for the sins of the whole world, and did institute, and in His holy Gospel command us to celebrate, a perpetual memory of that His precious death, until His coming again: Hear us (O merciful Father) we beseech Thee; and with Thy Holy Spirit and Word vouchsafe to bless and sanctify these Thy gifts, and creatures of bread and wine, that they may be unto us the body and blood of Thy most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ: Who, in the same night that He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had blessed, and given thanks, He brake take the bread it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is My body which is given for you: do this

Here the Priest must

into his hands.

These words before rehearsed are to be said, turning still to the Altar, without any elevation, or showing the Sacrament to the people.

Wherefore, O Lord and heavenly Father, according to the institution of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Saviour Jesu Christ, we Thy humble servants do celebrate, and make here before Thy Divine Majesty, with these Thy holy gifts, the memorial which Thy Son hath willed us to make: having in remembrance His blessed Passion, mighty Resurrection, and glorious Ascension, rendering unto Thee most hearty thanks, for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same, entirely desiring Thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving: most humbly beseeching Thee to grant, that by the merits and death of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in His blood, we and all Thy whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of His Passion. And here we offer and present unto Thee (O Lord) ourself, our souls, and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto Thee: humbly beseeching Thee, that whosoever shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious body and blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and be fulfilled with Thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with Thy Son Jesus Christ, that He may dwell in them, and they in Him. And although we be unworthy (through our manifold sins) to offer unto Thee any sacrifice: yet we beseech Thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, and command these our prayers and supplications, by the ministry of Thy holy Angels, to be brought up into Thy holy Tabernacle before the sight of Thy Divine Majesty; not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through Christ our Lord; by Whom, and with Whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto Thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen.

Let us pray.

As our Saviour Christ hath commanded and taught us, we are bold to say, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be 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 trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation.

The Answer. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Then shall the Priest say,

The peace of the Lord be alway with you.
The Clerks. And with thy spirit.

The Priest. Christ our Paschal Lamb is offered up for us, once for all, when He bare our sins on His body upon the cross; for He is the very Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world: wherefore let us keep a joyful and holy feast with the Lord.

Here the Priest shall turn him toward those that come to the Holy Communion, and shall say,

You that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins to Almighty God, and be in love and charity with your neighbours,

and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in His holy ways: draw near and take this Holy Sacrament to your comfort, make your humble confession to Almighty God, and to His holy Church here gathered together in His name, meekly kneeling upon your knees.

Then shall this general Confession be made, in the name of all those that are minded to receive the Holy Communion, either by one of them, or else by one of the ministers, or by the Priest himself, all kneeling humbly upon their knees.

[Here follow the Confession, the Absolution. the Comfortable Words, and the Prayer of Humble Access.]

Then shall the Priest first receive the Communion in both kinds himself, and next deliver it to other Ministers, if any be there present, (that they may be ready to help the chief Minister,) and after to the people.

And when he delivereth the Sacrament of the Body of Christ he shall say to every one these words:

The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body [and soul] unto everlasting life.

And the Minister delivering the Sacrament of the Blood, and giving every one to drink, once and no more, shall say, The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee, preserve thy [body and] soul unto everlasting life.

If there be a Deacon or other Priest, then shall he follow with the Chalice and as the Priest ministereth the Sacrament of the body, so shall he (for more expedition) minister the Sacrament of the blood, in form before written.

In the Communion time the Clerks shall sing,

ii. O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world: have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world: grant us Thy peace.

Beginning so soon as the Priest doth receive the Holy Com. munion, and when the Communion is ended, then shall the Clerks sing the Post-Communion.

Sentences of Holy Scripture, to be said or sung every day one, after the Holy Communion, called the Post-Communion. If any man will follow Me, let him forsake himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matt. xvi. Whosoever shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved. Mark xiii.

Praised be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath visited and redeemed His people: therefore let us serve Him all the days of our life, in holiness and righteousness accepted before Him. Luke i.

Happy are those servants, whom the Lord (when He cometh) shall find waking. Luke xii.

Be ye ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour when ye think not. Luke xii.

The servant that knoweth his master's will, and hath not prepared himself, neither hath done according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Luke xii.

The hour cometh, and now it is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. John iv.

Behold, thou art made whole sin no more, lest any worse thing happen unto thee. John v.

If ye shall continue in My word, then are ye My very disciples, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John viii.

While ye have light believe on the light, that ye may be the children of light. John xii.

He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, the same is he that loveth Me. John xiv.

If any man love Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and dwell with him. John xiv.

If ye shall bide in Me, and My word shall abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done to you. John xv.

Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and become My disciples. John xv.

This is My commandment, that you love together, as I have loved you. John xv.

If God be on our side, who can be against us? which did not spare His own Son, but gave Him for us all. Rom. viii.

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's chosen? it is God that justifieth; who is he that can condemn? Rom. viii. The night is past, and the day is at hand; let us therefore cast away the deeds of darkness, and put on the armour of light. Rom. xiii.

Christ Jesus is made of God, unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifying, and redemption, that (according as it is written) He which rejoiceth, should rejoice in the Lord. 1 Cor. i.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. 1 Cor. iii.

Ye are dearly bought; therefore glorify God in your bodies, and in your spirits, for they belong to God. 1 Cor. vi.

Be you followers of God as dear children, and walk in love, even as Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us an offering and a Sacrifice of a sweet savour to God. Eph. v.

Then the Priest shall give thanks to God, in the name of all

&c.

and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat (and here to lay his hands upon all the bread), This is My Body, which is given for you: do this in remembrance of Me.

The Oblati n.

Likewise, after supper (here he is to take the cup into his hand), He took the cup; and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this (and here to lay his hands upon every vessel [be it chalice or flagon] in which there is any wine to be consecrated), for this is My Blood, of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of Me. Wherefore, O Lord, and heavenly Father, according to the institution of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we, Thy humble servants, do celebrate and make here, before Thy Divine Majesty, with these Thy holy gifts, which we now offer unto Thee, the memorial Thy Son hath commanded us to make; having in remembrance His blessed Passion and precious Death, His mighty Resurrection and glorious Ascension; rendering unto Thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same. And we most humbly beseech Thee, O merciful Father, to hear us, and, of Thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with Thy Word and Holy Spirit, these Thy gifts and creatures of Bread and Wine, that they may become the Body and Blood of Thy most dearly beloved Son.

The Invocation.

And we earnestly desire Thy fatherly goodness, mercifully to accept this our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, most hum

and saying,

The Lord be with you.

The Answer. And with thy spirit.
The Priest. Let us pray.

Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank Thee,

Then the Priest turning him to the people, shall let them depart with this blessing:

The peace of God (which passeth all understanding) keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord: And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you alway.

Then the people shall answer, Amen.

Where there are no clerks, there the Priest shall say all things appointed here for them to sing.

When the Holy Communion is celebrate on the work-day, or in private houses: Then may be omitted, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Creed, the Homily, and the Exhortation, beginning, Dearly beloved, &c.

[III.]

THE SCOTTISH LITURGY. [A.D. 1764.]

In the Communion Office of the Church of Scotland, the Offertory is followed immediately by the Sursum Corda, Preface, and Sanctus. It then proceeds as follows:

Then the Presbyter, standing at such a part of the Holy Table, as he may, with the most ease and decency, use both his hands, shall say the Prayer of Consecration, as followeth :

All glory be to Thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that Thou, of Thy tender mercy, didst give Thy only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; Who (by His own oblation of Himself once offered) made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world, and did institute, and in His holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memorial of that, His precious death and sacrifice, until His coming again.

For, in the night that He was betrayed (here the Presbyter is to take the paten into his hands) He took bread, and when He had given thanks (and here to break the bread), He brake it,

Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and through faith in His blood, we and all Thy whole Church may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of His Passion.

The Oblation of ourselves.

And here we humbly offer and present unto Thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto Thee, beseeching Thee, that whosoever shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, and be filled with Thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with Him, that He may dwell in them, and they in Him.

And although we are unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto Thee any sacrifice; yet we beseech Thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences, through Jesus Christ our Lord;

By Whom, and with Whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto Thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen.

Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's Church. Almighty and everliving God, Who by Thy holy Apostle hast taught us to make prayers and supplications, and to give thanks for all men; We humbly beseech Thee, most mercifully to accept our alms and oblations, and to receive these our prayers, which we offer unto Thy Divine Majesty; beseeching Thee to inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord: and grant that all they that do confess Thy holy Name, may agree in the truth of Thy holy Word, and live in unity and godly love.

Commemoration of the Living.

We beseech Thee to save and defend all Christian Kings, Princes, and Governors, and especially Thy servant Victoria our Queen, that under her we may be godly and quietly governed; and grant unto her whole Council, and to all who are put in authority under her, that they may truly and indifferently ininister justice, to the punishment of wickedness and vice, and to the maintenance of Thy true religion and virtue.

Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, that they may, both by their life and doctrine, set forth Thy true and lively Word, and rightly and duly administer Thy holy Sacraments.

And to all Thy people give Thy heavenly grace, that with meek heart and due reverence they may hear and receive Thy holy

Word, truly serving Thee in holiness and righteousness, all the days of their life.

And we commend especially to Thy merciful goodness the congregation which is here assembled in Thy name, to celebrate the commemoration of the most precious death and sacrifice of Thy Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

And we most humbly beseech Thee, of Thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succour all those, who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.

Commemoration of the Dead.

And we also bless Thy holy Name, for all Thy servants, who having finished their course in faith, do now rest from their labours.

And we yield unto Thee most high praise, and hearty thanks, for the wonderful grace and virtue declared in all Thy Saints, who have been the choice vessels of Thy grace, and the lights of the world in their several generations: most humbly beseeching Thee, to give us grace to follow the example of their stedfastness in Thy faith, and obedience to Thy holy commandments; that at the day of the general resurrection, we, and all they who are of the mystical body of Thy Son, may be set on His right hand, and hear His most joyful voice, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Then shall the Presbyter say,

As our Saviour Christ hath commanded and taught us, we are bold to say, Our Father, &c.

Then the Presbyter shall say to them that come to receive the Holy Communion, this invitation:

Ye that do truly and earnestly, &c.

[Then follow the Confession, the Absolution, the Comfortable Words, and the Collect of Humble Access, as in the English Office.]

Then shall the Bishop, if he be present, or else the Presbyter that celebrateth, first receive the Communion in both kinds himself, and next deliver it to other Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons, (if there be any present,) and after to the people in due order, all humbly kneeling. And when he receiveth himself, or delivereth the Sacrament of the Body of Christ to others, he shall say,

The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.

Here the person receiving shall say, Amen.

And the Presbyter or Minister that receiveth the Cup himself, or delivereth it to others, shall say this Benediction, The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for thee, preserve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.

Here the person receiving shall say, Amen.

If the consecrated bread or wine be all spent before all have communicated, the Presbyter is to consecrate more, according to the form before prescribed, beginning at the words, All glory be to Thee, &c., and ending with the words, that they may become the Body and Blood of Thy most dearly beloved Son.

When all have communicated, he that celebrates shall go to the Lord's Table, and cover with a fair linen cloth that which remaineth of the consecrated elements, and then say, Having now received the precious Body and Blood of Christ, let us give thanks to our Lord God, who hath graciously vouchsafed to admit us to the participation of His holy Mysteries; and let us beg of Him grace to perform our vows, and to persevere in our good resolutions; and that, being made holy, we may obtain everlasting life, through the merits of the all-sufficient Sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Then the Presbyter shall say this Collect of Thanksgiving, as followeth.

Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank Thee

&c. [And the Office closes with the "Gloria in Excelsis," the Peace, and the Blessing, as in the English Usc.]

[IV.]

THE AMERICAN LITURGY.

The order and arrangement of the Communion Office of the American Church is the same as our own, with this one important difference, viz. that the Prayer of Oblation and the Invocation have been restored to their place in immediate connexion with the Prayer of Consecration, which now closely resembles that of the Scottish Liturgy, and is as follows:

૬.

• Here the Priest is to take the Paten intc

his hands. break the bread.

And here fo

And here to lay his hand the

upon all Bread. to take the Cup into his hand. he is to lay

d Here he is

And here

his hand upon every Vessel in

which there is any Wine to be consecrated.

The Oblation.

All glory be to Thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that Thou of Thy tender mercy didst give Thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who made there (by His one oblation of Himself once offered) a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; and did institute, and in His holy Gospel command us to con. tinue, a perpetual memory of that His precious death and sacrifice until His coming again: For in the night in which He was betrayed, (a) He took bread; and when He had given thanks, (b) He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat; (c) this is My Body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise, after supper, (d) He took the cup; and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this; for (e) this is My Blood, of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sin: do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of Me. Wherefore, O Lord and heavenly Father, according to the institution of Thy dearly beloved Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, we, Thy humble servants, do celebrate and make here before Thy Divine Majesty, with these Thy holy gifts, which we now offer unto Thee, the memorial Thy Son hath commanded us to make; having in remembrance His blessed Passion and precious Death, His mighty Resurrection and glorious Ascension; rendering unto Thee most hearty thanks, for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same. And we most humbly beseech Thee, O merciful Father, to hear us; and, of Thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with Thy Word and Holy Spirit, these Thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine; that we, receiving them according to Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's holy institution, in remembrance of His Death and Passion, may be partakers of His most blessed Body and Blood. And we earnestly desire Thy fatherly goodness, mercifully to accept this our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; most humbly beseeching Thee to grant, that by the merits and death of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in His blood, we, and all Thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of His Passion. And here we offer and present unto Thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls, and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto Thee; humbly beseeching Thee, that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with Thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with Him, that He may dwell in them, and they in Him. And although we are unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto Thee any sacrifice; yet we beseech Thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences; through Jesus Christ our Lord; by Whom, and with Whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, all honour and glory be unto Thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen. Here shall be sung a Hymn, or Part of a Hymn, from the Selection for the Feasts and Fasts, &c.

[V.]

THE PRESBYTERIAN FORM.

The Invocation.

[This presumptuous and irreverent parody of the Liturgy is reluctantly reprinted, for the sake of historical completeness, from

the "Directory" of 16441. When the children asked for bread, this was the stone which was provided for them during the persecution of the Church by the Puritans, from 1645 to 1661. Ed.]

Of the Celebration of the Communion, or Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

The Communion, or Supper of the Lord, is frequently to be celebrated; but how often, may be considered and determined by the ministers, and other church-governors of each congregation, as they shall find most convenient for the comfort and edification of the people committed to their charge. And, when it shall be administered, we judge it convenient to be done after the morning sermon.

The ignorant and the scandalous are not fit to receive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

Where this sacrament cannot with convenience be frequently administered, it is requisite that public warning be given the Sabbath-day before the administration thereof: and that either then, or on some day of that week, something concerning that ördinance, and the due preparation thereunto, and participation thereof, be taught; that, by the diligent use of all means sanctified of God to that end, both in public and private, all may come better prepared to that heavenly feast.

When the day is come for administration, the minister, having ended his sermon and prayer, shall make a short exhortation :

"Expressing the inestimable benefit we have by this sacrament, together with the ends and use thereof: setting forth the great necessity of having our comforts and strength renewed thereby in this our pilgrimage and warfare: how necessary it is that we come unto it with knowledge, faith, repentance, love, and with hungering and thirsting souls after Christ and His benefits: how great the danger to eat and drink unworthily.

"Next, he is, in the name of Christ, on the one part, to warn all such as are ignorant, scandalous, profane, or that live in any sin or offence against their knowledge or conscience, that they presume not to come to that holy table; showing them, that he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judg ment unto himself: and, on the other part, he is in an especial manner to invite and encourage all that labour under the sense of the burden of their sins, and fear of wrath, and desire to reach unto a greater progress in grace than yet they can attain unto, to come to the Lord's table; assuring them, in the same name, of ease, refreshing, and strength to their weak and wearied souls."

After this exhortation, warning, and invitation, the table being before decently covered, and so conveniently placed, that the communicants may orderly sit about it, or at it, the minister is to begin the action with sanctifying and blessing the elements of bread and wine set before him (the bread in comely and convenient vessels, so prepared that, being broken by him, and given, it may be distributed amongst the communicants; the wine also in large cups), having first, in a few words, showed that those elements, otherwise common, are now set apart and sanctified to this holy use, by the word of institution and prayer.

Let the words of institution be read out of the Evangelists, or out of the first Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, chap. xi. 23, I have received of the Lord, &c. to the 27th verse, which the minister may, when he seeth requisite, explain and apply.

1 "The Directory for the Public Worship of God, agreed upon by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, with the assistance of Commissioners from the Church of Scotland, as a part of the covenanted uniformity in religion betwixt the Churches of Christ in the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland."

Let the prayer, thanksgiving, or blessing of the bread and wine, be to this effect:

"With humble and hearty acknowledgment of the greatness of our misery, from which neither man nor angel was able to deliver us, and of our great unworthiness of the least of all God's mercies; to give thanks to God for all His benefits, and especially for that great benefit of our redemption, the love of God the Father, the sufferings and merits of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, by which we are delivered; and for all means of grace, the word and sacraments; and for this sacrament in particular, by which Christ, and all His benefits, are applied and sealed up unto us, which, notwithstanding the denial of them unto others, are in great mercy continued unto us, after so much and long abuse of them all.

"To profess, that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ, by whom alone we receive liberty and life, have access to the throne of grace, are admitted to eat and drink at His own table, and are sealed up by His Spirit to an assurance of happiness and everlasting life.

"Earnestly to pray to God, the Father of all mercies, and God of all consolation, to vouchsafe His gracious presence, and the effectual working of His Spirit in us; and so to sanctify these elements both of bread and wine, and to bless His own ordinance, that we may receive by faith the body and blood of Jesus Christ, crucified for us, and so to feed upon Him, that He may be one with us, and we one with Him; that He may live in us, and we in Him, and to Him who hath loved us, and given Himself for us.” All which he is to endeavour to perform with suitable affections, answerable to such an holy action, and to stir up the like in the people.

The elements being now sanctified by the word and prayer, the minister, being at the table, is to take the bread in his hand, and say, in these expressions, (or other the like, used by Christ or His Apostle upon this occasion :)

According to the institution, command, and example of our Lord Jesus Christ, I take this cup, and give it unto you; (here he giveth it to the communicants;) This cup is the new testament in the blood of Christ, which is shed for the remission of the sins of many drink ye all of it."

After all have communicated, the minister may, in a few words, put them in mind

"Of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, held forth in this sacrament; and exhort them to walk worthy of it."

The minister is to give solemn thanks to God,

AE ecclesiastical word Bánтioμa, from which our familiar English word is derived, always associates itself with the idea of purification, although such an association of ideas was not necessarily connected with the classical βαπτίζω, βάπτω, from which it is formed. On the other hand, although the original classical word has the primary sense of dipping, (that is, of more or less immersion in some fluid,) this sense is not necessarily connected with the ecclesiastical word. It is used in the New Testament with several applications: as, for example, to the baptism of the Jews by St. John the Baptist [John i. 26]; to ceremonial washings of the person and of vessels used for eating and drinking [Mark vii. 4. Heb. ix. 10]; to the ministry of our Lord [Matt. iii. 11]; to the Passion of our Lord [Luke xii. 50. Mark x. 38]; to the operation of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles [Acts i. 5]; and, lastly, in its most customary sense, to the rite of Holy Baptism, instituted by Christ [Matt. xxviii. 19. Acts viii. 36. Eph. iv. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 21]. In all these applications of the word, the idea of purification is plainly latent, even when it is so metaphorically used as in the case of our Lord's words, "I have a baptism to be baptized with;" for although He had no sin from which He could be purified, yet was He "made sin for us," and also "made perfect through sufferings" [Heb. ii. 10]. It is moreover observable, that after the institution of the rite of Christian Baptism by our Lord, the word is not any longer used in other senses in Holy Scripture, (except historically,) but is restricted to the one which it has commonly held in all subsequent ages.

§ History of Holy Baptism.

It appears from the Holy Gospels that the ordinance of Christian Baptism was a sacramental climax which had been arrived at, and developed out of, other and inferior ordinances. St. John the Baptist prepared the way for our Lord's ministrations among the Jews by leading them to confess their sins; and this confession of their sins was followed up by a Baptism of which no further particulars are given to us than that those who received it went down into the water [Matt. iii. 16]; and we are not told whether any words were used at the time of the immersion'. Of this rite our Lord Himself was pleased to partake, and by doing so consecrated the element of water to its future and higher use. A Baptismal rite was also used in the ministrations of our Lord, but not by Himself [John iii. 26; iv. 2]; and from the manner in which this was spoken of by the disciples of St. John the Baptist, it would appear that there was no outward distinction between this rite and that which he had used. In both cases an ancient custom of the Jews appears to have been

"John," says the Venerable Bede, "baptized with the baptism of repentance to confession of sins and amendment of life; and he preached the coming baptism of repentance in Christ for the remission of sins; in which latter baptism alone is remission of sins given to us, as the Apostle testifies." [Homil. xlviii.]

See Lightfoot on Matt, iii,

adopted, signifying by a ceremony of ablution the cleansing away of an old life for the purpose of beginning a new one, as a proselyte to a new and a stricter faith. In the case of Jewish baptisms the change signified was from heathenism to Judaism; in that by St. John and our Lord from a sinful life as Jews to & good life as the disciples of the Baptist or of Christ. This significant use of water as the outward sign of admission to a new spiritual condition ought doubtless to be regarded as a preparation, by the Providence of Almighty God, for the sacra. ment which was to be instituted by our Lord.

There were also certain verbal and typical preparations made for that institution by our Blessed Lord Himself. At the outset of His ministry occurred His interview with Nicodemus [John iii. 1-15], in which He spoke of a result of Baptism which had evidently never been supposed to accompany it hitherto. Men were to be born of water and the Spirit that they might enter into the kingdom of Heaven: and although Nicodemus must have been familiar with the Baptism of proselytes, the idea of new birth by the use of Baptism was evidently novel to him3. At the close of His ministry, our Lord washed the feet of His disciples, teaching them that the act, as performed by Him, was not only a sign of humility, but also a means of spiritual purification; a truth the full meaning of which was not then revealed to them, but would be at a later period, when its revelation was to be a part of the instructions given for their appointed work [John xiii. 4-10]. And in the midst of His ministry Jesus had taken little children in His arms and blessed them, that by His touch and word they might be admitted (even without other sacrament) to the kingdom of God, and that the Church might learn for ever to suffer little children to come to Him, and forbid them not. Lastly, when blood and water flowed from the side of the Lord, the connexion between His Death and the two Sacraments was unmistakeably symbolized.

Thus, by the course of His Providence, our Lord had prepared the Jews, and the Apostles especially, for the institution of Christian Baptism. (1) They had become familiar with the use of water as an external sign of a spiritual change; (2) they had been instructed (by words the meaning of which was to be developed to them by the Holy Ghost) that the use of water was to be not a sign only, but also the means of spiritual cleansing and new birth into the kingdom of God; and (3) it had been shown them that even little children were capable of entering that kingdom. And, thus prepared by our Lord's words and acts, the Apostles received His last command and commission, "Go ye therefore, and teach [μadŋteúσate, see margin of English Bible] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Their work was, as it had been hitherto, to "make disciples;" as they had long been doing, they were to admit to discipleship by baptizing, i. e. by immersing

This seems beyond doubt, notwithstanding the alleged Jewish use of the expression "new birth" in connexion with the baptism of proselytes.