ed in writing, before the first day of May
next coming, in every parish church of his
diocese in this province ; and thereby all
other persons shall be inhibited to inter-
meddle with the ministering of baptism



privately, being no part of their vocation."
This article was not published in the
printed copy ; but whether on the same
account that the fifteenth article was left
out, (namely, because disa])})roved by the
CroAvn,) does not certainly appear. How-
ever, the ambiguity remained till the con-
ference at Hampton Court, in which the
king said, that if baptism was termed pri-
vate, because any but a lawful minister
might baptize, he utterly disliked it, and
the point was then debated ; which debate
ended in an order to the bishops to explain
it, so as to restrain it to a lawful minister.
Accordingly, in the Book of Common
Prayer, which was set forth the same year,
the alterations were printed in the rubric
thus : — " And also they shall warn them,
that without great cause they procure not
their children to be baptized at home in
their houses. And when great need shall
compel them so to do, then baptism shall
be administered on this fashion : First, let
the lawful minister and them that be pre-
sent call upon God for his grace, and say
the Lord's Prayer, if the time will suff"er ;
and then the child being named by some
one that is present, the said minister shall
dip it in the water, or pour water upon it."
And other expressions, in other parts of
the service, which seemed before to admit
of lay baptism, were so turned, as express-
ly to exclude it.

BAPTISM, PRIVATE. Rubric. "The
curates of every parish shall often warn the
people, that without great cause and ne-
cessity, they procure not their children to
be baptized at home in their houses."

Canon 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 re-
fuse 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 thi'ough such his default unbaptized,
the said minister shall be suspended for
three months, and before liis restitution
shall acknowledge his fault, and promise
before his ordinary that he will not wit-
tingly incur the like again. Provided, that
where there is a curate, or a substitute,
this constitution shall not extend to the
parson or vicar himself, but to the curate
or substitute present."

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



88



BAPTISM, PUBLIC.



" And let them not doubt, but that the
child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently
baptized, and ou^ht not to be baptized
again. Yet, nevertheless, if the child
which is after this sort baptized do after-
ward live, it is exj)edient that it be brought
into the church, to the intent that the
congregation may be certified of the true
form of bai)tisin privately before adminis-
tered to such child."

BAPTISM, rUBLIC. At first baptism
was administered publicly, as occasion
served, by rivers ; afterwards the baptis-
tery was' built, at the entrance of the
church or very near it, which had a large
basin in it, that held the persons to be
baptized, and they went down by steps
into it. Afterwards, when immersion
came to be disused, fonts were set up at
the entrance of churches.

By the "Laws Ecclesiastical" of King
Edm.aid, it is directed that there shall be
a font of stone, or other competent mate-
rial, in every church ; which shall be de-
cently covered and kept, and not convert-
ed to other uses.

And by canon 81, There shall be a font
of stone in every church and chapel where
baptism is to be administered ; the same to
be set in the ancient usual places : in
which only font the minister shall baptize
publicly.

The rubric directs that the people are
to be admonished, that it is most conveni-
ent that baptism shall not be administered
but upon Sundays and other holy days,
when the most number of people come to-
gether ; as well for that the congregation
there present may testify the receiving of
them that be newdy baptized into the
number of Christ's Church, as also because
in the baptism of infants, every man pre-
sent may be put in remembrance of his
own profession made to GoD in his bap-
tism. Nevertheless, if necessity so require,
children may be baptized upon any other
day.

And by canon 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 holy
days to be christened (convenient warning
being given him thereof before). And
if he shall refuse so to do, he shall be sus-
pended by the bishop of the diocese from
his ministry by the space of three months.

The rubric also directs, that when there
are children to be baptized, the parents
shall give knowledge thereof over-night,
or in the morning before the beginning of
morning prayer, to the curate.



The rubric further directs, that there
shall be for every male child to be bap-
tized two godfathers and one godmother ;
and for every female, one godfather and
two godmothers.

By the 29th canon it is related, that no
parent shall be urged to be present, nor
admitted to answer as godfather for his
own child : nor any godfather or god-
mother shall be suffered to make any other
answer or speech, than by the Book of
Common Prayer is prescritjed in that be-
half. Neither shall any persons be ad-
mitted godfather or godmother to any
child at christening or confii-mation, before
the said person so undertaking hath re-
ceived the holy communion.

According to the rubric, the godfathers
and godmothers, and the people with the
chiklren, must be ready at the font, either
immediately after the last lesson at morn-
ing prayer, or else immediately after the
last lesson at evening prayer, as the curate
by his discretion shall appoint.

The rubric appoints that the priest com-
ing to the font, which is then to be filled
with pure water, shall perform the office of
public baptism.

It may be here observed, that the ques-
tions in the office of the 2 Edward VI.,
" Dost thou renounce ? " and so on, were
put to the child, and not to the godfathers
and godmothers, which (with all due sub-
mission) seems more applicable to the end
of the institution ; besides that it is not
consistent (as it seems) with the propriety
of language, to say to three persons col-
lectively, " Dost thou in the name of tliis
child do this or that ? "

By a constitution of Archbishop Peck-
ham, the ministers are to take care not to per-
mit 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 confirm-
ation ; which being so changed at confirm-
ation (Lord Coke says) shall be deemed
the lawful name, though this appears to
be no longer the case. In the ancient
offices of Confirmation, the bishop pro-
nounced the name of the child ; and if the
bishop did not approve of the name, or the
person to be confirmed, or his friends, desir-
ed 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 can-
not alter it.

The rubric goes on to direct. The priest,
taking the child into his hands, shall say



BAPTISM, PUBLIC.



89



to the godfathers and godmothers, " Name j
this child : " and then naming it after them, I
(if they shall certify him that the child
may viell endure it,) he shall dip it in the '
Avater discreetly and warih\ saying, " X. 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 Avater ii])on it.

Here we may observe that the di})ping
by the office of the 2 Edward VI. was not
ail over ; but they first dipped the right
side, then the left, then the face toAvards
the font.

The rubric directs that 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 retaining of this cere-
mony, are set forth in the thirtieth canon.
The substance of which canon is this, that
the first Christians gloried in the cross of
Christ ; that the Scripture sets 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 does not take away the lawful use
of it ; that the same has been approved by
the reformed divines, with sufficient cau-
tions nevertheless against superstition in
the use of it; that it is no part of the sub-
stance of this sacrament, and that the in-
fant baptized is by virtue of baptism, before
it be signed with the sign of the cross, re-
ceived 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 institu-
tion, upon those rules of doctrine concern-
ing things indifi'erent which are consonant
to the word of God and to the judgments
of all the ancient fathers, ought to be re-
tained in the Church, considering that
things of themselves indifferent do, in some
sort, alter their natures w^hen they become
enjoined or prohibited by lawful authority.

The folloAving is Dr. Comber's analysis of
our baptismal office : — The first part of the
office, or the preparation before baptism,
concerns either the child or the sureties.
As to the child, we first inquire if it want
baptism; secondly, show the necessity of
it in an exhortation ; thirdly, we pray it
may be fitted for it in the two collects.
First, the priest asks if this child have been
already baptized, because St. Paul saith,
" there is but one baptism " (Ephes. iv. 5) ;
and as we are born, so we arc bom again,



but once. Secondly, the minister begins
the exhortation, showing, 1. what reason
there is to baptize this child, namely, be-
cause of its being born in original sin,
(Psalm li. 5,) and by consequence liable
to condemnation (Rom. v. 12); the only
way to free it from which is baptizing it
with water and the Holy Ghost. (John
iii. 5.) And, 2. beseeching all present,
ui)on this account, to pray to God, that,
while he baptizes this child with water,
God Avill give it his Holy Spirit, so as
to make it a lively member of Christ's
Church, whereby it may have a title to
" remission of sins." Thirdly, the two col-
lects follow, made by the ])riest and all the
people for the child • the first collect com-
memorates how God did typify this salva-
tion, which he now gives by baptism, in
saving Noah and all his by water (1 Pet.
iii. 21) ; and by carrying the Israelites
safe through the Red' Sea. (1 Cor. x. 2.)
And it declares also how Christ himself,
by being baptized, sanctified water for re-
mission of sin : and u])on these grounds we
pray that God will by his Spirit cleanse
and sanctify this child, that he may be
delivered from his wrath, saved in the ark
of his Church, and so filled with grace as
to live holily here, and happily hereafter.
The second collect, after OAvning God's
power to help this child, and to raise him
from the death of sin to the life of right-
eousness, doth petition him to grant it may
receive remission and regeneration, plead-
ing with God to grant this request, by his
promise to give to them that ask, that so
this infant may be spiritually cleansed by
God's grace in its baptism, and come at
last to his eternal kingdom, through Christ
our Lord. Amen.

The next part of the preparation con-
cerns the godfathers or sureties, who are,
1. encouraged in the gospel and its ap-
plication, with the thanksgivi



mir ; -i. in-



structed in the preface before the cove-
nant; 3. engaged in the questions and
answers. The Jews had sureties at cir-
cumcision, w'ho promised for the child till
it came to age (Isaiah viii. 2) ; and the
primitive Christians had sponsors to engage
for such as Avere baptized, and since chil-
di'en cannot make a coA-enant themselves,
it is charity to appoint (as the laAvs of men
do) others to do it for them till they be of
age; and this gives security to the Church,
the child shall not be an apostate ; provides
a monitor both for the child and its parents,
to mind them of this voav, and keep the
memory of this ncAv birth, by giving the
child ncAV and spiritual relations of god-
fathers and godmothers. Now to these the



90



BAPTISM, PUBLIC.



priest next addresseth, 1. in the Gospel {Mark
X. 13—16) ; which shows how the Jews,
beheving that Cniiisi's blessing would be
very beneficial to young children, brought
them to him in tlieir aims, and when the
discii)les checked them, CnitlST first de-
clares that infants, and such as were like
them, had the only right to the kingdom
of heaven, and therefore they had good
right to his love and his blessing, and to
all means which might bring theni to it,
and accordingly he took them in his arms
and blessed them. After this follows the
explicaiion, and applying this gospel to the
sureties; for if they' doubt, here they may
see Christ's love' to infants, and their
right to heaven and to this means, so that
they may firmly believe he will pardon and
sanctify this cliild, and grant it a title to
his kingdom ; and that he is well pleased
with them, for bringing this child to his
holy baptism ; for he desires this infant, as
well as we all, may come to know and
believe in him. AVherefore, thii'dly, here
is a tJ t (ink sfj icing to be offered up by all,
beginning with praising God for calling
us into his Church, where we may know
him and obtain the grace to believe, it
being very proper for us to bless GOD for
our being Chi'istians, when a new Chris-
tian is to be made ; and then follows a
prayer, that we who are Christians may
grow in gi'ace, and that this infant may
receive the Spirit in order to its regenera-
tion and salvation. After which form of
devotion, fourthly, there is a preface to the
covenant, wherein the godfathers and god-
mothers are put in mind, first, what hath
been done already, namely, they have
brought the child to Christ, and begged
of him in the collects to accept it, and
Christ hath showed them in the Gospel
that the child is capable to receive, and he
willing to give it, salvation and the means
thereof, upon the conditions required of
all Chi'istians, that is, repentance, faith,
and new obedience. Secondly, therefore,
they are required to engage in the name
of this child, till it come of age, that it
shall perform these conditions required on
its part, that it may have a title to that
which Christ doth promise, and will cer-
tainly perfonn on his part. Fifthly, the
engagement itself follows, which is very
necessary, since baptism is a mutual cove-
nant between God and man, and therefore,
in the beginning of Christianity, (when the
Church consisted chiefly of such as were
converted from the Jews and Heathens,
after they came to age,) the parties bap-
tized answered these very same questions,
and entered into these very engagements.



BAPTISM, REGISTRATION OF.

for themselves ; which infants (who need
the benefits of baptism as much as any)
not being able to do, the Church lends
them the feet of others to bring them, and
the tongues of others to promise for them ;
and the priest stands in God's stead to
take this security in his name ; he " de-
mands," therefore, of the sureties, first, if
they in the name and stead of this child
will renounce all sinful compliances with
the devil, the world, and the flesh, which
tempt us to all kinds of sin, and so are
God's enemies, and ours also, in so high
a measure, that unless we vow never to
follow and be led by them, we cannot be
received into league and friendship w;ith
God : to this they reply in the singular
number, as if the child spake by them, " I
renounce them all." Secondly, as Philip
asked the eimuch if he did believe before
he baptized him, (Acts viii. 37,) so the
priest asks if they believe all the articles
of the Christian faith, into which religion
they are now^ to be entered ; and therefore
they must engage to hold all the funda-
mental principles thereof, revealed in Scrip-
ture and comprised in the Apostles' Creed ;
and they are to answer, " All this I sted-
fastly believe." Thirdly, that it may ap-
pear to be their own free act to admit
themselves into this holy religion, they are
asked if they will be baptized into this
faith, and they answer, " That is my de-
sire ; " for who would not desii-e to be a
child of God, a member of Christ, and an
heir of heaven ? But since these benefits of
baptism are promised only to them who
live holily, fourthly, it is demanded if they
will keep God's holy will and command-
ments as long as they live, since they now
take Christ for their Lord and Master,
and list themselves under his banner, and
receive his grace in this sacrament, to re-
new and strengthen them to keep this
vow ? U])on these accounts they promise
" they will " keep God's commandments.
And now the covenant is made between
God and this infant, he hath promised it
pardon, grace, and glory, and is willing to
adopt it for his own child : and this child,
by its sureties, hath engaged to forsake all
evil ways, to believe all truth, and to prac-
tise all kind of virtue. — Dean Comber.

BAPTISM, BEGISTRATION OF.
When the minister has baptized the child
he has a further duty to perform, in making
an entry thereof in the parish register,
which is a book in which formerly all
christenings, marriages, and burials were
recorded, and the use of which is enforced
both by the canon law and by the statute.

The keeping of parochial registries of



BAPTISM, llEGISTRATION OF.

baptism, and also of burial, are, so far as
regards the duties of clergymen in that
respect, regulated by the statute 52 Geo.
III. c. 146, whereby it is enacted that re-
gisters of public and private baptisms,
marriages, and burials, solemnized accord-
ing to the rites of our Church, shall be
made and kept by the rector or other the
officiating minister of every parish or cha-
pelry, on books of parchment, or durable
paper, to be provided by the king's printer,
at the expense of the parishes ; and the
particular form of the book, and of the
manner of making the entries, are direct-
ed according to a form in the schedule to
the act.

The register book is to be deemed the
property of the parish ; the custody of it
is to be in the rector or other officiating
minister, by whom it is to be kept in an
iron chest provided by the parish, eitlier
in his own house, if he resides in the parish,
or in the church, and the book is to be
taken from the chest only for the purpose
of making entries, being produced Avhen
necessary in evidence, or for some of the
purposes mentioned in the act.

The act_6 &_ 7 W. IV., called the Ge-
neral Registration Act, provides that no-
thing therein contained shall affect the
registration of baptisms or burials, as noAV
by law established ; so that whatever any
parishioner, incumbent, or curate had re-
spectively a right to insist upon, with re-
gard to the regulation of baptisms, may be
equally insisted upon by either party now.
There are, however, enactments of 6 & 7
W. IV. c. 86, which are to be observed in
addition to those of 52 Geo. III. c. 146.

If any child born in England, whose
birth shall have been registered according
to the provisions of 6 & 7 W. IV. c. 86,
shall, within six calendar months after it
has been so registered, have any name
given to it in baptism, the parents or per-
sons so procuring such name to be given
may, within seven days afterwards, procure
and deliver to the registrar a certificate
according to a prescribed form, signed by
the minister who shall have performed the
rite of baptism, which certificate the minis-
ter is required to deliver immediately
after the baptism, whenever it shall then
be demanded, on payment of the fee of Is.,
Avhich he shall be entitled to receive for
the same ; and the registrar, or superin-
tendant registrar, upon the receipt of that
certificate, and upon payment of a fee of
Is., shall, without any erasure of the ori-
ginal entry, forthwith register that the
child was baptized by such a name ; and
such registrar, or superintendant registrar,



BAPTISTS.



91



shall thereupon certify upon the certificate
the additional entry so made, and forth-
with send the certificate through the post
to the registrar-general. Every rector,
&c., and every registrar, &c., who shall
have the keeping for the time being of any
register book, shall, at all reasonable
times, allow searches to be made, and shall
give a copy certified under his hand of
any entry or entries in the same, upon pay-
ment of a fee of Is., for every search ex-
tending over a i)eriod of not more than
one year, and (5d. additional for every
half year, and 2s. 6(1. for every single cer-
tificate.

BAPTISTERY. Properly h separate,
or special, building for the administration
of holy ba])tism. In this sense, a baptist-
ery, originally intended and used for the
purpose, does not occur hi England ; for
that which is called the ba])tistery at Can-
terbury, and contains the font, was never
so called, or so furnished, till the last cen-
tury. The remains of an ancient baptistery
chapel have lately been discovered in Ely
cathedral ; and the chapel is now in the
course of restoration.

One of the most ancient baptisteries now
existing is that of St. John Lateran at
Rome, erected by Constantine. It is a de-
tached building, and octagonal. In the
centre is a large font of green basalt, into
which the persons to be baptized descended
by the four steps which still remain. It
has two side chapels or exedi'SB. (See
Eustace, Classical Tour in Italy.)

Detached baptisteries still exist in many
cities in Italy : the most famous are those
at Florence and Pisa. These served for
the w^hole city ; anciently no town churches
but the cathedral church having fonts.
(See Bingham, book viii. ch. 7, § 6.)

Sometimes the canopy to the font grows
to so great amplitude as to be supported
by its own pillars, and to receive persons
within it at the baptismal service, and then
it may be called a baptistery. This is the
case at Trunch and at Aylsham, both in
Norfolk. (See Font.)

BAPTISTS. A name improperly as-
sumed by those who deny the validity of
infant ba])tism, defer the baptism of their
own children, and admit proselytes into
their community by a secoiul washing.
They are more properly called Anabaptists,
(see' Anabaptists,) from their baptizing
•again ; or Antip<Tdoba])tists, from their
denying the validity of infant baptism.
Their assumed name of Baptists would in-
timate that they alone truly baptize, and
it ought not therefore to be allowed them.
We ought no more to call them Baptists^



92



BAPTISTS.



BARDESANISTS.



than to call Socinians ^^//<7rt/•w;^'?, or Papists
Oithoh'cs, as if -sve did not hold tlie Unity
of the Godhead, and Socinians Avcre dis-
tinc^uishod from us by that article ; or as
if the ra])ists, and not "vve, vcre catholic
or true Christians.

ThL' follo^^inii: is the account of the de-
nomination «>:iven by Burdcr. The mem-
bers of this denomination are distinguished
from all other professing Christians by
their opinions respecting the ordinance of
Christian baptism. Conceiving that posi-
tive institutions cannot be established by
analogical reasoning, but depend on the
Avill of the Saviouk revealed in express
precepts, and that apostolical example il-
lustrative of this is the rule of duty, they
ditier from their Christian brethren with
regard both to the subjects and the mode
of baptism.

With respect to the subjects, from the
command which Christ gave after his re-
surrection, and in which baptism is men-
tioned as consequent to faith in the gospel,
they conceive them to be those, and those
only, who believe what the apostles were