The spiritual history of an infant in a Christian home is thus exactly opposite to that of a convert from Judaism or heathenism. The convert first becomes regenerate as a result of the preaching of the Gospel and the working of the Spirit, and is baptized subsequently the infant is baptized first, and becomes regenerate at some later period of his life, or perhaps in some sad cases— does not become regenerate at all. But in either case the spiritual reality must be distinguished in thought from the material seal; and Christian theologians have readily perceived that exceptional cases may arise where the seal may be unused without affecting the reality of that which in the normal case is sealed.

A GLANCE at an administration of Holy Baptism in the days of the Early Church will serve the double purpose of bridging the gulf between the first century and the period of the Reformation, and of showing how the theological ideas which we have seen to underlie the Baptism of the Bible were brought into the Primitive Church Services. It will be convenient to take for our main guide an account of Baptism which is contained in a book called the Egyptian Church Order. This book, according to the opinion of most scholars, dates at any rate in large part from the first quarter of the third century, and may be the work of a great Roman theologian called Hippolytus, who is said to have been at one time Bishop of Portus, near Rome. If so, it probably represents the contemporary usage of the Roman Church, and it may enshrine for us a long-standing tradition.

Baptism is in some ways markedly different from what it had been in the New Testament. There the persons baptized were mostly those who had had some training in Judaism, and who were living upright lives: accordingly, not much time was spent in preparing them for Baptism, and a good deal of necessary instruction was left till afterwards. The Roman service is chiefly intended for converts from a degenerate heathenism, and it comes at the end of a long period, during which the convert had been a catechumen.

The first step to be taken by any one who wanted to become a Christian was to seek enrolment as a Catechumen. This meant that he had to get into touch with some church officials appointed for the purpose. Inquiries were made as to his motives, and a very searching examination was conducted into his manner of life and his business. A large number of occupations were deemed inconsistent with any adherence to Christianity, and if he was engaged in one of these he had to give it up. He had also to find some Christians who were prepared to introduce

him to the Church, and to bear testimony to his character. If he succeeded in satisfying all the requirements, he was formally admitted as a Catechumen. Prayer was offered for him; hands were laid on his head, and he was made a Christian.”

Now began a period of definite instruction. This was given partly on Sundays, partly at other times. On Sundays the Catechumens were present at the back of the church during the first part of the Liturgy, or Holy Communion Service. They listened to the Lessons, and the Gospel, and the Sermon, and were then dismissed with a prayer. On other days special classes seem to have been held for them, conducted by catechists. The subjectmatter of instruction was partly moral and partly doctrinal. In the early period of the catechumenate main stress was laid on moral instruction, so that no shame should be brought on the Church by doubtful conduct on the part of any who were nominally attached to it. The doctrinal teaching, so far as it was given, must of course have been substantially an exposition of the Apostles' Creed, with special reference to the varied philosophies and false faiths current in the neighbourhood. There was no fixed length of catechumenate, and, broadly speaking, each case seems to have been taken on its merits, Catechumens being recommended for Baptism when their instructors thought they were sufficiently far advanced. The only limitation was imposed by the practice common at that time of administering Baptism in normal cases only at Easter.

At some date before Easter-a little later on it was at the beginning of Lent-the selected Catechumens were put together for more immediate instruction for Baptism. They were now taught the Creed more definitely and fully. They were advised to discipline themselves by fasting and penitential acts. A further ceremony was suggested by the belief, so strongly and widely held at that time, in the prevalence and power of evil spirits. Each day hands were laid upon them, and solemn prayer was offered, that the evil spirits might depart from them. In technical language they were exorcised. Towards the end of the period, and quite probably on the Wednesday before Easter, the Catechumens were submitted to a final examination as to their fitness for Baptism, conducted not by their teachers, but by the bishop himself; and he it was who finally made up the list for Baptism. The Baptism took place early on Easter morning. The Catechumens and the baptized Christians assembled in the church at nightfall on Easter Eve. The first part of the night until cockcrowing was spent in a long-drawn-out service consist

ing of lessons and sermon with singing of hymns, a service of exactly the same type as that which formed the first section of the ordinary Sunday worship.

At cockcrowing the clergy and candidates for Baptism went into the baptistery. The ceremonial was very ornate, but only those important parts of it will here be mentioned which have a bearing upon the discussion we are undertaking. The first three parts taken together formed a summary of the results which had been achieved during the catechumenate. The candidate first renewed his renunciation of Satan and all his works. He was then anointed with oil of exorcism by a presbyter who bade all evil spirits depart from him. Thirdly, he descended into the font (which was usually in the shape of a tank, and sometimes had running water passing through it), and repeated to the presbyter or to the bishop a short summary of the Christian faith in which he had been instructed.

Thereupon followed the act of Baptism. The bishop or the presbyter, standing beside the font, laid his hand upon the head of the Catechumen and put to him three questions which practically covered the same ground as the three sections of our Apostles' Creed. To each question the Catechumen answered, “I believe," and after each answer he was baptized once, either by by being plunged beneath the water or by having water poured over his head. There does not seem to have been in this Roman service any use of the familiar formula of St. Matthew's Gospel: "I baptize thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It will, however, be noticed that the repetition of the three parts of the Creed containing the Names of the three Persons of the Trinity amounted to practically the same thing. There is very little evidence to show what was done at this period in other branches of the Church, but the few relevant phrases which are found suggest that at least in North Africa and Egypt, and probably in Palestine the Trinitarian formula was used.

When all the Catechumens had been baptized the service was resumed in the church. The bishop laid his hand upon the head of each one with the prayer, "Lord God, Which hast accounted them worthy to receive remission of sins by the Bath of Regeneration of the Holy Ghost, send upon them Thy grace that they may serve Thee according to Thy Will: for to Thee, the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost, belongs the glory in the Holy Church both now and world without end. Amen." He also poured consecrated oil upon the head of each with a

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further imposition of his hand, and lastly made the sign of the Cross upon his forehead and kissed him.

The Baptismal ceremonies were now complete. The Baptism had really been administered in the middle of the service of the Holy Communion, and the new and the older Christians now for the first time went forward with that service together. The only difference between this Eucharist and any other was that in addition to the chalice of wine mingled with water there were also consecrated a chalice of water only, and a chalice of milk and honey. The newly baptized partook of all three chalices, the water being apparently intended to be a symbol of the inward effect of the washing of the body, and the milk and honey a symbol of the wealth of the new Promised Land into which the new Christian had passed over the waters of the Jordan of Baptism.

The service book of Hippolytus which we have been following provides also for the Baptism of the infant children of Christian parents. If these were born just before Easter they were baptized at the great service before the adult catechumens. If they were born at other times of the year they were baptized without any reference either to the Easter festival or to the presence of the bishop, the administrant being a presbyter or a deacon or even a layman. Sponsors made the renunciation and confession of faith and answered the questions in the name of the child, and they were understood to be responsible for his subsequent upbringing in Christian faith and life. The second part of the Baptism Service-the laying on of the bishop's hands with prayer, which in contradistinction from the first part has come to be known as Confirmation-was postponed until the child could be brought to the bishop. Some evidence has already been given to show that the Baptism of Infants had by the beginning of the third century become a generally established custom in the Church, though it had not achieved its position without a certain amount of heart-searching, and even as late as the last quarter of the second century a prominent writer of the North African Church, Tertullian, was pleading that children ought not to be baptized until they could understand the meaning of the service. But the example of Christ in blessing little children, and the general feeling of the fitness of things was felt to be enough to justify the practice, and as Christian families became more numerous Infant Baptisms must have begun to outnumber those of adults.

Perhaps the most important phrase in the whole service from