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RITE OF PUTTING ON THE WHITE VESTMENT AFTER BAPTISM.

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Sacramentary of Gelasius.

Almighty God, the Fa

ther of our Lord Jesus

Old Gothic. Assem. t. ii.

P. 34.)

"I anoint thee with the The same as col. 1. as in col. 1.
unction of holiness, the robe

Christ, who hath regenerated of immortality, which our
thee by water and the Holy Lord Jesus Christ received
Ghost, and who hath given as delivered from the Father, that thou mayest
unto thee remission of all bear it pure and undefiled before the tribunal of
sins, He anoint thee with, Christ, and live for ever and ever."

the 2 unction of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord, unto life eternal. (Assem. p. 5. See also p. 17. and in the old Gallican Church, p. 39, 55, 58, 59, 63, 66, 70, 73, 76, 79, 81, &c. See also the old German form, ap. Luther.)

"Let us pray, very dearly beloved brethren, our Lord and God, for His regenerated ones, that, as they have been baptized, so, when the Saviour shall come in His Majesty, He may clothe with everlasting salvation, those whom He has regenerated with water and the Spirit."

"We pray for the baptized and crowned in Christ, to whom, asking, our Lord has vouchsafed to grant regeneration, that, O Almighty God, they may bear the baptism which they have received, unde1+"By the washing of re-filed to the end, through our Lord Jesus Christ." generation and blood."---Old

Gall., very old MS. ap.

Assem. p. 42.

2 "With His Holy Chrism."-Ibid.

+ in the same

His Son Jesus
Christ.-Ebor.

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For the rite of clothing
the newly-baptized in white,
see Assem. t. ii. p. 213.

Constantinopolitan.

"The servant of
God is clothed with
the robe of righte-

-

this

"Take
white vestment
for a token of the

ousness, in the name innocence which
of the Father, the by God's grace,
Son, and the Holy in this Holy Sa-
Ghost,now and ever, crament of Bap-
throughout all ages. tism, is given
Amen." Ap. As- unto thee,and for
sem. t. ii. p. 145. a sign whereby
"Grant me the thou art admo-
shining robe, Thou nished so long as
who puttest on light thou livest, to
as a garment, All- give thyself to in-
merciful Christ, our nocency of liv-
God. Amen."-ib. ing, that, after
this transitory
life, thou mayest
be partaker of life
everlasting.
Amen."

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"The servant of
God is anointed with

"I anoint thee with the "This lamb is marked in
oil of gladness, a defence the flock of Christ, who
against all the works of the hath come to Holy Baptism, the oil of gladness,
evil adversary, that thou in the name of the Father,
mayest be engraffed in the Amen, of the Son, Amen,
root of the fruitful olive-tree of the Holy Spirit, Amen,
which is the Holy Catholic for all ages. Amen.'
and Apostolic Church of
God. Amen."-(Assem. i.
p. 163.)

And again, as in the Cop-
tic, i. p. 240, and p. 254, and
ii. p. 304, and p. 285, "is
marked with oil of glad-
ness, that he may become
worthy of the adoption of
sons through regeneration,
in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy
Ghost."-ii. 302.

in the name of the Same as col. 1.
Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost,now
and ever," &c.-
Assem. ii. 142.

270

(C.)

SPECIMEN OF MODERN LANGUAGE,

INTRODUCED BY

BUCER INTO HERMANN'S FORM,

AND EXCLUDED

BY THE REFORMERS OF OUR BAPTISMAL LITURGY.

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"Almighty and merciful GOD and FATHER, Thou didst promise "to Abraham our father, and the father of all that believe, and "in him Thou didst promise us also, his children, that Thou wouldest "be a God to us and our seed. Wherefore, as Thou didst receive the "infants of the old people into grace, and into Thine own people, by "circumcision; and Thy Son CHRIST JESUS, our Lord and Saviour, "admitted children, offered unto Him, right gently, and blessed them, "testifying that the kingdom of GOD pertaineth to such; so let it be Thy pleasure to beget our infants again, to adopt them into sons, "unto the fellowship of everlasting life, by the sacrament of Baptism. "Grant then, Heavenly FatHER, that we may earnestly require so great riches of grace, set forth in Baptism for Thine infants, that we may acknowledge and receive them with true faith, being offered "both in Thy word and in the sacrament. Finally, that we may ever “thank Thee, and magnify Thee for them. And impute not to these “infants the sin of Adam, issued into them and engendered by their parents; and regard not the merits of their parents, and of all this people; but let the Death and Merit of Thy SoN our LORD JESUS "CHRIST prevail in them, and impute unto them His righteousness "and obedience. Plant them into His Death and Resurrection; "make them members of His body; put Him upon them, that they may be Thy sons and heirs, and continue for ever. Grant us also, that, after Baptism, we may acknowledge them Thy children, and "members of the body of Thy Son; that we may godly bring them up "in the fear of Thee, unto Thy glory; that we may help them in all "corporal and spiritual things; that also by them Thy holy Name "may be the more magnified, the kingdom of Thy SoN enlarged, Thy "will be done in this earth as in heaven. Furthermore, keep them "safe, give them bounteously the necessaries of life, and preserve "them from all evil. Amen."

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Note (N) on page 144.

Burges (Baptismal Regeneration of Elect Infants) produces three passages from the Fathers, to prove that though they speak of regeneration as universally accompanying Baptism, yet they are to be understood as limiting this to the elect. "It is true," he says, (p. 129.) "that the Fathers except none; but this proves not that they therefore "held none as excepted by GoD, nay they often declare the contrary.” The three passages he produces are of course the strongest he could find they are from St. Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine. The passage of St. Chrysostom is mistranslated. Burges translates "Some, when ready to breathe their last, run unto Baptism, and yet are never a whit the more purged by it ;" and argues that these persons are not such as resist the Spirit by a wicked heart and corrupt life but men, even at the point of death, apprehending a "necessity of remission of sin by CHRIST, and hastening to initiation, "which argues an earnest desire after the grace of Baptism, and yet "they go away without it. Therefore they of whom he speaketh are "not such as do resist the Spirit, when they are baptized." But St. Chrysostom says, "How am I pained when I see others hastening "to their last gasp, and not even thence coming to a better mind!" And he is speaking of those who delay Baptism, and at last receive it ungratefully, and "even if they recover, think that an injury has been done them;" [in that they could not now again have the full remis sion of Baptism.]

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St. Jerome, in Gal. iii. 27, is speaking manifestly of adults, of those "who, whether heretics. or hypocrites, or living in sin, (qui sordide "victitant,) appear to receive Baptism, but he doubts whether they "have the clothing of CHRIST;" and with these he joins Simon Magus, who had received (acceperat) the washing of water, but "because he had not (habebat) the HOLY SPIRIT, had not put on "CHRIST." "There are many washings," he says on Ezek. xvi. 4. "which the heathen in their mysteries, and the heretics promise, who "all give a washing, but not to salvation. Wherefore it is added, " and thou wast not washed in water to salvation.' Which may be "understood not only of heretics, but of members of the Church, who " do not with full faith receive saving Baptism: Of whom it must be "said, that they received water, but not the Spirit, as also that Simon "Magus, who wished to purchase the grace of GoD with money, was "baptized with water, but by no means to salvation." St. Jerome then looked upon Simon Magus' sin as commencing with his Baptism, not as a subsequent relapse; that he came to Baptism feignedly; not led by the SPIRIT of GOD, but for filthy lucre, and therefore he of course received not its grace. This all Christians who adopted the same view of Simon Magus' case (see above, p. 172 sq.) would alike hold. But it is not thereby implied that he failed of receiving that grace,

because God had not chosen him to receive it: rather, he received it not on account of his own sin.

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The statement of St. Augustine is not taken directly from his works, but (as Burges says) from Peter Lombard (Sent. L. 4. Dist. 4. A.) and with some misgiving that " P. Lombard may have wronged him." The statement is "Sacramenta in solis electis efficiunt quod figurant." "The Sacraments work what they shadow forth in the elect only." And for this theDe Baptismo parvulorum' is alleged. This same sentiment, in the same words, and probably on the same authority, is also alleged to be St. Augustine's by Calvin, (Institt. 4. 14. 15.) But neither in the three books" de peccatorum meritis et remissione, et "de Baptismo parvulorum," nor in the Homily so entitled (Serm. 294. alias 14. de verbis Apostoli), nor, as far as I can discover, in any other work of St. Augustine, is there any such sentiment. And not this only, but it appears to be in contradiction with St. Augustine's genuine sentiments. On the contrary he uniformly contrasts (as above said, p. 88.) the case of infants baptized and those unbaptized, the one being elected to the gift of regeneration, and so (if they die early) to the kingdom of Heaven; the other, as being unregenerated, being 'left.' Rightly thou sayest, he answers Julian,' that justice "lies in the depth of Deity.' In this depth is it, that it is neither "of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that "showeth mercy.' In this depth is it, that that little one is adopted "to honour by the washing of regeneration, that other is left in dis"honour, not to be admitted into the kingdom, where there is no "merit or demerit in either by any choice of will. Behold, two little ones lie there; one of them dies baptized, the other unbaptized: "to which of them will you say that God is merciful? If to the one, "show wherein is the ill desert of the other, thou who deniest original sin if to both, show me any good deserts of the baptized, "thou who deniest grace, where there is no accepting of persons; and say, if thou canst, why He would not adopt both, who doubtless "created both in His own image? Neither of them refused, so that you might suppose the Divine power hindered by the demerits of "the human will: here then to neither can God say, 'I willed and "thou wouldst not.' And yet one is taken and the other is left, " because great is the free mercy of GoD and true is the justice of "GOD. But why the one more than the other? "The judgments of "GOD are unsearchable."" (Op. Imperf. c. Julian. L. 1. § 38, 9.) And so he on each occasion shuts up the question by the appeal " Oh "the depth of the riches!" (e. g. de Bapt. Parv. § 7.) but doubts not that all baptized children are regenerated, and have the full benefits of Baptism.

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St. Augustine's opinions may be still further illustrated, by observing who, in his opinion, miss of the grace of Baptism, or receive the grace without any benefit. They are two classes only; first, those who

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