SECT. 11.-But one Sponsor required, and that a Man for a Man, and a

Woman for a Woman.

From what has been said, the reader will also easily observe, that anciently no more but one sponsor was required, and that was a man for a man, and a woman for a woman; for we never read of more than one, in all the accounts of the ancients, and one of the same sex for adult persons. In the case of infants, there was no regard had to the difference of sex: for a virgin might be sponsor for a man-child and a father for his own children, whether they were male or female. And one sponsor was sufficient in any case. Some rules forbid more than one, either in baptism or confirmation: as that decree of Leo,' cited by Gratian, which says, no more than one, whether man or woman, shall be admitted as surety for a child in baptism: and the like to be observed in confirmation." Which rule was renewed and confirmed by the council of Metz, but upon a reason which is something peculiar. For they conclude, that because there is but one God, one faith, one baptism, therefore an infant ought to have only one sponsor, whether man or woman, at his baptism, which I mention not for the excellency of the reason, but only to shew what conformity it bears to the ancient practice.

SECT. 12.-When first it became a Law that Sponsors might not Marry a Spiritual Relation.

Some perhaps will here be desirous to know the original of that practice in the Romish Church, which is the occasion of so many dispensations in matrimonial causes, arising from the prohibition of sponsors or godfathers marrying within the forbidden degrees of spiritual relation. Now that which seems to have given the first tendency towards this was a law of Justinian, still extant in the Code, wherein he forbids any man to marry a woman, whether she be a

Consecrat, dist. iv. cap. 102. In 'baptismate, vel in chrismate, non potest alium suscipere in filiolum, qui non est ipse vel baptizatus vel confirmatus. 1 Gratian. de Consecrat. dist. iv. cap. 101. Non plures ad suscipiendum de baptismo infantem accedant, quàm unus, sive vir, sive mulier. In confirmatione quoque id ipsum fiat. 2 Con. Metens. cap. xii. cited by Vicecomes. 3 Justin. Cod. lib. v. tit. iv. de Nuptiis. leg. xxvi. Ea

slave or free, for whom he had been godfather in baptism when she was a child: because nothing does induce a more paternal affection, or juster prohibition of marriage, than this tie by which their souls are in a divine manner united together. Now this law extended no further than to prohibit marriage in this immediate relation: and it could not affect very many, whilst parents were commonly sponsors for their own children, and the sacred virgins or the deaconesses or the clergy for others; and men were sponsors for men, and women for women. But afterward this was improved a little further: for the Council of Trullo forbids' the godfather not only to marry the infant, but the mother of the infant, for whom he answers; and orders them that have done so, first to be separated, then to do the penance of fornicators. This prohibition was extended to more degrees in the following ages, and grew so extravagant, that the Council of Trent thought it a matter worthy of their reformation; though still by their rules this spiritual relation was extended to more degrees, than either the Laws of Justinan or the Canons of Trullo had prohibited. For they forbid marriage not only between the sponsors and their children, but also between the sponsors themselves; and the father and mother of the baptised is not to marry a sponsor, nor may the baptiser marry the baptised, nor the father or mother of the baptised, because of the spiritual relation that is contracted between them. But they forbid above two sponsors to appear for a child, and if more than two appear, they are not bound by this law of spiritual relation, though the canon-laws had determined otherwise in former

persona omnimodò ad nuptias venire prohibenda, quam aliquis, sive alumna sit, sive non, à sacrosancto suscepit baptismate; cùm nihil aliud sic inducere potest paternam affectionem, et justam nuptiarum prohibitionem, quàm hujusmodi nexus, per quem Deo mediante animæ eorum copulatæ sunt.

1 Con. Trull. can. liii. "Εγνωμέν τινας ἐκ τῆ βαπτίσματος παῖδας ἀναδεχ ομένες, και μετὰ τῦτο ταῖς ἐκείνων μητράσι γαμικὸν συναλλάσσοντας συνοικέσιον. ὁρίζομεν ἀπὸ τῆ παρόντος μηδὲν τοι τον πραχθῆναι. 2 Con. Trident.

Sess. xxiv. de Reform. Matrimon. cap. ii. Inter susceptores ac baptizatum ipsum, et illius patrem ac matrem, necnon inter baptizantem et baptizatum, baptizatique patrem ac matrem, tantùm spiritualis cognatio contrahatur. 8 Sext. Decretal. lib. iv. tit. iii. de Cognat. Spirit. cap. iii. Si plures accesserint, spiritualis cognatio inde contrahitur, &c.

ages. Yet after all their regulations about this matter, there remain a thousand difficulties to exercise the pens of the Roman casuists, which the reader that is curious may find referred to by Soteallus and Barbosa1 in their declarations and remissions on the Council of Trent.

SECT. 13.-Why the Names of the Sponsors ordered to be Registered in the Books of the Church.

There is one thing indeed ordered by that council, which was anciently of good use, though not for the purpose for which they appointed it. That is, that not only the names of the baptised, but also the names of the sponsors should be registered in the books of the Church. The Council of Trent orders it, only that men might know what persons were forbidden to marry by this spiritual relation. But anciently it had a much better use, that the Church might know, who were sponsors, and that they might be put in mind of their duty, by being entered upon record, which was a standing memorial of their obligations. This custom we find mentioned in the author under the name of Dionysius, where he describes the ceremony of admitting catechumens together with their sponsors. The bishop first explains to the catechumen the laws and rules of a divine life and conversation, and then asks him whether he purposes so to live, which when he has promised, he lays his hand upon his head, and orders the priests to register both the man and his sponsor. Afterward he speaks of reciting their names out of these registers, when men were presented by their sponsors immediately to be baptised. And thus much of the use of sponsors in the primitive Church.

Canon. Con. Trid. Cum Remissionibus Barbosa, Colon. 1621.

Dionys. de Hierarch. Eccl. cap. ii. p. 253. Ἱεράρχης ἀπογράψασθαι κελεύει τοῖς ἱερεῦσι τον ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ἀνάδοχον. It. p. 240. Καὶ τινος ἱερέως

ἐκ

της ἀπογραφῆς αὐτόν τε καὶ τὸν ἀνάδοχον κηρύξαντος, &c.

CHAP. IX.

Of the Unction and the Sign of the Cross in Baptism.

SECT. 1.-Of the first original of Unction in Baptism.

WE find in some of the ancient ritualists, but not in all, mention made of an unction preceding baptism, and used by way of preparation for it. They, who first describe it, speak of it as used either immediately after the confession of faith, as the author of the Constitutions;1 or else between the renunciation and the confession, as Cyril of Jerusalem describes it. But there is no mention of this unction either in Justin Martyr or Tertullian. For though Tertullian speaks of an unction among the ceremonies of baptism; yet as Daille rightly observes, it was not this unction préceding baptism, but the unction which followed after it in confirmation, accompanied with imposition of hands, which belongs to another subject. For it is plain from Tertullian that neither of these were given before baptism, but when men were come out of the water, then they were anointed with the holy unction, and had imposition of hands, in order to receive the Holy Ghost. Whence I think Daille's conjecture very just and reasonable, that the unction preceding baptism is of later date, and was not as yet adopted among the ceremonies of baptism in the time of Tertullian.

SECT. 2. Of the Difference betwixt this and Chrism in Confirmation.

But the writers of the following ages speak distinctly of two unctions, the one before, the other after baptism: which they describe by different names aud different ceremonies, to distinguish them one from the other. The first they commonly call χρίσιν μυτικό ἐλαίς, the unction of the mystical oil, and the other χρίσιν μύρε, οι χρίσμα, the unction of chrism. They both agree in this, that the bishop only consecrated them, whether for the use of baptism or confirmation. The author of the Constitutions gives

1 Constit. Apost. lib. vii. cap. xli.

Cyril. Catech. Myst. ii. n. 3.
Tertul. de Bapt. cap.

Dallæ. de Confirmat. lib. ii. cap. xi. p. 181. vii. Exinde egressi de lavacro perunguimur benedictâ unctione de pristinâ disciplinâ, quâ ungui oleo de cornu in sacerdotium solebant, &c.

us a form of consecration to be used by the bishop in sanctifying oil for this unction before baptism, where he prays to God, that he would sanctify the oil in the name of the Lord Jesus, and grant it spiritual grace, and efficacious power, that it might be subservient to the remission of sins, and the preparation of men to make their profession in baptism, that such as were anointed therewith, being freed from all impiety, might become worthy of the initiation according to the command of his only-begotten Son. And this power of consecration is reserved to the bishop in all the canons of the ancient councils, of which more, when we come to speak of confirmation. In the mean time I observe, First, That these two went by different names. The author of the Constitutions calls the first mystical oil, and the other mystical chrism, and has a distinct form of consecration for each of them. And the same distinction in name is observed by Cyril of Jerusalem3 and the authors under the name of Justin Martyr,* and Dionysius. Secondly, they differed in the time of administering them. For the one was given before the party went into the water, the other after he came out of it again. Which is clear from all the forementioned authors, and from St. Ambrose, who speaks of an unction with oil before baptism. As also the author of the Recognitions, under the name of Clemens Romanus," who tells persons, "that were to be baptised, that they were first to be anointed with oil consecrated by prayer." Thirdly, they differed in respect to the persons concerned in the administration. For the unction before baptism, was often done by a deacon or a deaconess: but that after baptism by the bishop himself most commonly, or at least by a presbyter in some peculiar cases. The author of the Constitutions, speaking parti

6

1 Constit. Apost. lib. vii. cap. xlii.

2 Constit. lib. vii. c. xlii. Mušikòv čλaiov. Lib. vii. cap. xliv. Musɩòv μúpov. Vid. lib. iii. cap. xvii. 8 Cyril. Catech. Myst. ii. n. 3. and Catech. iii. n. 3.

* Justin. Resp. ad Orthod. q. 137. cap. ii. p. 253.

Dionys. de Eccl. Hierar: 6 Ambros. de Sacramentis. lib. i. cap. ii. Venimus ad fontem.Unctus es quasi athleta Christi, quasi luctamen hujus sæculi luctaturus. Clem. Recognit. lib. iii. c. lxvii. Baptizabitur autem unusquisque vestrûm—perunctus primò oleo per orationem sanctifi8 Constit. Apost. lib. iii. c. xv. et xvi.

cato.