might seem to approve the opinion of heretics, whilst they followed their practice. And that no one might be dubious about the use of a single immersion, he might consider, that the death and resurrection of Christ were represented by it. For the immersion in water was as it were the descending into hell or the grave, and the immersion out of the water was a resurrection. He might also observe the Unity of the Deity, and the Trinity of Persons to be signified by it. The Unity by a single immersion, and the Trinity by giving baptism in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Some learned persons' find fault with this council for changing this ancient custom upon so slight a reason, as that of the Arians using it: which, if it were any reason, would hold as well against a single immersion, because the Eunomians, a baser sect of the Arians, were the first inventors of that practice. And therefore the exception made by this Spanish Council in the seventh century, cannot prejudice the more ancient and general practice of the Church, which as Strabo observed, still prevailed after this council; and if Vossius says true, the trine immersion, or what corresponds to it, the trine aspersion, is the general practice of all Churches upon earth at this day. And such a custom could not well be laid aside, without some charge of novelty, and danger of giving offence and scandal to weaker brethren. I have now gone over the several circumstances and ceremonies accompanying baptism, so far as to make it a complete sacrament, and the instrument of salvation to all worthy receivers, if they happened to die without any further consummation, as sometimes they did, when baptism was administered to them with less solemnity, either in times of sickness, or at some distance from the mother Church; in both which cases they had the substance of the sacrament, but not all the ceremonies that were appointed to attend it. They were supposed to be made partakers of Christ's body and to eat his flesh, and to be washed in his blood, which was drinking it by faith, in baptism, as well as in the eucharist, And

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1 Strabo de Offic. Eccl. cap. xxvi. Voscius de Bapt. Disp. ii. Thes. iv. P. 46.

if they survived, they were also admitted immediately to the symbols of Christ's body and blood in the eucharist. But there were some other ceremonies following baptism as it were to finish the solemnity of it; some of which were introductory and preparatory to the eucharist, as the second unction accompanying baptism, which we commonly call imposition of hands, or confirmation. Of which, because it will be necessary to speak a little more distinctly, I shall make it and the remaining ceremonies of baptism the subject of another book.

BOOK XII.

OF CONFIRMATION, AND OTHER CEREMONIES FOLLOWING BAPTISM, BEFORE MEN WERE MADE PARTAKERS OF THE EUCHARIST.

CHAP. I.

Of the time when, and the Persons to whom Confirmation was administered.

SECT. 1.-Confirmation anciently given immediately after Baptism, if the Bishop were present.

IMMEDIATELY after the persons came up out of the water, if the bishop was present at the solemnity, they were presented to him, in order to receive his benediction, which was a solemn prayer for the descent of the Holy Ghost upon such as were baptised: and to this prayer there was usually joined the ceremony of a second unction, and imposition of hands, and the sign of the cross; whence the whole action many times took these names, Χρίσμα, the unction, Χειροθεσία the imposition of hands, and Σppayìç, the sign or seal of the Lord, which are names much more common among the Ancients, than that of confirmation. But by all these names they understood one and the same thing, which was the bishop's prayer for the descent of the Spirit upon persons newly baptised. This was always administered together with baptism,, if the bishop, who was the ordinary minister of it, were present at the action. But if he was absent, as it usually happened to be in churches at a distance from the mother church, or when persons were baptised in haste upon a sick-bed, then confirmation was deferred till the

bishop could have a convenient opportunity to visit them. This we learn from St Jerom, who speaks of it as customary in the Church, for bishops to go and invocate the Holy Spirit by imposition of hands on such as were baptised by presbyters and deacons in villages and places remote from the mother church. And it many times happened, that such persons died before the bishop could come to give them imposition of hands. To prevent which inconvenience, the canons in some places obliged bishops to visit their whole dioceses once every year; and if they were so large that they could not do so, then they were to divide their dioceses and make them less, as we find it decreed and practised in some of the Spanish Councils. But in case persons were baptised in the presence of the bishop,. then without any delay they were immediately confirmed with imposition of hands and the holy unction. Tertullian says very plainly, ‚3 "that as soon as they came out of the water, they were anointed with the oil of consecration, and then received imposition of hands, inviting down the Holy Spirit by that benediction." And so Cyril of Jerusalem represents it, when he tells the neophytes,* "that as soon as they come up out of the waters of the font, they received the chrism of unction, with the antitype of which, that is the Holy Ghost, Christ was anointed when he came up out of Jordan." In like manner the author of the Constitutions, describing the ceremonies of baptism, orders the priest," as soon as he has baptised any one, to anoint him

Hieron. cont. Lucifer. cap. iv. Non abnuo hanc esse Ecclesiarum consuetudinem, ut ad eos qui longè in minoribus urbibus per presbyteros et diaconos baptizati sunt, episcopus ad invocationem Sancti Spiritûs manum impositurus excurrat.-And a little after, In villulis aut in castellis, aut in remotioribus locis per presbyteros aut diaconos baptizati, ante dormierunt, quàm ab episcopis inviserentur. Vid. Con. Eliber, can. lxxvii. Con. Lucens. Con. tom. v. p. 874. 8 Tertul. de Bapt. c. vii. Exinde egressi de lavacro perunguimur benedictâ unctione.-Cap. viii. Dehinc manus imponitur, per benedictionem advocans et invitans Spiritum Sanctuin. 4 Cyril. Catech. Myst. iii. n. 1. Ὑμῖν ὁμοίως ἀναβεβηκόσιν ἀπὸ τῆς κολυμβήθρας τῶν ἱερῶν ναμάτων, ἐδόθη χρίσμα, τὸ ἀντίτυπον ἐχρίσθη Χρισὸς· τῦτο δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ ̔́Αγιον Πνεῦμα. 5 Const. Apost. lib. vii. cap. xliii. and xliv. Μετα τῦτο βαπτίσας αὐτὸν, χρισάτω μύρῳ, ἐπιλέγων,

&c.

with the holy chrism, and give him imposition of hands, saying a prayer," which is there appointed. Thus we find in the Life of St. Basil,' how Maximinus the bishop, who baptised him and Eubulus together, immediately clothed them with the white garments, and anointed them with the holy chrism, and gave them the communion. The same may be observed in the description of the ceremonies of baptism given by the author under the name of Dionysius,3 St. Ambrose, Optatus, Pacian, and all others amongst the Ancients, who have made any mention of the time of administering confirmation.

SECT. 2.-And this as well to Infants as adult Persons: Which is evidenced, First, From some plain Testimonies.

Nor was this only true with respect to adult persons, but also with respect to infants, who were anciently confirmed by imposition of hands and the holy chrism or unction, as soon as they were baptised. Which perhaps will seem a paradox to many, who look no further than to the practice of later ages: but it may be undeniably evidenced these two ways. First, from plain testimonies of the Ancients declaring it so to be. And, secondly, from that known custom and usage of the Church in giving the eucharist to infants, which ordinarily presupposes their confirmation. First, for the testimonies of the Ancients, nothing can be plainer than those words of Gennadius, "If they be infants that are baptised, let those that present them to baptism, answer for them according to the common way of baptising: and then let them be confirmed with imposition of hands and chrism, and so be admitted to partake of the eucharist.” In like manner Pope Innocent, in one of his decrees, says, "Infants

2

1 Amphiloch. Vit. Basil. c. v. Baptizavit Maximinus episcopus Basilium et Eubulum, et vestivit albis, atque ungens eos sancto chrismate, tradidit eis communionem. Dionys. de Hierarch. Eccl. cap. ii. p. 260. Ambros. de Sacram. lib. iii. c. 2. Optat. lib. iv. p. 81. Pacian. Serm. de Baptismo. Bibl. Patr. tom. iii. p. 77. 8 Gennad. de Dogmat. Eccles. cap. lii. Si parvuli sint-respondeant pro illis, qui eos offerunt, juxta morem baptizandi, et sic manus impositione et chrismate communiti, eucharistiæ mysteriis admittantur. Innoc. Ep. i. cap. iii. De consignandis verò infantibus manifestum est non ab alio, quàm ab episcopo fiori licere.