prayer to God' to make them fit to receive it; in thanksgiv

66 to the spiritual Baptism of this water. Send forth, we beseech Thee, O LORD, 66 Thy HOLY SPIRIT into this water, as Thou sanctifiedst Jordan, &c."

1 Old Roman Church. Gelasius, t. i. p. 21. (in eight MSS. of eighth century, Gellone, Rheims, Anglican in Monastery of Jumiege, Noyon, Poitiers, MSS. of Royal and Colbertine Libraries, Moisac near Thoulouse, Martene de Antiq. Eccl. Rit. 1. i. c. i. p. 38.) Prayer on admitting a heathen as a Catechumen.

"Deign to hear him, who boweth his neck before Thee; let him come to "the fountain of the washing, that being 'born again of water and the HOLY "SPIRIT,' and 'being freed from the old man, he may put on the new man, "which is created after Thee;' let him receive the incorrupt and spotless "clothing, and be accounted worthy to serve Thee our LORD, through the "LORD, &c."

Church of Antioch, i. 220; Apostolic, by Severus, t. ii. p. 266. (For Catechumens.)

"Write Thy fear in their hearts, that they may know the emptiness of this "world, and that putting from them all ungodliness and worldly lusts, they "may be made meet for the regeneration, which is from above, of water and the "SPIRIT, &c."

Apostolic, by Severus (t. ii. p. 267).

"GOD, Who out of His love was in an incomprehensible manner made man "of the Holy Virgin, with a human body, yet born without generation, that "He might bring the sons of men to the adoption of sons of His FATHER, and might make them sons of GOD by water and the SPIRIT; do Thou, O LORD,

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66

cover with the right hand of Thy mercy this Thy servant, who is prepared for

Holy Baptism, and sanctify, cleanse, and wash him with Thy holy hyssop, "and unite him with Thy spiritual and holy sheep, &c."

A short form by Severus (t. ii. p. 302).

“And grant him by Thy mercy, the new birth by 'water and the SPIRIT,' and "make him meet for the good things which are from Thee, through the goodness and mercy of Thy CHRIST, &c."

Antioch revised (t. i. pp. 224, 225).

"Do thou perfect by water and the SPIRIT,' and make them sons of the new "birth for the remission of sins and the clothing of incorruption; put off from "them the old man, which is corrupted through the deceitful lusts, and clothe "them with the new clothing, which is renewed in knowledge in the likeness of "Thee, O Creator; where there is neither Jew nor Syrian, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, but in all and in each is Thy dwelling-place. For "Thou hast said in Thy illumining and living doetrine, Except a man be born

ing to Him for having bestowed it, and prayer to Him to

"of water and the SPIRIT,' he cannot see Thy kingdom. Wherefore, O LORD, "make them meet for Thy heavenly kingdom."

Also the prayer, "Write Thy fear, &c."

1 Gelasius (Ass. ii. 5); Gregory (ib. 9, 10); Modern Roman (pp. 18, 19— 30); Old Gallican (p. 39, from MS. of seventh century, p. 42); Ambrosian, Milan (pp. 47-51); Gellone (p. 55); Colbertine MS. ninth century, p. 66; Moisac, Isle of France, ninth century, p. 68; Anglican, from Norman MS. p. 70; Cologne, p. 73; Apamea in Syria, p. 76; Paris, and Lodi in Italy, p. 67; Vienne, p. 61.

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Western Church (prayer at the Chrism after Baptism).

Almighty GoD, the FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who hath rege"nerated thee by water and the HOLY SPIRIT, and hath given thee remission "of all sins, He anoints thee with the unction of salvation in CHRIST JESUS 66 our LORD to life eternal."

Gelasius (Ass. ii. 7); Gellone (p. 58); Rheims (MS. of eighth century, p. 59); Chelle Diocese of Paris (ninth century, p. 63); Colbertin. MS. ninth century (p. 66); Moisac (ninth century, p. 70); Anglican (p. 71); Cologne (p. 74).

"Almighty, everlasting GOD, who hast regenerated thy servant by 'water "and the HOLY SPIRIT,' and hast given him remission of all sins, grant him "continual health to acknowledge the truth of Thy Unity through the LORD "JESUS CHRIST."

Gothic (p. 36).

"Let us pray, dearly beloved brethren, our LORD and GOD for these His " regenerate, who have now been baptized, that when the SAVIOUR shall come "in His majesty, He may clothe them with salvation, whom He has born again "'of water and the HOLY SPIRIT.'" (Collect after giving the white vestment.)

Old Gallican (MS. of seventh century, ib. p. 43).

"O LORD GOD Almighty, do Thou, in these Thy servants whom Thou hast "appointed to be born again ' of water and the HOLY SPIRIT,' preserve that holy

Baptism which they have received, and be pleased to perfect it to the hallow"ing of Thy Holy Name; that Thy grace may ever avail to them, and that what "they have received by Thy free gift they may keep by the integrity of their life."

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Church of Jerusalem (p. 254). (Prayer with offering of incense.)

"O GOD, the Word, Begotten from everlasting,-Who, by thy life-giving dispensation, breaking down the barrier of the ancient enmity, hast given to the "human race a second birth' of water and the SPIRIT,' the bright robe of Baptism, and the heavenly gift of adoption, and kindred with the FATHER and "the SPIRIT,-grant that we may stand in fear and trembling before Thee, stand"ing pure and without falling, until our last breath, clothed with the royal robe

keep this His gift in them to the end. It occurs also in the prayer of the minister that he may be made worthy' to administer so high a mystery. And now, let any one, who wishes to see the truth, labour to lay aside prejudice, and without bias to review this evidence. It relates to no insulated point, no bye or incidental question, which may be laid aside or assumed without affecting the rest. It lies, as is confessed, at the root of the whole system; as some say, a deadening doctrine; as the old Church found it, full of life: but, in either case, it is the point from which the two opposite systems, which divide the Church, diverge. Let a person, then, consider what the evidence is. Every vestige of Christian writing which God has preserved to us from the ancient Church, that explains the words, "Except "a man be born of water and the SPIRIT," assumes, that they declare that in Baptism we are born from above, through our SAVIOUR'S gift; every passage, which speaks of the privileges of

"of holy Baptism, which Thou hast wrought for us through Thy Divine goodness, and which, by an unfeigned faith, is kept whole, &c."

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Church of Antioch. (Apostolic by Severus, on raising the baptized from the Water, a hymn, t. ii. p. 300.)

Spread thy wings, Holy Church, and receive the gentle lamb, which the "HOLY SPIRIT hath begotten of the waters of Baptism. Hail, thou new lamb, "son begotten of Baptism, whom I have begotten of the waters, in the Name "of the Trinity."

In the order by Severus himself, p. 266, note, there occurs:

"The filth of our sins, and the stains which come from the enemy, we wash "off this day, in the laver which is of water and the SPIRIT."

1 Greek and Syriac.

Edessa.

Apostolic Liturgy translated from the Greek by James of (Prayer in offering the incense. T. i. p. 256.)

"Giver of holiness and Saviour of the human race, Thou who hast transformed "earthly things into a good and heavenly order, and hast renewed the way of "salvation 'through water and the SPIRIT,' and hast by the love of Thy CHRIST "brought us to that life, and hast set us miserable sinners as Thy servants in "the presence of Thy glory-fill us with the might of Thy HOLY SPIRIT and "the grace of Thy Only-Begotten Son, and make us able to be ministers of "Thy New Testament, and that with knowledge, and faith, and repentance, we " may be fit now also to minister to Thy all-glorious name."

Also in the Apostolic form arranged by Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, t. ii. p. 286.

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Baptism at all, implies the same; their whole system of theology presupposes it every branch of the whole Church, independent as they may have been in their origin, ingraft upon their Baptismal Liturgies, (and in this sense,) our LORD's words, "Except a man be born of water and the SPIRIT." The doctrine seems to militate against predestinarian views, yet St. Augustine, the author of those views, and his disciples, maintained and urged it; heretics, whose interest it was aforetime to deny it, retained, in their own sense, their belief in this; until, at last, after the Church had borne witness to it for fifteen centuries, one man arose and denied it. Now, let any one find any other instance in which the whole Church has thus uniformly held any doctrine, which can be proved to be an error: if he cannot, let him ask himself what ground he has for supposing them to be in error on this, for setting a modern novelty against the consent of the whole Church, or how the supposition of such an error is consistent with the SAVIOUR'S promise, never to forsake His Church.

But, combining this consent with our LORD's words, the argument becomes so strong, that with one who loves his SAVIOUR, and is not hindered by a long contrary bias, I would gladly rest the whole question of Baptismal Regeneration upon this one consideration. However men may think that the words do not require this interpretation, they will readily admit that it is an obvious, perhaps (apart from other considerations) the more obvious meaning; add, then, to this, that the Christian Church uniformly, for fifteen centuries, interpreted these His words of Baptism; that on the ground of this text alone, they urged the necessity of Baptism; that upon it, mainly, they identified 1 rege

1 I say, identified, because, so convinced were they of the connexion of re"generation" with Baptism, that they use it, unexplained, when the ordinary seuse of "regeneration" was manifestly incorrect. Thus Jerome uses it of the Baptism of our SAVIOUR (1. i. c. Jovinian. circa med. quoted by Wall, Infant Baptism, p. 19): as also do others, (e. g. S. Hilary and S. Ambrose, see below on iii. 3.) where, if it have any sense but that of "being baptized," it can only mean, was "declared to be the Son of GOD," (as Ps. ii. 7. is sometimes applied to His Baptism;) but they never could have used "re-natus" in this sense, had they not been accustomed to use it as identical with Baptism. In

neration with Baptism. If, then, this be an error, would our SAVIOUR have used words which (since water was already used in the Jews' and John's Baptism) must inevitably, and did lead His Church into error? and which He, Who knew all things, must, at the time, have known, would lead His Church into error? and that, when according to Zuingli's or Calvin's interpretation, His meaning had been as fully expressed, had it stood, "born of the SPIRIT," only. Rather, if one may argue from the result, one should think, that our SAVIOUR added the words, "of water," (upon which, in His immediate converse with Nicodemus, He does not dwell,) with the very view, that His Church should thence learn the truth, which she has transmitted,—that 'regeneration" is the gift of GOD, bestowed by Him, in this life, in Baptism only. Indeed, the opposite exposition, invented by the Swiss teachers, was so manifestly a mere weapon, by which to demolish a Papal argument for the absolute necessity of Baptism, that it had hardly been worth commenting upon, but that no error ever stops at its first stage; mere repetition hardens as well as emboldens; what is first adopted as an expedient, is afterwards justified as being alone the truth-the mantle, which was assumed to cover shame, cleaves to us, like that in the fable, until it have sucked out the very life and marrow of our whole system. One text, misquoted in order to disprove the absolute necessity of Baptism, has ended in the scarcely disguised indifference or contempt of an ordinance of our SAVIOUR.

Not less peremptorily, however, do our Blessed SAVIOUR'S words refuse to be bound down to any mere outward change of state', or circumstances, or relation, however glorious the privi

like manner, in our own Articles "renatis," in the Latin copy (Art. 9), is Englished by "baptized." As in the Ancient Church, St. Hilary, on the confession of Faith in Baptism," Didst thou not, when thou wast re-born (renas❝cens), confess that the Son of GOD was born of Mary ?"-De Trin. l. ix. c. 49. 1 Whitaker de Sacr. q. iv. c. 2. ad test. 1. ex Concil. Nic. 1. ap. Gataker, p. 123. "The Fathers did not mean to be understood to the letter, (that there was one Baptism for the remission of sins;) but the Council thus speaks "because Baptism designates a new state." I cannot but think, too, that Waterland's statements lead to too outward a view, at least in the case of