OF

The Curates of every parish shall often admonish
the people, that they defer not the Baptism of
their Children longer than the first or second
Sunday next after their birth, or other Holyday
falling between, unless upon a great and reasonable
cause, to be approved by the Čurate.

And also they shall warn them, that without like a . .
great cause, and necessity, they procure not their
Children to be baptized at home in their houses.
But when need shall compel them so to do, then
Baptism shall be administered on this fashion.

WE

E yield Thee hearty thanks, most merciful FATHER, that it hath pleased Thee to regenerate this Infant with Thy HOLY SPIRIT, to receive him for Thine own Child by adoption, and to incorporate him into Thy holy Church. And we humbly beseech Thee to grant, that as he is now made partaker of the death of Thy SON, so he may be also of His resurrection; And that finally, with the residue of Thy Saints, he may inherit Thine everlasting kingdom; through the same Thy SON JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.

PRIVATE BAPTISM OF INFANTS.

The Baptism of Infants who were in extreme danger was provided for by certain Rubrics at the end of the Office in the ancient Manuals of the Church of England, and these Rubrics made no mention of any prayer being used, or any other words than those essential to Baptism. These Rubrics form the foundation of our present Office for Private Baptism. In the first Prayer Book, that of 1549, the person baptizing was directed to call upon God for His grace, and say the Lord's Prayer, if the time suffice" the use of the Lord's Prayer with that special intention being doubtless what was meant, and not any extempore prayer. But in 1661, Bishop Cosin suggested the substitution of the words "call upon God, and say the Lord's Prayer, and so many of the Collects appointed,' etc. Probably great latitude had been introduced under a misinterpretation of the former Rubric, and the alteration was intended to suppress the use of extempore prayer in Private Baptisms by giving an authorized form to be used. At the same time the spirit of the old Rubrics was retained in the words, "as the time and present exigence will suffer," shewing that the prayers were not to be considered as an

essential part of Baptism, and that if the child is supposed to be dying rapidly, it is to be baptized at once. The Collect of Thanksgiving was also introduced from the public Service. Various attempts had been made to alter the rules of the Church, so as entirely to exclude Baptism by lay persons, even in case of extreme emergency, but these attempts were so contrary to the spirit of the ancient Church that they were never allowed to prevail, beyond the extent of so modifying the Rubric as effectually to discourage lay Baptism when there was no necessity for it.

In addition to the Rubrics of this Office, there is also a special law of the Church on the subject of Private Baptism, the definite words of which make it a good guide both for Clergy and Laity. It is as follows:

I

And let them not doubt, but that the Child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized, and ought not to be baptized again. Yet nevertheless, if the Child, which is after this sort baptized, do afterward live, it is expedient that it be brought into the Church, to the intent that, if the a Minister of the same Parish did himself baptize that Child, the Congregation may be certified of the true Form of Baptism, by him privately before used: In which case he shall say thus,

CERTIFY you, that according to the due and prescribed Order of the Church, at such a time, and at such a place, before divers witnesses I baptized this Child.

baptized?

Because some things essential to this Sacrament may happen to be omitted through fear or haste, set in such times of extremity; therefore I demand further of you,

With what matter was this Child baptized?
With what words was this Child baptized?

¶ And if the Minister shall find by the answers of such
as bring the Child, that all things were done as
they ought to be; then shall not he christen the
Child again, but shall receive him as one of the
flock of true Christian people, saying thus,

sacra

¶ Et si puer fuerit baptizatus secundum illam formam, caveat sibi unusquisque ne iterum eundem baptizet: sed si hujusmodi parvuli convalescant, deferantur ad ecclesiam et dicantur super eos exorcismi et cathechismi cum unctionibus et omnibus aliis supradictis præter immersionem aquæ et formam baptismi, quæ omnino sunt omittenda, videlicet: Quid petis: et ab hinc usque ad illum locum quo Sacerdos debeat parvulum chrismate linire.

Et ideo si laicus baptizaverit puerum, antequam deferatur ad ecclesiam, interroget Sacerdos diligenter quid dixerit, et quid fecerit :

et si invenerit laicum discrete et debito modo baptizasse, et formam verborum baptismi ut supra in suo idiomate integre protulisse, approbet factum, et non rebaptizet eum.

I

CERTIFY that in this case all is well you, done, and according unto due order, concerning the baptizing of this Child; who being born in original sin, and in the wrath of GOD, is now, by the laver of Regeneration in Baptism, received into the number of the children of GOD, and heirs of everlasting life: for our LORD JESUS CHRIST doth not deny His grace and mercy unto such Infants, but most lovingly doth call them unto Him, as the holy Gospel doth witness to our comfort on this wise.

infant unbaptized in his parish, and thereupon desired to go or come to the place where the said infant remaineth, to baptize the same, shall either wilfully refuse so to do, or of purpose, or of gross negligence, shall so defer the time, as, when he might conveniently have resorted to the place, and have baptized the said infant, it dieth, through such his default, unbaptized; the said Minister shall be suspended for three months; and before his restitution shall acknowledge his fault, and promise before his Ordinary, that he will not wittingly incur the like again. Provided, that where there is a Curate, or a Substitute, this Constitution shall not extend to the Parson or Vicar himself, but to the Curate or Substitute present."

It cannot be said that there is never any "collusion" in this matter, and the clergyman is therefore bound to make strict inquiry as to the condition of the child whose Baptism in private is required. Objection to the rite being administered during time of Divine Service, the expense of a christening feast," desire to make sure of "burial money' (which is lost when children die unbaptized), are all reasons

66

1 The last words, of course, refer to a non-resident Parson or Vicar, "Curate" being used in the comprehensive sense of the clergyman in actual charge of the parish.

S. Mark x. 13-16.

THEY bould
HEY brought young children to CHRIST, that

He should touch them; and His disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when JESUS saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the Kingdom of GOD. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of GOD as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And

that have come within the writer's experience: and, except in cases where there is manifest danger of death, it is best both for the Clergy and the Laity that a medical certificate should be provided, stating that there is weakness or disease which renders the infant incapable of being brought to Church for public Baptism without risk.

The remaining part of what is printed under the heading, "The Ministration of Private Baptism of Children in Houses,' is an adaptation to the case of such children of that part of the Office for Baptism which is not used in private.

The object of bringing a convalescent child who has been clinically baptized to Church is twofold. [1] First, that a solemn public recognition may be made of the child's regenerated condition by the Priest "receiving him as one of the flock of true Christian people" in the face of the Church: and [2], secondly, that the child, by its sureties, may make those solemn engagements of the Baptismal vow which were omitted when it was supposed that the infant would not "come of age" to be capable of fulfilling them.

The form in which the certification is to be given when it is to be made by the clergyman who has himself baptized the child was not defined until the revision of 1661. În Bishop Cosin's Durham Book he has written the following proposed

He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them.

After the Gospel is read, the Minister shall make this brief Exhortation upon the words of the Gospel.

ELOVED, ye hear in this Gospel the words.

of our SAVIOUR CHRIST, that He commanded the children to be brought unto Him ; how He blamed those that would have kept them from Him; how He exhorted all men to follow their innocency. Ye perceive how by His outward gesture and deed He declared His good will toward them; for He embraced them in His arms, He laid His hands upon them, and blessed them. Doubt ye not therefore, but earnestly believe, that He hath likewise favourably received this present Infant; that He hath embraced him with the arms of His mercy; and (as He hath promised in His holy Word) will give unto him the blessing of eternal life, and make him partaker of His everlasting kingdom. Wherefore, we being thus persuaded of the good will of our heavenly FATHER, declared by His SON JESUS CHRIST, towards this Infant, let us faithfully and devoutly give thanks unto Him, and say the prayer which the LORD Himself taught us.

OUR FATHER, Which art in heaven, Hallowed

Thy

Give

be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation;

But deliver us from evil. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting GOD, heavenly

FATHER, we give Thee humble thanks, that Thou hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of Thy grace, and faith in Thee: Increase this knowledge, and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give Thy HOLY SPIRIT to this Infant, that he, being born again, and being made an heir of everlasting salvation, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, may continue Thy servant, and attain Thy promise; through the same our LORD JESUS CHRIST Thy SON, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the HOLY SPIRIT, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ Then shall the Priest demand the Name of the Child; which being by the Godfathers and Godmothers pronounced, the Minister shall say,

DOST thou, in the name of this Child, renounce

the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of this world, with all covetous desires

form: “... in which case he shall say thus: I certify you that, according to the due and prescribed Order of the Church, in case of necessity, at such a time, and in such a place, and before divers witnesses, I administered private Baptism to this child, who being born in original sin, etc., ut infra.” From this it would appear that the whole of the following part of the form, as afterwards printed, was intended by him to have been used in every case. The internal evidence of the Office seems to indicate such an intention also, and probably the omission is a clerical error, which has arisen from Cosin not writing the whole at length in his MS. revision.

Cosin also transferred the Lord's Prayer from the place which it here occupies, and which is that of the old Office, to the same place as it occupies in the ordinary Service for

of the same, and the carnal desires of the flesh. so that thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them? ¶ Answer.

I renounce them all.

DOST

Minister.

OST thou believe in God the FATHER Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth?

And in JESUS CHRIST His only-begotten Sox our LORD? And that He was conceived by the HOLY GHOST; born of the Virgin Mary; that He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; that He went down into hell, and I also did rise again the third day; that He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of GoD the FATHER Almighty; and from thence shall come again at the end of the world, to judge the quick and the dead?

And dost thou believe in the HOLY GHOST; the holy Catholick Church; the Communion of Saints; the Remission of sins; the Resurrection of the flesh; and everlasting life after death? ¶ Answer.

All this I stedfastly believe.

Public Baptism: but although his alteration is left as he wrote it, while erasures are on either side, it was not printed, and the two forms of the Office do not agree.

At the end of the Exhortation in the Prayer Books, as they stood before 1661, there was a Rubric, "And so forth, as in Public Baptism." This Rubric was erased by Cosin, and he substituted, "Then shall he add and say, Furthermore, I require you to take care ut supra in public Baptism." This supplementary charge is not printed in the Sealed books, yet it seems clear that its omission was a clerical error, and that it ought to be inserted by the clergyman when he uses the Office.

There is, in fact, a certain want of exact consistency about the use of this Office (and the same is observable in the use

regenerate this Infant with Thy HOLY SPIRIT, to receive him for Thine own Child by adoption, and to incorporate him into Thy holy Church. And humbly we beseech Thee to grant, that he, being dead unto sin and living unto righteousness, and being buried with CHRIST in His death, may crucify the old man, and utterly abolish the whole body of sin; and that, as he is made partaker of the death of Thy SoN, he may also be partaker of His resurrection; so that finally, with the residue of Thy holy Church, he may be inheritor of Thine everlasting kingdom; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.

¶ Then, all standing up, the Priest shall say to the Godfathers and Godmothers this Exhortation following.

FORASMUCH as this Child hath promised

by you his sureties to renounce the devil and all his works, to believe in GOD, and to serve

Him; ye must remember, that it is your parts and duties to see that this Infant be taught, so soon as he shall be able to learn, what a solemn vow, promise, and profession, he hath here made by you. And that he may know these things the better, ye shall call upon him to hear Sermons; and chiefly ye shall provide, that he may learn the Creed, the LORD's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, in the vulgar tongue, and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's health; and that this Child may be virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life; remembering always, that Baptism doth represent unto us our profession; which is, to follow the example of our SAVIOUR CHRIST and to be made like unto Him; that, as He died, and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die from sin and rise again unto righteousness; continually mortifying all our evil and corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in all virtue and godliness of living.

a Si vero dubitet rationabiliter Sacerdos utrum infans ad baptizandum sibi oblatus prius in forma debita fuerit baptizatus vel non, debet omnia perficere cum eo sicut cum alio quem constat sibi non baptizatum, præterquam quod verba sacramentalia essentialia proferre debeat sub conditione, hoc modo dicendo:

N. si baptizatus es, ego non rebaptizo te sed si nondum baptizatus es, ego baptizo te, in nomine PATRIS, et FILII, et SPIRITUS SANCTI. Amen. Sub aspersione vel immersione ut supra.

nor is it likely that the whole Western Church would so exactly have adopted any form originated by him; we may therefore reasonably conclude that his words represent the established usage of the ancient and settled Churches of Europe when he wrote, and that the charity of the Church had always provided such a form.

Conditional Baptism ought not to be administered hastily as a means of escaping from a difficulty. The principle of the Church is clear and unhesitating (as is shewn in the Rubric above) that if water and the words of Institution have been used they have constituted a true Baptism, the iteration of which would be sinful in the baptizer, and at the same time useless to the baptized. But, after careful inquiry, doubts may often be felt as to the due use of the essentials of Baptism, and in such a case the conditional form should certainly be adopted, for the sake of the child.

BAPTISM TO SUCH

When any such persons as are of riper years are to be baptized, timely notice shall be given to the Bishop, or whom he shall appoint for that purpose, a week before at the least, by the Parents, or some other discreet persons; that so due care may be taken for their examination, whether they be sufficiently instructed in the principles of the Christian Religion; and that they may be exhorted to prepare themselves with prayers and fasting for the receiving of this holy Sacrament. And if they shall be found fit, then the Godfathers and Godmothers (the people being assembled upon the Sunday or Holyday appointed) shall be ready to present them at the Font immediately after the second Lesson, either at Morning or Evening Prayer, as the Curate in his discretion shall think fit.

And standing there, the Priest shall ask whether any of the persons here presented be baptized or no: If they shall answer, No; then shall the Priest say thus,

DEARLY

EARLY beloved, forasmuch as all men are conceived and born in sin, (and that which is born of the flesh is flesh,) and they that are in the flesh cannot please GOD, but live in sin, committing many actual transgressions; and that our SAVIOUR CHRIST saith, None can enter into the Kingdom of GOD, except he be regenerate and born anew of Water and of the HOLY GHOST; I beseech you to call upon GOD the FATHER, through our LORD JESUS CHRIST, that of His bounteous goodness He will grant to these persons that which by nature they cannot have, that they may be baptized with water and the HOLY GHOST, and received into CHRIST's holy Church, and be made lively members of the

same.

¶ Then shall the Priest say,

Let us pray.

THE BAPTISM OF ADULTS.

In that Preface to the Prayer Book which was written by Eishop Sanderson in 1661, it is stated that among other alterations and additions it was thought expedient to add "an Office for the Baptism of such as are of riper years; which, although not so necessary when the former Book was compiled, yet by the growth of Anabaptism, through the licentiousness of the late times crept in amongst us, is now become necessary, and may be always useful for the baptizing of Natives in our Plantations, and others converted to the Faith." It is probable that this was suggested by Bishop Cosin, for at the end of the Office for Private Baptism in his Durham Book, he has written, "Print in a new leaf, The Ministration of Publick Baptism to such as are of perfect age, or come to the years of discretion, and are able to render an account of their faith, and undertake for themselves;" all after "discretion" being subsequently erased. The Office

AL

(¶ And here all the Congregation shall kneel.) LMIGHTY and everlasting GOD, Who of Thy great mercy didst save Noah and his family in the ark from perishing by water; and also didst safely lead the children of Israel Thy people through the Red Sea, figuring thereby Thy holy Baptism; and by the Baptism of Thy well-beloved SON JESUS CHRIST, in the river Jordan, didst sanctify the element of water to the mystical washing away of sin; We beseech Thee, for Thine infinite mercies, that Thou wilt mercifully look upon these Thy servants; wash them and sanctify them with the HOLY GHOST, that they being delivered from Thy wrath may be received into the ark of CHRIST'S Church; and being stedfast in faith, joyful through hope, and rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this troublesome world, that finally they may come to the land of everlasting life, there to reign with Thee world without end; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and immortal GOD, the Aid of all

that need, the Helper of all that flee to Thee for succour, the Life of them that believe, and the Resurrection of the dead; We call upon Thee for these persons, that they, coming to Thy holy Baptism, may receive remission of their sins by spiritual regeneration. Receive them, O LORD, as Thou hast promised by Thy well-beloved SON, saying, Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: So give now unto us that ask; let us that seek find; open the gate unto us that knock; that these persons may enjoy the everlasting benediction of Thy heavenly washing, and may come