross, who by his nakedness spoiled principalities and powers, publicly triumphing over them in the cross. O, wonderful thing! ye were naked in the sight of men, and were not ashamed, in this truly imitating the first man Adam, who was naked in paradise, and was not ashamed." So, also, Amphilochus, in the Life of St. Basil, speaking of his baptism," says, he arose with fear and put off his clothes, and with them the old man. And Zeno Veronensis reminding persons of their baptism, bids them rejoice, " for they went

1 Chrys. Hom. vi. in Colos. p. 1358. Ενταῦθα γυμνότης, κἀκεῖ γυμνότης ἀλλ ̓ ἐκεῖ μὲν ἁμαρτήσας ἐγυμνώθη, ἐπειδὴ ἥμαρτεν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἵνα ἀπαλλαγῇ γυμνᾶται, &c. * Ambros. Serm. x. Nudi in sæculo nascimur, nudi etiam accedimus ad lavacrum.-Quàm autem incongruum ac absurdum est, ut quem nudum mater genuit, nudum suscipit Ecclesia, dives introire velit in cœlum? Cyril. Catech. Myst. ii. n. 2. Amphiloc. Vit. Basil. cap. v. Zeno Invitat. ii. ad Bapt. Bibl. Patr. tom. ii. p. 442. Gaudere, in fontem quidem nudi demergitis, sed æthere veste vestiti, mox candidati inde surgitis, quam qui non polluerit, regna cœlestia possidebit.

4

down naked to the font, but rose again clothed in a white and heavenly garment, which if they did not defile they might obtain the kingdom of Heaven." Athanasius in his invectives against the Arians, among other things lays this to their charge," that by their persuasions the Jews and Gentiles broke into the baptistery, and there offered such abuses to the catechumens as they stood with their naked bodies, as was shameful and abominable to relate." And a like complaint is brought against Peter bishop of Apamea in the Council of Constantinople under Mennas," that he cast out the Neophytes, or persons newly baptised, out of the baptistery, when they were without their clothes and shoes." All which are manifest proofs, that persons were baptised naked, either in imitation of Adam in paradise, or our Saviour upon the cross, or to signify their putting off the body of sin, and the old man with his deeds.

SECT. 2.-No Exception in this Case either with respect to Women or

Children.

And this practice was then so general, that we find no exception made, either with respect to the tenderness of infants, or the bashfulness of the female sex; save only where the case of sickness or disability made it necessary to vary from the usual custom. St. Chrysostom is an undeniable evidence in this matter. For writing about the barbarous proceedings of his enemies against him on the Great Sabbath, or Saturday before Easter, among other tragical things which they committed, he reports this for one, "That they came armed into the church, and by violence expelled the clergy, killing many in the baptistery, with which the women who at that time were divested in order to be baptised, were put into such a terror, that they

Con. Constant.

Athan. Ep. ad Orthodoxos, tom. i. p. 946. act. i. p. 53. Ed. Crab. Cum essemus in baptisterio neophytistarum, fine tunicis et calceamentis existentium, venit episcopus noster Petrus, et ejecit nos foras unà cum neophytis, &c. * Chrys. Ep.

ad Innocent. p. 630. Γυναῖκες πρὸς τὸ βάπτισμα ἀποδυσάμενοι κατ' αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν, γυμναὶ ἔφυγον ὑπὸ τὸ φόβω τῆς χαλεπης ταύτης ἐφόδε· ἐδὲ τὴν πρέπεσαν γύναιξιν εὐσχημοσύνην συγχωρώμεναι περιθέσθαι. Vid. Moschum Prat. Spir.

c. 104.

fled away naked, and could not stay in the fright to put on such clothes as the modesty of their sex required. "And that so it was in the case of children also, is evident from the custom of immersion which continued in the Church for many ages; as also from what is particularly said of infants in the Ordo Romanus and Gregory's Sacramentarium, "that after the priest has baptised them with three immersions, they are to be clothed, and brought to the bishop to be confirmed." For this clothing supposes that they were unclothed before in order to be baptised.

SECT. 3.-Yet Matters were so ordered as that no Indecency might be committed.

But yet that no indecency might appear in so sacred an action, two things were especially provided for by ancient rules. First, that men and women were baptised apart. To which purpose the baptisteries were commonly divided into two apartments, the one for the men, the other for the women, as I have had occasion to shew from St. Austin2 in another place. Or else the men were baptised at one time and the women at another, as Vossius observes out of the Ordo Romanus, Gregory's Sacramentarium, Albinus Flaccus, and other writers. Secondly, there was anciently an order of deaconesses in the Church, and one main part of their business was to assist at the baptism of women, where for decencies sake they were employed to divest them, and so to order the matter, that the whole ceremony both of unction and baptising might be performed in such a manner as became the reverence that was due to so sacred an action; of all which I have given sufficient proofs in a former Book, which I need not here repeat.

Vid.

Gregor. Sacram. de Bapt. Infant. Baptizat eum sacerdos sub trinâ mersoine, &c. Et vestitur infans. It. Ordo Roman. Cap. de Die Sabbati S. Pasche. Cùm vestiti fuerint infantes, pontifex confirmet eos. Athanas. de Parabolis Evangel. q. 94. Tò yàp karadúoaι rò maidiov, &c. 2 Aug. de Civ. Dei. lib. xxii. c. 8. 3 Book. viii. chap. 5 Book ii. chap.

vii. s. 1. xxii. s. 8.

* Voss. de Bapt. disp. i. p. 36.