THE Connexion which has been shown in the last Chapter to have existed between the doctrine of our Reformers and that of the "Reformed" Churches on the Continent, renders it a matter of some importance to know in what way the Confessions of those Churches speak of the effects of baptism; more especially as the Bishop of Exeter was disposed for some time to claim them as supporting his doctrine on the subject. The claim (though withdrawn in the second edition of his Lordship's Charge) is one which it is of importance to notice, because it shows the mode in which general statements as to the salutary effects of baptism,-made unhesitatingly by the Reformers, but (as I shall show hereafter) only as applying to them when blessed by God to the fulfilment of their appointed end, in carrying out his will,―have been misconstrued by his Lordship as indicating the maintenance of a doctrine to which the authors of those statements were diametrically opposed. And I cannot help observing, by the way, that we are thus furnished with a clue to the ground of that confidence with which his Lordship maintains that his view is that of our own Church; a notion which I humbly hope to show is as unfounded as his similar misconception of the doctrine of the foreign Protestants, and arising from a similar cause.

No statement, indeed, which his Lordship could have made, could have been better calculated to throw discredit upon his interpretation of the phraseology of our Church on the subject, than this appeal in its favour to the similar phraseology of the foreign Protestant Confessions. The fact is, that of the five

Protestant Confessions he has quoted,* (for the Catechism of Heidelberg is a species of Confession) three belong to that system of doctrine which is commonly called Calvinistic, in which none but "the elect," the certain heirs of salvation, are held to be ever regenerated by the Spirit of God. And the phraseology to which the Bishop so triumphantly appealed as showing that these Churches agreed with him and the Church of Rome (for the Bishop himself joins them), as to the effects of Baptism, refers only to such persons, and is therefore only applicable to a portion of the baptized. And if his Lordship was better acquainted than he evidently is with the works of the Reformers, he would know that it was a view entertained by many of them that regeneration was always'given to "the elect" in baptism. And consequently they had no hesitation in using language with respect to Baptism, which, by one not aware of their real views, might be supposed to favour the Bishop's doctrine, but which in their minds applied only to the elect children of God. And that such was the interpretation generally given to our own Baptismal Service at the period of the Reformation, I shall endeavour hereafter to show.

Thus, for instance, the Bishop refers to "the Confession of Helvetia." A more intimate acquaintance with these Confessions would have probably induced his Lordship to state which Confession of Helvetia he means, as there are two, the former and the latter. However, I believe there is practically little doubt to which the reference is made, as the names of the Confessions quoted are just those contained in a work published at Oxford for young students, called "Sylloge Confessionum,”‡ and in the order in which they there stand; and the Confession there given as the Confession of Helvetia is the latter, or that of 1566. The authority of this compilation for styling it the Confession of Helvetia will, I suppose, hardly be pressed by any one who is aware that the Editor of the first edition knew so little

"The Helvetic, that of Augsburg, the Saxon, the Belgic, and the Catechism of Heidelberg." (Charge, 1st edit. p. 10.)

† Augusti, in his edition of the Libri Symbol. Eccles. Reform., reckons three, counting as the first that of Basle, in 1532. But Niemeyer gives the name of Helvetic Confession to two only, namely, that of 1536, sometimes called the second of Basle, and that of 1566.

1804. 8vo. 2nd ed. 1827. 8vo.

about the matter that he gave the Confessio Variata of 1540 as the genuine Augsburg Confession of 1530.*

Now this latter Confession of Helvetia was written by Bullinger, a fact which alone shows the Bishop's mistake in quoting it. But the internal testimony alone is quite sufficient to prove it

First, however, let us observe the language in which the benefit of baptism is spoken of, which will show us the way in which those who held Calvinistic views on the subject were in the habit of representing it.

The following is the description of the nature of the Sacraments generally.

"Sacraments are mystical symbols or holy rites, or sacred actions. instituted by God himself, consisting of his word, of signs, and the things signified, by which he keeps in memory, and from time to time recalls to mind, his greatest blessings conferred upon man; by which also he seals his promises, and outwardly represents, and as it were places before our eyes, to be contemplated, those things which he himself gives to us internally, and thus confirms and increases our faith, the Spirit of God working in our hearts; by which finally he separates us from all other peoples and religions, and consecrates and binds us to himself alone, and signifies what he requires from us.”t "We do not approve of their doctrine, who speak of the Sacraments merely as common signs, not sanctified or efficacious."

"To be baptized in the name of Christ is to be inscribed, initiated, and received into the covenant and family, and so into the inheritance, of the sons of God, moreover to be now called by the name of God, that is, to be entitled a son of God, to be cleansed likewise from the pollution of our sins, and to be endued with the manifold grace of God, that we may lead a new and innocent life," &c. &c.§

*The Editor of the second edition of the Sylloge, has therefore added a copy of the first edition, printed in 1531.

+ Sunt autem Sacramenta, symbola mystica, vel ritus sancti, aut sacræ actiones a Deo ipso institutæ, constantes verbo suo, signis, et rebus significatis, quibus in Ecclesia summa sua beneficia, homini exhibita, retinet in memoria, et subinde renovat, quibus item promissiones suas obsignat, et quæ ipse nobis interius præstat, exterius repræsentat, ac veluti oculis contemplanda subjicit, adeoque fidem nostram, Spiritu Dei in cordibus nostris operante, roborat et auget: quibus denique nos ab omnibus aliis populis et religionibus separat, sibique soli consecrat et obligat, et quid a nobis requirat, significat. (Sylloge Confess. ed. 2a pp. 74, 75. I quote from the edition the Bishop of Exeter apparently uses.)

Neque probamus eorum doctrinam, qui de Sacramentis perinde loquuntur, ut signis communibus, non sanctificatis aut efficacibus. (Ib. p. 79.) § Etenim baptizari in nomine Christi, est inscribi, initiari, et recipi in

L

Now, take these general statements, and you may no doubt reasonably draw from them the doctrine of the universal efficacy of the Sacrament of Baptism. No limitation is implied in the words, intimating that the Sacrament is efficacious only in certain cases.

But what is meant by these passages is clear, both from the known doctrine of the author, and from other parts of the Confession.

Thus it is said elsewhere,

"Whence baptism is called by some a sign of initiation of the people of God, as being that by which the elect of God are consecrated unto God.”*

And still more clearly is this expressed in the preceding chapter on "the Sacraments in general;" where it is said,

"But the principal thing which in all the Sacraments is offered by God, and looked to by all the saints of all times (which others call the substance and matter of the Sacraments), is Christ the Saviour .... by whom all the elect are circumcised without hands by the Holy Spirit, and are cleansed from all their sins, and are nourished with the true body and blood of Christ unto eternal life."†

And in the chapter on Faith (c. 16.) it is said,—

"But this faith is the mere gift of God, which God alone out of his free favour gives to his elect, according to measure, and when, to whom, and how much he wills, and that by his Holy Spirit, through the means of the preaching of the Gospel and faithful prayer."

fœdus, atque familiam, adeoque in hæreditatem filiorum Dei, imo jam nunc nuncupari nomine Dei, id est, appellari filium Dei, purgari item a sordibus peccatorum, et donari varia Dei gratia, ad vitam novam et innocentem. Ib. p. 80.

* Unde a nonnullis Baptismus nuncupatus est signum initiale populi Dei, utpote quo initiantur Deo electi Deí. c. 20. Ed. Oxon. 1827, p. 80. + Cæterum præcipuum illud, quod in omnibus Sacramentis proponitur a Deo, et attenditur a piis omnibus omnium temporum (quod alii nuncupant substantiam et materiam Sacramentorum) Christus est Servator.. . per quem electi omnes circumciduntur sine manibus per Spiritum Sanctum, abluunturque a peccatis suis omnibus, et aluntur vero corpore et sanguine Christi ad vitam æternam. Ib. p. 76.

Hæc autem fides merum est Dei donum, quod solus Deus ex gratia sua, electis suis, secundum mensuram, et quando, cui, et quantum ipse vult, donat, et quidem per Spiritum Sanctum, mediante prædicatione evangelii et oratione fideli." Ib. p. 54.

"We know that a man is neither created, nor regenerated by faith, that he should be idle, &c."*

But it would be wasting time to proceed further† in a point about which no one well informed on the subject can have a moment's doubt.

It may be worth while, however, to add the words of the earlier Helvetic Confession on the subject.

66

Baptism is by the institution of the Lord the laver of regeneration, which [regeneration] the Lord gives to his elect by a visible sign through the ministry of the Church, as it is above expressed. With which holy laver we on that account baptize our infants, because it is impious to reject from the communion of the people of God those who are sprung from us, (who are the people of God) and are all but pointed out for this by the voice of God, especially since we ought piously to presume of their election.”‡

I proceed to the Belgic Confession. Here again we find the same general expressions used, and used in the same sense.

"The Sacraments," says this Confession," are signs and visible symbols of things internal and invisible, by which, as by means, God himself works in us by the power of the Holy Spirit," &c.§

Take these words by themselves, and they will support the doctrine of the universal efficacy of baptism. They are in fact precisely similar to the words in our 27th Article, which are insisted upon by our "High Church" divines as conclusive in favour of their view. But those who used them clearly confined that efficacy to "the elect." Regeneration is expressly ascribed

* Cum sciamus hominem nec conditum nec regenitum esse per fidem, ut otietur, sed potius, &c. Ib. p. 55.

† Among other passages we may observe the following,-" Neque vero approbamus istorum quoque doctrinam, qui docent gratiam et res significatas, signis ita alligari et includi, ut quicunque signis exterius participent, etiam interius gratiæ rebusque significatis participes sint, quales quales sint." (p. 79.)

Baptisma quidem ex institutione Domini lavacrum regenerationis quam Dominus electis suis visibili signo per ecclesiæ ministerium (qualiter supra expositum est) exhibeat. Quo quidem sancto lavacro infantes nostros idcirco tingimus, quoniam e nobis (qui populus Domini sumus) genitos populi Dei consortio rejicere nefas est, tantum non divina voce huc designatos, præsertim quum de eorum electione pie est præsumendum. (Coll. Confess. in Eccles. Reform. ed Niemeyer. Lips. 1840, 8vo. p. 120.)

§ Sunt enim sacramenta, signa ac symbola visibilia rerum internarum et invisibilium, per quæ, ceu per media, Deus ipse virtute Spiritus Sancti in nobis agit. c. 33. Syll. Conf. p. 348.