Public Baptism of Infants. The Mediaval Office. ciendum Catechu menum,' CHAPTER IV. THE BAPTISMAL OFFICES. SECT. I.-The Ministration of Public Baptism of Infants, to b used in the Church. THE following portion of the Prayer Book corresponds to the Manual and Pontifical of the mediæval period:the one containing the Occasional Offices which fell within the duty of the parish Priest; and the other, those which the Bishop only might perform. Our Service for the Public Baptism of Infants1 corresponds to three offices in the Sarum Manual:- Ordo Ordo ad fa- ad faciendum Catechumenum, Benedictio Fontis, and Ritus baptizandi.2 The first of these contained many ceremonies at the church-door, such as the placing salt in the mouth, exorcism, and signings of the cross, ending with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, and Creed. Then the Priest took the child's right hand, and introduced him into the church as a complete Cate Ritus bapti-chumen. In practice this formed the commencement of the Baptismal Service, which then proceeded, at the font, with the questions addressed to the sponsors, the randi' 1 See an account of the baptismal ceremonies of the early Church in Guericke, Manual, § 31, pp. 224 sqq.; Bingham, Antiq. Bk. xi. For the administration of this sacrament to infants, see Dr. Wall's Hist. of Infant-Baptism; Hooker, Eccl. Pol. v. lviii. Ixiv. 2 Maskell, Mon. Rit. I.; York Manual, Appendix III.; Fallow, Baptismal Offices Illustrated. 3 Godparents-(formerly gossips = God-sibs or God-relations)-spon sores, fide jussores, àvádoxo, susceptores are probably coeval with the practice of baptizing not only the Public Baptism o: Infants. Fontis. anointing with oil, baptism, the anointing with chrism, the putting on the chrisom, and placing a lighted taper in the child's hand. If a Bishop were present, Confirmation was then administered. A Gospel from St. Mark was read, as a protection from the falling-sickness; followed by another Gospel from St. John.1 The water in Benedictic the font was changed on the Saturdays before Easter Day and Whitsunday, and at other times, as often as might be required, but not while it continued pure and clean. The form for consecrating the fresh water consisted of the invocations of a Litany, Prayers, and many ceremonies, breathing upon the water, and putting into it wax, oil, and chrism.2 In preparing a Reformed Service of Baptism, much use was made of the previous labours of Bucer and Melancthon in the Consultation' of Archbishop Hermann; and some ceremonies, which had the authority of that treatise, were retained in 1549, although afterwards discarded. The first rubric was originally longer, and in the form of an Introduction to the Office: The Reform indebted to ed Office Luther. It appeareth by ancient writers that the Sacrament of Baptism Solemn in the old time was not commonly ministered but at two times in times of 3 Hermann's Baptismal Service, borrowed word for word from Luther's Taufbüchlein (Daniel, Cod. Liturg. Eccl. Luth. p. 185), is printed at length in Mr. Fallow's Baptismal Offices Illustrated, pp. 29 sqq.; and also a comparative view of the Offices in the Sarum Manual, in Hermann's Consultation, and in the English Prayer Books of 1549 and 1552. Mr. Bulley (Communion and Baptismal Offices, pp. 90 sqq.) gives the Offices of 1549, 1552, and 1662, and also that in the Prayer Book for Scotland (1637). D D Baptism. Public Baptism of Infants. Sponsors. the year, at Easter and Whitsuntide, at which times it was openly ministered in presence of all the congregation: which custom (now being grown out of use) although it cannot for many considerations be well restored again, yet it is thought good to follow the same as near as conveniently may be: wherefore the people are to be ad monished, that it is most convenient that Baptism should not be ministered but upon Sundays and other Holydays, &c. Since the custom of observing solemn times of Baptism had long been disused, the mention of the custom was omitted in 1661. It was enough to specify the things which were necessary, which are, that the rite be administered at the font on a Sunday or a Holyday,' when the most number of people come together;' that the time in the Service be after the Second Lesson at Morning or Evening Prayer; and that three sponsors be required for each child:3 notice must also be given by the parents at least before the beginning of Morning Prayer. At 1 At Easter, in remembrance of Christ's resurrection, of which Baptism is a figure; and at Whitsuntide, in remembrance of the three thousand souls baptized by the Apostles at that time. In the Eastern Church, the feast of Epiphany was also assigned for the administration of this sacrament, in memory of our Saviour's Baptism. About the eighth or ninth century the Latin Church began to administer Baptism (as at first) at all times of the year. Wheatly. 2 We will that Baptism be ministered only upon the Sundays and Holydays, when the whole congregation is wont to come together, if the weakness of the infants let not the same, so that it is to be feared that they will not live till the next Holyday.' Hermann's Consultation, fol. 164. 3 The rubric in the Sarum Manual was, 'Non plures quam unus vir et una mulier debent accedere ad suscipiendum parvulum de sacro fonte.... nisi alia fuerit consuetudo approbata: tamen ultra tres amplius ad hoc nullatenus recipiantur: Maskell, Mon. Rit. I. 31 [35]. Our present rule, however, was the ancient custom in this country: Synod. Wigorn. (1240), cap. 5, Masculum ad manus duo masculi et una mulier suscipiant ; fœminam duæ mulieres et masculus unus' Mansi, XXIII. 527; Wilkins, 1. 667. By Canon XXIX. (1604) no parent was admitted to answer as godfather for his own child: nor any person before he had received the Holy Communion. The American Rubric allows parents to be sponsors; which is also our rule since 1865. 4 Hermann's Consultation, fol. 164: But that all things may be ministered and received religiously and reverently, the parents of the infants shall signify the matter betimes to the pastors, and with the godfathers shall humbly require Baptism for their infants. That if the parents, or the godfathers, or both, be subject to manifest crimes, they |