CHAPTER VI. ON THE CHARACTER OF THE WORKS ISSUED BY PUBLIC CHAPTER VII. THE DOCTRINE OF OUR LEADING REFORMERS AND DI- During the reign of Edward VI. :- Testimonies of Catechism of 1553 (p. 209);—Abp. Cranmer During the reigns of Elizabeth and James I.:- Testimonies of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Testimonies of various other Bishops :-Bp. Geste (308);— page . 179-207 208-389 209-246 246-274 274-308 308--356 Testimonies of learned Divines and Laymen:-Dr. W. Haddon (356); -Dr. R. Some (359); - Dr. Prime (364);— Dr Fulke (366);-R. Hooker (368); -Dr. A. Willet (372); § 1. Examination of the Baptismal Services for infants, and proof of the principle on which they are constructed, by a § 3. Luther's Service for Infant Baptism expressed in similar terms to ours, and understood by him in the hypothetical sense § 4. The meaning of the Baptismal Service demonstrated by a comparison of it with a similar Formulary, drawn up by Bucer himself, in a Liturgy from which our own Office is ad- TESTIMONIES FROM OUR DIVINES SINCE THE RESTORA- TION, CHIEFLY OF THE ÅRMINIAN SCHOOL, ON THE SUBJECT OF THIS WORK; AND CONCLUDING REMARKS Testimonies from Bp. W. Nicolson (p. 485); Bp. Jeremy Taylor (486); Bp. Hopkins (488); Bp. Pearson (492); Dean Durel (494); Dr. W. Falkner (497); Bp. Burnet (500); Abp. Tillotson (502); Abp. Sharp (503); Bp. John Williams (503); W. Burkitt (504); Dr. T. Bray (505); Bp. T. Wilson (507); Bp. Beveridge (507); Joseph Bingham (512); Bp. Bradford (514); Chancellor Stebbing (516); Thomas Stackhouse (518); Luther's Form for the Baptism of Infants, according to the second edition published by him in German in 1524, and trans- The Order and Form of Baptism (including the Prefatory The Forms and Orders for Baptism and Confirmation, with the accompanying observations, drawn up and inserted by ADDENDA, &c. 566 ad fin. DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND AS TO THE EFFECTS OF BAPTISM IN INFANTS. CHAPTER I. PRELIMINARY REMARKS. THE remarks contained in the following pages are intentionally confined to the discussion of the question, What is the doctrine of the Church of England as to the effects of baptism in the case of infants? In treating this subject, I shall argue it quite independently of the further question,—Whether the XXXIX Articles are, or are not, the supreme standard of faith and test of orthodoxy for the ministers of our Church in those points treated of in them,and shall endeavour to show the sense of our Formularies, both from internal testimony, and as illustrated by the writings of our divines from the period of their construction. Before I proceed, however, to the regular discussion of the subject, I would offer a few preliminary remarks tending to illustrate the real character of the question, and to show how far a definite and certain solution of it is to be expected. It appears to me that erroneous views are often entertained on this point. The matter is frequently spoken of as if the Church of England must of necessity have laid down, and had in fact laid down, a certain definite precise view upon this subject, and peremptorily enjoined it upon all her ministers for their acceptance and belief. In my humble apprehension such a notion is entirely opposed to fact, and also to the well-known principles upon which our Reformers were guided in drawing up the Formularies of our Church. As our Reformers have not bound us to one precise |