Font.

"AS to the form of baptism, our Saviour only instituted the essential parts of it, viz. that it should be performed by a proper minister with water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (x). But as for the rites and circumstances of the administration of it, he left them to the determination of the apostles and the church. Yet without doubt a form of baptism was very early agreed upon, because almost all churches in the world do administer it much after the same manner. The latter ages indeed had made some superfluous additions, but our Reformers removed them, and restored this office to a nearer resemblance of the ancient model than any other church can shew. We have now three several offices in our liturgy, viz. one for public baptism of infants in the church, another for private baptism of children in houses, and a third for such as are of riper years and able to answer for themselves (y)."—ED.]

I. Baptism of Infants.

Art. 27. The baptism of young children is any wise to be retained in the church, as most agreeable with the institution of Christ."

Rubr. "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 holiday falling between; unless upon a great and reasonable cause, to be approved by the curate."

II. Public Baptism.

1. At first baptism was administered publicly, as occasion served, by rivers: afterwards the baptistery was built, at the entrance of the church or very near it; which had a large bason in it, that held the persons to be baptized, and they

(x) [Matth. xxviii. 19.]

(y) [Wheatley on the Common Prayer, 306.-ED.]

went down by steps into it. Afterwards, when immersion came to be disused, fonts were set up at the entrance of churches (z).

There shall be a font of stone, or other competent material, in every church; which shall be decently covered and kept, and not converted to other uses (a).

And by Can. 81, "There shall be a font of stone in every church and chapel where baptism is to be ministered; the same to be set in the ancient usual places; in which only font [110] the minister shall baptize publicly.'

2. Rubr. "The people are to be admonished that it is most When. convenient that baptism shall not be administered but upon Sundays and other holidays, when the most number of people come together; as well for that the congregation there present may testify the receiving of them that be newly baptized into the number of Christ's church, as also because in the baptism of infants every man present may be put in remembrance of his own profession made to God in his baptism. Nevertheless, if necessity so require, children may be baptized upon any other day."

And by Can. 68, "No minister shall refuse or delay to christen any child according to the form of the Book of Common Prayer, that is brought to the church to him upon Sundays and holidays to be christened (convenient warning being given him thereof before). And if he shall refuse so to do, he shall be suspended, by the bishop of the diocese, from his ministry by the space of three months."

Notice.

3. Rubr. "When there are children to be baptized, the Previous parents shall give knowledge thereof over night, or in the morning before the beginning of morning prayer, to the curate."

4. Rubr. "There shall be for every male child to be bap- Godfathers. tized, two godfathers and one godmother; and for every female, one godfather and two godmothers."

Can. 29. "No parent shall be urged to be present, nor be admitted to answer as godfather for his own child; nor any godfather or godmother shall be suffered to make any other answer or speech than by the Book of Common Prayer is prescribed in that behalf. Neither shall any person be admitted godfather or godmother to any child at christening or confirmation, before the said person so undertaking hath received the holy communion."

5. Rubr. "And the godfathers and godmothers, and the At what Time people with the children, must be ready at the font, either im- to attend, mediately after the last lesson at morning prayer, or else immediately after the last lesson at evening prayer, as the curate by his discretion shall appoint."

(z) 1 Still. Eccl. Cases, 146.

(a) Edmund, Lind. 241.

VOL. 1.

L

Office.

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Naming the
Child.

Dipping.

Cross.

6. Rubr. "And the priest coming to the font, which is then to be filled with pure water, shall perform the office of public baptism."

Note, the questions in the office of the 2 Edw. 6, Dost thou renounce, and so on, were put to the child, and not to the godfathers and godmothers; which (with all due submission) seemeth more applicable to the end of the institution; besides that it is not consistent (as it seemeth) with the propriety of language, to say to three persons collectively, Dost thou in the name of this child do this or that? But it seems to be more inconsistent to say to the child, Dost thou in the name of this child? The expression, Dost thou, may apply to the sponsors individually.

7. By a constitution of Archbishop Peccham, "The ministers shall take care not to permit wanton names, which being pronounced do sound to lasciviousness, to be given to children baptized, especially of the female sex; and if otherwise it be done, the same shall be changed by the bishop at confirmation (b)."

Which being so changed at confirmation (Lord Coke says), shall be deemed the lawful name (c).

And this might be so in the time of Lord Coke; but now the case seemeth to be altered. In the ancient offices of confirmation, the bishop pronounced the name of the child; and if the bishop did not approve of the name, or the person to be confirmed or his friends desired it to be altered, it might be done, by the bishop's then pronouncing a new name: but by the form of the present liturgy, the bishop doth not pronounce the name of the person to be confirmed, and therefore cannot alter it (d).

8. Rubr. "The priest, taking the child into his hands, shall say to the godfathers and godmothers, Name this child; and then naming it after them (if they shall certify him that the child may well endure it) he shall dip it in the water discreetly and warily, saying, N. I baptize thee, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

"But if they certify that the child is weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it (e)."

Note: the dipping by the office of the 2 Edw. 6 was not all over; but they first dipped the right side, then the left, then the face towards the font.

9. Rubr. "Then the minister shall sign the child with the sign of the cross. And to take away all scruple concerning the same, the true explication thereof, and the just reasons for the retaining of this ceremony, are set forth in the thirtieth

canon."

The substance of which canon is: "That the first Christians

(b) Lind. 245.

(c) 1 Inst. 3.

(d) Johns. A.D. 1281, num. 3.
(e) Ibid.

gloried in the cross of Christ; that the scripture doth set forth our whole redemption under the name of the cross; that the sign of the cross was used by the first Christians in all their actions, and especially in the baptizing of their children; that the abuse of it by the church of Rome doth not take away the lawful use of it; that the same hath been approved by the reformed divines, with sufficient cautions nevertheless against superstition in the use of it, as, that it is no part of the substance of this sacrament, and that the infant baptized is by virtue of baptism, before it be signed with the sign of the cross, received into the congregation of Christ's flock as a perfect member thereof, and not by any power ascribed to the sign of the cross; and therefore that the same being purged from all popish superstition and error, and reduced to its primary institution upon those rules of doctrine concerning things indifferent which are consonant to the word of God and to the judgments of all the ancient fathers, ought to be retained in the church, considering that things of themselves indifferent do in some sort alter their natures when they become enjoined or prohibited by lawful authority."

III. Private Baptism.

Rubr. "The curates of every parish shall often warn the people that without great cause and necessity they procure not their children to be baptized at home in their houses."

Can. 69. "If any minister being duly, without any manner of collusion, informed of the weakness and danger of death of any 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 [113] vicar himself, but to the curate or substitute present."

Rubr. "The child being named by some one that is present, the minister shall pour water upon it."

"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 the congregation may be cer

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tified of the true form of baptism privately before administered to such child (f)."

IV. Lay Baptism.

Women, when their time of child-bearing is near at hand, shall have water ready for baptizing the child in case of necessity (g).

For cases of necessity, the priests on Sundays shall frequently instruct their parishioners in the form of baptism (h). Which form shall be thus: I crysten the in the name of the Fader, and of the Sone, and of the Holy Goste (i).

Infants baptized by laymen or women (in imminent danger of death) shall not be baptized again: and the priest shall afterwards supply the rest (k).

If a child shall be baptized by a lay person at home by reason of necessity, the water (for the reverence of baptism) shall be either poured into the fire, or carried to the church to be put in the font; and the vessel shall be burnt, or applied to the uses of the church (1).

By the Rubricks of the 2d and of the 5th of Edward VI. it was ordered thus: "The pastors and curates shall often admonish the people, that without great cause and necessity they baptize not children at home in their houses; and when great need shall compel them so to do, that then they minister it on this fashion: First, let them that be present, call upon God for his grace, and say the Lord's Prayer, if the time will suffer; and then one of them shall name the child, and dip him in the water, or pour water upon him, saying these words, I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

In the manuscript copy of the articles made in convocation in the year 1575, the twelfth is, " Item, Where some ambiguity and doubt hath risen among divers, by what persons private baptism is to be administered; forasmuch as by the Book of Common Prayer allowed by the statute, the bishop of the diocese is authorized to expound and resolve all such doubts as shall arise, concerning the manner how to understand and to execute the things contained in the said book; it is now, by the said archbishop and bishops expounded and resolved, and every of them doth expound and resolve, that the said private baptism, in case of necessity, is only to be ministered by a lawful minister or deacon called to be present for that purpose, and by none other: and that every bishop in his diocese shall take order, that this exposition of the said doubt shall be pub

(f) Rubrick.

(g) Edmund, Lind. 63.
(h) Otho, Athon. 10.

(i) Peccham, Lind. 244.
(k) Peccham, Lind. 41.
(1) Edmund, Lind. 241.