Sir, From thefe Observations, I think I may conclude, First, That the abfolute in difpenfible Neceffity of Baptifm, is not the Doctrine of the Church of England. Se condly, That the approves of no Baptifm, or thinks no Baptifm duly and validly Adə miniftred, but what is Miniftred by duly› Authorized and Lawful Ministers; and confequently, that the rejects all Lay-Baptifm. Thirdly, That the cannot count those duly Authorized and Lawful Minifters, who take upon (them the Ministry within› the Pale of her Jurifdiction, in Contempt of, and Oppofition to her Epifcopat and Epifcopal Miffion, or Power of Ordinati on; and by Confequence, that the must. look upon Baptifm Adminiftred by fuch Minifters, as Null and Void, from the Be ginning. From these Conclufions, and the Confequences iffuing from them, I have further Reason to think, that the Office of The Miniftration of Baptifm to fuch as. are of Riper Years, ought to be applied to Perfons invalidly Baptized by fuch unlawful. Minifters among us, as were never duly Authorized, as well as to Anabaptifts and. Converts to the Faith, or to the Difciples of fuch modern Manichæans, and Seleuci ans amongst us, as hold it unlawful to be baptized with the Baptifm of the Church.

And

And as you have juftly obferv'd, that the Learned Author of the Paffage you cite, could not defign that any thing he faid in it should favour Lay-Baptifm; so I dare fay for him, that upon Second Thoughts, he will not affirm, that it is in the Power of the Church to confirm Lu dicrous, Hiftrionical, or other Mimical Baptifms; or that any Church or Bifhop did ever confirm any of them by Chrifm and Impofition of Hands. The Opinion of Ludicrous Baptifm not to be reiterated, was occafioned by a fabulous Story of Atha nafius; who, when a little Boy, with others, playing at Minifters, as our Children call it, by the Water-fide, Athanafius acted the Bishop, other Boys Priests and Deacons; and in their Play, baptized feveral Children, who reprefented Catechumens and Competents in Form. Alexander, Bifhop of Alexandria, happening to fee this, as the Story is told, fent for the Boys; and understanding from their own Relation, that their Ludicrous Baptifm was perfor med by them according to the Rites and Orders of the Church, was of Opinion with other Bishops prefent with him, that the Children fo chriftned, were not to be Rebaptized; whereupon he confirmed them with Chrifm, and Impofition of Hands:

C 4

e

This

This

Hear fay Story is told by Sozamen from Ruffinus, and from him again at large by Petrus Damianus, in his Book Entitled, Gratiffimus, and mentioned before him by Watafridus Strabo, in his Book de Divinis Officiis, and reckon'd by Antonius Muretus in the 9th Chap. of his 13th Book of various Lections, among the Prefages of things that have happened, as Boys have acted them in Play. Lastly, Such Reception this Story of Athanafius hath had in the World, that it is cited as true by Dr. George Abbot, in the Lecture which he read in the Divinity-School at Oxford, de Circumcifione & Baptifmo, 1597, which Lecture he made, to excufe the First Practice of our Church after the Reformation, which he faith Facilitate larga with great Latitude or Indulgence for fome time tolerated the Baptifm of Lay-men and Women in abfolute Neceffity, for the Ig norance of the People, and Hardness of their Hearts. This Story favoured the loofe Doctrine of St. Auguftin, as to the Miniftration of Baptifm, and therefore we need not wonder that He fpoke fo favourably of Ludicrous, and focular, as well

* Προσήδε γενομένω τόδε ΦΑΣΙΝ ἐπ' αὐτῷ συμβεβηκένα Sozom Eccl. Hift. Lib. 2. Ch. 17.

+ De Baptifmo contra Donatiftos, Lib. 7. Verfus finem Libri in Tom, 7.

as well as Mimical and Hiftrionical Bap tifms. But as current as by Misfortune this Story hath been, and as many as it hath milled into Error, it is now exploded for very good Reasons by Learned Men; as by Dr. Cave in his Hiftoria Literaria, by du Pin in his Notes on Athanafe in his Nouvelle Bibliotheque, and by the Learned Benedictins in his Life, p. 11. printed before his Works, whither I refer you.

As for Hiftrionical Baptifm by Heathens, that alfo is urged by the Patrons of LayBaptifm in favour of their Opinion. *Of this they cite this Story out of the Cronicon Alexandrinum; that in Mockery of the Chriftians, the Heathen-Players Baptized one of their Companions in warm Water, upon the Stage, and then put upon him a White Garment, upon which he immediately cried out that he was made a Chriftian, and would die as fuch, The Spectators hearing him declare this, flew upon the Stage, and taking him from thence, ftoned him to Death. Ado Viennenfis tells another Story in his Martyrology of Auguft. 25. of St. Genefius, who being Baptized by Heathens to ridicule Chriftian Baptifm, alfo became a Chriftian: But

Voffius de Baptifmo, Difp. 11. Sect. 29. + Ibid. Difp. 1o. Sect. 13.

then

then fuppofing the Truth of thefe Stories, fuppofectly miraculons, they are as perfectly miraculons, as the Con verfion of fome Pagan Executioners of Martyrs, who declared yes!

ans at the Place of Execution, and there fuffered Death with them, and were Bap tized in their own Blood. And therefore, the miraculous Manifestation of God's Grace at Hiftrionical Baptifms to teftific the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, and confound its Adverfaries, are no Argument for Lay-men, and for the worst of Lay-men, Lay-men falfly pretending to a true

and take upon them to Adminifter

Miffion,

Baptifm as the Men you write against prefume to do. Nay, Sir, fuch an unwarrantable Latitude hath the Church of Rome given to the Adminiftration of Baptifm,† that fome of her Popes have allowed the Baptifm of Jews,and Heathens; and the Pope in the Council of Florence doth exprefly decree, that in cafe of Neceffity, not only a faithful Chriftian Lay-man or Woman, but an Heretick or Pagan may Validly Baptize. 2 As to the Cafe of Neceffity fo called, it is, as I have already obferved, founded

t. Ibid. Difp. 11, 18.

In Decreto Eugenii Papæ ad Armenos: Minifter hujus Sacramenti eft Sacerdos, cui ex officio competit Baptizare. In Cau. fa autem Neceffitatis, non folum Sacerdos, vel Diaconus, fed etiam Laicus, vel Mulier, imo etiam Paganus, & Hereticus Baptizare poteft, &c.