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

And in Jesus Christ his only-begotten Son 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 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.

Minister.

WILT thou then obediently keep God's holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of thy life?

Answer. I will.

Then the Priest shall say,

thanks unto him, and say the Prayer WE receive this Child into

which the Lord himself taught us :

OUR Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name. Thy king-
dom come. Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our tres-
passes, As we forgive them that tres-
pass against us. And lead us not into
temptation; But deliver us from evil.
Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Father, we give thee

the

congregation of Christ's flock, *and do sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that hereafter he shall not be asham

• Here the Priest shall make a Cross upon the Child's forehead.

ed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world, and the devil; and to continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen.

¶ Then shall the Priest say, EEING now, dearly beloved bre

regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits; and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that he may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.

humble thanks, that thou hast vouch-thren, that this Child is by Baptism safed 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 WE yield thee most hearty thanks, with thee and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Then shall the Priest say,

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 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 an inheritor of thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Then, all standing up, the Minister shall make this Exhortation to the i Godfathers and Godmothers.

ligence, and of Conversion in case of wilful neglect or sin.

THE LORD'S PRAYER following might perhaps (as in the PostCommunion Office) have appropriately ended with the Doxology, as beginning a Service of Thanksgiving.

THE THANKSGIVING again (a) dwells on the Regeneration of the Infant, with its results in the gift of individual sonship to God, and the inclusion in the corporate life of the Church. The gift is absolute, so far as Justification is concerned. Hence the Rubric at the end as to the salvation of baptized Infants. But since actual Sanctification is in those who grow up to consciousness conditional on assent of will, there follows (b) prayer for the child, first, that he may crucify and mortify the fleshly power of sin

(see Rom. vi. 6; Gal. v. 24; Rom. viii. 13; Col. iii. 5); next, that he may have effectually the new life of positive energy of righteousness (see Rom. vi. 5); lastly, that he may come to the eternal kingdom of Heaven.

THE FINAL EXHORTATION to the Sponsors urges their duty in respect of the child; first, to see that he is duly instructed, publicly in the Church by Sermons, and privately in the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Com mandments, as the basis of right Faith, Devotion, and Practice, and in all other needful teaching built upon this foundation: next, to see that he is trained in godliness and virtue by growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ, both by mortification of sin and by positive energy of righteousness; lastly, to take care that in due course he is brought to Confirmation.

THE RUBRICS.-The first, as to the Salvation of Infants, was in 1662 transferred to this place from the Preface to the Confirmation Service. It is drawn from a declaration put out in 1536, and published in "the Institution of a Christian Man" in 1537. But in its original form it added the words "and otherwise not," most happily omitted from it in the Prayer Book.

The xxxth Canon referred to in the Second Rubric, dwells on the primitive use of the sign of the Cross, and on the insufficiency of the plea of past abuse to take away necessarily the use of what is in itself harmless or good; and then goes on to explain that it is no integral part of the Sacrament, nor held absolutely essential for the reception into the Church.

THE OFFICE OF

PRIVATE BAPTISM OF INFANTS.

THE OPENING RUBRICS.-The first two declare-what was till 1662 embodied in the title of the Service-that Public Baptism, as soon as possible after birth, is the right and normal condition of things, and that Private Baptism is to be allowed only in case of necessity. Even in this case it was constantly opposed by the Puritan party in the Church, and distinctly objected to at the Savoy Conferencethe objection, of course, indicating a very different idea as to the general necessity of Baptism from that which is laid down in the Prayer Book.

The Third lays down the regulations for such Private Baptism(a) As to the MINISTER of Baptism. (1) In the old Sarum Manual it is declared: "It is not lawful for a layman or woman to baptize, except in case of necessity;" but it is added that the Priest is to teach frequently to his people the essentials of Baptism, so that "if necessity present itself, they may know how to baptize Infants

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 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 alway, 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.

But if they which bring the Infant to the Church do make such uncertain answers to the Priest's questions, as that it cannot appear that the Child was baptized with Water, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, (which are essential parts of Baptism,) then let the Priest baptize it in the form before appointed for Publick Baptism of Infants; saving that at the dipping of the Child in the Font, he shall use this form of words.

IF thou art not already baptized, N. I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

THE MINISTRATION OF

BAPTISM TO SUCH AS ARE OF RIPER YEARS, AND ABLE TO ANSWER FOR THEMSELVES.

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 Holy-day 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 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.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who

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 wellbeloved 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

(And here all the Congregation shall reign with thee world without end;

kneel.)

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

in due ecclesiastical form;" and that, if children be baptized by lay hands with water in the Name of the Holy Trinity, no rebaptism is to take place. These regulations express the principle gradually recognised in the early Church (although not without hesitation and objection, especially in the case of women), that Lay Baptism is to be held irregular but valid. (2) In the Prayer Book till 1604 the matter was left perfectly open, it being directed that anyone of those present might baptize, without any notice of irregularity in Lay Baptism. (3) In 1604, on the request of the Puritan party (on this point supported by the King), it was ordered that Baptism should be by the "lawful Minister," and in 1662 this phrase was defined as "the Minister of the Parish, or in his absence any other lawful Minister." But it is made clear by the directions as to conditional rebaptism, and it has, indeed, been legally determined, that this regulation does not invalidate Lay Baptism, but simply establishes the old rule, Fieri non debuit: factum valet.

(b) As to the FORM OF BAPTISM. Till 1662 the direction was simply to call on God for His grace, and say the Lord's Prayer, if time will suffer," and then to baptize. The present directions were substituted in 1662.

The fourth Rubric directs public certificate by the Priest of the Private Baptism by himself, or examination by him into the minister and nature of the Private Baptism. The former of these was directed in 1604; the latter alone was found up to that date. It will be noted that the examination is confined to two pointsevidence of the fact of Baptism, and evidence of Baptism in due form, by water and in the Name of the Holy Trinity. Only in defect of these is conditional Rebaptism allowed.

THE OFFICE FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE CHILD.-After the preliminary declaration that all has been "well done and according to true order,' and that the Baptism is therefore valid, the Service takes up the Office of Public Baptism at the Gospel, and follows it, generally, to the end, with the verbal changes necessary, and the omission of the Baptism itself and the Prayers immediately preceding. But (perhaps accidentally) it preserves the old place of the Lord's Prayer after the Exhortation on the Gospel, instead of transferring it to the Post-Baptismal Service. Till 1662 the Creed was also recited here, as in the Service of Public Baptism of 1549; and the Service itself was shorter, omitting the signing with the Cross and the declaration of Regene ration.

THE OFFICE OF

PUBLIC BAPTISM OF ADULTS.

It

The Preface to the Prayer Book in 1662 declares that this Service was inserted because by the growth of Anabaptism... it is become necessary," and "may be useful for the baptizing of Natives in our Plantations and others converted to the faith.' was drawn up by a Committee of Convocation, chiefly by Bishop Griffith of St. Asaph, on the pattern of the Office for Public Baptism of Infants, with the following modifications:

(a) The opening Rubric directs notice to be given to the Bishop, or his delegate, that care may be taken to see that the Candidates be (as for Confirmation) duly instructed in the principles of Christianity, and exhorted to prepare themselves by Prayer and Fasting.

(b) The opening Exhortation recognises in them the existence not only of original sinfulness but of actual sin.