of His mercy, He pardons all our sins and does not impute them to us, but so blots out the very remembrance of them, that they shall never appear in judgment against us. All these benefits become ours, as soon as we are engrafted into the body of the Church by baptism; for in this sacrament the Lord testifies the remission of our sins. To this end he ordained water as a sign and symbol, to show most clearly, that, as the stains of the body are washed away by this element, He will in the same manner so purge our souls, that no spot or blemish shall any longer appear. Moreover, He thus bestows upon us, that renovation, which, as we have before said, consists in the mortification of the flesh and the spiritual life, which He begets and creates within us. Thus we receive from God a two fold blessing in baptism, provided we do not destroy the virtue of this sacrament by neglect and ingratitude. For in it we have the most certain pledge, that God will be to us a gracious Father, not imputing unto us our trespasses, also that He will ever abide in us by His Holy Spirit, to enable us to fight against the Devil, sin and the desires of the flesh, until we attain the vietory and enjoy the liberty of His kingdom, which is a kingdom of righteousness. and Since, therefore, these two things are accomplished in us by the grace of Jesus Christ, it is evident that the truth and substance of baptism are comprehended and included in Him; for we have no other laver but his blood; no other renovation, but in his death and resurrection. In the same manner as he communicates to us His rich blessings through the word, He freely bestows them also through the sacraments. But our most merciful and gracious God, not content with adopting us into His family and admitting us into the communion of His Church, shows the riches of His grace in a still more glorious manner, by promising to be the God also of our children and children's children unto the thousandth generation. Wherefore, although they are descended from the corrupt race of Adam, He admits them to Himself, by reason of the covenant, which He has made with their parents, and counts them as His own children; for which cause, in the very beginning of the Church, He commanded the seal of circumcision to be imprinted upon infants, by which He then signified and declared all that is now represented in holy baptism. And as he ordered them to be circumcised, so He numbered them among His children, and was no less their Father than the Father of those, by whom they were begotten. And now since the Lord Jesus came down to earth not to diminish the grace of God the Father, but to extend rather to the ends of the earth that covenant of salvation, which till then was confined to the Jewish people, there can be no doubt but that our children also are heirs of His life, and the salvation, which IIe has promised to us; hence Paul declares, that they are sanctified from the mother's womb and distinguished thus from the children of heathen and unbelievers. Hence also, our Lord Jesus Christ suffered little children to be brought to Him, as we read in the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: "Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Since then He assures us, that theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and lays his hands on them and commends them to His Father, it is very clear, that we should not exclude them from His Church. Following therefore His rule and command, we will admit this child into His Church, that it may become a partaker of all those blessings, which He has promised to His faithful ones. But, first of all, let us offer it to the Lord in prayer, with humble and devout supplication: Lord God, almighty and eternal Father! Because in Thine infinite mercy, Thou hast promised to be our God and the God of our children, deign to confirm this Thy blessing unto this child of Christian parents. And as we offer and consecrate it to Thee, do thou receive it into Thy guardian care, show Thyself its God and Saviour, pardon and remit its original sin, the guilt of which rests upon the whole race of Adam, and furthermore, sanctify it by Thy Spirit, that when it has reached the age of discretion and understanding, it may acknowledge and worship Thee as its only God and Saviour, give Thee praise and honor through the whole course of life, and always obtain from Thee the forgiveness of its sins. But that it may truly receive these blessings, do Thou admit it into the communion of our Lord Jesus, so as to partake, as a member of His body, of all His benefits. Hearken unto us, Father of mercies, that this baptism, which we here perform at Thy command, may have the effect promised in the teachings of Thy Gospel. OUR Father who art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. As this child is now to be admitted into the Christian Church, you will pledge yourselves, when it comes to years of understanding, to instruct it in the doctrine, which is received and approved by the people of God, as it is briefly and summarily comprehended in that confession of faith, which we all hold: I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the remission of sins; the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. You will pledge yourselves, therefore, to take all care that it be instructed in this doctrine, and in everything contained in the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, so that it may hear and receive it as the true word of God, sent down from heaven. Moreover, it shall be exhorted to order its life by that rule and precept, which God has given in His law, whose sum is: first, to love Him with all our soul, heart, and strength, and then, our neighbor as ourselves; and also to put faith in the preaching and admonitions, which God has delivered to us through His prophets and Apostles, to deny itself and all its carnal desires, and with jealous devotion to preach the name of Jesus Christ and edify its neighbors. A promise being given, the child shall be named; then the minister shall pour water upon it, saying: N. I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. All this shall be uttered with a clear voice and in a vernacular tongue, so that all who are present at the mystery, may understand what is done, and recalling to mind their own baptism, be confirmed more and more. We are well aware, that in some places many other ceremonies are used, which have not come down to us from the most ancient times. And as they are the inventions of men, without any foundation in the Word of God, and have given rise to much superstition, they ought to be abolished, so as to hinder no one from coming to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is clear, that all things not commanded by God, are left to our own free will; whatever, therefore, does not tend to the promotion of faith should not be admitted into the Church, or if admitted, should be abolished; and the more so, if it be perverted to an idolatrous use. There is no doubt, that candles, ointments (which are called Chrismata) and other things of the kind, were never prescribed by God, but introduced by men, and, in the gradual progress of superstition, have come to be valued and honored more than the institution of Christ itself. It cannot be denied, that we possess the form and substance of that baptism, which was ordained by Christ, followed by His Apostles and practiced by the ancient Church; and we cannot be blamed for not being willing to surpass God himself in wisdom. 1 ART. VIII.-ANGLO-LATIN HYMNS. The Rev. Dr. James W. Alexander, of New York, has kindly placed at our disposal some fine specimens of Anglicized medieval hymns, with the permission to publish them in this Review. We add the original Latin for the convenience of the readers who may not have access to it. The first is a transla tion of the choicest stanzas of St. Bernard's famous Jubilus rhythmicus de nomine Jesu, of the twelfth century. In its full length with all the additions of later authors, as given by Daniel, Thesaurus hymnologicus I. 227-230, it contains 192 lines; but the Roman Breviary has shortened and divided it into three distinct hymns: "Jesu dulcis memoria," "Jesu rex admirabilis," and "Jesu decus angelicum." Another version of this sweet and lovely hymn, but less close than this, may be found in Lyra Catholica, p. 102. (N. York reprint, 1851), commencing thus: JESUS! the very thought of Thee The best German reproduction of this hymn is Count Zinzendorf's: "Jesu, deiner zu gedenken." A more recent German version is from the pen of Dr. J.A. Königsfeld in his Lateinische Hymnen and Gesänge, p. 125. The second specimen is an equally happy rendering of a beautiful and touching passion hymn of St. Bonaventura, of the thirteenth century. It may be interesting to the reader to compare this version with the one from the pen of one of the most faithful contributors to this Review, and published in the volume for 1858, p. 481. I. Jesu dulcis memoria Nil canitur suavius, THE NAME OF JESUS. I. P. S. JESUS, how sweet thy memory is! Thinking of Thee is truest bliss; Beyond all honeyed sweets below Thy presence is it here to know. II. Tongue cannot speak a lovelier word, |