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IX.

Year after

tion, from that text, John iii. 5, and then adds; et CHAP. ordinavit ecclesia, quod quælibet persona fidelis in ⚫ necessitatis articulo poterit baptizari [7. baptizare] the apo -Nec refert,' &c. And the church has or- stles. dained that in a case of necessity any person that is fidel [or that is himself baptized] may give baptism, &c.- -Nor is it material whether they be dipped,' &c. Such words do not suppose any other way than dipping used ordinarily: but only in a juncture of necessity, or fear of the infant's death.

The offices or liturgies for public baptism in the church of England did all along, so far as I can learn, enjoin dipping, without any mention of pouring or sprinkling. The Manuale ad usum Sarum, printed 1530, the 21st of Henry VIIIth, 1430. orders thus for the public baptisms; then let the 'priest take the child, and, having asked the name, baptize him by dipping him in the water thrice,' &c. And John Frith", writing in the year 1533 a 1433Treatise of Baptism, calls the outward part of it, the plunging down in the water, and lifting up ' again.' Which he often mentions, without ever mentioning pouring or sprinkling.

In the Common Prayer Book printed 1549, the 1449second of king Edward the VIth, the order stands thus shall dip it in the water thrice, &c.-So it

be discreetly and warily done: saying, V. I bap'tize thee,' &c. But this order adds; and if the

child be weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it, saying the foresaid words.' Afterward, the books do leave out the word thrice: and do say;

[See the works of Tyndal, Frith, and Barnes,' cited above.]

IX.

Year after the apostles.

CHAP. shall dip it in the water, so it be discreetly,' &c. Which alteration, I suppose, was made in the sixth of Edward the VIth, for then there was a new edi tion of the book with some light alterations. And from thence it stood unaltered as to this matter to 1562. the fourteenth of Charles II.

1452.

From this time of king Edward, Mr. Walker P (who has taken the most pains in tracing this matter) derives the beginning of the alteration of the general custom. He says, that' dipping was at this time the more usual, but sprinkling was sometimes used: "which within the time of half a cen1450.tury [meaning from 1550 to 1600] prevailed to 'be the more general (as it is now almost the only) way of baptizing."'

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But it is not probable that in so short a reign as 1453. that of king Edward, who died in 1553, the custom could receive any great alteration. Customs, in which the whole body of the people is concerned, alter but slowly, when they do alter.

And in queen Mary's time the custom of dipping seems to have continued. For Watson, the popish

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• [In the edition of 1549 the words are as given by Wall: in that of 1552, the word thrice' is omitted, the rest remain as before. In that of queen Elizabeth, published in 1559, the same. In king James', of 1607, the same. In king Charles', 1639, the same.

It may be remembered, that in all these, even the earliest, we find, in the office for private baptism, a rubric enjoining that [first one of the persons present,' and afterwards] the lawful 'minister' shall dip the child in water or pour water upon him, saying, &c.]

p Doctrine of Baptisms, chap. x. p. 147. [8°. London, 1678.] q [See Holsome and Catholyke doctryne concerninge the seven Sacramentes of Chrystes Church-set forth in maner

IX.

the apo

bishop of Lincoln, did in the year 1558, which was CHAP. the last of queen Mary, publish a volume of sermons about the sacraments: in the fourth of which Year after he says; though the old and ancient tradition of sties. the church hath been from the beginning to dip 1458. the child three times, &c. yet that is not of such necessity, but that if he be but once dipped in the water, it is sufficient. Yea, and in time of great * peril and necessity, if the water be but poured • upon his head, it will suffice.' A sign, that pouring was not in queen Mary's time used but in case of necessity.

But there are apparent reasons why that custom should alter during queen Elizabeth's reign.

The latitude given in the Liturgy, which could have but little effect in the short time of king Edward's reign, might, during the long reign of this queen, produce an alteration proportionably greater. It being allowed to weak children (though strong enough to be brought to church) to be baptized by affusion, many fond ladies and gentlewomen first, and then by degrees the common people, would obtain the favour of the priest to have their children pass for weak children, too tender to endure dipping in the water. Especially,' (as Mr. Walker observes,) if some instance really were, or were but · fancied and framed, of some child's taking cold or being otherwise prejudiced by its being dipped".

And another thing that had a greater influence than this, was; that many of our English divines and other people had, during queen Mary's bloody

* of short sermons

-by Thomas [Watson] bishop of Lìn'colne.' 4o. London, 1558.—Sermon iv. folio 22, 23.] [Doctrine of Baptisms, p. 147-]

IX.

CHAP. reign, fled into Germany, Switzerland, &c., and coming back in queen Elizabeth's time, they brought Year after with them a great love to the customs of those pro

the apo

stles.

testant churches wherein they had sojourned: and especially the authority of Calvin, and the rules which he had established at Geneva, had a mighty influence on a great number of our people about that time. Now Calvin had not only given his dictate in his Institutions, that the difference is of no 'moment, whether he that is baptized be dipped all 'over; and if so, whether thrice or once; or whether he be only wetted with the water poured on him:' but he had also drawn up for the use of his church at Geneva (and afterwards published to the 1436. world) a form of administering the sacraments”, where, when he comes to order the act of baptizing, he words it thus: then the minister of baptism 'pours water on the infant; saying, I baptize

1445

thee,' &c. There had been, as I said, some synods in some dioceses of France that had spoken of affusion without mentioning immersion at all; that being the common practice: but for an office or liturgy of any church, this is, I believe, the first in the world that prescribes affusion absolutely. Then Musculus had determined', as for dipping of the infant; we judge that not so necessary, but that it is free for the church to baptize either by dipping r Lib. iv. cap. 15. §. 19.

s Tractat. Theolog. Catechismus, p. 57. ed. Bezæ, 1576. [contained in the eighth volume of Calvin's works, folio, Amsterdam edition.]

t Loci Communes de Baptismo, p. 431. [See Wolfgangi Musculi Loci Communes Theologiæ Sacræ,' folio, Basileæ, 1599. De Baptismo, §. 3. p. 339.-Musculus confirms his judg ment on the point by quotations from Augustine and Cyprian.]

or sprinkling.

IX.

the apo

So that (as Mr. Walker observes") CHAP. no wonder if that custom prevailed at home, which our reformed divines in the time of the Marian Year after persecution had found to be the judgment of other stles. divines, and seen to be the practice of other churches abroad; and especially of Mr. Calvin and his church at Geneva.'

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And when there was added to all this the resolution of such a man as Dr. Whitaker, Regius Professor at Cambridge, Though in case of grown persons that are in health, I think dipping to be better; yet in the case of infants, and of sickly people, I think sprinkling sufficient:-The inclination of the people, backed with these authorities, carried the practice against the rubric; which still required dipping, except in case of weakness. So that in the latter times of queen Elizabeth, and during the reigns of king James and of king Charles I, very few children were dipped in the font. I have heard of one or two persons now living, who must have been born in those reigns, that they were baptized by dipping in the font; and of one clergyman now living, that has baptized some infants so: but am not certain.

P.S. I have since heard of several. And I myself have had one opportunity of administering baptism so, by the parents' consent. But the children were however all that time carried to the font. As much as to say; the minister is ready to dip the child, if the parents will venture the health of it.

Doctrine of Baptism, ch. x. §. 107. p. 148.

› Prælectiones de Sacr. de Baptismo, Q. 1. c. 2. [See · Gul. • Whitakeri Prælectiones de Sacramentis in genere,' &c. 4°. Francofurti, 1624, p. 216.]

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